The Professor's Secret

16. A Brave Attempt

We took a boat to Coumarine City, and that's where we traced our way into trouble.

The trip there, however short, turned out to be extremely enjoyable – the sea breeze inspiring only smiles as the soft waves rocked our way through the foam; the collective gasps as shoals of Pokémon passed us by, skipping out of the water and dancing in the air before us; and the sweet sky blending with the ocean and stretching infinitely ahead in different hues of blue, all of it taking turns in mesmerizing us as the sun rolled high above. No one in that boat cared that I won the ring instead of Calem, no one eyed me like I didn't deserve it, or like he deserved it better... Heck, it seems no one even knew those insecurities were there.

And they were just starting to ease – the insecurities – Slowly starting to relax themselves upon the soothing net of safety, allowing me to enjoy the ride.

I felt my feet firm on a ground that no longer wandered away, especially after winning my forth badge from Ramos, Coumarine's gym leader and his plant-type Pokémon. The battle was easy – Charmeleon was my key ally there. By the end of it, when a sturdy Gogoat couldn't take no more, Charmeleon's body emitted a warm glow, and thus he evolved into Charizard. My first thought upon beholding what that little frightened Charmender turned into was that the exterior finally matched the interior: Charizard was now a big, sullen, angry-looking beast, who still enjoyed the occasional pat on the head, and though he seemed quieter than ever, his eyes seemed to shine every time I talked to him, as if he really liked to listen!

Calem's reassurance was right there again – his hand weighing on my shoulder, cheering me on with a mild smile... And gently pulling me behind so he would have his own chance. With Pokéball in hand and a grin on his face, Calem looked confidently amused as he challenged Ramos.

...Confident or not, however, he didn't get to finish the battle – an overly-excited Shauna climbed all the way to our position, followed by the gatekeeper - who had been trying to stop her but failed horribly in so much as reaching her. She was frantic: An operator had stumbled against them outside, and collapsed after a choked request for help. He faintly explained he had been held hostage inside the Power Plant, along with all the rest of the staff there, and through a hard struggle managed to escape the low-based claws of no one other than Team Flare.

Calem looked at me, alarmed.

"Wasn't there a report on Lumiose town running out of power last night?"

"Precisely last night..." I reasoned, putting things together.

"Let's go, neighbor!!" He pulled me urgently.

Calem's courage dragged mine right out of that gym, with not even time for considering anything else – like the fact that I had promised the Professor I wouldn't go near Team Flare.

Before I knew it, I was there – we had run the entire way –, a vast desert land with the sand rising overhead when an occasional wind flew by. That was, as a matter of fact, the only thing we could hear: the wind.

"It's awfully quiet here..." Calem whispered.

I placed my hands on my knees, catching my breath.

"There's the entrance..." he pointed, and we followed carefully.

The door clicked open without any struggle – which was odd, for it had an electronic lock.

"No signs of a forced entry... But the lock has been deactivated!" He commented.

"Maybe they're gone?!" I speculated as we went inside – the door automatically locked behind us, and we were left in the dark. And though it was too dark to see, my ears led me to the same theory as, again, nothing could be heard anywhere around us.