Draconix observed the rocky cliffs of Route 4. It had been two days since he and Raziel had left Pewter City, in hopes of making it in that time to Mount Moon. However, training was taking long, and at this point they were likely going to camp out one more night before taking on Mount Moon.
"Man, this takes forever." Raziel complained with a sigh. Draconix nodded. The way to Mount Moon seemed a lot harder than they had expected. Leaving aside wild Pokémon and training, the road was also mostly uphill.
"How did Blue make it so fast." Draconix wondered, speaking to himself as they proceeded. He had heard about Blue's run into the Team Rocket from a TV in the Trainers' House and had immediately called him. Apparently, he was already doing better, and likely challenging the Gym in a day or two. Of course, he acted like he was in full control of the situation, but Draconix could tell he was scared. Scared Team Rocket would find out where he was and finish the job. 'Well he said he is going to leave the city as soon as he has the Badge, is probably nothing to worry about.'
Giuls observed the dark entrance of Mount Moon. Sure, there were other roads through the mountains between central and western Kanto. The Diglett Cave, or the Emerald Tunnel and its bus service, where both valid alternatives. However, Mount Moon was important. Before the Diglett Cave emerged and the Emerald Tunnel was built, the mountain truly was the only pass. The legends said a legendary Pokémon and his trainer had opened the pass, although maybe it was just folklore. However, there was no doubt that since the League was instituted thousands of Trainers had traveled through the cave to reach the other side, and it was considered cheap to use the other passages first. 'And I certainly won't be.' She thought, and begun walking.
The cave was almost silent. She could hear the sound of distant fighting, but that was normal. If she had any doubt, the Zubat that flew down from the ceiling and prepared to fight her was the proof she needed. She sent out Bulbasaur and sighed seeing the Pokémon jump into combat without even waiting for her.
'Fine. Let's do this.' She brought her hand at the pocket and took out the stone Professor Cozmo had given her before, the Moonstone as he had called it. She knew it was an evolution item, but for her it was more. For some reason, in those last two days she had taken the habit of holding it when she was upset. It seemed… calming. Maybe because since their meeting with Cozmi Bulbasaur seemed to be warming up to her even more.
She did not notice the two small eyes staring at her from a crack in the wall.
"This isn't going to work." Raziel said, looking at the Pokémon Center. Built just an hour from Mount Moon, the Pokémon Center was the final resting spot for trainers before the challenge of making their way through the mountain.
The problem was that said Pokémon Center was completely full. About a hundred people were talking and eating in the crowded hall, and most of them seemed to be trainers. Slowly, Raziel and Draconix made their way to the counter, where the most stressed looking nurse the two had ever seen was sitting, exhausted. "Oh Arceus there are more…" She muttered, before putting up a less than convincing smile "What can I do for you? As you can notice we are a bit… overcrowded."
"No kidding, is this normal?" Draconix asked.
"Not really thankfully. Is just that a lot of trainers from Cerulean tend to pick the western route to take the League Challenge. After all this way they face Pewter and Cinnabar." She said with a sigh "Considering how the week went, today should be the last big group. After this, the traffic will settle down again."
Draconix and Raziel both nodded in understanding. They had heard about the big rush that some Pokémon Centers had to face in the weeks after the end of the Trainer Academy year, but this was the first time they saw such examples. 'Ah, maybe that's why we ended up fighting so many trainers coming this way.' Raziel thought. "Anyway, we'd like a room if possible."
The woman sighed and looked at a registry. "I have a double, is that ok?" She asked.
Draconix went pale at this for a second but nodded. Raziel looked at him a moment before nodding as well. The woman nodded and took a keychain from under the counter. There were two keys connected to it. "Please return them tomorrow before you leave. You have no idea how hard it is to get new keys up here."
"Sure, no problem. Thank you." Said the brown-haired trainer, taking them before Raziel had a chance.
"You ok Draconix?" Raziel asked once they had moved from the counter.
"Is nothing, I just… don't like to share a room." He said with a nervous smile. Noticing Raziel's look he continued "Ah is nothing against you or anything, I just don't lake sleeping in the same room with other people."
Raziel scratched his head "Well, I hope is not that big of an issue. It will be for just one night."
Draconix nodded "Yeah, I am probably worrying for nothing anyway."
Giuls observed the exit. It wasn't, of course, the exit for Celadon, merely the point marking the entrance to Moon Lake. She exited on a field of grass, extending around a large body of water shining brightly under the moon. Near it, was a large trainer house. Looking to her left, she could see the road continue near the rocky side of the mountain until it opened again on the entrance to the second half of the cave. Beyond the lake, the grass continued for a bit before turning almost abruptly in a pine forest.
She knew Moon Lake was famous for the monthly Clefairy Dance, but the event, the one when it was more easy for trainers to catch one of the rare Clefairy, only happened on a night of full moon and the day before and after, and that was neither of those. So that night the lake was silent, except for the soothing sound of the breeze in the grass.
For a moment, she considered moving on, but she had heard that traveling through the cave at night was only suggested to very experienced trainers. At night Golbat and Parasect commonly came out from their hiding spots to feed, so it was only suggested to trainers capable of taking them on.
'If I asked Bulbasaur she'd probably jump at the opportunity, but I am not that stupid." She thought with a sigh. Although, to be fair, Bulbasaur had calmed down a bit as they ventured deeper in the cave. She had probably realized that while Geodude was an easy opponent for her, Paras and Zubat were not. Giuls actually needed to refill a bit her Potions, she was starting to run low.
She walked to the Trainer House and found it surprisingly full. A quick talk with the owner, an elderly man all smiles and cheers, clarified that those were mostly trainers from Celadon aiming for Pewter and Cinnabar. He cheerfully sold her the Potions she needed and gave her a key to a single room. He smiled all the way as he showed her the exact door, before leaving with a tip. Giuls wondered how did the man have the energy to smile for that long.
She entered the room, closed the door and fell on the bed. Immediately the tiredness of the whole day spent going up and down stairs and slopes hit her. Or maybe it was that strange music she could hear from the window…
She felt her eyes grow heavy…
She looked outside, noticing the starry sky… And one of the stars was dark, and right on the window, in front of the moon, singing…
And then she fell asleep.
Bulbasaur noticed everything happening from inside her Poké Ball. She KNEW this was wrong and in more than a way. Giuls wasn't that fast, and even if muffled she could hear the faint song coming from outside. Luckily, Poké Ball made the Pokémon inside immune to any stray move, including sound based one. Short of an attack aimed directly at the Poké Ball, it was pretty hard to damage the Pokémon inside.
So she was completely awake when Giuls started to sleep quietly, and the small figure at the window begun cracking the window open. 'Should I jump out?'. She wondered, then shook her head. No, the other one might have started to sing. She had one shot.
The window opened, and the Clefairy crawled in. The pink star-shaped Pokémon jumped lightly, almost like gravity had no effect on her, and reached for Giuls' pocket. Right next to the belt. Bulbasaur smiled and jumped out, her vines extending immediately to cover Clefairy's mouth and block her escape.
"What do we have here?" She asked mockingly "A little thief. I thought Clefairy were supposed to be nice and sweet."
"P-Please… It hurts…" The Clefairy cried, her voice muffled by the vine.
"Oh don't give me that, I have fought enough Pokémon to know when I am squishing too hard. I am not right now. But I can start." She said, and gripped a bit harder. The Clefairy squealed and her expression changed.
"Fine, have it your way, miss." She said, abandoning completely both the fake cry and any attempt at feigning pain "I need your trainer's Moon Stone. I just want that. Let me take it and I'll go."
"You act like you are in the position to make demands." Bulbasaur said.
"Oh but I am." She said, shaking a finger mockingly "In had the upper hand the moment you didn't stop my hand just now."
"What…" Bulbasaur begun, then she noticed the Clefairy's finger.
With an explosion, a Fire Blast flew towards her. She ducked, dodging the hit itself, but the fire scorched her vines and made the window explode. Bulbasaur looked up, just in time to see the Clefairy chuckle and grab the Moon Stone. For a moment she expected her to evolve, but nothing happened. The Clefairy simply run off, Moon Stone in hand.
Bulbasaur readied her vines, but she found out they weren't ready yet. Scorched by the fire, her energy was taking some time to regrow them. She opted to launch one last attack, but after that the Pokémon run off. "Damn!" She shouted. And in that moment she heard a voice and a knocking at the door.
"What…" Giuls asked, standing up. Her room was a disaster. And not the usual messy room she usually left. No, it was a literal disaster. The window was gone, a large star-shaped hole in the wall in it's place, and Bulbasaur seemed angry.
And then there was the knocking at the door. "What's going on miss? Are you ok?!"
She stood up, looking at Bulbasaur. The Pokèmon was angry but she did not understand what had happened. Giuls brought her hand to her pocket mechanically and found… nothing. Where the Moon Stone should have been, there was only an empty pocket.
"Who did this stole it?" She asked. Bulbasaur nodded. Giuls ran at the door and opened it to find a scared old man, his smile gone. "Yes, sorry, I was attacked by someone that stole something and run. Sorry for the noise and the window but it really wasn't my fault." Then she closed the door, thinking.
She could have let it go. Just ask for another room and forget about it. Or…
"Bulbasaur, think you can find who did this?"
The Pokémon nodded. And Giuls smiled. "Alright, we are hunting a thief tonight."
She grabbed her bag and exited the room. "Sorry for the trouble. I'll try to catch the thief. I'll come back. Bye, and sorry again!"
Before the man could say anything she was down the stairs.
Clefairy sat under a tree, smiling. He made sure the Everstone was still in place and smiled. 'With this we can do it.' She thought.
She was feeling a bit more tired than she should have, but it was probably fault of the Bulbasaur's attacks. The important thing was that now she had the Moon Stone. With that… Then she heard a faint sound. While she was not a Clefable, her hearing was still among the best. She could hear that something was coming. Probably nothing, just a trainer trying to catch something rarer at night, but for safety she jumped up, hiding on one of the tree branches. Completely hidden, the smell of the pines would have hidden her.
Still, her heart skip a bit when she saw the Bulbasaur and her trainer walk under the tree. 'What? How did they find me? I floated over the lake to get here, there were no tracks!' She had consumed most of her stored moonlight to pull off that trick, and now it was for nothing? 'No calm down. They can't know I am here. It's imposs…' And then a vine darted toward her. Before she could do anything, she was completely trapped. Including her hands.
"Hello again." The Bulbasaur said with a smile.
"… A Clefairy?" Giuls asked "Are you sure it's the right one?"
Bulbasaur nodded, growling angry at the Normal-type Pokémon. Giuls considered what to do. "Well, first of all, let's recover my Moon Stone." She said, and grabbed the stone from the Pokémon paw. Surprising, she put up some resistance, but Giuls managed to take it and put it back in the pocket. "Now, why did you do that? Clefairy are supposed to be very friendly and shy not… that."
"Come on, is just a thief, what do you think she will say?" Bulbasaur asked "And for that matter, you wouldn't understand her anyway. Aaaah, I don't even know why I am trying to speak to you…"
"Please." Clefairy said "I need that stone! Otherwise we are doomed! Please!"
Bulbasaur stared at her "Why should I buy any of that?" She asked.
"Listen, I get it, I did something wrong, but I am desperate! My clan needs that stone! We need to make one of us evolve."
"Why? What could be so important that you need to bomb us?!"
Clefairy sighed "The other day we were attacked by some strong Pokémon. One of us, our leader, is on the deathbed. If we don't find a new Clefable, we are doomed, we will never survive against the Golbat and the Parasect on our own!"
Bulbasaur stared at her. There was no trace of lying in the Pokémon's expression. She really was desperate. She released her grip, leaving only a vine around the Normal-type waist and hands, and nodded. "Lead the way. I want to see this." She said "If you are lying, I will turn that into the truth, trust me."
Clefairy nodded, and begun to walk. Bulbasaur looked behind for a second, but Giuls had clearly understood they were going to follow the Clefairy.
'I hope I am doing the right thing.' Bulbasaur thought. For once, she wished her trainer was more assertive instead of trusting her. Now if they were wrong it was going to be her fault.
"Can I ask a question?" Clefairy asked "How did you find me?"
Bulbasaur chuckled. "Leech Seed. Once I plant it, I can tell where the target is so long as it isn't removed."
"What?! Where…" Clefairy asked, now realizing why she was feeling more tired than she should have, but Bulbasaur shook her head.
"Don't try remove it. Consider it another reason to do as I say."
And so the three continued in the woods.