It's going to be easy.

Just like the games I used to play, get in and take down the evil monsters, obtain the key item and save the day.

I kept telling myself how easy it was going to be but as the clock on my Pokédex kept ticking my nerves tried to kill me.

Because this was not like the games. I don't have an HP bar and there was no respawn button. The consequences of my actions would last and even a simple attack like Tackle could kill me if I were unlucky enough.

The only thing I could trust was my knife and gun.

And of course, my loyal Ralts who kept giving me weird looks.

It's not that I didn’t trust Chelsea or Barry but I would pick a knife over the magic of friendship every single day.

Fay was still unconscious so there was no help there, and even if she wasn't I wouldn't be able to trust her during a life or death situation.

Situations like this reminded me how much of an outcast I was in this world, after all, if I died now only a handful of people would remember me and even less would actually care.

Not that it was a change from my old universe but dying here was a lot easier.

But that was part of the reason I agreed to Looker's request after all.

Sure I had a lot of rational reasons to help but also an irrational and rather childish reason.

The need to become a hero.

I did promise Luna we would become legends in this world and I was still aiming to become one. The best trainer there ever was and ever would be.

Was it wrong to want such a thing?

"So," Chelsea said, clearly getting bored. "Are you going to kill someone? You're holding the knife like you are planning to."

I raised an eyebrow, "Seriously?"

"Why not?" Chelsea said sarcastically, "They're probably going to get a kill order anyway, performing illegal Pokémon experiments is definitely punishable with death."

It sounded like she wasn't clear on the subject herself but was just laying out the facts, hoping someone else would point her in the right direction.

"Again, seriously?"

"It is," Barry cut in, "I read about it, after the disappearing island incident in Kanto the League agreed they don't ever want a repeat of that."

"Huh, never heard about that, what's the full story?" Chelsea asked.

"Well uh, I never read the full story, only the headline," Barry admitted, looking a bit embarrassed.

"Anyway, let's not try to kill someone regardless of legality," I told the two of them.

Chelsea gave me a questioning look, like she hadn't expected me to say that but Barry nodded in acceptance. "Because it's wrong to kill," Barry said.

"Not per se, if you have to choose between your own life and someone else's you should do everything you can to keep yourself alive."

"Got it, Captain." Chelsea gave me a salute.

"But besides that, don't kill. After all, those who kill should prepare to be killed."

"You said that at the hospital too, what does that even mean?" Chelsea asked.

Before I could explain my Pokédex gave off a ping sound. Pokédex Lady shared the message out loud.

"In position, get ready to send in the gas, Looker."

"Ready Luna?" I asked her for the umpteenth time.

She gave me a smug smile and tossed one of the grenades up and down in her hand.

"Are you two ready too?" I asked Chelsea and Barry.

They gave me a nod.

Barry had his Staravia on standby, ready to engage in battle. Same for Chelsea's Haunter. Our three Pokémon together would make a powerful combination.

All three had a Mover rating, one could teleport, one could fly and Haunter could phase through walls and floors.

The Pokédex pinged again, and a simple message was displayed.

Luna disappeared with a white flash.

20 painful seconds later she appeared, no longer holding the two gas grenades.

{Done.}

Now it was hoping they were as good as Looker had promised.

Through the window I couldn't see anything but it was dark anyway so that was not a surprise.

I clenched my weapons and waited a full minute in complete silence. All the while I considered possible scenarios in my head, things that could go wrong and things we might not account for.

"90 seconds have passed." The mechanical voice said.

"Welp, break a leg," I said as I pocketed the Pokédex.

A weird pulling sensation came over me and I felt myself being moved without actually moving.

Luna smiled and the world around us disappeared.

Not even a full second later I stood in a dark room. We were standing in what seemed to be a small storage space.

It was quite dark inside, the room was only lit by a pointless, glowing exit sign that hung above the only door in the room.

Metal cabinets were placed with their backs to each other in the middle of the room, forming a long row.

It was clear that this room was not the one we had seen from our window, as there were no windows here which meant that after Luna had teleported in she had searched for a secluded room to teleport back to later.

Again, I can not praise my little Ralts enough. She must have sensed my gratitude because she gave me a hug.

As she did I noticed that she was beginning to look a bit tired; it made some sense considering Teleport was one of the most exhausting moves she had.

"Is someone nearby Luna?" I asked her.

She closed her eyes and then shook her head.

Chelsea and Barry released their Pokémon.

They let out their generic Pokémon cries, Staravia tried to fly up, probably to be dramatic but realized that there was not quite enough space in the room and settled on the floor.

Haunter floated behind Chelsea, as always a big grin present on his face.

"Let's explore, see if we can find someone," Chelsea said impatiently.

"Yes, send in Haunter through the door."

I meant for Barry to open the door to let the ghost through but Haunter phased through the wall. I forgot he could do that.

Despite Luna saying there was no one close to us I wanted a second opinion, after all being overly cautious might save lives.

Haunter's head phased through the wall. "Haunter." It grinned as it pulled its head out of the solid door..

"Seems like it really is safe."

"Pfffft." Luna said she seemed to be offended by the need for a second opinion.

We exited the room and were standing in a long hallway.

Ever watched a horror movie and you saw something that for some reason really gave you the creeps, despite being fairly normal?

There was in principle nothing off about this hallway.

White lights were placed in the ceiling at regular intervals, white walls led deeper into the building with multiple T-splits that probably led to the far corners of this place.

The walls were decorated with pieces of art, flowers and photos. They were evenly spaced from each other, probably meant to make this hallway look more appealing to visitors, yet the way they were spaced made it look artificial, like someone tried to calculate how to make this floor look as nice as possible. Considering the Devon Corporation had a lot of money to throw around it makes some sense they want to show their pride.

The other side, opposite of us, was a glass wall that stretched out from one side of the hall to the other, giving me the idea we were on the outer edge of this floor.

The atmosphere was heavy despite the bright fluorescent lights that purged the darkness from every corner.

To finish it off, the storm outside had grown fiercer, rain slammed against the window creating a constant soft tapping noise. Lightning flashed through the sky at short intervals.

Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

"Anyone else think this place stinks?" I asked.

"Yes."

"Definitely."

Having voiced my thoughts I began to look for a floor plan. There had to be one somewhere.

Looker wanted us to look for hostages and Galactic guys so we could tie them up while they were still unconscious.

The poisonous gas should have spread itself throughout the 24th floor, filling every possible space it could before dissipating.

My eye found what I was looking for deeper into the hall to my left near a T-split. I walked towards it, trying to resist the urge to either sneak or to run.

The floorplan was printed on a glass plate that was mounted onto the wall. Underneath it hung a red fire extinguisher, with a sign explaining how to use it.

According to the floor plan, this entire building actually exists out of three buildings that from above seemed to be placed in a triangle formation with two in the front and one in the back.

There was a small gap in the middle where the three squares met, probably for the elevator shaft.

A 'you are here' dot notified me that we were in the west-north building, right at the edge.

I took a photo of the map with my Pokédex for later reference, though this place should be relatively easy to navigate considering one could walk in a straight line from one side of the building to the other without ever making a turn.

"So, are we gonna work our way to the middle?" Barry asked out loud.

His Staravia had taken flight and was flying behind him, keeping a sharp eye on the three of us.

"Yes, the inner circle of these three wings," I pointed at the middle of the map, "That seems to be a good spot to search."

I slightly relaxed my grip on my weapons and followed the hallway to the first split where the right turn would lead us deeper into the building.

We turned around the corner.

"Uh," Chelsea said as she followed after me. "This looks different."

She was right.

Whereas the previous hall had been in a pristine condition, this one was clearly not.

Black scorch marks decorated the left wall and a big crack ran over the other wall and a large vine traveled through the entire hall, moving from wall to floor with no obvious point of origin.

One of the ceiling lights was broken and the glass was lying shattered on the floor in a puddle of water.

A door in the hallway was pulled out of the frame without concern for property damage. A quick glance taught me that it led to a washroom.

"It seems that the people working here weren't taken down peacefully." I finally concluded. I could picture how a battle had taken place in these narrow hallways..

"You wouldn't say," said Chelsea sarcastically. She kicked some glass to the side.

"They battled." Barry said with disbelief.

"It was a surprise attack," I pointed at the broken toilet door, "Someone tried to run away but failed."

{Enemy incoming!} Luna warned me. Her eyes flashed red.

She pointed in front of us to the crossroad, then adjusted her angle to point at the right wall.

I immediately turned quiet and spun around, I put a finger over my lips and pointed at the end of the hall.

Luckily everyone was smart enough to stay silent, even the Pokémon.

I gestured at Barry and Chelsea and then drew a line across my throat and pointed at their Pokémon, silently begging them to understand me.

They nodded and turned to their Pokémon, Chelsea softly whispered into Haunter's ears while Barry managed to give Staravia a command without breaking the silence.

I was trying to keep Luna out of the fight, she might need all her power later for a crucial teleport so better keep her at bay.

{10} Luna said, still pointing in that direction.

I stuck out ten fingers and showed them to my companions, every time Luna counted down I copied her.

{9}

{8}

The number went down as our mysterious challenger approached.

When she hit 2 I gestured for the two Pokémon to attack.

Haunter dove and slid over the floor like a shadow, his body was phasing through the floor which somehow made him go faster.

Staravia shot forward, her wings glowed white and she disappeared in a short flash.

{0}

A grey Pokémon with the body of a bodybuilder came around the corner.

Staravia reappeared and slammed her two wings forwards into Machoke's face. Haunter jumped out of the floor and held his two hands in front of him. Between his two hands, some kind of purple energy crackled and came to life.

A dark sphere was summoned between his hands, he pushed it forwards and the Shadow Ball was fired at Machoke.

Too surprised to even react, Machoke got taken down by a quick series of slashes and pecks. Haunter caught up with Staravia and licked Machoke in the face.

It slumped against the wall and crashed down, unconscious and visibly wounded.

Staravia and Haunter returned, looking quite proud of themselves.

Chelsea managed to pet her Haunter. "Good boy!"

I stared at the Machoke. "So Looker was right, their Pokémon might still possess a small threat, though they will be relatively easy to take down without someone to guide them."

And as long as we had the numbers on our side.

Luna began walking again and I followed.

"So why do you think they attacked this place?" Barry wondered.

"Can't be money," I replied idly.

I was still trying to figure out what Team Galactic was trying to achieve with this action.

How does this relate to their goal to create a new world?

The way this entire place was overtaken was quite smooth and they even managed to not ring any alarm bells with the League.

They were not in a hurry to get out of this place either so it was not a simple theft.

We reached another point where the halls split into 4 ways again.

This time a woman was lying on the ground.

She had short black hair and wore an armored vest, the kind you see special forces wear.

A belt was slung over her shoulder with small metal cylinders attached to it that looked suspiciously similar to grenades.

Around her hip she had a holster for Pokéballs with one of the three slots being empty, instead, she was holding that Pokéball in her hand.

"Tie her up," I told Barry. "She's definitely not someone we want to walk around."

Barry gulped and looked at the tie-wraps. "Me?"

"Yes."

He swallowed and nodded, meanwhile I aimed my gun at her, just to be safe.

This woman was not a scientist but she didn't look like a terrorist either, not that I would recognize one anyway. The most surprising thing was that she had no blue hair.

For some strange reason, I expected Team Galactic to have blue hair, which would not only make them recognizable but also make them less human in my eyes.

But this person didn't look distinctly evil.

It would make shooting her a lot harder.

"You think she's from Galactic?" Barry asked as he clumsily tried to tie the woman up.

"Probably," Chelsea mused, she was looking at the woman like a child would study a spider with torn-off legs, "You should put her against the wall, otherwise she might choke on her vomit once she wakes up."

"Wait," I said, "Take the grenades."

"Heck no," Barry protested, looking at me like I was crazy. "What if they explode?"

"That's the idea." Chelsea cut in, though she kept a respectful distance from the woman.

I handed Chelsea the knife and knelt down in front of the woman and studied the grenades.

Instead of taking them off one by one I just lifted up the entire belt and swung it over my shoulder. They were heavier than I thought.

"Here's your knife, boss," Chelsea said as she gave it back.

"Cool, now let's find where the hostages are." The unconscious person was making me nervous, despite the fact that she was basically harmless.

We went deeper into the building. Slowly it was beginning to feel like a maze, despite the simple layout it felt like we were spiraling into something sinister.

We came across more unconscious people and signs of battle.

Some of the people we found were in a position like they tried to fight the gas, or make a run for it; obviously, they all failed.

It reminded me of scenes from Pompei, where everyone was frozen in their last moments. I reminded myself they were just sleeping.

Seeing how they were all armed I concluded they were all part of Galactic. That meant that we still hadn't found any of the hostages we were supposed to 'save'.

Using Luna to find people was also a no go since she couldn't differentiate between Pokémon and humans, let alone enemies and allies.

We only found one more Pokémon which meant that they didn't have any Pokémon guarding this place. That would make our job a little easier.

After walking for a few more minutes we found an entire hallway was blocked off by a massive wall of tree roots that sprouted from the floors and walls and had gathered into one unpassable clusterfuck.

Small metal packages were taped to the roots, they had no blinking lights nor were they making a beeping noise.

Yet, I could make a guess what this was supposed to be.

"Well, they didn't spare any effort securing this place," Chelsea observed, stepping closer to study it.

The sign on the wall signified it led to a stairway.

"Look." Barry pointed at a nearby wall that was destroyed.

The left wall was shattered. A gaping hole loomed like a jaw. Whatever could have created it must have been strong.

Barry pointed at the floor.

Black scrape marks were coming from the room and led deeper into the left hall, as if someone had pushed a heavy object over the floor.

I stepped towards the gaping hole and ducked to not hit my head.

From the inside, the room was really big.

The room I was met with seemed to be your default laboratory, big luminescent lights revealed all kinds of futuristic-looking equipment and devices.

A whiteboard was tossed over on the floor and one of the computer screens was smashed in.

Despite the fact that this room was very big, one thing stood out, or better the lack of one thing.

"See that." I pointed at the middle of the chamber.

Multiple pipes and cables were going to that point but all of them were disconnected, leaving a blank space in the middle of this room.

Yellow tape was taped in a square on the ground, warning people to be cautious with whatever had stood there.

The scraping marks we found outside in the hall came from this spot.

"They moved whatever stood here," Chelsea said.

"Yes, but it didn't fit through the door," I glanced at the door that was still undamaged and closed. "Instead they created a hole in the wall to shove it through."

"Freaky as fuck," I muttered softly.

"Try to figure out what it was." I ordered as I walked around, hoping to find an obvious hint.

"About that," Chelsea tapped on my shoulder. "I found one of the hostages."

She pointed at the corner where a large, fridge-like machine was placed against the wall.

Lying next to it was a bald guy wearing a lab coat.

He was lying face down and had his limbs spread like an eagle.

"Tie him up," I told Chelsea without paying too much attention. "We can't take any risks."

Chelsea nodded and took a step towards him and grabbed his hand, presumably to tie him up. However, upon contact, she froze, putting her finger on his palm.

Her purple eyes shot towards me.

"Is he?" Barry began.

"Yes, this one is dead." Chelsea replied, sounding not very bothered by it.

I remembered what Chelsea had said about people choking on vomit, I really hoped that it wasn't my fault.

Chelsea must have guessed my train of thought because she shook her head. "No, his entire body is cold. Can't be your fault."

"Okay." I swallowed. "T-that's cool."

{Danger!} Luna suddenly cried. {4 Individuals}

She glanced at the hall we came from.

I pulled Luna up and ducked underneath one of the tables, almost smashing my head into a sharp wire that for some reason was tugged under the desk.

Chelsea and Barry copied my action. Haunter managed to morph into Chelsea's shadow as she stepped behind the metal fridge thing.

The sound of footsteps came from the hallway, this time there were more of them.

I readied my gun, though I was actually hoping they would just pass by us.

They got closer and I shot the dead guy a look, wondering if we should've hidden him from view but then I realized that this person had been lying here for at least a day.

Then I, again, realized that he was dead and my heart began beating louder.

The footsteps kept coming closer as I held my breath and I began begging Arceus to have them turn around or something.

And then they stopped in front of the hole.

"They should be inside here."

"Fine, let's put an end to this already," a second voice answered.