Chapter 15: Dark Forest, Abandoned Base
Ryan and Lillie left the gym and returned to the Pokémon Center. After all, they still needed to heal their Pokémon. Lt. Surge wasn't accepting any more challenges, and he agreed with Ryan's suggestion, planning to close the gym for renovations.
This greatly reduced the pressure on the Pokémon Center. However, Akira was speechless when he heard the gym would be closed for several days—he hadn't even challenged a gym yet!
Ryan ignored Akira's complaints. He hadn't collected all the badges yet, and he was still two Pokémon short of completing his team. He had already set his sights on two Pokémon: the massive Onix and Giovanni's Mewtwo.
Since the giant Onix had caught the attention of Elite Four member Bruno, it must be incredibly powerful. All he had to do was reach Mt. Hideaway before Bruno did. As for Mewtwo, that was a bigger problem, but if he could capture it, the League Championship would be guaranteed. The question was whether it would follow his commands. If he couldn't convince Mewtwo before it escaped, there would be little he could do once it fled. After all, his current team was no match for a Legendary Pokémon, especially one of the most powerful.
But if he captured Mewtwo, Team Rocket would definitely not let him go. At the very least, their future would be fraught with danger, unless he never used Mewtwo in battles. He knew his limits. Reaching the semifinals with his current Pokémon wasn't a problem, but beyond that, every opponent would be formidable. Using such a limited roster would undoubtedly make him a target.
Without Mewtwo, his chances of winning the championship were slim. But with Mewtwo, unless his opponent also had a Legendary Pokémon, losing was practically impossible.
But overthinking was pointless—continuous training was the key. Without strength, even encountering Mewtwo would be meaningless.
After healing his Pokémon, Ryan and Lillie prepared to head to Celadon City. After checking the map, they found two routes. One was the direct Cycling Road, which could be traveled in a day if they hurried. The other was through a forest known as the Viridian Forest's darker region, which was said to be home to numerous rare Pokémon.
The name suggested an abundance of Ghost-type Pokémon. Ryan's eyes lit up. He didn't have any Ghost-types yet, so catching one would fill that gap in his team. He discussed it with Lillie, who nodded. "Ryan, I think the forest route is best. First, you can encounter a variety of Pokémon. Second, we're on a journey, and constantly using public transportation wouldn't allow us to fully experience the adventure of traveling."
Ryan nodded, deciding to take the forest route. He then took Lillie to the Poké Mart to buy some Potions and provisions, then set off for the dark forest.
According to his knowledge of the region, there should be a Diglett's Cave in this forest leading to Pewter City. He wondered if they might encounter it. Even if they did, it wouldn't be possible for them to reach Pewter City through that route. After all, their destination was Celadon City, not Pewter City.
Entering the dark forest, Ryan and Lillie discovered that, just as described, there was a vast variety of Pokémon. Lillie's attention was drawn to a Pikachu, and she said eagerly, "Ryan, I want to catch that Pikachu."
Ryan nodded and said, "Go for it. I'll help if you need it."
Lillie immediately ran over and called out to the Pikachu eating berries in the tree, "Pikachu, I want to catch you. Come and battle with me!"
Ryan watched this and smiled approvingly. As they say, you become like those you spend time with. During their travels together, Lillie had gradually developed a passion for battling since that Tag Battle. Although her skills weren't advanced yet, she was steadily improving. For her favorite Pokémon, she wouldn't rely on Ryan to catch them like she had with Horsea before. This time, she would do it herself.
"Pika?" Pikachu tilted its head and called out in confusion. Ryan smiled and explained, "Pikachu, she wants to battle you! She wants to become your Trainer."
The Pikachu was quite young and didn't understand much about battles, so Ryan clarified. Pikachu immediately perked up, shook its head playfully, and bounded away.
"Wait! Battle me!" Lillie, having finally decided to catch a Pokémon herself, wasn't about to give up so easily. She immediately gave chase, Poké Ball in hand.
Ryan's momentary distraction caused both Pikachu and Lillie to slip out of his sight. With a helpless smile, he immediately pursued them.
"Ah!" After running for a while, Ryan heard Lillie, who had been running ahead of him, suddenly disappear with a scream. Looking around, he saw a large hole in the ground. He immediately crouched at the opening and peered down into the darkness.
Ryan called into the cave, "Lillie, are you okay?"
"I'm alive, but I can't move my foot," Lillie's voice echoed faintly from below, sounding pained. She must have injured her ankle.
"Hold on. I'm coming down to get you," Ryan called back.
He pulled a rope from his backpack, tied one end to a sturdy tree, and secured the other around his waist. He tugged it, testing its strength. Then he positioned himself at the cave entrance, gripped the rope tightly, and slowly rappelled down.
At the bottom, Ryan pulled out his camping lantern, illuminating the depths with its glow. By its light, he found Lillie sitting on the ground, cradling her right foot with both hands. Seeing Ryan, she said painfully, "Ryan, I think my ankle is dislocated. I can't move it at all."
"Let me take a look." Ryan set the lantern on the ground and, by its light, examined Lillie's foot. With his knowledge of first aid, he could tell it was indeed dislocated. Ryan said, "Lillie, tell me about your favorite Pokémon type."
"Huh? What? I... ah!" Lillie hadn't processed the question when Ryan quickly snapped her bone back into place.
Wiping sweat from his forehead, Ryan said, "Okay, but you can't walk on that foot for now. I'll carry you."
He then crouched down and offered her a piggyback ride. Having Lillie hold the lantern, Ryan supported her legs with both hands, wondering how they would get out.
Only then did Lillie realize Ryan's question had been meant to distract her so he could reset the bone immediately. But thinking about his sudden question, Lillie couldn't help but blush.
She instinctively raised the lantern to look around and said with mild surprise, "Ryan, look around us. This seems to be an abandoned underground facility."
Ryan also surveyed their surroundings. They were now in a metal corridor. Sand and debris covered the ground, likely brought down when Lillie fell. Broken glass fragments and scattered papers were everywhere. It looked like an underground laboratory.
"Let's explore inside first and see if there's another exit," Ryan said.
Generally, underground facilities must have multiple exits, but this one appeared abandoned. He wondered if the exits were sealed. If not, that would be ideal. After all, climbing back up through the cave entrance would likely re-injure Lillie's ankle. A second injury could cause permanent damage and serious complications.
Lillie nodded, and the two began exploring the underground base to see if they could find an exit.
(To be continued...)
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