Broken Souls

Es-Cave-pades (In The Rock Tunnel)

I feel years older when I stand up. The room's scent of death is just masked by the aftermath of insence, but the sweetness of the latter only makes the former feel even more sickly. My face is fresh as well from the tears, cold where the water has traced the line of my cheeks and ran down my chin and onto the floor. Even the flowers seem to be done with their grief, and many of them have already regressed to brown shreds or nothingness, in the way Reginae's attacks usually do.

It's a solemn scene, but it feels more fulfilling than sorrowful. Reginae presses his head against my hand and Minerva's tails slap against my side. I can feel how sore his throat is from noisy, ugly crying and her anticipation for the rest of the day. While neither of them fully comprehend the other's concerns, their bond is bright and thicker than ever. The whole team extends outwards in a tangle of gold around me, with spaces where our fallen kin sat just minutes... or maybe hours ago. Time moves differently here.

"So." Minerva asks, breaking the silence. "Rock Tunnel?"

At least she has the decency to keep it brief. I nod. "We'll need to get through it fast, too, if we want to make it to Cerulean before late."

"We can trek through the night," Fang suggests. "Half of us are nocturnal by nature and the other half might as well be given how late we stay up."

Pisces grumbles at this, but she's tense as Minerva is.

"Easy, easy." I tell them, half to myself. My voice is a bit raspy, and I sound older than before, foreign even to myself. The two years I missed have settled back onto me like a thick jacket. "We'll make it there before too late. Promise."

Everyone is appeased by this.

I run my hand lightly down the rail as we walk back down the stairs and head out into the afternoon. The sun just brushes the tips of the mountains that houses the Rock Tunnel. A further check from the Pokedex informs me that it's around 3:30, so we'll get there, but we'll get there late. Lavender Town isn't a place you'd want to stay the night, anyways. The scratched paint on the old houses and the malicious laughter of Ghost-types, just audible as we pass by, is likely enough to spook most travellers, which explains the lack of a hotel on their map. We'd have to walk all the way back to Saffron and try the whole thing again.

Minerva and Pisces are already at the Rock Tunnel entrance, watching my indecisiveness with contemptful scorn. "Coming," I say, and my three guys follow me up to where the feisty she-devils of the team await, ready to take on the cave or at least shake off the ornery air over the whole group.

The Rock Tunnel is drier than the Johto tunnels, with a less musty scent. Instead, it smells like rock dust and construction work, and is devoid of many structures or even Pokemon. Furthermore, there's no natural light or lamps of any kind. It feels almost hollow, in an unnerving way.

"It's dark in here," I muse aloud, wondering why none of the Johto caves were ever quite this bad.

Yes, and water is wet, Minerva informs me in my mind. I'd frown her way if I could see her, but she's skulking in the shadows somewhere.

"Well, I don't think I've touched a Flash TM in over a year, so we might have to flounder around in the dark a bit." I tell the team.

Fang flickers his head ring, which beams through the darkness. "Flash? Sounds like our specialty."

I snort. "Okay, you nerd. Lead the way."

Minerva swishes her tails angrily, scattering blue sparks across the room. "I can use Will'o'Wisp. I call co-leader!"

They bound off across the room, roughhousing and nipping at each other.

"Is that legal?" Reginae whispers.