The sun hung high in the sky. After waking up and having breakfast together, everyone went their separate ways.
There was no real sense of sadness in parting, only the calm detachment of travelers on different paths.
Standing on top of his Skarmory, Archie waved at Eichi. "See you around, Eichi. You're quite an interesting guy."
Eichi adjusted his backpack. "See you."
Archie nodded. "Let's go, Skarmory."
With a flap of its metallic wings, Skarmory soared toward the distant horizon.
"Till next time," Eichi murmured.
After the silver glint of Skarmory vanished from sight, Eichi turned to his Pokémon and said goodbye as well.
***
Two days later.
A mountain could already be seen faintly in the distance. Eichi opened his map. It should be Mount Moon.
Half an hour later, he arrived at the cave entrance and paused.
It looked just like the one in the anime from his past life, though much larger and more majestic.
It was said that this mountain formed after a meteor fell long ago.
Inside, the cave was dim, though a lamp was placed at regular intervals to light the way.
There were many branching tunnels, but thankfully, the paths were marked.
Rock-type Pokémon were common here. The most frequent ones were Geodude, followed by Zubat, which appreciated the dark interior.
Eichi avoided them, choosing not to provoke any unnecessary battles.
He noticed several people wearing mining gear. After a meteor strike, someone had recently discovered Moon Stones here.
Soon, countless others had come to dig, carving out dozens of tunnels throughout Mount Moon.
Some truly did find Moon Stones, which made the craze spread even faster.
The sound of pickaxes striking rock echoed continuously through the tunnels.
"Clang, clang, clang."
But because of the influx of people, the Pokémon living in the mountain had their peace disturbed.
They had grown to resent humans, and the madness over Moon Stones had only worsened it.
Rumor said the ruler of Mount Moon, a Nidoking with the strength of an Elite, had finally been angered.
It and its kin drove all the miners out, forcing them to search only near the outer tunnels.
Eichi walked silently, uninterested in joining the hunt for Moon Stones.
Those people were after money. He didn't need money, and none of his Pokémon evolved with Moon Stones.
So he pressed onward, hoping to leave Mount Moon as soon as possible.
Just then, he heard shouting nearby.
The noise drew closer, and soon a pink, bipedal Pokémon with a cute, round body appeared before him.
It was a Clefairy, clutching a Moon Stone in its small hands.
The Clefairy looked panicked, but when it saw Eichi, its eyes brightened. "Clefairy!"
It hopped behind Eichi, hiding behind his legs.
"Clefairy, clefairy!"
It spoke rapidly, as if pleading.
Eichi understood. Someone was chasing it, trying to steal its Moon Stone. For Clefairy, that stone was precious. It wanted his help.
Moments later, three teenagers in black uniforms appeared ahead, each wearing a cap marked with a red "R."
Eichi's pupils shrank.
Team Rocket... but they look too young.
They were probably trainees, not official members.
The three Rockets grinned when they saw Clefairy, but their faces darkened upon noticing it hiding behind Eichi.
The leader scowled. "Kid, this has nothing to do with you. Leave."
Eichi's tone was cold. "And what if I don't?"
"Then don't blame us."
The other two immediately grabbed Poké Balls from their belts.
"Go, Zubat!"
"Go, Ekans!"
"Go, Koffing!"
Eichi activated the Eye of the Bug Emperor.
Among them, only Ekans had Good potential; the others were Ordinary. All three were still at the Rookie level.
He relaxed. Still, there were likely more Rocket grunts nearby, so this needed to end quickly.
"Go, Scyther! Beedrill!"
"Beedrill, stay and protect Clefairy. Scyther, take down the others!"
"Scyther, use Agility, then Vacuum Wave!"
"Ekans, use Acid!"
"Koffing, use Poison Gas!"
"Zubat, use Wing Attack!"
The three Pokémon attacked at once. Scyther dodged the Acid easily thanks to its boosted speed, but the Poison Gas spread too fast to avoid, and Scyther was poisoned.
Then came Zubat's Wing Attack from above.
Instead of dodging, Scyther countered directly with Vacuum Wave.
Its blades cut the air, sending a compressed wave slashing at Zubat.
The attacks collided violently in the narrow tunnel.
Zubat was blown back, slammed against the rock wall, and fainted instantly.
"Zubat... impossible!" one of the Rockets shouted.
"Ekans, use Poison Sting!"
"Koffing, use Tackle!"
Still poisoned, Scyther faced both at once.
"Scyther, use Agility again!"
The space was too cramped for full speed, forcing Scyther to meet them head-on.
Its strength was fading.
"Scyther, use Vacuum Wave!"
It swung both blades, releasing twin blasts of air that struck Ekans and Koffing simultaneously.
When the dust cleared, both enemies lay unconscious.
Scyther had just broken through to the Experienced rank.
"Damn it! Return, Ekans!"
The two other Rockets recalled their Pokémon.
The leader stared, wide-eyed. "This brat's strong..."
"Where's Asen?!"
"No clue! He disappears every time we need him!"
"Tch, we're leaving. The noise must've drawn attention. Forget this spot. We'll find another."
With that, the three retreated quickly.
Eichi didn't chase them. He turned to Clefairy. "They're gone now. It's not safe here. You should hide somewhere."
"Clefairy, clefairy!"
It hugged the Moon Stone and thanked him before hopping away.
Once it left, Eichi took an Antidote Spray from his bag and used it on Scyther.
Then he and his Pokémon hurried toward the exit.
Outside Mount Moon, Eichi chose not to report the incident.
At this time, Team Rocket still operated in the shadows. He had no way to explain how he knew who they were.
Better to leave Mount Moon quickly, just in case.