---
???, Sinnoh
Sophie shot up from her bed at the sound of an alarm, quickly turning it off so nobody could hear it. She looked over to the other side of her bed, where a familiar Oshawott was sleeping soundly.
"Oliver." She spoke, trying to wake him up.
Oliver only curled up more, letting out a few indistinct mumbles as he slept.
"Oliver." She quickly slapped the Oshawott, instantly waking him up. Oliver shot up, looking around frantically and confusedly.
"Huh? What happened?" Oliver asked in his slightly delirious state. "Did we get caught?"
"No, it's just time to get up." The Snivy replied, climbing off of the bed. "We really don't have much time."
"Right." The Oshawott stumbled off of Sophie's bed, immediately looking around for his backpack. In his blurry sight, he saw his blue-colored backpack, and immediately reached for it. "So do you have a plan?"
"I've got a decent idea." Sophie replied as she watched Oliver pull out his contacts.
---
Once Oliver had his contacts in, the two snuck out of Sophie's room, both looking around cautiously. The hallway seemed to be empty and dim, only the newly risen sun peeking through the windows providing light to the area.
The Snivy rubbed her eyes, signaling for Oliver to follow behind her to the bathroom. The two made a silent dash towards the bathroom, making it in without being seen.
"The vents again?" Oliver asked her.
"That's the only way to sneak into Jacob's cell."
"Why's that? Can't we just take the same route in?"
"No." She shook her head. "Knowing them, on the date of the memory erasure, they guard the cells with high security."
"Doesn't that mean some Pokémon might be looking for me now?" The Oshawott raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, it does." The Snivy replied, "And now that you've 'escaped', they're going to be extra hard on your friend. Maybe even interrogate him using torture."
Oliver gulped at her answer, remaining silent. He knew that Jacob was a bit hardheaded, so he wasn't really worried about him telling them about anything. But the Oshawott also knew that his hardheadedness could buy him a lot of torture.
"Are you doing okay?" Sophie noticed his silence, and wanted to know what was up with him. He had been asking tons of questions before she brought up the prospect of Jacob getting tortured.
"Y-Yeah... I'm just a bit worried about Jacob." Oliver replied, "Maybe if we had been a little faster, Jacob and I could've already been out of here."
"That is true..." The Snivy nodded, "...But there really isn't any use in wasting time thinking about what we could've done, focus on what we have to do now."
"Thanks." The Oshawott smiled at her.
"No problem." Sophie's unenthusiastic expression remained, "Now get in the vent before we're seen."
"Right, right." Oliver nodded, climbing into the vent. Sophie followed behind him, making sure to tightly close it before turning to Oliver.
"Do you know the way there?"
"Um... Not exactly." The Oshawott looked around nervously. "You shout get in front's Sophie."
The Snivy nodded, climbing over him. "Let's get going."
Oliver nodded a response as they began to navigate the ventilation system once again.
With Jacob
A familiar Pikachu groggily opened his eyes. He tried to lift his head, but his neck resisted with the motion, as he had slept in an uncomfortable position the night prior. He groaned a bit, feeling himself getting carried.
"Finally awake?" A voice asked, making his ears perk up.
"Uh...?" Jacob tried to say, but his whole body felt strangely weak.
Jacob was currently being carried by Binks, who wore a confident smile as he let hot air blow from his large nose.
"Don't try to speak or anything like that." The Emboar told him. "I put a sedative on your back, and as long as that's there, you won't be able to resist."
"Wha...?"
"You might be trying to ask why, and I'll tell you." Binks spoke, "Today's the day where I finally get you out of my fur. Mind erasure day."
"Oh no..." Jacob's eyes widened, "I'm an easy target like this... I need Ollie and Sophie to get here fast. I'm useless in this position.."
The Pikachu clenched his teeth together and closed his eyes, trying to see if his attacks were limited by the sedative as well. His cheeks sparked a small amount of electricity, signaling that it would take a little bit of time, but it was possible to summon his electricity.
"Okay..." Jacob smiled to himself. "If I can control my Thunderbolt in this state, then I might have a chance to stall for time."
Meanwhile...
Sophie and Oliver crawled through the vents in silence, occasionally looking around at the metallic walls around them that they were only barely able to crawl through comfortably.
The Snivy thought for a moment before speaking up. "Hey, what's up with your friend's power?"
"Huh?"
"Your friend. He has some strange abilities."
"Oh... I don't know what it is." Oliver looked at her, "Neither does Jacob. We've seen small sparks throughout our childhood, but not like the one recently."
"What was the one recently?"
"The one where he shattered his right paw and arm." The Oshawott looked down. "That one was the most explosive and powerful."
"True, your friend told me about it." Sophie nodded, "It was two days ago when he told me, I think."
The two suddenly went silent, not sure of what to say next. Oliver was thinking over the fight with that Charizard again, and how Jacob saved his life. Sophie was thinking over the odds of meeting someone with strange abilities as well.
"So... What about you?"
Oliver's ears perked at the sudden question. "What?"
"Do you have any strange, powerful abilities that your friend knows about?" Sophie asked, looking back at Oliver.
The Oshawott let out a faint sigh. "No, I don't." He replied, a note of hesitance in his voice, "I've just been... Normal ever since I was hatched. Both parents, no strange abilities, decent childhood, anything a normal Pokémon would grow up with."
"Really?" The Snivy asked, "I'm not trying to be mean, but your friend said you went against that Charizard before he did. I'd expected that you had some untamed, strange ability, too."
"Well no." Oliver interjected. "I just use strategy and knowledge to my advantage. Nothing else."
"What about attacks?"
"I only know Razor Shell."
"Oh..." Sophie seemed a bit shocked, "Well then-" Her voice was suddenly overlapped by another.
"What do you mean the Pokémon Sophie was looking after escaped?"
The two stopped crawling, hearing the voice coming from a vent door in-between them.
"We mean that the Oshawott escaped somehow."
Both Oliver and Sophie turned their attention to the vent door, looking through it and down into the room. It revealed to be a familiar Infernape, talking with Trevor and Lana. The Snivy's nonchalant expression became a bit more panicked.
"When's the last time you saw Sophie?" Quincy asked the two, which made Sophie flinch a bit.
"The last time we saw her..." Trevor looked down before seeing something in the corner of his eye. His pupils suddenly darted to the vent door, allowing him to see Sophie and Oliver looking back at him with shock.
The Monferno's eyes widened slightly as he looked directly at Sophie. The Snivy's breathing quickened slightly as she looked back at Trevor, knowing there was no use in trying to duck, as he already saw them.
Time seemed to pause for Oliver, Sophie, and Trevor as they all simultaneously exchanged glances with one another.
Oliver could feel his soul shake as he looked Trevor right in the eye. He began to sweat nervously, his heart rate accelerating. Sophie was preparing herself for any situation that could happen as a result of being seen.
Trevor, meanwhile, was beginning to understand why Sophie started acting off all of a sudden. No wonder why she said she had a nightmare the night prior, no wonder earlier that night she said she needed some cold water.
She was helping him escape.
"What are you looking at, Trevor?"
The Monferno snapped out of his thoughts, looking back towards Quincy. "...Nothing."
"Whatever." The Infernape shook his head. "When's the last time you saw Sophie?"
"Last I saw her, she..." Trevor began to sweat. "...S-She was going out to buy some... Lady stuff. But you didn't hear that from me, 'cause I'm not a snitch."
Sophie's eyes widened, looking down at the Monferno.
"Okay then. That means that Oshawott escaped on his own." Quincy put a paw on his chin. "Thanks for letting me know." The Infernape walked off quickly.
Trevor let out a sigh as Lana looked at him confusedly. "...Sophie never told me about that."
"Don't worry about it." The Monferno shook his head, glancing back to Sophie and Oliver. "She'll be fine."
"O...Kay?" Lana sighed as she left the area.
After a few minutes of silence, Trevor sighed with relief. "...Sophie, you can come down now."
The Snivy jumped down, followed by Oliver, who she had to catch from hitting the floor. She let out a faint sigh before putting him down. "Thanks for that."
"It's no problem." Trevor smirked, "If you wanted to run off with your boyfriend, then why didn't you say so?"
"Don't push it." She gave the Monferno a faint glare.
Trevor shivered before waving his paws. "Alright, alright, jeez." He nervously smiled, "Anyways, why were you and him crawling through the vents? Why don't you just... Escape?"
"Well, Oliver has a friend here. A Pikachu." Sophie replied. "He was in solitary, and we were planning to get him out today."
"Well you two better hurry up then." Trevor spoke, "The erasure is starting in like.. Half an hour."
"Huh?" The two asked simultaneously, Oliver sounding a bit more concerned than Sophie was.
"Yeah, you two didn't know?" The Monferno looking between them. "They're in that large room nearby the back exit. Sophie knows where it is."
"Shit... We have to go now." Sophie looked up at the vent. "Trevor, boost us up."
"Right." The Monferno picked up Sophie throwing her up in the vent before picking up Oliver and doing the same. "Good luck trying not to get caught. I'm heading to the erasure room."
The Snivy raised an eyebrow. "Sure..."
---
Crawling through the ventilation system of the gang's base, Sophie seemed to be moving a bit faster than before. She was invested in letting Oliver and Jacob get out at this point, and wasn't going to back away at the most dire part.
The two finally made it to the vent above what was apparently named "the erasure room", looking down through the vent opening. They both instantly recognized a familiar Pikachu, who was sitting down on a wooden chair, his limbs tied down with a few ropes.
"There he is." Sophie told the Oshawott. "I guess my work here is done, then." The Snivy began to crawl away through the vents.
"Wait, Sophie." Oliver verbally halted her. "...Aren't you coming?"
"I told you already, I'm staying here." She answered. "I said I would get you out, not help you save your friend. You could've been back in Casteel by now, why are you going back for him?"
"I'm going back because he's my friend, Sophie." The Oshawott replied, giving her a determined look. "I know you grew up different than me, but in Kanet Village, we hold our fellow residents close."
Oliver silently opened the vent door, allowing cold air from the room to enter the vents.
"I guess this is goodbye then." Oliver sighed, looking at her with a faint smile. "Thanks for getting me out of there, I really appreciate it."
"It's..." She wrapped the Oshawott into a faint hug. "...It's no problem, my friend."
Meanwhile...
Jacob let out a faint groan as he tried to apply small amounts of his remaining electricity to the ropes tied around his arms, but after multiple attempts, he was unable to. He could see a Gardevoir approaching him from behind, and nearly gasped in shock.
The Gardevoir placed a single hand on his head, and her eyes began to glow a purple color. But before she could begin her process, a Razor Shell came flying at her from behind. She quickly dodged that attack before putting a hand up diagonally behind her.
She managed to catch Oliver with her Psychic, holding him up.
"Oliver?" Jacob tilted his head back to look at him.
"Hey, Jacob."
"So you're the escaped Oshawott, aren't you?" The Gardevoir asked, looking back to face him. She continued to hold him up with her Psychic.
"Yeah, why do you ask?"
"Because holding you with my Psychic can make it easier to erase your memory." The Gardevoir's eyes began to glow purple once again.
"How did you see me coming?"
"Future sight."
"Heh..." The Oshawott smiled smugly. "...I thought so."
Suddenly, the Gardevoir felt a sharp pain in her back, making her eyes widen. Her Psychic weakened on Oliver, allowing him to hit the ground.
"Dynamic Punch!"
The Gardevoir was launched slightly by a figure, revealing to be Jacob, who had managed to break out of his ropes.
"What?" The Gardevoir looked at the Pikachu with confusion. "How did you escape while you were under the sedative?"
"That's what I want to know." Binks approached them from behind.
"Well, it's common for any Gardevoir to know Future Sight, so I simply aimed my attack at Jacob's sedative behind her." The Oshawott answered, smiling a bit. "If she hadn't been able to use Future Sight, she would've taken that attack to her back, and received a physical attack to her head by me. A gamble that I wouldn't be able to lose."
Suddenly, the two were charged by Binks and a few other members who were silently spectating, making the two jump and back up.
Meanwhile, a familiar Snivy was watching all of this happen, debating what she should do. Oliver was her friend. She couldn't just do him like that. After all of this, she couldn't even gather the courage to save him when he's in trouble? What kind of friend would that make her?
She closed her eyes tightly, coming to a desision.
"Yeah, I don't think they would've listened to your explanation, Oliver." Jacob smiled nervously. He then realized that the Oshawott wore a fearful expression. "But that was a good plan, don't worry."
"That's not what I'm worried about..." Oliver pointed forward, showing his best friend that they were surrounded.
"Oh..."
"Leave them alone!" A voice calmly exclaimed, jumping down from the vent. Suddenly, there was a familiar Snivy standing between them and the gang members.
"Sophie?" Binks looked down at her. "What are you doing?"
"...I'm going back for my friends." The Snivy answered before quickly turning back to Jacob and Oliver. "...When I say 'three', you make a break for it."
The two nodded.
"Three!" She suddenly launched a Leaf Blade to their left, making any Pokemon in that direction jump out of the way and clear a path for them.
Oliver was the first to start running, followed by Jacob and Sophie close behind.
"Run for the exit!" Sophie exclaimed before she quickly felt a tug on her tail, pulling her back.
It turned out to be Binks, who wasn't willing to let Sophie leave just yet. The Snivy let out a groan in pain, alerting both Jacob and Oliver.
"Go without me!" Sophie yelled at the two. "Don't miss your chance, go!"
Both stood there, unsure of what to do. They were mere steps away from freedom, but what would having freedom really mean without the one that gave it to you?
Oliver seemed to be thinking by the same logic, and sprung off of his feet in order to reach Sophie. He ran forward before pulling up his scalchop and throwing it towards Binks, throwing off his balance.
The Oshawott noticed a familiar Monferno jumping towards them. "Jacob, hold him off!" Oliver shouted, to which Jacob nodded and tackled the Monferno to the ground. Oliver then grabbed Sophie's hand and pulled her behind him.
"Oliver... Why?" Sophie asked quietly.
The Oshawott turned back to her with a shaky smile, "Y-You just looked like you needed help..."
The Snivy's eyes widened, remembering that statement from when she had just met Oliver. She had no time to think about it, however, as Binks was approaching quickly.
Sophie began to prepare an attack, but a paw resting on her hand from in front of her stopped her. It was Oliver, who wore a determined expression.
"I was always too scared to act on my instinct, or my 'gut', as Jacob calls it."
Oliver saw a punch from Binks approaching, and avoided it, stumbling back.
"But now, I think I finally understand what Jacob meant when he said going with his gut would always work out."
The Oshawott picked up his scalchop, avoiding another attack from Binks. He then jumped up and over the Emboar.
"He has a goal, a dream to chase after. He doesn't have any time to stand around thinking."
Oliver threw his scachop towards Binks, which he easily dodged. "You thought I'd fall for that?" He asked as Oliver landed on the ground.
"But... I'm not him. I'm different from him... We don't react the same."
The Oshawott ran towards his scalchop, avoiding a quick Flamethrower from Binks.
"But what I can do..." Oliver grabbed his scalchop before water began to surround him. "...Is think with my head!" Water completely surrounded Oliver as he suddenly launched towards Binks. He slammed his head into the Emboar's stomach.
He had learned Aqua Jet.
Both Oliver and Binks let out a groan, Oliver not used to the attack just yet, and Binks taking the attack head-on.
Once The Oshawott took a moment to recover, Sophie took a look around at the area. Soon enough, Oliver was back to normal, and turned to Sophie, who looked a bit confused, and Jacob, who was still pinning a compliant Trevor down.
"Now's our chance!" Oliver shouted, alerting both of them. They simultaneously nodded, and made a break for the exit.
---
Casteel City, Sinnoh
Once the trio were a decent distance away from the base, they all immediately collapsed from exhaustion. They all looked up at the blue sky, and the sun that was high up in the air. The three all let out heavy and exhausted breaths.
"We're out..." Sophie spoke in disbelief.
"Of course we are!" Jacob sat up excitedly, "There was no way our journey was going to end there."
"It would've ended if it wasn't for Sophie saving us." Oliver sat up as well. "Thanks again."
"Well..." The Pikachu stood up. "...We should head to some type of medic vendor."
"Medic vendor?" Sophie stood up, helping Oliver up as well.
"Jacob, there's no medic vendors here." The Oshawott laughed faintly. "There's something called a Pokemon Center in each town."
"Okay, then let's head there." Jacob grabbed his backpack from the ground, which he had managed to grab on his way out.
The two began to walk off, but suddenly stopped when they realized that Sophie wasn't next to them. "Sophie, are you coming?" Oliver asked.
The Snivy felt faint tears prick the corners of her eyes as she stood up and smiled. "Yeah."