Spencer Curtis, aspiring trainer and future Azalea Town Gym Leader, has been having a few absolutely rotten days. Which, considering he'd recently won his very first badge, was very much not what he'd been expecting. In fact, looking back on things later, he'd come to the vexing conclusion that things were turning out exactly how he hadn't been planning them to.
It all started perfectly, as Earthbreaker, his Onix, had completely manhandled Falkner's pathetic birds, to the stunned awe of an admiring crowd. It was exactly the kind of statement win he'd been looking for in his Gym debut.
Sure, Roost was useless to his current team, but the cash winnings combined perfectly with his significant earnings from humiliating lesser trainers near that 'Trainer School' to put him far ahead of his conservative schedule. Admittedly, he wasn't quite matching the most optimistic prognosis he'd dared to come up with, but then that'd always been a pipe dream and he was far closer to that number than the bare minimum he'd calculated. So everything looked perfect, as he raised his Zephyr Badge to the sky and soaked in the crowd's stunned silence, whilst he easily dismissed Falkner's inane nattering about Azalea and Bugsy.
But then, it all started going wrong. And it could all be traced back to Ran, the traitor.
First, he had the audacity to try and outshine Spencer's own performance by deliberately postponing his Zubat's evolution until his match with Falkner. He'd had the flying pest for almost two whole years and it just happened to evolve against Falkner? He could try pulling the other one, but even then Spencer wouldn't believe a lick of it.
Second, there'd been the 'sidekick' discussion. Merely thinking of it galled him, a sour taste rising in the back of his throat as he thought back on how Ran threw out years of friendship over a word. An inaccurate word, at that. Just because Spencer was the natural leader between the two of them, that didn't mean he'd thought of his former friend as a sidekick! If anything, he'd thought of him as his companion, whom, through some subtle guidance for his own good, could reach greater heights than he might manage unassisted. In turn, he'd then be able to better assist Spencer in his goal to avenge them both against Bugsy!
Third, their falling out meant he'd stormed off into the Dark Caves prematurely, rather than entering them fully stocked and rested the next morning. Had he stuck around Violet City for the rest of the day, he'd have encountered his rival and been forced to beat him into the ground for his impudence, something he didn't want to do just yet, out of some, at the time, lingering fondness for the ungrateful fool.
Unfortunately, as he's increasingly been discovering over the past few days, the Dark Caves are not a suitable location to dive into with anything less than ideal preparation. Already, Samurai, his Scyther, is completely out of commission. He shouldn't have ever even reached a point where Samurai had to fight in these damn Caves, but Earthbreaker needed a break to let the Super Potion do its work and Bunker, his Pineco, could do little against wild pokémon with as much strength as those that live in the Dark Caves. Well, there's Explosion, but under the circumstances, that's a last reserve he doesn't want to use. Especially not at these depths, considering the worryingly close call he'd gotten into back when capturing Earthbreaker.
So, Samurai had needed to fight and, although he'd successfully fended off the incensed Rhydon they'd stumbled into, he'd fainted mere seconds afterwards.
It left him and Earthbreaker hiding and retreating from battles more often than not, as they tried desperately to worm their way through the Dark Caves. For a few hours, he'd been able to team up with an older trainer, who was on his third circuit and who'd referred to his trek through the Dark Caves as a 'tune-up' for an impending tournament in Blackthorn City. Unfortunately, though the man had initially assumed that Spencer was also an experienced trainer with a strong team, considering the presence of Earthbreaker, things had turned sour when he caught on to Spencer's only half-filled belt.
Under questioning, he'd begrudgingly explained that he only owned one badge. At that point, the other man had ordered him to stay close and told him that they'd be taking the shortest path back to Violet City, as that exit was still the closer one at the time. Additionally, there'd been mention of reporting him to the Rangers. Which would be pointless, as he isn't doing anything illegal.
The six-badge threshold is advisory, after all.
Still, he'd had no option but to mount Earthbreaker in a moment of inattentiveness on the other man's end, hurriedly burrowing an alternative path and escaping his supervision. He couldn't get dragged all the way back to Violet City, after all. Not only would it be a massive waste of time but it'd stick him with a far worse route which would keep him from obtaining his fourth team member for ages.
Such a thing couldn't be allowed to stand and so, he hadn't let it.
Still, now, having earned some ugly bruises over the past day, as Earthbreaker's many retreats from dangerous wild pokémon have included some spectacularly close calls, it's hard to stay positive about his odds of making it through the Dark Caves. But retreating is not an option. Not now.
So, though every single fiber of his being objects, he finally gives the order he's been wrestling with for the past half hour.
"Earthbreaker, open up." He commands, his steely voice not betraying any nerves, hesitance or disgust.
Obediently, the largest of his team members open his massive mouth, unveiling a threatening chasm that, theoretically, he should be able to sit in without too much trouble. Ascending up Earthbreaker's lower jaw, before stepping over and between the craggy boulders that function as his rock-type's 'teeth', Spencer starts pulling lengths of rope from his bag.
"This isn't going to be comfortable, but don't you dare bite through these ropes, or even so much as nudge them, you hear me, Earthbreaker?!" He orders confidently, even as he starts securing himself by rope to three different 'teeth'.
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Earthbreaker lets out a keening groan that shows his displeasure, but he doesn't disobey. Which will have to do, for now. Later, when they've made it out of this hellhole, he'll make it up to him, somehow.
"Alright, keep us heading northeast and upwards! The sooner we make it out of here, the sooner I can remove the ropes and the sooner you'll get your reward!" He instructs. Then, Earthbreaker's massive maw closes.
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Riding inside of Earthbreaker's maw is unpleasant and confusing, as all the indications he gets of progress are the shaking and grinding of earth and stone and the occasional shudder that knocks him about as his trusty mount encounters resistance or makes a brusque movement. At times, he can at least tell when they're in a pre-existing tunnel, as Earthbreaker moves more freely and, going off sound alone, more swiftly then. Worryingly often, however, he seems to burrow into rock and soil, likely scared off or forced away by the native population of stronger pokémon.
It's a galling thought, to think that his mighty Onix must avoid confrontation with simple wild pokémon, but Earthbreaker lived in the relatively tranquil Union Cave. It's odd position and the League's efforts there long since having 'tamed' the area. The Dark Caves are another matter, as the League deliberately keeps the wild population there as undisturbed as possible. This makes it a perfect training area for strong trainers, but perhaps, just perhaps, it makes it too dangerous for less-experienced trainers to travel through them.
With Earthbreaker to ease and speed up his travel and Bunker as a last-resort for any truly dangerous encounters, he'd thought that making it through would be manageable. Not easy, of course, but manageable. However, as Earthbreaker yet again has to suddenly burrow down into the ground, going off of the rumbling that runs through his body and the rough tremors that are strong enough to knock Spencer around so badly that one of his ropes actually slips loose for a few terrifying seconds, he worriedly concludes that perhaps he overestimated himself after all.
It is a worrying thought, but before he can properly analyze it, things get even worse.
Because suddenly the quaking, which is a constant companion whenever Earthbreaker burrows, intensifies. A lot.
Then, there is a loud crash, as stone slams into stone. The next thing he knows, he's getting fully thrown about inside of Earthbreaker's mouth. His head bangs painfully into the roof of Earthbreaker's stone mouth, neck bending dangerously as his upwards momentum pushes him onwards for a moment longer. Then he slams harshly down back onto his previous perch, which itself is by no means a soft landing zone. Then he gets knocked to the left, slamming into one of the teeth he'd secured a rope around.
For the next few seconds, he gets banged around too badly to keep track of everything he hits and what he hits it with. As the ropes all come loose, all he can do is desperately try and retain some control over the crashes, to avoid tumbling down into Earthbreaker's throat. Suddenly, there's light, as Earthbreaker's mouth opens with a painful keen.
Under the circumstances, outside seems no safer than inside, but he doesn't get a choice in the matter. Because, with his shoulder painfully catching against one last tooth on his way out, Spencer simply gets thrown out of Earthbreaker's mouth when the latter's head gets slammed against the ground.
Desperately, badly bruised, bleeding and with what feels like an arm that's barely still hanging onto the rest of his body, Spencer desperately scrambles to get clear of Earthbreaker. He crawls forwards on his hands and knees frantically, not even trying to make it to his feet as he simply seeks distance. At the same time, he hurriedly tries to gain his bearings, only to finally realize just what happened to throw Earthbreaker about as badly as he did.
Because his Onix is engaged in a losing fight with a larger member of the species. A badly losing fight, at that. The other Onix has immobilized most of Earthbreaker's lower body, curling around him and Binding him in place. Earthbreaker desperately throws his head around, trying to ram into the neck of the other Onix as he struggles to free himself, but he doesn't succeed. Instead, it is the older, larger, territorial Onix that lands another damaging blow, the rocky spine on top of its head slamming into Earthbreaker's lower jaw with a crunching sound, as stone crumbles and falls away, leaving a terrible gash there.
Frantically, Spencer taps two pokéballs at once, recalling Earthbreaker, whose head slams into the ground with closed eyes as he faints on the spot, and sending out Bunker the Pineco.
"EXPLOSION!" He shouts immediately, desperately turning around and scrambling to get away even as Bunker immediately starts glowing an ominous white.
It is his starter's complete lack of hesitation which proves vital, as even whilst scrambling to make it to his feet and get away, Spencer can hear the Onix behind him swinging around to attack the new pokémon on the field. Desperately, he manages a few stumbling steps, his entire body crying out in displeasure as his various injuries both minor and major make their presence known.
Then, there is a deafening kaboom. His body gets thrown forwards. Then, darkness claims him.
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He wakes up in two strong arms, the darkness above his head making it clear that he's still in the Dark Caves. Ahead of him, there's a brighter light source than he'd dared to use himself, surely drawing the ire of more than one powerful wild pokémon. Multiple sources of pain remind him of his injuries, but he still cranes his head around to get a better idea of just what's happening.
He's being carried by a Kangaskhan, whilst up ahead, trademark black and orange clothes identify what is most definitely a Pokémon Ranger. By her side, a Vaporeon marches in lockstep with her, its head continuously shifting from left to right as it scans the path they're walking.
"W-what happened to Bunker? Where are you taking me?" He manages to ask, voice coming out weak and croaky.
"Oh good, you're awake," The Ranger acknowledges with a soft smile, pretty red-brown eyes sparkling from the reflected light of her flashlight as she turns to look at him for a moment, "I assume Bunker is your Pineco? I recalled it, assuming you had a team of three, all of them are accounted for. As for where we're going, I'm taking you out of the Caves, kid. I patched you up a bit to make sure I could move you safely, but you need a real doctor."
"I get that, thank you," Spencer acknowledges, not wanting to seem ungrateful, but still needing his question answered badly, "But where is that? Violet or Blackthorn?"
The Ranger's pretty eyes harden into a flinty glare, mouth pulling down into a disapproving frown, "Blackthorn. Congrats, you're an idiot, but at least you're a lucky idiot."
His temper rises at the unwarranted insult, but it cannot defeat the sheer might of exhaustion which, now that the one question burning in his mind has been given a satisfactory answer, overpowers all other feelings. Already, he can feel himself drifting back off to sleep.
"I'm not an idiot." He musters, but if the Ranger responds to his truthful statement, then he doesn't know it, as sleep claims him once more.