A/N: Hey everyone, this is my first (and possibly only) fan fiction. I wrote this prologue awhile ago and I was curious if people would enjoy the story. Currently, I don't plan on writing anymore for this story but that may change. This story is set 16 years before Pokémon Red & Blue and is completely original though some characters you already know will appear in the story. It is mainly based off the games but the anime and manga may influence certain characters and settings.

And of course, I do not own the Pokémon series.

Prologue: Terror at Seafoam

The grunt looked at the dark silent cave as his group jumped off their sleek cruiser. He glanced around at the sandy beach, waves dampening the ground. This haven seemed untouched by humans and most likely was. There was not a single tree or bush in sight however, only the coarse sand and the grim cave ahead. The grunt was dressed in his uniform, completely black except the big red R that took up most of the shirt. His colleagues were also dressed in the same outfit except a young woman with short red hair who donned a white uniform. She was of an average height, had bright red eyes to accompany her hair and had slanted eyebrows that always made her seem mad. While she may have been mistaken for an innocent girl, this woman was incredibly evil and terribly dangerous. She was the leader, the boss, the executive.

"What are we doing here Madam?" asked one of the other grunts. The leader smiled, "Just wait and see" she laughed. She led the group towards the cave as a soft cool breeze passed them. The members stumbled around through the narrow passageway. As the team traveled deeper into the cave, it became much, much colder. Icicles started appearing on the walls and ceiling. The narrow path had become a big elaborate maze, the ceiling now metres above them. The frost covering the floors made many grunts slip and slide all over the place. Only the woman was skilled enough to keep her balance and not fall over. "General Ariana, what do we do now?" said the grunt. Ariana looked at her members and spoke to them. "Legend says that at the last chamber of the Seafoam Isles lies a majestic bird," she announced. "It is as blue as sapphires and as shiny as diamonds. It gives off a cold but warm blue aura. Its name is Articuno." The grunts stared in shock. They would have never imagined that their petty criminal group would be searching for a legendary Pokémon.

When they snapped out of their daze, Ariana had already left them behind. They quickly rushed after their leader wanting to see the majestic bird. Their trek went on and on, hour after hour. The cold became harsher and the ice more slippery. Many members had collapsed from the cold and exhaustion. Ariana was apathetic and didn't stop for them. To her, they were just tools to help her fulfill her goal. Finally, the group reached a cold stream that had a strong quick current. "Okay grunts, get ready," Ariana demanded. "We won't be able to swim across this stream so you'll need to use a Pokémon with Surf. If you don't have one then scram and go home." The grunts were shocked. They weren't warned that they would need water Pokémon for this trip. It was an outright scam. No one wanted to argue with Ariana though. She would probably push a grunt into the stream for fun. About half of Ariana's colleagues left while the other half grabbed out their Poké Balls. Most of them had weak water Pokemon like Magikarp and Goldeen that probably couldn't carry themselves across the stream, let alone their trainers. "Let's go crew." Ariana shouted. She tossed her Poké Ball which revealed a huge Lapras. At first glance, it would seem like the Lapras was ordinary but at a closer angle it was obvious that this Lapras was not normal. One distinct feature stuck out, its red eyes, which would give you nightmares for weeks. All features of innocence were corrupted by the red eyes.

The Lapras looked towards its destination as Ariana hopped onto its back. When Ariana was secure, Lapras moved at an immense speed. The grunts tried to catch up to her but she was going too fast. The current kept tugging at the Pokémon. Most of the grunts' Pokémon got tired and stopped swimming leaving their trainers drowning and doomed. Their colleagues looked back aghast except Ariana who just kept on laughing. The stream never seemed to end, the water flowing into oblivion. After what seemed like ages, the current stopped and the water calmed down. As they floated through the water, they saw a lone rock, disconnected from everything else. Perched upon the rock was a sleeping blue bird named Articuno. Everyone looked at the creature with awe and fascination. It was meant to be a legend, a myth. Only the most skilled were meant to have a chance of seeing it but in front of their eyes was the fabled Articuno. The stories were true, its skin was a magical blue and it seemed to gleam even in the everlasting darkness of the cave. Its stare seemed so cold but there was also a tinge of warmth. It was majestic, beautiful.

While it lay asleep, the grunts jumped off their Pokémon and started climbing up the wall that separated them from absolute power. Ariana, of course, took the lead, carefully planning her best strategy to capture the Pokémon. She had waited for this moment for her whole life. Waiting to capture a legendary Pokémon and be praised by everyone for her successes. No one would say she was a failure then. Nothing was going to stop her from getting her hands on that Articuno. Trying not to wake up the Articuno, she carefully stood up and tossed a Poké Ball. Instead of her Lapras, a shiny Charizard came out. The grunts gaze zipped from the Articuno to Ariana's Charizard. Shiny Pokémon were super rare and extremely difficult to catch but it was worth the patience. Shiny Pokémon were superior to their normal counterparts. That wasn't the only peculiar feature of the Charizard, thought the other was not easy to detect. Charizard was unlike all of Ariana's other Pokémon in a way. While the others pleasured in causing pain like their trainer, Charizard didn't enjoy what it was forced to do. It was quite a peaceful creature that didn't enjoy violence. But the bond between a Pokémon and its trainer is unique. Despite disagreeing with Ariana's motives, Charizard would listen to Ariana.

"All of you idiots get out your best Pokémon," Ariana demanded quietly. "But don't attack the Articuno until I say." Her colleagues cooperated with their leader. Ariana turned her sight from the grunts to her Pokémon. "Charizard, I need you to use your strongest Fire Blast." Ariana ordered. Without a word, Charizard flew up and hovered near the Articuno. It began to build up power for its strongest attack. The temperature flared around Charizard as an orange fireball started glowing in its mouth. The fireball kept expanding and the heat levels soared. Some of the ice started melting into big puddles of water. The sudden rise of the temperature started to make Articuno twitch. When the fireball was the size of a wrecking ball, Charizard released it and it came rushing down towards Articuno. The intense force caused a huge explosion when the fireball collided with Articuno. Many grunts were blown off the rock by the airwaves. Everyone waited in anticipation when the smoke started to clear but when it had subsided, Articuno was still perched on the rock, now staring intently on the intruders. Suddenly, the Articuno let out a huge squawk and dived viciously towards the group. Ariana and the rest of the group quickly dived out of the Pokémon's path. "AATTTTAACCKK!" she screamed while hopping up.

The grunts ordered their Pokémon and their Pokémon obeyed their pleas and started launching attacks. The first few attacks narrowly missed the legendary ice bird and it seemed that the odds were against Articuno. The bird Pokémon quickly adapted to the scenario however and now was focusing on defending itself rather than attacking. It swiftly dodged the lousy attacks and aimed a few Ice Beams at the attacking Pokémon for good measure. "Dammit, all your Pokémon are weak and SHIT!" Ariana roared. All movement stopped soon after. The grunts and their Pokémon turned and looked fearfully towards Ariana; even Articuno's gaze was directed at her. Ariana calmed down and spoke. "I guess you're our only chance Charizard." Articuno finally noticed the shiny Charizard in the corner, who had been watching and observing. The Charizard then moved towards the Articuno and started attacking it.

They were evenly matched, Articuno quickly dodged Charizard's flame attacks while Charizard swiftly evaded Articuno's ice beams. The cave was drastically changing during the battle. Sometimes it was freezing cold, other times it was scorching. A few misaimed Ice Beams had frozen over many rocks. The grunts watched the Pokémon in amazement. None had seen a battle so intense. During the fight, Articuno noticed a deep sorrow in the Charizard's eye rather than spite or hate. Articuno realized that the dragon Pokémon was not acting on its own will and was being forced to battle. As the fight wore on, Articuno gained the upper hand and gave Charizard a Wing Attack to the face. Charizard received the full blow and started falling down. As Charizard hurtled towards the ground, Articuno felt extremely guilty for Charizard. In the distance, Ariana smirked. The Articuno had fallen for the trick. When the Articuno glided down to get a closer look, Charizard struck and gravely injured the Articuno. A deep gash appeared in its skin and dark red blood soon started to taint the beautiful blue and white fur. Though gravely unstable, Articuno landed safely and slumped on the ground. Quickly, the grunts threw a net over the Articuno to ensure it would not escape. While this unfolded, Ariana grinned evilly. Her dream, it would finally come true. Now she could report her success and impress the only one she cared about. Ariana raised her radio transceiver to tell her friends the news. "Articuno has fallen."

A/N: Hope you enjoyed the Prologue