Chương 95: Chapter 82 - The Whole Truth

Seeing that Cecilia and Denzel were safe and sound had filled a hole in my heart I hadn't quite realized was there. I was whole again. Full. With teary eyes, I hugged them again for good measure. Eevee jumped on my shoulder and licked my cheek, and Togetic grabbed at Denzel's hair.

"I missed you too, little guy," I told Eevee.

"Is everyone fine? Denzel, you look like you…"

"Like I was hit by a truck?" He chuckled.

"Yeah, I know. I think I cracked a few ribs or something. I can handle it, I think. If I don't think about the pain, it becomes a dull ache."

"More importantly, what about you?" Cece asked, holding my arm tightly.

"You look pale, Grace. You need to rest."

"I'll rest when we're further away from here," I sighed.

"Wild Pokemon will probably be swarming here after all this noise."

"She's right," Chase spoke up for the first time. Even now, he kept his distance.

"Scavengers will be hoping to get a quick meal from whatever fought that Onix— which in this case is us. We need to leave." We all agreed, some more reluctantly than others, and started moving. It was my first time walking with this many Pokemon out at once. We all almost had our entire teams out, but I supposed a show of force was what was needed to dissuade potential attackers, especially in this well-lit part of the cave where tracking everyone wouldn't be confusing.

I used the opportunity to introduce Larvitar to my friends, but the rock type didn't seem to like them one bit, and she especially seemed to dislike Budew. She walked closely behind my legs, reminding me of Togetic when she had been a Togepi.

"I hope he wasn't too harsh with you," Cece whispered to me as she nodded toward Chase. His limp was better now and barely noticeable.

"He was nice enough, all things considered," I said, deciding to omit the times when he had definitely gotten on my nerves.

"Protected me when I was passed out—""You were what?"

"I, uh, passed out, and he found me just in time. He took care of me and nursed me back to health— if you can call my state healthy, I guess. We didn't talk much, though." And he saved your life as well, I thought.

"Very well," she said after pausing, clearly burying the matter.

"I missed you." I turned my head away slightly as I felt my face heat up.

"I missed you too." Cecilia seemed to be in good spirits, which surprised me. Her state now and back at the top of the cave was like night and day, but I didn't want to step on her toes and ask her tough questions.

"How did you and Denzel find each other?" I decided to ask.

"We fell at the same spot, into an underground lake," she said.

"We were together from the start." I looked at my best friend, who was leading the group and talking to his Buneary. He must have talked to her and cheered her up somehow. I'd need to thank him later.

"And Grace… I'm sorry for putting you through this. All of you. The only reason we're in this situation is my fault. I don't know how I'll ever atone—""Don't you dare," I said.

"You're the victim! Your father and Amy, they're the ones who I'm blaming."

"I still feel guilty."

"Well, we can talk you through that," I said softly.

"I promise you, none of us ever blamed you for even a second." Cece bowed her head.

"I don't know what I did to deserve you and everyone else."

"You were a good person and a good friend. Kindness rewards kindness." I almost froze when I felt her fingers intertwine with mine. It was cold, but her hand felt hot on my skin. She held my hand tightly.

"I must tell you something when we get out of this cave," she said, practically whispering in my ear.

"Okay," I swallowed. We walked another two hours before finally deciding to take a break. There were a few fights on the way, but nothing as threatening as Onix had been, and our entire arsenal was far enough to deal with anything. Still, our lack of potions was being felt. Tangela, Eevee, Riolu, Elekid, and even Deino had to be recalled into their Pokeballs from taking so many hits, which was a part of why we had stopped so soon in the first place after finding a good, defensible spot.

It was like a miniature cave. An indentation into a wall that we had decided would be perfect for protecting ourselves from threats. Cecilia and Denzel had forced me to stay down while they prepared dinner. Well, prepare dinner was a bit of an exaggeration. It was salted crackers and water, but I supposed it was better than nothing. Denzel and Cece sat next to me, and Chase leaned against one of the walls of the cave, his Houndoom lying down closeby and watching out for any threats along with Frillish.

Riolu was out of his ball again, as Chase was seemingly uncomfortable without him there, or at least that was my hypothesis.

"So," Denzel sighed.

"It's about time we start planning how to get the fuck out of here."

"Agreed," Chase nodded.

"Where did you guys come from?"

"Further up the cave— there was a lake, and it was just as dark as it was at the top level. I'm a bit surprised at how bright everything is here," Denzel said, staring up at the crystals.

"It took us… a day and a half to get to you? Yeah, I think that's correct."

"Slightly more than that," Cece specified.

"But I did notice one thing on the way here."

"Which is?" Chase asked in an impatient tone.

"The Pokemon here are weaker than where we came from," she said. My eyes bulged. Stronger Pokemon than that Onix?

"She's right," Denzel nodded.

"Faced some crazy shit on our way here, but as we got closer it got more and more manageable."

"Well damn," Chase grinned.

"I might have underestimated you, Williams." Denzel rolled his eyes and continued.

"But does that mean anything?"

"Just a theory I have," Cece said.

"On the upper floor, the deeper into the mountain one gets, the tougher the wild Pokemon become, right?" I slammed a fist into my palm.

"Ah, yeah, I see where you're coming from. You're saying we need to head deeper into the crystalized area." She nodded.

"Well, that's the best working theory we have, so I won't complain," Chase said.

"Still, what'd you face that was so tough? I'm curious." Denzel's eyes darkened.

"Don't feel like telling."

"Alright, alright, calm down, brother," Chase said. Riolu stomped a foot on his shoe.

"Ow, fuck! Arceus, sorry! Ok, so we go back from the way Pastel and I were coming from, then?" I frowned.

"This is starting to make more and more sense," I said slowly.

"When I had just fallen down, I remember thinking that Pokemon here were way too weak for being this deep into Mount Coronet— or at least I thought it was deep. That means that I should have fallen the closest to the exit," I finished, feeling renewed hope. Getting out was becoming more and more of a reality.

"We don't know where we'll get out, or if the exit will even be accessible, but it should be there," Denzel said.

"In theory," Cece added.

"Let us not get our hopes up. That'll only make the disappointment that much more potent." We settled down after hearing her words.

"If it doesn't work," I said.

"What else do we got? I want all of our bases covered."

"We can try finding that chasm that Tyranitar opened up," Denzel said.

"Climb up, somehow, maybe?"

"Not possible," Chase declared, crossing his arms.

"Mount Coronet is an affront to anything logical. I doubt we'll ever be able to find that hole again."

"Damn it," I groaned.

"He's right. I was… stuck in a certain area for at least twenty minutes. I kept walking forward, but the cave kept bringing me back to where I had just been, just like—""That mansion in Eterna Forest," Cece completed my sentence.

"Mansion?" Chase frowned.

"Don't even think about making some snarky comment," I warned.

"It was abandoned, and it was a terrible time. Either way, the cave can do the same thing that Mismagius did, or at least some form of it, which means we might not even be able to reach this theoretical exit in the first place." You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

"How much food you got, Williams?" Chase asked.

"Enough for, like, a week, I think, both for us and the Pokemon. We couldn't pack that much, we had to hurry."

"Right, right, you were saving her ass," he said, nodding toward Cece.

"Pastel has the same amount as you, then?"

"Slightly less," I winced.

"I was so stressed out that I was barely thinking when I packed."

"Sorry," Cece said.

"Don't apologize," Both Denzel and I interjected at the same time.

"Okay, so we have what, less than two weeks left? Maybe more if we ration like I already told Pastel. If we don't get out by then, we're dead." The straightforwardness of his statement washed over me like cold water.

"Could have used a bit more tact," Denzel said.

"But yes, you're right."

"Actually, we're probably even more fucked than I thought," Chase continued after a pause.

"If we get out, we'll probably end up somewhere off-route in the middle of nowhere, with no reception or anything to guide us. We have less than two weeks. We're on borrowed time, and even though I wouldn't be against eating wild Pokemon, nothing down here is even edible."

"I won't eat any Pokemon or kill them," I said firmly.

"Keeping to your ideals even though that'll get you killed," Chase smiled at me.

"Dumb as hell. But I respect that, Pastel." Denzel shook his head.

"We won't need to consider that choice in the first place—""You don't know that," he interrupted.

"Positiveness for the sake of positiveness is fucking stupid. Quit it."

"You don't need to be negative either," Denzel said.

"Why? We were already all thinking about it. And if you weren't, well, you'd have to eventually, down the line. It's better to come to terms with the choice now." Denzel was about to retort, but he just groaned and turned away, conceding the argument. I finished my 'dinner' in peace, and when Cecilia went to pee further along the cave, accompanied by her Pokemon, I used the opportunity to talk to Denzel.

"Hey," I said.

"How is Cece? She gives me the impression of being better, but how is she really?" I asked.

"She… she has a lot on her plate, but she's managing," he said.

"I managed to pull her up from the depths when we were together, and now that she's seen you, it's like she's soaring."

"Thank you for helping her," I said.

"But she was happy to see both of us."

"Yes, but she was especially happy to see you," he said. I rolled my eyes.

"Don't believe me? I think you'd be surprised at how close you are to dating already. You should probably just shoot your shot. If you don't, there'll be what, months of this will they won't they bullshit? Just get on with it already."

"Wait, they aren't dating already?" Chase said.

"What was with all the hugging and the handholding and the whispering together then?"

"Quiet down," I hissed.

"No one was talking to you."

"Fuck you too, Pastel."

"See what I'm talking about? Even he thought you were together. Just say something, I promise you it'll work out."

"Now's not the time," I said.

"I'll do it later."

"If I was in love with someone and we were in the middle of a cave where we might die any minute, I'd probably say something now," Chase shrugged.

"Granted, I think romance is a waste of time in general."

"Shut up!" I hissed.

"If you say anything to her, I will kill you."

"You can't, I'm the better trainer. I toughened up a lot since our battle, and you still owe me a rematch. I'll wipe the floor with you next time."

"I'm not interested," I said.

"I'm making you my rival whether you want it or not." I entertained his idea, happy that the conversation had steered away from Cecilia, who returned a few minutes later. She sat down next to me again. Denzel started grooming Buneary's fur with his brush— something that he had picked up from Emilia. He would have done it to Eevee too, but the normal type was still resting in his ball. Larvitar was playing with Togetic, chasing her around and trying to jump at her.

Unfortunately, she was heavy and couldn't get off the ground that well, but Togetic still gave her hope, often coming down just slightly enough to be almost in her range. Chase was sitting next to Houndoom, basking in his heat. The fire type's new strength meant that his heat radiated much farther, and Riolu was dozing off against him. Cece and I were comfortably sitting on a sleeping bag. My illness was seemingly almost gone, having strangely disappeared as fast as it had come.

Maybe the stress I no longer felt was a factor.

"Are you not tired?" Cecilia asked me.

"A little," I answered.

"I'm scared to sleep, even with Togetic here to help."

"Your nightmares?"

"Hmhm. I had one earlier— that's what provoked the Onix to attack us," I said.

"I wish I could help you somehow," she sighed.

"I don't think they'll ever go away, to be honest. Maybe if— when Mars is finally arrested and put behind bars for good, but I doubt it." Cecilia placed a hand on my head and pushed it down to her lap. I almost choked, not finding any words to say. She began stroking my hair gently.

"Is this okay?" She asked.

"Y—y—of course! It is!" I stuttered.

"My father might believe us to be stranded or dead, but when we get out of this cave and we return to civilization, we'll be back on his radar. If I was naive, I would have said that me wanting to die in Mount Coronet would have scared him off, but I know he'll only redouble his efforts."

"Uhuh," I said, barely able to breathe. Still, I paid attention to every word, even though it was very difficult. She looked down at me and smiled.

"I'm ready to tell you what he threatened me with," she said quietly enough so Chase wouldn't hear.

"I already told Denzel. But you have to promise me not to panic."

"Obviously, I won't," I said.

"It doesn't matter what it is."

"My father is an evil man, but he knows me well," she began, still stroking my hair.

"He knows what I yearn for the most. Freedom. And so he knows my biggest fear."

"Losing that freedom?" I asked.

"Worse than that. Becoming a mindless puppet," Cecilia said. She paused for a few seconds before continuing.

"He hired a trainer with… a Malamar." I held back a gasp. Malamar was a Pokemon synonymous with mind control. I believed that no Pokemon was inherently evil, but trainers with Malamar tended to air on the criminal side of things, which gave the Pokemon a terrible reputation through no fault of its own.

"And I assume your dad can skirt around the laws about mind control, since he's rich." She shook her head.

"Why did you think that would make me freak out?" I asked. Her hands stopped.

"If he can control my mind, he can control all of yours, too," she said, avoiding my eyes.

"To me, that's a fate worse than death itself. But that wasn't all. Amy told me that my father had already flown to Sinnoh with her— although he was still in Jubilife— and that the trainer with Malamar was already in Eterna city." I held my breath. That was why her reaction had been so sudden. To her, it seemed like the enemy had already been at the gates.

"So she was essentially telling you to surrender right now," I sighed.

"I'm so sorry."

"And if I somehow ran away, he'd cut off access to all of my money and everyone else's until I came back. Still, I've decided to hope for the best instead of giving up," Cecilia sighed.

"My situation is like a double-edged sword. There's the potential to live my life and be the happiest I've ever been, but I could also fall under Malamar's influence and never think for myself again."

"There's… there's protections against that kind of stuff, right?" I tried.

"We have a bunch of psychic types. You can shield your mind, or something." I remembered vaguely hearing that League members with important information always had mental shields on them put by Lucian's team, but they had to be renewed every few weeks. Protecting yourself against mind control was easier than protecting yourself against memory extraction, however. That was almost impossible, although I was sure that the League had some countermeasures.

Memory extraction was like metaphorically grabbing a hammer and smashing it against your brain. It was traumatic, brutal, and could leave someone crippled for life. Mind control, however, required finesse. It was extremely difficult, and only Malamar or Beheyeem could do it with relative ease, but shielding against it was possible with enough practice.

"It takes years for a psychic to learn. I don't have years, and I wouldn't even know where to start. Plus, I'd have no more money, so hiring someone— either a teacher to teach me or a psychic expert to do the job— would be impossible."

"How long does it take for Malamar to take control of someone?" I asked.

"Can we beat it before then?"

"The trainer my father hired is a well-known criminal in Unova. He calls himself Abel. He was a trainer that went rogue after realizing how powerful he could get once his Inkay evolved, and he's been avoiding authorities for years. League authorities."

"Which means he's way more powerful than us."

"And he has more Pokemon than Malamar. Probably more than six, since he isn't beholden by the rules, but that remains a theory."

"Alright… okay," I said, taking a deep breath.

"We'll figure something out, I just need to think for a bit." The biggest priority was preventing the mind control from ever happening. That meant that we either needed a way to knock out Malamar quickly, or just stay under the radar until we could. But if Cece got captured, it'd be over, so taking too much risk was off the table too. Would Malamar's mind control procedure be interrupted if it was hurt badly enough? If we focused all of our attacks on it, we could possibly make that happen.

I'd need to look this guy up when we got access to the internet again. There was also the possibility of just staying undercover somewhere. That meant no more gym battles and probably staying holed up in a Pokemon Center, avoiding any attention. Cece's safety was more important. If one person took a picture of her and exposed her being alive, it would be over. It hurt to say, but there was always next year.

It was safe to say that Eterna city was crawling with her father's agents already, along with Abel, so going back there wasn't an option, but Celestic could be a good alternative. It was rather isolated from the rest of the region. Unfortunately, I couldn't choose where we would come out from. And there was also the fact that our friend's phones might have been seized and bugged, so we wouldn't even be able to call them to confirm that we were safe— I felt a hand caress my cheek, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Your face is wrought with worry," Cece whispered.

"I hate that you work yourself so hard for me."

"I'm trying to find a solution," I said.

"And I will."

"My heart is beating so quickly it hurts," Cece started.

"My time with free will might be limited," she said before pausing.

"So I've decided to make the most of it and take a leap of faith. I won't wait until we get out of Mount Coronet after all. Tell me if you want me to stop." Huh? Cecilia leaned down and slowly brought my face toward hers until our lips met. My eyes fluttered in surprise, and I let out a soft sigh, giving into her as excitement and happiness swelled and buzzed inside of me. Her lips were dry, and the kiss was short, but it still felt amazing. When we parted, she looked at me, still cupping my cheek.

Even in the dark, not having showered in days and being what most people would consider unkempt, she was still gorgeous.

"I'm— I'm in love with you," she said, panting slightly.