I woke up warm, comfortable, and alone. My sleeping bag was unzipped, probably something I'd done in my sleep, and I was stretched across the four sleeping pads we'd crammed into a three-person tent. It really wasn't possible to do that when all four of us were in here, so I hoped that I hadn't driven anyone else out by spreading out too much.

I stretched, feeling my bones and tendons pop. Dull lances of pain snaked across my whole body, but they didn't outweigh the satisfaction of stretching a stiff body after a long night's rest. I did do a mental inventory, though, of all of my pain points. My ankles had the worst of it, swollen and hot from the abuse they'd suffered on the hard stone floor, and flexing them sounded like someone popping a fistful of glowsticks. My shoulders were tight from the amount of adrenaline I'd gone through. Every time something had scared the crap out of me, I'd had the very human instinct to pull in my head and shoulders, which was the cause of that pain. The side of my head hadn't healed from our first Rhydon encounter, either, but that was more bruised than a consistent pain. My arms and back had small spots of numbness across them from pushing, not one, but two boulders yesterday.

I let out a long breath. Overall, I was feeling pretty good.

At least, I'm not dead yet.

It was a comforting thought. My dad had said that the average trainer has two near-death experiences on average during their rookie season. Even if I counted everything that had happened in Mt. Moon as a single incident, I was at three: The Viridian Forest, the Pewter Museum, and now Mt. Moon. I was just happy to be alive.

I glanced over to my bag. A pang went through my chest as I found what I was looking for, the thoughts of death reminding me of my current situation. The egg was safe in Hana's incubator. I turned over on the sleeping pad and pulled my pillow under my chest, getting up close to it. It was a rosy pink with white spots that looked vaguely like stars. There was no mistaking it, this was obviously going to hatch a Cleffa one day.

I didn't know how to feel about this egg. It had been abandoned, almost certainly not on purpose, and left to die in a cold cave. I had no idea if its parents were still alive, or if they would even want it now that it had been carried by a human. I'd heard stories of Pokemon abandoning their young after strangers had handled their eggs, though they might've been apocryphal.

I'd come into Mt. Moon with the goal of catching a Clefairy. I'd wanted to meet one and convince it to come with me on a journey, the same way I'd been duressed into asking Wisp. It would've been an excited little battler who was eager to join my team, the first catch that I'd made that had been entirely my choice. This egg was not that. In fact, it was an incredible responsibility that wouldn't result in a battler for weeks after it hatched.

I wasn't ungrateful, not at all. The egg still represented the opportunity to have one of my favorite Pokemon, and I would happily take on the responsibility of raising and caring for it. It just wasn't what I'd been expecting. I also couldn't look at it without images of broken nests and carved walls running through my mind. Lester and I celebrated finding out that the Clefairy colony had escaped whoever had attacked them, but I could almost guarantee that hadn't been all of them. Anyone who was going to illegally mine in Mt. Moon almost certainly saw the value in catching as many Clefairy as possible; just a few of them would sell for a fortune.

I frowned, picking up the incubator and pulling it against me. Even through the glass case, I could feel the warmth of the egg.

"I'm sorry, little guy," I whispered. "I wish I could've done more. I promise I'll take care of you, though."

It didn't answer me, thank the legends. It just continued to be. Just like I was grateful for my own life, I was doubly so that the egg had managed to survive on its own for as long as it had. The people that had attacked its home had drastically changed its life and I was going to do my best to make sure that it was for the better.

My eyebrows furrowed as I thought about those criminals. Even though I had zero actual proof, I knew in my gut that it had been Team Rocket. It just felt too right, the thought that they would turn to illegal mining after we'd mostly stopped them in Pewter City. On the list of illegal ways to get fossils, it was only marginally harder than robbing a museum.

I didn't know why they wanted so many fossil Pokemon, other than the obvious reasons, and I definitely wasn't going to speculate. That was the Ace Trainer's job. In fact, if it was up to me, I would never think about or cross paths with the Rockets ever again. At least, that was what I told myself.

But you don't mean it, a tiny rebellious voice said in the back of my mind. You were mad before, you're furious now. They took a swing at your girlfriend and a bunch of innocent people, and now they're actively hurting Pokemon.

The thought soured my mood. There wasn't a thing I could do about it. There were people bigger and smarter than me, using more resources than me to do their actual jobs and take down Team Rocket. As much as it pissed me off, the most I could do was report the Clefairy nest to the rangers.

I pushed myself up, climbing out of the messy bedding. If I was going to do that, then we needed to get out of here first.

A few minutes later I was dressed and packed, the egg incubator clipped securely to my belt. I stepped out of the tent and was greeted by my five companions and the smell of cooking food.

"Derek!" Amy said happily, munching on their meal. "You're awake!"

"Just in time for lunch," Ambrose chuckled. "I didn't expect you to sleep more than Lester."

The goth shrugged. He was lounging comfortably against Ambrose's side and hadn't changed out of his pajama bottoms.

"It's good to see you rested," Yuji smiled. He offered me a small plate with a hot sandwich on it. I took it gratefully.

"It feels good to have actually gotten some sleep," I admitted, taking a quick bite of my sandwich. It was ham and melted cheese. "I'm still not back to a hundred percent, but I'm good enough to get out of here."

I went to sit but hesitated on where I should actually go. The only open spot by the heater was between Yuji and Hana. The brunette hadn't acknowledged my presence yet, but she gave me a frosty look when I stepped forward.

I elected to stand.

Hana had listened to my entire story last night, even asking clarifying questions when the details got messy, but she hadn't yet directly talked to me about how I'd broken her trust. We both knew that I had, but it hadn't felt right to talk about it yet. Based on what she'd said at the Center, Hana preferred to handle personal conversations privately, and our little cavern alcove was anything but. I definitely couldn't fault her feelings. At the end of the day, I had purposefully left her in the dark about something I knew was going to be dangerous.

Our interaction did not go unnoticed, though. Yuji shifted to the side, filling the gap between himself and Hana, freeing up room on his other side for me. He shot me a knowing look, silently reminding me that he had in fact 'told me so'. Amy coughed loudly, excusing themself from lunch to go start packing. Lester did the same.

Ambrose leaned forward, blue eyes flicking between us before settling on me. "So, what's the plan for today? I heard some of your story last night, but I just want to make sure I have it right. We have a way out, right?"

I finished off my sandwich, nodding. "We can follow the Rhydon tracks back to the cave. Once we're there, we'll make our way up the vertical shaft and call the rangers to hopefully get us back to the route."

He nodded thoughtfully. "Okay, that makes sense. And how high was it to the top? I don't know if you guys have any left, but I used up my rope getting down here."

I tilted my head to the side, giving it some thought. "I hadn't gotten that far yet. I don't think we have any left-"

Yuji coughed, nudging me in the ribs with his elbow. He inclined his head toward Hana. I looked at him, raising an eyebrow. Amy, Lester, and now Yuji. All of my companions were as subtle as a train whistle. I leaned back, taking a clear look at Hana. Though she still didn't look me in the eye, she slid a coil of rope past Yuji. It was way thicker than anything we had brought with us and had a few stray leaves sprouting from it at random intervals.

"Is that...?"

Hana nodded. "You mentioned a climb yesterday, and I'm the one who keeps inventory. When I realized we didn't have any more rope, I had Paige and Rafflesia work on some this morning. It might not be as strong, but it'll hold our weight."

"Thanks," I said simply. I didn't try to take it further than that, especially when she gave me a non-committal shrug. I turned back to Ambrose, hefting the heavy vine-rope over my shoulder. "So, yeah, I figure we'll have Wisp fly it up to the top and we'll climb out."

The moon trainer seemed satisfied with that. "Alright, that works for me. It's gonna be a rough climb, but I'm just jazzed to get out of here. Chingling or not, I could go the rest of my life without ever going underground ever again."

From within our tent, Amy's voice chimed in. "Here here!"

Ambrose and I started laughing, and Yuji chuckled. I even spotted a small grin on Hana's face. Things were looking up for us.

----------------------------------------

We had camp packed within the hour. Over last night's rest, a few of the injured Pokemon had improved enough to walk with us, even if they weren't quite in fighting shape yet. Pennywise and Paige had both recovered, though Achilles was still out cold. Based on Yuji's fallen face, he would be staying that way until we got him to a Pokemon Center. Artis, Wisp, and I still took the front of the formation, given that both of my Pokemon were almost back to top shape. Wisp was even on the cusp of being able to go incorporeal again.

Unlike yesterday, Hana did not walk in the front with me. Instead, she stayed in the middle of the pack with Amy. The two of them spoke in whispers, having a private conversation. I'd expected it, but it was still lonely up front. Since Yuji was also engaged in conversation with Lester and Ambrose, I just talked to my Pokemon. Artis was excited when I told him about my change to our training style, and Wisp seemed eager to start planning her own tricks. I'd been thinking more about it while we packed, and I had some big ideas for the Cerulean Gym, especially if their battlefield was designed the way I suspected it would be.

Now that we knew the way, what had taken us twenty minutes yesterday was closer to fifteen today. The tunnel was still unblocked, so we saw the literal light at the end of the tunnel well before we actually got there. I turned to look at my companions as we approached, grinning as I saw the excitement on their faces. All of us had been prepared for our escape to take multiple days, so sunlight after only twenty-four hours down here was a blessing beyond anything we'd hoped for.

I didn't relish when those smiles went away upon entering the Clefairy's ruined cavern. Shock and solemn looks dominated the group. Amy and Ambrose both gravitated toward the broken nests while Yuji and Hana inspected the cut alcoves. There was no evidence that any other Pokemon had come through here in the night.

I sighed, putting my hand on the egg incubator. Lester shot me a commiserate look. We'd gotten our fill of this yesterday, and I'd already collected the footage I needed to report this to the rangers.

I looked up through the skylight. Far above our heads, I could see the bright blue sky. The mid-day sun was only barely past the lip of the cave, so it was nice and bright down here. We only had one more obstacle between us and safety.

"Here, girl," I spoke softly to Wisp, handing her one end of Hana's rope. "Go ahead and fly this up to the top. See if you can find a place to tie it off. If you can't, make one."

She giggled at my orders, excited to get to move heavy rocks again. Wisp took the rope in her mouth, quickly taking off toward the portal in the domed ceiling. It wasn't long before she disappeared up the vertical tunnel. I watched it anyway, imagining Wisp trying to find the biggest boulder that she could.

I jumped when I felt a hand on my wrist.

"Legends, Amy," I scolded them. "You scared the crap out of me."

The tiny psychic gave me an unimpressed look, but their own face was flushed from their empathetic powers. "Yeah, no duh," Amy said, keeping their voice hushed. "Sorry about that. I just wanted to talk to you real quick."

Amy threw a glance toward Hana and I got the memo real quick. I frowned.

"Hey, I appreciate it, but I don't think-"

"It's not like that," Amy said quickly. "I'm not stepping in to, like, interfere in your guys' business. I mean, I am, but not how you think. I just wanted to let you know that she's barely mad at you. Well, no, she's really mad at you, but there's other stuff that's going on."

I stared at them. "Um, uh, what does that mean?"

Amy tossed another look over their shoulder, making sure Hana wasn't watching. "I didn't tell you this," Amy declared under their breath. "But something's been off with her emotions since the canyon the other night. I don't know what caused if you were planning on talking to her-"

"I was going to wait-"

"But you should do it as soon as we get some privacy," Amy ignored my interruption, the tiny enby rushing out their words. "Hana talks a big game about asking for help, but does not follow through on her own. I talked to her a little bit, but knowing that I already know how she's feeling actually makes her less likely to open up to me. And I would ask Yuji, but..."

"He's Yuji," I finished, frowning at the floor. "He's hardly somebody who's good at talking about emotions."

Amy nodded. Their eyes were worried and obviously more than a little concerned. "I just- I really wanted to bring it up because of the other day, ya know? We said we were gonna be upfront with each other."

It wasn't lost on me that Amy was putting themself in a really uncomfortable place right now. They had gone from hiding their own pain a few days ago to already reaching out to try and help their friend. They were actively communicating a problem, which was leaps and bounds better than Hana or I had been doing today. The least I could do was try out their advice.

I nodded, leaning down and ruffling their hair. "Alright, bean. I'll give it a try once we get out of this. Thank you for not telling me." I gave them a wink.

Amy sighed with relief, not even getting mad when I messed up their hair. They nodded softly, pulling their jacket tighter. "Cool," they said. "Thanks, Derek."

I put on a smile, but I let my thoughts drift. Amy's insight troubled me in a lot of ways, especially because, with this new context, I had noticed Hana acting weird. I'd noticed her slip-up twice yesterday. She'd been distracted and off her game. Even though I'd attributed it to the fall and the stress of everything, Amy was saying that they'd noticed her feelings were weird as far back as the canyon? That didn't make sense. I shook my head, refusing to even guess at what could be going on with her.

I'm a new, 'competent at talking to my friends', Derek, I thought. There's no point in guessing when I don't have all the facts. I'm going to take Hana's own advice and reach out once we get to safety. For now, we just need to get out of here.

My new resolution didn't stop me from sending Hana a worried glance. Other than being a bit distant, she seemed pretty normal today. She'd pulled a tape measure from somewhere and was measuring the dimensions of one of the cut alcoves, speaking into her phone like a tape recorder.

Thud!

A coil of rope landed a few feet away from me. It extended all the way past the ceiling and out of the hole above us. Wisp poked her head over the side, smiling down at us. She'd stretched her ghostly form again to make her sharp teeth look cartoonishly big.

"Mis drea!" Wisp chirped down the tunnel, obviously very proud of herself.

With our rope secured, we started the extremely arduous task of getting all six of us up fifteen meters of open cavern and another twenty meters of vertical cave shaft. Ambrose and Yuji went first, as they were the only two of us with decent enough upper body strength to make the climb unassisted. I did my best not to grimace when I admitted that I couldn't do it.

I have a sprinter's build, I mentally consoled myself. They're just setting an unrealistic standard for athleticism.

My excuses did not soothe my wounded ego.

The rest of us waited for the two of them to be at the top so that they could help pull us up. We didn't have them do all the work, of course, since we had a perfectly good ghost to help out. Wisp was more than happy to assist by grabbing us with Confusion and lifting at the same time as our bodybuilders. Honestly, if she didn't have a harder time lifting living creatures than objects, she probably could have carried us unassisted. The only person who refused help from Wisp was Amy, for obvious reasons. Also for obvious reasons, Yuji and Ambrose did not need the help with Amy in particular.

The cavern exit deposited us on a flat section of rock that was maybe twenty meters across, right between a cliff wall and a drop-off to a series of steppes on the side of Mt. Moon. Harsh winds blew upward off of the rocks below us, cooling as they rose across the rocks and blasting us with frigid air. If it wasn't for the sheer joy of having the sun on our skin again, the cold would've been unbearable. I glanced over the edge of the cliff. Far below was a sharp incline that would eventually end in a rocky valley. We had plenty of room to move around, but we definitely weren't getting down on our own. Luckily, being on the surface meant that I had a signal again.

The Nav didn't even ring twice before the dispatcher picked up. "Mt. Moon Ranger's Dispatch," the dispatcher said. "State your name and emergency."

"I'm Derek Tracy. My friends and I experienced a cave collapse within Mt. Moon," I said as directly as I could, cupping my hand over the microphone to try and keep the wind quiet. I didn't know if I'd keep a signal out here, so efficiency was key. "We managed to escape the tunnels, but we're now trapped on the mountain's surface. We're located three miles north of route marker one-forty-seven."

"Are there any injured?" The dispatcher asked. "And how many trainers are present?"

"Nothing more than bruises and scrapes," I answered. "There are six of us here."

"Standby." The dispatcher's audio cut for a few seconds. "There are two rangers en route to your position. Do not move to another location. If possible, make yourselves visible to the sky. They are going to evacuate you to the nearest Ranger Outpost. Did you understand all of that?"

"Yes. I also need to say, we've seen evidence of mining up here that looks illegal." I glanced down the cave shaft, far down to the Clefairy cave below. Anger shifted in my heart. "There might have also been some poaching done. I have footage of the cave and everything, but it's accessible from where we are."

It was another few seconds before the dispatcher answered me, though their professional voice had taken an urgent edge. "Remain at a distance from that cave if possible. I have alerted the Ace Trainers to your notice. Our rangers will mark the location before you are evacuated, but they have standing orders to prioritize you. Once you've been taken to the outpost, they will gather your additional information there."

I let out a deep, tired sigh of relief. "Cool, uh, I mean- Thank you."

"You're welcome. The rangers will arrive in ten to fifteen minutes. Please call again if they have not located you within that time." The ranger dispatcher ended the call.

I pocket the Nav, turning back to my friends. All of them were watching me with bated breath. I gave them a thumbs-up, and there was a collective sigh of relief from the group. Ambrose pumped his fist into the air, and Yuji sat down on a rock, palming his temples into his hands. Amy was positively ecstatic, jumping for joy at the news. Lester was obviously much more subdued in his reaction, but even he couldn't keep the smile off of his face. Hana chuckled, letting her shoulders rise and fall without the weight of trying to escape. She pulled Amy into a hug. Wisp nuzzled into my side, excited for all of us.

Over the next few minutes, we pulled out our brightest and largest pieces of cloth, sleeping bags, tent covers, and the like, and spread them out as much as we could. Yuji and I had opened the top of our red tent between the two of us. The wind rushed underneath it, inflating it like one of those parachute games you would play with in school. It looked a little goofy, but we were doing our best to follow the ranger's orders. I returned Wisp, assuming it would be easier than having her try and evacuate with us.

We all kept our eyes locked in different directions, desperately checking for evidence of our saviors. Of course, as it always seemed to be, Lester noticed them first.

He stiffened, outstretching his arm toward the horizon. "There," Lester pointed.

All of us turned to follow his gaze. It took seconds of searching, but there were eight tiny dots gaining altitude over a nearby ridge. The shapes grew in size dramatically as we watched. Two of them were larger than the others from the combined silhouette of the Pokemon and their riders. Of the flying shapes, seven of them were Pidgeot, with the leader of the formation being a flying type that I didn't recognize. It was a dark brown color, slightly larger than any of the Pidgeot with a horned crown of feathers running the length of its browline.

We backed up, hugging the rock wall to give them as large a landing zone as possible. The eight birds circled in formation above us, their massive wings gliding on the updrafts from the cliffs and slowly letting them descend. In the mid-day sun, the feathers of the Pidgeot were back-lit for us, and the light that shone through them revealed the red undertones to their beige and brown feathers. The lead Pokemon, which Yuji was nice enough to call a Noctowl when I nudged him, cut through the air like a knife through butter. It brought the spiraling group down around the edge of the pit. The sound of their landing was quieter than the rushing wind, so it was almost ethereal when eight fully evolved Pokemon silently landed in front of us.

Off of the back of the Noctowl and one of the Pidgeot, two figures dressed in red hopped down in front of us. Noctowl's ranger was a tall figure with slim shoulders and wiry muscles. She was older than us, maybe in her late twenties, with lavender hair and a fierce gaze. The left-side skin of her face was pock-marked with a spray of tiny white scars, like someone had applied them with an aerosol can. The other ranger was much younger, only a year or two older than us, and they were of average height, but their muscles made them easily twice as wide as the average person. They had black hair and dark eyes, though they only seemed to be filled with concern. Both rangers wore the red jacket and black pants that made up the ranger uniform and, more importantly, were wielding a unique piece of technology called a capture styler. The little round machine allowed them to easily befriend wild Pokemon and temporarily order them around like they had been captured. I assumed that was what they had done with the Pidgeot.

The older ranger surveyed the area and did a quick headcount, holding her fingers to a small microphone on her throat. "Dispatch, we've located the distress call," her voice was low and gruff, but warm. "All six are accounted for."

While she spoke, the other ranger walked up to us holding up a medkit. "You mentioned bruises and scrapes," they said, eyes doing a scan of each of us. "Is there anything that should be addressed now, or can everything wait until we've arrived at the outpost?"

Hana stepped forward first, shaking her head. "We've patched everything up, and we seem okay for now."

"Okay, good," the ranger said. "I'm Ranger Casey, and this is Senior Ranger Tarina. I'm going to go ahead and start helping you onto the Pidgeot. Don't worry, they're friendly. Can I have one of you run Ranger Tarina through what you've found regarding mining and poaching while I do so?"

Hana nodded, giving me a cold glance but inclined her head. I got the message. "I'll do it," I offered, stepping toward the more experienced ranger.

Ranger Tarina had already begun to kneel by the hole, looking down into the darkness of the cave. Now that the sun had shifted slightly, you couldn't clearly see the bottom anymore. Even though I knew what was down there, I got a sense of vertigo looking into the darkness.

"Talk me through this," Ranger Tarina said. She was poised and decisive in her words and body language. "What did you find, what was the scope, how deep is it?"

"Uh, yeah," I sputtered, unprepared for the rapid-fire questions. I used my fingers to keep track of her questions as I answered them. "Well, that's a tunnel down to a lower floor. We're not sure which one, but it's definitely lower than Floor Five. At the bottom is a cave that used to belong to some Clefiary, though we found tracks showing that they abandoned it after being attacked." I grimaced as both of our eyes looked at the egg on my belt. "This was the only one left when we got there. In the walls are a bunch of rectangular holes, which were really straight and had to have been manmade. Since we found evidence of fossils in the walls of an earlier cave, we assumed that's what they were mining for. We used, um, I think forty meters of rope to get up?"

She nodded as I spoke, making small notes on a notepad. Ranger Tarina inclined her head thoughtfully at our vine-rope, it still being bound to a nearby boulder and disappearing down the hole.

"And you saw no further evidence of any Pokemon in danger?" she asked. "Or of any current criminal occupation down there?"

I hesitated. I pulled the Arbok scale out of my pocket and handed it to her. "There was evidence of a big battle down there, and I found this in one of the ruined nests. Whoever was down there brought a lot of Pokemon before they cleared out. I have some footage of the cave, and the dispatcher told me I could give it to you when we got back. It's not pretty, but you should be able to see a lot of the details."

Ranger Tarina's face was impassive as she absorbed that knowledge. She took the scale and slid it into a small plastic bag. She placed that bag into one of her belt pouches, replacing a small white disk about the size of my thumb. The ranger placed the disk in the dirt, covering it with a thin layer of sediment, and turned back to me. Her face softened from its assertive expression to something more heartening.

"You and your friends have done a good job getting this far, kid," the Senior Ranger encouraged. When she smiled, the left side of her face drooped a little around the scars. "Let's get you to the outpost. I'm sure you're all ready to be warm and safe for a while."

Hearing those words made my chest ache. "I'd like that a lot," I agreed.

----------------------------------------

My father had only ever taken me flying twice in my life. Both times had been on the back of his Tropius, Sailback, and we'd been strapped into his saddle at the time. He'd wanted to show me what flight was like from the back of a Pokemon, and it had been one of the most magical experiences of my life. Having my father there had made me feel safe, and I had complete faith in Sailback because I'd known him my entire life. We had done a quick flight from Lilycove to the Safari Zone and back. The weather had been calm and mild, and we'd mostly glided on the warm thermals from the jungle below.

This was nothing like that. Riding a Pidgeot solo among the intense icy winds of a rocky mountain while bareback was insane. Every gust of wind came from a different direction; updrafts, downdrafts, headwinds, and tailwinds all tried to knock us off course. I was already sore, but now I was freezing. Each gale was like a slap in the face from a sheet of sharpened icicles. Far below was a maze of valleys and canyons that I knew were impassable on foot, and if I were to fall off, I wouldn't survive it. The horizon extended in every direction, making me feel minuscule in the face of Mt. Moon.

I loved every second of it.

My Pidgeot was a master of riding the winds. Every time a gust almost blew us off course, they would correct themself by spreading their massive wings, flexing their feathers in just the right way to catch the winds. Even though I knew that bird Pokemon were extremely light, I could feel Pidgeot's dense musculature before me every time they flapped their powerful wings. Pidgeot's yellow and red feathered crest flowed behind me, making me feel like a king of the world.

I glanced around at my friends, and some of them were having as good as time as I was. Ambrose, of course, was loving this. He had his arms spread out, not even holding onto his Pidgeot as he felt the wind across his face. Yuji was serene on his mount, more happy at the feeling of freedom rather than anything else, if I had to guess. Surprisingly, Amy was among the most excited about this. The tiny psychic let out a whoop as their Pidgeot banked, giving them that feeling of resisting inertia that you could only really find on rollercoasters. The other two didn't look upset at flying, but it was clear that Lester and Hana weren't nearly as comfortable in the air.

The flight ended far too soon. Within ten minutes, we had passed over miles of mountain, finding our way south of Route Four and toward the Mt. Moon Ranger's Outpost. As we passed over the route, I saw upwards of a dozen tiny dots on the ground, other trainers that had successfully navigated Mt. Moon on their own. Eventually, we came to a large facility nestled between two foothills. It was long and winding, curving with the hills, and had thin sections connecting larger node buildings. Ranger Tarina circled on her Noctowl and the Pidgeot fell into line. Just as silently as they'd landed earlier, we all gently touched down. After we climbed down, all the Pidgeot except for Ranger Casey's took off.

"This way," Ranger Tarina said, gesturing for us to follow. She led us across a large courtyard and up to a metal exterior door. Swiping her card, the ranger stepped aside to let all of us in. We filed through, finding ourselves in a circular room that resembled some kind of lounge. There was a big couch that took up the middle of the room, as well as an entertainment area and billiards table. There were five hallways branching off of the room, all heading in different directions.

"Welcome to Ranger Outpost Four. First thing's first," Casey gestured toward one of the hallways. "If you are in need of medical attention, and I think you all are, you can line up here. Nurse Joy is in the office at the end and she's expecting you. She'll be able to apply some potion to your cuts and bruises, and she can take your Pokemon for their own medical attention. Once you finished up there, find your way back here. We'll go ahead and collect statements from all of you then."

All of us nodded, grateful for the straightforward instructions removing the burden of choice from us. Our week had not lent itself to decision-making. We lined up single file, depositing our bags in the central room first. As much as I wanted to step aside for the others to go first, I was pushed to the front of the line. When I tried to protest, Yuji simply pressed on the bruise I'd gotten from Rhydon's first attack.

"Ow!" I yelped, cradling my temple. "Motherfu-"

"You shouldn't have argued," Yuji shrugged. "Just do what we say next time."

I turned away from the menace, not having the presence of mind to come up with a clever comeback. I stepped up to the door at the end of the hall; it opened before I could knock.

"Oh, hello there," the Nurse Joy inside greeted. Unlike the two I had met so far, this Nurse Joy had kept her pink hair cropped short, and she was wearing something closer to what a casual mountaineer would wear, rather than the standard nurse's outfit. "You are in poor shape, indeed," she mused. "Are you hurt anywhere other than your head?"

It took all of ten minutes for Nurse Joy to treat my scratches and bruises. She didn't use anything more potent than a basic potion, so I was still left with some pain in the more intense areas, like my ankles and temple, but it did wonders for my aching body. I handed over Wisp and Artis's Pokeballs, though my hip immediately felt empty without them, and made my way back to the central room. There, Rangers Casey and Tarina were waiting for us. A small metal Pokemon that I recognized as a Magenemite floated about the room, carrying a pocket-sized camera and microphone with it. The tiny steel type was like a single metal eyeball, floating from the magnetic forces emitted from its two horseshoe magnet limbs.

"Since you're up first," Ranger Tarina's gruff voice got my attention. "You can go ahead and hand your camera over to Casey. They'll take any footage you think will be relevant."

I handed my camcorder to Casey. It was a little dinged up after all I'd been through lately, but it had already proved to be more than worth what I'd paid for it. The muscular ranger took my tech with surprising gentleness and grace. I pointed out the relevant folders, mostly the footage of the Clefairy den but I did also hand over footage of Rhydon, Parasect, Bronzor, and Minior. I wanted to show that our captures had been totally legal, given that we planned on selling the extra Bronzor and Parasect.

The rangers asked me to run through the events following our fall all the way to our escape. I did the best I could, leaving nothing out but my suspicions about Team Rocket. I figured that trained professionals didn't need me to speculate for them. Occasionally, one of the others would step into the room from Nurse Joy's office and Tarina would have them confirm something I'd said or clarify one of my statements. After a while, it became a group interview, with the others interjecting their own answers when questions were asked. The vibe was very much that the rangers just wanted a complete record of what had happened and weren't as worried about interviewing us separately as the Ace Trainers had after the museum.

It also turned out that I'd been right when I'd seen Hana taking measurements of alcoves in the Clefairy cave. Without being prompted, she supplied the rangers with recordings of her own observations about the mining and much more precise information about their specifications. Hana had even taken photos with her phone, holding up a potion bottle as a size reference for scale.

After about forty-five minutes of questioning, Ranger Casey closed their laptop. "Well," they said. "That should be everything we need."

They turned to Senior Ranger Tarina, but she was deep in thought. She turned her gaze to me. The ranger didn't say anything, but I felt a little vulnerable under their gaze. After a moment, they answered Casey. "Yes, that should be all. You can lead them to the guest rooms. Though," she looked back at the group. "Tracy, Hidaka, I would like to speak with you first."

I didn't immediately know who she was talking about, but Lester's shoulders dropped. I very quickly got an inkling of what that was about. Ranger Casey led the other four away down the hallway opposite Nurse Joy's while Lester and I stayed on the couch.

It was a long moment before anyone spoke. Out of the three of us, the person I thought was least likely to initiate conversation surprised me.

"Well?" Lester asked, his face unimpressed. "Are you going to tell us that we shouldn't have done what we did?"

I widened my eyes, surprised that Lester had been that rude. Though, I guess I should have expected a disdain for authority from his... ...everything. The man was a goth, after all, distrust of power structures came with the territory.

Ranger Tarina looked at him. Though she showed no real emotion, the weight of her stare was worse than a glare. Instead of rebuking him, she sighed, letting out a deep breath.

"Look, boys," she said, her low voice softer than I would have thought possible. "I'm sure I don't have to tell you that what you did was a bad idea. From what your friends said, they've already made that clear."

I grunted, thinking about the many, many, icy looks I'd gotten today. I nodded and Lester begrudgingly did the same.

"So, that's not what this is about," Tarina said. "You did actually do some good, even if it was very possible that things could have gone the other way. As a Ranger, my duty is to the Pokemon of this world rather than its trainers, and for that I find myself grateful that you were able to do what you did. However, you also need to be aware that there could have been another Rhydon behind that boulder, or something much worse. What I'm saying is, if you are going to do something like this again, you need to make sure that you understand the risk before you undertake the task."

As she spoke, Ranger Tarina's hand drifted to the left side of her face. Her pockmarked scars were very visible in the outpost's lighting, and they shimmered like balls of melted wax on her skin. It would've taken an idiot to not understand what she was implying, and neither of us was an idiot. Lester's disdain evaporated, and he looked down at the hardwood flooring.

I nodded, feeling a little green in the gills. Even though I'd almost been hit by them, I'd never really considered what would happen if a person was hit by a Pokemon's move. In the competitive circuit, it didn't really happen. Sure, I academically knew that three percent of trainers each season sustained a life-threatening wound from a Pokemon, but that was just a statistic. No one that I'd ever known had ever been permanently damaged from an attack. Legends, even I had been lucky enough to have my injuries treated immediately after Toxtricity's attack. I hadn't had to live with it, not like Ranger Tarina had.

"We understand," I said, Lester quickly echoing me.

Ranger Tarina smiled another droopy smile. "Good, that clears that up, then. Let's find you boys some rooms," she said as she stood.

She led Lester and me down the same hallway that Casey had taken the others. The hallway contained ten doors, each of which led to its own small room with an ensuite bath. Ranger Tarina explained that this wing of the outpost was reserved for guests, whether they be additional Ranger units, research groups stopping off in the mountains, or stranded Pokemon trainers. She pointed out where each of our friends had been assigned and granted us two more at the end of the hall. Each room was small, smaller even than the Pokemon Center rooms had been. The twin-sized bed was bolted into the wall and formed an L-shape with an even smaller desk at the back of the room. After showing us to our temporary quarters, Ranger Tarina left us to our own devices.

After I nodded goodbye to Lester, I closed the door to my room and slumped my bag onto the bed. Instead of checking my messages or taking a nap, I made a beeline for the bathroom. Though it was small, there was a full-sized shower and bath there. I had the hot water running before I even undressed. I don't know if it was the high altitude or some special mountain mechanism, but the water pressure was divine.

I accidentally took a nap in the shower.

----------------------------------------

After I finished my shower, there was a knock on the door. When I opened it, Senior Ranger Tarina was standing there. She had four Pokeballs in her hand. Specifically, they were my Pokeballs.

"They're all healed up," Tarina said with an encouraging smile, her gruff voice light and celebratory. "They were the least injured, so our Joy was able to give them a quick trip to the healing cradle to get them back to top shape."

I gratefully accepted all four Pokeballs. "Thank you for bringing them to me. You really didn't have to do that."

The Senior Ranger shrugged. "I was actually already headed here to inform you and your friends that you're cleared to return to the routes as soon as your Pokemon have recovered. Nurse Joy has given your group an all-clear for physical wellness, and the Ace Trainers I contacted don't think we need anything else for their report. You're free to stay for another few days if you'd like, but I get the feeling you kids want to get on your way."

A tired grin of relief found its way onto my face. Before everything had gone down, we'd been in a rush to get to Cerulean. It felt like it had been ages since I'd thought about our timeline. We still wanted to make up progress after our loss to Giovanni and extended stay in Pewter.

"Yeah, we do," I said. "I'll check in with everybody, but my guess is that we'll be ready to go by morning."

"I'll inform the quartermaster to expect you for breakfast," Ranger Tarina nodded. She turned to leave but stopped. Her scarred expression softened. "You know, I gave that footage a look. For what it's worth, you kids did a bang-up job. A bit too many risks for my taste, but you did what you felt you needed to."

The senior ranger didn't wait for me to respond before walking down the hallway. I stood there for a little while, letting her words wash over me. Eventually, I closed the door and retreated to my desk chair. I put away Bronzor and Parasect's Pokeballs, and popped both of my teammates' to let them out into the room.

"Sealeo!"

"Mis-drea!"

Artis and Wisp let out their cries, tackling me onto the tiny bed. Wisp had almost no impact, given that she was a ghost, but Artis's newfound weight brought me down in a single fell swoop.

"Oof," was the sound I let out when the air left my lungs. I chuckled in pain; Artis weighed more than I did now. "Buddy, you've gotta be careful now!"

"Seal," he apologized, rubbing his snout against my face. He had the longest whiskers now and they tickled my nose. "Leo, sealeo."

Wisp wasn't one to be ignored. She nuzzled her head into my neck on the other side. I smiled, bringing my arms up to wrap around them both. They'd been upbeat in the caves, but seeing them act like this now told me just how much worry they'd been holding back for my sake. I ran my fingers through Artis's fur and Wisp's ghostly hair, letting them cuddle into my sides. As we lay there, I thought more about what Ranger Tarina had said. My smile slowly fell.

My chest felt heavy, thinking about the side quest that Lester and I had done. It was stupid, but I felt guilty that I didn't feel guilty. Everyone, even me, had said that our Clefairy mission had been a totally unnecessary risk based on middling logic at best. I'd even gone out of my way to exclude my voice of reason, Hana, and I'd done something that I would've been pissed if any of my companions had done. All of that said, I wouldn't change anything that I'd done. I wasn't a fan of the ends justifying the means, but we'd helped a lost Pokemon and rescued an egg. That counted as a win in my book.

That didn't erase the icy looks I'd been getting all day.

I'd compartmentalized it while we'd been escaping the cave, but I needed to talk to Hana. I wasn't sure what the outcome of that was going to be, but it needed to happen. Since I'd already ignored one friend's advice, I wasn't going to do it again. Amy had gone out of their way to ask me to check in on Hana as soon as possible, and we were here until at least tomorrow morning.

"Hey, guys," I said, getting my Pokemon's attention. They both looked up at me. "I have to go talk to the others. Do you think you could do me a favor?"

Artis barked in excitement, but Wisp butted his head away. She giggled, putting herself squarely in my vision. Artis grumbled at her, but didn't retaliate.

"Wisp," I scolded her. "That wasn't very nice. I think I'm going to leave him in charge if that's the kind of behavior I can expect from you."

Wisp's face fell. She looked down, shame in her big yellow-red eyes. "Mis mis..."

"Ah-ah, don't apologize to me."

A flicker of a glare shot out of the corner of Wisp's gaze, and I hid a smile. She'd been putting on at least a little bit of an act to make me feel bad. I'd learned better than that, so I kept my disapproving stare steady.

"Drea vis!" She complained, but she relented. Wisp turned to Artis, who had gained the smugest expression that I'd ever seen on him. She spoke in barely higher than a whisper. "Mis drea drea..."

Artis happily barked, giving her a big lick up the side of her face. Wisp's expression turned to one of disgust. I sighed, chuckling as I used my towel from earlier to wipe her face. My two Pokemon now having momentarily suspended their rivalry, I reached over the edge of the bed and picked the incubator up from next to my bag. Both of their eyes went wide as I reminded them of the egg's existence. Wisp, in particular, had a sort of forlorn look on her face. I felt a pang as I remembered that she'd been the one to find it, and the first one to assume that it had passed after being abandoned.

I gently sat the egg incubator between them on the bed. "As a favor, could the two of you keep them company? My dad always had his Pokemon talk to eggs, so I figured that they might get bored in there. I'm not sure when this little guy's going to hatch, and this might give you guys the opportunity to bond."

Wisp nodded, her eyes big and mesmerized by the egg. Artis didn't even wait to give me an answer, instead immediately sideling his blubbery side up against the incubator, the universal sign for keeping something warm from body heat. He rested his head on its top, and tiny grumbling noises sounded from his throat. He wasn't speaking as much as he was subvocalizing, letting the vibrations carry through the incubator. Wisp quickly joined him, sitting on his side and pressing her cheek against the glass.

I didn't draw their attention back to me, nor did I think that I could if I wanted to. Both of my Pokemon had immediately taken to the egg. I stood up, tossing on a pair of shoes and whispering under my breath before I stepped out. "Thanks, guys."

I closed my door and walked down the hall. I'd asked Ranger Tarina which rooms my friends had been put in, so it didn't take long to find the door I wanted. I took a second, hyping myself up. This was going to be a hard conversation, and I had no idea how it was going to end. I had faith that we would get through it, but the butterflies in my stomach and the blood pumping in my ears said otherwise.

I took a breath, and I knocked on Hana's door.