Chapter 11: The Cave Behind the Waterfall
Carlos looked around at the black void he was floating in. "Where am I?" he muttered.
"Carlos! Carlos!"
"Sandra!" Carlos cried, recognizing the voice.
The Pikachu dashed toward the sound, gray stone appearing under his paws. He was running through a stone tunnel, shouting for his friend as he ran. Suddenly, he burst into a large cavern. Sitting in the center of it…was Sandra.
"Sandra! There you are!" Carlos sighed in relief. "Are you okay? Let's get out of here!"
"…Why, Carlos? Why are you doing this?" Sandra asked.
"Huh? Doing what?"
Suddenly, color faded and everything came to a stop. A nearby waterfall on the far side of the cavern ceased to move, water droplets hanging suspended in midair. Everything became dark and cold. Carlos spotted a shadow standing near him, watching the Eevee warily.
"Why, Carlos? I thought we were friends." Sandra whispered. Her form suddenly stretched and changed into that of an Espeon with brilliant red fur. Her eyes narrowed at them. "Why? Tell me why, Carlos. Why?!"
"Why what?!" Carlos yelled.
"It's for the good of our world. The world is more important than even our own lives!" the figure beside him declared. "Darkness will never rule!"
"I thought you cared about me, Carlos. I guess I was wrong. Humans never change." Sandra growled. "All humans are filthy, stinking, no-good, back-stabbing liars!"
"STOP IT!!" Carlos screamed at the top of his lungs.
Carlos' eyes snapped open and he shot up in bed, screaming. Instantly, a pair of brown paws grabbed him and stroked his soaked fur. He clung to the comforting figure, crying. The nightmare was still fresh in his memory. Too fresh…
"What happened?" Lucar slowly sat up and rubbed his closed eyes. His aura vision showed Joy hugging Carlos, his aura emanating pure terror and confusion. "Carlos, are you okay?"
"Shhh… Everything's okay, Carlos. We're here." Joy whispered soothingly. "You're all right, Carlos. Everything's okay."
After a few minutes, Carlos finally recovered and looked up at her. "…Sorry, Joy."
"Was it a nightmare?" Joy asked.
Carlos nodded. "I was looking for Sandra in some dark tunnel. I think it was underground or something. Then everything got dark and…I think time stopped. There was someone beside me that argued with Sandra. Then Sandra became a red Espeon and called me a liar. She said I didn't care about her. Then I woke up."
"That's one bad nightmare." Lucar said. "Did it have anything to do with you being…you-know-what?"
"What?" Joy asked. "What's a 'you-know-what'?"
"Nothing! It's no—" Lucar started.
"I'm not really a Pikachu, Joy. This was what I was trying to tell you last night." Carlos muttered. "I'm actually a human. I don't how I became a Pikachu. The only things I remember are my name and that I was human."
Joy blinked in confusion. "Human? But you look like a—"
"A normal Pikachu? I know. I said the same thing." Lucar said. "I think his visions have something to do with it, Joy. Sandra and I both believe him. It's your choice if you believe him or not, Joy."
The Raichu looked away, thinking. Then she looked at Carlos and nodded. "Well, that would explain all that weird stuff that's happened since you got here. The visions, Volt Tackle…I believe you, Carlos."
"Thanks, Joy." Carlos said. Then he yawned.
"Tired?" Joy asked.
"Yeah," the Pikachu nodded.
"Good night, Carlos." Joy said softly.
/See what I mean by Joy being motherly to us? Maybe it's a good thing. We certainly don't complain. My parents are gone, Lucar's abandoned him, and Carlos has none because he's human. What a strange batch of kids Joy has, right? Yeah…but she loves us and that's all that matters./
The next morning, Carlos and Lucar went out to recite the cheers. Lucar reported what he found out about the Banette to Chatot and the rest of the Guild, announcing Sandra's kidnapping. After all was said and done, Wigglytuff ordered a dungeon-wide search for the missing Eevee.
"Thanks for all of this, Chatot. It's our fault. We should've known something was up." Carlos said.
"It's not your fault, Carlos! These things happen. We'll find her." Chatot replied.
"Thanks. So, what's our mission?" the Pikachu asked.
"You're lucky today, in a sense. Guildmaster Wigglytuff has decided to send you on your first exploration." Chatot explained. "There's a waterfall to the east that is rumored to be hiding a secret. I want you two to go there and find out what that secret is."
"Wow! Our first exploration!" Carlos cried.
"We'll be sure to find out that secret, Chatot." Lucar said. "You can count on us."
"I should hope so. I'm counting on you two to bring back some good news." Chatot nodded.
"Anything about Team Yami-Hikari?" Carlos asked.
"No," Chatot said sadly. "It's as if they vanished off the face of the earth. But don't fret! I've sent out one of our best exploration teams to search for them."
"I hope they find them soon. And Sandra, too." Carlos muttered.
"So do I, Carlos. So do I." Chatot agreed. "Now off you two go! Good luck out there!"
Just as Team Legend was about to leave the Guild, Joy rushed out to say goodbye. "Here, take this. If you meet up with that Banette again, tell Sandra to use it. This will enable her to fight him with you."
The Raichu handed them a silvery disk. Carlos put it in his bag and said his goodbyes. The duo headed down to Treasure Town to prepare and set out for the crossroads, walking toward the Secret Waterfall. Along the way, Carlos asked about the disk.
"What is it, exactly?" the Pikachu asked.
"It's a TM, otherwise known as a Technical Machine." Lucar explained. "Each disk has a single move stored inside of it that certain Pokemon can learn. Once you use a TM, it breaks because you can only use it once. There's a large variety of moves put in TMs, so I can't exactly identify which this one is."
"I wonder what it is." Carlos muttered, replacing the disk into the Treasure Bag.
"We better keep it safe." Lucar said. "Being a Normal-type, Sandra can't fight Ghost-type Pokemon. This move must be powerful."
/Very powerful, indeed. This particular TM would aid me in many future missions, mainly against our bigger enemies. Thrax included. Not to mention, it's a favorite move of mine now. I owe Joy for giving this to me. I really do./
"Yeah. Hey, we're here!" Carlos cried.
As they stood on the end of the path, the giant waterfall roared in front of them. Having never seen a waterfall before, Carlos was in awe. As they stepped closer, they could feel the power behind that falling wall of water. Lucar stepped back, suddenly wary.
"Now what? Any ideas, Carlos?" the Riolu asked.
"Can you see anything through the water? With your aura, I mean." Carlos asked.
"I'll see. I might need to get closer, though. I've never tried to sense aura through things before, especially water."
Lucar focused, trying to see through the water. He got a fuzzy image but nothing he could recognize. Stepping closer, he reached out a paw. I hope I'm not going to sense a wall or something. That will be disappointing…
Suddenly, his paw touched the water and sent him tumbling backward. Yelping, he banged the back of his head on a rock. Carlos quickly dashed to his side to check on him.
"Lucar! Are you okay?" the Pikachu asked.
"Yeah…I think…" Lucar slowly sat up, rubbing his aching head. "Man, that water's strong! You try touching it, Carlos. I'll catch you so you don't hit that rock like I did."
"O…Okay," Oh, great! Why do I have a bad feeling about this? Carlos thought.
The Pikachu slowly stepped forward, knowing what was going to happen to him. Reaching out a paw, he was sent flying backward instantly. Lucar, as promised, caught Carlos and slid backward a good foot or two before stopping. Once he could stand up on his own again, Carlos looked back at the waterfall.
"You're right. That's pretty powerful." Carlos said.
"Told you. Now what?" Lucar looked around with his aura vision. "I don't see anything, Carlos. Maybe Chatot was wrong about this waterfall having a secret. It seems like a normal waterfall to me."
"Yeah…maybe…" Carlos muttered.
Suddenly, Carlos' vision began to fade and dizziness set in. Carlos started to sway and stumble until he fell backward, hitting the ground in a similar fashion as he did in Treasure Town. Lucar said something but Carlos couldn't hear him. His vision faded to black as he passed out.
The image in his mind's eye was of the very waterfall he and Lucar were at. A shadowy figure that looked very familiar was standing there, watching the waterfall intently. Turning, the figure walked toward the edge of the path…only to turn and dashed full speed toward the waterfall! Taking a flying leap, the figure jumped through the waterfall and landed in a cavern on the other side. Shaking itself off, the figure wandered deeper into the cave.
Carlos struggled to open his eyes as the vision ended. Another one? What was that?! Wait…could that be the secret? The cave behind the waterfall? Maybe…
"Carlos? Carlos, answer me! Wake up!" Lucar's voice cried.
"Huh?" Carlos blinked sleepily and sat up. Rubbing his eyes, he looked up at the waterfall roaring before them. "Lucar, I think I figured it out."
"Figured what out? Hey, wait! Did you have another vision?" the blind Riolu asked.
"Yeah," the Pikachu nodded. "I saw somebody jump through the waterfall and land in a cave behind it. That must be the secret, Lucar. There's a cave behind the waterfall!"
"Hang on, Carlos. I'm willing to believe in your visions, but I've got concerns with jumping through a waterfall." Lucar argued. "For one, what if you're wrong? If we hit a solid wall, we're dead. If the collision doesn't kill us, the rocks at the bottom will. Have you thought of any of this?"
"Well…" Lucar's right, Carlos thought. What if we hit a solid rock wall? Both of the visions I saw before were of the future. What if this is, too? Maybe this isn't a good idea…
"Well?" Lucar asked.
"…I'm still going to do it." Carlos replied. "If I die, I die. You don't have to, Lucar. I can understand. But I'm going to believe my visions."
/This is another reason why I liked Carlos. He put his full faith in his visions, yet he took in what his friends told him as well. Lucar is more cautious and thinks things through before reacting. But you won't always have time for that. Sometimes, you just have to react without thinking and hope for the best./
"Carlos!" Lucar cried. "You're kidding!"
"Nope," Carlos said. "See you on the other side, Lucar." If there is an 'other side'. Hopefully, it's not heaven. I'm too young to die!
"Carlos, don't! I'm serious!" Lucar begged.
Carlos backed up to the edge of the path and faced the waterfall. Here goes nothing! The Pikachu charged, running as fast as he could on all fours toward the raging wall of water. Once he was a good foot away from the edge, he jumped and sailed through the water as high speed. He felt the pressure pushing him down, only to crash on a slick rock floor and escape the waterfall's grasp.
Coughing, Carlos rolled over on his back and took a deep breath. When he saw the rocky ceiling, he sat upright and realized where he was. "I made it!" he cried. "Lucar, come on! I was right! There's a cave here!" I hope he can hear me over the waterfall.
On the other side of the waterfall, Lucar covered his ears as Carlos' voice echoed from the cave walls and through the water. "I heard you loud and clear! Now move so I don't hit you!" Lucar copied Carlos' actions, ready to jump through the falls.
Back in the cave, Carlos waited patiently for Lucar's reply. Maybe he didn't hear me, he thought. I should yell louder.
The Riolu ran toward the raging falls and took a deep breath, praying to Arceus that he made it. Once he got near enough, judging from the sound and his aura vision, he jumped…and crashed directly into Carlos on the other side of the falls. Both Team Legend members were sent sprawling across the slick stone floor, yelping. When they came to a stop, they untangled themselves and looked around.
"You were right, Carlos. I wonder why my aura vision didn't detect this." Lucar wondered.
"Maybe your aura can't see through water." Carlos suggested.
"Maybe,"
Carlos stood up and looked ahead at the gaping cave mouth. "Well, let's do this!" Carlos cried. "We came here to explore a new place. Let's do a good job." For Sandra's sake, he thought.
"Right!" Lucar nodded and got up. "Let's go!"
As one, the pair entered the cave to begin their exploration. While they were continuing their job, Sandra was in for a bit of a shock back at Spacial Rift.
Spacial Rift…
"What is this place? Mr. Banette, where are we?" Sandra asked.
"Spacial Rift," the Banette replied, looking around. Where is he? He should've been here by now!
"Where's my sister?"
"Oh, she should be coming any time now." The Banette looked away, anger in his eyes. What's taking him so long?!
Sandra looked around, frightened. Something about this place…didn't seem right. My sister wouldn't come to a place like this. Not unless one of her friends were in danger. Then again…my sister hates Ghost-type Pokemon. Why would she be friends with a Banette? Could it be…?
Come on, come on, come on! You should be here by now! Banette's hands clenched into fists as his anger grew stronger. What's taking you so long?!
"Mr. Banette?"
"What?!" Banette whirled around and glared at her. Once he realized who it was, he shook his head and put on a smile. "I mean, yes? I apologize. Your sister seems to be taking longer than usual to get here."
"Can I ask you something?" Sandra asked.
"Yes, of course! Anything!"
"What does my sister hate the most?"
"Uh…hate? That's a strong word. Let me see." Banette turned away and tapped his chin in thought. Hate? What do Dark-types hate the most? Oh, why is she so difficult? And where is the boss?! Suddenly, he got an idea and spun around. "The one thing your sister hates the most is Fighting-type Pokemon."
No…it can't be! But how did we fall for it so easily? "You're…wrong." Sandra said. "My sister hates Ghost-type Pokemon, Banette. You're not my sister's friend! And I bet my sister isn't even coming here!"
Shoot! Banette thought. Game over… "All right, you win. I'm not your sister's friend and she's not coming. But somebody you know very well is coming." Banette said. "And I know what you really are."
"Huh?" What I…really am? Sandra thought. What's this guy talking about?
"I know you're not a real Pokemon…human!" Banette shouted.
"Huh? I'm not human!" Sandra yelped. What does he want with a human? There aren't any…Carlos! He's after Carlos! "What do you want with a human? I'm not human!"
"Oh, really? I overheard you in the corridor of Drenched Bluff. You admitted to your Pikachu friend that you were human!" Banette accused.
"Admit? I didn't admit anything!" Sandra argued. "You heard wrong! I'm not the human! Carlos is!" Her paws suddenly clapped over her mouth. Ahhh! I'm such an idiot! Why did I tell him?!
"Carlos? Who's Carlos?" Banette asked. If she's not the human… He suddenly screamed. "I got the wrong one! He's going to kill me!"
/You might already know who 'he' really is. If not, you'll see him later. I didn't know why he was after Carlos or why he used Banette to kidnap me, only that he was strong enough to make even Banette cower in fear. If only I had seen him then, maybe I could've prevented what would happen to us later./
Banette suddenly grabbed Sandra. "We have to move fast! Before he finds me! Where are your friends?!"
"I don't know! They could be anywhere!" Sandra yelped. "I could go to the Guild and find out from Chatot!"
"Good enough!" Banette phased through the floor, pulling Sandra after him. I've just got to pray that I get to them before the boss gets here. I can't fail him! I just can't!
Back at Wigglytuff's Guild…
Joy snapped awake, looking around. She was certain she heard a loud crack just a moment ago. Looking around, she noticed the egg had rolled out of her arms and onto the cold dirt floor. Getting up, she walked toward it.
"Come on, little egg. Mommy doesn't want you to get cold." Joy said.
When she tried to grab the egg, it suddenly rolled away from her. She repeated this a few times before she finally managed to grab the blue and tan egg. Then a loud crack sounded and Joy looked down nervously. Cracks spider-webbed across the egg's surface at a fast pace. The Raichu was shocked.
"It's hatching," she whispered.
