Hi there, friends! I'm back with a fresh new chapter! It's a bit lengthy, but it's also full of exciting stuff and I hope you'll enjoy it. The story's really starting to pick up speed. -Gallade
Chapter 10: Coastal Kalos, here I come!
This cave must lead somewhere.
Something big and exciting was about to happen, Sakura could feel it as she gazed into the pitch-black cavern before her. Normally this would be a little intimidating, but she was filled with positivity and a sense of adventure, and her great mood definitely helped.
The pinkette clutched the strap of her bag and adjusted its position on her shoulder, a warm smile on her lips.
I'm so lucky to have these great friends.
Last night was a blast. She had camped out on route 7 with her four friends and had the most fun she'd experienced in a long time. This was what real friendship felt like, and the pinkette wondered how she'd gone on so long without it. In Kanto, she hadn't had any close friends since childhood, so moving out of Fuchsia city and to the Kalos region was the best thing she'd experienced in a long time. Janine and her friends definitely wouldn't want to camp out. Koga's daughter had a tough ninja exterior, but her insides didn't match up. She was just poisonous to be around.
When they had found a nice location to camp out, Neji had built a fire for them with his Charmander's help. Sakura had Froakie provide water while Ino's Fennekin helped find sticks for the fire, and Shikamaru and Choji set up tents - one for the girls and one for the guys. After making s'mores and laughing and sharing stories, they had all dropped off to sleep without even making their way into the tents. Shikamaru had enough sense to put out the fire as soon as they were growing tired, and the five friends had passed out in sleeping bags not long after the fire was out.
In the morning, they had woken up and went their separate ways to continue their respective journeys. Although it was fun to adventure with the others, Sakura very much liked alone time. She could get more done this way, and it gave her a chance to recharge.
The pinkette took a deep breath and entered the connecting cave before her. Immediately she was engulfed by darkness that was a little too inky-black for vision. She pressed the flashlight button on the side of her Holo Caster and a beam of light appeared, illuminating her surroundings.
She had entered the cave before in a different place, and after battling a Pokémon breeder, she realized it was a dead end. Her path had been obstructed by a giant boulder. Now she was inside the portion of the cave further down the road, and she could only hope that it led somewhere.
She took a few steps and suddenly heard a screeching noise overhead. The pink-haired trainer instinctively ducked and covered her head with her free hand.
The deafening screeching and wing flapping got closer, and soon enough, Sakura found herself in the middle of a horde of Zubat.
"Get away from me!" She cried, falling to her knees and shutting her eyes tight. She could feel the Zubat brushing against her shoulders and hair, knocking her magenta hat to the side of her head.
She hastily dug around in her bag for a pokéball - any pokéball - and felt her hand close around Espurr's. Even though her newest Pokémon despised her, it was the only Pokémon who would have a clear type advantage. It would have to do.
"Espurr, help me out!" She cried, clicking the button in the center of the ball. Espurr appeared before her, and Sakura peeked an eye open to see it. It was glaring at her with its large, unnerving violet eyes.
"I know you can do this," Sakura encouraged it. "Can you use confusion on these Zubat?"
Neji had advised her to battle with Espurr and give it a fighting chance, so maybe this was good.
"Es." The moody kitten Pokémon folded its arms and turned away, but it was knocked on the head by a Zubat wing.
Angrily, it turned and looked at the Zubat. "Purr?!"
Its eyes began to glow and its ears lifted slightly as it retaliated with a powerful psychic blast. The offending Zubat tensed up and went sailing into the cave wall. Sakura slowly took her hand off of her head and smiled at the psychic cat Pokémon. Her smile grew as her newest Pokémon blasted one Zubat after another, clearing the air of the screeching and flapping. Soon it was silent once again.
"Espurr, that was fantastic!" Sakura said, adjusting the hat on top of her head and crouching in front of the gray kitten. "I knew you could do it!"
Espurr shot her a nasty look and, without warning, took off running deeper into the cave.
Sakura's emerald eyes widened in alarm as her Pokémon quickly disappeared from sight. She scrambled to her feet and sprinted in the direction Espurr was headed, but even with the light from her Holo Caster, she couldn't see it. There was another light up ahead, though.
She took a sharp breath in and urged her legs to move faster. As she got closer, she could see that the light was coming from outside! The cave's exit was up ahead. Espurr probably headed out here!
She ran through the cave exit and immediately felt a gust of wind hit her like a wall. She dug her heels into the ground and, with the sound of crunching rock, she skidded to a stop.
A soft gasp left the pinkette's lips as she quickly scanned her surroundings. This was so vastly different from any other Kalosian landscape she had seen so far.
Her heart sank as she realized that Espurr was nowhere to be seen. She was standing out on a rather dangerous-looking cliff, and if she hadn't slowed down, who knows what could have happened.
"Is that Sakura I see?"
The pinkette in question sharply turned her head, wondering who could possibly be calling her all the way out here.
A familiar white-clad man with messy brown hair and dark, almond-shaped eyes was jogging over to her. Yamato!
Sakura smiled and waved at the man who worked as Professor Hatake's assistant as he came to stand by her side. He had a friendly grin on his face.
"What brings you all the way out here, Yamato?" Sakura asked him.
"The professor wanted me to meet up with you pokédex holders and upgrade your dexes!" The brunette said, adjusting the little blue tie he had around his neck. "I just met with Neji up ahead and was taking the long way back to Lumiose. It's perfect that you're here too!"
"Upgrade?" She asked aloud. What was wrong with the pokédex she currently had?
Yamato chuckled good-naturedly. "I bet you've noticed by now that this scenery is very different from what you've seen so far, right?"
"Definitely," Sakura said, glancing around. As she looked at the edge of the cliff, her heart sank in realization. Espurr! She still hadn't found it!
She returned her gaze to the professor's assistant and bit her lip as panic set in. Blood was pounding in her ears and she felt like her heart was about to jump out of her chest. Hopefully this wouldn't take too much longer.
"Well, Kalos is a large region with vastly different groups of Pokémon inhabiting the different landscapes. There are actually three different regional pokédexes for that reason!"
"Three?" Sakura asked.
"Indeed. May I see your pokédex?"
The pink-haired trainer nodded and handed over her pokédex. The man in white pulled a device of some sort out of his pocket and hooked it up to her pokédex. Sakura watched impatiently and willed it to go faster.
Yamato's upgrade device beeped and he unhooked it from Sakura's pokédex with a smile. Handing it back to her, he said, "Welcome to Coastal Kalos! I'll be off now. Good luck! Don't be afraid to give the lab a call if you need anything."
With that, the messy-haired brunette walked off into the connecting cave and was gone.
Sakura sighed. She liked Yamato, but she needed to find Espurr! She was thankful that didn't take too long.
"Espurr!" Sakura shouted, cupping her hands around her mouth. "Where are you?!"
She heard a loud yowl in the opposite direction and ran to the source of the noise without hesitation. She was afraid of what she might find - if that voice belonged to Espurr, it sounded distressed.
As Sakura approached the edge of the cliff, she heard the yowl again. Her heart skipped a few beats and she inched to the edge. Looking down, she could see that the cliff had a lower section of rock jutting out, maybe about ten feet down. Espurr was there! Somehow, it had managed to fall off of this high cliff and was barely holding onto the lower cliff.
Sakura's emerald eyes widened with panic. "Oh my gosh, Espurr! Are you alright?!"
The angry look on its face was gone, and its eyes were wide with pure terror.
"Hang in there," Sakura said, reaching in her bag for Bulbasaur's pokéball. With a push of the pokéball button, the plant dinosaur Pokémon appeared before her.
"We need to rescue Espurr!" Sakura cried, pointing at the struggling kitten hanging onto the cliff's edge down below. "Do you think you can reach it with your vine whip?"
"Bulba!" Bulbasaur nodded firmly and approached the edge of the upper cliff. Two long, slender vines extended from the bulb on its back. They stretched downwards to the lower cliff until they were taut. Espurr was inches away from the ends of the vines.
"Espurr! Do you think you can grab on?"
The kitten's wide violet eyes shut tightly and it whined, shaking its head 'no.'
The pink-haired trainer bit her lip and wrung her hands anxiously. "I've got another idea," she said finally. "Bulbasaur, I'm going to climb down there and grab Espurr myself. Can you help me down?"
"Bulba!" It nodded.
Sakura stood up tall and held her arms out to the sides. Bulbasaur wrapped its vines around her waist to secure her as she climbed down to the lower cliff.
The plant dinosaur dug in its feet as it braced itself on the upper cliff. Sakura wasn't terribly heavy, and while it was a strong Pokémon, it couldn't take the chance of slipping. Not now.
A strong gust of wind blew the pinkette's hair around as she climbed to the lower cliff. She gasped and tensed up. This was terrifying. She wasn't sure how Espurr had held on for this long. The adrenaline pumping through her veins gave her blind courage, and she guessed that it was pure adrenaline that was helping Espurr.
She felt her feet hit the tiny lower cliff as she dropped herself down. This was about as far as Bulbasaur's vines could extend while wrapped around her waist.
"You can let go now, Bulbasaur," she called up to her grass-type Pokémon. "Keep them down here, though. I'll grab on when we're coming back up."
"Bulba."
Sakura turned towards the edge of the cliff and her breath caught in her throat as she realized just how high up they were and what little space she had to work with. Espurr was hanging from the edge a few feet out.
Sakura got onto her knees and forced herself to crawl over to the edge.
The pinkette reached out her dominant hand, freshly bandaged as of this morning, and shouted against the wind. "Espurr, I'm here! Grab on!"
The gray kitten peeped an eye open and opened its mouth in shock as it looked at the hand and the bandages.
Those bandages - and the scratches underneath - were painful reminders of the earlier situation where Espurr had betrayed her trust.
Espurr cringed at the sight, realizing that even though it had broken her trust earlier, she was placing her trust in it again and put herself in danger to help it.
It reached a small gray and white paw outwards and into the palm of her hand. Sakura felt this and quickly clasped her hand around Espurr's, pulling it up and into her embrace.
Holding the gray kitten tightly in one hand, the pinkette stumbled back to the inner part of the cliff where Bulbasaur's vines were hanging. She used her other hand to hold onto both vines. "Now, Bulbasaur!"
The strong little plant dinosaur lifted the pinkette as she rappelled her way back up to the upper cliff.
Once she was on solid land again, the pinkette collapsed onto her side. Her legs were like jelly and she didn't know how they carried her up until this moment, but she was grateful they did. She hugged the psychic kitten tightly, feeling tears of relief stream down her face.
Bulbasaur stood by her side and nudged her softly, trying its best to comfort her.
"I'm so glad I have you, Espurr," Sakura whispered to the trembling kitten in her arms. It held onto her shirt tightly and didn't let go. "Are you hurt?"
Espurr shook its head and gave a pathetic little whimper.
"You really scared me," Sakura cried, shutting her eyes tight and feeling hot tears on her cheeks again. It was involuntary, like the panic was leaving her body through her tears. "I'm so glad you're okay."
Espurr looked up at her through watery purple eyes.
"Do you think we can get along from here on?" The green-eyed trainer asked.
The little kitten Pokémon nodded.
"Good." Sakura said, smiling warmly and hugging it again. "I'm gonna send you back to your pokéball. You've been through a lot."
The pinkette reached in her bag and pulled out Espurr's pokéball, returning it.
She let out a long, controlled stream of breath and turned to Bulbasaur. "Thank you so much for your help. I don't know what I'd do without you."
She gave the plant dinosaur Pokémon a hug before returning it to its ball as well.
This was definitely not a relaxing start to her trek through Coastal Kalos.
She willed her legs to stand and adjusted her magenta hat, wondering how the wind hadn't blown it off by now.
As she stood there, her legs were shaking uncontrollably. She didn't trust them to take her anywhere at the moment, so the pink-haired trainer opted to take in her surroundings instead while she calmed down.
She could see everything from up here, and when looking to the east, she saw an endless expanse of ocean. The air smelled salty like the sea, and that damp, chill breeze was blowing from over the water. The ground before her where Yamato had walked from was full of ledges and grass.
She started to feel adventurous again. She had a whole new section of the pokédex, which meant a bunch of new Pokémon to meet! There was so much to explore in Coastal Kalos - what was she waiting for?
With a new sense of curiosity, she decided to push on.
...
The pink-haired trainer ended up spending quite some time in the grass and a little patch of yellow flowers, battling a Drifloon, a flock of Wingull, and a Mienfoo.
After noticing some outcroppings of cliff that were rather narrow and dangerous, even more so than the one Espurr almost fell off of, she met the eyes of Black Belt Cadoc.
...
"One last confusion attack should do it!"
Espurr's eyes glowed a bright electric blue color as it sent a large burst of psychic energy at Cadoc's Machop. The muscular little Pokémon held its head and cringed before falling to its knees and blacking out.
"No! Machop!" Cadoc cried from his position on the very narrow cliff. He was standing much closer to the edge than Sakura ever wanted to.
"We did it, Espurr!" Sakura cheered. She and Espurr were on the much wider and sturdier portion of the cliff. After the earlier scare, neither of them was keen on getting too close to the edge. Luckily, Espurr's confusion attack didn't require any quick movements or harsh physical exertion, so they could stay safe.
Espurr turned around and flashed Sakura a small grin and a nod. She could tell it was much happier, even though its facial expression didn't change much. When it wasn't angry, it always seemed to be staring off in the distance.
The two trainers returned their Pokémon and met to shake hands before Sakura was off again.
As she walked along the route, she looked at the great expanse of winding rocky cliff before her and felt her stomach churn with anxiety. She couldn't see everything because parts of the route were obscured by turns and large boulders, nor could she see where she was ultimately going.
Was she heading the wrong way? That was the question that kept popping into her mind, but it was just nerves talking. She had to remind herself that Yamato had come from this direction, so there was a way out somewhere. Neji was also somewhere ahead, according to Kakashi's assistant, and she wasn't about to let herself be intimidated by adventure.
When she looked down from the cliff, she could also see people on the beach below, so there must be a way down somehow.
As she walked further, she came to a large gap in the rocky ground. She gulped and looked down into the pit, seeing that it was kind of deep. There were small pillars of rock spanning the gap and leading to the other side.
Was this someone's idea of a joke?! What kind of evil person would make young Pokémon trainers do this just to travel between towns?
Sakura took a deep breath and leaped to the closest pillar. It wasn't terribly wide - just enough for her feet and then some. She landed and felt herself wobble a little.
She flailed her arms and tried to find her balance.
Standing up straight and exhaling, she frowned at the many more pillars she'd have to leap across.
This was totally ridiculous. This route was so dangerous!
She drew in another breath and jumped to the next pillar, landing a bit more skillfully this time.
She could do this! Countless others had traveled this path before she did, and if they could make it across, she could too!
She leaped again and again, feeling a bit more energetic. This wasn't so bad.
As she jumped once more, she couldn't help but wonder how ridiculous Neji had looked when he was jumping across.
She snorted a little at the thought and jumped again. Was Neji graceful about it? Did he leap like a ballerina? Somehow that made her picture him in a powder-pink leotard and tutu, and the pinkette had to hold back her laughter. She jumped again and again and found herself within jumping distance to solid ground again.
She tensed her muscles and leaped. When her feet met the solid rocky surface, she balled her fists and cheered in place. She made it!
The pink-haired trainer glanced back at where she had started and grinned excitedly. She'd come all that way! The hard part was behind her and it felt great.
There wasn't much more of the route visible to her. In fact, she was now facing a bend in the cliff, and everything beyond the cliff was obscured from vision. Sakura decided that she must be close to her destination by now.
She walked around the cliff and saw buildings - she was in a town! It was as if her thoughts were a premonition.
She stood there at the town's entrance for a moment, taking in her surroundings before making a move. There were a few buildings and houses nestled into the cliffside. To her immediate right was the red-roofed Pokémon center, and she decided that was a good place to compose her thoughts.
As she made her way around to the Pokémon center entrance, she saw a familiar head of long cocoa-brown hair.
"Neji!" Sakura cried, running up to her neighbor.
The long-haired teen looked up from whatever he had his nose buried in and stared at her, his expression unchanging.
Sakura stopped running and felt a wave of confusion wash over her. He didn't look excited at all to see her. In fact, he seemed mildly annoyed. His pearly pale eyes were steely and cold.
"How are you?" She asked the taller trainer.
"I'm fine. And yourself?"
Sakura swallowed nervously. "Well, I'm happy to have made it here! That's something, right?"
"Hn. I guess so."
Sakura furrowed her brow. Why was he suddenly being short with her again? He was downright amicable on route 7 when they had all camped together! They'd teamed up to battle Choji and Shikamaru! What changed between then and now?
Sakura swallowed again, trying to clear the lump forming in her throat. "So what are you doing right now?"
Neji closed his eyes and smirked. "I'm about to go to the glittering cave and find some fossils."
Sakura widened her eyes. "Fossils? Wow! I'll come too! I want to find a rare fossil Pokémon for my pokédex. I just have to heal up first, okay?"
Neji exhaled sharply through his nose and nodded. "Fine."
Sakura smiled and turned to go into the Pokémon center. She wasn't sure what she had just gotten herself into, but she wanted to find out why he was being so cold to her again. Maybe if they spent a little time together, he'd warm up.
She approached the main desk and got the attention of the nurse.
"Welcome to the Ambrette town Pokémon center!" The nurse greeted. "How can I help you today?"
"I just want my Pokémon healed up really fast," Sakura said, handing over three pokéballs. "Oh, and my Espurr had a bit of a fall on the cliffs back there, so would it be possible to check and make sure it's okay?"
"Sure thing!" The nurse said, accepting the pokéballs and hooking them up to the healing machine behind her.
A few moments passed before the nurse unhooked the pokéballs from the machine.
"You're all set! Espurr seems to be fine," the pink-haired nurse said to Sakura. "The machine didn't pick up on any internal injuries."
"Thank you," Sakura said, putting the pokéballs back in her bag.
"We hope to see you again!"
The pinkette left the Pokémon center and didn't see Neji anywhere.
"Did he leave without me?" She wondered aloud.
With a sigh, she made her way into town, hoping to find her way to Glittering Cave, where Neji said he was going. This was the perfect opportunity to relax after the scary incidents this morning, but nooooo she just had to go and invite herself to fossil hunt with Neji! In hindsight, she felt a little silly inviting herself along like that, but she was just so eager to be his friend.
After everything that happened on route 7, she decided she rather liked being Neji's friend. There was just something special about being on the receiving end of his kindness. Maybe it was because it was a welcome change from where they started, but his friendship felt like it meant something. Like she meant something to him.
After going through town a little, she saw a gateway with a sign that directed her to route 9 - Spikes Passage. Smiling, she decided to go in. This was probably the right way, but if not, the gate attendant would be able to give her directions.
She entered the gateway and approached the desk. "Hi, is this the way to Glittering Cave by any chance?" She asked the blonde woman behind the desk.
She smiled and nodded. "Yes, Glittering Cave is just beyond route 9."
"Did you see a boy about my age pass through here? A bit taller than me, long brown hair, pale eyes?"
The receptionist nodded. "He came through here a few minutes before you did."
"That's all I needed to hear," Sakura said. "Thanks for your help."
The pinkette exited the gate through the other side. She found herself on a winding cliff again, only this time the path was much more straightforward.
To her right was a booth with a couple of Rhyhorn sitting out front.
She climbed down the short set of steps and curiously approached the small booth.
"Hello miss, are you here to rent a Rhyhorn?" The man at the booth asked.
"Rent a Rhyhorn?" She repeated.
"Yes, riding a Rhyhorn is the only way to cross this route," he explained to her.
Sakura smiled. This was something she could do!
"I would like to rent a Rhyhorn, please," the pink-haired trainer said to the man.
"Alright! Just take your pick from the ones out front and climb on! For the most part, he'll know what to do, but you'll need to guide him. Do you think you can handle that?"
Sakura nodded eagerly. "Mhm! My mom taught me how to ride Rhyhorn."
It was true. Sakura's mother, Grace, was a famous Rhyhorn racer back in Kanto. She'd taught Sakura how to ride the rock-type Pokémon from a very early age, so this was something she was very comfortable with.
The pinkette approached one of the Rhyhorn sitting in front of the booth. She slowly reached out and patted its side, knowing exactly how to do this. She'd never ridden an unfamiliar Rhyhorn, but she had a good feeling about this one.
"Hi there, friend," she said softly. "Would you mind taking me over to the Glittering Cave?"
The Rhyhorn stood up and stretched its short legs before looking her in the eye and nodding. Sakura kept eye contact with it and smiled, knowing that the key to connecting with the Pokémon was to assert a gentle dominance. You couldn't be aggressive around the hotheaded Pokémon - it would take that as a challenge - but you also had to show that you were in control.
Rhyhorn bowed its head and Sakura climbed up onto its back, holding onto the spines near its shoulders. The rock type Pokémon stood up and lumbered off towards Glittering Cave.
As Sakura directed Rhyhorn over the rocky ground with ease, she couldn't help but wonder to herself what was going to happen once she met up with Neji. She wasn't sure what happened between now and last night to make him hate her again, but she'd show him! She vowed to find a rare fossil before he did, just to prove that she was worth his time.
Rhyhorn had picked up quite a bit of speed, and the two were quickly racing through the route. When they turned a corner, Sakura saw Neji up ahead of them on another Rhyhorn, though it was clear that he was struggling to get very far. His was moving much more slowly than hers was.
Telling her Rhyhorn to meet him, she charged ahead and slowed to his pace once she was beside him.
"Hey there, Neji," Sakura said coolly. "I thought you were going to beat me to it."
The coffee-haired trainer stared ahead, his brow furrowed into a look of determination and frustration. He was really struggling to make this Pokémon move as he wanted it to. He ignored Sakura's greeting.
"What's that? Rhyhorn got your tongue?" Sakura teased lightly.
Neji scowled and gave her a quick glance before his hands patted Rhyhorn's sides. "Faster, Rhyhorn!" His Pokémon growled and picked up the pace.
Sakura giggled a little. "Don't let them get away, okay Rhyhorn?" She said to her mount.
She sped up and met Neji's side once again. He was struggling to hold on and move his Rhyhorn in a steady, straight path.
"Will you leave me alone?" Neji shouted, turning to look at Sakura.
Without warning, his Rhyhorn came to an abrupt halt and flipped him over its shoulders. Neji landed on his feet and buckled to the ground under his own weight.
Sakura widened her eyes and went up to where he landed.
"Are you okay?" She asked in alarm, putting a hand to her mouth.
Neji was sitting down, holding his ankle. He looked like he was in pain.
"I'm fine," he lied, attempting to stand up. As soon as he put weight on his injured leg, he winced and collapsed again.
"Your ankle is hurt," Sakura said. "You can't go anywhere like this."
The pinkette leaned forward on Rhyhorn's back. "I'm going to help him up here and we're going to ride together, okay?"
The rock Pokémon nodded and crouched to let Sakura off of its back.
She climbed down and gingerly walked over to her injured neighbor, avoiding the sharp rocky parts of the ground as best she could.
"You're going to ride Rhyhorn with me," she said. It was a statement, not a question, and Neji knew when to stop arguing with her.
"Fine," he said, turning his head to face away from the pink-haired trainer. Sakura could tell that he was embarrassed.
Sakura held a hand out and Neji reluctantly took it. The pink-haired trainer helped him to his feet, placing his arm over her shoulders so that he wouldn't put weight on his injured ankle. "I'll take a look at your leg once we get to flat ground," she told him.
"I'm fine," the stoic trainer urged.
"No you're not," Sakura countered. "You can't walk right now."
Neji's face was a light shade of pink and he quickly looked away from her again.
They got to Rhyhorn's side and Sakura gave Neji a boost onto its back before climbing up again. She sat down in front of her stubborn neighbor so that she could direct Rhyhorn again.
"I want to go to the Glittering Cave still," Neji insisted.
Sakura turned her head around to give him an 'are you stupid?' look. "How do you plan on exploring it like this?"
"I'll be fine," Neji said stubbornly.
"Okay then," Sakura shrugged. "But I don't want to hear any complaining from you, got it?"
Neji puffed out his cheeks and said nothing.
"I guess we're going to continue," Sakura said to her Rhyhorn.
She looked to the side and saw Neji's Rhyhorn walking back to the beginning of the route. She nodded to herself and returned her gaze to the route in front of her.
Rhyhorn lumbered along the spiky path at a much slower pace now that it had two trainers on its back, and Sakura was thankful that it was being patient with them.
It dropped them off where the spiky path ended and normal flat earth took over. There was a large cavern opening in the face of the rock nearby.
Sakura swung a leg over Rhyhorn and landed on the ground below. She looked up and saw her neighbor basically pouting, his arms crossed indignantly.
She rolled her eyes and extended a hand. "Let me help you down," she said all-too-sweetly.
Neji turned and focused his pale eyes on her, his blush darkening a shade or two. He reluctantly took her hand and made his way down, wincing as his feet touched the ground. He put a lot of weight on Sakura as he stepped on his injured leg. He hissed through his teeth.
"Thank you Rhyhorn," Sakura said to the large Pokémon.
She returned her focus to her neighbor. "I'm gonna have you sit down while I take a look at your ankle," she said.
Neji did as he was told, knowing better than to upset Sakura too much. She was his only chance of getting back to Ambrette town, after all.
Sakura gently untied and removed his shoe and sock, examining his foot and ankle for any sign of swelling or bruising.
"Does it hurt to the touch?" Sakura asked him, looking up at his face while she lightly ran a finger over his ankle. She watched as he winced a little.
"Alright then," she said to herself, looking back down at the ankle itself. He didn't need to say anything - his facial expression was the only answer she needed there.
"I'm going to make a makeshift brace for your ankle so you can walk," Sakura explained as she took the necessary components out of her first aid kit. She was rather clumsy and carried around ankle and wrist braces for such occasions, so it was fortunate that she happened to have exactly what they needed.
"Hn."
He was sitting there with his arms crossed, looking grumpily to the side. The pink-haired trainer had to suppress a chuckle - her stoic neighbor was practically pouting at the moment. She wasn't sure if it was because he needed her help, because he embarrassed himself in front of her, or some combination of the two, but she found it hilarious. It would be more fun if he wasn't being so rude to her.
The pinkette rolled her eyes and returned to working on his ankle. She propped his leg up on her lap so she could work with it, earning a pained protest from the coffee-haired trainer. She carefully slipped the soft ankle brace over his foot. It wasn't a whole lot of help in terms of support, but it would have to do for now. She had one of those metal sticks that kept joint mobility to the minimum and tucked it inside the brace. She wrapped the brace in a long reusable cloth bandage, and soon enough he was good to go.
"I don't think your shoe will fit back over it, but the sock can go back on," Sakura said, putting her first aid kit back into her purse.
Neji leaned and put his sock on without saying a word to her.
The pinkette frowned. "So what's up with your attitude?" She asked bluntly.
The brunette's pearly eyes focused on her for a momentary scowl before returning to the task in front of him. "What attitude?"
"That one," Sakura said, standing up and putting her hands on her hips. "You've been nothing but rude to me today! What happened between yesterday and today?"
Neji put his shoe in his messenger bag and zipped it up before looking straight up and exhaling a steady stream of breath. "Can you help me up?" He asked, changing the subject.
Sakura frowned, her face growing red. "Seriously? I'm not going any further until you tell me what's going on! Why do you always flip sides on me like this?"
Neji sighed and stuck out his hand. "Please?"
Sakura rolled her eyes and took his hand again, helping him to his feet and putting his arm over her shoulders for support.
"Talk," she said sharply.
"Fine," Neji snapped. With a sigh and a glance at the cave, he ran his free hand through a strand of his hair. "Ino talked to me back in Camphrier about how I've been treating you. I acted that way yesterday so she'd get off my case."
Sakura sharply exhaled her held breath. "So you hate me," she said.
She was focused on the ground in front of her, but she felt Neji's eyes burning a hole in her head. This shouldn't have come as a surprise, but it still hurt! She couldn't bear to look at him right now.
"No, I don't hate you," Neji retaliated. "Just... never mind!" He quickly turned his head away from the pinkette. She looked up at him curiously, her brows furrowed. His ears and cheeks were light pink.
She looked back at the path in front of them, becoming very aware that Neji was putting a lot of weight on her shoulders to avoid standing on his injured ankle. "What did I ever do to you?" She wondered silently.
"So are we gonna explore this thing or what?" She asked aloud.
The brunette nodded and took his first step. "I want to find some fossils."
Sakura sighed and walked with him, supporting his weight as he limped along.
Whether or not she liked it, she was stuck with Neji until they got out of this mess.
They stepped into the cave and immediately realized how narrow the path was - there was barely enough space for two people to be walking side-by-side. They were going to have to squeeze together and walk close, which was not something the pinkette wanted to be doing with Neji. This was downright uncomfortable - he claimed he didn't hate her, but it was very clear he didn't like her either.
As their eyes adjusted to the dark, Sakura took a look around. The name "Glittering Cave" was really fitting, Sakura realized. Even though it was extremely dark inside the cave, the pathway was illuminated by some kind of bioluminescent substance on the cave wall.
"Wow," Sakura said breathlessly, walking up to the side of the cave and studying it closely. There were small crystals growing on the cave walls, sparkling in the light of what appeared to be bioluminescent moss.
The pinkette momentarily forgot all about the tense situation she had with her neighbor, turning and looking at him with a wide grin. "You have to see this!" She said excitedly, pulling him closer to look at it. "Isn't it beautiful?"
"Yes, yes, it's glowing moss. Very fascinating. Can we hurry?" The coffee-haired trainer grumbled.
Sakura balled up her fists and felt her frustration return. "Listen, I don't need to be here right now! I don't have to be helping you explore this cave or finding your damn fossils. Shape up or else we're going back."
Neji sighed and adjusted his arm on her shoulders. "Let's just keep going," he said a little more kindly.
The two trainers made their way slowly down the narrow path until they found themselves at a crossroads. There was a path that continued straight and a path that branched to the right.
"Which way should we go?" Sakura asked Neji.
He squinted his eyes and studied the two paths. There wasn't much he could see down either path, but the straight path had green moss and the right had blue. He had a gut feeling this was significant somehow.
"Let's keep going straight," he said. "The fossils are probably as deep as possible."
"Okay then," Sakura sighed. She adjusted her arm around Neji and continued on slowly.
The taller trainer grunted as he stepped on his injured foot, placing most of his weight on Sakura as he did so.
"How is your ankle holding up?" Sakura asked him.
"It's fine," Neji said. By the light of the glowing moss, Sakura could see enough of his face to notice him wincing in pain with each step. He wasn't fooling her.
"Are you sure? Cause you're putting a lot of weight on me if you're fine," she teased.
Neji said nothing
They found themselves at another crossroads, only this time the path either continued straight or branched to the left.
"Which way do you want to go?" The pink-haired trainer asked her injured companion.
"Straight," he said. "Just keep going straight."
Sakura frowned and turned to him. "What's the point of exploring if you don't want to explore?"
"What's the point of wasting your time when you can take the most direct path through?" He countered.
"Maybe because it's fun?" Sakura said. "I like exploring. You never know what you'll find! It's not a waste of time."
"Whatever you say," Neji said rudely.
"Can we please check out the other path?" Sakura asked him. "I'm the one helping you walk, so you don't have much choice."
Neji made a rude noise. "Maybe we should split up, then."
Sakura quirked an eyebrow. "And how do you plan on doing that?" She asked. "You can barely stand on your own."
"Hmph," Neji grunted, releasing his hold on the pink-haired trainer's shoulders. He took a hesitant step forward, and then another, and one more before stumbling forward and collapsing. He leaned on the side of the cave for support.
"That's what I thought," Sakura said matter-of-factly, approaching her rival and putting his arm over her shoulders again. "You're coming with me."
They headed down the fork in the road as per Sakura's wishes. Said pink-haired trainer bore a victorious little smirk on her face as they hobbled along, pleased with the way she'd stood up to Neji. Being a Pokémon trainer was all about exploring and seeking new challenges! She wished Neji could see the fun in taking a bit of a detour.
As the pair turned around a bend in the path, they were met with a dead end. The cave wall in front of them was covered in beautiful luminous moss and it was very obvious that the path ended here.
"See? It's a dead end," Neji blurted.
Sakura frowned at him. "Will you just relax and take a look? It doesn't matter if this is a dead end or not - it's really pretty."
"I think it would have been smart to go straight," Neji said stubbornly. "Now we have to backtrack. If you had just listened to m-"
"Then what?" Sakura snapped. "What would have happened if I had listened to you? We would have kept going straight. Sure, maybe that's the right way, but we wouldn't have known what was down this path! I would have been wondering about it this whole time! I-"
Neji's eyes shifted to something behind Sakura as she continued ranting, his pale face whitening even more. "Uh...Sakura?"
"I wish you'd stop thinking you're better than everyone else! Why don't you-"
"Sakura, seriously," Neji said as Sakura continued to shout, his eyes wide with fear.
"If you could get off of your high horse, that would be great-"
"Sakura!" The coffee haired trainer whispered sharply, squeezing her shoulder and gesturing at something behind her.
"What?" She asked sourly.
"Don't move," Neji said, his gaping mouth and wide eyes betraying his calm tone. "We need to get out of here right now."
"Why?" She asked, turning around to look at just what was spooking Neji so badly.
As she turned, her emerald eyes followed a dark silhouette from the ground up. Something huge was approaching them.
The pinkette backed up and quickly got into position, with Neji's arm around her shoulder.
"Kangaskhan," the figure growled ominously as it stepped close enough to be illuminated by the mossy wall.
"Oh shit," Sakura cursed under her breath.
"It looks angry..." Neji gulped, tightening his grip on the pinkette's shoulder.
"Kangaaa!" The large marsupial Pokémon roared, lunging at the two teens.
Sakura screamed, putting her arms around Neji's midsection and yanking him away.
This was bad. This was so very bad. Kangaskhan were normally peaceful creatures, but when they went on a rampage, they were destructive and dangerous.
The Kangaskhan punched the mossy wall behind the spot Sakura and Neji had just moved from.
"Shit, shit, shit," Sakura panicked, pulling Neji away by the arm and maneuvering past the angry Pokémon.
"I can't run!" Neji said hurriedly, hopping to keep up with Sakura as she ran.
The pinkette stopped and looked back at the coffee-haired trainer, then at the Kangaskhan, and back at her friend. She gulped nervously and squatted down, putting one arm behind Neji's knees and the other on his back.
"Hang on!" She cried, standing up and holding him bridal-style.
"Wha-HEY!" Neji yelped as he was lifted in the air. "Put me down!"
"No time!" The pink-haired trainer shouted, turning and running down the path.
There were thundering stomps and roars close behind them - a sign that Kangaskhan was not far back.
"How are you doing this?" The coffee-haired trainer asked incredulously, his pale eyes reflecting the light of the moss as Sakura ran through the cave.
"I'm stronger than you think," Sakura said in between labored breaths. "This is easy."
They emerged where the forked path was.
"Follow the green moss!" Neji cried.
Sakura quickly changed direction, scrambling to turn down the path with the green glow.
Kangaskhan came barreling after them around the corner.
Sakura shrieked and willed her legs to move faster. Her pulse was racing and she couldn't feel her arms anymore. The older teen in her arms was growing heavy, but she couldn't leave him now. There was no way he could outrun the rampaging Pokémon on his own.
She was lucky that the path was rather straightforward, with relatively few twists and turns to slow her down.
They came to a third forked path. "Which way?" Sakura cried.
"Green moss!" Neji said hurriedly.
"KangaSKAHN!"
Sakura screamed as the large Pokémon took another swing at them and missed, hitting the cave wall.
Rocks and debris fell around Kangaskhan, buying Sakura time to get ahead. Her legs were screaming and her arms were burning and every muscle in her body was crying for her to stop, but the massive amounts of adrenaline coursing through her body for the second time today somehow gave her the strength to move anyways.
Up ahead, Sakura could see a break in the cavern wall - was that a way to another part of the Glittering Cave?
"I think there's a way out!" Neji cried, tightening his grip on Sakura's arm.
Sakura nodded and pressed on. It was just a little farther until they were in the clear!
As she came to the end of the tunnel, she felt her foot catch on the uneven ground below. With Neji in her arms to throw off her sense of balance, she stumbled and fell forward onto the ground.
She felt her knees scrape against the rough ground, her elbows cracking on the rocky floor and Neji falling from her grasp.
The pinkette swore loudly, tears coming to her eyes as white-hot pain coursed through her whole body. Her eyes were shut tightly and she couldn't tell if they were still in danger or not.
"Sakura!" Neji's voice rang through the cave.
"Mm..." the pink-haired trainer groaned softly.
"Are you okay?" The brunette asked calmly.
Sakura cracked an eye open. "I don't know."
She felt a hand rest softly on the back of her shoulder. "We're in the next room over," Neji said to her.
"Huh?" Sakura opened her eyes the rest of the way. She was lying on her stomach on the cave floor, her arms and legs splayed out. Neji was sitting directly in front of her, his hand resting on her shoulder. A gentle smile was on his face.
"We made it," Neji said. "Thanks to you."
The pink-haired trainer attempted to get up, wincing as her scraped knees dragged on the dirt. She got to her feet, her legs shaking from the previous exertion.
She reached out an arm for Neji, and the brunette accepted her offer. He grabbed a hold of her hand and got to his feet, leaning on her shoulder for support once again.
"I don't know how we managed to escape," Sakura sighed. "That was terrifying."
"You were impressive," Neji admitted. "You managed to outrun a Kangaskhan while carrying me. Thank you."
Sakura nodded slowly. Neji was suddenly being nice again and it was a bit unnerving. Perhaps it was because she saved him, but that didn't change the fact that he admitted that he didn't like her just beforehand.
The pink-haired trainer didn't know how to answer, so she glanced around the room instead.
They were no longer in a dark, narrow corridor like before - they were standing at the entrance to a large room that was well-lit by large amounts of blue and green moss. The rock walls in here were an orangish-red color.
"Want to check out this room?" Sakura asked Neji.
The long-haired brunette nodded. "This looks like it would be a good place to find fossils."
The two began their slow hobble deeper into the room. As they walked further, a mysterious figure in a red-orange suit and black tie walked around a corner. He had fiery dyed hair that matched the color of his suit
Neji's grip on Sakura's arm tightened.
"Oh! Intruders!" The man in the brightly colored suit shouted. "I thought I heard voices!"
He quickly approached the two teenagers. "What are you doing here?" He was wearing red sunglasses, so his expression was hard to read, but he seemed shocked to run into them. "Two nosy little trainers have come poking around, it seems!"
"Who are you?" Sakura asked.
The red-clad man pushed his sunglasses up the bridge of his nose and attempted a cool pose. "Listen up! We're the fashionable team whose very name makes people tremble in fear: team Flare! Team Flare's goal is to make it so we're the only ones who are happy! We don't care what happens to other trainers or Pokémon."
Sakura quirked an eyebrow.
"That's a selfish goal," Neji snorted.
"What's it matter to you, anyways?" The team Flare member cried. "Get out of here, kids! Don't you know not to play with fire?"
"Don't you know how to shut your face?" Sakura cried suddenly, taking a step forward and making a fist.
"Wha..? How dare you!" The Flare grunt stammered. "If it's a fight you want, it's a fight you'll get!"
He tossed a pokéball and posed strangely, with one arm straight in the air and the other held horizontal, parallel to the ground.
In a flash of light, a black and orange canine Pokémon appeared before the grunt. It narrowed its intense eyes and growled at the two teenagers. It had grayish bone-like growths on its back, above its paws, and on its head.
"This is your fight, Sakura," Neji encouraged, though he was still leaning on the pinkette for support.
Sakura eyed the opponent Pokémon nervously. It was very intimidating, and if the skull on the top of its head was any indication, its intimidating looks were no joke.
"That's a Houndour," Neji told Sakura. "It's a dark/fire dual type Pokémon."
"Thanks," Sakura said, reaching in her bag for a pokéball.
"Go, Froakie!" The pinkette cried, tossing the ball.
The bubble frog Pokémon appeared in front of her on the makeshift battlefield.
"Watch out for this one, okay?" She warned it. "I know you can handle yourself, but this guy scares me a little."
The cheery little frog nodded.
"Bite it, Houndour!"
"Watch out, Froakie!" The pink-haired trainer cried.
Froakie tensed up and sprang out of the way at the last second with a quick attack.
"Now use water pulse!"
Froakie landed on the cave floor puffed out its cheeks before loosing a blast of water at the canine Pokémon. It scored a direct hit, drenching Houndour in a powerful wave.
The team Flare member's Pokémon collapsed and didn't get up.
The Flare grunt brought his hands to his head, his mouth falling open in shock. "That's it? One hit?" He pulled out a pokéball, disgruntled, and returned his fainted Houndour.
"Awesome job, Froakie!" Sakura cheered.
The bubble frog Pokémon turned around with a wide grin on its face and began glowing a blinding white.
"Huh?"
"It's evolving!" Neji commented from beside the pink-haired trainer.
Sakura gasped softly and glanced at Neji before turning back to her Pokémon.
Indeed, the figure underneath the blinding white light was growing larger in size, and soon the light dimmed.
In Froakie's place stood a taller, slim blue frog. It wore a scarf of bubbles around its neck and its face and body were more streamlined than Froakie's had been.
"Frogadier!" The Pokémon cheered, turning and looking at its trainer gleefully.
Sakura's emerald eyes sparkled as she brought her hands to her cheeks in disbelief. She had witnessed the moments that Choji's Caterpie and Shikamaru's Abra had evolved, but having it happen to your own Pokémon was something else entirely! So many emotions flashed through her head: excitement, optimism, pride in Froakie's - no, Frogadier's! - abilities. She couldn't possibly name them all.
"This is awesome!" The pink-haired trainer cried, clasping her hands together excitedly.
"Don't get cocky yet," the Flare grunt mumbled. "The battle isn't over. Go, Zubat!"
He tossed a pokéball and out popped the familiar blue and purple bat Pokémon.
Sakura quirked an eyebrow and smirked confidently. "Oh, I think this battle is over alright," she said. "Come on back, Frogadier!"
Sakura held out her starter Pokémon's pokéball and returned it to her bag, bringing out another pokéball and tossing it. "Go, Espurr!"
The small gray-and-white kitten Pokémon appeared before her on the battle field.
"Are you sure?" Neji asked her hesitantly.
"We've got this," the pinkette responded, flashing him a confident smile. "This should be quick work, okay Espurr? Confusion attack!"
Espurr's eyes glowed blue, and Zubat was immediately surrounded by the now-familiar blue glow. It tensed up and convulsed before falling to the ground, unconscious.
"What?!" The Flare grunt cried. "No! Ugh... return, Zubat."
The pinkette threw her hands in the air and cheered. "That was awesome, Espurr! You were so great!"
The gray kitten turned around and nodded at her before returning to its pokéball.
"That was such a quick battle," Neji commented.
"I know, right? I-"
"Listen, kids," the Flare grunt grumbled. "You may have beaten me, but when I lose, I go out in style! You'd better watch yourself. I'm not the only member of team Flare."
With that, he stormed past the two trainers and left the cave.
Neji and Sakura shared a nervous look.
"He's not alone..." Sakura whispered. "Who are these guys?"
"I'm not sure," Neji admitted. "But I don't like the sound of this. Something is wrong with this picture."
"He wasn't very intimidating, but we can't exactly let our guards down either," the pinkette said.
"We have to find the others," Neji concluded.
Sakura took a nervous look down at Neji's injured ankle and back at his face. "Are you sure you want to continue like this?"
"It's just a sprain," Neji reassured her. "It's more important that we put a stop to whatever is happening here."
"Right."
The two began walking further into this larger room and saw an old mine cart farther down the path.
"Mining?" Sakura wondered aloud as they got closer to it.
"For fossils, I'm guessing," Neji shrugged. "Hey... by the way, Espurr did great back there."
Sakura smiled. "Thanks. Everything is better between us now."
"What changed?" Neji asked.
Sakura bit her lip lightly and looked down at the cave floor as they walked. "We had a bit of a scare this morning on route 8."
"What kind of scare?" Neji pried.
"Well... we were going through the Connecting Cave and I had Espurr battle a horde of Zubat, and it ran away from me. I ended up finding it hanging off a cliff on route 8. I had Bulbasaur try to reach it, but it couldn't, so I had to climb down there and grab Espurr myself. It was really scary but it trusts me now."
"Why didn't you just recall it to its pokéball?" Neji questioned. "It would have been much quicker and safer."
Sakura felt like she'd been punched in the gut. She hadn't thought of that this morning.
"I uh..." Sakura stammered. "I wasn't thinking logically at the time."
Neji chuckled and stopped walking for a second. "Let's follow the tracks to the right."
The mine cart tracks veered off to the right, so the two trainers followed the path deeper into the mine.
Neji shook his head and smiled. "You always have to do things the hard way."
Sakura felt her face get hot. "I panicked, okay? I was focused on getting Espurr back to safety."
"What's this?" A voice asked from up ahead.
Sakura's heart skipped a beat in surprise. She abruptly stopped walking and watched as a woman in a red-orange suit walked around the corner up ahead. She was also wearing a black tie and orange sunglasses, and her hair was the same fiery hue as the man from before.
"Intruders!" She cried, rushing towards Neji and Sakura.
Sakura tensed up nervously and felt Neji pat the shoulder he was leaning on for a crutch. "I've got this one," he reassured her.
"Hey, you!" He called boldly. "Battle me!"
The team Flare grunt stopped walking several feet in front of them.
"Fine by me," she said. "We're gonna take everyone down so we can do what we want!" She posed with her hands on her hips and clicked the button in the center of a pokéball. In a flash of light, this small roundish green Pokémon appeared.
"What is that?" Sakura asked, pulling out her pokédex.
"Gulpin," the pokédex said in a robotic voice. "The stomach Pokémon. Most of Gulpin's body is comprised of a stomach. There is not much it cannot digest due to its strong stomach acid."
Sakura swallowed nervously. Acid? This sounded dangerous.
"Go, Charmander!"
Neji's Kanto starter appeared before him on the battle field. "Charmander, char!" It cried.
"Poison gas, Gulpin!" The grunt commanded.
"Watch out, Charmander! Counter with an ember attack," Neji said calmly.
The stomach Pokémon opened its wide mouth and unleashed a cloud of purplish gases.
Charmander reared forward and spat a bunch of small flames at Gulpin. The embers contacted the gas cloud around the stomach Pokémon and immediately ignited the poisonous fumes.
"No, Gulpin!" The Flare grunt shouted.
"Quick, hold your breath!" Neji shouted. "Don't breathe in the poison fumes."
Sakura nodded and held a hand over her nose and mouth. Neji was holding his button-down shirt over his face and Charmander had its mouth buried in the crook of its arm.
When the air finally cleared of smoke and gas, they could see that Gulpin was unconscious.
The red-clad woman groaned and recalled Gulpin. "That was a lucky shot, brat," she spat at the coffee-haired trainer. "Electrike!"
She tossed another pokéball, and a small green-and-yellow canine Pokémon appeared in front of her.
"Hmm..." Neji hummed to himself, his hand resting thoughtfully on his chin. "Return, Charmander," he said, pulling out the fire lizard's pokéball. "Go, Quilladin!"
A rounder Pokémon that somewhat resembled Chespin appeared before Sakura's rival on the battle field.
"Quilladin, huh?" She said to the coffee-haired trainer leaning on her shoulders. "That's new."
Neji smirked confidently. "Chespin evolved this morning. Yesterday's battle was great experience."
Sakura looked back at Neji's evolved starter Pokémon. Both of their starter Pokémon had evolved today, she realized. It always seemed like Neji was so far ahead of her when it came to training their Pokémon, and yet their Pokémon had evolved on the same day. There was something strangely reassuring about that.
"Quick attack, Electrike!"
"You know what to do, Quilladin," Neji said.
Electrike pounced at the round spiny armor Pokémon at blinding speeds. Quilladin quickly rolled into a ball and exposed its back spines to the electric canine.
Electrike yelped in pain as it jumped right into Quilladin's spiny defense. Neji's Pokémon unfolded with a smile on its face; it didn't look like it even felt Electrike's attack.
"Rollout," Neji commanded.
Quilladin rolled back into a ball and quickly slammed into Electrike's side.
Electrike staggered backwards and was pummeled again by Quilladin on the rebound.
Sakura shook her head, her eyes wide as she watched the battle taking place. Rollout was a brutal attack and she would hate to be on the receiving end. It seemed to get stronger with every successive hit, and Quilladin seemed to be even better at it than Chespin was.
"That's enough, Quilladin," Neji said.
The round spiny Pokémon unfolded and stood up straight once again.
Neji had good eyes - Electrike wasn't getting up. He'd stopped his Pokémon from beating a dead horse, so-to-speak.
"You weren't supposed to beat me!" The female grunt whined, stomping her foot in frustration and returning Electrike to its pokéball. "The others will hear about this!"
She quickly took off in the direction she had come from, leaving Neji and Sakura standing there on the mine tracks.
"We have to keep going," Neji said. "That was a great battle. Return, Quilladin."
When his starter was back in its pokéball, he turned to Sakura and nodded. "There are others. We have to find out what they're up to in here."
"Right," Sakura said nervously. She didn't like this one bit - there was no way this Team Flare was a benevolent organization. Their goals of conquest were selfish at best, and their behavior reminded the pinkette of Team Rocket's activity back in Kanto. This reeked of impending disaster.
The two continued deeper into the cave, with Neji leaning on Sakura still for support.
"How's the ankle holding up," Sakura asked him as they walked.
"Not going to lie," Neji grunted, "it's starting to feel pretty swollen. It still hurts."
Sakura furrowed her brow. Walking around in this dark cave surely wasn't helping Neji's condition, but she was also thankful that he was holding himself together so well. She had to wonder what would have happened if they hadn't stumbled upon Team Flare here.
They reached another bend in the cave and turned left to follow the path. The rail tracks ended here and an abandoned mine cart was resting against the wall.
They could see two more Team Flare members down this path. They were conversing and didn't seem to notice the two teenagers yet.
Sakura and Neji looked at each other and nodded before approaching the two grunts.
They heard the crunch and scrape of Neji's shoes against the cave floor as he limped and immediately turned to the source of the noise.
"So it's the intruders!" The female grunt cried.
The male grunt gestured towards Neji and Sakura and the duo of grunts began approaching them.
"Well, well, we were looking for fossils but we discovered two kids!" He said.
Neji turned to the pinkette beside him. "Are you ready to ready to team up and battle them?"
The pinkette nodded, a determined scowl on her face. "We're not going to let team Flare get away with whatever they're scheming."
A hearty chuckle burst from the female grunt's throat. "Oh, that's too funny! You actually think you can win? Show them, Scraggy!"
"Go, Croagunk!"
The two grunts tossed their pokéballs and assumed the strange poses that the other Flare members had held in the beginning of their battles.
On their side of the field was a yellow bipedal Pokémon with very wide eyes. It looked like it was holding up loose skin around its waist. The other Pokémon was a bluish-purple frog-like Pokémon with lazy eyes and orange circles on its cheeks.
"Alright then," Neji smirked. "Go, Ralts!"
The coffee-haired trainer sent out the small green and white psychic/fairy Pokémon before turning to Sakura. "Croagunk is a poison and fighting type while Scraggy is dark and fighting. I'm going to have Ralts take it out with fairy type moves."
Sakura nodded, seeing where her rival was going with this. "Then I'll use Espurr against Croagunk."
"Excellent," Neji said.
"Go, Espurr!" The pinkette cried, sending out the gray-and-white psychic kitten Pokémon.
It appeared on the field and nodded at Sakura before turning to their opponents.
"Blast Croagunk with your strongest confusion attack!" She cried.
Croagunk glowed that eerie blue color and was sent flying into the cave wall without much trouble.
"Ralts, use disarming voice on Scraggy," Neji said.
The small fairy cupped its hands around its mouth and loosed a piercing cry at Scraggy. The yellow shedding Pokémon covered its ears and cringed, falling backwards onto its bottom. For whatever reason, it seemed to be really affected by Ralts' voice.
Neither of the Flare grunts' Pokémon got back up.
"This is unbelievable! How could two kids defeat us?" One of the grunts cried, returning her Pokémon.
"It really wasn't that hard," Neji shrugged.
"Oh man, my favorite fashionable suit is filthy!" The other grunt exclaimed, looking at his partner in defeat. "Let's get out of here."
"Wait!" Sakura cried. "Just what were you doing in this cave, anyways?"
"If we restore fossils, we can make some good money," the female grunt explained with a sneer. "But you little brats keep getting in our way. Consider us gone for now."
They pushed past the two teens and left down the rusty mine cart track.
"Do you think they all left finally?" The pink-haired trainer asked her injured companion.
"It doesn't seem like there were any others," the brunette reasoned.
"Did you still want to go further for fossils?" Sakura continued, looking at him through curious emerald eyes.
Neji bit his lip and looked down at his ankle. "As much as I wanted to find a fossil or two, I'm really just not feeling it anymore. My ankle hurts and I want to heal up my Pokémon. I've had enough excitement for one day."
"Agreed."
Interesting stuff, am I right? Coastal Kalos starts off with a bang! I always thought those cliffs were way too dangerous for young trainers to be traveling on. What's going to happen now that they've met Team Flare? Will Neji and Sakura ever truly get along? Stay tuned to find out!
As always, thank you for reading :) -Gallade
Also, to answer the question left in the reviews, this is following the game, but I'm not following it completely. I feel like the beginning followed the games much more closely and now I'm branching off and giving the story its own unique spin.