---

“Captain! Captain! It’s not here, either!”

A group of silver and gray-clad men and women who couldn’t be older than twenty, all with a pair of geodude and magninite all at their sides, hovering as the somewhat straight line of Team Core grunts made their way to a figure standing at the front entrance at the base of the mountain. Around them was chaos and anarchy, yet around this figure, who stood with their hands behind them, staring that majestic mountain. The greenery at the base and the further up you went, it was pure snow.

“Hence the name.” The figure said, a female voice with a rich, royalty-esque tone. She talked with an accent and was admiring the beauty.

Well, maybe a better way to describe it was admiring the former beauty.

Through her now opened eyes, all the greenery that one might remember from Mount Silver was now on fire. The pokemon center that once stood at the base of the mountain, often serving as a rest point for trainers seeking the final ascension to the highest point the Johto region had to offer, was in ruins. The attending Nurse Joy and her chansy dead, crushed to blood and guts by the whipping tail of a Mega Steelix.

“Captain! Can you hear us captain?” A grunt cried as the line of twenty-something Team Core Grunts stood exactly five feet behind the captain. Their arms were at their side, backs straight, and their full attention on the woman who turned around.

“Yes, yes I heard you.” Annoyed, she held out a pokeball. “Wrecker, return at once!”

The Mega Steelix, which had now used up the temporary effects of the Steelixite, had roared as it was reduced to red light and it disappeared into the Ultra Ball that the Captain held in her hand.

“Amazing! The Captain’s Steelix is the strongest!--”

“Not quite, but very close.” She curled her black lipstick-colored lips into a smirk. “So the statue?”

“Not here, captain! We looked and looked, but it doesn’t seem to be at this mountain.”

“Such a shame.” She sighed, almost like she was expecting disappointment. “The General will be so disappointed. And you know what they’ll do to you when they hear you failed?”

“Revoke my membership?”

She laughed haughtily, turning her elegant gaze onto Grunt #5. “You wish that’s all they’d do. But c’est la vie~” She swooned down the line that created an opening for her to walk down. “We press on! Mount Coronet in Sinnoh is our next stop. Let us pray that, for your sake, we find what we are looking for, lest you pay the consequences with General Ore taking their anger towards me out on you.”

---

---

Miki sat in her cabin on the private ferry she and a few others (allegedly) were given special passes to board. The only requirement was that they said to remain in the cabin until the ferry arrived at whatever destination she was heading towards.

To be honest, Miki knew very little about who she was going to meet. The letter she received a week ago was, if she was being honest, cryptic as hell. It didn’t state who it was from, only that they’ve been watching her growth as a trainer since she started her journey nine years ago. Saying how impressed they were with her work and how proud they were to hear she had become a member of the Elite Four, but said that they needed her help.

“My help? Right…” She laughed as she recalled reading that letter for the first time.

The sign off was G. O. She didn’t know who that was or what kind of name they might have. The Lava Queen didn’t even know what kind of person they were. She told her brother about this letter and he said she was crazy to take this letter’s offer of “adventure and fulfillment beyond your wildest dream” at its word. It’s true, Miki has never been one to think with the right side of her head. She always went with what she felt in her gut.

And you know what? As she contemplated it even now, as she was probably halfway there or somewhere close to that placement on the journey, she still wondered what this adventure could be. Miki Park has seen almost everything this world has had to offer. She’s placed top five in at least four official leagues, conquered Mount Silver and even beat the famed Red, she’s challenged Ash Ketchum in Pallet Town, though winning was another story. She’s even indulged in Trainer illustrated where she embraced her figure and took part in risque photoshoots that were very hot.

Miki has done it all. Shameless or not, she has reached the peak of her career as a Pokemon Trainer. So she wondered exactly who this person was to claim that they could outmatch being semi-nude in an adult magazine.

“Attention VIP Passengers,” A man’s voice said over the intercom system. “We will dock in exactly five minutes. Please gather your belongings and make your way to the bow of the boat.”

“I guess I’ll find out soon enough.” She was feeling a bit annoyed, but had no time to fret on that.

As Miki made her way out of her room, her backpack and small duffle bag in hand, she walked along the side, seeing the sight of a ginormous island and a small port at the front center get closer and closer. She saw a massive mansion in the background, which seemed fitting to the tone of the letter. Her mind was racing with all sorts of questions, but they would be paused almost immediately.

As Miki came to the bow, standing on the opposite end of it from the other side was someone she didn’t think she would ever see, especially here of all places. “Okay, but what the actual hell!” Miki shouted from where she stood, making sure the ice queen heard her. “I thought this was supposed to be for VIPs only. You’re barely a P!” She declared, approaching Missy Elliot with a nasty expression on her face that was also represented in the way she fast walked.

Suffice to say, things just got a hell of a lot more interesting, but not in a good way.

It was a weird trip, to say the least. The blonde in Cabin 203 had been on her share of boats before. The rechristened S.S. Anne in Kanto (before it sank again), the Iron Island Ferry in Sinnoh, the Wave Runner that cycled through the Alolan Isles, all fine vessels. However, the passengers were allowed to mingle on those ships. See the land passing by. Actually get their own food. Instead, Melissa Elliott spent the entire trip confined to her room. It was the longest amount of time she had spent inside anywhere in years. That was the joy of living in a place with such lovely weather as Alola. Outside always beckoned for fun times. At least she got to spend some quality time with Yuki, who was allowed out of her Pokeball to offer some company. A large salad with chunks of chicken and a bucket of ice cubes ensured neither would go hungry, although Yuki made it clear that the ice cubes weren't the best she ever had.

It also gave Melissa time to go over the letter that had drawn her onto this boat in the first place. The person had some intimate knowledge of her career, particularly the incident at the Indigo League that always served as the main blight on her career as a Pokemon trainer. They said they had the clout to be able to give her another chance at glory and let her get a fair shot at a title that was so rudely taken away from her. Of course, it stung less now that she had her own crown. She was champion of an entire region! She got to do so many things to open up Alolan battling to the world. And of course being a cover model on Trainer Illustrated's swimsuit issue was just a feather in the cap. But still, redemption was a dish best served to your opponents cold. Or something like that.

As the announcement rang out over the ship letting her know that her time in this cabin was at an end, Melissa breathed a sigh of relief. The chill her ace Pokemon brought to the hair made sure her breath could be seen. "Finally. About time we got out of this cabin and back on solid ground, eh Yuki?"

The Froslass looks over and nods. "Lassssss. Lass."

Melissa produced Yuki's ball and returned her to the inside for now. "Hopefully we won't be too long before I can let you out for a better trip." She gathered up her things and made her way outside, the large backpack and small carrying bag in hand as she filtered out with the rest of the passengers.

The port looked relatively small, but she wasn't expecting too much from this island. She was trying to remember if she heard of it during her geography classes prior to becoming a trainer, but was drawing a blank. She didn't have much time to think about it though.

“Okay, but what the actual hell! I thought this was supposed to be for VIPs only. You’re barely a P!”

It took a second, but Melissa knew that voice. There was no way it could be anyone else. But what was she doing here? Miki Park was a combustible waste of space who would just blow up anything that happened to cross her path! This had to be some silly mistake! At least it was clear that Melissa was still living rent-free inside Miki's head if the first thing she did upon arrival was to come at her. While on the outside, Melissa maintained a calm demeanor, inside, she was smirking.

"I'm sorry, who are you again?"

---

That all-too-familiar fire that Miki always felt whenever Missy was within the same area code as she started to swell and build, going from an ill-mannered, sparking-out-of-control house fire into a borderline disaster that was waiting to happen. The very thought of Missy always seemed to get under her perfect skin (especially when compared to the depressing ice queen), but cooler heads had to prevail. Still, the disrespect that her former Pokemon League rival was showing for her was enough to get her to lose every last bit of the cool that she was trying to keep.

It's okay, stay calm. She doesn't have to win. She doesn't have to win. She doesn't have to--

Yeah, fuck it. Miki Park was never known for her ability to keep calm, not when it came to her.

For a moment, as the Lava Queen stared down her former rival and the person who somehow always kept finding ways to blame her for the same incident that was obviously the Ice Queen's fault. Only someone like Melissa Elliot could refuse to take the blame for costing Miki the Indigo League championship. How that blonde bimbo could think otherwise was a fantastic showing of her ego. "Don't play games with me, Missy! You damn well remember me!" She raged, stepping closer to the blonde, her fist tightening as she was resisting the urge (and failing) to punch that smirk right off of Melissa's face. "You clearly need a reminder!"

Without hesitation, Mika reached to her waist, grabbing a Pokeball that was the first one on the left. "Blitz come out!" She shouted as the ball opened, and red light took form to her left as Blitz, a shiny Luxray and arguably the strongest in her team. "Call out your strongest and let's see if you still don't remember me!"

Blitz roared, seemingly echoing his owner's resolve.

For a split second there, Melissa allowed herself to have a little bit of hope. That even with the unfortunate arrival of Miki Park to whatever Arceus-forsaken rock they had landed on that whoever sent that letter CLEARLY had to know about if both of them were summoned, maybe their respective times in their respective roles would have quelled any smoldering embers from what happened at the Indigo Plateau all those years ago. However, it was clear from the dark-haired woman's reaction that this was not to be.

Of course, Melissa didn't help things by clearly pushing her buttons. Some things never change.

"Don't play games with me, Missy! You damn well remember me! You clearly need a reminder!"

Melissa could feel the white-hot rage dripping off those assertations, and it was delicious. Of course she remembered Miki. How could she forget the cause of her greatest shame? But clearly her rival held onto that hate to greater levels than she did. Melissa truly did win after all. Of course, what to do here? Miki had already summoned that overgrown golden kitty of hers, "Blitz, her Luxray, her ace Pokemon. Has Electric and Dark moves, does it have Fire Fang too? Can't remember. Nimble, but just as reckless as his trainer. Yuki and Juliet could both dust it with no problem, Grant does have Earthquake...

As Melissa kept her cool and analyzed the situation, she looked around at the passengers still milling about. It seemed as though Miki's outburst had ground the bustling port to a screeching halt. The Snowpoint City native held her tongue for a second and looked around."I don't think we can fight here... And I shouldn't have to."

The blonde made a motion like she was reaching for Yuki's Pokéball, but then reached up and ran her hand through her hair. "Oh, now I remember you! Yes, I remember Miki Park." She puts a finger to the side of her face. "At least I think I remember you... it's hard to remember someone who hasn't actually won anything. I usually keep my memory reserves for other champions." She leans forward, hands on her hips. "You know I'm a champion now, right? I mean, clearly you remember me, so you must be aware of just how quickly I rose to the pinnacle of battling. So you know just how quickly my team would shatter your squad to pieces."

A scoff escaped Melissa's lips that Juliet herself would be proud of. "I have no idea what you're doing here, Miki Park, and I don't think I care. But I have people to see and beating your Luxray into submission would just be a waste of my precious time. So why don't you try and make your way through the Alolan trials and the Elite Four, and then you can try your luck against me? Like a good little challenger?" Melissa turned to walk away, knowing that Miki would just further embarrass herself after that little speech. It was a shame she didn't train an Araquanid, because clearly she knew her way about weaving someone into her web trap.

---

Why did she always manage to get under her skin? Miki hated that about the icy blonde. Hated everything that she represented. The Alolan champion never wasted a single moment reminding Miki of that. She always thought she was hot shit, which was ironic since she looked like she came out of Lass Weekly. The hatred didn't come from her general personality and existence, though. It wasn't just because of her horrendous pokemon that Miki had occasionally caught on the television of whatever hotel or on the off chance she was at her home in Oreburgh City.

It was...everything. Everything about Melissa Elliot always rubbed her the wrong way. All of that superiority complex she had in her body and how she dressed made Miki Park's blood boil. Much like the fire types she believed were superior, she felt that red-hot anger boil to the surface, and Blitz, her Luxray had always been able to sense that in her. They had that close of a connection. As a result of that, as Melissa spoke ill of Miki, static was starting to be produced around the golden mane of her shiny Luxray.

She mulled over all of her words. She wanted to give Missy a piece of her mind, but as much as she wanted to (and she wanted nothing more than to wipe that smug expression off her face), Miki opted to use some restraint. "Not right now." She mouthed out loud enough for Blitz to hear and calm down.

As he sat down, pushing his soft fur against Miki's leg, she watched Missy walk away and aptly returned Blitz to his Pokeball, who made a sound that mirrored Miki's own feelings, she started to walk off the ship following Missy's frustrating exit. They might not be battling right now, but Miki wasn't going to let her get the last word.

She pulled up beside her, walking briskly, she saw the mansion get closer and closer. She glared at Missy but then cooled it, letting the fire in her simmer from a fireblast to an ember. "So if you're champion, what are you doing here then? Thought you had to stay there in case a challenger came knocking on your door." Miki hated she was actually curious. What had the world come to? "Not unless you lost and you were just blowing hot air to sound like you were some hot shit."

The phrase "Not right now" usually carries a negative connotation. It means that someone is being delayed satisfaction. A child isn't getting their dessert. A gathering of friends is not yet ready to shout surprise. A lover is being taunted by their partner. It's not meant to be savored exactly upon the moment of hearing it.

However, when Miki Park uttered that phase to her beloved Luxray, telling Blitz that there would be no battle at the moment, it was such a sweet sound to Melissa's ears. It was tough to pick out over the bustle of the port city, but the blonde could taste the disappointment dripping from her rival's tongue. It was delectable.

As Melissa began to walk away, she was confident she handled that perfectly. It was almost appropriate that Miki ended up showing up on this rock. It was her that drove Melissa here. Not directly, but Miki was the catalyst for everything that happened that gave this person the leverage to offer Melissa what she wanted. A true shot at redemption for the one blemish on her jewel-encrusted legacy. But she didn't let Miki know how much it still bothered her these years later. She was proud of herself for it.

So when it was clear Miki was going to keep following her, even after that beautiful flurry of condescension she had hailed down upon her,
Melissa was temporarily at a loss for words. It felt like an eternity, and yet it still hung in the air. It wasn't enough for Miki, clearly. Melissa always held a simmering hatred for how Miki managed to specialize in the one type that had the blonde dominated for so long in the early going. She's always managed to compensate for the weaknesses that Ice and Fairy types had against the flames, no matter where she trained, but the brunette was always so damn smug about everything. It gave Melissa great joy when some punk decided to roll up thinking he was hot shit with the Incineroar or Turtonator or Alolan Marowak, only to get doused or buried or... rocked. Miki was no different. Especially since Dark types couldn't do anything against her Fairy types. Melissa had to keep that in mind as she was pressed by the Lava Queen as to what she was doing out here.

"So if you're champion, what are you doing here then? Thought you had to stay there in case a challenger came knocking on your door. Not unless you lost and you were just blowing hot air to sound like you were some hot shit."

She was irked by the question. What did it matter what she was doing here? She was here now, that was the important thing. The fact that Miki would insinuate that she would lose her title so easily? Laughable! In fact, Melissa had to stifle a small chuckle at the thought. She looked over to confirm the brunette was walking behind her. "Oh, don't you worry. I still have my crown perfectly intact. Melissa laughed a little harder. "Almost like those Alolans didn't know the true power of winter's fury until I hit the islands. This one kid, Hau, keeps coming at me, and he keeps forgetting his Alolan Raichu gets wrecked by Yuki every time." A flick of her hair punctuated her confidence in her ability to keep those islands tamed. "But I told them I needed to take a leave of absence to deal with some things. So Kukui is taking over the reins for a little bit. He was itching to do some research on some new moves and he was happy to take over. Although Kahili is a little annoyed she has no one else to go golfing with next weekend. But I'll make it up to her when I get back."

As the mansion started to grow larger on the horizon, Melissa's mind wandered a little bit back to the task at hand. She still didn't have any good ideas on who the mysterious person behind the letter was, although their judgment was now under question with Miki Park's involvement. They had to have enough connections to Sinnoh to get a hold of both Miki as well as herself, knowing that she had taken up residence in Alola. Plus they had to have enough connections to be able to fix her issue with the Indigo League. Maybe make sure she can get into the Masters Tournament in a decent slot while they were at it. She had fought so hard with everything she had to get to where she was now. If anyone could give her a leg up for the next step, she was going to take it.

"So, what about you? Still in Sinnoh? Candice finally get tired of you stomping her enough to actually get a decent anti-Fire team together? I kept telling her she needs to get at least one regular Pokémon in the rotation that can deal consistent Water pressure on opponents, but she's just like 'I have to stay focused!' like that's all that matters." Melissa laughed again. If there's one person she enjoyed taking potshots at more than Miki, it was Candice. Perhaps that showed the rankings given how quickly she was able to joke about Candice with her supposed arch rival. "Obviously you still have your golden bug zapper, so you haven't retired from training."

---

There were moments during her explanation that Miki phased out into static. Not that she didn't hear everything that Missy was saying. She heard enough. Some local takes her on consistently and constantly gets squashed by her mighty Froslass. It was after that point she stopped caring about it. She'd never let the ice queen know it, of course, but the jealousy that oozed from her accomplishments was a sensitive issue for Miki. Cynthia was as tough as they came. Every time that Miki had left her post of the Elite Four, temporarily forsaking her spot to challenge, she'd easily get through her replacements and former co-workers, but Cynthia always topped her. It had been an infuriating experience every time.

Cynthia had done this for 7 years straight, though the last half of those years had been when Miki had made it into the Elite 4, climbing up the ranks. To the Sinnoh League record books, Miki Park, the Lava Queen, was Sinnoh's #2 trainer. Number two only.

Miki swallowed down her scathing rage at every comment that her rival made and chose to smugly grin it all away. "Of course I still have Blitz! It's true, he does not fit within my fire and dark-type specialization but he's been with me from the start. Ever since he hopped through my window as a Shinx." Miki had issues hiding her reminiscing emotions when she thought about that day way back when. Back then, she hadn't even started her journey, yet found her best friend. "And now he's arguably my strongest. Certainly has given you issues in the past, or do you not remember when your dearest Grant fell to his volt tackle during our last encounter?" Miki said with a proud and smug expression on her face.

As Melissa continued her approach to the giant mansion, it became clear that Miki wasn't willing to let anything from the past go. She still wanted to have something on Melissa that she could hold over the blonde. And she couldn't have the title of Champion. Melissa knew that wasn't on her rival's resume. Cynthia would have mentioned something at the Conference of Champions if Miki had been able to put one over on her. But Garchomp had a habit of trumping her ace Pokémon. The one that she was determined to trumpet about in Melissa's ears as she continued walking.

"Certainly has given you issues in the past, or do you not remember when your dearest Grant fell to his volt tackle during our last encounter?"

A soft chuckle escapes Melissa lips as she shakes her head. "If you're talking about our battle three years ago, when Grant was still relatively new to his larger body, then yes, your Luxray got the best of him. However, he is much stronger now, much like the rest of my team. Constant challenges from trainers scaling the mountain have toughened my team up immensely." She looks back at Miki with a confident smirk. "I can assure you, Blitz would have a much harder time picking up a win like that if we were to battle now."

Maybe she was giving in a little to Miki's taunts. She had just said there was no need to battle here in the port. So why was she offering up a challenge on a silver platter like that? She was done with Miki Park! She had no need to battle her...

And yet, that fire... It's what drove all those battles all those years ago. Melissa would try and douse it, and Miki would use her type advantage and get the upper hand. Even in average battlers, that wasn't enough to get the best of her in most cases, but Miki? Somehow managed to find a way.

But not today. She couldn't allow it to happen. Not with so much on the line.

"So I know why I'm on this tiny little rock. The question is... what are you doing here, Miki?"

---

"Wouldn't you like to know, Ice Queen!"

Miki had scoffed at Melissa's inquiry of her being here. She was adamant to keep that reason to herself. Adamant to keep Missy Elliot from ever knowing anything that was going through her mind about her being here. Even if she decided to deem the blonde privy to this knowledge, she wouldn't get it. There was no way someone who has already achieved all that she could possibly understand why Miki stepped down from her position as the top of Sinnoh's Elite 4 for an opportunity to do something...more than what she had been doing.

And, if she was being honest, though she would never let Missy anywhere near to finding out, the comments about Cynthia had hit too close to home. Because Missy was right. No matter how many times she tried, be it in private 1-on-1 battles or officially-sactioned battles, Miki Park always came up short against the busty blonde of Sinnoh. So maybe she was running away, but she needed to get stronger. Her pokemon needed to get stronger with her. This opportunity that was presented to her, she knew she couldn't pass it up. To prove she was more than what Melissa always thought she was and more than she was herself.

As they made their way closer to the mansion that soon came in sight, Miki sighed as if in defeat. "If you must know, I came to be stronger," she admitted, gripping the shoulder strap of her bag, glaring at a singular person standing at the front entrance of the mansion that'd give the Indigo Plateau a run for its money. "The Elite Four wasn't doing it for me anymore. I needed something that would test me in every way. Coming here is the first step." Miki was actually telling the truth.

The two young women had come to a stop and Miki felt the need to make a remark. "And for the record, Blitz is a hell of a lot stronger than he was three years ago. Just wait: when this is all done and we are free to do what we please, you'll find out just how strong he is." Miki stuck out her tongue in a petty manner.

---

So their both here. Amazing. Can't believe the lies worked!

There indeed stood a man at the front-center entrance of the mansion that was behind him. An older man whose features would be familiar to those who knew of the Oaks of Pallet Town, though for those who weren't from there or even didn't know what the Oaks looked like in a general sense, then no doubt there was an odd sense of the unknown as a man in a long white trenchcoat looked at them, smiling widely (though he didn't intend for it to remain as such) at the two young women who were escorted out by a handful of guards in nice suits. They walked forward, stepping in a straight line behind the older man.

He coughed and those behind him were saluting. "Right, forgot you did that." He spoke gently, hand behind his head as he laughed in a nervous manner. Again, he cleared his throat. "Right, let's see..." He stepped forward closer to the two women who stood a few yards away. "Miki Park, Melissa Elliot, thank you for coming and accepting my offer. You must have a lot of questions _{and no doubt will have many more after this is explained}. Please follow me inside. You must be exhausted after the long voyage. Sinnoh and Aloha, right?"

Miki glared at the man and stepped closer. "I'm not going anywhere until you tell me who the hell you are!"

"Oh!" He laughed in the same way as before. "I'm sorry it's been a long day for me too. I didn't have my morning tea, so it's hard to remember propor etiquette. As my grandfather used to say, 'there's a time and a place for that, Gary'."

Miki raised her eyebrows at him. "Gary?"

He nodded, giving both ladies a smile. "That's my name. Doctor Gary Oak. Happy to meet you both!"

Hearing Miki Park admit she wasn't strong enough actually caught Melissa off-guard for a moment. That was not the brash young hothead from the mines that she remembered from her youth. Every time they clashed, she would boast about how much better she was, how much smarter, how much everything she was over and over while Melissa just stood there playing the innocent schoolgirl role. Those were the types of things that made the Snowpoint City native happy to knock her rival off again and again until the shameful events at the Indigo Plateau.

That was the first time there was doubt for Melissa. So much soul-searching trying to figure out how things managed to happen the way they did. They led her to get outside her bubble. Travel. Try to find her purpose, or maybe even her father given the lack of contact she had with him since he left her mother when she was eight. She definitely didn't find the latter, but Kalos and Alola gave her the former. Still, the chance to right the wrongs of the past. Was she really growing as a trainer if she was still focused on Kanto? Maybe if Miki was growing up, she could too.

Then Miki started yapping about Blitz and all that thought was gone. Miki Park was indeed the same girl. The tongue was just the punctuation mark to that point. All Melissa could do was smirk. "I'm so sure..." was all she was willing to say when they came to a stop in front of the mansion that dominated the little port city.

The person who lived here certainly meant business with all the guards giving the two ladies the once over as they entered. The man looked like Kukui with the lab coat and everything, but definitely didn't have the Alolan Professor's body. The man was right. She did have some questions, mostly in regards to why Miki was here, and additional thoughts on that fact, but she knew she didn't have to say anything. Miki was always going to blurt out something. That's when she realized who he was.

Gary Oak. Of those Oaks. The Kanto ones. That's how he had the in at Indigo. His grandfather wrote the book on Pokémon over there. The name still carried a lot of weight. It had to, given how Gary disappeared for a little bit to go into what were presumed to be his studies. That had to be how he knew about the blight, and how he could offer redemption.

While Miki had yet to offer up anything other than questions, Melissa smiled. "Charmed, Dr. Oak. Please lead the way inside."

The pleasantries were easy to offer, especially since this meeting was going to tell her if this truly was a waste of her time, or if there was something worthwhile here to chase. I swear, if I'm here putting up with this human sunburn for no reason, I will not be pleased. At least this should be quick and to the point.

The ever eccentric and unpredictable Doctor Oak led the two ladies, who couldn’t have been any further apart, inside the villa. The technical mansion according to all official dictionaries out there, but calling it one wasn’t accurate, but to those who weren’t in the know of just what exactly this spacious building was, it was fair to assume it was a mansion. From the outside, it certainly had the appearance of one, but going through the large, blue and white oak doors, the outside aesthetic of the manor compared to what was actually inside was surely a culture shock for the two young women.

“What the?” Miki was the first to pipe up.

“Take your time. It’ll certainly take some to adjust to.”

In truth, while the outside of the manor, mansion…villa may have seemed homey and unassuming. Like a regular place of luxury, inside was vastly different. For the three-story building, the inside was like something out of a science fiction fan’s wet dream. Like a utopia of technology inside one building. Tubes that brought in letters flowed from the ground, up to the highest floor, tiny robots flying all over the place, taking each of those letters and absorbing them into their two-foot bodies, automated noises coming immediately afterward. They all went up to the top floor where the vague sight of a giant monitor was seen.

But only slightly.

“Melissa Elliot, Miki Park - this is where I must apologize and deeply regret some things.” Gary Oak stepped forward as he gestured the two girls to follow him. They’d step into the center of the high-tech interior that alerted Miki (and no doubt Melissa) to a sharp sound as the platform beneath their feet had a fast, green light circle around them clockwise and then the platform itself, a circular one that was at least five feet all around, started to float up.

“Whoa! This is rad!” Miki exclaimed excitedly, unable to contain it. She always had been a kid at heart even if her exterior didn’t always show it.

“Yes, it is quite rad! I designed it myself.” Gary also couldn’t help himself. An invention of his own being so well-recepted was the dream of any artist and make no mistake: given what was around them and all that Gary had achieved in just a short few years, he was undoubtedly an artist. “But allow me to continue from before.”

As the platform stopped at the highest floor and the sight of the big screen that could have been partially seen from the ground floor was revealed to both girls, it was evident that the reasons they came here was not what they probably thought. On the screen were various mini-screens of all the regions in the world, monitoring every city and every route, all the various landmarks, geological phenomena, caves and lakes, and the cities and small towns. The various Pokemon Leagues. All were under an intricate system of GPS, infrared, and drones scanning all edges of the world.

“You two both came here with letters. Given the coordinates to come to what used to be Battle Frontier Island for very different reasons. One for strength and a chance to prove yourself and another…” He turned around to face both girls and looked at Melissa. “For means of supporting yourself. And that is all true. I didn’t lie about anything that you were promised. Money and strength are all within grasp, but I did omit a few things from your letters.”

Miki was overwhelmed…No, overwhelmed was just scratching the surface. She didn’t know how she felt or what she felt. The Lava Queen was experiencing a disassociation moment, seeing the big screen and all it contained. She heard Gary speak, but even after he finished, she spent a couple of minutes trying to process it, only to look at Melissa. She didn’t say anything, but she wondered what her longtime rival was thinking about all of this. She didn’t even know what she thought about it and Miki usually knew exactly how she felt about almost every situation in her life.

It was, to be quite frank, a lot to take in.