For a moment I stare at the words in disbelief. Rocket found us? How? Where are they being held? Will Rocket honor their word?
"What's wrong Alex?" Thunder says with concern. "Say something!"
"They have them." I finally say. I sit down on an upturned shelf, my legs feeling weak. "Rocket has Josh..." They wouldn't be in this situation if it wasn't for me. How could I have been so stupid!? We shouldn't have involved them. Mewtwo isn't even with us anymore! They're both going to die. Tsunami and Salty will be sold on the black market like property. It's all my fault.
"Couldn't have happened to a better person." Sylveon scoffs dryly.
"Sylveon!" Thunder snaps. "Show at least a little tact. Or do you hate Jackson just as much that you'd like them both dead?"
"Pretty sure I made my stance clear. I don't care about them. If that's the kind of son Jackson raises they both deserve it. Let them die. Makes no difference to me." Thunder tries to retort but decides to let it go. Clearly her mind is set.
"Guys!" Growlithe barks. "Someone's coming!" That snaps me out of my self pity and brings me to attention. I get behind the shelf and gesture for the other to follow suit.
"Who is it, Growlithe? Rocket?"
"Not sure. Just smelled something coming. Wait..." He sniffs the air. "I recognize one of the scents... Mewtwo! It's Mewtwo!" I dare to let myself hope again. Perhaps we can figure something out after all. I step out and spot Mewtwo and a Ninetales dashing through the rain towards us.
"Alex! What happened here?!" Mewtwo calls out.
"Rocket found us. They're threatening to kill Josh and Jackson if we don't hand you over."
"Jack?" The Ninetales perks up at the mention of that name.
"Is he a friend of yours?" Thunder asks.
"More of a trusted acquaintance. I knew him on Pokemar. Regardless, if he's in danger I wish to help."
"Far be it from me to refuse an ally." I say. I look at the note again. On the back is an address. As well as another message.
YOU HAVE UNTIL NOON TOMORROW.
"Noon tomorrow. That doesn't give us much time..."
"Let me go to them. Please do not risk them on my behalf." Mewtwo says.
"No, I'm not going to let them have their living weapon back. Way more lives will be lost that way. But we can't abandon Josh, Jackson, and the others either. We need a plan."
"You mean you need a plan." Sylveon interrupts. "I'm having no part in this."
"Wait..." Mewtwo says. "Shadow? Is that-"
"Don't." Sylveon lashes out with her ribbons, "Call." wrapping Mewtwo's arms and neck, "Me." and dragging him down to eye level. "THAT! I'm done with that name! So stop saying it!"
I see a flash of his old living weapon side of him as Sylveon strikes before he quickly forces it away. "Please let me go. I do not want to hurt you." She grunts before acquiescing.
"Do what you're going to do. The moment the storm clears I'm leaving."
"I do not think you actually want him dead." Mewtwo says.
"Yeah? How would you know?"
"Mewtwo-" I start.
"I am a psychic type. I can sense your thoughts." They continue regardless.
"You looked into my brain without my permission!? Seriously?!" Sylveon yells.
"I gleaned it through your empathic connection. And from what I could see you still care to some degree. I do not believe you would want him to die because of what he has done."
"No. No, I don't know what you think you saw, but it wasn't that. Whether he lives or dies is of no concern to me. I'm done with him. I'm strong enough now to strike out on my own, so I will. You all do whatever you want. I'm done." She walks away down the hall and into the back room.
"Mewtwo," I say. "She's been through a lot. Just leave her alone."
"If you are certain..." They say. I step into the guest room to look for my maps and notes only to find them missing. A quick glance at the abnormally full paper shredder and the backwards-folded laptop tells me everything I need to know about what happened to them. I'll give Rocket this, they know how to be thorough. Suppose we're starting from scratch.
"Alright. We have until tomorrow noon to think of a plan of attack. As I said before I'm not about to hand over Mewtwo to them and let them create a subservient slave race. Nor am I leaving Josh and Jackson behind." I quickly use Zangoogle maps to figure out where the address they gave us is. As it turns out it's deep in Rustboro's industrial district, an abandoned warehouse "formerly" owned by, of course, Devon Corp. As I show the map to everyone Ninetales takes note.
"I know that place. There may be a portal there." I only have time to glance at her before she begins to explain. "I guard the gateways between Pokemar and Terranor. Rocket has been making my job more difficult as of late. But perhaps with your assistance that can be remedied. I must either destroy or have control of that portal." A possible way back to Pokemar? Crap, I'd gotten so focused on Rocket I'd completely forgotten about that. Fortunately, it sounds like Ninetales won't have a problem getting us back after this is all over.
"Seeing as that will stop the Mew kidnappings and end Project Mewtwo, I'm on board." I take out a sheet of paper and draw out a rough sketch of the building and surrounding area. "What can you tell us? Anything you know of this place will help."
"The place sees frequent traffic from Rocket. As such, I have never had an opportunity to get close. All I am certain of is that there is a spatial distortion within the building that they may be using for a portal."
"Why would they send us to a place that sensitive for this? Something's off."
"All the more reason for caution."
"Indeed." I start to think. "First things first, the hostages. One way or another, Mewtwo and I will need to appear like we're going through with the trade. But to turn the tide we need a distraction. One that won't result in them getting shot. I'm thinking shorting the lights. Thunder, that'll be your job. We get you in, you find anything marked with this," I draw a quick electrical hazard symbol. "And zap it. Mewtwo, once that happens we'll need to act fast to get them out of harm's way. Growlithe, you and Ninetales are our backup. Once it hits the fan, we'll need all the help we can get bringing things under control. Especially since they'll definitely have something tailored to counter Mewtwo."
"Alex, I'm gonna be honest." Growlithe laments. "That's a pretty shaky plan."
"It is. But without better information on the location it's the best I've got. Although... When Mewtwo and I step inside we'll have a better idea of what we're dealing with."
"And you want me to keep us all connected telepathically, correct?" Mewtwo says.
"Yes. We relay our findings and adjust the plan accordingly. Still not foolproof, but it gives us an edge."
"So how do you plan on getting me inside unseen, Alex?" Thunder inquires. I quickly pick up his pokeball. He lets out a disappointed sigh. "Sorry I asked..."
"We'll have to toss you onto the roof. A good throw with a psychic type boost should do it. Only way to get you up there that doesn't involve you hitting the roof at high speed with your face."
"Alright, fine. What do I do when I'm up there?"
"Look for the ventilation system. There should a big metal box or something you can crawl into and get inside with."
"You're sure about this Alex? I can see about a dozen ways this could end horribly."
"It's far from a perfect plan, I agree. But I have faith in you all. Most of us have fought together. Especially I with you, Thunder. Time travel or no time travel, we have a long history together. I trust you." I say those last two words with feeling. Thunder Is different, yes. More cautious, less energetic. But his heart is the same. "We've faced worse odds than this and lived. We can do this Thunder."
"We can do this..." He echoes before looking at me with conviction. "We can do this. I'm with you Alex."
"As am I." Mewtwo says. "My loyalty is to you, Alex."
"In for 1, in for 100. Let's do this." Growlithe adds.
"May Ho-Oh look upon us fondly this coming day." Ninetales adds.
"Alright. Let's make preparations and rest." I say.
"Not sure I feel all that safe sleeping here..." Growlithe comments.
"Then we shall have someone on lookout. I'll volunteer for first watch. You all get to sleep."
"Thank you Alex." The group step into various rooms to sleep. All except Thunder, who jumps onto my shoulder from the table.
"It feels wrong to leave you up alone. I say we take our watch together." He says. I smile warmly.
"Couldn't hurt. Thank you Thunder." His presence by my side in this moment feels right. The two of us. Friends. Brothers. Two souls bound together by bonds of comradery and friendship. This is how it should be. Whether we're New Hope or Shock-Leaf, it doesn't matter.
We are Alex and Thunder. And we will fight by each other's side to the bitter end.