Delirious Absol
Call me Del
- 356
- Posts
- 8
- Years
- UK
- Seen Jan 27, 2019
18 – Failure
A plate of berries and meats was shoved through the bars of the cell. Cleo stared down at it with the others. It was coated with a thick berry sauce of an unappealing colour, but she was hungry and it smelled good. Besides, they were going to need their strength if they had to put up a fight against Enigma and plan an escape from this place.
Spark didn't even hesitate. She snatched a large Oran berry from the plate and bit into it. A euphoric smile spread across her face and she looked at her cell mates.
"It's good. Dig in."
Harlequin crinkled her nose at the Dedenne. "You didn't even think to check if it was poisoned first?"
Spark swallowed her mouthful of berry. "Why would they poison us? They want us alive, right?"
Harlequin shrugged and grabbed a piece of meat from the plate, swallowing it in one bite before grabbing another.
Cleo reached for one and examined it. "I trust from your reaction, it's not poisoned?"
The Zorua licked her lips. "Like I said, I'm not suicidal. I wouldn't eat poisoned food just to trick you."
Cleo snorted at Harlequin's overly convoluted way of saying 'no' and tucked into what she assumed was dried fish. She glanced over at Mischief, still sitting against the wall and staring blankly through the bars.
"Aren't you having anything?"
He didn't look at her, but she thought from the slight movement he made that he may have sighed. She returned one of her own and looked away. It had been this way since their conversation earlier. He refused to speak to any of them. She had to admit she couldn't exactly blame him either. She wasn't convinced she wouldn't behave the same way if her friends had kept something so crucial from her.
She grabbed a berry from the rapidly depleting plate and moved to his side.
"Here." She handed it to him.
He said nothing, continuing to stare off into space.
Cleo stifled a flustered sigh. "Look. You need your strength if we're going to get out of here. Take it. We probably won't get another plate, and we're running out of time."
"What's the point?"
His words startled her. She wasn't actually expecting him to speak after sitting for so long in silence. She opened her mouth to reply, but he cut her off before she could even form words.
"I belong here anyway, don't I?"
Cleo fell back onto her haunches, still clasping the berry in both paws. His words had almost wounded her and she searched her mind for the right response. The silence that followed was a clear indication that the other two had ceased their meal to listen in to their conversation, clearly much more interesting than what was on the plate.
"No." Cleo finally said. "No, you don't belong here. You belong in the Guild."
Mischief said nothing. He leant his head back against the wall, adopting the art of silence once more.
Cleo let out that flustered sigh and placed the berry down next to him. If her words meant nothing, then there wasn't much else she could do.
No... help him get out of here, that's what she could do.
She turned away from the Whimsicott and her vision was dazzled by a few stray sparks of electricity. She looked down at Spark, her whiskers crackling as the Dedenne rubbed her paws over them.
"Spark?" Cleo moved over to her friend. "Are you all right?"
Spark looked up at her. "I think my whiskers have shorted."
Harlequin flopped to the floor beside her and yawned widely. For a moment Cleo thought the Zorua was mocking them, but the dull hum she had grown accustomed to hearing throughout her lifetime had come to a sudden stop, and every sound around them seemed so much more concentrated that her fur stood on end.
"What's going on?" She pressed her paws over her ears and her eyes fell to the near-empty plate beside Spark.
"It's the sauce," slurred the Zorua.
"So it was poisoned?" Cleo's fur bristled but not because of Harlequin. Footsteps were echoing across the floor and two Pokemon appeared at the cell.
"Poison?" The male Meowstic crooned at them. "You offend me."
She looked up at the Meowstic and Vigoroth. The latter was fumbling with the lock and with a shrill creak, the cell door opened.
"It was a concoction of berries designed to sap your strength," the Meowstic told them. "Wacan for electricity, Rindo for grass, Payapa for psychic and Colbur for dark. Normally they'd reduce the damage taken by the specified attack received by the Pokemon that had eaten it. Interestingly, like your little sparky friend here, eating a Wacan berry reduces the power of electrical attacks. So... for a short while she might be feeling a little... out of sorts."
The Vigoroth grabbed Mischief by the arm and dragged him to his feet. "Come on, we're moving you to another cell."
"Grass..." Cleo's eyes widened. "Mischief! You've not eaten anything, stop them!"
Her words fell on deaf ears. The Whimsicott stumbled along after the Vigoroth while the Meowstic locked their cell.
"Mischief!" Cleo leapt to her feet. She unfurled her ears to try and stop them, but nothing happened. She fell to her knees and growled.
"Don't worry," the other Meowstic purred. "You won't be here for much longer. But your friend there, oh we have big plans for him."
Cleo snapped to fix the Meowstic with a glare. "What are you doing to him?"
He feigned a pathetic expression and inclined his head on one side. "Oh, I'm afraid I can't tell you that. It's confidential."
"Leave him alone," Cleo growled. "He's not done anything to you."
"He failed his mission, he's done enough." He turned away, swinging the keys around in his paw as he made for the door.
"Leave him alone!" Cleo stood and launched herself against the bars of the cell. The reverberations echoed around the white room, creating a din that caused her to push her paws over her ears and fall back from the bars, landing on her bottom on the cold, hard floor.
A deep chuckle came from the Zorua but Cleo didn't give her so much as a glance.
"Failed his mission." Harlequin chuckled again. "I can relate to that."
...
Night had fallen, casting the squat building in deep shadows from the surrounding trees. Harbinger and the Pawniard twins stood between the trees, a clear map of the building's interior and outer perimeter in their minds. The Pawniard brothers had breached the inside and had a quick look around before returning to Harbinger to formulate a plan. The inside was small. A lab, an office, a small room with a table and food stash, and a room that was closed off, needing a key to enter. This likely held the captive Pokemon. The building itself had two exits – the front and back doors. The back was locked from the inside and had no guards. The front had guards – two – both of them anxious and fidgety, clearly awaiting Enigma.
Harbinger guessed they didn't even have until midnight. He clutched a large tree branch in his jaws, his red eyes focused on Scratch's claws as he whipped them together to create a flurry of dangerous sparks. After several attempts, the sparks struck the branch and lit the dry, brittle bark aflame. The orange light danced and flickered, causing the shadows around them to jerk about in an unsettling manner.
The Absol turned his head to look at the building. The torch wasn't for light and would likely burn out faster than he desired. He had to work fast.
The two Pawniard followed his plan smoothly. The branch was lit. Now they had to climb through the office window, take out any Pokemon that was lurking within it, and smash through the doors that led to the closed room to free all the caged Pokemon.
Harbinger gave them a moment before launching himself through the window. The office was empty, like he expected it to be. He didn't need to be careful with the torch. All the paper work here screamed at him to be burned.
...
Spark sat bolt upright.
"Do you smell smoke?"
Cleo's nose twitched. Yes... yes, that was smoke. It was unmistakable. Her body went cold and she began to shake.
Not fire.
Not them.
Not here.
Harlequin shot to her feet and paced up and down the cell, examining the bars. The rest of the room was thrown into distress as the other caged Pokemon cried out and shouted for help. Spark joined in the fray, clutching the bars of their cell and shouting at the top of her lungs.
"Oi! We smell fire! Let us out!"
Almost on cue, the opposite wall seemed to explode. Two dark shapes shot through it, orange light flickering off the surface of their bodies. Sharp blades lit up a deep orange, poking out of their bodies in a uniform fashion. Pawniard. They paused briefly as they surveyed the room then bolted in opposite directions towards the surrounding cells.
Spark looked over at Harlequin. "Friends of yours?"
Harlequin shook her head, not looking at the Dedenne. Cleo looked away from her cell mates, her attention drawn to the sharp clink that echoed through the room. The voices of the other Pokemon raised as they flooded into the room, trying to gain some sense of order as they decided which way to leave. Into the flames, or find another exit? None of them knew of one.
One of the Pawniard shot past their cell, its blades raised. In a split second, the lock was sliced from the cell and the door opened an inch with the impact. Cleo didn't need any instruction. She leapt to her feet and slipped through the cell door with Harlequin and Spark in tow. The Dedenne leapt to her shoulder for a better view of the chaos around them.
"Which way?" She asked.
The Pokemon grouped together, tens of voices rising at once. Cleo pushed through them towards the door. The two Pawniard stood in the entrance, glancing back and forth, the light from the fire reflecting off their steel bodies.
There was no way out. They were trapped. Why they had rescued them was a mystery, but in doing so, they were stuck.
Trapped.
Cleo looked back over her shoulder and took a deep breath.
"Listen!"
Her voice barely broke over the din. She turned to face the group of confused Pokemon and opened her mouth to try again. A few were looking her way, and amongst them was a large Azumarill.
"You!" She pointed a claw at the water Pokemon. "Can you lead the way and put out those flames?"
"I can try!" She called back. "But I only know physical water attacks. I'd have to literally throw myself through the fire."
Cleo lowered her paw. That wasn't much good.
"I can try though. Let me go ahead of you." The Azumarill strode past Cleo towards the hallway.
The Pawniard watched her go then looked at one another.
Cleo felt a small spark of hope rise in her chest. Then an idea hit her. She trotted after the water Pokemon, oblivious to the din of the other Pokemon swarming into the hallway after her.
"Wait!" She caught up with the Azumarill. "You need to create water to launch your attacks. But you don't need to throw yourself with it. Let me control the water."
The Azumarill gave her an amused stare. "You? Control the water?"
"Yes. I'm a psychic Pokemon. I can use my abilities to control where the water goes. We can put it out together."
The Azumarill gave a nod and the two of them ran down the corridor towards the source of the fire. It opened up into a blazing room. A window lay on the far side, just visible through the thick smoke and fire.
The Azumarill set to work, covering her body in a large veil of water. Spark made the wise choice to remove herself from Cleo's shoulder as the Meowstic opened her ears and that familiar humming sound intensified. Good, her abilities were back. She'd gone into this quite blindly with no idea what to do if the plan failed. She stifled a sigh of relief and focused on her task. Carefully, she drew water from the water Pokemon's body, sending it into the room like a tornado. It grew with every twist, racing around the room and drowning the flames as it went. Before long, the room was safe enough to cross.
The crowd of Pokemon rushed to the window, flowing out one after the next. Cleo and the Azumarill stood aside to fight what was left of the fire, making sure it was safe enough for the other Pokemon to escape. Once the room was empty, Cleo and her ally made for the window, joining the Pokemon on the other side. Harlequin was last through, landing in a crumpled heap at Cleo's feet. She shot her a snarl as she pushed herself up, then glanced around at the chaos outside.
Cleo followed her gaze. There was no sign of the Pawniard that had helped them.
"Hey, Meowstic."
Cleo looked back at the Azumarill.
"Thanks for the help." She gave Cleo a wide smile. "I'm afraid this is where we part ways."
Cleo nodded. "Where will you go?"
The Azumarill shrugged. "No idea. I have friends here, so I'm sure we'll think of somewhere. All I can say is far away from these Heretic crack-pots." She grinned again. "You never know, we might meet again some day." She skipped away from Cleo then looked back. "My name's Blossom!"
Cleo smiled. "Cleo. Take care now. I have to find my friend..."
Her words froze in her mouth. Standing apart from the crowd was Mischief. She ran over to him, dragging the Zorua behind her and forcing her to run to keep up. He gave her a half-smile when he saw her.
"Looks like no one belongs here." He gave a small laugh and looked up at the smouldering building. "Maybe... it's a good thing I forgot this place..."
A roar split through the air, bringing the crowd of Pokemon to a silence. This seemed to prompt them to gather themselves and run, heading for the forest.
"What was that?" Spark asked.
"I don't know," said Cleo. "And I don't really think we should stay around here to find out either."
She ushered Mischief ahead of her, and they followed after the fleeing Pokemon. She didn't know where the Meowstic or the other Heretics had gone. Maybe they'd fled the fire, leaving their test subjects to burn. Maybe they were the source of that roar. Whatever the case, Cleo didn't want to wait around to find out.
...
"An Absol!" Rio roared. He paced back and forth, his paws balled into fists. "An Absol brought disaster on my lab!"
Tantrum tugged on one of the iron chains confining the rampaging Tyranitar.
"Think we have somethin' bigger t'worry 'bout right now, Rio."
The other members of Rio's group stood around the massive Pokemon, each clutching a heavy chain. The Plusle and Minun duo seemed to be having the most trouble, both clutching the same chain while trying to avoid the Tyranitar's thrashing tail.
Rio looked at his team-mates briefly. None of them could do anything to subdue the large Pokemon. A Meowstic's abilities wouldn't affect it, and the Raichu, Heliolisk, Plusle and Minun would barely dent it with its high defences. Tantrum would likely break his claws. The Sandslash alone stood the best chance but if he used his skills he would likely knock his allies over in the process. And there'd been enough disasters for one day.
Rio nibbled his claw in thought. If his message had reached him, Enigma should be here any minute.
Any minute now.
And he'd lost them all.
A soft chime from an unseen bell sent chills through Rio and his team. The Tyranitar almost broke free of its confines, but the group regathered themselves and commenced trying to pull the Tyranitar to the ground.
"My my." Enigma materialised on a branch above their heads. "This is quite the situation you've found yourselves in isn't it?"
"Enigma! Let me explain." Rio tore himself away from the working Pokemon and looked up at Enigma. "It was an Absol. He set the place on fire then ran, just like that. He must have freed all my test subjects, the forest is full of-"
"Fleeing Pokemon." Enigma examined his claws. "Amongst which I believe I spotted a Meowstic and Whimsicott." He tutted. "So careless. Whatever am I going to tell my boss?"
Rio raised his paws. "I can get them back. Trust me, I can get them all back. Well... maybe not all... but I'll get that Meowstic and her friends. You have my word. I'll bring them back and send word to you-"
Enigma pulled a blue feather from his mouth, examined it, then sent it flowing down to the floor. Rio watched the feather, a cold chill running through his body.
"Thanks for sending me a snack, by the way."
Rio looked up at the Banette, dumbfounded.
Enigma inclined his head on one side and stared down at Rio for a moment before letting out a chuckle. "I told you not to let me down."
"B-but... I wasn't expecting the Absol-"
Enigma waved a paw in dismissal. "Excuses, excuses. The fact is, Rio, you let them get away." He looked over at the Tyranitar, thrashing against the heavy chains. "You let them get away so you could control your pet."
Rio pointed at it. "If this thing gets loose, Enigma, it'll spell disaster!"
Enigma chuckled and kicked himself away from the tree. In one swift motion, he warped beside the Tyranitar, floating just below its jaw line. His claws vanished beyond the rock Pokemon's chest plate. The beast let out a shrill howl and twisted its body wildly, thrashing all five limbs, its tail swerving through the air and sending the Plusle and Minun duo rolling along the ground. The other Pokemon abandoned their attempts to confine it and fled to a safer distance. Its thrashes came to an end as the Tyranitar crumbled to the ground in a motionless heap.
Enigma examined his claws, dripping with fresh blood and flicked them a few times before wiping them in the dirt. Rio looked away from the Banette to stare down at his fallen experiment.
Ruined.
Everything was ruined.
Enigma strode past him, drawing stares from Rio's team-mates but not from the Meowstic. He paused by Rio and spoke softly to his ear.
"I'm done with you, Rio. You failed me."
The Banette adjusted his scarf and strode away into the shadows, the soft jingling from his bell fading away into the distance.