Eight and Beyond!

[Stella]

Claire watched as JayJay was hit by the grunt. Suddenly enraged, she stood up. Her eyes were closed but she was laughing... rather a dark laugh.

"Y'know, I gotta hand it to you guys. You really are a pain in the butt." She opened her eyes, the obvious smirk on her face and the rage in her eyes. "But, I don't take crap from dung like you. Go back to where you belong and leave Mount Moon. I don't want to have to deal with you."

A grunt walked up to her. "And what are you going to do, little girl?" Claire put a hand up as the Arcanine went to defend her.

"Lets play a little game, boys. I call it 'hit and run.'" Claire let out a yell and hit the grunt in the chest, throwing him off of his feet. She put a foot on his chest. She whispered, "Now who's scared?" In a regular tone, she said, "I could kill you right now, but I choose not to. I know about twenty ways to kill a person with your bare hands, and I suggest you get out of here before I demonstrate. It's not nice to hold up a lady, and I'll teach you some manners if you don't get your tail out of here right now."

 

[JayJay]

Arcanine stood down, letting Calire handle the matter, then pounced on a Raticate using Wild Charge. After a very one sided fight, The Raticate was KO'd, but Arcanine was unable to battle anymore

JayJay stood up and back fisted the Grunt who kicked him as his Bulbasaur used Giga Drain to leech the life from all the Grunts and their Pokemon, ending the fight.

JayJay checked the baby Larvitars to make sure they were all right, then took off his bag to get everyone medicine. He stopped, then rushed to Claire, genuinely concerned about her

"Hey, are you okay?" JayJay asked as he ran up to her

 

[Stella]

Claire put her hand to her forehead, slightly lightheaded from the rise of adrenaline in her.

"I'm sorry." Claire turned to face JayJay after watching the grunts run off. "I have no idea what came over me all of a sudden. Watching you get hit and seeing the Pokemon in danger... It just got me all enraged. I haven't spiked my temper like that since... Well, a long time ago." She sat down on a rock behind her, rubbing her forehead a bit. Her vision was a bit blurry as her blood pressure came back down. "Mother always said that too much adrenaline would be a bad thing as well."

 

[JayJay]

"JayJay helped steady her as Bulbasaur administered medicine to all of their Pokemon and the baby Larvitars. Quilava and Arcanine got up and started rounding up the Grunts and their Pokemon into one grouping. JayJay left Claire for a moment to return the Grunts Pokemon to their Pokeballs and tie up the grunt with an Escape Rope.

"We'll take them with use, Officer Jenny should be happy to see them, don't you think gang?" JayJay asked aloud and his Pokemon roared and cried out in victory. One of the Larvitars waddled up to JayJay, looking at him quizzically

 

[Stella]

Claire noticed a small Larvitar walking up to JayJay. She giggled. "Looks like one of the little ones have taken a liking to you, JayJay." She reached into her bag and picked up a bottle of water. The cool feeling calmed her down. Claire's vision returned to normal. "That's better," she said quietly.

 

[JayJay]

JayJay raised an eyebrow and looked down to the Lavritar and cocked his head quizzically. Soon, JayJay's Pokemon were joining the group quizzical look contest.

"What's up, Larvitar?" JayJay inquired, then stopped as he felt a rumbling in the ground. Within moments the earth was shaking and a monstrous roar resounded through the area. JayJay became pale, and looked at the top of the mountain where a tyranical shape was looming . . . and alongside this large Pokemon was a man who seemed familiar to JayJay, even from a distance

 

[Stella]

Claire stood back up, again in a fighting position, and looked at JayJay. "You got any idea what's going on? I sure don't, but I've got a bad feeling." A shadow was cast over them.

 

[JayJay]

JayJay looked closely at the figure and took a step back. a bead of sweat forming on his temple

"It's him . . . That's Hans and his Tyranitar!" JayJay seemed almost terrified. He remembered how powerful Hans' Tyrantiar was and how he almost lost control of it once

Tyranitar roared out and charged down the mountain, then it all hit JayJay like a freight train. Those Larvitar were the babies of Hans' Tyranitar. The two must've been searching the area for Team Rocket. Tyranitar tackled JayJay, but instead of the destructive force his had braced himself for, Tyranitar wrapped him up in a hug and was bawling like a baby. JayJay was lost and confused, but glad Tyranitar wasn't ripping him limb from limb.

Hans just laughed as he made his way down the mountain to catch up with Tyrantiar

 

[Stella]

Claire backed down from her attacking position. She became confused. "Hans? You mean that guy you told me about?" She watched as JayJay was suddenly tackled. She giggled a bit, realizing the playfulness of the Pokemon.

 

[JayJay]

Hans laughed as he made it to the group

"JayJay? Little brother is that you? What are you doing on MT Moon?" Hans chuckled while questioning his beloved little brother. He called his crybaby Tyranitar off and told her to go check on the Lavitars. Hans helped JayJay up and wrapped him in a hug. JayJay hugged back then broke the hug to answer Claire.

"Yeah, Claire, this is Hans, my older brother. Hans, this is Claire, my new friend. We're traveling together" JayJay introduced the two and explained to his brother.

"Ah, I see, but what are you doing on MT Moon? Why didn't you just get a flight over?" Hans asked

 

[Stella]

"We couldn't necessarily get one at the time. Then again, getting Team Rocket off of Mount Moon was probably a better choice. Trainers and Pokemon are trapped inside, but with Team Rocket on the run it'll be giving the police an extra hand." Claire held out her hand. "Nice to meet you, by the way."

 

[JayJay]

Hans made an overly dramatic bow and took Claire's hand

"The pleasure is all mine, miss" He then let go off her hand and returned his Tyranitar to her Pokeball and went to the Larvitars. "I'm so upset I missed the hatching!" Hans exclaimed "But, There seem to be a few that didn't hatch yet. Let's see . . . Four Larvitar, . . . four more eggs to hatch. Hm . . . Oh, let's take a look at those three Pokemon of yours" Hans stood up and walked over to JayJay's Pokemon. Hans was a Pokemon Breeder and a Pokemon Doctor. he had a keen eye for Pokemon who were battle material and who still needed training.

"What's up, Hans?" JayJay inquired, the same Larvitar from before rolling an Egg to JayJay, but he didn't notice

Arcanine, Quilava, and Bulbasaur underwent an inspection by Hans

 

[Stella]

Claire wanted to giggle at Hans greeting but she held it back. She watched as Hans carefully inspected JayJay's Pokemon. She then glanced over the peak of the mountain. There wasn't much more to go until they'd reach Cerulean. "I don't know about you, but I'm going to jump ahead a bit to make sure the path is clear for travel. I'll meet you in a little while." Claire grabbed a flat piece of stone nearby and sat it down, then rode it down the edge to the next flat area like it was a snowboard.

 

[JayJay]

"Later, Claire!" JayJay called to her. Hans finished his inspection and walked over to JayJay.

"So, have you started hitting on her yet?" Hans asked his brother. JayJay became bright red and stammered.

"What? No! We're just friends!" JayJay stated, blushing like crazy. Hans chuckled a bit

"Alright, Well, your Pokemon seem to be in tip-top shape. Your Arcanine is extremely powerful and will get stronger still. Bulbasaur and Quilava are still growing, so it's obvious they will become stronger. Oh, and what are you doing, little guy?" Hans asked the little Larvitar who was poking JayJay's leg and pointing at the Egg. JayJay looked down and saw the little Larvitar and the Egg, confused, he picked up the little Larvitar and held the Egg up to Hans. The Larvitar looked at him quizzically and he looked back, just as quizzically. Hans laughed a bit, then patted JayJay's back.

"It seems you have a new friend, brother. I was gonna send you and Egg once I got into town, but seeing as you're here, would you like to take him with you?" Hans asked JayJay

"Would I? That'd be great, Hans!" JayJay nodded as he spoke, and the little Larvitar seemed rather pleased.

"Alright, you'd best be going, JayJay. I'll see you after you beat the Indigo Plateau and the Silver Conference" Hans said

The brother shook hands good bye and JayJay recalled all of his Pokemon into their Pokeballs, including his new baby Larvitar, and started down the hill

 

[Stella]

As Claire neared the bottom of the mountain, she could've swore she caught a glance of a figure in the darkness. He raced down the mountain with her and then tossed her an envelope, disappearing back into the shadows. As she reached the end, she put the envelope in her pocket and continued on to Cerulean.

 

[JayJay]

After a while, JayJay reached the bottom of the mountain. He noticed foot prints that seemed to be running near the large path Claire's rock board made, but dismissed it and headed into Cerulean City

 

[Stella]

Claire met back up with JayJay. "And once again, we arrive back in Cerulean city. Home to Misty, the water gym leader and holder of the Cascade badge. After this, we head to Vermilion. Vermilion is the home of Lt. Surge, owner of electric Pokemon and a veteran to the second world war of the Pokemon world."

 

[JayJay]

"Hm . . . Alright, should we go challenge her today or wait until tomorrow? My team is fully healed and we're ready to rumble. How about you?" JayJay asked
He was dragging the Team Rocket Grunts behind him with ease, even with their struggling

 

[Stella]

"Well, I can give it a go with Pikachu. I caught him back in the forest. He's pretty strong, so I'm hoping it'll be enough to beat Misty." Claire saw Officer Jenny not too far away from them.

 

[JayJay]

Officer Jenny saw the two trainers and their bounty of not one, not two, but FOUR Team Rocket Grunts and her jaw dropped. She walked up to the two amazed

"How did you two get ahold of those Grunts?" She asked, flabbergasted, her Pidegot close behind looking the same way. JayJay turned to Officer Jenny and chuckled

"Claire rescued me from them when I went to go help some baby Pokemon. Her Pokemon overpowered these hooligans with ease and saved me" JayJay said in a cheerful voice

 

[Stella]

Claire blushed a bit, hoping JayJay didn't notice. "You did most of the work. I just attacked the one that hit you." Officer Jenny put handcuffs on the grunts.

"These guys are gonna be locked up for a while. We're sure there's more of them out there, but a few captured is better than nothing. Thanks, gang."

 

[JayJay]

JayJay didn't notice Claire blush but handed the group of Grunts to Officer Jenny. He then turned to her, just in time to see the last bit of her blush fade, but he didn't know what to think, so he ignored it.

"Hm . . . Alright, I wanna go train Bulbasaur up now that I think of it, but you can challenge her alone if you'd like. I'll watch from the stands and root for you" JayJay said in a cheery tone

 

[Stella]

"I think I'll head back to the Pokemon Center for a bit and grab us a room. By the time we get done at the gym, we'll need a place to stay for the night. I'll talk to Nurse Joy." Claire was anxious to read the envelope in her pocket but didn't show it to JayJay.

 

[JayJay]

"Alright, I'm gonna head to the north-east to train for a while. I'll pick up some dinner on my way back, I won't be more than a few hours" JayJay said, noticing Claire seemed a bit antsy, but thought nothing of it. It was a little after noon and JayJay headed off to the north-east, bidding Claire good bye for now

 

[Stella]

Claire went to the Pokemon Center and managed to get a room to stay for the night. She sat her bags down and picked the envelope from her pocket. On the back of it, a golden seal with TR on it was stamped. She opened it gently, not wanting to break the seal.

"Miss,
I saw the way you took on the other grunts today, and I must say I am impressed. You will need that talent soon. I must warn you that trouble will be coming your way soon, and I think you and your friend will be able to handle it well. However, your partner will need to trust you. I hope you have formed a bond, young one. That same bond will save Kanto if it sticks.

Sincerely,
Shadow."

She packed the letter away in her bag. Claire didn't want to alert JayJay of the danger that may lie ahead. "Why is he helping me?" she asked herself.

 

[JayJay]

Time passed and JayJay came back into town, stopping by a local restaurant to pick up a large meal for Claire and their Pokemon. Bulbasaur had evolved, and that made him happy. He got a few pizzas and a couple loafs of honey bread, along with a gallon of MooMoo Milk.

JayJay made his way back to the Pokemon Center and knocked on the door to the room Claire had gotten them

"Hey, you there?" he asked, not wanting to intrude on anything

 

[Stella]

Claire stood up, making sure the letter was packed away. "Yeah, I'm here." She opened the door. "Welcome back." She smiled and let JayJay come in. While he had been gone, she had gotten little training done. However, she hoped it was enough to get by tomorrow.

 

[JayJay]

JayJay smiled and made his way inside, then started passing out food to his bed and the night stand. He called out Ivysaur and Quilava, saving Arcanine for last, seeing as the room wasn't that big. He offered Claire some Pizza and a half loaf of honey bread, along with a paper cup of MooMoo Milk

 

[Stella]

Claire accepted, though still a bit distracted from the events of earlier. She wanted to hide it from JayJay, however still wondered what Shadow specifically wanted of her. More importantly, why was he of all people warning her? Was there danger to come in their path?

"Thanks, JayJay." Claire sat back down, taking a bite of the bread. A thought came to mind. Was Team Rocket about to start a take-over of Kanto?

 

[JayJay]

JayJay could sense something was off with Claire, but it wasn't polite to intrude, so he kept to himself. He ate and so did his Pokemon, he gave them their vitamins as well and then sat next to Claire. He looked a little sleepy, but totally coherent. He seemed concerned about Claire, she had an air of distraction and confusion around her and he wanted to know, but he knew he couldn't ask

He let himself rest on his back, hands behind his head, looking at the ceiling. He started to relax and take deeper breaths, his own mind drifting to other thought. "Why was Hans on Mt Moon? . . . He was supposed to be at MT Silver, or with Professor Oak . . . It seemed like an odd coincidence . . . and Hans seemed a little different, too . . ." JayJay thought to himself, and unbeknownst to him, out loud in a whisper

 

[Stella]

As Claire came back to reality, she realized that even JayJay seemed distracted as well. Worrying him was the last thing on her mind, seeing as he had his own problems to deal with. Claire began to try to piece some events together in her mind. The attempted conquer of Mount Moon, the invasion of Cerulean, and attacking any trainers. Something didn't seem right and Claire was determined to find out what Team Rocket was up to. More importantly, who Shadow was. She had a feeling she'd need his help later being that he obviously knew more than she did at that moment.

 

[JayJay]

JayJay drifted to sleep, still dressed . . . On Claire's bed . . . If he were awake, he would be very embarrassed with himself right now, but he was out like a light. He seemed to be having a usual nightmare, but he seemed more uncomfortable with this occurrence than usual. He was falling into darkness . . . No . . . Ascending into darkness . . . He was falling up into a black abyss and had no control. He could feel the pain around him. Just then, streaks of Red slashed at him and he felt blood dripping from his chest. His old injury was reopened and he couldn't stop it. He was helpless and he knew he would die soon. Outside of his dream, his muscles seemed tense, but other than that, Claire couldn't have any other indication that he was in pain. She didn't know about his wound because it had healed over so nicely that the scar was only visible in direct sunlight. He had been attacked by a group of Grunts when he was a child. He didn't have any Pokemon, he was too far from home for his brother to hear his cries of pain. He had foiled the Grunts efforts to steal another young boy's Pokemon and the Grunts turned on him. He was slashed at by a Scyther and passed out . . .

 

[Stella]

Claire could feel the tension in the room peaking after JayJay fell asleep. She hoped the duplication of her actions from last night would help as she put a cold cloth on his forehead. She didn't mind that he drifted to sleep in her bed. So long as he slept peacefully, she didn't mind at all.

Claire was already sure that JayJay now had constant nightmares and aimed to help him as much as she could. Hopefully, without him truly realizing it.

The lights began to dim in the Pokemon Center as the hour grew late. Nurse Joy had lit up a candle in the hall for light. Claire could smell its sweet scent. Lavender. It nearly made her fall asleep.

 

[JayJay]

JayJay's breathing remained steady, but his body seemed stiff. He saw a light in the dark and began to move towards it, the red streaks trying to tether his body to the ground. He roared out, his body bleeding and aching. He felt dizzy and sick but knew he couldn't stop. He had to fight for the light. He had to be a force for good, but how? He was helpless in this dream and the light almost seemed to taunt him, yet still he fought. He reached for his Pokeballs but his hand was too restricted, they were just out of reach. He slipped and fell to the ground, instantly covered in the red streaks and passed out

 

[Stella]

Claire sighed, seeing as she couldn't seem to settle his dream. She only hoped that something could cool him down. She sat in a chair and picked up a book, hoping to catch a bit of reading. Claire, too, soon fell asleep.

 

[JayJay]

JayJay awoke the next morning, rested, but only just. He got up, realizing he was on Claire's bed and she was in a chair. This made him feel awful. He got up and stumbled a bit, but tried to remain quiet, so as not to wake her up. He changed quickly into a pair of dark jeans and a light blue t-shirt. He started his morning workout, skipping breakfast for now. He finished his push-ups and began his sit ups, his old wound burning, but he pushed through the pain

 

[Stella]

Even in her sleep, Claire still asked herself the same questions she did earlier on the safety of Kanto. Though, as morning came, she forced herself awake to avoid the thoughts from before. Claire stood up and stretched. "Morning," she managed to word out. She yawned, still sleepy regardless of the night's worth of sleep.

 

[JayJay]

JayJay stopped working out and got up quickly, his hand behind his head in embarrassment.

"Morning, Claire. Hey, I'm really sorry about falling asleep on your bed, that was really uncool of me" JayJay said, rather mad at himself for doing so. He walked over and got the pizza from the mini-fridge and the MooMoo milk as well. "Breakfast?" He asked, in an unsure tone

 

[Stella]

"Hey, no worries. It's all fine." Claire grabbed a pair of clothes and started to go to the next room. "I'll eat a little later. We gotta get ready for the big day." Claire smiled and headed off to the next room. She got changed into a simple white tee and black cargo pants. Like yesterday, she overheard news on the radio.

"Team Rocket was cleared off of Mount Moon by two young trainers yesterday. We are also pleased to announce that the trainers inside the caverns were rescued by local police. The two teenagers are surely thanked for their efforts by the gym leaders of both Pewter and Cerulean, and the trapped trainers."

 

[JayJay]

JayJay ate quickly and stretched, then heard his PokeGear ring. He but on his black vest and answered the call.

"Hello?"

"JayJay? Are you there?" Professor Elm asked from the other side of the call

"Yeah, I'm here Professor, what's up?"

"I heard about the MT Moon incident and was wondering if you had anything to do with it"

"Yeah, my friend and I took on the Grunts who were stationed there. We also met up with Hans who was there for the same reason."

"Hm . . . I see. Well, I'm glad you're alright and your friend, too. Team Rocket has had less activity in Johto lately and some police officers are worried that it's because of the increased activity in Kanto"

"I'll keep am eye out Professor. Later"

"Good bye for now, JayJay"

JayJay hung up his PokeGear and clicked his Pokeballs into little holders on the inside of his vest. He then started packing everything up