Welcome to the Ikimono League
By Neko (Silver Tru-Neko)
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.
--
Chapter 7 – Danger in the Dungeon
Gary stooped, peering into the entranceway that had suddenly appeared on the side of the staircase. Another set of stairs, rickety and made of wood, spiralled up into darkness.
Gary brushed at a spider web reaching for his hair and stepped into the secret passage. He followed the stairs with his gaze, but they soon twisted out of sight so he was unable to see where they could possibly lead. Meeting Umbreon's eye, the trainer nodded. Then both began to climb.
There was no rail, and so Gary braced one hand against grimy brick as the steps steepened. Umbreon leaped from stair to stair with ease, casting a golden glow over the way ahead. Gary followed much more slowly, hunched over, as the passage was made for someone shorter than he.
They climbed for a long time, blackness pressing against Gary's eyes, blinding him. The air was musty, adrift with hidden traps of cobwebs. After a time Gary felt as if he were tunnelling underground, alert that at any time the passage could cave in on them. The very air stifled him, making him choke.
Umbreon came to a stop just ahead, and as Gary approached wearily, he saw why. There was a door blockading them in; he felt around the wood stopper and finally found a door handle.
He pushed against it, desperate to leave the trapping darkness. The door held; fiercely, Gary thought, I won't get stuck here, after all that work! He leaned into the door with all his weight, hoping to budge it. Umbreon jumped up, pressing its paws against the door.
"Come on," Gary hissed through gritted teeth. He rammed his shoulder into the wood, feeling splinters dig into his arm. All his desperations yielded nothing, however, as the door remained stolid as ever.
After a moment of struggle he fell back, gasping. There had to be another way. He was almost desperate enough to call on Nidoking to knock down the door; however, the logical part of his mind reasoned that Nidoking's stature would only bring the passage down on them. Blastoise, as well, was too big.
In thought, Gary observed the door. Umbreon tried again, to no avail, to push open the door with its front paws raised. In the glow of its fur Gary saw some engraving just above the handle.
"Stay there," he said abruptly, peering closer at the door. A small word printed there read…
"You've got to be kidding me," muttered Gary, and pulled the door open with ease.
Warm air rushed over him as he stumbled out; steadying himself, Gary inhaled deeply. Umbreon padded out behind him, but from experience Gary propped the door open, just in case. Now he observed the circular room they had arrived in. The ceiling of the room swept up many feet above them in a dome, painted dark and studded with stars. Light from the setting sun blazed in from the half of the wall entirely made out of windows. Far below, Gary saw the stretch of forest and, just above that, the brick lower level of the house. So this was the tower he had seen from outside; this windowed side must have faced away from the main door, though, as he had not seen it from below.
Directly across from Gary, though – and what drew his attention – was a door. This room, like the rest of the house, was another test.
Gary's sharp eyes checked for anything that might reveal what the puzzle was here: another painting, a trap door, anything. The only unusual aspect he saw was the maze of white lines painted on the wooden floor. He considered them a moment before it hit him.
They were court lines, simply drawn in circular form; he had finally found Violet Town's gym.
As soon as this thought occurred to him, the door across the way opened and a short figure emerged.
"Welcome," a man's voice greeted softly.
-
Ash landed on something hard; he lay a moment, stunned and blind, before slowly rising in the darkness.
"Pikachu?" he called, and the Pokémon answered.
"Pika!"
Relief flooded him. "Are you okay?"
Pikachu came bounding toward him, slipping into its usual spot on his shoulder. "Pika pi," it sighed.
Ash nodded, understanding. "There's more to this house than meets the eye." He turned, squinting into the darkness. Eyes adjusted as they were, the dark was still too thick to see anything.
"Looks like we'll need some more help," suggested Ash, reaching for a Poké ball. "Cyndaquil, I choose you!"
Light flashed across the cavern and the small fire Pokémon appeared. It opened wide its mouth, flames flaring from its back.
"Cyndaquil!" Ash commanded. "Light the way for us!"
Cyndaquil padded loyally to his side, and by the fire rising from its back Ash could see in a ring around him.
"Thanks," he grinned, before inspecting the room he had landed in.
The air here was frigid, though with Cyndaquil by his side he was suddenly warm. Black bricks stretched into the distance before him; behind, there was only a wall. Tilting his head back, Ash could see a square panel where he had fallen through. It seemed the way back up was blocked; resigned, he turned forward.
"This way," he said purposefully, and strode forward, footsteps echoing through the gloom.
Soon Ash saw shadows rising on either side ahead. He watched them warily, but it turned out they were only statues lining both sides of the dungeon. Ash was again awed by the craftsmanship: he recognized Nidoqueen, Nidoking, a proud Dragonite, and many others. Notably, each huge Pokémon stood over a tiny copy of its basic form. While the statues towered over Ash, these tiny totems could have fit into his palm. Ash paused to admire a Larvitar nestled below Tyranitar before moving on.
Soon Ash reached the end of the row of statues. Ahead a solitary statue greeted him, centered on the far wall. This one, Ash saw, was not a stage two Pokémon like the others, but a Murkrow. Ash stopped short. Only blank wall stood behind the Murkrow.
Frowning, Ash mulled over this. The dungeon had no exit, exempting the trap door above. There must have been something, some clue, he'd missed.
As Ash turned to walk the dungeon's length again, Pikachu suddenly cried out. Ash whirled, frightened by the panic in Pikachu's voice. He saw nothing, however, only the shadows of statues frozen behind him.
"What is it?" he murmured, but his eyes caught a movement that explained all the Pokémon's worries.
One of the statues slowly stepped down onto the floor, lumbering toward them. Ash's breath caught in his throat. He had thought all them to be stone! How could one possibly be alive?
Then he remembered that this was a haunted house.
A scream rose in his throat as he backed against the Murkrow statue. His mind raced; all the statues represented fearsome Pokémon. Which one now marched toward them? He wondered if, in time, all the statues would come alive. There were at least eight of them, more than a match for him, Pikachu, and Cyndaquil.
The Pokémon stomped into the flickering circle of Cyndaquil's fire, and Ash gazed up at its towering form in terror. Of all the possibilities, it just had to be this Pokémon to come alive.
"St-stay away!" he gasped, pulling Cyndaquil and Pikachu close to him. He did not want either of them to get hurt!
Still advancing, the mighty Tyranitar roared in anger.
Ash shuddered at the sound, trying to slip further back. The Murkrow blocked him; instead, he scurried behind the statue. Huddled between the Murkrow's legs, Ash gazed out at the Tyranitar.
I need time to find a way out, Ash thought desperately. There has to be one!
He selected a Poké ball and flung it into the space between him and the Tyranitar. "Charizard! I choose you!"
Blinding light flashed, revealing a gigantic orange lizard lashing its flaming tail. With a deafening roar Charizard spread its wings, claws glinting Tyranitar barely paused, continuing its slow lumber forward.
"Charizard! Stop it with flamethrower!"
Charizard unleashed a powerful jet of fire from its mouth. Any Pokémon would succumb to such a force, but still the Tyranitar marched toward their hiding place, not even a burn on its armoured skin.
Ash grew desperate. "Hold it back with a tackle!"
Snarling at Tyranitar's resistance, Charizard charged. Dragon clashed against dragon, both Pokémon fighting to push off the other. Tyranitar's clawed hands grasped Charizard's, and in one fluid movement, it flung its opponent into the wall.
Charizard crashed into the bricks with a strangled roar, sliding down before its head hit the floor. Eyes closing, Charizard surrendered to unconsciousness.
Ash gaped. The Tyranitar, without even a trainer's orders, had taken out one of his strongest Pokémon in one blow! He decided on another tactic to hold it at bay.
"Lapras! Bayleef! Help!"
The two Pokémon appeared faithfully in front of him, taking up defensive positions. "Razor leaf! Water gun! Anything to stop that Tyranitar!"
Lapras called out before spouting a jet of water at the advancing Pokémon. Bayleef swung its head, sending a flurry of leaves flying.
Both attacks collided with the Tyranitar; it stopped for a moment, and Ash cheered. In the next instant, however, he paled. Unscathed, the Tyranitar was only angered by the attempt.
"Its armour blocks all our attacks!" he gasped, finally comprehending. In that moment, Ash understood that it was hopeless; nothing his Pokémon did could get through to this demon!
"Pika!" Pikachu shook his arm gently, reassuring him. Ash stared at his friend doubtfully.
"All right, I guess it's worth a try…Pikachu, thundershock now!"
Pikachu bounded forward to join Lapras and Bayleef. Together, they unleashed their strongest attacks on the Tyranitar.
Ash was about to watch the result when something distracted him. He noticed that Murkrow, too, had a smaller form below it. This smaller version of the flying Pokémon stared him in the eye.
That's odd, noted Ash. All the other statues faced outward…
Without thinking he grasped the tiny Murkrow, pivoting it the other way. He could hear something grinding below him; the whole room shuddered for a moment, dust scattering from the ceiling.
"Uh oh," said Ash, glancing up and getting dust in his eyes.
He rubbed at his eyes furiously, knowing Tyranitar would descend on him shortly. He raised his head and his eyes locked on a doorway that had suddenly appeared next to him.
Ash had no time to think; he simply grabbed Cyndaquil and ducked into the entranceway. "This way!" he shouted to his Pokémon; Pikachu stopped his electric attack to scurry toward him, and as Bayleef and Lapras turned, he quickly summoned them into their Poké balls. Lastly, he returned Charizard.
Tyranitar, shaking its head from the last barrage, turned now to face him. For a moment, it stared him down without moving, Ash frozen with fear. Then, slowly, it turned and trudged away.
A long breath Ash had not realized he'd been holding slipped out. Wearily he turned, examining the staircase that now lay before him. He started to climb, eager to leave this creepy dungeon.
To be continued...
--
Author's Note: Please review! It takes only a moment and makes all my writing worthwhile :)