A/N: Hi. So... I haven't updated in over four months. I apologise for that. I originally held off from updating this fic because I had other stuff going on and thought it would be better to wait until I'd sorted it out before coming back to it. But... that turned out to be my downfall. My break away from the chapter ultimately hindered my muse and I didn't feel inclined to update it again. However, since starting another fanfic of mine, it's brought my muse back enough to get through this chapter and finish it. I can't say I'll be updating this fic as frequently as I was before, but I am aiming to try and update it every so often still. So, please bear with me. In the meantime, thank you to those who have been reviewing, favouriting, following and also reading this fanfic still in my four month absence. Your support is greatly appreciated.
Also, to the reviewer asking about Lillie, I have already answered this question in the author's notes of the my first chapter. But for the sake of clarity, I'll say it again this once: all canon characters involved in this story are a mash-up of their game and anime selves. That means the Lillie in this fanfic is from the anime and the game. I haven't read the Sun and Moon portion of the Pokemon manga, so there won't be any references to it in this fic.
Anyways, I hope you enjoy the newest update.
Chapter 9: Curiosity Lured the Pokemon
The entrance to Verdant Cavern was narrow and short, so it didn't take the trio long to find their way through the brief darkness cast by the rocky ceiling. With the echoes of her footsteps following her, Viola began to slow down as she and her companions entered a wide-open area bathed in streaming sunlight from above. Just ahead Viola could see the familiar back of Lillie's sleeveless dress and pale blonde hair illuminated in the golden light, prompting that familiar ache from before to creep to her chest. It didn't stop Viola from calling out to the other girl though, especially at seeing Lillie's body visibly tense at the sound of her approach.
"Lillie!"
Lillie was already swirling around sharply with a hand to her chest by the time Viola's voice faintly echoed around them, causing the ache in Viola's chest to grow. Viola suddenly stopped a small distance away with wide eyes and raised brows, feeling like her body had completely frozen over. Lillie's body, on the other hand, soon slumped at recognising Viola, with Rowlet slowing down and perching on the latter's shoulder and Rotom Dex hovering by her other side.
"Viola…" Lillie's voice came out quiet and breathless, her hand dropping away from her chest. "I've lost Nebby. It fled to the other side of Verdant Cavern, and then Lucario ran past me to-" The braided blonde cut herself off when she realised Viola was showing no reaction to anything she'd just said, prompting a faint frown to grace her brow. "… Is something wrong?"
Viola blinked in quick succession as Lillie's question brought her out of her shock, the ache in her chest slowly fading. It took a few seconds before she made her response. "N-No. Sorry." The blonde rubbed a hand against her t-shirt and resumed her walk over to Lillie to close the distance between them, feeling Lillie's bag strap against her palm as she did so. Rotom Dex followed closely at her side. "I just had a moment of déjà vu, that's all. You reacted like that when we first met."
Lillie's frown deepened, her head tilting to the side slightly. "I did?"
"You did. Except you had your bag with you." Viola lifted Lillie's bag strap over her own head and held it out for the other blonde to take, causing Lillie's face to flush a faint pink as she retrieved it and returned it to her person, lowering her head and avoiding eye contact.
"Oh! T-Thank you!"
"But yeah. You were saying something about Nebby and Lucario?"
"Yes…" Lillie raised her head and gazed at the rest of the cavern, her brow furrowing as she pointed towards the back, with Viola following the blonde's finger. "Nebby disappeared somewhere over there and Lucario pursued it. I would have followed them, but…" She brought her finger back to her cheek, which she lightly scratched. "…I didn't have my repel."
Placing her hands to her hips, Viola surveyed the uneven and rocky terrain, squinting a little against the dim lighting. Beginning from the far right of the cave, there were sloping pathways that zigzagged towards the back of the cavern, hidden amongst boulders of varying sizes and sunlight from the scattered gaps in the ceiling. At the far end of the cavern towards the left, Viola spied an arch of bright light that looked like it led outside, which is where her eyes lingered for a while.
"Well, I don't know how Nebby is with directions. But knowing how curious and naïve it is, I can bet it went to wherever that light leads." Reaching up to straighten out her cap on her head, Viola started walking forward with squared shoulders. "So that's where we're gonna go."
"Wait!" Lillie reached forward and wrapped both of her arms tightly around Viola's closest one, bringing the other blonde to a halt.
Viola glanced back with a forced blink. "What?"
"This cave is home to a trial site. If we're not careful, we could run into the Totem Pokemon."
Viola's brows furrowed at the unfamiliar term. "Totem Pokemon?"
Lillie released her hold and took a step back, both of her hands now gripping at her bag strap. "They're strong Pokemon that are battled at the end of a trial. According to a book I read, they're larger and smarter than other Pokemon of the same species. It's the reason why Pokemon Trainers aren't allowed to enter a trial site unless they're doing a trial. They're supposedly very protective of their territory."
Viola tilted her head. "I don't understand. I assumed participants battled the trial captain at the end of the trial. Like how you battle gym leaders in a gym."
Lillie quickly shook her head and tightened her grip on her strap. "That's not how it works in Alola. From what Hau's told me, a trial captain trains a Totem Pokemon but doesn't battle with them. The Totem Pokemon is the only participant. They usually live in the trial site."
"Seriously?" Lillie nodded. "What about if we spray ourselves with repel? Will that keep them away?"
"Probably not. I've read they're not intimidated by it like regular wild Pokemon are…"
'Dang, really?' Viola's eyes drooped. 'And here I thought things couldn't get any more complicated…'
Rotom Dex floated to Viola's front and waved one of its arms about in her face, which Viola was quick to swipe at to force the Pokedex back a bit. "I tried to warn you! Zzt-zzt!"
Viola's brow creased as she folded her arms. "Look. As much as I would like to listen to your warnings, we don't have time to run and get help. Nebby and Lucario are on their own. We need to get to them before anything else happens."
Rowlet (who had been quietly standing on Viola's shoulder) raised its head and blinked at hearing something scurrying across the ground behind Viola, prompting it to turn its head around with a squint. Its gaze locked with the area up ahead, where a large mossy rock was situated at the start of the first sloping pathway. There was a hole at the bottom of this rock, which is where Rowlet thought it had heard the noise from.
Meanwhile, Viola's focus went to the Grass Quill Pokemon at feeling it shift on her shoulder, a brow being raised at seeing it was looking behind them. "You okay, Rowlet?"
"Woo!" Viola leaned her head back when Rowlet loudly responded and took flight, watching the owl-like Pokemon head in the direction of the hole and land in front of it.
"I think Rowlet hazzz found something," Rotom Dex said, deciding to float over to where Rowlet was and lower itself to the floor. Lillie stepped closer to Viola and unzipped her bag to reach inside as Pokemon and Pokedex closed in on the hole, with the latter narrowing its eyes. "It'zzz so dark in here! Zzt-zzt!"
Rotom Dex's comments were met with a high-pitched cry that quickly faded off into a vicious hiss. Rowlet and Rotom Dex cried out and backed away from the hole, with the noise also prompting Lillie to pull a small, green can with a pokeball logo out of her bag, which she held up with a shaky finger hovering above the nozzle.
"Guys!" Viola called to them and prepared to run to the pair. But she barely took one step before a double chorus of the same high-pitched cry and hiss sounded just behind them.
Lillie shrieked and swirled around along with Viola to face the newcomers, her grip on the repel becoming non-existent and slipping from her grip, clattering loudly to the floor and rolling out of reach. The braided blonde stumbled behind Viola when the two girls were met with the sight of two small, long-bodied Pokemon covered in brown fur and yellow stripes down its backs and underside. The pair were eyeing the blondes with tiny black eyes and large mouths that exposed bared, pointed teeth, giving the small Pokemon a very aggressive look to them.
'What the-?'
Viola's thought cut off when she felt Lillie tug on her shirt and pull her backwards, prompting the two Pokemon to begin moving forward with their bodies lowered. From somewhere behind the two girls, Viola heard Rowlet and Rotom Dex screech along with another hiss from what was probably a third of the same Pokemon stalking towards them. The Grass Quill Pokemon and Pokedex pair were soon joining the girls when Lillie halted and flinched at backing into raised ground, with Rotom Dex floating close to Viola's left shoulder and Rowlet settling on Viola's right shoulder with ruffled feathers.
Rotom Dex waved its arms and made loud beeping noises as it shouted and faced the Pokemon closing in on them, with a red exclamation point flashing onto its screen. "Oh dear! It'zzz Yungoos!"
"Yungoos?" Viola repeated, quickly glancing to her left at hearing something scurrying their way. A third Yungoos appeared in Viola's line of sight, pausing and eyeing the group of four with a tilted gaze. 'Uh oh.' "Lillie!"
"I know! I'm looking for another one!" Lillie responded to her call in a panicked tone while reaching into her bag for a second can of repel, her shaky hand doing its best to rummage through the various medicines she'd also packed.
"Alright!" Viola clenched her teeth and stretched out her right arm to the side, her gaze locking with the two Yungoos. "Let me know if you need more time. Rowlet and I can distract them. Right, Rowlet?"
"Woo!" Rowlet answered with a loud hoot and made her flinch, hopping across Viola's arm to her elbow before scowling and holding up its wings in a wide stance. Viola's eyes drooped as she watched it from the corners of her vision.
'Well, look who's fired up.'
However, as she focused on the two Yungoos again and opened her mouth to speak her first command, she noticed one of them had crawled its way close to her shoe. The other Yungoos had stopped close to where the group were, having since straightened out its back in favour of observing Viola and Rowlet with a slow blink. Viola's shoulders stiffened as her gaze flickered between the two Yungoos, the will to speak suddenly evaporating into thin air. Even Rowlet had fallen quiet, turning to look at its trainer with a blink of its own.
'That's odd. They looked ready to pounce on us moments ago…' Her gaze briefly drifted to the third Yungoos, who was still standing where she'd last seen it. Its eyes followed her movements intently, causing the blonde to frown. 'Something's not right here.'
As Viola watched the closest Yungoos twitch its pink nose and sniff at her shoe, the clattering of a repel can sounded behind her when Lillie pulled it free from her bag. Viola moved her arm towards Lillie and looked back just as the braided blonde held the can up, causing Rowlet to squawk and jump off Viola's arm. "Hold on!"
"Huh?" Lillie froze and gaped slightly at the other blonde, prompting Viola to tilt her head in the direction of the Yungoos before them.
"I don't think they want to hurt us."
"What?"
As Rowlet settled on Viola's shoulder again, Lillie focused on the two Yungoos. The Yungoos sniffing Viola's shoe stopped and sat down on its hind legs, continuing to make quiet high-pitched noises. The second Yungoos remained where it was with its round ears perked and its body hunched, its gaze trained on Rowlet. The blonde let out a breathless gasp and lowered the repel can. "You're right. They look calmer now…"
Rotom Dex slowly floated to where the closest Yungoos was and loaded its image onto its screen, preparing to cite the Pokedex entry logged in its system for Viola's benefit. "Yungoos: The Loitering Pokemon. A Normal type. Originally imported to Alola from another region, it has sharp fangs and a stomach that takes up most of its torso. Yungoos are known to be big eaters and wander on a never-ending search for food, leading to them collapsing and falling asleep on the spot."
'Sharp fangs, huh…' Viola looked down at the Yungoos closest to her, quietly gulping as her gaze locked onto the Loitering Pokemon's pointed teeth. 'That sounds about right.'
Lillie dropped the repel into her bag and stepped closer to Viola, placing a hand on her chin as the second Yungoos dared to walk to its friend at Viola's feet. "This is certainly peculiar."
Viola turned to Lillie with a blink. "Why?"
"I've read that Yungoos are usually hostile Pokemon. But these Yungoos don't seem bothered that we've walked into their territory…"
Loud high-pitched crying brought Viola's and Lillie's attention towards the third Yungoos lingering on the other side of the cavern, along with the two Yungoos currently in front of them. The Loitering Pokemon repeatedly jerked its head to the left and continued to make its noises, eventually prompting the other two to move away from the girls and trot their way over to it. Viola and Lillie watched with raised brows when the two Yungoos passed the third one by and scurried off up the zigzagged pathway, leading to them sharing a quick glance. Meanwhile, Rowlet tilted its head at the situation, with Rotom Dex scratching the side of its screen with one of its hands.
"Where are they going? Zzt-zzt!"
"Maybe towards the other side of the cavern…?" Lillie mumbled as her eyes locked with the third Yungoos, with Viola following her gaze at seeing it was still standing there.
"Seems like it," Viola replied and observed the Loitering Pokemon turning around, only to tilt its head back in their direction and repeat the same jerking action with a quiet hiss before looking away and following its friends. "And I think it wants us to follow them."
Lillie furrowed her brow. "… Should we?"
Viola gave her an open-armed shrug, already taking a step forward. "Might as well. They're taking us straight to Lucario and Nebby anyway."
Rowlet hooted and held up a wing, causing Viola to flinch as she walked away. Rotom Dex followed the pair with drooped eyes and limp arms, hovering by Viola's side.
"I still don't think thizzz izzz a good idea…"
Lillie stayed where she was, reaching up to twirl a finger around one of her braids while staring at Viola's retreating back. It wasn't until Viola reached the beginning of the path that she realised she couldn't hear Lillie's echoing footsteps behind her, prompting her to stop and look back at the braided blonde as Rotom Dex flew on ahead. At seeing Lillie with her back pressed against the raised ground, she gave a small smile and beckoned her with a finger.
"It'll be fine, Lillie. Don't look so worried."
Lillie said nothing as Viola turned away and continued up the slope. But after a short while of staring, the braided blonde briefly closed her eyes and sucked in a deep breath, slowly letting it out before willing up the courage to jog after the trio. However, as she approached the path, she paused at catching the green glint of the repel she'd dropped close by.
"Oh! I'd better pick that up!"
Lillie strode over and crouched to collect it. But just as her fingers gripped the can, her head straightened at something scurrying behind her. The blonde squeaked and leapt to her feet, with the repel can clutched to her chest. Yet by the time she had, there was nothing there, leaving Lillie blinking a couple of times and faintly frowning.
"Hm… I could have sworn I heard something just now…"
"Lillie!"
Lillie flinched at Viola calling her name. She shook her head and shoved the repel can into her bag, muttering to herself as she jogged towards the slope. "It must have been my imagination."
Lillie held her bag against her side to zip it up, raising her voice to respond to Viola while remaining unaware of the pair of red eyes watching her retreating heels from the hole of the mossy rock. "I- I'm coming! Wait for me!"
"Man, Pichu, you're a fast lil' thing, ain'tcha?" Hau said with a slight smile to the Tiny Mouse Pokemon perched on his right shoulder, who twitched its nose and squeaked when the boy lightly poked it with a finger. "You charged towards Route 3 like you were a Tauros! You must have been real spooked!"
Hau was currently making his way back from Route 3 to Route 2's Pokemon Centre after chasing his terrified Pichu and managing to calm it down. Popplio was still tucked away in Hau's arms against its trainer's front, glancing between Hau and Pichu as the former talked to the latter. Eventually, though, Hau let out a small sigh and shook his head, focusing his gaze ahead as a goofy grin sprung back to his face.
"Oh, well! At least we got to ya before you ran off too far. I just hope Nebby wasn't too…" Hau trailed off and slowed down as the group approached the Pokemon Centre's steps, his brows raising with a blink at seeing no sign of Nebby, Lillie, Viola, or Lucario.
"Huh?" The green-haired boy, along with his Pokemon, turned to the tall grass nearby, his eyes scanning around for any sign of the two girls or their accompanying Pokemon. "Lillie and Viola aren't back yet?"
His gaze settled on the entrance to Verdant Cavern, his brow furrowing after a moment or so. Meanwhile, Pichu raised its head up to the sky and twitched its nose at detecting an unknown scent. "You know, now that I think about it, I thought I saw Nebby fleeing towards the cave. I wonder if Lillie went in there and Viola ended up going after her…"
Hau yelped and stumbled when he felt something small slip under his shirt collar with a loud squeak. He glanced at his shoulder and saw Pichu's tiny head with drooped ears poking out, its little body shaking slightly. "Pichu? What's up, buddy?"
And it wasn't only Pichu. Popplio was looking down at the ground close to the tall grass when its eyes widened at the sight of a group of claw-like footprints imprinted into the dirt. When Popplio barked, Hau's grip on the Sea Lion Pokemon loosened, allowing it to drop to the floor and flop over to where the footprint was.
"Popplio! Don't you go running off on me too!"
Hau jogged after Popplio at making sure Pichu was going to stay put in his shirt collar. As he caught up to the Sea Lion Pokemon though, he finally spied the claw-like footprints in the dirt, causing him to slow down. "Huh?"
Popplio stopped beside the footprint and looked up at its trainer with a frown, loudly barking and clapping its fins together. Hau took that as his cue to crouch, leaning forward to get a better look at the footprint. "A footprint…" He moved his head between Pichu still cowering in his shirt and Popplio getting close to the ground to sniff at the imprint. "Is this why you two are actin' weird?"
Popplio barked in response as it continued to sniff while Pichu squeaked, appearing to confirm Hau's suspicions. The green haired boy glanced ahead to see a trail of the same footprints disappearing into the tall grass, which Popplio dragged itself forward to follow. But Hau didn't follow his Pokemon partner, instead focusing on the footprint in front of him and reaching out a hand to lightly run his fingers down it.
"This footprint is obviously from a Pokemon. But it looks big. I don't remember seeing anything of this size when I've been out here with Gramps." He leaned back and folded his arms, tilting his head upwards with a slight squint. "Yet I think I've seen this somewhere else. Wasn't it in a book that Lillie showed me a while back?"
Pichu was silent as it observed Hau falling into thought. But when Hau growled and grabbed at his hair with both hands, the Tiny Mouse Pokemon yelped and slipped under Hau's shirt again. "I'm no good at remembering this stuff! Where's Lillie and Viola when you need them?!"
"Arf!"
A loud bark from Popplio brought Hau out of his thoughts and had him raising his head, his gaze locking onto the Sea Lion Pokemon standing in front of Verdant Cavern.
"What's up, Popplio?" He asked as he stood and approached his partner.
Popplio swivelled its body round to the right and pointed its nose to the ground just in front of Verdant Cavern's entrance, where the trail of footprints it had been following appeared to stop. Hau's eyes widened when he'd closed the distance between him and the Sea Lion, staring into the darkness shrouding the cave's rocky interior.
"Oh, no… Has that Pokemon gone inside the cavern?" Hau gulped and placed a hand to his throat, rubbing at where he could feel the palpitations beginning to grow. "But Lillie and Viola are in there…"
The green haired boy quickly looked behind him towards the Pokemon Centre, scanning around for any sign of a trainer who could help. But at realising he was alone, Hau gritted his teeth and turned forward again, bending down to grab Popplio. The Sea Lion barked in surprise at being grabbed but made no move to resist.
"There's no time to go for help!" Hau scowled as he dashed into the cavern, hugging Popplio close to his chest. "C'mon, Popplio, Pichu! Lillie and Viola are in danger!"
After following the trio of Yungoos through the zig-zagging paths of Verdant Cavern, Viola and Lillie found themselves crossing over the sunlit threshold and emerging out into the open rocky and grassy area that was apparently hidden at the end of the cave. And just as quickly they also found their sights set on two familiar Pokemon lingering in front of a short wooden pedestal, with the pair of girls calling out to them the moment their gazes fell upon them.
"Lucario!"
"Nebby!"
Both Lucario and Nebby swirled around when they heard the familiar voices, with the latter giving an open-mouthed grin and bouncing around once it recognised the girls. Nebby immediately flew forward in Lillie's direction, practically throwing itself into her waiting arms. Lillie scowled down at the Nebula Pokemon and opened her mouth with a scolding remark on the tip of her tongue. Yet after a few seconds of staring into Nebby's eyes, the braided blonde's expression melted away with a quiet huff.
"Oh, I can't stay angry at you!" She brought Nebby close to her and rested her cheek on top of its body, prompting Nebby to let out a happy "Pew!" and nuzzle itself against its caretaker. "I'm so glad you're okay. Just please don't run off like that again."
Viola couldn't suppress the small smile that appeared on her face at witnessing this interaction. But upon noticing the three Yungoos continuing ahead of them, her gaze followed them to where Lucario was still standing and staring at her with its arms crossed and a faint frown. Unlike Nebby, it hadn't bothered to come and greet her, and she had a feeling it was to do with the troubled look on its face.
"What's up, Lucario?" Viola questioned the Aura Pokemon and made to approach, with Rowlet flying off her shoulder and Rotom Dex following beside her.
Rowlet landed on Lucario's head with a contented "Woo…" and tucked its wings into its body, causing the Aura Pokemon's eyes to droop and Viola to chuckle at the sight. Although it was clear Lucario still held some form of animosity towards the Grass Quill Pokemon, it was at least trying to be mature by letting the smaller Pokemon stay on its head. However, Viola's mirth was cut short when Lucario pointed to something large and brown sprawled out on its front before its feet, halting the young blonde in her tracks with a quiet gasp.
The "large and brown" creature in question was a Pokemon, one that appeared to resemble the three Yungoos surrounding it; a long-body, yellow fur striped along its underside and back, jagged teeth that were exposed and made it seem aggressive, three black claws on each of its four legs. However, aside from the fact this Pokemon appeared larger—much larger—than Yungoos, this Pokemon clearly had its differences in the volume of fur it had near its shoulders, hips, the base of its tail and under its chin, with its eyes possessing squinted pupils that contrasted Yungoos' round, black ones.
"Who's this?" Viola asked and turned to Rotom Dex, with Lillie eventually joining them when Nebby flew out of her arms and returned to its original spot.
Rotom Dex gave a quick salute. "That'zzz my cue!" The Pokedex wasted no time in loading up the necessary data on its screen. Viola noticed that in the image of the Pokemon that Rotom Dex was showing, it was standing up on two legs with its front legs placed behind its back. "Gumshoos: The Stakeout Pokemon—A Normal type and the evolved form of Yungoos. Originally imported to Alola from another region, it boasts incredible patience, often staking out the locations of its prey. Its favourite meal is said to be Rattata and Raticate, but because it's diurnal, it rarely encounters them."
"Gumshoos, huh…" 'So, it is the evolved form of "Yungoos". That explains their similarities.'
The Pokedex squinted and moved closer to Gumshoos, who was quietly observing the newcomers from where it was lying. "Although, this Gumshoos appears to be bigger than it usually is, twice its size even! Zzt-zzt!"
"Really?" Viola tilted her head as she looked the Stakeout Pokemon over. "It looks like it's nearly as tall as me."
Lillie frowned at that remark and placed a finger to her chin, briefly falling into thought over something. But the sound of whimpering coming from the trio of Yungoos quickly brought her back to reality. She and Viola watched one of the Yungoos approach Gumshoo's side and turn to stare at the latter, all the while gently nudging its head against the Stakeout Pokemon.
'What's it doing?'
At hearing Lucario grumble and seeing the Aura Pokemon kneel beside the Loitering Pokemon, the young blonde followed in her friend's example and did the same on the Pokemon's other side on both knees. Brown eyes went wide at sighting the large, three clawed scratch that stretched along the Stakeout Pokemon's left side, which still held a red tint where the skin had been broken; the wound was still fresh, meaning it was recent. And it wasn't the only wound, either. A quick, up-close glance over the injured Pokemon revealed it was covered in other scratch marks and bite marks of varying sizes across its back and legs, and it caused Viola to cover her mouth as she tried to process what she was seeing.
"Viola…?" Lillie timidly called out to the other blonde at noticing the look of shock on her face. However, when Viola didn't answer, the braided blonde slowly made her way over and bent forward to peek over Viola's shoulder. When she saw the injuries, Lillie let out a quiet gasp and covered her mouth and nose with both hands, her green eyes nearly bulging from their sockets. "Oh my… It's hurt."
"This must be why the Yungoos weren't hostile when they saw us," Viola said, lowering her hand away from her face as she and Lillie shared a glance. "Maybe they thought we could help Gumshoos."
All three Yungoos turned around to look up at the two girls as Viola said the latter part, causing Lillie's brows to furrow. "Well, I'm not sure if we can treat Gumshoos ourselves…" Lillie moved to kneel on Viola's empty side and lift her bag strap over her head. "…but I suppose there isn't any harm in trying."
Nebby drifted itself over to where Lucario was and watched with a tilted body as Lillie placed her bag down on her empty side before focusing on Gumshoos. Viola also took her bag off and put it beside her, eventually addressing Gumshoos at noticing the Stakeout Pokemon wasn't reacting at all to their movements.
'Seems like Gumshoos is desperate.' "Gumshoos, do you have any other injuries aside from the bites and scratches?"
Gumshoos slowly shook its head while Lillie's eyes flittered over said injuries, resting her hands together in her lap. "I suspect Gumshoos didn't collapse because of its sustained injuries then. It was likely in a battle with another Pokemon and used up all its strength."
"What kind of Pokemon do you think could have done this?"
Lillie leaned forward a little and squinted at one of the small bite marks on Gumshoos' shoulder, humming in thought. "These scratch and teeth marks do seem familiar. I know I've seen them somewhere…"
"Maybe I can help! Zzt-zzt!" Rotom Dex floated over and hovered close to where Lillie was looking, flipping itself around to take a picture of the marks with a single tap on the screen. After two quick flashes and loud clicks, the Pokedex faced forward again and moved to one of the larger markings, repeating the same actions as before. A few seconds passed before Rotom Dex faced forward again with two images of Pokemon on its screen. "Here we are! According to my database, these markings supposedly match those that belong to these two Pokemon."
On the left side of Rotom Dex's screen was a large, mostly black furred mouse-like Pokemon with a brown patch of fur on its belly and inside its ears and cream fur around its puffy cheeks, thin tail, and feet. It had red eyes and large incisors that were clearly visible and was standing up on its hind legs like Gumshoos could. On the right side of the screen was a much smaller mouse-like Pokemon that resembled the image on the left, appearing to walk on all fours just like Yungoos. However, unlike the bigger Pokemon on the left, the smaller Pokemon on the right had dark-grey fur on its belly and feet, with less and thinner whiskers than its larger counterpart.
Lillie gaped at the images and leaned back, immediately recognising the two Pokemon. "Oh! Yes, I remember now. These markings look similar to those left by a Raticate and Rattata."
"Raticate and Rattata?" Viola repeated, her brows raising towards Rotom Dex. "Didn't you mention those two Pokemon in Gumshoos' Pokedex entry?"
Rotom Dex placed its hands on either side of its screen, like it was mimicking a human placing their hands on their hips. "I did!"
"So, do you think this Gumshoos was trying to hunt one of the mentioned Pokemon and got attacked by a group of them?"
Lillie shook her head. "I don't think so. The entry states that Gumshoos rarely encounters them because its diurnal. I recall reading that Raticate and Rattata are nocturnal. Plus," The braided blonde peeked back at the cavern behind them. "only Yungoos inhabit Verdant Cavern. Rattata are usually found scattered about Route 2, according to what I've read."
Viola scowled at this and scanned over Gumshoos' injuries once more, her hands balling into fists in her lap. 'If that's the case, then… Gumshoos was probably attacked unprovoked. They must have invaded the cavern and Gumshoos got injured fighting them off. But why? What were they after?'
"Hey, Rotom Dex?" Viola addressed the Pokedex once more. "Could you please show us the Pokedex entries for Raticate and Rattata?"
Rotom Dex gave its usual teeth-baring grin and a quick salute as it answered in a cheery tone, flying over so that it was hovering before Viola and Lillie. "Of course! Zzt!" It took a few seconds for Rattata's Pokedex data to load up first, which Rotom Dex happily read aloud for the girls. "Rattata: The Alolan Mouse Pokemon—A Dark and Normal type. It uses its incisors to gnaw its way into people's homes in search of food. Since it is nocturnal, Rattata are mostly active at night, frequently stealing food to bring back to its nest."
"Alolan Mouse Pokemon?" Viola repeated with the tilt of her head as Rotom Dex prepared to load up the next Pokedex entry for Raticate.
"Rattata and Raticate are not native to Alola," Lillie explained, prompting Viola to briefly turn to her with a wide blink. "They came from another region many years ago, just like Yungoos and Gumshoos. Since then, however, they've bred and adapted to Alola's climate, meaning the islands now have Rattata and Raticate that differ from the original breed in terms of appearance, type, habits, and diet, to name a few."
"Whoa, really?"
Lillie nodded and pointed to Rotom Dex's screen, specifically at the small description for Raticate as Rotom Dex prepared to read it aloud again. "This is the case with a lot of Pokemon in Alola, which is why they are categorised as "Alolan" in the Pokedex. It's to emphasise that this form is only found in Alola and helps to distinguish it from its original or commonly known breed."
"Raticate: The Alolan Mouse Pokemon—A Dark and Normal type and the evolved form of Rattata. It forms a group of Rattata and a nest to establish territory, which it takes command of to steal and scavenge for food. Known to have a greedy personality and specific taste for fresh food, it often gets into disputes with other nests that lead to severe fights over feeding grounds."
"Feeding grounds…" Viola mumbled and allowed her gaze to wander around the open area again, deciding to get a good look in case there was anything she'd missed after arriving. But aside from a bit of raised ground behind the pedestal and a slope which allowed easy access, there didn't appear to be anything out of the ordinary.
'It was mentioned in Yungoos' Pokedex entry that it was also a scavenger for food. If Gumshoos had been attacked by Raticate and Rattata over a food dispute, that would have explained its injuries. But there isn't any sign of scraps or food piles here.' The blonde's eyes eventually settled on the wooden pedestal behind Gumshoos, prompting her to narrow them. 'I wonder…'
"Do you think we should take Gumshoos to the Pokemon Centre?" Lillie's question brought Viola back to reality with a wide blink. "These injuries seem serious and I don't think they can be treated by us alone."
Viola scratched at her head and gave Gumshoos a quick look over, her eyes drooping a bit. "I don't know… Gumshoos seems too big and weakened for us to support it. We'd have to help it through the cavern and there were a lot of winding paths back there…"
"Hm…" Lillie hummed in thought and turned to her bag, reaching down to zip it open. "Perhaps we could try and restore its strength so we can escort it to the Pokemon Centre. I think I packed some Oran Berries."
Viola nodded, her brow furrowing as she and Gumshoos locked eyes. "Yeah. That sounds like the best course of action. If Illima was here, we could have told him or gone to get help. But I don't feel comfortable leaving Gumshoos on its own."
"I agree. We should do what we can for it first."
Lucario's head raised when its ears twitched at approaching footsteps it thought it could hear. It wasn't just one pair of footsteps, though. It was multiple. The trio of Yungoos and Gumshoos copied Lucario, with the latter of the pair loudly hissing. As the Pokemons' gazes turned to the cavern behind them, Lillie and Viola were quick to focus on the five Pokemon (with Lillie stopping what was she doing for now) along with Rowlet (who tilted its head and blinked) and Nebby (who glanced between them all with a slight gape).
Viola opened her mouth to speak but stayed quiet when she heard it: faint thumping. Lillie and Viola jumped to their feet along with Lucario and swirled around to the cavern's entrance, with Viola placing a hand to her chest at the sight of the tall silhouette of something round approaching them, moving in time with the noises as they gradually got louder. 'What the…?'
When the ground began to shake slightly from the stomps, Lucario narrowed its eyes and quietly growled, its nose twitching as the unknown creature's scent was finally detected. The Yungoos' backs stiffened as they collectively hissed and took on wide stances in front of Gumshoos, their fur stood on end. Rowlet shrieked and tucked its head as much as it could into its own body. Rotom Dex let out a high-pitched cry and flew to hide in Viola's bag, only to peek partly out of the top. Nebby immediately took cover behind Lillie's legs with a whimper and trembled, and Lillie didn't hesitate in moving behind Viola and gripping tightly onto her shoulders with a quiet gasp, all the while the silhouette continued to grow the closer it got. Viola could feel her pulse in her ears by this time, which was beating with each step closer. The shape seemed strangely familiar, and already the cogs were beginning to turn in her head based on the reactions of Yungoos and Gumshoos.
'Oh no. Please don't tell me…'
She trailed off the moment the Pokemon revealed itself to the group standing close to the girls' height, the sight causing Lillie's and Viola's jaws to drop with loud, horrified gasps.
"No… It can't be…"
"Raticate…"
