We were back in the sky, riding on Pidgeot and Charizard, flying in silence. I think each of us had something on our minds. Me? I still couldn't believe that I had a uncle! Why was Darien never mentioned by my family, and why did he let us go when he could've captured us? There was a lot that I needed to know, but when would I find out?

After flying for a while, Cinnabar Island came into view. The sun was now setting, so I would say that we made good time, considering what happened earlier. Pidgeot and Charizard landed in front of the Pokemon Center. They were exhausted from flying all day.

"Thanks, Pidgeot." I said, returning my tired Pokemon.

Jason returned Charizard and we headed inside the Pokemon Center.

"Hello, how may I help you?" Nurse Joy asked once we stopped at the front desk.

"Can you heal our Pokemon? We also need one room." I said.

"Certainly,"

We handed our Pokemon to her and she handed us a key.

"Room four,"

"Thank you,"

We walked to the room and dropped our bags off.

"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm pretty hungry." Michelle said.

"Same here," Jason said.

"Then let's get some supper." I replied.

We walked out of the room and towards the cafeteria. After walking through the hallway, we finally came to the metal doors that lead to the cafeteria. We went inside and headed to the line. Tonight's meal was hamburgers, fries, and a slice of pie. We got our food and walked to one of the empty tables and sat down.

"Are you okay?" Michelle asked, looking at me. I knew that she was referring to the news that I had received from my supposed uncle.

"Yeah, I think so. I'm just really shocked." I replied, picking up the hamburger.

"Don't worry, Adam. You'll find out what's going on. Your mom should be able to tell you, either her or your grandma." Jason said.

"Yeah, I hope so."

Once we finished eating, we went back to our room. We had slight bruises on our bodies from when we hit the ground after being attacked by Darien's Hydreigon. But thankfully, the bruising was faint.

We changed into our pajamas and laid down. I rolled over onto my side and looked out the window. I wondered if my dad knew about Darien. Did my mom know? Darien had said that he was my mom's twin brother. Or was it just my grandma that knew about him? Why was he kept a secret from me? Before my eyes closed, I looked at the stars and quietly said goodnight to my dad.

Normal POV

"How did the search go?" Team Rocket's leader questioned.

"Very well, father. I think I may have discovered where the Temple of Legends is." Darien replied.

"Good work. Send a group of grunts to investigate the area where you think the Temple of Legends might be. After a long search for the temple, Team Rocket may finally be on the brink of achieving its goal! I'm very pleased with your work, Darien. Keep it up."

"I will, father."

Darien left the room and headed back towards his own quarters. As he walked, he tried to sort out the many things that had been on his mind since his failed attempt to capture Adam and his friends. He was beginning to question the motives and morals of not only his father, but his own as well.

Adam's POV

I woke up and looked around to see that Jason was up and Michelle wasn't in her bed, which meant that she was probably in the bathroom.

Jason finished tying his shoe and looked up. "Good morning. Michelle went to the other bathroom to get ready, so you can use this bathroom." he said.

"Okay,"

I got up and walked into the bathroom. When I finished washing and was dressed, I walked back out to see that Michelle was back and was pulling her bag onto her shoulders.

We walked out of the room and went to the cafeteria to get some breakfast.

"I need to register for the contest that's being held here." Michelle said as we ate.

"Okay, we can head there once we finish breakfast." I replied while Jason nodded in agreement.

After we finished our breakfast, we went to retrieve our Pokemon from Nurse Joy and thanked her for looking after them. We had left them in her care all night so that they could get some extra rest.

We walked out of the Pokemon Center and I spotted a figure with purple hair. When he turned to face us, I realized who it was. Paul. He saw us and approached us.

"So your pathetic father still hasn't returned. He only has four months before he loses his title of Pokemon Master. That title will be all mine! Even if your dad was alive, he wouldn't be able to beat me because this one Pokemon is all that I need to win." Paul said, removing a Pokeball and tossing it.

When the light faded, a Latias was before us. I looked at the Latias and I remembered my dad telling me a story about Latias and Latios. It happened when he was in Altomare.

"Did you get that Latias from Altomare?" I asked.

"Yes, I heard the legends about Latias and Latios. I searched all over Altomare for them and eventually found the secret garden where they live. I was hoping to catch both of them, but only Latias was there. But one of them is more than enough to beat your dad if he returns. He doesn't stand a chance against a Legendary Pokemon like Latias!" Paul said as he hopped onto Latias' back.

As Latias flew away, she looked back. In her eyes, I could see the sadness, the longing for freedom. Her eyes screamed "Please, let me go." Latias didn't want to be captured. Without Latias in Altomare, the city was defenseless! My dad had told me what had happened when he was there.

"How did he even manage to capture a Legendary Pokemon?!" Jason cried.

"Latias is the protector of Altomare. Without Latias there...the town is unprotected. Trouble could happen and they'll have no one to protect them." I muttered.

"Latias wants to be freed. She's so sad, you could see it in her eyes." Michelle said softly.

"Someone like Paul doesn't deserve a Legendary Pokemon." said Jason. "We know that he wouldn't treat them well."

"It's no wonder Latias looked so sad, she must feel like a prisoner!" I declared.

"That's horrible..." Michelle said, shocked at what Paul had done.

We eventually walked towards the Contest Hall so Michelle could register for the contest. We walked into the building and Michelle went to the front desk while Jason and I hung back near the doors.

Michelle walked back over after registering but right as we were about to leave, we ran into Jillian, the contest announcer.

"Hi. You're Michelle Waterflower, right?" Jillian asked.

"Yeah, that's me. Hi, Jillian. Um, when is the contest?" Michelle asked.

"It's in three days."

"Thanks,"

"No problem!"

We walked out of the building and I turned to Michelle. "Are you going to practice?" I asked.

"Yes, are you two going to practice for your gym battles?" Michelle asked.

"Yep,"

"Hey!" said a voice.

We stopped walking and looked behind us to see a girl running towards us. She appeared to be our age, with long, golden yellow hair, and brown eyes. She was wearing a gold-colored halter top with an open, white midriff jacket over it, blue skinny jeans, and black shoes.

"Hi, I saw you three coming out of the Contest Hall. Are you all entering?" she asked.

"I am." Michelle replied.

"Really? Can I come and practice with you?"

I saw Michelle look a little unsure. I knew she remembered what had happened with Blair in the Saffron City contest.

"Sure..." Michelle trailed.

"Don't worry, I won't show off all of my moves and you don't have to show off all of yours if you don't want to." the girl said, noticing Michelle's uncertainty.

"Okay,"

"Oh, by the way, I'm Amber."

"I'm Michelle. This is Adam and Jason." Michelle said.

"Hello," Amber said in a friendly voice.

"You two go ahead. We need to practice for our gym battles." I said.

Michelle nodded and she and Amber walked off. Once the girls were out of hearing range, I turned to Jason.

"There's something strange about that girl. She's hiding something, I know she is."

"How can you tell?" Jason asked.

"Her Aura. I felt her Aura change slightly when I looked at her. Remember back in Fuchsia City? You said that my Aura is triggered when I'm in danger. Maybe it's triggered for other things, too. Whatever the reason, I know I sensed something strange about her."

"If that's true, then what could she be hiding from us? What is it that she's keeping secret?"

I didn't know. It was a mystery. A mystery that I hoped to find out.

Michelle's POV

I was backstage, waiting for the contest to start. I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around to find Amber, who looked really pretty in her contest outfit. She was dressed in a long, yellow strapless dress that went down to her ankles. The top part of the dress (down to her waist) was covered in golden sparkles. Her long hair was clipped back and she was a bit taller with the yellow high heels she was wearing. Then again, I was wearing heels as well, so we were around the same height.

"Hi," I said.

"Hi, Michelle. Ready to go?" Amber asked.

"I sure am. Your training really helped me."

"You were a big help to me, too. I love your outfit, by the way."

"Thanks, you look great, too."

I had gotten to know Amber a little better over the last few days while practicing with her. I learned that she had gotten her name came from the color of her hair when she was born. Her hair color had faded and changed from amber to golden blonde as she got older. As for her Pokemon, I knew that she had a Jigglypuff and a Psyduck, which was pretty strong with its Psychic attacks.

The buzzer went off, signaling that the contest was starting.

"Good afternoon, everyone! It's time for the Cinnabar Island Contest! Coordinators will compete for the Cinnabar Island Ribbon! I'm your host, Jillian! Now to meet our wonderful judges!" Jillian cried.

"First, we have Shawn Contesta!"

"Good luck to all of you who are competing." he said.

"Next, the President of the Pokemon Fan Club, Mr. Tatsu!"

"Wonderful performances are just waiting to be shown!"

"And lastly, our very own Nurse Joy!"

"I can't wait to see all of the performances in store for us today."

"Now without further ado, let's begin! Entry number one, you're up!"

I stood backstage, watching performance after performance. Finally, it was time for me to go.

"Next up is Michelle!" Jillian cried.

I ran onto the stage and spun.

"Jolteon, spotlight!" I cried, tossing my Pokeball. Jolteon appeared, surrounded by hearts.

"Thundershock!" I cried. Jolteon used Thundershock on the hearts to give them a shield of electricity.

"A wonderful entrance!" Jillian cried.

The hearts broke and sparkles and sparks fell down upon Jolteon.

"Jolteon, use Quick Attack!" Jolteon ran towards the crowd.

"Now, Agility!" With both moves combined, it looked like Jolteon was actually using Double Team.

"Incredible! It's as if Jolteon is using Double Team!" Jillian cried.

"Now jump and use Thunder!" Jolteon jumped and used Thunder. The lighting hit Jolteon as she landed on the ground. Jolteon ran up to me as the crowd cheered.

"Great job!" I cried, rubbing her head.

"A splendid show of skill." Shawn said.

"Incredible!" Mr. Tatsu cried.

"A unique performance and exciting to watch." Nurse joy said.

I walked backstage and Amber looked shocked.

"Wow, that was..." she trailed.

"Thanks. We practiced that one for a while." I replied.

After a few more coordinators, it was finally Amber's turn.

"Next up is Amber!" Jillian cried.

Amber ran onto the stage and stopped suddenly.

"Take the stage, Jigglypuff!" Amber cried. Jigglypuff appeared, surrounded by bubbles.

"Hyper Voice!" The bubbles burst and made water droplets fall.

"Now use Rollout!" Jigglypuff started spinning and rolled towards the crowd.

"Up! Use Hyper Voice once more!" Right before Jigglypuff hit the stands, it jumped and got out of Rollout and used Hyper Voice towards the ground. Jigglypuff landed on the ground and posed.

"Wonderful performance." Shawn said.

"Nicely done!" Mr. Tatsu cried.

"Great use of showing Jigglypuff's voice." Nurse Joy said.

Amber walked backstage.

"Nice performance." I said.

"Thanks. Just because Jigglypuff is cute, it doesn't mean that it can't battle."

"We will now be taking a break as the judges decide which coordinators will be moving on to the next round." said Jillian.

We stood there waiting when Adam and Jason came backstage to see me.

"You girls both did an amazing job." said Jason.

"I'll say! That fifth ribbon is as good as yours." Adam added enthusiastically.

"Thanks, guys. I sure hope so." I replied.

"You're going for your final ribbon to enter the Grand Festival?" Amber asked. "So am I!"

I shook her hand and said, "May the best coordinator win."

Amber then walked over to the chairs to sit down. Once she was gone, Jason smirked and said, "You should've seen Adam's reaction when Amber came out on the stage!"

"Really? What was it?" I asked.

"His jaw dropped and his eyes-"

"Shut up, Jason! You can't prove anything!" Adam interrupted.

I laughed at my two friends. Even though they were as close as brothers, they still managed to get on each others' nerves now and then.

"Now to show the coordinators who will be moving on!" Jillian cried, interrupting us.

I was surprised to see that I was the third coordinator shown on the screen. Amber was next to the last coordinator.

"Now to show who will be facing off in the battle rounds."

I was going up against a girl named Sasha.

Amber was the first to battle, up against a boy named Randy. Amber was using her Psyduck and she won.

I won against Sasha by knocking out her Charmander. Amber won again and I won again. It was now the final round and I was facing Amber. It was going to be a battle of Water Pokemon, since I was using Poliwhirl and she was using Psyduck.

"It's time for the final match! To my left is Amber, to my right is Michelle! Five minutes on the clock, and begin!" Jillian cried.

"Take the field, Psyduck!" Amber cried.

"Showtime, Poliwhirl!" I cried.

"Poliwhirl, use Water Gun!"

"Psyduck, use Water Gun, too!"

Both moves fought for dominance and eventually canceled one another out.

"Use Confusion!" Amber cried. Before I could call a command, Poliwhirl was surrounded by a blue glow and lifted into the air.

"Poliwhirl, try to use Hydro Pump!" But Poliwhirl couldn't use a move.

"Now!" Amber yelled. Psyduck slammed Poliwhirl down into the battlefield. "When Poliwhirl gets up, use Screech."

"Poliwhirl, use Fountain! Then use Hydro Pump!"

"Fountain? What kind of move is that?"

Poliwhirl shot up from the field using Water Gun, aiming at the ground. Poliwhirl flipped in the air and quickly used Hydro Pump.

"Dodge!" But Psyduck couldn't dodge in time and got hit.

"Now, Poliwhirl! Use Tackle!"

"Stop Poliwhirl with Screech!"

"Fight through it, Poliwhirl!" I cried.

The high pitched noise made me cringe and I saw Poliwhirl stop.

"Zen Headbutt!" Psyduck ran towards Poliwhirl, gaining quickly.

"Water Gun!" I cried. Water Gun stopped Psyduck momentarily, but Psyduck was fighting through it.

"Psyduck, Confusion!" Zen Headbutt stopped and Poliwhirl was surrounded by a blue glow once again. This time, Poliwhirl was lifted higher into the air and was slammed into the ground.

Then the buzzer went off. I snapped my head towards the screen. My points were more than halfway gone while Amber's were only halfway gone.

"The winner is...Amber!"

I thanked Poliwhirl and returned him. Then I walked across the field to Amber.

"Great battle." I said.

"You too."

She walked up to receive her ribbon while I went backstage to change.

"Here is the Cinnabar Island Ribbon. We understand that this is your fifth and final ribbon."

"Yes,"

"We look forward to seeing you in the Grand Festival."

I was outside waiting for Amber to come so I could congratulate her once more. Adam and Jason were waiting, too. As happy as I was for her victory and the fact that she could enter the Grand Festival, I was a little sad that I had lost my second contest in a row and was still one ribbon short of being able to enter the Grand Festival myself.

Amber walked out to meet us after a few minutes and said, "Well Michelle, it was great to battle with you. For now, I'm heading home to rest and practice for the Grand Festival. There's one final contest in Viridian City. That's your last chance to get your final ribbon. Hopefully, we'll see each other again in the Grand Festival."

"Yeah,"

"Well, bye."

"Bye,"

She called out a Pidgeot and hopped onto it, flying away from Cinnabar Island.

"Hey Michelle, be careful around her." Adam said.

"What? Why?" I asked.

"My Aura sensed something strange about her. She's hiding something, she has a secret. Good or bad, I don't know. But we need to be careful around her."

Now that Adam mentioned it, she did act strange at times. Like when we had finished practicing together the other day. We had talked for a while, becoming friends. There were times when I asked her about certain things and she tensed up with a strange look on her face. I didn't want to pry, so I dropped the subject. She was very kind to me and the boys, but she did act a little strange at times. I wondered what she was hiding.

Normal POV

Lance pulled out his PokeGear and dialed Lorelei's number. He had something very important to tell her about Team Rocket.

"Hello, Lorelei? Yeah, it's Lance. Like I told you and the others, I was looking around Kanto, trying to find out about Team Rocket and the Temple of Legends. Well, you'll never guess what I found. A pair of Team Rocket grunts that were spying in the area! I managed to catch one of them while the other got away. The police are bringing him to us to see if he'll tell us anything about Team Rocket. Get the other members of the Elite Four together. We could be on the verge of something big!"

Author's Note: So for the second contest in a row, Michelle fails to win her final ribbon. She only has one last shot to get it in the Viridian City contest. She also meets Amber and gains a new friend and rival. But Amber has a secret and it could mean big trouble for our heroes!

The kids also meet Paul again and discover that he has captured the Legendary Pokemon Latias, the same one that Ash met in Altomare!

Behind the scenes, Team Rocket is close to achieving their goal. But Darien is having second thoughts and questioning whether this is what he should be doing. That experience with Adam in the previous chapter could be changing him into a different person.

And Lance has found and captured a Team Rocket grunt. The Elite Four may be close to finding either Team Rocket or the Temple of Legends if the grunt tells them what they need to know.

Will Michelle win her last ribbon? Will the boys win their gym badges? Who is the Cinnabar gym leader? What will happen to Darien? Will he change his ways? What will Paul do now that he has Latias? Will Team Rocket or the Elite Four find the Temple of Legends first?

So many questions and there's only four chapters left until the big showdown! The story is getting closer to its climax, so stay tuned to find out what happens in the next chapter of Pokemon NG!