A/N: Doh, I've got to stop responding late. Anyway, Chris isn't acting the pro (Rematch). Check who's attacking, most the time it's his pokemon - and he's not calling out orders in any form. They're doing it on their own.
Except for the Seadra ink thing. But that's because Chris basically learned TK from a psychic type.Logically, he's gotten a LOT of tricks from Kani on the subject.
And Chris doesn't become pro until later. :)
But he's at least an expert of telepathy now. His training's a bit wierd, but he's still quite good.


Chapter Twenty-three: Cave Campaign
Chris yawned. "Well, time to get everyone worked up. Let's get going. Gym, I guess."

Kani nodded, and teleported everyone there.

Chris leaned against the wall, and pretended to nap.


Chuck smiled faintly. So the kid hadn't just up and disappeared. He'd come back to the gym again. He had his camera this time. He charged the 'sleeping' trainer, intent on getting an interview. Or else.
(Chris…)

"I know. Running time." He opened his eyes, and dashed off. The reporter swore, and tried to keep up.

Mathrara started to lag, so Anekiro just carried him.


Chuck swore to himself. The kid was fast – but he still was being recorded. They managed to catch most of the chase, until the teenager headed for Cerulean cave on his Dragonair.

"Can you get an image?"

"Yesser. He's knocked out the guard, and he's running into the caves now. Damn, lost the image. He's all the way in. Lunatic – there's no way he's tough enough for that place. It's over. We'll find his corpse someday."


(Chris, you might want to tell April that you're not dead once we're done.)

He grinned, and sat down at a wall. "Might as well do it now." He began to talk quietly into the Dictaphone, then pressed a few keys. It was a short message.

"Hey, Kani?"

(Yea? )

"Let's keep on going. I want to see this place. It's legendary, after all."

She shrugged, and the other two followed. Chris led the way. He honestly wanted to see what would happen with the wild pokemon here. They were supposedly savage – he wanted to know why.


April felt her pokenav vibrate. She opened it to e-mail, and blinked. It was from Chris.

"April:

Look, don't believe what you see. I charged into Cerulean cave to escape the reporters… I'm trying to make them think I'm dead. It'll be a lot easier if no one thinks that I'm the same person with the super Espeon.

Jeez, I'm going through identities…

Anyway, I'm going to explore the cave for a bit, then head towards Saffron. The pokemon won't attack me anyway. I hope.

I'll explain the next time I see you. Well, if I do. It's a big world.

Chris."

"Saffron, huh?" She smiled to herself. "Well then… next stop, Saffron City! Altaria!"

Her Altaria came out singing softly. April smiled dreamily (she liked the songs, so long as they didn't put her to sleep), then hopped aboard. Normally, Altaria weren't strong enough to use fly with someone… but hers was far stronger than the usual Altaria. Plus, April didn't weight much.

They flew off.


Chris waved to the Kadabra. "Thanks for the help!"

(It is nice to meet a human who has no intent to harm us. Farewell.)

They headed deeper into the cave. The Kadabra had given them directions on how to get to the deepest point. Chris was smiling to himself – the dragons hadn't lied about the respect thing. They hadn't gotten attacked, and some even stopped them to ask a few questions. With threats mainly, but Chris didn't care. The Kadabra had been the best of the lot, even directing them towards where Chris wanted to go.

Of course, he'd had to play a game of intellect first. He'd lost (no surprise).

(Chris, you know that not all the pokemon here won't attack you just because you're a gifted one.)

Chris nodded at Mathrara. "I know. And I know you guys can't deal with them. Look, try to use hypnosis, and Kani can teleport us out of sight if need be."

(Blood!)

"Crap."

Mathrara hypnotized the Golbat (Kani directed him, since she could sense it), and they walked onwards. Several other pokemon were watching him closely, and Chris didn't want to set them off by doing something stupid. He kept his hands clearly free, and didn't make any sudden moves. The others were in careful postures as well, but Chris was the one they watched like hawks.


(This is it. The deepest level of the cave.)

Chris nodded. Besides that one Golbat, they'd been left alone. Apparently, that had been a test (to prove his intentions, he guessed, as well to prove he COULD do worse).

He pointed in a southward direction. "Hey, is it me, or is there a glow over there?"

Kani nodded while the other two looked lost. (There's nothing there.)

(There is. It's a psychic thing. But we'll have to go around, there's kinda a rock wall between us and it.)

Chris nodded. "Uhm… Anekiro? Could you just fly us? It's faster."

(Sure. I did that on the first floor, anyway.)

Chris helped Kani up, then jumped up himself. Mathrara needed no help, he just bounced off a wall.


Anekiro suddenly dove to the right, as a massive ball of light flew over their heads. Chris held on tightly. "What the hell?"

He looked up, and met eyes blazing purple in the darkness. They dimmed for a moment, as if taken aback, then blazed even brighter.

Kani screamed (MEWTWO!), then teleported them away.


A small form enshrouded in a bubble blinked, then disappeared a moment after the gifted one did. It had been trailing him for a while, ever since the barrier incident.

Only the Espeon had noticed, and she kept that to herself, thankfully.


Mewtwo glared at where the human had been. He'd missed with his first shot because he hadn't anticipated the Dragonair's quick reflexes, then the Espeon had teleported the whole group away before he could fire another attack.

His home was safe for now. But something disturbed him about that trainer – he had sensed no hostility from him, and a bizarre calming aura around him. No human he'd encountered before…

He shook his head. Now was not the time for musing. "This had not be another plot by those legendary bastards."


Kani panted, breathing heavily. She'd never been so terrified before. Chris was gazing off into the distance.

She sighed when she read his thoughts. "Chris, you saw his reaction. There's nothing you can to do help. All he knows is hate towards humans."

Chris shook his head, but then stopped. "Maybe."

"He could have ripped your mind apart, then killed the rest of us! Leave him be!"

Chris grinned slightly, then nodded. "Well, at least we know where he is now. But let's not tell anyone about that, ok?"

She nodded carefully. "I don't want him on the warpath trying to find us."

Chris smiled. He didn't say anything. He didn't need to, she knew he felt the same.

Anekiro sighed (and nodded agreement), and Mathrara didn't say a word. He was out cold – somehow, he'd fainted.

Kani smiled faintly. So much for the brave Mathrara. Chris grinned at the two of them (he'd noticed too).

She led the way towards Saffron. Chris followed at a slower pace, and Anekiro carried Mathrara. It was easiest for her to lead, since the psychic energies were like a massive magnet that she could feel. Chris could probably do the same, except Kani doubted he was that sensitive yet.

After all, females made better psychics.


A small pink form sighed, as it hovered overhead the group of human and pokemon.

"Now at least they know…"


A/N: Yay, another chapter.
Anyway, if anyone would offer suggestions about something, feel free. I don't bite, or irritate, that's Mathrara's point in existance.
Especially if anyone has an idea for what pokemon Chris should have by the end.He's only catching six... and I've got two open slots...And no idea what to fill them with.
He'll need them later. Wait for 'glimmer of the future', then you'll start to understand why he'd need a full party. :)
:Sandstone chuckles softly, and walks away: