Pokemon Fan Fiction / Pokemon Fan Fiction ❯ Boundless Sky ❯ Blame! Pokémon of Granite Cave! ( Chapter 2 )

Chapter 2
Blame! Pokémon of Granite Cave!

Though the end of the semester was drawing to a close, Chiori was far more excited about helping Roxanne catch pokémon than she was about graduating middle school. It was their planned voyage that kept her spirits up after her brother, Midori, left. During his week-long visit, he'd helped Chiori train Isis a little, thanks to his connection to dark-types. Once he'd departed on Friday morning, Chiori automatically went to her room to pack some things for her trip with Roxanne the next day.

"Chiori?" Mrs. Rougan stood inside the door frame. "You can take care of that when you get back from school. Come downstairs and finish breakfast."

"I just want to make sure!" Chiori said with her head in the closet. "Roxanne thinks we might even have to spend the night in a pokémon center! I'd better pack a change of clothes."

She thought her mother had gone, due to the silence that followed. She gasped, startled, when she heard her speak again. "Chiori, honey, listen."

"Uh?" She crawled backwards from her closet, shaking her loose pink hair.

"Your father and I, we're happy you have a pokémon," said Mrs. Rougan. "We think Isis will teach you a lot of responsibility."

"Yeah!" Chiori grinned. "So far I'm responsible for showing the neighbors that Poochyena aren't destructive pests!"

"And that's good... everyone is relieved that the Poochyena went on their way. And Isis is very well-behaved. I'm surprised."

"Me too." Chiori wasn't sure if capture had mellowed Isis, or if she'd had a laid-back personality to begin with, but she was a gentle and demure pokémon. She ate her store-bought food neatly, she always waited by the back door for someone to take her outside for business, and her primary concern was grooming herself. Chiori had lain out an old blanket in a wide wicker basket beside her bed, where Isis was presently taking her post-breakfast nap.

"But anyway..." her mother continued. "Will you think about something, when you get the chance?"

"Sure!" Chiori was always happy to oblige.

"You know next month is the end of the school year. Which means your graduation's coming up..."

"I said I'd wear the dress. It's a little tight, but it's better than buying a new one I'll never wear again."

"No, not that... are you really serious about wanting to apply to the trainers' academy?"

"You bet!" Chiori perked up at the topic.

Mrs. Rougan nodded. "Then this summer, I think you need to show your father and me that you're ready."

"Huh?" Her smile faded.

"You're prepared to forego high school and immerse yourself in pokémon study? To dedicate your life to some field in pokémon care?"

"Well... yeah," Chiori said slowly. "I thought we had that talk already, and it was okay with you and Dad."

"It is, it is." Mrs. Rougan sniffed idly, rubbing her nose and looking around the room. "But we've been talking, and we even asked Midori about this. We all think you could benefit from a little after-school tutoring this fall."

"What?" Chiori snapped into an upright position. "Why?"

"Because no one should stop their general education at middle school level. Certainly no daughter of a Devon scientist."

"But... I don't like regular school! I'm not going to use any of that history or reading stuff, I'm going to do something with pokémon!"

"That's fine, dear. Far be it for anyone in this family to keep you from that. But you're going to be a well-rounded pokémon student, or else you'll be enrolling in public high school."

Chiori chewed on her bottom lip. "Okay," she mumbled.

"Something else, too. We want you to do something with yourself this summer."

She looked up at her mother. "I'm going to be training Isis with Roxanne, I know that much."

Mrs. Rougan nodded. "That's good. But, well... I think you need to make some more friends."

Chiori's shoulders fell. "You've been telling us how Roxanne wants to be the gym leader here," her mom went on. "If she is, she won't have a lot of time to spend with you."

"No, that's the good part! She said I could be her assistant!"

Mrs. Rougan shook her head. "There are programs over the summer for academy students to participate in... contests and camps, that sort of thing. You should pick one you want to do and get to know the kids you'll be going to school with."

"But I've got plans for--"

"I'll not have you going through yet another school without bothering to make a friend or two. It's important. Got that, Chiori? Summer activities and after-school tutoring this fall, or no trainers' academy."

Chiori's eyes stung, and she stared at her blue-grey carpet.

"All right?" her mother prompted.

"Yeah."

"Good. Now pick up that stuff on the floor and come finish your breakfast." She left, her feet thudding down the stairs. Chiori sighed and did as she was told.

The next day, she gratefully set out with Roxanne, who had arranged a boat ride with Mr. Briney, a friend of her parents. He waited for them at Rustboro's north beach, along with a Wingull perched on his shoulder, whom he introduced as Peeko. "'Tis a lovely morning," he said in his weathered voice. "Are ye planning a holiday in Dewford Town today? Did ye bring your bathing suits?"

"No," Roxanne said matter-of-factly. "This is a trip strictly for business. It's a little early in the year to be swimming, don't you think?"

"Rest assured th' water isn't cold at all 'round Dewford Isle. Everyone practically lives on th' beach. It might be customary for tourists to take a dip in th' drink, even. Don't want to insult th' locals, do ye?"

"Can I go back and get my suit?" Chiori asked eagerly. "I have a new one this year! I want to try it out!"

Roxanne took a deep breath. "Not this time. You'll get plenty of chances to go swimming this summer, I'm sure. So let's get going before it gets any later."

Just like a teacher, Roxanne had brought along a basic pokémon encyclopedia, that, for its abridged information, was still pretty bulky. She studied the two pages on a pokémon called Nosepass, which lived exclusively in Dewford Island's Granite Cave. She'd decided she was going to specialize in rock-types, because she admired their solid strength. She'd already obtained a well-trained Geodude in a trade with one of her students, but no one had a Nosepass.

"Its nose is magnetic. It can always find north," Roxanne explained, showing Chiori a picture. Chiori glanced at it, but her attention was divided between two other things, her sketchbook in her lap, and Isis; the Poochyena, having never been on a boat before, was exploring everything in sight, especially the edge. She was fascinated by the sea.

"It's really difficult to catch," Roxanne went on. "That's why it would make a worthy pokémon for a gym leader."

"Yeah!" Chiori beamed at her, glad she was encouraged. "What else is in this cave, anyway? Anything rare?"

Roxanne flipped back to the pages that gave an overview of the small island's cave. "Mainly Zubat and Aron," she said. "There are a couple more rare kinds of pokémon, yes." She showed Chiori some pictures of Sableye and Mawile, pokémon that normally kept to the shadows and away from curious humans.

Chiori looked at the picture. "Those are bizarre. And scary... is that its mouth?" She pointed at the Mawile's picture.

Roxanne nodded. "I think so." She flipped the page and looked up. "Don't you think Isis should stay in her ball?"

"But I wanted her to look around! This is exciting for her."

"And it's your responsibility to make sure she doesn't fall overboard. You never know what could happen out here."

"You make it sound like I can't keep an eye on her."

"No... it's just that they invented pokéballs for a reason. You're not going to see me bring a Nosepass out on deck, are you?"

Chiori sighed heavily and fished her pokéball out of her backpack. "All right. Sorry, Isis," she said as she pushed the white button, activating the device and withdrawing her Poochyena inside.

As she pocketed the ball, Roxanne leaned over to look at her sketch. "That's pretty good. He's that anime character you like, right? You showed me other pictures before."

"Yeah, it's Malik." Chiori beamed.

"You drew him from memory? You're pretty talented."

"Aww." Chiori grinned, flattered, and gazed at her sketch of Malik, who stared back at her with wide, accepting eyes.

The rest of the ride was peaceful, with Chiori sketching and Roxanne reading. "There's Dewford," Roxanne said after awhile, pointing at the small stretch of land ahead of them.

"Thank you for the ride, Mr. Briney," she said to the driver as they docked.

"No trouble at all," the old captain replied. "Just let me know when ye be wantin' to return."

"We won't be long," Chiori promised. "And, um... sorry about Isis. It's her first time out to sea, and she got a little excited."

"That's why they call it a poop deck, y'know." Mr. Briney laughed good-naturedly. Peeko, now perched on the railing, squawked in what sounded like laughter as well.

The girls' shoes sank in the soft sand, but they were too absorbed in taking in the sights of the beach town to mind. "The air here is so nice," Chiori remarked. "This would be a great place to live."

"Yeah." Roxanne looked around thoughtfully.

"Hello!" someone called out to them. "I didn't mean to be late! I'm sorry!" A young man with light blue, windswept hair ran up to them. He grinned, catching his breath. "Are you Roxanne?"

"Yes," she answered. "You're Brawly, the gym leader?"

"At your service!" He shook her hand gently but eagerly. "Who's this with you?" He smiled at Chiori next, his bright teeth almost shining in the sunlight.

"This is Chiori. She has her Poochyena to help out."

Chiori looked from Roxanne to the gym leader. "He was expecting us?"

"Did I not tell you? I contacted him for his assistance. His specialty is fighting-types, which will be pretty beneficial in Granite Cave, according to my research."

Brawly laughed modestly and shook Chiori's hand as well. "It's great to meet you, as well," he said. "I hope it doesn't take too long to find you a Nosepass -- you don't want to spend this beautiful day wandering around a cave. Did you bring bathing suits?"

Roxanne sighed and closed her eyes. "I don't think we'd have time for swimming," Chiori said quickly. "I'm sure our ride wants to get back home as soon as possible, too."

"Aww, I understand," said Brawly. "Maybe next time? It's almost summer vacation, isn't it?"

"Yeah!" Chiori clapped her hands together.

"We'll see," Roxanne said simply, ready to get going.

As they headed for the cave, Brawly told them about how Dewford Town would see a lot of vacationers, particularly those interested in watching the surfing tournaments. "I participate now and then," he said without a trace of bragging. "I haven't won yet, but, you know... I don't have time to practice. Summer is also when a lot of trainers come by. It's kind of hard, managing a gym schedule and everything else you want to do. I hear the best way is just to devote everything to gym leading... but that's too stressful for me. I gotta have time to do other things I like, or else I'd go nuts."

"Yeah, I never thought about that, Roxanne," Chiori said. "How are you going to manage teaching and leading a gym?"

"You're a teacher?" Brawly asked, impressed. "Wow, did you already finish school? I didn't think you looked old enough."

"I'm still in school. I'm just a student teacher," Roxanne said quietly. "I might be a full-time gym leader instead, I don't know."

"Just don't push yourself," Brawly said. "You have your whole life ahead of you."

She didn't look at him, just stared ahead as they approached the cave. Brawly glanced at Chiori, who shrugged, and no one said any more on the topic.

Roxanne was flipping through her encyclopedia as they reached the cave. "You're not going to take that in, are you?" Brawly asked.

"Of course I am," she answered a little defiantly.

"I think it might be a bit of a burden," Chiori said. "Here." She started to take off her backpack.

"I'll be fine." Roxanne snapped the book shut and held on to it. Chiori readjusted her bag, perplexed by her friend's sudden change in attitude.

The cave was vast and clear, and a group of miners was working on the other side of it. "We won't find any pokémon on this level," said Brawly. "Not with these guys around." He waved at them as they approached.

"Hey, Brawly!" one of the men said. "Bring another tour group?"

"Sort of. We're just looking for pokémon."

"Good luck." He handed them three hard hats with lights on top, and gave a flashlight to Brawly. "Lately some guys from the pokémon protection agency have been poking around in the lower levels, checking out everything... or trying to. They've been getting attacked, so be careful. You might want to take these, too." He handed Brawly some large vials.

"We will be. Thanks!" Brawly pocketed the bottles and donned the hat, his wild blue hair sticking out from the rim.

"Either of you ladies interested in some evolution stones?" the miner asked. "I'll give you a discount."

"None of that, now. They're my guests." Brawly grinned. "Ready, you two?"

"Should I let Isis out?" Chiori asked, putting on her own hat.

"Better wait 'til we get down there first." Brawly pointed at the wide hole beside them. "Right, follow me!" He started down the ladder, mounted on the wall of the man-made hole.

"You next," Roxanne muttered to Chiori. "I don't want him looking up my skirt."

Chiori blinked. "I think he'd be looking down as his footing instead of up... there." She blushed a little. "What's wrong? You act like you can't stand him."

"Hmph." Roxanne didn't answer directly.

"He's just being nice! He isn't trying anything, I can tell!"

"Roxanne? Chiori?" Brawly called up.

"Well, I like him," Chiori said, stepping down on the ladder. "And besides, you asked for his help."

"Yeah, before I knew he was some airheaded surfer boy."

"Watch your step, now," Brawly said as the girls reached the bottom. "We've got to cross this floor, too -- the ladder for the next level is on the other side, and down there, we'll find your Nosepass."

Roxanne, who had carried her encyclopedia under her arm while descending, nodded vaguely for a reply, staring at the rocks from her helmet's light as though they were more interesting.

Chiori shrieked as something flew by her ear. She saw leathery wings flutter before her eyes. "A Zubat!" Brawly exclaimed. "Chiori, don't move! You'll be fine!"

"Geodude, tackle!" Roxanne shouted. Chiori yelped again as Geodude whisked by her head, attacking the Zubat. Brawly turned his headlight in its direction, revealing Roxanne's pokémon pinning the Zubat to the ground.

"The light startles them," Brawly said as Roxanne recalled Geodude into its ball. "You have fast reflexes, Roxanne. That's gym leader material right there."

"Thanks," she mumbled, holding tight to her pokéball.

"Were Zubat the ones attacking the agent guys, then?" Chiori asked.

"I don't think so," Brawly replied. "I have a feeling about which pokémon were, though. We should be safe as long as we don't wander into their territory." He clicked on the flashlight. "This way."

Roxanne's Geodude took care of another Zubat, but their next encounter was crawling at a slow pace by their feet. "Stand aside," Brawly said, reaching for a pokéball. "That's an Aron. They're weak against my fighting-types. Take care of it, Machop!" He whipped his arm as he tossed the ball, sending out Machop with a flourish. It delivered a kick to the passing Aron, which flew into the shadows with a metallic clatter.

"Super effective!" Brawly announced, punching the air. "Good job, Machop!"

Roxanne stared at him in disbelief. "It wasn't even attacking us, you show-off!" She bolted in the direction Machop had kicked it.

"I was not!" Brawly blurt out. He looked at Chiori desperately. "It might have attacked us... right?"

She scratched her head. "I don't know."

He sighed and folded his arms across his chest. Roxanne came back, carrying the Aron in her arms. "Give me a potion, you clod," she said to Brawly.

"No need to get all uptight about it," he mumbled, digging one of the vials from his pocket. Roxanne popped it open and fed its contents to the Aron. It shook its steel-armored head a little, but made no attempt to get down.

"Going to keep it?" Chiori asked. "I think it likes you." The Aron nestled itself comfortably in the older girl's arms, as if preparing for a nap.

"It's heavy," she said. "I... I suppose I could. The least I could do is make sure it's going to be all right." She cast a dark look at Brawly as Chiori handed her an empty pokéball. Setting Aron on the ground, Roxanne activated the ball. The pokémon put up no fight, just looked at her expectantly.

"Now was that so bad?" Brawly asked. "Thanks to me, you have another pokémon for your gym. Aron are good, they're dual types."

"Hmph." Roxanne handed the ball back to Chiori to store in her backpack.

They were quiet as they continued onward. Roxanne kept her eyes on the ground, watching her footing, but Chiori was more interested in their surroundings. Whenever she was sure the path was clear, she turned her head, taking in what she could in her helmet's beam. Once she was certain she saw a pair of glittering eyes near a stalactite, and she remembered the picture of Sableye in Roxanne's encyclopedia.

"Here we are," Brawly said at last, stopping in front of another hole. "This leads to the lowest level. Want to take a break first?"

"Not necessary," Roxanne said, waving her hand. Chiori thought she heard her friend breathing awkwardly, but said nothing about it.

No sooner had they walked a few paces from the ladder's bottom than Roxanne fell to her knees. The encyclopedia flew from her hands, crashing against a rock. Chiori raced to her side immediately.

"I'm fine," Roxanne said between gasps.

"Are you sure about this?" Brawly picked up the book, brushing it off. He handed it to Chiori.

"Yes, I'm sure!" Roxanne's head snapped up. Brawly ducked slightly and shielded his eyes from her helmet light.

"I'll hold on to this for you," Chiori suggested, breaking the awkward silence that followed. She stuck the book inside her backpack. She wondered if she should offer to help Roxanne walk the rest of the way when she heard distant shuffling. Securing her bag's shoulder straps, Chiori aimed her helmet light in the direction of the sound and saw several bulky forms moving in a single file. "Oh!" she exclaimed softly.

"What?" Brawly asked.

"Aren't those Nosepass?"

Roxanne shone her light in the same place as Chiori's. "They are!" she whispered.

"How about that?" Brawly lowered his voice a little. "Looks like our expedition just got easier!"

"But my encyclopedia specifically says that Nosepass make their nests within rock fortresses and stay there. They shouldn't be on the move like that."

"Um... well, they have to get to their fortresses sometime, right?" Chiori suggested. "Or maybe they're moving to find more room."

"No, this isn't right. I think they've been forced out of their nests."

"You don't know that," Chiori said. "And I don't think it's a good idea to stick around this cave any longer than we have to. After what those guys at the top said--"

"It's my duty as a rock-type specialist to see to the well-being of these Nosepass!" Roxanne declared, regaining strength enough to speak more loudly. She started to pick herself up, and gave Chiori a glare as she helped her stand.

"You're right," Brawly said. "That's very noble of you, Roxanne."

Chiori spun around and gave him a wide-eyed, open-mouthed look. He deliberately fixed his eyes away from her. "And observant," he continued. "That's the way to the opposite wall, and that's where the Nosepass are coming from. It does seem that they're leaving the safety of the deepest part of the cave."

Roxanne uttered a stunned sound. She broke free of Chiori's hands and moved towards the marching pokémon. "Wait!" Chiori called.

"I'll capture one first!" Roxanne answered. "Then we'll investigate!"

"She's very determined, isn't she?" Brawly asked in a low voice.

"Why can't we just go after she catches her Nosepass? It's dangerous!"

"Because she just wants to make sure the Nosepass are safe."

Chiori bit her bottom lip, reminded of her feelings for the wayward Poochyena just last week. She heard Roxanne ordering her Geodude to tackle.

"Do you really think she could be a gym leader?" Chiori asked Brawly.

"Sure. Her knowledge is a big plus, to make up for lack of actual experience. She'll have to work at it, but I could see her in that gym."

"Are you going to the gym leaders' convention?"

"Sure am. Biggest event of the year for us. There are leaders I haven't met, ones that just started. Should be an interesting con."

"I caught it!" Roxanne called faintly. Chiori rushed over to see if she needed any help. The older girl was sitting on her knees, staring at a pokéball in her hand. "Thank you, Geodude. You can rest now," she said, holding out another ball and recalling her very tired-looking pokémon.

"That's awesome!" Chiori cheered for her. "Did it put up much of a fight?"

"More of a defense," Roxanne replied. "Nosepass seem very non-confrontational." Her eyes followed the rest of the squat pokémon, marching away on their own business. She looked at the red and white ball in her hand for a second, then pushed its button, releasing the pokémon. Like a statue, it stood immobile. "Brawly! Give me another potion!" she called.

The gym leader ran to join them. "You sure? We only have a couple left."

"And I think Nosepass is good protection for us. But not when I sapped all its energy trying to capture it." She held out her hand expectantly.

"But... I have my fighting-types. And you have Aron."

"Aron's still too weak. I want to be safe." Roxanne stretched her hand out farther.

Brawly conceded. "How do you think it takes it?" he whispered to Chiori as Roxanne walked up to Nosepass.

"The same way it eats?" Chiori guessed. "Don't all pokémon drink medicine?"

Brawly shrugged. Roxanne tilted the vial under its nose, so it had to have a mouth somewhere. With a satisfied nod, she called it back to its ball.

"Ready to move on?" Brawly asked.

"Let's follow their tracks to the beginning," Roxanne said, shining her helmet light on the Nosepass' trail. This time she didn't object to holding onto Chiori's arm as Brawly led the way.

Sure enough, there was a rock cluster along the far wall, one that had obviously been constructed. "This is definitely a Nosepass nest," Roxanne said. "There's an opening there." She pointed.

Brawly shone the flashlight along various parts of the pile. Chiori, feeling cold, apprehensive about what she couldn't see, and a little smothered by the surrounding darkness, began to wonder if she was developing claustrophobia. She tried to distract herself. The first thing that came to mind was her mom's mini-lecture from the day before, so she forced herself to think about anything else: when she'd see Midori again, how she'd give Isis a nice long brushing -- the Poochyena's favorite activity -- once she got home, what was making that scuffling sound behind her...

She peered over her shoulder, searching with her head-light. A little pokémon, light tan in color, covered its eyes with its arm, which had much darker fur. Then it lifted its head and blinked huge, ruby-red eyes curiously.

"Awww!" she gushed. "So cute!" She reached out a hand.

"Chiori, no!" Brawly yelped. She pulled her hand back and retreated a few steps. The pokémon stared at her. Brawly grabbed her wrist. "That's a Mawile. It lures its prey with its innocent looks, then attacks with its jaws. See?" He aimed the flashlight's beam behind the Mawile, where a freakishly large, long mouth tapered to the floor from its head. The jaw was steely grey, glinting slightly.

Chiori stood transfixed for a moment. "But... how can that be its mouth? I see one on its face, right below the eyes."

"It just is. That's what they warn us about."

"But it's so sweet! Look at that face, it wants to know what we are!"

"Hey, on the boat you said it was freakish," Roxanne reminded her.

"That's when I saw just a picture. Look at it in person!"

Brawly dragged her away. "Trust me, you don't want to get too close. You're only falling for the deception."

Roxanne gasped. "I think we fell for the distraction, too," she whispered. By the light of her helmet's beam, they could see several Mawile emerging from the rocky fortress. They snarled as they approached. Though only a couple of feet in height, their bizarre jaws nipping the air were intimidating enough.

"Now we know why the Nosepass left," Brawly said, stepping back.

"I can't believe they didn't even put up a fight," Roxanne commented. "They just let the Mawile push them out of their home."

"You said yourself that they're non-confrontational," said Brawly.

"But why did the Mawile invade here?" Chiori asked. "What was wrong with their home?"

"They probably got bored, that's what!" Brawly said in a panic. "You want to know what attacked those agent guys? You're looking at 'em!"

Of all the advancing Mawile, only one looked more inquisitive than menacing. Chiori realized it must have been the same one she'd seen at first. While it hung back, the others advanced, and the closest suddenly spun around, opening its huge jaws wide and snapping them shut with a sound like a steel trap, a warning. "Run," Brawly barely muttered. "Now."

Roxanne put up no fight when he grabbed her wrist and fled with her in tow. Chiori, behind them, dared to look behind her shoulder. In her head light's decreasing beam, she saw that the Mawile had stayed behind. Relief filled her heart until she witnessed a flash of a skirmish -- one of the creatures gnashed its teeth, another reeled backwards with a yelp of pain.

"Oh!" Chiori cried, skidding to a halt. She had turned on her heels and was returning to the scene before she realized it.

"Chiori, what are you doing?" Brawly shouted. She heard his footsteps pounding behind her.

The Mawile all growled in unison at her approach. Brawly clamped his hands onto her shoulders. "Are you nuts? They'll eat you alive!"

"They will not! Just wait a second!" Chiori wriggled out of his grip.

"How do you know?"

"How do you know they won't?" She ran to the fallen Mawile, which, upon closer inspection, was a little smaller and a lot less fierce-looking than its pack mates. Two open gashes marred its chest: Mawile teeth.

"Chiori!" Brawly cried in exasperation.

"How is this different than Roxanne and the Nosepass?" she retorted hotly. "Or me and the Poochyena?" She touched the scars on her wrist, a permanent reminder of the Poochyena incident. Her heart longed to stick up for the little Mawile, the pack outsider, but her common sense warned her not to mettle with natural selection, especially while standing in the territory of hostile pokémon. She stood frozen for what felt like hours.

"Oh, Chiori," Brawly said, his voice softer. In a lightning-quick movement, he was releasing his pokémon. "Fight 'em off as best as you can, guys! Back to the rocks!" His Machop and Makuhita leapt into the center of the Mawile pack. Chiori could only watch the havoc for a second, as her time was severely limited.

She slid her backpack off as she knelt in front of the injured Mawile. "You'll be okay, right?" she asked it gently. "Can I see?" She reached her hand to its chest. With a terrified expression, it gave a weak growl, opening its massive jaw slightly but not turning around to attack her with it.

"Promise to hold on," Chiori said, digging in her backpack. "And I promise I'll get you healed."

It just stared at her as she activated the pokéball. The particle beam lit up her surroundings for a few seconds. Then it faded and the ball fell to the ground, wobbling several times before it lay still. Chiori exhaled in great relief and picked up her capture, placing it securely in one of her backpack's side pockets.

"Makuhita!" Brawly cried. His own pokéball was activated, recalling Makuhita. "Too many of 'em! Machop won't hold out must longer!"

"Go, Isis!" Chiori whipped out her other ball, sending forth her Poochyena. Little Isis jumped right into battle just as Machop fainted. Brawly swore as he recalled it. "I thought they could hold out longer than this."

"Get out of here!" Chiori told him. "Now, while they're concentrating on Isis!"

"What about you?"

Chiori's answer was interrupted by a yelp from Isis. Mawile were now piled on top of her. "They'll eat you alive!" Brawly's words echoed in her head. Chiori screamed her pokémon's name so loud it echoed off the cave walls.

There was a flash of pokéball light, and Nosepass was there. A breathless Roxanne had caught up to them. "Rock throw," she whispered, collapsing to the ground and clutching her chest.

"No! That'll crush Isis, too!" Chiori protested.

Roxanne gulped for air, unable to speak for the moment. Chiori turned back and forth from her friend to the battle so much she thought she'd snap her neck. The Mawile, having vanquished their prior attacker, turned their attention to Nosepass. Without a sound it stomped past them, towards the fortress, its former home. With growls of dissent, the Mawile followed it. Some of them jumped in front of Nosepass's path, but it swung its arms and knocked them aside. Their bites were of little use against its solid rock body.

Isis was abandoned, lying still. Through her tears and in the thin beam of light Chiori saw that the Poochyena's sides were still rising and falling. She didn't dare advance, but she recalled Isis back to her pokéball, squeezing the sphere tightly between her hands and watching Nosepass.

The blocky pokémon's arms were raised, and, through some unseen force, rocks from the fortress began to levitate. Nosepass moved one arm slightly, and the rocks dropped. Mawile dodged left and right, so Nosepass repeated the move. The Mawile caught on to its attack, and they attempted to scatter, but they halted no more than a foot from either of Nosepass's sides, as if unable to move any farther.

"What's going on?" Brawly asked.

"Magnet pull," Roxanne answered, awestruck. "Its magnetic nose prevents steel-types from escaping."

"Mawile are steel-types?" Chiori was a little surprised. She'd always thought of steel pokémon as being completely metal, like rock-types were solid, living rock.

Nosepass's rock throw attack was still in progress. "Roxanne, please make it stop," Chiori nearly begged. "I don't want the Mawile to get hurt."

"Chiori!" Roxanne's tone was that of a scolding teacher, a habit.

"Please! We're far enough away to escape! If you recall Nosepass from here, we can make a run for it!"

"In my condition?"

"If you get on my back, I can carry you," Brawly suggested.

"Excuse me!?"

"I wouldn't let you walk all the way back up to the entrance, anyway. And if I had known these kinds of things happened to you, I wouldn't have let you come inside."

Roxanne gaped at him. "How dare you!? If I had known you're such an arrogant chauvinist, I wouldn't have asked for your help!"

"All you've done is refuse my help!" Brawly's voice was echoing now. "You're the arrogant one! Do you treat everyone who cares about you like this?"

"Guys!" Chiori yelled. "Roxanne, please just cooperate! You can finish this when we're safe, okay?"

Roxanne opened her mouth and closed it right away. She thrust Nosepass's pokéball at Chiori. "Fine. Might as well save Nosepass's strength for whatever gets in our way, since everyone else's pokémon are nearly fainted."

"Which wouldn't have happened if you had just caught your Nosepass and left in the first place," Brawly said bitterly.

"Maybe if some gym leaders trained a little harder! Only first-level evolutions? Not exactly the paragon of fighting-types, are we?"

"Roxanne!" Chiori reprimanded.

The older girl sighed reproachfully and rose from the ground. With a sour look, Brawly bent forward and kneeled slightly so that she could climb onto his back. "Watch what you're doing," Roxanne criticized as he locked his hands onto her legs.

"Watch that you don't fall and break your neck," he retorted.

Chiori rolled her eyes. "You get a head start," she said, holding out the pokéball. "Good job, Nosepass!" Fortunately, she wasn't too far away to retract it, and she began running before the ball had stopped glowing. "Sorry, Mawile! Hope it's not too much trouble to rebuild the fort you invaded!"

No one said anything as they backtracked to the ladder. Brawly's climb was somewhat awkward, and Roxanne's suggestions for him a little uncalled for, but he made it without depositing her. Only a few Zubat and Aron bothered them on their way to the second ladder, and Nosepass took care of them.

"Aren't you glad now that I gave it a potion?" Roxanne piped up as Chiori recalled it.

"Pure genius," Brawly said dryly, shifting her up despite her complaints. Chiori hung back and opened her bag's side pocket, the one holding her Mawile's pokéball. "Brawly," she called to him. "Give me a potion, too."

He stopped and turned his head over his shoulder. "We need to save those for emergencies, Chiori."

"This is! I'm worried about this little guy. I didn't really think about it until now, but I want to make sure it survives before we get to the center."

Brawly paused, then returned to her, giving her a vial from his pocket. "Thank you," Chiori said. She knelt down and released Mawile, who blinked and squinted at her helmet light.

"Here you go," she said softly. "Drink up, okay?" It wrinkled up the center of its face, as if smelling the bottle, though it had no nose. "Not too bad, is it? Open wide." She held it to Mawile's mouth. It obediently tilted back its head and let her pour in the potion.

Chiori smiled in amazement. "There, see, Brawly? This one's its mouth. It drank the potion!"

"Yeah," Brawly said distantly, watching along with Roxanne.

Finally, when they reached the entry level, they were greeted by the miners instead of pokémon. Brawly gratefully let Roxanne down and arched his body backwards, stretching his muscles.

"Are you implying that I'm heavy?" the tiny-framed girl demanded.

"No, just a huge burden," he muttered.

"You guys okay?" one of the miners asked.

Chiori was still squinting from the light of their lanterns, so used were her eyes to pitch darkness. "We're fine. Roxanne just had a little trouble, that's all."

Roxanne sniffed defiantly and handed her helmet over. "Thank you for the equipment," she said in a completely different tone of voice.

"You're very welcome. Catch anything?"

"I sure did. So did my friend."

"Oh? What did you get?" the miner asked Chiori.

"A Mawile," she said with a smile. "But we have to hurry and get it to the center. It's injured badly."

The miners took a collective step backwards. "You... you captured one of those mutant things?"

She looked at them, puzzled.

"You must be pretty brave," another miner told her.

"Watch out, Brawly, she might be a tough challenge someday."

Brawly laughed weakly, but Roxanne glowered at everyone. "Well, we have to hurry," Chiori said, handing over her helmet. "Thank you again! Good luck with those evolution stones!"

The three of them waited silently in the pokémon center's lobby. Chiori was about to demand that someone say something when the nurse came up to them. "Your pokémon will all be fine," she said, smiling as they exhaled their relief and thanked the heavens.

"Even my Mawile?" Chiori asked. "It was attacked by its own kind."

The nurse nodded. "The wounds will heal if you tend them properly. I'll show you now if you want."

"Yes, please!" She jumped out of her chair and followed the nurse to a room in the back of the center. Brawly and Roxanne followed.

The Mawile sat upright on an operating table, a white bandage wrapped around its chest. It beamed at Chiori as she entered, which brought a wide smile to her face. "There you are!" she said. "Are you feeling better?" She held out a finger and moved it from side to side, which Mawile followed with its wide, red eyes. Then it reached for her hand and held onto it, closing its eyes and making a happy noise.

Chiori's heart melted right there. "No one is cuter than you! That's right!" She nuzzled where Mawile's nose would be, if the pokémon had one.

The nurse giggled. "He's a male, and pretty young. My guess is that he was the runt of his pack, so that's why the other Mawile picked on him. But if you take good care of him, he'll grow up strong."

"Only the best care, you mean." Chiori ran her hand along the steely jaws' surface. It was cold to the touch, but she wasn't afraid. Her Mawile watched, blinking.

"Going to give him a name?" Roxanne asked. The bitterness was absent from her voice this time, forgotten in the presence of her enthralled friend.

Chiori grinned at them. "Malik!" she declared.

Roxanne giggled. "I should have known."

"Oh yeah, Malik!" Brawly said. "He's pretty cool... when he's not being a vein-popping sadist."

"You watch it too?" Chiori pounced on him. "Did you see it this week?"

"Yeah, I did, actually."

Chiori shrieked. "That's so cool! I know a gym leader who likes my favorite anime!"

Brawly was laughing. "I like the minor characters best. That guy who knocks people out by throwing dice."

"I like him, too," Roxanne said over Chiori's hysteric giggles.

"Oh?" Brawly looked at her in mild surprise. She turned her head away but glanced back at him guiltily.

Chiori turned to her new pokémon again, hiding her smile. "What do you think, Malik?"

He squeaked and reached for her hand again. Chiori let him play with her fingers, feeling that her heart would overflow right then and there.