Days later, James and Jen had left Pewter City and embarked along Route 3, towards the imposing Mt. Moon. James, of course, didn't like that they'd have to travel through the mountain's tunnels to get to the next city, but Jen just responded with her usual teasing punch on the arm. A short way before they reached the mountain, they had stopped to train, and James was working hard with Blue.
“Alright, hit it!”
James picked up a Rawst Berry from a pile he'd gathered from nearby trees and tossed it up into the air for Blue to attack. Even though she wasn't as strong a jumper as her counterpart, she leaped up after the berry and used her Bite attack on it. Pieces of blue berry sprayed everywhere as she bit through it, making James grateful that he'd stood well back. Nidoran watched with interest as Blue landed, looking very pleased with herself.
“Way to go, Blue,” James said, patting her head as she approached. “We're really building up your bite strength.” With the Pewter Gym out of the way, James had resolved to accelerate Blue's training so she could contribute better in battle. She hadn't shown signs of knowing Double Kick like his other Nidoran, so he focused on developing her biting attacks. She wouldn't have many weapons beyond her jaws even when she evolved into Nidorina, but her final evolution was when she would be able to expand her attacking threats. Of course, he'd have to find a Moon Stone first, but the next landmark in his and Jen's Kanto travels might help him there.
As Blue jogged back into position, Nidoran stared at his trainer. His behaviour had improved a little bit, but he still had his bad habit of looking at James before he carried out a command, throwing off their timing, and it would leave him taking unnecessary hits. James was determined to get through to the Poison Pin Pokémon, but improvement needed to happen fast if he wanted to avoid resorting to Typhlosion this early in the region. Most of Nidoran's training had been dedicated to building his Double Kick power, as well as his already formidable jumping ability. The issue, however, was his body control while he was airborne. If Nidoran was in the air, he would be an easy target if he was facing a ranged attacker. Furthermore, when Nidoran was hanging in the air, it was a lot harder for him to aim, and the strength of Double Kick relied heavily on its user putting their full body weight behind the hit, and concentrating that force into the twin kicks. His Horn Attack also relied on concentrated force, with the added risk that it was a head-on collision. Once they found a way to maintain consistent power, they would work on lowering Nidoran's recovery time to keep him out of danger after an attack.
After a couple of hours, James called a halt to the training session. As Typhlosion, Elekid and Blue wandered over towards their small tent, James held Nidoran back.
“Hey,” he said, ignoring Nidoran's spiteful look. “Help me figure something out. When I caught Blue, you came flying out of nowhere. Jen brought this up, but I want you to tell me. Is Blue your mate?” Nidoran's eyes stayed hard, then shook his head. “Okay, then. Just a good friend?” Same expression, same gesture. “That leaves one option. She's your sister?” Nidoran looked over to where Blue was resting, and gave the slightest nod. “Wow, okay. So it's a little like Jen's Pichu and Elekid, except that you guys really are related.” Nidoran's eyes gave nothing away. “That helps a lot. You didn't want to leave your sister...or for her to leave you behind. Either way, you tried to help her out. I'll keep that in mind.” With that, he walked back to the others, leaving Nidoran to think on what he'd said.
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Over on the other side, Jen's training with Weedle and Pichu was paying off. Because she'd dropped Tentacruel from her lineup, her Elekid took over as Pichu's punching bag, which had positive and negative outcomes. On the positive side, Elekid's ability to absorb Pichu's Electric attacks allowed her to really build up her power before unleashing it. The negative was that Elekid then had to release the stored power, not easily done with such a large group. Everyone besides Pichu had been forced to run for cover at least twice when Elekid was releasing his pent-up electricity.
Golbat flitted between training teammates, providing a moving target for ranged attacks. The chiropteran hadn't featured much since Jen's elimination from the Silver Conference, and she was doing what she could to make up for his lack of use. He'd added a new move to his arsenal, upgrading his Air Cutter to the more powerful Air Slash. James had also made future plans for Golbat to help Blue learn Poison Fang when she was ready. A last concern was that Jen knew that Golbat had a further evolution, but she didn't know how to trigger it. That was a piece of research she'd have to do when she had the time.
Togetic had surprised Jen with another new move: Extrasensory. The Pokédex listed the attack as one that the Togepi line could learn through breeding, and it would give her an extra offensive move to supplement her Headbutt and Magical Leaf. Her real skill, though, was her elusiveness. Consistent dodging of Magmar's and Elekid's ranged attacks had made her much quicker in the air, and she had developed the ability to stop dead in place before rushing off in any direction, disrupting attempts to try and aim ahead of or behind her in flight. She was still fragile, but taking hits wasn't her game, and Jen would continue to rely on her quick flying to keep her in battles.
Jen's real project, however, was Weedle. He'd already grown several times bigger since his capture, having eaten almost every leaf within reach everywhere they stopped, and was beginning to wrap himself in his own String Shot without anyone telling him to. The bug's true power wouldn't be available until he made it all the way to the Beedrill stage, but Jen was working him hard to try and accelerate the process. He might not be an early threat in battle, but she was ready to throw a scare into her opponents once he was ready to go.
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There was a small Pokémon Centre at the foot of Mt. Moon, used as a waypoint for trainers traveling between Pewter and Cerulean City. After dropping their Pokémon off for a quick once-over, James and Jen sat at a small table and checked a brochure about the Mt. Moon caves.
“So...it looks like it's fairly straightforward,” James said, tracing a path with his finger. “There aren't a lot of Pokémon that we can't handle in there, so we should be okay.” He paused before he continued. “It's also a place where we can find a Moon Stone, but we'll have to go fairly deep in the cave to find any.” Jen gave him a skeptical look.
“You're going to go digging around in a cave? You hate caves.”
“I'll survive. If it's anything like Union Cave back home, it'll be lit, and if we run into anybody along the way, maybe they can tell us where we might find any Moon Stones.”
“And you need a Moon Stone because...”
“Both Nidoran lines reach their final forms with them. Not sure why. And thanks to somebody being loyal to their family,” he said as he nearly reached for Nidoran's Pokéball, “I've got to double up on them.”
“Oh, yeah, I remember asking about that when you caught them. You finally found out, huh?” James nodded.
“I did, yeah. Turns out Blue is his sister. What a surprise.” Jen gave him a half-annoyed look.
“It's cute in a way, you know? Nidoran wanted to protect his sister, it makes sense.” James' return look was one of exasperation.
“But if he doesn't get over himself, he's going to get slammed. He still won't stop glaring at me every time I give him an order. As if I knew what the story was when I caught Blue...”
“That's part of being a trainer, though, right? Working through any difficulty?” James shrugged.
“I guess.” He looked back down at the map of Kanto that lay open next to the Mt. Moon brochure, and checked the area near the eastern side of Route 3. A red arrow pointed to Cerulean City, but only in one direction. “What do you think that means?” Jen checked the map carefully.
“It looks like once we pass a certain point, there's no going back. We'll have to make absolutely sure that we've gotten everything done that we need to before crossing that point.”
“Shouldn't be too hard. Everything I want to find is in the tunnels.” Jen nodded and heard a chime. “That'll be our Pokémon back from their checkup. Ready to head out?”
“As I'll ever be.” James folded the maps and put them away, and the two youngsters headed back to the counter to collect their teams and start the trek through Mt. Moon.
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As predicted, the cave was fairly well-lit. Colonies of Zubat were nestled in dark alcoves, while the odd Geodude dropped from the walls with dull thuds. Typhlosion walked in front of James and Jen, ears perked up for any sign of trouble. Jen was tempted to let Golbat out, but decided not to in case the Zubat reacted to his presence. There were few people in the upper cave, which didn't surprise Jen at all. If any treasure hunters were around, they'd be in the lower tunnels. As they descended a ladder to reach the lower levels, they saw a man with dark hair picking through a small heap of rocks.
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“See if he knows where to find your Moon Stones,” Jen said, lightly pushing James' shoulder. James shrugged and approached.
“Um, excuse me, but, er,” he said, trailing away. The man turned and looked at him.
“Oh, hello there,” he said with a smile. “Looking for something? I can help you find just about anything in these tunnels. Been digging down here for years.”
“Really?” James said, fighting the urge to glance at Jen. “How about a Moon Stone?” The man's smile faded a little, and he turned away briefly, talking to himself.
“Always with the Moon Stones, trainers. I keep telling them they're not exactly ten a credit...” He recovered himself and turned back to James. “Down the furthest end of the tunnel, there's a pretty well-excavated cavern. That's your best bet of finding one. It's funny, I had a young woman around your age in here the other day, also looking for one. I'll tell you, she was going after long odds.”
“How so?” Jen asked, moving closer.
“Well,” the young man said, “one of the Pokémon documented in the Mt. Moon caves is Clefairy. The problem is, they're one of the rarest Pokémon out there, and they don't like strangers. Only time they ever come out in numbers is at the full moon, and that's not for a week at least. Unless she comes back and finds the right spot, she's out of luck.”
“Guess so,” Jen agreed, looking at James. “Did she at least find the Moon Stone?”
“Not sure. Wouldn't have helped her unless she found a Clefairy. The Moon Stone is one of the few evolutionary stones that Eevee don't react to.” The man frowned at the look that crossed Jen's face. “Something wrong? You look all hot and bothered all of a sudden.” Jen recovered herself.
“N-no, nothing's wrong. I just feel like I know who you're talking about.” She turned back to James. “Well, we'd better get digging. Thanks for your help, mister, er...”
“The name's Miles. And it's no trouble, I'm happy to help out fellow miners. Let me know if you find anything.”
“I don't believe it,” Jen muttered as she and James headed in the direction Miles had indicated. “Of all the people he could've seen, it had to be her.” James frowned.
“C'mon, don't let it bother you. She's not here, right?”
“No, but can you see the issue here? There's something going on with her, I know it. She says she hates getting dirty, but then she's rummaging around in caves?”
“Maybe she's tougher than she wants to let on?” Jen let out a derisive shout of laughter.
“Ha! No way! D'you remember her in the Viridian Forest?” Jen put both her hands together under her chin, and her voice rose to a desperate simper. “Oh, pleasepleaseplease help me catch this bug that I'm too scared to chase after myself! I wanna travel and train but not put any effort into it!” James blinked as Jen's expression returned to normal.
“You have got to get that girl out of your head, Jen. Or at least make her pay rent in there.” James turned and headed towards a large rock pile, while Jen put her hands on her hips.
“C'mon, not even a laugh?” she said, then groaned and followed him.
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James spent what felt like several hours digging through various rock piles to try and find at least one Moon Stone. Jen helped, but came up with nothing, and James was ready to give up after finding nothing in the fifth pile he searched.
“I mean, this can't be the only place on the planet to find one, right? If there's a better place to look, I'll just search there.” As they got up and looked for the ladder back to the upper floor, Jen noticed a light at the end of a small, out of the way tunnel.
“Hey, look at this,” she said, stepping closer. James followed her, looking wary.
“Be careful,” he said. “If there's a colony of Zubat living in that tunnel, they won't be happy with us if we disturb them.”
“The tunnel's lit, though. Zubat prefer the dark.” Jen edged towards the tunnel, carefully trying to get a look down it. “It looks like there's...some kind of metal cabinet at the end.”
“Metal cabinet? What would one of those be doing here?”
“No idea,” Jen answered, now stepping into the tunnel itself. “You want to take a look?”
“Just as long as we don't wake anything up,” James replied, following her down the tunnel. The tunnel opened into a small cavern. It looked like some kind of research station, with various pieces of scientific equipment scattered around. A computer monitor had a display showing what looked like Mt. Moon's summit, where a small cottage was visible. Various cabinets held file boxes and rock samples, including smooth black chippings from...
“Here's something,” Jen said, interrupting James' thoughts. “Some kind of science notes.” She and James looked at the top page of a yellow notepad. The ink was smudged in places, possibly from damp in the cave, or else the writer hadn't been too careful with his arm placement.
Jun 12, the notes began. After three weeks, ~ has designated Mt. Moon as a Priority Yellow Site. Team resources will be placed in caverns within the month. Fossil excavations have proven scarce, however. Further research necessary. Contact with Oceanspray Facility patchy; no explanation given. Orders are to continue as normal. Recorded by S. Raymond, Scientist.
“Priority Yellow? Team resources?” James looked through the note again. The name of the person responsible for these odd orders was blacked out, and none of the other parts made any sense to him.
“Who's S. Raymond?” Jen asked, looking at the name at the end. “The person who wrote this note? His handwriting could be better...”
“I'm sorry that my writing is illegible,” said a voice behind her, and she and James both jumped in surprise. A man who looked to be in his mid-thirties with light brown hair and glasses was standing at the entrance to the tunnel they'd followed, a lab coat over his shoulder. “It often looks like that when I'm in a rush.” He looked them over. “And who are you two, anyway? Why are you in my research cavern?”
“We, er,” Jen said, looking to James for help, but he shrugged. “We saw the light coming from down the tunnel, and we wanted to check it out. We're sorry to intrude.” The man blinked, then a small smile crossed his face.
“It's no matter. Curiosity is the most important quality in a scientist, so why get mad at you for indulging yours?” He waved a hand towards the equipment. “I am Seymour, and I research rare stones and Pokémon. My...ah, benefactors, for lack of a better term, have stationed me here to help them find and collect Pokémon fossils. You know what fossils are, I'm sure?”
“Better than I'd ever hoped,” James murmured. “So, you search for rare stones? Do you know where to find a Moon Stone?” Seymour looked at James with interest.
“Well, it's become increasingly difficult to find them in the caves. They tend to be close to the summit.”
“Figures,” James said.
“But the summit is where I'm going, after I collect some notes. Would you two like to accompany me? I'm sure you could find what you're looking for there.” James and Jen considered, then Jen nodded.
“Okay, we'll go with you, Seymour. Maybe we can help you with your research, too.”
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It turned out that Seymour's “benefactors” had built a much more sophisticated ladder system in this hidden series of caverns, one that linked the underground research station to the one at the summit. In what seemed like no time at all, James, Jen, Typhlosion and Seymour had arrived at a flat area of ground with a large pool near the side.
“Welcome to Mt. Moon Square. At least, that's what I call it,” Seymour said as he pulled himself up the last few feet. “I use this station to observe the skies at night, and to try to find the elusive Clefairy.”
“Why them?” Jen asked. “I heard about another trainer searching for a Clefairy. What's so great about them?”
“The rumour,” Seymour replied, looking up towards the sky, “is that Clefairy is originally from outer space. Specifically, they arrived with the meteorite found at the Pewter Museum.”
“That giant Moon Stone?” James asked, also looking up. Seymour nodded.
“Indeed. It used to reside right up here, but they moved it to the museum at great expense and effort. They say that Clefairy still gather here at the full moon and perform a ritual dance near that pool over there.” He pointed to the pool on the far side of the square. “Of course, that's just rumour and speculation. In four years of being stationed here, I haven't been quick enough to see them.”
The group approached the pool. The surface was still, and it didn't look deep at all. James looked at Jen.
“You know, if the meteorite crashed here, bits of it might have broken off and stayed at the bottom.” Jen shrugged.
“Only one way to find out.” James put his bag down, then dropped onto his stomach and crawled to the edge of the pool. Typhlosion backed away, not wanting to get splashed. Jen crossed her arms, watching James scrabble around for anything. Twice, he came up with regular stones, which he tossed back into the pool, rippling the surface. On the third try, though...
“You've got something?” Jen asked, as James plunged his arm into the pool again, all the way up to his shoulder. He got a firm grip, then removed it, his left arm and sleeve dripping water. He had grabbed what looked like an obsidian shard the size of his hand.
“Goodness!” Seymour cried as James pulled himself up. “You've found one! You've found one!” James held the stone out to Seymour.
“Can you just confirm that real quick? I want to make absolutely sure.” Seymour pulled a magnifying glass from his coat pocket and examined the stone, muttering scientific gibberish as he did so. After a few moments, he stowed the magnifying glass and handed the stone back to James.
“It's true, my friend. You've found a bona fide, certified Moon Stone!” James grinned, and turned to Jen.
“So, I found one.”
“But you need two, right?” Jen asked. “Unless it'll work twice?”
“Something like that. Can you send out Golbat?” Jen released the Bat Pokémon, and James placed the Moon Stone on a big, flat rock.
“Golbat, I need your help. Can you use Air Cutter to split this stone in two?” Golbat chittered, and everyone moved back. A few air blades later, the stone was cut down the middle. James stowed both halves in his bag.
“Will it work properly after that?” Jen asked skeptically. James grinned.
“Can't imagine it won't. Didn't most Moon Stones break off from the original meteorite anyway?” James turned to Seymour. “Thanks for your help, Seymour. We'd still be rummaging around in rock piles if we hadn't run into you.”
“No thanks necessary, my friend. I'm always happy to help fellow researchers along their way. And if you ever find yourself back here, remember to call on Seymour the Scientist!” James and Jen shook hands with Seymour, then headed back down the ladder to the main caves, ready to continue their journey.