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The reason New Island is called New Island is because it is an island newly incorporated into the territory. This island was purchased by someone, but the buyer remains unknown.
Not long after New Island was purchased, news of a battle for the strongest Trainer broke out, and then this situation of strong winds and torrential rain occurred, which can be described as full of twists and turns.
Ash, Gary, and Brock rode on a Blastoise, traversing through the strong winds, torrential rain, and turbulent waves. With Blastoise's familiarity with water, this level of waves was like a child's toy to him, easily controllable.
As for the heavy rain falling from the sky, Ash held up an Aura barrier above his head, completely blocking the rainwater.
Amidst the strong winds, torrential rain, and raging waves, Ash and his companions seemed to be on a leisurely trip.
Misty's side was no less impressive. Lapras, at the Champion peak, naturally maintained stable movement in the water. As for the rain, Lapras created a frost canopy that completely blocked the rainwater.
The giant ice canopy almost completely covered Lapras's entire body, and Misty and Lorelei, who were on Lapras, were naturally also thoroughly shielded. The occasional drops of rain that drifted over had no impact whatsoever.
The two groups traversed the strong winds and torrential rain and arrived at New Island in just over ten minutes.
A magical thing happened: upon reaching New Island, the pouring rain and churning waves instantly vanished without a trace.
Although there were still some dark clouds in the sky, not a single drop of rain fell, and the sea surface appeared very calm. The waves that seemed capable of swallowing giant cruise ships just moments ago seemed to have never existed.
Lorelei, Brock, and the others who arrived on the island found it incredibly strange.
"What's going on? The wind and waves were so strong just now, how did they disappear in an instant?" Gary, who had come ashore, turned his head and saw that there were no longer any wind or waves on the sea.
Even if the wind and waves were starting to calm down, this sudden stop was a bit too abrupt, wasn't it?
"There's something wrong with the wind and waves outside. When we were coming over just now, I felt some waves deliberately crashing towards us, and the wind and waves where we were were clearly stronger than in other places. If I'm not mistaken, this sudden appearance of wind and waves should be man-made."
Lorelei hugged her arms, making her ample chest appear even more magnificent, and with a serious expression, she voiced her conjecture.
Even Lorelei herself found this conjecture hard to believe at first, but after ruling out all impossibilities, this was the most likely scenario.
Rather than believing it was nature targeting them, Lorelei preferred to believe someone was targeting them. To be able to control natural elements, the opponent must at least be a Champion-level existence.
Ash had previously said that the mastermind behind this was an entity that had captured Mewtwo, but that was merely Ash's conjecture, based solely on that invitation letter, without any substantial evidence.
However, this time's stormy weather added a layer of proof to Ash's conjecture. This storm was very likely created by Mewtwo.
"...What exactly does that guy want to do? Since he chose to invite Trainers from outside, why would he create something like a storm to prevent Trainers from moving forward?" Brock frowned, looking towards the depths of New Island. On the island, there was a castle-like building, and he didn't know if it was originally on the island or built by the wealthy person who bought the island.
But one thing was certain: the Trainer who invited them was inside that castle.
"We'll know once we go in. Let's go, Pikachu!" Ash said, directly calling out to Pikachu and running towards the castle.
"Hey! Ash, wait for me!" Misty, holding Togepi, also quickly scurried to follow him.
Brock and Gary followed closely behind, while Lorelei walked at the very back, the slowest. Her beautiful eyes behind her rimless glasses constantly observed her surroundings, her mind deep in thought.
This place seemed somewhat familiar... She felt like she had seen it somewhere before, but she couldn't remember. She should be coming to New Island for the first time.
As Ash quickly moved forward, he soon reached the castle's main gate. The castle gate was ajar, just wide enough for one person to pass through. Ash and the others entered one after another, arriving inside the castle.
The interior of the castle was slightly dim. Upon entering, the first thing one could see was a massive table, and beside it, a relatively large pond was gently flowing.
Around the long table, three people were already seated: two men and one woman, all appearing to be in their twenties.
"You are..."
"Yo! Newcomers again. Of course, we are Trainers who arrived here first, not the host. My name is Corey." A relatively tall and thin man waved his hand and greeted Ash and the others.
"So many people came at once this time. It seems there are quite a few capable Trainers, huh My name is Neesha. Although I'm a girl, don't underestimate me" Neesha propped her chin with her hands, a sweet smile, like her name, gracing her face.
"Hmph, what does it matter how many people come? Anyway, I'm bound to win this battle for the strongest Trainer!" The last, more muscular man pointed to himself proudly, his face full of arrogance.
"His name is Fergus. He talks a bit big, but he's a relatively well-known Trainer. What about you guys?" Neesha casually blurted out the muscular man's name and then turned to ask Ash and his friends.
"My name is Ash, this is Misty, Brock, Gary, and..." Ash suddenly stopped his introduction at the end, then stepped aside, and Lorelei, who was at the very back, appeared before everyone.
Although Lorelei had been wearing a cloak that completely covered her body earlier, after the rain soaked the cloak, not to mention how heavy it became, just wearing it continuously could lead to a cold. Lorelei couldn't possibly keep it on.
So, while riding Lapras, Lorelei had already thrown the cloak directly into the sea. Now, her attire was her usual clothing.
After her exquisite face appeared in Corey and the others' line of sight, all three of them stiffened.
As Kanto natives, and Kanto natives who had been traveling for several years, how could they not know what Lorelei looked like?
The moment Fergus saw Lorelei, his mind directly crashed. Good heavens, what had he just said? That he would definitely claim the title of the strongest Trainer?
He was going to fight Elite Lorelei? He'd be dead for sure!! Why was Lorelei here?!
The reason Fergus was so confident was not because he was strong, but because he knew that truly powerful Trainers were basically unlikely to be interested in such activities.
Did he really think that by using the title of 'strongest Trainer' to gather Trainers for a competition, he could attract Trainers from all over the world to participate?
Dream on!
If that were the case, the Indigo Plateau Conference and similar competitions wouldn't require such strict screening, and the winners chosen would only be preliminary league Champions. Winning a league championship would at most only make one famous in a small region.
Titles like 'World's Number One Trainer' or 'Strongest Trainer' require participating in the World Tournament jointly organized by all the Leagues. Only by emerging victorious from thousands of Trainers there can one truly be considered the strongest Trainer!
And whether it's the World Tournament or a League Conference, participating contestants, and those who rank, ultimately receive certain rewards. Rewards, and the prestige of the organizers, must be sufficient to prove that the ranked contestants are sufficiently accomplished.
Otherwise, if just anyone organizes a random, unofficial competition in the wilderness, calls it the 'Battle for the World's Strongest Trainer,' and only two Trainers from the roadside participate, and one of them wins, truly earning that title, would anyone acknowledge it?
Don't be ridiculous!
The competition held on New Island now was similar. For powerful Trainers, this kind of unofficial competition had no real prestige. Coming to participate was already a show of respect, elevating the competition's level. Not coming was perfectly natural.
Someone with Fergus's strength was considered quite good outside. Participating in this kind of unofficial competition would definitely make him a strong contender for the Champion title!
Coupled with the young faces of Ash and the others, that's why Fergus spoke so boastfully.
But when Ash and the others stepped aside, revealing Lorelei, Fergus was completely dumbfounded... A Kanto Elite participating in this kind of competition? That's like washing coal in a big river—nothing better to do!
"Hello everyone, I'm Lorelei. You're Fergus, right? Please go easy on me during our battle later, okay?" Lorelei said with a smile to Fergus.
"No, no, no, Elite Lorelei... no, Master Lorelei! I just spoke without thinking, please don't take it seriously! It would absolutely be my great fortune to battle you. Please give me more pointers during our battle later!" Fergus immediately changed his arrogant demeanor, even showing a fawning smile on his face.
Lorelei's influence was still too great, especially in such 'small competitions.'
After Fergus spoke, Corey and Neesha also successively chattered various things to Lorelei, and for a moment, Lorelei directly became the center of attention in the entire castle.
Ash pointed to himself, wanting to say something, but ultimately didn't.
He was a celebrity too, after all! And he had just battled Lorelei not long ago!
They recognized Lorelei, so why didn't they recognize him?
Outside, Ash was so troubled by the multitude of fervent fans that he had to wear a mask, but now, not being recognized, he felt a bit lost.
One can only say that humans are such peculiar creatures!
After the three of them chatted with Lorelei for a while about various Pokémon knowledge and things they didn't understand, a dazzling pillar of light suddenly shot out from inside the massive castle!
The pillar of light was located a bit further in front of the table, and it erupted from the ground!
A figure draped in a black cloak slowly floated out from within the pillar of light, eventually landing in front of the table.
The appearance of the cloaked figure immediately drew everyone's attention. They knew that this person might be the castle's owner.
"Congratulations, you have passed the first trial and arrived on New Island. Next will be the showdown to determine the strongest Trainer. You may freely release your Pokémon and attack me. As long as you can defeat me, you will be the strongest Trainer."
The cloaked figure's voice was very cold. Surprisingly, it was a female voice.
Was the person planning this competition actually a girl?
Ash activated his Aura and swept it forward. His expression instantly changed, with emotions like suspicion, disbelief, and confusion appearing on his face.
To be safe, Ash once again used his Aura to scan forward, finally confirming that his previous scan had not been mistaken.
"Mewtwo, you're behind this, aren't you? Come out from below, I've already found you." Ash silently stood in front of everyone and said to the cloaked figure.
Corey and the other two showed puzzled expressions upon hearing Ash's words.
Who was Mewtwo? Was it someone this young man knew? That name sounded quite strange; they had never heard of anyone with the surname Chao.
As Ash's voice fell, another figure slowly rose within the pillar of light. She was slender but quite tall, appearing to be at least two meters in height.
"This... Is this a Pokémon?" Seeing Mewtwo floating, Corey's eyes widened, and he said with some uncertainty.
He had never seen this Pokémon before, and after Ash said those words, this Pokémon appeared, which meant that this so-called strongest Trainer competition was very likely this Pokémon's doing?
'You still found me. But with your ability, it would be abnormal if you didn't find me. We meet again, Ash.' Mewtwo's icy voice echoed in everyone's minds, and at the same time, the cloaked figure's body went limp, directly collapsing.
Lorelei's delicate brows furrowed, and the Poké Ball at her waist suddenly opened. A Dewgong instantly glided on the ground to the cloaked figure's side, steadily catching the collapsing cloaked person.
After the cloaked figure fell, her hood also dropped, revealing her true identity—Nurse Joy!
"How can this be?! How did Nurse Joy appear here?"
"It really is Nurse Joy. Could it be that Nurse Joy planned this competition?"
"No, that's not right. Nurse Joy's condition doesn't look quite right. She's probably being controlled by that Pokémon floating in the air!"
Corey's words jolted Fergus and Neesha awake. Indeed, Nurse Joy's every word and action were as stiff as a zombie, very much like she was being controlled!
So, the instigator of this competition wasn't Nurse Joy, but that Pokémon floating in the air, named Mewtwo?!
Ash's expression also turned somewhat grim as he saw Nurse Joy collapsed on the ground: "Why... why are you doing something like this? You finally broke free from Giovanni, you could have lived a free life, pursued your dreams, but what are you doing now?!"
'I know very well what I'm doing. I want... revolution!' Mewtwo's cold voice resonated in everyone's hearts, sending a chill through all present!
Revolution? That doesn't sound like a good word!