The trail narrowed as night deepened. Route 3 had faded behind them, swallowed by the dark ridgelines and jagged stone paths that wound toward Mt. Moon.
Nathan slowed as the air shifted, colder, thinner, with the faint tang of minerals and something older. The landscape here felt... different. Not hostile, but watchful.
His System pinged softly as the silhouette of the Mt. Moon Base Camp came into view: a crescent of structures built into the rock, lanterns flickering low, tents half-buried in dust. Beyond it, the cave mouth loomed like a waiting jaw.
𝐎𝐛𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝: 𝐌𝐭. 𝐌𝐨𝐨𝐧 𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐦𝐩
𝐒𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐄𝐗𝐏: +𝟑𝟎 | 𝐓𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐥: 𝟐𝟗𝟒 / 𝟒𝟎𝟎
𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐎𝐛𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐝: 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐌𝐭. 𝐌𝐨𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫
𝐎𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐎𝐛𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞: 𝐈𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐥 𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐯𝐞 (𝐔𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐝)
Nathan stepped into the outer ring of the camp. A few trainers milled about, quietly checking gear or huddling near campfires. Most kept to themselves. A couple glanced at him, saw the badge on his jacket, then nodded silently and returned to their food.
The Centre's local outpost was a simple steel-frame building carved into the rock wall. Inside, the soft hum of healing machines and low voices provided comfort against the mountain's silence.
"Nathan, right?" asked the nurse, scanning his ID.
"You know me?"
"Word travels fast after Pewter," she said with a faint smile. "Take the east cave route when you head in, less unstable than the west. Fewer Sandshrew, more Zubat."
Nathan handed over his team's pokéballs. "Noted."
He returned to the outer firepit after dinner, settling near a long log beside a lone lantern.
His team emerged one by one. Squirtle sat nearest, vigilant. Nidoran curled close, dozing. Zorua perched on a rock just outside the lantern's circle, eyes gleaming faintly.
Nathan held Mankey's pokéball in his hand but didn't open it yet.
There was something about this place, the way sound travelled, how the stars overhead seemed dimmer, how even firelight didn't reach the shadows fully.
He tapped the System open.
𝐌𝐭. 𝐌𝐨𝐨𝐧 𝐋𝐨𝐠 – 𝐄𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐬:
– 𝐋𝐨𝐰 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 (𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫)
– 𝐔𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐨 𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐬 (𝐚𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐨)
– 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐝𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐤/𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭
– 𝐒𝐮𝐛𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐯𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞: 𝟏𝟒% 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐊𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞
– 𝐔𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐝: 𝐏𝐬𝐲𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐜 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐮𝐞 (𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬)
Nathan scrolled back to the optional objective.
"Investigate abnormal energy readings…"
He bookmarked it. Not for now. But soon.
The wind shifted, sending a thin veil of sand across the camp's edge. Somewhere deep inside the mountain, a faint thud echoed. Not a Pokémon's cry. Just… something moving.
Nathan blinked.
Then glanced toward Zorua, who was staring at the mountain entrance.
She tilted her head slightly, but didn't look afraid.
Only alert.
Later that night, Nathan found a small ledge above the camp to sit and write.
The System's passive log automatically tracked his route, team health, and experience stats. But this, his notes, were something else.
"This place doesn't feel like a cave. It feels like a breath being held. Like it's waiting for something. Or someone."
He let silence sit beside him.
No battle. No map. No rivals.
Just stars.
And stone.
The next morning, the mountain mist had not yet lifted when Nathan packed his gear. Other trainers were preparing as well, though most waited for daylight before entering the cave.
Nathan didn't.
With a deep breath, he turned toward the mouth of Mt. Moon.
Squirtle stepped forward beside him.
Nidoran flicked his ears and followed.
Zorua said nothing, already walking into the dark.
Nathan gripped Mankey's pokéball briefly.
Then clipped it back to his belt.
Not yet.
As they passed into the cavern's entrance, the System pulsed once.
𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐓𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐄𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝: 𝐌𝐭. 𝐌𝐨𝐨𝐧 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫 – 𝐓𝐢𝐞𝐫 𝐈𝐈 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐙𝐨𝐧𝐞
𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐄𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐑𝐢𝐬𝐤: 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡
𝐕𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲: 𝐋𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 – 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐞 (𝐓𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 + 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐆𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐈𝐥𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐁𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐝)
𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐡𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲:
– 𝐒𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐕𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐝
– 𝐙𝐨𝐫𝐮𝐚: 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐆𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐝 (𝐈𝐥𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐁𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞)
– 𝐍𝐢𝐝𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐧♂: 𝐌𝐢𝐝-𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭
𝐒𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐜 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞. 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.
Nathan tightened the straps on his pack.
Then stepped fully into the mountain's breath.