Author's Note:
I'm baaaack. What's it been? Almost two years. That's...not ideal. But if Lumiose University has taught us anything, it's that I'm gonna fight to get through this. I'd like to let you all know what's been up and why it's been so long, but that probably gets a little too personal. Regardless, I'm gonna try again, because I do enjoy this story, and I love what's planned for it and think you guys will enjoy it, too. But more on that stuff at the bottom. For now, we need to see how Bonnie's doing! Last we saw her, she'd just caught Trapinch in a contest with her rival Sadie to see who could beat the tricky little bugger. But then Sadie seemed to wander off. It's been a long wait, but let's see just where all that is going! Hope you enjoy!
Chapter 34: The Titan of the Rocks
Sand swirled in all directions as Butch, Cassidy, Smeargle and Raticate tried to find their way through the desert of Route 111. They truly had no idea where to go, where they had come from and no supplies or even Pokémon to help them. If they hadn't been huddled closely together as they trudged through the sand, they would likely be separated and have no way to find one another.
"You're sure we can't call Zinnia?" Butch asked Cassidy, raising his voice above the wind and coughing as sand filled his mouth.
"I told you already," she snapped, holding up their transmitter, "this thing won't work with all the sand blowing around. I can barely press the buttons, let alone get a connection."
"Your efforts have been most admirable," Smeargle told her, ignoring her glare. "Now, how about any ideas to get us out of this bloody mess?"
Butch sighed, and he noticed Cassidy looking uneasy as well. Raticate just appeared to be fed up and exhausted with the situation. It was really turning out to be a bad day.
Things had started out quite well. Zinnia had contacted them in the morning to aid in an important, but classified mission on Route 111 in the area of the Desert Ruins. A Team Archaic excavation crew was entering the ruins to investigate something and Zinnia had a team prepared to prevent unwanted intruders. She had called Butch and Cassidy in as reinforcements to scout further in the area and try to steer trainers away, while also potentially dealing with a troublesome Trapinch that had been causing problems. They had seen no signs of either. Butch wasn't sure that they would be able to handle any kind of conflict at the moment, however, so he was somewhat relieved.
"I think it's a little clearer up ahead," Cassidy suddenly said, coughing as sand spun around them. She pointed once the gust was over, and Butch could barely see what she was referring to. There did, indeed, seem to be a somewhat clearer patch beyond a small hill. Without another word, they all set off, Raticate leading the way.
"Well spotted, Cass," Smeargle said, sitting down and sighing in relief once they were somewhat safe beyond the swirling sand. "I have to ask, though. How are we supposed to do our bloody jobs in this mess?"
Cassidy eyed the Painter Pokemon distrustfully, clearly unsure if his compliment was legitimate. A moment later, she decided to answer, though. "We'll just have to stay at the edge of the storm. We'll catch any intruders coming in. Nobody will be able to get to the ruins through that anyway."
"Right, I'm sure anyone with designs on stopping Team Archaic in the ruins consistently surrounded by gusting sand will be wholly unprepared for these conditions." Smeargle nodded so seriously that Cassidy seemed to miss the sarcasm dripping from his comment. Butch had to cough to hide a laugh. A moment later, though, he realized Cassidy's attention was actually on something else.
"Looks like a trainer about the brat's age…" Cassidy murmured, kneeling down in an attempt to stay undetected. Everyone else followed suit. They would be harder to spot from a distance. They were wearing brown cloaks to try to serve as camouflage in the sand.
Butch agreed with the assessment. It was a girl with ginger hair. She seemed almost as suspicious as he figured he and his companions looked. She was looking behind her as though hoping she wasn't being followed. "She's up to something…" he said quietly. "I wonder if she knows something's going on and thought she'd play hero."
Cassidy grinned upon hearing that. "In that case, we can still do our job. Let's take care of this little intruder."
"Rrraticate!" Raticate added, seemingly enthusiastic about getting into a battle after dealing with all the sand.
"Lead the way, good rat!" Smeargle then called out, pointing ahead.
The group then took off, stumbling a bit in the sand, but managing to close the distance between them and the girl fairly quickly. When the girl noticed them, she quickly narrowed her eyes, immediately sensing them as a threat. Butch felt a little proud of that after suffering defeat at the hands of the other brat so many times now.
"Who are you guys?" the girl asked, hand going to her hip, where a pokeball was visible. "I don't think you're supposed to be around here…"
"We should be saying the same to you, little brat," Cassidy replied confidently. "Now how about you hand your Pokemon over and get out of here!"
The girl raised an eyebrow. "You're Pokemon thieves." A moment later she giggled slightly. "No wonder you're in this area. You heard about the ruins! You're not gonna find anything there!"
Butch glanced at Cassidy, seeing her face reddening in anger. "Excuse me, you little brat, I-"
"My name's Sadie, you old witch!"
"Ha!"
Butch wasn't sure who Cassidy was more infuriated with. The girl, Sadie, was the subject of the current glare, but Smeargle's laugh hadn't gone unnoticed. He would have to remember to try to protect the Painter Pokemon from his partner's wrath later on.
"You're going to have to learn some manners, little brat." Cassidy was beginning to shake with rage.
"Not for petty thieves like you," Sadie snapped back. A light flashed and a Bagon appeared in front of her. "Now, are you sure you want to mess with me?"
"Raticate, go! Use-"
"Dragon Breath!"
"Raaa-"
Butch's eyes widened, watching Raticate's failed charge forward in amazement. Cassidy couldn't even get the command off before Bagon's Dragon Breath had hit the Mouse Pokemon squarely in the face. Smeargle backed away quickly as Raticate crashed into the ground hard in front of him, shooting sand into the air upon impact.
"Er…Cass. Perhaps we ought to rethink this. I mean…I do value my well being, and this girl seems-"
"Wha…did that Smeargle just talk?" Sadie asked, eyes wide.
Smeargle turned towards her, smiling and bowing slightly. "Why yes, young lady. I did. You see, I-"
"Copy that Bagon's attack, you idiot!" Cassidy interrupted. "Make yourself useful!"
Smeargle winced, glancing at Sadie and her Bagon uneasily. "Well, I suppose if you insist, I can try."
That seemed to put Sadie on guard and she quickly prepared herself for another attack. "Bagon, get in there with a Headbutt!" she shouted, pointing forward.
Butch grinned, realizing they had a chance now. Smeargle did as well, immediately crossing his arms in front of himself. "King's Shield!" he shouted out, as though commanding his own attack.
"What?!" Sadie's eyes widened, watching as Bagon charged head first into the barrier emerging in front of Smeargle and their group. Immediately the dragon type fell backwards, a glow surrounding his body as his attack power was weakened. "Not bad…" the girl whispered, eyeing Smeargle with even more amazement.
"Indeed!" the Painter Pokemon said proudly, holding up his own tail in preparation for an explanation of his talents. "You see, I am quite capable of equipping myself with unique talents. In fact, I'm also quite adept at-"
"Bagon, use another Dragon Breath! King's Shield has less of a chance of working right after it's used!"
"Huh? Oh dear!"
"BAAAGOOOON!"
Butch gulped, hearing Cassidy do the same. They watched in fear as Bagon's mouth opened wide, the attack forming quickly in his jaws. Smeargle attempted to raise his barrier again, but Sadie proved to be correct, smiling as it failed and Bagon's attack surged forward.
"Thanks for the battle!" she called out, just before Bagon's attack struck.
Butch simply sighed as the explosion lifted their group into the air and sent them flying, right back into the sandstorm, where their momentum picked up and they were sent even further away.
This was not going to be a good report for Zinnia.
Bonnie sighed as she stared down at the Ultra Ball in her hand. Their group had been looking for almost twenty minutes, and they'd been unable to find any sign of Sadie. She couldn't help but feel like this was what she feared. Sadie must have been upset. She'd probably taken off when Bonnie had caught the Pokemon she herself had been trying to catch the whole day.
"Hey, Bonnie, you can't feel bad about it. You caught Trapinch fair and square," a voice said behind Bonnie. She looked back, seeing Vivi coming up behind her.
"It's true, Bonnie," Roxanne said, a sympathetic smile on her face. "I can understand Sadie being a little upset, but Trapinch was a wild Pokemon, and it was perfectly fair for you to catch him. And Sadie even agreed before you both tried."
Bonnie nodded, although she glanced at her Ultra Ball again. "Do you think…maybe she's upset because I used a more powerful pokeball?"
"Zzt! There is no rule about using regular pokeballs to catch wild Pokemon!" Rotom spoke up, darting in front of Bonnie. "Pokemon Trainer Bonnie captured Trapinch fair and square. Regardless, Pokemon Trainer Sadie still has a seventy-three point two percent chance of winning a battle if you were to have one right now!"
"Nene…" Dedenne's cheeks sparked from where he was perched on Bonnie's shoulder, causing Rotom to back away immediately.
"Sadie might not be upset, though," Clyde then said, patting Bonnie on the shoulder as he walked up next to her. "She might've just wanted to get going and look for another Pokemon. Maybe one came by while you were battling Trapinch. Now that I think of it, I don't think I noticed her near the end of the battle."
Bonnie hoped that was the case, although she doubted it. The timing seemed pretty weird. Of course, she knew that if she had seen another Pokemon and if it looked like Sadie was going to catch Trapinch, perhaps it would've been her instinct to go after it. "Maybe…" she murmured, nodding as Clyde grinned.
"It might still be a good idea to look for Sadie a bit more, though," Vivi suddenly said, getting everyone's attention. She tapped on her goggles which she'd just strapped to her head. "The sand is starting to pick up more, and we don't want her to get lost out here."
Bonnie nodded, pulling out her own pair of goggles to strap on. "Do you think it's going to be dangerous out here?"
Vivi hesitated, glancing around to watch how the sand was moving. "It'll be hard to get around. People can get lost for a long time out here if they're not careful."
"We shouldn't look for too long," Roxanne warned, her own goggles now attached. "I'm worried about Sadie as well, but we can't do anything for her if we're lost as well."
"So let's get looking!" Clyde announced suddenly, leading the way and marching forward.
Bonnie rolled her eyes, but followed nonetheless. Regardless of how Sadie felt about Trapinch, Bonnie did want to make sure her rival was safe, and she was sure Sadie would do the same for her. There were moments where Sadie seemed a little too friendly, though, and Bonnie couldn't help but wonder if some of her true feelings were coming out from this event.
With the goggles, the sand wasn't too hard to walk through. Everyone kept their Pokemon in their pokeballs, with the exception of Dedenne, who was safely contained in Bonnie's sweater. Unfortunately, the further they walked, and the more the sand began to swirl, the more difficult seeing anything became. Even if their eyes were protected, it was still as though they were staring at clouds of brown in front of them. Clyde had everyone hold on to a rope just to ensure they wouldn't get separated.
"At this point we're probably getting close to the Desert Ruins!" Vivi yelled out after about half an hour of trudging through the sand. It was hard to hear with the wind and sand hitting their ears. "It might be a good idea to take a break there. Who knows, maybe Sadie found her way there, too."
"That's a good idea," Roxanne answered. "Do you think we can find it from here?"
"Well, I think I can find it," Vivi said. "Bonnie, do you think you can call Trapinch out for a moment? He might be able to help."
Bonnie grinned, nodding as she pulled out the Ultra Ball. It was a good idea. Of course Trapinch would have a good idea of the terrain around here. And now that he was hers, he'd be able to help them get anywhere they wanted.
"Sure!" she called out. "Trapinch, let's rumble!" Bonnie clicked open the Ultra Ball, and a light flashed briefly. Then, Trapinch was there, peering around somewhat suspiciously.
"Pinch?" he murmured quietly, slowly turning around until locking his eyes on Bonnie. "Trapinch…"
"Hey Trapinch," Bonnie said with a smile. "I hope that you and I can be good friends from now on. It was a really good battle we had, but now we're a team, right?!"
Trapinch hesitated, unfortunately not appearing too enthusiastic. Bonnie felt a bit deflated seeing that, but pushed it aside for the moment. "Um…well, Trapinch, do you think you could help us out here? We're looking for the Desert Ruins? Do you know them?"
"Trapinch?" the Ant Pit Pokemon looked up in surprise. "Pinch pinch?" He then turned, his gaze pointed in another direction.
Vivi watched him closely, looking in the same direction and nodding thoughtfully. "Hmm…I think he might be right. That probably fits with where we've walked since setting off."
Bonnie smiled, giving Trapinch a thumbs up. "Thanks, Trapinch! See, you're already an important member of the team!"
"Trapinch…" her newest Pokemon muttered in response. "Pinch." He then turned and began leading the way, Vivi following soon after and gesturing for the group to follow.
It was actually even more difficult to trudge through the sand for the last stretch of their journey. The storm wasn't as bad, but so much sand had built up in large mounds that it was difficult to make their way around. Bonnie was a little frustrated, figuring Trapinch could've taken care of some of their obstacles, but didn't say anything, deciding it didn't make much of a difference. Besides, she was sure that soon enough she and Trapinch would be the best of friends.
Eventually, their group finally came to an area that seemed relatively flat, almost as if the sand had been removed. This seemed to confuse Vivi most of all as she looked around, hands on her hips as she studied their surroundings.
"This is weird," she said. "I think we're close, but the ruins are usually totally surrounded by sand. Even on clearer days."
"Doesn't seem like a bad thing if you ask me," Clyde said, chuckling as he took a couple steps. "Makes it a lot easier for us."
"Pinch…" Bonnie glanced up at her new ground type, seeing that Trapinch's feelings appeared to be more in line with Vivi's. The uneasiness in his stance made Bonnie nervous. She'd seen nothing but confidence from Trapinch thus far. If he was uneasy, there was a good chance something was wrong.
The group continued along, Vivi and Trapinch leading the way. The smoother ground remained, and eventually, they came across the battered stone structures that Bonnie assumed must have been the Desert Ruins. From the reactions of Clyde and Roxanne, she knew she was right, the two of them gasping and rushing forward in excitement.
"I wonder if there are fossils around here," Clyde said hopefully.
"There could be," Roxanne said, looking around in interest.
"Zzt! There could be some unusual Pokemon around here as well!" Rotom said excitedly, snapping some pictures. "My sensors do not seem to be fully functional in this area, so it is possible we could find a particularly rare Pokemon."
Bonnie's eyes lit up at that, and she quickly turned to Vivi. "Do you know of anything special around here, Vivi?"
Vivi laughed uneasily. "Not really. There have been rumours of something in the cave before, but I don't know. Usually it's tough to get through all the other Pokemon around before you can go very deep in there. And that's after going through the sand."
"Let's go in the cave!" Bonnie shouted excitedly. "It sounds like a place Sadie might've gone to."
"We'll stay here," Roxanne then said, getting Bonnie's attention. "Clyde and I can look at the ruins and then if Sadie comes around here, we'll be able to spot her."
"Good idea," Bonnie said, nodding. "So where's the cave, Vivi?"
"This way!" Vivi announced, heading off to their left, while Bonnie, Trapinch and Rotom followed.
It was only a couple of extra minutes before they found the entrance. They had needed to walk into the ruins a little bit before finding some collapsed rubble outside the entrance to a very dark looking cave. As they approached, Bonnie could see Trapinch growing a little more tense. He wasn't the only one, either, as Dedenne's cheeks began to spark as though he was uneasy as well.
"Something wrong?" Vivi asked, as she paused in front of the entrance. Rotom had gone a little ahead, snapping a few pictures.
"Trapinch and Dedenne seem a little nervous," Bonnie said, glancing around. Her eyes came across a large pile of rubble. There seemed to be some scorch marks on them. They seemed recent, too. "Someone must've been here."
"Maybe it was Sadie," Vivi suggested, noticing what Bonnie had seen. "Maybe she did find another Pokemon and they had a battle."
Bonnie nodded, although she wasn't totally sure. It seemed as though the scorch marks were fairly large, and spread out quite a bit. Either the battle was quite big, or a Pokemon larger than anything Bonnie was sure Sadie had with her had been involved.
They decided to head into the cave, and Bonnie pulled out a flashlight from her Clemontic Gear and attached it to the Aipom arm. It ended up giving them quite a good view of the path ahead. They couldn't really see any signs of disturbance, but Bonnie could see Trapinch grow even more uneasy. Something about the area was bothering her, too, and eventually it seemed to get under Vivi's skin as well.
"It's…really quiet," Vivi whispered. "This is…definitely strange."
"There should be more Pokemon around, right?" Bonnie asked. "You said a lot hang around here, right?"
Vivi nodded. "Not just more Pokemon. There should be...some. We haven't seen or heard a single one yet."
"Trapinch. Pinch pinch trapinch…" Bonnie looked to the Ant Pit Pokemon, seeing him scurrying around, investigating the area and growing more and more tense.
"This is starting to feel like Island Cave," Bonnie murmured. "Like…Team Archaic has been here."
Vivi's eyes widened. "That criminal organization? Why would they come here?"
"Zzt! Pokemon Trainer Vivi mentioned rumours about this cave," Rotom said. "What are the rumours?"
Vivi looked up thoughtfully. "Well, some people say a strong Pokemon is here. Some kind of…ti-"
"Pinch!"
They all jumped as Trapinch cried out, suddenly taking off further down the cave. Bonnie immediately took off after him, the others following. "Trapinch, wait up!" Bonnie called, barely keeping the ground type in her view as he scurried ahead.
Fortunately, it wasn't too long before she noticed Trapinch coming to a stop. It was after quite a few twists and turns, but he seemed to have found what he was looking for. As she came up behind him, she looked up, seeing the open cavern ahead, with a large pit in the centre.
"Wh-what is that?"
Bonnie turned back, seeing Vivi catching up. Her eyes were on the pit, before looking around and seeing the rest of the disaster surrounding them. More rubble, more scorch marks and more signs of a struggle.
"Vivi, you were saying something about a strong Pokemon?" Bonnie asked, biting her lip nervously.
Vivi nodded. "It was supposed to be a rumour. A titan. The rock type titan. Regirock."
When Butch had regained consciousness, he found that most of his body was covered in sand. Next to him, his companions were faring little better, with Smeargle in particular in most danger of being fully submerged. Fortunately the storm seemed to be subsiding somewhat, and Butch was able to gather himself and get his companions freed and wakened up.
"Agh! That nasty little brat!" Cassidy yelled, once they had all somewhat managed to recover.
"She might be stronger than our brat," Smeargle suggested, rubbing his eyes.
Butch ignored the two of them, staring around and trying to get a sense of where they were. There were some old looking stone structures around them. They appeared to be ruins of some kind. "Ruins…" His eyes widened, and he stood up, looking around. "We're in the Desert Ruins."
Cassidy stared at him for a moment, before looking around herself. "Great, another failure. Zinnia will probably join Viktor in shaming us this time."
"No sign of her or the crew, though," Butch said. "Must be done."
As if on cue, the transmitter rang, and Cassidy held it up. The group exchanged nervous glances, before sighing and nodding to each other. Cassidy slowly clicked to receive the call, and Zinnia greeted them on the other end.
"Agents," she said. "I am calling to inform you that the mission was a success. Your participation has been noted by leadership. Congratulations."
Butch and Cassidy stared blankly at each other. "A s-success you say?" Cassidy asked. "So w-we did our job?"
"We were not interrupted, so yes, indeed you did," Zinnia said, almost as if distracted by something else. "I had other operatives in the area, and it seems only one had to deal with potential intruders. They were eliminated swiftly, which is unsurprising given her talents. Did you face any problems?"
"Er…" Cassidy scratched her head nervously, before taking a deep breath and grinning. "Y-yes, we did. A brat, similar to the one we're stuck trailing. We dealt with her quickly as well."
Zinnia was quiet for quite a few seconds, and Butch wondered if she could sense the lie in Cassidy's voice. Fortunately, however, she spoke a moment later, a small level of warmth in her voice. "Excellent work. I'll be sure to let leadership of both interested parties know of your success."
"Really?" Cassidy asked. "Th-thank you."
"No need to thank me," Zinnia murmured. "Just keep up the good work. You will be resuming your usual tasks for the time being."
Butch sighed, and he noticed Cassidy looking frustrated as well. "You mean monitoring the brat?"
"The girl is an important target to keep an eye on. She has dangerous connections for either organization we remain connected to. Her own talent and skill has proven effective as well. Do not underestimate the importance of watching her, or the power that…'a little brat' may have." Butch noticed something strange in the way that Zinnia said that, as though she was amused by their plight.
"Yes ma'am," Cassidy muttered. "We'll keep up with our mission."
"Excellent." Zinnia paused a moment, and Cassidy moved to click the transmitter off once they were dismissed. She had one more thing to say, however. "Before we end this conversation, I believe it's important for you to know the operation that took place today."
Butch leaned forward excitedly. "What is it? You're sure we can know?"
"For Team Archaic you can't know as of yet. For…the glory of Team Rocket, you should be aware, however." Zinnia hesitated, and Butch almost had the sense she was worried about something. "This mission has become more dangerous. Not just for the people of Hoenn, but for our friends in Kanto as well."
"So Darwin has gotten more powerful?" Cassidy asked. "Was there some kind of weapon in the Desert Ruins?"
"Do you remember what was in Island Cave?" Zinnia's voice was tense, and Butch could sense the importance in what she was telling them.
"Regice…so what you're saying…"
"He's attempting to acquire all the titans," Zinnia said, voice going lower. "I don't believe just as weapons. He's powerful enough on his own to overwhelm most enemies."
Smeargle edged forward, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "If legendary Pokemon are being acquired, and not as weapons, then what on earth could he be getting them for?"
"Think about it yourself," Zinnia said. "To gain power, surely he desires more power. If legendary Pokemon are not enough, then what else can they be used for?"
Smeargle looked uneasy, and Butch and Cassidy stared at him, curious what he thought it could be. "To create a weapon."
"Correct. Darwin and Team Archaic are gathering the titans as a power source. A power source for a different weapon. A weapon they believe will be more powerful than the legendary titans combined."
Author's Note:
Dun dun duuuuun! And we are officially back! Team Archaic is now confirmed to be acquiring the titans, and for more than just raw fighting power. What could they be plotting? And as for Sadie, well...we know she's not lost in the sand. So what's up with her? All to come in due time...hopefully less than two years.
On that note, let's address the elephant in the room. I've been gone a long time, yes. Had some personal stuff come up, got busy with things, etc. Another factor, though, is lack of feedback. The views on the story are actually fairly decent. I expect they'll take a hit after the long time off, but nonetheless, for those who do read, I would really appreciate at least the occasional review from time to time. Let me know what you're interested in, what questions you have, etc. If I don't have that, there's much less reason to sacrifice time to trying to bring this story to life. So, I'll be honest. I'm going to give it my best shot to be consistent, but for those of you who are reading, I need some feedback from time to time. If not, I'll have to cancel the story. If it does come to that, I'll still upload a detailed outline for those who remain interested so we can still see what Bonnie does in some fashion, but hopefully it doesn't come to that.
But anyway, let's hope this is the beginning of the next stage of our adventure with Bonnie. See you next time with chapter 35!
