Authors Note: Trying to make some original stories in other fandoms, to no success. I don't like any of them, and I don't feel that they would be worth uploading to for other people to write. Anyway, here's the next (short) chapter of the Strongest Pair.

Lyra loved the ocean. When it wasn't endless, it was endlessly clashing against the land, producing waves topped with white sea foam. It was beautiful enough for Lyra to appreciate why some people in Hoenn worshipped it.

That being said, after seeing it for days on end, the water began to get boring, even when she busied herself with looking after everyone's Pokémon. Even Red insisting on going through Jellicent waters only slightly broke the reverie, although Lyra had to admit that the view of the Jellicent waters were beautiful in a macabre manner. Therefore, when Red reported that Mewtwo had spotted land, she was overjoyed.

"It appears to be Petalburg beach, just like I planned." Red said, grinning at the oncoming sand. Lapras began to slow down as the water became shallower and shallower.

"How are we planning our little journey through the region?" Silver asked Red and Lyra.

"Well, we got to meet that League official first." Lyra said. Silver nodded.

"And the press corps, apparently." Red said, squinting at the sight of about a dozen reporters, and several local people surrounding the beach.

"Wouldn't it be a good idea for us not to be publicized if we're taking down two established teams in a region?" Lyra asked.

"We're not meant to, I think we're supposed to look pretty." Silver said, scowling. He clinched his fists angrily. The last thing he wanted was publicity, or, rather, publicity not stemming from becoming a Champion.

Lapras kept on moving slowly, eventually stopping once its body had grounded upon the sand. Lyra, Silver, and Red slowly climbed off of the shell, and slid down onto the sand. They were instantly mobbed by reporters.

"Red, why have you decided to come back to civilization after all this time?"

"Lyra, rumors have it that you aren't challenging the Hoenn League. Are these true?"

"Silver, there are unconfirmed rumors that you are as good as Lyra. Why are you just now challenging the Pokémon League?"

"Is your arrival by Lapras a statement against Team Magma?"

"Everyone get back." A grey-hair man bellowed. His hair was sticking out in several directions, clearly uncombed. He was dressed in a black suit, purple adorning the edges, and a red bowtie. Everything about him seemed to radiate authority.

"Steven Stone, what happened in the recent League negotiations with the other four regions?"

"Steven Stone, why have most Ranger bases been on total lockdown?"

"I said, everyone get back!" Steven yelled. The entirety of the crowd quieted. Steven scowled, before facing Lyra, Red, and Silver.

"You three, follow my Skarmory." Steven ordered. Before they could even respond, Steven sent out his Skarmory and soared into the air atop it. Lyra shrugged at the two before sending out her Dragonite, and Red his Charizard. Both soared into the air, leaving Silver behind.

"What am I supposed to use?" Silver asked incredulously, to absolutely no one. The next moment, Lyra's Dragonite quickly swooped down and grabbed him and his Weavile with its arms, before soaring off again.

The four trainers flew for a few hours, Silver angrily, and helplessly dangling in the arms of the Dragonite. Eventually, they reached a small town, tucked in the woods in almost all directions.

"Welcome to Littleroot Town." Steven said, as they touched down. "Sorry about being gruff earlier, but some of the stuff you're going to be told is not really meant for the public." With that mysterious statement, followed by Steven's careful glances to the surroundings, he set off, the three champions following closely behind him.

"My name is Steven Stone. I used to be the Champion of Hoenn before stepping down." Steven detailed. "Right now I'm just a wanderer that is occasionally paid by the League to look good publicly." They stopped outside a laboratory, Steven briefly knocking. A lab assistant answered the door.

"Hello Steven. I'm afraid the professor isn't here." The lab assistant said apologetically.

"Any idea where he is?" Steven asked.

"Last I heard, between Oldale and Littleroot town. He should actually be back by now… Could you please make sure nothing's happened to him?" The lab assistant asked. Steven nodded, and the three followed him once more.

"Mr. Stone, couldn't we just talk now?" Lyra asked him.

"Sorry, but the professor really does need to be with us for this talk. The League hasn't told me everything yet, since I'm only a consultant and not an actual employee." Steven said hurriedly. Suddenly, Silver's Weavile tensed, as did Red's Pikachu and Lyra's Togekiss.

"There's something wrong." They all commented at the same time. That was when they heard yells.

"Get away get away get away!" A man yelled. Steven paled.

"That's Professor Birch." Steven said urgently. The four ran to the source of the yelling. The scene that greeted them was pure mayhem.

It was a conga-line of running. A fat middle-aged man was being chased by an angry Zigzagoon, who was being chased by a Treecko brandishing its tail, who was being chased and ordered around by teenager wearing a hat with a weird white furry finish on top.

"Treecko, Pound!" The teenager kept yelling. "We can do this!"

"I can feel the stupidity from here." Silver said quietly, looking at the horror of the scene.

"Should we do something?" Lyra asked the three of them.

"I'll handle it." Red said after a moment of silence from the rest of the group. He walked swiftly up to the ongoing conga line, and decisively kicked the Zigzagoon as hard as he could. The normal-type Pokémon squeaked in terror before running away as fast as possible. The running stopped.

"Oh, thank goodness. I was about to faint." The fat man said. "I assume you're Red?" Red nodded silently.

"I was going to defeat that Pokémon." Brandon, the teenager complained in the background. No one paid him any attention as they walked back to the lab.

"Brandon, if you could wait outside for a moment I would appreciate that." Professor Birch said. Brandon made to give back the pokéball containing Treecko, but the Professor refused it. "No Brandon, that is yours now." For a second, Brandon's face lit up in a smile, before the lab doors were shut in front of it.

Professor Birch motioned tiredly for the group of Champions to follow him. They went into a sitting room in the middle of the lab, before Birch collapsed into one of the chairs.

"Ok, now that Brandon is out of the way, I can tell you how the region is even worse off than anyone knows." Professor Birch said.

"I suspected as much Professor. I suppose there was a mass defection from the region's Pokémon Rangers?" Steven asked him.

"How did you figure that out?" Professor Birch asked him quietly.

"I noticed that there are a lot less Pokémon Rangers patrolling the wilder parts of the regions in the past few days. Most are restricting themselves to the cities, or in some kind of lockdown. Not to mention a lot of Pokémon Rangers were suddenly struck off the official lists for each city. Considering Pokémon Ranger recruitment is at its highest right now, I could either assume a massive amount quit or defected to one team or another." Steven said, laying out the facts.

"You always had an analytical mind Steven." Professor Birch said. He looked at Silver, Red, and Lyra. "Please remember to keep what's said in this room in this room."

"Is this why we were called in?" Lyra asked.

"Unfortunately." Professor Birch admitted. "We- the League only realized this a few days ago, when large amounts of turncoat Rangers suddenly sabotaged multiple Ranger bases and made off with large amounts of information. The region's Pokémon Rangers have been running around like chickens with their heads cut off, trying to get everything back online. We've barely kept this quiet from the press, and that was only by putting everything on total lockdown. The press suspects something bad has happened, but we aren't going to announce what until we have a working Pokémon Ranger force again. And even then, we won't have enough Pokémon Rangers to fill in the gaps in the ranks for a year or two."

"Have you involved the International Police?" Silver interjected.

"No. Hoenn's not a member of the International Police. They have no jurisdiction here." Professor Birch said. "That's partly why you're able to even compete in this League Silver."

"So where do we come in Professor?" Lyra interjected, wanting to spare Silver any enquiries from Steven.

"The Pokémon League's position on this is clear." Birch said firmly. "You and Red are heroes in Kanto and Johto, and Silver is known by Lance as being almost as powerful as you two. You are free to attack any self-declared Team Aqua or Magma members, as long as their allegiance is clear. You may do so in any manner you choose, and with any amount of violence you wish. Your only accountability is to report to Steven Stone, who will be your liaison with the Pokémon League."

"Even murder?" Silver asked quietly.

"War has been declared between Team Magma and Aqua for a decade. If you feel that you could risk the retaliation from either team, you are free to do as you wish. We are simply too low on manpower to apprehend them if they are being too difficult." Professor Birch said firmly. He didn't sound like an exhausted obese man anymore. Birch's voice had become ruthless, a cold tone that nearly matched Silver's harshest voice.

"Are they that dangerous?" Red asked, speaking up for the first time. Even in Kanto, him killing all those Team Rocket members had been heavily frowned upon. If he wasn't so popular, he might have faced some legal trouble. Birch nodded.

"They seek to awaken the creation duo of Hoenn, Kyogre and Groudon. No one knows if they really exist, or if they are as powerful as they are said to be in legend. The point remains that they wish to represent a global threat, and drastically remodel Hoenn's existing landmass. These terrorist groups have been willing to do anything to reach this goal, including the murder of police, Rangers, and civilians. The Pokémon League has sent us reinforcements, but they aren't enough. That's why we have called on you three." Professor Birch said.

"Don't go telling them everything before they've had a second chance to reconsider Professor." Steven dead-panned.

"We aren't reconsidering." Red said simply. Steven looked at the firm faces of the group. None of them looked like they wanted to go back to their home regions.

"Wonderful. I'm glad you could help us out. Before you three leave, would you like to come over to my house for lunch? My wife makes some wonderful sandwiches." Birch said brightly.

Omake:

Calem looked in awe at the Pikachu. Its fur was a luscious yellow with low-key brown stripes, perfectly aligned down the middle. The tail was short for a Pikachu, which was probably a good thing, considering how well-maintained the fur in its tail. A long tail dragging on the ground could result in tangles in the fur. The overall body size was impressive as well- big enough that to have Pikachu lay on a person's head would invite disaster, and excessive stumbling.

But wearing it…

"Greninja, use Scald! Be gentle, that's my new hat!" Calem shouted. Greninja paused for a second.

"My trainer wishes to make a hat out of you." Greninja said resignedly, looking at the angry Pikachu.

"And I assume you're helping him?" Pikachu said angrily, electricity popping from her cheeks.

"No, but I have to appear to be trying. Can you run or something?"

"Sure." Pikachu said, shrugging.

Pikachu instantly zoomed by them, reuniting with Red a minute of Scalds, Dark Pulses, and Hydro Pumps later. The Mouse Pokémon quickly settled itself carefully on Red's shoulder.

"What happened?" Red asked. Pikachu just shook his head and rolled his eyes.

"You sure get in a lot of trouble Pikachu. Maybe Red should wear you as a hat so you can't go anywhere." Lyra joked.

Why Pikachu immediately shocked Lyra was never satisfactorily explained.

Omake: Beginnings

Red and Pikachu looked at each other. The two were at a stand-off. So far, any commands the mouse had followed from Red had been half-hearted. The only reason why they had won against Blue's Eevee, for instance was because of Pikachu's sheer power. Red knew very well that this wouldn't work out for long.

"If you work with me, I'll keep feeding you for free. Otherwise, I can release you." Red said, laying out an ultimatum. Pikachu glared at Red, before nodding reluctantly in agreement.

It was only later, when Pikachu took down Brock's Onix and Geodude purely through Red's instructions did the mouse decide it liked the young trainer.

"Burn them all down, burn them all!" Lyra shouted in excitement as Cyndaquil scattered the flock of attacking Murkrow. The distinct smell of desolation and roasted bird was left behind.

"Good job Cyndaquil! We'll take down the Pokémon League together. Nothing can stop us." Lyra said confidently, holding up the Pokémon before spinning it around in her arms.

"You're weak. Pathetic." Silver said, glaring at the Tododile. It shot Silver a look of sadness, but its trainer ignored the look.

"You lost to a Cyndaquil. A CYNDAQUIL!" Silver roared at the end, causing Tododile to flinch at the tone. Silver massaged his brow, sighing.

"Weakness means you get stolen from. Weakness means you can't protect what you own. Weakness means you work under others. Weakness means you're dead." Silver said, before looking Tododile in the eyes again.

"You will get stronger, or I will cut you loose. I will not be weighed down by a weak creature, starter or not." Silver said finally. Tododile nodded eagerly, desperate not to be released into the wild.

"You scare me sometimes Piplup." Dawn said, watching as her Pokémon systematically tore apart a Shinx that had tried to attack them. Eventually the canine collapsed to the ground. Dawn quickly captured the Shinx before Piplup could start tearing the paws off the poor creature.

"Piplup." The penguin said, giving Dawn a look that read "What, why did you interrupt my dinner?"

"I'm not letting you out of your pokéball while I'm asleep at night." Dawn said firmly, as Piplup lapped some blood off of its wing stubs.

Hilda looked at the Tepig following her, puzzled at its utter clumsiness and lack of sense.

"I'm starting to wish I had picked the Snivy." Hilda said, sighing at the small runt. "You're a puny little shit, aren't you?" The Tepig nodded in agreement, shooting Hilda a dumb look of happiness. Hilda sighed.

"Well, at least I don't have to worry about you disobeying me in battle. I'm sure retarded pigs can be useful in battle… somehow." Hilda said, again sighing. "Come on, let's see how far we can get."

It was only by accident that Hilda learned that Tepig was too stupid to register pain as painful. Thus, Tepig the tank was born.

"I suppose some trainers have had weirder beginnings." N said.

"No they haven't." Hilda said, flashing N a playful smile as she dragged him into Professor Juniper's lab.

"Hilda, N, I'm glad to see you both here. And I'm glad you're getting a permanent trainer license N. Your provisional one expired six months ago." Professor Juniper said, suddenly looking at N sternly. N held up his hands in surrender.

"Sorry." N said, wincing. Juniper's gaze softened.

"I suppose it can't be help. I've already got your full trainer information filled out. So which Pokémon are you considering your "starter"?" Professor Juniper asked.

"My friend Zekrom should be a good starter." N said, his face lighting up in glee.

The Snivy looked at the girl. And the girl looked back. Finally, Snivy looked away contrarily, deciding not to play this game.

"Sorry, he's a little contrary to people." Bianca said. Rosa's face lit up in a smile at this statement, although Bianca couldn't image for the life of herself why. Rosa lifted the Snivy off the ground and cuddled it in her arms. The Snivy sat in her arms for a second confused, before trying to squirm free.

"So you pick Snivy?" Bianca asked Rosa. The mute girl nodded.

"And so that's why my hat is amazing." Calem said to the dismayed Froakie. The water Pokémon shot Calem a look of concern, as she began to wonder what she had gotten herself into.

Later that night…

"Aren't you a cute Pokémon? Aren't you?! Aren't you?!" Calem said, rubbing Froakie's belly over and over again. As she laid there by the fire, warm, fed, and constantly petted, Froakie realized that working with Calem wouldn't be so bad.