Chapter 10: All Alone In the Dark
Thursday, March 31st 3:02 pm
The Golem were massive sized Rock-types with expressions of pure fury. I had never been approached by an angry Pokémon before, but that was about to change. With furious stomps that rivaled my own tantrum ones, all six visible Golem came right in our direction.
I kept looking from the Golem to Gabriel, since he seemed to know a heck of a lot about aggression and behaviors. With fear twisting itself in my very stomach, I arched my eyebrows while also doing my best to keep my shoulders from hunching up with fright. "Well? What do you suppose we do?" I asked, practically struggling to keep my voice from stuttering.
With total anticipation, I watched as Gabriel met my eyes and bit his lip nervously several times. He didn't look as nervous as I felt, but his attitude wasn't the most comforting. "Um, er, do any of you have a Grass-type that knows Sleep Powder? Or, maybe a Gloom?"
I glanced at the flashlight-wielding trainers, Arnold and Mark, who both shook their heads. Mallory hurried over to my side, looking worried with her eyes wide. Feeling more fear wash over me like a gardening hose, I glanced in Mr. Shu's direction, and let out a cry of surprise. Our rambling, deaf old guide was out of sight.
"He ditched us!" I cried out, stopping myself at the last minute.
Arnold glanced at Mr. Shu's original spot, and shook his head. "He must have walked ahead. I have a feeling that he didn't hear the Golem approaching, or hear us stop and ask questions." I watched as he reached into the pocket of his dusty knapsack and pulled two Pokéballs loose. "Anyway, we won't need a measly Gloom. Just release your largest Pokémon to anticipate them."
"What?" Gabriel cried, glaring at Arnold in a way that surprised me. He looked both appalled and scared at the same time. "Are you out of your mind? The Golem will think that we're threatening them and make them territorial, which will cause a huge war!"
Arnold ignored him completely, and pushed the button of both red and white spheres. There was a familiar click and red beams of light that completely washed the dim lit cave with temporary light. To my disappointment, the light went away, leaving two large Pokémon in their place. An airborne Pidgeotto and an off white Pokémon that I recognized as a Seel.
Okay, so I'm not the expert when it comes to battling, but who uses a Flying-type against a Rock-type, much less five. Seel was a good choice (though I was pondering on whether it was intimidating enough), but a Pidgeotto? I wasn't thinking of Arnold as the brightest of us all because of that choice, but would he prove me wrong?
Mark followed up with two Pokémon of his own; a Hitmontop and a Butterfree. Those two choices were okay, but had failed to ease the fear that I still felt. I had no beacon of hope, but I knew that the best option would be to run when there was a chance. Or, to act deaf and walk off talking to yourself like our loyal guide.
My knees were quivering so badly, I desperately wanted to sit down. I wasn't about to risk that, so I clutched the strap of Mallory's shortalls with nervous agitation. I could feel her hand squeeze my shoulder, which comforted me slightly. At least I wasn't in the situation alone.
…
Thursday, March 31st 3:21 pm
The Gust attacks performed by Arnold's Pidgeotto and Mark's Butterfree were failing to do more than whip up dirt off of the rocky cave floor. Seel and Hitmontop, on the other hand, were failing to do anything at all. Gabriel was sulking near us, glaring at everyone as if it were all our fault that no one knew was listening to him. It wasn't our fault at all!
Okay…so, it was technically my fault that we were getting threatened in the first place, but what were thye going to do? Sacrifice me as an offering?
"Golem! Gole!" One of the grumpy seeming Golem raised a muscular fist and smashed it against the rocky floors. He then threw back his head and let out a roar. I was immobilized by fear and shock as the Golem around him repeated the process. "Golem, Gole! Golem!"
Arnold's Seel, who had been sitting obediently by her trainer while the Flying-types whipped up dust, squealed out of nowhere and shot out a Water Gun in the Golem's direction. The water attack landed smack in Golem's face, which seemed to make it rough knees buckle in pain. Still frozen, I watched as the lead Golem fell to the ground, groaning.
"Golem!" The five still standing Golem began to growl loudly, making me want to run even more. They all pounded the ground in unison, growling all the way. It was like some weirdo drummer rehearsal was being done with hard fists, and that wasn't just it!
As I gripped onto Mallory's arm harder I noticed just how shaky the ground was becoming. My eyes wide, I glanced at Sam who looked as if he were prepared to faint. I could hear Gabriel yelling at Arnold about it being his fault while Mark was busy rummaging through his bag for something. During all of this the shaking grew even more intense and my hold on Mallory broke and I felt myself losing balance. I fell to the cave ground with a thud, shrieking the entire time.
"They're using Earthquake!" Gabriel cried loudly, stomping his feet onto the ground.
I was aware of the sound of more people falling to the ground, and I could the more tremors preparing to come. Arnold and Mark's flashlights must have fallen and broke because the cave was nearly completely dark now, plus I think I heard Sam running and screaming. I closed my eyes tight, knowing that it made no difference if they were open or not.
The ground shook harder than ever, and I felt myself roll further into the chambers of Union Cave.
…
Thursday, March 31st 4:45 pm
When I finally opened my eyes I noticed that there was total silence, plus darkness. Blinking swiftly to adjust my eyes, I gently patted my head to check for any injuries. When I felt no bumps of any kind, I stretched out my legs and arms, which were met with the same craggy cave ground. Slowly, I sat up, prepared to hit my head.
Finally, but with slow motions, I stumbled onto my stiff feet. I could barely see the ground in front of me, so from what I guessed, it took me at least ten minutes to navigate my bag. Still using my hands as a means to identify, I patted the insides of my bag and was relieved to find that all of my things were there. I patted my belt, and smiled to know that all three Pokéballs were still present as well.
With one arm stretched in front of me, I fished my Pokégear out of my bag with the other hand and began to walk through Union Cave. Using the slightly bright light from my Pokégear's lit up screen, I managed to find my way in a hopeful direction.
"Mallory!" I called out in a hoarse voice. I sounded like a delirious person that just got over a hangover. Grimacing, I cleared my throat a few times and tried again. "Mallory? Sam! Mark! Anybody, help!" I stumbled over a few pebbles, but I kept walking, flashing my Pokégear light in all corners. "Anyone! Mr. Shu!" I smirked at that last shout. What was the point of calling someone for help when they can't even hear you?
More stumbles came as I began to jog through more craggy twists and turns. Light was beginning to fade, meaning that my Pokégear was probably going to shut down any minute. Meaning that I wouldn't have any way to get out of the cave since I'd have no light, no phone_!
At that last thought, I perked up. Pokégears can not only produce light, but make calls! With an eager motion, I dialed a number in and swooped the Pokégear up to my ear.
"Why didn't I think of this before?" I grumbled to myself as my phone-like device rang. With anticipation, I awkwardly tapped my free hand onto the side of my pants, tapping at the same rhythm of the phone's ringing. Eventually, a shrill, but familiar voice picked up on the other end. "Mallory?"
"Gwen! Where are you? Are you okay?" I was unable to get a word in as my best friend rattled on. "I tried calling you earlier and you didn't pick up. Why?"
Before she could continue questioning, I quickly began to respond. "I wasn't even conscious earlier, and plus, I turned my phone's volume down after that stupid ringtone played, remember? What about you? Are you alone?"
"No, I'm with Mark and Gabriel. The Golems' Earthquake sent the three of us close to the entrance, according to Mark's map anyway. Are you with Sam, cause he isn't picking up either?" Concern and worry was obvious in her tone.
"No, I haven't seen anyone." I couldn't disguise the worry in my voice any better than Mallory. "What about Mr. Shu? Have you seen him?"
I was kind of expecting her answer, yet I had still asked. "Not at all. He's probably out of here by now, rambling about what stuff was like in his day to no one in particular." She was silent for a brief second. "Poor guy…"
"Poor guy? More like poor us!" I began to continue walking, using my arm for navigation. I bumped into something rough which I figured was a wall. Still using my hand, I managed to find my way around it in the dark, though my leg did accidentally bang into a rock. "Ow!"
"What happened?" Mallory practically screamed in my ear.
Balancing the Pokégear in-between my shoulder and head, I soothed my leg by rubbing it a few times before finally starting off again. "Nothing major, Mal," I stated after regaining the phone back into my hand. "Do you guys have a light source?"
"Sort of…" Her voice trailed off for a bit, and I could hear footsteps in the background. "Fleur is using Light Screen, and it gives off a slight light." Fleur was what Mallory had decided to nickname her Ledyba. "And, Mark has an Abra who's using Flash."
Out of relief, I smiled as I continued stumbling over rough ground, with my boots scuffing the floor. I kept speaking to Mallory, since it truly was soothing to know that you're not completely alone. We talked about nonsense stuff, like video games and clothes. Mallory must've sensed how scared I felt because she put an effort into keeping my mind off of my surroundings.
Right when I was about to answer Mallory's question about a particular green velvet jacket I heard a young sounding voice pierce the air. "Gwen! Mallory! Help, please!" The voice sounded exactly like Sam, and surprised me so much that I jumped at least four feet.
"Sam?" I called, squinting my eyes in an effort to see. With no such luck, I began to run in the direction of Sam's voice, with an arm outstretched for guidance. "Sam! I'm coming!"
"What's going on?" Mallory's voice sounded worried and I could hear footsteps on her side of the phone. However, before I could respond my Pokégear instantly shut itself down with a not-so-helpful suggestion that I should probably recharge it.
With a loud groan that communication and light were out of the question, I angrily stuffed my dead Pokégear back into my bag. I brought my free hand to my belt of Pokéballs, and figured that Spykes would provide a light of sorts. Making a guess, I pulled a Pokeball from my belt, praying that it wouldn't be Zorro of all things.
"Elekid?" Levina instantly grabbed onto my leg when I released her from her little sphere of protection. I could barely make out her short form and her blinking eyes, but I managed to grab a hold of her firm hand. "Kid?"
I had no way to really explain much to her, so I simply patted her comfortingly on the head (or, I think it was her head) and went on my way. There was a sinking feeling in my stomach that I was getting myself lost. Sam was still yelling out words, and I was going in that direction, but the cave echoes seemed to only get deeper and deeper.
At some point, my grip on Levina's hand slipped and I had to stand and search for her without any way to actually see her.
"Levina?" I asked as a hand grabbed my own. I patted it awkwardly. It felt similar to hers so I breathed a sigh of relief."Good, okay, let's hurry!" I suddenly cried out in surprise when something clung onto the hem of my shirt. With the other hand, I reached behind me and felt prong-like ears.
"Elekid?" Levina's voice came from behind me, but that earned no sense of relief.
Sam's voice was still hollering away. "Help! Gwen! Mallory! Somebody!" I then heard a scream from his voice's direction, but my mind was too frozen with fear to think.
Because, if Sam was still lost in the dark and Levina was clutching my shirt, then who the heck was holding my hand?
…
Thursday, March 31st 6:17 pm
A hoarse cry escaped my lips as I tried without effort to see who was in front of me. Whoever it was gave my hand a tug and I felt myself being pulled. I was so scared, I actually gave in to the tugging and allowed whoever to pull me in a complete U-turn.
I could see a thing. I just hung on to Levina's shoulder as we were pulled through what felt like a tunnel. Dripping sounds echoed through it, and a shiver ran down my spine. I had never been afraid of the dark, but once we were out of this cave, I knew for sure that I would consider it on a long list of phobias. And, that fact that I was being pulled through the dark by some stranger that I couldn't even see was even creepier.
Sam's cries were getting louder, but I feared for him. What if the person puling me was a kidnapper who had been stalking us? What if they already captured Arnold, and they were going to get Sam right after me? What if they're pedophiles, which my mother had always warned me about?
I now regretted not taking my mother's warnings about traveling to heart. And, now I probably would never see her again. Or Colin. Or Dad. Or Granny, and Aaron. Aaron would become famous and everyone would pity him for having a missing sister.
With sobs kept back, I considered many plans in my head. I could release Zorro from his Pokeball and try and scare the stranger. But, what if Zorro started waving his scythes around? In the dark he could definitely cut my head off on accident. Or maybe on purpose now that I think about it…
A light was a appearing ahead on the cave floor, similar to light showing from an open window. I felt my heart race as the tugger pulled even more, and the rejoicing light landed on me. Warmth surged over my bare face, and I cracked a smile of true relief. I could see again!
From what I could quickly glance at, the light was coming from the disappearing sun through a medium sized hole in the wall. I didn't think much about it, since I had sight back again!
The stranger let go of my hand, and I managed to look them straight in the face.
The stranger, whom I had assumed was some creepy man who wanted to sell me to some slavery, was a girl. Not even a woman, who can be just as creepy as men. She was young, no older than thirteen, with bright red hair styled in some odd way. I mean, the front part of her, which might have been bangs, were standing straight up like ears. Her eyes were a glowing blue and she wore a dark gray dress, simple and short.
She smiled at me, but said nothing. She reached out a hand and patted Levina on the head, who was looking pretty confused. Then, the mystery girl pointed to a large hole in the wall behind me where Sam's cries were definitely coming straight from. She nodded to me a few times and stepped aside to give me room to pass.
I picked Levina up in my arms and passed by mystery girl. I looked her right I the eyes for a few brief seconds, trying to understand what had just happened. Why had she helped me, and who the heck was she? I didn't speak my thoughts, but gave a nod and smiled. "Thank you."
The girl smiled brightly and turned to head back into hole. Levina made me turn around after a couple of steps and I let out a cry of surprise when I saw that the girl was gone and out of sight. Through the hole in the hole's ceiling, I could make out an odd shadow flying away.
…
Thursday, March 31st 6:34 pm
"Sam!" I ran faster through a narrow tunnel, followed closely by Levina. "Sam! I'm coming!"
His cries were quieting, so he had to know that I was close. Good thing that the darkness wasn't too bad. I could at least make out the floor in front of me, which was a relief. I pumped my legs faster to reach Sam quicker than ever. I was with him when his fear of the dark began to I understood why he was scared. It's the only thing in the world that I don't tease him about, and for good reason.
When I was certain that I was about to find him, I heard two screams that pierced the air. One was Sam's, and the other was unidentifiable at first, but I soon recognized it to be Arnold. I knew that Arnold would keep Sam out of danger, I was worried since he was showing fear too.
I ran faster towards the voices, and I heard the familiar click of a Pokeball closing. Pulling Levina, I turned the corner and ended up in a dim lit room. Inside, I could make out the tall form of Arnold and the much shorter form of Sam who appeared to be holding a quivering Pokeball in his hands.
"Gwen?" Sam's grey eyes narrowed as he ran towards me. I was met with a tight hug, which I returned with honest gladness that he was alive and unharmed. "You came!"
"Of course I did, Samuel." I replied standing up straight and patting him on the back. I turned my squinted gaze towards Arnold. "Are you okay? What happened?" I sounded like Mallory when she's frantic for answers.
Arnold took a deep breath and spoke. "I was looking for you guys with my flashlight when I managed to find him screaming his head off in here. I could hear you calling to him, encouraging more cries, I might add. Anyway, I was trying to drag him out of here when a freaking Gastly floated in here and scared the crap out of both of us. Sam reacted and through a Pokeball at it which caught it, though I don't know why he now wants to keep it." He shook his head. "Anyway, you finally showed up and that's that."
I smiled, though it probably wasn't too noticeable in the dim lighting. "Okay, so, how do we get out of here now?"
…
Thursday, March 31st 7:02 pm
Using Arnold's flashlight and with a makeshift torch (made by a lone stick and a bit of Ember from Spykes) we managed to find our way to the others. Mallory met Sam and I with huge hugs which she denied doing later on. With a light produced and assisting, we managed to find our way right out of Union Cave.
In the small rest stop that the cave's exit led right into, we were met by a grumpy Mr. Shu who was convinced that we had ditched him to goof off.
"You whippersappers!" He stated in his hoarse voice. To himself he grumbled, "Kids these days, no respect for them elders. Man, back in my day…" With those words said he passed us and made his way through the entrance to Union Cave, still talking to himself.
I considered stopping him to explain what had really happened, but I decided against it. What would the use be if he can't even hear that well? So, I'll probably be making fun of deaf old people for awhile, but I'll never ever make fun of a blind person ever again.
Cause, not being able to see pretty much sucks.
So, they're finally out of Union Cave and on the road to Azalea Town! However, some questions have been left unanswered. Who was the mysterious girl in the cave, and why did she assist Gwen in finding Sam and Arnold? Who knows?
I'll probably update tomorrow, since there's a three day weekend coming up. But, there are some other excellent trainer fics to read, and one that I suggest checking out is Enigmas: All That Glitters by Alphinia, one of the loyal reviewers of this story. It's perfect if you want a fic with realistic characters and a quick, entertaining plot.
Until next time, readers. Au Revoir!