Hey all! I hope everyone is doing well. Thank you all for stopping by to give this chapter a read. It's becoming spring where I live and that makes me more motivated to write. Anyways, I hope you all enjoy!
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I choose you, Chapter 107!
Zap Mushrooms
Yamaguchi had concluded that the pain he'd felt last night was nothing more than gas pain. A sudden splitting pain that jolts through your body like a knife only to fade moments later couldn't be anything but gas passing through his gut. What else could logically bring on such sudden pain only for it to fade moments later? Perhaps the tomato berry pasta had disagreed with his stomach. It was very spicy after all.
Yamaguchi quietly sat at the breakfast table as Hinata talked loudly to everyone about the storm last night. "There was just so much lighting," Hinata said in awe as he practically stood at the table.
"I can't believe you bothered getting out of bed and watching it last night," Tsukishima teased, having no idea that his boyfriend had done the exact same thing.
"Like I'd expect a stuck up stick of salt like you to understand," Hinata sneered across the table.
"I had my ear plugs in so the storm didn't really bother me," Yachi piped in sweetly. "Lightning kind of scares me but from what you said it does sound like it had been a pretty show."
"Oh it was," Hinata nodded rapidly. "There was so much lighting and at one point there was this huge pillar of light that shot into the sky."
When Yamaguchi heard this he almost fell out of his seat. So it wasn't a dream. Someone else had also witnessed it. "You saw it, too!" Yamaguchi gasped.
"Were you watching the storm, Yamaguchi?" Kuroo asked, his voice almost like a purr.
"Yeah, I couldn't sleep through the thunder so I watched the storm for a bit," Yamaguchi replied, glancing at Tsukki for only a moment.
"And you also saw the pillar of light?" Hinata sounded very excited.
"Yeah, it was so bright and it almost looked like it opened a hole in the sky," Yamaguchi nodded, feeling an odd mix of dread and excitement.
"Right, the light was all 'WHOOOOSH' into the sky and I was all 'WOOOOOOW'." Hinata was very animated as he spoke. "I can't believe you saw it, too. I thought I was the only one awake."
Yamaguchi had thought the same thing. It didn't occur to him that others would have woken up and watched the storm as well. It was silly for him to have thought that. "D-Did you feel any sort of strange pain while looking at it?" Yamaguchi asked, shifting uncomfortably."
This seemed to catch the attention of Tsukki, Kageyama and Kuroo.
"Pain?" Tsukishima mumbled, looking at his boyfriend in mild worry.
"I felt soooo much pain!" Hinata cired. "It was unbearable."
"Wh-What!? Really?" Yamaguchi gasped, shocked that it wasn't just him.
"Yes! It was so painful to have to stay inside when an amazing Pokemon was so close by," Hinata fake swooned as he spoke.
"P-Pokemon?" Yamaguchi questioned, unsure what Hinata meant.
"Isn't it obvious what made that pillar of light?" Hinata slammed his hands on the table as he looked at everyone.
Yamaguchi, as well as several others at the table, shook their heads no.
"It was Zapdos," Hinata said, his eyes wide with disbelief that he was the only one to come to the conclusion.
A moment of silence hung over the table as everyone looked at Hinata.
"Oh right, Zapdos is known to follow after large thunderstorms," Kuroo rubbed his chin as he spoke.
"Exactly!" Hinata sharply replied, pointing a finger at Kuroo. "And on top of that there is an energy plant. Zapdos is all about energy plants!"
"Hey, I guess that does make sense," Kuroo agreed. Several others at the table nodded in agreement. Tsukishima stubbornly pouted.
"So that light was from a Zapdos?" Yamaguchi hummed. "It never occurred to me it could have been a wild pokemon."
"Can you believe a Zapdos was so close but we weren't able to catch it," Hinata fell into his seat sounding very defeated. "It was so painful to watch that and know it was there and I was stuck in this hotel."
"W-Well there is always next time," Yachi reassured him.
Yamaguchi sat quietly as the rest of the table broke into conversation. So he really did see something last night. From what Hinata said it does seem like it may have been Zapdos. Yamaguchi felt a bit silly for not having thought of that himself. He had obviously been too paranoid from earlier to think logically.
Once breakfast was over the group headed to their room to get ready to head out for Lumiose City. Yamaguchi's mind was still on the power plant. He had forgotten to ask Hinata if he had noticed any lights on at the plant or not. Since Hinata hadn't mentionedit maybe he didn't notice or thought it wasn't important.
Yamaguchi and Tsukishima had barely begun their packing when a knock sounded from their door. "Who is it?" Tsukishima sharply asked.
"It's me," Kuroo sang from the other side of the door.
"Go away. We're not ready," Tsukishima snapped.
"Well, I've got news," Kuroo sang once more.
Yamaguchi looked over at Tsukki to see that his boyfriend had no intention of opening the door. Setting his bag down he opened the door instead. "Hey, Kuroo," he greeted, stepping aside to let him in.
Tsukishima glared at both of them but said nothing.
"Bad news guys," Kuroo sighed, thought he still had a smile on his face. He flopped himself down in one of their arm chairs.
"What is it, Kuroo?" Yamaguchi asked after seeing that Tsukki wasn't interested in engaging.
"Looks like we aren't going to be able to head out quite yet," Kuroo said this with a little less pepp in his tone.
"What!? Why!?" Tsukishima turned on Kuroo as he growled.
Kuroo didn't so much as flinch at Tsukki's reaction but Yamaguchi sure did. "The road leading out of here had been blocked off," Kuroo shrugged.
"Blocked off?" Yamaguchi question. "What do you mean?"
"They think the storm caused a landslide just outside the desert and there isn't any way out," Kuroo explained. "But they do think it should be cleared up by tomorrow or the day after."
"A landslide? In the desert?" Tsukishima spoke in disbelief.
"There are some hills near Lumiose City. They think the storm loosened the dirt," Kuroo shrugged once more as if to stay 'there isn't much we can do about it'.
"I guess staying one more night couldn't hurt," Yamaguchi said with a weak laugh. He knew Tsukki was ready to go now.
"We might as well make the best of it," Kuroo nodded, smiling once more. "Hinata wants to go check out the power plant. He thinks Zapdos might still be around. Do either of you want to go along?"
"I can't believe he actually thinks he saw a Zapdos," Tsukishima grumbled as he stopped his packing.
"That does sound fun," Yamaguchi nodded nervously.
"Don't worry," Kuroo reassured, seeing how nervous Yamaguchi looked. "We are just going to check out the area but we won't enter the plant or anything. It's boarded off and that'd be trespassing."
Yamaguchi gave a small nod. With Kuroo and others around him, he did feel a little brave. "Yeah, I guess I will come along, too." Yamaguchi could feel Tsukki's glare on the back of his head.
"Fine," Tsukishima huffed. Yamaguchi didn't have to look to know his boyfriend was pouting.
"Great, I'll let the others know and we can meet you two downstairs in 10minutes," Kuroo smiled as he stood up.
Yamaguchi sent him a small wave as he left the room.
The storm really had blown over. Yamaguchi looked out from the Hotel window at the bright clear desert sky. If he hadn't been here yesterday he'd have never known there had been a storm.
Yachi and Hinata joined the two first. Hinata was a ball of excitement. He bounced around annoying Tsukki to no end. He was excited to hunt for Zapdos.
"Hey, Yamguchi, do you want to join me for some mushroom foraging?" Yachi asked, as she and Yamaguchi watched Hianta talk excitedly to a stranger.
"Mushrooms in the desert?" Yamaguchi echoed.
"Yeah, Nurse Joy told me that a rare mushroom is known to show up around here after some like this," Yachi nodded. "Apparently they grow at the mouths of caves and only come around after a storm."
"There are caves here?" Yamaguchi's head tilted to the side at hearing this.
"There are a few man made tunnels around the power plant," Kuroo cut in, catching the two off guard. "Of course they are all abandoned."
"Maybe Zapdos is in the caves," Hinata piped in.
"We are not exploring caves," Tsukishima snapped.
Yachi looked a bit shocked by Tsukishima's strong reaction. "N-Nure J-Joy s-said they were j-just at the m-mouth…" she stuttered.
"Tsukki, calm down," Yamaguchi scolded his boyfriend. This caused Kuroo to smile widely.
"It says here zap mushrooms only grow at the entrance of a cave or in shaded areas in normally dry climates. They only sprout the day following a thunderstorm," Kenma said, reading from his tablet. "It says here they are one of the most sought after mushrooms for their flavour."
"I thought maybe you and I could get some for dinner tonight," Yachi explained meekly. "Since we are stuck here for another night. That is, unless you wanted to go looking for Zapdos, too."
"The mushrooms sound more my style," Yamaguchi nodded before turning to Tsukki. "We won't go into the tunnels so calm down," he said before Tsukki could say no.
"The repels don't work well in the open desert but by the powerplant and tunnels they will have an effect so you guys can use those while you're poking around," Kuroo nodded as he spoke. He had always wanted to try a zap mushroom.
Tsukishima seemed uncomfortable by the idea of rifling around tunnels for mushrooms but he chose not to voice his opinions anymore. Yamaguchi slipped his hand into Tsukki's as a way to both say 'sorry, but I'm doing this' and comfort him. The two squeezed hands and Tsukki seemed to ease up.
Kuroo, with Hinata beside him, led the group out of the Pokemon Center and down a small path that led towards the power plant.
"If this place is meant to be abandoned then why is there a path?" Yamaguchi asked as he and Tsukki walked hand in hand.
"It's a popular place for travelers to visit when they come out here," Kuroo replied, not bothering to turn around as he spoke.
"There are a lot of strong electric types around the plant so if you're looking to add one to your team you're bound to come across something good," Hinata piped in, almost tripping as he turned to look at the others behind him.
Yamaguchi gave a small nod, his eyes wide from the information. Yachi looked just as surprised.
"It's always interesting how certain pokemon will congregate in certain areas," Yachi hummed. "Will there be such strong electric Pokemon around the tunnels?" She asked, her body quivering a little.
"I've been here a few times with Bokuto. The Pokemon who hang around the tunnels tend to be a little more shy. They probably use the tunnels as a way to hide from the stronger Pokemon," Kuroo explained.
Yamaguchi's shoulders relaxed at hearing this. He hadn't even realised how tense he had been. Perhaps hanging around the tunnels was the safest place out here. Maybe he'd find something he could battle and add to his team. That would be fun.
"Hey, I heard from Nurse Joy that because of the land slide not many people are able to make it out here today," Yachi said, mostly to Yamaguchi. In front of them Hinata and Kageyama began to argue about who was going to be first to battle Zapdos.
"Is that a good thing?" Yamaguchi asked.
"Well, it means we won't have much competition hunting for mushrooms today," Yachi sent him a wide smile. "I also plan to collect some extra to use on the road or in a showcase maybe."
"Oh right!" Yamaguchi's smile grew upon realizing this. "Having such a rare ingredient is bound to wow the judges."
"Exactly," Yachi giggled. "Not that I think we need flashy ingredients to win but the idea is still fun."
Yamaguchi smiled in agreement. Now he was a bit more excited about their mushroom hunt. He wondered if he'd be able to send some home to his family, too.
When the group arrived at their destination those planning to hunt for mushrooms made a small camp for them to meet back at later. It consisted of a fold up chair, for Kenma, some snacks if anyone got hungry, a tarp to put everything on and a large canopy for shade. It wasn't much but would be make due for the day. For those scoping out the power plant they promised to be back by 3pm.
"So, Tsukki, are you going to join us at the power plant or hang around the tunnels?" Kuroo purred, slinging an arm around Tsukki's shoulder.
Tsukishima shrugged Kuroo off almost immediately. He looked over to see Kageyama and Hinata arguing about who was going to catch Zapdos. He failed to hide his daistain.
"Why would I want to hang around those two idiots all day?" Tsukishima grumbled.
"You should go, Tsukki," Yamaguchi piped in. "There are bound to be some strong Pokemon and maybe you can add one to your team."
Tsukishima rolled his eyes as both Kuroo and Yamaguchi looked at him expectantly. He looked a bit nervous as he considered leaving Yamaguchi's side out here.
"I promise I'll stay close to the camp here and use tons of repel. It's going to be fine," Yamaguchi sent his boyfriend a large smile.
This didn't really seem to convince Tsukishima much. He eyed Kageyama and Hinata once more. Kageyama had Hinata in a headlock and Hianta was making a very loud screaming sort of sound. All the while poor Yachi was failing to break them up.
"It would be nice to have someone with me who is not quite so… competitive," Kuroo admitted, releasing a small chuckle.
"I'm not taking care of those two," Tsukishima sighed. "I refuse to get involved if they do something stupid."
"So you will join us then?" Kuroo asked with a big smile.
"I guess," Tsukishima sighed. "But only for a little bit. I'm not staying there until 3pm."
"I hope you catch something cool," Yamaguchi said before planting a small peck on Tsukki's cheek.
"Yeah, yeah," Tsukishima mumbled. "I'll head back here around 1pm and I'll help you look for those mushrooms or whatever."
"Thanks, Tsukki," Yamaguchi planted another peck on Tsukki's cheek causing his boyfriend to go red.
With that decided those going to the power plant made their departure. From their camp the power plant wasn't too far off. Maybe just a five minute walk. When they arrived to the powerplant Yamaguchi could still make out Hinata's bright hair as he ran this way and that.
Kenma wasted little time in rallying up Yachi and Yamaguchi. He had brought a small laptop Yamaguchi had never seen him use before, making Yamaguchi wonder just how many computers, tablets and laptops this guy had. Kenma set the laptop on top of the box holding the snacks they brought along.
"I've found a map of the area marking the tunnels most likely to have mushrooms," Kenma said as he pointed out some locations.
The three studied the map. There were holes signifying the tunnels and it looked like there were ten in total. Some tunnels were circled in green meaning they had a high chance of containing mushrooms while the ones circled in yellow meant a slightly lower chance and the ones circled in red were not likely to have anything.
"It looks like this tunnel is that one.," Yachi said, pointing to the tunnel closest. "Maybe we should scope out that one first?"
"Sound good to me," Yamaguchi nodded. If he was being honest he was having a hard time orienting himself.
"I'll stay here and watch the camp while you two search," Kenma said, pulling out another tablet. "These tunnels have been abandoned for ages but from the mushroom hunting threads I've read you still want to be careful of abandoned tools and such. It's best if you don't go too deep into the tunnels."
"R-right," Yachi stammered, sounding a bit nervous.
"We'll be careful to stay close to the entrance," Yamaguchi mumbled, feeling nervous as well.
"Also, be careful of rock slides," Kenma added. "It's best not to be too loud. These things haven't been maintained since being abandoned." Kenma spoke cooly almost as if he was listing off some mundane information about nothing.
"R-right," Yachi stammered once more sounding even more nervous.
"We'll be careful not to be loud," Yamaguchi barely got out.
"Why do you two look so nervous?" Kenma asked upon seeing the two shaking trainers.
"N-No reason," Yamaguchi said before laughing nervously.
The two very slowly bid Kenma a farewell before making their way to the first tunnel. Yamaguchi held Eevee tightly in his arms as he studied the entrance. The tunnel was huge and went so far back that it was swallowed by the darkness.
"It goes so far," Yamaguchi said, his voice echoing off the walls as he poked his head in. "I wonder where it connects to?"
"Maybe the power plant," Yachi suggested, her voice echoing as well.
Despite the echo the tunnel didn't seem like it was about to crumble to bits.
"Hey, look, is this one of the Zap Mushrooms?" Yamaguchi asked, bending down to pick a blue and yellow mushroom.
"I think it is," Yachi smiled as she bent beside him to pick one.
The small mushroom's almost glowed in the shadow of the cave. Yamaguchi looked around to see several more mushrooms growing on the walls. They were everywhere. He immediately removed his backpack from his back and began to stuff it full of mushrooms.
"This is amazing. There are so many," Yamguchi said as he picked mushroom after mushroom. Eevee gave a small trill as she happily helped him.
"We are going to have more than enough for dinner just in this cave alone," Yachi laughed, sounding much less scared now that they had found what they came for.
"They were right about these things being near the entrance," Yamaguchi hummed as his pack filled up. "We barely even stepped into here."
It wasn't long before both trainer's bags were full. There were still several mushrooms all around the cave.
"Let's head back and leave the rest here for the wild Pokemon to eat," Yachi suggested. She was barely able to get her bag shut.
"I'm sure we will find just as many in the next cave," Yamaguchi agreed, picking Eevee up as he slung his bag over his shoulder.
They made their way out of the cave and back to Kenma. Kenma gave them new bags to fill and Yamaguchi and Yachi left their pack full of mushrooms in the shade. They studied the map again to see where to go next.
"There are quite a few tunnels marked in green," Yachi hummed. "I wonder if we can get to all of them?"
"Well, since we don't have to go deep into the tunnel to find the mushrooms, why don't we just each check a different cave," Yamaguchi suggested. "If you get to a cave that is empty you can come back here to mark it on the map as a dud. It may save us some time."
"Okay,sounds good to me," Yachi nodded before calling out her Bulbasaur to help her hunt.
Kenma agreed with the plan reminding the two to take care and use a lot of repels. With Eevee in his arms and doused in repels, Yamaguchi made his way to the next cave. He chose the one that was a little ways off from the campsite so that Yachi didn't have to go so far alone. With a small skip in his step he and Eevee hummed a jolly little tune. With the amount of mushrooms they found at the last cave Yamaguchi had a feeling this one was bound to be a honey whole of mushrooms.
Author Notes:
So it seems the light Yamaguchi saw may have been from a Zapdose. Is Hinata correct in thinking that? I wonder what Tsukishima and the others will come across at the power plant? Will Yamaguchi and Yachi find more than just mushrooms in the caves. Stay tuned to find out that and more.
As always I would like to thank everyone for taking time to read this super long fic. I never imagined i'd be this long when I started writing it. I want to thank all my loyal readers for staying around this long reading each chapter and welcome any new readers who have decided to pick this up. I hope you all decide to hang around until the end.
Well, I hope you all take care and I will see you next chapter.