Wow it's good to be back! I know it's been a little while but you won't believe (Or maybe you will) how much school has kept me tied down. It has been one assignment after essay after test and this has all been unusually at the same time which puts more pressure on me. But don't worry, I'm here now and I brought a new chapter with me.

Chapter Three: So Be It

'Tracy, are you done yet?' hollered Gary over the sound of the snowstorm that had been raging over the last two days.

'Just a minute, I still need to collect a sample' answered Tracy. The young cartographer wiped the sleet of his goggles and went back to collecting a sample of earth which he hoped he could analyse to send back to Kanto for further study. However this was easier said than done when considering that said earth was trapped underneath what seemed like a meter of snow. Nonetheless he finally managed to extract a sample of soil from the snow covered ground. After he was done collecting the sample he ran back to cabin that he and Gary were staying at, quickly shutting the door behind him to avoid letting any of the cold air in. Inside it was much warmer and fireplace burned brightly, creating an atmosphere of warmth and coziness. Gary sat at his desk going over his charts on the native pokémon species he had observed for what seemed like the thousandth time but you really couldn't blame him, there was little else to do in this place.

'Good Arceus it's cold out there' shivered Tracy placing the sample he had collected on his own desk. Gary looked up from his research only just seeming to register that Tracy had entered the cabin.

'Really I had no idea' jeered Gary, rolling his eyes. 'You sir definitely have a firm grasp of the obvious' he stated mockingly.

'Oh come on Gary, no need to be like that. I know it's kind of boring in here but that doesn't mean we have to be at each other's throat' implored Tracy as he hung his jacket near the fireplace.

'Yeah I know, but come on, we've been here in Sinnoh for almost three days now and nothing exciting has happened, no fights, no undercover espionage missions, no hot girls…' wailed Gary leaning back exhaustedly into his chair.

Now it was Tracy's turn to roll his eyes.

'What kind of mission do you think this is Gary? We are just here to assess the conditions in the Sinnohian Union and that's that. No fights, no undercover espionage missions and definitely no hot girls!' said Tracy exasperatedly. Sometimes Gary's outlandish behavior could be a bit much even for someone as calm as Tracy.

Gary pouted but declined to respond.

'Just think Gary, in less than a month, we'll be back home in Kanto, recognized as heroes for all to see' he said looking at Gary who still seemed less than excited. Suddenly an idea came to his mind.

'And… I hear the ladies love heroes, especially ones who have been on dangerous adventures' he added slyly. Gary's ears pricked up immediately as he looked up at Tracy, a smug expression plastered on his face.

'Yeah, I guess you're right Tracy. The ladies do love a man of action and no man is more pure badass action than Gary Oak!' he stated proudly regaining his old vigor.

Too easy, thought Tracy marveling at how anyone could be so full of themselves without exploding.

'Anyway Gary, it's important to remember that we still have a job to do while we are here' said Tracy. So tell me, how many pokémon have you recorded in the pokedex so far?' he inquired looking over Gary's charts.

Gary immediately ceased his showing off and switched to his serious pokémon professor mode.

'Well I've recorded quite a few new pokémon species from the time we were transported here to this point and I've got to say, some of these species look quite formidable' he explained knowledgeably.

'I mean look at this one' implored Gary showing Tracy an entry of one of the pokémon he had recorded while they were exploring Mt. Coronet. Tracy observed the deadly looking pokémon and gulped in fear.

'That things a pokémon!' he exclaimed in disbelief. Gary nodded. 'Indeed it is, I believe here they call it a Garchomp' he explained. 'According to the pokedex it can reach speeds in the air overtaking that of modern day jet planes, and did I even mention that it is a dragon type?' he asked unaware that each word was causing Tracy to become more and more petrified.

'No, it must have slipped your mind' said Tracy coldly.

'Don't worry about it Tracy' laughed Gary upon noticing Tracy's white face. 'The chances of running into one here are remote, remember, dragon types hate ice' he assured. That thought eased Tracy's mind.

'Yeah, I guess you right, no reason to be afraid here' he laughed, although the lingering fear of running into one even if the chances were remote, was enough to cause him mild discomfort.

'Although… I hear that Sinnoh's top General Cynthia has a Garchomp… I've heard that she controls the beast like no other, I certainly hope we don't run into them up here' said Gary mischievously. Tracy groaned and let his head fall onto the table with a loud thud.

'Why did you have to tell me that?'

'What? Sorry I can't hear you through the wood' shouted Gary as if he had impaired hearing.

'I said why did you have to tell me that!' said Tracy irritably, raising his head to make sure Gary would get the message.

'I'm just kidding, I heard you the first time' laughed Gary. Tracy slapped his forehead, afraid that anymore exposure to Gary's practical jokes would cause him to go insane.

'Why me' he muttered under his breath. 'Come Tracy lighten up' joked Gary jovially, patting the exasperated cartographer on the back. Tracy uttered a few angry curses before turning back to Gary with a forced smile on his face.

'Fine, but no more talk of vicious pokémon and their arguably more vicious masters' pleaded Tracy.

'Alright buddy, but I hear that Cynthia is one good looking woman. I swear, if I was ten years older –

'If you were ten years older she still wouldn't take someone as immature as you' interjected Tracy.

'Let me dream will ya' laughed Gary. Tracy sighed in defeat and walked over to his table to check on the results he had collected earlier, unwilling to get into another argument with the rowdy pokémon professor. Gary grinned triumphantly. This is what it was all about: Winning!

'Anyway' intoned Tracy, putting an end to Gary's gloating, 'I've collected some samples of the earth outside to send back to the Meteorological Center in Kanto. I should be good enough for them to analyse I think' he explained, squinting closely at the test tubes containing the samples.

Gary yawned boorishly. 'Yeah… that's great Tracy. But er, one question: How do you plan to get anything back to Kanto in the middle of this storm?' he asked with raised eyebrows.

'We won't need to worry about that for much longer. According to my calculations, the storm should cease sometime later this afternoon' said Tracy jotting down his observations.

'Oh, so you're a cartographer and a weatherman? Geez, Tracy, I wonder why they didn't give you a more important mission' said Gary in an overly sarcastic tone.

'I could ask you the same question Gary, after all, the grandsons of the worlds' premiere pokémon researcher out here in the middle of nowhere with little old me? Yeah, you must be really important' he retorted.

Gary stood with his mouth wide open, completely dumbstruck.

Was I just owned?

As if he could read his mind, Tracy promptly added: 'Oh and Gary, that's how you own someone'

If Gary was dumbstruck before, it was nothing compared to how he felt now. Tracy wheeled around in his chair to see Gary's hilarious expression.

'What's the matter Gary? I'm not Ash by any stretch, you won't find me so easy to insult' he said knowingly.

'Bu- but'

'Don't try too hard Gary, we wouldn't want that fantastic brain of yours to overload now we would'

'Yeah, whatever' muttered Gary who felt thoroughly humiliated, not to mention outclassed, by Tracy's zinger. Tracy laughed so hard, tears began to form at the corners of his eyes. Gary felt majorly embarrassed at first but soon realized that if he couldn't laugh at himself than he definitely couldn't laugh at others and broke out in laughter a few seconds later.

'Alright Gary, but in all seriousness I don't think we're getting enough done here. It's already been three days and we have hardly accomplished anything' complained the green haired youth.

'Well I think, and here me out on this, I think I've got an idea' said Gary hesitantly waiting for Tracy's reaction. Tracy regarded him with the tiniest amount of suspicion and with good reason. Any plan that Gary seemed to come up with was either ridiculous or ended in injury for those involved… mainly him. Still, he would listen to Gary's proposal although he didn't expect anything ingenious to come from his big mouth.

'Go on' said Tracy encouragingly although he was mentally preparing himself to shut down another one of Gary's outlandish ideas.

'Well I've been doing some reading lately and apparently there is this massive library in a place called Canalave City that has tons of information collected from all over the world. From what I remember from my last visit here, it is the largest collection of information in the entire Sinnohian Union, maybe even the world. I don't think it would hurt to pay a visit' he said confidently.

'Well I'm sorry Gary but that plan is too – wait what?' said Tracy unsure if he had heard Gary correctly.

'I said we should go to Canalave City and find some information there, come Tracy, keep up with me' said Gary exasperatedly.

'Wow Gary, that's actually a good idea' said Tracy in astonishment. 'Thanks, I thought you'd like it – wait… what do you mean actually? What idea of mine has been a good idea? All my ideas are pure gold!' exclaimed Gary proudly, puffing his chest out in pride.

'Yeah… pure gold, anyway, what I'm trying to say is that I completely agree with your idea' said Tracy who really wasn't interested in feedings Gary's massive ego right now.

Gary beamed. 'Fantastic, so we can leave as soon as this storm lets up' he said looking out the window at the seemingly unending snowstorm.

'Sounds like a plan Gary… by the way, there's something I've been wanting to ask you' said Tracy looking at Gary seriously. By the way Tracy asked the question it was obvious that whatever he wanted to talk about was serious. Realizing this, Gary's jovial expression transformed into a serious one and he gave Tracy his undivided attention.

'Why do you think they wanted us here in the first place?' he asked seriously. Gary took a deep breath and contemplated Tracy's peculiar question. It was true that the only explanation Brock had given as to the purpose of their mission was to get information and not surprisingly that vague explanation led to a whole host of other questions that had yet to be answered.

Why do we need to collect information on the Sinnohian Union?

'I have to admit, even I don't know' answered Gary crossing his arms. 'It's strange, we were asked to get information about this place yet we have no idea why…'

Tracy nodded in agreement. 'I know right! I don't actually understand why we are here. Not to mention that the information they wanted us to collect was pretty specific. I mean, they asked me to map the country and they asked you to collect information on the pokémon living here'

'Don't forget that Brock specifically asked for the strengths and weaknesses of the Sinnohian pokémon' added Gary as an afterthought. 'That's important to remember'.

'When we send the data we have collected so far back to Kanto, should we attach a note asking for the reasoning behind our mission?' inquired Tracy, who believed he might be putting more thought into this than was necessary.

'And who will answer? Giovanni? I don't think so. For now we should just get the job done and get back home' answered Gary in a rather brusque manner. Unlike Tracy and even Ash for that matter, Gary didn't have complete confidence in Giovanni's government. In fact, he didn't even approve of Kanto's wars against Johto, Kalos and Hoenn, to him it all seemed like Kanto was heading down a road from which it would not be able to turn its back on and this deeply troubled the young Oak.

Tracy didn't take offence to Gary's tone in the slightest, in fact he approved of Gary's answer. If his government hadn't told them when they had the chance then there was no reason to think that they would let them in on whatever they were planning now. He just hoped for Kanto's sake that it was not going to turn around and bite them.

'Yeah, I guess you're right' said Tracy quietly.

…

'Anyway…' began Gary, attempting to ease the tension in the room, 'you said the storm should be letting up later this afternoon so I guess we should probably start packing' he said in a much softer tone. Tracy nodded in agreement. 'Alright, but what about the guy who lives here, he was very kind to give us shelter from the storm, maybe there's something we can give him'

'I've already taken care of that, I left him some money in his room, enough to buy him supplies to last out here for a year' said Gary.

Tracy smiled at Gary's generous gesture.

'That's great Gary, now once the storm let's up we're going to have to go to Snowpoint City. Once there we can catch a boat to Iron Island and take a transit ferry to Canalave' explained Tracy, marking their perceived route on a crude but still semi – accurate map of Sinnoh he had managed to draw.

'I'm impressed Tracy, the map is certainly coming along' complimented Gary, observing the map.

'Thanks, but I'm hoping I can get a better map at Canalave' said Tracy rolling the map up before placing it into his pack. Gary couldn't agree more and left Tracy to his packing but only so he could start on his own packing of course.

'Hey Tracy, how do you think Ash is doing in Kalos' called Gary from his room.

'I don't know, but I'm sure it's more fun than this' replied Tracy drearily, looking at the snowstorm outside with contempt. Gary laughed while he packed his pokedex into his bag. 'I hear that Tracy. I hear that'

Meanwhile in Kalos

Things had been moving so fast in the Yvonne household over the last three days that its occupants were almost unable to keep up with it all. First, Bonnie and Clemont arrive, then Kalos surrenders to Kanto and now a mysterious young man by the name of Ash Ketchum has also been forced under their roof. Yes indeed, things were moving pretty quickly and as the sun rose revealing a new day, one could find a young blond haired man fast asleep in his bed, dreaming about inventing fantastic devices which hopefully wouldn't explode in his face, but of course such things could only be possible in a dream…

'Clemont, wake up' whispered a small voice into the young blonds ear. Clemont eyes snapped open without hesitation. The memories of their first morning still reverberated with him and he wasn't all that keen to repeat them. In other words although he wanted to continue sleeping he had no intention of being electrocuted awake by Dedenne again and so he definitely didn't need to asked twice to awaken.

Coincidentally however, when Clemonts' eyes snapped open the first thing he saw was the little electric mouse staring at him from atop the bedside drawer.

'I'm up Dedenne, no need for any electricity today' he said hurriedly. Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye he noticed something else. Standing next to dedenne was another pokémon that bore a great resemblance to the little fairy type but was bigger, had a different tail and was yellow instead of orange.

'I must be dreaming' said Clemont sleepily. He rubbed his eyes thinking it was just a trick of the light or his imagination but when he looked again the yellow electric mouse was still there smiling at him.

'Pika!' cried the little pokémon in greeting. Clemont smiled awkwardly. 'Er… hi' he said putting his glasses on to get a better look at the strange pokémon. He had never seen it before in Kalos so he assumed it must be foreign.

'What kind of pokémon are you little guy?' he asked inspecting the yellow pokémon.

'It's a Pikachu' chirped a small voice next to him. Clemont almost fell off his bed in surprise, only to find Bonnie in her Tyrannatrum pyjamas staring adoringly at the pokémon who was just revealed to be a Pikachu.

'Bonnie, where did you come from?!' Clemont half – yelled, clutching his heart in shock.

'I've been here the whole time Clemont, get with the program' she giggled. Clemont groaned and placed a pillow over his face in frustration.

'Clemont, you'll never guess what happened!' exclaimed Bonnie excitedly. Clemont rolled his eyes from underneath the pillow so Bonnie wouldn't notice.

She probably found a floette in the garden or something, he thought to himself.

'A stranger came last night and now he's staying with us!' she announced happily. Clemonts' eyes widened in surprise. He took the pillow off his face and carefully analysed Bonnie's joyful expression to search for any sign of deceit. After a few seconds he had to concede that she was being sincere.

'Who is this stranger?' he asked cautiously.

'His name is Ash and he has a Pikachu and he's from Johto and –

'Bonnie slow down' said Clemont unable to keep up with his little sisters' chatter. 'Tell me again, but this time slowly. Now what did you say his name is?'

'Ash, and that Pikachu belongs to him' she said gesturing to the electric mouse who was playing with Dedenne.

'I see… and where did you say he was from?'

'Johto, well at least as far as I know' she said laughing at Pikachu and Dedennes' antics. 'Oh, I know, why don't you come meet him?' she proposed, pulling her brother's arm in an attempt to get him out of bed.

'Alright Bonnie, I'm coming' sighed Clemont who allowed himself to be dragged away by his sister. The two pokémon followed closely behind as Bonnie pulled Clemont past Serena's room and down the stairs.

'Take it easy Bonnie' said Clemont worriedly after he almost fell down the stairs, although no response came from the young girl who was too excited to register her brother's near catastrophe.

That's Bonnie for you, thought Clemont.

'Alright I know he's here somewhere' said Bonnie when they reached the living room.

'Mr Ash!' she called out to the vacant room.

'I'm in here' responded a deep voice from the kitchen.

Clemont straightened his glasses and brushed any dirt off his night suit before following Bonnie into the kitchen. There stood three people of which two of them he recognized as Grace and Serena. The other person, who was a tall, tan man, Clemont assumed to be Ash.

Ash smiled at them warmly and extended his hand in greeting.

'Hi, I'm Ash Ketchum, it's great to meet you Clemont' he said kindly

'You know my name?' asked Clemont returning the friendly gesture.

'Oh yeah, Bonnie here has been talking non – stop about you all morning' said Ash winking at the little girl causing her to giggle mischievously.

'Really? What kind of things has she been saying?' asked Clemont giving Bonnie a knowing look. The little girl smiled sheepishly at her big brother's hard expression before escaping into the living room much to amusement of everyone present.

'Ah, don't worry Clemont, only good things' said Ash giving Clemont a thumb up. Clemont smiled at the newcomer. It had only been a few minutes since he met Ash but already he could feel that he was a friendly guy.

'Alright boys', I need some help getting all of this onto the table so both of you each grab a plate and march' interjected Grace who took off her cooking apron and placed it on a hook before picking up a platter of fruit and handing it to Clemont.

Clemont slowly turned around and marched out of the kitchen, making sure not to drop anything. In the living room was Bonnie, squealing in delight as she chased Dedenne and Bonnie.

'Breakfast Bonnie' called Clemont, placing the platter on the table. All three troublemakers raised their heads and excitedly rushed to the table.

'Ooo, watermelon!' exclaimed Bonnie at the sight of the fruit platter. 'I thought you'd like it' said Grace entering the room with a tray bearing five glasses filled to the brim with orange juice. Following behind her were Ash and Serena, each of them entering with a tray bearing bowls of delicious homemade porridge with Honey. The smell was enough to cause Bonnie to enter a state of food induced bliss.

'Alright kids, take your seat' said Grace placing a glass of juice on each placemat with an extra one now added for Ash. Everyone quickly took a seat, with Serena making sure she was seated next to Ash, before each taking a hot bowl of porridge and a piece of fruit. Next to the table Dedenne and Pikachu happily munched away at the pokémon food Grace had provided for them.

'So Ash, you're from Johto right?' asked Clemont, tentatively taking a bite of his porridge before realizing that it was extremely hot. He took a swig of juice to cool his burning tongue earning a chorus of laughter from everyone else.

'Sure am' said Ash taking a bite of an apple. 'But your accent doesn't sound very Johtish' commented Serena, blowing on her porridge before eating it, eager to avoid the embarrassing situation that Clemont had found himself in.

Ash was prepared for such a question and had already memorized an adequate response. 'I know, but that's just because most of my education was completed in Unova' he said in a nonchalant tone.

'Unova!' squealed Serena. 'I've always wanted to go there, tell me Ash, what's it like?'

For this question however, Ash was not prepared. Serena looked up at him expectantly, eager to learn all about the great nation across the ocean. Ash laughed nervously and scratched his head. 'Er… it's great. A lot of big buildings and stuff like that' he said quickly, avoiding eye contact with anyone. Serena's eyes sparkled in amazement.

'Wow, that's so cool. Tell me Ash, do they really have an entirely Black City and an entirely White Forest because I think I read about that somewhere and it sounds unbelievably awesome!'

'Yeah, I think I read about that too. Do they actually have those things Ash?' asked Clemont who was also curious about Unova.

'They sure do' said Ash who in truth, had no idea if Unova had any such thing. He just assumed that if they had read about it then it must be true.

'Amazing' said Serena and Clemont in unison. Ash breathed an internal sigh of relief. Maybe he was better at this undercover thing than he thought.

'So Ash, tell us how you got here from Johto' implored Grace taking a sip of her coffee. Ash cleared his throat and began to speak, with everyone's attention (even Bonnie's) focused solely on him.

'Well what can I say? My family and I lived peacefully in Johto for many years. We worked the land in a small town near Goldenrod City, where my father would sell his crops. It was a hard life but it was a good one' he recited flawlessly. Around the table there was complete silence; everyone was too enthralled by Ash's tale to interrupt.

'Then one day, an announcement suddenly came from our leader, informing us that we were at war with Kanto' said Ash, feinting a tone of horror. Everyone else exchanged dark looks, believing Ash's story to be true.

'The next day they invaded. Never before had I seen such a swift advance. Within two weeks they were at the gates of Goldenrod where we had fled to. They bombarded the city every day with their aerial attacks, again and again, relentlessly trying to force us to surrender. But we held out….that is until we were attacked from the other side by the Sinnohian Union' said Ash darkly. Serena placed her hand on Ash's to comfort him earning a small smile from the troubled youth who felt he was doing a great job of pulling at his hosts heartstrings.

'Anyway, with two forces attacking us we didn't stand chance. Johto surrendered the next day and we were split in two. My parents thought our chances would be better on the Kantonian side so we entered the half of Johto that Kanto had annexed, keeping our heads down to avoid being noticed. Unfortunately for us, some of the people we trusted to help us sold us out for a few measly pokedollars' said Ash bitterly, turning his head away in distaste. Clemont patted him on the back, saddened by his heartbreaking tale.

'My parents were sent to Kanto to be used as slave labor no doubt' explained Ash angrily gritting his teeth.

'I was to be sent to a re – education center… I don't even want to imagine what would have happened if I was sent there' said Ash shaking his head in distress.

'How did you escape?' whispered Serena in awe.

'It wasn't easy I'll tell you that. I managed to steal a Kantonian uniform from a base they had set up in Newbark Town and from there I was able to transfer myself here to Kalos thinking I would be safe…but you guys surrendered as well so I guess it was all for nothing' he finished, sighing sadly.

'There's always hope dear. I'm sure you'll see your parents again' said Grace reassuringly, tears welling up in her eyes. Ash gave her a warm smile.

'Thanks Ms Grace. It was really nice of you to take me and Pikachu in despite your own problems' he said graciously. Grace managed a watery smile, wiping away the tears from her eyes.

'I'm just sorry I couldn't do more' she replied tenderly.

'Well I'm just glad I've got some new friends to talk to' said Ash lightening the mood. 'You won't believe how long it has been since I've talked to anyone my own age' he said looking at Serena and Clemont.

'And I'm sure Pikachu is really happy to have some new friends too, aren't you buddy?' he asked the electric mouse.

'Pika!' cried pokémon in agreement.

'And were more than happy to have you here Ash' exclaimed Serena earning a toothy grin from Ash which caused her to blush furiously.

'Serena, is there something wrong? You face is heating up' remarked Grace giving her a knowing look.

'Oh no, nothing at all, the porridge was just hotter than expected' she said quickly trying to avoid her mother's gaze.

'I hear that' said Clemont misinterpreting her expression.

'Maybe you should have some juice Serena; that ought to cool you down' said Bonnie who somehow wore the same knowing expression that Grace did.

Serena happily took their advice drinking the entire glass in one gulp much to the astonishment of everyone else.

'Well then, I'm going get some more juice. Please excuse me' she said hurriedly before rushing to the kitchen. Grace and Bonnie high – fived each other under the table.

'Is she alright?' asked Ash concernedly. 'Oh yes dear she's fine, that porridge must have been too hot to handle' she said winking at Bonnie.

'Oh, OK' said Ash, taking another bite of his apple.

'Oh to be young and in love again' Grace muttered under her breath.

'What was that Ms Grace?' asked Clemont. 'Oh don't mind me dear, I was just thinking out loud' she answered, biting into a pear.

Clemont shrugged his shoulders and thought nothing else of it.

Meanwhile in Kanto

The morning light revealed Kanto's supreme leader, Giovanni sitting at his desk once again going over the battle strategy for the future assault on Hoenn. He had reviewed this plan no less than fifty times this week but he was never completely satisfied. His generals had assured him that there was no better plan and both Red and Lance had supported the idea wholeheartedly. Nevertheless, there was no harm in being sure.

On the rug near the fireplace his faithful Persian dozed peacefully, undisturbed by its masters' concerns and outside, Kantonians would be awakening to another day of war, not that it had affected them all that much anyway but knowing one was at war was a surreal experience nonetheless.

Suddenly a sharp knock on the door brought Giovanni back to earth.

'Enter' called Giovanni, resuming his assessment of the battle plans. Red and Lance entered the room, both of them looking unusually tired and worn out.

'Hail Giovanni' they cried saluting their leader. Giovanni nodded but did not take his eyes of the plans.

'Sir, I have the document of confirmation you requested from the front' said Lance handing the document to Giovanni. The Kantonian leader read the document carefully and then nodded in satisfaction.

'Good, what is the status of your aerial units General?'

'My units are ready to fly sir and are merely awaiting your approval as per your instructions' answered Lance confidently. Giovanni nodded before standing up and walking across the room to observe a map of Hoenn that had been erected in his office which would show the progress of the assault. He looked at the map with great sadness, sighing deeply while doing so.

'Tell me General Red, how much damage would you have to do to force the people of Hoenn to submit' he asked without averting his gaze from the map. Red cleared his throat before answering.

'I can't answer that sir. The people of Hoenn are determined to hold out and will not surrender so willingly' he said slowly.

'You now I just don't understand, I have offered them peace terms on numerous occasions yet they still stubbornly refuse to end this war' complained Giovanni.

'The last thing I wish to do is to bomb Hoenn. You know I have always believed that we are better as allies than as foes' he barked angrily, slamming his fist onto his desk.

'Yes sir, you have expressed that opinion many times' remarked Lance. 'However sir, if I may be so bold as to interject, we should you care? They declared war on us, not the other way around. We have every right to defend ourselves do we not?'

Giovanni shook his head in disagreement. 'War is never a good thing. When we invaded Johto, I had no intention of waging a war of aggression. My goal was to seek justice for those Kantonians being persecuted outside the borders of our empire and furthermore to take back the land which was rightfully ours. I had never anticipated a war with neither Kalos nor Hoenn and suddenly we found ourselves at war with both!' he explained. Red and Lance exchanged concerned looks with each other.

'The people of Kanto had no interest in another war, I knew this. After the Fall of Kalos I thought that Hoenn would surrender peacefully and we could all go back to living our lives as normal. Yet, here we are, on the precipice of another great conflict that I can see no way out of' he said bitterly before resuming his seat.

'Sir, I can assure you, if there was another way I would be the first to tell you because believe me when I say that I do not like the idea of war with Hoenn anymore than you do but unfortunately they are not willing to cooperate with us' reasoned Red. It was true that much like his father he strongly opposed the idea of a war with Hoenn, after all their two people's were so similar, it just didn't make any sense to go to war with each other.

But they were at war with each other and right now, that is all that really mattered.

'Tell me Red, what are the estimated casualties for a single bombing raid on Mauville City' asked Giovanni. He wanted to be sure of the kind of destruction that he would cause if he went ahead with his plans.

Red sighed sadly before answering. 'Around 2100 sir' he answered solemnly.

Giovanni put his hands over his face, horrified by the death and pain he would be responsible for if the plan went ahead. Suddenly the doors burst open, awakening Persian and surprising the others. A women with blue hair and a pearl necklace barged into the room, a horrified expression on her face. Lance recognized the women as his cousin Clair.

'Clair, what is the meaning of this intrusion' he yelled, demanding an explanation.

'Salamence!' she shrieked. The others looked at each other with bewildered expressions.

'Breath Clair breath, now tell me slowly, what is going on?' asked Lance again, gripping his cousins shoulders in an effort to calm her down. Clair took a few deep breaths and managed to gather her wits.

'Hoennish Salamence, they are launching an attack on Saffron sir. There have already been reports of several civilian casualties in the east sector and now a fire has been started in the botanical gardens' she explained almost crying with each word.

Giovanni's eyes narrowed in anger. 'It would appear that whatever reservations I held about bombing their cities have not been reciprocated. They want a dirty war, than by Arceus I shall give them a dirty war!' bellowed Giovanni.

'General Lance, assemble your finest fighters and defend our skies. I don't want to hear of anymore innocent Kantonians dying as a result of our incompetence!'

'Right away sir!' said Lance. The red haired general saluted and rushed out of the room with Clair in close pursuit.

'And as for you my son' he began turning to Red, 'I want you to lead a volunteer effort to put out those fires. Can you do that for me?' he asked desperately. 'Anything father' answered Red who was also brimming with righteous fury. The Hoennish had brought the war to Kanto so it seemed.

So be it, thought Red as he stormed out of his father's office and out into the streets to collect as many able bodied men as he could to help put out the flames tearing through the lower suburbs.

Overhead, large armored dragon pokémon soared through the sky, unleashing one hyper beam after another in successive waves in order to give one unit a chance to recharge while another wave took their place. Around him, the frightened shrieks of people fleeing the carnage could be heard making Reds' blood boil.

'Cowards!' Red yelled angrily at the approaching wave of Salamence and their riders. One rider heard Red's insult and wheeled around charging at the seemingly defenseless Red.

'Now Charizard!' yelled the young General. In a brilliant flash of light the fire dragon erupted out its pokeball and let out a massive fire blast. The Salamence was moving too fast to stop and couldn't pull away in time. The attack hit the offenders on point sending them crashing to the ground. Once on the ground the local police detained the rider and their pokémon restrained the injured Salamence.

'Nice job General!' shouted one officer to Red, who nodded in appreciation.

'Officers, I require assistance in helping put out the fires in the lower east sector!' he pleaded. Immediately six officers that were not needed to restrain the captured rider joined Red.

'All right, let's go buddy' he whispered into Charizards' ear after mounting him. The great dragon let out a stream of fire and powered into the air closely by the officers in their cars on the ground. The fire raged hot and fierce over lower Saffron, causing Red to choke from smoke inhalation. On the ground several people were already attempting to stop the fire along with their water type pokémon.

Red had Charizard land near where several people were fighting the fire that had spread to a department store, deciding that this was the most likely spot for the fire to spread and therefore the most important to stop first.

'All right, everybody together now!' Red yelled over the sound of crashing floors of the building. Groups of Blastoise and Vaporeon were using their water gun attack in an attempt to stop the fire but Red knew it would take something stronger than that to put out these flames.

'Alright Vaporeon use hydro pump! And you Blastoise, use hydro cannon!' commanded Red directing their water barrage to the building. The pokémon readily obeyed and employed the use of the powerful water moves, effectively putting out the flames.

Both people and pokémon cheered at their great success, including Red but they had time for a short celebration as the flames could still be seen raging up ahead.

'Alright people, there's still work to be done here, let's show those defilers what the spirit of Kanto can accomplish!' yelled Red invigorating the citizens of Saffron. The people cheered and followed as Red flew towards the other fires.

We're not out of this yet!

From his window, Giovanni solemnly watched as the Salamence continued to battle with his own forces, lighting up the sky with fire and energy. At any other time this would have been beautiful to watch but knowing that each strike had the possibility of taking another life saddened the Kantonian leader. But if killing was what was meant to defend his country then kill he would. And much like his son only one thought seemed to possess him: The Hoennish had struck first and in doing so had brought about their own destruction and if that meant their annihilation then so be it.

So be it indeed

Intense at the end there don't you think? Does this mean that Giovanni is going to launch his attack on Hoenn after all? Will Tracy and Gary ever figure out why they are collecting information on pokémon in Sinnoh? And as for Ash… will he ever discover how to take down the Kalos Resistance?

Find out next time on…. Wait that's the wrong cartoon. Never mind then. Until next time!