A/N: It's times like this where I really appreciate flash drives. My laptop bit the dust last week, and with it all of my completed chapters were gone. Luckily, I had them backed up on a flash drive so I was still able to upload this chapter on time as well as the future chapters. I now have a new laptop that works perfectly so hopefully there are no more incidents like that in the future.

If you couldn't tell by the title, Team Rocket appears again in this chapter. This will mark the first appearance of grunts that work underneath Jessie, James, and Meowth as well. Expect them to be accompanied by grunts for most, if not all, of their remaining appearances. In order to fit the role of higher ranking Team Rocket members, Jessie, James, and Meowth are slightly more competent and sinister in this fic than in the anime. Don't worry. They will still remain true to their personalities.

Now, since that lengthy author's note is done, enjoy the chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. If I did, Ash would be older than ten by now in the anime.


Chapter 12: Prepare for Trouble at Mt. Moon

The group was now standing in front of Mt. Moon. Because Ash and Serena decided to run to Mt. Moon for the rest of yesterday, they were still able to make it by the afternoon today. Ash, Serena, Misty, Brock and Pikachu stood in awe at the size of Mt. Moon. It looked big from afar, but it looked even bigger up close.

"Wow! Mt. Moon is a lot bigger than I thought," Serena stated.

"How long do you guys think it will take to get through here?" Ash asked

"I would say it will at least take the rest of the day. We should try to get through here as fast as we can. Spending the night inside of a cave with wild Pokemon doesn't seem like the best idea there is," Brock replied.

Ash turned away from Brock as he continued to appraise Mt. Moon. This was one of the many obstacles and tests trainers had to endure in order to continue on their journey. He had no doubt that Gary and Leaf had already been through here. If they could do it, so could he and his friends. He might even be able to catch some more Pokemon while they were in there.

"Well, we aren't going to get through Mt. Moon any faster by just standing here. We might as well get going," Ash said as he began to make his way into the nearby entrance to the cave, the rest of the group following suit.

As soon as the group entered the cave, they were met by a lot of noise. The noise sounded like a bunch flapping wings. The group followed to where the noise led them. They gasped when they saw a horde of Zubat flying around and harassing a lone Clefairy.

Clefairy was a small, pink Pokemon that resembled a fairy. It had a large round body and short stubby arms and legs. I had two small wings sticking out of its back. Its short, pink, pointy ears were tipped with black.

Zubat was a dark blue, bat-like Pokemon that had no visible eyes and a circular mouth with sharp teeth. It had also had purple wings and long, almost insect-like legs.

The Clefairy was currently hunched and covering its head with its eyes shut as it tried its best to shield itself from the incoming Zubat. They were relentless, however, and continued to attack despite there being no sign of aggression from the Clefairy.

Zubat and Clefairy…" Ash and Serena said to themselves as they looked up the Pokemon in their pokedexes. "Zubat, the bat Pokemon. It emits ultrasonic waves when it flies, and they act as a sonar to check for objects in its way."

"Clefairy, the fairy Pokemon. Its magical and cute appeal has many admirers. It is very rare and only found in specific areas," the pokedexes said.

"Oh no! We need to help that Clefairy!" Serena said urgently.

"Right!" Ash agreed as Pikachu ran forward. Serena sent out Charla.

"Pikachu! Use Thundershock to break it up!" Ash ordered.

"Use your Ember, Charla!" Serena ordered also.

Both Pokemon launched their respective attacks. The attacks were able to hit some of the Zubat while just passed between others. Regardless, all of the Zubat were startled by the attacks and fled away back to other parts of the cave. Ash could have swore he saw Brock's arm move a couple of times out of the corner of his eye, but he hadn't sent out any Pokemon.

The distressed Clefairy opened its eyes and looked around at the sudden halt of the attack. It then looked at the group of people and Pokemon in front of it curiously.

"That's really strange to see a Clefairy at the edge of Mt. Moon like this," Brock stated. "Clefairy are normally very rare and very shy. Some people never see the Clefairy at all as they pass through here."

"It's so cute! Hello, Clefairy," Misty said as she gave a smile and approached it.

The Clefairy immediately got a frightened expression on its face and ran off as fast as it could until it disappeared into another part of the cave.

"Wait!" Misty called, but it was too late.

"Misty. As I mentioned before, Clefairy are really shy of humans. You can't just walk right up to one like you can with a few other Pokemon," Brock told her with a slight scolding tone.

"Right. I guess I got carried away," Misty said sheepishly while scratching her cheek.

"Hey. I just now noticed something. Do you guys think it's strange that there are all of these man-made lights here along the cave. I was almost sure we would need a lantern in here," Serena pointed out.

"You're right. These lights are certainly damaging the natural habitat of the Pokemon here. Even the scientists that research here know better than to install lights like this in Mt. Moon. That must be why those Zubat we just saw were so agitated and attacking a defenseless Clefairy. They feel threatened by everything," Brock realized.

"So who do you think is installing these lights?" Serena asked.

"I don't know, but I sense something bad is going on here. We should continue on through here. Maybe we will find the answer along the way," Ash said.

The rest of them nodded and continued on down the path.

It didn't take the group long to figure out that Mt. Moon wasn't a straight path like they had hoped. It turned out to be a regular maze. There were several corridors that branched off only to lead to more corridors or a dead end. Despite the lights were clearly bad for the Pokemon habitat, they were almost thankful for them so they could at least see where they were going.

"Hey, Brock. You wouldn't happen to have a map for the inside of Mt. Moon, would you?" Ash asked him. He didn't see how they would be able to make it out of Mt. Moon without one.

"No, but I think I have someone who might be able to help," Brock said as he pulled out a pokeball.

"Your Onix and Geodude can navigate through Mt. Moon?" Ash asked skeptically.

"No. Not them. It's my brand new Pokemon," Brock replied as he pushed the button on the pokeball. Everyone looked in surprise when the Pokemon inside was revealed to be Zubat.

"When did you get a Zubat, Brock?" Serena asked.

Brock smiled. "I captured it while you two were ordering your Pokemon to help the Clefairy. I managed to get one just before they got away," he said.

"That explains those movements I saw out of the corner of my eye," Ash thought.

"Since this Zubat has lived in this cave, it might be able to help us through," Brock reasoned. "Will you show us the way, Zubat?"

The Zubat gave the equivalent of a nod and began to fly ahead of the group. Despite the lights messing up its sense of direction a little bit, Zubat turned out to be quite the navigator. The group would come to a fork in the pathways, the Zubat would pause for a second to adjust its sense of direction, then choose one, and the group would follow it. The group believed they would be able to make it through Mt. Moon, after all.

"Hey. Do you guys hear voices?" Ash asked after the group had been walking for about fifteen minutes.

"I did. It seems to be coming from over there. Maybe they can help us out of the cave," Serena said as she pointed down one of the corridors.

The group began to walk along the path until they were able to hear what the voices were saying. Brock returned his Zubat so the wing flapping wouldn't alert the owners to the voices. Soon, the voice's owners came into view to reveal three men in solid black uniforms and black hats. They were crouching down with their backs facing the group. They appeared to have a pile of fossils in front of them. Judging by what they were saying, they were up to no good. The group pressed themselves against the wall and hid in the shadows as they listened in on the three men.

"Heh. We are going to make a killing off of the fossils we find in this cave," one said.

"You said it. I know our squadron leaders said to bring all of the fossils we find to them, but what makes them so special? They only want all the fossils to make it look like they were ones who found them instead of us. Its all about winning favor with the boss to them," another replied.

"I'm sure they wouldn't notice the difference if we kept a few fossils for ourselves and only gave them a few. They aren't the sharpest tools in the shed," said the third one.

"I'll tell what would really make Team Rocket some big bucks, finding that legendary Moon Stone," the second one spoke up again.

"Yeah. If we find it, we should report it to the leaders," the first one said.

"Are you an idiot? If we report the Moon Stone to those guys, they will take all of the glory for themselves!" the third man scolded. "Let's just go and find them to report what we've gotten so far."

They then turned around, and Ash saw their faces. It was those three suspicious men Ash saw at the Pewter Museum! The group also got a good luck at their uniform and saw the large red "R" on the shirt. They were definitely members of Team Rocket. They must have been the ones to set all these lights along the cave walls.

"We should go back and get the police to tell them what's going on here," Ash whispered as he looked at the rest of the group.

The group nodded and turned to hurry away but bumped right into another man who was also wearing black and had a big red "R" on his shirt.

"Well, well. What do we have here?" the Rocket member smirked as he crossed his arms.

"Chuuuu," Pikachu glared while it sparked its cheeks at the man.

"What's going on?" one of the other Rocket members asked as the other three came up behind the group. They had been alerted by the other member speaking.

"Hey! It looks like those brats were spying on us! How much did you hear?!" another said angrily.

"Umm, we weren't listening in. We're just lost," Ash said nervously as he rubbed the back of his neck. Serena, Misty, and Brock copied his movements.

"You're lying!" the man yelled accusingly.

"Heh. It wouldn't matter if you're lost or not. We can't let you get away now that you have seen us," the Rocket member the group had run into said in a sinister tone.

"I guess we don't have choice. We'll have to battle our way out of this," Ash said as reached for Butterfree's pokeball. Brock, Serena, and Misty reached for their pokeballs as well.

"You brats think you can beat us? You got another thing coming," another Rocket member said as he and his teammates got out their own pokeballs. The four Team Rocket members then surrounded the group.

It looked like a battle was about to break out, but everyone was interrupted by the sound of flapping wings again. They looked around until they saw another swarm of Zubat heading their way. They even had Golbat in the group this time. They must have been alerted by all the shouting that had just taken place, and they didn't look happy.

"Oh, no! We need to get out of here! We don't have enough Pokemon to take care of Team Rocket and these wild Pokemon also!" Brock said urgently as he began to run with Ash close behind him.

The Rocket members were startled by the sudden dash from Ash and Brock, but had recovered by the time Serena and Misty were trying to run past them.

"Not so fast, girlies!" a Rocket member yelled as he and another Rocket member grabbed Serena and Misty while the others swiped their pokeballs.

"Ash! Help!" Serena cried as she and Misty were being dragged off.

"No! Serena! Misty!" Ash called as he and Brock turned around to run towards them. By then the group of Zubat and Golbat had descended upon the group and were making it very hard to get any movement done.

The Rocket members seemed to be having their own troubles fighting off the swarm and keeping the two girls from struggling as well.

"I'm sick of this! Koffing, go! Use Smokescreen!" a Rocket member said in an annoyed tone as he released the Pokemon. The Koffing launched the Smokescreen from its mouth and completely covered the surrounding area with smoke. This made it very hard for Ash and Brock to see as well as the Zubat and Golbat that were flying around them.

Ash knew he had to act now because Serena and Misty's yells were getting fainter and fainter.

"Pidgeotto. Use Gust to blow away the smoke," Ash said between coughs as he released his Pokemon.

"Pidgeo!" Pidgeotto called and began flapping its wings. Soon the smoke had spread out enough to where Ash and Brock could see again, but they still had the swarm of Zubat and Golbat that were still harassing them.

"Pikachu! I know there are a lot, but we don't have a choice. Use your Thundershock," Ash said.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu yelled as it began to release tons of electricity.

Fortunately, despite the large number, the Zubat and Golbat were very timid. They panicked once they saw the electricity and flew off and disappeared into another part of the cave.

Ash returned Pidgeotto and looked around. He grimaced when he saw that the Team Rocket members were already gone, along with Serena and Misty.

"Serena! Misty!" Ash called out, but got no response. He then sank to his knees. He couldn't believe Serena was taken by those crooks.

"Don't worry, Ash. We'll find them. They couldn't have gotten far," Brock said reassuringly as he put a hand on Ash's shoulder.

"How are we supposed to find them? They could be anywhere in this cave. What's worse, they are with those Rocket guys. We certainly don't have time to go and find help!" Ash exclaimed.

"Slow down, Ash. Don't forget. I have a Zubat now. They have supersonic hearing and can pick up on faint sounds. You also have Pikachu who should know Serena and Misty's scents by now," Brock replied. He then sent out his Zubat again.

"Right. Pikachu. Do you have any lead on where Serena and Misty are at?" Ash asked the rodent.

Pikachu began sniffing into the damp, cave air. It was faint, but it finally picked up on something and turned toward Ash and Brock.

"PikaPi! Pikachu!" it said as it took off down a path with Ash, Brock, and Zubat close behind it.


"What are you going to do with us?" Misty asked in a worried tone.

She and Serena we currently sitting against the cave walls and were being tied up by two of the Rocket members. Another was setting their pokeballs some distance away while the last one was pulling out a walkie-talkie and began to speak into it.

"That depends on how good you will be while we take care of things here," the Rocket grunt replied. "We won't hurt you too bad, at least, if you keep your mouths shut."

"So does that mean you will let us go, eventually?" Misty asked hopefully.

"Heheheheh. Yeah, that sounds good. Eventually. Like in the next fifty years!" the Rocket member laughed. "We'll probably take you back to headquarters and keep you as our prisoners there. We can't just simply let you go free and tell the police where we are at."

"Just you wait. Ash will come to save us!" Serena said with determination.

"Your little boyfriend can come if he likes. We'll just capture him just like we did you!" the Rocket member replied again.

Serena blushed at the Rocket grunt calling Ash her boyfriend, but quickly shook it away. "Ash is a lot stronger than you think! He and Brock can take care of the likes of you!" she shouted.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever, kid," the Rocket grunt scoffed as the grunt who was on the walkie-talkie walked up behind him.

"I just called our squadron leaders. They will be here in a minute," he reported.

"We sure have a lot of fossils. I say we hide some from them so we can at least get some glory from the boss also!" one suggested. His Team members nodded in agreement.

They then went over to the pile of fossils and began to stuff a lot into their bags. The Rocket grunts had just finished when their squadron leaders appeared from another part of Mt. Moon. Serena and Misty gasped. Those three looked very familiar and were in white Team Rocket uniforms. It was Jessie, James, and Meowth.

"So, you four have some good news for us, I hope," Jessie asked as she walked up to the four grunts.

"Yes, ma'am!" one saluted. "We have found a bunch of fossils for you and are giving you every one just like ordered!"

"Very good. Any word on finding that giant Moon Stone yet?" James inquired.

"Unfortunately, not yet," the same one replied. "We did, however, pick up two pesky kids who were spying on us. They are right over there against the wall, tied up."

"Really?" Jessie asked curiously as their attention was diverted to Serena and Misty. Their eyes instantly lit up with recognition.

"Hey! You guys are two of those twerps we battled at the Viridian Pokemon Center and the forest!" Meowth cried.

"Well, well. Not so high and mighty now that you are all tied up, are you? Jessie smirked as she, James, and Meowth approached them.

"I think we remember telling you twerps that if you ever crossed our paths again, you would really regret it, and what better time than now since you're helpless," James said evilly.

Serena and Misty shrank back a little under the three's intimidating glare. They normally wouldn't be afraid of these three, but they had no Pokemon and were tied up right now.

"What do you guys think we should do with them?" Meowth asked Jessie and James.

"I'm thinking we cause them a world amount of pain like they caused us!" Jessie answered. "We'll show them how wrong it is to keep meddling in Team Rocket's affairs!"

"First, you two will tell us where that twerp with the Pikachu is at. He seems to be with you a lot, and something tells me he is here at Mt. Moon," James demanded.

"We don't know where he is right now!" Serena answered honestly. She did hope he was on his way to save them, though.

"Liar!" Jessie accused as she went up and actually slapped Serena across the face!

Serena's face jerked to the side, and her eyes welled up with tears after the slap. Jessie had slapped her pretty hard.

"We'll ask you again. Where's the twerp with the Pikachu?! Jessie asked dangerously.

"We already told you! We don't know!" Misty spoke up this time.

The Team Rocket trio continued to glare at Misty and Serena. They clearly didn't believe them.

James spoke up next. "You had the chance to tell us freely, but now I'm thinking we may have to beat it out of you," he said. "Go Koffing!"

"Go Ekans!" Jessie ordered.

Both Pokemon emerged from the pokeballs and also stared menacingly at Serena and Misty. They were both now really frightened.

"I'm tired of playing games with you twerps. You have humiliated us enough. You have one last chance to tell us where that little boy is at, or we will order our Pokemon to attack," Jessie growled.

Koffing and Ekans leaned back while Meowth extended his claws for emphasis.

Serena and Misty were both trembling violently now out of fear. They were actually too scared now to even talk. Unfortunately, Jessie, James, and Meowth took their inability to talk for stubbornness. All three of them narrowed their eyes.

"Very well. We've run out of patience. Ekans attack!" Jessie ordered.

"You too, Koffing!" James added.

Serena shut her eyes tight. She was so sure Ash would be able to be here in time. He didn't make it, though. She and Misty would now have to endure a great amount of torture for who knows how long. Tears began to stream down her face, not because of the torture that was coming, but because Ash didn't come for her.

Both Pokemon and Meowth were just about to spring forward when they heard a voice cry, "Pikachu, Thundershock! Butterfree, Psychic!",and another voice shout, "Geodude, Rock Throw!"

Everyone looked at the sound of the voices to see a stream of attacks heading towards all of the Rocket members. Ekans, Koffing, and Meowth were knocked away by a series of boulders. Jessie and James got the brunt of the Thundershock while the four Rocket grunts were blasted back by a wave of psychic energy. Serena and Misty looked to see none other than Ash, Brock, and Pikachu running towards them.

"Don't any of you dare harm them!" Ash shouted.

He and Brock then reached the two tied up girls and began to untie them. Ash and Pikachu untied Serena while Brock untied Misty.

"Hey, sorry we took so long to find you," Brock apologized. "We would have been here sooner, but because of the Koffing's Smokescreen still lingering in some places, it made it made it hard for Pikachu to pick up on your scent at times."

Misty let out a very grateful smile towards Brock after he finished untying her while Serena let tears freely fall from her face, but this time from sheer happiness. Ash and Brock had come for them, after all. She almost felt ashamed for even believing for one second that Ash wouldn't make it in time.

"Serena! You're crying! Did they hurt you?!" Ash asked worriedly after he finished untying her.

"No, Ash. I'm fine. You two came just in time. I'm just so happy you came for us," Serena said through tears."

"You bet! I told before! I'm never leaving my friends behind!" Ash said with a smile as he gave her a thumbs-up. He then turned to give a very deep glare at Team Rocket.

"Misty. Serena. Go get your pokeballs while they are dazed. I sense a battle coming," Brock said seriously.

"Right," they both replied as they ran towards the other side of the corridor to retrieve them. Misty and Serena then clipped them to their belts.

"Grrrr…..I'm really getting tired of you twerps," Jessie growled as she and James stood up from the Thundershock. Ekans, Koffing, and Meowth came up from behind them as well as the Rocket grunts.

"We shall recite our motto and leave you stunned!" James shouted.

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all people within our…."

"Meooowwth! Forget the motto this time! Let's just get 'em!"

Jessie and James initially glared at Meowth for interrupting their motto, but realized that it made sense to skip it this time. They then focused on the group again.

"If it's a battle you want, it's a battle you will get," James said angrily. He then turned to the grunts who were just standing there. "Well, what are you four waiting for? Release your Pokemon!"

The four grunts snapped back to reality and released their Pokemon even though they only had one each. They consisted of a Koffing, two had a Raticate, and one had a Grimer.

Ash and Serena took out their pokedexes to scan Raticate and Grimer.

"Raticate. The evolved form of Rattata. It gnaws on anything with its tough fangs. It can even topple concrete buildings by gnawing on them. Grimer. The sludge Pokemon. It appears in filthy areas and thrives by sucking up polluted sludge around it," the pokedexes said.

"Well, it you guys want to use all your Pokemon against us than so will we!" Ash said as he and everyone else released all of their Pokemon, except Brock's Onix as it was too big for the corridor.

Despite that Team Rocket outnumbered the group in people. Ash, Serena, Misty, and Brock outnumbered Team Rocket in Pokemon, and that's what counted. Team Rocket wasn't deterred by this disadvantage and ordered all of their Pokemon to attack anyway.

The ensuing battle was mass chaos, to say the least. Every Pokemon was attacking the other on the opposing side. Attacks were hitting the cave walls, causing them to crack. Lights were being broken. Some Pokemon were even attacking their teammate by mistake (mostly on Team Rocket's side) due to all of the confusion. The disorganization was causing the cave corridor to begin to collapse. Ash realized this and knew they had end the battle quickly.

"Pidgeotto, Butterfree! Use the strongest Gust attack you can muster to blow all of Team Rocket and their Pokemon away!" Ash shouted.

Pidgeotto and Butterfree complied and began to flap their wings as hard as they could. The two Gusts combined were too much for the Team Rocket members to take. They were lifted off the ground and sent flying down the cave corridor and out of sight.

The cave passage continued to shake for a few more moments before finally coming to a halt. The group let out a sigh of relief, but then frowned at the damage the battle had done to the area.

"Look at this mess. We've totally destroyed this area," Misty said sadly.

"It wasn't our fault," Brock said trying to comfort her. "Team Rocket would have messed up this area a lot more if we hadn't fought back."

"Hey, look! Those Rocket members left their bags with fossils in them!" Serena said while pointing.

"You're right. We should go ahead and take these bags with us and turn them in to the police in Cerulean City," Ash suggested as they went over and bent down in front of the bags to pick them up.

Once they finished, and each one was carrying a respective backpack on their back, the group planned their next move.

"I think we should go chase after Team Rocket to fully get them out of this cave. If we don't, they are just going to cause more mayhem here," Ash suggested. The group agreed and headed off deeper into Mt. Moon in the direction Team Rocket had gone after returning their Pokemon for easier travel.

After the group had continued running for a while, they were beginning to wonder where Team Rocket could have gone. Unlike the rest of Mt. Moon, this was a straight path so it isn't like the group made a wrong turn. It was then that they saw a small bit of light and an exit ahead of them. Thinking that was the way out of Mt. Moon, the group hurried towards it. Team Rocket might have gotten away, but at least that meant they were gone from Mt. Moon, also. It was soon the group discovered they were dead wrong.

The corridor did indeed lead to outside, but it wasn't the exit to Mt. Moon. It exited into a circular area about fifty feet in diameter from all sides with an opening at the top where the moon shone. They had apparently been in Mt. Moon longer than they thought due to the conflict with Team Rocket.

The group was surprised to see how many Clefairy there were in this area considering how rare they were. Unfortunately, they were all being cornered by Team Rocket. All the Clefairy had frightened expressions on their faces as Team Rocket stared menacingly down at them. What got the group's attention the most was what was in the center of the room. It was the legendary Moon Stone! The group gasped once they realized it was them who inadvertently led Team Rocket to the Moon Stone.

"You crooks leave those Clefairy and the Moon Stone alone!" Ash shouted at them.

Team Rocket turned towards the group now and glared at them. "Or else what? Do want to have a Pokemon Battle with us again, twerp? Don't forget all the Clefairy are in this room. You might accidentally hurt them, too," James replied.

The group gritted their teeth in annoyance and glared at Team Rocket. They didn't want to admit it, but Team Rocket was right.

"Thankfully, we aren't that honorable. We need to take back our fossils from you, anyway," Jessie said while grinning evilly. "Go Ekans!"

"Go Koffing!" James called.

Meowth also came forward and extended its claws while the four Rocket grunts continued to hold back the Clefairy.

"So what are you going to knowing you can't battle us with your Pokemon?" James asked.

It was Brock who spoke up. "We will just use one Pokemon then! Go Onix!" he said as he released the giant rock snake from the pokeball.

Ash, Serena, and Misty admired the size of Onix while Team Rocket sweatdropped. They certainly weren't expecting an Onix to show up. Its head even reached past the hole in the roof and Pikachu climbed on top of it. Team Rocket quickly regained their composure and thought of a new plan.

"Let's show them that size doesn't matter! Ekans, dig underground!" Jessie ordered.

"Koffing, launch a Smokescreen," James ordered as well.

The smoke then erupted from Koffing which blinded the group and the Pokemon momentarily.

"I'm really getting tired of this attack," Ash muttered as he and the others coughed. "Pidgeotto! Use Gust to blow away the smoke!" He then released the bird Pokemon.

Pidgeotto did a great job of blowing away the smoke, but the group was surprised to find that Jessie, James, Meowth, and the grunts were nowhere in sight! To top it off, the Moon Stone was gone, and all that was left was a giant hole.

"Oh no! Team Rocket must have stolen the Moon Stone!" Serena said worriedly.

Ash scowled. "That battle must have just been a distraction to get the Moon Stone. We have to get it back. We can't let those guys get away with it."

"Right! Onix, follow them underground and hurry!" Brock ordered the rock snake.

Onix gave a mighty roar and dove straight underground while Ash, Serena, Brock, and Misty turned to the Clefairy.

"Don't worry, Clefairy!" We'll get the Moon Stone back!" Ash told them as he and the others hurried off.

The Clefairy just tilted their heads and watched the group go in confusion. Then, unknown to the humans, one-by-one the Clefairy jumped into the hole that had been created by Onix.


Jessie, James, Meowth, and their grunts were now riding down a wooden sleigh and sliding down the mountain with the Moon Stone tied down.

"It sure helps to have seven of us so we could get that Moon Stone quickly," James said.

"Yes. We may have lost the fossils, but we are taking to headquarters the biggest prize of all," Jessie agreed. "This just shows that nice guys…"

"…Finish last!" James finished happily

"We just went from worst to first!" Meowth said victoriously.

Their cheering was cut short, however, as Onix burst out of the ground right in front of them. Due to the speed at which they were going, they were unable to move in time and slammed right into Onix. Their sleigh was completely smashed, and each Rocket member landed on the ground quite hard. The Moon Stone rolled off to the side a few yards away.

"Now we've got you! We won't let you get away with that Moon Stone!" Ash said as he and the group appeared behind Team Rocket. Team Rocket stared in surprise. How did the group catch up so fast?! They soon recovered, however.

"Oh yeah? Well we'll just see about that!" Jessie retorted before turning to the four grunts. "Attack those twerps!"

The four grunts, however, were lying on the ground unconscious. They must have been knocked out when they collided with Onix. It was then Team Rocket realized they were at a serious disadvantage in both people and Pokemon numbers.

"Grr! They are so useless!" Jessie growled.

"Grab them now, Onix!" Brock called out.

"We aren't going to give up that easily! Koffing! Use Counter attack!" James shot back quickly.

Koffing then flew forward and slammed right into Onix's head. Due to Counter giving out double the damage, Onix fell to ground pretty hard.

"Onix…" Brock trailed sadly as he watched Onix struggle to get back up.

It was then that Ash noticed something. "Look! isn't that Clefairy?" he pointed out as the Clefairy leaped one-by-one out of the hole Onix had dug.

The Clefairy all then stood in front of Team Rocket. Team Rocket watched in confusion as the Clefairy lifted their arms and began wiggling the fingers back and forth. This only added to Team Rocket's confusion.

"Wh-what are they doing?" Meowth stuttered in confusion as he, Jessie, and James continued to watch the Clefairy. Soon, they seemed to become entranced by it and began moving their heads back and forth in a similar motion to the Clefairys' fingers.

"I think the Clefairy are using Metronome," Brock informed the group. "It's an attack where anything can happen, so be on your guard."

The Clefairy soon stopped and a bright light engulfed Team Rocket before there was a huge explosion that sent them, their Pokemon, and the grunts flying through the air. Unfortunately, the Moon Stone was caught in the blast also and shattered into tiny bits.

"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off!" Jessie, James, and Meowth screamed as they continued to sail through air until they disappeared into the distance.

Tiny bits of the Moon Stone began to rain down upon the group and the Clefairy as the group watched sadly.

"The Moon Stone. It's shattered," Serena muttered sadly.

However, bits of the Moon Stone were falling on a few of the Clefairy. The Clefairy that were hit by the Moon Stone began to glow white. Soon they grew taller with larger wings and a more human shake body with longer ears. They evolved into Clefable.

"Wow! The Clefairy evolved! So that's the power of the Moon Stone," Ash exclaimed as he and Serena pulled out their pokedexes.

"Clefable, the fairy Pokemon and the evolved form of Clefairy. Clefable are among the rarest Pokemon in the world," the monotonous pokedex voices said.

"Amazing," the group said in wonder as the watched the scene taking place.


About twenty minutes later, the group and Clefairy were back in the room where the Moon Stone originally was. It was now no longer one piece, but instead a pile of the small pieces it had broken in to. The Clefairy and Clefable didn't seem to mind, though. They were all dancing around the Moon Stone in a circular fashion.

"It's almost like they are worshiping the Moon Stone. It's so mysterious," Ash commented as he and the others watched the dance.

"Chuuuuu," Pikachu agreed. It was almost entranced by the mysterious dance.

"Of course. The Moon Stone is very sacred to the Clefairy and Clefable," Misty replied.

"What do you mean?" Ash asked.

"The Clefairy and Clefable are said to come from the Moon," Brock answered. "If that's true, then it would only make sense that they are very attached to the Moon Stone. It's their last connection to their original home."

The Clefable soon stopped dancing and one, who was presumed to be the leader, came and bowed before the group. "Clefable. Fable," It said in its high-pitched voice.

"I think it's saying thank you," Serena smiled.

The Clefable that had bowed then went over to the Moon Stone and took four small pieces from the pile and went back over to the group. It then held out the pieces towards the group.

"Oh. You want us to take these pieces of the Moon Stone with us as thanks?" Ash asked.

"Clefable," the Clefable answered as it smiled and nodded its head.

"Well, in that case, thank you very much!" Ash said gratefully as he and the others took the Moon Stone pieces to place in their backpacks.

"Hey. You know, I was thinking. Rather than turn in all of these fossils Team Rocket stole to the police, why don't we leave them here with the Clefairy and Clefable. They should know what to do with them," Brock suggested.

"Good idea," Ash agreed. He and the others then took off the Team Rocket backpacks and set them down on the ground before the Clefable and Clefairy.

The head Clefable than bowed in thanks again before reaching into the backpacks and presenting three Pokemon fossils to the group. One was in the shape of a spiral, the helix fossil, while other seemed to be in the shape of a flat stone, the dome fossil, and an old amber fossil.

"Ah, so you want us to take these fossils as gifts, as well?" Ash guessed as the Clefable nodded again. "So which of us should keep these three? I would feel bad about just one of us not receiving these."

"I remember that scientist guy saying there will be a machine ready in the future that can revive these fossils. I think the helix fossil will be turned into an Omanyte while the Dome fossil can become a Kabuto. An old Amber fossil becomes an Aerodactly," Serena recalled.

"Ah, that's right. I remember hearing about that during one of my visits to the museum. Both Omanyte and Kabuto are Rock and Water dual-type Pokemon. I think it would be a great experience for me as a breeder to study one of the prehistoric Pokemon if they can possibly be revived. You guys wouldn't mind if I had one, would you?"

The group figured Brock's words made sense so they allowed him to take the first pick. He chose the dome fossil.

"Despite Omanyte and Kabuto being a part water-type Pokemon, they seem really scary, so count me out," Misty said.

"I guess that means you and me can get the remaining two," Ash said while looking at Serena. "Which one would you like?"

Serena looked back and forth between the fossils as she though about which one to take. She suddenly remembered the thought of how wild an Aerodactyl would be to train and figured it was best left in the hands of Ash so she chose the helix fossil.

"I guess that leaves the old amber fossil for me," Ash said quietly as he gently took the remaining fossil from the Clefable. He imagined the thought of what training an Aerodactyl would be like. He realized he would have to get a lot stronger by the time they reached Cinnabar Island if he were to be able to handle one, assuming the machine was ready by then.

The Clefable then gave a short bow in thanks once again. It then returned to its group where they continued the ceremony with the Moon Stone by dancing as the group watched.


It was now the next morning, and the group were leaving Mt. Moon right now and saying goodbye to the Clefairy and Clefable. The Clefairy and Clefable allowed the group to sleep in the room with the Moon Stone for the night so they wouldn't have to travel through the cave again. Then they generously led them to the exit of Mt. Moon.

"So long, Clefairy and Clefable!" Ash called as he and the rest of the group waved.

"Pika Pi!" Pikachu said as it waved also from Ash's shoulder.

"Clefairy! Clefable!" they said back.

The group continued to wave until the Pokemon were out of sight.

"It sure was neat to see the Clefairy and Clefable do their Moon Stone ritual, wasn't it?" Ash asked the group as they continued to walk.

"It sure was. Not to many people will be able to see that in their entire lifetime," Brock agreed. "They even let us keep pieces of the Moon Stone and a few fossils."

"So how far is Cerulean City?" Serena asked.

Brock then reached into his backpack to check the map. "Hmmm, it looks like we should arrive there the day after tomorrow according to the distance on this map," he mused.

None of them had noticed Misty gave a slight sulking expression when they had mentioned Cerulean City.

About ten minutes later the group came upon a sign on the road that pointed into the direction of Cerulean City.

"Well, it looks like we are heading in the right direction," Brock said once he saw the sign. He then noticed something. "Hey. It looks like someone wrote a message on the side of this sign."

"Well, you guys know how people like to write silly messages sometimes. I wonder what it says," Ash wondered curiously as he and rest of the group leaned in to get a better look.

Gary Oak was here. Ash is a loser.

"Grrr. That Gary," Ash growled. Even now after all these years, his greatest rival still couldn't resist taunting him. To think, Ash thought he and Gary were past that stage in their life.

Serena herself thought Gary was acting rather childish. Before she could put her hand on Ash to comfort him, he suddenly made a mad dash in the direction of Cerulean City, almost causing Pikachu to fall off due to the sudden change in speed.

"I'll show him!" Ash shouted as he continued to speed along the path.

"Who's Gary Oak?" Misty asked Serena curiously as they watched Ash dash away.

"No time to explain!" Serena said hurriedly as she ran after Ash to try to catch up with him.

"Wait for me!" Brock shouted after them.

"Hey! What's the rush?!" Misty yelled as she brought up the rear.


And that's that. I know most of you are probably disappointed that no one in the group captured a Clefairy, but I have other great and rare Pokemon lined up for them to catch. On the bright side, the Safari Zone is going to be a fun chapter to write!

Thanks a bunch for all of the support you guys give me! I certainly wouldn't be as far as I am right now without you! Your feedback gives me all the motivation I need to keep writing despite my busy schedule. I was amazed that I received almost thirty reviews last chapter! Thank you very much!

See you all next Tuesday where Ash will have his second gym battle at Cerulean City! Since a few of you are probably wondering, Pikachu will actually battle for Ash in this fic unlike in the anime where it refused to go against Misty.

The poll for Misty's fate in the rest of the series will be closing in two chapters once the group leaves Cerulean City and be replaced with a new poll. If you haven't voted, make sure you do! If you hate Misty, make sure she leaves! If you like Misty, save her to travel in the Orange Islands and Johto! If you don't care, vote anyway!

Chapter 13: The Waterflowers of Cerulean City

Answering the Question:

D'ya think Ash will catch any of the Pokémon that Red caught in "Pokémon Origins"? Like Rattata, Spearow/Fearow, Magikarp, Victreebel, Kabuto/Kabutops, Hitmonlee, Scyther, Dodrio, Persian, Arbok, Tentacool, Chansey, and Rapidash? If so, maybe he'll catch some of them in the Safari Zone, right?

I plan on Ash catching a few of the Pokemon you mentioned. Serena may get a few of these Pokemon, as well.

You mean Ash will catch a wider variety of Pokémon in the Safari Zone, other than Nidoran and Tauros?

Yes he and Serena both will capture more Pokemon than Tauros in the Safari Zone. Keep in mind I never confirmed Ash will have a male Nidoran, though.

Will Psyduck still be completely oblivious and unable to do what water Pokémon do best (swim)?

Yes. Psyduck will still be the hilarious Pokemon we know and love in this fic.

Are you going to put in the Ghost of Maiden's Peak filler here?

Sadly no. I will not as I don't think it is integral to the story. I plan on including one more "filler" between Ash's fifth and sixth gym battle which is the "super amourshipping chapter" you all want to read. Errr scratch that, there may be an additional two besides that one depending on if I think it is important or not. As mentioned before, at least some type of event will occur in all the chapters from now on besides the aforementioned "amourshipping chapter" (maybe it's important because Ash and Serena become closer) and the possible other two.

I know Gary becomes a Researcher by the end of Johto, so what will become of Leaf?

Since Leaf's goal is to complete the pokedex, she will always be on the move searching for more Pokemon so she will be a recurring character throughout the remainder of the series. Gary will appear more often as well than he did in canon when he becomes a Pokemon researcher. I have uses for both of them.

I would like to see Ash get a ground type before Vermillion city and see Ash and Serena rotate there Pokémon?

Unfortunately, Ash and Serena won't be capturing a ground type that early. They will definitely rotate their team regularly when they each catch more than six Pokemon each. Just know that Pikachu will always be with Ash and Charla will always be with Serena since they are their starters.

Will all of ash's kanto starters fully evolve?

That will be up to you guys. Once Misty's poll closes after Cerulean City, that will be the new poll. I want to give my readers some freedom in deciding major factors so I can please the most people.

When Ash goes to Hoenn, can Professor Birch give him a Torchic\Combusken\Blaziken that is a bit battle crazy and that will act as rival for Sceptile?

May will still get Torchic in Hoenn. Ash will still get Treecko. Serena will get Mudkip instead of Brock. May's Blaziken will be a sparring partner with Sceptile.

Will Misty actually train her Psyduck and evolve it into Golduck? Or will she just be annoyed with it like in the anime?

At the moment, I still have it planned to remain a Psyduck, but I may change my mind later.

Will you have Ritchie be a continuous rival after Gary leaves the battle circuit at the end of the Johto Arc?

I do plan on having Ritchie make more appearances than he does in canon. I am leaning towards the idea of having him be a continuous rival for Ash.

On that question about a sort of romantic rival for Serena, what about Giselle from that pokemon academy episode. There is also Melody from the movie Pokemon 2000.

Giselle won't be in this series. Speaking of a rival for Serena, I noticed that the episode airing in Japan this week is introducing a character where she and Serena have an intense dislike for each other. It will be interesting to see how that episode plays out and if I can use that character in my story somewhere. Melody's crush on Ash will also come into play when I get there.

Will there be any re-writes for the gym leader battles or will you follow the anime with them? Also, when you get to Sabrina, will she be like what she was in anime?

The only gym battle I plan on being somewhat the same is the Vermillion City gym battle as it defines how Pikachu doesn't ever want to become a Raichu. The Cinnabar Island gym will possibly be somewhat close to the original as well. The others will be rewrites like Pewter City. Sabrina will be like she is in the anime, but she won't shrink anyone who loses to her.

Will Ash's Pidgeotto evolve into Pidgeot before the Fearow episode and will he let him go to protect the Pidgey/Pidgeotto flock?

Pidgeot will still leave Ash to protect the flock from Fearow. However, Ash will still visit it every time he is in Pallet Town so it won't be forgotten. On whether Pidgeotto will evolve before the Fearow episode, as of right now the answer is it will not. However, this may change as there could be a point where I need Pidgeotto to evolve sooner.

Will Ash release Butterfree for love again?
Yes.

Will ash get a Growlithe and Serena a Vulpix?

They might.