Mt. Moon I - A Pebble Can Plug a Dam or Cause an Avalanche
The Rowdy Bunch, as the group called itself, consisted of ten Trainers and four civilians who helped around camp. Of the two groups, Slate wasn't certain which he needed to look out for more.
The Trainers were almost wild with how they herded their Pokémon around. Each seemed to act as their own unit, only listening to the orders of their Trainer and no one else. Slate had only met up with them an hour ago and he'd already witnessed no less than a dozen separate spats between random Pokémon.
On the other hand, the civilians had their own problems. Two of them were guiding a pair of Tauros pulled carts, filled to the brim with supplies the group needed. While one was hungover the other staggered as though he were still drunk and judging by the smell of the pair, Slate wouldn't be surprised if he were. The remaining two civilians were with their apparent partners, distracting the Trainers from the antics of their Pokémon as they walked.
At the front of this procession an exhausted Ranger walked, seemingly already regretting his decision to enlist the Rowdy Bunch for assistance.
Slate walked in the left rear with the young woman who spoke up the day before. Her name was Eleanor and he was pleased to discover she has aspirations on becoming an Electric-type Master after she completed her journey.
"It sort of runs in the family," she explained. "Sort of like Emolga here. Everyone in my family has one as their Starter. The little guy and I have been through a lot together."
"So why not do your Journey in your home Region? Why come to Kanto?" Slate asked. His Pokémon walked by his side and Ralts rested upon his shoulder.
"What? You mean Unova? I was born there but I was raised here. I've visited a few times but it always feels like there are too many people around. Kanto feels much more relaxing," Eleanor explained. Emolga chirped in agreement
"You're just a country bumpkin."
Guarding the right rear of the group were the twins from yesterday. Calvin and Alexander were rather arrogant but it remained to be determined if it was backed up by anything. The only reason Slate willingly interacted with them was due to Calvin's fascination with Dark-types and Alexander's ambitions toward an Ice-type Mastery.
Time would tell if any of them would be suitable for Slate's own ambitions.
Eleanor very maturely stuck her tongue out at Calvin. "And you're a prat."
"You wound me!"
"Go cry about it to your butler then."
"I can't, he decided he'd rather stay in comfort than explore the wider world."
"He's eighty-seven years old, he's allowed to rest."
"Only after he's made my breakfast. And lunch. And dinner."
"I'm surprised you're not as round as a Spheal."
"I knew you only wanted me for my curves."
On and on it went. As far as Slate could tell, Eleanor and Calvin weren't dating but they seemed to delight in mocking one another. Or flirting. Slate really wasn't certain.
"Must you two bicker?" Alexander asked as he tossed a snack to his Starter. Both brothers had Sneasels as their Starters who seemed to enjoy tripping any nearby Pokémon or Trainer. Slate had already been tripped twice by them.
Slate stopped moving just in time for the second Sneasel to leap out of a bush and miss him, instead hitting Eleanor's leg, causing her to fall. Calvin laughed and Slate didn't bother trying to stop the smile from forming on his face, even as Sneasel glared at him.
One of the entrances to Mt. Moon stood before them. Warning signs had been hammered all around it, cautioning explorers of the dangers within. Or they would have if generations of Trainers hadn't vandalized them. While Slate looked at the signs with interest, the Ranger leading them didn't even spare them a glance. The Ranger paused at the entrance.
"Right. Have two sources of light on you at all times. Don't wander off the path I take. If you get lost in there, I'll have to find you then fill out paperwork. I loathe paperwork. Do not make me do paperwork," Ranger Ted said.
A few of the Rowdy Bunch laughed but Ranger Ted's next words cut them off. "If you get lost, you will most likely not be found and you will starve to death. If you get trapped, that will most likely be your tomb. If you get injured, you will most likely be hunted down and killed by the Wild Pokémon. If you piss off any of the Pokémon inside, you will die in too many ways to name. If any of those occur, I'll have to do paperwork. I did not become a Ranger to do paperwork."
Silence fell on the group as the reality of the situation hit them. Even Slate felt uncertainty grip his guts but he accepted it and moved on. He wasn't here to do anything stupid and he had no intention of deviating from the Ranger's path.
Ranger Ted looked at Betsy. "The whole group is yours?" he asked.
She quickly shook her head. "Four civilians and one unaffiliated Trainer, sir," she said, pointing Slate out. Slate was surprised by how formal Betsy was. Someone elbowed Slate.
"Hear that? You're unaffiliated. Sounds like she likes you," Calvin joked. Slate ignored him.
Ranger Ted was too busy frowning to care. "There needs to be a Trainer on both sides of the civilians at all times. You'll be groups of three and you move together, even if the cave narrows. You, affiliate!"
Slate's spine straightened automatically. "Yes, sir?"
"You're our rear guard. If something attacks you, try to scream as loud as possible to warn everyone else. As for everyone else, if you can't see the lights of the people ahead of you, you're moving too slow! You'll need to pick up the pace!"
"You won't wait for us?" one of the civilians asked.
"No. It's too dangerous to linger underground, unless you're a crazy kind of bastard or a fool. Most likely you're both. Use the bushes, we leave in five!"
"Charming fellow," Alexander said. The four of them were relaxing by the cave entrance, waiting for the rest of the Rowdy Bunch to finish getting ready. "I can feel his concern for us."
Calvin sat beside him using his knife to carve the symbol for Dark-types into a stick. "It feels like home," he joked. Their Sneasel's hissed in agreement.
Slate was slowly getting the sense of their humor. So he decided to make a joke. "At least you're not being used as bait. I almost feel unwanted."
"Au contraire, my ugly little friend, you are unwanted. He offers you up as a sacrifice to the wild, to rid us of your smelly butt," Calvin countered. Slate smirked.
"Do you often spend time sniffing the butts of those you proclaim you dislike?"
Calvin's face twisted while Alexander and Eleanor laughed. "He's got you there, brother. Do you have something you need to share?" Alexander asked with a grin.
Calvin's reply was cut off by the rest of the group approaching the cave. Ranger Ted gave them a short nod before heading into the cave, a flash of light releasing a Gloom before him. The rest of the Rowdy Bunch followed, the pale civilians safely in the middle of their group.
"Ladies first," Calvin said to his brother. Alexander gave him a thin smile.
"Age before beauty," he countered.
"I'm younger than you."
"Hence why you're the sacrifice."
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"Such familial love, why-"
Elanor shoved both of them into the cave. "Oh, just go on you morons before we lose sight of everyone else." She followed them shortly after.
Slate released Scyther and Vulpix who greeted him in their own way. "We're entering the cave. If you hear or see anything, don't hesitate to warn me," he ordered. Scyther preceded him into the cave while Vulpix stayed by his side. Ralts burrowed her face into his hair from her place on his backpack.
With one last look at the outside world, Slate walked into Mt. Moon.
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The hours passed. The sounds of the rest of the group echoed back, soft whispers and the scrape of stone on stone. Occasionally the cry of a Pokémon was heard and Slate and his Pokémon did their best to ensure it wasn't approaching them from behind.
Vulpix had to drive off several Geodude who took offense at their presence, hitting them with Swift and Ice Shard until they left. A particularly determined Graveler took it as a challenge and Vulpix had to be directed to use Confuse Ray on it to get it to roll the wrong way. Two minutes later Slate and his Pokémon could hear the far distant thud as the Graveler finally rolled to a stop.
Scyther was busy swatting Zubats from the air. Most often it was one or two, easily manageable for her, but in one cavern the entire roof was covered with hundreds of their sleeping forms. Slate and his Pokémon followed the movements of the others, the first time in hours that he had seen everyone, moving as quietly as they could through the open space. They were almost free of the cavern when one of the civilians tripped over a stone.
Slate watched them fall in slow motion, their hands thrust before them. He could see where they would land, the piles of loose stone that rested almost tauntingly in the way. Even before the inevitable collision, Slate's muscles were already tensing, preparing to launch him forward.
The calamitous crash occurred a moment later and it echoed through the cavern. A ripple of movement overhead revealed the slumbering Zubat to have awakened, glaring down at the intruders. Dozens took to the air.
Screams filled the air, worsening the situation, as the civilians and several Trainers panicked. The rest of the Zubat left their perches, filling the air. Slate reached Eleanor, grabbing her shoulder, even as his Pokémon followed in his tracks.
"Move!" he shouted, not slowing down in the slightest. He dragged her forward until her feet began to move on their own violation, carrying her on. They reached the next pair of Trainers in line, Alexander and Calvin who were only just starting to move.
Eleanor's Emolga landed on her backpack and began to release blasts of lightning overhead at the encroaching Zubat. Slate's Pokémon did the same, filling the air above them with Ice Shards, Swifts, and Air Slashes. Even Ralts joined in, sending some sort of Psychic-type attack at their attackers from her perch on his back. The twin's Pokémon quickly joined in.
They reached the rest of the Rowdy Bunch, who were clumped in a ball. "Form up! Withdraw!" Betsy shouted while she released her Pokémon in blazes of red light.
"No! To the exit!" Ranger Ted shouted, already running toward the exit of the cavern. He had a Magneton out beside him, blasting any Zubat that approached them. He was almost to an exit.
Even as Eleanor slowed to rejoin Betsy's group, Slate reached out a hand and dragged her toward the Ranger. He distantly noted Calvin grabbing her other shoulder while Alexander flanked his brother. The four ran past Betsy's group and continued on toward the Ranger who released a Golem.
"Get back here!" they heard Betsy shout from behind them. "Cowards! I'll have you, ahhh-"
Slate did not turn around nor did he need to. The sound of furious fighting behind him echoed in the cavern, the roars and cries of pain filling the gaps. Worst of all were the wet squealches as flesh was torn and broken, followed by the pleading of the dying. There were thousands of Zubat in this cavern. Against a handful of Trainers and their Pokémon it was more than enough.
They reached Ranger Ted and dove into the tunnel. Golem immediately began pulling boulders from the wall and blocked the tunnel entrance. But it wasn't fast enough to hide the glimpse of carnage laid out in the cavern, of the blobs of Zubat feasting on still forms. The gap closed.
"Move, quickly now," Ranger Ted said, his eyes darting around the tunnel. His Pokémon moved in front of him and advanced down the cave.
Eleanor was gasping for breath and seemed in shock, so Slate and Calvin pulled her to her feet, placing her arms around their shoulders. Alexander silently took a position behind them, both Sneasels joining him, while Scyther and Vulpix flanked the group.
They moved in silence through the tunnel, moving as fast as they dared. Every time a Pokémon poked its head out it was attacked by Magneton or Golem, sending it scurrying away. They entered a smaller cavern that seemed to lack any Pokémon and Ranger Ted led them to the side.
"Catch your breath," he said, drinking from his canteen. "We'll need to move soon because more Pokémon will be drawn to these caves now that fresh blood was spilled."
Slate and Calvin half-carried, half-dragged Eleanor to a rock while their Pokémon warily circled around them. Slate immediately began checking her for injuries but found none.
"Just shock, keep her warm," Slate told Calvin, handing him a blanket. Calvin nodded, wrapping it around her as Slate turned his attention to Alexander.
"Show it to me," Slate ordered.
"Show you what?" Alexander asked as he drank from his canteen.
"Your bleeding shoulder," Slate said, nodding to the wet patch.
Alexander looked at his shoulder blankly. "Huh." He then hissed in pain as it finally hit him.
Slate forced Alexander to the ground and pulled the shirt away. Several deep bites were in the flesh there, already turning green. Slate pulled an Antidote from his first aid kit and immediately sprayed the area, causing it to bubble and hiss as the poison began to be burned out. Alexander grit his teeth.
Without warning, Slate jabbed another Antidote into his shoulder, using a needle attached to the nozzle to do so. Alexander groaned in pain as the Antidote began working internally, purging the poison from inside his body. He then collapsed slightly forward.
"Yeah, you're going to feel like crap. At least a Class 3 Poisoning. If the pain gets worse tells us immediately," Slate ordered. Alexander's head lolled so Slate slapped him to get him to focus. "Hey. Stay awake."
"Ow."
Slate ignored him as he glanced over to Calvin who shook his head. He turned his attention to the Ranger who gave him an approving nod. "I wasn't hit. Good job on the other two, kid. It's nice to see a Trainer with some common sense." Slate nodded before bandaging Alexander's wounds.
"Unlike the other idiots," Calvin muttered. Ranger Ted's lips twisted.
"Staying stationary in an open spot like that," he trailed off before shaking his head. "You need to have truly powerful Pokémon in order to handle that kind of situation in that manner. Otherwise you get what happened there. Just a bunch of dead fools and civilians."
"And paperwork," Calvin quipped. Ranger Ted gave him a blank look before sighing.
"Yes. Paperwork too."
Silence fell over the group as they rested. Occasionally noises echoed into their cavern but no Wild Pokémon appeared. Slate checked over Eleanor and Alexander a few more times, slapping the latter when he began to fall asleep. Other than Calvin's quiet snickers, they were quiet.
Which was probably why the small tremor of the ground made them all freeze. "Oh, please, no," Ranger Ted whispered.
"Cave-in?" Calvin asked. He pulled Eleanor to her feet while Slate did the same with Alexander.
"Worse. Move, now." Ranger Ted walked toward another exit in the cavern when another tremor rocked the ground beneath them. "Faster!"
They moved their way through several smaller caves and the shaking grew worse. Something was moving underground near them and it was shaking everything near it. They entered a small corridor, and moved as fast as they could in a single file line, with the wounded bracketed by the healthy Trainers and all but the Ranger's Magneton returned. Ralts had desperate hands threaded through Slate's hair.
Slate was in the rear, helping prod Alexander forward, when the entire wall beside them shifted. By the swearing and shouts up ahead, the others had also noticed the sudden shift, especially since the wall started moving.
Pieces broke off as Slate shoved Alexander forward. "Calvin, take your brother!" Slate shouted as he struggled to climb over the fallen rocks.
Calvin swore before ordering the Ranger to drag Eleanor. Alexander disappeared from Slate's sight as another tremor shook the cave, and Slate could see stone moving through the gaps. No, not stone. A Pokémon.
The ground beneath Slate crumbled and he grabbed Ralts from his back, wrapping his arms around her, as they fell. He slammed into a rock and rolled forward in a new cavern, just in time to avoid being crushed by another boulder. His feet were half-buried in a small pile of loose gravel and stone and his chest flashlight broke, leaving him just the light on his head.
The end of an Onix's tail vanished through a hole in the wall that quickly collapsed behind it. The tremors and rumbles died down as it moved away, allowing Slate to reclaim his breath.
"Slate? Are you alive?" Calvin's distant voice echoed from above.
"Yeah!" Slate shouted, before coughing on the dust. "I'm alive. Is everyone else?"
"Yeah, we're just a little banged up. Any chance for a patch job?"
"Can you see a way up?" Ranger Ted's voice called down impatiently. Slate glanced up and down the tunnel but saw nothing leading up, only down.
"No! The tunnel goes down in both directions."
"Shit."
Unease filled Slate's belly. Was this it? Would this be his tomb? Had he really come so far, survived so much, to die this early in his Journey? Would he never find his Starter?
No. Determination filled Slate's mind. This would not be his end. He dug his legs free of the pebbles and stones and stood up on stiff and sore legs. Ralts trembled on his back and he gave her a reassuring pat on her head.
Ranger Ted sighed from up above. "Kid, I'm not going to sugarcoat it. You're in a shit situation. You can either turtle up here and hope nothing nasty finds you and wait for rescue or you can try to push forward. You'll want to find a tunnel that slants up and follow it for as long as you can in order to get out of the mountain. Once you're on the surface a Ranger should be able to spot a signal fire."
"I will move. To stay in one spot down here is too dangerous. I'll see you on the surface," Slate said.
"Good luck kid."
"I'll raise a toast to you when you die," came Calvin's unhelpful comment.
"Thanks, I'll spit in it first," Slate shot back. Calvin's echoing laugh faded as they walked away, leaving Slate and his Pokémon alone in the darkness. They were on their own.
Damn. He had lost his walking stick somewhere. This was just the worst.
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Time Tracker:
Days passed in Chapter: 1
Total Days: 32
Trainer Card:
Name: Slate
Occupation: Trainer
Ambitions:
To find his long lost Starter
To become a Generalist Master, a Master of all Types
Badges: Boulder(II)
Trophies: Inter-Regional Rookie Tournament Qualifier (3rd)
Carry Limit: 2/4
Key items:
Pokémon: 2
Name: Scyther (F)
Type: Bug/Flying
Potential Moves: Counter, Fury Cutter, Air Slash, Focus Energy
Core Moves: Rest
Name: Alolan Vulpix (F)
Type: Ice
Potential Moves: Moonblast, Ice Shard, Confuse Ray
Core Moves: Swift, Rest