back to Dean's pov. as with the rest of this fic, this chapter has art that goes with it. go to my tumblr or the ao3 version to see it ig
(7,048 words)
"Damnit, Cas, where'd you go? Your weird kid won't stay in the damn bag," Dean grumbles as Jack pops his little stardust pom poms out the top of Cas' duffel bag again. Pyukumuku uses its weird mouth-hand to push Jack back in, but it's not fifteen seconds later that the zipper slides open again, a warbling sound not unlike a giggle coming from in the bag. "You think this is funny? Huh? Is this funny to you?"
"Dean, it's just playing. Jack knows enough not to come out when we're around people," Sam says with a sigh, face buried in the map he's carting around like a goofball, because they can't afford Rotom-anything to save their skins.
"Same can't be said about all the teleporting…"
"Dean, Cas said its intentions are good—"
"Yeah, well, Cas said a lot of things, and where is he now, huh?" Dean snaps, and Sam falls silent. A few seconds later, Jack starts its impression of a fire alarm again, crying loudly even as Cas' Pyukumuku tries to quiet it down. "Ah, geez…"
The Pyukumuku sends him a glare, and the lazy thing almost looks like it wants to lash out until Ribombee flies down and looks at it. Ribombee then starts playing peekaboo with Jack in an effort to shut it up, and Jack thankfully stops crying. Dean walks on thin ice for a while after that, just like he does every time Jack decides to burst into tears as loudly as possible.
Dean doesn't blame Jack for being upset. He misses Cas, too. Like, a lot. More than he probably should. He misses his bluntness and his chronic staring problem that's been going on since they were ten and his squinty eye-head tilt combos and his dorky ties and his clunky trench coat. He misses…Cas, completely and wholly, and while Sam does miss him too, it feels different, like he's the only one who really misses him.
The fact that Cas left without a word and without even taking his Pokemon is more than a little worrying, but Dean can't think of anyone that would wanna actively hurt his best friend beyond maybe his family. They're on their way to see Anna now to find out if she knows anything, but without a phone or knowing Anna's number, they don't have much of a choice but to head back to Ethereal Paradise. Hopefully, Zach and Naomi aren't home, at least.
Getting to the island that Ethereal Paradise sits on is a major pain in the ass, as it turns out. Apparently, only 'authorized personnel' can go to the place that's supposed to be a sanctuary for people and Pokemon alike, and if that isn't suspicious, Dean doesn't know what is. Still, he and Sam take the opportunity to bulk up their teams a little, with Sam deciding to go back to complete a few trials to become stronger for whatever lies ahead.
Dean doesn't like continuing on their journey without Cas, wanting nothing more than for Cas to be there with congratulations hugs and half a dozen healing items whenever either of them get another stamp in their booklets or catch a new Pokemon, but he has a feeling that they're gonna need to be strong to help Cas, wherever he is.
Sam's Stufful evolves into a Bewear during a trial, and Dean takes pictures to commemorate the event, so that Cas will at least have that, even if the pictures end up being less about evolution and more about Bewear's love of hugging the snot out of people for three hours straight. He wonders if Cas would let himself be hugged for that long… Sam also gets an egg from a Pokemon daycare and starts carting that around everywhere.
Somewhere between Ula'ula island trials, Sam and Dean learn about a Pokemon League being built, but that just makes Dean miss Cas even more. No matter what, they at least have to get him back to watch that. Entering a Pokemon League is just too big of a deal to do without Cas by their side.
Luckily, they finally catch a break in the form of Team Smoke, of all people, right in the little town they took over and promptly dubbed Helltown. Helltown really is a crappy little town, with all the buildings all run down and not a single one with running water or electricity. There are bonfire barrels set up every few feet, though according to the old cop Rufus, a miserable bastard whose lips only loosen when presented with alcohol, the town is rainy thirteen months out of the year.
Sam and Dean storm their little hellhole, and after beating some chick named Meg and her gang of Bisharp, they finally get some useful information. "I know why you're here."
"Yeah, to drive the roaches invading the town away."
Meg rolls her eyes, but before Dean can storm past her, she continues, "You're here because that old drunkard they generously call a cop offered you a lift across the lake if you drive us away, aren't you?" Dean sends her a glare and crosses his arms, admitting to nothing. "Don't look at me like that. Gerald has a big mouth."
"Maybe we are, maybe we aren't. Your point?"
"My point is that that old buzzard doesn't even have a boat. Our new 'king' Crowley does, and I hear he's on his way over there anyway." Meg shrugs, narrowed eyes looking at them with a glimmer of amusement. "Just in case you wanna work something out."
Meg saunters away, her team of exhausted Bisharp trailing behind her. Sam and Dean exchange a look for a fraction of agreement and both silently agree what they're not going to do. Whether Rufus has a boat or not, they'd rather be indebted to him than the leader of Team Smoke, if only because he's a lot easier to shop for. Besides, Rufus is Bobby's friend, and probably trustworthy enough that leaving Jack with him for a while isn't a horrible idea.
Still, they make their way through the main building and up to the throne room, where Crowley is waiting with a Houndoom draped over his lap uncomfortably. He's grown his beard out since Dean last saw him about a year ago, but other than that, looks exactly the same right down to the self-satisfying smirk on his face.
"Hello, boys. Fancy a chat?" Dean crosses his arms and glares at Crowley until he says, "My, that's not a face I like to see. Juliet, why don't you check on the bumbling buffoons lurking around? Papa needs to talk business."
The Houndoom, Juliet, yawns and stands up before slinking right past Sam's legs and leaving the room. Dean doesn't waste any time before demanding, "What do you know about the Ethereal Foundation?"
"Oh? It's information you're after?"
"What do you wanna do, battle for it?" Dean snaps, fingers drifting towards Poliwhirl's PokeBall.
"Absolutely not. Battling is so…messy. I'm more into sales." Crowley finally stands from his throne, which seems to be just a wooden chair with a blanket draped over the back and seat parts, and goes to a small table in the corner with a small, square case on it. "Now, I understand you're in the possession of a rare Pokemon…"
"Look, we just need to get to Ethereal Paradise," Sam says, flashing puppy-dog eyes as the Lycanroc at his heel does the same. "We think our friend might be over there, and we need to make sure he's okay."
"Touching. But what exactly does this have to do with me?"
"We gotta give your ass the boot for Rufus to give us a ride over there, and a little Starly told us you're on your way over anyway." Dean shifts his weight on his feet, looking down at the new leader of Team Smoke. "You gonna hit the road, or what?"
"Fine. Enjoy your secrets while you have them," Crowley huffs, "but don't say I've never given you anything. I'm in a generous mood; consider this one free, but the next will cost you."
With that, Crowley tosses the case, which Lycanroc grabs from the air before any of them react. A quick look inside reveals a flute with a little moon-like symbol on it, and Dean has the distinct impression that it's not one of a kind, judging by the other space in the case. Sam puts it in his backpack for the time being and they head over to Rufus' little shack, both of them noting on the way back that Helltown is now empty.
A tired looking Rufus opens the door before they can even knock, and it's not difficult to hear Jack's distinctive crying that Dean's grown uncomfortably used to. "The thing's been wailing since you two left," Rufus tells them, face twisted in displeasure as he nods towards Pyukumuku and Ribombee. "Not even those two could shut it up."
Dean, having prepared for this, just nods and heads inside, and Jack stops for a second when it seems him. "Hey, buddy. Hungry?" He tentatively presents a Twix bar, remembering how Cas said it likes nougat, and Jack jumps right up, temper tantrum instantly forgotten as hearts all but pop into its eyes. "Hey, I don't like the way he's lookin' at me…"
"Personally, I love the way it's looking at you, 'cause that means it's finally quiet enough to hear myself think. You two ever ask me to babysit again, it'll be too soon." Rufus shrugs on his coat and stops at the door. "Are you coming or what? I don't got all day."
Classic Rufus. They all know he does have all day, since it's either he helps them or he does actual work and they all know which he'd prefer. He's kind of like Bobby in that way, and not just because they're both crotchety old guys with too much time on their marginally capable hands. Still, Rufus certainly didn't sign up to babysit a particularly whiny Pokemon with an affinity for nougat, so they do make an effort to get out of his hair.
Rufus' little teacup with a motor strapped to the back takes them to Ethereal Paradise very slowly, and to make matters worse, Rufus bitches the entire time and makes sure they know that if they didn't know Bobby, he wouldn't be lifting a finger for them. Nice guy. Either way, it's the longest three hours of Dean's life, and the only drop of entertainment comes from Sam's Vullaby, who continuously pops out of its PokeBall just to demand food, despite the fact that it just ate a little while ago.
Dean wonders for a second if maybe it needs the extra energy boost to evolve, but thinking about that makes him think about Cas, which he's trying not to think about. But, well, it's not exactly easy to not think about Cas, especially when he's carrying Cas' bag and Cas' Pokemon around, not to mention Cas'…Jack, whatever it may be. For now, Dean's just glad Jack is quiet.
For most of the trip, Sam looks at the flute thing curiously, and they quietly speculate as to what it may be and what it could be used for. Dean suggests playing the thing multiple times, and Sam looks at him like he'd just suggested they go lick sidewalks. It's an instrument, so it's obviously meant to be played, no matter how ancient or dusty it looks.
When they finally get to the floating artificial island and dock up, they find basically the opposite of a warm welcome as half a dozen workers all in those same funky white suits as before crawl out from every corner of the loading docks to start battling them. Thankfully, Sam and Dean have a pretty good roster of Pokemon between them and it doesn't take all that long to send the majority off with their tails tucked between their legs, but a new sense of dread washes over Dean when they head to the next floor via the elevator that only seems to go up and a very familiar face crops up.
"Going somewhere?" Zach says in his typical flavor of a greeting, and Dean can tell he's gonna be nothing but a pain in the ass before he even continues, "Well, you were, I'm sure, but I'm afraid you're stuck here now with me if I want to keep my job. And what an important job it is, let me tell you—"
"Please don't," Sam grumbles, but he's ignored as Zach starts pacing back and forth like an Unfezant, all puffed up and ready to chatter.
"—I am completely and utterly irreplaceable, and do you know why?" He stands there and waits like this is some kid's cartoon and they're gonna provide the magic answer, but Sam and Dean don't give him the satisfaction and just stare the guy down. Finally, Zach snaps, "Because I'm here to bring your sorry asses in, that's why. Naomi wants a word, but to get to her, you have to go through me."
Oh, he is so asking for it. He raises a PokeBall threateningly, finger itching over the button that will release Marowak as Salandit hisses at Zach from its place on his shoulder, but Sam puts a hand up and stops him, asking with a scowl unfit for a fourteen year old, "Why does Naomi want us?"
"That's not the question that should be flying around and filling the air. No, what I should be hearing is an explanation as to why you two buffoons are wandering around here unsupervised." Zach finally looks a little shaken, if majorly pissed off. "You come here uninvited and—didn't the guards stop you?"
'Guards'. What happened to this place being a sanctuary? "We defeated them," Dean replies lowly, using every inch of height he has to his advantage, though Zach is about the same height. "And unless you tell us where Cas is, you're next."
"Wha— Cas?" Zach actually laughs at that, slapping his knee for added effect, because he thinks he's funny but he's really just old. "You're actually raiding Ethereal Paradise for that maggot? Oh, and just when I thought you two couldn't get any dumber…" The laughter stops and the dangerous scowling looks start, a smirk to top it all off. "You have no idea what's going on, do you?"
"Do you, Mr. High-and-Mighty Branch Chief? You know where everything's at?" Dean snaps. "You think you're so in control and important, but you know you're just as replaceable as any of the goons we tromped on downstairs."
"I assure you, all my ducks are not only in a neat little row, but they're getting ready to go for a little swim in—ah, right where Castiel is, I think. Wouldn't it be nice to go see him?" Zach's grin sharpens. "But wait, you don't know where he is. Naomi does, and I do, but no one else. Pretty inconvenient, isn't it?"
"My god, you love the sound of your own voice," he finally groans. "Stop taunting and fight me, or get out of the way like you seem so good at doing."
"What's the matter? World's not as kind as you thought it was, is it, Dean?" Zach continues like he hadn't heard anything. "When you run away from home all to escape your daddy, it can get pretty tough, especially when you're hauling a youngster around, huh?"
"For Ethereal's last line of defense, you don't really do a lot of defending," Sam notes aloud, and that definitely ticks the guy off. "Make me wonder just how qualified you are for the job. I mean, is Ethereal Paradise really above hiring just because someone knows a guy?"
"I'll have you know, I'm extremely qualified for this position. I was hired directly by Michael, who is arguably higher in position than Naomi, although not in title, and he said that I was perfect for the job." Sam and Dean glance at each other in amusement, with Dean wondering how he can convey that he wants to try sneaking past the babbling fool while he's squawking, but Zach does eventually catch on, his jaw ticking in annoyance. "Fine. You leave me no choice. Prepare to feel the full force of my power. And don't think I'll hold back just because you're kids."
"Don't expect us to hold back just because you're a senior citizen," Sam fires back without missing a beat, and Dean grins at him in pride as Zach takes the bait, hook, line, and sinker. 'Atta boy, Sammy.
"I'm going to enjoy this," the guy mutters, sending out a Mr. Mime. Dean sends out Marowak, and as the two start squaring off, Zach runs his mouth. "See, you call me old like it's a bad thing when that really only means I have more experience in Pokemon battles than you, and beyond that, in life. The two of you mud-scraping, meddling meatheads put together don't have half the brains I do. You think you could run an operation like this? No, I'm irreplaceable!"
Dean half tunes him out and focuses on the battle—or rather, where Zach's Mr. Mime is doing its thing with its creepy little hands and Marowak is impatiently tapping the end of its extinguished bone against the floor, because Marowak is a lot like him and likes to get things over with instead of having to listen to somebody puff out their chest.
"…of course, not everyone has access to the lower floors," Zach goes on, and Dean finally finds the strength to listen for a minute. "No, that's where the labs are, and naturally, we can't have just anyone wandering around down there. They could tamper with results or environments or even steal experiments—like that little maggot did. It thought no one would notice, but we were tracking him the second its ass dared to set foot on this island. Not that we weren't watching it before, of course, though that isn't really my department thankfully—"
"You've been stalking Cas?" Dean all but growls out, hands clenching into fists as Zach abruptly shuts up, like he'd only just realized what he was admitting to. And Dean's smart enough to put two and two together to realize Jack must've been one of these 'experiments' before Cas saved him. "You bastard…"
On Dean's shoulder, Salandit hisses at Zach, and the Pokemon in Cas' bag stir. Zach has the audacity to roll his eyes. "Oh, like you didn't know. That thing you call your friend isn't even human —"
Dean's heard enough. It takes one strong Shadow Bone to have Zach recalling Mr. Mime, and one more threatened attack to have Zach change the elevator's settings and send them down to the labs. The labs, unsurprisingly, look a lot like the rest of the building, all big and white and depressing with high ceilings that probably echo whenever one of their experiments scream. Dean grips the duffel bag a little tighter, one hand settling along the side of it where he can feel Jack's energy thrumming even through the material.
By some miracle, Jack hasn't moved or even made a sound since they got out of Rufus' tiny little boat and set foot on the artificial island, as if he knows now is the time to be quiet and still and remain out of sight. Why he didn't have that philosophy with poor Rufus, Dean has no clue, but he's glad Jack has adopted it now, not wanting to even think about what these creeps might do to check if they knew he was here, especially in light of the fact that Cas apparently took him from these very labs.
There are two labs, it seems, but neither of them even suggest splitting up. Sam gets his hands on one of his own PokeBalls, and it ends up being a good thing, since they're jumped as soon as they step through the doorway to the hallway that even holds the labs. Between Salandit, Marowak, and Sam's Lycanroc, they make quick work of the trio with the funky facemasks, but the encounter is enough to unsettle Dean. They'd already defeated a whole group downstairs; just how many more goons are crawling around in this place?
"Stay on your toes," he advises needlessly, but Sam humors him enough to nod along anyway, keeping Lycanroc out of its PokeBall now.
The researchers in the labs confirm that Jack—Cosmog?—came from the labs before Cas snatched him up, and confirm that Jack was experimented on. Something about harnessing his power, with one saying Jack's powers could potentially open up Ultra Wormholes—kinda like what Jack does when he teleports them, Dean's guessing. Cas did say he was special…
The first lab is empty, talking about some theoretical non-Pokemon made in a lab to fight Ultra Beasts dubbed the Beast Killer, though most of the files on it are deleted and the computer only has videos of Zach's corporate bragging skills on it. The very thought of a lab-made Pokemon unsettles Dean, though he doesn't think it's referring to Jack, at least. The second lab looks a lot like the first with its weird windowed containment thing clearly used for storing the experiments and its stack of Pokemon kennels stacked neatly beside it right next to the bookshelf that might have something useful.
Before they can even think about accessing it, two more researchers battle them and quickly lose. Dean presses them for information on Cas' location and what they want with the Cosmog, but unlike Zach, they keep their mouths shut and don't reveal a thing before leaving the room like they own the place, like Sam and Dean hadn't just wiped the floor with them in a battle. One even implies Cas is gone—the gone-for-good kind of gone that means he won't be coming back.
"Damnit," he mutters, punching the nearest wall and repeating more loudly, "Damnit! Damnit, damnit, damnit!"
"Why don't you try saying 'damnit' a few more times? I'm sure that'd help," Sam mutters without looking up from the book he's flipping through. Right, the bookshelf. Dean can't even think about reading right now and processing the words in front of him, not when he'd rather have some goon's nose under his fist.
He just shoots Sam a dirty look that melts the second his eyes go back to the containment unit, and sinks to the floor when Cas' Ribombee pokes its head out of the bag. "Damnit, Cas." His voice comes out weaker than he thought it would, and he must sound pretty pathetic for Salandit to be looking at him like that, for Marowak to offer silent companionship by sitting on the floor beside him. "Why'd you have to come back here at all? Why couldn't you have just…?"
Try as he might, Dean just can't hate Jack for inadvertently getting Cas captured, not after learning Cas had saved him from a life of experimentation, not when Cas cares so much about him. He's not sure if Cas is alive at this point, never even allowing the idea that he might not be to enter his mind, but now that it has, Dean's not sure where to go or what to do. Before, he would've torn the whole damn island down piece by piece with his teeth if it meant finding Cas, but if he's somewhere where he can't be found, let alone rescued…
"Dean," Sam calls quietly, and Dean struggles to put himself together enough not to worry Sammy, struggles to stand up and dry his eyes and go back to taking care of Sammy. But Sam isn't looking for that, isn't looking for him to compose himself. Sam just wants him to listen as he says, "I found a book."
"Oh, well, whoop-de-freakin'-doo," he mumbles half-heartedly, voice as watery and pathetic as his eyes, but Sam doesn't do more than give him a sympathetic look.
"It's talking about those Ultra Wormholes and how they lead to another dimension and how certain Pokemon can open them. Maybe Cas got taken by one of them and is in the Ultra Space?"
Dean finds the strength to pick his head up to shoot him a glare. "That your idea of good news?"
"Well…no," Sam replies, audibly hesitating. "I did find more info on Cosmog, though. Apparently, this is where Jack—"
"Pew!" Jack contributes very helpfully, making everyone pause.
Sam clears his throat and continues, "Uh, Cosmog apparently came from the Ultra Space and was brought here to be studied. They found that he can make Ultra Wormholes when he's really stressed, and they're…trying to figure out a way to harness that to gain access to the Ultra Space…"
That gets Dean standing up to go over to the computer (seriously, who just makes a password 'password'?) holding all this info, along with hundreds of hours of experimental footage showing a huddle of researchers gaining up on Jack and either trying to freak him out or have him fight a group of Pokemon, or watching him lay there hooked up to a dozen machines at once, whether he's crying and afraid or not.
If there's one thing that really pisses him off, it's people that hurt something weaker than them for their own gain. "Sick bastards. Thought this place was supposed to be a sanctuary…"
Sam hums in agreement, adding, "They're saying he might be an Ultra Beast, and since they've also said they don't view Ultra Beasts as Pokemon so much as something beyond that…"
"Damnit," Dean repeats again, tightening the hold he has on Cas' bag and all the precious cargo within it.
"Yeah," Sam agrees, "damnit."
With little else to do, Sam and Dean leave the labs and return to the first floor. It shouldn't be so surprising that Zach had them running around like headless chickens on this spectacular waste of time, but at least they managed to learn more about Jack through it—and a little more about just how messed up Ethereal Paradise is and how it doesn't quite live up to its name.
"Well, what now?" Sam asks quietly, and as if those are the magic words, some new guy in a suit steps out.
"I'll tell you what now," he says, standing up straight with a smirk wide enough to split his face in half, though it does little to distract from all the moles on his face. "I'm going to send the two of you on a little trip. You see, now that you've learned about the darker side of everything you see around you, I'm afraid I can't just allow you to walk away."
"Great, another ego-fest." It seems like the whole building is full of them. Fantastic. "Zach put you up to this?"
The guy doesn't scoff, but he comes pretty close. "Please. That pompous fraud has no orders over me. No, I'm Uriel, and I'm acting on my own will and putting you two down myself."
Dean throws on a cocky smirk and slowly moves in front of Sam. "Is that right?"
"Yes." Uriel's expression darkens and his hand drifts to one of the PokeBalls on his belt. "I'll prove it to you. My wrath will be the last thing that either of you know."
Turns out Uriel's wrath is a trio of Pokemon that Mantine and Bewear defeat in minutes, and all that talk about 'putting them down' means him calling for backup after his inevitable failure. Before anyone can answer Uriel's call, Anna steps forward and says firmly, "Uriel, that's enough. I'll take care of it from here."
Uriel visibly grits his teeth and clenches his jaw, but runs off like an obedient little Puppy Pokemon, mumbling something about well-deserved credit and initiative. Dean nods at Anna once, but doesn't thank her for saving them from only a minor annoyance. Sam, however, does. "Thank you for stepping in."
"Of course."
"Where's Cas?" Dean wastes no time in asking, and Anna freezes. "Oh, so you do know. You gonna make us battle the info out of you, too?"
"No, just… How's the Cosmog?" Changing the subject. Of course. Anna bends down a little to get closer to the bag, looking at it from this angle and that while Dean fixes her with an unimpressed look at the obvious diversion. "Is it in here?"
"None of your damn business, now where's Cas?"
Anna sighs and stands back up. "He's in the Ultra Space. Naomi…" Dean opens his mouth, but no words come out. Is Cas…alive? "He asked me to look after the two of you. He was very confident that you were capable of looking after Cosmog yourself, Dean, and told me to make sure you two were safe."
Dean nods to himself, hating the way his throat is closing up but still managing to ask, "Is Cas okay?"
"He…is," she replies slowly, hesitantly. Dean doesn't like it and fits her with a particularly nasty scowl that he knows deep down she doesn't deserve, but he's started to get pretty damn sick of all the secrets floating around. Anna doesn't buckle, but sends him a sharper look. "Look, I've already told you what I can. Castiel isn't somewhere you can currently access, so sharpening your knives isn't doing anybody any good."
"So you're useless to us then. Great."
"Dean—" Sam tries, but Anna cuts him off.
"There's only so much I can do! You can't get to Castiel right now, he's mostly physically unharmed, and all you two are doing is making a big fuss and stirring things up in this place on every level. And I could get in a lot of trouble for even telling you this much, so back off, okay? I'm trying."
Dean clenches his jaw and nods to himself, only barely fighting back the urge to either cry again or punch something. He knows Anna's trying, but it's just not enough. He doesn't care where Cas is, he just wants Cas to be back all safe in his arms and on the first boat out of here.
Instead of asking what can't be answered, he asks, "Where's Naomi?"
"I can lead you there," Anna replies, relaxing incrementally and beginning to walk towards the mansion part of Ethereal Paradise, which is naturally closed off to the public, because even sanctuaries have their skeletons in the closets and not-so charitable bits. "I do care about Castiel, by the way, and I don't like you insinuating differently. He is…like a little brother to me, and I don't like this any more than you do, Dean. We really are alike in that way. I just realize how powerless I am and manage to resist the urge to punch everything every time my boyfriend goes missing."
Dean bristles at the implication but doesn't deny it, not after Sam's implied as much so many times over the past few days, when he joked about it so much for the past few years (usually in Cas' absence, thankfully, though the jokes likely would've flown right over his head, anyway, the oblivious little dork). Instead, he keeps quiet as they're led to stop in front of a huge almost garage door-like structure in the wall that leads to the mansion, because what sanctuary doesn't need one of those?
"You understand, of course, that I can't be seen helping you," Anna says as she starts typing something in on a screen on the door, probably unlocking it. "Naomi, among others, will be in there, and it's better if I just…demanded the two of you leave the premises, if they ask about me being here."
Dean eyes her skeptically, not sure if he trusts her intentions even if she says she cares about Cas, but Sam smiles gratefully. "Thanks for all your help. We really appreciate it."
"Just…be careful," Anna advises before she leaves, making a bee-line to the elevator and never looking back.
Sam and Dean exchange a look before carefully opening the now unlocked door, which slides up about as loudly as it possibly could and alerts all the Team Smoke grunts that were just standing around moments before, suddenly sending like eight pairs of eyes looking at them. Just their luck (though at least they're easy enough to defeat). As if that wasn't enough, Meg's standing on the porch at the end of the strangely scenic walkway leading up to the mansion, half a dozen Bisharp by her side like a particularly short barbed wire fence.
"Going somewhere?" she hums.
"Yeah, right through you."
"Kinky."
Between Salandit and Growlithe, the Bisharp don't really stand a chance, and Meg accepts the loss easily and just steps off to the side, her part apparently done now that her Pokemon are lying on the artificial grass like the rest of the Team Smoke grunts they just defeated. And the wins feel good, if only because that means putting down some members of Team Smoke, if only because it feels like they're making progress.
But then they go into the mansion with its fake flowers on either side of the door and its fancy chandeliers and its too-white walls and floors and ceilings. Most of the doors on either side of the room are closed off, including what might be sets of stairs leading to yet another floor of the mansion, but the big double doors right across from the main entrance are neither closed off nor locked, so they go in there despite recognizing that it may end up being a trap.
The room behind the double doors is just as pompous as the rest of the house, with its fancy lights everywhere and a big mirror on the wall directly opposite the door. Naomi is just…standing there when they come in, though she quickly turns to face them, eyes empty. Before Dean can say anything, her eyes lock onto the bag, which he moves to be slightly behind him.
"Oh, how kind of you to bring Cosmog right to me. Saves a lot of trouble trying to track it down." Before he really knows what's happening, Naomi, from the other side of the room, lifts a weird glowing hand and the bag is yanked right off Dean's shoulder and into her arms. "Yes, I knew you'd be useful…"
"Hey!" Dean makes it all of two steps before he's frozen to the ground, a strange aura around him like a Pokemon using Psychic, though there are no Pokemon in sight. Beside him, Sam is just as stuck, his stilled fingers inching towards one of the PokeBalls on his belt. "What the hell?"
The sound of the bag being unzipped seems to echo off every surface in the room, coming back loud and unnerving. Naomi mumbles to herself and overturns the bag, sending Jack, Pyukumuku, and Ribombee crashing to the ground. Ribombee wastes no time in sending a ball of pollen hurling right towards Naomi's face, and the second it makes contact, Sam and Dean are free, both of them falling to the ground at the abrupt change.
Sam's quick to send out Vullaby, probably concluding the attacks are coming from a Psychic type and hoping Vullaby is immune to the attacks as a Dark type, but in the time it takes for them both to scramble to their feet, Naomi disappears through a teleportation port that replaces the mirror, Jack being yanked after her with the same thing that had frozen Sam and Dean.
"Son of a bitch! She just…"
"Dean, I think it's still active," Sam says, waving a hand through the teleporter. Dean picks the discarded duffel bag up and throws it over his shoulder again, letting Pyukumuku and Ribombee climb back inside, though Ribombee stays perched and poised on top of the bag, obviously pretty pissed by this whole thing. Dean meets its eyes for a moment until Sam nudges him. "C'mon. Let's go."
The second they step into the teleporter one by one, they disappear, reappearing on a small isolated area of Ethereal Paradise that's surrounded by water, not unlike the docking area downstairs. On the little island are thick blocks of ice that, upon closer inspection, contain Pokemon. A Slowpoke, a Pikachu, a Pyukumuku, a Mimikyu…
In the middle of it all is Naomi, who's now holding a little black box that Dean instinctively knows Jack is trapped in even before he hears the familiar shrieked cry from inside. "I really should be thanking you," she begins, holding the box for emphasis. "The whole world should be, in fact. After all, it'll be thanks to you two that the world will be able to view the power of the Ultra Beasts as the two worlds merge together, this one and ours."
"'Ours'?" Sam repeats, but Naomi ignores him.
"With Cosmog's help, I can go and find Necrozma and a more permanent wormhole can be made, forever linking Heaven and Earth and joining the different worlds within the Ultra Space." She shakes the little box containing Jack, seemingly oblivious to the way he cries out in terror. "Yes, if we harness all of its power…"
"You harness all its power, you kill it," Dean growls, hand itching to grab one of his PokeBalls.
"And? Cosmog may be special, but it's not that unique. And if I fail, I can always find another, no matter how long it takes or how many Cosmog I have to go through." Naomi's face darkens as she does some weird thing with her hands that makes Jack screech in pain and the air behind her wobble, a wormhole beginning to form only to disappear after barely a second, making Naomi scowl at the box. "There's no point in trying to resist, Cosmog. You and I both know how this ends."
"Yeah, well, don't be too sure." Dean finally sends out Salandit, who's practically squirming with the need to fight something. Like before, however, Naomi ignores them in favor of shaking the box.
"Cosmog… You love Castiel, don't you?" Dean's ears perk up, and he quickly looks at Sam, who looks equally interested. "You know exactly what I'm capable of, so I recommend you don't test my patience. After all, hurting you might only hinder progress, but hurting Castiel, well…it's not much use to anyone, is it?"
Dean has to physically bite his tongue to keep from exploding, clench his fists to keep from marching over there and punching Naomi, if only to keep the information coming. Still, hearing anyone refer to Cas as an 'it'…it's not easy to keep himself under control, not easy to keep from sending Poliwhirl out to kick somebody's ass.
"It's very noble of you, but…I only wish it felt the same…" Naomi sighs. "Truth is, Castiel isn't capable of love, and even if it were, don't you think it'd rather be able to return home than worry about the well-being of one Pokemon? This is about bettering the life of potentially thousands of Ultra Beasts. You're really being rather selfish by holding out like this. After all, all I need is one little portal. If you can't manage that, how do you ever expect to be able to help Castiel?"
"Don't listen to her, Jack! Whatever she wants, it can't be good!" Sam shouts unexpectedly, probably noticing Jack's worrying silence, too.
Dean…Dean's torn between backing Sam up on this and almost wanting Jack to open that portal, if only to ensure that Cas is okay. In the end, he knows what Cas would want and nods firmly to himself. "Don't do it, Jack! She's just lying to everybody!"
Jack chimes in like he understands them, and Naomi's expression turns furious as she drops the box to the floor suddenly, kicking it further behind her. "I've had just about enough of you two. I would've dealt with you before if I knew what problems you'd become. If you want something done right…"
With that, Naomi sends out a Weavile and an Alolan Sandslash, starting a double battle that Sam quickly joins with his Lycanroc to fight alongside Salandit. A few well-placed fire attacks (first from Salandit and then Marowak once the former faints) and a Rockslide over Naomi's team has the leader of Ethereal Paradise withdrawing from the battle with a sneer.
"You boys are better at battling than I expected. But that doesn't mean you're getting anywhere near Cosmog." Before either of them can react, Naomi hastily lifts the box Jack's in and holds it up to point towards a wall behind her as energy erupts from the box and spits out a wormhole that's bright enough to blind Dean for a few seconds, the floor shaking beneath them. "Yes, yes…"
With that, Naomi drops the box and disappears into the wormhole. Just as Dean's debating on whether or not to follow her, Crowley strolls in with his hands in his pockets. "Hello, boys," he greets before casually following Naomi into the wormhole, which disappears almost immediately afterwards.
It's silent for a few long seconds before Dean slowly turns to look at Sam. "Uh…what the hell just happened?"
"I…I have no idea." Sam suddenly straightens, stepping past Lycanroc towards the box. "Hey, Jack? Are you okay?" No response is heard, and they share an anxious glance as Sam starts turning the box over. "Hey, Dean, help me figure out how to open this."
Dean goes over, but stops before he reaches the box as something catches his eye. There, hovering slightly in the air in front of him, no bigger than a clementine, is something with a color scheme similar enough to Jack's that Dean feels a little uneasy. He carefully reaches out to cup the tiny thing in his hands, but it doesn't move, its eyes closed almost peacefully.
"Is that…Jack?" Sam asks quietly after a moment, noticing what Dean has.
"I don't know." He strokes over the center of it with a careful thumb, but it doesn't react. "Maybe he…evolved?"
"Maybe." They continue staring at it until Sam clears his throat and stands. "Let's get out of here before anybody finds us down here."
"Yeah," Dean says quietly, eyes still locked onto Jack. "Right behind you."