Cassie was panting by the time they finally slowed from their run, thoroughly winded and her sides aching from trying to keep pace with Kaitlyn and Orion. Her Pokemon was much faster than either she or Kaitlyn was, but Kaitlyn also had much more experience out in the wilds and seemed to be a bit more athletic than she was. Orion had stayed out in front of them the entire time, leading the way at Kaitlyn’s direction with his nose twitching and eyes darting in every direction for any sign of unfamiliar people around. Paulos was still high in the air, but seemed to finally be descending now that the two girls had slowed their pace down. She didn’t know how long they had been running, only a couple of minutes if she really had to guess, but the experience left her painfully aware of the fact that she would need to make sure to do some exercise during their traveling to try and improve her fitness.
Up ahead, she could finally see the gaping maw of the cave entrance, jutting out from the craggy rock face like an open wound on the terrain. It was much bigger than she had expected, easily stretching upwards at least two dozen feet or more, and wide enough for several people to pass through comfortably shoulder to shoulder. She wondered if it was a natural formation, or if people or Pokemon had widened the entrance over time to be more accommodating. Onix apparently lived here, from what Kaitlyn had said before, so it seemed to make sense that the large rock snakes would want a way to the outside that didn’t involve tearing up the ground and risking collapse every time they wanted to explore.
There was a man standing near the entrance who Cassie could hear speaking into his phone, dressed in the black uniform and dark red vest and boots associated with the Rangers, accompanied by a large tan and brown owl-like Pokemon that stood almost as tall as the man himself. Cassie recognized it immediately as a Noctowl, the evolved form of Hoothoot from the Johto region - a fine choice for a Ranger, really, with its exceptional eyesight and other senses. It also looked to be wearing some kind of saddle or mount, Cassie noticed as they drew closer. That made sense if he’d flown over on his Pokemon, she realized, suddenly wondering how much different flying on Pokemon-back might be compared to the fast travel mechanic that it was in-game.
“Excuse me,” Cassie heard Kaitlyn call in greeting as she finally caught up to both her Pokemon and her friend, also noticing Paulos descending fully from the sky to land on the ground at her side instead of her shoulder. “We heard the distress call over the Ranger channel. I’m Kaitlyn, and this is Cassie - can we be of any help?”
The man adjusted the hat over his messy black hair as he put the phone away, the faintest bit of relief creeping into his face for an instant before he held out a hand for Kaitlyn to shake. “Zack, Ranger Second Class,” he said, the polite introduction done in an instant to be replaced with the alert attitude of a Ranger once more. “Are you locals?”
Kaitlyn nodded. “I’ve been through the caves here a lot since I was a kid. Any sign of the girl so far?”
Zack shook his head, eyes wandering back to the cave entrance. “Noctowl took a quick look inside just to check the entrance, but any tracks are long gone by now. I was told by her relatives that she was planning to head to the lower levels to hunt for Gible, but that’s about all we know at the moment.”
Kaitlyn winced internally. The lower portions of the cave were where the reclusive Dragon-types made their homes, only rarely venturing up to the surface levels. If Mira was down there, especially if she was alone, there was a very real possibility that she was in danger. Kayley had always brought Kaitlyn along when she went hunting until she had strengthened her own team enough to the point she felt confident venturing in alone, if for no other reason than having someone else along to send for help if things went awry. That was a good rule of thumb for caving in general, let alone searching for arguably the most dangerous type of Pokemon in such a place.
“I’m familiar with the lower levels,” Kaitlyn replied, reaching for Ivan’s Poke Ball on her belt, “and my Onix is native to this cave. Do you want me to have him scout ahead and see what he can find?”
“That would help, yes,” Zack remarked with a nod, looking at his Noctowl. “Can you go with her Onix and help? You can get back to us faster than it can if it finds out anything.”
Noctowl let out a trilling cry that seemed to signal agreement, and Kaitlyn’s Poke Ball flashed open to release the massive rock serpent onto the ground in front of the cave entrance. “Ivan, we think Mira might be on the lower level. Check with the locals and see if any of them know where she might’ve gone inside, please - Noctowl will let us know if you find out anything.” Ivan rumbled a sound of acknowledgement as Noctowl swooped over to join him, alighting on the rock snake just behind his head as he slithered off and into the darkness of the cave.
“Do we just...wait for them to get back?” Cassie asked hesitantly, looking between the two people with her and the cave entrance. “Shouldn’t we go in with them?”
Zack shook his head. “If we go in now, they won’t know where to find us inside the cave. Hopefully, they’ll be able to find something quickly that we can act on.”
“The lower levels are a bit sprawling,” Kaitlyn started, also glancing back towards the entrance with a hand on her hip, “but if the Gible still make their homes in roughly the same places, then I can narrow down the search a bit. Assuming that’s actually where Mira went, anyway.”
“Orion, can you check the entrance for any scents that aren’t ours?” Cassie asked her starter, not wanting to just sit idly by and wait for the pair of Pokemon to return. She felt antsy just waiting, feeling like she was on anxious pins and needles with the knowledge that someone might be in trouble. Orion trotted over without hesitation, nose to the ground as he sniffed around at the entranceway and just within the rocky portal.
“What other Pokemon do you have with you?” Kaitlyn asked Zack, gesturing towards Astrid standing at her side. “Besides Astrid here and Ivan, I also have my Magnemite, Tera.” Not for the first time since seeing the alert did she wish to have more of the members of her team from last season with her. Sadly, they were all back at home for the time being - Kayley was keeping an eye on them for the most part, but her team was relatively self-sufficient in most respects. Her Bronzong’s ability to Teleport would save them some time trekking into the lower areas, and Steelix’s might would likely be invaluable against anything dangerous they might find in the depths, but she just didn’t have any time to go back and get their help.
“Only Golduck and Ponyta,” Zack replied, shaking his head. “My Grotle is helping another Ranger today, unfortunately.”
Cassie’s Growlithe barked loudly behind them, running back over and straight to his trainer’s side before barking again as he looked back towards the entrance. “Did you find something?” Cassie asked, following Orion’s gaze back to the yawning opening of the rock face. He barked out a quick ‘yes’ in answer, circling her feet once before darting back towards the cave a second time.
“I think he has a scent,” Cassie told the others, now even more anxious to get inside and start looking.
“That’ll help,” Zack said, digging his phone back out and beginning to fire off a quick text to someone. Fingers darted along the phone screen for several seconds before he shoved it back in his pocket. “I let the other local Rangers know that I’d be going in with you two shortly. That way, if we don’t report back soon, they’ll know that we’re likely still inside.”
Minutes passed with agonizing slowness as the trio and their Pokemon stood around, anxiously awaiting any sign of the Onix and Noctowl that had entered. Cassie, at Kaitlyn’s suggestion, had taken the small harness holding her egg carrier off and placed both items within her pack just in case they had to move quickly. Orion’s ears perked up at the sound of a slight rumble from the entrance, and he trotted over towards the cave mouth only to be greeted with an exiting Noctowl overhead, the Flying-type curving over him to head back to its trainer as Ivan’s rocky body slowly started to emerge from behind it.
“Any luck?” Kaitlyn called over to the Onix as Zack and his Noctowl started to converse as well, aided by the emergence of the blue-skinned bipedal Golduck from another of his Poke Balls. “Did she head down to the lower level?” Ivan roared and nodded his head, the sound resembling a rockfall to Cassie’s ears.
“Noctowl says that she definitely went to the lower areas, near where the Gible nests are,” Zack said, his Golduck’s eyes and red gem in the center of its forehead both glowing a faint blue as the Water-type’s mental abilities helped his trainer and Noctowl converse more clearly. “They spoke with some of the Pokemon in the cave, and they remembered seeing a girl in red and white heading through the lower tunnels in that direction.”
He tapped out another message on his phone, the faint staccato clicks of the key presses only barely audible before he put the phone away once again. “Let's go - we’ll make our way down as quickly and carefully as we can, hopefully without running into any angry Dragons on the lower paths. Can you have your Onix lead the way?” Zack asked Kaitlyn, the calm authority of a Ranger seeping back into his demeanor. Kaitlyn nodded, swiftly shouldering her pack once again before releasing Tera from his ball as well. Traversing the cave quickly was paramount, and the open show of a large group might serve to deter any wild Pokemon who might otherwise try to impede them.
Paulos flapped up onto Cassie’s shoulder as Orion stepped towards the front of the group, sticking close to Ivan as the Onix began to lumber back towards the cave mouth. Kaitlyn accompanied her Pokemon closely, flanked by her Mawile and Magnemite on either side, and Zack's Noctowl took up a perch atop the Onix to help scout the areas ahead as his Golduck waddled along beside him. Nervously, Cassie’s eyes flitted around the collected group of Pokemon as they walked. They had a fairly large team, all things considered, but they also didn't know what they were walking into. Images of a rampaging Garchomp briefly filled her mind before she forced them away, trying to remain positive.
The first whiff of air from inside the cave that hit Cassie's nose carried the scent of dampness with it, a faint musty smell from dirt, debris, and standing water along the rocky terrain. The entrance area was massive, clearly hollowed out by some means as a sort of main room leading to other tunnels. The ceiling high above was decorated with stalactites that slowly dropped water from their rocky points, and the faint chattering of what Cassie assumed were Zubat came from overhead and from nearby passages. The light inside the room was still bright enough to see well, plenty of sunlight filtering in from beyond the entrance, but further tunnels looked nearly pitch black from a distance.
Ivan trundled towards one of the side tunnels, Orion hot on his figurative heels with nose to the ground as he kept track of whatever scent he'd found earlier. Zack pulled a flashlight from his pack to illuminate the darkness with, flicking it on and sending a bright beam cascading along the wall, while Tera lit up with a soothing electric glow like a makeshift light bulb as it used Flash to light the way. Cassie followed suit and pulled a small flashlight from her pack, flicking it on and sweeping it around as they entered the darker side passage. A group of Paras skittered back into the darkness at their approach, the mushroom-adorned insects fleeing the sudden brightness of lights from flashlight beams and Magnemite alike.
“How far is it to the lower levels?” Cassie asked, looking towards Kaitlyn for guidance even as she stole more glances at her surroundings. She was sure this was her first time exploring any sort of cave, and the environment around her was fascinating even when disregarding the multitude of Pokemon in the vicinity.
“Maybe a quarter mile before we start heading down, but the lower parts are a bit maze-like to navigate,” Kaitlyn explained. “If Mira was looking for Gible, it's a pretty long walk. They tend to stay deep in the cave, and they're usually pretty reclusive unless it’s mating season. I'm just hoping that she didn't accidentally wander near a nest. Gabite can get really territorial, especially if they feel threatened that a trainer is trying to catch their young.”
Barely a month into her trainer career, and already wandering around near territorial Dragon habitats. Cassie tried not to feel like she was regretting her decision to be a trainer, but the goosebumps on her arms weren’t entirely from the lower temperature inside the cave.
“Why are the caverns and tunnels so big here? Is it because of the Onix here digging them?” she asked Kaitlyn, wanting to distract her mind from the terrifying thoughts of running into fully-evolved Dragons in such a place.
Kaitlyn shook her head in response. “Sort of, but not entirely. Apparently, this upper level was an iron mine a long time ago, decades before most of the iron mining business moved to be off the coast of Canalave. A lot of this area was dug out during that time, and the Pokemon just took over and expanded it once the miners moved on. There’s still some remnants of support beams and such if you look close in some of the tunnels, actually.”
“That’s about right,” Zack chimed in from in front of them. “Not only that, but according to some old records, Hisuian natives started their early settlements using iron mined out from this mountain. They also quarried a ton of stone from deeper in the range and used it to build what they called the Temple of Sinnoh near the peak of Mount Coronet.”
‘So that exhibit was right,’ Cassie thought, remembering how the museum exhibit had shown the Spear Pillar and its once-pristine marble column construction.
“There used to be an easier way up from these caves to the Spear Pillar, actually,” Kaitlyn added. “Old maps show this set of caves connecting to a forest higher in the mountains that led all the way up to where the Spear Pillar is, but rockslides over the decades buried all the old paths so deeply that we can’t really tell where they would be today.”
The conversation trailed off after that, with everyone focusing mainly on making their way through the winding yet spacious tunnels deeper into the mountain. For the next few minutes, the only sounds nearby were the ambient cries of wild Pokemon and the grating, scraping rock-on-rock noises from Kaitlyn’s Onix sliding over the rough terrain. Before long, however, the path started to gently slope downward, with craggy rocks dotting the path like warts jutting up from stony skin in contrast to the mostly cleared pathways they had been traversing up until now. Cassie had to be careful to keep her footing on the sloped ground, making sure not to catch a foot on an errant rock poking out of the dirt as she made her way down. As she finally reached the bottom of the slope where the path leveled off again, she took a moment to relax and lean against one of the boulders littering the dark passage.
She jumped up again with a cry of surprise when she felt it move against her, spinning and shining the light onto a pair of white eyes and four thick, rocky arms.
The Graveler groaned as it awoke from its slumber, blinking at the sudden light shining in its face. Cassie took a few steps back in fear as Orion dashed back to her side, a low growl escaping from his mouth as he tried to warn off the larger Pokemon. The Rock-type looked down at the smaller canine, almost as if sizing him up for a fight before Golduck intervened, a quick stream of words spilling from its beak to address the Graveler while simultaneously stepping in front of the Growlithe to keep him safe. Graveler rumbled something back to the Water-type before curling back up into a rocky ball, eyes closing once again as it returned to sleep.
“Sorry...” Cassie murmured to Golduck, taking care to stay far away from the Graveler she’d accidentally awoken. Golduck simply waved her off with what could’ve been a smile, seemingly not worried about the issue as it returned to Zack’s side. She did make sure to keep the flashlight from pointing directly at any more suspiciously large rocks as they continued to walk, however.
The deeper they traveled into the cave, the more Pokemon they ran across. Zubat and its evolved form, the much larger Golbat, were increasingly common in the nearly pitch black environment, their echolocation more than sufficient to hunt prey in the darkened caverns. Paras were nearly everywhere as well, scurrying around underfoot as they moved around the tunnels with no real issues seeing in the dim light. Cassie even caught glimpses of Sandshrew occasionally, a flash of yellow hide that was there and gone as the skittish Pokemon quickly tunneled back into the ground. The only thing that truly gave her pause as they walked was the sight of one Pokemon resembling a round mirror that floated down the passage in front of them, rich shades of bluish-green coloring that resembled oxidized copper framing two deep yellow eyes. The Bronzor turned to acknowledge them for only a moment before floating off, the Psychic-type meandering its way down a branching tunnel and out of sight by the time they reached the intersection.
With only the occasional patch of bioluminescent fungus naturally providing anything resembling light, the flashlights and Kaitlyn’s Electric-type became integral to the movement of the group. Their travel slowed as they progressed, Kaitlyn taking great care to guide them properly based on her deep knowledge of the cave system. Before long, they could hear the sounds of running water as they kept moving, eventually coming across a large cavern and the sight of an underground river that flowed alongside the path they were walking at a few feet below the level of their walkway.
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“Always be careful around underground rivers,” Zack warned as they moved. “They can flood quickly and without warning, and you don’t want to get cut off from your only passage out.” Kaitlyn nodded, likely having heard the same many times before, while Cassie just silently committed the words to memory. She gazed down into the water, but the inky black was too unbroken for her to make out anything other than a moving, rippling sheet of dark liquid. Even with the light of Magnemite’s Flash going, she couldn’t tell how fast the water was flowing or what lay beneath its surface.
“We're getting close to the Gible dens,” Kaitlyn announced, eyes darting quickly between the other members of the group. “Most of them make their nests near this river for easy access to water. We probably won't see many wild Pokemon from this point on.”
Cassie didn't miss the way Kaitlyn's demeanor seemed to sharpen, nor how Astrid seemed to become more tense beside her trainer. Zack also seemed to focus just that tiny bit more, his Pokemon keeping closer and more alert. Astrid said something quickly to Orion that sent the Growlithe scampering back to his trainer, sticking closely in front of her in an obviously protective stance as they walked on.
“Are Gible that dangerous?” Cassie asked worriedly, looking towards her fellow blond.
“Gible aren't, no. For the most part, they're actually pretty goofy and likeable, but also overeager and strong-willed. I remember Kayley's figuring out the hard way what a bag of flour was when it tried to eat the whole thing at once. Took us an hour to clean that mess up.” Cassie giggled at the mental image, unable to resist the urge from the ridiculous thoughts that went through her mind.
“Gabite, though...they're another story. Gabite are adolescent Dragons, and they can get fiercely territorial when they're trying to carve out a space for themselves in the environment. A lot of Pokemon will give them a wide berth just in case, and there's bound to be at least a few around here this time of year.”
“...What about Garchomp?”
Cassie had to fight to keep the tremble out of her voice as she asked the question, wondering just how much worse the fully-evolved Dragon-type could be than its middle stage. Surprisingly, Kaitlyn shrugged a little in response.
“They're actually not all that bad. Garchomp are usually the strongest things around and they know it, so they don't have the same drive to carve out territory and defend it that Gabite do. To a Garchomp, everything around them is their territory, and most Pokemon don't even bother trying to challenge that fact. The only times you'll usually see one get agitated is if they're sharing territory with something like an Aggron or Tyranitar. They're just too strong to really be bothered by much else.”
That...actually made a reasonable amount of sense, Cassie thought. If you were pretty much guaranteed to be the strongest Pokemon in the area, you probably weren't too worried about another wild Pokemon trying to take anything from you.
“You seem to know a lot about the Gible line,” Zack commented from his place at the front. “Did you have one on your team once?”
“Not me,” Kaitlyn replied. “My sister's starter was a Gible, and she was a handful when she was young. There wasn't a piece of furniture in the house that Delilah didn't chew on at some point.”
Delilah?
Cassie blinked - she was sure she'd heard that name before, and she struggled to remember when. She was silent for just a few seconds before her mind made the connection, and she looked back towards Kaitlyn with wide eyes.
“Your sister has a Garchomp?” she hissed, keeping her voice below the yell she actually wanted to make.
“Yeah,” Kaitlyn said, seeming as if it was no big deal that her sister owned one of the region's resident psuedo-legendaries. “She's had Delilah for years. She only evolved...a year or so ago now, I think.” Suddenly, Cassie found herself infinitely curious as to what other Pokemon both Kaitlyn and her sister might have in their possession, but restrained herself from trying to grill her friend for the time being.
All at once, Orion snapped to attention, ears perking up to stand straight atop his head as he barked once and looked back at Cassie, then back towards one of the branching passages up ahead. “Did you find something?” Cassie asked her starter, following his gaze with the flashlight beam into the darkness beyond as he barked again in confirmation.
“Be careful,” Kaitlyn said as Cassie’s Growlithe started to move towards the tunnel, nose held close to the ground to make sure he was headed in the right direction as Zack’s Noctowl shadowed him from overhead. The rest of the group moved close behind, with Kaitlyn’s Onix shifting to the side to let the majority of the humans and Pokemon around him follow Orion more closely. A Zubat fled the passage as the rescuers entered, turning a corner and heading down a twisty, narrow corridor that the Onix behind them was unable to fit through. The rocky tunnel zigged and zagged this way and that for several dozen feet, but they finally hit a dead end with their flashlights after a couple of turns and gasped at the sight they saw.
A teenage girl was huddled close to the wall, knees pulled up to her chest and Poke Balls scattered loosely on the ground beside her. The white stockings she wore over her legs were torn in several places, bloody scratches streaking through the clean fabric and dotting it with crimson almost matching her pants. She looked up at the sight of lights hitting the wall, revealing a face spotted with dirt and an expression that suggested she had all but given up on getting out of the cave. Zack was at her side in an instant, reaching for his pack and digging out what looked like a medical kit from within as everyone else gave him room to work.
“Are you Mira?” he asked, earning a shaky nod from the girl as he carefully looked her over. “I’m Zack, a Pokemon Ranger - we’re here to get you out of this cave, okay?”
Wide eyes looked up at him as he started to work on the cuts on her legs, full of despair and fear. “O-Okay...” She took a shuddering breath, fighting back tears that wanted to start again and wincing as he spread antiseptic ointment over the worst of the cuts. “I t-thought I was going to die in here...they chased me all the w-way through the cave, and -”
Her words cut off as she whined in pain from the stinging balm, reaching for the three Poke Balls at her side. “They hurt all my Pokemon...all I could do was run...”
“Who’s ‘they,’ Mira?” Kaitlyn asked gently, kneeling down to the girl as Zack started bandaging up her legs.
“Some Gible and a big Gabite...they got really upset when I walked in here, and I didn’t have enough Pokemon to fight them all...” she said, wiping her eyes with the back of a torn sleeve. “Kadabra tried, but he just couldn’t...”
“It’s okay,” Zack whispered, working as quickly as he could to get the girl’s wounds patched up. “Like I said, we’re gonna get you out of here, don’t worry.” He turned to the others as he pulled another strip of gauze tight around Mira’s leg. “Cassie, can you grab her pack for me? Kaitlyn, do me a favor and check the room we just came from, see if anything’s out there. We can’t afford to get hemmed in here.”
Neither girl offered any complaint, and Kaitlyn headed back down the twisting passage with Astrid in front of her while Cassie stepped into the corner to grab the black backpack Mira had dropped. One strap was shorn through and ragged now, likely from a stray attack or claw, but Cassie slung the good strap over her shoulder as Zack helped Mira to her feet.
“Golduck, Noctowl, lead the way out - we’re going to move as fast as we can manage. The sooner we’re away from these Dragons, the better,” Zack instructed. Neither Pokemon needed any further prompting, and Noctowl soared around the corner with Golduck hot on its heels as the three remaining humans and their Pokemon started to move. Cassie stayed close behind Mira, bringing up the rear as Zack helped her along.
They had only gotten halfway out of the narrow dead-end before Orion’s fur started standing on end, a loud rolling growl issuing forth from the Pokemon’s jaws moments before they heard a commotion at the exit. Zack could hear his Pokemon talking loudly from around the last few bends, and he knew that it likely wasn’t a good thing.
“Cassie, Mira, you two stay behind me,” he said sternly, making sure that his last remaining Poke Ball was still easily accessible on his belt. His Ponyta likely wouldn’t do any good against the part Ground-type Pokemon he suspected his own were facing down now, but in a pinch he could have Mira take it out of the cave to safety.
As they rounded the last corner, they came face to face with the last sight Zack wanted to see at the moment. Two bipedal, draconic Pokemon stood menacingly some distance away, dark blue scales glimmering in the reflected light from Magnemite’s Flash. The dorsal fins on their backs varied slightly, with one having a notch in it that marked it as a male and the other’s solid fin showing it to be female. The male’s red underbelly had faded slightly into a paler hue; it was likely an older male that was well on the path to its final evolution by now. Bone white claws stood out against the darker colors of their bodies, marked with dirt and other grime from digging around the tunnels, and mouths full of sharp teeth snarled in the direction of Kaitlyn’s team as she stood guard over the tunnel entrance.
The Gible that accompanied the Gabite numbered at least eight that Zack could see immediately, and he hoped more weren’t lurking underground in the area. The Dragon-types were significantly smaller than their evolved form, only around half of Gabite’s roughly four-foot height, but their round bodies were almost all mouth and full of razor-sharp teeth. Their heads sloped up into a single dorsal fin, most of which were marked with the notch showing them to be male, and their short stubby arms and legs waved around as they yelled angrily at the intruders. Despite how angry all the Dragons looked, none of them seemed to be willing to make the first move; whether they were actually afraid or just deferring to their evolved brethren was unclear.
“Thanks for the save,” Kaitlyn said without turning, not taking her eyes off the Dragon-types in front of her. Ivan kept his body near her like a stony shield, coiled protectively into a defensive posture with his tail ready to flick out at any aggressive movements, while Astrid stayed directly in front of her trainer with her rear jaw raised and ready to snap down at a moment’s notice.
“Looks like they’re pretty riled up,” Zack said, stepping up beside her as Golduck and Noctowl joined the defensive brigade of Pokemon.
“We’re definitely in their territory,” the blond remarked in agreement. “And they don’t look like they’re willing to let us just walk out.”
“Then we’ll just have to push through them,” the Ranger said in a tone that left no room for argument. “Mira and her Pokemon need proper medical care as soon as possible.”
“Astrid, you’re up - take the Gabite on the left. Ivan, guard duty,” Kaitlyn snapped, her Pokemon reversing their relative positions in an instant as Ivan’s body coiled loosely around the group to try and limit any incoming attacks.
“Golduck, take the right Gabite. Noctowl, keep the Gible off us,” Zack ordered, watching as his Pokemon fell into their assigned positions as smoothly as Kaitlyn’s had.
“Orion, Paulos, think you can help with the Gible?” Cassie asked, much more unsure of herself than the two more veteran trainers accompanying her. To their credit, both Pokemon cried out confidently as they stepped up as well, the Growlithe and Pidgey as unwavering as any of Kaitlyn or Zack’s own team. Still, the odds were a bit stacked against them. Each of her Pokemon as well as Zack’s Noctowl would be facing two-to-one odds at best, assuming Ivan could also help deal with the smaller Dragons. Orion would also be at a type disadvantage to any Ground-type moves, and Paulos likely wouldn’t just be outright immune to Ground attacks like in the games.
‘No time to worry about that now...I just have to trust in them.’
One of the Gabite moved, aquamarine TE lighting up around his claws as he lunged forward, and all hell broke loose.
Cassie was near-instantly overwhelmed by the cacophony of light and noise that erupted in the impromptu arena. The male Gabite's attack was swiftly parried by Astrid's steel jaws, then countered with a devastating Crunch that nearly took the offending arm off at the elbow as it recoiled away in the nick of time. Golduck spat a thick stream of water at the female Gabite, matched by a torrent of emerald fire from a Dragon Breath. The ground shook and shivered as Sand Tomb, Bulldoze, and a half-dozen other attacks all collided at once from every direction. It was chaos and madness, confusion completely unlike the structured combat of a sanctioned Pokemon League competition.
She needed to keep track of Orion and Paulos first, she realized. They would likely need her direction with their relative inexperience. Squinting from the glare of the nearby Magnemite’s light, she peered over Onix's rocky segments and finally spotted her two Pokemon in the fray.
Orion, despite being of comparable size to the squat Dragons, was absolutely bullying the poor Gible that had chosen to fight him. He fought more fiercely than Cassie had ever seen before, even more so than in their gym battle. Claws raked across the thick hide of his foe, embers burst onto its body from close range, and the Growlithe made sure that none of his limbs stayed within reach of the tiny Pokemon's gaping mouth for longer than it took to deliver his next strike. Perhaps it was because he was fighting not just to protect his own trainer, but Mira as well that caused him to fight so fervently.
A Bulldoze finally hit its mark, rocking the tiny canine with the Ground TE-infused shockwaves and knocking him away from his wounded target as another Gible closed in on him with teeth laced with Dark TE. Paulos came to his rescue as soon as he noticed Orion in trouble, and the Pidgey strafed the offending Dragon with a cutting Gust that toppled the Gible head over heels. The sight would've been comical if the fight wasn't so vicious, but there was no time to think about it right now.
“Iron Head!”
Kaitlyn’s shout caught Cassie’s attention, and she looked towards where Astrid and the male Gabite were fighting just in time to see Astrid rear back, swinging her now-silvery rear jaw around in a bludgeoning strike that slammed into the Gabite's ribs. He let out a wheeze of pain, but recovered far more quickly than Kaitlyn would have liked before sand whipped up around both of them. Thick, heavy clouds of Ground TE battered the Mawile as the Sand Tomb cascaded around both Pokemon before Astrid was launched backwards by another Bulldoze from the aggressive mid-stage Dragon.
Golduck was having a harder time with its own opponent, unlike Astrid who held a natural type advantage against their foes. The Dragon was faster on land than it was, and was attempting to exploit that with ruthless bites and claw strikes. A Dragon Claw narrowly missed as Golduck twisted aside, eyes glowing pale blue as another swipe flew in. Gabite's entire body flashed with the same eerie light, and the emerald dragonfire around its clawed hand winked out of existence as the Disable took hold. Golduck couldn't entirely avoid the claws that were still flying towards it, though, and blood scattered into the air as the claws tore gashes open across its chest. A quick inhale puffed its cheeks out as it gathered energy, determined not to flinch from the pain, and rings of glowing Water TE exploded from its mouth and slammed directly into the Gabite's face, disorienting it and scouring away at its rough hide.
Kaitlyn’s Onix suddenly roared in pain as one of the Bulldoze shockwaves smashed into his rocky hide, sounding like a jackhammer crashing into boulders and echoing around the cavern. Thick gray brows furrowed angrily as he opened his mouth, and a gout of Dragon Breath scorched the cave floor as he swept the flames across towards three of the Gible who were nearest to him. The tiny Dragons scattered in all directions to avoid the super-effective attack, peeling away from their much larger target to seek easier prey elsewhere in the battle.
Noctowl fared the relative best out of the Pokemon that were fighting, even more so than Kaitlyn’s Mawile. While the Steel-type had to get up close and personal with her opponent, Noctowl had no such limitations in the high-ceilinged cavern. It rained Air Slashes across the battlefield, swooping around again and again to strafe anything within reach with sharp blades of Flying TE. So annoying were its passes that four of the Gible began to make a point of targeting it all at once, sending thin streams of Dragon Breath skyward that it weaved between effortlessly despite its large size. Eyes shone gold as it opened its beak, releasing a series of Psychic energy rings in a tight beam that engulfed one of the Gible, freezing it in place. In the next instant, it rose into the air before being flung sideways by Noctowl, the Extrasensory slinging it into the wall with a loud crash before it slumped to the ground unconscious.
The female Gabite roared loudly at the sight of one of the Gible being knocked out, and brilliant white TE lit up around its claws before it raked them across Golduck again. Blood flew once more as the force of the Slash tore through skin and flesh beneath, bodily throwing the Golduck aside as it raged towards the foe it truly wanted. A thick stream of dragonfire poured from its mouth towards the Noctowl in an instant, catching the Flying-type off guard and washing over it to scorch feathers and flesh alike. A stench like burning hair drifted down as Noctowl descended, wincing from the emerald blaze, and it summoned a thick wall of orange light with the use of Reflect just before a set of teal-outlined claws began furiously slashing away at it.
“Uproar! Get it away from you!”
Zack’s voice cut in over the din as Noctowl opened its beak again, taking a deep breath before letting out a booming “NOCT!” that almost knocked the Gabite off her feet with a burst of yellow-colored Normal TE. The heavily-cracked Reflect fell away moments later, the Psychic TE fading and Noctowl retreating back towards its trainer for a moment as Golduck stepped back up to fight.
The fight, despite their injuries so far, seemed to be going in their favor. Several of the Gible were now out of the battle entirely, mostly with minor wounds and bruises in their unconscious states, while Astrid was pressuring her foe hard, using her natural type resistances to their fullest as she brawled with the juvenile Dragon Pokemon. Cassie was still having a hard time keeping track of everything, though Kaitlyn was making sure to keep an eye on her, and Ivan had advanced a little in the meantime to try and force the fight to a close and the Dragon-types into retreat. Orion and Paulos had held their own admirably so far against the smaller Pokemon, and the numbers were rapidly turning in their favor with every Gible that fell.
“All we want is to leave!” Kaitlyn shouted to the Gabite, struggling to be heard over the fighting that was still going on. “Stop attacking us, and we’ll get out of your nest and leave you alone!”
Whether her words went unheard or unheeded, she didn’t know, but neither of the Gabite ceased their attacks against their opponents. She growled, muttering a curse under her breath as she yelled back to Astrid. “Play Rough!”
Astrid gave a vicious grin as her body shimmered with the pink energy of Fairy TE, the teeth of her false jaw glittering with energy and malice in equal measures, and she lunged forward towards the male Gabite only to have it dive into the ground and disappear in a cloud of dust and dirt.
‘Dig,’ Kaitlyn thought, eyes scanning around for the Pokemon. “Astrid, stay alert!”
She got only a second to react when she finally realized that Astrid wasn’t the target.
They were.
She shoved Cassie back and dove aside right as the ground trembled and erupted under them, the Gabite bursting out of the ground like an erupting geyser with clawed hands swinging wildly. Kaitlyn hit the dirt hard as Astrid shrieked in rage that her foe would dare attack her trainer, while Cassie tumbled backwards in an uncontrolled fall...and kept rolling, the ground underneath her sagging and giving way from the Gabite’s reckless attack. She slid, disoriented in the half-lit cavern, then -
“Cassie!”
A brief moment of weightlessness was shattered by freezing cold and wet as she hit the river amidst a cloud of dirt and rocks, plunging underneath the water before she had any mind to react. She kicked, trying to figure out which way was up as the river’s current started to carry her along, but the murky waters made it nearly impossible to get any sense of bearings in the darkness. Her eyes widened as she struggled not to breathe, not to suck any of the water into her lungs, but the freezing liquid stung her skin and chilled her to the bone almost instantly.
She was going to drown.
The thought swept through her mind with all the force of the river that was tugging at her, and she struggled to kick and swim her way to the surface - what she thought was the surface - but the cold was sapping her strength, making her muscles stiff and useless in the face of the freezing water. Her lungs burned for air, and she desperately tried to pull herself upwards with her arms before they gave out and forced her to try and breathe. A loud splash echoed somewhere around her just as she lost the fight against her body’s wishes, choking on the foul water and flailing vainly before blackness slowly claimed her vision.