Chapter Twenty-Seven

"Amira, heads up!"

She didn't want to let Riley off the hook but let go of the subject as he urgently called her attention elsewhere. Of all the Pokémon they had encountered in the mines, only one species was considered a serious threat. That honorable distinction went to Graveler. It was a slow Pokémon but it hit hard and took what it could dish out. It would have been a great sparring partner were it not for one thing, Self-Destruct. It was an attack where it unleashed its stored power in a massive explosion damaging whoever and whatever had the misfortune of being near. As if its potential for senseless destruction wasn't enough, Graveler were known to have tempers as delicate as any bomb.

Riley had advised her earlier on how to deal with them. The best course of action was to knock them out as fast as possible. If they left them alone or tried to flee, then that would give the Graveler opportunity to find some other poor unsuspecting trainer. It was better to deal with them as they came across them. That way, the Graveler would be encouraged to move further into the older defunct tunnels of the mine and away from people.

Amira had dealt with Graveler fine so far by taking them out in as many as two hits. Still, Riley kept a tight hand on Lucraio's Poké Ball as she sent out Empoleon.

She hit the Graveler first with Aqua Jet. It was a move that took advantage of Empoleon's speed in and around water but it lacked enough power to do any significant damage.

Graveler reacted as expected to the intrusion. It jumped into the air and threw the force of its weight onto the ground causing an earthquake. The entire mines shook as the ground exploded into jagged rocks.

"Bon, hold on!"

Empoleon bore the attack as best he could. Despite his protective layers of fat and feathers, the debris had injured him deeply. His next move would be his last if Graveler made any other attack.

Riley's worried expression deepened and he prepared to send out Lucario.

"Let me handle this-"

"No," she answered. "We've got this! Use Surf!"

Like Infernape before it, Empoleon also had an ability that activated when it was in trouble. With his health nearly depleted, Empoleon's water-type abilities were made that much stronger by desperation. He could feel the streams that ran deep underground through Iron Island. He could redirect an entire river's flow if it were necessary in that moment. He summoned enough to create powerful geyser to burst through the ground. He then redirected it as the geyser widened, sending it crashing down upon the Graveler. The tremendous force and unrelenting waves swept the helpless Graveler away.

"We did it," cheered Ami.

However no smile found its way to Riley's face as he stared at the aftermath. The tunnel was now partially flooded. Even if the steel beams that supported it wouldn't be displaced so easily, the mold and rot brought about by the moisture was still worrisome.

He still offered her words of praise for at least getting rid of Graveler.

"Well done," he said somberly. "We should end it here for today."

"Right," she agreed. "Bon, return."

She called Empoleon back into his Poké Ball and held it out to Riley. She watched as the ball shuddered as he covered it in a blue light. Only when it stopped did he pull his hands away. Empoleon was now at least comfortable but she still needed to take him to the Pokémon Center for a proper check up after the way he had taken that hit. There might be some unseen internal damage. What worried her was the possibility of any deep injuries that Riley's aura abilities couldn't heal.

They continued on towards the mines exit. Suddenly the ground started to shake as violently as before. Amira tensed her whole body in an attempt to steady herself. Riley grabbed a hold of her arm and held her upright as he looked at the path behind him. He at first mistakenly thought the Graveler had somehow returned.

It wasn't just water that Empoleon had managed to pull from deep within the earth. Both Earthquake and Surf had wide affects throughout the island. One denizen had been indirectly hit with both attacks. It sought out the source of its irritation and the enraged Pokémon burst out from one of the cave walls and stood blocking their path.

Steelix, the Iron Snake Pokémon. Steelix is the evolved form of Onix. It has been compressed underground, making its body harder than diamonds.

Once the ground stopped shaking enough for her to get her footing, Amira took a ready stance and sent out her Pokémon to battle. Her decision to battle Steelix was faster than the fear she felt facing its anger. Her first choice, Empoleon, was taking a much needed break. Her next choice still gave her the advantage.

"Go, Aurora! Use Flame Wheel!"

Ponyta ran towards Steelix with its body engulfed in flames and slammed into the metal beast. Steelix merely ate the attack with minimal damage. It wasn't that the attack was ineffective but that the gap between their strength was too big. Amira gritted her teeth. She knew Steelix already had a high defense but this one also seemed to have overwhelming strength.

Riley called out to her but Steelix acted before he could offer any assistance. It let out an enraged roar and slammed its huge heavy tail into the wall to create an opening then dove into it. As it burrowed through, deep fissures grew from the wall to the ceiling and huge boulders and slabs began to fall.

"Move!"

There was nowhere they could go to escape the cave in. She grabbed hold of Ponyta and ran forward. Riley was forced back to avoid being crushed underneath. When the dust cleared, all that was left behind her was a wall of rubble.

"Riley!"

She yelled out to him as she hurried to try and somehow dig her way through. She lifted what rocks she could and tossed them out of the way. Ponyta even dug her hooves alongside her in an effort to help. Only as soon as she removed one rock, more came tumbling down. She stopped when she realized it was too dangerous. The endeavor would end up crushing her fingers or worse, bury them both entirely.

"Riley!" she shouted again.

"I'm okay."

She heard his voice projected in her mind and froze. She didn't need the shock of suddenly hearing disembodied voices right now. But did it mean he could hear her?

"Are you okay?! Stay there! I'll get to you!"

She motioned for Ponyta to take a step back and pulled out Empoleon's Poké Ball. The collapsed wall was dangerous right now because it was dry and unpredictable. But if it were wet, she figured the most she'd be dealing with is mud. The worst that would happen was Liam would get mad at her for getting dirty.

"Don't do anything," he told her. He had no idea what she was planning exactly but he knew better than to agree to it. "The integrity of the tunnel has been compromised enough as it is. Any more stress might make it collapse completely."

"But then what I'm supposed to do," she asked bitterly. "If you're hurt or something-!"

"I'm not hurt," he answered. "I have Lucraio and my other Pokémon with me. We're just going to take the long way out of the mines. Amira, you keep going towards that end and get out as fast as you can, you hear me? Get back to town and tell the foreman what's happened. We'll need to get everyone out for safety."

"Okay! You better make it out," she told him.

"You too. Get going!"

Having accepted the urgency of the situation, she recalled Ponyta and took off running towards the exit. It would have been faster if she had rode Ponyta but she didn't have the time to stop and put on the tack, nor the proficiency to ride bare. Most of all, she was still worried that Ponyta's leg wouldn't be able to both carry her weight and run at full speed. And although she had barely kept it in mind, she felt her heart nearly jump out of her chest when Steelix appeared again.

So it didn't go after Riley after all. If it would keep chasing her, her only choice was to face it. Steelix stirred more dust in the air. It was just like her battle with Byron, though even then the situation hadn't felt this dire. She took a battle stance and called on Ponyta once again.

"Flame Wheel!"

As Aurora ran towards the Steelix, it met the attack head on with Slam. Aurora was pushed back with such force that she fell over herself to retreat. In her fall, her leg caught and the wound on her back leg reopened. Aurora let out a shrill scream at the searing pain. She tried her best to hide her injured leg. She wobbled where she stood and slowly backed away from the Steelix.

Amira wasted no time in digging through her bag and pulled out a potion. Her head was pounding along with her heart. Her breath was caught in her chest. Yet she couldn't let panic distract her. She held onto the potion so tight that her knuckles had turned white. But the time it'd take to apply it would give Steelix an opening to attack and put them in an even worse position. She couldn't take the chance yet.

If it was too dangerous to get close to Steelix, then they had to rely on ranged attacks.

"Use Ember!"

Aurora inhaled through her nose and let out a burst of flames with a furious whinny. Steelix was repelled but only momentarily. Much of the attack had been reduced by the sandstorm. Even now, flying blisters of rock cut into both trainer and Pokémon. But to Steelix, it was a cushion that shielded him from attacks.

Amira saw Steelix open his mouth and take aim. A pale fire was growing just path is jagged teeth. She didn't know what attack it was and feared the worst. If it was Hyper Beam, they were done for. She took all her hope and put it on what would be their final attack.

"Flame Wheel!"

Aurora heard her desperation and made it her own. She stamped down her hooves and broke into an all out gallop. Amira called out the attack just as Steelix began to fire. It was too late when she realized her mistake. The attack Steelix was using wasn't Hyper Beam, it was Dragon Breath.

That she had called for Aurora to use Fame Wheel meant she was fighting fire with fire. More aptly, she was pitting two different fires that burned with two different colored flames, against each other. The growing blaze of Aurora's orange mane met Steelix's own flaming violet breath. The result was a devastating explosion. A vortex formed as one fought to over take the other.

Amira dropped to her knees and put her arms up in front of her to shield herself from the heat. She peeked her head up with wide eyes to see what had happened to Aurora. In her desperate search for her, she didn't notice at all that she couldn't hear any thing.

Her eyes darted from one flame to the next. Fire covered the walls like a curtain. A thick black smoke began blanketing the ceiling and cascading down to the floor. She saw Steelix fall before she realized it. She didn't know whether it was from the fire of the attack, the resulting explosion, or being overtaken by the increasing smoke.

"Aurora!"

She stood and tried to call for her Pokémon. She got a mouth full of ash for her effort and a burning cough. Suddenly she felt something nuzzling her. It was desperately pushing her as if trying to guide her.

She put out her hands and felt the familiar nose of her Ponyta. Only it was much higher than she remembered it. The flames around them died down as the mare in front of her seemed to be absorbing them.

"Rapidash, the Fire Horse Pokémon. The evolved form of Ponyta. When at an all-out gallop, its blazing mane sparkles, enhancing its beautiful appearance."

Aurora was no longer a foal. It had evolved from a pony into a sleek unicorn with a glittering fire that made up its mane, tail, and fetlocks.

Amira quickly turned her attention to Aurora's back leg. She couldn't see the injury anymore. She wondered if evolution had somehow healed it or if the fire had fused the wound shut. She applied the potion all the same whether Aurora looked like she needed it or not.

"Good job," she softly told her.

She praised her Pokémon because it was the right thing to do. However, she didn't feel any joy at winning. She was instead stabbed with guilt over the disaster she had put them through. More so at how it seemed to similar to her accidents in the past. She had been too careless again.

"Let's hurry up and get out of here."

She reached for Aurora's Poké Ball but got an angry snort in return. Aurora knocked the ball out of her hand and instead turned away from her. She thought she was mad at her until the horse slowly laid down in front of her. She was instead telling her to ride her.

"Don't be crazy," she responded. "Not until you get checked out first!"

Aurora only let out another angry snort and tossed her head, snubbing the thought. There were flames from her nostrils this time. She was adamantly refusing anything else but having her way.

"Where did this temper come from," Amira argued. "Since when did you learn that!? Aren't you supposed to be calm and gentle!?"

Aurora looked at her and sneered. As a Ponyta, she had been the only one of Amira's Pokémon that hadn't evolved. Her only choice was to be friendly with a side of caution. Now that she had evolved to gain power and pride, she had to start commanding the respect that came with it.

"Fine," Amira whined in defeat. She walked over to Aurora and slowly hopped on her back. She was no longer surprised that her flames didn't burn but she never got over the strange feeling of being able to touch fire. Aurora didn't wait for her to get her bearings. She stood up and began to gallop towards the exit.

Amira shrieked and momentarily squeezed her legs tight as she could without hurting Aurora. She placed her hands on the base of her mane, wary of holding on too hard. She had only ridden her once as a Ponyta and it still filled her with anxiety. Riding her now as a Rapidash, she could only think of how the ground looked so far away.

They made it back to town without further incident. Many folks had gathered around the foot of the mines once plumes of black smoke had been spotted billowing out. Once she explained what had happened, the workmen scrambled about as if hell itself had broken loose. They rung the emergency alarm and worked to evacuate any trainers or tourists who were still inside. Teams were formed to go look for anyone who might have gotten lost or needed help.

When she thought about it, their panic made sense. There were few things worse than a fire breaking out in an iron mine. While the iron itself wasn't flammable, the vapors it released were toxic. She told them about her battle with Steelix and even admitted to being the one to blame for the situation. Yet no one reprimanded her or stopped to point their fingers. Instead, she was whisked away back to the boarding house to be looked at by a doctor while her Pokémon were taken to a veterinary nurse stationed on the island. She did however have to endure Liam's nagging.

The only interruption came when she mentioned Riley.

"Riley might be still in there!"

Liam stopped his lecture as he studied the worried look on her face.

"He'll make it out fine," he reassured her. "He's capable."

"You think so?"

"Probably."

"That's right," came a chipper voice.

Startled again, Amira jolted up from her cot.

"Stop doing that!"

Liam leaned back in his chair and gave her a wary look. Was she talking to herself?

"Stop doing what?"

"Not you," she told him. "You! Stop it with the psychic thing! At least ask first! Knock or something!"

Marking her words, there came a knock on the door.

"I'm sorry," sang Riley as he opened the door and poked his head through.

Although she was relieved he was okay, she could only give him an annoyed expression.

"We're glad you made it back," Liam answered for her.

"Thank you. I'm sorry I took a bit longer than expected. But I do have good news."

Riley walked into the room with Lucario by his side. Its piercing gaze was fixated on her and she felt uneasy in its presence. Her eyes then went to the sleeping Pokémon cradled in Riley's arms. It looked just like a miniature Lucario but with droopy ears and oversized paws it had yet to grow into.

'Riolu, the Emanation Pokémon. Riolu has the power to see and understand emotions like happiness and anger in aura waves.'

"What's the good news," she asked without taking her eyes off of it.

"Before I announce it, I want to give him to you. I've really enjoyed the time we spent training together. You're an interesting person. Your Pokémon also have interesting voices. That's why I'd like you to let this Pokémon join you."

"What!?"

Amira recoiled in shock. She looked to Lucario before even thinking of accepting it. She at least wanted to know what he felt about it. Lucario crossed his arms and let out a chuff. The Riolu was clearly was his offspring. Even if Riley was Lucario's trainer, was it really okay for him to be giving him away? Further more, was it really okay to give a puppy to someone as accident prone as her? More than anything else, her feelings of caution were motivated by the fact that she did not want a Lucario mad at her for any reason. Especially this strange Lucario.

"I know you have an incredible journey ahead of you," Riley continued. "I'd like you to show this Pokémon all sorts of new places."

Riolu awoke with a yawn as it felt itself being passed from Riley's arms to Amira. Even in his drowsy state, he could feel her uncertainty. Yet she still held him close and emanated a comfortable warmth.

"I'll do my best," was her awkward reply. She softly stroked Riolu's fur as she held him. It strangely brought her a sense of peace. Riolu nuzzled against her as he was lulled back to sleep.

"I should probably look up how to care for a baby Pokémon..."

"Don't break it," Liam told her.

Both she and Lucario looked at him with angry expressions. She didn't need him to jinx it!

"Now on to the good news," Riley continued. "I spoke to Byron on your behalf. He's accepted your gym challenge. However, there's a condition."

"What's the condition?"

"The tablets you showed me. They'll be collateral for your battle. If you win, Byron will turn over that book you want. But if he wins, you'll turn over the plates."