Author's Note: No! I got this all finished on the correct day this week, typing for three straight hours, only to find that my connection was failing by the time I got done. Now after two whole days of waiting, I finally got to go to the library. Oh well, time for more action! See how many of you can guess the Pokemon before Link can find out. Also, this chapter marks the end of the first four chapters of the manga. Eleven more chapters to go!-EeveeInHeat
The Legend of Vulpix: Leaf of Time
- Chapter 13: Stop, Drop, and Roll -
"You'll need to turn this corner, and you'll be in the cavern. This is where I'll leave you," Tork said, turning to go.
"O-okay," Link said nervously, wondering what the sound was.
Link took a deep breath before padding up to the turn. Slowly, Link turned around the corner, entering a cavern. The cavern was large, with several rocks protruding out of the ground all along the field, most higher than Link and blocking most of the view. On the other side of the cavern was another entrance to a tunnel.
As they entered, their ears were assaulted by a grinding sound that seemed to come from everywhere with its echoing. Link looked around, but couldn't see what was making the sound, especially with the little light from the few fire sticks. Slowly, they headed deeper into the room.
Link jumped a foot in the air when a loud crashing sounded behind them. Flipping around, Link saw that one of the rocks protruding from the ground had burst apart from something ramming into it. The thing looked somewhat like a dark gray rock slightly larger than Blitz that was spinning rapidly, two short things sticking out of the sides and making small circles with its spins.
The thing bounced off the ground before making a wide turn toward them. Link stared at the thing, frozen for a second, before yelling, "Run!"
He turned and ran as fast as he could without ramming into the all the rock obstacles. Before he knew it, he was before the entrance into the other tunnel. Stopping just inside, Link looked back. Blitz was still running around the rocks with Sallah hanging tightly to his back, a small cloud being thrown up as the spinning rock chased them.
"This way," Link called out.
Blitz started heading his way, the spinning rock turning with him. As soon as Blitz got close, Link prepared a Shadow Ball, the small shadowy sphere forming near his slightly open mouth as he poured energy into it. Once Blitz passed him, he let the sphere go sailing toward the spinning rock. The attack hit it right on as it continued, throwing up a large cloud of dust.
Link sighed and glanced back to see Blitz had continued running into the tunnel. Once the sound of the explosion ended, Link snapped his head back toward the cavern as he heard the grinding of the spinning thing still coming.
The cloud blew away as the object came spinning out toward him, not slowed a little. Link quickly dashed down the tunnel as the rolling thing followed him. As he ran, Link glanced back only to see the thing slowly gaining on him. Panting hard, he tried to run faster, but failed.
Suddenly, a fork in the tunnel came, the two entrances looking the same. His eyes darting between the two rapidly, Link finally dived to the right and headed down the tunnel. The grinding was still behind him, though he didn't look back again. His lungs were burning now as he went, his legs feeling as though they were about to give way, but he kept on, hoping that a way out would appear soon.
The sound of the rolling thing grew louder as it got closer to him. Knowing he would be hit anytime soon, he leapt as high as he could so he wouldn't be squished under it. However, the thing was large enough to still hit him at the apex of his exhausted jump. Link was thrown slightly higher before falling heavily on the ground from the hard impact of the thing.
Link got up shakily, both exhausted and sore. His legs were quivering a little as he looked down the tunnel. The object was still spinning down the tunnel, though it was slowing down. Suddenly, it stopped for a second before reversing its trail and heading toward him again, picking up the original speed almost instantly.
Not about to give up, Link quickly formed another Shadow Ball and shot it at the spinning sphere. The powerful attack hit it and exploded, only to do nothing but throw up a little dust. The thing continued on its way toward Link, getting closer by the second as it prepared to mow him down.
Gasping for breath, Link glanced around for a possible way out. The few fire sticks spaced out along the tunnel provided little light, making him almost miss the tunnel entrances to either side of him. Link quickly dived into the one on the right, wind whipping past him as the thing continued down the original tunnel. Link let out a sigh as he realized the thing quickly turn easily in the thin tunnel.
Wanting to put some distance between them, Link turned and headed down the new tunnel, not really knowing where he was going. By the time he reached the end, his legs were barely holding him up. He sat down quickly and looked into the cavern he had reached.
Inside the cavern, natural light flooded in from a few holes along one wall, illuminating the entire cavern besides the hidden ceiling high above. The light showed how the day was about to end. The cavern was much larger than the one they had been in, though this one had only the single entrance and had small bushes instead of rocks protrusions all along the ground, large fruit growing on them.
Link's mouth immediately started to water as he saw the large berries everywhere. His stomach growling, Link found the energy to get up, slowly padding over to the first of the bushes. The berries were large and covered in several hues of blue with a few green leaves growing on top. Though Link didn't recognize them, his stomach had already convinced him of their perfect taste.
His exhaustion forgotten, Link snipped off a few of the blue berries. Link ate quickly, the taste intensified with his hunger. After filling his stomach, Link rolled over onto his back in a patch of the sunlight, enjoying his filling meal. He closed his eyes as he rested, his tail swishing a little behind him.
Link's eyes shot open as he remembered Sallah and Blitz. Where were they? Had the rolling thing found them? Link sat up, sighing as his muscles protested the sudden movement. He paused as he remembered the rolling thing.
Was it some sort of Pokemon? No matter what, he needed some way to defeat it. Most likely, the thing had an outer armor that had stopped his attack, the spinning only adding to it. If he could get past it, he might be able to damage it. Link got up and started padding toward the entrance again, still wondering how he would get past that outer armor.
Link paused as he heard something above him. Glancing up, he saw several small Pokemon flying around above him, though the real number was hidden with all their mixing. As they slowly swooped lower, Link was able to better see them. The Pokemon were blue, their two wings having purple skins. They appeared to have no eyes, instead having overly large mouth with two sets of fangs.
Link jumped back as one suddenly dived at him, pulling up as he moved out of the way. Still tired, he was barely able to dodge the repeated dives they made. Finally, he grew impatient and shot a Shadow Ball up at them. The blast hit two of the Pokemon, making them almost fall out of the sky, while the others were pushed away by the shockwave.
Seeing their target was able to fight back, the Pokemon fluttered away upward to the shadowed ceiling again. Link was panting as he watched them leave, the meeting taking the rest he had gained. As Link wondered if the Pokemon were under control of Zoron like the ones back in the forest, the cavern grew quiet once more as the Pokemon landed somewhere above and the fluttering ended.
Link's ears perked as the silence was once again broken. Growing ever louder, Link could hear a low grinding sound. After a second, Link realized what it was and tensed. Glancing down the tunnel, he saw that the rolling thing was indeed coming toward the cavern having somehow turned into the tunnel.
Tired, Link charged another Shadow Ball and shot the dark purple mass at it. Like before, the outer armor simply plowed through the attack. Still catching his breath, he was unable to move out of the way. The thing rammed into Link, throwing him to the side as it continued on past.
Link landed on the ground hard, closing his eyes for a moment as he recovered from the sudden attack. Slowly, he got back up, looking around to see the thing rolling between the bushes until it could make its long sweep as it turned around. Link tried to power up another Shadow Ball, but still hadn't recovered enough to make one.
Ideas raced through his mind about what else he could do. He couldn't exactly bite the thing unless he wanted to be pummeled. He could flick some of the rocks scattered about, but they certainly didn't compare to his more powerful Shadow Ball which did nothing at the moment. What could he do?
Still breathing heavily, Link jumped to the side as the thing rolled past again, his face still being slapped by the thing coming out of the side. The rolling thing continued, slowly turning as it went along in order to attack him again.
Link was still unable to think about anything as the thing started coming toward him again. Finally, Link just chose to run, going straight for the only exit. However, his tired legs couldn't go as fast as before and the thing rammed into him again, throwing him into the air a few feet from the entrance.
Link fell to the ground, groaning in pain. By the time Link gathered the energy to get up, the rolling thing had already turned around, now running parallel with the wall as it came toward him. Though the entrance was only a few feet away, his legs refused to move at the moment, which made even that slight distance closer to the rolling thing that much more dangerous.
Panting, Link half shut his eyes as he waited for the thing to hit him. Bracing himself, he mentally started counting down the moment to impact. His eyes almost closed, Link almost missed what happened next as the thing came past the exit tunnel. The thing was thrown far into the air as something rammed into it from the tunnel. The thing uncurled midair, falling heavily to the ground from the sudden attack.
Now lying in a heap, Link saw that the thing actually was a Pokemon. With four short legs, the light gray skinned Pokemon had two, large, white tusks. A dark gray ridge covering its back with its long snout being part of it was what Link had seen while it was curled up. The two things he had seen coming out of the side were two long ears for the strange Pokemon.
Link turned his head to see what had been so powerful to throw it far into the cavern. He gasped as he saw the blue form, a small yellow thing hanging onto its head; a Bagon with a Pichu on his head. The strange duo was Blue and Pika.
As soon as Blue had landed back on his feet, Pika jumped off Blue's head and ran over to Link. "Are you alright, Link?" he asked.
"What are you doing here, Pika?" Link asked, confused.
"Link!" Blue exclaimed, coming up to embrace him tightly.
Link opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by a grunting. Pulling out of Blue's powerful hug, he looked over at the recovering Pokemon. It was slowly getting up, its now open eyes confirming that it was under the control of something.
"Do you think three little Pokemon are enough to defeat me? I will deal with you quickly and go back to blocking the others. With no food, the Tribe of Flames will soon dwindle," it said, laughing.
It was now fully up, its long snout waving in the air as it pawed the ground. Knowing it was about to roll again, Link quickly charged up a Shadow Ball. After a second of concentrating, he sent one sailing toward the Pokemon as it prepared to charge. The attack hit it on the chest, exploding and throwing it onto through the air and onto its back.
Link gasped for air, the attack taking too much out of him to make another. "Wow," Pika murmured, gazing at Link in wonder.
The Pokemon they were fighting grunted before slowly getting up again. Link tensed, but relaxed as he saw the confused look on its face, the change evident in its eyes. The Pokemon looked around in confusion before it finally noticed the others. "What happened?" it asked.
Pika gasped at its reaction, opening his mouth to say something.
"I believe you were taken under control of another Pokemon. What is the last thing you remember?" Link asked, cutting Pika off.
It looked startled before it started thinking. "Well . . . I was walking and then . . . something black was nearby, before I blacked out," it slowly explained.
"According to the Tribe of Flames, you've been blocking off access to the sunlit cavern. Let's go back. I'll help you explain everything to them," Link said, tipping his head slightly.
"I-I have? Oh, my . . . I-I never meant to do anything," it said.
"I'm sure they'll understand," Link replied.
It sighed, but nodded. "I guess I better go, then," it said, coming up to them.
Link sighed, sitting down as his legs grew too tired. Now he would have to go all the way back to the first cave. He wasn't sure his legs were up for it.
"I can carry you," it offered, leaning down a little. "It's the least I can do for your promise to help."
"Thank you," Link said, working up the energy to climb onto its back.
"Wow, you're really different when you're not under another Pokemon's control," Pika commented, climbing aboard its back by his own invitation and sitting right in front of Link. Blue, unable to pull himself up, walked alongside the Pokemon as it began walking into the tunnel.
"That reminds me, what are you doing here, Pika?" Link asked.
"We came to rescue you," Pika dramatically said, shooting an arm forward.
Link sighed. "You were not supposed to leave the orphanage, Pika," Link replied.
"But Blue said you needed our help," Pika retorted, looking back at him.
"Blue can only say 'Link'," Link said, glancing down at Blue.
"Link," Blue said, as though agreeing.
"Yeah, but Blue says Link differently to say different things," Pika explained.
"And you can understand him?" Link asked, not convinced.
"Of course," Pika relied, getting his chest with a paw.
"Link," Blue said.
"See? He just said I shouldn't boast," Pika said, pausing at the end. "Hey!"
Link was still unsure, but let it go. "I'm going to have to take you back to the orphanage. Aunty is probably really worried," he said.
Pika's ears lowered. "But we helped, right? I thought we could come with you if we helped," Pika whined. Link didn't reply as they were now crossing the rock protrusion cavern. Coming to the other side of the room, they reached the other tunnel. "Where are Sallah and Blitz?" Pika suddenly asked.
"Oh! They're probably still in the tunnels back there somewhere," Link said, looking back.
They all stopped as they heard something coming from further down the tunnel. Someone was muttering to themself as they walked. Turning the corner, they saw a small Pokemon coming toward them. With the weak light, it was a while before they were able to see that it was none other than Sallah.
"Sallah!" Link called, getting her attention.
"Huh? Li- Ah!" she exclaimed, suddenly seeing the Pokemon they were riding. She started to slowly back up, ready to run.
"He's a good guy!" Link said, stopping her.
Sallah slowly came forward, not fully convinced. "Wait, what are that Bagon and that Pichu doing here?" she asked, finally reaching them.
"His name is Blue!" Link immediately countered, knowing she had recognized him. Finishing his rant, Link continued, "They ran from the orphanage to come help. We're going to have to take them back."
"Oh, i-is this the rolling thing?" Sallah asked.
"I regretfully admit that I am," the Pokemon replied, bowing his head in shame.
"We need to go tell the tribe. Is Blitz already out?" Link asked.
"Yes," Sallah replied as they started walking again. Strangely, she didn't say anything else as they went back to the main entrance to the structure.
As they came into the cavern, they were met by a group of Pokemon. Rhy, Char, and Tork were there, along with another Torkoal, who all jumped as they appeared. Blitz was also there, jumping up in surprise when he saw Link.
"You!" Rhy exclaimed, pointing at Link's carrier as he approached.
"Wait," Link said, stopping them. "He was under the control of someone else, who I believe to be the Lucario, Zoron. While he has no memory of his deeds, he is truly sorry for what he's done."
"I am. I will do anything I can to repay you," it said, bowing his head again.
Rhy paused, unsure of what to say. "Since you were the one to stop him, I will believe you, Link. We will not punish you, Donphan. Also, for you, Link; while Zoron left after being refused, you stayed and helped us, possible saving our tribe. You took down the Donphan that was blocking us without being even asked. For your selfless deed, we humbly offer you a rank in the tribe. Will you accept?"
Link sat on the Donphan, stunned. After a few seconds, he shook his head and answered. "No, I am on a quest to help Hyrule right now. Princess Vulpix is counting on me to help her, and I cannot abandon it for this," he said, getting an admired glance from Tork.
Rhy bowed his head. "That is very honorable of you, young Link. You have now shown yourself to be even more worthy of a position here, though we will not push you. However, there is still something we can give you for your service. I believe you came here to attain a certain Eternal Fire Stone?" Rhy asked.
Link vigorously nodded his head, his tail wagging behind him.
Rhy chuckled at Link's reaction. "For your help, I will give you the Eternal Fire Stone and hope that it will help you on your quest," he said. Char stepped up to him and handed him something. "Here you go, the Eternal Fire Stone," Rhy said, opening his hand in front of Link.
Link stared at the almost shining object. The stone had a frozen, red and yellow flame in the center of it. The rest was like a soft, red liquid flowing around it, almost appearing as though it was actually moving. Like the Eternal Leaf Stone, it had a golden circuit circling down around its sides.
Once again amazed at the sacred item, Link slowly reached forward to pick it up.
"WAIT!" Sallah shouted, getting everyone's attention. "If you touch it, you'll evolve, Link," she said, hopping up beside him. "Let me." She picked it up and slipped it into his pouch carefully. "There," she said, patting the flap down.
"Thanks, Sallah," Link said, hopping off the Donphan. Sallah hopped down beside him, but didn't exactly look happy. Before he could ask her, Rhy spoke up again.
"Now, with access to the sunlit cavern again, would you like to join our celebratory feast? We can provide a place for you to stay the night," Rhy said.
"Yes," Link said instantly, his tail wagging again at the thought of food and rest.
Rhy paused. "If only we had some sort of entertainment. A feast always goes well with music," he said.
"I have a Leaf," Link said, pulling Rose's Leaf down to play a few notes.
"I can keep a steady beat," Blitz added, tapping his hooves a little.
"Link," Blue added, before cooing a little.
Rhy laughed and nodded. "Aye, that will certainly do. Now, I've got to get a few gathering parties to go and get the food. The day's almost gone after all," he said, turning around.
Though Link was exhausted, he felt exhilarated by the thought of food galore, with music and rest to top it all off. His tail wagging, he eagerly followed the others to the feasting room, Sallah's strange behavior pushed to the back of his mind.