Pyrite Town – The next day…
Avery walked through the streets with Kasi and Professor Oak, their faces covered with thin hoods and scarves. After arriving in Orre, Elm's computer displayed several locations for a hideout. Elm hypothesized that Team Midnight had multiple bases in the area. Which one held Takuya, he couldn't say. They decided to investigate Pyrite Town first, seeing as that would be the best place to pick up the trail. The group had split up into several teams, keeping in contact via radio. At the moment, Avery's team was tailing someone wearing a Team Midnight vest, being careful not to make their presence obvious.
The man they were following eventually caught on as he darted into Pyrite's Supergrand Hotel. Avery and Kasi chased after him through the door, Avery going first.
That earned Avery a smack in the side of the head from the man's fist. The man then tried to run back out the door but was stopped by the Hotel Staff.
"Oh, no you don't!" The Hotel Manager said. "You don't treat newcomers that just got into town that way, Jeb! How many times have we been over this?"
"I didn't do nothin'!" Jeb hollered.
"Nothing?! You just punched me in the face, I would hardly call that nothing!" Avery growled, thankful that his hood had not flown off.
"Now, now! Calm down Jeb!" The manager said. "You are not leavin' my hotel until you apologize!"
Jeb stopped struggling. "…Sorry. You just gave me the creeps when I saw you. I'm not very trusting with outsiders."
"Oh, don't worry about it. You're forgiven." Kasi said, looking at the man in the eye through his goggles. "You have such beautiful eyes; I wish I could see them better." Kasi's voice was like honey, as she started to utilize her newly discovered hypnosis ability along with calm mind.
Jeb, falling under Kasi's power, removed his goggles slowly. A big mistake, as it just gave Kasi greater influence as he stared into her glowing eyes, as they shifted through a kaleidoscope of color. "Aw, shucks." Jeb said as he fell under Kasi's spell. "They're nothing special…"
"Why don't you have a drink with me and my friend?" Kasi suggested, lacing more hypnosis into her words. "We are new here, and don't know much about the areas outside. I'm sure someone like you knows the region like the back of their hand."
Jeb, completely mesmerized by Kasi, walked out the door and led them to a nearby pub, leaving the hotel manager and the staff seriously confused.
# # # # # # # # #
After Kasi had Jeb willingly spill his guts on everything he knew, they found out he wasn't deeply involved with Team Midnight; he was just a runner. But he had plenty of information on where they could find the secretive team. He already told them that their main base was in the former Cipher Key Lair. Team Midnight had rebuilt it after Cipher had abandoned it several years ago. They also had an outpost a few miles near the Outskirts sand gas stop, and another tucked away in the underground city simply known as the Under.
Avery looked over to Oak. "We have to start somewhere. I guess the outpost in the Under would be our best bet to start looking for Takuya…"
Jeb overheard their conversation. "Oh, you mean that pokemon half-breed? He's being held up in the Key Lair. I caught a glimpse of him as I was walking through the base. He looked a little beat up. Sad, too. He had the look in his eye that someone only gets when they are betrayed by a close friend…"
Jeb didn't even notice when Avery, Kasi, and Oak bolted out of the tavern, getting on their radios to contact the rest of the group.
# # # # # # # # # #
The group sped towards the Key Lair, Tyler and Avery leading the charge in one of the dune buggies and the motorcycle. Kasi sat behind Avery on the bike, while Ash and Pikachu sat in Tyler's passenger seat. Dawn and Brock sat in the back.
"We're almost there." Tyler said through his radio. "The lair should be at the end of this gorge…"
As they entered the gorge, they all heard a loud rumble behind them. Tyler looked in his rear-view mirror, and saw they were in the path of a rockslide!
"Oh, crap!" Tyler exclaimed, getting on his radio. "Incoming! Let's cheese it!" He shifted the dune buggy into high gear and floored the gas, the rest of the group following suit. They managed to get past the rockslide when they got to the entrance without getting crushed, only it blocked their exit.
That's when Tyler clicked the puzzle pieces together. "Can someone say this screams 'trap'?"
"Not surprised." Kasi said. "Seems like we're expected." She looked up to the sides of the gorge, thinking she saw something up there.
"Well, we can't just sit here." Avery said, shutting off the motorcycle. "We have to press on. Takuya needs us, we need to get him out of here…"
"Oh, there's no escape." A voice cackled from the darkness of the entrance. "Besides, you will be reunited with dear Takuya soon enough…"
Three figures emerged from the darkness. All of them were pokemon-human hybrids! One looked like a Machamp, the other a Scyther, and the last a Nidoking!
The Scyther stared down Avery as it hovered in the air. "Oh, Avery. It's been a long time…"
Excitement filled Avery as he realized not just what, but who he was staring at. "Reaper! Sparta! Venin! You're alive…" Then his excitement changed to horror when he noticed the brands on their arms. It was the Team Midnight insignia.
"Oh, yes indeed." Sparta said, cracking both sets of knuckles loudly. "And we have a lot to catch up on…"