Ash was on a small boat headed for Shoal Cave. Professor Birch had wanted Ashley to get a full day's worth of information on the cave, and if Ash was honest, he was bored. Chloe had been through Mt. Coronet and to the far north of Sinnoh, while Goh had been visiting the daycare center, and working on catching Pokemon. Ash hadn't had a fight to raise his rank yet.
Getting off the boat, Ash pulled the Pikachu hoodie close, reports had said that Ice type Pokemon preferred here, so it was likely going to be colder the further in they went. "Id' be careful going down there if I were you Miss." A man's voice said. Ash turned to see an older man sitting in front of a makeshift workstation. "What do you mean be careful?" Ash asked, curious. "It's low tide right now, it's easy to get into the lower caverns. However if you're down there too long, the tide will rise and you'll be trapped until it lowers again." The man said looking at his watch. "By my count, you'll have just over 2 hours of low tide left." He said returning his focus to his work. "Two hours, thank you." Ash said heading into the lower parts of the cave.
"Strange salt samples all the way down here." Ash said picking up another sample. As he put it away, Ash felt his phone go off. "A challenger all the way down here?" Ash said, surprised. "Following the signal up a set of stairs Ash found himself face to face with another trainer. "What are you doing all the way down here?" Ash asked the trainer. "Training, this place is great for training fire types!" The other trainer said. "I was surprised to see another competitor down here, the name's Anthony, and you're going down!" Anthony said readying a Pokeball. "Good luck with that!" Ash said readying a pokeball of his own.
"Magcargo let's go!"
"Mudkip come on out!"
Mudkip may be new, but sooner or later it would have to get some experience, and up against a fire type at least it would have an advantage.
"Magcargo use Rock Throw!"
"Mudkip use Water Gun!"
The rocks spread out around Mudkip as a jet of water shot out at Magcargo.
"Macargo use Flamethrower!"
"Mudkip hide behind a rock, and then use Mud Slap!"
Flames shot around the rock as Mudkip blindly threw mud at its opponent.
"Magcargo use Rock Throw!"
"Mudkip run out of the way and use Water Gun!"
Mudkip deftly dodged the rocks as it shot a blast of water at the Magcargo.
"Magcargo use Shell Smash!"
"Mudkip lay the ground with a handful of Mud Slaps"
As Magcargo landed, it spun out into a wall.
"Now Mudkip! Use Water Gun to finish this off!"
As the water hit Magcargo, it went down. Ash pulled out his phone to see his number rise up to 980.
"Brrr when did it get so cold?" Ash asked. "No, don't tell me." Anthony said as he ran to the stairs. "We're trapped, it's high tide." Anthony said walking back. "You planned this didn't you?" Ash asked accusingly. "Yes, I planned on encountering a trainer at a dead end, and getting trapped here myself." Anthony said sarcastically. "Well, we have around 6 hours before we can get out, might as well get comfy.
"Dragonite come on out!" Ash said. "Oh come on, I'm sorry, but you don't need to keep…" Anthony started before seeing that Dragonite was just standing there, wings spread. "What are you doing?" Anthony asked, before Ash came back out in the one piece Chloe made him get. "It won't work." Anthony said sitting down against a wall. "Just watch, you'd be surprised how long I can hold my breath." Ash said stuffing his clothes in his bag. Returning both Dargonite and Mudkip. "It's not air you should worry about." Anthony said calmly going through his bag.. Ash wasn't listening as he jumped into the water. Moments later he and Pikachu came out of the water quickly. "I'd dry off if I were you, that waters cold." Anthony said, finally finding a portable heater. "Th.th.th.thanks." Ash stuttered, a bit annoyed.
A few minutes later, Ash stepped back out from behind Dragonite in dry clothes, drying off his hair. "Come on, might as well sit in the warmth." Anthony said inviting Ash over. "You sure came prepared." Ash said, noticing how much Anthony had pulled out. "Here, a spare blanket." Anthony said, handing a blanket. "Anyways this isn't the first time I've been trapped down here." Anthony said, reminiscing. "I've learned what to bring and not to bring just in case I lose track of time." Anthony said, as his stomach grumbled. "I've learned a thing or two in my adventures as well." Ash said kindly. "Like always bring an extra lunch." Ash said, handing over a sandwich.
A few hours later, the tide had lowered enough that they were able to leave the cavern again. "Thanks for the help again." Ash said as they were walking out. "Hey, do you need a ride back to town?" Ash asked, pointing to his boat.
