Finding Truth Amongst The Lies

Chapter 24: Ash's POV

Two weeks had gone by and we were no closer to finding the elusive mine entrance than the day we arrived. I was used to roughing it in the forest after years of pokemon journeying and training with the IIA, but the grunts with me had started complaining after the first week and had yet to stop. Their incessant complaints were starting to wear on my last nerve and it took all of my patience to not snap at them. Although the fact that we were running low on rations was not helping my mood at all, to be fair.

"We've already checked this section, Killian!" the pilot grunt, Junpei, growled angrily.

After I had dissuaded him from approaching Serena he had taken on a decidedly hostile attitude with me, although I had noticed if I ever let my anger show on my face he would immediately back off with obvious fear in his expression. I didn't like the guy, but I needed him to cooperate if we were ever going to be allowed back into the Team Galactic base. Director Falon was always expressionless as I gave her my nightly reports, but I noticed a touch of dissatisfaction in her expression the last time I reported that we still hadn't found the mine entrance.

I really need to get back to the base and figure out what Neptune is planning so we can stop her, I thought to myself firmly as I squashed my desire to sink my fist into Junpei's annoying face. Ugh. I need to eat, I thought pitifully as my stomach grumbled loudly, causing my thoughts to be more violent than usual.

"I am aware, Junpei," I said through gritted teeth. "If you suddenly get a vision of where the opening is please let me know. If not, then we're just going to have to double-check every section over again."

"And what if we still can't find the entrance?" Garrett, the other grunt, asked with a frown.

"Then I guess we'll have to triple-check. Unless either of you wants to tell Neptune and Proteus that we failed the mission..." 

Both Garrett and Junpei winced at that comment. I knew we were all picturing the intimidating glares from the leader and her right-hand man at the same time.

"I'd like to see them do any better," Junpei huffed with his false bravado, and Garrett's eyes widened in shock at his brazen tone. "How are we supposed to find the entrance when we have no idea how it was concealed anyways?" he went on, his voice coming out more as a whine now.

Pikachu, who was walking next to me on the path, reached up and pressed his ears flat against his head to block out Junpei's voice and I could hear him mumbling darkly under his breath. Deciding that for everyone's safety from potentially getting electrocuted, I peeled off from the path, deciding to look around the trunks of some large trees. Garrett gave me a pleading look as I left them behind, but I just pointed in the opposite direction, indicating that he should escape and look by himself as well. He nodded with a miserable frown and I ducked under a branch, leaving soundlessly as Junpei continued to whine without paying attention to his surroundings.

Pikachu visibly relaxed once we were away from Junpei and we began combing the forest floor for any sign of an entrance to the mines. I laughed quietly when I saw Pikachu hopping up and down on tree roots as if he were expecting one of them to be a secret lever to open the entrance. Unfortunately, his hops were in vain though and we made slow progress through the forest.

Even though I hated Junpei's whining, I had to admit that I was beginning to lose hope. We had thoroughly scoured every inch of the area that Proteus had identified and we had seen no sign of a hidden entrance or the team galactic symbol. It did no good to complain though since I knew that Proteus couldn't have given us more direction even if he wanted to.

"If you were a hidden entrance to a mine, where would you hide, buddy?" I asked Pikachu as my stomach punctuated my words with a symphony of grumbles. Pikachu looked up at me with a small frown before he effortlessly scaled one of the trees. I watched him curiously, losing sight of his bright yellow fur as he ducked to the other side of the trunk.