Since Bronze had completely flipped out, Shasta offered to let me walk around and explore the cavern under her supervision, an offer I graciously accepted.

After examining the cavern I'd come up with the beginnings of a plan, although whether it would work or not was actually a pretty huge gamble. But regardless, it would all begin with investigating the mining area in more detail.

Under the supervision of Shasta, I wandered cheerfully and clumsily over to the miners swinging their pickaxes into the cave wall, examining the shattered rock debris that was at the feet of everyone present. I made a point of acting like I was still dizzy from being hurt by Bronze, which served the dual purpose of making Shasta sympathise me...

And also to make her not suspect anything afoul when I 'tripped' and fell flat on my face. I groaned loudly, discreetly palming a sharp piece of discarded rock and tucking it into my shirt sleeve for later. I stood up as Shasta rushed over to check on me.

"Are you okay...?" She asked, eyes wide. I just laughed and smiled at her.

"I'm fine, it's just a scratch." I brushed her off, reassuring her I was fine. "I think I'm still a little more lightheaded than I realised."

"...Alright." She stood back up, regaining her more stoic composure. She crossed her arms and pretended to be annoyed, but I already felt like I understood her well enough to know it was just an act.

"What are they all doing anyway?" I asked, genuinely curious. "Why are they digging?"

"Boss's orders. We're not really sure what we're after, but apparently there's valuable fossils in the walls here somewhere." Shasta shrugged. "You'd have to ask Petrel why."

"Can I?" I asked, and Shasta paused, biting her lip.

"...I don't think that's a good idea."

I watched the miners dig into the walls for a minute, but I had no clue why Team Rocket of all people would be digging for fossils. I decided to ignore the issue for now, choosing instead to focus on my plan.

Step two would be to figure out where our Pokemon were being kept, but I didn't really have a way to ask that without being suspicious. So instead, I slowly snaked my way through the entire camp from one side to the other, making note of any time Shasta panicked or tried to keep me from going a certain direction.

Fortunately, just as I'd hoped, the majority of Team Rocket were adults, and seeing as I was just a regular kid they were willing to ignore me as long as Shasta was supervising me-My freedom had opened up a lot.

But even then there were limits, which I managed to hit upon as I tried to peak inside of a large purple tent. As I began to brush open the tent, I felt Shasta's hand grapple around my wrist, pulling me away.

"Sssh..." She put a finger to her lips. "Not in there. That's Petrel's tent."

Petrel... Judging by what people had said, he was the boss of the current operation, as well as the man who'd taken our Pokemon. If this was his tent, the odds were good that Yeller was currently in there.

Hang in there buddy. I'll come save you. I thought.

I didn't have definitive proof that Yeller and Bulb were in there, but the cavern didn't have many places to hide things and I had explored most of the cavern without any attempts at stopping me. Now was the time to gamble, while I was still allowed to walk.

My eyes drifted from the tent to the Pokeball attached to Shasta's waist. I'd seen her use the Pokemon before-A Zubat- and it would appear it was the only one she possessed. A part of me wanted to try grabbing the ball and making a break for it, but the chance that would work out for me was rather low. For one thing, the Zubat probably wouldn't listen to my commands if she was still nearby. Second, I'd probably get caught by the woman herself before I could make enough distance.

And the idea of stealing a Pokemon-even one belonging to a criminal- just didn't sit right with me. If I stooped to that level, wouldn't I be just as bad as them?

But there was still something else I needed to do. I pointed to the tent with the most innocent expression I could muster, and spoke up. "Why can't I go inside?"

"Er, that's..." Shasta began scratching her head as I watched her intensely, not breaking eye contact. Then, uncomfortable from the prolonged eye contact she turned to look where I was pointing. "Well, it's just not a good idea to..."

I didn't hear the rest, as the moment she looked away I slipped out of sight and made my way to the outer end of the room where the guards were watching for wild Pokemon. I quickly took off my jacket and wrapped it around my waist to make me harder to spot, swiping a grunt's discarded hat to hide my distinctive hair. Using that, I would hopefully have a few minutes before Shasta managed to find me again.

"Okay..." I breathed to myself, examining the outskirts. My goal was simple.

[Mt. Moon Completion:

Defeat Wild Pokemon: 19/20
Reward: Spawn Area Boss

- Defeat Area Boss (UNAVAILABLE)
Reward: 1 PokeStatus Point, Type Proficiency: Rock +50 points, Dark +30 points]

All I needed was to find one wild Pokemon and defeat it.

Well, that was easier said than done. I had to find and defeat a wild Pokemon without any Pokemon of my own, and it wasn't like I had any weapons either. Maybe if I could find a Zubat I could try to restrain it and knock it out, but if I encountered a Geodude or Clefairy I might as well give up right away.

...Alternatively, there was a long-shot of an idea with less immediate risk, but the chance that it wouldn't pay off.

Party.

[Cyan's Current Party:

Leader: Cyan
Member: Unknown Pokemon Trainer (Info) (Nickname)

Note: Certain features are disabled due to strength difference.

{Disband}]

I took this moment to Nickname the 'Unknown' trainer, as I was now pretty sure that it was Chee. I hadn't thought about it too much at the time, but Chee's knockouts had only started counting towards the completion after we fought the Raticate-Basically, once she joined the 'party'.

In which case, if I were to add someone else to my 'party', and they defeated a wild Pokemon, would the area boss spawn? It seemed entirely possible to me. At the outskirts of Team Rocket's lit up cavern bodyguards were stopping any wild Pokemon from entering, they must fight wild Pokemon occasionally.

So steeling my will, I quietly walked up to one of them. The man had two Pokeballs at his waist and he stood alert, looking over the cave in front of him. The man appeared to be in his early twenties with black hair and serious blue eyes. He shot me a glance but seemed to be relieved when he saw the signature Team Rocket cap, returning his full focus to the cave ahead.

"Hello!" I called out to the bodyguard, but I only received a stiff grunt in response.

I stared at the man expectantly for a moment, before clearing my throat and speaking again. "Guarding everyone must be hard work, right? Would you like any help?"

The man eyed me appraisingly for a moment. "You're pretty young to be in Team Rocket. Did you give up on an honest life that early?"

I was surprised to see how stoic the man was, immediately shifting the topic back to me and my lacking disguise. Yet the man hadn't refused me outright.

"What's the point in living an honest life?" I answered as I started to create a new character in my head-The young and disillusioned childhood trainer who had quickly decided the world of adults was unfair. I could use a story like that combined with my knowledge from being a relatively low status trainer in my past life to make something up. "Not like anyone is going to notice a nobody like me unless I do something exceptional."

The man continued to eye me appraisingly, but the corners of his lips lifted in a smile. It seemed I'd struck a chord with him. "What about your parents?"

I shrugged, preparing another lie. "Not around to care."

He turned his gaze back to the grounds ahead. "Guard duty is hard boring work. Wouldn't you rather join the mining team?"

"Oh yeah, because physical labour is exactly what I'm after." I replied sarcastically. "I want to fight off wild Pokemon, not sit in a cave sifting through dirt for stupid rocks."

"I see." The man was silent.

I eyed the system log, but I had no prompt to allow the man to join my party. I'd have to try harder. "I can help, you know! I may be young, but I've got good eyes! I can help you spot wild Pokemon!"

The man chuckled. "Sure, you do that."

There was still no notification.

"Heck yeah! That makes us a team, right?" I exclaimed, pumping my fist.

The man was silent.

"Come on, teammates?" I held a fist out to him.

"...Look kid, I've got a very important task for you." The man began slowly.

"What is it?"

"I need you to go and... Keep an eye over by the rock sorting area. Make sure nothing gets past me." The man concluded, trying to get rid of me. I was pretty sure he didn't want to babysit me any longer, but I decided to push my luck a bit harder anyway.

"Like a team!?" I cheered, holding my fist out to him. "Alright, that'll make us partners in crime, right? Both of us working towards the same goal."

"Sure, whatever." The man smiled at me, giving me the fistbump I'd requested.

Still no pop-up...

"Come on, I want you to say it!" I grumbled.

The man let out a sigh. "That makes us teammates." He answered finally.

[Log:

Team Rocket Grunt offers to join your party! Accept?]

I felt a genuine smile creep over the fake on my face as I nodded happily. "Alright!"

Having achieved my goal, I made my way back into the centre of the room hurriedly, discarding the cap I'd borrowed and putting my jacket back on properly-So that I would look less suspicious when Shasta found me. I double-checked that I still had that sharp rock, which I took out from my sleeves and stowed away in the hem at the back of my shorts.

I've done everything I can. Just got to hope for the best, now. I thought to myself.

I had my doubts, I still didn't know for sure that the party system was the reason Chee's knockouts counted, but I had no other path to escape without having Chee's assistance.

"There you are!" A distraught voice called out to me as I wandered aimlessly through the cavern. A moment later Shasta ran over and grabbed onto my arm. "Don't run off like that! I'm supposed to be keeping an eye on you."

I made my best innocent smile. "Oh, I thought you were right next to me! I'm sorry..."

"Good grief..." She sighed. "I think you've had enough exploring for today, time to go back."

"Okay." I nodded. "Sorry for the trouble."

...

I carefully tugged at my ropes, testing the bonds. They were slightly looser than before but there was still almost no give to them whatsoever. After I'd come back to the trio's camp, I'd cleaned up the cooking supplies and made them pack my bags again. After that it was back to sitting in a corner tied up again-Although Shasta and Simon did seem to view me with a tad more pity.

Bronze sulked in a corner, ousted by the other two members after his outburst earlier. I could hardly say I felt sorry for him, but I was glad that he wasn't allowed to watch me anymore, since he might have been the closest to figuring out I was abnormal.

For now I turned my attention to Chee who was still pretty much unmoving. "...You holding up okay?" I asked softly, and finally she turned her head to look at me.

...I want to go home. Her eyes said. I don't like it here.

"...Talk to me. What's bothering you?"

Her eyes fell. I don't understand. Yellow is supposed to be safe.

"What?" I asked, and I watched as her gaze drifted to Bronze, who was still sulking. His hair was a bleached blonde. And I realised she was still in shock because he'd slapped her. On top of that the Team Rocket uniform was black. Black and Yellow were the two colours Chee trusted most, and they had hurt her.

If Yellow isn't safe... Then... Then...! I watched as she began to shake more and more vigorously, and I had an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. Part of the reason Chee trusted me was because my eyes were yellow. When she was scared or emotional she would always hug her bright yellow pikachu plushie.

I could feel it in my guts. No matter what, I couldn't allow Chee to lose faith in the colour yellow, lest she completely stop being able to function.

"Hey. He's not yellow." I spoke immediately.

...What?

"He's a fake yellow. His hair colour isn't natural, it's dyed."

Her eyes widened in surprise. Fake yellow?! That's terrifying!

Despite that, her shaking had stopped, and I breathed a small sigh of relief.

"Listen, I need you to focus." I whispered in a hushed voice, making sure that the grunts weren't watching us. "Will you be able to run when the chance arrives?"

There was a long silence. "I promise I'll get you out of this cave, okay?"

Finally, I saw a hint of determination return to the black-haired girl's eyes. ...Alright.

I smiled at her. "Hang in there."

We sat in silence for a while longer, and once I was convinced that the grunts wouldn't find it suspicious, I retrieved the rock I'd hidden in the hem of my pants, gripping it in my hand and twisting it to place the sharp edge against the rope tying my wrists together.

Slowly, discretely, quietly, I rubbed the rock back and forth against the rope. I'd found a nicely jagged sharp edge which meant that the progress was faster than it otherwise would have been, and I was able to work slowly.

If my plan worked, I had no idea how long it would take before the area boss arrived.

After what seemed like an eternity, I finally felt the ropes give way and I hurriedly grabbed onto them with my other hand so that it wouldn't look like I'd cut myself free. Alright. Nothing left but to wait, now.

And so wait I did.

And wait.

And wait.

Hours passed with no sign of anything happening, and I began to get worried. An alarming thought occurred to me. ...Can he leave my party without a notification?

[Cyan's Current Party:

Leader: Cyan
Member: Chee (Info) (Nickname)
Member: Team Rocket Grunt (Info) (Nickname)

Note: Certain features are disabled due to strength difference.

{Disband}]

I breathed a sigh of relief as I realised he was still in the party. Hopefully it had just been a quiet day to be guarding the exit.

I dismissed the menu and double-checked the completion, but there was no changes.

And so I remained waiting in silence for what felt like an eternity, almost reaching the point where I'd fall asleep, until finally...

[Log:

Type Proficiency: Dark: +1.67%
Type Proficiency: Dark: +1.67%

Your party defeated a wild Geodude!

You've reached the requirements for 'Mt. Moon'! The Boss will now spawn!]

I immediately came back to my senses. I scanned across the environment, feeling my breath catch in my throat as I realised just how large of a risk I was taking at the moment.

The ground began to shake, and the grunts nearby looked at one another nervously. Bits of rock sprinkled down from the cave roof, the fragments of fossils jittering across the uneven rock floor as the rumbling sound got louder and louder.

...What did I just do...? I wondered as my face paled slightly. I haven't tried fighting any area bosses since Route 1! What kind of monster have I summoned?!

And in an instant everything went still. The cave returning to the relative stability it had shown before. The grunts who were nervous breathed sighs of relief and returned to their tasks.

But just as everyone thought it was nothing, the floor began to sprout cracks all over the mined cavern, and the ground near the bodyguard I'd talked to earlier was split in twain as a giant crystalline figure smashed through the ground and into the roof, leaving an enormous hole in it's wake.

"Holy-!" Bronze was cut off by the entire cavern shaking again, and all of the Rocket Grunts jumped to their feet, dashing to resolve the problem.

"Wait-Who's watching the captives!?" Simon asked in concern.

"Forget it! There won't be any point in keeping the captives if we're all dead!" Shasta retorted, and the entire trio ran after their fellow forces to engage with the creature that I'd summoned.

As soon as they sped away from me I rapidly took my sharp rock and began scratching at the binds on my feet. Since I no longer had to be discreet, it took me only a handful of seconds to cut through the rope and free myself.

There was another thunderous crash and the very mountain itself felt like it was shaking as the area boss finally dropped into the centre of the arena, letting out a deafening roar. I immediately recognised it as an Onix, just as large as the one I'd fought in Brock's Gym. However unlike Brock's Onix, this one shone like a brilliant gemstone, and it seemed to be made of beautiful hardened crystals instead of rocks.

[The Boss of Mt. Moon, Crystal Onix has appeared!]

I wasted no time reclaiming the bag that my Team Rocket friends had so graciously left behind in their panic, and I retrieved a pocket knife from within to free Chee more quickly.

The ground shook as I cut her free, and very nearly made me stumble, but I managed to keep a steady hand and avoid injuring my fearful friend, who looked up at me in shock and awe.

What did you do!? Her eyes called out in astonishment.

"I'll explain everything later!" I exclaimed. "We need to get our Pokemon and get OUT!"

I grabbed her wrist and pulled her along with me. She didn't resist, although she seemed to be a bit unsteady on her feet. Quickly I led her to Petrel's tent, where Shasta had prevented me from investigating earlier. I stopped, hiding by the side of the tent and motioning for Chee to remain quiet.

"What on earth is going on our here?!" The purple-haired man exclaimed, leaving the tent. "All this ruckus so early-SWEET SCENT ON A VILEPLUME'S BLOOM!"

He practically jumped out of his skin when he saw the state of the world outside, and immediately he drew one of the Pokeballs from his waist. "I'm coming to help! Team Alpha, focus on lowering it's stats! Team Beta, look out for injured members!"

With a powerful determination the older man ran onto the field to assist his teammates. I could almost admire the camaraderie, since I'd expected the man to simply ditch them and leave. Unfortunately he was still a Pokemon thief.

Quickly I ducked into the tent and found our Pokeballs. Fortunately they'd been left on the table in the open. I scooped them into my bag and rejoined Chee outside. She was doing her best to be brave, but it was extremely clear to see she was flustered and confused.

"Alright! We're grabbing your bag and then we're making a break for it!" I exclaimed, grabbing Chee's hand to lead her again.

[A party member has been knocked unconscious.]

"Looks like we're running out of time..." I muttered, pausing every so briefly by the fossil sorting area so that Chee could sling her bag over her shoulder.

I heard the desperate voices of several Team Rocket grunts calling out in frustration and fear, but I had a feeling that the Onix would be coming for me next. As a result, the two of us needed to gain enough distance that we could actually fight it without Team Rocket interfering.

I could feel that I was stressing my body as I ran as fast as I possibly could across the hard rocky floor, the world around me almost seeming to melt away as I tried to tune out the screams and cries from those hurt by the Onix. Finally we made it to the exit from the zone of Mt. Moon Team Rocket was controlling.

"Hey!" I heard Petrel calling out to me. "Where are you going!?"

I didn't stop to reply, I just ran faster, faster, away from the harsh light and back into the total darkness of the cave.

"Tch. Raticate! Use..."

I couldn't make out the rest of what he said as I continued to run through the darkness, relying on the echoes and my own rapid breathing to make sure I didn't run into a wall. Finally, I came to a stop, wheezing.

I felt Chee squeeze my hand, but it was too dark to make out what she was trying to say. The cave was pitch black.

"Sorry... I... Can't... See you..." I gasped through heavy breaths. I could hear her breathing too, squeaky and rough. It seems that run had been difficult even for her-Although she wasn't nearly as out of breath as I was.

We stood there for a few moments, breathing heavily. I felt Chee's hand tighten further, and I dug into my bag to retrieve one of the flashlights.

Before I could do so however, I almost fell over forwards as the ground behind me burst into debris, a forceful gust of wind alerting me to the presence of something large occupying the space behind me.

Without thinking twice I stepped forward, spinning on my heel and drawing Yeller's Pokeball from my bag instead. "Yeller! Bite!" I ordered as I threw the ball at the ground.

There was a burst of blueish white energy as my Rattata partner escaped from the ball, which illuminated the room in a soft blue light for just a moment. In that instant, I saw the crystal face of the Onix directly in front of us, hanging over us with an almost crooked smile that sent shivers down my spine.

The creature seemed to be injured, thankfully. It hadn't left it's encounter with Team Rocket unharmed. Several of it's crystal segments were cracked or gashed. Hopefully I would be able to defeat it in it's weakened state.

And just as quickly, the light left the room. My heart was thumping in my mouth, as I desperately looked around trying to see anything in the pitch black. Fortunately Rattata were nocturnal Pokemon, so it was possible that Yeller would still be able to see.

I heard what sounded like a roar of pain as I once again fished through my bag, grabbing my flashlight and turning it on. As the beam of light pierced the darkness, I was able to make out the figure of my yellow partner digging dark energy jaws into the hide of the crystalline monster.

"Keep it up Yeller!" I exclaimed. "Bite Barrage!"

The Onix almost seemed to ignore the pest in it's side, glaring at me intently. It opened it's mouth wide and charged towards me.

I tugged at Chee and dragged her into a dive with me, both of us barely evading the gemstone behemoth as the tough rock walls gave way like butter to it's onslaught. I quickly scrambled back to my feet to help with my flashlight, only to see how long the creature really was as the continued segments of crystal kept sweeping by for several seconds longer than I expected.

"...We're surrounded." I mused, realising that the Onix had encased all three of us in a loop constructed from it's own body, weaving in and out of the walls of the cave around us. I no longer had room to properly dodge it's attacks.

I turned the beam of the flashlight onto it's head, and it seemed to be shaking slightly. I saw Yeller, who was still rapidly digging into the creature with repeated bites.

Breathing calmly, I began to hop on the balls of my feet, ready to dash out of the way of any attack I needed to. I watched intently as the Onix dug it's head into the ground in front of it, flipping up a batch of large rocks and throwing them at me.

I managed to whip my head out of the way of the first rock, and I pulled Chee closer to avoid the second. The third rock unfortunately ripped the flashlight from my hand, where it fell to the ground and shone against one of the reflective crystals of the creature's body, illuminating the room in a faint blue tone.

I cursed under my breath as the Onix lurched forward, mouth open wide to crush us in it's jaws. But before it got close enough to hit us, it stopped suddenly, dropping to the ground with a powerful thud.

I watched through ragged breaths for a few seconds, then I opened the completion menu.

[Mt. Moon Completion:

Defeat Wild Pokemon: 20/20
Reward: Spawn Area Boss

- Defeat Area Boss (COMPLETE)
Reward: 1 PokeStatus Point, Type Proficiency: Rock +50 points, Dark +30 points {CLAIM REWARDS}]

"...We beat it." I huffed in disbelief. "Great job Yeller!"

My sense of relief was short-lived however, as the crystal Onix began to glow a faint silver just as the black Raticate had before. It faded away as if it had never been there, but the holes it had left in the walls and floor remained.

Suddenly the ground beneath my very feet began to feel unsteady, and I realised all-too-late that the part of the cave we were standing in had only remained structurally sound because of the Onix's long body.

"Hold on tight!" I screamed, running like mad deeper into the cave and dragging Chee by her hand as the cave crumbled all around us. Rocks fell from the ceiling and the rock cracked at my feet as I leapt clear of the damaged area, falling into a roll.

The last part of the cave collapsed, falling into the depths of the mountain along with the flashlight that had provided us with even the last bit of light. I lay on the ground breathing heavily for a moment, but it was finally over.

"It's alright Chee, we're safe now." I broke the silence, and I squeezed her hand to reassure her.

And the hand collapsed beneath the pressure, folding like a paper box crushed underfoot. In horror I pulled my hand up to my face, fishing out the other flashlight from my bag. I winced as I realised that it had also been damaged in the commotion, but fortunately it still functioned. I turned it on and saw that I was holding Chee's glove instead of her hand.

I jumped to my feet and scanned the room with the flashlight, but my black-haired friend was nowhere to be seen. Yeller was here, but he looked like he'd taken a pelting from rocks in trying to keep up with me.

Somewhere in the commotion, I'd lost Chee.

"Chee?! CHEE! Are you there?!" I called in desperation-Before I remembered that she was mute, and wouldn't be able to respond. "Shoot!"

I have to find her as fast as possible! What if she's trapped in the rocks?! I hurriedly scanned the hole that had opened up behind us, but I couldn't risk jumping down directly, I'd almost certainly break multiple bones.

Fortunately, I could tell that the rocks had fallen into the cave below. I knew from the directions for getting through Mt. Moon that there were multiple floors on the way, so it was possible she had landed somewhere else accessible to me.

And just as I steeled my will to rush through the cave and find her, the faulty flashlight gave out, and I was plunged into darkness.