Chapter 28

Redwald, Greta and Eusine were standing at the entrance of a cave. Eusine nodded his head while checking the pure darkness on the inside. “Yes, as I suspect.” He said. “This is Mountain Moon. We have to pass through the cave to reach Cerulean City.” Greta, however, was not so sure about that. “How would you expect to do that? Inside is nothing but dark.”

Eusine looked at Greta as if he was expecting an explanation. He had the “are you serious” look on his face which annoyed Greta a little. Eusine showed Greta’s bag. “With Foudre, of course.”

Greta knew what Eusine said made perfect sense to him, but she failed to follow. How could Foudre help them pass through a dark cave? Eusine realized Greta was unable to understand the situation as a whole. He nodded his head. “Foudre is capable of using the move Flash, which will let us pass through with her guiding light.” He said.

“How would you know that?” Redwald asked. “Foudre never used it and even Greta doesn’t know it.” Greta was glad that someone was finding the situation as awkward as she did. Eusine looked like he was disappointed. “I thought you were more careful than this.” He said. “Diana told about it when we met. You were busy watching a cute Pokémon demanding food or something probably.”

Greta wanted to answer him, but she knew that that would only bring out a fight. She reached to her Poké Ball and called the Pokémon out. Foudre, as appeared on the ground, was having a nap. Greta approached her properly. “I am sorry, Foudre.” She said. “We need your assistance. In order to pass through this cave, I need you to use Flash for us.” She said. Foudre turned her back and kept enjoying her nap. Greta turned to Redwald and Eusine disappointedly. “She won’t listen to what I say.” She said.

“Because you lack discipline and determination.” Eusine said. “A Pokémon like Foudre is indeed hard to have obeyed. You, in the other hand, don’t do anything to turn the cards around.”

Greta was getting more annoyed every time Eusine said something. Unpleasantly, she took another shot. “If you listen to me, you will be awarded.” She said. “I have something nice for you.”

But it did not work. Foudre could not care less.

“Even your method of awarding doesn’t work.” Eusine said. Greta finally lost her control and let her nerves take her over. “Instead of judging and ironizing my situation, what about you help me for real and find a solution?”

“Maybe once in a thousand year, I may expect a solution from you for a change?” Eusine said. He knew he was being rude, but he did not look like he cared. Greta hated to have a serious argument with him. She turned her back carelessly, called Foudre back in her Poké Ball and sat on a rock. “I can stay here.” She said.

Greta’s unexpected protest held the whole group at the entrance for a while. Eusine responded Greta with cooking for Pokémon. “We need some more food, otherwise all of our Pokémon will die of hunger!” He said while cooking. Redwald was glad that Greta did not hear him saying that, otherwise it would make another argument which may have led to a big fight.

“Why are you so nervous, Eusine?” Redwald asked. He clearly thought Eusine was not right in this argument. Eusine combined the butter with the boiling water. “Must be because of my meeting that is coming ahead.” He said. “Soon, I will be seeing the man, for whom I have been travelling for a long time. Now it occurred me. I might not be ready to hear the answer that is waiting for me.”

He nodded his head. “Don’t say anything, Red.” He put the boiler on the ground and walked away. “I will find Greta and we will leave here.” He said. “You just wait here and be safe.”

Eusine looked around the third route to find Greta. He eventually found her training her Pokémon. “Bulbasaur, use Razor Leaf on that branch now!” She ordered. Bulbasaur jumped and sent sharp leaves flying on a tree. The sharp trees hurt the branch hard. It did not fall off, but it was about to.

“You are improving better, Bulbasaur. You will be able to cut them off in no time if we go on like this!” Greta said. Bulbasaur cheered with her. Greta looked at Butterfree. “Use String Shot and paste the branch to the tree well!” She said. Butterfree nodded her head, floated in the air and came closer to the branch. Then, she fired off a String Shot to the bottom of the branch. The sticky strings pasted the branch on the tree solidly. “I would expect nothing less from you, Butterfree!” Greta said.

“Congratulations, Greta.” Eusine said, coming off from the bushes. “You are training your Pokémon so well. I am truly impressed.”

Greta thanked unpleasantly. “It is nice to hear something supportive from you this time around.” She said. Eusine blushed. “I am sorry for my behaviour. I shouldn’t have said any of them. But you have to understand me. I am nervous and having my own problems.”

Greta turned to him with a gentle smile. “It is nice to see you have understood what you did wrong.” She said. “Thank you for being by our side and dealing with our problems. Without you, Red and I would be in a much worse situation.”

“You youngsters deal with everything perfectly fine.” Eusine said. “I am only providing my support for you. Now, before pissing off Redwald, we have to leave this route.”

Greta nodded her head. She called all the Pokémon back in their Poké Balls and walked back to the entrance. Redwald was packing Eusine’s cook goods. “Are we ready now?” He asked.

“But we still have a problem.” Greta said. “Foudre won’t listen to me. How will we pass through there without a light?”

“Leave it to me.” Eusine said. He took a pocket of food out of his backpack. Then, he asked Greta to call Foudre out. Greta pushed the button on the Poké Ball and made Foudre come forth. She saw Eusine right in front of herself, holding Pokémon food.

“Try one.” Eusine said, as he gave a little. Foudre tasted the food and loved it. Quickly after, she walked around Eusine to have some more. “I knew you’d enjoy it.” Eusine said. “There are bitter spices in it that would be appealing for electric types.”

“But if you want to have more, you have to do what Greta asks from you.” Eusine said. Foudre looked at Greta madly. “You really don’t like me, Foudre, do you?” Greta said desperately. “For what it’s worth, I need you to use Flash for us in the cave. We have to get to Cerulean City as soon as possible.”

Foudre did not decide in a second. She looked at Greta, and then the food Eusine was holding. She absolutely did not want to obey Greta, but she wanted to have the food. In the end, she unpleasantly agreed with Greta, walked towards the cave and used Flash inside. Her glowing body was so bright that Redwald and the others could see what was inside perfectly fine.

“I have a map of the cave.” Eusine said. “But be prepared. It is going to be long and tiring.”

Everyone checked their bags and Poké Balls. Once they were ready, they followed Eusine’s steps to the inside with the hope that no major trouble would encounter them.

“A lot of Pokémon that live in this cave hate the light.” Eusine said. “So, be careful. They may be violent against us because we brought light in the area.”

“I wonder if this is why this place is called Mountain Moon.” Greta thought out loud. Eusine shook his head. “Not that. It is because of a legend.” He said. “According to the legend, long time ago, a meteorite hit this mountain and caused a grant crack on the surface. The meteorite was stuck on the ground in this cave. The meteorite was so bright at night that it attracted Pokémon from space. Some species came to the earth and investigated the meteorite. Eventually, some of them complied with the earth that their species remained to be the ones to stay.”

“What Pokémon are they?” Redwald asked curiously.

“Clefairy and Jigglypuff are believed to be some of those Pokémon.” Eusine said. “The biggest proof is the fact that they evolve upon being exposed to one of the rarest evolutionary stones, a Moon Stone. Also, Nidoran family is believed to have bred with these Pokémon. In order to evolve a Nidorino or Nidorina, they must be given a Moon Stone as well.”

“This world sure is full of surprises.” Greta said.

Eusine was trying to not to lose the track of their path. “If we use correct direction, we will be able to leave the cave safely and soon.” He said. However, something what Eusine would call an explosion that they heard distracted him already. The ground shook a little, but the noise was the disturbing part of all.

“What was that about?” Redwald responded. He was checking around. Eusine took a second to think. “I am not sure. We might not be the only trainers here.” He said. Everyone was positive that the sound came from the right side.

“Should we check there?” Greta asked. Redwald nodded. “Of course. There may be people in need of help.” Apparently, Eusine agreed with him, as he nodded his head as well. “Okay, then.” Greta responded.

Everybody rushed towards the corner. At the same time, they had their guards up in case of anything. Once they turned the corner, they saw a man in a white jacket standing breathlessly with his Pokémon.

Eusine was the first one to respond. “Sir, are you alright?” He asked. He and his Pokémon were tired for some reason. The man turned his back. The white jacket turned out to be a doctor coat. The old man looked like a professor.

“Why, young man!” The man responded. “Thank you for your concern. Pinsir and I are alright.” He said. He was referring to his Pokémon. Redwald turned on his Pokédex.

“That’s my Pinsir.” The man bragged, although his Pokémon did not look good at all. Greta touched Eusine’s arm and showed him around. There were shovels, lights and some machines all around. The man was absolutely up to something.

“What are these about?” He asked. The man took a look at his equipment. “Well, I am a researcher. The name is Joshua, by the way.” He said. “Our facility found out that there are very rare fossils in this area. I am here to look for a Dome Fossil.”

Eusine and the others had too many questions at once. However, Eusine grabbed a super potion out of his backpack and walked towards Pinsir. “I will treat your Pokémon, then, we will have a proper talk, sir.” He said. Eusine approached Pinsir gently. In the beginning, the Pokémon wanted to attack Eusine, but he gained his trust quickly. After Eusine used his super potion on the tough Pokémon, Joshua called the Pokémon back in his Poké Ball to let it have some rest. After that, Joshua grabbed his coffee out of his backpack and they sat on the ground.

“What facility is it you are working for, sir?” Eusine asked. Redwald and Greta were listening carefully. “We have a Pokémon Research Lab in Cinnabar Island.” The professor said. “I am working there for over twenty years. In my department, we investigate fossil Pokémon. We have invented a machine which may revive the fossils. Ever since then, we hunt down all the fossils we can. Our hikers report the data and we explore the areas with highest potential of an existing fossil. I came here yesterday, and have been digging around to find one, hopefully. My data confirms that there is a Dome Fossil somewhere around.”

“What was the explosion about?” Greta asked. The man looked bashful. “Two men in black uniform attacked us. I believe they wanted to keep me hostage and get away with the fossil that I am going to find. They sure work for an organization. Those uniforms didn’t seem random.” He said. “My Pinsir knows how to deal with enemy. He used Bide and received all the attack. In the end, he returned the power even more. That was what the explosion was about. I am sorry if I disturbed young people like yourselves.”

“I am glad you are safe and unharmed.” Redwald said. “You’ve trained a well Pinsir as well.” The man nodded his head. “Let us help you, sir.” He said. “Clearly, you are in danger doing such unique job here. We will make sure that no one will attack you until you’re done with your research.”

The man shook his hand. “That would be unnecessary. I expect to find the fossil in a couple of days, and I still have my Pinsir by my side. I wouldn’t like to have young people like you wait around me.”

“Your Pinsir is tired, sir.” Eusine said. “With the super potion I gave, it will gain his energy back in no time. But apparently, you don’t have any supplies with you. Am I wrong?”

“Those men in uniform took my back up backpack, which contained all my supplies.” He said. Eusine nodded his head. “You need us, sir. We are glad to help.” The man finally surrendered. “As you wish, then. We will get our job done as soon as possible and leave.”

After they had talked some more, Joshua suggested that the more they work, the sooner they could be able to leave. Redwald and Greta called out Sandshrew and Paras, as their only Pokémon that were able to use the move Dig. Joshua lectured them how important it was for them to be careful and not harm the fossil in case they encounter. After that, Sandshrew and Paras dug holes in the cave to explore underground. Redwald could tell that Sandshrew was annoyed by the fact that he had to dig the holes in the slowest way ever since he was born probably. But Sandshrew was nice enough to still do it for him.

Joshua got tired of digging with his shovel. He used a napkin to clean the sweat on his forehead. “I knew it would be exhausting. But maybe, I shouldn’t rush things up that much.” He said. “I am too old for this tempo.”

Suddenly, two Pokémon appeared from the darkness. They were flapping their wings very fast that they were almost invisible. Redwald turned on his Pokédex to scan the Pokémon.

“They must be disturbed by our light.” Joshua said. Zubat began to attack people and devices right after. Everyone covered their heads with their arms. “We have to attack them!” Redwald said. He reached to his Poké Ball and threw it. “Charmander, I choose you!”

Charmander appeared on the ground. Greta followed Redwald. “Nidoran, come out!” She said, as she pushed the button on the Poké Ball. Nidoran appeared besides Charmander.

“Charmander, use Ember!” Redwald ordered. Charmander rolled around and used Ember by the flame on his tail. The move hit one of the Zubat. The Pokémon cried out in pain.

“Nidoran, use Scratch!” Greta ordered. Nidoran ran towards the other Zubat. Her nails glowed in the meantime. Eventually, she reached to a close distant, jumped high and used Scratch on the Pokémon. Zubat cried in pain and landed on the ground.

The two Zubat turned their heads to each other. Redwald wondered if they were feeling each other. Everyone looked at them in curiosity. The two Zubat suddenly flew higher and used Supersonic. All the Pokémon and people got confused by the sound. Although everyone covered their ears with their hands, Supersonic was too powerful to overcome easily.

“You have to try it!” Redwald managed to scream. “Charmander, defend us with Ember!”

Charmander was as confused as anyone else. Redwald watched him, but Charmander was not acting promising. He attempted to use Ember, but he ended up hurting himself with his flame. Redwald decided that he needed to slow things down.

Foudre, the independent Pokémon, was tired and annoyed of the duo’s pointless attack. She ran in the middle unpleasantly and glared at the two Zubat, although they could never see it. Foudre pulled herself together and used Thunderbolt on one of the Zubat. Zubat stumbled in the air and fell down.

“Use Scratch, Charmander!” Redwald responded. Charmander was concentrating on the battle. He ran towards the other Zubat as his nails glowed. He eventually came close enough and used Scratch on Zubat. Zubat attempted to dodge the move by manoeuvring in the air. But Charmander got to the Pokémon either way. With the pain Zubat felt, he landed on the ground next to the other Zubat.

Everyone watched the duo in silence for a moment. They had their guards up, ready to defend in any second. The Zubat stood up, flapped their wings again and flew higher. However, they did not attack anymore. They turned their back and fled in the darkness.

“That was a close call.” Greta said. Eusine was checking on the Pokémon. “Well done, Charmander and Nidoran.” He said. “You seem quite healthy to me.”

“After the two men attacked me, I completely forgot about the Pokémon in the cave.” Joshua said. “Thank you for being here.”

However, a cry echoed through the cave. Everyone turned their heads to the same direction. A Pokémon was coming through them in the darkness. Everyone watched the darkness in fear. They had no idea what was to come, but the sound of it was not promising. Suddenly, a bigger Pokémon with the same colouration appeared out of nowhere. She had wide, big wings, enormous mouth and sharp teeth. Greta scanned the Pokémon.

“This must belong to other Zubat’s colony.” Joshua said. Unlike what Pokédex claimed, Golbat did not attack anyone. Instead, she grabbed a device that was stuck on the ground with her strong legs and flew higher with it.

“She must believe the source of the lights is this machine!” Joshua responded. “But no! I need it, Golbat! It has nothing to do with the lights in the cave!”

Golbat did not seem to care about what Joshua claimed. She flew towards darkness with the heavy machine and disappeared. Joshua ran behind her. “Come back here!” He shouted out, as he disappeared in the darkness as well.

“We have to go with him!” Greta said. “He will get lost in dark!” She quickly grabbed Foudre and followed Joshua right behind. Foudre was annoyed by Greta, but she decided to not react. It was either because of the situation, or because she was confused.

“You stay here with the Pokémon, Eusine.” Redwald responded. “I will make sure both Greta and Joshua are safe.”

Eusine nodded his head. “I count on you, Red.” He said. Redwald nodded back and followed Greta behind. Charmander and Nidoran ran with him after.

Golbat flew to a dead end with the heavy device on her legs. Joshua could not help it but be impressed by Golbat’s strength on her legs. When Golbat got to the point of no return, she put the device on the ground. The device hit the bottom and rolled. Joshua worried that Golbat could break it. Greta and Foudre arrived right after. Foudre’s flash light was the only source of light. Golbat joined a group of Pokémon. There were another Golbat and three Zubat. Two of the three were the ones Redwald and Greta attacked a while ago. It made sense to them. Golbat attacked them to take revenge.

“Let me take my device, Golbat!” Joshua said. “I am nothing but a researcher!”

The other Golbat stood up. He was relatively bigger than the other Golbat. He opened his wings wide and cried out. His echoes went through the whole cave. The intimidating cry followed a sudden attack. Golbat floated high and flew through Greta and Joshua. The two covered their heads with their arms for protection. However, a sound of attack made the two understand that they were not going to be attacked.

A Pidgey used Quick Attack on Golbat. Golbat stumbled in the air and flew closer to the ground. Redwald appeared right behind. “Well done, Pidgey!” He said. Greta was impressed. “So, Pidgey learned how to use Quick Attack! That’s great!” She said. Nidoran appeared right after and she stood right next to Greta.

Golbat stood up and flew higher again. His new target was Pidgey now. He opened his mouth to use Supersonic. The move could mess everyone up. Redwald responded quickly. “Hold onto your goods.” He said. “Because Pidgey is about to blow this place up. Use Gust, Pidgey!”

Pidgey flapped his wings as fast as he could. It took only seconds for him to create a gust in the middle. The gust was so strong that it absorbed all the Golbat and Zubat in it. Redwald, Greta and Joshua were too heavy to be caught, but they had to hold their Pokémon really strong. It was not easy for Greta especially, as she was holding two Pokémon at once.

“Enough, Pidgey!” Redwald said. “Now use Tackle!”

Pidgey used Tackle on Golbat. Golbat fell down after the move. Other Golbat grabbed the fainted one and flew away. The three Zubat followed her right behind.

“I think we are safe this time.” Greta said, while watching the group fading away in the darkness. Joshua quickly ran to his device. The device was still working. But Joshua was over happy for another reason. He could not help it but laugh really loud. Redwald and Greta worried for a moment that Joshua was losing his mind. “What is it?” Greta asked, scared. Joshua showed the device. “This device helps me chase the fossils with its signals. The signals on this point are even stronger. That means, we are more likely to get fossils around this area.”

Redwald and Greta were glad to hear that. Greta and Foudre walked back in the cave and Greta explained everything to Eusine. They took all the devices from that area and carried them to the other spot. In the meantime, Joshua kept digging holes while Sandshrew and Paras still kept exploring in the underground to find fossils.

Greta checked her watch. The time was almost midnight. In this cave, it could be anything. She sat on the ground and lay back on the wall. It took only minutes before she fell asleep. Redwald and Eusine took a nap after her as well. However, the three woke up to some noise after an unknown amount of time. Redwald opened his eyes, tried to discover what was going on. Joshua was holding Sandshrew and the two were celebrating something.

“What is going on?” Redwald asked. “Is Sandshrew alright?”

“He did the best he could!” Joshua said with pleasure. “I thought I would be stuck here for a week at least, but thanks to your handy Pokémon, I am done as of tonight!”

“So, he found the fossil you have been looking for!” Greta responded. She had a gentle smile on her face.

“Not only that, but also he found a second fossil!” Joshua said. He was still lifting up and down Sandshrew. He gently put Sandshrew on the ground and kindly grabbed the two fossils. “See?” He showed them. The two were different.

“That’s incredible!” Redwald responded. “Good job, Sandshrew!”

Greta realized Paras seemed a little upset for all the praise that Sandshrew received. She walked towards him and hugged. “You have done an honourable job as well, Paras.” She said. Paras did not seem to be impressed. Greta thought it would be the best if she kept the Pokémon in the Poké Ball.

Joshua walked towards Redwald. He handed over one of the fossils. “I want you to have it.” Joshua said. Redwald looked at the fossil. He was impressed to have a fossil. “But, Joshua… You need it for your research, don’t you?”

“What you’re holding is called Helix Fossil. Our research team already found a bunch of them. But we desperately lacked a Dome Fossil, which is what I’m holding.” Joshua said. “It is completely safe if you kept it.”

“But Eusine told us that reviving fossils cost too much.” Greta said. “Redwald couldn’t revive it anyway.”

“That’s also not a problem.” Joshua said. “When I get back to my laboratory, I will tell my co-workers about all the things happened here. They will be impressed by your support. When you come to Cinnabar Island, I want you to visit me. I will revive this fossil for you, Redwald. It won’t charge any cost.”

Redwald was impressed. He started his journey to experience unique things but having an ancient Pokémon had never been seen so possible. Yet, he was holding a fossil that would await to be revived. Redwald could participate in the league with an ancient Pokémon. How cool is that?

“I would be pleased, Joshua.” Redwald said. They shook hands. Eusine interrupted them. “Since it is already too late, we should spend the night here. Tomorrow the first thing, we are leaving the cave.” He said. Everyone agreed with him. They had a nice night sleep on the tough ground. The next day, Eusine followed the way to outside on his map. Joshua’s help made everything improve faster. When they reached to the exit point, the sun light glowed bright on everyone’s faces.

“It will take some time to get used to it.” Eusine said. Joshua once again said goodbye to everyone before he got on his car and left there. Redwald, Greta and Eusine walked towards Cerulean City, as it was only a couple of minutes away. Every step Redwald took, his heart felt full of excitement and rush for his second gym battle.