Disclaimer: I do not own pokemon and am in no way affiliated with Nintendo or Gamefreak, or other companies that write or produce pokemon. Now that that legal stuff is out of the way, on to the story!

Pokemon Legends: Kanto Saga

Chapter Thirty Five

Fire, Ice, and Lightning

A long, long time ago, in ancient Kanto...

A brown haired girl wearing armor, made from leather, and carrying a large sword on her back, stood at the edge of a valley. Behind her, her tribe had set up a temporary encampment. Ahead of them, high on the cliffs, were three caves. Each cave belonged to a different pokemon, pokemon that were preventing the tribe from moving through the valley.

"This time I will get them for sure." The girl said under her breath.

"AISHA!" The girl, Aisha, heard a voice calling out from behind her. Aisha let out a sigh. She already knew who it was. She heard footsteps approaching her, coming to a stop only a few feet behind her.

"Aisha, you better not be thinking of going out there on your own again!" A yellow-haired girl said to her. She was two years younger than Aisha and, after recent events had left her tribe doubting her leadership, was assigned to be her 'advisor' as well as a negotiator. She was chosen in particular due to a unique ability she possessed.

"That WAS the plan, yes." Aisha replied in an annoyed tone.

"No way! I'm going with you!" The girl shot back.

"And just what help would you be? You can't even control a pokemon on your own, Lina." Aisha replied, turning sideways to look back at the girl. Unlike her, the girl was dressed in an ordinary cotton shirt and shorts. She didn't have a need to wear armor, though Aisha hardly needed the protection either since her pokemon did most of the fighting.

"I can still try negotiating with them at least!"

"Yeah, that just went over so well with those Ptera too." Aisha spat. "There's no negotiating with pokemon, Lina. All they are concerned with is their own survival. They can only be controlled."

"We won't know that for sure if you don't let me talk to them!" Lina replied indignantly, clenching her fists. "Besides, you're supposed to be listening to me, remember."

"Whatever." Aisha grumbled, turning her back to the girl. "Feel free to tag along then. It'll hardly be any loss if the thunder bird shocks you." Aisha gave a shrug and then started off into the valley.

"Her attitude lately is starting to bug me..." Lina thought, following behind her.

- Insert Line Here -

The two girls made their way through the valley without saying a word to each other. Eventually they ascended the wall of the valley to reach a small cave near the top. It was one of three caves that seemed to exist just for the bird pokemon Aisha had encountered in the valley, and this particular cave was home to the thunder bird she was seeking.

"After the losses I've incurred against these birds I am finally ready." Aisha thought, a determined expression on her face as she walked through the darkened cave. "The thunder bird will fall first, then I can use the thunder bird to defeat the fire bird. With the birds of thunder and fire under my control, the bird of ice will be an easy catch."

"I'm talking to this one before you try fighting it again." Lina said to Aisha, interrupting her thoughts. Aisha had almost forgotten the girl was following her up until then.

"Do what you want, just don't expect me to save you if negotiations fail again." Aisha shot back. It was an idle threat, though. She had nothing against Lina on a personal level. Lina was usually so upbeat all the time that she was hard to hate unless you just hated people for being in a good mood. Aisha did, however, take issue with the idea of having an advisor and wasn't too thrilled with her ideas of trying to negotiate with pokemon.

"Someday you'll appreciate having someone around who can talk to pokemon." Lina muttered.

The two continued through the darkened cave, and eventually it started to become somewhat brighter. The cave opened up into a large cavern with a straw nest in the center and an open ceiling, letting the daylight shine through. Resting in the nest was a bird pokemon with jagged, yellow feathers covering its body and giving it an appearance symbolic of lightning.

The thunder bird rose to its feet when it saw Aisha and Lina enter its nesting area. It glared at the two and spread out its wings, charging electricity around the edges and looking like it was ready to attack. Aisha quickly took one of the pyramid-shaped objects, which were hanging around her neck, in her hand and reached for her sword. Before she could do anything with either object, though, Lina quickly stepped out in front of her.

"WAIT!" Lina called out. The thunder bird, surprised by this, actually backed down, as did Aisha.

"Pokemon, we come here to talk, not to fight." Lina said to it. The bird pokemon looked at her intently, apparently listening to her.

"Speak for yourself..." Ashley muttered under her breath.

"Tell us why you won't let us pass through the valley." Lina said to the thunder bird. "If you would just let us pass through the valley then..."

"-Can you even understand me?-" The pokemon asked, cutting her off. "-No? Didn't think so. Trying to communicate with you humans would be pointless.-"

"Actually, I can understand you." Lina replied with a slight smirk. The pokemon was shocked to hear her say this.

"-Thats...certainly a first.-" Came the bird's hesitant response. "-Very well then. The reason we do not allow your kind to pass is, simply put, as a test. Only those who prove themselves worthy by defeating myself, Articuno, and Moltres in battle may pass.-"

"Huh..." Lina blinked. "So...is there any chance at all you will let us through without a fight?" Lina asked. The pokemon shook its head. Lina let out a sigh and turned to Aisha.

"Well?" Aisha asked, looking at her expectantly.

"The pokemon want to test us." Lina explained to her, looking a bit upset. "Looks like you get your battle afterall."

"Thats fine by me." Aisha replied with a grin, then stepped out in front of her. "As leader of the Kanto tribe I, Aisha, accept your challenge, pokemon!"

"-Yes, because your overgrown bug just fared so well last time.-" The pokemon rolled its eyes. "-And stop calling me 'pokemon'. My name is Zapdos.-"

"The pokemon said its name is Zapdos." Lina informed Aisha.

"Zapdos then. Either way, I don't intend to lose this time." Aisha reached back and carefully drew her sword. Her sword was a rather large one, requiring her to use a second hand to steady it. Holding it out straight, the ruby embedded in the blade glistened in the light shining down on it. Aisha then dropped the pyramid-shaped object to the ground at her feet and pointed the sword at it.

"Rejice, release!" Aisha called out. The ruby on her blade began to glow and the object split open, releasing a small green energy orb. The orb expanded immediately, forming into an ice golem standing at almost six feet tall. Several gemstones formed the pokemon's 'face', and they flashed briefly as the pokemon came to life. With Rejice released, Aisha let the heavy sword drop to her side.

"-Well this is a new one. Perhaps it will prove to be more of a challenge then. I highly doubt it though.-" Zapdos spread its wings and hopped out of the nest. "-Take your best shot, human.-"

"Rejice, attack with a cold wind!" Aisha commanded. Rejice stretched out its arms toward Zapdos and released a blast of cold air and light snow. Zapdos shivered as it felt the cold wind rush over itself. Before the wind stopped, though, Zapdos gathered electricity around the edges of its wings and fired a short blast at Rejice. The ice golem hardly seemed to notice, though.

"-Well, its certainly a tougher pokemon than the last at least.-" Zapdos said to itself.

"I don't think that hurt it much, so lets try a different approach." Aisha thought. "Rejice, summon inner power now!" Rejice's eyes flashed and it held out its thick, icy arms as it began to focus its inner strength. Rocks began to break loose from its surroundings and hovered around it.

"This attack worked well on her last pokemon..." Zapdos thought as it began to form a vacuum of air around its beak. Zapdos flapped its wings, hovering while it awaited Rejice's attack. Rejice flung a barrage of rocks at Zapdos which the thunder bird then tried to avoid, but took a glancing blow to the wing. Zapdos quickly shook it off, though, and flew toward Rejice to stab the golem with a drilling beak attack. Rejice easily withstood the attack, forcing Zapdos to soon back off.

"I think that did even less. Guess we'll just have to go with our strongest attack!" Aisha thought, clenching a fist determinedly. "Rejice, full power attack now!"

"Does Aisha even know what she's doing?" Lina wondered, frowning to herself as she watched the battle.

Maintaining the same pose, Rejice began to gather power. Zapdos began to fly backwards to avoid the attack, but Rejice quickly focused its power and gave chase. Bringing both arms together with a powerful aura churning about its body, Rejice seemingly slid across the ground without moving its feet. Rejice soon caught up with Zapdos and struck the bird below the beak, throwing the pokemon back into its nest with a powerful strike. Zapdos seemed to easily shake it off, though, and quickly stood up.

"-You call that 'full power'? Don't make me laugh!-" Zapdos said mockingly as it charged electricity through its wings again. Zapdos still couldn't tell what its best option for attacking Rejice was, so it opted to use another electric attack. The electricity shot out with a flap of Zapdos' wings, blasting Rejice with a direct attack. Again, Rejice remained seemingly unharmed.

"Why is it I cannot hurt this...thing?" Zapdos wondered. To Zapdos, its attacks all seemed completely ineffective.

"Ok, guess that didn't work out too well actually..." Aisha thought, wincing. "Rejice, draw out your inner power again!" Rejice threw its arms out, focusing its power and causing rocks to float around it again. The rocks then shot toward Zapdos, but in a flash of movement Zapdos was gone and reappeared next to the nest.

"What the?!" Aisha shouted in shock at Zapdos' sudden movement. "That technique...I couldn't even follow it!"

"But she's seen a pokemon shoot electricity and use a spinning mouth attack?" Lina thought curiously.

"Lets see you evade this, then! Rejice, surround Zapdos with a cold wind!" Aisha called out while thrusting her free hand forward. Rejice thrust its arms toward Zapdos, sending a blast of cold air at the electric pokemon. Zapdos shivered and staggered back, feeling the cold wind cutting into it. Zapdos quickly fired back, blasting Rejice with another electric attack that hardly seemed to affect it. Zapdos, meanwhile, was obviously starting to weaken.

"I think we've almost got it!" Aisha thought, a smirk forming on her lips. "Rejice, again! Same technique!" Rejice's body again chilled the air and sent a blast of cold wind at Zapdos. Zapdos fell back as it felt its legs grow weak, the cold air numbing its body and draining its strength. Zapdos shook it off and cast a glare at Rejice.

"-Thats enough!-" Zapdos growled bitterly. "-My attacks are having little effect on your fighter. I cannot possibly win at this rate. Therefore, I admit defeat...-"

"Zapdos is surrending." Lina said, translating for Aisha.

"Then you'll let us pass through the valley?" Aisha asked Zapdos.

"-No, you must defeat Articuno and Moltres as well first.-" Zapdos replied. "-However, since you have managed to defeat me, I will join you in battle.-"

"Zapdos says you have to beat the other two, Articuno and Moltres, first, and Zapdos will help you battle against them." Lina explained to Aisha.

"Fine by me then." Aisha said with a smirk. "In that case, I suggest you rest up, Zapdos. I will be needing your power against the other two."

Aisha and Lina left the cave, giving Zapdos a day to rest. The next day, Aisha recruited Zapdos to challenge the fire bird Moltres. With Zapdos battling for her, Aisha was able to claim victory easily and Moltres likewise pledged to battle by her side. Aisha then used Moltres to beat their leader, the ice bird Articuno, and gained the ice bird as a third ally and could finally lead her tribe through the cave.

With the three legendary birds in her control, Aisha convinced them to remain guardians for Kanto throughout the ages. Gaining the power of the legendary birds also gained her favor within her tribe again and the elders allowed her to make decisions on her own again. However, she decided to keep Lina with her in the end for her ability to speak with pokemon.


Present day...

"Ok, you three, hold still now!" Ashley focused her camera on the three birds posing before her with their wings stretched out. She took a quick picture and then examined her work. "Kinda boring looking. Still a picture of three legendary pokemon, though!" She said to herself, pocketing her newly printed photo.

"-Why are we doing this again?-" Zapdos whispered to Articuno and Moltres.

"-Humor her.-" Moltres replied quietly.

"Ok, now I'm ready to battle. Rina?" Rina nodded and walked over to Ashley. Ashley then handed her the camera. "Make sure you get plenty of pictures!"

"I'll do my best!" Rina replied, nodding enthusiastically. "Good luck, Ashley!" Rina quickly ran back over to where the Elite Four were standing alongside Pippi and the mirage pokemon Mew. They had stayed to watch Ashley attempt to capture the three legendary birds and were all standing off to the side to keep out of the way.

"Now lets get this started!" Ashley called out excitedly as she drew three pokeballs from her belt. "Snorlax! Pidgeot! Charizard! Go!" The three pokeballs opened up, releasing their respective pokemon before her. Charizard gave a loud roar to announce his prescence as usual while Snorlax cast an angry glare at Moltres, the previous battle still fresh in her mind. Pidgeot grinned eagerly when he saw the three birds, already realizing what he was up against and looking forward to the challenge.

"I don't understand, why did they single out Ashley specifically?" Lance wondered aloud.

"Come to think of it, Zapdos acted strangely when one of the hunters ordered it to attack Ashley." Rina said. "Its almost like they know her somehow."

"I don't think they stand much of a chance, regardless." Lorelei commented. "After seeing how Ashley handled herself against Moltres with a power boost, I'm sure she can handle them on her own."

"-Why are they fighting Rina's friend?-" Mew wondered aloud, floating upside down next to Rina and Pippi.

"-Thats what everyone else wants to know.-" Pippi said to Mew.

"-Zapdos, Moltres, lets begin with a co-ordinated assault.-" Articuno said to the other two birds. The two of them nodded and began preparing for their attacks, Moltres visibly gathering fire in its beak and Zapdos charging electricity across its wings. Articuno joined the two, a blue orb of energy forming as it opened its beak.

"Pidgeot, evade with Quick Attack! Charizard, Snorlax...brace yourselves!" Ashley called out, reacting as quickly as she could. Pidgeot dashed out of the way with a quick attack as the three birds fired, managing to avoid the Flamethrower that would have hit it. Ashley's Charizard takes a direct hit from Articuno's Ice Beam, briefly forming a layer of ice on its chest before breaking off, and Snorlax barely flinched as Zapdos' Thunderbolt attack zapped her.

"Ok, now fire back at Articuno with Flamethrower, Charizard! Snorlax, you use Amnesia! Pidgeot, attack Moltres with Air Cutter!" Charizard opened his mouth, firing a blast of flames back at the ice bird. Articuno was briefly engulfed in the fire until it took off straight up. Snorlax, meanwhile, concentrated briefly to forget something and increase its defense against special attacks, and Pidgeot fired a v-shaped blade of air to cut into Moltres.

"-Moltres, concentrate on the Pidgeot. Zapdos, you concentrate on Snorlax. I will handle Charizard.-" Articuno said, issuing commands to the other two birds. Moltres nodded and flapped its wings, taking off into the sky as well in hopes of leading Pidgeot away.

"Pidgeot, go after Moltres and use Wing Attack. Charizard, you go after Articuno and use Flamethrower again. Snorlax, put Zapdos to sleep with Yawn."

Pidgeot and Charizard took off into the sky and didn't take long to catch up with their respective targets. As Pidgeot neared Moltres, Moltres pulled a u-turn and came toward Pidgeot. The two birds flew past each other, their wings stretched out to strike as they flew by. The impact from their collision knocked each pokemon to the side slightly but they quickly adjusted their course.

Charizard opened his mouth and sent a blast of flames at Articuno once it was in range. Articuno knew the attack would be coming, though, and quickly swerved to the side to evade it. Articuno then performed a u-turn and fired an Ice Beam attack at Charizard, but Charizard likewise swerved to the side to evade it. Articuno remained hovering in the air as Charizard flew by it.

Back on the ground, Zapdos charged electricity along its wings and fired a pulse at Snorlax. The weak electric attack passed through Snorlax's body harmlessly but paralyzed her muscles, slowing her movements. Snorlax followed up, with no immediate hindrance by the paralysis, by spewing a white gas from her mouth with a Yawn. The gas surrounded Zapdos, causing the electric bird to become drowsy.

After dealing with their respective opponents, Moltres and Articuno turned toward each other. Pidgeot and Charizard followed behind, keeping up with their targets while awaiting further orders. Zapdos, meanwhile, fired a bolt of electricity at Snorlax before falling asleep. Snorlax winced in pain as the electricity struck her, but she was able to take the attack rather easily.

"What are those two?" Ashley wondered, observing Moltres and Articuno's actions. "I bet they're trying to get Pidgeot and Charizard to attack each other, so I'll have Pidgeot use Swift and Charizard go up and then follow up after."

"Pidgeot, attack Moltres with Swift! Charizard, gain altitude! Snorlax, use Belly Drum!" Pidgeot and Charizard quickly made their move, Pidgeot firing out several star-shaped rays from his wings and Charizard angled himself to fly straight up. Pidgeot's attack homed in on Moltres and hit, but neither Charizard nor Pidgeot were ready for what the legendary pokemon had really planned.

Articuno flew over Moltres with only inches to spare between them. This allowed for Articuno to land a surprise attack on Pidgeot, blasting him with an Ice Beam that froze Pidgeot's wings and sent him plummeting toward the ground. Pidgeot was stunned for a moment while he fell. As soon as he realized what had happened his smashed his wings together, shattering the ice, and then pointed down to gain momentum as if in a dive and pulled out before hitting the ground.

Moltres, meanwhile, started to follow behind Charizard while an orange glow surrounded its body. Charizard continued to fly straight up, oblivious to the fact that Moltres was even following him. Back on the ground, Snorlax began pounding on her chest while Zapdos remained asleep. Using her Belly Drum technique, Snorlax inflicted pain on herself to drastically increase her attack power.

"That Snorlax could be troublesome..." Articuno thought, observing from above. Pidgeot, back in the air, sped past Articuno to continue chasing Moltres, leaving Articuno alone to consider its next move. Articuno focused for a moment, reading into Snorlax's thoughts.

"Looks like Moltres is getting ready for an attack, better watch out for it." Ashley thought. "Charizard, stop and drop! Pidgeot, Double Edge! Snorlax, attack Zapdos with Headbutt!" Snorlax stood up, looking as though she would go on the offense for a change. However, as she took a step forward, she felt her body go numb and her muscles wouldn't respond. Paralysis set in, keeping her from attacking.

With Snorlax paralyzed, Zapdos finally woke up and quickly shook off its grogginess from being asleep. Seeing Snorlax stumbling, Zapdos spread its wings and charged electricity through them. A bolt of electricity shot out from Zapdos' body and struck Snorlax. Snorlax cried out in pain and collapsed to the ground. After using Belly Drum, a Thunderbolt from Zapdos was more than Snorlax could take.

"Looks like I wasn't needed afterall." Articuno thought, then cast its gaze up at the battle between Charizard, Pidgeot, and Moltres.

Charizard stopped flapping his wings and began to drop straight down. Moltres wasn't about to let Charizard get by so easily, though. A fiery aura surrounded Moltres and it shot into Charizard with a Sky Attack, flipping Charizard over in the air and sending him plummeting head first into the ground.

Moltres came to a stop high in the air and looked back to survey the damage, leaving it unable to avoid Pidgeot even as it saw him coming toward it. Pidgeot smashed into Moltres in a midair tackle, sending both pokemon plummeting toward the ground. Pidgeot quickly recovered, holding out his wings to stop and then flapping them again to hover in the air. Moltres soon followed suit but was far below Pidgeot, leaving it hovering next to Articuno. Charizard also managed to just barely recover before hitting the ground, and Ashley recalled Snorlax.

"-I can't take much more of this...-" Moltres said to Articuno, panting heavily. "-Her pokemon are clearly on the same level as us at the very least.-"

"-You are right, but we cannot give in so easily.-" Articuno said to Moltres. "-The Pidgeot and Charizard are both weakened now, one strike will finish them. Zapdos is in range to attack Charizard, so let us concentrate on her Pidgeot.-"

"-Very well.-" Moltres replied, nodding to Articuno. The two of them then took off up toward Pidgeot while preparing to attack. Charizard started to fly up after them as well, but a lightning bolt shot up from the ground caught him off guard. Charizard collapsed to the ground and fell unconscious, forcing Ashley to recall him as well.

"Pidgeot, dive and use Quick Attack!" Ashley called out while frantically reaching for two more pokeballs. "Jolteon! Ivysaur! Go!" She held up one pokeball in each hand, sending out Jolteon and Ivysaur to battle next. Meanwhile, Articuno and Moltres both attacked Pidgeot with Ice Beam and Flamethrower respectively. Pidgeot dove down toward the ground, using quick attack to quickly move out of the way and join up with Ivysaur and Jolteon as they emerged.

"-Damn. Its about time.-" Ivysaur said with a grin.

"-So these are the legendary birds.-" Jolteon mused. "-Well, zap one bird, you've zapped them all.-"

"-Don't underestimate them, they defeated Charizard and Snorlax already.-" Pidgeot warned them. Ivysaur and Jolteon nodded.

"Ashley's down two pokemon already! I hope she can still pull it off!" Rina said worriedly.

"Whatever will be, will be." Agatha said calmly. "I believe if she is meant to win here today, then she will do just that."

"You really think its that simple?" Rina asked Agatha, blinking in disbelief. Agatha nodded.

"Many legendary pokemon, such as those you see before you now, exist to test us humans." Agatha said. "Though I cannot say why they have chosen Ashley, I am sure they have reason for it."

"Hmm..." Lance considered what Agatha said for a moment and looked over at Rina. "Rina, you said they seemed to recognize Ashley, correct?"

"Well...umm...seemed like it anyway..." Rina replied hesitantly, recalling the battle in Vermilion. "Zapdos resisted the slave collar's effect when ordered to attack Ashley, but only after getting a good look at her. When I had to fight Knight, he resisted the collar's effect too."

"I see." Lance nodded and looked back toward the battle. "It seems possible, but I say we'd need more proof than that."

"Ashley and her pokemon have grown strong. I don't doubt for a moment that she is capable of capturing them, so long as she does not give up." Bruno added, nodding slightly.

"-Hmm...-" Mew, having heard the group talking, looked out at the legendary birds for a moment. Mew then looked back at Rina, as if considering something.

"Ok, I've got them where I want them now." Ashley thought with a smirk. "Jolteon, take point! Intercept any attack from Zapdos. Ivysaur, use Stun Spore and Pidgeot you use Gust to bring it to Articuno and Moltres!"

Jolteon quickly moved out in front of the group while Ivysaur and Pidgeot attacked. Ivysaur quickly released a cloud of spores into the air and Pidgeot flapped his wings, kicking up strong gusts of wind to send the spores toward Articuno and Moltres. The spores paralyzed the two, causing them to drop out of the air and crash into the ground next to Zapdos.

"-It will take more than a single pokemon to stop me.-" Zapdos stated as it quickly charged electricity and fired off a Thunderbolt attack. The bolt struck Jolteon and was immediately absorbed into his fur with little effect.

"-Really? What if its a single pokemon who regains strength from your strongest attacks?-" Jolteon said to Zapdos with a grin.

"Good job!" Ashley said to her pokemon. "Jolteon, follow up by paralyzing Zapdos with Thunder Wave! Pidgeot, keep them down with Gust until Ivysaur puts them to sleep with Sleep Powder." The three pokemon nodded and Jolteon quickly attacked first, firing a pulse of electricity at the grounded Zapdos. Zapdos grunted and stumbled back as the electricity passed through it, paralyzing Zapdos' muscles.

Articuno and Moltres were struggling to their feet as Pidgeot moved out ahead of Jolteon. Both Articuno and Moltres opened their beaks to attack Pidgeot, but Pidgeot began flapping his wings and quickly knocked them back with a strong gust of wind. The three legendary birds were knocked off their feet, keeping them from attacking for a moment.

Articuno raised its head to try to fire an Ice Beam attack at Pidgeot, but by then Ivysaur had released a Sleep Powder attack into the wind Pidgeot was kicking up. The powder landed on all three pokemon, sending the paralyzed birds into a deep sleep. Ashley then quickly grabbed a single Great Ball from her bag.

"Here goes nothing!" Ashley called out as she lobbed the ball at the sleeping and paralyzed Moltres. The ball landed on top of Moltres and opened up, pulling the fire pokemon inside. It then dropped to the ground and started to shake, continuing to do so for several tense moments before locking shut with a click and disappearing in a white light.

"She caught one!" Rina cheered.

"-Wow! I can't believe she's actually doing it!-" Pippi said in disbelief.

"This hardly comes as a surprise to me." Lorelei said with a smirk.

"ALRIGHT! Thats one down, two to go!" Ashley shouted enthusiastically. "The other two are still asleep too, so lets hit them hard and start with Articuno. Jolteon, Thunderbolt! Pidgeot, Air Cutter! Ivysaur, you attack Zapdos with Leech Seed!"

Pidgeot and Jolteon were still taking point as they made their attack. Jolteon's fur bristled with electricity and Pidgeot brought his wings together, then Jolteon fired a bolt of electricity followed by Pidgeot firing a v-shaped blade of air. Articuno cried out in pain as Jolteon's Thunderbolt attack struck it, barely noticing the damage inflicted by Pidgeot's Air Cutter by comparison. Articuno quickly hopped back on its feet, fully awake now. Ivysaur, meanwhile, fired a seed from the plant on his back, planting it on Zapdos and starting to slowly sap its health.

"-She reversed the situation...but I won't go down so easily...-" Articuno said under its breath. Articuno flung out its wings, sending a blast of cold air, snow, and ice at Jolteon and Pidgeot. Ivysaur, who was in behind the two, was protected from the attack. Pidgeot collapsed almost immediately, but Jolteon was able to withstand it and shook it off when it was all over.

"Jolteon, use Thunderbolt again!" Ashley called out as she recalled Pidgeot. Jolteon fired off another quick Thunderbolt attack, striking Articuno with a bolt of electricity. Articuno cried out and collapsed in exhaustion as the rest of its strength was drained from it.

"Ok, this one we definitely have then!" Ashley took another Great Ball from her bag and tossed it at the unconscious Articuno. The ball opened up and pulled Articuno inside, then locked shut almost immediately to seal it in. A white light enveloped the ball as it and the Articuno trapped inside were sent off to storage.

"Seems that one was their leader." Lance said. "She probably should have went for that one first."

"Two down, just one more to go now!" Ashley cried out excitedly. Zapdos shook its head and started to stand up, waking up to find itself the only pokemon remaining.

"-Seems I'm at quite the disadvantage now.-" Zapdos said to itself, still fairly well off due to the only attacks landing having been status attacks and Ivysaur's Leech Seed. "-But I'm not just going to back down. Take your best shot.-" Zapdos charged electricity along its wings and fired a Thunderbolt attack. The bolt arced past Jolteon and struck Ivysaur. Ivysaur growled in pain but easily withstood the attack, shaking it off after the electricity passed through him.

"Jolteon, charge for a Thunderbolt but don't fire!" Ashley commanded Jolteon. She didn't feel the need to issue a command to Ivysaur at this point. Jolteon's fur bristled, charging with electricity in preparation for its attack.

"Now's my chance!" Zapdos thought. With a flap of its wings, Zapdos flew past Jolteon. A vacuum of air swirled around Zapdos' beak like a mini tornado. Zapdos glided in toward Ivysaur, catching the grass pokemon off guard and skewering him with its beak and tossing him back. Ivysaur growled as he hit the ground and still had strength to get back up again.

"-You'll have to do better than that...-" Ivysaur said to Zapdos.

"Scratch that then..." Ashley thought, realizing her planned attack wouldn't quite work now. However, she had already managed to come up with a different technique to use.

"Jolteon, turn and use Thunderbolt now!" Jolteon quickly turned to face Zapdos, who was now almost directly behind him, and then fired off a Thunderbolt attack at point-blank range. Zapdos screeched as the attack passed through its body, but was able to take the attack better than Articuno or Moltres could due to being an electric type as well. Zapdos was still looking fairly weak after enduring the attack, though, due to Leech Seed still draining it's strength.

"Now, Ivysaur, finish it with Double Edge!" Ivysaur quickly charged toward Zapdos and eagerly threw himself into the bird pokemon with a full body tackle attack. Zapdos grunted from the impact and was knocked to the ground, as was Ivysaur. Both pokemon started to slowly get back up shortly after, struggling through their exhaustion, but Zapdos collapsed again as Leech Seed drained the last of its strength.

"Thats it then!" Ashley took another Great Ball from her bag. "We've caught all three of the winged mirages!" Ashley lobbed the ball at Zapdos. The ball split open and pulled Zapdos inside, then closed shut without any struggling from the electric pokemon. A white light then surrounded the ball and sent it off to storage.

"WOOHOO! WE CAUGHT THEM!" Ashley cheered, pumping a fist into the air.

"-Tch, they weren't so tough.-" Ivysaur said to himself.

"-Says the pokemon barely standing.-" Jolteon said to him with a smug grin.

"Way to go, Ashley!" Rina congratulated her as she ran over, then held up a handful of pictures. "I took lots of pictures, just like you asked!"

"Good thing I had that spare roll of film then!" Ashley took the pictures from Rina and quickly looked them over. "Hehehe...I can't believe they wanted to battle me, and now I've caught all three of them!"

"Perhaps, now that you've caught them, it would be a good chance for you to find out why they wanted to battle you." Lance said to Ashley as he approached with the rest of the Elite Four. "Ashley, now that the winged mirages are your's, it is up to you to safeguard them and use their power responsibly."

"Right." Ashley nodded in agreement and smiled lightly at Lance. "No one like the hunters are getting their hands on them again."

"Glad to hear it." Lance replied, nodding to her. "I look forward to seeing how well you are able to use them in battle."

"As do the rest of us." Bruno added. "I hope you will at least consider challenging us. It would be an honor to test my abilities against the legendary pokemon."

"I am more interested in seeing what you are capable of, child." Agatha said to Ashley with a smirk on her face. "You've handled yourself well today. Let me say that your talent as a trainer is wasted if you solely pursue a career as a photographer."

"I've seen quite well what you're capable of. I look forward to a battle at the Indigo Plateau." Lorelei said to Ashley.

"At any rate...I believe it is time we got off this island." Lance said. "There will be time to talk on the trip back to Kanto." Lance turned to head out to the Sea Gallop, still waiting for them, tossing his cape behind him. Lorelei, Bruno, and Agatha followed behind him.

"I can't wait to see what my mom will say when I show up with these three." Ashley giggled to herself and pocketed her pictures. "Ok you two, lets go!" She then said to her pokemon as she took one of their pokeballs in each hand, then recalled them and placed the pokeballs back on her belt.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye then." Rina said to Mew.

"-Nooo!-" Mew replied, shaking its head furiously. "-I want to go with you!-"

"You...what?" Rina blinked in disbelief.

"-Huh?-" Pippi looked up at Mew and tilted her head to the side curiously, waiting for an explanation.

"-You seem like nice, fun people so I want to go with you!-" Mew said to Rina, smiling widely. "-So come on! Put me in one of those pokeballs!-"

"Are...are you sure thats ok?" Rina asked Mew, blinking again.

"-Aren't you supposed to be a really, really special legendary pokemon or something?-" Pippi added.

"What'd it say?" Ashley asked Rina, curious about her reaction.

"Mew wants to come with me..." Rina said to her.

Ashley was silent for a moment before finally responding in a stunned tone. "Wow."

"-Of course its ok! Why wouldn't it be?-" Mew replied. "-There's no one to tell me what to do, I do whatever I want! And I want to go with you!-"

"I think Mew really likes you Rina." Ashley said to her, patting her on the shoulder.

"Well, if you think its ok then..." Rina reached into her backpack and rummaged around a bit before pulling out a Great Ball. "Here you go." Rina held out the empty pokeball toward Mew and pressed the button. Mew held still while the pokeball opened up and fired a beam, which then pulled Mew inside. The Great Ball locked shut in Rina's hand and then glowed white before being sent off to storage.

"Looks like we both have legendary pokemon to get from storage." Ashley said to Rina.

"Well what are we waiting for then? Lets head back to Kanto already!" Rina replied. Ashley nodded in agreement and the two of them took off running toward the Sea Gallop.


Author's Notes: was acting up, as I'm sure some/all of you are aware, so finally able to post this. Anyway...

Only showed the Zapdos battle in the history part of this chapter, showing all the battles with the legendary birds followed by Ashley's battle with them seemed a bit pointless. I think I wrote enough to give a pretty good idea of what things were like anyway. For the record, Rejice's (Regice, obviously) techniques used were Icy Wind, Superpower, and Ancient Power. Zapdos used Thundershock, Drill Peck, and Detect.

I'm sure Ashley catching the three of them came as no surprise at this point, and some of you guessed Rina would get Mew too. Mew's often shown as being a playful pokemon so I decided to go with that, which made Mew a good pair with Rina. Articuno I've been treating as the leader of the legendary birds because of the whole ArticUNO thing.

Next chapter I think will be a 'downtime' chapter. Originally this was goign to jump straight into Ashley's Elite Four challenge but I think that might be rushing things a bit. Some character development and dialogue is probably due at this point anyway.