Two days passed since Ethan finally caught Gloom. When he’d gone to the Joy’s section of tents, Joyce wasn’t available for his questions. Instead, Ethan had asked one of the other nurses for help with registration. While obvious in hindsight, they didn’t have any of the required forms or documentation aids in the middle of nowhere in an emergency relief disaster.
He had walked out of the tent embarrassed and apologetic.
Everyday from noon till dusk, Ethan had tutored Houndour, Absol, and Shieldon. By his estimates, all three would be done and finished with their moves with another day of practice and refinement.
Sadly, today, he didn’t have any tutoring to do. Everyone had been called to the opening of Wayward Cave as the excavation of the entrance was to be completed within the hour. All parties were on standby for help in case a deluge of wild pokemon surged out of the cave. Ethan wasn’t sure about where this concern came from, as he wasn’t in touch with many of the ongoing relief efforts or excavations, but when called to show up, he answered.
He, Snorlax, Ursaring, and Smeargle were helping dig up mounds of snow and moved heavy rocks which blocked the entrance alongside a dozen other less experienced trainers. Those with five or more badges under their belt stood prepared and ready alongside the gym leaders and Elite 4 members. Ash, Brock, and Dawn (who should have been putting in some elbow grease alongside him) stood with those with more experience, prepared and ready for anything.
Ethan shoved a particularly jagged boulder to the side to clear up some room as one of the other trainers helping out hollered out with urgency. Looking over, Ethan saw a bunch of rubble and clumps of hardened ice and snow tumble downwards in a plume of frost and rock. As the man and his pokemon backpedaled away from the deluge of earth and snow, the now unsealed entrance opened like a dark maw. He spared a look around to see if anything was going to happen—if the side-episode was finally starting—but nothing untoward occurred.
Cynthia had started speaking to those higher badge level trainers and officials around her, but Ethan was too far away to make out any of the details. Soon enough, trainers and pokemon began funneling towards the open entrance to scout and hopefully rescue pokemon. Nurses, including Joyce, stood about with poise and alertness with stretchers and facilities waiting.
And yes, pokemon only. There would most likely not be any people to be saved. Bill had mentioned in passing the utter exclusivity of the cave and had unkindly and bluntly stated that there’d be nobody to save. He’d mentioned that everyone who could have been saved had already been, or they had died. As the days passed, Ethan had come to realize that Bill might have some… disability might be too strong of a word—problems? Psychology wasn’t his strong suit, and he was woefully uninformed on it as a topic, but something was different with Bill. It went beyond someone accidentally making social blunders or being overly systematic and rule following. He has some fundamental medical or mental ‘problems’.
As everyone funneled into the cave, Ethan wandered over to get a look inside… and all he really gleaned was darkness. With the ruined remains of the bridge high above them, they were already cast in a large shadow. Wayward Cave… was a cave, which meant that there was no light source within it. At least, not here where he could see. The trainers who entered had just begun flicking on flashlights or strapping mining helmets with attached lights onto their heads. This in turn showed narrow angles of bright light within the utterly black confines around them. Once more than a handful of people had their lights on, Ethan finally got a mental picture of what he was looking at.
Wayward Cave had grown in his mind to have a fearsome reputation. It was a place of fearsome, strong, and wild pokemon. A place where humans were either not allowed to visit or where they needed to be the best of the best to step foot inside.
It was quite lackluster to see brown walls of rock and stone with a handful of very narrow crevasses and pathways. It was… normal—for a cave at least.
Once everyone was inside and fanning out, Ethan looked around to see if anyone else had any instructions to give him. He, alongside the other members of the excavation party, stood awkwardly as everyone else kinda… left them alone and without direction? Subtly, Ethan snuck a peak at the league officials and Cynthia. They looked to be in a serious discussion. Ever so slowly, Ethan stuck his foot inside the entrance and swooped inside, much to his pokemon’s amusement.
Smeargle had a little mischievous grin as he hurried to follow, Snorlax waddled as fast as his lumbering form could with a giant smile expecting adventure, and Ursaring huffed with aggravation, following along to probably make sure that he wasn’t going to kill himself.
What? He’d never been in a cave before. This wasn’t a once in a lifetime opportunity, but it was still mildly unique! It was just a quick in and out, inspecting the starting ‘room’ if it could be called one.
Using his phone for a light, Ethan shined it about. The closest he’d ever come to entering a real-life cave was when he sometimes entered Ursaring’s home. While similar, it wasn’t the same thing. For once, Ursaring’s walls and floor were made of dirt. Here? Here he was surrounded by unyielding stone!
There weren’t any wild pokemon around, which was kind of a bummer, but at least he could get a good look at what rock-type pokemon might like for one of the rooms at Berry Falls. Hopefully, it being so cold was due to the season, not the environment. It was freezing inside and away from the warm glow from the sun.
Seeing as he was now alone in the entry chamber, as the high-badge trainers had dispersed down the several different pathways all around, Ethan took his time examin—His small phone flashlight scanned directly onto a person’s face not two feet from him.
“Looking for a group?” Brock asked with a bit of mirth and a chuckle.
Ethan squealed like a little girl. He’d admit Brock had scared the ever living shit out of him.
Snorlax and Smeargle laughed at his misfortune as Ursaring relaxed in her stance. She’d been about to go on the offensive. Ethan shot Brock a glare. “No. I was just checking out the entrance. I don’t think I am allowed in here to be honest. I just… wanted to go into a cave. Never been in one before.”
The Pewter City Gym Leader seemed surprised—Well, as surprised as his typically impassive face could be. “Really?” He questioned with genuine curiosity. “You must have taken a very unique path on your journey then. Well, I suppose living in Pewter City probably warped my sense of normalcy when it comes to caves.”
Ethan nodded his vague agreement. “... Can you even see in here?” He waved his phone about, shining his light across the area.
Brock didn’t have a lightsource, he had appeared like a phantom in the night. “Of course!”
Yeah, Ethan wasn’t going to touch that conversation with a ten-foot pole. It was time to make his escape. “Wellllp,” Ethan started as he began sauntering over to the exit. “I wish you luck in your delving.”
Before he could make it three feet, two screams broke out from one of the many pathways leading deeper into Wayward Cave. The sound reverberated across the room in an eerie and frightening way. It was only the subtle brightening of one of the pathways which told him and Brock where the screams came from. Blasting from the entrance in a mass of tangled limbs, Ash and Dawn sprawled onto the rocky floor.
Ethan was instantly speed walking towards the exit as soon as he’d seen the famous cap of the protagonist. “Ethan? Give me a hand?” Ash’s voice rang out like a nail in a coffin, echoing across the cavernous walls like an ill-omen.
Fuck! STUPID! STUPID ETHAN! Oh? Lemme go into a cave! Fun and unique experience! STUPID! Ethan mentally berated himself as he slowly turned around. He should have known better! He tempted fate!
With a sigh loud enough to be heard around the cave, Ethan helped Ash Ketchup up to his feet. As the young man patted himself down, Dawn spoke quietly. “Me as well?”
One more handpull later, Dawn stood meekly with her Pachirisu on her shoulder. “I… I thought a rock was a Geodude…”
“A common mistake.” Brock commented as he strolled in from the shadows of their light sources, eliciting yet another pair of screams to erupt. This time, Ethan wasn’t the target… So, he laughed.
Then, all hell broke loose. Ethan fumbled down onto the floor with a painful thud as a tremendous quake rattled the cave. Pebbles and large rocks fell from up above, pelting his back painfully as even more screams tore through everyone’s throats. Without thinking, Ethan grabbed his pokeballs and returned Snorlax, then Smeargle, then—Ursaring batted her Ultraball from Ethan’s hand as she curled herself around his prone form. Face down on the ground, Ethan couldn’t see much as his phone landed face-up, its light facing down onto the ground itself.
The falling rocks which had pelted his back ceased, but now a heavy Ursaring was in its place. Her fur pressed into his back and he could feel her fluff press into his exposed neck. As he panicked, he twisted his head at the bright flashes that appeared in the sudden darkness, strobe lighting their surroundings for brief milliseconds. It was the all too familiar bright release of pokemon.
Hurriedly, Ethan reached his hand out for his phone, but Ursaring’s paw snapped forward and yanked his hand back underneath her as yet another rock utterly crushed it. That rock would have crushed his hand.
After what felt like five-minutes, but was really maybe fifteen seconds, the clattering of rock and stone quieted and the enormous quake ended. Ethan lay there, face pressed into the cold stone floor with Ursaring on his back, with the only sound he could hear his own heavy breath. Slowly, Ursaring shook herself, the sounds of more stones clambering off her wide back and onto the floor as she rolled off him, ending her protection.
“Is everyone alright?” Brock’s voice echoed out in the din of silence, muffled by a barrier of some sort. Ethan was in complete darkness with his phone being smashed. He couldn’t even see his hand an inch from his face… Which meant…
Ethan stood, feeling the soreness from being smacked with heavy rocks. Twisting and turning his body, he scanned about for the light of the entrance—the light from the sun outside.
It was nowhere to be found.