Interlude - Growing
#24 of Sara's Story
The Onix settled down in between the walls of the tunnel. He was nervous here - it was closer to an opening in the tunnels - but it was the only place that was quiet. Some humans must have come in at some point and disturbed all the Zubats. They had been screeching and flapping around all over the place for hours now, and it had seemed that no sooner had he found somewhere quiet to rest than a flock of the annoying Pokemon had swarmed the room with their incessant flapping and screeches. He had lost count of how many times he had been interrupted in his sleep, but he was hopeful this would be the last time. He yawned, a deep sound that rumbled into the rock around him, and then closed his eyes to sleep.
"I don't get it. The map says it should be right through here; the tunnel forks, and then the left path leads out." The voice woke the Onix out of his slumber, but he kept his eyes closed. Maybe if he ignored it, it would go away and let him get back to sleep.
Instead a second voice joined in. "Are you holding it right?"
"Yes, Todd, I'm holding the map right. It was one time, and you weren't complaining when you found that stardust. How much is that going to net you at the next shop?"
"If we can get to the next shop."
A third voice joined in, with a soft chiming sound ringing near it. "I hate to say it, but Todd's right. We need to get out of here; Shells can't handle another battle, and Feren is out of it. My Meowth is burned out too. Those Zubats just keep coming; Clara won't last much longer against them."
"I'm impressed she's lasted this long."
"She has gotten strong, hasn't she? Somebody's just jealous Feren can't beat her anymore."
"Say that again when he's not half fainted from fighting all the Zubats. Camping here and having those battles was a bad idea."
There was silence for a moment, followed by ruffling paper, then the first voice spoke up again. "Ugh, this makes no sense! I know I'm reading this right; the way out should be right through here!" The voice grew louder as the Onix heard whoever was speaking move closer to him.
"Maybe there was a cave in. Is there another way out?"
"We could go back the way we came, but that's it. Stupid rocks!"
The Onix heard a scuffle sound, and then he felt something kick his side.
It didn't hurt, but it annoyed him. He just wanted to sleep, and here these humans and Zubats wouldn't leave him alone! Enough was enough.
He opened his eyes slowly and glared at the sight before him. Three humans, one holding a crumpled map - the one who had kicked him - and a happy looking Eevee. He growled, the sound causing the floor beneath him to tremble, and slowly unwound, stretching his body out into the tunnel behind him.
"Ooohhhh, this isn't good!" The Eevee's eyes grew wide as she looked up at the Onix, her happy demeanor turning worried as she edged between one of the humans and the Onix. The Onix glared down at her for a moment... then opened his mouth to roar. That was all the warning he gave before he lunged forwards, preparing to ram them all with his head and drive them into the ground. Maybe then he could get some much needed beauty sleep!
The ground shook from the impact, but he hadn't hit anybody - they had scattered at his roar and ended up on different sides of the tunnel. "Run! Head to the exit!"
The two humans that had ended up closer to the exit took off running. The Onix started to turn after them, but sand suddenly flew into his face. He growled again and turned back around to see the Eevee and the remaining human. The Eevee had kicked sand at him and was dashing to the side, getting ready to do it again.
He growled and lunged forward once again... and he missed again too. He hit the wall with a thud that shook the ceiling, and as he drew back he saw the human and the Eevee dashing away, toward the exit.
Oh, no way was he going to let that happen. As annoying as this whole thing had been, somebody was going to pay!
He barreled after them, catching sight of the Eevee's tail disappearing down the left fork of the tunnel. He growled again and surged along, determined to catch after them...
A blast of intense light flooded the tunnel, causing the Onix to flinch away and squeeze his eyes shut. A hum filled the air for a moment, but it soon faded along with the light.
Had that been an attack of some kind? The Onix wasn't familiar with anything like that, but he knew that didn't mean much. He had spent most of his life in the tunnels of this cave, so he was sure there were many Pokemon he had never met equipped with unique abilities he had never imagined.
He paused to listen and take stock, just in case. He didn't feel any different, but it wouldn't hurt to make sure. He heard movement outside of the tunnel... one of the humans sounded very excited.
"Clara!! You're an Espeon! You evolved!" The voice was filled with pride and happiness, and for a moment the Onix felt a little bad at even considering interrupting such a happy moment.
But then he remembered how these humans had been just fine with interrupting his sleep. He growled again, the walls shaking around him, and he surged forwards once again.
The Onix broke out into the sunlight with an angry roar as he rose up to his full height. Even though the sun was painfully bright, he had to admit that it felt good to stretch out to his full size. Even for an Onix he knew he was large, and he looked around to see how the humans would react to clearly seeing just how intimidating he was.
Two of the humans were lying on their backs and panting for breath, faces pale with surprise and fear. But the third...
The third human was smiling with excitement. He was hugging an Espeon to his chest and beaming while he supported her hindlegs on one arm. The trainer pointed at the Onix and shouted loudly. "Clara! Use Confusion!"
The jewel on the Espeon's forehead sparkled as she turned to look back at the rocky serpent. Her expression was one of sheer jubilation, and she shouted happily as she... as...
The Onix honestly wasn't sure what the Espeon did. All he knew was that one moment the ground was underneath him, where the ground was supposed to be, and the next it was suddenly sideways. He felt himself falling to the left, but he was also just as sure that he wasn't moving. It was a disconcerting feeling that rapidly grew into a mild headache.
He tried to focus on the Espeon, certain she was the cause of the feeling, but everything was fuzzy. And he could swear he saw a line of pink polka-dotted Phanpies doing cartwheels across the grass field.
He growled again in annoyance and squinted to try and spot where the Espeon was.. there!
He started to lunge towards her, but the ground still wasn't working the way it was supposed to. He felt himself falling and saw the ground move this time, rushing up towards him.
He felt dirt fly into the air as his heavy body slammed into the ground, and the force of the fall drove the air from him. He lay there stunned, trying to understand what had just happened, while one of the pink Phanpies suddenly produced a top hat and a cane and started dancing.
This was too much; he just wanted to sleep! Now he had to deal with a whole circus of elephant Pokemon and the humans and the Zubats?!
He heard a short bark of a sound come from the Espeon, followed by a shouted 'Yeah!' from one of the humans. "Good job Clara!! An Onix! I'm going to name it Obsidian!"
Another voice spoke up, sounding out of breath. "You still have to catch it first, Flen."
"Oh, right."
There was a sudden 'click' sound, then something hit his side. The world went pink, then black. He relaxed suddenly. It was finally quiet.
There was a soft chime, which started to annoy the Onix again... then a cool, dim cavern formed around him. He looked over it in amazement - it was perfect. There were smooth outcroppings at the side, just the right size and shape for him to drape his lumpy body over, with stalagmites he could rub against if he felt any itches, and a ceiling so far above him he could stretch all the way up without ever touching. It was perfect.
The Onix stretched out over the rock outcroppings and sighed happily. Finally - he could get some sleep.
Flen hugged his Pokemon too him again, clinging in disbelief. An Espeon! One of the strongest forms an Eevee could evolve into, and one of the hardest for a trainer to train - a Jolteon or Vaporeon just took enough money to get one of the evolution stones, which were expensive, sure... but an Espeon... those were the signs of the greatest trainers. A trainer who had taken not just 'okay' care of an Eevee, but extraordinarycare of one, and had an Eevee who felt safe, and loved, and one who fully trusted their trainer, and...
And it was Clara. That frightened, lonely, hungry little Eevee... she had improved so much since he had first met her, and she was an Espeon now.
Flen hugged Clara even tighter, feeling joyous tears on his face. The only thing greater than his pride at training an Espeon was in knowing he had helped heal and keep safe his friend.