A/N: Due to the chapter, it felt right to place the A/N here. Thank you for everyone's continuing support, and remember to Roam Happily! :)

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Connecting Cave

"This cave linking Route 7 and Cyllage city is notable for its great hordes of zubat."

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She couldn't believe what had just happened. He'd battled alongside with her, and they were only inches away from each other when they were double-teaming against Trevor and Tierno.

Wasn't he mad at her for something back at the Shabboneau castle? Apparently he'd had a sudden change of heart.

But despite previous encounters, they made a good team—no—a great team. He understood her tactics without having to ask her during battle, and his Braixen went along fantastically with Chespin, even though their types were polar opposites. Trevor's Pikachu and Tierno's Corphish didn't stand a chance! Her and Calem's communication was that incredible. It had given her a sense of fear and gratitude at the same time: scary how he'd understood her so quickly, and praise for his wits on the battle-field.

However, the only thing she had a problem with was that he was still distant from her.

Even now.

"Good battle guys," he said to Trevor and Tierno, and not her. "We should all meet up around Shalour City in a few days."

"Thanks Calem; alright will do." Trevor shakes his hand, then Tierno does the same.

"Yeah man! Epic battle. We should do it again sometime and have Shauna as a judge!"

"Great idea," Calem agrees, then turns to her, his hair having more spark than his dull, neutral eyes. "If I were you, I'd head for Ambrette Town. It's only up ahead past the Connecting Cave and Cyllage City."

Serena fumes silently. The nerve of this guy. Why doesn't he just travel alongside her if he kept giving her indirect advice?

She nods with little enthusiasm, turns her back to him, and heads for the next destination without further words. She hoped it bothered him. She hoped it bothered him immensely.

It better.

"Bye Serena!" Tierno hollered.

(***)

Chespin was at it again, and she wished the battle with Trevor and Tierno wasn't as successful as it was. Chespin, having been completely healthy since no damage was afflicted upon him, was as energetic as ever, and she didn't know how he manages to escape his pokeball at free will anytime, anywhere.

He has run ahead of her, straight into the dark, ominous cave's entrance with a pitchy war-cry, his clawed hand in the air. His bravery was one to envy.

She read the sign beside the gaping entrance: '…This is the shortcut to Ambrette Town.' If this was a shortcut, then it meant that the cave shouldn't be that long of a walk to the other side. It would also mean that Chespin should be okay with going in by himself. This relieved her a huge amount and gave her the last pinch of willpower she needed to enter the cave.

All signs of light instantly disappeared as she crossed dimensions. The dark was overwhelming; it was pitch black, but soon her eyes adjusted to the low, non-existent amount of light. Sharp, moldy rocks jutted out from the ground, threatening to pierce her skin if she came too close. The air was damp and filled with a poignant smell she couldn't describe, and stalactites seemingly materialized before her eyes during some points and she'd quickly cover her face to prevent her eye ball from being poked. The floor was unstable at some points of her daring venture, because the terrain was so uneven with the steep, miniature bumps every so often.

There was no one else in sight. Not a single human or pokemon presence. But the eerie atmosphere didn't last long when squeals of a familiar pokemon echoed from behind her. The pokemon did not sound like it was having the time of its life.

Serena's eyes went wide. It was Chespin. She jogged back to where she came from, using her ears to follow the distress calls. She tripped once, but got back up and did not slacken her pace. Where was he? What happened? Was Chespin being attacked? …Kidnapped?

She turned a corner and with extreme luck, managed to halt in her tracks before falling into the gorge-like hole before her. She'd seen these holes already from her previous adventure. Had someone dug these holes on purpose just to spite travelers? She didn't know—but these kinds of obstacles never stopped her and Ampharos on their journey.

Ampharos…

No! She reprimanded herself with a shake of her head. Focus! She got down on all fours and peered over the edge. Once she was sure she was seeing the top of Chespin's spiky head, she clapped once to get his attention. He rapidly looks up, his eyes bright with worry. He pointed at a crevice on the side of the hole. A Whismur was stuck from within, and it was the tiniest she's ever seen! The creature's asterisk eyes glinted with shimmering tears in the dark.

"Ch-ch-chespin!" Her pokemon whimpered. She gave him a firm nod, and tried to reassure him with a determined look. He seemed to understand her and stopped his cries.

With her back turned towards him, she gingerly started to descend by feeling around with the tip of her foot for a ledge that wouldn't give. She'd only taken two steps down when Chespin started to shriek.

"Chespin!"

Her progression froze and her body went rigid. Breathing became a laborious task. What was wrong? Was he being attacked? She chanced a peek at him. He was okay, but he was staring past her up at the ceiling, eyes wide with terror.

He wasn't the one in trouble. She was.

A flurry of squeaks and flaps of the wing pierced the air above her before she could progress in her mind what to do. Zubat. She had to move. Get cover. Be anywhere but here in this position.

Hand after shaky hand, foot after tense foot, she climbed out of the hole. Was there even time to assess the situation? It was too dark anyway. There was nowhere to hide!

She wasn't being quick enough. The horde of zubat dove down towards her in one unanimous screech that chilled her to the bone. She saw their bared fangs before she went under, going flat on her stomach and covering her head with her arms. She waited for the fangs to dig deep into her back and skull.

"Serena!"

There was a sudden weight on her, and air momentarily left her lungs. Was this the Zubats' doing? Were they trying to squish her to death?

"Now, Braixen!"

No. Someone was protecting her. She thought she'd heard her name being called earlier, but it was hard to concentrate or think with the deafening racket.

A menacing growl resonated above all else. A burst of light illuminates the cave, followed by a sharp increase in temperature that goes away as soon as it came. A spontaneous screech comes from the Zubats.

Seconds later, the ruckus subsides. The Zubats had probably fled. She squirms from underneath her captive, and it wasn't until a moment later that he or she finally got off from on top of her. Maybe it was a precaution measure? To make sure the Zubats were gone for good? She takes a great deal to stand up, and it surprises her how fast the adrenaline had weakened her. The world started to spin…

"Careful," her savior warns. Foreign hands grasped her shoulders, trying to steady her but failed to act as an anchor. She leans her whole weight into her savior's touch until her foot steps forward to distribute her weight evenly.

She tilts her head up to find Calem's own only inches away. Her temple and cheeks go aflame at the intimacy of it all, and yet his expression remains unruffled, his eyes laced with curiosity.

He was studying her reaction. And she was allowing him to do so. Where was her pride? Any inkling of self-pride she previously kept inside, diminished. His eyes transfixed her. They were luminous from up close; a wintry, mystical azure blue.

She could stay like this forever.

He stepped back finally, letting go of her shoulders, and the missing presence upset her. His eyes weren't as bright anymore now that they were a foot apart.

They became two figures outlined in darkness.

"Are you hurt anywhere?" He says, as if what had just happened between them never happened. She would have been offended if not for the concerned tone of his voice warming her to the core.

She shook her head, and took great care in stepping towards him. She didn't want him to flee like last time—she wanted to check if he had any injuries. She remembers the Zubats' fangs.

He almost backs away, but not quite once he kind of understood what she was doing. At times like this, she dearly wished he learned sign language.

After seconds of examination, she discovers a pair of bloody tears of fabric hanging from his back; a deep hole the size of the tip of a sharp pencil in each spot of the revealed skin.

Her hands flew to her mouth in alarm and she whirled him around. He was poisoned! He had to be! In frantic movements, she tried to explain to him what she saw on his back by assistance of two of her fingers jabbing her arm.

"Two Zubat bit me…" He says with a tone of wonder, as if trying to comprehend. He goes pensive.

"Strange. I don't feel the least bit woozy. Just don't worry about—"

Then, as if he's insulted fate's power, he collapses to the ground, and Serena is overwhelmed with the danger of the situation. She checks his chest. He was barely breathing. She hastily gathers him up behind her back and stands, getting him to gain transport on her back. He wasn't going to die, was he? Was she treating this situation correctly?

With all her strength, she goes towards the gaping hole for Chespin, and only Chespin. Calem was the top priority at the moment, and although she might regret it immensely later, Whismur had to wait a little bit longer for help. The creature was the least of her worries.

But Chespin wasn't there, and neither was Whismur.

She starts to perspire. How much time did she have? Did poison travel fast? How toxic was Zubat venom? She had to get out of here without Chespin whether she liked it or not.

She jumps once, trying to not let Calem slide off her back. Then she tries to run, but only turns the corner before she's back to trudging. She blindly chooses a direction she anticipates was the nearest exit. Would the pokemon center be the place for Calem to go to?

She hears multiple taps and plods of feet coming her way. Who was it? What was it? Her vision struggled to zero in on the silhouettes of the three shadows up ahead. She could only make out two creatures and a human. A human. They were running towards her and her heart skipped. They had to be good souls, coming to her rescue—Calem's rescue.

"Hey! Walk carefully and slowly, but do not make haste!" The human shouted. Serena slackened her pace, but with great hesitancy. Why? This was dire! She couldn't afford to not make haste! But as they came closer, she saw the human was a woman in a doctor's coat, so it was advice she had to firmly enforce. Chespin and Braixen were also there beside her too.

"Do not make haste! I repeat, do not make haste!"

Why did she keep repeating this? Was it dangerous to move Calem? But she'd moved him around so much earlier…

Oh no.

Now that they were only two feet away, the woman breathed fast and talked rapidly. "How long was he poisoned? How did this happen?" They all walked together: pokemon and human alike.

Serena couldn't comprehend. What was the woman saying? She couldn't formulate. She couldn't speak. She—She couldn't believe what she'd just done to Calem. Do not make haste. Do not make haste.

"Please do not tell me you've moved him too quickly or in brisk motions."

Serena could only stare. She could only stare—!

The woman finally grasps the urgency.

"You've just spread the venom nearer to the boy's heart. Hurry—to the nearest home with me, now."

For the first time ever, she prays.