A/N: Chapter three, YAYOMG.


Rock My Socks

Part III

"Do we really have to climb all the way up here?"

Haruhi was panting heavily, Hana trailing along behind her and looking just as out of breath as her trainer. They were currently half way up a rather mountainous hill, and rocks clattered haphazardly down the slope behind their flailing feet.

"Yes," Kasumi replied, Amai standing at her side. Neither trainer nor Pokemon appeared out of breath, and Haruhi wondered how many times a day she'd done this while researching on this island. "It's the best way to spot the Pokemon." She was holding a pair of high tech binoculars, scanning the forests below for signs of life. "I've been looking for nearly a week now, but so far, I haven't found a single thing."

Meanwhile, Amai had used her powerful vines to lift Hana into the air, settling the smaller green Pokemon beside her.

:I didn't ask for your help, you know!: the Chikorita snapped angrily.

Amai didn't seem disturbed by her tone. :I am well aware. But you were struggling. It would not be right to simply stand by and watch. Kasumi-chan says that all Pokemon must learn to get along if they are to coincide peacefully.: She turned her head, and Hana took the opportunity to study her.

She was large, and intimidating, but there was an air of tranquility around the older evolution that made the Chikorita feel at ease. Will I look like that when I evolve? She wondered. And when will I evolve? Haruhi has been using me in a lot of battles lately. Maybe I'm close and I just don't know it. I wish I could've asked her last night. That stupid Umbreon…

:Relax, little one. You should not think so hard.:

Hana glanced back up at Amai, who was smiling placidly. :I wasn't…thinking,: she replied defensively, sulking. :I was just…wondering.:

:What were you wondering?:

:I was wondering…what's it like…to evolve?:

Amai blinked in surprise, but quickly smiled once more, looking much like her ever-cheerful trainer. :I think that is a question best left unanswered for now. You will find out soon enough, I am sure.: Kasumi called to her Meganium, and Amai turned to her trainer. :Excuse me, but Kasumi-chan needs me.:

Hana watched the older evolution go as Haruhi scooped her up into her arms. What does she mean 'soon enough'? Does that mean I'll evolve soon?

But just like Amai had said, her question remained unanswered.


"This is strange."

Kasumi tapped her chin thoughtfully as she and Haruhi stood on a ledge of the Cliffside, peering into the darkness of a cave. "Why is this strange?" Haruhi didn't see anything wrong with a cave on a cliff. That's where caves sometimes appeared, right? I wasn't like it was out of the ordinary.

"It's strange," Kasumi replied quietly. "Because this cave wasn't here a few days ago. And it's not natural." Haruhi blinked as the older trainer ran her hands along the outside of the cave's edge. "Look at that. There are spirals along the walls. It was drilled straight through by…something."

"Could a Pokemon have done this?" Haruhi queried warily, holding Hana tightly in her arms.

"I don't think so," Kasumi replied, recalling Amai into her Pokeball and dropping her backpack to the ground. She rustled around in it before producing a large flashlight, clicking it on. "But I think we should check it out. This could be linked to the poachers and the appearances of the strange Pokemon, so it'd be best if I investigated this." She swung her pack back up and unclipped a ball from her belt. In a flash of white light, a Flaaffy, bright eyed and fluffy, appeared at her side.

"Pacchiri, use flash."

The Flaaffy immediately obeyed with a glad cry, and Haruhi watched in amazement as it's body became like a living flashlight, glowing bright enough to light the passageway a good few feet ahead.

"Haruhi."

Haruhi gave a start and turned to Kasumi, who's smile had faded into a serious expression. "You should stay here. You aren't obligated to come with me, and I don't want you to get hurt."

"No," Haruhi replied firmly. "I'm coming with you. If people are poaching Pokemon then they have to be stopped. I want to help." When Kasumi looked uncertain, Haruhi added; "Please."

"Well, okay. But stick close to me and Pacchiri, and don't wander off."

Haruhi nodded, and squeezed Hana tighter to her chest as the two trainers and their Pokemon entered the dark tunnel.

The brown haired girl could hardly see more than a few feet ahead of her, but the tunnel seemed to stretch on endlessly. I wonder how deep into the mountain it goes?

Because the cave was unnatural, and fairly new, they were lucky enough not to run into any wild or aggressive Pokemon, but just the fact that the cave was there was disturbing. What could they be using it for? Maybe they're funneling Pokemon through it somehow? But that doesn't make sense! Kasumi-san said it wasn't here a few days ago, so they couldn't be passing Pokemon through it if that was the case. Maybe it's leading to something important, though. Like a base. Do poachers have bases?

Her train of thought was only stopped when she literally ran into Kasumi, prompting the older girl to grab her by the shoulders to keep her steady. Haruhi opened her mouth to ask what was going on, when Kasumi put her finger to her lips. Instantly, Pacchiri's light was extinguished, and the Flaaffy was recalled, only to be replaced with a sleek, black Pokemon with rings on it's shoulders, ears and tail. It glanced up at it's trainer, and Kasumi leaned down to whisper something in it's ear. With a nod, the Pokemon slowly crept along the path, Kasumi and Haruhi following in it's wake.

"Haruhi-chan, there's something up ahead. Please be vigilant. I don't know what or who it is, but-"

Haruhi opened her mouth to respond, when the ground beneath her feet began to rumble. She gasped as rocks tumbled down from the top of the artificial roof, and before she could react, a hole had opened up in the ground, and swallowed her up. She reached out to grab Kasumi's hand, but only managed to snag the flashlight, which slid from the older woman's grasp before she could clamp a firm grip around the handle.

The last thing she saw was Kasumi's terrified face hovering over the edge of the gap, her Umbreon's wide, glowing red eyes right beside her.


When Haruhi landed, she hit hard.

Hana bounced out of her arms, and the brown haired girl groaned as she managed to push herself up shakily. The little grass Pokemon hauled herself to her feet, and quickly ran over to check on Haruhi. Finding that her trainer was as fine as could be expected, she retrieved the flashlight, which had fallen from Haruhi's grip, and returned it to the girl.

"Thanks, Hana," Haruhi mumbled, shining the light back up the tunnel, which wound and curved in such a way that it had slowed down her fall and kept her from serious injury. "We need to get out of here and find Kasumi again. I'm not sure where we've landed, but we're deeper in the mountain than we should be." Hana nodded her assent, and the two started down the tunnel that led away from the one she'd fallen into.

The tunnel was dark, and the light of the flashlight didn't do much to illuminate the shadows that bounced along the wall. But Haruhi had always been relatively fearless, and she plowed ahead with Hana at her side, careful not to trip of lose her flashlight. She ran her hand along the wall, feeling the grooves and spirals that indicated that this tunnel too was a fake.

It just doesn't make sense! Why all the tunnels?

A sudden clattering up ahead had Haruhi flicking off the flashlight hastily, and Hana pressed close against her side as she inched forward, peering around the curve of the tunnel.

Her eyes widened when she saw that the tunnel branched and widened out into a large cavern. And in the cavern was…

A lake?

The lake was obviously a natural one, and there were various, smaller tunnels that led from the cavern which Haruhi suspected were real tunnels and not man-made. The young trainer's eyes scanned the cavern, catching sight of the shimmering surface of the water, and then, to her horror, something that was not supposed to be there.

There were cages! Dozens and dozens of them stacked on top of one another. Cages and crates lined the walls of the caverns, and inside the cages, Haruhi could see vague shapes moving and bustling around, most of them in obvious distress.

She slipped from the tunnel, Hana following close at her heels, and slid behind one of the crates. She could hear voices echoing in the cavern, hissing at one another as the cages clattered and were moved about.

The poachers! Haruhi exchanged a glance with Hana, and the grass-type Pokemon nodded affirmatively, as if reading her mind. But what are they doing? Are they going to release those Pokemon onto the island?

"What are we going to do about the girl?"

Haruhi stiffened, wondering if she'd just been caught, when she realized the voices weren't directed at her, but at one another. Two tall, feminine shadows stood off to the side, talking in hushed whispers and venomous hisses.

"We've got to get rid of that nosy researcher! She's been snooping around for nearly a week now. She'll find us out at this rate, and then Bara-sama will be angry!"

"Shut up," the second voice snapped, and Haruhi pressed herself closer to the wall. The voice sounded vaguely familiar, but Haruhi couldn't place it.

"We don't need to worry about her. We'll be out of here before the end of the day."

"But what about the Pokemon? We've got some really good ones this time!"

"Who cares? They'll just slow us down. Besides, Bara-sama doesn't need to worry about selling them for the money. We've already got enough as it is."

"Do you know when the next phase of our plan will be enacted?"

"Soon. Bara-sama is close to finding the location of the legend. We just need a little longer before we can decipher it's exact locale. Now hurry up and get your things together. We need to hurry back to headquarters before Bara-sama becomes impatient."

The two voices became nothing more than hushed whispers as the captors moved off, and Haruhi peeked around the crate, watching them disappear down a tunnel.

Acting quickly, and heedless of any danger that might be about. Haruhi squeezed away from the crates, and Hana raced at her heels as she ran to the cages. Inside, there was a variety of water Pokemon, all of whom looked shocked and frightened and shied away from her as she neared the cages.

"Don't worry," she whispered. "I'm here to get you out."

:We're here to help!: Hana cried, and a few of the Pokemon seemed to perk up, looking intrigued.

:You must hurry!: a bedraggled looking Golduck called. :They might come back! They are terrible humans! They were going to sell us for money!:

:I don't want to be sold for money!: a little Poliwag wailed. :I want to go home!:

:Hush now!: a large Quagsire chided. :Or you'll draw them back here! This new human is here to help! We must trust her!:

:But humans are bad! We can't trust her! She'll try to capture us again!: a Qwilifish protested. :She won't be any different!:

:You're wrong!: Hana cried angrily, readying herself to use razor leaf. :Haruhi is-is…She's a good person! You don't need to be afraid!:

"Hana, use razor leaf and cut those locks off the cages!"

Hana whipped her head around, and the leaves soared through the air, hitting the locks with a loud, metallic 'clang.' The attack did it's job, and the cages clicked open as the Pokemon managed to free themselves, leaping from their cages and each making their way towards the lake.

:Human!: one of the water Pokemon, an authoritative looking Marshtomp called back to Haruhi. :This one is not moving!:

Hana tugged on Haruhi's pant legs, indicating that she should go to the cage where the Marshtomp stood. As soon as the human moved within range, the water Pokemon turned and blundered back to the water, not quite trusting the young trainer not to try and capture it. Haruhi watched it go, before leaning down to gaze into the cage. She let out a small gasp of surprise at the little Pokemon inside. It was…oddly colored, and didn't look normal.

"A Dratini! But…why is it pink?"

She reached out to gingerly prod it's side, but the little thing did no more than groan and squeak, hardly able to move. Haruhi chewed her lip thoughtfully; she couldn't just leave it here, but it was obviously too weak to go back into the lake.

I'll have to take it with me!

Mind made up, Haruhi slipped her hands beneath the little Pokemon's body and hefted her up into her arms. She cradled the Dratini against her chest, worried when she felt how skinny the water Pokemon was and how weak it felt in her grasp. "Come on, Hana," Haruhi murmured, grunting as she adjusted the Dratini carefully in her arms. "We've gotta find a way out!"


The two women squeaked painfully when the rope tightened around them.

"Well, well, well. Look what we have here. Two little thieves who have lost their way. I saw that storm you whipped up to get you here without being seen. Very clever. A Gyarados, I imagine. Am I right?" The one who tightened their ropes smirked cruelly, eyes fairly glowing with malice in the dark. "And what, pray tell, are you doing on this island?"

"We-we don't have to tell you anything!" the woman with the short, brown hair protested, narrowing her eyes angrily.

"Shut up, you idiot!" the other snapped, wriggling against her bonds and getting nowhere. "Let us go! We haven't done anything wrong!"

"Is that so?" their captor replied airily, and the two women gulped as a red-eyed Umbreon appeared from the shadows. "Now, you're going to tell me exactly what you were doing here."

"You!" the older woman spat. "You're that researcher who's been sticking her nose into our business, aren't you?"

"No, I'm not. And I'm not a researcher," the captor replied, chuckling darkly. "So, are you going to cooperate, or do I have to force it out of you?"

"We won't tell you a thing!"

"Oh, I beg to differ." Their tormenter laughed openly now as the Umbreon stepped closer, eyes narrowing as a dark aura began to glow around it. "You're going to tell me everything."


Haruhi clambered up the side of the wall, the Dratini carefully secured in her backpack, it's little head the only thing visible from beneath the flap.

"That's it, Hana! Pull!"

The little grass Pokemon gritted her teeth and tugged as hard as she could, using her vines to drag her trainer up the steep tunnel. She'd barely managed to get back to the top of the tunnel they'd fallen into herself, and now she was trying to pull Haruhi up as well, but it was proving to be a bit difficult.

"Amai, help them out!"

Hana breathed a sigh of relief as the large Meganium appeared beside her, vines snaking out to wrap around Haruhi and drag her up with ease.

:Phew! Thanks for that!: Hana breathed, releasing her grip on her trainer and collapsing onto her stomach. :Haruhi is heavy!:

:You were valiant to try and pull her up on your own, little one. I can handle it from here,: Amai replied sweetly, her face breaking out into a smile. :Just rest.:

Kasumi came into view shortly after, her face pale as she leaned over the edge of the hole and grabbed Haruhi's hands, dragging her up into a crushing embrace. "Oh, Haruhi-chan! I was so worried!" she cried, pressing the girl against her chest. "I thought you were hurt, or lost or-or-"

"Kasumi-san, I can't breathe."

"Oh!" Kasumi instantly released Haruhi, who eyed her rather large chest distrustfully as she brushed herself off. "Sorry, Haruhi-chan. I was just so worried Haruhi-chan and -What…what is in your backpack?"

Haruhi blinked, and then turned to look over her shoulder. "Oh, um, this is a Dratini."

"Well, yes, I can see that. But where did you get it? And…is it pink? Why is it pink?"

"There were some bad people down there, Kasumi-san. I think you were right about the poachers; I didn't see any Pokemon I didn't recognize, but they had a bunch of water Pokemon from an underground lake in cages down there. They left though, and said they weren't coming back, so Hana and I cut the locks and freed the Pokemon. This little one couldn't go back into the lake. She's really hurt. I don't know why she's pink. It's kinda weird."

It really was weird. Weren't Dratinis supposed to be blue?

"Oh, the poor dear! Let's get out of here, Haruhi! I'll give her some berries and we can head to Jasmine Island to inform the local law enforcement. They'll deal with this." She patted the girl on the arm and took her hand, calling out her Flaaffy again and ordering her to use flash.

"Kasumi-san, those people down there…they kept talking about someone named 'Bara-sama.'"

"Oh?" Kasumi glanced over her shoulder, raising an eyebrow. "Did they?"

"Yeah…I-I think…I think it might've been some kind of gang or something. And I think Bara-sama, whoever they are, is their leader."

Kasumi frowned thoughtfully. "You could be right, Haruhi. But I think it's best if neither of us involve ourselves with this anymore; it could get dangerous. It's better to let the police look into it; they're trained for situations like these."

Haruhi nodded faintly, but her mind still churned with questions. "O-okay, Kasumi-san."

Behind them, Amai had lifted Hana onto her back; the little Chikorita was still tired from trying to haul Haruhi up the tunnel, and she didn't protest much as she was carried by a larger version of her self.

:You were very brave, little one,: Amai rumbled in a soothing voice. :To do so much for your trained. You must truly love her.:

Hana remained silent, not quite sure how to respond to that.

:Perhaps you are closer to evolving than I first thought. Your spirit is strong, and you are clearly a very stubborn soul. Maybe your next battle will be the one to decide your evolution.:

:Y-yeah,: Hana replied, suddenly feeling a bit edgy. :It might. Uh…Amai?:

:Yes?:

:Where did Kasumi go after we fell down the hole? I mean, couldn't you have pulled us both up with your vines?:

Amai chuckled deeply, gazing back at the Chikorita over her shoulder with one wise eye. :Kasumi-chan was trying to find a way to get you back up. Even my vines are not that long, little one. I couldn't reach you, although I tried.:

:Oh,: Hana responded, feeling a bit glum. :I see. Well, thanks for trying, either way.:

:You are very welcome.:

Hana rested her head on her front feet, sighing heavily as the tunnel began to grow brighter and fill with sunlight. She knew Amai was telling the truth; the older monster didn't seem to have it in her to lie. But something seemed off, somehow. Quietly, she decided she wouldn't press the issue, and would just accept whatever the grass evolution told her.

So then, why did she feel like that was wrong?

Dear mother in heaven…

I need to learn to stay away from Kasumi's hugs.