Chapter Text
Working at the Pewter City Gym turned out to be exactly what Cameron needed. With two Pokémon in Geodude and Kabuto - both of whom he was getting to know better and better with each passing day - and countless opportunities to battle other trainers, Cameron couldn't have wished for a better job.
His introduction was seamless. After his first battle - a win, to his delight - Cameron was shown around the rest of the Gym, seeing the areas Brock had skipped over on his tour, and was introduced to the other Gym Trainers.
It was Forrest who took the lead in getting him accustomed to how the Gym worked. On Brock's instruction, he taught Cameron everything he needed to know - from how Gym Trainers spend their time, to how battles were arranged, to how to fill in the report forms required after every battle, which were used to monitor trainers' progress and assign Gym Trainer classification. Cameron started at Gym Rank 1, meaning that he could battle trainers with one Gym Badge or fewer. Forrest was Gym Rank 3.
All in all, Cameron was satisfied with his place in the Gym. He worked hard, training with Geodude and Kabuto, and relished every opportunity given to him to represent the Gym against travelling trainers. He was content.
That changed when Forrest was promoted to Gym Rank 4.
"How did you do it?" Cameron wondered later that day, once the congratulations passed and everyone had returned to their regular activities. "What do you have to do to rank up?"
"Just get better," Forrest told him. "You have to work hard and train, and when you do that, you'll win more battles and Brock will promote you."
"I thought I was working hard," Cameron muttered despondently. "And I know I've lost a few battles, but I've won most of them."
Forrest shook his head.
"It's not your work ethic that's holding you back," he explained. "It's your Pokémon. How do you expect to be a high-ranking Gym Trainer with only two Pokémon?"
He had a point. As a Rank 1 trainer, all battles Cameron was involved in were 2 v 2. But at the higher ranks they fought 3 v 3, or even 4 v 4, something Cameron literally could not do with only two Pokémon.
So, Cameron hatched a plan. The very next day, taking some scheduled time away from the Gym, he headed out of Pewter City with the express purpose of catching another Pokémon to add to his team.
There were two places around Pewter where you could hope to find rock-type Pokémon. While Viridian Forest was filled with almost exclusively bug Pokémon and the rocky hills to the West and North were too steep and treacherous to travel, he could go to Diglett's Cave, which led on to a rocky tunnel stretching all the way from Pewter to Vermillion City. But Cameron decided to give it a miss. After all, the tunnel was famous for its Diglett, and those were ground-type Pokémon.
Instead, he went to his old favourite, Mt. Moon.
Cameron hadn't been able to visit as often as he'd have liked now that he was a Gym Trainer - the job took up a lot of his time. But still he remembered the familiar tunnels like an old friend. For a while he simply forgot about his quest to catch a Pokémon, enjoying the old paths and reminiscing on past adventures. But eventually the melancholy began to fade, and he turned his mind back to the task he had set out to complete.
"Now where would I find some Pokémon?" he wondered aloud. There weren't any where he was standing, that was for sure. Cameron knew there wouldn't be. The Pokémon in Mt. Moon lived deep within the mountain, deeper than Cameron had ever truly explored, far from the light of the sun's rays and the well-worn paths connecting Pewter and Cerulean. And so, Cameron walked on, a lit torch in his hand as he descended deeper into the darkest depths of the mountain.
It was some time before he found any signs of life and he jumped upon hearing the shifting of rocks. But it was only a Geodude. A good Pokémon, no doubt, but he already had one. He moved on.
The path Cameron was following began to slope downwards. In fact, it was getting rather steep. Cameron was forced to brace himself against the rocky walls as his footing became increasingly insecure, and with the tunnel growing more and more difficult to traverse he wondered if he should turn back. Then a noise reached his ears. A small thud sounded from up ahead.
Cameron's pulse quickened. Ever so slowly he crept forward.
The path Cameron was following opened up into a cavern. The entrance was basically a hole in the ground, and Cameron kept a tight grip on the rim to stop himself falling through. Bracing against the tunnel wall, Cameron looked down to the source of the noise.
It was a Rhyhorn. The rock Pokémon was standing by a wall, ramming its horn against what appeared to be a recent rockslide. With every hit the cavern walls shook. Dust fell into Cameron's hair.
A Rhyhorn would be perfect. From Cameron's knowledge, Rhyhorn was one of the few rock-type Pokémon native to the Kanto region. Physically aggressive, they were known for their unflinching determination as they charged into attack.
But how to catch it? Cameron was quickly reminded of his situation, perched precariously over a hole with the cavern below well beyond reach. Even if he threw a Pokéball and caught Rhyhorn, how would he collect it? As far as he could tell there was no way back up once he was down there.
As Cameron weighed his options Rhyhorn continued to slam into the wall, shaking the surrounding rock. Cameron's hand slipped.
"Whoa…" Cameron barely had time to realise what was happening before he found himself falling. He hit the sloping cavern wall chest first, the air knocked from his lungs, and - desperately scrabbling for something to grab hold of, blinded by dust and rock - he slipped uncontrollably into the cavern below.
Cameron coughed. Dust filled his lungs and he gasped for air, only to breathe in even more from the cloud that hung around him. Flat out on his stomach, he groggily pushed himself up onto aching limbs. Blinking furiously, his vision slowly began to clear, and with the sleeve of his shirt he wiped dirt from his face and took a deep, clearing breath.
A loud snort drew his attention. Cameron froze. With trepidation, he turned around.
Rhyhorn was staring at him. And it wasn't pleased. The rockfall behind it was forgotten in light of Cameron's unexpected arrival, and Rhyhorn fixed him with a furious gaze.
It pawed at the ground and stomped, dust rising, pebbles rattling underfoot.
Cameron swallowed.
"Hey now, just relax," he said, trying to pull himself from his prone position on the ground. "I'm not here to cause trouble." Rhyhorn growled. It either didn't believe him or didn't care.
And then, without warning, it charged.
Cameron fell back. "Kabuto, go!" he shouted, throwing Kabuto's Pokéball in panic. The small rock and water Pokémon appeared before him. "Harden!"
Rhyhorn did not seem to care, or even notice, the new creature that stood in its path. It stampeded blindly and slammed straight into Kabuto's hardened shell. Yet, somehow, despite the ferocity of the attack, Kabuto held his ground. Rhyhorn was forced into a dramatic stop, its momentum halted immediately, and for a moment the two Pokémon remained locked in place.
Rhyhorn pushed back in annoyance, breaking the deadlock and stomping angrily as Kabuto remained stubbornly in place. It reared, ready to strike.
"Absorb!" Cameron called hurriedly, Rhyhorn looming, ready to bring its full weight down upon them. Two red beams of light shot from beneath Kabuto's shell, striking Rhyhorn's exposed belly, and the Pokémon let out a groan.
For a moment the cavern was still. Then, Rhyhorn fell heavily to the ground, collapsing in a heap.