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 Forty Six

The Twin Dragons

"Remind me why we're at the Battle Frontier again?"

"Because there might be a connection between the Battle Frontier and the group thats been going after legendary pokemon."

"Oh yeah." Ashley paused for a moment. "Ok, next question, why are you dressed like THAT?!"

Ashley and Melany had arrived at the Battle Frontier's front desk, with no receptionist in sight. Ashley was still wearing the same outfit she had worn all throughout Kanto. Melany, however, had dressed in a pair of jeans, a green shirt, and a brown vest for the occassion. She also wore a hat on her head and tucked her hair under it, and trimmed her eyelashes, along with some other small changes to her appearance. The overall effect made her look more like a boy than a girl.

"Because the 11 badges I need to get into the frontier technically belong to Alex." Melany replied. Ashley looked at her incredulously. "I explained this already after we first met!"

"Uh huh..." Ashley looked unconvinced and folded her arms over her chest. "Are you sure you're not just into crossdressing?"

"That wouldn't surprise me in the least." Aisha, whose spirit resided in the ruby Ashley carried with her, said in Ashley's mind. "It certainly doesn't take much for her to decide to dress like a boy."

"Aisha seems to think so too." Ashley added.

"I don't need to take this from either of you." Melany muttered under her breath. Ashley snickered to herself.

"Anyway...I guess that explains that...but I know you never explained what the Battle Frontier is." Ashley said to her.

"Yeah...well..." Melany scratched the back of her head. "I'm not too sure myself actually...some kind of attraction for trainers or something..."

"The Battle Frontier is an island amusement park for especially talented trainers, where they can come to test their skills against some of the greatest trainers in the world using a variety different rules and twists on conventional battle methods." A man's voice said, followed by a chuckle as a large man wearing a Hawaiian shirt and a pair of sunglasses stepped out of a door behind the reception desk. "Alex! Long time no see! Good to see you finally decided to check out the Battle Frontier!"

"Well, I just recently found an interesting reason to visit the Battle Frontier." Melany replied as Alex, grinning slightly. "Ashley, this is Scott, he's the guy that owns the Battle Frontier."

"Oh! Nice to meet you!" Ashley said to Scott. "You know, I'm kind of a famous trainer myself! I've collected the eight badges of Kanto AND beaten the Elite Four, though too late to become the new regional champion."

"That's too bad, but I don't pay much attention to Kanto anyway." Scott replied. "So, Alex, you must have heard about our little dragon issue then, huh?"

"Err...dragon issue?"

"Haha, guess not." Scott grinned and shrugged lightly. "Well, nothing serious anyway. Its been happening ever since I started construction here, though they've been showing up more and more ever since trainers have started showing up. Its been good for business but the trainers have been spending more time looking for these dragons than challenging any of the facilities, its a bit of a nuisance actually..."

"Ah...we didn't hear anything about that actually." Alex replied.

"Ohhhh?" Scott grinned and stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Perhaps you had some other reason for suddenly deciding to pay the frontier a visit?" He asked while glancing over at Ashley. "In that case, maybe you would find the luxury hotel and restaurant to be of some interest?"

"W-wait, what?!"

"Oh, yes! Alex sent me the most romantic love letter I've ever read, inviting me to join him for a visit to the Battle Frontier!" Ashley smiled brightly, even forcing a blush as she turned to Alex. "My little Alex is just so sweet!"

"Hate you." Melany thought, turning beet red in embarassment.

"Well I won't hold you two up any longer! Please, enjoy your stay at the Battle Frontier!" Scott gestured for them to continue into the Battle Frontier, and the two girls did so. They left the reception area through a large opening and found themselves in a wide open area with several large buildings scattered around it.

"Was that REALLY necessary?!" Melany asked indignantly once they got outside.

"Aww, but you should have seen the look on your face! I would have taken your picture if I didn't think it'd draw too much attention."

"Look, can we just drop it already?"

"Oh, but how can we do that? We're boyfriend and girlfriend now!" Ashley teased. "Or are you going to just dump me on the spot?" She added, pouting.

"Argh! Nevermind then!" Melany growled. "Let's just split up and find these dragons Scott mentioned, its the best lead we have right now!"

"Hmm...I don't know...don't you think we should be spending some quality time together?"

"She's twisted when she wants to be, absolutely twisted." Melany thought, trying to keep her eye from twitching. "Ok then, 'dear', let's split up and do our own thing for now and then meet later for a nice dinner!"

"Ok, let's do that then!" Ashley replied excitedly. "I'll go dig up some information then. Dinner on you?"

"Sure. Whatever. We'll meet up later at the restaurant then." Melany shrugged and then headed off on her own, eager to get away from Ashley and her teasing.

"You might be going a bit far with that...teasing as you call it." Aisha said to Ashley. "Or is it normal for your people to treat each other like this?"

"Hey, you were agreeing with me earlier when I teased her about crossdressing." Ashley replied with a shrug. "I'm just having a little fun with her, she'll get over it. Anyway, we should probably look into finding those dragons now. I think I'll try the usual place first..."

Ashley then set off as well, but she didn't get very far before coming upon the red and white building she had been referring to. "The pokecenter!" She announced while standing just outside. "With all these trainers here, they're bound to be battling, which means they'll be in here a lot. So we'll go inside and ask around."

"In my day, the only way to 'restore' a pokemon was through a healer or a long night's rest." Aisha said to her.

"That sounds like something out of a video game..." Ashley replied. She then opened the front door of the pokecenter and went inside.

Ashley asked the trainers in the pokecenter about the twin dragons that had been attacking the island, but to her dismay she was having trouble getting any information out of them. Each trainer she asked was either unwilling to tell her anything, as they were either after the dragons themselves or didn't know much more than Ashley. Eventually, she gave up, and slumped down in a chair near the pokecenter's pc.

"Ok, I take it back, this was a stupid idea." She said to herself as she sat down. "If anyone in here knows anything about the twin dragons they aren't telling me..."

"Did I hear you correctly, little miss?" Ashley blinked and looked to her right, where an older man was sitting back against the wall. He was wearing a black overcoat and a matching black, wide-brimmed hat, giving the impression of a cowboy. The brim of his hat was covering his eyes at first, but he raised it up to look at Ashley as he addressed her. "You're looking for info about them dragons?"

"Well...yeah...I am..." Ashley blinked. "Do you know something?"

"That I do...been here a while...I've heard all the news worth hearing." The man slowly stood up, his coat slipping aside slightly and giving Ashley a glimpse at the single pokeball on his belt. "I'm afraid that information won't come free, little lady."

"That figures..." Ashley sighed and then stood up to face him, resting her hands on her hips. "Ok then, what's your price?"

"A simple offer...you see, there's a pokemon here at this frontier that I've been trying to catch. This little fella here ain't been much help to me." The man reached into his coat and pulled out the pokeball Ashley had seen earlier, showing it to her. "I've got a pokemon in here called Aron. The pokemon I'm looking for is called Smeargle. They hang around in the nearby Artisan Cave. Catch me one of them, and I'll give you this here Aron and the information you're lookin' for in exchange. Fair deal?"

"Yeah, that sounds pretty fair..." Ashley replied, blinking in disbelief. "There's gotta be a catch..." She thought. "Does he really know anything?"

"I'll wait here in the pokecenter for up to two hours then, if you happen to need that much time. When you get that Smeargle, we can make the trade upstairs."

"Ok." Ashley nodded. "I'll catch that Smeargle and come back here to make the trade then."

"You know, its awfully convenient that no one had taken him up on this offer before now." Aisha said to Ashley, sounding suspicious.

"Well either way I get a pokemon out of it, even if this Aron turns out to be worthless." Ashley replied. "So I see no harm in doing it."

"Well then, good luck, little lady."


Melany, meanwhile, was quick to forget about the twin dragons after splitting up. She had other plans in mind. She went straight to the Battle Factory, which was as empty as every other facility on the island. The Battle Factory, like the first Battle Tent she entered as Alex, used randomized rental pokemon that were limited to four attacks. Melany had already been admitted into the factory and was presented with six pokeballs in the waiting room. She would have to choose three pokemon for her first and only battle in the factory against Nolan.

On the screen before Melany, she saw six pokemon. Blaziken, Gyarados, Venusaur, Raichu, Swampert, and Claydol were displayed on the screen alongside their stats.

"Well, I've always wanted a Raichu." Melany thought, taking her first pokeball from the set. "Venusaur...thats one of Kanto's starters. Kind of an interesting set of attacks too. So I'll take that one." Melany took Venusaur's pokeball from the set. "And...let's see...well, guess I'll take that Blaziken just for kicks." Melany smirked lightly to herself as she took her third and final pokeball in her hand.

"Excellent choices, sir. Right this way then." An attendant, dressed like a scientist, lead Melany into one of the factory's battle arenas. Each of the frontier's battle facilities were huge buildings housing several arenas. Each arena was set up with a thick layer of dirt for the battlefield so pokemon could use any technique without fear of breaking the floor. Usually there would be multiple battles going on at a time, but there was far less activity on this particular day. That's why, waiting in the arena for her, was the factory head Nolan, an older man wearing a red hat and a white coat.

"Welcome to the Battle Factory, Alex. Seems like today's your lucky day, you get to face me in the first round. I'm the factor head, Nolan."

"I've been looking forward to this ever since I heard of this place." Melany said to Nolan as she took up her spot on the field, opposite to Nolan. "So is it true your pokemon are chosen at random as well?"

"That's right." Nolan replied with a grin. "That's why the Battle Factory is the ultimate test of a trainer's knowledge! If you don't know the pokemon you're using, you don't stand a chance!"

"Wonder if maybe I should have taken Swampert instead of Venusaur then?" Melany wondered.

"Gym leaders...elite trainers...they're no test! If you want a real test of your abilities as a trainer, then the Battle Frontier is the place to be!" Nolan said to Melany, looking proud of himself. He then pointed his finger toward Melany. "Alex! I hope you're ready! Show me what you know! This battle starts now!"

"Been waiting for those words!" Melany and Nolan both held out a pokeball. "Venusaur, you're up first! Go!" The pokeball in Melany's hand opened up, releasing a Venusaur out onto the field. Venusaur was the final form of the Kanto starter, Bulbasaur, and Melany was somewhat familiar with it. It was one of the few Kanto pokemon she looked into before facing Ashley.

"This one will be able to handle your Venusaur just fine! Sceptile, come on out!" Nolan thrust out his hand, gripping the pokeball tightly as he released his pokemon. A green, lizard pokemon with a lithe body appeared before him. Sceptile let out a screech and pounded its chest, psyching itself up.

"My Sceptile is a lot quieter than that one...though kinda funny how I'm facing a pokemon I happen to own." Melany thought.

"When it comes to pokemon, knowledge is power. Do something unexpected, and you deprive your opponent of that power." Nolan said to Melany. "So let's see how you deal with this! Sceptile, Aerial Ace!" Sceptile charged across the gym toward Venusaur, crossing its arms in front of it. When Sceptile was within a few feet of its target it quickly shot forward, extending its claws and slicing Venusaur across the side in a blurred move. Venusaur winced and growled in pain.

"Figures, I can't dodge that move at all and its super effective on Venusaur!" Melany thought, grimacing. "Leech Seed won't work on a grass pokemon either, and Giga Drain is Venusaur's only attacking move...no choice then, I'll have to switch."

"Venusaur, Return!" Melany called out, recalling Venusaur. She slipped Venusaur's pokeball into her pocket and took out another one. "Blaziken, go!" Melany released Blaziken from the pokeball, sending it out to take Venusaur's place against Sceptile. The two pokemon were standing within only a few feet of each other after Sceptile's last attack.

"Blaziken, finish this one quickly with Overheat!"

"Not so fast! Sceptile, Detect!"

Blaziken let out a screech. Its body began to glow red hot as it stored energy. Sceptile, meanwhile, received a flash of insight and readied itself to evade Blaziken's attack. Blaziken released a blast of flames in every direction from its body, but Sceptile jumped backwards through the air to quickly move out of range. Blaziken's attack didn't even come close to reaching Sceptile.

"Even with only four attacks, this Sceptile is perfectly equipped to deal with a type disadvantage." Nolan said to Melany. "Now, let's get started for real! Leech Seed!" Sceptile spun around, flicking its tail toward Blaziken. A seed was launched from its tail and landed on Blaziken's side, then sprouted vines and latched on tightly. The seed immediately began to drain Blaziken's life force and fed it back to Sceptile to heal it.

"That's a useless gesture." Melany said to Nolan. "It strikes me as odd that you'd overlook something like this. Blaziken, attack with Overheat!" Blaziken dashed toward Sceptile while storing energy again. This time, Sceptile wouldn't be able to dodge. Though it tried to jump back out of the way, a blast of flames from Blaziken's body caught it in the attempt. Sceptile was scorched by the attack and thrown to the ground hard, growling in agony. The flames around Blaziken then died down and a charred seed dropped to Blaziken's feet.

"Not as useless as you might think. Remember, Overheat weakens Blaziken's special attack power with each use, meaning Overheat gets weaker everytime." Nolan said to Melany, then smirked. "Of course, you knew that already, didn't you?"

"Even a weak Overheat will remove Leech Seed and Sceptile won't be healing enough in between to make up for the hp loss, so what's his goal?" Melany wondered.

"Now, Sceptile, strike back with Aerial Ace!" Sceptile quickly hopped back onto its feet and dashed toward Blaziken. Sceptile's movements were too fast to follow and too fast to evade, it slashed into Blaziken's side hard with its claws as it passed by. Blaziken squawked and clutched its side in pain.

"He'd have been better off trying to do that from the start, wouldn't he?" Melany wondered. "Or does he really think the health his Sceptile gained back made a difference? Well, either way, I guess now we repeat the first round again." Melany rolled her eyes.

"Blaziken, attack Sceptile with Overheat!"

"Sceptile, evade with Detect!" Nolan grinned. "And now Overheat will be at its weakest."

Blaziken's body began to heat up and then released a fiery burst around it, though noticeably less powerful than the previous two as the flames dispersed quicker and didn't reach as far. It didn't matter to Sceptile much at all, however, as the grass pokemon moved out of the way before it could hit. Using Detect, everything around Sceptile briefly seemed as though it were moving in slow motion. The effect lasted long enough for Sceptile to be able to dodge anything that might come at it in that short length of time.

"Now, Sceptile, double back and hit with Aerial Ace again!" Sceptile stopped and spun around on one foot to turn back toward Blaziken. It then shot toward the fire pokemon in one quick movement, passing Blaziken in the blink of an eye while slashing it in the opposite side. Again, Blaziken cried out in pain and clenched its side. Blaziken nearly fell to its knees as it felt itself growing weaker.

"You know, its hard to tell the difference between Aerial Ace and Quick Attack when its used by a pokemon on the ground." Melany noted mentally. "Regardless, Blaziken's starting to look pretty exhausted out there." Melany looked at Blaziken, and then Nolan's Sceptile. "No more than Sceptile, and neither of them have triggered their abilities. Still, it might be worth considering using Raichu for the finish after one more attack."

"Blaziken, Reversal!" Blaziken stretched out its arms and let out a shriek, calling out a primal energy. It then moved toward Sceptile and punched the grass pokemon in the gut, knocking it to the ground. The attack wasn't powerful by any means, as Reversal required a pokemon to take even more damage than Blaziken had before it would become a strong attack. However, Melany was sure it'd deal more damage than Overheat now. The attack succeeded in weakening Sceptile enough for Overgrow to activate.

"Ok, that's enough now! Blaziken, return!" Melany held out Blaziken's pokeball again, recalling it and then placing it back in her pocket.

"What's this now? You're recalling your Blaziken this far into the fight?" Nolan said, chuckling to himself. "Interesting...I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess your next pokemon has either Quick Attack or a similar technique?"

"Good guess." Melany replied, calling out her Raichu without another word. The Raichu that materialized on the field took a few mock punches at the air, grinning in anticipation. "Of course, knowing is only half the battle. So let's see how you deal with it! Raichu, Quick Attack!"

"How else?" Nolan shrugged. "Sceptile, Detect."

Sceptile hopped up off the ground and focused on Raichu. Raichu was already speeding toward Sceptile, and its movements would normally be too fast to follow. However, after using Detect, Raichu seemed to be running at a more normal pace to Sceptile. Sceptile moved to the side as Raichu ran past, easily evading the technique.

"...And, as you can see, that leaves your pokemon open to attack, Alex." Nolan said with a grin.

"...Is it though?" Melany asked Nolan, grinning back at him. "If you think Raichu's so helpless right now, why not take a shot at it?"

"Your attitude intrigues me. Let's see what you've got!" Nolan replied. "Sceptile, attack Raichu with Leech Seed!" Sceptile spun around, flicking its tail toward Raichu to launch a seed at it.

"Raichu, Protect!" Raichu threw out its arms, forming a protective barrier around itself. The seed struck Raichu's barrier and couldn't move any further. It fell to the ground and withered away.

"Now! Quick Attack!" Raichu quickly dropped its barrier and shot toward Sceptile again, leaving little chance for Sceptile to react. Raichu shot into Sceptile like a bullet, hitting it in the chest. Sceptile cried out in pain and then collapsed. Raichu's Quick Attack was more than the grass pokemon could take at this point.

"Hahaha! Not bad, not bad." Nolan said to Melany. "You've managed to beat my Sceptile, but you've revealed your entire hand in the process. I've noticed a hole in your defenses as a result."

"Huh? You have?" Melany blinked in disbelief. "What's he planning now?"

Nolan held out a pokeball and recalled Sceptile, then put the pokeball in his pocket and took another one in his hand. "I have. Your team just so happens to have a fairly big weakness to my next pokemon! Alakazam, go!" Nolan held out the pokeball and released his pokemon, a psychic pokemon that Melany was all too familiar with. The pokemon appeared with a rather bored expression on its face.

"Great...another pokemon of mine..." Melany thought in dismay. "One I'm definitely not too thrilled to see right now...Blaziken and Venusaur are both weak to psychic attacks!"


After finding the strange cowboy man and accepting his offer, Ashley set out from the pokecenter. He told her where Artisan Cave was before she left, so Ashley went there immediately and stopped just outside to look over the seemingly ordinary cave.

"I wonder why its called 'Artisan Cave'?" Ashley said to herself, then shrugged. "Probably just a name..."

Entering the cave, Ashley found out that her guess couldn't be further from the truth. Not very far from the entrance, she encountered a group of strange pokemon. Each of them had a humanoid appearance with a long, bushy tail and the top of their heads were shaped like an artist's hat. Each of them were busily painting on the walls of the cave, walls that were already almost entirely covered in drawings. Some of them were even painting over older drawings.

"Well, that certainly seems to answer your question." Aisha said to Ashley. Ashley had no response. The scene had caused her jaw to drop and left her staring in disbelief.

"Feel free to snap out of it anytime." Aisha said impatiently.

Ashley quickly shook her head. "S-sorry, it's just...I've never seen pokemon like them before." Ashley took out her pokedex and scanned the nearest one.

"Smeargle, the Painter Pokemon. A special fluid oozes from the tip of its tail. It paints the fluid everywhere to mark its territory."

"That's not something I needed to know..." Ashley said bitterly, pocketing the pokedex. None of the Smeargle seemed to have taken notice of her presence yet, so Ashley held up her camera and lined up a shot.

"Well if nothing else, this is a pretty good photo opportunity." She thought, snapping up a few quick pictures.

"How could you possibly stop to take pictures when you have an important task to fulfill?!" Aisha scolded her.

"This isn't exactly what I'd call important..." Ashley replied, rolling her eyes. She lowered her camera and took a pokeball from her belt. "All I have to do is catch one of them, and then trade it to that guy so he'll tell me what he knows about the dragons."

"We won't know whether or not its important until you find those dragons."

"Yeah, yeah, don't get your panties in a twist..." Ashley held out the pokeball she grabbed and pressed the button, releasing her pokemon. "Gligar, go! Attack one of those Smeargle with Slash!"

"-I am...GLIGARO!-" Gligaro yelled as he emerged from his pokeball, quickly moving into a stance to attack. "-No, I cannot blame you for this mistake, for you are a mere human girl and cannot comprehend what I say to you! No matter!-" Gligaro pointed one claw at the Smeargle. "-Prepare yourselves, Smeargle, for no villain can withstand the might of my claws!-" The Smeargle all stopped and looked at Gligaro in confusion. They then started talking amongst themselves.

"-Villains? Us?-"

"-Who is this weirdo?-"

"-Was that an insult at my great artwork?!-"

"Gligar...err...what are you waiting for, exactly?" Ashley asked him, blinking.

"-One cannot charge into battle without proper introductions!-" Gligaro replied. "-However, now I am ready to attack!-" Gligaro leapt into the air and then glided toward the nearest Smeargle. Even just gliding, Gligaro was able to move fairly fast. He slashed the Smeargle with his claws, knocking the Smeargle onto the ground while he landed in front of it. The rest of the Smeargle, seeing one of their own get attacked, quickly fled the scene. The Smeargle that Gligaro attacked had taken a pretty harsh blow. It wasn't unconscious, but it was having trouble getting back up.

"That's better..." Ashley quietly said to herself. "Now, again! Slash!"

"-It seems this is where our encounter ends! Fear not, for you suffer no dishonor for falling by my claw!-" Gligaro raised his claw back and then lashed out at Smeargle, slashing it across the chest with the tip of his claw. Smeargle grunted in pain and fell back, looking to be knocked out by the attack. Seeing Smeargle unconscious, Ashley dropped her travel bag on the ground and started rooting through it.

"Let's see...I think I have an ordinary pokeball in here somewhere...aha!" Ashley reached in and pulled out an empty pokeball. "Wouldn't want to waste an Ultra Ball on a pokemon I'm not keeping!" Ashley then stood up and threw the ball at Smeargle. The ball opened up and pulled Smeargle inside, and then quickly locked shut to seal Smeargle within. Smeargle was then sent off to storage.

"Well that was easy enough. Good job, Gligar."

"-Of course it was easy! Afterall, I am the great Gligaro!-" Gligaro replied, turning and taking a bow just before Ashley recalled him.

"Ok, let's get back and make that trade now..."


"Raichu, thats enough for now! Return!" Melany called out, recalling Raichu even though it was seemingly her best bet at fighting Alakazam.

"Whatever that Alakazam does, I should be able to get at least one turn to attack. So I'll have to make it count!" Melany thought as she took another pokeball in her hand. "Ok, Venusaur, your turn again!" She held out the pokeball and released Venusaur onto the field. The grass pokemon let out a low growl when it appeared, as if annoyed by something.

"Interesting move. Let's see what you've got planned." Nolan said to Melany. "Alakazam, start with Calm Mind!"

"This might work out better than I thought." Melany smirked slightly. "Venusaur, use Light Screen!"

Venusaur let out a low growl and closed its eyes. The air around it shimmered briefly and then a green, translucent barrier formed around its body. Alakazam, meanwhile, closed its eyes and focused, calming itself and clearing its mind to increase its special attack power and defense.

"Didn't see that coming. Looks like you bought yourself some time." Nolan said, chuckling quietly. "Alright, Alakazam, use Calm Mind some more."

Venusaur crouched down to angle the large plant on its back, then fired a seed from it. The seed shot through the air and landed on Alakazam's chest, then sprouted vines to latch onto it. Alakazam seemed to take no notice as it continued to meditate, keeping its mind clear and increasing its power further. The power increase only meant its attacks would hit Venusaur as hard as they would without being powered up, however, courtesy of Light Screen.

"Ok, that's enough Venusaur! Return!" Melany held out Venusaur's pokeball to recall it, then slipped the pokeball back into her pocket. "I'm really doing a lot of switching today." She thought as she took another pokeball in her hand. "Blaziken, your turn again! Go!" The pokeball opened up and released Blaziken, who was already pretty weak after its battle with Sceptile.

"Blaziken, attack Alakazam with Earthquake!" Melany called out immediately after releasing Blaziken. Blaziken slammed its foot into the ground, sending out a shockwave in all directions. Alakazam was jolted out of its meditation as the ground cracked and shock under its feet, and it soon found itself knocked off its feet and bounced around the field. When the shaking stopped, Alakazam quickly stood up and glared at Blaziken. Between the Earthquake, due to Alakazam's weak endurance, and the Leech Seed, Alakazam was looking pretty exhausted.

"Another risky maneuver there. Your Blaziken definitely can't take an attack from my Alakazam at this point, Light Screen or no Light Screen." Nolan said to Melany. "Well, guess its time we went on the attack then. Another Earthquake like that will knock you out, Alakazam, so finish this with Psychic!"

"Unfortunately for you, I've still got one ace up my sleeve!" Melany shot back enthusiastically. "Blaziken, Endure!" Blaziken braced itself as Alakazam focused its psychic power on the fire pokemon. A blue aura surrounded it, and Blaziken could feel the crushing force of the attack. Still, Blaziken endured, and was still standing even as Alakazam tried to throw it back. Its body then emitted a red glow and flames billowed from its wrist as its blaze ability activated.

"It's nice to have a trap actually work in my favor this time!" Melany thought, smiling to herself.

"Still standing...and still won't be letting my Alakazam Recover in peace either. Looks like you've managed to force my hand." Nolan said, chuckling quietly. "Ok Alakazam, use Psychic again and finish it!" Alakazam nodded and focused its Psychic powers on Blaziken again. The blue aura surrounded Blaziken's body for only the briefest of moments before Blaziken cried out and collapsed. Melany, having expected this, recalled Blaziken just as it hit the ground.

"I'm sure you can guess what's coming next, then." Melany said to Nolan as she took another pokeball in her hand.

"You'll send out Raichu, and attack with Quick Attack." Nolan replied with a light nod. "And I've still got nothing..."

"Raichu, go!" Melany called out, releasing Raichu onto the field. Raichu moved to take a quick jab at the air but Melany quickly interrupted it. "Raichu, attack Alakazam with Quick Attack!" Raichu nodded and dashed across the field, shooting past Alakazam and striking it in the side in a blur of movement. Alakazam groaned and then fell to its knees, but Nolan recalled it before it could drop completely.

"As expected...seems this battle is more or less over." Nolan said to Melany as he put Alakazam's pokeball back in his pocket and grabbed another one. "You've got me against the ropes now, but even so, I'm not allowed to give up. I already know you'll beat this one."

"Doesn't sound like he has any confidence in this last pokemon of his." Melany sighed. "That's kinda disappointing...I was having fun too..."

"Skarmory!" Nolan called out, releasing his final pokemon. A bird pokemon with a body covered in steel armor, and wings like blades, emerged onto the field with a cry.

Upon seeing Nolan's final pokemon, Melany slapped her hand against her forehead. "You have got to be kidding me..."


With the requested pokemon, Smeargle, captured, Ashley headed straight back to the pokecenter to make the trade. She met the cowboy pokemon trainer upstairs and withdrew Smeargle, then went over to the trade center. A machine that was shaped similarly to a fancy barbecue was set up there.

"You know how to use one of this new fangled trade machine things?" The man asked her.

"You mean you don't? It has instructions listed right here!" Ashley replied, pointing to a sheet of paper on the side of the machine.

"Heh...guess you're right." The man replied, pulling his hat down slightly. "Well that's embarassing."

"Anyway, I'm pretty sure you just put the pokeball in this part here..." Ashley gestured toward the shelf-like attachment. A worn looking pad with a round indent sat on the shelf, which had a conveyor belt moving into the machine. There was one on each side of it. Ashley placed the pokeball containing Smeargle on her end of the machine and then the other trainer followed suit with his only pokeball.

"Now I'm pretty sure we just turn it on and sit back..." Ashley pressed a green button on the front of the machine, which caused the conveyor belts to start up. The pads holding their pokeballs were moved inside the machine. An animation on the machine's screen showed the two pokemon being moved from one side to the other while the machine switched the id of the pokemon's trainers.

"That's it? Woulda figured there'd be more to it than this." The man said, shrugging.

"It doesn't take long at all really." Ashley replied. As soon as she finished talking, the two pokeballs emerged. The two trainers then took their respective pokeballs and placed them on their belts.

"Well, it's a done deal then. With this Smeargle, I'm one step closer to retiring from training to start a deluxe pokemon breeding ranch." The man said with a grin as he turned to face Ashley.

"Deluxe pokemon...breeding ranch?" Ashley blinked, then shook her head. "Whatever! What about those dragons?"

"Right...the dragons..." The man grinned lightly and stroked his chin. "Well, wonder where I should start? You see, seems those dragons have always been around, stirring up trouble. It's only lately that it's gotten bad enough to draw attention..."

"If that's the case, Ashley, you should find out if there's been any change." Aisha suggested to her. "Find out what these attacks were like before and after. And see if he knows what these dragons look like." Ashley nodded.

"Could you explain maybe? What were the attacks like before and what changed?" Ashley then asked him.

"Well, before, their attacks were nothing more than harmless pranks..." The man began, slipping his hands into his pockets and starting to pace back and forth as he recited his tale. "Stolen badges, berries, tricking people into thinking some of the facilities were closed. Word has it they even impersonated some of the Frontier Brains on occassion." The man stopped with his back to Ashley, as if contemplating something. "Seems these two had some interesting abilities, wouldn't you say?"

"I would have to agree, they certainly sound interesting..." Aisha said.

"Do you know these dragons?" Ashley asked.

"Maybe..."

"In any case..." The man continued, turning suddenly to face Ashley again. "A few days ago, they started attacking for real, firing off attacks at the structures and terrorizing the trainers. Some people say they saw black collars around their necks after that. Think there's a connection."

"I wouldn't doubt that one bit." Ashley muttered. Of course, she already knew what the black collars meant.

"Seems like we found our reason for being here then. That...group is definitely involved with this." Aisha said to her. "Now ask what the dragons look like. I have a feeling I already know, though..."

"I wouldn't mind knowing why they were attacking before too." Ashley thought. "What did the dragons look like? And do you have any idea why they decided to attack in the first place?"

The man chuckled quietly. "Supposedly they come from some nearby islands and weren't too thrilled with the construction of the Battle Frontier." He replied. "As for what they look like...well, best I could describe them is their bodies have a similar shape to bird pokemon in a way. They have hands separate from their wings, though. One of the dragons is red, the other is blue."

"Well, what does that tell you?" Ashley asked Aisha.

"It's almost definitely them." Aisha replied with a laugh, as if she found the info amusing somehow. "The red dragon would be Latias, a pokemon that served as a partner to Odari. The other would be Latios, who hated the very thought of taking orders from a human. He was Latias' brother."

Ashley rolled her eyes. "More legendary pokemon, in other words."

"That all you want to know?" The cowboy trainer asked Ashley.

"I think that's enough." Ashley replied with a nod.

"Well in that case, its time I hit the trail and found a place to settle down." He tipped his hat to Ashley. "Thanks for your help, miss, and good luck in your quest."

"Thanks. Good luck with that...umm...ranch." Ashley replied, forcing a smile. The man then headed off on his way, leaving the pokecenter.

"So what now?" Aisha asked Ashley.

"I think we're done for now." Ashley replied. "Couldn't hurt to take a look around the rest of the frontier, I think I saw an ice cream stand nearby..."

"I suppose I can let you off the hook for slacking off this time, then. Until those dragons show up again, there's nothing else for us to do here." Ashley rolled her eyes, but said nothing. She turned and left the pokecenter to explore the rest of the Battle Frontier.


"Let's just get this over with." Melany muttered. "Raichu, attack Skarmory with Thunderbolt!" Electricity sparked from Raichu's cheeks. It then let out a cry and pointed one hand toward Skarmory, firing off a lightning bolt toward it. The bolt struck Skarmory head on, causing it to screech in pain as the electricity passed through its body. The attack left Skarmory looking very weak as it had trouble staying on its feet, it was clear that one more Thunderbolt attack would finish it off.

"You've nearly got me beat, but I still intend to draw this out." Nolan said to Melany. "Skarmory, use Roar!" Skarmory straightened out and opened its beak, letting out a terrifying Roar that sent Raichu scurrying back to Melany. Raichu's pokeball opened on its own and Raichu was pulled into it. Another pokeball then opened on its own and fired a red beam onto the field that materialized into Venusaur.

"Well that's just being annoying now." Melany muttered. "Well then, have it your way. Venusaur, attack Skarmory with Leech Seed!" Venusaur angled the plant on its back and fired a seed at Skarmory. The seed landed on Skarmory's back and sprouted long vines that burrowed past its metal plating to latch on and start draining its health from it.

"And here I thought you'd just switch back." Nolan said with a smirk. "Well, makes no difference now. Skarmory, attack Venusaur with Drill Peck!" Skarmory flapped its wings and then flew across the field. Air began to swirl around its beak like a drill, which it then used to deliver a Drill Peck attack into Venusaur's forehead. Venusaur growled in pain. It took a harsh blow, but was still in pretty good health.

"Am now." Melany said as she took a pokeball in her hand. "Venusaur, return!" A red beam fired out from the ball at Venusaur, which turned de-materialized Venusaur and pulled it back inside. Melany then took another pokeball in her hand. "Raichu, go!" She called out, sending Raichu back out onto the field to face Skarmory. The two pokemon were practically within spitting distance of each other and Skarmory was looking even weaker, courtesy of Leech Seed.

"I fail to see what difference any of this makes." Nolan said to Melany.

"None. It just makes things take longer. Thats what you were trying to do, right?" Melany shot back, a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"I just do what's in my contract, sorry." Nolan replied with a shrug. "Anyway. Skarmory, send it packing again with Roar!"

"Raichu, finish it quick with Thunderbolt!" Skarmory opened its metal beak to let out another Roar attack, but Raichu was able to resist the attack long enough to fire a bolt of electricity at it. The lightning bolt quickly silenced Skarmory as it passed through the metal bird's body, knocking it out almost instantly. Skarmory's body hit the floor with a clang, and Nolan then recalled it.

"...And that's it. Battle over. Looks like I've lost this time." Nolan chuckled to himself and then looked at Melany. "You know, I've raised each of these pokemon myself. It makes losing a match here feel like a punch in the gut, having someone else beat me with my own pokemon."

"Never would have thought that." Melany looked over at Raichu, who didn't seem concerned about what Nolan said one way or another. It actually looked pretty smug about its victory.

"Well, I doubt they're too attached to me anyway." Nolan replied with a shrug. "In any case, looks like you've earned the Knowledge Symbol." Nolan nodded to an attendant that was standing off to the side, who then approached Melany and handed her the gold Knowledge Symbol.

"Knowledge Symbol? Is this like a badge?" Melany asked, holding up the symbol to look at it.

"Something like that. Proof of your knowledge of pokemon is the way I'd put it." Nolan replied, chuckling. "Well, unless you had something else to say, there's a few projects I've been tinkering with that I'd like to get back to now."

"Projects? Like, more pokemon breeding?"

"Heh. Let's just say calling this place the 'Battle Factory' was something of a personal touch."

"That doesn't really answer my question. Oh well." Melany shrugged to herself. "Well, guess I didn't really have anything else to say."

"Then I'm off. Maybe you can drop by for a rematch sometime?" Nolan waved and then walked out of the battle arena.

"Guess I'm done here too, then." Melany pocketed the Knowledge Symbol and then took out Raichu's pokeball. "Raichu, return." She recalled Raichu, then handed over the pokeballs to the attendant and left the Battle Factory.


After leaving the pokecenter, Ashley found the ice cream stand she remembered seeing and ordered a vanilla cone. She then sat down on a nearby bench, just north of the pokecenter in a wide open area, to enjoy her treat.

"So, I don't suppose you have some sort of dragon radar or anything like that?" Ashley asked Aisha while she ate her ice cream cone.

"No, why would you think that? I had no connection to those dragons at all." Aisha replied.

Ashley shrugged. "Too bad, it would make finding them easier. Its not like they're just going to conveniently show up and attack out of the blue."

"Isn't that what they do?"

"Thats true. I'm just impatient I guess, especially since there's no way of knowing how long we might have to wait."

"RUN! THE DRAGONS ARE ATTACKING!" A young, male trainer yelled as he quickly ran past Ashley.

"Right. Like it'd be that easy." Ashley muttered to herself, rolling her eyes. Soon after, a blue blur shot past the bench as well. Ashley blinked in disbelief and then quickly stood up. Looking off in the direction the blue blur went she could see a pokemon that looked much like the dragons described to her by the cowboy-trainer. The pokemon had stopped, having encountered a group of trainers, and was fighting off a pokemon that looked like a demonic hockey mask made of ice.

"This is just way too convenient, there has to be something going on here." Ashley said to herself as she reached for a pokeball.

"Who would complain about convenience?"

"Good point..."

"HELP!" Ashley quickly turned to look behind her and saw another of the two dragons, the red one. It had just fainted a young male trainer's Machamp and looked like it was about to attack the trainer with a ball of light.

"Ok! New target!" Ashley moved her hand to a different pokeball than the one she was previously reaching for and pulled it from her belt. "Crobat! Go! Intercept that attack!" She called out, releasing Crobat from its pokeball. The four winged bat pokemon quickly sprung into action, flying out between the trainer and the dragon to take the attack. The red dragon fired the ball of light and hit Crobat, knocking him to the ground as it exploded in a flash. The trainer quickly recalled his Machamp and ran.

"-Bah...that hurt...-" Crobat muttered, slowly propping himself up with his wings. The attack used on it was a medium strength psychic attack, a type Crobat happened to be weak to. As such, it landed a pretty strong hit.

"Have to break that collar somehow..." Ashley thought. She took a quick glance over her shoulder to check on the other dragon. It had apparently decided not to take a chance against the ice pokemon it was facing and was fleeing. "Well, don't have to worry about that one interfering anyway. So let's focus on this one..." Ashley took another pokeball from her belt.

"Venusaur, go!" Ashley released Venusaur from his pokeball. The pokemon materialized before her and stretched its legs, then glanced around.

"-Being cooped up in a pokeball for an extended period of time is definitely a different feeling for me.-" Venusaur mumbled groggily. Meanwhile, seeing the two pokemon it was now facing, the red dragon tried to turn and flee as well.

"Oh no you don't! Crobat, Mean Look! Venusaur, we'll use that new attack of your's! Grab it with Frenzy Plant and break that collar!"

Crobat, with its superior speed, quickly flew up and cut the dragon off. Crobat turned to face it and cast a menacing glare, causing it to pause momentarily. Courtesy of the slave collar, it quickly shook it off. By then, though, it was too late. A pair of thick, thorny brown roots shot up out of the ground and quickly reached the dragon, grabbing it before it could flee.

The dragon tried to escape, pulling hard against the vines, but the vines soon reached its neck. The vines wrapped around the collar and squeezed hard. The damage to the dragon itself was minimal, due to its strong defenses and resistance to grass attacks, but the force of the attack was enough to bend the collar slightly. It was enough damage for the collar to become inactive. When Venusaur released the pokemon, it made no attempt to flee.

"Wow...that attack really is pretty powerful..." Ashley noted, blinking in disbelief. "Nice going, Venusaur!"

"-Tch! This is nothing.-" Venusaur replied with a shrug.

"Its too bad Rina isn't with me right now, I could probably use a translator..." Ashley looked up at the pokemon. "Though...didn't that guy mention something about them changing forms?"

"He did. That is most certainly one of their capabilities." Aisha said to Ashley. "This one is Latias, I believe. I am pretty they are capable of telepathy as well..."

"Well thats interesting..." Ashley thought, then called out to Latias. "Excuse me! Is it true you can use telepathy?" Latias blinked, looking startled by Ashley's yelling, and then took off, disappearing quickly behind a nearby restaurant.

"Well that figures..." Ashley muttered with a sigh. She then took a pokeball in each of her hands. "Ok, Venusaur, Crobat, good job you two, you can take a rest now." She said to her pokemon before recalling both of them.

"Well...guess there's nothing left to do now but meet up with Melany..."


Meanwhile, at the top of the Battle Tower, the blue dragon, Latios, returned in secret. The trainer Jessica was waiting for them.

"Hmm...only one returns?" Jessica wondered aloud upon Latios' return. "I didn't expect that at all..." Jessica stroked her chin thoughtfully and then shook her head.

"No, this isn't any good at all. I can't deal with a trainer I know so little about, and the only info I can even find on her is from her Kanto League battles." Jessica grinned and adjusted her glasses slightly with her right hand. "Well then...there's only one way to collect the data I need."


Author's Notes: This chapter was sort of in the style of the original Hoenn chapter when Alex/Melany challenged the first battle tent, with it switching between characters after each match. Only difference is, the battle tent version had Alex beating a trainer each time to move on instead of just a single pokemon. Either way, Melany was slacking off while Ashley made actual progress.

Next Melany and Ashley chapter will continue from here. Might make that the next chapter, actually, rather than switching back to May and Rina. Was actually going to make this chapter a bit longer, but decided what I planned to add to this chapter can wait until next chapter.