Through the Mountain to Cerulean City

After the battle with Reye, Akio had taken Zeiro to the Pokemon Center to rest. He couldn't think of another place for him at the time, and his Bulbasaur was still worn out from the battle. After a quick rest for Squirtle, he was already on his way. Akio was already deep within Mt. Moon, battling the Flying Pokemon Zubat with his Pikachu.

"Okay, Thundershock!" Akio called out as the mouse grinned lightly and sent a bolt of lightning directly at the Zubat, causing it to fall to the ground. Akio threw his Pokeball, causing it to entrap the Pokemon inside and lock. "Alright, that's another entry for the Pokedex! That Thunder Wave you learned really helped in that fight." The Pikachu nodded with its arms crossed, as if trying to be cool about its efforts. "Now that that's done, how should we go about getting out of this cave?" He started to look around, seeing that everything looked like everything else. He was definitely trapped with no foreseeable way out.

Zeiro walked along the next route with Bulbasaur and Pidgey at his side. Sure, being exhausted yesterday slowed him down and put distance between him and Akio, but he didn't mind. He WAS a tad annoyed that Akio managed to bet ahead of him, though. As they walked, he could see the scenary changing from grass to rock.

Soon, he could see a Pokemon Center nearby and picked up his pace. Suddenly, his Pidgey changed directions and headed off in a patch of grass nearby. "Hey, where are you going?" He called out as he and Bulbasaur chased after the flying type. After a few minutes, he could see his Pidgey trying to defend something purple in the grass from a giant flock of Spearows.

"Hey! Leave them alone!" He shouted, rushing over to the Spearows and waving his arms to shoo them off. They seemed to hear him as they backed off and flew away as he picked up the thing they were attacking: A Nidoran Male. "Poor thing...we better get you to the Pokemon Center." He muttered as he quickly rushed off tot he one he saw earlier.

He couldn't believe it...

The Pokemon Center was completely empty and ransacked. Someone came in here and pretty much destroyed the place from the inside. He grutned, looking down at the purple pokemon in his arms that was sleeping painfully. If he tried to heal it himself, he'll only exhaust himself in the middle or nowhere.

"No chioce...we gotta push through..." He muttered as he walked out of the center and headed for the Dark Tunnel.

Bulbasaur was already ahead of its trainer in hopes of finding the way through. However, being his size made it difficiult to maneveur between floors. As he went up the next floor, he could spy a familiar trainer.

"Bulbasaur!" He called out as he ran up to Akio, smiling and rubbing its head against his leg.

Akio tripped lightly as he was practically walking in the dark and felt something rub against his leg. He looked down and saw Bulbasaur yet again. He smiled lightly and pet its head softly. "Hey there... What're you doing away from Zeiro? I guess he's close by..."

From there it begged the question, should he move on, or should he wait for Zeiro. The chances that he would make it out of this area alone were low, as he was easily lost. Still, he wouldn't be able to do much with them in a group. "Hmm... What do you think, Bulbasaur. Do you want me to wait for Zeiro to get here?"

Bulbasaur rubbed its heade against Akio's hand before frowning at the boy with a worried expression. Soon, it extended its vines to pat down the boy in hopes of finding some sort of Potion or something. After all, Akio couldn't understand what he wanted unlike Zeiro.

"Bulbasaur, there you are." Bulbasaur stopped and turned around, retracting his vines as he rushed over to Zeiro and Pidgey. It was only af ew minutes of entering the cave and he's alreavy managed to catch up, showing just how lost Akio was. He looks up and sees him, blinking. "I thought you alraedy made it out of this damn cave...looks like I gave you too much credit." He said, readjusting his grip on the Nidoran.

Akio gave a small glare at Zeiro before he saw the hurt Nidoran in his hands. He went into his backpack, the one place Bulbasaur couldn't easily check, and pulled out a Potion. He tossed it to Zeiro and said, "I dunno what happened with that Nidoran, but I think you need that more than me. Don't worry... I stocked up before coming here. I saw a cave, and thought I'd need some supplies."

He caught the Potion with ease and quickly used it on the Nidoran, who flinched in protest before easing off. "Thanks...I don't have a bag or anything so the only thing I have are a few Pokeballs...pretty troublesome, if you ask me." Zeiro muttered. At any rate, there should be one way out up ahead. I've checked the others and they only lead deeper inside the cave."

Hearing some commotion, a dark-haired girl popped out from one of the many caverns. Spotting two people and a few Pokemon, she grinned before skipping over. "Hey, what are you all doing in here?" She asked, obviously very curious.

She looked to be about Akio's age, maybe a bit younger. Her black hair was in a long ponytail and her blue eyes were brimming with curiosity. She wore black pants and a light blue jacket, and oddly, sandals.

"It's kinda dangerous in here if you're not used to it." She told the two.

Akio was about to say something to Zeiro's comment when a new face approached them. He turned to the girl, somewhat surprised by her attire. He looked away lightly as he said, "Well, I am a little lost... though Zeiro here says he knows a way out... How do you know this cave so well, anyway?"

Zeiro opened his mouth, only to look at the girl who appeared before them. "We're trying to get through this cave and go to Cerulean. We realize the danger, but it's the only way."

"Ooooooooooooh, so that's where you're going!" Said the girl as she clapped her hands together in understanding. "Do you want me to take you there? I've been coming up here since forever and I could walk my way out in the dark! I live in Cerulean, y'know."

Whether they "y'know" or not, she started down one of the passages that she knew headed home. She turned back to motion for them to follow, practically bouncing in place with impatience. "C'mon!"

Akio blinked lightly as the girl skipped so casually through the cave he had just been lost in. It made the embarrassment of being lost even worse that someone else could go in and out so easily. Still, he was happy to have a way out.

As they walked, they began to hear clanging sounds near the exit of the cave. A large group of mean dressed in black were there and seemed to be using Pokemon to dig through the cave.

Zeiro couldn't help but let out a heavy sigh as he followed the unusually peppy girl and the idiotic beginner with Bulbasaur and Pidgey trekking behind him. As he heard the clanging, he froze, staring at the black men in shock. "Hey! What do you think you're doing?!" He shouted. Not only was it the fact these men were Team Rocket, the sight of seeing what they made their pokemon do was unforgiveable. "Bulbasaur, vine whip! Pidgey, Wing attack!"

Bulbasaurs vines lashed out attacking the black grunts while Pidgey's wings started to shine slightly. the bird pokemon flew over and slashed at the men hitting them with their wings.

The girl blinked at the sudden commands to attack from the older boy. She was pretty sure they were Team Rocket, and she was sure that they were up to no good with whatever they were doing were that the case, but shouldn't they try to figure out what they were doing rather than knocking them unconscious?

With that in mind, she took out a Pokeball and threw it in the air. In a flash of red, it reveal a Starmie. "Davie, use Psychic to hold the men in place!" Without hesitation the Pokemon followed its trainers command, keeping the men from running away but also keeping them out of range of the attacks.

Better safe than sorry, after all.

"What are you doing here?" The girl asked the men in black.

Akio looked on in amazement as the girl stopped all the men in black with a single move. It was a sign of how powerful she was.

The man tried to move, but the struggle was for nothing. The Psychic attack froze their minds and bodies, only giving them the ability to talk and nothing else. "Guhh... We're searching... for Pokemon fossils... We have a Lab that can regenerate them... You brats... Won't get in the way... of Team Rocket..."

At that time, a Pokeball came into visible view and a Rhydon emerged. It charged with its horn pointed and prepared to strike Starmie in a surprise attack.

"Watch out!" Zeiro cried out as he saw the Rhyhorn charging at Starmie. "Bulbasaur!"

His trainer didn't need to say anymore as its vines quidckly lashed out, grabbing the purple star pokemon and dragging it off to safety. At the same time, he fired off a seed from his bud at the Rhyhorn.

"What do you think you're doing?! We have to deal with these guys!" Zeiro shouted at the girl. "If we don't, they'll just come back and do something worse!"

"Water Pulse, please." The girl asked Davie as the Rhydon began to charge. The Starmie complied, shooting off watery rings at the charging foe while avoiding the Bulbasaur and keeping its psychic grip on the men.

She then turned to Zeiro. "Firstly, we're weren't gonna learn what it was they were doing if they were unconscious. Secondly, I'd think we can turn them in to the authorities rather than kill them, hmm? And thirdly, I like your Bulbasaur. It's cute." She grinned.

Akio looked on in awe as he saw the Starmie evade and attack almost all at once while keeping its own attack going. It was definitely a well trained Pokemon. How could someone his age if not younger be so strong?

"Damnit, I know you!" a man said from within the shadows. "Trust a Gym Leader to do that, but this isn't over! Team Rocket knows your faces, brats!" There was a lot of rumbling after that as the cave started to collapse.

Akio started to run to the exit and called out, "C'mon, guys! We gotta get outta here before the whole place comes down!"

"Wait, what did he just call you?!" He suddenly said, staring at the girl with widen eyes. Soon, Zeiro snaps out of it as he realizes the cave is collapsing. "Shit...Bulbasaur, Pidgey, return!" A beam of red fired from two pokeballs and hitting the two pokemon before they too turned into red light, withdrawing into the pokeballs that Zeiro placed on his belt. Hanging onto the Nidoran Male tightly, he made a mad dash to the exit.

"Thanks Davie, return!" The girl told her Starmie as she recalled it. The she pouted. Way to have Team Rocket ruin all of the fun. She hadn't planned for them to know that she was a Gym Leader unless they had planned to challenge her...which, considering they were trainers, they probably had, but still.

With that, she dashed after the two, heading towards the exit as well.

The thought that she was a Gym Leader was distant from his mind as he rushed off towards to the exit. He turned to Zeiro and called out, "You need to put that Nidoran in a Pokeball if you wanna get outta here!" he called out.

Akio dived forward towards the exit, rolling on the ground before he started looking around for the others. That was his first time seeing Team Rocket himself, and now he knew what kind of people they were. They really did need to be stopped.

"Tch!" Zeiro didn't want to, but he knew Akio was right. Quickly, he took out a empty pokeball, then looked at the Nidoran. "Sorry." He muttered as he presses the button, drawing the purple pokemon inside. He dived out of the cave, landing right next to Akio.

The Gym Leader also dashed out of the cave, and then promptly sat down on the ground when she was out. "Well," she said with a little laugh "that sure doesn't happen everyday."

She stretched a bit before standing up. "Are you guys okay?"

Akio panted lightly from the running out of the cave as quickly as he did. He saw the girl's hand, taking it lightly and allowed her to help him to his feet. He was still in disbelief that she was a Gym Leader, even despite her abilities. So much so, that he didn't even believe it. "Thanks for the help. You were pretty good back there. Guess its no wonder they mistook you for a Gym Leader."

"I hardly think they'd mistaken her for a Gym leader if she really wasn't one." Zeiro muttered, standing up and dusting himself off. "Whether you're the Gym Leader or not, we'll find out at Cerulean City. I gotta get this Nidoran some help." Without waiting for either of them, he started trekking off ahead.

She shrugged, deciding not to address the whole Gym Leader matter until later. Or not at all. Whichever came first. Well, sooner or later or never, she supposed it didn't really matter.

She skipped along after...what was his name? Zero? "So why are you guys heading to Cerulean? Got some business there or are you two on a romantic honeymoon?" She smiled impishly.