Chapter 17

Unlucky

The cave network beneath the moon mountains was nothing like Patrick imagined. He had envisioned long snaking tunnels, relatively uniform in width, that gently curved, split, or merged as they made their way to Cerulean. He had been picturing subterranean hallways and tunnels.

It couldn't have been further from the truth. The massive, sprawling, unground ecosystem under the mountains was a mishmash of soaring cliffs and caverns, gaping chasms, underground rivers, and jagged, uneven tunnels connecting them. The walls and ceilings of these formations were craggy and pitted, with small alcoves, hidden ledges, and branch tunnels adding to the already complex interiors of the caves. Long shadows were cast from their lights as they passed, and they were never able to fully illuminate whichever cavern they were in. They could never be sure they were alone.

More often than not, they weren't. Zubat were often nestled amongst the stalactites, their small blue bodies hanging from the ceiling from hidden claws. Geodude lay camouflaged amongst piles of boulders, Tasha's expert eyes were able to pick out their dark grey hides from amongst the dark grey rock and they were able to avoid the grumpy rock-types. Small, neat holes in the stone dotted the floors, walls, and ceiling in some places, indicating a Diglett colony was nearby.

Of the underground ecosystems many denizens, only the Zubat gave them any trouble. Unfortunately, there were hundreds of them. Zubat had regularly harassed them since they had first entered the tunnels, dropping from the ceiling, or bursting from dark alcoves in an attempt to drain them of blood. Despite Zubat's best attempts, they were no match for Meowth's lightning-fast reflexes or Hypno's overwhelming psychic power and they were easily repelled. Even Bug was able to pick off a few Zubat with well-placed electrowebs, the sticky fluid wrapped up the bats and then discharged electricity into them as they fell.

Despite being under thousands of tones of rock, they weren't safe from the incessant rains above, and the repetitive drip of water droplets falling from the stalactites high above their head and landing with a light plop onto a growing stalagmite or into a pool of still water.

The entire complex had an alien feel to it, unlike anything Patrick had experienced on the surface.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Tasha asked quietly, not turning to look at Patrick, as they walked along the uneven, downward-slopping tunnel.

"About what?" Patrick whispered glancing at his travel companion in the semi-darkness.

They had been plunged into complete darkness within minutes of entering the cave and ever since had relied on Tasha's flashlight and Bug glowing brightly on the top of Patrick's head to lead the way. Although Bug lit the path enough to see where they were walking, the light also painted them as a target to any Pokémon that might stumble across them. That's why Meowth was prowling up ahead in the darkness, ensuring they didn't walk into an ambush.

Patrick had been concerned about the light drawing every Zubat in the cave to them but Tasha correctly reminded him Zubat were blind and would be drawn to sounds, not light.

"The forest? The freezing? The nearly taking my head off with a baton?" Tasha rattled off.

"Oh, that… I don't know what happened. I guess I just panicked." Patrick said after a moment. "The chase through the forest had a lot of similarities to the Pinsir ambush Rob, Ed, and I walked into in Viridian Forest… I guess that experience kind of bled over to today?" Patrick finished uncertainly, with a shrug.

"Was that Pinsir attack your first life or death experience as a trainer?"

"Yeah… you could say that. Sorry for nearly hitting you, by the way," Patrick apologized awkwardly.

"Eh, not the first time it's happened," Tasha said, waving the apology off. "You're bound to freeze up the first few times you have a run-in with strong wild Pokémon. You're still new to this! Give it a few more months, maybe a year, and you won't even bat an eyelid at a pack of Charmeleon."

"I think you batted a little more than just an eyelid when the Charizard entered the fight." Patrick shot back, bristling slightly at the novice comment. He, like Nidorino, hated being looked down on as a trainer simply because he only had one badge.

"Yeah, because it was a Charizard. Everyone should take an encounter with one of those seriously." Tasha replied, emphasizing the name. "Did you see how hot that fire blast was? It would have completely incinerated Nidorino! And her teeth! They must have been at least 4 inches long!"

"You are complimenting a Pokémon that tried to eat us…" Patrick reminded Tasha.

"Yeah, that can happen out here in the wilderness. Try not to take it personally. Mama Charizard is just doing what she thinks is best for her kids." Tasha explained. "Although… Having a manhunting pack of Charmeleon on a major route isn't good. We'll need to tell the Cerulean Gym to send out some trainers to drive them off. Charizard is smart, she'll get the message that humans aren't on the menu."

"How can I not take it personally-"Patrick began to say when a hiss from up ahead cut him off.

Tasha, Patrick, and Hypno all turned their attention to the tan cat that had re-emerged ahead of them from the darkness. Rather than facing the front of the party, however, Meowth stalked through the trainer's legs and positioned herself at the back, squinting back the way they had come. Crouching low, tail flicking behind her, she let out a small yowl.

"Bug, Electroball. Light up the tunnel." Patrick whispered to the spider atop of head.

Patrick felt a burst of static and a brief tingling across his scalp as Joltik powered up the orb of electricity floating above him. As soon as the vibrant yellow ball had reached full size, Joltik launched it down the tunnel.

As the slow-moving orb sailed down the center of the tunnel, it brought a wash of yellow light along with it. Illuminating the path behind them and casting shadows across the walls. Nothing seemed to have changed in the few minutes since they walked through the tunnel. Just as the ball was about to dissolve, far down the tunnel, the yellow light revealed a pursuer.

"No way…"

"Well, shit…"

Just before the Electroball winked out, the yellow light revealed a crouching red raptor, glaring at them with angry blue eyes.

Realizing it had been exposed, Charmeleon uncurled its tail from behind its back and let the small flame burst into the miniature bonfire it had been on the surface. Charmeleon and their line were one of the few fire-types that were unable to completely extinguish their flames, instead only able to restrict them down to the strength of a candle. Using this trick, Charmeleon had hidden its flame against its back, preventing the party ahead of it from seeing the approaching light.

However, now it stalked forward tail held high behind it, lighting the tunnel in a harsh orange light. Accustomed to the soft glow of Joltik, the group had to squint slightly as their eyes adjusted.

"It tracked us all this way?" Patrick asked incredulously. "This deep underground?"

"Charizard are the flying-types, this guy won't have the associated claustrophobia until it evolves. Even still… to follow us this far from his mother and pack… This guy has balls." Tasha trailed off, thinking. "I call dibs."

"You call what?" Patrick asked, glancing between Hypno and Meowth. Although Hitmonchan was resting in his Pokéball and Nidorino was out of commission until he could heal him, the two Pokémon they had released should be more than enough to take this single Charmeleon.

"Dibs. As in, I'm gonna catch it." Tasha said, rummaging in her bag, cautiously watching as the Charmeleon stalked closer. Hypno had taken a protective step in front of Tasha, waiting for a command, eyes glowing blue.

"Oh… Good idea." Patrick said, momentarily forgetting that capture was always an option. "Meowth will be here if Hypno needs support."

"I won't need her," Tasha said, pulling on a pair of brown leather gloves and bouncing lightly on the balls of her feet. "Here is an old-school trick that gyms won't teach you. If you beat a Pokémon yourself, they respect you way more. It makes training them easier."

"When you say 'beat them yourself.'" Patrick began, watching as his partner continued to warm up and stretch. "You don't mean…"

"Yup! Let's do this! Hypno, your only job is to divert any flames." Tasha said with a determined grin. Punching her fists together, her gloves made a ting sound of metal striking metal to Patrick's surprise. Looking closer, he realized her knuckles had a reinforced band of steel woven into the leather.

Walking several paces ahead of the group, Tasha stepped into a fighting stance nearly identical to Hitmonchan's.

Charmeleon, who had been watching the exchange curiously, growled as Tasha challenged him. Having heard the command to divert his flames, he was more than happy to engage physically. He had expected to fight the psychic but was just as eager to slash apart the trainer that had shot an arrow through his leg. By his sides, his short claws shone with a metallic gleam as his metal claw activated.

After only a second of staring at each other, the 'battle' between Pokémon and trainer began. Charmeleon leapt, easily closing the distance between the two, claws ready to shred. Just before impact, however, Tasha sidestepped the raptor and threw a vicious jab that sent the lighter Pokémon reeling. Not expecting the human to react so quickly, Charmeleon staggered back.

Not letting Charmeleon regain his balance, Tasha pursued relentlessly, peppering him with an onslaught of punches and kicks that overwhelmed the fire type. Each punch was marked by the dull thump of metal striking flesh.

With a growl, Charmeleon whipped his tail around and caught Tasha by surprise in the ribs, blasting the air from her lungs and causing her to groan in pain as the burns over her abdomen were reaggravated.

Tasha stumbled away, before rightening herself. Charmeleon eyed Hypno suspiciously rather than pursuing, as the psychic-type had taken a protective step forward seeing his trainer get injured. Rolling out her shoulders, Tasha waved away her concerned Pokemon and with a battle cry re-engaged her smaller opponent.

Patrick looked on at the fight dumbfounded. Nowhere, had he ever even heard of a trainer challenging a WILD Pokémon to a fight. Not only was the thought ridiculous but, impossibly, Tasha was actually winning. Slowly, Charmeleon was being pushed back down the tunnel, taking longer to recover from each punch. His own slashes with metal claws were missing by wider and wider margins.

As she maneuvered around Charmeleon, taking advantage of openings and slowly picking apart the raging fire-type, the similarities between her and Hitmonchan became more apparent. Her foot placement, her movements, and her quick dodges and counters were the same moves that Hitmonchan had used against Nidorino time after time in their battles throughout the mountains.

With a yell, Tasha threw a heavy uppercut that struck Charmeleon under the chin and lifted the fire-type into the air before having him crash back down at her feet. Too dazed to stand up right away, Charmeleon could only lay there as Tasha grabbed a Pokéball off her belt and tossed it at the dazed raptor.

Sucking the Pokémon inside without a struggle, the Pokéball didn't even shake before finally letting out a soft beep, indicating a successful capture.

With a happy whoop, Tasha scooped the still Pokéball off the ground and clipped it back on her belt. Wiping the sweat from her face, she turned back to the party.

"I have never seen anything like that." Was all Patrick could say, still gaping at the battle. Tasha laughed at his comment.

"Before the league started issuing everyone their first Pokémon, this was how trainers got started. Usually by beating a lowly Rattata or Caterpie. But if an injured Charmeleon wants to fight me, I'm all for it." Tasha explained. "As I said, Charmeleon will respect me more now and training will go smoother if he sees me as the alpha of the party from the start."

"Professor Oak said something similar to me when I got Nidoran..." Patrick said, reminiscing about meeting his starter. "He had me intimidate Nidoran when we first met to reinforce that I was alpha to him."

"Yup, exactly the same. Establishing the pecking order is super important. Especially when you start to get more Pokémon."

"Hitmonchan's fighting stance and style look almost exactly like yours, did you teach him how to fight?" Patrick asked as Tasha carefully clipped her newest capture onto her belt and threw her gloves back in her pack.

"Not quite. If anything, he's taught me how to fight." Tasha said. "We both trained at the fighting dojo in Saffron for a while. I learned quite a bit but Hitmonchan as a species are fighting geniuses. He excelled way beyond what I had been taught while at the dojo. Ever since we started traveling, he's been teaching me and sparring with me whenever we get a chance.

"Since we are similar heights and builds, it makes it easier as well." Tasha quickly added.

"Sparring with a Pokémon…" Patrick muttered to himself and shook his head. Tasha was crazy.

"Anyways, let's get moving. I've got a new recruit to get to the Pokécenter in Cerulean for a check-up!" Tasha grinned, throwing her pack over her shoulder. "Charmeleon is going to be a great addition to the team, and in a year or two when he evolves, I'll finally have my flyer."

Still beaming from catching her newest team member, Tasha led the way deeper into the cave.

0000

"It's a door," Patrick said.

"I can see it's a door."

"Is it locked?"

"It's locked," Tasha replied, testing the handle.

"What is a door doing in a cave?"

"I know just as much about this door as you, Patrick."

The two trainers stood in front of a thick wooden door, bound in iron. Cinderblocks were cemented around the edge of the tunnel at a naturally narrow point, leaving the door the only entry point.

They had walked uneventfully for several hours after catching Charmeleon and were thoroughly lost. Their only plan, according to Tasha, was to pick the uphill tunnel whenever there was a fork and to hope they eventually found an exit back to the surface. The sheer amount of Zubats and water in the cave system made it unlikely they would starve or become dehydrated, but being underground for long periods got quite disorienting and affected the body's circadian rhythm, so they wanted to get to the surface as soon as they could. Unfortunately, a mysterious door was blocking their way.

"Should we knock?" Patrick asked after a moment.

"I don't think that would be a good idea. We don't know what kind of people are on the other side. This deep in the wilderness, it's better to play it safe and do some reconnaissance to see whom we are dealing with." Tasha said.

"Maybe they are just miners…" Patrick offered.

"Hypno, use mind reader and see if you can feel any minds on the other side of this door?" Tasha asked her Pokémon, ignoring Patrick for a moment. "If it's clear we'll try to break it down."

"If Hypno can read someone's mind, can't he just use that to see if these guys are good or bad?" Patrick whispered as the yellow Pokémon lumbered over to the door.

"Mind reading isn't like reading a book; you can only detect vague intentions. It's mostly used to predict if your opponent will dodge left or right and then you adjust. In this case, if he doesn't detect any thoughts beyond the door. There is a good chance nothing is behind it." Tasha explained.

With a nod, Hypno walked over to the door and put a yellow hand against the hardwood. His eyes began to glow the familiar blue of psychic energy for a few seconds before flickering out.

"Did you see anything?" Tasha asked, after the quick scan.

Hypno however was not looking at her, instead crinkling his brow in confusion as he looked around and then back at the door. Focusing, he tried again. The soft blue glow reappeared in his eyes and he tried to make sense of the strange intentions he was detecting. They didn't seem to be coming from behind the door, yet no one else was in the tunnel with them…

Tasha opened her mouth to repeat the question when she noticed a fine powder covering Hypno's shoulder.

"Hypno, what's… this…" Tasha began, before stumbling forward as a wave of fatigue passed through her. Legs feeling like jelly, she fell to the ground as Hypno, Patrick, and Meowth all staggered, losing balance. Looking around, blurrily the last thing she saw before darkness took her was the great velvet wings of a purple moth silently flapping, raining a fine powder from above.

0000

Slowly Patrick became aware of a cold, rough stone pressing against his face.

With a groan, Patrick rolled to his side and sat up, blearily looking around the darkened alcove with confusion. He didn't remember falling asleep or even setting up camp. And why hadn't he unrolled his sleeping mat?

With a jolt, he realized he was alone. Frantically grasping for the Pokéballs that sat at his belt, he found nothing but air. All 6, including the empty ones, had been taken.

Dread filled him as he looked around again, feeling far more vulnerable now that he didn't have the protection of Meowth or Nidorino to call upon. Even the bent and broken baton he had carried was gone.

"You awake, Patrick?" A soft voice called out in the darkness.

"Tasha? Where are you? Do you know where my Pokéballs are?" Patrick said, crawling towards the sound of her voice. The small cavern they were in was partially lit by a light source he couldn't see, further down one of the tunnels, it was enough light to see vague shapes around but that was all.

His hand brushed against cool metal and a second later his head struck a dark iron bar he hadn't seen in the gloom. With another groan, he sat back, rubbing his aching head. The bar gave off a dull hum as vibrations ran along its length, from ceiling to floor, before growing quiet again.

"We are in a jail cell of some kind. I think a Venomoth used sleep powder on us and we were captured." Tasha explained, listening to the commotion in the cell next to hers.

"When did that happen? I don't even remember seeing a Venomoth! And why were we captured in the first place? And where are my Pokémon?!" Patrick said, raising his voice as confusion and fear built within him.

"Keep quiet, I don't want to bring more attention to ourselves until we have a plan. This is what I know so far…"

Tasha explained she had woken up over an hour ago and had already discovered she was also missing all her Pokémon, her bow, and her pack. Groping around in the darkness, she discovered her cell was a natural rocky alcove with iron bars fitted to seal it off. A locked, metal door was the only way in and out of her cell into the larger cavern they were in.

Like Patrick, she couldn't see what exactly the light source down the tunnel was, but based on its brightness and lack of flickering, it was likely a lightbulb, rather than a torch, implying wherever they were had a steady source of electricity. A rarity this deep in the mountains.

If she pressed herself against the bars, she could partially see into Patrick's cell further along the wall and a third cell beyond that.

The rest of the cavern was nondescript, with no other signs of human alteration.

"-so best-case scenario, we are trespassing on someone's mining operation and they'll escort us off their property. Worst case scenario…" Tasha trailed off, not needing to finish her sentence.

"So now what do we do?" Patrick asked, sitting against the stone wall that divided the two cells. As he leaned his head back, an indignant squeak sounded from within his hood.

"We need to find out what they want, make a plan, and then wait for them to make a mistake," Tasha said with determination, unwilling to let a simple kidnapping defeat her.

"Tasha..." Patrick said, voice filled with excitement. "They already made a mistake."

Reaching his arm between the cell bars as far as he could, he proudly brandished the glowing yellow spider sitting on his palm.