[journey] a big old wrecking ball

Regretting your choice of not bringing more pokémon, leads you to running into the red light filled corridor. One that feels smaller and tighter with every step that you take, the chilling scream being replaced by soft moans and whimpers. The red light trying to disorientate you as you run through it. The corridor veers off to the right, placing you in front of yet another big metal door. This one proves more difficult to open, as your first try seems unfruitful, you remember training from a long time ago. Bracing yourself, you turn the handle.



As if the room before you depressurized, steam rolls over your feet, yet it's not burning you. The door opens further on it's own, stopping just before the wall. As you look into the room, the sound of claws scraping over metal makes you flinch. A soft whimper follows as you hear the sound of electricity zapping something.

Stepping into the room, the automatic lights spring to life and before you stands a cage.



The creature inside the cage is looking at you with weary eyes, it seems to tired to stand up, but every time it moves you see a shock going through it. The cage is also way too small to hold a creature of this size, forcing it to lay down on the cold metal plate at the bottom of the cage.

The moment you assess the situation you're in, the creature trying to get away from you, its eyes hidden underneath the helmet. Still, it is clear to see that it's afraid. Claws scraping over the metal plates its laying on, making a horrid sound. A zapping sound followed by a whimper coming from the pokémon, as it lowers its head.

As you come closer, the pokémon makes at another attempt to create distance between you and it, giving it yet another shock.



While your words seem to reach it, they make little difference. You can see that for this pokémon, you and whoever it was that had been working on it, are one and the same. And you coming closer means one thing, that it would get hurt again. Making the shocks from the cage not even that bad, not in its mind at least.

Focussing your attention on the screens and computers around you, you try to figure out how to get this pokémon out of its confinement.



With the sounds that the machines are making and the amount of text on the computer screens, you can't determined a method to disable the cage. There are a lot of buttons, even more screens and not a single simple red one that screamed "DISABLE". There is not even a power cable coming from the cage, so that would be a dead end as well. What now?

The pokémon seems conflicted about your words. Unsure if you're trustworthy, yet it sees you trying to help it. Keeping its eyes on you while you walk around the complex, trying to figure out how to disable the electricity coursing through the cage. It does not dare to move, afraid to get shocked again.



In your frantic way of looking for a solution, you keep missing the thing that might actually help you. The multiple keyboards with strange buttons, screens on the walls and ceiling and all kinds of flashing lights are disorientating you, making it almost impossible to find what  you're looking for.

That is, until the pokémon decides to step in. Opening it's mouth to let out a horrible metallic scream, catching your attention and making your ears bleed at the same time. Focussing on the pokémon, you see it try to move towards the west side of the controls.



The controls you find yourself standing in front of is making any sense to you. Buttons flashing in multiple lights, names that say next to nothing to you. It's clearly not just a power off button, but it seems the Type: Null is keen on having you in this position.

You place your trust in the captive pokémon. Hoping that while being confined here, it had learned something about the controls for its cage. As you let your eyes go over the controls, disappointed that there wasn't just a simple off-switch, you look over at the pokémon.



While normally you're not sure about making a connection with a pokémon, this Type:Null seems to understand that you're trying to help it out, as it slowly inches as close to the edge of the cage as possible. Small shocks are trying to scare it off the edge, but it is ignoring it, determined to help you out this time. As it watches you going over the controls, it makes a small sound by a small handle. One easily missed if you're not looking for it. Just wide enough for your pinkie to fit through. It looks delicate, as if may it break, the pokémon would never be free again.

Are you sure about your choice? Do you put your faith in this pokémon and pull the small lever, with all consequences?

For a moment you wonder if it is a smart decision to place your trust in a trapped pokémon. And who are you kidding, making smart decisions was not never your forte. Placing your hand on the lever, the pokémon tries to stand up, only to get shocked back in its laying position.

Weighing your options, you decide to pull down the lever and see what happened.



For a moment, nothing happened. And as the seconds creep further, you're starting to think that nothing will happen. But the moment you reach out to the controls yet again, an electric spark makes you retract your hand. More electricity springs over the controls and you're forced to step back. From behind the big control table, smoke is starting to raise.



Survival instincts kicking in the moment the realisation is coming through and you dive deftly behind the cage with the pokémon. Covering your ears, the machine bellows one very high pitch, before all the lights fall out. You somehow expected a bigger explosion.

The electricity keeping the pokémon in place flickers and dies and the Type: Null stretches its legs. Now finally able to stand up, it towers over you, eyes visible behind the mask. Cautious it bends forward to inspect you better.

And that's the moment the machine does explode, pushing both you and the pokémon against the wall. it blew a hole in the wall it was mounted on, which might provide a way to the outside world. Because you do think that this explosion, has been heard by more people then just you.

Quickly checking yourself on injuries, before reassuring the pokémon, you decide to leave this place ones and for all. Unsure where the tunnel leads you, you take the gamble and take it anyway.

The amount of bends in the tunnel quickly makes you forget which way you were going. The lights are very dim, or none existent in  some parts of the tunnel and you have to look around you from time to see if the Type: Null was still following you.



Accelerating, you try to find a way out as quickly as possible. Only for you to almost slam face first in the massive body of your Metagross. The pokémon turns around to greet you with a humble sound, before stepping aside. The police had made quick work of apprehending the rest of the terrorist cell.



Now that you look around the room, you see that your Dragapult is slumped against the far back wall. It looks hurt, but not lethally so. It probably got into a fight with one of the people and tries to fight itself out of it, taking the brunt of it.

With all three pokémons in tow, you make your way out the same way you came in, only to find the police standing around the place you had started your journey from. They look at you sternly and one steppes up to you, ready to ask some serious questions.



The policeman is quickly stopped as your Mawile jumps past the man, stopping in front of you and making it very clear that the man wasn't allowed to come any closer. It seems that they still have questions for you, but the choice is yours if you're willing to answer those or try to sneak away now that you have your pokémons back.

The policeman looks at you, looks behind you to see the small army of pokémons that you have gathered. Only nodding, he grabs something akin to a tablet and a pen and deftly writes down what you tell him.

"Thank you for your corporation, we had been looking for him for a few weeks now, but had lost his scent. You helped us a great deal." He reached behind him to grab something, but at that moment he got called away. With an apologetic smile, the man leaves you be.

With the authorities busy with finding the man and his lackeys, they don't seem to care about you or the strange pokémon that is walking behind you. The Type: Null keeping close to you, as if it is unsure about everything else around it. It tries to sniff at your Mawile, but quickly retreats. You're now free to go where you want to go.

--

Your journey is hereby over. The terrorist cell gets disbanded and a few days later a news article describes that the leader had been found. Nobody mentioned the laboratorium in which you found the Type: Null. it is now yours for the keeping, maybe you can figure out its secrets.