Beautifly Waves Ch11

♡Beautifly Waves♡


Chapter Eleven

"What was that?!" Touko cried out in shock, having heard the sudden Pokémon outburst from within the lighthouse. N turned his head, staring with wide eyes in the direction of the building and exclaimed, "It's a Pokémon in trouble! It was saying 'help me'!" Shock flared through the brunette's expression. A Pokémon in trouble – could those Team Plasma men be hurting it?! "What are we standing here for?!" she shouted abruptly, hands clenching into tightly balled fists, "Let's go help it!" Emolga leapt into the air with a nod, soaring towards the lighthouse, and Zorua sprinted close behind. The rest of the group – with the green-haired prince scooping the Darumaka into his arms – took off in a run towards the lighthouse. Touko quickly caught up to the Sky Squirrel, dashing ahead and reaching the thick double-doors first. She tore up the steps and slapped her palms onto the handles of the wood. Tugging several times to no avail, the girl yelled in dismay, "They're locked!" She rattled the door again out of spite, gritting her teeth. N joined her side a few moments later and gazed around; "Are there any other doors?" "No…" Touko answered reluctantly, relinquishing her grip on the wooden doors. The boy glowered in frustration and placed Darumaka on the ground. The Fire-type tottered around for a bit before sitting at the green-haired boy's feet. "How are we going to get in, then?" N asked angrily, staring up at the building. Touko frowned and pushed her fist against her mouth, contemplating.

Then, a light bulb lit up over her head. Dark brown hair swishing, the girl whirled around and pointed extravagantly at a startled Darumaka; "N, tell Darumaka to use Ember on the door!" N blanched and shook his head, "N-no way," he stammered nervously, "He's not my Pokémon – I can't give him orders like that!" Touko huffed in response, "Just ask him, N! He'll listen to you!" When the boy didn't move, her confident expression dimmed; "Please N…" she said quietly, "There's a Pokémon in trouble… this is the only way we can get inside…"

At the sound of such sadness in the brunette's voice, N's uncertain expression faltered and he anxiously bit down on his lower lip. His aqua eyes glanced down at Zorua, who stood beside him. The Fox Pokémon gave a reassuring look to him, smiling vaguely. -It's okay, N,- the Dark-type said quietly to the prince, -You aren't doing anything wrong.- The young boy blinked twice, and then nodded faintly. He turned to Darumaka and asked kindly, "Daru, could you please use Ember on this door?" Darumaka stared at N for a good long moment before nodding. "Daru!" The Zen Charm Pokémon got up on its two stubby legs and trotted back a few steps away from the door. It then spun around and reared backwards – and then shot a burst of flame at the door handles. Bright flames danced and flickered on the melting material before the metal handles melted away into silver globs. The entire group let out a cheer as the door then swung open, its locked now destroyed. Emolga slipped inside easily, with Zorua and Darumaka following close behind. Touko and N started in as well, with the prince revealing a smile through his hair-shrouded face. He let his companion head inside first, stepping sideways enough to let Touko go past.

"Thank you,"

Touko's whisper was so quiet that N almost missed it. He stared at the younger girl as she passed him, smiling happily up at him. His heart pounded in his chest and he swallowed a lump down in his throat. In acknowledgement to her words, he nodded once, avoiding looking her in the eye. The brunette's grin widened briefly before her expression turned serious again. She turned her head and raced deeper into the building, hearing N's footsteps behind her as he followed.

They ran, heading down dark corridors and whipping around sudden corners. Touko was panting with vague fatigue; this was the second time she had been running long distances today. With a needle-like prick in her heart, Touko remembered the fear of fleeing from the castle through the woods, praying to Arceus that they wouldn't be caught. But then she shook her head, banishing the thought out of her mind. Right now I've got to focus on saving the Pokémon in danger!

Emolga called out from the head of the group; they were getting closer to the source of the cries for help. They were heading down a flight of stairs, tromping loudly on the gray wood. N was gasping with exhaustion, his lean body obviously not used to such physical strain. "Just… a little… farther!" Touko puffed as she neared the bottom of the steps. A slightly ajar door could be seen at the end of another hallway leading away from the stairs. There! Touko exclaimed in her head, pumping her arms through the air to pick up speed. At last, they reached the door.

Zorua slammed against it, sending the slab of wood flying inwards. It was a plain room, consisting of dust-covered furniture and little else. The entire gang rushed inside, with the two children's' faces ruddy and beaded with sweat. A small group of Plasma Grunts, their silver-blue attire shadowed ominously by the bare bulb dangling from the ceiling, turned to stare at the intruders from their place at the opposite end of the room. "Nobody," Touko said, her words broken apart by ragged gasps for breath, "Move… a muscle!" Her hands were gripped into tight balls, trying to make herself look intimidating. Sparks fizzled on Emolga's cheeks, and Zorua crouched with a low growl. At first, none of the men and women moved, surprised by the kids sudden appearance. Then, one of them let out a hearty laugh. Cruel snickers and chortles from the other Grunts soon joined the first, and the room became filled with the adult's laughter. N's determined expression wilted at the sound, and he sidestepped to stand behind Touko. The brunette was stunned at the Plasmas' reaction, but then glared angrily and shouted, "I mean it!" Her young voice grew higher in pitch, however, revealing the non-existent truth in her statement.

One of the men stepped forward once the laughter died down. He sneered at the two kids and said icily, "I've heard about this girl. She's supposedly a young rebel that was captured but then escaped after kidnapping the Prince," His cold burgundy eyes scanned the brunette up and down before he continued, "But she's nothing but a scrap of flesh and bones! How the hell can a child like her be a threat to Team Plasma's empire?!" At the end of his exclamation, the entire group of Grunts started to cackle once more. With each word that the man had spoken, Touko felt her strong resolve shrinking and shrinking. As the chuckles faded again, the man that had first talked procured a black PokéBall from his clothes; "I may as well take care of the brat now and collect the reward from King Ghetsis – plus a bonus for bringing back the Prince as well!" Touko took an alarmed step backwards; there was no doubt that the man had enough confidence in his abilities to be a threat to her and her friends. She glanced at Emolga, who hadn't backed down in the slightest. If Emolga thinks we can do it…

N wasn't focused on the Grunt. Nor was he focused on Touko's silent contemplation. He was instead fixated on the creature cornered behind the group of Plasmas. He saw large, pointed ears that were shaped like the letter 'v' sticking out. They were bright orange, probably like the rest of its body, which was concealed by the Grunts. But it was indisputably the Pokémon that had been calling for help earlier. Shutting his eyes, the green-haired boy stretched out his inner voice to speak to the little Pokémon. Are you okay? he asked cautiously, Were you the one that called out for help?

-Yes! Please, you need to help me!-

The voice answered him a mere few seconds afterwards. It was not in the least-bit timid, reminding him of his brunette companion, and was very feminine-sounding. He noted to himself that it was probably female, and went on; What happened?

-It was awful!- the Pokémon squeaked in its native tongue, -I was in my home, minding my own business, when these strange humans suddenly barged in, ordering me to come with them! I don't want to! But when I refused, they chased after me and cornered me in this room!-

N opened his eyes and frowned darkly. If these people tried to hurt this Pokémon… "Touko," he whispered, making the brunette jolt in surprise, "We need to get this Pokémon out of here! She's not safe!" Looking back at him, Touko blinked and nodded in agreement. She then turned her attention back to the Plasmas and said, "Leave that Pokémon alone – you have no right to take it away from her home against her will!" The adults seemed surprised at the girl's newly found confidence, but one of the women in the group quickly countered, "Our actions are no better than what trainers were doing years before Team Plasma intervened – taking wild Pokémon from their natural habitats and forcing them to fight against their own kind," the woman's arms made an extravagant gesture to prove her point, her voice filled with a powerful drive, "We are taking this Victini in order to insure victory for Team Plasma in freeing the Pokémon of the world; and no child is going to get in our way!" The brunette's eyes widened in shock, and her face paled somewhat. "Victini… the Pokémon Victini has the power to do that?" she looked at N for an answer; the boy nodded grimly, murmuring, "It's the Victory Pokémon – rumor has it that if you're touched by Victini, you'll be victorious in anything you do." He remembered when his father had talked about it, during the few times he got to leave his castle bedroom and wander about the palace. Only now did he recall the times when his father had ordered multiple searches on Victory Island.

Touko turned her attention back to the Team Plasma members. "I can't let you take Victini, then," she said, taking a bold step forward, "If you want to take Victini, you'll have to get through me first!" The severe tone of her voice didn't stop any of the Grunts from smirking. The man holding the pure black sphere moved towards the center of the room, leering smugly at the girl. He raised the PokéBall and said, "Bring it on, brat."

"Emolga!" Touko called out, calling the Sky Squirrel to her side. The small Electric-type's black fur crackled and sparked with electricity. The Grunt pressed the button on the Ball and sent out a rodent-like Pokémon, with mostly brown fur and a tan stomach and face. Its tail was long and straight with a scruffy white tip. A large tooth stuck out of its mouth – it would have been almost comical if it didn't have such a fierce scowl for an expression. The brunette narrowed her cerulean eyes as she silently went over Emolga's battle moves in her mind. Then, in an undertone, she said to N, "Get Darumaka and Zorua ready. We might need to make a quick run for it." The green-haired boy stared at her in bewilderment but didn't protest. He picked up Darumaka wordlessly and stepped back; he did not want to be in the line of fire for this battle.

"Emolga," Touko suddenly declared, to start the fight, "Use Shock Wave!" Emolga nodded and jumped into the air. She curled in on herself and let out a battle cry, while sending out a bright jolt of electricity at the foe's Pokémon. It struck the Pokémon at full power, sending it skidding backwards with a screech. Static fizzled and burst on its fur as it regained its composure, glaring meanly at the Sky Squirrel. The Grunt looked surprised at the strong attack, but retorted by yelling, "Patrat, use Crunch!" The Patrat growled as its fangs elongated before dashing at Emolga. The Electric-type attempted to avoid the attack, but the Patrat caught Emolga by the arm and bit down. Emolga let out a sharp cry of pain before being flung against a wall. The Sky Squirrel bounced off the cement like a toy and crumpled to the floor with a squeak. Touko gasped in alarm and ran towards her Pokémon. "Emolga!" she cried out as she neared her beloved friend. The small Pokémon trembled as she got back onto her feet, gazing determinedly at the Patrat. "Are you okay, Emolga…?" Touko asked quietly, so only her Pokémon friend could hear. Emolga answered with a downwards jerk of her head, eyes flashing with a vicious drive. An understanding look crossed Touko's face and she stepped away. Turning her body to face her opponent again, the brunette girl commands loudly, "Emolga, use Spark!"

"MOLGA!!!" the Electric-type cries, as a huge bolt of yellow-white energy charges towards the Patrat. The sparks reflect in the foe's pupils before it hits, sending waves upon waves of pure electrical power into its tiny body. Shrieking long and filled with agony, the Pokémon collapses to the ground – unconscious.

The Plasma Grunt stared for several tense seconds, before whispering, "No…" He steps backwards towards his group, who are all gaping in incredulity at the girl and her Pokémon. "No way!!" the man finishes in a loud shout, stumbling back even more.

Touko looked away from the Grunt and back at her green-haired companion. His face is paler than normal – probably due to the match just completed – and he was squeezing Darumaka tightly. In fact, it was tight enough that the Fire-type was squirming and making soft noises of protest, which N didn't notice until a few moments after. The girl felt a stab of guilt at his expression; she knew how N felt about Pokémon battling like this, and felt horrible for practically making him watch. "N," she started, taking a cautious step towards him, "I'm sorry." His aqua orbs met with her cerulean ones. Wordlessly, he nodded in acceptance of the apology before tearing his gaze away. Zorua let out a small keen and nuzzled the prince's leg comfortingly. Emolga quickly joined Touko's side again, looking ruffled up but otherwise unharmed.

"Y-you think you've won, huh, brat?" The two kid's heads jerked forward to stare at the first Grunt, who was scowling darkly at them. He had recovered from the shock of losing and was now advancing several steps; "Well, you haven't! You just got lucky!" he spat out the words, all while slipping out a miniature PokéBall from his sleeve, "Now I'm gonna beat you to a pulp…" He enlarges the black sphere; "With the very Pokémon you came to rescue!"

Touko's face drained of all color. "No!!" she yelled, eyes widening in panic, and she dashed without hesitation at the group of Plasmas. Her small feet smacked the concrete flooring as she ducked and swerved underneath them, catching the Team by surprise. Then, she did something that stunned everyone in the room – including her. She raised a tiny child's fist and WAM, struck the closest Plasma Grunt in the chest. The man – who had been holding onto the ropes tying Victini – lurched backwards with a shocked wheeze and dropped the weaved fabric. The moment the people around Touko realized that the Victory Pokémon was freed, all hell broke loose.

"You little piece of—!!" the Grunt that had challenged the brunette stretched out a hand to grab her by the shirt collar, but the small girl easily avoided his fingers and whirled to get Victini. "Come on," she shouted as the rest of the Plasmas began to advance, "Run, Victini, RUN!" The Psychic-type didn't need to be told twice. It tossed aside the loose ropes binding it and fled, slipping and weaving between the adults legs. Touko attempted to do the same, but since she was a much bigger target, she had to constantly jerk herself free from prying hands struggling to catch her.

Suddenly, one hand grabbed her by the hair and yanked her backwards. The girl was instantly flashed back to her kidnapping and let out a tortured wail, accurately remembering the pain of when she had been abused by the Team Plasma Grunt that had abducted her only a few days ago. N, hearing the convoluted scream, jolted into action and placed down the Darumaka, shouting out, "Leave Touko alone!!" He charged at the group and wacked futile fists on the Plasma people's forms. Zorua, Darumaka and Emolga also jumped to join the boy, scratching and biting at the humans attacking their friend. The basement room was filled with yells and shrieks of pain, mostly from the adults, and the occasional pop of a Pokémon being sent out of a PokéBall. Touko jerked free of her captors grasp with a sharp kick at the man's shin and collapsed to the floor. Her fingers were nearly stepped on twice and she instantly realized that her group wouldn't last long in such a physical scuffle. Desperately scanning the tangled mess of people, she spotted the cream and orange fur that was Victini. With no further hesitation, the girl got to her feet and shoved her way towards the Pokémon.

Victini was corned by three Plasmas, letting out intimidated growls at her attackers. The Grunts all chuckled, and one reached out a gloved hand to grab the Victory Pokémon. Touko broke free of the throng of people in time to shout: "Victini, come to me!!" The Psychic-type's ears twitched in recognition, and then she narrowed her blue eyes in a glare at the Plasma persons. Baring her teeth, Victini then chomped down on the hand grasping for it, generating a pained shout from the Grunt. Victini quickly stopped biting the glove and made a break for it, scampering across the floor towards Touko. She leapt into the girl's arms and clung tightly. "Tini!" she exclaimed gratefully, and the brunette smiled in return. Then the serious look was back and Touko shouted, "Let's go!!" N tumbled out from the mass of people in time to see the brunette fleeing towards the door. He called over his shoulder to their Pokémon companions: "Run!" and took off after the girl. Darumaka and Zorua instantly turned and hurried after their prince, with Emolga following fast behind them.

They took off down the hallway, heading in the opposite direction from which they came. "Where are we going?!" N shouted to Touko, as he sprinted after her. The brown-haired child looked back at him, still holding Victini securely in her arms, and replied, "The stairs leading up to the lighthouse should be empty – I'll bet you on Arceus's life that there are more Plasma people coming in through the front door!" Silently absorbing this, N didn't mention the one fact that seemed to be missing in the girl's mind: they'd be trapped if they went up to the top.

Soon, the group found themselves approaching a door that said NO PUBLIC ACCESS. Not even bothering to glance at the sign, Touko shoved the door open and darted inside. Steel grated stairs lead up in a spiral towards the top, vanishing into the darkness above. The brunette rushed up the noisy stairs, each step loud and echoing in the cylinder structure, with the rest of her group following directly behind. Breathing loudly, N managed to gasp out to his companion, "T-Touko… what will we do when we reach the top?" Touko glanced back at him and replied breathlessly, "I'm working on that!" Sweat gathered on N's brow as her words hit him. "Oh," he responded blankly, some of the beads of water sliding down the sides of his face.

A loud snarling snapped through the air, causing the entire group to freeze in their tracks. Touko spun around and nearly yelped; three tan-colored, four-legged crocodilian Pokémon with thick black stripes on their body were chasing after the group, running full-out up the stairs. "Uh-oh!" the girl squeaked, and the Victory Pokémon in her arms trembled at the sight of such fierce Pokémon. "Sandiles," N stammered out, face pale, "They're Ground-types…" Touko swallowed audibly and took a few steps up the stairs, not taking her eyes off the intimidating trio. Suddenly, another parade of growls sounded from behind her – two larger versions of the Sandiles were perched farther up the stairs.

Touko, N, and the others were trapped.

"N…!" Touko exclaimed in panic, her voice raising several octaves. The prince turned and spotted the Krokoroks, his aqua-gray eyes widening in shock. Emolga and Zorua saw the other enemy Pokémon as well and they bunched together, moving closer to their human friends. Slowly moving closer, the Ground-types growled low as they stalked towards their prey. Touko and N shared a mirrored look of hopeless terror.

When the combined group of Pokémon and humans finally bunched together, with Touko and N back-to-back, the young brunette shakily grasped the prince's hand. The green-haired boy blinked, then gazed at Touko from the corner of his eye. Touko's small body was shaking with fear. Clenching his teeth, N gripped Touko's hand tightly, and shut his eyes.

Then…

"OSHAAAAAAAA!!!!"

"SNIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!"

A burst of water shot out from below, along with a barrage of razor-sharp leaves. The leaves hit the two Krokoroks, slamming them into the walls and letting them crumple to the grated stairs; meanwhile, the water knocked the trio of Sandiles off their feet and sent them sliding over the edges of the stairs. Touko's eyes grew as huge as dinner plates, and she broke away from N's grip; "It can't be…!" She took a step down towards their hidden rescuers, squinting into the dim light. Then, her face broke into a huge grin and she cheered: "Oshawott! Snivy!"

Standing several steps down, the blue Sea Otter Pokémon and the graceful Grass Snake were perched, gazing happily up at their human friend. "Osha!" "Sniv!"