//------------------------------// // Escape From the Underground // Story: Pokémon: Equestrian Adventures // by Banshee531 //------------------------------// A giant surge of pain was the first thing Flash noticed when he woke up, a moan escaping him as his eyes slowly drifted open. He started to blink, now seeing almost complete darkness as he slowly got up, only to feel another surge of pain rush through his head. "Ow!" he yelped as he clutched his head, now feeling a mild bump. After a few seconds, he mentally pushed the pain to the back of his mind, now trying to get a better view of his surroundings. The darkness made it almost impossible to see anything, Flash now using touch to walk around. As he did this, memories flowed through his head, now remembering how he got here. He remembered Doc's illness, his and Spike's quest to find a cure before battling the oversized Douburrow. As he did this, the last image flowed through his head, now remembering falling into a cavern. "Uhhh…" moaned out a voice, making him turn to the sound in the darkness. A bulb went off in his head as he then pulled out his Pokedex and switched it on. The light from the screen filled the area, Flash seeing he was now in some form of tunnel. He turned around next, now seeing a pile of rocks blocking off one end of the tunnel, only to look down to see the owner of the noise, "Twilight!" He yelled as he ran over to her, now seeing Shine and Peewee with her. The teen leaned down and gently shook her, "Twilight! Come on, wake up!" The girl let out a groan as she opened her eyes, Flash correcting her glasses as she looked up at him. "Flash?" He let out a sigh of relief, letting her go before helping her stand up, "Where...where are we?" "In some kind of underground tunnel," he replied while shaking Peewee awake. "Terra?" "I...remember now," Twilight moaned as she held her head. "We were attacked by that giant Douburrow….then the cave collapsed." "And now we're stuck here," Flash responded as he picked up Shine and carried her over to Twilight. "And we've got bigger problems. Notice anyone missing?" Twilight took Shine before glancing around, only to go wide-eyed. "Where's Spike?!" "Not here. Springer, Riptide, Doc and his Pokémon are all gone as well." Flash then checked his belt, sighing in relief again as he felt his Pokeballs were all still attached, Twilight doing the same and finding she still had hers. Peewee then climbed onto her shoulder, rubbing its head against her. "Its okay Peewee, we'll find Spike." Twilight replied to him, rubbing his head back before turning to Flash, "So...what do we do first?" "Uh...I'm not sure." "Nee?" Shine yawned, Twilight looking down to see the pony open its eyes. "You okay Shine?" Twilight asked as she patted the pony's head. "Nee!" As she did this, Flash crossed his arms with a gulp, "This isn't good." He bit his lip slightly, "I sure hope Spike is with Doc. There's still an angry Douburrow down her and if Doc's alone..." The others gulped as they realized what he was getting at. A poking sensation to his cheek was the first thing Spike felt as he woke up, the pre-teen moaning as he opened his eyes and instantly shut them again due to a powerful light flashing into them. "Ack!" "Tock," he heard in an apologetic tone. He opened his eyes again, the light not so bright as he now saw Tockwork, Higear and Flitanium staring down at him. "Hey guys," he moaned as he got up, shaking his head as his mind tried to catch up, "Where are we?" Tockwork turned to illuminate the tunnel with Flash, Spike now seeing that it was an unblocked route that was so long that Tockwork's light couldn't fill it all. "This can't be good." He then picked himself up, only to touch his shoulder...and feel nothing, "Uh oh. Peewee?!" He spun around, only to see nothing but Doc's Pokémon. "Twilight? Anyone?!" "Gear/Tock/Fly," the trio replied, making Spike turning back to them to see three frowns. "Oh...right. You guys are worried about Doc, aren't ya?" They all nodded back, "Well...don't worry. I'm sure he's with the others." The three glared back at him, making him almost backpedal, "Just...stay calm. I'm sure we'll find them if we start looking." He slowly turned around, trying to hide the panic creeping onto his face as his mind raced, 'Aw man...you gotta be kidding me. He did a big gulp, 'Wait. Don't panic. I'm sure Doc's okay with the others...and if he's not, these three are gonna be crushed...but they're going to be. Just relax Spike. This isn't the first time you've been separated from the others in a cave system. Actually, this happens way more then it probably should. Just stay calm.' He turned back to the trio, "Let's get going." He began marching away, the others following as they headed down the tunnel. As they did this, all of them were thinking the same thing. 'Please be alright Doc.' In yet another tunnel... Riptide let out a long yawn as he woke up. His eyes rapidly blinked as he saw nothing but darkness, the sight making him scratch the side of his head, "Great..." he said in his own language, "Now what do I do?" He picked himself up as his eyes adjusted to the darkness, only to blink again as he found something just a few feet away. Walking up and feeling it, he found it was all his friend's bags. "This can't be good." The lizard opened them all up, now finding a pair of flashlights and some tape, "A-ha! This will work!" Back with Flash and Twilight, she held up Shine as the Galarian Ponyta's horn began to glow and illuminate the cave. "I hope this place has an exit," Flash commented as they began to walk down a corridor. "I'm sure there is," Twilight responded, "There's air in here, and that air has to be coming from somewhere." "But there's no breeze," Flash countered, "For all we know, the air in here is all we've got and when it runs out-" He came to a stop, now seeing panic start to consume Shine's face, remembering the Ponyta was still pretty much a baby right now. "Uh....new topic! Where'd this tunnel come from anyway?" "It must be part of the same tunnel system we met Lokelpie in," Twilight replied, "This one must be a lot deeper. It's also possible Douburrow carved these ones themselves." She then mentally measured the size of the tunnel, "Hmmm...they're big enough to fit in this." As she said this, the group came to a three way split, "Great, now what do we do?" "Not sure," Flash sighed. "For all we know, we'll end up picking a tunnel that leads us away from everyone else." Twilight nodded in agreement, "And if they're all connected, we could end up walking down the same tunnel as someone else but going right when they go left." Flash crossed his arms at this, only for a bulb to go off in his head, "That might help." Twilight and the others watched as he took out a Pokeball, summoning his Velocirush. "Loss!" He roared before seeing the dark tunnel around him, "Rush?" "Hopper," he turned to his trainer, "Listen bud, we need your help. We're stuck in an underground tunnel and we're cut off from the others. Think you can help us track 'em down?" "Loss!" Hopper replied while nodding. "How's Hopper gonna track them down?" Twilight asked as Shine jumped out of her hands to stand besides Hopper. "Hopper was able to track my scent when we were looking for my bag, so I bet he'll be able to track the others too." Twilight tilted her head at this, giving him a deadpan stare, "Flash....he can't just sniff the air and find a scent. The only way that'll work is if we're in an area they've been in." "Oh...right." Flash replied before letting out a sight, "Fine. But I'm keeping him out just in case." "Agreed." Twilight responded as the group looked back at the multiple tunnels. "Welp, might as well pick one at random and see where it leads us." Flash nodded back before the five started down the far right tunnel, Twilight marking the wall while Hopper and Shine led the way. As they did this, Twilight continued to comment on the situation, "Now...even though we're doing a random route, the others can't be too far away. We all fell from the same area, so logic dictates that the area where they landed in will be close by as well." "I hope you're right." Meanwhile... "Great..." Spike moaned as he now found himself facing four different tunnels, "Now which way do we go?" The others all shrugged, making Spike point at the entrances, "Tockwork, try illuminating them and see if there's anything that might lead us out." "Tock!" Tockwork nodded as he walked over and shined the light down the first cave. They all saw there was nothing, soon going to the next and saw it just turned right after a feet hundred yards. The third seemed to go downward and the fourth went upward. "Maybe we should go this way," Spike commented as he stared at the fourth tunnel. "I bet everyone else is trying to get up to the surface, so they're probably trying to go up. That includes Doc." The Pokémon nodded back, the four about to go inside, only to feel the ground shake, "Oh no..." Spike felt the tunnel they had just picked rumble, making him turn to Tockwork, "Kill the lights!" "Tock!" He replied as his light began to die down, the four then flattening themselves up against the wall of another one of the tunnels. Seconds later, the twin heads of the giant Douburrow slithered into the tunnel. "Burrow?" The two heads hissed as they looked down the tunnels. Spike felt his heart beat like a drum, now seeing the tip of the worm's nose come into view just around the corner. Gulping at the sight, he leaned and looked around the corner, now seeing the worm look at another tunnel. 'Now's my chance!' he thought as he grabbed a pebble on the ground and threw it over Douburrow's nose, landing to his side. The clattering sound of the rock echoed through the cave, making the worm turn to other tunnel, growling before both heads began to dig through that tunnel. Spike watched as the worm began to vanish, taking almost a full minute till it was fully consumed into the darkness. Spike let out a sigh of relief as the four all walked out of the tunnel, "That... was too close." The Pokémon all nodded back, the teen turning to them, "Come on. Let's just get out of here before it decides to come back." The four then cut into a sprint as they ran as fast as they could up the sloping tunnel, praying that would be the last time they ran into Douburrow. "Ugh...this is so heavy." Riptide moaned as he walked down another tunnel, all four bags now bouncing on his back. He could see thanks to the torches taped to his head-fin, illuminating the cave ahead. "GUYS!" He called out as he took another turn, "Come on! Give me a sign you're down here!" And as no noise came back from his echoing voice, he let out a sigh as the bags sagged onto his back, "Geez lousie, how much do these guys need to carry?!" It was here that he went down another turn, only to see a fork in a tunnel, seeing a left and right path. He let out a hum as he decided to go right, only to smile at his decision as he saw someone in the distance. "DOC!" he ran up to the Gym Leader, only to see him asleep on the ground. The lizard began to shake him as he then said, "Doc, can you hear me? Come on, say something." The Spranitor spun his head and shined the light in the teen's face, only for Riptide to see Doc's still bright red face, "Oh...right. You're still sick. Guess that plant thing hasn't fully kicked in yet." He felt his head, now feeling a warm heat from it, "Hold on buddy." The lizard fired a quick Water Gun into his hands and used them to dab his forehead, "Of all the times to be stuck underground." Riptide shook him again. "I know you're sick, but I really need you too wake up right now." He kept at this for a minute, only to hop in place as he suddenly heard something. Turning to the noise, his ears found it to be echoing footsteps, a light in the distance showing up next. "Flash?!" he exclaimed as the two stepped into the light, only to growl at the sight, "Oh...its you two." Lightning Blitz and his Chimplug looked down at the Pokémon, now seeing the ailing gym leader right by him. The teen knelt down and touched his forehead, only to hum, "He'll be fine." He turned to glare at the tunnel Riptide had come through, "Did you come from down there?" Riptide didn't reply for a moment, "Well?!" "Tore," Riptide replied, nodding. "Is it blocked off? The way we came from was blocked, so if this way is blocked, we may be trapped down here." Riptide replied by making three karate chop motions and holding his hand up in a stop motion. He then did another karate chop before shifting his hand right and shrugging. "Got it. Come on Chimplug." He and the electric monkey then walked past him, only to hear a low hissing, "Spran…" The teen looked back and saw Riptide now trying to put Doc onto his back while also carrying the four backpacks on his front. Riptide staggered as he began to follow Lightning and Chimplug, only to the weight to pull him down. "Tore!" he yelped as he fell flat, the lizard grunting in pain as he tried to stand back up. Lightning's gaze shifted between him and the tunnel, "Gotta find Frostoak," he whispered before turning around again, a low glare on his face as he slowly walked down the corridor. Meanwhile again... Springer was sitting in a meditation stance in the middle of a tunnel, gritting his teeth as his aura flowed around his body, "Come on Flash...where are you?!" he growled as he tried to send his aura, only to yelp in pain, "Augh! Come on!" Hopping to his feet, he started to go down a tunnel, only to see a split in the caves, "Great...now where do I go?" But as he said this, a surge of aura hit him, one he didn't recognize but could tell it was in distress. Running after the aura, he went down on tunnel before suddenly coming to a stop, "You?!" Lightning's Frostoak was laying face down, his legs now struck under a pile of rocks. He looked up and blinked at the Riolu, "You. You were with those humans my trainer was trying to save." "What?! Lightning was trying to save us?!" Springer yelped, only to shake his head, "Food for later thought. What happened to you?" "What do you think?! The same thing that happened to you guys! We got caught up in the Douburrow's attack, and when I woke up, I was stuck under here." He then grabbed a rock at the bottom of the pile and slowly pulled it, the rest of the pile shaking until he pushed it back into place. "And now I'm stuck..." "Huh..." Springer looked over the rubble, only to sigh as he started to climb up the pile. "What are you doing?" Frostoak asked before seeing Springer throw a rock off the top of the pile, "You're helping me?" "Of course I am. Why wouldn't I?!" Springer replied with a low growl in his tone, Frostoak not replying as he saw the semi-angry look on the Riolu's face. And as he removed the top layer, the Frostoak was able to pull his leg free, Springer then hopping off the rubble. "You okay?" Frostoak tried to stand up, only to flinch as he quickly grabbed the nearby wall, taking the weight off one of his icicle feet, "No. The rocks must have done something." "You probably just hurt your ankle." "I don't have ankles!" Frostoak barked back, only to look down and see a small crack on his ice foot, "There it is." "What are you gonna do?" "As long as I don't put any weight on it, it'll freeze back up soon enough. But this is gonna make getting out of here difficult." The two shared a look, both thinking the same thing as they started to frown at each other. Flash, Twilight and his group were still trekking through the tunnels, Hopper in front as he kept sniffing the ground. "Find anything?" Flash asked, the Pokémon looking back before shaking his head. "It's alright bud. We'll find them." "And hopefully soon," Twilight added as she walked past Hopper, "Though considering how these tunnels are carved, they could go on for miles with hundreds of twists and turns. You'll need to keep your eyes open or you might end up running into-AUGH!" Twilight's rant was cut short as she felt her feet meet solid air, the girl looking down as she was about to go down into a dark pit. Flash's reflexes kicked in as he quickly grabbed her, pulling her back before both fell over. Twilight let out a gasp as Shine went over and rubbed her chest, her trainer grabbing and holding on her tightly. "That...was too close." While she got her breating under control, Flash went over to the pit's edge and saw they were now in a chamber with multiple holes in the walls along with several stone bridges connecting them. The hole they were at didn't have a bridge, showing they had no way to go forward. "What do we do now?" Twilight asked as she got up, "Go back?" "I don't know...that could take a while." Flash replied before seeing a ledge that lead from their tunnel to a hole with a bridge. "I've got an idea." He stepped onto the ledge and slowly made his way around, soon reaching the other side. "Your turn." "You can't be serious," Twilight barked back as she pointed at the tiny ledge he had tiptoed around. "Come on, it's not that far." He held his arm out, "Just a few inches and I'll be able to grab you." Twilight let out a long moan before shuffling her way across the ledge, Flash grabbing her hand after a few inches before helping her the rest of the way. "See? Wasn't hard at all." "For you, maybe." The two then returned Hopper and Shine as Peewee flew over, calling them back out before scanning the bridge. They saw that it was about three feet wide and roughly one foot thick, the abyss it covered being about roughly thirty feet. "I don't think this thing's gonna take much weight." "Better go one at a time then," Flash replied as he tiptoed over the bridge, Peewee flying over as he got to other side, "Alright, who's next?" "Go on Shine," Twilight told her Ponyta. "Nee..." Shine whimpered as she looked down, now seeing nothing but a dark abyss. Her entire body shook at the sight, only for Hopper to get in front of her. "Rush," he held out his tail, the pony gently biting onto it as he slowly made his way over. As they did this, she closed her eyes, only to suddenly feel Flash patting her head a few seconds later. "Good girl." the teen commented as she opened her eyes, now seeing him pat Hopper's head, "You too bud. Alright, your turn Twilight!" Twilight did a large gulp as she nodded back, her feet shuffling again as she stared straight ahead, "Don't look down. Don't look down. Don't look-" THOOM! Her mantra came to a stop as the chamber began to shake, Flash quickly turning to the Ponyta, "Shine, kill the light!" Shine's horn instantly went off, the chamber falling into complete darkness as Twilight crouched down on the bridge. And as she did this, the Douburrow's heads flew out of a hole down below them. Flash gave everyone a hush gesture as they saw it look around. The Duoburrow let out a long hiss, glaring at the dark chamber before digging a new hole into the area. Seconds of rumbles began to follow this, the whole place vibrating as Twilight let out a yelp as the bridge started to shake. And as the vibrations came to a stop, Flash called out to her, "You okay?" She nodded back, "Yeah...I'm fine." She began to stand back up, only to now hear a cracking sound, making her look down and see just that. "Oh no." "Hurry!" Flash yelled as Twilight tried to sprint, the bridge now breaking apart. But as she did this, the rocks below her fell apart, making her scream, "AAAAHHHHH!" She clenched her eyes shut as she began to fall, only to feel something grab her hand. Her eyes shot open, looking up to see Flash leaning over the edge while holding her wrist. "Hang on!" he told her as Hopper grabbed onto him while Shine used her magic to grab her trainer, Peewee flying down to grab the back of Twilight's shirt. With several heaves, the four pulled her up, throwing her over the edge. "WHOA!" Twilight yelped as she landed on top of Flash, both locking eyes as they started panting. The two stared at each other, only to feel both bodies as they looked down to see their current positions. Twilight let out an 'eep' before jumping off him, the two looking away as she stuttered out, "Um...uh...thanks." "N-no problem." Flash replied as he felt his face heat up, quickly scrambling back onto his feet, "We uh...we should keep going." "Right. Going. Yes." Twilight muttered as she stood straight up, spinning around before getting in front of the group. Flash stood in the back as the Pokémon all shared smiles, all walking after the teens. Over in another tunnel... "Why am I doing this?!" Lightning grumbled as he felt the unconscious Doc on his back. His Chimplug was walking a few steps behind Riptide, glancing back at his trainer as they slowly made his way through the tunnel. "Hey, slow down." Chimplug said as he grabbed Riptide's wrist, making the lizard look back and see Lighnting slow down. "Right...sorry." he replied while nodding. The two then began to slow their pace as Riptide turned to Chimplug, "You know, I'm surprised you guys actually agreed to stay behind and help us." "Why wouldn't we?" Chimplug asked. "Well, you first didn't look like you were going to. Second, it doesn't seem like something your trainer would do." Chimplug growled back at him, "Lightning might be a little harsh, but he's not a monster." "Could have fooled me." "Oh yeah?! How often have you actually been around him?!" Chimplug barked back, Riptide turning to him with a deapan stare. "I don't need to be around him much. When I first met him, he called me weak without even seeing what I could do." Chimplug shrugged at this, "Hey, he said what he believed. Not my fault he saw you like that." "I'm not weak!" Riptide yelled, trying to hold down the water in his mouth, "And I don't believe you! He constantly insults people and berates them when something goes wrong." "Oh, and your trainer is just perfect, isn't he?!" "He's better than him." Riptide growled as he looked away, "At least he actually cares about every Pokémon he meets." "Tch. What's the point of that?" Chimplug replied while rolling his eyes, "Lightning just knows what's good and what isn't. No point in caring about stuff that isn't worth it." "You sound just like him." Riptide hissed as he gave him a small glare, "I'm guessing all his Pokémon are like that?!" "No, we're all different." Chimplug chuckled as he put his hands behind his head, "But thanks for the compliment. I'm glad I'm like Lightning. Though you're wrong about the caring part. He just cares about his Pokémon." "Please. I bet he just uses you all as a punching bag for his dictionary of insults." "No. In fact, I bet you right now that all he's thinking about is Frostoak." Riptide turned to him with a raised eyebrow, remembering seeing the Ice-Type with the trainer as Chimplug continued, "We got separated when we fell down here. The minute he finds one of your friends to unload that sick guy on, he's gonna start looking for Frostoak, and he's probably not gonna leave this place until we find him." "Huh." Riptide replied with a slight hum. "Think he's heartless now?" Riptide looked back at the trainer, a long glare on the teen's face. His eyes went down to Riptide's, the Spranitor seeing the anger in them before looking back at Chimplug, "No, I still think he's a jerk. I can still see he thinks me and my trainer are weak." "Well, he is right about that. You are a wimpy water-type! HA!" Chimplug laughed, only to see Riptide smirk at him, "What?" "At least my trainer was able to make me evolve." Riptide leaned up to him with a big grin, "I'm pretty sure that makes me better than you." Chimplug's teeth grit, tiny sparks appearing out of his plug tail as he growled back, "Why you little-" "Hey! I don't what you're all talking about, but no fighting!" Lightning yelled, making them turn to him as he huffed past them, "Come on you two. I don't want some fight making this tunnel fall apart." The teen grunted out next as he had to readjust Doc, letting out a hiss of pain, "Urgh...this is starting to really hurt." Meanwhile... Springer let out a huff as he made his way down another tunnel while carrying Frostoak on his back. "This is so embarrassing," the Ice-type moaned. "It's no picnic for me either," Springer growled as they came to a fork. "I really hope we don't run into Lightning." The Frostoak muttered as he saw themselves turning a corner, only to see a dead end. "Great..." Springer grumbled as he kicked a rock. That rock hit the wall, the sound echoing off being not one from a thick wall. The two shared a look before moving closer, Springer tapping the wall with his foot next, "Huh. Get off for a sec." Frostoak nodded as and slowly got off, Springer forming an Aura Sphere in response before thrusting it into the wall. The orb exploded and shook the wall, but the rock remained solid and sturdy. "What the-" Springer raised a now green glowing fist, hitting the surface again. But as he began to hit over and over, he saw not even a crack would form in the wall, "Seriously? It sounded hollow..." "You're not hitting it right," Frostoak told him. Springer spun around with a raised eyebrow, "What?" "Instead of hitting it randomly, try focusing on one spot and keep hitting it." "Why?" "Because power is pointless without control. That's something Lightning taught me. Instead of just wailing on it, try using precision. When facing something that looks unbreakable, focus all your energy on continuously beating the same spot. Eventually, that unbreakable defence will give." Springer just gave him a glare back, Frostoak tilting his head at the stare, "What?" "I'm not a fan of who told you that." Springer growled as he turned around and hit the wall in one spot. Several Drain Punches continued to hit the place, a crack soon appearing. "There! Hit that spot with something stronger!" "Aura Sphere!" Springer yelled as he slammed an orb into the cracked section, the explosion from the sphere shattering the wall. What was left was a large hole, making Springer let out a hum, "Huh. It worked." "Heck yeah it worked," Frostoak added as Springer knelt down to let him on his back. "You caught on pretty quick. Lightning had me up from dawn till dusk until I finally got that level of precision down." "That sure sounds like Lightning," Springer laughed as they moved through the hole. "But I gotta admit, maybe some of the stuff he comes up with ain't half bad...though it sounds like overkill if he made you do that much." He glanced back next, "How's your foot?" Frostoak looked down, seeing the crack wasn't as deep as before. "Shouldn't be that much longer now." "Not good." Spike whispered as he entered a small chamber with only one exit. But as him and the Pokémon had gone through, they found themselves facing a whole tunnel of sleeping Zubat. The sight made him sigh, turning back to the others, "Okay...we gotta stay quiet." They nodded back before starting to tip-toe through the section. But as they started to move, a loud stomping sound made them look back, seeing Tockwork give an apologetic look. The group looked up to the ceiling next, now seeing several Zubat twitch, only to calm down. Tockwork took another step after this, his feet making the noise again as the Zubat twitched to it. "This is gonna take forever," Spike whispered, only for the tunnel behind them to start shaking. His eyes shrunk at this, all of them turning around to see a quartet of eyes come into view behind them, "Oh no." "BURROW!" It roared as it slithered down the tunnel they had just gone through. "RUN!" Spike yelled, the four cutting into a sprint while ignoring the Zubat. And as the bats began to wake up, a bulb went off in Spike's head, "Guys, try and collapse the roof!" The three nodded before spinning around and using a combo of Gear Grind, Psyshock and Steel Wing. The roof became a pile of rubble, blocking the swarm of Zubat as they turned around to the Douburrow, "Burrow!" It roared as the bats began to use Supersonic and Poison Sting. "That should keep it busy for a bit." Spike yelped as he kept running, "But let's not wait around! RUN!" "Rush?" Hopper's nose twitched as he felt something, the others following him. "Do you have a scent?" Flash asked, Hopper nodding as he turned a corner into a chamber. But as he did this, he came to a stop, now seeing a pile of rocks covering the entrance to another tunnel. "Oh no..." Flash said as he tried to remove them, only to feel the tunnel shake from this. "Stop Flash. Looks like this place caved in after Douburrow went through," Twilight added as she scanned the rubble over, "With all the shaking that Douburrow's causing, I'm surprised the whole tunnel system is still standing." She turned to Hopper, "How strong is the scent? Is it still there?" Hopper shook his head, "That means they're gone. At least they weren't buried." Twilight turned to the tunnel next to the collapsed one. "This way." "Nee!" Shine chimed in as she took the lead, Hopper going up to her side as the teens followed. Another tunnel... Springer and Frostoak had come to a stop as Frostoak wanted to try to walk. The crack was now gone in his icicle foot, making him let out a sigh, "Finally...I can put some weight on it." He tapped his feet on the floor, "There we go. No more needing to be piggybacked." "You have no idea how happy I am to hear that," Springer added as he stretched his body, "Now we can-" He stopped when his ear hangings flared up, his eyes going wide. "Doc?" "What?" Frostoak tried to reply, only to see Springer run off, "Hey! Where're you going?!" "I just sensed my friend!" Springer yelled as he started sprinting. He took a quick left, then right before another left as he ran to a corner. But as he did this, he also picked up Riptide's aura as Frostoak tried to keep up with him. And as he went down another tunnel, a bright light suddenly flashed into his eyes, "Ahh!" He blinked as the light was pulled away. "Springer!" He heard Riptide cheer, the Spranitor running over to pull him in a hug. "Frostoak!" barked Lightning as Springer saw the teen carrying Doc, the Frostoak sprinting over to him. "What are you doing with him?!" Springer yelped as he pointed at the trainer, "Is Doc alright?" "Your friend's fine," Lightning grumbled as he readjusted Doc on his back again, "But the sooner we get out of here, the better. Who knows what else-" his words came to a stop as he felt the ground shake, the whole group freezing up as they felt the rumble fade. "What was-" BOOM! The floor behind them exploded, rocks flying everywhere as the Pokémon hopped in front and smacked the rubble away. As they did this, a quartet of eyes appeared, "Burrow!" "We can't fight in here! RUN!" Lightning yelled as he spun around, trying to sprint with the unconscious gym leader on his back. But as he did his, the Douburrow's mouth began to fill with fire. Glaring at the beast, he yelled at Riptide, "You! Use Water Gun! NOW!" "Spran…" Riptide hissed at him, only to turn and spit out a stream of water, instantly knocking the fire and worm back. "BURROW!" it roared, stopping its slithering to try and get the water off. Lightning saw it had came to a halt, the sight making him grin. "Nice! That thing is strong, so this should be good training. Might be worth catching." He then slid Doc off his back, Springer and Riptide running over to him and grabbing him, "Take him and go!" The two exchanged a glance at this, only to see him motion Chimplug and Frostoak follow after him. "Riolu!" Springer yelled as he tried to stop them, but then heard a groan from Doc. They turned to the teen, both sighing as they hoisted him and the bags up, the two running down another tunnel as Springer yelled back at Frostoak, "BE CAREFUL!" Frostoak smirked back, giving him a thumbs up before turning to his trainer. "Hey! Keep your focus!" Lightning barked before pointing at Douburrow, "Alright you overgrown garden snake, let's dance!" Springer and Riptide were in full sprint, both panting heavily while hearing the sounds of a battle behind them. But as they took another turn, the sounds started to fade, making them wonder if the fight was already done. However, as they did this, they found themselves in a chamber filled with multiple tunnel entrances. "Huh?" Springer said as his eyes darted around, looking down each before seeing a small light in one. "Wait...is that-" "Sunlight!" Riptide cheered as they both started to go for the tunnel, only to feel another shake. "WHOA!" they yelped as the ground exploded, both hopping back as the Douburrow appeared again. "Seriously?!" "BURROW!" it roared, glaring down at the two as they put down Doc before getting into a fighting stance. "Bring it on!" Riptide barked back, "We're not afraid of you!" "Yeah!" Springer added as they now both saw the several injuries covering the oversized Pokémon, "Looks like Lightning's Pokémon already gave you a serious beat down. We'll just finish what he started." Douburrow growled as both mouths began to fill with fire, the two gulping at the sight as they knew Doc was right behind them. But before it could unleash the flames, an attack suddenly struck its head, "BURROW!" it cried as Springer and Riptide saw a Psyshock, Gear Grind and Air Cutter hit the worm. And as the gears returned to its owner, they looked up to see a tunnel opening above them. "GUYS!" Spike cheered as he waved down at them, Flitanium grabbing him and Tockwork before the four flew down and landed beside him. "Doc!" He gasped as he saw the gym leader, "Hang on!" "Burrow!" Douburrow roared again, the group turning back to the worm. "Mystical Fire and Dragon Rage!" A burst of blue and red fire shot out of another tunnel, hitting the worm in the heads. It flinched again as they now saw Flash, Twilight, Shine, Hopper and Peewee appear. "Terra!" Peewee cheered as he flew over to Spike, the teen hugging him back. "I'm happy to see you too," Spike giggled as the dragon nuzzled his face, Twilight running over and hugging her brother as well before going over to check Doc. While this happened, Flash went over to his Pokémon and then pointed at Douburrow. "You're not stopping us! Time to put you down for good...READY GUYS?!" His three Pokémon jumped in front of himi, all roaring in agreement. "Let's do this thing! Aura Sphere and Water Gun, followed by Iron Tail!" Springer and Riptide fired their attacks as Hopper raced ahead, Douburrow blocking both attacks with a Flamethrower. "RUSH!" Hopper yelled as he leapt and slashed both necks with a glowing tail. "BURROW!" "Alright!" Spike threw Peewee into the air as Flitanium joined him, "Incinerate and Air Cutter!" "Terra/Nium!" The two fired their attacks, the wind hitting the fire and increasing its power as it struck Douburrow. The beast growled as its heads were thrown back, only to summon a Stone Edge, "BURROW!" It roared as it fired the rubble at the group. "Drain Punch, Rock Smash and Iron Tail!" "Steel Wing!" Spike ordered as the four began slashing through the rocks, the others huddling into one spot behind them. Within a minute, the last rock was pulverized by Springer as Riptide and Hopper charged at the beast. "Water Gun and Quick Attack!" Riptide launched a water stream as Hopper struck the worm below the liquid attack. But despite the pain, Douburrow swung its tail, smacking both backward. "TORE/RUSH!" They yelped as they hit the ground, Flitanium, Higear, Peewee, Shine and Tockwork all launching their long range attacks next. But as they did this, Douburrow powered through every attack as he launched a Flamethrower at them all. "Fly/Gear/Terra/Nee/Tock!" They all screamed as they all thrown back, Springer the only one still standing. The Riolu glared at the opponent, looking over every wound despite the worm not stopping. But as he did this, his mind flashed back to earlier, "That's it!" he yelled as he turned to the other Pokémon, "Guys, I know what to do!" "What?" Riptide asked back. "We need to hammer one spot with all our attacks on that monster!" Springer replied before pointing at the spot their necks met. "There! Keep aiming for that spot!" Springer ran up and formed a Aura Sphere, seeing Douburrow's tail coming for him. But as it did this, Springer leapt over the attack and fired the orb on the spot. Douburrow flinched at the pain, only to feel a Water Gun hit the same spot next, making him wince at the strike. "Burrow!" He yelped as he began firing Stone Edges, only for the Flitanium to fly in and slash the projectiles instantly. And as he did this, a Psybeam, Dragon Rage and Psyshock struck the same spot, Douburrow roaring as more pain surged through its body. Hopper then used this distraction to run up and smack the place with an Iron Tail, making it cry out even more. "What are they doing?" Flash asked with a tilt of the head. "They're focusing on one spot," Twilight replied, "They're whittling it down." She then saw Douburrow about to use Flamethrower, its body trying to curl over the targeted spot at the same time. Seeing this, she yelled, "Keep its heads distracted. Flyers, go!" Peewee, Flitanium and Higear nodded before flying at the two heads, using their attacks to push the flames back. And as this happened, Drain Punch, Mystical Fire, Rock Smash, Bullet Punch, Quick Attack all the spot again, making it scream in pain. Seeing this, Flash pointed at the worm, "You're almost done! Take it down with one clean hit!" "RIOLU!" Springer roared as everyone charged. But as this happened, Douburrow hissed as it launched more Stone Edge rocks than ever before. The rubble rained down as they got close, forcing all but Springer back. "This is hurting my friends!" he yelled as he ran past the last rock with an Aura Sphere in his paws, "Take this!" He thrusted the attack into the almost scar-like injury, an explosion quickly following. "DOUBURROW!" It screamed, the beast's body now giving out before falling over. The chamber shook as it slammed into the floor, several rocks coming loose from the ceiling before they began to bury the worm. Seeing the tunnel was about to collapse, Flash ran over and let Twilight and Spike put Doc on his back. "Come on! We gotta go!" He yelled as they ran over to the tunnel with the sunlight, now seeing it was an opening surrounded by several large rocks, with all but Tockwork able to squeeze through the gap. After returning and letting Tockwork back out, the group kept running down the chamber until their exhaustion finally caught up. Collapsing from the stress, Twilight pulled out a blanket to lay Doc on as they started checking themselves. The Pokémon were all okay and they hadn't lost much of their equipment, all sighing in relief. And as they rested there for a bit, the group heard a groaning from Doc, making them turn to him. His eyes blinked open as he looked up at the group, "Hey guys. How's it going?" "Not the best." Flash replied while chuckling, "You had us worried." Spike nodded in agreement, "Yeah! Don't do that again!" "Sorry," Doc moaned as he stared to get up, "Guess you were right about taking it easy." "We're just glad you're feeling better." Flash added. "I am," Doc replied before stretching, only to slowly stand up to everyone's shock. "Much better." "Huh. Guess that plant finally kicked in," Twilight chimed in as she got up and patted his shoulder, "Though you still might wanna take it easy for a while." Doc nodded back, "Sure. Though...I gotta say, I had the weirdest dream." He then saw the group smirking at him, "What?" "I think we know what that dream was about," Flash chuckled, Doc raising an eyebrow at him as they began to explain all that had happened. Doc's face went through a few expressions as they went through the facts, Spike finishing the story. "Then we found you with Riptide and Springer." "They must have been carrying you for miles," Twilight added, "Not to mention they were carrying all our bags." "Wow..." Doc smiled down at the two, "Looks like I really owe you one." The two nodded back, only to feel Flash pat their heads, "Well done. You two were amazing." "Tore/Ri," the two blushed and looked away. And as they began to walk through the tunnel again, Springer's aura spiked as he noticed three familiar auras appearing behind him. He could feel them several yards back, making him chuckle, "Didn't take them for being shy." As the group continued to move, Lightning and his Pokémon sighed as they walked down the tunnel. The teen was clutching his side in pain while Frostoak rubbed his newly repaired leg. Lightning growled as he saw he was about to catch up with the group, making him slump down on the wall, "Stop. We're resting here for a bit." The two nodded, only to keep staring at him with a curious glance, "What?!" He saw both tilt their heads, making him hiss at them before looking away, "Don't take it the wrong way, I wasn't trying to save those losers. It would be inconvenient if something happened to a gym leader, especially one part of the Equestria League. I don't need some stupid weakling Douburrow attacking a gym leader be the reason why the league tournament got cancelled." The two shared a glance at this, both raising eyebrows at the response. Once Twilight's journal had re-established a link and pinpointed their location, the group found they were actually very close to the edge of the desert. After another hour's walk, they found themselves reaching the top of a dune, gasping as they found themselves looking out at a grassy meadow that lead up to some trees with a bunch of mountains in the distance. "FREEDOM!" Spike cheered as he ran down the dune and jumped into the tall grass, kissing the ground. Everyone else laughed as they joined in him, all enjoying the feel of the weeds. "Finally! No more sand in my shoes!" "No more constant worry of running out of water," Twilight sighed. "No more need to find someplace safe to camp," Doc added. "And no more sand worms hellbent on killing us," Flash finished as they turned back to him, making him then say, "So...wanna get as far away from this place as possible?" The others all nodded as they jumped back to their feet, the group marching through the meadow and toward he trees as fast as they could go. Their trip through the Grand Desert had been one fraught with many dangers, challengers and obstacles. From bag thieves, evil teams and giant earthworms, they had conquered every trial. Now, their sights were set squarely on Cloudsdale City, and one can only wonder what dangers, challenges and obstacles await them next. As the journey continues.