Sun & Moon: Rebellion (Sun x Lillie Fanfiction)

Chapter 30 - Rose

"Mmngh..."

I find myself staring at a metal floor as my eyes gradually fall open. Surrounding me is a cacophony of murmured discussion and laughter as I blink the fuzziness out of my vision. Where am I? I try to reach up to rub my face, only to feel my wrists catch on something. I yank them again, managing to glance up and twist my stiff neck around. As I gradually come back to my senses, I realise that I'm tied to a chair.

I groan out a quiet, pained breath, my muscles aching from being stuck in this cramped position. The last thing I remember is... battling Jun, Rose coming in... right, sleep powder. But how long have I been out for? Where's my bag, my Pokémon? Where's Lillie?

My head whips up. The vast room surrounding me is crammed full of people; the Team Skull grunts, each of them wearing the same black, Team Skull tank top paired with a vibrant and unnatural hair colour, are all chatting and laughing with each other. The place is full of stuff, too: several computer desks covered with screens and monitors, worn-out sofas with grunts piled onto them, tables littered with half-eaten snacks. More grunts are sat on some of the many stolen crates that are stacked up in every corner of the space, most of these crates bearing the logo of the Aether Foundation.

Most notably though is the large, white machine sitting in the middle of the room, connected by a sprawling mess of wires. All I can make out about it from here are the several small warning labels attached to it along with the unmistakeable Aether Foundation insignia. This must be the main room of the hideout.

I glance around the messy area, taking the chance to absorb as many details as I can. The room opens out into a corridor behind me which spans across the hideout. To my right, it leads back to what appears to be the lobby area where I battled Jun. There's another door adjacent to it, which is left ajar just enough for me to see a kitchen area behind it. Next to it leans a large grunt, nonchalantly pulling handfuls of popcorn out of a cardboard bucket and munching on it.

My eyes turn to the opposite end of the corridor. I can't see exactly where it leads from here, but there are a couple of doors on the way - bedrooms, it looks like. No way is there enough space in this hideout for everyone to have their own rooms, so I'd guess that there are a couple of rooms crammed with bunkbeds to house all the grunts. Maybe the admins are special enough to have rooms to themselves.

Leaning against a rocky wall in the corner of the room by herself is Rose. She has her slim arms crossed, and she glances up as she notices me looking around the place. Her lips curl upwards into a grin.

"Ohh, hey there sleeping beauty! Welcome back!"

The place goes silent. All eyes in the room suddenly turn to me. Kane, who previously had his back turned while he was talking to Jun, turns around to face me.

The Team Skull boss folds his arms and smirks widely. "So, here ya are at last," he growls. "Thanks a bunch for coming straight to me, hah!"

The gang of grunts around the room break out into laughter, many of them pointing at me and jeering.

"Ain't so tough now are ya, Champ?" one of them shouts.

A strained breath forces its way past my teeth as I struggle slightly against the rope tying me to the chair. My focused eyes dart around the room, paying no attention to the grunts.

Kane raises one of his fists, signalling for his team to quiet down. As they go back to mumbling to each other, the cocky, red-haired boss steps toward me. "I gotta say, I'm impressed. That sleep powder knocked you out good! You were out cold for somethin' like an hour!" he cackles.

I scowl at him. "What the hell'd you do with Lillie?"

Kane lifts his head back and lets out a single laugh. "Always thinking about that precious girl of yours, huh?"