EPISODE 57: Against Them!*

In the manhole, I kept the bullet in the pocket of my Team Rocket trousers. I was scared and cautious this time. Constantly looking back and forth to see if anyone was lurking nearby. This was my first time to be frightened more than a thousand percent knowing I'm being watched by someone. I checked the walls if there were any cameras but so far so good.

"Hey! You're the grunts of Team Rocket aren't you?!" two grunts approached us. They were responsible for guarding the busted door.

"I'm surprised your leader Cyrus loves recycling infiltrated places with new grunts." I teased back.

"Well who cares, we're more powerful than you! We can prove it if you wish." the grunts pointed their Pokeballs towards us. They were willing to attack.

"I'm sorry but we don't have time to play with your silly games since our friends were just strolling here and you captured them and so, Gardevoir come out! Send them to the North Pole!" in immediate response, Gardevoir teleported them out of our sight. They vanished like thin air after falling to a portal underneath them.

"Like it? I learned it when I did it to Zinnia."

"You could've just do your thing."

"Well um... it's going to happen to them anyway. At least they got to visit a place only a few had been through." I scratched my head.

"Yeah, just don't teleport people anymore." Charlotte took the lead and entered the room while I followed from behind.

There were no grunts at all. This made us wonder whether those two grunts were the only ones who were assigned to take care of the doors but that doesn't explain the four helicopters I saw. They must've had pilots so that means there should be four grunts unless the ones I sent in the North Pole were the first two.

Or, the commanders themselves could be the pilots in case they're here. Or it could be that one of the pilots was the one who pulled the trigger. There are a lot of possibilities. The base looks more like an abandoned laboratory which gives us a hint Cyrus was never planning to renovate nor recycle this. It's either he forgot something or he moved the bodies away since I see not a single fainted grunt at the floor.

"This place went from a cool looking laboratory to a place where humans are zombified." uttered my little mouth.

"So? Am I supposed to agree? It seems pretty quiet. We should try shouting."

"No, it would only gather the attention of other grunts."

"Then where are they?"

"Maybe somewhere but not here. Or it might drag the attention of some Elite Operative who is totally stronger than us. Keep quiet, it's better that way."

"Okay then, Ms. Luna. You make a good leader of Team Rocket someday."

"Ha! Ha! Like that's ever going to happen. I can't even make my own orange juice perfectly!"

"And so? Team Rocket does not need an orange juice vendor. Trust me, you'll make a good leader someday." Charlotte placed her arms around my neck and smiled at me.

"Hmm, let's see soon." well, I didn't want to seem boastful.

Then came the sounds we didn't expect. Helicopter propellers above us could be heard from below and that was the moment I remembered something.

"Come on! I just remembered there's a secret exit here. It was the same exit the professor dude took." worrying Zeal, Copper, and Vizion could be in either of those helicopters, I grabbed Charlotte's hands and went straight to the room I was apprehended in. There, I looked for that particular book on the shelf for when lifted, it would open a secret passage.

"We could've rushed back to the sewers instead!"

"Sorry, I was panicking. Anyway... Gotcha!" I found the particular book and lifted it off of the shelf.

The secret door opened. They were stairs leading up to the snow. Me and Charlotte ran up with our fastest speed possible. I even nearly slipped on one of the slabs because of how worried I was. Outside the base, it was at that moment when we knew we were too late. Vizion, Copper, Zeal, we hunched they were taken away with the helicopters that recently left.

This made me angry at Cyrus and so I went back downstairs and entered their base again, planning to set it in fire. I swore revenge for his actions and I wouldn't forget about this. Wherever their headquarters are, I'll make sure I'll be able to find them and rescue all three for sure. I found some cans of petroleum inside their base. I splattered them in every corner, leaving no stone unturned.

"What on Earth are you doing?!" Charlotte went back down as well and saw me in my aggressive face.

"Burning this place a whole!"

"Luna! That's petroleum. In short, you're planning to detonate the eastern part of the city!" I didn't mind her warning. I kept pouring the petroleum and that was when we heard something. We heard water dripping from one of the rooms so we made the decision to check it out. I dropped the cans of petroleum for a moment as we went to one particular room.

We listened further, and it seems like there was something strange going on. With our feet, we banged the door open and saw the most cruel thing ever. Zeal, Copper, and Vizion were all hanged upside down. Their heads were dipped in some sort of bowl. In the bowl is where water rose. It was a ticking drowning machine of some sort and we could see Copper and Vizion struggling except for Zeal. She was completely calm, which scares me a lot.

We untied them one by one. Copper and Vizion coughed but upon setting Zeal free, her eyes were closed. She wasn't breathing, her body must've taken in too much water already but that didn't make us lose hope. I still believed there was a way and so with little knowledge, I lied her body on the ground as with my strength I pumped her heart.

"Come on." I kept pushing as hard as I could but there was still no sign of her waking up.

"Come on," I said twice, this time I was desperate to see a sign she was doing fine, and yet nothing showed up.

"Wake up, wake up!" while I was performing Cardiopulmonary resuscitation, the others were watching. She wasn't waking up still, and I was beginning to lose hope. That's when all of a sudden she spat water directly at my face.

She jerked her upper torso upward and coughed vigorously. But that at least made the four of us smile as I embosomed her fervently.

"Cy-Cyrus left with his commanders." Zeal reported. She was still coughing and having a hard time to breath.

"The important thing is your fine," I replied, playing with her cheeks and I helped her stand up. Well since Cyrus didn't take them with him, I guess we can reconsider things and I won't be blowing up his abandoned base but that doesn't mean I wouldn't be taking my revenge. He nearly drowned all three with one being in a critical situation.

"What information did the three of you got here?" Charlotte questioned.

"Nothing much. Only a few details about Cyrus and that was it." Copper answered.

"We need to leave. They were also talking about their next target. Lake Acuity which is just meters away from the city's proper." alerted, Zeal...