Hi everyone. I know it's been a long time, and other than laziness and a busy schedule, I don't really have an excuse. Again, I remember why I hate tournaments. I try to give the most descriptive battle I can, which takes a lot of planning and research. So much so, that I had to break the second tournament in this into two parts, otherwise I don't when you would have got it. This is either my longest or second longest chapter I've ever written. Funny enough, I'd planned to tone down the size of chapters in this arc, but they just seem to be getting longer and longer.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy. I am going away again next week, so I hope to al least try to get the next chapter out soon.


Chapter 13 – The Queen of Ice

Dragonite barrelled into the turf, its wings scraping against the hard surface. Tyranitar roared triumphantly; believing it had defeated its nemesis that had foiled many of its victories in the past. But the teal winged dragon-type rose slowly to its feet like the legends of Lance Dragonite foretold. Very few had ever defeated the Pokémon, even less had managed to weaken it. It was the pinnacle of Lance's team, and it wasn't about to go down without a fight.

"This dumb dragon won't quit." Silver growled. He was so close to victory, so close to winning the one tournament that had eluded him for so long. Every time he thought he had it, someone like Lance would stand in his way.

The battle had gone the same way four years prior, with Lance coming out the victor. This wasn't going to happen again. He was determined to end the charade. Truth be told, while Lance had won the tournament four years earlier, he never took the time to challenge Red for his title. His excuse was that he knew he couldn't defeat Red, so instead, he focussed on training his Pokémon for when they believed they would be ready.

But Silver knew better. He knew that Lance hadn't challenged for profound personal reasons. Lance had owed Red in the past, and they had since become friends. If Lance won, it would mean another four years of the Pokémon Master's title going unchallenged.

"Dragonite, we only have one shot!" Lance declared; reading the situation. His Pokémon couldn't take much more, and with type disadvantage, he knew anything thrown at him would do more damage than required. "Draco Meteor! And throw everything you have into it!"

Dragonite's whole body glowed in a similar orange hue to the colour of its skin. Its mouth opened, a giant orange ball forming in front of it rapidly.

The crowd leaned forward in their seats, eagerly anticipating the spectacular light show the attack would create. Silver, too, had anticipated such a move and had been training his Pokémon to counter it.

"Tyranitar, get ready, the light show's about to begin." To anyone else, it appeared that he was warning his Pokémon of the attack, but Tyranitar had received the hidden message within. Silently, slowly, Tyranitar lowered its body towards the ground.

"Now!" Lance ordered, failing to notice his Tyranitar's subtle movements.

Dragonite launched the ball of orange energy into the sky where it exploded into dozens of smaller fragments. As the pieces rained down on the battlefield, Tyranitar put its own move into action. As the crowd awed at the light show, no one noticed as Tyranitar's right paw slammed into the ground.

Dozens of rocks were thrown into the air in a matter of seconds. The rocks raced upwards, flying straight for the meteors that descended. The stones and meteors collided in a display not dissimilar to fireworks.

As each new explosion echoed around the stadium, like the pop of a firework, it was clear that none of the meteors had made it through the gauntlet, saving Tyranitar from the attack. But to everyone's surprise, some of the rocks remained. But instead of falling to the ground, the remaining stones were deflected by the explosions, straight towards Dragonite.

Lance had no time to react, and neither did his Pokémon, as Dragonite suddenly found itself under a similar barrage it had intended for Tyranitar.

Silver, realising that Dragonite was open, turned to his Pokémon. "Tyranitar, let's finish that thing!" he barked with a devilish smile on his face. "Entomb it so it can't escape!"

Large rocks quickly appeared around Tyranitar before it launched them towards the dragon Pokémon. Distracted, Dragonite was unable to notice each large boulder until they smashed into the ground around it.

With each new rock, the dragon Pokémon found it harder and harder to move, until it couldn't move at all.

Lance knew it was over; his Pokémon was too weak, and he was about to forfeit his last Pokémon when he heard Silver bark out another command.

"Make it rain!" Similar to before, Tyranitar smashed its right paw into the ground, launching dozens of smaller rocks.

Lance was in disbelief. Realising what was about to happen, he quickly grabbed his Poké Ball. He faced it towards his Pokémon, ordering it to return. But the rocks prevented the beam from hitting his Pokémon.

In the act of desperation, he turned towards his opponent. "Silver! Stop!" he yelled. The whole stadium grew silent as he informed his opponent of his decision. "Dragonite can no longer battle. Stop the barrage, and I'll forfeit my Pokémon!"

Silver appeared to contemplate this for a moment as the rocks continued on their trajectory downwards. Ultimately, he relented, signalling his Pokémon to cease its attack. He knew he'd won; that was clear, and he didn't need to negative fanfare of injuring a defenceless Pokémon when its trainer had already forfeited it.

But his Pokémon was having none of it. Disobeying Silver's order, Tyranitar directed the stones directly towards Dragonite with increased furore.

"Tyranitar, what are you doing?" He couldn't return his Pokémon until Lance returned his own; otherwise, it would signal his own Pokémon's defeat. "We've won!"

But Tyranitar didn't see it as a victory. His nemesis had to ley defeated, not surrendered so it would be hurt; that wasn't winning in the armour Pokémon's eyes.

"Dragonite!" Lance screeched in despair, only able to watch on in horror as his Pokémon was about to be bombarded.

But as the rocks were about to hit Dragonite, they were suddenly surrounded by a purple hue. Immediately, they stopped; floating harmlessly in the air.

Everyone was confused until an Espeon appeared just outside the battlefield. It sat silently, staring at the floating rocks and stones, its eyes glowing. Suddenly, the same hue surrounded the large boulders that entombed Dragonite.

Slowly, Red approached the battlefield, coming to a stop next to his Pokémon. "Lance!" he declared. "Return your Pokémon and declare defeat!"

Lance nodded, launching the red beam from his Pokémon. Tyranitar sneered at the dragon Pokémon before it was swallowed by its Poké Ball. "Dragonite is unable to battle!" Lance declared.

The referee appeared on the side of the battlefield, near Red, completely confused by the whole situation. But as there was no rule as to what had just occurred, he continued with standard proceedings. "Lance has no Pokémon remaining! Silver is the winner!"


"Well, there you have it folks!" the commentator on the screen declared. "In these unprecedented scenes, Silver has won the match! Stay tuned as the ceremony commences and Silver is declared Tournament Master!"

The telecast quickly went to commercials as Ash, Misty, and Tracey all sat around, completely stunned.

"What just happened?" Misty questioned. She'd only just finished her conversation with Brock and had managed to return during the hectic final moments.

"I don't know." Tracey shrugged. "This has never happened before. I'm sure there's going to repercussions though. The Pokémon Master can't just interrupt the championship match like that!"

"What do you think will happen?" Ash asked, concerned.

"I have no idea," Tracey replied. "But don't worry; they won't take the title off your father, or anything like that. More likely, there will be financial sanctions, but that's something I'm sure your father can endure."

"That's good," Ash replied. He was about to continue when he was interrupted by Misty.

"Hey, Ash! Your egg is glowing!"

"What!" Ash quickly rushed towards the rear of the cabin where two eggs were being kept in incubators. "How do you know it's mine?"

"Because mine has the bluish tinge to it!" Misty retorted. "God! Are you that dumb that you can't tell which egg yours is?"

"I'm not dumb!" Ash snapped. "I was making sure it wasn't yours, that was hatching! We don't want a repeat of Togepi here, now do we?" He gestured towards the egg Pokémon in Misty's arms.

"You keep Togepi out of this!" Misty threateningly snapped, her eyes narrowing at the boy. Togepi, having no idea what was going on, trilled in excitement at the mere mention of its name.

"Hey, guys!" Tracey yelled, interrupting their argument. "The egg is changing form!"

The glowing egg slowly transformed into a long metallic body with a set of claws at one end. A small head formed at the other with a single red eye. As the light faded, it revealed the form of the iron ball Pokémon, Beldum. But this Beldum was different, with its metallic body not blue, but instead silver.

Tracey looked on rather pleased. Misty seemed interested in the Pokémon. But Ash looked on with concern; this wasn't the Pokémon he'd thought it would be at all.


A week had passed since the end of the Tournament of Masters, and boy, had it been a busy one. While Ash was still figuring out what to do with Beldum, he and Tracey had managed to capture a couple of new Pokémon between them. Ash had managed to stop an ever-hungry Snorlax from devouring the entire native food supply of a small island, while an old Scyther had joined Tracey's team after being abandoned by its flock.

Finally, after what felt like forever, Ash, Misty, and Tracey made it to the next island, where Misty was entering her upcoming Water Tournament.

Ash and Tracey took their seats in the stadium, eagerly waiting for the beginning of the tournament. Surprisingly, they found that the battlefield was somewhat different from the usual one they'd seen previously. Typically, there would be a massive pool of water in the centre of the battlefield, with land surrounding it, but this one had no pool.

"What's going on? Where's the pool?" Ash questioned.

Tracey, in response, pulled out the local guidebook for up and coming tournaments. "It said it was a water-type tournament when I read it last!" When he opened the book to the page he was searching for, he paused; his face palling. "Water Tournament Schedule," he read aloud. "Here it is, Mandarin Island South, but it has an asterisk next to it." His eyes scrolled down the page until he found the information he was looking for. "This tournament is an Elemental Tournament, and if won, supplements as a water-type symbol."

"Elemental Tournament? What's that?" Ash asked.

"This book lists all the different types of tournaments available in the Orange Archipelago," Tracey explained, holding the book up. "There are single's tournaments; like the one you entered, doubles, elemental typing, etcetera. But Elemental Tournaments are different. You can enter with any type you wish, but only that type."

"So, Misty's going to up against trainers with different types of Pokémon," Ash mused.

"Afraid so," Tracey confirmed. "And with no pool or water of any kind, it really restricts the number of Pokémon she can use."

"Gee, I hope she's prepared for it," Ash muttered. Sure, they were arguing, but he still cared about her.


While Ash and Tracey were finding their seats, Misty remained quiet inside the changing area for participants. While she looked composed outwardly, inside, she was churning with fear. She'd prepared for a water-type tournament, not what she'd discovered it to be.

She swore, the next time she saw Tracey, she was going to give him what he deserved. A part of her, though, told herself that she should have been the one organising for the event, and not let someone else do it for her.

Some trainers came up to her, while others tended to keep their distance. Misty didn't know which group to be more thankful for, but it certainly helped calm her nerves as she waited for the beginning of the tournament.

When it was finally time to enter the stadium, Misty couldn't believe who was waiting there to meet them. There, standing on the podium was Lorelei, the Ice-Type Elemental Master and member of Kanto's Elite Four.

Misty's inhibitions immediately disappeared as her inner fangirl exploded in a furore. To Misty, Lorelei was her idol, her hopes and dreams; everything she strived to be. Sure, Lorelei specialised in ice-types, but that didn't mean that there weren't a few Water-types in the mix.

"Welcome!" Lorelei interrupted Misty from her thoughts. "Today's tournament will see sixteen challengers go head to head with three-on-three matches. Each challenger has a different Pokémon type, and today we'll see who can prove that their type is the best!"

The crowd cheered, briefly, before Lorelei could continue. "Now! Let's see who they'll be facing in the first round!"

The entire stadium turned their heads towards one of the big screens where the tournament fixture appeared. One by one, the names appeared on the screen. Some in the field groaned while others cheered as they realised they would have an advantage or disadvantage.

Misty, unfortunately, found that she was one of the later as she read that her opponent specialised in grass-type Pokémon.


Misty stood on the battlefield with a Poké Ball in her hand. Her opponent, Simeon; a young teenage boy, stood quietly on the other side, waiting for the match to begin. The crowd had cheered as the two trainers entered the field, but Misty could tell that most were really rooting for Simeon, the local trainer.

"If both trainers are ready, release your first Pokémon and begin the match!" the referee instructed.

"Go, Victreebel!" Simeon yelled. The yellow bell-shaped Pokémon with three large green leaves appeared on the battlefield.

Misty, slightly fazed, was unable to get a sense of how tough the Pokémon was. Not to be fooled, she decided to summon one of her strongest Pokémon first. "Staryu! Let's do this!" As her Pokémon appeared on her side of the battlefield, she knew it was one of the few she could trust to get the job done.

"Begin!" the referee declared.

"Victreebel, Razor Leaf!"

"Counter it with Swift, Staryu! Intercept the leaves!" Misty had taken notes during the battle between Lance and Silver and had decided to try and use the same tactic. And while she had been training her Pokémon to do it, she wasn't quite sure how effective it would be in a live battle scenario. Well, she guessed, she had to figure it out at some stage.

As razor-sharp leaves flew across the battlefield, Staryu's red gem glowed; launching dozens of white stars. Both attacks seemed to collide; much to the awe of the trainers, but both were so distracted that they failed to notice some of the stars and leaves fly straight past each other.

This mistake, however minor, for far worse for Misty than for Simeon as the attacks collided with their Pokémon. Victreebel quickly recovered; having only been slightly damaged. Staryu, however, took the brunt of the super-effective attack; stunning the starfish Pokémon.

Simeon, taking advantage of the situation, ordered his Pokémon to wrap up Staryu with its vines.

"Staryu! Rapid Spin!" Misty desperately commanded. Her entire idea, at that moment, was based on the hope that her Pokémon would be able to snap out of its dazed state in time to stop Victreebel's vines from wrapping around it.

But, alas, it was futile. Victreebel's vines wrapped around Staryu, and in one rapid fashion, lifted the starfish Pokémon up, before slamming it back down into the ground. As the dust settled, Staryu was out cold.

"Staryu, return," Misty muttered. She grabbed her next Poké Ball. It was her ace up her sleeve in this battle; she'd only hoped that she could have taken out one of Simeon's Pokémon before using it. "Go, Pelipper!"

The large-billed Pokémon calmly flapped her wings; hovering just above the ground as she materialised. While Pelipper was a water-type, she was also a flying-type, removing the advantage Simeon had.

"Begin!" the Ref declared

"Victreebel, Razor Leaf; knock it out of the sky!"

"Pelipper, use Tailwind to pick up speed!" Misty countered. As the razor-sharp leaves were fired, Pelipper began rapidly flapping her white wings. A burst of wind rapidly picked up, all of it travelling from Misty's side of the field towards Simeon's.

The wind was so mighty that it stopped the leaves in its track. "Great Pelipper! Now, use that Tailwind to effect! Triple Wing Attack!"

With the tailwind behind her, Pelipper flew across the battlefield at near sonic speed. Her three blue digits on each of her wings began to glow white as she neared Victreebel. At such high speeds, Victreebel was unable to counter the onslaught; eventually succumbing.

"Victreebel! No!" Simeon grabbed his Poké Ball; returning his Pokémon as muttered angrily to himself. His gaze quickly turned back towards Misty. "Clever; bringing a flying-type to nullify your type disadvantage. But, you're not the only one with a flying-type! Tropius, let's go!"

Misty couldn't believe her eyes; there was the grass-type that could fly too! She wouldn't have believed it in a million years, but here it was; this leaf-winged beast hovering just above the ground.

"Begin!" the Ref declared.

"Tropius, Leaf Storm!" Simeon wasted no time in ordering his Pokémon to go on the offensive. Glowing leaves immediately appeared around Tropius' floating body. Quickly, the leaves shot forth towards Pelipper in a vortex shape.

Misty, reacting to the new predicament, knew exactly what to do. The tailwind she'd ordered her Pokémon to create was still in effect, giving any moves she made a significant speed boost. "Pelipper, destabilise that vortex with Twister!"

Pelipper began rapidly flapping her wings, creating her own powerful vortex of wind that she quickly launched at the incoming attack. With the tailwind, Pelipper's Twister was able to further across the battlefield than Tropius' Leaf Storm.

Both attacks collided far closer to Tropius than Simeon would have liked; completely nullifying both attacks. Simeon growled; annoyed that his plan hadn't worked and had been stopped in its tracks before it could even begin. "Tropius, we need to-" Simeon was cut off by a loud shriek coming from his own Pokémon.

Misty, realising the advantage held while Pelipper's Tailwind was still in effect, ordered her Pokémon to hit Tropius with a barrage of Wing Attacks similar to her order against Victreebel. Based on her observations so far, she could tell Simeon took very little notice of the current status of the environment. For a guy who specialised in grass-type Pokémon, Misty found this very surprising but also knew she could use it against him.

By the time the Tailwind had died down, Pelipper had managed to get several shots in; severely weakening the Fruit Pokémon. If Tropius had any speed in its flight, it had completely lost it now. Misty knew that one more powerful attack would work, so she ordered her Pokémon to strike. "Pelipper, finish it with Air Cutter!"

Pelipper began flapping her wings swiftly as they began to glow blue. Glowing blades of air shaped like an 'S' flew towards the doomed fruit Pokémon. As they collided with Tropius, the Pokémon lost the ability to keep itself afloat, plummeting back towards the ground, where it lay; motionless.

As quickly as Simeon had thought he'd had this match in the bag, his hopes of winning had faded. He returned his second Pokémon and turned to the last Pokémon he had for the match; his ace in the hole, Venusaur. As quickly as the four-winged Tropius disappeared, the hulking Venusaur had taken its place.

The referee wasted no time in re-starting the match; signalling that both Pokémon were ready.

"Venusaur, Grab Pelipper with Vine Whip!" Simeon ordered without a second thought. Venusaur's vines sped towards Pelipper, who had no time to evade the attack. Before long, the Water Bird Pokémon had been repeatedly smashed into the ground.

After watched the Pokémon get smashed from pillar to post, Simeon ordered his Pokémon to put Pelipper down.

Placing the feinted Pokémon on the ground, Venusaur reeled its vines back into its body.

Misty sighed, returning her Pokémon; the battle had ended before it even really began, and now she was down to her last Pokémon. "You're my last hope. Go, Tentacruel!"


"What's she doing?!" Tracey exclaimed. "That last time she used Tentacruel, without a pool, it ended disastrously!"

"I don't know." Ash shrugged. "But she must have figured out how to overcome it."


But Misty had found a way to overcome her Pokémon's disadvantage on land. Having spent every moment she had with Tentacruel on how to get the Pokémon to move more freely, she'd discovered that its tentacles could slide across wet ground.

The referee looked between both Pokémon before signalling the final battle of the match. Without a moment's hesitation, Misty ordered her Pokémon to spray the field with water.

Simeon became confused and somewhat interested as he watched his opponent's Pokémon soak the battlefield with a thin layer of water. He ordered his Pokémon to remain vigilant, but even he didn't know what was going to happen next.

Once Misty was satisfied that the battlefield was wet enough, she ordered her Pokémon to stop. Now she turned her attention towards Venusaur. The hulking this was large, and she guessed it could take a large amount of damage, but like her own Pokémon, wasn't very mobile; giving Misty an idea.

"Tentacruel, Bubble Beam!"

The bubbles fired lined up quickly with Venusaur, hitting the Pokémon at ferocious speed, but did little damage. Misty gad counted on this, and her plan wasn't to defeat the Pokémon with brute strength, but rather whittle it down over time.

"That's nothing to us!" Simeon taunted, but it fell on deaf ears. "Let's end this quickly, Venusaur! Grab it with your vines! Just like last time!"

Misty smiled; she had been expecting this. "Don't let those vines wrap around you! Grab them with your tentacles and don't let go!"

As Venusaur's vines neared the jellyfish-like Pokémon, Tentacruel quickly pounced with several of its tentacles. Wrapping onto them, neither Tentacruel nor Venusaur found that they could move their appendages. Locked in a stalemate, Misty saw her opening.

"Now, Confuse Ray!" Misty's plan worked. Tentacruel's red gem began to glow, and not long after, Venusaur became completely confused.

Simeon tried to get his Pokémon to focus, but it was no use. Misty saw an opening, and she was going to take it. She ordered her Pokémon to repeatedly strike Venusaur with minor attacks that quickly began to pile up; weakening the grass-type Pokémon.

By the time Venusaur was able to break its own confusion, it had already taken a ton of damage. But Simeon wasn't one to give up, ordering his Pokémon to use it's most potent attack; Solar Beam.

Misty had ample time to react and remained as stoic faced as ever as the attack charged; Simeon was playing into her game.

"Now!" Simeon had expected the match to be over in a heartbeat, but as the green energy beam was fired, Misty ordered her Pokémon to protect itself.

Tentacruel released Venusaur's vines, freeing both Pokémon. Its red gem glowed again, but this time a transparent sheen barrier appeared around the Pokémon; completely deflecting the attack.

"What!" Simeon exclaimed in disbelief. "That's not possible! How could you block my Pokémon's greatest attack?"

"You should learn more about Pokémon outside your own typing," Misty replied. "There are many ways to overcome a type disadvantage, like this one." Misty knew the battle wasn't over, but she had a feeling she'd already one. Her Pokémon hadn't taken any damage, while Venusaur looked like it was on its last legs.

"Tentacruel, one more attack should do it! And I think we've saved the best for last; Hydro Pump!" The rush of water moved too quickly, and while the attack wasn't super effective, it had just enough power to finish off the weakened Venusaur.

"Venusaur is unable to battle!" the referee declared. "Misty wins! She advances into the next round!"

Misty sighed. She had a massive smile on her face, but she couldn't help but feel relieved and somewhat shocked. She'd wanted to thank her opponent for the battle, but when she looked across the battlefield, she realised that he'd already left.

Returning her Pokémon, she looked Poké Ball for a moment before placing it in her bag. "I really need to teach some of my Pokémon Ice Beam."


A long time ago…

Red sat at his desk, endlessly flipping from page to page of Blaine's journal. He couldn't believe the hidden history of the Great War that he was learning about. There had been an organisation; the 'Pokémon Strategic Research Division,' whose only goal was to find ways to exploit Pokémon for the war effort.

It was how the revolutionary device; the Poké Ball, had first been created. He saw it as a tool; a part of himself that allowed him to bond with his Pokémon. And yet, it was initially intended to be a weapon of war; an instrument to enable soldiers to carry numerous Pokémon into battle.

He couldn't believe how different the events written in the journal were to the history he'd been taught in school. Part of him knew that what he was reading was personal; a small, narrow view of a war that affected the world, but he couldn't help but feel that his eyes were being opened for the first time.

After reading several pages further into the journal, he closed it. He'd learnt so much in the few pages he'd read. He discovered several different experiments that had been going on during the war, but none were more prevalent than the one Blaine had worked on himself. Blaine continuously referenced the 'Ultimate Weapon;' the 'Ultimate Pokémon,' whatever that was. Red barely understood what he was reading, but it intrigued him none the less.

Exiting his room, he set down in the living room of his family home and turned on the television. To his luck, his sister was currently away, and his mother had errands to run. He couldn't believe that it had been over a year since he started his journey; a year since he left home, he currently found himself in. He was now eleven and still hadn't collected all the badges he required to enter the Pokémon League. Sure, most didn't collect them all until they were into their teens, but he still felt unsatisfied that he didn't have the complete set.

He picked up the remote and mindlessly scrolled through channel after channel. Some had sports, others contained re-runs of various battle competitions, but none caught his attention. He paused when a sudden news alert flared onto the television, quickly followed by a severe weather warning for the Cerulean City area.

"The temperature plummeted to below freezing in a matter of minutes," the reported explained, standing outside the Pokémon Centre in the city. "It's unknown what is the cause of this strange weather pattern, but some are questioning if it is the work of the 'Monster of Cerulean City.'"

An image appeared on the screen of a strange silhouette of a bipedal, feline-looking Pokémon with glowing eyes. Red couldn't help it, but he felt like he'd seen it before. Or, at least, recognised the Pokémon. "A series of devastating incidents have occurred in the city since the arrival of the strange creature." As the reporter continued, the large door to the Pokémon Centre opened, revealing Blaine as he exited the building.

At that moment, everything clicked. Rushing back up to his room, he grabbed Blaine's journal and quickly skimmed through the pages until he found what he was looking for.

Day one hundred and fifty-two, he read. It's hard to believe how quickly we've managed to create a stable specimen. I was chosen to be the donor of the 'human' DNA. At the time, I felt nervous, indifferent, but as I looked at the Pokémon, I couldn't help but feel that it was somehow a part of me. It had a humanish, bipedal form, yet-amazingly-it still kept the feline features of its parent Pokémon; Mew. It seems to continually sleep inside its tank most of the time, but whenever I am near, its brain activity increases, as if it's sensing my presence; as if it knows part of it is from me. Recently, it had opened its eyes. For a brief moment, they glowed, before closing again. It's still young and in its infancy, but it is progressing along quite nicely.


Red shivered as he walked down the main street of Cerulean City. He clutched his red jacket tightly around him as he wandered past the empty shops. On a typical day, the streets of Cerulean city would be buzzing with tourists, but today it felt like nothing but a ghost town.

The city was mostly abandoned; even the locals had decided to leave in the lure of warmer weather. He couldn't blame them; the place was completely covered in a thick layer of snow. The Place looked nothing like it did when he was there six months earlier. What had brought on the strange weather? No one knew, but many suspected it had something to do with the "Monster of Cerulean City;" a Pokémon that had only recently appeared around town.

No one knew what to make of the Pokémon. Was it legendary? A Pokémon of myth? The only Pokémon it even remotely resembled was the mystical Mew. But even that was a vast stretch; most historians and experts knew that Mew was far smaller.

Some had theorised that the Pokémon may have been a distant cousin of the Pokémon that all life sprouted from. Maybe it was a form of early evolution that a Mew changed into as it became more bipedal; before evolution broke that Pokémon down into the many forms of bipedal Pokémon we see today?

But that raised a new question; where had the Pokémon been? And why was there no evidence of its existence? There were thousands of fossilised remains of early Pokémon, but none of them resembled the creature that appeared around Cerulean City.

Red had heard these theories, and many others, in the few days it took him to reach Cerulean City. But he knew the truth; he knew that the Pokémon had been created in a lab. Now he only had to find out where the Pokémon was hiding.

He knew nothing about Cerulean City, but he knew someone who did, and he hoped she would be able to help him. All he had to do was reach her house.


Surprisingly, the mansion's front gate had been left unlocked. He pushed it open; the ice cracking as the hinges rotated. Walking across the courtyard, the snow-covered ground crunched beneath his feet. The entire place was covered in a foot of snow, and he couldn't make out any of the statues he'd seen the last time he was here.

Eventually, after treading slowly through the courtyard so he wouldn't mistakenly walk across the small pond he'd seen previously, he found himself at the front door. Knocking, he expected Misty, her sister, or one of their many servants to answer the door but was instead greeted by the stern face of Mark Williams; Misty's father.

"My. What brings you here at a time like this?" Mark asked, eyeing Red up and down. He wasn't expecting anyone to visit during the strange blizzard, especially after he'd sent all the staff home.

"Oh, umm… I'm here to see Misty, is she around?" Red nervously questioned. The man radiated strength and power, and Red couldn't help but feel a bit overwhelmed.

"I'm afraid you've just missed her," Mark explained. "She said she had an errand to run. She should be back shortly."

"You let her go out in this weather?" Red questioned.

"You're out in this weather!" Mark strongly retorted. He didn't like being told how to parent his child, especially by someone his daughter's age. "Besides, if you're truly a friend of my daughter, you'd know there was no way I could dissuade her once she'd made her mind up."

Red failed to miss the snide remark hidden in Mark's response. Of course, he was a friend of Misty's! He imagined he was one of the few friends she had, given who her father was.

"Where are my manners? Why don't you come in! You must be freezing." Mark opened the door, briefly showing compassion before it was hidden again behind his stern demeanour.

Red entered, wandering through the ample open space of the foyer. The door echoed eerily as it was slowly closed behind him. Remarkably, despite all the lavish décor and expensive furnishings, the place felt rather hollow; rather empty.

He passed the foyer, entering the mansion's large living room. There he paused, placing a hand on one of the expensive lounges.

"Why don't you take a seat?" Mark offered, appearing behind him.

But something told Red that it was more of a command than an offer. Reluctantly, he sat down; placing his hands in his lap. Nervously, he twiddled his thumbs as Mark took the seat across from him.

The room quickly fell into silence, the air thick with awkward tension. Red had no idea why, but the way Mark was eyeing him up and down concerned him. Minutes passed, and no one spoke. Only the sound of their breathing filled the room. The wind whistled outside as the blizzard continued its bloody rage.

Finally, Mark spoke, but it wasn't what Red was expecting to hear from the older man. "My daughter seems to be quite fond of you."

Red had no idea how to respond to that. Sure, he liked her too. They were good friends, so why was it an issue? "She is very nice. She's a good friend and a lovely person, you should be proud of her."

"You misunderstand." Mark raised his hand to halt Red. "I mean; Misty really likes you. Most days you're all she talks about. When she visited me in Saffron City a few months ago, all she would talk about was running into you and that you traded Pokémon with each other. She had no interest in discussing anything else. Since that day, I decided I would like to get you to know the boy that has enchanted my daughter. So, Red, why don't you tell me about yourself?"

Red didn't know where to begin. He'd promised his mother that he would never reveal his name, so he couldn't start there. His journey? That was a good start. He began there; discussing the first day of his trip. Why he'd chosen Bulbasaur over Charmander.

Truth be told, Mark knew all about Red already. He knew his real name was Derrick Ketchum, son of Charlotte and Richard Ketchum, whom he'd had quite a few run-ins with, in the past. This wasn't about that, though. Instead, he was interested in finding out if Red would be truthful with him.

At first, he was appalled to learn that his daughter's new friend was the son of one of his oldest enemy's. He'd initially planned to bar his daughter from ever seeing the boy again. But the day she came in with that huge smile on her face after running into the boy, Mark knew that he could make use of such a close relationship; even if neither of them knew they were being manipulated.

A long time ago, during the great war, there was a brief period where the Aura Legion and Aura Guard put their differences aside and worked together to bring about peace. And here he had two people, who could possibly be future leaders of their respective organisations, in such a close friendship; maybe something more, if his daughter's reaction was anything to judge by.

His plan wasn't any form of reunification; that ship had sailed a long time ago, but perhaps he could find a way to subtly manipulate his enemy's direction through his own daughter. He had a plan; his operative, Michele, was drafting it. If he wanted it to succeed though, he would have to begin laying the seeds early. So, he sat there, listening intently to his daughter's friend and all his wild stories about his adventure.


Red continued to tell Mark about his journey for nearly an hour. In all that time, Mark never interrupted once; only humming and nodding when appropriate. Time had flown by so quickly that neither of them noticed when the front door suddenly opened.

Misty Williams entered, shaking her woollen clothing free of snow. She walked into the living room without glancing in Red's direction; never realising he was there. "Dad, they blocked my proposal again! I'm sure it's only because of-"

"Misty," Mark interrupted. "Don't be so rude; we have a guest!" He gestured towards Red.

"Oh!" Misty quickly turned to apologise, but when her eyes landed on Red, she immediately beamed. "Oh, Red!" she squealed, leaping over to him and enveloping him in a hug. "It's been a while! How are you?"

"I'm… Good," Red replied, stunned. He quickly reciprocated the hug, but he certainly hadn't expected it.

On the opposite couch, Mark smiled; yes, he could definitely use this.


"So, you're looking for the Monster of Cerulean City?" Misty questioned, having been informed of Red recent adventures. They were both seated on the couch; Mark having long departed to another room of the mansion.

"Yeah." Red nodded. "I'm also looking the Blaine; the fire-type gym leader of Cinnabar Island."

"I know who he is," Misty explained. "He's been around; he visited my father recently. He says he's looking for something in the city. Until now, I had no idea what, but based on what you've told me, he must be looking for the Pokémon."

"But why would the Pokémon come here?" Red questioned aloud. He was only voicing his thoughts; never really expecting a response.

"Maybe they've come here before?" Misty shrugged. "Have you tried reading more of the journal? It may hold some clues."

"I have," Red confirmed. "But most of it is science lingo that I don't understand."

"Well, it just so happens that I have a few points of interest that may narrow down your search," Misty explained.

"What do you mean?" Red questioned.

"Well, I haven't been looking for that Pokémon specifically," Misty added. "But I have been looking into the weather phenomenon that's been plaguing this city for the past week. I've managed to narrow down the cause to a few places. It may not be much, but perhaps we'll find your 'Monster' at one of those locations."

"Then what're we waiting for?" Red rose to his feet in a rush, preparing to leave immediately.

"Woah, Woah," Misty calmed. "We'll die out there if we leave now. You think it's cold now? At night it'll get down to well below freezing. It's best if we wait until tomorrow."

"But I don't have anywhere to sleep," Red retorted.

"That's fine!" Misty smiled; excited at the prospect of spending more time with the young boy. "You can sleep in one of the guest rooms! I'm sure my father won't mind!"


Red groaned as he followed Misty to the outskirts of the city. They'd searched every location Misty suspected and were yet to find any clues about the strange weather pattern or locate the Monster of Cerulean City.

So annoyed was Red, that he was beginning to question if Misty even knew anything. He knew the girl harboured strong affection for him. He knew she would jump at the opportunity to spend time with him, but he didn't know what lengths she was willing to go to.

"The last place on my list was the Cerulean Cave," Misty declared, coming to a stop.

"Cave? What cave?" Red frantically looking around, failing to find any entrance to a cave.

"You're looking at it." Misty pointed towards the ice-covered hills. The entire city was blanketed in white, but unlike the show covered buildings, the mountain range seemed to be completely covered in solid ice. How she could tell there was an entrance, he had no idea, but he felt that this was the first decent clue they'd had all day.

"Why was this last on your list?" he questioned. "The rest of the city is covered in snow, and this place is frozen solid!"

"There were a lot of possible places, okay?" Misty argued. "The bridge seemed like the best bet! It was where the weather phenomenon began! The next best guess was where the Pokémon had been cited! This!" She pointed towards the cave entrance. "Is just a cave where people come for stupid romantic dates!"

"It's a cave just outside the city," Red noted, holding one finger in the air. "It's completely frozen in ice, compared to the rest of the city."

"The water near the bridge was frozen!" Misty argued.

Red continued counting, deciding to ignore Misty's interruption. "It's the perfect place to hide if you want no one to find you. And in this storm, there is no way anyone would venture out here. And even more so, the entrance is completely blocked."

"We're here!"

"But we're looking for the Pokémon."

"Well, fine!" Misty relented, throwing her arms up dramatically. "Looking at it now; I should have brought you here first! But that still doesn't solve the current issue! How are we going to get into the cave?"

"A fire-type would work brilliantly," Red explained.

"Hello!" Misty dramatically whined, gesturing to herself. "I'm a water-type Pokémon trainer! Do I look like I carry a fire-type with me?"

"Don't worry." Misty didn't like the smug smile on Red's face as he pulled out a Poke Ball. "I have just the Pokémon. Growlithe! We need your help!"


Misty sighed as she followed Red through the cave. While most would love to see the beautiful colours, especially in the reflection of the ice-covered walls, she never really liked the place.

Most considered it a place of romance; a place of beauty where one could spill one's heart in the colourful light. But it was something she didn't care much about. Instead, she saw this place with sorrow. To her, it was the place that forever barred her from knowing her ancestors.

Sure, she had her father's family, but she never really knew much about her mother's. They were born in the north, a place that was now gone. And while she knew that without the Great War, she would never have been born, she couldn't help but feel trapped.

It was a place that her mother would bring her to before her mother passed away, and she hadn't returned since. As they walked, the glimmers of light almost gave rise to ghost-like figures, and Misty couldn't help but feel like she was being haunted.

"You know, this cave used to be a tunnel," Misty mused quietly; solemnly. "It used to be the only route that connected northern Kanto to the rest of the region."

"Why was it sealed off?" Red asked.

"It wasn't intentional," Misty continued. "The entrance on the other side caved in when Hoenn bombed the north during the Great War. The shockwave collapsed a large section of the mountain range. It was decided to leave it blocked to prevent the radiation from seeping through the mountains. The north is nothing but an irradiated wasteland now; nothing can grow there for thousands of years."

"I guess we're lucky then," Red mused.

"How so?" Misty demandingly questioned. Her grandparents didn't feel so lucky; she'd heard all the devastating stories of what her family had endured during the war. She didn't feel so fortunate.

"What I meant was that the mountain range was large enough to prevent the radiation from climbing over and irradiating the south. We're lucky because we never saw the horrors our parents and grandparents did. That's all I meant," Red defended. He had no idea what'd gotten into Misty recently, but he certainly didn't like it.

She seemed to be always defensive; questioning and arguing over every little detail. At first, he'd thought she was just worried because of the storm, but as they spent more time together, he began to believe that there was something that was bothering her that she wasn't telling him about. He didn't think he was the reason, but something was clearly annoying her.

As they ventured deeper into the cave, the air began to grow stale. The temperature steadily dropped further below the already freezing temperatures. The place became misty; a thick fog enveloping them to the point where they could only see a few metres in front of them.

Red knew they couldn't venture much further without freezing to death. Clearly, whatever had been causing the blizzard was located within the cave. The only fire-type he had with him was Growlithe, which provided him with little comfort in the harsh temperatures.

Finally, he stopped. They could go no further without risking their health, and there was no point to them dying for a futile endeavour. For all they knew, the Monster of Cerulean City may not even be in the cave.

Misty, who'd failed to notice Red stop, walked straight into the young boy, her head bumping into his. "Ow!" she groaned, rubbing her temple. "Why'd you stop?"

"It's too cold," Red explained. "We'll freeze to death if we go any further."

"Then what should we do?"

"We should turn back," Red relented. He'd been so determined to find the Pokémon that he couldn't help but feel that he'd failed. "I don't think the creature his here."

Misty smugly felt like saying "I told you so," but she couldn't bring herself to argue in the freezing temperatures. While she hadn't admitted it, the cold had finally gotten to her, and she was just feeling relieved to turn back.

But a fierce gust of wind suddenly blew the mist away, revealing the blue feathers of Articuno. Silently, it flapped its icy wings, remaining hovered just above the ground. It eyed the two trainers, light reflecting off its darker shaded crest on its head.

Red and Misty had no idea what to do; they'd never expected such a Pokémon to be hiding in a cave. Although looking at it, it made sense to them that the legendary bird was the most likely reason for the massive blizzard engulfing Cerulean City.

"What's an Articuno doing here?" Red asked.

"I don't know!" Misty replied. "I know they live up in the mountains. I've never heard of one venturing down to the city!" Misty grabbed one of her Poke Balls defensively but realised that the Pokémon wasn't advancing towards them. "What do you think it wants?"

"I have no idea." Just as Red replied, Articuno cawed threateningly. Red knew it was a warning to turn around and leave, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. This whole situation, it felt eerily familiar to recent events.

"Something feels off," Red continued. "This is the second time in recent weeks that a legendary bird has been responsible for a natural disaster."

"You don't think that it's a coincidence that Articuno is here?" Misty asked.

"No," Red answered. "The two chain of events are too identical to be a coincidence. Firstly, Blaine show's up in Cerulean City. Then the blizzard arrives that blankets the city with snow and ice. Lastly, we find an Articuno suddenly hiding inside a cave that it's never been seen in before."

"You think Blaine is the cause of this?"

"Possibly? It makes sense, doesn't it?" Red questioned. "He's been present at both natural disasters caused by legendary birds-" he exhaled, the air freezing. "-I didn't see what caused the volcano to erupt on Cinnabar Island, but I found him later as he was making his way down the mountain."

Articuno suddenly cawed again, this time more threateningly. It suddenly opened its short grey beak, launching a shining blue beam of ice at the pair.

Neither had time to react, but the beam would never reach them as a Charizard suddenly appeared above them. The flame Pokémon unleashed a torrent of powerful flames that stopped the beam of ice in its tracks.

"You know, I thought you'd trust me after Cinnabar Island. It's great to see such a high opinion of me," Blaine snarled, appearing behind the two trainers. Red noticed the sarcasm in his voice, realising that the older gentlemen had heard the whole thing. "Especially after you stole my private journal."

"Sorry," Red guiltily muttered under his breath.

"Unfortunately, I don't have the time to scold you," Blaine berated. His glasses glinted in the light as he swivelled his head towards Articuno. "We currently have a bigger issue to deal with."

Charizard landed in front of the three trainers, shielding them from any attacks. It roared goadingly at the legendary bird, unleashing a torrent of flames into the air. Red had never seen such a confident Pokémon in his life, but he felt that it was probably well warranted.

"Mewtwo!" Blaine yelled. Red was surprised; Blaine wasn't addressing Articuno and instead appeared to be calling out to the surrounding area. "I know you're here! An Articuno wouldn't live in a cave unless it were being controlled! Come out! We can sense each other. You know that!"

Without hesitation, Mewtwo instantly appeared; standing only a few metres from Blaine. Red recognised the Pokémon from its description in Blaine's journal, while Misty noted the similar features to the sketchy photos of the Monster of Cerulean City.

"Now that's more like it." Blaine smiled "You'll be returning with me to Cinnabar Island, Mewtwo. You've caused enough trouble already."

Strangely, Mewtwo remained silent. It didn't talk; it didn't make a sound. Instead, it silently raised one of its three-pronged hands towards Blaine; preparing to defend itself.

Blaine read the silent message; adjusting his glasses as he pulled out a Poké Ball. "So be it." He released another of his Pokémon as he ushered Charizard to him. "I need you two to keep the Articuno busy," he addressed Red and Misty. "If Mewtwo can distract me with it, I'll have no chance of stopping Mewtwo from slowly destroying the city."

"Why is it doing this?" Misty questioned.

"It's doing exactly what it was created for," Blaine explained. "It was created to be the ultimate weapon; to destroy everything in its path."

"Then we'll do everything we can to give you the best chance of stopping it." Red nodded, clutching a Poké Ball as he turned towards Articuno. "No matter the cost."


The battle wasn't going so well for Red and Misty. The legendary bird had lived up to its name as it quickly wiped the floor against their Pokémon. Red had initially used Growlithe, but even the fire-type was no match for the bird's powerful ice-type attacks.

Having lost Growlithe in the first salvo, Red was left with few options; he had no Pokémon that were strong against ice-types, and only one that had an advantage against flying-types.

Misty, on the other hand, had no Pokémon that held a type of advantage against Articuno. She was relying on guerrilla tactics; making sure her Pokémon could do maximum damage without being hit. Repeatedly, she would release her Staryu with an order to attack Articuno head-on while the legendary bird was distracted by one of her other Pokémon. Once the attack hit, she would quickly return the starfish Pokémon to its Poké Ball before Articuno could hurt it.

The tactic had worked well at first, but Articuno quickly adapted; launching wide, areal damaging attacks, instead of direct ones. Before long, Misty had lost her Staryu and her Seel, whom she'd been using as the distraction.

"I only have two Pokémon left-" she returned Staryu and Seel. "-and I don't think Krabby is going to be much help."

"What about your other Pokémon?" Red watched as Misty's face contorted in contemplation. He had no idea why but asking about her other Pokémon had clearly struck a nerve.

"It's not my Pokémon, per se…" Misty paused, mulling over the situation. "Ok, look; it's my mother's, and it will listen to me, but it doesn't work well with other Pokémon."

"Then why'd you bring it?"

"Insurance, I guess." Misty shrugged. But Red had a feeling that there was another reason she currently had the Pokémon. "It's the strongest Pokémon I know; it was my mother's first Pokémon."

Red quickly glanced towards Articuno. "I don't think we have a choice; use it."

Misty sighed. She clutched the Poke Ball in her hand and pressed the button. "Come on out, Samurott! I have a worthy opponent for you!"

The Poké Ball flew through the air. For a brief moment, Misty thought her Pokémon wouldn't appear when the ball suddenly burst open with a loud pop. The light from the Pokémon's release was almost blinding as it reflected off the ice. A strange four-legged figure appeared from the light on the frozen cave floor.

Its cream-coloured spear-like protrusion from the shell on its head was barely visible in the bright white cave. If it wasn't for its dark blue skin, Red might never have identified it at all.

Samurott looked around; perplexed by its surroundings, before narrowing in on a worthy opponent. Samurott's red eyes glowed only for a second before a powerful beam of energy shot from the Pokémon's mouth towards Articuno.

Red didn't need any clues to ascertain the attack Samurott had just used, identifying one of the most potent Hyper Beams he'd ever seen. Articuno flapped its wings rapidly to avoid the attack.

Realising that he could help, Red summoned his Pikachu. Following Red's command, Pikachu raced into battle and was about to leap passed Samurott when it suddenly found Samurott's leg in the way. With no chance of slowing down on the frictionless surface, Pikachu collided with the Formidable Pokémon.

Samurott looked down at its leg, snarling at the yellow Pokémon. Using its horn, Samurott knocked Pikachu away like a hockey puck.

"Hey!" Red yelled.

"I told you," Misty reminded. "Samurott doesn't play well with others. It won't accept help; it only sees it as a weakness."

"Then what do you expect me to do? Just stand here?"

"No," Misty commanded. "Go help Blaine; he probably needs it more than I do!"


Blaine had no idea how the two kids were holding up against the legendary bird, but he imagined it must have been going well when Red showed up by his side. What he'd failed to see, however, was the massive argument that preceded Red's arrival.

Red had been reluctant to leave Misty to fend for herself against Articuno, but the constant growling from Samurott whenever he tried to help told him there was nothing he could do; the Pokémon just wouldn't let him.

"How's it going?" Red questioned as he surveyed the area.

Blaine didn't respond; he had to remain focused on the battle at hand. Mewtwo was sharing blows with Blaine's strongest Pokémon; his Charizard. If Blaine had answered, he would have explained that he wasn't doing well. He was already down two Pokémon, and Mewtwo looked like it had barely broken a sweat.

Blaine wasn't stupid; he knew he wouldn't be able to defeat the Pokémon directly, so he had come up with a plan. With him was one of the greatest inventions ever created; the Master Ball. Gifted to him for his work at the Pokémon Laboratory, it was the perfect way to capture a Pokémon of Mewtwo's power. The only problem was that he needed to slow down Mewtwo enough to use it.

Or perhaps he didn't? Maybe he didn't need to slow down Mewtwo at all but instead find something with enough speed to hit the Pokémon with the Master Ball before it could move. A plan suddenly popped into Blaine's mind; a direct assault wasn't working, but just maybe a distraction would.

He turned towards Red for the first time since he'd arrived, hoping he would have what he needed. "Do you have a Pokémon that is fast, agile, and capable of withstanding extreme heat?"

"Well, I have a Pokémon that meets the first two requirements," Red mused; mulling over the Pokémon he had that weren't unconscious. "Will that help?"

"It'll have to do." Blaine sighed. "Mewtwo is too fast to get anywhere near, and there is no chance of any of my Pokémon weakening it enough. My plan is to use this special type of Poké Ball to capture the Pokémon."

"Then how are we going to capture it if we can't get close?"

"We can't," Blaine explained. "But a quick-enough Pokémon can."

"What?"

"Captured Pokémon are not affected by 'live' Poke Balls," Blaine continued. "A Poke Ball doesn't need to be thrown to capture a Pokémon. So long as the button is pressed, and the 'live' Poke Ball comes into contact with a non-captured Pokémon, it will capture it.

"What we need to do is give the Master Ball to one of your Pokémon, and have it charge towards Mewtwo and smash the Master Ball into it." Blaine's idea sounded more ludicrous the more he explained it, but it was the best idea he had. "It should then capture Mewtwo."

"Wouldn't Mewtwo see that coming from a mile away though?"

"Not if we distract it," Blaine replied. "I'll use my fire-types to keep Mewtwo from noticing." Blaine turned back towards the battlefield just in time to watch Charizard narrowly avoid an intense beam of energy. "Here!" He placed the Master Ball in Red's palm without looking. "I need to make sure Charizard's ready for what is about to come."

"Oh. O-Okay," Red stuttered while accepting the Poke Ball. He still didn't fully understand what he needed to do but decided to go ahead with the plan anyway.

Red wandered away from Blaine, deciding which Pokémon to use when he realised, he had the best Pokémon for the job; his Pikachu.

Summoning the Pokémon, who was still irritated by Samurott's rejection for help, Red explained what he needed down. Pikachu nodded its head, indicating it was following along with what Red was saying.

"Do you think you can do that, buddy?" It was a simple question, and he'd never known any of his Pokémon to tun down one of his requests, so imagine when his Pokémon declined. "What? Why?" Red crossed his arms over his chest in annoyance; surly what he was requesting wasn't too much? Was it?

"Chu," Pikachu explained, pointing to its paws.

"You're asking how you would carry it?"

Pikachu nodded.

"Obviously you can't use your paws as you need them to move," Red mused. "But, you could hold the Poké Ball in your mouth…" Red paused at the incredulous look his Pokémon was giving him. "I understand your reservations, but we don't have any other choice. We're trapped here so long as that thing over there, and the legendary bird further down the cave, are in our way. I don't have any other available Pokémon that can help. You're my only hope."

Pikachu mused over everything Red had said before finally agreeing.

"Really?"

"Pikachu." Pikachu nodded.

"Thank you!" Red picked up Pikachu in a mad rush and hugged the Pokémon tightly. Suddenly realising an increase in static electricity and Pikachu's annoyance, Red put the Pokémon down;. While he was happy, he didn't want to get electrocuted; it hadn't ended well that last time. "Okay, here is the Master Ball." He got Pikachu to open its mouth before placing the shrunken device in it. "Now, I've placed it so that all you'll have to do is bite down on it to activate its capture sequence. Once you do that, all you have to do is hit Mewtwo with it."

Pikachu understood the last part; he was very familiar with how humans captured Pokémon. Hell, Red had caught him the exact same way; albeit, without needing another Pokémon to do the capturing for him.

"Are you ready kid?" Blaine called out.

"Yeah!" Red replied. "I think so."

"Good, cause I'm about to initiate the distraction!" Blaine turned towards his Charizard and muttered a straightforward command. "You know what to do."

Red readied Pikachu; focusing on what Charizard was about to do. He had no idea what Blaine and his Pokémon had planned, but he rightly guessed that it involved fire. Charizard suddenly unleashed a torrent of orange flames that quickly spiralled around Mewtwo in an ever-rising vortex that nearly reached the roof of the cave.

Red knew his Pokémon well, and he certainly knew his Pokémon would never be able to survive a mad dash through flames of such high intensity. But an idea quickly came to mind when he noticed a clear opening in the vortex.

Red leaned down towards his Pokémon before pointing towards the cave wall. "The flames have melted the ice. Use your speed to climb the walls and launch down with the Master Ball from above. You won't reach Mewtwo if you rush through the flames, but there's a hole in the vortex at the top. If you enter there, you should be fine."

Pikachu nodded; unable to talk with the Master Ball in its mouth. Quickly, the little yellow Pokémon raced off on all fours, following Red's idea to the letter. It quickly raced up the side of one of the caves. Once where there had been ice, was now replaced with the places natural rocky surface that was easy to cling onto.

Once the Pokémon neared the top of the vortex, it noticed it couldn't see the Pokémon inside. Trusting that its master knew best, Pikachu let go of the cave and fell into the vortex.

Neither Red, Blaine, or Charizard saw what happened next. Red had no idea if the plan had worked, but Blaine seemed far more confident. The fire-type master ordered his Pokémon to stop. When the flames ceased, they found that only the Master Ball and an unconscious Pikachu remained.

Wearily, they approached; Red the first one to speak up. "Did it work? Did we capture it?"

"We did," Blaine confirmed, picking up the, now full, Master Ball. "Thank you." Blaine sighed, turning towards Red. "This beast should never be allowed out into the real world; it's far too dangerous. Far too destructive."

"It's not me you should thank." Red pointed towards his unconscious Pokémon. "Pikachu's the one who did all the work."

"Still, if it weren't for you and your friend…" Blaine paused, realising they still had another Pokémon to deal with.

"Misty!"


After returning their Pokémon, Red and Blaine rushed to help the water-type Pokémon trainer, but they hadn't expected what they would find.

"Ha!" Misty laughed.

Red and Blaine paused, completely shocked to find a very smug trainer stroking their Pokémon's back as they stood over the unconscious legendary bird.

Misty pulled out a Poké Ball and dropped it onto Articuno. The Pokémon disappeared in a flash. The Poké Ball shook violently for several seconds before calming down; indicating the Pokémon's capture.

Misty picked up the Poké Ball and smiled. "I wish Lorelei could see this. I wish she could have watched a water-type bring down one of the most powerful ice-type Pokémon in the world. I wish… I wish she'd seen everything. That bitch."


How will Misty go in her tournament? Find Out Next Time!

So present day Misty has an infatuation with Lorelei, while past Misty absolutely hated her guts. I wonder how that will play out in the future?

I also bought a gramma software that helps by giving suggestions to improve my writing and correct mistakes. Please let me know if this chapter went more smoothly than previous ones?

There weren't any reviews that I couldn't reply to privately after the last chapter, so there aren't any to add here.

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)
Wartortle (Water) (Male)
Rhydon (Ground/Rock) (Female)
Riolu (Fighting) (Male)
Dragonair (Dragon) (Female)
Ralts (Psychic/Fairy) (Male) (Shiny)
Grubbin (Bug) (Female) (Shiny)
Egg

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)

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)

Please Follow, Favourite and Review!

Until Next Time, AshleyH30 Out!