Martinez

**Martinez** (Japanese: **マルティネス** *Maruteinesu*) is a Pokémon Trainer, originally from Viridian City in the Kanto region, but has since relocated to the Johto region.

## **History**

### **Background**

As a young child, Martinez was kidnapped by the Masked Man to serve under him. It was there that Martinez met and befriended Roberta, and together, they planned to eventually escape from the Masked Man's grasp, and after years of scheming, Martinez and Roberta successfully manage to escape him, but not before Martinez gave Roberta his Horsea and received her Snubbull.

### **Johto**

In his quest to take down the Masked Man and Team Rocket, Martinez allied himself with Lance and stole a Totodile from Professor Elm's laboratory. In stealing the Pokémon, Martinez made himself a rival in Miguel, who thought that he was the one who stole his backpack that had all of his Pokémon in it, and later because of his theft of Totodile.

Martinez escapes from Professor Elm's lab, with Miguel chasing closely behind. Miguel uses his Cyndaquil's fire power to contain Martinez within a ring of fire, demanding that he return his backpack and return Totodile to Professor Elm. Before Martinez can respond, however, Ken interrupts, revealing that it was him who took Miguel's bag, expecting it to be Joey's, which had Professor Oak's important documents inside. Ken challenges Martinez and Miguel to a battle in an attempt to steal Professor Elm's Totodile and Cyndaquil from them. Despite a type disadvantage, Totodile is able to defeat the Ken's Elekid, since Martinez taught it Frustration, and Martinez escapes after Miguel is knocked unconscious by Ken.

Martinez then goes to Violet City and talks to Lance in the Sprout Tower. Soon afterwards, Miguel arrives and confronts Martinez. Miguel tells Martinez to stop, but Martinez has Totodile use Slash, causing the stairs under Miguel to fall. Aipom helps Miguel hold on to the staircase.

Cyndaquil fights Totodile in an attempt to get it back to Professor Elm. After an exchange of the basic attacks, Scratch and Tackle, Miguel seems to have the upper hand and tells Martinez to return the Pokémon he stole. When Martinez refuses, Miguel says that if he were just about to return a stolen Pokémon, he wouldn't have taken it to begin with, and then shouts that since he promised to get Totodile back, he intends to keep it no matter what. The two then use the Water and Fire-type moves Water Gun and Ember, with the water attack putting out Cyndaquil's flames. Martinez admonishes Miguel, saying that Fire can't beat Water regardless of his feelings, as such an outcome is predetermined by its basic element.

Miguel then yells to Martinez that if that's what he thinks, he'll show what courage can really do, and orders a Smokescreen from Cyndaquil, and in the panic tries to persuade Totodile to return to Professor Elm's side, but instead it bites him. Miguel, shocked, angrily asks whether it really wants to stay with Martinez. Martinez tells him that it seems to, and adds that only a weakling would resort to such a cheap shot. Miguel tells Martinez to shut up, but he replies that he's just telling the truth, and Totodile wants to stay with him to become stronger.

The banter is quickly interrupted, however, as Cyndaquil's smoke from earlier set off a set of traps the Sprout Tower Sages created, and though the two Trainers are able to avoid the first few traps, they get pushed into a tight spot when a massive metal ball starts to roll down the stairs they are on. With the staircase torn by Totodile's Slash attack, Martinez knows that there's nowhere to run, but then also adds that since these were for training purposes, their two Pokémon should be able to help. Cyndaquil and Totodile whisper to one another, and the former begins to set the iron ball on fire with its flames, after which the two Trainers figure what it's trying to do, and Martinez eventually orders an Ice Punch, shattering it and saving them both.

With the danger out of the way, Miguel tries to thank Totodile, but finds the two vanished. A good distance away, Martinez remarks that there were unexpected circumstances, but Totodile has nevertheless evolved into Croconaw, thus completing his mission.

Martinez then travels to Azalea Town and gives Kurt a Black Apricorn, and Kurt quickly makes a Heavy Ball for Martinez, saying that he only gives his customized Poké Balls to Trainers he feels are qualified, and believes that Martinez is good enough.

While trying to capture a wild Ursaring, Martinez bumps into Miguel and Kurt's granddaughter, Maizie. Miguel sees Martinez's Heavy Ball and suspects that Martinez stole the Heavy Ball he's holding, but Maizie corrects him and says that Kurt made one for him. Miguel is a little peeved that the old man would find him unworthy of his Poké Balls and give a handmade one to Martinez, and swiftly changes his target to the Ursaring. After Aipom is ordered to attack, Martinez calls him a flout for trying to steal his target, but Miguel tells him that it's a fair game, but finding Aipom, Croconaw and Sneasel's attacks to be of annoyance, the enraged bear attacks the girl, whom Miguel saves, but when her favorite Pokémon, Teddiursa, jumps in, Miguel ends up spraining his ankle.

Miguel clutches his leg in pain, as the Ursaring and Teddiursa loom over him. Maizie tries to catch his attention, as the Ursaring lunges at them, claws bared. Miguel tells the girl to run, as a Sneasel intercepts the attack. From the attack, Ursaring's paws are frozen solid, as Martinez informs Miguel that the Ursaring came back for a trophy, much to Miguel's contempt. Suddenly, the ice surrounding Ursaring's arm begins to thaw out, as Martinez realizes that it is using Fire Punch to thaw the ice. As this happens, Miguel questions Martinez's motives, wondering whether he is truly protecting Maizie out of the goodness in him. Teddiursa then lunges at Aipom, as Miguel warns his Pokémon not to get distracted by its cute looks. Whilst Teddiursa and Aipom flail in mid-air, Miguel attempts to capture the wild Pokémon. However, the Poké Ball merely bounces atop Teddiursa's head, much to Miguel's surprise. He wonders why the capture was unsuccessful, proceeding to try again with the same outcome.

Miguel is furious, believing that Kurt gave him a faulty Poké Ball. However, Martinez corrects him, stating that it was his fault. Gold tells him to be quiet, as Martinez explains that this is more proof of his inexperience. Martinez then states that this is the perfect opportunity to use the special Poké Ball Kurt made for him. He apologizes to Miguel, preparing to claim the Ursaring as his. However, Martinez is knocked off balance by Aipom, who was thrown by Ursaring. As a result, Martinez loses his grip on the Poké Ball, which clatters to the ground. Martinez glares at Miguel, who states that Aipom's actions were not his fault. The three of them are forced to run away from the advancing Ursaring and Teddiursa, but find themselves trapped on the edge of a cliff. Tears begin to well in Maizie's eyes as she reveals that she disobeyed her grandfather's instructions by venturing up to the mountains. However, Miguel consoles her and asks that she trust his judgment. Miguel asks Martinez to teach him the special technique in catching, to which Martinez complies. Martinez explains that while speed and timing are crucial, a capture can be guaranteed if a Poké Ball is aimed at its target's vital spot, where its life energy is most concentrated. In this case, Miguel needs to aim for the center of Ursaring's belly and the crescent on Teddiursa's forehead.

As Miguel prepares to hurl his Poké Ball with his stick, Martinez asks which Pokémon he will use it on. Miguel does not reply, and instead hurls the Poké Ball in such a way that it rebounds off surrounding rocks. In doing so, he knocks Martinez's Heavy Ball back into Martinez's hand and the Friend Ball into his. Miguel comments that they are now ready to capture both Pokémon. The two of them hurl both their Poké Balls simultaneously at their opponents, resulting in a perfect capture. Maizie is ecstatic at their accomplishment, as Miguel brags about his involvement. Martinez instead states that the Ursaring is the least of his problems now, before running off into the distance. Martinez appeared at the Slowpoke Well in the middle of Team Rocket's Slowpoke Tail scam and defeated all of the Grunts single-handedly. Ursaring's claw marks were seen on one part of the well, so people quickly realized that it was him.

Martinez then appears in Ecruteak City, looking over the damage from the air with his Murkrow. Jasmine's Amphy flare then caught Martinez's attention, and he found her in the Tin Tower and decided to help her, only to run into Miguel, who thought he did harm to her instead. Unfazed, Martinez simply hands Jasmine over to Miguel and walks off. Suddenly, boulders and pieces of wood fall towards Miguel, but Martinez's Ursaring pushes the landslide back. Ursaring then uses Fury Swipes on the wall, which causes it to brake. Amphy runs out carrying Jasmine, however, the exit is suddenly covered by rocks. Martinez returns Ursaring to its Heavy Ball.

Quilava ignites its fire, and Miguel thanks it for the light. Martinez angrily yells at Miguel, because fire eats up oxygen, therefore Quilava's flame is put out. Then, a landslide rushes forward, so Miguel has Quilava use Flame Wheel on the ceiling. This does not work, and the former land gives everyone a small space between the mud and the ceiling. Martinez tells Miguel to send out his Water-type Pokémon, because water will pull up underground water, which will let them escape. Miguel sends out Poliwag, who is holding the King's Rock, and Martinez sends out his Croconaw. Martinez says that the maximum amount of water that Poliwag can use is too small, but then Poliwag evolves into Poliwhirl. Martinez tells Miguel to trade using the Pokédex. Miguel subsequently trades Poliwhirl for Martinez's Seadra as the tower is completely filled with mud. Then, water shoots out of the tower, along with Martinez, Miguel, Croconaw, and Miguel's newly-evolved Politoed. After escaping the Tin Tower, Martinez realizes that the earthquake was caused by a trained Pokémon. Martinez also thinks about the ice in the Tin Tower.

Outside the Tin Tower, Sham, Carl, and Team Rocket Grunts appear. The Team Rocket Grunts send out Cubone, Drowzee, Ledian, and a Ninetales to attack Miguel and Politoed. Martinez tells Miguel that Team Rocket caused the earthquake. Carl then recognizes Martinez, and tells the Grunts to attack Martinez too, but the Pokémon that try are knocked out by Miguel and Quilava. Carl's giant Piloswine appears, and attacks Miguel and Martinez. When Miguel tells Politoed to use Water Gun, Politoed does nothing.

Martinez lets Miguel battle the Team Rocket Grunts, while he battles the Piloswine. Piloswine chases Martinez, who is Flying on his Murkrow to dodge. However, with the power of liquefaction and Politoed's Whirlpool, Piloswine is defeated. Then, Carl notices that Miguel has defeated the Team Rocket Grunts's Pokémon. Sham then says that their mission is complete, so they can retreat. After Team Rocket retreats, Miguel and Martinez trade back their Pokémon. Following this, Miguel challenges Martinez to a battle.

Miguel and Martinez prepare for their battle, with Miguel stating he'd been looking to battle him ever since they first met. After a heated match, and an excellent display of their Pokémon's moves, Martinez's Pokégear rings with a voice telling him to head to the Lake of Rage because of suspected activity. Martinez announces that he must end the battle quickly in order to leave for the Lake of Rage, and sends out his Tyranitar. It appears that its Sandstorm has ended the battle, however, it is revealed that Togepi had buried its head into Tyranitar, using Double-Edge. Tyranitar falls as a result of the powerful attack, which surprises Martinez. Miguel looks around at his exhausted Pokémon and announces that Martinez has won the battle, but that he would win the next time and tosses Martinez his Pokégear. Martinez warns Miguel to stay out of his way and turns to leave. However, he stops and decides to tell Miguel about Ho-Oh.

He tells him that the disaster in Ecruteak City was a result of Team Rocket attempting to call upon the Legendary Pokémon. Martinez says that they were testing to see if attacking the Tin Tower would force Ho-Oh to return to its nest. Martinez then reveals that his purpose is to wipe Team Rocket out, by any means necessary, explaining why he stole Totodile. He leaves with Croconaw and Sneasel. Miguel watches him leave, and decides that Martinez shouldn't be fighting Team Rocket alone, and runs after Martinez, calling out to him that he is coming with him.

At the Lake of Rage, Martinez announces that his mission has begun. Elsewhere, Miguel wanders around, disappointed that he has lost track of Martinez. Suddenly, many Gyarados come out of the water. Everyone runs away from the powerful Pokémon, but then Miguel spots Martinez running toward the lake, whom Miguel follows. He starts to talk to Martinez, but Martinez pushes him away. Then, a Gyarados plows forward, crushing the earth where Miguel was standing. Martinez then shows Miguel what's happening: the Magikarp are suddenly evolving into Gyarados. Martinez also shows Miguel his Pokégear, which has nothing but static. Martinez reveals that radio waves are causing the static on the Pokégear and causing the Magikarp to evolve. Then, Martinez flies away on his Murkrow.

Another Gyarados appears, but it is red instead of blue. Suddenly, Miguel and Martinez's Pokégears have an even worse connection, which means that the red Gyarados is the source. The way to end the radio waves is to capture it. So Politoed uses Whirlpool and Martinez's Murkrow uses Pursuit. To finish it, Martinez captures the Gyarados in a Lure Ball and the radio waves stop, causing the Pokégears to have a connection and the Gyarados's minds of their own again. Afterwards, Miguel and Martinez start to argue, but suddenly, the Masked Man appears.

After seeing the Masked Man, Miguel immediately has his Politoed use Dynamic Punch, but Politoed's hand is frozen. Then, Miguel himself charges forward, but Martinez pushes him backward and has his Kingdra use Twister so that Miguel can see the ice spikes that were hidden by the mist. Suddenly, Professor Elm calls Miguel on his Pokégear. He tells Miguel that evidence says that the Masked Man is a Gym Leader, and to not fight the Masked Man. However, Miguel is in the middle of doing exactly that.

The Masked Man's Delibird uses Blizzard, creating more ice spikes. The Masked Man says that Martinez can't run away from him like last time. Martinez and his Sneasel seem aggravated. Sneasel then uses Icy Wind. Delibird feints at Miguel, then punches Martinez in the face. The Masked Man steps on Martinez's hand to hold him where he is. Miguel finds out that the Masked Man kidnapped kids nine years ago, and one of them was Martinez.

Martinez prepares to send out a Pokémon, but the Masked Man tells Martinez that if he does that, he'll kill Miguel since his Delibird's arm is frozen to make an ice spear. The Masked Man tells Martinez that he's gone weak. However, Miguel knows the truth and tells the Masked Man that Martinez is strong and that he has seen Martinez's strength many times. Then, Quilava throws Delibird off its feet. Martinez and Sneasel get a bit farther away from the Masked Man. The Masked Man sends out his Houndour and his Shiny Ariados.

Quilava and Sneasel launch a combined attack of Flame Wheel and Icy Wind against the Masked Man's Ariados and Houndour. However, the Masked Man's Pokémon osuddenly disappear, and Miguel, Quilava, and Sneasel are hit by a barrage of surprise attacks afterwards. The Masked Man then suddenly appears beside Martinez, and taunts him by mockingly asking if Roberta survived making their escape, which angers him.

Losing his cool, Martinez commands a Quick Attack from Sneasel, but neither it nor a Rock Smash succeed in even making one hit. Miguel tells him to cool down and think straight, but when Martinez sees the Masked Man apparently fleeing on his Delibird, he has Sneasel freeze Miguel's feet to get him away. Martinez then gives chase with his Murkrow, but is overwhelmed as the Masked Man further taunts him by telling him that Martinez played right into his trap. However, Martinez has other plans, and then, after launching a barrage of Sky Attacks from Murkrow, he uses the red Gyarados he captured earlier to bring all the Gyarados that were forcibly evolved, and launches a powerful Hyper Beam.

Martinez then gets frozen by the Masked Man, and both he and Miguel are soon sent sinking to the bottom of the lake. They later wake up at the Whirl Islands, and Miguel finds Martinez alive and awake, resting, as he says, until Miguel got up. Martinez states that they should not move about too much as they are wounded. Martinez recalls the two of them having been rescued from drowning by something big and shadowy whose extraordinary flames warmed them; Miguel only vaguely recalls feeling as though something were watching over him. But the two boys's musings are interrupted when they see that they have stumbled upon a herd of crouched Sandslash, whose species they cannot identify at first. The spiky beasts roll menacingly toward the two; Miguel is slowed by his missing shoe and, as he has lost his bag, he cannot retrieve his Pokédex. Miguel and Martinez then send out their entire teams (except for the red Gyarados that Martinez caught at the Lake of Rage). Martinez's Croconaw knocks out one of the pursuers and reveals its identity.

Meanwhile, Lt. Surge, who is aboard a ship headed for the same island, is looking through a pair of binoculars when he spots the boys, who have managed to escape the Sandslash. "*Ahoy, below!*" calls Lt. Surge, his arms full of the boys' missing possessions as he floats in the air above. As he comes down, he announces, to the bewilderment of Miguel and Martinez, that he has a red Gyarados in a Poké Ball. After he drops the items, Miguel pores over them excitedly as Lt. Surge jokingly demands gratitude. As Miguel begins clumsily to oblige, Lt. Surge, in all seriousness, asks them for any information they may offer about the Masked Man. Martinez, though he would happily answer, first asks Lt. Surge whether he came in on the ship docked nearby. As Lt. Surge affirms it, the ship is suddenly lifted into the air as Lugia emerges.

Bayley, Rosita and Wilton are aboard Wilton's ship, which, along with the S.S. Aqua, is borne aloft by Lugia's Psychic power. Someone aboard the S.S. Aqua calls to Lt. Surge below for help as Miguel announces that every ship in the area is levitating in a similar fashion. Martinez guesses that psychic power of such magnitude must be the work of Lugia. Suddenly, Lugia fires an Aeroblast at the crag which Martinez, Miguel, and Lt. Surge are standing on. The three avoid the attack, but then Lugia plunges the S.S. Aqua back into the sea, causing a tidal wive to form. In an instant, Martinez calls out Murkrow and flies off, despite Miguel's objections and Lugia's repeated blasts.

Lt. Surge is revealed to have escaped the wave by using his levitating Magneton and he then finds that Miguel has escaped as well by the same method. Lt. Surge expresses his annoyance, but Miguel callously makes himself Lt. Surge's responsibility, stating that he has neither a flying nor a surfing Pokémon. As Martinez flies out of sight, Lt. Surge dodges an Aeroblast with Miguel's warning. In return for Lt. Surge saving Miguel's possessions, Miguel agrees to tell him everything that he knows about the Masked Man.

Martinez is still grasping Murkrow's airborne talon, reflects that the Sandslash were hiding from Lugia, but wonders why Lugia is going berserk. Suddenly, he spots Wilton's boat, and releases himself from Murkrow and lands on his Croconaw, he heads for the doomed vessel. Miguel spots the same scene; he and Quilava promptly leap from Lt. Surge's force-field and head for the boat. He and Martinez at once put forth their hands to help Rosita, who chides them for a pair of delinquents. Their Pokédexes all beep at once: the very three Pokédexes, they understand, given by Professor Elm and the professor's three starter Pokémon as well have been reunited. Another Aeroblast hits the water and the severed ship leaps into the air. Once it has hit the water again, Martinez orders Croconaw to ready itself to leave, but Miguel tells him that all three starters are prepared to fight the Diving Pokémon and that they ought to be given a chance.

With a frightened Rosita as witness, Miguel and Martinez quarrel aboard half of Wilton's fishing boat after surviving one of Lugia's attacks. Martinez starts to depart, ordering his Croconaw to come along, but Miguel assures his rival that the starter Pokémon of all three Pokédex holders are prepared to fight the menacing Lugia and that the trainers, regardless of their opinions of each other, should trust their Pokémon. Quilava, Croconaw, and Bayleef attack as one, their elemental powers barely deflecting another of the Diving Pokémon's blasts. The boys quarrel further over emotional style and Rosita loudly questions Professor Oak's choice of Pokédex holders, to which Miguel accuses her of being prissy.

Nearby, Lt. Surge floats above the sea with the help of his three Magneton. He notes that Lugia's blasts, not being the result of any perceptible build-up of energy, are rather the results of Lugia's breaths, for which phenomenon he dubs the attacks Aeroblasts. Facing another of these, Surge realizes that if his Magneton were to take the strike, they would drop him. He then glances across the waves at Martinez, noting that he must know a way to stop Lugia's attacks.

Back on half of Wilton's boat, Martinez has proposed that Lugia be drawn into the sea, where it will be unable to gather air for its terrifying technique. At close range, Martinez proposes, brute force can be inflicted on Lugia's head and wings. However, he knows that Miguel lacks a Flying Pokémon and will be of no help in the fight. Martinez tells Miguel to stay put with the three starter Pokémon, and then summons his Murkrow, while Rosita sends out her Natu. However, as they take flight, they knock Miguel into the sea. Martinez and Rosita toss him a life-preserver just before his Pokégear rings. Wilton has called with an important bit of news and is floating right behind Miguel, barely holding on to the other half of his boat, which contains a number of Poké Balls. A tidal wave interrupts their conversation.

Completely submerged, Miguel silently ponders his predicament until he spots a wild Mantine, who is apparently cowering because of the blasts. Miguel swims over to it, but then, his waterlogged body slackens pulling the rope on the life-preserver taut and then snapping the rope. The worried Martinez and Rosita hear a dull rumbling from the sea. Suddenly, Miguel emerges with his new Mantine, which is supported by Wilton's school of Remoraid, two of which bite Miguel's cue such that he can hold on as if to a glider and the rest face the other way in order to keep Mantine and Miguel aloft with their jets of water. Miguel tells Martinez and Rosita that they will have to watch him defeat Lugia by himself.

Miguel continues gliding towards Lugia and orders the school of Remoraid to veer right and then fire at their target. On the boat, Martinez watches in astonishment and Rosita cheers. It appears that the Remoraid have wounded Lugia with their combined Water Guns, but instead, they only enraged it. The Diving Pokémon whirls about and knocks Mantine, Miguel, and the Remoraid out of the sky and onto the sand below. Rosita observes this and Martinez notices that, although Miguel did not bring Lugia down, he did force its mouth open with his cue stick.

Martinez has Croconaw paddle the boat over to Miguel, all while Lugia looms overhead. Miguel, hurt, gently taunts Martinez and Rosita for being bystanders and introduces Quilava to his new teammate, Mantine. Suddenly, the Legendary Pokémon's shadow hovers over them. As Lugia descends, the three are knocked backwards; unable to fire an Aeroblast, Lugia attempts instead to crush the trainers and their starter Pokémon with its wings. Croconaw, Quilava and Bayleef resist the onslaught and, in doing so, evolve together, into their final forms.

When Rosita asks why Bayleef evolved into Meganium, and Martinez replies that he heard that when Pokémon of similar evolutionary levels spend time together, their natural competitiveness accelerates growth. However, Miguel interrupts Martinez's explanation, insisting that it should wait until Lugia has been defeated, and asks whether Martinez, who has spoken in the past of a Pokémon's "vital spot", could spot Lugia's. Martinez says that its vital spot is its forehead and Miguel has to hit it right between the eyes.

Tossing a Poké Ball, Miguel misses the spot, and declares the he can't aim well without his cue. When the Poké Ball hurtles back, Rosita kicks it back again and hits Lugia right between the eyes. In a flash of light, the Diving Pokémon is gone and the Poké Ball sits on the beach. Miguel recovers his cue and congratulates Rosita, but Martinez notices that Lugia isn't inside the Poké Ball. They think about how and when Lugia could have escaped. Rosita finally realizes that it must have flown off in the flash of light. Miguel stomps about in frustration when Rosita remembers the tracking system on the Pokédex, which can track the energy of any Pokémon the Pokédex holder has encountered.

Rosita then asks Miguel and Martinez if they had heard of the feature before, but they say nothing and pretend to know how to use the system, Miguel looks over Rosita's shoulder as she activates the system on her Pokédex and mimicks her actions. Miguel apparently offends their new acquaintance by telling her that she is not merely a "motor-mouthed prissy girl." Rosita then introduces herself at last, but Miguel ignores her, deeply involved as he is waiting for the tracking system to track Lugia. Ignoring both of his companions, Martinez climbs up the island's crag and discovers a cave which, by virtue of the tracks before its entrance, he deems to be Lugia's lair.

Martinez speculates that someone could have struck Lugia with a Poké Ball immediately before Rosita did. Martinez then brings out his Murkrow, guessing that whoever attacked Lugia in the cave is the culprit and that the entire fight that they had with the Legendary Pokémon was a trap. Despite Rosita's objections that he should at least speak to Professor Oak and Professor Elm before chasing Lugia's captor, Martinez flies off clutching Murkrow's talon. Miguel assures Rosita that Martinez would not call the Professors under any circumstances and, in spite of his old habit of warning Martinez not to try to handle everything on his own, thinks well enough of this departure as he and Martinez have a common enemy this time.

Martinez flies high above the island chain and lands on the southernmost isle, which is the only one that he and Miguel have not visited. Its crag houses a whirlpool and at the back of which is a roaring waterfall. Touching down, Martinez sends out Gyarados, Kingdra and Feraligatr and orders them to use Whirlpool, Waterfall and Surf, respectively. Using Feraligatr, Martinez sails over the calmed pool and steps through the parted fall into what appears to be a man-made chamber. From the darkness comes a voice affirming the place hidden to all except those with three Water-type Pokémon with a precise combination of talents. Lance then steps forward, congratulating Martinez on reaching the chamber.

Martinez walks up to Lance in his hideout and returns his Tyranitar. He apologizes to Lance for his delay, then suddenly, his Sneasel approaches Lance from behind and grips its claws around his neck. An impatient Martinez barks for Lance's knowledge about the enemy he is supposed to face, having been a disciple of Lance for over half a year. A smiling Lance looks back to the time he and Martinez first met.

Lance is walking at the shore of Olivine City next to the Battle Tower, which was under construction. He suddenly senses an approach, and calls forth his two Dragonair. Their target, a Murkrow, simply moves out of the way. Lance decides to switch out his Pokémon due to the darkness, but they are hit by a Pursuit just as they are retrieved for Pupitar. Having caught sight of Murkrow's owner, Martinez, Lance places his hand on Murkrow's head and reads that Martinez was looking for someone who might know something about a giant bird that kidnapped him nine years ago.

Martinez is shocked that Lance knows all this. Lance simply attributes his ability to read Pokémon's memories, which Martinez already knows about and was the reason why he approached him. However, Lance thinks back to what happened at Cerise Island with regret, and tells Martinez, with disappointment, that he knows nothing about Martinez's kidnapping. Martinez turns to leave, but Lance stops him. Lance says he can tell that Martinez hasn't treated his Murkrow with care. Lance adds that, through his own period of self-centeredness, he discovered that a Pokémon's mental health directly influences its battle strength. Lance tells an annoyed Martinez that he is currently no match for his perceived enemy. Thinking that Lance knows more about his enemy that he does, Martinez demands information on a Masked Man. Lance refuses to disclose anything, but strikes a deal with Martinez.

In the current time, Martinez mentions an earlier encounter with the Masked Man during the time he was under Lance's tutelage, but refuses to back down on his demands. Lance responds by removing himself from Sneasel's grip and reading its mind. He confirms that Sneasel was the Pokémon Martinez escaped with, and sees images of Martinez being trained up with five others, including Roberta, who joined the fight against Lance a year ago. Lance then sees a scene of Roberta and Martinez escaping, and Roberta appears to hold two feathers in her hands. After being told what they are by Martinez, Lance realizes why the Masked Man has been searching for Lugia and Ho-Oh.

Martinez then headed to the opening ceremony of the Pokémon League in an attempt to find the Masked Man, but Roberta teleported him away from there to save him. Martinez ignored her advice and traveled to Ilex Forest to battle the Masked Man, and was captured by Will and Karen, who used him to mentally torture Roberta, who was also battling them. Martinez tells Roberta that his Sneasel stole her Abra's mail just before it teleported. The mail contained a map of the forest, and thus he followed. Roberta, now flooding her face with tears, apologizes for leaving Martinez alone and not knowing that he was taking orders from Lance. Martinez, after saying that he always liked Roberta, wanting to spend his life together with her, slips into unconsciousness, causing Roberta to cry even louder as she recalls her memories with him.

Later, Martinez regains consciousness and battles Will on top of Lugia; Martinez using Sneasel and Will using his Xatu. Will orders a Peck from his Xatu towards Martinez, but his Sneasel blocks the attack with its claws. Will taunts Martinez over the latter's time in the outside world; Martinez retorts saying that life under the Masked Man will forever haunt him. Will, however, claims that he and Karen willingly became the Masked Man's accomplices. Knowing this as a direct contradiction to his belief that his former colleagues were also kidnapped, Martinez no longer holds back. He pushes Will and Xatu off Lugia.

Xatu tries to catch Will's fall, but Martinez's Pokémon pop out of their Poké Balls to beat up the bird. With new-found determination, Martinez states that unlike Will, who merely sees their battle as a game, he sees his battle as one against his own destiny. With that, Feraligatr knocks Xatu out with Return. Will's response to the well-prepared Martinez is to run away, thus he contacts Karen via Pokégear to urge her to do the same.

Later, Pryce returns from the time void and meets up with the other Pokédex holders. When Rosita asks Pryce where Miguel was, Pryce reveals that he managed to trap him in an ice mirror after being constantly pursued while in the Crack in Time. Martinez has Entei free him and Rosita with its flames, but Pryce escapes by jumping into the Ilex Forest shrine.

Miguel apologizes to everyone for being defeated. Martinez attempts to rescue him by reaching into the shrine, only for his hand to get distorted by the time stream. Miguel states that only those who have the Silver and Rainbow Wings will be able to move about the time stream freely. Bayley realizes that the feathers in her hat must be the feathers from Ho-Oh and Lugia that were also used to make the GS Ball. Miguel notices as well, and demands that she give him her hat so that he can be freed. Bayley takes off her hat and tosses it to Rosita, who frees Miguel from his icy prison. Although shocked to find out that Bayley is actually a girl, Miguel thanks her for being courageous enough to take her hat off. With the Rainbow and Silver Wings in hand, Miguel hops onto Raikou's back and jumps into the Crack in Time with Martinez and Rosita following behind on Entei and Suicine's backs, respectively.

As they pass through the time stream, the trio witness various moments from their journey. They quickly come upon moments of Pryce's past to when he was a young man. In a snowy region, a young Pryce watches as his two Lapras fall to their deaths in an avalanche. Pryce notices a crackling sound in his pocket, which turns out to be a Pokémon Egg. The Egg hatches into a baby Lapras, which begins looking for its now-deceased parents in vain. With tears in his eyes, Pryce begs the Lapras to forgive him. Pryce approaches the trio, and introduces them to his Lapras, La Glace.

Pryce states that he intends on changing the past so that La Glace can be reunited with its parents. Rosita questions why Pryce would go to so much trouble for the sake of one Lapras. This angers Pryce, who states that although it might not be important to her, to him it means everything. Pryce lashes out at Miguel and takes the Rainbow and Silver Wings, removing the protection they have from the Crack in Time. Pryce reveals that although he claimed that he considers Pokémon to be nothing but tools, he was actually lying. Pryce states that everyone else is just tools in his grand scheme of bringing back the Pokémon he loves. Pryce commands Celebi to bring him back to the day where he lost La Prus and La Pris.

Miguel, Rosita, and Martinez struggle to move forward. Seeing the moment from when they first met, Miguel apologizes to Martinez for thinking he was a thief. Martinez asks why Miguel continues to fight and wonders if it's because of him. Miguel denies this claim and states that he's fighting for himself. Miguel manages to grab the feathers and hands them to Martinez and Rosita, who he thanks for all the battles they shared together. Miguel leaps further into the time stream to face Pryce once more, leaving Martinez and Rosita behind in the process.

Martinez, Rosita, Entei, Raikou, and Pichu all emerge from the shrine unharmed, much to the relief of the Kanto Pokédex holders. When Bayley asks who hatched Pichu's Egg, Martinez gravely informs her that it was Miguel, who is now lost in the Crack in Time. A moment of silence passes before Robyn Oak apprehends Martinez, arresting him for his earlier thefts. Rosita pleads with Robyn on the basis that they had just lost a comrade, but Martinez assures her that with everything resolved, he is willing to accept punishment for his crimes. Before they can leave, a voice calls out to Robyn and tells him that Martinez can't be arrested because the picture on the wanted poster doesn't look like him at all. The voice is revealed to an alive and well Miguel, who states that misunderstandings tend to happen. Rosita is shocked to see that Miguel is still alive, but he tells her that she shouldn't just assume that he's dead so easily.

As Roberta notes Miguel's Gloom's evolution into Vileplume, Miguel takes the chance to pat her rear, earning a beating from an angry Martinez, and the two subsequently comically fight one another, much to the sweat drops of the remaining Pokédex holders, with the exception of Roberta, who's both embarassed by Miguel's actions, and flattered by Martinez defending her, and Rosita, who despite Miguel's perverted action, wipes a tear out of happiness for his return.

### **Crisis of Deoxys**

Two years following the Masked Man's defeat, both the Kanto and Johto regions have been quite peaceful. In a base, several people in masks shine searchlights over the area to look for people that have escaped. Two small children—one being a girl with long brown hair named Roberta and a black-haired boy named Martinez—sneak past the lights. After getting past the lights, Roberta and Martinez remove each other's masks. Although they struggle at first, they manage to remove their masks, which means that the Masked Man is at his weakest. Roberta, having never seen Martinez's face before, comments on the young boy's appearance.

In the present, Martinez thinks to himself about how the Masked Men kidnapped several children, including himself. He notes that six of the children, dubbed the "Masked Children", were split into three groups of two and were trained to be the Masked Man's followers. Despite this, Martinez and Roberta have always looked for a way to escape.

In the past, Roberta and Martinez have managed to get past the guards, but have to escape the barrier created by Psychic-type Pokémon. Using an underground passageway, Roberta and Martinez try to sneak their way out of the area. They are quickly spotted by the other Masked Children, Carl, Sham, Will and Karen, who chase after the two escapees. One of the attacks manages to hit Martinez in the leg. Roberta activates a pipe that releases smoke, allowing the two to escape. Sham manages to see Roberta and Martinez run away, and leads the other Masked Children to chase after them.

The chase is stopped when they find that the door leads to a dead end. When the Masked Children leave to search for Roberta and Martinez somewhere else, the thing blocking the door is revealed to be Roberta's Jigglypuff. Roberta and Martinez continue their escape, where they encounter an ice sculpture of them and the other Masked Children. Roberta reveals that they are in the Masked Man's room, but are safe because the man will be too exhausted to move. In the present, Martinez reveals that the Masked Man didn't know about the Poké Ball that could capture the Time Travel Pokémon, Celebi, which is why he would constantly lose to it every time he faced it.

Roberta decides to take the Silver and Rainbow Wings as mementos of their escape. After running through another hall, Roberta and Martinez finally escape the Masked Man's clutches into the outside world. Elsewhere, Pryce, the Masked Man, notices that Roberta and Martinez have escaped. As he carves another sculpture of the Masked Children, Pryce finds himself feeling lonely and becomes confused as he thought he had removed those feelings a long time ago.

In the present, Martinez states that after escaping, he and Roberta started a new life. Later, Martinez and Roberta talk over the Pokégear. Roberta reveals that she is nervous, as it's the day she is going to meet her long-lost parents. When Martinez asks if she got the new clothes he sent her, an embarrassed Roberta wonders if she will look nice in them. Martinez encourages Roberta by stating that she'll look gorgeous in them. In the Johto region, Martinez looks at handkerchief with his name on it. After putting it back into his pocket, Martinez sets off to parts unknown. Six months have passed since the battle between Groudon and Kyogre.

Sometime later, Martinez arrives in Viridian City and meets up with Bayley and Chuchu. Martinez recognizes Bayley as the Trainer from the Kanto region who had the Rainbow and Silver Winds and uses a Pikachu. Bayley recognizes Martinez as the boy that Roberta spent her childhood with. Martinez approaches Bayley and asks her why she's there. Bayley explains that she was born in Viridian City. Martinez checks Bayley's information on his Pokégear, only to find out that despite her being shorter than he is, she is actually a year older than him.

When Bayley asks why Martinez is here, he reveals that he had come there to find out where he was born. Since Roberta is probably having a reunion with her long-lost parents, Martinez states that it's time for him to do so as well. Bayley offers to help Martinez in any way she can. She decides to read Sneasel's memories to try and find something, but Martinez tells her that Lance already tried and failed due to Sneasel's emotional scars. Despite this claim, Bayley manages to find something faint, which she assumes is because of Sneasel coming to Viridian City. Bayley uses her powers to draw out more memories and draws what's in Sneasel's mind. They go inside the Gym, where Bayley wonders why Sneasel was thinking about the bust of Giovanni.

Bayley asks Sneasel why the statue of Giovanni is in its memories. Martinez states that although he hasn't been there, he has memories of Viridian City buried into his heart. Recalling the moment when Roberta had her Abra teleport him to safety, Martinez remembered a city surrounded by a forest. He reveals that he later found out that Roberta's intention was to use her Abra's Psychic abilities to pry through Martinez's mind and send him to his birthplace. After doing some research on what he saw, Martinez decided to come to Viridian. Martinez expresses delight at seeing that his assumptions were correct. He asks Bayley who the person on the bust is. Bayley tells him that it belongs to Giovanni, the original Gym Leader of the Viridian Gym and leader of Team Rocket.

Bayley hears rustling coming from the Viridian Forest and goes outside to investigate. She calls out to Dodrio, who brings Bayley her straw hat. Martinez asks Bayley what's about to happen. When Bayley asks what Martinez will do now that he knows that he has a connection to Team Rocket, Martinez states that he will ask Giovanni what their relation to each other is. Although he knows that he will be facing the boss of Team Rocket, Martinez decides that he will fight him. They hear a sound in the air, so Martinez puts on his Silph Scope to see it closer. He sees the Team Rocket airship, which he notes saves him the trouble of finding Giovanni. Noting that this isn't the same group he fought in Johto, Martinez guesses that the group must be Team Rocket's elite.

On the Team Rocket airship, Giovanni asks Deoxys that if it found his son near the Viridian Gym. Although Deoxys remains silent, Giovanni decides to trust in its skills. Giovanni decides to go down and meet his son himself, but he suddenly collapses in pain. As he cannot go down at the moment, Giovanni tells Sird and Orm to go in his stead. They exit the airship through a small pod, causing Martinez to note that they can't avoid a fight.

Martinez sends out his Gyarados and has him fire off a Fire Blast. The pod dodges the attack and sends out a Banette, which attacks Gyarados with a Shadow Ball. Martinez tries to have Gyarados heal its injuries with Rest, but Banette steals the move with Snatch. Martinez tells Sird and Orm to come out of the pod and face him in person. Inside the pod, Sird uses a machine to determine that Giovanni's son is actually Martinez. Sird and Orm exit the pod and tell Martinez that they are there to pick him up.

Martinez demands to know where Giovanni is. Sird simply responds by introducing herself and Orm to Martinez. Martinez tells them that his business is with Giovanni alone and tells them to get him down there. Sird notes that Martinez is stubborn like Giovanni, which is uncalled for as a leader. Confused at what Sird is talking about, Martinez sends his Murkrow to attack, only for it to be easily tossed aside by Sird's Banette. Sird tells Martinez to calm down, or else they will have to take him by force. Although Orm notes that Martinez is important to Giovanni, Sird tells him that she won't hurt him. Orm sends out his Jumpluff while Sird suggests having a Multi Battle. Much to Bayley's shock, Martinez agrees to the battle. Sird's Banette attacks Gyarados with a Double-Edge. Martinez retaliates by having Gyarados attack with Fire Blast again. As she rubs the cheek that was hit by the flames, Sird notes how Martinez's Gyarados is a beautiful shade of red. Sird states that Martinez and Giovanni are so alike.

Bayley notes that Martinez is in trouble, but Orm tells her that she should pay attention to her opponent in a Tag Battle. Orm's Jumpluff releases several spores that surround Bayley and Martinez. Orm explains that Jumpluff has the ability to ride the wind to go around the world. Since Orm's has done just that, his Jumpluff has picked up several types of spores that have various status conditions in them. One of the spores touches Chuchu, which causes her to get afflicted and fall to the ground.

Another spore hits Martinez's Gyarados, which puts it to sleep. Martinez notes that if they send out another Pokémon, they'll just get affected by the spores as well. Sird praises Orm for understanding what she meant by not harming Martinez and states that if all his Pokémon are defeated, Martinez will have no choice but to give up. Bayley tells Martinez that she has an idea and pulls out her fishing rod.

She uses her telepathic abilities to move the Poké Ball outside the spores's range. Once the ball goes in front of Sird and Orm, Bayley releases Omastar and has him freeze Orm's Jumpluff with Blizzard. The attack freezes the spores as well, causing them all to fall to the ground. Orm pulls out a black Pokédex, which he reveals that Carr give it the ability to determine the level of a Pokémon. After checking the level of Bayley's team, he notes how weak they are and calls Bayley's strategy a fluke based on Jumpluff's weakness. Bayley begins getting angry at seeing another violent battle being held in the Viridian Forest. She tells Orm and Sird to stop the battle and leave. Suddenly, the numbers of the black Pokédex begin rising far higher than they originally calculated.

Orm guesses that Bayley's Pokémon are so attuned to their Trainer, that their levels rise when Bayley gets angry. Although Sird notes how interesting the battle has gotten, she tells Orm to look at the more important matter upwards. Orm looks up and sees that the Team Rocket airship has transformed into its Stadium mode. They realize that Mewtwo must have pursued them from the Sevii Islands. Martinez checks his Silph Scope and sees Deoxys, which he had never seen before. Sird tells him that Deoxys is being controlled by his father, Giovanni. This revelation causes Martinez to start stumbling. Martinez claims that Sird is lying, but she sends her Banette to knock Martinez unconscious. Sird and Orm take this chance to load Martinez into the pod while Bayley tries to stop them. When Orm asks why they're simply running away, Sird states that she wants to give Martinez to Giovanni before Bayley catches up. Sird states that if they battle with Bayley, she will defeat them.

Bayley sends out Raticate and has him chew an opening. Bayley enters the ship and quickly begins looking for Martinez. Elsewhere, Sird and Orm take the unconscious Martinez to a room. Orm notes that Bayley has arrived, but Sird tells him to ignore her for now. Sird decides that Martinez's current attire is too unsuitable and decides to give him a new set of clothes. She puts a jacket over Martinez's clothes and claims that he will be Team Rocket's prince of darkness.

Martinez awakens in the Team Rocket airship, confused as to why he's in a Team Rocket uniform. He quickly remembers what Sird told him before he was knocked unconscious and notices Giovanni lying down next to him. Sneasel jumps out of his Poké Ball and smiles at Giovanni. As he remembers the statue in the Viridian Gym, Martinez realizes that Giovanni is his father.

Martinez flashes back to his time as a Masked Child servant of Pryce, the Masked Man. At one point, Roberta asked Pryce why they were picked as Masked Children. Although he finds it pointless asking why, Pryce states that they were picked for three specific reasons. The first is gender, from which three of each were picked. The second is age, which meant the children had to be picked from a young age with a three-year difference between each to prevent the chance of a rebellion. The last is ones birthplace and natural talent, which meant that Martinez was picked because Pyrce knew his family and where he was born.

Martinez assumes that Giovanni was looking for him so that he can make him a successor to Team Rocket. Depressed, Martinez reveals to Sneasel that he often dreams of being home like Roberta. He describes the place as being sunny and filled with tame Pokémon, just like Miguel's house was. Martinez claims that his dreams of being part of the light will never happen because the darkness keeps pulling him away from it. Although he accepts this, Martinez refuses to acknowledge Giovanni, the leader of an evil organization, as his father. Martinez attempts to leave, but Giovanni grabs his arm and tries to stop him. Soon, Martinez and Giovanni are engulfed within Organism No. 2's black hole as commanded by Edge to get them to safety from the crashing airship.

Giovanni finds himself alone in a completely pitch-black room. He quickly realizes that this is the black hole created by Organism No. 2, who created it to get Giovanni and Martinez to safety. He begins looking for Martinez, who he finds being held by his Sneasel. Giovanni tells the unconscious Martinez that if Organism No. 2 created the black hole, it must lead to an exit. They exit the black hole, only to land on a piece of the Team Rocket airship surrounded by flames. Giovanni lands on the piece, and struggles to keep Martinez from falling into the flames as well. He notes that if the flames weren't there, he would be holding Martinez in his embrace. Giovanni notices that Martinez's face is dirty, which reminds him of when he would wipe his dirty face when Martinez was a child. When Sneasel takes a handkerchief and uses it to wipe Martinez's face, Giovanni notes that it was the same one he gave to him as a child.

Giovanni notes that when he was younger, Martinez would lose several of his possessions, so Giovanni would have Martinez's name printed on several of them. With his name on all of his possessions, Giovanni assumes that the name he gave to Martinez must be used by other people. Since he knows that his body is wasting away from disease, Giovanni tells his son that he has grown up.

Elsewhere, Robyn and Roberta approach the airship's rubble to investigate the situation. Roberta uses her Silph Scope and finds out that Martinez is there, much to her confusion. Robyn sends out his Rhydon, which breaks through the rubble and saves Martinez and Giovanni. Martinez awakens and meets up with Roberta again. Martinez states that his Rhydon's skin is strong enough to protect it from magma. When Roberta asks why Martinez is with the leader of Team Rocket, Martinez reveals that Giovanni is actually his father. Martinez tells them to be surprised or even laugh, but he refuses to acknowledge Giovanni as his father. He states that they should have left Giovanni to die in the flames.

Robyn expresses sympathy for Martinez being ashamed of his family. Although Martinez notes that this behavior is uncharacteristic, Robyn tells him to let him continue his story. Robyn explains that in the past, people would only treat him as Professor Oak's grandson, even when he accomplished something by himself. When he went to train with Chuck, he was finally treated like his own person for once. This allowed Robyn to now proudly say that he is the grandson of Professor Oak.

Robyn tells Martinez that he already went separate ways from his past when he helped defeat Team Rocket in Johto, so he should be proud of the things that he's done. Robyn points out that Giovanni also shielded Martinez from the flames with his own body. Robyn states that if he was a second late, Martinez and Sneasel would have been heavily damaged from the fire. He notes that although Rhydon is powerful, he was only able to train it as well as he did with the book that Giovanni had created. Robyn states that although Giovanni should pay for what he's done, he should also be commended for his strength and willingness to share that strength with the next generation. In addition to this, Giovanni should be praised for spending ten years of his life looking for his missing son. Martinez tears up and crouches over Giovanni, finally acknowledging the man as his father.

Robyn states that normally, it would be Edge who would be angry in situations like this. In this case, it was Edge who had to keep Robyn from acting irrationally. Robyn notes that the dedication they have towards family causes them to act crazy sometimes. When he asks her if she agrees, Roberta gives a small nod. A black hole appears, with Mewtwo and an unconscious Bayley in its arms exiting from it. Mewtwo weakly lands and accidentally drops Bayley, who falls into Roberta's arms. When Robyn asks where Edge is, Mewtwo states that he's still in the airship. Robyn sends out Rhydon and has it use Megahorn, while Roberta's Blastoise joins Robyn's Golduck in using Hydro Pump. The three attacks hit the airship in an attempt to slow down its crash.

Bayley states that Edge always keeps his promises, no matter what. Robyn notes that although she's asleep, Bayley is still thinking about Edge. Robyn states that although he wasn't there, he can see from Mewtwo's condition that the battle was a hard one, which means that they can't rely on Mewtwo anymore. Due to this, Robyn states that their last job as Pokédex holders is to try their hardest to prevent the airship from crashing.

Martinez sends out his Ursaring and tells it to take Giovanni to his 18th secret hideout and look after him. Martinez sends out Feraligatr, Kingdra, and Gyarados and states that he's going to help. Martinez states that although he doesn't know what Giovanni intends on doing with Team Rocket or himself, he won't ignore the fact that Giovanni is his father and will work to prevent Giovanni from committing any more crimes. In addition to this, Martinez states that he's a Pokédex holder and wants to fulfill his obligations as well. Robyn allows this, and the three Trainers command their Pokémon to continue attacking.

However, their attacks can't hold for much longer and the ship prepares to crash, as Martinez and the others brace for the worst. However, the ship suddenly begins floating, slides down a building, and lands on the ground almost completely unharmed. Edge stumbles out of the airship and thanks Robyn and the others for their help. Robyn acts confused, as he thought that the airship was stopped by Edge since their attacks couldn't hold it any longer. The five Pokédex holders meet up once more as Mew flies over them.

Azumarill, Gyarados, Snorlax, Aerodactyl, Charizard, Pikachu, and Chuchu come out from the Team Rocket airship and reunite with their Trainers. Organism No. 2 also emerges from the wreckage, much to Robyn and Roberta's shock. Edge and Organism No. 2 shake hands, causing Robyn and Roberta to let out a sigh of relief.

Mewtwo notices Mew flying away and realizes that it was the one who had stopped the airship from crashing. He wonders if Mew had come because it could sense that it was there. Mewtwo notes that where it came from caused it some distress in the past, but since it was created from Mew's eyelash, it has a place where it can trace its roots back to. Mewtwo tells Organism No. 2 that it's glad that it could find someone else who shared the same opinion.

Robyn states that he's glad to see that Edge is alright. Edge thanks Robyn and Roberta for their help, but doesn't know Martinez's name to give a proper thanks to him. Robyn introduces Martinez to Edge and tells him that he did a good job as well. Robyn tells Martinez that he will need more of his help and reveals that according to Giovanni's book, Rhydon can evolve further through trading. Martinez investigates the book and takes the offer with his specialty in Pokémon trading.

When Edge notices the sleeping Bayley, Roberta suggests giving her the empty Pokédex that survived the battle in the Trainer Tower. Edge gives Bayley the Pokédex, officially making her a Pokédex holder. Roberta notes that this feels like a Pokédex holder reunion with all five together. Roberta reveals that she heard of two other Pokédex holders in Hoenn and suggests meeting up with them as well as the other two from Johto.

When Organism No. 2 begins moving, Edge asks where it's going. Organism No. 2, through Edge's Pokédex, reveals that it intends on finding the Deoxys that was discarded by Team Rocket, Organism No. 1. In addition, Organism No. 2 knows that a meteor from outer space is located in a faraway region. With this meteor, Organism No. 2 intends on using it to remove its inability to change its Formes at will. Organism No. 2 turns into its Attack Forme and gives Edge a word of thanks. Edge gives a thanks back, and Organism No. 2 flies off into the air. Suddenly, someone approaches from behind. Meanwhile, outside of Vermilion City, Ultima claims that the incident is over now. Lorelei states that it isn't, as Sird is somewhere nearby. Lorelei has her Jynx create an ice voodoo doll of Sird as payback for what she did earlier.

The person that approached from behind is revealed to be Sird, who is still heavily injured from falling out of the airship. Sird expresses surprise to see how long the Pokédex holders managed to last, especially Bayley, who can increase her team's strength by communing with them. Robyn notes that Sird would never understand how Bayley works, as she only measures strength in numbers. Sird realizes that Pokédex holders' strength comes from their bond with each other, which is why they're so strong. Sird suggests getting rid of the Pokédex holders, but notes that she's too weak to even stand right now.

A ring of ice surrounds Sird's leg, which causes it to freeze over. Sird expresses annoyance at Lorelei's tactic, which she states will take all her strength to break free from. Sird pulls out a Poké Ball and reveals that she intends on capturing Organism No. 2 before it escapes. Edge, with Bayley in his arms, Robyn, Roberta, Martinez, and Mewtwo all jump in front of the Poké Ball as it releases a light. Suddenly, the five Trainers become covered in a grayish-stone color. Sird notes that although she didn't capture Organism No. 2, she managed to get something equal in return. Sird breaks the ice around her legs and leaves while bidding goodbye to the Pokédex holders for the last time.

Professor Oak, Ultima, and Lorelei arrive, having seen the whole thing. Professor Oak asks Lorelei to not let Roberta's parents know about what just happened. At Five Island, Bill gets a call on his Pokégear and tells everyone that the airship has been stopped from crashing into Vermilion City. Although the townspeople celebrate, Bill reveals that the Pokédex holders have been petrified after being engulfed by a strange light. Professor Oak, Ultima and Lorelei sadly stare at Edge, Bayley, Roberta, Robyn and Martinez as stone statues.

### **Battle Frontier**

Martinez, along with Edge, Roberta, Robyn, and Bayley, were transported as statues in boxes on the S.S. Tidal by Jethro and Gwendolyn to the Battle Frontier for their salvation. Martinez and the others were liberated by Magna with the help of the wish-granting Mythical Pokémon Jirachi. Free again, Martinez and the others helped fight Guile Hideout. In the aftermath of the battle, Martinez and the other Pokédex holders participated in the Battle Dome tournament, which ultimately concluded in Magna claiming the Tactics Symbol.

### **Arceus Arise**

Flying towards the Whirl Islands on his Murkrow, Martinez tells it and his Sneasel to hold onto their Dusk Stone and Razor Claw, special items given to them by Roberta. Using his Feraligatr, Gyarados, and Kingdra, he opens the way to Lance's secret hideout. Inside, he notes Lance's absence and reviews a series of photographs he took, all of Team Rocket engaging in various suspicious activities. Martinez points out to Sneasel that while damages from Team Rocket's latest activities were minimal, they're exactly the same as those during Team Rocket's previous revival in Johto. Martinez has personally sworn to take down Team Rocket, but with Lance missing, he seems to have gone on a wild goose chase. Suddenly, a whip wraps around Sneasel, and Martinez is cornered by a Dragonair, which are revealed to belong to a furious Clair.

Clair demands Martinez tell her what business he has with Lance, who had called her earlier. When the connection broke, she came looking for him out of concern. Before Martinez can explain himself, he realizes that the both of them have been surrounded by hostile Koffing. Quickly, Martinez deploys his entire team to attack, surprising Clair when he faints all the Koffing in a mere matter of seconds. Clair recognizes Feraligatr's attack as Hydro Cannon, and identifies Martinez as a Pokédex holder when Martinez takes out his Pokédex. One of the Koffing tries to slink away, but Martinez has Sneasel swipe at it, prompting it to flee. Sneasel lifts up what looks like a rectangular tile, and Martinez explains that Sneasel can steal things from others easily.

Martinez asks Clair about the call she received from Lance, but Clair admits that the call was mostly garbled and she only heard a few key phrases: Safari Zone, the Plate and Arceus. Martinez knows of the newly opened Johto Safari Zone, but neither he nor Clair know what the other words mean. Looking at the tile he received from Sneasel, Martinez wonders if it is the Plate in question when Clair beckons to him, pointing out that Sneasel and Murkrow are evolving into Weavile and Honchcrow. Martinez notes that the experience they accumulated along with the held items prompted both Pokémon's evolution, and guesses that something big is about to happen, for which their increased strength would be needed. He then embarks on a journey to the Safari Zone for more leads.

Meanwhile in Team Rocket's new headquarters at Cliff Cave, Carr smugly reviews the number of conquered areas. He gleefully states that he's close to becoming leader of Team Rocket, just as he had attempted years ago, and no one will be able to stop him. However, from behind a new voice proposes otherwise, stating that Team Rocket can only be lead by Giovanni alone. An Arbok lifts Carr from his seat and tosses him away painfully. The voice, belonging to one of the Executives, Archer, declares that only those who have inherited Giovanni's will can lead Team Rocket. He formally introduces the rest of his team, Ariana, Petrel, and Proton, as the Four Team Rocket Executives.

Following a lead from Clair, Martinez travels to the Johto Safari Zone in order to seek out Lance and possible involvements of Team Rocket. However, the scene of the Safari Zone Gate is bustling with people, and a stunned Martinez begins doubting the possibility of Team Rocket showing up. Amidst the stalls, Martinez encounters Eusine, selling poetry and sketches related to Suicune, which Martinez isn't impressed with. However, Martinez is caught in the throngs of people entering the Safari Zone, and unwittingly ends up participating in the Safari Game.

Martinez decides to investigate from inside the Safari Zone, remembering that the Safari game is where Trainers can catch Pokémon. Encountering a wild Arbok, Silver has his Weavile attack it so he can catch it, but is stopped by Eusine and his Electrode before he can throw the Safari Ball. Eusine furiously reminds Martinez that the rules ban battling Pokémon to catch them, which Martinez realizes he didn't pay attention to. Eusine apologizes to Martinez for shouting, and explains that if Martinez was caught battling, he would be in trouble with Baoba. Martinez recognizes Eusine from his booth, and Eusine introduces himself as a Suicune hunter. Eusine then says that he et up shop outside the Safari Zone to look for more information on Suicune. Unsure if Eusine is ally or foe, Martinez decides to test Eusine by taking out the Plate he took. From afar, Petrel watches the two and identifies Martinez as the one who attacked his Koffing and stole the Plate they found.

With no reaction from Eusine, Martinez guesses that Eusine isn't involved with the Plate or Team Rocket, when suddenly the man begins to tear up and dribble mucus uncontrollably. As gas cloaks around them, Martinez's Pokédex identifies it as the lachrymator gas from Koffing's body. Martinez guesses that the Koffing attacking them now are the same ones that he fought earlier. Petrel then reveals himself, confirming Martinez's suspicions. Martinez has Weavile freeze the Koffing's vents with Icy Wind to block off the gas, but Petrel states that enough of the gas has already been released, and soon enough, Martinez will fall victim like Eusine has. The gas also hides Petrel's Pokémon from view, from within the gas, Petrel's Raticate strikes Weavile with Hyper Fang and hits Martinez's face with its tail, before destroying the rope bridge that the men are standing on.

Martinez barely manages to hold onto the fraying bridge with Weavile and Eusine in tow. Petrel is impressed with Martinez's reflexes, but notes that Martinez can no longer counter-attack, leaving him free to take Martinez's Plate. Petrel begins musing which Plate Martinez has, and declares that if he takes it, he'll have three Plates. Martinez is surprised that there are multiple Plates, and Petrel confirms that Team Rocket's objective is to collect all of them. To Petrel's surprise, Martinez smirks and says that he can steal Petrel's two plates instead, and lets go of the rope bridge. With a splash of water, Martinez's Gyarados towers over Petrel, and Weavile has Petrel at claw-point. Glaring at Petrel from atop Gyarados, Martinez demands Petrel for his Plates, as well as information on them. Petrel curses his luck, and takes out the Toxic and Earth Plates which Gyarados snatches away for Martinez. Petrel reveals the number of Plates, and asks if Martinez is happy now. But Martinez is not satisfied, as he demands more information about the plates.

Just then, a Safari Zone patrol car stops by Martinez, and its driver announces by loudspeaker that Martinez has breached the rule of no battling within the Safari Zone's compound. The patroller gets out of his car and becomes even more outraged when he sees the broken bridge. He order the mechanical Hoothoot to arrest Martinez and take him to the warden's office. Just then, the patroller hears the warden's voice, claiming that he was just having light-hearted fun with Martinez. Martinez turns, and sees that instead of Petrel, Baoba is being held by Weavile's claws instead. Weavile decides to release its hostage. The patroller changes tone and apologizes, but Baoba sends him on his way. Just as the patroller is out of sight, "Baoba" looks at Martinez, and takes his disguise off to reveal himself as Petrel.

Petrel surprises Martinez even further when he puts on and takes off Martinez's face, as well as those of Eusine and Lance. He warns Martinez not to trust anyone he sees, as it may well be Petrel in disguise. With that, he flies away on his Golbat. Martinez quickly gives chase on his Honchkrow, knowing that Petrel has seen Lance because he is able to disguise as the latter. Petrel duly confirms thus, declaring that he defeated Lance in battle. Petrel's claim shocks Martinez, to the point that Golbat is quick to fire an Air Cutter to knock Martinez and his Honchkrow back to the ground. Martinez gets up, but fails to spot Petrel after that. Eusine, who has been on Gyarados's back all this time, comes around. Martinez explains the events, and is still unable to comprehend Lance's defeat. Martinez continues to look for leads in the Safari Zone by ordering moves from his Pokémon, but he finds nothing. Eusine, after sneezing again, recalls that they were ambushed by a high-ranked figure of Team Rocket, who appears to be seeking the so-called Plates. Martinez knows for certain that they are scheming something involving the Plates.

As Martinez's Pokémon continue to search, Eusine has an idea, and decides to ask why Martinez is so determined to stop Team Rocket all by himself, and not leave it to the police. Martinez says that Team Rocket was the creation of his very own father, and refers back to his own past as part of the reason for Team Rocket's existence. Eusine begins to well up at Martinez's heartbreaking story. He then decides that he would be happy to offer assistance to Martinez's mission. Just as Martinez begins to protest, Eusine refers to an old friend of his - someone with clairvoyant powers. Eusine offers his friend's services to Martinez in exchange for any information Martinez knows about Suicune. Martinez, though annoyed at Eusine's eccentricities, convinces himself that Eusine is not on Team Rocket's side. Just then, Eusine is pelted by bait and mud. A group of young children then spot Eusine and sulk that whoever they hit wasn't a Pokémon, and another older girl trails after them. She apologizes to a raging Eusine and has the kids do the same, but then catches sight of Martinez with surprise. Martinez also recognizes the girl as Rosita.

Meanwhile, two Team Rocket Grunts report to Proton about the loss of the Plates. Proton takes no heed and continues to look for clues to the whereabouts of the Sinjoh Ruins.

The sun is setting, and Rosita is operating a Lapras-shaped ferry back to the Johto mainland with Martinez, with the help of the latter's Gyarados and Feraligatr. Following the excursion of the Pokémon Academy pupils to the Safari Zone, Rosita contacts both her mother and Earl. Rosita lets Martinez know that she uses the "report, contact, discuss" method of keeping in touch with those she knows and trusts. She offers a blue-colored variant of the new Pokégear to Martinez, but he refuses. Martinez then feels his left arm start to ache again, and despite being warned not to help him, Rosita decides to use her Parasect's spores to relieve Martinez's pain. Rosita explains how her Parasect can make medicine out of its spores. Martinez apologizes for his earlier behavior, but Rosita reminds him that as Pokédex holders, they ought to be companions.

Hours later, at sunrise, Rosita sees the Glitter Lighthouse beacon, and she knows they will arrive at Ecruteak City in the morning. She also knows that Morty, through Eusine, has agreed to help Martinez, which makes Martinez recall Eusine's eccentricities when he met him - something that Rosita herself is all too familiar with. However, Rosita decided to leave Eusine in charge of the Academy pupils while she went along with Martinez to help him, as Rosita also believes in their safety, which would be compromised if organizations like Team Rocket were allowed to roam freely. She pulls out a broken shard from her bag as she declares her own resolve, making her recall Magna.

Martinez also feels moved at Rosita's speech, by responding to her smile with his own. Rosita instead thinks Martinez is staring at her new clothes, and becomes embarrassed. She breaks into a frenzy about her mother's choice of clothes, and why she should not let Miguel see her in them, causing Martinez to tease about her feelings for Miguel, leaving Rosita extremely embarassed. As the boat continues to sail, a shadow beneath the water follows them. Martinez and Rosita are still only at Route 38 on their way to the location Miguel is already at. They discuss about the Plates when suddenly, an Arbok charges out of the ground, knocking Rosita down and Martinez upwards. Just as Arbok is about to catch Martinez with its mouth, his Honchkrow appears to catch Martinez , but Arbok glares to slow Honchkrow down, then fires a Poison Sting to pin Honchkrow and its Trainer to a tree.

Rosita responds by bringing out Arcanine Cubone and Hitmonchan, but all three are knocked back immediately. Standing behind them is a chubby woman with her Gloom and Murkrow. She introduces herself as Executive Ariana of Team Rocket, points a wooden fan at Rosita and gets her team ready to battle. Rosita decides to divert the battle away from Martinez.

Martinez eventually sees what Rosita is trying to do, and enough time passes for him to eventually free himself from the Poison Sting. Martinez also knows that Rosita is in a hopeless situation, as by then, all three of her Pokémon are already struggling against their opponents. While thinking that he should take over the battle and let Rosita get to Ecruteak first, Martinez suddenly sees the types of Rosita's Pokémon, and how they match up to the Plates' names, which can only mean that the Plates themselves correspond to Pokémon's types. Martinez realizes that each of the sixteen Plates represent a Pokémon type, excluding the Normal-type. During Rosita's battle against Ariana, Martinez gives his Rhyperior the Earth Plate, which makes it deliver an astoundingly powerful Earth Power attack against Ariana. After that, Martinez runs off to the Ecruteak Gym, leaving Rosita to finish the battle herself.

Once Martinez arrives at the Ecruteak Gym, he is confronted by Bugsy, Falkner and Chuck. Martinez tells them that he is there to see Morty. However, Falkner and Bugsy reveal that in the past others have broken into the Gym and forced Morty to look into the future, and Martinez has to prove himself a worthy visitor. Martinez's Weavile easily defeats Bugsy's Kakuna and Falkner's Noctowl, but is eventually defeated by a Triple Kick from Chuck's Hitmontop. Martinez then sends out Rhyperior. Both Rhyperior and Hitmontop use their horns to fight each other, until they suddenly stop. Falkner realizes that Hitmontop recognizes Rhyperior, because it had once battled its pre-evolved form and Robyn before. Martinez then explains how he obtained his Rhyperior.

In a flashback after the crisis at the Battle Frontier, Martinez goes with Robyn to the 18th secret hideout on Route 6, because he had sent his Ursaring there to take care of Giovanni, who was wounded. However when they show up at the hideout, neither Giovanni or Ursaring are there. Martinez tells Robyn that he managed to decipher the book *Secrets of the Land*. Martinez then asks Robyn to give his Rhydon a Protector and trade it. After the trade, Rhydon evolves into Rhyperior. Robyn then departs and tells Martinez to keep the book and Rhyperior, as a replacement for his Ursaring, until his business with Team Rocket were finished.

Back in the present, upon hearing about Martinez's connection with Robyn, Chuck allows Martinez to enter the Gym. Meanwhile inside the Gym, Morty is already with Miguel. Because it was difficult for Morty to describe his thoughts in words, he decided to sketch them instead. Suddenly, Martinez shows up at the door, so Morty asks him who he is. Martinez shows Morty his Pokédex, and is allowed to proceed. Finally, Miguel and Martinez both meet each other again, each with the intent of hearing Morty's thoughts for the future. Morty stands by, apologizing to Martinez for thinking Miguel was him. Martinez wraps his arm around Martinez's shoulder and says he doesn't know why Martinez's here, but can explain how he knows the boy. Miguel doesn't get to explain, as Martinez points out that he can feel a rumbling beneath them. Morty calls Chuck from the Gym phone. Outside, Chuck, Falkner, and Bugsy all stare in shock as Arceus appears before them. A blast of light sends Morty, Martinez, and Miguel flying.

Martinez and Morty wake up after falling unconscious from Arceus's blast, the latter noting how the top half of Ecruteak Gym was destroyed as well. Martinez glances around, wondering where Miguel is. After Martinez releases Honchkrow to fly off and find Miguel, Morty reminds him of the Plates he's searching for. With the help of his clairvoyance, and Misdreavus and Gastly, Morty tries to locate the remaining 13 Plates for Martinez. Morty collapses with sweat dripping down his face, however, but says he's fine. He claims he saw Arceus's figure combined with all 16 Plates. As he marks up a map of the remaining 13 Plates for Martinez, Morty comments on how Team Rocket's plans may involve bringing Arceus and the Plates together. Martinez then releases his Weavile, who immediately takes the map with the Plates's locations and starts scratching on a tree with its claws. Morty asks why this is, and Martinez explains that Weavile does this so that others of its species (including Sneasel) will spread the word and aid in the search for the Plates. As Morty watches Honchkrow and Martinez fly off, he begs Martinez to save Johto from danger and says he can't be of help anymore. As they fly, Martinez takes out his Pokédex and notes how many contacts it has along with some of its features. He then calls Miguel and asks where he is, to which Miguel responds that he's busy fighting Arceus. Determinedly, Martinez asks Gold to wait for him while he finishes collecting the Plates.

Martinez flies over an area of rocky terrain with Honchkrow, and Weavile jumping from rock to rock with a satchel full of the Plates they've collected so far. Weavile is then seen riding a Mantyke and being handed a Plate by a Sneasel. As soon as Martinez finishes collecting all 16 Plates, he goes to find Miguel at the Ruins of Alph, asking Honchkrow to fly southwest of Ecruteak City.

On the way to find Miguel, however, Honchkrow notifies Martinez that something is wrong. The two of them find Rosita and her Natu slumped over tree branches, unconscious. Rosita wakes up and apologizes for not catching Arceus sooner to prevent him from getting hurt. As Rosita explains that she chased Arceus for too long after failing to catch it, Martinez tells her not to apologize because it's not her fault. In fact, he claims it's because of her that he was able to finish collecting all 16 Plates; she was the one to lead him to Morty, after all, so that he could use his clairvoyance to mark the Plate locations on a map. Then, Martinez and Crystal fly off with Honchkrow to find Miguel together, with Martinez mentioning not to worry about Arceus because it's fighting Miguel as they speak.

Meanwhile, Team Rocket has caught up to Arceus and Miguel at the Ruins of Alph and note that Arceus and its barrier are disappearing. Ariana wonders how they'll get in, and they all fly down into the barrier with the help of a few Golbat. Petrel notices Martinez and Rosita flying in as well, but says they're too late.

From the skies, Rosita points out the barrier and asks if they need to get inside, to which Martinez says yes. With the 16 Plates present, everyone is transported to the Sinjoh Ruins, where there's cold and snow. Rosita, Miguel, and Martinez are by themselves, wondering where exactly they are. Miguel notes that Arceus had a strange look on its face once Rosita and Martinez descended into the barrier before being transported. Martinez speculates that the Plates either belong to Arceus, or are a part of it, and so, Miguel suggests they give the Plates back to Arceus so it can hopefully stop feeling sad. Approaching the entrance to the Sinjoh Ruins, they spot Archer with his hands behind his back, eyes closed, and a smug expression on his face. Rosita demands to know why he's there, but Archer just responds with a story about how Sinnoh and Johto were part of a mass migration that caused their cultures to seep into each other. He notes that the Sinjoh Ruins look similar to where Arceus was first awakened, but that they're all neither in Sinnoh nor Johto. It is then revealed that Arceus is being tied up.

Proton thanks Rosita, Miguel, and Martinez for opening up Arceus's heart enough that it opened the barrier to the Sinjoh Ruins. Ariana and Petrel thank them for collecting all 16 Plates for them as well. As Arceus is led in chains to be enshrined on the Mystri Stage, Miguel tells Martinez to give Team Rocket the Plates, much to Rosita's surprise. Miguel, Rosita, and Martinez accost Team Rocket as they work to force Arceus on the Mystri Stage in the Sinjoh Ruins so that they can enshrine it. Ariana, Proton, and Petrel tell them that they'll have to defeat the three of them if they want to interrupt Archer and the enshrining process. At the start of the battle, Ariana's Murkrow fights Rosita's Meganium, Petrel's Golbat fights Martinez's Weavile, and Proton's Zubat fights Miguel's Sudowoodo.

Meanwhile, Archer shows Arceus the 16 Plates and notes how badly Arceus must want the Plates back in its possession. However, according to Archer, Arceus has to show him its power as long as he holds the Plates, so Archer holds a Splash Plate up and demands it change type. Arceus's body glows brightly, and the fight between Team Rocket and the Pokédex holders pause as they wonder what the light means. Proton points out that Arceus's new body color, a deep azure, means it is now a Water-type. Arceus promptly summons a wave of water, which sweeps the Pokédex holders away. Archer holds up a Zap Plate, changing Arceus to an Electric-type, then a Stone Plate for Arceus to become a Rock-type, then a Meadow Plate for Arceus to become a Grass-type, and finally, then a Mind Plate for Arceus to become a Psychic-type. Speaking to Arceus, Archer claims that he's not sure why humans wanted to extract Arceus's powers from its body in the first place, an event that caused Arceus to stop wanting to live in harmony with humans. Archer further claims what a waste it would be for Arceus to just sleep for the rest of time when its powers could be used for so much more, and so, that is why Team Rocket searched for it.

Rosita demands to know why Miguel told Martinez to hand Team Rocket the Plates just then, but Miguel says he doesn't know why. Announcing the names of all 16 Plates, Archer then claims that they belong to people who want Arceus's power. After thanking the Pokédex holders once again for their part in this, Archer demands Arceus to start creating. Several Unown appear and gravitate around Arceus's body. Proton, in response to Miguel's confusion, explains that Arceus can't create something out of nothing, and Archer claims Arceus is in the middle of creating the Creation trio. Archer boasts about Team Rocket's control over the Creation Trio and mentions Team Rocket's boss, Giovanni, causing Martinez to react with surprise. Archer wishes for Giovanni to know, if he's still alive, that Team Rocket has succeeded in becoming the most powerful organization in the world. Falling to his hands and knees, he begs for Giovanni to return to Team Rocket. Petrel approaches Martinez from behind, and claims that only he of the Four Executives knows that their leader, Giovanni, is Martinez's father. He explains that when he was being punished at Team Rocket's hideout by Archer for losing the Plates, he made the excuse that Martinez would seek all the Plates and thus, he would steal them all at once when Martinez finished collecting the Plates. Apparently, Archer was totally convinced by this excuse and Petrel was freed. Pondering his next move after Archer left, Petrel slapped on the disguise of Martinez, which caught the attention of the imprisoned Carr, who claimed that the black-haired kid was Giovanni's son.

Petrel goes on and says that he is now totally sure that Giovanni and Martinez are related, having seen Martinez's facial expression upon hearing the name Giovanni. Petrel's Golbat then slaps its tongue on Martinez, causing him to go blind. The corrosive saliva also burns Martinez's mouth, and before Martinez can react, he finds that he cannot cry out. After glancing at Archer, Petrel claims that "pleaders" like Archer are weak and limbless, for they become fixated on one thing and ignore all the rest. With an arm around Martinez's neck, Petrel assures Martinez no further harm and hopes the boy can work alongside him. Martinez manages to prompt Petrel for an explanation, but after hearing it, he gets angry. Petrel remains unfazed, claiming that from the first moment he and Martinez met, he knew Martinez was destined for a future of great evil.

Martinez admits that he could not escape from such a fate after all, and calls out his Honchkrow, using it to fly towards the center of the Mystri Stage. Realizing the implication behind Martinez's act, Petrel calls out towards Ariana and Proton, falsely claiming that Martinez is thwarting them, and soon Martinez is ganged up on by a Raticate, Vileplume, and a group of Koffing.

Rosita tries to help Martinez, but Miguel stops her. Miguel claims that Silver isn't the one who suddenly gives up. At that moment, a Poké Ball drops in front of Rosita, who sees that it's that of Martinez's Feraligatr. Miguel knows that Martinez threw Feraligatr's Poké Ball to them when he dived into the Mystri Stage, and he clearly knows what Martinez has in mind. Realizing this as well, Rosita smiles, and takes out the Poké Ball of her Meganium while Miguel gets Typhlosion's Poké Ball out.

Soon, Miguel and Rosita have Typhlosion, Feraligatr, and Meganium lined up, and order Blast Burn, Hydro Cannon and Frenzy Plant from them respectively. The attacks disintegrate the incomplete forms of Dialga, Giratina and Palkia, respectively. To Archer's horror, the particles of energy creating Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina vanish. The room falls silent, and Arceus turns towards the Four Executives. With a flash of light, the Four Executives "vanish" and Arceus starts absorbing the Plates.

Rosita uses Parasect to restore Martinez's vision with its spores. Miguel grins at Arceus, standing tall like its deity status suggests, and asks how it feels to be complete. However, Rosita suddenly sees broken fragments materializing on the three corners of the Mystri Stage. In no time, Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina materialize fully in each corner. Archer's maniacal laugh is heard, and Miguel turns around to see that the Four Executives didn't vanish after all. Archer states that once the creation process begins, it cannot be stopped and that it only appeared to be stopped because Arceus was absorbing the Plates. He claims that the creation of Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina, the completion of Arceus's state, the possession of these Legendary Pokémon by Team Rocket, and thus, Giovanni, is all destiny.

Archer's behavior frightens the rest of the Executives. Petrel decides to make his escape, without letting anyone else know, and starts to disguise as someone. Just then, a loud bang is heard. Ariana and Proton turn around and see a man wearing a hat and a trench coat. Upon being asked for his identity, the man is surprised that Ariana and Proton have forgotten who he is, and takes off his hat. Ariana and Proton exclaim in shock that Giovanni has returned. Martinez's attention is turned towards Giovanni as well, but suddenly remembers what Petrel said, however all doubt is eliminated at the next moment when he sees Petrel, half-disguised as Giovanni, struggling to stand up in front of the real Giovanni. Petrel tries to comment on the Ursaring that ruthlessly brushed him aside, and Giovanni coldly states that Ursaring was raised by his son. Before Martinez can properly reunite with his father, two other figures start to emerge. The figure that is standing sees that the legends have been created after all, and the other figure, sitting in a wheelchair, admits that this was the reason why the three of them came. The figures materialize behind Giovanni and are revealed to be Lance and Pryce.

The three Trainers begin combating the Pokémon, and manage to hold them off for a little while. When Miguel questions how Pryce returned, the man reveals that the one who saved him from the crack in time was Celebi, who could see the destruction that Arceus would bring with the legendary Pokémon it created. After everyone else leaves to take their battle outside, Miguel remains in the Sinjoh Ruins to calm Arceus down. Miguel sends out his entire team to try and face Arceus, but they are quickly swatted away and defeated again. The only one left standing is Togepi, who Miguel refuses to let fight as he does not fully trust in his power. Despite this, Togepi refuses to listen to Miguel's commands and continues to hopelessly attack Arceus.

Seeing how determined Togepi is causes Miguel to remember how they are both treated as last resorts, which puts them in similar situations. Miguel decides to trust in Togepi, and sends him to attack Arceus. As a result of Miguel's newfound trust in him, Togepi evolves into Togetic. As Miguel marvels at its evolution, Miguel suddenly remembers the Shiny Stone given to him by Lance, and throws it to Togetic, who proceeds to evolve into Togekiss, and delivers a Sky Attack, which doesn't hurt Arceus, but calms it down enough to end its rage.

At the Ilex Forest, Ken, Al, and Harry discover a Pichu hiding behind a bush. This Pichu gestures towards the bushes and a spiky-eared Pichu appears. The trio is overwhelmed by the two Pichu's cuteness and agree not to regard them as intruders. As the trio continue patrolling, a group of Team Rocket Grunts, led by four female seniors, interrupt them. The four senior Grunts accuse Ken, Al, and Harry of acting outside the commands of the four Executives.

Celebi, who has been collecting herbs in the forest, is then spotted by the four senior Grunts. They claim that Ken, Al, and Harry want to catch Celebi and use it to rebel against the four Executives, but the trio deny this and say they are following the orders of the boss Giovanni. The four Grunts don't believe them and start attacking the trio with their group of Sentret and Furret. They then decide to capture Celebi for themselves. After Al's Hypno uses Switcheroo to retrieve a piece of herb that one of the Furret stole from Celebi, Al urges Celebi to get to the Ruins of Alph immediately. Enraged, the four senior Grunts storm towards the trio, unaware that the two Pichu are in the way. Upon being trampled on by the four senior Grunts, the two Pichu immediately zap the Grunts and their Pokémon.

Meanwhile, the day is dawning at the Ruins of Alph. Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina appear from a portal on the ground. After being stared at by Dialga and Palkia, Giratina leaves through its own portal. Dialga and Palkia then fly away. Miguel, Martinez, and Rosita have by then also reappeared at the Ruins of Alph with Lance, Pryce, and the weakened Giovanni. Pryce recites the myth about Arceus, and everyone looks up to Arceus as it towers over them. Miguel then notices something familiar among the rubble. He initially thinks it's Bugsy, but in fact it's Petrel in disguise. Lance's Dragonite lifts Petrel off the ground with its tail. Lance is not impressed at the way Petrel abandons his comrades. Miguel recalls the fact that Lance was defeated by Petrel and wonders how it happened. Lance replies that Petrel had disguised himself as a girl with the same powers as him. Meanwhile, Giovanni continues to be tormented by his illness and admits that he would one day deserve what he gets for all his wrongdoing.

Suddenly, a voice calls out to Giovanni, and he sees Ken, Al, and Harry arriving with Celebi and two Pichu. The four senior Team Rocket Grunts, still on the trio's tail, are stunned speechless at the sight of Giovanni who had indeed returned as claimed. Miguel recognizes one of the two Pichu as his Pichu, and speculates the spiky-eared Pichu to be Pichu's girlfriend. Celebi gives its cure for the ailment to Giovanni, and miraculously Giovanni is able to stand up straight again. All the other Team Rocket members rejoice, and Giovanni states that Team Rocket is resurrected once more. Martinez is stunned by the turn of events, and is even more so when his own father asks if he would like to join. Martinez quickly gathers himself and turns down the offer. He states that he will bring down Team Rocket with his own hands someday. Giovanni is pleased at what he hears and welcomes his son's challenge anytime. With that, he turns to leave and is followed out of the Ruins of Alph by every member of Team Rocket.

Rosita is concerned that Martinez is letting his father go like that, but Miguel says that she should just let them decide what they want to do. Miguel then remembers what he wanted to say back then about Rosita's new outfit, but Rosita kicks him in the face before he can even start. Pryce then announces that he will be returning to his Gym.

Arceus begins to take off towards the skies. Miguel, watching Arceus take off, realizes that its rampage was not because of any kind of agenda, but to alert him to the fact that he didn't open up towards Togepi, and Miguel is glad that Arceus witnessed Togepi's evolution into Togekiss. With his mission finally over, Miguel decides to take a tour of Johto, and Togekiss offers him a ride on its back, with Miguel noticing that Togekiss's personality had changed completely. Miguel tells Crystal that he just wants to see Arceus off, and will return afterwards. With that, Togekiss takes off.

Three weeks later, Martinez arrives at the Viridian Gym and meets up with Robyn Oak, who had just finished battling against a challenger. Martinez thanks Robyn for lenting him Rhyperior, and returns the Pokémon back to him. Martinez then walks off, and Robyn says that he heard about the incident with Arceus, and hopes that Rhyperior was of use, to which Martinez replies that Rhyperior was useful, before leaving the Gym.

## **New Era**

### **Johto Journey**

At Blue Point Isle's Inland City, Martinez greets Dwayne, who informs him that he was going to compete in the upcoming Whirl Cup, and Martinez reveals he was doing the same thing. Martinez asks what Water-type Pokémon would Dwayne be using, and Dwayne says he would transfer his Wartortle to his team. However, Martinez asks about his second one, Dwayne freezes up, and Martinez explains that during the Whirl Cup, Trainers require more than one Water-type Pokémon and Dwayne admits having only Wartortle, and Martinez urges Dwayne to catch a second Water-type, otherwise he wouldn't even be eligible to compete.

When the tournament kicks off, both Martinez and Dwayne breeze through the competition, ultimately reaching the finals where they face off against each other. When the finals begin, Dwayne chooses Totodile while Martinez chooses his Kingdra. Dwayne takes the lead and commands Totodile to dive under the water, but Kingdra counters with a Twister. Martinez orders Kingdra to stop the Twister causing Totodile to freefall. Kingdra aims a Dragon Breath, but Totodile lands on one of the platforms. Martinez decides a Hydro Pump is in order, but Totodile simply walks along the attack and gets close enough to do a Slash attack. Kingdra dives to evade and Totodile does the same. Kingdra releases a Smokescreen to cloud the water. With no other option, Dwayne tells Totodile to jump out of the water. The battle comes to a standstill as Dwayne anticipates Kingdra's next move. Totodile begins to dance around, and this sign reassures Dwayne that everything will be fine. Fed up, Martinez has Kingdra resurface and try another Hydro Pump. Though Totodile Crunches onto Kingdra's snout, effectively stopping the Hydro Pump. With Kingdra being unable to release the water, it swells to enormous proportions as a result. After a while, Totodile releases its jaw and Kingdra goes flying across the stadium. It hits the water field hard and floats to the surface, knocked out.

Martinez recalls Kingdra and chooses Feraligatr as his final choice. Feraligatr starts off with a Water Gun, but Totodile dodges and shoots a Hydro Pump, and both attacks clash, but Totodile's Hydro Pump proves stronger, although Feraligatr dives underwater at the last second to dodge the attack. When Totodile dives in after him, Martinez tells Feraligatr to use Ice Punch, and the attack freezes Totodile as when underwater, it was easier to freeze him due to the water surrounding them. As Totodile remains unable to move, Feraligatr knocks it out with a barrage of Brick Break and Dragon Claw.

Dwayne recalls Totodile and chooses Wartortle as his second Pokémon. Feraligatr begins the second round by shooting a Water Gun, but Wartortle dissipates the attack with a Rapid Spin. Seeing that this tactic won't work, Martinez orders use Brick Break. Feraligatr charges foward with the attack, and Dwayne orders Wartortle to use Skull Bash. The two attacks explode after a brief clash, knocking Wartortle back, but Feraligatr took refuge in the waters just before the attacks exploded. Taking advantage of this, Feraligatr strikes Wartortle with a Dragon Claw attack. Martinez then orders Feraligatr to use Water Gun again, just as Wartortle has recovered. Dwayne tells Wartortle to dive underwater to dodge, but Feraligatr cancels the Water Gun and switches to Ice Punch on the water, which freezes Wartortle underwater. Dwayne tells Wartortle to try and break the ice, but Wartortle is unable to, and Martinez orders Feraligatr to end the battle by using Dragon Claw, and Feraligatr easily cuts through the ice, and lands a direct hit onto Wartortle's head, and Wartortle resurfaces, knocked out from the attack, and Martinez is the declared not only the winner of the battle, but of the Whirl Cup.

Martinez is awarded the Mystic Water pendant, and everyone applauds him for his performance. Maya once again raises her staff up towards the setting sun and it starts to glow. The next day, Dwayne and Martinez watch the Colosseum once again flood as they marvel at the sight before them. Afterwards, Dwayne and Martinez part ways, but before leaving, however, Martinez gifts Dwayne with a Silver Wing, and explains that it was made on Silver Rock Isle, and he informs Dwayne that a ferry from Transit Town will help him reach the island.

## **Character**

Martinez is described as a collected, yet straight-foward individual. Martinez was comfortable with letting those around him know when he was displeased, not caring about their opinions about him. Despite his aloof attitude towards others, and minor criminal acts, Martinez's main ambition was to stop the Masked Man's evil plans, believing that any of his crimes were necessary to preserve the greater good. This was shown as despite having stolen Totodile off Professor Elm's laboratory, the Big Jaw Pokémon decided to stay with his new Trainer rather than return to Elm's laboratory, showing that Martinez cared for his new Pokémon, showing his genuine good nature.

After discovering his father was none other than notorious criminal and Team Rocket leader, Giovanni, Martinez became incredibly disturbed with his own lineage, going as far as believing that due to accepting that criminality was necessary for his own goals, believed he was no better than his father, despite simultaneously refusing to acknowledge the man as his father, but was eventually convinced by Robyn Oak that Giovanni's actions were solely to search for his missing son, as Giovanni's desire to obtain power from Legendary Pokémon was all in order to find Martinez, causing Martinez to shed tears and finally accept Giovanni as his father.

Martinez's special skill, as described by Professor Oak, is Pokémon trading, and he is known as the "**Exchanger**" (**換える者** *Exchanger*).

## **Pokémon**

### **Traded Away**

Martinez had Miguel trade his Poliwhirl to him for Kingdra so he would evolve into a Politoed and allow them to escape from a collapsing Tin Tower. They traded back immediately after.

### **Returned**

Snubbull was initially Roberta's, but after the two of them escaped the Masked Man, he gave her Horsea and she gave him Snubbull (which she took back prior to the battle on Cerise Island).

Tyranitar's only known move is Sandstorm, his Ability is Sand Stream.