Chapter 8 - Union Cave Chronicles
"Nidoking, use your horn attack!" yelled Roland. "Tauros, use your tackle!" I responded. The two crashed together, and Nidoking fell over, fainted. Tauros stood tall, thrashing his 3 tails around in the air. "Nidoking, return" my challenger said, recalling his Pokemon to his pokeball. "Your Tauros is strong" he said to me. Then he said, "Well, thank you for the battle. I guess I need to do some more intense training." I replied, "You're welcome. Your Nidoking put up a good fight, so I'm sure you'll do better next time, with a little more training." He said, "Thank you. You're not like some of the other trainers I've battled. Some of them were real jerks and got all uppity about winning." I replied, "Hey, we're all in this together. We're all Pokemon trainers. What good is it to put each other down?" He walked along with me, my Vulpixes, and Tauros for a little while. "So where are you and your Pokemon headed next?" he asked. "Azelea Town" I answered. "It's gonna be a long hike, but I'll ride Tauros part of the way so it won't take as long." Roland then said, "I know a shortcut. I usually don't tell other people about it, but since you were civil to me after I lost to you, I'll tell you. Go ahead about 10 miles and you'll find the Union Cave. It connects directly to Azelea Town. You'll get there twice as fast!" "Thanks!" I replied. Then he warned me, "Just be careful, because there are a lot of rock types inside, including Onix." I thought about it for a minute, then said, "Thanks for the warning, but I trust my Pokemon. I think we can handle ourselves." Roland then went on his way, and I mounted up on Tauros. "Let's head for Union Cave, Tauros" I said, and he began running ahead, Flamefox and Firestorm running beside us. I watched the landscape pass by in a blur, and felt the wind on my face. I loved riding on Tauros - I felt so free, and hoped the journeys would never end. However, in less than an hour, we reached Union Cave. I thought about Roland's warning about Onix in the cave, so I decided to recall Tauros. I wanted to let him rest, anyway. I figured it would minimize the risk of anyone getting hurt if I kept everyone in their pokeballs. I let Flamefox and Firestorm stay out to walk with me, though. I was concerned about the fact that 5 out of my 6 current Pokemon were weak to rock types and the only one that was strong against them, Bellsprout, hadn't really had much experience yet. Nonetheless, we entered the cave. I took out my flashlight I had packed, but it really wasn't too dark inside. Flamefox and Firestorm stayed close to me. There was no sign of any Onix, but there were lots of Zubats hanging around. We continued ahead, through the cave. There was kind of a steep, downward slope just ahead, so I grabbed the wall of the cave and held onto the outcropping rocks to keep me from falling as I went ahead. Then one of the rocks pulled out and knocked me down - only, it wasn't a rock, it was a Geodude! He wasn't too happy about being disturbed, to say the least, and he whacked me in the face with his tackle, causing me to fall backwards and roll down the rest of the slope. I lay at the bottom with scratches and scrapes on my arms and hands from falling on the rocky cave floor, and I had a bloody lip. My Vulpixes ran over to me, and looked worried. "I'm okay, guys" I told them. The Geodude was coming towards me, and my Vulpixes angrily turned to him, and did a simultaneous flamethrower attack on him. Even though he was a rock type, usually resistant to fire attacks, the ferocious intensity of their double attack overheated him, causing him to faint. "Thanks, guys!" I said to them. They ran back over to me to lick my face, and Flamefox licked my wounds. I threw an empty pokeball at the fainted Geodude and he was collected, but the pokeball dematerialized, being transported directly to Professor Oak's lab, since I already had 6 Pokemon with me. Anyway, the excitement of the battle stirred up the Zubats, who were now flying at us from all directions. Flamefox and Firestorm started doing flamethrower attacks to drive them away, and a couple got knocked out. I tossed a couple pokeballs at the fainted ones, capturing them - I was on a roll! Once the Zubats had been driven out of sight, I thanked my fox Pokemon friends. "I don't know what I'd do without you guys" I said, giving them both a big hug. Flamefox sat up on my head as we continued ahead, through the cave. I felt safer with him up there, ready to protect me at a moment's notice. I noticed a side cavern as we proceeded ahead, with a reservoir of water inside. Not uncommon in a cave like this. When we were further ahead, I thought I felt the ground shaking a little. It got closer, until the ground was rumbling underneath us. "Uh oh" I said. Suddenly, the floor underneath us gave way, as a huge Onix exploded up from the ground in front of us - he must have burrowed right underneath us just to get in front of us! We fell into the small chasm created by the Onix, and I fell on my back against these hard rocks, getting more cut up and scraped than I already was. My Vulpixes were fine, though. In fact, they were ready to battle him! "No, guys, you'll get hurt! Just run!" I yelled. I got up and we ran in the opposite direction of the Onix, who now began to chase us. I decided to give Bellsprout a try. "Go, Bellsprout!" I shouted, releasing him from his pokeball. The tiny plant like Pokemon was much smaller than the Onix, but I hoped type advantage would help. "Bellsprout, use vine whip!" I commanded. To my surprise, his vine whip actually knocked back the Onix, but it only made him angrier. The Onix retaliated by slamming down hard on the ground, causing a fissure to open up underneath us, which we fell into. I slammed down to the hard rocks on the bottom, spraining my left arm. Flamefox and Firestorm landed on their feet, and they attempted flamethrower on Onix, but he barely felt their attack. He was definitely angrier, though. "Bellsprout, use razor leaf!" I shouted. Bellsprout launched his leaves into the air, again knocking back the Onix, but he quickly retaliated, using his tail to tackle Bellsprout, knocking him against the wall of the cave, unconscious. "Bellsprout, return!" I yelled, recalling him to his pokeball. Then I shouted, "Go, Tauros!" tossing his pokeball in the air, and he materialized from the white light. I said to him, "I know you're a normal type and you're weak against rock types, but you're our only hope!" He looked at me, concerned about my injuries, then turned and angrily looked at the Onix, ready to take him on. "Try using stomp, Tauros!" I commanded. He nodded, then ran at the Onix, stomping him under the head with his legs, knocking the rock snake on his back. Onix got back up and hit Tauros with a tackle attack, knocking him to the wall. He got back up, and was still willing to battle. "Tauros, try earthquake!" was my next command. He stomped his legs on the floor, causing a fissure to form under Onix, which Onix fell into. However, he slithered out of the fissure and was soon ready to fight again. Tauros was doing good, but I knew he couldn't defeat an Onix. Then I thought of something - the cavern with the water! Onix is weak to water! "Everyone follow me!" I yelled, and we ran further back the way we had come from, the Onix not far behind us. We all ran inside the opening of that cavern, and the Onix burst through the wall behind us. Tauros attempted another stomp attack, but Onix hit him with a tackle, slamming him to the wall again. Then he wrapped his long, rocky body around Tauros in a bind attack. "Tauros, return!" I yelled, attempting to recall him, but the Onix's bind blocked me from returning him! "Quick, guys, focus your flamethrowers on Onix, above and below where he has Tauros wrapped up!" I commanded my Vulpixes. Their eyes glowed white as they did their flamethrowers, Flamefox focusing above Tauros, Firestorm focusing below him. The Onix roared in pain, releasing his grip on Tauros, who fell to the ground. I ran over to him. "Are you okay, my friend?" I asked him. He "mooed", then stood up, battered, but still full of fight! I was so proud of him in that moment. "We need to get on the other side of him, Tauros, so that he's in front of the water!" I told him, then got up on his back. He ran around Onix, so we were on the other side of him. I hopped off Tauros. "Now, Tauros, use body slam!" I shouted. Tauros ran ahead, full speed and hit the Onix at full force, causing the Onix to fly backwards into the water in a huge splash, and Tauros to go flying in the opposite direction and hit the ground. The Onix stood up in the water and roared. "Flamefox, Firestorm, focus your flamethrower attacks in the water under Onix!" I shouted. They did so, heating up the water, and Onix roared out in pain, swinging his rock tail in all directions. "Keep it up, guys!" I said. Finally, the hot water got to be too much for the Onix, and he collapsed. "Guys, stop!" I commanded, and they ceased their attacks. "Pokeball, go!" I yelled, throwing my last empty pokeball. It engulfed the Onix in a bright light, then dematerialized, transported directly to Professor Oak's lab. "Yeah, baby!" I shouted in excitement. My Vulpixes ran over to me and I petted each of them with my right arm. Tauros lay on the ground, not moving. We all ran over to him. "Tauros, how are you feeling?" I asked him, petting his head. He just looked up at us. He was pretty bady beaten up. "You did great! We owe you our lives. Don't worry, buddy, I'll get you to a Pokemon center as soon as we get out of here." I then returned him to his pokeball. We left the cavern and continued in the direction we were headed in the first place. I held my left arm as we walked, and we finally reached the exit, emerging not far from Azelea Town. As I held my left arm, which was still in pain, I said to my Vulpixes, "Next time, we're taking the long way!"
As soon as we reached Azelea, I checked all of my Pokemon into the Pokemon center. Nurse Joy remembered us from the first time we passed through town, and she bandaged up my wounds and put a brace on my left arm. Tauros was in the examination room for a long time. I sat with my Vulpixes in the waiting room, and I was really worried. My Vulpixes could see how worried I was, and they tried to comfort me by cuddling in my lap. "I shouldn't have made Tauros battle that Onix. I knew he wouldn't have a chance. But I had no choice. I just hope he's going to be okay" I said, stroking my Vulpixes, while tears started to flow from my eyes. Just then, the light went off in the examination room and Nurse Joy came out. "That's one tough Tauros you have! He took a real beating, but he's going to be fine. However, he needs to heal up for 2 weeks before you can battle him again. And the same goes for you! You are in no condition to battle anyone right now. I suggest you take time to heal up before you continue" she said to me. I replied, "Thanks, Nurse Joy. I will. Is it okay if we visit Tauros now?" She said, "Yes. Just don't get him too active." I went into the back room with Flamefox and Firestorm. Tauros was lying down, but tried to get up when he saw me. "No, don't try to get up. I just wanted to make sure you're okay. Thank you again for saving all of us back there" I told him, then stroked his furry mane. We stayed with him until he fell asleep. Then I called Professor Oak to make sure he recieved all the Pokemon I caught. He gave me the same advice as Nurse Joy - take a break from battling to let myself heal up.
Over the next two weeks, we stayed by Tauros' side a lot, and I talked to him, petted him, and we even slept by him. Before we knew it, he was well enough to stand. My Vulpixes and I also explored the town a little, and I let Eevee swim at the Azelea pool. I also met a man named Kurt who makes pokeballs from apricorns. I told him I'd be back, because I needed more pokeballs. Anyway, at the end of two weeks, my arm was healed up, and so was Tauros. He was ready to battle again, and so was I! Our next challenge - Azelea Gym!