1.Ash's Story (Part 2: Johto)

Chapter 9: Hidden Paths

Route 30 looked different on the way back.

We had already passed Arielle's apple trees, the Apricorn house, and Mr. Pokémon's warm window once before. After sleeping in New Bark, we started north again after breakfast, and nobody had stopped thinking about Silver or the stolen Totodile. Ethan carried the Egg in its travel case with both hands and walked more carefully than he ever had in his new Running Shoes.

Aibo perched on Ethan's shoulder and reached toward the carrier every few minutes. Exbo stayed close to Ethan's ankle and gave a nervous puff of smoke whenever the tail-hand wandered too near.

"Not the Egg," Ethan warned again, shifting the carrier farther from Aibo's reach.

Aibo smiled as if stealing important things had never crossed his mind.

Pikachu watched him from my shoulder with deep suspicion. "No member of that tail-hand family can be trusted near round objects."

"After Quagsire, I am not arguing with that," I murmured.

Lillie giggled beside me, holding Togepi while Chikorita walked between us with her leaf high. Chikorita still watched Lillie whenever she moved closer, but she had stopped trying to wedge herself directly under my feet. I was willing to count that as progress.

Aipom moved through the roadside branches above us. Sentret checked the road behind from its usual upright stance, while Heracross kept drifting toward trees that smelled promising. Ledyba floated near Togepi, Spinarak used the low branches, and shiny Hoothoot moved silently overhead.

Reisa walked with Marill and Totodile on either side of her. East kept Hoothoot on his shoulder and his eyes on the road. Kris had her notebook closed for once, which told me she was thinking about Silver instead of field research.

Ethan looked down at the Egg carrier. "I keep thinking about his Totodile."

"So do I," I said.

"He called me weak, but that starter never even got a normal first day before it ended up with him."

Lillie's voice stayed quiet. "Totodile sounded scared of being abandoned. We need to find it again."

Ethan nodded and kept walking.

The last familiar bend of Route 30 gave way to a weathered sign marked Route 31. Beyond it, the packed road narrowed and curved beneath thicker trees.

The trees grew thicker there, roots lifting through rougher dirt while shadows gathered between the trunks. Farther ahead, a cave mouth opened in the hillside, dark enough that the afternoon sunlight seemed to stop at the entrance.

Kris checked the map. "That should be Dark Cave."

East enlarged the route layer on his Rotom Phone. "It does not lead directly to Violet City. We stay near the entrance."

Ethan eyed the darkness. "Calling it Dark Cave feels like Johto is being very honest for once."

"It also looks easy to get lost in," East said.

Sentret suddenly rose higher on its tail and stiffened toward the cave.

"The ground keeps tapping," Sentret said. "Something small is moving near the entrance."

I looked toward the cave. "Sentret hears something in there."

Lillie shifted Togepi securely against her chest. "We do not have to explore deeply. If something near the entrance needs help, we can check."

East nodded. "Entrance only. We keep outside light in sight."

Dark Cave swallowed sound almost as quickly as it swallowed light.