While returning to Blaine's on Rapidash, Gancena planned. Five days. Five days until one more confrontation with Team Rocket and Giovanni… and to the confrontation with Mewtwo. Gancena was so certain that he wouldn't take well to his hiding place becoming a battleground but what else could they do?

Preparing was the important thing. They needed to be ready. They needed to go to each of the birds and gain League authority to get into the cave.

If Red was up to it, they could go to the Seafoam Islands immediately after telling Blaine all they'd learned. She wasn't sure how long that would take but she was hoping it'd be less than a day… then they'd have to Fly to the Power Plant to the northeast, past Cerulean City, and exploring that would probably be its own day. Then they'd have to double back to the Indigo Plateau and the cavern before it, known as Victory Road. Another day—three so far, one for each bird. Then there was the Elite Four… if they could do that in a day, they'd make it just in time to get to Cerulean Cave before Team Rocket even made a move.

Gancena felt a vague exhaustion in her limbs just thinking about it, but it paled in comparison to the tension in her chest, to her shallow breathing, to images of clocks ticking and the world rushing by.

Though she supposed if Team Rocket attacked before Red could defeat the Elite Four, then surely an exception could be made for the world's safety. She realized it was just a little easier to be Champion and have authority rather than ask for permission.

The birds were the most important thing, then.

Gancena held Rapidash's reins firmly and she occasionally glanced at Biran next to them. Rapidash had slowed his pace compared to going to the old manor but Biran kept up well. He even almost dashed ahead a couple times, prompting Rapidash to pick up speed.

Blaine, Derek, his Rapidash, and Beatrix awaited them all at the manor. Rapidash slowed to a stop to let Gancena and Red climb off, but Biran went straight to his mother, neighing apologetically.

Gancena watched Rapidash go to his family, to greet his mate and talk about Biran's behavior.

"He was quite courageous, going after you like that," Blaine said to Gancena.

"Yeah. He was. In fact, he saved us. We would have still been struggling with that Thoughtless' eerie song if he hadn't landed on its head." Gancena turned to Biran's family. "Don't be… too mad at him. He really turned things in our favor!"

"So there were more… I'm sorry I didn't notice," Blaine said, sighing.

"Don't worry about that. Worry about getting all the Gym Leaders to Cerulean Cave in five days," Gancena said.

Blaine paused. "Derek, I'll be inside with these two. Do as you will."

"Yes, sir."

Blaine beckoned for Red and Gancena to follow and he opened the door to his manor. Rapidash and his family stayed outside.

Gancena made her way inside and listened to Red, Ash, and Pikachu murmur in awe while she gathered up Haunter and Floss' Poké Balls again.

Floss joined in at ogling the interior while Haunter said, "The place barely changes, but it's as lovely as ever. It's strange that I'm here and Mr. Fuji isn't, though."

"But it's all for a noble cause. He'll be happy to hear we were able to meet," Blaine reminded. "Now, my office, please."

Gancena smiled fondly. She considered looking at Blaine's research notes again and comparing them to the journal but there probably wouldn't be time. Not now at least.

Once everyone was seated, Blaine began. "I presume the reason you tell me to gather the others is Mewtwo?"

"Sort of…" Gancena started.

"Team Rocket's going there!" Red exclaimed. "They're going to try and capture Mewtwo!"

Blaine leaned his head over his cane. "Of course they are. Giovanni wants his Pokémon."

"That's exactly what Gancena said when we figured it out!"

"So you found the journal about his creation."

"Yeah," Gancena confirmed. "I've only had time to read a little but what I have read was enough."

"How did you manage to find out when they'll attack?"

Gancena sat up straighter. "Mew told me."

Blaine looked back up at her. "How?"

"In person. Doing the voice projection thing that Alakazam did. I mean, I still have no proof other than my word—"

"Alas!" Blaine exclaimed. "The day someone who claims to see Mew has indisputable proof to share with the world will be a great day for all who study Pokémon."

Gancena chuckled. "At least Red can back me up this time."

"But with no tangible proof, it's merely another urban legend," Blaine sighed. "I completely believe you, but most won't."

Gancena paused and swallowed. "It's happened several times, as a matter of fact… the first time, it transformed into a Lapras to take me back to Pallet Town."

"Blazes! Well, that explains that!" Blaine interjected. "But don't mind me. When else?"

"The second time was in the Safari Zone, when I wasn't sure which way to go. It was just a glance, though. But this is the first time Mew's appeared in front of me while I was with others."

Haunter floated forward. "We're telling you this now because they're expecting League officials to retaliate once they've defeated any guards at the cave. But thanks to Mew, we have the upper hand."

"Mew also said that the legendary birds are going to… loan me their power," Gancena said. "Come to think, I'm not entirely sure how but it does mean we'll be heading to Seafoam after this—well, we'll head to Seafoam immediately if Red's up to it."

"I'm up to it!" Red said. "The world's depending on us finding Articuno!"

Blaine practically shot out of his seat. "You're going to the Seafoam Islands on your own!?"

Gancena blinked. "…Yes."

"They've already made up their mind," Haunter said. "I explained the dangers of the cave already, and they've thought it over and even purchased appropriate clothing for it."

"More than I imagined possible," Gancena answered, scratching the back of her head.

"Shiimeji, you can't be serious," Blaine said. "You of all people should know what's too dangerous for humans their age."

"I can be, and I am. And, let me be frank: What would you do to stop us, anyway? Gancena has unique abilities and Red is a talented Trainer. Perhaps this unlikely team is the most likely to succeed at Seafoam."

Light glinted off Blaine's glasses. He paused before answering. "It's true that at the end of the day, I cannot move or stop you or anyone else. But I simply cannot, in good conscience, let you go if I can help it."

"Gancena's going to need you to believe in her."

"Eh?" Gancena said.

"That's right," Haunter confirmed. "Gancena is the leader of this quest, and it has led her to Seafoam. She literally has to be able to do it."

"If it helps at all, I can invoke the same rules as usual," Gancena cut in. "If it gets too close for comfort, I'll send Red back."

"Of course you will," said Haunter. "But I'm saying if your friend Blaine doubts you, and then you go on to doubt yourself, even for a moment, then surely we will fail!"

Gancena hadn't thought of it that way. All this time, Blaine had supported her quest, despite its… strangeness. It was true that Seafoam held its dangers, but everything in Gancena screamed that it was possible. She just had to keep moving. What would she think, deep in the cold caves, if Blaine told her no?

She looked at Blaine, still staring intently at Haunter.

Blaine sighed. "Just… be careful," he finally said.

"We will," Gancena said.

Blaine allowed himself a small smile. "…What else will you do, once you've made it out?"

"Well…" Gancena answered, "We're actually hoping to take on the Elite Four. Well—More like Red's going to take on the Elite Four. Mew pointed out that even though an exception could probably be made, it'd just be easier for Red to become Champion and just have the authority to take us in there."

Blaine laughed and turned to Red. "I have no doubt you'll make a fine Champion at some point in your life! I simply didn't expect it'd be this soon. I wish you luck with it, then. If you succeed, you'll be the youngest Champion in the history of the Indigo Pokémon League!"

"But he still needs the last badge," Haunter pointed out.

Gancena almost jumped in her seat. "Oh, that's right! What do we do now, since Giovanni's been kicked? Is there a replacement Gym leader?"

Blaine leaned back in his chair. "I think Red's done done more than enough to each earn an Earth Badge. It's merely a matter of getting it to you. I'll make the arrangements immediately—and pass on your information, at your discretion? What may I say?"

"Um… Mew's probably not going to want to be found out just yet. It was concerned about the Rockets trying to catch it if it showed up at the cave, even. And just leave the legendary birds to us. I think they just want me to talk to them," said Gancena.

"Very well. Many of us in the League already trust you, Gancena. I can't guarantee I can get the help of the Elite Four, but surely most of us Gym Leaders will take you on your word."

"What about Sabrina?" Red asked. "Can't she confirm this?"

"She can't sense everything at once, nor does she always control what she sees. If that were the case, we probably would have known about Giovanni and Team Rocket much sooner."

"Plus there was that psychic block from the Thoughtless…" Gancena added.

"Regardless, we'll see what happens. You'd all best be preparing to head for the Seafoam Islands. I'll handle everything else."

"Thank you, Blaine," Gancena said. "We really couldn't have done this without you."

"And Kanto would probably be in worse shape without you." Blaine stood and waved his cane. "Go on, then! Get moving!"

Red and the Pokémon practically scrambled out of the office, Haunter cackling jovially, and Ash waited for Gancena just beyond the door.

"Pika-pika?" she called.

Gancena finally remembered what she'd meant to say the first time she was on Cinnabar. "Ashie, tell Red to go on ahead. There's one more thing I'd like to talk to Blaine about myself."

Ash tilted her head, ears slightly falling. "Pika-chu," she finally said, turning and running after the others.

"Is something the matter, Gancena?" Blaine asked behind her.

Gancena took a deep breath and closed the door. "Yeah. I should let you know now before I forget again."

"Go on."

Gancena hesitated for just a moment, knowing that what she would say had huge potential to be shocking. But there was no other way to say it. "Cinnabar Volcano's going to erupt within the next three years."

Blaine didn't immediately say anything. He didn't even flinch. Instead, he merely sighed and looked out the window. "I thought you might say that."

Gancena felt a chill go from her shoulders down to her center. "…You knew, didn't you?"

"Yes. I'm a scientist in multiple fields. I've been observing that volcano all my life. The ground's been swelling and more and more gasses have been venting out. Three years sounds about the right timeframe."

"…So what will you do?"

"I am the protectorate of this island. This isn't the first time I've prevented an eruption."

"…Really?"

"If you'll recall, there are Fire-types able to withstand the heat of magma itself. I simply need to decide which is the best point on the volcano to dig into to relieve the pressure and have a team of them do it."

Gancena blinked. "Oh." The solution was so brilliantly simple that she never would have thought of it.

"You've seen the magma flow near my Gym," Blaine reminded.

Gancena realized, "Was that from another time…?"

"Yes. And even if it somehow weren't enough, I've spent much of my life creating and refining the evacuation and rebuilding plans. I wouldn't leave Cinnabar just because the volcano erupted." He approached her and gave her a firm, grateful handshake. "I appreciate your concern. Don't worry about us. Worry about getting to those birds on time!"

Gancena laughed. "Yes, sir!"

Outside, Rapidash sat with Biran. Derek had already led his Rapidash and Beatrix away, but Biran had spoken to his father about something extremely important to him. Now it was just a matter of seeing how Gancena and Blaine felt about it.

The moment Gancena stepped out the door, Biran trotted back up to her eagerly.

"Hi, again," she greeted. She glanced at Rapidash. "And to you, too!"

Biran lightly kicked his front hoof along the ground before pressing his head onto her chest.

Gancena laughed and stroked his neck. "Aw… You're really great, you know. You helped us out so much back there." Then she stepped back and continued, "I gotta get going. The others are probably already waiting for me."

She began to walk away but Biran dashed ahead to stop her.

"…Is something wrong?"

Biran began to neigh but he remembered that she'd been pretty unsure what other Pokémon had been saying in earlier encounters. So he paused before sitting down and carefully raising his front hoof.

"Biran?"

He carefully prodded the side of her belt where she kept her Poké Balls.

Gancena had no clue what to make of it, but she wasn't about to stop him. She looked Biran in the eye and saw clearly the shine of young courage and budding determination. She knew.

"You… are you asking to come with me?"

Biran nodded firmly.

Gancena's heart jumped. "Do the others know?"

Biran jerked his head in the general direction of his father. When Gancena looked to him, he nodded.

Gancena bit her lip. "This is a big decision you're making. You should talk to the rest of your family. And to Derek and especially to Blaine. They deserve to know you're at least thinking about it."

Thinking about it!? Biran stood up and whinnied in protest. He was certain that he had to journey with Gancena and stop whatever it was that had attacked the old manor.

"Hey, I'm just saying it out of concern!" Gancena answered, holding up her hands. "It'd be bad if you just dashed off without telling anyone… Plus, I guess they'd be wondering how you did it. I mean, we're going to be crossing the ocean…"

Biran froze. That's right. The ocean. But if Gancena was there, she would help him! Right?

He pressed his head against her chest again.

Gancena sighed. "You'd be really great to have on my team… especially since we're going to the Seafoam Islands. You wouldn't like going there but you'd be a little better off than most of us inside."

Biran backed up and raised his head. Gancena placed her hand between his ears.

"Listen. Red and I have to get there as soon as possible. If you're sure—really sure—about coming with me, talk to Blaine. Ask him about the Thoughtless. It's important you understand what they are. Okay?"

Biran nodded, snorting, and he dashed over to the door of the manor.

Gancena briefly watched him scratch it with his hoof before continuing.

At the Pokémon Center, Red switched out Dugtrio for Venusaur. Type-wise, it wouldn't make much of a difference against Articuno, but Venusaur did have Poison Powder which could gain them a slight edge. That, and there weren't many other Pokémon Red had who were up to par in terms of experience.

Meanwhile, Gancena stood in a unisex bathroom stall, her Pokémon waiting patiently outside, changing into as much of the winter gear as she could without sticking out—in her mind, everything but the windbreaker and gloves. She was thinking mostly about the Pokémon's collective safety. They had no gear of their own but were just as susceptible as Red and Gancena were.

She asked through the door, "Haunter, are you affected by the cold at all?"

"The cold itself isn't a problem," he said, "but I am very light. Literally as light as a feather. The wind would definitely push me around. Even if that weren't the case, I can be buffeted by the blizzard as much as anyone else on your teams. I'm afraid I can't perpetually stay outside my Ball."

Gancena had memories of hail and sandstorms whittling away her Pokémon's health in game battles. "Right… and that's going to go for Charizard, too…" Gancena realized. "So maybe our initial plan of having him out as a heater isn't going to work as well as we hoped…"

"It might work better if you can get through part of the caves on your own," Haunter suggested. "Remember: The deeper you go, the colder it gets."

"All right, then," Gancena declared, tying up her boots. "Let's just do as much as we can on our own, call our Pokémon only when we really need them, and when it gets to be a certain amount of cold, Red can call out Charizard. I'll let him know once I'm out of here."

Gancena shared her thoughts with Red through the bathroom door when it was his turn to change, and he agreed with her plans. As soon as he came out of the stall, the two recalled all their Pokémon and zipped them away snugly in the deep pockets of their windbreakers. Red had already put his on but Gancena draped hers over her shoulders. As soon as they were at shore, Red sent out Blastoise, and they set out to sea.

Gancena thought of testing the water with her hand but decided not to. Instead, she placed her gloves on her lap, tugging them on when the air started to get colder. She tucked her hands under her knees, hoping to save a bit of warmth.

There was just enough coastline around each of the mountains for Blastoise to set onto properly. It was all covered in snow. The ocean waves could do nothing more than turn it to slush.

Now Red and Gancena were able to notice other details about the mountains. The layer of snow over them was occasionally broken with translucent ice. Only one mountain had a small entrance. Gancena, at least, would have to crouch a bit to get in.

It was chilly, comparable to a frosty winter morning—nothing dangerous but still cold enough to warrant wearing a good jacket. She swept her windbreaker around her and slipped its hood on and was decidedly more comfortable. She turned to Red as he finished recalling Blastoise. "Ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," he said.

"I'm going first," Gancena declared. "To Articuno."

"To Articuno," Red repeated.

Gancena lowered her head and shoulders to shuffle into the entrance, seeing only fractured light ahead. As she got closer, she realized that the little tunnel was shifting upwards the farther she went in, and she basically had to crawl up the last part, squinting against cold wind and flurrying snowflakes.

Then she emerged fully inside the cave. It was a capsule of a winter storm, light pouring in through the ice, tinting everything a gorgeous light blue.

Absolutely beautiful.

She turned back to check on Red just in time to see him stand inside the caverns for the first time.

"It really is cold!" he exclaimed.

"Do you often get snow in Kanto?"

"Not really… the north does in the winter, sometimes…"

"Huh. Sounds a bit like my home." She paused to survey the area. The light coming through the ice was enough to completely illuminate it. Rocks jutted from the ground. The wind whirled the snow around in an erratic path. The place really didn't seem that much different from a wide, snowy field. "Well, let's get started. Stick with me, Red."

Red asked, "What exactly are we looking for here? How do we know we're getting closer to Articuno?"

"I…I'm not sure…"

"Do you remember?"

"No, but this part of it doesn't seem too big. We should find something sooner or later."

Red immediately started looking for anything that might hint at a path forward, but Gancena just listened to the wind whistle by.

Then something small and red began to scuttle in the distance. When Red and Gancena looked, they saw a small crab-like Pokémon with fairly big eyes. It glanced at them, and it began to move faster. Then its path sloped downward and it seemed to disappear.

"Follow that Krabby!" Gancena cried. "I think it just went lower into the cave!" Gancena grabbed Red's hand and started running, only to slide on the ice, dragging Red with her. They braced for impact against the opposite wall of the cave. Once they hit, they used it to steady themselves.

"You okay?" Gancena called. "I didn't like pull anything too hard on you, did I?"

"No, you didn't," Red answered.

"Okay, no more of that," Gancena declared, letting him go. "Gotta be way more careful than that." Then the two noticed a dip in the floor that seemed to lead to a path that was flush with the wall of the cavern below. "Let's try this way."

Red let Gancena lead. Both took small, careful steps. The ice covering the slope was markedly smoother from other Pokémon climbing up and down. Then Red's foot slipped and he slid into Gancena, who fell onto her back and practically on top of Red before they both slid down the downward path and straight to a bluster of snow and wind.

This part of the cave was noticeably darker than where they'd just been but light still shone through parts of the walls and ceiling. It was much bigger than the floor above. More rock formations and plateaus of varying heights were scattered throughout.

Gancena scrambled off Red and onto her hands and knees. "Are you okay!?"

"That hurt."

"Can you move!?"

Red sat up, wincing. "I think so. I think your arm hit me when you fell down."

"I'm sorry! Do you need an apple?"

"I don't think so."

"Really? But you said it hurt?"

"It feels kind of like when someone's running and they accidentally bump into you."

"I… see. If it gets worse, you let me know, okay?"

Red nodded, and the two stood up carefully. Just as they felt secure in their footing, they heard a loud, fast slapping sound along the ice and from behind a set of rocks came an angry-looking Dewgong, a white, seal-like Pokémon. It opened its mouth and fired an Ice Beam that landed above Red and Gancena's heads, creating a new ice crystal at its point of impact.

"Gancena, what type is that!?"

"Water and Ice! Try Pikachu!"

Red shuffled in his pocket quickly for Pikachu's Poké Ball. When the Dewgong came closer, too close for comfort, Gancena tugged him away and reached into her own pocket, hoping to get Ash. She felt the notches of the Great Ball immediately and tossed it with one hand.

It turned out that they'd found and tossed their Poké Balls at the same time. As Ash and Pikachu landed on all fours on the ice, Gancena and Red fell forward chest-first.

"Thunderbolt, Thunderbolt!" Gancena commanded.

Ash tried to line herself up with Pikachu but ended up sliding into him. Pikachu managed to keep his ground and the two unleashed a combination Thunderbolt which stopped the Dewgong cold. It almost slumped over but instead turned tail and ran off, yelping.

Gancena sat up and Red stood, blinking against the snow. Gancena felt the small weight of accumulated flakes caught on her lashes and eyebrows.

Ash made her way over to Gancena, mostly managing to keep her footing. She stepped atop Gancena's boot before clinging to her pantleg.

Gancena sighed, smiling. "You are just a little magnet, aren't you?" She held up Ash's Great Ball. "Thanks for your help. Stay in here so you don't get cold." Ash made a sad noise as she was recalled but otherwise didn't protest.

"Same with you, Pikachu," said Red, recalling Pikachu.

"Keep him in reach," Gancena suggested. "Many of the Pokémon around here are Water-types, and based on what Haunter said about them being aggressive…"

"Yeah. So… which way from here?"

"Let's see where that Dewgong went," she suggested.

They made their way over slowly and checked behind the rocks Dewgong had come from. The ice and snow appeared intact.

"It was here, right?" Red asked.

"I think so…?" Gancena shook her head. "If we can't find it, don't worry about it. There's gotta be another way down somewhere. We need to search the entire floor if we have to."

"All right."

With careful steps, the two made their way to the nearest edge of the cave and started walking alongside it, prodding and searching as they went.

Already, the chill was sinking in, particularly around their faces. It was an alarmingly long time until they looped back around to where they'd come in. No Pokémon had bothered them, but occasionally they would see a Kingler, the bigger and slightly more orange evolution of Krabby, eyeing their movements. They'd found nothing, and they were colder still, and they had no idea how to get lower into the cave.

Gancena started to walk towards the center of the cave, rubbing her face on her sleeve, feeling snowflakes fall from there. "Maybe it's up on one of the plateaus?" She looked back at Red, shielding his face, and said, "Stay here and focus on keeping warm. I'm going to keep looking."

"I think we can do it faster if I look, too. My fingers are kinda starting to get cold through the gloves."

Gancena nodded. "Okay. Fair enough. But if you even think you're losing feeling in your fingers or anywhere else, stop and bring out Charizard, okay?"

Red nodded. "Okay."

"And let me know if you find a way down!"

"You, too!"

She first watched Red approach the nearest plateau before proceeding to one a little farther away. As she got closer, she noticed part of it was covered in significantly less ice than the surrounding edge. She tentatively took a step and then climbed onto the plateau on all fours.

The top of the plateau had an intact cover of snow. It appeared perfectly flat. Gancena thought it was a shame to have to break such a pristine area, especially if there ended up being nothing there, but the wind kept blowing, the snow kept whirling, and the cold persisted. They couldn't afford to overlook anything.

Gancena moved slowly, brushing clumps of snow aside with her boots as she moved, trying to find any oddity at all. Though the cold continued to nip at her face and threatened to sink through her pants and the tips of her gloves, she was otherwise fairly comfortable.

She would occasionally glance in Red's direction. He was alone—a good sign, just in this case. It meant no Pokémon were bothering him and that the cold hadn't numbed him yet.

Gancena continued her task, and even though she was seeing the snow and rock and hearing the wind and feeling the snow, part of her mind began to drift to nowhere in particular. Moments later, it was as though she was watching the entire thing happen to somebody else.

She did vaguely notice when she reached the edge of her plateau with nothing of note to show or tell for it, she didn't actually see where the edge was, and one wrong step sent her sliding down the other side, the rocks continually rutting against her butt.

When she hit solid ground, she stopped for a moment to gauge the pain. It had felt like a rough ride down hard stairs, and she found she could stand up fairly easily. It'd probably end up another bruise unless she had an apple later.

Gancena looked for Red, and noticed the flame of Charizard's tail before he, carrying his Trainer, came to a landing in front of her.

"Nothing over there," Red reported.

"Me, neither," Gancena sighed. "How're you holding up?"

"Fine. I just decided to fly on Charizard because it'd be faster."

"I don't blame you at all." She looked towards the final and tallest plateau, near the wall opposite them. "Shall we check that one together, then?"

"Yeah. Can you get on?"

"Can Charizard handle two of us?"

"It'll just be a second. Right, Charizard?"

Charizard growled affirmatively and nodded.

Gancena mounted herself onto Charizard's back. As Charizard took off and flew them to the final plateau, Gancena briefly pressed her chin to Red's hood. Cold on the surface but not quite the same cold as the snow. Good.

Charizard let out a startled noise before suddenly diving, out of the way of what appeared to be a harsh Bubblebeam.

"One of the crabs," Gancena guessed aloud. Charizard landed, and she immediately said, "Take him back. Maybe they'll lose sight of us."

Red recalled Charizard and he and Gancena waited. Nothing happened. They relaxed.

"Okay. Let's start searching, yeah?"

Red nodded and set off in one direction, and Gancena went in the other, already shuffling snow out of her way.

One edge of last plateau hugged the wall, and there, Gancena noticed an odd depression. Heart jumping, she approached.

When she was just a step away from it, she slipped straight into it and slid wildly for several terrifying seconds. She ended up taking an inches-long fall from the end of the passage to the ground, but the impact hurt.

From her place on the ground, she noticed several soft glows from pouring down from the ceiling, probably remaining light filtering through the ice on the floor above.

Gancena looked to the distance and realized that this floor of the caverns was much wider than the ones above. This, she realized, was where the two islands were connected. Gancena thought she could hear a sound like a muffled river just under the whistling winds.

Gancena breathed into her hands and clasped them. Red needed to know. She began to shuffle around in her pocket for Haunter's Poké Ball. She thought she heard Red yelling behind her, and a second later, he'd landed on top of her, jamming her arm harshly into the ground.

Red scrambled off Gancena when she yelled. "Are you okay!?"

Gancena began to roll off her arm but realized halfway through that it wasn't rolling with her the way she expected. She lay on her side and looked.

Her forearm was bent farther back than it was supposed to. She tried moving her fingers. They twitched normally.

Gancena's stomach dropped. The arm itself didn't hurt, not beyond having just been landed harshly on, but part of her mind raced anyway. Nineteen years and nothing like this had ever happened to her.

"It's broken," she realized aloud.

Red looked and gasped. "Gancena!"

"An apple," Gancena said, trying to delicately hold her arm in place. "Get in my backpack and get me an apple! Quick!"

Red leaned over to unzip Gancena's backpack, and she decided to focus on the sounds of him pushing things around to get to the apples. "Will it work?"

"It'd better!" she shouted. "Otherwise… otherwise, I don't know!"

Red thrusted the apple in her face and, keeping her broken arm as still as possible, took it and began to eat. She was surprised at how warm it was in comparison to the air around her—it really seemed that the chill of the storm hadn't gotten inside.

She inelegantly tried to turn the apple in her non-dominant left hand when she felt her arm throb once in pain. She let herself bite deeply into the flesh, and the pain was gone as quickly as it'd come. She continued, eating quickly, and stared intently at her arm. The angle already looked better. Correct, even, but she couldn't yet be sure. She finished it to the core, taking in as much as she could scrape off.

The only things bothering her then were a wave of anxious nausea, a tingling in her arm, and the cold continuing to whip at her and Red.

"Did it work?" Red asked. "Are you okay?"

Gancena tentatively made a fist. Then she slowly sat up, watching her arm. It moved correctly. Everything felt right. She lightly grasped at her elbow. Everything felt right there. Nothing even hurt. She moved up her forearm. Everything seemed fine there, too.

"I… I think I'm fine now," Gancena said. She gave a heavy sigh, watching her breath fog. "It worked. Thank goodness for that."

"So now what?"

Gancena sniffed, then breathed into her hands, clasping them. "We gotta search this floor, too. I'll let you know if I need help again."

Red and Gancena stood and decided to first search the perimeter of the floor. They found nothing pointing to a way down. By then, Gancena's teeth began to chatter and she'd crossed her arms in hopes of keeping her hands warmer longer.

"Gancena, my fingers feel a little weird," Red said.

"Shit," Gancena whispered under her breath. "That does it. Get Charizard out here."

"Right," said Red, unzipping his pocket again. "Oh! And his tail can give us some light, too!" he added as he found and tossed Charizard's Poké Ball.

When Charizard emerged, he briefly shrank back from the cold and didn't need to be told to enlarge his tail flame.

Red and Gancena scooted closer to it. Gancena didn't remove her hands from her underarms. Red put his as close to the flame as he could.

"Better?" Gancena asked.

"Better."

"We need to keep searching while Charizard's still going strong. Once he tires out, we're basically on our own…"

"How long do you think that'll take?"

"Not sure… Just keep an eye on him, yeah? Don't let him hurt himself trying to keep the flame going."

"Okay. You hear that, Charizard? Let us know if you need to return."

Charizard nodded. The search continued slowly, thoroughly, and fruitlessly. Charizard didn't seem to be bothered but his flame did gradually roll back into its original size. Gancena felt the cold slowly sink into her legs and back, and she knew that whatever she was feeling, Red would have it worse.

"Okay," Gancena finally declared through somewhat chattering teeth. "If-f-f we can't find anything by the time Charizard needs to res-s-s-t, we're turning around and leaving. I'm not letting you freeze over my j-job."

"What!?" Red said. "B-But what about Articuno?"

"Here's what I'm th-h-hinking, Red. We already know a way down here. We'll get back in far less-s-s time with f-far more energy, s-see?"

"I'm s-s-sorry," said Red.

"It's no-o-ot your f-f-fault. I was w-w-warned."

"Bu-u-t Mew wouldn't l-let you freeze, right? He's your guide."

Gancena took a second to breathe and spoke with firm control over her voice. "That's what I hope. I need to speak with—" A loud crack snapped Gancena out of her thoughts.

Everyone looked. The ice had cracked deeply under Charizard's foot. A second later, the ice beneath him sank and gave way. Red and Gancena fell, but Charizard instinctively took to the air when he lost his footing.

Red and Gancena fell with a shout to an even darker floor and a heavy current of water. It was warm compared to the rest of the cave, and so to the chilled Trainers, it was searing. In their first brief second underwater, they each let out a surprised, pained noise.

The current carried them to the surface for several seconds. Gancena tried to find Red but could only catch the light from Charizard as he flew close to the surface of the water to firmly grab Red and fly out of the water's reach.

Gancena would have sighed in relief. She instead tried to maintain control of herself and took in a deep breath with several ragged, interrupted gasps before being swept under again.

Red and Charizard saw it all from the air. "Gancena!" Red called. He glanced hurriedly around. The river they'd fallen into was between a pair of craggy rocks. Red pointed to a flat-looking spot and said, "Charizard, put me down there!"

Charizard did and remained airborne, ready for more orders. But neither of them could see Gancena.

No human would last long under a current like that, nor would a Fire-type Pokémon.

For a terrifying second, Red didn't know what to do.

Gancena couldn't do anything but keep her breath held and her eyes shut as she was tumbled around by the waves. This was it, she thought. She was going to lose her first life, either by drowning or by being slammed into something.

Selene! She cried out. Help me! But with what? Getting her out? Making her death hurt less? Understanding what it was like to die?

Gancena strained not to exhale. Already, she thought she could see a single point of light in the darkness behind her eyes.

Selene? She called.

It grew for just one second, and Gancena felt herself floating up on something hard but round. She had no idea what it was. She tried moving her hand and wasn't any more sure.

Open your eyes.

She wasn't sure if it was her own instinct or Selene telling her to but with only a heartbeat's hesitation, Gancena opened her eyes and was able to make out the shape of Blastoise's head and shell.

Gancena stared in awe and relief. Red…

Blastoise had just finished pulling out his cannons. A current surged out of them.

For one second, they stopped. The next, they were moving against the current of the river.

Gancena took a chance and exhaled.

Red, Charizard, and Pikachu watched the surface fearfully. Pikachu's Flash had lit up the cave around them, and Red thought he kept seeing slim silhouettes under the water and kept hoping that he'd see a bigger one any second…

"Pi-i!" Pikachu cried, pointing.

Red looked and gasped. A big, round shadow, coming closer and closer to the surface—

Blastoise shot out of the water and landed just beyond the point where they'd all fallen down to begin with. As Blastoise began to swim powerfully towards them, they finally caught sight of Gancena, taking in a gasp before breathing heavily.

"Gancena!" Red called.

Gancena looked at him and briefly raised her hand in acknowledgement before clutching to Blastoise's shell.

"Charizard, go get her!" Red commanded, and Charizard flew above his teammate to reach for Gancena. She shoved herself from Blastoise's shell to let him scoop her up and return to the plateau. From there, Red directly recalled Blastoise.

Charizard placed Gancena safely by her friends. Pikachu and Red practically tackled her into a hug.

"Gancena! Are you okay!?" Red asked.

"Gimme a second!" Gancena panted, loosely draping an arm around Red's shoulders. They waited as Gancena slowly steadied her breathing. When she could, she looked at Red and said, "Red… Red, you just saved my life."

"Are you gonna be okay?"

"Yeah! Yeah… So…"

"Blastoise had the best chance of getting you out of there. I told him to find you and come back if he could…"

"And he did," Gancena said. "Jegus… If I'd come alone and that had happened, I literally would have died."

Red hugged her again, tightly. "I'm sorry!"

"For what? We're all okay now…"

"I don't know! I just… I got scared! If I didn't do something, then you would've died and it would've been my fault!" he said.

"No, it wouldn't—"

"Yes, it would!" Red sobbed, and Gancena's heart jumped. "I know you have three lives, but—I came because I wanted to help and I almost didn't!"

Gancena couldn't think of anything else to say. The sound of Red's crying made her teary-eyed. She sat and let him go on, shushing and soothing. Pikachu and Charizard joined in, with Pikachu making himself snug between their shoulders and Charizard gently leaning his head against theirs.

Once Red was a bit calmer, she glanced up to survey what she could see of the floor of the cave. It was almost completely dark. The lights from the Pokémon only revealed the shape of the ground of their immediate area. There was a hole in the ceiling fairly close by where the ice had broken.

But farther away, on the other side of the cave floor, was a brighter shaft of light that crawled along down a wall and onto a large, rounded ice crystal.

Gancena's heart jumped, and she lightly tapped Red's shoulder. "Red… I think we've found something."

Red raised his head. "What?"

"Turn around."

Red looked and gasped quietly when he saw the faraway light. "Is that where Articuno is?"

"Probably. We've got to go look." Gancena stood, helping Red up. "Get Pidgeot so we can Fly over. Give Charizard a bit of a break." Red started shuffling in his pocket for another Poké Ball.

Red sent out Pidgeot and Gancena approached him quickly only to stop and take a step back when he shook and fluffed his feathers briefly. Gancena nearly scrambled onto his back and looked to see Red and Pikachu perched properly on Charizard.

"Okay, let's go! To the light!" Gancena called.

The two lifted off at once, staying close and flapping hard to cut through the wind. It seemed to get a bit stronger as they got closer to the crystal.

Gancena almost worried that they'd be blown back but then they suddenly snapped right through and actually had to stop quickly in order to not hit the wall behind it.

The storm wasn't active here. The air wasn't even as cold as it had been, feeling more like it just outside the cave.

They were hovering right above the ice crystal.

"Okay, guys, land right here," Red said, and the two fluttered carefully down.

Now that they were close, the silhouette of Articuno was clear in the ice.

"It's been resting here…" Gancena said. She glanced at Red to see him taking out Pidgeot and Charizard's Poké Ball but she interjected, "Keep them out for a bit. I think we'll need it. In fact…" Gancena pulled out her own Poké Balls and, one at a time, let her Pokémon out to see where they were.

Ash was first and she gave a little shiver before looking up at Gancena, pointing at her face, and exclaiming several things in rapid succession.

Red laughed. "She's wondering how you got all that ice on your face." He pulled out a different Poké Ball to let Pikachu out.

Gancena brushed her hand over her face and stared at the clumps of snowflakes left on her glove. Then she tossed Floss' Poké Ball. The moment she emerged, Ash started chattering to her. Floss started to giggle when she looked up at Gancena.

"All right, all right," she said, pulling out Haunter's Poké Ball and crouching to their level. "Brush it off my face for me, yeah?"

She turned briefly to toss the Poké Ball, and saw Pikachu already brushing Red's face clean.

She heard Haunter emerge while Floss and Ash rubbed their small warm hands all over her cold face, but he didn't say anything for a few seconds.

"Shiimeji?" she finally asked.

"You've really done it," he said. "You found Articuno."

With a last gentle brush to her hairline, Floss backed away from Gancena's face. Ash grabbed on to her hood as she stood back up, working her way back to her shoulder.

Gancena looked at Articuno then. How long had it been resting here in the ice? Had anyone else ever found it? And how were they going to get it to come out—

"Articuno, the Freeze Pokémon," the electronic voice of Red's Pokédex suddenly said. "Height seven feet. Weight one hundred and thirty pounds. A Pokémon previously thought to exist only in legends, Articuno can control ice and create blizzards by freezing moisture in the air."

Red grinned. "You know… Blue can't say he's ever done anything like this."

The ice suddenly cracked with an almost musical noise. Then another crack appeared with a louder sound and then a third came all the way down the ice with a loud thundering break.

The cracks began to multiply and split until it the ice was a lattice of fine lines and the entire thing exploded in a burst of snow.

Articuno themself rose above its former bed, a beautiful blue bird with a long, shimmering tail. Their ruby red eyes glared at Red. "Child, do you mock me?" an irritated voice echoed through the cave.

"Wh-what?" Red asked. "No."

"How is Red mocking you? He was collecting Pokédex data," Gancena intervened.

Articuno partially relaxed and turned their gaze to Gancena. "I am not some thing to be examined and nitpicked by the masses. I only waited here at the request of others for a human who can solve this recent plague of… Thoughtless."

"That's me!" Gancena said. "I'm Gancena."

Articuno allowed themself to land before the group, elegantly folding their wings back. "Yes, your face and voice match the image Mew gave me."

Haunter asked, "Did Mew also grant you the ability to speak?"

"Temporarily, yes," said Articuno. "But such details are trifle. What's important right now is that I test you all in battle, particularly Gancena. If you are able to defeat me, I will carve a faster way out for you. If you cannot, I will send you down the river on a floe of ice and be sent outside the islands. You will have to make your way back in yourselves."

"No way!" Red cried. "That river almost killed Gancena!"

"Left alone, it is treacherous to humans," Articuno cut in, "but the flow can be softened with the placement of boulders or ice formations. I would make it so before sending you away."

"What if, hypothetically, we were to just… leave?" Haunter asked. "It doesn't seem at all like you're eager to have us here."

"Gancena's ability to use the Runestone would be severely impeded."

Gancena's stomach dropped. "…How? I mean, why?"

Articuno slowly shook their head. "I wasn't told why or how, only that you'll need our power for the journeys ahead. Your guide was very insistent."

Gancena glanced at the ground. Selene hadn't said anything like that. She hadn't even mentioned Gancena using the Rune… right?

"Pay attention!" Articuno exclaimed, and when Gancena looked back up, they continued. "All of you must be willing and able to use everything at your disposal to fight me, for foes such as Team Rocket won't abide by any set of human rules. They will continue to be ruthless to reach their goals."

Articuno suddenly raised their wings. "Combat me, then. Show me how you intend to protect this world from them!"

Articuno suddenly rose up and flapped their wings rapidly in a mighty Gust attack. Ash and Floss held on to Gancena's pantleg. Haunter was blown away with a startled scream. Pidgeot let himself be taken airborne by the wind but rode it out as though flying through a wind tunnel. Charizard stood his ground, not moving an inch.

The Gust stopped and Articuno flew over everyone and into the darkness. Everyone turned to watch them and Gancena called, "Hey! Shiimeji! Are you okay!?"

She strained to listen and thought she heard a noise like his voice but it was greatly swallowed by the sounds of wind and water. She couldn't see anything but the other point of light.

"What should we do?" Red asked.

Gancena had ideas right away. "Have Pikachu use Flash so we can see where they are. Then, Ash, prepare to use Thunderbolt. Floss, try Sing. Red, Charizard has the type advantage against Ice-type attacks, but Pidgeot does not. Work from there."

"Got it! You heard her, Pikachu!" Red exclaimed. Pikachu nodded.

"And I…" Gancena declared, shifting off her backpack, "will take aim."

By the time Gancena whipped open her Super Scope, Pikachu lit up most of the rest of the cave with Flash, showing Articuno soaring on the other side. There was no sign of Shiimeji Haunter.

Articuno turned towards them, beak opening to generate a ball of pale blue icy energy.

Gancena took aim and looked through the sight of the Scope. Then she got another idea.

"Hey, Ash," she said. "Get on Charizard's back and close the distance. Attack at the same time and nail both of Articuno's weaknesses at once. Is that okay, Red?"

"I like it," said Red. "Once Ash is ready, take off at will, Charizard!"

Charizard growled and nodded, folding back his wings to let Ash climb more easily onto his back.

Just as he took off, Gancena lined up her sight with Articuno and fired one shot. They dodged effortlessly.

"Eh?" Gancena pulled back from the sight. She looked up to survey Charizard's distance from Articuno and watched as Articuno turned their head and fired the Ice Beam after Charizard. Charizard sped up until the beam dissipated, and he and Ash prepared their attacks, only for Articuno to avoid them in the same way.

Floss began to Sing when Charizard managed to drive them closer, though it wasn't clear if it was able to take effect on Articuno. After a moment, she and Gancena both had to assume it hadn't.

"Pidgeot, try Wing Attack, now!" Red called, and Pidgeot charged forward, practically ramming into Articuno's side, catching them off guard.

As Articuno retaliated using Gust on Pidgeot, Gancena took aim again. Her trigger finger twitched. She realized that she'd never actually used the Scope on a not-Thoughtless target before.

She grit her teeth and took the shot. Articuno saw it right before it hit, completely stopping the Gust attack to move out of the way.

Then a Shadow Ball hit Articuno's back from somewhere in the darkness. Charizard and Ash took the opportunity, and unleashed a beautifully bright combination of Flamethrower and Thunderbolt which made Articuno stiffen in response.

"Floss!" Gancena said. "Do the thing! The thing where you make the moon show up!"

Floss smiled, turned to Articuno, and focused. The moon briefly appeared, and Charizard and Ash let up their attacks in time for the great beam of energy to fire and take Articuno off guard one more time.

For a heartbeat, Articuno was perfectly still. Then they fell into the water.

Shiimeji Haunter emerged from behind a nearby plateau. Charizard and Pidgeot remained where they were, wings flapping.

"Is Articuno okay?" Gancena asked.

Just then, with a flourish, Articuno reemerged from farther down the current, and flew carefully back to where they had started.

"Articuno?" Gancena asked.

Articuno turned and lay down as though on a bird's nest. The muscles near their beak twitched in their version of a smile. "Well played. As promised, Gancena will receive my power."

"But you're not hurt?"

"Not beyond a normal Pokémon battle. I know my limits, and you merely brought me close enough that if this weren't merely a test, you would still be victorious. Now, Gancena, approach me."

Gancena closed her Scope and slipped it into her backpack before doing so. She shivered in excitement, looking this legendary bird in the eye.

Articuno leaned their head forward until it touched Gancena's. It was like putting her face in soft snow.

"As promised to your guide, I grant you a sliver of my power: the cold force of a snowstorm. Join it with that of the other birds. Your guide will tell you what to do with it."

Gancena then felt as if a refreshingly cold wind blew through her, and condensed into a vague sensation in her chest. It wasn't like anything she'd ever felt before, and when Articuno pulled their head away, the sensation lingered. But it wasn't unpleasant. It felt just as natural as the weight of her heart.

"So what happens now?" Gancena asked. "We know what we have to do, but what about you? Where will you go?"

Articuno looked up, their smile disappearing. "Away, for a while, since your younger friend had to scan me."

"I-I'm sorry," Red said. "I didn't mean to make you mad. It's just… Professor Oak wants my fri—Blue and I to get a complete log of Kanto's Pokémon. And he wasn't going to come here, I think, and I wanted to have something that he didn't, so—"

Articuno looked at Red. "Enough."

Red stopped.

Articuno took a deep, slow breath. "I suppose I shouldn't fault you too much. You are still a child. So learn this: This place is something of a personal refuge. But now that you have information about me that you can spread to other humans, I'm certain many will swarm here, trying to see me or worse, capture me. My dominion is over the snowstorms of the world. To have a human ask me to use that power for sport is unthinkable. So now… I suppose I'll have to find a new place to settle whenever I wish to be alone."

Red hesitated before speaking again. "I…I'm sorry. I didn't know."

Gancena glanced away. "Me neither…" She perked up in realization. "Wait, so the other birds… would we be doing the same to them?"

Articuno shook their head. "No. Their current resting places are but temporary. I was the only one who refused to move. …In a sense, I suppose I brought this on myself."

Gancena wanted to say something to comfort Articuno, but she couldn't think of anything effective. What Articuno had said made sense: If a human captured Articuno, it wouldn't be able to use its power freely. Disturb not the harmony…

"So that's why you created the storm in here," Haunter remarked. "You really were trying to keep humans out."

"Yes. Had I not weakened the ice in the floor above, you never would have found me."

Gancena froze. If Articuno had let the ice break, then had it let them fall into the river?

Had a legendary Pokémon almost let Gancena drown?

"Now, if you'll excuse me…" Articuno stood slowly and stared at the ceiling directly above them. "…I should be going."

Articuno gradually opened their beak wide and gathered energy in front of it for a full minute before firing the single most powerful Ice Beam anyone in the cave had ever seen. It thrust straight through the ceiling, breaking a hole through all four layers of the cave and the ceiling above, until the darkened sky could be seen through the spot.

They spread and flapped their majestic wings up, up, and up until they were above the top of the island.

Articuno circled the cave's new opening once before flying away, not to be seen again for years.