Stella and Nerissa's reactions to the malfunctioning escalator and the attitude the guards showed when questioned couldn't have been more different; while the former accepted the sudden change in plans without question and went ahead to call an elevator for them (with Emil at her heels), the latter apparently decided that she hadn't caused Emil enough stress yet. With her heels clicking against the building's polished floor, the tallest of the three strode to the guards, only to be swiftly - and surprisingly roughly, seriously, who [i]was[/i] these guys' supervisor? - aside. Which, subsequently, caused the guards to throw angry glares at both him and Stella as well, once they realized the three were a group. Emil looked away quickly, not wanting a reputation of a trouble maker. Sure, their behaviour did grate on his nerves as well, but he didn't particularly mind less physical work; he'd gotten his share for the day already. So, elevator it was.

"Guy's an ass. I was so close to checking the escalator out. Once we get downstairs, I guess we better take a look for ourselves," Nerissa grumbled as she reached them just in time for the elevator to reach their floor and open for them to step inside. Emil winced at her crude choice of words, even if he did agree with her sentiments, but he felt like reprimanding her on it would have less affect than a Pikachu's Spark against a Groudon. So, Emil merely stepped inside the elevator, quickly checking its mirror and brushing his hair straight before he turned around, settling to stand at the far back and waiting for the girls to follow.

"Best just let the matter be," Emil finally said when the doors closed, trapping the trio inside with a decisive clank. His arms were crossed once again as the elevator nudged to motion and started its slow descend towards the first floor. "We hardly have time to waste on such meaningless matters. Heading towards the next gym should be our top priority."

That's right, even if he'd beaten one Gym, he couldn't just rest on his laurels; he had to move on and keep his pace up if he ever wished to become a champion. Considering they were in Goldenrod at the moment, the next step should probably be either Ecruteak or Azalea. ... Which effectively meant that he'd either have to face ghosts or insects, neither of which sounded pleasant. The boy shuddered just from the thought of it. Perhaps they should go through the ruins to Violet City instead? He wanted to be better prepared before facing either of his worst fears in battle. Which reminded him, he should also get a move on when it came to catching Pokémon. Overture was strong, sure, but he wouldn't do with just one Pokémon forever. Then, what way should they go? Where should he do his first catch?

The elevator had one more floor to go, after which he'd probably have to decide.

"Hm, about our next step, I w-"

Before Emil could finish his sentence, the elevator suddenly shook violently enough to knock the trio off balance. The lights flickered and the elevator's speed accelerated, easily passing the second - and much to Emil's horror, the first - floor. He screamed, his voice most likely more feminine than whatever came out of the mouths of his companions, and didn't stop until the elevator came to a sudden stop upon reaching the basement. Emil gasped, holding onto the wall with his eyes wide and feet trembling. 

"W-what in the w-worl-"

Once again the boy's sentence was cut short, this time by the elevator's door opening. Light poured into the pitch black car of the elevator, causing the teen to blink his eyes and bring one hand up to shield himself from the brightness - not that it would've lasted; before any of them could take a proper breather, a group of shady looking men pushed their way into the elevator to grab the trio and forcibly drag them outside into a room full of other dark-clad men and women, and what appeared to be their victims; a group of scared people all backed against the furthermost wall, stripped of their belongings and Pokémon. A group of Muk kept the people at bay, their slimy hands reaching for anyone who attempted to get away. The poison Pokémon had a foul smell so was awful, that Emil had half the mind to stop struggling just for the sake of protecting his nose from the stench. What was going on? Who were all these people? Were they... all trainers? Was this why the advertisers for the department store had been particularly pushy today throughout the city? Was this where the crowds of shoppers he'd seen earlier had gone to? Was this why the... escalator had-

"Tch, these ones have only got one each," one of the grunts struggling to subdue the girls and bring them to the group of earlier victims called out, apparently referring to their Pokémon. Emil's heart jumped. Were... were they really going to steal their Pokémon companions? Overture? No, they couldn't, he'd barely started his journey, he refused to be mugged by these murky-clad [i]freaks[/i], and he let it show by attempting to struggle free - to no avail, considering he had little physical strength to call his own. So, before he could so much as begin kicking and biting, he was already thrown roughly against the wall, his Pokéball and wallet taken. 

Fourth time was the charm. This day was not a good one after all.