Ike Ketchum: A New Journey Begins Part 9 Note: Due to the intense Gym Battle in the last part, Ike's Pokemon leveled up, and Mankey evolved into a Primeape. This is what his Pokemon look like now: Sasha, Lv. 19, Knows: Thundershock, Quick Attack, Volt Tackle, and Double Team Primeape Lv. 28, Knows: Rage, Focus Energy, Karate Chop, and Seismic Toss Spearow Lv. 19, Knows: Aerial Ace, Fury Attack, Growl, and Pursuit Nidorino Lv. 20, Knows: Horn Attack, Double Kick, Focus Energy, and Fury Attack Amelia's Pokemon have not changed since she caught Onix. Part 9: Amelia's Travel Journal Entry 4: Mt. Moon is a mysterious place. Nobody has ever climbed to its summit, because there are stories about an ominous presence that lurks there. People never hike the mountain; instead they risk the trek through Mt. Moon Cave. It is rumored that a meteor crashed here long ago, and from the meteor emerged the Pokemon Clefairy and Clefable. This theory probably came from the fact that Clefairy evolves into Clefable if it is exposed to a Moon Stone. These rocks are sometimes found inside Mt. Moon Cave, and no one has ever explained their presence here. Clefairy are very strange Pokemon, and although they were discovered many years ago, not much is known about them yet. It is possible that we will catch a glimpse of these cute yet strange Pokemon while we are here. We've made good progress. We have been in the cave for about two days, and we should reach the end soon. The supplies we bought back in Pewter are still holding out well, but I fear that if I am not correct, and we don't reach the end of this creepy place before too much longer, I will lose my mind. Why did you suggest this, Uncle Gary? ----End Entry 4 Amelia sighed. She was the only one awake; Ike and Sasha had fallen asleep about half an hour ago. She didn't know if it was night or day; the dark had disoriented her. She wanted to sleep, but there was something about the feeling of total blackness that kept her awake. She had already put her hand in front of her face several times, and she could barely see it. She'd had to write her journal with a light pen Gary had given her, and she didn't know how much longer the battery on that would last. For some reason, Ike appeared to be able to see much better than she could in the dark. He never tripped over anything, yet she was always falling over her own feet. She felt she was lucky to be alive. She wished they could be out of this horrible place once and for all. Ike had been leading the way for two days, and she had to pray that he could figure out where to go. She felt like she had lied in her journal; they had probably made zero progress. On top of everything, Amelia was paranoid that a creepy Pokemon would sneak up on her in the dark and bite her. She shuddered. This was probably the perfect habitat for a Paras.... Amelia blinked in the dark. It was hard to see any difference in light when she did so. And then there was that noise! There was a monotonous dripping coming from somewhere, and it was making her have to... But there was nowhere to go in this terrible place! This was how Amelia had spent last “night” also. Her mind kept on racing, and it made it impossible for her to get any sleep. There was that blackness, that terrifying blackness! And that sound, that repetitive drip that made her want to wet her pants and......then there was another sound. It sounded like a voice; the muffled voice of a child. Amelia sat up. “Ike, are you awake?” she whispered. No response. Amelia hugged herself. What could that sound be? She heard it again. The voice sounded as if it were chanting. Was it one voice? Maybe it was several. It doesn't really sound frightening, Amelia thought. Maybe I can find out what it is. Amelia stood. Is it coming from that direction?, she thought, turning in the dark. Again, she heard the chant. Slowly, she edged her way toward the direction she thought she had heard the sound. After a while, the sound got a bit louder. Amelia knew she must be getting closer. Suddenly, the sound was much louder, but it was still muffled, and she couldn't figure out what the voices were saying. Then, before Amelia could wonder, the ground crumbled beneath her feet. With a scream, she plummeted through the cave floor. Ike shot up. Amelia's scream was piercing. Sasha, immediately alert, yelled out. “Was that Amelia, Sasha?” Ike gasped. “PIKA!” Sasha confirmed. With a curse, Ike jumped up. He allowed his eyes a second to focus, and then he said, “Sasha, can you smell her?” Sasha nodded. Cheeks sparking, she ran off in the direction of the scent. Ike wished for a fire Pokemon. Sasha stopped, and Ike almost tripped over and fell into the hole that Amelia had fallen through. “Did she fall in there?” Ike said to Sasha. “Pika” Sasha agreed. “I wonder how deep it is?” Ike said aloud. Then, he heard something. It was a high pitched male's voice, and it was shouting, “It's you Clefairy! I knew you'd come back for me someday!” What? There's someone else here? Ike thought. Then, “What do you mean, sir? I'm no Clefairy!” It was Amelia's voice. It meant she was unhurt. “For all these years, I've awaited your return! You've finally come back from the moon! You're going to take me away on The Moon Stone, your spaceship!” Who is this loon? Ike thought. “Sir, I'm just a person! What are you talking about?” Then Ike heard Amelia shriek. “Let me touch you, Oh Clefairy! It's been so long! Huh?” There was a pause. “Why, you're no Clefairy!” the man exclaimed. “That's what I've been trying to say! I'm sorry, but I'm just a girl!” Ike saw a dim light. In it, he could make out a two faces, one the face of a very hairy, skinny man, with cracked glasses. “Ah, that's better!” the man said. “Would you please not call me sir? I'm Seymour the Scientist!” That man can't be a scientist! Ike thought. He didn't look anything like the scientists he knew, like Gary and Professor Oak. “Pika!” Sasha yelled. Amelia and Seymour looked up. Amelia smiled. “There you guys are!” She looked at Seymour. “These are my friends, Ike and Sasha. Sasha is the Pikachu.” “Hello, it's nice to meet you both!” Seymour chimed agreeably. “How did you get down here, Seymour? How long have you been in here?” “Well, I fell down here from a different hole about one week ago. But I've been living alone in this mountain for over 20 years now.” Seymour explained. “Twenty years?” Amelia gasped. “But why?” Seymour blinked behind his glasses “I will explain, but first...do you think you can get us out of this hole?” “Well, that'll be easy,” Amelia smiled. With that, she grabbed a Pokeball, and summoned her black Onix. “Onix, make a staircase for us so we can get out of this hole, please!” With an unintelligible growl, Onix did as it was told. Amelia and Seymour climbed their way up the rock snake, and were out in only a few minutes. “Oh thank you my friends!” Seymour enthused. “Would you happen to have any food with you? I haven't eaten much in quite a while.” Amelia rummaged through her bag and pulled out a sweetened rice ball. It was all she had with her, but she was happy to give it. Seymour devoured the rice ball immediately, wiping away the crumbs from his unruly mustache. “Thank you again, kind friends!” Seymour exclaimed. “So, Seymour are you going to tell us why you've been living here in Mt. Moon for so long, alone?” Amelia asked impatiently. “Ah, that,” Seymour reflected, “Well, many years ago, I came here to Mt. Moon to find out the secret of the Clefairy. I heard that they lived here in seclusion, and that they had gotten here from a spaceship called the Moon Stone. One day, three young travelers appeared, and with them I discovered their ship, and I witnessed many Clefairy evolve into Clefable just from being in the presence of this massive stone! I told the travelers I was going to stay here, so that I could find out if the Stone was really a spaceship, and that one day I would ride with the Clefairy and Clefable to outer space. The travelers soon left me behind, because they had other dreams they had to fulfill. Then, about ten or so years later, the Clefable were able to direct the Clefairy to make the ship ready for space flight again. They boarded the Moon Stone, but they wouldn't allow me aboard. I don't know what their reasons were, but I have been awaiting their return for many years. I've seen a few travelers, but I usually avoid them. You're the first people I've spoken to for quite some time!” Ike scoffed. This man must be absolutely crazy! Pokemon coming from outer space? Who ever heard of that? “And you, my boy!” Seymour wailed. “You look like one of the travelers I met that day!” You have got to be joking, Ike thought. My father couldn't have known you! Did he know every person in Kanto? “Uh, I'm sure he does,” Amelia interjected. “That's a very interesting story you've told us, and I'm sure that one day they'll come back in their...Moon Stone, but could you direct us out of here?” “You don't believe ol' Seymour, I know,” Seymour said, “but I can show you where the Moon Stone used to be!” With that, he grabbed Amelia by the arm and started off, dragging her with him. “Ouch, Seymour that hurts!” she complained. “Come on, follow me!” he said, pretending not to here. Before long, the party saw a shaft of light ahead of them. It was apparently the exit. Seymour kept on relentlessly, and Ike and Sasha followed. Seymour pulled Amelia through the exit, and when the party came out they realized that it was early morning. Across from the, they saw yet another cave entrance. “That's it, it's the secret room that the Clefairy used for their rituals. They used to pray to the Moon Stone there,” Seymour commented, still tugging on Amelia. The cave was just one big, clear room. In the center was a circular area, and it was raised from the ground. It looked like a crater turned inside out. There was not much else to see there, except that Amelia noticed that in the center of the raised area there was a burnt spot. “This is where the Clefable and Clefairy ascended into the skies!” Seymour cooed. “They left nothing behind but that burned spot, and also....this piece of their ship!” Seymour held up an ordinary looking rock. Amelia yanked her arm from Seymour's grip and examined the stone in his hand. “It resembles the stones from the moon I saw at the museum before. But I wouldn't know if it was really a Moon Stone or not just by looking at it.” “Well, there is one way that I can prove to you that what I have here is a real Moon Stone. You are aware that certain stones have a mysterious power which causes certain species of Pokemon to evolve, correct?” Seymour asked. “Yes, of course I am,” Amelia replied. “The Stone I have here will cause several Pokemon to evolve if they are exposed to it. It isn't known, I don't suppose, why a Moon Stone would have this effect, but it's the best way of knowing if you have the genuine article. Let me see your Pokemon.” Amelia let all her Pokemon, save Onix, out of their Pokeballs. “Hmmm...” Seymour said, looking at the Pokemon presented before him. “None of those will do, although they ARE very nice.” Then, turning to Ike, he said, “What about you?” Ike stared at Seymour. He had been hoping that this man wouldn't address him at all. Frankly, he thought Seymour was a madman, and he couldn't wait to get out of his presence. But, if this was a Moon Stone that he had, and if it caused his Pokemon to evolve, Ike knew it would be advantageous to him if he let Seymour use it. So, wordlessly he let out all his Pokemon save Primeape, who he knew was fully evolved. “Hmmm...” Seymour said again, “that one!” He pointed at Ike's Nidorino. “You know, Amelia, that a Moon Stone causes Nidorino to evolve, correct?” Without giving Amelia time to respond, he approached Ike's Pokemon. “Yes, a healthy specimen too!” he commented. He lifted the Stone to Nidorino, and touched its side. “This will not hurt,” Seymour whispered. He touched Nidorino with the stone. Instantly, Nidorino began to glow. In that glow, he grew bigger. It stood as tall as Ike, and it had a very substantial horn protruding from its head. It had an impressive row of sharp teeth lining its bottom jaw, two of which would show even if it closed its mouth. It had thick, powerful fists, and it had a gray muscular chest. Ike was amazed. He lifted his Pokedex. In a robotic voice, it recited: Nidoking, the Drill Pokemon. It uses its thick arms, legs, and tail to attack forcefully. Melee battle is its specialty. “Well, Ike you sure got lucky!” Amelia commented. Then to Seymour she said, “I believe you Seymour. Honestly. But why do you think the Clefairy are coming back for you?” “I have to. It's my dream,” he replied simply. Amelia shook her head. “Well, we may not be able to convince you to leave, but can you point us out of here?” “Yes, of course. I thank you for your kindness and company,” Seymour smiled. With that, the bedraggled scientist turned, and the party followed him. It wasn't long until they were out of Mt. Moon, and on the path again to Cerulean City. “Did you really believe all that?” Ike wondered. “Well, sort of,” Amelia replied. “It seems I read about Seymour some time ago. He was a respected scientist a long time ago. He was known for his research about Clefairy. He went to Mt. Moon for field research, and never returned. Maybe he did find Clefairy from space, who knows?” Ike snorted. “Well, I got Nidoking, so it doesn't matter either way.” And I can use it to win at the gym in Cerulean City, Ike thought. This trainer better not be weak like the last two!