Third POV
After finally getting a much-needed night's rest following the chaos of the previous evening, Grey woke up feeling considerably better. His body was still sore from the constant running and dodging during the horde attack, but at least the exhaustion had mostly faded away. After freshening up, he stepped outside his tent only to find the campsite already bustling with activity.
League officials, Rangers and researchers were moving about the camp, discussing last night's events while checking equipment and speaking with the trainers who had helped defend the area. The atmosphere was far calmer than before, yet there was still a hint of seriousness lingering over everyone.
The Ace Ranger who had led the defense noticed Grey and waved him over.
"Grey! Come over here."
Grey walked over and joined the small gathering of trainers.
The Ranger began explaining what exactly had happened.
"What all of you experienced yesterday," he said, "was essentially a Pokémon Horde Attack. Thankfully, it was relatively small in scale."
He paused before continuing.
"Several decades ago, before the League had proper management systems in place, incidents like these were much more common. Entire settlements and even cities would occasionally be attacked by groups of wild Pokémon when their habitats were disturbed or when unusually powerful Alpha Pokémon rallied them together."
A few younger trainers widened their eyes.
"What happened yesterday was nowhere near that scale, but the principle remains the same."
Grey listened quietly.
"The worrying part," the Ranger continued, "is that we don't know why it happened. Ever since the Team Rocket incident in Mt. Moon, we've been extremely careful with maintaining the ecosystem here. Researchers monitor the cave constantly, the League limits mining, and visitor regulations have become much stricter."
He frowned slightly.
"Yet despite all that, an Alpha Golem suddenly became aggressive enough to lead a horde attack. Something triggered it."
He shook his head.
"We don't have enough information yet."
There wasn't much else anyone could contribute. None of the trainers had seen what had caused the Alpha Golem to become feral in the first place.
Eventually, the Ranger moved on to practical matters.
"Since all of you assisted during the emergency, the League has recorded your trainer IDs and contact information. If any compensation, rewards or follow-up reports are issued regarding yesterday's incident, you'll receive them through your PokéNet accounts."
Grey simply nodded before providing the requested details.
After the general briefing ended, the Ranger began speaking to each trainer individually, checking on both them and their Pokémon. He had already made sure everyone received emergency treatment during the night, but he wanted to ensure there weren't any lingering injuries before allowing anyone to continue travelling.
When Grey's turn came, the Ranger smiled slightly.
"You handled yourself well."
Grey blinked.
"You understood your team's strengths and didn't try forcing bad matchups. Using your Grass and Water-types against the Rock-types while letting your Dragon-type provide Fighting-type coverage was the correct decision."
Grey scratched the back of his head.
"I was mostly improvising."
"That's what good trainers do."
The Ranger then glanced toward Fraxure's Poké Ball.
"And congratulations on your Axew evolving."
Grey couldn't help smiling.
"Thank you."
"I was keeping an eye on several battles throughout the camp," the Ranger explained. "Your Pokémon worked together better than most teams here. Especially your Exeggutor and Cloyster. That coordination to save Axew before his evolution was impressive."
Grey felt a small sense of pride hearing someone of the Ranger's calibre praise his team.
The Ranger wasn't finished though.
"That said..."
Grey immediately became attentive.
"You still have things to improve."
Grey nodded without hesitation.
The Ranger appreciated that attitude and continued.
"You relied heavily on Exeggutor's Psychic to control the battlefield. It worked yesterday because your opponents lacked good ranged pressure, but against faster Pokémon or Dark-types that strategy becomes much weaker."
Grey mentally noted every word.
"You also positioned yourself closer to the battle than I would've liked. I understand why—you wanted to heal Axew—but remember that if the trainer falls, the battle is effectively over."
"I understand."
"Lastly, don't underestimate evolved Pokémon simply because your team has type advantage. That Rhydon nearly overwhelmed your entire squad despite being weak to both Grass and Water."
Grey nodded again.
"I'll remember that."
The Ranger smiled.
"Good. Pride gets trainers killed. Being willing to learn is what keeps them improving."
After thanking the Ranger for both his help and advice, Grey packed up his campsite and finally resumed his journey towards Pewter City.
As expected, the search duo immediately proved their worth.
Exeggutor calmly analysed the various cave passages while Persian sniffed around each intersection, somehow managing to choose the correct route almost every time. Watching the pair work together had become oddly reassuring over the past few weeks.
During one of their brief stops, Persian suddenly pawed at a pile of loose rocks before digging something out.
Grey picked it up curiously.
"...A Moon Stone shard?"
It wasn't a complete Moon Stone, merely a fragment, but even that held decent value. Whether he kept it for future use or sold it later, it was still a worthwhile find.
"Good job, Persian."
The feline proudly puffed out her chest before continuing down the path.
After another long stretch of walking through Mt. Moon's winding tunnels, Grey finally saw daylight ahead.
He had expected a few trainers to challenge him on the way out, but surprisingly none did. Considering the previous night's attack had become common knowledge throughout the cave, most trainers simply stepped aside, allowing everyone involved in the defense to leave without unnecessary battles.
Grey certainly wasn't complaining.
The moment he exited Mt. Moon, the first thing he noticed was another Pokémon Center built just outside the cave entrance.
Without wasting any time, he headed straight inside.
Nurse Joy accepted all of his Pokémon for treatment before giving Fraxure an especially thorough examination.
"A Dragon-type evolution always places some strain on the body," she explained. "Fortunately, Fraxure's evolution was extremely healthy. I can't find any lingering injuries, and his muscles and bones have adapted perfectly."
Grey let out a relieved sigh.
"That's good to hear."
She smiled before adding one final piece of advice.
"Just remember... Dragon-types become increasingly instinctive as they evolve. The stronger they become, the more their primal nature begins to surface. As long as they're raised with proper discipline and trust, it usually isn't a problem."
Grey nodded thoughtfully.
He wasn't particularly worried.
After everything they had been through together since the start he couldn't imagine Fraxure suddenly refusing to listen to him.
Once everyone's treatment was complete, Grey released his entire team outside the Pokémon Center.
The moment Fraxure appeared, the others gathered around him.
Charmander's eyes sparkled with excitement as she looked up at her newly evolved senior.
"Big brother! You evolved!"
She ran over happily, circling around him in amazement before declaring that she would become just as strong one day.
Fraxure chuckled before gently patting her head with one of his larger claws.
Exeggutor gave an approving nod.
"Good. Now our training can become even harsher."
Cloyster smirked.
"I've been waiting to see how much punishment you can take now."
Fraxure simply grinned.
"Bring it on."
Meanwhile, Persian quietly took a few cautious steps backward.
She stared at Fraxure's much larger body... then at his enormous crimson tusks... then at his claws.
A single thought crossed her mind.
...I really hope I hadnt pissed him off when he was an axew
For what might have been the first time since joining Grey's team...
Persian suddenly became extremely polite toward Fraxure.
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Grey's POV
After healing everyone up and resting for a bit, I decided to continue my journey. I wanted to reach Pewter City before nightfall, and thankfully the remaining distance wasn't too bad.
I walked through Route 3, which was filled with the usual Lass and Camper trainers, along with the occasional Hiker. Most of them used Pokémon common to this area—both versions of the Nidoran line, Geodude, the occasional Spearow, and a few other local Pokémon.
Charmander got a good workout from these battles. Ever since the Cerulean Gym match, she had become much more determined to improve, and it showed in the way she battled. I also gave Persian a few matches so she could get practical experience using Dig. She still wasn't perfect with the move, but each battle made her timing a little better.
As for Fraxure, I decided not to use him today. While I hadn't properly tested his limits yet, I could already tell his evolution had given him a massive boost in strength. Route 3's trainers simply wouldn't be able to put up much of a fight against him, so there wasn't much point sending him out.
After a long walk, Persian once again proved why she was my best item finder. Along the way she managed to sniff out a Star Piece hidden between a pile of rocks and even found a couple of discarded Escape Ropes, both of which I happily stored in my backpack.
By the time we finally reached Pewter City, the sun had already begun to set.
I headed straight to the Pokémon Center, registered for a room, and had all my Pokémon healed after the day's battles. It was already quite late, so there wasn't much point heading to the gym just to register for tomorrow's match. I could do that first thing in the morning.
With that thought, I wished my team good night, settled into my room, and quickly drifted off to sleep, ready for whatever awaited me tomorrow.
Author's Note: This might be only chapter this week unless I get some free time which I mostly wont , lets see .