After saving Koga from the attack at the Safari Zone, Summer and her Pokémon made their way to the Seafoam Islands to save Misty. While inside, she helped calm down a baby Seel and reunited her with her mother. Summer also found Misty, and they safely made it outside. On the way to Cinnabar Island, Koga told them about a meeting which he had to tell everyone something. What does Koga want to talk about and how will this affect Summer's journey?

Chapter 37: An Eruption of Knowledge

Misty and I walked through the white villas of Cinnabar Island. I read that the island, the hottest place in the Kanto Region, was known for their warm beaches and dormant volcano. Since the sun was setting, the roads were empty, most likely because everyone was watching the sun from the beaches.

Misty suddenly winced in pain and stumbled. She clutched onto her tender ankle and tried to breathe deeply.

"Let me help you walk, Misty," I offered. "I've helped someone walk before, so it's no problem."

Misty gave me a weak smile. "Thanks, Summer. I guess my ankle's more hurt than I thought."

I put her arm over my right shoulder and we slowly followed the signs to the Pokémon Laboratory. After the last sign, I saw a white three story rectangular building. Windows covered the third floor and ventilation pipes circled around the second floor. I was about to open the glass double doors when Erika did it for us.

"We heard what happened from Koga!" she worriedly exclaimed. "Are you two alright?"

"My ankle's still a little sore, but I'm okay. Thanks to Summer," Misty replied.

"Let me help." Lt. Surge came outside and carried Misty inside.

Erika then turned to me. "Good to see you again, Summer."

I bowed. "Good to see you too, Erika. Are all of the Gym Leaders here?"

Erika lightly clasped her hands. "We are still missing two of them. I left them messages, but they never got back to me."

"I hope nothing bad happened. Does anyone else know what happened to them?"

"Koga said he wanted to tell us something after he talked to Lt. Surge and Blaine first. But anyway, you can stay here and help us figure out how to avert this crisis."

"Okay, thank you for letting me stay."

She smiled. "Of course. Go ahead and put your things upstairs. You might see some of the other people we recruited as well."

I was a little confused but intrigued. I nodded and walked inside. The white hallways had multiple doors and an informational sign saying the Lab specializes in artifacts from the Sevii Islands. I vaguely remembered the islands being close to Kanto and were known for the ruins and resorts.

I walked up the set of concrete stairs to the second floor. I saw a door with my name on it and walked inside. It was a very clean room with a metal desk and a twin size bed with a wooden frame. As I set my things down, I saw Cappy run into the room.

"Summer!" He happily shouted as he jumped into my arms.

I caught him and said, "Cappy! It's good to see you again. Where's your Trainer?"

Samir entered the room, answering my question. "Summer! How have you been?"

"Fine, Samir. A lot of things have happened since I left Pewter City."

He sheepishly smiled. "I guess I can say the same as well."

I then noticed a yellow watch on his left wrist. "I've never seen that watch before. Where did you get it?"

He didn't know how to respond. "Ummm… I...I bought it! Yes! During a trip to Vermillion City!"

"But it looks too old to be a new watch."

"I...I did a lot of digging since I've worn it. T-that's why it looks so old…"

He nervously laughed, making me suspicious. I was about to question him more when he said, "Anyway, Weldon's here too."

"He is? How come?"

"So you're here too." We looked up and saw Weldon leaning on the doorframe.

I waved hello to the serious Trainer. "Hi, Weldon. How've you been?"

He shrugged. "I got my sixth badge, no big deal. How about you?"

"Uhh...I have four…" I nervously said.

He raised his right eyebrow. "Really? I thought you got your fifth by now."

"I-it's been a long story."

"Hmph. I was going to challenge you, but it seems you're not close to my league yet."

"Come on, Weldon," Samir placated. "Don't be so hard on her. She had to save two Gym Leaders today."

The boy from Kanto sighed. "Fine, but I'm still not going to battle you. After all, we need to be ready to face Team Rocket."

"So this meeting is to discuss how to stop them?" I asked.

"Yeah," Samir said. "The Gym Leaders believe their headquarters are in Saffron City since the area has been blocked off for so long."

"If we can find the last one, we should have the advantage," Weldon added.

Before I was about to ask, I heard something and immediately laid flat on the ground. Weldon and Samir were confused until they saw a shuriken fly into the room and hit the wall.

"Summer, may I have a word with you?"

I slowly got up. "Sure, Koga." I waved bye to the two boys and followed him downstairs and outside. We made our way to the Pokémon Center's battlefield, with Koga walking to the south-facing side.

"Summer," he solemnly said, eyes closed. "Based on your actions today, I feel you are ready for a mission that will determine the future of Kanto."

He then opened his eyes and looked at me fiercely. "However… I feel you need five badges in order to participate… Therefore, I challenge you to a one on one battle to see if you are finally worthy of my badge!"

"Oh...this is pretty sudden…" Koga was about to say something until I confidently smiled at my mentor. "But I think I am ready to battle you now, Koga. I'll use your training to beat you this time!"

As I walked to the opposite end of the field, Koga smirked. "Let us see how much you have improved. Although I cannot use my poses, the battle will be difficult, nevertheless. I shall use the Pokémon that was supposed to be my final one from the first battle. Come out, Yatate."

Yatate speedily flew out of his Pokéball and have me a determined look.

"Let's go, Blaze!" I shouted. But when he came out, he was surprised.

"W-what are you doing, Summer?" he questioned. "Why not Errol or Rocky?

"What I should have done more often. I can't always rely on my Pokédex to win Pokémon battles. Half of the information is useless, and I haven't been using the good information to the fullest. But I trust you, Blaze, and I know we can win together if I combine instinct, trust, and knowledge. What do you say?"

I thought I saw a small tear in his eyes, but he blinked rapidly. "Let's win, Summer." He looked confidently at the Bat Pokémon, causing the Gym Leader to grin.

"You have learned quite a bit, Summer. Now let us see if that blossoms into victory. Yatate, Air Cutter."

The Crobat rapidly beat his wings, releasing sharp sickles of air at Blaze.

Blaze slightly crouched, and I understood what he wanted to do. "Blaze, jump and use Flamethrower!"

He nodded and shot into the air, dodging the super effective attack and launching a fiery counterstrike.

"Yatate, Sludge Bomb."

Yatate hurled a ball of poisonous sludge at the flames. The two attacks collided, covering the field with dark smoke.

As I covered my eyes, I thought, This is the same strategy as last time. Although I don't have Foresight, I still have that move.

"Blaze, use Focus Energy!" I yelled through the smoke.

"Interesting choice, Summer. Yatate, use Toxic."

I heard something being coughed out and touching something. When the smoke finally cleared, Blaze was at the right side of the field. He had a glint in his eyes, and the Toxic disappeared into the dirt.

Koga contently closed his eyes. "I see. You used Focus Energy to allow Blaze to sense the Toxic. And because it lasts multiple turns, he can easily dodge them. Clever strategy, but you still have the disadvantage. Yatate, Wing Attack."

"Let's go head-on, too! Blaze, Quick Attack!" I shouted, punching my first into the air.

Yatate's wings glowed as he dived while Blaze forcefully pushed off the ground, releasing a streak of white energy. The Crobat whacked Blaze in the stomach with his wing, and the Young Fowl Pokémon recoiled in pain. But the Combusken didn't give up just yet. Yatate gritted in pain as Blaze slammed into his right wings. Blaze fell hard on his stomach as Yatate was forced to flap slower to reduce the pain.

"Are you okay, Blaze?" I asked as he got up.

"I'm fine," he muttered, brushing of the volcanic ash.

Koga smirked. "No one has been able to injure Yatate like that in a long time. Your Combusken is quite the Pokémon."

"Thanks for the compliment, Koga," I grinned. "Blaze, Double Kick!"

He charged at Yatate then jumped, left leg outstretched. Despite the injury, the Poison type was able to fly out of harm's way. I gritted my teeth, and Koga continued smirking.

"A valiant effort. But Yatate and I have been together ever since I first trained as a ninja. Our bond will overcome yours, Summer. Yatate, Sludge Bomb."

Yatate spat another ball of sludge, and this time, Blaze was unable to move out of the way. As the poison hit his chest, he knelt down and panted. The gleam in his eyes disappeared, but he still wanted to keep going. He slowly rose to his feet, and fiercely looked at me.

I understood he wanted to continue, and said, "You can do it, Blaze. Let's show them!"

Blaze roared and was immediately surrounded by a slow burning fire. The rest of us were in shock until I muttered, "It's Blaze, Combusken's ability."

Koga recovered and said, "This will be the last attack for both of our Pokémon. Yatate, your most powerful Sludge Bomb!"

"Blaze, Flamethrower at max power!"

Both Pokémon charged their strongest attacks and launched them at each other. The two moves collided once more, but instead of causing an explosion, the Poison and Fire type attacks pushed each other, trying to gain the advantage. I braced myself due to the force of the collision and saw the Flamethrower slowly then easily pushing the Sludge Bomb back. Yatate was stunned and tried to dodge, but he was caught in the inferno. After several minutes, he fell to the ground, unable to move.

Koga silently nodded with his eyes closed. "I concede the match. Congratulations, Summer."

Blaze and I collapsed at the same time. I crawled over to my exhausted Pokémon and hugged him. "You were great, Blaze."

He gently touched my left arm. "You too, Summer. I'm glad you're my Trainer."

We looked up and saw Koga extending his hand. "Allow me to help you up, Summer."

I took his left hand and he helped me up. I then did the same with Blaze.

Koga gave us a soft smile. "You have truly improved beyond what you have shown in your training sessions."

He then tossed something at me and I caught it. It was a pink heart pin with sharp edges.

"Take the Soul Badge. You have earned it."

I slowly bowed. "I couldn't have done it without you, Koga. Thank you."

The Gym Leader then returned to his stern gaze. "Well don't get too comfortable, Summer. You still have to keep working on those skills. Who knows? Maybe you'll be skilled enough to catch my shuriken."

"I don't think so…" I flatly refused. The Gym Leader then laughed, but I still felt he was being serious.

"Hey, Koga. You wanted to talk to us about something?" We turned to the west and saw Lt. Surge and a bald headed man wearing a lab coat. The stranger's eyes were covered by thick glasses, and his grey mustache showed signs he was no older than 60.

"Hey, Summer!" Lt. Surge shouted, giving me a friendly salute. "It's been awhile, soldier."

"Nice to see you again, Lt. Surge." I then felt the old man's eyes piercing through my face.

"So this is Summer Scorcher," he mused with a slightly raspy voice. "I've heard quite about you from my colleagues. Tell me…are you good with riddles?"

"No one wants to solve your riddles, Blaine!" the Vermillion City Gym Leader angrily shouted. Blaine frustratingly crossed his arms and muttered something inaudible.

"Anyway," Koga impatiently said. "Yes, I need to discuss with you about what occurred with Misty."

The other two men suddenly became solemn, almost pained.

Koga then looked at me. "Summer. Could you give us a few minutes?"

Noticing how serious this was, I nodded. I returned Blaze, went to the Pokémon Center for a quick healing session, and then returned to Pokémon Lab. When I arrived, Erika and Brock had already made dinner, and all of us ate in silence outside of the building. After the delicious meal of rice and roasted vegetables, we gathered into a conference room. The table was put away and, in its place, ten chairs were arranged in a circle. I sat in between Misty and Samir, with Brock, Erika, Weldon, Lt. Surge, Blaine, and Koga completing the clockwise circle. The last chair was still empty, and I wondered who would be sitting there.

"Is he not coming?" Brock worriedly asked.

Erika reluctantly sighed. "I'm afraid so. He said he didn't want to attract any attention by leaving Indigo Plateau on short notice."

"He still should be here in some form," Lt. Surge angrily said.

"We can tell him the details once this meeting is over," Erika replied., slightly appeasing the former soldier. She cleared her throat and announced, "So, welcome everyone, to this emergency Gym Leader meeting. Unfortunately, I could not get in touch with Sabrina or Giovanni, but we will inform them later as well."

"I am afraid we cannot reach them for a good reason," Koga bluntly said. Everyone turned in his direction.

"What do you mean, Koga?" Misty asked.

Koga, Lt. Surge, and Blaine looked at each other and nodded in unison.

The ninja took a deep breath then revealed a bombshell. "What I mean is...Giovanni is behind the events relating to Team Rocket."

The room instantly became silent. After a few minutes, Erika stuttered, "H-how is that p-possible?! He had no warning flags during his application process and his time as a Gym Leader!"

"Trust me, he was plotting this in discretion," Lt. Surge crossed his arms.

"Wait, you three knew about this?!" Brock yelled.

Misty sprung up from her seat. "His goons stole a Legendary Pokémon, and I almost died! All because you hid this from us? How long has this been going on?!"

"Calm down Misty," Brock said, standing up as well to hold her back.

I was stunned, unable to say anything. I can't believe it! No wonder why they wanted to talk privately...

"Before you continue accusing us," Koga sternly said. "Let us tell you why we did not mention anything and what our plan is."

"Fine…" Misty angrily sat back into her chair. Brock did the same, though not as violently.

"Guess we should start at the beginning." Lt. Surge cleared his throat. "And no interruptions. Ten years ago, Giovanni became the Kanto Champion. Although he refused to let anyone see his face in public, he loved the attention and power it brought him and vowed to keep it at all costs. He trained tirelessly, without caring about his Pokémon or well being."

"Then, six years ago, the man lost to a child," Koga continued. "Red, from Pallet Town. The loss shattered his mentality, even when using a Pokémon he created solely as a weapon for battle. Now, even as a Gym Leader, he has been using his position to find and eventually use Legendary Pokémon in a rematch against Red."

Blaine shifted uncomfortably and tears slowly formed. He began to sob as Lt. Surge comforted him.

Koga deeply sighed. "I am afraid Blaine became a victim, as did the three of us. We were all responsible for helping Giovanni maintain his throne. Lt. Surge helped with physical attacks, Sabrina helped with special attacks, I helped speed and defense, and Blaine...Blaine created that Pokémon..."

Blaine sobbed louder, then cried on Koga's shoulder. The ninja awkwardly petted his friend's head as the room continued to be somewhat silent.

Lt. Surge continued the story and was forced to shout to be heard over Blaine's wailing. "After a year to prevent any suspicious activities, Giovanni helped us become Gym Leaders for two reasons: training and blackmail. That way, he can control unanimous decisions. And if we wanted to tell someone, he'd tell the League about our involvement with the cruelest Regional Champion in history. It would have ruined all of us, except for him..."

Koga sat in the empty chair as Blaine continued sobbing in a wooden dummy. "When we heard that Giovanni became more interested in the Legendary Birds, the four of us knew we had to stop him. So we decided to overthrow him in secret. We knew of their resting places because the three of us have jurisdiction in those areas. Sabrina decided to use her psychic powers to reason with Giovanni, but I fear she failed and is being held captive to prevent her from coming. As long as we have the feathers from each of the Birds, we may be able to stop this madness."

"But why the feathers?" Erika asked. "Aren't the Birds themselves more valuable?"

"There's a mural out there that was recently discovered in the Sevii Islands." Blaine finally recovered, and Koga returned to his seat. "It shows that if a certain Pokémon holds the feathers of each of the Birds, it will be able to end the calamity of their master succumbing to human greed."

He then took out a picture and passed it around. The mural showed a large brown bird wearing the feathers Blaine mentioned. The Pokémon stood in the way between a larger white bird Pokémon and a man dressed in black.

"I fear this may be a prophecy," Koga assessed. "We have most of the items we need to stop Giovanni, but we are missing two things: the bird Pokémon and Moltres' feather."

"But how can we trust you?" Misty questioned. "For all we know, you could be leading us into a trap following a false lead!"

Koga glared at Misty, silencing the normally fiery girl. "Do you think it was easy telling everyone about this?! We kept this secret for ten years, and it haunts us everyday."

Lt. Surge sat forward, clenching his hands. "That's why we're doing this, to redeem ourselves from ignoring reality."

"We just need you to trust us," Blaine added, readjusting his glasses.

"Thank you for telling us this," Erika slowly said. "Although this will put your statuses as Gym Leaders into jeopardy, I understand what you are willing to do to save our region. I will aid you in any way I can."

Brock nodded. "Erika's right. You've always helped us with any problems, no matter if you're busy. I'll help."

Misty sighed. "I guess I'll help too. Sorry for being so rough."

The three men smiled, making her smile as well.

"We expected your reactions, Misty," Koga replied. "No need to apologize."

"So what have you done so far?" Erika asked.

Lt. Surge sat back in his chair. "Well, we have one of the Birds with us."

Brock, Misty, Erika and I were surprised. I was even more surprised Samir and Weldon didn't react to this announcement.

The Vermillion City Gym Leader pointed at the research intern. "Samir here was able to befriend Zapdos and catch it. So we have Zapdos' tail feather."

Brock said, astonished, "You never told me this, Samir. How were you able to capture it?"

Samir put his hand under his chin in a thinking pose. "I...I was somehow able to understand him. That's what helped me befriend him and this made the watch I found turn yellow."

He took it off and showed it to everyone. It was intricately designed, with the tails of the Legendary Birds as the hands of the clock.

Koga then looked at the red haired teenager. "Misty, you said Articuno gave you a feather, correct?"

"Yeah!" she took off her drawstring bag and removed a wavy light blue feather. "Take it, Koga."

He appreciatively nodded. "Now, all we need is to find Moltres and ask it to help us."

"She'll be hard to persuade," Blaine pointed out.

"That is why I asked Summer to accompany you to the Sevii Islands. I believe she can aid you, Blaine."

We looked at each other. "Okay. We'll leave before dawn. That all right with you?"

"Of course." I tried to hold back my excitement of seeing another Legendary Pokémon. But I knew this would be something not to take lightly.

Koga nodded. "Very well. The rest of us will prepare for an attack on Saffron City."

Erika stood up. "I agree. Why don't we let the children and Blaine go to bed early?"

"Good idea." Lt. Surge jumped up. "You four are dismissed!"

We awkwardly saluted him and left the room. Blaine went off on his own while I waved Samir and Weldon goodnight. Samir returned the motion, but Weldon just bit his lip and walked away. The meeting made me more exhausted than I thought because I immediately went to bed without doing anything else.

Blaine longingly stared out the south window of his room. He took out a silver diamond-shaped locket, and when he opened it, it showed a picture of him and the Legendary Birds.

"Moltres," he sighed. It was the first time he was serious all day. "It'll be five years since I last saw you. I know you've forgiven me when the others haven't. But I'm still scared of what you think."

He closed the locket and put it back into the left pocket of his slacks. "I really hope she can help, especially because she saw that Pokémon…"

I heard my alarm ring and groggily woke up. Remembering why the alarm was on in the first place, I yawned and went to the bathroom to freshen up. I thought I heard something click in the hallway, but I continued with the routine. When I went back to my room, I saw Weldon standing outside.

"What are you doing up so early, Weldon?" I asked, yawning again.

"Just going for a morning walk," he bluntly said. He avoided my gaze. His voice was more bitter than usual, but I knew not to push him. "Be careful, Summer."

He walked down the stairs and quietly left.

I wonder what's wrong...But it doesn't matter now. I need to meet Blaine.

I grabbed my backpack out of the room and quietly dashed outside, unaware of the precious cargo I was carrying.

Pokémon: Blaze (Combusken, male): Brave Nature, moves: Quick Attack, Double Kick, Flamethrower, Focus Energy

Errol (Noctowl, male): Rash Nature, moves: Foresight, Confusion, Hypnosis, Peck

Swirls (Poliwhirl, female): Relaxed Nature, moves: Water Pulse, Hypnosis, Water Gun, Doubleslap

Lightning (Pikachu, female): Adamant Nature, moves: Thunderbolt, Quick Attack, Iron Tail, Sweet Kiss

Flower (Ivysaur, female): Gentle Nature, moves: Sludge Bomb, Leech Seed, Razor Leaf, Sleep Powder

Rocky (Onix, male): Lonely Nature, moves: Rock Throw, Slam, Dragonbreath, Iron Tail

Questions for the Chapter:

What do you think of the plot twist?

What awaits Summer and Blaine at the Sevii Islands?

What do you think will be the Gym Leaders' plan to infiltrate Saffron City?