Chapter 35 : A New Dawn

Eli opened his eyes, churning for breath as he looked around. He looked left and right, but instead of the thick sludge that had plagued and nearly drowned him, he had a sterile room with a toilet and a bed. A wide one-way observation panel could be seen to the right of where he woke up.

Eli immediately shot up before scanning the room vigilantly. On a small table near the heavy-iron panic door, Eli saw two poke balls which he walked over to and opened.

When he saw the figures of Teddiursa and Skrelp come out, Eli sighed in relief before hugging them both.

What had happened? he remembered nothing. He had just placed the sludge drowning him, and then he woke up here.

Checking the expression of Teddiursa and Skrelp, Eli sensed relief and even... fear?

What did they fear? what did he do when he was in the pool?

Did he get captured by the alliance? No, if they did, they wouldn't give him his Pokémon.

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a speaker that came in the direction of the one-sided glass as Eli's eyes sharpened.

"Get on the floor and place your hand's behind your back, face first."

Eli did as instructed, realizing he was too weak to do anything. If he was in team rocket, it was certainly better than being in the grasp of the alliance.

Eli felt the cold floor against his nose before his head shifted towards the open vault-like door. A man with a certain blue hairstyle and a white suit with a black jumper came in before looking towards Eli, his slit, his eyes becoming even more stretched, to the point that it gave Eli shivers.. and not the good one. It was his senses hardened from the slums telling him to run away from this man and hide. But he was on the floor of a fucking prison, not in the forest.

Teddiursa and Skrelp shivered at the man, which caused him to get a small ornate hand mirror from his pocket and look at himself.

"I'm not that ugly, am I?"

Eli felt an intense pressure overbear his body, trying to force him deeper into the cold white stone floor.

Eli didn't give him the pleasure of a scream, simply looking him in the eye of the mysterious man, which caused him to shrug.

"Not bad. No wonder the boss has an interest in you. Follow me." His word's left no room for discussion as Eli felt a pressure lift from his body. Groaning and cursing, Eli grabbed his head before cracking his neck, desperately attempting to feel better.

Seeing the opened vault door, Eli got up from the floor before stumbling towards the open door, a weakness and a migraine pounding at his mind and body.

What was this he was feeling?

A splurge of blood came from his mouth, but he could tell that this wasn't due to the pressure of this man; this was something else.

The small coughing fit slowly grew as Eli looked toward the blue-haired man, who shrugged, seeing his condition of Eli.

"You've fucked up. Get a move on; the boss will explain."

Only questions shrouded their mind of Eli as he walked down the sleek high-tech corridor with multiple people walking past, some taking a moment and looking back at the boy in a white uniform.

Eli returned the gaze, each time his eyes wandering to the "R" on their uniform, but it did nothing to the uncertainty in his heart at the moment.

The man suddenly stopped before him, and Eli felt he was getting sized up. Teddiursa and Skrelp had been put back in the Pokeball when the man suddenly knocked on an expensive ebony door, as a deep voice rang from within.

"Come in."

The blue-haired man suddenly turned towards Eli once more before saying.

"Speak to the boss with respect. If I hear of any misconduct, I will have your head on a pike."

Eli frowned at the threat before opening the dark door.

The smell of the office was unique. It smelt like Eli had only smelled once before, a distinctive smell of coffee that eagerly went into his nostrils. It was raw and fresh. Several bookcases ranged around the room, each neatly packed in a set order with no imperfections. Some paintings were garnished around the room, the floor laminated with expensive wood that Eli could only dream of owning one day. In the center of the room was a desk made from matching floor colors, seemingly a shade of ebony black. Behind the desk was a set of several high-quality Kalos window's, providing the office with a warm natural light of the Kanto region.

But Eli had no time to ponder the structure of the room, as his expression was rock solid. He felt his body freeze up before laughter filled the room.

"Now, now Persian. Do not scare the star of our show." A simple but imposing-looking man rang out, his tone filled with sincerity when he looked towards the cat and purred in response to the simple stroking motion.

Eli took a deep breath once he saw the cat. It was stronger than anything he had ever seen before; it must have been around the elite-

"Come, Sit." The man motioned to the chair on the other side of the desk, and Eli felt his body moving towards the chair, not by his own will, before sitting down like a robot. His actions were dictated by the subtle pressure of the two figures in front of him, and he had no say in the matter.

"Coffee?" The man motioned to the sweating boy, who looked down toward the source of the unique smell. Eagerly nodding, Eli watched as the cup was placed in front of him.

"We have a lot to discuss, boy." The man muttered before raising his hand in the direction of Eli. "I am Giovanni. Leader of team rocket."

....

what did he do?