This is my first fanfiction, and most of it is typed on my phone. Yes, a phone. So forgive me if you see any strange words (possessed instead of purposely, her instead of he, for example). I will do my best to proofread this, but there's only so much I can do. This is a new region, in a part of the world unexplored by the games. I'm not sure if there will be fakemon; Let me know if that's your thing. This story might be a little...different...than others. To make battles a little more interesting, I might take liberties with type effectiveness and attacks and whatnot. I'm also going to focus on the different types of trainers you see in the games that don't get much attention—the martial artists, the mediums, etc. That way the battles aren't just trainers shouting flamethrower every other turn. I hope you enjoy this!

Clutching a hastily-drawn map in one hand and a lantern in the other, Kinza scrambled through the mines.

It will be difficult to get out. I chose this place so those monsters couldn't get in. And they haven't, for the most part. Keep that sphere on you, in case you run into a monster. It will protect you.

Kinza had attached the sphere to his belt, since he needed both of his hands to use the map and torch. His grandfather was right—the mines were built like a labyrinth, and Kinza could barely keep track of his location on the map. He had to be mindful of the rotting support beams, and often had to go out of his way to avoid a caved-in passage. There were large blockades set up by his grandfather that had to be rolled aside using broken beams as a lever. He was traveling too slowly, and he didn't have time for that.

I took you in here when you were a kid. You already know this. Your mom and your dad were already gone, taken by the Crimson Age. There were monsters everywhere—animals and objects turned into weapons. Anyone could be hiding a monster that could turn you into charcoal faster than you could blink. And there were people who didn't care what side you were on—they just went and attacked. We were lucky. We found this place, with more food and supplies than we would ever need, to wait out the war.

But I can't stand it anymore.

Kinza felt something cold on his face—as if the air had morphed into water. It was probably wind. His grandfather had told him all sorts of things about the world before the war—how everything was a balance of cities and nature, with vivid blue skies and seas larger than he could comprehend, and a huge lantern in the sky called a Sun that would light everything up in the day. Then, at night, a lantern called the moon would appear, that was surrounded by dozens of frozen sparks called stars. He headed towards the wind, knowing that was where the rest of Earth awaited him.

You've lived here all your life. You've never seen the sky, the trees, anything. The only green thing you've ever seen are the tiny plants we've grown here. I'm too old for this. I don't think I'm getting up again. And I can't stand the thought of you living here alone for the rest of your life. Please...take this map... Go and see it all at least once before I die. And if you get into any trouble, use this capsule... It will protect you...

I can only hope that the outside still resembles the world I remember... Whether you live in this dungeon or explore the world is up to you now. But please, just look at it once, before you die...so I can know that you saw something greater than this grave.

Kinza's hands shook as he held the map, remembering all of the stories of the outside world. For every amazing thing about it, there seemed to be something terrible. The world had machines that could communicate with someone thousands of miles away, but also machines that could kill you in an instant. The world could still be in a war, roaming with monsters...or perhaps everything had been destroyed, and he was alone. Normally, he wouldn't know which was worse—but right now, he could only think of losing his grandfather.

He wanted desperately to find something that could cure his grandfather's illness, and he didn't have long to do that. He only packed four capsules of lantern oil—he had guessed his grandfather would not survive past the time it took to burn those. He was on his third capsule now. He didn't have time to waste.

The mines had opened up into a large cave, and flickers of light now scattered across the cavern. Kinza's ears started to pop from the pressure change, but he couldn't stop. He started to run towards the next tunnel, avoiding the red stones that stuck out from the walls of the cavern.

Before he could reach it, the walls began to shuffle around him. The flickers of light that he saw before blinked in and out, and Kinza realized that these were the eyes of monsters. The blue and red stones molded to form three-legged creatures that hugged the cavern wall, with all of their molten eyes piercing into Kinza as he stood agape. Despite the danger, he could only think of his grandfather. He had left all of the doors to the mines below wide open...which meant that these monsters could find their way to them.

He picked up a loose stone on the ground and threw it at the ones behind him. It bounced off of its head, and all of the molten beasts grumbled angrily and shuffled slowly towards him. If they were chasing him, that would keep them from exploring deeper. Even so, he knew he was in trouble. He had no idea what kind of capabilities these monsters had—at the very least, it looked like they were as hard as stone, and could beat him to a pulp at a moment's notice.

Kinza ran into the next passage quickly, keeping a hold on his map and lantern, but using the dim blue light of the tunnel wall to guide him upwards. The monsters gave chase, their footsteps making the sound of a wave of gravel collapsing behind him. The light got brighter and brighter, but now it was hard to distinguish where it originated from. The tunnels grew more complex—some natural, some carved by human hands—and Kinza had no time to look at his map. He slid from passage to passage, ignoring the plethora of monsters that he was picking up. He had to focus on getting out as quickly as possible, and the chase was only making him quicker.

He turned another bend and tripped over some large stones on the path. He fell flat onto more boulders, and with horror he realized he had reached a cave-in. The monsters rumbled behind him, and in desperation, Kinza grabbed the sphere at his belt. He had no idea how it would protect him, but he had full faith in his grandfather. He held it out in front of him, and...

...it did nothing. Kinza shook it and banged it on the stones, wondering if it was supposed to be broken, all to no avail. The largest monster of the group roared, and the stones around it began to gather into a gem in front of it. The other monsters did the same, until the room was glowing bright with the melted stones. Kinza's eyes filled with tears, partly from the bright light source, and partly because he knew he wouldn't survive this. He had made a huge mistake in provoking the monsters, and now he would never make it to the outside world, let alone make it back to his grandfather in time.

The gems whirled at him with a shriek, and then a huge clang resounded off the tunnel walls. When he didn't feel anything from the attack, Kinza lowered his arms and squinted to see what had happened. The light levels were comfortable again, and Kinza could see his dropped lantern reflecting off of a new monster.

"Good job defending, Lairon!"

Kinza jumped at the sound of another human voice—the first he had ever heard, outside of his own and his grandfather's—and squinted into the darkness to see the silhouette of another person standing behind the monsters. Together with the Lairon, he had trapped the monsters within this tunnel. The figure raised its arm and shouted to the Lairon, "Now take them out with Head Smash!"

The Lairon grunted and stampeded forward, its steel head barreling through the monsters and causing chips of blue stone to fly off of the monster's legs. Kinza was shocked to learn that the monsters really were made of stone, and didn't just have incredibly hard skin. He backed up against the wall, uncomfortable to be defenseless in this situation. He didn't know if the other human was friend or foe and instinctively hid the map from view.

The other human saw the movement and shouted at him, "Why aren't you using your Pokemon? Is it knocked out?"

Kinza held the sphere in his hands, wondering if that was what the human meant. The sphere had two halves, with what seemed to be a lid on one side. Was this what he meant by a Pokemon?

"Have you ever been in a battle before? That's an old model of Pokeball, unscrew it from the top!"

Kinza cursed himself for being so stupid. He twirled the lid around until the ball popped open. His eyes burned from the light inside of the ball, but he didn't look away this time. He watched the light swirl and take shape on the ground in front of him, then fade into an orange glow that still lit up the cavern. Inside the glow, he could make out the shape of a white, black, and orange monster. Its blue eyes peered back at him with what seemed to be surprise. Kinza couldn't blame it—why on earth had his grandfather been holding onto one of these monsters?

"Ahhh, I see. A Larvesta. That's a terrible Pokemon to use against Boldore. But hey, I'm here to help you out. Lairon, use Metal Claw!"

The Lairon grunted, whirled around, and ran through the horde of monsters again, this time raising its front legs to cut the Boldore. Unlike last time, Lairon managed to slice through the stones, producing a clean cut and causing the Boldore to reel back in pain. The Lairon ran around Larvesta and stopped at its side, roaring at the stone beasts. They cowered backwards, towards the other human. One of them finally thought to turn around and notice the new person. It shrieked in anger causing the other beasts to converge on their new target.

Because of Larvesta's piercing light, Kinza could clearly see the other human. He seemed to have a little more weight on him than Kinza and his grandfather, but he was also taller. As the monsters bore down on him, his face was covered by a grin. The man leaped up and whirled his legs around, kicking one in the face and knocking it into the other beasts. In unison, the Lairon charged through them again, its metal claws shredding through the Boldore.

Those that were still awake crooned from the ground, while the others lay motionless on the tunnel floor. "Alright, Lairon, finish them off."

The beast huffed and scraped its foot on the ground, ready for another charge through. Before he could think, Kinza ran forward to block the Lairon. "I-isn't that enough?!" he stammered out. "You could kill them!" The human looked a little confused, and his Lairon looked up for further orders. The Boldore that were awake seized the moment to flee back into the cave. The others, their eyes glowing slightly less than a spark would, resembled the rubble of the cave-in.

Kinza felt a warmth by his leg, then instantly regretted looking down to see what it was. The bright light of the Larvesta had temporarily blinded him again. He held his hands over his eyes as he waited for the spots to fade away.

"If you're not here to train, what are you doing?" asked the human. "These mines don't lead anywhere, and they're very dangerous for a new trainer like you. And, just so you know, Pokemon don't die easily. Something like this only causes them to faint."

"Trainer?" Kinza asked, trying to grasp everything that had happened. "I'm not a trainer or anything. I live here, in the mines, with my grandfather. But he's sick...and I need to get medicine...I don't know the way out of this place...please, if you have medicine...he says it's time for him to go, but...I don't want to be alone." Kinza's eyes stung from the dust, and combined with the light, it was all Kinza could do to keep his eyes from crying and his voice from wavering.

"I have a few first aid supplies, nothing major, but it could keep him steady until we get to a Pokemon Center."

"Pokemon Center?" Kinza asked, peering through the fingers of his hands.

The other human had his eyebrows pulled together in a look of concern and confusion. "I think you've been in here longer than you should be. We can talk more about this later—the priority is making sure your grandfather is okay. Lead the way, if you can."

Kinza nodded, then went to grab his lantern off the floor. Dread filled him as he realized that it had already burnt out. Right now, all of the light in the cavern was being cast by Larvesta. How long had it been out? How much time did he have left?

He carefully picked up Larvesta, being sure not to look directly at it, and was surprised by its warmth. "We have to run, he doesn't have much time left," whispered Kinza. He raced forward, following his well-lit footprints, leaving the lantern behind. He didn't want to fuel it and have it burn out on the way back. He didn't want to know how little time there was to return.

The other human followed behind with his Lairon, keeping up pace easily. "My name is Magnum, by the way."

"I'm Kinza," he exhaled back, his breath used mainly by his running. "Are all humans as strong as you now?"

Magnum laughed, then muffled it, realizing how serious the situation was. "No, I'm a martial artist. I've trained carefully with my Pokemon, so that we can act as a team."

Larvesta squirmed in his arms, and Kinza apologized quietly to it. "We'll be there soon, and then you can see my grandfather. He'll explain everything to you." The Larvesta seemed to calm down a bit.

The journey down was faster than it was up, since the monsters they encountered all scurried away from the light, and the barricades had already been opened from the first time Kinza went through. Still, the time was definitely longer than it would take for a lantern to burn out. Despite the warmth of Larvesta, Kinza started to shiver.

They arrived at the final door: a small and easily moved metal entrance. Kinza burst through into the room beyond, the Larvesta lighting it up more than any lantern could. He was amazed at how well he could see every corner of the room—from the chests stacked with coal, the palletes of canned food abandoned by the former miners, the small garden of herbs that they subsisted on, the shelves filled with papers and precious gemstones they had found while living here, and even the wood grains of the drawing desk that Kinza had spent most of his time at. But most worrisome was the pale appearance of his grandfather, sleeping in the hammock.

Kinza rushed over, "Here he is! Give him the medicine!"

Larvesta jumped out of his arms and curled up next to his grandfather. Kinza felt his forehead for the temperature, then froze. His grandfather's skin had gone colder than the stone walls that surrounded him. He wasn't moving or breathing, and his eyes were open slightly. There was nothing there anymore to greet him. Kinza took his hands off and shivered, unable to say or do anything more than that.

Magnum had to duck to enter the room, taking off his bag hurriedly and scrounging for the first aid pack. His Lairon was too wide to enter, so he laid down at the entrance, his head poking in to view everything his trainer was doing. The man pulled out a bottle of clear liquid, and then put his hand on the shoulder, about to feed it to him. He instantly recognized the temperature and the stiffness of the man. He sighed and slowly put the bottle back into his bag. "We're too late."

The Larvesta was still snuggled up beneath his grandfather's arm, its eyes hidden from view. Kinza wasn't looking right at it, but he had a feeling that it had cared deeply about his grandfather, and was trying to wake him up. Despite being left alone, he didn't feel sad. He didn't feel anything. He was overwhelmed with emptiness. He knelt down next to his grandfather, holding one of his hands lightly. The muscles didn't bend, but just the contact would do.

"I went up and I saw everything. It was just like you said. The sky was huge, and there were plants ten times bigger than me growing around. The Sun was huge, and it made everything warm. It wasn't stuffy up there. There wasn't a war anymore, and all of the monsters are nice now. And I even managed to find Mom and Dad. It turns out they never died in the first place, isn't that strange?"

Kinza found himself smiling, and the emptiness was starting to get less heavy. Larvesta uncurled itself from his grandfather's side and fell back into Kinza's arms. Kinza closed his eyes and enjoyed Larvesta's warmth. Surely this is what sunlight felt like.

"But I'm sure wherever you are is much better than up there, you know? You might be disappointed, but you'll have to wait until we get old before you see us again. But we'll meet again. In the place you talk about all the time."

Magnum didn't say anything for a while, unsure of how to add to the silence—despite all of the questions that were prodding beneath his mind. Had this kid really lived underground all of his life? Had he never seen or heard of Pokemon before today? What had his grandfather been thinking? The Crimson Age had ended ten years ago. With access to modern medicine, his death would definitely have been preventable. Just how many years of Kinza's life had been shaved off by drinking cave water and eating food that was older than he was? He was baffled.

After a few minutes of silence, Lairon huffed. Magnum walked over and patted it on the head. He could definitely appreciate her patience today. Without turning around, he said quietly to Kinza, "I can show you the way out of here. I promise that there's no war anymore. It might not be the definition of safe, but humans and Pokemon are living in a time of peace. Life is better up there."

Kinza hugged Larvesta and nodded. "I'd like to see the place my grandfather...and my parents...grew up in. I'm sure he would have liked that."

Magnum sighed, looking around the room. "Then gather what you need. Put those stones in a bag, and don't tell anyone about them. They're worth a lot. We can come back for your grandfather after you get cleaned up and eat a good meal." Kinza nodded again.

He followed behind Magnum and Lairon slowly, with Larvesta lighting up the way. He still felt numb, but it was better than before. He was starting to realize how hungry and tired he was. Larvesta's stomach also seemed to be grumbling, and each time it happened, it would squirm in his arms a little. "Sorry, little guy. We can eat when we get to the top...I think."

"Definitely," replied Magnum. "I'm going to make sure the first thing you eat up there is the best thing you eat. None of these sprouts and rations. Something that's actually a meal. You're far too skinny for your age, and I'm betting Larvesta wouldn't mind a big meal, either." Larvesta chirped in approval. "Say, now that I think of it...just how old are you?"

"I'm sixteen. I was born June 5th, 1984."

"Ah, that's the old way of date keeping. The months are the same, but we've changed the years now...ah, but it doesn't matter. You should deal with one thing at a time."

The light reflecting off of the cave walls was getting a little too bright to bear, and his ears were pulsing from the pressure now. Kinza felt a headache coming on. He shielded his eyes and followed the sounds that Lairon was making. Then, he heard a grumbling sound deeper than any monster's he had heard before. "Something's there!" he whispered to Magnum.

Magnum listened for a moment, then sighed with relief. "Don't scare me like that. We're too high up for anything big to appear anymore." Lairon sniffed the air, then let out a growl. The ground in front of them collapsed, and a huge monster with blue and red crystals rose up from the rubble. It was like the Boldore, but much larger now—with four legs, instead of three.

"A Gigalith!" Magnum hissed. "Lairon, Head Smash, now!" Lairon charged forward quickly, aware that it was up against something huge. The Gigalith roared and slammed down one of its legs onto the Lairon's back. The Lairon screamed in pain, and Magnum quickly threw out a Pokeball to retrieve it. "Return, now!"

Without skipping a beat, it looked at Magnum and charged forward. Magnum braced himself, taking up some kind of fighting position, and then met its attack with a powerful kick. The Gigalith's stone cracked a bit, but quickly melded back together when the Gigalith applied pressure to it. Instead of attacking this time, it swept its legs across and flung Magnum into the rock walls. Kinza gasped as Magnum struggled to get up.

Larvesta jumped out of Kinza's arms and chirped, starting to glow brighter. "Are you going to fight, too?" Kinza cried, collapsing onto the ground and pulling it back towards him. The Larvesta nodded, struggling to escape his arms. Gigalith approached Magnum carefully, and Kinza finally noticed the broken Boldore that were hiding between its legs. It was getting revenge. "This isn't fair," he muttered, "Why does someone always have to die?"

The Larvesta shook his head and broke free. Just as the Gigalith went to attack Magnum in his dazed state, Larvesta burst forth a huge plume of fire. Kinza shielded his eyes, but he could still see the light behind his eyelids and the warmth on his skin. He struggled to look back and saw that the Gigalith had forgotten about Magnum and was looking at Larvesta now. The Boldore scuttled out from under the unscathed Gigalith and started to surrounded Kinza and Larvesta. Larvesta huffed angrily at the Boldore, as if to remind them of their debt to Kinza. They paid no attention to it.

The Gigalith reared up on both of its legs, about to slam down with both of its legs, but the movement scratched the ceiling with a huge wrenching noise. The ceiling buried the Gigalith, and the remaining Boldore scurried away. With the ground still rumbling from the ongoing cave-in, Kinza grabbed his Larvesta and ran towards Magnum, doing his best to shield it from the falling debris. A few stones hit his back hard, and he felt a sharp stab in his left ear.

Magnum pulled him forward, helping Kinza to narrowly miss the worst part of the collapse. Kinza realized it had become incredibly bright, and he started to see green wildlife growing on the stones. Small monsters scrambled across the cave-in, and if the Gigalith was awake beneath them, it certainly wasn't moving. Kinza carefully climbed out of their little nook, on top of the rubble, looking at all the strange new monsters.

"You're looking in the wrong place," laughed Magnum. "Try looking up."

Kinza looked up to see above him the largest ceiling he had ever come across—so high, that he could only perceive it by the brilliantly glowing stars stuck at its top. Huge plants—they must be trees—stretched upwards into the sky, nearly converging above him. The moon his grandfather had talked about was there as well, along with sinewy patches of clouds that were lined around the edges with bright silver. Its light made his head fuzzy, and he slowly started to lose his balance. He realized he was on the ground now, and everything was fading to white. The last thing he could hear was Larvesta chirping at his side.