Chapter Nine: Bat Intentions
"Well, say goodbye to the sun for the next couple of hours," Ash said, wearily looking at the entrance to the tunnel.
"You don't sound very enthusiastic," Serena said teasingly.
("After being hit by the Supersonic of the twentieth annoyed Zubat, neither will you,") Pikachu said with a similar expression to Ash.
"Is it really that bad? I mean, we've been in plenty of caves, right?" Serena asked hesitantly.
Ash nodded. "Yeah, but the Zubat here — and in the Rock Tunnel between Cerulean City and Lavender Town, but that's shorter — seem to be much more short-tempered than in other places," he said.
("In fairness, if people kept noisily walking by when I was trying to sleep, I'd attack first and ask questions later too,") Pikachu conceded.
"I always wondered why they don't simply…move," Ash said. "There have to be at least a few more caves on the slopes, right?"
("To spite us, I'm sure.")
Serena laughed. "Well, you two seem to have lost your sunny disposition even before going into the cave," she said. "I'm sure it'll be fine. Come on, let's go."
"Ugh, my ears," Serena groaned after yet another Zubat had taken offense to being woken up. "This isn't funny anymore."
She looked at Ash. "How far is it to the other side?"
"I don't want to depress you further," Ash said with a shake of his head.
("Still think it isn't so bad?") Pikachu asked.
"It isn't so bad," Serena said, and Pikachu gave her an incredulous look. "It's worse."
Despite his own annoyance, Pikachu grinned at Serena's remark.
"Can't you ask Noivern to talk to them?" Serena asked.
Ash considered for a moment, and then he shrugged.
"Might as well give it a try," he said. "Noivern, I choose you!"
Noivern appeared and immediately began looking around.
("It's noisy in here,") he said.
"There are some very annoyed Zubat around," Ash said. "Could you ask them to just let us pass in peace so we can get out of here a bit quicker?"
Noivern concentrated for a moment, probably listening to all the ultrasonic background noise Serena thankfully couldn't hear.
("Uh, I don't think they'll listen,") Noivern said. ("They're telling each other where the people are and then they swarm to that place to chase them away.")
("I told you they were trying to spite us,") Pikachu said.
Ash considered for a moment, and then said, "Okay, Noivern, if they come to attack us, try to get them to back off. If they don't…give them a taste of their own medicine with a Boomburst."
("Wait…I think there's more to it,") Noivern said. ("It's only a few of the voices I hear egging the others on, and I think they're…bigger? Maybe those are Golbat? I don't know, I've never seen any and it's hard to make out when they're talking ultrasonic, but I think a lot of them don't actually like what they're doing.")
"They're being bullied?" Serena asked.
("Maybe, I don't know,") Noivern said.
Ash frowned. "If the Zubat are being bullied we should go and help them," he said. "Noivern, do you think you can lead us to those bigger voices?"
Noivern nodded. ("Yeah, I think so. Come on, follow me.")
Noivern led them into a narrow side passage which branched several times, and Serena hoped they'd still be able to find the way out. She didn't really like the idea of having to spend the night in a narrow passage, tormented by Zubat.
After so many twists and turns that Serena had long lost count, the passage they were in opened up into a cavern with many passages leading away from it in all directions, which was filled with a swarm of Zubat and dimly lit by a crack in the cavern ceiling, from where they would presumably leave the cave at night.
Within the swarm, Serena saw four larger Pokémon and aimed her Pokédex at them to get a better look.
"Golbat, the Bat Pokémon. Its sharp fangs are hollow and used to drink its target's blood."
Serena shuddered. She definitely intended to keep her blood to herself. The swarm of Zubat now seemed to notice Serena and the others, and Serena saw the Golbat flitting around, looking like they were giving orders.
("They're not happy we're here,") Noivern said. ("Those Golbat are telling the entire swarm to attack us. Hold on, I'll try to talk to them.")
Noivern opened his mouth, but he was apparently talking ultrasonic as well now, because Serena couldn't hear a thing. She could see that the Zubat seemed to become a bit indecisive, while the Golbat seemed to be getting more incensed.
One of the Golbat fluttered down and held a completely inaudible conversation with Noivern. The only reason Serena even knew they were talking was because she could see Noivern gesturing and nodding occasionally.
Eventually, Noivern looked at Ash and said, ("Golbat says that humans only come here to disturb the Pokémon and that they've had enough of it.")
"We just want to travel to Cerulean City," Ash said. "We really don't mean to disturb you."
Now Golbat said something back in an audible tone, and while Serena didn't understand it, Ash did seem to, though he still looked to Noivern to make sure.
("He said it would be fine if people just stayed in their tunnels, but that more and more people have been coming to catch the Zubat lately.")
Ash looked a bit troubled. "Well…people do catch Pokémon," he said uneasily. "But–"
He was interrupted by Golbat agitatedly chattering something at him.
"Not…regular Trainers?" Ash said, looking at Noivern to see if he got it right.
Noivern nodded, and Golbat said something else.
Serena wished she had Ash's talent for understanding Pokémon, because she seemed to be the only one inside the cavern who didn't get what was going on.
"Um, a little help here?" she said.
("Golbat says that usually, maybe two or three Zubat would get caught every month, and that they really don't mind that,") Noivern said. ("But now, entire groups of people in dark uniforms have been showing up to catch them, and going deeper and deeper into the mountain to find more.")
Serena frowned. "Why would anyone want to catch that many Zubat?" she wondered.
Golbat seemed to gesture at the swarm of Zubat behind him when he spoke again, and Noivern translated it for Serena and Ash.
("Normally most Zubat would be in all the dark tunnels we passed through to get here, but they've retreated here to get away from the dark-uniformed Trainers. Because they're angry they've taken to attacking everyone who enters the tunnels in a swarm.")
"Is there anything we can do to help?" Ash asked.
Before Golbat could say anything, there was a loud explosion, and at first Serena thought the cavern was collapsing. Then, however, a small cube was shot in through the ceiling, which extended an energy rope that bound Serena, Ash, and Noivern together. At the same time, something the looked like a giant vacuum cleaner was lowered into cavern, which began to suck up all the Zubat and the three other Golbat still flying between them.
"Oh, not you again!" Ash said angrily, and Serena shared his sentiment. On the foot of the vacuum cleaner stood the most irritating people she'd met on her journey.
"Prepare for trouble, it's time to clean out these caves."
"And make it double, we're back in Kanto making waves."
"To protect the world from devastation."
"To unite all people within our nation."
"To denounce the evils of truth and love."
"To extend our reach to the stars above."
"Jessie!"
"And James."
"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light."
"So surrender now, or prepare to fight."
"Meowth, that's right!"
("That's right!") Wobbuffet echoed. It was the only thing he said Serena could understand, given that he said it every single time and Pikachu had told her that Wobbuffet in general really didn't say much more than that in their confrontations with Team Rocket.
"Team Rocket! Let the Zubat go!" Ash yelled. "Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"
Pikachu jumped up from Ash's shoulder, but Team Rocket had clearly been waiting for that, and Meowth shot an extending arm towards Pikachu that snatched him from the air.
"And a Pika-prize for the boss," he said with a smirk.
("Can you three please get a life?!") Pikachu shouted in exasperation.
"We have a life. A life of crime, and soon a lifetime of our boss's admiration," Meowth said.
Golbat, who'd prevented himself from getting vacuumed up with his friends by hiding behind Serena, Ash, and Noivern, now flew up to Team Rocket, trying to attack them with his Poison Fang, but his attack missed.
"Sorry, old chum, but the bowl's full, I'm afraid," James said, taking out a Poké Ball. "Okay, Inkay, use Psybeam!"
Inkay appeared in a flash of white light and immediately fired its Psybeam at Golbat, knocking it all the way down to the cavern floor.
"Well, while I'd love to steal that Noivern as well, the boss was clear. Enjoy the new skylight, twerps!" Jessie said, and the foot of the giant vacuum cleaner began to retract through the hole in the ceiling.
("Ash!") Pikachu shouted, before he too disappeared through the hole.
"Those guys…" Ash said through gritted teeth.
Golbat shakily got back to his feet, looking absolutely livid.
"Golbat, can you use your fangs to break that cube? I promise we'll help you get your friends back," Ash said.
Golbat looked at Ash for a moment, but then seemed to decide he was trustworthy, because he fluttered behind them, and a moment later the band of energy keeping Serena and the others tied up shattered.
"Great job, Golbat," Ash said, and he called out Charizard and Talonflame.
"Noivern, Charizard, Talonflame, go after Team Rocket and get the Pokémon back," Ash said.
Without wasting a moment, the three of them took off in pursuit of Team Rocket, with Golbat following closely behind them to help.
"We should get out there as well," Serena said, calling out Pancham. "Pancham, lift us up to the exit with Stone Edge."
("Got it!") Pancham struck the ground and lifted Serena and Ash up to the now much bigger opening in the cavern ceiling.
They emerged on a forested mountain slope. The trees directly surrounding the cavern entrance were cracked and pushed aside, probably by Team Rocket's entrance.
Up in the air, not too far from where Serena and Ash were, Serena could see Team Rocket's balloon, with the vacuum cleaner-like device dangling from the bottom. She was just in time to see Charizard slicing the balloon open with his Wing Attack, while Talonflame attempted to free Pikachu. Noivern, meanwhile, used his Boomburst to break the vacuum cleaner's clear glass container, freeing the Zubat and the three remaining Golbat. Then, from Talonflame's back, Pikachu blasted Team Rocket with his Thunderbolt, sending them flying off into the distance.
"I guess they didn't need our help," Ash said with a smile.
Serena smiled back at him. "I guess not."
At that moment, the Pokémon returned. The Zubat quickly sought refuge in their cave, while Pikachu was happy to be on Ash's shoulder again.
"You all did great," Ash said, petting all his Pokémon. "Thank you."
Golbat said something to Ash and Ash smiled. "We were happy to help, although it was just luck that we happened to be here when Team Rocket showed up. Were they also the ones coming here to capture your friends?"
Golbat said something that seemed to confirm that, because Ash said, "It makes no sense. Normally Team Rocket is after rare Pokémon, but Zubat aren't rare, far from it."
("They're also convinced I'm something special, though, aren't they?") Pikachu said with a shake of his head. ("They're hardly the world's biggest thinkers.")
"You're plenty special to me," Ash said with shrug.
("Aw, stop it, you're making me blush,") Pikachu said with a grin.
"We should probably tell Officer Jenny that Team Rocket's been hunting Zubat once we reach Cerulean City," Serena said. "If there are other members around here aside from Jessie and James they probably won't give up yet, whatever their plan might be."
Ash nodded. "Good thinking. We'll let her know as soon as we reach the city."
He turned to Golbat. "We'd like to get going again, so do you think you could ask your friends to leave us alone?" he asked.
Golbat fluttered up and down as if he was nodding and Ash smiled.
"Thanks, Golbat. Hopefully Officer Jenny will be able to stop those Team Rocket members from disturbing you and your friends…and then you won't have to attack people passing through anymore."
After Pancham had created another Stone Edge pillar to get everyone down — he'd ridden Talonflame back into the cavern himself — Noivern helped Serena and Ash to find their way back to the regular path, and without being constantly harassed by Zubat, the rest of the trip through the tunnel felt like a breeze, although Serena was still glad when they were out in the open again.
"I still wonder what Team Rocket wanted those Zubat for," she said.
Ash nodded grimly. "Yeah, but they said their boss ordered them to do it and they even gave up on stealing Noivern for it, even though Noivern would be much more valuable than a flock of Zubat. They must be planning something."
He sighed. "But it's probably not something we'll be able to do anything about."
He grinned wryly. "We usually only get involved when the plans are already in motion."
("We'll probably run into Jessie and James again in about three days, so maybe we'll figure out more based on their next stupid plan. I can't believe they keep getting me with those weird devices of theirs,") Pikachu said.
"We always get you back, though," Ash said, "and that's the important part."
But even though they switched subjects after that, the encounter with Team Rocket kept going through Serena's mind. She had a bad feeling about this.
First, I have no regrets about the chapter title whatsoever. Further remarks about the chapter would be that this one's structured more like a typical anime episode might be, with a nod to the games being that Zubat is a menace and Mt. Moon is where you first encounter Team Rocket in RBY. Wobbuffet saying "that's right" is a reference to his Japanese name, Sonans, which is homophonous with 'sou nansu', 'that's how it is'. Given the kind of personality Wobbuffet has, I could honestly see him saying nothing but that for real. Despite being a bit of a strange interlude, there is actually a point to it. Next time, though, it's back to business as usual.