Pokemon Fan Fiction ❯ Pokémon: The Azure Stone ❯ Chapter 3: Troubles Under Undella ( Chapter 3 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Standing in the centre of a massive arena was non-other than Ash, smiling proudly as people in the stands were cheering him on.

Awed by this, Ash looked around and spotted the Champions of each region, Lance, Steven, Cynthia and Alder, all of whom were applauding him, as well as his friends whom he'd traveled with him over the years.

He had done it; Ash had finally achieved his dream of becoming a PokŽmon Master. All his years of traveling, training and friendship had paid off, he was now one of the strongest PokŽmon Trainers on the planet recognized and respected by all within the stadium.

Mr. Goodshow approached Ash, presented him with a large trophy and told the resident of Pallet Town as he shook Ash’s hand. "Congratulations young man, you've become something that only few have ever achieved."

"Thank you sir." Ash replied, before he stated in a determined tone. "I promise to live up to the name 'PokŽmon Master'."

Just then, Dawn rushed up to him and enveloped him in a pleasant embrace, before she said happily. "Congratulations Ash. You finally did it, you achieved your dream."

"Th... Thanks Dawn." Ash replied as a slight blush appeared on the black-haired teen’s cheeks, before he managed to tell Dawn. "Thank you for being accompanying on my journey and supporting me, I don't think I could have done this without you."

"I'm so happy to hear you say that, I promise to be at your side always, Master Ash." Dawn then said.

"Thanks Dawn." Ash happily replied, before something occurred to his mind and caused him to question. "Wait, what did you just say?"

"Master Ash." Dawn replied, before the dark blue haired Coordinator continued to say. "Master Ash. Master Ash. Master Ash. Master Ash..."

----Moments later----

Ash slowly opened his eyes and saw Cynthia's butler, Jervis, standing by his bed, who then said politely. "Good morning Master Ash, if your going to be accompanying Mistress Cynthia then I suggest that you turn your attention to getting up."

With his task completed, Jervis then left the room, leaving Ash all alone, other than the sleeping form of his first PokŽmon curled up at the end of his bed.

After rubbing the sleep out of his eyes as his brain still mired in a layer of sleep-educed fog, Ash then looked out of the window and saw that the sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon.

Letting out another groan, Ash checked his clock at saw that it was 04:30 am and thought to himself in a slightly annoyed tone. 'Geez, whose bright idea was this?'

But as Ash was awake now and knew complaining wouldn’t help, so he slowly and carefully slipped out of bed, as he didn’t have it in him to wake up Pikachu and decided to let his PokŽmon continue to sleep.

Quietly, Ash grabbed his clothes and began to change, however, after Ash had finished changing from the clothing he had slept in to his usual attire, he couldn’t find his hat anywhere on the floor.

That was before he heard Pikachu call out to him, in which the black-haired teen turned to see his favourite PokŽmon wide awake as the electric mouse was holding his hat in his tiny paws.

ÒPikachu?Ó Ash questioned in surprise, before he asked. ÒWhat are you doing up?Ó

In reply, Pikachu offered Ash his hat, before saying his name and fragments of it, forming a sentence that Ash was incapable of understanding.

But from the sound of Pikachu’s tone and a look in his eyes, Ash could tell, thanks to the bond they shared, a bond that could never be broken, Pikachu wanted to come with his Trainer.

Ash smiled at Pikachu, who in turn, smiled back as the PokŽmon Trainer took his hat, before he allowed Pikachu to climb up onto his right shoulder.

And then the pair left the bedroom and headed down stairs where they found Dawn and Cynthia waiting in the hall.

"Hey you two." Ash greeted the pair in friendly tone.

"There you two are. And now that we're all here we can head out." Cynthia said in her own friendly tone, before she headed for the door.

"Wait, we're going already? I was hoping to have breakfast first." Ash said in a panicked tone, which caused Dawn to shake her head in embarrassment.

"There will be things on the boat you can snack on." Cynthia happily informed him, before she told Ash, Pikachu and Dawn. "Now let’s go. The sooner we get to the Abyssal Ruins the more time we'll have to explore."

With that, Ash, Pikachu, Dawn and Cynthia left the house, into the chilly morning air of the day, as the Elite Four’s Champion lead them to a dock where a small yacht was moored.

And after everyone was aboard, they shoved off, heading out onto the water surrounding Undella Town, before Cynthia told her friends as she piloted the craft. "Ok, I've preprogrammed our destination into the onboard computer so once we're out on the open water I can set it to autopilot. Now I have to ask, have either of you been diving before?"

"I've been diving a couple of times. A couple of times in Jhoto and once in Sinnoh." Ash replied.

"I've only been once, but I wasn't using proper scuba gear." Dawn told Cynthia, feeling a little embarrassed that she wasn't as experienced compared to Ash.

"Hey don't worry. I can show you what to do, Dawn." Ash told Dawn in a reassuring tone, which caused her to smile and reply happily. "Thanks Ash.Ó

"Ok, good to know that you both at least some experience with diving." Cynthia said gladly, before she went on. "Now all the gear is stored down below, so why don't you head down, get changed and familiarize yourself with the equipment. I'll join you shortly."

"Ok, sounds like a plan." Ash said.

Before the pair then left the Blonde and made their way to the lower deck where the cabin was located.

Sometime later Ash, now clad in a wet suit, was sitting on a couch checking an oxygen tank when door opened an out walked Dawn clad in her own wet suit.

"I think I'm gonna have to talk to Cynthia about this suit. This thing is too tight and I'm sure it is around two sizes too small." Dawn commented, however, Ash didn't say anything as his attention was focused totally on the suit that Dawn was clad in rather then the girl herself, due to the way it showed off her rather gorgeous buttocks and beautiful breasts.

"Ash? Ash?" Dawn said, slightly taken aback by the way he was looking at her, which caused a slight blush to appear on his face.

"Ash!" Dawn then yelled out, getting his attention.

"Wha...?" Ash managed to reply, snapping out of his trance like state, before the resident of Pallet Town then said. "Y... Yeah... Um, You should totally do whatever it is you just said.Ó

ÒPika Pika.Ó Pikachu then called out enthusiastically, trying to help Ash from the awkward situation he had been placed in.

And not wanting for it to continue, the black-haired teen then asked. ÒSo Dawn, want me to show you how the breathing equipment works?"

And so, the next hour passed with Ash going over the equipment, explaining to his female companion what they were and how it worked, but also trying his hardest to focus on what he was talking about and not to stare at Dawn's figure.

"Wow Ash, you really know a whole lot when it comes to this." Dawn stated in an impressed tone.

"Err not really." Ash replied in an embarrassed tone, before he said. "This is just stuff that I picked up from Misty. When she wasn't going on about the joys of Water PokŽmon, complaining about something or trying and failing to train Togepi she would talk about diving."

"Misty? Wait was she that girl who gave you that lure?" Dawn asked in a curious tone.

"Yeah that's her. She was one of the first people I met when I first started on my PokŽmon journey but we parted ways in Jhoto.Ó Ash replied, remembering all the good times he and Misty shared during their adventures, but it was then the black haired teen then said. ÒBut enough on that, lets get back to work."

ÒPika!Ó Pikachu called out in agreement.

Once that was done, the pair then began checking it to ensure that it was all in working order, after all if there was a problem with any of their equipment it was better to find out now than several meters beneath the sea.

Once Ash was satisfied that everything was working properly he then had Dawn put on the full gear and have her walk around the room to get used to the weight, although having all the gear on meant that Dawn was less walking and more clumsily stumbling about the room.

"Ash, this stuff is heavy." Dawn panted as she did her best not to fall on her backside.

"No need to worry, once you’re used to wearing the gear you'll have a much easier time. Besides, once we're in the water you'll barely feel it." Ash told Dawn in a reassuring and encouraging tone, making the dark blue haired girl smile.

However, before Dawn could respond, the door to the cabin opened and in walked Cynthia, in which the blonde asked. "Hey you two, you kids having fun?"

"Hi Cynthia. We've been checking over the equipment." Ash told Cynthia.

"Well that's good to hear." Cynthia replied happily, before she then looked over at Dawn and asked. "And what are you doing walking about like a Piplup?"

"Ash made me do it. He thinks I need to wear all this stuff to get used to the weight. Honestly I don't see why I should have to, I mean its not like I'm gonna be doing a whole lot of walking once I'm in the water." Dawn told Cynthia in reply.

Cynthia shook her head at this and then said. "Well we should be at our destination soon enough, in the meantime I'm going to go changed. We'll talk more after I'm done."

With that, Cynthia slipped into her cabin, and once inside Cynthia locked the door to ensure she'd get a little privacy, not that she didn't trust the pair, before going over to a trunk that was located at the foot of the bed and withdrew her wetsuit from within.

Placing it on the bed, Cynthia then relieved herself of her clothes and stored them away before beginning the task of trying to pull the shiny piece of material over her body.

And after several minutes of tugging, heaving and muttered curses the Elite Four’s Champion managed to get it on and zip it up.

'Damn this thing, I'm going to have to talk to Jervis about this. I swear that this thing has got to be two sizes too small.' Cynthia thought to herself.

Getting up from the bed, Cynthia caught sight of herself in the mirror out of the corner of her eye.

Her attention grabbed, she turned to get a better look at herself, taking in how the suit hugged her body and showed off the curves of her body, in which the blonde had to admit that despite all the effort that it took to get into it she looked quite sexy in it.

'Whoa, this suit looks good. Maybe I'll hold onto it a little longer' Cynthia thought to herself as she ran her hands over her body.

Cynthia ran her hands over her chest; she could feel her nipples hardening underneath the material, but it was then the blonde was snapped out of her daze when she heard a knock at the door and the familiar male voice of Ash ask in a friendly and curious tone. "Hey Cynthia, are you alright in there? Do you need Dawn to come in and help you?"

"T... That’s alright, Ash, I'm fine." Cynthia replied, her breath heavy and her face the colour of a Tamato Berry, before the Elite Four’s Champion "I... I'll be out in a moment, I just need a moment to finish up in here."

"Ok." Ash replied, before Cynthia let out a sigh of relief, as the sound of his footsteps grew fainter.

'That was too close.' Cynthia thought, as her heart was pounding in her chest and her breath was erratic.

ÒWhat was I doing? I can't believe I got so turned on staring at myself.' Cynthia then thought out loud in an embarrassed tone, before Memories of her last visit to her grandmother flashed through her mind.

Everything had been going fine, that was until the elderly woman had begun inquiring about Cynthia’s love life, or lack of one, as she wasn't getting any younger and the desire to have grandkids at some point became the topic.

Such things resulted in a groan from Cynthia, as it wasn't that she didn't like men or was apposed to having a partner that she could spend her life with, it was that the role as Sinnoh League champion kept Cynthia very busy, leaving little time for a social life. Also, being champion was also a problem when it came to meeting men since her position either intimidated them or would attract people who'd just use her to elevate their own social standings or for bragging rights, and that was something Cynthia didn't think she could bare.

If she was going to be with someone she'd want it to be someone who would love her for the right reasons, not simply for her beauty or title.

Cynthia hoped she would be with someone who would be encouraging and be supportive of what she did and not feel intimidated by her status as champion.

Letting out a sigh, Cynthia did her best to banish the thoughts of the past and focus on the task at hand, moping about wasn't going to solve anything.
And Cynthia was still young and had much left to accomplish, there was still plenty of time for the blonde to find a boyfriend.

It was then Cynthia left her cabin to rejoin Ash and Dawn, as there was still a little time before they reached their destination and the Elite Four’s Champion still had things she wanted to discuss with them.

Soon enough, Ash, Pikachu and the girls had arrived at their destination, in which the trio gathered on the deck of the boat and Cynthia began talking to Ash and Dawn. "Alright you two, we're about to head down to the ruins and once we're in the water obviously we won't be able to talk to each other so you'll need to pay attention for the hand signals I showed you.Ó

ÒYou both remember them?" Cynthia then asked, and in reply, both teens nodded, before the Elite Four’s Champion continued as she handed Ash and Dawn two sealed packs. "Right, good. Now its gonna be dark down there so you'll both need to take these. In one you'll find a dozen glow sticks and a radio for when we get down there. Now unless you've got any other questions let’s get going. Oh, you've both got a Water-type PokŽmon with you?"

"Yes Cynthia." Ash and Dawn replied in unison as they each took a pack and strapped them around their waists.

"Good, you might need to use them." Cynthia said, before the blonde then took out a PokŽball and sent out her Milotic, followed by placing the breathing device into her mouth, lowered the goggles over her eyes and immersed herself into the water, the Tender PokŽmon following after her Trainer and friend.

"Guess we should get going too." Dawn stated to Ash.

"Yeah." Ash replied, before he then took out a PokŽball of his own, one that the black haired teen hadn’t used in ages, and turned it to face his long time PokŽmon partner.

"Sorry Pikachu, but you’ll have to go back in your PokŽball for this." Ash told Pikachu in a solemn tone.

"Pikachu..." Pikachu replied lowly as his ears drooped down, showing his uneasiness and discomfort, in which Ash then said reassuringly. "Pikachu, please. I promise to let you out the second it’s safe to do so."

Pikachu was still uncomfortable about the forced situation, however, the Electric-type PokŽmon knew he could trust Ash, in which he agreed to and was returned within his PokŽball.

With that done, Ash and Dawn followed Cynthia into the water, the first thing that hit the pair was the frigidness of the water as the initial iciness was a real shock to the system and it several minutes to adjust to the temperature.

Meanwhile, Cynthia was floating around patiently as she waited for the pair to get used to the water’s temperature, and once they were ready she pointed her thumb down at the water, her two companions nodded before they all dove below the waves.

As the three humans and Cynthia’s Milotic descended lower, Dawn couldn't help but marvel at the sight of all the different species of Water-type PokŽmon that were swimming about, including Remoraid, Finneon, Frillish, Magikarp, Alomomola, Mantine, and at one point a Wailord passed closely below them, the movement of its massive tail almost knocking them off course.

As they descended lower into the depths whatever light there once was slowly grew dimmer and dimmer until darkness was soon to consume them.

However, Cynthia reached into her pack and took out a glow stick from one of the pouches on her belt and ignited it, causing a glowing light to illuminating her and a portion of the area, in which Ash and Dawn followed the blonde and her light.

And after what seemed like an eternity, the outline of ruined buildings came into view, evidence of a civilization that had long since been lost to the ages and tides, before it was then Cynthia signaled to Ash and Dawn telling them to grab onto her Milotic, in which the pair complied with Cynthia’s instructions and grabbed onto the serpentine PokŽmon who then lurched forward and raced towards the ruins.

----Minutes later, after they had arrived at the entrance of the Abyssal Ruins----

Taking out her PokŽball, Cynthia recalled her Milotic and indicated for Ash and Dawn to follow her through the opening that led inside the largest of the ruined structures.

As Cynthia, Ash and Dawn traversed through the seemingly abandoned ruins, unbeknown to any of them in another section of the ruins, yet to be flooded, was a large figure, which began moving for the first time in 500 years.

The air shook with each of its colossal footsteps as it approached a pool of water in the middle of the room; rearing its large fist back it unleashed a powerful blow into the water, causing the water to churn and waves to crash.

----Back with Ash, Dawn and Cynthia----

The PokŽmon Trainers and Champion of the Elite Four continued to swim throughout the channel, but it then without warning the direction of the water suddenly and violently changed as a wave of extreme force passed over them, and despite their efforts to fight the current it forced them all backwards.

Flung around like a piece of debris caught in a storm drain, Ash desperately pawed at the wall tying to find something to grab onto.

And just when it seemed the situation was fruitless, Ash’s hands located a part of the stone wall that was sticking out which he quickly grabbed onto and held for dear life.

However, it was moments later that the black haired teen noticed something rushing towards him, and on pure instinct, Ash removed one of his hands from the stone and grabbed hold of it as it passed by.

Looking over, Ash was met by the sight of Cynthia who in turn was staring back at him, in which the blonde could see a look within Ash’s eyes telling her he would protect her, which reassured the Elite Four’s Champion and felt her fear loosen from their deadly situation.

After several seconds Ash tore his eyes away from Cynthia’s and looked around for any sign of Dawn and saw that she was several meters ahead of him, as she too had found an outcrop of her own and was doing her best to hang on.

Ash tried his hardest to keep himself and Cynthia anchored to the wall as the waves continued to wash violently throughout the ruined halls, however, it was an inevitability as the PokŽmon Trainer felt his grip begin to loosen until it gave out, before he and Cynthia were sent flying down the channel, all they could do was hold onto each other and hope that the ride would be over soon.

Once more, the pair were sent hurtling down the halls of the Abyssal Ruins until Ash and Cynthia were swept into a separate tunnel that veered off to the left and they were flung out and into separate a chamber below.

----Sometime later----

Ash let out a groan as he regained consciousness, hoping that would be the last water ride he’d have to go on for a long, long, long time.

It was then Ash took the breathing mask out of his mouth and removed the goggles from his face, before it the black haired teen noticed that there was something on top of him.

'What in the world...?' Ash thought to himself, before he looked down and was greeted by the sight of Cynthia’s unconscious form lying on his chest.

Cynthia then began to stir as she too regained consciousness and looked up at him, the two of them stared at one another for what seemed like forever.

'Come on Ash. Don't just stare at her, say something.' Ash mentally berated himself.

"Uh... H... Hey, Cynthia are y..." Ash began to say, but before he could clumsily come out with something else his eyes shifted slightly and he noticed that part of Cynthia’s suit had become unzipped, showing off a generous amount of Cynthia’s cleavage.

This time it was Ash's turn for his face to become the shade of a Tamato Berry and began making strangled and groaning noises as he stared at the blonde's revealed chest, unable to tear his eyes away from them.

‘What is Ash doing?' Cynthia thought to herself as a blush spreading across his face, before the Champion of the Elite Four went on and thought through her conflicted and puzzled mind. 'I... I should tell him to stop. I really should but I'm not. Why am I not telling him to stop?'

Ash and Cynthia were so engrossed in their entrancing moment that they didn't notice when Dawn came shooting out of the tunnel and landed on her butt.

'Ouch, that hurt.' Dawn thought as she rubbed her backside, removing her breathing mask and goggles.

Dawn then looked over to Ash and Cynthia’s frozen forms and then asked in confusion. "What are you two doing?"

Hearing Dawn’s voice broke Ash and Cynthia from their trance, in which the blonde quickly got off of Ash and the two of then turned away from each other, as the black haired teen tried his hardest to get the blush on his face to die down while Cynthia tried to zip her suit back up as quickly as she could.

"So... Uh... Is everyone ok?" Ash asked, trying to break the awkward tension.

"I've been better." Dawn replied, as she got up, before the dark blue haired Coordinator asked in a curious tone. "So, any idea where we are?"

Cynthia removed her breathing gear and goggles, and once she had done that, the Champion of the Elite Four reached into her pouch and took out another glow stick, clicked it on and began looking about the room to help answer Dawn’s question.

And it didn't take long before Cynthia located a flight of stairs that led up into structure of the building and instructed Ash and Dawn in an official tone. "Ash, Dawn, let’s go. Bring the gear and stay alert. We got lucky that there was an air pocket in this room. However we can't be sure about the rest of this structure. I don't know what we can expect to find and I wouldn't be surprised if the people who built this place rigged up a couple of traps to stop anyone careless."

"Wait a sec." Ash quickly said, before he then took out a PokŽball and stated. "Almost forgot this."

Pressing the button on the capture device, the yellow mouse PokŽmon emerged in a flash of red light, before Pikachu then looked over at Ash and gave him a hard stare as if to say 'What took you so long?'.

"C’mon, Pikachu. Don't be like that." Ash told Pikachu in reply, before the Pokemon Trainer stated. "I remembered to let you out didn't I?"

Unable to stay mad at Ash, Pikachu smiled, let out a happy ‘Pikachu’ and climbed up Ash’s body and perched himself on his Trainer’s shoulder before it was then Ash and Dawn then grabbed their gear and followed her up the stairs, the staircase led them up into a small room, which in turn led them through several corridors, all of which seeming to be darker, danker and longer in comparison to the last.

As Ash, Pikachu, Dawn and Cynthia traversed the corridors, the Champion of the Elite Four was scanning the walls with her glow stick looking for any symbols or hieroglyphics that may hold some clue to the ruins, while Ash and Dawn took out their own glow sticks and used them to light their way.

And after what seemed like forever, the three humans and the Electric-type PokŽmon finally left the corridor and entered a large chamber that was decorated in a fusion of Egyptian/Arabian style as several large columns were scattered about, holding up the high ceiling.

"Finally." Dawn said, relief flooding into her voice, before she went on and stated. "I was beginning to think we'd be stuck in those corridors forever."

The three of them then spread out and began searching the room for clues, however, as Ash searched around, the black haired teen found walls of the chamber were covered hieroglyphs and images depicting scenes from times long ago, before it was then Ash thought to himself. 'Wait... All this seems... Familiar.'

While scanning the wall Ash stumbled across a mural that was so large it took up an entire wall by itself.

The scene depicted some kind of battle; both people and PokŽmon were wearing armor and clashing with one another whilst above them what looked like a comet-streaked overhead, before it was then Ash thought as he finally realized where he had seen the depictions before him. 'Wait, this mural. It was from that dream!'

"Pikachu Pika?" Pikachu questioned upon seeing the state Ash was in, in which the PokŽmon Trainer then replied in a worried tone. "Pikachu I've seen this before. It was in a dream I had."

Whilst Ash was staring at the image, Dawn and Cynthia had located a opening that led them to another room and, unaware that Ash wasn't with them, proceeded to the next room, this one being a rather simple chamber, the only thing remarkable about it was a large carving of some kind at the opposite side of the room with a doorway to the next room built into it.

Without hesitation, Cynthia set to work checking the walls for any hieroglyphs while Dawn stood back and watched the blonde work, before it was quickly that the dark blue haired girl realized that a member of their party and his Pikachu were missing, in which Dawn decided to go find their male companions.

It was then Dawn headed for the opening of the room to call out to Ash and Pikachu, Placing her hand on the wall.

However, as she was about to call out, the room began to shake and both doors slid shut, trapping her and Cynthia inside.

Realizing what had happened, Cynthia looked up from her work, shot Dawn a stern look and questioned. "What did you just do?"

"Wha... I... I... Well, I..." Dawn stammered out in reply, causing the blonde to sigh, before she reached into her pack and took out her radio.

----Back with Ash----

The black haired teen was still engrossed by the images on the wall, even when the sound of Cynthia's muffled voice came through the material of his pack.

His ears twitching, Pikachu saw that his Trainer was too engrossed with the pictures to notice the sound of Cynthia's voice and began to call out to him in a tone full of concern to get Ash’s attention, and it worked.

"Huh? What is it Pikachu?" Ash asked curiously, in which Pikachu continued to let out more concerned calls as he began pawing at the pack beside him.

Reaching into his pack, Ash withdrew the device and asked in a slightly embarrassed tone. "Err, hi Cynthia. Sorry to make you wait. Are you ok?"

"Can't say I am, Ash." Cynthia replied, before the Elite Four’s Champion went on and said. " Dawn and I haveÉ Stumbled into a bit of trouble. Due to circumstances we've gotten ourselves sealed into one of the chambers."

"What!?" Ash exclaimed in concern, before he asked with the same amount of concern for her and Dawn. "Are you two alright?"

"Don't worry about us, physically we're fine." Cynthia replied reassuringly, before her tone turned serious and she told Ash. "Actually. Hold on a second."

There was then a long pause, Ash couldn't help but begin to wonder if something had happened, causing the Pallet Town resident to ask. "Cynthia, Dawn, are you two ok in there?" he asked.

"Don't worry, we're alright.Ó Cynthia replied, filling Ash with relief, before the blonde said. ÒSorry if I made you worry, I just found some writing here. Hopefully it might tell us about this room and the trap we're in."

----Back in the chamber----

Cynthia looked over at Dawn and commanded. "Ok, Dawn, I'm going to try and decipher this writing. You go sit over there and don't touch anything."

It was then Cynthia turned her attention the symbols on the wall, the language was one used in Unova long ago, however, it bore similarities to languages she'd studied back in Sinnoh.

'Ok I'm familiar with most of these symbols, I should be able to piece most of this together. Lets see... ‘Heaven's Fiery Tear’, I'm sure I've come across something about that, but I can't think where. And ‘Chamber of the Drowned Maiden’, what could that mean?’ Cynthia thought to herself, hoping she could figure out the mysteries behind the text, but what Cynthia didn’t know was that as she was studying, Dawn had walked over to the opposite side of the room and was barely leaning against the wall, before it was then the sound of stone grinding against stone was heard.

Hearing this caused Cynthia to look over at Dawn, another rather annoyed look appeared on the blonde’s face due to Dawn’s careless, though innocent, mistake.

And before either could say a word, a section of the ceiling slid back revealing a hole from which water began pouring into the room.

----Meanwhile, with Ash and Pikachu----

The pair were listening in, still worried for their friends as their voices had gone silent for what seemed like an eternity, that was until Ash and Pikachu could hear the sound of water pouring from the other side of the radio, causing the PokŽmon Trainer to ask. "Cynthia, what's happening in there?"

"Remember how I said Dawn and I had stumbled into a bit of trouble? Well, it turns out that bit of trouble has escalated quite a lot." Cynthia told him, before she explained. "A hole has opened in the ceiling and water is pouring in. given the size of this room I don't think it's going to take long for it to fill up completely and we drown."

"What!?" Ash exclaimed in shock and concern for the two-trapped females.

"Hold on, Ash. There's something else here, something about the ‘Dragons Trial’." Cynthia said, before the Elite Four’s Champion began looking at the symbols that were written on the wall.

Cynthia then told Ash ÒAsh, listen to me. From what I can gather it is saying 'To free the souls in the Drowned Maidens' chamber one must undergo the 'Dragons Trail'. However doing so comes at great risk but if successful will wield great reward."

Not wasting a second, Ash and Pikachu began searching the chamber, until, after a minute of frantic searching; the black haired teen came across an image of Reshiram, the white Dragon's maw open as if the Legendary PokŽmon was letting out a roar.

"Cynthia, I found a picture of a Dragon, it’s Reshiram." Ash said into his radio, before he asked quickly as he knew time was too precious to waste. "What do I do now?"

"Is there anything else, any passages or maybe some kind of opening, some kind of clue?" Cynthia questioned.

"None I can see." Ash replied as he brushed his hand over the Reshiram image.

But it was then as Ash’s hand brushed over the Dragon PokŽmon’s mouth, a circular opening in the wall opened up, giving the image of Reshiram the appearance of a dark gaping maw, causing the PokŽmon Trainer to state. "Errr, Cynthia. Part of the wall just opened up."

"Can you see anything inside of it?" Cynthia asked.

"No, its too dark. I can't see anything." Ash replied.

----Back with Cynthia and Dawn----

The blonde was thinking trying to figure out what Ash had told her could mean.

Looking back at the symbols on the wall, Cynthia began rereading them, trying to find some clue.

Meanwhile, the water level within the room had risen and was now at knee height and Dawn was starting to get a little worried.

But her worry was turned to hope when she heard Cynthia tell Ash. "Ash, the only thing I can figure out is that there is a switch or mechanism to free us is inside that opening, you're going to have to reach inside to find it."

"Cynthia... Are you sure?" Ash asked, as he didn't like the sound of that, due to Cynthia mentioning it would come at a great risk.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu suddenly yelled out.

Hearing the voice of his partner caused Ash to look over at the Electric Mouse, who had a stern look on his face, snapping him out of his selfish fears and causing the resident of Pallet Town to think to himself. ‘Right, what am I thinking? I have to do this.’

Slowly, Ash slid his right arm inside the opening, it was a tight fit and there were points Ash worried if his arm was going to get stuck or struck by a built-in trap.

But it was then Ash’s hand came to the end of the passage, and the second it did a loud metallic 'thunk' sound was heard and something attached itself to his wrist, causing the black haired teen to freak out a little before he tried to retract his hand, however, something was holding him in place making it impossible.

And just when Ash thought the situation couldn't get any worse another part of the wall slid away revealing what looked like a large glass tube with markings etched into the glass.

Unsure what it was at first, Ash quickly got his answer when he saw that the tube was beginning to fill with water.

"A time limit? There's a time limit?" Ash questioned out loud.

Frantically, Ash began searching the passage with his hand trying to find a switch or leaver or something, all the while, the water level in the tube rose higher and higher, causing Ash and Pikachu’s fear and worry to do the same.

----Meanwhile----

The situation for Dawn and Cynthia wasn't looking good either, as the water level had risen and was now up to Cynthia's chest.

In an attempt to keep the shorter girl safe, Cynthia picked up Dawn and was holding onto her, to keep her head above water.

"Cynthia, we're gonna get out of this right? Ash is gonna come through and get us out of this." Dawn asked Cynthia as worry filled her tone.

"Of course he is. Ash isn't going to let us drown in here." Cynthia replied in a comforting and reassuring tone, before it was then the blonde gently smiled at Dawn, hoping that it would calm her fears, though deep inside her mind Cynthia thought. 'Come on Ash, don't make a liar out of me.'

----With Ash----

Back outside, Ash was still trying to find the release switch; he'd given up after feeling about for several minutes of searching and was now pushing against the wall, hoping for a button or something which would save Dawn and Cynthia.

ÒCome on, budge!Ó Ash yelled out demandingly, his features twisted into a scowl as sweat poured from his face.

"Ash... Ash..." The sound of Dawn's voice was then heard over the radio along with the sound of rushing water; she sounded terrified, before the dark blue haired Coordinator then pleaded. "Please, we don't have much time left. You've got to get us outÉ"

"Ok, this is it. All or nothing!" Ash told himself, before the PokŽmon Trainer threw everything he had into pushing against the wall.

Second after tense second passed, then, with ten seconds left, the part of the wall Ash was pushing against roughly slid forward the air filled with the sound of stone scraping against stone, which caused Ash to let out a large sigh and say as a sense of relief flooded through his whole being. ÒYes, I did it.Ó

ÒPika Pikachu Pika.Ó Pikachu said happily, telling Ash he knew his Pokemon Trainer could do it.

----Back in the sealed chamber----

Sections of the floor slid away, revealing several grates, with the integrity of the room now compromised the water soon drained away.

"Phew, I thought we were done for." Dawn said, not bothering to hide the sense of relief that was feeling.

"But Ash came through, he did it." Dawn stated in a joyful tone, before she then tightened her embrace on Cynthia, burying her head in the blonde’s chest.

"I wasn't worried." Cynthia replied, glad Ash had come though for them, before the Champion of the Elite Four told Dawn. "Dawn, you can let me go now."

"Oh, sorry." Dawn said, a slight blush on her face as she let go of the blonde.

Soon enough the water drained away completely and the doors of the chamber slowly slid open, in which Cynthia then instructed. "Alright, let’s go find Ash. It may have worked out this time. However, I'd rather we didn't get split up again."

ÒRight.Ó Dawn replied, staying close to Cynthia as they left the chamber.

As Dawn and Cynthia headed back to find their hero, Ash was trying to get his arm free from the opening in the wall, but no matter how hard he tried it wouldn't even budge.

ÒCome on you stupid thing, let me go!Ó Ash yelled out as he placed his feet on the wall and pulled, in another attempt to get free.

But it was then a metallic 'clunk' noise was heard and Ash was sent hurtling backwards, Pikachu quickly getting out of the way before his friend could land on him.

Ash groaned as he sat up, rubbing then back of his head as he had fallen pretty hard, before it was then he felt something on his left leg, in which the black haired teen looked over to see Pikachu, looking back at him with a concerned look on his face.

"Hey, Pikachu.Ó Ash said, before he told his PokŽmon partner in a happy and reassuring tone. ÒDon't worry, I'll be fine now that free of that thing."

Pikachu smiled upon hearing that, which made Ash smile back, but it was then the pair were interrupted when the sound of footsteps was heard, in which Ash and Pikachu looked over to see Cynthia and Dawn heading towards them.

"Ash, are you alright?" Dawn asked in concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Ash assured her as he got to his feet and walked towards them, as they grew nearer the Pallet Town resident was caught off guard when the blue haired Coordinator threw her arms around him and captured him in her caring embrace.

"Ash, I was so scared. But you got us out. I don't think I can ever thank you enough for that." Dawn told Ash, and though t he couldn't see it, Ash could tell by her tone that Dawn had begun crying.

"Dawn..." Ash said, his tone barely above a whisper, before he gently stated as he wrapped his arms around her to comfort the female PokŽmon Trainer. "Its ok Dawn, I promise it’s all over now."

From her position Cynthia watched the pair, a small smile forming on her lips at the sight, before it was then the Champion of the Elite Four noticed something was attached to Ash's right wrist.

"Hey Ash, what is that on your wrist?" Cynthia asked curiously.

Confused, Ash released Dawn and looked at his wrist and to his surprise was a metallic bracelet with a small greenish/blue orb set into it.

"What is this thing?" Ash wondered aloud, before he began tugging at it, trying desperately to remove it, but the mysterious item just wouldn't come off.

Taking his wrist, Cynthia examined it; looking closely she could just make out some kind of engraving on it that she couldn't quiet make out.

'Hmmm, this item is certainly strange. These markings, what could they mean?' Cynthia thought to herself, before the blonde remembered that they still had a mission to complete, in which she stated. "Come on, we can figure this out later. I suspect we still have a lot of ground to cover."

In reply, Ash and Dawn nodded their heads, while Pikachu let out a loyal ‘Pika Pi’.