Opal & Topaz

S1 ep16: Aqua hideout

The first thing he realised was that it smelled like moss. Not that he usually minded it, but it seemed to be overpowering in the cave.

The second thing was that he didn't think this far ahead. Yes, he had the cover of night, and yes nobody had seemed to notice him. But now that he was here, it occurred to him that he didn't know these caves, nor would the lack of light help.

A fire Pokémon would help, if not for the fact that he was trying not to be seen. Though, he supposed he could keep a hand on the wall at all times. He just needed to make sure to step carefully.

Hank lifted his hand, feeling along the wall as his clothes clung to him uncomfortably. Why did they feel the need to make camp in the middle of the goddamn ocean? Didn't they get tired of having their clothes wet all the time?

Maybe some of them enjoyed it. Though, they'd have to be pretty twisted to get even a crumb of pleasure out of it. Maybe he was dealing with psychopaths.

Sighing inwardly, he pushed ahead, squinting against the pitch blackness. Unsurprisingly, it did nothing. If only he had a fire Pokémon.

Though, it definitely helped that he heard voices somewhere deeper in the cave. Daz must have heard them too, because they began clinging onto Hank's leg as they walked.

He considered letting Sparks out, for a little more protection, but decided against it. He couldn't risk someone hearing Sparks growl or carry on in the presence of their entire force. He needed this one to be a stealth mission.

After blindly stumbling for a while he saw dim lights ahead. Finally, he could see slightly ahead of him, which definitely helped with staying quiet.

Turning a corner he saw what almost seemed like an office building, or maybe a warehouse. He paused, wondering if he was hallucinating before brushing it off. Weird as this was, he needed to know what was going on.

However, barely three steps more into the industrial area and a ball rolled out from behind a stack of boxes. This alone startled him, before realising it had a face. And saw it begin charging electricity.

Before he could even move, Daz was already retreating up a wall, staying well out of sight. But, what they wanted Hank to do about it was beyond him.

Baffled, he tried slowly shuffling toward an adjacent room, before more rolled out to greet him. Backing away, he almost tripped over in something. More of them.

Well, it seemed like he was pretty fucked. Sighing, he looked around at the electrodes surrounding him. It wasn't like Sparks would do any significant damage. And Daz would be pretty much useless. Which, at least they were smart enough to know. After all, they disappeared pretty quickly.

Still, this definitely wasn't ideal.

"Hey! Intruder!" Some voice shouted from the end of the hall. It startled him, though he wasn't all too surprised. At least the electrodes had given him the chance of giving up, rather than just exploding then and there.

Still, watching the small bunch walk toward him made him a little unnerved. Yes, he knew this group was dangerous, but he'd never considered what they'd do if he got caught. Well, not until now, anyway.

"You're trespassing on Team Aqua property!" Yeesh. The fancy police talk didn't suit them. Nor did he think they were smart enough to even recite it.

"Well?" The group looked at him impatiently. Was he supposed to answer?

"Yes. I am." What else did they want to hear? 'Oh, really? I must've made a wrong turn to my hotel! I'm sorry about finding your super secret hideout, I'll get out of your hair now!'