The jagged shadow of Mt Moon cast a menacing shadow upon Carmen and his crew as they climbed upwards to the nearest Mage Center. All the while Carmen told them stories about his childhood at Mt Moon.

"There was this one time a friend and I were looking for a Moon Stone when a Zubat magician flew straight at us, screeching at us."

Patricia and Carlotta were listening intently. Carlotta giving the occasional snarky comment while Patricia kept quiet, giggling at the more funny ones. Sean on the other hand, wasn't interested in Carmen's stories, he was more interested in the task at hand and that was scaling Mt Moon.

"I thought you didn't have any friends," Carlotta said. "Since you were all short and stuff."

"I didn't have friends in my tribe," Carmen said. "But I did have a friend in another one."

"W-who?" Patricia asked.

"Her name's Jenna," Carmen said.

"Ooh Shorty has a girlfriend," Carlotta said, a smirk on her face.

At that, Carmen reddened a little. "She's not a girlfriend. Just a friend. We used to hang out a lot. She used to say she loved me a lot as a kid."

At that Sean smirked. "Looks like you have competition, Carlotta."

"Shut up Dork," Carlotta said, a little too quickly. "What the hell do you know?"

"Plenty," Sean said, happy to see Carlotta so very flustered instead of firing words at him left and right. "Like how you stare at our fearless leader when you think he's not looking with a big smile on your face."

Carlotta turned a deep scarlet, like the color of Carmen's flame. "Why the hell are you looking at me all the time Dork? Huh?"

Patricia who didn't like fighting tried to get them to stop but they ignored and started throwing words at each other that were as sharp as daggers. Meanwhile Carmen walked on, completely unaware of the fact that those two were fighting.

Patricia tried to get Carmen to get them to stop but Carmen came to an abrupt halt.

"Why the hell are you looking at me all the time Dork?" Carlotta said. "Huh? Does your creepy ass have a crush on me?"

Sean scoffed. "Please, I have standards. Besides it's my duty to make sure..."

"Guys, keep it down," Carmen said, his voice tense.

"Well tell this Dork over here to..."

"I said shut up!" Carmen growled. And at that both Carlotta and Sean kept quiet. Patricia winced. They all weren't used to seeing Carmen getting so angry. The fire on his tailed blazed a hot crimson, his warm orange eyes were now hard.

"Y-you okay?" Patricia asked. Placing a hand on his shoulder, which was tense.

Carmen pushed her hand aside and turned to Sean.

"Sean," Carmen said, his voice hard. "Can you tell me what the hell those bastards are doing in my home?"

Sean walked over to where Carmen was and standing and let out a gasp of surprise.

Below them the Kanto Military was marching down from trucks with their weapons drawn. A line of green marched around the perimeter making sure that the area was secure. Magnemite drones scoured through the area like insects, searching every nook and cranny making sure nobody went in the cave...

Or came out.

Soldiers blazed through the mountains on their Rapidash, searching for something. That something was unknown to Sean. From within the confines of the cave, came a few people who were paled and confused, wondering why they had to leave their homes so suddenly.

"It's the Kanto Military..."

"I know that," Carmen growled. "But what the hell are they doing here?"

"If they're here then..." Sean said. "Then it must be..."

"Something bad," Carlotta said.

The air around them had suddenly grown heavier.

...

Hitokage burst through the cave, the flame on his tail blazing, his massive orange wings casting an imposing shadow on Giovanni. Claws appeared from his hands. From the mountains came the other Charizards, their wings also spread carrying swords in their hands.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you right now," Hitokage growled. Flames started gathering in his mouth, Giovanni tried getting up but Hitokage grabbed his throat and pinned him to the ground. Even after all that, he was still smirking.

"Because my good man," Giovanni said, though he was choking those words out. "If you don't my men have weapons trained on your tribe."

Hitokage glared upwards and saw the shiny glint of gun barrels. From above the mountain he saw men all dressed in black outfits shuffling to the edge with automatic weapons on the ready, a big red R emblazoned in the center of their outfits like a warning sign.

"And let me tell you it ain't gonna be pretty," Giovanni said.

Hitokage let out a growl of frustration and let go of Giovanni. Giovanni raised a hand and the men in black disappeared.

"You seem to forget that some of Team Rocket are ex-soldiers my friend," Giovanni said, dusting his suit.

"We are not friends," Hitokage said.

Giovanni smiled. "For once I agree with you."

Hitokage's soldiers were also tense, ready to murder Giovanni at Hitokage's command but Hitokage raised a hand and signaled them upwards.

"Keep watch on the men in black," Hitokage said. "Make sure they don't do anything stupid."

Rune, Hitokage's advisor came sprinting towards him.

"Master Hitokage you can't be..."

"Quiet, Rune," Hitokage said.

"But if he goes to the Lunar Pillar," Rune said but was cut by Hitokage.

"I know, Rune," Hitokage said. "I know."

Giovanni pat Rune's back despite his clear disapproval. "You should relax Rune. Maybe a trip to the Sevii Islands could help with those tight shoulders of yours."

Rune stared at him fiercely. "You dishonor your family Giovanni."

"Funny you should bring that up Rune," Giovanni said, walking toward Rune with a dangerous smile on his face.

" And very funny you should assume I give a damn about my family."

...

Carmen walked up to one of the soldiers.

"What the hell is going on here?" Carmen growled.

Sean and Carlotta tried to convince Carmen it was a bad idea but in classic Carmen fashion he didn't listen and blazed on ahead.

The officer looked offended. "Kid you just walked up to an officer of..."

"I don't care," Carmen said. "What the hell is going on?"

"It's confidential," the soldier said calmly.

"Confidential?" Carmen's hands suddenly went ablaze. "Confidential! My people are up there! I have a right..."

Carlotta suddenly grabbed Carmen's arm. "Calm down Short..."

"Don't tell me to calm down!" Carmen said, startling Carlotta. "My people are in danger and I don't know what the hell is going on!"

Carlotta stared Carmen dead in the eye. "Well getting angry won't solve anything," she said coolly. "Let's go to the Center and find out what's going on there."

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"I know..." Carmen's body loosened. "I'm sorry... I'm just worried."

"I know Shorty," Carlotta said quietly. "I had a tribe too. I know how you feel but getting all worked up won't solve anything."

"Yeah..."

Carlotta slipped her hand into Carmen's and waved an apology to the guard who let out a sigh. What a bunch of weird kids.

...

"I'm glad you're okay," Patricia said, letting out a sigh of relief.

"We were worried you might have done something stupid," Sean said.

The center was bustling with people. About a hundred of them were holed up in the lounge, most of them soldiers. The others Mages and people that were common to Mt Moon. Caen spotted the reserved Zubat people, the strict Geodude and the white garb of the Jigglypuff here and there. But none of his people and none of the Clefairy and Charmander who lived atop the mountain.

Carmen felt a stab of worry in his heart. He was just as confused as everyone here in the center, their scared mumbling casting a heavy shadow in the air and causing Carmen's gut to twist.

Sean and Patricia managed to secure a table amongst the panicked muttering and constant shuffling of the crowd.

"I managed to calm Shorty down," Carlotta said, elbowing Carmen.

"Do you have any idea what's going on?" Carmen said, his voice weary. Amidst the crowd he saw a Geodude mother carrying her child talking to a soldier in green. It seemed her husband was missing.

"I'm afraid I do," Sean said, his voice grave.

"Then tell me already! " Carmen roared.

"Shh," Sean said. "Keep it down."

"I'm sorry," Carmen said softly. "Just tell me... I..."

Carmen sighed. "I need to know if they're okay."

Carlotta grabbed Carmen's hand, tightening her grip. Meanwhile Patricia scooted up to Carmen and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

There was a look of sympathy on Sean's face. "I understand your pain Carmen but if we're loud about it, we're going to cause a panic. I managed to get us a room. We'll discuss things there."

"Thanks Sean," Carmen said. He turned to Carlotta and Patricia. "Thanks guys."

Carlotta smiled. "We got your back, Shorty."

Patricia nodded. "Always."

...

The peak of Mt Moon was a large crater caving inward. The jagged rocks halted, giving way to a smooth surface littered with leather tents. In the middle of this crater was a jagged rock as black as night that reached the tip of the crater. The Charmander and Clefairy tribe referred to this stone as the Lunar Pillar. A pillar formed out of moon stones, a magical stone that looked as if it were made up stars. At night, members of the Clefairy and Jigglypuff tribe would dance around it for blessings. The moon would cast a silver glow on their slim bodies and white clothes as they danced gracefully and slowly around the pillar, feeling the power of the moon slowly invigorate them and grant them their magic.

The lunar pillar was also what Giovanni was looking for, more specifically the moon stone.

"Ah yes, just what I was looking for," Giovanni said with a grin on his face, rubbing his hands together like a fly.

The people of the Jigglypuff and Clefairy tribe stared at him, their faces pale with terror. Others of anger.

From amidst the people came an old lady, her hair as silver as the moon. Her body as ragged as the surface of Mount Moon. Yet there was an undeniable grace to her, her posture upright, her movements spry. She walked over to Hitokage as Giovanni walked over to the Lunar Pillar with a hungry glint in his eyes.

"Has he proven himself worthy?" the woman asked.

"He didn't even go through the trials Aylin," Hitokage said.

"Then why?"

"I had no choice," Hitokage said. "He would have murdered my people."

Aylin cupped Hitokage's hands in hers. "I understand."

A long time ago Aylin and Hitokage were lovers. They knew that their love wouldn't blossom, Hitokage being the Chief’s son knew that they wouldn't be together for Chiefs of the Charmander tribe could not marry outside of their tribe. That never stopped them. They always met, especially at nights of the full moon where Hitokage would see Aylin dance with so much grace it made his heart flutter. She was the best dancer of the tribe, a fact that remained true to this day. And the war came, and his father died. And Hitokage was the next Chief in line. They stopped seeing each other after, both busy with their own tribes. But their love was as strong as the mountain they were raised on for they both remained single for the rest of their days.

"There's been word," Aylin said. Behind Giovanni were men in black suits with big red R's emblazoned in the middle. They came with a variety of tools, the dark stories in their eyes scaring of anybody that tried to get close to them. "The Kanto military are at the bottom of the Mountain. What could be so urgent that the military is involved?”

"They released the Paras," Hitokage said in a hushed tone, careful not to alert the tribe lest they panic.

Aylin's mouth widened. If they released the Paras it would spell trouble for the entirety of Kanto and not just Mount Moon.

"That's..." Aylin gasped. "Insane."

"Giovanni is an insane man," Hitokage said. "It's why I've been avoiding giving him the location of the Lunar Pillar until..."

Hitokage clenched his fist, the fire on his tail burned bright.

"You shouldn't blame yourself," Aylin said, grabbing his arm. "What we should do now is get our people to safety."

Hitokage nodded. "True. But my people are under a tight leash. If they make a single move they will be mowed down like cattle."

With the help of two of his men Giovanni managed to chip off a small piece of the lunar pillar. He grinned and placed it in his pocket.

"Thank you Hitokage," he said, hand on his shoulder. "Hope you manage to deal with those Paras."

"So, you're just going to casually leave after releasing all those monsters," Hitokage said coolly.

"That's exactly what I'm going to do."

"Very well then."

Giovanni was suddenly blasted aside by a gust of wind. The two Rocket goons tried rushing to Giovanni's side but the women of the Clefairy tribe had swords inches away from their throats stopping them in their tracks.

The flame in Hitokage's tail was pure white, fire gathered in his mouth and his eyes were like a dormant volcano ready to erupt.

"You have pushed my buttons for far too long Giovanni," Hitokage roared.

Giovanni got wiping blood from his mouth, his eyes both in awe and at fear at the flames erupting around Hitokage. His wings spread wide apart like that of the Devil himself.

"I don't care if you're of royal blood!" Hitokage growled. "Today you die."

...

"Someone," Sean explained. "Decided to release the Paras."

Carmen was quiet, meanwhile Carlotta and Patricia tensed up.

"Yeah," Sean said. "I know."

Sean turned to Carmen. "You've been unusually quiet."

"They were stories," Carmen said, his voice grave. "Stories about people who wandered deep into the caves and never came back."

"The elders always told us never to wander deep into the caves otherwise we'll never come back. They always told us that the Paras would eat us. We thought they were just stories to make sure we didn't wander but now..."

Carmen looked up, stared at all of them. “We have to rescue them. We have to get them out of there otherwise..."

"I know how you feel Carmen," Sean said. "But the military got this. We just have to..."

"No!" Carmen growled. "We have to go there now!"

Patricia and Carlotta tried calming him down but Carmen ignored them. "There wasn't a single person from my tribe in the mage center. Not a single one. I can't just sit down and do nothing while they're being killed by those monsters."

Sean sighed. "I understand that but the military has every single inch of the cave on lockdown. What do you suggest we do?"

Carmen sighed. "I..."

"See," Sean said. "We have to think things through."

"But I can't just sit," Carmen said, head hung down and looking dejected. "I..."

There was a very long silence. Patricia had her head hung down, feeling sad that her friends were fighting but not being unable to do anything about it. Carlotta held Carmen's hand who was very distant, staring off at the wall with a vacant expression on his face. Sean meanwhile was stroking his chin, legs crossed, his sharp eyes alert and coming up with a plan.

"How about we check tomorrow?" Sean asked.

"Huh?" Carmen said, his head perked up.

"How about we look for a way inside the cave tomorrow?" Sean asked. "The mountains are big and I'm sure the military hasn't covered every inch of the mountain."

"What made you change your mind, Dork?" Carlotta asked.

"I know nothing I say will change Carmen's mind," Sean said.

Patricia smiled. Sean was suddenly enveloped in a huge hug from Carmen that crushed his bones.

"Thanks Sean," Carmen said.

"Yeah just don't crush my bones," Sean said, his voice muffled.

Sean dusted himself.

"Tomorrow we commence the Mt Moon expedition," Sean said. "And probably walk into our inevitable dooms."

To be continued...