2

[4:36 PM. Vermillion City. Outside the Vermillion City Gym. The same day.]

The masked man stood atop the roof of the gym and shouted to the heavens and all who would listen: an off duty nurse, two couples on a stroll near the water, and the groundskeeper to the gym.

"BEHOLD! I, the Dark Lord Vyro, heir to the nefarious Team Rocket, shall now drain this city of its electricity! What can your pathetic Gym Leader do when he is stripped of his power? All that remains for me to enact my sinister plan is to merely turn on this machine! When activated, I will draw all the electricity in the city to my command and you, puny citizens of the new Vyro Empire, will know true terror!"

What little crowd he had gathered began to disperse.

"IGNORANT FOOLS! For your insolence I revoke the luxury of begging for mercy! Witness true power!"

Vyro cackled maniacally and flipped the red and unnecessarily large switch. The power of the city fluttered, then the machine sparked, coughed a thick cloud of ozone, and died.

A young man stepped from the gym. "Looks to me as if your machine there worked perfectly."

"WHO DARES SPEAK TO THE MIGHTY VYRO?"

"Yeah, when you were designing this superweapon, I guess you forgot to have it not absorb its own power." At the appearance of the young man, an even larger crowd of people began to form. The young man was dressed in white. His sharp, platinum hair cut the light of the first strands of twilight. "Maybe next time, you might call someone who knows a thing or two about electricity."

"SUCH WORDS ARE TREASON IN MY NEW EMPIRE. NOIVERN, ANNIHILATE THIS HERETIC."

From behind Vyro, the bat-like form of a Noivern flashed upwards. In an instant, the glass of the Gym's windows shattered. The crowd cried out in unison and haphazardly dove for cover. A few seconds later, the shriek came, an earsplitting screech that seemed to shake the very ground. Citizens around the young man began running around, some clutching bleeding ears. Vyro continued to cackle.

Wordlessly and before anyone could even see, a Magnezone had materialized in a red flash at the feet of the man. Vyro could not react before the magnet pokemon had called forth a mighty thunderclap directly above it, striking with deafening force the screeching Noivern. Vyro rushed to return the charred pokemon. And before it was even completely in its ball, he found himself face to face with the young man, hovering two stories off the ground on top of the Magnezone. "I think it's time for you to leave."

Something in Vyro's composure snapped. "Who are you? You must be a titan of a trainer to beat the unbeatable Noivern!"

The young man smirked. "I am the true master of electricity and I am called. Kai. I am the leader of the Vermillion City Gym and so it falls to me to protect my city and all those who call it home from those who would seek to harm her. Go home. There is no more for you here; you are completely outclassed."

Vyro reached for a new ball at his pocket. "FOOL, I AM ONLY JUST BEGINNING. FLY CROBAT AND RAIN ACID ONTO THIS 'GYM LEADER!' MELT THE STEEL OF HIS COMPANION!"

Vyro's Crobat appeared and fired a noxious ball of gunk at the Magnezone. Vyro watched in horror as the acid merely slid off the steel and onto the ground below where the grass sizzled and died. Kai said nothing as the Magnezone effortlessly fried the Crobat, wracking the frail bat with lethal voltage.

"SO PERHAPS YOUR SPACE METAL CAN RESIST EARTHLY ACIDS, BUT ALL METAL MELTS!"

A menacing Houndoom appeared beside Vyro. Its dark skin rippled over its muscles. Flames licked at its snout as it breathed. At this, Kai took notice. "You're learning," he said with a smile, the kind of half-smile a truant student sees in his teacher's eyes. Kai leapt up from the Magnezone onto the roof while also releasing his Lanturn. The lantern fish hovered in the air before striking the Houndoom with a powerful jet of water. Whimpering, the hound pokemon returned to its ball.

"SORCERY."

"It's over. I gave you a chance to leave. You had done nothing but disturb the peace of my city, but now I cannot overlook your intent. By threatening me you have sealed your fate."

Kai caught sight of a man walk from the Ranger Lodge across the way. "Ah, excellent timing, Mr. Silph. I believe I have something for you."

Ian Silph looked up to the roof of the gym. "Hey, I recognize you. You're that numbskull who tried to make the Mirage Island disappear."

"WHAT? I DO NOT KNOW WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT. HOWEVER THAT SOUNDS LIKE AN EXCELLENT IDEA."

"No, no, you're definitely the same guy. Hoenn? Two years ago? I was doing my final stint over at Ever Grande. I thought we got you?"

Kai returned the Lanturn to its ball. "I believe you can take it from here."

"HA! YOU'VE LET YOU GUARD DOWN! NOW IS THE TIME TO MAKE MY ESCAPE." Both Kai and Ian looked at Vyro who tossed down smokescreen and vanished into the air.

"Neat trick," Kai said.

"Yeah, I guess he's good at that."

Ian set to work drawing up the necessary paperwork. Seated at his desk, the youngest Silph sat hunched. His brown hair frequently fell into his eyes. There was a knock at his office door. An old gentleman stepped in, removed his hat and coat and hung them on the rack. "Mr. Kai said I would find you here."

Ian stood and embraced the man. "Grayson, good to see you."

Grayson patted the youngest Silph on the back. "It's been too long, Mr. Silph."

Ian released the man and offered him a chair, but Grayson opted to stand. "What brings you to Vermillion?"

"Business, I'm afraid."

"Grandpa got you running around? Is he trying to acquire the SS Anne?"

"Mr. Silph, your family already owns the SS Anne."

Ian gave a small chuckle. "Oh, right."

Grayson cracked his neck and rested his briefcase on Ian's desk. "My business here concerns you."

The Ranger perked, "Oh?"

"Yesterday, one of your Grandfather's research facilities off the coast of Johto was attacked. The facility and all its staff were lost. Two Rangers were deployed to the facility in answer to an earlier request. One of them perished. The other is in critical condition."

Ian took a moment to focus. "That's horrible, but, forgive my asking, how does this concern me?"

"The Pokemon League has called a Tohjo council for tomorrow in order to discuss this recent act of terrorism. You will be part of Kanto Representative Werner's entourage." Grayson's voice was even and firm. You leave for Viridian in the morning. This evening, if possible."

The youngest Silph mulled this over. "I suppose I don't get a say in this."

With calculated reluctance, Grayson merely shook his head in the negative. "I'll pack my things."

"Excellent. I must return to Saffron, your grandfather is taking this turn of events very seriously." Grayson began to leave when Ian stopped him. "Why does he want me there? Grandpa never does anything without a reason."

"He never explicitly made anything of that nature apparent to me. However, if I were to guess, I would wager he wants you there because he cannot himself. Much is going on at Indigo Plateau. A Tohjo Council is a serious event."

Ian turned to begin organizing his things, making a mental checklist of what he would need. "What should I know about—"

And Grayson was gone.