The trio of Red, Misty and Leaf travel through Route 9, Red enjoying the wildlife of Pokemon while excitedly making notes about the smallest details of the creatures' survival methods which earned giggles from his female companions. They had their occasional battles with trainers wandering the route, the latest resulting in Leaf barely able to win when her Nidorina faced against a Diggersby who came face to face with a Chip Away before the Poison type uses Double Kick to finish the assault, knocking it unconscious. The brunette jumped in joy at her victory, hugging her Nidorina and congratulating it on a job well done. Returning to the group, she gets a high five from Misty before catching Red off guard with a hug. As they continued on the path to Rock Tunnel, Leaf had a concerned look on her face from her previous battles before her mouth starts to voice her thoughts. "Man, I need a Pokemon that can fully handle Ground types."
This caught the attention of her travelling companions before she received a text on her Pokegear, seeing Red's response. "But you have Wartortle and Roselia though."
"No. I mean one that can avoid the attacks fully." She mumbled, Misty motioning her to continue which she did after letting out a sigh. "A Flying type basically, puts less stress on my brain. Having to think about ways to avoid Spikes and Bulldoze is tiring, not to mention annoying."
"Hmm. You have a point there. It's not everytime you're gonna be prepared. Even if it's mostly just you being lazy." Misty agreed, nodding in understand at the brunette's dilemma while the latter glared at her for the insult she slipped in. Red furrowed his eyebrows while thinking why it's a problem before Leaf noticed his expression, answering him like she read his mind. "It matters, sweetie. I'm the only one that does not have a 'mon that can fly. Misty has a Wingull and you have Beedrill, Red."
"Yes...but actually no." He mumbled in a matter of factly tone, surprising both of his traveling companions, mostly Misty who is not used to hearing his voice. Leaf looked at him with a questioning stare before she states her thoughts. "What's that supposed to mean? Isn't Beedrill immune to Ground type moves?"
The raven haired teenager realizes that he is the center of attention before he explains as good as he could. "You see, Beedrill...does not have full immunity against Ground type attacks…as most think. It's capable of creating a…resistance and dodge some moves better than others…but because it's not a natural flyer...what I mean is that it can't exactly…reach the altitude level needed to be fully immune against them. So I'm in the same boat as you. I basically have to think on my toes."
Hearing this, Leaf put her fingers on her chin in deep thought while the three continued on, thinking of a good way or a good Pokemon to avoid Ground type moves until her eye caught several moving clouds in the sky. "Huh, the clouds are moving kinda odd, aren't they?"
"Umm. I don't think that's a cloud. Got any ideas, No face?" Misty said, looking at the weird clouds. Red scanned them with his Pokedex, getting a confirmation that it's a Pokemon. "Swablu, the Cotton Bird Pokemon. Swablu has light and fluffy wings that are like cottony clouds. This Pokémon is not frightened of people. It lands on the heads of people and sits there like a cotton-fluff hat."
After the device finished the explanation, one of the birds descended before perching atop Red's head, pecking him, much to his surprise. The two girls giggled while they watch Swablu basically make a nest out of the teen's cap.
'Hatception! That is so cute.' Leaf gushed while taking pictures until the blue bird flies off his head, joining with the others in the sky as the trio watched them travel over the mountains.
Out of nowhere, the flock of Swablu was hit by a bolt of lightning, knocking them from the sky. They all hurried to the spot where the Pokemon fell only to be greeted with a sight that made all of their eyes widen in shock. In the middle of the terrain were the flock being surrounded by a group of Linoone, some ready to attack. One of the Linoone lunged forward, electricity crackling from its fur until it discharges it towards the flock of Flying types, making Red quickly take out his slingshot and shot a Pokeball towards the Normal type.
"Oh no! We won't be quick enough." Leaf said, a worried expression on both her and Misty's faces as they quickly get their Pokeballs.
Before anyone could react, the attack was blocked a few centimeters in front of the flock, leaving Luxio in its spot with its body clad in lightning. It then rushes its opponents, a flash of light going through the area, knocking three Linoone unconscious unto the floor. One was about to attack Luxio only to get kicked in the face by Buneary, sending it into a boulder. This escalated into a brawl as Misty, Red and Leaf fought off the horde of Linoone, getting aid from the group of Swablu. After defeating most of them, the trio was not prepared when Buneary got hit by a blast of water, rocketing it out of the area but it was saved when Leaf thought quickly and returned it. They all turn their attention to the direction of the attack, seeing a group of Buizel and Floatzel coming towards them from the water.
"Great...just had to get worse, didn't it?" Leaf said as she readied her next capsule, both her and Misty sending Roselia and Gyarados which the latter surprising the brunette but she regained her composure.
"Something's not right." Misty mumbled while commanding her Starmie to knock away another Floatzel into a Linoone before they both get hit by a Dragon Rage by Gyarados. Shooting a stone at a Buizel and knocking it into Luxio's Spark along which knocked it out, Red noticed something that the wild Pokemon are not speaking, almost as if they are in a mindless state. Even while they're attacking, he can hear his Pokemon along with Leaf and Misty physically voicing their thoughts and grunting but for the wild Pokemon, he cannot hear anything. Not even a groan, grunt or mutter. His mind wondered about what is happening to them while he tries to speak with one of the beaten foes, getting no response. 'That's odd. I should be able to hear them at curse quietly or something but nothing at all. It's like they're being-'
"-Mind controlled." His mouth stated, letting out Poliwag and Vulpix on his shoulders before commanding Luxio to use Charge while shooting two more Buizel off a boulder. Getting an idea, Leaf made Roselia use Stun Spore to gather all their enemies in one spot before Misty took matters in her hands, telling Starmie and Gyarados to use Water Tornado and Twister, trapping them within the attack. Seeing the move happening was Red's cue when he made Luxio use Spark, touching the aquatic twister which electrocuted every enemy that was within it. After a while, the Electric type withdrew its paw, letting the move disperse as their foes drop to the ground, exhausted and almost unconscious. The trio looked at the aftermath of the battle, unnerved by what had happened and bewildered on the events that just occurred.
"What the hell is wrong with them?" Misty muttered, getting a shrug from Leaf while Red walks up to the group, informing Poliwag and Vulpix to use Hypnosis and Confuse Ray respectively towards the group along with Starmie using Psychic. After a while, Red is able to hear the Pokemon groaning in pain and speaking again. He went over to one of the Pokemon and crouched on one knee and giving it an Oran berry. "Sorry, we didn't mean to hurt you. You kinda...gave us no choice."
"What the hell is he doing?" Misty asked, her arms crossed. Leaf motioned for her to be quiet before answering. "He's doing a thing."
'I don't remember anything. I just heard a so-' The Pokemon was cut off when a shockwave shook the area, making everyone turn their attention to the water, seeing an orange scaled creature ascending from the water, its eyes glowing before it starts wreaking havoc on the route.
"A...Dragonite...? What…the hell…?" Misty muttered, her eyes widening at the Pokemon while it flies into the air. Red quickly took out his Pokedex and scan the dragon, getting an explanation from his device. "Dragonite, the Dragon Pokemon and the final evolution of Dratini. Dragonite is capable of circling the globe in just 16 hours. It is a kindhearted Pokémon that leads lost and foundering ships in a storm to the safety of land."
"Alright, so question of the day: who pissed that thing off?" Misty said before a second shockwave which made her and Leaf fall while Red was barely able to keep his balance.
Before anyone could react, Dragonite shot a purple beam towards Leaf's direction, surprising everyone while Red thought quickly and tried to intervene but it was too late when the attack hits its target, leaving the whole area in a cloud of smoke.
"Leaf!" He ran towards her until he saw a green veil within the smoke, showing Wartortle in front of the brunette, both of them in one piece. Seeing that she is alright, he breathed a sigh of relief but it was short lived when he barely dodged another beam before sending out Clef who valiantly stood across from the Dragon type until the latter charges, its arm cloaked in electricity.
"Copycat." He countered, causing a clash between the pink fairy and the orange dragon which created an electrical shockwave. Lightning flew from the shockwave, causing trees that come into contact getting burnt, creating fires everywhere which Misty commanded her Pokemon to stop. Ina flash, Red could only watch as Clefairy was sent rocketing to a boulder from an Aqua Tail, its attacker then flew towards it only to find its attack colliding with Wartortle own Aqua Tail, it easily overpowering the turtle.
"God damn it! It's so powerful." Leaf cursed, seeing Watortle knocked side before the Dragon type marched towards Clefairy. Raising its arm for another Thunder Punch, it was stopped when something hit its face, its attention turning to Red who fired two more shots, one of them hitting its eye which made it cry in pain. Fueled by anger, it quickly flew to him, surprising him as he was pulled from the direction of a Thunder Punch, looking to see a crater where he once was.
"Are you trying to get yourself killed?!" Misty yelled while she commanded for her Gyarados to use Dragon Rage while Leaf commanded her Wartortle to use Water Pulse, both moves merging before they hit their target who shrugged the attack like it was nothing, much to their horror. "Shit! At least act like you felt something!"
"Luxio, use Charge." Red whispered, assessing the situation after being released from Starmie telekinetic grip. Running towards his female companions, he fired a rock towards the air before shooting another to redirect it to hit Dragonite to change its attention, ordering Vulpix to use Confuse Ray which made it dizzy as it fell on the ground, flailing angrily.
"That should buy us some time. We should think of a plan." He said as they all hide behind a boulder, hearing the Pokemon wreak havoc in the area. Misty tapped her feet in frustration, thinking hard before she had an idea. "Well, it's a Dragon type. Apart from your Clefairy, we're going to need Ice type moves to deal some damage against it. I'm guessing it doesn't know any Fairy type moves right."
She got her response from Red shaking his head which made her sigh. "I guess that leaves us with plan B. Anyone here has any Pokemon with Ice or Dragon type moves?"
"Not a lot. Red's Milotic with Dragonbreath and his Poliwag has Ice Beam, that's kinda all we have. We can take advantage of its Flying type through Buneary's Thunder Punch."
"And my Gyarados has Ice Fang. Alright, we can do something with that." Misty added, patting the blue serpent.
"Obviously, we're not able to overpower it and none of our Pokemon is able to outspeed it." Red mumbled quietly, barely able to stay balanced while he put Poli in his jacket to calm it down. Before an idea popped in his head as Leaf voiced her thought. "We can try to trap it."
"Hmm, I think I know how to do it. Alright, here's the plan." Red stated as he motioned both of the girls to get closer.
Dragonite started to get its bearings, seeing the trio from the corner of its eyes before it flew towards them, getting hit with a Smoke Ball that blinded it, making it crash into a wall.
"Go!" Red said before Leaf and Misty ran towards the lake while he faced Dragonite who is shaking its head. He then aimed three stones, hitting the orange lizard's face as he sprinted off in the other direction. He jumped over a boulder, dodging a Dragon Pulse before rolling away from a Thunder Punch, the attack grazing his jacket, burning a part of it. In retaliation, Poli came out of his jacket, shooting multiple Ice Beam at the Dragon type, some of the blasts freezing parts of its body, making it more enraged. "Nice one, Poli. Let's keep it up."
'Got it.' Poli nodded. The two went through the rocky area, their pursuer on their tail as they avoid Dragon Pulse and Thunder Punch from it, being able to land a few Ice Beam and Bubblebeam, slowing it down. Eventually, Red then found himself at a dead end, clicking his teeth when he sees his draconian opponent flying towards him, observing the place to find a way to escape before he got a message on his Pokegear, smiling after reading the message. Noticing the slight edges from the walls around him, Red evaded a Dragon Pulse from Dragonite before he starts maneuvering around the Pokemon, jumping along the walls which made him dodge a Thunder Punch. Bouncing off another wall and doing a backflip, the teen found himself in a perfect position when he noticed the Dragon type wings before telling Poliwag to use Ice Beam which hit its wings, freezing both appendages solid. "Nice."
With its mobility crippled and unable to fly, Red smirked when he ran away from the rampaging beast, parkouring through the rocks and some trees while the Dragon destroyed everything unfortunate to be in its path. Skidding when he finds himself near a body of water, facing the monster only to jump out of the range of a Dragon Pulse but it did not save him from being knocked away from the shockwave. Getting up, Red looked up to see Dragonite over him, rearing its fist as the limb starts to burst with electricity as he could see nothing but anger in its expression which confused him when he had a sudden realization. 'So it's just like the others that we faced.'
Noticing something behind his opponent, the teen smiled when a flash of lightning tackled the Drgon type, sending it rocketing into the water which caught it by surprise. Before it was able to recover from its shock, it was stuck in a twister, trying to escape but was stopped when it was hit by a stream of purple flame, Red turning to see Milotic begrudgingly carrying Leaf, the latter commanding her Roselia to use Stun Spore which made contact with the Dragon type. The orange dragon was barely able to get out of its water prison when it was bitten by Gyarados, the attack freezing more of its body before it uses Thunder Punch on the serpent, sending it rocketing to the shore. It was about to continue on its rampage until it was hit by an Ice Beam, turning to see Red's Poli relentlessly shooting the attack which trapped it in the water, struggling to get free while the three teens simultaneously let out a sigh of relief.
"Thank God! Sheesh, that was annoying." Misty said as she slumped to the ground, a smile plastered on her face. Leaf leaned on Milotic, patting its back on a job well done which made it groan before looking at Red.
'You owe me for this.' The cream serpent said in a threatening tone to the teen, making him let out a nervous chuckle. After a while, the trio looked at the trapped dragon with concerned expressions before Red walks up to the Pokemon, looking at Starmie before sending a text to Leaf who read before looking at the gym leader. "Hey, carrot top. Red's asking you to use Psychic on Dragonite."
"You sure about that?" The orange haired girl said before she looked at the silent teen, seeing him nodding.
She sighed at the response before she gestured for the violent starfish to use Psychic, it using the move which allowed it to enter Dragonite's head, making the Pokemon scream in pain. Red watches before he tries to communicate with the orange lizard, not getting nothing from its speech which he finds odd. Everyone watch as the Pokemon starts struggling, some of the ice particles of the place falling off, much to the females' concern when they look at the male of the group as he slowly approach the Pokemon, much to the concern of Leaf. 'I hope that you know what you're doing, Red.'
Its squirms escalate when its ice prison starts cracking which made the three adventurers hearts fell before they start backing away. Seeing the Pokemon starting to glow, Red involuntarily gulped before he ran towards Red and Misty, returning his Milotic, Poliwag and Vulpix. "RUN NOW!"
It broke out of the ice trap, shards flying around the area until it looks ahead, seeing the trio in anger. It then opens its mouth, purple flames crackling as it aims at Misty. Red noticed this, pushing the gym leader out of the way of the blast, making it angrier. It then started to glow before its wings starts flapping, creating a gust of wind that got stronger as time went on.
"It knows Hurricane?!" Misty said when she tries to hold on to a tree to avoid being sucked into the attack. Leaf was not so lucky when she starts floating the air, flailing until she was caught by Red who pulled her to a tree. Everyone waited for the move to subside to be shocked when it became stronger, starting to uproot trees and soon enough, engulf them into the attack, the trio trying to stay together as they travel throughout the tornado.
With hands crackling with electricity, it reared its fist, sending its punch towards the duo, Red protecting Leaf as they both closed their eyes ready for the impact.
"Blizzard!"
Before anyone could blink, half of Dragonite's body was encased in ice, the only thing everyone was able to feel was an intense blast of cold breeze pass through the area. Red and Leaf slowly opened their eyes, seeing a fist just inches from them, their attacker struggling to move from within its ice prison, both of them descending to the ground in relief at the loss of adrenaline.
"W-wha-wha-wha-" Misty stuttered, making the teens turn their attention to her before following her line of vision and seeing a Lapras on the water. The Water and Ice type looked at the orange dragon with a serious expression when it starts breaking out of the ice covering the bottom half of its body.
"Oh my! I must say you're quite the strong Pokemon…" A voice said in a surprised tone, making everyone turn to see a woman with red hair tied in a ponytail, dressed in a black blouse and a purple dress with her hand covering her mouth. She then adjusted her glasses, a smirk coming on her face. "However…"
"…compared to my colleague's Dragonite, you're not even close." Lorelei outstretched her hand, Lapras following when its eyes glowed, a massive snowstorm enveloping the area, Red and Leaf trying to keep their balance and not be blown by the attack. In a matter of seconds, they look around in shock at the change in the environment in a couple seconds of the blizzard that just occurred, seeing their attacker frozen solid along with parts of the water and the grass covered in snow.
"Woah…" Leaf said, shivering at the decrease in temperature and marveling at the sudden change in scenery along with Red. They both then see Dragonite barely able to break out of its ice prison, looking at the woman in anger. After felt to be an eternity which in actuality was a minute, the Dragon type took off into the sky, letting everyone took a sigh of relief. Shaking out of her stupor, Leaf and Misty quickly got up and rushed over to the red haired woman who was returning her Lapras before turning and giving them a smile while Red slowly walks up to the woman with them, confusion on his face.
"Y-y-you're-" Both girls stuttered in unison. Red looked at the woman with a raised brow. "Who is she?"
"Wait, Red. You have not heard of her?!" Leaf queried, completely taken aback when she received a shake of the head as an answer, making Misty look at him with an offended expression. "Are you serious, No Face?! Have you been living under an Onix or something?"
"She's like one of the powerful female trainers in Kanto. Known as the Ice Librarian or Snow Witch." The brunette continued explaining, waving her hands in exaggeration, none of them noticing the embarassed blush on Lorelei's face and she trying to calm herself down and tell them to stop which failed when Misty continued. "She's like, one of the biggest inspiration to female trainers in all of Kanto, second to that one blonde chick from Sinnoh."
"Call me Lorelei." The woman said after clearing her throat with her hand on her chest, hoping it would be enough to stop the two girls. The girls were going to continue until Swablu landed on Leaf's head, putting everyone's attention to it and letting the redhead happy to see the topic shifted. 'This is bad for my heart.'
"Hey there. Aren't you a little cutie?" The brunette said with a smile on her face, getting a chirp from the blue bird before she sees the rest of the flock taking off, confused on why it stayed back. "Your folks are leaving. Aren't you going to join them?"
'Nuh-uh, I wanna join her team. She seems nice.' Red heard Swablu said, texting the information towards Leaf who squealed after reading his text. She was about to reach up for it before it pecked her hand, earning a yelp of pain before it flies across the field from her, rearing to battle. "So you want a battle, huh? Alright, it's a battle you want. Ok, no probs. Buneary!"
She released Buneary who hopped in front of her in a battle stance, keeping its eyes on Swablu while Misty, Red and Lorelei watched by the side in curiosity, Red seeing Meowth collecting a few things on the floor before he joined it. After a couple seconds of waiting, the Flying type took flight before it descends towards the brown bunny, not seeing the smirk on Leaf's face.
"Thunder Punch now, Buneary!" Once the command was made and just as the blue bird got close, it was punched in the face by Buneary, sending it skidding across the ground. The brown bunny then continued its assault with Double Hit before the blue bird let out a screech, letting out a shockwave of wind that send Buneary rocketing into a tree.
"You alright, Buneary?" Leaf said in worry, getting her answer when the brown rabbit hops back into battle and nodded. "Good. Now use Foresight while running towards Swablu!"
The Normal type then runs towards Swablu who let out another Hyper Voice which it evaded and dodged before its trainer made her command. "Jump Kick!"
The rabbit jumped into the air, flipping over another Hyper Voice before readying itself for a Jump Kick while Swablu flies towards it, confusing everyone. "Why would it fly straight to Buneary?"
Misty got her answer in the form of the blue bird, spinning its body, dodging the move, making Leaf click her teeth before she thought fast. "Turn on your head and use Double Hit to redirect yourself."
Before hitting the ground, Buneary maneuvered itself, using its ears to punch the ground before it once again rocketed itself towards Swablu, the Flying type unable to dodge its attack, receiving a kick to the face. It then fell to the floor, barely able to move which Leaf used as an opportunity to throw an Ultra Ball at it, her breath hitched as the ball shakes until it clicked, making her able to release a sigh.
"Finally, I got a Swablu." The brunette said, taking up the ball before running and plopping on Red's shoulder, climbing him and wrapping her arms around his neck for a piggy back ride, much to the amusement of Misty. "I'm pooped. That's enough action for one day."
While the three women were speaking and on their way to a Pokemon Center, Red looked at Lorelei in disbelief, he has always heard about the Elite Four but he did not take the time to know them due to not being interested as he was in Field Studies in Pokemon School. He always heard Yellow and Blue speak about some of them, making him only know some of the Elite Four by name and not face such as Agatha and Lance. However, being able to see the woman in the flesh, the raven haired teen cannot shake the feeling that he has seen her before. 'I feel like I've seen her or someone like her before but I can't put my finger on where.'
They all continued down the path, the two girls fangirling while Lorelei and Red share shaky smiles, the latter surprised at the fact that the two have something in common. His train of thought was stopped when he felt a drop of water on his head on his head, looking up to see several raindrops descending. 'Uh oh.'
Before long, the group found them running towards the center, happy that they were able to reach their destination and got in. As they turned around, they were all taken aback as the weather intensified, lightning flashing in the distance. Everyone could only watch in a mixtures of emotions such as fear, awe and surprise as a collective thought surge through their mind.
"What on earth is happening?"
"Damn it! The machine failed!" A voice shouted, the sound of something colliding into the wall following afterwards. The owner of the voice then heard footsteps accompanied by chuckling before he sees the gleam of the person's glasses in the dark. "Oh no. On the contrary, this was a success, young one."
"What do you mean, sir? We were not able to stop those two trainers and the Cerulean Gym Leader."
"But we were able to shake Lorelei off our tail." The spectacled man rebutted simply, not getting any response before he walks towards the broken device, taking it up and starting to fix it. "You need to look at the bigger picture, young one. Sometimes, a loss can have more positive results than negatives, especially when put into the grand scheme of things."
Seeing the change in weather, he smiled while the other individual walked beside him, the 'R' on his shirt showing in the light. "Plus, we're able to give Proton's team the time they need to complete their job in Rock Tunnel with this weather."
"Ohh. I see. It still sucks that a bunch of upstarts stopped our plan with the Pokemon." He crossed his arms, getting a chuckle from the man in the glasses. "All in due time, my boy. We will beat them senselessly because in the end, we will win. Get me that wrench."
"Yes professor." The grunt said before walking away, leaving the professor who started chuckling.
"All in the glory of Team Rocket."
Woo! Done. I hope you guys like this chapter and Lorelei's appearance. I always liked her but it hurts to not know what happened to her after Will took her place. Same for Agatha. Weird. Oh well, story is getting interested and I can't wait to show you guys what I have in store in the next chapters. You're gonna love the next couple chapters, I think. I know I did. I'm happy with them and I'll get them to you as quick as I can. Thanks for everything guys. I'm just glad to be back. It has been quite a stressful couple months so it's good to get back to writing. I hope you guys are doing alright and I wish the best for y'all. Thanks again. Enigma out!