Chapter 18 - "I'm A Digger. I Dig Things."

Roughly Six Years Prior - Kanto Region - Pallet Town

Cyan hadn't been going outside for a while. He would lay on the floor of his room and stare up at the ceiling all day. Of course, he'd go down for food and to shower, but he had lost his smile in recent months.

It all started whenever his mentor turned out to be running the most evil criminal organization in the East. Someone that he had grown to trust and respect, seeing him as a father figure was an evil man, and he wasn't sure how to cope with it.

And then things started to look up, as his sister had won the Indigo Conference in her rookie year, something completely unheard of.

But when she went to train for her upcoming battles against the Elite Four, she vanished. They hadn't heard a word from her for a couple of weeks, and then the police came to their house, telling them that she had likely perished on Mt. Silver. It made news all around the world, and everywhere that Cyan went, he remembered his sister.

And now, as he laid on the tatami floor of his room, his father was hospitalized. Cyan was too young to understand why his father was in the hospital. He didn't know if it was a sickness of some sort or if he was in an accident. All that his mother would tell him was that his father was very sad.

Maybe you can get sick from heartbreak? Cyan thought.

Ping pong, the doorbell rang.

Cyan's mother was at the hospital, so he had to get the door. He forced himself to stand up. He walked past his desk where the picture frame that held his family photo had been knocked over weeks ago. He hadn't bothered to correct it.

He lethargically moved down the stairs. He could hear whoever it was on the other side of the door. They shouted that they were from the post office. When Cyan opened the door, he found a man dressed in what looked like a blue aviator outfit. He wore an oversized helmet. The postmen all rode small mopeds, so they had to dress like this to stick out.

"Is your father home?" the postman asked.

Cyan shook his head. "No. My parents aren't here right now."

The postman sighed. "Ah. I got a letter for your parents that someone needs to sign for. How old are ya?"

"I'm nine, almost ten."

"Ah. Almost a trainer, eh?"

Cyan nodded. "I guess."

"Well, you can sign for them. I also got a letter for a Kokura Cyan-san. You must be Cyan?"

He perked up slightly. "Yes. I'm Cyan."

"Sign this," the postman said while printing out a small receipt no bigger than Cyan's hand. He handed over the receipt and a pen. Cyan used the doorframe and signed the small piece of paper. He signed using the kanji that his family had given him, and it took him a long time to make sure that it was clear enough. The postman was patient though, and when everything was finished, they exchanged receipt and post. "Have a good day!"

"Thank you," Cyan said before closing the door. He walked to the kitchen table and put down all of the letters. It appeared like the item that he needed to sign for were Pokémon league forms that his parents would need to fill out which would allow him to journey throughout Kanto. But the letter that was addressed to him didn't have a sender. However, it was posted that it came from Johto.

He opened the letter and read it.

Dear Cyan,

I'm sorry for my sudden absence. I'm sure that you know about my father's actions in Saffron City. I always knew about my father's passion for legendary Pokémon and studying the mysteries of our planet. I want to apologize for my father's actions. I know that no amount of apologies could ever be enough.

Thank you for all of the time that you spent with me in Viridian City. I don't have any friends in Johto, so it was nice. I enjoyed learning about baseball and training together. I wish that we could have traveled together too. I thought that your hats were cool.

However, I think that we should keep all of that in the past. We should look forward and go our separate ways. It's best if we both forget about our time in Viridian and each other. It may be hard, because you were my first friend.

I wish you luck in your upcoming journey. Best wishes to your family.

Love,

Sakaki Okane

Cyan's arms fell to his sides, and the letter fell to the ground.

Present Day - Orange Islands

Ascorbia Island

Ascorbia Island was large enough to be seen from very far away. It almost didn't look like an island to Skylar, but rather its own region. This was simply her eyes playing tricks on her, but in comparison to the other small islands that they had visited, this one might as well have been the Castelia City of the Orange Archipelago.

It was complete with two cities on either side and small towns in between. It had its forested areas, but they were mostly populated by humans. Wild Pokémon roamed the area, but they were scarce.

Wailord pulled into the dock and allowed Skylar and Cyan to get down. Skylar threw him a small treat before withdrawing him back into his Poké Ball.

"There's gotta be a gym here, right?" she asked.

Cyan shook his head. "Believe it or not, but nope. Remember, the gyms are located on smaller islands. They want you to see everything that the archipelago has to offer!"

"Well, that's a shame. I was really in the mood for some battling," she said.

"I'm sure you can find a place to do exhibition matches. But while we're on an island with a big city, I was thinking that we can buy a bunch of supplies. What do you say?"

Skylar nodded. "I can do that! No problem! And then we'll be off for the next island and my fourth gym badge!"

Cyan pulled his map from his backpack and then opened it up. "Yeah. It looks like we're a couple of islands away. We have one stop between here and Kumquat Island, which is where the fourth gym is located."

Skylar stopped walking and she smiled. "You've been working really hard recently to make this journey a lot easier on me! How about you take a break today? I'll do the shopping for us. You should go to the beach or something. Get some sun and relax!"

Cyan was surprised. He had already gotten plenty of sun from riding on Wailord without shade, but the feeling of the beach sand in between his toes called to him.

"You sure? It's a lot of shopping that needs to be done."

"I'm sure! I traveled alone in Unova for awhile, so I know what I'm doing! No problem! Kick your shoes off! Get your tan on!"

"Well, if it's really okay, then I guess I'll head out to the beach," he said. "That sound fun, Vulpix?"

"Vul!"

With that, the two trainers split up. They agreed to meet at the Pokémon Center when the sun set. Skylar went into the city, and Cyan ran for the beach.

Ascorbia City was a bustling environment, something that Skylar was no stranger to. She kept her backpack close to her chest just in case someone tried to nab it and run away. People crammed into the streets and moved past one another at a pace that would make even a Slowpoke angry. People from markets shouted over the crowds, attempting to draw people in with their too good to be true deals.

Skylar didn't fall for it though. Her destination was the Poké Mart, where she was set to buy dozens of potions and various status condition healing items.

In front of the mart stood a man in a bright orange jumpsuit. He had a yellow helmet on his head and a shovel to his side.

"Hey, trainer," he yelled upon seeing Skylar.

Skylar had heard of catcalling in places like Castelia City, and she was surprised to hear it coming from someone in a place like the Orange Islands. Nonetheless, she stopped and glared at the man. "I'm not too young!"

"Too young?" the man wondered. "I was gonna ask if you'd be interested in my services."

"Services? Didn't you hear me? I'm too young!"

The man's eyes widened. "My digging services! I'm a digger. I dig things. With my shovel."

"Sounds like a useless service," she said while putting her hands on her hips. "But I got time, I guess. I'm interested."

"So, here's the deal. For five hundred poké, I'll dig. Whatever I dig up, it's yours. Ascorbia is a landmine for all kinds of neat jewels like nuggets and soft sand."

Now Skylar was intrigued. She had never seen a golden nugget before in person, but she was told that they sold for a lot. "Five hundred?"

"Five hundred."

Skylar reached into her wallet and handed over a single golden coin. The man observed it before pocketing it and then reaching for his shovel. He felt the soft soil beneath him with the point of his shovel. Then, he lifted it and pierced the ground. He put his boot onto the shovel and pulled some of the soil outwards. He looked closely at the ground and then his eyes widened.

"Ah! A rare bone!" he exclaimed. He pulled the bone out of the dirt and handed it over. "Here ya go. You might be able to sell it for some money."

"Really?" she wondered. She held the bone out and made a disgusted look at it. "It's kind of lame."

"Well, how about I dig again? I won't charge ya."

"No charge? Alright. It can't hurt."

The man ran the shovel against the ground, looking for a soft spot. When he finally did, he shoved the shovel in as hard as he could. There was a loud crack and the wooden handle on his shovel snapped in half.

"Oh no!" the man exclaimed. "My shovel broke!"

"I feel so bad! You must have hit something good though!"

"I'm too distraught to check," the man said with a quiet whimper. He held the two pieces of his shovel and appeared to be holding back tears. "If only I had some extra cash, I could repair my shovel and then dig some more!"

"How much is going to cost you?"

The man grinned. "Well, why don't we say five hundred?"

On the other side of the island, Cyan was doing just as Skylar had suggested. He released his five Pokémon and then ran onto the beach. He didn't need a towel. He loved basking in the sun while digging a hole to bury himself in the sand. Vulpix and Quilava joined him, remembering the time that they spent in Alola doing the same thing. Butterfree fluttered through the air, and Venusaur relaxed. The sun was good for the flower on his back.

The only one that seemed to not be enjoying himself was Kabuto. He looked at Cyan curiously while his trainer dug a hole. Everytime that Kabuto had been released from his Poké Ball in recent weeks, it was to train or battle. But now, his trainer didn't even look concerned.

Kabuto inched his way over to the hole that Cyan and his two Pokémon were digging. It looked down into the hole and then back up at Cyan.

Cyan caught Kabuto's two red eyes and then grinned. "Wanna help me out, buddy?"

Kabuto, in response, launched a quick spout of mud from under him. The mud blasted Cyan in the face, knocking him backward. He fell onto his backside and then was brought to a coughing fit, spitting out mud from his mouth.

"What was that for?" he asked through the mud.

"Ka-ka-ka," the Pokémon cooed shyly.

Cyan wiped the mud from his face. "Don't want to play?"

"Ka-ka-ka," it responded. It looked at the Z-Ring on Cyan's right wrist. The Waterium Z had been locked in place from when they had last practiced.

"Eh? You want to try a Z-Move?" he asked. "Now's the time for fun though, Kabuto! Enjoy yourself!"

Kabuto blasted another quick shot of mud, nailing Cyan in the face once again. Vulpix had had enough, and she stepped up to Kabuto and began to bark. Quilava tried to play peacekeeper, and he approached the two while shaking his arms. Butterfree watched from overhead.

It had become too much for Venusaur though, and he reached out three vines. He pulled the three Pokémon apart, lifting them into the air. "Saur!"

Cyan shook some of the mud off and then smiled at Kabuto. "Alright. We'll try again! One more time! And then fun, okay?"

"Ka-ka-ka," the Pokémon said while dangling its cute legs happily.

Venusaur put the three Pokémon down, and then Cyan and Kabuto ran to the shore. They looked out at the ocean, and Cyan took in a deep breath.

"Here we go," he said. He raised his wrist, charging in power from the Z-Ring. He then struck a pose, and his body was surrounded by the blue aura. Two more poses, and he charged all of the energy that he could handle. And then, "Hydro Vortex!"

"Ka!" Kabuto cried out. It waved around its legs, but nothing happened. The energy left Cyan's body and then disappeared. Kabuto shouted and tried its best, but nothing. It looked back at Cyan, who collapsed. The Pokémon was confused and disappointed. It made its way over the sand to its trainer. "Ka-ka-ka?"

"Don't worry," Cyan said, sweat coming off of his forehead. His voice was raspy. "We'll get it down! We'll keep practicing! We'll get there! I promise!"

"Ka?"

"I promise!"

Kabuto nodded its body back and forth. Then, it let out a screech as it began to dig a hole, flinging sand all over the place. It was time for fun.

"Another rare bone! Dig again?"

"Yes! Of course never stop digging!" Skylar commanded while taking the fifth rare bone that she had received from the man. He had also miraculously broken his shovel five times, which she offered to pay for every time.

He stuck his shovel in again and then lifted the dirt. This time, his shovel didn't break, but it did clang against something. He looked closer and pulled out a small cylinder of pure silver. He examined it closely and then held it high.

"A metal coat!" he exclaimed.

"Metal coat?" she wondered, taking iit from the man. "Cool. What does it do?"

"Well, for certain Pokémon, it can make them evolve! The only one I can think of is Scyther into a Scizor. I know there's another one though! But otherwise, if you let your Pokémon hold it, their Steel-type attacks will increase in power!"

Skylar mulled over her Pokémon. She knew that one of them could do a Steel-type attack, but she couldn't remember which one at the moment. Her mind was spinning from all of the digging.

"Dig again?" he asked.

"I said never stop digging!" she yelled.

"You got it!" he yelled back excitedly. He jabbed his shovel into the ground, and clang, the handle snapped clean off.

"Oh no! It broke a sixth time! What are the odds?" he exclaimed. "Got five hundred for me?"

Skylar opened her wallet and then her eyes widened. She didn't have five hundred Poké. Infact, she didn't have any money.

"I don't," she said quietly. "I don't have anymore."

"Welp, that's too bad!" the man said while tucking his shovel into the side pocket of his backpack. "This was fun! See ya!"

And just like that, the man was gone, leaving Skylar with five rare bones and a metal coat that she had no idea what to do with. She turned and looked up at the blue lights from the Poké Mart. She gingerly entered the mart and looked around.

"Hello! How can we help you?" the attendant shouted upon seeing Skylar. He was a tubby man with a blue apron. "You look unsure of yourself! Don't worry! I can speak perfect English!"

Skylar still held onto items and then walked to the counter. "Well, I promised my friend that I'd buy a bunch of supplies for our travels."

"Then you came to the right place, young lady! We have potions, Poké Balls, and thirty one flavors of soda!"

Yeah, I know. I've been to a mart before, Skylar thought. "The problem is that I don't have any money. I'm going to have to sell some stuff."

The attendant's eyes opened wide, and he looked at what she held. "Are you going to sell those rare bones, because let me tell you, they'll go for quite a bit!"

"Really?"

"Yeah! Lay them out on the counter, and we'll see how much I can give ya!" he exclaimed.

She did so, putting them all in a neat line. She also added the metal coat, because she needed as much money as possible.

He held the metal coat between his fingers and shook his head. "This won't be worth selling at a mart. You'll get better use of it from somewhere else though. For all of these rare bones, I can give ya 12,500 poké."

"Wait, what? Really? That's so much!" she said excitedly. "You can really give me that much?"

"They're not called rare bones for nothing! Do we got a deal?"

"Yeah! Of course we have a deal! That's more than enough!" she said. "I'll even be able to take us out to eat tonight!"

"Well, little lady, I wish you would have told me earlier, but I already have plans," the attendant said with a smile.

Skylar looked at him with a deadpan expression on her face.

"It's just a joke."

"Just give me my money."

Later that night, the two trainers met up at the Pokémon Center as they had planned. Skylar, with her backpack full of supplies and two more bags stuffed to the top, entered the center doors with a wide smile on her face. Cyan had gotten to the Pokémon Center earlier and showered all of the dirt off of him. He relaxed with Vulpix, her cool body balancing out the hot day that he had.

"You bought a lot!" Cyan exclaimed. "You must have gone crazy!"

"You can say that, I guess. It was nothing though. How was your day?"

"Kabuto and I made a lot of progress!"

"You trained? You were supposed to relax and play."

"We only trained for a minute, I promise!"

Skylar sat down in the booth next to him. "Well, nonetheless, I got our supplies. You said we have one more stop before my next gym?"

"You got that right!"

"Well, how about we eat some fancy food tonight and then head out first thing tomorrow! I'm excited to see where you take me."

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

I'm currently addicted to the digging in Sword and Shield. So yes. This chapter happened. Next chapter will feature the final flashback/dream. It'll probably be the longest one.

Tomorrow, be looking out for a new chapter in Chronicles! It was another one that was guest written.

REVIEWS:

pokemonking0924 - "We get a flashback of Cyan finding out the truth of his teachers secret identity and a surprise event that is similar to another rock type gang he met before. He's also taking training more seriously and is getting back into excellent fighting shape, maybe his other Pokémon back home are doing the same. As for Skylar she realized how much she truly babied her Pokémon and hasn't been giving Onix a fair chance. But it looks like things are getting better for her team and they are showing improvement." - Golem is taking care of his gang in Alola, Lycanroc and Salazzle live with Kala so they're training, but I'm sure that Primarina and Oranguru are messing around.

wisdom-jewel - "Oh Cyan should tell a story to Skylar. But Cyan does have a point with Onix and battling a bigger Pokemon when you have a smaller Pokemon. Sklyar does need to be ready to face anything and Onix might be very useful Pokemon to have." - Progress with Onix and her team is slow, but it's getting there! Also yeah, I'm sure Cyan has now told her about the Geodude gang.

CrescentApple - "Aha, that was funny. I'm loving this gentle Onix. Hes so cool. Cyan is more seruous and working harder. Love iiiit. Graveler was cool too. But... who was that in the last sentence of the last chapter that said "We should?" Was that Cyan referring to himself as part of team rocket?" - I also love the gentle Onix! As for the last sentence of Chapter 16, it was Cyan disagreeing with Skylar when she said they shouldn't take Daidai seriously. He was saying "We should take them seriously."