Chapter 19
"What are we doing here again?" Misty eyed the dark walls of the tunnel.
"Keep it down," Brock shone his flashlight at a few odd-looking rocks. "We don't want to cause a cave-in."
Professor Oak nodded, "I think we're getting close. Birch?"
The Hoenn professor glanced at the blinking device in his hand. "Just around this corner… here we are,"
As they turned a bend and found themselves in a large cavern. Jagged rocks protruded from the ground, and the damp air smelled of moss and ivy. A cold mist blew over them, causing Misty to shiver.
A soft humming sound like the buzzing of a machine reverberated through the cavern as they walked further in.
"What's that noise?" asked Misty.
"It could be anything. This place is very old," said Oak, keeping his voice to a whisper. "They say an ancient power resides here."
"Do you know where the door is?" asked Birch.
"Right here," Oak beamed his flashlight on one of the walls, revealing an old door covered with moss and dust.
"You really think doing this will help Ash?" Misty stiffened her shoulders, eyeing the ceiling as if it might collapse at any moment.
"Positive," Birch turned the handle, creaking the rusty door open.
"How come no one has been here before?" Brock was the last to step through the door.
A rumbling noise from the far corner of the room cut off Professor Oak's answer. As they turned around to look, the door behind them slammed shut.
~~~
"Who are you?" asked Ash.
The voice chuckled. "I guess it would be polite to introduce myself." The man tossed his hair back and threw off his cape, revealing a black suit with a purple 'V' on it and black, athletic pants. "My name is Nigel. Also known as the leader of Team Void." He smiled a not-very-friendly grin. "You must be Ash Ketchum. I've been waiting for you."
"That's right," Ash stepped forward, a hand on his Pokeballs. "I've come here to stop you! You won't get away with what you're doing to these Pokémon!"
Pikachu walked in front of Ash, cheeks crackling, to emphasize Ash's point.
"I see," Nigel snapped his fingers. A giant screen lit up on the side of the room. "Then I'll play it your way. Win this battle, and I'll surrender and free all of the Pokémon. But," an evil smile played on his face, "loose, and you and your Pokémon will serve me."
Ash lightened his lips. If he lost… No. He couldn't lose. He only had one option. "I accept,"
"Excellent," Nigel snapped his fingers. Five Pokeballs lit up on each side of the screen. "And just to make things fun, this will be a five-on-five battle."
Ash looked at Pikachu. "Ready, buddy?"
Pikachu's cheeks sparkled with energy. "This guy is going down!"
"A Pikachu, huh?" Nigel smirked. "Go Dugtrio!"
Nigel threw out a Pokeball, and the three-headed ground type appeared. However, it was not the Dugrtio Ash was used to. Instead of the black eyes of a normal Dugrio, it had grey, empty, and lifeless eyes. Its face (or rather faces) were completely expressionless.
Ash cringed. Besides the Magikarp, there was only one time he had seen a Pokémon like this before. Thinking of what happened to Celebi always brought back bad memories. "Pikachu, use Electro Web!"
"Use Mud Bomb!"
"Dodge it!" Pikachu moved out of the way just before a large glob of mud hit the ground where he had been moments before. Unfortunately, his Electro Web missed Dugtrio and hit the ground behind it.
"Electro Web again!"
Nigel shook his head. "I thought someone like you would at least know how types work. Use Dig."
The Dugtrio buried itself underground as Pikachu's Electro Web struck empty ground.
Ash looked around. "Pikachu, watch out for Dugtrio!"
Pikachu nodded, perking up his ears.
"Ash, remember, you can sense Dugtrio," telepathed Latios.
Ash nodded. "Right, thanks," He closed his eyes and concentrated on the battlefield. He could see Pikachu's outline clearly, but there was no sign of Dugtrio. He looked more closely and noticed a faint outline under the ground. It was much too faint for a normal Pokémon, but for a dark Pokémon… "Pikachu behind you! Use Iron Tail!"
Pikachu lept out of the way just in time to avoid a direct hit from one of Dugtrio's heads.
"Take this!" yelled Pikachu, slamming Dugtrio with his tail.
Nigel smirked. "I think it's time to end this. Dugrtio, use Explosion."
Ash could only watch as the three-headed Pokémon blew itself up, causing both it and Pikachu to faint.
"What did you do that for?" Ash demanded, picking up Pikachu and laying him down outside the battlefield.
Nigel shrugged. "I prefer to make things more interesting. Besides, your Pikachu was getting annoying."
Ash gritted his teeth and threw one of his Pokeballs. "Go, Skye!"
The Eevee spun around to face Ash. "Time to crush some evil dudes?"
Ash nodded. "Go get 'em!"
"Very well," said Nigel, "Crush them Houndoom."
The dark and fire type howled as it landed on the field.
"Skye, water, use Hydro Pump!"
Skye's amulet glowed as she switched to her Vaporeon form and sent a blast of water at the fire and dark type.
"Use Dark Pulse."
Houndoom barely moved an inch, shooting a powerful blast of dark-type energy at Skye. The two attacks collided in mid-air, sending a cloud of dust over the battlefield.
~~~
James coughed, waving the dust away from his face. "Hey Jess, what are we supposed to do?"
Jessie glanced at the ongoing battle. "Meowth?"
Meowth shrugged. "I dunno, looks like da twerps got it covered."
"Then what do we do?" James tossed a pebble in his palm. "We can't just stand here."
"Wait a minute," Jessie's eyes lit up. The trio bent down as she whispered something to them.
"That's a great idea, Jess!"
"Then what are we waiting for?" Meowth extended his paw. "On the count of three,"
"One,"
"Two,"
"Three!"
"Team Rocket on the double!"
~~~
Brock tugged at the handle. "We're locked in!"
But Birch was too busy examining the room. He pointed to an illuminated part of the wall. Written in glowing letters, words slowly started to appear on the wall.
Your entrance has been sealed,
Your exit lies ahead,
If you wish to yield,
You may go back instead.
If you cross this chamber,
You must go until the end.
If you don't wish for danger,
Tap the door three times instead.
Only you can choose,
So before the time runs out.
Make haste, lest you lose,
Everything you care about.
~~~
Thank you for reading!
If you've enjoyed this story so far, consider leaving a review and joining my Discord server! You can stay updated on my stories, chat with me and other fanfiction writers, or just hang out! (discord.gg/eX4k3bV2au) (link on my profile page if it doesn't work)
P.S. If you are reading this version of my story on any platform other than webnovel.com, you are at risk of a malware attack, or this story has been stolen, or both. If you wish to read this story in its original, safe, form, please go to https://m.webnovel.com/book/true-eons_33457776008937305. Thank you.