Welcome to the third side chapter of Johto: Accepting Destiny! This chapter details Yuki's experience in Mt. Mortar, where she meets a familiar friend and unfamiliar foes.

Side Chapter 3- A New Flame

Yuki and Ichigo walked into the right entrance of Mt. Mortar. Using her flashlight, they were able to find their way through a winding maze to a ladder leading to the next floor. When they reached the top and entered a cave, they were surprised to see a familiar person doing pushups.

"Weldon!" she gasped.

Weldon's arms gave way, and he fell to the ground. "Y-Yuki?" He looked at her and wiped his brow. "I didn't expect to see you again so soon."

She ran over to him. "Likewise. Sorry I scared you."

"Don't be. I wasn't expecting anyone to find me." He paused then continued, "Especially with that stupid gossip from Diggy Dunsparce..." He sat on the dirt with his knees bent.

The Sinnoh native sat next to him, and Ichigo perched himself on her left shoulder. "Weldon... Those things about you threatening Elliot aren't true, right? "

"Of course not! I would never do something like that! Sure I was angry, but I didn't want to hurt Elliot. I don't even know him." He buried his face in his arms. "Summer hates me again, doesn't she? I thought we patched things up from that Indigo League incident."

Yuki didn't know how to respond. Summer did tell her what happened between her and Weldon during the Indigo League, but she wasn't prepared for him mentioning that to her. "Well...she didn't say much, but I could tell she doesn't believe it."

Weldon popped his head out and weakly smiled. "That's a relief."

Yuki stretched her legs and leaned back slightly. "Weldon, can I ask you a personal question? You don't have to answer."

"Sure...what's your question?"

"Do you have a crush on Summer?"

His face turned red. "Uh...what makes you say that?"

"Based on the stories she told me, you seemed rough at first, but she helped you become not only a better Trainer, but a better person. And you trust her to a great extent; like when she entered the Princess Festival tournament so you wouldn't have to take that girl Candy on a date. Why don't you tell her how you feel?"

He groaned and touched his cap. "I want to...but to be honest... I'm jealous of her."

"For what?"

His eyes reflected hints of sadness. "Don't tell her I said any of this, okay?" After she nodded, he said, "You and Summer get to travel without worrying about severe consequences. I'll be forever tied to my family name, and I have to keep up with maintaining that legacy. I feel...trapped by it... No matter what I do, I get scrutinized by the media, other Trainers, my so called 'relatives'... I...I wish I could just live a normal life...like you two..."

Yuki opened her mouth, but a man's voice by the ladder interrupted her.

"What a surprise to hear him whine about his status. The Regional Winner's not as strong as he was a year ago."

Proton snickered as he and Ariana approached the two young Trainers. She looked more mature, with her hair tied into a bun and her long white coat sporting the Neo Team Rocket emblem. "It's been a while, Weldon Leland. And you must be Yuki Mizu. Master Thief A told us about you, little girl. You two have been interrupting our plans."

Weldon growled, "So, Master Thief A is working for Neo Team Rocket. What are you doing here in Johto? I thought Giovanni disbanded Team Rocket."

The woman smirked. "Like you need to know our new motives. Master Giovanni has given us all the tools we need to achieve them. Arbok, destroy these nuisances!"

Proton added, "Weezing, we'll exact our revenge!"

The Poison types loomed over the children. Yuki was a little scared, but seeing Weldon's determined face made her feel braver.

"Golem, let's go!"

"Momo, I need your help!"

The Rock type and Water type landed on the ground, ready to defend their owners.

Weldon turned to Yuki. "I'll lead with offense. Can you back me up?"

"Sure, I'll try."

Proton sneered. "Weezing, Smokescreen!"

Ariana shouted, "Arbok, Poison Sting!"

As Weezing exhaled dark smoke from his two mouths, the Cobra Pokémon shot a flurry of small purple needles into the cloud. With Weldon and Yuki unable to see their Pokémon, the latter knew she had to allow their Pokémon some protection.

"Momo, blow the smoke away with Rapid Spin!"

The Wartortle tucked into his shell and spun around, pushing the smoke towards the exit. Ariana and Proton gritted their teeth, underestimating the Coordinator's skill.

Weldon took advantage of their silence. "Golem, Double Edge on Weezing!"

In a bright orange light, the Megaton Pokémon charged the floating Pokémon, knocking him into the wall behind Proton. The Neo Team Rocket Admin member clenched his fist as Golem returned to his Trainer's side without any recoil damage.

"Rock Head..." he muttered. "That kid's still has a competitive strategy mind."

"Will you stop focusing on that Leland kid?!" Ariana scolded. "Let's focus on that weak Coordinator. Arbok, Mud Bomb on that Wartortle!"

Proton refocused. "Fine. Weezing, Sludge Bomb!"

I have to reflect those bombs! "Momo, throw the orbs back with Aqua Tail!"

Water swirled around the Turtle Pokémon's tail as he tried to knock back the brown and purple orbs. But he didn't have the strength to push them away due to his lack of competitive battling experience. Weldon took notice.

"Golem, push those orbs back with Double Edge!"

The Rock type nodded and charged through the Aqua Tail. Despite two of the attacks being super effective, Golem persevered and threw the Mud Bomb and Sludge Bomb back at their owners. Weezing and Arbok winced in pain, but they were still able to continue.

Wow...Weldon really is good at battling. He even protected Momo...and I couldn't do anything... Have I not gotten any stronger?

Ariana sensed Yuki's doubt and smirked. "Seems like you're not as confident as you portray yourself, little girl. Proton!"

"You got it, Ariana. Weezing, Smokescreen!"

The Poison Gas Pokémon filled the room again with his signature defense. Yuki tried to issue a command, but the smoke made her cough.

Ariana shouted, "Arbok, Ice Fang!"

Weldon countered, "R-Rollout!"

There were sounds of two objects slamming into each other, then a sharp roar.

"Golem!" Weldon gasped.

The smoke cleared, and the two young Trainers were horrified to see Arbok covering Golem in ice with her light blue fangs. The Cobra Pokémon slammed the frozen Rock type back at Weldon, who dodged in time. Weldon ran to his Pokémon, leaving Yuki to face the Neo Team Rocket Admin members alone.

The girl was frozen with fear. I...I never battled two Trainers by herself before! Ichigo, Kiui, and Ume aren't strong enough to help Momo. What can I do?

Ariana laughed. "Now, to finish you off! Arbok, Crunch!"

The Poison type lunged at the Wartortle, her fangs bared.

The Turtle Pokémon looked back, concerned by his Trainer's lack of confidence. Seeing Momo's worried face despite the attacking Arbok, Yuki refocused. I can't be scared now! People are counting on me to win!

"Momo, I'm fine. Blizzard!"

Momo grinned and quickly exhaled the freezing wind, knocking Ariana's Pokémon and even Weezing back. Ariana's smile faded.

"Great work, Momo," Yuki praised.

"It's not over yet," he said, surprising her. It was the first time she was able to understand his voice during a battle.

"You're right. We may be at a number disadvantage, but we won't let them win!"

Suddenly, a light flashed from her bag. Yuki retrieved the item, the Egg incubator. The dark green Egg had several cracks on it, a sign that it was hatching. She removed the case and felt a strong energy coming from the item.

Ariana and Proton tried to take advantage of the distraction.

"Weezing, Smokescreen!"

"Arbok, Poison Sting!"

Yuki clutched her Egg. "Momo, Rapid Spin and Water Gun!"

Momo tucked into his shell and spun around while spraying water from the hole where his head was. As he kept the smoke and needles away, Yuki was nervous but excited to see what would hatch from inside. After a few bounces, the Egg released a burst of light. In its place was a rare Pokémon: a Cyndaquil.

"Hi there, little Cyndaquil," Yuki whispered. "I'm Yuki."

She expected a mild mannered Pokémon, but the Cyndaquil looked at the battle with wide eyes. "What's going on? Is that a battle?"

"Yes...why? Do you want to battle?"

"You bet! Although I never done it before!"

Wow, he sure is a bundle of energy! Maybe he can help us after all. "Okay, but you have to listen to me and tell me what moves you know."

"Sure, but I'm not sure what my moves are though..."

The Sinnoh native then saw the smoke clearing around them. "I guess we'll find out in this battle. Go, Cyndaquil!"

The Fire type ran next to Momo, who was astonished yet happy to see the lively Pokémon.

The Neo Team Rocket Admin members were unfazed. Ariana shouted, "It doesn't matter who else you use! You'll always lose to us! Arbok, Mud Bomb!"

As the Cobra Pokémon formed a brown orb with her mouth, Cyndaquil coughed out a thick smoke, filling the room for a third time. Under the cover of the smoke, he tackled Arbok to the ground.

Smokescreen and Tackle...that can be useful.

Proton and Ariana coughed. "Th-This is...unex-pected," the man coughed.

His teammate growled, "Just...attack...Pr-Proton!"

"Fine... "Fl-Flamethrower..."

Weezing exhaled a stream of fire that was powered up by the thick clouds. Cyndaquil was undeterred and, to Yuki and Momo's surprise, surrounded himself in fire, rolled into a ball, and charged forward. With the added strength from the Smokescreen, the Fire Mouse Pokémon slammed into Weezing, who then collided with Arbok.

The adults were stunned to see their fully evolved Pokémon struggle with a Pokémon who just hatched.

"You!" Ariana shrieked. "Don't think you've won just yet!"

She pointed her finger at Cyndaquil, but before she could issue a command, a gust of wind burst into the room. Everyone braced themselves as an enormous roar shook the area. Somehow, the Neo Team Rocket members and their Pokémon lost their footing.

Proton glared at the young Trainers. "Not again! We'll exact our revenge, Weldon and Yuki! Just you WAIT!"

Yuki and Weldon watched with amazement as their enemies were thrown out of the room. Then, the surroundings returned to normal.

Weldon returned Golem. "That was unexpected. I wonder what caused that roar. It felt really powerful."

"Me too," Yuki added. "Maybe Summer knows. I'll ask her later." She turned to her Pokémon. "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine, Yuki," Momo said as he cleaned his tail.

Cyndaquil, on the other hand, was pumped. "That was awesome! Can we battle again?"

His Trainer laughed. "Sure. But you may want to tone it down a bit. Contest battles are not that intense."

"Oh, yeah. That's what you do, right? These...'Con-tests?'"

"H-How do you know?"

Cyndaquil smiled. "I've been watching everything from inside my Egg. I was worried that you weren't the Trainer for me, but I'm happy you are."

That's what Samir meant... I just needed to prove to Cyndaquil my perseverance. She grabbed the Fire type. "I'm happy too. Thanks for saving us, Cyndaquil. Hey, Momo. What nickname should we give Cyndaquil."

Momo chuckled. "He reminds me of the mikan fruit back home."

"The citrus fruit? Yes, that sounds appropriate. What do you think, Cyndaquil?"

He beamed. "That sounds good. Can I have one too?"

"Of course! I'll ask Aunt Daisy to send us some. You two should get some rest."

Momo and Mikan nodded and went back into their balls.

Weldon approached Yuki. "Your Cyndaquil's sure something. He'll really help you out with your Contest battles."

"Thanks, Weldon. How's Golem?"

"He's okay; I just sprayed an Ice Heal on him and he thawed out. I'd better keep on training then." He sighed.

"Oh... I thought you'd want to heal at the Pokémon Center."

He turned away. "I...I'd rather stay here. I mean...it'll be hard to find this place again, you know?"

"I guess... Well, good luck with your training, Weldon."

"Thanks, Yuki. See you next time."

The girl reluctantly left, knowing the real reason why he didn't want to leave Mt. Mortar.