Ike Ketchum: A New Journey Begins 
Part 7

Note:  Ike's Pokemon leveled up considerably in the last part.  His training 
was not included, but even so, I will list the levels of his Pokemon up to 
now.  (Amelia's Pokemon have not leveled up at all)

Ike Ketchum:  Sasha Lv. 16  Knows: Thundershock, Quick Attack, Volt Tackle, 
and Growl
Mankey Lv. 20 Knows: Fury Swipes, Focus Energy, Karate Chop, and Seismic Toss
Spearow Lv. 18 Knows: Aerial Ace, Growl, Fury Attack, and Pursuit
Nidorino Lv. 16 Knows: Horn Attack, Leer, Double Kick, and Focus Energy

Remember that in the Anime that Pokemon tend to use more than four attacks.  
So don't complain if a Pokemon uses an attack that is no longer listed 
later!!

Part 7:

Ike reached Pewter City, and he knew he was ready for his next gym battle.  
He knew what type or Pokemon the gym leader preferred to use; the rock type.  
He knew what Pokemon would be suited for a battle involving these types that 
he had with him; Mankey, and Nidorino if he used a good strategy.  He 
strutted up to the gym, threw open the doors, feeling as if he had arrived 
for the battle of his life.  Amelia dragged herself in behind him, gasping 
for air.  She was used to riding a Pokemon everywhere.  Ignoring her, Ike 
scanned the gym.  There were no lights on, and it was difficult to see.  Ike 
could make out some rough surfaces, and he figured that the terrain was 
perfect for rock types.  
“Hello!” he yelled into the emptiness. “I'm here to challenge the gym 
leader!”  Ike's voice echoed into the empty room.
“Um, looks empty,” Amelia huffed lamely.
Ike turned around to give a sarcastic reply, when he heard someone yell, 
“Hello!”
Ike looked up, and there he saw a kid standing on the road.
“If you've come to challenge Forrest, he isn't here now.  He's gone on 
official business,” the kid told them.
“What do you mean? Gym battles ARE official business!” Ike roared.
“Well, that's not any of your business, buddy.  But he said I shouldn't let 
anybody bug him while he's at Mt. Moon,” the kid said matter-of-factly.  
“Whoops.”
“Oh, so he's at Mt. Moon on a pleasure trip?” Ike sneered.  “Well, I can fix 
that!”  With that, Ike turned sharply in the opposite direction, and started 
to march off.

“Where are you going?” Amelia asked.

“Where do you think I'm going?” Ike shot back.  “Mt. Moon!”

“You don't even know which way to go. Why don't you ever stop and think about 
anything?” Amelia yelled after him.

Ike stopped walking, and he clenched his fists.

“I know exactly where I am going, and I don't need to think about anything.  
I will have my battle!”

Amelia shook her head.  “Well, okay.  But Mt. Moon is the other way.  You're 
heading straight back to Viridian Forest.”
Ike clenched his fists harder.  Who is this know-it-all to tell me which way 
to go?  I wish she'd just shut up.  I didn't let her follow me so she could 
tell me what to do.  I'd like to see her fall in a hole.  He thought all of 
this in only an instant, and as he did he turned around to face Amelia.
“Listen, you,” he growled.  “If you are going to come with me, you need to 
keep your stupid mouth shut.  I don't need your help.”
Amelia stretched her eyes.  She felt tears well up inside her body, and she 
struggled to keep it inside.  She knew she shouldn't cry in front of Ike.  
She knew that if she did he would never listen to another word she said.  He 
would go on being the way he was forever, and he would never learn anything.
“Ike, you are an arrogant jerk.  If you want to go that way, and end up back 
in there with all those Beedrill, go right ahead.  But I'm not going.”
Ike stared at her.  He remembered all those buzzing Pokemon, coming for him 
and Sasha, ready to sting them to death.  He wondered if they were still in 
there, looking for them....
“Fine.  We'll go your way.  But it's not because I think you're right.  It's 
because I don't want to hear you whining anymore,” Ike lied.

It would take an entire day to reach Mt. Moon.  Ike was not wasting a minute 
of his time.  He refused to slow down, even when Amelia complained.  Sasha 
looked back from her perch on Ike's shoulder and regarded Amelia with 
sympathy.  She was grateful for her ride. It was too bad Amelia wasn't as 
little as her.  Then she could stay in a Pokeball like the rest of Ike's 
Pokemon...this thought was funny to the little electric mouse, and she let 
out a sudden giggle.  Amelia looked at her strangely, but the laugh was so 
cute, that she laughed too.  Ike didn't say anything at all.

Just about a mile from Mt. Moon, something strange started to happen.  It was 
close to sundown, and the orange sky was quiet and calm.  But the earth 
wasn't so placid.  It was rumbling like a disgruntled Snorlax.  At first the 
party thought it was the sound of thunder, but then they realized that it was 
the ground beneath their feet.  

“What could it be?” Amelia wondered.

“Whatever it is, I think it's making the ground shake!” Ike announced.

“P-pika?” Sasha said uncertainly.

A few moments later, Amelia realized that Ike was correct.  The tremors were 
very slight, but the ground was definitely showing some movement.

“What do you think is going on?” Amelia said.

“I don't know, an earthquake I guess,” Ike replied.

This did not bode well for Sasha.  She started to get antsy, and she kept 
shifting on Ike's back.

“OWW, Sasha!  Your little claws are sharp!” Ike groaned.

“Ike, this does not seem natural to me,” Amelia said.  “There's something 
strange going on.  Maybe it's why Forrest came here.”

“Well, we're wasting time here then, aren't we?” Ike said, heading off again, 
this time with Sasha protesting.
As they got closer to Mt. Moon, the rumbling got stronger and fiercer.  Sasha 
began to cry out, and she shocked Ike several times before they reached the 
entrance.  Hair fried to a sizzled crisp, Ike threatened to return Sasha to 
her ball if she didn't stop acting so cowardly.  This quieted the little 
Pokemon, but she was obviously capable of attacking again at any second.  
They stood at the mouth of the cave, a gaping black hole with Zubats planted 
at the entrance.  An ominous roar was sounding from within.

“I definitely don't like this,” Amelia protested.

Ike glared in her direction.  “You can sit outside if you want.  I don't 
care.”

Amelia swallowed.  That idea sounded very tempting to her at the moment, but 
she knew she couldn't stay outside.  There was something mysterious 
happening, and she had to find out what was going on.  She had to do it in 
the name of science.  Whether she liked it or not.

And so they all went inside.  The roar echoed in their ears, making Sasha 
shriek.  Making a shushing noise, Ike headed directly toward the sound.  
Amelia gulped.
Suddenly, the ground shook furiously.  Sasha groaned as the party nearly 
crashed to the ground, and a group of Zubat stirred from their perch, 
squeaking and flying into them.

“We're gonna be okay...we're gonna be okay...we're gonna be okay,” Amelia 
chanted aloud.

Then the roar sounded again and Amelia quieted. 

“We're getting closer to whatever is causing this,” Ike whispered.  “Be 
quiet, and stop whining.”

The party started to move again, when the rumbling grew substantially louder, 
and the ground began to crack in front of them.  Everyone, including Ike, 
yelled.  Slowly, a narrow head rose up from the ground.  Then, a long, snake 
like body rose up after it.  Suddenly, a narrow eyed monster was staring down 
at the three who were now strewn on the floor.  It was massive; the rock 
snake towered over them and roared, hurting their ears.  It was an Onix, but 
it was not like any Onix that Ike had read about in a text book.  Its body 
was coal black instead of the smooth gray he had seen many times in his 
lessons.

“Don't move, or you'll anger it!” a voice yelled from some direction.

Ike looked around.  Behind the Onix stood a young man, with a mop of spiky 
brown hair, dark skin, and squinted eyes.  He recognized him immediately as 
the brother of Brock, the former gym leader of Pewter City's gym.  He had 
seen Brock many times in old photographs that his mother kept.  Brock was a 
close friend of his father's.  Forrest resembled Brock uncannily.  

“Nice of you to show up now!” Ike yelled from his position on his back.

“Listen, we have to calm it down,” Forrest said.  “I don't know what it's 
doing here, but it's on a rampage.  We have to be careful.”

Amelia had forgotten to panic.  She was so fascinated by this Onix.  Onix 
didn't usually live in Mt. Moon Cave.  They preferred to live in bigger 
areas, because of their massive size.  She wondered what it was doing here, 
and she also knew she had to catch it.  It was one of the odd colored Pokemon 
she was after.  She heard what was being said about “calming” the Onix, and 
it had given her and idea.

“Forrest, do you think it would be alright if I caught it?” she said.

“You can try, but no one has had much success so far, even me,” he replied.

“Oh no you don't!” Ike protested.  “That Onix looks too strong for you!  I'm 
catching it!”

Amelia snorted.  “No you aren't.  Our deal was that I would be catching the 
strange colored Pokemon, not you.  I guess you didn't account for beasts like 
Onix, but that's irrelevant.”

With that, Amelia eased her way off the ground.  The Onix roared again, and 
Sasha put her paws over her beady little eyes.  Amelia sucked in a breath.  
“Okay, you,” she said to it, “I'm not afraid.”  She threw a Pokeball, and out 
came Butterfree.  Ike snickered.  She knew what he was thinking.  He was 
thinking that her Butterfree was at a complete disadvantage.  Usually, he 
would be correct.  But Amelia didn't want to go into a full-on battle with 
this Onix.  She wanted to disable it so that she could contain it in one of 
her balls.  The Onix seemed to know that it had been challenged, and with a 
roar it moved.

“Butterfree, do not let it get you!” Amelia ordered.  It listened, and 
fluttered out of the rock snake's reach.

“Paralyze it, so that it can't attack you,” Amelia said calmly.  Butterfree 
obeyed, sending out yellow spores.  The Onix was paralyzed instantly.  It 
feel to the ground in a cloud of dust.

Eying the beast, Amelia retrieved a Pokeball.  She pushed the circular button 
in its middle, and it enlarged.  Drawing in a breath, she hurled it at the 
fallen Onix.  With a red flare, it entered. The ball shook once...then 
twice.....and then it popped open again, letting loose the furious Onix.  
With a guttural roar, it lurched toward Butterfree.  The butterfly barely 
managed to avoid being crushed against a wall.  In a frenzy, the Onix smashed 
against the opposite wall, causing rocks to thunder down in an avalanche.

“This could cause a cave-in!” Forrest yelled.

But that didn't happen, because as suddenly as it started, the Onix stopped 
again, falling over in paralysis.  Shaken, Amelia collected herself.  She 
reached for another Pokeball, but then she hesitated.  That Onix was still 
too strong to be contained in a simple Pokeball.  She had to do something 
else, although she didn't really want to.  She grabbed another kind of ball, 
one that was colored yellow, black, and white, instead of red and white.  It 
was an expensive Ultra Ball.  Her Uncle had given it to her in case there was 
an emergency.  This was apparently that emergency.  She pulled it out, and 
Forrest commented, “I can never afford those.”  Taking in another breath, she 
threw the Ultra Ball.  In a red flare, Onix entered the modified Pokeball.  
It shook once, twice, three times, and then the middle button turned a shade 
of dark gray, indicated that the Pokemon had been captured inside.

“Phew, that's a relief!” she commented, picking up the ball.

It was the biggest understatement of the week so far.