If you haven't already, be sure to read the chapter before the prologue to clear things up for a bit.

©: N/A
Word Count: 1950

◼️𝐏 𝐎 𝐊 𝐄 𝐌 𝐎 𝐍◼️

'Run...' the boy thought, as a group of Ghost-Type Pokémon chased him through a dark cave. He was frightened, wondering why it all had to come to this. It was supposed to be a cave full of wonders and mysteries, yet the Pokémon dwelling inside didn't seem to want him inside.

'There's more of them! Why won't they leave me alone?' the boy questioned in his head.

As the boy ran through many entrances, the Ghost-Type Pokémon grew more aggressive. The further he went into the caves, the angrier the Ghost Pokémon grew. They attacked him every step he took.

Where was he? It was a place where something important and crucial was hidden deep within; the Whirl Islands.

Knowing that he won't survive endlessly chasing, the boy took out his Pokéball and brought out his Gible to attack the Gastlys in the air.

"Gible, use Bite!" the boy commanded.

The small Dragon-Type jumped into the air and tried to chomp down onto one of the Gastlys; however, the Gastly being attacked turned invisible within the air and appeared behind the boy. Startled, the boy turned around and jumped back.

"G-Gible! Help!" the boy screamed.

In an instant, Gible waved both of its arms as a sandstorm began to form. The sandy wind filled the room, which caused the Gastlys to fall back, shutting their eyes to shield themselves. It irritated them as the boy was able to escape further into the caves.

They wanted him out. It was a command informed to them by their Trainer. They, along with the other Ghost Pokémon shall not let the boy get closer to a particular room.

A Gengar and a few Haunters went through the floor, spotting the green-haired boy running through the caves, with no intentions of running back. The boy glanced down and noticed their angered expressions. The sight of their glares caused him to run faster.

'Come on, Khoury! It has to be around here somewhere!' the boy told himself.

Finally, he arrived at the bottom second floor. The boy panted in utter exhaustion but pulled himself up and continued forward. As he did, the boy examined the room to prepare himself for any surprise attacks. However, no Ghost Pokémon showed himself.

He smiled to himself. "Hmph! Maybe I managed to chase them away."

Then, Khoury asked himself why those Pokémon were chasing him. What was so important inside the cave that it made them angry to see his presence? What was hidden within the islands that were so secretive?

The thought of finding out what made him excited. He wanted to uncover the truth as to why the people in Olivine City never allow their boats to travel near the islands, or as to why the people in Cianwood City forcefully prevented anyone who wanted to visit the islands to arrive there. He recalled those moments, of how the people of Cianwood warned him not to go, yet the anticipation and curiosity were killing him.

"If I researched correctly, Lugia's chamber should be around here. However, I heard visiting the chamber was allowed for tourists, so why was no one allowed to come here?" he questioned to himself.

Gible tilted its head in confusion as Khoury spoke his mind.

Noticing this, Khoury turned to his Dragon Pokémon and laughed it off.

"I'm probably being paranoid about all this; though maybe there's something I can do to help. Come on, Gible," Khoury encouraged.

Gible nodded and walked alongside Khoury, heading down a narrow path downward. As they did, Khoury noticed an Arcanine laying down in front of a cave. He immediately stopped, but he failed to do so unnoticed, as the Arcanine looked up and growled at his presence.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Khoury exclaimed, exasperated.

Arcanine's pupils glowed orange and its whole body becomes surrounded in a fiery aura. It then fires a large blast of fire from its mouth and straight towards Khoury and Gible. They hastily but barely dodged the attack, frightened at its power as they noticed how the fire burned a large boulder into crisps.

Khoury returned Gible back into its Pokéball and brought out his other Pokémon: his Croconaw. To his confusion, the Arcanine growled even louder towards their direction. It dashed towards him at a swift speed, with its mouth covered in flames, leaping once with an intent to chomp down on its opponent.

A stream of water started to spiral around Croconaw's tail, turning around so the Arcanine comes in contact with its tail. Arcanine was unfazed by the water, despite being internally irritated by the element., and chomped down on its tail. The Croconaw yelped in pain and attempted to flail Arcanine off.

Realizing he's somehow at a disadvantage against an experienced Arcanine, Khoury returned Croconaw back which left him defenceless against the Arcanine.

The Arcanine growled, clearly stating that it didn't want him in the caves; however, Khoury wasn't planning on backing down. Khoury stood tall, waiting for the Arcanine to attack him, as he gripped onto another Pokéball in his pocket. Arcanine leaped towards him, proceeding to attack, only to be stopped by the sound of clapping.

The Arcanine backed up and dashed towards its Trainer, a man who left the cave that the Arcanine was guarding.

"You're quite brave, kid. It seems the Ghost-Type Pokémon and my Arcanine couldn't stop you from making it this far. However, I'm afraid that bravery of yours will have to end here."

Khoury's eyes widened at the man who spoke those words. "You're... you're... Kanto's..."

"I'm flattered that you've done your research, but that won't save you. Oh, and don't try to wiggle your way out of this one. I heard enough to know your intentions here," the man stated.

"That's right. I've grown up in Johto and I've listened to stories about Ho-oh and Lugia. It makes me question as to why people aren't allowed to visit the islands like in the past," Khoury admitted.

The man shrugged. "Things had changed, kid. You can't expect everything to be how you prefer it. You see, my colleagues and I have been guarding this entrance for two years. Yes, there's something important inside and we don't plan on letting anyone through until the time is right."

"Don't you know it's rude to block public attractions!?" Khoury exclaimed.

"Don't you know to keep your nose out of people's business?" the man calmly retorted.

Before Khoury could object, the Ghost-Type Pokémon appeared behind him. Khoury was ready for them to attack him once again, only to notice another man approaching him. The Ghost-Type Pokémon floated and lingered around him, indicating the man was their Trainer.

"The Ghost-Type Pokémon were warning me about a hindrance. Is this trainer causing you trouble, Blue?" the man asked.

"The kid's persistent, but that ain't stopping me! He has guts for remaining here when he could've been humble and leave," Blue spatted.

It made Khoury's blood boil, hearing those words.

"You are the one that's not being humble! Even you too, Morty! Why are you allowing this to happen!?"

Morty sighed, as the Ghost-Type Pokémon disappeared into the cave.

"Has anyone told you about the events two years ago?"

Khoury was surprised by Morty's calm tone when Khoury had screamed at him and Blue. However, he had a feeling Morty was trying to divert the conversation peacefully, but it wasn't going to stop Khoury from finding out the truth. He had to get to the bottom of the situation—literally.

"Two years ago, there was an incident with Team Rocket, which became the birth of a bigger threat. They have the strength and trust of the Legendary Firebird, Ho-oh. Naturally, the only Pokémon to rival its strength is the Guardian of the Sea, Lugia," Morty explained.

"Then whatever's in there—"

"That's enough, Morty. Don't bring any more pipsqueaks into this, especially someone like this kid," Blue pointed to Khoury.

Khoury's eyes widened in fury. "Why you—"

Before he could say anything, the Ghost Pokémon returned by Morty's side, crying out to grab his attention. Morty realized what they were trying to tell him. He eyed Blue and motioned to the cave.

Blue clicked his teeth in irritation.

"Well kid, it looks like today's your lucky day. Desperate to know the truth that you would even be willing to go up against Gym Leaders? Follow or leave, it's up to you."

Morty brushed past Khoury and followed Blue into the cave. The Ghost Pokémon gave him a hard glare before following the two Gym Leaders. Khoury could only watch them disappear from his sight, before deciding to follow them inside.

★ 𝐒𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 ★

Morty and Blue rushed towards the waterfall, where the Water-Type Pokémon called out to them and motioned to the figure lying down in the pool of water. For two years, the figure had stopped breathing, but the two Gym Leaders and their colleagues never lost faith in the figure's awakening. Now they witness the figure's chest slowly rise up and down.

"Call Ethan and Green. Tell them to come here right now," Morty told Blue to do.

The latter nodded and picked up his Pokégear to do just that.

Morty approached the pool of water with steady steps, trying to take in the fact the figure will wake up at any time. He got on his knees, at the edge of the water, and patted the Water Pokémon that helped him and his colleagues to protect the figure. Morty couldn't control his inner emotions.

"I thank you for protecting her. The future that was predicted... it will not happen—I swear on my title of Gym Leader," he whispered.

After calling, Blue approached the kneeling Gym Leader.

"Green's a little busy at the moment, but Ethan's going to appear any time now," he reported.

Morty nodded, knowing Blue's right about Ethan's timing. As Blue predicted, they heard Ethan's voice around the entrance of Lugia's chambers. However, it wasn't a happy voice they were used to.

"Hey! Who are you and why are you here!?" the New Bark Town Trainer exclaimed, grabbing hold of the trainer's shoulder he noticed in the cave.

"W-wait! It's a misunderstanding—"

"Save your excuse! I'll—"

"Shh!" Blue hushed towards the two bickering trainers near the entrance. They turned towards Blue for a moment, until they notice the cries of the Water-Type Pokémon in the pool. Ethan looked stunned and walked closer to the pool of water, while Khoury couldn't believe his own eyes.

He took sight of a girl with brown hair, lying down in the water as the Water-Type Pokémon surrounded her. Khoury watched Ethan, crouching down to the spot where Morty once was.

"Ah finally... Why did it have to take so long...?" Ethan sobbed.

The figure's arm began to twitch, where the Pokémon kept their distance. To make sure the figure wouldn't be startled when she awakes, Blue commanded Arcanine to guard the entrance. Morty did the same as well with the other Ghost-Type Pokémon.

Slowly, the figures' eyes opened, revealing a pair of drowsy brown eyes.

◼️𝐏 𝐎 𝐊 𝐄 𝐌 𝐎 𝐍◼️

Be sure to vote and comment on the story. Also, please correct me on any mistakes that might have appeared in this chapter.

Hope you enjoyed it and are looking forward to the next chapter~

~Lisa~