p style="-original-color: #000000; -original-background-color: #ffffff;"The air was thick and oppressive as the gathering of teenagers shouted their hysterics—nothing one wouldn't expect during a fight in the slums of the biggest city in the opponent smiled like a moron as he hopped in place, another kid, convinced this "show" was all about him. His fists waved before him, eager to start as he drew energy from the chaotic atmosphere.I stood there, waiting for him to run his course. He wasn't anything I hadn't dealt with before; a dude acting like some prodigy of throwing his fists he'd decided it was time. He threw a wild and ambitious right hook at my head, announcing it as he wound up and swung.I pulled my body back to dodge. He was left wide open with his recklessness, so a jab to the cheek came in stumbled backward, bringing a hand to his injury. There were wraps on my hands but no gloves, pure street fighting. Everyone in the crowd cheered as they got the violence they came to a bunch of kid opposing me heard the cheering and looked around as the energy was turned against him. The embarrassment didn't last long before he turned to me charged me, aiming to get close and personal this time as he threw a flurry of fast but unfocused was a challenge, but none of his attacks could hit me; either whiffed or blocked. He went on for some time before I managed to push him away. Where was the opening?"Ooohhhh!" the crowd cheered, no doubt used to just seeing people beat each other opponent seethed before coming at me again, this time ready to strike with both fists at once. My own fists tightened; there it didn't have time to strike; I jabbed him in the chest to stop his momentum and immediately followed up with a cross to the nose. The classic one-two never stumbled again, holding his bleeding nose, but not out yet. Before he could recover, I balled my fist down low before bringing it up to connect with his chin, causing him to fly off his feet and collapse a couple feet lot erupted before starting a count to ten. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath… bandages on my hands were removed and tossed into my bag. He wasn't getting up, not with that from his head meeting the cruel pavement.A buzzing came from the phone in my bag. I answered the call as the crowd got to ten and went crazy, not needing to look to know who it was.I wasn't able to greet him; he was yelling the moment the speaker came to my ear. "Where the ever-loving are you!?""Down at the same, blowing some steam," I said, resisting the urge to yell back."Well, get back here! Now! We get to meet our boss today, and I don't want you fucking everything up!"I shook my head. "I'll be there soon," I muttered."You better, or you'll be Pride's chew toy!" The phone then beeped, signaling the call's end.I brought the phone down to see six missed calls from him in five minutes. Whatever. I tossed the phone back in my bag and walked through the crowd that gathered around the unconscious boy, nearly making it through before getting stopped by those in the crowd."H-hey, man. Ya gotta help us. He's bleedin' everywhere, an-and he's not wakin' up," the kid said. He couldn't have been a day over fifteen, dressed in baggy everything. He trembled like the earth below him was quaking.I looked furtively into the crowd, everyone becoming silent and parting to let me see. He wasn't in good shape. Blood flowed freely from his nose and down the side of his face, beginning to pool on the concrete. His head injury probably wasn't any prettier to look at."Do I look like a doctor? What do you want me to do about it?" I asked. It wasn't my problem that his teenage ego took the driver's seat, and he ended up hurt. I had somewhere to walking away, though, I did offer a point to the city. "There's an urgent care over that way; plug his nose, wrap a shirt over his head, and get him there."The people behind me shouted at each other, trying to follow the instructions as quickly as possible before I left ground crunched as my boots crushed street litter. Aside from the occasional streetlight that wanted to work, the city's outskirts were dark. All around, shady people went about their almost certainly illegal activities, but it wasn't nearly as bad as I left the city limits, some stars eventually poked through the light-polluted sky. On nights like these, sitting and enjoying them in silence was the only thing on my mind, but no time for that tonight. I shook my head and hefted my pack. Oh well, a quick trip to the abandoned lots did a decent enough minutes of quiet were relished before a stray building came into view. If you ever got to come down this way, it was hard not to notice how strange and out of place it looked to be the size of a warehouse, but there was no signage or other structures around that suggested what it was for. Another strange thing about it; there weren't any windows; it was a large, gray abnormally tall chain-link fence declared a perimeter; if that wasn't the reason to be deterred from climbing it, the barbed wire on top was. Semis were attached to a loading bay, and a few cars were parked in the parking road I walked led to a security booth manned by some guy in his thirties. His black hair was shiny with the level of grease of someone who didn't believe in regular bathing. He smiled at my approach, revealing teeth so yellow they rivaled a neon sign."Haven't seen you around here," he said with a wheeze. His breath smelt exactly like you'd expect."Eugh," I replied, fanning the air. "No wonder they have you working outside."He sneered at me as he lit a cigarette. "What's your business, kid?"My hand produced a black cube from my pocket and dropped it on the counter. A piece of one of the corners broke off, leaving a black mark where it landed. He examined the object with interest. "Oh-ho! Important little man, are you?" he said before breaking into a coughing fit.I took a step back to avoid the smoke pluming out of the booth. "And what could they want with some kid like you? You look like nothing special," the man uttered through his fit.I glared at him. "Mind your own, Smoky. I got somewhere to be.""And I've got my job to do. Entry obviously ain't that important to you if you can't state your business," he said, taking another puff from his smoke."You got that right, but for those expecting me, we can't say the same," I said, nodding toward the cube in his nasty fingers. "So I'm content with sitting right here until they give you, the lone attendant, a call asking if you've seen me come through." I took a seat in front of the window, right in the middle of the road. "I don't think they'd be very happy to hear that you're holding me up."It was a minute of sitting and staring. He probably was trying to call a bluff that wasn't there, but he reluctantly opened the gate to allow me entry. "Get outta my sight," he snapped."Gladly, but I'll need that back," I said, pointing at the black cube. He looked at it before throwing it at me. I caught it without breaking eye contact. "Thanks."I entered the large complex through its front entrance. What was on the inside was in line with expectations: a large open room with countless stacks of items and materials stacked from floor to ceiling on racks and pallets. A pair of forklifts moved inventory around under many rows of industrial fluorescent checking over the whole room, I didn't see anything looking like a meeting space, meaning there must be more floors than this. Fortunately, there were people around to ask.I flagged down the nearest forklift operator. He cut the engine so we could speak. "What's up, kid? You lost?" he asked with a tilted head.I pushed aside the fact that people kept calling me 'kid.' "Yeah, actually. I'm looking for room number 230. You know where I could find it?""230? That's a conference room-" his face turned up as he had a moment of clarity. "Oh, you're here for aren't you?" he asked. I pulled the cube out of my pocket nodded and pulled out a folded piece of paper. It was well worn, probably from being slipped in and out of his back pocket many times. "So you're here…" he pointed to the large box that took up the entirety of the page. I was about to scowl at him before he flipped the paper over. "And where you want to go is on the second floor. Take the lift over there, hang a right, left at the end of the hall, then the third left."The directions were clear enough, but I really didn't want to get lost in a place like this. "Can I have one of those maps?" I man frowned. "Sorry,
man. This isn't a map they give out to anyone; it's got tons of important information on it.""And they gave one to a forklift operator?"He folded up the map and put it back in his jeans. "I'm not a forklift driver. I'm actually building maintenance. I'm only driving because I wanted some easy overtime."That made more sense; there were many other things on the map he had, like energy circuit locations along with technical markings and what could've been security codes."Okay, thanks," I said. With his instructions fresh in my mind, I got in the elevator and took it down to the second floor. What appeared as the doors parted was entirely different from the ground looked like an office building, complete with stereotypical carpet, bland wallpaper, and more fluorescent lights spaced evenly among ceiling tiles. The hallway only went right and left from the elevator. It was claustrophobic; wide enough for two people to walk past each other, but only just. The place wasn't built to be anything but functional, it halls were empty of any character… or anything interesting whatsoever. There weren't any paintings, directories, or even signs pointing to the nearest fire to mention, why are the offices underground?I didn't spend much energy on it. Nothing else to see here; moving on. Right, left at the end of the hall, and the third left. All the doors on my way were closed until I found one with the number '230' etched into the wood. From it, familiar voices boys burst out laughing as I walked past the threshold; what about, who knew, but it wasn't a bad guess to say it was me. The smallest one noticed me as he was wiping tears from his eyes. "H-hey guys, look! Gho-host made it!" he said, unable to speak without giggling."Right on time, too," another one said, voice deep and could easily be found intimidating in itself. This boy was large compared to the rest of us, standing tall at six-foot-two and probably two hundred fifty pounds.I turned to the last human in the room; I could feel the unamused look take form on my face. He was the only one next to a pokémon currently; a Luxray sat on the floor staring predatorily at me."Well, I'm not sure whether to be glad you listened for once or disappointed that Pride doesn't get to gnaw on you," he said, molding his voice to try and sound sinister. He scratched the Luxray on the head, but the pokémon didn't take his eyes off me."Lux," he uttered with a smile.I rolled my eyes and pulled a chair furthest away from those two, dropping my pack under the table. My eyes landed on a wooden bowl in the center of the table containing three black cubes, to which I added was a clock hanging above a door. Eleven o'clock on the dot, we were set to meet this guy. I didn't have time to wonder what they were doing at this hour as a fairly large man walked through the door, closing it behind looked like what I imagined Rook to look like when he was older. This man was freakishly large, looking more like a bodybuilder than anything, entirely out of place in an office building. His muscles were still defined through his expensive-looking suit and tie. On his left hand was a ring with a signet looking to be made of the same black material as our cubes, albeit buffed to a shine. Nothing about this man didn't say 'all business,' complete with a million-dollar smile."I'm glad you all made it here today. I trust no one had any issues?" he asked, setting down his briefcase and taking a seat that wasn't occupied."None that you could solve," Lion said, looking my way. I ignored him."That guy out front could do with a shower or two, man. On the other hand, he's perfect for keeping people out, am I right, guys? Heh," Bug blubbered in his usual quickfire speech pattern. How can someone speak that fast?"Mhm," The man grunted. I'd bet he didn't catch any single word Bug had said. "Well then, I'll cut to the chase. My name is Conand Ryker, and I am your overseer as well as a researcher for our organization. You can refer to me as simply 'Ryker.'"A lab nerd? This guy? He looked more adequate to be a professional seemed to turn to me after finishing the thought. Staring at me like I'd said it out loud and took offense. Weird.I wasn't the only one that was surprised to hear this. "A researcher? Sorry man, you just don't look the part," Rook nodded. "I believe in both the body the mind. Things in this world work in tandem with others, better together. It is foolish to impose limits on yourself in any respect."His tone shifted; right back to business. "As opposed to the division you've no doubt heard of, Diamond Laboratories, I work in the… should I say less public branch, specializing in projects that most are too soft to perform," he said. Ryker waved his hand. "But enough about me, I want to hear about you," he said, almost giddily. "So, who's first?""I'm Ben, but everyone calls me Bug because I love bugs. I've got two bug-type pokémon!" the small boy said excitedly."Yeah, of all the reasons, the one," Lion stated."Shut up," Bug squeaked. "I'm the best at sneaking around; there's no one better. I used to be a petty thief."Ryker looked to the person on Bug's left, which was Rook. "I'm Rook; I'm the muscle," he said concisely. "I also have two pokémon.""No nonsense, I like that," Ryker said, leaning back in his chair. The first hint of informality from him. "Could we see your pokémon?"The two boys nodded and among them tossed three balls. Light flashed throughout the room as a Spinarak, a Ninjask, and a Boldore each popped out. They all stood at attention, glancing placed another ball on the table. "The room's a little small for this one," he said. "Behemoth, my Golurk.""Beth is a girl," Bug giggled, which earned a slug in the shoulder from Rook. "Ow, what was that for, Oli?"Ryker tapped on the table, getting their attention. "Gentlemen, I'm sure your ideal night doesn't involve sitting in here in its entirety."With the room quiet again, attention was turned to the next in line; me.I sighed. With the room staring me down, it was my turn. "Ghost, I handle the equipment."Lion couldn't keep his mouth shut for two seconds. "Our glorified pack Mudbray," he ridiculed. "All he's really good for.""I'm not so sure about that," Ryker chimed in. "Who's idea was it on your last task to have him throw those bottles downtown while you were in the pokémon center?""It was his own, sir," Rook chimed in. Of my three 'teammates,' Rook was the one that was tolerable."A tactical mind, I appreciate that," Ryker complimented."He only did it because he's a pussy! He's softer than a soggy wad of paper!" Lion near shouted, not happy that I was receiving any sort of overseer turned back to Lion and leaned forward in his chair. "I chose you all not just because you've demonstrated the job given to you will get done, but also you get it done. We have plenty of bodies. They think about their tasks in one way, the most simple and half-assed way."He looked us all over. "But you all don't; you work together, considering possibilities. You ensure your success through proper planning and due diligence. That is why they get work, and you get work we need done right," Ryker said sternly, punctuating his point by bringing his finger to the table. "That is why I personally chose you."The man relaxed once again. "The tasks given to you were far from simple. You found resounding success relieving the pokémon center in Veno City of those in their care. You gathered an anomalous specimen that we've been tracking for years, as well as its possible offspring, providing immense research value to us. We couldn't have possibly asked anything more from you all."He opened his arms to us all. "Congratulations, you're now irreplaceable!"I didn't know if that was a good or bad thing."Now, with that said, why don't you introduce yourself, young man?" Ryker asked Lion, who perked up."The boys are to call me Lion. I call the shots and get our tasks done." He gestured to Pride, sitting patiently where he'd been. "I go through it all with my sole partner, Pride. He keeps them in line.""Luxray," Pride uttered, letting some electricity course through his mane. Like trainer, like poké smiled. "Excellent. It's a pleasure to meet you all in person. With all that out of the way, down to why we're here tonight."The briefcase he brought was turned our way and opened; inside sat four sets of… necklaces? Each had a chain of what looked like brass and a lump of that same black material again."I offer these necklaces to signify your affiliation and service to our group under my institution through the Research and Development branch."He looked over the room, his enunciation suddenly turning from businesslike to deathly serious. "This offer is not one we extend lightly; you're either in, and in for the rest of your days, or…"The door to the room clicked as it opened ajar, entirely on its own. "The door is open, and I trust you know the way out."The room grew still, silent enough to pick up on each others' breathing. The weight of the offer hung high over everyone. It remained this way for a while until Lion reached over and grabbed the necklace with the most significant piece of material attached to the excitement Lion displayed, Bug eagerly snatched up another necklace, undoing the tiny clip and putting it was deep in consideration when he turned to his pokémon. "What do you think, buddy?""Dore," it said and twisted its rocky body around. Apparently, it meant something to the human because he smiled. "That's all I need," he chuckled, reaching and claiming the third piece of then the spotlight honed in on me. The air was suddenly tight, constricting even, but I didn't lose my composure and thought it one, I take the last necklace and join what is no doubt the most dangerous criminal organization in the nation, doing their bidding, which included kidnapping and trafficking pokémon, wild and tamed alike. As much as I didn't want to think about it, I couldn't deny that it would certainly involve deeds more horrible than even other option is that I grab my bag and walk. This was the opportunity I was looking for, I should be leaving and showing them my favorite finger on the way out, but it wasn't that simple. All the things I'd done; I was a wanted criminal now, and as much as I hated to admit it, I was reliant on these people for even my basic needs… funny someone could take for granted being able to walk into a store and buy . I felt my heart pound in the confines of my chest. All these unknowns, too many unknowns, but the offer is on the table; that's how this works. The walls crept in, as well as the pokémon, the humans… and the briefcase. Coming ever take it. If I accepted the offer, I wouldn't have to worry about my safety, living amongst them as long as I did what was expected of me. Wasn't so bad, right? The offer was worth taking, even if only to buy time to figure out how to really get out of this mess. Everything I needed was wasn't enough space in the room for all of us. Everyone started blending together, and I was next; their formless figure closing next thing I knew, I felt the texture of the chain between my fingers. Moist, my hands had sweat all over everything was grinned wide. "Welcome… to Team Carbon."I lay in the room we were brought to, staring at the ceiling. The beds we were allowed weren't comfortable at all, but still better than the office carpet. Two identical bunk beds lined the room's walls, leaving it tossed in his bed below. This happened all night; his mass shifting made our shared bunk shake. I wouldn't have been able to sleep, we were 'inducted,' we were brought to this room to stay for the night; Ryker leaving soon after. I wondered if he had his own accommodations here, or wasn't staying the night in the complex.I pushed the button on my watch for the backlight. It was now seven; the morning sun would've been a welcome sight if we weren't the hallway, shuffling and humans speaking could occasionally be heard. People with early shifts were wasn't for another hour until we were retrieved. The sounds of the workers became loud when the door opened. Our room must not have been very far from the common areas."Rise and shine," said the person. It wasn't Ryker, but another man."Where's the 'shine'?" I response, he flicked on the lights, making the other three groan."We got work to do. I will lead you to the cafeteria; follow or miss breakfast. Your overseer will be here in thirty minutes to give you a tour of the place." The man turned and walked down the hall. "Oh, and keep your pokémon in their balls, site policy." This caused more groans in complaint.I wasn't hungry, but I hadn't eaten since yesterday morning. Missing wouldn't be wise. On the other side of the room, Bug clambered over to the ladder on the side of the bunk, and after descending from my bed, I saw Rook throwing his comforter last bed remained occupied as we followed whoever that was. This wasn't a surprise; Lion would not wake until the workers were dressed in standard business attire: suits, ties, and dress pants. Passing them on our way, they gave us some looks, wordlessly calling out our differences with our street clothes and sweatshirts. I didn't blame them; I looked like a hobo with my tattered destination was not far from where we slept. The cafeteria wasn't anything spectacular: a place to order food and tables and chairs to eat it. Even though there were humans everywhere, there weren't any pokémon anywhere."Food is free at any site with a canteen, but it's only open two hours for both breakfast and lunch." The guy said before leaving to order hesitated for a moment before stepping up to see what they had. The selection was pitiful, but it was sat at a table furthest away from anyone else, trays in hand. Bug had gotten himself waffles and Rook a cheese omelet. I settled for a simple breakfast sandwich. It tasted bland, but it wasn't bad."Just like grade school, huh guys?" Bug said, bits of food flying from his mouth as he spoke."You're fucking disgusting," I complained as one of the bits landed particularly close to leaned over the table. "Pussy," he retorted. "Answer my question.""No," I said, taking another bite of my food."And why not?" he asked, getting closer to me.I stared into his eyes, which displayed his hyperactivity. "Because I don't answer stupid questions."He scoffed, sitting back in his chair. "Okay, whatever, Mister Gloomy. You ever heard of trying to be social? I bet your answer would be, 'Yes, Bug, sad and alone was I because no one liked me, ahu-hu'" His words were all over the place; he clearly couldn't keep his train of thought in any one direction.I retracted from the conversation by avoiding his gaze, trying to enjoy my sandwich instead. Socializing with them was not in my scoffed again. "Whatever. What about you, Oli?"Rook stopped himself from shoveling in the next bite of omelet. "No, I was quite popular in my class.""Huh. What were you, some kind of jock? You definitely pass for one. Did you play a good game?"Rook chuckled. "Well, I ain't no shoe-squeak voiced virgin." Bug gasped."Hey! C'mon, Oli, I thought you were better than this!"I tuned them out; not important. Popping the last bit of sandwich into my mouth, I got up and threw out the wrapper. On my way, I noticed a counter with various beverages and went to check it , I rarely drank it, and never in the morning. Tea, I'm as awake as I ever am, plus it tastes like grass. A recognizable brand of punch, people who can drink this aren't only other options were coffee and water. I'd never had coffee before, so raw curiosity made me grab the pot off the hot plate and pour some. Taking a sip, the taste was simply awful. I didn't know much about coffee, but this must've been what was considered 'black' were some creamers and other stuff to add, but I didn't care enough; committed to drinking it as it was.A burly man now sitting at our table caught my attention. Ryker was wearing the same outfit as yesterday, speaking with the others. I took my seat."Ah, there you are," the man said. "So, where's the other one?"The small boy spoke up. "Lion? He's still in bed."Ryker frowned. "Well, he'll have to go without food then. The commons are only open for so long.""He isn't missing much," I mumbled, almost disappointed in that fact."Yeah, my waffles tasted like particle board!" he exclaimed before looking us all over frantically. "Don't ask me how I know what that tastes like!"After an awkward moment, Ryker cleared his throat. "Well, if everyone is done here, We'll head back to take care of your pokémon, pick up your friend and get the day started," he crossed his arms, staring at the older man. "So what's the reason we can't have our pokémon out in here?" he asked, a challenging undertone sneaking in."That will be explained as we go," Ryker said, raising his finger. "But make no mistake, we love pokémon here in this organization, so much so, in fact, that we wish to know all there is to know about them. I should also mention that the rule is exclusive for these kinds of facilities, and you won't be kept in them often."He turned to me and took interest in my coffee. "You know, add some milk and crème and it'll be more palatable."In response, I slammed the rest of the coffee and crushed the cup. My mouth was assaulted with the harsh taste of what I could only describe as charcoal and dirt.I received weird looks from all around the table before Ryker got up and beckoned us to follow. A minute later, we were back at the sleeping quarters to see Lion still sleeping overseer went to shake him awake, but Rook's firm hand and head shake stopped him. "I wouldn't.""Yeah, let handle this," Bug said, eyes full of reached into his pocket, pulled out a pokéball, and tossed it onto the floor; his Spinarak taking shape where it fell."Webber, you know what to do," he whispered, pointing to the lump that was Lion under the hopped excitedly before climbing the side of the bunk bed, stopping when he stood atop the lump. I began gathering my things; I'd already seen this countless times."AHH!" came a startled yelp and then an irritated growl. "BUG! I swear, next time, you'll be squashed a bug!Bug was unfazed, too busy laughing at Lion's rude awakening. "He just wanted a kiss!"Ryker produced a bag of pokémon food from his satchel and shook it, wanting to get on with the day. My teammates dug into their bags and pulled out bowls to feed their poké took a glance around the room. His gaze swept across all the pokémon eating before settling on me, sitting on the bed, packed and ready to go. "Oh, I would've completely forgot," he said, grabbing something else from his bag. "Happy birthday, buddy."A small box was deposited on my lap, maybe big enough to hold a can of compressed air. Damn, it was the sixth of May. Why did I have to share it with these idiots all those years ago? I was content with letting it pass box had some weight to it, indicating it did contain something (unlike last year). Everyone was staring at me, even the pokémon. All anxious to see what was inside. Ripping the top part off, I revealed its contents: a single purple spray bottle with a viscous liquid inside—a three boys cracked up when I pulled the item out, no doubt pleased with their joke at my as I was, I refused to show it and give them what they were looking for. "Thanks," I muttered and put the potion in my the pokémon were done eating, and the humans were done singing me a dumb birthday song, Ryker beckoned us into the hall and we began walking. It was deep enough into the workday that people were locked in their offices, leaving the hallways clear."This facility is one of a few we have across the nation," Ryker explained. "Its purpose is to hold resources to supply to our other buildings, most notably the research buildings, of course. That is what our business is at its core, after all."He rambled on as he showed us around the place and explained how everything worked as part of the whole. Frankly, I could care less about it all, waiting for the moment we could leave and I could slip away again."As I said, this is not where you'll be lodged. This was just the most convenient place in this province to meet up. We'll have it arranged for you all to stay somewhere more centralized, and I'll personally see to it that you'll have comfortable accommodations."We took the elevator up and were on the ground floor, looking at their stacks of inventory wrapped in plastic and sitting on metal racks. I honestly thought he had nothing else to talk about. Figuring this was going to segway to our release, I eased up just a little… at least until we came to another pushed the button to call it and turned back to us. "Now, before you set off, I'd like you to see something. I wanted to show our gratitude as an organization for all you've done for us and save this for last," Ryker said with unmasked stepped inside when the doors opened, and back underground we went. Ryker said nothing, leaving us to wonder what it could be. I had to admit; I was the slightest bit curious , the elevator stopped, and the doors parted, but the office scene we had before was no , what I saw made my eyes go . Floor to ceiling, almost all of them occupied by pokémon. The elevator stopped on a catwalk, allowing us a full view of the enormous room and all the lives held captive. I hoped to Arceus that he wouldn't say what he would say next."Gentlemen, this is the holding block of the building. Here is where we keep all the pokémon -wild or otherwise- while we find their ultimate use and where they'll need to go," Ryker said, sweeping his arm at the room before us smile on his face turned evil in the blink of an eye. "We'd like to thank you again… most of these units had been empty for some time now."It was here where I just… stopped paying attention. These cages contained the pokémon that my team had kidnapped. It was all I could do not to double over from the wave of nausea that swept over me. What was going on with me? The urge to leave-no, to -was overwhelming, yet onward we went, descending the metal stairs and walking the stage mind was a steam engine given too much fuel. The cages, coming in many sizes to accommodate all kinds of pokémon, were made of a sheet of what looked like thick bullet-proof glass, revealing a completely steel comforts seemed to be spared in favor of securing the inhabitants. No doors or any way of getting anything in or out of the cages could be seen, including air. They just looked like boxes we could see walked by the cages, allowing us a passing glance at their contents: Rhyhorn, Emboar, Coalossal, Octillery (quite a large one), and a large dragon that I'd never seen before. The paper attached said the species was "Drampa," a rare pokémon found exclusively in Alola… which was on the other side of the were only about a couple dozen large cages, which made up the center of the room. The ones along the walls held the smaller and more moderate-sized pokémon: Electabuzz, Rampardos, Stoutland… an almost unfathomable variety held here underground. Did the other three get all of these from the pokémon center in Spin City?One notable thing was that the pokémon, large and small, all looked exhausted. Some hardly looked conscious; were they doing something to them?I think someone was talking to me; the humans were all looking back towards me, but it was just noise, buried under the volume of my mind."What?" I asked no one in particular. Even my own voice sounded like I was talking into a three boys ahead of me laughed and kept after row of cages passed, more and more creatures I did or didn't recognize. Many of them had the same tired look to them. I wondered how many of them were wild; I wondered how many of them weren' looked back at me, their eyes containing nothing but anger, wishing that my existence would cease before their very eyes.…but there wasn't just anger? Many small ones quivered, and those marked 'trained' also looked to be in some kind of distress. Their gazes were the heaviest; I couldn't even try to hold them. Are they suffering?Were they suffering because of what I did?Why does this feel so Finally, after what was the longest -and for some reason the hardest- walk of my life, a set of double doors appeared, leading out of the was no one ahead of me. I didn't know where they went. I could still hear their laughter somewhere, but it wasn't coming from any particular feet brought me to the freely swinging doors. I stopped and looked at the image in the window, at its red, bloodshot eyes, its tattered clothes, and the piece of cloth covering the bottom half of its looked like it was in its own little cage; it looked just like those pokémon./p