Chapter no.26 Mt. Moon

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As Austin sat alone in the cafeteria, the simple breakfast of eggs and toast before him seemed less appealing by the minute.

The radio hummed quietly in the background, the morning news filling the space around him. His ears perked up at every mention of Mt. Moon, hoping for any news on Team Rocket. The probability of encountering them at Mt. Moon felt almost certain. Not only had Ash run into them there in the anime, but it was also the first location where Team Rocket made their appearance. This consistency in their patterns wasn't lost on me; it suggested that their presence at Mt. Moon wasn't just possible—it was likely.

This realization kept gnawing at him as Austin poked at his eggs and toast, barely tasting them. 

Beside his plate lay a spread-out map of the region. He studied it intently, tracing the routes with his finger. He had learned that Mt. Moon wasn't just a single mountain, but a range that acted as a natural barrier between Pewter City and Cerulean City. The tunnels, originally built as a trade route, offered a two-day journey through, a stark contrast to the daunting two-week trek across the mountainous terrain above.

As he considered the possibility of avoiding Team Rocket, his grip on the fork tightened unconsciously, the metal bending slightly under the pressure. The image of Pikachu and Vee, potentially harmed or worse, victim to a Team Rocket attack, flashed vividly in his mind. A bead of sweat trickled down his temple as his heart rate picked up.

"No," he muttered to himself, shaking the thought away with a firm head shake. That won't happen.

Over the last five days, he had won a dozen battles. He had also prepared enough meals to last everyone for two weeks and had dedicated significant time to rock climbing training, ensuring he was as prepared physically as he was strategically.

He was ready, or as ready as one could ever be. Taking a deep breath, he folded up the map and tucked it into his backpack. Standing up, he tossed the remnants of his breakfast into the trash and slung the bag over his shoulder. 

Let's move to plan A.

Plan A was straightforward: he would place a fake emergency call to the Pokémon Rangers' office and direct them to Mt. Moon, letting them handle Team Rocket. That was, after all, part of their job.

Over the last few days, he had pinpointed a phone booth, one located away from any prying cameras. Despite the seeming safety of the location, he took no chances and wore a mask to further conceal his identity as he approached the booth.

The booth itself was old, its once-vibrant blue paint faded to a dusty teal, chipped and weather-worn. The glass panes that made up its sides were thick and yellowed, giving the inside a claustrophobic feel, only exacerbated by the musty smell that clung to its confines.

Taking a deep breath to steady himself for what he was about to do, Austin stepped inside. The space was cramped, barely enough room for an adult to stand comfortably. He dialed the number for the Pewter City Rangers with a shaky hand. Before speaking, he clenched his fist and struck himself hard enough across the face to make his nose bleed—an act he deemed necessary to make his fake emergency call sound more credible.

"Hello, is this the rangers...please help?" he spoke into the receiver, his voice nasal and strained as he pinched his bleeding nose, trying to sound as distressed as possible.

"Sir, what's wrong?" came the immediate response from the operator, her voice laced with concern.

"I was walking at Mt. Moon when some Pokémon thieves attacked me. I was barely able to make it out alive; those people are crazy," he explained, his voice shaky and muffled.

"When did this happen?"

"An hour ago. I was able to make it to safety on my trusty Rapidash." 

"Is this a prank?" 

"No," he replied, the confusion in his voice evident.

"Sir, I highly advise you not to joke on this matter," the operator warned sternly. "There is a 24-hour patrol of rangers on Mt. Moon. Either you are lying, or something happened to the ranger's patrol, and I assure you, we do a routine check-up with the rangers every hour to get updates."

The call ended abruptly after that. Austin carefully placed the receiver back on its cradle, his heart racing with doubts. Was I wrong in all of this? Was I too paranoid? Holding his still-bleeding nose with his mask, he stepped out of the booth into the cool air of early morning. Maybe Team Rocket was busy looking for Vee in Viridian Forest and hadn't done anything on Mt. Moon, he thought, pausing to contemplate whether he should proceed through the trail with the rangers or stick to his original plan to trek around the mountain.

As the evening draped its cool shadows over the rugged contours of the mountain, Austin felt a sense of tranquility. The air was crisp, refreshing after the relentless ascent that had consumed most of his day. Beside him, Pikachu trotted with an alertness, his ears twitching at every rustle and snap in the dense underbrush.

Strapped to Austin's side, a thermos hung loosely; inside, Vee swirled in his serene, water form as Vaporeon. They had found that maintaining a single form was less painful for Vee, and having Vaporeon in a liquid state could prove invaluable should they encounter any dangerous wild Pokémon or a skirmish with Team Rocket.

Alongside the natural path, Misty's bike, which Austin had modified with rugged tires suitable for the uneven terrain.

As the sun dipped lower, painting the sky with strokes of orange and purple, Austin found a high vantage point. Pulling the bike up beside him, he stood overlooking the expansive view. The valleys and peaks unfolded beneath him, an intricate tapestry of earth and sky, with the faint, twinkling lights of a town glimmering in the distance like stars on the horizon.

The silence and solitude of his high-altitude lookout were abruptly pierced by the distant clatter and shouts of a battle. His heart tightened. He reached for his binoculars, hands trembling slightly with a mix of adrenaline and dread. Peering through the lenses, he focused on a rocky edge where the flickers of fire danced amid figures clad in the unmistakable black and red of Team Rocket grunts.

His lips curled in disdain. "Ranger patrol my ass," Austin muttered under his breath, the irony of the situation not lost on him. Team Rocket was here, possibly in force, and whatever they were doing, it wasn't good.

As the binoculars came into focus, my heart skipped a beat. Down there, amidst the chaotic tangle of battle, were Jimmy and the Onix trainer whom he had lost to, struggling against a horde of Team Rocket grunts. Shit.

"Let's help them," Austin said, more to convince himself than Pikachu.

"Pi?" His little face scrunched up in confusion, not quite catching the reasoning behind Austin's sudden decision.

"I want to interrogate one of the grunts to find out Team Rocket's positions." Austin explained, trying to sound confident in the plan that was rapidly forming in his mind.

Pikachu gave him a look that could only be described as—Really? 

"Yes." 

Pikachu gestured towards Jimmy's location. He struck a heroic pose, mimicking the stance of a protagonist from last night's watched action movie.

"I shouldn't have taught you how to do charades."

Pikachu's antics were a welcome distraction from the gravity of what they were about to do.

"Pika," Pikachu responded, his grin cheeky and somehow proud.

"Whatever, bravery isn't just stupidly trying to do something without a plan," Austin retorted trying to rationalize the rush of adrenaline and fear mingling in his chest.

At that, Pikachu's ears perked up. His body language was a clear, silent question: What's the plan?

Jimmy felt the cold, hard reality of despair as he leaned against the rocky mountain path, his options dwindling to grim extremes: a plummet to certain death below or recapture by Team Rocket. His breaths came in sharp, labored gasps, each one tasting of dust.

"Don't give up, young man." 

Jimmy nodded, the resolve hardening in his chest as he prepared for what might be their final stand. The battlefield was starkly uneven: his Poliwrath and the trainer's Onix were pitted against Team Rocket's lineup—Rhyhorn, Raticate, Ekans, and Zubat. The odds were overwhelming, the situation dire. Hope seemed a luxury they could ill afford.

Just as despair threatened to take hold completely, a blur in the sky caught Jimmy's eye. "What?" he exclaimed in disbelief as a Pikachu riding a Spearow sliced through the air.

As the Spearow swooped lower, Pikachu launched itself from the bird's back. It was a comet of electric fury; as it descended, Pikachu unleashed a powerful burst of electricity. Bolts of lightning, bright and ruthless, arced from the electric Pokémon, striking Raticate, Ekans, and Zubat with deadly precision. The assault was swift, the execution flawless, leaving the three Pokémon twitching and incapacitated on the rocky terrain.

Rhyhorn looked around in confusion, its teammates fallen. It was not prepared for Pikachu's next move. The electric Pokémon gathered energy, a glowing orb forming above its head. With a mighty heave, it threw the orb to the ground where it exploded into a wave of greenish, grass-like energy.

"Hidden Power: Grass," Jimmy whispered to himself. Rhyhorn collapsed with a heavy thud, defeated.

Pikachu landed deftly on the ground before Jimmy and the older trainer, its small chest heaving from exertion. For a brief moment, Jimmy caught the fierce, proud glint in Pikachu's eyes.

Before Jimmy could even muster a breath to thank Pikachu for the daring rescue, a chilling voice cut sharply through the mountain air, freezing everyone in their tracks.

"What do we have here?"

The tone was as cold as the winds that whipped through the rocky pass. Everyone's eyes shifted to see Team Rocket's Executive Arianna stepping confidently from the shadowed tunnel, a Vileplume by her side. The Pokémon was a sight, its massive red flower bobbing menacingly as it walked, its beady eyes scanning the group with hostile intent.

Pikachu sparked threateningly at the sight of the newcomer, his small body tensed for another round of battle.

"Petal Blizzard!" Arianna commanded, her voice devoid of emotion, as if the destructive power she unleashed was nothing more than routine. In an instant, Vileplume became the epicenter of a swirling storm, pink petals whipping into a furious tornado that hurtled toward the electric type.

Reacting swiftly, Pikachu unleashed a Thunder Shock, which quickly intensified into a Thunderbolt—a attempt to counter the incoming assault. But physics betrayed the small mouse. The dense flurry of petals, acting almost like insulators, absorbed and dispersed the electrical energy with frightening efficiency. The petal storm engulfed Pikachu, the sharp edges of the hardened petals slashing across his body, cutting into him with the precision of knives. Blood marked his yellow fur, small cuts blooming like cruel red flowers as he staggered, overwhelmed by the relentless attack.

"Spearow!"

Just then, a crackling voice erupted from the walkie-talkie attached attached to Speasrow's side. "Hidden Power: Fire!" The command was swift, urgent.

Reacting swiftly, Spearow unleashed an orb of light that exploded into a searing wave of fire, crafting a fiery barrier between the injured Pikachu and the advancing Arianna. With a strategic use of Aerial Ace, the duo vanished into the thin air.

Meanwhile, Jimmy, the older trainer, and their Pokémon were caught off guard. Vileplume didn't hesitate, releasing a cloud of Sleep Powder that cascaded over them like a gentle blanket. Within seconds, their bodies slumping against the cold, hard rock floor, succumbing to an enforced slumber.

Arianna watched the fleeing figures. Those were TM moves, trained Pokémon, huh? The red-haired woman then turned her gaze towards the mountain range, her eyes narrowing calculatingly as she contemplated on what to do next.

Where are you going to hide from little old me?

As Austin gripped the binoculars tighter, his hands trembled uncontrollably. The immediate threat posed by the Team Rocket executive wasn't just a distant danger—it was here, palpable and suffocating.

The fear that initially gripped the boy morphed rapidly; it transformed into a fierce rage that burned through the veins of his rationality. This wasn't just fury—it was a visceral, seething rage that stemmed from a deeper, more primal place within him. It wasn't just anger; it was a thirst ... a thirst for revenge—revenge against the bitch who had hurt his buddy. The sight of Pikachu getting hurt stoked the fire within him, making it burn hotter with every passing second.

"Reon." The soft yet urgent call from Vee jolted him, momentarily piercing the red haze of his anger. Austin fumbled for the walkie-talkie strapped to his side, his fingers clumsy and uncooperative as if they too were shaking with rage. "Spearow, don't fly towards us; they'll know our location. Hide in that... lake. I'm coming down."

As he turned to look at Vee, their eyes met, and Austin saw fear.

"Don't worry," he reassured Vee, trying to mask the tremor in his voice as he felt each heartbeat pounding against his chest, resonating like a drum of war in his ears, amplifying the anger that filled every fiber of his being. "I already made plans B, C, and D in case we fought Team Rocket."