They did not stop to ask Marc who was coming - they simply got out of the broom cupboard as quickly as possible and sprinted down the corridor as Team Midnight agents shouted after them. As she ran, Candida kept a tight grip on Togetic's Poke Ball, ready to battle if she had to. Lapras' Poke Ball stayed in Candida's pocket; while the Water/Ice Pokemon was strong, she couldn't move easily out of water. Glancing sideways, she noticed that Kelly and Sandra had their Poke Balls readied as well, as did Jeremy and Marc. Autumn was carrying her Pikachu.
Only Kevin had no Pokemon with him and he was becoming increasingly worried about Sneasel, Houndour and Murkrow. What were Team Midnight planning to do with them? He had to find out - it was just a matter of working out how.
First, however, they would have to get past the guards and that would be easier said than done if this lot started an alert. They had already seen for themselves what Team Midnight were capable of; the "Tank" Autumn had been imprisoned in was just one of the traps they had at their disposal. That was why they had to avoid capture at all costs, but finding out what was going on would involve going right into enemy territory.
"Anyone got any ideas?" asked Kevin as they darted into a side corridor seconds before two agents appeared on the scene. Crozier was one of the two, her Golbat flying alongside her, and Candida cursed under her breath at the sight of them. If that Golbat used its radar, she and the others would surely be discovered. It was time for drastic action.
"Kelly," she whispered urgently, "get Drifter to use Sleep Powder."
Kelly looked at the Poke Ball containing her Skiploom, an uncertain expression on her face. It was a risky thing to do, partly because Drifter was weak against a Golbat and partly because there was every risk of someone coming to reinforce the two agents. But there didn't seem to be any alternatives and using Drifter's Attacks had worked before . . .
"Drifter! Give them your Sleep Powder!" Kelly ordered as the Skiploom burst out of her Poke Ball and hovered around at head height.
"Skiploom!" Drifter said as she floated towards the Team Midnight agents and the Golbat. She shifted position so the bright yellow flower on top of her head was pointed directly at the enemy trio. Then, with a quick shake of her body, she sent a cloud of Sleep Powder drifting downwards. Crozier scowled and was about to order her Golbat to counterattack with a Swift Attack, but it was too late. The bat Pokemon had already inhaled some of the powder and was about to crash to the floor.
"Golbat, return!" Crozier ordered, pointing a Poke Ball at Golbat. Seconds later, she and her fellow agent slumped to the floor, overcome by Drifter's Sleep Powder. Candida and the others watched with smug satisfaction - at least these Team Midnight agents would be out of their way for a while and, hopefully, that would allow them enough time to get back to the dormitories undetected. Kevin, however, had other plans.
"Sandra, help me get their uniforms off," he said, ignoring Autumn when she begged him not to do anything reckless. "I have an idea . . ."
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"Whatever you have in mind had better be good," said Sandra as she struggled out of her Skitty nightshirt and into Crozier's Team Midnight uniform. The t-shirt was a size too large, but the pants fit all right and she soon looked every inch the Team Midnight agent.
Kevin had stolen the male Team Midnight agent's uniform and was just pulling the t-shirt over his head. "We're going incognito," he told her as he smoothed down his messy hair. "And . . ." He paused to glance down at his waist, which was where he normally kept his Poke Balls. " . . . I mean to find out what Team Midnight are up to if it's the last thing I do. Which means going into enemy territory . . ."
Sandra toyed with her Poke Balls, wondering if she should keep them or hand them over to one of the others. From what she had seen of Team Midnight, a Wooper and a Dratini were not the kind of Pokemon their agents usually chose; they seemed to specialise in Dark and Poison Types - such as Crozier's Golbat. The latter was still out cold on the floor, as were the two underwear-clad Team Midnight agents, but they would not stay out for long. Sooner or later, Drifter's Sleep Powder would wear off.
"What are we gonna do with . . .?" Candida asked, nodding towards the agents. Evidently, the same thought had occured to her.
Autumn's Pikachu answered that question - by swiping the keys on Crozier's belt and handing them to his trainer. "Pika pika!" he said excitedly, pointing in the direction of a store-room. "Pika!" The small Electric Pokemon shot a venomous glare at the Team Midnight agents; from what he had seen while hiding in the vents, he knew they were up to something bad, something that could put the whole of Aquarius in danger.
Autumn patted his head. "Lock them up?" she asked, interpreting his "words".
"Well, hurry up - that Sleep Powder will wear off soon!" cut in Kelly, picking Crozier's Golbat up as she spoke. Normally, she gave the Zubat line a wide berth, her excuse being that they gave her the "creeps". It had started when she was about six or seven, on the day a boy at her school shut her in a darkened cupboard with his Zubat lurking inside. The shock of feeling the bat Pokemon's wings flapping against her face had scared her into hysterics and, even though she was quickly rescued and the boy who shut in the cupboard wound up writing I will not scare younger children 100 times in detention, the damage had been done. From then on, even though Kelly was willing to battle a Zubat, Golbat or Crobat, she could not bring herself to touch one - unless she had to . . .
"Yeah - right." Kevin crouched down by the male agent and gripped him under his arms, preparing to drag him the few feet to the cupboard. "You grab the other one," he said to Jeremy.
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"That's them out of the way!" Candida said as she locked the cupboard and pulled the key out of the door. "Now what?"
"Sandra and I will go join Team Midnight," Kevin replied. "We're the oldest of us, so we've got the best chance of passing ourselves off as agents. The rest of you had better find somewhere to hide, preferably somewhere Team Midnight won't think of looking."
Somewhere Team Midnight wouldn't think of looking . . . Candida had a feeling that, right now, such places were in pretty short supply and there were only so many places they could hide in an undersea city. Sooner or later, no matter where they chose to hole up, they were sure to be discovered. And when that happened, they would be in serious trouble; the fact they were out of their dormitories was bad enough, but, if Team Midnight found out about ARM . . . She gripped Lapras and Togetic's Poke Balls tightly, determined not to let them be taken from her a second time.
"Any ideas?" she asked, turning to Kelly and Autumn.
Autumn pointed. "If we can make it back to the modules, we might be safe there - Team Midnight think they have everyone "safely" in their clutches so they might not be watching that area too closely." Her Pikachu jumped into her arms and she hugged the Electric Pokemon close to her chest.
"We hope," said Kelly. "But what if they are?"
Jeremy grinned as he released his Charmeleon. "Then we'll give them a fight!" he declared with an air of bravado. Charmeleon echoed his trainer's words by leaping into the air and demonstrating a Slash Attack on an imaginary opponent. Like most Charmeleons, Jeremy's was always spoiling for a fight, never happier than when he was in the arena awaiting a command to "use Fire Spin" or any of his other Attacks. And, since Team Midnight's coup, there had been no opportunity for battles; consequently, Charmeleon had spent many boring hours brooding in his Poke Ball.
"Meleon!" Charmeleon snorted. In his eagerness to fight, he accidentally used his Ember Attack on Candida, who squealed and dodged out of the way. Jeremy grinned sheepishly.
"Save it for Team Midnight, OK," he laughed as he returned Charmeleon. "Are you all right, Candida?"
"Yes - the Ember just missed me." Candida looked down at the scorched floor. The occasionally wilful natures of Charmander's evolved forms meant training one required skill and she was relieved Jeremy knew how to handle his Charmeleon. "And at least it proves Charmeleon's ready for anything," she added.
"You'd better get going then," Kevin cut in. "Sandra and I will find out what we can from Team Midnight."
As the little group of friends prepared to split up, Candida couldn't help feeling uneasy. What Kevin and Sandra were doing was extremely risky; if someone found out they were not Team Midnight agents but ARM spies . . . She did not know what would happen to them beyond the fact that it would be something bad. She longed to say something, but what could she say?
"Good luck," she whispered at last, her voice barely audible. They were going to need it.
"You too," said Sandra, squeezing the younger girl's hand.
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Kevin and Sandra steeled themselves, smoothed down their stolen uniforms and prepared to enter enemy territory. Team Midnight agents milled around, some with guns in their belts and others with Dark or Poison Type Pokemon beside them. And all of them looked like they were ready for a fight - one agent had a very tough-looking Seviper at his side, the black snake Pokemon's long fangs gleaming viciously. If this didn't work . . .
"Oi! You two!" the agent with the Seviper called before Kevin and Sandra had time to think. "Any sign of those kids?"
"Which kids do you mean?" Kevin asked, stalling for time. He was relieved no-one seemed to have noticed he and Sandra had no business being here - clearly, the uniforms gave the agents a degree of anonymity - but he knew it could not last.
"The kids who were seen out of their dormitories." The agent spoke as if explaining to a five-year-old that one plus one made two. "There were seven of them and they need to be caught!" He slammed his fist into his palm, causing his Seviper to look up with a startle hiss.
"Sorry," Sandra said casually, her hand moving to Dratini's Poke Ball in case she needed to fight. "We don't know anything about that."
"Pah!" the agent spat in disgust. "You call yourselves Team Midnight agents?! Those kids could ruin everything if it was left to you!" He stroked his Seviper fondly, his thoughts focussed on the plan Team Midnight had devised, a plan that was not going to be scuppered by a bunch of meddlesome kids.
"Oh yeah?" Kevin said with more bravado than he felt without his loyal squad of Dark Type Pokemon. "We've only just come on duty - this is the first we've heard about any kids." The agent contemplated Kevin and Sandra for a moment, apparently looking for signs that they might be lying, waiting for one of them to crack under his intense glare. There was something about these two "agents" he didn't like; their body language seemed to suggest they were hiding something. And when he figured out what it was . . .
But that could wait. Right now, he needed all the help he could get finding the fugitives. He called his Seviper back into his Poke Ball and turned to face Kevin and Sandra. "Well, now you know," he told them. "And I can make it well worth your while to help us catch them. In fact . . ." He turned to the nearby portrait of Lenoir. " . . . I might even see about getting you promoted."
Kevin and Sandra gazed at each other in helpless disbelief. This agent had them over the proverbial barrel; if they refused to betray their friends, he would know straight away that they were not from Team Midnight. They had to do something fast, but what could they do? It was while they were pondering their options that Kevin glanced at the paper on a nearby table. It was folded in half and sealed shut, the words:
TOP SECRET!
FOR AGENT RICH'S EYES ONLY
stamped on it in bright red letters. Kevin didn't know why, but he was sure whatever was in that message had to be important, else they wouldn't have made it confidential. He had to see what it said - maybe it was the answer to everything that had been going on lately. Painfully aware of the agent's eyes boring into him, he quickly nodded in Sandra's direction.
She took the hint at once and hurriedly let her Wooper out of his Poke Ball. The small Water/Ground Pokemon promptly darted across the room, tripping agents in his wake, before jumping onto the cabinet and blowing a loud raspberry at the dumbstruck agents. While they were all looking the other way, Kevin snatched up the paper and stuffed it under his shirt. "C'mon!" he whispered urgently to Sandra.
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Candida and the others managed to reach the Bensons' apartment without incident. All they had to do now was get inside, something that looked like it might be easier said than done. The door was locked tight and none of the five youngsters had a key. "Oh great!" muttered Autumn, folding her arms as her Pikachu jumped onto her shoulder. "I guess we just wait here for Team Midnight to catch us!"
"Not necessarily," Candida replied as she examined the lock. "Jeremy, your Charmeleon's Flamethrower worked last time . . ."
Jeremy frowned, remembering the day he, Kevin and Marc had gone to look round those areas of Aquarius that were off limits to the general population. At the time, playing covert ops had seemed like an adventure and he had little idea what was lurking behind the scenes. Now, everyone in Aquarius knew only too well, but was it too late to do anything about it? In any case, Candida's words had reminded him of how Charmeleon had used his Flamethrower to help them then. Maybe it would work again . . .
He pulled out Charmeleon's Poke Ball. "Charmeleon, Flamethrower!" he called as he activated the Ball and Charmeleon emerged in a flash of light. The red Fire lizard did not need telling twice; as soon as he was out, he threw back his head and breathed a powerful jet of fire at the lock on the Bensons' door. The five young fugitives watched anxiously, praying desperately that Charmeleon would finish the job before someone came and caught them. There were no Team Midnight agents up this end - yet, but after tonight's commotion there was no telling what they might do.
Candida thought fast; there was no sense in letting Team Midnight blindside them. "Togetic, take a look round!" she called as she summoned her dainty Flying Type Pokemon. "Warn us if you see any Team Midnight agents!"
"You too, Drifter and Delibird," Kelly added. She called out her Skiploom and Delibird and the three Pokemon flew (or drifted in Drifter's case) off to patrol the corridor. As they disappeared down the corridor, Kelly felt a knot of anxiety in her throat - would they be able to get back to their trainers if they were seen by someone from Team Midnight? She was very fond of all her Pokemon and wouldn't have sent them on a potentially dangerous mission by choice. "I hope they'll be OK," she said anxiously.
"They'll be fine," Marc assured her. "If they get in any trouble, they can use their Attacks."
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After what felt like hours but was probably minutes at the most, Charmeleon succeeded in burning open the lock. As the door to the Bensons' apartment sprang open, Jeremy patted Charmeleon on the head. "Good work, Charmeleon," he said approvingly. He pulled out Charmeleon's Poke Ball. "Take a rest - I'll call you if we need you."
It was not long after Jeremy recalled Charmeleon before Drifter, Delibird and Togetic appeared on the scene with Kevin and Sandra following in their wake. They were still in their stolen Team Midnight uniforms, prompting Autumn's Pikachu to squeal and cling to his trainer; he thought they were real Team Midnight agents and he had seen enough of those lately to know they were bad news. Autumn laughed and patted him reassuringly.
"Oh, Pikachu! It's only Kevin and Sandra." She held him level with her two friends' faces so he could see she was telling the truth. Pikachu's cheeks sparked slightly, but he relaxed as he recognised Kevin and Sandra and stopped just short of Thundershocking everyone. That would have been disasterous for all of them as the noise would have alerted any Team Midnight agents who happened to be nearby. As it was, Kevin and Sandra still weren't entirely sure they hadn't been followed.
Jeremy pushed open the door to the Bensons' apartment and the seven of them filed in, Kevin patting the paper he had pocketed. Autumn, noticing this, asked him what he had concealed under his shirt. He grinned mysteriously, excited by the prospect of shortly finding out exactly what Team Midnight were up to, but did not take out the paper. It was too risky to open it until they were all safely inside.
"Let's just say it could be very useful," he told the others.
"Useful? For what?" asked Candida as she closed the door and wedged a chair underneath the handle to keep it shut. They were effectively under seige.