The sound of music caught Red's ears. He quickly rushed to the window in his cave and peered down. Far down. There, sitting at the base of the summit's slope was the trainer that had appeared on that strange black dragon 5?... 6?... No, 7 days ago. Yeah, he was certain it was 7; time was difficult on the mountains when one had neither watch nor care. His Pikachu rushed to stand by him on the windowsill, looking down below as well. The music seemed to strike a note within him as a sudden sense of nostalgia and homesickness washed over him. Homesickness? Thought Red. But... this is my home. It has been for the past 4 years. So why was he suddenly feeling—as the second melody of the song reached his ears, he realized what it was he had forgotten. Vivid recollections of a red-orange roof, an aged door, white fence, and a smiling, brown-haired woman radiating warmth and love flashed before his eyes. His mouth began to salivate heavily as his nose suddenly picked up on the phantom odor of eggs on bread. "Pallet Town," whispered Red. Pikachu looked up at him, cocking its head. Red shrugged it off and continued watching the trainer below him.

The teenager had built a small fire in front of himself, but he seemed to be completely oblivious to Red's presence. In fact, he seemed almost ignorant of the dangers he had put himself in. The wild Pokemon would be on him soon enough, what with all that music echoing off the mountains. Sure enough, some of the strongest pack leaders of the mountain began to sneak out of the entrances to Mt. Silver. Without so much as glancing around, the trainer went back to playing on his flute (flute?!), this time choosing a piece that contrasted heavily with the previous song's 3/4 beat. Both still retained the aura of pensive nostalgia about them. However, this one sounded like it belonged in a more tribal, island-like setting. Red tilted his head in confusion. Where'd that thought come from?

"Pika!" said Pikachu, pointing at the mountain Pokemon. Red groaned internally. He couldn't just stand by and watch as someone was viciously attacked in front of him now, could he? But, before he could move, a black-and-blue streak slammed into the snowy earth below, causing the whole of Mt. Silver to shiver. Several of the smaller honchos of the mountain scurried away at the new arrival's landing, while some of the larger ones, like Ursaring, merely tensed up and stepped back a ways. When the cloud of debris cleared, Red saw that it was the same dragon from last week as well. As the song approached its climax, the dragon lifted its head and roared. The noise easily overpowered the haunting music, whispering its way around the mountain like some raging spirit's demented ravings. An empty vacuum remained in the air even after the roar's echo had ceased. With a start, Red realized that the music had stopped. He said nothing as he watched the dragon's partner put away his flute into a bag and stand up.

The trainer turned around, holding his palm out toward the mountain's faction leaders, and said something that was too quiet to reach Red's ears. It appeared to be an order, as the tail of the trainer's Pokemon began to glow a moment later. The familiar humming could be heard as the area around it grew dark in comparison to the pulsating blue light that was emanating from its tail. Red shielded his eyes as a blinding flash struck the mountainside. His hair stood on end, practically hissing in response to whatever it was that had hit Mt. Silver. A loud boom soon followed, causing his ears to pop as he realized just what it was that the stranger had ordered his Pokemon to do. The smell of ozone wafted through the air as Red's mind automatically reconstructed the original order: Use Thunder on yourself to scare off the Pokemon. Sure enough, when Red opened his eyes again a moment later, all of the mountain dwellers that had surrounded the trainer had disappeared. Red continued to observe the trainer in slight curiosity, his interest piqued at the power and bond he had sensed behind the Thunder attack. However, nothing eventful occurred for the rest of the afternoon as the stranger and his companion remained in that same spot, watching the sun set before getting ready for bed. Red sighed, getting ready to leave. Before he had turned his back to the window completely, though, he managed to get a glimpse of something that stirred a feeling of amusement within him. He also sleeps without a tent, thought Red. Merely a blanket and his close companions to keep him warm.

By the time the Sun rose again, marking the 8th day since the stranger's first appearance on Mt. Silver, he was already long gone.

Black was beginning to understand why people were so frightened by the name of Mt. Silver. It wasn't the level of the various Pokemon within it that was bothersome, necessarily, no not at all. On the contrary, it would have been almost too easy to mow down his opposition one-on-one. It was when the Pokemon swarmed together in whole hordes that the scaling of the mountain became difficult (which was to say almost immediately). It was all Black could do to call out attacks fast enough, as wave after wave of Golbat furiously charged at him. "Samurott, use Surf!" There was literally no time for nonverbal commands; the terrible armies of disposable minions replaced each other almost as quickly as they fell. Even as Samurott's Surf cleansed the area of any remaining Golbat, new challenges had already begun to show themselves.

Black groaned internally as he realized that the social game humans played did not extend to feral lands such as Mt. Silver. If he wanted to see his mission through to the end, he'd have to discard the notion of fair play, just like the Pokemon that fought for their very survival on this mountain. Reaching into his belt, he pulled out 4 more Pokeballs as he hurried to Samurott's aid. "Hydreigon, Dragonite, Metagross, Lucario: Let us enact a battle of myths!" Black heard his Samurott give a sigh of relief as it retreated behind the cover of its 4 friends.

"Metagross, Protect; Hydreigon, Tri Attack; Dragonite, Ice Beam; Lucario, Aura Spheres and Dragon Pulses, let's go!" By the time Black and his team found their way outside to a safe spot, the sun had already begun setting, and they hadn't even so much as had lunch yet. He never doubted the ferocity of Mt. Silver's Pokemon again.

Black finally found himself adjusting to life on Mt. Silver after 3 weeks had passed. Each Thursday evening, he would reappear in the same spot he had the first week in order to serenade Red (though he knew that Red didn't know that he knew he was there), all the while maintaining the facade of a starry-eyed nature enthusiast who just happened to enjoy playing music on a forbidden mountain during sunsets. The wild ambushes while he did this gradually ceased as Black's presence on the mountain began to assert itself. He eventually gave up on keeping his Pokemon confined within their Pokeballs altogether, opting instead to keep them out 24/7 in case of an impromptu challenge from one of the mountain's dumbers. In all honesty, it was something of a luxury, being able to let all of his team run free and do whatever they pleased. It helped them develop an even deeper bond than what was previously known, and it kept Black company during his miserable stay there.

"Aw, the fancy food's all gone," whined Black one night. He was already sad enough as it were: he hadn't been able to get so much as a breath of fine cheeses since that second Thursday as he'd had to devour it all before they spoiled. Now, the last of the "fancy" (common) food had vanished, which left him with only 3 options: eat the wild Pokemon that attacked them (his stomach lurched violently as if to demand the thought to perish), eat the salted meats and berries he'd stored for this occasion, or leave Mt. Silver and all his hard work adapting to it behind and go find more supplies. It was a unanimous vote between stomach, brain, and ego.

By the 5th week, Black had quickly grown bored of holding back and decided now was as good as ever of a time to let loose hell on Earth (if only briefly). It was to be his first test run of the majority of Mt. Silver. "Thank you, everyone." He recalled his confused Samurott, Hydreigon, Dragonite, Lucario, and Metagross as the astonished mountain Pokemon looked on. Pulling out his 6th Pokeball, he held it up to his lips for a second in an almost reverential manner before throwing it. "Zekrom, a stage worthy of you has been set! Draco Meteor!" They kept repeating that attack for the next hour, ravaging the opposition and almost making a sport out of it as they climbed toward the summit of Mt. Silver, only pausing when they were 2 floors from where Red lay in wait. Black laughed with relief as he and Zekrom sat down in a dark corner for a moment, hiding from the vengeful Pokemon.

"Here you go, Zekrom," said Black, handing his partner a mix of berries. "That was pretty impressive, considering how much power it takes to use Draco Meteor." The dragon nodded quietly in thanks as it nibbled on the multi-flavored fruits. "You'd better rest up," he continued. "You'll need your strength for tomorrow." Zekrom nodded solemnly, before disappearing inside its Pokeball. Black poked his head out from behind the humongous indent in the cave wall, looking this way and that to make sure the coast was clear, before retreating back inside. He closed his eyes and focused, waiting for a response.

"Mew?" said a voice.

"Ah! Mew!" said Black telepathically. It seemed the idea of the sixth sense really wasn't wrong after all. "Could you Teleport to my current location? I'm on Mt. Silver, 2 floors below the summit, behind an indent in the wall."

"Mew," Mew replied. A flash of light and a tug on Black's hair caused him to open his eyes. He could vaguely make out the outline of the mischievous Legendary Pokemon from the pitch darkness. Despite how unintentionally rude the playful Pokemon could be sometimes, Black couldn't help but smile at it.

"Here you go, Mew. Could you take this note to Professor Oak in Pallet Town?" He handed Mew a folded piece of paper, which it took from him curiously. Mew unfolded it using Psychic and glanced at the jumble of letters. It read very simply:

Challenging Red tomorrow on Friday.

-Black

Mew obviously couldn't understand a word of it, but it nodded nonetheless. Refolding the paper back into a small square using Psychic, it gave Black a solemn salute before Teleporting. Black grinned at the empty air. That little rascal.

Black woke up extra early that Friday morning, entering Mt. Silver even as the twinkling stars were still winking at him. His Samurott was the first to respond to the wooden crunch of his feet on snow. It yawned widely, revealing a mouth full of sharp fangs, before following its trainer and friend without so much as a word spoken between them. Black's Lucario soon followed suit, unconsciously sensing the duo's aura move. It got up and jogged to a stop behind Samurott. Metagross's eyes opened as the train of three slowly got farther and farther away. It blinked one last time and turned around to the two peacefully dozing dragons. It gently prodded them, nodding toward the cave entrance where their trainer and fellow Pokemon had silently marched off to. Hydreigon and Dragonite stood up and stretched before calmly flying after the rest of their party, leaving Metagross to faithfully levitate in the rear.

The procession came to a halt at the end of the black tunnel. Beyond the gaping maw of the hallway's end was the beginning of something new. They had been training for this for 5 weeks. Admittedly not as long as Red, but Black knew that his team could do it. He turned to them silently, stony face out and burning holes through each and every Pokemon's soul. He relaxed the serious look for a moment, giving them all a warm smile by the light of the fading moon. Reaching into his bag, Black pulled out some Old Gateau, berries, and Moo-Moo Milk, which he'd been having Samurott help keep frozen for the past 35 days. He passed out the equally divided portions to each of his friends before scarfing down his share. To finish off their totally nutritious breakfast, Black gave each of his nearest and dearest a whole jar of Honey. The sweet, amber treat left everyone's hands and mouths feeling sticky. To help amend the problem, Samurott and Dragonite both used Surf several times to help wash off the residue, before stepping aside for Hydreigon to use Flamethrower as it worked to dry everyone off. With their stomachs full and bodies slightly warmer than before, Black and his team turned to face the shimmering end of the corridor that led to the caverns of Mt. Silver. A slight pressure on his head alerted Black to the presence of his Mew as, together as one, he and his family began their arduous journey to reach the true Kan-Joh Champion.

"Metagross, use Light Screen and Reflect. Dragonite, stop their attacks with Surf. Lucario, cover everyone with Protect. Hydreigon, find the big ones and take them out with Tri Attack. Samurott, finish off the survivors with Scald." Black's change in disposition and mindset could be felt by all of his Pokemon. What was once the caring family patriarch of the team that had earned the title of "Peerless Terror" had now assumed the role of calculating general as he masterminded his troops' way to victory. While his Pokemon worked as extensions of his mind and will, carrying out the moves he'd ordered them to, Black became wholeheartedly devoted to serving as their eyes, ears, and brain, never ceasing in his thoughts as he assessed the current situation, formulated a myriad of possible routes, and then chose the predicted best course of action for him and his army to take. His eyes would detect, his ears would pick up, and he would have to make a split second decision lest his closest suffer for it. "Lucario, see that beast of a Steelix over there? Extremespeed over there and Force Palm it at 5 o'clock with all your might. Metagross, Psychic the smaller swarms into the blast. Samurott and Hydreigon, I'm trusting you two to cover us. Dragonite, clear the way with Hyper Beam and then get behind the two."

On and on the Blitz of Mt. Silver continued as Hell poured forth its vast armies in an attempt to stop the Frontier warlord from achieving his goals. Slowly—painstakingly—, Black and his team made their grueling way up the innards of Mt. Silver, their only reprieve being the ancient stairs that led up to the next floor. And, even then they always had to be on the alert in case something was hurled down at them. Black's life flashed before his eyes x-times too many that day, each time the only thing that saved him from the doom of becoming the next Headless Horseman was Mew. The little Psychic type, despite its ludic nature, cared deeply for the new friend it had made, and its actions reflected that sentiment. Though it tended to avoid directly fighting, Mew never hesitated to block or redirect an attack when a momentary lapse in its comrades' attention would have costed them their beloved central processing unit. And Arceus deliver anyone who ever had to force Mew's hand like that, for it was a terrifying sight to behold the cat-like Legendary unleash Zap Cannon after Zap Cannon and see them all connect.

At long last, the "Peerless Terrors" were on the final floor that stood between them and Red. Without even looking, Black could have guessed that this would be their most difficult challenge. He looked at his Xtransceiver, wondering what time of the day it would be that he failed—no, he couldn't think like that. It was almost noon. A Cheshire grin suddenly split across his face. Just in time for lunch...

A Tyranitar and Hariyama, several Weavile, a herd of Ursaring, 2 Quagsires, 10 Mismagii, and an innumerable quantity of Golbat faced them. From out of the corner of his eye, Black noticed an Absol and Bronzong flank them, quietly watching. His mind quickly split into two layers again: the upper, sensing half focused on what stood before him, carefully keeping a close eye on anything that might happen, while the lower, intuitive side began to visualize and hypothesize realities, questioning relentlessly as it tried to find an answer to everything that could happen. A tense silence settled between the two sides as they stared each other off. Even Mew took part in the glaring, having opted to forgo invisibility long ago. Then something happened.

To this day, Black remained unsure of which side did it. Who threw the first shot. But he knew that the phrase "shot heard around the world" would never sufficiently capture the full effect of that moment.

Just as the contest of wills between mountain Pokemon and their more domesticated counterparts reached a fever pitch, an explosion occurred. Neither side hesitated for a moment as they rushed to defend their positions. "Protect!" roared Black. "Lucario, Extremespeed that Tyranitar and shift gears into Close Combat followed by an Aura Sphere. Whatever—just engage that thing! Samurott, cover the withdrawal with Blizzard. Dragonite and Hydreigon, get behind Metagross's Protect and use Dragonbreath!" Black's Pokemon heard the urgency in his voice and responded accordingly.

Lucario suddenly disappeared and reappeared instantaneously the next moment beside Tyranitar, who was shocked into stopping its Hyper Beam. The Fighting/Steel type immediately began to pummel its far larger opponent, spinning around in circles as it alternated between fists and roundhouse kicks. If the situation weren't so dire and stressful, Black might have been moved enough to call it beautiful. With a final somersault kick, Lucario retreated a safe distance from Tyranitar before charging a small, blue orb in between its palms. It let it loose, not even bothering to stay behind and watch the giant crumble.

Samurott saw that its partner was returning and quickly started to call up a Blizzard. Opening its mouth wide, it bellowed loudly, stunning everyone into immobility as they gazed upon it in gobsmacked reverence. Several small white rings surrounded Samurott as it charged up the Blizzard attack. The ground around it started to become frosty as the temperature took a plummet. It got to the point where Black, who was at least 10 feet behind Samurott, could see his own rapid breaths. Mt. Silver's Pokemon scurried to find a way to shield themselves from what would obviously be a potent attack. However, their efforts were all in vain as the Blizzard's charge finished. With a second, louder and more intimidating roar, Black's first Pokemon released its hold on the raging snowstorm, clouding everyone's vision in wintery white. The entire cavern suddenly became covered in a layer of ice as the snow and winds flew in a frenzy. The Golbat were all completely crushed, done in by the deep freeze. Hariyama held out its hands, trying to shield itself from the worst of the blast to no avail. Even the other Pokemon, such as Ursaring and Weavile, which weren't normally affected by snow had to take cover, for the strong winds that had been unleashed were still more than capable of hurting them. Black noticed the manner in which the winter storm was blowing and he decided to play it to his advantage.

"Lucario, make a circuit around Samurott with a circumference of 10 feet before charging into the center of that Ursaring herd. Close Combat. Hydreigon, I want you to go and assist it, giving support fire with Tri Attack." The tailwind provided by the Blizzard would allow them to practically blindside the huddling Pokemon.

Out of the corner of his eye, Black noticed a Gyro Ball from Bronzong coming toward Samurott. Before he could so much as turn to utter a warning, Dragonite had already stepped up and intercepted the attack with a Fire Punch. Black's mind ground to a complete halt for a second as he tried to comprehend what had just happened. Mew's incessant tugging on his hair got his attention. "Thanks, Mew." The Psychic type remained silent as it intercepted an Ursaring's Focus Blast and then proceeded to retaliate.

Metagross had remained stationary the whole time as it continued to observe the battlefield, occasionally providing either support fire or cover as the situation arose. It was constantly replenishing its allies' supply of Reflects and Light Screens in an effort to minimize damage. However, its attention was diverted from the main fray when the previously-quiet Absol decided now was a good time as any to charge. It frantically hurried to switch gears and use Protect on itself. Black turned to his left at the explosion and saw his Steel type engage the Absol. "Metagross, ignore the attacks and use Swift to knock it out of the air. Find its landing spot and get over there with a Bullet Punch on one arm followed by a Break Break for when it's incapacitated." The star-shaped projectiles hit true, canceling the Absol's Hyper Beam as it felt the sting of the pseudo-Legendary. A shadow loomed over Absol as Metagross hovered above it for a brief, shining moment before knocking the wind out of its lungs with a Bullet Punch. The shocked Pokemon didn't even get a chance to be sent flying as a second fist collided with its back. Black recalled Metagross back inside its Pokeball before sending it back out immediately, this time closer than where it had been forced to move when in the brief skirmish with Absol.

Slowly but surely the flow of opponents began to dwindle, until, at last, it was only Black's team against the Hariyama. Admittedly, they had the numbers advantage against it, but the hulking tank looked like it hadn't suffered much, if any, damage up until this point. Black briefly considered giving his team a break and calling forth Zekrom to finish the battle. However, he banished the thought upon seeing the look of burning determination in his teammates' eyes. His heart swelled with pride as he smiled back at them, overcome with the honor of having had the humbling experience of growing and fighting side by side with them. He nodded in affirmation. "Okay then. You all win; whether victory or loss, it'll be by our own merits." He turned to the Hariyama, which had been patiently waiting the whole time. "My friends, a worthy stage for us has been set. Let us finish what we started!"

Hariyama charged, despite the fact that both sides knew it was outclassed. Black was rather surprised as the Hariyama maintained two punch attacks simultaneously while charging: Dynamic and Focus Punch. "Metagross, use Psychic and stop Hariyama's advance. Hydreigon, Acrobatics." Said Pokemon answered their Trainer's orders with silence as both prepared their respective attacks. Metagross's eyes glowed blue as it activated the attack that gave the Psychic types its name. Hariyama stopped moving completely as it fell to Metagross's mental grip. With an almost reluctant flap of its wings, Hydreigon moved to quickly dispatch of the helpless Fighting type. Black blinked once out of habit, not bothering in the attempt to keep up with his dragon's speed. He reopened his eyes as Hariyama gratefully collapsed, with Hydreigon appearing to have remained in the same spot. Of course, the reality was that Hydreigon had moved so fast that it had attacked and then returned to its original starting point, all within the blink of an eye.

Black and his team remained in their warmonger mindsets for a second, not quite ready to believe what they saw. When Fate made no further move to tempt them, though, they all collapsed in exhaustion. Black and his team panted loudly in exhaustion, worked to the bone. When Black tried to open his buzzing eyes, the feedback he received from them forced him to shut them again. Slowly, the adrenaline rush died down, leaving him and his Pokemon to finally register the pain of their various injuries. Black's head was pounding in anger at the abuse it had suffered, which he scoffed at. This was nothing compared to what his Pokemon were probably suffering through. With eyes still closed, he felt his way around his bag for the Full Restores he always kept an excess of. "Aha!" he exclaimed. Pulling it out, he waved it triumphantly into the air before scooting over blindly to the nearest Pokemon. "Here, hold out your hand," he said to it. A cold, metallic surface met his touch. "Ah, Metagross. You did a good job protecting everyone, buddy. Thanks to you, the damage we would have suffered was lessened. Thank you." He heard the Steel type sigh in relief as the medicine began to work its magic.

"You all just stay still," he whispered quietly. "I'll come to you." There was no protest at this, as all of Black's Pokemon were too tired to even pay attention to his commands at this point. One by one, he applied the Full Restores, trying to help ease their suffering, until that task was finished. Black cautiously opened one eye, testing to see if his brain would start bugging out like it had earlier. When nothing happened, he cautiously opened the other. Black sighed in relief and sat back when, once again, nothing happened. He decided to get up and observe the cemetery of sweat and tears as there was little else to do while his Pokemon rested. Wait, rested? Black smacked his head in embarrassment as he turned around to his woozy team. "Everyone, go ahead and use Rest. We have plenty of time to get to Red." His Pokemon didn't hesitate for an instant, knowing that Black would be safe under the ever-present and watchful eyes of Mew and Zekrom. Black recalled the five sleeping Pokemon, and pulled out the sixth Pokeball from his belt.

"Zekrom, watch over me," he said. Zekrom appeared and immediately took to a shaded corner, blending in completely with the surrounding darkness. Mew, meanwhile, went back to being invisible as it decided to float around. Black turned his head this way and that as he walked all around the vast, cerulean cavern. Small crystals in the ground made it possible to see within the otherwise-night-pitch cave. All around him lay the massacred mountain Pokemon, resting in an effort to regain their strength. He felt a small pang of guilt wash over him. Despite the fact that they were the ones who had initially tried to stop him, he couldn't help but feel a little responsible for their pain. He turned to Mew to voice his request. "Is there any way for you to heal them? Anything?"

Black was initially confused when all Mew did was start waving its paws left and right repeatedly in response to his plea. However, when he heard the soft chanting of "Mew, mew, mew, mew," Mew's actions finally clicked. "Metronome," he gasped. Several seconds passed by as Mew continued to whisper its name until a full minute had gone by. With a dramatic little bounce, Mew's paws stopped moving as a gentle periwinkle glow appeared from their tips. Metronome had decided a move, leaving Black to pray it was the right one.

A burst of light filled the frozen core of Mt. Silver as a rainbow colored light spread from Mew's form, manifesting to the naked eye as waves. The energy undulated all the way out to the edges of the cavern and then some as the whole entire mountain was bathed in the Heal Pulse. Black called forth the rest of his team once again as they quietly snoozed. He watched for their reactions to the powerful Psychic move as it washed over them. He got his reply not a moment later: every one of his Pokemons' features became more relaxed as they slipped into even deeper sleep. Gradually, the light from the Heal Pulse faded as Mew expended the rest of its energy. Black looked worriedly at it, but all it did was give him a small smile before coming over. Black recalled his sleeping team, before reaching into his bag for a Sitrus Berry, and handing it to the tired Legendary. "On behalf of everyone here today: Thank you, Mew." Mew smiled up at him, before snatching his hat and taking off. Black grinned in response to the age-old joke. Behind him, Zekrom gave a low rumble.

Black snapped his head around, ready for action. Above him, Mew prepared to Teleport them to Zekrom's side. All around them, the defeated Pokemon were stirring as the effects of the Heal Pulse began to kick in. The previously-felled Tyranitar was the first to rise as it looked around at the Poke-foughten field. Black nervously shifted his weight from his left foot to his right foot while he watched the Armor Pokemon examine its surroundings. The slight movement caught the pseudo-Legendary's eye; it turned its gaze on Black, who was suddenly Teleported to Zekrom's side. Trainer and Pokemon sized each other up, neither one budging an inch as their opponent stared them down. One second has passed... two seconds... three... It was the longest 30 seconds Black had ever been forced to live through. Finally, the Tyranitar's head shifted downwards about 20 degrees as it slowly withdrew, peacefully leaving the scene. The rest of the recovering Pokemon followed its example, slowly emptying out of the chamber until only Black, Zekrom, and Mew remained. The three let out a collective breath. Black slumped down to a crouch at Zekrom's feet, checking the time. Arceus Almighty! His Xtransceiver mockingly looked back at him, with the time 3:00 P.M. staring him in the face.

Guess it was time for lunch.