Pedestal: Chapter 35

“I wouldn’t suggest letting her attack me,” the man told me, looking completely at ease despite the fact that the Froslass was working at freezing him to the chair. “You might want to stop her.”

“Why? It seems like I’m the one holding the cards now,” I replied with a bravado I really didn’t feel. Why was he so calm? Even I was nervous with the Froslass in the room, and she was kind of on my side.

“I still have a few of those cards of yours.” He tilted his head, staring at me through his bangs. When I didn’t reply, he elaborated, “Where are your Pokemon?”

“Wha--give them back! Where are they?!” I jumped to my feet and crossed the distance with too few steps, grabbing him by the collar of the shirt. The intimidation angle I’d been going for was lost, however, primarily because he was still as tall as I was, even sitting.

“I told you. They’re in the next room with my Pokemon, who are incidentally under orders to attack if I tell them to.”

“Tell them to? You can’t talk to them,” I growled, letting go of his shirt to stalk back over to my chair.

“I have a psychic Pokemon. Who happens to be listening in on this telepathically. The only reason nothing’s happened yet is because I told her not to do anything.”

I swallowed thickly. Froslass halted in making him an ice sculpture, looking at me. What did I do now? I thought I’d had the upper hand--but I really didn’t. I couldn’t take the chance that he was bluffing, because even if he was, my Pokemon had to be somewhere and that was still some place I didn’t know. “…Froslass, don’t freeze him to the chair. Come back over here.”

“Good job. You’re not a dumb kid, after all--”

“Shut up. Even if your Pokemon have mine cornered, I still have you cornered, remember?” I snapped with a glare. The Froslass sniffed and floated over to me, hovering between me and the door. I looked at her, suddenly realizing that she was a ghost. A ghost that could fly through walls, right? “Froslass! Go see if my Pokemon are somewhere nearby, and if they’re with any other Pokemon.”

She reluctantly left, floating through the nearest wall.

“Stupid move, kid.” With that, the man had me pinned against the wall, holding me several inches off the ground by my throat. I scrabbled at his arm, but he didn’t seem to mind. “Skittle, come in here with everyone.”

I had no idea who he was talking to, at least not until several Pokemon Teleported into the room. My first reaction was that it was Jacques--but no, that Pokemon was not a Gallade, though it looked alarmingly like one. (Well, minus the whole fighting angle and plus a dress.) The white-dressed Pokemon giggled, holding Ike in its arms and keeping Carlita floating, immobilized, in the air with a Psychic. Des was busy growling with a black canine with horns. I noticed that the Froslass was not with them.

“This kid has ceased to amuse me, and furthermore, Beaumanoir might be aware of our movements. We’re finishing this tonight and going back for the girl,” he told his Pokemon, picking me up and throwing me over his shoulder. “Skittle, keep the brat’s Pokemon immobile. We’re going to give them all a proper sendoff before going after the Beaumanoir girl again.”

“Hey! Wait--let me go!” I started kicking, as well I could, at least until I noticed the background had changed--we were outside now. Where, I had no idea, but outside. We had to have been pretty high up, because I could see a forest spread out below us. I was set back down, and for a moment, I was too astonished to try to run for it.

“Good, that Froslass didn’t come with us,” the man muttered, looking around. “Okay, here’s the deal, kid. If you survive, you’ll be too far away to do anything, especially without a bird or psychic. If you don’t, it’ll be months before anyone will find your body, and by then, it’ll be too late, anyway.”

I was forcefully turned around. Grass and flowers surrounded us, except for where the ground abruptly dropped off in front of us. The man pushed me forward, and I suddenly had an idea of what was going on now. I just hoped I was wrong.

“Wa-Wait, wait. What about my Pokemon?”

“Hey, I’m not a bad guy. Return them if you’d like.” He spread his arms wide. “I’d suggest you do.”

“But--”

“Here are their pokeballs.” He dug in his pocket and withdrew the three minimized balls. This was accompanied by another shove forward. I noticed that there was a wooden dock leading off into space in front of us. That’s where he was herding us. His psychic Pokemon moved Carlita and Ike towards the dock, while the black canine, still trading growls with Des and both of them dripping flames from their mouths, snapped at my Numel until he backed onto the wood, too.

“You’re going to kill us?” I asked shakily, digging my heels in even as I was pushed onto the dock as well.

“You could survive,” the man replied offhandedly. I reached towards the pokeballs (and one ultra ball), but he held them up out of reach. “I just want you out of the way while I take care of my business with Beaumanoir.”

“I-I’d stay out of your way,” I pleaded. I was forced back another few steps. My Pokemon and I were now halfway down the dock, cut off by the man and his two Pokemon. Where was Froslass when I actually really needed her?! Below us, far below us, there was water, barely visible through all of the fog. Even if we survived the fall, the water would surely drown us--especially Des…

“Let’s see how loyal of a trainer you are. You will be pushed off of this dock. Or you can jump.”

“Why would I jump?”

“Let’s see how loyal you are to your Pokemon,” the man repeated, and threw the pokeballs over our heads and off the dock. Horrified, I turned and followed their arc with my eyes, even as I was running forward, jumping over Des and Ike, trying to catch them.

I rapidly ran out of dock, however.

Behind me, I heard the man laughing--not cruelly, but genuinely laughing--as Carlita and Ike screeched. I was falling, though, too intent on catching up to the pokeballs to save Des with. My fingertips brushed one, and I managed to take it into my hand. Half-turning, I screamed, “Return!” Carlita disappeared in a beam of red light. I growled in frustration and tried to catch the other pokeball.

“Shii!” Ike yowled above me. I didn’t know what he was saying, since my translator had long since been confiscated. Frankly, Des was my priority, anyway.

I managed to latch onto the other pokeball and nearly sobbed in relief as I could finally return Des over my shoulder. I didn’t miss his look of worry as he vanished, however. Ike’s ultra ball was much easier to catch, since it wasn’t perfectly round and I could grab it more easily. I turned around back upward, holding out the ultra ball.

Then I hit the water.

-.-.-

I awoke to darkness, cold, and a shivering, wet, furry thing pressing against my face, repeating, “Shii! Shii!”

“Ugh… Ike?” I lifted my head, wincing as pain shot up through my arm. It hadn’t felt that bad since I had broken it… Now worried, I carefully sat up, breath catching as I realized how much I hurt. Ike crawled into my lap, soaked and walking with a severe limp. He mewled pathetically, looking nothing like the monster I had met just a sparse few days ago.

“Shii shinx shinx!” he cried, trying to burrow his way into my shirt. I picked him up as best I could with one hand, alarmed at how cold he was.

“Don’t worry, Ike,” I told him, putting him in my shirt even though I was probably as cold and wet as he was. I didn’t know why I told him not to worry, though. I didn’t know where we were, how much time had elapsed since we fell, or how we were supposed to get back to civilization. “Wh-Where’s…?” Of course I didn’t see Des or Carlita; I had managed to return them in time. I had almost saved Ike, too, but I just wasn’t fast enough. I looked around me for the two pokeballs. At least Des could start a fire to dry us off…

They were no where in sight. Not even Ike’s ultra ball. I cringed as I clambered to my feet, still looking around for my other two Pokemon. Of course they were lost; it couldn’t be easy for me to do anything, not with my luck.

Thunder rumbled overhead, the only warning before the downpour started.

“Of course,” I snarled, holding my good arm over my head.

“Shinx shii,” Ike muttered angrily.

“Yeah, but let’s try to get out of the rain first,” I replied without having a clue as to what he’d just said. Okay, plan of action. First: find a shelter of some sort. Second: find Des and Carlita. Third: get out of there. I had no hope of catching back up with Cossette or her parents before that mercenary did. They would have to deal on their own while I did the same.

I squinted through the rain. There wasn’t much shore, and what there was, was rocky and flat. A sheer wall rose up in front of us, back up to where I assumed we had been before our little swim. Where was I? Still, there had to be an outcropping or a cave or something somewhere… What would happen if we didn’t find one didn’t even cross my mind. We simply had to find one, and that was it.

“Shii!” Ike piped up, wiggling in my shirt, pointing out into the rain. I could only make out a hazy dark patch on the rock wall that could have been a cave. Better than nothing. I picked my way carefully through the rocks and half-dead patches of grass, losing a soggy shoe in the process. I ignored the loss and stumbled the rest of the way to the could-be cave, which, miraculously, turned out to be just that: a cave.

At least, I thought it was, until we ran in and came across smooth, cut stones for a floor, a dim pillar in the middle of the room, and thick fog blurring everything else.

“This… This isn’t a cave, Ike,” I whispered, backing up towards the outside world again. The air felt stale and heavy and humid. The last could be blamed on the mist, but there was something else that made everything seem… off. Very off.

Outside, thunder rumbled, its lightning briefly illuminating a bit of the temple-like inside. Ike’s tail frizzed up and I could feel him wiggling in my shirt. I felt like doing the same. There were figures, shadows, in the fog, towards the other side of the room, moving slowly and silently.

As the lightning’s glare faded, one of the figures turned towards me with a single, bright red dot of light.

“Come here, child. Come over here.” Contrary to its dark appearance--that is, before it vanished with the darkness and fog in the room--its voice was soothing and airy. It was also completely persuasive and possessive. “Come here, child,” the voice repeated softly, and I could practically see the hand attached to it beckoning.

I was halfway to the pillar in the middle of the room before I noticed I had moved.

I was dimly aware that Ike was saying something, but the more he spoke, the fainter his voice got. I could hardly hear him as I walked blindly through the fog towards the kind voice. “We’re lost,” I called out, just so I could hear the voice again. “We’re lost, and hurt, and I can’t find anyone to help us…”

“You poor thing. Come here, and I’ll help you,” the voice said sympathetically, directly ahead of me. I could vaguely make out a figure in the fog, and I broke into a stumbling run. Help! Finally! We could get out of this crazy place, get somewhere safe again, find Des and Carlita…

Ike was screeching and yowling in my shirt, but I didn’t hear him. I was concentrated solely on the voice and the help it offered.

Finally, I could see a solid shape with soft, large, oh so helpful hands reaching out towards me. I broke into a run, arms outstretched as best as I could. The voice’s owner offered safety and comfort and something that reminded me irresistibly of my mom. I was cold, wet, lost, hurt, and wanted nothing more than the voice and the sanctuary in its words.

“You poor thing, I’ll help you,” the voice murmured, wrapping its arms around me as I jumped into its waiting embrace.

Ike chomped down on the space between my neck and shoulder. The pain was as if a light had been turned on; I could see everything in annoyingly clear clarity. And it just so happened that I was currently in the grey arms of something whose fingers were slowly wrapping around my upper arms to keep me still. I tried to jump back, and instead ended up merely staring up into a single red eye.