Chapter 1: Into the Darkness

Author: Potato King Mike

I open my eyes and see sunlight. I try and blink the sleep from my eyes, but I can't. I let myself drift back off to sleep, but only for a little while. I have to do something today. I force myself up, thinking of my brother. It's been a week. A whole week. I've wasted too much time. I have to Rescue Matt. But how? Matt was one of the best explorers in the region. And he was taken so easily. Then I'll have to be stronger than Matt. I'll make whoever it was who did this pay. But first, I've got to find a partner. That cave nearby has lots of Pokémon in it. Maybe one of them will help.

Standing at the mouth of the cave, I think of the task before me. But I don't have time for that. I have to get moving. I walk into the cave, and watch the light slowly fade as I move deeper into it. Before long, I can't see anything. I peer into the darkness and try to decipher it. I see something, and call out: "Hey! Over here! I need to talk to you!"

The shape moves closer. I can see now that it's a Snivy.

"Hi, my name is Jacob. I was wondering if you would-".

The Snivy lashes out with a vine, using it like a whip. I dodge the blow, barely. Looks like there won't be any talking to this one. I detach my shell to use as a shield and use it to block several blows. I shoot a burst of water and hit him dead on. It doesn't look like it did much damage though. He hits me again, and I feel a sharp sting on my leg. That one really hurts.

It's hard to fight through the pain, but I can't fail now. I shoot off another water burst, but I miss. He hits me with another vine whip, and I collapse. My quest is over. I never stood a chance.

As my vision fades to black, I see a light approach. The Snivy is fleeing. The light... No... Don't leave...

I open my eyes and see a Charmander smiling at me. I sit up.

"Took you long enough. I thought you were toast for a minute there. You didn't wake up after I fed you that Oran berry. But you're OK now, right?" He says worriedly.

"Yeah. Where are we?" I ask.

"In the cave. I didn't want to move you. Plus I still have something to do down here."

"What's that?"

"Well my friend ran down here a while ago, and I came to get him. The problem is, most of the Pokémon down here are water type and I can't get very far."

"Well, I'll help you! Water types are resistant to each other. I should be able to get you through this cave."

"Thanks so much!"

"It's no problem. You did the same thing by running off that Snivy. Let's go! By the way, my name is Jacob." I stick out my hand.

"I'm Joey." he shakes my hand vigorously.

We've been walking for ages now. Where could his friend be? With the presence of light, I can see the cave clearly. It's very damp and rather depressing.

"You know, it's nice being able to see where I'm going down here," I say, gesturing to Joey's tale.

"You know, I've never really noticed how much light my tail gives off."

"Well it's pretty handy. "I see something in the distance.

"Look!" We run over to find a Munchlax sleeping on the ground.

"Nick! NICK!" Joey says.

Nick wakes with a start.

"Hey, what're you doing here Joey? You know there's lotsa water types down here," he says sleepily.

"I came to get you! Why were you sleeping on the ground?!"

"Well I was wandering around and I got hungry. I found this seed on the ground, so I ate it. Next thing I know, here you are. Who's that?"

"That's Jacob. He helped me get here."

"Well thanks! I'd still be sleepin' here if't weren't for you."

"It's no problem," I reply. "Let's get out of here!"

"So you want us to form an exploration team with you?" Joey asks. "Sure thing! What about you Nick?"

"I don't know. I kinda wanna go take a nap."

"YOU JUST FELL ASLEEP IN A CAVE!"

"Oh, alright. I owe you one for coming to get me. I'm in."

"Great," I say, "I've already sent for an exploration kit. As soon as it gets here we can start searching."

"For what," Joey asks.

"For the wind."