Dungeon 26 – Machiavellian

“Finally! No more walking in the desert for us!”

Meggie took her time to shake the sand off her body, giggling to herself. After days of travelling, they were now in front of the town they had been traveling to: Sandune.

“This is interesting… Are you sure your spies have leads?” Lance asked, looking at Scar.

“Correct. This town was supposedly built on top of ancient ruins, and they have the biggest library of Eutrios.”

Lance gave a faint smile. “Hm, you like reading too? Interesting, I had no idea.”

“I am a mon of literate, mister Williams.”

Meggie soon joined them. “So! What’s our plan?”

Scar looked at the gates. If they weren’t in such a hurry, perhaps he could check the book section.

“One of my spies will meet us in a hotel. We also need to remove our weapons and keep them there, the place we’re going is not… legal.”

Lance shivered. After all those years, he was finally there, mere steps away from confronting someone that ruined his entire childhood. The entire reason he acted like he did.

Nature versus nurture…

A feeling came up, but he ignored it with a growl.

---

Meggie looked at the large buildings, comparing them with those of her dream the day before. Her human life must have been great if she lived in such a technological town! Then again, dreams could be random, maybe that wasn’t an accurate description of her life.

Someone called her name, drawing her attention. She looked up, seeing they were in front of another building. Lance was staring at Meggie, as if to tell her to hurry. She could see he was anxious, even sweating.

“Okay, let’s go!”

Going through the tedious process of checking in the hotel didn’t take long, and they all went upstairs to their individual rooms.

Scar sat on his bed. That place was just comfortable enough for him not to complain, having a desk and a large window overlooking the city. He hoped that mission would prove to be successful; they needed at least some advantage over the scientist.

He heard knocking, taking him out of his trance. Once the others entered, they began to plan.

Lance crossed his arms, listening to every detail Scar was about to say. I can do this, he thought.

“Alright. First, we need to meet one of my Gengar, he said he would be waiting at this hotel’s restaurant, so we won’t draw attention to ourselves,” he took a small pause and continued. “Once we’re done with the meeting, we will go to the place where the bid’s happening.”

Lance clenched his fist, still trying to process. If Gallade’s previous actions were anything to go by, he would be kidnapping someone again, and in a place like a black market, nobody would bat an eye.

I’ll make him pay… I swear! He won’t get away with this!

That infuriated him, and without Lance noticing, his feelers flared up, and a small, flaming aura sprouted on his hand. Only when he heard the others calling him did he stop, taking a deep breath.

Scar looked at him, trying to calm the Lucario down. “Mister Williams, I am aware you’re feeling anxious, but please, we’re doing this to stop him.”

Meggie nodded. “Yeah! We’re gonna kick his ass! No more kidnapping!”

Despite her words, Meggie had to think about what Morgan really waswas. That theory she had before made sense every time she stopped to think about it. Indeed, this was an important day for her as well.

“T-Thank you… Your support makes me happy. I’ll try to calm down and focus on the mission, alright?”

“Good. Let’s go, the Gengar should be down already.”

---

Scar was correct. As soon as the trio stepped into the restaurant, they saw one Gengar with a lot of plates, eating like a beast. Lance sighed and sat on a table next to the ghost, and the others did the same.

“Heya, boss!” the ghost said, munching on a large pie. Lance could smell a bunch of berries in that dessert, but kept his mouth shut, not caring in the slightest.

“Greetings,” Scar said. “Now, we should get straight to business. Where is the bid happening?”

“Oh, sure! YOu gotta follow the street until you see an alley. there’s an Orbeetle guard in front of the place; just pay him and you’re free to explore the market!”

“That’s… It? Seems a bit easy, don’t you think?” Meggie asked, tilting her head.

The Gengar continued. “Well, that place is pretty secure, but if you break the rules there… Well, you’re gonna become a ghost pretty quick!”

Meggie blinked, confused at what he meant with her evolution. That didn’t matter much, though, as long as they were safe and sound by the end of that mission.

“Ok. Looks like we got our goal, shall we move, then?” Lance questioned.

“I mean, I’m kinda hungry… We’ve been travelling for days, I need some food!”

Scar’s stomach growled, and he blushed a bit. “Ah, I agree with her. Let us have a feast before the mission starts, alright?”

Lance reluctantly accepted the idea.

---

They all left the hotel satisfied with the food, and were now ready for the journey ahead. Following Gengar’s instructions, the three Pokémon walked around the street, until they saw the first alley. Lance noticed a giant sign with the shape of a Orbeetle, so he assumed that was the place and went inside.

His assumption was correct, and at the end of the corridor, they saw the bug, folding all his arms. Orbeetle stared at them and mumbled something, but they couldn’t hear.

Scar was the first to approach, wearing a friendly smile. “Greetings, I am Scar, and those are my companions. We’re trying to get inside the black market, could you let us in?”

“400 poké each. Once you pay me, you’re getting in.”

Meggie stared in shock. That was too expensive! Enough to have a complete meal in a fancy restaurant back home. She pouted, when Scar took a bunch of coins from his bag, handling them to Orbeetle. “Is that enough?”

Orbeetle counted the money for a few minutes and nodded, opening a large, metallic door right behind him. “Enjoy your stay. Don’t cause trouble and don’t do anything suspicious. Got it?” He stared directly at Meggie, who gulped.

“Of course. Let’s go.” Lance said.

---

They went down a set of stairs and were now in a large corridor, where some Pokémon were walking in and out; each carried a bag. Meggie sniffed the air, smelling blood. That gave her a dizzy feeling, and she looked at her friends; none of them seemed bothered by that scent.

Huh, weird.

“I have a question, Scar,” Lance said. “How do you have so much money? Brian and I have our allowances, but still, that was a bit much…”

Scar chuckled. “Ha. When you have powerful allies, money is not a problem. See, I have financial support from the king of Cydonia.”

Lance blinked. “…Huh, I didn’t expect that. Interesting.”

Meggie rolled her eyes; geography wasn’t her greatest strength, especially in this world, so she didn’t even know what they were talking about. She raised her hand. “Okay, for those of us who have no idea what Cydonia is, could you explain?”

Scar looked at her, smiling. “A kingdom far in the west, led by a Tyrantrum. It’s a rare case of government here, since it’s a monarchy. But still, the king and I are good friends.”

Lance sighed, he never liked monarchies. The leaders were prone to doing anything if it meant they would stay in power. If Lance was in that position of power, however… things would be different, he was sure of it.

They found themselves near another door, entering a new room.

---

More of the metallic scent of blood filled Meggie’s nostrils, making her feel sick. How could anyone even stand a place like that? It felt unnatural, and was filled with those stands, she even saw an Emboar eating what she recognized as a hamburger. She looked around; seeing a lot of tents. The closest one to them had a Jolteon on the front, grinning at them.

“Hello, newcomers!” the Jolteon said with a feminine voice. “Would you like to have some of our specialty? We have the finest cuisine here!”

“…What?” Meggie sighed, she wanted to back away, but that might raise some suspicion. They had to act naturally.

Jolteon continued. “You see, today’s special meal is a nice, roasted Archen! We’re also making a special deal! If you buy this, you get a Buizel stew! I assure you, I am the best cook in the continent!”

“I’m flattered, but we had breakfast already. I’m sorry, we’re here for the bid, alright?” Lance answered, walking away from the tent with his companions.

Meggie was trying her best not to vomit. In the way to the building, she passed through multiple tents, each having another form of trauma. She even saw someone selling organs. She couldn’t believe this, how could they do something like that? The dream of getting back home was getting stronger every minute.

She saw herself back in the city, this time, inside a building, walking towards a machine… it felt odd, but her mind told her it was called an “elevator”.

The machine started, raising her to the highest floors of the building, and her heart was racing, she wanted to scream and get out of there, but her body didn’t move. With all her strength, Meggie looked down, she was still wearing that coat. But now something new came to her mind, who was that doctor Jones?

The elevator made a large noise and seemed to speed up, while she was still trapped. That was awful, it was like it was closing in on her, crushing her body until…

---

“Meggie!”

She snapped back to reality, and saw Lance staring at her. That was another vision, wasn’t it? The closer she got to Gallade, the more she felt… weird. Meggie didn’t know exactly what that meant, but knew she had to move forward to find out.

They were in front of a big line, next to a large building. That was where the bid was supposed to happen, right? At the end was a Kangaskhan. Strangely enough, she didn’t have any child in her pouch.

“Hm, who are you three?” she turned around to face them.

Lance stepped forward.”Nobody you need to know, we’re on this bid as well, lady.”

“Whatever, just don’t get in my way,” she growled.

I hope everything will be okay, Meggie looked down, still worried about the meaning behind her visions. She had a theory, but didn’t want to believe in it.

The line moved as each of the Pokémon went inside that place. Lance was the last one to join, clenching his fists. It was now or never for him.

---

Scar looked at the hall, filled with chairs so they could sit, and a large stage where he assumed the host was going to be. He sat down with his allies and waited.

All the other Pokémon were talking amongst themselves, some theorized what the bid was all about, thinking that the host would ask for drugs, organs, or even some rare items nobody could find! That chattering continued without interruptions, until a Garchomp entered the stage. He cleared his throat to have their attention and smiled with a toothy grin.

“Hello, I’m Derek, and I’ll be hosting this auction,” he said. “I’m sure you all have questions, and I’ll be answering them soon. First, I must tell you what I need from you.”

More chattering, the rumors spread fast. Lance heard some of the conversations, and discovered that this particular Garchomp usually followed a Gallade around, said Gallade even set up a base in the market, it was a room in the back of the building they were in.

Son of a… I hate you, he growled, but kept himself together. That wasn’t the time for panic.

Derek roared, stopping all the noise from the chat the Pokémon were having. Now that he had their attention again, he continued. “You see, my boss is a very busy mon, and he needs certain species for his project. Right now he’s looking for any Pokémon that belongs to these evolution lines: Mudkip, Bulbasaur, and Pidgey. If any of you have, please tell me.”

THe noises continued in a chaotic way. Arms were raised left and right, and Derek had to reject some of the offers, that was annoying, nobody had those Pokémon he was looking for? It felt unbelievable. Finally, another arm was raised, this time, a Kangaskhan did it.

“I have one, he’s caged and has his wings broken, can’t have them escaping, can I?”

Derek grinned. “Oh, thank you! My boss will be pleased with this. How much are you offering for that Pidgey?

Kangaskhan stomped on the floor in annoyance. “I’m sure your boss can make a deal with me, where can I meet him?”

“That’s a bit complicated, but… I think we can arrange that. The rest of you are dismissed. As for you…” Derek pointed at Kangaskhan. “Follow me one hour from now, will that be enough time for you to get the Pidgey?”

Kangaskhan nodded. “Of course, that will suffice.”

The audience dispersed in silence. Of all of those Pokémon, Lance was the most furious, although he restrained himself from doing anything harsh; he wanted to punch that Garchomp to death.

Another thought creeped Lance’s head. This time, he wondered how different his life would be if he wasn’t kidnapped. Maybe those mercs he took down six months ago would still be alive…

It’s worthless to think that. I’m me, and I’m… like this. I’ll have my revenge… no, it’s for justice. For all those other innocents whose lives he ruined!

---

The team was in another alley, Gengar had brought them all their weapons, since he could walk on shadows and was the perfect stealth mon they had, since Brian was in another town.

Lance put his bracelets on while listening to what Scar was saying.

“Alright. Our best choice right now is to infiltrate Morgan’s office. We have enough orbs to make us invisible, so we shouldn’t have troubles with that part.”

Meggie sighed, putting her tiara on. “Wait, there’s another problem! If he’s a Gallade, won’t he just read our minds and know we’re there?!”

“I doubt he’s a good psychic. It takes years of practice to be able to read more than the external thoughts,” Lance answered. “But you have a point. We can try to… not think too much, that might help.”

Scar continued. “Correct. If we just stay calm, we can do this. Besides, It’s harder for him to read my mind, as I’m half ghost.”

Meggie looked down, still not convinced. “…If you say so.”

---

Kangaskhan was walking around another corridor with the Pidgey inside her pouch. That bird had a muzzle on his beak, preventing him from attacking her, and like she said before, broken wings. He had no chance of escaping.

Once she was at the end of the hall, she saw Derek guarding the entrance to Morgan’s office. He grinned at her

“Nice, you weren’t lying. I was worried you were trying to trick us, but I guess I was wrong. The boss is waiting inside.”

Kangaskhan nodded and got inside. Just as she did that, Derek found himself alone, until a Gengar appeared from inside his shadow, sticking out his tongue.

“W-What the…?”

Gengar ran away and Derek followed him, snarling and growling. That distraction worked, as the trio was now right in front of the office. Lance gulped, this was it. The moment he waited for since the kidnapping, he had to do this to move on and to ensure it wouldn’t happen again. Yet, he froze, the anxiety getting the better of him.

Scar whispered. “…Mister Williams, now is not the time. We’re nearly there.”

The Kangaskhan walked out, they saw she didn’t have the Pidgey anymore. When she was gone, they heard a warping sound. Lance looked at the door, it was still open, and he saw that Morgan had teleported the Pidgey.

That was the last straw, Lance fired an Aura Sphere right at the table Morgan was sitting at, exploding it into bits. The Gallade flinched, standing up.

Lance’s heart pounded like it never did before, and the effects of the orb faded. He was now face to face with him.

Morgan stared at Lance, not recognizing him until he saw the scar. He smiled. “Number ten… you’re alive? I’m impressed.”

He couldn’t move or do anything, anxiety kicking in, his body trembled in fear and his eyes widened. “Y-You monster!”

Meggie didn’t waste any time and charged towards Morgan, only to hit the air as the Gallade teleported to the side, hitting her with a punch that drained her energy.

Scar was the next, jumping with his flaming club, he got shoved to the wall with telekinesis. Morgan chuckled again. “Was this what you expected, number ten? To have your friends hurt because of you? I used to think you were my best experiment, but you’re still weak.

Lance gave one step forward, before his body shook again. “Y-You made me a monster…!”

He fell on his knees, no longer able to hold back the tears that streamed, crying out.

“Don’t think even for a second that I’m one of you. I am superior to all of you… primitive creatures.”

He found strength to raise his head and cry out. “Why?! Why did you do that? Why torture me?! I was a child!”

Morgan kept his cool and continued to talk. “I need to get back home. You and all my test subjects are means to an end. Nothing more than that. You think you’re a monster? I merely let that side out. All of you are beasts that only care for your own survival.”

Lance wanted to throw up, his body felt like it would explode at any second and at the lowest moment, he realized Morgan was right. All that killing he did was of his own free will. He truly was… a monster.

The Gallade looked him straight in the eyes. “You don’t understand what it means to be a human.”

The Lucario raised his head. “Human?! You’re like… Meggie?!” he stared at the Snorunt.

Morgan tilted his head, looking at her. “Meggie? What? Is that… really you? I thought you died in the accident!”

Suddenly, she knew what was going on! She was his assistant, that man, that Gallade knew who she was. But even if he did, what he was doing was wrong. “I-I don’t know you!”

Lance stood up with all his might, firing another Aura Sphere. This one landed, making Morgan stumble back and weakening his psychic hold on Scar.

“Mister… no, Lance! This is our only chance! Take it!” Scar threw the Emera backwards, the stone fell right in front of Lance.

Morgan squeezed his palm, grabbing hold of Scar once more. “Ah, so it was you who was messing with my plans! Meggie, join me! Those creatures are disgusting, we’re better than this!”

That Emera called out to him, clouding his thoughts of everything else. Lance could feel its energy, its power, it urged him to do it! Power… that’s what he needed! Lance growled, showing all his sharp fangs. If he could become more powerful, he could end that fight!

“I’m… not your puppet! I am me, and I’ve always been me!”

Lance touched the stone and felt a wave of energy flowing into him, it was intoxicating and he gave a sadistic laugh. However, that laugh turned into a roar of pain that filled the air.

Morgan just stared at him, curious. Perhaps he could finally test what a Mega Lucario could do. Maybe that experiment wasn’t a failure after all.

“Ha…Ha… HA!”

The energy overtook him completely, his cries turned into pleasure, even if he still felt all that pain, nothing mattered anymore. His gaze was fixated on Morgan and Morgan only, he was his enemy!

Lance’s body shifted, his feelers grew longer and his bones snapped, reshaping into new, stronger ones. His tail also changed, becoming fluffier and moving in the air. Even his skin was transforming, streaks of red fur appeared all over him. That energy dissipated, and he roared like a beast, ready to fight.