And we're back with the Pokemon portion of the story!
If any of you are going to wonder about why I'm posting a chapter early, it's because I'm on Spring Break and I thought I'd post an extra chapter this week for a double special!
So, enjoy!
Chapter 6 - The Underground, part 1
Chaos was starting to get anxious.
Grace had been leading them along the empty plains that used to be the route between Twinleaf and Sandgem, and they still had yet to find what she had called the entrance of "the Underground." Where that was - or what kind of haven it was - had yet to be seen.
"How long before we arrive at this destination of yours, Grace?" the Mewtwo asked the Eevee trotting ahead of the group. "The plains are not a place I would recommend staying out on for long."
"Don't worry," Grace called back as she glanced over a furry collar. "It's not much further." Looking ahead of her, the Pokemon added, "In fact, it should be over this next hill."
The Pokemon quickly climbed the rise Grace had mentioned, then paused when they reached the top to look down at where they were going.
Below, in a dull, flaking state, was a familiar red roof of a Pokemon Center, sitting among the remains of what had been a couple houses and a small grove of trees.
"A Pokemon Center?" Linoone asked, cocking his head.
"Not just any Pokemon Center," Swamp rumbled. "That's Sandgem's Pokemon Center." He looked over at Chaos. "How is it that it's still standing?"
"...I do not know," Chaos replied. "All of the Nurse Joys were rounded up after the...events of Mt. Coronet and Cyrus's erection of his lair. He may have left this one standing because he forgot to remove it."
"It isn't possible for him to forget," Aurora spoke up. The Mew flew up from where she had been hiding on Swamp's back and hovered next to the Mewtwo's shoulder. "Not after those events. He knows the locations of spacially cemented solids like buildings. I doubt he would have missed this one."
"He's been ignoring this one," Grace replied without looking back at the two Legendaries. "Either that, or his goons have been making excuses because the place is haunted by Ghost-Types."
Linoone, Vapor, and Raichu exchanged glances upon hearing this, while Swamp's gaze turned into a frown as he looked down at the Pokemon Center.
"Those Ghost-Types must be strong in order to hold their own against them," the Swampert noted. "We may have a problem reaching this entrance you spoke of."
Grace shook her head quietly, then took off down the hill at a decent trot.
"Hey, kid!" Vapor yelled after her. "What do you think you're doing?!"
"Going to the entrance," Grace called back. "Come on!"
The group of Pokemon looked at each other upon hearing the Eevee's calm statement.
"That kid is going to get herself in trouble running into a crowd of Ghost-Types like that," Vapor muttered, his mermaid-tail twitching in annoyance. He started forward. "I'm going to go after her."
"I will, too," Linoone spoke up. "I may only know Normal and Fighting-Type attacks, but that Eevee might want a Pokemon to protect her from Dark or Poison attacks." He followed after the Vaporeon, quickly catching up with him.
"Those two are going to get into trouble," Chaos noted with a shake of his head.
"It's not them that should be worried about," Swamp replied. He gave Raichu a pointed look, and the Electric Pokemon shrugged helplessly with a sheepish look on her face.
"All the same, it would be best if we stayed together," Aurora replied. The Mew then started forward and the other Pokemon - after exchanging their own wary glances - followed after the small Legendary.
When they reached the entrance of the Pokemon Center, the group found that the glass doors had been kicked in and taken a long time ago, and Grace was standing on top of the counter while Vapor and Linoone were standing in front of it, looking around warily for anyone that might try to sneak up on them.
And relaxing on an old machine that had been used by Nurse Joys countless times to restore a Pokemon team's health was a Gengar.
"See?" Grace motioned with a paw towards the Pokemon that were cautiously filing through the entrance. "I'm not lying. I found Chaos and Aurora. Now can you open the trapdoor?"
The mischievous-looking Ghost/Poison-Type glanced over at the Pokemon that had come in, and it's eyes widened. The lazy Cheshire-cat grin that had been on its face turned into a look that clearly spoke of fear and surprise. The Gengar quickly scrambled to his feet, looking from Pokemon to Pokemon as though it wasn't believing its eyes.
"This has got to be some illusion," the Gengar muttered.
"This is not an illusion," Aurora replied.
"We are here, in the flesh," Chaos added. "And we have news to give to those you may be giving shelter to."
The Gengar looked somewhat uncertain. "How is it that they haven't found you yet?"
"Where do you think the Jhoto trio has been hiding?" came Chaos' reply. The Mew next to him gave the Mewtwo a warning look, but it was ignored. "We only came down when another was called through. We have news that she is the last one through."
The Gengar suddenly became alert. "It isn't -"
"No, it's not," Swamp spoke up. "She never came through."
The Gengar let out a sigh of relief - which was surprising for a Ghost-Type - and collapsed on top of the machine again. "Good. I'd be terrified if they actually managed to catch my Trainer like I've been hearing for the others."
"Your Trainer?" Raichu repeated in surprise. She took a few steps forward. "Are you saying that White is your Trainer?"
"Yeah." The Gengar jumped off the machine and landed in front of the Electric-Type. "You want to make something of it, mouse?"
Raichu took a step back, paws up in surrender. "No."
The Gengar took a step back. "Good." He looked up at Chaos. "I wasn't on the team when she went after you in the Unknown Dungeon, but she mentioned you a couple times."
"I'm afraid that I cannot say the same," Chaos replied, looking down at the Pokemon. "What did she call you?"
"I was traded over when a kid didn't really want to work with Ghost-Types anymore. He didn't call me anything, but White ignored that and called me Geetz."
The Gengar motioned for the group to follow him, then turned and started walking down a hallway that was lit only by a flickering LED light that looked like it was about to go out at any minute. The rest of the group followed after him, Grace leading the way.
"You mentioned a trapdoor," Swamp remarked, looking down at the Eevee in front of them.
One of Grace's ears twitched. "Yeah. It's the only way down to the Underground form here. Geetz and his clan of Haunter and Ghastly have been keeping nosy people away if they've got the Goon symbol on their chest."
"Goon?" Raichu blinked.
"You know," Linoone replied. "Galactic?"
"'Goon' is a nickname White coined back in the beginning," Vapor explained. "I remember hearing about it from other Trainers after it happened."
"Exactly," Geetz called back.
The group reached the end of the hall, which quickly opened up into a dim room that looked like it had once been a place to store medicines and food supplies. Only now, the only thing that sat in the room was a wooden trap door in the center of the floor.
Geetz turned and looked at the group. "OK. Normally, I'd stick my head through and let the guard know somebody's back, but I think this time someone should try and open it up. Who's strong enough?"
Vapor, Linoone, and Raichu looked at each other before looking up at Swamp, who eyed the smaller Pokemon indifferently before letting out an annoyed sigh.
"Very well." The Swampert started forward, then gripped the iron ring that lay on top of the trap door.
He started to lift it, but it didn't come up far enough for even Grace to fit through the thin opening. However, it was wide enough for an annoyed - or alarmed - voice to come through.
"Who's there?" a teenage boy's voice demanded. "Name yourselves, or I'll sic my Crobat on you!"
"It's me, Grace!" Grace replied, bounding over to the opening. She didn't notice that the two Legendaries - or the four regular Pokemon for that matter - had surprised looks on their faces.
"I'm back from scouting in a Mystery Dungeon, and I've brought a few new Pokemon!" Grace continued.
"New Pokemon? Are you sure they can be trusted?"
Before Grace could respond to this, Chaos stepped forward and said something himself.
"Brock? Is that you?"
The trapdoor, which Swamp had stopped pulling on, was thrown back into a vertical position with a bang, revealing the young, dark-skinned teenager from Pewter City.
"Mewtwo? Mew?" the former Rock-Type Gym Leader asked, shocked.
"Hello, Brock," Aurora greeted. "We haven't seen you in some time."
The Trainer looked a little flabbergasted upon seeing the group of Pokemon around him. "What are you doing here? How did -"
"Grace led us here when she saw us taking a short rest out on the plains," Chaos replied. "We bring news from the outside, and hopefully another from our group is going to learn of events soon, as well. Especially considering who we met on the way here."
He looked over at Aurora, who nodded in agreement.
Brock frowned, quickly regaining his composure. "What do you mean? What's going on?"
"The Lake Spirits were set loose by Arctic," Vapor spoke up. "I think they have something in mind that may take the goons down."
That definitely got Brock's attention. He stood even more upright, looking determined. "You're going to have to explain that in more detail."
Seeing Linoone open his mouth, he added, "Not here. Follow me."
An instant later, Brock had disappeared from sight, startling most of the Pokemon.
"Relax," Geetz stated, turning to look at the group. "There's a slide below the trapdoor that he used to get to the Underground. It's big enough for the marsh monster over there, too."
Grace nodded. "Yup! It's really fun to slide down, too!" She bounded over to the hole in the PokeCenter floor and dove into it, letting out a squeal of delight that faded away quickly as the distance grew between her and the other Pokemon.
"I wouldn't worry too much about what's at the bottom," the Gengar added. He gave a Cheshire Cat grin, then faded from sight.
As soon as Geetz was gone, Raichu grinned, then started bounding forward for the trapdoor.
"Wait!" Swamp ordered. His voice brought the little Electric Mouse to a stop at the edge of the hole, and she turned around to look at him. "I can't help but feel concerned about this. There are many things that could be waiting for us down there."
"You saw Brock with your own eyes!" Raichu argued. "It's got to be safe! He's been missing since before Mt. Coronet!"
"That could mean anything and you know it." Swamp turned his attention to Chaos and Aurora. "What do you two think?"
The two Legendaries looked at each other, considering what could be said about the events that had unfolded in front of them.
"Something about these events bodes of things I learned during my own journeys," Chaos finally stated.
Aurora nodded in agreement. "Indeed. I believe that I can trust Brock, Grace, and Geetz." She looked at Khrista's four Pokemon. "Judge for yourselves if you wish, but I am going to follow after them."
Without another word, she turned and flew down the hole.
Even before Chaos could follow after the Mew, Raichu bounded forward and dove into the hole, yelling, "Cannonball!"
Linoone and Vapor followed after the Electric-Type as Chaos reached the edge of the hole. The Psychic-Type end up pausing there and looking over at Swamp, who had been eyeing the hole with a curious expression.
Seeing that Chaos was looking at him, Swamp stated, "Go ahead. I'll follow after you and close the trapdoor."
The Mewtwo paused, then gave a nod and stepped into the hole.
Instantly, he came into contact with a slide that was made out of slick, dark rock that was was neither too steep nor too level. Within a minute or so, the Pokemon was at the base of the slide, which opened up so that he could sit up and step off without flying out and hitting whoever happened to be nearby.
When Chaos had walked a few steps away from the base of the slide, he paused and took a look around as Swamp slid out of the slide on his belly and hit the ground.
The area looked like a large, hollowed-out cave that was surprisingly well-lit - how, the Pokemon couldn't exactly tell. Where he stood, it looked like the area had been tamped down repeatedly by Pokemon feet, and fading white lines were painted in the dirt and rock - sparring fields, most likely. Then, even further back, buildings of human and Pokemon make were mixed together in a glorified town.
Of course, it wasn't the landmarks so much as the people who were standing near he exit of the slide that received most of Chaos' attention.
"Professor," Chaos said, inclining his head as his blue eyes locked with those of an old man who had an old Dragonite by his side. "I did not expect to see you here."
"And I didn't expect to see you," Professor Oak replied from where he stood next to Brock. The old man looked ragged, but there was still a fire in his eyes. "We have a lot to talk about - all of you."
He looked over the group of Pokemon that had come down the slide.
"As do we," Chaos replied. "Is there a place where we can speak?"
"Here is as good a place as any." The Pokemon Professor motioned to the trampled sparring fields. "So few come out here anymore."
"Except for my sister and I!" Grace suddenly spoke up, looking up at the Legendary. "She's been trying to show me stuff so I can get used to being an Eevee more."
Aurora frowned. "What?" She flew down to Grace's eye level and moved around the Normal-Type curiously. "Are you saying that you were not an Eevee before?"
Grace shook her head. "No. I -"
"We can discuss that later," Oak interrupted somewhat gruffly. "Brock said you mentioned something about the Lake Trio being free? Could you elaborate on that?"
"They said that Arctic had taken care of that," Raichu piped up eagerly. "And that our Trainer still had her free will."
"Their Trainer is Khrista, not White," Aurora stated quickly, seeing the looks that the Electric Mouse was getting after her statement. "They also reported that the machine was destroyed, so Cyrus will not be bringing anyone else through."
"I believe White will still follow through to find those who have come here," Chaos added, head high. "She will find the Avatars."
"We'll have to see," Oak replied, frowning. "What of Giratina?"
"You can thank our team's Rayquaza for that," Swamp replied. He had been rubbing the dust off his stomach and was now looking at the two humans in front of him. "He left for another haven that he knew of to tell others that Giratina was no longer a threat."
Oak and Brock looked at each other upon hearing this, then looked back at the Pokemon.
"While that is informative, I'm afraid that we don't have much use for information like that at this point," Oak stated finally. "However, there are a lot of Pokemon around here who may think otherwise. If your news gains enough attention, it may be able to get Birch out of his funk and actually into a useful mood."
"The Professor's in a funk?" Linoone repeated. He sounded somewhat concerned. "Not good. Not good." He brightened a moment later. "I know! I'll find some of my kin! He always listened to us!"
Without another word, the Normal-Type took off into the village. A crowd of dust rose up behind him, but it quickly dissipated.
"I think I'll find my sister," Grace stated, her tail wagging. "Eliza's gotta know that White may be someone we know from home!" She dashed off in the same direction as Linoone had gone.
Aurora and the others watched the Eevee go.
The Mew then turned to look at Oak and stated bluntly, "She used to be a human, didn't she?"
"It appears to be so," the Professor replied. "The transportation from her own world to here must have caused her to transform, and I consider ourselves lucky that Eliza managed to find her and then find us before...they did. She's spent most of her days with a Pokemon named Glacier when she isn't on missions or training."
Vapor perked up as soon as he heard that. "Glacier?" He looked over at the village before taking off, calling, "Glacier! Where are you?!"
Swamp turned to look at Oak. "At least somebody's got a happy ending down here," he muttered. "I'd better follow him before he does something stupid." He looked down at Raichu. "And you're sticking with me so that you don't do anything, either."
Raichu's lightning-tail dropped to the ground, and her ears sagged in disappointment. "Aww..." She followed after the Swampert as he lumbered off to the buildings.
"I think we will stay here," Chaos stated, looking over at Aurora. "I have much to speak to Professor Oak about."
"As do I," Aurora agreed. "Especially considering your present situation."
"The other Professors are probably going to want to hear this," Oak remarked. He motioned for the Pokemon to follow him, then turned and started walking.
Chaos, Aurora, the Dragonite, and Brock followed after him.
And the Underground is found!
We'll get a better look at the area the next time that the Pokemon take over for a chapter! See you guys Saturday!