Chương 42: Chapter 40

Sam saw Redi leave the back hallway right as the nurse revealed Cyndaquil's impending evolution. He had no clue what kind of expression he was making, but given the way Redi froze up, he was pretty sure he didn't look good.

"Cyndaquil can... evolve?" he asked. His hands gripped at the edge of the counter, but he didn't feel like he had the strength to grab on.

"It's more than that. She's able to evolve right now," the nurse said.

"Evolution occurs when Pokémon gather enough internal energy to support a stronger form. For most Starter Pokémon and basic species, it's just a matter of raw power and stamina, like in the case of your Cyndaquil. But for others..." She shook her head.

"It's a bit more complicated, as it varies from species to species. Some require vast amounts of refined energy, like what's provided by evolution stones, but that same energy can also be gathered just by staying in the appropriate environment. I've heard Kanto's Blaine has evolved several Growlithe by keeping them nearby Cinnabar's volcano." Sam absentmindedly nodded, and the nurse typed something on her keyboard. She slid him back Cyndaquil's Pokéball as well as his trainer ID.

"In the case of your Haunter's eventual evolution, his case is slightly different. Certain Pokémon like him or Graveler or Machoke require significantly more energy, but their required energy is more... Hm. Transient, I suppose? Expect an evolution in a moment of great stress or change, with circumstances varying between individual to individual. I've heard some say that trade machines can inspire that kind of evolution too, but..." She chuckled emotionlessly.

"If you ask me, it feels somewhat cruel." Sam knew most of this, although the comment about trade machines was new to him. The problem was that she wasn't explaining what he wanted. What about Cyndaquil? The strain came from her holding back her evolution? Why would she do that? Sam thought they had promised each other. And yet... Cyndaquil has been showing symptoms since the Gym Battle in Goldenrod. Why haven't I figured it out until now?

"How can you tell she's ready for evolution?" he asked.

"Why would she... Is there a reason she might want to hold it back?"

"To answer your first question, it's the strain on her body as well as how much power she has at her disposal. That's her internal energy fighting to be let loose," the nurse answered. Weeks. Sam grimaced. Cyndaquil's been going through all of that for weeks.

"As for your second question..." The nurse hummed.

"Holding back evolution isn't common, but it's generally due to a psychological reason. Likely, it's either because she wants to stay a Cyndaquil, or it's because she feels she'd benefit from staying a Cyndaquil a bit longer." The first possibility was wrong. Sam knew for a fact Cyndaquil was determined to become a Hisuian Typhlosion. Otherwise, she wouldn't have thrown herself into training so hard, nor would she have focused on Curse so much. No, the nurse had been correct with her second guess.

Cyndaquil wants to maximize the time she spends as a Quilava, Sam realized. Every moment she delays now is another moment she can train after she evolves. This is her trying to ensure she's prepared. This is her being... She's afraid that she'll evolve into the wrong Typhlosion. Sam felt as if someone had just punched him in the gut. There might not have been anything inherently wrong with Cyndaquil, but she was subjecting herself to extreme stress just to try to ensure the right outcome.

"Thank you," Sam mumbled. The nurse replied with an, "Of course!" and bowed her head. Sam wanted to leave and talk to his friend. He wanted to assure her that there was no reason to stress, and that they had more than enough time if they both worked at it together. One talk is all that would take. One moment of apology. Unfortunately, he couldn't. Someone was waiting for him right outside the Pokémon Center; he wasn't exactly free.

That, and as he stepped back and started to head to the front door, Redi rushed to his side.

"Hey!" she said.

"Sorry for taking so long. Is Cyndaquil alright?" Sam looked down to where he was still holding his friend's Pokéball.

"Yeah. She's just... holding back her evolution?" he said, unsure. Redi blinked at him. Then, she nodded her head as if everything suddenly made sense.

"Ah. I thought it was weird she hadn't evolved yet. I didn't think she'd want to hold it back, though. Well, congratulations, maybe? Are you going to talk to her?" Sam pursed his lips and replied with a slight nod.

"I want to, but, uh, I kind of challenged Xavier?"

"... Xavier? That guy is here?" Redi narrowed her eyes.

"Want me to fight him for you?"

"What? No!" Sam said, trying to wave the idea away.

"I... I was the one to bother him. The nurse hired me to find a ghost, and now we're going to race to see who finds it first." Redi opened her mouth to try to respond, but she paused to think before she managed to speak.

"Okay," she finally said.

"Well, I guess I'll go trade our Apricorns for Pokéballs. Want me to sign us up for the Gym while I'm out?"

"Yes please," Sam said. Redi smiled at him and bumped his arm. She wasn't pushing for anything, and like usual, she was acting like nothing was wrong. The way she was treating this like everything was normal made Sam feel better. He really appreciated the casual sign of support as she jogged out of the room, waving goodbye. Once she left, Sam took a deep breath and held it in. Alright. Just have to meet with Xavier and head to Slowpoke Well. Then, I'll be able to talk with Cyndaquil about her evolution.

And then find a ghost. He breathed out. As Sam stepped outside, he glanced over at the boy next to the door. Xavier was waiting impatiently, standing with his arms crossed and looking annoyed.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" the older boy snapped.

"Thought I'd run off to get a head start, didn't you?"

"No, I—" Sam groaned, running his hand over his face. He used this moment to clip Cyndaquil's Pokéball back to his belt.

"Come on. Since we both need to search Slowpoke Well, I'm gonna give you an overview of how all of this works." He really hated how Xavier rolled his eyes. The two of them began to walk towards the nearby lake, where Azalea's famed Slowpoke Well was situated. Sam didn't really want to talk to Xavier, but part of his Morty-assigned responsibility was to keep people safe from ghosts. That remained true even if he really didn't like who he was talking to.

"Look, I want to be absolutely clear before I get into specifics," Sam said, forcing his voice to stay level.

"Ghosts are real. And I don't mean Ghost Types. I mean ghost, ghosts. You know, spirits. Otherworldly entities. Things that have passed away without passing on."

"Sure," Xavier said. He sounded sarcastic.

"You really think a Pokémon Center nurse would give me this job if that wasn't true?" Sam asked.

"Give us the job, you mean," Xavier replied. However, hesitation was already creeping into his voice. Sam pushed on.

"Ghosts come in three primary categories—emotional entities, spiritual entities, and Ghost Type projections," he explained.

"I only included that last category for accuracy's sake; most reported ghost sightings are fake and caused by wild Pokémon. The other two categories are what we'll need to deal with, though I guess there are some arguments that they might be the same thing?" When Sam saw Xavier staring at him, he coughed quickly and waved his arms.

"No, look, look! Morty himself lent me books about all of this. They're all academic and professionally vetted! Emotional entities are ghosts formed from lingering masses of negative emotions. Spiritual entities are formed when something actually passes on!" Xavier remained silent. He turned away from Sam and stared at the stone-covered ground.

"How does this help us?" he asked.

"Um, not much, to be honest," Sam said with an awkward chuckle.

"I guess I just didn't know where to start? You'll want to look for cold rooms, the feeling of being lost, and moving shadows. Treat anything you encounter as a Ghost Type and run away the best you can. Nine times out of ten, expect some kind of illusion, which is part of the reason I brought up your Noctowl—""Why? Because you needed my help?" Xavier interrupted.

"No, it's because Noctowl are known to be able to see through illusions," Sam said.

"It's why Morty's Gym has a few trainers with them. I only came up with this idea because you have a Noctowl. That Pokémon gives you a teeny-tiny chance of being able to keep up. But it doesn't matter. I'm the one going to find the ghost, not you. I'm the sole Ghost Type specialist between us. I'll be the sole victor." Xavier snorted. They walked in silence for several seconds before the boy spoke up.

"You sure you specialize in the Ghost Type? You have a Mankey and a Cyndaquil."

"Yeah," Sam sniffed.

"What of it? I know what I said. I train Ghost Types."

"Tch. Tell me that once they evolve into Ghosts," Xavier said sarcastically, putting his hands in his pockets. Sam smirked. Trust me, I absolutely will. Truth be told, Sam probably could have gone more in depth about what he knew. He could have discussed historical sightings and mentioned known, specific types of ghosts. However, it wouldn't have helped the search. That, and his mind was stuck on Cyndaquil. All he could do was think about her as they walked the rest of the way in silence.

The moment Xavier was gone, Sam planned to ditch the other boy in the name of "competition" and bring Cyndaquil out to talk. The sky was a beautiful, cloudless blue, which didn't exactly fit their job or Sam's internal feelings. The flocks of Pokémon flew above them, and locals cheerfully idled about as they went through their day. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

It took a decent amount of time to reach their destination—Azalea was rather wide, after all—but they found themselves at the shore of a softly lapping lake soon enough. Slowpoke Well was a well, but it had dried up long ago and now served as the entrance to a cavern that stretched out under the lake. The place was named after the Slowpoke species—obviously—and even just up here, Sam could see groups of the namesake pink Pokémon lazing about with their tails hanging in the water.

Next to them, tiny tunnels only Slowpoke could fit into dotted the lake's gravel shore. An old-fashioned well sat nearby, with crumbling yet somehow still sturdy bricks making up its structure. Peering in, its depths stretched down dozens of feet with a rope ladder serving as the way in. Sam would have brought up how he thought it was strange there was a well right next to a lake—why bother with two sources of freshwater, after all—but that kind of observation was something to have a back-and-forth about with Redi.

Xavier didn't seem like a talker. More than anything, the other boy was a bit too... tense. More of a brooder, I guess? Sam glanced back at all the dozing, wild Pokémon, but Xavier was already climbing over the edge of the wall. He paused as a foot touched a rope rung, testing it before looking back up at Sam.

"I want to know why you bothered me in the first place," Xavier asked. Sam blinked. Xavier stared him in the eye with a serious expression on his face.

"I wanted to prove myself," Sam answered.

"To who?"

"I wanted to prove myself to..." He bit his lip. What should I say? He wanted to prove himself to himself. He wanted to prove that he was a good Pokémon trainer, and that Xavier wasn't better than him. He knew he was still growing. He knew he had a long ways to go. All of that, however, sounded lame. Sam wasn't sure why he had bothered Xavier. He could have let the other boy rest and allow both of them to continue on without any problems.

"Of course," Xavier mumbled after Sam went a long time without giving a reply.

"A Starter Pokémon and no proper motivation." Sam bristled, opening his mouth to refute him, but Xavier was already climbing down before he could speak. He grumbled nothing polite under his breath before grabbing a Pokéball off of his belt. Rather than sending out Cyndaquil, Sam instead returned Haunter. He aimed the ball at his shadow, and the sneaky Ghost Type was sucked up in a flash of red light and disappeared from where he was hiding. Glad to know that works. From there, checking to make sure he was alone.

Sam held Cyndaquil's Pokéball in his hand. He stared at it before deciding to kneel. Then, he hit the button to allow her to appear in front of him, a foot away on the ground.

"Hi, Cyndaquil," Sam said. The little Fire Type yawned upon being sent out and looked up at him with a small smile. Sam had to fight to stop himself from frowning. Cyndaquil looked tired. Exhausted, in a way. Yet, that smile was an attempt to reassure him that everything was just fine. He now knew what to look for, and Sam could see how she leaned into herself. Cyndaquil was every-so-slightly bent inwards, as if she was trying to hold something close to her chest. Or inside of her.

"Cyndaquil..." Sam lightly ran fingers across the fur of her head.

"Pokémon Center treat you well?" She punched the air with her paws and let her flames flare briefly on her back. She would have looked fine if it wasn't for how she was clearly holding all of her energy in.

"The nurse... I talked to the nurse," Sam said.

"She said you were close to evolving. Even more, she said you could evolve at any time." Cyndaquil went still.

"I..." He wanted to ask why she didn't tell him, but that felt accusatory. His friend was allowed to have concerns. In the end, he let out a sigh and shook his head.

"I get it," he said.

"I think I really get it. Becoming a forgotten species is... a lot. Yeah? You just wanted to maximize the time before your final evolution. It hurt, but you wanted to make sure both of us would be successful." Cyndaquil wasn't able to meet him in the eye. Sam let himself sit back, the gravel crunching under his body. He let his head fall back as he stared up at the sky and sighed.

"Thank you," he said, "but training isn't worth it if it just puts you at risk. I want you to... I want you to know that evolving into that Typhlosion doesn't matter. It doesn't matter whether or not you personally become a Ghost Type on our Ghost Type team. Yes, I want to be a specialist. Yes, I'm going to specialize in the Ghost Type. But to make you stress about it? It's not worth it. Your happiness matters to me more than us being successful.

If my worries are making you hurt yourself—" She hurried over to put a paw on Sam's leg. She squeaked adamantly, trying to say that wasn't the case. It wasn't Sam putting all that pressure on her. It wasn't him that was causing her to hold herself back. She just didn't want to worry him. She thought that if she held on for long enough, she'd figure out how to hold it back properly without giving anything up. It would have been brushed off like a random illness, and then they would have had more time to... prepare.

She was afraid. She looked at the gravel beneath them and squeaked. Cyndaquil was afraid that even with all of her effort, she wasn't going to reach the final evolution she desired. Sam looked at her before letting out a laugh.

"Man, that's really dumb, huh?" She looked up at him and shouted at him, annoyed.

"No, I don't mean your worries or your dreams or anything like that. I mean us. How we don't want either of us to worry one another," he said. Cyndaquil let out a sigh and rubbed the side of her head. She let herself sit next to Sam as he scratched the back of her neck just how she liked it.

"We've already promised we'd always travel together, so let's just not think about it? I'm sure if we work together and put our everything into it, we'll do our best. And if you don't evolve into a Ghost Type, who cares? We're trying to do something no one else has really done before us, anyway." She sniffed in agreement. Sam sent her the brightest smile he could muster and stood up, swinging his arms.

"You know, if you really want to delay your evolution, we can ask a Pokémon Center for an Everstone. They provide them when needed, and using one will easily hold back—" She furiously shook her head. An Everstone was a commitment. She didn't want to delay her evolution that much. She just wanted to buy herself a bit more time, and after this conversation, she was feeling better about it, anyway. Sam reached for his other two team members' Pokéballs, but as he did, he looked over Cyndaquil one last time.

She was standing easier and with less stress. Though she might not have evolved, it was as if she didn't need to try as hard to maintain her current form. Haunter and Mankey were sent out after that. Mankey looked to be in a foul mood, as the last thing he experienced outside of his ball was Xavier getting up into Sam's face. Haunter, meanwhile, looked absolutely indignant that Sam had yanked him out of his hiding space within his shadow.

He raised his fist at Sam and shook it before laughing at being able to do that sort of action in the first place.

"Sorry. I wanted a private talk with Cyndaquil." The Ghost Type shrugged and placed his hands across one another to mime crossing a set of arms. Now that everyone was out, Sam walked over to the rope ladder that stretched into the earth. He glanced down into darkness, let his expression focus, and turned back to his team to share a proper plan.

"So!" he said, starting his announcement with a short shout.

"If you didn't hear it earlier, hear it now. The local nurse hired us to scout out a ghost." Cyndaquil shivered as she walked closer to Sam. Mankey hopped between his feet excitedly.

"Not a Ghost Type, but a real ghost," Sam specified. Mankey looked even happier. The idea of a good fight seemed to cheer him up after everything else.

"No, I—" Sam rubbed his head.

"I don't want you to get your hopes up. This is a scouting trip. We were explicitly told not to get into any fights." Mankey slumped. That put a lid on his excitement, but it was better to be disappointed now instead of later.

"Slowpoke Well is a... Well, it's a well," Sam said, chuckling at his own joke.

"It's home to hundreds, if not, thousands of Slowpoke, which are considered sacred to Azalea for... some reason. Basically, we can't disturb them, but this place is open to the public so we don't need to sneak around. When we head down there, don't bother anyone or anything, and keep an eye out for the ghost. And no, we weren't given any specific details other than that. It's on us to report back to let the Pokémon Center make the appropriate arrangements."

Sam at least had a base level of information to work with, thanks to Morty. Given the advice he had received, he knew he could treat spirits as something akin to Ghost Types. After his encounter with that Misdreavus— He quickly looked around and saw nothing. —Sam hoped that the attraction between ghosts remained true, and he hoped that either Haunter would guide him or the local ghost would come straight to him. Thankfully, Haunter was smiling—more so than usual.

Something about encountering a real ghost made the Ghost Type excited in the same way Mankey had been moments before. Haunter moved to float next to Sam, and Mankey clambered up Sam's body to hang off his shoulder. Sam made sure to deposit Cyndaquil into his hood, as well. Then, making sure everyone was secured and ready, he climbed over the edge of the well and descended the rope ladder into its depths. The bottom was stone, and one side of the wall had collapsed outwards into darkness.

The only illumination was a faint bit of sun that peeked in from above.

"We need a light," Sam said. He had a flashlight in his backpack, but when he spoke, two Pokémon acted. Cyndaquil managed to conjure a single, shaky Will-O-Wisp that hovered by her side. As for Haunter, he used Hex. Purple flames levitated around the Ghost Type's body and revealed the surrounding area in a purple hue.

"That works," Sam said. Haunter cackled, and Cyndaquil breathed out, letting her Will-O-Wisp drop.

"You're showing improvement, at least. Your flame control is growing by leaps and bounds. You wouldn't be able to maintain a flame like that back in Goldenrod." She smiled. Mankey hopped off Sam's back as he grabbed his flashlight. It gave him a directed beam of yellow tinted light while everything else glowed in a ghost purple. Now able to see, he stepped forward, and he and his Pokémon entered a cavern just past the collapsed wall. Like the lake above, there was also a lake below.

Its waters were murky, and the ceiling was filled with stalactites. Constant drips filled the cavern with irregular, echoing noise. A path of rocky stones circled the edge of the lake, interrupted occasionally by streams that led to other rooms. Ledges and pure stone shores stretched out over and into the water every here and there, and they were all pink. Almost entirely pink. It was abundantly clear why this place was called Slowpoke Well.

"Keep your eyes peeled. Don't bother any of the Slowpoke, and try to locate that ghost." Haunter popped an eye out of his head and mimicked slicing through a grape. He laughed as he popped it back in. The entire group gaped at him.

"I didn't know you could do that," Sam whispered. Haunter shrugged with his floating hands and moved slightly away to better stay on guard. Alongside the constant dripping, the low moans of Slowpoke echoed at regular intervals. One would say its name, then another would say its name in a response several seconds later. That would start a wave of delayed name calling around the entire cavern that would last for minutes at a time. Then it was back to near silence afterwards.

The process repeated several times as Sam made his way around the lake.

"Few Zubat in here, too," he commented, watching their sleeping forms hang between the stalactites above.

"Thanks for the Hex, Haunter." The Ghost Type move's purple light didn't wake them, but Sam had a feeling that pointing his flashlight at them would. Following the edge of the room, Sam carefully maneuvered over uneven stones and across sections of wet, slippery rock smoothed out by both water and wild Pokémon. At several points, he had to climb over large boulders or blockades of sharp stalagmites, but Haunter could float, and Mankey could climb. Both of them were perfect assistants to help Sam get through.

I'd check the New Pokédex to see if I could figure out what other species could be found here, but I don't want to risk it. The air is too damp and would be horrible for its pages. I'm thankful Mom made sure I got a waterproof backpack.... Then again, most backpacks for sale in Dewford are waterproof. He checked where streams formed side caverns, and they were usually just small ponds that connected to the main lake.

Overall, the main cavern area was a few hundred feet across, with the side ponds being maybe ten or twenty feet across at most. Occasionally, Sam swore he saw something large swimming in the middle of the underground lake, but his flashlight wasn't quite strong enough to reveal it. He was at least pretty certain that the large shape was a Pokémon. It would be much more worrying, otherwise. It wasn't until Sam explored halfway around that he saw anything of note. Unfortunately, it wasn't the ghost he wanted.

Xavier stood at the edge of one of those side-room ponds, facing away and staring at its back wall. Sam would have moved on, not willing to risk assisting his competition, but there was something about this situation that was strange. Xavier wasn't moving. His gaze didn't leave the back wall. It looked as though his breaths were shallow, and he looked almost entirely motionless outside of them. Sam started to feel his heart pound in his chest. Don't tell me...

He silently crept over, wondering if bringing Xavier was a horrible mistake. Keeping each footstep quiet, Sam inched towards Xavier. The boy stared unblinking out over the dark waters. The light from Sam's flashlight merged with Xavier's own source of light, an electric lantern hooked to his belt that gave him an almost ethereal glow. Sam carefully raised a hand to place on Xavier's shoulder.

"Hello?" He put his hand down. Xavier quickly turned around. The two Pokémon Trainers both screamed out of fright.

"What was that for!" Xavier yelled, stumbling back and pointing accusingly.

"I thought—" Sam breathed in, clutching his chest.

"I thought you might have gotten possessed!"

"No!" Xavier scowled, but he was also breathing just as heavily from the shock Sam had given.

"I was keeping an eye on my Noctowl! She's scouting."

"... Oh." The owl Pokémon landed next to her trainer. Sam had completely forgotten that Noctowl could fly silently.

"It was just— You were standing so still," Sam hastily said. Xavier sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Whatever. Look there," he said, pointing with his hand. The room wasn't anywhere as large as the lake, but it was still larger than the other ponds, likely about fifty or sixty feet across. Only the faintest bit of light reached the far end, and Sam had to squint to make out whatever Xavier saw. Stalagmites grew out of the ground in a near-circle, and lumps branched off their tips to almost resemble coral.

It was a strange shape that somehow looked unnatural, yet it had clearly been formed without the influence of anything in this cavern.

"It looks like a King's Rock, doesn't it?" Xavier said.

"And I think that's suspicious. A King's Rock can be used to safely evolve a Slowpoke to a Slowking. Given our location..."

"I thought Slowpoke evolve through Shellder?" Sam asked. A flash of annoyance went through Xavier's eyes. He frowned, but he didn't look away from the strange formation of stone.

"Sometimes. Not always. Shellder can trigger the evolution, but Slowpoke can also evolve on their own. In that case, new shells grow from rapidly expanding bone, usually out of their tails. King's Rocks help make sure they grow in the proper shape and out of their heads, becoming Slowking in the process." Sam hated that image. He chose not to think about it. His gaze lingered on the King's Rock-like formation as well. However, as he stared, he soon realized something: He was having trouble pulling his gaze away.

There was some trait with the stone formation that made it almost magnetic. When he tried to bring his head to turn, he failed. The rocks consumed his vision, yet Xavier was too focused to notice. Sam grit his teeth. What suddenly stood out to him as well was how this room was completely silent, too.

"H-Haunter?" Sam called out.

"H-Help." A chill shot through his spine when a darkened hand was placed on his shoulder. When he turned, he breathed out in relief when he saw Haunter's usual grin.

"Thanks," he said before glancing at Xavier, doing his best to not even think about those strange rocks.

"Hey, what happens when you try to look away?"

"Nothing. I—" He paused.

"What's going on? Did you do this?" Sam grabbed Xavier's shoulder and yanked him back. The older boy looked annoyed, but his face also looked extraordinarily pale.

"I think the ghost is here," Sam said.

"It's not!" Xavier shouted.

"...'s no such thing. This is just a weird, natural... occurrence. Or maybe there's a Ghost Type around, not a real ghost."

"Remember what I said?" Sam asked. Xavier didn't reply. While unusual, this wasn't actually evidence. Occasional anomalies like this could be found across the world. Sam needed absolute proof that this was the domain of the ghost.

"Alright. Let's try to break that formation."

"What! No— Why?" Xavier hissed. Sam held a finger to his lips to shush Xavier. He didn't actually plan to break it, but he needed to verbalize that threat to see if it stirred a reaction. He had read that strategy in a book. There was no change in the room. It remained utterly silent, and the magnetism of the King's Rock formation remained. Sam waited a full minute before giving up.

"Guess I was wrong."

"Told you," Xavier said.

"Well, good luck finding it. There's still more to this place that needs to—" Sam paused when he turned back around. The smooth floor that had once connected this side room to the main cavern now came to an abrupt halt. A wall stood in place of the opening he had just passed through. He didn't wait. He ran forward. This has to be an illusion. It has to be! His hand impacted the wall—solid stone. He took several nervous steps back, until—"What's that?" Xavier asked.

Above the water's surface, mist started to drift up and coalesce. It initially looked like mist formed from a natural chill, but the rate at which it condensed was too much. Something was causing this, and a sudden drop in temperature made Sam rub his arms. He found his breath coming to him quickly. He was afraid. But he was also excited.

"Alright! Alright. There's a ghost with us here. And it didn't appreciate my comment. If we can't escape, then we're going to have to defend ourselves. So that means—" Haunter said something. Sam turned his head. Sorry Nurse Joy, but I think we're going to have to fight. The mist that hung over the lake changed. Now, within it was a pair of floating eyes. Whatever this ghost was, it was definitely here. And there was something about its narrowed gaze that told Sam it didn't intend to let them leave.