Ugh, this chapter was a nightmare. Most of the scenes I got down pretty quick - in fact, I was fairly certain I was going to finish this last week - but then I just got completely stumped at how to write the last few scenes without making them boring and while staying true to the characters.
Anyway, at last, here you go. Hope you enjoy the conclusion of the Mount Moon two-parter!
"What do you mean, he's not here?" Clay looked downright furious. "He was following us last time I looked!"
"Well, it does not appear he is following us now," said Cyrus. "Perhaps he was not able to outrace the falling rocks?"
"Don't let me hear you say that again," Clay growled. "We're going to find him."
"We must stop those thieves from stealing the Moon Stone!" Seymour protested, wringing his hands. "If it is taken away, the poor Clefairy will have no way to return to the stars from whence they came!"
"And I don't want to hear you implying that some glowing rock is more important than that young man's life," Clay retorted. Seymour fell silent, looking sheepish.
"May I ask how you plan on getting through all that fallen rock?" Cyrus asked.
"I've been mining these tunnels for years," Clay answered. "I know my way around a cave-in. Drilbur, Sandile, start digging."
Both of Clay's Ground-types nodded in acknowledgment. Energy flared around both their bodies as they began to burrow into the ground, heading for the cave-in.
"Tympole, keep your sonics on the lookout," Clay ordered. "Listen for any signs of movement, and let me, Drilbur, and Sandile know where to mine."
Tympole nodded and stayed where he was, concentrating intently.
"Cyrus," said Clay, drawing a pickaxe from his belt, "unless your Pokemon can help out, you're welcome to go off with Mr. Moon Stone over there and deal with that. I ain't stopping until I find Ash."
"If that is your decision, I will not stand in your way." Cyrus turned towards Seymour. "I trust there is a different path to this Moon Stone?"
"Oh, yes," said Seymour, "there are several. The shortest path is just over that way."
"Then lead the way," Cyrus urged.
As Seymour and Cyrus headed off, Clay heaved a sigh and turned back towards the collapsed tunnel. Tympole was pointing with his tail towards a rather large boulder, indicating that mining away said boulder wouldn't compromise the structural integrity of the cave-in. Swiftly, Clay stepped over, raising his pickaxe. He knew he needed to conserve energy - mining through a cave-in was exhausting work - but worry for Ash yearned to overwhelm rationality. Clay pushed images of Ash, trapped and suffocating under countless tons of rock, out of his mind as he began to chip away at what he knew would be the first boulder of many.
Some distance away, on the shore of an underground lake, Ash was struggling not to panic. His current method of doing so was fairly loud griping.
"Great," he was grumbling. "Just great. I'm wet, I'm cold, I'm stuck in this underground lake, and I'm all on my own."
"Lithe!"
"Well, except for my Pokemon." Ash stared around at Kubfu, Hisuian Growlithe, and Scizor, all of whom looked to be in similar states of tiredness. "None of whom are Water-type, so no swimming. None of whom are Flying-type, so no flying. And none of whom are in any way useful for finding a way out of this cave!"
All three of Ash's Pokemon took a small step back. Seeing this, Ash sighed. "Sorry…" he murmured. "I just really don't know how to get out of this. And how am I going to be a Pokemon Master if I can't get out of a stupid cave?"
"Kubfu."
Ash looked up. Kubfu was gesturing over towards the left side of the cave. "Fu. Kub."
Following Kubfu's pointed finger, Ash took only a few moments to spot what Kubfu was pointing at. Fluttering around a little ways away was a group of about half a dozen Zubat. "Hey, good eye, Kubfu!" said Ash. "If there are other Pokemon in this cave, maybe they can help us out!"
Ash stood up and waved his hands in the air. "Hey, Zubats!"
The Zubats glanced over, seemingly only now spotting Ash and his team. They halted in midair, beating their wings in place as they gazed curiously at the Trainer in the cave with them.
"We're stuck in here," said Ash, "and the way we got in is blocked. Do you know if there's another way out?"
One of the Zubats nodded. "Bat."
"Great!" said Ash. "Can you lead us there?"
The Zubats looked down, and then erupted in a bout of chittering laughter, turning their collective backs on Ash and his team.
"Why, you-" Ash picked up a nearby rock and made to throw it at the nearest Zubat.
He was stopped by a metallic claw suddenly resting itself on his shoulder, and turned to see Scizor looking down at him. The Steel/Bug-type gave a short nod and stepped forwards. "Sci. Zor."
The Zubats turned back towards Ash and his team. "Bat?" one asked.
Scizor took another step forwards. "Zor," he stated. "Zor. Sci. Scizor. Sci. Sci. Zor."
The Zubats blinked, looking somewhat surprised. Ash looked down at his other two Pokemon. "Huh. Looks like Scizor's convincing them to help after all."
Hisuian Growlithe let out a doubtful bark.
"Don't worry, Hisuian Growlithe," said Ash. "From what I can tell, Scizor certainly knows his way around a friendly negotiation."
"-AND DON'T TELL ME YOU 'DON'T UNDERSTAND' WHAT'S GOING ON, YOU DUMB WINGED RATTATAS! I KNOW PERFECTLY WELL YOU UNDERSTAND EXACTLY WHAT'S GOING ON! SO HOW ABOUT YOU UNDERSTAND THIS, YOU HALF-BLIND PURPLE PIDGEYS?! I HAVE SPENT THE PAST FIFTEEN MINUTES LOSING MORE AND MORE OF MY PATIENCE, AND AT THIS POINT I'M PRETTY MUCH OUT OF IT! SO YOU STUPID FLUTTERING PIECES OF CRAP CAN EITHER HELP US GET OUT OF THIS CAVERN, OR I CAN STOMP YOU INTO THE GROUND, RIP YOUR WINGS OFF, AND TEAR THE ANSWERS FROM YOUR THROATS! DO YOU UNDERSTAND THAT, YOU IDIOTIC FLYING FU-"
"See?" Ash asked. "What did I tell you? Scizor's a great negotiator!"
Scizor smirked at the words, while Hisuian Growlithe and Kubfu exchanged glances, as the group of Zubat led them down a tunnel that they'd surprisingly quickly helped Ash and his team locate. Which was good, because the tunnel had happened to be hidden by a pile of rocks that Scizor and Kubfu had been forced to destroy to expose it; had the Zubat not led them to it, Ash was fairly certain he never would have known to look there.
The tunnel itself was fairly narrow, somewhat slimy, and upwards-sloping, a vicous combination that led to several near-slips that would have likely caused injuries. Thankfully, Ash was alert enough to not slip and fall - or rather his Pokemon were, and were ready to catch him the multiple times he did slip.
"Anyway," said Ash, "once we reach the main network of caves, we should be able to find Clay, Cyrus, and Seymour much more easily." He fell into silence then, his eyes straying to the passing tunnel walls as he, his team, and the Zubats continued to move further down the tunnel.
"Lithe?" Hisuian Growlithe barked in a questioning tone.
"You're wondering what I'm thinking about?" Ash guessed.
"Lithe," Hisuian Growlithe affirmed.
"Just…Clay and Cyrus," Ash murmured. "I mean…I can't help but wonder how they're doing." He chuckled to himself. "Who am I kidding? They're Gym Leaders! I bet they're both doing just fine."
Clay was tired.
Even with Tympole, Sandile, and Drilbur helping, mining through all this fallen rock was hard work. His appendages were sore, his brow was sticky with sweat, and his fingers ached so much that Clay honestly wasn't sure if he was capable of letting go of his pickaxe.
He knew he'd overdone it. Worked too hard and too fast, exhausting himself too early. Normally, this would be the point where he'd take a break. Sit down, drink some water, let the aching subside. But there was no time for that. Not when Ash had yet to be located.
Clay had promised he wouldn't stop until he found Ash. And by Arceus, he was going to stick to that promise. Wiping his forehead with his elbow, he raised his pickaxe once again. Almost offhandedly, as he swung it, he wondered to himself how Cyrus and Seymour were faring in their journey to the Moon Stone.
"You know," said Cyrus, "I really feel like I should have seen this coming."
'This', as it happened, was referring to the fairly large woven net that he and Seymour had found themselves encased in. It was really irritating, because up until that point, their journey to the Moon Stone had been going smoothly. One moment Cyrus had been rounding the corner just behind Seymour, laying eyes on the Moon Stone for the first time; the next he and the scientist had been smushed together by this tripwire-activated net trap, in which they were now hanging with Team Rocket - the ones who had set said trap - pointing and laughing at them.
"Yeah, ya really should've," said Aron, standing some distance away along with Liza and Drake. "I mean, I woulda figured a Gym Leader like yourself would know how to watch out for net traps, am I right?"
"Seymour," Cyrus muttered, "my arms are trapped. Can you reach my Pokeballs? If you can release even one of my Pokemon, we should be able to get out of this."
"I lost my glasses when we got swept up in this thing!" Seymour cried. "I can't see where my arms are!" He shifted, trying to move his arms around, and managed to end up with his shoe on Cyrus's chin, his elbow sticking into Cyrus's stomach, and the back of his head in a place Cyrus really didn't appreciate it being.
"Am I close?" Seymour asked.
Cyrus heaved a long-suffering sigh and tried to tune out Team Rocket's giggling.
The Zubats had stopped moving.
"What's going on?" Ash asked. Scizor glanced up at the Zubats; one of them gestured with a wing. "Zu. Zu. Bat."
"Sci." Scizor nodded, then pointed further down the tunnel and nodded at Ash. "Zor."
"We should keep going?" Ash asked. Scizor nodded. Ash grinned, looking back up at the Zubats. "Thanks for your help!"
"Bat." The Zubats turned and flew back the way they'd come surprisingly quickly, leaving Ash and his team to continue onwards.
About ten seconds later, Ash suddenly cried out. "Darn it, I forgot to catch one again!"
This thought did not dwell in Ash's mind for too long, thankfully, because only a little bit further down the tunnel, Ash began to realize why the Zubats had chosen not to go any further.
The first thing he saw was the light. It was fairly unnatural, considering how they were inside a mountain, even if this tunnel had been sloping upwards this entire time. Ash continued to move, though he walked a little more slowly, especially when he beheld that the tunnel curved sharply right up ahead. From the amount of light illuminating the bend, Ash was fairly certain whatever was generating it lay just beyond that curve. "Okay, you three," said Ash. "I'm not sure what's up ahead. For all we know, it could be the exit to Mount Moon. But stay on guard just in case."
"Zor." "Lithe." "Fu." The three Pokemon nodded. Satisfied, Ash quickly but nervously made it around the bend.
And as he beheld the chamber beyond, it quickly became clear that Ash had every right to be nervous.
The boy took in the chamber in an instant. The center of the chamber was dominated by what had to be the Moon Stone - a giant glowing blue spherical rock larger than Ash. The chamber was shaped like a rough circle, with multiple tunnel entrances embedded in the walls. The roof was open, revealing the sky high above; around the periphery of the room stood a large assortment of Clefairy, all of them shrinking against the walls, clearly scared. The reason for that fear was immediately evident - Team Rocket, standing around the Moon Stone, Drake and his Dragonite on one side, Liza, her Lunatone, and Aron on the other. They all seemed to be working on removing the Moon Stone from the stones that encased it, utilizing Pokemon moves and power tools alike. In the entrance to one of the nearby tunnels, a net could be seen hanging from the ceiling, and in that net were two people Ash recognized as Cyrus and Seymour.
Unfortunately, before Ash could do anything about that, Liza's eyes fell upon him. "Well, well, well," said the female member of Team Rocket. "If it isn't the boy with the weird Growlithe."
"And the Kubfu and Scizor as well," Drake added. "This is great! We'll be able to steal his Pokemon along with the Moon Stone after all!"
"Dat's right!" Aron finished. "So how 'bout you surrender quietly before we make you?"
"Not a chance!" Ash challenged. "I'm not going to let you get the Moon Stone or any of my Pokemon!"
"Like you have a choice," Liza retorted. "Drake! Blast them with your Dragonite!"
"Um, Liza…" Drake glanced at the Dragonite in question. "Dragonite's still got a Burn…"
"I don't care, he's still stronger than anything that twerp can pull out!" Liza insisted.
"All right, Hisuian Growlithe, can you hold off the Dragonite?" Ash asked. Hisuian Growlithe nodded, determination glinting in his eyes. "Great!" said Ash. "Scizor, you've got the Lunatone, then! And Kubfu, take down that Aron!"
Aron blanched. "Uh…can't I fight the Scizor instead?"
"No." Scizor dashed forwards to obey Ash's order, using Quick Attack to evade a Confusion from Lunatone and leaping in with a Bullet Punch. Aron saw Kubfu stepping towards him, fists clenched, and giggled. "So, uh, no hard feelings about earlier, right?"
Kubfu did, as a matter of fact, have fairly hard feelings.
"Not again!" Aron cried as he was sent flying by Kubfu's Rock Smash.
In the meantime, Hisuian Growlithe had rushed forwards to engage Dragonite. The Fire/Rock-type exhaled a conical Flamethrower at the massive Dragon/Flying-type, but even Burned, Dragonite was no pushover. At Drake's command, he tanked through the Flamethrower and swiftly retaliated with a Hyper Beam, blasting Hisuian Growlithe backwards. Even with his natural resistance to the attack, Hisuian Growlithe was breathing hard by the time he skidded to a halt, and when he leaped back in it was clearly more exhausted than it had been earlier.
"Kubfu, go help Hisuian Growlithe!" Ash cried, seeing Aron slump to the ground unconscious. Kubfu twisted and streaked towards the battle; Lunatone tried to intercept with a Confusion, but Scizor came in from the side and slammed a Fury Cutter into the Rock/Psychic-type's crescent-shaped body, forcing Lunatone to turn its attention back towards the Steel/Bug-type. Kubfu lunged for Dragonite, an Aerial Ace forming across his body, and slammed his fist into Dragonite's face. The Dragon/Flying-type staggered, groaning in pain, and Hisuian Growlithe used the opportunity to land a swift Ember, clearly not wanting to go for Flamethrower and risk accidentally catching Kubfu with the attack as well.
"Come on, Dragonite!" Drake yelled. "Blast them with Dragon Rage!"
Dragonite roared, unleashing a torrent of purple flames that forced Kubfu and Hisuian Growlithe to streak to either side. "Keep using Aerial Ace, Kubfu!" Ash cried. "Hisuian Growlithe, blast him with Embers!"
"Slam, Dragonite!" Drake bellowed. Dragonite lunged, swinging his arms wildly. Kubfu, mid-Aerial Ace, couldn't dodge in time and was sent flying. Hisuian Growlithe, further back, did manage to leap out of the way, and with Kubfu temporarily out of the battle, the Fire/Rock-type used the opportunity to blast Dragonite with another vicious Flamethrower. Ash saw Dragonite dip and called out another order. "Hisuian Growlithe, use Tackle!"
With a loud bark, Hisuian Growlithe cannoned forwards, slamming headfirst into Dragonite's side. "Body Slam!" Drake yelled; Dragonite unexpected threw himself sideways, impacting Hisuian Growlithe with the full force of his body. As Hisuian Growlithe flew into the opposite wall, Ash swallowed. How much can this Dragonite take?
On the opposite side of the Moon Stone, Scizor dueled Lunatone, ducking and dodging thrown rocks and Psychic blasts, retaliating with swift Bullet Punches and Fury Cutters. But though Scizor was landing more hits than Lunatone, it didn't seem that his hits were doing all that much damage. As Ash watched, Scizor struck with another Bullet Punch, then darted backwards with a Quick Attack as Lunatone attempted to retaliate with a close-range Confusion. Another Quick Attack allowed Scizor to dodge a Rock Throw from Lunatone, and Scizor lunged in with a Fury Cutter, scoring a light gash down Lunatone's side with the Bug-type move before he had to dance away again.
Aron was still lying unconscious on his back with his stubby legs waving gently in the air.
"Enough of this!" Liza cried. Lunatone's eyes glowed purple; Scizor, mid-charge, suddenly froze in place as Lunatone's Psychic energies immobilized him. The Rock/Psychic-type picked Scizor up off the ground and then slammed him back down, before tossing him across the cavern. "Scizor!" Ash cried.
The Steel/Bug-type managed to get to his feet, staring down Lunatone. Liza chuckled. "Did you really think you could beat me just because you had a type advantage?" she asked Ash mockingly. "My Lunatone's Psychic grip is much too strong for a Pokemon as untrained as your Scizor. You'd best face facts - we're taking your Pokemon and the Moon Stone, and there's nothing you can do about it."
Ash watched as Kubfu and Hisuian Growlithe leaped back into battle against Dragonite, both Pokemon looking as if they were on their last legs, whereas Dragonite was still looking strong despite the ridiculous amount of damage he had taken. Then he looked back to Scizor. "Come on, Scizor, we can't let her win!" he cried. "Use Focus Energy - try and land a powerful strike!"
Scizor crouched, flaring energy across his body, and sprinted forwards. Liza sighed. "Again," she ordered, not even bothering with telepathy this time. Again purple energy blazed to life around Scizor, and again the Bug/Steel-type was immobilized, his body clearly straining but unable to overcome Lunatone's Psychic grip.
"Crush him," Liza ordered with a nasty smirk - Ash was pretty sure she was voicing her orders now just to rub it in. Scizor let out a pained groan as a terrifying crumpling noise began to emanate from his armor.
A whine came from the other side of the cave; Ash saw Hisuian Growlithe being tossed away again. This time he didn't get back up; Kubfu managed to use the opportunity to land another Aerial Ace, sending Dragonite staggering backwards; for once, the massive Dragon/Flying-type was slow to recover, but recover he did.
Ash turned back to Scizor, desperately hoping for some sort of miracle, but the Bug/Steel-type was still immobilized, and now Ash could see cracks appearing all across his armor. "All right, I surrender!" Ash cried. "Just let him go!"
Liza laughed cruelly. "I think not," she retorted. "No, you're going to have to learn your lesson the hard way." Ash's eyes widened as Scizor groaned again; Lunatone was slowly bending him backwards now, seemingly trying to snap him in half.
And then a wisp of darkness sprang to life upon Scizor's claws.
Ash's eyes widened even further as Scizor's claws began to move, to clench into fists. The darkness grew more prominent, black energy now snaking around both Scizor's claws; Scizor let out a low growl of mingled pain and rage, and with a massive exertion of effort he flung his claws outwards, shattering Lunatone's Psychic grip.
Liza gaped. "Wait, what?"
Scizor roared as he lunged forwards and slammed his new Dark-type attack into the center of Lunatone's face. Lunatone reeled backwards, a wild Rock Throw missing Scizor entirely. "Crap!" Liza cried; instantly, she raised Lunatone's Pokeball, and as Scizor leaped in for another Dark-type punch Liza recalled her Lunatone.
And as Ash watched, the darkness suddenly flew off Scizor's claws and sped into the Pokeball after Lunatone; the sound of the Pokeball closing didn't quite mask Lunatone's agonized groan.
Ash grinned. "Great job, Scizor, I think that was Pursuit!" he cried. "You still ready to fight?"
Scizor nodded, already turning towards Dragonite; the Dragon/Flying-type was slashing wildly at Kubfu, who was backpedaling equally wildly to avoid getting swatted aside like Hisuian Growlithe had been; as Ash watched, Kubfu tripped over a loose stone and fell, leaving himself wide open to Dragonite's incoming Slam. "ZOR!" Scizor bellowed, hurling himself around the Moon Stone with a Bullet Punch primed; Dragonite staggered, roaring in pain, as Scizor buried his clawed fist into Dragonite's cheek. The Dragon/Flying-type tumbled to the ground, sending up a cloud of dust as it landed.
Liza sent out Lunatone again, but to her fury, and Ash's relief, Lunatone had been rendered unconscious by Scizor's newly-learned Pursuit. "Damn it!" she snarled. "Drake, forget the Pokemon! Let's grab the Moon Stone and get out of here!"
"Got it!" Drake yelled back. "Dragonite, blow them away with Dragon Rage!" Dragonite let out another bellowing roar; covered in wounds and barely managing to stand, the Dragon/Flying-type exhaled a wave of draconic flames. Scizor leaped in front of Kubfu, using his natural resistance to Dragon-type moves to shield the wounded Fighting-type. "Grab the Moon Stone and let's go!" Drake cried; Dragonite twisted and rushed for the Moon Stone, wrapping both massive hands tightly around it and beating his wings madly to hoist it into the air. Drake and Liza leaped onto Dragonite's back, Liza scooping up Aron along the way, and Ash watched as the members of Team Rocket began to take off, taking the Moon Stone with them.
Neither Kubfu nor Scizor were in any position to stop them - neither one of them even had a single ranged attack - and so Ash watched helplessly as Drake and Liza flew away. But out of the corner of his eye, Ash saw the group of Clefairy - the ones who had been cowering on the edges of the room the entire time - step forwards, raising their hands up towards the fleeing members of Team Rocket. Energy began to glow around their bodies as they pointed their fingers and began to wag them.
One.
Two.
Three.
Ash wasn't sure exactly what attacks came from the Clefairy's Metronomes. He was fairly certain there were two separate hails of gold coins from the ceiling, accompanied by a couple fiery blasts of different varieties, a wave of Psychic power, a convulsive upheaval of earth, a spurt of poisonous powder, a titanic barrage of Ghostly blasts, and several other attacks Ash couldn't quite make out, accompanied by the distinct mingled sounds of loud howling and a chiming bell. A few Metronomes whiffed - one poor Clefairy sprouted cottony fur in all directions and began squeaking loudly in protest, while another grew a pair of bright green horns and a third abruptly doubled its size in body fat - but enough of them hit their marks that, through the mingled energies, Ash could just make out the forms of Team Rocket getting blasted right through the ceiling (mostly thanks to the convulsive upheaval of earth) and sent flying away. This time, the unconscious form of their Dragonite was sent flying along with them. The Moon Stone, however, was not - Dragonite had thankfully dropped it as he'd slipped into unconsciousness.
Unfortunately for the integrity of the Moon Stone, it was now falling from a fairly decent height onto a very hard stone floor.
Ash dove to the side, recalling Scizor and Kubfu as he did so, and threw himself on top of the unconscious Hisuian Growlithe as the Moon Stone slammed into the ground and exploded into a shower of radiant shards. Thankfully, none of the shards struck Ash, though he did hear a few slam into the ground worryingly close to him. At last, the sound of falling Moon Stone shards faded, and Ash looked up.
At once his mouth fell open, for he beheld at least a dozen of the Clefairy around the chamber shining with evolutionary light - apparently the flying Moon Stone shards striking them had triggered their evolutions into Clefable. It was a beautiful sight, so much light filling the chamber; Ash wanted to watch, but he had to shield his eyes as the outpouring of light grew brighter and brighter, until at last it faded away, allowing him to open his eyes once more.
The remaining Clefairy seemed to be admiring the newly-evolved Clefable; said Clefable were busy admiring themselves, though a few were moving over to help out the Clefairy whose Metronomes had left them in difficult spots. Low murmurs of "Cle", "Fairy", and "Fable" echoed out from the group of Fairy-types. Ash felt squirming in his arms and looked down to see Hisuian Growlithe feebly stirring, one eye slowly blinking open. He breathed a sigh of relief. "Hisuian Growlithe, you all right?"
"…Lithe…" Hisuian Growlithe murmured tiredly.
A loud crunching noise suddenly filled the cave. Ash looked up; the Clefairy and Clefable all twisted as well as Clay burst into the room. The Ground-type Gym Leader looked a mess, what with his stetson askew, his clothes covered in dirt, and sweat pouring down his face. He was breathing heavily as he slowed to a halt; Drilbur, Tympole, and Sandile rushed into the cave behind him, looking every bit as tired as their Trainer.
"Ugh…" Clay panted. "Finally…I thought…those rocks would…never end…"
He blinked. "Ash?"
"Oh, hi, Clay!" said Ash. "Team Rocket's gone - the Clefairy helped out, and we managed to stop them from getting the Moon Stone, but it shattered, and some of the Clefairy evolved into Clefable!"
Clay sighed - or maybe he was still panting - and then began to chuckle. "I'm glad you're alive, Ash," he said. "Sounds like you had yourself quite the adventure."
"Indeed," said Cyrus, sounding strained. Ash looked over - he'd completely forgotten about Cyrus and Seymour in all the chaos. "I am glad the two of you are having a touching reunion. Now would you mind releasing us from this net? I am getting tired of having this scientist's elbow in my stomach."
"I guess you could say all's well that ends well," Clay murmured. "That said, we need to find the nearest town fast. We and our Pokemon all need rest."
"I do wish we could have rested back in Mount Moon," said Cyrus.
"Yeah," said Clay, "but leaving was the right thing to do. Seymour and the Clefairy and Clefable need to rebuild their society after all that chaos."
"And the Moon Stone was destroyed." Cyrus heaved a sigh. "So much for studying its properties…I suppose I will have to find another path towards taking control of the universe-"
"Hey, look at that sign!" Ash shouted, cutting off Cyrus's monologue as he rushed over o the sign in question. Said sign read 'Cerulean City' with a red arrow pointing down the road, but that wasn't what Ash had eyes for. Instead, his gaze was drawn to the words scrawled under the arrow in permanent marker.
'Miette was here, with her perfect Pokemon! Ash and his moderate Pokemon will never catch up!'
"Oh, we'll see about that!" Ash cried. "Come on, let's get to Cerulean City! I'm not letting Miette stay ahead of me forever!"
Twisting, Ash dashed off down the road, following the sign's red arrow. Cyrus and Clay followed much more slowly; neither Cyrus, pontificating on the wasted opportunity for studying the Moon Stone, nor Ash, rushing ahead, noticed the darkening of Clay's countenance as his eyes passed over the sign.
To elaborate on earlier, the big fight between Ash and Team Rocket was pretty much written a couple days after the release of the first part of Mount Moon. And then I just couldn't figure out Ash's scenes in the cave. I kept writing dialogue and then going 'that's not something Ash would say', or 'that makes Ash too unlikable'. I hope the end result turned out all right - please drop a review and let me know what you think!
Also, I randomly generated the Clefairy's Metronome moves as well, pretty much on a whim.
Next time: Cerulean City. I'm hopeful I can keep that at one part. Fingers crossed!