"There's been an incident in Diglett's Tunnel. Someone released an Alolan variant dugtrio. We need your help containing the situation."
It was with a sigh that CJ placed his phone back into his pocket and stood from the table. "Moms, I've gotta go. Work's calling."
They knew what it meant. Both women gave him looks of equally mixed trepidation, uncertainty and pride.
"You've only just got here," his mother told him. "AJ hasn't even had time to train his pokémon with his big brother yet."
"And your pokémon are in the Centre," his other mother added. "Do you have any others?" She started to stand from the table. "We could-"
"Kasaan," CJ said. He held his hands out and moved to press her gently down by the shoulders. "Stop worrying," he said with a smile. "I'll be fine. It's just a routine check - someone released an Alolan dugtrio into the tunnels. I've just got to go in to make sure it doesn't take out any young trainers. I'm a Ranger. I'm sorry, but duty calls." He moved to hug them both, squeezing them both and pulling them towards him, with his head sandwiched in between theirs. "I won't be long. Two days, max. I've got my newbie with me, but she's strong enough to protect me. I'll be back and giving you both an excuse to drink wine by the bottle before you know it."
-O-O-O-
Ash was certain he could taste blood when he coughed. He collapsed on the ground, beyond the ability to care that he was laying face down in the middle of the pavement, completely in the way of people. Pikachu cooed as he crawled onto Ash's back and collapsed atop his legs, equally exhausted.
In contrast, Sun, completely full of energy, began to run laps around them whilst walking on his hands.
"I think I preferred it when I was training you," Ash grumbled. He tried to push himself back to his feet and groaned as his arms shook under his own weight. Pikachu grumbled from Ash's legs and rolled off him, only to lay on his back on the ground and stare up at the sky.
The street was slowly starting to fill with people on their way to work. People gave them a wide berth as they walked past them. Some even went as far as crossing the road to avoid them completely.
Sun hooted and flipped forwards, landing on his feet. Ash had asked him to help with light exercise, and he felt like he had worked himself to the bone in just an hour. The sun was only just rising over Pewter's horizon, bringing with it a slow heat that was steadily ridding the world of the crisp, cool morning breeze. Ash was certain that if he had tried to run whilst the sun was beating down on them, he probably would have passed out somewhere near Viridian Forest and would have been eaten by a hungry scavenger.
Sun gestured impatiently for Ash to get back to his feet. The mankey, only as tall as Ash's waist somehow seemed taller. Ash wanted to argue, to plead for forgiveness and to crawl back into his bed. Yet, he had started teaching the pokémon how to read and was impressed at how much progress his pokémon had made. Perhaps even soon he could teach him to speak - the memory of Team Rocket's meowth, back in Viridian City's pokémon centre remained in his mind.
"Alright Sun, we'll carry on back to the pokémon centre, but after that, I need a break." Ash forced himself to stand, waking a disgruntled Pikachu. "If I'm running all the way around town, you are too," Ash told him, sticking out his tongue when his pokémon complained. "Okay Sun, lead on."
It took all of two steps for Ash's fatigue to make itself known once more. The pokémon centre was only three streets away, yet it felt like a lifetime to endure. His mankey, still full of energy - or deciding to truly rub in his ability - cartwheeled forwards in front of them. Ash was barely able to acknowledge his surprise at the pokémon's ability. He could only think about getting back to the pokémon centre and collapsing in the shower. The sweat was racing down from his head, soaking his face and dripping from his chin. His back had saturated his top and he was certain his legs were about to fall off.
After what felt like a miserable eternity, the pokémon centre appeared in their view. Ash felt like crying tears of joy. He threw himself into a final sprint, collapsing into the doors and finding a comfortable home on the pokémon centre's floor. Pikachu groaned as he collapsed atop him, breathing just as loudly. Ash looked up briefly, unable to even feel embarrassed at the looks people were giving him.
With a grunt, Sun picked them both up and began to carry them both back to their room. Ash knew that he should have been mortified at his pokémon carrying him up the stairs, but he was simply too exhausted to care. His arms were shaking when he pressed his keycard against the door and unlocked it.
Misty's bed was still empty. Ash had noticed that she had begun to venture out earlier, training. He had asked her once to join her, though she had refused, telling him that she was pushing herself and her team harder than him or his team would be able to handle. At the time, Ash had been annoyed, offended that she could say such a thing.
In the face of his exhaustion, he had to begrudgingly admit that maybe she was right. Ash let the door to their room slam shut behind him and considered just collapsing against it and going to sleep. Sun, apparently content with nearly killing him, jumped onto the bottom bunk of Ash's bed and found the children's picture book he was previously reading. Pikachu, apparently unable to muster the energy to jump back onto the bed, fell asleep on the floor beside the door.
"I wish I could do the same," Ash muttered. Resigning himself to his fate of being awake, he instead trudged towards the bathroom and had a quick shower.
By the time he had finished and dressed, he found Misty back in the room, humming as she packed her belongings. Pikachu had moved from the ground to her bed, though he was asleep once more, whilst Sun was still sitting on Ash's bed, reading.
"Hey Ash," she said. Her face was split by a wide smile that he was certain was because of his own suffering.
Her hair was wet and when he brushed past her, she smelt like the sea. It was strange, considering how far away the nearest sea was, but Ash knew better than to ask questions. Instead he grinned back at her and began rescuing his dirty clothes from underneath the bed.
"We're gonna meet Brock in the lobby in about ten minutes," Misty told him. She slung her rucksack over her shoulders and sat back down on her bed, somehow not dislodging Pikachu from his sleep. She ran her hands over his head, rubbing circles behind his ears. "Wow. He's totally knocked out. How much did you do this morning?"
"Sun took us for a morning jog," Ash muttered as he crawled back out from underneath the bed. He looked at the bounty of socks in his hand and paled, throwing one away in revulsion. That lime-green monstrosity was not his. "It was less of a jog and more of a method of torture."
Sun looked up from his book, grunted and looked back down, as if commenting on their physical abilities.
"And how are you alive then?"
Ash shrugged as he stuffed the last of his clothes into his backpack. "Dunno. Got back, felt just like Pikachu. Had a shower and I guess that made me more alive again." He did a final sweep of the room and confident he had packed everything, recalled Sun, put on his backpack and cradled a sleeping Pikachu in his arms. "What's Brock like anyway?"
"He's a good person," Misty said. She shut the door behind them and tucked their card keys into the pocket of her dark purple jeans. "I know people say that all the time, but with him it's really true." She tied her hair into a ponytail with one of the endless supply of hair ties she seemed to have around her wrist at all times. "We'll be travelling together, so I'll let him decide how much of his personal circumstances he wants to tell you, but basically he has seven - maybe eight, I'm honestly not sure - younger siblings, and he looks after all of them, runs the gym and generally tries to make sure Pewter functions as a city."
"Wow," Ash whispered. He ran the scenario through his mind, with him attempting even half of that and he found himself hitting an instant mental blockade. "That's…"
"Crazy, I know," Misty finished for him. She grinned as she opened the door to the pokémon centre's lobby and dropped their card keys in the return box on the reception desk. "Speaking of." She pointed Ash to a crowd of people, all no older than the two of them. Stood in the middle was someone waving their arms, trying to placate the crowd. Judging by the shouts, people were not happy to see him leave.
"I'm leaving, but my uncle, Bruno of the Elites is taking over my position!" Brock was saying as they approached. "I understand that this is coming as a shock to many of you, but I've put Pewter and my family before my own needs and wants for longer than I can remember. Honestly, I just want a break, to find myself and who I want to be. My uncle might not be me, but he's the one who taught me how to be a gym leader. I'm confident that Pewter will prosper under his guidance."
Ash watched as Misty navigated the crowd with an almost practiced ease. She slunk around the young trainers, weaving her way through them until she was at Brock's side. With a flourish, she spun to face the trainers, hooking her arm through Brock's in the same movement.
"Just think," she said, smiling wide enough to flash her teeth, "if you beat Bruno for your badges, you'll be able to tell people you beat a member of the Elites."
She drew Brock away from the crowd, almost skipping her way back to Ash. He watched it with an open mouth, dimly aware of Pikachu's weight in his arms. That was… not what he had expected. With Misty he would have imagined violence or aggression, rather than what could almost be called diplomacy.
"You owe me, Brocko, old pal," Misty said, laughing as she let go of his arm. "You and that speech of yours. How many times had you practiced that one?"
"It's the same one I gave the press about an hour ago," Brock admitted. The tips of his ears were almost burning red as he chuckled sheepishly. "Thanks. And Ash, right?" He grinned at him. "Good to see you again. Misty told me you'd surprise me in our gym battle. I'm glad to say that she was right."
"She did?" Ash looked at her, trying to remember just when she had spoken to Brock. In fact, as hard as he tried, he found himself unable to recall anything other than Misty's frequent training trips. She could have snuck out during the night, when he was sleeping. "Well, now we're travelling together, maybe we can battle again? I'm sure it'll be more fun than last time!"
"Of course. Right well, before we go, anyone want a drink?"
"Ooh," Misty grunted, perking up instantly. "I could do with a coffee right about now."
"Misty, you're twelve." Brock's face fell into a perfect picture of a disappointed parent. Ash had to do his best not to burst out laughing. "You shouldn't be drinking that yet."
"Says you," she threw back, flicking his arm. "Mister five-energy-drinks-a-day."
"Alright," he conceded. "That's a fair point. I won't mother you."
"You can try, but I can't promise that you'll remain sane."
Ash blinked, feeling like he was on the outside looking in. A part of him wondered if this was going to be his life from now on - watching them laugh and joke, having a rapport on a level that he would never achieve. Another part of him tried to quell the stupid thoughts, reminding him how far he and Misty had come.
"So where are we going from here?" Ash asked. "I dunno about you, Brock, but Misty and I were planning on heading to the gyms. I know Cerulean isn't exactly a good idea-" The way Misty's face fell at the mention of her city only reinforced his statement, "- so I think there's one in Saffron that we could go to instead."
The colour seemed to drain out of both Misty and Brock instantly. Their mouths opened, but instead of words, garbled noises came out, like a butchered attempt of language.
"That's not a good idea," Brock said finally, his words rushed. "I recently authorised some work for the League in Mount Moon too, so I don't think going that way is a good idea either. So I think the best bet is to head south of Pewter and take the shortcut to Vermillion. There's a gym there."
"Diglett's Tunnel?" Misty asked, her eyebrows raised almost to her hairline. "It's reopened?"
"About three months ago," Brock said. Though he had a smile on his face, there was an undercurrent to his tone that made Ash slightly uncomfortable.
"Fine by me," Ash said. Brock was a gym leader, after all. Ash was confident that between the three of them they would be able to handle whatever it was that was making Brock so uncertain. Pikachu, still asleep in his arms, gave a snort to it, as if agreeing in his sleep. "Though what is it you wanna do, Brock?"
"Honestly?" He grinned. "I have no plans. And that's the first time in about five years I can say it. I'm just living for the moment."
-O-O-O-
Diglett's Tunnel, despite the name, was more of an underground network that was mainly used by trainers to connect the outskirts of Pewter to the outskirts of Vermillion. Once it was discovered just how far the tunnels truly stretched out, the Kantonese government had made certain to occupy the tunnel and use it as an alternative means of transport. It helped to connect the west of Kanto with the east, providing them with a means to avoid Mount Moon or the long, perilous journey by sea via the Seafoam Islands.
Despite the industrial lanterns that hung from the cave roof, and the well-worn, cemented path that led through the tunnel, Misty was nervous. The rocky ground around them, a deep shade of reddish brown, dropped in uneven stages towards a tunnel floor so far beneath the path that the industrial lights failed to touch. The concrete itself bore fractures where local pokémon had dug up beneath it, and the walls of the cave seemed to give way into new tunnels that promised certain doom if they were followed.
That still seemed like not enough to dissuade Ash from exploring. He would routinely run ahead, his now-awake Pikachu by his side, both of them leaning over the concrete walls on their path, eager to see what pokémon were below. Every so often he would exclaim that he had seen a new pokémon, his pokédex constantly in his hand, scanning the new creatures. Without him, Misty would have remained oblivious to the fact that pokémon other than diglett and dugtrio nested in the tunnels.
Not counting the zubat, because they were everywhere. If you ventured into the top of a house you could find them nestled in the dark, making a home in the forgotten corners.
Quill walked on all fours by her side, hissing at any wild pokémon that got too close. Whenever Ash and Pikachu returned to walk with them, the totodile would circle up next to them and display his teeth in a wide grin until he got some attention. Ren, meanwhile, scuttled behind her, moving so delicately he barely made a sound. Where Misty found the darkness to be disturbing, her crawdaunt embraced it.
"So what pokémon did you end up bringing with you?" she asked Brock. He looked down at her, smiling knowingly. She rolled her eyes at him and remained quiet, content to play his game. He wanted to annoy her, to make her guess. She was curious, mostly so that she could plot how she could train with him and improve her pokémon's abilities.
"I think people will be sad to learn I haven't brought an onix," Brock finally answered, chuckling. "They're the gym's pokémon, more than mine. Bruno needs something to be able to battle challengers - and ones not as strong as his own." He remained watchful to their path ahead, constantly vigilant on Ash's progress further in the tunnel. "I've brought my pokémon."
"Good," Misty said, running the possibilities through her mind. "So long as we can distract him from going to Saffron anytime soon."
"I know." A shudder seemed to pass through Brock's voice. "I have my lunatone, but they're not as good as a dark pokémon. It's worrying to think we need these to shield ourselves from her."
"Not just her," Misty said, her mind going back to Will. She forced herself to tear her thoughts away from him. When she did, she began to doubt everything. What if every decision she made played into his hands? What if training to get strong enough to beat him was exactly what he wanted? "I met Will," she shared, her tone clipped. "I don't trust him, Brock." Understatement of the century, she thought, bitterly. "But he was able to beat Ren without any effort. He's strong enough to override a dark pokémon's innate immunity."
If Brock was alarmed by that, he did a remarkable job of hiding it. For a long moment, the only sounds that kept her company were their footfalls echoing in the tunnel and Ash's distant whispers to Pikachu. "Grandpa Hala mentioned that they have a poisonous pokémon over there that can even poison other toxic pokémon."
"What?" Misty uttered, her voice practically a growl. The tone of it made both Quill and Ren look at her questioningly. "How?" she asked, signalling to her pokémon that everything was fine.
"No clue," Brock admitted. "I'd like to know more, about pokémon in general. Study them, maybe breed them, see if there's something that happens that we've overlooked. People only moved to Alola from Kanto a few hundred years ago, and already they have their divergent pokémon. Electrical geodude, dark rattata and from what my family have said, they even have cold-weather vulpix and sandshrew."
Misty's mind went to the image of a ninetales with silver fur, in charge of howling snow storms. It was a brilliant, beautiful picture that made her yearn for one.
"Anyway, when we stop to make camp, I'll go through your pokémon with you and help you with training strategies. I'll do the same with Ash. And you guys can help me. I'm so used to training rock pokémon that honestly, I could do with a refresher elsewhere."
"Sounds good to me," Misty said. "How about when we're out of these underground tunnels we have a battle? A real one, no holds-barred. Let Ash see what we can really do, and see how far we can push ourselves."
"You'd have me at a disadvantage," Brock said, "but I'd like that. It sounds fun."
Misty grinned at him, pleased. She began to play out scenarios in her mind, wondering what she could do with each of her pokémon. Quill and Willow still needed to be faster on land, Ren needed to be faster in general, Acacia and Jasmine needed to be stronger and her venipede needed something other than speed and physical attacks.
Huh.
She surprised herself with the realisation that he was her venipede. She had thought of him at first as a way to prove Ash wrong. Now however, she could see a way that he could play into her team. The bug was timid still, apparently not letting much of its personality show, even with her other pokémon. Maybe she needed to treat him better, give him a name, perhaps. She knew that the bug could very well be naturally timid, but her own treatment of the pokémon needed to change.
She saw Ash jogging back to them, a wide smile on his face. Realisation dawned on Misty and she closed her eyes, sighing.
This was your plan all along, wasn't it? Bait me into getting a bug so I'd get over my fear of them.
It was a brilliant, manipulative plan that somehow had no malice. Honestly, Misty would be surprised if Ash could do anything with malicious intent.
"Before he gets back," Brock said quickly, catching Misty's arm. "I wanted to talk to you. It's an awkward topic, so I'll just come out and say it. Yomoko has started puberty already, and she's about your age. I'm not going to ask if you've started, or anything like that. I'll just tell you that I'm used to buying supplies for that sorta thing, so if you ever need any, I keep some in my backpack, in the zipper compartment at the bottom. You don't need to ask, just help yourself if you ever need any.
"And if you need it, think of a code phrase and I'll keep Ash busy for an hour or so. I know he's probably not going to realise what's happening and make matters worse."
"Um," Misty whispered, stunned. She honestly was uncertain whether to dig a hole and bury herself in embarrassment, or to cry, hug him and tell him he was the most wonderful person in the history of forever.
Instead she settled for snorting and punching him on the arm. "You forgot the stash of chocolate."
"Of course," he said, laughing as he rubbed his arm. "How could I forget that?"
"Thank you, though." Misty had to look away, to hide the fact that her face was bright red and her eyes were brimming with tears. It was so stupid, such a meaningless thing in the grand scheme of everything, yet it made her feel humbled. He had really thought of everything, just to make her life easier.
"Now stop being so amazing," she told him, turning so that he could see her smile. "Because otherwise you're going to set too high a standard and I'll never be able to date anyone without comparing them to you."
"Dunno what you're talking about," Brock said. "As far as I'm concerned we never had this conversation. But if the supply in my bag ever goes down, I'll be sure to stock it back up at the next opportunity."
"Just remember the chocolate," Misty said.
-O-O-O-
When they finally stopped for a rest, Ash was fairly certain that if he blew his nose nothing but reddish-brown dust would come out. Pikachu sneezed, as if sharing the sentiment. Ash grinned as he sat crossed legged on the stone floor and gazed up at the industrial lights above them, trying to figure out where in the real world they were under.
"I'm starving," Misty groaned as she too sat on the ground. Pikachu cooed as he grazed against her knee, embracing the way she rubbed behind his ears in the spot Ash knew he liked. Misty's totodile scampered behind her, hissing jealously at Pikachu and nudging Misty's other knee with his snout. With a laugh, she began to scratch his chin too. Her crawdaunt instead remained behind her, almost blurring into the shadows.
"I'll make us some food," Brock said as he began to remove what appeared to be an entire kitchen from his bag. Ash watched him with an open mouth, waiting for the moment that the kitchen sink appeared. "It'll probably take about twenty minutes."
"Anything would honestly be amazing right now, Brock," Misty said. She laid down on the ground and grunted as her totodile crawled onto her stomach before Pikachu could claim her. Ash chuckled as his pokémon begrudgingly made his way back to him and sat down beside him. "I can't remember the last time I ate."
"This morning, maybe?" Ash pointed out, poking out his tongue in response to her rude one-handed gesture. "I guess if we're not doing anything for a bit, I can train with my pokémon." He grabbed Sun's poké ball and released the mankey in a flash of light. "Hey buddy," Ash said as his mankey glanced at the new surroundings suspiciously. "We've got a bit of time to spare, so I thought we could work on your training a bit. I know you didn't get to battle Brock before, so maybe if we work hard enough, now we're travelling with him you can have your own special match."
Sun looked between him and Brock, scratching his chin as if in thought. Finally, with a hoot, he leaped for Ash's bag and began to try and rummage through it.
"Hey!" Ash cried, snatching his bag back. "We're not here to read!"
Sun's protests were loud and shrill. Ash winced at his pokémon's tone and glaring, produced the mankey's poké ball.
"I said we're not here to read," he repeated, brandishing the ball. "I'll return you if you keep this up. I don't care how good you think your book is, you need to be able to keep up with everyone else!"
Sun's face darkened. His eyes seemed to turn bloodshot as he blinked rapidly, hopping from foot to foot. Ash dimly heard Misty mutter something behind him and Brock mention something about being careful.
Instead Ash took a step towards his pokémon, though he lowered the poké ball to his side. "I know you like reading, Sun, but I just wanna make sure you're as strong as you can possibly be. Don't you want to win battles?"
In response his pokémon hollered and leaped at him. Ash cried out and fell backwards. Pikachu jumped towards him, cheeks sparking. Misty gasped and shouted his name. Brock dropped pans as he rushed to help.
Sun moved in the time it took Ash to blink. One second he was in front of him, the next he had raced off and Ash's hand was surprisingly empty. His brain took only a moment to process what had happened, but it felt like an eternity.
He spun around, feeling like the world was moving in slow motion. Sun pulled his arm back, his own poké ball held in his grip. In one quick movement, he threw the poké ball into the depths of Diglett's Tunnel.
Not a second later, a deafening crack thundered through the caves as Pikachu's lightning bolt connected.
"Pikachu, stop!" Ash screamed, racing for Sun. Pikachu obeyed instantly. Spots danced in Ash's vision. His mankey dropped to the floor, twitching, almost smoking. Ash fell to his knees beside him and cradled him in his lap. Memories of his metapod, before he evolved came flooding back. He knew Sun was still breathing. He could hear his pokémon's laboured breathing. Even after taking the attack, Sun still seemed angry.
Pikachu moved to Ash's side, his ears drooping.
"It's not your fault, buddy," Ash whispered, placing a hand atop Pikachu's head. He looked up and saw that Misty had jumped to her feet, her pokémon flanking her. Brock had rushed to Ash's side, brandishing a cooking pot like a weapon. At Ash's curious glance, they seemed to become embarrassed and retreated several steps each.
"Is he alright?" Misty asked.
"I can look at him if you'd like," Brock added.
"He's fine," Ash said. He helped Sun back to his feet, though there was no smile on his face. His mankey's eyes were firmly on the ground. As much as Ash wanted to shout at the pokémon, he knew that it would get him nowhere. Instead, as softly as he possibly could, he asked, "What did you do that for?"
Ash was reminded distinctly of a toddler he had seen before, back in Pewter, crying in a shop when his mother had asked him why he threw a tantrum. Sun's behaviour was almost identical. With a series of gestures, his pokémon pointed at Ash's bag, then to Ash, and then finally to the cavern below where he had thrown his ball.
"I know you like reading," Ash said, reaching out to rub his pokémon's fur. He kept his other hand atop Pikachu, rubbing circles behind his pokémon's ears. "But that doesn't mean you get to only do that. Once I finish teaching you to read, I want to teach you to write too. I'm your trainer, Sun. That means I have to make sure you're the best possible version of yourself you can be. But I can't do that if you won't let me help."
Sun made a small, croaking, apologetic noise. Ash grinned and held out his hand.
"That's the spirit." He grabbed his pokémon's hand and pressed it flat against his. "We call this a high five. We do this when someone's had a good idea, or something good has happened." Smiling, he let go of Sun's hand and sat down before him. "Now, what do you suggest we do about this missing ball of yours?"
"You can reprogram any empty poké ball, using your pokédex," Brock said. Ash glanced at him, surprised to see that he had moved back to his makeshift campfire. Using a series of electrical gadgets Ash honestly had never seen before, Brock had water boiling and had begun dicing onions. "Poké balls break every so often. It'd be stupid for your pokédex not to be able to do that. What if you had a snorlax or a gyarados and its ball broke?"
"I could," Ash agreed, "but I'm not going to." He turned back to look at Sun and pushed himself to his feet. "Instead we're going to try and look for his ball."
"Ash, you can't be serious!" Misty practically cleared the space between them in one step. "You've been scanning the pokémon here in your pokédex, you know that a lot of them are stronger than you are. Especially down there!"
"I'm with Misty on this one," Brock added. "Even I'd be hesitant to try and find it down there."
"So what, Sun gets to act out and doesn't face any consequences?" Ash asked. "How's that training him?"
"He's apologised," Misty said. "That's more than most people would ever get from a mankey."
"It's still not good enough," Ash said. He grabbed a length of rope from his backpack and began to wind it around his elbow and hand. "Guys, I know I've had it easy with Sun so far. I know that mankey can be really aggressive and difficult to train. That's why I'm doing this." Having determined he had as much rope as he needed, he grabbed Butterfree's ball from his belt and released the pokémon. "Hey buddy!" Ash cried, waving up to the pokémon. "I want you to help me out here." He placed the end of the rope on the ground and held it in place with his foot. "I need your strongest webbing here, to hold this rope into place." He took the length of rope and handed it over to Sun. The pokémon looked at it curiously and began to thread it between his hands. "No," Ash hissed, quickly crouching down to stop him. "Just hold it for now, alright?"
Butterfree spun in the air, stopping just beneath the roof of the cave and began to spit sticky string. Ash tugged on the rope several times to check it was held strongly enough before signalling Butterfree to stop.
"Ash," Misty said, grabbing him by the elbow. "I get why you're doing this. I'm not going to argue with you - you're Sun's trainer. But please, think this through a little more. It's just a poké ball."
"She's right," Brock said. "Ash, you're trying to do a good thing. What you're overlooking is how quickly things could go wrong. If you're down there alone, there's every chance something could kill you. We can't all go down there because then if something happens to the rope we've left behind, we're trapped and need to find another way out. If any of us remains back up here, we're just splitting up the dangers we're going to face." He stopped cutting vegetables and stared him straight in the eye. "You mean well, Ash. You've got a good heart and you'll be an amazing trainer. You've got the best of intentions, but in this situation your idea isn't the best course of action."
Ash sighed dejectedly. "Alright," he said. Butterfree landed softly on his shoulder and beat his wings slowly, ruffling Ash's hair. Pikachu nodded sagely from beside the campfire, where he had somehow found a sachet of ketchup and was slowly licking it. "It's alright, Sun, I'll just take the rope-"
His mankey hooted and with a cry, threw himself over the side of the path and into the depths below.
"Sun!" Ash screamed. He dove after the pokémon. His hands grasped at nothing but air. He clamoured for the rope and began pulling it. Pikachu was by his side, attempting to help. Butterfree grabbed at the rope in his tiny paws and pulled.
Ash fell backwards when the rope ended and all he recovered was despair.
"Sun!" he screamed, crawling to the edge of the path. "No, no, no!" he buried his hands into his hair. He pictured Metapod being stung by the beedrill all over again. He saw the beedrill Pikachu had killed because he was too unobservant.
He closed his eyes and saw his pokémon being torn apart by the darkness, piece by screaming piece.
"I'm going after him!" Ash declared as he grabbed the rope.
"Ash, no!" Misty screamed. He forced himself not to look in her direction before throwing himself over the side and rappelling down.
Pikachu jumped after him, bouncing down on the loose rocks that he could find. Butterfree floated gently behind them both, keeping a watchful eye on their progress.
Ash's heart was racing. His palms were sweating. More than once he felt like he lost his grip, only to recover it at the last moment. Once Butterfree had to glue his hand to the rock face with his string shot. Ash had thanked him between nervous laughs before he carried on.
The rope ended and Ash still had yet to touch ground. "Pikachu," he whispered, afraid of his own voice's echo. "See if you can create some light."
Pikachu nodded and shot a spark of electricity to the darkness beneath them. It soared through the air for only a second before it hit something below, showering them with tiny pebbles.
Ash gritted his teeth. He was fairly certain that he had seen ground in the brief moments of light. As he forced himself to calm down, he was certain that he could sense the ground, not too far way. He could feel Sun, even in the darkness. The mankey stood nearby, watching their descent.
"It's alright," Ash said, and let go of the rope.
He dropped for one quick, infinitely long second, then hit the ground harder than he should have for such a small fall. Breathless, he doubled over and laughed.
"We're alright," he said, smiling as Pikachu climbed onto his back and took his regular place on his shoulder. He felt Butterfree touch gently on his other side. "Thanks guys." Steeling himself, he fixed a stern gaze on Sun. "Hey." He crouched down and held out a hand before sighing. "Look, I get that you were trying to help. It's just that maybe you should have thought about what you were doing first. I'd already agreed with Misty and Brock that we didn't need to do this. But I appreciate it all the same."
His eyes adjusted slowly to the darkness. He watched as Sun stared back at him, eyes slightly narrowed. When the mankey finally reached out and tapped Ash's outstretched palm, Ash grinned. "That's the spirit! Now since we're down here, why don't we just-" he cut himself off at a noise similar to scraping metal. The sound of it sent shivers down his spine. Flinching, he fell back a step without realising. Pikachu jumped in front of him, cheeks crackling with electricity again. Sun suddenly looked up once more, dropping into a fighting stance, his hands balled into fists. Butterfree took to the air with only the whisper of wind.
It happened again, a horrible crunching sound that sounded like two cars ripping into each other. The sound made Ash's teeth vibrate. He pictured a monster emerging from the shadows of the tunnel, with sharp fangs as long as his arms.
Instead, to his surprise, he found himself staring as a small, silver pokémon emerged from the darkness. The pokémon looked up at them all with wide, sparkling blue eyes. Beneath its silver armour, Ash could see its jet black skin.
Most of Ash's attention, however, was on the mangled remains of a poké ball in the pokémon's if taunting him, the pokémon crunched down on the red metal of the poké ball and began to chew.
"Hey!" Ash yelled, shattering the stalemate. "That's mine!"
The pokémon looked up at him and let its gaze drift slowly over all the pokémon before it. With a growl that seemed to echo through the tunnels, it spat out a chewed up chunk of red metal at Ash's feet.
Pikachu snarled, fur crackling with lightning. Errant thunderbolts flew from his body, striking near the metallic pokémon. It looked at Pikachu with wide, blue eyes, more intrigued than frightened.
Ash wondered just how long this pokémon had been here, or even what had drawn it to come towards them. The fact that it ate Sun's poké ball - something which he was still peeved about - only made Ash more curious. Butterfree was watching them cautiously, waiting for a command, whilst Ash could see Sun was bouncing up and down, itching for the fight.
"Hey buddy," Ash said, kneeling down to place a hand near Pikachu. "I agree, we should battle it. But this isn't your fight." At Pikachu's dejected look, Ash nodded his head to Sun, who was engaged in what appeared to be a staring competition with the strange pokémon. "But it ate Sun's ball, so really he gets to battle it."
Pikachu almost seemed to roll his eyes before standing on his hind legs and walking back to Ash's side. With a wide smile, Ash looked back at his friends and then to his mankey. "Alright, Sun! Let's show this thing not to mess with us and start it off with some fury swipes!"
Sun screeched and raced at the pokémon, kicking up clouds of dust behind him. Ash coughed, shielding his face with his arm. Pikachu raced up Ash's leg and dove beneath his jacket, hiding from the sudden dust storm.
His mankey ran in close, fists curled. As the pokémon reared back, almost seeming to glow silver, Sun jumped at it, stomping down hard on its back.
"Hey!" Ash cried as his pokémon bounced back, hopping on one foot as if pained. "Sun, that's not what I told you to do!"
His mankey shrieked and raced back in, ignoring him. The pokémon snarled back at him, snapping at his fists when they came too close. Growling, Sun brought his hands down in a swift, chopping motion.
The other pokémon buckled under the hit but remained standing. With a growl it righted itself, hissing as waves of power began to wash off it. The ground beneath them began to tremble. Ash cried out as he tried to keep his footing.
Rocks spiked out of the ground at random angles. Ash had to leap backwards as one erupted from beneath him. Sun hooted and leaped into the air, spinning and bringing down both fists, glowing with hot, white energy.
The other pokémon's head shone silver and it jumped up to meet him. Their attacks hit each other with the sound of a tree trunk falling. Zubat shrieked and fluttered away from the sound. Sun bounced back to his feet, shaking his hands as if to bring feeling back into them.
"Sun, you need to listen to me!" Ash cried. His pokémon raced back into the fray, face red in anger. He jumped at the nearest pillar of rock and smashed it with a single punch. Grabbing the shattered rocks as they fell, he hooted and threw them at the pokémon. With a growl the other pokémon seemed to crackle. Sparks of electricity throbbed over its body. Bolts of white-hot electricity slammed into Sun's projectiles, shattering them.
The electric currents continued, arcing into Sun. He shrieked as they worked their way through his nervous system, leaving his fur literally smoking. Groaning, he collapsed to the ground, growling at the pokémon, glaring as he attempted to try and get back to his feet.
"This is why I wanted to train you," Ash said. He crouched down next to his pokémon and offered him a hand. "Something like this shouldn't give you much of a problem." He glanced at the pokémon to make certain it wasn't attacking. If anything, it seemed curious about the entire break in the battle. "So now you can sit the rest of this battle out. We'll work on getting you strong enough to beat anything."
With what Ash assumed were a string of muttered curse words, his pokémon reached up and took his offered hand. Grinning, Ash picked his mankey up, placed one of his arms over his shoulders and carried him away from the battle.
"Butterfree!" Ash called. He smiled as the pokémon descended from the cavern ceiling. "Why don't you-" He groaned when he looked into the tunnel and saw nothing but darkness waiting for them. "Guess it wasn't that impressed, huh?"
Butterfree chittered as Pikachu patted Ash's leg in sympathy. Ash ignored them both to silently watch his mankey. The pokémon was staring at the ground, sulking. He reminded Ash of children who were scolded by their parents.
"Hey Sun," Ash said gently, smiling down at the pokémon, "don't worry about it. Everyone has bad days. So what if it didn't go our way today? There's always tomorrow, and then there's always the day after that too. That's why it's called training. Eventually we'll have done it enough that we'll move on from training to winning. How does that sound, huh?"
Ash took the mankey's response to be a good one. He moved to the wall, where he was certain their rope was waiting for them and instead found nothing.
His pulse thundered in his ears.
Ash swallowed, laughed nervously.
"I guess maybe it wasn't here then," he said. Frowning, he moved his hands along the wall. He found nothing. He could feel his heart rate speeding up. The pokémon that attacked them seemed not to be far away from where they descended. "Butterfree," Ash said, his voice wavering, "can you fly up a little, find the rope we came down on?"
It felt like minutes passed as Butterfree took to the air. Ash reached up to his shoulder and rubbed Pikachu's head to try and distract them both. Sun was sitting on the floor, staring off into the darkness, his eyes unfocused.
Butterfree's cry shocked Ash into almost instant action. He took off racing after the sound, fearing the worst. Visions of flocks of spearow, flanked by swarms of beedrill attacked him. He tried his best to banish the thoughts. They were difficult to be rid of.
The first thing that Ash noticed when he found Butterfree was how cold the tunnel had gotten. His breath was turning to fog the moment it escaped his mouth. He could hear Pikachu's teeth beginning to chatter. Even Sun drew closer to them both, seeking extra heat.
Butterfree descended from the dark stretches of the cave roof. Ash noticed the wounds in the rock faces around them - something seemed to have clawed straight through the dense rocks. None of them were above his waist. It meant whatever caused them was both small and powerful.
Butterfree touched down on Ash's head, humming a sad tune. Ash sighed, though reached up to run his hand across the pokémon's stomach briefly. "It's fine, Butterfree, don't worry. We'll find it, I'm sure. In fact-"
Rumbling.
Ash's stomach felt like it dropped out of his body. The ground beneath him lurched and shook. The cave ceiling above them started to groan. Pebbles rained down from above.
Ash tried to think. None of his pokémon knew any worthwhile protective moves. Apollo was in her ball, though her psychic powers were still too weak to try and save them from a cave-in.
The rumbling grew louder. The ground shook harder. Ash's balance was stolen from him. He fell on his back with a cry. Pikachu tumbled off his shoulder. Butterfree launched himself after the pokémon. Sun flipped to his feet and tried to help Ash back to his.
Then just as quickly as it started, everything stopped.
Ash's breath caught as the first snowflake drifted in front of him. It danced slowly in an imaginary breeze. Ash held out his hand to catch it-
The ground in front of them burst open.
Ash screamed. Sand erupted from the ground. It caught the wind and span around them, screaming as it ensnared them. Sun somersaulted forwards and stood between them, jumping from foot to foot in a fighting stance. Butterfree soared to his side, his wings already scattering pollen.
Pikachu raced up Ash's side and took his place atop Ash's head. The static coming off him made Ash's hair stand on end. The howling of the sandstorm grew louder.
The sand stung Ash's eyes. He tried his best to shield them with his hand. It barely helped. Each time he breathed in, more sand raced up his nostrils. He tried to open his mouth to breathe. He tasted nothing but dirt. Sand scratched down the back of his throat, making him cough.
Ash tried to open his eyes. He could only manage to squint. He saw a shape in the sandstorm, like three worms writhing. As the sand seemed to die down, he saw that the creature had what appeared to be long golden hair, though it shimmered in a way that made it seem wholly unnatural.
The pokémon looked like a dugtrio, though not one Ash had ever seen before. All three heads narrowed their eyes at him. Sun growled a challenge. Butterfree echoed it with his own. Even Pikachu, atop Ash's head, let loose a sound that promised pain if the pokémon attacked.
Ash dimly noticed that his arms grew colder once more. The sandstorm seemed to be dying down even faster than it had before. He felt another rumble from underground. He pictured another dugtrio emerging, trapping them. He started to run through all of his options, trying to figure out just how he could escape.
Another pokémon burst free from the ground, between Ash's pokémon and the dugtrio. It sailed into the air, spinning, blinding Ash briefly with its impossibly pure white scales.
The wind howled. The temperature plummeted. Snow formed and started to swirl around them.
The new pokémon landed on the ground and snarled at the dugtrio. The dugtrio responded with an offended growl. As the snow seemed to condense, swirling around the other pokémon, the dugtrio's eyes all widened before it disappeared back into its tunnel.
There was a tense, awkward tension that hung in the air for a long moment. Finally, with an unimpressed sound, the pokémon stood up and dropped its arms to its sides. The snow stopped swirling. The wind stopped screaming. Even the temperature around them seemed to begin to climb once more.
Ash opened his pokédex to find that it was an Alolan sandshrew that had come to his rescue. The cold pokémon looked up at him with curious, bright blue eyes. Ash watched the way it looked over all of his pokémon before meeting Pikachu's stare and nodding.
It grumbled something and began to walk into the tunnel. It glanced over its shoulder before gesturing for them to follow.
"Urm," Ash said, "no offence, but I want to go up, not further into the darkness."
The sandshrew rolled its eyes at him before pointing into the tunnel, then pointed upwards. Ash took it to mean that his way back up would be to go further in first.
He could hear Misty and Brock's voices in his head, warning him about following a wild pokémon into unknown territory. Again. He told himself that it had worked out fine with the pidgeotto back in Viridian forest - and he hardly had any better options to choose from.
"Okay then," Ash said. "If you know the way out, then lead the way."
-O-O-O-
A/N: I'll try and update a bit more frequently, given everything that's going on. My list of excuses just got a whole lot shorter!
Leave a review, let me know your thoughts so far. Talking to strangers on the internet is now our official sanity saver :)
