Digglet's Cave

After seeing Brock again and his Pokemon Village he created, Brock has re-joined Ash and Pikachu in their journey to figure out the mysterious letters.

"Celadon Champion?" Ash says softly out loud, "What do you think that means Brock?" Ash turns to Brock whose rubbing his chin with his fingers, "I don't know I've never seen or heard of a Champion of Celadon, we are going to have to wait and see when we get there." Brock pulls out his map, Ash looks over Brock's shoulder "so what's the fastest way to get to Celadon City?" Ash says impatiently, "Well if we keep following this road it's going to take a while but I know a shortcut through Digglet's cave which is just ahead" Brock points up ahead at an entrance in the cliff. Ash and Brock start to head towards the entrance of Digglet's cave but on arrival, they are greeted by a familiar face, its a man in his early thirties, skinny wearing a white lab coat with a blue-collar shirt underneath, his lab coat comes down to his knees covering most of his brown jeans, his black gumboot like shoes come up past his ankles and right below his knees, he has brown scruffy hair that seems to be full of dust and dirt, his grey eyes covered by big round circular clear glasses, his chin covered in spiked messy stubble, the man shouts out to Ash and Brock, "Ash, Brock its been so long" Ash looks confused, he doesn't remember who this man is, Brock shouts out "Hey Seymour how are you going?" snapping Ash immediately out of his confused expression and remembers who this man is as they get to the entrance of Digglet's cave.

"Are you guys going through Digglet's Cave?" Seymour asked intrigued, "Yeah we are heading to Celadon City and this is the fastest way," Brock tells him, "great!" Seymour shouts out, he grabs Ash's hands and bends down to look Ash in the eyes, Ash who has moved his head to the side and backwards, looks Seymour in the eyes with sweat running down his forehead, "You will help me won't you Ash Ketchum?" Seymour begs, "Umm I mean it uhh depends on what what you want me to do?" Ash replies with a cautious tone, "What are you working on Seymour?" Brock asks trying to get Seymour to let go of Ash, "well my friends" Seymour says as he lets go of Ash's hands and points to the sky, "there have been trainers who have reportedly seen Digglet in this very cave here" Ash and Brock look at each other with a concerning expression thinking this guy has lost his mind, "uhh Seymour, it is called Digglet's Cave you know" Brock says hoping Seymour connects the dots, "no friend, not just any Digglet Alolan Digglet and Dugtrio," Seymour explains, "why would they be in Kanto and how would they have travelled here?" Ash asks, "That's the thing, they aren't in Kanto they are only spotted in this cave, I'm here to find out if the sightings are true and if so how to Alolan Pokemon travelled here." Seymour explains. "So what do you need our help with?" Brock asks ready to walk into the cave, "Can you help me find the Alolan Pokemon?" Seymour asks hoping they will say yes, "I mean the letters Brock, we need to get going" Ash whispers too Brock without Seymour hearing, "Was that a yes Ash Ketchum?" Seymour shouts out with joy grabbing Ash's hands again "you are the saviour of my life, saving my life those many years ago and now helping me in my research thank you Ash" Ash looks away with a forceful smile, Brock laughing as they start walking into the cave. "chin up Ash this won't take long we'll get to Celadon City soon" Brock nudges Ash who is upset and irritated about this detour.

Ash, Pikachu, Brock, and Seymour are searching and making their way through Digglet's Cave they are searching for the Alolan Digglet and Dugtrio but haven't had any luck so far, "this is hopeless" Ash moans out, "we have seen so many Digglet and Dugtrio but they are the normal ones no Alolan Pokemon" Brock stands up from behind a rock he was searching "you have never been this winey Ash, we have only been in this cave for two hours" Ash puts his head down exhausted but is snapped out of it by Seymour yelling out deeper in the cave "guys come quick I found one!" Ash and Brock look at each other and start running towards Seymour, they run around the corner and see Seymour crouching down next to a Digglet Ash gets a smile across his face but his immediately wiped off and switched with a disappointing frown and a dropped hang of the head, Brock looks at Seymour and crouches down next to him. "An Alolan Digglet I can't believe it, the rumours where true," Brock looks closer and grabs the handkerchief out of his back pocket and wipes the mud and rocks off of Digglet's head, Seymour face drops to the floor, "how could I be so stupid, the mud and rocks just made it look like hair" Seymour mumbles, "plus the Alolan Digglet's have blonde hair not black," Ash points out, "how did I forget that" Seymour puts his head on the ground in the dirt in embarrassment, "not helping Ash," Brock says irritated. Ash puts his hand on Seymour's shoulder "come on there is still a few miles we have searched in the cave lets keep going" Ash says encouraging the embarrassed man to get up and keep going, Ash and Brock start walking further into the cave searching for the Alolan Pokemon, Seymour pulls his head up from the dirt and puts his body weight on the back of his legs, he feels the floor underneath him rumbling "hey guys did the cave just shaaaa!!!"

*BANG

Ash and Brock turn around in fright as they see Seymour falling through the cave floor "Bulbasaur come out and grab Seymour" Ash calls out, a bright light appears on the edge of the newly formed hole in the cave floor Bulbasaur appears and quickly grabs Seymour with his vines, "Seymour are you ok?" Brock shouts out into the black hole, "Seymour?" Ash shouts out haven't heard a response to Brock. "Lower me down!" Seymour shouts out, confused at what Seymour is asking Ash shouts out "you want us to lower you down further into the hole?" "Yes, you need to come down and see this!" Seymour shouts out. Bulbasaur lowers Seymour down on the floor of the hole, then grabs Ash, Pikachu, and Brock and lowers them down one by one. "Bulbasaur thank you return" Ash returns Bulbasaur and looks around in the hole, "Brock, Seymour I can't see five feet in front of me where are you?" Ash shouts out waiting for a response, "Ash over here" Brock shouts out, Ash head towards the sound and sees a bright light up ahead, Ash heads towards the light and goes through it, his eyes are stunned by the light and take time to adjust but as they adjust he gets a real shock, under Digglet's cave its an oasis, warm yellow sand seek into his shoe, a bright blue ocean leading out the cave, the sun coming in from the side of the cave above the ocean is just the right temperature, the palm trees growing beautifully and lusciously, Ash sees Brock and Seymour in the middle of the little oasis and runs towards them with Pikachu jumping off his shoulder and lying in the warm sand with a contented smile across his face. "Guys this is amazing" Ash yells out, but Seymour and Brock don't respond, Ash runs next to Brock, "what is it?" Ash looks down and sees two Digglet and two Dugtrio, one normal Digglet the other an Alolan Digglet, he turns to the Dugtrio's and again one normal the other an Alolan Dugtrio, "wow they actually are here" Ash says surprised, "this hidden beach here is the perfect place for them to thrive and live, no human contact or effect on the environment, hidden away from the harsh weather that can overcome this land and hidden away from other Pokemon that may harm them" Brock explains. "But how did they get here?" Ash asks looking around the beach for any clues, Seymour stands up "I have the answer!" he shouts out, Brock and Ash looking and listening eagerly with Pikachu walking up to the Digglet and Dugtrio and starts talking to them, more Digglet and Dugtrio pop-up half Alolan the other half normal ones. "In the old days before Kanto was well established they had to get ingredients from all over the world, with the Alolan region being the main source for its tropical fruits and vegetables, they used many ports for the ships to dock and this beach right here must have been one of them, I bet if we go down to the edge of the water we still might be lucky enough to see the old pier where the ships came in" Seymour explains his hypothesis.

Ash, Brock, and Seymour walk down to the edge of the water hoping they find some evidence to back up Seymour's hypothesis, Pikachu stays back still playing with the wild Dugtrio and Digglet. Seymour makes his way to the edge of the water and runs in the water, Ash and Brock stand just before the water looking on to see anything that resembles a ship, or pier, "Uh-huh!" Seymour shouts out as he kneels down into the water and pulls out a wooden plank "I told you I was right, there's, even more, look" Seymour excited points at the sunken pier in the water, Ash and Brock look on in amazement as Seymour's hypothesis was correct. "That still doesn't explain how or why the Digglet and Dugtrio are here in Kanto," Brock asks Seymour, "Well it's not widely known but did you know the first reported and sighted Digglet and Dugtrio where the Alolan ones," Seymour tells Brock and Ash but Ash's attention has been grabbed by something in the water a plank rotten by the salty sea water but still in one piece just brittle, he looks at the plank closely, Pikachu jumps up on Ash's shoulder and looks into the water and the flowing seaweed, Ash takes his hat off, he looks at the symbol on his cap then back at the plank its the same symbol, the horseshoe with an A in the middle of it, "Hey guys," Ash says frightened a little, he turns to Brock and Seymour as they look back at him, "can you see the symbol on that plank there?" Ash points to the plank with Seymour and Brock looking closely but the plank has been torn into little pieces, "I don't see anything Ash sorry" Brock says, "me neither Ash" Seymour says too, "I thought I saw" Ash looks back at the broken plank confused. "Let Seymour finish his story, Ash," Brock tells him, "anyway," Seymour says, "the first Digglet and Dugtrio where the Alolan types, they used to help sailors create these types of piers in the caves so the ships aren't destroyed or wrecked in the storms when they are docked." Brock looks on fascinated about this new information, Ash still looking at his cap worried and confused about what he saw, Pikachu turns and look at Ash worried about his trainer, "So how do you think the Digglet and Dugtrio came to look like the ones we see here in Kanto?" Brock asks Seymour, "Well a lot of the hidden piers like this one started getting used less after time because of the pirates and bandits that would hide in these little hidden places and wait for the ships to come in and then steal all the fruit and whatever else was on board, so I would think the Digglet and Dugtrio hid when that happened and since no one came back here again, they decided to make a home which is now called Digglet's cave they kept digging and digging, they dug that deep that some didn't get enough sun and eventually lost their bright blonde hair while others stayed in this little oasis." Seymour explains confidently, "That's incredible," Brock tells Seymour. Brock and Seymour walk back to the Digglet and Dugtrio which have now covered the back area of the beach, "Come on Ash and Pikachu!" Brock yells out snapping Ash out of it a little as he walks back up the beach.

Brock, Ash, and Seymour have just learned the origins of Digglet and Dugtrio and are about to leave the beach where the Alolan Pokemon are, "You coming, Seymour?" Brock asks, "No you guys go ahead, I want to study the Pokemon a little more and make sure I block off that hole I'll be fine don't worry the Digglet and Dugtrio will help me get out," Seymour tells Brock with the Digglet and Dugtrio surrounding Seymour. "See you Seymour" Brock shouts out as they head back into the black passageway to the hole, "bye Brock, bye Pikachu, bye Ash thank you for your help!" Seymour shouts out waving goodbye, Brock turns to Ash who is still looking confused and down at his hat, "Ash, you ok? You look like you saw a ghost or something" Brock asks worried about his friend, Ash snaps out of it and puts his hat back on, "yeah I'm fine Brock, I just need some fresh air I think, let's get out of this cave," the two smile at each other, Pikachu still on Ash's shoulder continues to look worried about his trainer and loss at the symbol on Ash's head, the three disappear into the black passageway.

Back on the beach Seymour is studying the old pier in the water and pulls up an old plank, it has a symbol on it he studies it closely, then pulls up another plank and another, he spreads them out on the beach after he has pulled all the planks out of the water and laid them on the beach connecting the symbols the symbol becomes clear he looks at it closely, its a horseshoe with the letter A in the middle it's the same symbol Ash has on his hat. "the symbol for The Beginning of The End" Seymour says to himself "but I have seen this symbol before recently I'm sure of it." Seymour looks out into the ocean wondering where he's seen this symbol.