Jason and the Fleece of Hoenn

Chapter 3 – Mt Silver

After three days travelling at night and hiding and sleeping during the day in order to avoid being seen, Lucario, Jason, Quil and Buff finally arrived at the uninhabited mountainous region separating Kanto and Johto. The three Pokémon in the team tried as much as possible to eat wild berries in order to preserve their food, since they could not carry enough for everyone to last the entire journey. They refilled their canteens whenever they passed a clean enough stream. They encountered many wild Pokémon, but Jason's group minded their own business and the wild Pokémon tended to mind their own.

Once in the uninhabited wildlands, they had to travel by daylight as the terrain quickly became difficult and they could not afford any accidents or injuries stumbling over rocks and roots in the dark of night. Lucario was also worried that Pokémon there were unaccustomed to people or to Pokémon that were unfamiliar to them, and he did not want to risk being attacked in the dark.

The constant uphill climb towards Mt Silver was tiring on the group and they found that they had to take many rest breaks. At one point they could see a donphan rolling down the mountain. They were wondering whether they should try to avoid it, but fortunately it changed course on its own accord.

They were fortunate that the weather was on their side up to that point, but on the fourth day, clouds were darkening the sky and threatening a downpour.

"It's getting late," said Jason as they paused to catch their breath. "Shouldn't we be looking out for a place for the night?" He surveyed the landscape. It was dominated by rocky hills, with trees and bushes dotting the ground. Jason looked to see if he could spot a cave or hollow somewhere where they could make camp.

"I'm more worried about the weather," Lucario replied. "It looks like it'll rain very soon."

"You know, I'm also worried about where we're going," said Jason. "With clouds covering the sky, it's hard to work out which way is west."

Lucario pointed to the tallest peak looming up ahead. "That's Mt Silver," he said. "If we can see that, we know we're on course."

Jason looked at the symmetric, conical shape of the mountain peak, its top white with snow.*

"Wow, that's awesome!"

"Still, you're right. While we still have some daylight left, we need to find somewhere for the night."

"Maybe we should split up," Jason suggested. "We can look faster."

"And risk getting lost in this wilderness?" Lucario gazed around. Although the landscape was not completely uniform, there were few unique features, and, unfamiliar as they were with it, it would be easy to get lost.

Just then Jason felt the first drop of rain on his hair. "Huh-oh, time's up."

The group pressed on faster in hope of finding any form of shelter. Meanwhile the raindrops increased in frequency. Finally, not far ahead, they could see a rocky overhang that would offer some shelter, so they headed for it.

No sooner than they had reached it, the rain started pelting. Buff started shivering from cold, so everyone huddled together to keep warm, while they watched the rain come down in sheets mere inches from their faces.

This reminded Jason of his times as a child in the log cabin that had, until a few days ago, been his home. The rain would fall outside, and he would hear it against the roof and see it trickle down the window, but he would feel snug and safe inside. He and Buff and Quil wouldn't be able to do anything but lie and cuddle together, and he would talk to them, and they would be lulled by his voice. Lucario would dish up some soup to warm them up. They were fond memories of a life now to be forgotten like a dream, while he was about to be thrust into an unknown world where they expected him to be the one to provide the security.

Jason's daydream was sharply broken by something bumping against his leg. He gasped, surprising everyone. The others looked around to see what might have happened, but Jason looked down. Wet and shivering, trying to snuggle up to him, sat a doduo.

"Where did this come from?" Jason shouted over the noise of the downpour. The doduo was frightened by the commotion it caused and started to shrink away. Quil and Buff looked at the doduo and made some sort of sounds that Jason didn't understand, but from their tone he could tell that they were trying to welcome it.

"She must have been abandoned or escaped from people," said Lucario. "She looks tame." He pointed to some marks on her back that looked like she had worn a saddle at some time.

Slowly, Jason and the others coaxed the shivering visitor to come closer, and within a few minutes, she felt comfortable and leaned her wet body against Jason. He wasn't particularly pleased to get soaked by her wet feathers, but he put up with it for her sake.

"I hope this doesn't last too long," Jason said.

"We'll be in trouble if it does," Lucario answered. "Look. The ground is getting wet, even under cover."

Jason hadn't noticed before, but gradually, water from uphill was trickling down and finding its way along the ground beneath their feet. Even under the overhang, they were not immune to the rain.

"Is there anywhere else we can go?" Jason looked around. With the clouds blocking the sunlight, the shadows were very dark and they could not see very far. "I'll go have a look."

Jason motioned to Quill to head off under the overhang to their left while he went off to the right. Less than a minute later, Quil came back excitedly. Lucario called Jason back and they headed off to see what Quil had found.

It was the entrance to a cave.

"Is it safe to go inside?" wondered Jason, about to poke his head inside.

"Wait!" said Lucario. "It's too dark to see. I'll sense if there's any living aura inside."

Lucario closed his eyes and concentrated while Jason and the others waited for his report. Jason was worried that if the cave proved unsuitable, they would have to spend the night shivering and huddled together outside, unable to sleep and probably getting sick.

"It's safe," said Lucario. "There are no Pokémon or other living things inside."

"You're sure?" asked Jason.

"Are you doubting the power of aura?" said Lucario indignantly, and waltzed inside ahead of the others.

It was pitch black. Quil lit his flames, casting a dim red glow inside the cave. It was roomy though not huge, and definitely empty. The important thing, though, was that it was dry. With a fire, they would also keep warm overnight. But they needed it straight away. Quil would waste a lot of precious energy if he kept using his backflame for a long time, and Jason needed him in top condition given the unknowns of the future.

Jason went outside and looked around for fuel for a fire. Fortunately, with Quil, they didn't need any tinder, which, given the weather, would have been a tall order. He found a dead log that, shielded by the rock, had kept relatively dry. It was large enough to provide enough fuel and small enough to drag into the cave.

"How are we going to cut it up?" said Lucario, seeing the log once Jason brought it in.

"Can't you use close combat on it?" asked Jason.

"I'll probably break my wrist," Lucario replied. "I'm no machoke!"

Realising what they were trying to do, the doduo stepped up to the log. She started pecking at it with incredible speed. Splinters flew everywhere and Jason had to shield his face with his arm.

"That's a drill peck," exclaimed Lucario. "That's a well-trained doduo. And she more or less understands us. Now I'm sure she must have been tamed in the past."

With a bit of guidance, they managed to get the doduo's help in chopping up the log into pieces the right size. After setting up some of the pieces, and with a well-aimed ember from Quil, the cave was soon lit and warm.

By the time they were settled in it was dinner time, so Jason brought out some food and water from his backpack. They had an extra mouth to feed so they had to be careful with the rations, but at least everyone was satisfied enough to be able to sleep.

Jason noticed how the cave was relatively clear of rocks and anything else, and it seemed quite comfortable to lie down in, so he took the blanket from his backpack and set it down. He lay himself down on it, resting his head on his hands.

"How do you know she's a girl?" Jason enquired about the doduo.

"Her neck is brown," Lucario answered. "Males have a black neck. Did you notice the marks on her back? I'd say she used to be ridden regularly, but they're not fresh, so she must have separated from her owner some time ago."

"So why would she come up here?"

"Doduo are native to these mountains. Maybe she came from here originally, and if she was lost or was unable to go back, probably she would have come back here. I guess we'll never know."

Meanwhile, the now dry and content doduo noticed Quil and Buff had snuggled next to Jason, so she came over and gestured if she could join them. She was made welcome so she lay down, made herself into a ball and fluffed up her feathers to keep herself warm.

"Do you think she'll stay with us?" wondered Jason. "I hope so. I wonder what we'll call her … Fluffball? Hey, Fluff rhymes with Buff." At the sound of that, Buff voiced a weak objection, but after a day's constant uphill climb, everyone was too exhausted to pursue their point of view or their train of thought, and one by one they dropped off into a deep sleep.

They were awoken by a roar that shook them to their very bones.

The dying embers of the campfire shed little light, but Quil instinctively leapt up and lit his head and back flames brightly. A giant shape loomed in the entrance of the cave, letting loose another fearsome roar.

"Ursaring!" cried out Lucario, now also on his feet.

Buff quivered in fear and shrunk back behind Lucario. The doduo also jumped up and positioned itself between Jason and the location of the threat, both her beaks primed and ready to strike. Jason was the last on his feet, trying to shake the cobwebs from his head as he tried to make out the situation.

He realized that they were about to be attacked by a wild Pokémon, the biggest he had ever seen. All the training he had had with Lucario now seemed like games when he was faced with a real danger. He had to take stock of their situation, understand the enemy, use each of his Pokémon's abilities, protect the defenceless. He had trained to do all those things in countless exercises, but this time it was real life, and he faltered.

Fortunately for Jason, Lucario was already way ahead of him, and was snarling back at the ursaring while forming an aura sphere at the ready.

"Stand back, Jason," said Lucario. "Get Quil ready with a fire attack if I can't scare him off."

But the ursaring was undeterred. It roared again and lunged forward, raising its paws with claws outstretched, ready to strike.

Buff gave a startled cry and fluttered to the back of the cave. Lucario released his aura sphere and took a step back. The aura sphere hit the wild Pokémon in the guts, startling it. It lunged again, but Lucario struck it again with another aura sphere.

"Get ready," Lucario shouted. Jason told Quil to be ready with an ember attack, but with Lucario and the doduo in the way, how was this going to work?

Lucario waited until the ursaring was about to pounce on him again. He jumped out of the way, grabbing the doduo and throwing her with him to the ground. Jason seized the moment.

"Now!" he yelled.

Quil, already primed, opened his mouth and instantly emitted a burst of flame. The ursaring stopped only for a moment. It took another step forward.

"Keep attacking!" yelled Jason.

The quilava kept firing ember after ember, but the ursaring was not to be deterred. By now it was at the centre of the cave. Jason took a step back and found himself next to Buff at the rear wall of the cave. Quil was also backing up, and was now directly in front of Jason.

Although fearful for his life, Jason could not help feeling some concern for the ursaring. Maybe this was its cave that they had presumed to be unowned. If so, it would be willing to fight for its property even to the point of getting hurt. Jason had no idea what to do.

Meanwhile, Lucario had gotten up and started shooting more aura spheres in the hope of distracting it from the others. The ursaring roared in pain as the combined effect of the attacks were taking their toll.

Ignoring the other Pokémon and taking one final lunge towards Jason, the ursaring raised its claws again, ready to strike. Jason cringed, believing that this would be the end of him.

Quil jumped up to try to protect him, and the ursaring brought down its paw, sweeping Quil away in one fell swoop. Quil hit the wall, yelped in pain, and dropped to the floor of the cave.

"Quil!" Jason cried.

The ursaring prepared to strike again, but Jason leaped away towards Quil. Buff, who was next to Jason, flew in the opposite direction. The paw flew down again, this time swiping the air and missing Jason's leg by inches.

The ursaring turned to face Jason, who by now had grabbed Quil to check his injuries. The doduo had now come into the fray as well, and was darting in and out at great speed, pecking at the ursaring's feet. The ursaring swerved around and swiped at the doduo, but the latter was too fast for him.

"This isn't working," cried Lucario. "We'll have to get serious."

He darted in behind the beast and whacked it with close combat. The ursaring bellowed in pain and whirled around, with surprising agility for a creature that size. He swiped, but Lucario by then had moved out of the way. Doduo was about to try and peck it again, but Lucario raised his hand and signalled it to stop.

Meanwhile Jason had helped Quil to his feet. He was ready to attack again.

"Flamethrower," ordered Jason.

Quil took a deep breath, his back-flames lighting up brightly, and opened his mouth wide. A powerful jet of fire gushed forth, aimed directly at their opponent. The flames cast dancing shadows on the walls of the cave as the ursaring screamed in agony. It fell on all fours and darted out of the cave howling in pain.

Quil stopped his onslaught the moment the ursaring was out of the cave. A deathly silence fell amongst the group.

Jason took a few moments to check Quil's injuries. He had one sore spot where he was struck on his right shoulder and another on his back where he hit the wall. It only seemed to be bruises. There were no open wounds or bones broken. He counted his group lucky that that was the extent of it.

Eventually, Lucario spoke. "I apologize. I really believed that this cave was uninhabited."

"You did your best," Jason replied. "I thought something was suspicious when I noticed how clean and comfortable the cave was, but I was too tired to think it through."

"Yes, but I got cocky," Lucario responded. "All these years of always being right—well, almost always—I forgot that we can all make mistakes."

Now checking on Buff, Jason said, "All that training you gave me, and I couldn't handle this fight. You had to take the lead. How am I ever going to succeed in defeating a king and his army if I can't handle a single Pokémon?"

Jason then checked on the doduo. "You helped us out, little buddy!" he praised. The doduo seemed pleased at the attention, but Jason couldn't smile. Turning to Lucario, he said, "I didn't want to hurt the ursaring, you know. Who knows how badly it got hurt, and it was innocent, just protecting what was his."

Now that all the excitement had died down, Jason noticed how cold it was. He gave a shiver and rubbed his arms. He put the rest of the fuel on the dying campfire and got Quil to restart it.

"We need our sleep," said Lucario, "but we'll take turns keeping watch. I'll take the first watch, then I'll wake you up, then you wake up Quil."

- – — – -

They set off again early the next morning. They stepped out of the cave cautiously, but there was no sign of the ursaring. Their new friend continued to follow them. It seemed she had taken to Jason and stuck close to him. For want of a name, Jason decided to keep calling her Fluff, much to Buff's annoyance. Buff also acted annoyed how Fluff would stick close to him, so she decided to nest herself on Jason's head.

"We continue west until we've passed the peak," said Lucario, pointing in the direction so that the other Pokémon would understand.

They continued westward, but the terrain became increasingly difficult for most of them, although Fluff seemed to take it in her stride, and soon started leading the way. Her strong legs and light body made it easier for her to handle the mountainous environment. Even Buff started flying as much as possible to keep her weight off Jason, who was puffing most of the time.

By then, the tall, white-capped peak of Mt Silver dominated their horizon. It was now ahead of them and to their right. It seemed that following their westerly course, they would pass the south side of the peak. Whenever they stopped for a rest, Jason started feeling cold. Whether the temperature was really colder, or whether just seeing the snow on the mountain ahead made him feel cold, he didn't know for sure.

Wild berries were getting scarcer and they had to rely on more of their rations. Add an extra mouth to feed, and they were already half way through their supplies, while surely less than half of the way to Johto. Jason tried not to worry, but he couldn't help thinking that if anything went wrong, like if they lost their way, they would undoubtedly run out of food and water.

When they reached a point that got quite steep, Fluff, who was at the head of their party, turned north.

"Where are you going, Fluff?" Jason asked her. "We're going this way."

Fluff turned to face him. When she saw that Jason hadn't followed her, she went back and tried nudging him in the direction she wanted to go.

"Sorry Fluff," said Jason. "If you've got somewhere to go, that's fine, but we can't come with you. We're going this way." He pointed west.

Fluff became more insistent, but in the end, Lucario said that they had to move on, and walked off. Jason and the others could do nothing but follow him. Fluff waited expectantly for a while, leaning one of her heads sideways questioningly. In the end she decided to run after and follow them.

"I wonder where she wants to go," said Jason.

"Maybe she recognized something, or maybe her nest was up here all along," Lucario suggested.

"I'm going to be disappointed if she leaves," Jason commented. "I kind of like her."

After that, however, conversation became more difficult with the stiff uphill climb, so they trudged on silently. Fluff still went with them, but she trailed behind rather than staying at her usual spot either next to Jason or in front of the party. Buff was tired of flapping so hard for so long and Jason had to carry her.

Quil was looking unhappy. Jason himself was feeling hungry, so he knew that must be what Quil was feeling. All this exercise meant their bodies were running out of fuel. Their lunch was meagre, and up here there was hardly a blade of grass, let alone a fruit tree or a berry bush to provide any additional food. And the cold was intensifying. Jason hoped that this mountain crossing would be over with soon.

As if reading his mind, Lucario said, "At least it will be easier on the way down." After a while, he added, "How the two of you ever survived the trip to Kanto when you were just hatchlings, I'll never know."

While trying to negotiate a boulder and carrying Buff at the same time, Jason momentarily lost his balance and slipped. He scraped his arm on the boulder and yelped.

"Lucario," said Jason. "I don't think I can take much more of this. Buff's already exhausted, and I'm tired from carrying her. We have to stop here and find somewhere to rest until tomorrow."

Lucario stopped them to rest for a moment to let them catch their breath and have a drink of water. He checked Jason's arm but it was only a graze. He surveyed the landscape ahead.

"Look, there's a crest up ahead," he said, pointing to the top of the hill they were climbing. "Maybe if it's downhill for a while, it might give us a breather."

But when they were about to set off again, Fluff jumped ahead of them and stood in their way. When Jason tried to take a step past her, she poked him with one of her beaks.

"Ow! What was that for?" he complained.

He tried to take another step, and this time she jumped directly in front of him and barred his way, threatening with both her beaks.

"No!" Lucario called out sternly, his face serious.

Fluff continued to stare back, but when Lucario walked past her, she relented and let him through.

"Come on, let's go," he said to the others.

They set off again, this time having to clamber over more difficult rocks and very rough terrain to reach the top of the hill. This time, Fluff remained behind.

Lucario was the first to get to the top. He stopped dead in his tracks and held up his hand for the others to stop.

"What's wrong?"

"Come and see … carefully."

Jason set Buff down and motioned for her and Quil to stay. He crept up to the crest. There, he saw the problem. They were perched atop a cliff. The ravine beneath them was impassable. One false step at the top and it would be their last.

Finally, Jason spoke aloud what they were both thinking. "So … Fluff was trying to warn us all along."

"And we don't have much daylight left. In any case, we can't stay here. We have to go back down and hope that we find a place where we can survive the night, and try a different route tomorrow."

Fluff squawked. Her body was facing back the way they came; just one of her heads was facing them, beckoning them to follow.

Jason felt miserable. He was more exhausted than he was admitting to the others, and in the cold draft coming down the icy peak and into the ravine, he started shivering. Lucario grabbed him by the arm and helped him down the rocky slope. Quil and Buff joined them and they made their way down to where Fluff was waiting.

"Fluff seems like she wants us to follow her," said Jason, stating the obvious.

"I think at this point, we should let her take the lead," replied Lucario. "I don't have any other ideas."

Fluff led them back downhill, for which they were glad, but tired, hungry and cold as they were, they could do nothing but follow blindly. The sun was also setting behind the mountain, taking away what warmth it was providing. The sky would still be bright for a little while, but it wouldn't last forever. Given their state, they could hardly keep up with the agile doduo, and she frequently had to stop and turn around to make sure they were following.

Eventually, they reached a spot which they recognized where Fluff first wanted them to go her way. From there the journey was no longer downhill, but at least it was less steep than the westerly course they had taken originally.

"I don't know where she's taking us," said Lucario, "but at least if it's her nest, then there's a chance we could shelter for the night."

Soon dusk had fallen and the rocky and unfamiliar terrain started posing a threat to their safety. They had to take it slowly and rely as much on feeling the ground as on what they could make out in the diminishing light. Eventually, by the time night had arrived, they had to rely on Quil. He only lit the flame on his head to conserve energy, but at least it was better than nothing. They had no idea where Fluff was taking them, other than it was probably in a north-westerly direction, much closer to the peak of Mt Silver than they would have liked. For once they reached the foot of the peak, it would be too steep to climb. Then where would they go? Jason was sure that to cross over on the north side of the mountain, if possible at all, would take far too long and they would surely starve to death, if they didn't freeze first.

Finally, freezing cold, famished and utterly exhausted, the journey seemed to take a pause. Directly in front of them they could barely make out something dark, like a gaping hole in the mountain. It appeared to be the entrance to a cave. Fluff darted back behind the group and nudged them forward. Trusting Fluff more than he trusted Lucario the previous night, Jason did as he was bid and went inside, followed by the others.

The cave ended up being a tunnel, not very wide. Onwards he pressed, focusing all his remaining mental energy on his footsteps, taking care not to trip on a rock or unevenness on the ground, but fortunately he encounter few such dangers. Quil's light was dimming. Without more food, he would probably not be able to maintain his flames. It was definitely very late, and it was will power alone that kept the group moving.

Not much further along, Jason thought that he could make out a faint glow. He told Quil to turn off his flame, and when he did, the glow became even more distinct. The further Fluff led them towards it, the brighter it became. Eventually, as they turned a corner, they saw what it was. In front of them, a cavern opened up. Along the walls and ceiling were luminous patches that shed a frosty glow on their surroundings. In the pale light they could see that the cavern was relatively large, with a pool at the lowest point in the centre, and here and there both individually and in groups lay various Pokémon. There was a bunch of poliwag next to the pool, lying together; further away there was a solitary black Pokémon that Jason had never seen before; and closer to them there were two small groups of doduo and dodrio, huddled together. The Pokémon seemed to be asleep.

Unable to take another step, Jason succumbed to his exhaustion, found a vacant spot to lie down, dumped his backpack and was out in seconds.

- – — – -

When he awoke, it was daytime. Sunlight shone in beams through holes in the side of the mountain, lighting the cavern unevenly. He got up and looked around. Most of the Pokémon that were there last night were gone, and from his party, only Buff was there, still sleeping. His whole body felt stiff and every part of it was aching. More than anything else, though, he was aware of his hunger and thirst. He remembered the pool and wondered if it was safe for him to drink. He considered whether he should go look for Lucario and the others, but thought it wisest to stay with Buff for a while and see if they turned up.

Soon enough, Lucario, Quil and Fluff appeared. Lucario was holding a large bunch of berries and Fluff was carrying one of his two canteens by its strap around her neck.

"Jason, you're awake!" said Lucario, his face beaming. "You should see this place. There's another cave that gets more light, with plenty of fresh water and berry bushes."

They spent the rest of the day resting. Jason found that most of the berries were edible, and the water in the other cave was clean enough, being fed by a stream of melted water finding its way down from the top of the mountain. Everyone had their fill and they had refilled their supplies with food that everyone could eat. Lucario did not even suggest that they continue their journey. Jason was so sore that there was no way that he could, and he suspected that Lucario and the others were the same, presumably except Fluff who was better adapted to living on a mountain, and no doubt fitter because of it.

They decided to rest again the following day, in which they began to explore more of their new environment. It turned out that the night-time glow was because of a luminous moss that absorbed the sunlight beaming in through the cracks during the day. They even discovered a hot pool. Jason had no idea how hot water could possibly lie inside a snow-capped mountain, but he was in no position to be ungrateful about fate's kind gift. He and Lucario had a hot bath. He even managed to coax Quil into the water, and gave him a good wash to get off the dust that had accumulated on his coat during their uphill climb. After a good spell relaxing in the hot water, Jason took the opportunity to wash his clothes, having worn them continuously since the day they left the Viridian Forest.

On the afternoon of the second day in the cave, Jason broached the subject of what they were going to do next.

"I was about to discuss it with you," Lucario replied. "We need to find out if there's a way through the mountain. Obviously whoever brought you to Kanto must have found a way."

"And it mustn't have involved difficult climbing," reasoned Jason. "Otherwise, how could he have carried us?"

"At the very least we could explore until we find it, but so far I've seen many caves and tunnels. It might take many days until we find the right one."

Their fears, however, proved unnecessary. Fluff was waddling around during their conversation. She went to the pool to preen herself, and on her way back, by chance she happened to hear them mention the word "Johto". Her heads perked up and she squawked at them.

"Do you think she's telling us that she knows the way to Johto?" Jason asked Lucario. She squawked again.

"Is that right?" Lucario asked her.

Fluff nodded both her heads. When they asked her to show them, she led them to one particular exit from the cave.

"That's the way to Johto?" Jason asked to confirm. She nodded again, this time with only one head, as if to say that that's what they wanted know, wasn't it?

"Wonderful! Let's restock our supplies today," Lucario announced, "and we leave at first light tomorrow."

* Mt Silver is said to have been based on Japan's Mt Fuji.