I am back! Did you miss me? As you know, my excuse is school. Though once summer break starts, I don't know what my excuse would be. Let's hope I don't need one. Well, enjoy!

Chapter 8: The Mysteries in the Cave

"Will you stop flashing that around?" Ann said to Danny, who was looking at his Stone Badge that was attached in his vest. "You've been doing it for two days straight."

"I can't help it," Danny said as he and Chu stared at the shiny badge. "This is my first badge!"

"Pika pika chu," Chu agreed, nodding his head.

"You two are such kids," Ann teased with a giggle.

They ignored her and continued staring at the badge before something dashed from the bushes in front of them, causing Danny to stumble and hit face first on the ground with Chu following him.

"Ow…" Danny muttered as he rubbed his nose. "What was that?"

"Pikaaa!" Chu exclaimed as he shook the dust off his face.

"I think it was that fella over there," Ann replied, pointing at the bush.

They all looked at the moving bush. Curious, Danny slowly walked in it and looked in it. He saw a small Pokémon on all fours with long ears and horns. It had red eyes staring at Danny.

"Whoa, a Nidoran(male)," he commented as he pulled out Dex. The screen showed the Nidoran(male).

"Nidoran, the Poison Pin Pokémon. Its large ears are always kept upright. If it senses danger, it will attack with a poisonous sting."

Danny stared at the Nidoran(male) then at his Pokédex. The Nidoran(male) in front of him was darker than the one shown in his Pokédex.

"What's a Nidoran(male) doing here?" Ann asked as the Pokémon glared at him. "Shouldn't they be in Route 22?"

"I don't think this is a wild Pokémon," Danny commented as he saw the scars on the Pokémon's body and his posture. "It's been trained."

"What?" Ann asked in shock.

"And by the looks of it, he's been abandoned," Danny added as he tried to approach the angry Nidoran(male). "How many sorry-excuse-for-Trainers are there?"

"He looks hurt," Ann said as she noticed the tired look and injuries on the small Pokémon. "We should help it."

"Easier said than done," Danny said as he tried to get closer to the Pokémon, only to back away as Nidoran(male) growled. Chu tried, but Nidoran(male) barely trust him. "I don't think this fella's the trusting type."

"Try your other Pokémon," Ann suggested. "He might trust them."

"Worth a shot," Danny said with a shrug as he unclipped all his Poke' balls. "Come on out, everyone!"

With a flash of light, Char, Gar, Arow, Free and Gyaro appeared. They all looked at Danny, wondering what their Trainer wanted when a noise got their attention. They stared at Nidoran(male), who was looking at Arow in shock.

"Spear? Spearow!" Arow exclaimed as she flew towards Nidoran(male) and started talking.

"Ni nidoran," Nidoran(male) replied. Everyone stared at the two in interest.

"Arow," Danny called once their conversation was over. "You know him?"

Arow nodded and gestured to Nidoran(male), who looked less hostile now, then to herself. "Spearow, row Spearow."

"You two used to belong to the same Trainer?" Danny said, both shock and angry. "That does it, the second we meet this guy, we are giving him the 'special'!"

His team all roared their agreement while Ann sweat dropped a bit. She knows about the 'special' and almost felt sorry for the Trainer who abandoned his/her Pokémon for no good reason…scratch that, she doesn't feel sorry at all.

The Nidoran(male) stared at the group of Pokémon with a weird out expression. He was specifically staring at Danny, since he never saw a Trainer who was nice to Pokémon before. The only thing he knew from a Trainer was pain of training and the fear of losing. Once you lost, you're worthless, that's the rule he lived for days and because of that one little lost, he was kicked out.

He stared at the happy group of Pokémon in front of him. He never saw this in his old Trainer's team. Nidoran(male) was surprised to see the very serious Arow so happy. She and another Pokémon were the only ones he could trust in that dreaded team.

Arow told him that he could trust this white-haired boy. Said that he saved her, treated her like family and made her stronger than ever. Nidoran(male) looked at Danny before he shouted, getting their attention.

They stared at the Pokémon, who started stomping on the ground. Danny knew what he wanted and grinned.

"So you wanna battle, huh?" Danny said with a grin and Nidoran(male) nodded, stomping harder. "Well then, let's go."

Nidoran(male) ran to the opposite side and readied himself.

"Well, who likes to battle?" Danny asked his team. Everyone wanted to fight, jumping to get his attention. He grinned as he pointed at Char. "Char, go battle!"

Char cheered as the others deflated. He ran in front of Danny and he looked at Nidoran(male) with a determined expression.

With a growl, Nidoran(male) charged at Char with a Tackle attack.

"Use Ember!" Danny shouted. Char threw some fireballs to the Poison Pin Pokémon. Nidoran(male) just went straight through the fire attack, much to everyone's ,but Arow's, shock. "Char, move out of the way!"

Char jumped out of the way by the last minute when Nidoran(male) suddenly changed course and headed straight to Char. He hit the Charmander on the side, sending him sprawling on the ground.

"Not only tough, but fast as well," Danny thought with a calculative look. "Whoever this Trainer is just wasted a good teammate."

"Shake it off Char and counter with Scratch!"

Char nodded and charged at Nidoran(male). He swiped and swiped, but his opponent was faster than he looked. Nidoran(male) had a smug look on his face as he evaded Char's attacks before tackling him again. Danny tried to think of a plan to stop Nidoran(male) from moving long enough for Char to defeat him.

He then noticed the dust Nidoran(male) was making and got an idea.

"Char, use Scratch on the ground!"

Char nodded and started attacking the ground, producing a large cloud of dust. Nidoran(male), who was charging at Char, got dust in his eyes, blinding him. He stopped his attack and tried to remove the dust from his eyes.

"Now Char!" Danny exclaimed. "Special Technique: Flame Hammer!"

Char nodded before jumping up in the air. Everyone but Nidoran(male) watched as Char started spinning as the flame on his tail go bigger until it covered his entire tail. With a roar, he slammed his fire-covered tail on the blinded Nidoran(male).

The Pokémon was swatted by the unique attack, flying towards a three, making it bend. He fell to the ground and Danny took out his last empty Pokéball to Nidoran(male).

"Go, Pokéball!"

The device hit Nidoran(male) and he disappeared in a flash of light. Everyone watched as the ball shake while blinking. With a loud 'ding!' the Pokéball stopped moving.

"Alright!" Danny shouted as he grabbed Char by the arms and swung him around with a large grin. "Flame Hammer actually work!"

"Charmander!"

Danny stopped the celebration and was about to grab his new Pokémon when the Pokéball disappeared.

"What?" Danny exclaimed as he looked at place where the device was before he realized something. "Nidoran(male)'s my seventh Pokémon, right?"

"Yeah," Ann nodded. "A Trainer can only carry six Pokémon. If you went pass that limit, it'll be teleported to Prof. Oak."

"Hope Nido won't give Prof. Oak a hard time," Danny commented, already naming Nidoran(male). "Well, onwards to the next gym…which is where exactly?"

"The closest gym is in Cerulean City," Ann said as she checked the map. "We just need to get through Mt. Moon."

"Mt. Moon?" Danny said with an excited gleam. "My dad said he found a meteorite there once. Let's go!"

He recalled all his Pokémon, grabbed Chu and Ann, and dragged them to where Mt. Moon is, excited to enter the cave. For as long as he remembered, anything involving space fascinated him since he saw that Pokémon flew out from the sky. He was awed at the thought of different types of Pokémon living with the stars.

He studied every book that involves in space, learned every constellation and decided that after he becomes a Pokémon Master, he'll become an astronaut.

"Danny, slow down!" Ann exclaimed as she felt her arm giving in.

Later…

"Wow, Mt. Moon," Danny said in awe, Ann and Chu panting next to him. "Let's go!"

He was about to enter when Ann grab the back of his vest, stopping him.

"Give…us…a breather…please," she said as she calmed her beating heart. The reason she was tired was because Danny dragged her in an hour run and they only stopped when a random Trainer challenged them.

"Ka…chu…pi," Chu said as he fell on his back, taking big breaths. The reason he was tired was that there were a lot of Trainers that challenged him.

Danny chuckled sheepishly, seeing that it was his fault they were tired. He rubbed the back of his neck, mumbling an apology.

Once they caught their breath, Ann looked at the cave. Unlike most girls her age, she was excited to explore this cave. She got her adventurous side from her father.

"Right, let's go!" Danny said as he walked towards the cave. The moment he stepped in it, he was engulfed in darkness. He couldn't see two feet in front of him. "Okay, it is very dark in here. It's so dark that I don't know if I'm blinking."

He pulled out Char's Pokéball and called him out. The moment Char appeared, the flame on his tail managed to light up the cave a bit.

"That's better," Danny said as he turned to Ann carrying Chu. "You help out to, Chu."

Chu nodded and sparks appeared on his cheeks before he was covered by bright light. The two kids looked around the cave and saw a lot of stalagmites and stalactites, the space in front of them still dark despite their source of light.

"This place is awesome," Danny said with a grin. "I hope we find a meteorite."

The two started trekking on the rocky ground. Danny has his eyes peeled in case he spotted a meteorite. He only spotted a few dollars, some Paras, a few Zubat, three Pokéballs and a gold nugget.

"Why is it so hard to find a meteorite?" Danny said as he sulked, putting the stuff he found in his bag. Just as he was about to take a step when something suddenly tackle him, causing him to stumble back in shock. "Why does that keep happening?" he exclaimed as Ann caught him before he fell. He then noticed something. "My pack!"

"Pika!" Chu exclaimed as he chased after the blur.

"Chu, wait!" Danny exclaimed as he, Ann and Char followed the Shiny Pokémon.

Thanks to Chu glowing like a light bulb, they managed to keep track of him through the dark cave. After a few twists and turns, they finally caught up to Chu, who was standing next to a cave so small that a person has to crawl to get inside.

"What was that about, Chu?" Danny asked as he caught his breath.

"Pika! Pika, Pikachu!" Chu said as he pointed at the cave.

"You want me to go in there?" Danny asked, looking at the cave. "So that Pokémon's there? Lead the way."

Chu nodded and easily entered the cave.

"Ladies first," Danny said as he gestured at Ann to go first. Ann give him a mock bow before crawling into the cave. He then recalled Char before crawling into the cave. The place was very cramped and a little moist. After a few minutes of crawling, and getting a little cluster phobic, he finally reached the exit. When he managed to get out the cave, Ann helped him up his feet.

"Wow," Danny said as he stared at the cave in wonder. It was a colony of Clefairy running through some tunnels, carrying small rocks. He pulled out his Pokédex and pointed it to the Pokémon.

"Clefairy, the Fairy Pokémon. On every night of a full moon, they come out to play. When dawn arrives, the tired Clefairy go to sleep nestled up against each other in deep and quiet mountains."

"They're so cute!" Ann squealed with starry eyes as they watched the Clefairy work.

All the Pokémon stopped and stared at them before they all ran to their caves, hiding from the strangers.

"Hey, there's my bag," Danny said as he walked towards his pack when the Clefairy who took it suddenly appeared in front of him, stopping him from taking the bag. "What's wrong?"

"Cle, cle cle fairy!" Clefairy explained, making gestures as it went in his pack and pulled out a potion.

"Are you hurt?" Danny asked as Clefairy handed him the potion.

The Pokémon shook its head and started gesturing the group to follow it. They followed the Clefairy, noticing how the other Clefairy were slowly peeking from their hiding places. The Clefairy led them to a cave where they spotted a Pokémon that looked like a Clefairy, only smaller.

"What is that?" Ann asked as Danny pulled out a Pokédex.

"Cleffa, the Star Shape Pokémon. If the impact site of a meteorite is found, this Pokémon is certain to be within the immediate area."

Danny looked at the screen, showing a pink Cleffa with brown cat-like ears, before looking at the Cleffa in front of them. It looks the same except the ears were green. He also noticed how pale the Pokémon look, lying on some moss.

"Ann, I think this Pokémon is sick," Danny said.

Ann's expression turned serious as she walked towards Cleffa and started checking on it.

"She has a very high fever," Ann commented as she pulled out some berries she picked during their travels in the forest. "I'll see what I can do. Danny, go heat up some water. Oh, and wet some towels."

Danny nodded as he grabbed a capsule from his pocket. He pressed the button and threw the capsule to the ground. With a poof, their equipment that they used for cooking appeared. It really is cool to have scientists for parents, since they get to make cool stuff and their kids get first dibs on it before it got off the market.

He grabbed a small pot and called out Gyaro, having the Magikarp fill the pot before he called Gar, using his tail as a stove. While he was working on the water, Ann started mashing berries together on a mortar.

"Ann, here's the water," Danny said as he handed the pot to Ann, who nodded in thanks. She placed the smash berries on the water and started stirring it before grabbing a baby bottle. "Why do you have a baby bottle?"

"Always be prepared," Ann replied as she carefully picked up Cleffa and placed the bottle in the Pokémon's mouth. She slowly drank the medicine until it was gone. Ann put the bottle down and started using the wet towel to wipe the sweat away.

"So how is she?" Danny asked as Ann put the sleeping Cleffa on the moss bed.

"All she needs now is rest," Ann said with a small smile. "But to be sure, I'll have to check her tomorrow."

"So we'll be camping here for tonight?" Danny asked before looking at the Clefairy that led them here. "Mind if we stay here?"

"Cle!" Clefairy didn't mind, so did the others who were out of their hiding place, happy smiles on their faces.

Danny decided to let his Pokémon out for the night and they started playing with the Clefairy. Danny just watched his Pokémon play as Ann tended to Cleffa, who was now less pale than before.

Danny, who was laughing as he watched Chu get chased by some female Clefairy, noticed something from the corner of his eye. He looked on his right and his eyes widened.

"A meteorite?" he said as he picked up the stone. It looked exactly like the one his dad had. With a grin, he pocketed the meteorite before he saw Chu getting dogpiled.

"Kachu Pi!" Chu exclaimed, calling for Danny as he didn't want to shock these Pokémon.

"Having fun, Chu?" Danny laughed as Chu struggled to get away from his new fangirls.

"Pika!"

The Next Day…

"Cleffa!" the small Pokémon exclaimed happily as she started dancing around happily.

"Well, looks like she's good as new," Danny said with a grin as the other Clefairy started dancing with the Cleffa. He then patted Ann on the back. "Good job, Ann."

The girl lightly blushed from the praise before smiling.

The Clefairy that led them here started thanking them for helping their little friend. After saying their goodbyes, that Clefairy led them to the nearest exit with Chu as their light source.

"So we just take this route and we'll be out of this cave?" Danny asked Clefairy, who nodded. "Thanks, Clefairy. Be safe, okay."

"Clefairy!" Clefairy said before running back with the others.

They watched Clefairy go until it disappeared in the darkness. With that, the group followed the directions Clefairy gave them, unaware that someone else was following them.

They walked through the dark, rocky path and saw light ahead. Excited, Danny, Ann and Chu quickened their pace and finally got out of the passage, only to find themselves in another cave.

"This one is at least lighted," Danny said as Chu stopped glowing. "It probably means were close."

"Pika!" Chu exclaimed, pointing at something.

Danny looked at where he was pointing and saw a small stone table and something on top of it. Curious, he walked towards it. On the table, he saw a fossil.

"Woah," he said as he recognized the fossil from Pewter City. "First a meteorite, then a fossil? This is one lucky day."

"Stop!" a familiar voice exclaimed. They all turned around and saw Box Trainer, who was carrying a big box. ."I, the Box Trainer, found that fossil first!"

"No you didn't," Danny said, gesturing at Chu. "Chu did. And why are you carrying a box?"

"Because I will use this box to hold that fossil!"

"Couldn't you use a smaller box?"

"…Beware!" Box Trainer exclaimed before pulling out his Pokéball. "I challenge you to a Pokémon Battle! Winner gets the fossil!"

Danny groaned, but complied nonetheless.

"Then beware, Rattata!" in a flash of red, the clumsy Rat Pokémon appeared, looking ready to fight.

Danny was about to use Chu, but decided that Free could use this to experience. He pulled out the Pokéball and called out Free, who was hopping around in anticipation.

"Rattata, use your Tackle!"

"Free, Harden!"

Rattata roared and charged at the happy Metapod, only for it to trip on something and fly head first to a rock-hard Pokémon, knocking the Rattata out.

"Well that was fast," Ann said with a sweat drop. Free hop around the knock out Pokémon, happy for its third victory.

Box Trainer recalled Rattata and sent his second Pokémon to battle.

"Go and win, Pidgey!" he shouted and Pidgey popped out of the Pokéball. The Bird Pokémon stared at the energized Bug Pokémon, making it feel even more tired.

"Blind your enemy with Sand-Attack!"

Pidgey just lazily lifted his leg and scratch the ground, sending a small cloud of sand towards Free, who was not affected by it.

"Er…use String Shot?" Danny said, sweat dropping at the lazy Pidgey.

With a happy bounce, Free fired silk strings towards Pidgey, causing it to be wrapped into a giant ball with its head sticking out. Pidgey pretended to struggle before falling asleep.

"Pidgey!" Box Trainer shouted before returning the bird into its Pokéball. "I still have one more! Go beat them, Zubat!"

He threw a Pokéball and in a flash, Zubat appeared.

"Zubat, huh?" Danny said as he opened up his Pokedex.

"Zubat, the Bat Pokémon. Forms colonies in perpetually dark places. Uses ultrasonic waves to identify and approach targets."

"This one's looks like a challenge," Danny said as he noticed how serious the Zubat was. "You still up for it, Free? Free?"

Danny looked at his Metapod, who wasn't moving. Suddenly, Free started glowing, much to everyone's shock.

"Free's evolving!" Ann exclaimed as Metapod opened up and a pair of butterfly wings popped out. They saw Free fly out of the shell, his body pure white, eyes green and wings as dark as the night sky.

Danny pointed his Pokédex at Free.

"Butterfree, the Butterfly Pokémon. Its wings, covered with poisonous powders, repel water. This allows it to fly in the rain."

"Alright then!" Danny said as he saw the moves Free can do. "Free, use Sleep Powder!"

With a nod, Free started flapping his new wings, releasing green-colored dust. Zubat didn't have time to dodge it as the dust hit it and Box Trainer.

"No…Zubat…use…zzz," Box Trainer mumbled before falling to the ground, Zubat landing on them.

"Good job, Free!" Danny said with a grin before he was sent flying with a superfast tackle. Feeling daze, he looked and saw Free looking even more happy and energetic. With a grin, he recalled Free back and stood up, Ann and Chu running toward him.

"So what do we do with him?" Ann asked, pointing at a drooling Box Trainer.

"Let's just leave him there," Danny said as he went and grabbed the fossil. "He won't bother anyone."

"Cleffa!" a voice exclaimed, surprising them.

They looked at the source and saw Cleffa hopping towards them.

"Cleffa?" Danny asked in disbelief as the small Pokémon stopped in front of them. "What are you doing here?"

"Cle, cleffa!" Cleffa started waving her arms around.

"You want to join us?" Danny said in disbelief. "But what about your friends?"

"Cle cleffa!"

"But…" Danny said before Cleffa started giving him the big teary eyes. "…Uh…"

"What's wrong, Danny?" Ann asked, looking at the white-haired boy.

"Well…I kinda don't want her," Danny said with a sheepish expression before he snapped his fingers. "But Danielle might want her!"

He pulled out a Pokéball from his pack, along with a pen and paper. On the paper he wrote: To Dani, hope you like your new friend. Danny. He attached the paper on the Pokéball and motioned Cleffa to come towards him, which she did eagerly.

He gently tap the Pokéball on Cleffa's head, causing her to turn into a flash of light and enter the device. After a few clicks and ding, the Pokéball disappeared on Danny's hand.

"You think she'll like Cleffa?" Danny asked, looking at Ann.

"Of course she will!" Ann said with a smile. "After all, Cleffa is so cute!"

Danny chuckled at that before the two and Chu made their way to the exit, the light getting brighter as they finally left the cave.

Once their eyes adjusted to the light, they saw that they were finally outside.

"Cerulean City, here we come!" Danny shouted as he raised his fist in the air, Chu copying him.

Finally, I'm done! Sorry for the delay, but I had a lot of homework, and a lot other stories to read. As well as new videogames to play. Sorry about that. Anyway, hope you like it. Next chapter, battle on the water, the Cerulean Gym! But first, review reply.

SPARTAN-626- Thanks, but that wasn't Vlad. Anyway, glad you like it.

JP-Rider- Yeah, I can see them getting along if they meet a large group of women.

GirlFish- Sure will. That Mega Evolution things is sweet. Danny actually got Chu from Dan as an egg during his fifth bday. As for how many Pokémon he will have, just keep reading. Clockwork will just be a professor, not a champion. Dani will started her journey when Danny's in the Hoenn Region, but I won't focus on her. Danny will travel with a lot of new people in other regions. As for the Danny ebing and adult question, I'm still think about that.

KuriMaster13- Yeah, sorry about the delay. Pretty busy week.

Kaybugg1- Thank you. Hope you'll like this.

scheffelman- Thanks. I'll update that story soon.

musa maka- I will, don't worry.

bloodyredrose1994- Thanks for the idea!

Well, time for me to hit the sack. Hope you'll enjoy this chapter. See you later!