A/N: So they're finally leaving town in this chapter. I know I write long introductions… . Like most writers, I listen to music when I write; it helps me focus. Anyone whose familiar with the Disney movie Anastasia would find it funny that the song that shares the title of this chapter popped up on my I-pod as I was typing. Without farther a due, Chapter 3!
Late that night, Selena crept out her window ledge, sliding down the support beam. Her mother and father were asleep in the next room, completely unaware of their daughter's intentions.
Selena called softly to Foxfire, who climbed silently down the ledge and onto Selena's shoulder.
She crept through town quietly; it would be trouble if the police caught her out past curfew. When Selena arrived at the field, Seth was already there, bag in tow.
They were both wearing the same clothes from training; Selena had bought a new pair of black and silver gloves to match her jacket and tied her hair back in a low ponytail with a red ribbon identical to Foxfire's.
When Seth, who had never seen her with her hair up, questioned her about it, she said she had to keep the hair out of her face somehow and it would work as a disguise.
The pair of them nodded to each other silently before slipping into the darkness together, heading for Mt. Moon.
Earlier, they had both agreed this was the best route to take, as most trainers went to Lavender Town through the Rock Tunnel or to Saffron City when passing though; it was just too difficult to climb up the ledges.
"No one will think to look here," Seth had said, pointing to the red dot on the map. Selena nodded silently in agreement.
"We'll head to Pewter City, battle Brock for the Boulder Badge, then head though Diglett's Cave to Viridian." Selena had agreed with Seth's plan before he even finished it. Not only was he better at geography than she was, but far cleverer when dealing with humans. She didn't want to get caught because of her own miscalculation.
"Here, let me check our supply level; it would suck if we got lost in that cave and ran out of food." Selena said. She held her hand out for his bag.
Between the two of them they had almost 2300 yen, thirty Pokèballs, seven potions, various status restorers, and twenty assorted berries they had received from Mr. Spencer. Thankfully, he had no idea what they were planning to do.
Selena had all the cooking supplies and food in her bag while Seth had the map, a survival kit, and a small tent incase of rain and they couldn't find a Pokémon Center. Seth sighed and straightened, a serious look on his face.
"I was thinking," he said softly, pushing his glasses up his nose.
"I need to change my appearance too, even if it's something small." Seth reached into his bag and pulled out a pair of scissors from the survival kit. Selena gasped when she saw them.
"Cut your hair?" she asked, reaching out to Seth unexpectedly, making him blush. She grabbed a strand of his hair and tugged softly.
"I hardly think this is something small, Seth," Selena said frowning. Seth offered her the scissors.
"Would you do the honors? And don't worry about it too much, it'll grow back."
Selena stared at the scissors for a moment before accepting them. Taking her time, she cut his once long and slightly tangled black hair until his bangs barely hung above his eyebrows.
Selena stepped back, admiring her work. Seth returned the scissors to the kit before checking his new cut. When he saw it, using the badge box as a mirror, he grinned happily.
"Looks just like Ash's hair, thanks Selena," he said, messing his hair. Selena rolled her eyes at him.
'Always with Ash, huh?' She thought, a little jealous of her friend's idol. Selena sighed, following him into the night.
The pair of them walked for about an hour before reaching the entrance to Mt. Moon. With every step, Selena's excitement grew. Seth grinned at her, his teeth and glasses reflecting the dim moonlight.
"Shall we enter?" Seth asked, peering up the rocky landside.
"It would be far too easy for us to walk over," Selena joked. Seth shoved her playfully before entering the cave. Selena was about to run after him when something pink caught her eye. It sat on a rock face directly above her, waving before it flew off.
"Pix?" Foxfire asked. Selena wondered if she was talking to her or the mysterious shadow. A long tail appeared and disappeared out of her peripheral.
Selena whirled around, trying to catch sight of whatever was flying by but it was gone. Seth poked his head outside of the cave.
"Are you coming or not?" he asked, obviously missing whatever she had seen. Selena walked slowly, still staring at the night sky and wondering what she saw.
Inside, the cave was damp and dimly lit. Small, low powered lights were strung every ten feet, being the only source of light.
Seth said it was for the travelers and Pokémon alike, since the low power kept the wild Pokémon from getting confused, but the light was enough for the humans traveling through to see by.
"So how big is this cave?" Selena asked, examining her surroundings. A couple Zubat flew by their heads and she saw a Paras scratching in the dirt. Seth grinned at her.
"Not as big as most caves in Kanto, the only cave smaller than this is Diglett's Tunnel and it's only a few miles long." Serena glowered at him.
"Thank you Mr. Map, any other fact you'd like to tell me about the Kanto region besides the size of this cave?" she said sarcastically, an irritated look on her face.
"This cave's pretty long and multileveled that's about it…" Seth said, hurt by her sharp words. Selena's face softened a little.
"I'm kidding Seth, although it would be kind of nice to know Mr. Know-it-all…" Seth stared at the ground, although Selena could see a hint of a smile on his face.
His new haircut framed his face better than the old one, she decided. Selena grabbed Seth's hand suddenly, making him jump.
"Oh Seth! The greatest Pokémon trainer and cave navigator in the world!" Selena exclaimed dramatically. Seth blushed a deep red at the compliment, mouth flapping like a Magikarp out of water.
"W…what?" he managed finally, his glasses slipping down the bridge of his nose. Selena dropped to one knee, holding Seth's hand above her head.
"Oh noble cave navigator," she lowered her head.
"Can you please tell me the way out of this cave?" Selena grinned as Seth fumbled with his glasses before catching himself. He glared at her, still a little pink in the face.
"Very funny. Come on, the entrance to the main chamber is up there," he said, pointing to the top of a ladder sticking out of the ground.
Selena swallowed; no one had said anything about heights. Seth reached the ladder first and peered down into the cavern below. He glanced back at Selena, the smile faltering a little from his face.
"I forgot, you're still afraid of heights aren't you Selena?" Seth asked guiltily, holding his hand out to her.
Selena sighed in exasperation; when they were both younger, Seth used to ride his father's Charizard. Seth had asked her if she wanted a ride too, and naturally, she was happy to comply. Once they were high up in the air, Seth asked Charizard to do a flip.
When they were upside down, Selena lost her grip, falling a few dozen feet before Charizard swept in and saved her. She had clung to Seth for about an hour crying. Needless to say, it wasn't a bad reason to hate heights.
Selena stood still for a moment before taking his hand. She suddenly pulled out of his grasp once they reached the ladder.
"I…I can't…" she said. Seth sat down on the ground, thinking. Finally he said, "Well I'm not letting you go back. We're in this together." His eyes brightened.
"I got an idea, wait here." Seth climbed down the creaky old ladder, Selena pacing nervously above him. When his feet hit the cavern floor below him, he called to Bulbasaur.
"Use your Vine Whip to hold Selena steady." He called up to Selena.
"It's alright! Even if you slip, Bulbasaur here will catch you!" Selena walked out of sight for a second, pulling Foxfire off her shoulder.
"Should we do it?" she asked. Foxfire stared at her.
"Pix." Selena sighed.
"I figure you'd say that…here Seth! Have Bulbasaur help Foxfire down first." Selena carefully lowered Foxfire into Bulbasaur's vines. When it was her turn, she hesitated for a moment.
'I have to do this…how can I expect to become a great Pokémon trainer and find my brother if I let a stupid ladder stop me?' Taking a deep breath, she stepped closer to the hole. Bulbasaur wrapped his vines around her waist. Shakily, she lowered her foot onto the first step. When nothing bad happened, she started down, step by step.
Seth watched his friend's progress, before he realized she had a skirt on and averted his gaze, his face coloring.
'At least she's doing well…' he thought, embarrassed. A sharp snapping sound made him look back up. Selena screamed. The ladder had given away under her and only Bulbasaur's vines held her up.
Seth ran underneath her as Bulbasaur brought her down. She clung to Seth as soon as her foot touched the ground, sobbing quietly.
"I…I thought I was…" Selena couldn't finish and buried her face in Seth's shoulder. He looked surprised for a moment, then recovered, squeezing her shoulders softly. Loud, thudding footsteps made the pair of them look up.
Two hikers were making their way over to them.
"Is everyone okay?" the bigger one asked.
"We heard screaming." The shorter of the two was studying the broken ladder with a look of distaste. Selena and Seth stared at him.
"We didn't interrupt something did we?" the bigger hiker asked. Selena and Seth glanced at each other, realizing they were still hugging. The teens blushed violently.
"No! Not at all!" a rather flustered Selena exclaimed, letting Seth loose. He looked a little disappointed.
"You want to join us for a meal?" the shorter hiker asked, speaking for the first time. Selena and Seth looked at each other before nodding, following the two hikers back to their camp.
A/N: As you can see here, there's romance and awkward situations sprinkled in everywhere. I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please review and tell me what you think. The sooner you post, the faster I'll write. Usually. :) Until next time!