Welcome back, everybody! It feels so good to say that since I have posted a new chapter in months. For the past six months, I've been redoing the original chapters and making them better. This included getting rid of the OCs, fixing characters, new plot points, and a story that doesn't feel like I wrote it in an afternoon. I'm sorry it took so long to get here. We can start making actual chapters again! Yay!
I have two questions I should address: the egg and the relationship between Ryan and May. The relationship was something a lot of people criticized, thinking I would have two romantic pairings in the group. That's not my plan. I plan to use them for a different purpose that I think many people will like.
As for the egg, I might as well say it now. The egg will hatch in the next chapter, and I've decided that Dratini will be a girl. Though Ash is technically a girl in the anime, I say technically because it's female if you get it in Sword/Shield, I've decided to keep it the same to make it simple. But enough rambling! Let's start already!
The Very Best:
Chapter 18:
Through Rock Tunnel Part I:
Opening (If you want to): Fly High! (From Haikyu!, performed by BURNOUT SYNDROMES)
May gave a slight groan as the afternoon sun beat down on them. "So hot..." She said as the afternoon beat down on them.
July had finally come in, which meant the heat was starting to turn up. The group felt hot as Rock Tunnel was supposed to be coming up soon, less than an hour away if the map was correct. Brock wiped his brow as he looked at May. "Is it not this hot in Hoenn?"
"No. Can't believe you have to deal with this for two months." May looked at Wartortle as she clasped her hands together. "Please. Use Aqua Tail on me." She begged the Water-type, giving a depressed sigh at being rejected.
Misty looked at Ash as the boy kept an upbeat smile. "You seem pretty happy about this harsh sun."
"I've never been bothered by heat," Ash explained as he looked at Misty, his arms crossed. "What do you think Rock Tunnel will be like?"
Misty thought. "I'll be honest, probably not as fun as Mt Moon was." She said honestly as she looked ahead. "If I can be real, I never thought I'd get to Rock Tunnel this quickly. It's crazy how far we've gone."
Ash couldn't help but nod at that. "Let's hope we can keep up the pace to Celadon."
Brock gave a soft smile as he came over. "You're always looking four steps ahead, aren't you?" Ash just chuckled at hearing that. Brock decided to take this moment to give details. "Rock Tunnel shouldn't be too hard to cross, but it's unlikely we'll be done before sunrise."
"We're going to have to stay the night?" Misty gave a slight groan at Brock's nod. "As long as the Pokémon don't bother me, we'll be fine."
"Do you think we'll find something like Kommo-o when we get there?" Ryan decided to ask.
"Probably not. Psuedo-Legends aren't an every cave thing."
"Man," Ryan said in slight disappointment as he heard slight panting behind him. He turned to see May having a slightly hard time breathing as she had to wipe her eyes to get rid of sweat. Ryan stopped as he looked at May. "Do you want a Pokémon to hit you with water?"
"Please," May agreed, the sweat getting a bit much. Everyone stopped as they saw May go with this. Ryan nodded as he took out his Slowpoke to use Water Gun.
"Didn't think she'd do this," Misty remarked as they saw May get drenched with water; the girl was now much happier with that water hitting her.
They walked for a time as they finally reached the place. What stood in front of them was a gaping hole in the wideset mountain range in all of Kanto. Vines dangled above the dark entrance, the ground lacking any foliage around it. May looked inside and saw how there seemed to be no end to it. The darkness was oddly calming as a breeze of air came from the tunnel.
May felt slightly overwhelmed at seeing the massive tunnel. "Doesn't seem ominous at all." She sarcastically remarked as she saw everyone do a check-up to ensure they were ready.
"Three flashlights, plenty of food, enough water." Brock checked off as he smiled to himself. He looked at May as the teenager came. "I'll say it now: we might need to use Charmander for light if things get dicey." May nodded at the weird idea.
Ash smiled as he checked on everything he had, everything ready as he looked at Wartortle. "You ready, bud?" Wartortle gave a nod of determination as Ash picked up his egg, still in its case. It began to move a lot now, as Brock said it was less than a week from hatching. "I'm excited to meet you," Ash told the egg for the tenth time that day as he looked ahead. Ryan walked up and gently touched the glass.
"I promise to be the best uncle for you." He assured the egg as an unfortunate idea came to him. "Let's hope it doesn't decide to hatch in Rock Tunnel..."
Ash shrugged as he hugged the egg close to him. "I hope it's a boy. But honestly, I wouldn't mind."
"It's going to be a girl," Misty called out as she walked up having a very sure smile on her. "Count on it." Ash shrugged as he saw Brock come over to everyone.
"Everyone ready?"
"Seems so," Ryan responded as he looked at the cave. He was slightly nervous but knew better than to let fear get the better of him. "Let's do this!" Suddenly, steps could be heard approaching.
"Do you have room for two more?"
Ash quickly gasped as he turned around, a big smile as he saw Red and Lillie approaching them. "RED!" The eleven-year-old ran over to his best friend, sharing a big high five. "It's so good to see you three!"
"Yes. It is good to see me." Red said in a relaxed tone, giving a calm smile to Ash. "I'm glad to see you here, Ash." Everyone began to come and see the newcomers.
"Hey, Lilly!" Ryan quickly greeted as May was right beside him. The girl kindly waved to them.
"It's so good to see you two." Lillie kindly told the pair, as she had Pikachu with her. She then noticed that May was slightly wet. "Did you get splashed with water?"
"Doesn't matter." May quickly said as she looked at the artistic girl. "How has everything been? I didn't think you'd stick with Red for so long."
"Well, we ended up becoming good friends. We agreed to travel the Kanto region together." She gently looked at Pikachu, who gave a confident smirk to the pair. "And also, because he would be sad if I left."
"Pika!" Pikachu called out, even though he knew it was true. May gently petted Pikachu as the Electric-type felt relaxed at the soft touch. "Chuuu..." Head rubs were his unfortunate weakness.
"You're cute, Pikachu. I wish I could have a Pokémon like you."
Pikachu smiled proudly at that comment. "Pika achu chu hu ka." He decided to compliment May before going to meet up with Wartortle.
Red exchanged greetings with everyone else as he knew what they were doing. "You're going through Rock Tunnel. Would it be a bother to join?"
"Not at all," Brock happily agreed. "I assume you have your supplies ready for something like this."
"We do," Lillie told them as she dug something out of Red's bag, taking out a flashlight as their light source. She looked at the cave entrance, looking up at the vast mountain range. "We don't have something like this back home."
Pikachu landed on her shoulder. "Pika chu achu!" He encouraged her as she nodded, ready for what may be ahead.
"Do we know how long this detour will take?"
"Easily over a day. If we make good time, we can get out by tomorrow afternoon." Red nodded at the answer as everyone looked ahead. Brock kept track of everyone as he saw the looks on their faces. "We're all ready?" Various forms of 'yes' came to him as he nodded. He stepped forward as he and Ash were ready to lead. "Let's go!"
Everyone entered the cave as they left the sun's bright light. Their steps across the ground echoed slightly as they looked around them, seeing the rock walls that comprised the entire tunnel. They wouldn't need their flashlights for some time as they made their way through. May felt the air, noticing how cool it was compared to outside.
"It feels nice in here." She remarked, her sentence causing a slight echo to ring out.
"There's an echo going around." Ash realized with a smile as he decided to try it out. "ECHO!" The yell was loud and rang throughout most of the entrance. Ash's little stunt made Misty push him.
"Ash! You know better than to do that!" She growled. "We don't want every Pokémon in this cave to come here." Ash just gave a small laugh at seeing her reaction.
"PIIKKKAAA!" Pikachu suddenly did the same as the Electric-type felt good after letting that out. Red looked at his partner following Ash's example, knowing his Pokémon enjoyed doing this.
Ryan decided to give it a try. "HELLO!" A third echo came around. Brock suddenly placed his hands on Ash and Ryan, his eyes directed towards Pikachu.
"Alright, that's enough. We can make ear-piercing noises later." The three complied with this order as they returned to walking through the tunnel. The light was growing dim, Brock and Red activating their flashlights to allow them to see up ahead.
May thought about how old this place must be when she noticed something on the ground. She saw something yellow in the dirt as she closely examined it, realizing that her eyes were playing a trick on her. "You coming?"
"Yeah. Thought I saw something." She was about to walk back to the group before she heard something next to her. She gave a light gasp as a Pokémon curiously looked at her.
A pale purple bat-like Pokémon with yellow eyes looked at her. A black triangular marking was on the inner corner of each eye, three tufts of spiked fur on each cheek, two dark purple teardrop-shaped spots in the front of his face forming the shape of a nose-leaf. His lower jaw was black, and two spiked tufts of fur on the upper lip. His ears were large and teardrop-shaped with a dark purple color on the outside, alternating rings of pale and dark purple fading to black on the inside. Fluffy black fur covers his chest and hips. On the middle joint of his wings were small black hands with two fingers and two long toes on each foot.
"Noi..." The Pokémon looked at her with intrigue. May was stunned but calming down as she noticed that the Pokémon seemed to struggle hovering in the air. He would make a weird movement with his wing that he had to adjust quickly.
"Um. Hi," May quickly greeted as she moved to the side, the Pokémon quickly following her with his eyes. May tried to think of what to do. "So... are you from Kanto?" He didn't respond, tilting his head to the side at hearing this. An idea suddenly came to May. "Do you want some food?"
The Pokémon perked up as he saw May dig around, pulling out three berries from her pouch. He immediately came over when he saw an Oran Berry. "Bat?"
"You want this one?" He nodded as May gave it to him, the Pokémon quickly chowing down on the delicious fruit. May smiled to herself for solving the issue. "You were just simply hungry. It was great to meet you, but I need to-"
"May! What are you still doing back there?" Ash called out as May looked over.
"That's what I was talking about." She waved to the Pokémon that was still eating the Oran Berry. "Goodbye, Pokémon I don't know." She quickly ran off as the bat looked at her. He was curious about the Trainer as he stuffed the last part of the fruit in his mouth.
May quickly caught back up as Brock looked at her. "What was that about?"
"Sorry. I just saw a Pokémon back there." She explained.
"Really?" Ash sighed, missing the opportunity to meet them. "They're probably gone by now. What even was it?"
"It was some bat-like Pokémon. Wasn't a Zubat." Lillie and Ash heard this, wondering what she could've seen. "It's fine now. Let's keep going!" The party agreed with this idea as they pressed forward, the light becoming unreachable. The Pokémon that May had fed was slowly following them, constantly adjusting himself whenever he messed up on his flying.
He found the group interesting, wanting to see what else they may have.
The group continued down the massive cave system of rock tunnels as their flashlights were the only light source. It was pretty dark, and the only noise came from small talk and their feet crossing the ground. Misty looked at her Pokégear to see the time, groaning at what she saw. "One hour later, and nothing interesting has happened."
"I saw a rock five minutes ago. Is that interesting?" Misty frowned at Ryan saying that, the boy turned around to her. "I don't know what you want me to say."
Brock placed a comforting hand on Misty's shoulder, holding his flashlight in the other. "Don't worry, Misty. This trip across Rock Tunnel should take less than two days." Misty gave a small sigh at hearing that kind of comfort.
Lillie was beside her as she had a tight grip on her flashlight. "Personally, I'm glad that we have this time for ourselves. It gives me plenty of hours to think." She said positively.
"I guess so," Misty remarked as she looked at Lillie. "Could you give me something to ponder to pass the time?" Lillie was surprised at the request, trying to give Misty a good answer.
"Hm.? Well, we can talk about how calming this walk is." Lillie said as she tried to think of other stuff. "We can also discuss the interesting geography of these tunnels. There is also... uh..." Lillie was racking her brain as she realized how much nothing there was.
Misty gave a small chuckle at seeing Lillie think so hard. "I agree with the first one. This whole walk is pretty calming, if a little boring." She paid attention to her surroundings far more closely. "It's somehow more humid in here than outside."
"But it's cooler." Lillie quickly brought up, Misty nodding with that sentiment. Lillie tried to take out her art journal to show Misty. "Since I can't exactly draw right now, I thought I could share some drawings with you."
Misty looked at the open journal and saw some of the new drawings, extremely impressed at how realistic some were. "These are really good. I'm an okay drawer, but this is something else."
Lillie just smiled at the praise. "I think anyone can be a better artist. You're more than welcome to put your drawing in my journal."
Misty shook her head. "And have it stain your book? Thanks, but no." She responded, not wanting to ruin the journal with her subpar drawings. Pikachu suddenly came over with his miniature flashlight and landed on Lillie's shoulder. The girl smiled as she looked at Pikachu.
"Pikachu always likes to see my art, and he always tries to learn from me." Lillie flipped to a page near the end and showed off a far simpler sketch than everything else. It was a simple flower drawing. "He made this two days ago, and he's improved a lot."
"Pika!" Pikachu felt proud at seeing his drawing being shown off. Misty took the book and looked at it, smiling as May approached.
"That's not bad," May said as she saw the drawing. She smiled at Pikachu. "I think you'd be a good artist, Pikachu." Pikachu became slightly embarrassed at that idea but tried to play it off cool.
"Pika chu kach pik!" He told them he could worry about being an artist after collecting all the gym badges. Lillie gently petted Pikachu.
"He's always so determined. Pikachu's a good friend, and he cares about me and Red." Pikachu became even redder at hearing that, trying to play it cool. He knew that what Lillie said was true.
"Ladies and Pikachu," Ryan suddenly called to them as he made them face ahead. "We have a bit of a situation..." He pointed forward, Misty realizing what the problem was.
The group has arrived at an intersection with four separate tunnels, all as dark as every other place in the tunnel. Ash and Red closely examined each path, noticing how one seemed to be going upwards. Brock was checking the map as Wartortle tried to see into one of the paths, not seeing anything of note.
Lillie quickly came over to Brock. "Is this part of the path?" She asked.
"That's what I'm trying to figure out."
Ryan saw the path that seemed to be going upwards, not trusting it. "It can't be this one. Isn't our path supposed to stick to the ground?" Brock nodded, agreeing that going upwards was not the way.
Ash was deep in thought as he pointed to the path furthest to the right. "I say we take this one. Going the right path will always be right."
"...I don't think that's good logic to follow," Lillie said honestly as Ash's idea was quickly shot down. A bright idea came to May.
"Does anyone have a coin we can flip?"
"We're not doing that. Also, how was that supposed to work with four choices?" May sweat dropped at hearing Misty say that, not thinking the idea through.
"I got it!" Brock finally said as he pointed to the middle-left path. "That should be the one we take." No one had any real objection to that conclusion.
"Are you certain? Being lost in this place would be a terrible fate." Red said to Brock.
"I'm sure." Red nodded, seeing that Brock was serious about this choice. He and Ash looked ahead. "Let's keep moving." Everyone began to follow those two until some noise came up above. Brock looked above as he saw dust slowly starting to come down.
Red reacted fast. "Get out of the way!" All of a sudden, the ceiling above them collapsed.
A load of rocks came down as everyone's body made them flee quickly. Ash, Pikachu, Brock, May, and Lillie went into the tunnel to escape. Ryan, Wartortle, Red, and Misty promptly jumped back as they saw the boulders come down. Dust kicked up as everyone had to close their eyes, Ryan tearing up because he didn't close them fast enough.
The rocks finally stopped coming down, and the dust finally settled. The group of four looked at what happened, seeing the path they were supposed to take blocked entirely off now. Misty widened her eyes in fear as she went to the pile. "GUYS!"
"WAR!" Wartortle quickly came as they looked at the rocks. There was no gap to see through to the other side, the worst-case scenario hitting their mind. Wartortle climbed on some of the stones. "War tort tle ort?" He shouted, wondering if they were okay.
A few seconds went by when they suddenly heard a very muffled voice. "We're fine!" It sounded like Brock, putting ease to their mind. "Can you hear us well?"
"Yeah! Hold on, let me see if we can get through." Misty grabbed one of the rocks half her size as she tried to push it out of the way, Wartortle quickly helping her out. "Need some help." Ryan and Red quickly came as they tried to move one of the boulders out of the way.
Brock was attempting the same thing on the other side, May by his side to help him. "Ugh!" May stopped as it barely moved an inch. "They're too heavy to move!"
Ash started to get up from the ground, coughing at the dust that caught in his mouth. He quickly gasped as he saw the encased egg on the ground, and he quickly came to it. He examined every part of it, worried that the egg was harmed. He quickly calmed down when he saw the egg was fine, but some of the glass had cracked. "Is it safe?"
Ash nodded as he showed Lillie. "Dratini's fine," He gave a calm exhale, looking at the rock wall that separated the two groups. He placed the egg gently on the ground next to Pikachu. "Keep it safe, alright?"
"Pika!" Pikachu nodded, seeing Ash help the others remove the rocks. Lillie could only watch in concern, knowing she wasn't physically strong enough to help. Both sides tried for over a minute to push the stones out of the way. Ash's group had managed to get one off the top, but there were over twenty they still had to get through.
Ryan was sweating as his side failed, thinking of another solution. "Let's try our Pokémon!" He suggested to both sides. Misty quickly brought out her Starmie to use Ice Beam on the boulders, but even Starmie was surprised by how little that did.
"Could you use Iron Tail, Pikachu?" Lillie asked the Electric-type. Pikachu quickly ran up with his tail covered in steel. Pikachu slammed his tail into one of the rocks, only getting a small crack to appear on one of them.
Pikachu saw what his attack did. "Pika kach hu!" He remarked how tough this stuff was, seeing Nidorino give it a try. Nidorino used Iron Tail as well, only making a crack slightly smaller than Pikachu. The Poison-type then tried to go for a Horn Attack, not getting very far either. Pikachu tried again with the Iron Tail.
Brock tried to think of what to do as he looked down at a Poke Ball in his hand. "Onix could do it, but he might do more damage if he tries." He muttered to himself, seeing Ash sent out Chimchar.
Chimchar, though confused at what was happening, went to use Dig on a boulder. Chimchar came out of the ground to give a mighty uppercut but ended up hurting his hand trying to break the rock. Chimchar came back to Ash as he gripped his battered hand. "Oh no!" Ash called out worryingly as he came to Chimchar. "You alright?"
The Fire-type was slightly confused by the kindness, simply nodding. "Chim..." He apologized, thinking he would be lectured for failing such a simple task. Instead, Ash just petted his head.
"That was a good try, Chimchar. Thank you." Ash walked away, Chimchar looking at him with a confused look. He turned his head to see Pikachu supporting him, saying that he shouldn't beat himself up over that. Chimchar didn't know how to react back.
Wartortle used his fourth Ice Beam in a row, still doing no damage. The Water-type was about to use his fifth until Red stopped him. "You must stop, Wartortle." He told the Pokémon in a calm tone. "It's clear that none of us can get through this."
"War artort tle ortle!" He yelled back, saying that he needed to reach his friend. Wartortle used the fifth attack, doing almost nothing.
"Wartortle!" Ash suddenly called out, making the Water-type stop. Wartortle quickly came to rocks to listen. "It's alright, bud. You've done enough." He tried to get Wartortle to calm down.
The Water-type shook his head, knowing that he should do more. Ryan placed a comforting hand on Wartortle. "Just listen to Ash. You know he wouldn't want you to waste all your energy." He told the Pokémon. Wartortle looked down, knowing that he was right. Brock looked at the map on the other side.
"Everyone, listen up!" He told the group of four as they closely listened. "Take the path farthest to the right. There should be an intersection later on where we can meet up."
"Are you certain?"
"Yes," Brock answered Red as he looked at the path on their side. "We'll keep going down our way. If you reach the intersection first, take the second path from the left. That's where we should be coming in."
Everyone agreed to this plan as Ryan checked the flashlights, luckily not being harmed by the cave-in. He and Misty checked every supply on their side. "We're ready to go on this side," Ryan said.
The other group performed the same action that Ryan's group did. "Same here," May said, coming to the wall. "We'll be fine! We promise to meet you guys back up!"
"Stick close together, both groups," Red added as he put his backpack back on. He came to the wall for one thing. "Pikachu," He called out.
"Pika!" Pikachu came to the wall as well, Ash and Lillie coming with him.
"Just keep calm. I'll be fine and never lose hope." He told his best friend, Pikachu agreeing with that idea. "That goes for you as well, Ash and Lillie. We can get through this."
Ash smiled as he nodded. "I know we can. Wartotle," Wartortle came to the rocks. "Don't lose faith. Stick with the group and help out."
Wartortle felt his eyes slightly water, nodding at what his best friend told him. "Art..." Wartortle responded, the idea of not having Ash with him made him feel despair. Both groups would go their separate ways, Ryan's group taking the path they were told to take.
Pikachu looked determined, trying his best not to let the harsh reality get to him. "Don't worry, Pikachu," Ash assured him as the Electric-type looked up. "This will all work out, I promise."
"I agree with Ash. This setback is just temporary." Lillie told Pikachu, the girl and Pokémon sharing a small hug for comfort. Ryan's group went along their path as Wartortle thought to his Trainer, this being the first time they had been separated after all this time. He tightened his palm, promising that he and Ash would reunite. However, there was a fifth member in Ryan's group.
That Pokémon that May encouraged was still following behind them. His eyes may have been blurry, but he followed quickly.
Ash and company had been traveling for hours, but it didn't even feel like thirty minutes to them. Lillie's feet started to hurt after all this walking, not used to the amount of exercise as everyone else. May saw the girl struggling to keep walking. "How about we take a break?" She suggested to Brock.
The teenager saw Lillie dragging behind, figuring that they'd done enough. "Let's sit down, everyone." He told the company. "We've been going on long enough." Everyone nodded, even Ash and Pikachu, surprisingly enough.
"Chuuu..." Pikachu gave a massive yawn as everyone began to set up. Brock placed the brightest flashlight upside down on the ground, illuminating the entire area. Pikachu grabbed one of the small blankets, lying down on the rocky floor. "Chu pik ikachu Pikachu, ika ach." He said that he would sleep and that no one could stop him.
Brock was munching on his sandwich with him, his Zubat having come out to hang out with the group. "Here you go," Brock offered his entire piece of lettuce, which Zubat greatly appreciated because he liked the vegetable. Chimchar was outside too, the Fire-type sticking close to Ash. The fire he produced made a dim light for Ash to use.
Ash looked at his egg closely again, seeing that the cracks had expanded during their walk. The boy had a concerned crease on his face. "Hey, Ash." Lillie kindly greeted him as she sat down next to him.
"Hey," He simply answered as he went back to the egg, seeing it moving again in the case.
"Why do you still have in its case? It seems like it will hatch in the next few days."
"I'm just worried about it," Ash said honestly as he looked at the case. "I know I was supposed to get rid of the case when it started moving, but I would never forgive myself if it got damaged."
Lillie just offered a slight chuckle. "You care so much about the egg. You act like their parent." She said with a kind smile.
Ash looked at the ground, not seeing it that way. "Well, I'm the closest thing this egg has to one. I take care of it and watch it every day." He placed a hand on top of the case. "Do you think they'll see me as their parent?"
Lillie placed a comforting hand on top of Ash's. "I think so. It's a Dratini egg, right?" Ash nodded as he looked at the egg, Chimchar coming closer to place his hand on the case. Ash sighed, deciding to finally do it.
"You're right, Lillie. It's about time it finally leaves the case." Ash placed the egg on the lap as he tried to open it finally. That's when he realized that he did not know how to. "Uh... do we remove the top?"
Lillie just gave a heartwarming laugh as she picked up the egg. "Allow me," She successfully removed the egg from the container it was trapped in. She held the egg carefully as she offered it to Ash. "Your egg, good sir."
Ash grabbed the egg with two hands, shocked by how smooth the egg was. He touched the egg, smiling as it moved in his lap. It felt odd touching it, but he quickly laughed at how much it seemed to move. "Chim?" Chimchar looked at the egg with a curious look.
Ash softly smiled at his Pokémon. "You can touch. Just be gentle." Chimchar reached out his hand, very hesitant as he placed it on the egg. Chimchar felt it move, keeping his hand on there. He smiled at seeing it alive and well, Ash and him looking at each other, then at the egg. May came over to give her turn.
She felt it gently move around. "Wow. This is strange." May admitted, but she still liked touching it. Zubat flew over as he gently landed on the egg, hugging the thing with his entire body. Brock and Pikachu came over as well. Feeling the egg was something everyone wanted to try out, and Ash had to eventually ask them to give him some time with his egg. Chimchar held the egg close to him as the Fire-type sat on Ash's lap, both the boy and egg feeling the warm embrace from the Pokémon.
The other group was going through their path, and Ryan decided to try and be the group leader. Hours went by, and Wartortle still looked full of energy despite the exercise. Misty checked her phone to see that over six hours had passed since the cave-in. Misty did not want to slow down despite her feet hurting. "Even if the exit popped in front of us, we wouldn't make it far with it being night." She thought to herself.
Ryan was feeling his legs hurting but knew that stopping now would make it worse. Red saw the way the group was, knowing they couldn't find Ash like this. "Might I suggest we rest?" He calmly asked Ryan. "I can tell you are exhausted."
"War!' Wartortle yelled, not wanting to stop. He was going to walk his legs off if it meant finding Ash.
Ryan looked at the group, trying to remain calm as the leader. "I am tired, but we need to keep going." The boy answered. "Just for another hour, at least."
Misty gave a slight groan as she looked at her Pokégear. "It's ten already. We need to get some sleep."
Wartortle was about to let out a yawn but quickly stopped himself. "War tort tle ortle." Wartortle told them they could sleep after the one hour. Despite his love for sleep, he had to put that aside now.
Ryan looked down. "No. You two are right." He realized as he looked at the group. "I can tell you're just as tired as us, Wartortle. How about we wake up early tomorrow?"
Wartortle didn't want to do this but ultimately agreed. "War..." He finally nodded. The four quickly got themselves situated to sleep for the night, Misty having to unfortunately use her good blanket to cover the ground underneath her. Misty lay down as she relaxed, ready to power down for the day.
Ryan made a place to sleep next to Misty, looking down at the girl as he sighed. "I'm scared to sit down. I know my legs are going to give up if I do."
The girl shrugged. "Hey, you do you. If you want, you could look up at the stars with me." She said as she pointed up, showing off the earthy roof above their heads. Ryan laughed after hearing that.
"Would you mind if I join your star gazing?" Red inquired as he walked next to the lying Misty. She shrugged.
"It's stunning tonight. Not a single cloud in the sky." She remarked as Red made himself comfortable on the right side of Misty. The girl gave a smile as she looked at Red. "Can you tell that I don't want to be here anymore?"
"I've had the exact thought for the last three hours, six minutes, and nine seconds," Red responded as the three Trainers lay on the ground, the flashlight Misty had being the only light source. Red tried to make himself comfortable, being as straight as a candle and his hands on the opposing.
Ryan noticed Red's position as he sat up. "Do you always go to sleep like that?"
"Yes. I... find it the most comfortable." Red explained, knowing this was certainly not normal. "Pikachu judged me at first, though he judged everything about me when we first met."
"That Pikachu is such a cute scamp. He acts a lot like Ash, now that I think about it." Misty realized this when she compared her best friend to the Electric-type. "They seem to have the same humor and always like to charge right in."
"Yes. Ash has always been the one to do, not thinking of the ramifications." Red agreed as he thought of his best friend. "He always has energy with him, just like my Pikachu."
"Would you say you get along well with your Pikachu?"
Red thought about the question. "Well, there's a reason why he's one of my best friends. Our personalities and methods are different, but we formed a close bond despite it all." He knew he should be honest since no one was listening in. "But really, I worry that our relationship isn't what it could be. I've noticed that Pikachu understands Ash and Lillie more than me."
Misty looked at Red as the boy said that. "Do you think that?" She asked, Red looking up at the ceiling.
"I know Pikachu and I have a healthy friendship, but I just sometimes think I was maybe not the best choice for him." He admitted, his eyes looking down. "If I'll be honest, I'd say that Ash may have a better Trainer for him than me."
Ryan suddenly stood up as he approached Red, sitting beside the quiet boy. "Hey. I think you and Pikachu are a great pair." The boy said to Red, trying to make him brighten up. "I thought I wasn't good enough for Oddish when I caught him, but he became one of my best partners. I also thought Ponyta wouldn't work well with my team, but she's slowly getting there."
Misty sat up as well, Wartortle joining them. "My sister went through that with one of her Pokémon, but now they're inseparable. Even after all these months, that Pikachu still stuck with you." She said to him. "Isn't that worth something?"
Red processed all this. "I suppose you're right." Red gave a soft smile. "I appreciate both of your words, especially from the better-looking one." He pointed at Ryan.
"Hey!" Misty called out, taking offense to that. The three boys shared a good laugh, Misty even chuckling at that sentence. Ryan was getting ready to sleep as Misty grabbed her hair, looking at Red. "Be honest. Does this hairstyle look good on me?"
Red was silent for a moment. "It's not bad, but not impressive."
Misty sighed as she grabbed her hair. "Everyone keeps saying the hair is fine. I guess I shouldn't be complaining, huh?" Misty lay down, and Wartortle curled right next to her like he always was with Ash. "Night,"
"Night," Red quickly fell asleep in his peculiar position as Misty tried to get a blanket to cover her. That is when she realized that Wartortle was curled up on top of the blanket.
"...Seriously?"
Misty was snoring loudly; everyone else was sleeping. No sun was available to tell them when the next day happened, so they just planned on waking up when they felt like it. Some noise was suddenly made, and Red calmly opened his eyes. He looked around at the darkness surrounding them, almost like he didn't even open his eyelids. He got up, feeling around for the flashlight near him.
He quickly turned on the light, pointing it at where the noise was. "Oh. That's not good." He remarked, seeing something digging around in Ryan's bag. Ryan and Misty suddenly woke up at the light being present.
Misty stretched herself out, her back not feeling good on the hard floor. "Hey!" Ryan suddenly shouted when he saw what was happening to his backpack, quickly picking the thing up as a Pokémon came out. "Get your own bag!"
The Pokémon that May had befriended came out, landing on the ground as he had a Hondew berry in hand. "Bat," He apologized, ready to make his getaway.
"Wait a second." The Pokémon stopped, turning around to see Misty approach his small form. He looked at the Pokémon in surprise. "A Noibat? What are you doing in Kanto?"
Red was also a bit stunned at seeing the Kalos Pokémon here. "That is certainly unexpected." He looked at Noibat, then to Ryan. "Noibat eats only berries, so he dug around in your bag."
Ryan looked at the Flying-type, feeling guilty for lashing out like that. "If you need berries," He reached into his bag, took out two other berries, and placed them next to the Pokémon. "I would've given them to you if you just asked."
Noibat had his mouth water at seeing all the food, starting off with his favorite out of the three. They watched as Noibat was eating the berries, Red noticing something about their interaction. "I doubt this Noibat has seen a human before us. That's most likely why he seems so curious about us."
Misty connected the dots about what May said. "I think this is the Pokémon that May mentioned back then. It explains why May wasn't attacked when she ran into him." A question suddenly came to her. "Has he been following us this whole time?"
"He's probably trying to find May," Ryan answered, Misty agreeing with the thought. "He must've figured that following us would lead to May. Although, he probably got hungry during this whole thing." He realized as he sat next to Noibat. "Sorry for yelling like that. Don't steal next time, alright?"
Noibat looked curiously at him, not even understanding what the concept of stealing even was. "Noibat probably doesn't understand us fully," Red said at seeing the confused look on the Dragon-type. Red looked ahead on the path that was left before them. "Since we're all awake, it would be best just to start the day off now."
Misty looked at her cell phone, seeing the time. "We barely got over seven hours of sleep." She expressed, knowing that her body wouldn't let her rest now. She tapped the shell of the still sleeping Wartortle to wake the Water-type. "Get up. No time for five more minutes."
Wartortle groaned as the blanket underneath was ripped away from him. The Water-type had a fantastic dream about nothing, popping his neck as he stood up. "War artortle," He said good morning to everyone.
"It's not even six, but I guess it counts." Misty corrected as everyone got their stuff ready. "When all this is done, I will get a good night's sleep."
Ryan couldn't help but agree. "I just hope that we are separated. Your snoring might ruin it."
"What? I do not snore!" Misty said defensively.
"You do. Quite loudly, I must say." Red calmly told the girl, Misty seeing that no one was siding with her.
"Wartortle, help me out!" The Water-type just looked bored at Misty, looking ahead as they walked. "Noibat-oh wait..." Misty realized the Dragon-type probably had no idea what they were talking about. Noibat was flying with the group of four, but he constantly struggled with flying for an extended period.
Red watched as the Pokémon had to make constant adjustments to his flying. "Noibat seems to struggle with flying. He can still do it, but there are some flaws."
"War tort," Wartortle called to the Noibat, the Flying-type coming down to his level. "War tort ortle or art." Wartortle pointed to his back, allowing Noibat to get on if he didn't want to fly. Noibat took the offer with a smile.
Noibat gripped onto Wartortle's shell, a smile on his face as he could finally rest. "Oib bat." He said gratefully, Wartortle just shrugging his shoulders. The Water-type suddenly heard Misty giggle.
"You two are cute together." She remarked as she saw the two, Wartortle becoming slightly embarrassed at hearing that. "If only Ash knew what he was missing out on."
Lillie tried her best to pop her back, twisting it to the side as hard as she could. "Still have some back pain?" Brock asked the girl, as Lillie's attempt didn't work again. "Don't try to force it. It sucks, but you'll have to deal with it."
Lillie squirmed a bit as she tried to make her spine as straight as possible. "Is it that bad?" Lillie had to stop because the pain was too much.
"I don't know why this ground is causing these problems." She responded to May's question, seeing that everyone else seemed fine enough. "Wish the day didn't start like this. At least, I assume it's daytime."
Ash held a flashlight, Pikachu beside him carrying his torch. "I wish I knew how to help. Maybe I could try to put pressure whenever we stop?" The eleven-year-old suggested.
"No thanks, Ash. I doubt it would've worked." Lillie said honestly, seeing Pikachu come over to give her some comfort.
"Pika achu kachu ika." He told her that this Rock Tunnel trip would end soon and they'd be reunited with Red after all this.
Lillie smiled. "You always know what to say, huh?" Pikachu took pride in that, claiming it was his unique talent. The girl looked at Brock. "How much longer until we reach the intersection?"
"At this pace, less than two hours. We have some open cave systems coming up." He remarked positively, trying to make everyone in a brighter mood. He suddenly felt some tugging on his pant leg, seeing Pikachu pointing at the map. Brock raised an eyebrow. "You want the map?"
"Pika,"
Brock shrugged, giving the map to the Electric-type. "All yours. Our path is mostly straight from here." Pikachu felt the map as he looked at it, now feeling smart as he looked at it even though he didn't fully understand it.
The group would continue as they reached a far more open area of the caves. Instead of a spacious tunnel, which they had dealt with for hours, they were in an open space. Pointed rocks came from the ground and ceiling, a massive pool of water nearby with calm water. It was less stiff as everyone was captivated by seeing its beauty.
May looked at the pool of water, realizing how thirsty she was. "Think this water is safe to drink?"
"I wouldn't trust it. All kinds of harmful minerals could be in there." Lillie told the girl, May expecting that answer as they moved ahead. Lillie looked at the water. "I will say, it's quite nice to see that in this place."
"Yeah," May agreed, not thinking about it like that. "Whenever we are done, you think you'll have the energy for some drawings later?"
Lillie gave a soft laugh. "No. I might not draw for a few days after this." She admitted, knowing she needed a break after all this. "If you will request something, please make it simple."
"Don't worry, I wouldn't make you do that." May assured her. Lillie was glad to hear that. "I'm going to take a bath. If I can't, I will sleep either way." May revealed, and Lillie agreed with that mentality. Lillie decided to go to the front of the group, joining the three boys in front.
"Did you need something?" Lillie shook her head at the question.
"No. I just wanted to hang out with you guys, seeing as we will still be here for a little while." Lillie explained, Ash smiling as he decided to start a conversation.
"Well, why don't we get to know each other more?" He suggested happily. "We already know each other's name, so let's talk about each other's Pokémon team." He gently tapped the Dratini egg. "I have this egg, Wartortle, Pidgey, Nidorino, Bulbasaur, and Chimchar."
"Wow. That's a good team you have." Lillie said honestly, deciding to reveal her whole team. "I have Snowy, my Ninetails, a Flaffy called Bobby, a Clefable I named Celestia, and finally my Trapinch named Terry." She revealed, seemingly embarrassed about something. "I'm still working on getting a full team."
"You'll get there, and I think the nicknames you picked are nice," Ash told her, though a question came to his mind. "Although, your Ninetails being called 'Snowy' seems slightly off. Is it an Alolan Ninetails?"
"It is. Snowy was my first Pokémon, as a matter of fact."
Ash gave a quick gasp as he got closer to Lillie. "Can I please see her? I've never seen an Alolan Ninetails in person." He asked with much enthusiasm. Lillie was caught off guard by that.
"Ash," Brock called out. "Don't act like that to her. I want to see Snowy too, but now's not the best time." Ash realized his mistake.
"I'm sorry. Got a bit excited there." He apologized, but Lillie just brushed it off. He tried to think of what else he could ask. "If I can ask, what are you doing here in Kanto? Are you here for the Pokémon League?"
Lillie thought about her answer. "Well, I came here to become a better Trainer." She took something from her bag, revealing a case for the Gym Badges and showing she already had the Thunder Badge. "It took a few tries, and Red's planning, to get my first badge. I want to experience the league, but I don't want to be Champion."
Brock looked at the girl, seeing that wasn't the whole truth of it all. "Is that all? I can tell you have something else on your mind."
Lillie became silent as she looked down, the two boys seeing how secretive she was. "Well, I did come for another reason. It's... personal." She explained.
Brock nodded. "Didn't mean to probe you like that. I hope you can finish that goal of yours." Brock smiled at her, Lillie responding with her own. Brock saw Pikachu getting his attention, the Electric-type pointing to something on the map. Pikachu asked if they turn now. "Yup. Good job, Pikachu."
The group made a turn as Ash looked at Lillie, sensing the girl was a bit withdrawn at the moment. "I'm glad you're going to the Pokémon League." He decided to say, making the girl look at him. "I just hope we don't have to fight. If we do, then let's promise not to hold back."
Lillie saw Ash's handshake, deciding to take it as they agreed on that idea. "You want to be Champion, right?"
"Yup. Going all the way to the top!" He gave his confident smile, Lillie feeling like the boy could accomplish that dream. She promised to root for the eleven-year-old, something Ash did in return.
"DOUR!"
Suddenly, a massive howl rang out. Everyone froze after hearing that, looking around at what made such a noise. Lillie tried to remain composed for the group, May showing off her fear as her breathing became slightly unstable. "W-what was t-that?" May managed to ask.
The group suddenly heard fighting happening, the noise of attacks going off ringing throughout the massive cave. The three boys were out in front, ready to defend if they had to. "Get your Poke Balls ready. I have a bad feeling about this." Everyone nodded, getting ready to fight back if they had to. The noises seemed to be getting slightly louder, Ash steadying himself.
"Hax!" A Pokémon was launched into the area, slamming through one of the rocks as everyone stepped back. The Pokémon thrown quickly got back up, Lillie shocked at seeing the Pokémon. "A Houndoom." She managed to say.
Houndoom was a quadrupedal, canine Pokémon with black fur, a long orange snout, and an orange underbelly. He had small red eyes and a black nose. Around the neck was a white band with a small skull-shaped pendant on his throat. There were two white bands on each ankle, as well as three rib-like ridges on his back. There was a long, skinny tail with a triangular tip and three clawed toes on each paw. Atop his head was a pair of long, curved gray horns. The Drak-type growled as it quickly stood up, barking at his enemy.
"Oom ound hou!" His opponent came into the cave, and the group was shocked at what it was.
A bipedal Pokémon with a dark, yellow-green covering on her back and most of the front came in. She had black skin covering her torso, tail tip, and thighs, as well as red talons and claws. Her large tusks, which resemble axe blades, were black and edged in red, and located on the sides of her mouth. Her medium-sized eyes were red with black pupils. Ridged plate-like skin traveled from the back to the head region. She had solid armor; the legs and tail had a dividing line pattern. Her arms were relatively small, with three digits, two elliptical triceps and biceps, and circular elbows. Her hands were small and circular with tiny red claws. Her legs were formidable and robust, with three-toed feet with a red talon on each toe.
She looked at Houndoom, wasting no time as she used Dragon Pulse. " Hax!" Houndoom dodged the attack from the Dragon-type, glaring as he wasn't strong enough to deal with this. Two Houndooms suddenly came out, one having a shorter horn to show they were female, and barked at the enemy.
The Dragon-type growled at seeing the newcomers, one of the Houndoom's helping their partner up. "Hound doom. Ho ound oom doom." He explained that everyone else had left, that they must go now. The injured Houndoom glared at the Dragon-type as they made their escape.
The Dragon-type watched her opponents leave, knowing they weren't worth it. She quickly relaxed herself, knowing that she and her fellow Haxorus must've won. She tapped one of her massive tusks, glad that she didn't have to use it that much in this battle. "Orus..." Ash's group was currently hiding, having just witnessed.
"Let's just back away. Very, slowly." Brock instructed in a very faint voice. Everyone slowly began to return the way they came, ready to wait until they could move forward again. Lillie suddenly bumped into a rock, causing it to fall over and hit the ground.
The Haxorus turned her head, stomping towards the group of Trainers she saw. Ash and Pikachu were ready to fight, but a terrified Brock pushed everyone. "Uh, hi, oh m-mighty Haxorus." Brock was extremely nervous as he tried to be hospitable to the Haxours. The Dragon-type followed them as they moved, not looking like she would attack. "Yeah. S-sorry to disrupt... whatever you're doing. How about we simply walk out of this situation, huh?"
"A Haxours!" Ash was not scared, marveling at seeing the powerful Dragon-type as he held his egg. "I'm a big of your work!" The Haxours cracked a smile, still stomping towards them. The Haxorus kept following them, slowly getting closer and closer as Brock tried to think of what to do. He decided to move towards the area she came from since going down the way they came in was blocked by a powerful Dragon-type.
May made an uncomfortable noise, unsure how to react to the Dragon-type. "Do something! It keeps following us!"
"I'm open to any suggestions," Brock replied, just making up the plan as they went along.
"Pika pi ka achu pika pi." Pikachu exclaimed that they could not move backward in a predictable path, not helping the group. Pikachu was in the same boat as Ash, not showing any fear to the superior Pokémon.
Lillie gave her best-forced smile as they made their way to the entrance. "Well, it was fun running around. Maybe we can do it again sometime!" She said with a sense of panic.
"RUN!" Everyone ran as quickly as they could, going down the cave. Haxorus stood there and didn't chase them because she had no reason to.
When they went into the place where they would be safe, they reached a terrifying sight. Not only were there two other Haxorus on the other side, but three of their pre-evolved form, Fraxure. Fraxure was a bipedal, draconic Pokémon with long, gray tusks that had red tips protruding from the sides of their mouth. They had dark eyes with red irises, a gray face, and a cowl-like feature of green segments on their head, neck, back, and chest. Their arms had three red fingers, and their lower body was gray, with red speckles on the underbelly. They had red toes and a red tip on the tail.
Brock quickly gasped at seeing the Dragon-types waiting for them. "Come here, everyone! Now!" Everyone quickly huddled, surrounded by the strong Dragon-types. Everyone gathered together, Pikachu and Ash in the front, ready to defend without fear. Brock looked around, realizing what situation he had gotten them into. "Oh... shoot..."
The Fraxure sent a scary look, trying to intimidate the Trainers from their newly claimed territory. May quickly took a few steps back. "What do we do? We're stuck."
"I can tell, and I'm trying to figure it out." Ash comforted her, even though he knew that they didn't have a plan at this point. He and Pikachu were ready to face down the powerful Dragon-types. It was a battle they would certainly not win despite their skill.
"Hax ax oru us us?" One of them asked, looking at the others.
"Frax xure ure axur!"
Suddenly, the female Haxours interjected. "Hax axorus ha xorus xorus or." She told them, giving them an idea to use these Trainers. "Ax axor orus ha ha axoru."
Lillie quickly whispered to Brock's ear. "I don't think they see us as a threat." She remarked, seeing how they slowly looked at the group with smiles. "It sounds like they are agreeing to do something."
"I'm assuming this something is with us, and probably not good," Brock whispered back. The Fraxure seemed to have lowered their guard, but they still looked determined. One of the Haxours approached, the leader of this party, and looked at the group. Pikachu and Ash quickly tensed up but began to hear him talk.
"Hax ours axour ours ax." He apologized, surprisingly benevolent despite his presence. "Hax ax axor orus haxo axours ha axo."
"Pika achu?" Pikachu was stunned, hearing the Dragon-types wanted to negotiate a deal. Everyone was confused, Brock looking to see if there was a crack in the formation they could use to escape.
"Haxours," He nodded. "Hax axou rs our ax ou, ax ours urs axou rs ha."
Pikachu widened his eyes, finally dropping his guard. "What is it, Pikachu? What did they say?" Lillie asked the Electric-type, Pikachu looking at them with a look of slight hope.
"Pika achu kachu! P ika kachu Pikachu!" He told them that they could find their way out of Rock Tunnel, if they gave their services to the Dragon-types. Everyone looked at the Pokémon around them, seeing they didn't want to fight them.
May quickly right next to Ash. "I do not trust this. This must be some trap." She nervously looked back and forth, not trusting these Pokémon taller than any of them.
Brock tried to think of what to do. "It makes no sense for them not to attack us here and now. Could they really want us for something?"
Ash, despite the stakes, saw the goodness in these Dragon-types. He and Pikachu were in complete agreement with this turn of events. "I'd say we should. They haven't attacked us, have they?"
"Pika!" Pikachu supported. Lillie looked around with slight fear but still decided to stand by Ash.
"I think... we have limited options right now. They seem to tolerate us, so we can at least do the same." Lillie spoke up, Ash smiling at seeing the girl agree with him. Brock and May were very uncertain, but it's not like running away was a viable option.
Ash faced them. "Alright. We'll follow your lead." He told them but quickly got defensive. "But if you hurt my friends, I'll fight you. I don't care if you're stronger."
The leader Haxours just laughed, liking the kid's spunk. "Hax our. Haxours Haxours." He told them to follow them, moving to a path different than what they had to do. One Haxours was in the back, the last Haxours and a Fraxure on the left, and the last two Fraxure on the right. They surrounded the group as they moved, treating them like prisoners.
"Hax axour!" The Haxours in the back pushed May, the girl not moving with the others.
"Hey!" May complained, being met with a frown from the mean Haxours of the three. She side-eyed the Pokémon as she moved with the others. "I'm going, I'm going."
Ash and Pikachu were in front, feeling positive about their decision with these Dragon-types. Lillie looked around, gently waving to one of the Fraxure on the side. Surprisingly, the Pokémon nodded her head slightly. "Frax," She simply told the girl, going back to becoming serious.
"Hax ax ours ha?" Haxours looked at Ash, and pointed to the egg he had.
"It's a Dratini egg. Sorry, but I'm not letting you touch it." Ash told the Dragon-type, knowing better than to give it to wild Pokémon. Haxours nodded, glad that the boy seemed serious about taking care of the egg.
Brock looked around nervously, knowing that was their reality now. If they just listened to them, then maybe it would all work out in the end. "Not how I thought this stop would go."
"Hmm..." Red said to himself, Misty looking at the boy deep in thought.
"What's on your mind?"
"It's about our other group," Red responded, a weird feeling coming over him. "I do hope they are alright." Wartortle agreed with that idea, Noibat no longer being on him. Noibat decided to be with Ryan, and the boy was slightly uncomfortable by how the Flying-type would constantly gaze at him.
Ryan side-eyed the Pokémon, clearing his throat. "If you have something to say, you can say it." Noibat didn't answer. He looked at Ryan as he sat on his shoulder, Ryan trying to remain collected. "I-I'm being serious."
Misty chuckled at seeing her friend like this. "Don't be like that, Ryan. He's just showing you love." Ryan gave a small groan at hearing that remark. Misty suddenly sighed. "How have we not reached the intersection yet? We didn't go down the wrong path, right?"
"I think it's a bit late to ask that question," Ryan responded. "Let's keep going. There has to be an end to this eventually."
"You never know. It could take us to the core of this world, but we would be reaching triple-digit temperatures before we even made it through the crust." Red gave that fact.
Wartortle fanned himself, noticing how sweaty he was. "War tor ortle or?" He asked if that was why he felt hot.
"Dour!"
A cry of pain echoed out. Everyone looked around, confused by where it came from. Ryan looked further down, seeing a small Pokémon slowly coming to them. "We got company." He told the group, Noibat looking worried. "Hide in the backpack." He opened his backpack, the Dragon-type going in without even a second thought.
Wartortle got himself ready for a fight, Red taking out a Great Ball. "It sounds weakened, but that could be a trick," Red spoke, his concentration in no threat of being broken.
Wartortle looked on ahead, a serious look on his face. "War tort tle!" He said to be ready, fully prepared to defeat a Pokémon to reunite with his friends.
A quadrupedal, canine Pokémon with short, black fur and a red underbelly and muzzle walked through the tunnel. Her ears and tail were both short and pointed. Two fangs protrude from the upper jaw, and her triangular nose is black. There were white bands on the ankles and rib-like ridges on her back. A simplistic, stylized skull rested on her forehead with the eye orbits creating eyebrow patterning above her actual eyes. She also had circular, red paw pads on each of her three-toed paws.
She went through the tunnel in pain as she tried to find any salvation. She had lost her pack in one of the territorial battles, and she was angry that she didn't recognize this tunnel by heart. Her eyes were becoming heavy due to the tiredness getting to her. She didn't want to give up, but that wouldn't be a choice anymore.
Misty gasped at seeing the injured Pokémon, dropping her fighting stance. "You alright?" She asked the Pokémon in concern, Houndour glaring at her. Even though she didn't look like an enemy, she refused to be caught off-guard. "You don't look your best."
"Dour!" She growled slightly, Misty taking a slight step back from the angry Pokémon. Houndour tried to keep it together. Her feet were wobbling slightly, making standing harder than it should've been.
"You look like you need a potion," Ryan remarked, placing his bag on the ground as Noibat pepped out. "We're okay. Nothing too major." Noibat gently landed on his shoulder, Ryan taking out a Super Potion from his bag.
The boy tossed it to Red, the quiet boy kneeling at the Dark-types level. "Do!" Houndour growled, Red not being intimidated by the Pokémon.
"If you deny this free healing, you're only hurting yourself," Red told the Pokémon. "I can only assume that you like being in this state." Houndour realized he was right, rolling her eyes as she got closer. The boy gently sprayed the bottle on her.
Houndour gasped slightly, feeling better the moment the liquid touched her fur. She looked at herself, noticing some external injuries fading before her eyes. Her body was fine after the healing, even with slight foot pain. "Ound..." She muttered a thanks, a bit ashamed she needed help from some passing Trainers.
"You're welcome." Ryan smiled at the Pokémon as he took back the potion, looking at the Fire-type with an intrigued look. "You're a Houndour, right?"
"Of course, it is. What did you think it was?" Misty answered him. Ryan put his hands up, slightly defensive.
"I just wanted to make sure. Still learning every Johto Pokémon." He said as he looked at Houndour, giving everyone a serious look. "You have a pack of your own. Shouldn't you be with them?"
Houndour looked at the ground, a grumpy look on her face. "Houndou... our hound hou." She said they got separated, and Red understood what she was speaking based on her body language.
"You lost track of your group. We haven't seen any Houndour or Houndoom down this path, so you've been going the wrong way." Houndour sighed angrily, expecting that answer after finding no one down this tunnel. "Any idea where we could look?"
Houndour turned around, pointing ahead at the tunnel. "Back the way you came?" Houndour nodded, looking at Ryan. "Well, since we're going down the same way, we should stick together."
Houndour looked weirdly at Ryan, wondering why they wanted her to accompany them. "You could go on your own, but we won't be able to help you if you do," Misty explained to the Dark-type, gently tapping Noibat on the head. "Besides, we already have a wild Pokémon following us around."
Houndour looked at the Noibat, the Flying-type innocently waving at her. Houndour gave a slight growl, not believing what she had just walked herself into. "Dour," She accepted the deal, knowing that only two eyes wouldn't work as well as ten.
Red nodded, looking ahead at the path. "Looks like we have that settled. If we have nothing else, let us keep going." Everyone began to go down the path, Houndour sighing at the new pack she had just joined. They didn't seem bad, but they were not her kind of people. They were far too trusting.
That is when she noticed the Wartortle in the group. The Water-type kept a stern look on the Houndour, almost like she had done something to disappoint him. Houndour looked at Wartortle, seeing he didn't trust her. The two said nothing to each other.
"Oh, just ignore him," Ryan told Houndour, noticing the tension between her and Wartortle. "He's just very protective of us, and he might still be upset that someone pushed him out of his sleep." Ryan looked in Misty's direction briefly, the girl knowing what he meant.
"I'm sorry, alright?" She apologized to Wartortle. "You know how much of a heavy sleeper you are." Wartotle just sighed, deciding to get over it. Wartortle was still untrusting to Houndour, knowing he could defend the group if this were an ambush.
The group slowly started to enter a large area, Ryan stopping as he fully saw it. He gasped. "That's..."
What was once the natural beauty of these caves had been ruined, burned, and trashed by a recent battle. Misty was a little shocked, seeing all the claw and burn marks stained onto the rock. Rubble littered the ground; walking through it, they had to tread carefully. Red looked around, noticing the lack of Pokémon in this area. Houndour sniffed around, trying to find her pack's scent.
"Based on how new the damage and markings are, this fight must've happened today." Red deduced as he looked at Houndour. "That explains why you were injured and lost when we found you."
"You're in a territorial war, aren't you?" Houndour nodded at Misty's question, Misty gently going through the claw marks. "Who is your enemy? These claw marks don't look familiar to me."
"Houndour dou our do ur ound Houndour." She explained who their enemy was, but no one could understand her fully. They knew that Houndour's foe was strong and mostly likely Dragon-type based on the markings. "Dour do our do our."
"War tort otle." Wartortle held up three fingers, translating it to the group.
"Three weeks?" The two Pokémon nodded, Ryan becoming silent at hearing how long this conflict was going on. "Why do you keep fighting? Is claiming all this territory that important to you?"
Houndour looked down since that is a question she often asked herself. "Hou dou our ound nd oundour." She explained that she was following orders. "Houndour ndou our, oundou dour hou dour?" She asked if the enemy wasn't willing to talk with them, why should they?
Misty placed a hand on Ryan. "Don't try to argue with her, Ryan. They're fighting for what they think is right." She explained to him, wanting to help them as well. "If they want to battle over land that they have destroyed, then we should let them." Ryan just agreed, not wanting to say anything stupid
The last thing Misty said stuck to the Dark-types mind. She looked around at the remains of the battle she was part of, seeing how much damage she and her group had done. Even if they won their territorial struggle, that would not change the fact that their presence had ruined this land. Houndour thought to herself, wondering if they were fighting for their home or just destroyed territory.
Her ears suddenly went up, Wartortle sensing something was coming. "Trouble?" Ryan asked the Water-type when he saw his friend change, Wartortle nodding.
Massive footsteps ranged out, seeing a silhouette of a Pokémon bigger than any of them. "Big trouble," Red muttered, having a Great Ball ready. A Haxours came into their view, everyone gasping at the powerful Dragon-type before them.
Houndour growled loudly at the Pokémon, even though she could tell that this Haxours was not one of the ones her group fought against. "DOUR!" She yelled at the Dragon-type. Haxours looked at the group, possessing a stare that looked through them.
Ryan was frozen, feeling this Pokémon was as strong as the Kommo-o they met so long ago. "Hey!" Ryan snapped out of it, looking at Misty. "Take out your Ponyta instead of making your mouth wider!" Ryan took out the Poke Ball, knowing Ponyta was his best chance.
"War tor ortle Wartortle!" Wartortle declared to the Dragon-type, ready to take him down if it meant getting to Ash. Haxours just stared at the group.
Both sides were waiting for the other to make the move.
END OF CHAPTER 18
And... scene! That was a fun chapter to write out. It feels good that the plot is moving forward again, as these changes to previous chapters, while fun, didn't continue the plot in any real way. Now that I'm finally satisfied with my story, we can start paving the way for the rest. This won't be the only two-parter in this story, but this will probably be the only one where you can read both chapters immediately. Speaking of which, you might want to check out the next chapter if you don't want to deal with a cliffhanger. There are a lot of things going on in the next chapter. I will see you next time! ...Or we can just do it now.
Ash's Team: Wartortle (M), Pidgey (F), Nidorino (M), Bulbasaur (M), Dratini Egg (N/G), Chimchar (M)
Misty's Team: Starmie (N/G), Azumarill (M), Horsea (F), Magikarp (M), Jigglypuff (F), Squirtle (F)
Misty's Other Members: Seaking (F)
Ryan's Team: Pinsir (M), Butterfree (M), Jangmo-o (M), Oddish (M), Slowpoke (M), Ponyta (Galarian, F)
Brock's Team: Graveler (M), Onix (M), Zubat (M), Eevee (M)
May's Team: Beldum (Shiny, N/G), Charmander (M)
Red's Team: Pikachu (M), Eevee (M), Ivysaur (M), Charmeleon (M), Wartortle (M)
Lillie's Team: Snowy (Alolan Ninetails, F), Bobby (Flaffy, M), Celestia (Clefable, F), Terry (Trapinch, M)