The Doomed Sprout
Chapter 8
Fen had been awake for a while now, lying down in the center of a damp room, surrounded by walls of what seemed to be limestone. She wasn't sure and didn't care to check. There were also a few crystals on the walls, ceiling, and even the ground, emitting a faint light that was probably reflected from somewhere. Maybe the exit ? Not like she was in any run to leave. Or to ask why this didn't seem like a natural shape for a cavern. She was content just laying there and feeling miserable for a while longer. She'd been pushing herself since arriving here to figure out her surroundings while using an uncertain bond with a Pokemon that wanted to eat her, and a Pokemon that she essentially bribed into joining. Eventually, the stress had to come out, and the chase with that Lurantis was the last thing that broke the camel's back.
..Heh, if she was a camel Pokemon it could even be literal.
So, now, she just wanted to lie down for a while and do absolutely nothing except feel miserable. Not that it helped in any way, but she stopped caring for that. She'd been dragged out of her simple student life with no explanation nor person to blame (except Nature. Flamethrower is still on the menu), lost contact with all her friends and family members, and she was pissed at everything. So, she'll just lay down and let the next Pokemon attack her or whatever.
...If these Pokemon weren't so dumb and kept walking past her. Why are all the Pokemon in this cavern sight-based ? Why is there a Caterpie going around in a cavern either ?
…
Nope, not investigating. Screw this cavern too.
Back on the surface, on a much, much smaller space inside a tree, a few Pikipeks were laying motionless on the ground, seemingly paralysed. Lumin was sitting still at the entrance, refusing to budge despite a certain Vee's relentless tackles
« Come on, you stupid cat ! She's obviously in trouble ! », Sera yelled.
« She told me to wait for her return, even if it may take a while », Lumin replied calmly.
« I'm sure we can just go to her, I just don't want to be stuck here... », she looked at the Pikipeks in horror, distressed. « The explosions stopped, I'm sure we can go out ! »
« Fen specifically told me not to follow her »
« Oh, you're calling her Fen now ? Usually, it's all ''The Nidoran'' like you hated her guts or something »
« I do not hate her », Lumin hissed, glaring at the Eevee.
Sera let out a quick « Sorry, sorry ! », before tucking herself into a corner, seemingly afraid of his reaction.
The pair stayed silent for a while, with the sounds of the forest gradually becoming more and more alive, alleviating some of the stress. The Pikipeks eventually regained consciousness, though Lumin and Sera made sure to change that again, smacking them around inside the tree, where they couldn't dodge properly.
« Is there a reason we aren't just getting rid of them ? », asked Sera.
« Smell of blood may attract predators »
« Ah… I'd have loved to have that explained to me a while ago... »
Lumin rolled his eyes. « That is basic knowledge that even kittens should know »
Sera glared at the Shinx, holding back her mouth before she got into even more hot waters with the predator. Instead, she sat down and looked for ways to distract herself while waiting, knocking on the walls of the tree and looking at the outside, wondering when Fen would return.
As the duo stays still, waiting on their third member, a gentle breeze starts flowing, bringing leaves on it's way, and filling the air with a familiar scent. Sera, who had prepared herself to sleep, suddenly stood up in alarm, dashing towards the entrance, as Lumin effortlessly caught her tail again.
She snarled, warning him. « The Outcasts are close by ! I can't afford to miss them, and you aren't stopping me ! »
Lumin said nothing, simply holding her as the Eevee tried to free herself from his grip, in vain.
« I've had it with you, you made us move all the way to the forest, and now you're stopping me from seeing my kind ! Do you know how much it sucks to be an Outcast ? You don't even like me, so let me go, and I'll be out of your life. That stupid music isn't worth it anyway... »
Sera slumped on the ground, dejected and still captive from Lumin's bite, who hadn't reacted much though seemed to look at her with a hint of sadness. Slowly, his grip loosened, much to the Eevee's surprise, who looked back only to see him in a fighting stance.
« H-hey, cmon, I'm not looking to fight- »
Sera's pleading was interrupted by a high-pitched squeak. « Leave her alone ! »
The two Pokemon looked at the source of the voice, a small yellow Weedle that was perched on a branch. The newcomer was visibly shaking, quickly climbing the tree to hide behind-
« Outcasts ! You guys really are Outcasts ! I knew the smell wasn't lying ! », exclaimed an overjoyed Sera, attempting to move before a growl from her side reminded her of the situation.
« New term's Shiny, better get used to it, new blood ! », piped a shiny Breloom, the Weedle having climbed its head to hide on, « And we're here to save you, so get ready to run! »
Before Sera had any time to respond, a Tauros was already hurdling from the brushes towards Lumin. He jumped to the side, dodging the Pokemon's charge while charging up his body. The electricity in his fur let out a buzzing noise as he leaped towards the Tauros, knocking them on their side as they were turning around and biting hard. Sera noticed that the Outcasts, or ''shinies'' as they call themselves, were dropping down from the trees, rushing in battle. She considered running away, regrouping with them at a later point, but a single look towards Lumin made it clear that, even while battling, he was still keeping an eye on her. She was good at running away, but from him ? Their escapade last night was making it pretty obvious who was faster, so she'll just have to sit tight and wait for the inevitable.
« Sigh… The first Outcasts I find and the Common I'm stuck with murders them all… Wish I could've warned them », she moaned, lying down inside the tree.
« Don't worry miss, we'll deal with him, my friends are really good ! », came a nearby voice. It was the Weedle that had managed to slip by. He climbed on top of the Eevee, nuzzling her cheek in an attempt to comfort her.
« How did you… Hang on, can you help me leave ? », Sera asked excitedly. She was finally talking to other Outcasts !
« Sure, we're just dealing with the bad Pokemon ! How did you end up here, miss ? »
Sera looked to the ongoing battle. Lumin appeared to be in a standoff with the Breloom, the Tauros being fully paralyzed. A fourth Pokemon had joined the fight, an Outcast Furret that leaped from a tree, attempting to surprise the Shinx. Lumin easily dodged, already going for a bite. She couldn't stop looking as her anxiety kept rising, though she tried to answer anyway.
« I was following them alongside a weird Nidoran that he seemed to listen to. The Nidoran is gone for now though, and he wouldn't let me try and find you guys... »
« A Nidoran giving orders to a Shinx ? I can see why you say he's weird... »
« She's female, actually »
« Oh, alright. So… You aren't actually in danger ? »
Sera stood silent for a little bit, closing her eyes as she couldn't keep watching the fight. Two Pokemon were already on the ground and the Breloom was barely standing. It was way too one-sided, just how did Fen manage to befriend that monster of a Shinx ?
« Miss ? What's going on ? », asked the Weedle, worriedly nudging her.
« We're not in danger as long as that Nidoran comes back. Her name is Fen, have you met her ? »
« W-well, no, but we did see a Nidoran being chased by that super strong Lurantis… HEY, GUYS ! »
The Weedle turned around, only for his face to turn completely white, realizing the only one left conscious was an angry Shinx, letting out a victorious cry before baring his fangs at the Weedle, standing still. Sera decided that she couldn't just crawl away in fear, she'd not let him ruin this chance.
«Lumin, stop it ! They thought I was in danger, it's fine, and they aren't a threat to us anymore », she pleaded, the stoic Shinx not moving an inch.
« Listen, maybe they can help Lumin, since she's an Outcast too, right ?
The Weedle, still on her head, moved to whisper in her ear. « You didn't tell me that Nidoran was an Outcast ! We weren't sure ourselves... »
« She isn't, but she acts like one. It's weird, but I kinda like her for it », she whispered back.
She looked at Lumin again. « The Weedle say she was being chased. She needs help, and quick »
This was apparently enough for the Shinx, who stared at the Weedle, then the three Outcasts he just fought, before sighing. « Alright. We can look for her. The Weedle will lead us »
« But I don't- ». The Weedle's complaint was quickly silenced by Sera's paw on their mouth.
« It's that, or he finishes off everyone here. They're just unconscious, this'll buy them time ! », she furiously whispered.
« But we can heal them ! We've got a fifth member, a healer ! », the Weedle spoke aloud. Lumin stared at him in confusion, tilting his head.
« Do you want to help us ? », he asked, oblivious.
« W-well… yes ! We'll totally help, just let me get my friends back up, and we'll do everything ! », he said in the most excited voice he could muster, though the fakeness was evident. He just wanted to get everyone out alive !
« Then do that. We leave as soon as you're ready », he retorted, before sitting down, still very much keeping an eye on the situation.
The Weedle ran off into the woods, before coming back with a rather worried blue Comfey. As soon as the Comfey saw the other Outcasts, he flew over to get them all patched up, eliciting a few groans of pain from the injured Pokemon. Sera was watching them at a distance. She'd found others like her, and now what ? It was always a dream of hers that she never expected to reach, so she was at a loss on why she even wanted this. There was really only one thing to do in this situation, and that was to follow the pack, which means to find Fen, wherever she's run off to…
« You better not have died, Fen. Cmon, make me proud or something »
« Sera would absolutely hate me if she could see me right now », giggled a certain Nidoran, lying on a large pile of gems, all of which were plucked from the surrounding areas in the cavern. Fen had been down there a while, and although her mood was still very fragile, she was eventually able to get up, if only to look at her surroundings. Surprisingly, this cavern has plenty of food, berries, and junk lying around, which allowed Fen to both heal from her injuries and also enjoy something more tasteful. Apparently, raspberries were in this world too, and they tasted even better than when she was a human ! This discovery led to a more confusing one, however. As Fen was resting on the ground, somehow a tree branch just… appeared out of thin air. There have been no other occurrences of this happening anywhere else, though there are a few things that she was surprised she missed on her first trip around the cavern. At first, she figured it was the Pokemon there just carrying stuff around and dropping it at random, but now there's another option, and if this cave actually creates junk and food out of nothing, well… Eventually, a ton of junk can become something quite useful. Heck, the crystals she'd been collecting for the last while also seem to reappear, they don't even grow back, it's straight-up new crystals teleporting into the walls… which seems a bit dubious for a natural event. I mean, sure, space being wacky, blame Palkia and all that, but then the light sources are perfectly in place ?
...Urge to investigate rising.
...Though, she should really find a way out. Lumin and Sera must be worried sick. Or bored sick, actually. They're not really a tight-knit group yet. Hopefully in the future.
Fen took a last look at the gem hoard she made, expecting to come back here eventually. The lack of a map will be a problem, but she'll make do, just like she always has. It was time to find her companions and to see the sunlight again.
Oh, and also music. Man, that cavern would be an awesome amplifier for music !