Pokemon Heroes: Sinnoh Saga [Book 1]

Chapter 82: Back to Lake Acuity, Too Late!

"The bad feeling Alyssandra and I had during our trip to Snowpoint proved to be true. The attack on the fortress by the banks of Lake Acuity had already long started. From what we found; it had ended not long before we arrived. Even if we had shown up, I doubt it would have mattered. We wouldn't have made much of a difference, we might have been able to save a few more people, but...that was about all we could have done. It was a resounding defeat however, and we didn't have time to lick our wounds, because there was a simultaneous attack on Lake Verity at the time, and we needed to rush there immediately."

Everyone pushed forward at a break-neck pace. Lucario had reported nothing back from his siblings at either Lake in hours.

The smoke visible on the horizon didn't help things.

Lucario couldn't see anything in the area of the fort, or in Lake Verity. Something was interrupting the Aura Network in the area.

It was just a giant, blurry, blind spot to him.

Lucario had rushed on ahead not too long ago, meanwhile, Alyssandra, Candice, Maylene and those in Snowpoint who owned Rapidash charged forward towards the fort.

The smoke had become thicker the closer they caught, hanging low in the trees, making it hard to see or breathe.

Things were on fire.

The palisades were likely burning, and the tents. It smelled of burning wood and plastic, and those were the only things in the area that would produce that smell—the forest didn't seem to be burning itself.

Just minutes from the fortress, Sam was halted by Lucario who appeared with a grim look on his face.

They could see the fortress up on the hill, on fire, burning like a beacon in the dusk.

Candice organized a water brigade to help douse the flames and search the fortress for survivors.

Sam grimly surveyed the area.

Dozens of smashed or abandoned, Spiritum coated vehicles lay burning or broken in the snow.

The cavern in the middle of the lake seemed to have been cracked open by a massive drill.

Sam could see an abandoned submarine on the shores with a wide-open door. It too was on fire, burning, and looked as if it had recently taken damage to the fuel tank as the sides were blown out.

"What happened here?" Sam asked Lucario, "Where is everyone?"

Lucario shook his head. "The Spiritum instruments were interrupting my ability to see the area. I searched myself...there is no sign of life."

"Are they?" demanded Alyssandra, fearing for the worst.

Lucario shook his head. "No life, because no one is here. No life, no death. They were either captured, or they escaped."

"Any signs of escape and to where?" asked Sam.

Lucario looked back at the battlefield. "I'll have to search more closely," he explained, "There are many footprints, many from the battle. I'll have to track each one individually."

"Do it, please," asked Sam, "We need to make sure everyone is alive and safe."

Sam looked over at Alyssandra.

She looked sick to her stomach; worried for everyone they had left here at the fortress.

"Lyss, are you okay?" asked Sam.

She just shook her head. "I knew it. I knew something bad would happen."

Sam sighed. "So, did I, to be honest. But...there was nothing we could have done. We had to get back up."