Second Chances (Sequel to Hearts of Gold)

Jurassic... Hotel

Would you?

The question haunts me for the rest of the day, mainly because I don't have an answer. What would I do for Ashley? Stella? Shin? Kimiko? Juliet? Gaile? Mimsy? Ozzy? Nina?

I realize painfully that the list is terribly long now and my stomach churns with guilt. I look down at the ground and focus on putting one foot in front of the other.

"Hey, what's that?" asks Bronze. I look up. He's pointing at a huge hotel, or at least what must have been one before falling on harder times.

"I don't know. It looks pretty old to me. Maybe we should be careful." Shauna says quietly.

"Abandoned and structurally dubious buildings are great places to catch rare Pokemon! Heck, bet you twenty there's a legendary in there!" Bronze says, still walking towards the old building nonchalantly.

"Why would a legendary Pokemon want to be in a crumbling hotel?" I ask.

"Makes them look mysterious. Let's have a look, it'll be fun." Bronze suggests.

No one seems to have any objections, so we walk into the abandoned hotel.

"Wow." Nico whispers, eyes closed, "What an aura."

"What a dump." Chrona says snarkily, and most of my team seems to agree with her sentiment.

The whole team looks uneasily around the lobby, aghast at the grotesque emptiness of it all. I consider getting out Crypt, but as soon as I reach for the Pokeball, it begins to move. The vibrations grow faster, the Pokeball rocking wildly in my hand. "Hey, cut it out!" I exclaim, but the Pokeball only replies by wiggling faster. Everyone looks my way.

"Is something wrong?" Pich asks.

The Pokeball falls to the ground and Crypt breaks free, but this is nothing like the Pokemon I raised from a Tyrunt. His pupils are dilated and his position is bestial. He roars loudly, and I can hear that this is not the voice of a tame or meek Pokemon, it's the hunting call of a predator.

I try to call him back but my Pokeball isn't working.
"Guys! I'm freaking out right here!" I yell.

"Everybody, we're going to need to wear him down without getting killed!" Bronze says, calling to all the Pokemon.

"What's the plan?" Rune asks.
"Run!" suggests Shruikan.
"That's a terrible plan!" Rune snaps.
"Shut up and run, furbait!" Shruikan slaps him and they both take off down a hallway.

Bronze is yelling orders to his other Pokemon, taking them upstairs, and Pich is bravely attacking Crypt from the little airspace she gets in the lobby. I hear her screech as Crypt knocks her against the wall and she falls downwards, but before I can run to her, I'm snatched away by Shauna. We run down the halls together until we're helplessly lost, and I turn to her and sigh.

I feel the golden connection between me and my four Pokemon besides Crypt, all perfectly intact. "They're okay." I murmur, half to myself.

"You sure?" she asks. I don't think she knows who I'm talking about but she sounds worried anyways.

"I can feel their bonds. I just wish you hadn't pulled me away."

"Oh, Lilly, I'm so sorry! I-" I slam a hand over her mouth, far harder than I had meant to.

"Quiet." I whisper. "We don't know how good his hearing is."
"You don't? You're his trainer!"
"Only for a few months. I don't flash to him often, and when I do-"

There's an echo down the hall, a resounding whining noise that seems to make the halls vibrate. Both of us freeze, eyes wide, and the whining noise grows louder, accompanied by the sound of footsteps.