The Journey Never Ends

Chapter 11: Alone in the Underground

Darkness. Pain. Exhaustion.

These were the only three things running through Allie's barely conscious mind. It took several minutes before Allie regained even basic cognitive abilities. Her memory of what had happened was very blurry.

Slowly opening her eyes, the trainer looked up from where she lay, still not daring to move. There was no light in the cave now, a problem she eliminated by gradually reaching up to her headlamp. The low ceiling appeared to be made of many different boulders piled against each other and held together by friction. If even a single rock had fallen differently, they would all have fallen on top of her.

Allie's attention was brought back to the ground by a searing pain in her leg. Gritting her teeth in pain, the girl felt as though a Snorlax was sitting on it. Looking down her body, she saw a massive boulder sitting right on her calf.

"I'm never going to catch a break,"she grumbled. Mightyena, James, and now even Mt. Moon seemed to have it in for her.

"Is anyone out there?" she choked into the darkness. No reply. Forrest and Mina must just be somewhere on the other side of the rocks; they simply couldn't hear her and would come looking for her soon.

But after several minutes, Allie began to panic. What if they weren't able to find her? What if they were more injured than she was? The blood from her leg had begun to pool around her, soaking into her shorts and coating her legs.

There were two things she could do: wait for help or take matters into her own hands. Allie's fists clenched as she decided that if she was going to start helping herself, now was the time. She pulled out Squirtle's Pokéball and released him.

"Squirt!" the tiny turtle exclaimed, immediately seeing the seriousness of Allie's situation.

"Don't worry," she reassured him, wincing with pain as she tried to sit up. "I'll be fine. I just need you to break this rock. Can you do that?" she asked, hoping he would be able to without collapsing the cave on them.

Squirtle tilted his head inquisitively, walking around and studying the spots where the base of the rock was pressed tightly against Allie's leg. Grinning, he nodded at her.

"Great…" she managed to whisper. "Just gently use water gun to break away at the bottom of it. No need to use hydro pump this time."

He nodded, beginning to blast the rock with a steady stream of water. The water ran down the rock and across Allie's leg. The cool temperature felt good on the bleeding wound, and before Allie knew it, the pressure was gone from her leg and she was able to crawl out from under the large boulder.

The leg had been torn open when the rock had landed on it, and the resulting gash was responsible for the blood dripping everywhere. After cleaning it out and wrapping it with her headband to keep it from bleeding, she struggled to her feet. She tried to brush the cave dust and grime off Ash's sweatshirt, but most of it was caked on. Her legs threatened to give away from the loss of blood, but, determined to find her friends, Allie began walking. Squirtle followed closely, not wanting her to fall or faint.

They spent what felt like hours navigating the treacherously narrow pathway. It was a relief when the path finally started going back up. As path grew smaller, Allie was forced to crawl and squeeze through tight tunnels. All the while, a faint Pokémon cry resounded through the tunnels.

The partners eventually came to a split in the tunnel.

"Hold on," Allie told Squirtle. "I read a book about caves once. The path that has a draft coming through it should lead us to the surface."

Squirtle clapped his hands, relieved to finally have good news. His face, however, quickly became full of despair as Allie went a few feet into each branch of the tunnel, then collapsed hopelessly against a rock.

"There's no fresh air in either direction," she moaned. Her legs were too weak to go any farther, and the air was getting thinner. Squirtle began tugging on her shirt.

"We're stuck Squirtle, I'm sorry. There's nothing else I can do about it." Despite her resignation, Squirtle continued to poke her until she finally looked up.

"Squirtle Squirt Squirtle!" he said, pointing to the left path.

Allie looked at him, confused. "Are you saying we should go that way?" The tiny turtle shook his head and waved his arms frantically.

Allie stared at him for several minutes, listening as a gradual thumping became louder and louder. The ground began shaking and Allie finally realized what he was trying to say.

"Come on! Let's go!" she shouted as she led Squirtle down the right path.

This tunnel was wide enough to stand in comfortably, much to Allie's relief. The ground was trembling more and more violently as they continued deeper into Mount Moon. The trainer had no idea what was following them, and she had no desire to find out.

They walked quickly, going as fast as they could in the dark and treacherous cave.

The walls were rapidly converging. Allie finally stopped mid-stride, hopes dashed. It was a dead end. There was no way out.

"I guess we'll have to go the other way and take our chances," she told Squirtle, who promptly began shaking his head again. "We obviously can't go-"

Her voice was immediately silenced by the largest tremor yet. Allie turned back to see the way they had just come, and felt her stomach drop.

Coming towards her was a raging Onix. It was beating its head and tail against the stone walls in fury, threatening to create a cave-in. She quickly backed against the wall blocking her escape. She was cornered.

Squirtle jumped out in front of her, ready to loyally defend his trainer, but Allie was torn. If she battled it, the ensuing chaos would surely cause the tunnel to collapse on all of them. But if she just let it keep coming, who knew what it would do to them. She couldn't even remember if Onixes ate humans.

As the beast drew nearer, the blonde haired trainer realized that it wasn't very large for an Onix. It only seemed to be about fourteen feet, instead of the usual twenty eight. The rocks that made up its body were smaller as well. Despite its relatively small size, the Onix was more furious than any Pokémon she had ever seen.

I wish Ash were here, Allie thought, shutting her eyes tightly so she didn't have to see Onix come any closer. He'd know some way of calming a baby Onix.

Her own words from the previous evening came back to her. "I can't expect you to always come flying to my rescue. I can't be a burden forever. I need to become strong."

She opened her eyes again, desperate to find something to stop the rock snake. She found what she was looking for sticking out of its tail. There was sharp, arm-length piece of stone jammed into one of the last rocks segments which comprised its body. It must have hit the Pokémon when the cavern collapsed.

Allie looked down at Squirtle.

"Alright buddy. I've got a plan. Aim hydro pump at his eyes. Don't hurt him though, or we're as good as dead." Squirtle gave her a bewildered look. "Trust me on this."

The tiny turtle pulled its head back, and let out a huge jet of water from its mouth. The hydro pump hit Onix squarely in the eyes. Blinded by the sudden rush of water, it was forced to stop in its tracks, only feet away from Allie.

The trainer took this opportunity to sidle around the body of the great stone serpent and climb up on its tail. Onix, distracted by Squirtle, ignored the pest crawling on its back, although Allie was still almost thrown off or crushed into a wall several times.

She grabbed onto the rock protruding from the stone tail. Onix shifted his focus to her, furious that she would dare touch his injury. Allie was shaken vigorously and finally thrown off against a wall.

This is the end, she thought, preparing herself mentally to be flattened by his tail.

But the final blow never came.

Allie looked down, and realized what she was holding. The stone splinter was in her arms, and Onix had stopped thrashing around.

Onix was looking intently at her. As Allie stood up, he wrapped his tail around her. She flinched, but never felt any pain. Onix lifted her up off the ground and brought her close to his face. His touch was surprisingly tender, and held her securely.

He's hugging me? Allie wondered. Squirtle was below them dancing happily.

Allie and Onix stared into each other's eyes for several minutes, before Allie decided to ask her new friend for help.

"Onix, we're trapped in this mountain with no way to get out and too deep for anyone to find. Can you help me?"

The rock snake nodded confidently, gently placing Allie back on the ground. Allie and Squirtle stood aside as he began digging a hole where the dead end had been. He dug straight down, and finally disappeared from sight in the darkness.

Allie approached the edge of the hole carefully. The hole seemed bottomless. She didn't have any Pokémon who could fly her down, so she was going to have to climb. The depth of the hole worried her though, for if she slipped, there was no telling how far she would fall.

"I don't know Squirtle, shouldn't we be heading up if we want to get out of here?" Allie asked cautiously.

Before Squirtle could respond, the spot where they were standing collapsed into hole, hurling both trainer and Pokémon deep into the pit.

Allie, exhausted and weak from losing so much blood, lost consciousness before her mind even registered that she was falling.

The first thing Allie noticed when she woke up was a strange pressure on her chest. Opening her eyes, she saw a small pink Pokémon leaning over her face. When it noticed her blinking, it tumbled backwards and rolled off her stomach.

Allie sat up and looked around, amazed. She appeared to be on the grassy shore of a beautiful lake. The only light she could see was cast from the full moon high above her. The moon was reflected in the water below, completing a scene of utmost serenity. Confused, the girl began rubbing her eyes to see if they were fooling her.

Why aren't I underground? she wondered. The last thing she remembered was preparing to enter Onix's tunnel, and now she was at a tranquil lake at night. She glanced down at her leg; the skin was still stained with her blood, but the pain was gone and the wound was closed. Am I even alive?

Squirtle lay collapsed next to her. He was breathing steadily, but had also apparently survived the fall. Allie returned him to his Pokéball, still trying to figure out what happened.

Surrounding her were hundreds of Clefaries and Cleffas. All of them were staring at her. Looking toward the center of the lake, Allie saw an island of rock rising up from the water. Ten Clefairies danced in a circle around the edges of the island. Their apparent leader stood in the center: a Clefable.

The leader turned to face Allie, and all the Pokémon on the beach began chanting. "Cleff! Cleffa! Cleffa! Clefairy!" they hummed, swinging their arms back and forth in a pendulum motion.

The large pink fairy Pokémon continued to stare at the trainer, now beckoning her to him with a stubby finger.

Without hesitation, Allie began walking into the lake, fully clothed. It seemed to her to be a strange thing to do under the instructions of a Pokémon, yet she did it anyway. The feeling of the warm water touching her body was intoxicating. It flowed through the clothing, penetrating every inch of her skin.

The water was up to the girl's chest when Clefable indicated that she should stop walking. The longest strands of her ponytail floated in the water around her. Allie couldn't remember a time when she had felt so comfortable. She moaned as she stretched her neck backwards, lowering the back of her head into the water.

The chanting and pendulum motion of the Clefairies had grown faster. Clefable had joined their dance, now skipping around ceremonially on his island. Allie watched the detailed ritual carefully.

The moon above them was growing larger, until the entire lake reflected its shadow. Then, with deliberate precision, the swinging of the Clefairies stopped, and the leader lowered his hand, gesturing once again at Allie.

A blinding moon ray descended dramatically from above, surrounding Allie, and lifting her slowly out of the water. Her body floated upwards in midair, watched closely by the fairy Pokémon. As the brightness of the column of light intensified, the trainer swore she could hear a call to her: "Farewell, Allie Dogwood. Beware the one who was not born." Her last sight before she closed her eyes was Clefable solemnly waving goodbye to her from the island.

Allie was now standing at the bottom of the rocky base of a mountain. She was a little confused as to what had happened with the Clefairies and slightly disconcerted that the voice which spoke to her seemed to come from Clefable, but otherwise in good spirits. She decided that she wouldn't tell anyone about Clefable's warning, that it must have just been a crazy hallucination. The experience at the lake had refreshed her body and mind, and she felt ready and able to continue on, though the trainer was unsure for how long.

As she looked around at her surroundings, a glint of metal caught her eye. The girl bent down and picked up what appeared to be a black and gold bottle cap. Dismissing it as just a piece of litter, she pocketed it, intending to dispose of it later.

Just past a line of trees, Allie thought she could hear voices. Hoping they were friendly voices and not more criminals, she set off to go find their owners.

The sun was almost directly above her head, beating down upon her. It was good to be warm once again, instead of the intense cold which she had dealt with since entering the cave.

As soon as she made it past the trees, the trainer was immediately greeted by the familiar voice she had been hoping for.

"Allie! You're alright!" Ash's voice said, filled with relief. He ran up to her, overjoyed to see her safe and well. The girl beamed. Finally safe and secure with someone who could protect her, Allie was overcome with exhaustion and her legs gave out.

Ash delicately caught her in his arms and held her close against his body. It wasn't exactly a hug, but coming from Ash, it was definitely a sign of affection.

"Thanks, Ash," Allie managed to whisper, face buried into his chest. He patted her on the back.

"Thank goodness you're alright. I... we've been really worried about you." They stood there for several minutes, each happy to be with the other once again. "Come on," said Ash. "We've got to get back to the others." He turned around and bent down. "Climb on my back."

Allie mounted Ash and held her arms around his neck as he put his hands under her legs and hoisted her up. The older trainer easily carried the girl through a meadow filled with blooming flowers, until at last they came to a site where several large canvas tents were pitched. Several figures in jackets emblazoned with red crosses hurried up to them, but Ash dismissed them.

"I'll take care of her. Go help out the remaining search crews. There might have been others in that cave."

Ash lowered the girl gently to the ground, now supporting her with an arm around her waist. Allie limped into the spacious tent, where she was welcomed by the grinning faces of Forrest and Mina. They were sitting together on a bench on the far side of the tent. Both looked worse than when Allie had seen them last; Forrest had one arm in a sling and Mina had bandages wrapped around her forehead. Each was visibly exhausted from their ordeal.

"You had us worried sick," Mina scolded her as Ash helped her sit down on a cot. "I don't know what we would have done if you didn't show up. What happened to you?"

Ash hushed the brunette. "Let me treat her injuries before you interrogate her. She's probably even more fatigued than you are."

Allie smiled. "Actually, I feel great. I mean, I'm drained, but I'll still be able tell you guys what happened."

And so, Allie recounted the details of her adventure to the other three trainers, all of whom were listening with rapt attention. Ash sat at her feet with a medical kit on his lap as he checked up and down her body for injuries. As she described her experience at the lake, Ash looked up at her.

"I don't think you were actually above ground yet," he explained. "I would assume you found an underground water source, and that the Clefairies were using moonlight to heal you and make the moon seem to appear in the sky. That also explains you don't have any wounds despite all the blood on your legs. The dance they performed seems to have been metronome, which helped them teleport you up to the surface."

"Oh," Allie nodded. "That makes sense. It was so surreal being down there; the water was so soothing." She closed her eyes, remembering the amazing feeling of the water on her skin. "But I'm really glad to be back with you guys."

"Neat, Allie," Mina grinned. "It must have been awesome to see all those Clefairies. Instead, I was stuck with this guy," she said, jabbing Forrest with a finger.

"Come on," he whined. "We made a good team. Neither of us would have survived alone."

Mina winked at him. "I know. Just playing," she giggled.

Ash rolled his eyes. It was good to have everyone together again.

"So Ash, where were you while all of this was happening?" asked the blonde-haired trainer.

He grunted, closing the first aid kit and sitting down next to Allie. "After Mina told me that something was going on in Saffron City, I went to go see what was going on. There was a large fire in one of the main buildings. It may have been an act of terrorism, but I can't say for sure yet." The others stared at him, knowing that he wasn't giving the full story. Ash shrugged. "Then I was told that the cave collapsed so I headed back here. That's all there is to it," he insisted.

The girls still looked as they wanted to hear more, but Ash was definitely not in the mood to tell them the specifics. Forrest decided to change the subject. "And that's when he showed up here and found us underground. I can't believe you managed to survive that long Allie."

The girl tilted her head curiously. "How long?" she asked.

"You don't remember? You were in that cave for more than a full day. Ash pulled us out last night, but he stayed out all night searching for you."

A day. She didn't think it was that long, even though she felt like she had been separated from everyone for a month. It must have been because she spent so much time unconscious, or perhaps it was a trick of the Clefairies that made time pass faster. Either way, she was grateful that she was once again among friends and that it hadn't been a longer ordeal.

Suddenly remembering why they had been put in such a dangerous situation in the first place, Allie turned back to Ash. "Did you find him?" she inquired.

The expert trainer shook his head. "No. Not yet. James may have been crushed in the collapse, or he may have escaped. Don't worry about him," he reassured Allie. "If he's alive, they'll get him." Ash sighed. "He wasn't like that a long time ago. I don't know what changed him."

"He kept talking about 'her,'" Mina pointed out. "Maybe a lost love?"

Forrest shook his head. "He was alone Ash. No Jessie, no Meowth. I wonder if whatever made them leave also made him a bit less mentally stable.

"Could be," Ash contemplated. "So, where are you guys going now?" Ash asked the group. "Allie and I will be travelling to Cerulean City; you guys are welcome to join us if you want," he said. "Forrest, I know you have to head back to Pewter, but it wouldn't hurt to get rested up before you leave."

Forrest and Mina exchanged playful looks. He grinned. "Sure, I'll come with you guys for a little while."

Mina grabbed his arm. "It'll be fun for you to get out of that stuffy gym for once. You'll get a chance to see the world," she declared. "And even better, you'll get to see me every day!"

"We should depart soon if we want to get there by tonight," Ash told them.

Forrest nodded in agreement. "Don't want to get there after dark," he said, a dark expression creeping across his face.

Ash crossed the tent and threw Allie's backpack to her. "Are you feeling strong enough to go?" he asked her. "It isn't that far, and you can use me for support if you need to. You guys probably want showers as soon as possible."

She nodded. "I'll be fine. Don't worry about me."

"Alright," he said, grinning. "Then we better get on the road. Pikachu!" he shouted.

The electric mouse bounded through the tent flap and leaped onto Ash's shoulder as the others were collecting their gear.

"You guys ready?" the eldest trainer asked.

Allie and Forrest nodded, but Mina merely stood with a hand in front of her mouth in surprise.

"Is everything alright Mina?" Forrest asked her, placing his hand on her shoulder.

Allie turned to see her friend staring at Ash.

"A Pikachu? On his shoulder? Could it be?" the brunette mumbled incoherently.

Ash looked away, knowing what she had finally figured out.

"Ash… Ash Ketchum," Mina said, her voice growing more and more excited. "You're Ash Ketchum, the Pokémon League Champion!"

An uncomfortable silence fell in the tent as everyone turned to stare at him.

Author's Note

This time I decided to give Allie her own adventure to establish her growing independence. A lot of you were looking forward to how Ash was going to save Allie, but I thought it was about time to give her a solo adventure. Hope you guys enjoyed it, and the new level of friendship between the two of them in the second half.

Roy- Romance? Perhaps...

I'm glad you guys liked the way I portrayed James. You'll find out more about what happened to him and the rest of Team Rocket down the road. To address the Bisharp issue that many of you have raised: James has an irritating habit of leaving his Pokemon behind after using them. I feared the same would happen to his current Pokemon, and that I would have to create backstyles. Bisharp is a more dangerous Pokemon, and his presence will be explained later on. The better question for you to ask is why James has Wheezing back, as James left it in Hoenn.

Thanks, and remember to review/favorite/follow it if you're enjoying it!