Chapter 33: Invitation

The golden rays of the setting sun painted the rolling hills of Pallet Town in warm hues of amber and crimson. Ash Ketchum lay sprawled on the soft grass, his arms folded behind his head as he gazed up at the sky. The past few weeks had been a whirlwind of intense training, pushing both himself and his Pokémon to their limits.

Beside him, Blaze lounged contentedly. The fire-type's tail flame flickered gently in the evening breeze. The raven-haired trainer closed his eyes, letting out a contented sigh. The peacefulness of Pallet Town was a stark contrast to the rigorous regimen he'd endured during his training.

As he lay there, memories of his recent experiences flashed through his mind. The gruelling physical exercises, the countless battle simulations, the hours spent studying strategy and type matchups – it had all been exhausting, but exhilarating. Ash felt stronger, more confident in his abilities as a trainer. Yet, a part of him wondered if it would be enough for the challenges that lay ahead.

His reverie was suddenly interrupted by a low, rumbling growl from Blaze. Ash's eyes snapped open, instantly alert. The Charizard had risen to its feet, muscles tensed, eyes fixed on something in the sky. Following his partner's gaze, Ash spotted a figure soaring overhead, and it looked like it was heading for them.

"What is that?" Ash muttered, scrambling to his feet. As the creature drew closer, its features became clearer. The powerful wings, the antennae-like appendages, the distinctive orange scales – there was no mistaking it. "A Dragonite?"

Blaze's growl deepened, smoke curling from its nostrils. Ash placed a reassuring hand on his starter's neck. "Easy, buddy. Let's see what it wants." Blaze's growl was warranted because Dragonite weren't your average pokemon you could just find in the wild, they were usually under someone's command.

The Dragonite descended gracefully, touching down a few metres away from them. Its size was impressive, easily towering over Ash and even Blaze. Despite its intimidating presence, the dragon-type's eyes were calm. It made no aggressive moves, merely regarding them with curiosity.

Ash took a cautious step forward. "Hello there. Can we help you with something?" Blaze was tense, ready to attack should something go wrong.

The Dragonite nodded, reaching into a small pouch strapped to its side. It pulled out an envelope, extending it towards Ash with a gentle grunt. Ash hesitated for a moment before accepting it, his eyes widening as he read the address.

"It's... for me?" he murmured, turning the envelope over in his hands. The paper was thick and expensive-looking, sealed with an ornate wax stamp. Before Ash could ask any questions, the Dragonite spread its wings and took to the sky, disappearing as quickly as it had arrived.

Ash stared at the retreating form of the dragon Pokémon, then back at the mysterious envelope in his hands. "What do you think this is about, Blaze?"

The Charizard snorted, a plume of smoke rising from its nostrils. Ash chuckled, patting his partner's side. "Yeah, I'm curious too. Come on, let's head to Professor Oak's lab. I think it'd be better opening it around familiar faces."

With a swift motion, Ash hopped on Blaze's back and the fire type took to the sky, destination, the Professor's Lab.

…

"Well, well, if it isn't Ashy-boy," Gary called out, as he saw his best friend and rival. "What's up?"

"Nothing much Gare-bear. Is the Professor around, and Leaf too?"

"Yeah, they're both inside. What's up?"

Ash held up the envelope. "Some Dragonite just dropped this off with me." As he said this, he showed Gary the envelope. "I don't detect anything hostile from it but I'd like at least you guys to see the contents of the envelope."

"Let's go inside then."

Inside the lab, they found Professor Oak and Leaf poring over some research papers. The professor's face lit up at the sight of Ash. "Ah, Ash! Gary! Good to see ya boys."

"Good to see you too Professor, hi Leaf. Can we talk… I just got a weird delivery."

Leaf leaned in. "What kind of weird delivery 'Ketchum'?"

"The kind that's from a pokemon."

Professor Oak laughed. "That's not really weird. Back in my day and in some places today, pokemon mail is still relatively rampant."

Gary decided to butt in at this moment. "Not if that pokemon is a freaking Dragonite."

"Language!" Leaf called sharply.

Professor Oak took time to examine the envelope. "My, my. This is quite unusual. And you say it was delivered by a Dragonite, Ash?"

Ash nodded, recounting his encounter on the hill. As he finished, Gary whistled low. "A mysterious letter delivered by a rare Pokémon? Colour me intrigued."

"Well, don't keep us in suspense," Leaf urged. "Open it!"

Ash broke the wax seal and unfolded the letter within. The others gathered around as he began to read aloud:

"Greetings, esteemed trainers of Pallet Town. Your prowess and potential have not gone unnoticed. You are hereby invited to participate in an exclusive tournament, where the world's most promising young trainers will compete for glory and unimaginable prizes. This is no ordinary challenge – only those with true skill and unwavering determination need apply. If you choose to accept, make your way to Vermilion City Harbor in three days' time. A ship will be waiting to take you to the tournament grounds. Choose wisely, for this decision may change the course of your journey forever. May fortune favour the bold."

A heavy silence fell over the room as Ash finished reading. It was Leaf who finally broke it, her voice barely above a whisper. "Is this for real?"

Professor Oak stroked his chin thoughtfully. "It's certainly unusual. I've never heard of a tournament like this one. It certainly isn't a league sanctioned tournament."

"Then is it a scam or is it fake?" Leaf asked.

"Not exactly. It could be but that isn't always the case. The league may not sanction a tournament but that doesn't always prove that it is a scheme or a trap. However, with the appearance of Team Rocket, it would be best to examine this carefully." At the mention of Team Rocket, Ash and Gary tensed.

Gary's eyes gleamed with excitement. "Unusual or not, it sounds like the opportunity of a lifetime. Count me in! Bet I could rake in a ton of experience before the League."

"Hold on," Ash interjected. "Don't you think it's a bit... suspicious? A secret tournament on some mystery island?"

Leaf nodded. "Ash has a point. It could be dangerous."

"Or," Gary countered, "it could be the chance to prove ourselves against the best of the best. Come on, where's your sense of adventure?"

Professor Oak raised a hand, silencing the budding argument. "Now, now. This is a decision each of you must make for yourselves. But whatever you choose, you must be prepared for any outcome. I'll have to let your parents know about this. It wouldn't be wise to send you all on your own."

Ash stared at the letter, conflicting emotions warring within him. The trainer in him yearned for the challenge, the chance to test his newfound skills. But a nagging voice of caution held him back. Team Rocket could be behind this for all he knew, but the Dragonite didn't look like it was being controlled.

"I... I think I want to go," he said finally. "But I'm not rushing into this blindly. We need to prepare, gather information."

Leaf nodded slowly. "I agree. If we do this, we do it smart."

Gary pumped his fist. "That's the spirit! Team Pallet, taking on the world!"

Professor Oak chuckled. "Well, it seems you've made your decisions. I'll do some digging, see if I can find out anything about this tournament. In the meantime, I suggest you all start preparing. If this is legitimate, you'll need to be at the top of your game."

The next few days passed in a blur of activity. The three trainers threw themselves into preparations, fine-tuning their strategies and ensuring their Pokémon were in peak condition. Ash spent hours in Oak's corral, rotating through his team and running drills. He was determined to be ready for anything, be it a challenge or a trap.

Delia embraced Ash tightly, so tightly that he could feel his soul leave his body for a moment. "Oh, Ash. Promise me you'll be careful."

Ash returned the hug. "I will, Mom. Don't worry."

Professor Oak approached, a serious expression on his face. "I'm afraid I couldn't find much information about this tournament. Whatever it is, it's being kept very hush-hush. I know for a fact that it's not league sponsored. Red and Blue don't seem to know about it, but they said that they'll be keeping an eye out."

All three of them gave a nod to the Professor as they waved the Professor and Delia good-bye.

As they set off down the road towards Viridian City, Ash couldn't shake a mixture of excitement and apprehension. "You know it does kind of make you wonder who else could have gotten an invitation."

The journey to Vermilion City was uneventful, filled with shared stories of past adventures and speculations about what lay ahead. As they crested the final hill overlooking the port city, however, they were met with an unexpected sight.

Dark, ominous clouds hung low over Vermilion Harbor, flashes of lightning illuminating the churning sea. The wind howled, carrying with it the scent of rain. It was as if nature itself was trying to bar their path.

"That doesn't look good," Leaf murmured, pulling her hat down tighter against the rising wind.

Gary squinted against the gale. "No kidding. Think they'll still be running ships in this?"

Ash set his jaw, determination burning in his eyes. "Only one way to find out. Come on!"

They made their way down to the harbour, struggling against the increasingly violent weather. The normally bustling port was eerily quiet, most ships safely moored and battened down against the storm. As they reached the main pier, they spotted a small group of trainers huddled near a sleek, modern-looking vessel.

"Is this the ship for the tournament?" Ash called out over the wind.

"Yes," a voice answered him. It was a boy with the same colour of hair as Gary. "Although, Captain's saying the shop won't be setting sail today because there's a storm coming in."

"So -" before Ash could continue, a loud crack of thunder split the air, followed by a torrential downpour. The assembled trainers huddled closer to the ship, seeking what little shelter they could find. Ash couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right.

"Attention trainers!" A voice called out. Seconds later they found out who it belonged to. An Officer Jenny. "I understand that from the looks of it, you all want to make way to that mystery Island that for some reason, only this Captain knows how to get there because nothing shows up on radar. I calmly ask that you rest at the Pokemon Center for the night and return to your homes. This storm poses a danger to you all and you all are the future of the Pokemon League in your own rights."

There was a cacophony of voices. A vast majority of which were in disagreement with the words Officer Jenny spoke. They had come this far, they couldn't just go back.

Ash and the others were quiet as they watched everything unfold.

"I understand your disagreement and honestly, you all are of age and I can't stop you but consider the storm. Not even the captain wants to go so please -"

"She's lying!" Someone yelled. "It's all a setup, a test of some sorts. First the bad weather, the captain refusing to go, the storm and now an Officer Jenny dissuading us from going. That's to whittle the weak trainers."

Some saw reason with this statement and slowly they started to rally up their voices with this statement as the foundation for their argument.

Officer Jenny knew a lost cause when she saw one so she kept quiet.

"What if she's right and we end up injured or worse, dead? What then?!" Another voice spoke up. "This storm doesn't look like it has plans of stopping and for our safety we might as well keep away from it."

Now there were two statements that served as the foundation for a rather lengthy argument that Ash had no plans of being a part of.

"What do you think?" He asked Leaf and Gary.

"I don't know," Leaf started, "I say we see how things play out."

"I still say we go," Gary said, ever the eager one for a challenge like this.

The argument continued for a while until another voice spoke up.

"Screw this… I'm going." As he stepped out of the shelter, the rest of the trainers followed and they got to see for themselves how strong the storm was. A lot of their bravado had died down and they needed Jenny's warnings.

There were exceptions though as Ash could see flashes of light as some released their pokemon, both flying and water types at least the ones that could get them to the island, possibly.

"We can pull it off," Gary said. "Between Blast, your Blastoise and Golduck, we can get to the island."

"Okay I'm sorry, who are you? You seem so eager to get us killed."

"It's not getting us killed, I just want to see how we can get to witness this tournament."

"And what about the last tournament we witnessed?"

"That's a low blow and we've grown since then. We'll be ready for anything Team Rocket has to throw at us and that's if they're the ones behind this. Besides, I have grown stronger as a psychic and I bet Ash has grown stronger as an aura guardian in training. We can do this."

"You've been awfully quiet Ash, what's your say in this?"

The raven-haired trainer seemed to be in thought for a moment. "Gary's right. I'm in."

Both trainers turned to look at her. Leaf seemed to be in thought before she shook her head.

"Fine. Someone has to keep both of you from getting into trouble. I can't believe you got me to agree to this."

"Just had to make an appeal to your love of adventure," Gary said, a smile on his face.

Ash released Blastoise and Golduck while Gary released Blast and Mach.

Before Leaf could voice her thoughts on him releasing Mach, the brunette spoke up. "We need her to see what's ahead of us. Don't worry, she's tough and if the storm gets too much for her to handle, I'll recall her."

They got on the two Blastoise and Golduck while Mach took to the skies, watching for signs of well… anything. Times like this made Ash wonder what it would be like to have a Gyarados. Might have made travelling easier.

They swam for a while until Gary and Ash noticed something.

"The current… it's stronger."

"Recall Mach," Leaf said to the Brunette. Her hands were firmly wrapped around Ash's Blastoise.

"Mach!" Gary yelled. "See anything?" He asked as the Pidgeot flew over to them. She squawked a negative and was soon enveloped in crimson light.

"Brace yourselves guys," Ash said as a wave approached them. He held on to Golduck, Ash glowing with aura in case he would need it. The wave slammed into them and to keep themselves from getting lost, both Blastoise held onto each other and Golduck used psychic to latch himself and Ash to them.

The rain intensified and flashes of lightning filled the night sky. Even while under the water, they could hear the peals of thunder.

Another wave came yet again and pulled them down and this time it knocked Leaf off of Blastoise. "Ahhh!"

"Leaf!" He and Gary yelled simultaneously.

"Go after her Golduck." As he said this, he jumped to Blastoise. The Duck pokemon, the best swimmer either of them had, launched himself like a torpedo as he raced after Leaf.

Ash and Gary couldn't see them, at least not in the physical sense. They could still sense her presence and even then, it was hard because it was hard to maintain concentration in the condition they were in.

Few minutes passed and a quack alerted them to Golduck's presence. Clutching his arms with even greater might than before was Leaf and she looked scared.

"Glad you're alright!"

Ignoring Ash, she lunged for Gary and smacked his head.

"Ow! What was that for?!"

"That's for me almost dying, thank you very much! And-"

Before she could continue, another wave slammed into them. It seemed like hours when only minutes had passed, with the trio battling the storms and the cold from the sea.

"The currents are getting calmer!" Ash yelled over the rain.

"How is this calm?!" Came Leaf's voice. She was glaring at both her companions.

"Ever so slightly," Gary replied as she turned away from them. He took the opportunity to release Mach. "See if you can spot anything from the skies. If it is too hard for you to navigate, return to us. Make sure to not stray so far that you do not see us. Okay?"

She screeched and shot off just before another wave, albeit a weaker one, slammed into them.

"How are we holding up?" Gary asked the pokemon they were riding. Their reply showed they still had enough energy left in their tanks.

Just then, Mach descended and squawked loudly at them.

"She's seen land," Gary said to the others, "straight ahead."

Cliffhanger. Hi everyone, I'm back. Still alive and kicking. Sorry for the long delay. My apologies. Pleased to announce that I just rounded up my first degree program and am currently trying to figure out the next stage of life and that's why I have delayed updating the story.

Anyways, this is the introductory chapter to our next arc which some of you are familiar with. As to how it will play out, I don't know, but trust that it will be different from the anime. For one, we don't even know if our trainers will make it to said "mystery island".

As always, don't forget to Read and Review. That tells me that you guys like the story. Heck I'll be even fine with a one word review, though I'd appreciate longer ones because it shares your thoughts about this brain child of mine. I also want to thank all the reviewers and apologise for not responding to reviews. I will respond from the next chapter.