Notes: This is a fic that stemmed from an idea I've been thinking about for quite a while, and decided to finally write it for Fictober. I intend to update this regularly throughout the month.
"Look! Up ahead!"
Ash couldn't have been more excited to see the odd-looking tunnel after wandering around lost for the last three days; even in Johto, the uncanny way that he and his friends, Misty and Brock, were able to find themselves lost, seemed to be following them as it had during their Kanto adventures.
Nevertheless, the tunnel, which had been carved into the hillside, had to mean a landmark—and a place where they could get their bearings at long last.
"See, I told you I'd get us somewhere!" Ash said, as Pikachu, who had been lazily perched on his shoulder all this time, now looked alert and excited at last.
"Oh, finally," Misty sighed, thinking along the same lines. "What's this place called, Brock?"
The two younger trainers looked to their older companion, who was glancing at the Johto region map in one hand and a compass in the other.
"…The tunnel isn't on the map," Brock announced, after a moment. "But I think I found the hills that the tunnel was carved into; take a look."
He held the map out, and the two younger trainers watched as he pointed to the hills, and at the city that lay beyond them.
"If we backtrack a bit, we can get back to the main road and go around the hills to the city," Brock finished, pointing to the road off to the side.
"Backtrack!?" Misty protested, stunned.
"No, anything but that!" Ash whined.
"I know it sounds counterintuitive to backtrack now that we finally know where we're going," Brock said, having expected this response. "But I'm not entirely comfortable going through a tunnel that isn't on the map. I really think we should find the main road again and follow it."
"But what if we don't find the main road and get lost again!?" Misty protested. "This could be terrible!"
"Misty's right; I wanna get my next badge already!" Ash agreed. "Gary's already ahead of me—I don't want him to get any more of a lead!"
Brock sighed quietly; he should've known that neither of his younger companions would've changed their minds.
"How about we take a vote?" Misty offered. "Everyone who wants to go through the tunnel, raise your hands!"
She, Ash, and Pikachu raised their hands; Togepi copied them, not fully understanding what was going on.
"Sorry, Brock; looks like you're outvoted," Ash observed.
This, ordinarily, would have been the time where Brock would've put his foot down and insist that when it came to safety, the majority decision wasn't necessarily the right one. On the other hand, the tunnel didn't look that long, based on size of the hills on the map—perhaps it would be better to pick his battles and just quietly through the tunnel rather than try to argue it out with the others.
"Fine," he conceded. "But everyone has to be careful—no sudden or loud noises. There's no telling what could set something off or startle the local Pokémon."
"Right; we'll be careful!" Ash said, cheerily, as he moved to dart into the tunnel.
"No running—no running!" Brock quietly yelped, grabbing Ash by the sleeve.
"I can run carefully…"
"I'll be the judge of that," Brock chided. "Let me lead."
Ash hesitated a moment, but let him, and Brock pressed forward, quietly and carefully. The tunnel was eerily silent aside from water dripping all around them—and the sound of water flowing seemed to be coming from beneath them.
"There must be an aquifer down there," Brock realized aloud, after a while.
"An aqui-what?" Ash asked.
"Aquifer," Misty repeated. "That's an underground water source, isn't it?"
"That's right," Brock said. "I guess the tunnel was abandoned because they realized it went over the aquifer, and the ground would be weak as a result." He frowned. "Guys, I've got a bad feeling about this—I really think we should turn back."
"Aw, come on!" Ash protested. "We're halfway through—it makes more sense to just keep going! And anyway, the Pokémon living here aren't afraid, so why should we be?"
"What Pokémon?" Brock challenged. "I haven't seen a single Pokémon since we entered this tunnel—not even a Zubat!" He sighed again. "I grew up near the mountains around Pewter City, remember? I know when something doesn't feel right—and if the Pokémon have abandoned this place, too, then I don't think we should take our chances anymore. We know the way back is safe—let's go."
"But—"
"Ash, is it worth risking your life to try to catch up with Gary?" Brock now glanced to Misty. "And would you rather be lost, or risk the chance of getting seriously hurt—or worse?"
Pikachu's ears drooped, and Misty now lowered her gaze. Just as she was in tune with the seas and lakes, and knew when something was amiss with them, she should have realized that Brock was the same way with the mountains.
"…Ash, he's right," she said.
Ash's shoulders slumped, but he knew Brock was right, too.
"Okay, fine…" he sighed. "We'll go back the way we came and go the long way around the mountain."
Brock nodded in satisfaction and moved to lead them back.
Not too far away, however, the trio were under observation—not just from their seemingly-eternal foes, Jessie, James, and Meowth of Team Rocket, but also the Rocket Trio's even-more-unpleasant colleagues, Butch and Cassidy, having already forged ahead further into the tunnel to meet with one of Team Rocket's administrators on the other side.
"Ugh, that's just what we need," Cassidy sneered. "Not only have we got those idiots to deal with, but those brats with the Pikachu. They'll see through our fortune-telling scheme in a heartbeat."
"You're right," Butch scowled. "We might as well tell Executive Proton that we should set up shop somewhere else, farther from here, or else our plans will be dead in the water."
"And why will our plans be dead in the water?" a cold voice asked.
Butch and Cassidy turned abruptly, standing at attention.
"Begging your pardon, Executive Proton," Cassidy replied. "But it's that Pikachu again—the one that Jessie and James can never seem to capture for the Boss."
"Those kids are very good at getting in our way," Butch agreed. "It might be wiser to set up our new fortune-telling operation far from where they can interfere."
They both expected Proton to coldly insist they go through with the original plan and chide them for not being able to handle a bunch of kids, but as Proton also silently observed the oblivious Jessie and James trying to close in on those kids, he seemed thoughtful.
"Very well," he said.
"…Really, Sir?" Cassidy asked, stunned.
"Yes. You and Butch go back, gather everything, and set up outside of Goldenrod City instead—it might take you some time to get there, but we have several buildings we can get you into. I'll let Petrel know you're on the way—he'll see to your getting set up."
"Right away, Sir—thank you, Sir!" Butch exclaimed.
Butch and Cassidy both retreated, leaving Proton looking upon those meddlesome youngsters and their inevitable collision course with Jessie and James. Proton wasn't fond of those two—or Meowth—either. And those kids had been thorns in Team Rocket's side long enough.
Proton now glanced around the cave walls. That older boy had been right about his assessment of how unstable the tunnel was.
And that unstable tunnel would be Proton's way of getting rid of all of Team Rocket's annoyances in one fell swoop.