Happy (belated) Easter, everyone! Last time I updated, I still had to say 'happy New Year'. Oops. Anyway, this isn't abandoned, nor will it be anytime soon! Though my updates may not -probably won't- be frequent, this will still be updated.

Anyway, last chapter we saw Mike winning his first-ever gym badge in his rematch against Brock. After that, one of Brock's gym trainers, Tyler, joined Mike and Nathalie in their journey, and now the three of them are making their way towards Mt. Moon.

Route 3
27 June 2008, 10:58 AM

"So how much farther is it now?" Mike asked. The trio, now joined by Tyler, was making their way towards Mt. Moon. However, before they could reach the mountain, they had to pass through the rocky Route 3.

"Not much," Tyler replied, "Don't worry, I know. I've gone training there a few times."

"Really?" Nathalie asked, "You never told us about that!"

Tyler grinned. "Oh, there's so much else you don't know about me." He winked.

"So about Mt. Moon," Mike chimed in, "How do you think we should pass it?"

Tyler crossed his arms. "Go through the caves. You could try scaling the mountain, but..." He shrugged. "The Geodude that live there are often pretty unwelcoming of visitors. People often mistake them for rocks and step on them, y'know."

"But I've heard it's really dark inside Mt. Moon!" Nathalie protested.

"Well, yeah," Tyler continued, "It's a cave. What did you expect? But it should be fine. It's daytime, so most of the Zubat inside are sleeping. Not to mention..." He took off his backpack and started rummaging through it. "Hold on for a moment."

Mike and Nathalie stopped walking and exchanged glances. "Tyler..." Nathalie began.

Tyler let out a triumphant shout. "Got it!" He held a small flashlight in his hands. "Since I knew you guys were headed for Mt. Moon, I thought ahead and packed this little guy for the journey." He grinned.

"Okay, that's pretty cool," Mike admitted, "But what about the Zubat?"

"Oh, no problem there," Tyler shrugged, "Zubat are practically blind."

"Wait, they are?" Mike cried in surprise, taking out his Pokédex.

"Zubat, the bat Pokémon. Zubat remains quietly unmoving in a dark spot during the bright daylight hours. It does so because prolonged exposure to the sun causes its body to become slightly burned."

"It doesn't mention anything about them being blind," Nathalie noted.

"What, you don't believe me?" Tyler acted as if he was hurt. "I already told you, I've going training in Mt. Moon several times. Had a flashlight with me every time, never got assaulted by Zubat." He shrugged again. "Look, just follow me, alright? Captain Tyler will make sure everything's gonna be alright. Just, uh, make sure you don't step on any Geodude around these parts. The area gets even rockier around here, and, well, there are also Geodude around."

"Your Geodude wouldn't really appreciate it, huh?" Mike said.

Tyler raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, but I bet you wouldn't appreciate getting hit by a Geodude either. Trust me, speaking from experience here."

Mike thought back to the powerful Tackle attacks that both Tyler's and Brock's Geodude knew. "Point taken."

"Use Mega Kick!" The three young trainers jumped up when they heard a sudden shout from around the corner. The voice -obviously a man's- sounded rather deep and stern.

"Is that so?" another voice responded, "Then how about this? Mega Punch!" The second voice sounded really similar, only slightly higher-pitched.

Mike and Tyler looked at each other and grinned widely. "Looks like there's a Pokémon battle going on!" Tyler remarked bluntly.

Mike nodded. "Wanna go check it out?"

"You bet!"

"Guys…" Before Nathalie had the chance to put forward her arguments, the two boys had already dashed around the corner. "And here I thought I had someone to help me keep Mike in check," she sighed, following the duo.

Two humanoid Pokémon of the same species were battling each other. They had a gray skin color, red eyes, and three small brown ridges on top of their heads. They seemed to be rather good in hand-to-hand combat, judging by their muscular bodies. One of the two was relentlessly kicking his adversary, while the other retorted by throwing lightning-fast punches.

"What are those?" Mike wondered, taking out his Pokédex.

"Machop, the superpower Pokémon. Machop's muscles are special-they never get sore no matter how much they are used in exercise. This Pokémon has sufficient power to hurl a hundred adult humans."

"That's…a lot of humans," Mike said in awe.

"Yeah, I've seen a few of these being used by challengers back at the gym," Tyler nodded, "They pack a huge punch. Literally and figuratively."

"As do they," Nathalie remarked, looking at the Machop's trainers. They looked rather alike to each other. A tall, muscular posture with short but well-cut dark brown hair and dark brown eyes. They were both dressed in a martial artist's attire, with a white robe-esque cloth and a black belt strapped around their waist. The biggest -and only visible- difference between them was their headband. One had a blue headband, the other was red.

"Ha! Take that!" Red shouted as one of the Machop landed a kick right under the other's chin.

Blue laughed. "Please! My Machop can take those weak kicks for days! But I don't know if the same can be said about yours!" As he said that, Blue's Machop hit the opponent in the stomach with a powerful punch, forcing his opponent to his knees.

"You know full well that your inferior punches won't do anything to my superior Machop!" Red retorted as his Machop got back to his feet, ready to continue battling.

"Well, these two seem to get along well," Nathalie mumbled.

Tyler was watching wide-eyed. "You can say that again!"

"Fine then," Blue continued, going with a hand through his hair, "It's been good now! Machop, finish him off now! Mega Punch!"

"Maaaachh!" Machop's fist seemed to glow white as he charged as his namesake.

"Be my guest!" Red growled, "Machop, Mega Kick, go!"

"Maaaacchh!" The second Machop prepared for the approaching Fighting-type Pokémon, his right foot also glowing a faint white. When Blue's Machop reached Red's Machop, the latter's feet swept up remarkably fast to hit Blue's in the chest, but not before Mega Punch also his Red's Machop's forehead. Both Pokémon slumped to the ground.

"Argh!" Red stomped the ground after recalling his Machop. "A draw? Again?"

Blue let out a sigh, putting away the Poké Ball of his Machop. "It always ends this way. Why? My punching techniques should be superior!"

"My kicks are much tougher than your weak punches!" Red snapped.

"How long do you reckon they can keep this up?" Tyler sighed.

"Long," Mike replied, "Very long. Maybe even as long as Nathalie takes in the shower. Ow!" The last part was added by Nathalie hitting Mike on the back on his head. His shout drew the attention of the two martial artists. Their bickering abruptly stopped and their heads turned towards the group.

"Well, well," Blue grinned, "Looks like our battle drew spectators, Rikishi!"

Rikishi crossed his arms. "Surprise of surprises. Who wouldn't want to come watch a battle of the master of kicks, Satoshi?"

Satoshi rolled his eyes. "Oh, please. 'Master of kicks, really? Sorry you had to see all of that," he apologized, turning his attention back to the young trainers, "My brother, Rikishi, and I have been in a…feud of sorts lately, you see."

"We noticed!" Tyler smirked cheerfully, earning himself an elbow in his side from Nathalie.

Satoshi, however, laughed. "You're very honest, if nothing else! I can respect that!"

"So much like me then, brother?" Rikishi walked over to the group. "I'm Rikishi, a martial arts expert from Saffron City's fighting dojo!"

"...He seems to be less of a braggart than you are," Satoshi responded, ignoring his brother's angry huff at his statement.

"I don't think you know him very well, then!" Mike grinned.

"Hey!" Tyler retorted, raising his arms in protest, "That was uncalled for!"

"Sorry about them," Nathalie sighed, "My name's Nathalie, and these are Mike and Tyler. We were just passing through when the boys noticed your battle."

"Passing through?" Rikishi exclaimed, "But all paths from here lead either from Mt. Moon or to Mt. Moon!"

"Yeah," Mike nodded, "Our next destination is Cerulean City, so we have to get through it."

Satoshi looked at the group silently for a few seconds. "Which one of you is taking the Pokémon League challenge?" Mike raised his hand. "Figures. Only people on their way to the Cerulean gym would take this path."

"Hey!" Tyler protested, "I've gone training in Mt. Moon a few times too!"

"Really?" Satoshi looked at the boy with renewed interest. "Then you might be able to assist us! Tell me, have you heard about a Pokémon named Tyrogue?"

"Tyrogue…" Tyler frowned, "I don't think I have. Should I?"

Rikishi sighed. "Of course he wouldn't be able to help either."

"Hush, brother," Satoshi commanded, before directing his gaze back to Tyler, "It's quite alright. Tyrogue is a rare Pokémon that is sometimes seen around the vicinity of Mt. Moon. Both Rikishi and I have sought to capture one for some time now."

"Tyrogue…" Mike mumbled as he pulled out his Pokédex. The picture showed a rather small, purple, humanoid Pokémon. Much like Machop, it had three protrusions on its head, but these were much smaller and vertically oriented, whereas Machop's were horizontally sorted.

"Tyrogue, the scuffle Pokémon. Tyrogue becomes stressed out if it does not get to train every day. When raising this Pokémon, the trainer must establish and uphold various training methods."

"Sounds like a handful," Nathalie remarked.

Satoshi nodded. "That it is. But that will not stop us. You see, there's a certain trait Tyrogue possesses. Tyrogue can become a master of either kicking or punching, not both at once."

"And you both want to train a Tyrogue to be either a kicker or a puncher to prove to the other that your fighting techniques are superior," Tyler deduced.

Satoshi nodded. "Correct. If Tyrogue chooses to follow the path of the punch, I will have proven that my techniques are superior. If Tyrogue chooses to follow the path of the kick -which it won't, mind you- my brother will have won."

Tyler crossed his arms. "That's possibly one of the dumbest things I've heard all year."

Satoshi took a step backwards, giving his brother the chance to hop in the conversation. "Come again?"

"I mean, sure," Tyler continued, "I see that you want to prove something to each other. But have you even considered that Tyrogue chooses its fighting style based on personal preference?"

"Of…of course it does!" Rikishi shouted, "But for Tyrogue, it is but a question of which is stronger! And that's why it will always choose the optimal path- the kicking path!"

"Hold, brother." Satoshi seemed to have found his composure again. "You raise an excellent point, Tyler." He stayed silent for a few seconds. "Say... Would you mind coming along with us for the day? You seem to know enough about Mt. Moon. If you could lend us a hand..."

Tyler nodded quickly. "We accept!"

"What happened to group decisions?" Nathalie sighed.

"Well, it would be two versus one anyway if we voted, sooo…" Mike laughed nervously.

Nathalie huffed. "I really shouldn't be surprised at this point anymore, should I?"

Satoshi raised his hand. "So it's settled. You shall be helping in our search for Tyrogue." He looked skywards. "And considering the day is still young… I propose we depart right away!"

"Good idea!" Tyler nodded, "The Zubat are the least active at this time of the day!"

"Not to mention we found an entrance right around the corner here!" Rikishi added.

"Huh, really?" Tyler scratched the back of his head. "Funny. Never saw this one before."

Satoshi smiled. "Well then. Shall we depart?"

Mt. Moon
27 June 2008, 12:31 PM

Nathalie groaned. "Shouldn't we have had lunch before heading in here?"

Mike grinned. He knew his female companion wasn't all too fond of dirty places, or the dark, or not knowing where she was exactly. And Mt. Moon just took all three of those things and crammed them in one location. "On the bright side, we'll be out of here before evening!"

"Yes, hopefully without Tyrogue eluding us this time," Satoshi added, "My brother and I have been camping around Mt. Moon for three days now…"

"Four!" Rikishi grumpily corrected his younger brother.

"For four days," Satoshi continued, "And we haven't seen even a single Tyrogue so far."

"Also not true," Rikishi grumbled.

Satoshi laughed. It was the first time either one of the brothers had laughed genuinely. The loud sound filled the otherwise empty caves, borderline startling Mike and Nathalie. "A so-called 'purple flash' doesn't constitute for the sighting of a Tyrogue, dear brother."

"Oh, sorry!" Rikishi huffed angrily, "Please do tell me which other purple Pokémon live around these parts!"

"Rattata," Satoshi started, "Ekans. Zubat, somewhat."

"All right, all right!" Rikishi huffed, "I got your point!"

"Are you two always like this?" Tyler asked.

Satoshi shook his head. "Funnily enough not, no. We normally get along rather well. But around other people... My brother has a rather…blunt way of expressing himself. A bit rash as well."

"Totally not like two guys I know," Nathalie remarked.

"What was that for?" Mike cried out.

"You'll wake up the Zubat if you shout that loudly," Nathalie stated, ignoring Mike's question completely.

"Speaking of the Zubat." Mike crossed his arms. "I'm surprised we haven't seen any wild Pokémon so far. I thought Mt. Moon was full of them."

"You have seen them, actually," Tyler chimed in, "Have you seen the ceiling of the cave here?"

Mike looked up. "No," he admitted. It was fully shrouded in darkness, hiding anything that could be there.

Tyler grinned. "Watch this." He suddenly pointed his flashlight straight for a split second. Mike only got a glance, but what he did see made him gasp. The ceiling was filled with Zubat, dozens and dozens of them. "I didn't want to shine too long on them, y'know," Tyler continued, "If they were to suddenly wake up, it would be…unpleasant."

"Indeed it is." Satoshi scratched his arm. "The first time we came through here… Well, let's just say that Zubat don't take very kindly to a sudden noisy Pokémon battle in the middle of a cave."

Tyler shook his head. "I can't believe you two would even try that. Anyway. The Zubat aren't the only Pokémon you've already seen. I'm pretty sure that some of the rocks that are lying around here are Geodude as well."

"Oh, right!" Mike recalled, "You mentioned that this area is inhabited by a lot of Geodude as well."

Tyler nodded. "I caught mine in here too. Did I already mention that?" Because he was talking to Mike, Tyler hadn't been looking straight forward, and he bumped against Rikishi, who had abruptly stopped. "Hey, what gives?"

"Shh!" Rikishi stretched his arms to block the way for all the others. "There's something up ahead!"

Satoshi raised an eyebrow. "A 'purple flash', I presume."

Rikishi's eyes shot daggers at his younger brother. "Yes, something purple indeed, if you have to know!" he fumed, "Look for yourself if you don't believe me!"

When the others went to stand next to Rikishi, they noticed that he was right- something purple was attempting to hide behind a rock. Mike couldn't exactly make out its form, but the Pokémon was obviously not a Zubat, and was too big to be a Rattata.

"Hm…" Satoshi scratched his chin, "You might actually be right this time."

"You know it!" Rikishi grinned widely and pulled out two Poké Balls, releasing his Machop from one of them. The Fighting-type looked like it was still fatigued from his battle with Satoshi's Machop earlier. "And you also know what I gotta do now!" Rikishi and his Machop simultaneously began running at the rock the purple Pokémon was hiding behind.

"Wait…" Satoshi's warning was in vain as his brother had already taken off. "Why must you always be so impatient?" He looked at Mike, Nathalie and Tyler apologetically. "Sorry about him, have to tag along!"

"Right behind you!" Tyler grinned, rushing after Satoshi with Mike and Nathalie in tow.

"Ha!" Rikishi had already reached the rock by that time, and jumped behind it. "I challenge you to a battle, Tyr-" His sentence was abruptly cut short.

"What's wrong?" Satoshi asked as the rest of the group caught up with the 'master of kicks', who was gritting his teeth so loudly that it could probably be heard from outside Mt. Moon.

When Mike and Tyler laid eyes on the Pokémon that they thought to be Tyrogue, they looked at each other in disbelief. "Nidoran?" they said simultaneously.

The intimidated purple Poison-type looked at the group. He seemed to be rather afraid, and Rikishi's angry expression didn't help that either. The martial artist seemed ready to explode. "How dare a stupid Nidoran rile me up like that!"

"Hey!" Tyler stepped in between Nidoran and Rikishi. "He did nothing to you! Back off!"

Rikishi growled in anger. Mike was afraid that he could attack Tyler any moment, until Satoshi put a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Enough."

"Grrr…" Rikishi tasered Tyler with his eyes one last time, before turning around and kicking a rather huge stone in frustration. "Stupid Nidoran…" he muttered.

Tyler looked at the frustrated man, suddenly looking terrified. "Oh man, you should not have done that."

"Done what?" Rikishi snapped, before turning around to realize his mistake.

The rock he kicked looked at him, rage gleaming in its eyes. "Geeeoooh!"

Rikishi suddenly became quiet. "Oh."

Mike and Nathalie looked around, seeing multiple other Geodude also staring angrily at them. "We may have a problem," Nathalie muttered, barely able to contain the fear in her voice.

"You don't say," Satoshi groaned, "No time for chastising. All of you, head for the exit. Follow the path. Right now."

As if that was the sign the Geodude were waiting on, the majority of them raised their heavy bodies in the air with their arms, and slammed them back down against the ground. The multiple Magnitude attacks made the earth shake.

"The exit looks like a good idea to me!" Mike beamed, "Quick!" He began to run, the other humans following his lead, as well as Rikishi's Machop and Nidoran.

Tyler glanced over his shoulder. "Oh, great!" The Magnitude attacks apparently had disturbed the peacefully sleeping Zubat, who were now flocking right behind them. "Don't look behind, but you may wanna run harder!"

The other didn't need further encouragement. The sound behind them told them all they needed to know. However, the herd of Zubat quickly ascended over them.

"Ah!" Nathalie cried, "They're everywhere!"

"Just keep running!" Satoshi yelled, "We are bound to lose them sometime!"

"Easy for you to say!" Mike huffed, pushing a Zubat away. It would be so much easier if he had his Pokémon right now, but if he accidentally dropped one of his Poké Balls while trying to call them out, there was a good chance he wouldn't find it anymore.

"Where are you guys?" Tyler screamed, apparently part blinded by the sheer amount of Zubat flying in between them.

"Right here, Tyler!" Nathalie cried. Mike noticed that her voice seemed to be farther away than a few seconds ago. He heard Satoshi shout something, but he couldn't make out what exactly it was. He did his best to follow the footsteps right in front of him, but the Zubat didn't make it particularly easy on him.

"…ike… there?" he heard Nathalie scream.

"Over here!" he yelled in response, not sure if she would actually be able to hear it. It almost seemed like the footsteps in front of him lead him even deeper into the caves.

Mt. Moon
27 June 2008, 1:34 PM

"Did we…lose them…?" Nathalie panted.

"Seems like we did." Much to the surprise of the others, Satoshi didn't even seem to be fatigued. "We have a bigger problem on our hands now, though."

"Wait…" Tyler raised a hand, "Where's Mike?"

Satoshi nodded. "Exactly. Your friend. My brother too." He looked at Rikishi's Machop, who had apparently lost track of his trainer as well. "Machop is his only Pokémon, so I fear that if they get attacked by wild Pokémon again, Mike's Pokémon will be their only hope."

"And that's why we can't sit around waiting here either!" Tyler stood up. "We gotta help them!"

"I agree!" Nathalie nodded, "I don't like going back in there, but we can't just leave them behind either!"

Satoshi closed his eyes. "Calm down. I wasn't planning on leaving them behind. But we have to be prepared this time." He took out his Poké Ball. "Let's go, Machop."

"Maaacchh!" Machop cried as he materialized next to Rikishi's Machop. The two glanced at each other briefly.

"Right!" Tyler said, taking out a Poké Ball himself. "Cubone, I need your help!"

Nathalie was trembling slightly, but following Tyler's lead. "You too, Bulbasaur!"

"Cuuuuuh!"

"Buulbaaah!" The two Pokémon appeared next to the Machop duo.

Satoshi towered over the Pokémon. "Listen very carefully, all of you."

Mt. Moon
27 June 2008, 1:37 PM

"Ugh…" Mike held his head. "They're apparently finally gone…"

Rikishi gritted his teeth. "You mean the Zubat or the others?"

Mike looked around, only now realizing that he had been separated from Nathalie, Tyler and Satoshi. "Oh no!"

"Oh yes, I'm afraid," Rikishi grumbled, "And Machop apparently followed them too, so I'm out of Pokémon. And I have no idea where we are either. Can this get any worse?"

"Nidddoooooh?" Nidoran poked his head out from between two rocks, apparently having followed Mike and Rikishi.

"Of course it can," Rikishi fumed, "It always can." He started walking towards Nidoran, a threatening expression on his face. "It's all your fault we're in this situation!"

"Hey!" Mike shouted, "You're the one who kicked that Geodude!"

Rikishi looked over his shoulder. "And who made me do that? This little…!" When he turned back around, Nidoran was nowhere to be found.

"Good job," Mike noted, "You scared him off."

"Not my fault!" Rikishi shouted again.

Mike looked at him fiercely, before realizing somewhat. "Why is it so bright in here?"

Rikishi's angry expression changed to confusion. "What are you talking about?"

Mike looked around. "The rest of the cave was nearly fully pitch-black. But we're perfectly able to see around here… Wait a second." The cave's walls were filled with mushrooms that emitted a dim white light, that somehow seemed eerie.

"Mushrooms?" Rikishi picked one from the wall. "Weird. Why would there be mushrooms growing around here? And why do they give off light?"

"Tyyyy!"

Both Mike and Rikishi snapped out of their thinking by the sudden scream from deeper in the cave. "What was that?" Mike cautiously asked.

"No idea." Rikishi glared at the direction the sound came from.

Mike knew that the logical decision was to not get involved with whatever trouble that was apparently brewing there, but a second cry made up his mind. "I'm going. Come on, Elekid, Sandshrew, Metapod!" He threw his three Poké Balls in the air.

"Eleeee!"

"Saaaaaand!"

"Meta," the three Pokémon cried as they materialized on the ground right before Mike.

"There's someone or something in trouble over there!" Mike quickly told them, picking up the immobile Metapod, "We have to go help!"

"Eleeeee!"

"Saaaaand!" The two Pokémon nodded in response, and followed Mike through the narrow corridor.

"Guess I don't have any choice either." Rikishi cursed. "Hold up!"

As they went deeper inside the cave, Mike and Rikishi noticed that the amount of mushrooms on the wall grew bigger and bigger. The plus side was that it was much brighter now. The downside was that they were probably headed towards trouble, as multiple cries could be heard now, the majority of them sounding mostly the same.

The corridor suddenly became much wider, revealing a small room inside the caves. It was absolutely filled with fungi, putting the whole room in a dim white light. But that was not the only thing the room was filled with.

Small orange Pokémon crawled all over the place. They had small pincers and even smaller mushrooms growing on their back.

"What are those?" Mike pondered, bringing out his Pokédex.

"Paras, the mushroom Pokémon. Paras has parasitic mushrooms growing on its back called tochukaso. They grow large by drawing nutrients from this Bug Pokémon host. They are highly valued as a medicine for extending life."

"That's…unique, if nothing else," Rikishi said, having caught up with the younger boy.

Mike nodded. Just as he was about to put his Pokédex away, he heard the same cry in pain again. He narrowed his eyes, and only now noticed what was going on in the center of the room.

A Pokémon with bigger claws and a much bigger mushroom on his back was beating down a purple Pokémon that looked slightly humanoid. The bigger version of Paras clawed at the smaller Pokémon relentlessly, but the latter didn't seem to feel like giving up.

"Finally!" Rikishi cheered, "That's a Tyrogue!"

Mike looked at his Pokédex. "But what's that other Pokémon?"

"Parasect, the mushroom Pokémon and the evolved form of Paras. Parasect is known to infest large trees en masse and drain nutrients from the lower trunk and roots. When an infested tree dies, they move onto another tree all at once."

"Fun Pokémon," Rikishi noted.

"Yeah, but what's it doing in a cave like Mt. Moon?" Mike wondered, "The Pokédex mentioned it liked being around trees!"

"I guess it's the mushrooms that attract Paras and Parasect to this place," Rikishi shrugged.

"Tyyy!" Tyrogue's weaker-sounding cry snapped the trainers' attention back to the fight. Tyrogue seemed to be losing badly. He lied on the ground, covered in multiple bruises from Parasect's powerful claws. But even then, he got back up again, albeit clutching his left arm against his body. "Ty… Rogue!"

"Why does he keep going?" Mike cried out.

"That's Tyrogue's nature," Rikishi stated, "The stronger an opponent is, the more Tyrogue wants to battle." He frowned. "That being said, this still doesn't look good at all."

"You don't say!" Mike yelled, accidentally turning the attention of the Paras and Parasect to the humans.

"Way to go," Rikishi whispered.

"Ssseecctttt!" The sounds Parasect made sounded like something between a low hissing sound and an echo. He raised a pincer. "Sssseeccttt!"

"Parrrasss!" The smaller Bug-type Pokémon began swarming at the two trainers.

Mike took on a battle stance. "Elekid, Sandshrew! Get ready to battle!"

"Eleeee!"

"Shreewww!"

"Use Thunder Shock, Elekid!" Mike quickly commanded, "And you use Poison Sting, Sandshrew!"

"Eleeee!" Elekid's antennae sparkled familiarly when the Electric-type Pokémon sent out a small jolt of electricity towards the nearest Paras. However, the Bug-type Pokémon barely seemed phased.

"Saaaand!" Sandshrew's Poison Sting, on the other hand, had hit a bunch of Paras. They winced in pain and quickly retreated into the shadows.

"Mike!" Rikishi called, "Paras and Parasect aren't only Bug-type Pokémon, they're also part Grass! So your Electric-type attacks won't have much effect, but your Poison-type moves will!"

"Got it!" Mike yelled back, "Keep up the Poison Sting, Sandshrew! And you use Quick Attack, Elekid!"

"Kidddd!" Elekid dashed at the Paras he had hit before at incredible speed, knocking the smaller Pokémon away with a full-body attack.

"Saaaand!" Sandshrew kept firing poisonous needles at the approaching horde. Nearly every time a Paras was hit, the respective Pokémon withdrew.

Suddenly, while rushing back for another attack, Elekid slumped over. "Eleee…?" a dazed Elekid cried, before dropping face-first on the ground, snoring loudly.

"Elekid!" Mike shouted, alarmed.

"Calm down!" Rikishi ordered, "That's Paras' ability, Effect Spore! If you make contact with it, your Pokémon can become poisoned, paralyzed or fall asleep!"

Mike clenched his fists, and then took out Elekid's Poké Ball to recall his starter Pokémon. He figured that if Elekid was asleep, he'd just be in danger lying around.

"Meta." Mike looked at Metapod in surprise, nearly having forgotten he held the Bug-type in his arms. Metapod was staring at the battle between Tyrogue and Parasect, that was apparently still going on. "Pod."

Mike gritted his teeth. He couldn't risk throwing Metapod into battle. The Pokémon could barely even move, which would make her easy pickings for the Paras.

"Shrreewww!" Sandshrew's surprised cry snapped Mike out of his thoughts. Sandshrew had apparently breathed in some of the spores the Paras were shaking off. To his horror, he saw the Ground-type Pokémon dropping down in the same fashion Elekid did before him.

"Spore," Rikishi groaned, "A move that causes your opponent to fall asleep."

"But why aren't the other Paras affected by the spores flying around?" Mike protested.

Rikishi crossed his arms. "Simple. Grass-type Pokémon are immune to spore-based attacks, such as Poison Powder and Spore."

"Great," Mike sighed, also recalling Sandshrew as he was about to get swarmed by Paras. He looked at Metapod. The cocoon Pokémon was their only hope now, but what could Metapod possibly do against the horde of Paras?

"Meta."

Mike closed his eyes. "You sure, Metapod?"

"Pod."

It was difficult to see what Metapod was thinking exactly, but Mike decided to trust his instincts. "Alright then." He put Metapod on the ground, facing the approaching mushroom Pokémon. "Stop them in their tracks, Metapod! String Shot!"

"Meta." Metapod shot a silky white web out of what should have been her mouth, gluing the first batch of nearby Paras to the ground.

"All right!" Mike cheered, "Way to go, Metapod!"

"Don't celebrate just yet!" Rikishi warned him. Just as he finished his sentence, the Paras slashed the webs they were tangled up in to pieces with their pincers. Meanwhile, other nearby Paras launched another Spore attack on Metapod. The attack made direct contact, and the cocoon Pokémon closed her eyes.

"Oh no," Mike muttered, about to take out his Poké Ball to recall Metapod as well.

"Stop!" Rikishi ordered, stopping Mike in his tracks.

"Metapod's in danger!" Mike retorted, enlarging the Poké Ball's sphere form in his hand.

"Just wait!" Rikishi pointed at Metapod, and only now Mike noticed that a green aura enveloped the Pokémon. Sickly blue waves seemed to get pushed out of her cocoon by the green aura. Metapod opened her eyes again.

"How…" Mike started.

"That was Shed Skin," Rikishi noted, "A Pokémon with that ability sometimes can get rid of its status problem!"

"Wow!" Mike wanted to congratulate his exceptional cocoon Pokémon, but only then noticed that the Paras were almost on her already. "Use Harden, quick!"

"Meta." Metapod's shell gleamed for a split second, right before the Paras unleashed their Scratch and Fury Swipes attacks on her. Although there were at least half a dozen Paras clawing at her, Metapod seemed to be able to hold her ground. However, if more Paras were to attack…

"Rrraasss!" Mike watched in horror as a Paras slashed away with his pincer, leaving a huge gash in Metapod's shell.

"Metapod!" Mike cried.

"Pod." The Bug-type Pokémon began to shine. The white light she gave off was much brighter and warmer than the light of the mushrooms, and the Paras quickly scuttled away from the shining cocoon Pokémon. Or at least, what remained of it. Two wings sprouted from the shell, quickly followed by the rest of the Pokémon's new body. As the light faded, a small flying Pokémon with compound eyes and antennae looked down upon the hissing group of Paras.

"Butterfree…?" Mike said in awe, opening his Pokédex.

"Butterfree, the butterfly Pokémon and the evolved form of Metapod. Butterfree has a superior ability to search for delicious honey from flowers. It can even search out, extract, and carry honey from flowers that are blooming over six miles from its nest."

"All right!" Mike cheered, "And you also learned a bunch of new moves too! Time to show them what we're made of, Butterfree!"

"Frreeee!" Butterfree nodded, displaying the same amount of emotion as she did as a Caterpie once more.

"Use Gust!"

"Freeeee!" Butterfree started flapping her wings quickly, blowing multiple nearby Paras away, as well as sending their Spore attacks back right where they came from.

"Paaarrrraaassss!" the mushroom Pokémon cried in pain as they got hit by the powerful attack, quickly retreating back into the shadows.

"Wow." Mike blinked, hardly able to believe that Butterfree chased them all away with just one attack. "You really are awesome, Butterfree."

"Buttterrr!" Butterfree smiled.

"Rrrrogue!" Mike had been so focused on keeping the Paras away from him that he hadn't noticed that Tyrogue was still getting beaten up by Parasect.

"Butterfree, quick!" Mike ordered, "Go help Tyrogue!"

"Freee!" Mike could have sworn he saw the Bug/Flying-type pout, but she obeyed his order anyway, flying in between Parasect and Tyrogue.

"Sssseeeeccttt!" Parasect hissed, raising his claw at the unexpected meddler.

"Freeee!" Butterfree began flying in circles around Parasect. Much to Mike's surprise, the seemingly violent Pokémon didn't make an attempt to attack Butterfree.

"They're talking." Rikishi crossed his arms. "I don't like this. They're both Bug-type Pokémon. Who knows, maybe Butterfree even agrees with that thing and turns against us."

"Hey!" Mike protested, "That's my Butterfree you're talking about! She would never do something like that!"

"Sssseeecccccttt." Mike noticed Parasect's voice sounded much calmer now. "Sssseeeccttt." The bigger Pokémon looked at Mike and Rikishi -almost apologetically- before retreating into the shadows like its Paras kin did before it.

Butterfree fluttered back to the humans, landing comfortably on top of Mike's head. "Frreeee!"

Mike smiled. "Well done, Butterfree! I don't know what you said to it, but it must have worked!"

"Ty…" Tyrogue slowly pulled himself back to his feet, glaring at Mike and Butterfree. "Rrrrogue!"

"Interesting," Rikishi noted, "I don't think Tyrogue wanted to be saved. Actually, thinking about it, Tyrogue may actually be to blame for all of this."

"Buttterr!" Butterfree nodded in response.

Mike suddenly realized it as well. "Those Paras and Parasect must have been so angry because a random Pokémon trespassed in their territory and began attacking them!"

Rikishi crossed his arms. "I didn't know Tyrogue found its strong enemies like this. No wonder those Paras were so aggressive towards us."

"Rrrrrrogue…" Tyrogue slowly walked up to them. "Rrrrrroggue…!"

Even Rikishi seemed baffled. "Unbelievable. Tyrogue got pummeled so many times already, and he still wants to battle?"

"We can't do that!" Mike protested, "Tyrogue is already hurt! He needs help, not even more of a beating!"

"I may have an idea." The martial artist reached in a pocket in his coat, revealing a Poké Ball. "And it involves this! Go, Poké Ball!"

"Tyyy!" Even though Tyrogue was hurt, his reflexes were still more than good enough to punch the approaching Poké Ball to shards.

Rikishi gulped. "That didn't work."

"The idea was good, but the execution could have been better." Mike stared at Tyrogue, then nudged Butterfree. "Ready?"

"Freeeee!" Butterfree flew up, glaring at Tyrogue.

"Rrrrogue!" The small Fighting-type Pokémon actually grinned, seeing as he was about to face another strong adversary. His eyes suddenly shot small red beams at Butterfree, but the attack didn't seem to have any effect whatsoever.

"Well then, our turn!" Mike announced, "Time for your second new move, Butterfree! Sleep Powder!"

"Buttterrr!" Butterfree began flapping her wings, extracting pollens out of them in the process. The pollens drifted in the air around Tyrogue.

Mike even noticed the scuffle Pokémon breathe in some of them, and it still didn't affect him. "What's this?"

"It has to be Vital Spirit," Rikishi stated, "A Pokémon with this ability cannot be put asleep in battle."

Mike gritted his teeth. "Butterfree, Tackle, go!"

"Frrreeee!" Butterfree flew at Tyrogue, preparing a full-body attack.

"Tyyy!" Tyrogue must have been hurt from his battle with Parasect, but the way it sidestepped Butterfree's attack and easily dodged didn't show it. "Rrrrrrogue!" His voice sounded somewhat taunting.

"What a powerful Pokémon…" Mike muttered, before grinning. "But we're powerful too! Butterfree, Tackle again!"

"Rrrrrogue!" Before Butterfree had the time to act, Tyrogue quickly jumped up and hit Butterfree with his own Tackle. Butterfree had attempted to dodge, but the Fighting-type Pokémon seemed to have anticipated that.

"What happened?" Mike cried in surprise as Butterfree was slammed to the ground.

"I guess the first attack Tyrogue used was Foresight," Rikishi noted, "A move that makes it much easier for the user to predict the opponents' moves and hit them."

"I see…" Mike looked at the grounded Butterfree, who still had Tyrogue sitting on her back. "Now, Butterfree! Confusion! Lift Tyrogue up into the air!"

"Frrrreeee!" Butterfree's eyes turned blue. At the same time, a blue aura enveloped Tyrogue, and the scuffle Pokémon was raised in the air.

"Tyyy!" Tyrogue screeched in pain. The psychic energy prevented the weakened Fighting-type to break free.

"I can't let this go on any longer," Mike muttered, "This is your chance, Rikishi! Quick, catch Tyrogue!"

Rikishi crossed his arms. "No."

Mike angrily glanced over his shoulder. "Why not?"

Rikishi closed his eyes. "I never thought I'd say this, but I'm not worthy to train this Tyrogue. Or at least, that's what Tyrogue would think. Because I'm not the one that beat him in a battle." He opened his eyes, digging them into Mike's. "The one who did that is you."

"So…" Mike took an empty Poké Ball out of his pocket. He looked from Tyrogue to the sphere, and back to Tyrogue. "Would it really be okay if I…?"

"Are you going to wait all day before throwing that?" Rikishi snapped, "Because I don't have all day, and Tyrogue has even less time!"

Mike gripped the Poké Ball more tightly. "You're right!" He turned towards Tyrogue. "Poké Ball, go!"

The red-and-white ball hit the dazed Tyrogue on the chest, sucking his essence into it. The ball dropped to the ground. Shook once. Shook twice. Shook thrice.

And stayed still.

Mike ran up to the Poké Ball. A big grin spread on his face as he picked it up. "All right! I caught a Tyrogue!"

"Rub it in even more, why don't you…" Rikishi muttered.

"…ike?" The two trainers and Butterfree suddenly turned their heads towards the entrance they came from. "Rikishi?"

"Nidoooh!" Nidoran was the first to burst through the entrance, quickly followed by Nathalie, Tyler, Satoshi, Bulbasaur, Cubone and two Machop.

"There…you all…are…" Nathalie panted, "Where…did you…?" She raised an eyebrow when she noticed the Butterfree in the air. "Metapod…?"

Mike's grin grew even bigger. "I think we need to catch up."

Tyler nodded. "I agree, but there's something more important first." He grinned. "Let's get outta here."

Route 4
27 June 2008, 5:02 PM

"I see…" Satoshi put a hand on Mike's shoulder. "You have handled yourself superbly, in that case. I'm glad Tyrogue ended up in the care of such a competent trainer."

"And Butterfree evolved as well in the meantime!" Nathalie beamed, "That's awesome!"

"I know!" Mike patted the head of his Butterfree, who was still sitting on his head. "Without Butterfree none of this would have been possible too."

"Frrreeee!" Butterfree cried contently.

"But how did you guys find us, actually?" Mike wondered, only now realizing how such an important question didn't come up to him before.

Tyler scratched the back of his head. "Funny story there. We had a guide."

Mike raised an eyebrow. "A guide?"

"Nidooooh!"

Mike looked down to see Nidoran standing next to Tyler. "Nidoran?" he asked in disbelief.

Tyler nodded. "Nidoran suddenly appeared in front of us. The little guy seemed to be in a panic. He was biting my trousers and everything, as if he wanted to lure us into a certain direction. Which he did."

Mike glanced at Rikishi. The older man tried to look everywhere but at Mike and Nidoran. Mike laughed internally. Nidoran went to fetch help, even though Rikishi had treated him horribly. Mike hoped deeply that the martial artist felt remorse over his actions.

"So I guess we're even now, huh?" Tyler kneeled to get eye contact with Nidoran. He was toying with a Poké Ball in his hand. "Y'know, you're pretty good. Would you-"

"Nidoooooh!" Nidoran suddenly rushed away and disappeared into the tall grass, leaving the dumbstruck group behind.

Tyler broke the silence. "I just wanted to ask him to join my team…" For the first time, Mike thought he sounded genuinely hurt.

"Tough luck." Satoshi looked at the grass. "Not all Pokémon want to go with a trainer. Speaking of trainers…" He turned towards Mike. "Your next destination is Cerulean City, no?"

Mike nodded vigorously. "Yeah! With Tyrogue now by my side as well, the gym badge already is as good as won!"

"You're going to need Tyrogue," Rikishi chimed in, "The Cerulean leader uses Water-type Pokémon, which means Sandshrew will do very poorly."

"But Elekid will shine!" Nathalie retorted, earning herself a shrug from Rikishi.

"Either way," Satoshi continued, "I wish you the best of luck on your journey, all three of you. And please, when you are in the vicinity of Saffron City, come visit us at the fighting dojo."

"You're not heading for Cerulean City?" Nathalie asked.

Satoshi shook his head. "We have just been given confirmation that there are indeed more Tyrogue living in Mt. Moon. Both my brother and I shall keep attempting to catch one." He headed back towards the cave's entrance, followed by Rikishi. "I hope we meet again someday."

Mike, Nathalie and Tyler watched them go off. "Strange duo," Tyler noted, "I hope they won't go around forcing their Pokémon to train either kicking or punching."

"At least Satoshi seemed nice enough, I doubt he'll do that," Nathalie sighed, "I don't know about Rikishi though. Speaking of him, I really don't know how you managed to put up with him while you two were alone, Mike."

Mike shrugged. "Wanna know something funny? I don't either." He spun Tyrogue's Poké Ball around on his palm, and grinned widely. "Cerulean gym, here I come!"

And once more, Mike has caught a new Pokémon! Just in time too, as the gym battle against Misty is approaching quickly. Also, this chapter marks the second appearance of the first recurring wild Pokémon- Nidoran! Yes, that means Nidoran will reappear in future chapters. I won't tell when, where or why, but this isn't Nidoran's only appearance. Promise.

Next chapter we will have the group arrive in Cerulean City, where the second gym is located!

Once more, happy Easter, thank you for reading, and have a good day!

Mike's team:

Elekid
- Male
- Electric-type
- Static
- Thunder Shock, Leer, Quick Attack

Butterfree
- Female
- Bug/Flying-type
- Compound Eyes
- Tackle, Sleep Powder, Confusion, Gust

Sandshrew
- Male
- Ground-type
- Sand Rush
- Sand Tomb, Defense Curl, Scratch, Poison Sting

Tyrogue
- Male
- Fighting-type
- Vital Spirit
- Tackle, Foresight

Nathalie's team:

Bulbasaur
- Male
- Grass/Poison-type
- Overgrow
- Vine Whip, Growl, Tackle

Tyler's team:

Cubone
- Female
- Ground-type
- Rock Head
- Headbutt, Leer, Focus Energy, Bonemerang

Geodude
- Male
- Rock/Ground-type
- Rock Head
- Tackle, Rollout, Defense Curl, Rock Throw