Hi Everyone! This story officially hit 100 reviews this morning, so I decided to upload this chapter in celebration!

So, after having five chapters without any of the past, we're finally back!

Enjoy!

Chapter 22 – Yellow's Adventure Part 1

Red stood silently, staring outside the window of the boardroom, Lance standing quietly beside him. With recent events, an emergency meeting had been called, and they both knew that no matter what decision was made in that room, it would have lasting effects on the league and the world abroad.

"Are you certain you saw him?" Lance asked, breaking the silence.

"I know who I saw," Red replied. "It could only have been him."

"It's been twenty years," Lance counted, sceptical of Red's conclusion. "Are you sure it couldn't have been someone impersonating him?"

"That's impossible, Lance," Red argued. "The only people who knew of his existence are either in this room, Pallet Town, or the maximum-security psych ward in Goldenrod City. And I'd checked," he added. "None of them have escaped."

"What about Silver?" Lance knew why he was arguing and trying so desperately to find a different answer; he was scared—scared of what that man was capable of.

"If there is one thing I know about Silver, it's that he despises the Masked Man as much as his father," Red explained. "He would rather die than ever wear one of those masks again."

"Then I hope we can find him before he does anything." Lance sighed, conceding the argument. "If it's him, then we're going to have to be on our guard. He nearly brought us to our knees last time."

"He's a master of subterfuge," Red agreed. "He had us chasing our tails while he did what he wanted. I wouldn't put the incident in the Orange Archipelago past him."

"You think he could have been involved in that?" Lance questioned. "All so he could sneak into the ruins of the G-Man headquarters?"

"Everything that man does is carefully calculated," Red continued. "He wouldn't have made a move on a whim; he's never been an opportunist."

"Which means he wanted you to see him."

"It's not outside the realm of possibility," Red agreed.

"That means the decision we make here today may be playing right into his hands," Lance argued.

"Possibly. But I would sooner make sure trainers are safe than worry if it's what he wants," Red said, crossing his arms.

"Even so, I still can't help but wonder where he's been all this time," Lance explained, returning the subject to the man in question. He'd rather not discuss the topic of their meeting just yet; there was more than enough time for that.

"Unfortunately, only Ethan and Yellow knew what happened to him, and both of them are gone," Red replied.

"You know, I owe Yellow my life." Lance sadly sighed. "I just wish there was some way I could repay her."

"We all owe her so much," Red agreed. "None of us would be here if it wasn't for her."

A long time ago…

"What? Are you sure it's Red's?" Misty Williams questioned.

"I'm confident it is, Misty." Professor Oak replied as if it were the most certain thing in the world. They were both standing in Professor Oak's lab, quietly discussing the recent turn of events. "Red's Pikachu has a small tear in its left ear. I know of no other Pikachu with that characteristic, especially not one that's happy to run straight up to me."

"Then you know what that means, right?" Misty asked. "He may know what happened to Red."

"Possibly," Oak agreed, although sceptically. "He did have Red's Pokédex with him, but the location data has been erased. All evidence of where Red has been in the last few months is gone."

"Then what do you suppose we do?" Misty asked, exasperated; they'd been arguing about how to find Red since he'd disappeared.

Two years had passed since Red had claimed the title of League Champion, with the young trainer becoming quite famous for his strong line-up. Many trainers had been reinvigorated in challenging the league, and Misty had felt the full brunt of their enthusiasm, facing trainer after trainer, who arrived to challenge her gym.

But, recently, the thirteen-year-old Pokémon Champion had disappeared. Seemingly, no one was worried about the latest development; Red was prone to travelling for weeks or months at a time. But he never left without informing anyone of his destination, nor would he leave without his friends and family having a way to contact him.

No one thought anything was wrong except for her, and it irked Misty deeply. It even took Red's Pikachu showing up at the Professor's doorstep for the older man to show any concern.

"You need to follow Pikachu back to the source," Yellow explained, interrupting Misty and Professor Oak's conversation as she entered the lab. She'd arrived a few minutes earlier, long enough to listen to the whole conversation.

"And who are you?" Misty questioned, annoyed by the appearance of the stranger. "Why are you here?"

"The name's Yellow," Yellow replied, adjusting her sunhat. She wore her blonde hair tied back, hidden snuggly inside her sunhat. Wearing a long-sleeved black shirt under her yellow tunic, she gave off the appearance of a young boy; her blue tights and purple ankle boots added to the illusion. "And I'm here to transfer one of my Pokémon caught for me into my care." Yellow pulled one of her two Poké Ball's from her belt.

"You could have done that at any Pokémon Centre," Misty countered, crossing her arms defensively. Who was this obnoxious child? And what did they want?

"I could have," Yellow agreed, handing the Poké Ball to Professor Oak. "But I'd hoped to visit the friend who'd caught the Pokémon for me."

"And who am I transferring this Pokémon from?" Oak questioned, placing the ball on the scanner.

"Red," Yellow simply replied.

Both Misty and Professor Oak instantly froze. They eyed the newcomer sceptically but didn't voice their concern. They both felt that Yellow's arrival was odd, but now it felt conspicuously convenient that she'd appeared at the exact moment they were discussing the young Champion's disappearance.

After transferring it into Yellow's care, Professor Oak grabbed the Poké Ball and walked towards the young trainer. Expectantly, Yellow extended her small hand, but Professor Oak never relinquished the Poké Ball.

"So, why should we trust you?" Professor Oak questioned. "You show up out of the blue, claiming to know how to help us find Red, and above all else, you just so happen to have a Pokémon he'd captured."

"Red caught that Pokémon for me two years ago," Yellow argued, defensively crossing her arms. "You can check the Poké Ball's capture records if you're that worried. Besides, neither of you know how to communicate with Pokémon; I do."

"Nonsense!" Misty scoffed.

"It's not nonsense if it's true," Yellow countered. "Just ask Pika over there."

"You mean Pikachu…."

"No, Pika! It's his name!" Yellow argued in an obvious tone. "Red named him that years ago! Are you truly his friend?"

Misty had had enough; she was ready to pounce on the young girl. She didn't care if she were three years older; she would teach the kid a lesson. But Professor Oak restrained her before her anger could get the better of herself.

"If you think you're capable of tracking down Red; of controlling his Pokémon, then face me in a battle," Oak challenged.

"Deal." Yellow nodded.

Professor Oak could not believe it. Not only had he lost, but he'd also lost in less than a minute, his Pokémon fainting without Yellow's Pokémon even directly attacking his! "I… I…" Stunned, he could only stammer his shock.

To add to the mystery, Yellow had seemingly been able to give her Pokémon a power boost at a critical time, but Professor Oak couldn't identify where the power had come from.

Standing on the sidelines, Misty was also silent, unable to comprehend what she'd just witnessed.

"Go, Dody!" Yellow celebrated, returning her Doduo. "I won, so you have to keep your end of the deal," she added, turning towards Professor Oak.

"Okay." Professor Oak sighed, returning his Pokémon. "You won, and quite convincingly, I might add. I will keep my end of the bargain, but only if Pikachu will accept you."

"I have no doubt he will," Yellow replied.

They made their way back inside the lab, where Pikachu was being kept. Adding to the shock Misty and Professor Oak had already experienced that day, Pikachu cooed happily at Yellow's arrival. After explaining what Yellow was going to do, Pikachu immediately ran up the young trainer's arm and lodged himself firmly on her shoulder, knocking Yellow's hat slightly in the process.

With her face no longer obscured by her hat, Professor Oak caught a glimpse of Yellow's eyes for the first time. He wasn't sure, but he thought he'd seen those eyes before. "That's it, then." He sighed, accepting the circumstances. "Here, take this." He handed her Red's Pokédex. "It might not be much, but it might help you find him."

But behind them, Misty was fuming; she didn't like this at all. But she wouldn't voice her disapproval; she wouldn't go against Professor Oak's choice.

"Oh, and just so you know," Professor Oak stated as Yellow turned to leave. "I installed a new tracking device inside Red's Pokédex last night; I'll be able to track you wherever you go."

"Noted." Yellow nodded, heading for the door. Before taking her first steps on a new journey, she adjusted her sunhat, shifting her long ponytail back inside its confines.

She'd promised her uncle, Wilton, that no one would figure out her identity. She had no idea why her uncle had requested it; they weren't related by blood, but she'd granted his wish nonetheless.

Yellow followed Pika's directions, heading straight into the depths of Veridian Forest after travelling along Route One. The young trainer felt quite at home in the forest, unperturbed by the noises she heard.

By dusk, they'd come across a river. Deciding to rest, Yellow pulled out her fishing rod. She quietly cast her line, unsure if she would catch anything. But after several minutes, she felt a slight tug at her line.

She snapped the rod back, attempting to reel in her catch, when suddenly Pika came bursting through the bushes in a flurry, urgently pulling the attention of the young trainer.

"What?" Yellow's eyes widened. "Someone's drowning just downstream?"

"Pika!" Pika nodded. He'd sniffed the presence of another when they'd first arrived. Deciding to investigate, he'd found a young man struggling to stay afloat in the river.

"Lead the way," Yellow insisted, following the Pokémon. She heard the muffled calls of a man struggling as Pika lead her further down the river.

Coming to a small rockface, Yellow was able to make out the young man. Tying a rope to a nearby tree, Yellow jumped into the river without a second thought. She grabbed hold of the man but quickly realised she didn't have enough strength to pull him to safety.

"Pika!" she called out. "I'm not strong enough! I need you to lend me some of your strength!"

"Chu?" the Pokémon questioned, tilting his head confusingly. But he didn't have time to think as Yellow extended out her hand towards the Pokémon.

"I'm sorry," Yellow muttered. Suddenly, Pikachu began to glow, but not the same glow of a Pokémon that was evolving. Instead, a purplish-bluish hue formed around the Pokémon. The same hue formed around Yellow's hand, who felt her strength growing as she drained some of it from the Pokémon.

With the added strength, Yellow was able to grab hold of the man and pull him to shore. Breathing heavily, Yellow collapsed next to the man after dragging him up the bank.

"Thanks," the man replied, gasping for air. "I was… a goner… if you hadn't shown up."

"Don't thank me," Yellow replied. "Thank Pikachu." She sat up, pointing towards her Pokémon, when her eyes widened. Standing on the shoreline, holding Pika in their hands, was one person she'd never expected to see. "Lorelei?"

"My, what an interesting power you have," Lorelei stated, slowly stroking Pikachu's unconscious body. "And here I thought I'd have to battle this powerful Pikachu to capture it, but it looks like you've done all the work for me."

Guilt riddled Yellow, feeling culpable for what had happened to the little Pokémon. She had intended to take only a little of Pikachu's strength, but in her desperation, she had taken too much, knocking out the electric-type.

"What do you want?" Yellow asked, standing up to confront Lorelei.

"This Pikachu, of course," Lorelei stated as if it were the most obvious thing. "Can't have this little escapee leading anyone back to my masters."

"Your masters?" Yellow questioned, her eyes narrowing in confusion.

"Nah, uh, uh." Lorelei wiggled an index finger, signalling she wouldn't divulge anything.

"I don't need you to tell me anything," Yellow replied, pulling a Poké Ball from her belt. "Once I take back Pika, I'll take it from you."

Lorelei slumped forward, her body twitching as the remaining electricity from Pikachu's Thunder Shock travelled through her. Having been completely focused on the battle against Yellow, she'd failed to notice the little rodent-like Pokémon wake up.

Yellow fell to her knees on the other side of the grassy field, matching her opponent's movements. She channelled too much power into her Pokémon during the battle, leaving little strength within herself.

Having only recently unlocked this new power, Yellow had little control over it. She knew she'd have to train herself to use it properly; otherwise, someone could get hurt. Raising her hand towards her Pokémon, she took some of the strength she'd given it.

Standing up, Yellow walked towards the unconscious Elite Four member. Pikachu clambered up her arm as she approached, coming to a rest on her shoulder. She kneeled next to Lorelei, placing her right hand just above her forehead.

"I told you, 'I don't need you to tell me,' I'll just take it from your memories." A bluish-purplish hue formed around her hand, like when she'd drained Pikachu of his strength. Lorelei's head began to glow a similar colour, her scrunching in discomfort.

Yellow didn't like to take memories forcibly; she knew it would hurt an unwilling or unconscious participant. But she quickly realised she would need to do many things she didn't like to find Red.

Searching Lorelei's memories, she found more information than she'd ever anticipated. She'd learned that Lorelei hadn't been a willing member in the endeavours of her unknown masters, forcing her to carry out their orders using a control chip embedded in the back of her neck.

Reaching around, she found the chip was gone. But her confusion was quickly alleviated when she noticed it resting on the grass beside Lorelei's unconscious body, charred beyond repair from Pika's attack.

"Wah?" The man who had been previously drowning rose to his feet. "What happened here?"

"It doesn't matter," Yellow replied, scooping up the damaged chip before the man could see it. "Do you think you could carry her to the nearest Pokémon Centre?" Yellow gestured towards Lorelei's body. "With my small stature, I've got no chance of getting her there."

"Huh? Sure, I guess," the man replied, still confused.

Yellow allowed him to pick up Lorelei, but as the man began to march towards the nearest centre, he realised Yellow wasn't following. "Where are you going?" the man questioned.

"Nowhere important," Yellow lied, squeezing the chip in her hand. Thanks to Lorelei, she had her next destination; the substation just outside Viridian City. The same one she'd been to when she met Red.

"Nothing? You found nothing?" Green questioned incredulously.

"I don't think you understand, Green," Yellow replied. She was currently seated at a video phone inside the Viridian City Pokémon Centre. "I literally found nothing. As in, there was nothing there. The entire substation was gone."

"But how could that be?"

"There was an explosion at the substation a month ago. I'd heard that the power had been diverted away from the substation, but I thought nothing of it," Yellow explained. "There should have been some sign of damage, but whoever cleaned it up was incredibly thorough. Unless you knew where the substation was, you would have thought it was just another section of the forest."

"You're saying that the entire place has been erased?" Green questioned. "But didn't you tell me Lorelei had visited the area recently?"

"She had, but I'm not sure why," Yellow admitted. "Whoever was using the chip to control her may have sent her there to make sure there was no evidence left. She may have only been sent after Pika because she was the closest person."

"Where is she now?"

"She's currently in Viridian City General," Yellow sadly explained, looking down away from the screen. "She's in a coma. I… I think I caused it."

"Don't blame yourself." Green sighed, briefly glancing away from the screen. She understood how Yellow's powers worked. She'd witnessed them firsthand the day she'd met her. "You did what you had to do. This is a life-or-death situation; we have no idea who we can trust."

"I know," Yellow agreed. "It still doesn't make me feel any better. I'm not like you, Green; I can't hurt someone or steal and just shake it off. Umm… No offence."

"None taken," Green replied, dismissing Yellow's apology. "You remind me of Red in that regard… Anyway, you mentioned that you had visited the substation before?"

"Yes," Yellow confirmed. "The day I met Red. We had a run-in with a Zapdos that had decided to nest near there."

"A Zapdos?" Green perked up, sitting straight up in her chair. "Are you sure?"

"Dead certain," Yellow explained, confused. "I wouldn't forget that day."

"Then Cerulean City is your next destination," Green said, earning a confused look from Yellow.

"Why?"

"I've been investigating the legendary birds," Green explained. "I don't think it's a coincidence that Zapdos had nested at the substation, and now any evidence of the place is gone. I think someone is trying to capture them, and not for Pokémon Training."

"But what does this have to do with Red?" Yellow questioned. "And why Cerulean City?"

"Red came to me a year ago," Green replied. "He'd been investigating the legendary birds and wanted to know what I knew. I explained that I believed someone was attempting to capture them, but that is as far as I had gotten. To answer your second question, Misty, the Gym Leader of Cerulean City, is currently in possession of an Articuno."

"Wait? Misty Williams?" Yellow said, surprised. "She was at Oak's lab when I visited."

"What was she doing there."

"She was pleading for Professor Oak to help her find Red," Yellow explained. "Perhaps she knows more than she let on."

"Maybe," Green agreed. "Best for you to head there and see what she knows. Meet me on Cinnabar island after you're done there."

"No worries." Yellow nodded. "I'll sign off and head out."

"Be safe."

"I will be."

Yellow's journey to Cerulean City took far longer than she'd expected. After getting side-tracked in Pewter City, where she found herself helping the local Gym Leader, she was finally able to pass through Mount Moon. With her new Pokémon, Gravvy, a Graveler, gifted to her from the Gym Leader of Pewter City, she made it to Cerulean City unscathed.

She briefly stopped by the city's Pokémon Centre to allow her Pokémon to rest before she made her way to the city's newly built gym. As she approached the main entrance, the automatic sliding doors parted, allowing her to enter the building.

A small ding signalled her entrance, but no one was standing at the front counter. "Hello?" she called out. "Is anyone here?" The place was empty, except for the new furnishings in what appeared to be a waiting room next to the front counter.

"Be with you in just a second!" came an agitated voice from around the corner. "Just cleaning up in here!"

"No worries!" Yellow replied. She sat down and grabbed a magazine from the coffee table in front of her. It was the latest edition of Pokémon Weekly with a photo of Lorelei on the cover; news had spread about her condition. While she had improved, she was still in intensive care.

Yellow skimmed through the pages, glancing at the different articles about battling techniques and the latest training trends. There was even an article on a new breeder making waves in the community.

Truthfully, she didn't want to be there, but she still needed to learn about the legendary bird in Misty's care; maybe it held a clue about the mysterious incidences that had occurred recently. She knew something was destroying entire habitats across the Kanto region, but she didn't know how or why.

Thanks to Green, who she'd met while investigating the matter, she now believed the legendary birds were involved. She wasn't entirely sure, and she didn't have any evidence yet, but it was the best lead she had.

"Sorry for keeping you waiting," Misty apologised as she entered the room. She had her eyes facing downwards, reading a piece of paper she held in her hands. "Had a rough battle before you-" Misty paused, noticing who was sitting in the waiting area. Her calm demeanour immediately changed. "What're you doing here!" she demanded.

Yellow closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "We need to talk."

"Damn straight 'we need to talk!'" Misty replied. "You're supposed to be out there looking for Red, not challenging the Gym circuit!"

"I'm not," Yellow refuted, defensively crossing her arms.

"But you are!" Misty continued. "Don't think I didn't hear about your little adventure with the Pewter City Gym Leader! We do talk to each other, you know! You probably wanted Red's Pikachu because you knew it was powerful!"

"I DID NOT!" Yellow screamed. Her patience had worn thin, and with Misty's accusation, it had driven her over the edge. "Red's Pikachu decided to come with me, not the other way around! Anyway, it's beside the point. I'm here because I needed to ask you about Articuno!"

Misty froze, her will to argue dissipating. "What do you want to know about Articuno?"

"I want to know if anything strange has happened recently," Yellow explained. "Has anyone been snooping around or asking questions about the Pokémon?"

"Not recently," Misty stated. "But you're not the first person to come asking me about the Pokémon."

"Who?"

"Red," Misty revealed. "Well, it wasn't so much that he came asking about it, but rather that I called him to ask for his help. You see, around the time that he became Champion, the house was broken into. For the longest time, we weren't able to find anything missing, but one day I went to open Articuno's ball and discovered it was empty. Red and I had figured that whoever had broken into the house must have been specifically targeting Articuno. They even went to such great lengths of copying the Poké Ball right down to the scratch marks. I had no idea."

"So you asked for Red's help?" Yellow questioned. She struggled to hold back, wanting nothing more than to berate the older girl, but at that very moment, she was learning more than she had in the last couple of weeks.

"He agreed to look into it," Misty explained. "For a Legendary Bird to be stolen, it's not a good thing. The last I'd heard from him was that he had a couple of leads that he was following up and hoped to have something soon. That was right before he disappeared."

"You didn't think to tell me this when you and Professor Oak sent me on this journey?"

"Truth be told, I didn't trust you," Misty sheepishly explained. "A part of me still doesn't. When he disappeared, I didn't believe it had anything to do with Articuno. I mean, all he was doing was looking for a stolen Pokémon. But now that you've come to me asking about Articuno, it does make sense."

Suddenly, a small alarm blared from somewhere deeper inside the Gym, drawing the attention of the two girls. "What's that?"

"Oh, nothing," Misty waved off, her eyes narrowing in annoyance before heading for the same door she'd entered through. "Just give me a second."

A second turned into a minute, and then several, before Yellow finally sat back down in front of the coffee table. She continued to skim through the magazine to fill the time. Nothing popped out until she turned to one of the articles near the end. To her surprise, the article was about Red. Supposedly, the young Champion had been sighted near Celadon City.

"Sorry about that," Misty explained, re-entering the room. "As I said earlier, I had a pretty big battle before you turned up, and the filter's been having problems filtering out all the poison from the water." She noticed that Yellow was fixated on the magazine, drawing her curiosity. "What're you reading?"

"It's an article about Red," Yellow explained. "It says he's been sighted just outside Celadon City, but the photo's a little grainy. It could be anyone."

"Then what're we waiting for?" Misty questioned. "This is the best lead we've had."

"Wait, we?"

"Yeah, we," Misty replied, smiling. "I'm coming with you."

What will Yellow and Misty Find? Who is Responsible for Red's Disappearance? Find Out Next Time!

I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. It's not my best and I never felt it really came out alright. I hope to have the next chapter finished before the end of the month. I have written the chapter after the next, but Yellow's Adventure is proving to be a lot harder to write than first thought. In fact, I've re-written this chapter about three or four times.

Any questions, Pokémon suggestions, ideas for the story, or OC's you have that you would like to see in the story, just PM me or send it in a review! All are welcome!

Ash's Pokémon:

On Hand:

Pikachu (Electric) (Male)
Lapras (Water/Ice) (Female)
Ivysaur (Grass/Poison) (Male)
Charizard (Fire/Flying) (Male)
Blastoise (Water) (Male)
Rhydon (Ground/Rock) (Female)
Riolu (Fighting) (Male)
Snorlax (Normal) (Male)
Ralts (Psychic/Fairy) (Male) (Shiny)
Grubbin (Bug) (Female) (Shiny)

At Oak's Ranch:

Pidgeot (Normal/Flying) (Male)
Arcanine (Fire) (Male)
Nidorino (Poison) (Male) (Shiny)
Umbreon (Dark) (Male) (Shiny)
Raticate (Normal) (Female)
Butterfree (Bug/Flying) (Male)
Kingler (Water) (Female)
Absol (Dark) (Male)
Gengar (Ghost/Poison) (Male)
Primeape (Fighting) (Female)
Muk (Poison) (Male)
Tauros (Normal) (Male) (x23)
Sandslash (Ground) (Male)
Gyarados (Water/Flying) (Male)
Dragonair (Dragon) (Female)
Beldum (Steel/Psychic) (Shiny)

Departed:

Mew

Misty's Pokémon:

On Hand:

Starmie (Water/Psychic)
Seel (Water) (Male)
Feebas (Water) (Female)
Vaporeon (Water) (Female)
Psyduck (Water) (Male)
Togepi (Fairy) (Male)
Egg

At Oak's Ranch:

Kabutops (Rock/Water) (Male) (Shiny)
Seaking (Water) (Female)
Staryu (Water/Psychic)
Tentacruel (Water/Poison) (Male)
Pelipper (Water/Flying) (Female)
Seadra (Water) (Female)
Froakie (Water) (Female)

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Until Next Time, AshleyH30 Out!