Pokémon XYZ: Life, Death, Order, and Chaos (book 2 of the HBoD series)

Chapter 59: A Tale of Order & Chaos

"I thought you said you knew where to go," Alex sighed dramatically. "Now we're lost."

"Can it blondie," Clara snapped at her. "I know where we're going."

If I was being honest, I would say she didn't at this point. Stopping Robert before he could say anything to escalate this further, I said, "Well, we're here now, so no use complaining about it. Let's just find our way out of here for now. Blaming can come later."

After having left Snowbelle City behind, Clara had suggested using a lesser known cave to get through the mountain she claimed was a shortcut. But after an hour's worth of walking, it seemed less like that and more of a hindrance. 

"Just try Lucario already," Alex groaned. "I've had enough of being stuck in here."

I shrugged, recognizing it as a good idea. I let him out and he glanced around before looking at me.

"Mind seeing if you can find a way out," I asked. "Closest exit. I really don't want to go back to the entrance near Snowbelle.

Hrring, he nodded. He rested his paw against the side of the tunnel, his aura spreading. After a few minutes, he started walking forwards.

"Oh look," Clara glanced back at Alex, smirking. "He's leading us in the direction I was taking you all."

Alex rolled her eyes and pushed past her. We followed Lucario for a couple minutes, ignoring two side passages along the way, before coming to a halt at a dead end.

"Uh, I think your Lucario's broken," Robert piped up. Alex raised her hand in front of him and he went quiet. Lucario pulled back a fist, orange energy surrounding it. He slammed it forwards, breaking a portion of the wall and revealing another cavern beyond with sunlight visible.

"And you doubted him," I said to Robert, raising an eyebrow. Lucario broke more of the wall so we could all squeeze through into the cavern. It was decently sized and a small tunnel ahead of us lead to daylight. However, we weren't alone now. 

"Seriously," a woman's voice said, exasperated. "You're lucky you broke through into this chamber and not the other one."

I blinked. "Sandra?"

The tan-skinned woman regarded us with brown eyes, and if she was surprised to see us, she didn't show it. Her shorts and gray t-shirt were caked in dust, but she seemed to not mind in the slightest.

"Well then," Sandra gave a slight smile. "I'm glad you all showed up. It's a perfect opportunity to fill in the gaps of your knowledge of Kalos history and legends."

"Well, we were kinda-," Alex started, but Sandra was already motioning for us to follow her as she crossed the cavern to a portion of the wall that seemed to have been carved out to form a narrow passage. 

"Follow me," she said without looking back, squeezing through the tunnel. "You have plenty of time before the Lumiose Conference begins. And I have a feeling you'll want to know what I have to share."

"And what can you share?" Robert asked.

One of Sandra's eyes glanced back at us. "Chaos."

...

Once we were all through the narrow tunnel, we now stood in another, slightly smaller cavern with a single lantern providing light and casting shadows. However, this one contained scattered cave drawings and an eerily familiar symbol highlighted in the middle of the room. 

"Chaos," I muttered in disgust. 

Sandra nodded. "This is not one of their little hideouts. It is merely a place meant to preserve history. The cavern we just came from, it is known as the Chamber of Emptiness. Nothing can exist within. But here," she gestured around her at the walls. "I call this the Chamber of Chaos. Contrast to where nothing can exist, in here everything can exist all at once."