I've got a surprise for you guys! That's right: the next chapter of A New Era! Fully written, full length chapter, nothing held back. I felt really bad about the wait between the last two chapters (even though there really was nothing I could have done to prevented it!) so I decided to get my butt in gear and get this chapter going quick! And I did! So I'm proud of myself :P

Though, I do have a warning about this chapter: it's a little bit sad. You'll see why as you read on, but just keep that in mind.

LAST TIME: While on the boat headed towards Cinnabar Island, Aiden and Michelle get into a huge fight caused by Sam Oak. After they storm off, Brandon holds Sam's badges hostage until he helps to get the two to apologize. Sam and Brandon manage to get the siblings into one place, which leads to their reconciliation.

Chapter 39: Flames of the Past

"Wow! Simply impressive! With a minute still left on the clock, Zella has managed to win the Crimson City Contest! Lapras' powerful body slam attack really sealed the deal for her today!"

Michelle felt her brow furrow as her emerald eyes refused to leave the flat screen television sitting in front of her. She had been watching the broadcast of a nearby Pokémon Contest, which just so happened to have been entered by Zella, the same girl who had called Michelle a brat all the way back in Saffron City. Ever since then, Michelle had not been able to forget it, and officially considered the black haired girl to be one of her rivals.

"What are ya watching, Shelly?"

Michelle nearly fell off the couch as that voice floated into her ear. Looking up with a frustrated expression, Michelle was not surprised to see Aiden only inches away from her face, flashing the sideways smirk that was typical of all Ketchum boys.

"The Crimson City Pokémon Contest," Michelle grumbled, looking back at the television.

"Cool," Aiden commented. "Which round is it up to?"

"None," Michelle sighed. "It's over."

"Really?" Aiden gasped. "Who won?"

"Take a look."

Aiden peered up at the screen just in time to see Lilian handing a blood red ribbon over to Zella. The girl's silver eyes glinted as the ribbon was placed in her palm, throwing in a devilish smirk for good measure.

"No way!" Aiden shrieked, taking a jump back.

"Afraid so," Michelle grumbled, shaking her head.

"What's up, you two?" Brandon questioned, walking over to the couch where Aiden and Michelle were gathered. "You both sound a little riled up."

"Brandon, look who's on TV!" Aiden cried, jabbing a finger towards the flat screen.

Brandon hummed curiously and turned his head, groaning as soon as he saw who it was.

"Oh no. That Zella girl again."

"She just won the Contest," Michelle muttered, shaking her head. "I was kind of hoping I wouldn't have to see her again. Guess not."

"She does seem like a formidable opponent," Brandon tried.

"Yeah, but she's still a creep," Michelle bit, grabbing her backpack and flinging it over her shoulders. "I mean, come on! She judged me left and right at the Saffron Contest just because Mom and Dad happen to be famous Pokémon trainers! That does not make me a spoiled brat! Trust me, Mom and Dad have no problem saying 'no' to me."

"Mom more so than Dad," Aiden reasoned, throwing his sister a knowing look.

"Fair enough," Michelle giggled softly. "B-but that's not because he's rich or famous! It's because I'm his daughter and he loves me! I can't help it that I'm a Daddy's girl…and I can't help it that he feeds into it!"

"Well, Zella just doesn't understand that," Brandon tried to relax Michelle. "And she doesn't have to. You know what's up. Don't feed into her."

"Guess you have a point," Michelle murmured, looking down at the couch. "What do you think, Pichu?"

The baby Pokémon climbed over the back of the couch, large ears bobbing as she beamed up at her trainer. "Chu!"

"I think we should head out for the day," Brandon suggested, smiling as Pichu hopped up onto Michelle's shoulder.

"Yeah!" Aiden chimed in. "My next gym battle is just waiting for me!"

"Why rush into it?"

The trio turned around and found Nurse Joy approaching them, a delicate smile on her face.

"Hi, Nurse Joy!" Aiden and Michelle greeted simultaneously.

"Yeah, hello!" Brandon greeted more smoothly, running up to the nurse and holding a hand over his heart. "You are looking positively radiant this morning! And is that a new scent I detect?"

"Uh…"

"Yeah, it's called 'Your Desperation,'" Michelle grumbled, grabbing Brandon by the ear and yanking him back rather harshly.

"OW!" Brandon yelped, covering his ear afterwards.

"You all just arrived on the island yesterday," Nurse Joy continued. "There's lots to do here, and I think it'd be fun to experience some of it before you challenge the gym!"

"Like what?" Michelle asked, knowing her brother wouldn't because of his one track mind that was only screaming "battle!" at him.

"Well, every year, a festival is held on the island," Nurse Joy explained. "The island is already very popular as a beach resort, but the festival really brings the crowd in even more! There's a carnival held right in the middle of the island, not too far from here, with different rides, Pokémon shows, and lots of food!"

"Food?!" Aiden gasped, his interest suddenly piqued.

"Oh, I want to go to the carnival!" Michelle squealed. "No, I have to go to the carnival!"

Aiden huffed and shook out his head, quickly snapping himself out of his enamored state. "No! No carnivals. I've got to go challenge the gym!"

"But Aiden, you heard Nurse Joy," Michelle whined. "The festival only happens once a year! And the carnival sounds like so much fun!"

Aiden groaned and rolled his eyes. "What is it with you and carnivals, anyway?"

"You know that some of my favorite memories are from going to fairs and carnivals with Dad," Michelle murmured, throwing in a pout for good measure. "When I was little, he would always sit me on his shoulders and take me to watch the Pokémon shows. Or he'd buy me cotton candy, and he'd get some too, and we'd sit on a bench and eat them together while he pointed out all of the different things around us. He always made them feel so magical! Now carnivals just make me so happy. They always bring a smile to my face! It brings me back to all of those good times."

Aiden sighed and allowed his shoulders to slump as Brandon glided up next to him.

"No way can you say no now," Brandon murmured.

"No kidding," Aiden breathed.

"So we can go to the carnival?" Michelle squeaked, her eyes lighting up.

"Yeah, I guess," Aiden grumbled.

"The gym will still be there for him once we're done," Brandon chuckled, patting the younger male atop his head and earning a firm scowl from the recipient.

"Thank you so much, Aiden!" Michelle giggled. "I owe you one!"

"And I won't forget it," Aiden promised the girl.

XXX

"Wow! Look at all of this food!"

Michelle snickered at her brother's reaction to the carnival. "Not so bad coming out here, huh?"

"I may be able to forgive you," Aiden teased. "Look at that! They even have corn dogs! I haven't had one in forever!"

"Because Mom hates them," Michelle reminisced. "Remember? At the water festival back home, she always makes a face whenever she sees the corn dogs! But not Dad. He loves them."

"And that's how I always managed to get my hands on one," Aiden chuckled. "Dad would buy one for me and him when Mom wasn't looking!"

"He can be a little bit dense sometimes, but when he has to, he really does think on his feet," Michelle trilled.

"I'm definitely going to get one of those!" Aiden decided, running towards the stand.

"What about you, Brandon?" Michelle asked the aspiring breeder. "See anything you like?"

"I'm not particularly hungry at the moment," Brandon conceded. "I don't have an insatiable appetite like my buddy over there. But I did see a few stands around here selling different kinds of Pokémon food and treatments! I'd definitely like to check one of those out."

"We can go as soon as Aiden gets his grease on a stick," Michelle cracked with a smirk. "Those stands are right near the Pokémon shows, and I definitely want to see some of those!"

"Guys, I did it! I got my corn dog!"

As Aiden was running back towards the rest of the group, however, he ended up colliding with someone else, earning horrified gasps from his sister and best friend.

"Aiden!" Brandon cried, running towards the scene.

"Oh my gosh, why don't you ever look where you're going?" Michelle groaned, throwing her head back.

"Sorry," Aiden groaned, sitting up and rubbing the back of his head. "Wait a minute…oh man! My corn dog!"

The boy looked across the way, and was thoroughly disappointed to see his corn dog lying in the grass.

"I was really looking forward to eating that, too…"

"I'm terribly sorry about that! I'll buy you a new one, I promise!"

Aiden hummed curiously and looked ahead, where he finally saw the other person he had crashed into. It was another male, although he seemed to be older than Aiden. He was taller, more well-built, and had a more mature face. His hair was a deep auburn color, fairly long and sticking out all over the place in an unkempt fashion, and his eyes were a similarly colored amber. Combined, they both reminded Aiden of a dim fire.

"Oh, it's okay," Aiden murmured, getting to his feet at the same time as the other male. "It was kind of my fault anyway."

"No, I insist!" The male pressed. "It's the least I can do."

"Uh, okay," Aiden chuckled, finally smiling at the man. "Thanks!"

"Don't mention it," the older one assured. "Oh, I should introduce myself! The name's Kenneth."

"Nice to meet you," Aiden greeted. "I'm Aiden!"

"My name's Michelle!" The redhead chimed in, smiling at Kenneth.

"Pi Pichu!" Pichu squeaked.

"And I'm Brandon," the young breeder concluded.

"Great to meet all of you!" Kenneth chuckled. "Come on, let's go replace that corn dog!"

XXX

"So, Kenneth, do you live on the island?"

"Sure do," Kenneth replied to Aiden's question. "I mean, I haven't lived here my whole life…but for the past few years, yeah. I'm really attached to it."

"I had heard that the island was a beach resort, but I wasn't really anticipating just how much, especially with a gym here," Brandon commented.

"Yeah, that took me off guard at first as well," Kenneth admitted. "Although, I suppose I shouldn't have been so surprised."

Aiden, Michelle, and Brandon all leaned in closer with inquisitive looks on their faces.

"What do you mean?" Michelle queried.

"Well, you see…my grandfather used to be the gym leader here on the island," Kenneth explained, earning gasps from the three young trainers sitting across from him.

"No way!" Aiden gawked. "You're related to a gym leader?!"

"Yeah," Kenneth chuckled sheepishly. "Cinnabar Island didn't always used to be such a tourist trap. At one point, Cinnabar was a huge battling destination! Trainers from all over the world came here to train, and to challenge my grandfather, the gym leader."

"So what changed?" Brandon asked.

"Big corporations started to move onto the island," Kenneth elucidated. "They saw how profitable of a location it could be, and they wanted to market themselves to those trainers. Before long, however, it expanded beyond just Pokémon trainers. They opened up hotels and shops, and nightclubs near the beach. Tourists started pouring in, and soon enough, they outnumbered the amount of trainers who came to the island. It didn't take long for trainers to stop coming at all."

Michelle frowned at this. "That must have been really hard on your grandfather."

"It devastated him," Kenneth confirmed. "He tried to keep the gym open for as long as possible, but it got to a point where he just had no business. There was no reason to keep a gym open when no one wanted to battle, so he closed it down. But that was enough to crush his spirit. My grandfather had always been a very positive, confident, upbeat guy…if not a little hotheaded at times, but closing the gym really did him in. He had to sit on the side and watch his beloved hometown get turned into nothing more than a tourist trap. Because of that, he and my grandma grew apart, and before he knew it, she was gone too."

"Whoa," Aiden breathed, furrowing his brow. "That's rough."

"That's why I never met my grandfather until I turned fifteen," Kenneth continued. "I lived in Johto with my mom, who was my grandfather's daughter. I had begun to find out more about him, doing my own research and discovering all of these amazing facts about him. I wanted nothing more than to meet my grandfather! So, with a lot of pushing and prodding, I finally convinced my mom to send me to Cinnabar Island in order to do just that. I even brought along my younger brother, Kurt! I knew that he'd be just as excited to meet the grandfather neither of us had ever known."

"And how did that go?" Michelle questioned.

"It was the most amazing summer of my life," Kenneth sighed happily. "From the moment I met him, I knew my grandfather and I were like the same person! I didn't know until I'd started doing my own research that he specialized in fire types. Back in Johto, I had chosen a Cyndaquil as my partner, and beyond that, I only caught and raised fire types. My grandfather was so impressed by all of the Pokémon I had managed to catch and raise over those five years! He entertained me with riddles, and showed me all of the secret spots on the island that he loved to go to. They were places that the tourists had no idea about…the only places left untouched from the time he was just a kid. We would hang out there all day together, talking about Pokémon and what I wanted to do when I got older."

"Wow, it sure does sound like you and your grandfather became really close really fast," Brandon breathed, obviously impressed by Kenneth's story.

"Oh, we did," Kenneth agreed. "He and my brother became close as well, but not to the extent of me and him. Kurt never really had much interest in Pokémon…he was very serious and business minded. A lot more like our mother and grandmother! On our last day on the island, my grandfather revealed to me that he had actually re-opened the gym several years ago, but not in the same place it had once been. I was excited by this, of course, and really wanted to see the new gym! So imagine my surprise when he took me to the gigantic volcano in the middle of the island."

"A volcano?" Aiden repeated.

"As it would turn out, my grandfather had rebuilt his gym inside of the volcano," Kenneth chuckled. "He wanted to hide it away from your typical, everyday tourist. They have no interest in a Pokémon gym. But he believed that the real trainers, the ones who were so determined to win a badge and get stronger, would come back to the island and seek out the gym. They'd be more willing to work for it. And he was right! Even though his gym wasn't the most popular in the region, it still existed, and those who were determined enough to find it did. They got to see who my grandfather really was, and not the man he had disguised himself as just to continue making a living on the island. Battling was my grandfather's real passion, and it wasn't until I got to battle with him that I was really able to see that."

"So what happened afterwards?" Michelle murmured. "Did you ever get to see your grandfather again?"

"Of course!" Kenneth chirped. "Almost as soon as I returned home, I asked my mother if I could stay on Cinnabar with my grandfather and learn all about becoming a gym leader. While I had been a trainer since I was ten, I had never exactly figured out what I wanted to do. After visiting my grandfather, I knew I wanted to be exactly like him, and become a gym leader! Amazingly, my mom agreed, and before I knew it, I was living here on the island with my grandfather, learning the ins and outs of being a gym leader!"

"It sounds like that's what you'd been waiting for," Michelle giggled. "Like never knowing what you wanted to do was meant to be!"

"That's exactly what I thought," Kenneth agreed. "And it was an amazing five years I spent with my grandfather! I learned everything from him I possibly could, and most importantly, I bonded with him. We became a real grandfather and grandson team, with a genuine relationship. It was everything I had ever imagined! But then…"

Aiden, Michelle, and Brandon all drew back once Kenneth's expression changed. His eyes suddenly appeared darker, and his head was being held lower than before. His cheerful disposition had all but evaporated, and everything suddenly seemed to be less positive.

"Then what?" Michelle murmured.

"My grandfather passed away," Kenneth sighed, looking off to the side. "It wasn't totally unexpected…he was old, and hadn't been doing well for a little while. But it was still really hard for me. We'd become so close, and all I could think about was what if I'd had more time with him? What if I'd actually known him when I was younger? Everything just seemed like such a waste to me. And I definitely pitied myself for quite a while."

The three younger trainers all frowned, sensing Kenneth's obvious hurt over the matter.

"But then I realized that my grandfather would have never accepted that," Kenneth continued, regaining the trainers' interest. "It was the same thing that had destroyed him all those years ago when the island first turned into a tourist trap! It's what had caused him to shut down the gym, and to split the family up. Shutting down hadn't done anything positive for him, and I knew it wouldn't do anything positive for me. The best way I could think to honor my grandfather and continue his legacy was to run the gym, and battle to the best of my ability. Now gym activity has really picked up in the last few years, and the Cinnabar gym is on its way back to its former glory!"

"That's incredible!" Aiden marveled.

"Yeah, your grandfather would definitely be proud of you for that!" Brandon agreed.

"That reminds me a lot of my mom," Michelle recanted with a smile. "She did almost the same thing you did! But she had to wait until she was older to take over the gym."

"Wait…your mother is a gym leader?" Kenneth questioned, his eyes widening.

"Oh, yeah!" Michelle giggled. "She's Misty, the-"

"Cerulean gym leader!" Kenneth interrupted, his whole face lighting up.

"Y-yeah," Michelle laughed sheepishly. "You seem to know her!"

"Oh, of course I do!" Kenneth confirmed. "I see her all the time at those gym leader meetings we have to go to. She's amazing! She's the one who really helped me out after my grandfather passed away."

"Really?" Aiden murmured.

Kenneth smiled and nodded. "She knew exactly how I felt. Her grandmother had passed away as well, but when she was younger. Although…she's your mother, so I'm sure you know that."

"Yeah, we do," Aiden trilled. "My sister is named after her!"

"Sister?" Kenneth repeated, looking between the two young trainers. "Oh! You're brother and sister!"

"Twins, actually," Aiden added. "Most people don't guess it because we look so different. But we are! Misty's my mom, too. And she's definitely awesome! Well, except for when she's punishing me for doing something…"

Kenneth chuckled at that. "You two have some similarities, now that you bring it up. But you definitely look more like your dad, who's an amazing trainer in his own right! I just know that your mom and I are pretty good friends. She was such a big inspiration for me during that really rough time. She really loved her grandmother a whole lot, didn't she?"

"They sounded a lot like you and your grandfather," Michelle confirmed. "The only difference is that our mom was actually raised by her grandma! Her parents left for a journey around the world when she was just two years old, so it was really our great grandma who raised her. Mom says that Great Grandma taught her everything…not just about the gym, but about life, too! Apparently, it was really hard for her when Great Grandma died…so bad that she ran away from home! But that's when she met our dad, and she finally started to figure out who she was. And then I was partially named after her, which my mom says was really important for her to do."

"Everyone has different ways of dealing with loss, but your mom and I had pretty similar experiences," Kenneth commented. "That's why she was so helpful. And on top of that, she's just really sweet."

"You can thank us for that," Aiden sighed, smirking at Kenneth. "Apparently, Mom was a lot scarier before we were born. We softened her up."

"Well then, thanks!" Kenneth chuckled.

"So, you're the full time gym leader, huh?" Aiden trilled.

"Aiden!" Michelle hissed.

"It's alright," Kenneth assured with a chuckle. "Am I to assume you're looking for a gym battle?"

Aiden beamed and nodded his head. "Yeah! I've got five gym badges already. But I came to Cinnabar Island specifically looking for my sixth!"

"See, you're the kind of trainer who inspired my grandfather to get the gym up and running again!" Kenneth crowed. "And you're just the kind of trainer I like to see. It makes the job all worthwhile!"

"So you'll battle me?" Aiden asked, his eyes lighting up with excitement.

"Of course!" Kenneth laughed. "I'd like to see what you're made of! How does a three on three sound?"

"Great!" Aiden cheered.

"Excellent," Kenneth drawled. "Well then, I'll lead you to the gym, if that's alright!"

"That's more than alright," Aiden chuckled. "That's perfect!"

XXX

"Aiden, do you have any idea which Pokémon you're going to use in battle?"

Aiden looked over his shoulder at Michelle and smirked. "Well, since Kenneth is a fire type specialist, I'm definitely going to be using Wartortle. But the other two…that's a bit tougher."

"Well, you'll have to decide soon enough. We're here!"

Kenneth's voice recaptured Aiden's attention, and once he saw what was the supposed gym building, his jaw dropped. They were literally standing in front of a volcano…a real life volcano.

"Whoa," Aiden breathed.

"I know you said your grandfather re-opened the gym inside of a volcano, but I didn't know just how serious you actually were," Michelle remarked.

"Yeah, Grandpa was pretty serious about his fire," Kenneth chuckled. "It got to a point where he couldn't battle unless the temperature was uncomfortably hot. Fortunately, I've managed to get quite used to that atmosphere myself!"

"Sounds like I'd better get used it, too," Aiden grumbled.

"Come on, I'll show you in!"

Kenneth led the group up a long, winding walkway, which eventually brought them to a pair of heavy metal doors. Kenneth reached into his shirt and pulled out a key that was attached to a chain around his neck, using that same key to open up the locked doors. They slowly opened up with a loud creak, revealing a dark cavern lit only by torches that lined the walls.

"Follow me," Kenneth instructed, stepping into the tunnel. The three young trainers heeded his word and followed closely behind, looking all around as they walked behind the gym leader. There wasn't much to see, however, other than stone walls and those same torches, providing just dim light by their flames. Eventually, they were led to another pair of metal doors, which Kenneth once again opened using the key around his neck. As soon as the doors parted, the younger trainers' jaws all dropped, each one stunned by the view.

The battlefield was suspended above boiling lava via chains at each corner. Only two platforms of rock led up to the actual field, with nowhere else to go but down into the magma.

"Pretty cool, huh?" Kenneth asked with a chuckle.

"It's definitely one of a kind," Brandon murmured.

"I've never even heard of a battlefield like this," Aiden breathed.

"Grandpa never did anything halfway," Kenneth continued. "His gym was no exception."

"Hey, Kenneth!"

The gym leader turned his head and smiled. Walking towards him and the three young trainers was a girl who seemed to be similar in age to him. Her long blonde hair was tied up into a high ponytail, with one streak of orange running through it. Her eyes were just as orange, while her outfit consisted of a red crop top and black mini shorts.

"Hi, Rae," Kenneth greeted. "Everything good around here?"

"Perfect!" The girl chirped. "Oh, I see you brought some people back with you! Are they Pokémon trainers?"

"Sure are," Kenneth confirmed, looking over his shoulder and smiling. "This is Aiden, Michelle, and Brandon. And this, you guys, is Rae, my trusty gym assistant and referee!"

"Nice to meet you all," Rae greeted. "So, Kenneth, are they all challenging you? That's quite the impressive catch! I don't know if you can take on all three in one day, though."

"They're not all challengers," Kenneth chuckled. "Just Aiden! But he's got a whole lot of passion. I can already tell this is going to be one great battle!"

Rae's eyes positively lit up at this prospect. "An intense battle, huh? And with the son of the Pokémon Master? Great! I can't wait to referee!"

"Then I guess we should get to our stations," Kenneth decided. "Brandon, Michelle, you can take a seat over by the doors, if you'd like."

"That certainly sounds a lot better than standing to my near doom," Michelle commented, nodding towards the sea of lava beneath their feet. "Have fun with that, Aiden!"

"Gee, thanks," Aiden grumbled.

As Brandon and Michelle walked towards the bench by the battlefield entrance, Aiden took his spot in the challenger's box and turned around in order to watch Kenneth walk across the field to his own box. Rae, on the other hand, had situated herself on the side of the field, where the referee typically stood.

"The battle between Aiden Ketchum of Cerulean City and the gym leader, Kenneth, is about to get underway!" Rae announced. "The battle will be a three on three. Whichever trainer has the most Pokémon remaining at the end of the battle will be the winner, and only the challenger is allowed to switch Pokémon! Do these rules suffice?"

"Yes," Aiden and Kenneth replied simultaneously.

"Very well," Rae concluded with a giggle. "Gentlemen, reveal your first Pokémon!"

"Wartortle, I choose you!" Aiden cried, throwing the poke ball that held his turtle Pokémon. It popped open and released the water starter, who smirked at Kenneth across the way.

"Wartortle, huh?" Kenneth questioned, returning Wartortle's cheeky grin. "I've got just the Pokémon to go against that one!"

Reaching to his belt, Kenneth plucked off a poke ball and enlarged it, his amber eyes glimmering as he tossed the ball up above his head.

"Alright, buddy, let's go!" Kenneth cheered.

The sphere burst open, a rush of bright, white light emerging from it. It rained down onto the battlefield, rapidly forming the shape of a Pokémon before disappearing and revealing Kenneth's chosen partner: bright red in color, narrowed green eyes, and a flame on its tale burning bright and strong.

"No way!" Michelle gasped, her eyes widening.

"Well, this is going to get interesting," Brandon remarked.

"I don't believe it…" Aiden breathed, staring at the Pokémon standing before Kenneth. "It's a…Charmeleon!"

There you have it! The Cinnabar gym leader is Blaine's grandson. He's very close with Misty, as he mentioned above, and is determined to carry on Blaine's legacy! Will he be able to do that in his battle against Aiden?

I'm already hard at work on the next chapter, but it's definitely going to take a little bit longer since it's a battle...and we all know how I feel about writing battles. But it definitely won't be as long as last time's wait! You have my word!