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The Sake of Retrieving; Back From Somewhere
Topic Started: Sep 4 2017, 09:21 PM (32 Views)
TheRedHero
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Numero Uno
Yorick Saucedo



Yorick Saucedo trudged through the desert, wind whipping granules of sand in his face. He raised his hand against the biting winds of the sandstorm in a vain attempt to mitigate their effect. His eyes were squinted as near to closing as possible, and his sunglasses pushed up tightly to his face. The traveler had decided it was a wise idea to tie his coat around his face to at least protect his mouth and nose.

Ersatz in Flareon form led the way, pausing every minute or so to let his trainer catch up. The pokemon's pace, though also restricted, was much faster than Yorick's own. While the Ditto was able to keep a steady, albeit, slow pace through the desert, Sauce found himself stumbling every fourth or fifth step, oftentimes having to catch himself with a hand before he righted himself and kept moving.

This is ridiculous, he thought. It was absolutely foolhardy to be out in a desert in the middle of a sandstorm trying to track some poached pokemon. We need to find shelter until the storm passes, Sauce decided to himself. That was easier said than done, or course. For all he could see, there was a cabin ten feet to his left. He'd never be able to find something like that unless he just happened to stumble right into it. Not with the wind in his ears and the sand in his eyes.

Sauce stumbled again, the fine sand slipping out from under him as the wind pushed and pulled him off balance. The man fell flat on his rear and his makeshift balaclava unraveled and flew off into the wind never to be found again. He opened his mouth to swear and got a mouthful of dirt for his troubles. Briefly he considered just staying on the ground, before decided he'd just end up being buried in the shifting sands.

Ersatz appeared at his trainers side and Yorick reached a hand over to the pokemon to steady himself as he stood up. The pokemon seemed to understand that this weather was too much for Sauce, and sidled up closely against him in solidarity before bounding forward again to lead the way. There was nowhere to go but forward. Ersatz blew a puff of flame from his mouth like a beacon that was quickly extinguished in the winds and Sauce continued moving forward, his face and arms now raw from the slashing sand.

Sauce wasn't sure how much longer the journey went on for. He'd long since abandoned keeping track of time via his watch, but he was very much relieved when it seemed that Ersatz had finally come across some sort of shelter. The pokemon stood several feet in front of him, cheerfully yipping against the wind and blowing fire so that Sauce would be sure not to miss his location. Yorick stumbled forward and collapsed against the soft ground, relieved to be shielded from the elements once again.

Sauce removed his glasses and blinked rapidly, trying to remove the debris from his eyes and adjust them to the dark. The purple Flareon had found some sort of cave that had miraculously not been completely covered up by the sand. Or maybe freshly uncovered, Sauce thought. The storm outside had been reduced to a strong gust of dirt and debris that howled into the mouth of the cave every so often. As Sauce's eyes adjusted more to the darkness he began to better appraise his surroundings. This wasn't really a cave at all, it seemed, more of a man-made tunnel. The agent touched a hand against a wooden beam that he hoped wasn't so much for support as it was for decoration. The wood was old, splintered and very rotted.

He unslung his bag from his shoulder and fumbled for his flashlight. Ersatz nudged his leg forcefully for attention, and he reached down and absentmindedly scratched the faux Flareon's fur. The agent clicked on his light with his other hand and threw his bag back over his shoulders, taking a moment to clear his head before proceeding. That had been his favorite jacket that had blown away. There was no chance he'd ever find that again, he was sure.
Sauce, ran his fingers through his dark blue hair, watching as a miniature desert fell from his scalp. He sighed, half from relief and half from frustration. He and Amy had certainly not left things on a good note, and though he was of course concerned for her, the day he'd spent wandering through the desert had taxed his sympathy quite a bit. Why did she have to be so sensitive. He hadn't meant to say anything wrong, and her reaction was just so irrational.

Women! Yorick huffed, before scolding himself for being angry at her. For all he knew she was in just as much trouble as he was. Probably not... but maybe. He decided to leave the matter for later and pushed it to the back of his mind.

Stepping toward the dark of the tunnel, Yorick shone the light around and observed many more wooden pillars. The tunnel looked like it kept going indefinitely. As tired as he was, the intelligence analyst was unable to abate his curiosity and cautiously wandered forward, Ersatz in tow.

The wind had been reduced to a dull howl echoing through the corridors as Sauce continued down the passageway until it all but vanished entirely. The heat from the desert had been replaced by a cold dampness that had Sauce missing his jacket. He'd already come across more than a few forks in the tunnel and had been very careful to mark the way he came and to count his steps in every direction, lest he get lost down here in the dark forever. His mag-light flickered and dimmed, something he'd attributed to sand getting stuck inside the device. The agent had noticed earlier that his watch had also stopped running correctly. It would be his luck to survive a sandstorm only to get lost in a black labyrinth of what he assumed now, were old mine shafts. At least he had Ersatz here with him. Sauce was relieved the pokemon had assumed a dog-like form with such keen senses, though he wasn't really sure how long Ersatz could actually maintain his transformation. Something to figure out if they got out of here. When they got out of here, Sauce corrected himself.

The man's stomach let out a long low growl, which caught the attention of the purple Flareon by his side. He placed a hand over his belly to quell the rumbling. Ersatz looked over at him with a whine, fox-like ears laid back. No doubt the pokemon was just as hungry as he was. Sauce sighed for a moment and pulled out his very last bits of his issued trail rations, a small hunk of jerky. “Not much for the both of us,” he said out loud, before tearing the piece in half. He tossed the bigger portion to Ersatz who snapped it out of the air with a pleased yip. The pokemon must have changed his opinion of the food in the hours it had been since Sauce and Amy sat down to have lunch. Sauce gobbled his piece down almost as fast as his pokemon and pretended that the morsel of food he'd just ate would be enough to tide him over. He ushered Ersatz further down the mines hafts once he was finished, trying his best not to think any further about his almost-empty stomach.

Yorick's eyes suddenly fixed on something unusual in the darkness. Several thin, straight cracks of light shone dimly against the black of the cave wall. Could it lead outside? They were much too deep to be this close to the surface, Sauce estimated, but what else could it be? Sauce flashed his light over towards his pokemon, only to notice how tense Ersatz appeared, eyes and ears fixed in the direction of the foreign light. Had he been like this very long? Sauce decided to trust in his pokemon and covered up his flickering light with his hand so that only a minimal amount of light would shine through. Quietly he crept towards the source of the light and investigated.

The light was originating from a series of near-hairline cracks in the wall, but it wasn't only the cracks that were that unusual. The wall itself seemed like it had been patched over by some sort of cement and the cracks ran along the edges like an outline of a filled in doorway. Sauce illuminated the area better with his flickering light. This section of stone wall was definitely man-made and it appeared somewhat fresh. It was odd, Sauce thought, to find something so clearly new in an old abandoned tunnel like this. Odd maybe, but not necessarily surprising. The Pokemon Poachers that Amy and Sauce had originally decided to chase were bound to have a base somewhere, and what better place to hide illegal activities than deep in an abandoned mine system?

He laid flat against the cold cement, pressing his ear to the wall and closing his eyes. On the other side of the stone there were certainly sounds being made. The quiet hum of machinery and the muffled sounds of human speech that Yorick had no hope of actually making out. Pushing himself back upright, Sauce thought of his options. There was no doubt now that he'd stumbled upon a secret base.

Secret Power would be a useful move, he remarked to himself. Of course, there was no way Ersatz would know a TM move like that, having transformed into a wild pokemon.

He ran his fingers through his wavy hair and thought for a moment. If this was a secret base there had to be an entrance or key somewhere. He shone his flickering light around the immediate area for a moment, sweeping systematically to find anything that looked out of place. He scanned the surrounding walls for any sort of control panel or switch, but he couldn't make out anything other than the dusty walls. The only thing he could find that really did look out of place was the slab of cement itself.
Still, he was sure their had to be a way in. This was the base. He could hear people on the other side, and who else would be operating in such a remote and hidden location?

Ersatz sniffed intently at the tiny gap between the man-made slab and the rest of the cave wall. Sauce wondered if maybe the pokemon could find a way to open the passageway. He wouldn't know hidden power, sure, but maybe there was some other way to break the wall down.

Ersatz, d’you think you can get us through?” He asked in a hushed tone.

The mimic chimed back happily. Yorick wasn't really sure whether to take the answer as a yes or just a general excitement at the thought of trying.

Well, buddy.. do your stuff?” The agent's voice came across with a certain tone of uncertainty he wished he could have taken back.

Ersatz yipped back one more time before turning back to state at the wall once more, seemingly deliberating on it's next course of action, just as Sauce was. Then, the purple pokemon threw its body forward, ramming the cement hard with its head.

A dull thump could be heard throughout the area and Sauce inwardly winced, both at the idea of ramming a stone doorway with your head, and at the sound it must have made on the other side. There went the element of surprise. Ersatz appeared unfazed by the impact, however, and reared back for another go. A second thud followed the pokemon's impact and Sauce was now fairly sure that the possibility of a stealthy entrance had gone out the window. Additionally, he was getting doubtful about the effectiveness of these headbutts. The wall seemed as solid as ever.

Hold on,” he hurriedly said as Ersatz backed up again for a third attempt. “I'm really not sure that's working.” He was still speaking in a whispered tone, despite the fact that they had undoubtedly lost the element of surprise. Stealth or no stealth, Sauce was still determined to make his way inside.

The pokemon's ears laid flat against his head in disappointment before perking up again, seemingly with another idea. Before Sauce could stop him, Ersatz let loose a billowing stream of flame from his mouth that splashed and crackled against the hidden door.

Had Sauce known what his pokemon had planned to do, he would have decided it wouldn't have been very effective and prevented him from doing it, but it happened so suddenly that the man had no chance. As the fire bounced back from the stone, Sauce was hit with a wave of heat that was strongly contrasted with the damp chill of the underground caverns. Saucedo's body shivered from the immediate change in temperature and his eyes watered as he blinked them from the flash of bright orange flames.

An offensive smell invaded his nostrils. Burnt hair? He quickly ran his fingers over his face and hair to make sure he was okay. A bit singed, maybe, but not hurt. Sauce opened his mouth to stop his Ditto but was interrupted by an unusual sound. Not just one sound, but many sounds in fact.

Ersatz' Flareon ears swiveled to face the unexplored region of the cave as the cacophony of beating wings and screeches increased in volume. With a fearful reluctance, Yorick turned the dim illumination of his pen-light upward and towards the sound. For a moment there was nothing, before what seemed like a solid wall of irate Zubat came cascading through the tunnel.

Saucedo instinctively moved to cover his face as he was suddenly assaulted by the flying pokemon's erratic wings and sharp fangs. As the apparently unending swarm of pokemon washed over him, Saucedo tried to step away, bringing an arm down to reach for Ersatz' pokeball. Sauce's eyes squinted as he scrambled around the cave, trying to find Ersatz through the blackness and the flurry of wings, but there was no sign of his pokemon. Suddenly, the spy's head began to ring and the floor of the cave began to feel more like a ship at sea. His stomach churned and as he fought to remain standing. He was suddenly very glad of his empty belly. Yorick staggered around the cave for a brief moment before tripping over his own feet and falling back onto the damp ground. A sharp crack of pain briefly pulsed through the back of his head before he lost consciousness.




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Yorick Saucedo

Ollie Baxter
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TheRedHero
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Some time later, Yorick stirred himself awake, the back of his head still aching. He rapidly blinked his hazy vision clear and tried to get a sense of his surroundings. The good news was that he appeared to be on the other side of the door. The bad news was that now he tied up inside of some kind of cage. This side of the cavern was well it and looked as if it had been built up recently. The walls all had fresh toolmarks, and the entirety of the cavern was littered with crates marked with some elemental looking icons, machinery and other tech equipment that Sauce had only a vague sense of. To his left were several other cages that housed at least a dozen sickly Eevee and Eeveelutions. There was certainly no doubt that these were the poachers he'd been looking for.

He craned his neck as best as he could to look behind him, straining against the ropes that bound him. Out of the corner of his eye, Sauce could spot his watch, belt and all other personal effects laying in a pile on an unopened crate. They looked to have opened and dumped the entire contents of his bag. There was no sign of Ersatz and his presumed captors also appeared to be absent. The spy took a mental inventory of all his equipment, hoping to think of something the poachers may have missed. Due to his bindings was unable to inspect his pants pockets but he certainly couldn't feel anything in them. Saucedo mentally cursed to himself.

He had to keep his mind on the goal. Before he had any time to worry about Ersatz or anything else, he had to get himself free. The man struggled against his constraints, testing the strength of the rope and the knot. It held fast. Sauce sighed. He was no pokemon ranger. He knew nothing about knots.

Maybe someone trained, like Amy would have, but she wasn't here. He hoped he'd get to see her again. They'd left things on such a bad note, and the idea that that argument would be the last time he'd see his partner gave him an icy feeling in the pit of his chest.. Sauce stifled those thoughts. That kind of thinking wasn't going to get him out of here.


Looks like our intruder has decided to wake up,” A unfamiliar husky voice said dryly as he heard footsteps approach from behind. Sauce turned his body to face the source. A man and a woman approached, both wearing a light gray jacket that the intelligence analyst recognized as Team Argent. Underneath they wore light brown pants and once-polished black boots that seemed beaten and scuffed by the sand of the desert. The large man had his dark hair slicked back to his neck and the sinewy woman wore a dark beret atop her short brown hair. The pair both looked exceedingly tanned and worn from the sun and heat.

Well hello there, sleepy head!” The woman spoke in a saccharin tone as the pair walked in front of his cage. “Did you have a nice nap?

No, not really. This bed feels like a rock,” Sauce retorted calmly. “I'm never staying at this hotel again!

Cute.” The man said, kicking the cage with his left boot. He scratched his fingers across his jaw. The man's face was covered in tiny scars that looked to Sauce like he’d had a hard time learning to shave. “Why don't you tell us what you're doing here?

Well, right now I guess I'm sitting around in a cage talking to some type of a cave man?” Sauce challenged with a smirk.

The large man scowled menacingly and kicked the cage once more. Sauce scowled back.

Listen, kiddo.” The woman crouched down, her arms crossed as she spoke. “We know you're not some lost traveler. We found all your little gear. Not things some average trainer would have. But you're not a ranger.” She paused for a moment, placing a finger to her chin and looking up in a mock thoughtful pose. “So... just who is it that you work for?” her hazel eyes fixed back on him like a Persian on it's prey.

Sauce couldn't help but to look away. He hadn't been trained for field work like Amy was, but he knew enough not to say that he was a Secret 77 Agent. “I'm just a trainer who wandered down here to explore the caves for rare pokemon.” He choked on his unconvincing lie. They already said they knew he wasn't a regular trainer.

A Trainer with no pokemon?” The scarred man shouted, as if insulted by the lie.

That meant they hadn't found Ersatz. He was still out there somewhere. “Well.. everyone's gotta start somewhere. I never said I was very goo--

Enough!

The man with the dark hair paced away, collecting himself for a moment. When he turned back around his facial expression looked much more sanguine. “Maybe, I have been rude. I should introduce myself to you first, right?” His smile did little to mask his baleful intent. “My name is Snyder. This is my friend Malady. You are?” he smiled revealing his yellowed teeth.

Yorick's minds stalled for a moment, trying to think of a believable cover story. They already wouldn't believe the whole pokemon trainer thing, and he doubted telling them he was a coordinator would be any better. They'd no doubt figured some of his equipment. They'd said as much. Most of the information on his tablet was encrypted and secured, so at least they didn't know his actual identity. Only enough to be suspicious, but what could he tell them that they would believe? He stuttered, unable to come up with any words.

So I guess you don't know who you are? Amnesia, maybe?” Malady asked with mock sincerity. “It's a very simple question.” He face turned from a thinly veiled smile to a serious and unnerving stare. The woman's Persian eyes fixed even more intently on him.

Sauce tried to maintain eye contact, trying to reestablish his nerve. Suddenly something drew his attention behind the pair of Argent poachers. Sauce broke eye contact again, finally taking notice of the purple Zubat hanging quietly in the corner. Sauces eyes widened despite himself before he quickly looked away in the hopes of not giving away Ersatz' hiding spot. “My name is Jimmy the Hole. I'm an amateur pokemon ranger. I've been trying to catch you ne'er do-wells so that I can finally be made an official ranger!” Sauce's enthusiasm rose as he spoke, getting himself into the role. “All that special gear I purchased myself so that I would be better equipped to stop your evil!

Lot of good it did you.” Snyder spoke derisively, his yellowed teeth peeking through a snarl.

Haw haw haw!” Yorick chortled, engrossing himself in his role. “I wouldn't be so happy if I was as ugly as you, Slider! Your evil schemes will soon be put to an end!

That's Snyder you stupid prick!” The Argent man spat.

I don't know why you're acting so confident. In case you haven't realized, you're trapped in a cage, hundreds of feel underground. There's no one coming to save you,” Malady maintained her unnerving gaze.

That's what you think,” The agent smiled with his renewed confidence. “I've just activated the help signal you people have failed to find hidden in my shoe!

Snyder immediately gave a sideways glance to Malady, who remained unflinching in her gaze.

Liar!” Snyder shouted, reassured by his partner.

You told us you were some amateur wanna-be ranger,” Malady interjected calmly.

That doesn't mean I don't have friends. I'm a deputy ranger!” Saucedo lied. “I'm not an official pokemon ranger but they still gave me a distress beacon. Unless I deactivate it with the code, in twenty minutes they'll send an entire team to rescue me.

I don't believe you,” Snyder spoke, his anger betraying his words.

Sauce smiled back at him. “Believe whatever you want, ugly, but if I were you I'd be gathering up my things and getting out of here while the sandstorm can still mask my retreat.

The male Argent agent traded another glance with his partner before kicking the cage again. “Turn off the distress signal!” He commanded.

Make me, wurmple-breath,” Sauce spat back.

Snyder snarled a curse in the 77 agent's direction before angrily unlocking the cage, grabbing him by the collar and throwing him to the floor, arms still tied behind his back. “I told you to turn it off!

And I said make me.” At this point Sauce was just recreating any movie he'd ever seen where the soldier or the spy was captured and told to give information. The key was to try and remain cool and calm until the other guy lost his head and you could execute your plan.

Malady crossed her arms as her partner went to work kicking Sauce's sternum. The man grunting as he sent blow after blow into his captive's stomach. “You shouldn't be smarting off to me, kid. I told you to do something and you are gonna do it.” He ceased his assault long enough to stand Yorick up and glare darkly into his eyes. “I'm gonna do as you asked and make you turn that signal off.

Malady walked closer to the pair, irritation now flaring in her own intense eyes. “Hurry this up and be done with it,” she shot at Snyder. Whether she believed the lie or not was hard to tell, but Sauce could tell that this entire situation was becoming disagreeable to her. Maybe she'd sensed his plan somehow? “Why don't you take off your shoe and show us this 'device',” She spoke coolly to Saucedo, one hand tugging at the side of her beret.

Sauce turned his eyes to her. Malady's ever intense gaze still seemed to bore straight into his chest. He looked down to break the gaze. He was convinced that if he maintained eye contact she'd see straight through his lies. “I can't show you with my hands tied behind my back like this,” he spoke sullenly, trying his best to sound earnest.

Fair.” Malady scoffed. She reached behind her back for a moment before producing a silver painted pokeball. Once she pressed the button a burst of bright white light formed quickly into a Scyther that looked almost as menacing as its owner. “Cut the ropes,” she commanded coldly.

The Scyther tottered over behind Yorick and with a quick movement of its arm sliced cleanly through Saucedo's bindings. As soon as he was freed however, Snyder took a step closer and without warning sent a hard fist straight into the spy's stomach, knocking the breath completely out of his lungs.

Don't try anything stupid.

After that last blow Sauce struggled to find it in himself to smile, like he thought the star of a movie might. With a bit of effort and once he finally could put some air back in his lungs, he was able to summon a slight sly smile out of the corner of his mouth. “Stupid is what I do best,” The agent started, like a line from a movie, before bending down as if to remove his footwear. “Ersatz! Supersonic!

Sauce looked up to his pokemon as it flit from its perch. From his crouched position, he dove to the side as the Zubat let loose a shrill screech, and the world suddenly went topsy turvy. Sauce had hoped to avoid the dizzying attack last minute, but he'd still been caught somewhere in the cone of effect. The man laid on the ground, waiting for the effects to subside. As his ears slowly stopped ringing he could hear the other humans shouting obscenities and commands at one another, still obviously stuck by confusion.

Ersatz, Attack!” Sauce shouted, struggling to climb back to his wobbly feet.

Ersatz dipped down and flew towards the Scyther, batting his wings menacingly in the the bug-types face. The already confused Scyther flinched and backed further away. A successful Astonish attack. Sauce knew it wouldn't do very much damage,but it bought him time, and that's what he needed.

The Spy continued to stagger his way towards the other cages filled with pokemon. There were three occupied cages by his current count. If he didn't have double-vision at least. Sauce reached cage number one and began to fumble with the latch. The enclosure was filled primarily with small Eevee, but there were other types that team Argent must have decided were worth the trouble. A pair of Growlithe pups and a Flareon were also laying in the pen. The intense vertigo created by the supersonic attack made it hard to manipulate even the simplest locking mechanism. As he clanked with the lock, the pokemon slowly began to crowd forward, anticipating their release. Saucedo cursed his current lack of dexterity. What were the odds of having to deal with two bouts of supersonic confusion in a single day? At least he thought it was only one day.

Finally the latch clicked loose and the door swung open. The pokemon that had been waiting inside slowly stammered out as if they too had been affected by confusion. Even in Sauce's spinning mind, he could see something was odd. Argent must have done something to these pokemon to keep them docile. The man could tell that despite their condition they were eager to be free. The poor pokemon just had no energy to spare.

As the pokemon funneled themselves through the cage exit, Yorick moved towards the second cage. The cave was now spinning much slower than before. Sauces senses were beginning to return to him , which meant he was running out of time. He glanced back behind him to see how the others were doing. Snyder on his hands and knees on the stone floor and still looked completely incapacitated, but Malady seemed to be recovering just the same as he. Ersatz was still engaged with the Scyther, which seemed to be doing nothing other than trying to swat the Ditto-turned-Zubat away.

Scyther, don't just take that! Follow it with a pursuit attack!” Malady blurted out, clearly still uncomfortable.

A look of determination washed over Scyther's face as it waited. Ersatz was flitting back and forth, harassing his opponent as much as possible to buy Saucedo time, but as the confusion wore off, the Scyther retaliated with a lightning-quick pursuit. Blurring out of focus for a moment as Ersatz flew the opposite direction and striking the bat pokemon almost to the ground. Ersatz spiraled a bit before regaining its composure.

Sauce turned to face the two battling pokemon. He couldn't let Ersatz continue this fight without direction, especially now that both Malady and her Scyther seemed to be almost entirely recovered from the confusion. The released pokemon had crowded around his legs. Sauce wished he could send one of them in to fight, but they didn't appear to be in any condition to do so. They all seemed to be fighting some kind of drowsiness, most likely drug induced, he surmised. Ersatz would have to win this fight all on his own, or they wouldn't be getting out of here.

Scyther!” Malady spoke again, her voice becoming more energized. “Quick Attack!

Bite attack, Ersatz!” Sauce hoped his pokemon would be able to avoid the quick attack, but he knew it was unlikely. . That Scyther was faster than Erzatz Zubat-form, so there was only a slim chance to dodge. At the very least, Saucedo was hoping the damage trade between the two would come out in his favor. Taking out Scyther early would be their greatest hope.

The Pokemon careened towards each other. Scyther blurred forward so fast that Sauce had trouble tracking his movement at all and struck Ersatz midair. Ersatz absorbed the impact as best as possible, frantically flapping his wings to fly back towards his enemy. The transformed ditto latched on with his bite, sinking his zubat fangs deep into the bug pokemon's soft carapace.

Use Absorb!” Sauce shouted, trying to take full advantage of their advantageous position.

Heeding its trainer's words, the Ditto tapped in to its Zubat instinct and began siphoning his foes life force. It was a low-level attack, but it might make the difference between victory and defeat. At least that's what Saucedo was hoping for. Ersatz needed to stay as healthy as possible if they were going to make it through this. Even if they managed to defeat this Scyther, Sauce was willing to bet that that Scyther wasn't the pair's only pokemon. Surely Snyder had at least one other, and there was no telling whether Malady had more up her sleeve as well.

Try another Supersonic attack, Ersatz.” The agent opted for another try at the status impairing attack. They needed to try everything possible to tip the scales in their favor, and though it was a bit unlikely to work very well so soon, inducing Scyther with confusion could give them a big edge.

Focus Energy!” The woman chimed. Her prior discomfort had completely faded away by now.

The purple bat pokemon cried out another supersonic tone but the Scyther's expression was unchanged. The bug-type shrugged off the attack, completely unaffected. A cold sense of disappointment washed over Yorick momentarily before he shrugged it off. He could continue to try draining Scyther's life with absorb. That would at least help keep Ersatz from fainting, but it seemed like just a stall tactic. If only Ersatz had been able to retain that Flareon form he had had earlier. At least then they would have a type advantage.

Wait a minute...

Sauce looked around for a moment. Why couldn't he? More than a couple of the Eevee that had been captured were already evolved, presumably by Team Argent. He'd already freed several Eevee, a couple Growlithe and a Flareon, in the other cages were more Eeveelutions. Two Vaporeon, a second Flareon and a Jolteon. Sauce thought he recognized the two Eeveelutions he'd seen earlier that day with Amy but he wasn't sure. They all looked just as drained as the pokemon that had crowded around him now.

For a moment he couldn't tear his gaze away from the other pokemon lying in their pens. Poachers were people that “caught” pokemon without pokeballs, imprisoning them for high paying buyers to battle and catch for sport instead of going out to find the pokemon the normal way. The whole thing often involved many abusive practices that Sauce had never cared to think about. The whole thing made his stomach sour like he'd been hit by another supersonic. He stared at one of the Vaporeon laying in its cage, it's glazed over eyes still fixed on Sauce.

Hold on. Something caught Yorick's eye. Behind the water-pokemon's neck frills he caught a glimpse of some type of foreign object. From his angle he couldn't tell what it was, but Sauce had a hunch that it might be what was keeping the wild pokemon at bay.

Scyther, quick attack!” The woman's command ripped Sauce from his train of thought.

Watch out, Ersatz,” the agent spoke almost more to himself than to his pokemon. Ersatz knew to dodge if he could.

Sauce held his breath as the Scyther sped forward as a green blur. Ersatz flapped his wings desperately in order to ascend towards the cave ceiling and over the attack. The Scyther followed, buzzing his insect wings after Ersatz. Luckily, the bug-type wasn't able to turn fast enough to catch Ersatz nimble bat form. not this time anyway. Sauce breathed a sigh of relief for a short moment.

He didn't have any time to waste now. Sauce had gotten an idea but he had to work fast. Following his hunch from before, Sauce knelt down to check the Flareon standing near his feet. He ran his fingers along the fire eeveelution's soft fur until he brushed against what he was looking for. A small metal device was hidden within its mane and stuck into its skin. Sauce delicately wrapped his thumb and forefinger around the device as the Flareon let out an agitated sound. Sauce considered himself lucky for once, that the object he was trying to remove was probably keeping the fire pokemon from fighting him to remove it, but he was acutely aware of the pain he might be inflicting. A small metal object that was poking deep into the pokemon's skin was no doubt, uncomfortable. The spy pulled with as steady a pressure as he could manage until he extracted the device, a sharp needle-toothed clip protruding from the device that was once concealed by the Flareon's fur. Sauce slipped the device carefully into a pants pocket. The suits back at the 77 HQ might want to take a look at the technology Argent had their hands on.

He grimaced out of disgust. How could someone use such a thing on an innocent pokemon? The Flareon cooed in relief and Sauce thought he could see a twinkle in it's dark eyes. It shook its body as if to dry itself. Almost immediately Sauce could spot the change in demeanor. Even to a man as poor at reading pokemon as he was, a sense of anger was now seeping from the now lively fire pokemon.

Go get him!” Sauce encouraged in a hushed tone, almost immediately before the flame pokemon leapt upwards at Malady's Scyther.

The Bug pokemon was caught in the abdomen from behind by a zealous tackle attack as it chased Ersatz around the room. If not for the unexpectedness of the ambush, the Scyther probably would have been able to shrug off the brunt of the attack. This time, however, Scyther was knocked to the ground before quickly trying to stand itself back up to face it's new enemy.

The Flareon hissed it's announcement into the fight before swiping at the ground, unleashing a spray of sand into its foes eyes. Scyther sputtered backwards from the sand attack, caught unaware for a second time.

Sauce decided to take this lull in the battle to begin de-tranquilizing all the surrounding pokemon. One by one he sifted his hands around the furry pokemon's necks to find and extract each little device, which he disposed of by crushing under his heel. Once he completed that task he made his way towards the second and third cage, turning back briefly to check on the battle raging between him and his Team Argent enemies.

Scyther had, at the behest of his trainer, stepped up his offense. The bug pokemon was now rushing at the fire type with a Fury cutter attack. Much to the chagrin of Malady, each slice he made was off it's mark, allowing the Flareon to easily step out of it's way. The female poachers cool face began to flush crimson with frustration.

Sauce shot a goading smile her direction as Ersatz flew back to his trainer. The Flareon seemed to he managing this battle pretty well now, and the ditto needed time to rest in case it was needed later. The purple pokemon shifted into a glob and precariously on its trainer's shoulder. Yorick reached over to rub his companions head with a momentary feeling of relief. The small jelly-like pokemon had more than proved his worth today, but that didn't mean the battle was over.

Flareon decided to retaliate against his foe's fury cutter. A small burst of flame glowed from his mouth and he spat the embers in the Scyther's location. The fire attack connected with one of the pokemon's outstretched blades and it recoiled backwards, curling itself away as if it had just been scolded.

We're not done here, Scyther,” The woman scolded her pokemon. Her predator eyes were now blazing with irritation. “Use Agility and get back in there!

Sauce hurried with the latch on cage number two and ushered the pokemon out. He removed the sedative devices from each one. Now that he'd had some practice, he was moving much more expeditiously through the process. This enclosure had contained nothing but Eevee and one large Vaporeon. The water pokemon began to usher and herd the others towards the room's exit and what Saucedo hoped was safety. The agent moved towards cage three.

Scyther, stop him!” Malady's voice interrupted, clearly discontent with Saucedo's disruption of her work.

The Scyther, after his momentary pause to collect himself and increase his agility, rushed across the room. It sped past its previous foe to fix on it's new target. The bladed pokemon swiped at Saucedo's hands as he reached for the final lock. Sauce drew back his arm a split second before the pokemon's scythe whooshed through the air where his wrist would have been. Sauce's eyes widened and he unintentionally held his breath. Much too close of a call. He stood there, stunned, as Scyther readied himself for another attack.

Suddenly, and forcefully, Flareon came colliding with the bug pokemon. A desperate aerial quick attack that left both of the combatants toppled across the ground. Flareon recovered back to its feet quickly. Sauce could feel the anger blazing through it's dark eyes.

Scyther climbed back to its feet as well, but staggered just long enough to be caught in a follow up Ember attack by it's foe. The bug type gave out a horrified shriek before collapsing to the ground. Its trainer recalled it back to it's pokeball with a disgusted look on her face. Sauce seized the opportunity and quickly opened the final cage.

As Malady returned her first pokeball, she produced one more from behind her back and threw it to the ground in from of her. An angry stone monolith roughly the size of a man materialized between the woman and Saucedo. A Boldore grumbled and took a heavy step in their direction.

I'll deal with this. Hurry and get out of here!” He commanded the newly freed pokemon as he removed each device one by one. This cage had held far fewer pokemon than the others and Sauce quickly readied the three Eeveelutions to rejoin their group.

Without hesitation the remaining pokemon ran after their companions. With the exception of the Flareon. The fire-type stared intently at Sauce with a look that was either questioning or thankful; he couldn't decipher which. The side of his mouth curled into a smile before the Flareon shot out after it's brethren.

It was clear that trying to continue a head to head battle would be totally fruitless now. Ersatz was not in any condition to take on however many pokemon Malady had left, not to mention Snyder. Wait a minute...

Where was Snyder?

By now Saucedo was sure the man would have regained his senses, and yet a cursory look around the room showed that he was nowhere to be found. It didn't take an expert in intelligence to know that a Team Argent thug slipping away during a brawl in their base was bad news. Saucedo made a break for his gear, Ersatz flopping along on his shoulder.

As the heavy rock-type followed behind him, Yorick fumbled to put his watch on and reattach his belt. He tapped at the button impatiently in an attempt to get a signal via his communicator to Amy, but nothing showed up aside from nonsensical figures on the time display: “!H:U1”? Just like before, it was either his depth underground, the sandstorm outside, or a combination of the two that kept him from getting any worthwhile signal. With an aggravated huff he began to gather the rest of his things in his bag before wiping the dried blood he tasted on his lip.

The Boldore growled at Sauce as if to get his attention. Malady walked in tow behind it. Saucedo snapped his head to face the pair to see the red portions of the rock pokemon beginning to glow. The man cursed to himself before diving to the side mere moments before the Boldore blasted a beam of energy towards it. This was [/i]too much![/i] Yorick was fed up with the constant need to dodge pokemon attacks.

The man snatched up his bag, recalled his Ditto into its pokeball and sprinted through the hallway before Malady could stop him. There was no way he was going to stick around for any more of these battles. At least that's what he thought, before he peered inside the next room and saw Snyder standing there waiting for him, grinning madly.

The muscular man had a tranquilizer rifle resting against his shoulder and was standing in the doorway. The group of escaped pokemon were collapsed or cowering near a large metal door. Sauce skidded to a stop, nervous sweat now beading around his forehead. The grinning Argent agent with a rifle was a bad sight to see, but what really caused Saucedo's blood to run cold was the Charizard standing menacingly behind him.

Fancy meeting you here,” Snyder jeered.

Slowly-- almost reluctantly, Yorick's hand reached towards his pokeball. Ersatz would have to fight again, there was no other way out. It was do or die. Saucedo grabbed the ball and flung it to the ground, releasing the purple jelly pokemon. Ersatz reappeared with a jiggle and a wide, happy grin to be again before noticing that his surroundings were still the same. The wide smile slowly faded as it looked around the room with it's blank eyes.

Ersatz goopy body began to shift, growing at least ten times in size as it transformed into a near perfect copy of Snyder's Charizard. The purple Charizard locked eyes with the original before roaring threateningly. Unfortunately, Ersatz was now taking up almost the entire possible space in the hallway, leaving Yorick almost no room to see, much less move.

Push up! Push up!” Saucedo hissed, glancing behind him. Malady was definitely going to be hot on their heels, and the woman had already shown no qualms in having her pokemon attack humans in place of other pokemon. Sauce had serious doubts he could take a full grown Boldore in a fistfight.

Snyder let out a loud belly laugh as Ersatz lumbered forward, crouching down on its hands as it tried to squeeze its way towards the larger room in front of it. He stepped back to allow the purple pseudo-dragon into the wider expanse, seeming to enjoy the thought of a challenge. At least that's what Sauce thought before he saw the man lowering his rifle at his pokemon. No sense of fair play at all.

Saucedo braced himself helplessly for the inevitable ker-bang of a gunshot, but just when he expected the shot to happen, he heard Snyder shout in anger and surprise. The agent looked over the shoulder of his faux Charizard in time to see Snyder cursing at the Flareon from earlier and the Argent tranquilizer rifle sliding across the floor. The dog-like pokemon looked especially fatigued now, but stood its ground against the man.

I'll teach you!” Snyder snarled, bits of spittle flying from his mouth. “Charizard, Fire blast!

The original Charizard stepped forward and billowed flame from its mouth at the Flareon. Saucedo smiled despite himself. Just as Sauce expected, the flames engulfed the small dog before dissipating, and Flareon remained standing, completely unaffected. On the contrary, the friendly pokemon actually seemed a bit more refreshed.

Flash Fire,” The spy chimed knowingly, unable to stop himself from giving a snide remark. “Fire moves only make it stronger. I'm sure it appreciates the favor.

Yeah?” The angry man turned towards him. “Well you can have some too, then! Charizard, Blast him!” He shouted again, stabbing a finger in Yorick's direction.

The Charizard moved to follow his trainers direction, fire building in it's belly, but before it had a chance to let loose, Ersatz rammed forward and slashed at it with a dragon claw. The fire-dragon recoiled in pain, and unable to stop the build up of flame his fire blast splashed against a wall and a large piece of machinery. The attack left bits of fire smoldering along the ground as the no-doubt nefarious machine sizzled and popped.

Gyah!” Snyder yelped inadvertently.

Sauce made his way across the room, protected from his enemies by the two friendly fire types, and began checking on the other pokemon. The tranquilizer was different this time. This wasn't a device; it was a dart that had already injected most of the drug into each pokemon. It looked to be less effective-- judging by the Flareon that was protecting him-- but there wasn't anything he could do to reverse it. These pokemon were going to have to stagger their way out as best as they could manage.

Rock Blast!” Sauce turned back to the battle just as the Boldore emerged from the hallway, followed by Malady and her evil sneer. The rock pokemon shot three large clusters of stone flying directly at Flareon; the nearest target.

Before Saucedo could get out the words, the attack made contact. The fire pokemon, caught unaware, was thrown halfway across the room. The enemy Boldore wasted no time in charging forward for a follow-up attack. Sauce's eyes darted from one pokemon to the next as he tried to find the proper command. There was no chance Ersatz would be able to intercept the Boldore before it attacked Flareon once more, not without getting taken out by the Charizard first. Time was running out fast.

Stone Edge!

Smokescreen!

Bulldoze!

All three humans called their instructions simultaneously.

Ersatz inflated his purple belly before billowing out a steady stream of thick black smoke, Boldore launched a large jagged formation of rocks towards the staggering Flareon, and Charizard rushed towards Ersatz, kicking up earth and debris as it moved forward. It was nearly impossible to make out what happened through the smoke, but Saucedo could feel the impacts tremor through the ground beneath him.

After a moment, the dust began to settle and the smoke started dissipated well enough to get a clear picture of the aftermath. Flareon was left standing, albeit unstably, beside a crater that had been made in the wall. Charizard had missed its mark with its attack, leaving Ersatz unharmed and had crashed into the other end of the room. Hairline fractures now crept along the entire wall and up to the ceiling and suddenly Saucedo was very aware of the likely thousands of pounds of dirt above them.

Sauce turned his back momentarily to check their escape route. The door at which the Eevee had been stuck was a large metal sliding door. It was likely-- Sauce supposed-- that this was the same door he'd tried to make it through from the outside of this base. An electronic lock was fixed next to the door on the wall. Presumably some type of key card would activate the mechanism to open the door. If he could find a way to open it, they'd be almost home-free. He was certain he could find his way through the underground caverns that he'd been through earlier. At least he was relatively certain, those mine shafts were like a miniature maze, but it would never matter if he couldn't get through the metal door.

Sauce turned his attention back towards the melee. He didn't have the time to focus on the door for now. The Team Argent pokemon had decided to gang up on the Flareon, leaving Ersatz free to ambush one of them, but if they ended up taking Flareon down, the ditto would have absolutely no chance. Sauce would have to keep the Flareon going as long as possible in the hopes that he could find an opportunity to open up the door. What he wouldn't give to have a pokemon like Quell assisting them right now.

Ersatz, Attack with Dragon Claw!” Sauce directed, trying to mask his nerves. “We've got to protect that Flareon.” Yorick grit his teeth. He knew the chances of defeating these pokemon were slim, but they needed to stall for time as best as possible.

Snyder's Charizard roared menacingly at its foe as its teammate charged forward towards the eeveelution's flank. Flareon recoiled from the roar attack, immobilized long enough for the slow moving Boldore's headbutt to connect and the Flareon was sent skidding across the floor, stopping with a thump against the wall. Ersatz appeared an instant later, attacking the Boldore from behind. The purple pokemon's claws glowed a violet-blue hue as he raked one across the Boldores rear.

If Sauce had any inclination of an expression on the Rock pokemon's stolid face, he knew that the pokemon would be annoyed by an surprise attack like that. That's exactly what he wanted. Flareon had no chance against the Boldore, not in the condition it appeared to be in, and with that type match-up. Although it wasn't as if Ersatz had any better of a match against it as a Charizard. In fact, it was worse, but Sauce was banking on the idea of outsmarting the Rock type and it's trainer.

Roar! And then Bulldoze!” Saucedo had to seize the initiative while he had it.

First Ersatz bellowed out an intimidating roar to throw his foe off-guard before charging forward at him once more. The ditto grabbed hold of the Boldore by the face, shoving it down into the ground whilst simultaneously dragging and pushing it across the room. Boldore flailed with it's stony appendages but was unable to reach the imposter-pokemon to strike it. The pokemon tumbled across the room, Causing Snyder to dive out of the way before getting his by one of Boldore's flailing arms.

Flareon dashed at its opponent while his trainer was preoccupied, zipping straight towards the Charizard's belly as fast as the exhausted pokemon could muster. Charizard huffed at the small fire-type, unimpressed, as the attack bounced off completely. A bead of sweat dripped down the side Saucedo's face. As much as he didn't want to face it, it was clear that no matter how hard these two pokemon fought, they were outclassed.

Of course that was only if they fought fair. An idea flashed through Yorick's mind as he scanned the room. His eyes fixed on their target and he made a sprint across the room. Yorick reached for the rifle that the Flareon had disarmed from Snyder, skidding to a halt as he looked it over. Sauce had never had any weapons training, but he hadn't lived under a rock-- At least not until he'd become an analyst for the 77, but that was more literal. Sauce lowered the weapon at the Charizard. The concept was easy to understand, you point at the target and squeeze the trigger. Saucedo pulled the trigger quickly as he made his shot, and the recoil of the rifle kicked the muzzle of the weapon upwards.

He watched as the dart went wide; up and to the left. Sauce cursed at himself. He didn't have time to waste with missed shots. The man hurriedly moved closer to the battle as Flareon attacked again. This time to fire-dog kicked a spray of dirt towards the Charizard. The larger pokemon flapped his wings to dissipate and neutralize the sand attack. Snyder issued another command as Sauce leveled his second shot.

Bulldoze that pest straight through the wall!

Sauce held his breath, hoping for a hit, he could feel his heart pounding as he aimed his shot. He pulled the trigger once more, much slower this time; he didn't want to jerk the weapon like he had before. He felt the recoil of the gun kick him back as he'd anticipated. This time the dart flew much straighter, but also much lower. Fortunately the projectile still made contact, sticking low to the Charizard's stubby legs. Unwilling to take chances, he aimed again and shot another dart towards the large fire pokemon. This shot was higher now, and stuck right into the Charizards scaly thigh. Sauce was unable to exhale as he waited for the sedative to take effect, poised for another shot.

The pokemon barreled forward, attempting another bulldoze attack. A part of Yorick wondered if Snyder had decided to use this move because he knew it would be doubly effective against the Flareon's typing, or whether the hot-tempered man just wanted a show of force. Either way, the attack failed when the Fire/Flying type stumbled on his third step forward. Flareon hopped to the side as the larger pokemon slammed itself headlong into the wall. Its head cracking hard as it fell into the crater had already been created by the off-target stone edge attack. Sauce exhaled a long slow breath as his mouth curled into a smile. The Charizard's tongue lolled out of its mouth as it slumped against the wall, barely conscious.

Snyder grabbed his hair in bewilderment. The man's eyes looked over his pokemon before darting around the room, trying to make sense of what had happened. Finally, Snyder's gaze fixed on Sauce and the intel agent could swear the man's face turned as red as the Flareon he had been trying to defeat. Snyder bellowed a loud angry snarl as he balled his fists and charged at Saucedo.

Sauce's eyes widened in surprise and he turned the tranquilizer rifle at his assailant. Sauce wasn't really sure what effect the pokemon tranquilizer would have on a human, but at the time, it was the safest and best bet he had. He waited for a split second as the enraged agent drew closer before pulling the trigger once more. And once more Sauce's shot flew off-target, whizzing over Snyder's ever approaching shoulder.

Just before the man would have made contact, a red-orange blur slammed into his side. Flareon stood defiantly in front of Saucedo after connecting with it's quick attack. Snyder had staggered back, but charged forward again, ready to take on both pokemon and human. The dog pokemon yipped angrily as it kicked a spray of sand into Snyder's face, causing him to once again sputter backwards. Flareon seized his opportunity and dove forward, tackling him in his abdomen.

Snyder collapsed on the ground, hunched over and groaning. Saucedo reached into his pants and grabbed the device he'd slipped into his pocket earlier. The spy cautiously knelt down and clipped the sedative into the crook of Snyder's neck. The agency was just going to have to find another tech sample to analyze. The injured man immediately fell limp, the only movement left was the heavy rise and fall of his chest as he took his breaths. Yorick gave a insidious smirk at the poetic justice. The poacher was now experiencing a taste of his own medicine. Flareon bayed happily, equally pleased.

Saucedo turned to his Flareon ally, just before the fire type was struck by a large stone projectile and sent tumbling to the ground. Sauce's smile instantly vanished. He turned to face the attack's origin in time to see a second rock blast hurtling in his direction. The spy rolled to the side and looked at the Boldore. Even with it's expressionless face, the monolith looked menacing. Ersatz was straining to hold the rock type back, but the heavier pokemon was practically ignoring him at this point. Malady sneered, seemingly amused at the man's struggle.

Sauce glanced over to the Flareon. It was still conscious, but barely. The injured fire-type rose to its feet on shaky legs that looked as if they'd give out any second. Both ally pokemon were exhausted now, not to mention all the other imprisoned pokemon that were lying sedated near the door. The pokemon battles were over. Ersatz struggled to hold the Boldore, but it seemed less like a fight and more like an inconvenience at this point, and the Flareon could barely stand under its own power. Sauce conceded to himself that there was nothing he could do as a pokemon trainer that would get them out of this. He clutched the grip of the tranquilizer rifle tighter in his hand.

Malady beamed at him from across the room as she began strutting slowly towards him. “Have you decided to give up yet? Don't be sad! Your escape attempt was actually very impressive,” Her eyes flickered malevolently as she sauntered in his direction. “I actually thought you might beat us, at first. I mean you did take out my friend there.” She waved with her hand to Snyder, who was now dozing on the ground, drool glimmering down from his mouth. “I'm going to give you another chance to surrender now.” Malady stopped about five feet from his position. “And tell me who you really are.

The Flareon wobbled its way to Saucedo's side, leaning against his leg for support, but not taking it's eyes off the malicious woman. With his left hand he reached to scratch the pokemon's fur softly. He was proud of it for all it's hard work. Saucedo hated the thought of asking it to do anything further. The man swallowed the lump he felt in his throat as he prepared himself. This was the last chance he had left.

Sand attack,” he urged throatily to the Flareon as he removed his hand from it's head and grabbed the rifle. The pokemon had already been tense and poised to attack as the woman approached, despite its condition. Flareon kicked a weak dash of sand at Malady with its front paw. While the attack itself was too weak to have any lasting effects, it made Malady flinch long enough for Yorick to attempt a shot.

The rifle kicked and the dart sailed right into front of the woman's thigh. From that distance, saw had felt confident in his aim, and luckily he had been right. The woman looked at him with her mouth agape as if she'd just been insulted, before her left leg gave out and she fell to the floor. Her intense eyes now glazing over as the rest of her body began to fall limp.

There was an echoing guttural roar from across the room followed by the sound of thundering footsteps. Boldore charged towards Sauce and the now unconscious Malady. Rock types weren’t known for their speed, but Sauce noted that the pokemon was moving surprisingly fast. He tried to calm his breathing. Flareon and Ersatz were both exhausted and his best defense was a steady aim. He trained his weapon at the ever-approaching rock pokemon and squeezed the trigger.

Sauce felt that he was becoming a better shot every time he tried using the tranquilizer, unfortunately this time his aim was not the problem. The dart flew at the enraged Boldore, but glanced harmlessly off the pokemon’s rock solid hide. Sauce’s eyes widened in alarm. The Boldore was right in front of him now, and showed no signs of slowing. Suddenly, Saucedo was launched five feet to his right across the room, sliding across the dusty ground. During the fracas he made out the red-yellow image of a Flareon standing where he once stood, moments before the Boldore charged right into it. Sauce felt pangs of guilt through his chest as he watched the barely conscious fire type struck by the larger pokemon’s rocky frame. The Flareon crashed hard into the wall, and laid limp beside it.
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Yorick Saucedo

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Saucedo gulped and scrambled upright as the Boldore maneuvered towards him. The man stepped backwards towards the door as steadily as possible. He had to find a way to get that door open before it was too late, but he dared not turn his back on the fuming rock pokemon who glared towards him. He could see out of the corner of his eye the Eevee and other pokemon all lying sedated on the ground barely responsive to the goings on around them. He chanced a glance towards Ersatz and saw the imposter pokemon lying weakly on the ground as well, back in his regular form. The constant battling had been much too far for him.

Boldore roared angrily again as a column of sharp stones were pulled from the wall, pointing towards Sauce and the escaped pokemon. This is it, Yorick thought. After all the struggles they’d gone through to escape, this is where it would end. The escape and rescue attempt was a failure. He was never going to get a chance to make up with Amy. He was never going to help her get her badges and complete her mission. He was never going to get to see her again at all. Alas, poor Yorick would die in a cave, covered in dirt and Zubat droppings.

A loud rumble began to sound throughout the room. At first Sauce thought it was coming from the enemy Boldore, but soon he could feel it resonating all throughout the cave. The Boldore delayed its attack as the sound grew louder and the entire area began to rumble. The hairline cracks that had formed earlier began to spread further. The damaged walls and ceiling soon began to rain dust and tiny rocks to the floor. The rock pokemon abruptly dropped his prepared stone edge attack and rushed over to its trainer and her partner just before a large section of the wall he had destroyed came collapsing down.

The whole room was definitely going to collapse. Sauce looked around the room in a panic. He grabbed his pokeball and recalled Ersatz before the pokemon was hurt any further and turned towards the exit. If they didn’t get out of here now, they were doomed. He looked over the metal door once again trying to find a way to open it manually. Sauce’s breathing and heartbeat quickened as the room started to collapse around him. [iDoors[/i], he thought angrily. He was sick of being thwarted by doors. There was no sign of a handle, so the man decided there was only one other option: brute force.

The spy pushed his shoulder into the structure but it didn’t budge, so he began manically kicking at it. A large puff of dust rained down onto his head and into his lungs. Nothing was working now. He looked back over at the keycard panel and back towards the Argent agents. There was now a pile of stones he’d have to cross in order to even get close to getting a key from them, and Sauce was sure he hadn’t that kind of time.

Saucedo decided to try the last thing he could think of. He reached down, grabbed a head-sized rock with both hands and slammed it against the card lock. The metal faceplate clanged to the ground as the electronics inside popped and fizzled. The door lurched slightly as the electronic lock disengaged, but it remained in place, aside from an 10 inch-wide gap leading into the darkness of the cave.

Sauce wasn’t sure whether he should feel relieved or dismayed. Another crash resounded through the room as the hallway they had come through before collapsed completely. The gap might not be large enough to squeeze through himself, but he could definitely get the pokemon through. The Eeveelutions still seemed awake enough to move, at least. Sauce began to pick them up to their feet and trying to usher them out the door. The two Vaporeon first. Then Sauce began to hand over all the unconscious Eevee and pushed the two Growlithe through for them to watch over. The water types carried the pokemon away from the door in their mouths as Saucedo helped the other Flareon through the door. Sauce immediately remembered the other Flareon that was now fainted at the floor of the cave. Quickly he turned to run and grab the pokemon before a large boulder landing squarely in front of him.

He would never have time to make it to the Flareon, pick him up, and carry him back. But, Sauce realized. He could throw a pokeball at the fire-type and carry him out that way! He shot a hand to his belt and grabbed one of his two empty balls. Another section of the ceiling began to collapse as he hurriedly hurled the ball towards the wild eeveelution. The pokemon was engulfed in light as Saucedo continued to approach the ball. By the time the pokeball tone dinged, indicating capture, he was already running back towards the door, ball in hand. The Jolteon stood by the door, watching as Sauce sprinted his way back through the falling earth.

Go!” Saucedo commanded. The Jolteon yipped weakly and pawed towards the broken locking structure on the wall. For once Sauce understood exactly what the pokemon meant. If the Jolteon could shock the locking mechanism into powering up for just a few moments, maybe Sauce could actually open the door wide enough to fit through. That was, if the Jolteon could manage the energy to do it. It had been just as sedated as the other Eeveelutions, but it seemed to want to give it a try.

Sauce skidded to a stop as he reached the door, and grabbed at the exposed wiring of the lock. Fingers shaking from adrenaline, he grabbed a coupole wires and pulled at them to expose some of the copper inside. Jolteon stood on its hind legs, resting his front paws against the wall to get a better reach, and Saucedo gently pulled down the wiring and placed them in the electric eeveelution’s mouth.

It’s now or never,” Sauce urged both the pokemon and to himself as another puff of dust showered over the two of them.The Jolteon shut its droopy eyes, squeezing them tight in what Sauce assumed was focus. The pokemon exerted itself with a low whine. A small electric shock crackled around the pokemon’s body for a split second. The electronics of the door popped and whirred in kind.

Saucedo threw his body at the side of the door, trying to pry open more space as the servos weren’t locked up. He groaned against the heavy metal structure and slipped his shoulder through the crack for leverage. The door gave way another two or three inches before locking up again. It was enough. Sauce sighed in relief before he was interrupted by another loud rumbling and the entire far edge of the roof began to cave in. Sauce squeezed the rest of his body through the doorway and beckoned for the Jolteon to follow. Seconds before rocks poured from the roof, the Jolteon moved through the gap into the darkness of the mineshaft.

The loud rumbling slowly reverberated through the tunnel system, raining down even more puffs of dust before quieting. The cave in had presumably come to a close. Sauce collapsed to the ground near the Eevee as the adrenaline drained from his system. Exhausted, he laid on his back in the damp cave floor, unfettered by the mud. his eyes began to droop to a close before he jolted himself awake. He hadn’t reached safety yet. The man climbed back to his feet, groaning. He didn’t realize how sore he was after that ordeal, and it would undoubtedly get worse, he warned himself.

Sauce silently searched his bag to find his light and tried clicking it on. Nothing. It had been acting up before, but he was hoping it would at least give him a dim light to see by. Yorick cursed at the darkness, fighting back his rising emotions. He’d just walked through a sandstorm, been captured and beaten by the enemy, survived a cave in by mere seconds and now he had to wander in blackness through a labyrinth? This was just his luck.

Sauce instinctively withdrew as something touched his hand before he realized it was only one of the Vaporeon. He had no right feeling sorry for himself right now. He and all these pokemon were in this together, and they needed him as much as he needed them. Sauce took a long deep breathe and steeled himself. The cave was pitch black, but maybe he could remember the way he came in like he’d planned on doing beforehand.

One of Growlithe pups barked. The Sedative must not have affected them as strongly as the Eevee, Sauce noted. in the blackness of the cave, Sauce could make out the sound of the dog pokemon sniffing into the air. That was it, Sauce inwardly exclaimed. Growlithe were renowned for their excellent sense of smell, and commonly used by police forces for it. If these Growlithe could catch a whiff of the outside, they could sniff their way to freedom.

You think you can lead us outta here, buddy?” Sauce asked, trying to mask the exhaustion in his voice with fake cheer.

In the darkness the first Growlithe yipped. Further in the distance Saucedo heard another Growlithe barking before a tiny puff of embers briefly lit the cavern. Sauce moved to follow it, before he hesitated. He had to get the Eevee out of here as well. Sauce moved over to where he’d seen them laying and felt around in the darkness before scooping two up into his arms.

We’re going to all get out of here, but I’ll need your help,” He asked softly into the darkness. The Two Vaporeon, The Jolteon and the Flareon all cooed and barked in response. The Growlithe in the distance bayed impatiently before releasing another huff of flame and Sauce took the opportunity to count up the number of Eevee as the larger Eeveelutions picked them up by their scruff.

There were seven total, which meant that if Saucedo carried two in his hands, and placed one in his backpack, the other 4 Eeveelutions could carry the rest in their mouths. The man knelt down to slide one into his open bag gently. He groaned as he stood back up. He’d been kicked and punched and had to dive to the rock-hard floor so many times that he was sure he’d be covered in bruises by the time Amy saw him. Even through the soreness, the thought of seeing Amy again put a smile on his face, and he spun on his heels towards the Growlithe. The two dog pokemon were alternating between bounding ahead towards the scent and puffing out small flares to guide the way.

Eventually, after what what Sauce felt was several hours and numerous slips and falls, a rush of cool air began hit his face. His eyes adjusted to see steady streams of moonlight in the distance. He dashed towards the outside, Growlithe and Eeveelutions on his heels. As he stepped outside a gigantic grin spread over his face. Never had the man thought he’d be so happy to find himself in the middle of the desert. Additionally, the sandstorm that had raged earlier that day had stopped. Yorick was thankful for his uncharacteristic bit of luck.

The Eevee that he’d been carrying had begun to stir for the past half hour, so he let the three drugged pokemon down at the mouth of the mine shaft to see if they’d wake up. As the other Pokemon gathered around him, they did the same. Sauce slipped down to the ground to rest on the soft sand. It was now cooled off from the heat of the desert sun. A slight breeze blew across his face that made the angry assault of the sandstorm feel like it had happened an entire world away. A well earned respite, as far as Sauce was concerned. He wanted to wait until the Eevee were able enough to move under their own power anyway. He instinctively checked his watch before remembering that it wasn’t working and laid his head back on his hands and looked at the stars.

If Sauce had known anything about astronomy, he probably would’ve been able to figure out which direction was which in order to find his way out of this desert, unfortunately that was not the case. He’d normally check his Tablet map, but he’d noticed the screen had been broken during the ordeal in the tunnel. Even if he managed to get a signal in this deadzone, there was no reading the display anymore. Luckily there were two mountain ranges in the distance, all Saucedo had to do was figure out which range was which, to orient himself and figure out his cardinal directions. He knew he eventually had to go South to meet back up with Amy at Marei City. The man was feeling oddly optimistic after his brush with catastrophe. He’d find his way, he was sure of it.

His mind drifted again to the thought of seeing Amy. An even wider smile crept across his face and he felt a small sting on his busted lip. He must look absolutely horrible. She’d be horrified when she first saw him. The man needed a long shower and probably a look over by a physician. Why was he always the one getting hurt? Of course he wasn’t the only one to take some damage.

A couple of the Eevee lay curled up beside him. His thoughts trailed to the Flareon that had given him so much assistance in that cave. If it wasn’t for that pokemon, there was no way he’d have made it out. Saucedo pulled the pokeball from his belt that contained the pokemon in question. He owed that Flareon a lot. Sauce wondered if it was fair to have caught the fatigued pokemon in such a situation, but quickly dismissed the thought. It was the only choice he had, after all. He decided he would offer to release the Flareon after it was all patched up. If it decided to stay though, he vowed to do his best to make both Ersatz and the fire-type happy. He owed them both a huge debt of gratitude for all they’d done. After several minutes of being lost in thought, Saucedo’s eyes began to droop closed.

The sleeping agent awoke to a wet tongue on his face and opened his eyes to see an Eevee standing on his chest, staring curiously at him. Yorick's stomach growled louder than he thought possible and he sighed, knowing there was nothing that could be done. The stars had started to fade as dawn crept forward. Sauce ignored the sharp pains in his abdomen as he sat himself upright and gently moved the eevee to the side, giving it a scratch behind its ear afterwards. The other Eeveelutions were already awake and had begun stirring their pups up as well. Sauce could see the orange glow of the sunrise peeking over the mountain tops. Now he knew which direction was which, he reminded himself optimistically.

The Jolteon yapped sharply to the straggler Eevee that was so interested in Yorick. The smaller pokemon turned back to the electric type and trotted towards it. Sauce clambered up, grabbed his things and inventoried the items in his bag. A Vaporeon barked at him as he slung his bag over on shoulder. The pokemon all were looking at him meaningfully. Sauce suddenly felt his tongue dry up in his throat. The Pokemon all yipped at him in unison before turning and slowly bounding off towards the mountains.

Take care of yourselves!” Saucedo figured out what to say before the dog-pokemon were out of earshot. He waited there for a moment, watching the pack grow smaller in the distance before brushing his hand through his sandy hair. Sauce cleared his throat and turned Southward. It was time to get himself to Marei city before he fell into another hole or something.


Words: 13069
Edited by TheRedHero, Sep 4 2017, 09:27 PM.
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Yorick Saucedo

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