Augur: A Pokémon Insurgence Novel

Chapter Three

The Telnor Cave was as dark as any cave could be. Having ventured back home to grab a headlamp along with a spare for Zander, Damian was now able to carry out the task he'd set out to accomplish: getting a rare stone for the Augur. Zander and Damian both turned on their lights, enabling them to see into the vast darkness. While caves are normally infested with Zubat and the like, this cave was devoid of anything of the sort. The occasional rumbling occurred which signified that an Onix was burrowing underground. Aside from that, the only other threats were deeper into the cave that consisted of Gyarados and Seismitoads which were few and far between.

"Wow... this cave is huge! I mean... since I've never really been allowed in here it's a bit of a shock but this is just--"

"Beyond what you were expecting," Zander cut in.

Damian sighed and took Bulbasaur's ball off his belt and looked at it for a moment.

"Yeah, that's it. I've always wanted to come in here and explore, but since I didn't have a Pokemon it was never really an option for me," Damian replied.

"Well, we've both got one now, so that makes things a lot easier on our end. Now why don't we get looking for something to give the Augur?" Zander inquired, stepping farther into the cave ahead of Damian.

"Right! I've gotta find him something good," Damian added excitedly, earning a quizzical look from Zander.

"Wait... I thought we were only in here for me. Let me guess... you didn't get him anything did you?" Zander said flatly.

"Well, you see I... no. I kinda forgot to do it while I was cleaning. And by the time I got to the shop to buy something, they were all sold out of the good stuff! giving him something really rare is my shot at impressing him," Damian said with a nervous laugh.

Zander took a deep breath and sighed. "Honestly, I don't understand why we need to give him anything. The Augur's supposed to be the protector of our region right? shouldn't his gift be the fact that we're all still... alive? and that he's done his job well?"

"What are you saying!? that the Augur doesn't deserve any gifts at all? that's crazy! the people of Torren always give something to the Augur when he visits. It's tradition here. Breaking it would be crazy," Damian exclaimed.

"Right, because Arceus forbid we break tradition..." Zander muttered. "So what exactly are we getting him anyway? we've been walking for a while now and all I see are stalagmites and the occasional Onix burrow..."

Damian rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"According to my dad, there's a lot of really rare stones in this cave. They're a bit farther inside though, which is why it's a good thing we've got our partners with us," Damian explained.

Zander nodded in agreement. As the two walked on, Zander couldn't help but get the feeling that he was being observed. It was faint, but he could feel the presence of something rather strong lurking in the darkness of Telnor cave. The hairs on the back of his neck began to rise, prompting him to turn about swiftly, only to find that nothing was there.

"You okay?" Damian asked, raising a brow at the sudden action that Zander took.

"Yeah... just thought I heard something, that's all," Zander replied, swallowing a lump in his throat as he turned to continue on.

Unbeknownst to him, a set of bright yellow eyes were peering at him through the darkness from behind. 

Zander and Damian continued their trek through the cave while Damian waxes on about how long he'd been preparing for the day when he'd become a trainer and how he idolized the Augur.