"Are you guys okay?" Maren's concerned voice was the first thing the group heard after what was a miraculous safe from the green-haired woman. But even though they appeared safe, the worry in her voice didn't dissipate. "Don't tell me something is broken..." the woman murmured, a horrified expression on her features.
"W-We are fine..." Gary mumbled, breathing heavily with his hands placed on his knees. The brunette looked around him, observing Ash lying on the sand, Pikachu trying to wake him up. Serena was leaning on a rock, her hand on her chest and Dawn was sitting on the sand, breathing wildly. "Everyone is okay it seems, but your boat on the other hand—"
The brunette turned to look at the boat, along with Maren, that had crashed into the rocks near the beach ashore. The wave that had carried them was too high and the pointy rocks that they had landed upon sealed the deal. It was everything but useable and Gary couldn't help but wonder if it could even be repaired.
"You lads are more important right now," Maren turned to the group. When Gary attempted to speak, she added in a low voice. "Don't worry about the boat...I'll figure something out."
"Look at the bright side though." Ash's voice interrupted the two. He forced himself up in the sitting position but the exhaustion didn't let him stand up. "We didn't end up at the bottom of the ocean, and..." He paused and, with his left arm on his knees and right arm supporting him, he glanced above him, at the shadow overlooking the group, and added, "we did make it to the right island."
"How do you know that?" Gary inquired, following Ash's gaze. His brows furrowed as he looked at the shadow eyeing them. After a brief silence, he asked, "Slowing?"
While the group stared up at the Royal Pokémon looking down at them, he finally decided to address them, albeit not in the way they could have ever prepared for.
"Welcome, everyone..."
A wave of shock and amazement washed over the group as the Pokémon spoke. Gary felt his eyes widening with realisation before he uncertainly murmured something under his breath. But that didn't surprise the group more than what the Pokémon said afterwards.
"I've been expecting you all. It's a delight to see you all safe and sound here today."
"But how...?" Dawn mused, her eyes widening with surprise. "How can it speak?"
While shock remained evident in her eyes, amazement continued washing over Ash and Gary brainstormed something yet again, Serena happened to realise something and quickly dug into her Pokédex. The image of the Pokémon of concern appeared on the screen and she read aloud.
"Slowking, the royal Pokémon. Slowking possesses great knowledge and inspiration, and are known for maintaining a level head under any circumstances."
"Exactly!" Gary snapped suddenly and Serena nearly dropped her Pokédex before turning to him, along with others. "I remember Gramps telling me about this before. When Shellder bites them on the top of their head, they release venom in their brains causing a chain reaction that grants them superior intelligence and extraordinary power!"
"Certainly," the Royal Pokémon spoke, now completely turning to face them from altar he was standing upon.
"Wait-wait-wait—" Ash fumbled for words as he finally forced himself up to his feet. "Superior intelligence, I get it but what extraordinary power are you talking about?"
"Psychic," Gary replied, his eyes narrowing down in annoyance. "Ash, don't embarrass me like this. Gramps told both of us about it."
"W-Well, I did know Slowking is Psychic-type Pokémon!" Ash defended himself and Serena glanced down at her Pokédex again, confirming his words.
"A psychic type you say?" Serena murmured and glanced up at the Royal Pokémon again. She tried to keep her voice down but Slowking seemed to have heard her because he glanced down at her, the softness in his eyes never fading.
"Allow me to show you," Slowpoke said, his eyes shining with a blue hue.
The honey-haired girl turned in Ash's direction in time to see him quit bickering with the brunette and glancing at Pikachu with a bewildered expression who was flying away from him. As if that wasn't enough to surprise the group, a Pokéball escaped Dawn's bag, her eyes widening as it opened.
A shimmering, white light escaped the capture ball and what emerged out from it was a Pokémon that Serena had grown accustomed to ever since the day she had met the blue-haired girl.
"Pip...lup?" the Penguin-like Pokémon quipped in confusion, unsure as of why he was summoned out. He turned around to look at his trainer, who was glancing at him wide-eyed. Initially confused, Piplup did not understand Dawn's shock, but it was only a matter of time before he realised that there was a height difference between them, and a big one—he was floating in the air!
Panic finally became evident on his face and Piplup began flailing his arms and feet wildly as he hovered in the air; in the end, however, his efforts were in vain. He could hardly listen a familiar cry ringing in the air over his own panicked screams and before he knew, he was face to face with Pikachu who appeared as mortified as he was.
The two Pokémon embraced tightly, unwilling to let each other go. The aura that had lifted them up, the invisible stress that had forced the two against each other, suddenly faded into the thin air. Their eyes widened and the two Pokémon found themselves embraced by the gravity.
"Pikachu!"
"Piplup, no!"
Ash and Dawn were quick to respond, their voices overlapping in unison, as they rushed forward. With eyes locked to their Pokémon, the two frantically jumped but only to crash into each other, Pikachu and Piplup falling atop them.
Serena stood there, glancing at Pikachu and Piplup toppling over Dawn who was lying on an irritated Ash, with a dumbfounded expression, while an idiotic grin crept over Gary's expressions.
Meanwhile, the Royal Pokémon kept his eyes steady on them, on her, to be certain, and never in her life did the honey-haired girl think that such a gentle smile could even creep her out.
"I once again apologize for my—"
"Ahahaha, don't mind it!" Maren interjected the Royal Pokémon, her arms locked around the necks of the two teenagers as she pulled them closer. "Ash and Dawn are really good friends, they don't mind it!" she exclaimed, pulling together the said teens closer than before while ignoring their uncomfortable pleas.
"Honestly, though..." Serena whispered under her breath, watching the green-haired woman leading them and dragging Ash and Dawn along, while she herself walked next to Gary. "Shouldn't we stop her?"
"Nah." Gary chuckled. "It's fine, really." He tried to assure the honey-haired girl but she didn't seem convinced. Gary sighed and placed his hands in the pocket of his pants. "Besides...it's fun this way. Just look at them huddling together—"
The brunette burst into laughter when Maren almost made Ash and Dawn crash into each other again and Serena, while feeling apprehensive, found herself giggling as well as she watched the raven-haired boy and the blunette struggling under Maren's unexpectedly strong grasp. Moreover, though, her eyes kept going back on their Pokémon walking behind the two; Pikachu and Piplup had been talking non-stop ever since their little commotion had settled down.
"So..." she began, looking up at the brunette. Gary looked back at her, and as she glanced back at the two Pokémon, he sighed longingly in understanding.
"I thought you would know by now," he said, his voice only high enough for Serena to listen. "They were good friends after all."
"Dawn and Ash?" Serena gasped in surprise, almost squeaking out before holding her voice down. She glanced forward from the corner of her eyes and found them in the very same predicament that had swollen them for the past five minutes. "I mean...I did think of the possibility but—"
"But—" Gary interjected. "You have missed on a lot of things. Sadly."
There was a sudden change in the atmosphere, the air of melancholy surrounding them. Serena found herself glancing at her feet, finding a sudden interest in her shoes as she tried to keep the thoughts out of her head. The usually optimistic boy seemingly disappeared in front of her, his voice sounding alien to her. She tried to look at him once again but her eyes spotted his fingers toying with what appeared to be a Pokéball. Indeed it was, she realised upon closer inspection, but it was damaged beyond repair. He was holding only half part of it.
But why?
The words never left her lips, though. She never dared. Instead, she looked back forward again and in time to see Pikachu glancing back at her. She read the curiosity quipping in his eyes, a pang of sadness oozing out of him. It took her another moment to realise that he had heard them, and she felt bad. In the end, all she could do was give him a reassuring smile, even though she knew that she herself would need more than that to cope with everything as she continued learning more and more about their past, the past she had missed, the past she wasn't part of.
"On the bright side though—" Gary broke the silence again, laughing a little as he sniffed. "—these two don't share those differences. And neither Ash or Dawn can dare separate them."
"I suppose..."
Serena smiled as she thought about it, realising that indeed, Piplup and Pikachu seemed too close to be broken apart by the differences between their trainers. It made her wonder, even though Ash appeared cold and shallow, there still existed some warmth in his heart, and the more she thought about, the more it made sense to her.
"You knew it all along," she said subconsciously. Gary blinked at her words, confused, as he glanced at her. "That's why you managed to get along with him even after everything—"
"What are you talking about?" Gary chuckled slightly, and it was only then that Serena realised she had been talking to herself mindlessly. Her cheeks flushed red as she shook her head, her ponytail swaying left and right.
"Th-That's nothing!" She waved her hands in front of her face, averting her gaze instantly and glancing forward.
Her face would have heated up more, her embarrassment reaching a new height as Gary continued to laugh at her, had she not noticed the gaze of the raven-haired boy affixed on her. Before she knew, the voice of the brunette faded from her mind and she found herself looking back at Ash.
There was a sense of reasoning in his eyes, the same warmth she had noticed earlier that morning, but even then she couldn't understand what his gaze meant. Before she could try, though, he looked away again, her own trance breaking when she heard the voice of the Royal Pokémon addressing them.
"This is your destination, I presume?" Slowking turned around, facing the group following him. Maren was the first one to acknowledge his words. She let the two teens go and affirmed with a nod as the rest followed her.
"We walked quite a distance, eh?" Gary murmured, standing next to the Royal Pokémon as he glanced at the excavation site in front of him.
South to the altar where Slowking resided, there was a massive cave surrounded by various equipment. For an island so distant from the civilisation, it was rather lively and now that they noticed, the group realised the island was larger than what they had imagined. At least the presence of a dragline and many power shovel working in distance hinted so.
But there was something more eye-catching in front of them. Beyond the excavation site, there was a massive lake. The water shimmering under the bright sun, surrounded by the lush green forest and mountains was reflecting the moving clouds as a beauty unmatched.
"Amazing..." Gary breathed out, placing his hands on his knees as he leaned forward, glancing at the workers before the lake. A smile swept over his features and he glanced down at his feet, a whisper barely audible escaping his lips. "...maybe this time?"
"It took you years to come this far, now is not the time to give up," a gentle voice interrupted him and his eyes widened. Gary breathed in sharply, his eyes jolting in the direction of the Slowking, who stood unfazed, his eyes staring forward.
"W-Wha—"
Even word refused to escape his throat as he stammered, unable to comprehend the situation. He might have, though, but he wouldn't accept it. After all, how could he?
The cheerful voice of Maren brought senses back to him and Gary looked up in the direction of the green haired woman who was explaining their schedule for the day. He barely remembered hearing that they would need to go back earlier in the evening and something concerning her acquaintances before his thoughts overlapped his mind. He did see her motioning everyone to follow her but his mind remained disdained, still trying to figure out the Pokémon standing beside him.
As if the Slowking had read Gary's mind yet again, he turned to the brunette with the ever-present gentle smile, but as Gary looked back him, Slowking's expression changed suddenly, a frown replacing the gentleness.
"Be wary, Gary Oak..." the Slowking spoke. "You must."
For a moment, Gary glanced at him wordlessly, without blinking. His lips crept into a silly smile soon though and he chuckled lightly, his hand scratching the back of his head slightly. "I mean, isn't it obvious?"
That should have ended it on a good notice, but the frown worn by the Royal Pokémon left the brunette feeling apprehensive and he didn't realise until too late that those words carried more weight what he could have imagined.
"What do you mean we are not authorized to be here?!"
By no mean, Ash was not loud. At this point, the raven-haired boy was furious and arguing with the man clad in a formal suit, the person in charge standing in front of him. Dawn appeared as angry, if not more than him while Serena had a look of confusion on her face.
"What happened?" Gary said, walking towards the group. He neared the honey-haired girl while she observed Maren trying to hold back Ash and Dawn. "Why is he yelling this time?"
"Something...to do with authorization," Serena mustered out and looked at the brunette. "They are not letting us in and—"
Before she could even finish, the brunette passed her, raising his hand behind him to quiet her down. Serena could only watch as Gary stepped in, holding the raven-haired boy and pulling him back before standing face-to-face with the man in the black suit.
"Good day, sir, I'm Gary Oak, second-year high school student at Kanto High," the brunette began, moving his hand forward for a shake while showing his ID that was hanging underneath his jacket. The man appeared perplexed, glancing at the brunette wearily but accepting the greeting nonetheless. "We've been assigned a group project from the school—to study the behaviour of Unown and we've speculated that there may be more to their relationship with humans throughout the history then what the books say. After talking to Spencer Hales and Professor Juniper about it, we were suggested to check out these sites spread around Orange Archipelago. Hopefully, that isn't a problem?"
The man sighed, his burrows narrowing in irritation as he stared at the brunette. "Like I told your friend over here—" The man glanced at the raven-haired boy, who scoffed in return. "—it is unauthorized to—"
"Ah, right. About that—" Gary interjected suddenly, raising up one finger as he continued. "We actually do have the authorization to check these sites. We have the approval of several regional professors and, even the champion of the region who's partly funding your, otherwise illegal mining..."
The man blinked, silently watching the young boy in front of him. If Gary knew any better, he had caught the man off-guard. "That's quite an accusation you're making, young man," the man replied with a hint of amusement in his voice. "Are you trying to threaten us?"
"Oh, of course not, sir." Gary immediately raised his hands up, his voice defensive. "I'm merely suggesting that after mining mindlessly and disturbing the lifestyle of the island, without the permission and secretly against the terms and conditions set up by people funding you, you shouldn't try to interfere with a bunch of students' projects."
"Hmm." The man crossed his arms over his chest, an amused smile on his face. "And why should I believe what you just said?"
"You don't have to." Gary chuckled. "But that Pokémon has no reason to lie when it is you who are trespassing on his territory."
Ears heating up, the man felt his gaze narrowing down at the boy, who stepped aside and pointed at a far distance north to them where stood the Royal Pokémon on an altar, gazing at the ocean with his never-ending gentle smile.
"That aside—" Gary interrupted. "Dad did tell me they want to dissolve the contract with you and if I remember correctly, you should barely have a little over a week left to stop everything and leave..."
The man clenched his fist while maintaining a stern expression. Only now did he realize that the boy standing in front of him was the son of the champion. Gary Oak—of course, why didn't I realize before?
"Back to the point, though," Gary said with a small chuckle. "We are authorised to visit these sites. If you still insist otherwise, we can always call Officer Jenny to sort things out, or even talk to your lead archaeologist. He is an acquaintance of dad and we have sorted things out with him already...so, what do you say? I mean, these IDs won't lie, and certainly not the papers. I can show them to you if you want them." Gary paused temporarily and turned to Dawn. "You have them, right?" Dawn, though bewildered, managed a nod back and started taking her bag off.
Ash watched silently, observing the changes in the man's features. All his confidence was shattered and uncertainty was all that remained in him. He looked back at the brunette and as Ash noticed Gary's trademark smirk stretching across his face, it was the moment he knew the man had lost.
"Fine then," the man muttered. "Try not to be a nuisance," he added right before he turned to leave.
"I didn't get your name, by the way," Gary called after the man.
The man stopped briefly and turned to face him, glancing at him one final time before smirking. "Thomas Anderson. But you won't be hearing it again, hopefully."
Silence lingered in the air and even if just for a brief moment, Gary's expression staggered. His confidence seemingly faded and a look of confusion crept over.
Gary shook off his temporary shock and continued, "Oh?" He placed his hands on his waist. "Very well, then. We appreciate your cooperation...Mr Anderson."
The man growled under his breath as he finally left, yelling at this men to allow the group to pass through. Ash continued to glance at the man and realised, the mockery must have been too much to handle.
"That...was something, lad," Maren said, glancing at the brunette. Hearing her, Ash turned back to face Gary only to see a blank expression creeping over him. No longer the confidence remained on his features and even his lips quivered as he placed his hands on his knees, breathing heavily.
"You okay?" Ash inquired, barely holding onto the temptation to reach out to him. Gary raised his hand up to assure him, but as Ash noticed the dreaded expression on his face, he finally realized what the matter was—Gary was lost, and even somewhat scared, just as much he had been when the two were chased around by a group of thugs a long time ago...
"Ash just...just stay away from them." Gary's whispering voice was more startling than his words. "And you too Serena, and Dawn. And Maren, please arrange a new boat for us as soon as possible."
"Sure but...why?" The green-haired woman crossed her arms, her eyes raising in confusion. "Don't you wanna hang around for sightseeing?"
"It's...it's not that." Gary sighed, his chest heaving in and out and face heating up. "It's...just, I don't think... I mean." He paused briefly, lost for words, then sighed again. He murmured something about hearing the same thing once before, before he continued, "It'll be wise to not trust that man, Anderson."
"What's the deal?" Dawn mused.
Gary looked around himself, observing his surrounding. The workers were still at some distance, far beyond their hearing range. He wondered something, something to do with their contract, then turned back to the group.
"Daisy had been here before when dad asked her to deal with the situation in his regard. I've only heard about it before but Spencer Hales was the one to initiate this project, and my dad has a share in the firm supporting this project—you can see why's that."
"Champions are one of the most powerful people in any region, both literally and figuratively," Maren explained.
"Exactly."
"So Spencer wanted solid support..." Ash continued.
"Yeah, but even you know he ended up leaving after his wife got sick...he never returned after that." Gary paused, breathing sharply before he continued. "Not only that but the man in charge of everything here is supposed to be an old acquaintance of dad...that's exactly why we got such an easy clearance in the first place."
"That man?" Dawn mused.
"Funny you asked," Gary chuckled dryly. "I have been trying to contact that man since yesterday but...I just can't get to him. Last I heard he went on to check the site himself for some reason—maybe they discovered something. I don't know the details. What I know is that... he never really called back even though he should be expecting us. Maybe he hasn't come back yet?"
"But wait...I don't get it. What does that have to do with us?" Ash interjected.
"I don't know, Ash... It's just all a big mess." Gary murmured. "We are lucky that we got off the hook easily. I was literally bluffing half of the things I said back there. It could have gone south real quick and I—"
"Wait, but...what do you mean—"
"I said I don't know, dammit!" Gary exploded suddenly, catching Ash off-guard. It was only a moment later did he realise what was happening and he sighed out loud, placing his hands on his waist. He walked away from the group, a little ahead of them. "I-In any case, let's just find him first. We'll need his assistance."
"So, how does your dad manage everything?"
"What?" There was a hint of surprise in his voice when Serena questioned him as if he was suddenly pulled back into reality and had no clue on what was going on whatsoever. He took a moment to recall her words before he finally responded. "You mean being a champion and overseeing his business?"
"Yes." Serena nodded. "That's a lot of responsibility. Not to forget very exhausting. I don't think I know someone who could do—" Serena paused when a sudden realisation dawned upon her. "Come to think of it, the champion of Kalos is also a really popular actress."
"Diantha?" Gary asked. "Oh yeah, I have heard about her."
"Have you ever met her? What is she like off-screen?" Dawn inquired, her curiosity bubbling like that of a child.
"I did once actually. She's a very down to earth person..." Serena answered. A small silence befell them and it took her another moment to realise why.
"You actually met her?!" Dawn practically yelled at her, even Gary had a look of utter disbelief on his face. Serena couldn't help but shake her head as if denying her earlier claim.
"It wasn't anything special—I really just happened to run into her that day," Serena explained, then looked away, ahead of them. Maren was supposed to be leading them and yet Ash somehow managed to get ahead of her. It almost felt like the excitement of a kid.
"So what happened?" Dawn's voice brought her back to the earth. She took a moment to recall where she had left off, before continuing.
"So, there's this bakery in Lumiose City and they bake really delicious cakes there!" Her voice emitted her excitement as she began explaining. She even ignored when Gary laughed, or perhaps she didn't even notice it. "I was supposed to meet my friends there one day but somehow they all cancelled the plans because...reasons." Her mood took a sour turn suddenly and Dawn and Gary could only assume she was still upset about it. "The bakery is so popular that they often run short on supplies. I was lucky enough to get one that day but I didn't really have anyone to share it with.
"It was then I met her. Diantha was in the city and decided to visit the bakery in a disguise but they had already sold out. Because I was all alone that day, I decided to share it with her—"
"Wait...you decided to share your cake with a complete stranger?" Dawn quipped in, surprised. Serena nodded with a nervous chuckle. "Then what happened?"
"I didn't immediately realise who she was. Because we were both into fashion, we ended up getting along really well—" Serena was briefly interrupted by Gary when he murmured something about Kalos and their weird obsession with fashion, only for Dawn to glare at him in return. He turned away quickly and Serena continued. "Sometime later, her manager came looking for her and that's when I realised who she was. That was really the only time I ever met her."
"Wow..." Dawn breathed in. "I still can't believe you actually met Diantha."
"I told you it was just an accident."
"Humble much?"
"Not really..." Serena giggled to herself before she caught a glimpse of Gary, concentrating so hard he appeared lost in his own words. "So about your dad...?"
Gary did not immediately respond back. It wasn't until Dawn shook her that he even noticed her. "Oh right, my dad..." He sighed, ruffling his hair as he thought about it.
"It is exhausting, I know," he started, "but he has experienced it twice now so he knows how to deal with it. I don't think I ever told you about it before, did I?" When Serena shook her head, he continued. "He first became the champion when he was just our age." That was news to Serena and she gasped in surprise, earning a chuckle from the brunette. "But he was shortly beaten by some guy I don't really know about. For quite some time he was goalless. He even became the gym leader of Viridian City at one point, but it didn't really suit him, so he left.
"I really don't know the details or really how much truth there is to it but...I heard that he managed to get himself together only after he met mom. I mean, the guy who defeated him in the first place was...was a rival of sorts. Maybe a friend, I think? Even he had disappeared mysteriously, so maybe dad really needed that support. Sometime after Daisy was born, he went on a short trip. I don't know what really happened but after he returned, he had changed quite a bit. Also, he was once again the champion of the region, so there's that.
"With my mom and gramps by his side, he started his own business. And at that point, he had grown considerably as a trainer and to the point, no one has ever beaten him since then. I mean, think about it. If someone like Ash is scared of my dad then that speaks a lot about him."
It was at that point that Ash's face popped out of the ground and Gary almost freaked out, before realising that the raven-haired boy was on a lower level. "What in the world are you doing? You almost gave me a heart attack!"
"Didn't you just call me?"
"I wha—"
"Careful over here!" Maren's voice came from next to him. "It's slippery here. Don't hurt yourself!"
"You don't need to tell me that," Gary said as he rushed forward, then jumped down from the ledge. He was confident that he need not heed Maren's advice, so when he landed on the surface below and almost tripped himself on pointy rocks, humiliation was all he could feel. His face flushed when he heard Ash laughing behind him. "Seriously, that's not funny."
"You said it, not me," Ash replied, still chuckling as he watched the brunette walking ahead of them. Further ahead of them, the cave was illuminated with lights. Ash expected Gary to find a typical excavation site, so when he yelled his surprise out, he himself got curious.
"Holy Miltank! What in the world is that?" Gary proceeded to jump down off the next ledge before continuing down in the cave further.
"Now don't get too far ahead!" Maren called behind him before she turned to Ash. "Help me out, Ash." Ash glanced up and saw Dawn up the ledge. She appeared prepared to jump off but Maren held her off. "'kay, hold on now, lass. You can seriously hurt yourself here."
Ash heard Dawn grumbling something under her breath and laughed quietly to himself, earning a curious glance from Maren and a glare from the Dawn. He moved his hand up and held one of Dawn's hands as she jumped down. Even then she could barely maintain her footing as she landed and cursed under her breath, waltzing past Ash and Maren in annoyance.
Ash and Maren turned to Serena next and prepared to let her down when suddenly a painfully loud and a familiar voice buzzed in the cave. "Son of—! Mother—!"
"The hell did he do?" Maren grumbled under her breath before she rushed towards where Gary had gone. "You stay there! Help Serena get down!" she yelled after him.
Ash could only watch as Maren and then Dawn disappeared from his sight. "Come on, now," he mumbled to himself and turned back to look at Serena who appeared ready to jump. "H-Hey, hold on!" Ash said, raising his hands up to stop her. "Do you have a death wish or something? Didn't you hear her just now?" He didn't immediately realise it but, although he was loud, perhaps somewhat mad, there no malice in his voice. He was concerned, something that didn't go unnoticed by either of them.
Ash averted his gaze, letting the momentary silence distract him and as his eyes wandered in the cave, he came to a sudden realisation. "Where's Pikachu?" He could swear the electric Pokemon had been with him just a moment ago. "Pi—"
"So, are you going to help me?" He barely squeaked out his voice before Serena interrupted him. He glanced up at her, feeling too distracted to even consider her words. He nonetheless moved his hand towards her that she held as he carefully landed on the surface below. "Thanks." Serena smiled and looked at Ash, only to see him desperately looking around in the cave. "What's wrong?"
"I-I can't..." Ash stammered and ttook a shaky breath before continuing. "Where is Pikachu?"
Serena took a moment to notice his absence. She glanced around the cave as well, walking to an end opposite to where Ash was. "Maybe he just went ahead with Piplup?" Serena proposed.
"Maybe..." Ash wondered, his voice hopeful. "That idiot. Why would he run away without me?"
"We should go as well or we will be left behind," Serena said, trying to lead the two. Ash was reluctant to move, still somewhat shaken. When Serena realised that he wasn't following her, she turned around to call him out, but the raven-haired boy had his gaze affix on something else entirely, his eyes narrowed as if he was trying to observe something carefully.
"What's wrong?" Serena called out.
"No...it's nothing," Ash replied, without looking back at her. "I just...thought I saw something moving there." He turned back to Serena and jogged after her before the two walked deeper in the cave. It didn't even take them another minute before they could her Gary speaking—the group hadn't gone far ahead of them after all.
"I'm fine, really!" Gary persisted. "I told you it was an accident. I wasn't paying attention. I mean—" He paused briefly, looking around at the walls. "—look at all these markings on the wall..." He trailed off, incited. He almost lost himself again, but Dawn cleared her throat, earning his attention. "Yeah, right, sorry."
"Thank you," Dawn said before she looked at walls herself. There were several carvings. To her displeasure, though, most of them appeared degraded and it frustrated that she could not understand anything. "At least this one is still good," she said softly, running her hand over a carving bigger than the rest.
"That...is not one of them, Dawn," Gary interrupted her. Dawn glanced back at him, confused. When Gary pointed back at the wall, she looked back at it, taking small steps back and to her surprise, she saw a letter.
"Is that an Unown?" Maren asked. "I have never seen one before."
"I doubt that it really is," Gary said. "I mean I have only seen photos as well. It's not like you can find a mythical Pokemon at your grocery store."
"Gary—" Dawn hissed at him, but the brunette waved her off.
"But still, to think we would find an actual carving..." he whispered to himself, yet loud enough for others to hear him. "If this hardly fazed all Spencer, I can only imagine what else he found further down the cave."
"I'm more surprised at that this fact even exists," Maren said.
"What do you mean?" Gary inquired.
"I have been everywhere on this archipelago, lad, but none of these islands has an underground cave like this." Maren paused for a moment, then continued again. "In fact, unless I'm mistaken, you are surrounded by the seawater as we speak."
"I had a guess," Gary said with a small smile. "Even then—"
"Hey, Gary—" Dawn called out, interrupting the brunette, her voice full of uncertainty. "—you said it was one, single route through here, right?"
"Yeah," Gary replied. "Why?"
There was a brief but startling silence that followed his words and even Gary felt uneasy, but it wasn't until he turned around to check on Dawn that he realised why, when Dawn finally voiced her thoughts, "So, where do you think Ash and Serena are? Even Pikachu is gone..."