AN: Happy New Year everyone! I'm running alone today, because Ki's busy doing other things and the girls are still elsewhere. I'm not gonna talk much up here, and just move on to the chapter! Don't own Pokemon.

Chapter 24.

The group, now having the Pewter Gym Leader turned Breeder with them as well as the Water type trainer and the two Mew in disguise, headed towards Mount Moon. Misty sighed.

"Mount Moon. Doesn't it sound romantic?" She asked, with stars in her eyes. Crimson stifled a chuckle.

'Yeah, if your idea of romantic is synonymous with a bunch of boring old rocks.' She whispered to Bolt, who was walking next to her. He grinned, rolling his eyes.

'I mean, it could be for some.' He replied fairly. 'In my opinion though, you're right.' Both Pokemon chuckled, and their trainers smiled.

"Well, I'm glad those two are getting along ok." Mia said to Ash.

"What, did you think they wouldn't?" He asked.

"Of course not. But it's good to know that they are." She shrugged. "Hell, all of our teams get along well."

"They were all friends before we caught them." Ash reminded her. "Anyway, think you'll go for anything in Mount Moon?"

"Not sure, honestly. I'm not really interested in Zubat or Geodude, Paras is meh, and Clefairy are really rare." She shook her head. "You?"

"Honestly, I feel the same. Nothing really interests me here."

"So, pretty much a chill run through the mountain, and see if there's anything we'd like on the other side?"

"I can get behind that." Ash grinned, raising his arm to catch Bolt as he leapt up to his shoulder, while Mia just picked Crimson up. "You know if you evolve you wouldn't be able to do this anymore?"

'I know.' He said simply.

'I wouldn't mind!' Crimson said cheerfully. 'It'd be fun to be able to fly!'

"I guess it would, wouldn't it?" Mia grinned.

'Not like you need it.' Bolt grumbled.

'Heh, I guess not. But hey, it'll still be fun!' Crimson laughed.

"Come on you two, stop arguing." Mia grinned. "We'll head through the mountain as quickly as we can, then go to the next gym in Cerulean and be on our way again, ok?"

'Sure.' Bolt smiled.

'We'll be heading to a game soon, I assume?' Crimson asked.

"Sure. We'll make sure you're ready for the next gym." Ash replied. "I think it's Water typed, so you'll be in trouble Crimson." She flinched.

'Yeah, keep me away from the water.'

"Will do chick." Mia told her, arranging plans already. "The issue is that neither Arch nor Dart do well in water either, but we might be able to work around that."

"I'll see if Sarie wants to battle here, then possibly Flutter."

'What, not me?' Bolt asked, in pleading tones.

"You had Brock's gym, and you'll be super effective, so it's not much of a challenge." Ash said fairly.

'Fine.' Bolt pouted… then sat bolt upright, ears twitching. 'Do you hear that?'

"Not in this shape." Mia replied. "Terrible human hearing. What's wrong?"

'There's a man shouting… and what sounds like a lot of wings.' He jumped down, sprinting off, and the other three followed.

"Ash? Where's Bolt going?" Misty asked as they caught up.

"Not sure." He admitted. "I think he heard something flying about."

"How'd you get that?" Brock asked, confused.

"My cousin's always been good with Pokemon." Mia said, reusing the same excuse from before. "I can sort of understand the meaning, and so can Ash."

"You're better than me, though." Ash replied.

'Why the hell are there so many Zubat here?!' Bolt yelled, looking over at them from behind a rock. 'It's daytime, and there's tons!'

"I guess we should go and find out what's going on." Misty said, to general agreement. All five of them picked up the pace, rounding the corner to see a scientist getting attacked by a swarm of Zubat.

"Ember!"

"Thundershock!" Both commands were given before the two humans beside them had even figured out what was happening. Most of the purple bats scattered, squeaking in pain, but Bolt and Crimson walked over to one of them and started talking to him. Ash moved over, attempting to eavesdrop on their conversation, but was glomped by the scientist.

"Thankyouthankyouthankyou!" He said rapidly. "I was so worried those bats were going to eat me, but you saved me from them!"

"Ahem." Mia coughed, putting a hand on the scientist's back. "Mind letting go of my cousin? And who are you, anyway?"

"Oh! My apologies." He let go of Ash, who gasped. "And my name's Seymour! I've been doing research into Mount Moon for quite some time, looking for evidence on my theory!"

"What theory is that?" Mia was often curious about theories to do with Pokemon. After all, she was a god, and she liked to hear the ideas that humans came up with over the years.

"The theory that Pokemon came from space!" This, however, had her bursting to laugh. She covered it up by glancing at Ash, who had the same look of amusement on his face.

"That certainly sounds interesting." Misty smiled. Bolt and Crimson went over to Ash, with the Zubat they'd been talking to hanging from Bolt's tail. They rattled something off, and Ash, playing into the excuses they'd been using, glanced over at his cousin for help. She chuckled, going over to them.

"Did you two find something out?"

'Yep.' Crimson, taking a hint from Ash telepathically, spoke slowly, as though she was giving Mia a chance to get the idea. 'There's a lot of light's in the cave. It's hurting the Pokemon.' Taking a few seconds, she nodded, then gasped.

"Oh, you poor things! Here, my bag's pretty dark, you can hide in there until everything gets fixed, is that ok?"

'She understands us perfectly, but fakes only getting bits of it.' Bolt added. The bat nodded.

'Ok miss. Thank you.' Mia picked him up and carefully put him in her bag, putting a cloth over him to help block the light.

"Is that better?" She asked softly.

'Yes, thank you.'

"Happy to help." She closed the bag slightly, making sure nothing would spill out, and turned to the rest. Misty and Brock were inquisitive, while Seymour was excited.

"You understand Pokemon?"

"Sort of. I can get the gist of what they're saying with body language, but most of it's a mystery."

"What did they say?" Misty asked.

"Well, according to Crimson, there's a ton of lights strung up in Mount Moon, and it's hurting the Pokemon."

"Yes, there are a lot of lights suddenly." Seymour confirmed. "I don't know what's going on in there."

"We may as well see." Ash said.

"Anything else Crimson?" Mia asked her starter.

'Nope. The Zubat didn't seem to know anything, though he might be too dazed from the light.'

"Right. I guess we'll just head in." The starters traded glances.

'Flare Shock?'

'Flare Shock.' Crimson confirmed. She winked. 'Hope you've got enough power.'

'Of course I do.' Bolt replied, with fake offense. 'Let's just hope you can keep up.'

'Is that a challenge?'

"No, you two. No challenges." Mia scolded, and both jumped as they abruptly realised the Mew had been listening to their conversation. Ash chuckled behind her, picking up Bolt.

"Yeah, now's not the time." He smiled. "Let's go sort out this cave then, shall we?" Bolt wriggled out of his hands.

'Right.' He ran into the mountain entrance, ears twitching. Crimson, the three humans and the two Mew followed, both Mew having a conversation mentally.

'What do you think's wrong?'

'Well, either Seymour's more of a douche than he seems, or there are actual, legitimate morons that really want a gang of angry Pokemon after them.' Mia guessed.

'Morons, huh? I know a group of people who'd fit that bill pretty well…'

'Nah, it can't be them. I mean, they're stupid and unobservant, but they can't be that stupid, can they?'

'I don't know…' Ash replied, thinking back to both encounters. 'Seems like something they'd do.' Meanwhile, Bolt was sniffing at the air.

'Smell anything?'

'Mostly normal. Zubat, Paras, Sandshrew… humans… our trainers are really distinctive… and what might be a Clefairy.' Brock nudged Mia, who quickly relayed what he'd said.

"A Clefairy?" Misty's eyes lit up. "I'd love to see one!"

"Just don't catch it!" Seymour asked. "We can't damage the ecosystem here!"

"I'll only catch something if they wanted me to catch them." Brock assured him, to general agreement.

"Anyway, maybe we could as the Clefairy for help." Ash interrupted. "I mean, they'd be the least likely to be affected by the amount of light, so they might be able to tell us something about what's going on."

"Good point." Mia gave, looking at Bolt.

'This way, I think.'

"Right, just follow Bolt." She said. "And be quiet. From what I know, Clefairy have really sensitive hearing, so even things we think are quiet could sound like a gun going off by our ear to them." The others winced, and she nodded. "So keep it down."

"Ok." Bolt bounced along at the front of the group, doing the job of listening out for any Clefairy that might be around that they would be able to question. It was a surprisingly short search, with Bolt's sensitive hearing and everyone behind him walking quietly, and a Clefairy almost ran into them, bouncing along and singing.

'I've got the piece! I've got the piece!' She called, running obliviously past them. 'I'll finish the stone! I'm on the way!' Bolt signaled for everyone to stay still, and walked over to her.

'Excuse me?' He asked her softly.

'Eeep!' She jumped. 'Um, hello little Pikachu. What do you need?'

'Well, I was wondering if you knew why there were so many lights around.' He replied. 'See, my trainer and our friends were coming through here, and we found that there were lots of lights disturbing the Pokemon here. Can you say what's going on?'

'Um, yeah. I saw some odd people around earlier. I don't know who they were.'

'Right. Thank you for your help.' He looked back at Crimson, who was 'explaining' to Mia and Ash. 'Would you like us to help you where you need to go? If there's people wandering, they might try and catch you.'

'Thank you.' She said shyly. 'Can you make sure the humans don't come in there, though? It's really special.'

'Sure.' Mia stepped forwards.

"This looks troublesome."

"Trouble?" A voice echoed.

"Make it double." As Team Rocket dropped from the ceiling, Ash glanced at his 'cousin'.

'Told you.'

'Fine, you win this round. Flare Shock?'

'Let's just kick them out before they become a problem.'

"Team Rocket again?" Misty shouted, exasperated.

"Brock, can you look over the Zubat in my bag? Something tells me there's a problem." Mia growled.

'Plan?' The starters chirped.

"Fire in the hole!"

"Lightning too!"

'Flare Shock!' They finished, letting the hugely powerful attack loose.

"Oh come on!" Jessie shrieked. "Are we just getting foiled immediately?"

"Looks that way." James intoned.

"Team Rocket's blasting off again!"

"Problem solved." Mia laughed, dusting off her hands and crouching down by Clefairy. "Are you alright?"

'Yes, thank you.' She nodded.

"Good. Let's get you to where you need to be, and we'll make sure nobody hurts you."

'Right.' She started off, and Bolt and Crimson stepped to her left and right, with Mia and Ash behind her. The other humans, along with the Zubat Brock was holding, followed them.

'Damn do I hate caves.' Mia sighed.

'Why? Because you can't fly?'

'And it's too cramped. I mean, with the humans here, my instinct is telling me to Transform and protect them, but I can't do that.'

'I didn't know you even had those instincts.'

'Normally I bury them, since otherwise I'd spend more time Transformed into something to protect you all than as something safe for me. I'm a little on edge in the enclosed space, though.'

'I guess that's fair. Mew time later?'

'If you don't mind missing a few hours sleep. Unless you mean a Mew Game?'

'Sure, we'll do that.'

'Mia, Ash, quit talking.' Crimson scolded. 'We need to pay attention.'

'I am.' She told her. 'Massive sensor shield, plus natural instincts.'

'Over here!' Clefairy announced. 'Up here, and then I'm fine!'

"Alright." Ash chuckled at the little pink Pokemon's enthusiasm. "We'll stay down here and be on our way soon."

'Thank you for guiding me.' She replied, bouncing up the top of the cliff.

"Got you now!" Suddenly, Meowth leapt for her, trying to get the small black shard from her hands. Startled, she jumped back, and fell down the edge.

"Oh no!" Brock yelled.

"Clefairy!" Mia shimmered, ready to lose her disguise, until Ash grabbed a Pokeball from her belt.

"Arch, catch Clefairy!" He was rocketing up before he'd properly finished forming, closing his claws around her arms and flying downwards. "Bolt!" Ash held his arm out, giving his Pikachu a springboard to shoot upwards towards Meowth. "Thundershock!"

"Ouch!" He was sent flying into the air, charred, while Arch dropped Clefairy to go and catch his partner.

'Thanks.'

'Not a problem.' He replied, letting the little Electric type down.

'Mia, you're lucky no-one noticed the shimmer!' Crimson yelled at her trainer. 'Why didn't you think of Arch first?'

'Chick, calm down.' Arch told her. 'She panicked, and given most instincts she probably went with the first reaction she had.'

"Yes, now please calm down." Mia patted Arch on the head. "Thanks for catching them."

'No problem.' Arch tapped the ball Ash was holding, and he handed the bird to Mia.

"Are you alright?" Ash asked Clefairy.

'Yes. It was just a bit worrying, that's all.'

"I'll bet. Bolt, anything else?"

'Nope. All clear.'

'I'll be going then. Thank you for your help.' She waved, running off.

"Nice Pokemon." Misty remarked.

"I think it's a trait of Fairy typed Pokemon." Mia guessed. "My friend back home had a Sylveon, and she's pretty polite."

"I'm going to go back to the cave and see what I can do about the lights." Ash said. "Bolt, let's go."

'Aye aye captain.' He grinned. 'How we doing this?' They entered the cave.

"I'll look." He told him, closing his eyes. "There's a lot of electricity that way. You might be able to short circuit it."

'Lead the way. I'll start charging for a shock.' Ash started running, heading straight for the power source he could sort of feel. 'By the way, what happened with Mia?'

"Enclosed spaces plus danger plus humans in close proximity equals an extreme set off of her instincts. She wanted to just change to help out, which is dangerous for her. I think she's just stir crazy."

'But didn't she raise you? She must be used to being human.'

"Yeah, but even then she had her powers most of the time. Right now, she's stuck as just a human." Ash turned a corner. "Here, by the way."

'Right, I see it. I'll be right back.' Prudently, Ash turned away from the upcoming light show, putting up a small, opaque shield as cover. A small explosion detonated, and Bolt dropped down. 'Done. And ouch.'

"You ok?"

'Yeah, fine.' He waved, jumping back to Ash's shoulder. 'Which way's back?'

"This one." They flashed pink, and reappeared at the entrance. "Done!" He waved, walking out of the cave.

"Really? That fast?"

"It wasn't that hard to find." He told them. "Now, let's get moving to Cerulean!"

'Um...' Zubat raised a wing, still with Brock. 'Can you do me a favour?'

"Sure. What's wrong?"

'Can you tell this human I want to travel with him?' He pointed to Brock. 'He's nice.'

"Hey Brock. You've got a new Pokemon." Mia grinned. "Zubat's taken a shine to you."

"Really?" He looked at the little purple Pokemon in his arms, who nodded. "Well, sure." He took out a Pokeball, tapping him on the head. "Welcome to the team."

'Good one.' Crimson giggled. 'Now let's go!'

"Alright Crimson, calm down." Mia rolled her eyes. "She wants to get a move on."

"Ok." Seymour waved. "I'm staying here to continue my research."

"Well, good luck." Ash smiled, since Mia was busy hiding her fit of giggles by looking around for a route. "Maybe we'll see you around."

"Good luck on your travels." Seymour said.

"Come on, this way!" Mia waved.

"Ok, ok, we're coming!" Ash laughed, running after the other Mew. Their human travelling companions traded glances, then laughed, running after them.

AN: Ok, this chapter's kinda short, mostly because I dealt with the main issue of Team Rocket early, via explosives.

K: Since we all know that's the best method of dealing with villains.

SV: Nice to see you again, by the way.

K: Eh, things happen. Also, Trixie sent me copies of those extracts, so I've been reading them. This one's pretty good, if broken from everything it's supposed to be. *Passing a stack of pages over.*

SV: Yeah, it's a work in progress, and you know what the background is. Now's not the time to talk about future projects that might not happen, though.

K: No, it's not. Anyhow, the poles?

SV: Oh yeah. There's two getting put up. First, Alolan Pokemon won the pole for Charmander's replacement, so there's a selection for that. Second, I asked before Sun and Moon were released about giving Misty a Surskit. Well, looking at everything, why not Dewpider? It stays Water type when it evolves, unlike Surskit, so there's that. That's the second pole; Dewpider, yay or nay?

K: I don't even know when the Dewpider would be joining the fic.

SV: I do. Anyway, cast your votes, and have a happy new year. Maybe it'll be better than this last year.