Thanks, darklord. But...*is slowly losing confidence*
Darkness.
That was all Cynthia could see through one of the tiny holes in her prison, supposedly left for breathing. She was in an awkward position. Brittle strands of blond hair fell over her pale face, and her eyes reflected regret, hate, worry and fury flickering like minnows in icy blue pools.
How else could she react? She’d failed Dawn…tried to prevent her death, and for what? To be pummeled down by Jupiter, and captured, then given barely any food, water…with no dignity left. She took in a deep breath, trying to get the littlest bit of oxygen she could in the iron cell, virtually inescapable, and so tiny. She didn’t even think it had a door; they’d knocked her out before placing her inside…to make sure she wouldn’t get out the way she came in, probably.
Another painful cramp ran up her leg, and she changed position. This was very uncomfortable.
Suddenly, something rattled from outside. She could hear chains clanging together, and somebody’s sneering voice.
“Awww…lookie here. It’s the twerp who tried to stop Saturn from retrieving the meteorites at Veilstone about 3 years ago.” Cynthia recognized the harsh, rough tone of Commander Mars, but she had no idea who she was talking about.
“Yeah, I remember that guy.” An unfamiliar voice. Probably a grunt, Cynthia thought. “He was battlin’ with an Electabuzz. Heard it evolved, though.”
Electabuzz? Evolved? Paul has an Electabuzz that evolved… Could that be Paul who was captured? He was always a bit rash, but he was supposedly cunning enough to escape if they caught him. Peering through one of the holes again, she thought she saw dark lavender hair and black eyes gleaming in the gloom.
She felt cold waves of fear pass over her. So it really was Paul who got captured! Dawn would go nuts…but was Dawn here too? All of a sudden she felt faint. If the blue-haired girl was here, then Cynthia’s efforts would be in vain, and she’d be dead already. She forced herself to look back again. Commander Mars was circling Paul with a visible smirk on her face.
“So,” she said, “I believe you were caught prowling around our Warehouse? Spying, perhaps?”
Around their Warehouse? In Veilstone? I thought Paul was in the Resort Area.
His voice was only an exhausted croak, but it was still recognizable. “I wasn’t spying. I was taking a walk. It has nothing to do with you. Please let me go.”
That’s out of character.
“I’m not interested in that,” Mars snapped, forcing his chin up, making him wince. “You’re spying for your brother and his girlfriend. And where the other is, we’ll most likely find the weakness of our prize.” She bared her teeth like an animal, and spoke somewhat softly, “Where is your brother?”
Why do they want to know where Reiji is? Cynthia was trying to piece it all together; it just didn’t make any sense. What would they want with him? Her head hurt; it was so confusing.
Then it hit her.
It was the other way around.
Paul hadn’t been captured; Reiji was standing in front her cell, taking the blows that Mars gave him without a word or sound. And they were looking for Paul so they could track down Dawn. As Mars flashed a light in his face, her discovery was confirmed by the messy ponytail and bloodstained clothes and apron, which he usually kept so clean.
They probably were looking for a weakness, so they could get to her and kill Dawn without weakening themselves battling Ash and the others. She felt somewhat relieved that the younger sibling was safe, but she was also worried about Reiji. What would they do to him?
“Commander Mars.” Another grunt rushed into the room, sweating as if he’d run a long way. “We’ve just received orders from our Leader. He wants a direct attack on the Ribbon Syndicate Building ASAP.”
“Now?!” Mars rolled her blood-red eyes and sighed. “He never lets me kick around the prisoners. Alright. You,” Mars added, pointing at one of the grunts. “Take this young man to his new cell. We’ll deal with him later.” With a venomous glance at everybody in the room, she stalked away.
The grunts poked and slapped the 25 year old, who refused to move, until one of them grabbed him forcibly by the throat and dragged him along. Then he was out of view, although she could still hear his shouts of pain echoing in the night.
Before Mars left the room, she narrowed her blood-red eyes and stepped up close to Cynthia’s cell. “Are you comfortable?” She asked with a sarcastic smile.
“I could be better,” The blond Champion replied, seething.
“Hmmph. Look at her, The Champion, in all her glory. Ha!” She smirked at her, and said while walking out, “You’ll see, this is one battle you can’t win. And make sure you’re nice to us,” she added darkly, “We can decide your whole future. Whether you live…or die.”
Staring at her disappearing white-cloaked body, Cynthia couldn’t help wondering if Mars was right. Would they lose?
__________________________________________________________
“Thunderpunch!” Paul called out.
“Dodge it and use Night Slash!”
Before he could even breathe in, Weavile had positioned itself behind a lumbering Electivire and was slashing at it with razor sharp claws. The Electric type tried to strike back, but once its sparking fist hurled towards the Razor Claw Pokemon, it just zoomed away as if it had vanished in a blink and sliced its other side. Crobat was doing the same thing, darting all around like a troublesome fly, biting and slicing with currents of air. Electivire howled in pain.
Paul growled in anger and desperation. Even with a type advantage, Cyrus’ Pokemon were too fast for his, and were taking no damage at all. Electivire was slowly getting exhausted, and in no time it would be knocked out.
Cyrus smirked, seeing the boy’s desperation. “Had enough yet?”
“Not just yet,” he spat back. “ My Pokemon is still awake. Electivire…!”
“I don’t think so,” The other trainer snarled, “Both of you! Hyper Beam!”
Dawn gasped in fear, her heartbeat doubling. If both the Hyper Beams hit, eben she knew Electivire wouldn’t stand a chance. Other than that, the double lasers would keep blasting forward until it rammed into them directly. Weakened, they would be wide open targets for Cyrus’ malicious plans.
“You can still turn this around,” Cyrus told the purple-haired trainer. “You can still surrender and get away unharmed.”
“No damn way,” Paul’s eyes narrowed, trying to look brave, but he gritted his teeth at the orange beams powering up in the Pokemon’s mouth, and knew he was doomed.
Without hesitating, Dawn whirled and hurled a Pokeball with a Capsule still on it. Paul might not exactly thank her for helping him, but he obviously needed a hand.
“Pachirisu, Discharge!!” In an explosion of hearts, a white-and blue squirrel burst out of the blue sphere and let loose a blast of blue lightning that caught Weavile and Crobat completely off guard. They both tumbled to the dusty ground and struggled to get up, blue sparks of electricity still crackling on their fur.
“What?!” Cyrus screeched.
Paul didn’t comment on the strength of her Pachirisu. Instead he turned towards her, his eyes burning with irritation and slight embarrassment.
“Well, thanks for nothing!” He snapped, not noticing her flinch. “I could have handled them fine!” Dawn was taken aback; she’d only been trying to help.
“Hey, Mister Arrogant, You needed help and you know it!” She practically yelled in his face. How could he just refuse her offer so rudely out of pride, when this was a matter of life and death? Paul looked baffled and angry, but then he murmured something that might or might not have been ‘thank you’. For a moment, the look in his eyes held a flashback of when they were about to kiss.
“Finish them!”
Cyrus’ voice woke her from her daydream as she faced him with an unusual scowl. His Pokemon were already up, and were glaring at them with fierce glints in their eerie scarlet eyes.
“You ready?” Dawn turned to him with a bright look in her eyes, and part of her hoped that he would want to team up. Because if they didn’t, they were as good as dead.
She sub consciously grabbed his hand, not caring what he said. They were in this together now.
Paul opened his mouth to say something sharp, before he saw the hopeful look on her pretty face, and grudgingly realized she was right. He nodded.
“Ready.”
________________________________________________________________
Ash gaped, and boiled in anger as he recalled that hateful voice, the one who sold Pokemon for wealth, who abused them and took lives and shed blood to get what she desired. Fuming, he motioned his Staraptor to turn around; he well enough knew whose eyes he would look into- the pale gray eyes of Hunter J.
“I thought you worked alone, not for these losers,” Drew seethed, pointing down at the Team Galactic members below. J smirked, her pearl white teeth showing. Pikachu, who had hung onto Ash’s back for the ride, growled in fury at the one who had tried to sell him.
“I did,” she said, each word making Ash even angrier; “But now I choose to help punish those who ruined my career.” She smiled again, but spoke darkly, “Your lives end here, foolish brats.” The Salamence she rode on roared, hungry for battle and fighting. They were so heated with rage for each other that they didn’t see that Team Galactic was dangerously close to the building now.
Ash couldn’t tame his rage, and let it flow out uncontrollably. “You wish, *****! Staraptor, use Steel Wing!”
“Maia, use Draco Meteor!” Sara yelled, and Drew shouted, “Flygon, Crunch!”
Ash’s giant bird closed in on her, its open, glowing wings shining in the moonlight. Flygon opened its jaws to show jagged teeth, and closed in on the other side.
J gave them a cool expression, and snapped her fingers. “Extremespeed. Go.”
Salamence threw itself into the air so quickly that it only happened in a split second. Ash avoided running into Drew by swerving sideways, and looked up, glaring in hatred of J.
Yet, what took the gloating hunter completely by surprise were four enormous blue-green, fiery comets hurling towards her. They slammed into Salamence’s back and sent them falling to the forest floor as the rest of the comets hurtled and burnt her with their explosions.
“Bull’s-eye!” Sara yelled in triumph, and the others joined in until their faces changed to grimaces of sheer horror as J and the blue dragon appeared directly in front of her. J glared at her from under her black shades.
“Thought you got rid of me, eh? Don’t take my Double Team for granted.” She whispered, and took out her laser….pointing it directly at Sara. The brunette was completely frozen in shock, and Maia screeched and looked around nervously as the laser built power.
“Sara! Get out of the way!” Ash hollered, but she didn’t hear him, and she didn’t hear Drew yell, either. Her eyes were locked on the silver laser as it burned into her chest, feeling her insides grow cold as metal…