Authors Notes: Hello, everyone (and by everyone I mean the three people who are reading this train wreck of a story). This is Fetch here welcoming you back for another installment of our story. I usually don't write these authors notes because my Co-Author just deletes them or takes credit for them anyways. Like she's probably going to do with this note (I love you, honey. WordSmith: Hmph, baka.), but here I go and try to reduce our three readers down to two.

Hey, that one guest reviewer (and you know who you are). Shut up.

I know you like our story and I'm glad and everything, but holy hell, man, I've got a job and crap. I can't update this constantly.

WS: Yeah, real life is a bitch. Fanfic unfortunately does not put money in the bank. Sadface. Well, that's all my baka co-author wanted to say. Thank you all again for your favorites, follows and reviews! Please enjoy this chapter (even if it's just Tits McLeaf and not Red the Dork King *shot*)

Disclaimer: If we owned any of this, we would have made it into a TV series by now and rolling in dough. Sadface.

Chapter 20: In which I once again put too much focus on Leaf's mammaries.

Leaf was trying her hardest to avoid getting caught up in yet another trainer battle along the sea routes she was traveling on. She was already having an uncomfortable time having to sit on Mariel's hard-shell back for what seemed like hours on end, just passing nothing but craggy rocks and endless ocean that appeared to lead to nowhere. Probably the worst thing was that these swimmers were out on the rather rough waves that would grab onto the side of a rock or hang on to their surfing Pokemon for dear life, and challenge her to a battle.

Leaf had to wonder if these people had any lives outside of swimming in the frigid waters with their Pokemon, avoiding the vicious Water-types that plagued the sea, such as those annoying Tentacool that waited with their tentacles raised for unsuspecting prey. Leaf even saw one swimmer with several red welts all over his body; he said the salt water gave him such a stinging pain that he was sure to grow stronger. Leaf had to wonder why swimming seemed to attract these strange, masochistic folk.

"Well, at least my team is racking up experience with all this battling. But I hope we hit land soon..." she groaned and laid her head upon Mariel's neck, closing her eyes in weariness. The Lapras just let out a happy tune, swishing her back fins as she did. But as soon as she performed the carefree act, she suddenly stopped and stared ahead at the island coming towards her. It wasn't a place where a human could live; it was just a few large caves populating two sandy patches. However, Mariel couldn't help but feel unease as she cautiously approached the area.

"Mariel, what's the matter? Why're you slowing down, girl?" Leaf asked, lifting her head up. Her eyes widened in glee as Mariel approached the sandy bank. "Alright, something besides blue ocean! Sure, it's just a cave, but it'll be a brief respite for now."

Leaf tumbled off of the Lapras with as much grace as a drunk Miltank, not only from trying to get her "land-legs" back, but also because she was horribly misbalanced by her top-heavy figure. Get it, like a Miltank? No?

Leaf quickly stood up and brushed herself off in case anyone saw her fall. Mariel let out a mournful wail, which Leaf noticed as odd behavior for the sweet-tempered Pokemon.

"I'm sure it'll be fine. I have a few Escape Ropes and I know you guys can handle whatever is down there. Here, I'll put you in the ball if it makes you feel better."

After Leaf called back Mariel into the ball, she walked towards the front entrance and read the weather-beaten, mold-covered sign. "'Seafoam Islands,' huh? Well, maybe there will be some Pokemon in there for the collection?"

Leaf descended into the cave's entrance. As soon as she entered, she felt a surge of cold air hit her face and instantly regretted not bringing at least a jacket. Those ta-ta's of hers must really be feeling the burn by now.

"A-A-Alright, t-t-t-time to ma-ma-make some c-c-c-changes. C-c-come on out, F-F-F-Firenze," Leaf barley chattered out, releasing the fire-fox Pokemon who didn't seem to be the least bit bothered by the cold habit. Leaf was grateful for the portable heater, but she noticed the usually mild-mannered Ninetales was softly growling, her neck fur standing on end.

"Is there something down here…?" Leaf mused as she patted Firenze's head. Even she was starting to get a bad feeling in her stomach. "Come on, I'm sure there's nothing we can't handle."

The feeling of dread welling up inside of Leaf was dashed after she found herself wandering through a cave for what felt like hours on end. She occasionally slipped on patches of ice and she had to rely on Firenze for support when she would lose her footing. She also nearly fell into dark holes while walking around and if it hadn't been for Firenze grabbing the back of her shirt to reel her back, Leaf would've had more than a sore behind to worry about. She really wished that whoever put up the sign out front also put warning signs for the hazardous environment inside the deep cave and hoped to the Birds she didn't find the bones of lost trainers while searching about.

As she descended deeper into the basement levels, she noticed Firenze's mood gradually change to one of an animal on high alert. She had no idea what was eating at her Pokemon, but she had more important things on her mind when she came to the last level and saw a fast-running current.

"Dammit, there's no way Mariel can cross this current! Think, Leaf, think…" Leaf puzzled over what to do when she remembered the dark holes and convenient boulders near the holes. If she could find a way to move the boulders down here, she could block the opening and slow down the water current. "Leaf, you're the smartest person I know. Come on Firenze, let's solve puzzles!"

What a conceited bitch.

"Rrrrr…" Firenze whined as she trailed up the rickety ladder after her master. She briefly looked back into the abyss and narrowed her eyes, her neck hair standing up again. She could feel the strong presence of a powerful creature in this cave, one that should be revered and left alone lest it turns them all into its next lunch. But Firenze couldn't leave her master's side to run off. Such was the curse of loyalty to one's superior, like a samurai warrior off to defend their daimyo.

Leaf brought out Cyan, who had learned Strength after Leaf "picked up" the HM disc in Fuchsia City, figuring no one would miss it during the riot. Even the plucky Nidoqueen was disconcerted with her surrounding environment. She huddled close to Leaf and let out a pitiful whimper.

"I know there's something strange in this cave, Cyan sweetie, but just do Mama Leaf a favor and push those big boulders down those holes. If you do, I'll give you some fresh Pidgey bites later."

"Nii? Niii!" Cyan let out a joyful cry as she got to work pushing the boulders into the holes, motivated by hunger and her owner's appreciation. Firenze just rolled her eyes at Cyan's single-minded devotion to food. She decided to keep these thoughts to herself, seeing the Nidoqueen's powerful forearms and not wanting to be on the receiving end of those biceps.

Cyan and Leaf worked tirelessly as the Pokemon pushed boulders into holes below and Leaf directed her like a foreman on a construction site, Firenze providing much needed heat to the duo. Their work was made longer by the wild Pokemon attacks, but Firenze's Flamethrower would keep the icy Pokemon at bay.

Finally, after Leaf felt herself growing bored and tired of rubbing snow on Cyan's neck to cool her down, Leaf reached the final level of the cave. She saw that the boulders were now blocking the exit of the cave and making the water safer to cross.

"You did a good job, Cyan sweetie. Take a break inside your Pokeball until we get to a Pokemon Center and get you your reward." After Cyan was put away, Leaf brought out Mariel into the water. The Lapras shivered fiercely and let out another mournful cry, this one longer and louder than her first.

"It's alright, Mariel," Leaf said as she and Firenze hopped onto her back. "See, your friend Firenze is out and I'll be right here to make sure nothing bad happens. Hopefully."

Firenze let out a few barks to Mariel, which translated along the lines of, "If we die to whatever monster lives down here, I just want to say it was nice to know you."

Mariel's response was a livelier cry of, "Oh, I'm not worried about what we'll find. Let's just hope she's in a good mood. Maybe if I sing to her she'll be happy!"

Firenze cocked her head in confusion. She knew that "bitches be crazy," as she once heard that strange boy with the fire salamander say, but never did the Ninetales think that they would be so ignorant as to ignore the horrifying stench of death and broken dreams that lingered in this place. Wasn't her trainer supposed to be the smart one? Wasn't her comrades supposed to be the rational ones?

Throughout Firenze's inner struggle, the blissfully ignorant Leaf urged Mariel further into the cave. She took in the features of the cave, both marveling at the beauty of the shimmering ice crystals and pristine blue water, but also feeling tense at the lack of wild Pokemon and the overwhelming pressure of a great force approaching as she surfed closer to the source. This feeling I have is like the one I got at the Power Plant. Maybe I should turn… Her breath was taken away as Mariel stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes widening at the sight before her.

There was a small icy platform at the end of the cave, covered with a myriad of transparent shards, and the remains of Magikarp bones and Krabby shells. Sitting amidst this pile was a majestic bird, its eyes closed and its breathing at a peaceful pace. It had vibrant blue feathers with three darker ones jutting out from its forehead like a crown; some of them glistened from the dew that fell from the stalactites above it. Its brilliant tail slithered gracefully across the platform, just barely touching the water's surface. Despite its beauty and the heavy weight of its identity, Leaf was surprised to find that it was about the same height as Red's Charizard. Guess the legends about the Birds being giants were wrong after all.

"Articuno…" Leaf said, pulling out her Pokedex and barely listening as the data was read aloud to her. "Articuno, the Freeze Pokemon. One of the legendary bird Pokemon. Legend says that it appears to doomed people who are lost in icy mountains."

Firenze was letting out a low hiss, her hind-legs arched in a threatened position and all nine of her tails swaying in anticipation to fight. Mariel meanwhile began to sing a melancholic tune, her demeanor calm and subdued in the bird's presence. Leaf finally understood why her Pokemon were so anxious, particularly Mariel; they were in the presence of one of the legends.

Upon hearing the noise, Articuno roused itself awake. After shaking the damp water droplets from its feathers and head, the bird stood up on steely gray talons, stretched its magnificent wings upwards and let out a coo. She then folded her wings back and peered down at the newcomers with curiosity and resignation.

I think it wants me to challenge it, Leaf thought like an idiot. Because she was. Honestly, why would a god want to be challenged? On a roll with your hubris today, aren't you, Tits McLeaf?

Err, anyways…

Leaf pressed the now silent Mariel closer to the platform. She and Firenze cautiously climbed off and edged closer to the bird, who kept its head cocked and eyes straight at Leaf.

I'm ready. I'm not the same as I was at the Power Plant. I WILL catch Articuno.

With a new sense of courage, she released both Cyan and Bloom. "Bloom, use Leech Seed; Cyan, use Strength and use your Poison Point on Articuno!"

"Saur!" "Nii!" Both Pokemon immediately went straight on the attack, but both ended up missing as Articuno took to the air just out of their reach. It let out a loud cry and let out a beam of ice from its beak.

"Dodge!" Leaf ordered and the Pokemon barely escaped the freeze ray with Cyan's tail getting hit; the tip was incased with ice, causing the Pokemon to wince in pain. Leaf could feel the stinging pain of ice flecks hitting her face

"Saur, saur!" Bloom called to Cyan, who nodded back and distracted the Articuno by letting out a few Poison Stings from her back spines. As Articuno was doing its best to avoid the spines, it felt itself become grounded by something grabbing its talons. Upon looking behind itself, the bird legendary saw that Bloom had used Leech Seed on it when it wasn't looking.

As Articuno felt its health being sapped by the vines, Firenze dashed up to the downed bird and released dark fiery orbs from her mouth towards Articuno.

"Gyaoooh!" Articuno cried out in pain as the will o'wisps made contact with its skin, burning off some of its feathers and leaving a persistent burn that weakened it every time it made sudden or fast movements.

Leaf then decided to strike with her Ultra Balls, as Cyan and Bloom backed away from the thrashing creature. Mariel began splashing the water as if she were the one in pain. After six failed catches, Leaf called out to Firenze, "Use Confuse Ray. Maybe it'll knock itself out."

Ninetales nodded and directed her energy towards the Articuno's eyes. The bird became entranced by the cold stare and felt its mind becoming a confused, erratic mess.

"Gyaa-ohh!" it cried and it took to the air, flying about erratically and slamming into cave's walls. Leaf and her Pokemon barely avoided a large piece of ice come crashing down around them, scattering crystals all around the platform. Upon crashing for the third time, the bird collapsed onto its nest, crushing the shards and bones with its weight. Leaf approached it again and began hurling Ultra Balls, biting her lip hard enough to make it bleed. Every time the ball shook and sprung back onto the floor, Leaf would let out an expletive that her mother would certainly smack her upside the head for saying. The ground was becoming littered with broken Ultra Balls, though Leaf could see Articuno's resolve and movements lessening with every capture attempt.

"Please, please let this work. I promise I'll heal you after I catch you! I don't want to harm you!" Leaf called out, throwing her tenth ball. She was down to two left…

The flash of light absolved the heavily breathing Articuno, who had fallen still as it was absorbed within.

Shake.

Leaf clasped her hands together and brought them close to her mouth.

Shake.

Mariel, Cyan, Bloom and Firenze stood around their trainer, glaring at the ball for any signs of change.

Shake.

…

Click.

Leaf sunk to the ground, sweating too furiously to care about the coldness, her face breaking into a smile of both disbelief and joy. When it finally hit her that she had actually caught Articuno, she immediately climbed back up and let out her proudest, haughtiest laugh in all her life.

"OHOHOHOHOHOHO! OHOHOHOHOHO!"

Her Pokemon team let out joyous cries as Firenze rushed over, snatched the ball and handed it to Leaf, who accepted it and patted all of her team on their heads.

"You all did a wonderful job. Thank you," she said, and she was embraced by Cyan who had forgotten about her icy tail. Bloom patted Leaf with her ivy vines, and Mariel and Firenze nuzzled her legs. Leaf had never felt more proud than she did right there. This was better than graduating, better than winning battles against Leaders or sticking it to some boorish rivals' faces. This is what she dreamed of doing: to catch the rarest Pokemon successfully, and she had done what others could only describe as the impossible.

Row, Row, fight the power.

Leaf then released her newly caught Articuno and immediately healed it of its injuries, including the burns. It seemed to have calmed down from its confused state and it looked into Leaf's eyes with respect.

"Umm, hello, new friend," Leaf said nervously, waving. The other Pokemon all nodded to it with great respect and received one back. The Pokedex suddenly dinged and Leaf grabbed it.

Notice: Your party is currently at the max limit. Would you like to give your Articuno a name before transferring her to the PC Box?

"What?! Articuno is a female?" Leaf said, checking up the data with lightning accuracy Since nobody really knew what gender the birds were (probably because no one had ever survived to see them up close and personal until now), most people just referred to them as "it" or with gender-neutral terms like "the Birds," their actual names or "the Legendary Trio of Kanto." To find out their genders would prove to be a major finding; like, could these monsters breed and if so, with what Pokemon?

"Okay…ah, Articuno is technically a female, but lacks the reproductive organs necessary for sexual reproduction. Birth parent related to…Lugia? Must remember to investigate further." Leaf then looked back to Articuno, who only blinked her eyes and let out an inquisitive coo.

It was pretty adorable, once you got past the burnt patches of missing feathers and the fact that she was currently slurping down an unfortunate Krabby that she had snagged from the water, barfing out the shell and bones.

"Would you like a name, uh, girl?"

"Gyaaoh!" She seemed pretty happy about that prospect as she hopped up and down on her feet and flapped her wings, nearly barreling Leaf over.

"Okay, okay, chill out! Uhh, how about…" Leaf paused to think up a good name befitting a creature of Articuno's status. "Since you're technically a god and a legend, perhaps a name from mythology would suit you. How about….Isolde. Do you like that name?"

Articuno blinked and cocked her head as if to think about it. After a few moments, she nodded and cooed happily at the name.

"Okay then, Isolde it is. Welcome to the team, Isolde…but technically it's to the box for now."

Isolde was absorbed into her ball again and was transferred to the PC Box. Leaf put all of her tired partners away into their balls and let out another sigh, looking around her surroundings. She dug around her bag and pulled out an Escape Rope.

Before she put it into use, she took one last look at the Seafoam Isles and committed it to memory. Yes, even the repulsive nest and the sloppy mess from the battle. Because she wanted to be able to tell the story of how she caught her first of many legendaries in perfect detail during her brag sessions to her loved ones and those that had always teased her in the past.

Wait until Red and Blue see how far I've come. Bet they don't have a legendary! With that last thought, Leaf activated the Escape Rope and found herself taken out of the cave.

After sailing on more open sea and going through another batch of swimmers, Leaf finally made it to Cinnabar Island with the sun already hanging low in the sky. As soon as she set foot upon the island, she was greeted by an elderly man in a white lab coat and strange dark glasses coming out of the Gym.

"Greetings, young lady. Sabrina told me that you were coming. You're Leaf, correct? The name's Blaine. Capital to meet you."

Leaf took the older man's hand and shook it, thankful that she's met a relatively normal Leader in comparison to the chaotic mess she encountered in the last town. "It's a pleasure to meet you as well, sir. Did she inform you of my situation with the Badges?"

"Of course, of course, and it's no trouble at all. My Gym is in need of some repairs anyways. However, I still require that you at least take my quiz challenge. Just to see if you are as smart and capable as Sabrina claimed you to be."

Leaf's flinching at the thought of Red already setting foot upon this island and altering it for the worse was turned into pleasant delight at the thought of a test of knowledge rather than a battle royale between her creatures. "Oh, a quiz challenge? Is it multiple choice, yes or no oriented?"

"It was simply yes or no questions, but I decided to up the ante with their difficulty and have provided a variety of questions for my challengers. I hope you're up for the challenge."

"I'm just happy it's something besides battling. My Pokemon and I are worn out as it is. I'll take your challenge, Blaine. Let's begin!"

"Hah, jolly good!" he said, smirking confidently to himself as he and Leaf walked into the Gym. Hah, there's no way this pup will be able to get through all of my questions…

About eight minutes later, the ringing chime of a correct answer resounded through the Gym as Leaf fist-pumped again in another flawless victory. I guess Leaf is just on a roll today with all this good luck…arrogant bitch.

Blaine stood there with his mouth agape in shock that a young teenage girl was able to get through all of his questions, including the obscure knowledge section. He was grumbling to himself as Leaf approached him and held out her hand.

"You need to do a lot better than that if you want to defeat me in a battle of smarts. My badge, please."

Blaine just continued to grumble about these "smart-ass whippersnappers," but he gave Leaf the badge and a TM disk.

"I've got to say, you're pretty smart, young lady. Sabrina mentioned you were aiming to complete that new-fangled Pokedex that Oak came up with, right?"

Leaf nodded, adding her dubiously-earned badge to her bag and replied, "That's correct. If I remember correctly, there's a Fossil Lab here on this island that will resurrect fossils?"

"Hah, you're right, miss. Also, you may want to check out the old Pokemon Mansion for some good catches. It's a bit perilous in there from a fire, but I'm sure you can find some rare Pokemon for your collection. The Center should be usable, but it's a bit messy from that whippersnapper's tantrum."

"Well, I'm not in any rush at the moment. Thanks for suggestions, Blaine. Have a good day…fixing up your Gym, ahaha." As she turned to head for the Center, Leaf just muttered under her breath, "Of course, no matter where I go, he always leaving behind messes."

As soon as the girl headed into the Center, trying her best to ignore the black marks on the walls and melted doors, Blaine just sighed and stroked his mustache while looking towards the volcano. "Bloody hell, why did I mention the Old Mansion? Fuji would scold me for sure. Hah, well, I better get to work on these renovations. Who knows how long it'll take for those lay-about Eliters to come down here when they got already so much on their plate at the moment?"

"Thief! You must be a thief! No way can some kid get ahold of these fossils! Thieffff!"

"Dammit, Johnson, go back to your chair. Sorry, miss, Johnson is one of those weirdos who only connects to fossils."

Leaf stared at the bedraggled man glaring at her from his chair, stroking a rock tenderly. "Umm, I see. Well anyways, can you revive these fossils for me? The process doesn't take too long, does it?"

"It takes about an hour or so with two fossils. You can sit in that chair and wait until we're finished. We'll bring you some water."

"Thanks," Leaf said, handing over her rocks to the scientist and taking a seat. She passed the time reading the various magazines that were sitting on the table, drinking a cup of water that was given to her and getting into glaring matches with Johnson, who she could have sworn hissed at her.

As one of the researchers came by to fill up Leaf's cup, the young trainer asked, "Um, ma'am? Is there anything you can tell me about the "Pokemon Mansion" that Blaine mentioned?"

"You want to explore that creepy old place? It used to be Blaine's former home and research lab before it caught fire and he had to move into the Gym. Now there's nothing, but crooks, Grimer and feral Vulpix roaming those old halls. The locals on the island believe it's cursed."

"It is, it is! The pained cries of the dead haunt those halls! You'll be torn apart by the secrets in there!" Johnson screamed before shoving small pebbles into his mouth and eating them.

Leaf and the female researcher looked at one another before the latter said, "It's just superstition; there hasn't even been any sightings of Ghost-types in the mansion. Just be careful of the area, since it hasn't been renovated in a while. Bring plenty of supplies and a fully-healed team, and you should be fine while exploring in there."

Leaf nodded when she was approached by the other scientist who had two Pokeballs and handed them to Leaf. "Here you go, miss. Two revived Kabuto and Aerodactyl. I'll just transfer these to your Box for you."

"Thank you, sir. You all have a good day…you too, Johnson."

"Burn the witch! She's off to sell our secrets!" Leaf exited the lab and headed for the old mansion up to the north of the island, which was now quite dark without the sun. Despite the decrepit state it was in now, she could see that it had once been a beautiful home, now reduced to a burnt-out hollow crisp of its former glory.

"I wonder why Blaine never returned here. I got a feeling there's something in there…"

Leaf steeled herself walked through the front door and was greeted by an empty hallway: the red carpet was stained beyond repair, there were several piles of rubble scattered throughout the building and the place was illuminated by the moonlight through the open roof. Leaf pulled out a small, cheap flashlight and began to walk around, jumping at any small noise.

"If I see a black-haired ghost girl lurking around the corner, I am out of here. Huh, weird statues," Leaf said as she passed a gray, crumbling statue of a strange creature she had never seen before. Its eyes were hollow, indicating that they must have had some precious stones in them, but they were still set in an intimidating leer.

"It looks almost like Hazel, but taller and bipedal. What could it—gahh!" Leaf jumped back when she felt a cold slime touch her ankle. She shined her flashlight and saw a purple slime with large eyes start to crawl toward her with a strange smile on its face.

"Grimer, the Sludge Pokemon. It appears in filthy areas. It thrives by sucking up polluted sludge that is pumped out of factories."

"Gahh…" it said, attempting to grope Leaf's leg again. Its touch was slimy, clammy and disgusting, pretty much like your standard hentai tentacle monster.

"Grossgrosssgrossgrossgross! Hazel, gross, Psychic that thing, grossgross!"

After mind-crushing the living slime and snagging it in her ball, Leaf wiped her slimy leg and shivered in utter distaste.

"Ugh, let's just move onto the second floor. If you see any of those Grimer, attack them on sight," she said to Hazel, who nodded and began to scout the place in case she needed to cap a bitch.

After climbing up the creaking stairs, she explored the second floor. She encountered a few shady characters, which she defeated, and caught a Koffing while fighting off ragged, borderline deranged Raticate and Vulpix.

"They should just tear this dump down. I haven't found anything interesting yet. Wait a second…those people in that picture look familiar."

Leaf entered a room where a picture hung on the opposite wall. While it had been torn in the middle, Leaf could identify one of the men, who had been the only person left untouched.

"That looks like that old man from Lavender Town, Mr. Fuji, I think. And if I move these pieces up…it's Blaine, Mr. Silph and Professor Oak! They all knew each other."

"Mrroaw." Leaf turned and walked over to Hazel, who had leapt onto a desk and pawed at a small notebook on the dust-covered surface.

"What's this? 'July 5. Faraway Island. A new Pokemon was discovered deep in the jungles by our excavation team. Oak is excited as usual, but Fuji and I remain skeptical. It seemed more like a mirage…' A new Pokemon was discovered? Better keep on reading.

"'July 10. Fuji was able to capture the creature by putting it to sleep with the PokeFlute. We decided to name it Mew. It is quite playful and curious, not at all frightened by us. Fuji is against us taking it back to Cinnabar, and Oak said that we would be making history with Mew.

'July 11. We are now on the boat heading for Kanto. Mew is sitting in Fuji's lap in its cage, happy as can be. I hope we are making the right decision...'"

Leaf saw pictures of a cute feline creature in the pages along with some technical jargon about various experiments on Mew. She saw some pictures of strange blob creatures with the words 'Failed experiments. We have called them Ditto' and then the final passage: 'February 6. Our experiments have finally bore us fruit. We have managed to create a new Pokemon from Mew's DNA. Oak christened it with the name Mewtwo.'

Leaf shuddered as she saw a picture of Mewtwo, which looked a lot like the statues she saw previously. At that moment, she heard banging and grunting above her. While it was not weird to hear creaking in an old mansion, she was put on edge when she heard the sounds of a struggle.

"Let's go, Hazel," she said, sliding the book into her bag. She and the Espeon quietly snuck up the stairs to the third floor and turned a corner where she spotted two burglars attempting to break into a safe built into the wall. They were cursing at one another and trying to order their Pokemon to open it.

Deciding it was a bad idea to startle these men, Leaf tried to back down the stairs, felt her body falling backwards and her footing slipped beneath her. Unknown to her, she had fallen through one of the holes in the floor and was plummeting to what was her certain death.

As she closed her eyes and saw her life flash through her mind, she only had two thoughts: one, that it seemed like her life was full of a regretfully enormous amount of Red's shenanigans; and two, that her body seemed to have stopped falling and she felt perfectly fine.

Upon opening her eyes, she saw that she was levitating just a few inches from the ground and she saw Hazel's red gem lighting up in an effort to hold her up. "I'm fine now, Hazel. You can put me down."

As soon as the Pokemon did so, Leaf dropped to the floor with a thud and brought her savior back into the Pokeball. "Geez, that was way too close. But it seems I'm in the basement of this hell hole."

As she stood up and picked up the flashlight near her feet, she could see that she was in a destroyed laboratory with several smashed glass capsules lining the walls along with overturned, charred bookcases and desks littering the room. As she explored the chaos, she could hear the burglars approaching the hole above her and made a quick decision to hide behind a desk, out of sight.

After she heard their voices drifting away, she heaved a sigh in relief before spotting a few pieces of paper tucked into a desk drawer. She collected them up and began to read them quietly. "'February 11. Mew does not like being anywhere near Mewtwo. The latter Pokemon feels indifferent to its 'mother' and continues to look at all of us with cold disdain.' 'March 3. Mewtwo has talked. It told us that it sees us for what we are. It seems to only trust Fuji.' 'March 10. Mewtwo is very powerful, both physically and mentally. It seems to only want to become stronger.' 'August 15. The Team Rocket Boss has expressed interest in purchasing Mewtwo. We have all declined his offer, but he says he will be back.' 'August 31. Team Rocket thugs and the Boss have arrived to steal Mew and Mewtwo. The ensuing chaos led to Mewtwo escaping from its pod and attacking all of us. The Rocket members escaped and Mew vanished without a trace. We managed to escape from Mewtwo's wrath and have called the Elite Four to deal with this.' 'September 1. Mewtwo is far too powerful. We have failed to curb its vicious tendencies…'

"Scary, ain't it, little lady?"

Leaf yelped in surprise and turned her flashlight in the direction of the speaker, identifying him as he came closer. "Bill? What are you doing here so late?"

"I can ask you the same question. I came here to find some of these little guys," he replied, holding up what appeared to be a Pokeball. Leaf's confusion became surprise when the ball shifted into a purple blob with blank eyes. "Meet Ditto, the closest thing you'll get to what these people were trying to do here. They have unstable DNA that allows them to shift into anything they want. My partner and friend Celio wanted some, and since they can only be found in this place, I came here to retrieve some. Here, you can have one of your very own."

He handed Leaf the strange Pokemon, who looked up at her with a loopy smile before turning into a chibi version of her.

"Aww, it's so cute. Thanks, Bill. So…whatever happened to Mewtwo, or even Mew?"

Bill shrugged. "I reckon the Elite Four has got that monstrosity locked up somewhere so that it can't hurt nobody. As for Mew, who knows where that little critter has gone off to at this point?"

"How did you know about all this? Did Blaine tell you?"

"Nope, Fuji actually. He's felt guilty about all this mess since Mewtwo got away and tries to make it right whenever he can. Blaine and Silph also want to make amends as well, probably why that old Leader sent you here in the first place so you can learn the truth. Thinks you're dependable enough to make sure nothing like this happens again. Oak…I think the old nut-brain has forgotten all about this event."

Leaf looked down at the papers one last time, at a picture of Mew and Mewtwo side by side. She hoped that she never encountered Mewtwo, but even though she thought it was impossible at this point, she would really like to meet Mew just once. Heck, she'd do anything to get her hands on it…anything.

"Anyways, we should mosey on out of here before those rascals catch us. Here, I got a pair of Escape Ropes, so you can have one. I got something I wanna ask you, so I'll meet you at the Center."

Bill then teleported away from the spot. Right before Leaf could follow, her eyes drifted to a ruined statue which she could now identify as Mewtwo. Surprisingly, its eyes were still intact rather than pilfered. A pair of rubies glared back at the uneasy girl who turned away from it and teleported out of the old mansion, hoping to never set foot there again.

Leaf's Team

Bloom – Level 45

Venusaur, Female

-Razor Leaf

-Leech Seed

-Ingrain

-Growth

Ability: Overgrow

Banana – Level 43

Primeape, Female

-Seismic Toss

-Cross Chop

-Low Kick

-Karate Chop

Ability: Vital Spirit

Cyan – Level 43

Nidoqueen

-Body Slam

-Earthquake

-Strength

-Bite

Ability: Poison Point

Hazel – Level 44

Espeon, Female

-Swift

-Psychic

-Quick Attack

-Confusion

Ability: Synchronize

Firenze – Level 43

Ninetales, Female

-Flamethrower

-Will-O-Wisp

-Quick Attack

-Confuse Ray

Ability: Flash Fire

Mariel – Level 43

Lapras, Female

-Ice Beam

-Surf

-Perish Song

-Confuse Ray

Ability: Shell Armor

Boxed Pokemon

Walker – Sandslash – Level 24

Papilia – Butterfree – Level 15

Munchie – Rattata – Level 8

Castrato – Jigglypuff - Level 15

Apis – Beedrill – Level 15

Flappy – Zubat – Level 9

Granite – Geodude – Level8

Severus – Ekans – Level 10

Mystique – Abra – Level11

Daisy – Bellsprout – Level 14

Herb – Oddish – Level 13

Felix – Meowth – Level 12

Dokuro – Clefairy – Level 15

Dux – Farfetch'd – Level 10

Talia – Drowzee – Level 13

Doug – Diglett – Level 20

Sparks – Voltorb – Level 16

Electra – Pikachu – Level 25

Tesla –Magnemite –Level 22

Buff – Machop – Level 16

Boulder – Onix – Level 15

Benedict – Exeggcute – Level 22

Splicer – Scyther – Level 25

Snapper – Pinsir – Level 18

Gates – Porygon – Level 18

Vino – Nidorino – Level 33

Rocky – Rhyhorn – Level 25

Toadstool – Parasect – Level 30

Joy – Chansey – Level 23

Quackerton – Psyduck – Level 30

Poseidon – Seaking – Level 33

Fishsticks – Magikarp – Level 5

Paul II – Slowpoke – Level 15

Tweedle – Doduo – Level 26

Tad – Poliwag – Level 15

Gypsy – Venomoth – Level 32

Mama Roo – Kangaskhan – Level 25

Sapphira – Dragonair – Level 35

Longhorn – Tauros – Level 28

Sushi – Tentacool – Level 10

Lapis – Horsea – Level 25

Scuttlebutt – Krabby – Level 25

Jewel – Seel – Level 25

Isolde – Articuno – Level 50

Trilobite – Kabuto – Level 25

Ptera – Aerodactyl – Level 25

Stink-Bomb – Koffing – Level 28

Ooze – Grimer – Level 28

Next Time on "WWE Poke-Smackdown": Red. Giovanni. Their Pokemon. Who will win? Find out next time...