Chapter 28
Starlight Aurate
Ad Jesum per Mariam | pfp by kintsugi
- Location
- Route 123
- Partners
-
Hey everyone! Here's the next chapter. I'm travelling next weekend so chapter 29 might be a few days late. Enjoy!
Chapter 28
Heat radiated from the cavern walls. Derek tugged at his shirt, trying to vent himself. Even though he wasn’t wearing his old Team Magma uniform with thick fabric, the volcanic heat made him sweat. He held his left arm gingerly—it was no longer in a sleeve, but his shoulder was still bandaged.
“You doing okay, Claydol?”
Groan.
“Still haven’t detected anyone?”
Negative.
After he accompanied Steven to explain the situation to Maressa’s parents, Derek led the Pokemon League in clearing out the Team Magma bases—the ones he knew of, at least. As some of the League members helped Derek, Phoebe researched the golems, and a few others explored the southern seas of Hoenn for Rayquaza in case Kyogre or Groudon woke up.
Derek reached into his pocket and felt the Magma Emblem—it was a coin-shaped object marked with Team Magma’s insignia and was used as key to gain access to certain bases, including the one within Mt. Chimney.
But so far, their Mt. Chimney base was empty. He and Claydol investigated the corridors, and unless Dark-type Pokemon were there, the base was devoid of life.
Static crackled in Derek’s earpiece.
“Find anything?” Sidney’s voice buzzed.
“Nope,” Derek replied. “Some drilling and mining equipment, but nothing useful.”
“We’ve found some computers over on the east end,” Sidney said. “They’re password-protected. I’m sure we could hack our way in, but if you happen to know the passwords, that would make it easier.”
“Hmm… I might. I’ll be there in a bit. I just wanna finish checking this section out.”
“All right, but don’t lollygag too much.” With one last crackle of static, Sidney’s voice faded.
Derek trotted through the earthen hallways of the base, remembering when he used to patrol them in his Team Magma uniform. He wasn’t on patrol duty for very long; the admins wanted to make use of his medical skills. But they had him do it for a short period of time for the sake of discipline, if nothing else. He could easily envision Team Magma grunts marching past him, not looking at him, not talking to him, all keeping their faces straight and attentive to make a good impression on the higher-ups.
Derek sighed. It was so weird to return to the base when it was totally empty. It wasn’t that he missed patrol duty or seeing all of the other Team Magma members. But after going through the corridors while they bustled with people, it felt unnatural to be back and find them abandoned.
Derek and Claydol reached the end of the hallway; a closed metal door stood before them. If his memory served him correctly, that was where they kept trainer supplies—spare Pokeballs, antidotes, potions, and the like.
Claydol groaned. It was not trainer supplies. It was spare computer parts.
Derek didn’t feel like arguing.
“Yeah, well, either way, what’s in this room will be useful to us.” He placed his hand on the door handle—which was oddly cold in the warm hallway—and opened the door.
It was pitch black inside. Derek flicked the light switch, and a lightbulb in the ceiling briefly illuminated a small room filled with crates—but after a second it went out. The air in the room was chilly. Derek reached into his pocket to pull out a flashlight but paused. Something was wrong.
Claydol’s presence left his mind.
Derek spun around so he was facing the hallway—which was now totally dark. He squinted, trying to make out something, anything—but the blackness was impenetrable. He could see nothing—no ceiling, floor, or doorways.
“Claydol?” he called out, his voice echoing down the empty hall.
His heart pounded fiercely within his chest; he started panting, his breathing the only sound he could hear.
“Claydol?” he called out again.
But there was no response, only the unnatural emptiness pressing in around him. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his flashlight and flicked it on—but it was wrenched out of his hand and shut off.
Derek didn’t have time to register what happened before something grabbed him by the wrist and hauled him forward. A fist collided with his gut and he let out a choking cough. Then someone grabbed his hair and punched him in the face—then his body was lifted and his face slammed into a wall. A hand grabbed a fistful of his shirt—and then he was floating, floating in nothingness, with blackness pressing in all around him, free from gravity…
The weight of his body suddenly returned to him and he was slammed down onto his back, the air whooshing out of him. He tried to breathe in, but the effort sent sharp pain through his abdomen. His face and head throbbed—lances shot through his torso—and he was lifted up again and his back slammed into solid rock.
Blinking, Derek realized that he was no longer in pure darkness—silver moonlight illuminated a hillscape with forested crags. After the blackness of the base, the moonlit scene seemed as bright as day to him. The distant sounds of fighting—squealing, roaring, and shouting—could be heard. He was back outside the base—and glaring at him, holding a fistful of Derek’s shirt, was Tabitha.
“Tabitha?—OOF!”
Derek started to speak but was cut off when the commander kneed him in the lower abdomen.
“You decided to come back,” Tabitha said, “after betraying our team, releasing two prisoners and a Pokemon, and getting our teammates killed.”
He threw Derek to the ground and sent a kick to Derek’s side. The medic grunted and curled into a ball.
“And as soon as you were exposed, you left—didn’t even bother to help the Team Aqua traitor.”
When Tabitha mentioned Maressa, Derek’s face burned and he tried to push himself up off the ground—but Tabitha quickly lifted him and slammed him face-first into the rock. Derek groaned as the hard surface bruised his face.
“Maressa released her Pokemon to keep them safe. She stood up for what she did. You took off and let her take the blame for your actions.”
Tabitha gripped Derek by the scalp, grinding his face into the rock. Derek couldn’t speak, only grunt—his face stung as skin was sheared away and dirt entered his wounds. He flailed, trying to get some sort of footing, some sort of leverage to get out of Tabitha’s grip—but the commander stood his ground and kept Derek pressed into the rock.
“And now, because of you, Maressa is paying the price.”
He released pressure from Derek’s head only to throw him back to the ground and deliver a stomp on Derek’s chest. Derek let out a choking cry—he felt like his chest would cave in.
The distant sounds of howling and fighting grew louder.
“But I’ll let you in on a secret.”
Tabitha got down on one knee, his black eyes boring into Derek, keeping pressure on his chest.
“Maressa’s back with Team Aqua now. I take it that you know her Pokemon have the Orbs. Team Aqua is searching for them, out in the Hoenn sea. If you find them—" the pitch of Tabitha’s voice dropped and suddenly became urgent “—don’t return them to Team Aqua. They’ll kill Maressa as soon as they get the Orbs. Hand them to me, and I’ll save her.”
The sounds of fighting were very close now. Derek inhaled deeply as the pressure of Tabitha’s foot disappeared from his chest and the Magma Commander stood up.
Derek lay on the ground, sore and throbbing everywhere. He glared up at Tabitha, who stared calmly back. Shaking, the medic tried to push himself up—but the pain in his chest was too much. He inhaled—and the pain almost made it too difficult to speak.
“How can I believe you?” he spat.
Mightyena ran up to Tabitha, nuzzling his owner’s hand. He looked around and yipped. Keeping his eyes on Derek, Tabitha gripped a fistful of thick fur on the Dark-type’s back.
“You don’t have a choice.”
Mightyena leapt, and the two of them disappeared into the shadows.
Derek lay where he was. His entire body throbbed and ached—even just breathing was difficult, as though solid weights were sitting on his chest. He heard padded footprints and saw Sidney’s Absol walk up to him. She looked down at Derek, her face unreadable. Turning her head to the side, she gave a high-pitched cry. Sidney ran over.
“What is it, girl—whoa, what happened to you? I thought you were down in the base! How’d you get so beat up? What happened to your face?”
Derek tried to speak, but the pain was only getting worse. All he could do was let out a choking cough.
“Hold tight,” Sidney told him. “I’ll get you to the Pokemon League’s hospital.”
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
A single, bare lightbulb on the ceiling cast a harsh, white light in the small metal room. The smell of sea salt inebriated the air. Water occasionally dripped from the ceiling. Grime plastered the metal panels. In the back half of the room, the floor gave way to water. The room connected to a tank where team members could release their Pokemon and allow them to swim around freely.
The cold metal made Maressa’s knees throb. But after kneeling for at least half an hour, she found that shifting made it all worse. She didn’t dare get up.
She kept her eyes on the ground. She might have been able to glare back at Shelly, to handle the disappointment and disgust on her face—but she couldn’t bear to look up at Matt. The utter hatred in his eyes made always sent Maressa’s heart racing and made her skin crawl.
She licked her lips. Her mouth was dry. Her heart had been pounding heavily for several hours. Her gut twisted itself into knots. There was a lump in the back of her throat. She felt nauseous.
She jumped as the door opened, and her heart pounded even harder. Sweat beaded on her forehead from terror. She didn’t look up. She knew who it was.
“So,” Archie’s voice met her ears. “Maressa, Maressa, Maressa…”
He chuckled.
“All that effort we put into rescuing you, and you had betrayed us all along!” He spoke nonchalantly, as if discussing the surprising outcome of a football game. “You had a friend in Team Magma, you attacked your commander, and you kept the Orbs from us.”
There was a pause.
“LOOK AT ME!”
Maressa jumped and, shaking, raised her eyes to see Archie staring down at her. His eyes bulged and he breathed heavily. Veins stuck out on his neck and forehead. He regained his composure and chuckled.
“You know, I’m just so baffled by all this that I don’t even know what to do with you.” He turned around and took a few steps. “When Maxie told me of your betrayal, relayed everything… Well, I didn’t know what to think. Of course, I didn’t want to think that one of my beloved, trusted team members would have betrayed us after she came so far.”
The pitch of his voice dropped.
“But it does make sense.”
Maressa’s heart pounded, her stomach sinking ever further.
“Now, as for the matter of what to do with you—but I know Team Magma already took some liberties, or they wouldn’t have chosen to hang on to you until dawn.”
He turned back around and looked down at Maressa. Her blood chilled as their eyes met.
“But the most pressing matter is to get those Orbs back from your Pokemon. And what will make them come? What would draw them more than hearing their master screaming in pain?”
Maressa could only stare up at him.
“Do you have anything to say for yourself, Maressa?”
Maressa couldn’t think of anything to say—and even if she could, her throat didn’t seem to be working. All she could do was sit in numb silence.
He raised his eyebrows.
“No? Well, then, I’ll see you on the other side.”
Maressa didn’t have any time to wonder what this meant before she heard a splash behind her. She whipped her head around to see a Tentacruel emerge from the water. It was at least as large as the one she rode on from Mossdeep to Lilycove—perhaps even larger. Beneath its mushroom-shaped bell, two slanted eyes glared at her. It raised its brown tentacles out of the water, each one as thick as a branch. Panic set in to Maressa as she saw the tentacles snake out towards her.
“No—no—AAAH!” she screamed as the tentacles wrapped around her arms and legs.
Maressa had experienced Tentacool stings in the ocean several times growing up. The slightest touch from one tentacle had been enough to turn her skin red and lumpy and send her running out of the water, crying. But a Tentacruel’s sting turned out to be much, much more severe than a Tentacool’s, and its tentacles weren’t just brushing against her accidentally—they were wrapping around and gripping her, the cnidocytes sending lances of pain everywhere they touched.
Maressa screamed ever louder as more tentacles bound her legs, arms, and body. “NO no no no no—please—no—stop!”
She gasped as her legs became wet—the Tentacruel was pulling her into the tank. She raised her eyes and saw Archie, Shelly and Matt all staring at her, apparently indifferent.
“Don’t worry about holding your breath,” Archie called as the Tentacruel pulled her down, “you’ll be able to breathe inside Tentacruel’s bell—for a time.”
Maressa’s pleas gave way to pure screams as the pain became more severe and her body was pulled into the tank. She only stopped when water flooded her mouth and she could make no more noise, enveloped in a jungle of stinging tentacles.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Phoebe closed the large book and sat back in her chair. She rubbed her temples, staring at a Pokeball lying on the desk a few feet away from her.
Matt’s Crawdaunt was still in there; it hadn’t come out since she and Matt had first exchanged Pokemon. And Banette was still with Matt…
But where? She closed her eyes, remembering a recent conversation with Steven.
“Steven, please!” she sobbed. “Banette is already injured, and I don’t know what Team Aqua will do to her! I have their Crawdaunt. Please, just let me go and get her back!” Her voice broke on the last word and she dissolved into muffled sobs. Steven’s grey eyes looked at her with pity.
“I hear you, Phoebe,” he said gently. “And we will get Banette back. But rushing into it won’t do her any good. We have to take this more slowly—and I am working to get Banette back. I haven’t forgotten about her.”
Phoebe dissolved further into tears and only pleaded harder—she could rescue Banette all on her own, she wasn’t asking for help. She would be quick, and she wasn’t scared of getting caught. But Steven had made up his mind, and reminded her—more firmly this time—that Phoebe working on her own would only cause more trouble. And that was the end of it.
Through the translucent lid of the Pokeball, Phoebe could just make out Crawdaunt with its claws folded over its cephalothorax. It appeared to be sleeping. How was Banette doing? Was Team Aqua torturing her out of some twisted desire for revenge? They couldn’t be happy about losing the Orbs…
She put her elbows on the desk with her head in her hands, her eyes scanning the large book in front of her. Steven had asked her to do research for him, but her thoughts were consumed by worry for Banette. She had taken in minimal information.
But what she did take in perturbed her.
Because the dust-covered shelves of her grandparents’ library absorbed all noise, she didn’t hear Steven Stone walk in.
“Have you had any luck?” he asked.
She jumped, knocking over her tea. Letting out a shaky breath, she picked up her mug and tried to mop up the spilled tea with her skirt.
“On the golems’ whereabouts? I can still only find the general locations. On the tablet…” She hesitated. “Yes, I found out more about it. And what you need to do to activate it.”
Steven nodded. “Good. Write it in an e-mail and send it to me, please. Thank you.”
He turned to go, but only walked a few steps before Phoebe called after him.
“And I know what the tablet will do to you.”
Steven halted in the doorway.
Phoebe straightened up, holding the sopping edge of her skirt in her hand.
“You’ve known all along, haven’t you?”
“Yes,” he said quietly.
“And that’s why you’d rather find Rayquaza, isn’t it?”
He said nothing.
“Then don’t bother with the tablet and golems, Steven! We have the Orbs. Teams Magma and Aqua aren’t a threat now! We have all the cards in our hand—there’s no point in preparing yourself for sacrifice when we know we won’t need it!”
“We don’t know, Phoebe,” Steven said tensely. “Yes, we have the Orbs. But the Teams are on the offensive now as much as they ever were—and we’re currently interrogating and purging our entire police force from any potential Team members! It’s a slow process, and until it’s finished, we barely have anyone in the law enforcement we can work with. The Teams are attacking more openly because they know they can get away with it. They’re trying to pressure us into giving them the Orbs. Meanwhile, we’re trying to find their leaders but have been making no headway whatsoever in their whereabouts—even with Derek’s help, it seems the majority of the Teams have made themselves undetectable—carrying around Dark-types to stop themselves from being spotted…” He stopped and sighed. He stood in the doorway, still facing away from Phoebe. “Yes, we have the Orbs. But Team Magma and Team Aqua are still fighting.”
“Then why not just focus all of our efforts into finding and stopping them? Why am I still here? Why can’t I at least try to rescue Banette?”
“Considering your recent actions, Phoebe,” Steven said coldly, “I’d rather have you doing research than be involved with direct confrontation.”
Guilt flooded Phoebe’s heart. She closed her mouth and cast her eyes downward as tears welled up in them.
There was a pause. Steven turned around—he didn’t look mad at all. He gave her a small smile.
“You’re doing good work, Phoebe. Thank you.” Without another word, he turned and left.
Phoebe sat down, still feeling guilty and a little offended that he ended their conversation so abruptly. She looked at the large books spread out before her.
Her grandparents’ library was deep inside Mt. Pyre. The walls were all windowless, covered completely with bookcases bearing large, dusty tomes. Occasionally, Ghost-type Pokemon flitted through the shelves around Phoebe. She looked up at a Shuppet that glided over her and managed to give it a small smile before it passed through a bookcase. Her eyes glazed over as she watched Ghost-type Pokemon swirl in the air above her, her mind wandering to matters other than her assigned research.
When the Pokemon League received the news a few days ago that they had the Orbs, Phoebe was immensely relieved. Others shared her relief—the twins, Flannery, and Brawley were open about it. She could tell that even the more stoic ones, such as Norman and Winona, were happy, too. But when Phoebe saw Steven, he still seemed troubled and tense.
He was right—the Teams were creating as much chaos as ever, and what with Derek letting them know that their police had been infiltrated, stopping them was no easier than it had ever been before.
She closed her eyes as she thought of Derek.
The League received news of Sidney’s and Derek’s ambush in Team Magma’s base just a day before. Sidney was all right, but Derek was found covered in bruises, his nose and mouth bleeding, and with several broken ribs. She shuddered—yes, Team Magma was definitely still dangerous.
But why did Steven feel the need to prepare with the golems and Rayquaza? He had sent out Wallace, Juan and Winona to find the Sky Pillar, and he was having her seek out the golems. And though she knew he was a “better safe than sorry,” type of person, it didn’t seem possible that they would lose the Orbs at this point.
She shook her head and turned back to the books in front of her. She began reading but couldn’t get very far before her thoughts once more grew distracted.
She was in her usual favorite reading spot—how many times had she sat at this desk, drinking tea and reading books, to see Banette’s head pop up through the wood and give her a smile? How many times did Banette make books levitate off the shelves and dance around her?
With the memories fresh in her mind, she couldn’t get them out—she couldn’t alleviate her heartache. Clenching her eyes, she set her head on the desk and quietly cried.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The salty wind whipped Wallace’s smiling face. He couldn’t help it; in spite of the urgency of their situation, he loved being at sea—he loved seeing the shimmering surface, the rolling waves, hearing the call of the wild Wingulls. It was all so glamorous. Beneath him, Wailord cruised effortlessly through the waters.
They were somewhere south of Route 123 and west of Sootopolis City. With all the research being done on the whereabouts of Rayquaza’s resting place, the only indicators they could find was that it lay somewhere in the southern region of the Hoenn sea.
Wallace, Juan and Winona all teamed up and sent their Pokemon to scout as far as they could. As more of their police force were interrogated and proven trustworthy, they would soon be able to enlist in help from them as well.
Wallace looked down at his PokeNav. No messages from Winona or Juan. He checked Winona’s location: still several miles south of him. His heart panged; it wasn’t that he was worried about her—she was the strongest, most capable woman he had ever met. But he didn’t like being away from her for such long stretches of time. It was difficult enough as it was, working in different cities. He hoped she might at least have tried to call him or leave him a message by now… But it had only been a few hours. She left messages infrequently and often felt that Wallace was overbearing. Resisting his temptation to contact her, Wallace pocketed his PokeNav and sat back as Wailord cruised onward.
Before long, Wailord rumbled uneasily.
“Hm? What is it, Wailord?” Wallace asked him. Wailord rumbled again—he could hear a human in distress nearby.
“ ‘A human in distress’? Probably a trainer who needs help—let’s go find them!” At Wallace’s prompting, Wailord set forth, swimming much more swiftly than before.
Before long, Wallace heard it too—screams, bloodcurling screams. Whoever it was, they definitely weren’t drowning. No, it sounded like they were in constant pain. The screams rose and died, and rose and died again… They didn’t pick back up. Wallace’s heart pounded. What was going on?
Pretty soon, a small ship came in to sight; two figures stood atop it. He saw a large Huntail break the surface of the water, holding a third figure limply in its jaws. It spat the person onto the deck of the ship before it noticed Wallace and Wailord. It growled, baring fangs each as large as Wallace’s head. The two humans on board turned around—Wallace breathed in sharply as he realized they were Team Aqua members. One was dressed all in black, and the other wore blue pants with an open blue vest. At their feet, a woman with long blonde hair wearing a grey tank top and matching skirt lay—it looked like the Team Magma uniform, but without the red pullover.
“Are you looking for this?” asked the man wearing black as he pulled the woman to her feet. She hung limply in his arms, unconscious.
Wallace’s mind ran a mile a minute. He had no interest in Team Magma prisoners, but he wasn’t sure what to do with the situation. He could hardly let the leaders of Team Aqua leave, but he wasn’t confident that he could take them on with just Wailord—he wished he had his other Pokemon with him. Could he fight? Or would he have to retreat?
He made up his mind quickly.
“Wailord, use Water Spout!”
Wailord inhaled deeply; Wallace felt the Pokemon rumble beneath him before a geyser of white water shot out of the Pokemon’s blowhole. The water skyrocketed into the air, leaving loud smacks and splashes wherever it fell. The Team Aqua leader threw the woman to the deck of the ship and jumped into the water along with his lackey. Huntail was slammed by the attack, and cried in pain as the water left red welts wherever it hit.
“Wailord, bring me to the ship!”
Seeing the woman lie unconscious made Wallace’s heart trip with pity, and so he quickly hopped off Wailord, picked the woman up, and awkwardly climbed back on. He jerked his head around as he heard more loud splashing—Huntail resurfaced, accompanied by a Walrein.
“Walrein!” Wallace turned his head to see the Team Aqua leaders standing on the deck of their boat again, dripping wet. “Use Sheer Cold!”
“Huntail, use Whirlpool!”
“Wailord, counter with Whirlpool!”
Huntail swam in a large circle, creating a circular current in the water. Wailord swam in the opposite direction, trying to form a countercurrent more powerful than Huntail’s. Wallace glanced at the Walrein, whose fangs were frosting over. If that Sheer Cold attack hit Wailord, he would be done for.
“Wailord, Dive!”
Wailord stopped creating his whirlpool and dove deep into the sea, forming a bubble through its blowhole that enveloped Wallace and the woman. Wallace breathed in the air bubble; the pressure within it was equalized, so he and the woman weren’t crushed by the surrounding waters. He looked up to see the light quickly dim—and a dark, swimming silhouette following. Bright, white spots lit up along the swimming form—it was Huntail, following them into the depths.
Wallace pounded his fist on Wailord’s back, and the Pokemon quickly changed direction and shot to the surface. Huntail’s eyes opened wide with shock just before Wailord slammed into it and shot it out of the water, sending it flying through the air like a cork out of a bottle. The deep sea Pokemon’s body hit the surface with a loud smack! and lay there for a few moments—stunned or unconscious, Wallace wasn’t sure.
Wailord let out a cry of surprise. Wallace whipped around—the Team Aqua leader had hopped from his ship onto Walrein and then onto Wailord’s back. The man glared at Wallace and spoke with his deep, gravelly voice.
“Your Pokemon might be a skilled fighter, but I doubt you are!”
Wallace could only stare in shock as the Team Aqua leader launched himself forward. He let the woman fall out of his arms as his opponent grabbed him by the shirt, lifted him bodily and slammed him onto Wailord’s blubbery back before delivering the worst beating Wallace had ever received. Wallace let out coughing chokes every time a punch landed on his abdomen. He couldn’t do anything—his hands were trying to pry the leader’s hold off of his shirt, but it was useless. Wailord was busy trying to fight Walrein without knocking the people off his back—all Wallace could do was lie there.
Wailord was rocking around so fiercely that Wallace came close to falling off his back—but after a few seconds the Pokemon plunged into the depths. Wallace, the woman, and the Team Aqua leader submerged with him. Once the water enveloped them, the Team Aqua leader let go of Wallace. Wallace floated in the water and soon rose to the surface, too weak to swim. He couldn’t stop coughing—water was getting in his mouth—he couldn’t stop swallowing it—
He felt his body rise with a wave—an enormous wave—and he saw Wailord launch himself out of the water. The cetacean’s colossal form seemed to fill the whole sky, leaving a cascading trail of raining water in its wake. Sunlight caught in the water, creating rainbows, looking like a trail of shimmering sea glass scattered in the sky. The three humans could only stare in awe as all 100,000 pounds of Wailord’s enormous form slammed down into the sea, creating tidal waves that pushed the Team Aqua boat, Pokemon, and humans all in different directions.
A wall of seawater rushed onto Wallace, sucking him under and tossing his body about as if he was no more than a rag doll. But he only tumbled for a second or so before he felt himself sucked in to what seemed to be a small, dark cave. His body hung in the water until it all drained out and he lay on the familiar surface of Wailord’s rough, slimy tongue.
He lay there, choking. His body hurt horribly—he could hardly move. He didn’t know where Wailord was taking him, but he trusted his Pokemon.
Thank you, he thought as they traversed the ocean depths.
Chapter 28
Heat radiated from the cavern walls. Derek tugged at his shirt, trying to vent himself. Even though he wasn’t wearing his old Team Magma uniform with thick fabric, the volcanic heat made him sweat. He held his left arm gingerly—it was no longer in a sleeve, but his shoulder was still bandaged.
“You doing okay, Claydol?”
Groan.
“Still haven’t detected anyone?”
Negative.
After he accompanied Steven to explain the situation to Maressa’s parents, Derek led the Pokemon League in clearing out the Team Magma bases—the ones he knew of, at least. As some of the League members helped Derek, Phoebe researched the golems, and a few others explored the southern seas of Hoenn for Rayquaza in case Kyogre or Groudon woke up.
Derek reached into his pocket and felt the Magma Emblem—it was a coin-shaped object marked with Team Magma’s insignia and was used as key to gain access to certain bases, including the one within Mt. Chimney.
But so far, their Mt. Chimney base was empty. He and Claydol investigated the corridors, and unless Dark-type Pokemon were there, the base was devoid of life.
Static crackled in Derek’s earpiece.
“Find anything?” Sidney’s voice buzzed.
“Nope,” Derek replied. “Some drilling and mining equipment, but nothing useful.”
“We’ve found some computers over on the east end,” Sidney said. “They’re password-protected. I’m sure we could hack our way in, but if you happen to know the passwords, that would make it easier.”
“Hmm… I might. I’ll be there in a bit. I just wanna finish checking this section out.”
“All right, but don’t lollygag too much.” With one last crackle of static, Sidney’s voice faded.
Derek trotted through the earthen hallways of the base, remembering when he used to patrol them in his Team Magma uniform. He wasn’t on patrol duty for very long; the admins wanted to make use of his medical skills. But they had him do it for a short period of time for the sake of discipline, if nothing else. He could easily envision Team Magma grunts marching past him, not looking at him, not talking to him, all keeping their faces straight and attentive to make a good impression on the higher-ups.
Derek sighed. It was so weird to return to the base when it was totally empty. It wasn’t that he missed patrol duty or seeing all of the other Team Magma members. But after going through the corridors while they bustled with people, it felt unnatural to be back and find them abandoned.
Derek and Claydol reached the end of the hallway; a closed metal door stood before them. If his memory served him correctly, that was where they kept trainer supplies—spare Pokeballs, antidotes, potions, and the like.
Claydol groaned. It was not trainer supplies. It was spare computer parts.
Derek didn’t feel like arguing.
“Yeah, well, either way, what’s in this room will be useful to us.” He placed his hand on the door handle—which was oddly cold in the warm hallway—and opened the door.
It was pitch black inside. Derek flicked the light switch, and a lightbulb in the ceiling briefly illuminated a small room filled with crates—but after a second it went out. The air in the room was chilly. Derek reached into his pocket to pull out a flashlight but paused. Something was wrong.
Claydol’s presence left his mind.
Derek spun around so he was facing the hallway—which was now totally dark. He squinted, trying to make out something, anything—but the blackness was impenetrable. He could see nothing—no ceiling, floor, or doorways.
“Claydol?” he called out, his voice echoing down the empty hall.
His heart pounded fiercely within his chest; he started panting, his breathing the only sound he could hear.
“Claydol?” he called out again.
But there was no response, only the unnatural emptiness pressing in around him. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his flashlight and flicked it on—but it was wrenched out of his hand and shut off.
Derek didn’t have time to register what happened before something grabbed him by the wrist and hauled him forward. A fist collided with his gut and he let out a choking cough. Then someone grabbed his hair and punched him in the face—then his body was lifted and his face slammed into a wall. A hand grabbed a fistful of his shirt—and then he was floating, floating in nothingness, with blackness pressing in all around him, free from gravity…
The weight of his body suddenly returned to him and he was slammed down onto his back, the air whooshing out of him. He tried to breathe in, but the effort sent sharp pain through his abdomen. His face and head throbbed—lances shot through his torso—and he was lifted up again and his back slammed into solid rock.
Blinking, Derek realized that he was no longer in pure darkness—silver moonlight illuminated a hillscape with forested crags. After the blackness of the base, the moonlit scene seemed as bright as day to him. The distant sounds of fighting—squealing, roaring, and shouting—could be heard. He was back outside the base—and glaring at him, holding a fistful of Derek’s shirt, was Tabitha.
“Tabitha?—OOF!”
Derek started to speak but was cut off when the commander kneed him in the lower abdomen.
“You decided to come back,” Tabitha said, “after betraying our team, releasing two prisoners and a Pokemon, and getting our teammates killed.”
He threw Derek to the ground and sent a kick to Derek’s side. The medic grunted and curled into a ball.
“And as soon as you were exposed, you left—didn’t even bother to help the Team Aqua traitor.”
When Tabitha mentioned Maressa, Derek’s face burned and he tried to push himself up off the ground—but Tabitha quickly lifted him and slammed him face-first into the rock. Derek groaned as the hard surface bruised his face.
“Maressa released her Pokemon to keep them safe. She stood up for what she did. You took off and let her take the blame for your actions.”
Tabitha gripped Derek by the scalp, grinding his face into the rock. Derek couldn’t speak, only grunt—his face stung as skin was sheared away and dirt entered his wounds. He flailed, trying to get some sort of footing, some sort of leverage to get out of Tabitha’s grip—but the commander stood his ground and kept Derek pressed into the rock.
“And now, because of you, Maressa is paying the price.”
He released pressure from Derek’s head only to throw him back to the ground and deliver a stomp on Derek’s chest. Derek let out a choking cry—he felt like his chest would cave in.
The distant sounds of howling and fighting grew louder.
“But I’ll let you in on a secret.”
Tabitha got down on one knee, his black eyes boring into Derek, keeping pressure on his chest.
“Maressa’s back with Team Aqua now. I take it that you know her Pokemon have the Orbs. Team Aqua is searching for them, out in the Hoenn sea. If you find them—" the pitch of Tabitha’s voice dropped and suddenly became urgent “—don’t return them to Team Aqua. They’ll kill Maressa as soon as they get the Orbs. Hand them to me, and I’ll save her.”
The sounds of fighting were very close now. Derek inhaled deeply as the pressure of Tabitha’s foot disappeared from his chest and the Magma Commander stood up.
Derek lay on the ground, sore and throbbing everywhere. He glared up at Tabitha, who stared calmly back. Shaking, the medic tried to push himself up—but the pain in his chest was too much. He inhaled—and the pain almost made it too difficult to speak.
“How can I believe you?” he spat.
Mightyena ran up to Tabitha, nuzzling his owner’s hand. He looked around and yipped. Keeping his eyes on Derek, Tabitha gripped a fistful of thick fur on the Dark-type’s back.
“You don’t have a choice.”
Mightyena leapt, and the two of them disappeared into the shadows.
Derek lay where he was. His entire body throbbed and ached—even just breathing was difficult, as though solid weights were sitting on his chest. He heard padded footprints and saw Sidney’s Absol walk up to him. She looked down at Derek, her face unreadable. Turning her head to the side, she gave a high-pitched cry. Sidney ran over.
“What is it, girl—whoa, what happened to you? I thought you were down in the base! How’d you get so beat up? What happened to your face?”
Derek tried to speak, but the pain was only getting worse. All he could do was let out a choking cough.
“Hold tight,” Sidney told him. “I’ll get you to the Pokemon League’s hospital.”
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
A single, bare lightbulb on the ceiling cast a harsh, white light in the small metal room. The smell of sea salt inebriated the air. Water occasionally dripped from the ceiling. Grime plastered the metal panels. In the back half of the room, the floor gave way to water. The room connected to a tank where team members could release their Pokemon and allow them to swim around freely.
The cold metal made Maressa’s knees throb. But after kneeling for at least half an hour, she found that shifting made it all worse. She didn’t dare get up.
She kept her eyes on the ground. She might have been able to glare back at Shelly, to handle the disappointment and disgust on her face—but she couldn’t bear to look up at Matt. The utter hatred in his eyes made always sent Maressa’s heart racing and made her skin crawl.
She licked her lips. Her mouth was dry. Her heart had been pounding heavily for several hours. Her gut twisted itself into knots. There was a lump in the back of her throat. She felt nauseous.
She jumped as the door opened, and her heart pounded even harder. Sweat beaded on her forehead from terror. She didn’t look up. She knew who it was.
“So,” Archie’s voice met her ears. “Maressa, Maressa, Maressa…”
He chuckled.
“All that effort we put into rescuing you, and you had betrayed us all along!” He spoke nonchalantly, as if discussing the surprising outcome of a football game. “You had a friend in Team Magma, you attacked your commander, and you kept the Orbs from us.”
There was a pause.
“LOOK AT ME!”
Maressa jumped and, shaking, raised her eyes to see Archie staring down at her. His eyes bulged and he breathed heavily. Veins stuck out on his neck and forehead. He regained his composure and chuckled.
“You know, I’m just so baffled by all this that I don’t even know what to do with you.” He turned around and took a few steps. “When Maxie told me of your betrayal, relayed everything… Well, I didn’t know what to think. Of course, I didn’t want to think that one of my beloved, trusted team members would have betrayed us after she came so far.”
The pitch of his voice dropped.
“But it does make sense.”
Maressa’s heart pounded, her stomach sinking ever further.
“Now, as for the matter of what to do with you—but I know Team Magma already took some liberties, or they wouldn’t have chosen to hang on to you until dawn.”
He turned back around and looked down at Maressa. Her blood chilled as their eyes met.
“But the most pressing matter is to get those Orbs back from your Pokemon. And what will make them come? What would draw them more than hearing their master screaming in pain?”
Maressa could only stare up at him.
“Do you have anything to say for yourself, Maressa?”
Maressa couldn’t think of anything to say—and even if she could, her throat didn’t seem to be working. All she could do was sit in numb silence.
He raised his eyebrows.
“No? Well, then, I’ll see you on the other side.”
Maressa didn’t have any time to wonder what this meant before she heard a splash behind her. She whipped her head around to see a Tentacruel emerge from the water. It was at least as large as the one she rode on from Mossdeep to Lilycove—perhaps even larger. Beneath its mushroom-shaped bell, two slanted eyes glared at her. It raised its brown tentacles out of the water, each one as thick as a branch. Panic set in to Maressa as she saw the tentacles snake out towards her.
“No—no—AAAH!” she screamed as the tentacles wrapped around her arms and legs.
Maressa had experienced Tentacool stings in the ocean several times growing up. The slightest touch from one tentacle had been enough to turn her skin red and lumpy and send her running out of the water, crying. But a Tentacruel’s sting turned out to be much, much more severe than a Tentacool’s, and its tentacles weren’t just brushing against her accidentally—they were wrapping around and gripping her, the cnidocytes sending lances of pain everywhere they touched.
Maressa screamed ever louder as more tentacles bound her legs, arms, and body. “NO no no no no—please—no—stop!”
She gasped as her legs became wet—the Tentacruel was pulling her into the tank. She raised her eyes and saw Archie, Shelly and Matt all staring at her, apparently indifferent.
“Don’t worry about holding your breath,” Archie called as the Tentacruel pulled her down, “you’ll be able to breathe inside Tentacruel’s bell—for a time.”
Maressa’s pleas gave way to pure screams as the pain became more severe and her body was pulled into the tank. She only stopped when water flooded her mouth and she could make no more noise, enveloped in a jungle of stinging tentacles.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Phoebe closed the large book and sat back in her chair. She rubbed her temples, staring at a Pokeball lying on the desk a few feet away from her.
Matt’s Crawdaunt was still in there; it hadn’t come out since she and Matt had first exchanged Pokemon. And Banette was still with Matt…
But where? She closed her eyes, remembering a recent conversation with Steven.
“Steven, please!” she sobbed. “Banette is already injured, and I don’t know what Team Aqua will do to her! I have their Crawdaunt. Please, just let me go and get her back!” Her voice broke on the last word and she dissolved into muffled sobs. Steven’s grey eyes looked at her with pity.
“I hear you, Phoebe,” he said gently. “And we will get Banette back. But rushing into it won’t do her any good. We have to take this more slowly—and I am working to get Banette back. I haven’t forgotten about her.”
Phoebe dissolved further into tears and only pleaded harder—she could rescue Banette all on her own, she wasn’t asking for help. She would be quick, and she wasn’t scared of getting caught. But Steven had made up his mind, and reminded her—more firmly this time—that Phoebe working on her own would only cause more trouble. And that was the end of it.
Through the translucent lid of the Pokeball, Phoebe could just make out Crawdaunt with its claws folded over its cephalothorax. It appeared to be sleeping. How was Banette doing? Was Team Aqua torturing her out of some twisted desire for revenge? They couldn’t be happy about losing the Orbs…
She put her elbows on the desk with her head in her hands, her eyes scanning the large book in front of her. Steven had asked her to do research for him, but her thoughts were consumed by worry for Banette. She had taken in minimal information.
But what she did take in perturbed her.
Because the dust-covered shelves of her grandparents’ library absorbed all noise, she didn’t hear Steven Stone walk in.
“Have you had any luck?” he asked.
She jumped, knocking over her tea. Letting out a shaky breath, she picked up her mug and tried to mop up the spilled tea with her skirt.
“On the golems’ whereabouts? I can still only find the general locations. On the tablet…” She hesitated. “Yes, I found out more about it. And what you need to do to activate it.”
Steven nodded. “Good. Write it in an e-mail and send it to me, please. Thank you.”
He turned to go, but only walked a few steps before Phoebe called after him.
“And I know what the tablet will do to you.”
Steven halted in the doorway.
Phoebe straightened up, holding the sopping edge of her skirt in her hand.
“You’ve known all along, haven’t you?”
“Yes,” he said quietly.
“And that’s why you’d rather find Rayquaza, isn’t it?”
He said nothing.
“Then don’t bother with the tablet and golems, Steven! We have the Orbs. Teams Magma and Aqua aren’t a threat now! We have all the cards in our hand—there’s no point in preparing yourself for sacrifice when we know we won’t need it!”
“We don’t know, Phoebe,” Steven said tensely. “Yes, we have the Orbs. But the Teams are on the offensive now as much as they ever were—and we’re currently interrogating and purging our entire police force from any potential Team members! It’s a slow process, and until it’s finished, we barely have anyone in the law enforcement we can work with. The Teams are attacking more openly because they know they can get away with it. They’re trying to pressure us into giving them the Orbs. Meanwhile, we’re trying to find their leaders but have been making no headway whatsoever in their whereabouts—even with Derek’s help, it seems the majority of the Teams have made themselves undetectable—carrying around Dark-types to stop themselves from being spotted…” He stopped and sighed. He stood in the doorway, still facing away from Phoebe. “Yes, we have the Orbs. But Team Magma and Team Aqua are still fighting.”
“Then why not just focus all of our efforts into finding and stopping them? Why am I still here? Why can’t I at least try to rescue Banette?”
“Considering your recent actions, Phoebe,” Steven said coldly, “I’d rather have you doing research than be involved with direct confrontation.”
Guilt flooded Phoebe’s heart. She closed her mouth and cast her eyes downward as tears welled up in them.
There was a pause. Steven turned around—he didn’t look mad at all. He gave her a small smile.
“You’re doing good work, Phoebe. Thank you.” Without another word, he turned and left.
Phoebe sat down, still feeling guilty and a little offended that he ended their conversation so abruptly. She looked at the large books spread out before her.
Her grandparents’ library was deep inside Mt. Pyre. The walls were all windowless, covered completely with bookcases bearing large, dusty tomes. Occasionally, Ghost-type Pokemon flitted through the shelves around Phoebe. She looked up at a Shuppet that glided over her and managed to give it a small smile before it passed through a bookcase. Her eyes glazed over as she watched Ghost-type Pokemon swirl in the air above her, her mind wandering to matters other than her assigned research.
When the Pokemon League received the news a few days ago that they had the Orbs, Phoebe was immensely relieved. Others shared her relief—the twins, Flannery, and Brawley were open about it. She could tell that even the more stoic ones, such as Norman and Winona, were happy, too. But when Phoebe saw Steven, he still seemed troubled and tense.
He was right—the Teams were creating as much chaos as ever, and what with Derek letting them know that their police had been infiltrated, stopping them was no easier than it had ever been before.
She closed her eyes as she thought of Derek.
The League received news of Sidney’s and Derek’s ambush in Team Magma’s base just a day before. Sidney was all right, but Derek was found covered in bruises, his nose and mouth bleeding, and with several broken ribs. She shuddered—yes, Team Magma was definitely still dangerous.
But why did Steven feel the need to prepare with the golems and Rayquaza? He had sent out Wallace, Juan and Winona to find the Sky Pillar, and he was having her seek out the golems. And though she knew he was a “better safe than sorry,” type of person, it didn’t seem possible that they would lose the Orbs at this point.
She shook her head and turned back to the books in front of her. She began reading but couldn’t get very far before her thoughts once more grew distracted.
She was in her usual favorite reading spot—how many times had she sat at this desk, drinking tea and reading books, to see Banette’s head pop up through the wood and give her a smile? How many times did Banette make books levitate off the shelves and dance around her?
With the memories fresh in her mind, she couldn’t get them out—she couldn’t alleviate her heartache. Clenching her eyes, she set her head on the desk and quietly cried.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The salty wind whipped Wallace’s smiling face. He couldn’t help it; in spite of the urgency of their situation, he loved being at sea—he loved seeing the shimmering surface, the rolling waves, hearing the call of the wild Wingulls. It was all so glamorous. Beneath him, Wailord cruised effortlessly through the waters.
They were somewhere south of Route 123 and west of Sootopolis City. With all the research being done on the whereabouts of Rayquaza’s resting place, the only indicators they could find was that it lay somewhere in the southern region of the Hoenn sea.
Wallace, Juan and Winona all teamed up and sent their Pokemon to scout as far as they could. As more of their police force were interrogated and proven trustworthy, they would soon be able to enlist in help from them as well.
Wallace looked down at his PokeNav. No messages from Winona or Juan. He checked Winona’s location: still several miles south of him. His heart panged; it wasn’t that he was worried about her—she was the strongest, most capable woman he had ever met. But he didn’t like being away from her for such long stretches of time. It was difficult enough as it was, working in different cities. He hoped she might at least have tried to call him or leave him a message by now… But it had only been a few hours. She left messages infrequently and often felt that Wallace was overbearing. Resisting his temptation to contact her, Wallace pocketed his PokeNav and sat back as Wailord cruised onward.
Before long, Wailord rumbled uneasily.
“Hm? What is it, Wailord?” Wallace asked him. Wailord rumbled again—he could hear a human in distress nearby.
“ ‘A human in distress’? Probably a trainer who needs help—let’s go find them!” At Wallace’s prompting, Wailord set forth, swimming much more swiftly than before.
Before long, Wallace heard it too—screams, bloodcurling screams. Whoever it was, they definitely weren’t drowning. No, it sounded like they were in constant pain. The screams rose and died, and rose and died again… They didn’t pick back up. Wallace’s heart pounded. What was going on?
Pretty soon, a small ship came in to sight; two figures stood atop it. He saw a large Huntail break the surface of the water, holding a third figure limply in its jaws. It spat the person onto the deck of the ship before it noticed Wallace and Wailord. It growled, baring fangs each as large as Wallace’s head. The two humans on board turned around—Wallace breathed in sharply as he realized they were Team Aqua members. One was dressed all in black, and the other wore blue pants with an open blue vest. At their feet, a woman with long blonde hair wearing a grey tank top and matching skirt lay—it looked like the Team Magma uniform, but without the red pullover.
“Are you looking for this?” asked the man wearing black as he pulled the woman to her feet. She hung limply in his arms, unconscious.
Wallace’s mind ran a mile a minute. He had no interest in Team Magma prisoners, but he wasn’t sure what to do with the situation. He could hardly let the leaders of Team Aqua leave, but he wasn’t confident that he could take them on with just Wailord—he wished he had his other Pokemon with him. Could he fight? Or would he have to retreat?
He made up his mind quickly.
“Wailord, use Water Spout!”
Wailord inhaled deeply; Wallace felt the Pokemon rumble beneath him before a geyser of white water shot out of the Pokemon’s blowhole. The water skyrocketed into the air, leaving loud smacks and splashes wherever it fell. The Team Aqua leader threw the woman to the deck of the ship and jumped into the water along with his lackey. Huntail was slammed by the attack, and cried in pain as the water left red welts wherever it hit.
“Wailord, bring me to the ship!”
Seeing the woman lie unconscious made Wallace’s heart trip with pity, and so he quickly hopped off Wailord, picked the woman up, and awkwardly climbed back on. He jerked his head around as he heard more loud splashing—Huntail resurfaced, accompanied by a Walrein.
“Walrein!” Wallace turned his head to see the Team Aqua leaders standing on the deck of their boat again, dripping wet. “Use Sheer Cold!”
“Huntail, use Whirlpool!”
“Wailord, counter with Whirlpool!”
Huntail swam in a large circle, creating a circular current in the water. Wailord swam in the opposite direction, trying to form a countercurrent more powerful than Huntail’s. Wallace glanced at the Walrein, whose fangs were frosting over. If that Sheer Cold attack hit Wailord, he would be done for.
“Wailord, Dive!”
Wailord stopped creating his whirlpool and dove deep into the sea, forming a bubble through its blowhole that enveloped Wallace and the woman. Wallace breathed in the air bubble; the pressure within it was equalized, so he and the woman weren’t crushed by the surrounding waters. He looked up to see the light quickly dim—and a dark, swimming silhouette following. Bright, white spots lit up along the swimming form—it was Huntail, following them into the depths.
Wallace pounded his fist on Wailord’s back, and the Pokemon quickly changed direction and shot to the surface. Huntail’s eyes opened wide with shock just before Wailord slammed into it and shot it out of the water, sending it flying through the air like a cork out of a bottle. The deep sea Pokemon’s body hit the surface with a loud smack! and lay there for a few moments—stunned or unconscious, Wallace wasn’t sure.
Wailord let out a cry of surprise. Wallace whipped around—the Team Aqua leader had hopped from his ship onto Walrein and then onto Wailord’s back. The man glared at Wallace and spoke with his deep, gravelly voice.
“Your Pokemon might be a skilled fighter, but I doubt you are!”
Wallace could only stare in shock as the Team Aqua leader launched himself forward. He let the woman fall out of his arms as his opponent grabbed him by the shirt, lifted him bodily and slammed him onto Wailord’s blubbery back before delivering the worst beating Wallace had ever received. Wallace let out coughing chokes every time a punch landed on his abdomen. He couldn’t do anything—his hands were trying to pry the leader’s hold off of his shirt, but it was useless. Wailord was busy trying to fight Walrein without knocking the people off his back—all Wallace could do was lie there.
Wailord was rocking around so fiercely that Wallace came close to falling off his back—but after a few seconds the Pokemon plunged into the depths. Wallace, the woman, and the Team Aqua leader submerged with him. Once the water enveloped them, the Team Aqua leader let go of Wallace. Wallace floated in the water and soon rose to the surface, too weak to swim. He couldn’t stop coughing—water was getting in his mouth—he couldn’t stop swallowing it—
He felt his body rise with a wave—an enormous wave—and he saw Wailord launch himself out of the water. The cetacean’s colossal form seemed to fill the whole sky, leaving a cascading trail of raining water in its wake. Sunlight caught in the water, creating rainbows, looking like a trail of shimmering sea glass scattered in the sky. The three humans could only stare in awe as all 100,000 pounds of Wailord’s enormous form slammed down into the sea, creating tidal waves that pushed the Team Aqua boat, Pokemon, and humans all in different directions.
A wall of seawater rushed onto Wallace, sucking him under and tossing his body about as if he was no more than a rag doll. But he only tumbled for a second or so before he felt himself sucked in to what seemed to be a small, dark cave. His body hung in the water until it all drained out and he lay on the familiar surface of Wailord’s rough, slimy tongue.
He lay there, choking. His body hurt horribly—he could hardly move. He didn’t know where Wailord was taking him, but he trusted his Pokemon.
Thank you, he thought as they traversed the ocean depths.
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