" And Sheer Cold may be up next! Let's spread out!" Gary commanded.

"But if it's Blizzard, we're finished!" Goh argued. " Now gather behind Boldore!"

The Pokémon grunted as they ran to Goh's Pokemon.

Articuno screeched.

"Wait, is that Sheer Cold?" Goh exclaimed as he watched in confusion.

" NO!" someone in a black cloak yelled as they ran to the Pokemon and shielded them just as Articuno released the attack.

Blizzard hit the kid hard, and she gritted their teeth.

But she held their stance.

" Articuno!" She yelled. " It's me! Don't you remember? Please Articuno remember."

" Eevee!"

The girl looked at where her Pokemon was pointing. Her face darkened.

" Project Mew battle is temporary paused until further notice." The drone beeped.

Wisty sighed.

" Eve, you know what to do."

Eevee transformed into Leafeon and used Vine whip to grab the Drone.

Then, it pulled the drone to the girls hands.

" What have you done to her?!" The girl yelled. " Contact base!"

" Contacting base " it blipped.

" Uh, you should-"

" Don't tell me what and what not to do, boy." The girl barked.

Ash stepped back. " Sorry." He said, his voice small.

" Who is that?" Professor Amaranth asked.

" It's me."

The professor gasped. " When did y-"

" What did you to to Articuno, hm?" She barked, her hands on hips.

The professor did not reply.

" THIS IS NOT A RETORICAL QUESTION!"

The professor looked at Horace, Goh, Gary and Ash. " Why don't you speak to those fo-"

" Are their names Professor Amaranth?"

The professor didn't say anything.

" I am asking for the last time. What did y-"

" We did nothing!" The professor cried. " Look, even ask Quillon and Dakina!"

The two chasers came onto the screen.

" What are you doing -"

" Quillon. I am asking you this once and only once." The girl said, her voice ice cold. " What. Did. You. Do. With. Articuno?"

" I can assure you, we did nothing." Danika said.

The girl took a walkie talkie out. " Okay Houndour. Now."

There was a loud roar from the other end. Danika's eyes widened.

" Oh no."

Before the four silent boys could say anything, the girl motioned for her Eevee to do something. The Eevee backflipped and turned into Jolteon, then electrocuted the drone.

" Now that that's done, let's get down to business."

Ash had his behind Gary, who hid behind an ice wall. Goh and Horace were already behind there, holding close to one another.

" Who is she?!" Horace hissed.

" Beats me." Ash muttered. " But she's fierce."

Gary nodded. " You're telling me."

Another drone flew in. A video call came up.

It was a very frazzled Danika and Quillon.

Danika took a deep breath. " Look, we didn't do it."

The girl scoffed. " Right."

" It's true." Quillon begged, which suprised the four hidden boys.

Quillon never begged

" We promise, we didn't do it." He pleaded

" No." The girl said darkly. " Your dear Professor did."

Danika shook her head. " That's impossible."

The girl held up a piece of familiar fabric.

" Is it?"

Gary squinted. " That's.... That's...."

" Professor Amaranth's jacket!" Goh whispered. " But why....."

Just then their was a sound from the girl's bag. A Charmander came out of its Poke Ball and walked to the bag, pulling out a phone. The Charmander answered and put the volume on speaker.

" Hello?" A familiar voice said.

The girl grunted. " Professor Oak, I'm busy."

" With what?"

Articuno let out a screech, and Oak gasped. " Is that who I think it is?"

" My Articuno? Yep."

" What's wrong with it?"

" Oh, you remember the project your dear Grandson is working for?"

" Project Mew?" Oak asked. " What happened? Is he okay?"

Gary blinked. " How does she know.....?"

" Oh, he's fine." The girl said nonchalantly.

" And Ash?" Oak asked.

" Oh, that one's fine too."

" An-"

" Goh and Horace are okay as well."

Oak sighed. " Good. But who-"

" Professor Amaranth."

" I've known him for years! That's absurd!"

The girl rolled her eyes. " Sure. If you're naive."

The tension in the icy cavern grew thicker as the girl's icy tone filled the air. Her black cloak swayed with the gust of wind Articuno created with each flap of its wings. Ash, Gary, Goh, and Horace exchanged nervous glances, unsure of whether to step in or let her take the lead.

Articuno screeched again, and the girl turned back to face the majestic yet furious Legendary Pokémon. Her face softened slightly, but her voice remained firm.

“Articuno, I promise I’ll get to the bottom of this,” she said. “But I need you to trust me.”

The Legendary bird hesitated, its glimmering eyes darting between her and the rest of the group. The icy aura around it seemed to falter, just slightly, as though it recognized her.

“Please,” the girl whispered, her voice cracking ever so slightly. “It’s me. Wisty.”

The tension in the air shifted, and Articuno let out a lower, almost mournful cry. Wisty took a cautious step forward, holding her hands up in peace.

“Eevee,” she called softly. The Jolteon at her side reverted to its base form and approached, its large eyes shimmering with trust.

Articuno finally relaxed its wings, lowering them slightly, though it kept a sharp gaze on the group.

Behind the ice wall, Ash whispered, “She’s... talking it down? How does she even know Articuno?”

Horace narrowed his eyes. “I don’t know, but she’s got guts. And that Eevee... It’s not normal.”

Gary nodded. “She called it ‘my Articuno.’ That means she’s worked with it before.”

Horace shivered, whether from the cold or the tension, it was unclear. “I don’t know what’s scarier—Articuno or her.”

Meanwhile, Wisty turned back to the drone, now sparking slightly from Jolteon’s earlier attack. She scowled at the screen, where Professor Amaranth, Danika, and Quillon still watched uneasily.

“Don’t think I’m letting this go,” she said. “If I find out you’ve been experimenting on Articuno—or any Pokémon—I’ll make sure Project Mew is shut down permanently.”

“Experimenting?” Amaranth exclaimed, his voice shaking. “I would never—”

“Save it,” Wisty snapped. “You have one chance to prove your innocence, and I suggest you use it wisely.”

With that, she ended the call, her glare unwavering as the screen went black. She turned to the group behind the ice wall, her piercing gaze locking onto each of them.

“You four,” she said. “Out. Now.”

Ash gulped and stepped out first, rubbing the back of his head nervously. “Uh, hi, Wisty.”

She crossed her arms. “Hi, Ash. Care to explain what you’re doing with them?”

“Well, you know, just... Project Mew stuff.” His voice trailed off under her sharp glare.

“Right.” Wisty turned to Gary, Goh, and Horace. “And you three?”

Gary stepped forward, his usual confidence faltering. “We were tracking Articuno, but... it seems like you’ve got this handled.”

“Handled?” Wisty raised an eyebrow. “Your little mission nearly got my Pokémon hurt. Not to mention Articuno.”

Goh held up his hands. “We didn’t mean to—”

“Save it.” Wisty sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “I’ll deal with you later. For now, I need to figure out how to calm Articuno completely.”

Articuno let out a low, rumbling cry, and Wisty turned back to it with a faint smile. “Don’t worry,” she said gently. “I’ll fix this. I promise.”

Eevee, now back in its base form, chirped softly and nuzzled her leg. Wisty crouched down, stroking its fur. “We’ve got this, don’t we, Eve?”

“Eevee!” it replied confidently.

The four boys watched in silence, unsure whether to admire her courage or fear her wrath. One thing was certain—Wisty was no ordinary trainer.

The tension in the icy cave was palpable. Articuno hovered above, its icy aura shimmering like a cold sun, casting a chilling blue glow across the cavern walls. Wisty stood tall, her black cloak billowing slightly from the gusts of wind Articuno created with its mighty wings. Her sharp eyes darted between Articuno and the now-hidden group of boys behind the ice wall.

Horace leaned toward Ash, his voice barely above a whisper. “You know her?”

Ash gulped, his face pale. “Yeah. She’s... my sister.”

Horace’s eyes widened as he instinctively scooted further behind the wall. “Your sister?” His voice cracked slightly.

“Keep it down!” Ash hissed. “If she hears you—”

“What happens if she hears me?” Horace’s whisper grew more frantic. “Is she going to kill me?”

Ash sighed, glancing nervously toward Wisty, who was now stroking her Eevee with a tense but focused expression. “No,” he muttered, “but you don’t want to find out what she’s capable of.”

Goh, pressed against the ice wall beside Horace, whispered in disbelief. “That’s your sister? She looks like she could take down Team Rocket without breaking a sweat.”

“She probably could,” Ash admitted, his voice low. “Look, she’s not always like this, okay? She can be nice when she wants to be.”

“Nice?” Horace snorted quietly. “She just electrocuted a drone, threatened a professor, and is bossing around a Legendary Pokémon. That’s your definition of ‘nice’?”

Ash glared at him. “You don’t know her like I do. She’s... protective.”

“Protective?” Goh raised an eyebrow. “She looks like she’s ready to declare war.”

Gary, who had been silently observing, finally spoke up. His voice was calm but carried a weight that made both Horace and Goh freeze. “Believe it or not,” he said, crossing his arms, “me and Ash are still scared of her, too.”

Horace blinked. “You’re scared of her?”

Gary nodded solemnly. “Oh, absolutely.”

“But... you’re Gary Oak! You’re not scared of anything!”

Gary smirked faintly, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “That’s what I let people think. But trust me, Wisty’s a whole different story.”

“She’s not that bad,” Ash muttered, though his voice lacked conviction.

“She’s that bad,” Gary corrected, leaning against the wall. “I’ve known her for years, and yeah, she can be nice when she wants to be, but when she’s angry? Run. Just... run.”

“Great,” Goh whispered sarcastically. “We’re trapped in a cave with an angry sister and a Legendary Pokémon. What could possibly go wrong?”

“You really don’t want the answer to that,” Ash muttered.

Meanwhile, Wisty stood a few paces away, seemingly unaware of the boys’ whispered conversation. She was focused entirely on Articuno, her voice calm but commanding. “I’m not leaving until we figure out what’s wrong, Articuno. I don’t care what it takes.”

Articuno let out a low cry, its gaze softening slightly. Wisty took a cautious step closer, her Eevee standing protectively at her side. “That’s it,” she murmured. “You know me, don’t you? You’ve always trusted me before.”

The Legendary Pokémon hesitated, its icy aura flickering like a dying flame. Wisty extended a hand, her voice softening. “I’m here. Whatever they did to you, we’ll fix it. I promise.”

From behind the wall, Horace whispered, “Okay, maybe she’s not so bad.”

Goh nodded cautiously. “She’s really good with Articuno.”

Gary smirked. “Told you she can be nice.”

Ash sighed, rubbing the back of his head. “Yeah, when she wants to be.”

Just then, Wisty turned sharply, her piercing gaze locking onto the group behind the ice wall. “Are you four going to stay hiding like scared Skittys, or are you going to come out and help?”

Horace froze, his face pale. “She heard us.”

Goh whispered, “We’re dead.”

Gary sighed and stepped out from behind the wall, motioning for the others to follow. “Come on. Better to face her now than make her angrier.”

Reluctantly, Ash, Goh, and Horace stepped into the open. Wisty crossed her arms, her sharp gaze flicking over each of them. “Took you long enough,” she muttered. Then, with a faint smirk, she added, “Don’t worry. I don’t bite.”

Horace swallowed hard. “Uh, good to know.”

Wisty raised an eyebrow, her smirk widening slightly. “Relax, kid. You’re safe. For now.” She turned back to Articuno, her expression softening again. “Now, let’s focus on what really matters.”

As she spoke to Articuno, Goh leaned toward Ash and whispered, “She’s terrifying.”

Ash nodded. “Yeah. But she’s my sister.”