Chapter 2: Cave of Shadows

With the help of the paladin Rapidash, Larvesta feels he has started off on the right track to get the support needed to fend off Lilligant's forces. However, his journey would not be easy by any means, so adequate preparation and strength would be required. Following his victory over the bandits at Western Sahra Town, Larvesta visits a nearby cave to train up against the denizens of the area. Apparently, a group of thugs not unlike those who had attacked the town earlier had set up base in the cave to plan out attacks. Rumors also spread that the gang is being supported by a sinful beast, causing nearby citizens to fear the place and avoid it at all costs. Despite these warnings, Larvesta and Rapidash venture forth into the cave to prepare for their eventual onslaught.

Larvesta and Rapidash approach the entrance of the cave. There were a couple of houses just outside the area, albeit in poor condition, and some goons could be seen roaming around both in and out of the cavern. The tiny village appears mostly bare of any citizens sans the bandits within the vicinity. Within the cave, there appears to be a conflict going on between some travellers and a number of the local thugs.

Larvesta looks out to the cave and the nearby village to get a good glimpse of the vicinity. He is heavily fatigued from all of the running he had to do to reach the area, though. "Seems like this is the place… Phew, this was such a long walk…"

Larvesta notices that Rapidash is not nearly as fatigued, and looks startled at the paladin's impressive stamina. "What the-!? how are you still not passed out?"

"I'm a natural jogger. It comes with the territory. A distance like this is no trouble for one as athletic as I am," Rapidash explains to Larvesta.

Larvesta is still a little bewildered at Rapidash's speed, but realizes that a majority of his adventure will likely involve travelling large distances, much to the insect's dismay. "So I guess I'm going to have to do a lot of walking on my journey…? Oh dear, I'm going to have to steel myself for these long distances…'

Rapidash, despite not being nearly as tired, understands Larvesta's sentiment. "No kidding. Anyways, it would appear the local thugs are roaming just outside the cave, as well as in, so they're pretty spread out around the field. I'd prepare for anything."

Meanwhile, deep within the cave, an Oshawott and Froakie duo struggle to fend off some of the enemies lurking in the cavern. Though they are holding on somewhat decently, the two are wearing out.

Oshawott is using his blade-like shell to fend off a wild brigand, while Froakie had some throwing daggers to get at his targets from afar.

Oshawott curses his current predicament as he and his partner are starting to get overwhelmed by enemies. "Blast it all… I guess I shouldn't have bet on this cave to pay off my arena debts… That Sin of Sloth sure knows how to keep himself properly guarded."

Froakie is not amused with his gambling-obsessed teammate for landing the two in the mess they are in at the moment. "Oshawott, you knew this would have been too dangerous for just the two of us to deal with! Maybe you should have thought twice before hitting up that old geezer's request? He did say there was another party of fighters that got trapped in here before us!"

Not fazed by Froakie's frustration, Oshawott still insists on getting to the end of the cavern. "Hey, we've already accepted the poor lad's mission. Might as well see it to the end. I hear there's a lovely lady waiting for us to come rescue her!"

This did not satiate Froakie in the slightest. "If I die, I'm telling Arceus you sent me to the afterlife…" he murmured under his breath.

Back outside the cave, Tepig and Snivy catch up to their leaders. While Snivy was just as exhausted as Larvesta was, Tepig, while also fatigued to an extent himself, was still in a somewhat capable mood.

Snivy took notice of her surroundings as she was taking some big breaths. "More bandits, huh...? Seems like they're tougher than the ones that attacked our training station."

Tepig, being the adventure-seeker he is, decides to rush right out and tackle the enemies head on. He shouts, "Alright! Now we're going up against the real deal! I'm charging right in!" to the others as he prepares for takeoff.

"Uh, Tepig, you think maybe we should-" Snivy says as she attempts to reach out for her partner. Unfortunately for her, by the time her words reached Tepig, he was already running straight towards the enemies.

"You hear me, bandits!? Tepig the Tough Cavalier is coming to knock your door down!" shouts Tepig as he rushes out.

"...and he's gone now," Snivy worriedly says. Reluctantly, she goes after her teammate to back him up and make sure he doesn't get overwhelmed.

Rapidash worries for his two students, who had just ran off on their own, but he decides to stick with Larvesta for now. "Only their first real battle and already they're getting ahead of themselves. I'm sure they're smart enough to stick together and fight as a team, at the very least. Hopefully, they'll manage," he remarked. "Anyways, the enemies here are going to start getting tougher, what, with a Deadly Sin backing them up this time from within. I say we steel ourselves for whatever we may have to take on."

Larvesta takes Rapidash's warning into consideration, but is otherwise ready to begin their next objective. "I can imagine, Sir Rapidash. Hopefully, we can find some help around here to even the odds against whatever is in that cave," he states.

With the entire squad at the target location, Larvesta goes out and charges into the battlefield. Snivy and Tepig, still ahead of their leaders, go out and pick off the first few thugs in the area. Though they get scratched somewhat, they are able to take on their enemies somewhat decently. Rapidash eventually catches up to his students, and gets a victory for himself against a more powerful looking brigand. The brigand he fought dropped an Iron Axe that Rapidash saw. "Hmm… Could someone in our party get some use out of this?" he thinks to himself. Not wanting the enemies to reclaim their weapon, Rapidash holds onto it for now.

Just then, Larvesta catches up to his soldiers, though he seems about ready to pass out. Breathing heavily, he states, "Man, all this running is making me worn out..." He notices Tepig and Snivy have also sustained a few injuries from fighting the enemies from earlier. Larvesta checks everyones' inventories, but finds to his worry that the team is low on healing items.

Rapidash looks equally concerned. "Hrmmm… Without any means of rejuvenating ourselves, this mission just got a whole lot more dangerous." He is almost ready to turn back, but as he is about to give the order, he notices the village just outside of the cave entrance.

Larvesta suggests that the team goes into the village to look for help. "Maybe someone inside could let us stay for a while or nurse our more injured fighters," he recommends.

Rapidash, on the other hand, is a little skeptical about who or what could be inside. Despite this, he realizes that the village is their best bet, and tells Larvesta and the others that he will go out on his lonesome. "I'll see if there is anyone inside. I'm more experienced than you all, so I should be able to disarm any traps or hideouts that may be in there. Meanwhile, I want you all to stick together so we don't risk anyone biting the bullet."

With their plan made, Rapidash ventures into the village. At the village, Rapidash cautiously readies himself for anything, but also tries to appear approachable so as to not scare off any help the team could receive.

"Honestly, I have to wonder... What's a village doing out in front of this cave?" he thinks to himself.

Conveniently, there is a sign just outside of the village, reading: "Northern Sahra Mining Facility - Population: #X&". The sign is incredibly desolate and damaged, suggesting that the facility has not been used in ages. The population number in particular is completely unlegible.

As Rapidash reads the sign, an elderly man approaches him in a panicked state, flailing his arms up and about. "Oh, a visitor! Greetings, young lad! Could you lend us your help, please?"

Rapidash is startled by the elder, and engages in an intimidating pose at first. "Y-young lad!? Who does this guy think he's talking to? I'm 39, for goodness sake!" he thinks. After closer examination, however, the paladin realizes his opposition means no harm and decides to take him up on his request. "Help? Sure thing. What do you need?" he says to the old man as he drops his battle stance.

The elder explains the situation to Rapidash. "A party of heroes just went deep into the cave to fight the Deadly Sin lurking inside, and they haven't been seen or heard from in days! They could be in grave danger!"

Rapidash is surprised to hear that they are not the only ones who have come to challenge the Sin of Sloth. "Someone else went in before us?" Though still worried about Snivy and Tepig, Rapidash does not wish for the party inside to be in danger longer than necessary. "We were just about to head in as well. If we find them, we'll be sure to save them," he tells the villager.

"Oh, thank you, young soldiers! I am sure they will appreciate your help!" the elder says, thankful for Rapidash's cooperation.

Seeming to remember something, the old man makes another request to Rapidash, introducing himself to the paladin as well. "Actually, may I come along with you? I'm sure you could use my aid. I am Trevenant, a humble cleric. If you get injured, I can help soothe your wounds."

Rapidash, seeing Trevenant's resolve and also in need of a healer, accepts the old tree's request to join Team Valiant. "Thank you for your offer. We could use all the help we can get. Welcome to the team, Trevenant."

Before venturing into the cave, however, Rapidash also tells Trevenant about his own current situation. "Actually, I have some soldiers that could use your healing powers right about now. Come with me, I'll take you to them," he says to the cleric.

The two of them go and return to Larvesta's location. Thankfully, Tepig and Snivy are still breathing and in relatively good spirits.

Trevenant looks at Larvesta and greets himself to the leader. "Greetings, young lad. I take it you're the one in charge of this squad?"

Larvesta responds, "Yes, sir. That would be me. Are you the one Rapidash brought over to assist us?"

Trevenant nods in agreement. "Yes, that would be me. I am Trevenant, a humble cleric." The tree sees that Tepig and Snivy have some injuries and goes over to them. "I see these two fine souls have gotten hurt out there. Let me help." He gets out a peaceful looking staff, and holds it up to the sky near the two cavaliers. A soothing light radiates near the area, calming Tepig and Snivy. Soon after, the light stops, and the two find themselves reinvigorated and ready to start the mission proper.

"There, that should reinvigorate your spirits. Should you get hurt out in combat, you can always come to me for aid," Trevenant reassures the soldiers in Larvesta's team.

"Alright! Now that I'm restocked, I'm ready to go out and topple that Deadly Sin of Sloth!" shouts Tepig as he got back up on his feet.

Snivy is also in top condition after Trevenant's spell. "You have my gratitude, Trevenant. I'm ready for the mission ahead of us now," she thanks him.

Now with the team fully healed, Larvesta and his army venture into the cave.

The cavern is rather dark and damp for the most part, but a handful of torches around the area do make visibility less of a hassle. Some parts of the wall look dug into, seemingly from the mining facility that used to be run in the nearby village. Further into the cave, the sounds of metal clashing against one another, and bickering amongst enemies can be heard.

A Houndour is leading the enemy forces, bossing them around and giving orders against the duo that is fighting his squad. "C'mon, you sacks of slime! Can't even fend off a pair of sea lubbers! Snorlax isn't paying us to get ourselves slaughtered, you know!" he shouts to his underlings.

The same Oshawott and Froakie from before are making their way deeper into the tunnel. Though they had managed to hold on alright against the opposition, they are badly wounded and their weapons are starting to run thin.

"Grr… Our resources are starting to wane. Escaping this stupid cavern would be ideal, but I don't even know if that's possible at this point," Froakie complains, shooting a death glare at his partner.

A discomforted Oshawott refutes Froakie's remark, "Hey, I never forced you to come here, my bud. You could've stayed behind if you wanted."

"And let a freak like you run off and get yourself killed down there? I'm not that irresponsible," Froakie rebuts.

Unfortunately, before the two can ponder their situation any further, a few more enemies spot them and immediately give chase.

"Grr, blast it!" Froakie exclaims. "Well, we don't have much to defend ourselves with. Might as well endure while we can. Oshawott, watch my back!" he remarks.

"I don't imagine we'll need to hold out for long," says Oshawott in return. "If my genre-savvy mind knows what it's thinking, we should be saved right about…"

As Oshawott predicts, Larvesta's army finally makes their way down into where the two are stuck at.

"...now," Oshawott finishes. He searches through Larvesta's team to see if there is anyone who could catch his interest, and his gaze is almost immediately directed towards Snivy.

"Hmm? Oh… Look what we have here…" he notes as he walks towards the green cavalier.

Snivy looks a little weirded out by the myrmidon approaching her. "Uhh… Excuse me, who exactly are you?" she asks.

Oshawott starts flirting with her, hoping to make a good impression on the five billionth woman he has become infatuated with. "Worry not, my fair maiden. I'll stand by your side eternally as your knight in shining armor. With me by your side, not a single mark will ever ruin your gorgeous skin."

"Err… Thanks for the help, but I'm sure I can defend myself just fine," Snivy responds, not sure how to reply to Oshawott's advances.

"Ah, so you're the feisty type, I take it? Then I'll stand as your equal, and together, we'll become a tag team to be reckoned with!" Oshawott says to his six billionth crush. Froakie facepalms in the distance.

"Feisty?" Snivy asks. "I wouldn't consider myself fond of combat. If you're looking for feisty, you might want to try my partner, Tepig," she explains to the myrmidon looking to score with his seven billionth potential partner.

"You have other teammates? Ah, I see. Looks like I've got some competition. All the more reason to show off my skills and prove myself worthy!" Oshawott boasts, not wanting to lose his eight billionth love at first sight. Tepig is watching the whole thing unfold as well, and he seems weirded out by their new teammate as well.

"Uh… Okay then. Thanks for your offer, kind sir. We could use all the help we can get to bolster our strengths," Snivy thanks him for, not wanting to be rude. Weirded out by Oshawott's attempts to woo her, however, Snivy thinks to herself, "Geez, this guy is out of his mind. Hope he doesn't cause us too much trouble…"

"Your thanks are very much appreciated, fair maiden. I'll be sure to cut down anyone who gets in our way, so give the word, and I'll take down whoever blocks our path!" Oshawott remarks as he invites himself into Team Valiant.

Now noticing the leader of Team Valiant after flirting with Snivy, Oshawott goes up to Larvesta to introduce himself.

"Oh, hey! Are you alright?" Larvesta asks, as Oshawott approaches him.

Oshawott takes some time to examine the caterpillar standing right in front of him. "Hmmm…? Oh, hello… Would you happen to be the leader of this pack of fighters?" he asks.

"Yes. I call this group Team Valiant," Larvesta replies. "I… see you've already let yourself into our ranks," he adds, having just witnessed Oshawott's little stunt with Snivy.

"That I have. I see you prefer the sword as your weapon of choice, just like I do," Oshawott notes, examining Larvesta's Solaris. "You and I, I'm sure we'll get along great! Fight in the arenas, woo some lovely ladies, you'll have a blast!" he further adds on, hoping to rope Larvesta in on his hobbies.

"Seems you're a pretty capable fighter. I'm sure you'll help us out a lot!" Larvesta compliments the otter. However, his compliment is quickly followed up with a suggestion Oshawott wouldn't like. "Though, if I could say something, do try to keep your casanova impressions off the battlefield, please. This isn't the place to go getting all mushy with the other soldiers…"

"Aww, come on. Battlefield's the best place to show off to your potential mates," Oshawott whines. However, realizing he could get kicked out before he even gets a chance to shine, Oshawott quickly retracts his statement. "...but, if it's an order from the boss, I guess I can't exactly cry foul, now can I? I'll… keep your word in mind as I spar."

Larvesta adds on to his request to Oshawott. "Oh, and another thing, but could I please keep out of the flirting with the ladies stuff? It's not exactly something I enjoy doing, personally," he notes.

"Hm? Well, sure thing then," Oshawott says, slightly disappointed. "There a reason you don't enjoy that game of chance?" he asks.

"I don't remember all of the details, but something in me is telling me I shouldn't be doing that sort of stunt…" Larvesta responds.

Oshawott keeps Larvesta's word in mind. "Okay, if you insist… But I'm telling you, you're missing out."

Having spoken with the boss, Oshawott goes back to speak with Froakie and convince the frog thief to tag along as well.

"Alright, my buddy. Boss's letting us into his ranks," Oshawott lets Froakie know.

"Hmph. Would you look at that? You actually did something constructive for once," Froakie bluntly responds.

Oshawott, not wanting to take Froakie's sarcastic insult, attempts to sway the conversation in his direction. "See, I can be helpful. With a budding army at our side, you and I, we'll become famous fighters across the globe!"

Froakie, however, tries bringing his teammate back down to earth instead. "Oshawott, don't go getting any lofty ambitions just yet. This team Larvesta is building is still naught but a few units. For all I know, he'll just up and quit before he makes any real progress."

"Oh, come on, old chap! Don't be such a downer! I'm sure he and his crew will get plenty of use out of you!" Oshawott replies, not appreciating Froakie's pessimism.

Eventually, Froakie decides to give in and join Larvesta's cause. He tells Oshawott, "Hmph. Whatever you say. I'll stay on board. Maybe the insect will actually give me something decent."

"What an… odd bunch these two are…" Larvesta thinks as he witnessed his two latest recruits banter with each other. It makes him wonder who else will join his cause during his adventure.

After picking up his new recruits, Larvesta and the gang delve deeper into the cavern. Eventually, after knocking down some more enemies in the cave, Team Valiant finally confronts the mercenary in charge of the cave's thugs.

"Eh? Whaddaya think yer' doin here, you blazin' moron!? I'll pulverize ye for messin with one such as myself!" shouts Houndour as he swings his sword at the young Larvesta.

Larvesta swiftly dodges the enemy's attack, and fights back using his Solaris sword. However, Houndour is able to block his opponent's strike, and knocks the caterpillar back, sending him flying into a nearby wall.

"Larvesta!" shouts Raidash as he runs over to make sure his leader is okay.

Tepig and Snivy also attempt to intercept the Houndour, but find themselves busy having to take on some more underlings. Trevenant, meanwhile, is going around healing his allies, and Froakie picks a nearby treasure chest containing 500P.

Oshawott, seeing that the others are busy with their own affairs, decides to impress his teammates by taking down the leader himself. He unsheathes a very sharp sword and steadies his aim just as the Houndour notices the sea otter and hones in on him.

After steadying for a bit, the edge of Oshawott's sword glows a bright red and he jumps back quickly before lunging out and slashes at the Houndour with his blade, sending him flying and knocking him out.

"Killing Edge. How do you like that?" asks Oshawott as he sticks his landing.

"Eugh… I got too reckless with myself…" winces the Houndour as he falls to his legs.

Larvesta breathes a sigh of relief that they got through the first part of the dungeon. "Well, that about deals with that group of enemies. You two, you both did great," he praises the two water starters.

Oshawott accepts Larvesta's compliment with grace. "I could do no less, my new boss. Gotta keep myself sharp if I want the ladies to continue swooning over me."

Froakie, meanwhile, does not seem nearly as enthralled at his predicament. "I'm just thankful I didn't have to greet the reaper's scythe earlier than I wanted."

Larvesta gives a slight nervous sweat at Froakie's remark as he scratches his head a little. "Well, whatever floats your boat. I'm glad to have you on my side."

Trevenant examines the surrounding area and notices Froakie and Oshawott, recognizing them as a duo who set out on the mission before Larvesta's group did. "Oh! You're the duo who went to save that band of heroes I was talking about!" he remarks.

Froakie, realizing who he is talking to, quickly angers and gets out his weapon, pointing it at the ghastly tree. "You! You did this to us! What were you thinking, just sending the two of us in there on our lonesome without your healing powers!?"

Trevenant, startled by Froakie's sudden outburst, apologizes for staying behind. "I do apologize for not accompanying you… I very much do not enjoy the sight of blood being spilled and Pokémon getting hurt, and I feared for my life down in this cavern."

Oshawott, though not as upset as his partner, does still give a dirty look towards Trevenant. "Oh, is that so, old guy? Then why did you accompany this band of total strangers?" he asks.

Trevenant casually explains his reasoning to the two. "They were already in need of a healer, and I thought I could help you two as well if on the off chance you were still alive."

Froakie sarcastically thanks the healer. "Well, thanks for EVENTUALLY caring, I guess."

"Your reasons for joining Team Valiant are of no importance to us," Rapidash remarks. "What matters is that we accomplish the task we set out to do," he adds.

Rapidash briefly tells the newcomers what he and Team Valiant are doing in the cave. "Our initial reason for coming to this cave was simply to train for a much grander objective we intend to fulfil at a later time."

With Trevenant's request, however, Team Valiant now has another reason to get to the bottom of the dark cave. "However, as Trevenant has pointed out, another team has gotten lost in here and has not been seen for a few days. My theory as of now is that the leader of this band of thieves is holding the team hostage," explains Rapidash.

"If we can find and rescue the party that vanished in this cavern, they could prove of use to our cause. Even if they do not help us out in battle, we could still gain some insight or clues as to how we can go about accomplishing our overarching mission," the paladin concludes.

Froakie rudely interjects Rapidash's suggestion, tired from having to fight all of those enemies in his weakened state. "Pfft. As if a gang of noobs who got trapped in a basic structure like this could be of any use to us. I imagine they're already dead at this point."

Oshawott, not appreciating Froakie's remark, calls him out for it. "Hey, be a good sport, my bud. Besides, we got stuck in here as well. You got NOOOO room to talk."

Froakie gets startled at the realization, and grumbles to himself over his folly.

Despite Froakie's assumption, however, Larvesta also insists on checking to make sure. "Well, even if these people have perished, the least we could do is check to see if they're still alive and in working order. After a bit of rest, we'll head into the depths of this place and see what's lurking down there."

Before advancing, however, Rapidash is quick to remind the team of the danger that awaits at the depths. "A word of warning before we advance, though. The monster we are about to face is known as a Deadly Sin. These titans are dangerous and vile creatures who will stop at nothing to slaughter anyone they can. We need to make ample preparation before going to face one of these villains."

Larvesta ponders Rapidash's warning. "Sounds like trouble. In that case, I agree. We should rest up for a bit before fighting that Deadly Sin," he states.

With a number of new allies joining the cause, Larvesta ventures further into the cave of shadows to confront the great giant lurking within. Little did he know what kind of enemy he would be facing in the depths of the mine. As Larvesta and his friends take a brief respite to get their bearings back together, they ponder the kind of monster the Deadly Sin of Sloth will become. What madness is the Sin of Sloth capable of? What contributions will Trevenant, Oshawott, and Froakie make to the revolt against Lilligant? With these questions in mind, Larvesta ventures into the pit to confront his first major enemy.

-TO BE CONTINUED-