Hello everybody, sorry its been a while. I was visiting Portland and there was no internet where I was. I promise suspenseful chapters ahead. Conflict is on the horizon. Lets continue.

Chapter 8 Path to Mount Moon

The afternoon was quiet and calm after the battle Patrick won against Brock. He told the others that he was taking a stroll and they were okay with it. Michael had congratulated Patrick for his victory against Brock, but Lucas was a little jealous. Patrick brushed it off as he began to explore the city.

The entire town was very peaceful in the canyon it rested in. Millennia of erosion and continental shift had morphed the mountains. Some rose, some fell, some moved, and still some vanished entirely. Pewter city was originally a miners colony that was formed as a base for the explorers, plunderers, miners, and scientists who sought to gain wealth, or glory, or even just excitement. All using Pewter as a foothold to search out Mt. Moon, the colossal mountain that dwarfed all others in Kanto, save perhaps the volcano on Cinnabar Island or Mt. Silver in the far west. For most of the northwest region, mountains formed a protective crescent that guarded Kanto against storms and other natural threats from Johto or the surrounding ocean. Pewter was the northernmost city and beyond it was untamed wilderness where only the rock, ground, or flying type Pokemon that dwelled inside or on the mountains. The land was only explored by the brave or the foolhardy.

At least ten thousand years ago, rumor had it that a meteor from the cosmic asteroid belt had fallen onto earth and smashed into the Kanto mountain range. The asteroid allegedly slammed into a large summit and disintegrated into smaller shards. Over the next millennium, the meteor allegedly disappeared due to erosion and sedimentary destruction, though the precious moonstones continue to be discovered every so often, sometimes in other regions, when a smaller meteor was forced into the Earths gravity to rest on the planetary surface. For unknown reasons, the moon stones seem to be effective in causing a Pokemon to evolve, though nobody knows why. Some scientists argued that the radiation from the moonstones force some Pokemon to evolve; others believe the stones act like hormones and increase a Pokemon's abilities, thus leading them to evolution; still some believe the stones to contain DNA or another form of genetic material that can be absorbed by some Pokemon.

Whatever the case, the stones were valuable. So much so that they were the motive for creating Pewter in the first place. But while miners and explorers regularly visited the mountain every so often, the mountain was now a protected region, and miners were limited in where they could excavate. Most miners now dug for the Pewter Museum of science. The Museum of Science was the heart of Pewter, both literally and metaphorically. It is the city's main attraction and place of interest to travelers, but it also was a monument to all science. The marble walls were more aged than other buildings and the roof looked worn from facing off against the elements for decades. Still, the building greeted Patrick and welcomed him to see the sights inside. He was not disappointed.

All throughout the first floor were beautifully preserved meteors stone carvings, primitive rock formations, beautiful gemstones, precious minerals, and walls of stone. Patrick was amazed by all the exhibits and viewed each one with wonder. He was examining each piece when he saw a large rock in the center. It was a moon stone protected by a large glass barrier. This single rock was massive; at least four feet across from left to right and at least two feet tall. It was monumental. To imagine a moon stone being even larger than this was astounding. The stone looked ancient; large swollen cavities were all throughout the monolithic piece and the gigantic stone was ironically fragile. Patrick thought that this must have taken days to excavate and transport. It must have been the most interesting piece in the exhibit, he thought. That is when he saw the fossils.

Massive skeletons hung on the far left of the museum. Three Pokemon that once ruled the earth now hung as lifeless bodies; a mere shadow of their former selves. Patrick moved closer and examined each one. The first one was a massive flying Pokemon. It assize elongated wing bones and sharp claws on each side. The tail was bony and spiked at the end and the creature had massive talons that were built for grabbing onto struggling prey. The most impressive feature on this skeleton was the large set of jaws that hung open to display the razor sharp teeth. This creature was once a savage predator that made many modern hunters look like Pidgey in compassion. The Prehistoric Pokemon was a menace of its time, and for good reason. "Aerodactyl." Patrick read. "Hate to get attacked by this thing."

He moved over to the next fossil. It was a large circular shell that was colored black by age and wear. In the description on the Pokemon, Omastar, was an ocean dweller that floated in the sea currents and captured fish and other water Pokemon with its tentacles. Throughout its entire life, Omastar would live in its shell and live a solemn but peaceful existence. It could retreat into the shell to protect itself from most predators in the sea, save the larger more dangerous ones such as Gyrados and Sharpedo. The creature was also capable of living above water by rolling on its shell. The large spikes on the exterior would provide traction as the Pokemon rolled across the earth to cross a body of land or adversely attack a rival Pokemon.

The last Pokemon he saw was the mighty Pokemon, Kabutops. It looked like a mix between a crab and a ninja. Long massive scythes descended from the creatures arms. For many years, scientists debated whether the blades were used as actual weapons, or instead hoes that dug into the earth to find roots or other forms of underground vegetation. Nowadays, most scientists believed that they served both purposes rather than one. Kabutops was after all an omnivore rather than a predator like Aerodactyl. The creature also was armor plated and could withstand most physical attacks. The battle armor made the fearsome crab even more intimidating. Everything about the crab was mysterious. But there was something amiss. Somebody else was examining the skeletons.

He had a caped hood and his face was darkened by the shadow that hid him. He had a fair skinned face and his lips appeared older. The features that could be seen were muscular and built. He was staring at the fossil, but was seemingly aware of Patrick's presence. He walked towards the Aerodactyl skeleton and smiled. "Beautiful aren't they?" He almost whispered.

"Yeah. Amazing how they were once so alive." Patrick replied with a nod.

"Indeed." He was quiet for some time after and Patrick stood by with the uneasy silence. "But that is not why I am here."

"Huh, why are you here then?" Patrick asked.

"There are rumors spreading. Dark rumors. Rumors that something is going on at Mount Moon. The mountain is active again."

Patrick listened with deep curiosity. Active? How could the mountain be active? Mt. Moon was not a volcano, so what was he talking about. "What do you mean?" He finally asked.

"I'm saying that if you plan on going over to Mt. Moon, you may want to exercise caution." The figure replied. "That is all."

"Well we do plan on going to Mt. Moon, unless you can name another way to reach Cerulean City." Patrick replied with a combination of authority, ridicule, and skepticism. The man seemed unfazed and started to walk away. Before he reached the stairwell he paused. Patrick waited for him to turn but he never did. He did speak, though, in a cryptic but familiar voice.

"Only time will tell what will happen."

"Who are you?" Patrick asked.

"I can't tell you, but rest assured, it is for good reason." The figure replied.

"Say I do go to Mt. Moon, what should I be alert of?"

"Hearts can take many forms. They remain deep within us. Only with human desire do we discover them." He stated before disappearing beneath the stairs. Patrick tried to follow but he never found him. He was gone. What was he talking about? What was he warning him about? More importantly, who was he?


The next day.

The battles against Brock had gone rather smoothy. Michael managed to beat the leaders Onix with his Squirtle and Lucas managed to beat the Geodude this time around. They all had their Boulderbadges and were set to travel to Cerulean. Patrick talked about the figure he saw at the Museum of Science as they walked to Mt. Moon. Michael took interest but Lucas thought Patrick was hallucinating. "You saw a Gastly. A really impressionable one."

"Are you kidding me! That was no ghost!" Patrick stammered. Lucas raised an eyebrow and smiled mischievously.

"Are you scared of ghosts?" Lucas asked.

"No, why? Why would I be scared of a ghost? What are you saying I don't like ghosts?" Patrick replied nervously.

"Okay. Well guess what I caught? Thats right. Haunter I choose you!" Lucas screamed as a threw a Poke ball. Patrick literally yelped and ran away as the Poke ball flashed white. Lucas rolled on the ground laughing as the 'ghost' turned out to be a Beedrill. "That was perfect."

"You asshole!" Patrick screamed, now running to tackle Lucas and sock him in the face. Lucas barely managed to command the Beedrill to use Poison Sting and the bug ran at its opponent. Patrick stopped and ran in the opposing direction, all the while issuing curse words and other threatening verbal attacks to Lucas.

"Man, that guys gonna love Lavender Town." Lucas chuckled, now on his feet as Michael shook his head in both disbelief and awe. "Yeah, he definitely saw a ghost."

"I DID NOT SEE A GHOST!" Patrick screamed as Beedrill stabbed at him.

"Yes you did. You said it disappeared immediately after it went down the stairs. Thats because he went through a wall."

"No. He was just super stealthy." Patrick shook his head. "It was no ghost." Patrick yelped again as the Beedrill tackled him and pinned him to the ground. The boy writhed and cried out in anger and shock. "WILL YOU GET THIS STUPID BEE TO LEAVE ME ALONE?"

"Okay, fine. Recon come back." Lucas laughed as he pulled out a red sphere to call back the Bee Pokemon. Patrick just panted as the others walked by him. He was exhausted from his chase with the Beedrill and could only stare as Lucas gave a mischievous grin.

"Patrick, why are you scared of ghosts?" Michael asked. Patrick groaned and clenched his fists, before realizing that Michael was asking and not Lucas. Lucas was doing it to be annoying, Michael was probably asking with sincerity.

"I dunno, why do dogs hate cats? They just do. Look it doesn't matter."

"Sure. Lets just keep going."

The road to Mt. Moon was quiet. The rocks glistened in the afternoon sun and all was peaceful. The wind blew softly over the grass and bikers pedaled on the cliff tops. A few campers were sitting on the route but other than that most of the route was deserted. The occasional Pidgey flew overhead or a Rattata would cross the road but otherwise there was little to no activity, save the laughter and conversation that came from the children who rolled down the road. As they crossed the path they looked for rare Pokemon. They had their Pokemon healed up in advance so they were ready for anything.

They never encountered anything though. No Pokemon were on the road and any that did appear were not openly desired. Eventually they came across a hole in the mountains and paused. They turned to each other and nodded. Patrick was more cautious, uncaring if he was looked down upon by Lucas. Who cares what he thinks, he thought. Its okay to be cautious. That man did warn you after all. He held onto his starters Poke ball and entered the cave, ready for whatever awaited him.

Thanks everybody, or that one person who has been reading my stuff. Remember. PM Me and review review review. You guys are awesome. Also give me ideas for future chapters. I like the fear of ghosts idea and it might work out. Now heres a question for you all. Who do you want to battle Misty. Lucas or Michael? Give your opinions and enjoy!