DPA: Rivals

Chapter 32: Do Not Enter

Cameron folded his clothes up, putting them in his backpack. Dressed only in a pair of swim trunks he had packed, he sent out Pidgey and Kakuna to guard his bag while he went to check out the cave. Mudkip floated lazily on its back in the water, waiting for Cameron to get in so they could go for the swim.

"Hey, Cameron!" Cameron suddenly heard a voice shout from behind. He turned around to see Evan approaching, dressed only in a speedo. Torchic and Squirtle were running alongside him.

"Hey!" Cameron replied, waving, as Evan came over. "How are you?"

"I'm doing good, thanks!" Evan replied, beaming. "Misty isn't in the Gym right now for some reason, so I figured I'd go check out that cave, since I have some time!"

"I was thinking I would do the same," Cameron said. "I guess we could go together."

"That'd be awesome!" Evan cheered, pushing past Cameron and leaping into the water. Torchic and Squirtle, feeding off of Evan's contagious energy, followed suit, each hitting the water with a splash.

"Well, here I come," Cameron said to himself. He sent out Charmander, who happily scampered into the water. Cameron took his time, enjoying each step until his body was completely submerged.

"Come on, already!" Evan shouted, paddling towards the far off cave. Cameron sighed, and began to follow, Mudkip on his left, Charmander on his right. The group of trainers and Pokémon arrived at the mouth of the cave in only a few minutes.

Stepping out of the water, everyone entered.

It was dark. Charmander's tail flame, which had been extinguished in the water, lit up, providing a source of light. Torchic spat an Ember at a stray piece of wood, which Evan picked up, using as a makeshift torch. Now able to see, Cameron couldn't hold back his absolute awe.

Parasect, Jynx, Arbok, Dodrio, Chansey, Rhydon, and many other Pokémon of all shapes and sizes wandered about the vast expanse of Cerulean Cave, living their lives as normal, in what was otherwise complete darkness, seemingly unbothered by the sudden strange lights from the torch and the foreign Charmander.

Evan noticed a Kadabra meandering about, and in a few minutes of battling, Evan threw a Pokéball. Kadabra broke out, teleporting away.

Holding up the broken Pokéball to Cameron, Evan smiled mischievously. "All I'm wearing is a speedo. Can you guess where I was holding this Pokéball?" He asked, winking.

Cameron winced. "Evan, please don't tell me-"

"I had Squirtle hold onto it in its shell!" Evan laughed. Cameron, relieved, joined in, both of them laughing rather loudly.

That's when it happened. Cameron could feel a cold feeling in his neck, a chill, that made him shiver. Something about it didn't feel right. It felt wrong. Very, very wrong. He turned around, finding himself face to face with a Pokémon he had never seen before, easily seven feet tall, with blue fur that had fallen out in scattered patches all along its body. This Pokémon didn't feel natural, and seemed to emit some sort of weird...energy.

"W-w-w-what are y-you?" Cameron stuttered, every inch of his body flooded with a fear he could not explain.

"Mewtwo," the creature replied. Although the voice didn't come from this Pokémon. It came from inside Cameron's head.

Mewtwo vanished from where it had been standing, as the entire cave shook, chunks of rock falling from above as the entire natural structure began to collapse.

Cameron, Evan, and their Pokémon began running towards the entrance, trying to avoid being hit by falling pieces of the cave itself. Wild Pokémon ran frantically in every direction, unsure of what was going on but scared nonetheless.

Only two or three yards from the mouth of the cave, one particularly large piece of rock came down, smacking Cameron in the shoulder, knocking him to the ground and pinning him there.

"Cameron!" Evan cried out, turning around to help his friend. He pushed up against the rock, trying to move it, but found he wasn't strong enough. He turned to Squirtle, and ordered it to use Rapid Spin. Squirtle obeyed, retreating to its shell, spinning its whole body at a break neck pace, smashing into the large rock, sending fragments everywhere. Combined with a full-effort Water Gun from Mudkip, the rock had been destroyed, allowing Cameron the ability to move again.

Evan helped Cameron to his feet as the two ran out of the cave, leaping into the water, just before the entrance completely fell apart. Cameron struggled to swim, his shoulder in searing pain, but Mudkip came to his aid, paddling as hard as it could towards the shore, Cameron holding on, his head just above the water.

Eventually, everyone arrived at the shore. Pidgey and Kakuna, who had been excited at first to see Cameron back, now looked concerned, Pidgey flying over to Cameron, Kakuna rolling behind Pidgey. Laying on the ground, Cameron looked up as Mudkip, Charmander, Pidgey and Kakuna stood above him, looking down, worried.

"I'm fine," Cameron said, using his non-injured arm to pat each one on the head. "Just a little bump, nothing Dr. Joy can't fix." Cameron did his best not to show how badly his shoulder hurt.