Chapter 3: The Battle with Garchomp

DUSTIN'S POV

It was just past dawn. Dustin and his new teammate had already eaten breakfast and were heading out with Team Vine to go on their first rescue mission. He had to admit he was a little nervous. He wasn't sure what to expect, and he had no idea how to use his attacks.

"You look nervous, Dustin," Zap spoke from his side.

"I mean, it is my first mission," Dustin reminded him. He looked over at Nick, who seemed to be walking by himself, not even beside his partners. He always heard that Nick was a loner, but the least he could do was try to talk.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot you came from the human world with the rest of them," Tackle, the Bulbasaur, said in awe. "I still can't believe they all came back. I thought they'd be gone for good."

Sky the Pachirisu nodded. "I wonder what caused them to come back..." she murmured. "Did they choose to, or was it because there's more danger?"

Dustin turned his head to stare at her. "More danger?" he echoed in confusion.

Sky glanced at him, then at her paws, as if she didn't want to say anything more.

I wonder if this has something to do with what I've been hearing about Darkrai, Dustin thought to himself, wondering why there were secrets being kept from him.

The forest seemed to come alive with the sounds of awakening Pokemon as the sun lifted higher into the sky. He saw a couple of Oddish chase each other playfully through the bushes and a tiny Joltik running along the ground.

Having no idea where they were going, Dustin followed his partner and Team Vine further into the forest. Golden had told them their rescue mission would be in Smoky Woods, to rescue a Riolu from a Garchomp. He didn't know what a Garchomp was, but it sounded menacing.

"Are you sure we'll be able to handle this on our own?" Tackle asked the group nervously. "Garchomps are really strong. And there's only the two of us...no offense, Dustin, but you're brand new."

Dustin shrugged, agreeing with the small Bulbasaur. "It was Golden's decision. He must've thought we could handle it."

A look of suspicion crossed Sky's gaze. "Golden's been acting so strange lately. He used to be so nice back when Flame was still alive."

For the first time since they left on the mission, Nick spoke up. "I'm glad I'm not the only one who noticed that."

Movement in the bushes ahead startled the two rescue teams from their conversation. The sound of several branches cracking made Dustin flinch. He fought the urge to hide behind Zap as a large Ninetales appeared before them.

To his surprise, Sky and Tackle rushed towards the Ninetales in happiness. "Skye! It's been so long!"

A Vulpix appeared next to the Ninetales, her eyes shining. "Hello, Sky, Tackle," she spoke. "It's great to bump into you guys. And who's this?"

"Um, hello," the Arcanine said awkwardly. "My name is Dustin." He glanced at the Ninetales nervously. She's very pretty...

"It's nice to meet you," Skye said. "I'm Skye, and this is Moon." Her eyes widened as she noticed Nick walk over to them. "What are you doing here, Night? I thought all the humans went back to their world!"

Night? I guess that must be his Pokemon name, Dustin guessed.

"We had to come back," Nick - or Night, whatever he called himself now - muttered. "Star, Snow, and Gardevoir came to us in a dream."

Skye frowned at the mention of those names. Her eyes betrayed sadness, and Dustin looked at her curiously, wondering why she would be sad.

Moon looked down at her paws. "Why would they come to you? Is there more danger?"

Night glared at her as if silently telling her to keep quiet. Dustin sighed in frustration. "We're not entirely sure," was all the Snivy said.

A head popped out from a bush next to him, and Dustin turned to see a Squirtle padding over to them.

"Blast!" Sky said happily. "Are you three all traveling together now?"

Blast nodded eagerly. "I sort of miss the Guild... But we like traveling alone, fending for ourselves and not having to worry about rescue missions all the time. Did I overhear you saying the humans came back?" He looked at Night in surprise.

"Yes, River came back as well," Tackle said. "I think he joined Team Skittle with Sapphire and Ruby."

Blast nodded, looking sad for a moment. "We should go back to the Guild and say hi," he told Skye and Moon. "It'll be nice to see him again."

Skye and Moon both nodded. "Well, it was nice seeing you guys," Skye told them. "I guess we'll be on our way to the Guild to say hi. Good luck with your rescue mission. And it was nice meeting you, Dustin."

"It was nice meeting you, too," Dustin blurted, his face feeling a little hot. Blast let out an awkward chuckle as the Pokemon parted ways.

"Someone has a crush," Tackle joked as soon as they were out of view from the three Pokemon. "It was very obvious."

Dustin rolled his eyes in embarrassment. "Can we get on with the mission?"


It seemed as if ages had passed. Dustin's paws were beginning to hurt, his legs had gotten bruised from brushing against so many thorns, and he felt himself starting to slow down. "Are we there yet?" he complained.

"Golden told us it was in some cave," Zap said uncertainly. "We haven't found anything yet."

"Yeah, I don't remember there being any caves in Smoky Woods," Sky said with a frown. "But he told us to keep going west and follow the river. I assume we'll find it eventually..."

They had been following the river for hours, at least, that's what it seemed like to Dustin. He was starting to get very impatient and was starting to question this whole rescue team thing.

Suddenly, the bushes next to the river rustled, and a Grovyle poked its head out. It glared at the group, and for a heartbeat, Dustin wondered if it was going to attack. Then he felt stupid, realizing there was no way it would attack when it would be seriously outnumbered.

Still, it stalked towards them with a look of hatred in its eyes. Dustin recoiled when he realized its eyes were flashing red.

"Why does that Grovyle look so strange?" Zap whispered in his ear. "And why does it look like it wants to attack us?"

Before Dustin could respond, it charged at them with a stunning speed. Sky was quick to respond and attacked it with a Thunderbolt. It flinched, glaring at her for a moment before trying to attack her again.

"What does he think he's doing?" Zap growled, charging towards the Grovyle before it could reach her, and using Fury Swipes.

That seemed to do the trick. He glared at them all, his eyes still flashing bright red, before disappearing into the trees.

"Well, that was really weird..." Tackle frowned. "Didn't he realize he was severely outnumbered?"

A knowing look flashed through Night's eyes, but he didn't say anything. "Come on, let's keep going. We're wasting time," he said hurriedly.

Dustin and Zap exchanged a curious glance before following the Snivy as he started taking the lead.

As Dustin began examining the area around him some more, he noticed a Shroomish on the ground with its eyes flashing red, but it paid them no mind. It seemed to be moving around in circles. "Do you guys see that?" he whispered.

"Who knows what goes on in these woods," Zap muttered. "Smoky Woods is a strange place. It's always been known for its secrets."

Dustin's head lifted with hope when he saw a large hole open up on the side of a cliff that seemed to appear out of nowhere. "Is that the cave?"

"It must be," Zap said with relief. "Let's hurry and get this over with."

They padded in front of the large cave, water dripping down from the ceiling and large stalagmites hanging above them, looking as if they could fall at any moment. Dustin shivered. What had he gotten himself into?

He could hear Tackle, Sky, and Night take deep breaths from their spot, and no one seemed like they wanted to enter the cave.

Finally, Sky broke the silence. "Come on, guys. We've got this. There was a reason Golden put on this mission. I'm sure we'll be okay."

She was the first to step into the dark cave, and she padded on without looking backward. Dustin walked close to Zap as he thought to himself over and over again, hoping he would be able to use his attacks on the Garchomp.

It was very quiet, aside from the sound of water dripping to the ground every now and then. As they trekked along, the path became narrower and narrower, until Dustin felt paranoid he was going to get stuck.

Luckily, he made it through, and the cave opened up into a large clearing, with the most amazing view he felt he'd ever seen.

There were stalagmites and stalactites all around, and large sparkling crystals dotted around the whole place. His eyes widened in amazement, feeling like he couldn't keep his eyes off the crystals. On the side, a river carved its way through the clearing, disappearing into a dark hole in the wall. He could hear the distant trickling of water as if there was a waterfall nearby.

"It's so beautiful," Sky breathed. "I've never seen anything like it."

Unfortunately, their incredible view didn't last very long. Out of nowhere, a massive Pokemon appeared before them, its eyes menacing and filled with hatred: the Garchomp.

"What are you doing in my cavern?" the Garchomp snarled with anger. He seemed so furious and so full of hatred Dustin was too afraid to respond.

"We're here to rescue a Riolu," Zap said nervously. "We don't mean any harm-"

"Well, that Riolu trespassed into my home without my permission. And anyone who does that doesn't get to leave that easily." His growl turned into a smirk, and that frightened Dustin even more.

Another strange Pokemon appeared from a hole in the wall and jumped down into the clearing next to Garchomp's side. Dustin's heart sank. There were two they had to deal with?

"Come on, Zoroark," Garchomp growled. "Let's show these pathetic Pokemon what we're made of."

Before anyone could even think to respond, the Zoroark lunged towards Tackle and used Shadow Claw. Tackle had no time to dodge before he flew across the room and hit the cavern wall.

"Tackle!" Sky yelled, running towards the Zoroark and attempting to use Thunderbolt. However, Zoroark was ready for her move and swept her away as if she were a fly.

Meanwhile, the ground started shaking beneath them as Garchomp started preparing his move, Earthquake. Dustin clung to the floor in fear. This wasn't fair! They were no match for these Pokemon.

Calming his breathing and focusing on the enemy in front of him, Dustin felt all the fear and anger combine together within him as he prepared his attack. The next thing he knew, a Flamethrower had shot out of him and landed straight on the Garchomp.

While Garchomp was winded, Zoroark growled and lunged for Dustin. His partner shot in front of him like a speeding bullet before he could hurt the Arcanine, and Zap took the hit.

"Zap!" Dustin shouted fearfully, looking around him frantically to see who was left.

Sky and Tackle were next to the cavern walls, unmoving. Night was breathing heavily next to them, scarred but willing to fight. And now Zap was lying in front of Dustin, who didn't appear to be moving, either.

Dustin exchanged a scared glance with Night as they focused on the two enemies in front of them. They were all that was left.

SAPPHIRE'S POV

Sapphire sat at the table after having just eaten lunch, resting her head on her paws and gazing at the clock. She was still tired after the mission from yesterday and didn't sleep well. Hopefully, she'd have time to take a nap today.

She had been planning on doing it after lunch, but the news that Skye, Moon, and Blast had come back to visit kept her awake. Sapphire had been trying to avoid Blast, recalling their last conversation. It hadn't been a pretty one. She was happy to greet Skye and Moon, though, feeling sorry for them now that Eclipse was gone.

Ruby wasn't sitting with her. Sapphire wasn't sure where her partner was. They hadn't been talking that much for a while; now it just seemed awkward between them.

As for her new partner, River, he had been chatting with Blast the whole time. Sapphire wondered if they were talking about Shade. Her heart sank as she thought about the Empoleon, hating when his name popped into her mind. Even though she felt as if she was constantly thinking about him.

"Hey," a voice spoke from next to her, surprising the Espeon. She turned around to see Rin. "How's it going?"

Sapphire narrowed her eyes, surprised someone wanted to talk to her. She didn't feel like being rude, though, so she decided to continue the conversation. "Not bad, just tired from the mission yesterday. I don't know why, though; it wasn't that hard."

Rin shrugged. "I've been feeling tired ever since the Darkrai incident. After evolving, though... I feel like it's changed me so much. I feel more wise, more strong...like I can take on anything."

"Good for you," Sapphire muttered, not even noticing she was sounding rude.

Rin didn't seem to notice her attitude, either. "If you ever need anything, let me know. I'll be around." She smiled, then got up from her chair and walked away.

Sapphire looked after the Leafeon, then stood up from her own chair and began walking to the elevator. I think it's about time to take a long nap.

Before she could press the button to go to her floor, she felt an angry presence behind her. Sure enough, it was Golden. What did he want now?

"Sapphire," he spoke cooly. "I have a bad feeling about the rescue teams I sent to the Smoky Woods cavern this morning. I want you and Team Flash to go look for them."

"Wasn't that only five hours ago?" Sapphire asked, before realizing she should've kept her mouth shut.

Golden glared at her. "I don't want to hear any more questions out of your mouth. You will leave immediately."

Her heart sinking, Sapphire didn't say anything in response, knowing he was just going to keep yelling at her. She padded away to find the members of Team Flash, sighing when she realized Daisy was now a part of their team.

Daisy, Silver, and Fuse were all chatting together and looked up in surprise when Sapphire walked up to them. "Golden wants us to find the rescue teams they sent to Smoky Woods this morning," she said bluntly.

"Really?" Daisy blinked in surprise. "It feels like they just left."

Sapphire shrugged. "Don't ask me why, and don't ask him why, either. He's just going to get mad." She turned around to find River and Ruby.


As they walked through the woods, Sapphire walking away from the rest of them, she tried to ignore the heavy feeling in her eyes. All she wanted was rest.

"Apparently we have a long way to go," Daisy was telling River. "It's really far. Have you ever seen a cave in Smoky Woods?"

Everyone shook their head no, and Sapphire sighed in annoyance. Just her luck they were going to be traveling for miles.

She kept her head down, ignoring the conversations going on next to her, and felt her mind wander until she had forgotten where she was.

Her head snapped upwards as she heard the sound of a branch cracking.

"What's that?" Fuse asked, perking up with fear. He stepped in front of Silver protectively.

Emerging from the trees came a small Psyduck, waddling towards them. The strangest thing was that his eyes appeared to be glowing red. Sapphire let out a growl.

"What's going on with that thing?" Silver asked in amazement.

Daisy and River exchanged a glance. Sapphire took a step forward.

Luckily, the Psyduck didn't seem to feel the need to attack them. It just waddled away, and smacked its head right onto a tree. Fuse let out a snort.

"That was creepy," Ruby muttered. "Why were his eyes red like that?"

"Let's get going," Daisy growled, increasing her pace as they headed deeper into the forest. Sapphire felt her legs burn as she followed, secretly having a horrible feeling that something was very wrong.

It wasn't long until they came before another Pokemon with its eyes glowing red. It was a small Deerling who was limping through the forest, not seeming to pay attention to where it was going. Sapphire felt pity for it.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, the forest opened up to a wide clearing, with a large cliff on one side. Sapphire felt relief wash over her as she saw the cave in the distance.

"Let's go rescue them," Daisy said before adding, "if they even need rescuing."

They appeared before the entrance, and for some reason, Sapphire felt a sudden dread flash through her.

"Something wrong, Sapphire?" River asked, seeming to notice her change of mood.

"Nothing," she muttered. "I just don't have a good feeling about this place."

She forced herself to walk forward as they traveled through the cave, and it opened up into a large clearing with crystals all around. Sapphire felt transfixed with the beauty.

"Is this it?" River wondered. "It doesn't seem like there's anywhere else to go..."

"What's that?" Sapphire's eyes snapped toward something blue, and she gasped in shock once she realized what it was.

Daisy was the first to run over to it, picking it up in her mouth and padding back over to the group. "It's the exact same blue stone I had before!" she said in astonishment. "I thought I lost it forever. What was it doing here?"

Everyone looked at her as if she was insane, but Sapphire stared at the blue stone, even more transfixed. She couldn't take her eyes off of it.

Suddenly the cave rumbled, and Sapphire had to force her paws on the floor as the entire clearing shook before them. Once the earthquake had subsided, two large Pokemon appeared before them.

A Garchomp and a Zoroark.

"Why do Pokemon keep invading my area?" the Garchomp snapped, his eyes filled with annoyance. Once he saw that Daisy had the blue stone next to her, his expression changed into fury. "You will not get out of here alive if you think you can take that stone."

"What do you want with this stone?" Daisy challenged, her head held high. "I've had this same exact stone with me for a long time!"

The Garchomp glared at her. "I doubt it, pathetic Umbreon. That stone has more power than you can imagine. I've finally found it again after being taken away from it for years. You'd be best to stay away from it."

I can't let him have that stone, Sapphire thought to herself, feeling her paws itch as she was ready to fight.

"What did you do to the other rescue teams that were here?" River yelled, balling his hands into fists. Silver and Fuse growled, standing side by side as if ready to protect one another when the time came.

The Zoroark smirked. "You guys seem like a mightier bunch than the last group that came by. I enjoy a little challenge." A glint passed through his eyes. "Too bad we'll still knock you out in a heartbeat."

There wasn't time for anyone else to talk. Sapphire had already started the fight with a Psybeam, surprising the Garchomp and knocking him off his feet. She was going to come out of here with that stone.

"A feisty one, eh?" Zoroark was quick to react with his Shadow Claw, hitting her right in the face. Sapphire gasped, winded, but fell right onto her feet. She wasn't going to lose that easily.

Daisy used Tackle and River used Water Gun on the Garchomp at the same time as he came back up. Fuse used his Ember on the Zoroark, and Silver used Bite.

Sapphire grinned at all the Pokemon working together. There was no way they wouldn't win this.

To her surprise, the Garchomp seemed barely affected by all the attacks hitting him. He merely smirked as he got back to his feet. "You guys pack a punch, I'll tell you that. But you still can't beat me."

He must be really strong...

As the battle drew on, Sapphire felt herself losing energy, but her determination to take the blue stone gave her strength.

"Where are they?!" River growled.

"They're somewhere you'll never find them," Zoroark teased, continuing to use his strong Shadow Claw on the rescue teams.

Sapphire was surprised that Silver and Fuse weren't backing down. They seemed to be getting older and stronger.

As she looked at the Poochyena and Fennekin, she didn't realize Garchomp was aiming an attack at her until the last second. She spun around, ready to dodge, until someone's Flamethrower hit the Garchomp and stopped his attack just in time.

Sapphire looked to see who was the owner of the attack and saw an Arcanine jump down into the clearing from a hole in the wall. "Take that, you loser!" he shouted, stepping in front of Sapphire as if trying to protect her.

"I can fight my own battles," the Espeon said, annoyed. She sidestepped around him and proceeded to continue the fight.

Behind the Arcanine came a Persian, who tackled the Zoroark right away.

"How did you two escape?!" Garchomp snapped in frustration. "Whatever, we can still handle you idiots!"

They seemed to be losing strength, however, as the rescue teams continued to attack them, and they seemed to notice the teams weren't going to back down anytime soon.

Finally, Garchomp stomped his foot on the ground. "Stop!"

Zoroark looked at him in surprise, while the Pokemon around the clearing stopped to catch their breath.

"This is useless," Garchomp began. "We're not going to get anywhere with this fight. I can sense you guys won't back down, and you're very strong and determined. I respect that." There was a smirk on his face as he spoke his next words. "You may have won against me, but you have no idea what's coming."

"Can we just take the Riolu and go?" the Arcanine yelled.

Garchomp chuckled. "You can have him." Nodding at Zorark, his partner jumped up onto a higher hole in the cavern wall and appeared a few seconds later with a beaten-up Riolu. Sapphire recoiled in shock when she saw the Pokemon's eyes were glowing red, just like the ones in Smoky Woods. What is going on?

"Why are his eyes red? Are you the cause of the strange Pokemon with red eyes that have been occurring around here?" Daisy demanded.

Garchomp rolled his eyes, not at all bothered by her anger. "You'll find out soon enough." Soon after the Riolu came Team Vine. They looked a little beaten up and bruised but were able to walk.

"However, that blue stone is mine," Garchomp growled and stepped in front of Team Vine so they couldn't come any closer. "I will allow you to take your friends back as long as you give me it."

Sapphire took a step forward, anger in her gaze. "You will not take it from us."

Daisy looked at Sapphire in surprise, as if wondering why she cared so much, but turned her angry gaze over to Garchomp. "Why don't you tell us why you need it so much?"

"It contains powerful secrets that you'd be best to not know of," Garchomp told her. "Now, give it back or I might be forced to use its power."

Immediately, Garchomp growled in pain when vines wrapped around his body from Tackle's Vine Whip. Sapphire took this as a sign to start the battle again and used Psybeam. "We have to escape!" she told everyone. "We can't win this battle!"

The Zoroark was attempting to reach Daisy and snatch the blue stone from her, but River didn't let him get away that easily. He aimed a Water Pulse, while Silver used Tackle at the same time.

With all the distractions, Daisy raced through the cave, desperate to get away from them as soon as possible. Sapphire trailed right behind her, eager to make sure the stone was kept safe.

"No! Don't let them get away!" She heard Garchomp's cry echo through the cave walls behind her and increased her speed. But with all the distractions from the different Pokemon's attacks to keep them busy, there was no way they would catch up.

Finally, Sapphire and Daisy reached the entrance and burst out of the cave, looking behind to see if anyone was following.

Soon after, the other rescue teams appeared, but Garchomp and Zoroark were following quickly behind. Sapphire quickly used Light Screen to create a wall of light that prevented them from going any further and continued to run as far from the cave as she could.

"This won't be the last time you see us!" the Garchomp shouted after them angrily.

The group of Pokemon slowed to a stop next to the river as soon as the cave disappeared in sight, panting heavily and plopping down on the ground to take a break.

"That was a hard mission," Daisy groaned. "Are you okay, guys?" she asked the members of Team Vine, who looked like they wanted nothing more than to take a nap.

"I will be once when I'm in my bed," Tackle whimpered.

Sapphire glanced over at the Riolu, who was the last Pokemon to exit the cave. His eyes were still flashing red, and he appeared to be clutching his head in pain. "Are you okay, Riolu?" she whispered.

The Riolu looked at her but didn't respond. "Do you have a family to go back to?" River asked him, his eyes wide with concern.

Suddenly, the Riolu seemed as if it snapped out of its trance. His eyes reverted back to his normal color, and he shook his head a couple of times. "What...what just happened?"

"You were in a trance and your eyes were red... Do you know why that could've happened?" Daisy persisted.

Riolu shook his head. "I can't remember anything... I just want to go home."

I wonder if the Garchomp and Zoroark are somehow behind all of these Pokemon in a trance, Sapphire thought nervously. And why did they want the blue stone so bad? But also, she told herself, why did she want it just as much? She felt fascinated by it, like she needed to be with it - maybe this is how Rin had felt when she was next to the Leaf Stone.

She caught Daisy giving her a strange glance a couple of times as if the Umbreon was wondering the same thing.

"We should find someplace to take a nap before we start heading back," River told the group. "I think everyone deserves some rest."

Everyone nodded in agreement, and Sapphire secretly felt thankful he had come up with the idea. She had been tired all day, and now she felt beyond exhaustion.

The rescue teams found some shelter behind a thicket of bushes and curled up next to each other. It wasn't the most comfortable place to sleep, but Sapphire accepted it nonetheless. Within a few minutes, she was out like a light.


She awoke in a bright sunny clearing - in a place that seemed so familiar to her yet so new at the same time. The sun shone brightly overhead, casting its rays on her body and making her feel warm. She felt, for the first time in a while, relaxed and almost happy.

The Espeon trotted through the field, wondering why she was here, yet never wanting to leave. She spotted movement in the distance between a copse of trees and headed towards it, eager for any clues as to where she was.

Her heart began pounding so fast she felt like it was going to explode out of her body when she saw the Empoleon emerge from the trees and stare straight at her.

Shade.

She ran towards him at the speed of light, kicking up tiny rocks beneath her and evading branches, but for some reason, she couldn't come any closer no matter how hard she tried.

Sapphire finally came close enough to see a frown on his face, as if something was upsetting him. "Shade!" she called, desperation and hopelessness in her voice. "Please, I need you!"

No words came out of his mouth, but she thought she heard a whisper on the light breeze that was headed in her direction. You need to let me go.

Almost as soon as she heard the words, the vision changed. She was back where she was when she first appeared, but Shade was gone, and there was an enormous black hole to her right. Sapphire couldn't look at it without feeling pure fear.

However, something caused her to start walking towards it. Her legs pushed her onwards, ignoring the voice in her head that told her to stop and wake up, and soon she was right in front of the hole.

Sapphire gasped once she heard some sort of cry as if some Pokemon were in trouble and begging for help. She reached towards the dark emptiness...and then woke up.

The Espeon leaped to her feet, gasping for breath and looking wildly around her. Moonlight shone in the thick forest. Of course, she was still in Smoky Woods with rescue teams all around her, and now it was nighttime.

"Hey, are you okay?" she whipped her head around to see the Arcanine that had rescued her earlier. "Did you have a nightmare?"

Narrowing her eyes in embarrassment, Sapphire turned away. "It's none of your concern."

Ignoring her attitude, the Arcanine continued to annoy her. "My name is Dustin, by the way. I'm the extra human that joined the other humans on their adventure here." He laughed lightly.

For a moment, Sapphire looked at him curiously, then turned away once more. "Good to know," she muttered. "I'm going back to sleep so I can rest properly."

Dustin nodded. "Me, too," he replied, curling up underneath a bush near Zap. "Sleep well."

Sapphire didn't hear his last words very well, as her thoughts were filled with seeing Shade again, and whatever that black hole could've been.