Author's Note: This fic has now 100 reviews! Shout out to Viroro-kun for writing the review #100!
Chapter 17:
Meeting Dragons
Route 4 – Baa Grasslands
Seeing Comet Cave filled the group with ambivalent feelings: on one side, after the long trek through Baa Grasslands, they were happy to finally leave the route behind, not only for change of scenery, but because the long route made them feel they weren't making any progress, and a new location washed such feeling away.
But on the other hand, the memory of Passage Cave was still recent in their minds, and they didn't feel like going through that experience again. And no, Davern's words didn't make them any confident that this cave would be any better. The fact that Theo had been banned from entering the cave alone, plus the Ranger they could see watching the entrance didn't inspire them any confidence.
As they got closer, Serena pulled out her tablet, and looked what the net had to say about Comet Cave, not wanting any nasty surprises. She frowned a little when she saw that most of the Pokemon that inhabited Comet Cave were almost the same they also lived in Passage Cave –though she was forced to concede that it was logical–, but her expression perked up when she reached the section that talked about the cave's points of interest.
"Hey, hear this out, guys," Serena said, reading aloud. "Despite the lack of unique Pokemon, Comet Cave is a popular spot among both trainers and researchers, given its large quantity of fossils of prehistoric Pokemon hidden beneath its walls and ground. It's also one of Tandor's many places where Mega Stones can be found."
"Mega Stones and fossils? That's great!" Ash said, pumping his fists. "With some luck, we might find some in our way!"
"It would be cool if we did. Though, it's not that we aren't going to get any mileage out a Mega Stone, given that none of us has Keystones," Clemont pointed out.
"Hm, that's a problem," Ash said, placing a finger under his chin. "But given how many people in Tandor use Mega Evolution, they must getting them from somewhere, right?"
"Theo, given that you're from here, do you know where one can get a Keystone?" Clemont asked the redhead.
Theo mimicked Ash's expression as he tried to recall such information. "I think I heard the old man saying something about a Mega Evolution Master on East Tandor... maybe from him?"
"The old man?" Bonnie repeated.
"Professor Bamb'o," Theo specified.
"Is he even that old?" Serena asked. "The guy said he just finished his thesis! He can't be older than thirty five."
"Then how is that he guy never seem to get my name right, huh? Old or young, the guy's senile!" Theo hotly countered.
Before the argument on Bamb'o's mental health could develop any further, the group finally arrived to the cave's entrance, and a Ranger guarding it. Said Ranger was a broad shouldered man with curly red hair, and a thick moustache of the same color. Next to him was an Aggron. The Ranger smirked upon seeing the group, his brown eyes fixed on Theo.
"So, you're back, laddie? Hehe," the Ranger laughed. "You bring some pals with you now, I see."
"Yeah! So you can't stop me from passing!" Theo said, almost gloating.
"Hey, don't get mad at me, kiddie. I don't make the rules, only enforce them," the Ranger said, shrugging. "You may be a large group, but you better be careful in there."
"Is it that bad?" Clemont asked. "I mean, to ban people from crossing the cave alone..."
"There has been some seismic disturbances recently. As you can imagine, the Pokemon inside aren't exactly calm and relaxed," the Ranger began to explain. "It's better to have a travel buddy so you can help each other in hairy situations. And if something awful happen to one of you, the others can tell us so we can mount a rescue."
Serena nodded with a hum. "Guess it makes sense."
"My advice would be to get to the other side as soon as possible. If you're like those people coming here to find Mega Stones or something like that, better come sometime later, when things calm down," the Ranger warned them.
With that, the group entered the cave.
…
If there was one thing that Comet Cave was better than Passage Cave on, it was its size. While the latter had several chambers connected by narrow tunnels that made navigating the cave a bit of a hassle, the former and current cave was much more spacious.
There were also many flourescent teal-colored crystal formations growing across the walls and the ground, providing a dim but nontheless useful illumination, which would make crossing that cave all the easier.
"Whoa, look at those glowing crystals!" Bonnie ran to see the crystals better. Her eyes were twinkling with the light. "So pretty!"
"Bonnie, don't get away from us!" Clemont shouted. "Remember what the Ranger said! Let's stay together!"
"Yeah, better stick together. We don't want anybody to stray away from the group," Serena added.
"Come on guys, don't be such a stick in the mud. You can still see me, right?" Bonnie replied, as she continued to admire the crystal.
"Can't you just take a picture or something?" Theo impatiently asked. "Come on, I want to get out of this cave as soon as possible!"
Huffing a little, Bonnie returned to the group, and they continued their march across the cave. Just like the their trip through Passage Cave, all they needed to do was move north, and they'll find an exit that would lead them to Route 5. Even if the cave branched into many paths across the middle, in the end all those paths converged on that same exit, so there was no danger of getting lost. Apparently, the only danger came from the wild Pokemon living in the cave.
For some time, they walked in silence, which was broken only by the sounds of water drops falling from the stalactites, as well as the current from small underground rivers that crossed the cave. Strangely enough, they didn't see nor hear any Pokemon.
Eventually, the group arrived at a large chamber, with several tunnel exits. Also, aside from the teal crystals, amethyst-colored glowing crystals dotted the ground as well.
"Whoa, there are even more colors here!" Bonnie almost squealed as she went to check the new crystals.
"So, which one should we take?" Ash asked, looking at the different tunnel exits.
"We have no way of knowing which one will lead to the exit the fastest, so we'll have to pick one at random and hope we chose right," Clemont said, a little discouraged. "I think I'll have to work on something to help us navigate a cave."
"Yeah, no. It will explode as usual and cause an avalanche," Bonnie deadpanned, as she continued to admire the magenta glowing crystal. As she continued gazing into it, she noticed that the rock the crystal was growing from had some strange hole inside it. Moved by curiosity, Bonnie was about to poke the hole with her finger, when all of sudden, a pink eye opened inside the hole. "AHH!" Bonnie yelped, falling on her butt.
"Bonnie?" Clemont asked. "What's wrong?"
Then, as Bonnie crawled back to the group, the alleged rock grew four tiny rock legs, which it used to completely unbury itself from the ground.
"Com, comite!" the rock said, its voice sounding like a deep buzz.
"Wait is that... a Pokemon?" Ash asked, as he, Serena and Theo pulled their Pokedex and scanned the rock-like Pokemon.
"Comite, the Meteorite Pokemon. Rock. It can retract its legs into its body and appear to be an ordinary rock. Stories say they arrived on an asteroid." The Pokedex explained.
"So you tell me that now," Bonnie deadpanned, looking annoyed at the Pokedex.
"That's so cool! I think that Pokemon can make a great addition to my team!" Theo said, as he unclipped a pokeball from his belt. "The Pokedex said it was a Rock-type, right? Then Lunapup will make short work of it! Come on buddy!"
"Theo, wait-" Ash tried to warn Theo, but the younger boy already threw the pokeball forward, releasing the Ground and Fighting-type puppy.
"Lunapup, Brick Break!" Theo ordered.
"Arf, arf!" Lunapup happily barked, as he charged towards the Comite, and delivered a vertical chop with a white glowing paw that send the Rock-type Pokemon stumbling backwards.
"Yes! Direct hit!" Theo cheered.
"Com, com, comiiiiiiiiite!" Comite buzzed, almost sounding like a cry of pain.
"Cry all you want, nothing will stop me from catching you!" Theo said, throwing a punch for added emphasis. "Lunapup, follow up with Bulldoze!"
Lunapup was about to follow his trainer's command, when he was distracted by a rumbling noise coming from many directions. Looking around, everybody saw how the dozens of rocks the magenta-colored crystals were growing from began to shake as if they were alive, before each also sprouted four tiny legs, and turned around in order to gaze the intruders with their single eye.
"Com!"
"Comite!"
"Mit!"
The Comite's angry buzzing caused Theo's bravado and excitement to instantly vanish, his face losing a good chunk of color upon realizing how vastly outnumbered he was.
"That's what I was trying to warn you about! Pokemon living in caves tend to form large groups! If you attack one, more will come to their aid!" Ash hotly explained.
"See? This is why you always need to be more careful!" Serena added.
"Com, comite, mit!" the Comites began to buzz angrily as they closed in on the group. Theo fearfully took a step back, while Lunapup growled at them, while standing protectively in front of Theo.
"You... you guys are going to help me deal with them, are you?" Theo asked, knowing that not even using all his pokemon at once would be enough to match the enemy's numbers.
"We were going to help you, just stay calm," Serena grumbled, a pokeball already in hand. "Pancham, go!"
"Eletux, go!"
"Orchynx, I choose you!"
"Pika!" Pikachu jumped onto the ground, ready for battle even if Ash didn't tell him to.
As the capture devices released flashes of white light, soon Lunapup was joined by two of the three Tandor starters, as well as the small Kalosian fighting-type.
The Comite began the attack, unsurprisingly with a bunch of Rock-type moves, most of them being basic Rock Throws, though Ash could see an Ancient Power there. Pikachu and Pancham leaped forward, breaking the coming stones with a powerful Iron Tail and Arm Thurst, respectively, shattering the incoming projectiles.
They followed with more varied and unexpected attacks coming from cave dwelling Rock-types, such as Charge Beam, Shadow Ball, Psybeam and Signal Beam, a combination that no single move would be allowed to counter. No single move bar one.
"Sylveon, use Protect!" Serena said just as she threw a pokeball forward, releasing her second captured Pokemon.
The moment Sylveon materialized on the ground, her eyes glowed with a faint while light as she generated a green semicircular green barrier around both herself and her friends. The incoming attacks crashed against the sudden barrier, causing Sylveon to wince, but the barrier held long enough to stop said attacks.
Ash couldn't help but feel a little surprised by these Pokemon's arsenal: in Ash's experience, cave dwelling Rock-types like Geodude, Aron, Roggenrola, and Tandor's own Barewl often favored physical moves, usually of one or two types, at least those in the wild. But these Comite were far more versatile than the average cave dweller Rock-type. Maybe Theo had the right idea in wanting to catch one.
Though, right now, he should focus on beating them rather than catching one.
"Time to counterattack! Orchynx, use Energy Ball! Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Ash commanded.
"Eletux, Water gun!" Clemont joined in.
The combination of powerful yellow lightning bolt, a green sphere of plant-like energy and a powerful stream of water crashed against multiple Comite gathered in front of them, resulting in a multi-elemental explosion that sent them flying in multiple directions.
Seeing Ash and his friends in action, Theo recovered some of his lost bravery. Or maybe it was his pride warning him about the potential shame of freezing with shock when everybody else was able to fight.
"Our turn, Lunapup! Use Earth Power!" Theo said.
"Arf!" Lunapup jumped into the air, his front paws glowing with a golden light, before he landed pawfirst into the ground, releasing an underground shockwave towards the group of Comite. The seismic shockwaves knocked some Comite back, but others began to crackle with electricity, and much to Theo's shock, levitated into the air, avoiding the attack.
"What the... what the heck is THAT!?" Theo protested. "The Pokedex didn't say they could fly!"
"That's Magnet Rise," Clemont identified the move. "An Electric-type move that allows the user a small measure of flight or levitation."
"Are you kidding me!?" Theo asked, thrusting both arms exagegratedly. "There are Pokemon who can do that?"
As Theo wasted time voicing his thoughts, his Lunapup was lifted into the air by a Confusion, and painfully slammed against a stone wall.
"Lunapup!" Theo cried.
"Focus on the battle, Theo!" Serena told him. She then saw another barrage of multiple attacks heading their way. "Sylveon, Protect again!"
"Veon!" Sylveon cried as she once again erected a green curved barrier, blocking most of the attacks. Unfortunately, the second time in a row Protect wasn't as sturdy as before, and the barrier flickered a little before disappearing, allowing the last three attacks to pass and hit the Fairy-type.
"Sylveon!" Serena cried. "Sylveon are you okay?"
The few Comite that had used Magnet Rise took advantage of their new mobility, and circled the humans and their Pokemon pelting them with multiple Rock Throws, Charge Beams and Psybeams, forcing them to scatter around the chamber. Unfortunately, Bonnie ended up the furthest from everybody else.
"Bonnie!" Clemont cried.
"Don't worry, I'll get her!" Serena offered, being the one closest to her. However, when she tried to run towards her, she almost zapped by a Charge Beam launched by a flying Comite, forcing her to halt. "EEP!"
"We can't fight them on both ground and the air!" Ash said, as he pulled out another pokeball. "Let's even the odds! Aveden, I choose you!"
The pokeball opened, releasing a mass of bluish white light that coalesced into Ash's first Tandorian Pokemon, his wings spread and ready to face the enemy.
"Ave, aveden!" the Bliss Bird Pokemon cawed.
"Aveden, use Mirror Shot against those Comite! Aim for those levitating!" Ash commanded.
"Aveden!" the blue bird cawed, as he opened his beak, forming an orb of silvery light, before said orb exploded into an energy beam of the same color that barreled towards a nearby floating Comite, blasting it backwards. He then fired more beams towards the other Meteorite Pokemon, who did their best to avoid the super effective attack, but weren't used to move through the air as Aveden was.
That got the flying Comite out of their hair, but left those on the ground. And it seemed they didn't want them to reach Bonnie, because the moment Serena continued running towards the younger girl, a trio of groundbound Comite quickly got in her way. Pancham and Sylveon, trailing behind her, prepared to fight them. However, it proved to be unnecessary when said Comite were blown away by a powerful barrage of Razor Leaf, clearing the path.
"Thank you Ash!" Serena said.
"Thank you? Why did you-" Ash was about to ask, when a loud noise came from afar, drowning his voice.
GROOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRR!
Suddenly, the Comite stopped fighting, and froze in shock, causing the Pokemon of Ash and his friends to stop fighting as well. For a few seconds, a deafening silence reigned supreme, before all the Comite suddenly scrambled for the nearest tunnel exit, running as if their lives depended on them.
Which proved to be an accurate statement, because not a second had passed since the Meteorite Pokemon began to run when the entire cave began to violently shake, as large chunks of rock began to fall from the ceiling.
"An earthquake!" Theo yelled.
Serena, Bonnie and their Pokemon tried to rejoin their male friends, but when they tried to get close, a multitude of rock chunks fell from the cave's roof in front of them, blocking their path.
"Serena! Bonnie!" Ash cried, also trying to get close to her, but unable to due the falling rocks.
"This chamber is collapsing! Fall back!" Clemont shouted.
Both groups ran in the opposite direction of the falling boulders. After a few seconds that felt neverending, the quake ceased, and so did the falling rocks. Unfortunately, there was now a large barrier of rocks separating Serena and Bonnie from their male friends.
"Serena! Bonnie!" Ash yelled again, his voice appeared muffled from the other side of the rock wall. "Are you okay?"
Serena looked at Bonnie, who appeared shaken but otherwise unharmed. "Yes, we're okay!"
"What do we do now?" Bonnie asked. "Can you guys remove the rocks?"
"It would take quite a lot of time. Plus, I'm seeing a lot of cracks on the chamber's walls and roof. If we do that, it might collapse completely," Clemont's voice explained.
"Then what are we supposed to do? We can't go back, the tunnel we came from is on your side!" Bonnie protested.
"Is there any other tunnel exit?" Ash asked.
"Just one," Serena replied, looking at the lone way out of her side of her chamber.
"We know all paths lead to the northern exit. You take that one, we'll take another, and we'll eventually meet at the exit. What do you think?" Ash suggested.
"It sounds like the best idea at the moment," Serena agreed. "Alright, we'll see you at the exit."
"Take care of Bonnie, Serena. And Bonnie, stay close to Serena and do everything she says, okay?" Clemont asked.
"Don't worry Clemont! We will be fine!" Bonnie assured him.
"We better start moving. We don't know how long this tunnel can go on," she then turned towards her Pokemon, standing next to her. "You guys better return to your pokeball and- huh?"
Serena blinked a couple times, upon realizing that there was a Pokemon next to Pancham and Sylveon. A Pokemon that was neither hers nor her traveling partners', but a familiar one nontheless; a bird-like Pokemon with green grass-like feathers that walked on four legs.
"C-Chicoatl?" Serena asked in shock.
"Chico!" the Green Chick Pokemon happily chirped.
"What are you doing here?" Serena asked, as she returned Pancham and Sylveon to their pokeballs. "Have you been following us?"
"Chi?" Chicoatl asked, tilting her head quizzically.
"Hehe, guess that, despite all the troubles with Selkid, Chicoatl liked us so much she wanted to tag along!" Bonnie happily said. Then, a realization hit the blonde. "Wait, that Razor Leaf from before! It wasn't Ash's Orchynx, but you, right?"
"Chi, chicoatl!" Chicoatl chirped and nodded.
"Guess we should count ourselves lucky that you decided to follow us," Serena said, taking a look at the wild Pokemon. She then looked at the tunnel exit, and a feeling of unease washed over her. "Come on, let's not waste anymore time. It may be wishful thinking, but maybe we'll be able to reach the other end of the cave without further incidents."
Serena walked towards the tunnel exit, followed by Bonnie and Chicoatl.
…
Ash, Clemont and Theo wasted no time and took the closest tunnel exit.
"Alright, let's keep a good pace, and try not to fight any wild Pokemon until we reach the exit," Ash began, taking the lead. "Once we reach it, we'll try to clear the area of obstacles so Serena and Bonnie have an easier time reaching us."
"Who died and made you boss?" an annoyed Theo asked.
He was promptly shut up by Ash and Clemont's very unamused stares.
"Since you're a guest in our group, the least you could do is not being a hidrance for the rest of us," Clemont said, fixing the younger boy with a hard stare. "If you didn't rush to fight that Comite so thoughtlessly, we wouldn't be in this situation. Now Serena and Bonnie have to fend off by themselves!"
"Hey, don't blame me for that! It wasn't me attacking those stupid rocks what caused the cave to collapse!" Theo protested. "Didn't you hear that roar before it happened? I'm sure whatever roared caused it!"
"Theo has a point," Ash intervened. "Though, that means that whatever made the cave quake is still out there, and it might do it again. So all the more reason to move as quickly as possible."
"Pikapi!" Pikachu nodded.
"What are we going to do if we find the thing that's causing the quakes?" Theo asked, his voice having a small edge of fear.
"I don't know. But that's the more reason to avoid unecessary fights," Ash warned. "Our Pokemon can't fight forever, so let's make sure they're fresh for the battles we can't avoid."
…
Meanwhile, in another side of the cave, Serena and Bonnie continued their trek, followed closely by Chicoatl. They had encountered a few hostile Pokemon that attacked her, such as a bunch of Tonemy or a lone combative Dunsparce, but nothing Serena's Pokemon couldn't handle. Though, after some time, they didn't encounter anymore hostile Pokemon. The girls decided to enjoy the respite as long as it lasted.
And the moment of peace allowed Serena to tackle a certain topic.
"So, Chicoatl," Serena began, drawing the attention of the bird-like Grass-type. "Not that we don't enjoy your company but... is there any reason for why did you decide to tag along?"
"Chic?" Chicoatl asked, tilting her head once again.
"Like I say, don't get me wrong, I don't mind that you decided to tag along," Serena continued. "It's just that... well, after what happened between you and Selkid, it's kind of unexpected that you want to spend more time with us."
"Coatl," Chicoatl replied, her body shifting in a way that made her look like she was shrugging.
"Maybe she liked having other Pokemon to sing with. Even if Selkid didn't get along that well with her," Bonnie surmised.
"Chic, coatl!" Chicoatl chirped in agreement.
"Really?" Serena asked, genuinely surprised.
Suddenly, a roar echoed through the tunnel, causing the two girls and lone Pokemon to freeze with shock. Bonnie yelped, and clung to Serena's leg, while Chicoatl also huddled with the two girls.
"It's that thing again! It's going to bring the cave down!" Bonnie cried, buring her face into Serena's side.
"N-No, it's not. This one sounds a little different..." Serena said, trying to steel herself, mostly from Bonnie's sake.
The roar was heard again, and this time it seemed to be closer. Bonnie dared to open her eyes, and saw the huge shadow of a horned being projected on a nearby wall illuminated by the fluorescent crystals. "AAAAAAHH! It's here!" Bonnie yelled, as she hid behind Serena, who took a pokeball with a trembling hand.
Then, the shadow began to shrink little by little, until whatever was projecting it finally came into view: a rather cute four legged, dinosaur-like Pokemon, no bigger than Sylveon with dark blue skin, and a cloak of white fur with teal spots covering its head and back, obscuring its eyes. Two stubby brown antlers poked out of its head, going through the fur cloak.
"Huh? That's it?" Bonnie asked, now feeling a little embarrassed for crying in fear of such a small and cute looking Pokemon.
"Weird. The guide didn't say anything about a Pokemon like that living in this cave," Serena said, as she pulled out her Pokedex to scan it.
"Fafurr, the, Antler Pokemon. Ice/Dragon. This Pokémon's shaggy coat keeps it warm in freezing weather. They are sought after by hunters for their silky fur."
The Pokedex also said that Fafurr's habitat was the icy mountains of East Tandor. Does this mean that this Pokemon has been taken away by Team Omega, but somehow escaped? After all, the Pokedex did say they were valuable.
"Fafurr? Did you find something?" a new voice said, this one belonging to a male human.
And coming from the same tunnel as Fafurr did, an old man emerged. Despite his age, the man was tall and had an imposing build. He was wearing a dark blue cloak that covered his entire body, complete with a hood, that obscured most of his face, except for part of a very thick gray beard. On his left hand there was a long staff of black metal, topped by the stylized head of a dragon.
"Oh," the man said, upon seeing Serena and Bonnie. "I wasn't expecting to find any travelers here. Especially ones as young as yourselves. What are you doing here, young ladies? This place has become quite dangerous as of late. Especially for somebody too young to be a trainer," the old stranger said, laying his unseen eyes on Bonnie.
"We didn't came here alone. There was a quake, and we got separated from the rest of our friends," Serena explained. "We hope to get together with them at the exit."
"I see. In that case, allow me to escort you two to the exit. I can't, in good conscience, leave you two alone in such a place like this," the old man offered.
Serena took a moment to weigh his offer. What if this stranger was somebody shady? Like a Team Omega member? Even if Serena didn't get any bad vibes from him, it wasn't like her intuition was infallible. Then again, if this man had ill intentions, he would have acted on them already, no need for her to lower her guard. Besides, he was right that this cave was too dangerous to traverse without the company of another trainer.
"Alright. Thanks for your help, um..."
"Oh, where are my manners? Here I am talking with you, and I didn't introduce myself," the man said, before pulling his hood back, revealing his face, which was mostly covered by a gray beard. Even his eyes were obscured by thick eyebrows of the same color. "My name is Vaeryn, son of Einryn. At your service."
"Hello. My name is Serena. Um, daughter of Grace?" she awkwardly added, trying to match the archaic way the man used to introduce himself. "And this is Bonnie."
"Daughter of Meyer!" she chimed in. Then, she showed Vaeryn Dedenne. "And this is Dedenne, son of... another Dedenne, I guess?"
"A Dedenne..." Vaeryn said, looking at the Antennae Pokemon with interest, stroking his beard. "That's not a Pokemon you can see around these parts."
"Hey Dedenne, how is that you never told me about your parents?" Bonnie asked.
"Nenen?" Dedenne shrugged.
"We aren't from here. We're from Kalos," Serena clarified.
"Kalos... ah yes. One of my daughters went there for her honeymoon. She spoke rather glowingly of the region," Vaeryn said, smiling a little under his beard. "She insisted her mother and I should visit it, but alas, I never seem to find the time to do so. But I digress. I see there's a member of your little group you have yet to introduce," Vaeryn said, motioning to Chicoatl.
"Oh, Chicoatl isn't our Pokemon. She has been following us around," Serena explained. "Not that we mind her company."
"She's been following you? All the way from Baikal Jungle?" Vaeryn asked. "You must had made quite the impression on this little one to inspire her to follow you for so long."
"Baikal Jungle?" Bonnie asked.
"Yes. That's the place where her kind lives. Didn't you come from there?" Vaeryn asked.
"We come from Burole Town. We found Chicoatl on the Baa Grasslands, on our way here," Serena told him.
"Hmmm, I , I ponder, what might have caused this little one to stray so far away from her home?" Vaeryn mused to himself. "But that's a question for another time. I'll escort you to the exit. Fortunately, I've been on this cave many times, and I know it like the back of my hand."
With Vaeryn leading them, the group continued walking, Serena and Bonnie feeling a little relieved over this kind stranger making their trek through the cave a little easier. They walked in silence for a few minutes, until Serena opened her mouth to speak, her curiosity pushing her to learn more things about their new companion.
"Say, sir, are you from East Tandor?" she asked.
Vaeryn turned at her. "What makes you think I'm from there?"
"Your Fafurr," Serena pointed at the small Pokemon walking besides Vaeryn. "The Pokedex says that they can only be found there."
Vaeryn chuckled. "Yes, that's true. But maybe I just visited East Tandor in the past, and during my stay there I caught this Fafurr."
"Oh. Yes, you're right..."
"But to answer your question, yes, I'm from East Tandor. From the north, to be precise," Vaeryn clarified.
"And what are you doing here, then?" Bonnie asked. "Looking for Mega Stones or fossils?"
"Sometimes I do come here looking for Mega Stones, but not today. In fact, today I wasn't even planning to come here," Vaeryn said, leading the girls into a chamber with two possible exits, and headed towards the leftmost one. "I was supposed to meet with a Pokemon Professor at Comet Port, north of here. But then I heard from the Rangers about something, or someone, that was disturbing the peace of this place, so I decided to come here first and see if I could do something about it."
"A Pokemon Professor? You mean Bamb'o?" Bonnie asked.
Vaeryn shook his head. "Nay. Said Professor is not from here. In fact, if I recall correctly, I believe he's from Kalos as well," he chuckled. "Such a coincidence, huh?"
A Pokemon Professor from Kalos? Could it be Sycamore? But if that was the case, what was he doing here? Then again... Mega Evolution was pretty big in Tandor as well.
As Serena pondered over that, they continued walking. They could hear the roar of running water, probably from another underground river. Said roar could be hear cleaer and clearer the more they moved, until they found an obstacle they wouldn't be able to traverse.
"Oh," Vaeryn sheepishly said. "This... wasn't here the last time."
Much to their surprise, they found their path was blocked by a river of torrential water. There was no way of telling how deep it was, and the speed of the water would make it impossible to waddle through it.
Bonnie turned angrily towards Vaeryn. "I thought you said you knew this place like the back of your hand!"
"And it's a statement I stand by," Vaeryn replied. He stroke his beard. "Hmmm... the quakes must have brought an underground river to the surface, or maybe falling rocks formed an impromptu dam that diverted the course of a river. Though, the question is, how are we going to cross it?"
Serena tried to think in a solution. Maybe have Braixen use her psychic powers to levitate them to the other side? Nah, that would be asking too much of her. Have Pancham create a bridge with Stone Edge? She didn't know if the attack could reach the river's floor, and even if he could, it wouldn't be very safe. If Ash was here, maybe Greninja could...
"Hey, wait a minute," Serena said, grabbing one of her pokeballs. "I know how we can cross. Selkid, go!"
Serena opened the pokeball while keeping it on her hand, releasing her first Tandorian Pokemon. Selkid looked at her, expecting orders, before she noticed Chicoatl. The Green Chick Pokemon looked at her, but Selkid averted her gaze.
"Selkid, can you use Ice Beam to freeze the water and create a bridge?" Serena asked.
"Sel, selkid!" Selkid agreed.
It took her a few minutes, but after several Ice Beams, Selkid had created a bridge of ice solid enough to resist their weight without crumbling, and in no time, they were able to reach the other side.
"Yay, we crossed! Thank you Selkid, you were awesome!" Bonnie praised.
"Sel.." the Sea Nymph Pokemon rubbed the back of her head sheepishly.
"Yeah. Good work Selkid," Serena said. "Better keep you outside. We might need your help again."
"Your Selkid looks well trained. And she appears to have enough trust in you, something that's not easy to achieve, as Selkid are naturally distrustful of humans," Vaeryn observed. "May I ask how did you catch one?"
Looking at Selkid, Serena recalled how they met. "Long story short, I rescued her from a bunch of Pokemon traffickers. Team Omega. Have you heard of them?"
"Aye. I heard of them from the Rangers. The idea that such despicable people that treat Pokemon in such vile ways tainting my beloved region with their presence fills me with disgust," Vaeryn said, his voice acquiring a dangerous edge.
"I wanted her to return to her home in the sea but... well, she preferred to stick with me," Serena explained.
"And it seems that that Selkid isn't the only Pokemon affected by such a magnetism, if this little one is of any indication," Vaeryn said, motioning at Chicoatl. Then, he looked at Selkid again, more specifically, her tail. "Is that a Mega Stone tied to her tail?"
"Yeah. Those traffickers wanted to sell her alongisde a Mega Stone. She liked the Mega Stone, so she uses it as an accessory," Serena told him.
"Yes. Pokemon are naturally drawn to their Mega Stones, even if they haven't reached the evolutionary stage where Mega Evolution is possible," Vaeryn mused. "And given that you're from Kalos, I assume that you also possess a Keystone?"
"Well... to tell the truth... no, I don't," Serena said, feeling a little embarrassed for some reason. Not that she had to, it's not that every Kalosian trainer uses Mega Evolution, right?
But apparently, that's what Vaeryn thought. "You don't? That's mostly odd. My daughter told me that trainers of Kalos are rather fond of Mega Evolution, almost as much as the good people of Tandor."
"Well, that's true, but as you can see, it doesn't apply to every Kalosian trainer," Serena said sounding a little more defensive than she intended.
"I see. My apologies if I crossed a line with my words, my intentions were far from ill," Vaeryn sincerely said. "But, given that you have a Pokemon capable of Mega Evolution with the matching Mega Stone... would you be interested in acquiring a Keystone? I'll understand if you don't, but I can't help but feel it would be such a waste of potential if you didn't."
The Kalosian girl pondered over the question. Truth be told, Mega Evolution wasn't something that drew her interest in the past, given that none of her Pokemon were capable of Mega Evolution. Though, now that it was no longer the case, then the offer was worth considering.
"...yes, I'd like to get a Keystone," Serena admitted. "Problem is, I don't know where I can get one."
Despite his thick beard, Serena could see Vaeryn's lips curving into a smile. "In that case, let me tell you about this Mega Evolution Master that hails from the same town as I do, who gives Keystones and Mega Stones to those trainers he deems worthy of them..."
…
"Owten, Confusion!" Theo ordered.
The eyes of Theo's Owten began to shine with a blue light, as glowing outlines of the same color appeared around the swarm of Tonemy around them paralyzing them in place.
"Colarva, Powder Snow!" Ash shouted.
"Eletux, Electroweb!" Clemont ordered.
Colarva exhaled a gust of extremely cold wind from his mouth, while Eletux fired an orb of yellow electricity from the bulb of his longest tail, which turned into an electric net mid flight. Both attacks slammed into the immobilized Tonemy, knocking some of them out. When the effect of the Confusion disappeared, the remaining Tonemy quickly flew away from there, letting out high pitched squeals of terror.
"Yeah! Take that! That's what happens when you mess with the mighty Theo!" Theo boasted.
"Those Tonemy weren't that big of a deal. The ones we had to face in Passage Cave came in greater numbers," Clemont said as he returned Eletux to his pokeball.
"Even then, its for the best if we keep fighting wild Pokemon to a minimum," Ash said, returning Colarva as well. "Given how long we've been walking, I believe we must be pretty close to the exit. But I could be wrong."
"Pika!" Pikachu energically said, as if stating he'd fight no matter what.
Ash was going to say something, when they were interrupted by a crackling noise, followed by a flash of light. Theo's Owten, glowing brightly, began to grow in size and change its shape, turning into a completely new Pokemon.
"Shou!" the evolved Owten cried.
"HELL YES! About time for one of my Pokemon to evolve!" Theo cheered, before he pulled his Pokedex. "Alright, let's see what you are..."
"Eshouten, the Observer Pokemon. Normal/Flying. They are shy and elusive, found only at night around mountains. Their incredible eyesight allows them to see clearly up to a mile away," the Pokedex droned.
"Congratulations, Theo!" Ash said, slapping the younger boy on his back. "Seeing one of your Pokemon evolving for the first time is an unforgettable experience."
"And soon the rest will follow," Theo proudly said. "Now take a good rest, Eshouten! You deserve it!" he said, before returning his newly evolved Pokemon to its pokeball.
"Alright, let's-"
GROOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRR!
There it was, that terrifying roar again, echoing through the cave. And this time, it sounded to be much, much closer. And just like it happened before, the entire cave began to shake. Small peebles and some sand fell from the roof. The three boys paled.
"RUN!" Ash yelled, snapping the other two out of their horror, the three of them quickly rushing forward.
As they ran, they crossed paths with several Pokemon, also running away in a mad dash, neither party paying attention to each other. As they ran through several tunnels, they reached a large chamber with a single exit that sloped upwards. The exit was illuminated by dim sunlight. Such sight filled the hearts of the three boys with hope.
"There's the exit!" Theo triumphantly said, as he pointed forward.
"What about Serena and Bonnie? We can't leave without them!" Clemont said.
Before Ash could say anything, the ground beneath their feet literally exploded, throwing the three boys backwards, as a massive, two-headed orange skinned serpent emerged from underground, letting out a deafening roar.
Ash looked up to the threatening figure of a Terlard towering over him and his friends. Given Ash's previous experience with such Pokemon, encountering one wouldn't have merit any reaction if it wasn't for the fact that this Terlard was, at the very least, twice as big as the one Ash fought on Passage Cave. Which proved to be a formidable opponent.
"Ash! What... what is that thing!?" Clemont asked, dragging himself away from the giant beast.
"It's a Terlard! I saw one before, but this one is so much bigger!" Ash said, helping Clemont back on his feet.
Terlard roared once again, making the chamber violently shake.
"Ahhh...aaaahhh...AAAAAAAAAHHHH!" Theo screamed as he ran away, disappearing through the tunnel they had crossed to enter the chamber.
"Theo! Where are you going!?" Ash shouted.
But Ash's thoughts were interrupted by the giant Terlard, letting out another ground-shaking roar, before one of its heads breathed a torrent of purple and amethyst dragon-shaped energy blast at Ash and Clemont, forcing the two boys to jump out of their spots. Ash immediately unbuckled a pokeball from his belt.
"Ash! Don't tell me you're planning to fight that monstrosity!" Clemont shouted, his whole body quivering in fear.
"What other option do we have? I don't think he is going to let us leave if we ask him politely," Ash said, before tossing his pokeball forward. "Greninja, I choose you!"
The capture device opened up, releasing Ash's best choice for this kind of opponent, who looked up at his large foe, and slipped into a fighting stance.
Seeing Greninja seemed to soothe Clemont's fear a little, as he managed to regain some composure, picking up a pokeball as well. "I guess that... Terlard? Is a Ground-type, right?"
"Ground and Dragon," Ash replied.
"None of my Pokemon are very suited for a Pokemon like that, but I think this one might be able to assist Greninja to some degree," Clemont said, tossing the pokeball as well. "Eevee, I choose you!"
Eevee emerged from the mass of light released by the pokeball, ready to battle. But the moment he saw the titanic Pokemon in front of him, his fur bristled in terror. "EVOI!?"
"I know it looks big, Eevee! But don't worry, you won't be fighting it head on!" Clemont told his second most recent Pokemon. "Just let Greninja fight and help him whenever you can!"
"Ev..." Eevee said, not entirely convinced.
"Greninja, Ice Beam!" Ash ordered.
Greninja nodded, and cupped his webbed hands, forming an orb of icy energy between them. Thursting said hands upwards, the orb exploded into a focused beam of ice that smashed against one of the Terlard's heads, which cried in pain. The other head, meanwhile, fired another Dragon Pulse at Greninja, who was forced to cancel the attack and jump sideways.
"Water Shuriken!"
This time, Greninja formed a mass of water between his hands that quickly took the shape of a four pointed star. The moment the attack was formed, the Ninja Pokemon tossed it upwards. The attack flew towards one of the heads, exploding into a torrent the moment it made contact. Terlard cried in pain once again.
"Yes! Good one Greninja! Keep going on!" Ash cheered his Pokemon.
Terlard's two heads pierced the Ninja Pokemon with a fierce glare, and the eyes of one of them began to glow green. Then, to Ash and Clemont's surprise, a pair of glowing green vines burst from under Greninja's feet, wrapping around his legs and tying themselves in a knot. Greninja struggled, tried to move, but the vines kept him firmly in place.
"What the... that Pokemon can use Grass Knot?" Ash asked in shock.
The other head looked upwards, and summoned a multitude of rocks, floating above it. The head motioned downwards, sending the barrage of rocks towards the immobilized Greninja.
"Eevee, cut those vines with Iron Tail!" Clemont ordered.
"Ev!" Eevee cried, rushing towards Greninja as his tail glowed with a silvery light. He then jumped, and bringing down his metallic tail like it was a sword, it cut down the Grass Knot binding Greninja to the ground.
Greninja quickly picked up Eevee and dashed out of there before either of them could be buried under the brutal Rock Slide. Ash then noticed that the eyes of one of the heads were glowing green again.
"It's going to use Grass Knot again!" Ash shouted. "Greninja, Double Team!"
Suddenly, the chamber was filled by two dozen Greninja copies, just as a second Grass Knot formed around one of them, dispelling it. Both Terlard's heads growled in confusion, before going for another Rock Slide, bombarding the area below them in order to get all the fakes in one swoop.
"Ash, let's attack at once, one head each!" Clemont suggested, his voice alost drowned by the thundering noise the boulders crashing against the ground made.
"Very well!" Ash nodded. "Greninja, Ice Beam towards the right-side head!"
"Eevee, Shadow Ball towards the head on the left!" Clemont followed.
Once again, Greninja fired a beam of powerful freezing energy towards one of the heads while Eevee shot a sphere or darkness towards the other. Both attacks connected, resulting in explosions that produced clouds of white mist and gray smoke, respectively. But when they dispelled, the heads only appeared to be a little more hurt than before. And a deal bit angrier.
"Wow. This Pokemon is truly something, isn't it? But I should have assumed it would be a challenge given its size," Ash said, before he threw a punch upwards. "Then again, you still haven't seen our full power! Come on Greninja! Let's beat it TOGETHER!"
…
On another side of Comet Cave, Serena, Bonnie and Vaeryn were running through a tunnel that, hopefully, should lead them to the exit, with Fafurr, Selkid and Chicoatl trailing behind. At least that's what Vaeryn had assured them. They heard that horrible roar again, and just like before, chunks of the roof began to fall off. It looked at is the cave would collapse entirely anytime soon.
"Keep running!" Vaeryn urged. "The exit is in the chamber just ahead of us!"
"Let's hope you're right!" Bonnie replied, agitated.
The cave shook again, followed by another roar, one that sounded to be really close.
"Vaeryn, I think we're heading towards whatever is making all that noise and causing the quakes!" Serena told him, worried.
"It may be. But this path is our only exit," Vaeryn stated.
"And what are we going to do if that thing is waiting for us?" Serena asked.
"It isn't obvious? We battle that beast," Vaeryn said with grim determination.
Leaving the tunnel, the trio entered the chamber, where, indeed, the responsible of the quakes was there.
"WHOA!" Bonnie cried in shock, instinctively hugging Dedenne. "How is that Pokemon so big?"
"That Terlard is truly big, indeed," Vaeryn said, seemingly unsurprised at its size. "It must be the culprit behind the quakes, which are putting the rest of the Pokemon of this cave on edge. It needs to be pacified before it brings the whole cave down."
The two headed serpent in front of them was a Pokemon Serena hadn't seen before, at least not in person. However, she remembered when Ash told him about his fight against such Pokemon in Passage Cave.
"Did Ash fight such a big Pokemon all by himself?" she mentally wondered.
Serena was snapped out of her thoughts by Bonnie's loud voice. "Look! There are Ash and Clemont! They're fighting it!"
"Then again, you still haven't seen our full power! Come on Greninja! Let's beat it TOGETHER!" Ash said, seemingly not noticing the newc arrivals.
"GRE!" Greninja shouted, crossing his arms in front of his face as a spiraling tower of water formed around him. Inside said tower of water, Greninja began to transform. The water then began to recede, condesing in the shape of a shuriken on Greninja's back, revealing the Kalosian water type's empowered form.
"What... what was that?" Vaeryn asked mostly to himself, his voice soft and full of awe, his eyes hidden behenath his thick eyebrows focused on Greninja. "Did that Pokemon just Mega Evolve? But... no, it didn't look like Mega Evolution..."
"Greninja, Water Shuriken!" Ash commanded.
"Eevee, Shadow Ball again!" Clemont followed.
Greninja grabbed the Water Shuriken stuck to his back, and tossed it towards one of the Terlard's heads, while Eevee fired an orb of darkness towards the others. Each of the heads countered the attacks by using Dragon Pulse, not only nullifying them, but tearing through them, forcing Greninja and Eevee to jump away.
"Come on Selkid! We need to help Ash!" Serena said. "Ice Beam!"
Selkid opened her mouth, firing a beam of icy energy at the colossal Pokemon, hitting one of its heads, which cried in both pain and surprise. This drew Ash and Clemont's attention towards her and her group.
"Serena!" Ash shouted.
"Bonnie!" Clemont shouted almost at the same time. "You're okay!"
The head that took the Ice Beam shook the frost that formed around it, and glared at the tiny Water and Fairy type. Its eyes began to glow green.
"Serena, watch out-" Ash tried to warn.
"Sel!?" Selkid cried as a pair of green glowing vines emerged from under her feet and tied in a knot around her, leaving her immobilized on the spot.
The Terlard head that was looking at Selkid conjured more floating boulders above her, before it let them fall. Serena panicked, watching in horror how Selkid, who was still struggling with the Grass Knot, was about to be buried alive under tons of rocks.
"Greninja, Night Slash!" said Ash's voice.
"Eevee, Iron Tail!" Clemont shouted as well.
Greninja and Eevee leaped in the direction of the falling boulders, the former with a sword of darkness forming on his hands, the latter with his tail becoming rigid and glowing with a metallic sheen. The two Pokemon managed to smash and cut the falling boulders before any of them could touch the Sea Nymph Pokemon.
Unfortunately, they didn't have the chance to help any further, as they were forced to run in different directions to avoid the Dragon Pulse from the other head.
Serena finally snapped from her shock, and realized she needed to help her Pokemon as soon as possible. But before she could take a step, a green blur blitzed past her. "Huh?"
Her brain took a second to process Chicoatl rushing towards Selkid, her glowing beak spinning like a drill, using it to tear the vines holding Selkid in place to shreds.
"Sel?" Selkid asked, surprised at the Grass-type's help.
"Chico!" Chicoatl happily chirped.
Relieved that Selkid was no longer a sitting Ducklett, Serena's eyes moved towards the two headed giant beast that occupied most of the chamber. That thing was able to match Ash-Greninja in terms of power, and its two heads allowed it to keep its attention to multiple opponents. Beating it would take more than mere brute force.
"We need to distract the heads, but how...?" Serena murmured, the gears in her head turning, until they produced a result. "I have it! Selkid, quickly, use Sing!"
Selkid nodded, and as Greninja and Eevee drew attention of the two heads to themselves once again, took a deep breath and began to sing as loudly as possible. The attack manifested in the form of ethereal musical notes that slowly flew towards the the Terlard heads, but they didn't seem to have any effect on it.
"Serena, it's not working!" Bonnie pointed out, worried.
"Selkid's voice isn't powerful enough to reach such a big Pokemon," Serena realized, clasping her hands. "But how could we...?"
Before she could finish her ruminations, Chicoatl walked next to Selkid, and began to sing alongside her using Grass Whistle. Rather than the more cheerful and fast melody she sung back in the forest, she made an effort to match Selkid's slower and more melodious song. The floating musical notes grew in size and acquired a green glowing outline. The two Terlard heads appeared to grow tired and drowsy upon hearing the soothing duet.
"Yes! Now it's working!" Serena cheered, beaming at Chicoatl. "Thanks a lot, Chicoatl!"
"Come on Ash, Greninja! Hit it hard right now!" Bonnie hollered.
Ash nodded, and fixed his eyes on the sleepy Terlard. "Come on Greninja, Water Shuriken! As big as you can!"
Greninja grabbed the Water Shuriken from his back, placed it above his head, and willed it to grow almost thrice its original size, before launching it at the two headed beast.
"Selkid, Ice Beam on the shuriken!" Serena ordered.
"Sel!" Selkid cried, firing another beam of chilly energy at the flying four pointed watery star, freezing it white. The frozen shuriken smashed against the two heads, bursting into thousand ince shards, while the Terlard heads cried in pain.
Ash smiked, victory at hand, and pulled out an empty pokeball. "Now, let's-"
But before Ash had the chance to capture the giant Pokemon, the ground began to shake again, threatening to trip those around Terlard, as the two-headed Pokemon quickly burrowed underground. Once its body was completely buried, there was another rumble that hinted that the Pokemon was moving somewhere else, until the quake stopped completely.
"Huh? Where did he go?" Ash asked, looking around.
"Somewhere else. Probably its lair or another safe place where it can lick its wounds," Vaeryn said, as he walked forward. "Congratulations for such a magnificent victory over such a mighty adversary, son. The two of you, as well as Serena, formed an incredible team."
"Thank you, uhhhh..." Ash began.
"Vaeryn, son of son of Einryn. At your service," the man said, making a reverence.
"Hi. My name's Ash...uh, son of Delia," Ash said, scratching his cheek, as Pikachu shook his head. "That's Clemont. Son of Meyer. And I guess you know Serena and Bonnie."
"Nice to meet you, sir," Clemont greeted him.
"It was a mostly fortuitous chance that our paths crossed, though one that I do not lament, for it allowed me to witness such an spectacular battle," Vaeryn claimed, his voice full of vigor. "Though, young Serena told me that there was another boy in your group... Thomas, mayhaps?"
"IT'S THEO!" Theo's voice shouted from the tunnel he had disappeared into, causing everybody to turn towards it. The redheaded boy's head peeked from behind a wall. "Uh... is that giant monster still here?"
Clemont shot the younger boy an unimpressed stare. Not only did he ran away, but he didn't even go that far, meaning that he could have helped them deal with that Terlard. "Yes, you can come out now. The chance to prove yourself a hero is long gone," the inventor deadpanned.
"W-Well, it's not that I wanted to be one!" Theo protested, clenching his fists, matching the disappointed stares of his temporary traveling companions with an angry glare of his own. "I only traveled with you guys because I wasn't allowed to enter this dumb cave alone! And since the exit is there, I no longer have to trail behind you! And you should leave as well before that monster comes back!"
And with that, Theo stomped towards the cave's exit.
"What was that, Theo? Oh yes, you're very welcome! No need to thank us for letting you travel with us," Bonnie said in a mocking tone.
"That's quite an... interesting kid," Vaeryn said.
"Guess that's one way to put it," Serena said.
"Hey Serena," Ash said, noticing another newcomer besides Vaeryn. "Is that the Chicoatl that we met on the forest a couple days ago?"
Serena looked down at the Grass Chick Pokemon, and smiled. "She is. It seems we made quite an impression on her, given that she decided to follow us all the way here. If it wasn't for her, we wouldn't have been able to subdue that Terlard for Greninja to finish it off for good."
"Hey Serena, why don't you catch it?" Bonnie suggested. "They may have started with the wrong foot, but Chicoatl and Selkid made quite the amazing team!"
"Chico!" Chicoatl proudly chirped.
"Sel..." Selkid sheepihly cried, looking down. However, much to her surprise, Chicoatl affectionatedly rubbed her head against Selkid, as if trying to comfort her.
"Yeah. Chicoatl didn't follow us. She followed you," Clemont added.
Serena then knelt down, and looked at Chicoatl's black beady eyes. "It is true, Chicoatl? Do you want to travel with us? Would you like to join my team?"
"Chi, chico!" Chicoatl happily chirped once again.
Serena smiled, and rose to her full height. She pulled out an empty pokeball, and gently tossed it at Chicoatl. The Green Chick Pokemon was absorbed into the capture device, which dropped to the ground, and dinged without shaking even once, signaling a succesful capture. Serena then picked the pokeball and showed it to her friends.
"Ta-da! I caught a Chicoatl!" she cheered.
"Awesome!" Bonnie shouted.
"Congratulations, Serena!" Ash happily said.
"Now you have a full team!" Clemont pointed out.
Serena then looked at the pokeball fondly, almost feeling her newest Pokemon inside it. "Welcome to the team, Chiocatl."
"Alright. Now we should probably leave this cave and continue our journey. Theo was right about one thing, that Terlard might come back," Ash told the others, who nodded in return.
Vaeryn then took a step forward. "Pardon me for asking this, young man, but would it be okay for me to travel with your group, at least until I reach my destination?" the old man asked.
Ash smiled. "Sure thing. It seems you've been helping Serena and Bonnie when they were on their own, but even if you didn't, I see no reason to turn you down."
"I'm also okay with Vaeryn coming with us," Serena added.
"He can't be a worse companion than Theo, that's for sure," Bonnie said, crossing her arms.
"Excellent," Vaeryn said, smiling under his beard. The four children and the single adult then headed for the exit. "Because, until we reach my destination, I have quite a few questions about that Greninja of yours..."
Author's Note: Ah, I've been dying to get to this chapter, given that it has quite a few important events.
First of all is Serena catching Chicoatl. The original plan was to have her catch Chicoatl the previous chapter, but given that she didn't spend that much time with Chicoatl (plus how Selkid antagonized her), the capture didn't feel natural. That's why I had Chicoatl follow the group, mostly because of Serena, so the two of them could spend more time together and make her capture have more emotional weight. So yeah, like Clemont said, Serena has now a full team, and she won't catch anymore Pokemon.
The second is Vaeryn's introduction. If you played the game, you'll know why he's important. I also had a lot of fun writing him with a Lord of the Rings-esque way of talking, which I feel it suits him.
For those who haven't played the game, yes, you also travel Comet Cave with Theo (since no one is allowed to enter alone the first time you visit it because of how aggressive the Pokemon inside are), Theo does runs away the moment the Terlard shows up (I made the Terlard giant (or an "Alpha", given PLA) since Ash already fought and defeated a normal Terlard before), but, unlike here, you never see Theo again until later, since several falling rocks caused by a quake prevent you from following him, or backtracking at all. Oh, and you don't meet Vaeryn until much later, but I made him appear here because of a little something I have planned for the next chapter ;)
Thanks to cricketlaxwolvesbandy, iacopo passerini, DryBonesKing , Fox McCloude, hirowriter, Guest and Viroro-kun for reviewing last chapter. And thanks a lot to Viroro-kun for his help on this chapter, whose edits and suggestions made it so much better.
I guess that's all for the time being. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and don't forget to leave a review with your thoughts!