Pokemon: As Cynthia's Fiance

Want to read ahead? You know where to go.,,,,,,,,,,,

-----

Newmoon Island

Inside the dim, damp cave.

"Squeak!"Squeak!"

A few Rattata scurried past Sam's feet, vanishing into the shadows ahead.

"Luca, scan the ceiling. Let's get a photo."

"Luka~!"

Lucario gave a nod and raised his arms, summoning a soft psychic lift beneath a hovering Solrock.

The glowing Pokémon floated up slowly, casting its warm light across the jagged cavern roof.

Sam narrowed his eyes, observing as the cave ceiling lit up.

Dozens of Zubat were hanging upside down in clusters, their wings wrapped tightly around themselves.

"So this is where all the stink is coming from," he muttered, covering his nose.

Flying and Poison-type Pokémon, Zubat had a nasty reputation and an even nastier smell.

Poison-types all had one thing in common: their waste was foul, sharp, and clung to the air.

Sam glanced down at the ground beneath his boots.

The earth was soft, too soft.

His stomach turned.

"…Oh."

The realization hit like a brick. It wasn't soil. Not really.

It was Zubat droppings, layers of it, hardened over time, still moist in places.

He gagged quietly, taking a cautious step forward.

"We keep going. There should be plenty of Golbat further in... maybe even a few Crobat."

Zubat were social Pokémon. They lived in swarms, huddling together to share warmth and stay safe from predators.

If this were one of their colonies, it explained why so few people ever made it out of this place alive.

An entire horde of life-leeching bats wasn't something you could casually walk past.

"Darkrai," Sam whispered.

"Can you sense how close the source is?"

He spoke through an Aura, linking minds with the two Pokémon accompanying him.

A silent connection flowed between them.

"Very close," came Darkrai's response, calm and emotionless.

Despite floating just above the ground, Darkrai moved silently, unaffected by the ominous surroundings.

Sam sighed, steeling himself.

"Let's go."

Even if this place was disgusting, the treasure rumored to be hidden in the cave made it worthwhile.

As they ventured deeper, the Zubat population began to thin, replaced by their evolved forms.

Golbat now lined the walls and ceilings, massive wings folded, mouths agape even in sleep.

Here and there, a Crobat flickered into view, sleek, fast, and undeniably dangerous.

Without natural predators on Newmoon Island, the bat population had thrived unchecked.

Turning a corner, the narrow path gave way to a broader chamber.

The air felt denser here, heavy with something unseen.

Suspended at the center of the cavern was a single, dark orb, glowing faintly, surrounded by curling wisps of black mist.

Sam's breath caught.

That bead wasn't ordinary.

He activated his Probing Eye, a skill that enabled him to analyze items in real-time.

[Item: Dark Gem]

[Effect: When used with a matching-type Pokémon, it enhances that Pokémon's potential.]

His eyes lit up.

"A Dark Gem...!" he whispered, grinning.

"Looks like there is gold in books."

All those afternoons spent digging through the library in Canalave City were starting to pay off.

He turned to Darkrai.

"Go on. Grab it."

Darkrai didn't hesitate.

With a smooth glide forward, he reached the gem and snatched it with a single, clawed hand.

The moment the gem left its suspended state, a sound shattered the stillness.

Screech!Screeech!

It began as a single sharp cry, but quickly multiplied into dozens.

The entire cave began to stir.

Sam's eyes shot up.

A swarm of Crobat, previously asleep on the ceiling, was now waking up, one by one.

"Great," Sam muttered.

He focused on one of them and activated the Probing Eye again.

[Pokémon: Crobat]

[Gender: Male]

[Type: Flying / Poison]

[Ability: Inner Focus (This Pokémon's intense concentration prevents flinching.)]

[Level: 45 – Mid-tier Gym Strength]

[Potential: Peak Gym Level]

[Moves: Cross Poison, Toxic, Absorb, Supersonic, Poison Fang, Bite, Air Slash, Venoshock...]

[Status: Normal]

[Notes: Crobat live in colonies deep in caves. They are highly territorial and attack in coordinated groups.]

The screeches intensified. Sam glanced at Lucario and Darkrai.

"This... might get ugly."

"This is getting troublesome…" Sam muttered, eyes narrowing.

"Darkrai, return!"

"Hiss~!" Darkrai responded instantly, abandoning the floating position near the dark gem and gliding back to Sam's side with a cold breeze.

"Both of you, follow me!"

Sam turned on his heel and darted back toward the narrow corridor they'd entered from, Lucario and Darkrai flanking him closely.

The narrow aisle of the cave would at least prevent them from being surrounded.

The problem wasn't that the enemy was strong; it was how many of them there were.

Crobats were powerful on their own, especially ones that had survived this long in an isolated ecosystem like Newmoon Island.

Even with Lucario and Darkrai, both at Champion-level strength, facing hundreds at once was risky.

"Fork~!""Fork~!"

The screeches grew louder.

From the shadows above, hundreds of Crobat unfurled their wings at once, alerted and enraged by the intrusion.

Sharp eyes gleamed in the Solrock's fading light. It didn't take long for them to spot Sam.

Prey. In their den.

A meal delivered straight to their roost.

Like a storm of blades, the Crobat surged forward, each one desperate to be the first to strike, the first to sink fangs into warm flesh.

A wall of violet wings and open jaws descended on them, swift and chaotic.

The air filled with a deafening chorus of shrieks.

It would have been a magnificent sight… if it weren't so terrifying.

Anyone with even mild trypophobia would have frozen at the sight of so many flapping wings packed so tightly, all coming in at once.

A swarm like this wasn't just dangerous, it was lethal.

No Psychic-types around. No way to teleport out.

And the cave's narrow tunnels offered no escape route.

In this situation, there was only one option.

Fight.

"Luca, Vacuum Wave!"

"Darkrai, Dark Pulse!"

"Luka~!"

Lucario's eyes flashed as wave energy surged through his arms.

With a sharp thrust forward, he launched a spiraling burst of compressed air toward the oncoming swarm.

Darkrai moved just as fast.

He crossed his claws, shadows swirling between them before exploding outward in a ripple of dark energy.

The Dark Pulse pulsed like a shockwave, slicing through the swarm with eerie silence.

The first wave of Crobat didn't stand a chance.

Slammed midair by Vacuum Wave and shredded by Dark Pulse, they collapsed instantly, dropping like stones to the cave floor with dull thuds.

Several twitched once before going still.

But the rest?

They didn't stop.

More Crobat surged forward to replace the fallen, shrieking louder, faster, angrier.

"They're relentless…" Sam hissed, already preparing the next command.

There was no room for hesitation.

And no way back now.