Disclaimer: I do not own nor am I affiliated with Pokémon or any of its parent companies. I am merely a humble storyteller. Thank you, and I hope you enjoy this journey with me.
Note: I am English, so some of the wording, spellings, and expressions will be those commonly used in England.
Chapter Seventeen: Dancing in the Moonlight
Leaf very nearly issued the order for them to attack, ready to get the jump on this new foe. The first syllable danced off her tongue, but she did not complete the order. For one, it was not a Team Rocket member, and secondly, the appearance of the person was so shocking to her that it struck her dumb.
It couldn't be. There was no way it could be him. Leaf was in so much disbelief that she did not react to the person catching sight of her, running towards her, and holding her in a tight embrace. Eevee barked at the stranger, but Bulbasaur silenced her and went over to greet one of the Pokémon that accompanied the person, a certain lizard with a flaming tail. The fire lizard gave his friend from Professor Oak's lab a great big hug.
"Is… is that you, Red?" Leaf asked, hardly daring to believe it.
Red released her and took her all in. "Yeah, it's me. I wasn't expecting to find you here."
"Likewise," Leaf said. For the first time since the previous day she smiled and gave Red a crushing hug. "It's so amazing to see you again!"
Eevee whined uneasily and trotted up to the other Pokémon, Pikachu. She sniffed him but he ignored her. Eevee whined again and nudged him.
Leaf looked to her Pokémon. "Oh, you captured a Pikachu! I never encountered one in Viridian Forest. Lucky." She pulled out her Pokédex.
"And you've got an Eevee," Red said, taking out his own.
Pikachu, an Electric-type Pokémon. When several of these Pokémon gather, their electricity could build and cause lightning storms.
Eevee, a Normal-type Pokémon. It can evolve into a variety of forms. Eevee's genes are the key to solving the mysteries of Pokémon evolution.
They both put their devices away and gave each other's Pokémon a few quick pats before remembering the severity of the situation, the temporary sunlight given birth by their reunion slowly snuffed out by Team Rocket's tenebrous presence.
"So," Red said. "You're the girl Team Rocket was talking about."
Leaf's eyes widened. "You spoke to them?"
"More like they spoke to me," Red said, shivering as he recalled that vindictive Proton. "I was battling this other guy when they jumped us. We managed to get away because we distracted them, but the guy had one of his Pokémon taken. He ran the other way."
"They stole his Pokémon?" Leaf said, her voice hushed, her fingernails digging into her palms.
Red nodded dejectedly. "It sucks. But we should get out of her ourselves. I don't think Team Rocket are going to be kind if they catch us. Are your Pokémon okay, Leaf? They said you were defeating a whole bunch of them."
"Only Bulbasaur and Eevee are still standing," Leaf said, answering truthfully. "My other four are down and out."
Red blinked. "You're got a full team?"
Leaf blinked back. "You haven't got a full team?"
"No. I've only got three Pokémon."
Leaf afforded Red a frown. "Okay, if we get out of this, we've got to have a serious talk, but for now do you have any Potions or anything else to spare? I don't think my two are going to last much longer."
"Yeah, I have actually," Red said, taking off his rucksack and reaching inside to produce two small sprays filled with purple liquid.
"Are these all you have, or have you got anymore?" Leaf asked, her voice not as level as she would have liked. "If you haven't then take them back. On second thought, we'll be fine."
"Just take them," Red said. "We haven't battled as much as you, so we're still good to go. Hopefully, we'll find our way out of here and it won't matter in the end."
"Red –" Leaf started to say, but Red pushed the Potions into her arms.
"Just use them on Bulbasaur and Eevee," he said firmly. "If you don't and we're ambushed then they'll faint faster than mine will, and then we'll be up a creek. Besides, I haven't got any… er… what are those items that help a Pokémon recover from fainting?"
"Revive, Max Revive, Revival Herb, take your pick," Leaf replied.
"Yeah, Revives. I haven't got any. So just use the Potions, okay."
"Okay, Red," Leaf said, giving him the best smile she could, which was a task as almighty as a Pidgey flying to the moon. "Thank you."
She sprayed the Potions on her Pokémon, who flinched as the antiseptic fought a fearsome war against the wounds they had so desperately tried to ignore.
"How are you two feeling?" Leaf asked.
Eevee bounded up and down; Bulbasaur nodded its head curtly.
"That's good," Leaf said. Suddenly, with this small act, with her friend and his team right beside her, she felt better for the first time since encountering Team Rocket here in Mt. Moon. She reached forward and took Red's hand in hers. "Thanks again, Red. I'm glad you're here."
"You're glad I'm lost in a mountain being chased by bad guys who I'm sure aren't doing so to invite me to a party?"
Leaf squeezed his hand, which he returned. "Idiot," she said, smiling. She pulled him along. "Come on. Let's find a way out of here."
The duo wandered the tunnels of Mt. Moon for what must have been hours, not finding any Team Rocket members but also not finding an exit from the labyrinth-like mountain. They came close to both on a couple of occasions; a couple Team Rocket Grunts who were chatting away noisily gave Red and Leaf plenty of time to search for another route, while with the latter they saw an opening which was illuminated by the setting sun and rushed towards it, only for their hopes to be dashed at the sight of how steep the mountain was over there. They would have needed mountaineering equipment to have stood any chance of making it down safely.
But on they went, buoyed by that fact they had not been captured yet. And that was when they saw it. An opening. An exit. Freedom.
Overjoyed, they sprinted towards it, their Pokémon bar Charmander (Leaf realised the flame on the end of his tail would act like a beacon to Team Rocket) the first ones to cross the threshold.
They were there.
The ordeal was over.
They were safe.
That is how it should have gone. But it did not. Yes, they were outside again, but the area they found themselves was enclosed on all sides by the towering Mt. Moon, the way they came in the only way out. They must have been on a plateau some ways up the mountain.
It was heartbreaking to believe they were so close to salvation only to discover it could not be further from the truth. If they had a large Flying-type Pokémon then maybe this would not have been as devastating, you know, just clamber on its back and let it fly them over the mountain. Piece of cake. But they did not have a large Flying-type Pokémon. They did not even have a medium-sized Pokémon between them.
"What… what do we do now?" Red asked.
"I don't know," Leaf said. "I suppose we have to go back inside and find another way out. If we stay here, it'll only be a matter of time before Team Rocket gets their greasy claws on us."
"Yeah," Red said, scanning the area. "Let's just –"
Red broke off. Something had caught his eye. Their Pokémon must have noticed it too; their noses twitched, and they peered at where Red was looking. "Did you see that, Leaf?"
"See what?" Leaf asked, her brow furrowed.
"There was something over there," Red said, his feet taking him forward without his brain telling them to. "I swear I saw something."
Leaf was inclined to not believe him, to chalk it up to the stress of their situation playing games with his eyes and his mind, but witnessing Bulbasaur, Eevee, and Pikachu follow her friend across the plateau gave her food for thought. She went too.
"What is it you think you saw?" she asked Red.
"I don't know. I think it was a Pokémon. It looked familiar."
"Maybe it was a rare Pokémon?" Leaf surmised.
"Could be."
The moon was out. A full moon, the prettiest and eeriest moon there is. It shone down on the plateau and revealed a small field barriered by a ring of rocks. In the centre was a pond and within that was another rock which glistened so brightly Red and Leaf had to shield their eyes.
"Is that… is that…" Red mumbled.
"A meteor?" Leaf finished.
A meteor. Such a strange thing, such a rare thing, a gift from the heavens, a traveller from space. But that was not the only thing they bore witness to. Around the pond were a group of pink, stocky, vaguely furry Pokémon, whose pointed ears had black tips and tail was thick and curled. On their cheeks were ovals that were a darker shade of pink than the rest of it, on their back were a pair of tiny wings, and atop their head its fur grew into one major curl. On their hands were three digits, two white claws and a thumb. Cue the Pokédex:
Clefairy, a Fairy-type Pokémon. Its magical and cute appeal has many admirers. It is rare and found only in certain areas.
"Clefairy," Leaf breathed, her fingers itching to fetch an empty Poké Ball, their troubles temporarily gone from her mind.
"What are they doing?" Red wondered aloud.
What were they doing indeed? The Clefairy were, for lack of a better word, dancing. They were jumping and skipping and bounding and spinning around the pond, singing a song that was unintelligible to the humans but sweet and melodious all the same. After all, the best music is that which you do not need to understand to enjoy, that does not even need lyrics to get you to hum along. It dawned on Red and Leaf that they had a free ticket to witness what was most certainly a once in a blue moon event.
They crept closer, not going beyond the rock barrier, and simply watched, engrossed by the spectacle, entranced as the Clefairy seemed to glow in the moonlight. And the longer the dancing went on, the more beautiful it became, the more advanced the dancing seemed to grow. But how was that possible? The Clefairy were simply bouncing and twirling, nothing more. Yet, despite that, it appeared to do so, at one moment being a group of Pokémon performing a ritual of some sort and the next transforming into something much more elegant than anything the most accomplished ballerina could achieve.
It did not make sense, and yet it made all the sense in the world. And combined with the singing, Red, Leaf, and their Pokémon were transported somewhere else amongst the stars, the moon, comets and all other heavenly bodies the infinite universe contained, no longer on earth, no longer pursued by Team Rocket, no longer with a care in the world.
They were so entranced that when it ended it took them a whole two minutes to rouse themselves and remember where they were and, to a lesser extent, who they were.
"That was… that was…" was all Red could utter.
"That was beautiful," Leaf said, the word 'beautiful' unable to do justice to what she bore witness to. "I wonder… I wonder if this is a spot the Clefairy meet up to do this, away from prying eyes. It makes sense. This is probably the only place they can do this."
"Yeah," Red said, half-listening, his thoughts taken up by an idea, one he was not sure was a good one or not. "Hey, Leaf. Do you think we could –"
"Capture them?" Leaf said. "I was considering it, but it doesn't seem proper to do it after their ritual."
"I wasn't talking about capturing them," Red said. "I mean, we could, but what I'm thinking is that we ask them to lead us out of Mt. Moon. They'll know every nook and cranny of this place and will probably be able to get us out without running into Team Rocket."
Leaf paused, taking in Red's plan. "It sounds fine," she said, not sounding entirely convinced. "But how are you going to ask them?"
"I'm going to wait a minute," Red explained. "They've just done their show, right? Whenever anyone does a show there's always that winding down time at the end, usually so the audience can talk to the cast. It's kind of like those boring shows you used to drag Blue and me to. You remember those?"
"I remember encouraging you two to join me for some nice shows," Leaf said stiffly. "But I see your point. We'll ask the Clefairy for help."
"Okay, let's go," Red said, rising from their hiding spot and walking over to the Clefairy. Leaf, Pikachu, Bulbasaur, and Eevee followed a few metres behind.
The Clefairy caught sight of him and froze, watching the newcomer warily. One of them said something to him, in its Pokémon language that sounded more like bells being rung melodically. More of them spoke up when Leaf and the Pokémon came into their view.
"Hey there," Red said, smiling in the hope of putting them at ease. "We don't mean you any harm. We're just lost and wondering if you could help us out of –"
The first Clefairy cut Red off, shouting at him, its voice slightly less musical now.
"I don't think they want to help us," Leaf said, sounding a tad defeated. "Maybe it's because they know we saw their ritual."
"Please, help us," Red said, quashing the desperation that threatened to make itself heard, the images of what could happen to them if Team Rocket found them making it hard to do. "We just need your help for one thing. Please, you –"
The group of Clefairy turned away from him.
"Please!" Red shouted, abandoning all pretence of calmness. "Please help us! We just need you to lead us out of Mt. Moon! There are scary people out there! Please!"
The group of Clefairy began to hop away.
"Red," Leaf said sullenly. "Just leave it."
But Red could not leave it. He would not leave it. If the Clefairy did not want to willingly help them, then fine. He would make at least one of them help him. He took out Charmander's Poké Ball and kept an empty one ready. They gave him no choice.
"I'm sorry, Clefairy," Red told them. He made to toss out Charmander's Poké Ball; one of the Clefairy turned to him.
Before Red could call out Charmander, the Clefairy who turned back jumped towards him. Its whole body shone brighter and brighter until the illumination seemed to burn Red's irises. He dropped to his knees and dug the heels of his hands into his eyes, Leaf's screams telling him she too was suffering the effects of an attack that was no doubt Flash.
It took half an age before the pain started to subside and for his vision to return to him, his surroundings shadowy at first before they came back into sharp focus, only the occasional floater disrupting his once again perfect sight.
"How are you doing, Leaf?" Red asked, staring at the spot the Clefairy were.
"I'm good," Leaf said. "The Pokémon are fine too. Did you honestly try to capture the Clefairy? Why?"
"I thought if I captured one, it would have no choice but to listen to me and lead us out of here," Red said bitterly. "I mean, why shouldn't I have? It would've helped us a lot."
"I get it," Leaf said, walking up to him and place a comforting hand on his shoulder. "But maybe you could capture another Mt. Moon Pokémon? They might be able to help." Leaf paused, rethinking her idea. She shook her head. "Maybe not. Clefairy are rare, much rarer than say a Geodude or Paras; they'll know more hidden, safer paths. Still, it could possibly work."
Leaf's words washed off Red like water off a laminated surface. "Looks like we've got to hope for the best," Red said. "Come on, let's go."
The dangerous innards of Mt. Moon beckoned them, and the small group built up their courage and headed back inside…
…only for a little something to pull on Red's trouser leg.
The pull was slight, but still noticeable. Red looked down, and there was a Pokémon. If you asked him, it was basically a smaller Clefairy, a 'less there Clefairy' as it were. It was star-shaped, its ears fully brown as opposed to a Clefairy's only brown-tipped ones, and it had a smaller tail, a smaller tuft of hair on its head, and shorter limbs that lacked any digits. It smiled up at Red.
"Is that… is that a baby Clefairy?" he wondered aloud.
"It looks like it," Leaf said, and her Pokédex came to the rescue:
Cleffa, a Fairy-type Pokémon. Because of its unusual, star-like silhouette, people believe that it came here on a meteor.
"This must be Clefairy's pre-evolved form," Leaf observed. "Aw, it's adorable."
"But what's it doing here?" Red said. He knelt by the Cleffa, who gurgled and continued to smile at him. "Aren't you going to go with your friends?"
Cleffa turned its body from left to right. Since it did not have a neck and its face was practically on its body, it did not have a proper head it could shake. It then tugged Red's sleeve this time and pointed towards the entrance back into Mt. Moon they were just about to head through.
"Wait," Red said, slowly, the jigsaw puzzles in his head clicking and clacking to form a picture. "Do you want to…
"It looks like it wants to help us," Leaf said.
"Seriously?" Red said, hardly daring to believe it. He regarded it a bit more closely. It was so tiny, probably not adept at battling in its current form. At least with a Clefairy they would have had an extra bit of power if things went south. Then again, maybe judging a book by its cover was not the way to go. All they had to do was be extra careful to ensure that no harm befell this little Pokémon, if it was genuinely choosing to help them that is. "Will you help us?"
The Cleffa's smile widened.
"It probably felt sorry for us," Leaf said. "It might be the innocence of a child at play here." She shuddered. "I kind of hope not; imagine if Team Rocket came here and it went out to greet them just because of how naïve it is."
"Either way," Red said, stroking the Cleffa's tuft of hair, "it's going to help us. Thank you, little Cleffa."
The Cleffa trilled loudly and spun on its tiny feet, performing a subdued version of the Clefairy dance.
"All right," Red said, hope filling him like water from a faucet. "Looks like we have a heck of a chance now. You guys ready to go?"
"I am," Leaf said, eyes shining with determination.
Eevee and Bulbasaur nodded, their strong gaze mimicking their Trainer. Pikachu did not respond, its stare fixed only on the path ahead.
"Okay," Red said. "Lead the way, Cleffa."
