Chapter 28! I know I haven't updated in a while and I'm sorry for that, but I've been pretty busy and have mostly done this during breaks. I hope you enjoy!

Ash wholeheartedly wanted to be at Cinnabar. 100%. The only problem was that he forgot about the process to get there. A boat. Not only was it a chunk of monotonous hours spent cutting through the same waves with the same boat on the same sea, but Ash had the dark sensation in the back of his mind that what happened last time he was on a boat. Obviously, that was unrealistic, but try telling that to the young teen. The only reason he hadn't crumpled to Proton on the ship was because of the adrenaline. When Ash had escaped on Charizard, he spent the whole flight quietly contemplating what he had just done. Thankfully, Gary and Leaf kept the day's conversation well away from, well, the sea in general. Whether it was on purpose or subconsciously, Ash didn't know, nor did he care. His knuckles were turning white as they attempted to crush the cold metal handlebars of the small ship. That was enough said.

Ash felt he could die happy when he saw the land-mass of Cinnabar Island. The unfeeling red rocks and orange dust had never seemed more welcoming. It had been a surprise to even Ash, who hadn't realized his animosity towards water till now. The young trainer dashed off the boat faster than a Ninjask, leaving Gary, Leaf, and Pikachu to eat his dust, or rather, breathe his dust. They caught up to him at the Pokémon Center, hacking and coughing their lungs out. Even the lightning-quick Pikachu had struggled to keep up with Ash's blistering pace. Ash was hunched over like his friends though, trying to catch his breath. Gary looked at Ash in disbelief. "What was that?"

Ash didn't answer Gary, not because he didn't want to, but because he didn't know either. Waving the question off, Ash asked, "Where's the professor?"

"He said he's at the island gym." Gary answered, and both Ash and Leaf groaned. Gary frowned. "What?"

Leaf looked at him with disbelief. "You don't know?"

Gary, face splotched red, glared right back at Leaf. "Just tell me!"

Leaf sighed exaggeratedly in disappointment, and said, "Blaine's gym is said to be really well-hidden somewhere on the island to keep trainers away. Apparently that's the main reason why most trainers end up with only seven badges, not because of the Viridian Gym. "

Gary's face returned to its normal color, and he nodded thoughtfully. "I think Gramps mentioned that once, something about a hotel I think."

Ash clapped his hands like the leader of an orchestra. "Now we have a place to start! Let's go!"

Turns out the hotel may have been the slightest bit overestimated by the trio. Ash was expecting a grand building with a red carpet to walk on, with Chandelure floating around for light. There would be attendants rushing around the room, and one would come up to them and ask Ash what he needed.

Reality wasn't so kind. It was a run-down wooden building(Who would build a wooden building next to a volcano?), and there was no red carpet. Forget the Chandelure, there was no lighting at all. Pikachu was so intimidated by the building even it had gone into the poke ball it despised so much. Gary squinted when entering the building, trying to get his bearings. "Hello?" The call echoed throughout the building, but there was no response. He tried again. "Anybody there?" Again, there was no response.

Leaf snorted out of annoyance. "Doesn't really feel like a hotel, are you guys sure we're in the right place?" Ash and Gary both shook their heads in response.

"There's nothing to do but go in, I suppose." Ash said. He took a careful first step onto the rotting wood, which, thankfully, did not give way under him. "Magnemite, use Flash." The steel-type was brought out of its poke-ball and lit up the previously pitch-black room. "Thanks", Ash said to his Pokémon.

"Let's go downstairs. Suspicious stuff is always lower down, like in the basement. " Gary confidently declared.

"According to what? Horror movies?" Leaf said, snarky as ever.

Ash, the long-time peacemaker of the trio, briefly reflected on the numerous fights between the two of them. Most adults thought Ash and Gary were rivals while Leaf was the 'peacemaker', but in reality, that was as far from the truth as they could get. As a child, Gary had always made fun of Leaf for being a girl. Though she didn't admit it, Lead still held a rather unreasonable grudge against him. "C'mon, let's just go."

Many creaky steps, rotten stairs, and stuffy hallways later, Ash and co. were no closer to finding Blaine's gym than before. "How much longer?" Gary groaned.

"We should probably head back." Ash said. Magnemite was starting to flicker, which didn't do much for the young trainer's confidence. The hallway they were in could have been a carbon copy of the last one, which was eerily creepy. Wait. "Doesn't this hall feel too similar to the last one?"

"Now that you say it, I see what you mean! This couldn't be natural if it is the same." Leaf exclaimed, her hunched, sagging body straightening up.

Gary grinned. "Let's take another look in these rooms."

The first five rooms had nothing, and Ash wondered if his feeling about the hallway was just that. A feeling. Until, finally, Gary had an idea. "I bet we need a fire-type to find the gym since the gym uses fire-types! Growlithe!" Ash gaped at Gary as he sent the dog-like Pokémon out. Magnemite, who was providing the light in the dark room, barely spared a glance at the Growlithe before dozing off. Ash still was concerned about the steel-type. While he admitted he was no Pokémon Master, Ash had never seen such a lackadaisical Pokémon before, even considering the Pokémon at Professor Oak's lab.

"How many Pokémon do you even have?" Peeling his mind away from Magnemite, Ash could swear Gary was catching Pokémon every day at the rate he brought out his 'surprises' in battle.

Gary, not reading into the question, pulled out his Pokedex. "According to my Pokedex, I have caught 52 different species of Pokémon. " Leaf snickered at Ash's dumbfounded expression.

"You're the only one here who's not filling up their Pokedex like Professor Oak wanted, Ash. I have 53." The young trainer's cheeks were dusted pink as he shook his head furiously.

"So now what? You have Growlithe, but what do we do?" Ash asked.

"There!" Ash's rival completely ignored him and pointed at an awfully convenient iron door that had just appeared in the wall. Gary walked over to the rusty handle and tried to yank it open. He was mildly confused when it didn't open, but tried again. And again.

Ash almost told Gary that you had to push the door, not pull, but Leaf shook her head. The pair watched Gary strain with the door for over a minute until he gave up. The brunnete glared at his friends. "Are you guys going to help?"

Leaf confidently strutted up to the rusty, dull, iron door and shoved it open. The iron wall flew open revealing…, well, not much. It was just a hallway, but it was well lit with torches.

Gary glared at his friends once again, but there was no malice in his words. "Seriously? Just tell me next time." Nevertheless, Gary was the first to move into the hallway, Ash and Leaf following.

There were a few twists here and turns there, but that was expected of your standard creepy passage. It took almost five minutes for the trio to reach a sign that claimed the Cinnibar Gym was ahead. "We did something right!" Ash exclaimed, thrilled their work hadn't gone to waste.

"You don't have to act so surprised." Gary and Leaf muttered simultaneously. Ash ignored them and started to sprint ahead. Magnemite, who had been lazily floating after the trio, was able to keep up with Ash's pace with the same uninterested look, much to its trainer's surprise. Gary and Leaf ran after him, and Ash was briefly reminded of when they would all play tag together as children. Not that they were much older now.

After roughly a hundred meters, As hskidded to a stop. Bright orange torches hung in front of iron doors, not unlike the original ones. Ash pushed them open, too eager to wait for his friends. A gigantic room was behind the doors, its roof almost fifty feet high. Stone encased the building which had been carved into the very ground under the Cinnibar Volcano. Torches were the only source of light, but there was no smoke. The room was eerie and red, due to the unique lighting conditions. All of this caught Ash's eye, but he focused on the rather peculiar scene in front of him. Professor Oak and a bald man with round sunglasses were drinking tea together and chatting like they were in the 1960's! Ash couldn't help but snicker. Gary and Leaf barged into the gym after him and looked around.

Magnemite, who had fallen behind the trio, also floated in but showed no interest in the gym structure. Its steel body glinted in the dim orange light. Gary's Growlithe stumbled in, panting heavily. Professor Oak looked at the direction the commotion was coming from, and smiled broadly when he saw his 'disciples'.
"You're here! I was worried you wouldn't find your way!" The old man waved the trio over, and they obliged. "This is Blaine, the Gym Leader of the Cinnibar Gym. He is a specialist in fire-type Pokémon." Ash couldn't help but look at Blaine in shock. Of course he had heard of Blaine. He and Gary had grown up watching Blaine's Magmortar go head-to-head with Oak's Charizard. To this day, it's by far the most thrilling battle Ash ever watched. He was actually thinking of showing it to his own Charizard sometime, but wasn't sure about the consequences.

"It's so good to meet you sir! I am a huge fan of your Pokémon and your battles." Gary stuttered over his few words, and stuck his hand out, energetically shaking Blaine's own, who took it all in good humor.

"So these are the trainers, eh? Are they up to the task?" Blaine asked Professor Oak, who only nodded in response.

Leaf cut in. "What task?" She looked at Gary and Ash to see if they knew about it, but Ash was clueless.

Professor Oak replied, "Let me explain. I have called you here because of the disruptions in the caves below the Seafoam Islands."

Before he could continue, Ash blurted, "The place where Articuno is rumored to live?"

The professor nodded his head, exasperated. "Yes, Ash. As I was saying, there have been disturbances in the area. The average temperature of the island has dropped by over five degrees Celsius and reports from hikers say that the first floor is completely covered with ice spikes. "

Piecing the puzzle together, Gary asked, "Is that Articuno?"

Blaine answered the brunnete's question. "It very well may be, but we have suspected Articuno has been there for quite a while. What we want to know is why it is acting up now."

"And that's what you want us to find out." Leaf finished Blaine's sentence, to which both him and Professor Oak nodded.

"I would myself, but I'm not sure how my body would hold up. Back in my champion days, I would have done it easily.", the professor claimed.

Gary, well used to his grandfather's rants, cut him off before the professor could really get started with his tales of grandeur. "When do we leave?"

Blaine answered, "Tomorrow, if that works for all of you." Ash nodded, as did Gary and Leaf. It was an adequate amount of time considering all the questions he would be asking Blaine. Charizard was one of Ash's strongest, but, like all Pokémon, could get stronger. And who better to help than a trainer who specializes in fire-types?

Ash subconsciously rolled Charizard's poke ball in his hands and Blaine took notice. "A fire type, I assume? May I see?" Blaine slid his sunglasses to the top of his shiny, bald head as though he were at a beach. The old man had a calm exterior, but Ash could see the excited glint in his eyes.

Ash let Charizard out of its poke ball, and the dragon loomed over its trainer and Blaine. Charizard almost moved off to explore the room, but Ash shook his head. "Gym Leader Blaine here is going to take a look at you, Charizard." Charizard, unimpressed, nearly took off again, but Ash continued what he was saying. "After, he'll help you become a stronger fire-type." Charizard's wings tucked back in, but the dragon looked at Ash suspiciously. "I'm serious! This man specializes in training fire-type Pokémon!" Charizard slowly nodded its head, willing to give Blaine time to 'examine' him.

It had been roughly ten minutes and Charizard was starting to get impatient. The dragon was already bored from being in its poke ball for so long, and simply standing wasn't helping. Puffs of smoke trailed out of Charizard's mouth, but Blaine thankfully pulled back. Looking at Ash, the fire-type expert commented, "Your Charizard is one of the strongest I have seen in a while. How long have you been with it for?"

"A bit over half a year now." Ash replied. Ash didn't notice, but Blaine's eyes had widened in surprise, and he was clearly impressed.

"May I see some of Charizard's attacks?" Blaine asked.

"Here?"

"Yes, please."

"Alright. Charizard, use Flamethrower!" Charizard bellowed as its mouth was filled with red-hot flames, releasing them with such force and heat that the air around Ash and Blaine was singed. Ash expected Blaine to be impressed, but the only thing upon the old man's face was a slight frown.

"Can you do one more?" Blaine asked Ash.

"Sure… Charizard, Flamethrower again!" The dragon let loose a similar blast to the one before it, with such intensity that it caught Professor Oak's eye, who was talking with his grandson and Leaf on the other side of the room. But, again, Blaine frowned, much to Ash's chagrin.

"Try a different fire-type move, please."

Ash sucked in a breath and told Charizard, "Use Fire Fang." The dragon's maw filled with lethal orange flames, and it violently snapped at an imaginary opponent in front of it. Again, Blaine was not satisfied with Charizard's power.

"I think I know what is wrong." Blaine commented. Ash looked at him expectantly, and Charizard almost flew at the insolent human for suggesting the dragon's flames were "wrong". "The strongest fire-type Pokémon are one with their fire. If you look at Professor Oak's Charizard, or my Magmortar, or even Moltres for that matter, fire is an extension of their body. For your Charizard, Ash, fire is a tool. Now, this is no fault of yours, Ash. Most trainers never even notice this. In fact, most Pokémon end up using fire as a tool. The Pokémon themselves needs to understand how to not 'use' the fire, but 'ally' with fire. Some fire-type Pokémon are lucky, and are born with the understanding of how to work with fire instead of using it." Charizard, who's eyes had been smoldering, had quieted down in confusion, but was still angry. Who was this human to tell him this?

"Could you show us how?" Ash asked. To be honest, he had no idea what Blaine was talking about. Blaine nodded and brought out a Pokémon. Ash and Charizard both looked curiously at the Vulpix in front of them.

"Vulpix, use Flamethrower." Ash's mouth hung wide open as Vulpix's flames scorched the air around them, much as Charizard had just done.

"Vulpix here is almost a month old." Blaine said. Ash shook his head. There was no way that a month-old Vulpix had the same amount of firepower as his Charizard. Blaine just nodded. "This is the difference that working with fire instead of using fire can make. Though, it will not affect other types of attacks. If your Charizard was using, say, a Tackle, its power would be the same whether or not it used flame or worked with it." Charizard was in similar awe, but jealousy was also mixed in. How could this young Pokémon have strength similar to his own?

"So, how does Charizard do it? Work with fire instead of using it?" Ash asked.

"There's no easy answer. I will have Magmortar work with your Charizard. Hopefully, Magmortar will be able to explain the basics, but from there, Charizard and you will be on your own. I can also explain to you what the difference is between 'using' fire and working with it. But, let me warn you: It is no easy task to completely renovate a fire-type Pokémon's understanding of its own element. I have seen some Pokémon lose their fire permanently while trying to change their understanding of fire." Blaine told Ash.

"Permanently? Like, forever?"

Blaine nodded solemnly. "Some Pokémon only lose their fire for a while, but I have seen cases where fire-type Pokémon could not breathe fire ever again. You should ask Charizard if it wants to take the risk, even if it will get stronger."

Ash looked at his starter Pokémon, the one he had started his journey with, and already knew what Charizard's answer would be. The dragon nodded, ready to take the risk if it meant becoming stronger. Ash nodded to Blaine. "Let's do it."

Blaine brought out his Magmortar in response. As Blaine told Magmortar what was going on, Ash looked at Charizard.

"You sure, buddy?" Charizard nodded. "Alright. I just want you to know, you'll still be my best friend even if you lose your fire." Ash told the dragon. Neither of them were very sappy people, so Ash awkwardly shook his Pokémon's hand instead. Magmortar beckoned to Charizard with one of its cannon-hands and the two giants moved off. Ash moved to Blaine, who started his long explanation about working with fire as opposed to using it.

Ash was in a rented-out room at the Pokémon Center now, reflecting about the day as he lay his head on the rock-hard pillow. He wasn't sure if he had made the right decision. A Charizard without its fire. Ash couldn't imagine that. Could anyone? He roughly shook his head. What was he thinking? If anyone could master anything about fire, it would be his Charizard. Besides, there were more pressing matters. When he woke up tomorrow, Ash would be heading to the Seafoam Islands and would explore their caves. Who knows what he would find there?

Chapter 28 complete! I managed to finish this chapter after delaying it for quite a while now, but I'm glad I pushed to finish it. Summer break is coming up, which should give me much more time to write, and school will be over! As always, thanks for reading!