Note- Over two months without a chapter... I know that sounds bad, BUT, ya boi has put in some work over the summer and knocked out 3 chapters, not counting this one. As a teacher, August is always absolute chaos for me, and I wanted to make sure I had a stockpile that I could upload even during the first hectic month and a half of school. Weekends are about my only chance to work on this story throughout the school year, barring breaks. Also, Chapter FIFTY?! WOOOOO! I know counting spin off chapters we passed fifty a while back, but still! It blows my mind that you guys have stuck with Chris and the Crew though these years (and that I've managed to commit to a seven year writing schedule thus far)! Thank you all from the bottom of my heart! But enough of our world! Let's get back to business! Chris has just finished earning his seventh badge! He's got his eyes set east toward Blackthorn. All that stands between him and the final Gym are a route, a cave, and the Gym Leader! I'm sure none of those three things could possibly surprise a trainer as genius and on top of things as Chris Aedan. Today, we'll see just how smooth the ride begins! Hope you enjoy! Please Review and Subscribe!
Chapter 50
"Spike Cannon!"
The surface of the pond exploded as Corsola breached, her back barbs already fixed on the rocky outcropping lining the beach. But as her barrage of energy spikes blasted the rocky shore, Corsola realized that her opponent had already darted to the stone wall that stood beside the body of water.
"Quick Attack!" Chris directed.
Eevee jumped and spun 180 degrees. His feet found the wall behind, and he let his forward momentum compress his body against the rock. In a flash, he'd launched himself back into the air like a coiled spring. His tackle landed on his airborne foe, propelling her back into the pond.
"Now, Swift!"
Chris' anxiety continued to grow, even as the flurry of stars sliced through the water's surface. The feeling refused to leave until Corsola finally floated back to the surface.
"Amph'!" the Light Pokémon cheered.
Eevee had a pair of bruises on his side and a cut above one eye, but he looked ready to go another round. He noticed his trainer approaching and caught sight of the young man's smile.
Chris nodded back to the wall. "Nice improv," he said. That drew a big grin from the Normal-type but he never had a chance to reply.
"Shit, man," the opposing trainer said, slapping a hand on his shoulder. "That was a good battle. Makes me glad you didn't go with Gyarados!"
"It was a good one. And it's just cool to meet someone else who competed in the Whirl Islands Tournament."
"For sure. Seeing Wallace there did more to inspire me than if I'd won the whole damn thing!"
Chris nodded. "Let's keep working to get to that level, man. I'm hoping to see ya come Silver Conference time."
The slightly older trainer pushed back his long, blonde hair and gave him a salute. "I've only got Morty and Whitney left to beat, so you can book it!"
As the man made west for Ecruteak City, Chris' eyes turned to study his own path. The dirt road stayed due east for another couple miles before bending north around a line of trees. This stretch played host to a multitude of wild battles, none of which proved to be too difficult. Many of their challengers proved to be younger, less experienced battlers. It made the trainer wonder where and why the stronger creatures had laid off them. Whatever the cause, it took a dozen or so battles for the team to finally pause their trek for a late lunch. They settled beside a spring, not unlike the sight of Eevee's most recent victory. This body of water ran south, crossing beneath a low wooden bridge, and slid its way under one of the numerous hills that lined the route. Chris looked up at the late afternoon sky and announced, "Looks like it'll probably be night before we make it to Ice Path's entrance."
That didn't seem to bother his teammates. Nidoking had already devoured his portion and now occupied himself with chasing Ampharos around. Despite it coming from a place of admiration, Ampharos seemed perturbed at having her conversation with Eevee interrupted. She managed to lose him in a cluster of trees and returned to stand behind her trainer. Chris put down his half eaten sandwich as the Drill Pokémon came sprinting back.
"It's awesome to still see you with this much energy," Chris told him. "Hopefully we'll get to use it in our last Gym Battle. So how about we save some till then?"
The Poison/Ground-type let out a nervous laugh and nodded. "Nido'."
Chris looked over his shoulder at the Electric-type. "He's been gone for a few weeks. Can you forgive him for missing us?"
Despite her best efforts, a small smile slipped onto Ampharos' lips. "Amph'."
So much for taking a break, Chris thought. He went for his sandwich but found its bag missing.
"Ty'!" the Fire-type warned.
"I'd heard Azalea Town produced good peanut butter," an all too familiar voice announced, "but this honey has nothing on Floaroma Town's."
Sarah sat atop the blanket where Chris's possessions lay. He watched as she downed the last of his lunch. The ground began to rumble as he scrambled over to stand between her and his approaching Gyarados.
"It's okay! I know her!"
"Gya'?" the creature hissed, nodding toward the empty bag in her hand.
"That's… a bit of an issue. But let me handle it." He turned to face Sarah, who hadn't moved, and now carried an amused look on her face. "If you'd asked nicely, I'd have given you some Pokémon chow."
"Guess I made the right call in not asking."
Chris brought both hands up. "Who just walks over and starts eating someone's food?"
She shrugged. "Sorry. I guess I'm just used to traveling with a group. That communal habit can be so hard to break."
"Obviously they never taught you manners."
"No need for insults. And for that matter, there's no need to hold a grudge either."
"A g—a gru—" Chris couldn't even get the words out. He stopped and took a moment to rub his temples. "Fine. I forgive you for eating my lunch."
"Thank you," she replied, beaming at him. "So would it be too much to ask if you had anything to wash this down with?"
"Good to know you also take advantage of other's kindness outside of battle." Chris took a deep breath and reached into his pack.
"I'm joking," she said, pulling a canteen from a side pouch in her backpack.
The breeze around them saw a temperature spike, signaling Typhlosion's approach. The Volcano Pokémon's normally reserved expression bore a frown. Sarah noticed him and turned to look over the rest of Chris' team.
"Quite a crew you've got here," she said. "Though I don't see your other doubles partner."
"Getting used to his evolved form, competing in all those tournament battles, and winning us our seventh badge warrants a well earned break."
Sarah snapped her fingers. "So you've earned seven badges!"
Chris sighed. "The tournament's over. You don't need my gullibility anymore."
"What on earth are you talking about? We still have the Silver Conference ahead of us. That's the one that really counts!"
Chris couldn't argue that. A quick glance of their immediate surroundings showed no Pokémon beside his own. "I guess that's why you don't have any of your team out, right?"
"Not necessarily," she said, taking a swig from her container. A Poké Ball twirled atop the index finger in her free hand. "I'm looking to keep my team fresh for what's to come."
"Ice Path?"
She nodded.
"I've always heard it's rough this time of year," Chris said. "And I'm already not big on the cold."
"I keep reminding myself that this won't have anything on Sinnoh. Route 216 and 217 are uncrossable tundras this time of year."
"Then why are you so worried about your team?" Chris asked.
"Because they've never experienced Sinnoh's chill."
Chris blinked. "Oh… that's right." He glanced back at the path. Gyarados had truly listened to his trainer and now slithered up the distant stream. With the afternoon sun having melted almost every patch of the previous day's snow, the current rolled like a mighty river. "Why didn't you compete in the Sinnoh league?"
Sarah shrugged. "Something different."
"That's it?"
"Does there have to be a major reason?"
"I guess not," he conceded. "I just figured it might have something to do with Seth."
"Nah," she replied. "I will always care and cherish Seff', but not to the point that I'd change my plans. We both came here for different reasons."
"I see." Chris said. He chewed on his lip for a moment, then forced words through, "Can I ask you something?"
"Do I have to give a truthful answer?"
The Cherrygrove native had to hold back a curse. "Would you be so kind?"
"Ask away."
He dropped down to a squatted position to look the trainer in her eyes. "Before our battle, you told me you had a game plan. What was it?"
Sarah took a deep breath. Her gaze found Typhlosion, who had continued to watch her intently. A moment later her eyes were back on Chris. "You know we may still battle in the Silver Conference, right?"
"Why are you and Seth so freaking secretive about everything? Is this some kind of Sinnoh thing?"
"Why are you so open and gullible? Is that a Johto thing?"
Chris held up a hand. "Sorry. That was uncalled for." He dropped down to begin packing up his supplies and let his gaze drift to a set of small, smooth stones between the two trainers. He took a breath and let the truth come back out. "I'm just wanting us to get better. I know we can be. We're on the verge of something big, I can feel it. But the only way we make that breakthrough is by fixing what needs improved."
"Some self reflection always helps me."
"I've thought on it, but there are a couple dozen mistakes I come across every time. Seth told me you were great at picking people apart once you'd discovered their weaknesses. I don't want you to give me a battle breakdown; I'm just asking for something that helped you game plan against me."
"Ya know," she said, a smirk surfacing, "for someone you don't trust, you sure feel comfortable asking me for advice." When Chris didn't snap back a reply, she sighed. "I guess you could start incorporating items in battle."
"Prinny mentioned that too."
"The guy who won the tournament?"
Chris nodded.
"Well," Sarah said, standing back up, "sounds like you don't need any advice from me. I lost to the guy that lost to him!"
Chris put away the last of his gear and rose to his feet without breaking eye contact. "You were willing to risk getting DQ'd to help me evolve Scizor. There aren't a lot of people who would have done that in the spur of the moment. Why help me then and not now?"
Sarah bit her lip and averted her gaze. This didn't deter the young man's stare. He heard Typhlosion's approaching footfalls and waved him to a halt.
"Getting you… to evolve Scyther was part of my strategy."
Chris waited for anger to rise into his chest, but a dull, numb understanding was all that bubbled up. "Scyther had a type advantage over both your teammates," he finally said. When she didn't reply, he continued, "You knew Scyther wouldn't be able to fully adjust to his evolved form in time for our battle. And his new typing would take away his advantage and replace it with a quadruple weakness to Infernape."
"That… pretty much sums it up."
Chris began to chuckle. His snickering soon turned into open hysterics. He turned away from Sarah and repeatedly pounded his fist against his chest.
"Are—are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Chris managed between breaths. It took a few more seconds before he'd composed himself. "I just realized how ignorant I was during that whole affair. I knew you had hinted at me evolving Scyther, but I never in a million years would have guessed it to be from a self serving place."
"Hey, I'm just trying to—"
"Let me finish," Chris interjected. Sarah's eyebrows rose but she gave him a stiff nod. "You wanted me to evolve him so you'd have a competitive advantage. It's not really any different than scouting a future opponent. You wanted to make sure you knew what you were up against and had the appropriate counters in place. I can respect that."
Silence settled between the two. Sarah never moved or turned away. The two trainers stayed as they were, ignoring the cool breeze that suddenly whipped up around them. The chill vanished almost as quickly once Typhlosion had stepped to his trainer's side. Chris reached out and patted his starter on the shoulder, then scooped us his backpack and walked away. He'd nearly made it to the main path when she spoke.
"Your Typhlosion looks frustrated."
That brought him to a halt. He turned and found his starter had not moved. The Fire-type loomed over the shorter trainer but never ignited his shoulder flames.
"He hates losing as much as I do," Chris explained.
"Would he want another shot at Infernape?"
A wave of heat sliced through the cool air as fire burst to life around the Volcano Pokémon's neck. The sudden temperature spike reminded Chris of the glowing inferno they had encountered north of the Lake of Rage.
"I guess there's my answer," she said, flashing a Poké Ball in her hand. "We'll give you your rematch, but not until we've made it through Ice Path."
"Why not now?"
She pointed east. "Because we're going to need healthy teams and as much fire power as we can muster. Subfreezing temperatures and icy terrain aren't to be taken lightly."
Just a few months prior, Chris would have objected to this fearful notion. But after getting lost and beaten down in Mt. Mortar, he had gained a new perspective and respect for rugged terrain and its equally tough Pokémon. Kamon's final suggestion also echoed through his mind.
"Alright," he relented. "That's fair."
That brought an end to Typhlosion's flames, though the fire starter still carried an agitated look. Chris waited until he'd returned to his side to address him.
"We've got our rematch booked. Let's use the time before to make sure we're ready."
"Absolutely not."
"It's just one Bellsprout!"
"And his six buddies hiding in the shadows of the trees."
With the sky washed in the evening's orange glow, the trainers and Chris's team stood on the far eastern section of the route. To their left lay a patch of woodland. Eevee had been sniffing around the area and had surprised a Bellsprout.
"'Vee!" came the Normal-type's warning.
The Flower Pokémon came at Eevee with a glowing leaf appendage raised high.
Chris tried to mask his grin. "Looks like we have no choice!"
"Whatever."
"Quick Attack!"
Eevee had closed the distance before Bellsprout had even brought her glowing leaf down. The Normal-type drove his body into the thin, root-like physiology of his foe. The Swift attack that followed put the Flower Pokémon back on his non-existent heels. And as Eevee began to charge up a Shadow Ball, the Grass/Poison-type decided to cut his losses and booked it back to the tree line.
Chris turned to Sarah. "See? Was that so—"
"'VEE!"
A rumbling in the ground drew Chris' eyes back to the tree line. He nearly yelped at the sight of over a dozen charging Weepinbell.
"Need me to handle this?" Sarah asked.
Chris shot her a glare before turning to Typhlosion. The Volcano Pokémon stepped forward, flames pouring down his back, with a fierce scowl on his face. As he reared back, his trainer realized his retreating Eevee was still in the line of fire.
"Hard right turn with Quick Attack!" he yelled.
The Normal-type did just that and still barely made it out of the blast zone. The flames spread wide, far wider than any Flamethrower the fire starter had ever executed. It consumed the short brown grass in an instant, hissed against the bank of the nearby pond, and reached hungrily for the woodland. Chris spun to find Gyarados to compress the flames, but a flash of light near the pond gave him pause.
"Muddy Water!"
The calm pond suddenly went vertical as a large wave crested at its bank. The wall of water crashed over the grassland, mixing with its mud, and slammed against the front line of trees that had just caught fire. What Weepinbell hadn't been driven back by Flamethrower were seemingly carried away by the rushing water.
Chris turned from his defeated foes and found a brown and pink slug floating on the now shallow pond. He recognized it as a member of the the Gastrodon species, though its pink underbelly threw him off.
"Is that a shiny?" he asked.
"What?"
"Your Gastrodon—the last one I saw had a blue stomach."
Sarah rubbed at the lines across her forehead. "No," she replied. "You're thinking of the East Sea form."
"Wow. So they can vary that much even in the same region. Then again, Sinnoh is so dang big—"
"Are we just going to ignore the fact that your teammate nearly started a wildfire?"
Chris did a double take. "What?" That prompted Sarah to motion toward their surroundings. Every inch of grass from his stoic starter to the treeline simmered beneath the shallow pool of muck. Small fires still burned in several places, including higher up on the front row of trees. "Oh." It took him another few seconds to gather himself and call for Gyarados's Waterfall to snuff out the last of the flames. But before the Atrocious Pokémon could get far, a series of well placed Mud Bombs from Gastrodon had ended the affair.
With crisis averted, the trainer went to his starter's side. "You okay?" he asked.
Typhlosion nodded but said nothing.
"I was surprised to see you lose control of your fire. It's definitely not like us, especially after all our focus on accuracy."
"Ty'."
Chris eyed his unmoving starter for a moment longer before patting him on his shoulder. "We've gotten a lot stronger. We have to make sure we keep ourselves in check or else others could get hurt." With that, Chris returned to Sarah. "You want to travel a bit further before we make camp?" he asked.
"Maybe just another half mile," Sarah answered.
"'Bell!"
The trainers turned and found a lone creature standing atop the burned, muddy battlefield.
"You gotta know when you've lost," Sarah called to him. "There are a lot of trainers that'll be passing through here soon. Save your energy for them."
"Weepinbell!" the creature retorted. And then, the Flycatcher Pokémon began to charge.
"You better not waste a ton of energy cleaning up your mess," Sarah warned Chris. "Just have Typhlosion end this quickly."
"Don't worry," he assured her, "this should be…" he stopped as the Grass/Poison-type drew close. The wild creature approached in spite of the myriad of scrapes, bruises, and burns that littered his body. The stem atop his head still burned bright with Typhlosion's flame. The sight stirred something within the young man from Cherrygrove. He waved his starter back and brought Eevee up. "Let's finish what we started!"
Both of Sarah's hands went up. "Why on earth—"
"Quick Attack!"
A vine whipped out from beneath Weepinbell's left leaf and caught Eevee mid tackle. The Normal-type's face found the ground an instant later.
"Hang tough!" Chris encouraged as Weepinbell flung Eevee back with another vine barrage.
"Just use Typhlosion already!"
"We've got this!" Chris called. His eyes darted between his recovering teammate and their adversary, who had just released a toxic cloud that could only be Poison Powder. "Let's turn things around with Shadow Ball!"
Eevee just managed to charge and get off the attack as the toxic cloud bore down. The black energy sphere burst through the powder—destabilizing it—and found its surprised foe.
"That's all we needed! Now, Swift!"
Just as the flurry of stars were about to hit, a green liquid burst from Weepinbell's mouth and met them. Eevee's energy attack fizzled and vanished in an instant.
"That's a pretty strong Acid attack," Chris said. As the Pokémon stared one another down, he contemplated their next move. "Use your speed to get behind him!"
Eevee darted to the right to avoid another Vine Whip and managed to position himself behind his opponent. The Normal-type pounced toward him and unleashed another Swift attack. Rotating with help from his curved figure, Weepinbell was able to bat away the energy stars with a third Vine Whip. But as the two vines reached for their approaching opponent, Chris called for a Quick Attack. The green appendages grasped at air as Eevee blitzed and found Weepinbell's face with the crown of his head. The blow launched the Flycatcher Pokémon toward Chris but a Poké Ball met him halfway. The Grass/Poison-type dematerialized into a blob of red light and then vanished inside the capture device. The ball landed and began to shake.
"Really?"
Really? Chris silently also asked. He hadn't remembered even grabbing a Poké Ball. Not a single breath passed through his lips as the capture device rocked its way into the mud. It seemed almost surreal when the ball came to a stop. Had he just captured his eighth Pokémon? As he stepped over and knelt beside the device, he became aware of just how deeply it had sunk into the muck. It would be a nightmare to cle—
"Woah."
The trainer nearly fell into the sludge as the entire device suddenly took on a white glow. As he reached for it, the device shot out of the mud and vanished in thin air. As he slowly stood back up, he realized that Sarah had joined him.
"You haven't caught many Pokémon, have you?"
Chris began to laugh. "What gave it away?"
Both trainers returned all but their starters once night fell. The drenched firewood they collected proved to be adequate enough thanks to these two Fire-types. A slight breeze sporadically swept through but never managed to kill the camp's flame. There was, however, another flame on the verge of being snuffed out.
Despite teeming with energy from the unexpected capture, Chris found no outlet to unload on. Until they arrived at Blackthorn City, there'd be no way for him to officially welcome his newest teammate. The lone companion he did have sat beside him, but his thousand yard stare showed just how far away he really was. Meanwhile, Sarah and her Infernape sat as far away from him as was feasible given their equal reliance on the fire. Outside of a few words to her starter, the Sinnoh native remained completely silent. The dynamic made for a long, cold night.
The sunrise came early for the Cherrygrove trainer. When he went to wipe his eyes, he found his sleeping bag wrapped around him like a coiled Arbok. He tried to gently untangle himself but eventually tossed aside all tact.
Sarah groaned and sat up slowly. "What the hell are you doing?"
"Just shaking my limbs awake," he answered.
"If I'd known you spazzed out in the mornings, I might have reconsidered this arrangement."
Typhlosion had woken up as well, his trainer's furious movements having kindled the flames around his neck. Those vanished the moment he found Chris's eyes.
With its fuel source gone, the campfire had become little more than smoldering coals. Chris stoked these with a stick to spark a small flame and threw on a grin. "Want me to build this back up so you can cook breakfast?"
Sarah rolled her eyes and started rummaging through her bag. "No thanks," she replied. Infernape stepped over and took the food she withdrew. She then brought out something for herself. "We don't exactly have time to whip up something nice."
"It's just after dawn and we can't be more than a half mile from Ice Path. What's the rush?"
"There isn't one. I just don't want to waste any time when I'm this close to getting my eighth badge."
"I feel that," Chris said. "But Johto is worth your time. You'll miss out on some of its most beautiful sights if you just blindly rush through it."
Sarah turned and looked hard at him. "I can respect your love for Johto, but I don't have time to spend sightseeing."
Chris chuckled. "You sound just like Seth."
"It's one of the many reasons we became friends."
"Do you ever plan on slowing down?"
Sarah smirked. "Once I become champion, maybe."
"You'll have to get through trainers like me and Seth to get there."
"I've already handled you once," Sarah said, her smirk softening, "and Seth's aspirations are a bit different."
"How so?"
"You can ask him at the Silver Conference. Though, at this rate, we may not even get to Ice Path."
"Fine," Chris relented. "Just give me and Typhlosion a second to eat breakfast."
"I'm kind enough to give you a few."
After eating and packing up, they made their way east beneath the rising sun. At Sarah's behest, Chris's team did not engage in any battles, though he refused to keep them in their Poké Balls. This compromise did keep him on his toes. He had to pull his curious Eevee away from a combative creature on more than one occasion. After following the path's hard north turn up a steep hill, the trainers emerged on a plateau overlooking the route they'd just crossed. Their path from here seemingly ended with a massive wall of rock. They combed every inch of the flat bit of ground but found no branching routes around the formation. Instead, Sarah stumbled upon a large opening on the right side of the rock face. Nidoking beat his trainer to the opening, but immediately began to backpedal, nearly tripping over himself. Before Chris had even reached his teammate's side, a blast of arctic air struck his face and sent snot pouring out of his nose.
"Well," Chris said, dabbing at his nose with tissue paper, "we found it."
Sarah tapped the device on her wrist and brought it close to her face. "I talked with the locals and managed to get the mapped out path. I'd recommend you stick close to me."
"Let me return my team first." He did so, but kept Typhlosion out at Sarah's request. "Some added heat couldn't hurt."
"Deli'."
The chirp drew the trainers' attention to a hollowed out portion of the rock face overhead. A red and white blur dropped from the opening and landed with a soft thud at their feet. Sarah and Infernape jumped back, with the latter dowsing himself in a coat of fire. Typhlosion's flames also sprouted to life, but he and his trainer stood their ground. All eyes stayed fixed on the bag-wielding avian that stood before the Ice Path entrance.
"What… is that?" Sarah asked.
"Super freakin' rare," Chris answered, slowly bringing out his Pokédex. It nests at the edge of sharp cliffs. It carries food in its tail all day long. There are tales about lost people who were saved by the food it had.
Sarah couldn't hide her surprise. "That bag is its tail?"
As if on cue, the Delivery Pokémon reached into the hollowed out appendage. Chris shook his head in disbelief and leaned forward to receive the object Delibird had just withdrawn. "I didn't actually know that. Nature is—"
A flash of light blinded the trainer an instant before a concussive blast flung him backward. His stomach found the cold earth, followed by his face. Through ringing ears he heard the sounds of a scuffle. With the help of a furry leg that could only have belonged to Typhlosion, he managed to make it to a knee, blinking at the circular splotches of light that obscured his vision. As the haze cleared, he found Infernape engaged with the Ice/Flying-type. For his part, Delibird looked to be completely on the defensive. At Sarah's command, Infernape launched move after move at the scrambling creature. Making it back to his feet, Chris inched closer to the action. It wasn't until he had made it to Sarah's side that Typhlosion pressed forward to join the attack.
"Wait!" Chris called.
The Volcano Pokémon paused but gave his trainer an incredulous look. Sarah also held a perplexed expression. Chris ignored them and instead focused in on the Delivery Pokémon's waving wings. "I don't think he wants to battle us," he said.
"It's a little too late to be having second thoughts."
A memory fought its way through the trainer's aching skull. "Delibird can't always control what they bring out of their tail," he explained. "And their body naturally stores energy in there."
"You're saying he accidentally detonated that bomb in your face?"
"Maybe!" Chris shouted back. "He was hit too. Why don't we stop to—"
A loud whack snapped the trainers' attention back to the ongoing battle. Infernape's fist had found the side of Delibird's skull. The blow drove the Delivery Pokémon back and into the entrance to Ice Path. The trainers and their starters stared at the dark opening in the rock face in complete silence. Sarah and Infernape looked tense enough to jackhammer their own entrance. When no sight or sound of Delibird issued out, Chris stepped up to the opening.
"I think you scared him away," he said.
"Is that your way of saying thank you?"
Chris grimaced. "I hope your interpretation is right."
"Even if it wasn't," Sarah said, spraying a potion onto her starter, "I'd rather take no chances. Self preservation is a must inside these wild caves."
Deciding it wasn't worth a debate, the Cherrygrove native double checked his supplies and took a deep breath. As he went to step inside, Sarah reached out and stopped him. Her eyes were focused on something above his face. "What is it?" he asked.
"Your… toboggan blew off."
He reached up and ran a hand through his short hair. "Definitely going to need that where we're going," he said. Typhlosion reached his side a moment later, the cap on his extended leg. "Thanks, buddy." But even after he'd slid the toboggan back on, Sarah refused to lower her arm. "Did I lose something else?"
"Just wanted to get one last look at you," she said. "You know, in case we die in here." Then she and Infernape stepped through the dark opening.
Chris and Typhlosion followed a moment later.
The trainer was surprised to find the tunnel not completely devoid of light. He could dimly see both himself and Sarah in the glow from their fire starters' flames. He could also roughly make out the shimmering ice coating the nearby walls. But despite his frozen surroundings, he didn't find it much colder here than it had been outside. In fact, with no wind blowing and his close proximity to the Fire-types, it actually felt warmer.
"This isn't that bad."
Sarah said nothing. She and her starter began to move slowly down the narrow corridor. Chris and his teammate followed at a distance. The path soon took a sharp right turn but straightened back out soon after. As they walked, Chris continually threw glances up at the blackness overhead. He wouldn't be foolish enough to allow another wild Golbat to swoop down and knock him silly. But between his divided attention and the disorienting echoes, the trainer nearly walked straight into Sarah.
"What's up?" he asked.
"I thought I heard something."
"I'm not sure that's possible with all the noise we're making."
"The ground shook when I heard it."
Chris craned his neck forward and tapped a foot gently against the rock floor. He waited a few seconds but only heard the distant high pitched whistle of wind. "I want to say you imagined it, but nearly getting mauled in Mt. Mortar has me hesitant. We'll just have to be ready for a fight at all times."
"Which is precisely the reason I wanted you to keep your teammates fresh."
"We spent two months in a cave like this. A day or two of the cold version isn't going to wear us down."
Sarah and Infernape continued on, but this time at an even slower pace. The Sinnoh native walked with her arms out, the path narrow enough for her gloved fingers to run gently along the icy walls. The decision baffled Chris and pissed his growingly impatient Typhlosion further. As the Volcano Pokémon dropped to all fours and went to pass, Chris reached out and grabbed a shoulder.
"What's the rush?" he asked.
Typhlosion shrugged and rose back onto his hindlegs. The taller stance cast his fire light further down the corridor, revealing a small, approaching shadow.
"Incoming!" Sarah yelled.
Infernape sprung into action before any of the others could react. The flame atop his head revealed a pair of shuffling Swinub.
Chris breathed a sigh. "False alarm. It's just—"
"Overheat!"
Chris stumbled and nearly fell over Typhlosion as the small chamber filled with fire. Steam struck his face as the ice on the walls liquefied and instantly evaporated. When he'd wiped and blinked away the irritant, he found Sarah still in the same spot she'd been. Infernape now stood where the Swinub had, but the Pig Pokémon were nowhere to be found.
"Was that necessary?" Chris asked.
Sarah said nothing. She had her back to him and a hand on her belt. She motioned with her free hand and Infernape started forward once more. She followed a moment later. Chris went to follow but stopped shortly into his pursuit. Two charred blobs lay at his feet.
"Oh no." He dropped to a knee, his heart now in the pit of his stomach. He called for Typhlosion's light and braced for what it would reveal.
"Relax," Sarah's distant voice echoed. "Those are berries."
Chris looked back down and examined the charred objects under his starter's light. Even when fried, the blue tint and roundness of the Oran Berries was unmistakable. The trainer rose back to full stature, but his heart didn't quite make it there. Why were they carrying berries?
The next hour saw several more twists in the narrow corridor. With each new turn, Sarah slowed to a crawl and sent Infernape ahead to investigate. Chris and his starter followed them at what the former thought to be a safe distance, much to the latter's annoyance. The flames around Typhlosion's neck periodically flared up, creating and distorting all manner of shadow. With each flash of light, the Volcano Pokémon's scowl became more pronounced. Chris fought the urge to calm his teammate and instead focused his attention on the path ahead.
It wasn't long after that the corridor veered left and began a rapid descent. Despite moving toward the earth's center, the air only grew colder with each passing step. The plentiful ice soon had stretched out its jagged tendrils to cover every inch of rock. All in all, if felt as though they were on their way to the seventh level of the Distortion World. A sharp right turn nearly led to a collision between trainers.
"Do you see something?" Chris whispered.
Sarah pointed directly ahead. The combined light from the two starters revealed a much more open space just a few steps away. It only took a couple of cautious steps into the chamber to realize just how large the space really was. Their two light sources weren't strong enough to reveal the far side of the cavern or even the ceiling.
"Feels like I'm back with Kiyo," Chris murmured.
Sarah leaned in and whispered, "Can you see anything?"
"No, but these are prime spots to be ambushed in."
Sarah took a couple steps forward. "Then we'll just have to be—"
The sound of shattering glass rang out as a long, thin object crashed onto the ground in front of them.
"Overheat!"
The flames leapt upward and momentarily filled the chamber with light. Chris caught sight of two dark figures dashing across the frozen roof. Turning back to his already animated starter, he directed, "Aim your Flamethrower to the right of Infernape's attack." He kept his squinted eyes on the last spot he'd seen their potential attackers as Typhlosion's stream of fire smashed into the ice covered ceiling. The echoes of split ice bounced around the space as frozen stalactites splintered off and burst. When the twin assaults had ended, a moment of relative quiet settled over the chamber, interrupted only by the sound of dripping water.
"Think we got 'em?" Chris asked.
"Tough to say in a cavern this big," Sarah answered.
A small flash of light preceded Ampharos's appearance.
Chris grinned. "This might help with that."
"It would have been nice to have the Light Pokémon from the beginning." Despite her tone, she beamed at Ampharos. "So how about turning that light at the path ahead?"
With a nod, Ampharos brought her tail around and lifted its glowing red orb above her head. "Amph'!"
Sarah took a step back. "Oh, shit."
Over a dozen eyeballs shone back, their expressions taking on a menacing glow in the red light.
Chris fought to keep his voice steady. "I'll take the four on the left."
"Do you really think they'll stay uniformed?"
Chris took a step forward. "I'm going to have Ampharos use Power Gem to split them up. We'll have to keep up communication in case they do try to overwhelm one of us."
Sarah slowly came to stand on Chris's right side. "H—have you been in a situation like this before?"
Union Cave and Mt. Mortar popped into his mind. "Sort of," he answered. He took a deep breath and released it. "Alright, let's do this. Power Gem!"
Many of the eyes vanished as the wild creatures began to move. Ampharos flung her barrage of energy rocks into the darkness, drawing several shrieks. The air began to shimmer shortly after, pulling the temperature down further.
"Flamethrower!" Chris directed.
The ray of fire culled the incoming Icy Wind and momentarily revealed a trio of Sneasel approaching Sarah. In a flash, Infernape had repelled two of the creatures with a pair of Mach Punches. The light from Flamethrower vanished with Infernape still in search of the third Sneasel.
"Flame Wheel toward Sarah!"
Typhlosion wasted no time in sprinting toward the trainer. He'd nearly reached her when the flames from his shoulders finally swirled to encompass the rest of his body. The surging flame's light revealed Sarah's shocked face, as well as the third Sneasel behind her. She dropped to the floor as Typhlosion spun over her. The fiery tackle caught his surprised foe flush in the back, launching him back into the darkness. The Volcano Pokémon sprung back on his hindlegs before Flame Wheel's aura had vanished.
"'Phlosion!" The temperature spiked as his roar bounced around the open chamber.
That drew a smirk from his trainer. Probably still pissed about Kamon's Weavile, he surmised.
Something solid struck Chris's face, scattering his thoughts in every direction. He staggered back as a whooshing sound gave way to a follow up swing. A shadow obscured footfall didn't escape the trainer's ear. He brought both hands up and found the extended arm of some cold temperature creature. "Ampharos!" he called.
The Light Pokémon swung her tail toward him, revealing his attacker to be a Snover. Lowering his center of gravity, he swung the creature's arm over his shoulder. He spun away and pulled with all his strength. The weight and resistance of his foe vanished as Snover whipped over his shoulder and smacked the ground a short distance away.
Chris slammed his fists together. "Just wait till you fight somebody that can actually spit fire!"
"Amph'!"
The trainer turned toward the Electric-type… and found a seven foot tall wall of white before him.
"'Bama!"
"Oh."
A flaming bullet intercepted the Frost Tree Pokémon's fist and sent him back the way he'd come. The searing heat that struck Chris's face brought tears to his eyes and forced him to turn away. Blinking back the stinging liquid in his eyes, the trainer could make out a blue aura behind him. Through squinted eyes he managed to identify Infernape at the heart of a sphere of fire.
"You alright?"
Through the chaos, Sarah had somehow worked her way over to Chris.
"Think my eyebrows might be singed, but I'll live. How about you?"
She nodded but said nothing. A cut across her forehead glistened in the firelight. She looked alright otherwise.
A pair of frantic footfalls preceded Typhlosion and Ampharos's arrival. Ampharos brought a paw to Chris's cheek, drawing a dull throb the trainer knew would hurt once his adrenaline wore off.
He gripped her paw and slowly brought it down. "I'm good. More importantly, it's great to see to see you're alright." His gaze found Typhlosion's. The Volcano Pokémon had a pair of bruises on his neck and stomach, but nothing that looked overly serious. "How about you, buddy?"
The fire starter straightened up and gave a slow nod. As he turned away from his trainer, Typhlosion's eyes flickered toward the much shorter Fire-type. Despite winning in the height department, Chris knew this wouldn't be enough for his Pokémon's pride.
The sound of flapping wings drew everyone's attention to the darkness above.
"We need to keep moving," Sarah said. Her tightened jaw and serious expression looked gaunt in the fire light. Her shaking was all-too-noticeable beneath Ampharos's tail light.
Chris pushed that concern back as they began to walk once more. "Right," he agreed. With Typhlosion and Ampharos on each side, the faint outline of a wall grew more clear as they walked. "Hopefully we can find an offshoot that gets us out of this chamber ASAP. Is your tech still tracking our progress?"
Sarah nodded. "Lucky for you. I can't believe you were going to come in here without a map."
"Well…" Chris paused as memories of Mt. Mortar once again surfaced. "Let's just say that it's worked out in my favor before. Besides," he motioned to the bruise on his cheek, "I did some prepping before I left Mahogany Town. Their Gym Leader said that the Pokémon in here wouldn't swarm you if you kept a low profile. Ice Path isn't apparently that bad unless you make a big fuss."
"That would have been nice to know."
"Guess I didn't expect you to launch an all out assault on a scared Delibird and a pair of Swinub five minutes into our hike."
Sarah turned away and went quiet.
With the wild ambush still fresh in his mind, the group's echoing footsteps did nothing to ease the tension in Chris's gut. The feeling held firm until they came across a pair of openings in the iced over rock. Sarah and Infernape had taken off into the right hall before Chris could even ask about the split. This section stood about nine feet tall and every bit of fifteen feet across; it was an impressive offshoot considering how deep down they now were and the thickness of the ice and rock around them. Had these paths always been so large or had human travel expanded them over time?
The group faced another pair of wild encounters, though these proved to be much more isolated and manageable. After the Golbat and Swinub had been discreetly dealt with, the trainers found their tunnel intersected by several others. Despite having three Pokémon ready to defend their trainers, Chris's arms refused to lower. His fists instinctively swung in the direction of each new opening they walked by. Sarah stopped in front of the last one of these openings and motioned for everyone to stop. Her Infernape took a couple steps toward the darkness. Chris motioned for her to explain, but she never even looked his way. A moment later, the sounds of heavy movement found his ear.
"Let's go," Sarah whispered. She and Infernape turned away from the opening and sped off in their original direction.
Chris and his team followed after her, but something brought the trainer to a halt in front of the noisy offshoot. Amidst the rumbling and pounding footsteps, Chris's perked ears caught the faintest trace of a shout.
"Ty'."
"You heard it to?"
The voice echoed out louder, a confrontational tone now evident.
"Amph," came the Light Pokémon's worried response.
"Somebody might be in serious trouble," Chris said, taking a step forward.
"Chris!" Sarah hissed.
"It sounds like a person," he called back. "If someone's been attacked, we can't just leave them." He looked to his teammates. "You both have my back, right?"
"Ty'."
"Amph'!"
Chris took a deep breath… then bolted into the darkness. The warm light that matched his stride revealed Typhlosion's commitment. Ampharos's red glow trailed just a few steps behind him. This did little to alleviate Chris's heart rate, which beat so loud he could hear nothing else.
A grounded figure suddenly came into view, prompting Chris to throw up his arms and shout, "Stop!"
A short but stout figure rolled across the cave floor, their arms wrapped firmly around an even larger being. Nonsensical grunts and curses managed to pierce Chris's deafening heartbeat. The two wrestling foes wasted no time in rolling their way toward the arriving trainer. Without time to utilize Ampharos's revealing light, Chris grabbed the smaller, clearly human figure and began to pull. He'd have been better off lifting a cinder block from the Lake of Rage's murky bottom. Another attempted yank only pulled him closer to the conflict. His body tensed as the dogpile rolled onto his feet.
That's when two pairs of arms grabbed under Chris's armpits and ripped him backward, the human sized bowling ball still in tow. His back smacked the ground, knocking most of the air from his lungs. The living mass that crashed into his stomach a moment later took care of the remaining oxygen. His eyes rolled up to see Typhlosion and Ampharos struggling to pull the weight off his stomach. He tried to yell but his voice was gone. His starter's roar bounced around in his ears.
"Amph'!"
The weight lifted and air rushed back into the young man's diaphragm. He reached out to the cave wall and grasped a human hand instead. With the assist, he managed to stagger back to his feet. He traced the helping hand back to Sarah, who stood with her starter, their mouths agape.
Chris turned back to find the two opposing forces charging toward each other once more. He gave Typhlosion a weak wave. "Flame… Flamethrower between them."
The stream of fire found its mark on the cave floor between the broad bodies, bringing both humans to a halt. The hiss of rapidly melting ice filled the cave. The fire light revealed two darker skinned males, neither of whom looked too pleased to have their brawl interrupted. As they took a step toward the trainers, Sarah finally found her voice.
"Wait!"
Both men stopped at that.
"Please leave before you get hurt," the man farthest from them replied. His voice and tone brought a recovering Chris forward.
"Waz… is that you?"
The young man slowly approached, his head never fully turning from his foe. "Who's…" the olive skinned trainer paused as he stepped into the light from Chris and Sarah's Pokémon. "Hey, it is you, Chris."
"Are you alright, man?"
Waz glared over his shoulder at the man still obscured in shadow. "I'm fine," he answered, turning his focus back on Chris. "Are you hurt?"
"Nah, just a little rattled." The Cherrygrove trainer gave a short laugh to alleviate what worry still lingered in Waz's eyes. With each other accounted for, Chris turned his attention to his friend's attacker. "Are you in trouble?"
"No, but that fucker is about to be."
"You better watch that mouth." The other man's voice was calm despite the words of warning. His neutral tone sounded incredibly familiar.
"Just stop," Sarah pleaded.
Waz jabbed a finger at the obscured figure. "You better watch my foot before I shove it up your ass!"
"I'll take your leg and beat the breaks off you with it."
"Hold it," a booming voice rang out, silencing everyone. All eyes turned to Chris, who stared back wide eyed. Where the heck did that come from? he asked himself. "Let's get everybody in the light so we can talk about this like civilized people."
The smaller man made a gesture that looked like a shrug and stepped under the red glow from Ampharos's tail.
Chris's jaw dropped. "Prinny?"
"It is."
"Why in Arceus's name are you guys trying to kill each other?"
"This mother fucker has been trying to kill me since I was born," Waz spat.
"Would have saved me from a lot of headaches," Prinny retorted.
"Come over here and I'll give you another."
"Since you were born..." Chris muttered as his mind finally stopped spinning in place. "Wait, you two are brothers?"
"Unfortunately," Waz replied.
"I'll never claim him as one," Prinny added, the vitriol in his voice breaking through his normally neutral tone.
"Good. The fewer people that know I'm related to you, the better."
Chris stepped between the brothers. "Would you care to do this somewhere else? I'd rather all the wild Pokémon in this cave not know where we are."
Waz's expression softened. "Sure, man."
"I best be off anyway," Prinny said, scooping his purple jacket off the ground. As he began to walk down the corridor, he turned and shot a glare at his brother. "I've wasted enough time here."
"Hey, buddy," Sarah called. She jabbed a thumb over her shoulder. "You're heading the wrong way."
Prinny spun on his heels and approached them once more. "Must have gotten twisted around fighting that jackass."
"Since we're all heading in the same direction," Chris interjected, sensing Waz's anger rising once more, "why don't you—"
"I know what you're about to ask him," Waz interrupted, "and I know you're coming from a good place, but if I have to spend another minute with him, I'll kick his fucking head off and leave the rest of his body here as an ice sculpture."
Chris's arms fell to his sides and he let out a long sigh. "Alright. Safe travels then, Prinny."
"Same to you and…"
"Sarah," the Sinnoh native clarified. "You know, the girl that beat this guy."
Prinny's neutral, cold tone had returned when he replied, "I'll remember the name."
Chris watched the slightly older trainer calmly stroll down the corridor. We won't be forgetting yours anytime soon, he thought.
Just as the trainer reached the edge of Ampharos's red light, he stopped.
"What is it?" Chris asked.
"It appears we've drawn some attention," Prinny answered, his voice wavering ever so slightly.
Sarah's body visibly tensed as she asked, "A big crowd?"
"More eyes than I can count at the moment."
"You are a fucking idi—"
Chris waved his hand to silence him. He turned to Typhlosion and Ampharos, both of whom had dropped into their battling stances. "Be careful with your attacks," he said. "We've got a lot of human and Pokémon allies around us." His teammates nodded and kept their eyes on the distant darkness. Prinny's calm voice was the last thing all of them heard before their world devolved into chaos.
"Here they come."
Okay, so maybe Route 44 and Ice Path haven't been the best and most predictable for the Cherrygrove native. Route 44 saw him gain a new Pokémon and human companion, but said companion wouldn't exactly be his first choice. And though he's reunited with his friend Waz, it seems he's stumbled into a blood feud among brothers that the attacking wild Pokémon hope to make bloodier! How will this arguing group handle themselves on top of all of Ice Path's obstacles? Let's find out in the next, soon to be released installment of Heart and Soul! I'll see you then! Please Review and Subscribe!