Uncontained

We trekked to the top of the tower. The sights weren't pretty. At some floors blood was splattered over the gravestones and at one point we saw two people, a boy and a girl channeler, hung from the ceiling with nooses around their necks. I threw up. And I didn't know exactly what Summer did, but she emitted a sweet scent that helped calm our nerves. Czeslaw took her vine in his large hand comfortingly. I just held Florence and tried to ignore the bitter taste in my mouth.

Finally, we made it to the top.

I froze as soon as I stepped onto the floor. Malachi bumped into me. "What is it?" he asked, but I yanked him beside me.

People in black were in the area, a dead Pokemon in the center of the room. It looked exactly like the brown skulled Pokemon I'd seen on the S.S. Anne. Then I had flashbacks. They hit me with so much strength Malachi had to catch me to stop me from stumbling over. I could barely feel him. The Pokemon's blood was pooled everywhere.

Florence let out an earsplitting scream.

I started moving on my own. I was lurching forward. "You monsters!" I shrieked. "You horrible monsters!"

Uriah charged past me and let out a roar.

Then there was a flash of light and a massive snake intercepted the charmeleon. It slapped him down with its thick tail. My vision was going whack and it seemed like the tower was tilting. But then I saw someone. It was the young man with white blond hair I'd seen at Mt. Moon and the Game Corner. And then past him: a girl with long, strawberry blonde hair and bright blue eyes.

"Spirit!" I blurted.

Uriah bashed the foe Pokemon to the ground. Spirit flinched, as if physically struck. "You need to leave!" she shouted. "Get out of here!"

I couldn't believe this. Team Rocket had not only kidnapped my mother, but now they had Spirit too. Then I felt Malachi's hand on me like some foreign object. "How do you know her?" he whispered.

Then the breath whooshed from my lungs.

I saw the crimson "R" was blazed across her chest.

"Banshee, do you think you can handle them?" the young man asked her.

She said nothing. That wasn't her name, I thought wildly. Or was it? I felt dizzy, and then, all the strength left my legs and my knees cracked against the floor. Was I really seeing what I was seeing? There must have been some sort of mistake. Had they kidnapped her and made her one of her own?

But the truth was standing in front of me.

Uriah's claws lashed out and a gash ripped across the snake-Pokemon's frill. It hissed and coiled its body, but Uriah stomped on it. Pitiful. Flames leaped from his jaws.

"Beau, I'll handle this." Malachi was suddenly in front of me. "Go back downstairs. I'll meet you at the Pokemon Center."

"No," I whispered.

But before he or I could do anything, Spirit pulled out a small purple ball and threw it against the ground. Smoke exploded from it and consumed everything. When it cleared, all of them were gone.

The only thing left was the skull-less dead Pokemon and a puddle of blood.