Chapter 27 – Mount Moon (Part 2)
Chapter 27 – Mount Moon (Part 2)
2B and Zoey only traveled twenty minutes farther into the mountain, heading up a steep incline now, before the oddities began to truly pile up. Specifically, they began to run into pokémon that shouldn’t be there. The first had been, of all things, a group of curious Quagsire. The group hadn’t been actively causing disruption on purpose, but as a part water-type in a mountain full of Rock and Ground typings, they’d easily have run over many of the local pokémon. Not that either 2B or Zoey thought they’d done so on purpose, the infamously happy-go-lucky pokémon simply weren’t the sort.
Thanks to 2B’s ability to communicate via aura, they managed to learn from the Quagsire group that a much larger disturbance had ‘given them access to new places to explore.’ Unsure exactly what that had meant, they’d accepted directions from the Quagsire and at least attempted to get them to not stir up trouble. Of course, the Quagsire had indignantly replied that they were exploring, not causing trouble. Without knowing more about what was going on, 2B and Zoey weren’t willing to force the issue. As the five clearly wild Quagsire weren’t actively causing trouble, they’d decided to let them be the Rangers’ problem and moved forward.
Their next encounter was proving considerably less friendly.
“Ponyta, Flame Charge!”
Zoey’s pokémon responded perfectly to the opening Jigglypuff and Vulpix had created, lighting up and slamming into the side of the angry Abomasnow that had attacked them the moment it had seen them. Already weakened, the super-effective move was enough to finally drop the pissed off pokémon, and a pokéball flicked out from 2B to catch it. Zoey blinked at that, shooting a surprised look over in 2B’s direction, getting a head shake in reply.
“Not to keep. It’s out of place, like the Quagsire. But causing issues, unlike them. I’ll transfer it to the Rangers.”
Zoey’s expression of surprise cleared up at that, nodding.
“Right. It probably contributed far more than the Quagsire to the rampage of local ‘mon we first saw. Though I doubt Kenji mistook it for a Tyrantrum of all things. Obviously, something bigger than a single renegade pokémon is at work here.”
2B nodded, pursing her lips. She’d already retrieved the now-filled pokéball and was moving forward again, Zoey quickly following.
“Water and Ice types that aren’t normally found in Kanto invading the tunnels is confusing. Hopefully, the expedition is okay and can explain.”
Nodding at that, Zoey didn’t reply. Mostly because she both wasn’t sure what to reply with. This situation was far outside even the events that had occurred in Viridian Forest. Of course, the fact 2B was setting a punishing pace in what was now a steeply uphill tunnel wasn’t helping. Zoey was in good shape, but was starting to value air a bit too much for idle talk. A minute or two later, as she registered something despite the heat her exertion was causing, she finally had an observation worth expending the air on.
“It’s getting colder. I know the upper parts of the mountain are supposed to be cold, but should it be happening already?”
2B didn’t reply immediately, frowning as she took a moment to pause and look at the map Kenji had updated for them. Picking up again after the brief pause, she shook her head.
“No. At least not this fast. We have climbed high enough we should be starting to feel a slight drop in temperature, but nothing this dramatic. Besides, the air is moving.”
Zoey blinked, then abruptly realized 2B was right. It was subtle enough that it hadn’t processed as an oddity until it was pointed out, but there was a very light breeze, which most certainly shouldn’t be present in the heart of Mt. Moon. They’d been well into the interior before meeting Kenji and starting a sharper climb, already headed up due to the pokémon they were hoping to find.
“Did something breach the mountain all the way from the outside?”
There was worry in Zoey’s voice, and she didn’t even try to conceal it. The level of power that would require…
“No. We’d have felt it if something that dramatic had happened. It has to be something more localized, a new cave system perhaps. One that housed unexpected types of pokémon and a sufficiently different climate that the air is equalizing.”
That was better, maybe. Except that it sounded a bit dubious to Zoey. It wasn’t impossible. The Wooper/Quagsire line could be found in cave systems. But that was normally cave systems with a lot of water.
“Err, 2B? Mt. Moon doesn’t have any rivers or lakes in it right?”
Her companion instantly shook her head.
“None that are known. However, less than forty percent of Mt. Moon has been fully explored, despite how many generations a Route has run through it. The lower parts of the mountain are most well-known, but the upper regions are largely unmapped. At least in the interior.”
Zoey blinked at that.
“…Why?”
It was a valid question. Normally places this close to major cities were far better mapped than that. Even caves and such, if for no other reason than that enthusiasts would try to delve into such caves and the Rangers needed to know what those enthusiasts might stir up.
“Ah. Mt. Moon is a restricted preserve. As one of the only known locations of a Clefairy Meteorite, you have to have permission to travel to the upper levels. It was not a problem for us, as I have some permission due to my connection to the Oak Lab.”
Zoey blinked, not having been aware that her girlfriend had apparently been taking her into a restricted area. She…probably needed to have words with her about that. Given what she understood of 2B, it hadn’t been a malicious or absent-minded oversight. Just something she hadn’t realized was potentially important information to share with those she was traveling alongside. If that wasn’t on the mysterious Common Sense Checklist, it probably should be. Still, that was for later. Right now, after another ten minutes of climbing, she was starting to be able to see her breath. It was definitely getting too cold, too fast. Just as she was about to comment on it, they turned a corner and both abruptly stopped.
Well. They now knew at least part of what had happened, as well as what had happened to one of the research expeditions. Thankfully, they knew the latter because there were nearly a dozen people and twice as many pokémon milling about in the cavern they’d just found. Specifically, milling about a newly collapsed wall, trying to carefully dig through it. As for how they knew the wide expanse of wall was newly collapsed? Well, the fact that half of what they were digging through was ice and snow, rather than rock, was a bit telling.
Even more telling were the five wild Absol that were pacing around the research team and the number of Mountaineers that were helping try to clear the collapse safely. All of the Absol had immediately looked their way, which drew attention from the more science-looking types who were hovering rather than working. One of whom, after spotting them, rushed over.
“Oh! Hey, you can’t be here! It’s not safe!”
The woman was dressed more sensibly than some of the nerdier looking expedition members, in tan and brown trail clothing. Yet, between glasses perched on her nose and the tablet she was waving, she fully radiated ‘Scientist’ energy. Thankfully, given that Zoey was still processing what she was seeing, 2B was quick to respond for both of them.
“We are aware. I am a Research Assistant for the Oak Labs. While I was not intending to find your expedition originally, when we found Senior Field Assistant Kenji fleeing a stampede of local pokémon, we decided to investigate. Mr. Kenji is in the process of alerting the Mount Moon Ranger station that something has happened.”
The woman had looked dubious until Kenji’s name came up, which caused a spark of apparent recognition.
“That’s good. He visited us days ago, but I wasn’t aware he was still inside the Mountain. You can prove who you are?”
Far from being offended, 2B was already producing her pokédex. The Lab Issue pokédex that would identify her instantly as a Lab Sponsored Trainer, at the very least. Something which the woman clearly recognized, some tension leaving her shoulders at the sight. She still checked the ID that 2B pulled up on the ‘dex, showing her Researcher credentials, countersigned by Professor Oak.
“An expert in Aura and studying the interplay of Aura and Type Energy? Huh. Well, your credentials are real, at least. I apologize for doubting you.”
2B shook her head, dismissing the apology.
“You were correct to check. Even ignoring the current issue, this area is a restricted preserve. Can you tell us what happened here, Ms…?”
The woman shook herself, seemed to realize she hadn’t even given her name, and blushed a bit.
“Ah. My name is Doctor Anning. Alice Anning. I’m a geologist who farther specializes in the study of Fossils. This was, still is I suppose, my expedition. But the recent shifts will likely change that, as the new discoveries are…wait, no. You still don’t know what happened.”
The woman shook her head again, this time bonking herself on side of the head with her own fist. An action that was frankly sort of adorable.
“Right! Let’s try again! We were looking for fossils, with some major success I might add! When, well, as far as we can tell a minor tremor caused a major shift. It must have been building for years, decades or centuries possibly, but several paths in the upper caverns collapsed.”
The Doctor waved at the wall of debris that was still being worked on.
“This one was the largest, and immediately revealed something very unexpected. There’s an entire sealed biome in there, in a cavern of immense size. As in, at least a kilometer across, and probably quite a bit larger. Far larger than we ever had any hint of being within the mountain. There was some sort of glowing rock providing a near daylight-level of light, and a considerable expanse of snow. Given some of the pokémon that investigated the collapse from the inside, it must have a sizable source of water, as well.”
Doctor Anning paused to push up her glasses, which had begun to slip as her hands excitedly moved with her speech. Spotting one of the Absol, which was sitting nearby and looking at them curiously, she grimaced.
“Ah. I forgot the first bit again, it seems. We were only able to get clear of the disaster because the Absol showed up to warn us. The five of them appeared in our original camp and were very insistent we move everything. Thankfully, we knew that had to mean something major was coming and followed them. We only backtracked once the initial collapse finished. The wall was clear then, which is how we got a look into the new cavern…”
Zoey, who had been about to ask about that, since she’d been confused how they knew what it looked like and how the pokémon had gotten through. Shifting her question, she still spoke.
“Why are you trying to clear it, instead of waiting for the Rangers? And what caused the second collapse?”
Doctor Anning winced.
“Ah. Well, you see…we were curious. So we sent a group into the new area? The few pokémon that investigated us at first were more curious than anything, and seemed familiar with the Absol pack. But then something else showed up. At first, we didn’t even realize what it was as it attacked, but we’re virtually certain now it was a Tyrantrum. Some of our local guides managed to drive it off…but it fled into the mountain, not back into its origin biome. The fighting had caused the wall to collapse again, you see.”
Oh dear. That must have been what Mr. Kenji saw, and it was more than a bit worrying that they hadn’t encountered it, as it meant the ancient pokémon must have taken a different path. It could be into the Route proper, among travelers, by now. Still, trying to find it would be hopeless at this point. They’d have to hope the Rangers found it before it did more harm…
“There are other members of the expedition trapped inside the new area?”
2B’s voice was sharp, and she started moving even before there was an answer. Doctor Anning blinked, then rushed to follow her.
“Y-yes. That’s why we’re trying to clear the way again. They had some of our strongest team members with them, so they should be fine. But we need to clear the path out for them.”
Zoey watched as 2B stopped before a section of the collapse, carefully studying it. She touched the wall and a pulse of Aura went into it, Zoey blinking in surprise as she could feel that. She’d been a bit more aware of 2B’s aura use since that moment where they’d tried Aura Linking. A side effect of knowing what aura properly felt like, she assumed. But this had been far more blatant than anything 2B had done since then. All five of the Absol, and several of the worker pokémon, snapped their gazes to her.
For nearly a minute, 2B sent more pulses into the rubble, with Zoey increasingly unsure just what her girlfriend was doing. Then, her eyes snapped open and she moved three steps to the left and popped Vulpix’s pokéball. As soon as Vulpix formed fully, 2B pointed at a specific spot and spoke to her starter.
“Vulpix, please use Dig here. Be careful, as when you get three feet into the rubble it will trigger a shift. Once that happens, go right 15 degrees and keep tunneling. The way the resulting collapse occurs will open a stable hole we can move through.”
One of the workers took a step forward, hand reaching out and clearly about to speak…but it was too late. Vulpix didn’t hesitate to obey, diving into the wall while channeling the Ground Type energy of Dig. Several workers scrambled away from the wall, but the pokémon that had been watching barely twitched.
“Miss! You can’t just Dig right through! We have to be careful to-”
For the first time ever, Zoey saw 2B shut someone down entirely, pushing a hand into the face of the large man that had stormed over.
“Hush. People are in danger, I am fixing the situation.”
The man went from a shade of deep red to a truly alarming shade of purple, but before he could speak again 2B…reached over and picked him up. He sputtered as she moved him two steps back just in time for the rubble to start shifting. Any attempt to speak was shut down for the next minute as the rock and ice shifted, then a clearly visible hole opened just left of where Vulpix had started digging. Easily big enough for 2B and Zoey to get through, but too small for most of the burly workers.
Before anyone could stop her, 2B was crawling through the hole, and Zoey rushed to follow her…
... ... ... ... ... ... ...
A/N 1: So, extreme hidden cave systems is sort of a thing in pokemon. The most extreme version is actually The Underground which is a massive system under all of Sinnoh. I tried to use a couple of famous real-world mountains to get an estimate of the sort of size it could be, but it was actually shockingly hard to get measurements of even famous mountains. Typically all I could find were height and the size of their 'summit' area. That summit area was often far larger than I thought, too, though. So I decided that a few kilometers of space hollowed out much farther down a large mountain was somewhat feasible.