Sun & Moon: Rebellion (Sun x Lillie Fanfiction)

Chapter 26 - Uninvited Guests

Lillie, Lusamine and I - along with all of the other Aether employees on this level - all continue to stand frozen, glancing around as the alarms and crashes from below echo throughout the building. As I grip Feathers' Poké Ball in one hand, I feel Lillie's soft hand nervously take hold of my other. At last, a muffled voice echoes out across the facility from unseen loudspeakers - not a boring, automated voice, but the voice of a woman.
"Security incident reported at the docking bays. Security to the docking bays, please."

As the staff and visitors around us start to move, Lillie's the first to gather herself and speak up.
"Well, what are we waiting for? We need to get down there!"
Lusamine nods as the three of us make a start back towards the elevator.
"Yes, I need to know what's-"
The Foundation's president cuts her sentence short as the elevator platform comes to a swift stop at our level just before we reach it - carrying four unmistakeable figures dressed in loose black attire, each with a different vibrant hair colour. I knew it.

Before the railings around the elevator platform even lower, two of the four grunts jump straight over it before bolting down the corridor in the opposite direction, a couple of Aether workers shouting before taking off in pursuit of them. The other two grunts run off the elevator, confronting us.
"Yo yo, knock knock! What's up, Pres?"
The second grunt turns to notice Lillie and I. A scowl crosses his face, harsh and stark even though hidden behind a black bandana.
"You two again, too?!"
Lusamine stares coldly back at the two scoundrels, promptly retrieving one of her Poké Balls and holding it at her side. The first grunt laughs, cracking his knuckles and stepping forward with a Poké Ball in hand.
"Ohoho, it's a fight then, eh?"
The two grunts approach Lusamine, another crash from beneath us capturing my attention; but Lillie's mother stands her ground, unperturbed.
"I won't let you bring harm to the people or Pokémon here," she says firmly. She glances across at her daughter. "Join me, Lillie. Let's battle them together."
A small, reassured smile perks up on Lillie's face.
"Right!"

I watch as the mother and daughter position themselves opposite to the grunts and send out their Pokémon, Lusamine's Lilligant and Lillie's Ninetales landing on the ground in near-perfect unison. With the Team Skull agents occupied, I recognise my opportunity.
"I'm going to take care of things downstairs," I insist. Lillie nods.
"I'll try and meet you down there once everything's taken care of up here."
I make a start on running toward the main elevator but come to a quick stop and turn back to Lillie, pulling a Poké Ball out of my bag.
"Lil, catch!"
My girlfriend turns her focus back to me in the midst of battle, flinching slightly in surprise before catching the Poké Ball in her hands. Her attention returns to her battle momentarily.
"Oh, Ninetales, use Ice Beam on that Honchkrow!" She commands, before glancing down at the Poké Ball in her hands and then back at me. "Who's this?"
"Ember."
"Why are you giving me Ember?"
"Dunno how bad this attack is. If you need to get out of here fast, Ember's got you covered."
Lillie glances at her battle, and then back at me. "And what about you? How will you get out?"
I shrug, jogging onto the elevator platform. Pressing the button to go down to the docks, I smile at Lillie.
"Don't worry, I can swim."
Lillie sighs as the barrier railings around the elevator pop up and I'm taken down to the docks of Aether Paradise.

Seconds later, the platform decelerates and comes to a stop. I step off and glance around the scene across the docks and neighbouring cargo bays; the first thing I notice is the small crowd of Aether employees and Team Skull grunts ahead, and the second thing is the two jet-black speedboats that look to be hastily docked at the facility. The vessels are all too familiar to me - especially after my experience in pursuing one the other day. As I walk toward the crowd ahead, I consider the numbers that I'm dealing with here; two boats of that size can carry... maybe five or six grunts each, at max. That means that there could be between ten to twelve operatives here in total. Four of them went upstairs, two of them are ahead... damn, that could mean that there are still a few more around. But if they aren't elsewhere in the cargo bays, that can only mean that there are some down in the labs...