On the other side, Yellow fell into the underground river and swallowed several mouthfuls of water.
She tried to fight against the torrent, but her small body could not resist nature's overwhelming force. Like a bird swept into a raging current, no matter how she struggled, it was useless.
The crushing strength of the river battered her body, pain spreading everywhere. But she clenched her teeth and endured. Compared to the special training she had undergone this past month in Sinnoh under Cynthia's grandmother—the former Dragon Master—this pain felt insignificant.
For that entire month, Yellow had devoted every waking second—aside from eating and sleeping—to training. Together with her Pokémon, she endured something akin to a rookie entering military boot camp. Under that nearly self-destructive regimen, both her spirit and body had advanced.
Her childhood dream had been to become a painter. Or perhaps a Pokémon nurse.
She had never imagined she would become a Trainer, much less participate in a battle this cruel and catastrophic.
She always believed she lacked talent compared to the prodigies she had seen. She thought she could never compare to those brilliant Trainers.
But for him—
For the one who had once treated her like both older brother and father when she had no one—
Yellow willingly threw herself into this furnace.
Because of her parents' work, she had been alone from a very young age. Though she never developed bad habits or became weak and bullied, only she knew how unbearable it was to grow up that way.
She smiled every day, appearing bright and cheerful.
But inside—
There had been loneliness.
Even when playing with children her own age, she had never truly felt happy.
Everything changed after meeting her "big brother."
Compared to her parents—who rarely came home and barely even messaged her—Logan would always chat with her online whenever he had time. He would listen patiently to her childish worries without a trace of annoyance.
Her favorite time was late at night, sitting quietly before the computer, waiting for his messages.
Sometimes nothing would come. She would fight off sleep until exhaustion claimed her and she fell asleep beside the screen.
Other times—
Her face would light up with joy as his message arrived. She would excitedly tell him about her improvement in fishing. She would show him the sketches she had drawn that week.
So—
"I absolutely can't hold him back! Even if it's the Elite Four, I won't be afraid!"
The rushing water flooded into her mouth again, choking her.
She desperately grabbed onto a rock protruding from the undercurrent, finally stabilizing herself.
"Pikachu—use the new move we learned!"
"Pika!"
Pikachu used Substitute.
A fully energy-constructed duplicate emerged—and then transformed into a surfboard.
Yellow climbed onto it, hanging the Poké Ball Logan had given her around her neck. She pointed forward boldly.
"Pikachu—forward!"
The current was too strong to go back. She could only move with it and search for an exit.
"Pika—CHUU!"
Surfing Pikachu stabilized the board like a professional wave rider. They had trained this technique in the open ocean—if ocean waves couldn't overturn them, this river wouldn't either.
But then—
"Why is it getting hotter…?"
As they sped forward, the air temperature rose. Even the river seemed to boil.
"That's the exit!"
A wave of hot wind rushed toward her. Yellow's eyes lit up.
But then her expression changed.
"No, no… this heat—Pikachu, stop!"
Too late.
"Waaaaaah——!"
They shot out of the river's mouth—
Which opened at the edge of a cliff like a waterfall.
A wave of scorching heat slammed into her. Her vision turned red.
Below—
A massive magma pool.
Molten lava bubbled violently, glowing orange-red. The underground river crashed into it, generating clouds of steam. Black obsidian formed where water and lava collided.
Above, faint stars were visible.
The exit led into a volcano crater.
"Pikachu!"
Midair, she gave the command. Pikachu steadied the Substitute surfboard and landed atop the lava.
If the board had been physical—
It would have burned instantly.
Even surrounded by thousands-of-degree magma, Yellow did not panic. She rode toward the edge and leapt upward.
Her fishing rod flicked.
A Poké Ball flew.
"Dragonair—take me up!"
A graceful dragon form emerged. Yellow wrapped her arms around Dragonair's neck as it soared skyward.
Then—
A voice cut through the heat.
"That Dragonair… the one from Vermilion City, isn't it? I didn't expect it would follow you."
Yellow turned sharply.
Through the shimmering heat haze, a figure sat calmly on a rocky ledge beside the lava, as though the inferno meant nothing.
"Kanto Elite Four Commander—Lance!"
"Correct."
Lance leaned against the rock wall. Aerodactyl rested beside him.
"I've investigated you. Yellow of Viridian City… Daisy of Viridian. In just over a month, your strength has grown remarkably. As expected of a fellow 'Child of Viridian.' Even without the Dragon Tamer's power, dragons submit to you."
Yellow shook her head fiercely.
"It's not submission! Dragonair is my friend! I saved it, so it chose to become my partner! And besides… Big Brother has a Dragonair too, so I—"
Her Dragonair glared at Lance.
It was indeed the same wild Dragonair she had rescued at Vermilion's shore. Without that life-saving bond, she could never have caught such a rare Pokémon.
"You wanted one too? Hahaha… I don't care about your motives."
"Yellow—you possess a power I lack. A power I need."
"That's why I separated you."
"Give it to me."
His expression twisted violently.
"Why? Why would someone who can hear Pokémon's hearts choose to stand with humans against me?"
"You should stand with me!"
"Help me eradicate humanity and create a paradise that belongs only to Pokémon!"
His voice echoed across the volcanic crater.
Yellow stared at him in confusion.
What power was he talking about?
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