Pokémon Bloodstone | An Orre Fanfiction

Chapter 56: Missing

Camden waited impatiently for his call from 'uncle Wyatt.' Amber left her laptop on. When she returned from the bathroom, Camden had closed the video call app and opened everything else, but there were no missed calls.

'Gosh,' Amber said to Trip once they coaxed Camden to bed with Zubat's help, 'I know what she said was absolutely horrible, but... I really do think she regrets it. She was about to speak to him at The Bronze Bouffalant, you know. This all could've been resolved if he hadn't walked off...'

At least Trip's concussion had worn off. 'I know. He regrets that. He knows he was immature. So I'm starting to think this is a bit weird. He hasn't even texted.'

'Do you think we should check on him?'

'I'll go. You've been doing everything.'

'Are you sure? You are feeling better, right?'

Trip winked as he pulled on his jacket. 'Absolutely. I won't be here to hear Baby Carvanha at 3AM.'

Amber tutted. He kissed her and headed out. His Altaria flew him to The Under. The elevator rattled down to the lower level. Trip jogged to the futuristic block that was once Cipher's HQ. At the top, with views over the dirty streets and luminous subway station, were the apartments where the Admins and Lyndon once lived. He didn't want his apartment. He was happy to let it pass to Trip and Amber, although they rarely spent time there now he was at college. It was still comforting to know they had a home they could always return to.

There were two Abra and a Meditite in the lobby. One of the security guards played soccer with them. The other was asleep. He was hastily nudged awake by his colleague when he spotted Trip, but he wasn't worried. Wyatt lived there, after all.

Another Abra was asleep on Wyatt's Ralts-shaped doormat. Trip stepped around it to ring the doorbell. There was no answer. He knocked. The only response was an ear-splitting scratch, as if frantic nails scraped trails down the wall.

'Wyatt?'

Trip began to panic. Was he seriously sick? He unlocked the door to his own apartment to retrieve Wyatt's spare key. Letting himself in after midnight seemed invasive, but... his thoughts were abruptly interrupted by a blur of flying fur. The Espurr attached to his jacket shrieked.

'Whoa! Whoa, buddy! Chill! What's up? Where's Wyatt?'

It was apparently Espurr who sank its claws into the wall. Trip knew from Wyatt that the Espurr family didn't usually enjoy physical contact with anything but their Trainers, whether live creatures or inanimate objects. Was it ominous that Espurr made such a mess of the wall? Trip tentatively pulled open the bathroom door, in case Wyatt really did have food poisoning and was glued to the toilet, but there was only a family of rapidly multiplying Staryu in there.

The kitchen was full of Pokémon. Two Fennekin snoozed in the oven. A Wobbuffet wore an apron, but it wasn't trying to cook or even sneak in midnight snacks, as Wyatt complained they often did. All eight Spoink frantically bounced towards Trip. He didn't understand their grunts, but it hardly surprised him when he found the messy bed empty. He checked the wardrobe for good measure. That released an avalanche of frightened Exeggcute and Elgyem. They were so flustered, even Trip's Marowak struggled to understand them; but he gathered that there was indeed more to this than food poisoning or even avoiding Chalcedony.

A Kirlia led him to a kitchen cupboard. Trip tried to open it, but it was as if it was cemented shut. Marowak hooked its bone around the handle. The silver loop was ripped off with a chunk of wood, but the door refused to budge. Something inside whimpered.

'Hey! Don't make me destroy Wyatt's place to get you out!'

The door wasn't actually stuck. A strong Pokémon inside didn't want to be found, but at the thought of upsetting Wyatt more, it let the door float open. Trip knelt. He found Wyatt's Delphox; distraught, dishevelled and injured. Its head hung as if in shame. Trip didn't need Marowak to translate. Delphox was ashamed because it failed to protect its Trainer... but from what?

'Wyatt's definitely gone? Did he leave of his own accord?'

Delphox nodded. Then it shook its head.

'So someone took him?'

His distressed Pokémon nodded again. Trip couldn't find its Poké Ball. He didn't know which of those scattered across the living room floor belonged to which Pokémon.

'Delphox, I know you don't know who the people were, but do you think they were Cipher?'

One of the Ralts nodded before Delphox did. He asked when they came. Delphox picked up a clock. It pointed to four.

'4AM? Today?'

The answer was yes. Trip hesitated. His heart was hammering. He knew exactly why Cipher kidnapped Wyatt. His worst fear was realised. They somehow discovered he could see auras. It was Ein who, 41 years ago, ordered Miror B. – who ordered Folly and Trudly – to kidnap Rui for the same reason. They didn't intend to experiment on her or take her hostage. They intended to kill her. Wyatt wasn't torture or bargaining fodder. He was an obstacle in their way. They intended to kill him, too... if he wasn't already dead.

Think. Don't panic. Think. Think!

Though it was impossible not to panic. What did Trip do first? Ask to see the CCTV? No. There was no point. He knew Wyatt was at Gallego Labs.

If his body isn't already at the bottom of the chasm...

Delphox laid a paw on his shoulder. Its fur was disturbed by snaking trails of tears, but it wasn't yet resigned. Wyatt's Pokémon would sense if he was dead. That was why Espurr was desperately scratching for attention. He had to be alive. Whether it was a conscious decision, or one made in panic, Trip called Lyndon.

'Courtney? Is Dad there?'

'Asleep...'

Though Lyndon was such a light sleeper, even her hushed voice woke him. He took his P★DA.

'Trip?'

'I'm – in The Under right now... in Wyatt's apartment...'

'Oh, shit... I think I know where this is going.'

'They've taken him, Dad! It's only a matter of time until they kill him!'

'He texted me late last night, saying he had a bad feeling about Cipher going for the school... maybe they haven't kidnapped him because he can see auras. Maybe it's because he knows what they're up to. That would buy us some time...'

That morning, as Cameron prepared to battle his first challenger, Ein's prisoners were woken by scraping bars. A limp blur of jade and purple was thrown in the cell beside Peonia. Ruhul felt like his heart might burst from his chest. He would have recognised that distinctive jade mullet anywhere.

His own wounds were infected. Ein had no choice but to summon a doctor, because they still needed Ruhul to blame Theta's actions – past, present and future – on Chalcedony. There was no point in further torture. Both Ruhul and Peonia would die before they submitted to Cipher.

Ruhul tried to quietly call Wyatt's name while the guard used the bathroom, but he was still unconscious. His clothes were covered in Sleep Powder. Peonia peered through the bars to whisper.

'You know him?'

'My daughter's fiancé... ex-fiancé.'

'I guess they want him to talk shit about her, too...'

'That, or... he can see things they don't want him to see. Either way... I'm worried he won't be able to endure what we have... but maybe I've misjudged him. It wouldn't be the first time...'

The toilet flushed. They hastily resumed sitting aimlessly in their cells. Shortly after the guard resumed patrolling, Wyatt stirred. He wasn't one to explode about where he was. He only surveyed Ruhul with wide eyes that said he, too, knew he was there to die.