Hazel's Pokemon
Mudkip - Level 18 - Mud-Slap, Tackle, Growl, and Water Gun
Bulbasaur - Level 16 - Razor Leaf, Vine Whip, Tackle, and Leech Seed
Chapter 14 – The Team
It was not a long trek on Route 3. The group had made it to Mt. Moon pretty quickly. They rested up their Pokémon at the nearby Pokémon Center and ate their lunch. It did not take long until they entered Mt. Moon.
"Torchic, watch out!" Soru called. A Zubat swept down from the air, and Torchic barely dodged.
"It looks like Torchic is getting more fluent in battling," Stetson noted.
"Now, Ember!"
Torchic opened his mouth small pellets of flames were released. They smacked into the Zubat, making it fall to the ground. The Zubat got back up and flew away.
"Oh! I almost forgot!" Hazel said to herself. She grabbed her Pokédex and scanned the Pokémon.
"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 read.
"They may get their days and nights confused while they live in here," Elise wondered. She rubbed her arms together because it was cold. She also knew that she could not get many pictures, because the flash could be harmful.
The group continued through the cave. It was dark, but Charmander's tail lit up a lot of it. Soru gave Hazel his jacket since she complained about the cold. But after awhile, Soru complained, so Stetson gave him his.
"Hey, guys," Stetson said. He was squinting his eyes, trying to get a better view of something that was far away. He pointed at it. "There is something over there!"
They ran up to it, and Charmander used his light to reveal that it was a Pokémon. It was brown with a square pattern all over it.
Stetson immediately knelt down and pulled out Pokémon medicine. Hazel scanned the Pokémon for information.
"It's a Sandshrew…" she commented. "I wonder what is wrong with it."
"I can say that it isn't sick," Stetson informed her. "It actually looks like it was attacked mercilessly."
"Who would do something like that?" Elise squeaked.
Soru saw a small light peering from a crack in one of the walls. He looked through, Charmander following him, and saw that it was not sunlight but a flashlight. He pushed himself into the crack before he felt the ground rumble.
"Soru?" Elise said, turning around.
Suddenly, the ground collapsed under Soru, making him and Charmander fall into the crack, which was now expanded. Elise dived after him, and they both fell into the black.
"Soru!" Hazel screamed. "Elise!"
Stetson grabbed ahold of Sandshrew and looked into the hole.
"You're not thinking about jumping are you?!" Hazel asked, grabbing his shoulder.
"I-I guess not…"
Hazel then looked down the path and motioned for him to follow. The two ran down it, hopefully leading them to their friends.
"Ouch, my head…" Soru mumbled, grabbing the back of his head. His other hand fumbled around, looking for his hat. He felt over something soft—like skin. He squinted to see that he was touching Elise's neck.
"Ah!" Elise screamed. She jolted back and kicked out. "Soru?"
"Oh good! It's you! I thought I found a dead guy…" Soru said. He stood up and looked around. It was almost too dark to see. The lights from above barely shined down. Charmander moved from Soru's leg and lit up the area.
There was a narrow path in front of them. They looked at each other, then back down the path. Soru slowly walked forward, Elise right behind him.
Hazel looked around frantically, trying to see an end to the tunnel. It looked like they were getting nowhere.
"Don't worry. We'll find them," Stetson said. He was still treating the Sandshrew.
Hazel's eyes widened when she noticed a light at the end of their path. The two ran down the path until they finally reached the end. They entered in another part of the cavern. This place was wider and was lit by bright lights.
"What are the lights doing here?" Hazel asked, squinting her eyes because of the brightness.
"More importantly, what are you doing here?" a voice boomed. They looked to the side and noticed a man in black. He had brown hair and brown eyes that pierced into the soul. On his black shirt was a red 'R' on the shoulder. He sat on a rock, glaring at the two trainers.
"We're trying to get through Mt. Moon to get to Cerulean. But we lost our friends on the way here," Hazel explained.
The man stood up and pulled a Poké Ball out from his belt. "You look like some new trainers… How about this: we have a battle."
"We need to find our friends though!" Stetson snapped.
"But I insist," the man said calmly. He tossed the Poké Ball into the air. A small, black, weasel-like Pokémon with long white claws and a red gym on its forehead appeared.
"Sneasel, the Sharp Claw Pokémon. Sneasel scales trees by punching its hooked claws into bark. It seeks out unguarded nests and steels Eggs for food while its parents are away," Hazel's Pokédex chimed.
"I think we're in trouble…" Hazel murmured.
The two walked into a dimly lit room. They could hear clanging noises coming from the distance. Soru looked around. He waved for Elise to follow and they continued down their cold path.
Soru peered around a corner and saw a multitude of people dressed in black digging. A muscular man with stringy long hair stood on a few rocks behind all of the others. He wore black, just like the others, and had a red 'R' on his chest.
"Dig faster!" he commanded. "We have to get the Moon Stone to the boss before the authorities show up!"
Elise covered her mouth. "Did you hear that? They're probably going to steal the Moon Stone!"
"Or… Maybe they're digging up the Moon Stone, so Moon Stone Authorities can check it out!" Soru replied, being the optimist that he was.
Soru returned Charmander back into his ball, no longer needing his light. He trudged out into the opening, letting all of the people notice him. He stuck his hands behind the back of his head and smiled.
"Hello, fellow nice people! My name is Soru, and I was wondering if you could help me and my friend get out of here? We kind of got lost!"
A loud popping noise sounded, and Soru looked around to see a multitude of angry Pokémon all over the place.
"Tie him up," the man ordered.
"Mudkip, Water Gun!" Hazel ordered.
Mudkip blast a jet of water out of his mouth. The jet smashed into the Sneasel's feet, sending him into the air.
"Sneasel, Agility then Metal Claw," the man ordered as though is Pokémon took no damage, which he did not.
Sneasel darted forwards at an incredible speed. He lifted claws, which now shined a metallic silver, and slashed at Mudkip. Mudkip fell back and laid limp at Hazel's feet.
"Mudkip!" Hazel screamed. She grabbed Mudkip and held him close. "I'm sorry that had to happen to you!"
"You should just surrender now," the man said calmly. He had an evil smile on his face.
"Not yet! Nidoran, let's show him!" Stetson called, tossing his Poké Ball into the air. His Nidoran appeared, ready to rumble.
"A weak Nidoran?" the man questioned. "Sneasel, Icy Wind."
Sneasel opened his mouth and a cold wind blew from it. The wind blew past Nidoran, and into the trainers. Stetson stepped in front of Hazel, trying to shield her from the coldness.
"Nidoran, Double Kick!"
Nidoran mustered up what strength he had and jumped. He came down onto Sneasel, kicking him twice in the stomach. Sneasel flew back but rebounded off a rock. He came back swinging his claws furiously, slicing into Nidoran and throwing him back. Stetson scurried to pick up his Pokémon, who was already knocked out.
"Both of your Pokémon are way to weak to stand up to someone like me," the man stated. "Then again. I am a general for Team Rocket. I bet that you've heard of me, Mercutio!"
"Team Rocket?" Stetson gasped.
"Team Rocket?!" Soru screamed. He and Elise were tied next to a big boulder. He paused then closed his eyes, as though he was trying to remember something. "Are you guys a musical group?"
"No, Soru! They're a crime syndicate!" Elise screamed. "They're trying to steal the Moon Stone!"
The muscular man with the long, stringy hair stomped his feet to the ground, gaining the duo's attention. "If you don't give us any trouble, we'll let you free. But you must shut up!"
"What do you want with the Moon Stone?" Elise snapped.
The man rubbed his chin. "We're wanting to harness the power of the Moon Stone to induce evolution upon our Pokémon. You see, the Moon Stone will sometimes allow certain Pokémon evolve. I, Xavier, the 46th general of Team Rocket, will harness that power!"
"Forty-six is a lot…" Soru mumbled.
Xavier laughed. "Team Rocket is everywhere… A lot of generals are needed!"
A small explosion took place behind Xavier. A thick grey smoke filled the area, making Soru and Elise cough. He turned and saw that the Team Rocket members had pulled a giant stone out of the ground. The lights from Team Rocket's flashlights reflected off of the black stone.
"General Xavier, we got it!" One of the grunts announced.
Xavier walked up close to Soru. "We're going to go ahead and just leave you here. But I warn you," he started, lifting his hand to Soru's throat. "If you interfere with us in any way, I'll snap your neck."
The Team Rocket members put the stone into a giant truck, and Xavier backed from the kids. "Buh bye, kids."
Mercutio and Sneasel drew in closer. Mercutio pulled an object from his pocket and clicked a button. A knife popped out, looking sharp.
"You're gonna kill us?" Hazel screamed.
Stetson stood in her way and glared at Mercutio. He tried backing away, forcing Haze to also move.
"That is the plan! Maybe, if they find your bodies, it'll be just enough to let people know that we mean business!"
From Mercutio's belt, a crackling noise burst. He looked down and grabbed a black walkie-talkie.
"Attention, General Mercutio! We have pulled the Moon Stone. There is no more need for further action. We have orders to pull out of Mt. Moon as soon as possible," someone announced.
"I guess you got lucky," Mercutio said, putting his knife back in his pocket. He grabbed a small ball from his belt and tossed it to the ground. It blew, making smoke fill the area.
Hazel and Stetson were left alone, coughing to get the smoke out of their lungs. Hazel looked at Stetson and hugged him.
"We're still alive!" she exclaimed.
Stetson nodded and blushed. "Yeah, but we still need to find the other two!"
"Let us out of here!" Soru screamed. He kicked furiously and tried to break out.
"They already left, Soru," Elise mumbled. "And this rope is too tight for us to get out by ourselves…"
"Use Cyndaquil," Soru said. He smiled and reached for his belt to the best of his abilities. He knocked his two Poké Balls off, and they clanged against the ground. They burst open with white lights, and Torchic and Charmander appeared.
Elise struggled, and let Cyndaquil out of his ball. The Pokémon all looked at each other, then at their trainers. They looked at them curiously and giggled slightly.
"Ember!" they ordered in unison.
All three Pokémon released the small pellets of fire onto the rope, Charmander leaning off a little bit and getting Soru in the face. The rope broke and the two fell, Elise landing on her feet and Soru on his backside.
"Charmander, that hurt!" Soru cried. Charmander only smiled and put his paws behind his head. Soru stood up and took a look around. He smiled at Elise, and they ran out of the small area.
They continued up a small path that circled along the walls. They could hear and see that two more figures were coming down the path. Elise grabbed ahold of Soru and pulled him behind a boulder. They peaked out from the rock and noticed the two figures were getting closer.
"It is probably Team Rocket!" Elise warned Soru in a hushed tone.
"Then I know what to do!" Soru responded. He grinned mischievously and glanced down at Torchic. "Torchic, use Ember!"
Torchic jumped from the boulder and let loose the fiery attack. The two figures screamed and ran down the path until they passed Soru and Elise, where they stopped.
"Hazel!" Soru said with a smile. He then remembered what he just did. "Oops!"
"Oh my! You're still alive!" Hazel said, sighing with relief. She embraced Soru tightly. "I was so scared!"
The group all hugged each other and exchanged stories on what just went down. They continued walking on the path, which would lead them to the outside.
"I haven't heard of anything from Team Rocket for a long time…" Stetson told the group. "It's actually been around two years since an incident with them has surfaced. Do you think we should report it?"
The others shrugged. "I think that, if we do that, we won't be able to get on with our journey," Hazel responded. "I think we should just watch out for them. If we see anything else, then we'll report."
Soru nodded. "Cops freak me out… They smell…"
Stetson laughed and looked up. A bright light came from the end of the tunnel. He motioned for them to follow, and they did. The four trainers reached the exit and came to a hill that overlooked their next route. In the distance lied a city and Hazel's next gym battle.
"Cerulean City, here we come!" Hazel shouted.
A/N And a new chapter! Next week, we'll only be posting on Wednesday. Friday, we'll be really busy. But hooray for Wednesday!
Q1) What do you think Hazel and group's role will play in the Team Rocket story?
Q2) Predictions for Hazel's battle against Cerulean?