Thanks, DigiDrew, for telling me that. I haven't been able to watch Pokemon lately because of all the homework I get from school. DigiDrew, your character will pop up a few times and then become part of the team. I'm glad everyone loved the last chapter! Now onto the story! Hooray!
Chapter 14: Onward to Mt. Moon
Mark yawned and got up from bed. Some of his Pokemon woke up for a moment to see what moved before collapsing in bed again. He'd let some of his Shadow Pokemon out last night for some training and went to bed without bothering to return them to their Snag Balls. Sparks lifted his head from Mark's lap, blinking sleepily before going back to sleep again. After gently placing the Pikachu on his pillow, he got up and stretched.
His eyes wandered to the second bunk bed in the room, resting on their guest. The Pokemon Center's rooms were full and they had been forced to have another roommate bunk with them. Alex had made a fuss about the stranger being curious about the Shadow Pokemon but Mark reminded her that this guy probably didn't even know about Cipher. Alex ended up reluctantly agreeing and ignored the guy for the rest of the night.
The stranger was a 14 year old boy with emerald green eyes and messy brown hair covered by a red bandanna tied around his head. He wore a black T-shirt with the Poke Ball symbol on it and khaki shorts. His white tennis shoes decorated with blue stripes were on the floor beside the bed, along with his bag and Poke Balls, three in total.
Mark sighed and wandered to the kitchen. The stranger hadn't given his name last night but had recklessly demanded a battle. Before it could commence though, Nurse Joy had interfered and told them it was time for bed. The guy had been strangely silent after that.
Mark made some toast and buttered it. His Shadow Raichu stumbled in and hopped onto the table, eyeing the toast hungrily. When Mark sat down to eat, Raichu stole a piece and darted back into the bedroom to eat in victory. Mark merely shrugged and ate. He'd gotten used to Raichu's mischievous ways by now and learned that trying to stop him only gave Mark a painful bite or shock for his troubles.
The green-haired boy pulled out his PDA and checked Tyrogue's stats. He never had the chance last night so he'd do it now. Its Attack was two stars and its other stats were one star each. It was male, 2'04", 46 lbs, Steadfast ability, and was Level 12.
The stranger walked into the room, sitting at the table across from him. Mark looked at him and said, "What's your name, kid?"
"Will." He replied. "What's yours?"
"Mark Hunter." Mark answered. "You still want that battle from last night?"
That made Will smile. "You got that right!"
"Okay then, Will," Mark said. "After Alex and I check out of this place, we'll battle. I need to train my Pokemon anyway, not that I haven't trained them enough as it is."
"Sure, but be ready to lose!" Will declared, getting up and grabbing some cereal for breakfast. "I'm the best trainer in this town. I'll beat Brock now that he's in charge again. I heard that two kids beat that blonde swordsman that took over yesterday. You know who they are, Mark?"
"Me and Alex."
"Yeah, well whoever they are must be powerful!" Then Will realized what Mark said. "WHAT?! You and that girl beat that guy? How'd you do it?!"
"None of your business, airhead!" Alex snapped from the doorway. "How we beat him is none of your concern."
Will looked down, a defeated look on his face. "Not even Brock could beat that guy and yet you two did?" he mumbled. Then he looked up with a determined look on his face. "That means that if I beat you, I'll prove that I'm even stronger than Brock and that swordsman!"
Alex slapped her forehead. "He's signing his defeat certificate right about now, isn't he?"
Mark took a sip of his soda. "Yep." He said.
After breakfast, the group checked out of the Pokemon Center. Once they reached the entrance to Route 3, Will stopped and pulled out a Poke Ball. "This is where we will battle. Prepare to lose!" Will declared. "Staraptor, go get them!"
Mark sighed and pulled out a Snag Ball. "Munchlax, show that guy a real battle." He said.
The little Shadow Munchlax popped out, looking hungry as usual. Once it set its eyes on Staraptor, Munchlax raised its fists and prepared to fight. Staraptor preened its wings, thinking that this was an easy win.
"Staraptor, use Brave Bird!" Will shouted.
Mark sighed. Is this guy an idiot or what? "Munchlax, use Shadow Tackle."
Staraptor and Munchlax crashed into one another. Staraptor backed off a few steps while Munchlax held its head and groaned. Staraptor shook itself and crashed into Munchlax again, sending it crashing to Mark's feet. Mark sighed again and returned it, tossing a second Snag Ball out. Sentret popped out of it.
"Hey!" Will called. "Before we continue, I have a question. What attack was that?! I never heard of a Shadow Tackle before!"
"It's none of your business." Mark replied coldly. "What attacks we have or what we do is none of your business. Now let's get this fight over with so that I can get to Route 3 and get to the next city."
"Fine!" Will replied. "Staraptor, use Aerial Ace!"
Staraptor flew high into the air and swooped down, intent on hitting Sentret. Sentret was shaking but allowed itself to be hit by the attack. Mark saw his chance.
"Sentret, use Shadow Rave while it's close to the ground!" he yelled.
Sentret placed its paws on the ground and spikes erupted, crashing into Staraptor. The bird gave a loud cry as it crashed to the ground, blood speckling its feathers from where the spikes grazed it. Will ran to his Pokemon and returned it. Another one of those weird attacks? What are they? And who are these guys? He thought.
"Is this battle done yet?" Alex asked. "We actually want to get to Mt. Moon before dark today, Mark. Can we go yet?"
"Depends on if that's all Will has." Mark replied. "Will, are we done yet? If you want to continue, that's fine by me but we're on a tight schedule. We need to be at Mt. Moon before nightfall and is takes a while to get there."
Will got up and pulled out another Pokemon. "I'm not through yet. Manectric, show them who's boss! Use Bite on that raccoon!"
"Sentret, use Shadow Rave and follow up with Shadow Rush!" Mark commanded.
Manectric raced forward and attempted to bite Sentret. Sentret placed its paws on the ground a second time and giant spikes appeared, hurting Manectric. The electric dog jumped away, licking a deep gash in its right back leg. Sentret barreled forward and crashed into its injured side, forcing it back a few bounds. Sentret backed off and wiped the electric dog's blood from its face, sticking its tongue out in disgust.
"Manectric, are you okay?" Will asked. When the dog nodded, Will said, "Manectric, use Shock Wave!"
"Dodge it, Sentret!" Mark cried.
Sentret raced away but the electric attack crashed into it, making Sentret let out a high-pitched scream. Manectric yelped in response to the loud noise, lying down and covering its ears with its paws to drown out the noise. When the screamed ended, Manectric looked up in victory at the fainted Pokemon.
Mark returned Sentret and threw out Mightyena. When she smelled something burnt, she glared at Manectric. The electric dog blinked in confusion. Something was different about this Pokemon. She seemed normal compared to the previous two. Mightyena started growling, snapping Manectric back into reality.
"Is your Pokemon gonna just stay there, looking at my Mightyena all day," Mark asked. "Or is it going to start attacking?"
Manectric hopped to its feet and growled right back at her. Mightyena, feeling challenged, pounced forward and bit it. Manectric howled in pain, leaping away and licking its shoulder before looking up at the clearly angered Dark-type Pokemon.
Will looked surprised. "You didn't even order her to attack! That has to be against the rules or something!"
"There's no rule against letting a Pokemon fight its own battles." Alex replied. "Your Pokemon got Mightyena angry so she just did what she usually does and bit them. It better learn some manners around her or it won't be around for much longer."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Will growled.
"What Alex means is that my Mightyena hates being challenged. Like right now, growling at her means challenging her. She hated that, so she attacked your Manectric. She's been like that since she was a Poochyena." Mark explained. "If you have a problem against Pokemon fighting their own battles, you really don't know anything then."
Mightyena started growling again, which made Manectric back off a step. It had learned its lesson the first time. No growling at the angry dark dog unless it wants to be bitten again. Mightyena smirked, knowing its lesson had been taught.
"Manectric, don't be afraid of her!" Will yelled. "Use Quick Attack on her, now!"
Manectric hesitated but did as it was told. It rammed into Mightyena, hoping it wasn't going to be bitten. Mightyena suddenly placed one paw on its shoulder and crashed it into the ground. The electric dog yelped, thinking it was going to be bitten.
"Good girl, Mightyena!" Mark cheered. "Now use Shadow Ball and finish it!"
Manectric's yelped ended upon seeing that ball of glowing darkness quickly forming in her mouth. She shot it at the Manectric and leaped away, smirking at her victory. Will returned his defeated Manectric and tossed out a third Poke Ball. "Go, Infernape!"
Mightyena started growling again, not liking the smug look on its face. The Infernape simply snorted, already having a strategy planned. "Mightyena, use Shadow Ball!" Mark ordered.
"Infernape, use Flare Blitz!" Will commanded.
Infernape's body was entirely cloaked in fire as it charged at Mightyena. She continued to charge her attack before shooting it at the monkey Pokemon. Infernape dodged it and rammed into Mightyena, who started howling in pain from the attack. Infernape jumped away, seriously damaged from using that attack. Mightyena wobbled but did not fall. She charged up another Shadow Ball.
"Oh, no!" Will cried when he saw Mightyena still standing. "Infernape, use Close Combat!"
Infernape dashed and stopped directly in front of Mightyena. Surprised that something that big could move so fast, the attack died instantly in her mouth. Infernape smashed its fist into her chest, throwing Mightyena backwards. She hit the ground hard and yelped in pain. Infernape reappeared beside her and kicked her, sending her crashing into a tree. Mightyena dragged herself up and launched forward, chomping down on its shoulder. Infernape managed to work its fingers between her teeth and pried her jaws open, freeing itself. After getting a safe distance away, it awaited further orders.
"Infernape, use Overheat!" Will said. "Finish it!"
Infernape blasted fire at the dark dog. Mightyena dragged herself out of the way just in time to avoid it. She raced towards it and rammed into Infernape's stomach. The monkey crashed into the ground at Will's feet, unconscious.
Will looked at the Mightyena in shock. She looked ready to collapse and yet she still beat Infernape. Just moments later, Mightyena collapsed at last, fully exhausted from fighting two Pokemon. "How did she do that?" Will asked. "Did you use her to beat that swordsman?"
"No, I didn't." Mark replied.
"And those attacks…they're so different from other attacks." Will continued. "I've never heard of a Shadow Rave or Shadow Rush before. You've gotta tell me how you learned those attacks! They're so powerful!"
"Hey, calm down!" Alex growled. "We can't tell you how we learned them. We especially can't tell you how we got them."
"Why not?" Will asked. "I won't tell anyone, I promise!"
"Look, Will, it's not that we don't trust you," Mark replied. "It's just that we can't trust you. You'd be better off not sticking your nose in our business or trying to beg info off of us. You've got nothing to do with us, so go and battle Brock and then get out of here. We don't want anyone to get hurt by them."
"By who?!" Will demanded, watch Mark return Mightyena and walk towards Route 3.
"We can't tell you, so don't try to find out." Alex said, turning and following Mark. "Hey, wait for me!"
Once they vanished down the path, Will turned and walked towards the Pokemon Center. "Those guys are up to something." He mumbled. Once he left the Pokemon Center, he walked towards Pewter Gym. "Oh well, maybe I'll find out next time I battle them. This won't be the last time you see me…rival!"
Halfway down Route 3…
Alex flopped down into the grass, exhausted after battling so many trainers. Surprisingly, they encountered more normal trainers than Cipher goons on Route 3. Alex had agreed to battle the trainers while Mark battled the two Cipher goons. Why did I agree to that again? She thought.
"What's the matter, Alex? Tired?" Mark asked. "That's what being a trainer is all about! You get to battle a whole lot!"
"That coming from the guy who only took on two people while I had to fight five." Alex panted.
"Sneasel sneas!" Sneasel coughed, collapsing beside its owner.
"I'm gonna read this rulebook thing while you're resting, 'kay?" Mark asked.
"'Kay." Alex agreed, closing her eyes to take a nap.
Mark flipped through the book, thinking about the two goons he'd faced. Oddly enough, neither of them had a Shadow Pokemon on them and seemed to only slow them down a little. He pulled a strange golden flute from his backpack. The second goon had been carrying it with him and dropped it as he ran. I wonder what it is.
He put the flute away and looked at the top five rules in the book he got from Dart's gym. Number 1: If Gym Leader is beaten, trainer gets a badge. Number 2: Both Pokemon and trainer can attack opponent. Number 3: If Gym Leader pulls back Pokemon before Snaggers catch them, Gym Leader keeps their Pokemon. Number 4: Items cannot be used in battle. And Number 5: Gym Leader and trainer can have as many Pokemon on the field as they want.
"No items?" Mark said. "I never had to use items in Dart's battle. That could be a problem once we beat the first few Gym Leaders though."
He shut the book and pulled out a Snag Ball. Opening it, the cute Shadow Eevee that once belonged to Nik in Viridian Forest appeared. The gray and white bundle of fur climbed into his lap and started begging for attention. Mark still remembered his promise to Nik and intended on keeping it. "Don't worry, little guy." Mark said gently, scratching her behind the ears. "I'll take good care of you."
He pulled out his PDA to check her stats. Back in Viridian Forest he never got the chance, but now he did. Her Speed was three stars, Attack, Special Attack, and Defense were two stars, and Special Defense was one star. It was female, 1'00", 14 lbs, Adaptability ability, and was Level 7.
He turned and looked at the sleeping Alex. It must be hard fighting all those trainers, he thought, smiling. No wonder she's tired. I'm glad there were only two for me this time. But we're only halfway to Mt. Moon, let alone Cerulean City. I hope we get there before it gets too dark.
A wiggling on his belt caught his attention. He pulled out Mightyena's Poke Ball and let her out. The dark dog shook herself and barked. "Shhhh!" Mark hissed. "Alex is sleeping!"
"Pika pika!" Sparks repeated in his own Pikachu language.
Mightyena nodded and lay down beside Mark, resting her head on his knee. Eevee poked her head from his lap and looked at the bigger Pokemon curiously. After a moment, she hopped out of his lap and curled up beside Mightyena, causing the latter to lift her head and growl. "Vee?" Eeevee questioned, blinking.
Mightyena got up and walked around Mark, curling up on his other side. Eevee followed her and curled up beside her. Mightyena simply got up and moved again. This process continued for 20 minutes before the Dark-type finally gave in and allowed the small fox to sleep beside her. The look on her face was priceless to Mark.
"Poor Mightyena." He chuckled, keeping a hand over his mouth to muffle his laughs. "I guess Eevee thinks you're her mother, girl."
Mightyena snorted, eyes narrowed to a dangerous level. Then she relaxed and licked Eevee's head, startling the little Pokemon back into awareness. Then she realized that it was only her 'mommy' and not an enemy. The fox Pokemon fell back asleep and Mark smiled, knowing that Mightyena would take care of Eevee, too.
An hour later, Mark shook Alex awake. "Hey, wake up, sleepyhead! We got to get moving or we won't make it to Cerulean before nightfall."
Alex moaned and sat up, rubbing her eyes tiredly. "Why can't we just stay here?"
"Oh, I don't know," Mark said sarcastically. "Maybe it's because Cipher might attack us. In Pewter, you said you wouldn't want to sleep outside while Cipher's around, and now you want to sleep outside?!"
"Okay, okay! I get the point!" Alex snapped, getting to her feet. "I'm up! Let's get going already. I don't wanna sleep in Mt. Moon with all of those Cipher goons around here."
"Sneasel sneas!" Sneasel agreed, walking alongside its owner.
The trio headed down the route to Mt. Moon while the sun quickly crossed the sky.
Elsewhere on the unknown island…
Dart sighed, dropping to his knees in the pitch-black room his master, the head of Cipher, resided in. No one had ever seen his face except for the Cipher Elite Four, and even they dare not tell of what he looks like. Dart knew he was finished, dead, done for. No one failed the boss and lived…No one.
"Well, Dart," came the cold voice of his master. "What do you have to say for yourself? What clever words will you come up with to save yourself from my wrath? Well, Dart, I'm waiting."
Dart gulped. "I-I'm sorry. Those kids outsmarted me this time, but next time—"
"What next time, Dart?" his boss interrupted. "Tell me why I should give you a 'next time'?"
Dart was shaking in anger. "Because next time, I'll beat them. The only reason I lost was because that stupid scientist's Onix didn't obey me. If you give me another chance, I guarantee I'll end their threat. That's a promise!"
His boss fell silent. It seemed like an eternity until he spoke again. "One. More. Chance. That's all I'm willing to give. If you had been just one of the Peons, I would have disposed of you and been done with it. This privilege will only be given to you Gym Leaders. Once you leave, inform your fellow comrades of this new information. Now leave."
Dart stood up and nodded. "Got it. Thanks, man—I mean, boss!" He ran from the room immediately.
The boss sighed from his chair. "Do you see how they squirm when faced with failure, Dr. Pine?" he asked. "These people are so easily manipulated."
The purple-haired scientist who owned the Onix stepped out from the shadows. "Yes sir, I see what you mean by that." Dr. Pine agreed. "But are you sure that it was okay for this so called 'Shadow Master' to show those Snaggers the disk with valuable information on Shadow Mew?"
"Yes, it's fine." The boss replied. "They will soon find out the true might of Cipher. Have you managed to catch any other legendaries yet, Dr. Pine?"
"Yes, we have." Dr. Pine replied. "We have caught the three legendary birds and are currently tracking the three legendary dogs in Johto as we speak."
"Good, Dr. Pine." The Boss said, waving his hand. "You may leave now. Get to turning those birds into Shadow Pokemon."
The scientist nodded and left the room. "Yes sir."
Elsewhere on the unknown island, Gym Leader bath house…
Dart entered the Cipher Gym Leader bath house and collapsed into a lounge chair. He looked up to see Blazer, Florence, Rosalean, and Mimzy giving him odd looks. He looked around and spotted Mist standing in the shallow end of the pool. "What's wrong, stupid Dart? You see a stupid ghost or something?" Mimzy asked in her mocking tone.
"Oh, will you shut up so he can talk?!" Rosalean growled.
"You got something to say to me, stupid flower girl?"
"No, but I have a bone to pick with you! Where do you get off acting like that?!"
"I can act any way I want to, stupid!"
Blazer stepped between the two bickering girls. "Ladies, ladies, relax!" he said calmly. "Let's hear what blondie has to say and then you two can fight, 'kay?"
Both girls looked at him, glaring daggers. Luckily, the fire trainer was saved by none other than Dart. "Guys, the boss gave me a message!" he shouted. "Even if we all fail to beat those Snaggers, the boss will give us a second chance because of our status."
"What's the catch?" Mist asked, sounding slightly ill.
"Huh?" Florence replied, glancing at the psychic boy. "Are you okay, Mist? You're not looking too well. Maybe you should go see Eva, she can fix you up."
"Maybe, but what's the catch, Dart?" Mist repeated. "The boss never gives chances without a catch. What is it?"
Dart looked at the ground. "Actually, he never mentioned a catch exactly." He admitted sheepishly.
Mist sighed. "I think the reason I'm getting ill is because I'm surrounded by buffoons…except Rosalean, that is."
"Hey, watch your mouth, whitey!" Dart snarled. "I bet I do way better than you'll do during your Gym battle!"
"We'll see about that, Dart." Mist replied, looking up upon sensing someone outside of the door. "There's someone outside."
The door opened and a tall man in a black suit and tie entered the room. He was wearing thick black sunglasses the covered most of his face except for his forehead and mouth. He also had smooth black hair. He looked strikingly similar to a secret agent or bodyguard. "Is a Miss Rosalean in this room?"
Rosalean nodded. "Uh, yeah. That's me."
"The boss has given me orders to speak with you about a certain conversation with the Snaggers that you had last night after Mr. Dart was defeated." The man replied. "If you would please come with me."
Rosalean looked at the others for help. When none of them came to her aid, she silently followed the man down the hallway to a big white room. Once she got there, she sat at the table and looked around worriedly. "Now what?" she asked nervously.
"We begin our talk," the man replied. Then a cruel smile appeared. "And your punishment."
"P-p-punishment?!"
"Yes, for betraying vital information to the enemy." He responded. A Poke Ball appeared in his hands and he opened it, releasing a Kadabra. "Kadabra, it's time you had some fun with an information-traitor."
Kadabra lifted its spoon. Rosalean never even got to scream.
The base of Mt. Moon…
Mark and Alex looked up at the mountain they would be forced to climb in order to get to Cerulean city. "Man, that's tall." Alex commented.
"Yeah, it is." Mark replied. "We better get going. I'm surprised that we haven't met any Shadow Pokemon yet. That's really weird."
"I know!" Alex said, following Mark as he entered the mountain. "Why haven't they attacked us? It's almost as if they abandoned us. Maybe they don't want to play anymore?"
"Or maybe they're setting a trap for us." Mark argued. "Keep an eye out and look for anything suspicious-looking."
"Like that rope circle you're about to step in?!"
"What?!" Mark looked down and saw a rope circle just inches from the sole of his right shoe. "Whew! Geez, that's the oldest trick in the book. Do they really think we're that stupid?"
Mark took a step to the left…and pulled a trip wire. A large net crashed down on top of them. "Aaaaaahhhh!! We're trapped!" Alex shrieked. "Mark, get us out of here!"
"I don't know how!"
"Use your Pokemon!"
"Use your Sneasel to cut the rope!"
"Oh, I forgot he had claws." Alex chirped. "Sneasel, tear this net to pieces!"
Sneasel shredded the net within seconds, freeing the duo from the trap. "Okay, so maybe we are stupid enough to fall for these traps." Mark corrected himself. "We better keep a close watch for more of these traps or any trainers."
"Okay, will do!" Alex replied, nodding.
The duo headed deeper into the mountain, encountering wild Pokemon, traps, and a few normal trainers. Wherever the Cipher goons went, they were sure to be back sooner or later. But for now, they were safe…but nothing ever stays safe forever.
Next Chapter: Big Trek, Big Trouble, Big Surprise
"Misty!" Alex cried, launching herself into the Gym Leader's arms. "I'm glad to see you!"
"And I'm glad to see you two." Misty replied. Then she looked up at Mark. "You two are okay, right? Brock told me about how you saved his gym. Did Cipher do anything to you guys on Route 3 or in Mt. Moon?"
"No, Misty, they didn't do anything." Mark admitted. "Actually, we met more normal trainers than Cipher goons."
"That's odd. Prof. Oak told us there were tons of them in Mt. Moon." Misty said. "I wonder what happened to them."
"Maybe Mist called them off." Alex suggested. "But why?"
"Because he doesn't need them." Mark mumbled. "This battle's gonna be pretty tough since he beat us last time. But we'll beat him this time, no matter what!"
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Hey guys, I hope you like this one. DigiDrew, I hope you liked how Will was introduced. He'll pop up in a few places before really joining the gang but if you have any ideas on battles or such, leave it in your review. I wonder what happened to Rosalean and who is that agent guy? Find out in the next chapter!