~ Chapter 37 ~

The Curse of Mt. Coronet

"After leaving the ranch, we reached Route 207. We were fully restocked with supplies, and we were ready to go through the caverns of Mt. Coronet. The central mountain for which the entire chain got its name is the largest in all of Sinnoh, but also the most dangerous. It was filled with more than just Geodude, Graveler, Zubat and Golbat. There were another dangerous Pokémon, and, some say that there were Legendary Pokémon living in Mt. Coronet. Worse than that was the curse said to reside on the entire mountain chain; a deadly curse that is said to kill all who travel through, on or under Mt. Coronet. You can see why we felt uncomfortable travelling through it? And it didn't help that we got separated—again."

The group stared up at the large, black mountain.

It was steep and stood higher than the sky. Its peak hidden by the clouds. The entire mountain chain itself was ominous. That's why many people felt superstitious about it. But the central mountain, the one that the whole mountain chain was named after, was the worst of all.

At the top, was the Spear Pillar. One of the oldest, and most powerful of ruins across all of the Sinnoh Region, maybe even the world. Not much was known about it. People didn't go to the Spear Pillar anymore. Not in thousands of years.

"This place gives me the chills," said Alyssandra with slight shivers as the four teenagers sat on the side of the dirt road on Route 207, taking a small break for lunch.

Jeremy nodded in agreement, and Sam made a motion with his hand that he gave his support.

Even Niya felt a weird feeling coming from the whole mountain.

It was bad luck. But it divided Sinnoh in half, and anyone looking to get to the northern most areas, or cross from east to west and vice versa, needed to traverse the mountain. Going through it was a lot safer than going over it.

"I thought they were going to build a railway service through the mountain to make it safer for travelers without Pokémon?" pointed out Jeremy, noticing a visible lack of tracks.

Niya responded. "Too many problems while constructing it," she explained, "The workers kept having accidents, so the project was called off. That's why the Eastern Sinnoh Rail will probably forever remain just that; eastern."

"The ancient tales aren't true, are they?" asked Alyssandra, hoping the answer was no, "Aren't they just stories made up by people in Sinnoh to scare tourists?"

"I'd love to say yes, Lyss," started Sam, "But even I know if these stories are real or not. You know how I am, not much scares me, but this mountain really gives me a weird feeling. I don't know what to make of it, but there's definitely something big in there."

The group fell silent, and Niya let out a small laugh. "Do you remember how Sam's grandfather used to scare us with the stories of Mount Coronet and why people first abandoned it?"

"He told us that the people who once lived in ancient Sinnoh lived up in the top of Mount Coronet and the surrounding mountain chain, and that they used to worship the gods together at the Spear Pillar. It was said that the Spear Pillar was the resting place for the creator gods of the world, and from where they created most of the Earth. But one day, some of the people started warring, with each other."

"The fighting got so out of hand that it actually split over into the Spear Pillar and people began fighting during their annual prayer ceremony until many were wounded and killed. Angered that the humans had begun acting savagely, the creator gods commanded them to leave the Spear Pillar and all of the surrounding mountains, lest they all be struck by disaster. Scared by the gods, all of the ancient people of Sinnoh left their mountain homes immediately, and escaped into the valleys below, settling in places that eventually became the towns and cities we know today."

"And since that day, no one who didn't have a death wish has ever gone back up to the Spear Pillar. Every time someone unworthy passes through Mount Coronet, the gods judge them, and meet ill fates at the hands of the curse."

Alyssandra hugged herself like she was cold as she remembered. "It was eerie the way he used to tell that story," she said, though she smiled a bit as she remembered, "We got so scared one time we refused to sleep without each other for three days, remember?"

Sam laughed. "And my grandmother got so mad at him for scaring us like that."

He fell silent for a moment, as he remembered how his grandfather used to love entertaining Sam and his friends. He loved all of them like they were all his grandchildren.

"My grandfather always told me that he was proud of me for the friends I made," said Sam softly, "I guess he could see how close we were and how much we cared about each other even back then. It always used to make him happy when we were together. Now I think I know why. It used to remind him of his travels with Professor Rowan."

The group fell silent again for a second time before Sam gave a small laugh. "Well, no time to waste," he said, standing up and brushing the dirt off his body, then picking up his bag and slinging it over his shoulder.

"Hey, Sam, what happened to your Eevee egg?" asked Niya, pointing to Sam's emptier looking bag, as she strapped her backpack on tighter, "I thought you'd be keeping it on you while you travelled."

Sam shook his head. "I agree that eggs should be kept close to the Trainer, but Mt. Coronet could be dangerous, and I don't always trust the portable incubators in a pinch," he explained, "It'll be safer to keep the egg in the industrial incubator at the Ranch until it's closer to hatching."

Niya rolled her eyes. "Good to know," she joked, "But why not keep the egg with an Eevee? Isn't that better than an incubator?"

"Not always," answered Sam, "Pokémon can often get attached to eggs their given, even if they're not their own, and that just makes it harder to take the egg away when it's close to hatching."

Niya nodded, pretending to understand everything, and Sam chuckled in response.

The group slowly approached the mountain, but before anyone could take his first step, Alyssandra raised her hand as if to halt everyone. "Wait!" she said frantically, "Let me just do something first!"

"What's that?" asked Jeremy, kneeling down to watch Alyssandra rummage through her bag, "Did you forget to put your makeup on properly this morning?"

Sam and Jeremy laughed, and even Niya let out a small "ha-ha" before they fell silent at Alyssandra's glare.

"No," she said defiantly, "I just want to use that Everstone I got from Sam's uncle first."

"Oh, so you've decided whether or not your evolving your Pokémon?" asked Sam curiously.

"Let's hope you choose to use it on all of your Pokémon," said Niya with a tone of seriousness.

Sam raised an eyebrow curiously and looked at her. "Do you really hate evolution that much?" he wondered.

Niya shrugged and simply said. "I have my reasons," before going quiet to let Alyssandra continue.

"I've already evolved Lopunny and Cherrim," said Alyssandra happily, "But I've decided to not evolve Piplup or Shinx. I'm going to leave them as is, but I will evolve the rest of my Pokémon—should they so wish."

"What do you mean?" asked Sam, "You ask your Pokémon if they want to evolve?"

Alyssandra nodded. "I talked it over with Piplup, Shinx, Eevee and Budew," explained Alyssandra with a wide grin, "The other two weren't sure yet, but Shinx and Piplup didn't want to evolve. Evolution is a big part of a Pokémon's life, and it's a major step. I couldn't decide, and it's not just fair—at least in my eyes—to force them to evolve if they don't want to. Even if in the end they come to enjoy it, it's still not right. So, I asked my Pokémon and they told me."

Sam laughed and rolled his eyes. "You take compassion for your Pokémon to a whole new level," he joked, "But I do have to admire you for it. Well, if that's your choice, by all means we'll wait."

And so, the group did, as Alyssandra fumbled through her shoulder bag, pulling out all sorts of things she kept in there.

Finally, after releasing her Piplup and Shinx, she pulled out a small, round, grey stone that looked like something one would pull out a riverbed. It was smooth and looked like the rolling motion of a river had beaten the rough edges away after many years.

But Sam knew better.

This was an Everstone. A rare stone made rare because of its properties, and one of the rarest of the evolution stones. Most evolution stones cause Pokémon to evolve in certain ways depending on type or use. But the Everstone did the exact opposite and prevented Pokémon from ever evolving after one touch.

Sam watched as Shinx and Piplup touch the stone and become enveloped in a white light, similar to that of evolution.

But after a few seconds, the light dispersed and sparkled in the air, floating down to the ground like falling leave. The Pokémon remained the same and unchanged.

The evolution cycle was broken permanently.

Alyssandra thanked her Pokémon and returned them to their Poké Balls and began to shovel things back into her bag in a rush.

As she did, Sam knelt down, noticing something that caught his eye. He picked it up and examined it. It was stone, smooth and shiny, almost like it was a gemstone, but it was also partially covered in moss. It was the same size as a Poké Ball, fitting in the palm of one hand like some kind of misshapen orb.

"Where did you get this?" asked Sam, "I've never seen something like this before. Is this a gemstone?"

Alyssandra looked it over, trying to remember how she had come to possess it, and then finally remembered after several minutes of pondering.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, "It was in the cave in Eterna Forest. I spent a few days camped out there while you were passed out, so I did some exploring. While I was in the cave, I found this large stone, like the one here but much, much larger. It was kind of cool, and I wanted to see if it was useful for anything Pokémon related so I took some. I couldn't move the large rock, but that entire part of the cave seemed to be made from it, so I just grabbed a small one and put it in my bag. I don't know what it does though. I want to have Professor Rowan look at it next time we're at a Pokémon Centre."

Sam nodded and placed the rock back in Alyssandra's bag for her. "I'd like to know what it does as well. I feel like I should know this but…I'm completely drawing a blank it seems. But the stone looks familiar, that much is certain."

"Come on, let's get going," said Jeremy suddenly, shuffling around on the spot as a breeze blew through the valley. He had been unusually quiet today, perhaps because of the location, or because he was just tired, though Sam guessed it was the former.

Sam nodded. "No need to linger here longer than needed," he finished for Jeremy, "I get it."

With that, the group set off towards their destination.

If all went well, they'd be able to pass through Mount Coronet in a day or two. Three if there were problems, but anything longer than that and they would be asking for trouble.

Besides, Alyssandra needed to make it to Hearthome City as soon as possible to register for the Hearthome City Pokémon Contest and time was of the essence.

The group climbed up several crudely hewn steps, carved from the side of the mountain what seemed like eons ago. They were worn by weather and strewn with falling rocks, pebbles and boulders that had fallen down from the cliffs above.

After two flights of stairs, the group reached a large, massive, roughly carved hole in the side of the mountain.

The caverns inside of Mount Coronet were natural, but the tunnels leading into them were manmade and supposedly thousands of years old.

"Are you ready?" asked Sam ominously, feeling the hot air flow into his face from within the caverns itself, like the breath of a great beast.

Everyone else nodded, not wanting to speak lest the noise cause something bad to happen.

Together, a little afraid, but ready to brave what they had to for the sake of their adventure, the group stepped into the darkness. Their flashlights in hand, standing close to each other, heading deeper into the belly of the beast.

The group stared in awe as they looked upon the caverns of Mount Coronet.

After walking for an hour through narrow tunnels, the group had finally made it to the caverns, and they couldn't believe that something so beautiful existed within caves so sinister and evil. Something supposedly plagued with curses older than the region itself.

It was wondrous.

As far as they could see there were high ceilings and large stone pillars. Crystals giving off various colours and lights, protruding from the ceilings, floors, and walls.

There were pools of water, large and small, deep, and shallow.

There were raised areas with more carved steps in the side of them, and openings like windows and doors that led to hollowed out spaces within them.

These places must once have been houses.

It looked like a large underground city.

"I heard that these caverns were once used by the ancient peoples as safe areas during bad weather and heavy winters," explained Niya, as if echoing the thoughts everyone was having about the way the place looked, "And during certain times of the year, this was a market where traders from different tribes would sell and trade their wares. It was even used for storehouses at certain points. It all depended on necessity. The people of ancient Sinnoh were quite advanced considering how long ago it was."

"Can you imagine what it must've been like for them to leave?" asked Sam, the thought coming to him suddenly.

The ancient tribes had such an intricate life here that they devoted many generations towards building. They had everything they could ever possibly want, but the greed of mankind clouded their minds and as a result they paid for their bloodlust with their homes. Their lives were uprooted because they could not learn to make their own peace, and in the end, they begot their own destruction and upheaval.

The group kept walking through the cavern, sidestepping puddles, and large rocks.

They used compasses to find their way around. With each of them keeping an eye on another's directions. They weren't getting lost in this cave—not if they could help it.

After another few minutes, the group stopped once more. This time looking up at one of the raised rocky areas. Upon it stood a tall man, with spiky blue hair. He looked gaunt, and aged, maybe even a little angry.

He was focusing hard on something. Looking towards the ceiling.

Suddenly, the man turned around and walked down the steps. He paused, looking at each of the group, then held out his hand.

"Hello," he said calmly, almost without feeling "I am Professor Yarrow, Professor of Anthropology and Pokémonthropology at Sin U. Who might you all be?"

"Uh, well, I'm Sam," stated Sam very uneasily.

It was as if that man knew they were all there before he had turned around. Like he had been expecting them to show up. It was freaky.

"I'm Alyssandra," Alyssandra said next, putting on an air of friendliness.

Niya introduced herself next, just giving her first name and a hello.

Last came Jeremy, who nervously gave his first and last names and extended his hand in return to be shook.

Everyone else followed Jeremy in shaking Professor Yarrow's hand, and as Sam did, he took the time to examine the Professor carefully.

He wore a plain white lab coat over brown pants and a dark navy dress shirt. His shirt was tucked into his pants, which were supported by a black leather belt.

In Professor Yarrow's breast pocket sat a pair of glasses, probably for reading, as the Professor did not seem to need to wear them all the time.

"If you don't mind me asking," stated the Professor, breaking Sam's concentration, "What are a group of young teenagers like yourself doing in a dangerous place like this?"

His voice was soft. Like a gentle summer breeze. Deep, full of wisdom and knowledge. He spoke in a whisper, almost.

Alyssandra was the first to answer, responding to Professor Yarrow as comfortably as she would one of her friends. "We're on our way to Hearthome City," she said, "I have a Pokémon Contest there, and afterwards we're going to keep travelling on our Pokémon Journey. I'm not sure where Sam's next Gym Battle is, but we'll probably head wherever that is after."

"Ah, fascinating," said Professor Yarrow as he stroked his chin, "A Pokémon Coordinator and a Pokémon Trainer."

Sam and Niya looked at each other. They weren't sure if what Alyssandra did was a good or bad thing. But Sam knew what he needed to do next to keep the Professor from getting too interested in the group.

"How about you?" asked Sam, "What are you doing out in the middle of Mount Coronet staring at the ceiling?"

Professor Yarrow gave a small smile and a brief laugh, the first form of emotion anyone had seen him give since meeting him.

"I am here studying the ancient cultures of Sinnoh. I want to see the relationship between the ancient peoples and the Legendary Pokémon that are said to have created the world," explained the Professor, "As the old legends go, they were very close to the Pokémon, and even worshipped them at the Spear Pillar before they were driven from their homes for their…indiscretions."

"You see, according to one theory, Mount Coronet is where the Sinnoh Region began. In a newly created world, a world where only time flowed, and space expanded. There should have been no strife…but what became of the world?"

"Because the human spirit is weak and incomplete strife has spread—just like when the ancient Pokémon forced the warring humans from their mountain homes down into the valleys below. The world is being ruined by it. I find this state of affairs deplorable…ah! Forgive me! I tend to wander sometimes."

Sam and Niya looked at each other again, this time a bit more worried about this man's sanity than before.

"Forgive me, Professor," said Sam politely, "I do find your studies quite interesting—I'm a bit of a history fan myself—but I do have a question. Your research seems familiar; do you know a Markus Alexios?"

Professor Yarrow looked at Sam calmly, but had a pensive look in his eyes. "I have heard of him," said Yarrow gently, "But he is much before my time. When he was…cast from the scientific community six years ago I was still studying to get my first degree at Sin U. But his work did come to inspire me, I will admit—not to the extent that it inspired him, of course. Did you know him?"

Sam shook his head gently. "No," he lied.

And in truth, he wasn't entirely wrong, he never knew Markus Alexios. Not really.

"Forgive me," said Professor Yarrow, chewing on the tips of his glasses, "But I suddenly remember you from somewhere; you, Jeremy, and you, Sam. We have met before, no?"

Sam and Jeremy thought hard about it, and after several moments of thought, they finally remembered.

"Oh yeah!" said Jeremy in revelation, "I saw you before at Eterna Park, by the statue of the ancient Pokémon."

"I remember you…you were at Lake Verity that day," said Sam, "Last fall, you were standing by the lake one morning, looking out at the cave."

"Ah, of course!" cried Professor Yarrow, "Yes, yes, yes, yes. I remember now, I didn't speak to you directly. I was rushed on both occasions, and I didn't have much time on my hands, but I passed by you both. I—"

A small beep sounded from nowhere, and Professor Yarrow instantly looked down at his Pokétch.

"Ah, blast it," he said calmly, "I am going to be late for a meeting—I must return to Oreburgh City. Please forgive me for my brevity. We will meet again I'm sure. It was nice to see you two again, and to meet the rest of you. Good day!"

With that quick exit, Professor Yarrow was gone, walking off towards the other end of the magnificent cavern. Towards the tunnel that led to Route 207 and thus Oreburgh City.

No one said anything until he was well out of sight, and even then, just to be sure that nothing they said was bounced off the wall and echoed towards him.

They kept walking the other way. They climbed up and over the raised mound of stone and kept going.

After ten minutes, they finally stopped by a large stone pillar that reached up to the massively high ceiling.

The group leaned their bags against the pillar and sat down as Niya began passing out sandwiches for a small break.

"Lyss," started Sam delicately, "I'm not mad at you, but when you answered Professor Yarrow's question…you kind of gave away a bit too much information."

"I did, didn't I?" she said with a bit of worry, "I'm so sorry, I just didn't want to seem like we were uncomfortable, and I guess I was too nervous and rambled—I'm really sorry."

Sam laughed and shook his head. "It's okay," he said, "Just next time be careful about how much you give away. We never know who people might really be." Jeremy took a bite out of his sandwich. "When he said what he was studying," started Jeremy, pausing between bites, "It reminded me of Professor Alexios. But why was Alexios cast out for studying Legendary Pokémon and Yarrow not?"

"I don't know," responded Niya, "But I say we ask Professor Rowan next time we see him. He'll know if his Yarrow guy is telling the truth or not."

Sam watched his friends finish their sandwiches in silence; all he could do was remember what Yarrow had said at the lake that day.

Sam was going to the lake for one of his early morning walks. Normally he would merely sit and think, but that day he had gone with the intention of fishing. He had brought his own rod and bait, but when he reached Lake Verity, he paused and noticed a man standing by the water.

He stood there at the edge of the water, staring at the cave on the island in the middle of Lake Verity. The one that was supposed to hold a Legendary Pokémon.

He stood there, talking into a small recording device, but the whole time it sounded like he was speaking to the Pokémon of the lake.

Sam could still hear it in his head. "The flowing time…the expanding space…I will make it mine one day—" then the man said something inaudible, perhaps a name, but Sam was sure he heard something Yarrow, "Remember it. Until then, sleep while you can Legendary Pokémon of the lake bed."

Then the man turned quickly on his heel and walked from the water's edge towards Sam.

As he approached Sam he didn't even notice him, except for a small: "Allow me to pass. Step aside."

And with that he was gone, and Sam never thought about it again.

But he dared not tell the others, not yet. They were freaked out enough as it was. Not to mention they were all worried about the Mountain and its curse.

Adding this to their burdens wasn't going to help, so Sam decided he was going to wait until they reached Hearthome to bring it up.

"So, what happened when you met him?" asked Alyssandra; that was the first thing Sam heard as he tuned back in.

Jeremy explained how he was in the park, taking a walk the day after the group had rescued everyone from Team Galactic. While playing with his Pokémon, he saw Professor Yarrow standing in front of the statue of the two Legendary Pokémon of the Sinnoh Region.

"So, this is Eterna's Pokémon statue, he said," stated Jeremy as he imitated the man speaking into the recording device Sam had seen him carry so long ago, "Shaping our world are time and space in an intertwining spiral. Revered in Sinnoh are the Pokémon of time and space. Sinnoh's myth…its truth needs investigating. Then he came down the steps, looked at me and said, 'Pardon me; stand aside.' And before I knew it he was gone."

"Weird," shrugged Niya as the group stood up and began to prepare to get moving again, "He seemed rushed in both instances; now and back when Jeremy met him. How about when he met you Sam, how did he seem?"

Sam looked at Niya, and then to Alyssandra and Jeremy. All of them were watching him with intent, they all wanted to know.

"I don't remember," lied Sam, he seemed to be doing a lot of that lately, but then again, a lot of those had been told to him.

Wasn't he allowed to tell a few himself?

"All right then," said Niya, grazing over the subject, "Let's get moving then, shall we? We don't want to fall behind schedule. Besides this place is starting to give me the creeps. Like, seriously."

"Agreed!" piped in Alyssandra, Jeremy and Sam in unison.

Soon, the group reached another tunnel. It was wide, with relatively high ceilings. It was a shame to leave the large cavern they were just in, but Mt. Coronet was known for its many caverns and they would no doubt come back to one before long.

But not long after they had set out into the tunnel, did they stop once more, as a voice called from behind them.

"Well, well, well," it said conceitedly, "And I thought the curse was the worst thing I'd come across in these caves. I guess I was wrong."

The group wheeled around, and groaned in unison as they saw Richard Lestrange, standing there looking as arrogant as he did when he battled Sam.

"I thought I broke your nose," said Sam, biting back rage.

Alyssandra grabbed his arm, trying to calm him down and hold him back.

"You did," said Richard as she shot Sam a glance, "And it's still somewhat crooked thank you very much. You also stole my Pokémon."

"It wasn't stealing. You agreed to it," argued Jeremy, "You agreed to release your Chimchar, and now it's safe with Sam."

"He has a point," smirked Niya, "Besides you were a terrible Trainer anyway. Your Pokémon abuse aside."

Richard rolled his eyes. "I don't see Chimchar anywhere with you. Were you finally tired of the little runt yourself?" he asked.

Sam bit back rage once more and kept calm.

Alyssandra's tight grip on his arm was helping him.

"He's at my family ranch," said Sam, "Where he's with other Chimchar. So, what are you doing here anyway? You didn't have any more Pokémon the last time I checked."

"I got more," said Richard, "They're the strongest Pokémon you'll ever meet. I have a Staraptor, a Bronzong, a Sneasel, a Floatzel and a Gabite."

"Sounds like quite a big team," said Niya, "One problem. You don't have the skill to take on a Starly, let alone any of those Pokémon. How did you get them?"

"I bought them," said Richard simply, "It's so much easier to buy the best team in the region than to raise one. Every time I need a new Pokémon I just buy them. If they don't do well, I'll release them and buy more. I have the money, and I don't need useless Pokémon weighing me down."

Sam had had it; he wasn't going to take this anymore. He was going to end this himself. "That's it!" he roared, "You and I are going to battle right here, right now. I'm going to show you what properly taking the time to raise and care for your Pokémon is! I'll show you the true power of a Trainer-Pokémon Bond!"

"Go ahead!" Richard called back with a cocky smile, "You'll never even land a scratch! Go Floatzel, use Water Gun!"

"Go Empoleon!" called Sam, "Aqua Jet on Floatzel!"

"Wait!" cried Niya, trying to stop the fighting, "You could cause a—"

But it was too late, the two attacks collided, and bounced off each other.

Empoleon slid off the Water Gun and gouged into the wall and part of the ceiling. While Floatzel's attacks burrowed through a nearby rock.

As soon as the attacks landed, the cave began shaking.

It was a cave in.

Panicking, Richard withdrew his Floatzel and ran off towards the opposite direction. "Well, it was nice seeing you again, bye!"

Richard didn't get far, and everyone scrambled to avoid falling rocks.

Dust covered the entire area, the light from the cavern before was gone, everything was dark, and the fallen debris separated the group.

Sam looked around as he recovered and grabbed a second flashlight from his bag. Scanning the area around him, he noticed he was alone—having called back his Empoleon as the rocks fell.

Niya, Jeremy, Richard and Alyssandra were gone, hopefully not trapped beneath any rocks, but preferably together in some way or another.

Sam tried to call out to them, but there was no response, and the rubble that had fallen from the ceiling was too heavy and large to move or break through. Even with Empoleon's Metal Claw.

The only thing to do was to push forward for now and meet up with the others later.

The wall that had once been on the left side of the tunnel was no longer there. Instead it led to another tunnel similar to the one that had just collapsed on him and his friends.

It was Sam's best bet right now, so he might as well take it.

Sam looked down at his compass as he prepared to go into the darkness. Even with his flashlight it was darker than night.

Sam slammed his fist into the rock wall in frustration. The compass wasn't working. Something was screwing around with it, causing the needle to point in all different directions.

As Sam went for his Pokétch, he noticed that it too wasn't working.

He was too deep in the caves, and since it could not detect the satellite that most Pokétch ran off of, it had shut itself off to conserve battery.

Meaning Sam also had no access to time either.

Sam trudged, with a heavy heart and a mind full of questions and worry, into the darkness, blind and lost, with nothing but his Pokémon on his belt and his flashlight.

"And so, begins the curse," he muttered under his breath, releasing all of his Pokémon, and making his way down the tunnel in the near dark.

Alyssandra groaned as Richard continued to hit on her.

She had been unfortunately stuck with him after the cave in, and they had spent the past hour backtracking and trying to find the right way out of the tunnel.

Unfortunately, all of the ways she went led to a dead end, and Alyssandra was now following the last tunnel left. Which she hoped and prayed, would lead her out of the cave for good, or at least away from Richard.

Every time he tried to grab her hand and hold it, or touch her arm, or even look at her she threatened to smack him. She'd even follow up her threats by hitting his hands with her flashlight, but that wouldn't stop Richard.

Alyssandra's patience was wearing thin, and she was very close to doing what she promised.

"You know, I don't know what you see in him," said Richard with a smirk, after his latest compliment failed, "He's not even that in to you."

"What do you mean?" asked Alyssandra, "I'm not into anyone—least of all you."

Richard chuckled. "I'm talking about Sam," he said turning his chuckle into a laugh, "The way you hold him back, and wrap him around your finger like you do. You like him, I see it."

"I do not!" protested Alyssandra, "He's my friend. We've known each other since we were children, and I'm just looking out for him. Plus, you're totally not worth him hitting—though I'm considering it."

Alyssandra wheeled around as she spoke, and looked at Richard straight in the face, glaring at him hard as her face slowly turned red with embarrassment and anger.

"If you're not going to admit it to me then fine," said Richard, his arms crossed, "You don't need to. It's not necessary. But don't lie to yourself. You like him, great, but if he doesn't like you, then move on. He's clearly not interested in you. If he was he'd return the favour. There's no need to use him like you do if it's not going to get you anywhere. That's just not fair for him."

Alyssandra paused for a moment, thinking over what Richard said. But it didn't take her long before she came back with a retort. "You're just saying this to make me give you a chance. No matter what it's not happening—ever!" cried Alyssandra, "And one more thing! Even if I did like Sam, and I'm not saying I do, that's my business not yours. And one more thing. If I wanted to wait around foolishly for a guy who may or may not like me, then I will, because it's my decision. I can wait, I have time! And one more thing! If you ever try to hit on me again, you won't have to worry about Sam hitting you, because I'm going to punch you myself!"

Richard just scoffed and gave another smirk. He wasn't even paying attention to what Alyssandra was saying and this bugged her. She moved closer to him, in order to confront him, but before she knew it Richard had grabbed her from beneath the chin gently and tried to pull her into a kiss.

Before his lips could even get within an inch of hers, there was a loud "whack!" and Richard stumbled back clutching his face.

Alyssandra wasn't done just yet though, and instead, threw a punch, hitting Richard straight in the gut. Doubled over, Alyssandra drove her elbow right into Richard's spine, between his shoulder blades, and within seconds he was on the ground in pain.

His face was red, with Alyssandra's handprint shining like a red beacon. And so, he lay there, out of breath, his arm around his gut, as he gasped for air, and groaned in pain, trying to seek an end to it somehow.

Alyssandra didn't even care if he was truly conscious or not anymore, or if he could comprehend what was going on. He was out of her hair, and she was free of him. She pulled a sandwich from her bag and threw it down beside him.

"There," she said firmly, tossing an extra flashlight beside him as well, "And take that too. You're getting out of here yourself."

Alyssandra bit back laughter as she progressed further down the tunnel.

Richard getting further and further away from her as she did. She could see him reaching out towards her, moaning what might be her name, but it didn't matter.

She was sick and tired of dealing with him, and now Alyssandra wouldn't have to. "Let's go find the others now," smiled Alyssandra, skipping off down the tunnel, flashlight in her hand, ready for whatever came her way.

Sam sighed and looked over at his Empoleon and Luxray. The two were competing in a friendly match over whatever was left of Sam's sandwich. He had given a bit of food to each of his Pokémon, so they wouldn't starve, but what Sam himself couldn't finish was free game. Staravia, Cranidos and Gible were no longer hungry, and were now cheering on either Empoleon or Luxray.

Sam smiled, watching his Pokémon get along. He loved the bond they not only shared with him, but the ones they shared with each other. It was always a good thing when a team worked together well. Their good sense of teamwork helped combination attacks and double battles work even better.

Sam watched as Luxray won the match and the sandwich. He couldn't help but chuckle as he saw Empoleon throw a small fit upon loosing.

Despite this, Empoleon honourably surrendered the sandwich and stepped aside.

Standing up, Sam walked over towards his Pokémon, to congratulate them all on a job well done. As was good for Trainers to do, in order to bond better with their Pokémon.

Sam froze suddenly. He heard a sound in the dark tunnel up ahead. Sam wheeled around and flashed his light around in the darkness but saw nothing.

But Sam didn't trust Mount Coronet, and began walking deeper down the tunnel, his Pokémon behind him, ready to jump out and fight alongside their friend and Trainer at a moment's notice.

"Hello?" called Sam into the darkness, but there was no reply.

Until, all of a sudden, a Piplup burst from the darkness, causing Sam and his Pokémon to jump back.

Following the screaming Piplup was a Lopunny, a Cherrim, an Eevee, a Shinx and a Budew.

Sam smiled as he saw the Pokémon line up. His Pokémon weren't reacting negatively, and the Piplup instantly ran towards Sam's Empoleon like they were old friends. These Pokémon in this combination could only belong to one person.

"Lyss," smiled Sam as he walked towards the darkness.

Alyssandra burst forth from the tunnel and threw her arms around Sam and hugged him.

Sam hugged back and as they pulled back, smiled to have found each other. "You're okay," said Sam with relief, "Glad to hear it. Where are the others, have you seen them?"

Alyssandra shook her head. "No one," he said, "I was stuck with Richard though. For quite a while too—believe me it was no cake walk."

Sam looked past Alyssandra and down the tunnel, as if Richard was going to walk out of it at any moment. "Don't worry," smiled Alyssandra, as she saw Sam's reaction, "He's not coming after me. I ditched him."

"Did he pull something on you?" asked Sam, worry in his voice.

"Yeah, but I just used that move you showed me," winked Alyssandra, "It was effective. Some would say super effective."

Sam laughed, and the two returned to their Pokémon, who were now comfortably getting along with each other. Especially Piplup and Empoleon; they had always been good friends.

"We should get going to find Niya and Jeremy," said Sam as he looked down at Alyssandra, who was playing with her Shinx.

"We should," she agreed, "But who knows how long we'll be looking. I say we rest. Besides, we've probably been in here all day, and it'll be night soon outside by my estimate. With nocturnal Pokémon everywhere, Niya and Jeremy will no doubt take the safer route and rest for a bit. I, personally, would rather not disturb the Zubat and Golbat; at least at night."

Sam nodded. "Yeah, you're right," he said thinking it over in his head, "That's a Niya thing to do, and Jeremy would no doubt think to do the same. So, should we set up tents, or just sleep out here?"

"Tents, please," said Alyssandra politely, "I'd rather not get attacked by Pokémon in my sleep. Besides, a tent feels much safer. We'll continue our search for the others in the morning. We could all use the rest."

Sam nodded. "All right everyone!" he said to his and Alyssandra's Pokémon, "Let's get started setting up the tents!"

"Tent," corrected Alyssandra, "No sense in setting up two, you and I will just share one for the night."

Sam nodded, his face going a little pink, and together, Alyssandra, him and their Pokémon combined had a makeshift camp set up in no time.

The rest of the night went relatively quickly.

Without a campfire, the group ate whatever other food they had left on them, and went right to bed, tired from a long day of excitement and walking.

Tomorrow was another day, and hopefully it would be a bit better, and as Alyssandra lay there hoping that with every fiber of her being.