Route 204’s picket-fenced borders guided Cameron, Dawn and Serina through the rolling landscape, its paved pathway a welcome change from the dusty, dirty route 202. The wide landscape was seemingly endless in either direction, a vast expanse of green hills, pockets of tall grass, and numerous ponds and small lakes reflecting the fluffy clouds in the sky above. The route meandered around the waters and hills, taking its sweet time in getting the group to their destination, but they didn’t care; with Serina still not talking, Cameron and Dawn were truly able to enjoy the peace of the scenery, and they intended to make every moment count. The two of them walked hand-in-hand the entire way, even pausing every hour or so to check the Pokédex for what Pokémon inhabited the area. Eventually, though, the sun began to descend far to the west, and before they knew it, it was time to prepare a camp. Cameron led them a good distance off the route, picking a site along the bank of a lake, and by the time the cool night air started to settle in they’d completely set up their camp: three sleeping bags positioned around a warm fire.
“So, how far to Floaroma, again?” Cameron asked, his arm around Dawn as he roasted a hotdog over the fire.
“About three days,” she answered, preparing her own hotdog, “Route 204 will lead us right to it.”
“So not too long, then. Is there a Gym?”
“No, Floaroma’s just a small town,” Dawn said, immediately noticing his disappointment. “But Kira’s father does own the Ironworks just outside the town! Maybe we could visit? That’d be fun, right?”
“I guess it could be…” he winked, mockingly debating the idea in his head. “Anything else?”
“Well… There’s the Valley Windworks to the east; that’s kind of interesting. And then Eterna Forest to the north. We’ll have to go through that to get to Eterna anyway though.”
“Sounds like a lot of stuff outside the town…”
“Yeah… you’ll see for yourself when we get there, but Floaroma isn’t that exciting,” she said, chuckling as she realized she was talking down about Kira’s hometown. She pulled her hotdog from the fire, poking at its plump shape before taking a big bite.
“Ooh, hot!” she managed to say as she juggled it back and forth in her mouth, quickly downing the water Cameron offered her. He watched her a bit nervously, worried she’d burned her mouth, but when she finally swallowed she let out a loud sigh, leaning back with a look of satisfaction.
“That was really good,” she smiled, the both of them breaking out in a fit of laughter. In between her giggles Dawn called out to Serina to join them; the girl was a good distance away, sitting with her feet in the lake. When she didn’t respond Dawn turned back to the fire, nibbling at her food as she muttered something Cameron couldn’t hear.
“Is she gonna be okay?” he asked, glancing back towards the lake, “She’s barely said anything since we left…”
Dawn grunted. “She’ll be fine; she’s probably just jealous JC’s off with Kira instead of her.”
Cameron gave her a sideways glance, “Are you sure?”
“What do you mean?”
“It just seems like more than that to me,” he said with a shrug, “You’d tell me if it was something else, right?”
Dawn stared into the fire for a minute, the dancing flames reflecting silently in her eyes. “Of course…”
Cameron was unconvinced. “Is there something else going on?”
“You know I’d never lie to you without good reason,” she answered, once again keeping eye contact with the fire as she spoke. But her response caught Cameron off guard; “without good reason”?
“So then you would lie to me?” he said, surprised.
“If I had to,” Dawn said, her voice starting to waver. “Cameron, there’s something I want to tell you…”
“What is it?”
“Well that’s just it; there’s something I want to tell you,” she said, turning her body to face him, “I want to tell you but I… I can’t.”
“Well why not?” he asked.
Dawn moved forward, her eyes pleading with him. “I just can’t; not yet,” she said, still moving towards him, despite Cameron falling back onto his elbows. “But… you still trust me, right?”
“But… what …?”
“Right?” Dawn asked desperately, kneeling over top of him on all fours. Cameron could feel her anxiety falling down on him like her hair, but despite his own reservations he merely smiled.
“I’ll always trust you, Dawn.”
◄►
The next morning their small group started early, breaking camp and getting back on route 204 before nine o’clock. Dawn made a quick breakfast while they packed and Serina surprisingly joined them to eat, although still not speaking. Dawn, however, saw it as progress, and they weren’t walking long before she attempted to pull Serina into the conversation, much to Cameron’s disappointment.
“Isn’t the landscape out here just beautiful?” Dawn smiled, “Nothing like this in Alto Mare; right, Serina?”
“There is nothing special about hills and grass,” she replied with a sigh, a good distance ahead of the other two. “And we did not need them in Alto Mare; there is nothing more beautiful than the ocean.”
“Well she’s a ray of sunshine…” Cameron groaned quietly to himself, straightening up when Serina glared back at him.
“Man she’s got good hearing,” he whispered to Dawn, shielding his mouth with his hand.
“You’re just now figuring this out?” she laughed, pulling the hand away from his mouth. “Trust me; it’s pointless to do that. You’ll just look silly.”
“Oh…” Cameron said, slightly embarrassed.
“So Serina, this’ll be your first time to Floaroma, right?” Dawn started, trying again. “Are you excited?”
“Not remotely,” Serina said flatly, but after seeing Dawn’s disappointed look she amended her comment. “However, I suppose it could be pleasant to visit somewhere new…”
“That’s the spirit!” Dawn cheered, “Sort of, anyway.” She and Cameron laughed at that and Serina actually cracked a smile, the heavy air finally lifting from their group.
“Hey, look up there…” Cameron said, pointing to the field past the next hill. Amidst the tall grass stood a massive boulder, its smooth crest topped by a small figure.
“What is that?” Cameron asked, “A Pokémon?”
“Nah,” Dawn said, squinting as they got closer, “It’s a kid… And… yep, he’s got Poké Balls.”
Sure enough, the young boy spotted them from his perch, shouting to them as he slid down the boulder and disappeared into the tall grass.
“Don’t look now,” Dawn nudged Cameron, “But he probably wants to battle you.”
“Psh! As if,” Cameron laughed, “Who’d wanna pick a fight with me?”
“Hey!” the boy said, suddenly emerging onto the route in front of them, “You wanna battle?”
“Told you,” she winked.
“You sure?” Cameron asked, “I’m like, top of my class in battle theory and practical battling. And you’re like, ten.”
“I’m eleven!!” the kid responded sharply, “You think you can beat my awesome Pokémon?!”
Cameron sighed, “Well yeah, I just said I’m top of—”
“Let’s just battle! Then you’ll see!!”
“Whatever, Kid,” Cameron said, pulling Piplup’s ball from his pocket.
“My name’s not kid! It’s Tyler!”
“Cameron. And this is Dawn,” he added, giving her a kiss on the cheek.
“Ooh your girlfriend?” Tyler asked, his attitude changing completely. “She’s real pretty…”
“I know,” he said matter-of-factly, Dawn glancing at him lovingly. Serina cleared her throat loudly, interrupting their moment.
“Oh yeah, and that’s Serina,” he said, waving in her direction.
Serina gasped, “Excuse me! But I am not a ‘that’!”
“So,” Cameron said over her, “We gonna battle or what?”
“Definitely!” Tyler said, running to the other side of the path. “I have two Pokémon, so this can be a double battle!”
“Well…” Cameron thought, picturing Feebas flopping around out of water, “How about a single battle, but with two Pokémon. I bet one of mine can take both of yours.”
“Don’t be so sure!” Tyler grumbled, eager to beat the Trainer in front of him.
Dawn moved to the side of the route, “I’ll ref, then. Trainers ready?”
Cameron tossed his Poké Ball into the air, releasing Piplup onto the battlefield. Tyler did the same, his Starly circling overhead before landing in front of its Trainer.
“Battle!” Dawn called, the young boy surprising them when he beat Cameron to the first attack.
“Starly, quick attack!”
Starly took off from the ground, shooting across the field in a blur as it struck Piplup head on. Piplup fell to the ground but quickly recovered, digging in his heels in anticipation.
“Piplup: bubblebeam!” Cameron ordered. Piplup took in a deep breath, spewing a stream of bubbles towards the retreating bird Pokémon. Starly tried to evade them, but as it banked the tip of its wing struck one of the explosive bubbles, causing a chain reaction as they all burst one by one.
“Get up, Starly! Hit it with your peck!”
“You too, Piplup! Peck attack!”
The two Pokémon raced towards each other, their beaks aglow. The attacks collided, throwing both Pokémon backwards and into the dirt.
“Again, Starly!” Tyler called, his Pokémon once again taking to the air.
“Wait, Piplup,” Cameron said calmly, watching as Starly pumped its wings hard to close the distance between itself and Piplup. Once it was close enough, Cameron finally called a move.
“Piplup: bubblebeam!”
Starly flew straight into Piplup’s attack, its unconscious body skidding to a stop inches from Piplup’s feet.
“Starly is unable to battle!” Dawn announced, “Piplup wins this round!”
“Starly, return,” Tyler said, the red beam drawing his defeated Pokémon back into its Poké Ball. “Your Piplup’s pretty good,” he added, “But I’ve still got one more Pokémon!”
“Let’s just get this over with,” Cameron chuckled, somehow finding enjoyment in the battle despite its ease.
“Alright, here goes!” Tyler said, tossing another Poké Ball into the air. Cameron watched closely as it opened, the released energy materializing into a large orange fish that flopped about in front of its Trainer.
Cameron put his palm to his face. “A Magikarp? Seriously?”
“Yes a Magikarp!” Tyler shot back, “And don’t you underestimate him!”
“Piplup, peck,” Cameron sighed. “But go easy on it; it can’t help being pathetic.”
Piplup walked up to the Magikarp flailing about on the ground. His beak started to glow, but as he moved in to attack the fish jumped towards him and struck him hard in the chest.
“Ha!” Tyler laughed, “I told you not to underestimate him! Fear my Magikarp!!”
“There’s no way I could ever, ever fear a Magikarp,” Cameron said, almost angry at the Pokémon for actually landing a hit. “Piplup, don’t hold back this time. Drive that thing into the ground!”
Piplup nodded, getting back to his feet and charging at the Magikarp.
“Alright, Magikarp, tack—” Tyler began, but before he could finish Piplup’s beak collided with the fish, launching it off the battlefield and far off into the tall grasses.
“Magikarp is out of bounds!” Dawn called, “And odds are, unconscious…” she added with a laugh. “The winners are Cameron and Piplup!”
“Way to go buddy!” Cameron said happily, congratulating his partner. “What’d I tell you, Kid; one Pokémon to beat both of yours!”
“Can’t talk,” Tyler said, running into the field, with Magikarp’s Poké Ball in hand, “Magikarp? Magikarp?! Here boy!”
“Well, guess we should keep moving,” Cameron began, turning away from the boy and walking right into Dawn.
“Help him,” she said.
“But… it’s a Magikarp!”
“Come on, honey; do it for me.”
“But…”
“Please?” she cooed, her eyes pleading along with her.
Cameron sighed, “Fine…”
◄►
“I can’t believe you made me look for that stupid fish,” Cameron complained. “You realize it took an hour before we finally found it?!”
“Do you realize you’ve been whining about it for an hour?” Dawn mocked as she worked through something on her Pokétch. “We were there too, you know. Helping you look!”
“That’s not important; it’s the principle of the thing! I spent an hour of my life looking for a Magikarp!!”
“Oh would you please just give it a rest?” Serina said, sighing heavily. “You are becoming most annoying!”
“Well now we’re even,” Cameron shot back.
“Okay kids,” Dawn said, intervening before Serina could open her mouth, “Time to play nice. At least you won a battle, Cameron. That counts for something, right?”
“As if there was any doubt,” he laughed. “A Starly and a Magikarp; that’s a pretty sad team.”
“Could you at least pretend to have a sense of humility?” Serina asked, rolling her eyes. “Honestly; he was a child.”
“Yeah, a child I beat down hard! He didn’t stand a chance!”
“Yes, Cameron,” Dawn patted his shoulder, “We’re all impressed that you can battle an eleven-year-old and win. Now help me plan our route.”
“What do you mean ‘plan’?” he asked, looking over her shoulder at her Pokétch. “You said this route was a straight shot…”
“Well, it is,” she said, “But technically there’s a straighter shot. There’s a shortcut called the Ravaged Path that could cut our time significantly; it’s not far from here, and we’d get to Floaroma in two days instead of three.”
Cameron looked at her, dumbfounded. “And we were going to go the long way because…?”
“Well I didn’t want to speak for you two; it’s called ‘ravaged’ for a reason…”
“Ravaged path?” Serina repeated. “And you are sure that is the only shortcut available to us?”
“Yep,” Dawn nodded.
“Wonderful,” she said sarcastically, turning to Cameron, “If this shortcut becomes the death of me, I am going to haunt you.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Cameron dismissed. “Let’s hurry up and get there already!”
Dawn held her Pokétch in front of her, turning her body until the built-in compass lined up with the map. “This way, guys!”
Serina and Cameron both looked at her surprised. Dawn was pointed straight off the route and into the woods.
“Um, are you sure, Dawn?” Serina asked. “That way looks a bit difficult…”
“Don’t be such a whiner,” Cameron said, taking Dawn’s hand. “Come on, let’s go!”
So with Serina complaining the whole way, they trudged through the underbrush, heading deeper and deeper into the woods surrounding route 204 until finally, after a long hour of navigating, they arrived at a sheer cliff-face rising from the ground in front of them.
“This is it,” Dawn said, leaving them to walk along the wall and running her hands through the layers of foliage. Cameron and Serina stared hesitantly at the jagged rock wall before them, craning their necks to try and spy its crest.
“So, are we supposed to climb it, or…?” Cameron ventured, seeing the cliff top off at least 50 feet above him.
“Not, quite,” Dawn laughed, still feeling her way along the wall. “If I could just find…” she paused, facing the cliff with both hands buried below thick vines. Dawn moved forward, her arms vanishing up to her elbows as she pressed against the solid rock, finally disappearing completely into the greenery.
Shocked, both Cameron and Serina scrambled to help her, but breathed a sigh of relief when they saw her reappear, ripping the plant life from the overgrown entrance.
“Don’t do stuff like that,” Cameron sighed, his right hand pressed to his chest, “You’re gonna give me a heart attack!”
“What?” Dawn asked, a vine in either hand, “I had to find the opening to the path…”
Serina let out a small laugh, plopping down on an overturned log while Cameron assisted Dawn in clearing the rest of the foliage from the entrance to the Ravaged Path. When they finished they rejoined Serina, Dawn dragging along a gathering of vines with her.
“We’ll camp here tonight,” she said, dropping the plants heavily to the ground and brushing the dirt and debris from her body. “We’ll need a good night’s rest to tackle that ‘shortcut’.”
“I am never one to pass up a chance to rest,” Serina said, changing positions on her log as she watched Dawn bundle the vines together. “But it is still rather early…”
“Exactly,” Dawn agreed as she stood, “So we can set up camp and then do a little exploring. Maybe even catch Cam here a new Pokémon or two…”
“And just what’s wrong with my current group?” he asked, eyeballing her playfully.
“Oh, nothing…” she smiled, “But cliffs like these tend to be havens for certain rock and ground-type Pokémon. Like, oh, I don’t know… Larvitar?” she added knowingly. Sure enough, Cameron perked up at the mention of one of his favorite Pokémon species, a smile creeping across his face.
“I do like Larvitar…” he said, eyeing the cliffs to his right. “You really think there’d be some this far from the mountains though?”
“Anything’s possible, sweetie,” she smiled again, taking him by the hand and leading him through the dense woods along the cliff side.
“Perhaps I should accompany you…” Serina spoke up, turning to see her companions already gone.
“Oh, very well, I shall stay here…” she announced to no one in particular, “Alone… with no one to keep me company.” She sighed heavily, slowly growing anxious for something to do as she took in the whole of her surroundings: a stone wall and woods; woods in every direction.
“This is not very much to work with…” she said aloud, obviously talking to herself. She went about clearing a campsite, however daintily, struggling to roll small logs into a circle around a makeshift fire pit. After about an hour she stepped back to admire her work, nodding a seal of approval.
“Well, now what?” she asked, resting on one of the logs just as her stomach rumbled.
“Ah, I suppose it is time to eat!” she answered to herself, retrieving a small chocolate bar from Dawn’s bag. She suddenly stood up and faced the log she was just sitting on, standing straight and tall.
“You have worked very hard, Serina, and now you deserve something sweet,” she said, trying her best to imitate JC’s voice.
She quickly about-faced, “Oh no, it was my pleasure,” she said sweetly in her own voice, “I only hope you like the campsite!”
“Of course I do, it looks ever so wonderful,” “JC” said again. “Now take this treat; you have earned it.”
“Well, if you insist,” she smiled, unwrapping the bar and taking a bite. As the curtain closed on her small play, Serina gradually grew more solemn, softly sitting back on her log.
“Why can you not see how greatly it pains me to be away from you?” she sighed, her entire body in a slump. “If you only knew the effect you have on me… it is unbearable.” She lifted her open chocolate bar over her head and looked it over in the afternoon sunlight, “But instead of choosing to partner yourself with me, you choose to run off with that, that…”
Serina angrily jumped to her feet, crushing her chocolate in her hand before throwing it into the fire pit. She turned away disgusted, her emotions boiling over until she finally spun on her heels, breathing a plume of iridescent fire into the pit.
Breathing heavily, Serina wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, watching the flames consume what remained of her chocolate.
“And that is what I will do to you if you ever betray him,” she growled, her voice almost animalistic. Apparently satisfied, she let out a “humph”, pulling a new bar from the bag and sitting back down on the log. Serina sighed and stared off into the woods; once again lost in her thoughts, she was truly startled when something began tugging at the chocolate in her hand.
“Oh!” she exclaimed, looking down to see a small reptilian Pokémon sniffing at her chocolate bar. Dull green with two large black spots on its sides, it stood only a few feet high but had a tall horn atop its head. Its belly was a bright orange and it had a blunt tail resembling an open pinecone. “Well hello there,” she smiled, “Would you like some of this?”
“Tar!” it said as it stepped back excitedly, anticipating a morsel of food. “Tar, tar!” it continued happily, opening its mouth wide.
“Calm down,” Serina laughed, breaking off a chunk of chocolate and tossing it towards the Pokémon. It caught the food in mid-air, chewing happily as it began melting in its mouth.
“Tar, lar!!” it said excitedly, walking up to Serina and nudging her leg for more.
“Yes, it is very good, is it not?” she said, patting on the log next to her. The Pokémon obliged, climbing up next to her and sitting down.
“Here, you can have this one,” she said, handing the rest of the bar to the Pokémon and digging yet another one from Dawn’s bag for herself. “You know, I was beginning to believe I was going to be alone all evening,” she continued, “I am glad you came along.”
“Lar,” the Pokémon agreed in between bites.
“I am guessing that you live around here?”
“Lar.”
“I thought as much. I am from Alto Mare; have you ever visited?”
“Tar.”
“Yes, well I suppose it is rather far from here… Do you have many friends?”
“Lar!”
“Ah, I see! That is most wonderful,” she smiled.
“Tar,” the Pokémon said, looking up at her with a chocolate covered mouth.
“You are quite a messy little thing…” she laughed, taking a bite of her bar. “But I like you.”
The Pokémon smiled and finished its chocolate, sitting happily with a full belly.
“Lar tar, lar lar tar, lar tar tar?”
“Oh no, I am not out on my own; I am travelling with two good friends. Well…” she amended, “One very good friend, and one person I know…” she laughed.
“Tar tar,” the Pokémon laughed along with her.
“You really should meet them though, they are both very kind. Mostly…”
“Tar lar?”
“Well, Dawn took Cameron off by enticing him with some Pokémon he greatly desired, but I am most sure that he will like you just the same. Actually, they have been gone for quite some time now, and it is getting rather late… What do you say to remaining around until they return?”
The Pokémon hopped down from the log and scurried off into the woods, returning moments later with an armful of berries. It laid the fruits on the ground, separating them into two equal piles: one for itself and one for Serina.
“I will take that as a yes,” she smiled, kneeling to the ground to join the creature in another snack.
◄►
Dawn and Cameron were almost back to camp when they noticed the fire burning in the direction of their site. The night sky was pitch-black and the fire didn’t appear that large, but just to be safe they jogged the rest of the way to check on Serina.
“You don’t think some fire-type attacked her, do you?” Cameron asked as they ran the short distance.
“I don’t think so,” Dawn replied, “She may not look it, but Serina’s very good with Pokémon; it’s like a gift she has. You don’t think she actually made a fire…?”
“Hah!” Cameron laughed, “The day Serina actually makes camp will be the day I catch myself a Larvitar!”
“Since you didn’t even find any today,” she poked at him.
“Hey, those things are rare, okay?” he defended, “This wasn’t even a known location to find them in the Pokédex!”
When they finally neared the campsite they slowed down, seeing Serina and a small Pokémon asleep on the ground, laying back against a log and looking exceptionally full in the stomach. The fire they saw was indeed a campfire, contained within a rough circle of stones and built from the mass of vines Dawn had dragged over earlier.
“Well would you look at that,” Dawn said softly, being careful not to wake them. “It looks like she made camp by herself after all. And look at what’s asleep next to her…”
Cameron peeked around the fire at Serina, finally noticing the Pokémon on the ground.
“That’s a! A—”
“Shh!!” Dawn hushed, taking his hand and leading him to the opposite side of the fire. “Let’s not wake them.”
“That’s a Larvitar!!” he exclaimed quietly, “But how?!”
“I told you, she’s good with Pokémon,” Dawn whispered as she retrieved her bag and pulled out her sleeping bag. “Let’s get some sleep; hopefully it’ll still be around in the morning.”
“How is this even possible…?” Cameron asked dumbstruck, unconsciously lying down onto his sleeping bag. “It just isn’t fair…”
Dawn laughed to herself, leaning over and kissing him gently on the lips.
“Go to sleep, sweetie,” she smiled, kissing him again. She laid back down and rolled over, still hearing Cameron mumble to himself as she slipped off to sleep.
“Insanity… pure insanity…”
◄►
“Alright, where is it?”
“Where is what?” Serina asked groggily, squinting in the morning sunlight. Cameron was standing over her; having just woken up, he immediately noticed the Larvitar was gone.
“That Pokémon you were with last night; where is it?”
“Oh, do you mean Lartar?”
Cameron looked at her in utter confusion. “Lartar…?”
“Yes, that is his name: Lartar. He says it all the time.”
“It’s a Larvitar! Not a Lartar!!”
“Oh…” she thought, “I suppose that makes sense as well.”
Cameron slapped a palm to his forehead, completely beside himself.
“Where did it go, Serina?” Dawn asked, trying not to laugh at their antics.
“I am not entirely sure…” she replied, “He was only to stay long enough to meet you both; perhaps you arrived too late for him and he returned home?”
“Great…” Cameron grunted, disgusted. “Now how am I going to catch one?”
“You did not see any others last evening?” Serina asked, finally getting up off of the ground.
“No,” he sighed, “We didn’t see anything.”
“That is most unfortunate,” she sympathized, brushing the dirt from her pants. “Lartar said he has many friends nearby so perhaps you will get another chance in the future.”
“Whatever…” Cameron dismissed.
“Oh I do wish you had gotten to meet him, though. He was most charming!”
“I’m sure,” Dawn laughed, “Now how’s about we pack up so we can get moving?”
“Whatever,” Cameron sighed again, helping to clean up camp. Even Serina pitched in, assisting where she could to tidy up the campsite. Very soon they were all ready, staring into the blackness of the entrance to the Ravaged Path.
Serina leaned close to Cameron and whispered, “This is our last chance to turn back…”
“Not a chance,” he scoffed. “But… I don’t suppose either of you have a flashlight…?”
“I do not need one,” Serina answered, “I see very well in the dark.”
He rolled his eyes, “Of course you do.”
“Don’t worry Cam, I have one!” Dawn assured him, digging into her bag for her flashlight. She handed it to Cameron who just stared at the metal torch before him; it was the brightest neon pink he’d ever seen.
“Well, here we go, I guess,” Cameron said as he took his first steps towards the cave. However, a loud rustle coming from the bushes behind him caught his attention, and they each turned out of curiosity.
“Lartar!” Serina shouted as the Pokémon walked towards them, its arms laden with berries.
“Lar-VI-tar. Lar-VI-tar…” Cameron mumbled.
“Did you bring these for us?” Serina asked, ignoring Cameron and squatting down next to the Pokémon.
“Lar!” he said, handing her the berries. “Tar lar!”
“Aw, thank you; I had a wonderful evening as well!” she replied. “And thank you so very much for these berries,” she continued, scooping the berries up into her arms, “They will most definitely come in handy!”
Larvitar smiled happily as Serina patted him on the head. “Well, we really should be moving on,” she said as she stood. “It was most wonderful to meet you, Lartar.”
“Lar lar?”
“Oh, no I am afraid we cannot stay. We are just passing through, if you recall…”
“Lar tar…” he slouched sadly.
Quickly jumping on the situation, Cameron spoke up. “You wouldn’t want to come with us by any chance, would you Larvitar…?”
Larvitar perked up, his eyes full of excitement. He ran over to Serina and latched onto her leg, nuzzling her calf with his cheek.
“Oh my!” she said as she composed herself, “I believe he does!”
“Excellent…” Cameron grinned.
“So, are we all ready to go now?” Dawn asked, narrowing her eyes playfully at Cameron and his obvious plans. She took back her flashlight and clicked it on, leading them on their first steps into the cave.
Cameron and Serina instantly understood the path’s namesake. Completely devoid of light, it was obviously going to prove difficult to navigate. And as Dawn passed her flashlight over their surroundings, the ravaged landscape of fallen boulders and collapsed tunnels seemed to get only more and more treacherous, trailing on forever past her small circle of light.
“Really wish we had Kai about now,” Cameron sighed, heaving himself over a fallen column of stone. “This one flashlight isn’t cutting it.”
“Oh hush,” Dawn chided, helping Serina up after him, “We’re doing just fine!”
“What exactly is your definition of fine?” Serina whined, clambering over the column. “I cannot take much more of this!”
“Tar tar!”
“Oh you be quiet!” she snapped, watching the mountain Pokémon scamper from one rock to the next. “Not all Pokémon are as adapted to this terrain as you!”
“Don’t you mean all ‘people’?” Dawn corrected, pushing Serina up over her head.
“People, Pokémon, whatever,” Serina dismissed, rolling herself up onto the upper level.
“Well, either way,” Cameron said, shining the flashlight behind him, “It looks like the path smoothes out a bit up ahead.”
“Oh that is most wonderful,” she said, continuing forward as Cameron helped Dawn up after her. “I was going to need one of you to carry m—ah!” she squealed, jerking her foot back.
“What is it? What’s wrong?” Dawn asked as they ran up to her.
“This is what is wrong!” Serina said, throwing her soaked shoe at Cameron. “This path is completely underwater!”
“What…?” Cameron asked, “From over there it looked like the ground smoothed out…”
“Oh yes, it is very smooth,” she said sarcastically. “Unfortunately we cannot walk on water!”
“Whoa, it’s a lake,” Cameron said, kicking off his sandal and dipping his foot into the water. “Awesome!”
“Yes, but how do we cross?” Serina asked. “If you recall, this was the reason we did not go to Canalave…”
“I guess we swim!” Cameron said happily, diving into the water.
Serina squealed as the water splashed near her feet. “I did not volunteer to swim,” she scoffed.
“Oh come on!” Cameron said, surfacing a short ways from where the two girls were standing. “It’s like the perfect temperature! And it’s so clear! Can you not swim?”
“It is not that I cannot, I simply will not. And Lartar cannot swim either!”
“Aw, don’t be a stick in the Mudkip, Serina,” Dawn urged, slipping her boots into her bag.
“Yeah Serina, swimming’s not that ba—WHOA!” Cameron shouted as he was suddenly lifted out of the water atop a large, spiked, gray dome.
“What the—?!” he exclaimed, sitting completely out of the water. “What is this…?”
“Oh this is perfect!” Dawn smiled, shining the flashlight onto Cameron, “Now you two can cross without swimming, Serina!”
“And why is that?” she asked as Cameron jumped off of whatever it was he was sitting on, only to be raised out of the water atop a head on a long neck.
“Because that’s a Lapras!” Dawn said, watching as Cameron again tried to jump from his perch. The creature grabbed him by his shirt mid-dive and seated him again on its knobby shell, patting his head gently with its chin.
“Lapras love to ferry people and Pokémon around on their backs,” Dawn explained, “I’m sure this one would have no problem carrying you and Lartar across the lake!”
The Lapras nodded, swimming up to the shore and depositing Cameron safely on the stone cave floor.
Now close enough to see the beast, they all looked the magnificent creature over in the low light. Lapras was a beautiful deep blue, with darker patches spotting its neck. It had a tan throat and jaw, a short horn on its forehead, and little curly ears. They could see its four fins through the clear water, slowly paddling to keep it afloat, and a short little tail poking out from under its shell.
“Incredible… I have never seen such a creature before,” Serina said, touching a hand to Lapras’ neck.
“You’ve never seen one?” Dawn asked, “Not even in the oceans around Alto Mare?”
“I cannot say that I have…”
“I’m not surprised,” Cameron said, “These things are like as rare as they come!”
“That’s an understatement,” Dawn chuckled.
“Why is that…?” Serina asked, rubbing the Pokémon behind its curly ears; Lapras smiled and sang happily, thoroughly enjoying its new friends.
“Well, Lapras are really peaceful by nature. Humans took advantage of their calm disposition a long time ago and hunted them nearly to extinction.”
“And nowadays any remaining ones get caught up as fast as you can spot ‘em,” Cameron added.
“That is not a surprise,” Serina sighed, “It is as if the humans cannot help but to destroy beautiful things…”
Cameron coughed awkwardly, “Um, the humans?”
“Oh,” Serina said, catching herself. “I am sorry; I merely meant it as an all-inclusive statement. I myself do not agree with the violent actions most people take when it comes to such things…
“And you poor dear,” Serina cooed, turning back to the Lapras, “Why would anyone want to hurt such a magnificent creature such as yourself?”
“Weirdo…” Cameron said rolling his eyes. “Alright so aside from actually seeing one, why is there a Lapras way down underground? And by itself…?”
“Not sure…” Dawn said, checking her Pokétch. “There aren’t any water routes leading to the outside…”
“Hm… What do you think, Serina…?” Cameron asked, trailing off as his eyes landed on her; Serina was holding Lapras’ large head in her hands and looking deeply into his eyes.
“This was not always his home,” she said as if in a trance. “He says that he used to have a family and a Trainer, but his Trainer lost him down here many years ago and he has been alone ever since.”
Cameron looked at her dumbfounded. “Wait, what? How could you possibly know that?”
Serina touched a hand to her head, “I do not know… but it is as if I can see his past up to this point, as if I can feel it…”
“You’re a freak…” Cameron said pointedly.
“No, she’s not, Cameron,” Dawn corrected. “Lapras are really smart. Lots of them have actually picked up human speech and can speak it through telepathy. He’s probably just communicating all this to Serina through a psychic link.”
“Well, of course,” Cameron stuttered, “I knew that! Geez, I’m not stupid…” he said walking back to the shoreline.
“Oh, and by the way,” he said to Lapras, “Thanks for the ride, but I was fine in the water.”
Lapras splashed him playfully, opening its mouth in excitement and letting out a melodic song.
“Oh how lovely,” Serina smiled, “Beautiful and witty! I feel we are going to get along most excellently.”
The Lapras bowed its head in thanks, returning the compliment.
“And so polite,” Serina curtsied back. “Now, Sir Lapras, would you be ever so kind as to ferry myself and Lartar across this lake?”
Lapras bowed its long neck again, sliding its shell up against the shore and nudging Serina up with its head. She gracefully seated herself on him and helped Lartar do the same, Lapras sinking a bit in the water as the 500-pound Pokémon climbed onto his shell. When Lartar was comfortable Lapras pushed away from the shore, purposefully splashing Cameron as they passed him in the water.
“Hey!” he yelled, wiping the water from his eyes.
“Sorry!” Serina called from her seat, “But you will have to hurry if you want to beat us to the other shore!”
“So unfair!” he laughed, accepting the challenge and swimming fiercely after Lapras.
“Don’t leave without me!” Dawn shouted from the shore, watching as they all sped away.
“Seriously? I can’t believe this…” she grumbled, grabbing her bag and wading into the water.
◄►
Far to the east, JC and Kira were walking a much smoother route 203, slowly winding through the foothills of the Coronet Mountains. The narrow route they were used to walking had opened up the day prior; now instead of walls of trees to either side, they were flanked by the wide open fields and farms of the countryside.
“This place is so pretty,” Kira smiled, taking in the new scenery. “Are those Miltank?” she asked, pointing to a vast fenced field.
“Looks like it,” JC nodded, noting the large black and pink farm Pokémon. “Sinnoh’s one of the largest milk producers in the world, you know.”
“No, I didn’t,” Kira said, holding his arm and looking up at him. “But you did. You’re so smart.”
“I try,” JC laughed, looking back to their path. “Hey, what’s that up there?” he asked, pointing to a building a little ways ahead. It was an average sized home with a large plot of land fenced in behind it, normal for the farm houses of this area. What drew JC’s curiosity, however, was the huge crowd of people clustered at its doorway.
“I’m not sure,” Kira said, squinting to see it for herself. “But we can always find out! Come on!” she urged, pulling him along after her.
The home was a bustle with Trainers and Pokémon alike, and all seemed to be talking at the same time. JC and Kira barely made it to the door before they were swept into the crowd and bumped back and forth, all the way through the building and up to the front counter where an older couple was hurrying to and fro. They were obviously overwhelmed and were frantically shouting responses to the various Trainers.
“Yes yes! We’ll get your Pokémon for you! Yes, there were eggs! You only want how many?! Please, please, don’t shove!!”
JC and Kira nearly fell over the counter as the sea of people pushed them into it. The older woman saw them and immediately began barking orders.
“You two! It’s about time! Hurry and get to work!”
They looked to each other in confusion, taken aback by the sternness behind the old woman’s voice. They continued to stand at the counter, unsure of what to do.
“I said get to work!” the woman shouted again, catching sight of them standing idle. She grabbed JC’s arm and wrestled him over the counter, dropping him to the floor.
“Hurry and take their names!! We need to get this orderly!”
“Um, right…” JC nodded, taking the notepad she handed him. “Um, excuse me, I’m going to need your name…” he said to the nearest Trainer, not quite sure what he was doing.
Kira let out a small giggle at his bewilderment, the sweet sound also catching the ear of the woman.
“You too, missy!” she said, dragging Kira over the counter in the same manner. “I need you to match his names to these units and retrieve the balls!” She motioned to rows upon rows of metal file drawers along the back wall of the building, each marked with a number.
“Uh, Kira! I’ve got a 32 and a 59!” JC shouted to her. She quickly moved to the wall, locating the corresponding drawers and opening them: there were Poké Balls in both drawers as well as several canisters containing large, colorful eggs.
Kira gathered the contents into her arms and hurried to him, handing off the balls and eggs to JC who quickly passed them off to the awaiting Trainers. Soon the two of them got into the swing of things, steadily clearing out the drawers as well as the lobby of the building. The old couple had disappeared early on and left them to their work, only returning when they plopped down in exhaustion after the last Trainer left the lobby.
“Excellent work you two!” the woman congratulated, “But you were still late to begin with!”
“But—” Kira began.
“No buts; we’ll have to dock your pay for the hours you missed. Not very professional; and on your first day, too…”
“Now you wait a minute…” Kira started, a tone of anger showing in her voice before JC quickly interrupted her.
“What she means is, we have no idea what you’re talking about. We’re just a pair of Trainers passing through.”
“Oh…?” the man asked. “OH! Oh we’re so sorry!” he apologized. “You mean you’re not our new help?”
JC and Kira both shook their heads.
The man turned to his wife in disbelief, “Midge, didn’t you even bother to ask if they were the new hires?”
The old woman blushed, “I just assumed… They did fit the description after all… Oh I do apologize!” she said, bowing stiffly. “Please forgive us!”
“No no, it’s alright,” JC assured, “It was kind of fun, right Kira?”
Kira glared at the woman. “Yeah, fun,” she said flatly.
◄►
“So why were you so slammed? Is it always this busy here?” JC asked the couple, sipping his tea. The owners had invited them to stay for a while, offering them food and drink while they recovered from their impromptu work. In the meantime, they’d introduced themselves as the owners of the Pokémon Day-care: Midge and Harold.
“Oh no, it’s rarely that busy,” Midge said. “It’s breeding season for Buneary so Trainers were leaving as many as possible here to find mates.”
“I don’t understand why they need a day-care for that…” Kira said.
“Well you see, dear, during a specific species’ breeding season, Trainers from all over bring as many as they can to a day-care. This makes the chance of finding the best possible mate very high. After all, every breeder knows that the key to good, strong offspring is a good mate!”
“I see…” Kira nodded, munching on a cracker.
“Again, we’re very sorry for forcing you into working today,” Harold said, “We’ll pay you for the hours, of course.”
“Yes, yes,” Midge agreed, “You definitely deserve it!”
“Oh you don’t have to,” JC assured.
“Oh yes we do!” Harold disagreed. “In fact, for doing such a fine job, I’d also like to give you these.” He disappeared into a back room, and reappeared holding two large eggs.
JC and Kira both took one of the eggs, feeling their warm, smooth surfaces. JC’s egg was pale yellow with orange and blue speckling; Kira’s was a deep gray with blue stripes.
“Thank you very much,” Kira said, “But you really don’t have to…”
“Please take them; it’ll hurt our feelings if you don’t!” Midge insisted. “Those two were left by a Trainer a long while ago, and no one has come by to claim them since. To be honest, it’s been so long, we’re not even sure what they are anymore!”
“Well, thanks!” Kira said, shifting her egg in her hands. “We’ll take good care of them!”
“With as responsible as you both were today, I’m sure you will,” she smiled.
“Well, we really should be going,” JC announced, rising. “Thank you so much for the tea; it was delicious.”
“Oh, so soon?” Harold asked, “You two are so charming!”
“Thanks,” JC smiled, “But yeah, we do need to get going. We’re heading to Snowpoint so we’ve got a long, cold way ahead of us…” he said, shivering as he pictured the imminent future.
“Well we wish you both luck!” Midge said, hugging them like an old grandmother. “Remember to keep those eggs warm!”
“We’ll try,” Kira nodded, jokingly rolling her eyes as they walked out the door.
◄►
“Can you believe all that?” Kira asked, still ranting from that afternoon. “All that work for no reason!”
“We did get paid,” JC commented as he laid out their sleeping bags, “And we got a new Pokémon out of it, too. So I’d say that was a pretty good reason to work a few hours.”
“Hm,” Kira sighed, rolling her egg in her hands, “I guess… But I don’t even know what this little guy is…”
“Me either. But that means it’ll be a surprise for both of us!” he smiled.
“Yeah, yeah…” she said as she looked out at the deep valley stretching out in front of them. After leaving the daycare they’d continued their trek east, following route 203 up into the mountains. Now at the crest of the valley, they’d decided to set up camp, having a scenic view of the colorful flowers filling the landscape. Behind them and across the valley the Coronet Mountains reached high into the clouds, their snowcapped summits hidden from view.
“I like it here,” Kira said.
“Me too,” JC agreed, taking in a breath of fresh mountain air. The mountains really were beautiful, and the valley they walked through was so quiet and peaceful it was as if they’d found their own secret garden.
“Remember what the couple said though? About taking care of our eggs?”
“Oh right, I almost forgot”” Kira said, digging through JC’s bag for his Poké Balls. She released Kai from his ball, the small Pokémon stretching from his nap.
“Kai, can you light this fire for us?” she asked, motioning to the fire pit JC had already constructed. Kai squeaked and lit his back, spewing a few glowing embers onto the mass of twigs and brush. Kira only had to blow on it once before it roared up, filling the cool, darkening area with a warm light.
JC came over to assist her in digging out two small depressions in the ground a safe distance from the fire just like the daycare people had said, making two small nests for their eggs.
“Now we have to remember to turn them every hour,” JC reminded her as he placed his egg. “We don’t want to wake up to scrambled eggs.”
“Mmm…” Kira hummed, “Can we have eggs tomorrow?”
JC just looked at her and sat back on his sleeping bag. “That’s terrible,” he said, shaking his head at her.
“Not these eggs,” she corrected, sitting behind him and leaning forwards. “I meant other eggs.”
“We don’t have any eggs with us. They don’t really keep…”
“I know, but we could find some. I’m sure there’s a flying-Pokémon’s nest around somewhere.”
JC kissed her hand. “Sure.”
“Mmm…” Kira purred deeply into his back, dreaming of the breakfast to come.
“Alright, you,” JC said, sitting straighter, “It’s been a long day full of hiking and work; time for you to go to bed.”
“Okay,” she said mid-yawn. She rolled off of his back and onto his sleeping bag, purposefully not moving far enough to reach her own.
“Of course,” JC sighed as he kissed her forehead and laid down next to her. He set his Pokégear to alert him every hour to turn the eggs while Kira snuggled up to his back, holding Kai loosely in her arms. It didn’t take long for the both of them to quickly drift off to sleep, the weight of the day finally catching up to them.
The Chasm 
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