Chapter 1

After getting his eighth and last badge on the island of Johto, Ash, Misty and Brock find themselves underway back to New Bark Town to prepare for the Pokémon League, when they're (once again) lost in a forest.

"I told you we should've taken that left turn back at the crossroad!" Misty complained.

"Pika Pikachu [I'll say]," Pikachu sighed.

"I don't understand, the sign said this was the way to New Bark Town, we should've been there already!" Ash muttered, looking ahead in the mist that had started gathering.

"Just our luck! We have to get stuck in a forest that practically shrouded in mist!" Brock said, thinking of all the girls he could be missing right now.

Pikachu's ears suddenly perked as he heard a soft giggling. Pikachu looked around, as if trying to catch a glimpse of something. It grew a little louder, and Ash heard it too.

"You guys hear that?" he asked.

"What Ash?"

"It's some sort of… giggling," Brock said softly. "But who would wa---huh?!?!"

Brock's sentence was cut off when they saw a middle aged woman stumble out from behind a tree, leaning against it for support. Her eyes were closed, and her messed pink hair hung down her back in a messy brain. She wore a slightly torn lab coat, but her skin looked like porcelain, and her cheeks were slightly red. She was giggling softly, one hand in front of her mouth to muffle it.

Suddenly she seemed to notice them, and she looked at them, with luscious blue/green eyes. She straightened up and smiled warmly at the quintet.

"Hi there, I take it you're lost? Right?" she asked kindly.

Ash: "Uh… yeah, we are, but who are…"

Brock ran over Ash, and over to the young girl, grasping her tender hand in both of his.

"Hi there, I'm Brock, and what might your name be lovely lady?" he said sweetly.

Surprisingly the woman was a head shorter than Brock.

"giggle Flatterer! Well, I'm Ibelec, if you really wish to know."

Brock: "Now that is one beautiful name! A lot better than 'Brock', that's for sure."

Misty: "Some people never learn. pulls Brock away by his ear Come on!"

Ash chuckled nervously, a little ashamed by his friends, and turned to Ibelec.

"Hi, I'm Ash, and this is Pikachu!"

"Pikachu [How do you do!]!"

Ibelec watched Pikachu with a smile and said: "You treat your Pokémon with love, don't you?"

Ash: "Yep, do you?"

Ibelec: "Well, I'm not a trainer actually, I'm more of a scientist. But yes, I treat Pokémon with love."

Misty comes back and shakes Ibelec's hand: "It's very nice to meet you Ibelec, I'm Misty."

Ibelec looked a little shocked.

"Wait a minute! Misty?! Misty Waterflower?!?!" she asked.

Misty: "Uh… yeah."

Ibelec smiled: "I knew I've seen you somewhere before! You played the role of a mermaid once at the Cerulean City Gym! Didn't you!?"

Misty smiled too, and Togepi gurgled happily. "Yep! That's me!"

Ibelec: "So, where're you heading?"

Ash: "New Bark."

Ibelec: "Ah! New Bark is just down this road, it'll be a little hard to find with all this mist though, I'll show you the way out of the forest and I'll be on my way back as well. Let's go!"

As Ibelec walked, Ash gave Misty a grin that said: "Told ya this was the right way!" "Shut up Ash!"

They walked down a safely hidden path, and, without their notice, they were being followed.

Jesse, James and Meowth watched them walk down the path from their balloon.

"Just look at them, James! Not a care in the world, acting like they own the world!" Jesse muttered.

James lowered his binoculars and looked at Jesse, before saying: "But you've got to admit, that girl's pretty cute."

Jesse growled and hit James in the head.

"AND WHAT AM I?!?! A PIECE OF MEAT?!?!" she all but screamed.

"No, 'cause I would've eaten ya already if ya were," Meowth muttered, and also received a hit to the head.

"The two of you just shut up and think of a way to steal that Pikachu!!"

They returned to watching the kids walking.

Ibelec suddenly stopped.

"Oh my." She turned. "I think I dropped my bag somewhere. I'll be right back!" she said, before running back down the path.

Ash blinked, twice, before saying: "I think she's a little crazy. She didn't have a bag in the first place."

Brock watched Ibelec retreat into the forest, and especially her walk. "I think she somehow lost her sanity. I mean, she giggles like she's crazy, and she walks in a very unusual way. So maybe she's just insane."

Misty had to agree to that, and they started walking down the path without Ibelec. However, it seemed that, the farther they entered, the quieter it became. Pikachu was constantly looking around, as if something might jump them and scare them. Togepi, who was usually very cheery, was silent for once, and looking around in the same fashion.

A sudden scream caught them off guard.

"Alright Raichu! Give it all you've caught! THUNDER!!!!" "RAAAAAAAAI!!! CHUUUUUUUUUU!!!!"

"Magneton! Don't let that scare you! A THUNDER attack in stereo!!!!" "MagneeeeeeeeTOOOOON!!!"

Giant thunder-crashes were heard, along with screams from the trainers. The three kids and two Pokémon hurried over to see if they missed anything or if the fight had just started. After some walking, they reached a clearing and were surprised to see where they had landed.

New Bark Town.

The two combatants, a bright colored Raichu and a metallic colored Magneton, were firing giant blasts of electricity at each other, trying to electrocute the other, but missing constantly. Their trainers, a young blue haired, blue eyed girl with her hair remarkably a lot like Cassidy, dressed in blue and white, was standing on one side of the ring, and a red haired, green eyed boy with his hair remarkably like that of James, dressed in red and black, stood on the other side. They seemed to be wearing the opposite clothing of one another.

The girl suddenly screamed: "Raichu! Show that Magneton how fast you are! AGILLTY!!!"

Raichu complied and ran almost too fast for the human eye to notice.

The boy smirked and said: "Magneton, now's the time! DIG your way underground!"

The Magneton raced at the ground, and was gone within seconds. The girl cursed.

"Keep running Raichu! Don't stop!" she commanded.

Raichu seemed to know why, and kept on running.

The boy's eyes followed Raichu's every move with his eyes, and suddenly shouted: "NOW!!!"

Before Raichu could jump away, Magneton burst out of the ground underneath the electric Pokémon, who grunted out a weak: "Rai! Chu!" before landing in front of the girl, who gasped in horror and ran over to her fallen Pokémon.

"Raichu! Are you al right?!"

"Raiai chu, Raichu! [Yeah, just fine!]"

The girl smiled, and got a Pokéball from her belt, saying: "You've done well. It's time for you to rest."

She recalled her Pokémon and the boy recalled his. The girl got up and clapped the dust from her clothes, before walking to the boy. They shook hands and their serious looks faded like snow for the sun.

"You're definitely improving!" the girl said, a wide smile on her face. "If I'm not careful you might beat me to Pokémon-Leadership!"

The boy simply grinned and said: "I'm not that good!"

Ash, Misty and Brock then came out of the bushes and Ash said: "Hi there!"

The two turned to them, and smiled.

"Hello." "Hi!"

The girl wore a blue tank-top with a white jacket over it, some loose blue shorts with a white skirt over it, and some blue sneakers. The boy wore a simple red shirt with a leather jacket and pants, and some dark red army boots.

"You're new, who are you?" the girl asked politely.

"My name's Ash, and these are Misty and Brock, who are you?"

"I am Zorac and this is here is Zeal," the boy said, his arms crossed over his chest.

Zeal: "Where're you from?"

Ash: "Pallet Town."

Brock: "Pewter City."

Misty: "Cerulean City."

The duo nodded.

"What brought you here?" Zorac asked.

Ash: "Actually, someone named Ibelec brought us here and---hey. What's wrong?"

Zeal and Zorac were looking at him like he was crazy, wide eyed, and mouths half open. They looked at each other for a second, before Zeal looked at Ash and asked: "I… be… lec…???"

Ash, Misty and Brock blinked, before Misty said: "Yeah, friend of yours?"

Zorac recovered from the shock first and said: "Look, that's very funny, because Ibelec died 20 years ago!"

Ash, Misty and Brock were in some sort of shock, as Zeal nodded her agreement.

"She went insane while examining the Ruins of Alph, and died a year later. They say there's a curse on those ruins. I've been there once," Zeal shivered visibly. "I'm never going THERE again! It still gives me the creeps!"

Zorac: "And after what Zeal told me, I'm glad I've never visited that place."

Ash: "shakes his head B-but… we saw her! Really we did!"

Zeal and Zorac looked at each other, and then back at the three kids.

Zeal: "Well, one piece of advice, do NOT go to the Ruins of Alph. Something's horribly wrong there!"

Her and Zorac grabbed their bags, and ran away, and fast!

Meanwhile…

Jesse: "Huh?? What's wrong with those two?"

Meowth: "It's like they're really scared of something."

James: "I wonder what's going on at those ruins."

Jesse was now thinking. After awhile, she smiled wickedly and said: "Let's go see."

James & Meowth: "Heh??"

"I'm curious, maybe we can find some valuables down there."

After that, Jesse flashed them the evil eye, and the trio solemnly turned their balloon around. What they didn't know, was that they were being watched, by a pair of blood red eyes.

A long, thick black tail wagged about behind the figure, who silently chuckled. Its long muscular arms were crossed across its chest. If you're human and you'd watch at the spot the thing was at, you'd see nothing but shadows, but if you were Pokémon, you'd see your worst nightmare!

A black and red Pokémon, and a sadistic smirk on its face, showing off its two razor-sharp fangs, used for biting one's neck and slurping up the blood. Sharply pointed nails decorated its four-fingered hands, and knees that stood in the opposite direction were used to stand upon. It chuckled evilly, before releasing a strong hiss, and vanishing without a trace.

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This can only mean trouble, how will Ash, Misty and Brock react when they receive more detailed info on Ibelec's background? And how will Jesse, James and Meowth respond to what they'll find in the Ruins of Alph?

Stay tuned.