Chapter 21: Cinnabar Islands
It was late by the time Sakaki's plan had been brought to an end. The main reason it had taken as long as it did was not because Ruby, Hop or Ash had any particular trouble dealing with the Pokémon, it was because there were so many of them to fight at once and some of the damage they'd done to the city also required their attention.
Ruby ordered, Bugs, Reaper, Houdini, Shard and Icepick to fight the Pokémon but kept Doomsday by her side. A Legendary Pokémon like it would be overkill in a battle against wild Pokémon and Ruby also felt Doomsday would be better suited for other means than fighting in this situation. She could saw a family up in an apartment several storeys high and being attacked by a Raticate that had burst into their room. Doomsday flew Ruby up there and broke down the window. The family cowered in the corner of their room while Raticate turned to see what was happening. It instantly pounced towards Doomsday with its vicious fangs bared but Doomsday just caught it with its jaws and carried it down away from the frightened family. They waved to Ruby gratefully, relieved to be safe for now. Doomsday brought the Raticate down to the ground and spat it out onto the road. The Raticate tried to attack again but Reaper suddenly appeared in front of it and sliced it across the face with Bitter Blade. The Raticate crumpled instantly and lay still. Ruby then knelt down beside the rat-like Pokémon and patted it softly. She sprayed it with a Full Restore and it was back on its feet again. However, it had lost its murderous tendencies and wasn't up for attacking anymore. Ruby stroked its head tenderly.
"There you go mate. All better now." she said softly, "I'm sorry this has happened to you but we'll sort this mess out. Now you run along before you get hurt again."
The Raticate scampered away quickly. Once it had gone, Ruby turned to Reaper.
"Keep taking down the rampaging Pokémon." she ordered, "Me and Doomsday will keep looking for civilians in danger. And keep an eye out for anything suspicious. Whatever's causing this may still be nearby."
"With all haste my queen!" Reaper declared, saluting his trainer, "We'll catch the vile villains behind this nefarious plot you see if we don't!"
"I sure hope so." Ruby muttered, "I still wonder what could be causing this to happen."
"I'm guessing its mind control!" Ash called to her from the other side of the street.
His Greninja was battling a wild Heracross. The Fighting/Bug Pokémon kept trying to jab the ninja frog with its horn but Greninja was far too fast and athletic for it to land a hit. Greninja weaved to one side as Heracross tried again with Horn Attack and then retaliated by throwing a Water Shuriken at the beetle Pokémon. Heracross was taken out instantly.
"What makes you so sure Ash?" Ruby asked curiously.
"Cause I've seen this kinda thing before during my adventures in the Orange Islands!" Ash explained, "Team Rocket pulled off a scheme that saw many Pokémon get mind-controlled into attacking their trainers! Even my Pikachu got mind-controlled! So I bet this is what's happening again!"
"It would explain why they're attacking like this. It's very much against a Pokémon's nature to attack humans unprovoked like so." Ruby concurred, "Yes Ash, I think you've got it. What did Team Rocket do when you encountered this scheme?"
"They used a really powerful Drowzee." Ash answered, "I wonder if they've done the same thing with these Pokémon."
"Could be a Drowzee, could be a Hypno." Ruby murmured, "We'll keep an eye out for any Rocket grunts with a Drowzee or a Hypno. If we find them, we'll be able to end this madness much quicker!"
"And maybe we can get them to tell us where their boss is hiding!" Ash declared.
He ordered his Greninja to use Night Slash on a Tentacruel that had just climbed out of the sea and was about to attack. The Tentacruel grimaced in pain and retreated quickly, sensing quickly that Ash's Pokémon was much too powerful. Ruby climbed back onto Doomsday's back and flew off to look for any civilians in danger.
Meanwhile, Hop and his team had come across a flock of Pidgey and Spearow that were flying around furiously and pecking at anybody in their way. The Pokémon Professor frowned bitterly at what he saw. Damn whoever had caused those innocent Pokémon to do this! He ordered his Corviknight to break up the swarm by flying straight through them. The steel crow Pokémon flew through the Pidgey and Spearow and its large size allowed it to instantly bowl them over. The smaller birds were knocked down from the sky as Corviknight swept through them effortlessly. It was like a swarm of bees being swat aside by a speeding vehicle. The furious flock saw Hop and began flying towards him but Zamazenta stood defensively in front of him and jumped up to attack the flock with Behemoth Bash. Every Pidgey and Spearow was instantly flung aside as he crashed through them. They were like bugs against a windscreen. Corviknight and Zamazenta kept up the pressure until eventually all the Pidgey and Spearow were defeated. The civilians thanked Hop graciously for saving them.
"No thanks necessary. It's just what any normal person would do in this situation!" he said casually, "Now get to safety. There's still plenty more Pokémon on the loose me, my wife and our friend have to deal with!"
The civilians began running for cover. Hop turned to see a Heracross rushing towards him with its horn lowered. It would skewer him alive if it landed its attack. But Hop's Dubwool intercepted the attack with a powerful Double Edge. Heracross was flung into a lamppost with a heavy crash. It fell to the ground and lay still. Hop ran over to it and revived it. The Heracross looked up at him apologetically but Hop smiled softly at the fighting beetle.
"It's not your fault mate. Don't feel sorry for yourself." he insisted, "We're going to find the cause of this rampage and save you all from whatever's causing you to act this way."
The Heracross beamed in appreciation and flew off back to its forest habitat.
Meanwhile, Ruby's team were effortlessly taking down attacking Pokémon that tried to attack them. Bugs used Pyro Ball to burn some Bellsprout into submission, Icepick took down some Sandshrew with Ice Spinner, Houdini used Psychic to fling away some attacking Tentacool, Shard used Flash Cannon on a swarm of Krabby scuttling towards him and Reaper cut down some Magnemite with Bitter Blade. Neither one lasted more than a single hit against them. Reaper saw a Spearow dive bombing towards him and he swiped at the air. He hit the Pidgey with Psycho Cut and brought it down in one hit. Icepick also used Psycho Cut to hit some opponents that were a good distance away. He even used it to take down a poisonous Ekans that tried to sneak up on him. Some Meowth pounced on Shard and tried scratching him but it did no good. His metal body was much too strong for their claws to do any damage, not even a scratch, to him. Shard shook them off and blasted the Scratch Cat Pokémon away with Dragon Pulse. Bugs saw a family trapped in a car that was being pounded on by Sandshrew. He sprinted over to the Sandshrew and kicked them away using Acrobatics. He then kicked at the car's door, breaking it off and freeing the family inside. The family thanked Bugs and ran as fast as they could. Bugs looked to his teammates.
"Dis is givin' us quite a work out!" he exclaimed, "Luckily nobody seems too badly hurt and da Pokémon ain't done too much damage."
"Aye, but we haven't sighted the charlatans responsible for this rampage!" Reaper muttered, "The culprit must be around here somewhere!"
"I've seen a few Drowzee and Hypno attacking but they don't seem to be the cause of this mind control Ash suggested." Shard noted, "It wouldn't surprise me if Team Rocket have fled the scene already and are leaving us to clean up their mess."
"I'd have done the same thing if that were me." Icepick growled.
"Regardless, we must keep up our assault." Houdini declared, "Vermilion City still requires our assistance in bringing a swift end to this insane conflict!"
Bugs nodded agreeably and ordered the team to get back into the battle.
Nearby, Ruby and Doomsday were helping evacuate civilians from a nearby café that was under attack from a swarm of Magnemite. The Magnemite had tried to electrocute Ruby but Doomsday took the blows for her and blasted them away with Fire Blast. Ruby ran into the café and flung open the door.
"Quick, everyone out of here now!" she screamed, "We'll get you to safety!"
The civilians ran out the door. With no Magnemite attacking, it was safe for them to leave. Once the café was empty and the civilians were away, Ruby looked over to Doomsday. It had dealt with the Magnemite and now it had flown off to deal with an angry Gyarados that was about to chase after the civilians and attack. Doomsday blasted it away with Dynamax Cannon. She was about to run over to Doomsday until suddenly, a huge tail shot out from behind and wrapped itself around her! Ruby cried out as she was seized and found herself staring into the angry face of another Gyarados. This one was unusual for it was red instead of the usual blue, which only made it look even angrier. The Gyarados constricted Ruby, making her grunt as her body strained in protest.
"Put me down you bad-tempered sea dragon!" she yelled, her voice strained by the Gyarados's squeeze.
The red Gyarados ignored her and lifted her towards its mouth. Ruby cried out in horror. It was going to eat her alive! But dinner was cancelled for red Gyarados as suddenly, a huge metallic shape slammed into it, making it drop Ruby. Ruby fell to the ground but Hop was there right on time to catch her. She fell into his arms bridal style and gasped in relief. She saw Zamazenta growl savagely at red Gyarados and Gyarados roared back at it. It built up a Hyper Beam but Zamazenta hit it again with Behemoth Bash. Hyper Beam died in its throat and the red Gyarados was brought down instantly. Ruby looked to Hop and smirked coyly at him.
"Still my handsome hero as ever, Hop." she teased.
"As if I'd let my amazing wife become Gyarados food." Hop retorted, "You can kiss me later when this is all over."
"Yeah, now's not the time." Ruby joked.
Hop put Ruby down and the two ran off to deal with some more Pokémon. A Magnemite suddenly appeared in front of the two and it aimed its magnets straight at Hop. Ruby tackled him to the ground so it wouldn't hit him. Magnemite aimed again but it didn't get a chance to attack as Sandaconda slithered in and bit down on it with Fire Fang. The sandy snake burnt it into unconsciousness and slithered other to Ruby and Hop. They picked themselves up and thanked Sandaconda for the save.
"And thank you also Ruby." he said graciously.
"You're always saving my arse and I'm always saving yours." Ruby replied, "Just as any couple would."
Hop nodded agreeably. Hopefully they wouldn't need to save one another again and bring this madness to a close before anything else could attack them.
Further down the street, Ash was battling another horde of attacking Pokémon. Like with Ruby and Hop, he barely even broke his stride against them as his Pokémon were much too powerful. Pikachu used Thunderbolt to fend off all the Water-types that kept trying to attack, Greninja used Water Shuriken to hit multiple opponents at once, Charizard chased off some Bellsprout that tried to ensnare innocents with their Vine Whips, Swellow engaged in air-to-air combat with a flock of Pidgey and Spearow, Lucario used Aura Sphere to blast away at some Raticate and Rattata that tried to bite it and Infernape showed off its martial arts prowess by taking down any Pokémon that came near it. With a mighty Flare Blitz, it knocked down several Pokémon at once and rendered them unconscious instantly. A Tentacruel ambushed Infernape from the side and wrapped its tentacles around the fire monkey but Pikachu helped out by zapping it off with Thunderbolt. A Gyarados tried to blast Charizard with Hydro Pump but Charizard's speedy flying skills made it impossible for Gyarados to hit. Charizard then flew in and walloped Gyarados with Dragon Tail. Gyarados reeled back from the blow and crashed back down into the sea it had come from with an enormous splash. Ash watched this grimly.
"Good work everyone!" he complimented, "I wish we didn't have to hurt those Pokémon, but it's for their own good. I hope we find who's causing this while we're here."
An hour later, all the wild Pokémon were eventually defeated and revived so they could return back to their habitats. For now, Vermilion City was safe again and no more damage would be done. Ruby huffed loudly, feeling worn out from that exercise.
"Well…that was intense!" she said casually.
"At least this mess is all sorted with." Hop said brightly, "And no one got seriously hurt too. We did brilliantly!"
"We still didn't catch the ones who caused this to happen." Ash said bitterly, "I bet whoever they were, they're miles away by now."
"At least we have some idea on what to look for." Ruby said optimistically, "Houdini had a talk with one of the Pokémon. They described some men in dark uniforms with a Drowzee approaching them and then next thing they knew, they were here and attacking people. Houdini also says one Pokémon recalls there being at least one man with a Hypno too. Pity we don't have a more detailed description of them but I think we can pretty much confirm this was a Team Rocket scheme and we foiled it."
"But what was the point?" Hop asked, "Why go through all this trouble just to pull this off?"
"I think I can guess…" Ruby muttered grimly, "Team Rocket's probably trying to distract us with this to stop us tracking Giovanni down. Well the joke's on them because if we catch any of them, I can get Houdini to make one of them tell us where he is!"
"You ask me, they're only doing us a favour by pulling this off." Ash sneered, "We should keep up the chase but for now…" he stifled a yawn, "We should rest for the night. Our Pokémon will want to be in tip-top shape if we're gonna find and arrest Giovanni."
"I agree." Ruby concurred, "No use trying to find Team Rocket if we're too tired for it. We'll resume our search in the morning."
"We should at least warn June, Trace and Tricia about this." Hop acknowledged, "They need to know what's going on and if we tell them, they might be able to help us."
"They've helped us before so why not?" Ruby agreed, "I really hope my baby girl's alright…"
The trio returned their Pokémon and headed off to the nearest Pokémon Centre to rest for the night. Once they arrived, they would phone June and ask how she was and let them know on what Team Rocket was up to…
June, Trace and Tricia left Fuchsia City feeling very good about themselves.
Trace had just finished his battle against Janine and like June, he'd managed to emerge victorious. It hadn't been a hard match for him thanks to his Rhydon and Nidoking carrying most of the battle for him with their Ground attacks and he'd used his Charizard to deal with Ariados and Venomoth. Janine's poison tactics had given him some trouble but not too much and he'd finished the fight with only Rhydon and Charizard taking the fall. With June and Trace's Soul Badges won, the trio set off immediately for Cinnabar Islands. They didn't want to waste any time and wanted to get there as soon as possible so they could get closer to Mewtwo. Luckily, there was a cruise ship in the port heading to Cinnabar Islands in an hour and the trainers were able to book themselves a cabin on the ship. The ship was huge, dwarfing every other vessel in the port beside it and making even Behemoth the Onix look tiny next to it. The ship had its own Pokémon Centre onboard so June and Trace could let their Pokémon rest on the ship while they sailed. They gave their Pokémon to the Nurse Joy on the ship and went to their cabins to sleep for the night.
The ship had just about everything they would ever need on the short sail to Cinnabar Islands. There were many places to eat, there was a sports room, a theatre for stage shows to be performed, an onboard cinema, an indoor pool, an onboard PokéMart and a battlefield on the upper decks for trainers to practice and battle with their Pokémon. It was plain to see that all three of them would be travelling in luxury and comfort for this trip and it also gave their Pokémon plenty of time to rest and enjoy a break for a change. The trip to Cinnabar Islands would take them a few hours and they'd be there by tomorrow afternoon. June lay down on the bed of her cabin. She'd taken her shoes and hat off for extra comfort. She sighed contently as she lay back on the bed and allowed the mattress to absorb her. This was one of the comfiest beds she'd ever laid on. June would've fallen asleep instantly if it wasn't for her Rotom phone buzzing and stirring her awake just as she was about to drift off. She answered it.
"Hello?" she yawned sleepily.
"Oh gosh, I'm so sorry June! Were you sleeping?"
June sat up quickly on her bed at the sound of her mother's voice. She hadn't expected to hear from her.
"Mum? How are you and dad?" June asked excitedly, "Did you finally catch Giovanni?"
"We're fine dear. And no we didn't." Ruby muttered grimly, "We're still looking but we've had to call it a day for now. We're both ready for a good night's sleep too."
"Aww, was today really tiring?" June asked sympathetically.
Ruby and Hop explained everything to their daughter. June put a hand to her mouth in shock.
"Oh no! Team Rocket mind-controlled all those poor Pokémon and made them attack Vermilion City?! That's horrible!" she gasped, "Thank goodness nobody got badly hurt!"
"We feel the same way kiddo!" Hop concurred, "I even had to save your mother from getting eaten by a Gyarados and she in turn saved me from getting zapped by a Magnemite! We didn't find who did it unfortunately but we'll keep an eye out."
"I think I might have some idea on who's responsible…" June said, her voice colder than a Dewgong using Blizzard.
She explained to her parents her encounter with Sakaki and how he'd hypnotized her so he could steal the Master Ball from her. She made sure to let them know what Pokémon he used. The moment she mentioned he used a Hypno, Ruby was utterly convinced June had accurately guessed who the culprit was.
"THAT CONNIVING SON OF A BITCH!" Ruby screamed, causing June to hold the phone away from her ear, "How dare he hypnotize you and rob you like that! How could anyone ever think of doing something so evil?!"
"Mark my words sweetheart, if we ever find this elusive Sakaki fellow, we're going to make him regret ever doing that to you and all those Pokémon!" Hop growled, "Nobody steals from my daughter and gets away with it!"
"If it wasn't for Ray, I'd never have gotten the Master Ball back!" June said, her voice full of admiration and gratitude for her Pokémon, "You don't have to worry about me, Trace or Tricia right now. We're perfectly fine and we've not had any other encounters with him since."
"Thankfully." Ruby said coldly, "I'd hate it if he tried to hypnotize you again…"
June could hear the worry and fear in her mother's voice. She imagined Ruby was feeling guilty over not being here to protect her from Sakaki's Hypno and wishing she could've been there to stop it.
"It won't ever happen again mum. We know what he's capable of so he won't get the drop on us again." June said reassuringly, "And now I've told you what he looks like, you'll have no trouble spotting him should you come across him."
"And given Sabrina helped you find him, me, Hop and Ash will visit her and hopefully she can direct us to him." Ruby suggested, "If he's out in the open, Sabrina will be able to find him with her psychic powers."
"One could say Giovanni's finally slipped up." Hop sneered, "Instead of distracting us, he should've stayed hidden away so we'd never find him. By sending Sakaki out to distract us, he's only going to direct us to him."
June couldn't help but smirk along with her father. Giovanni had definitely slipped up big time! He was as good as arrested now!
"I wish you all luck with tomorrow." June said supportively, "Do let me know if you catch that crap head for me. If you do, hold onto him for me so I can punch him in the face for hypnotizing me and nearly burning down Celadon Gym!"
"Wow, since when did you get so violent?" Ruby joked, "This journey's definitely made you bolder and braver than before. I doubt you'd have spoken like that in your pre-journey days!"
"Heh, I guess I have become braver as a result of my adventures." June said sheepishly, "Still, I really want to make him pay for his crimes. Sleep well you two and tell Ash I said sleep well to him too."
"We will sweetie. You three sleep well too." Ruby said kindly, "Where are you going anyway?"
"Cinnabar Islands." June answered, "Our seventh Gym Badge awaits us there and Sabrina tells us that Blaine might know where Mewtwo is so we'll ask him."
"Blow me down! You're on your seventh Gym already?!" Hop exclaimed in amazement, "I blinked and now you've gone from one badge to seven! You'll be winning your eighth badge before we know it!"
"In that case, the best of luck to you and Trace at Cinnabar Gym tomorrow." Ruby said excitedly.
"Oh I won't need luck." June said confidently, "I'm MORE than prepared to handle a Fire-type Gym…"
She'd already decided her team for tomorrow's battle. Leonardo, Behemoth and Divebomb were obvious as all of them had type-advantages and Spyro and Ray could use Water attacks so they would be handy back-up. Blaine's flames would be extinguished in seconds against her!
As the cruise ship sailed on through the night, neither June nor Trace or Tricia were aware of the darkly coloured submarine that was following close behind. It cruised silently through the night time ocean, making no noise as its propellers pushed it effortlessly through the water. Giovanni and his squadron were in pursuit. They'd been tipped off the moment June booked a cabin on the ship. Now they could follow her and with any luck, Blaine would direct her to Mewtwo…and then they would take it for themselves…
The next morning, Ruby, Hop and Ash did exactly what they'd told June they would do. As soon as they'd eaten breakfast and collected their Pokémon, they'd quickly flown over to Saffron City so they could talk to Sabrina. Once they arrived, they went straight into the Gym and Sabrina welcomed them warmly. She didn't look at all surprised to see them. Ruby imagined that she'd foreseen their visit with her powers.
"Greetings Champion of Galar." Sabrina said politely, "You've grown much since last we met."
She turned to Ash and smiled at him.
"Same to you Ash Ketchum. It's been so long since you challenged me back in your youth." the Psychic Gym Leader said, "And yet I remember our battle as if it were yesterday."
"Heh, it's a day I wish I could forget!" Ash said nervously.
When he'd had his Gym battle with Sabrina, it hadn't been a fun experience for him or his friends.
"As is, I sense you three are here for urgent matters." Sabrina acknowledged.
"VERY urgent." Ruby said grimly, "By any chance can you help us track down a Team Rocket spy named Sakaki? You helped my daughter find him the other day, as she tells me."
"Yes, I remember." Sabrina said, her expression cold and full of venom, "It sickens me how that man thought he could get away with hypnotizing a child and stealing from her and then going to attack Erika. Give me a moment, I'll see if I can pinpoint where he is…"
"With any luck, he's out in the open again so you can find him." Hop said hopefully.
Sabrina nodded agreeably. She closed her eyes and focused as she dipped deep into the psychic realm again. To her it was like being a computer searching quickly through millions of files to find one specific file the user needed. She was very still for a couple of minutes but eventually, her eyes snapped open and the adults could tell straight away that it was good news.
"He's in Fuchsia City. He's planning to set a trap for you." Sabrina declared, "He has four grunts with him and they're sending out their Hypno and Drowzee to hypnotize wild Pokémon into attacking."
"Somehow, I knew he'd try that scheme again as a means to distract us." Ruby sighed, "We best get there as quickly as possible before we lose him."
"I can come with you if you wish." Sabrina offered, "If he evades you, I can track him down again before he gets away."
"That'll be really helpful, thank you." Hop said brightly, "And maybe your Psychic Pokémon can break the hypnosis on the wild Pokémon."
"But what about your Gym?" Ash asked, "You can't leave that undefended."
"It won't be. My supporters can protect the Gym from any attack." Sabrina said coolly, "Now let us go. We do not have time to spare."
Ruby nodded. Sakaki could get away if they stood around chin-wagging any longer. All four adults ran outside and Ruby summoned Doomsday once more so they could quickly fly over to Fuchsia City. Sabrina kept her eyes closed and tapped into the psychic realm again so she could keep track on Sakaki's movements. If he so much as set one toe out of Fuchsia City, they'd change direction and go after him. Sakaki was NOT going to escape their grasp…
Meanwhile, the ship pulled into port and June, Trace and Tricia departed from the ship to enter Cinnabar Island. It had taken all morning and it was just after lunch by the time they'd arrived. True to its name, it was a large island that housed the usual Pokémon Centre and PokéMart but it was also home to an old abandoned mansion that was once home to a famous Pokémon Researcher. June could see it just up ahead and even from a distance, she could tell it had long since been abandoned. She couldn't imagine anyone living there now. There was also Cinnabar Lab, which June wondered if Divebomb would recognize if he saw it since he'd been born there before being shipped to her. Most famously, Cinnabar Island was also home to a volcano that had once erupted and destroyed much of the buildings around it but they'd since been rebuilt, including Cinnabar Gym. June could see the Gym just up ahead too. How long had it taken to rebuild it after the volcano eruption years ago?
Cinnabar Island was a nice looking place and June wished she could spend some time to really admire it. But she had a job to do and she didn't want to waste too much time. She had to face Blaine and she had to find Mewtwo. She briefly wondered about Ruby, Hop and Ash. Were they close to finding Sakaki right now?
"And here we are, Cinnabar Island!" June said brightly, "Let's get our Volcano Badge and see if Blaine can direct us to Mewtwo."
"I wouldn't mind if we could look in the old mansion." Tricia said, glancing over at Pokémon Mansion, "But of course, that can come later. We've got to keep our priorities straight."
"Ditto." Trace concurred, "Just to speed things up June, you can head straight off to find Mewtwo once you've got your Volcano Badge. You don't need to wait for me and Tricia."
"You sure? I wouldn't want to just leave you behind like that." June said anxiously.
"We can catch up on my Gyarados." Tricia insisted, "It'll be for the best if you get a head start. You have the Master Ball so it makes sense if you get to Mewtwo first."
"I guess I understand that." June thought, "OK, if you say so. I can fly back to the mainland on Divebomb and head to wherever Mewtwo is. Then again, there's always a chance Blaine might not know…"
Trace and Tricia thought June had a point. Sabrina may have said that Blaine would direct them to Mewtwo, but what if he didn't actually know? He could've forgotten or his intel could be outdated. There was that grim possibility that maybe asking him wouldn't be of any help.
"We'll just have to hope he does know." Trace said grimly.
The trio set off straight for Cinnabar Gym. But as they made their way past Pokémon Mansion, something yellow and red ran outside the decrepit building, making them jump in alarm. It was a Pokémon but it wasn't interested in them. The teens watched the Pokémon pick several berries from a nearby bush. June's eyes lit up with excitement. The Pokémon was a Magmar. Magmar were yellow and red Pokémon resembling a bizarre mix of a dinosaur and a bird complete with feathery arms and a duckbill. Like Charizard, they had flame-tipped tails. June remembered how Gloria owned a Magmortar, the evolved form of Magmar. She preferred Magmar as it was and hoped to catch one. Now was her chance!
"With any luck, this'll be quick and easy." June murmured.
She drew out a spare Pokéball and threw it. The Magmar heard it come but it couldn't dodge in time. The ball pinged off its head and absorbed it inside. The ball closed, shook furiously and then remained still. It pinged loudly to signify a successful capture. June was relieved. She didn't want to spend more time than she needed on catching the Magmar so luckily it had been nice and quick. Tricia was puzzled.
"I wouldn't have thought you'd catch that Magmar as quickly as you did." she mused, "Must've been pretty weak."
"And what was it picking berries for?" Trace asked.
June released the Magmar from its Pokéball. The only way to find out for sure was to ask it. The Magmar looked up at June curiously.
"Hello. My name's June and I'm your new trainer." June introduced, "And these are my friends Trace, Tricia and Ray. We're curious to know why you let me catch you so easily and what's with the berries you were picking?"
"Oh that's easy." the Magmar said, speaking in a deep female voice, "I'm fascinated with how you humans use fire and heat as a means to cook your food so I've been trying myself. It…doesn't turn out well." she muttered gloomily.
"No kidding. I can smell burnt berries from inside the mansion!" Ray spluttered, clutching his nose.
"So once I heard a Pokéball coming my way, I decided to let you catch me so maybe you, kind human, could teach me how to cook." the Magmar continued, "Although I shouldn't presume like that. You can cook too, right?"
"I've learned how to cook from my parents." June admitted, "I'd be happy to help you. Although I did mostly catch you so I can use you for battling. Is that alright with you?"
The Magmar shrugged.
"I can battle, and maybe with a trainer I can battle even better." she said optimistically, "I may have to fight off anyone that tries to pinch my cooking so I think being trained on how to fight as well would be very useful. Will you teach me how to cook and battle?"
"Certainly!" June said cheerfully, "I'd be happy to! But for now, we're on an important mission so you'll have to wait on that I'm afraid. I promise you, once it's over, I'll get teaching you right away."
"Thanks very much kind human!" the Magmar cheered happily, "You've really made my day!"
"Glad I could do so." June said brightly, "Now for you, I think Cinder will be a perfect name for you."
"It is." Tricia concurred, "It fits her Fire-typing and it sounds feminine enough."
"Cinder…yes, it is a nice name. I'll take it." Cinder said gleefully.
"Excellent." June said happily, "I hope you'll enjoy being on the team Cinder."
Cinder held out a hand for June to shake but June politely declined. Chances were she'd just burn herself if she did. She returned Cinder to her Pokéball and used her Rotom phone to send it to one of her boxes. She already had six Pokémon on her and didn't want to exchange any of them for Cinder as she was no good in a Fire-type Gym. Hopefully Cinder would get her time to shine in the last Gym or against the Elite Four. For now, her team for Blaine was all she'd need.
The trio continued walking to Cinnabar Gym. They entered and all at once they were greeted with the sight of garish yellow walls, flame details everywhere and floors decorated with noughts and crosses. It was known that Blaine had a thing for games and his Gym reflected that with the floor details. June expected he'd want to play a game with her before their Gym Battle too. Straight ahead was the Fire Gym Leader himself. Blaine was very old and yet he looked to be as fit as he ever was. He was bald and sported a thick white moustache. He wore round glasses, a tie with a fire pattern on it and a large lab coat. June could believe this man was a scientist in his spare time for he sure looked like the most stereotypical depiction of one! Blaine's old face broken into a welcoming smile as he saw he had new challengers.
"And welcome to Cinnabar Gym fellow children!" he announced, his voice radiating energy and passion. Age had NOT slowed this man down in the slightest!
"Good afternoon Blaine." June said politely, "My name is June and I'm here to challenge you for the Volcano Badge."
"Ah, so you're June. I was anticipating that you'd be challenging me sometime soon." Blaine said smoothly, "Word travels fast around Kanto and the fact that Ruby Silverlock's daughter was challenging all the Gyms wasted no time getting to me! You've done well to get this far my girl, but now you're in for your toughest challenge yet. As the Fire-type Gym Leader, I promise you a battle of burning passion AND fiery fury!"
He posed dramatically as he spoke. He was like a showman trying to entertain his audience rather than a Gym Leader at this moment.
"And I will also test you on your smarts too." he added slyly, "I like to spice things up with a game or two and you seem like a smart kid so this game should be easy for you."
"Heh, heh, no pressure!" June said meekly, "What do I have to do?"
"Nothing." Tricia cut in, "Sorry to interrupt Blaine but we haven't got time for games. We need to start this battle now for we're on an important mission."
The old scientist raised an eyebrow with interest.
"Oh? What's that mission of yours then?" he asked.
"We're looking for Mewtwo." Trace answered, "Sabrina tells us you might know where it is."
Blaine stiffened at the mere mention of that name. June and Trace looked at each other. It was clear they'd pinched a nerve in the old man. Blaine ran a hand over his bald head in thought.
"Mewtwo…I thought I'd never hear that name again." he muttered, "Ever since it broke free and went off on its own, I thought that was the end of it. My work all gone in a flash!"
"So you don't know where it is?" June asked worriedly.
"Nonsense! I know where it is!" Blaine retorted, "I wasn't going to let Mewtwo go like that and not keep tabs on it! It's vital I know where the Pokémon whose creation I played a part in is hiding! You never know if I might have to save it some day!"
"Well that's what we're here for!" June insisted, "I was given this Master Ball to catch Mewtwo with so I can prevent Team Rocket from catching it."
She showed Blaine the Master Ball Silph Co. had provided her with.
"Please Blaine, if you can tell us where Mewtwo is, we can keep it safe for you." June pleaded.
Blaine shook his head disagreeably.
"I can't just divulge that kind of information to you." he said gravely, "Not if it means sending a child to their doom. You must prove to me you're strong enough and smart enough to take on such a task. Mewtwo has power beyond anything you can imagine! Defeat me in this Gym Battle and I might be convinced you can handle such a task."
"Deal." June declared, "Let's battle!"
"Indeed we shall, and this battle will determine whether you are worthy of tracking down my powerful creation…" Blaine said cryptically.
He and June drew out their Pokéballs and prepared for battle. Ray jumped off her shoulder and stood with Trace and Tricia. They all had their fingers crossed for June. She just HAD to win this battle or they'd never find Mewtwo!
Over in Fuchsia City, Sakaki and his squadron had finished hypnotizing as many wild Pokémon as they could find. They'd decided to use the Safari Zone as that was full of very strong Pokémon that would be more of a challenge for Ruby and her team. The five Rocket members were all gathered together in an old dojo that hadn't been used in many years. They'd reported to each other that their mission was a success and now the attack could begin. As ordered, their Hypno and Drowzee had hypnotized the Pokémon to start attacking the moment they'd left Fuchsia City. By the time Ruby, Hop and Ash got wind of this, they'd be long gone and ready to carry out this scheme again elsewhere! Before they could leave the dojo, Sakaki was given a quick update from Giovanni. He smiled happily as he heard the news and he reported to his grunts.
"The boss has arrived at Cinnabar Island. Ruby's little brat daughter has engaged Blaine in battle." Sakaki reported, "We're to retreat from here and get in our submarine so we can join him and his squadron in his assault. No doubt once June beats Blaine, he'll tell her where Mewtwo is hiding and we'll follow her to the location."
"Heh, that little twerp will never see it coming!" sneered one of the grunts.
"And with our little distraction carrying out here, her parents won't be able to help her." Sakaki crowed, "I still wish I hadn't lost the Master Ball to her, but letting her use it for us will be very beneficial to our aims."
The five Rocket members left the old dojo and made a run for Fuchsia City port so they could board their submarine. But to their shock and horror, they didn't get anywhere near. Doomsday flew over the city, looking very much like a dragon in a fantasy novel circling through the sky as it prepared to home in on its prey. As it did so, Ruby, Hop, Ash and Sabrina all jumped off of the Poison/Dragon Pokémon's back and stood before them. Sakaki thought he was going to faint as he found himself face-to-face with the Champions of Galar and Alola respectively. He couldn't believe what he was seeing!
"Going somewhere?" Ruby said smoothly.
"WHAT?! How did…this is impossible!" Sakaki babbled frantically, "How did you…?"
"Sabrina's right next to me. That's the only answer you need." Ruby retorted, "Maybe you should've stayed hidden away instead of coming out of your hidey-hole Sakaki."
Sakaki understood completely what had happened. June or Tricia had obviously told Ruby who he was and Sabrina had used her powers to track him down! He hadn't considered the possibility of Sabrina helping them to find him! Nor had he anticipated that June or Tricia would spill the beans to her!
"So you've found me. It's not going to help you sweetheart." Sakaki crowed, "Our Pokémon have hypnotized all the Pokémon in the Safari Zone to attack Fuchsia City. I decided as a back-up plan to give them the order to attack if we're confronted in any way so you're better off letting us go now to save this city a lot of pain."
"We're not." Sabrina scoffed, "You've given the order to attack once you leave the city so whether we fight you or let you go, those poor Pokémon will be forced to attack against their will anyway."
"Exactly!" Sakaki sneered, "So no matter what happens, you're only making things worse for yourselves and putting Fuchsia City in danger."
"Hardly." Ruby sneered, "Sabrina, you can take care of this."
Sabrina nodded. All she had to do was go to the Safari Zone and use her psychic powers to break the hypnosis spell on all the Pokémon. The Psychic Gym Leader left to deal with it. Hop and Ash stayed with Ruby to deal with Sakaki and his team.
"You have only one choice mate." Ruby said coldly, "And that's to surrender now and come quietly. Even you must know you're completely out of your depth against us."
"It won't stop me trying!" Sakaki cried desperately, "You four, keep the men busy! Ruby is mine!"
"Yes sir!" the four grunts cried in unison.
"Cute. They actually think they'll last more than five seconds against us." Hop crowed.
"Let's show them how badly they're going to lose to us." Ash sneered.
The grunts ran over to Hop and Ash while Ruby and Sakaki remained facing one another. The wind played with Ruby's long flowing hair and coat.
"June told me some nasty stories about you Sakaki, namely how you tried to murder an innocent Gym Leader, destroy her Gym and you hypnotized June so you could steal from her. Needless to say, I'm going to enjoy making you suffer…" the Galarian Champion growled, her voice dripping with venom.
"You'll be the one who suffers in this battle!" Sakaki cried, trying to sound brave but the sound of his own terror carried over his voice.
The two drew out their Pokéballs and prepared to battle…
Pokémon obtained: Cinder the Magmar
June and friends are at Cinnabar Islands and if they want to find Mewtwo, they need to beat Blaine first as he won't tell them where it is unless they beat him! Can they do so? And will Ruby, Hop and Ash beat Sakaki and his team? Find out as we participate in "The Seventh Gym"...
Trivia: I've realized that Sakaki's gambit here is pretty much like Butch and Cassidy's plan in the anime episode "Pikachu Re-Volts". Ash even calls back to it as you saw here. ;)
Also as you can see, in this universe Ash's Greninja knows Night Slash instead of Cut. And that's how it SHOULD have been! Seriously, who teaches a Greninja a useless move like Cut? I bet Ash's Greninja would've been much stronger and more successful in battle if it knew Night Slash instead of Cut. =P