Chapter no.22

Roark makes an effort to control his breathing and prevent himself from making a break for it in an attempt to get away from the situation. Every time he swings his arms, a thin sheen of sweat catches the light and shines. Every neuron in his body is firing with a singular goal in mind, and every thought that crosses his mind is currently focused on evacuating the building as quickly as possible. The condition of his Pokémon companions. Protecting the lives of the researchers. His enthusiasm for fossils and all things related to them. Everything has been pushed to the farthest reaches of his mindscape and forgotten about there.

It is not until he has made it past the facility's exterior doors that he allows himself to let out a gasp and begins frantically gulping down air until he has reached his destination. His lower body is acting independently, pumping up and down in an effort to put as much distance as possible between him and the facility. Every fibre in his body was still on high alert, and every instinct was yelling at him to keep moving and put as much distance as possible between himself and the facility. If he doesn't have his Pokémon, he will be hopelessly outmatched and ill-prepared to deal with this dangerous threat. Even though it pains him to use deadly force against the former fossils, he can't see any other way to keep the people of his city safe so he has no choice but to resort to that option.

Within the first few hours of the incident involving the Aerodactyl, the Sinnohvian National Guard had deployed tanks and a riot squad to the scene. Before the national guardsmen killed the Aerodactyl, the scientists had pleaded with them to allow them to first try to subdue it or at least render it unconscious before they killed it.

Roark was able to empathise with the creature because it had awoken in a foreign world where everything from the sights to the smells to the sounds was strange. He could picture it as frightened and confused, lashing out at anything it could possibly perceive as a threat. The city had sustained significant property damage, but there were no reports of fatalities or injuries that required hospitalisation.

Grim realisation strikes him. He mutters, "That's not the case this time" (That's not the case this time). People have already passed away, and no amount of pleading for mercy on my part will save those Pokémon at this point.

Any coherence that his thoughts had previously possessed is shattered when he hears a low metallic groan coming from behind him. Roark instinctually turns around, terrified of what he might discover when he approaches the building's mechanised entrance. Even the realisation that there is nothing behind him provides him with no sense of relief, and the fact that he hears another clang that identifies the source of the sound only serves to heighten his sense of foreboding.

Before the steel at the base of the containment dome lets out a long and wailing whine, the illusion of silence is able to be maintained for a few precious seconds. Roark notices that the wall is beginning to bulge, and he is aware that it won't be too much longer until whatever is behind the dome breaks through. It is urgent that he acquire a phone for himself.

12:04 AM

His party has finally passed out, but not before completely destroying the house. Roark maintains his position a few metres removed from the action as he watches the final member of his team fall to the ground. The only sound that can be heard is the sound of his own laboured breaths, and the silence that has been left behind is eerie. He is able to make out the high-pitched shriek of his mobile despite being buried under several layers of debris.

He begins to rummage through the wreckage, his years of experience in mining taking hold and directing him to the spots where he can get the most leverage by sliding his fingers in. Even without his equipment, the situation is sufficiently similar to his line of work for him to become immersed in the flow of the actions. As the events of the previous night recede into the background, he takes pleasure in the mindlessness of his task and forgets that he is digging through the ruins of the house he once called home.

It's not until the fifth and final ring that he unearths his phone and pulls it out from the wreckage. The touchscreen has been broken, and portions of it have been blacked out like they have a digital tumour, but it is still operational for all intensive purposes. His phone informs him almost immediately that he has missed a call. He stares at the first few numbers for what seems like an eternity before he realises that they are the telephone numbers for the Oreburgh Mining Museum.

Before he has a chance to stop himself, his body has already begun going through the motions, pressing the call button and bringing the phone up to his ear in preparation for the incoming call. The fact that the phone is still functional enough to dial the number and connect him to the other party is even more surprising to him than the fact that his own muscle memory is still intact.

As soon as the call is connected, he hears a frantic voice on the other end of the line yelling at him to come and assist them in dealing with the prehistoric Pokémon. Roark is left wondering whether or not they were even aware of who they were speaking to after the line suddenly cuts out before he can even get a word in edgewise.

He moves about the wreckage with intent, locating his mining uniform and changing into it before secreting the phone away in one of his pockets. As he checks on each member of his party, he becomes less confident in his ability to determine what caused them to act irrationally. When he examines them and finds nothing physically wrong with the outside of their bodies, he concludes that there must be an issue going on internally. Even stranger is the fact that whatever afflicted his team ignored the significant physiological and anatomical differences between the members of the group.

There is a component of him that cannot help but feel as though he has lucked out in some way. Reconstructing his house is an option. His priceless fossils are eligible for a second round of excavation. Those people who hadn't survived the collapse were able to be replaced with relative ease by simply making a few trips to the mines. The same could not be said for his Pokémon, however, as he carefully placed them back inside their respective pokéballs while quietly expressing his gratitude that they were not seriously injured.

The timing could not have been more inconvenient, but Roark is aware that he has an obligation to go to the museum and determine what assistance he can provide to the scientists working there. He is the head trainer at the local gym. In addition, despite his advanced age, there are still some things that are anticipated of him.

10:23 PM

Roark walks over to his bed after placing his pokéballs on the dresser that is located next to his door. After removing his shoes, he flops down on his mattress and immediately goes to sleep. After working all day in the mines, he allows the exhaustion to seep into his bones and lull him into sleep as he looks forward to what he anticipates will be another peaceful night's rest.