"Ah! I forgot!" As he watched Clefairy disappear into the depths of the tunnel, Gary suddenly realized he had done something stupid.
"What is it, Gary?" Lorelei walked over curiously.
"Moon Stones! I needed Clefairy to help me find two Moon Stones, and I just let it leave! Oh, man!" Gary covered his forehead, almost furious enough with himself to keel over.
"I don't think things are quite that bad. Look." Lorelei patted Gary and pointed ahead.
Gary looked up in confusion and saw a Clefairy standing timidly nearby, with two Clefable behind it.
Most importantly, the Clefable were holding two enormous Moon Stones!
"Clef~" The Clefable approached Gary, stood on tiptoe, and stretched to offer him the Moon Stones.
Gary was so touched he nearly blew a snot bubble. "For me?"
"Clef~" The Clefable nodded. This was the most precious gift they could think of to thank Gary for saving their child.
"Thank you... I really do need these." Gary accepted without fuss, opened his backpack, and tucked the two top-quality Moon Stones inside. After a moment's thought, he took out some of his homemade Pokémon Food and put two cans into each Clefable's hands.
"Clef?" A Clefable poked curiously at a can.
Gary broke into a smile, took the tin, opened it, and handed it back. "Let me treat you to a meal."
They sniffed cautiously and took a bite. Both Clefable's eyes lit up, and they immediately took several more mouthfuls.
"All right, be careful from now on. Don't let any more bad people catch you." Gary patted Clefairy and the Clefable on their heads, then shouldered his backpack again.
"Heading out?" Lorelei asked softly.
"Yeah, I need to get Rhydon to a Pokémon Center as soon as possible. What about you, Miss Lorelei?" Gary turned to ask.
"Officer Jenny should be here soon, and I don't have anything else to do right now. Why don't we walk together for a while?" Lorelei said, resting a hand against her chin.
"Sounds great." Who would turn down an invitation to walk with a gorgeous older woman in a fitted skirt and black stockings?
And so, with Lorelei accompanying him, Gary made his way smoothly through the cave and continued toward Cerulean City along the trail down Mt. Moon.
The two chatted on and off along the way.
To Lorelei's considerable surprise, Gary's knowledge was remarkably broad. Whether it was Pokémon raising, battling, or local customs, he could keep up with any topic and offer his own insights.
Their discussion of Ice-type Pokémon, in particular, utterly captivated her.
"Are there really Ice-type Ninetales in that Alola Region?" Lorelei asked wistfully as they walked.
"There are, and Ice-type Sandslash, too. My great-uncle, Samson Oak, runs a school in the Alola Region. He told me about them," Gary said with a nod.
"Pokémon like that... I'd really love to see them." Lorelei's eyes sparkled.
"After the Indigo League, I might take a trip around the Alola Region. If you're interested, you could go have a look, too. It's a great vacation destination in its own right," Gary suggested.
"Really?" Lorelei looked at Gary excitedly.
"If you have the time." Gary shrugged.
"Of course I do! After the Indigo League, I don't have anything planned besides beating up Lance. A little vacation would be nice!" Lorelei clapped her hands like a little girl.
Gary was speechless. Listen to yourself! What do you mean, you have nothing to do besides beating up Lance?
Lance, who was conducting a survey in Johto, suddenly sneezed several times. Beside him, Dragonite covered its nose in disgust. Keep your cold to yourself, you nasty man.
As they walked down the mountain, the two chatted about Alola's customs and culture, so the journey never felt dull.
Gary's only regret was that Lorelei's presence was so intimidating that not a single wild Pokémon within miles dared show itself. He never encountered any stubborn walking bundles of experience points.
In the glow of the setting sun, the two finally reached Cerulean City.
"Well, let's part ways here." Lorelei shrugged. "If I show up at Cerulean City's Pokémon Center, I'll cause a commotion."
"True." Gary clicked his tongue. Any member of Kanto's Elite Four would be a huge celebrity wherever they went. "Then let's split up here. If you need anything, you can call me."
"Of course. I'm quite interested in those Ice-type Ninetales, and I've never seen that Ice-type Eevee you mentioned, either. Sorry in advance for all the trouble I might give you." Lorelei winked playfully.
"No problem at all. Feel free to contact me anytime." Gary nodded, and the two parted on the street.
"The Oak family's little man... What a shame he's so young." Watching Gary walk away, Lorelei shook her head with a faint blush, then turned and left.
Meanwhile, Gary reached the Pokémon Center. After he explained the situation to Nurse Joy, Rhydon was given an intensive-care room, and Gary settled down to rest there.
"His injuries aren't particularly serious. However... forcing him to evolve severely depleted his body's reserves. I think he'll need very careful attention from now on." Nurse Joy handed Gary a long list of supplements.
"All right, I understand." Gary took the list, his scalp prickling.
Protein supplements, calcium tablets, zinc, iron, blood-building supplements... Rhydon would need to take these for at least a year before his body returned to normal.
"Count yourself lucky. This young master has a decent amount of money." Gary shook his head helplessly, found a chair with a backrest in the room, draped a blanket over himself, and closed his eyes to rest.
Passing by, Nurse Joy stole a glance inside and gave a small, pleased smile.
The night passed without dreams.
"Rrr..." The next morning, Gary woke to Rhydon's weak cry.
"How are you feeling? Any better?" Gary put away his blanket and watched Rhydon clumsily try to get up.
Thump! After two attempts, the big fellow toppled face-first onto the bed. Fortunately, the intensive-care bed was sturdy enough.
"Stop struggling, big guy." Gary stood and walked over to Rhydon.
"Rrr..." Rhydon watched Gary warily, the drill on his head turning slowly.
"Oh, come on. You'd struggle to take down a Rattata right now." Gary reached out and rubbed Rhydon's big head a couple of times. "Young fellow, you were unlucky enough to get caught by Team Rocket, but you're also very lucky. Because you met me."
"Rrr?" Rhydon tilted his head and looked at Gary curiously.
"Your body needs a lot of extra nutrition. Now, I don't like sticking my nose into other people's business, but since I've caught you, guess what? You'll be back to normal soon and become one tough Rhydon. I guarantee it." Gary planted his hands on his hips, his voice firm.
Lying on the hospital bed, Rhydon closed his eyes in resignation. It seemed he had accepted his fate.
"Hey, quite the attitude you've got. Whatever. Come meet your new teammates." Gary took out his Poké Balls and released all his Pokémon.
Eevee, Charmeleon, Scyther, Nidorino, and Nidoran♀.
With Rhydon included, Gary realized he had already assembled a full team.
"All right, everyone. Say hello to your new teammate." Gary clapped his hands.
Eevee and the others obligingly greeted Rhydon.
Rhydon opened his eyes, looked around, then closed them again to rest.
Gary shook his head. Pretty proud, aren't you? Once Nidorino evolves, I'll have Nidoking give you some proper workouts. That should take the edge off your attitude, too.
Nidorino, who was busy kissing Nidoran♀, suddenly felt a chill down his back. He looked over to find Gary wearing a faint, knowing smile.
Nidorino: ∑(￣□￣;) Uh-oh. I accidentally rubbed my romance in his face. My young master isn't going to make life difficult for me, is he...?
Eevee jumped onto the hospital bed and lay beside Rhydon, calling softly. Having also endured human experimentation, Eevee deeply sympathized with Rhydon's ordeal.
"All right, everyone, rest for a while. We'll train at noon. Rhydon needs to stay under observation for another two days, so I think we'll be staying in Cerulean City for a couple of days," Gary told his Pokémon after some thought.
The Pokémon all nodded understandingly.
Before you continue