A/N: Absolutely no excuses for the terrible update speed. I just want to make it clear that I'm definitely still continuing this fic so I appreciate all of your feedback.

Sora-Hikari - Ah, hopefully you'll be satisfied with how the Gym match ends. And I couldn't get enough of Cynthia and her ice cream after watching that one episode so I decided to include it in the story. X3
Amigo Dude - I wish I could update as quickly more often but... Anyway, I'm glad you found Charon interesting (I don't really care for Roark); he'll be important. Oh, and regarding Looker, I thought I'd use both of his names. He's a fun guy to write.
Dux - Ha, I'm actually looking forward to doing some Gaiashipping so hopefully I'll satisfy. Thanks for your praise…and the pics. *A*
Nhame - Pictures are always good but a simple review is nice. I'm just happy that you take time to review!
Yasetsu - Thanks a lot. I'm glad you find humor in the story. I try, you know.
Meliniumorder - Er, I know you can't evolve during the games but I think its happened in the anime before. And I guess you're right so I tried tuning Roark up. Hopefully the end of the battle will be satisfactory. Thanks for the input!
Retsam - Or should I call you Cupcake? :/ Anyway, like I've told Dux, there'll be more Cheyrl/Gardenia soon. :3
Miko - Well, Pearl & Lucas are her current rivals; they'll keep her in check, don't worry. And I just thought that Dawn's fear of heights would be interesting. As for levels, they won't exist. Like in the anime, the Pokémon battle based on the Trainer's experience and creativity.


Chapter 9

Roark was not down for the count just yet. The Poké Ball burst open with a flash to reveal a blue and gray dinosaur-like creature. It stood before its opponent with a steely look in its eyes. The Pokémon shifted one foot back and forth on the ground, as if preparing to charge. Roark looked determined to win.

Dawn pulled out her Poké Dex, which labeled the creature as a Cranidos. Pocketing the device, she quickly called Piplup back inside its ball and replaced it with Luxio. I better see what it can do first… She decided; her expression grew serious. As Luxio came to the field, she blinked in surprise as several of the floating rocks launched themselves toward her Pokémon; taken by surprise, Luxio was hit with several. It grimaced as the rocks drifted away but Luxio remained standing.

On the other side of the field, Roark grinned. It had finally paid off—Stealth Rock. He had ordered Onix to use it while Piplup was out so it did not do any damage. However, Dawn had done what he had anticipated; she wanted to test his Cranidos. By switching out, she allowed her Pokémon to be subjected to Stealth Rock's effect. He was well aware of the advantage that water-Pokémon had over rock types so he had to do whatever he could to even the odds. It was the younger girl's way of utilizing Stealth Rock to her original advantage that took him by surprise. However, he wasn't about to give in; he had skills that made him the Gym Leader—and it was time to show them.

"That wasn't just for show," He stated, in response to Dawn's surprise. Roark fixed his helmet. "Cranidos and I aren't going to give up so easily!"

Dawn smiled. "Alright, let's go! Luxio, use Leer!"

"Cranidos—charge and use Headbutt!" The Gym Leader called out.

Ignoring the effect of its opponent's attempt at intimidation, Cranidos broke into a run. It was much faster than Dawn had thought and the head-on attack caught her by surprise. The dinosaur Pokémon charged past the levitating stones and collided into Luxio with its head. Luxio let out a cry of pain as it flew into the rocks embedded in the field. It struggled to its feet and aimed a futile Leer at its opponent. Cranidos narrowed its red eyes and held its ground.

"Try getting out of the way, Luxio!" Dawn ordered. "Get behind one of the rocks!"

Roark grinned. "Heh, use Pursuit!"

Upon command, Cranidos ran toward Luxio once more; this time, it was a lot slower but half-way there, it seemed to darken until it vanished. Dawn prepared for the worst; it seemed familiar to Faint Attack. She quickly ordered Luxio to run but that proved to be unwise. As Luxio began to move, a dark-shape quickly appeared before it. Surprised, Luxio took the brunt of the attack, which seemed a bit more intense than it should've been.

"It's only worse if you try to escape!" Roark explained. "I suggest you take me seriously if you want to win!"

Dawn felt her hand ball into a fist; she was slightly deterred but the feeling lasted only for a second. "Luxio, use Tackle!"

Upon command, the black and blue feline ran toward its opponent. Roark knew that Dawn was only attacking out of frustration; she was playing into his hands. Defense was his Pokémon's forte—he will not lose. Cranidos decided to meet Luxio head on with a Take Down. As the two Pokémon collided, it wasn't difficult to figure out which one would be coming out on top. The impact sent Luxio plowing into another pile of debris along the field. Cranidos recoiled from the hit but remained standing. It let out a triumphant cry. Luxio couldn't even move underneath the rubble; Dawn watched with apprehension as her Pokémon fell unconscious.

"Luxio, return!" said Dawn, pulling out a Poké Ball.

Roark readjusted his helmet again. They were both on their last Pokémon. Dawn sent out Piplup, who was instantly struck by a few of the levitating rocks. The little blue penguin winced but after Dawn gave it a Potion, Piplup was ready for the battle. Roark smiled and decided to take the initiative. Cranidos started things off with a Headbutt.

"Get on the rocks again, Piplup!" Dawn called out.

Piplup leapt out of harm's way and onto one of the floating stones as it had done during the battle with Onix. Cranidos skidded to a short stop before it could crash. Immediately, Piplup launched a Bubble attack toward its foe. Cranidos demonstrated a surprising amount of agility by hopping backwards to avoid the spray.

"Cranidos, you get up there too!" said Roark.

To Dawn's surprise, Cranidos had joined Piplup atop the rocks in the air. The battle resumed. Both Piplup and Cranidos began navigating across the levitating stones. Piplup let loose a series of Bubble attacks, in which Cranidos dodged—or rather, it dropped to the ground before the attack could land; after which it leapt back on the airborne rocks and resumed navigating toward its foe. The instant Piplup took a few seconds to rest, Cranidos counterattacked with Take Down. Narrowly avoiding each blow, which destroyed the floating stone in a single shot, Piplup retaliated with Bubble. Both Pokémon continued like that until nearly all of the aerial rocks were destroyed—either by Bubble or Take Down.

"I'm still not giving up," said Roark determinedly.

Dawn met his eyes firmly. "Well, neither am I!"

Both of their Pokémon were breathing heavily as they stood opposite one another on the field. By the looks of things, the match would end soon after the next blow or so. Dawn and Roark slowly grinned. An all out kamikaze attack would surely make a satisfying end. One shot—the final blow—it was all it was going to take to finish.

"Cranidos—"

"Piplup—"

They shouted out their attacks at the same time, with Roark yelling, "Take Down!" and Dawn crying, "Pound!"

Cranidos growled, and broke out into a run; Piplup held out its right wing and did the same. As Cranidos charged into Piplup, the little blue penguin met the impact with a sharp jab, its wing glowing white. Both creatures skidded backward, grimacing in pain. Piplup sank to its bottom and struggled to remain conscious. Cranidos remained standing, its eyes slightly narrowed and its breathing shallow.

Roark's eyes were locked onto his Pokémon, willing it to last—he knew it could. Dawn's breath caught as she watched. Slowly, as if it took awhile before the pain to sink in, Cranidos winced and dropped to the ground. All eyes swiveled towards Piplup, who shakily got to its feet.

"Wh-what…? That can't be!" Roark muttered, his hands tightening into balls. "My buffed-up Pokémon…"

The judge waved the flag in Dawn's direction and announced the results. "The Gym Leader's Pokémon is unable to battle. Victory goes to the challenger!"

Dawn let out a cheer as she ran up to her Pokémon and scooped it up into her arms. Piplup made small sounds of acknowledgement but fell silent a few seconds afterward. It was then that Dawn realized that Piplup had fainted. She stroked its head gently before returning it into its ball. At the same time, Roark was crouched beside his defeated Pokémon with a weary smile.

"Thanks, Cranidos…" He sighed, recalling it inside its Poké Ball. The eighteen-year-old got to his feet and approached his challenger. "Ha, this is embarrassing…I went and lost to a Trainer who didn't have a single Gym Badge…"

Dawn watched as he placed his hand into one of his pockets. "Er…"

"But that's tough luck, huh?" Roark smiled sheepishly. "You were strong and I was weak—that's all there is."

The younger girl shook her head disbelievingly. "No way, that wasn't easy!"

Roark laughed slightly and pulled out a small black pouch. "According to Pokémon League rules, I have to give you our Gym Badge since you've beaten me, the Leader." He reached inside the pouch, took out a shiny metallic piece with an image (that resembled his helmet in Dawn's opinion) embed on it, and held it out. "Here's your official Pokémon League Coal Badge."

As Dawn picked up her prize, she felt something surge throughout her. The feeling was indescribable; happiness would probably be an understatement. Finding know other way to express her current state of mind, Dawn opted to hopping into the air with a cheer.

"Alright, we won our first badge!"

Roark fixed his helmet slightly in amusement. "Ha, ha, 'we'…?"

"I couldn't have done it without Piplup and Luxio!" Dawn replied with a smile. "They should be first thing I think about, right?"

Roark blinked as she turned his back to him and ran in the opposite direction. He watched while the fourteen-year-old showed her companion the Coal Badge. Roark exhaled slowly and cursed himself for being an idiot. He had forgotten. He thought that strengthening his Pokémon would be enough but he had forgotten one of the most important things about battling; he didn't pay attention to what he was doing. Asking Cranidos to use Take Down repeatedly…ha, I get it… Roark waved back as his challenger and her friend exited the Gym. He wanted to prove that he was stronger so he wanted to match Dawn blow for blow, but he knew now that that was foolish. …I will catch up, dad…just watch.

***

"You've been smiling and giggling non-stop."

"Oh, sorry…it's just that—I'm really happy! I can't help it!"

Dawn and Cynthia were at a Poké Mart, restocking on supplies. Of course, after the Gym match, Dawn had gotten her Pokémon healed. Cynthia had asked her what she wanted to do afterward and the younger girl had immediately suggested that they go to Eterna City. However, Cynthia, remembering what she had planned with Looker, refused. Instead, they had chosen to get their affairs all sorted out today so they could leave early tomorrow. All the way, Dawn couldn't hide her joy and excitement. Cynthia couldn't exactly bring herself to stamp on the younger girl's happiness by reminding her that there was more to be done. Instead, Cynthia decided to treat Dawn to another cone of ice cream.

As the two of them walked, discussing the match and eating their ice cream, they heard someone call out. It was Roark. The Gym Leader was jogging up to Dawn, holding what seemed to be a disk of some sort. As he stood before the two of them catching his breath, Cynthia turned away, apparently very interested in a juice ad pasted on a billboard overhead.

"I'm glad you're still here," Roark began, glancing briefly at the blonde before turning back to Dawn. "I wanted to give this to you."

Dawn looked down at the CD in his hand. "Huh? But that's a TM, isn't it?"

"That's right, it's TM76 for Stealth Rock," He explained. "You might find it useful. I'm supposed to give them out along with the badge. Go on, take it!"

Dawn nodded and tucked the TM into her bag. "Er, thanks for going all this way…"

"Ha, it's my fault that I forgot," Roark answered. "Where are you headed next?"

Dawn resisted the urge to give her ice cream another lick. "Oh…we're going to Eterna City!"

"Well, good luck," He said with a smile. "In Sinnoh, there are seven other Gym Leaders. I should warn you—they're a lot tougher than I am!"

With that said Roark departed with another wave. Dawn watched as he headed toward the mines, which wasn't a surprise. She took what he said to mind. She knew that this was only one of her beginning steps. She had to work hard if she wanted to get to the Pokémon League. Dawn turned back to Cynthia, who had been rather quiet.

"Cynthia? What are you looking at?" She inquired curiously, following the older woman's gaze. "Are you thirsty…?"

Cynthia laughed shortly. "It's nothing." Looking for a change of subject, she added, "You didn't have lunch yet, did you? C'mon…"

The blonde pointed to a small shop nearby and got them a table. As they both still had ice creams, they spent time finishing those instead, much to the waiter's annoyance.

After eating, there was little left to do in Oreburgh City. Dawn had asked how Cynthia's trip to the Mining Museum was and suggested that they visit it again together. Cynthia was able to pay more attention this time around so she was grateful for Dawn's offer. There was surprisingly much more to the Mining Museum than rocks as they both found out; one of the guides had told the tourists that they had a team of scientists who were capable of reviving ancient Pokémon from fossils.

Once they had seen everything in the museum, Cynthia decided to drag Dawn to the mines. Though she was reluctant at first, Dawn found that it was a good opportunity to train; as most of the workers were happy to battle with her. By the time night fell and they headed back to the inn, Dawn was tired and quite eager for bed. However, as they walked past the lobby, the receptionist got their attention. She had a large circular box with her that was tied with a violet ribbon; there was a food label on the lid.

"Oh, excuse me. A package was sent to room 46," said the receptionist. "We were waiting for it to be confirmed."

Cynthia moved over to the counter quickly. "Yes, that's mine."

"If you could sign here…"

Dawn watched as Cynthia and the receptionist made their exchange. She knew that she was probably being nosy but her curiosity got the better of her. As they walked up the stairs, Dawn turned to Cynthia, who was holding the box quietly without a word. That's definitely suspicious.

"Um…is it from a friend?" Dawn asked casually.

Cynthia glanced at her then back at the box. "…It's from my boss."

"Your boss?" Dawn repeated.

Cynthia nodded. "That's right. It's been awhile since I've been on vacation so he said that he'd send me something to lift my spirits."

"You must be a good employee," said Dawn.

Cynthia smiled. "I guess so. Do you want some? I think that their cakes from Hearthome City."

"Oh, it's okay! That's from your boss so you should eat it," Dawn replied. "Besides, I'm not hungry."

With that said, the two bid each other a good night before heading into their respective rooms. Inside, Cynthia sat down on the bed with the box next to her. She didn't want to lie but it was better than having to explain. Cynthia looked over at the box; after a moment, she cut the ribbon and lifted the lid. He isn't serious… Cynthia lifted up the small make-up box and examined it briefly. There were a few brushes inside, along with a series of different powders and so on. Placing the make-up down, she examined the rest of the box's contents. There was a set of clothes—clothes that she didn't want to examine any further, and some accessories. At the bottom of the container, she found an envelope and a miniature box; it didn't take much for her to know that it had a pair of contact lenses inside. Cynthia opened the envelope and began to read. Once she finished, she set the letter down wearily. I am not a secret agent, Looker…

The last line of the letter read: Burn this message after reading.

***

They left early next morning. After a hasty breakfast, Dawn and Cynthia headed to the northern city gate. Roark had stopped by briefly to say good-bye before he left for the mines. (Cynthia turned away as usual). Dawn was currently examining her Town Map while Cynthia stood by her without a word, looking distracted. Tucking the map away, Dawn turned to her traveling companion curiously.

"Cynthia? Did you um, hear what I said?"

The older woman blinked. "Oh, I'm sorry. What is it?"

"I was just saying that if we go up that slope past Route 207, we'll get to Cycling Road," answered Dawn. "I don't think that it'll take very long."

Cynthia nodded shortly. "Alright, let's go then—"

"Oh, wait here!"

Cynthia looked at Dawn curiously as the younger girl held out her hand to stop. Dawn was staring at something in the tall grass up ahead; it was vague but there were small flickers of orange and red amongst the green. Dawn took out her Poké Dex eagerly and made her way into the grass, which reached unpleasantly around her neck. The younger girl seemed to pay no attention to it and simply continued, leaving Cynthia to watch her.

Dawn parted the grass, approaching her target cautiously. As she had thought, it was a Pokémon that she hadn't recorded before: a Ponyta. It was lying down, pulling out a few strands of grass into its mouth. When it caught sight of Dawn, it got to its feet and pawed the ground anxiously. Dawn blinked. She was only going to record its data but as she stood before it, she couldn't help but appreciate the way the flames rolled across Ponyta's back, making it seem majestic and powerful. I have to catch it! She decided, pulling out a Poké Ball. Dawn sent out Luxio.

"Okay, Luxio, use Bite!"

As Luxio went in for an attack, Ponyta began to run—away. Undeterred, Luxio followed up with Spark. This time, the electricity managed to stop Ponyta in its tracks. Luxio took the opportunity to nip at the horse's side, causing it to cry out. Now aggravated, the wild Ponyta sent some flames in Luxio's direction. The black and blue feline took the attack stubbornly and growled back defiantly as the small flames died away.

"Er, you should've dodged that!" Dawn cried. She watched as Ponyta began to charge. "Well—dodge this one!"

Luxio did as it was told but failed to dodge the attack completely; Ponyta managed to catch it around the legs as it tried to leap out of the way and sent Luxio stumbling to the ground. It got up with a frustrated snarl, realizing that the wild Ponyta was faster. Dawn quickly realized that too.

"Alright, we have to counter with something else," She said, hoping that Luxio wouldn't get carried away. "You have to take this…use Charge!"

Ponyta had just issued out another Ember attack and just like the last time, Luxio took the damage. The fire horse took the chance to follow up with Tackle. Waiting, for Dawn's signal, Luxio stood its ground. It acted as soon as "Spark!" left Dawn's mouth. Ponyta lost its footing as the charged up electricity hit. It collided to the ground and made little effort to get to its feet. Dawn threw the Poké Ball, which sapped the fire Pokémon inside with a flash of red light. She watched as the ball gave a few feeble shakes before becoming still.

"Yes, we did it, Luxio!" Dawn cried out triumphantly, scooping up the Poké Ball.

Luxio made a noise to show that it also enjoyed the victory. Dawn gave it a Potion (with some difficulty) before returning it back into its ball. When she got back to Cynthia, Dawn was wearing a silly grin.

"I caught my third Pokémon!" She declared.

Cynthia gave her a congratulatory smile. "I saw some of it from here. It was a Ponyta, right?"

"Mm-hm, I think my mom used to have one," Dawn replied. "They're supposed to pretty good in Contests."

"So I suppose you weren't thinking about your Gym battle with Gardenia when you caught it…" said Cynthia with traces of amusement.

Dawn gasped. "Oh, that's right."

"In any case, I don't think it will matter too much," said Cynthia. "You probably won't have time to train it, so it won't really matter."

"Well, I could try," replied Dawn, pulling out the ball with her new Ponyta inside.

Dawn sent it out. It was still weary and injured from the battle. She took out a Super Potion and approached it slowly. The flames on its body were hot. Ponyta looked at her warily for a moment but the heat slowly seemed to die down. She had expected it to move away or react with disdain but Ponyta then stayed put and allowed her to use the Super Potion. Dawn tucked the empty bottle away and looked at it curiously. Ponyta returned her gaze for a good long moment before looking elsewhere.

"Er, I'm Dawn…" She said slowly.

Her comment earned her another glance. The air surrounding it was warm. Dawn remembered what her mother had said about Ponytas; it normally wasn't possible to touch the flames but if the Pokémon allowed you to, that wouldn't be a problem. She wasn't entirely sure whether or not she would be burned if she tried, but Dawn decided to give it a shot. Ponyta made a short noise but did not move away. After a moment or so, Dawn withdrew her hand.

"Ouch…I guess not," She said, shaking her hand slightly. The flames did not burn but they were still too hot to be touched, like a frying pan that was just taken off of the stove.

"I'm sure it'll grow warmer eventually," said Cynthia, missing the pun.

"If it grows any warmer I'll get burned," Dawn replied with a small frown.

Cynthia laughed. "Well, I'm sure its showing quite a bit of trust in you at the moment. After all, it allowed you to heal it."

"I guess that's true," Dawn answered, examining the fire Pokémon fondly. "I mean, you should've seen it when I tried to give Luxio a Potion…"

"Well, different Pokémon have different natures," said Cynthia. "Hm, your Ponyta is a lot more obedient."

Dawn recalled learning about the nature of Pokémon in school. Every Pokemon's nature affected its growth and so on; nature was basically a Pokemon's personality. Dawn examined the status of her three current Pokémon on her Poké Tech. Cynthia looked over her shoulder.

"Piplup has a Serious nature… Luxio has a Naughty one—no surprise there…" Dawn read slowly. "And Ponyta has a Mild nature…I guess that explains it. Oh, and I guess it's another guy for me then."

"Either way, it'll probably get used to you in no time," said Cynthia. "A friend of mine had a male Ponyta too. His was a lot more aggressive though, so it took awhile before it let him touch it."

Dawn nodded and looked at her Ponyta. "Well then, we'll take it slow."

After returning her newly caught Pokémon back into its ball, Dawn took out her bike. Cynthia decided to fly again but Dawn rode up the slope via bicycle. They continued along Route 207 until a sign told them that they were now on Route 206. There was an impressive facility up ahead, where the sign read: Cycling Road. Dawn entered the building before Cynthia could voice her protest.

The first thing one would notice upon getting inside was the straight platform that led onto the bridge outside. Along the left side of the building was a bike garage. For a small fee, repairs could be made. On the right side were racks of old bicycles. A sign showed that they could be rented for a reasonable price. There were a few people inside at the moment; some were at one of the stations and others were resting on one of the benches or buying snacks at the vending machines.

Dawn began to walk around to get a better look. Cynthia trailed behind her quietly, eyeing the bicycles with partial contempt and partial longing. It was when the younger girl paused and looked back up at her that Cynthia snapped out of it.

"Sorry, did you say something?"

"Well, this is Cycling Road so I was thinking that you could rent a bike," answered Dawn. "It doesn't cost very much."

That's great. Cynthia looked mildly disdainful. "I haven't ridden a bike for years. We could just fly…"

"Oh, but that's no fun!" Dawn cried. "I want to see what Cycling Road is like!" As Cynthia exhaled and looked elsewhere, Dawn also added, "And since I tried flying for you…I was hoping that we could do this together."

Judging by the way Cynthia briefly tensed, Dawn knew that she had played her cards right. Within the next few minutes, Cynthia had rented a bike and was now reluctantly climbing on. Grinning, Dawn got on her bicycle and led the way onto the platform outside. Cynthia pedaled slowly behind the fourteen-year-old, trying to readjust her body. It had been years—she wasn't exaggerating. She felt far less graceful than she'd ever been and she didn't like it; it took some time to get used to.

"Isn't it fun?" Dawn called back.

Cynthia tried mustering up one of her usual smiles, but failed. It came out more like a wince. "Oh, I'm sure…"

Dawn stopped along the side, watching as Cynthia pulled up next to her. "You don't seem that bad."

"…I think I just need to get used to it again," Cynthia replied, readjusting her glasses. "I'll be fine," She added.

Dawn smiled. "Okay…I just think that it's a nice change."

"From what, flying?"

"Well, yeah, that's for sure," Dawn answered. "But it's also fun to see you like this for once."

Cynthia frowned slightly. "And why's that?"

"You always seem to know what you're doing," replied Dawn. "This only proves that you're human," She said proudly.

Cynthia laughed. "This only proves that you're more evil than I thought."

"Oh, c'mon! You tease me all the time," Dawn muttered.

Cynthia brushed a few strands of hair out of her face. "I'd like to think that I can, but if you mind then…"

"It's not a problem!" Dawn answered quickly. "My best friend, Pearl, teases me a lot too."

Cynthia regained some of her usual demeanor. "Am I on par with your best friend then?"

"Eh, well…"

Before Dawn could answer, she was interrupted by a man's shout. She looked over the railing and sure enough, there was a man below. A few cyclists ahead paused a moment before shrugging and moving on. Dawn watched the man underneath the bridge. He was large and bearded, clad in hiking gear. She couldn't imagine why, because it didn't seem as if there were mountains nearby. He was sitting on the ground, clutching his foot.

"Are you okay?" Dawn called down.

The man looked up. "Yeah…hey, little miss…you mind giving me a hand here? I just busted my ankle!"

"Er—alright, we'll be right down!" Dawn replied. "J-just hang on!"

Cynthia looked at her in mild disbelief. No body else had bothered to care about the silly hiker. Dawn gave her a pleading look and no sooner after that, Cynthia found herself pedaling beside the younger girl off of Cycling Road. She left her bike with the receptionist (who looked annoyed) and went outside with Dawn. They took the path toward the right of the building and walked down the steps through the grass. The man was sitting along the path. When he saw Dawn and Cynthia approach, he brightened.

"Ah, thanks for coming, little miss!" He said jovially.

Dawn nodded. "It's okay, I—"

However, before she could finish her sentence, the man got to his feet. Dawn blinked while Cynthia sighed wearily. The man seemed unabashed as he dusted off his backside and readjusted his brown hat. Dawn looked at him incredulously for a moment before looking down at his feet. Other than his shoes being slightly worn out, there was absolutely nothing wrong with his foot. The man gave his beard a short stroke before explaining.

"Now, I don't want you to get the wrong idea here—"

Dawn interrupted him. "You lied!"

"Er, well, yes but…" He began.

Dawn was annoyed, but it was mainly at herself for believing him. "That wasn't funny!"

"Ah, little miss, don't be angry!" He said defensively. "I only wanted a battle!"

"What, you want a battle!?"

"All those, silly folk up there with their bikes," The hiker began harshly. "They don't appreciate the capabilities of their own two feet!" He glared up at the bridge. "I wanted to test them a bit you know, with a battle."

Dawn looked at him in disbelief. "What does battling have to do with walking or cycling?"

The hiker remained unembarrassed. "Of course they're related! Doing it the hard way builds character!" At the looks on Dawn and Cynthia's faces, he coughed and continued. "Er, I'm sorry for making you fuss but all I wanted was a battle, honest."

"You wasted our time," said Cynthia blandly.

The hiker shifted his walking stick uncomfortably. "B-but you were the only ones kind enough to care even if it was a fib. How about I tell you something interesting if you win?"

Dawn sighed, scratching her head. "…Alright, since we're already here…"

The hiker regained his usual vigor and sent out his Pokémon eagerly, which was an Onix. Dawn took the opportunity to test Ponyta out. Due to the type disadvantage, she had to switch out with Luxio. The combined efforts of Ponyta and Luxio managed to subdue the man's Onix. Of course, now both of her Pokémon were injured considerably. Dawn only had Piplup remaining.

The hiker's last Pokémon turned out to be another Onix, which went down a lot easier than the previous one, now that Dawn was using Piplup. Despite his loss, the hiker looked excited and delighted. He handed over his money without a fuss and gave Dawn's hand a hearty shake. She winced slightly but the man gave no heed.

"That was most fun, little miss!" He said. "I'm glad to see that there are still kids out there training hard!"

Dawn shook her hand slightly. "Um, thanks, mister…"

"It's Theodore! No need for this 'mister' nonsense!"

"Oh, then I guess you can call me Dawn," The fourteen-year-old replied. The hiker nodded and glanced over at Cynthia, who reluctantly gave him her name. Dawn looked back at him curiously. "Uh, what was it that you wanted to tell us?"

Theodore pointed one of his thick fingers toward a cave in the distance. "Ah! You see that over there? That's the Wayward Cave!"

"Er…"

"Now, it's a fairly ordinary cave," He began. The hiker paused for a moment. "Though I heard that there are rare Pokémon in there sometimes…" He snapped out of it. "Anyway, lately there's been a strange sound inside."

Dawn was genuinely curious now. "A sound…?"

"That's right, and no body knows what it is!" Theodore explained. "Some people say that it's a Pokémon and some say that it's a ghost! A few have gone inside to look but…"

Dawn looked eager. "What happened to them?"

"The cave's awful dark so they don't go in too deep," He answered somewhat lamely. "People get lost in there all the time though, mind you."

Dawn nodded slowly. "I see…" She turned to Cynthia. "Do you want to…?"

"I don't mind, I guess." Cynthia sighed. "There's no stopping you anyway," She muttered.

Theodore looked excited. "Great! So you two are going to check it out, right? As I had expected of you!"

"You're not coming along, are you?" Dawn inquired.

The hiker laughed merrily. "Of course I am!"

"Actually, you ought to stay by the entrance," said Cynthia, causing the grin to fade from Theodore's face. "We can use your rope so that we don't get lost."

"Right, you can hold on to one end and me the other…" He muttered dejectedly.

They began making their way toward the cave. Dawn used her bike, Cynthia flew on Togekiss, and Theodore rode on his Onix. When they reached the entrance, they paused so that Theodore could lend them his gear. In accordance to their plan, Cynthia took hold of one end of the rope while Theodore held onto the other. He watched as she and Dawn walked into the cave. He had given them each a flashlight and a few bottles of Repel.

Dawn shined the flashlight in front of her and looked around. The cave was indeed dark; it was very difficult to see and the flashlights only gave them limited vision. Nevertheless, Dawn wanted to continue. There was an excitement about exploring a mysterious cave that she knew she couldn't pass up the chance. Eterna City would still be there when she was done. Hopefully, she would also be able to add to the Poké Dex. Unfortunately, there were no rare Pokémon at the moment, as the majority was Zubats and Geodudes. At most, Dawn saw an Onix or a Bronzor.

After awhile of walking, Cynthia paused. Dawn looked at the blonde curiously as she backtracked a few steps and began to tie the rope around one of the pointed rocks.

"Well, that's the limit of the rope," said Cynthia, getting up once she finished. "We'll have to find another way to mark where we've been."

Dawn picked up one of the smaller rocks. "How about we use this? We could draw something along the wall."

"I guess that'll work," answered Cynthia with a smile.

They continued along for awhile. Surprisingly, there were people in the cave. Many of them were Trainers who also decided to go exploring; most of them, however, were lost. Despite that, they were all happy to battle with Dawn, who only won after she expended a few more Potions and Super Potions. After battling, Dawn and Cynthia would point the way out of the cave while the Trainers gave them a bit of information on the odd noise.

According to the Trainers, there was something that sounded like it was crying somewhere down the tunnels. No body ever found it so no one knew what it was. Everyone either seemed frightened or curious. After her most recent match with a pair of picnickers, Dawn learned where they last heard the sound. Upon saying their good-bye, the picnickers left.

"What do you think it is?" Dawn asked finally as they took a break. It had been a few hours already.

Cynthia closed her water bottle. "It could be an echo or something. There are all sorts of noises in caves like this."

"Well, I hope we find it soon," answered Dawn. "I'm not sure I'll last much longer." She checked her bag and found only one Super Potion left.

"I still have some," said Cynthia. "You can use it if you like."

Dawn shook her head. "I can't use your things."

"You can pay me back so don't be silly," said Cynthia patiently. "You've won quite a bit of prize money already."

Dawn thought about it for a moment. "I guess you're right. I think I'm fine right now though."

"If you say so," answered Cynthia with a shrug.

"Oh! Do you want to see it?" Dawn began abruptly. "Your egg, I mean."

Cynthia watched as Dawn reached into her bag and carefully took out the Pokémon egg. She placed it in her lap and slowly drew her white scarf away, revealing the egg's red and blue patterns. Dawn held it gently and looked down at it fondly.

"I've been checking on it every night," She explained. "And I think I heard noises coming from it the other day!"

Cynthia smiled, glad that Dawn was so keen on it. "…It might be close to hatching soon."

"Wow, I can't wait to see it!" said Dawn brightly. "I've never seen a Pokémon hatching before."

"Well, look forward to it," answered Cynthia, drawing closer to examine the egg herself. "Mm, it is close."

Dawn smiled. "Okay, I better keep it warm."

After she rewrapped the egg in her scarf, Dawn tucked it back into her bag. The two of them then decided to continue. Along the way, they noticed two men sneaking around the rocks, whispering excitedly to one another. One of them was a plump man in a white shirt, jeans, and glasses; the other was dressed in khaki and appeared to be some sort of archaeologist. As Dawn and Cynthia approached, the man with the glasses looked up.

"What are you doing here?" He inquired haughtily. "You're not lost, are you?"

The archaeologist man looked up as well but quickly returned to whatever he was doing upon seeing them. "Hmph, go away. We don't have time to waste with you."

Dawn frowned, feeling quite annoyed. "That's kind of rude, don't you think?"

"Listen here, little girl," The man with glasses began. "We're adults doing very important things. If you're lost—"

"I'm not lost!" Dawn replied heatedly. "We were just looking around!"

Cynthia placed her hand on the younger girl's shoulder. "Never mind them. Let's keep going."

Steering Dawn away from the two men, Cynthia continued along the tunnel. Alarmed, the man with glasses ran after them, with his companion at his heels. It was Cynthia's turn to be irritated. She looked back at them coldly. "Yes?"

"You're not going this way, are you?" The collector inquired, huffing.

"Yes, we are. Is something wrong?" Cynthia replied coolly.

The ruin maniac looked her up and down. "This is our find! I suggest you leave!"

"What are you talking about?" Dawn began angrily.

The collector chortled. "Oh, now I get it! You want to find the rare Pokémon, don't you? Well, too bad! We're already searching for it!"

"Fine, how about we have a battle?" Cynthia suggested as Dawn opened her mouth to say something. "If we lose then we'll leave. If we win then you leave."

The ruin maniac raised an eyebrow. "A waste of—"

"We're wasting more time arguing," replied Cynthia. "And if this will get you to go then I'm up for it."

Dawn blinked and looked at the older woman. "You're actually gonna—"

"Okay, fine! What can you possibly do anyway?" The collector sniffed. He took out a Poké Ball and sent out a small, blue-gray, dragon-like creature with a wide mouth and round eyes.

His companion decided to use a Bronzor. Both men eyed Cynthia skeptically. She simply smiled and looked at Dawn. "Well, good luck."

I knew it was too good to be true. Dawn sighed. Nevertheless, with or without Cynthia, she knew that she could probably handle this herself. She checked out the collector's Pokémon with her Poké Dex. He snorted at first but then gasped at the sight of the device. His expression was one of utter fixation.

"Hey, when we win, give me that!" He said suddenly.

Dawn frowned and put the Poké Dex away. "'When you win'? I—"

"Deal," interrupted Cynthia. "But if Dawn wins, then you have to give us something in return."

The man sneered. "Sure, I'll give you whatever…if you can really win."

Dawn looked at Cynthia disbelievingly. She couldn't lose the Poké Dex! However, Cynthia only responded with a smile. Dawn didn't know whether to feel encouraged or pressured. Maybe the older woman was expecting too much of her. While she did heal her Pokémon not too long ago, she was still getting used to double battles. Despite winning her previous matches, her Pokémon ended up more injured than usual. However, as she looked back at the collector's stuck-up expression and the ruin maniac's bored one, she couldn't help but feel motivated.

"Alright, you said it!" Dawn sent out Ponyta and Luxio. She found that speed was mostly essential to winning so she decided to act first. "Ponyta, use Ember at Bronzor! Luxio, Bite Gibble!"

"Gibble, use Dragon Rage!"

"Bronzor, Confusion!"

***

"Why, thank you."

"That's not—"

The ruin maniac jabbed his companion's arm and jerked his head in the other direction. Giving in, the collector followed his partner sullenly. He cast one last resentful look at Dawn before walking away.

Following through with their prearranged deal, the collector had to give Dawn all of the Potions/Super Potions that he was carrying on him. Not only did he have to do that, he and the ruin maniac had to endure the embarrassment of getting their clocks cleaned by a fourteen-year-old. Dawn celebrated her hard won victory with satisfaction. It wasn't easy but Piplup pulled through for her in the end. Luxio was knocked out during the first session because of the collector's Gibble, but Ponyta managed to defeat the ruin maniac's Bronzor. However, when the ruin maniac sent out his Geodude, Ponyta was down for the count. Thanks to Piplup's type advantage against both enemies' Pokémon, Dawn managed to pull through with a victory.

"You planned this, didn't you?" said Dawn with a grin.

Cynthia laughed shortly. "I don't think so. There were times during the match when I was worried."

"Either way, I guess you solved my supply problem," replied Dawn brightly.

Cynthia smiled. "That was the idea."

"Well, they did act like a bunch of jerks," said Dawn. "I can't really feel sorry at all."

"They did let us know something though," answered Cynthia.

Dawn looked at her inquiringly. "What's that?"

"What we need to find is somewhere down that tunnel."

Dawn peered down the dark path, using her flashlight to shine a beam of light along the walls. With a nod, she followed Cynthia through the tunnel. Eager to see what the source of the noise is, Dawn was highly disappointed when they came faced with a pile of rubble. There were considerable gaps at the top but the rocks made it difficult for anyone to get across to the other side.

"It's caved in," She sighed. "How could we get through?"

Cynthia looked thoughtful. "Maybe we might be able to shift away some of the rocks. It looks fairly—"

An abrupt moan drowned out the rest of Cynthia's words. The noise sounded eerie as it resonated throughout the tunnel. It certainly was difficult to determine whether it belonged to a human or a Pokémon. Cynthia stood still, as if waiting for whoever—or whatever, that made the noise to show itself.

Dawn gulped and then slowly called out. "H-hello…?"

There was a momentary pause, and then suddenly, they heard the sound again; this time, it seemed to be saying something else. Dawn looked over at Cynthia with a mixture of excitement and anxiety. "I think that it might understand us. It can't be an echo."

"Then…" Cynthia began slowly.

"We have to see," said Dawn firmly. "It sounds like it's in pain…or something."

With a nod, Cynthia took out a Poké Ball. Dawn blinked in surprise. Cynthia smiled. "I'd rather not dig through all of this, if you don't mind."

There was brief flash of light before the space beside them was occupied by Togekiss. The creature gave Cynthia its usual happy greeting as it hovered in place. She gestured toward the pile of rocks and it seemed to understand instantly. Using Psychic, the Pokémon easily levitated the debris elsewhere, clearing the path without a fuss. Once Togekiss finished, Cynthia gave it a grateful pat on the head before returning it to its ball.

"Is that all you use your Pokémon for?" Dawn asked in amusement. "Travel and work?"

Cynthia readjusted her glasses. "I don't need to battle," She said lightly. "Now let's go check this out."

As they walked along the tunnel, there was the noise again. However, it was much clearer; it sounded like a voice. Past more and rocks, it became apparent that whatever was making the sound was definitely not a Pokémon. This prompted Dawn and Cynthia to hurry. Dawn was right, it sounded injured. Clearing away the final bits of rock, the figure of a person came into view.

It was a girl.

A/N: Again, sorry for the late update. I'm not too keen about this chapter but I aim to improve things once we move back to Eterna. Be critical if you must! I make no promises but I will try to make it up with a faster update. Thanks, everyone!

Next: Another rescue? It's finally back to Eterna City! Gardenia's been busy…