Poke’Fusion Vol.1

Ch.7: The Laboratory

In a large warehouse surrounded by abandoned and condemned buildings, Echo wanders around maddeningly. She stands in the center of the warehouse before snapping her fingers causing a large hatch to move revealing a secret basement. Inside of the basement, various pieces of equipment and machinery sit and hum loudly. As she descends a figure leaps around the room before bouncing over towards her feet.

            “Hello there Exeggcute, did you miss me?” She asks happily.

Six egg like figures bounces around happily crying out loudly as she carefully steps over each and every one. She makes her way towards one of the machines placing the orb within it as it closes and a light goes over the orb.

            “Alright, this should only take a little while, but what to do in the meantime?” She asks curiously.

She looks at the Exeggcute with a gentle grin as they bounce around excitedly. She picks each of them up one by one and starts juggling them in the air.

            “Alright we’ll play for a bit, seriously you guys are way too spoiled.” She says cheerfully juggling the eggs as they cry out happily.

A while later outside of the warehouse Jude, Orrin, and Iona walk towards it curiously as Iona leads the way. They enter the warehouse and look around the apparently deserted area with Jude and Orrin looking on in disbelief as Iona rushes around tapping her foot against the ground.

            “Are we sure that it’s around here?” Orrin asks curiously. “Because I think Iona got the directions wrong.”

            “I second that.”

            “No guys I swear it’s here!” She yells out in frustration. “But there’s this really annoying way to get into it, and I forgot how.”

            “Am I to presume it has something to do with your odd jumping around?” Orrin asks curiously.

            “Yeah it’s an underground lab, and there’s this stupid way to open it up but it’s a pain in the butt to do!” Iona yells out annoyed as she stops on the ground.

Jude starts tapping on the ground as well following Iona’s lead. “So we just tap on the ground and then we’ll find it.”

            “Yeah, but it’s a super specific spot.”

            “Why don’t we call her?” Jude asks curiously.

            “Phones don’t work in her lab; she says it’s a distraction.”

            “Well looks like all we can do is tap,” Orrin says starting to tap the ground.

Orrin presses a switch that causes a trapdoor to open and reveal the staircase leading down into the lab. The trio rushes towards it looking on curiously as Iona leaps down into the staircase as Jude chases after her rushing down the stairs and Orrin walks calmly as the trap door closes behind them. As the trio walks in the doorway closes behind them and a figure looks out from outside of the warehouse grinning happily.

The trio descends the staircase walking into the lab where Echo stands around juggling her Exeggcute as they cry out happily. As they look on Echo blushes slightly taking her Exeggcute out from the air and placing them on the ground as they bounce happily around her feet.

            “Hey, guys,” Echo says nervously as they enter.

            “So what was that?” Iona asks curiously.

            “Well, I was just sitting around waiting for either you guys to show up or for the machine to finish its work.” Echo takes a seat in front of a large monitor connected to the various machines. “It’s still in the middle of the analysis, so did you guys manage to find anything?”

Jude hands out the flash drive handing it to Echo with a curious look. “We managed to find this, but we don’t know if it’s connected or if it’s all that important.”

Echo snatches up the drive and plugs it into her computer turning towards the monitor and typing away furiously. “Well it looks like its encrypted, it’ll take quite a while to break into this and get to the files within, and so until then our clue is still just the orb.”

            “That was pretty risky; it could’ve easily been some form of trap or some virus,” Orrin says seriously.

            “True, but I’m confident in my software and anti-virus protection,” Echo says with a grin on her face. “Anyway, we have bigger issues to think on like what is all this about.”

Jude stops and stares at Echo and the machinery around them. “Are you sure you want to help us?”

            “Huh?” Echo asks curiously.

            “We’re getting involved in some very dangerous stuff, so are you sure you want to help us?”

            “Yeah,” Echo says matter of factly. “This seems pretty interesting and you’ve managed to get my curiosity, and besides I’m not doing this for free.”

            “Huh?” Jude asks curiously. “If you’re talking about money we don’t really have that much.”

            “No, it’s not that, it’s what I was originally asking Iona to take care of for me, but with three of you, it should be an easy job.” She says happily.

            “Oh, those Team Schism guys again,” Iona says with a grin on her face. “I’ll beat them down again and again.”

            “Huh?” Jude and Orrin ask curiously.

            “Well basically there are some jerks who call themselves Team Schism, and they try to come around every so often and break into my lab for my stuff. Iona’s been taking care of them for me for a while now, but I figured asking you two for a bit of extra protection wouldn’t be a bad thing.”

            “Alright,” Jude says seriously. “I’ll never turn down a good fight and if that’s all you need to help us then…..”

            “Wait a minute, who are these team Schism guys?” Orrin asks concerned. “I’m helping Jude as a friend but getting involved in another fight is….”

            “Oh come on!” Iona yells out seriously. “They’re weak so it should be easy to take out any trouble makers.”

Suddenly a loud explosion occurs above causing a rumbling as the hatch to the door gets ripped off making a large hole. Two figures descend from above as everyone looks on seriously.

            “Looks like we’ve found it, the docs little old secret lab I guess it’s time to wreck this place.” A short boy in a thuggish outfit and a bandana over his face looks at the group.

            “Yeah yeah, boss do you see all of this glowing stuff I’m sure it’s worth a ton.” A slightly taller boy in a similar uniform says seriously.