Chp 19: Rescue

	"Was beginning to think you pussed out." Tiff said.

	"Nope. Let's do this. But do you know where we're going?" Seth said.

	"Of course." 

	"And do you mind explaining how?"

	"Fine. You've come this fuckin' far." She sighed then took a deep breath. "A long time ago, my scumbag trainer dumped me here at the daycare and never came back. Bastard made it big too. Then I started working here, and caught those assholes stealing pokeballs, likely with pokemon in them. Ever since, I've been trying to hunt them down. I tracked them to a warehouse in Veilstone, but it was well guarded." 

	"Great." He mumbled.

+++

	It didn't take very long for them to get through the tunnel. They came out into fresh air, just shy of the southern Veilstone entrance. They began north, Tiff guiding the way. 

	"So why aren't you a pokemon now? And what are you really? A zoroark?"

	"Huh? Oh, it's less suspicious for pokemon to be walking around alongside a trainer. And I'm uh..." Seth said.

	"He's a lucario. It's a trick we do by combining our abilities." Sky explained, expertly lying. 

	"Fancy." They were in a maze of warehouse buildings, near the port. Tiff growled as she looked at the numbers. "This is the one." The doors were huge, locked with a chain. She drew in a large breath, her chest puffing up.

	"Woah, woah!" Seth said, stopping her. "Let's take this slow and smooth."

	"I don't like that crap. I'm just gonna bust the door down and kick ass." She said.

	"Just hold on. You're just going to get us all shot." 

	"Then the cops'll come." 

	"Hah... We're going to find a way in, you wait here. If anything happens you can bust in." 

	She glared at him, but seemingly accepted it, as she leaned against the wall. "Make it quick." 

	Seth and Sky walked around the corner, going into an alley. The place seemed abandoned. No sound came from inside, and no one was around outside. Seth stopped to turn lucario, and scanned the building with aura. "What the..." He waited a second to double check. "There are only two people inside." 

	"Only two? Maybe..." She thought aloud, trailing off. She followed as Seth began to walk around the building. 

	They stopped in the other alley. "I think the windows are our best bet. If one's unlocked... But they're too small for me, unless there's a skylight."

	"May I?" Sky asked. 

	"Sure, go ahead, as long as it's quiet."

	She got closer to the brick wall, pressing her gem against it. A glow emitted from the wall, before it faded. "There, carefully hit it."

	Seth got closer and gave it a tap, then hit it a bit harder. The bricks pushed in, making some noise, but not much, as they barely fell a foot. There was a small hole left, enough for Sky to crawl in. 

	"I used psychic on the mortar." 

	"Clever." He said, turning human again. He then shrank down into an umbreon and slipped through, before turning human then lucario again. They were now inside. 

	The warehouse was surprisingly empty. There were a few small crates around, no more than five. The place was dark and gloomy, the dusted windows providing little light, and giving them a cover of darkness. In the center of the place were two men, sitting on stools and playing cards on a box. There was a single skylight above them, provided the most light in the large open building. If they looked this way, they may have spotted them, but they weren't paying much attention. As Seth tried to come up with a plan, there was a creaking and clanging, as the door was unlocked and opened. 

	Three burly men came in. "Hey! Get off your asses and help. We're almost done." They grabbed a box next to the door and left. 

	"Fine..." One of the men sitting down said. Seth recognized his voice as one of the men from the tunnel. They put down their cards and got up. They used a hand truck to pick up another box, wheeling it out and closing the door behind them. They left their two guns behind, a shotgun and a rifle.

	Now Seth and Sky were alone. He came out of the shadows and walked over to one of the three crates left behind. He ripped the top open and looked in at the contents. "It's full of-"  

	"SURPRISE BITCHES!" Tiff roared. With a colossal crash, the flame cloaked badger pokemon burst through the rear wall. She raised her head and breathed a stream of fire into the air. 

	"Hey, chill out!" Seth called, trying to avoid being doused in flame. 

	She stopped and looked around. "Where is everybody?"

	"They left. But they'll be back. This is more important though. These crates are full of pokeballs."

	"Lemme see." She growled, coming over and looking in. "No way. These are way too many. They didn't steal this many from the daycare."

	"Where did they get them then?" Seth asked.

	"We can figure that out later." Sky said. "We need to get them out of here, fast." 

	"Agreed, but what about all the ones they already moved?" 

	"You figure it out." Tiff ordered. She hefted up a box and began to carry it out the hole she made. The crates were not that heavy, and Sky picked up the other two, though the wood creaked a bit. Meanwhile, Seth ran outside. He sprinted for the water, and looked out.

	There were a few ships in harbor, but the smallest, and closest, was loaded with wooden crates. About twenty or so based on glances. Seth tried to look for a license plate, or anything to identify it, but he couldn't see one. Instead, he felt the riders with aura. However, that was equally ineffective. There was nothing unique about anyone on board that he could sense. "Damn." He turned away from the water and began to head back, making sure to avoid a direct path. 

	He was able to use aura to track down Sky. They had made a lot of distance, and were now hiding out. 

	"So what now?" Sky asked. "We can't just carry these through town." 

	"First..." Seth said. He reached into the open box and took out a ball. He opened it, releasing the pokemon inside. A bibarel materialized.

	"Human?" He asked, looking around. "Where human?" 

	"They're gone." Seth said. "Where did you come from?"

	"I captured in woods. In home."

	"So he's wild... That's not good." Sky said.

	"Or captured and then stolen immediately. We'll work this out, don't worry." Seth told the pokemon, before recalling him and putting his ball back. 

	"So what are we gonna do with these?" Tiff huffed. 

	"I'll call the cops, and they'll make sure the pokemon get back to where ever." 

	Seth turned human again and took out his pokedex. After a quick internet search, he called the Veilstone police. After they picked up, he was silent for a moment... How should he approach this? The truth? Tell them where and run? 

	"Hello?" The woman on the other end asked. "Is anyone there?" 

	"Uh, yes. This is gonna sound crazy, but I rescued a bunch of stolen pokemon. I'm hiding out next to warehouse... 28." He said. "Hurry and send someone over. The kidnappers are still around." 

	"They're on their way." She said. 

	He hung up and put his dex away. "Alright, we just have to sit tight and keep an eye out." 

	They sat there... and sat there... and still sat there. Nothing was happening. Eventually, after a torturously tense wait, a police car pulled up. Two men got out and Seth came out to greet them. 

	"I found three boxes full of pokeballs." 

	"And where did you find them?" 

	"I'll show you." Seth said. 

	"And I'll wait here." The other officer said. 

	Seth led the way back to the original warehouse, to the hole Tiff had made. "Careful, they have guns." He warned.

	The officer checked around the corner. "It's empty." He walked in, and Seth followed behind. The firearms were gone, but the table and chairs were still there, as were the cards. "Okay, we're gonna have to ask you to come to the station." 

	"What? Why?" Seth asked.

	"We need to get the full story, Seth. I saw your match against Maylene, and then I saw you on trainer spotlight, so I'm going to assume you're on the up and up. You'll be free to go most likely."

	"Oh, alright." He felt a little wierd having some stranger know who he was. 

	"So Tiff here told me about pokemon being stolen from the daycare, and with her help, we found the place where they were being held." Seth explained in the police station, he, Sky, Tiff and an officer were in the stereotypical interrogation room. 

	"Can you talk to pokemon?" The policewoman asked. 

	"Not like you think. Sky, my espeon, acts as a translator with her telepathy. It only works on me because of our bond though." He lied. "Anyways, we snuck in when they left and took as many pokemon out as we could. We didn't get them all though. They took a bunch of them away on a boat." 

	"Any ideas on their identities? We haven't had any criminal organizations in Sinnoh for almost four years now. And this hardly seems like an isolated group."

	"Nothing." Seth shook his head. "Sorry."

	"It's alright. You did everything you could. You're free to go now. We'll make sure all the pokemon get back to their rightful place." 

	Seth thanked them and took his leave, heading back for the tunnel to Solaceon.

	Everything was fine until they entered the Solaceon ruins again. A few moments after they left the rocky tunnel and entered the ancient ruins, Seth was swarmed by letter shaped pokemon. They flew around him in a spiral, forcing Sky and Tiff away from him. 

	"Hey, get offa him!" Tiff ordered. 

	They did not, and began to swirl faster. Before Seth could do anything, a trio of them floated down. They were holding an object between them. Seth cautiously reached out and took it. The moment it was in his hands, they scattered. "What the hell..." Seth muttered. 

	It is no longer safe here. Take it.

	"Hello?" Seth called out. "What is this thing?" 

	"That was odd." Sky said. She came back closer and took a closer look at the object Seth was holding. It was clear, resembling broken glass, and was an abstract three dimensional shape. 

	"Huh..." Seth said. He put it in his pocket for now. "Oh well." They continued on, emerging back in Solaceon town. 

	"Well, I'm headin' back for the daycare." Tiff said. "I uh... Thanks." She said. Seth saw the faintest blush begin to form, as she turned away, going onto all fours and sprinting away.

	"Anyways, I hope Soul didn't get into too much trouble." Seth said as they went back into the pokemon center. 

	"Actually, I noticed this center has a pool, so I think I'll take a dip."

	"Go ahead. I'll be here." He said. They were right outside their room now. She trotted away while he opened the door and stepped inside. He saw that the bed was empty and immediately got worried. "Soul?" He asked. The TV was off so-

	"Busy, leave a message." She said from inside the bathroom. 

	He sighed in relief and stripped before getting in bed. He took the piece from his discarded pants and looked at it closer, and in better light. While it looked like a piece of glass, it felt... off. And one side of it was smooth, as if it was broken out of a large sphere. The bathroom door creaked open, and he sat it on the nightstand. 

	"Well hello there." The woman who stepped around the corner said. She had long silvery hair and piercing red eyes. Down her side, there were several stitches, and one big cluster. Her finger nails were painted blue. The startling part was that she was human. 

	"Oh shit, I'm sorry, am I in the wrong room?!" He blabbered covering himself. His embarrassment was compounded by her own nudity.

	"Not at all." She smiled, sauntering closer, with wide swaying hips. "You're in the perfect place." She got onto the bed, predatorily stalking towards him.

	"Wait a minute..." Seth said, recognizing way too much about her. "SOUL?!" 

	"Bingo." She winked. "Took you long enough." She was now sitting on his lap. 

	"But what the hell happened to you?! How are you... human?" 

	"My guess was the blood transfusion. I got bored while you were gone, and... this happened." She ran her hands down her hourglass body. As unrealistic as her proportions, she had them. Before Seth could ask where her organs were, she said, "You know what's better though?" Her body bristled in a very familiar way, as a white coat puffed out from her skin. A small horn curved out from her head, and other than the fur, she looked human, just like his anthro form. 

	"Okay, cool." He said. "I know exactly what you're planning, and no. Doctor's orders." 

	"Aw c'mon!" She groaned very unsexily. "I feel fine!" 

	"Some other time." 

	She mumbled some complaint and rolled off of him, leaving the tent in his underwear hanging. She reached over, grabbing the remote and turning the TV on, while cuddling into his side. "Hands are fucking awesome." She said.

	A short time later there was a scratching at the door. Seth got up, letting Sky in. 

	"That was... What the-" She said as she came in.

	"Heyo." Soul waved. 

	"Is that really you?" Sky asked. 

	"Yep." 

	"How the hell did you do that?"

	"It's kinda like mega evolving... uhhh... I don't know how else to describe it."

	"I got that one." Seth said, getting back into bed. "Mega evolving is like an extreme build up of emotion that leads to change, but transforming is the other way around. The change is the spark, you focus on that, then the emotion behind it causes it to happen. It sounds complex, but it gets easier the more you do it." 

	"Yeah, what he said. I've been turning back and forth all day." 

	Sky closed her eyes and her face scrunched up in focus. She eventually relented. "I don't feel anything." She said sadly and hopped onto the bed. 

	Seth reached down and grabbed her, cuddling her close. "You're fine just the way you are." She smiled and rubbed her head into his neck. 

	"So how did your mission go?"