Pokémon: Project Gray
Chapter 13: Scary Face

Multiple winces and gasps came forth from the wounded Scarlett who was forced into a tight ball due to the intense pain that pulsed through her shaking body. Fresh warm blood trailed down her cold face, partially soaking the medical tape that was wrapped around her head, shielding her damaged eyes. The cold metal body of the Metagross underneath her gave her a hint of comfort since it cooled the burns that covered her skin, but it did not subtract from the stinging.

Sabrina rested her hand on the golden-haired girl's head, "Hang on. We're at Mt. Moon now. The others will be here soon." the psychic hoped.

Metagross continued to hover across the rugged rock floor and entered the mountainous cave, however, darkness began to creep up on the travelers as they went deeper into Mt. Moon.

Their ears were soon greeted by screeches and echoing chatters that bounced off the walls of the rocky interior, instinct telling the source of the cries that something new had entered their territory.

Scarlett's whimpers mixed with the sounds of cave dwellers. The blonde was continuously writhing on her spot on Metagross's body, however, Sabrina attempted to hush her by placing a hand over her mouth, afraid that the cries would attract unwanted attention from the wild.

Trails of water trickled downwards from the walls of the stone fortress, leaving small puddles all around the cave floor. The soft pitter-patter of the liquid would almost be comforting if not for the high-pitched shrills emitting from the residents. The water most likely came from the underwater streams that were hidden deeply beneath the thick rock that formed the cave, the substance which maintained life for those who lived within the mountain.

Light began to come forth from the center of the X that stretched across the Metagross's face until the entire piece of metal was fully shining and illuminating their path.

The psychic pondered for more options for themselves until Blue and Blaine returned with the hot springs water which possessed healing minerals within. Luckily, they had a few repels in their possession, but the amount of them was limited and their current situation required them to stay in the cave for a long period of time.

There was no doubt that the trainers were still being pursued by Lt. Surge and his accomplices, and despite Mt. Moon being home to many venomous Zubats, it was probably their best option for hiding.

Team Rocket was probably after them as well. It was only to be expected, but for some odd reason, the psychic was unable to predict any actions from their pursuers. This was a strange occurrence, especially for the Saffron gym leader.

This was not normal.

She was sure of it, and the uncanny atmosphere of the area began to tear at her unnerving demeanor as much as she did not want to admit it.

'There are many cracks and holes on the roof of the cave, so rays of light would be able to come through.' the psychic realized. Cave dwellers would most likely stay in areas that are darker so there would probably be less threats there. Sabrina telepathically told her Metagross to travel to a higher level of the cave, as it was probably the safest place they could be. However, her pokemon did not even respond to her command.

She tried again, but her actions remained futile. None of her psychic abilities were working while in the cave and that alone caused her to rethink about hiding within Mt. Moon. If her talents were not working, then her pokemon's attacks would probably prove to be useless too.

The psychic's pokemon let out a few monotone noises, the sounds almost robotic as it uncomfortably shifted its metal body harshly to the left. Sabrina halted her Metagross's movements instantly, sensing that something indeed was not right.

Her red eyes scanned the dark cave, but nothing out of the ordinary caught her attention. Closing her eyes, she attempted to muster up her psychic powers at its fullest in order to foresee any threat that could be waiting for them.

Nothing..

Nothing at all.

A gasp hissed through her teeth when a low rumble shook the cave, snapping her out of her meditation. It became silent once more, but the quiet was far too uncanny to signal safety. Suddenly, a wave of laughter flared up right behind their tense forms. Scarlett's lightning fox immediately scoped out the unlit abyss, using its large ears to trace the source of the laughs.

But, Sabrina had already found the culprit..

..Or the culprit had already found her.

She was completely frozen as she stared right into the eyes of the laughing abomination who was just inches in front of her face. It had a demented look of amusement smeared across its cadaverous form, and its large grin merely increased as if it was enjoying the expression of fear on Sabrina's face. She cursed herself for not mentally preparing herself for such a ghostly visitor. Her temporary display of weakness greatly disturbed her, possibly even more than the eerie creature who floated dangerously close to her.

Jolteon's ears began to twitch when the sound of ticking reverberated throughout the dark space.

Sabrina narrowed her eyes, realizing that they had entered a trap. "Metagross, get us out of-"

BOOM

The cave wall turned a bright red before detonating into millions of sharp shards that cut through the air at an alarming speed. Before Sabrina could protect herself or Scarlett, several more explosions erupted beneath them and above them, showering stones all around them. Rocks and orange fire chased after them in a crazed rage, wishing to gobble up anything it its path. Luckily, the Metagross mustered enough power to partially protect itself and its trainer from the heated rocks that were thrown into their bodies.

However, the psychic had already received plenty of damage thanks to the sudden attack. Blood seeped through her clothing and fresh new cuts gradually covered her shaking figure. Scarlett received similar injuries on top of her already existing burns which covered her body.

"What's happening?!" Scarlett cried in confusion.

The clamorous cracking of the cave floor vibrated along the entire structure of the cave, and soon revealed a gaping crevice that snaked across the ground. An underwater current could be seen gushing out of the opening, crashing against the sides and swallowing up the falling rocks. Sabrina desperately hung on to her still-hovering pokemon, and attempted to utter out a command that could possibly save their lives.

Soon, the entire cave was filled with insane laughter, explosions, the crumbling of the cave walls, and the crashing of all the substances against the cold ground. Sabrina winced when she spotted muliple ghost pokemon materializing all around them, the rocks simply falling through their transparent forms.

Someone was indeed waiting for them and they blindly entered their trap. The preparation of the bombs that outlined the cave and just appearance of the ghosts to counter all of Sabrina's psychic assaults were all evidence that their enemies had planned for them to enter Mt. Moon..or predicted that they would pass through.

Such precision must have taken a lot of time, and while Team Rocket is ruthless, they haven't always been the brightest. They must have had an outside source to aid in their attack against them. Just the presence of the group of ghosts pointed to that, but attempting to solve the mysteries of that attack were second priority as a second onslaught of bombs detonated throughout the cave.

Scarlett, who was still unable to see the current situation that was occurring, quickly dragged her fingertips against the cold metal of her six pokeballs which were still neatly hanging from her belt. Thankfully, each had a different texture or a distinct indentation so the trainer could tell what pokeball held what pokemon even in her blinded state. She felt each one until her hands trailed along a sphere that possessed a more jagged consistency.

The groomer was in no position to battle, and her wounds proved to be too serious for extreme movement, but the dire events which were taking place within that moment fueled her desire to live.

She pulled the pokeball from her belt, expanded it to its full size, and summoned the beast who resided within. A bright light flew from the ball accompanying the familiar snapping noise that triggered the materialization. A large dark blue creature revealed itself from the light and spiraled around the vicinity, dodging every rock that was flung towards it. The shark-like dragon's red belly reflected against the metal body of Sabrina's pokemon, and its sharp fins easily cut through the smaller stones that fell from above.

With its teeth bared, it rammed its tail into one of the largest boulders that was about to crush the struggling group upon the Metagross. The force of its action smashed the object into pieces.

"G-Garchomp..Get us out of here." whispered Scarlett who was growing weaker by the second. The finned dragon nodded before swiftly heading for the right side of the cave. Its speed increased by the second as it crossed its wings in front of its body, and its yellow eyes began to glow in an intimidating glare. A blinding blue light engulfed its figure until finally, it crashed right through the wall, leaving a large hole in the side of the cave; the last minute escape route. From one of the darkest areas of the cave, a black sphere was hurled towards the struggling trainers. The purple lightning that eerily clung unto the ball sparked loudly as it approached them.

With no plans of retaliation, the ghost-typed attack successfully hit and its effects almost immediately drained both Sabrina and her pokemon. Purple and black lightning proceeded to pulse through all of their bodies. Metagross strained to keep airborne, but the impact of the attack caused it to violently convulse in the air. The familiar laughter from the previous spectator echoed along with it, and it was one of the last things that Scarlett heard before rolling right off of Metagross's metal body.

"Scarlett!" screamed Sabrina as she scrambled to grab the blinded girl, but her hands merely grazed the groomer's fingertips.. An ear-piercing scream broke out of the blonde's mouth as her body plunged towards the crumbling cave floor.

Sabrina could only watch in horror, realizing that Metagross still had not recovered from the Shadow Ball attack. She tightly held on to the Jolteon, who was about to jump right after its trainer, but as loyal as it seemed, she knew of the possible fate for the poor Pokemon if it carried out its plan. Scarlett struggled to grab yet another pokeball from her belt, but all went black whenever a stone crashed into her head as she disappeared into the newly formed crevice within Mt. Moon's cave floor. Her returning Garchomp let out a howl-like growl, undoubtedly distressed that it had not made it back in time.

A trail of dust and dirt followed the swift Arcanine as it galloped across the uneven terrain of the mountainous region. The sound of its paws colliding with the ground echoed throughout the area, and its speed did not falter for an instant.

Due to the intense wind that crashed into the riders' faces, Blaine resorted to squeezing his eyes closed to avoid irritation, but Blue continued to stare in front of him. The brisk air caused his eyes to water, but with solid determination to guide his monstrous canine to Mt. Silver, he tried his best to ignore the wind. They had been traveling for a while now and with the assistance of Arcanine's Extremespeed, it was to be expected that many miles were put behind them.

'Ugh. Idiot!' Blue's thoughts were riddled of aggravation. This fallback was only delaying the real mission that the trainers were attempting to complete. A tinge of embarrassment invaded his memories of the past hour. The stupid girl was not even smart enough to counter the boiling acid attack. The Viridian gym leader pondered of ways that Scarlett could have protected herself, especially at her skill level with handling Pokemon.

Her cockiness got the best of her. Served her right.. But of course, was he the one to talk?

Blue felt his heart twist again when he remembered the cries she made when she writhed in the grass. It was a state of weakness that he had never seen from her and it was almost frightening. He would be lying to himself if he said he was not worried about the condition she was in. Something as delicate as her sight could potentially be stolen from her. He winced at the thought of it, clenching his teeth together in the process.

After several minutes, they finally began to approach the territory of the mighty Mt. Silver. The legendary mountain was extremely well-known throughout all of the regions. Some feared it and some viewed it as a monument of undaunted strength. This mountain was no place for tourists as it was probably the most dangerous place any Pokemon trainer could ever visit.

The pokemon here were far less domesticated, because of the scarceness of human activity within the vicinity. Seasons barely existed here, and the sheer cold temperatures kept the weaker species away while allowing the more aggressive to own the valley.

Blue had visited Mt. Silver plenty of times despite the harsh conditions. This was one of the places where he actually had a little fun training due to his increasing knowledge of battling pokemon, but of course the sessions were never easy. The immense mountain towered over the valley, leaving a few shadows to scatter across the frosted grass. A light amount of snow slowly floated down, coating the ground with a blanket of white.

With a scoff, the Viridian gym leader guided his pokemon towards the mountain, planning on climbing it instead of going through Mt. Silver's cave, as that would most likely take up way too much time. Arcanine let out a hesitant growl as many angry residents of the valley spotted them treading through their land.

"Whoa! Watch it!" yelled Blue when he spotted a baby Teddiursa curled up in the frosty grass a few yards ahead, but they were approaching way too fast. The striped beast of a dog leaped into the air right before its large paws could stomp right on top the little bear pokemon, however, its jump was slightly too late. Its long claws on its back feet managed to scrape along the top of the teddiursa's head, and a loud yelp erupted from its mouth.

"Oh..shit." The Viridian gym leader bit his bottom lip in irritation while glancing over his shoulder at the crying pokemon. So much for attempting to go unnoticed. Two booming roars caused him to whirl his head towards the sound, only to spot a couple of extremely furious bear pokemon, most likely the parents of the injured Teddiursa. Ursaring were known to be very aggressive when provoked, and just the sight of their infuriated faces caused the two gym leaders to become moderately two creatures stood on their hind legs and stretched out their claws towards the fleeing "intruders" before taking off into a rapid sprint after them.

The uproar caused by the parents disturbed the other pokemon as well, either stirring them from their slumber or simply making them believe they were under attack. Multiple trumpets-like cries came forth from a herd of Donphan, the snarls from the bears making them too skittish to stay put.

Blaine pulled out a pokeball in response, and summoned his Rapidash, its brilliant mane giving the gloomy area a lovely glow. It galloped side-by-side the speedy Arcanine for a while until the old gym leader jumped onto his faithful pokemon's back, then the two began to dart away.

"Hey! What are you doing?!" Blue spat, hesitation was evident in his expression.

"I'll hold them off! We really do not have that much time! Go get the water!" the Cinnabar gym leader screamed before commanding his horse to release a wave of spinning fire, trapping the enraged group of pokemon within the fiery walls.

Blue was not too keen about leaving Blaine alone in Mt. Silver's valley, but the old man was right, and he did not want their trip to be in vain. His Arcanine did not have too many problems avoiding the wild pokemon along the way. Its speed was far too great, and a cocky grin managed to reappear on the young gym leader's face.

The mountain-side was not entirely slippery, so climbing up wasn't entirely impossible. However, it was covered with deadly obstacles. Large rocks, thick snow, and a few dead trees jetted from the flat areas of the ground. When they reached the base of the mountain, the fire Pokemon pushed off the ground with full force, launching itself high into the air then latched its claws into the rocky exterior. Blue warned his fire dog of the dangers before it repeated this action until they scaled halfway up the mountain.

From ground level, Blaine glanced at the two climbing the mountain and shook his head in slight annoyance. Why doesn't he just use his Pidgeot and Fly there?! Blue's daredevil-like nature was clouding his thoughts, and the older man should have known that he would be seeking a "thrilling" new challenge on this short journey. "Just please hurry, Blue." he whispered before turning his attention back to the angry pokemon who were fighting against the fire.

Suddenly, a pair of teeth dug into Arcanine's hind leg, yanking it down it a violent motion. The large dog screeched and whirled around to snap its jaws at their new attacker. Blue evaluated the new threat, his expression turning stern. It was a Tyranitar to their disadvantage, and like the other pokemon that they already encountered, it was completely furious. Perhaps this area of the mountain was its territory, but the Viridian gym leader honestly did not give a damn.

The green monstrous creature still had not let go of Arcanine's leg, and none of its impulse fire attacks made it loosen its grip. The flames only fueled its anger, and vigorously began to shake its head; its teeth still clamped on the dog's flesh. Blue was thrown off of his wounded pokemon's back, due to the continuous assaults that eventually caused Arcanine to slam into the rough formation.

The uneven terrain aided him to begin sliding down the side of the mountain. He felt the sharp rocks tear into his back and arms, a few even piercing into his side. He caught himself before almost impaling himself onto a broken tree, then after catching his breath, he climbed back up at full force. Grabbing the sharpest rock he could find, he jumped on the thrashing Tyranitar's back, then shoved the stone right into its eye while shouting confidently.

The pokemon let out a roar of pain as it threw its body backwards and thankfully released the Arcanine from its teeth, but it flung Blue off as well. He went crashing into the gravel, his back hitting a boulder that was resting on the bumpy terrain. He let out a raspy grunt, the air being knocked from his lungs as soon his back connected with the large rock.

Black intruded Blue's vision temporarily-his eyes narrowing in response to the blow until they were forced closed. Attempting to regain his senses, he shook his head, but the motion seemed to make him dizzier. "A-ahh..Damn it.."

A defocused figure of green approached him when he finally opened his eyes-and it was coming fast. After his vision fully cleared, a massive pair of jaws full of jagged teeth were just mere inches from his scratched face. With a groan, Blue managed to scramble away from the enraged Tyranitar before it smashed its head right where he once sat, its teeth immersing themselves in the stone. The boulder combusted instantly from its powerful bite attack, sending broken pebbles in every direction. A clamorous roar echoed off the mountain while it rapidly shook its head, splashing blood all over the rugged ground.

It managed to remove the sharp object from its eye, but the crimson liquid continued to trickle down its monstrous snout.

The young gym leader flashed the pokemon a smirk upon realizing that its miss was extremely amusing, but his entertainment was interrupted when the beast attempted to repeat its previous action on him. "Arcanine! Dragon Pulse now!"

The orange-furred canine was still planted on the ground, but a determined snarl rumbled through its teeth while a teal flame quickly formed within its large jaws. Some contents of the glowing substance dripped from its muzzle until it finally opened its mouth, allowing the dragon-powered energy to form into a perfect orb.

Before the Tyranitar could sink its teeth into Blue's torso, the Dragon Pulse attack collided with its green body and knocked it off of its feet. It slid down the mountain, flinging dirt and rocks into the air as it formed an uneven trail on its way down.
Blue took this opportunity to sprint towards his Arcanine, partly stumbling over the rough mountain surface.

"You alright?" he asked, patting down the fire dog's fur. "C'mon get up!"

Arcanine let out a soft sound which was a mixture of a growl and a whimper. Its paws slid underneath its shaking body, but eventually, it was able to regain enough balance so it could stand. Blue winced when he evaluated his Pokemon's condition. It was unable to put any weight on its left back leg, and blood slowly trickled down its limb, staining its beautiful orange fur. Its leg remained suspended over the snowy ground when it took a few steps, but a few drops of the red liquid puddled underneath its paws.

"Hang on..I'll getcha a potion." Blue said while pulling his backpack in front of him. Before he could find his desired item, Arcanine pulled him onto its back, then proceeded in jumping up the mountain.

"Whoa whoa! Wait a sec!" the Viridian gym leader was shaken due to the swift action, and he wasn't the type to admit that he was worried, however, his Arcanine's struggled sprints caused his concern to peak. His eyes ventured behind him and he was not surprised to see the Tyranitar chasing after them. Roaring furiously and digging its sharp claws into the steep mountain's side, it hoisted itself closer to them.

Once it was close enough, it jumped.

A shrill-like cry shot out of Arcanine's mouth when Tyranitar's claws penetrated deeply into its sides, and dragged it a few feet down the mountain again.

"Auughh!" Blue growled as he clung onto the orange canine's mane for dear life. "Alright! I'm frickin' tired of you!" he yelled while throwing another pokeball towards the bipedal monster's gaping mouth.

The newly summoned creature materialized in mid-air before its razor sharp teeth pierced into the Tyranitar's neck, forcing it away from its trainer and Arcanine. Blue's Nidoking's fangs plunged in deeper while the two pokemon rolled down the mountain, causing dirt, snow, and rocks to swirl around them.

"Earthquake!" Blue's command was strong and loud.

With a ear-splitting roar, the poisonous pokemon lifted itself into the air before slamming into the tall formation, its spiked body going deep into the crust of the rock. Energy pulsated through the mountain, and there was no doubt that Mt. Silver's side could not withstand the magnitude of Nidoking's earth-ridden attack. An avalanche of snow and boulders came tumbling down, completely devouring the trees and the weaker nature.

"Go, GO!" Blue's face was stern and he wished to apologize to his Arcanine for forcing it into a fast sprint towards the top of the mountain again. The legendary canine snarled with determination as it dodged large rocks and melted heaps of snow with its unfaltering flamethrower.

Most trainers with fire-typed pokemon would fear attacks that dealt with the ground, but Blue being an overachiever, he trained all of his pokemon to overcome the types that were super effective against them. And of course, he was the gym leader of the Ground-Typed gym.

However, one single rock escaped from his field of vision and almost smashed into Arcanine's head. Thankfully, due to a forceful aerial attack from a flaming creature of beauty, the stone shattered into a shower of pebbles. Blue twitched, but nodded in acknowledgement to his savior.

"What are you doing, Blue!? GO!" yelled Blaine, still on the back of Rapidash. The horse continued to destroy the flying rocks with its hind legs, crumbling them right on impact. Then, side-by-side Arcanine and Blaine's Rapidash proceeded to jump up Mt. Silver, avoiding the debris that the avalanche threw at them; a raging river of snow and rock.

On top of the avalanche, the mountain rumbled as violent tremors continued to shake the mountain.

The legendary dog pokemon panted heavily, its wounds beginning to take their toll on the creature. "C'mon! C'mon! Don't give up yet!" Blue reassured his partner.

Blaine glanced over to the injured Arcanine, his face contorting with worry. "Recall your Arcanine and just come with me!"

"No! We're good!" Blue's voice cracked with exhaustion. "We got this!"

"Your Pokemon is in horrible shape! Please! Let him rest!" Blaine screamed while dodging a broken branch.

"Listen, old man! We don't need your help! We can make it!"

Blaine was astonished at the younger gym leader's words, and only gave him a look of disappointment. After a few more minutes of struggling through the obstacles that plagued the mountain, they finally spotted the peak of Mt. Silver.

However, their celebration was short-lived when Arcanine lost its footing and slammed into the snowy surface, completely unconscious. The weight of the dog was far too great for the weakened ground.

Blaine could only watch helplessly as the pokemon and its trainer were instantly buried underneath the contents of the avalanche.