Thanks again for the fireworks show," Aiden said as he adjusted the strap of bag, "It really was amazing."
"Not a problem." the owner replied, "I assume you'll be heading over to Ambrette Town now?"
"Yeah." Aiden replied. "This Glittering Cave place sounds really interesting. And since I'm new to Kalos I'm actually really excited about it. Everywhere I go is like a new adventure. Plus I want to compete against my cousin in the Kalos League."
"Mm hm! I wish you the best of luck, then." the owner said.
"Thanks. Your palace is really beautiful. Thank you for suggesting me to come." Aiden gave him a small bow. He then knelt down on one knee and patted Furfrou on his head. "Thanks for showing me the place, too." he said. The Pokemon lowered his head and whimpered sadly. "I know, I know, I'll miss you too. But you need to watch over your Trainer and the palace. But I'll be sure to come back for another visit some time."
"Woof! Woof!" Furfrou barked happily before licking his face. Aiden laughed before standing up.
"Well, I better get going. Bye." Aiden said as he turned to leave.
The owner smiled and nodded. "Farewell." he said as he and Furfrou watched him leave. "He's a good man." he said to his Furfrou as they watched him leave. "Reminds me of that one girl and her friend two years back. I can see why you've taken a liking to him."
"Woof! Woof!"
...
It was the late evening hours when Aiden finally reached the tunnel entrance leading to Ambrette Town. The tunnel itself had been built on the side of the mountain. Or that's what the map said. Taking a deep breath, he entered the dark tunnel. "Damn it's dark in here." he whispered to himself as he walked down the straight path. A soft sigh left him. It was during times like this that he wished he had a Pokemon that knew flash.
Wait a minute! Aiden slapped his forehead. How could he have been so stupid? He packed a flashlight! He quickly unzipped his bag and took out a black flashlight. He faced it towards himself and switched it on. His pupils widened at the brightness of the light. "Okay, that's bright." he said. After letting his vision adjust, he continued down the tunnel. The place was silent. The only sound that was present were his footsteps hitting against the rocky floor. The place was a little too quiet.
"Where's all the Pokemon?" he asked himself. Normally he would've ran into a horde of Zubats or two. At least some kind of Pokemon! Aiden suddenly stopped dead in his tracks when he heard something behind him. Like small rocks shaking. He gripped his flashlight tightly as his breathing started to become shakey. He's seen horror movies. Even though this is not a movie, it is possible for a scenario like this to occur. Hopefully it wouldn't be a deranged psycho with a bloody machete or something. The boy spun around sharply. A startled expression immediately dominated his face.
Standing in front of him was none other than Vivienne, who was equally as startled. In her arms was Mica, who appeared to be asleep. "Aiden!" she gasped.
"Vivienne." Aiden breathed, "It's only you."
The other Trainer smiled. "I'm sorry. Was just exploring the tunnel when I saw you. I wasn't sure if it was you so I decided to check. I'm sorry if I startled you."
"It's cool." Aiden assured her with a smile as well, "I was just on my way to Ambrette Town."
"Oh! So are we." Vivienne referred to Mica and herself, "But I got a little adventurous and decided to explore the tunnel a bit. Mica fell asleep halfway."
"Find anything interesting?"
"Mm mm." Vivienne shook her head, "Nothing so far. I ran into a few Pokemon but that's it. You know what's funny? I have a feeling that there should be more Pokemon here."
"I haven't see any yet." Aiden said, "But I have the same feeling."
Mica's right ear twitched as she stirred from her sleep. Blinking her eyes a bit before raising her head. "Mica!" Vivienne said, "I'm sorry. Did I wake you?"
"Eevee!" Mica suddenly jumped from her arms and ran a short distance ahead of them.
"Mica!" Vivienne cried in alarm before running after her. Aiden followed as well.
"What's wrong with her?" he asked as they ran after the glittering Pokemon.
"I don't know." Vivienne replied worriedly, "She's never acted like this before."
Mica then stopped in front of a freshly made path near the exit. "Ve! Ve!" she cried. Aiden and Vivienne stopped; Vivienne scooped Mica back in her arms. "What's wrong with you!?" she asked worriedly as she hugged her tightly, "Don't run off like that!"
"Ve..." Mica lowered her head sadly, obviously saying that she didn't mean to hurt her. The shiny Pokemon licked her face apologetically. Vivienne smiled and hugged her partner tightly.
"I forgive you." she said.
"Vivienne." Aiden called as he started at the freshly dug tunnel. Using his flashlight to shine down the endless dark passage, "Come look at this."
Vivienne walked over and shined her flashlight as well. "My Arceus." she said. "This tunnel is brand new. Not even a day old!"
Aiden then lowered his flashlight to the ground. The floor was littered with tracks of people and one large Pokemon. But because they were all over the place he wasn't able to identify what Pokemon it was; nor how many people were present.
"Who could've done this?" Vivienne asked as she looked over to Aiden. Aiden shrugged in reply.
"I honestly don't know." he admitted. A nervous feeling squirmed in his chest. "Let's get out of here. I have a feeling that I don't want to meet the ones responsible for this..."
"I agree." Vivienne nodded slowly.
The quickly left the tunnel. The sky was already dark and covered in a sea of stars. The ocean was rather calm and soothing to hear. Only a very few lights were present in the small city below them. To their left was the path leading to Ambrette Town. The two put their flashlights away and walked to Ambrette Town together. None of them talking about what they saw.
"So how are you?" Aiden asked. Wanting to break the silence.
Vivienne smiled softly. "Good. Miyu has stopped wandering from the group, thank Arceus." Aiden chuckled softly. "Anyway, I also caught myself a new friend." she added.
"Really?" Aiden arched his brow, "What Pokemon?"
"A female Raltz I nicknamed Kyu." Vivienne replied.
"Cool. I captured a male Zorua." Aiden said.
"A Zorua? That's cool." Vivienne smiled, "I honestly think they're cute. Where'd you find him?"
"Actually..." Aiden rubbed the back of his neck, "He found me. I was helping the Gym Leader Viola take some pictures when I spotted the little guy rummaging through my bag." he laughed softly, "I guess he must've saw something in me that made him want to be captured."
"Pokemon are strange that way." Vivienne said, "When I first had Mica, I didn't choose her to be my partner. She chose me. I've been with her since she was born in our farm. After she saw how well I cared for the other Pokemon, she must've thought I had the material to be a great Pokemon Trainer. You can say that we're best friends now."
"I never knew you even lived on a farm." Aiden said.
"Back in Johto, my family owns a small farm that sells Milktank milk. Or Moomoo Milk as it's normally called."
"I love Moomoo Milk!" Aiden said, "Perhaps I should thank you and the Milktanks for that."
Vivienne laughed. "You don't have to. But thanks."
"Vee!"
Aiden and Vivienne stopped. "What's wrong Mica?" she asked, looking down at the Eevee.
"Vee! Vee!" Mica pointed her paw at the form lying a few feet ahead of them. Both Aiden and Vivienne looked up before gasping. Lying on the ground, only a few feet in front of them, was a Helioptile. Both Trainers gasped. "I've never seen a Pokemon like that before." Vivienne said.
"Me neither." Aiden added before he swiftly brought out his Pokedex.
'Helioptile: the Generator Pokemon. They make their home in deserts. They can generate their energy from basking in the sun, so eating food is not a requirement.'
"What's this little guy doing all the way out here?" Adien asked.
The Helioptile suddenly opened his eyes and he shot up from the ground before growling aggressively at them. His blue eyes flashing dangerously at them as sparks of electricity suddenly appeared. Aiden and Vivienne immediately took a few steps back. But then, the Helioptile suddenly collapsed. The lizard did look badly beaten up.
"Oh, no!" Vivienne gasped.
Both Trainers immediately ran over to the Pokemon's side. "This little guy looks like he got a bad beating." Aiden said as he examined his body. With caution, he gently took the Pokemon in his arms and cradled him close. "We should take him to the Pokemon Center in Ambrette Town. Maybe Nurse Joy will know something."
"Right." Vivienne nodded.
...
Aiden and Vivienne both watched from behind a glass window as Nurse Joy and her Wigglytuff did their best to heal the wounded Helioptile.
"I don't understand why he acted so aggressive towards us before." Aiden whispered.
"He's a wild Pokemon." Vivienne replied, "He must've saw us as a threat and was only trying to protect himself."
"But what I want to know is who or what did this to him?" Aiden clenched his hand into a fist. If this was the work of a human being then he'll track them down and kick their ass for it. It's amazing how people can treat Pokemon so cruelly.
Nurse Joy then stepped out of the room and approached the Trainers. "Helioptile is doing just fine." she said with a smile. Both Trainers sighed in relief.
"Thanks." Aiden said.
"What could've done this to him?" Vivienne asked as they looked through the window again.
"By the looks of the injuries he sustained, he must've been trying to flee." Nurse Joy replied.
"Flee?" Aiden asked, "From what?"
"Possibly from a much larger or stronger Pokemon. Food is scarce around here, so it's every Pokemon for themselves."
"That's awful." Vivienne said as she patted her Eevee, "It's part of life, but that's just awful."
Aiden placed his hand on the glass as he gave the sleeping Pokemon a sympathetic look. "Poor Helioptile..." He turned to Joy. "Where can we find other Helioptiles?" he asked.
"You can check Route 9." Joy replied, "That's were most of the Helioptiles in this area live. It's just towards Glittering Cave."
Aiden's eyes widened when he heard that. "I'm actually going to visit Glittering Cave." he said, "I can drop him off while on my way."
Joy smiled and nodded. "That sounds like a good idea. You two have a good night." she said as she turned to leave.
"We will. Thanks." Aiden replied.
"Aiden?" Vivienne asked, "If it's alright, we would like to join you at Glittering Cave."
"Vee!" Mica cried.
Aiden smiled. "Sure. It'll be nice to have a friend with as well. We'll leave as soon as Helioptile wakes up. I don't want to rush things with the little guy."
"Right." Vivienne agreed before the trio left to turn in for the night.
Helioptile opened one eye as soon as they left. Perhaps he was wrong about these humans after all. Perhaps they could help him. Pushing himself up, Helioptile jumped off the small bed and made his way up the wall and into an air vent. From there he followed Aiden and Vivienne to their room.
"Vee?" Mica suddenly looked up at the ceiling.
"What's wrong Mica?" Vivienne asked as she placed her bag on the bunk bed. The air vent door suddenly flipped open and Helioptile fell out before landing on Aiden's head. "Helioptile!" she gasped.
Aiden groaned in pain as he sat up. "Helioptile!" he said, eyebrows furrowed, "What gives? Shouldn't you be resting?"
"Helioptile! Helioptile!" the yellow Pokemon was pushing his knee with his two front claws. A begging look on his face.
Aiden and Vivienne looked up at one another. Confused. "What are you trying to tell us?" Vivienne asked as she got down on both knees.
"Helioptile! Helio!"
"Uhh... Do you want to go home now?" Aiden asked.
Helioptile started hopping up and down. But not excitedly. Frantically.
"Is something going on at Route 9?" Vivienne asked.
Helioptile then got a little excited and he chased his tail once. They were getting warmer. "Is something happening in Glittering Cave?" Aiden asked next.
"Helioptile! Helioptile!" Helioptile cried happily before he jumped on Aiden's chest and licked his face before jumping off and running over to the door.
"Looks like it." Aiden said before standing up and putting his jacket back on.
"But it's the middle of the night." Vivienne said, "The cave is already closed for the day."
"Something must be going on." Aiden said as he put his bag back on, "And this little guy needs our help."
"Vee! Eevee!" Mica nudged her Trainer's hands before smiling up at her.
"Mica..." Vivienne looked up at Aiden and smiled as well. "Alright. You win." she said.
Aiden smiled before placing his hand on her shoulder. "Thanks Vivienne." he said.
...
Aiden and Vivienne had to literally sneak their way past the gate guard in order to enter Route 9. Ever since Glittering Cave became a tourist attraction, they've set up certain rules for it. Like how long it's going to be open. The path that had been created by retired Ryhorn Racers had been flattened out so that people didn't have to use a Ryhorn to get to the cave in the first place. But it also meant driving out some of the wild Pokemon. Helioptile led them to Glittering cave, which had a newly built gift store beside the entrance.
"It feels strange." Vivienne whispered, "Imagine how different this place is when it's filled with people."
Aiden nodded. "Alright Helioptile, lead the way."
Helioptile nodded before hopping into the cave. Aiden and Vivienne followed. The whole cave was lit up by glowing moss, so they didn't need to use their flashlights.
"It's beautiful in here." Vivienne said in wonder as her eyes wandered all over the place.
"I know..." Aiden whispered in awe.
Both Trainers developed an urge to want to explore the cave. Just to see more of the beautiful colors around them. But Mica didn't feel the same way. She could sense that something was dangerously wrong. They had missed out the warning outside the cave telling them about the moss. How the moss can easily trick someone into getting lost.
"HELIOPTILE!" she cried.
Helioptile then stopped and was alarmed to see the distant looks in both Trainers' eyes. "Brace yourself!" he yelled before unleashing a Thundershock attack on them. All three of them cried out in pain, but it did the trick.
"What happened?" Aiden asked after feeling a surge of electricity in him.
"I think we must've gotten a little too entranced by the moss...ow." Vivienne replied.
Aiden then smiled down at Helioptile. "Thanks Helioptile." he said.
"Helioptile!" Helioptile smiled back before he continued walking.
After allowing their bodies to settle down a bit they quickly caught up to Helioptile. They were soon out of the moss tunnel and in a much wider portion of the cave. Around them, gem stones glittered off the walls. It wasn't called Glittering Cave for nothing.
"Wow." Vivienne whispered as her eyes glittered faintly.
"Perhaps Glittering Cave really dose live up to its name." Aiden chuckled.
"Helioptile!" Helioptile called out to them.
Aiden and Vivienne walked up to him before they both gasped. In front of them were the same looking tracks from the fresh tunnel they saw much earlier.
"What the hell?" Aiden said to himself.
"Could it be the same ones from before?" Vivienne asked.
"Must be. Come on. Let's follow these tracks and see what these guys are up to."
They did just that. The four followed the tracks deeper into the cave. Soon the faint sound of voices were heard and they stopped dead in their tracks. Helioptile lowered his head and started to growl softly. Sparks appearing from his frills. The four stayed cautious as they got closer and closer. Soon the voices were mixed with a variety of other noises. Like the sound of rocks breaking and other Pokemon wailing out in feat or pain. The four hid behind a rock and peeked out just enough to see what was going on. Horror filled them when they saw the scene. Cages. Cages containing more then one Pokemon. All with scared or panicked looks on their faces. Each cage was stacked above the other and looked overcrowded. Standing not far, with their backs turned to the cages, were a group of five or six people standing in front of a large gaping hole. All of them were dressed in red-orange suits with red hair. All of them wore a pair of red shades.
"Oh my Arceus." Vivienne whispered as tears brimmed her eyes. Her fingers hovering just inches from her mouth.
"Are those the people who hurt you?" Aiden whispered, rage boiling inside him. Helioptile nodded.
STOMP, STOMP, STOMP, STOMP
The ground started to vibrate slightly. Causing a few small rocks to hop up and down from the ground. Mica curled against Vivienne as she held onto Aiden in fear. "Aiden... What is that?" she squeaked.
Aiden didn't reply. He kept his eyes on the tunnel as the outline of two figures appeared. One very much larger then the other. Soon they started to come into full view as they stepped into the light. One was that of a young man. Age 20 perhaps? His hair was like that of the men who were also present, but his outfit was slightly different. He was wearing a black blazer that was unbuttoned all the way, revealing a red undershirt, and red pants with black shoes. Both hands were in his pockets and a red-orange visor (Similar to Bryony's) covering his eyes. On his left was an insignia of some sort. A orange flame what was a bit darkened in the center. Standing beside him was the most vicious, battle hardened Aggron he's ever seen. Compared to the Aggrons he's seen back in Hoenn, this one looked the most deadliest of them all.
"The tunnel is secured." the man with the visor said, "Good job. We should be able to get all these Pokemon out of here by morning. Now let's get a move on."
"Right." the others said in unison.
One of the Pokemon in the cages started to whimper before letting out a loud wail. Causing a few of the people to flinch or cover their ears.
"Will someone shut it up!" the visored man snapped.
"HEY! LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Aiden shot up from his hiding spot. Helioptile standing beside him, snapping at the people as sparks flew from his stood up as well, though she looked a bit more frightened.
A growl left the visored man. "I thought you said no one else was in the cave." he hissed.
"I-I did, sir!" one of the men said, "I checked the area three times!"
"Hey? Isn't that the Helioptile that got away from us?" one of the women asked.
"Why, it is." the visored man smirked cruelly.
"You were the ones who hurt this poor Helioptile? How could you!" Vivienne cried.
"And why are you caging up those innocent Pokemon!?" Aiden shouted.
"Humph. Like children like you would understand." the visored man said, "No matter. I'll just have to wipe out the both of you. This should be rather quick. Aggron?"
"Aggron!" the large Pokemon snarled as he stood in front of his Trainer.
Aiden took out the Pokeball that contained Torchic, but suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder. "Aiden, are you sure?" Vivienne whispered.
"I honestly don't know." Aiden admitted, "But I'm going to distract them. You go back to Ambrette Town and alert the authorities."
"What about you? That Aggron looks really powerful."
"Don't worry. I'll be fine." Aiden assured her. Vivienne wanted to protest but she knew it was futile. She could only nod before running out with Mica in her arms. "Torchic! Let's go!" he roared, throwing the Pokeball.
"Torchic!" Torchic chirped as he stood fearlessly before them.
"Humph. You should've ran out with her while you had the chance." the visored man sneered, "No matter. This battle should end rather quickly."
Aiden noticed a light coming from the man's left pocket. He removed his hand to reveal a bracelet of some kind around his wrist. In the center was a stone that was glowing rather brightly. "Aggron, give him hell." the man hissed. Aggron roared just before a blinding light suddenly enveloped him. Aiden, Torchic, and Helioptile could only watch in awe as the Aggron's appearance changed before their eyes.
X.X
They're BACK! And much stronger then before! :D