Chapter 4: Perils of the Pass

So last time our heroes left Dojo Town. What'll happen to them? I guess you'll have to read to find out.

The Southern Pass is a relatively short trail through woodland that leads from the small Dojo Town to the grand Smackbone City. One can cross it in about two hours, though it might take a bit longer for some Pokémon. As Machop and Doug walked and glided across the trail and the town behind them grew further and further away, Machop thought about the Gligar next to him.

So this guy's a human? He said something about being an adult, but when I fought him he had about the strength of a newly hatched Pokémon. If we get into some kind of fight, I'll probably have to show him the ropes...

Regardless, the two of them kept moving forward, making some small talk along the way.

Machop cracked his knuckles. "What's life like in the human world? Were you always this weak?"

Doug sighed as he stretched his claws. "Life was fine… and no, I wasn't always this weak, though maybe it's just you that's strong."

Machop jumped over a branch in the middle of the pass. "Was there school in your world? How do your Eggs work? Could you use moves?"

Doug sighed again as he glided over the branch. "Yes, don't know, no…"

Machop looked at Doug with a bit of worry. "Are you okay? You aren't talking much."

Doug sighed for a third time. "I'm fine. Let's just keep going."

That finally stopped Machop's incessant questioning as they traveled on. Looking forward, both of them could only see a seemingly endless trail with woods around them.

Machop looked drained for a moment, then perked up. "Don't worry, I've been on this trail before. We should be approaching the Copper Crevice Bridge in about fifteen minutes, and Smackbone's just past that. We're almost there, Gligar!"

Relieved at that news, Doug gave a faint smile. "Sorry I haven't been very talkative. I'm just… tired. If it's just fifteen minutes away, I can do that."

Really, Doug was wondering if he should've just stayed in Dojo Town. He didn't have a clue what Smackbone was like, so would he even prefer it? How long would he have to stay before he can go home, and never have to worry about this strange alien world again? That was his main question, but he knew no one could answer that.

About thirteen minutes later, the duo could finally see the short rope bridge that crossed over the massive crevice. Doug shuddered out of fear, while Machop patted his back reassuringly.

"Hey, don't worry about a thing. I've crossed this bridge hundreds of times, and it never broke on me! Besides, if you're that scared, you can just glide over it with those wings of yours. It'll be fine!"

Doug sighed. "I guess you're right. I'm just a bit worried that I'll lose control of myself while gliding or something… and fall into that."

As he said that, he motioned down to the deep abyss below the bridge.

Machop thought about that for a second. "Well, if you don't feel safe gliding, you can just walk with me! C'mon, let's go!"

Just before they reached the bridge, they heard a voice behind them.

"Hey there! Oh my gosh you two are sooo cute!"

Doug and Machop turned around and saw what appeared to be twins. There was a mouse with red markings and a plus on its cheeks, as well as a plus tail, and a mouse with blue markings with a plus on its cheeks and tail. Doug looked at the adorable duo for a second in confusion.

"You guys… look kind of weird for Pikachu."

Machop's heart sank, and he facepalmed. "Oh, no... you shouldn't have said that, Gligar..."

The electric duo suddenly changed expressions, from a joyful smile to an angry frown. Their cheeks began to sparkle with electricity.

The red mouse spoke first. "Did you just..."

Then, the blue mouse spoke, their voice rising in volume. "Call us..."

Both mice jumped in the air and ran right at Doug, screaming. "PIKACHU?!"

Machop turned around and began to run while calling out to Doug. "WE HAVE TO GO, GLIGAR, NOW! RUN, GLIDE, WHATEVER, JUST GO!"

Doug quickly turned around and started attempting to run to the bridge, but he still wasn't used to traveling on the ground. Disgruntled, he jumped up in the air and started gliding above the ground, but it was slow and the electric rats outpaced him.

"THUNDER SHOCK, AMPLIFIED!"

The two mice fired off twin Thunder Shocks. They landed on the same place, combining into a powerful bolt, which landed right on top of Doug, who was gliding above the bridge by now. Machop gasped; Doug screamed.

"GLIGAR!"

"AAAAAAAHH... huh?"

The dust cleared, and Doug realized he was still gliding above the bridge, unharmed. He looked himself over, and found that some jolts lingered on his body, but they weren't hurting him at all. Then he looked down, and realized that the amplified bolt had struck the bridge hard.

SNAP! The bridge snapped in two, but Machop had already finished crossing and was on the other side. The two halves of the bridge fell to opposite sides of the crevasse. Doug didn't dare look down, as he continued to glide over the massive crevice where the bridge once stood. Suddenly, he could hear a sound behind him.

Machop screamed out, "Glide faster, Gligar. They're shooting Swift!"

"What's a Swift?! Is that like, going fast?"

"They're homing stars, and they don't miss! NO!"

As Machop explained how Swift works, Doug was struck by star after star. He lost his aerial momentum as one of the stars struck his right wing, and began to falter.

"Can't... hold on... no..."

One last star bonked him right in the head, and Doug was sent hurtling straight into the Copper Crevice as his wings gave out. As he fell into the crevice, he lost consciousness. Machop gasped again, running to the end of the broken bridge and looking down into the seemingly endless abyss. He stood there silently, watching the human fall deeper and deeper down, before disappearing. Machop said nothing, pondering the situation.

This isn't good. That Gligar's gonna fall right into that Mystery Dungeon, and I didn't even tell him what a Mystery Dungeon is! Damn it, Machop, I knew you were forgetting something! Either way, I'll have to take the surface entrance and rescue him. I just have to put my faith in Gligar that he can live that long...

Machop looked at the abyss for a second more, then turned around and continued walking on the path to Smackbone. After a few minutes, he came across a fork in the road, and took a left turn. Before long, he was at the surface entrance to the Copper Crevice, just a simple hole dug out by some Ground-types a long time ago.

Hang in there, Gligar... I'm on my way to rescue you.

Machop lowered himself down into the hole, and entered the Mystery Dungeon.

Well, quite a few things happened this chapter! How will Doug fare on his own in the abyss? Will Machop be able to save him? As always, leave a review if you want to, and this is Ketchup, signing off!