Hey guys, I just wanted to say sorry Chapter 17 took so long. For those of you who didn't read this when it was an author's note, I was having some difficulty with reading the hand written version. The pencil smudged all over some of the pages making them barely readable, even less readable if you need to wear glasses. So I had trouble typing it since I couldn't really read those pages. Not to mention I wrote it before I rewrote chapter 16 so I had to edit it to work with the ending of the chapter. As well as add a few things that weren't there simply because it seemed weird that they weren't there.

I'm also starting to get scared now. I've been coming up with other story ideas that have been blocking this one. This is just like all the other times I've started writing a chapter story. I get so far through it and then I just get new ideas for other stories. I only have this chapter because it was already hand written. I'm really getting scared here. I want to finish this story, but I can only truly focus on one at a time. And the ideas I'm getting for other stories can't be integrated into this one.

Long story short, it isn't looking to good right now.

In other news I have learned to spell shook as in "she shook her head" I feel stupid for not knowing it, but at least now you guys won't have to read "she shock her head." And before any of you ask, yes, I've always been bad at spelling and grammar. So, ya.

RangerTakara: She can see herself that way for the same reason I never saw myself as a good writer/artist. She's either really hard on herself, therefore lowering her selfconfidense or she's able to think that because her mom doesn't care about her and practically disowned her and her older brother hasn't spoken to her in years. That can do a lot to how much someone sees themself.

Ranger Belle: I'm glad you enjoyed it so much. I just wish it didn't take me so long to write the chapters now. (that seems to be a really common fear, almost everyone in my family is afraid of spiders, that includes me as well. xD )

Word count: 2,565 words

Disclaimer: Do you really think I'd be writing fanfiction if I owned Pokemon?

XoXoXoXo

Chapter 17

Exploration

The first thing I became aware of was a spike of pain, short but molten all the same. Like a blacksmith had just heated a dagger over a fire and burned himself on it before it finished cooling. It was hard to pinpoint the exact areas that it originated. But if I had to wager a guess it would probably be my head and leg, as those had been already wounded before the fall. In my mind I attempted to evaluate myself for any other possible injuries. Nothing seemed to register in my mind, so that was good, at least.

Opening my eyes I swiftly took of my surroundings. Everything was a blur of light blue light and gray brown. Closing my eyes so I didn't strain them, I lifted a hand to my face. Feeling the goggles and the cool metal of the aqua lung. When I breathed out I felt the bubbles rush past my hand. I was lying on my back in an upright position. Rock dug into the small of my back uncomfortably. Blinking quickly I had to wonder, why did they ever use the plasma guns before now? Then, I came to the conclusion that I didn't particularly care. They had them, they hardly used them, and that was that. Did I really need to know why they hadn't used them before, no. So why care?

That was when one word rang through my head like a bullet. Ben! My head instantly raised to the sky, not caring how the sudden action sent small tendrils of pain craning down my neck from the wound in my temple. Was he okay? Did they get him like the Pinchers had? He was alone up there, was he hurt? Did he manage to beat them? Any pain or fear I felt was redirected into complete concern. I didn't care that I was alone. I didn't care that I was, Arceus only knows where, in the ocean. All that mattered was Ben, everything else was trivial.

Looking down I saw the sand bellow me; that made sense. After all, I had been unconscious so I wouldn't exactly have been able to swim up. So, gravity took over and dropped me towards the bottom. Simple logic, really. To my left was an immense group of rocks that climbed high, almost to the surface it seemed. Sea weed and coral added shades of pinks, greens, yellows and reds to the otherwise gray colored stone. I could see some hidden undertones of white, hinting that corsola's lived amongst the coral, There were also some crevices which could easily be turned into a starmie's home.

To my right was a passage. The rocks forming an entrance that couldn't have been any bigger than a large mightyena. There was no wild life there, no sea weed, no coral, no algae, nothing. To say it was odd would have been an understatement. Why wasn't anything there? The cave didn't seem malicious in anyway. Was there a dangerous pokémon there? If there was, did it scare all life away. It seems pretty unlikely that anything would be able to keep algae away. After all, algae was the basic form of underwater life, next to plankton and things like that. Besides, as far as I know there isn't a single Pokémon capable of doing that.

So what was in there that kept it all away?

Tossing curiosity aside for the moment I looked to the surface, I frowned. Would I be able to make it up there? After all, if I ever got tired I could just grab the rock around me and climb up. Though, I might just end up climbing the whole way up. Swimming is easy, swimming underwater is easier. Swimming with an injured arm or leg is difficult, swimming underwater with an injured arm or leg is only slightly easier. Of course, I could just use my stylist and capture a corsola and have it bring me to the surface. But then what? I can't exactly fly. And no Pokémon that lived underwater could either, as far as I knew at least.

Still, the least I could do is go to the top and see what's going on. The cave could wait. As much as I wanted to know what was in it, it wasn't important. Ben was. That decided it, turning to what I assumed to be a corsola I sent out the capture device. Twirling it around a few times I was surprised the coral Pokémon didn't try to escape. It didn't even fight back. Not that I was complaining or anything, but I expected it to try something; not for it to just sit there. Maybe a bubble beam or something, but no, no attacks or anything. It just sat there. But, just when I considered stopping I saw the blue orb and whitish glow signifying a successful capture. Oh, so I wasn't just trying to catch normal coral. Good.

Calling the pink pokémon to me, I swiftly grabbed it's back and pointed upwards. Thankfully the water rock type seemed to understand what I wanted and began swimming up at a rate far too slow for my liking. I didn't call for it to go faster though. Corsola weren't known for their speed. They were mostly used as a way to buy time in battles. So asking a naturally slow pokémon to go faster, probably wouldn't result in a large increase of speed. Not to mention the small fella had to carry me up as well. For all I could know, this might be as fast as it can swim.

It took maybe three to five minutes to get to the surface. Raising my hand I pulled the goggles up onto my head. Never could see very clearly with those darn things on. Looking up I squinted slightly, trying to see something, anything really that suggested Ben was up there. But, there was nothing. No dark outlines, no flashes of unnatural light, just blue cloudy skies. In fact it would have made a beautiful picture for a photographer. Just put a couple pidgeys flying across the sky and it would have been nearly perfect.

But that didn't matter. Where was Ben? Was he okay? Was he holding out on his own? 'I can take care of myself perfectly fine, thank you.' He had told me that once about a year ago. I could still hear him say that whenever I get worried about him. Not that ever stopped me from worrying. "BEN!" I hollered as loud as I could. "BEN!" There wasn't any response, not that I really expected one… though it would have been nice. 'I can take care of myself…' Yes, he could, I just had to trust he'd be able to this time.

Biting my lip, I looked down "Think you can take me back to the ocean floor, Corsola." Pulling my goggles back over my eyes I looked up to the sky one last time, before the water drowned out the sky and refracted the sunlight. With a shake of my head, I stared down at the coral pokémon's back. He'd be fine. He had to be. He would fly down to the water and try to find me, and then… well… what do we do from there? Look for more shards? We couldn't exactly go to one of the many beaches with World's End doing whatever it is they were up to. Perhaps, when all this was over, and it was just the two of them they could do something.

Blood rushed to my cheeks. Did I really just think that? No, I do not have a crush on Ben. That was just the hormones speaking. Not me. Sighing I watched the bubbles rise in front of me, and I smiled as they rushed past. When we reached the sandy ocean floor, I hadn't even realized it until I looked up. Should I just wait here for Ben or… there was always the cave… Corsola wouldn't want to go in there. If algae didn't want to grow there, then why would this little guy want to go in. No, I would go in alone. Why make the poor guy go in if he didn't want to.

So getting off of the pink pokémon, I released it. Almost instantly, it went back to where I had found it, snuggled in the coral patch only feet above the sand. A smile found its way onto my face. It was so content, and I was happy it could be soothed so easily. All it needed was a familiar surroundings and it could fall right back asleep, as though nothing had happened. Sometimes I wished I could do that. Just forget about reality for a while and smile without a single care in the world. But I couldn't do that, after all, I had pokémon to protect. A lot of people would consider it to be selfish if I did.

Turning to the dark cave entry I decided that I might as well go in. Ben will figure out I decided to explore it if I didn't get back before he found me, right? He's a smart boy. Surely he could put two and two together. But… maybe it would be for the best if I stayed down here. Who knows when he'll be done up there. And if he doesn't come down in a certain time frame I'm going to have to tell Professor Hastings. Then that would lead to someone, probably me, having a panic attack. Then we'd be searching for him to try and get him back.

But that was just the worst case scenario, wasn't it? That wouldn't - couldn't- happen. Ben was better than that. Besides, once I see what's going on in the cave I'll come right back out. If he wasn't here by then, then I knew something was wrong… unless the cave was a lot smaller than it looked like it was. Yet, I doubted that was the case.

Taking a deep breath I swam to the entrance. My leg slightly rebelling at the motion, but it was quickly cast aside. Odds were I wouldn't be swimming towards the surface, so I would just be moving across. There shouldn't be too much of an issue. Besides, salt water helps preserve wounds, so any infectious bacteria would probably be killed… if they weren't already, that is.

The moment I got into the cave, I immediately felt… something. I can't really describe it. It was… light, airy almost. Comforting, yet sorrowful. As though it was a warning to people that it wanted to be left alone. Yet, at the same time, it was like when a person says that they just want to be alone. They don't really mean it, but they don't tell you that. So you leave anyway so they can have space to breath. What you don't realize is that they were asking if you cared enough to stay. It was that kind of loneliness. That kind of sorrow. But it felt like someone was wrapping their arms around you. Saying that they loved you and that everything would be okay. The mixture was odd, but that is the only way to describe it.

Each wall was smooth, but not too smooth. As I ran my hand against each surface I could feel the dumps and cracks. Just like a rock weathered down by a stream, which was all it was in essentially. The sand had been replaced by stone as well, and I was using the rock to help me get by. Granted it was easy to swim, but I didn't really want to waste my energy. There was no rush, really. So why hurry? I might as well go at my own pace, whatever that pace may be.

That, is when I heard it. A song. Sweat, gentle, calming. Like a lullaby a mother would sing to her child to get them to sleep at night. A song that could make even the rowdiest person calm. A song that could even make the most awake person lethargic. It began slow, somber, yet became almost dominating. I guess would be the best word for it. It was mystical. Powerful. As though it was saying that something omnipotent was on its way. Yet it seemed to be saying not to be afraid of it, because it was a good thing. Like you were about to see an old friend after a tragedy. There's sorrow, but joy in the event as well.

Or maybe I was just looking too far into it. Either way it didn't really matter. I floated there, I don't really know how long. All I know is that it was so peaceful. I could almost imagine Teran wrapping his arms around me and humming something like this to me on nights were I couldn't sleep. I could feel his body heat, smell the grass and birch that always seemed to come off of him and hear his voice. Of course, I knew I had to get going. But… was it wrong just to stay there? It was so nice, and I was happy.

Eventually reality returned and fantasy left. If I wanted to find the source of the song, I had to get going. Sooner rather than later. And I did want to find it. Odds are it was a pokémon. Perhaps it was singing because it was so lonely. I mean, if nothing even wanted to get close to me I'd be lonely as well. Fortunately, I haven't felt that way since the third day at the academy. Even if it just needed a hug, I could give it that. So I began swimming again.

Over time I began to hear something else. Rumbling, the sound of rock hitting rock. Screeching, the sound of an animal crying out or hurting. Resounding booms, the sound of energy hitting solid mater. The tunnel seemed to shake with each sound. The song, faltering every few moments, and stopping entirely when there was a screech. A battle was raging. And from the sound of it, it wasn't your ordinary trainer battle.

Soon enough I found a place where I could only assume a cave was located. The sounds of battle were louder than ever. Each explosion causing my ears to ring afterwards. Each cry loud and piercing my head. Each rumble was felt more. And when I looked up, I could see colors conflict. Blue meeting green in flashes of pure white. Red crashing into gold in blinding bursts of silver. In a way it was hypnotic. Seeing the brilliant colors collide, like the light of a dying star.

I almost didn't want to go to the surface to see what was going on. If it was a trainer battle, I shouldn't –wouldn't- interfere. That would be just rude. No one would want to have someone come in and ruin their fight. Especially if they're planning to catch whatever pokémon their battling. But if it was World's End, which would explain the guards above, then I had to stop them. They were here for a reason. So either there was a really strong pokémon they want. Or, the more likely option, there was another shard.

And so, hoping for the best, I rose to the surface.

XoXoXoXo

Don't worry chapter 18 is already hand written, so it won't be a cliff hanger for too long. Schools almost out for me and I wanted to get this chapter typed before I go brain dead from my finals. So with any luck the next chapter won't be too far behind this one. I literally had to rewrite this chapter as well because of the smudging and not liking what I originally had down. I think I added two entire pages to what I originally had and a lot of this went unedited after I rewrote it. So I'm sorry about that. I promise, once I finish the story I will go back and edit all my chapters, because there are some that I just absolutely hate. But I want to wait until the story is finished to do it. If I don't I might forget to go on with the plot.

Anyway, I'll see you guys later.

Ember