•Union Cave, Johto•
•Late February, Afternoon•
•Amber (Wolfe Alias) POV•
Chapter Twenty-Nine
The Hidden Cove
I was certain there was a saying somewhere, I was not exactly sure how it went, but it deals with being in a hurry and everything possible slowing you down. Well, that's pretty much what happened to both of us as we entered the Union Cave. I had been in my fair share of caves in my lifetime—Kanto had plenty of them, and I had worked in the caves in Mount Moon in my old Team Rocket days. Well, Union Cave was not really different, or at least it wasn't at first.
Immediately, it grew darker as we trekked along. Gold was a bit freaked as Zubat flew overhead and Rattata scurried underfoot. Chika, who had that bad run-in with the Zubat and Golbat in Dark Cave, begged to be returned to her ball, so I complied.
Deciding to shed a little light, I had Lizardus, who had recovered enough from his battle with the Poliwag, walk in front of us. His fiery tail actually helped a lot with visibility. The cave was pretty large; not quite as vast as say, Mount Moon, but there was plenty of walking space. Stalactites and stalagmites bordered our walkway, and Gold seemed pretty fascinated by it all.
"Impressed, huh?" I asked as I glanced at his inquisitive face.
"Yeah. I've never been in a cave before. It's pretty neat. Thanks for the light, too, Lizardus," he added to my Charmander, who smiled in return happy to help. Lizardus seemed pretty interested in the cave, too, thanks to his naturally curious nature.
I took a look at my pokegear to make certain that we were on the right track. Supposedly, there was an underground path we could take that would be a shortcut. I planned it into our route on my GPS, so I looked all around for it.
"Man, having a Zubat right about now would come in handy. It'd find that underground path we're supposed to take. Even with Lizardus' tail, I'm sure we could miss the path if we're not careful," I sighed.
We continued onward, walking by an underground pond. Strange blue Pokémon with no hands, weird pink protrusions on their faces, and flat tails swam alongside us as we walked. My Pokedex revealed them to be Pokémon known as Wooper—ground and water types, much like my Mudflaps.
"Hey, wait!" I said after having an epiphany.
"What?" Gold asked.
"I've got it! We don't need a Zubat; we've got Mudflaps. Let's go, buddy! That sensor fin of yours should do the trick!" I grinned triumphantly.
My bipedal mudfish of a Marshtomp appeared with a cry, and he hugged my leg happily as he appeared. The cave seemed to interest him, and he jumped into the pond alongside the Wooper, who were checking him out.
"Hey, Mudflaps, you think you can give us a hand?" I asked.
"Marsh?" The Pokémon tilted his head in puzzlement.
"There's an underground entrance somewhere here. You think you can find it using your fin on your head?"
"Marshtomp!" He jumped out the water in a flash and closed his eyes. After a few minutes, he opened them and pointed to a direction northeast of our current location.
"Alright, let's head that way, gang." I grinned.
Lizardus led the way with Mudflaps walking to his right. I followed directly afterward, and Gold trailed behind me. After more walking, we came to a part of the cave that was narrower. We continued down that, the walkway becoming a corridor.
"You sure this is the right way?" Gold asked skeptically as we eventually had to walk single file.
"I believe Mudflaps, so yeah." I said confidently.
Gold just shrugged as we continued. After some more walking, we heard a loud roaring noise coming from up ahead.
"What was that?" Gold asked. I could sense a little tension in his voice and noticed his pace behind me had slowed.
"Honestly, I have no clue. Guess we'll find out as we keep walking." I simply shrugged.
"Uhh, Wolfe? What if whatever that thing is…is dangerous?"
"Don't fret! We've got our Pokémon. We'll be just fine." I replied confidently.
The thing roared again. I could hear the loud noise echo and resound throughout the place. This time, I heard another, similar, noise with it.
"Hmm, looks like whatever it is isn't alone, and it seems that this corridor gets larger; otherwise there wouldn't be an echo," I observed.
"How long exactly is the long way?" Gold asked, obviously nervous.
"Long. No need to be so alarmed, Gold. I'm sure it's just a Pokémon." I shrugged.
"That's what I'm worried about…" He trailed off nervously.
Whatever it was made another loud roar, and this time another similar, yet distinct roar followed. After that, the ground started shaking, and a loud crashing noise began…and didn't stop.
"What the hell?!" Gold asked, absolutely terrified as we both felt the earth rumble angrily.
I could tell my Pokémon were a bit unnerved, too. The walls of the corridor were shaking, and I could see dust filtering through.
"I don't know, but we need to get a move on! Something tells me these walls are about to cave in!" I replied seriously.
"You're joking, right?!" Gold's voice took on a pretty high-pitched squeak.
"As if. Now, let's go, guys! Run!" I urged my Pokémon ahead of me; they didn't need to be told twice.
We all began running as if our lives depended on it because really, they did. I remembered just how painful cave-ins were, and I was not planning on getting caught up in one then and there. We ran, sometimes bumping into walls as the corridor gave sharp twists and turns. I was pretty certain all of us were at least a little scratched up.
The good news: we just barely made it out of the corridor and into a huge, spacious cavern. The bad news: the corridor's walls caved in, leaving us with no way back. The even worse news: I located what the roars were coming from. Two enormous Onix were in a heated battle, and it looked like they were going to hurt anything that got in their way. And the worst news of all: I located what I thought was maybe the underground entrance, but lo and behold, the Onix who were in a brawl had caused a really large cave-in, so that was blocked off, too.
"Oh crap! We'regonnadie! We'regonnadie! We're! Gonna! Die!" Gold was obviously panicking as he saw the scene.
"Whoa, Gold, calm down and shut up!" I glared at him, and he immediately ceased, but I could tell the poor kid was trembling while trying not to hyperventilate. "We'll find a way out of this. Just whatever you do, don't let those Onix see you."
"Mhm!" He nodded his head twitchily.
I took in our landscape; the room we were in really was that: a room-like area created over probably thousands of years. There was a large expanse of water, which seemed like our only way out thanks to the Onix. The expanse of water seemed to lead into a corridor, which looked too dark for me to tell where it led.
Deciding I needed to do the smart thing and look at my GPS, I brought up my map only to find out that it couldn't locate us. "Just perfect," I remarked with a quiet groan.
"What?"
"I don't know how to tell you this without you freaking out, but according to the GPS, we're lost." I felt my nerves get bad as the at least twenty-eight feet long rock snakes kept on bashing themselves against each other, which made the room shake scarily.
"What?!" Gold yelled.
At that, I tackled him to the wall, covering his mouth as I did so. He winced in pain.
"Shh! You'll piss them off, and that's the last thing we need." I hissed in a whisper as I uncovered his mouth. I didn't want to be rough on the kid, but if those Onix spotted us, I had a bad feeling we wouldn't make it out in one piece.
"Sorry," he whispered back.
"It's alright; just be careful."
I recalled Lizardus and Mudflaps to their balls, so as not to attract as much attention from the Onix, who were entwined in a wrestling match, each trying to out-Bind the other.
"Hey, Wolfe, sorry for freaking out... It's just, I'm not exactly a fan of Onix. When I was a kid, this trainer brought his Onix to school for Pokémon Trainer Day, and well, it used Bind on me. I've been scared of them ever since." Gold said quietly.
"Wow, tough break," I replied.
Onix were not the easiest Pokémon to handle, and I was certain that if I were in Gold's position, the giant rock snake would scare me, too. Hell, I was glad they weren't Steelix at least; Steelix were much worse than Onix in the temperament department. And, if we'd be against Steelix, both would have teamed up to get rid of us by then.
"So, what do we do?" He asked me.
"Well, you see that water?"
"Yeah…"
"I think that's our only hope out of here." I explained.
"Are you serious?" Gold looked at me skeptically.
"Got any other solutions?" I asked.
"Urgh, no." He hung his head.
"Thought so," I sighed.
Suddenly, a different noise from the brawling Onix caught my attention. It was a really familiar sound, though I had never heard that pitch of it before. It seemed to have caught the attention of the two Onix, too, though neither Gold nor I really noticed. Gold, on the other hand, was spooked at the wailing, mournful cry.
"No way," I said, a little lost for words.
"What?" Gold asked seriously.
"That can't be. I've never seen them in the wild since they're almost extinct, but I know one when I hear one since I own one…" I trailed off in disbelief.
"Own what? What are you talking about?" Gold looked understandably confused.
"A Lapras, the sea-ferrying Pokémon. They're rare even in Kanto." I explained.
The noise came again, and by then I was pretty certain it was exactly what I heard. It sounded young, too. Gold looked at the Onix, who were moving towards the water, apparently focused on something other than beating each other up for once.
"Uh, Wolfe, I think those Onix see something…" Gold grimaced.
Just then, I spotted it. On the shore of the water was a small Lapras, mournfully wailing at the ceiling. It left me breathless. At its front flippers was a larger Lapras, which I could tell was not in good shape.
"Oh shit…" I looked at the Onix and knew they were heading straight for the two Pokémon.
Maybe it was because I knew just how rare and innocent Lapras as a species were, or maybe it was because my own Lapras, Speckle, was once a research and development experiment in Team Rocket, and thus she didn't trust too many people, but the next thing I knew, I was running at the Onix yelling at them to get their attention.
"Wolfe! What the heck are you doing?!" Gold asked incredulously
I ignored Gold as I waved my arms at the Onix, who had turned their heads at me and roared simultaneously. They then began charging at me.
Great thinking… Now they're after you! Man, I wish I had Charry right about now! I guess my rash nature didn't quite die out with my old identity after all.
"Wolfe! Look out!" Gold screamed as one of the Onix roared while it slammed its tail at me, missing me by a few inches as I slid out of the way.
The next thing I did was take off my bag and fling it in Gold's direction, while running in front of the Onix to distract them.
"Gold, take my bag! At the water are two Lapras. One looks badly hurt. Help them! Don't worry about me!" I yelled back.
I had no time to see if Gold got the bag or not as the two Onix gained on me.
Maybe I should have taken a Pokémon out the bag before throwing it… Idiot. I swear, when I get to Azalea, I'm buying a trainer belt. I don't care if anyone realizes the change in apparel; I can't stand leaving my Pokémon in my bag. It's too inconvenient.
I began running left and right in a zig-zagging motion, dodging the Pokémon, who had teamed up against me. Luckily, they were slow and clumsy, obviously not as high-leveled as the Steelix I used to fight back in the day. Still, I was one person, and they were two giant snakes made out of large, sharp boulders that could instantly crush me.
I began taking riskier moves, too. Once, I darted in between the two Pokémon, which caused them to collide. Unfortunately, one batted my back with its tail as it fell onto the other, and I flew a good few feet in the air before landing, which luckily I turned into a roll, though I did roll into a stalagmite.
Realizing that I'd needed to do something about those Onix, an idea came to mind. "Gold! Throw me two empty pokeballs!"
"What?!" He yelled back from somewhere behind me with an incredulous tone. "You're going to catch them without battling them?!"
"Let's face it, I don't think any of our Pokémon are a match for these guys! It's our only chance!"
"Okay!"
I got up and ran somewhat in Gold's direction, getting ready to catch the two balls. Luckily, Gold was a good throw, and they landed near me, though the Onix, who had recovered from the collision, were charging at me again, really enraged by then.
Successfully getting the two balls, I ran directly at the Onix, letting them both try a Slam attack with their tails on me.
Putting my arms out, a ball in each hand, I braced for impact as the tips of their tails hit my arms, which the shock from such force was really painful. The pokeballs were hit in the process, and the colossal forms disappeared as the balls did their thing. Holding down the tops of the balls with my remaining strength, both gave a resolute click as I sank down to my knees, relieved that my day of battling two Pokémon all by myself was over.
I stayed like that for a few minutes, panting hard. I didn't realize how much that had exerted me. After managing enough vigor to stand up, I limped over to Gold. My ribs were hurting a little, but I could tell it was nothing too serious. I then handed Gold one of the Onix. "Here; special delivery."
He took it and placed it on his belt without glancing back at it. I could tell he was engrossed in the larger Lapras' condition. "It's alive, but barely. My guess is those Onix hurt it."
"Hmm, sounds plausible. I bet the little one got too close, so this one was protecting it. Lapras are gentle creatures who prefer not to battle, but if that little guy was involved, then I'm certain this larger one would do anything to protect it." I observed.
"I don't know what to do, Wolfe. I'm Professor Elm's aide, but I feel like such a novice. I've never even seen a Lapras before until now," he sighed and slumped.
Meanwhile, the young Lapras in the water eyed us warily as we were somewhat near the larger one.
"Well, first off, if you want to help the older Lapras, we have to get it back into the water," I said taking charge.
Really, I wasn't sure what to do, either, but at least I had a little expertise thanks to Speckle. The larger Lapras was fully on the rocky ground, which I knew wasn't good. Lapras were aquatic Pokémon, though they did need to breathe air. Their flippers weren't meant for walking on land.
"Right," Gold nodded as he approached the Pokémon.
I followed suit, getting on the Pokémon's right side. Its head rested on a rock; its long neck looked pretty badly scratched up, and its eyes were closed. The shell on its back looked cracked on the surface, which wasn't good since Lapras used the shell to protect their soft backs. I was certain its soft, cream-colored underbelly was probably beat up, too. All four flippers were splayed out motionlessly. The only sign of life was the shallow breathing I could detect from the Pokémon's heaving body.
"It looks like it's in critical shape. If anything, it needs to be put in a Pokémon center." I grimaced.
Gold took the side near the Pokémon's neck while I got the side near the Pokémon's rear flippers. On the count of three, we pushed as hard as we could to no avail.
"Man, this isn't good!" Gold cried out.
"Lapras aren't the lightest Pokémon in the world…Hmm, Gold, give me my bag." He handed me my bag. "Mudflaps, help out!"
Mudflaps appeared with a cry and immediately investigated the injured Pokémon before looking at me with a worried face.
"We need to help this Lapras into the water. Use Water Pulse to sweep it into the lake!" I asked.
"Marsh!" He entered the water and used Water Pulse on the surface of the water to create a huge wave, which splashed over the aquatic Pokémon that was on land. The wave wasn't large enough, however, to move the Lapras even an inch.
"Ugh, this isn't going to work. We need more waterpower. Gold, stay very still. I'm going approach that baby Lapras." I decided.
"What?! But it'll just run away!" Gold seemed skeptical.
"Trust me. I think I might be able to do something." I decided.
"Well, not like we have many other options…"
I entered the water and began to swim out towards the small Lapras slowly. It really was tiny for its species, being just about my size, maybe a little bigger, so I was certain it was young. I tried my best to convey calm emotions to the small creature as I approached it. The Pokémon hesitated, as if it were considering retreating some more.
"Wait, Lapras, don't go," I said in a calm voice. "I know your friend there is hurt. My friends and I want to help, but we can't do anything unless we put your friend back into the water. Please, help us get your friend in the water. Go ahead and use your telepathy to see that my intentions are true if you want."
Thanks to the fact that I owned a Lapras, I knew that Lapras were a pretty special Water-type Pokémon: they had some level of psychic power. Some Lapras, such as mine, had more than others. All Lapras, though, could sense a person's intentions. Unfortunately, Lapras usually didn't do that, being naturally curious, playful Pokémon by nature. It was that reason that poachers often captured them so easily. The younger ones were usually too trusting.
The little Lapras gave a short, high-pitched cry as it looked into my eyes. I could tell it was seeing if I were lying or not, so I did everything I could to make my intentions of helping its friend clear. I also let it realize I had a Lapras friend as well, so it didn't need to fear me.
After a few minutes of not blinking, the Lapras gave a friendly high-pitched noise as it dove under the water then emerged lifting me on its back. I was surprised I fit but not at all surprised that it would ferry me across. I grinned at Gold, who looked at the two of us astonished. The little Lapras let me get on shore before joining Mudflaps in the water.
The two looked at each other and nodded in unison as I commanded Mudflaps to use Water Pulse on the water. The little Lapras joined in by using Surf, which helped a large wave form. The two attacks combined, which caused a wave to sweep everything five feet within shore into the water, including me and Gold—and more importantly, the larger Lapras.
Gold scrambled to shore as I swam to the two Lapras. The little one was holding the larger Lapras' head on its shell. "Alright, hopefully the water will revitalize it some. Next, I think we could use a Potion for those cuts."
Taking my bag, which already had seen a fair share of water from the Gyarados incident in Dark Cave, I dug into my Potion pocket only to remember that I had none thanks to the Sudowoodo. I groaned.
"What's wrong?" Gold asked.
"I forgot the Sudowoodo stole my Potions…as well as my berries. Got either?" I asked.
"Got both!" Gold tossed me his bag. "The medicine pouch is the outside pocket."
"Okay!" I dug around and pulled out a Potion. I felt pretty glad that Gold was stocked up. I gave Gold's bag to Mudflaps, who held it over his head so it wouldn't get wet inside. My bag was back on my back since I figured it'd just dry later, anyway.
I approached the large Lapras' neck first and began to spray the Potion on the cuts and scrapes, which helped them quickly scab. The little Lapras looked at me with concern, but I explained that it would help its friend. I worked methodically, treating the Lapras one area at a time.
The shell required a whole potion in itself, but luckily it started to mend. Potions really were handy things; most of the time they could help a Pokémon's physical injuries heal without the need to go to a Pokémon center. I hoped that'd be the case with the larger Lapras.
Finally, I ended by diving underwater and spraying the Potion onto the Lapras' underbelly. I had to do a few coats for it to work, and I was pretty certain I accidentally swallowed some Potion, too, at some point seeming how I had to keep coming back up for air.
With that done, and myself feeling a little light headed, I took Gold's bag back from Mudflaps and located a Sitrus Berry, which would really help out if I could force the larger Lapras to eat it. I also located a Revive, which I'd need to bring the Pokémon back to consciousness.
The Revive, which was a crystal-shaped hard object, was something you'd force a Pokémon to intake somehow. Luckily, I was able to pry the Lapras' mouth open. I could tell from the teeth that this Lapras was in its prime. The teeth all looked nice and sharp, and none were missing or cracked. Taking the Revive, which luckily was small, I worked the Pokémon's jaw until it was good and crushed in the Pokémon's mouth. I scooped up some water from the lake, poured it in the Pokémon's mouth, and tilted the head back in an attempt to make the Pokémon swallow.
A little spilled out the mouth at first, but the Revive seemed to work as slowly, the Lapras began moving its flippers on its own in order to tread water. Of course, it didn't really need to do that since we were only a few feet deep in the water, and the Lapras' body almost touched the bottom with it still being not completely submerged.
The larger Lapras then opened an eye to stare at me in surprise. I felt it tense, but the little one chirruped back at it, which seemed to set things straight.
I held out the Sitrus berry, which the Lapras ate whole. After chewing and swallowing, the Pokémon raised its long neck and placed its broad muzzle on my forehead in thanks. I saw Gold on the shore marvel at the practically miraculous recovery, since the larger Lapras then began to swim on its own.
"How? Wow, I…" Gold trailed off, and I beamed back at him, relieved that the Lapras would make a full recovery. It was definitely still injured, but it had enough strength to swim again, and that's what counted.
I took Gold's bag from Mudflaps and handed it back to Gold. "Thanks, Gold. I'll reimburse you when we get to Azalea."
"Sure, no prob. I can't believe it's okay. Wow. You really do know about Pokémon, don't you?" He asked in disbelief as he put his bag on his back.
I smirked a bit as I smiled. "Yeah, I know a few things. You pick up stuff here and there. Lapras isn't the first Pokémon I nursed back to health, but I do say it's the fastest I've ever seen a Pokémon in that bad of shape bounce back."
Gold and I watched as the two Lapras entwined their necks together in an embrace. Looking at the scene somewhat made me miss Speckle all the more. It was a shame I couldn't have her with me.
"So you actually own a Lapras?" Gold asked me a bit lost in the sight of the two Lapras' joyous reunion.
"Yeah. She taught me a lot about her kind. They're really some of the friendliest Pokémon you'd meet in the wild. Lapras are really cool Pokémon. It's a real shame poachers capture them. They're nearly extinct because of it…" I trailed off, a bit pissed off at how anyone could hurt such peaceful giants.
Lapras were definitely my favorite Kanto Water-types, though up until now, I only knew of one place they lived: one of the Sevii Islands located off of Kanto, which Lorelei of the Elite Four fiercely guarded.
"Wow, so cool," Gold trailed off.
The two Lapras then approached the shore and looked at me. "Thanks." A majestic male voice chimed in my head.
So this one can speak through telepathy…That's pretty advanced.
"Don't mention it, Lapras. I'm glad you're okay." I smiled back at the Pokémon. Gold looked at me incredulously.
"Who just talked?" He asked.
"Lapras did, of course," I replied to Gold. "You see, some Lapras can actually speak through telepathy. They are highly intelligent creatures and understand the human language."
"Oh, well, you're welcome, Lapras! I'm glad you're okay," he replied to the larger Pokémon.
I then turned to the Lapras, still aware that our main problem would be leaving the cave. "Hey, Lapras, back over there," I pointed to the dark waterway that led out of the room. "Is there a way out of the cave? My friend and I are trapped thanks to some Onix caving in the route we were going to go."
The Lapras nodded his head and swam up to the shore. "I'll take you as thanks for saving me and my young one."
"Wow, cool!" Gold replied enthusiastically.
"Thanks, Lapras. Those Onix won't be bothering you two again, either. I managed to capture them, though really, I'm thinking of releasing mine back somewhere." I admitted.
Gold and I both boarded the Lapras whose shell was definitely large enough to carry both of us comfortably. I sat down between the dull spikes on the slate gray shell while Gold did the same.
The male Lapras took off with his child following closely behind us. "It's not the Onixs' fault for attacking in the first place, though I am grateful you saved both me and my child."
"What do you mean it's not the Onixs' fault?" I asked truly confused. "I thought they were having a dispute over territory or something."
"That's not the case. You see, Onix do not come here because of the water. They are terrified of it. Those Onix were complaining of some weird sound, and they ended up down here. They then panicked and attacked each other without thinking." The Lapras calmly explained as he swam.
"Well, makes sense that they wouldn't want to come down here. I doubt they can swim too well, but I don't get it. A sound?" I asked.
"We heard it too, though it didn't really bother us like it did the Onix. It was an odd radio frequency none of us had heard before." The Lapras explained.
"Weird. Radio frequency, huh? Guess I'll have to check that out sometime," I commented as we began traveling down the dark passageway.
The further the Lapras progressed, the darker it became, and eventually, I could barely see Gold, much less the Lapras I was riding.
Time passed, and finally, light began filtering in, though my eyes had to do some adjusting from being in the dark for so long. We emerged into a watery cove with a rocky bank on the far side. The view was spectacular. At least fifty Lapras of varying sizes and ages were inside of the cove.
"Wow! Look at all the Lapras!" Gold marveled.
"I can't believe there's so many Lapras living here…" I trailed off in disbelief. The Lapras we were riding stopped by the rocky shore, and Gold and I hopped off. "Thanks Lapras!" I replied.
"No. I must thank you. I must ask you to keep our location a secret, however. Our race is being hunted, and this is one of the few places we can migrate that is safe to raise our young."
"Of course, Lapras. You can count on us!" Gold promised.
"I promise I won't tell anyone, Lapras. Though I do have a favor to ask," I replied. While riding, I made up my mind about something.
"And what is that?" The aquatic creature asked calmly.
"I have a Lapras friend whom I had rescued from a research lab in Kanto. I haven't been able to keep her with me, though, and I'm worried about her safety. If I were to tell her and only her about where your pod is, will you please keep her safe? Speckle means a lot to me, and I don't want her to get hurt." I asked.
"If I see your friend, I will graciously accept her into my pod. We won't be migrating out for another few full moons, so she should be able to reach us. Tell her to take the route from Vermillion City to the Orange Archipelago. From there, there is an underwater route which eventually will lead directly to this cave if she follows the currents." He explained.
"Thanks so much, Lapras. I'll be sure to tell her," I nodded.
"And one more thing. The exit to the cave is up ahead. You will have to climb a rocky wall, but it will lead to the main ground of the cave. Good luck, gracious humans."
With that, the majestic creature and his youngster left the shore to join some other Lapras, who appeared to be very happy they had returned.
Gold looked at me with a determined expression on his face. "So, race ya to the wall?"
"You're on!" I grinned. We were one step closer to Azalea and Rocket, and I was ready to get out of this cave.