Cheers for your reviews so far. I have already planned out 95% of the storyline. Some may change depending on how I feel when I get to it. I have 5 Pokémon already planned for Ash, I'm still undecided on his last one as I'm only giving him 6. It won't be a legendary though. You'll find out why at some point in the story.

Blood and Death in this chapter. You've been warned.

Anyhoo onwards.

Chapter 4- These Are The Words I'll Shout At Mt Moon

Ash and Pikachu woke up bright and early the following morning and followed their normal routine. Pikachu had recovered from the battle yesterday and was right as rain today. He told Ash that one day a Pokémon like Golem would have no chance against him rather than the other way around. Ash swore they'd do everything they could to make that a reality. So, Ash tweaked Pikachu's training regimen. Since he had received Pikachu, he had focused on their speed in training with a few Special Attack sessions. Now though Ash was planning on an entire month of defence. He decided that would be how they would proceed from now on.

Gaining a training partner was going to be crucial for their development, unfortunately though that proved very difficult so for now Ash would have to be his training partner.

"I'm going to start off with low powered Aura spheres" Ash said "I don't want you to deflect them. And while dodging them is what you'd normally do you need to learn how to take hits. The match against Rhyhorn gave me an idea of what your defence is like so far. I'll be honest Pikachu, its not great but we were also at a type disadvantage. So, for now every training session we'll increase how many hits you take. We have around two weeks before we get to Cerulean City so that's at least fourteen days of defence training we can get in. I will also be providing you with Iron supplements with your food to boost your defence and we'll look at new moves for you to learn along the way. You need another move to take out Rock and ground types. I was thinking Rock Smash or Brick Break in case you're ever unable to use your tail but without directions I'm clueless on how to proceed. And you never know, we may find you a partner in Mt Moon."

And so their day progressed. As they were sitting in Ash's room looking through the Pokedex he had a bit of a brainwave. Dialling Sams number he waited for him to pick up

"Hello Ash" Professor Oak said smiling "what can I do for you? Anymore legendaries you've met?"

Chuckling Ash replied "No today professor. Well, it's rare but not legendary" seeing Oaks curious face he continued "I bought a rock off a man in Pewter City that gave off a weird Aura. Nothing like the one I sent to you so don't worry. When I broke the rock, a fossil came out. I took it to the museum and showed it to them and they told me its viable to be revived."

"Well now" Sam said sitting back "that's certainly rare. Did you find out what it will be?"

"Yes professor" Ash said seriously "so much so I've been told to ring you and Lance about it. It's an Aerodactyl"

"Oh dear" Sam said sitting forward "that's a shame. I'm afraid that I cannot sanction a rookie trainer to have such a lethal Pokémon Ash."

"No professor you misunderstand me" Ash said interrupting "I haven't revived it yet, and I have no intention of having such a vicious Pokémon on my team. So, to cover my back I told them that I'd tell you. They have told me they'll contact Lance themselves about it too as apparently it's now a law, but I was wondering if you could too. He's unlikely to respond to anything I send him as he must get spammed with emails every day from random people."

"I think you underestimate yourself Ash" Sam said "you're forgetting you have professor status. Not only that but your thesis on Dragon Pokémon and their desire to be strong was signed off by Lance and is now a part of his classes that he teaches on them. Send him an email and if you don't get a reply off him let me know and I'll send him one. Was there anything else Ash?"

"Yes actually" Ash said "It's about the Pokedex. It's a fantastic piece of machinery and I can see why you'd be so proud of it. But I noticed that it tells you what moves your Pokémon have but there's no feature that tells you what they can learn or how to learn them. I wanted to teach Pikachu Rock Smash or Brick Break in case his tail is unable to be utilised but there's nothing. I was just wondering if that could be implemented or why it hasn't already. I'm having to use a computer to find out information like that which isn't great, especially as I'm outdoors for most of my travelling."

"Ah yes" Sam said "that's always been an issue. The developers at Silph have been trying to put that feature in place for a while now but the head of Silph keeps pushing back on it. Something about making his computers obsolete which is a nonsense given the other uses we have for computers and the fact the Pokedex already reels off moves your Pokémon have. So, for now you'll have to stick with using computers. My advice? You already know the first four members of your team and what they're going to be. I'd just learn their move sets for now and what they can learn."

"What an imbecile" Ash said shaking his head "that looks to be the only thing I can do professor. I'll send Lance that email then. Thanks for your time professor"

"No worries, Ash" Oak said "I'm proud of you by the way. Not many rookie trainers would turn down having a powerful Pokémon on their team."

"What's the use in having a powerful Pokémon if its uncontrollable and unpredictable?" Ash said shrugging "bye professor." Turning to Pikachu who had been listening in he said "well that was a bust. Let's get going. I'll just send Lance that email before I forget and print off the step-by-step guides for Rock Smash and Brick Break. Hopefully you can train along the way, Mt Moon is usually full of Rock types that you can practice on."

Walking downstairs he gave the Nurse his key and made to leave when a voice stopped him. Turning towards the table he saw it was Brock.

"Hey Brock" Ash said shaking his hand "what can I do for you?"

"Well, I forgot to give you this yesterday after our battle" Brock said handing over a small CD "it's a Technical Machine, or TM for short. Inside it is a move. Now I have no idea how that works, the boffins at Silph came up with it but with these you can teach your Pokémon whatever move is inside it. This one is TM26, Earthquake. Usually, it would be TM34 for Bide, a move I'd usually use Onix to showcase to rookie trainers but as you fought one of my Elites you qualify for this move.

Be careful with this move Ash. It can be devastating to your surroundings as it literally shakes the ground. It's the second strongest ground type move there is so take the necessary precautions. Using it in a gym or the league stadiums will be fine as they're insured and strengthened, anywhere else is risky. To use the TM your Pokémon must be inside its ball, then you attach the TM to the pressure point and it does some sciency thing and voila, your Pokémon knows the move. They're one time deals though, so make sure you choose the Pokémon wisely.

Once your Pokémon learns this it will know the basics of the move, but it won't be perfect without practice, so make sure wherever you choose to practice this is away from people and houses. Especially houses. My kid brother found one of these TMs laying around the gym, taught it to his Geodude and nearly flattened our house. Luckily my house is reinforced. Anyway, Ash I just wanted to give you that and my pokegear number. I will likely see you around at some point."

"Oh" Ash said bewildered wondering which Pokémon he'd eventually have it would be most useful for. "Cheers Brock. How did it go with your dad?"

"Well, I found the git, if that's what you're asking" Brock said. Seeing Ash's confused face, he continued "my mother and he pretty much abandoned myself and my siblings so they could go on a journey a few years ago. He came back not long after but apparently was too embarrassed to show his face. So, when I saw him yesterday, I hit him for abandoning us. I've had to look after all my siblings in that time. Now he's back though he can do his job as a parent. I'm going to be doing a bit of travelling myself, hopefully to become a breeder or a doctor. I've never really been fond of battles."

"I'm glad you hit him" Ash said nodding his head "gets the point across rather well doesn't it. Well, I wish you well Brock. Message me if you like, I'll try and reply when I can."

Shaking each other's hands, they parted ways with Ash making his way East to Route 3 while Brock returned to the gym. Walking along the path he battled many trainers and beat them easily. Pikachu was far too advanced for these trainers. So much so he never bothered taking any money off them when he beat them. He knew he was in danger of becoming arrogant, so the reminder of Brocks Golem was all they needed to stay humble, for now at least.

A few days later Ash arrived at cross-roads. He read the sign. North was Mt Moon. North West however was Rota and Cameran Palace

"Uh oh" Ash said to Pikachu, expanding his Aura outwards as they followed the Mt Moon path "we'll have to limit our aura training Pikachu, at least until we get to Mt Moon. I need to stay alert while were around here. I have no desire to interact with anyone from that place. And you can bet our training sessions will have alerted them we are nearby."

"Why?" Pikachu said confused "aren't the guardian's good people?"

"Depends on who you're asking Pikachu" Ash said "all the books say so; however, they're all written by people who live in Rota and are subjects to the Queen, who they will not slander. The current one, Ilene is an issue. My family, particularly my mother has a big issue with her, and my mother adores nearly everyone. My father was an Aura Guardian or was well on his way to becoming one at least when he went missing. My mother told me stories once my Aura became known. The royal family of Rota have always wanted to claim the Ketchum family for themselves. My ancestor is one of the most famous aura users of all time and so they think that fusing our families together would strengthen their bloodline AND potentially infuse it with aura. And they will do anything to make it happen. The Queen at the time Rin was said to have had a secret daughter with Sir Aaron who escaped the wars by being secretly taken away and hidden. Seemingly I'm her descendent, being a bastard descendent though I have no claim on the throne.

Ilene wanted to be with my father, but Aura Guardians mate for life. We have only one destined mate too. Ilene knew this but still tried to do all she could to limit my mum and dads time together by sending him out on random missions. And as a sworn Guardian he had to comply. After he disappeared, they kept tabs on me in case I showed Aura powers. Apparently, it wasn't happening quick enough for Ilenes liking so she sent out one of her guardians to force the issue. Riley still maintains that it was purely coincidental that he happened on me that day to test my aura. I call bullshit though. That 'honour' thing they mention is only honourable as long as it serves their Queens wishes.

So, my mother called her lawyers. Up until I received my Pokedex I was protected by her as she is my guardian and we arranged for my training to held under strict supervision, no known human aura users within one-hundred feet of me and limited time constraints. Now though, as I'm a young adult I'm free game. So, they will continue to hound me. The only way that will stop is if I swear loyalty to Ilene, which will never happen. The only good thing to come out of this situation is that Riley forcing the issue sent me to Arceus and is now unable to read my Aura properly because of the gifts she bestowed upon me. To them though that makes me even more of a target"

Walking in silence for the next few hours Ash kept up a steady stream of Aura pulses while Pikachu remained on alert too. "Look Pikachu. Mt Moon Pokémon centre" the red topped building was a welcome sight after a long few days of trekking. After a long relaxing bath Ash passed out. His dreams though were plagued with nightmares of voices calling for help and then pain. Waking up suddenly he automatically pulsed his Aura and found something was amiss. He wasn't sure where but there had been a massive spike in the worlds Aura. And his automatic response would surely be felt by other Aura inclined users. Ash decided he would leave as soon as he could tomorrow morning. Being this close to Rota kept his sleep uneasy.

The next day however didn't go as planned. As soon as he and Pikachu walked out of the building he stopped. In front of him was two people he was desperate to avoid along with several others behind them.

"Ash Ketchum" Ilene said holding out her hand to kiss "we meet at last."

Looking down at her hand and then up at her he snorted "I'm sure the pleasure is all yours Ilene."

"Do not be so disrespectful Ash" Riley said walking up to him with a Lucario at his side "she is the Queen."

"No, she's your Queen, Riley. She certainly isn't mine" Ash retorted "nor will she ever be. Now, why are you here? Do I need to call my mother's lawyers?"

"We are here Ash because we needed to talk" Ilene said, "can we go inside where it's private?"

"No" Ash said refusing to move "we can talk here where there are witnesses to what's said. In fact, I'm going to record this conversation so that nothing can be misrepresented or misconstrued between us all" taking out his pokegear he flipped a button on, and it began to record.

"Delia has done a wonderful job on you hasn't she" Ilene said sourly shaking her head.

"Of raising me?" Ash asked "Yes, yes, she has. And I'm damn proud to be her son. Now, stop wasting my time and tell me what you want."

Sighing Riley took over "what we want Ash is your help. I know you felt that spike last night, your response to it was the only reason we knew you were here after all. We would like to give you a Pokémon, a Lucario to travel with you and to find out what's wrong. We could call this a request or reparations for all the help we've given you in the past. Aura guardians have always traditionally served Queen Ilene. It is an honour few get to experience"

"What you mean" Ash said interrupting him "is that you want to give me a Pokémon, that will spy on me and report all my goings on to Ilene, where hopefully you can use something to blackmail me into serving her and thus having a Ketchum become indentured to the Royal family once again. Nope, not going to happen. And you talk about reparations as if it wasn't your fault in the first place. I know full well what happened, why it happened and who ordered it to happen Riley. You don't wipe your arse without Ilene telling you to do so. So, let's try again shall we. What do you want?"

Seeing all the people around her looking at him in horror Ash continued "For those of you who are clueless about what is going on let me enlighten you. I am Ash Ketchum, direct descendent of Sir Aaron Ketchum and Queen Rin."

"Lies!" Ilene said incensed "that is a lie! You have no proof of that claim"

"Oh, come on Ilene" Ash said laughing "literally everyone knows it's Rotas not so secret dirty little secret. Your ancestor had an affair with mine. It's our families biggest shame. But as Rin wasn't married yet, despite being engaged at the time it meant my many times grandmother had no claim on the throne. Not only that but she was removed in secret due to the wars that were happening so she couldn't be used as a bargaining chip. Ilene sent Riley here to attack me to see if I had the gift of Aura. He did and in doing so awakened my aura powers. The training I was given was because an untrained aura user could become dangerous, and they were hoping I'd serve as a guardian when I grew up. Ilene doesn't like the fact that yet another Ketchum has aura powers while her family doesn't and wants to shackle me to do her bidding, just as every ancestor she has had has tried to do in the past, just as she tried with my father Red. When he rejected her for my mother, she tried her best to keep them apart. Your family have tried for years to bring the Ketchums back into the fold so that my family would then become yours due to your family being royalty and having primacy. Then all the rumours of the past would mysteriously disappear as it wouldn't matter anymore when you start popping out Aura users. Well, I will not be shackled. I already serve a mistress Ilene here cannot compete with. So, nothing you two say will sway me. As for help, you're a big boy Riley, go and find out what happened yourself."

Shaking his head in disgust Ash walked back into the Pokémon centre and attached the recording to an email he sent to his mother. Ash knew he'd need as much evidence against them as possible to survive any kind of legal case they would come up with. Just because something was tradition didn't make it mandatory or right. Walking back out he saw that they were still there, quietly talking. Always wanting to get the last word in Ash said "Ask yourself Riley what honour really is. Is it honourable to force someone to do something they do not want to do simply because your Queen commands it?"

Not looking back Ash adjusted his backpack and walked straight on to the path to Mt Moon.

"I'm sorry about that Pikachu" Ash said as they walked "normally I'm more level headed than that, but what that woman has done and tried to do to my family sets me off. And justifying it as tradition will never fly with me."

"It's a lot to take in Ash" Pikachu said "I've been raised to believe in the goodness of Aura users. They're the ones who fight for Pokémon and defend them. It's tough to believe what you've told me."

"Well, I'm not going to try and sway you either way Pikachu" Ash said stopping at the path to Mt Moons entrance "you're allowed your own opinion, and I will respect it. I just ask that you respect mine. No doubt at some point you will get the information you need to bring you to my way of thinking, OR I will get information which makes what I've said false, and I'll owe someone an apology. We may never know. For now though I will be standing behind my mother on this as she has personal issues with Ilene that aren't false. Anyway, here we are. Mt Moon. Normally the guidebook said it should take around a week to travel through it." Walking up the steps to the entrance took around fifteen minutes. In that time Ash noticed that several things were wrong

"Ash" Pikachu asked, "Why are those Zubat and Sandshrew outside the cave?"

Pointing his Pokedex at them it beeped to life "Zubat, Pokedex Number 41, the Bat Pokémon. This Pokémon is female. Zubat avoids sunlight because exposure causes it to become unhealthy. During the daytime, it stays in caves or under the eaves of old houses, sleeping while hanging upside down.

Sandshrew, Pokedex Number 27, the mouse Pokémon. This Pokémon is male. It burrows deep underground in arid locations far from water. It only emerges to hunt for food."

"I was wondering the same thing Pikachu. Somethings wrong here. Let's keep our eyes and ears open" Ash said as they passed them by. Immediately he could see the issue. "Who the hell has placed lights inside this cave? I knew there was torches every now and then to keep people on the right path but lights? I think we found out why the Zubat and Sandshrew were outside Pikachu. Someone is interfering with the natural environment. Can you chew through those wires?"

Receiving a negative they both continued walking following the cables on the wall. A short way in they met someone. It seemed from his lab coat that he was a doctor. "Hello!" the man shouted "and who might you be? My names Seymour, I'm a scientist. I'm looking for Clefairy. Have you come for the moon stone as well? Well, you can't have it!" he said before running off down the path leaving a bewildered Ash and Pikachu

"Let's just find the generator that's powering these lights Pikachu and help restore those Pokémon their homes. Hopefully we don't see that nutter again" walking on for several hours they decided to take a break. The lights and the heat coming off them created a humid atmosphere. Luckily Ash had several canteens of water on him to last them the trip though Mt Moon. Sitting down and having a snack they were chatting amongst themselves when Ash heard a rustle in his bag. Looking over he noticed a pink ear from behind it. Pointing his Pokedex at it it beeped

"Clefairy, Pokedex Number 35, the Moon fairy Pokémon. This Pokémon is female. Its magical and cute appeal has many admirers. It is rare and found only in certain areas."

"Wow Pikachu" Ash said "a real Clefairy. I've been thinking. Mum must be pretty lonely at home without me there. What do you think about catching some Pokémon to send to her?"

Nodding his head Pikachu used a thundershock at the Clefairy sending it crashing into the wall. Ash readied a poke ball when all of a sudden, a cry came from behind him "No! that's my Clefairy!" turning around it was the crazy guy from before "You can't catch it, it's mine."

"Oh, my apologies" Ash said, "why isn't it in its pokeball then?"

"Oh no, I don't own it. I just want it" Seymour said.

"That is not how things work" Ash said angrily "if its wild then it's fair game to catch" turning around to see if it was still there, he noticed it had disappeared.

Looking back around he ducked just in time as a shovel was aimed at Ash's head. Using an Aura Sphere he smashed Seymour into the wall knocking him out. Noticing a shirt underneath his lab coat he opened it up to find a big red R on the shirt "Team Rocket" Ash growled as Pikachu sparked threateningly. "Oh, I should have bloody known they would be behind this Pikachu". Deciding to leave Seymour where he was, they decided to carry on walking. The sooner they found the generator the better

"Hopefully once we destroy whatever is powering these lights that guy gets lost down here forever" Pikachu said. Seeing Ash's surprised look, he carried on "I don't want to kill people in general, but those who interfere with a Pokémon's home deserve everything they get. I won't lose sleep over it."

"Seems like a personal back story there buddy" Ash said

"There is, but I'm not ready to talk about it just yet" Pikachu said going silent. Ash nodded and the carried on. Following the cables, they came to a wall that had collapsed and blocked off their path, but the cables carried on going through.

"This is the way forward Pikachu. I don't really fancy shifting all these rocks, but it doesn't seem like we have much of a choice" and with that the two got to work moving what they could. It was tough going, especially due to the heat coming off the lights. Finally, a few hours later they had created enough of a gap that they could go through safely. "let's stop here for now Pikachu. I don't really fancy catching up to Team Rocket and have us be exhausted" setting up their sleeping bag they decided to have a few hours sleep. Hours later they awoke feeling slightly better. Carrying on they came to a ladder that went down. Taking out the guidebook Ash saw that several of these ladders were dotted around the interior of Mt Moon, some lead to caverns, some to dead ends, one was a set that lead to through the mountain and to the end. It was all a gamble really and you could end up having to climb back up. Seeing that they were still on the correct path though eased their minds. "Obviously Team Rocket wanted their way out to be well lit" Pikachu commented. "It seems like the cables deviate from the proper path here though. We're going to have to return here to leave."

Hours later Ash and Pikachu stopped again when they heard voices. Silently they entered a cavernous room where people were milling about. Altogether there was around eight people with one sat at a laptop and a Machoke behind him. Several grunts were securing Pokémon behind their cages. Every now and then one would be taken out and threatened to behave while tests were run on them.

"We need to be stealthy here Pikachu and knock these guys out separately." Ash said furiously "We're going to have to lure them to us. I noticed a path off to the side about thirty yards back where we could put them? The lights don't go that way so it's dark enough to store people. Are you ok being bait at times? We can't let them live either Pikachu."

"I'm going to have to be, aren't I?" Pikachu said "go and hide in that corridor, you need to be quick though, we can't have them alerting everyone. And remember what I said about Pokémon and their homes. This needs to happen" at that they both went their separate ways. Ash left to go to the dark corridor. Walking down it he found it was only about forty yards long before it came to a dead end, hopefully that would be long enough provided he stored everyone at the end. Ash left his backpack as close to the wall as he could around a little dog leg at the end. Luckily it was pitch black and there was a little nook he could hide in to wait for people to come past and Ash's Aura use meant he could navigate pretty well in the dark. Ash was crouched waiting for someone to come when saw a flash of yellow go past him and he heard voices.

"Where is it? I know it went down this way."

"It went down there".

"I'm not going down there alone. It's dark!"

"Don't be such a baby, I'll be right here. Shout if you need me".

Grumbling the first grunt went past Ash. Silently as he could he waited for the grunt to walk a further fifteen yards before he reached the end. Without waiting Ash crept up behind him and quickly threw his hand over the man's mouth and using an aura lance pierced the man's head from behind with his other causing blood to rush onto Ash's hands. The man crumbled underneath Ash like a puppet with its strings cut. Not having time to deliberate on what he'd just done he quickly rushed back to the crevice and waited. After ten minutes Ash heard the second voice grumbling about it being dark. "Where is he? Jack! Where are you? This isn't funny man" the guy said as he walked past Ash. Waiting for him to walk on a bit further Ash repeated what he did with the first person. Breathing heavily Ash crouched down and dragged the man to where his friend's body was. Throwing him on top of the other man Ash sat down. Pikachu came from a hidden corner and observed Ash "you ok Ash?"

"No, but I will be" he said "I'll let myself think about this later. For now, we still have several others to do this to. I think we need to get rid of at least four more this way before we can safely challenge the rest. Let's get going Pikachu. Same again pal"

Over the next hour Pikachu managed to lure down 3 other grunts to the tunnel. It wasn't easy as a shiny Pikachu wandering the paths inside a mountain wasn't normal. And grunts were idiots, they liked to shout and talk to each other. And with each successful mission Ash knew that the chances of those remaining being fooled decreased. Especially given the grunts hadn't returned to complain about losing the Pikachu.

"Right Pikachu" Ash said as he wiped his hands bloody on the last grunts uniform "that's the last one I think we can safely lure down here. The grunts might be idiots but the guy at the computer is clearly their leader here today. I think its time we take out the generator. What I'll do is create a noise and run this way, hopefully I can bring a grunt or two down here with me. I'm confident that my Aura lances will be able to do the job. What I need you to do is creep towards the machine and try and find a way to overload it. If there's no cables you can chew through than you may have to blow it up. Once that cavern is in the dark, we will be a lot safer as I can use Aura to find the man. The man will likely send out more Pokémon though. If you don't feel like you can win, then run to this corridor and hide. I'll try and join you as soon as I can."

Ash stood up and stored his backpack in the crevice. "Let's do this Pikachu" with that they walked down the pathway and out into the cavernous room. The two remaining grunts were looking around very nervously as the man on the laptop was being screamed at down the phone. "Change of plans" Ash said quietly "they're too bunched up. I'll hide behind that crate there and make my way around the place on the left. Creep round as quietly as you can on the right doing the same thing and take out that generator. Once its dark it should be easier. And without power they can't call for back-up so we should be able to take them out in the crossfire"

Arnold was scared. He'd just got off the phone to the boss about the Mt Moon mission. He had told him that five of his grunts were incompetent fools and had chased a Pikachu into the mountain and hadn't returned. He despised incompetence. Why couldn't he be put in charge of the secret mission his boss had just set up, and not be stuck underneath a mountain. This whole mission had left him on edge. He was convinced the Pokémon were plotting something, he had felt the eyes of hundreds following him the entire journey down here. Luckily lighting the place up left nowhere to hide so he felt a bit safer but now five of his help had disappeared, so he had called out Machoke. His boss hanging up on him telling him to get on with the job didn't improve his mood.

Seeing a flash of yellow out of the corner of his eye he stood up. What was that? Walking over to where he saw it, he discovered there was nothing there. Looking at Machoke he was just about to ask if he saw something when the world exploded, and he flew into the wall. Or rather the generator exploded, and it plunged the world into darkness. Seeing two blue flashes on the other side of the cavern he pulled himself up and wondered what was going on. "Oi! Where are you two? We clearly have company! Machoke, find whatever has done this." From nowhere a silver flash appeared at his side and a groan as the Machoke was thrown bodily into him and pinned him down. Struggling to free his arm he recalled his Machoke before a foot pinned his arm to the ground. As his eyes adjusted, he felt pure terror for the first time in years. Glowing blue eyes were staring at him. "Who are you?" he managed to stammer out before the world went black.

Ash stood up and wondered what to do. His aura use meant the world around him had adjusted very quickly. Looking around he decided on a course of action. Walking over to the cages he addressed them all "Right, I am going to open your cages. I am not the enemy. You will be free to go. Be warned though, a little way off this cavern there are several dead bodies of the guys who put you in these cages. It will be unlikely that they'll be found as I won't be telling anyone about this" receiving cries of affirmation Ash and Pikachu bean to break the cages open. Several Paras, Sandshrew and Geodude quickly ran off in all directions. Opening the last cage, he felt his heart nearly break and his guilt disappear. Inside was a small Pokémon that looked severely injured. Pointing his Pokedex at it he scanned it "Cleffa, Pokedex Number 173. The Star Shape Pokémon and the pre-evolved form of Clefairy. This Pokémon is female. When numerous meteors illuminate the night sky, sightings of Cleffa strangely increase."

Looking around he saw that he and Pikachu were now alone "I'm going to have to catch it Pikachu or it will die." Touching a poke ball to it it didn't even rock. "we need to get out of here Pikachu. For now, it's in stasis but that won't last forever."

Rushing back to the passageway he picked up his backpack, gave the bodies one last glance and left. Entering the cavern, he found that natural light was coming from a hole in the roof illuminating a pedestal. Looking around he saw some strange rocks on the ground. Picking two up he put them in his pack and walked over to the ruined generator. Pikachu had done a good job. Hearing a noise he turned around to find the man from before stirring. Without even flinching Ash strode over and pierced his head with an aura lance showering the floor with blood. "damn, I should have questioned him" Ash said "ah well, lesson learned". Hearing Pikachu shout, "over here" Ash walked over to find the man's laptop where it had blown clear of the blast and landed on a section of moss. How very fortuitous Ash mused. Standing up Ash and Pikachu left to head back to the actual path. Along the way they stopped in a path just off to the side and rested. Pikachu knew Ash well enough to know he was thinking his way through his feelings.

"I know what you're thinking Pikachu" Ash said wryly "that I'm feeling guilty for killing those men. And you were right, right up until I saw what they had done to Cleffa. After that I didn't care anymore. Those men deserved to die, experimenting on babies like that is unforgivable. I plan on sending this laptop to Lance, anonymously that is and let him deal with it all"

"I knew you were thinking about it Ash" Pikachu said "you needed to think things through but I'm here if you need a sounding board"

"Thanks Pikachu" Ash said gratefully "I appreciate it. Hopefully with this place being dark again the Pokémon will start to feel at home again"

The next day Ash decided they would travel all day to reach the end of the mountain. Along the way they saw several Pokémon who paused as they passed but as they didn't do anything they left them alone. Hours later Ash saw a light up ahead of him "I believe Pikachu that there is light at the end of the tunnel" chuckling at his own joke they left and found it was night time. But the cool air was what brought them to their knees. It was glorious. "We won't be going back in there in a hurry Pikachu."

Walking along the route towards Cerulean Ash noticed a little stream. Ash decided to have a quick clean up and change as his clothes were covered in blood as was his hands. Deciding that he would be better off burning them Ash put them at the bottom of his rucksack and would wait until he was somewhere on his own before doing so. He didn't think he would be in Cerulean longer than a week so they would keep until then. Carrying on down the route Ash noticed there seemed to be an entrance into the side of the mountain that was blocked off by guards. Chatting to the guards he found out that it was closed off due to the Pokémon inside being incredibly strong. You needed a league championship under your belt before you could have access. Looking at the entrance he said "can you feel it Pikachu? There is something incredibly powerful in there."

"I can" he replied "and we have no chance of facing it with just me" chuckling Ash knew he was right. "Come on then, we need to get Cleffa to the Pokémon centre." An hour later Ash walked into Cerulean City and marvelled at it. Heading to the Pokémon centre he told Nurse Joy that he had been traveling through Mt Moon and found this Cleffa injured and caught it to save its life. The nurse told him it should be fine by the morning so after a warm shower Ash and Pikachu climbed into bed and were out like lights.

Unknown to either of them the presence Ash had felt earlier had also registered him. Opening its eyes, the being searched for Ash. Finding a blank spot it was confused. How was this person able to shield himself from him? Searching his Pokémon's mind he found out that the trainer was named Ash and he had just killed several Team Rocket members inside Mt Moon. "Good" the being thought looking over to his own companion "I think it's time my plans were set up, don't you?" and with that they both disappeared in a flash of purple. Meanwhile Ash slept on obliviously.