This chapter does introduce a new character with quite the potty mouth along with some darker themes. Enjoy! Lol.
3-7-15 update: One of my reviewers was kind enough to point out a minor goof I made towards the end of this chapter. I had Demi get affected by a ghost type move, which of course isn't right, as she is part normal type. I just completely blanked on that, sorry guys! It's very easy to happen in a huge story like this when you have no beta reader. I'll try to fix it later, but hopefully you can excuse it until I find the time to fix it!
Chapter 12: Black Magma
Granite Cave was dark. So dark that it made Rusturf Tunnel look like child's play in comparison. Inside there, May doubted she would even be able to see her own hand in front of her face, much less hunt down the champion of Hoenn.
"How are we supposed to see?" she asked, trying to peer inside dubiously. She understood the comment Kyla had made yesterday, about how only really brave or really crazy people ventured into its depths, and she was starting to regret that Brendan agreed Steven was probably in there.
Brendan held up a flashlight and wiggled it inches from her nose. "Modern technology. It's a thing."
May pulled her own flashlight out of her bag so she could whack Brendan on the arm with it. He recoiled, rubbing at his sore muscles in protest, but her focus remained on the cave. She absolutely hated the dark, but she had to remind herself that she wasn't a little girl anymore. She was strong enough to protect herself, now.
Besides, it's not like there's anything in there. It's just creepy, May assured herself.
"Lead the way," she said, and she was proud of how unafraid her voice sounded.
Brendan stepped inside, casually flicking on his flashlight. May followed him, and immediately, the balmy weather of the island was replaced by cool, damp air. The glow from their flashlights revealed several tunnels branching off from the main entrance, as well as eerie stalactites looming from the ceiling.
Her inspection was interrupted when Brendan rudely pointed his light directly into her eyes.
"Brendan!" she hissed, trying to block out the glow with her hands.
"Oh, my bad," he said, as if she would really believe it was an accident. She glared at him even as he turned his back to her in order to analyze the cave.
A menacing screech echoed off the walls, and May felt chill bumps spread down her arms. She clung to Brendan's backpack and waited with dread for something to attack them, but her worries were shown to be for naught when nothing but a lone zubat fluttered out of the abyss. Her hand fell back to her side.
"That's weird," Brendan said, shining his light briefly on the zubat. "Usually they wouldn't be this close to the entrance."
"I wish this one wasn't," May said, watching the blue creature with dislike. It looked like something straight out of a horror movie, the kind where pokemon turned on humans and suddenly wanted to suck their blood. She might've thought it was cool, if it wasn't screaming like that.
"Wow, May," Brendan said mockingly, selecting one of the tunnels at random. Their steps resounded loudly in the quiet cave, the only sounds apart from the stray drip-drop of water in the distance. "Way to hurt its feelings. It could've given you an advantage over Brawly, too."
"No thanks. I'll find something in the jungle," she snipped back. Hopefully that something would be normal, and preferably cute, but she'd settle for anything non-nightmare inducing.
As they walked, a low roaring noise carried to May's ears. At first she thought that maybe it was an underground stream of some sort, but the sound had grown steadily louder by the time they reached a three-way fork in the road. Brendan came to a halt, staring down the tunnel to the far left, and she could tell by the tensing in his broad shoulders that he heard it as well.
"What is that?" May whispered, nervous.
Brendan held up a finger for her to be quiet, listening closely. After a moment, she began to think that she was completely hallucinating, because the very ground beneath her feet seemed to be shaking all of a sudden.
But then the cave walls shook so roughly that a shower of pebbles rained down from the ceiling in front of them, and she realized it was no hallucination.
Something reflected the shining of their flashlights from far down the left tunnel. The light was bouncing off of heavy silver steel, encasing the bodies of what May abruptly realized to be a stampede of pokemon. Dangerous, panicked pokemon that were about to trample them if they didn't get out of the way immediately!
"Move!" Brendan yelled into her ear, and she felt his hands pushing her out of the way.
May ran. The pounding of the lairon's feet was like nails in her ears, but she managed to stumble blindly down one of the tunnels. She had no idea which one it was or where the heck it was taking her, and she neglected to use her flashlight to point her way. It was a miracle she didn't break her nose by ramming into a wall, but she didn't care because she had to get away.
The rustle of heavy metal scraping across rock followed her, letting her know she was far from being in the clear. The lairon, some of them at least, were still behind her. Her legs and lungs were on fire, and she slammed her body roughly into rocky formations more than once in her haste to get away.
OhLatiasohLatias, she thought, urging her legs to work faster.
Suddenly her feet weren't in under her anymore and she was flying through the air, causing her stomach to clench fearfully for what felt like an eternity. She was sure she had just fallen off a ledge to her death.
However, in reality, the fall lasted mere seconds, and she was in too much pain when she hit to ground for her to be dead. Groggily, May registered the fact that the ceiling above her was shaking with the force of the lairon running past. She must have fallen through a pit, which had taken her even further into the depths of the cave.
May twitched her fingers experimentally, and after that her arms and legs. Thankfully, nothing seemed to be broken, although she would definitely be black and blue tomorrow. She reached her hand out for her flashlight, which had fallen a few feet away from her, and crawled onto her knees before flicking it on. Somewhat surprisingly, it hadn't been damaged from the fall.
It suddenly dawned on May just how quiet it was.
"Brendan?" Her voice was shaky.
No response. She was completely and utterly alone in a potentially inescapable maze, and something wasn't right. Brendan had told her they wouldn't have to worry about encountering any super strong pokemon, because they all lived in the lowest haunts of the cave. Something had driven them out.
May didn't know what had sent the lairon into such frenzy, but she had a nasty feeling she was going to find out.
She just hoped that Brendan was okay, wherever he had run to. She didn't know what she'd do if she found out he'd been crushed by the lairon, so she tried to reassure herself that he couldn't have been. He was more experienced than her, and more athletic to boot. He was fine.
He had to be.
Her hand accidentally brushed against the warmth of her pokeballs, and May could've cried in relief at the reminder of her pokemon. She really wasn't alone at all!
Just as she was about to release them, a shout nearly caused her to jump out of her skin with fright. "Hey, you!"
Blinding lights shone from several feet away in the cave, and May briefly made out several forms of red-coated people wearing headlights. However, before she could really get a decent look at them, a large black blur darted at her and tackled her to the ground. Her already sore body jarred miserably upon the impact with the rocks below, but pain wasn't the first thing on her mind.
A single large, black paw pressed into her chest, preventing her escape, and its sharp silver claws dug into her skin. An orange snout with long fangs loomed dangerously close to her throat, and her sapphire eyes met devil-red ones. The houndoom snarled.
May's breathing increased tenfold as she began to panic, as in really panic. Her mind immediately flashbacked to being pinned in her bed by a heavy exoskeleton, helpless until her daddy came to save her. But this time, her daddy wasn't here.
She clenched her fist around Soren's pokeball in an effort to calm herself. The heat radiating off of it ebbed through her fingers in a way far more pleasant than the fiery air radiating from Houndoom's panting in her face, and she managed to take a deep, steadying breath.
No one could save her but herself, and she'd be darned if she died now.
The plump face of a middle-aged man appeared behind Houndoom, peering down at her with crazed crimson eyes that matched those of the pokemon. "Are you trying to jeopardize our plan?"
"What? No!" May said. She didn't know anything about a plan! Heck, she didn't even know who 'our' was referring too! All she wanted to do was find Brendan and leave Granite Cave for good!
"Are you the one who set off the pokemon in this cave? Are you or are you not a spy for Team Aqua?" he interrogated. The man leaned over her further, and she glimpsed the bold black 'M' symbols on his jacket. "A puny child doesn't seem to be their style, but it wouldn't be the first time they shocked me with their stupidity."
"No!" May insisted, trying her hardest to muster a glare. She grasped Soren's pokeball tighter, and the man scowled.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you."
As if illustrating his point, Houndoom pushed his claws harder into May's chest. She winced as the needle-sharp nails dug into her soft skin, and the light trickle of her own blood crept down into her tank top. Her fingers loosened around her pokeball.
"That's what I thought," the man said, although May thought that the hostility in his voice had decreased ever so slightly. "Houndoom."
To May's surprise, the fiery beast lifted his paw from her and stepped back. His strong muscles rippled at the movement, and she eyed him nervously as she inched her way back to her feet. Even if she somehow managed to draw a pokeball, she was afraid her own pokemon would stand no chance against him.
The man questioning her was flanked by two hooded figures. One was a woman, the other a man, and they both clutched pokeballs warningly in their hands. Their outfits were more simplistic than that of the chubby man, yet they also bore the same black 'M' on their jackets.
They're team Magma, May realized. She'd like to think that anyone feuding with Team Aqua couldn't be too terrible, yet the long scrapes below her neck told her otherwise. These people were just as crazy, just as dangerous, and it was starting to seem like she had gotten roped up into something far bigger than she'd bargained for.
"Why're you here?" the leader asked. He crossed his arms and peered down at her in a superior way, but she could see the agitation in his face.
"I was training for my battle with Brawly," May lied, painfully aware of Steven's letter tucked away in her backpack. She didn't know what it said, but she knew it wouldn't benefit anyone if Team Magma were to find out. Her only hope was that Brendan could somehow find her and help her out of this mess.
The man stared at her for a long time, and May swallowed. He doesn't believe me, she thought fearfully.
"Admin Tabitha," the female grunt said, glowering at May. "Should we get rid of this runt for you?"
Had May been in any position where a vicious houndoom wasn't about to tear her to pieces, she would've laughed. Tabitha? That was the name of this so-called important man? Who even named their little boy Tabitha?
Tabitha curled his lip, staring at May contemplatively. She tensed, ready to bring out her pokemon and fight against impossible odds if need be.
"No," Tabitha said, to the surprise of both May and the grunts. "We'll take her as prisoner until we complete our mission. We can't risk leaving her here in case she tries to get in he way, or in the event that she lied to me earlier."
May's frantic heartbeat slowed fractionally. He wasn't going to hurt her?
Tabitha's eyes met hers, and they reflected his great dislike for her. "One wrong move, and Houndoom will rip your throat out. Understand?"
She managed a shaky nod.
"This way," Tabitha announced. He snapped his fingers and pointed in a seemingly random direction, although May got the feeling that he knew exactly where he was going.
The grunts followed, peeking back at her suspiciously out of the corners of their eyes. Houndoom growled behind her, and she reluctantly trailed after the Team Magma members.
"I know Team Aqua is here," Tabitha said to the grunts. His fist clenched at his side, and his voice held hatred. "And when I find them, they'll regret crossing us. As will this child, if need be."
May's mind ran a mile a minute. She needed to get away from them now, before she said the wrong thing and they decided to finish her off. Maybe she could release Demi and have her water gun Houndoom in the face to distract him long enough for her to run away and hide in the dark.
He's too well trained, May thought glumly, noticing the strong way he held himself. And he'd probably sniff me out anyway.
"Aqua scum," the male grunt spat.
"Maxie will be greatly displeased," the other said.
May decided to settle for being a good prisoner for the time being. However, the moment they threatened her or an opportunity presented itself, she was prepared to fight.
"He'll reward us for humiliating them," Tabitha corrected, his face lighting up maliciously. "Our research is ahead of theirs, and they've resorted to following us in order to keep up."
May felt something ominous about this so-called research. Although both groups seemed to be mere environmental activists, instinct told her that whatever information they were looking for had nothing to do with more efficient recycling techniques.
Tabitha ran a gloved hand over the damp cave walls, but his face remained concentrated on an object clasped in his other. May squinted her eyes in effort to see what it was through the dim lighting. Of all things, it seemed to be a small yet pretty stone made up of rainbow-colored swirls. When Tabitha tilted it, it would twinkle mysteriously, despite the fact that it was so dark.
"It should be somewhere around here…" Tabitha said. He frowned. "But the stone isn't reacting."
"What's that?" May asked, pointing to the object in his hand. It wasn't the smartest move, but she needed to find out what in Rayquaza's name was going on. No one else knew, and if it was something terrible, she was the only one with a chance at figuring it out.
Houndoom let out a guttural growl, and Tabitha spun around to scowl at her, as if he couldn't believe her nerve. "Don't make me regret my generosity, you insolent child. One more peep, and my houndoom will be the last thing you see."
May shut her mouth, but she prided herself in the fact that she didn't shrink away from making fierce eye contact with Tabitha.
He went back to inspecting the walls, patting at them in ways that reminded May strangely of the day Brendan was searching for zigzagoon markings on trees. That seemed so far away now, even though it had only been a couple of weeks ago. She would have given anything to be back out in the warm sunlight at that moment, arguing with her traveling companion over something trivial, but instead she was stuck in a dark, cold cave with dangerous lunatics.
May was drawn back to the present when the stone in Tabitha's hand lit up with the light of a thousand suns. It spread throughout the cavern, illuminating it impossibly better than any old headlight would do, and the energy seeped into her skin and revitalized her. She felt strong, capable.
"That's amazing," the female Magma grunt said, and May couldn't agree more.
"Just as I suspected," Tabitha muttered. The dark smirk on his face seemed to form a cloud over the pleasant atmosphere the stone had cast upon them
As if it were alive, the wall shifted to create a small indent in exactly the shape of the stone. Tabitha pressed the rainbow gem into the slot, and like it was a key, the entire rocky wall groaned and began gliding apart.
Dust and small debris fell from the ceiling from the heavy movement, and May shielded her head with her arms. When the cave quieted, she cautiously dropped her hands to peer around. The moment she did this, she inhaled a mouthful of dust that sent her into a painful coughing fit.
Good thing Wally's not here, was all she could think as she waited for the air to clear.
Finally, the dirt settled to reveal an ancient, cracked doorway that looked as if it had been concealed for millennia.
May tried to gaze around the taller forms of the Team Magma members, but she was unable to see inside the room. Tabitha, who had been grinning at his discovery, narrowed his eyes into slits when he noticed her actions.
"We can't risk this child seeing what might be inside," he said. May tensed, and the two Magma grunts turned so they could easily grab her if need be. With Houndoom positioned threateningly behind her, there was no escape route.
Her fingers itched to grab a pokeball, and the male grunt voiced her greatest fear. "Should we get rid of her?"
Tabitha stared at her coldly. "No," he said, yet again. "I'd rather not leave a body. Authorities will be more keen to track us down, and I have orders to be as covert as possible. Besides, she's cooperated so far."
"I could guard her outside," the other grunt suggested.
"No, I don't want to risk her escaping." Tabitha's lip curled in displeasure. He barked, "You! Girl! Tie that bandana across your eyes."
Reluctantly, May pulled her makeshift headband out of her hair, which allowed her bangs to fall free. She found a faint sense of comfort at the feel of the worn red material even as she tied it around her head so that it covered her eyes. She made sure not to make it so tight that she couldn't yank it off quickly, but either way she was back in the dark.
One of the grunts tugged on her arm roughly, and she stumbled forward. Although she couldn't see, she knew they had entered the mysterious room. Being blind made her a lot more aware of Houndoom's hot breath against her back, and she struggled not to shudder from the feeling.
"Amazing."
"What power…"
The awe was clear in Team Magma's voices, and May wished desperately that she could see what they were so amazed over. Whatever it was, it might be able to give her a clue about all the nasty business going on in the Hoenn region.
"The key is in the stones," Tabitha said. He sounded like he was amazed at his own brilliance, but all May could do was wonder what stones he was even talking about. Was it more of the rainbow ones? If not, then what the heck was it?
"It's almost as if they mega evolved…" His voice trailed off, and May swallowed. Mega evolution was a phenomenon that she had heard of, but had never seen. Actually, very few people had. Rumor had it that only the greatest of the great could achieve the final step in a pokemon's evolution; even her father couldn't do it. "But no. It's different somehow…"
"Leave it to Team Magma to discover the mural at last," a sultry voice flowed throughout the cavern, and suddenly May realized they were no longer alone. Unfortunately, she didn't think allies had arrived to save her. "I'm sure Archie will send his thanks."
"Shelly!" Tabitha's tone rang with anger and all around dislike. Whoever this woman was, he clearly despised her.
"Look at you, you even got yourself a little prisoner," the woman cooed. She broke off into a satisfied laugh. "We have something in common, after all. At least the one we got doesn't look like a gulpin could snap her in two."
They've got Brendan, May thought with dread. Her second thought was, Why does everyone have to call me weak?!
Houndoom's heat vanished from behind her with a loud roar, and the sounds of pokeballs breaking open filled her ears. Frantically, her fingers worked against the knot in her bandana.
May's stomach twitched with dread. Going on pure instinct, she abruptly dropped to the ground on her hands and knees. A second later, a powerful wave of heat passed over the spot her entire upper half had just vacated, and the hairs on her right arm were singed off completely. Shivering from the close call, she finally managed to pull the bandana away from her eyes.
All around her, various pokemon waged war against one another. She saw Houndoom leap into a pile of three poochyena, and a numel faced off against a zubat nearby. Her Team Magma captors commanded half of the pokemon, while the too-familiar figures of Team Aqua members stood opposite of them. Behind them, she vaguely noted the massive painting on the wall of two enormous pokemon engaged in battle, but she was much more preoccupied with the one going on right in front of her.
It was utter chaos, and she couldn't spot Brendan's familiar white hat anywhere.
She did, however, see the body of a black-headed girl tossed to the side of the Team Aqua members. They were all completely preoccupied, but the girl's hands and feet had been bound tightly by rope.
What's with them and tying up things? May thought irately, and she quickly crawled towards the girl. At least their prisoner wasn't Brendan, like she had suspected.
"Help me get these off!" The other girl scowled, biting at the rope with her teeth. Her workout clothes were dirty and had been ripped in places, as if she had put up a great fight. "I'm gonna kick all their asses. I would've already if my stupid meditite hadn't been a baby!"
May tried to tug them away, but just as with Peeko, they were bound far too tightly. She spotted a particularly sharp looking rock lying nearby, so she grabbed it off the ground. Together, she and the girl managed to hack at the ropes enough so that they fell away.
"Finally," the girl grumbled. Her wrists were colored a painful red, and the rope had left indents in her skin.
She glared at one particular Team Aqua member, a scantily clad woman with tan skin and curvy hips. The woman had long, silky black hair that was streaked with blue near her face, and she wore a smirk as she commanded her crawdaunt against Tabitha's houndoom.
As much as May would've liked to beat up Team Magma for humiliating her, she accepted that the brighter option would be to just run for it while they still could. Her hand latched around the other girl's arm. "C'mon!"
The black haired girl exhaled in annoyance, glancing back towards Team Aqua with the need for vengeance on her face. Thankfully, she shook her head and darted towards the door anyway, yanking her arm out of May's in the process, but she motioned for her to follow.
Praying the criminals were too occupied to notice or care about their departure, May ran with the girl out the door. However, she came to a dead stop a few feet away from the entrance to the room, her eyes trailing hesitantly back to the doorway. Tabitha had left the rainbow stone in its keyhole, completely unprotected.
May knew it was important, whatever it was. It might even hold all the answers.
Going against the nagging voice of every responsible person in her life (Her father's, mainly, but her imaginary mother, Brendan, and even Wally also had a say), May turned on her heel and wrapped her fingers around the small stone. It was surprisingly warm to the touch, and it vibrated against her skin in a way that almost made it feel alive. This caught May off guard briefly, but she quickly regained her senses enough to twist the stone around in its socket. After a moment of struggling, it popped out and landed in her hand.
Immediately, its colorful light began to fade away to cast them into the dark again, and May heard the screech of shifting rock behind her. However, she didn't stick around to find out what would happen when Team Magma realized what she had done.
"Are you out of your mind?" The other girl's voice was angry, but also strangely impressed when May caught up to her. She was slightly surprised she had even waited for her at all.
"This is special, so it obviously isn't good for them to have it," May replied, through her ragged breaths. A stitch emerged in her side, but an enraged cry from down the tunnel spurred her on. Tabitha had figured her out.
"Hm," the girl said. "Bastards. You're right, they don't deserve it."
It was pitch black now, leaving May to follow the sound of the other girl's rapid footsteps. Whoever she was, she was far fitter than May, and it was a struggle for her to keep up.
Suddenly, May collided with a flat, rocky surface. They'd reached a dead end.
A light from somewhere far behind them reflected off the wall, and May's heart leapt into her throat. They were dead. Dead meat.
"Oh no!" she cried, frantically glancing around, as if the exit to the cave would suddenly appear.
The other girl nudged her aside. She patted at the wall until finally her hands latched onto something. "Calm the hell down. This ladder will take us back to the top floor."
She quickly scaled the flimsy wooden structure, and within seconds she had disappeared through a hole in the roof. May wrapped her hands around the rickety wood, finding it slightly too unstable for her preference. However, the shouting voices from behind were growing closer, so she didn't pass up the opportunity to scramble up it.
May crawled clumsily up onto the rock, and she was surprised to find that the cavern they were in was lit with a few dim lanterns. As she glanced around the room, panting, the other girl took the opportunity to hoist the rope ladder from the lower floor. Team Magma or Aqua wouldn't be able to use it to follow them now.
"Thank Latias," May said, relieved. She turned to the other girl. "I'm May, by the way. How'd you know where that ladder was?"
"Tessa," she said shortly. "All of Brawly's gym trainers come here to train."
"Oh," May said. Brawly ran a fighting type gym, so suddenly Tessa's extremely fit build seemed to make sense.
"The exit is this way-"
"Getting ahead of ourselves, aren't we?"
The female Team Magma grunt stood squeezed through the hole they had just come through, smirking and tossing a pokeball up and down in her hand.
"How'd you get up here?" May cried. Her fingers shot to her pokeball belt, and she glared at the woman. Beside her, Tessa crossed her arms and also did her best to look intimidating (She probably looked scarier than May. It didn't take much).
The Team Magma grunt shrugged. "I made my own ladder out of my idiot partner's shoulders. Now, give back the keystone, you little brat!"
"No," May said, feeling much braver now that Tabitha and his houndoom weren't hanging over her. Surely she stood a better chance against this lower rank woman, and besides, she had already made her choice to steal this 'keystone'. She might as well stick to it.
"Take it, Zubat!" the woman yelled, throwing her pokeball forward viciously. It burst open and the blue form of a zubat fluttered straight for May.
She bypassed Soren's pokeball and snatched Demi's instead.
"Water gun!" May said quickly, hunching over to protect her face from the zubat's long fangs and beating wings. She knew Demi didn't have the reaction time or seriousness of Soren, but she'd rather not send him out with a clear type disadvantage.
Zubat had already passed her azurill's recently materialized form, and he was only feet away from May when a small burst of water shot into his wings and threw him off course. It was a messy attack, but it got the job done.
"Zur!" Demi said, actually glaring up at the zubat. May copied her pokemon's look. She had had enough of zubat for one day.
"Astonish!"
Zubat shakily regained his balance in the air; if he'd gone much further, he would've crashed. He opened his mouth wide, exposing long, knife-like teeth and a throat that reminded May of a black hole. The air around his face rippled towards Demi, yet the head splitting noise it created carried throughout the entire cavern.
May winced, putting her hands over her ears, and she noticed that Tessa and even the Team Magma grunt were in similar positions. Demi flinched and pawed painfully at her own ears, desperate to make the noise stop. May knew it had to be torture on her pokemon's ultra-sensitive hearing.
With Demi thrown off, Zubat surged towards her, his purple wings spread wide. "Water gun!" May cried, but she could barely hear her own voice over the terrible ringing in her eardrums.
Demi either didn't hear her, or she was too busy shaking her head in misery to care for what her trainer was telling her. In a flash, Zubat hit her with a face full of wing, which knocked the azurill over onto her side.
She rolled back to her feet after a few dazed seconds and finally shot a sloppy water gun in the flying pokemon's direction. Zubat easily weaved around the liquid and fluttered to the other side of the cave, hovering over Demi with his mocking eyeless face.
"Again!" May said, trying to think of a better plan of action. Zubat not only had an aerial advantage, but he was also much faster than Demi, as demonstrated by the way he continuously flew around her attacks. At the very least, staying on the offensive was keeping him from inflicting more damage on her, but there was no way they could win without getting a hit in.
Note to self: Work on hitting moving targets, May thought, frustrated.
"Ugh. Zubat, use leech life!" the Magma grunt said finally, clearly tired of seeing her pokemon chased around in circles.
Zubat flew under another water gun attack, which just barely managed to scrape him across the back. His ears flinched in slight discomfort, but unfortunately, it didn't stop his approach. He landed heavily on Demi, latching his fangs viciously into her side to suck away at her precious energy.
"Ril!" Demi cried out, wiggling desperately in the other pokemon's grip.
"Demi!" May looked on in fear. Demi couldn't get an angle to use water gun on Zubat, but she had to get him off, and quick! "Use charm!"
Demi glanced back at Zubat, batting her eyes at him playfully even through her gathering tears. Predictably, he froze. Although he couldn't technically see her, even he could sense the change in mood.
"Get him!"
Still smiling, Demi abruptly smacked the distracted Zubat in the face with her huge tail. The impact knocked him off of her, and as he fell, specks of her blood flew from his fangs. To May's horror, she could still see two small puncture wounds marring Demi's soft fur.
"I'm tired of playing!" the Magma grunt burst out. "Wing attack!"
Crap, May thought. Zubat was too fast. There was no way Demi could get him before he got her, unless…. Unless it was timed to absolute perfection.
"Demi, get ready for water gun, but don't use it," May said, hoping the Magma grunt didn't hear her words. If she did, she didn't show it.
Zubat flew straight for Demi, and he spread his wings wide. May bit her lip. Just a little longer…
"Now!"
Seconds before he could hit her, a massive torrent of water burst from Demi's mouth and impacted the dead center of Zubat's body. The creepy pokemon was propelled straight into the opposite side of the tunnel wall, which he slid down. He didn't move again.
"Good job, Demi," May said, watching in satisfaction as the Team Magma grunt recalled her fallen zubat. She thought that maybe she and Tessa could finally escape the cave, and that Team Magma and Aqua could go crawl back into whatever hole they had come from. However, the grunt didn't appear to share her sentiments.
"What are you smiling about? You just got your ass handed to you," Tessa growled at the woman. She pounded her fist threateningly, as if she would like nothing more than to knock the gloating expression off of her face. May couldn't help but feel the same way.
"If you know what's good for you, you'll run back to your friends and leave us alone," May snapped. She was so tired of seeing those stupid red hoods, and the dim lighting in the cave was becoming unbearable. Her hand clasped more tightly around the keystone. At least she had the pleasure of stealing something valuable from them after they had practically kidnapped her.
The Magma grunt actually laughed. She raised her arm and pointed towards May, and it took her a second to realize she was looking at something behind them.
"I'm just glad that my stalling paid off."
Houndoom stood at the edge of the tunnel, crouched and ready to spring. His sharp back tail whipped back and forth dangerously, and the lanterns reflected off of his bared white incisors. He looked a little tired from his earlier battle, but honestly, it didn't make him any less frightening.
"He's good at tracking little pests," the woman said smugly. She ran around May and past Houndoom, waving back at them mockingly just before she disappeared down the tunnel. "I'm sure Tabitha will arrive soon!"
May swallowed back her fear. If there was anything she was more fed up with than Team Magma at the moment, it was Tabitha's houndoom. Her chest stung painfully at the reminder of his sharp claws, yet she knew they couldn't afford to stick around long enough for Tabitha to show up again. They would probably never see the light of day again if he did.
"I'm sick and tired of this stupid mutt!" May cried, scowling at Houndoom. She glanced back at Tessa out of the corner of her eye. "But please tell me you have a pokemon to help out?"
Tessa grimaced darkly down at the two pokeballs on her belt. "Team Aqua wiped them out."
May swallowed nervously. This wasn't good.
Demi moved to stand in front of May and Tessa, although the smile had long since vanished from the rodent's face. She looked so small and helpless compared to Houndoom's bulk, even with the knowledge of her type advantage.
May bit her lip. She hated to call out Soren against a fire type (And a powerful one to boot), but she had no choice. Demi simply wouldn't be able to stand up against Houndoom alone.
"Be ready, Soren!"
"Treecko," Soren said when he appeared, his golden eyes immediately trained on Houndoom. His posture stiffened, and he hissed low in his throat as his danger instincts kicked in.
"Bullet seed and water gun!"
No way was May getting her pokemon any closer to those jaws than necessary, so range attacks were the way to go. Standing side-by-side, Soren and Demi fired their attacks towards their opponent in streams of blue and glowing yellow.
Houndoom stood unmoving for several seconds, and May allowed herself the crazy idea that maybe he wasn't very capable in the absence of his trainer. However, her hopes were dashed when he lazily opened his mouth and expelled a massive swirl of fire. The flames easily burnt Soren's seeds to dust before continuing to collide with Demi's water gun. The elements hissed loudly upon impact with one another, and the water quickly evaporated and dispersed throughout the air in a massive cloud of steam. Leftover cinders exploded across the cavern, probably burning May's pokemon, but the already dim cave had grown so foggy that she was rendered practically blind.
"Soren? Demi?" May cried fearfully. Thankfully, they both squeaked back a response, revealing that Houndoom had yet to take the opportunity to maul them.
The atmosphere then grew unnaturally quiet, and May shifted anxiously. If Houndoom hadn't attacked her pokemon, he was surely plotting something. Was he going to try going after her or Tessa instead? She ran a hand across the scratches on her chest, remembering very clearly that he was capable of doing just that.
As the minutes passed, the steam began to slowly clear. Just when May was beginning to think Houndoom couldn't see either, and that's why he hadn't moved, a loud scream pierced the air.
"Azurill!"
"Demi!" May glanced frantically around, and eventually she made out the form of Houndoom clutching a little blue ball of fur in between his teeth. To her horror, he latched on more tightly and began shaking Demi around like she was a pokedoll.
"Soren!" May said, but he was already darting towards Houndoom with a furious expression on his face. He leapt into the air, soaring past Houndoom's flailing claws to smack him roughly in the muzzle with his tail. The impact jarred Demi from his mouth, sending her rolling across the ground, where she only twitched weakly.
However, Houndoom's red glare was focused solely on Soren. His entire mouth burst into flames, and his large muscles bunched together in preparation to lunge.
"Dodge with quick attack!"
Soren tried to shoot out of harm's way, but he misjudged Houndoom's speed. The pokemon was far faster than any opponent he had faced before, which allowed him to reach out and latch onto Soren's right leg with his burning teeth.
The treecko screeched in agony, and May knew they were really in trouble.
"Soren!" May screamed, clutching at her hair. It was hard to think while Soren was in such clear distress, but she allowed herself to realize that Houndoom didn't have an ideal grip on her treecko. He had enough room to attack, if he could act fast enough.
"Bullet seed at his eyes!"
Grimacing through the pain in his leg, Soren twisted around and glared fiercely at Houndoom. He spat a considerably strong barrage of yellow seeds into the other pokemon's face, which exploded against the sensitive flesh.
Immediately, Houndoom cringed, dropping his grip on Soren. The treecko took the opportunity to hobble away, and to May's relief, he was still moving relatively quickly in spite of the harsh burn on his leg.
On the opposite side of Houndoom, Demi had managed to crawl back to her feet. Her fur was singed in several places, and her skin was damaged from the bite attack. May knew she wouldn't be able to last much longer, nor would her attacks do much damage.
"Water sport!" she tried, hoping to weaken Houndoom's greatest weapon and reduce the chances of any more dreadful burns.
Demi opened her mouth and spewed large droplets of water all around the cavern. She hadn't practiced the attack very much, so the attempt was a shaky one, yet May could feel the humidity in the air growing by the second as the walls and ground were soaked with liquid.
Apparently, so could Houndoom, and he didn't like it one bit.
He reared his head back and howled, lowly and eerily. The sound sent shivers down May's spine, and Demi paused in her attack. Even Tessa shuddered and took a step closer to May. Soren seemed to be the least affected, although May noticed that his fists clutched more tightly into the ground upon hearing the noise.
Quick as a flash, Houndoom had stopped his disturbing howl and rammed into Demi, horns first. Her fragile body flew into the cave wall like zubat's before her, where she lay still.
May recalled Demi numbly. Soren was weakened from the fire fang attack, and he had a huge disadvantage. However, if she had to choose one pokemon she knew she could depend on, it would be him every time.
"Absorb!"
Getting some critical energy back seemed to be a good starting point, despite the fact that the move wouldn't be very effective. None of Soren's moves were, apart from maybe pound, but she couldn't risk Houndoom getting a hold of him again.
With Houndoom's back turned, Soren managed to suck several orbs of energy from the other pokemon's body and into his own. However, before his attack could finish, Houndoom spun around and spewed a mouthful of fire in Soren's direction. The flames sizzled and some of them went out as an aftereffect of Demi's water sport, yet Soren was swept away by the remaining embers.
May pulled out his pokeball with quivering hands, sure that he was done for.
To her shock, he forced himself to stand up again when the fire died down. His scales were blackened and damaged, but his eyes were determined.
"Tree!" Soren said stubbornly, glaring at his pokeball. He limped over to stand between May and Houndoom, and his thin legs trembled from the effort.
A lump grew in May's throat, and Houndoom watched with gloating eyes. She was so proud of him for lasting, but she couldn't watch him be beat up anymore. "Soren… Soren, you can't-"
"Treecko!" he snapped again, and suddenly his body was encased in a radiant white light. At first, May thought that it might be his Overgrow kicking in again, yet the light reminded her oddly of that given off by the keystone earlier.
Slowly, his glowing outline began changing. His height increased by more than a foot, and his arms and legs grew longer and sharper. The light died down to reveal a larger, more dangerous looking reptile with darker green scales and a still-red belly. Long, bladelike leaves had sprouted from his head and hands, and they also replaced his tail.
Soren had evolved into a strong young grovyle.
AN: Tch. I felt ripped off when they told me Team Magma/Aqua had been to Granite Cave in OR and I didn't get to beat them up, so this is my revenge. I mean, I had the scene planned anyway, but it felt even better to write! Haha.
As you can obviously see, I've switched up the admins' teams (And I will do the same to some grunts as well) so they're a bit more threatening and just less repetitive in general. Also, I took out Tabitha's crazy laugh. Like really Tabitha, if you're going to put on all those pounds, at least laugh like a sane human being. It's not good for your image.
And Steven will show his beautiful face…. Eventually. Oh, and believe it or not, I actually didn't plan the cliffhanger. The chapter just got much longer than I expected it to, so I had no choice. Don't hate me TOO much, but the next update might take a while for me to get out. I had a really busy week and next week might be even worse, so yeah.
Which fire type would you like to see May with? Seriously guys, I want your input. This is the only pokemon I'm flexible on, and it really doesn't matter which fire type it is! (I know how May's getting it, but the species doesn't currently matter as long as it's a fire type). Each of you should recommend one or two, and if I get enough options I'll put all the nominations in a poll next week for you guys to vote on! The final decision will of course be mine, but I'll definitely take your votes into consideration. The deadline for nominations will be next Friday.