Chapter 31 – Turning Point
<strong>CHAPTER 31 - Turning Point</strong>
<span style="font-weight:400">Teleportation wasn’t like they said it was in the movies. There was no distortion, no pain, no nausea, and no dy. One second you were somewhere, and the next, you were somewhere else before you could even blink.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Your Pokeballs. Give them to us,” A man said.
<span style="font-weight:400">I was so confused by this point that I didn’t even answer. I couldn’tprehend what had just happened to me. The uniformed man whistled, and a Mightyenazily approached us, baring its teeth.
<span style="font-weight:400">“I won’t say it a second time,” He continued with a sinister re.
<span style="font-weight:400">Even if I had wanted to fight, there were too many of them to take on. With a trembling hand, I handed over Elekid’s Pokeball.
<span style="font-weight:400">“And you?” He told Cecilia.
<span style="font-weight:400">I nced toward her, and she waspletely still, with her hand hovering over her Pokeball. Multiple Pokemon inched their way toward her. A Mukzily glided across the floor, emitting a nauseating smell, a Zangoose sharpened its ws and got in an attacking position, and a Raticate barred its huge teeth with a hiss. I discreetly pulled on Cecilia’s skirt, hoping she’d get the message. I didn’t want her to <em><span style="font-weight:400">die.</em>
<span style="font-weight:400">“Don’t hurt her, she’s an Obel,” The woman who had taken us here said as she put on her uniform. “She’s more useful alive than dead.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“We should make an example out of her,” Another member said. “Show the people what happens when they fight back.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Shut the fuck up, you moron. Take her Pokeball yourself. She’s a child, and you’re a grown man,” The woman said. “You,” She told me. “Sit down, don’t try anything, and you’ll live.”
<span style="font-weight:400">I nodded and copsed on the cold, hard floor. I waspletely powerless. There was nothing I could do.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Hypno, you can get back to Commander Charon, we have enough hostages and we found the Obel kid,” The woman said.
<span style="font-weight:400">Hypnozily nodded and disappeared into thin air. One of the criminals grabbed Cecilia from behind, putting her in a chokehold while the girl grabbed her Pokeball and took it away somewhere. Would I ever see Elekid again? Feeling tears stream down my cheeks, I hugged my knees and buried my face in them, making as little noise as I could. I didn’t want to attract attention. I didn’t want to annoy them. I didn’t want them to <em><span style="font-weight:400">kill me</em><span style="font-weight:400">. Cecilia sat down next to me and observed our kidnappers silently. Every time I looked at her, I couldn’t tell what she was thinking. Was she as terrified as I was?
<span style="font-weight:400">“Daddy, I want to go home!” The child in the corner of the room sobbed. She couldn’t have been more than five. “I want to leave!”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Shhh, we’re leaving soon. Don’t cry. Don’t cry,” Her father said, stroking her hair.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Shut her up, or I will,” A girl leaning against the wall said. She had a Hoothoot on her shoulder. “Now.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“I—I’m trying my best! Please, she’s just a child,” He shuddered, hugging his daughter tightly. “Shhh, quiet down, Hannah.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Then maybe you should have raised your kid better,” The woman said. “Hoothoot—”
<em><span style="font-weight:400">“Hey guys!”</em>
<span style="font-weight:400">My head whirled to the voice. A short woman with red, spiky hair skipped into the room. <em><span style="font-weight:400">Literally </em><span style="font-weight:400">skipped. All of the kidnappers turned toward her and offered a military salute.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Come on, rx! It’s just little old Mars!” Sheughed.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Commander Mars! We have taken Cecilia Obel hostage. The n can go as proceeded!” A grunt dered.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Interesting! Which one is she?” Mars asked. When directed to Cecilia, she skipped toward us and crouched. “Ms. Obel! What a pleasure it is to meet you!” She said, in a clearly joking tone. She leaned in further, her face mere inches from Cecilia’s but Cecilia didn’t budge and stared the girl right in the eyes. “Hm, you’re no fun… I love making people squirm. What about you?” Mars continued, turning toward me. I jumped a little and recoiled. “Wow, you’re much better! I’d y with you for hours if I had the time… but s, duty calls!”
<span style="font-weight:400">The woman stood up.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Listen up, grunts! “Charon is still busy in the control room, but he told me that he needed two more hours before we can vacate the power nt!”
<em><span style="font-weight:400">So we were in Valley Windwork’s power nt, </em><span style="font-weight:400">I thought with a sigh of relief. There had always been the possibility that we had been taken to a secret base in an unknown location. <em><span style="font-weight:400">But Charon…</em><span style="font-weight:400"> My mind shed to that fateful day at Lake Verity. It was the second time I heard that name, so he was clearly someone important in the organization.
<span style="font-weight:400">The grunts pped and cheered. What were they even here for? I was too scared to try to find out. There was <em><span style="font-weight:400">one </em><span style="font-weight:400">thing I could possibly do. When I sat, I felt my Poketch in my back pocket, meaning that if I was discreet enough, I could send a message to Denzel so he could call for help. But how? These people <em><span style="font-weight:400">and </em><span style="font-weight:400">their Pokemon looked at us like hawks. No, it was too dangerous. The best I could do right now was not sumb to fear and gather as much information as possible by just listening in. As long as I was focused on something, I’d be fine. Something… <em><span style="font-weight:400">something…</em>
<span style="font-weight:400">What if they killed us all before leaving?
<span style="font-weight:400">I whimpered and hugged my knees tighter. Mars seemingly caught that and looked at me with a gleeful smile.
<span style="font-weight:400">“You know what,” She said. “Come with me.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“N—n—no, please… <em><span style="font-weight:400">please,</em><span style="font-weight:400">” I cried.
<span style="font-weight:400">Mars justughed and forcefully pulled me up. Her partners looked at her ufortably before ncing away. The red-haired woman dragged me into another room full of chairs around a giant desk. It had seemingly been a meeting room. She pushed me into a chair, restrained me with some zip ties, and sat on the table, cing her feet on the armrests.
<span style="font-weight:400">“What’s your name, darling?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Please…”
<span style="font-weight:400">She grabbed my face and pressed <em><span style="font-weight:400">hard</em><span style="font-weight:400">. I groaned in pain.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Come on, tell me your name!” Sheughed. “My name’s Mars! Well, I wasn’t born with the name, but I picked it myself when I joined Team Gctic. I think it’s cool, personally. I really vibe with the space theme we have going on!” All while she was talking, she still had my face in her hand, twisting and turning my neck at every wild gesture.
<em><span style="font-weight:400">Team Gctic, </em><span style="font-weight:400">I thought. <em><span style="font-weight:400">So that’s what the G meant— </em><span style="font-weight:400">I yelled out as she yanked my face to the left.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Now, I shared something personal about myself, soe on! Don’t let me carry the conversation alone here!”
<span style="font-weight:400">“I’m G—Grace. Please don’t hurt me, I won’t make any more noise. Just… please take me back.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“But then all the fun’s gone. Oh, by the way, don’t tell Charon I was cking, I’m supposed to be doing my job! He’s always grumpy— probably because he’s old. He’s going to die in like— ten years. I’d be grumpy too in that case!” She rambled.
<span style="font-weight:400">That was when I first realized that this girl waspletely <em><span style="font-weight:400">unhinged.</em><span style="font-weight:400"> She talked to me as if I was an acquaintance or a friend, but she kept hurting me. She looked like she was having <em><span style="font-weight:400">fun </em><span style="font-weight:400">doing all of this.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Man, Floaroma’s really a bummer. Flowers are nice and all, but I’d rather be with Cyrus…” Mars trailed off. There was a sense of admiration in her voice. “I miss him so much, but he’s always working. I want to see him, I want to see him, I want to see him, I want to see him, I <em><span style="font-weight:400">want to see him— </em><span style="font-weight:400">Oh, my bad! I bug out like that sometimes when I think about him.”
<em><span style="font-weight:400">Cyrus. Another name I had heard at the Lake, </em><span style="font-weight:400">I thought, before vaguely remembering his face. Thoughts were all I had. I was desperately trying not to break down.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Now, enough about that! What should I do with you? I want to hear you scream— people screaming are just the best! Take off a fingernail or two, maybe?”
<span style="font-weight:400">I sobbed.
<em><span style="font-weight:400">“Ohh, </em><span style="font-weight:400">you like that one? I personally think it’s a little cliche, and I’d have to find pliers somewhere… we can find something better. What about a thousand little cuts all across your body?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Please…”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Luckily, I always have a knife on me. A girl’s gotta defend herself, y’know, and it’s not like we can get guns anywhere other than Orre,” Marsughed. “I have to save my v-card for Cyrus. What if some creep tries to assault me?”
<span style="font-weight:400">She grabbed a knife from somewhere inside of her uniform and threw it upward before catching it by the de. I squirmed and pushed my face away, but she kept my head still and pressed the knife against my cheek. She pressed harder and harder—
<span style="font-weight:400">“C—Commander Mars! A trainer has broken through the entrance!” A gctic grunt said, barging into the room.
<span style="font-weight:400">Mars clicked her tongue. “I’m <em><span style="font-weight:400">busy,</em><span style="font-weight:400">” She hissed, pressing the knife into my skin. Blood dripped down its edge. “It’s just one trainer, just capture him, kill him, I don’t care.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“He’s currently taking us down with three Pokemon, ma’am!”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Damn it… <em><span style="font-weight:400">damn you!</em><span style="font-weight:400">” She screeched, throwing the knife at him. The grunt barely dodged, yelped, and fell to the ground. “I guess that''s what we get for putting the newbies by the entrance. You interrupted my fun, fine. Dusky, go take care of it.”
<span style="font-weight:400">I felt a sudden chill run down my spine as the temperature of the room dropped significantly. Smoke began to materialize out of nothing right behind Mars, slowly forming into a coherent shape. Color drained from the <em><span style="font-weight:400">world itself</em><span style="font-weight:400">, the white walls, the floor, and the ckboard turning into a sinister gray. A low ring could be heard, steadily getting louder and louder as my ears slowly filled up with pressure. The creature that formed behind her had apletely dark body, along with light gray extremities. A golden motif adorned its body, going around its abdomen, its arms, and its head, and a singr, shining red eye looked into mine. It was a Dusknoir— something I had only seen as an illustration, and <em><span style="font-weight:400">Arceus, </em><span style="font-weight:400">it looked different.
<span style="font-weight:400">How was this possible? How did this woman find the secret to evolving a Dusclops? I could only stay frozen in fear as the smoke-like being exited the room and passed <em><span style="font-weight:400">through</em><span style="font-weight:400"> a wall like it hadn’t been there. The temperature and color returned to the world, and I started to breathe again.
<span style="font-weight:400">Mars rolled her eyes. “Arceus, this job is such a drag. Now, where were we—”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Mars. Hypno informed me that you released that monster into the world again. Recall it,” Someone else said.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Arceus, <em><span style="font-weight:400">damn it, </em><span style="font-weight:400">just let me have my fun!” She yelled.
<span style="font-weight:400">I nced toward the voice, and an old balding man with rose-tinted sses that had dyed the rest of his hair purple slowly walked into the room. He walked with a pronounced limp, and Hypno followed closely behind.
<span style="font-weight:400">“I won’t repeat myself. Cyrus will be furious if he knows what you have done. That thing is not under your control. It will possibly kill every hostage we have to sustain itself.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Shut up, Charon! Dusky isn’t under my control because he’s family! I just hate to keep him in his Pokeball, since he doesn’t like it. Plus, that way, he’s always next to me!” The woman whined.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Let this child go. I’ve had enough of you fooling around. We are here for a reason and one reason only, do <em><span style="font-weight:400">not </em><span style="font-weight:400">derail the n. I will deal with our unexpected guest myself,” Charon dered, as he walked toward the hostage room.
<span style="font-weight:400">Mars pouted. “You’re no fun. If Cyrus wasn’t our leader, I would have left already!”
<span style="font-weight:400">“And we might be better off for it,” Charon said.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Juju would be depressed without me!” She yelled out. He didn’t turn back.
<span style="font-weight:400">Mars looked at me with sad eyes and untied me. “I’ll take you back, but only because I don’t want Cyrus to be mad at me. That’d be a total disaster! Don’t worry though, we’ll meet again. I’ll have my eye on you from now on. <em><span style="font-weight:400">Forever.</em><span style="font-weight:400"> Oh, I almost forgot!” She said, closing her eyes. She kept them closed for a few seconds, and then returned to her default, smiling face. “There you go! Dusky should be gone now.”
<span style="font-weight:400">She took me back to the hostage room, and I sat back down at my spot. I didn’t have the energy for anything. I just stared nkly at the floor, hoping this would all be over soon. A few minutester, I could hear yells outside of the room.
<span style="font-weight:400">“...fuck off! You couldn’t take me in a fair fight, so you had to gang up on me! Fucking losers, can’t take down a single kid alone!”
<span style="font-weight:400">Chase Karlson was pushed to the ground into the middle of the room, and with a groan, he rolled onto his back. He swore a couple of times before pushing himself against one of the many generators. His face was bleeding and swollen. I guessed that he was the one that had busted in. There was nothing any of us could do, and so for the next two hours, we sat in silence. My cheek was burning, and I wasn’t sure I would even be able to function after this. I was just exhausted.
<span style="font-weight:400">After what seemed like an eternity, Charon limped into the room once more.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Attention! All of the relevant data has been collected. We can leave with Hypno—”
<span style="font-weight:400">Suddenly, I heard a disturbance on the roof, and then a tear. Charon frowned, looking up, and his stern face turned to horror as a Garchomp burst through the ceiling, creating a mini earthquake as itnded on the floor. A tall, blonde woman in all ck clothes slowly climbed off of its back and looked around with a calm smile.
<span style="font-weight:400">Chase chuckled. “I called the police before breaking in here, but I never expected them to send the Arceus damned Champion. What now, you fucking Gctic goons?” He asked with a bloody grin.
<hr>
TEAM:
Togetic - Pound, Sweet Kiss, Growl, Headbutt, Fairy Wind, Ancient Power, Extrasensory
Frillish - Bubblebeam, Night Shade, Absorb, Water Sport, Water Pulse
Elekid - Thundershock, Swift, Thunder Punch, Charge, Leer