Zorua Trainer

by FriTik

Trainers are everywhere in the world of Pokemon! But who said they were all human? Ash is a Zorua, but he's going to be a Pokemon Trainer too! With illusions to weave, friends to make, and challenges to conquer, Ash is going to pursue his dreams, wherever that takes him.

38. Chapter 38

Would you say that Diglett Diggy Diggy Hole?

---

Selene saved their lives.

"GRAVITY!" She shrieked as their platform crumbled from under them and they entered freefall.

Their descent became cushioned and when they hit the bottom thirty seconds later it was as if they had fallen a mere six feet instead of six hundred.

Or however far they'd fallen.

It was still a bit of a rough landing, Ash had Eevee, Art, and Sunny in his arms since they'd been the closest. His illusion burst when he hit the rocky bottom and they were alright for the most part.

Selene bounced off the ground a bit but other than some scrapes seemed alright. Storm had tucked into her shell which took the brunt of the landing. Pikachu had no such luck and took a bit of a tumble on the ground. He was the most scraped up but otherwise alive.

Ash really appreciated Absol's direction to take the first aid kit from Misty now.

After they'd patched up a little bit, they took a minute to get their bearings.

"How far down are we?" Eevee stared up the chasm they'd fallen down. It went pitch black not far over their heads and no light penetrated from above or below.

"I don't want to think about it." Storm admitted as she shook her dizziness away.

Pikachu checked on Sunny and Art. "Are you two okay?" He asked, sounding oddly gentle.

"Y-yeah!" Art tried to hide his stutter. "Perfectly fine! A fall like that can't stop…" He swallowed and his smile faded for a moment. "It can't stop us!" He finished.

Sunny managed a smile that looked more like a grimace. Pikachu frowned and put a paw on each of their shoulders. "We'll be alright, we're gonna find a way out of here soon. Just let me or Ash know if you need anything."

Ash heard the conversation as he dug through his bag and appreciated Pikachu comforting the two youngest Pokemon. Sunny wasn't much more than a year old and the Ralts was probably six months. At least he hoped it was months instead of weeks. He was a bit shaken himself, that was a massive fall, and if it hadn't been for Selene…

He looked up at the fairy-type. "Selene." He called.

She looked over at him. She had fixated on a gap in the wall, likely their only way out of this hole. "Everything okay?" She quickly jogged over to him.

He leaned in and gave her a nuzzle. "Thank you. As far as I'm concerned you're not just a hero, you're our hero."

"I…" She seemed startled by his declaration but hugged him back. "Thanks, Ash."

He let the moment pass and pulled the flashlight out of his bag. "Right!" He mumbled around the light in his mouth. He set it down and pressed the button then switched into his rarely used Pikachu disguise. "Let's look around and find a way out. Everyone stay close! We don't know what's down here or if Diglett is gonna show up."

"Speaking of Diglett," Pikachu spoke up as they started to move toward the crack in the wall. "How? How did he find us? How did he know? Why is he obsessed with us?"

"You're sure this is the same Diglett you met before?" Eevee checked and Pikachu glared at her. Well glared as best he could as they were forced to move single-file through the tight space.

"He called us 'heathens' and mentioned what 'we did to him.' I'm pretty sure it's the same one."

"What do you think the Big Three he mentioned are?" Sunny wondered out loud.

"A three-headed Sandslash?" Art suggested.

Storm shook her head. "More likely it's a Dugtrio. A really big one or a really strong one. Maybe both."

"Yay for our… luck…" Eevee trailed off as they passed through the tight crack and into an open cave that dazzled with light. "Oh my…"

"It's like starlight…" Selene breathed. "There's no moon glowing… but…"

"Beautiful." Sunny agreed.

Ash agreed but was a bit lost for words, the flashlight dropped from his paws as he stared out. Far above the cave roof glittered in a billion glistening points of light. No two colors were the same and spread across the entire color spectrum.

All over the lower parts of the cave pillars of glowing crystals jutted out from the ground and branched out like geological trees. Some were green, blue, red, yellow, silver, white…

But this place was not devoid of plant life. Glowing mushrooms sprouted all over the place, some smaller than a Pokeball and others as big as a house.

At the center of this massive natural underground terrarium was a structure that seemed artificial. A temple of sorts that spanned between the ground and the cave roof far above. Towers and walls rose into a spire that met the ceiling. Even this structure was not devoid of crystals as they glittered like fire in braziers across the battlements.

"I think we just found August's Crystal Caverns." Pikachu mused as they appreciated the sight.

"And might have just proved his legend," Eevee admitted, focusing on the building in the distance. "Ash, is your Pokegear still working?"

He glanced at the device. It seemed okay. "I think so?"

"I need you to get all of the pictures." She demanded.

"Good idea." Turned off the flashlight and stuffed it back into his bag. He dropped his illusion and held up a paw to snap a few photos of their view.

"What are you guys waiting for!" Art and Sunny seemed to have recovered from their fright and were now eager to explore this new place. "Let's look around!" They started moving down the ledge where it was most shallow.

"Be careful you two!" Pikachu called and followed after them.

"Diglett could still be after us. And who knows what else is down here?" Storm wondered.

Ash was split, a part of him wanted to start searching for the way out. But the rest of him wanted to rush after Art and Sunny to start exploring. "Standing here isn't going to get us out. Let's follow after them."

With their trainer's words, the rest of the team began moving down, into the glory and wonder of the Crystal Caverns

---

In a cavern far above them, a much less wondrous experience was taking place.

"THIS!" Misty kicked the ruined cockpit of the TRUTHMC. "IS!" She repeated the kick with each word. "YOUR! FAULT!"

"Back off crazy twerp girl!" Meowth squealed in fear.

"Who gives a twerp a sword!" Jessie pressed herself against the back of their control pod.

"A moron that's who!" James shouted and then shrieked when Misty stopped kicking and plunged the blade into the hatch.

"As cathartic as this is, traumatizing those idiots isn't going to fix anything." Karen looked around at their new surroundings.

"We sunk quite a ways. Or at least it felt like we did…" Brock was looking at the sheer walls, it was a bit less worrying than looking over the edge.

When the cavern began collapsing Misty had cried out that Ash and his team had fallen, and didn't have time for much else. The roof of the cave began coming down and the chasm that Ash and his team had vanished into began swallowing everything else.

Geodude managed to do something with the stone under them that held it together in a platform instead of disintegrating. It was still a bit of a drop though.

Fortunately, Team Rocket's mech took a worse tumble and lost most of its limbs against the rocks before landing on their platform below.

The thieves refused to come out of their capsule though, and Misty was delighting in taking out some much-needed aggression on them. They deserved it considering this was mostly their fault.

Their shrieks of fear were getting a bit loud though so Misty reluctantly backed off her assault. "If you three even think about trying anything I'll have Staryu and Starmie turn you into popsicles!"

"We'd taste terrible! Just meat and bones!" Meowth protested and Misty sheathed her sword (still so cool) and stalked away.

"Bet you have parasites too," Karen muttered and carefully leaned over the edge to look down. She grimaced. "I can't see the bottom of that."

"You okay Squirtle?" Misty checked with the water-type. He had taken more of a tumble than the rest of them.

"It only hurts when I move." He lifted his arm. "Ow."

They all had bruises and scrapes, minor injuries. But considering Absol had directed Ash to take the first aid kit Misty could only assume they were in better shape than he and his team were.

She was trying not to think about the fact that there should have been no way to survive that fall.

"Diglett." She muttered to herself. "Why was there a Diglett?" There was an extra potion in her bag she made use of now. It had to be used sparingly though, it was the only one outside of the med kit.

"We're in Diglett's Cave." Karen heard her muttering. "It's not too surprising. Speaking of which…"

Their eyes turned to the metal capsule cylinder Team Rocket had been using. It had sat quiet since the collapse, but it still seemed to maintain its integrity. Meaning there were probably a bunch of wild Pokemon still trapped inside.

"We should let them out." Misty acknowledged.

"Hey!" A shout from Team Rocket's self-enforced prison cell. "We caught those Pokemon fair and square!"

"You're keeping them in a big metal tube!" Misty shot back.

"And you keep yours in small metal balls!" Jessie shouted. "Why's it wrong when we do it?"

"Maybe because we're not trying to decimate entire populations and disturb ecosystems?"

"That was a lot of big words," Meowth said.

"How about we put it in simple words then." Karen decided. "I am not debating good and evil with a few dummies who flat out announce they're the 'bad guys.'"

"...does that mean we win?" James asked.

"Right, not talking to them anymore." The three started cheering at her words. "Ugh, Misty can you stab their pod a few more times?" The cheering stopped.

"We need to figure out our next step," Brock announced and started pulling things out of his bag. Rope, pegs, a hammer, helmets, and… glowsticks?

"Ash and his team fell." Misty pointed out. "So we're going after them."

"Hold on a second." Brock held up a hand. "We don't know how far a drop it is. And while I hope they're okay we need to be prepared for the worst. That said, we're not just going to leave them down there whatever the case."

Karen raised an eyebrow. "You're being remarkably calm about this."

Brock started chuckling. "I've had days where the bathroom is flooding, two kids need changing, dinner is burning and there's school the next morning. I think it's fair to say I have experience with crisises."

It was hard to tell in the dark but Misty wasn't quite sure she liked the look on Karen's face. "What are you suggesting then?" She got them back on task. "I don't have much experience with caves."

"I know the steps, but I've never had to execute them," Brock admitted and handed her a glowstick. "Crack that and drop it into the hole, let me know how long it takes to hit the bottom."

"Oh, I've heard of this." She realized. "Isn't it supposed to be a torch or flair though?"

"Do you have one?" he shrugged and she conceded the point.

Misty carefully approached the edge and dropped the glowing object over. She leaned over a bit to watch it fall.

1…

2…

3…

4…

*clack*

Distantly she heard it strike something and saw the glow far below. "Four seconds!" She called to Brock.

"Four seconds…" he leaned back on his knees and did some mental math. "We should have enough rope for that. Barely."

"What do we do about those three?" Karen nodded toward Team Rocket. "We can't just leave them here. And we can't leave the Pokemon either."

"Hmm, I think we might be able to solve both those problems at the same time." Brock got a bit of a grin. "I don't think the Pokemon will be very happy with the ones who trapped them in a machine."

"Excellent point lover boy," Karen smirked and Brock choked a little bit. Misty groaned.

A few attacks from Sneasal managed to tear a hole in the containment unit a flood of various ground-types flooded out. Mostly Sandshrew and Diglett but Misty spotted a Sandslash in the mix.

"It might be in our best interests to take a few steps back while they exact their vengeance," Staryu suggested and Misty found herself in agreement.

"No no no!" Jessie shouted as their former prisoners began shaking the control pod.

"Get back you! I mean all of you!" Meowth cried out.

The travelers watched in reluctant fascination as some of the ground-types split off and began tunneling into the cliff face. As they dug a large tunnel the others got under the remains of the TRUTHMC and began carrying it with them.

"We're too young to die young!" James sobbed as they were carried away.

"Well… tha-" Karen started saying when the Sandslash Misty spotted before separated from the other Pokemon and approached them.

"Sand." He scuffed the ground with his foot. "Sandslash! Slash sand, slash!"

"The warrior thanks us for freeing him and his kinsmen." Staryu translated. "They were unsure when their salvation would arrive, nor what form it would take."

"Uhh, don't mention it." Misty nodded. "Where are you taking Team Rocket?"

She wasn't exactly worried about them, but considering how many times they'd come back for another go it was good to keep track of them.

"Sandslash. Slash, sash." Sandslash waved a claw vaguely.

"They're taking them to the Lord of the shimmering depths far below. They who exist beyond time and strength." Staryu spoke with grandiose.

Misty shot a glance at her starter. "Is that what he actually said."

"It is actually," Squirtle confirmed. "I think it's spreading."

"Wait, below, you're going further down?" Misty checked and Sandslash nodded. "Some of our friends fell when the cave started collapsing. Could we follow for a bit and look for them? We'll stay out of your way."

Sandslash considered for a few moments. "Sand."

"He will allow it since he feels he owes us a debt. He does ask that we refrain from expressing our presence with too much enthusiasm."

"So we're following the angry ground-types?" Karen checked as they started forward. "Not sure if this is better than the rope or not."

"Oh, my radiant crysta-" Brock cut himself off with a cough. "I uhh… forget you heard that. I'm sure we'll be alright, we do have our Pokemon with us still."

"Good point. Besides, I'm sure you'll make sure to keep me safe." She flashed him a smile and he went bright red.

"I… of course!" Brock took the lead and Karen shot a smirk at Misty.

"Too easy."

"Please stop."

---

If it weren't for the pressing concern of finding a way out that was stuck in the back of his mind, Ash would have been completely caught up in the wonder of their current surroundings.

There wasn't a path for them to follow, but there were parts of the ground that were less rocky or jagged. They tried to stick to those areas as much as they could.

That said, when every five minutes something new and interesting seemed to catch their attention. Sometimes it was a weird crystal structure, sometimes it was an odd plant, but more often than not, it was the Pokemon.

Ash was quite pleased to say he knew most of the Pokemon there were to know about. He'd made a point of learning about as many as possible.

He recognized just about every Pokemon down here, in one way or another, but they were ones that he had no idea lived in this part of the world or some strange variant he'd never heard of.

The first Pokemon outside their group they saw was a Carbink, floating through the air over their heads. They shouted to try and get the rock-type's attention but the poor jewel Pokemon was startled by their racket and quickly fled.

Not long after that he spotted a Golem that looked like it had a shell made of diamonds instead of rocks. The Golem had growled at them when they got too close though so they backed off without a conversation. He still got a couple of pictures though.

Sunny and Art ended up getting briefly adopted by a group of Nacli and Nacklstack (another Pokemon not native to Kanto!) The two had wandered ahead a bit and were dragged along as the rock salt Pokemon crossed their path.

"Oh hi there!" One of the Nacli noticed the newcomers. "You two look different!"

"I think that's because we're not rock-types." Sunny pointed out, glancing back in the direction they'd come. The rest of the team had realized what happened and was following along.

"You're not made of rock?" Another Nacli sounded horrified. "What are you made of then? Dirt?"

"The technical term is ground." One of the Naclstack corrected.

"Are you ground-types?" The Nacli asked.

"I'm made of awesome!" Art declared, "And Sunny is made of awesome and fire!"

"I've never heard of an awesome-type before." The first Nacli noted.

Art grinned. "Duh! That's because you never met us before!"

Sunny looked around. "Uhhh where are we going? Our friends are back there." He pointed at Ash and the others.

"They look different too!" Nacli realized, sounding excited.

"We're going to Quarrie, do you want to come too?" Naclstack asked.

"I guess we're lost anyway…" Sunny nodded. "Sure, sounds interesting!"

"Hey, Ash!" Art shouted back. "Follow us! We're going to the quarry!"

"No, no, no!" Nacli corrected him. "It's not 'the quarry,' it's Quarrie!"

"What's the difference?" Art failed to understand.

As they all soon discovered Quarrie used to be a quarry. It was unclear if it was made by humans or Pokemon though. But whoever had made it had long since moved on. It was a deep ringed hole that spiraled downward. All along the edges dens and holes had been dug into the rockface to serve as residences for the many Pokemon that lived here.

The first Nacli to notice Sunny and Art, who was a rather curious and observant Pokemon, offered to lead them to old Garganacl who lived at the bottom of Quarrie. He was the oldest Pokemon living there and often offered knowledge and wisdom to the younger Pokemon.

"My oh my…. what is this?" His rumbling tone had hints of fragility to it, almost like twinkling glass. "I haven't seen a Pikachu… or an Eevee… in over an age! And others that… I do not recognize! How… Fascinating!"

"You've seen Pokemon like us before?" Eevee wondered. "We've only seen rock-types and ground-types down here."

"It was…" His words were slow and halting. "A long time ago. Many Pokemon… came to make use of the… Heart Crystals."

"The Heart Crystals?" Selene asked. "Are those different than the ones we've been seeing everywhere?"

"Yes… and… no…" Garganacl's answer was somewhat unhelpful.

"Uhh." Ash shot a glance at Nacli.

If the little rock-type could have shrugged she probably would. "He's like this sometimes. He's seen a lot, I think he talks in riddles for fun though."

"Heart Crystals…" The old Pokemon continued. "They are crystals… that empower your heart! Any crystal… could be a Heart… Crystal… but they must be tamed and harnessed… to the form of those who would use them…"

"How do Heart Crystals empower your heart?" Eevee eagerly pressed.

"Not to kill the history lesson," Storm interjected. "But maybe we should be asking for a way out?"

"That was the plan…" Pikachu nodded, "Then we kind of went into a tangent?"

"Sorry, you'll have to wait to ask." Nacli apologized. "Garganacl only answers one question at a time."

"Not everyone… can be empowered." The old Pokemon was answering Eevee's inquiry. "But those that can… found their shape… grow stronger…"

"That sounds like evolving." Sunny pointed out and Eevee latched onto the observation.

"Yes, it does!" She turned back to Gargancl, "That's what you mean right? These Heart Crystals are evolution stones right?"

"Is that… what… they're called… now?" He rumbled and his pyramid-like shoulders rose and fell. "Do they allow you… to take on… a new shape… and strength?"

"Yes, they do! And you specifically pointed out Pikachu and I, we both need evolution stones to evolve! Well Pikachu does, I have other options, but still! This is amazing!" She was giggling to herself. "No one knows where evolution stones come from! They come from here! Why though? How did they get here? What "tames" and "harnesses" them?"

"I…" Garganacl started and Eevee eagerly looked up. "Do not know."

Pikachu laughed and she swatted her tail across his face. "Shut it."

"Excuse me!" Art spoke up. "Mr big rock guy!"

"That… is a new… name…" He turned to the Ralts with amusement in his tone. "And I... have had many. Garganacl… Grandfather…Old One… Bobbles…"

"I could call you Garg." He suggested with a shrug and continued. "Can you tell us how to get out?"

"The way… you came… is always a… good start."

"Not really an option." Storm shook her head. "We fell a long way down."

"Hm…" 'Garg' was thoughtful. "I suppose you could… try the temple…"

"I'm guessing the "temple" is the big structure in the middle of the cave?" Pikachu tried.

"Long ago… humans lived here… not for long… but for a little… they built their home in the depths… and then they left… I know not how." He was as slow as ever. "But perhaps… they left… someway behind…"

Ash shrugged. "I guess that's our best bet, it did look like it went all the way to the top of the cave, maybe there's a passageway?"

Art groaned, "It's gonna be a staircase, isn't it? I hate stairs."

"Thank you for the help!" Sunny thanked the old Pokemon. "We were probably going to check out the temple eventually but now we know to check there first!"

"You are… welcome… little one…" He rumbled, looking down at the fire-type. "Be weary… of the Fanatics... Their madness… drives them… to ruin…"

"The Fanatics?" Selene pressed. "Who are they?"

Garganacl rumbled. "The humans… left something… locked away… within their great fortress… they buried it… but some dug too deep… and retrieved it… the voice within… it commands them… it drives them…"

As they processed that explanation he left them with some parting words. "Do not… try to reason with them…"

---

"Whatever Diglett has been going on about." Pikachu thought out loud as they left Quarrie. "He's definitely a Fanatic, right?"

"He did say something about his lord." Selene nodded. "What do you think it is?"

"A giant," Sunny said simply and got some looks. "What? Remember the legend? The giants who weren't destroyed were locked away!"

"Oh." Ash stared ahead. "I hope it's not a giant."

"I've been betting it was a big Dugtrio or just a strong one," Eevee admitted with a thoughtful look. "Maybe it's not really a "giant" but a Pokemon who claims to be the voice of whatever thing the Fanatics are worshipping?"

"Which is probably a giant," Sunny said again.

Art glanced back and forth, "Do we get to fight this one?"

Ash looked at the looming structure ahead of them. "I hope not… I remember that fight we had with Archer. I don't think we're ready to fight some ancient giant thing that used to rule the world. Not yet at least."

"So we come back in a few months then?" Pikachu smirked and Ash jabbed at him with an amused grin.

"Makes sense." Selene nodded, "I'm worried about those Fanatics but we should focus on a way out first. Then come back and stop them!"

Eevee sighed and glanced at Ash. He gave her a dopey grin and she groaned. "Well let's see what happens here. With the luck we've had I doubt we'll be able to just leave with no issues. We'll probably get dragged into whatever is going on down here, and save the day before getting back to the surface."

"That sounds great!" Art nodded. "Good plan Eevee! I see why you're the smart one!"

Storm stared at her team with despair. "Oh no, I'm the only sane one."

"You're just realizing that?" Pikachu sent her a look of disbelief.

It was surprisingly difficult to travel in a straight line through the cavern. They constantly had to take to detours to go around uncrossable terrain. Either a crevice that didn't seem to have a bottom or a particularly large crystal outcropping.

At one point they had to travel an extra hour out of their way to get around a field of small but razor-sharp crystals that littered the ground.

Eventually, they had to stop and rest.

There was a bit of a discussion around it. No one wanted to stop really, but all of them knew they were too tired to keep going for the moment, which then turned into a small argument about who would stay up and stand watch.

Normally they didn't need to keep watch up on the surface. But with Diglett and the "Fanatics" around down here, none of them wanted to take a chance.

Ash took the first watch, seeing it as his responsibility. He'd wake up Pikachu in two hours who would then wake up Storm, and then Selene, and then Eevee.

That should let them all have enough sleep.

Or it would have if things had been quiet.

A loud BANG woke the group during Pikachu's watch. As they scrambled to their feet he started shouting. "We got company!"

"Who and where?" Storm took point next to him, seeing a smoking boulder not far from their camp.

"All around you!" Diglett's voice called from the shadows.

"Can you please just leave us alone?" Ash requested as he blinked the lingering sleep from his eyes. It felt like he had barely lay down after waking Pikachu.

"Silence!" Was his answer. "You're repentance has only just begun."

"Repentance?" Eevee questioned. "For what exactly? As I've heard it all Ash and Pikachu did was beat you in a single battle years ago. Why do you keep coming back?"

Sunny shifted a bit. "Uh, just a reminder, Gargancl said not to try reasoning with them."

"As if you could understand. The humiliation! The shame!" Diglett's voice was filled with grief. "All the emissaries succeeded in their quests. All returned home to glory and victory. Except for me. I was left with nothing but failure!"

Pikachu rolled his eyes. "Sure you did, what exactly did you fail at?"

"Retrieving what was lost." The ground began to shake and the team had uncomfortable flashbacks to their recent fall.

"Can Diglett learn Earthquake?" Sunny asked as he tried to keep his balance.

"Run!" Storm shouted and they quickly followed her example.

Art was glaring around as they ran. "Where is he? I wanna blast him!"

Ash had the best night vision of the team and was glaring around, looking for movement. "I don't know, I can't see him. He could be underneath us!"

Eevee shuddered, "Probably a bad idea to try digging when he can use Earthquake. Assuming that's what that was."

An idea struck Ash. "Storm use Water Pulse! Aim at the ground!"

She shot him a questioning glance but at his nod followed through. "Alright, prepare to get muddy guys!"

The Squirtle jumped up and spat out a bubble of water. It quickly grew and slammed into the ground and rapidly expanded, covering the ground with water.

His team stopped running and Ash quickly spun in a circle, searching for any disturbances in the water. A small whirlpool formed and a shape emerged, gagging and spitting out water.

"Gotcha!" Ash immediately unleashed a Dark Pulse. The attack hit dead center and he got a satisfying cry of pain for his troubles.

"Surround him!" Pikachu cried out. His Pokemon formed a loose circle around the coughing Diglett while he recovered from both the water and the Dark Pulse.

The ground-type stopped retching and seemed to realize that things weren't looking good for him. He Growled at the other Pokemon but it didn't have much effect considering his current situation.

He was surrounded by an angry, tired, wet, and mud-covered team of battlers.

"Let's start from the beginning shall we?" Pikachu lashed his tail. "How have you been tracking us down?"

"That's your first question?" Eevee checked.

"It has been bothering me for literal months."

"I think it's a good place to start." Storm agreed, Eevee looked disappointed though. "You can interrogate him about his religion later."

"Why do you want to hurt us so badly? What was your mission you failed?" Selene took a different approach.

"I'll tell you nothing Moonhugger!" Diglett spat at her.

"How would I even hug the moon, that doesn't make any sense." The Clefairy complained.

Pikachu did his best to snap his fingers. "Bring it back to mine then. How are you finding us?"

Diglett didn't seem keen on answering any questions, his eyes darting between them searching for a way out.

"Come on." Ash pressed. "Just answer Pikachu."

"Why should I?" Diglett fired back. "What are you going to do? Torture me?"

"How do we torture a Diglett?" Art wondered out loud, tapping his chin.

"No one is getting tortured," Ash stressed to the fairy-type. "But you're not going anywhere until we get some answers."

"Aren't I?" Diglett would have grinned if he had a proper mouth. "You've proven you're not going to do anything worse now. All I have to do is wait for the ground to harden. It's a waiting game and I have all the time in the world."

That was a concerning point. Diglett had proven he would keep coming back for more and eventually, they would have to either move on or go to sleep. Then Diglett would probably attack them again.

This was a sticky situation. He needed a plan…

Once again, something struck him. A rush of ideas and adrenaline that left him feeling a bit giddy. The way this kept happening was weird but as before he wasn't going to complain about it.

"Eevee come with me for a minute, the rest of you stay here. Storm, blast him with water if he tries anything." The water-type saluted as the two furry Pokemon stepped away from the group.

"You have an idea?" Eevee asked.

"I have a plot." Ash's grin was foxlike.

Which was fitting, since he was a fox.

---

It took an hour of digging and careful rock placement but soon Ash's plot had completed.

Storm and Pikachu glanced at Ash and Eevee as they returned, looking even muddier and more tired than before. "What did you do?"

"I'll explain." Ash stepped up to Diglett again. The Fanatic remained prideful and resolute. "Alright, you're trapped."

Diglett made a strange sound that spoke of confusion and bewilderment. "What do you mean trapped? Weren't you listening?"

"I was." Ash nodded. "Which is how I figured it out. Eevee and I just dug a deep moat around this little mud island and filled the edges of it with rocks and crystals. All Storm has to do is fill it with water and suddenly you'll be stuck here unless someone builds a land bridge of some sort."

His words had an effect on the ground-type. He glanced around, looking at the faces of the other Pokemon. Art and Sunny had fallen into a tired pile that might have been asleep. Selene was glaring at him. The other three maintained blank expressions.

At last, he snorted. "I can just dig under your 'moat.' There's no way you two made something too deep for me to go under."

"The water in it will keep the ground wet." Eevee jumped in. "You won't be able to leave for a long time."

"We haven't filled it yet though." Ash reminded him. "And we won't if you decide you're a bit more chatty."

Diglett seemed to struggle with himself. Obviously not wanting to give in but also not quite willing to test his luck against this so-called trap.

Truth be told, Ash wasn't 100% sure it would work. Maybe the moat wouldn't keep the ground wet enough or maybe he would just be able to go under it. But it might work, and Diglett didn't know if it would either.

"I won't tell you anything." Diglett finally claimed and Ash's annoyance must have shown on his face. "But I'll cut you a deal. I won't attack you again while you're in the caverns."

"Implying you'll attack us as soon as we leave." Storm figured.

"Take it or leave it." Diglett glared at her.

"We could just leave you." Pikachu reminded him and the glare switched focus.

"As long as you don't bother us again we won't fill the moat." Ash decided and got a couple of disbelieving looks. "But we are going to wet the ground one last time before we leave."

Diglett grumbled as he was soaked again but didn't say anything else as they left. Once they were a little ways away Pikachu whirled on Ash.

"Alright, what the heck. We're really just leaving him there?" Pikachu demanded.

"Pikachu," Ash spoke haltingly. "I have slept for maybe half an hour in the past day and a half. I am not functioning good right now."

His electric-type best friend opened his mouth and closed it. "You know that's a great point. I'll give you grief tomorrow. Go ahead and pass out."

"Thank you." Ash collapsed and let oblivion take him, hoping he wouldn't regret his decision in the morning.

---

Ash did regret his decision the next morning. Sort of.

Diglett had shockingly kept his word and not attacked them. But he wished he had tried pressing for more information or a better bargain from the ground-type.

Pikachu had chewed him out for a bit but accepted Ash's point that now they had a way to deal with the mole Pokemon. For now at least.

They had all been pretty exhausted the previous night though, so the subject was dropped for the time being and they continued traveling toward the ever-looming structure in the center of the cavern.

A day after their second encounter with Diglett, Sunny brought up a question that had been in the back of Ash's mind. "Do you think the others are okay?"

Eevee opened her mouth but Storm, sensing a potential disaster, slapped an arm over it before she could say anything.

The resident trainer picked up the slack. "Misty and Karen are both pretty smart, and Brock seems to know his way around caves. I bet they're just fine."

"Do you think they're looking for us?" Sunny asked and Ash paused.

That was a good question.

"I bet they're trying to. I'm not sure what things looked like for them after we fell. If they couldn't get to us themselves I'd bet they would try and get to the surface to get help." Ash guessed. "That doesn't mean we're not going to try and find our way out too. As soon as I can get a signal I'm going to try calling them."

"I wonder if they're down here too having their own adventure?" Art suggested. "Misty seems like she'd be having a great time."

"Possibly." Selene agreed. "She seems to have accepted that she's going on adventures and is embracing it now."

"It never felt like she was fighting it," Pikachu recalled. "It was more like, 'Oh now this is happening.'"

"Hm." Eevee was looking ahead through the crystal forest they were now traversing. "How much farther do you think? Maybe another day of traveling?"

"We could probably get there in less if we didn't stop to rest." Storm noted but that idea was quickly tossed aside.

Ash had thought they were closer than that and was glad he wasn't leading them the way. Instead, he just snapped a few pictures of the forest around them. "These crystals are so weird looking."

"I wonder how they formed." Eevee wondered out loud. "Do you think they're natural or were created artificially?"

"I think they're cool looking." Art shrugged and then froze and stared. "Wow."

A group of Butterfree flew over their heads. While their torsos resembled those of normal Butterfree, the wings seems to be made of diamonds and obsidian. As they flew by glittering dust rained down on the travellers' heads.

"If nothing else we're gonna have some wonderful stories to tell when we get out of here." Selene breathed.

That was a sentiment they could all agree on as they continued.

---

Misty wondered if finding pleasure in the misfortune of others made her a bad person. Then again if those people deserved it, it was probably okay.

The gaggle of ground-types continued carrying a complaining Team Rocket to their fate. Whatever that might be.

They had gone from the newly dug tunnel to a pre-existing one a few hours earlier. Still, they found themselves going further and further down into the earth.

Truthfully, it was kind of worrying.

At least the crystals in the walls were pretty to look at.

"Maybe we could grab one?" Brock whispered.

"Or several," Karen suggested and reached for one.

"Shhhhh." One of the Sandshrew hissed at her and she drew her hand back in alarm at the unexpected action. She stood there staring in alarm for a moment. Eventually, the Pokemon decided she had learned her lesson and turned away.

"Don't touch the shiny rocks. Got it." She muttered and shoved her hands in her pockets with a slouch.

"Where exactly do you think they're taking us?" Brock asked in a low voice.

"Hopefully to Ash and his team," Misty answered. She hoped they were okay.

Their journey took them a bit longer than expected though.

Even with their Pokegears to keep the time it was easy to lose track of it in a place like this. Days started flowing into each other and the only way to break things up were the times they went to sleep.

The trip was worth it though.

When Misty first saw the cavern the first thought in her mind was 'beautiful.'

The second thought was, 'Holy smokes I really am in a fantasy world.'

She did not voice the second one out loud.

Karen and Misty figured out fairly quickly that these might have been the Crystal Caverns from August's story. Interestingly enough, Brock had heard a version of the story himself. It was fairly similar to the one they had heard, except the giants were the ones in control as opposed to the ruler of the evil empire.

That bit was not quite as important as the fact the caverns actually existed and they were traveling in them.

Unfortunately, things were starting to get a bit tense with their guides. They seemed more and more eager to move forward and were pushing them faster and faster. Misty tried asking a few questions but both Squirtle and Staryu confirmed that all they were getting was non-answers.

"All will be made clear."

"Do not worry."

"Just be patient."

Those were setting alarm bells off in her head and she had a hand on Starmie's ball the entire time; already working out strategies on what to do if things went south.

Their journey toward the temple structure in the center of the cave was beautiful at least. Seeing Pokemon she'd never seen before, and all the geological formations down here certainly made the trip more enjoyable.

Her worry about Ash and his friends was ever growing though.

The questions she asked about them were ignored after a certain point. While Sandslash had been helpful at first it felt like the further they went and the deeper they got the less chatty the ground-type was feeling.

If it weren't for the fact they were in a place far underground with no obvious way out she would have suggested they make a run for it and take their chances.

Absol made some worried noises from time to time and whispered to the other Pokemon, but the fact she didn't make any calls of warning meant this was probably the safest path.

For the moment at least.

When at last they arrived at their destination, still no answers were presented, even as they passed through the massive doorframe.

Karen decided she had enough. Misty decided to let her have the first go at them and see what happened.

"No Ash, no way out, and now we're in a giant spooky temple in a mythical cave." Karen listed off and glared at Sandslash, the de facto leader. "I think we deserve some answers."

Sandslash tilted his head at the girl. "Slash."

"Diglett dig! Diglett dig!" Around them, the Diglett started crying in unison.

"What are they saying?" Misty hissed to her Pokemon.

"We are here." Squirtle looked around. "I don't think I like where here is."

"Trio."On a balcony far above them a Dugtrio emerged and looked down at them.

"Diglett dig!" The ground-types below called up. "Diglett dig!"

"Trio. Trio." The Pokemon's eyes turned to the humans. "Trio."

"That didn't sound good."

"He said, 'Welcome to the halls of God.'" Staryu translated. "'The Tomb.'"

Well. Time to do something stupid.

---

With another day of traveling (and lots more pictures), they finally began to reach the steps of the temple structure.

The building was somehow just as impressive up close as it had been from a distance. The walls towered over them, dwarfing all the crystalline features that they'd been exposed to throughout their journey.

Although, some irregular features had not been obvious from a distance. The most notable one was the staircase.

While the edges seemed to still retain their original shape, much of the steps had been rendered into rubble, leaving a crumbling stone ramp in place of what must have been a truly grand entrance.

"I think I prefer this." Art muttered as they carefully made their way up. "Stairs are hard. I have to pull myself up them."

"Why don't you just jump?" Selene asked him.

"Because you're not supposed to jump on the stairs, it's not safe." He explained proudly.

Pikachu laughed a bit. "And shooting fire blasts from a stick is?"

"That's because no one ever told me not to do that!" Art crossed his arms for a moment before continuing.

Once they were through the threshold and inside the building itself, Storm looked around, craning her neck as she looked up. Similar to the stairs outside, the floor of the grand hall they found themselves in was also heavily damaged and crumbled. "Well, we made it. Now I guess we try and find a way up?"

Ash sniffed, testing for the smell of other Pokemon or maybe even a hint of fresh air. Almost as soon as the smells began assaulting him he froze. "I smell Misty." He announced.

"What?" Pikachu shot him a look. "You're sure?"

Eevee started sniffing around too and nodded. "He's right, it's maybe a day old but she was here."

"Where?" Sunny asked looking around. There were many doors and passageways leading out of the grand entry hall. Some were smaller than others. The size of this building had some concerning implications for just how mazelike it would be.

More sniffing followed, "Hard to say, I think the others were here too. But Misty's is more noticeable like she passed through a few times." Ash looked up and back at the door. "How did they get here? When?"

"Time to start exploring?" Selene suggested.

Bit by bit they started picking their way through the ancient spire. Eevee had the idea of leaving little pieces of crystal behind them to mark their path so they didn't get lost. It took a minute to collect the pieces but thankfully there was no shortage of the material.

Some of the passageways were collapsed and they were forced to double back, some led to empty rooms and old halls with no other doors. One even led up the battlements. But all of them were in some state of disrepair, mostly the floors.

"It makes sense," Eevee noted as they picked their way through the wreckage. "If these Fanatics are ground-types, then they probably don't get along well with floors."

Their first interesting find was a storeroom. Not filled with food, but something a bit more valuable.

Pikachu had peeked in first, then immediately jumped back and yelled "Nope!"

"What is it?" Ash ran forward. "The Fanatics?" Truthfully it was a bit concerning they hadn't seen any yet.

"It's dangerous for me and Eevee. Not for you." Pikachu acted as though his words explained anything. Ash took a look for himself and gasped.

"Yeah, Eevee, you might want to stay out." He warned and stepped inside.

"Why would she- oh." Storm followed him in. "Wowza."

The room was filled, wall to wall, with Evolution Stones. "Heart Crystals" As the old Garganacl had called them.

"Uhh, should Selene stay out too?" Sunny asked as he looked around.

"I think I'm fine." The Clefairy noted as she stepped in and glanced at the contents. "I don't think there would be any Moonstones down here."

"Probably not but you might not want to take a chance." Eevee pointed out and her teammate nodded and stepped back a bit.

"Dawn Stone!" Art jumped into the pile of glowing rocks and started digging. "Find a Dawn Stone! I'll need one later!"

"Oh, good idea!" Sunny started helping his friend look as Ash debated what to do.

"Eevee." He called her name. "Do you want me to grab some stones for you? Just in case?"

The evolution Pokemon frowned and lashed her tail a bit. "Go for it. I'm not sure if I want to evolve into anything that I need a stone for, but it wouldn't hurt to have the option."

With her go-ahead, Ash collected the stones she could make use of. He made sure to wrap them in bits of spare clothing he had in his bag. Just in case either Eevee or Pikachu had to go through his bag for some reason. Better safe than sorry.

"That's five evolutions unlocked just like that." Storm pointed out to Eevee. "I won't rush you but it does make the option feel a bit more real."

"I know." She sighed. "I'm not against the idea, we talked about it before. But I'm worried about making the wrong choice. What if I decide to evolve into Flareon but it later turns out I should have picked Leafeon? Or I evolve into Leafeon and wish I had picked Glaceon?"

"I guess that makes sense." Storm acknowledged. "I'm lucky I don't have to choose. Just gotta wait a bit longer."

"Only a bit?" Eevee prodded and her teammate shrugged.

"I'm close. I can feel that. Might be a few days, maybe a few weeks. But I think I'm ready." She looked at her paw and clutched it. "Just be a bit bigger and stronger. Blastoise will be the weird one."

"Shell canons." Eevee chuckled.

Any further conversation was cut off by a cheer from Art. "Found one!" He raised the smooth crystal over his head.

"Add it to the bag," Ash told him and Art eagerly dropped the key to his final evolution inside. "It'll probably be awhile before you need it though."

Art slouched a bit. "I was kind of hoping I would evolve as soon as I touched it."

"I wonder why only certain stones work on certain Pokemon." Sunny wondered as he picked up a Fire Stone and tossed it from side to side. "I know I have my Everstone on, but even without it this still wouldn't do anything."

"There are a few theories-" Eevee started but was tackled by Pikachu and Selene.

"Can you please wait until later to explain?" Selene asked as though she wasn't helping Pikachu hold her down. "We still need to keep exploring."

The normal-type drooped. "Fine."

---

Slowly they began moving higher into the temple. Floor by floor, staircase by staircase. It was hard to tell how high up they were but they'd been exploring for almost a day when they came across their next major find.

"Lots of Pokemon have come through here," Selene noted the absolutely abysmal state of the floor, the damage was so extensive some of the walls had even collapsed.

They were in a large circular chamber, maybe fifteen feet high. Hanging throughout it were large orbs, possibly made of glass, but more likely made of crystal.

"Crystal Balls!" Art waved his hands in a mystical fashion.

"Misty would get a kick out of this," Pikachu considered. "And Karen would too I bet. She seems spooky enough to go for this."

"She's not that spooky," Storm said.

"She's a little spooky," Pikachu insisted.

"Uhhh." Ash was staring at one of the balls. "Does this look like Pewter City to anyone else?"

The others came up and took a look. "Yeah! That's the weird bird statue they dug up there." Pikachu pointed at the landmark. "How are we seeing this?"

Eevee checked another one. "I think this one is showing the beach near Vermillion, I think, the architecture looks right for the city in the background."

Bit by bit they checked the other orbs and found sights both familiar and not so, until Sunny called for them.

"Guys." The nervous tone in his voice was hard to ignore. "I found Pikachu."

"What?" The electric-type bounded over and as he did so the image on the orb shifted to follow him, constantly right behind him. They all stared at the image, displaying their backs now, and turned around to look at the place the source should be only to see empty air.

"Witchcraft." Art announced.

"I think we just found how Diglett was tracking us," Ash announced and looked back toward the orb. "Sort of. How does this work?"

"Could we just break it?" Art suggested eagerly and hints of embers began dripping from Sunny's mouth.

"Let me try something," Eevee asked. "Show me Mount Moon."

The crystal clouded for a moment and then an image of Mt. Moon appeared.

"Huh." Storm scratched her head. "Show me Cerulean City." She tried and got a similar result.

"Show me Pidgeotto." Selene tried and the image clouded and showed a pair of Pidgeotto in a tree. "Umm…"

"That's not our Pidgeotto." Pikachu pointed out. "The feathers on the crests are all wrong."

"Hmm," Eevee hummed and tapped her foot. "Show me the Pidgeotto that travels with Ash Ketchum."

This time a familiar flying-type appeared, sort of. She was a bit hard to track as she was flying around at the moment.

"Pidgeotto!" Sunny called. "Can you hear us?"

No reaction from their teammate. There was a collective wince though as a sudden burst of water crashed into her and the shape of a Blastoise became clear in the background.

"Alright, so you need to be specific." Ash realized. "I wonder… what did Diglett say to track Pikachu?"

"Maybe he asked for the Pikachu who defeated him with the help of another Pokemon and some humans?" Pikachu crossed his arms in thought. "That might be specific enough."

"Oh!" Selene blinked and held up an arm. "We can use this to find the others!"

"Good idea!" Storm nodded at the fairy-type. "Show us Misty Waterflower from Cerulean City."

A moment later an image of Misty appeared.

She didn't look good.

Misty was sitting down, leaning against a stone wall in a mostly empty room. Staryu, Squirtle, and Starmie were all out of their balls with her. Her clothes were torn and dusty and she had her sword in her hands. Her eyes were half closed with exhaustion.

Ash stared at his friend in horror for a moment before his resolve hardened. "We need to find them. Now."

---

The picture had been clear enough they knew she was in the temple, the brickwork had looked the same and the floor had been damaged in the now familiar way. Figuring out where exactly was a bit harder.

They traced back to the last place they had picked up Misty's scent and worked from there. It took a lot of backtracking and false positives. It seemed like Misty had zigzagged and done her own doubling back a few times.

She wasn't the only smell they found, her Pokemon of course.

And also the scent of ground-types.

At last, their search lead them down a hallway that only had the smell of Misty and her team. It was fairly recent too, maybe twelve hours old at the most. It had taken them three hours to find this path and Ash hoped she was still okay.

Eventually, they came across a closed door. Ash pushed but it refused to give so he charged up Revenge and slammed into it.

A battle cry left him jumping back though and Misty rushed forward swinging her sword down. It clanged against the ground and she staggered back. All tension left her body when she managed to focus on Ash though.

"Ash!" She gasped with a sob of relief and rushed forward, scooping the Zorua up in her arms and hugging him.

He was a bit surprised by the sudden physical contact from his best human friend but he quickly embraced the feeling. "Hi, Misty. How do you like the Crystal Caverns."

"I liked them better as a story." She admitted, still holding onto him. The group moved into Misty's saferoom and began talking.

Both sides got explanations from the other. How Ash's team had been wandering around for the past several days trying to make it to the temple and hopefully a way out. As well as their encounters with Diglett.

Misty explained her side of things. The ground-types capturing Team Rocket and leading them down here. Their own journey to the temple, and then the fight that had broken out.

"I don't know what happened to Karen and Brock," Misty admitted sullenly. "Or their Pokemon. We managed to stay together for a bit but we got separated in the chase. I'm not sure if the Diglett were moving the walls or floor or something but…" She hugged Ash a bit tighter. "Did I ever tell you how good a friend you are Ash? You're a really good friend."

Alarm bells were ringing in his head but he returned her expression. "You're a great friend too Misty." He managed to twist and shot a worried look at Misty's Pokemon. Squirtle grimaced and whispered something to Storm.

"She jumped in front of attacks for them multiple times and has been refusing to go to sleep," Storm explained. "She feels like she failed everyone else by losing you and the others."

Okay. Right. Time to fix things.

"So, we need to go rescue them then!" Ash managed to squirm his way out of Misty's trauma hug. "Follow us! We found a room that will help us out!"

As they made their way back to the orb room, Ash shifted to his human illusion. Misty was half dead on her feet and dragging herself along. At least this way he could give her a hand. "When was the last time you slept?" He asked her as they walked, her arm around his shoulders.

"Uhhh…" She blinked wearily. "I dunno. My Pokegear got smashed." She chuckled. "Gonna need a new one. Maybe I should start following Diglett around until they replace it."

"I'm not sure Diglett have money."

"Oh." She nodded. "Good point."

Misty collapsed when they arrived. She had been running on fumes and adrenaline for who knows how long and her body finally gave out. Ash carefully set her down and did his best to make his friend comfortable.

Once they had become a bit settled, Art had a request.

"Can we keep exploring?"

"Not alone you're not," Pikachu told him in no uncertain terms and he crossed his arms.

"Of course, I wouldn't be alone! Sunny would be with me!" He dragged the Charmander over to emphasize his point.

Ash wasn't particularly keen on the idea though. "It still seems kind of dangerous…"

"It's not the worst idea though," Storm suggested, taking him a bit by surprise. "Nothing too dangerous or too far away, but we should definitely get an idea of the layout nearby in case we need to move or fight here."

"See!" Art hadn't been thinking of that but he was getting what he wanted.

"I don't know. I don't think we should split up." Ash admitted with a frown and Storm nodded at his logic.

"Oh wait!" Sunny spoke up before the idea died. "What if we do this!" He walked up to one of the unused orbs.

"Show me the Squirtle that goes by Storm and travels with Ash Ketchum!" He told it and the vision shimmered and showed Storm from behind, much like the one tracking Pikachu had done.

He stepped away and looked to the others proudly. "There! That way you can keep an eye on us from here too!"

Their trainer looked unsure but eventually nodded. "Fine, Storm, you take Sunny, Art, and… Starmie. That should be enough for you to hold your own long enough for us to get to you. If you run into trouble I mean."

"We'll be back in an hour," Storm told him with a salute.

If Art had been expecting another incredible find like the room full of evolution stones, he was a bit disappointed. Most of their wandering was just through empty hallways and even emptier rooms.

There was one slightly interesting discovery just before they turned back though.

A room that was open to the outside cavern, with a column of crystal right in the middle of it. Littering the ground was a series of completely smooth, spherical crystals.

"Curious." Starmie lifted one with psychic and inspected it. "There feels like there's something more to this, but I can't quite put my arm on it."

"That's because you don't have thumbs." Art reminded her and continued looking. This wasn't exciting at all! At least the crystals were shiny looking.

Storm gathered a few, her arm grabbing for one slightly out of reach apparently without her own noticing. "We'll show them to Ash, or better yet let's show them to Eevee, maybe she'll know what they are."

"I got them." Starmie used her psychic on the ones Storm had and they began to depart but Art realized someone was not next to him.

"Sunny?" Art turned around and saw the fire-type holding one of the crystals, mesmerized by it.

He looked up at his name. "Coming!" he quickly trotted over, still holding the sphere.

"What do you have there?" Starmie asked him and Sunny looked back down at the crystal. It was blue on the edges but seemed to have a black center.

"I don't know." He admitted with a shrug. "But it feels important."

With that, they returned to the others, much to Ash and Pikachu's relief.

"Eevee you got a second?" Ash called her as soon as they showed him the sphere crystals. She padded over and inspected them.

"Not familiar to me." She admitted, flicking her ears. "Sorry, but we could hold onto them, maybe someone else will know."

"Put them in the bag." Pikachu offered Ash's backpack and the six crystals were placed inside as their attention turned to other matters.

"We might want to set up camp here." Storm suggested.

"Perhaps we can build fortifications?" Staryu suggested. "So that we cannot be taken by surprise."

"Good idea." Ash nodded. "Eevee, can you take a look at the orbs and see what you can figure out? Maybe there's a way to get them to show us the way to go to find the others instead of just finding them."

"I'll help." Starmie volunteered and the two set to work as the others did their best to get comfortable and block the doors.

Karen and Brock were simple enough to find with some careful wording. They were together in what looked like a cell. That didn't help with finding them though.

"Where are their Pokemon?" Storm noticed something. "I don't see the balls and they're obviously not there…"

"Let's see…" Eevee hummed. "Show me the Absol that travels with Karen Yamikage."

Nothing.

Squirtle swallowed. "That's a little worrying."

"Hm." Eevee wasn't quite ready to give into despair. "Show me the Psyduck that travels with Misty Waterflower."

"Why?" Pikachu asked but realized the seeing crystal gave the same result. "Oh, I think I get it."

"Maybe they had their Pokeballs taken," Eevee suggested. "But these don't seem able to look inside them."

Despite fiddling with the orbs for a few more hours they had no luck in using them to find the way they needed to go. Eventually, they decided they would just have to keep exploring after getting some rest. They slept in shifts so someone was always on guard, but they were not disturbed.

---

Absol was reasonably alarmed when her Pokeball opened again.

Fighting off a hoard of enemies (which she had seen coming and had no idea what to do about) had been bad enough. Being forced to stand down because Karen was being directly threatened was also pretty bad.

And now she was in a dark room, deep unground, with no idea how to get out of this mess.

So she could be excused for immediately using Night Slash blindly on whatever was in front of her.

"Hey!" A voice squeaked out. "None of that!"

Her eyes adjusted to the dark easily enough, a lesser known advantage of being a dark-type and she was able to see the speaker. A single Diglett, who looked very annoyed.

"Where are the others?" She growled down at him.

"Look around genius." Diglett glanced around the room.

She did and saw a collection of other Pokeballs gathered. Nine in total, Karen's full team, and Brock's three Pokemon if she had to guess.

"Where are Karen, Brock, and Misty?" her glare returned. Absol felt something bad coming for Karen. And Brock too now that she focused on it. Very bad but she couldn't say what. She had to do something about it.

"Your so-called trainer?" Diglett rolled his eyes. "Of course, you're one of those Pokemon. If you're so worried she and the squinty one are awaiting their fate at the presentation."

"Take me to them now," Absol demanded as the doom awaiting Karen became clearer in her mind but Diglett didn't move.

"You're hardly in a place to be barking orders now are you?" Diglett mocked. "Fortunately for you, I believe we may be able to help each other."

A twitch in her danger sense. Her eyes remained narrowed. "Help? After what your ilk did to us? Leading us down here?"

"I wasn't part of that group," Diglett claimed. "I was preoccupied with other matters but I suppose an explanation is in order."

"Then start."

"Hasty aren't you?" He glared. "Put simply I need help. The followers are being led by a false prophet who lies and seeks nothing but their own glory and power. The Great Three are used as a facade to hide his true desires. I want to bring his rule to an end."

"The Great Three?" Absol had heard the Pokemon who lead them down here use that phrase.

"God." Diglett clarified. "Among other titles. I want to prove they are a false prophet at the presentation tomorrow. I will show that they do not speak for the Great Three and you can use the confusion to free your pet humans. I cannot do this alone and you won't like your chances if you try and save them on your own right now without a distraction."

As Diglett painted his proposal, two paths became clear to Absol. One in which great destruction and ruin was unleashed and a lot of Pokemon would get hurt, including herself.

In the other, Karen died.

She desperately pushed her thoughts, trying to force her Danger Sense to give her a clearer picture to find another way.

The dark-type would get hurt yes, but she'd be alive, and so would all the others, even as she tried to focus on them she got hints of Ash, Misty, and their teams coming out of things bruised but breathing.

More! She needed more information! Her head started to hurt as she strained herself.

But Diglett was beginning to grow impatient as she stood there silently.

"Well?" He pressed.

Absol closed her eyes, took a breath, and made her choice.

---

"Feeling better?" Ash checked with Misty once they woke up.

"Loads." She admitted and stood. "Thanks for finding us… you know; when we couldn't find you."

"We got lucky." He admitted with a shrug. "Magic crystals and stuff."

"How did this journey get so weird?" Misty wondered. "We haven't even made it to the Pokemon League yet."

"I don't know but I blame Ash." Pikachu decided as they once more began exploring.

An hour in, they finally found signs of the Fanatics.

Well, if those signs were covered in flashing lights and the size of a billboard.

"This way! This way!" Voices chanted through the halls as they walked, very on edge and ready to be attacked. "Don't be late! Don't be late!"

"Ritual sacrifice I'm betting." Art guessed, sounding far too calm about the situation.

"Some sort of cult meeting certainly." Staryu concurred.

They saw Diglett, Sandshrew, Dugtro, Sandlash, Geodude that had crystals embedded in their fists, Graveler marked with diamonds, more Golem like the one they had seen days prior. None of them made any moves against them though.

At long last they found themselves in a massive antechamber, no doubt at the center of the temple.

The room was circular and a dome ceiling was far, far above their heads. Archways opened onto balconies as the room climbed to its crescendo. The floor, once no doubt a tiled beauty had been savaged like most of the ones in the building. However, crystals had been embedded into it to form a spiraling pattern reaching out from the middle of the room.

At the center of that spiral was a pedestal, upon which sat an object. It appeared to be three simple round metal shields that had been welded together at the edges into a triangular pattern.

"Welcome guests!" On a dais raised above the chamber was a Dugtrio. The voice of the Pokemon was layered, three heads speaking at once. "You have come to the center of the Tomb! And we welcome you with great applause!"

All around the friends, Pokemon rumbled and roared and cheered.

"Uh. Hi!" Ash called and looked around. "You guys seem to be busy… could we just get our friends and leave?"

More noise. Laughter. Well, that wasn't very polite.

"Leave?" Dugtrio's voice pierced the sound and silenced it. "Why you have only just arrived! The presentation is about to begin!"

"Look." Ash was feeling a bit fed up. "We weren't trying to come down here. We didn't ask to come down here. One of you guys, a Diglett. Is the reason we are down here."

"Ah, the failure." Oh shoot, they actually called him that? No wonder he was so mad at Ash and Pikachu. It didn't excuse him but still, kind of a jerk move on the Fanatics' part. "A fool. He seeks redemption through revenge. A notion that can be approved of. However, his continuous failures only prove him as what he is."

Jeering laughter now. Once again Dugtrio silenced it. "Now the time has come! Bring the gifts for the Great Three!"

"One head for the cursed star!" The congregation chanted. "One head for the pale reflection! One head for the world that is!"

"Crazy," Pikachu muttered. "They are actually crazy."

"I think it's kind of fascinating," Eevee said.

Selene crossed her arms and huffed. "I know they didn't just call the moon a 'pale reflection.'"

"Having a bit of trouble following this," Misty whispered to Ash and he grimaced at her.

"It's not going great."

The walls descended on the sides perpendicular to the door. Four columns, two on each side, were pushed forward through unseen means.

"Karen!" Misty gasped. "Brock!"

"Oh hey Misty." Karen did her best to wave with her hands held over her head by stone manacles. "You found Ash! Great work. Now…" She started struggling wildly. "GET US THE HECK OUT OF HERE!"

"The gifts will be silent!" Dugtrio called but was ignored.

"Wow! Way to show equal concern for everyone!" A voice from the other pair of columns called. "What are we?"

"Oh yay… Team Rocket's here too." Ash sighed.

Indeed the two criminals were trapped in a similar state to their friends. Jessie had her teeth grit and was actively struggling why James seemed to have accepted their fate.

"Hey Ash, any idea what exactly they're planning?" Brock called to the Zorua. "It's not really been clear."

"Still figuring that out." Ash admitted. "Where are your Pokemon?"

"Our Pokeballs were taken when they caught us!" Brock called back. "You haven't seen them have you?"

"Nada." Misty shook her head.

"SILENCE!" Dugtrio's voice shook the room and even the humans understood the meaning. "This is highly irregular and I will not let this holy presentation be marred!"

"Who are you anyway?" Ash called.

"Who am I?" The ground-type sounded offended. "I am the Speaker! I have spoken for the Three! I am their voice under the Earth! I bring their will unto their followers!"

"You're nothing but a false prophet." Another voice called. Ash and his friends flinched at the sound of it.

Dugtrio had frozen at the words. "What… HERETIC, dares utter such lies in this holy place?!"

The room shook and the ground under Dugtrio's pedestal was rent open by a Fissure. Sounds of fighting started coming from the balconies on the next floor above the center chamber. One of the columns between the arches fell forward.

It landed near the center of the room, its broken peak nearly touching the altar.

"Heretic?" Diglett demanded. "I thought I was "Failure!" but the only failure I see is you!"

Dugtrio had managed to escape his collapsing pedestal and now glared at Diglett. "What is this blasphemy?"

"Blasphemy?" Diglett laughed. "No. This is gospel! For years I have watched you lead us forward with lies. I thought I could put us on the right path by finding the lost lords of myth. I failed. I admit it. And while the reason for my failure is present…" he shot a quick glare at Ash and Pikachu.

"I have a more noble cause for the moment." He raised his voice. "Listen to me! Followers of the Three! You have been lied to!"

Sounds of fighting continued and Ash, realizing the opportunity had his team leap into action. They raced toward Karen and Brock and quickly began working to cut them down. As they did so, the ground behind the columns burst and a familiar rock snake emerged.

"Onix!" Brock cheered as he was broken down. "You're okay!"

"Sorry, we took so long." Onix rumbled as his trainer hugged his large head. "It's been a weird few hours."

"We can swap stories once we get out!" Storm shouted. "Where are the others?"

"Staging a religious coup."

Pikachu's ears twitched. "Yep, pretty sure I hear Umbreon up there."

"Lies!" Dugtrio's voice thundered. "What gives you the right? I speak for the Great Three!"

"Really?" Something in Diglett's voice gave Ash pause. He felt a dread rise in his chest that he couldn't describe.

"We need to go. Right now." He decided; Absol howled something above that sounded like, "DON'T DO IT!"

"Let's ask them." Diglett coughed and spat a giant boulder at the welded shields.

---

It is hard to describe in words exactly what happened when the shield broke. The screams of bloodlust and battle still filled the room, but the sounds were merely a dull echo as They emerged.

How many thousands of years had They slept?

Too many. Trapped in a cage of metal. As Their mind had been trapped in a cage of spells and pain for so many centuries before that.

Perhaps there had once been wisdom within Them. Perhaps there had even been good. But now? There was nothing but madness.

"FREE!" The scream rang through the depths and leagues away Garganacl shuddered as he remembered the stories of stories passed down to him by his grandparents.

Onix quickly started digging a tunnel away from the giant shape that filled the center of the antechamber and most of the group followed, some picking up others that were frozen in horror.

"I think we finally found out what the 'Great Three' are." Pikachu muttered to Ash.

The room was massive, and the shape filling it barely fit within. It writhed and screamed as it broke the ancient walls and support structures to make room for itself. Debris the size of houses crashed down on giant heads without any damage.

"I think I could have lived without knowing." Ash decided and they started running after Onix.

"What happened to Team Rocket?" Sunny wondered as he looked at the now awakened nightmare within the temple.

"Does it matter?" Storm demanded. "Move! After Onix! Quick march! You too Art, go!"

"I want to see the monster though!" Art complained as Selene grabbed the other fairy-type and dragged him away.

"We have monsters at home. Let's go!" She cried.

Ash counted his friends as they ran past. Misty went past after her team was clear and he realized they were missing Absol still.

"I'm going to find her!" Ash shouted as he ran toward the now-ruined chamber.

"That is a terrible idea!" Pikachu cried and followed after him.

The antechamber was completely demolished, and there was now enough room for the giant Dugtrio to move around and for Ash to get a better look at it.

Its eyes were glowing red, unlike normal Dugtrio eyes. Black markings covered its body in strange and confusing patterns. On top of each head was a single shining piece of metal, the three shields that had made up its once prison.

Amongst the sound of screams and collapsing stonework, the faint laughter of a single Diglett could be made out.

"What a lunatic." Pikachu surmised and Ash found himself agreeing. He looked around the wreckage and spotted a bit of white.

"There!" They raced through the ruins and started digging Absol out.

"Come on! Come on!" He said as he nudged her. "Get up!"

"A-Ash." Her eyes were blurry and filled with pain. "What did we do?" She whispered with horror.

"There will be time later, let's get out of here." Ash pushed her up.

"It hurts so much." She didn't seem to have any serious injuries but held her head low. "It was our best option. Stupid. Stupid. It meant Karen got out, but stupid." She muttered to herself.

"Call yourself names after we save your butt!" Pikachu insisted.

"What are the odds!" A laughing voice cried out and Ash groaned and turned. "You survived!"

Diglett was perched over them on a piece of rubble. "Welcome fools! To the birth of the New Congregation!"

"Are you insane?!" Pikachu demanded and jabbed an arm at the giant Dugtrio. "That's what you've been worshipping! It's nothing but mindless destruction! That's no god!"

"Gods come in many forms." Diglett preached. "Such as death! Perish!"

Pikachu ducked out of the way of a Rock Throw and fired off a Thunderbolt on reflex. It bounced off Diglett to no effect. He continued cackling.

"Thunderbolts aren't effective! I thought you learned that all those years ago?" His voice filled with sadistic glee. "This feels so much better than I ever imagined! Not only do I finally get to take down the false Prophet and see my Lords' return to physical form! I get to destroy you two as well!"

Pikachu stared with anger and then stood straighter. "Let's try that again. Ash, get out of the blast radius."

"What?" Ash demanded and looked at his best friend. "Let's get out of here! We'll deal with Diglett later."

"Who's gonna deal with that thing?" Pikachu nodded at the Dugtrio, now banging one of its heads against a wall, shaking the temple more.

"What-what are you going to do?" Absol asked, her voice foggy with pain.

Pikachu held his chin up. "I am going to dance."

Ash did his best, 'are you stupid?' stare but Absol sagged with relief. "Let's go." She growled and started dragging Ash away with her.

"Let me go!" He struggled against her bite on his scruff. "What about Pikachu?!."

"He will be fine." The certainty in her words gave him pause. "But we won't be if we don't move!"

Inside the chamber. Pikachu breathed and started to move. He closed his eyes and focused on his movements. Do the wave, like a flow. Let the water come through.

"...what are you doing?" Diglett's obvious confusion helped him feel a bit better. Although the screams of an insane god were still pretty distracting.

Pikachu opened his eyes and continued dancing. Diglett got fed up waiting for an answer and just launched more rocks at him. He had to be careful to both dodge them and keep his movements flowing together.

At last, he felt the first drops hit his head.

Diglett looked up. "What the heck…?"

High above, where the dome ceiling used to be, now hung gray rainclouds.

"Something I've been working on for awhile." Pikachu grinned and began charging his cheeks, rubbing his paws together just for that little extra bit of static. "Rain Dance."

"...how does that help?"

"Well, as Eevee puts it." Pikachu grinned and glowed with as much electricity as he could manage. "It doesn't make any sense."

Pikachu used Thunderbolt.

If the screams of the "Big Three" had been loud before, the screams as they felt the pain of an electric-type attack for the first time were beyond anything mortal ears should have heard.

Years of imprisonment, magic wards, and dark emptiness. In this one moment,that all paled in comparison to the power of a tiny electric mouse.

The runes on the giant Dugtrio's body glowed with new energy, the bindings of its prison began to knit themselves back together. Bit by bit the might of a God was withdrawn back into the cold nothing it had come from.

When the thunder had passed Pikachu drooped and nearly toppled over. He hadn't felt this drained since he was a Pichu. The building was still shaking but not to the same extent and the lack of screaming was helping his headache.

Right now the dominant sound was the patter of the raindrops all around him.

"Shocked ground-types." He managed to grin to himself. "By myself and on purpose."

It was wonderful when a plan came together. Oh look, the ground.

---

Absol had dragged Ash to a safe distance and then kept him there forcibly until Pikachu had finished. Then she allowed the Zorua to run to the aid of his best friend.

As Ash checked his friend and helped him up she had time to curse herself for not handling the situation better.

When the Fanatics had led them to the Tomb she had gone along with it because she hadn't seen another way out. When she had been separated from Karen she had taken the Diglett's deal because it was the only way she could see to help her trainer.

But up until Pikachu came up with his ridiculous idea that only he could pull off, she had no idea how to stop the monsters Diglett had unleashed.

She'd been ready to live with the guilt of waking that thing up as long as it meant her team and her friends were okay. She had prepared herself for it. But in the moment when Diglett had been about to break the shield she had seen the true scale and devastation that was about to be unleashed.

And it would have been (at least partially) her fault.

Who did she even talk to about this?

For the moment though, she let the sheer joy from Ash that Pikachu was okay and they had all survived this madness wash over her.

---

They dragged the shield with them as they returned to the others. Its three pieces had welded back together and it returned to its original shape. It probably had something to do with how the binding magic worked.

"Why would you bring that with you?" Karen demanded in horror when they arrived. This outraged response was slightly offset by the fact she was hugging a still soaking-wet Absol.

"We can't just leave it there." Ash pointed out. "We need to do something with it, just… be careful I guess?"

"I'd say it belongs in a museum." Brock rubbed the back of his head. "But it seems like a bad idea to have something like this out in the open."

"We hold onto it for now then." Misty used some of their rope to strap it to her back. "We'll figure something out, but let's keep an eye on it."

"That's probably the right choice." Karen blew some hair out of her eyes. "Can we go now? I'd like to see the sun again."

Despite feeling like the end of their underground adventure, it was still several hours of climbing staircases and ruined walls as they continued traversing the temple. It was still a bit confusing to navigate but at least they knew they had to go up.

Eventually, they reached a series of spiral staircases that seemed to have no connected hallways on the landings. They hoped it was leading them above the roof of the caverns.

At its top they emerged into a room with a grand carved door they pushed open. As they looked back at it, Ash stared.

"Huh." He said as he looked at the motifs; two familiar shapes.

"Mew and Ho-oh," Pikachu noted then blinked. "Wait how did that legend go again? Wasn't there something about a wind lord and an eldest?"

"That… huh. That makes a surprising amount of sense." Eevee blinked. "I wonder if that Mew is Aaron."

"How many Mew are there even supposed to be?" Storm shrugged.

As they turned away the ground rumbled slightly.

"Nooooo…" Pikachu groaned and dragged his paws down his face. "Are you SERIOUS!" He shouted as an infamously familiar head broke the floor of the room.

"You…" Diglett didn't look too good. He was singed, bruised, and bleeding. "You have taken EVERYTHING FROM ME!"

"Just give it a rest already," Ash begged. "This has gone on for long enough!"

"NEVER!" Diglett screamed. "I will never stop hunting you! Every step you take! Everywhere you go! I will be there! I will track you to the ends of the Earth!"

As Diglett continued to rave Ash and Pikachu shared a glance. Pikachu nodded toward Ash's bag and he sighed. There was only one way to deal with this wasn't there?

"You will never have a moment of peace! You will always have to sleep with both eyes open! Your heretical actions will never be forgiven! You-" A Pokeball bounced off his head and sucked him in.

It landed and rocked a few times before clicking. Then it disappeared in a flash.

Everyone looked at Pikachu and Ash, who now sitting on the ground in his illusion.

"I feel like I'm gonna regret that," Ash admitted.

"At least we can keep an eye on him now?" Pikachu comforted him.

There were still a few more flights of stairs on their way out. Eventually, the walls turned from cut stone to rough stone, and then to dirt and rotted wood. At long last, they found a boarded-up doorway at the end.

"Allow me!" Misty stepped forward, sword drawn and Karen and Brock stepped back with alarmed expression.

A few moments of bashing later they were in what looked like an old cellar. Boxes, pipes, an old exercise bike…

"Alright, now where are we?" Karen muttered and ran a hand through her hair.

Ash looked at his Pokegear. "Hey! I have a signal again! We're out! For real!"

"Awesome." Misty breathed a sigh of relief. There was a creak and light flooded in. They whirled to see a young boy in pajamas standing at the other side of the basement. He was holding a flashlight and an Eevee was sitting at his feet.

He rubbed his eyes. "What are you people doing in our basement?"

---

DONE!

I think my brain turned into mush somewhere in the back half of that chapter.

Yes, that was a big chapter.

Yes, I wrapped up the whole adventure in it.

Now then, a few things got paid off! Diglett and his whole thing with Ash and Pikachu! The weird giant legends! The Crystal Caverns! And Pikachu learning Rain Dance so he can shock Ground-types on command!

Anyway, a few "regional" variants for the crystal caverns. They probably won't be making appearances going forward but I wanted to make the place seem a bit strange and mysterious.

Also, Ash caught Diglett! This is the third catch in the past several chapters and it's going to be the last for a little while. I have one more catch planned for Kanto but that comes a bit later.

One last thing to mention before reviews, the past week I've been working on a new project. Pokemon Forums: BattleNET. This is the silliest thing I've written in awhile and it's a chatfic. I know that's not everyones cup of tea but I've had a lot of fun writing it.

Unfortunately, due to how fanfic net works, I cannot post it here, but it is up on ao3 and 4 chapters in! Yes really. It's pacing is significantly faster than Zorua Trainer. Most recent chapter had Surge.

At the very least, I ask you to check it out. It gives a lot of love to obscure and side characters. Like Casey and Ritchie among others.

Time for reviews!

Strike Wyvern: How many Pokemon can I turn into trainers? The answer might surprise you!

Shaonics6: Well I hope it played out to your enjoyment! It was quite the chapter! Also yeah, a few things to fear. Nothing too bad though.

Spellflame: You're welcome.

LEGOBRICK13: Mew as a trainer is a fun idea. If I didn't already have my hands full with this I might try that out sometime. Although it might be a little too much considering Saph did that idea too… Ralts as a larger than life personality is funny to me. Look I needed some explanation for where all of Team Rocket's mechs come from. But yeah, Ash's team composition is quite different than you'd expect. Fitting for a Zorua in a way.

Pecan Crisp: I think I fixed that. I'll need to double check.

MysticStormDragon: Hello again! I'm glad you like my writing! And yeah the Team size can get a bit messy… there's a reason I'm keeping to the six team member limit. I guess I could have them go back in balls but that seems rude. I read BoC awhile back. It was pretty good. And yes Zoroark… manes? I think it's a mane, are good at holding many things. Like Zorua.

Skullkingvon: Probably.

Pokemonever1994: Giant Dugtrio. Like the giant Gengar, Alakazam, and Jigglypuff.

WolfTamermaster: That was the same Diglett there! And he's sticking around! Well, in a ball for the time being. Ash isn't quite sure how to deal with him yet.

The one who reads and writes: Fan service isn't always a bad thing, and he does have some useful things to contribute. Also is it really fan service if the writer wants him there too? I mentioned it in my response to Lupercus last chapter but I've been rethinking leaving Brock out for awhile. I'm glad you like Art! As for Diglett joining Team Rocket? Quite the opposite actually!

That about covers it! Next week I'm hoping to get another chapter of Legends of Ash done, with some BattleNET chapters in between because they're fun to write.

See ya later!

Discord: discord . gg / 4TVYnwxs5

TVTropes: tvtropes pmwiki / pmwiki . php / Fanfic / ZoruaTrainer

~FriTik

R&R