The reason New Island is called New Island is because it's a newly incorporated territory. The island was purchased by someone, but the identity of the buyer is unknown.
Shortly after the purchase of New Island, news of a battle for the strongest trainer spread, followed by this stormy weather, making it quite eventful.
Ash, Gary, and Brock rode on Blastoise, navigating through the fierce winds and waves. With Blastoise's familiarity with water, waves of this magnitude were like child's play for him, easily manageable.
As for the falling rain from above, Ash shielded them with an Aura barrier, completely blocking the rain.
In the midst of the stormy winds and crashing waves, Ash and his friends seemed as if they were on a journey.
On Misty's side, the Champion Peak level Lapras was naturally stable in the water. Lapras created an ice canopy in the sky to completely block the rain.
The huge ice screen almost covered Lapras's entire body, and Misty and Lorelei, who were on Lapras, were also thoroughly shielded. The occasional drifting rainwater made no impact at all.
The two teams traversed the storm in just over ten minutes and arrived on New Island.
A miraculous thing happened. Upon reaching New Island, the pouring rain and tumultuous waves instantly disappeared.
Although the sky was still covered with clouds, not a drop of rain fell, and the sea surface was very calm. The massive waves that seemed to swallow gigantic ships were as if they never existed.
Lorelei, Brock, and the others on the island found it very peculiar.
"What's going on? The wind and waves were so strong just now, how did they disappear in an instant?" Gary said upon reaching the shore, turning to find the sea had calmed completely.
Even if the wind and waves were calming down, isn't this an abrupt stop?
"There's something wrong with the waves outside. As we came over, I felt some waves deliberately crashing towards us, and the wind and waves where we were heading were noticeably larger than elsewhere. If I'm not mistaken, these sudden waves were likely man-made."
Lorelei crossed her arms, further accentuating her imposing presence. With a serious expression, she shared her hypothesis.
Even Lorelei found it hard to believe initially, but excluding all improbabilities, this seemed the most likely scenario.
Lorelei preferred to believe it was someone targeting them rather than nature itself. To control the natural environment, the adversary must be at least at the Champion Peak level.
Previously, Ash speculated that the mastermind this time was someone who had caught Mewtwo, but that was only Ash's hypothesis, merely based on the invitation they received, without any substantive evidence.
However, this storm acted as evidence supporting Ash's guess; this storm was likely Mewtwo's doing.
"...What is that guy trying to do? Since he chose to invite trainers from outside, why create a storm to block the trainers' advance?" Brock frowned, glancing towards the depths of New Island, where there was a castle-like structure. It was unclear if it was originally on the island or built by the island's wealthy owner.
But one thing was certain: the trainer who invited them was inside that castle.
"We'll know once we go in. Let's go, Pikachu!" Ash called out as he ran towards the castle with Pikachu.
"Hey! Ash, wait for me!" Misty, holding Togepi, quickly jogged after him.
Brock and Gary followed closely, while Lorelei trailed behind at the slowest pace, her beautiful eyes constantly observing her surroundings, her mind in a flurry of thoughts.
This place seems somewhat familiar... Like she's seen it somewhere before, yet she couldn't recall. She should be visiting New Island for the first time.
Quickly advancing, Ash soon reached the castle's large door, which was slightly ajar, just enough for one person to enter. One by one, Ash and the others entered the castle's interior.
The inside of the castle was somewhat dim. At first glance upon entering, there was a large table and a fairly sizeable pool gently flowing to the side.
Around the long table, there were already three people seated: two men and one woman, all appearing to be in their twenties.
"Who are you..."
"Yo! More newcomers. We're just trainers who arrived here before you, not the owners. My name is Corey." A tall, slender man waved at Ash and the others, greeting them.
"So many people came at once this time. It seems there are quite a few capable trainers around~ My name is Sweet. Although I'm a girl, don't underestimate me~" Sweet rested her chin in her hands, showing a sweet smile that matched her name.
"Hmph, no matter how many come, what does it matter? The victor of this strongest trainer competition will undoubtedly be me!" The last burly man proudly pointed to himself, his face full of arrogance.