Hello and blessing to you all. Welcome to another chapter of this story. This chapter is a longer one so I'm not going to waste any time and jump right in.
Chapter 9: The Battle of Mt. Moon
It was late afternoon the following day as Ash, Serena, Misty and Brock approached the entrance to Mt. Moon. After walking for a couple hours the night before, the group was set on attempting to march through the tunnel before camping again. Misty had been the most outspoken about this plan. The redhead claimed that they could make it through the mountain in only a few hours and would only take about a day to get to Cerulean City from there. Serena could tell her friend was still a bit wary of returning home. For now though she was choosing to remain quiet on the matter. While the group traveled they also got the chance to learn about Brock. It turns out that their new travel companion dreamed of becoming a great pokemon breeder. After his father had left his sibling, Brock had all but abandoned his dream. Now though he was finally free to pursue it again. When Serena had first met Brock the girl had found him to be exceptionally stern and serious. This opinion had quickly changed though as she spent more time with the older teen. Brock was generally laid back and relaxed. They also discovered the previous night that Brock was a terrific chef. After Ash and Misty got into an argument about what to eat Brock had quickly stepped in and offered to cook. It turned out all those meals he'd been making for his younger siblings for the last couple years had really paid off, something the other three were relieved to learn.
"So Brock, is there any place in particular you want to visit on your journey?" Ash asked.
Brock chuckled, "You know there actually isn't. When I first became a trainer I had my travel plan set up with every place I was going to. But after two years I'm just thrilled to be out here. From what I've heard the best adventures aren't planned out, they just happen naturally."
"As long as our journey keeps us around water pokemon I'll have no complaints." Chimed in Misty.
"There's no way I'll be able to win the Kanto league without a good water type." Ash responded.
Serena smiled sadly at her three friends. Brock wanted to be a pokemon breeder, Misty wanted to become the world's greatest water pokemon trainer, and Ash the greatest pokemon trainer in the world. Serena on the other hand still had no clue what she wanted to do. It was now close to 4 weeks since she and Ash had left home and she wasn't any closer to knowing what she wanted. Ash had said that if Serena was patient it would come to her naturally but the longer it took the less confident Serena became. The girl was suddenly snapped from her thoughts by shouting up ahead, "Help!" a voice desperately called out. The group rushed forward to see a large group of Zubat swarming a man crouching in fear.
"Pikachu, help him out!" Ash ordered. His partner leapt from his shoulder and released a thundershock that branched out, covering all the flying Zubat. Most were knocked out and those that didn't were chased into a nearby forest. As the group ran over the man slowly stood up grunting in pain. As he stood up the four finally got a good look at him. The man looked to be about 22 and was tall, standing nearly 6'4. He was in a white lab coat, glasses, and had sandy brown hair. The man looked over the group and smiled widely, "Wow, thanks so much you guys I thought I was goner. The name's Seymour by the way."
After brief introductions Ash asked, "Why did those Zubat attack you?"
Seymour frowned, "I honestly have no idea. I came to Mt. Moon to study the geology of the mountain but only made it a short distance in before I was mobbed by them. The strange thing is I've come here plenty of time for research and this has never happened before. Anyway, are you all heading into Mt. Moon? I'd be happy to accompany you all for a bit if you'd like."
The 5 travelers then began to walk through the dark cave. The cave was pitch black but there was a dull luminescent string that guided the path.
"Wow, I can't see anything!" Ash exclaimed.
Seymour laughed as he pulled out an electric lantern and held it up. "Light isn't really needed in these early parts of Mt. Moon. That glowing string can guide trainers right through it without any trouble. That being said, I prefer a little light when I'm down here to see my surroundings."
"You talk like you come here often." Brock noted.
"I do. I'm working on a report about the geology of this mountain. It was said that many millennia ago a meteor struck this mountain. The intense power of the collision caused the geological makeup of this mountain to be unique from anywhere in the world."
"Are you a scientist?" Serena asked.
Seymour grinned sheepishly, "Not yet, but I'm a grad student in Pewter University's Geology department. My final semester begins in August and I'm getting a head start on my final dissertation."
"So you're writing a big paper about rocks?" Ash asked bluntly.
Misty smacked him on the back of the head, "Don't be rude!"
Seymour laughed, "No, please, I can see how to a lot of people this might seem boring. It's true Ash, in a world filled with such amazing creatures like pokemon it's fair to look with uncertainty at those of us who put our attention elsewhere. But this world is such a fascinating place and there's so much in it. And the geology of the world is what made everything possible."
"How so?" Ash asked.
"Well, think about it. Without the Nihon Mountain range dividing Kanto and Johto there would be next to know difference between the two regions. Our history would be completely different if that was the case. Also, in the last century we've found new minerals thanks to geology that have changed the world. And if all that still isn't interesting enough: studies even show that geology causes different pokemon to appear in different areas."
"He's right Ash." Brock chimed in, "I also try to expand myself beyond the pokemon world by looking at world history. Learning about the story of people and going to historic sites was a huge reason I wanted to go on an adventure in the first place."
"I guess that's fair." Ash said as he scratched Pikachu's ear, clearly everything he was told hadn't totally sunk in.
After walking for about another hour Seymour said, "Well everyone this should be where we part ways."
"What do you mean?" Misty asked.
"There's a second path coming shortly. You'll all stay straight and be out of the cave in about an hour. I on the other hand will turn right and venture deeper into the mountain."
"Well it was great to meet you, Seymour!" Serena said happily.
"Best of luck on your paper!" Ash chimed in.
"I appreciate that. And thank you all again for saving me from those Zubat-what the heck?" He suddenly said, As the group walked ahead the entrance to the cave appeared, bright lights spilling out from it. The group looked in to see large lights lining the ceiling."
"Are those supposed to be there?" Misty asked.
"Not at all." Seymour said thoughtfully, "I was last here 2 weeks ago and there wasn't any sign of this. But these bright lights explain why the Zubat were all by the entrance to the cave and why they were so territorial."
"Someone put these lights up and the brightness must have pushed the Zubat from their home." Brock said.
"Who could do this?" Serena asked.
"I don't know." Brock replied warily, "I think it would be smart to notify the police when we get out of here."
"I need to check this out." Seymour said, "You all go ahead and call for help."
"I don't know if that's the best idea, Seymour." Misty warned, "I mean what if it's someone dangerous or there's another agitated pokemon?"
Seymour shook his head defiantly, "I understand your point, but these caves are a treasure trove of knowledge to geologists. To this day we're still learning about new things down here. If someone damages the mountain it would be catastrophic to my profession."
"In that case we'll go with you." Ash offered.
"You sure about that, Ash?" Brock asked. "We're not police and we have no idea what we're walking into. Also these caves are dangerous enough without whoever set up these lights."
"We might not be police but we do have two former gym leaders." Ash retorted, "Plus wouldn't you all feel bad if something happened to Seymour while we went to the exit?"
"I agree with Ash." Misty shot in, "We'll stay together and try to get a picture of what's happening."
Brock sighed, "Very well, let's go then."
As the group walked down the bright corridor Serena scurried up to Brock, "Who do you think is down here?"
"Let's hope it's just some hooligans camping out." Brock responded, "Honestly though with all the work they did setting these lights up, I wouldn't count on that."
Serena shuddered at this.
"Don't worry Serena, we've all grown a lot stronger on our journey. I'm sure we can handle anything that's down here." Ash said as he pumped his fist.
"I don't know Ash, there's some really dangerous people out there." Serena responded wearily.
"She's right, Ash." Brock interjected, "We're going to see what's down here. If it's too dangerous we're turning back immediately."
"Even if pokemon are in danger?" Misty asked, "I can't stand back and do nothing if there's something like poachers down here."
"We just need to be smart." Brock responded.
"What's that?" Seymour whimpered in fear.
Ahead of the group was a long cave that turned sharply to the right. On the wall was a shadow of a large figure coming closer and closer.
"Everyone behind me!" Misty hissed as she pulled out a pokeball.
The group looked wearily over her shoulder until the figure emerged in front of them. It wasn't a large enemy though, rather it was a small, pudgy, pink pokemon.
"Clefairy?" The pokemon said in confusion when it saw the group.
"Awesome, a Clefairy!" Ash shouted with delight.
"It's so cute!" Serena added as she scanned it with her pokedex.
"And rare." Brock added. "Clefairy have had a long history living in Mt. Moon but usually they only live in the deepest spots."
Serena cautiously walked over to the pink pokemon, "Be careful, Serena!" Brock called out, "They're known to get spooked by people easily."
Serena smiled calmly, "Hi there Clefairy. Do you want a snack?" She then pulled out a package of pokemon food.
The pokemon eyed her wearily before its desire for food won out and it took the treat. After taking a few cautious bites the pokemon cooed in delight at the food.
"I think I'm going to try and catch it." Seren said to the group.
"Awesome Serena, go for it!" Ash cheered.
But as Serena turned back there were now two more shadows on the walls. These two were much more human-like than Clefairy.
"Oh shut up!" A rough voice shouted. This caused Clefariy to jump in fright before taking off down the hallway. Misty and Ash were quickly at Serena's side and the group huddled on the side of the wall. Slowly Ash peered around the corner and his eyes widened in shock. Walking closer to them were two men in their late teens with black uniforms with red R's on them.
"Team Rocket!" He hissed to the group.
"Here?" Misty said in confusion.
"Hah, no need to get so worked up. Everyone has a crush on the boss." One voice said.
"I told you to be quiet! If she hears us talking like that… who knows what she'll do to us. Our leaders aren't really known for being rational." The other voice responded.
The first man laughed, "You've got that right. I'm so happy it's our last night in this cave. Did you ever think when you joined Team Rocket we'd be taking rocks from a cave all day?"
"Of course not. I mean don't get me wrong I heard they're valuable. But still, I'd rather be shaking down newbie trainers than this."
At this point the two were almost turning the corner towards Ash and the others. Without thinking Ash whispered to Pikachu, "Take them out with thundershock!"
The yellow mouse quickly rounded the corner, scaring the two grunts before releasing a burst of electricity that knocked them out cold. Quickly Ash and Misty worked to drag their unconscious bodies towards the group where they were tied up.
"So Team Rocket was behind this." Misty huffed, "We should've figured."
"But why are they down here?" Serena asked.
"It's like I said there's a lot of valuable stones down here." Seymour interjected, "They must be mining them to sell on the black market."
"That's actually smart." Misty thoughtfully said, "Those stones could be worth a fortune, and nobody would ever notice they're missing."
"We should let the police know right away." Serena said.
"Agreed, we need to turn back now." Brock said.
"We can't leave!" exclaimed Misty, "Didn't you hear what these two were saying? They're leaving tonight. That means there's a good chance the police won't be able to catch them in time."
"That doesn't matter." Brock responded, "We aren't trained to face off against criminals."
"We took down Team Rocket in Viridian City." Ash added.
"We only were able to because Mr. Blue showed up." Serena responded.
"But now we're stronger and have one more trainer." Ash retorted.
"That's right Brock, and as a gym leader you know a part of our responsibility is to assist in emergencies like this." Misty added.
Brock sighed, clearly Ash and Misty were set on this, "Serena, you and Seymour make for the exit and get help. The three of us we'll go in."
"I'm staying too!" Seymour said, trying to sound brave although his trembling legs gave him away, "I might not be able to help much but there's no way we can let these thugs escape."
"I don't think we should split up either." Serena added. "If you three are going then so am I."
In truth Serena was terrified at this and would much rather the group head towards the exit. But she could tell Ash and Misty wouldn't listen and she didn't like the idea of her and Seymour walking through a cave full of Team Rocket grunts alone.
Brock sighed in defeat, "Fine, you two win. We all charge headfirst into lord knows what against dangerous criminals."
"It's going to be ok." Mist said with a confident smile, "We've definitely got this!"
Ash and Pikachu both smiled in agreement.
After this the group cautiously made their way through the cave. After walking for a few more minutes, they began to hear a distant noise. As they walked closer and closer the noise became louder and louder until they finally reached a large chamber. As they ducked out of sight the group was able to watch as close to a dozen Team Rocket grunts work tirelessly. The chamber had been set up into a base of operations. Sleeping bags and folding chairs sat at one end that served as the makeshift break area. The rest was littered with mining equipment and large boxes of moon stones, gold nuggets, and some gems as well. There was also a black jeep and two white vans facing another exit. In the middle a green haired man in his late teens or early 20s in a white Team Rocket officers uniform shouted at the grunts. "Move quicker you fools! The faster we pack up the loot the faster we can leave these stupid caves for good."
Most of the stones and gems were being loaded in the back of the jeep while the grunts piled the heavy equipment into the vans.
"We made the right call; it looks like they're leaving any minute." Misty whispered.
"Let's get them now." Ash added.
"Not so fast." Brock warned, "We need to come up with a plan. We're still way outnumbered."
"That's easy." Misty responded. "Me and Serena will lead the main attack right into the center of camp to surprise the guards. Brock you'll go to that other exit and release Onix so they can't escape. Ash, you and Pikachu go right to their leader. With him distracted the others should fall apart."
"What about me?" Seymour whispered.
"Just stay back." Misty ordered, causing the tall man to sulk. "Everyone ready?" She whispered, "3, 2, 1… Let's go!" She shouted.
With that the trainers burst forward and revealed themselves.
Serena quickly released Eevee who fired off a volley of swift while Misty was paired with Starmie, releasing a bubble beam. Brock quickly released Onix who guarded the exit and roared at any grunt bold enough to get close. Ash quickly had Pikachu charge the Team Rocket leader. The green haired man seemed momentarily shocked at what was happening before changing his expression to a sneer and sending a Primeape out to battle. Very quickly Ash realized this Primeape was fierce. The green haired man didn't seem like the most competent trainer but nevertheless his pokemon powered through Pikachu's electric attacks and threw rapid punches as the smaller mouse frantically dodged. This didn't matter though. Ash knew that all he had to do was keep the man distracted and soon, like Misty predicted, the grunts would begin to fall apart without leadership. Soon this came to be and grunts were in disarray. Misty turned to help Ash take down the Primeape. Victory seemed within the group's grasp when a cruel voice shouted, "Hands up, now!"
The group turned around in shock to see a blonde-haired woman holding a knife to Seymour's throat. The scientist was pale as he shook in terror. Ash and Serena frantically looked to Misty who seemed to desperately be going over her options in her head. With a sigh the redhead gave up and put her hands in the air. Ash and Serena followed as well as Brock who stepped out from behind Onix and also raised his hands in defeat.
The blonde crook smiled in triumph. "Now, I want each of you to slowly put your pokemon back in your pokeballs. Any sudden movements and your friend is as good as dead."
Slowly the teens put their pokemon away with the exception of Ash.
"Put that Pikachu away." The green haired man sneered.
"He doesn't go inside a pokeball." Ash shot back.
"Forget it Biff, just put it in the bag with the pokeballs." The blonde-haired woman said.
"It's Butch!" The other officer shot back before forcing Pikachu into the bag. After they had their pokeballs taken the five were tied up and sat down against a wall.
"Cassidy, how could you be doing this?" Seymour shouted in anger.
"Wait, you know her?" Serena asked.
Seymour nodded, "Her name is Cassidy. She was an undergrad student in the Pewter University geology department until she flunked out halfway through our sophomore year."
Cassidy scowled, "Well it was sort of hard to be a full-time student when I also had to work full-time to get by."
"Well, it sure didn't stop you from partying every chance you got." Seymour retorted.
Cassidy cackled evilly, "So I was 17 and liked to party too much, sue me."
"Why would you join Team Rocket? Sure, you weren't perfect, but you weren't evil!" Seymour said.
"Even after flunking out, I still owed tens of thousands of dollars in student loans. Not even my college job could make a dent." Cassidy explained, "Without a degree there are few places that'll hire for anything better than minimum wage. Then I found Team Rocket. Unlike most places they only look at how hard you'll work and compensate you accordingly. It was a few months ago that I thought of running an operation in this cave, I guess the schooling ended up paying off after all!"
"Cassidy you can't do this!" Seymour pleaded, "You once wanted to be a geologist, you know how important this mountain is to our field."
"Oh so what?" Cassidy spat, "What do you expect? Me and the boys here go hungry so you can write a book about rocks nobody will read. Welcome to the real-world Seymour. While you've been pampered on a college campus for 6 years this is what the rest of us have had to endure!"
Seymour looked away in disgust as a grunt approached Cassidy and Butch, "Sir, Ma'am, we've finished packing the valuables. Also, the pokemon those kids had are a bit varied. Some are pretty valuable while some aren't worth much."
"Put them all in the back of our Jeep." Butch ordered, "The more we bring the more we'll be rewarded."
"You won't get away with this." Misty growled.
"Yea you'll get stopped just like in Viridian City!" Ash added.
"What would you know about Viridian City?" Cassidy asked.
Butch suddenly jumped in surprise, "Wait! I know these kids! They're the ones that fought Jessie and James on the security cameras."
Cassidy looked closer before smiling widely, "You're right!"
Butch leaned over to her, "If we take them with us and show the commander we captured them it would make Jessie and James look so stupid. He might even let us replace them on his big operation!"
Cassidy smiled and nodded, "We don't need all of them though. Take those two." She said pointing at Ash and Serena, "They look the least experienced."
Two grunts then roughly grabbed Serena and Ash by the arms and forced them into the first jeep that Butch and Cassidy got into as well.
"We're going to get a head start. Finish cleaning up the supplies then meet us at point beta!" Butch ordered.
"Sir, what should we do with the other three?" A grunt asked.
Butch shrugged, "Leave them. When they get out they can spread our story. It's time someone stole the limelight from Jessie and James."
And with that the two officers drove off with Ash and Serena. It wasn't a second after they pulled away that Misty began desperately struggling to free herself.
"It's no use." Whispered Brock, "We're bound tight."
"We have to do something; they could kill those two!" Misty exclaimed.
"Oh, so now you're concerned?" Brock asked, "You sure weren't earlier when you had us charge in."
Misty stopped struggling and looked down in guilt, "I just wanted to stop Team Rocket."
"You wanted to be the hero." Brock retorted, "And that put us all in danger."
Tears began forming in Misty's eyes, "We couldn't just do nothing. They were going to escape"
"You're right" Brock responded, "Had we just gone to the police they'd have been long gone. But you still shouldn't have rushed in. Listen Misty, even in our limited time together I can tell you're smart and brave. But you can't just charge into everything, especially when Ash seems happy to follow you. You need to be more thoughtful, like maybe you should've had a backup plan if we got caught."
"You're right." Misty mumbled, "And now we lost our friends."
"Oh I wouldn't worry about that." Brock said, "You might not have done it but I did form a backup plan."
"What?" Misty asked in shock. But before she got a response Brock whistled loudly. Suddenly a Zubat darted from the ceiling on the unassuming Rocket grunts. The small bat screeched supersonic at the bewildered grunts and struck wing attacks at any that managed to get up. In the confusion Brock was to his feet and helped by knocking over other grunts so they couldn't release any pokemon. Within a few moments of chaos all Team Rocket operatives were on the ground and Zubat had used its wings to free Brock, Misty, and Seymour. The three were now busy tying up criminals.
"How?" Misty asked in shock.
"I caught Zubat earlier when Seymour was getting attacked." Brock explained, "When you were making your plan I used the opportunity to formulate a backup one. When Seymour was caught I hid behind Onix and released Zubat. I told him to hide on the ceiling and attack when I whistled. Originally my plan was just to use the diversion to give us a chance to escape but I changed it when those two leaders left. Team Rocket grunts are pretty helpless on their own."
"You came up with all of that?" Misty asked.
Brock smiled, "Of course, I wasn't a gym leader for nothing."
"Brock, Misty!" Seymour shouted. "Team Rocket seems to have a communication device that connects outside from here. I can use it to call the police."
"Good." Brock responded as he grabbed a pair of keys from a passed-out grunt, "You call for help and wait here. We'll go after the other two."
Deeper in the cave the Ash and Serena sat in silence as Butch and Cassidy celebrated in the front.
"I can't believe how smoothly this went!" Cassidy cheered.
"The commander will have to praise us after this." Butch responded with a smile before looking in the rearview mirror at their captives, "Oh don't be so glum. You two should consider yourselves lucky. Of all the commanders ours is the most lenient, he'll probably just order us to release you."
"Hopefully he'll let us rough them up a bit first." Cassidy said with an evil smile.
"Serena, I am so sorry I got you into this mess." Ash whispered, "I just couldn't help myself trying to be a hero. But I promise I'll get us out of this."
Serena smiled warmly at Ash. In truth she was terrified of this situation but she couldn't bring herself to say this. "Why couldn't she just be brave like Ash?" She asked herself.
"Oh shut up." Butch scowled. The jeep then left the narrow tunnel into a massive cavern, bigger than Ash had ever imagined. It could easily fit Brock's gym multiple times over.
"Only a few more minutes and we're out of these caves for good!" Cassidy cheered. Suddenly a bright pink blast of energy cascaded down on the jeep and tore through the engine. The vehicle slid across the ground before smashing into a nearby rock and causing the front airbags to deploy on Team Rocket.
"Now Serena!" Ash yelled as he and the girl fled the vehicle. Slowly Butch and Cassidy exited as well.
"What was that?" Cassidy moaned as she rubbed her head.
"There!" Butch said as he pointed above them. Standing on a ledge high above the group was a pack of Clefable and Clefairy.
"They must be trying to protect the caves from Team Rocket!" Ash exclaimed.
"Oh, this will be fun." Cassidy sneered as she released Raticate and Butch release Primeape. The wild pokemon jumped down to face their foes and soon there was a large battle. The wild pokemon had immense numbers but it proved no match for the power of Team Rocket's pokemon. As Serena watched on she noticed one of the Clefairy was holding onto pokemon food, it was the same Clefairy from earlier. With a mighty punch Primeape knocked out what appeared to be the lead Clefable causing the other members of it's pack to flee in fear.
"Oh no you don't!" Cassidy screamed in anger, "Raticate use hyper beam!"
The large rat formed orange energy in it's mouth and then aimed directly at the Clefairy from earlier. Serena's eyes widened in terror and without thinking she charged in front of the pokemon to shield it. As Raticate released it's attack Ash shouted for Serena in terror.
"PI-KA-CHUUU!'' A fierce cry came. A blast of yellow electricity sped through the air from the opposite direction and halted the hyper beam.
"What?" Cassidy said in shock. In the distance a white van of Team Rockets sped over with Pikachu riding on top. Misty stuck her head out of the passenger window and waved, "Hey guys! Sorry we're late."
"Right on time!" Ash said with a smile as the van pulled up and Pikachu used Iron Tail to free him from his bonds. Quickly Brock ran over to the wrecked Jeep and grabbed the pokeballs from the back, "Misty!" He shouted as he tossed one towards the girl, "I believe this is yours."
Misty swiped the pokeball out of the air and smiled at Ash, "You want to help me finish these guys?"
"It would be my pleasure." Ash said with a smile as Pikachu leapt in front of him.
"Starmie, you're up!" Shouted Misty.
Butch and Cassidy growled and took a step back as they surveyed the situation. Their two pokemon defensively stepped in front of their two crooked trainers ready to battle.
"Pikachu use thundershock!"
"Starmie use water gun!"
The two attacks flew across the field and slammed into the opposing pokemon.
Butch growled, "Primeape get in close with karate chop!"
"Raticate use hyper fang!" Cassidy instructed.
The two pokemon charged forward.
"Pikachu dodge and use iron tail!" Ash shouted. The Primeape was clearly exhausted from the previous battle and Pikachu was easily able to avoid the strike before slamming his tail down on the fighting type. On the other side, Starmie used rapid spin halt Raticate and was circling back around.
"Ash, let's switch!" Misty called, "Starmie, use psybeam on Primeape."
"Pikachu, thundershock on Raticate!" Ash ordered.
Starmie released a solid ray of light purple energy just as Pikachu launched his attack. The enemy pokemon were completely blindsided by the attacks and were swiftly knocked out.
Butch and Cassidy desperately looked around for an escape.
"Give it up, Team Rocket, it's over!" Misty shouted.
Cassidy looked down to her right to see a fast-moving river that was washing water out from deeper inside the cave.
"I don't think so." She growled, "Buff, jump now!"
"It's Butch!" Her partner yelled as the two jumped in.
Misty and Ash attempted to chase the two criminals but as they approached the river Butch and Cassidy were already far out of sight.
It didn't take longer than 20 minutes for the police to arrive on the scene. It turns out the exit Butch and Cassidy were driving towards was a pretty common way for scientist to exit. After taking reports from the trainers all Rocket grunts were quickly arrested a and search was initiated for the two officers.
As the group sat and collected themselves Misty apologized to Serena and Ash.
"You don't have to apologize, Misty." Ash said with a chuckle, "I mean, I did agree with you the entire time."
Misty smiled, "I guess you did. How about we both try to be a little more responsible in the future."
"I just wish I could be as a brave as you guys." Serena said with a sigh. Suddenly she felt something poking her. The trainer looked down to see a Clefairy smiling up at her.
"Hey, it must be the Clefairy from earlier!" Misty said.
"Serena, I think it's saying he wants to go with you." Brock said.
"Really?" Serena said in shock as the fairy pokemon smiled at her.
"Of course. You did save it's life." Ash said, "Serena, you said you want to be brave but you already are. You might not be charging headfirst into every situation like me and Misty but when the chips were down you protected a pokemon without even thinking. If you ask me, that's plenty brave."
Serena blushed deeply, "Thanks Ash!" She then turned to Clefairy, "So you really want to travel with me?"
"Fairy!" The pokemon responded with an enthusiastic smile.
Serena smiled broadly, "Ok then!" She then tossed a pokeball that effortlessly absorbed the pink pokemon.
"I guess I caught my first wild pokemon!" She said happily.
"Great work Serena!" Ash complimented.
"Yea that's a really rare pokemon." Misty added.
"Excuse me, I'm sorry to interrupt." A voice came from behind the group. The four turned around to see Seymour approaching, "I wanted to thank you all for the help. This place means more to me than I could ever explain, and I'm relieved the people who harmed it are going to jail."
"I just wish we could've caught all of them." Misty growled.
Seymour smiled, "I'm sure Cassidy and her friend's time will come soon enough. In the meantime, I have a gift for you all. Most of what Team Rocket mined will be getting put back into the cave but I did find a few things." He then turned to Serena and held out a black stone. "I wasn't sure who to give this to, but you just made it easy. Here, it's a moon stone."
"Uh thanks." Serena said, a little confused.
"Serena, that can be used to evolve your Clefairy." Brock explained.
"Really?" The girl said in surprise.
"That's right, though I'd probably train it a little first." Brock advised.
"Well thank you so much Seymour!" Serena said warmly.
"Don't mention it." He smiled back. "For the rest of you I have something a little different."
He then held out three strange rocks. As Ash looked closer he could tell the first two almost looked like bones while the third was a strange brown egg.
"Uh what are they?" Misty asked bluntly.
"These are fossils." Seymour explained, "They're the remains of long extinct pokemon. We've known about them for centuries but they were nothing more than decorations. That is until about 15 years ago when scientists found a way to use them to revive long extinct pokemon."
"Wait, are you saying we can have ancient pokemon?" Ash shouted.
Seymour laughed, "That's right!" There's actually a facility on Cinnabar Island if you ever make it that way."
The three trainers smiled eagerly before taking one each. After a few more minutes of goodbyes, they were heading out of Mt. Moon and on to Cerulean City for their next adventure
And there we have it, another chapter down. Serena and Brock each caught new pokemon and the gang got some fossils. I hope you all had a blast reading this and will see you next time for Ash's next gym battle.