Chapter 11 – Mt. Moon's Shadows and Blaze's Rage
The morning mist still clung to the trees when Kai and Misty arrived at the base of Mt. Moon. The massive entrance to the cave yawned before them like the mouth of some sleeping giant.
Misty squinted at the dark opening. "I'm starting to regret everything."
Kai adjusted the straps on his backpack and gave her a teasing grin. "Come on. It's just a cave."
"It's never just a cave," Misty muttered, stepping cautiously onto the rocky path. "There are Zubat in there, and I swear one of them has a personal vendetta against me."
Blaze—their newly evolved Charmeleon—led the way, his tail flame lighting the path. Ralts walked beside him, keeping close to Kai's legs and peeking around the edges of his coat like a nervous kitten.
Inside the cave, the temperature dropped, and the air turned still and damp. Blaze's tail cast flickering shadows across the walls, stretching and dancing with each step.
They hadn't gone far before Misty grabbed Kai's arm with a squeak.
"Did you hear that?"
"It's probably a Golbat snoring," Kai whispered, smirking.
Suddenly—
SPLAT.
Misty slipped.
"Ugh! What is this?!"
She looked down at her foot, now halfway buried in a puddle of Zubat droppings.
"Seriously?!"
Kai laughed, trying and failing to stifle it. Ralts tilted her head curiously, and Blaze gave a short grunt that sounded suspiciously like a chuckle.
"This place is cursed," Misty hissed, grabbing a stick to scrape off her shoe.
"You said that about Viridian Forest," Kai reminded her.
"And I was right about that too!"
They continued deeper, past glittering mineral veins and echoing drips of water. Ralts kept her eyes on the tunnel walls, occasionally flinching at distant wing flutters.
As they turned a corner, Kai suddenly paused. His aura flared—subtle, but alert.
"Something's ahead," he murmured.
They stepped cautiously into a large open chamber where the ceiling stretched high above their heads. A faint greenish-blue glow lit up the area, coming from large crystals embedded in the walls. And in the center of it all—
A group of Fossil Pokémon huddled together. A few Geodude. A small Kabuto. An anxious little Omanyte.
And standing over them—two Team Rocket grunts.
"Well, what do we have here?" one sneered, noticing Kai and Misty. "A couple more brats who don't know when to quit."
Kai stepped forward calmly. "Those Pokémon don't belong to you."
"Yeah?" said the other grunt, cracking his knuckles. "And who's gonna stop us?"
Behind them, something stirred.
From a side tunnel, a loud rumble echoed—and then a massive shape slithered into view.
A wild Onix, eyes glowing with irritation from all the noise.
Misty froze. "That's bad. That's really bad."
"Yeah, I noticed," Kai muttered.
The Onix let out a deafening roar and charged.
"Blaze, protect the team!" Kai shouted.
Charmeleon sprang forward, tail flaring as he intercepted falling rocks and positioned himself between the group and the rampaging Onix.
"Use Flame Burst!"
A wave of fire lit up the cavern and struck Onix's side. It reeled back, stunned but not down.
Ralts stepped up beside Kai, trembling, but her eyes were glowing faintly.
"You ready?" he asked softly.
Ralts nodded.
"Confusion!"
Her psychic energy pulsed forward, just enough to slow Onix's next charge.
"Metal Claw!" Kai commanded.
Blaze's claws glowed silver. He dashed forward and struck the giant rock snake directly in the face.
Suddenly, Blaze began to glow.
Kai stepped back in surprise.
Misty gasped. "He's evolving?"
The brilliant light consumed Blaze's body as he rose slightly off the ground. His limbs thickened, his snout lengthened, and his flame blazed hotter than ever.
When the light faded, Blaze the Charmeleon stood proud and tall, eyes burning with fire.
He looked at Kai, nodded once, then turned and launched himself back at Onix.
Another Metal Claw, this time infused with even more power.
The Onix collapsed with a final grunt.
The Team Rocket grunts didn't wait. They ran screaming back down the tunnel, leaving behind their stolen fossil bags.
Kai exhaled. "Nice job, Blaze."
Blaze let out a satisfied growl.
Misty blinked. "He evolved in the middle of a fight. That's… actually kind of awesome."
They took a short break, sitting on a low rock while Ralts leaned against Kai's side, still trembling a little. He gently rubbed her back.
"You did great," he whispered.
Ralts gave a small smile.
Misty looked at Blaze, then at Kai. "Your Pokémon really trust you."
"I trust them too," Kai said.
---
A little further into the cave, they found a quiet alcove glowing with moonlight pouring in from a hole in the ceiling. A family of Clefairy danced in a circle, their gentle hums filling the air.
At the center was a young Cleffa, stumbling and giggling as its parents clapped their tiny hands.
Misty's face lit up. "They're adorable."
Kai crouched low and pulled a few berries from his bag. He placed them on a flat rock and stepped back.
One of the older Clefairy approached, bowed slightly, and shared the berries with the group.
"They're happy," Ralts said quietly, her first telepathic whisper of the day.
Kai smiled. "Let's not disturb them."
They quietly left the cavern, the soft glow of Clefairy lights fading behind them.
---
Outside, the bright sun hit their faces like a welcome blessing. Misty collapsed onto the grass.
"I am never going into a cave again."
Kai dropped beside her, laughing. "You say that every time."
"I mean it this time."
Blaze stretched his limbs in the sunlight, clearly proud of himself. Ralts curled up beside him, her head resting against his side.
Kai leaned back, looking up at the sky.
"That was a long cave."
"It was a death trap," Misty corrected.
Ralts reached into Kai's bag and pulled out a snack bar, offering it to him with a shy smile.
He took it, touched. "Thanks."
Misty opened one eye. "She really likes you, you know."
Kai glanced down at Ralts, who was now mimicking Blaze's crossed-arm pose.
"She's family," he said simply.
As they sat in peaceful silence, Misty yawned.
"You're getting better at this trainer thing."
Kai nodded. "One step at a time."
"Champion dreams still going strong?"
Kai smiled. "Always."
The sun slowly dipped lower as they stayed by the grassy cliffside, their team relaxing around them. Ralts quietly practiced lifting pebbles with Confusion. Blaze flicked small stones for her to try. Misty occasionally yelled at Psyduck to stop rolling downhill.
It was peaceful.
And real.
And everything Kai had hoped for when he first stepped out of Pallet Town.