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Chapter Text

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The large chamber was dark. Most of the lights that would illuminate it were out, with only emergency lights being there to alleviate the darkness. There was enough light, however, to see one of his pokemon's still form, laying on the cold metallic ground, at the proverbial feet of the imposing figure of the creature that had delivered such a swift defeat.

It was also hot. So much hot. While his suit allegedly protected him from extreme temperatures, it seemed it wasn't as insulated as he believed. Every spot on his skin was covered in sweat, leaving him drenched. But now, no matter how uncomfortable he was, he couldn't afford to care about that one bit.

"Does it sink yet, children? How useless your efforts to stop me are?" the being in front of them said, their distorted, quasi-mechanical voice dripping mockery. "How big the gap in power between you and me is?"

Gritting his teeth, Ash returned his defeated Pokemon to their pokeball, as a loud beep coming from his wrist drew his attention. Bringing up the small control panel on his wrist, Ash read the warning message flashing on the tiny screen:

RADIATION SHIELDS: 18% (Aprox. duration:10-12 minutes)

IT IS URGENTLY RECOMMENDED TO RECHARGE THE HAZARD SUIT. IF RECHARGE IS NOT POSSIBLE, ABANDON THE IRRADIATED AREA IMMEDIATELY

Yeah, no, that wasn't an option. Too many lives depended on the outcome of this battle. Then again, even if his Pokemon were protected against the intense levels of radiation, Ash, Serena and Clemont's protection depended on the hazard suits they were wearing, and the moment they run out of power, it would be the end.

"Guys, how are you doing?" Ash asked.

"My radiation shield is at ten percent," Clemont replied after checking his screen.

"Seven percent," Serena replied.

"Tick tock, children," their enemy mocked once again. "It seems your time is running out. Will you spend your last minutes fruitlessly fighting me, or are you going to comply? Do so, and I'll make sure your suffering is... bearable, at the very least."

Surrender wasn't an option either. And even if it was, Ash would never take it. Ash gripped his last pokeball. It was funny how the pokemon inside wanted a second chance so badly... and he had more chances than either of them could have bargained for.

Ash now hoped this wouldn't be their last chance either.

"Does this answer your question? Greninja, I choose you!"

The dark vault was briefly illuminated by a blue flash as Greninja materialized, prepared to fight as he always had been, while he and his faithful Pokémon from Kalos steeled themselves for the upcoming fight. And as he gave his first order, Ash couldn't help but think of how it all started, so many months ago...

…

Prism Tower, Lumiose City, Kalos, many months ago

The mood was quiet. And for somebody who had been part of this traveling group of four, it was something unusual.

However, it was also expected, since the silent mood heralded the end of what it had been an epic journey across the region of Kalos. And the end of the journey signaled the end of their little group as well.

The Kalos League was over, so there was no more reason for Ash to stay at Kalos. The Master Class Showcase was over as well, so there was no more reason for Serena to be on Kalos either. It was time for them to leave the region in order to pursuit their goals, while Clemont and Bonnie would stay in Kalos, given that Clemont was planning to resume his job as Lumiose City's Gym Leader.

For the last couple days, Ash and Serena had been bunking at the Prism Tower, since it was better than staying at a Pokemon Center, and Clemont and specially Bonnie had enjoyed their company greatly, but their time together would soon come to an end. Goodbyes were always hard, but for Bonnie especially; she already had to say goodbye to Squishy, as well as Ash's Goodra, who was taken back to his home on the wetlands, and soon it would be Ash and Serena's turn.

Or it would be the case, if it wasn't for a certain videocall.

"The rest of you should come to Pallet Town as well. After all that awful stuff with Team Flare, I'm sure all of you could use a little vacation."

Ash had made a videocall to his mother, Delia Ketchum, to tell her about his journey through Kalos, and that he was going to head home soon, when Delia invited the rest of the group to come with Ash as well, if only temporarily. Ash looked at his friends with an expectant smile.

"So, what do you say, guys?" Ash asked. "It'd be great if you guys got to see my home town. Oh! And maybe you can meet all the Pokemon that I caught on my journeys through other regions."

"Pika-pi!" Pikachu added, nodding.

"Really? That sounds great!" Bonnie cheered, jumping up and down. She was going to take advantage of every opportunity to stay with her friends a little longer, but the prospect of meeting plenty of cute new Pokemon won her even further. She turned at her older brother with pleading eyes. "Can we, big brother? Please say yes!"

"Well, I need to resume my job as Gym Leader, especially now that Clembot won't be able to fill me in..." Clemont began, seemingly crushing Bonnie's hopes. Then, he looked at a nearby window, where many severely damaged buildings during Team Flare's attack, most of them now in the process of being rebuilt, could be seen. "Then again, with the state the city is in, I don't think we're going to get many challengers anytime soon, so why not? We could use some time to relax!"

"YES!" the energetic blond girl cheered, jumped into the air.

"Nenene!" her Dedenne cheered as well.

Bonnie then turned towards Serena. "What about you, Serena? You're coming with us, right?"

The performer was a bit taken aback by the sudden question. On one side, there were still a few weeks until Contest Season began, so she could afford to spend a little more time with her friends –and most importantly, her crush– , but on the other hand, she also wanted to use that time to explore Hoenn a little, learn about the Pokemon there, and maybe catch a new Pokemon or two.

"Well?"

Ash's question snapped her from her thoughts, and realized that everybody was looking at her, expecting her answer. Having no more time to ponder over what she wanted to do and what she believed she should do, she let her more selfish thoughts win out.

"Sure, you can count me in," Serena said, smiling at them.

"Awesome!" Ash cheered, before he turned back to the videophone. "You hear that, mom?"

"Yes. I'll make sure to have everything ready so your friends can stay at home with us," Delia replied.

"Then it's settled! To Pallet Town!" Ash announced, followed by a trio of cheers.

…

Viridian City, Kanto

Overall, the flight from Kalos to Kanto was both swift and uneventful, something the group was thankful for. As they left the airport, the group walked out of the city and and headed south to Pallet Town via Route 1.

As they walked through the green grass fields, Ash told his friends about the beginning of his journey, how Pikachu refused to obey him, how he failed to catch even the weakest of Pokemon, and how he was attacked by a flock of angry Spearow.

"You were almost killed by a bunch of Spearow? That's horrible!" Serena gasped, covering her mouth with her hands. However, memories started to flood in from her own beginning as a trainer, and remebered that she was also attacked by wild Pokemon on a regular basis, at least before she joined Ash, Clemont and Bonnie. Then again, unlike Ash, at least Fennekin wasn't disobedient.

"Truth be told, I was the one who attacked one of their own first," Ash admitted. Then, his expression changed as if he remembered something. "Oh! Do you guys mind if we take a little detour? There's a certain somebody I want to greet before I go back home."

"A certain somebody?" Bonnie repeated.

"Nene?" Dedenne asked as well.

"Yeah. An old friend who is very precious to me. Don't worry, it won't take us long," Ash assured them.

The group abandoned the dirt road that crossed the grass field, and let Ash lead them into what appeared to be a small forest. The forest wasn't empty, though, as many Pidgey and Pidgeotto were flying around, while others were perched on trees, carefully looking at the newcomers. The deeper they got into the forest, the more bird Pokemon showed up.

"Ash? Is your friend nearby?" Clemont asked, his voice sounding nervous, as he glanced at the increasing number of Pokemon around them, which appeared to look at them with a disapproving eye.

"Yeah, I have the feeling that this forest is their house and that we aren't welcomed," Serena fearfully added, holding her hands.

"Don't worry guys, you have nothing to fear from these Pokemon," the Kanto native assured. Then, he looked at the sky, and smiled. "And there he is!"

"PIGEO!"

A loud caw came from above, as a shadow blocked the sun for a second. Looking upwards, the Kalos trio saw a bird Pokemon similar to Pidgey and Pidgeotto descending from the skies, except this Pokemon was much bigger in size, and its crest, as long as its body, was yellow with red trims. While the Kalos trio knew of Pidgey and Pidgeotto, they had never seen this Pokemon before, which prompted Serena to scan it with her Pokedex.

"Pidgeot, the Bird Pokemon. Pidgeotto's evolution and final form of Pidgey. Its powerful wings allow it to create windstorms with a few flaps, and is fast enough to fly at Match 2 speed." the Pokedex droned.

As soon as the Pidgeot landed, Ash walked towards him and started to pet his head. Pikachu then jumped from Ash's shoulder to the ground, and started to animatedly talk to Pidgeot as well, the large bird replying in kind. As the two Pokemon conversed, Ash turned towards his Kalos friends.

"Guys, this is Pidgeot. He's the second Pokemon I ever caught when he was just a Pidgeotto," he began. "I released him so he could protect and take care of the flock of Pidgey and Pidgeotto that live here. However, I also promised him to come to visit whenever I could."

"Whoaaa, so cool!" Bonnie gushed, as she fearlessly walked towards the giant bird. "You're such a cutie, Pidgeot! Did anybody tell you that?"

Pidgeot cawed softly, seemingly accepting the compliment. Bonnie then started to rub the large bird's neck, while everybody else watched and smiled.

"Hey Bonnie, would you like to fly on his back?" Ash suggested, while patting Pidgeot.

"...really!?" she replied, sounding as if somebody offered her her heart's biggest desire.

"No way!" Clemont interrupted, as he stomped forward. "Bonnie, flying on a Pokemon is way too dangerous! You could slip and fall down!"

"Why don't you fly with her, Clemont?" Serena suggested. "That way you can make sure she stays safe the whole trip."

"W-What? Me-"

"Pidgeot is strong enough to carry the two of you," Ash added, with the bird in question proudly nodding as well.

"Come on Clemont, don't deprive Bonnie of such a joy," Serena said, while Bonnie made puppy eyes.

Eventually, the inventor sighed in defeat. "Okay... but he better fly low and calm!"

"Don't worry, Pidgeot will keep you safe. Right, buddy?" Ash asked, as he helped Bonnie get on the big bird's back.

"PIGEO!" Pidgeot cawed in affirmation.

"Good," Ash said, before helping Clemont as well. Once the Lumiose siblings were set, Ash told his second capture: "We're heading to Pallet Town, so take them there. However, you heard Clemont; fly slow and steady, and don't get close to the clouds."

Pidgeot cawed once again and nodded. The Bird Pokemon shot into the sky, while Bonnie let out a loud cheer and Clemont a high pitched scream of terror, while Ash watched Pidgeot take off with pride and Serena chuckled in amusement.

…

Since Clemont and Bonnie were soaring the skies on top of Pidgeot, that left Ash and Serena alone to walk the rest of the way to Pallet Town. The Kalosian girl then realized that she was alone with Ash. Even if she no longer blushed madly and her brain no loner came up with ideas like "it's as if we're on a date!", the thought of being alone with her crush still made her heart flutter a little.

Well, not exactly alone as Pikachu was still with them, perched on Ash's shoulder as usual, but the yellow rodent rarely got in their way.

"So..." Serena began, mostly to break the silence. "...do you have any idea of what are you going do next? Any new region you're planning to visit?"

"Hm? No, not really," Ash said. "I rarely plan my next destination. Whenever I visit a new region is because somebody tells me about it, or somebody sends me there as a part of a favor or an errand or something like that. I don't need to do anything, the next adventure will soon come calling."

"Is that how you decided to go to Kalos?" Serena asked.

"Yeah. I met Alexa on the Decolore Islands, shortly after I left Unova. She told me about her sister, Viola, who was a Gym Leader in Kalos, and suggested me to go there and take part on its League," Ash told her.

"I see," Serena replied.

Now that she thought about it, she hadn't planned to go to Hoenn on her own volition either, but because Palermo suggested her to go there. She couldn't help but wonder if there was an invisible, mysterious force that send Pokemon trainers to their next destination.

"You're going to love Hoenn," Ash began. "It's an awesome place with lots of cool Pokemon and great places to visit, I'm sure you'll have a great time. Though some people say there's too much water. Some of them went as far as to awaken a Legendary Pokemon to create more land. Crazy, huh?"

Serena couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at such silly thought and especially disproportionate response to it.

"Crazy indeed," Serena said, nodding. "So, since you've been in Hoenn, I take you saw a contest or two while being there?"

"More than one or two!" Ash replied with a hearty laugh. "Lots of them! Took part in a couple myself, even. Mostly for fun, though."

"Oh. I didn't expect you to be so big on contests," Serena said, raising an eyebrow. Even after all this time, there were still things about Ash that she was unaware of.

"Well, it's not that I'm that much into contests. A girl I used to travel with in Hoenn, May, was an aspiring coordinator. So naturally, me and our other friends watched all her contests and cheered her on," Ash explained.

Serena couldn't help but a feel a pang of jealousy upon Ash mentioning that he used to travel with another girl.

"And she wasn't the only one. Another girl I befriended while in Sinnoh, Dawn, was also a coordinator as well," Ash continued, before his smile became a little less joyous. "She was really close to become a Top Coordinator, but failed at the very end," he shook his head. "Such a pity. Oh well, at least she knew not to give up, and continues working hard to achieve her dream."

"It seems that you traveled with a lot of people before we started to travel together," Serena began, as she started to touch her blue ribbon. "Just how many people did you travel with before meeting Clemont, Bonnie and me?"

Ash started to tell her of her previous traveling companions: Misty, her very first traveling friend who only tagged along because he wanted Ash to pay for her bike that Pikachu had fried. Brock, his second friend, and the one who stood with him the longest.

Then there was Tracey, whom joined the group in lieu of Brock when Ash visited the Orange Islands. Followed by May and her brother Max in Hoenn. Then Dawn in Sinnoh, and finally Iris and Cilan in Unova. All of them eventually split from the group when the path to pursue their goals and dreams took them somewhere else.

"Just like I will say goodbye to Ash when I go to Hoenn and he goes somewhere else," Serena sadly thought. She then directed her sight forward, and saw what appeared to be a small town appearing in the horizon. "Ash, I'm seeing a few houses over there. Is that Pallet Town?"

Ash smiled happily and nodded. "It is. Welcome to my hometown!"

…

Ash and Serena rejoined with Clemont and Bonnie after Pidgeot dropped them at the edge of the town. Bonnie was bouncing excitedly up and down, gushing about how amazing the flight was. While Clemont was much less shaken than Ash and Serena had anticipated him to be, he was still tembling from the experience.

Ash thanked Pidgeot, and the bird returned to his home on the small forest of Route 1, and Ash lead his Kalosian friends towards his house. It was a two-story white-wooden house, with a small garden, surrounded by a white wooden fence. While not too big or too fancy, it had a very lovely and cozy feeling to it.

"Mom, I'm home!" Ash announced, as he entered, his friends following behind.

"Ash, honey!" a brown haired woman in her early thirties dressed in casual clothes appeared, and gave Ash a hug. "I'm so happy to have you back!"

"I'm happy to be back too," Ash replied.

"And of course, I'm glad to see you too, Pikachu!" Ash's mom said, as she rubbed the yellow rodent's cheek.

"Pikaaa!" Pikachu squealed.

"Mom, these are the friends I made in Kalos: Serena, Clemont and Bonnie," Ash began. "Guys, this is my mom."

"Delia Ketchum. Any friend of my son will always be welcomed in this house," Delia said, her disposition as warm as the sun itself.

"Mime mime!"

That moment, a Mr. Mime suddenly appeared, and without ever asking, took the backpacks of Ash and his friends, and carried them upwards.

"Oh, and that's Mimey. He's part of our little family as well," Delia said. "He's very hardworking and helpful. He'll be taking your bags to your rooms. I already made all the preparations for your stay here Serena and Bonnie will be sharing the guest room, while Clemont will be sleeping on Ash's room."

"Thanks a lot for having us, Mrs. Ketchum. We'll try not to bother you much," Clemont said.

"Nonsense! Like I said before, any friend of Ash will never bother me," Delia insisted. "Anyway, is there something you need? You must be hungry and tired after the flight. Why don't you all rest on the living room while I prepare some snacks?" the woman helpfully offered.

"That sounds great, mom, but not just yet. I still need to go to Professor Oak's lab in order to drop my Pokemon there with the rest," Ash announced, before turning to his friends. "Do you guys wanna come with me?"

Of course, such question turned out to be unnecessary.

…

Professor Oak's Ranch

The moment Ash and his friends arrived at the ranch where all of his Pokemon were living, they were immediately swarmed by an army of many Pokemon the Kalosian trio deduced they were Ash's, all fighting an pushing each other to greet their beloved trainer first.

"Boy, I knew Ash must had plenty of Pokemon given how many regions he had been in, but I wasn't expecting to be this many!" Serena exclaimed in shock. "Not even Professor Sycamore had that many Pokemon in his lab!"

"I know, right!" Bonnie gushed, as she petted one of Ash's Pokemon, one that looked like a large orange turtle. "When I'm a trainer, I want to have as many Pokemon, at the very least!"

"Torkoal!" the Pokemon cried, seemingly enjoying the attention Bonnie was paying to him.

Serena took out her Pokedex in order to scan it.

"Torkoal, the Coal Pokémon. Torkoal burns coal within its body to produce energy. As a defense, Torkoal is able to release smoke from its nostrils and its back to confuse enemies. "

"So, that's your name, huh? Torkoal? Great!" Bonnie cheered.

"Come out, everyone!" Ash said, throwing his four Pokeball into the air, releasing Greninja, Talonflame, Hawlucha and Noivern. The four Kalos Pokemon took a moment to inspect the new surroundings. "Everyone, I befriended these Pokemon during my journey through Kalos. Make sure they feel at home, okay?"

All his Pokemon cried in affirmation. They always loved when Ash brought new members to their ever growing group, though some considered it a family. Serena couldn't help but smile tenderly at how strong Ash's bond with his Pokemon was, even if it was obvious that he only got to see most of them on certain occassions.

Then, all of sudden, Serena felt a chill creeping through her spine, as if a dark presence had made her the target of its wrath. Turning around, Serena saw a four legged yellow Pokemon with leaves around its neck and its head –it was clearly at least part grass-type– glaring at her as if she was its natural enemy.

"Um... hi?" Serena awkwardly greeted, but the Pokemon continued to glare at her.

Serena's Pokedex, still in her hand, scanned the newcomer.

"Bayleef, the Leaf Pokémon, and the evolved form of Chikorita. Bayleef emits a spicy aroma from the leaves around its neck able to restore energy."

"So, um, you're Bayleef, huh?" Serena awkwardly asked.

"Bay...!" Bayleef dismissively said, before turning around and walking away.

"Okay... that was weird..."

The Kalosian trio spend most of the afternoon getting to know all of Ash's Pokemon at Oak's ranch.

…

"I know you've only been here for little over a day, but what do you think of Pallet Town?" Delia asked.

It was the dawn of the next day, and everybody was having breakfast at the Ketchum residence, while Pikachu ate alongside Dedenne and Serena and Clemont's respective Pokemon.

"It's really nice and calm. Compared to how busy and noisy Lumisose City can be, it's a rather appreciated change of pace," Clemont replied.

"I know, right? Most people would find a little town like this one boring, but if you want to relax, there's no better place than Pallet Town," Delia proudly said. "So, do you plan to do anything today? It's a lovely day to stay outside."

"You bet it! I'm going to get some training done with my Pokemon. I could tell from yesterday that they really missed a good fight with me," Ash enthusiastically said, before looking at his friends. "Of course, you guys tag along if you want. I think my Pokemon like you a lot."

"You betcha I'm going to go!" Bonnie said, so excited her voice came more as a squeal..

"Yeah, me too," Serena added, sounding far more calm..

"Maybe later. Last night I had an idea for a new invention I want to work on," Clemont said.

"In that case, make sure you work far away from here. You don't want to leave Ash and his mother homeless when your gadget ends up blowing up," Bonnie deadpanned.

"B-Bonnie! That was uncalled for! Not all my inventions end up exploding!" Clemont protested.

"You know, if this was a cartoon, that comment would be followed by a montage of all the times your inventions had done exactly that, big bro," Bonnie replied in the same dry tone, shaking her head, before she turned towards Ash and asked: "Anyway, are we going or not?"

"Nenene!" Dedenne inisisted on his trainer's behalf.

They decided not to keep Bonnie waiting anymore, and after bidding a "see you later" to Clemont and Ash's mom, the trio headed back to the ranch, Bonnie running as fast as her short legs took her, while Ash and Serena walked at a more calmer pace. Serena thanked the opportunity to be alone with Ash again, as there was something she needed to ask him, and while it wasn't something too intimate, she prepferred not to have other people around.

"So, do you plan to train today?" Serena asked.

"Yep!" Ash happily confirmed. "I know we came here to relax, but you know me, I can't-"

Serena smiled. "Don't worry, Ash, I'm not going to chastise you or anything. I've been with you long enough to know that you don't do calm and quiet. Besides, I'm sure that you want to spend time with the rest of your Pokemon."

"Yeah, that too."

Serena clutched her blue ribbon with her index finger and thumb. "I'm asking because... well... I wonder if you could lend me a hand with something..."

"Oh? Sure! Whatever it is, I will help you, no problem!" Ash assured, eager to help as ever. "So, what do you want me to help you with?"

This brought a smile to the perferomer's face. "You see, last night, before going to bed, I did some research on contests. You know, so I know what I'm getting into and to be properly prepared once I start taking part in them."

"Sounds about right," Ash said.

"I learned how the contests are structured and what do you have to do. The first part, the Appeal Round, doesn't worry me. It's very similar to the Freestyle Performance, except the coordinator doesn't take part on it. Despite the differences, I'm confident my experience as a performer will be of a big help," Serena explained.

"...but you're worried about the Contest Battle, right?" Ash filled the blanks.

Serena averted his gaze, and looked at her feet, feeling something between a little embarrasment and disappointment in herself. "Yeah... I never gave it much thought before, but I'm not that good when it comes to Pokemon battles. So I was wondering if, for the time we're here... would you mind helping me train?"

"Sure!" Ash didn't even take a second to answer.

"Really?" Serena asked, surprised by his fast answer. "But what about the training you were going to do with your Pokemon?"

"Who says I can't do both?" Ash replied. "Besides, even if it wasn't the case, you're only going to stay here for a few more days, and my Pokemon aren't going anywhere. So I like to spend the few days we still have left together before it's time to say goodbye. And if I can use that time to help you, then the better!"

Serena could feel her cheeks warming up, and once again she was reminded why did she fell in love with this boy so badly. "T-Thank you Ash, that's very kind of you."

"Don't sweat it," Ash said. "Anyway, there's a large grass field behind the ranch where we can battle without bothering other Pokemon. Meet me there in five minutes. I'm going to the ranch to pick the Pokemon I'll be using against you."

"Alright."

…

A few minutes later, at the spot Ash had mentioned, Serena was waiting for Ash, with Braixen out of her Pokeball. The performer then saw Ash running towards their impromptu battlefield, Pikachu trailing behind.

"Alright, here I am!" Ash announced. "You ready for the fight?"

"Shouldn't we bring somebody to act as referee?" Serena asked.

Ash shrugged. "I don't see why. This isn't an important fight, just a sparring to help you become a better battler. Besides, it's not that either of us is going to cheat," Ash said.

"Pi-Pikachu," Pikachu added, nodding.

"So, I take you're going to use Braixen?" Ash asked.

"If I'm going to fight against you... Braixen is my strongest Pokemon. No offense to Pancham and Sylveon, but I don't feel confident with any other Pokemon given my opponent;" Serena explained.

Ash smiled reasuredly. "Don't worry, I don't plan to go too hard on you. Anyway, this is my pick: Gible I choose you!" Ash said, tossing a pokeball forward.

The pokeball then released a small shark-like Pokemon with dark faded blue skin, a red underbelly, stubby arms and legs, and a huge mouth full of sharp teeth. Not knowing what she was facing, Serena pulled out her Pokedex for information:

"Gible, the Land Shark Pokémon. Gible once lived in the tropics, and to avoid cold, it lives in caves warmed by geothermal heat."

A frown formed on Serena's face when he saw the Dragon/Ground typing. That means that Ash had the advantage in both attack and defense. Then again, it might have been deliberate on his part: you don't get better by taking only the easiest roads.

"Gib!" Gible said, as he jumped at Ash, chomping on his head, causing the boy to cry in pain.

"Ash!" Serena called in horror.

"It's okay, don't worry, Gible tends to do this. It's his way of showing affection," Ash said, half laughing, before prying Gible from his head. "Are you ready, Serena?" Ash asked.

"Yes! Let the battle begin!"

~Ash (Gible) VS Serena (Braixen)~

"Alright Serena, you make the first move!" Ash offered.

Serena nodded, her expression hardening as she was filled with determination. "Braixen, Flamethrower!"

"Brai Brai!" Braixen said, as she waved her already ignited wand towards Gible, releasing a stream of flames.

"Gible, dodge it with Dig!" Ash commanded.

"Gib!" Gible replied, as he buried himself underground, just before the torrent of fire sailed harmlessly above him.

Serena bit her lip and repressed a curse upon seeing her opening move fail so badly. Braixen looked at her, waiting for her guidance, but Serena was having trouble coming up with a solution. "Okay, Ash uses Iron Tail or other powerful physical moves to force an underground Pokemon back to the surface, but Braixen has no such attacks! What can I-"

"GIB!"

Serena was snapped out of her thoughts when Gible burst from underground just behind Braixen, and slammed his little body against her. Still, there was a lot of strength behind the blow, enough to make Braixen fall on her belly.

"Oh no! Braixen, quickly, get up!"

A single blow wasn't enough to bring the Fox Pokemon down, and she quickly jumped back to her feet. However, as she did so, Ash was ready to continue the attack.

"Gible, Dragon Pulse!"

"GIIIB!" Gible cried, before opening his jaws, releasing a dragon-shaped energy stream of swirling colors, mostly dark purple, blue and magenta.

"Braixen, counter it with Flamethrower!" she ordered.

Braixen repeated the same move again, casting a wave of flames from her wand towards the incoming dragon-shaped blast. Both attacks collided, resulting in an explosion that followed by a cloud of smoke and dirt.

"Good one, Serena. However, if this was a contest battle, you would have lost a few points for using the same attack twice in a row," Ash gently chidded.

"I see," Serena said, her voice carrying an annoyed edge, before forcing herself to calm down with a deep breath. "No spamming the same attack, got it. Braixen, use Hidden Power!"

"Braix!" the Fox Pokemon cried, waving her wand, summoning several rainbow colored orbs of energy, before sending them towards the fading cloud of smoke with another wave. The attack fully dispelled the cloud upon crossing through it.

"Gible, use Dig again!" Ash ordered.

The small dragon once again dug underground, dodging Serena's attack. The honey blonde unwittingly clenched her fists upon seeing her attack being evaded once again with the same maneuver. And what's worse, she knew that Gible would attack from a blind spot.

"Come on Serena, think! There must be something Braixen can do to counter that. If she can't take Gible out, then... wait, I got it!" Serena thought, a wide smile spreading across her face. "Braixen, jump into the air, and use Fire Blast on the ground!"

"Brai Brai!" Braixen cried affirmatively. She jumped as high as her legs allowed her to, while raising her wand into the air, the flame on its tip growing into a massive fireball. The fireball then took the shape of the kanji of fire, and waving her wand down, she send the mass of flames downwards.

"Gible!" Gible had chose that moment to make his move and emerged from underground, but rather than Braixen, all what the tiny dragon found was a wall of raging fire coming down at him. "GIB!?"

The Fire Blast hit Gible squarely, engulfing him inside a torrent of roaring flames.

"Gible, no!" Ash cried in shock.

"Pika!" Pikachu added.

When the flames dispelled, Gible was covered in soothe and burn marks, but still had enough energy to jump back to his feet and continue the fight. Ash let out a sigh of relief.

"Good job, Serena! Not only you countered my attack perfectly, but if this was a contest battle, it would have made me lose a lot of points!" Ash praised her.

"Really? That's great!" Serena beamed. "Maybe I'm not that bad at battles after all!"

"Braixen!" the Fox Pokemon added, sounding as happy as her trainer.

Ash's lips curved into a smirk, as a mischevious glint flashed across his auburn eyes. "Feeling confident, huh? Well, in that case, you won't mind if I take things up a notch!"

"Bring it on!" Serena said.

"Gible, Draco Meteor!"

"WHAT!?" Serena asked, her face growing pale. Serena had only seen such attack a couple times, first when Grant's Tyrunt used it during Ash's battle for the Cliff Badge, and more recently at the Kalos League. That was an attack that she would never forget. "A little guy like Gible can use that move?"

"It took him a while to master it, but you'll see!" Ash proudly said.

Gible's body started to glow orange. Opening his jaws, he spat a glowing energy ball of the same color into the air. Once it was high enough, it exploded into multiple fiery shards that rained down towards Braixen.

"Braixen, counter it with Hidden Power!" Serena ordered.

Trying to rein her panic in, Braixen once again summoned several rainbow colored orbs, before launching each of them towards the coming meteors, destroying them before they could touch the ground. Unfortunately, the meteors doubled the energy spheres in number, and many of them managed to land around Braixen, and the Fox Pokemon was engulfed by a series of explosions caused by the sucessive impacts.

"Braixen!" Serena cried.

When the clouds of smoke and dirt raised by the explosions began to fade, Serena could see that the pwoerful Dragon-type attack had made a number on her starter. Her body was trembling, there were numerous burnt marks around her fur, and she was breathing heavily.

"Braixen can you... can you continue?" Serena worriedly asked.

"Br-Braixen..." the Fox Pokemon nodded, as she pushed herself back to her feet.

"Such a powerful attack... what I'm supposed to do against something like that?" Serena asked.

"Every attack can be countered, Serena. I know it may look like you have nothing, but if you-"

Ash was interrupted by a crackling sound, followed by Gible's body glowing white and blue. Gible's body then started to grow, becoming taller and more slender, his stubby arms and legs also growing longer, and a tail extending on the back of his body. The glow ceased, and Gible had turned into a completely new Pokemon.

"Gible, you evovled!" Ash cried in joy. "That's so awesome!"

"Gabite!" the new Pokemon cried.

Wordlessly, Serena pulled out her Pokedex to scan the new evolution.

"Gabite, the Land Shark Pokemon, and Gible's evolution. As it digs to expand its nest, it habitually digs up gems that it then hoards in its nest."

"Ummm, Ash? Do you mind if we end the battle here?" Serena asked, rubbing her arm. "Gible already gave Braixen quite a lot of trouble, so I don't think we have any chances now that he has evolved."

"Oh, um, sure!" Ash said. "That Draco Meteor must hurt more than I imagined."

"Indeed. Return, Braixen." Serena said, returning her starter. "Don't worry, you did fine. We'll do better next time."

"For all it's worth, I think you and Briaxen were great. Right Pikachu?" Ash asked.

"Pi-Pika!" the yellow rodent happily cheered, giving Serena a thumbs up.

One thing Serena had learned from this battle is that Ash always seemed to plan multiple steps ahead of her, while also guessing what would be her next move. Tactics went beyond simply knowing what attacks use against which rivals. A Pokemon battle took place first in the mind of the trainers before it did on the battleground.

Also, even if one plans ahead of time, said plans didn't come out as intended. "Man plans, Arceus laughs", as the old saying went. Ash, however, was really good at thinking on his feet, coming up with solutions to problems that appeared less than two seconds ago. And Serena will need to think just as fast if she wanted to be a successful coordinator.

"Thank you guys, but I know that I still need to do much better than that," Serena admitted.

"So... do you want to call it a day? Or do you want to continue with your other Pokemon?" Ash asked. "I think Sylveon would do great against Gabite, given that she's Fairy-type."

"Alright, let's give it another try. Sylveon, go!"

And thus the battle resumed.

…

For the next few days, the group fell onto a comfortable routine. Ash and Serena would go to Professor Oak's ranch to train, Bonnie would go with them in order to get to know and play with Ash's Pokemon roaming there, while Clemont would work on his inventions. All of them would gather to have lunch and dinner, and share what they had been doing during the day.

That's it, until a certain day, their status quo would be altered, and a new road would be laid before them. It began a couple hours after Ash, Serena and Bonnie had left for Oak's, when somebody knocked the door.

"Coming~!" Delia chirped, as she walked to the door before opening it. There stood a man in a formal suit, looking like some sort of important businessman, the kind of people Pallet Town rarely saw. "Yes? May I help you?"

"Greetings, Ma'am. My name is Timothy Glenn, and I work for Orangics," the man introduced himself, and handed Delia a card with information about the company he worked for, which appeared to be about robotics. "I'm looking for a boy named Clemont. He's the leader of Lumiose City Pokemon Gym in Kalos, but I was told he's staying here for the time being."

"Oh, um, sure thing, Mr. Glenn," Delia said, moving aside so the man could enter. "Wait a second before I go fetch Clemont."

A few minutes later, Clemont was sitting in front of Mr. Glenn on the kitchen table, with Delia pouring some tea for the two of them, before filling a cup for herself, and taking a seat between them.

"So, Mr. Glenn, is it?" Clemont asked. "Mrs. Ketchum said that you were looking for me, and that you're from Orangics."

While Clemont knew about the name, he had the feeling that the brand had more significance to him than he remembered, though now he couldn't tell exactly why.

"Indeed. I'm sure you probably heard of us, given your more than evident interest in engineering and electronics," Mr. Glenn began. "I'll be direct: Orangics is currently undertaking a new project involving nuclear power plants in the Tandor region, and we'd like to have you be part of such project, Clemont."

If Clemont had been drinking the tea at that moment, he would have spat it. "M-Me? Working for Orangics? Really!?"

Mr. Glenn smiled, and chuckled. "You sound surprised. Given your your accomplishments, it is that incredible that a bussiness in this kind of field would be interested in having you?"

"Aww, don't be so humble, Clemont! I've only known you for a few days, yet I can tell what a bright and talented boy you are," Delia encouraged.

"I see..." Clemont said, before adjusting his glasses. "And what kind of project are we talking about? You mentioned nuclear plants?"

"Yes. I don't know if you hear about the incident, given that it was almost a decade ago, but there was an accident on one of Tandor's power plants that left it unusable," Mr. Glenn began, with Clemont nodding. He had heard of the accident, but he didn't remember when it happened. "Now, they're bulding a new plant to replace the one that was lost. This one will be better and more advanced, and most importantly, safer and cleaner. For such endeavor, we're gathering the best and brightest minds when it comes to all technological fields. One of our members suggested to hire you, and after reviewing your resume, we couldn't agree more. So, what do you say, Clemont? Can we count on you?"

"Of course! I-It will be a great honor, sir!" Clemont excitedly said, feeling like Bonnie on a sugar rush.

"The project is already underway, so the sooner you head to Tandor, the better," Mr. Glenn said. "South of this town there's a port named Old Shore Wharf. You can take a ship from there that will take you to Tandor. I'll be heading back to Tandor myself as well, and tell my bosses that you're in and to expect you shortly. Though I assume that you'd like a day or two to pack your things before you depart for Tandor."

"Yeah... oh, wait, I need to tell my friends! And Bonnie! She'd probably want to come with me, but there's no way I can keep her close while working on a power plant," Clemont began to ramble.

"I'm sure they're still at Professor Oak's lab, training," Delia told him.

Upon hearing this, Mr. Glenn, who was about to leave the house, turned around, and added: "You know, if your friends are Pokemon trainers, you might tell them to visit Tandor, given that there's a Pokemon League there as well."

"There is?" Clemont asked, already imagining Ash's reaction. "In that case, I'm sure he's going to want to come as well!"

…

Professor Oak's Lab

Clemont ran towards the lab as fast as he could –but had to stop midway to catch his breath due his poor physical shape. When he arrived, one of Professor Oak's assitants, a boy named Tracey, directed him towards the back, where Ash and Serena usually trained. Clemont found them sparring, Serena using Pancham, and Ash using a small, snake-like green Grass-type Pokemon that later he would learn was called Snivy, and told them about his new job in Tandor, as well as the Tandor Pokemon League.

Needless to say, Ash was excited by the prospect of tackling yet another league.

Ash suggested to talk with Professor Oak about the Tandor region, in order to see if the old scientist had anything interesting to say about the region.

"The region of Tandor, you say?" Oak asked, as he sat in front of one of the lab's computers and, after typing a few keys, opened a website with information about the region. "Funny thing you ask, given that one of my undergrads, or better said, former undergrad, Ernest Bamb'o, recently became a Pokemon Professor and opened a lab there. You know, you should pay him a visit once you get there."

"Look at that!" Ash said, looking at a section that boasted about all the Pokemon unique to Tandor. "So many Pokemon that can't be found anywhere! And it says that it has one of the hardest Gym Challenges!"

"So I take you're interested in going?" Clemont asked, chuckling a little.

"You bet!" Ash replied. "Those gyms won't know what hit them when we fight them! Right, Pikachu?"

"Pi-Pikachu!" the Electric type confidently cheered.

"Yay! We're going to Tandor!" Bonnie squealed, jumping up and down.

"Nenene!" Dedenne cheered as well, even if he didn't know what they were cheering for.

"No, Bonnie, Ash and I are going to Tandor. You'll be going back to Lumiose with dad," Clemont strenly said.

"What?" Bonnie asked, dumbfounded.

"Nene?" Dedenne asked as well, sensing his trainer's confusion.

"But... why not!?" the blond girl protested, clenching her fists and pouting.

"I'm not going there to travel, but to work on a power plant. That place is way too dangerous for a child like you, not to mention that I can't work while keeping an eye on you," Clemont explained.

"Hey Clemont, if you're worried about Bonnie, she can come with me," Ash offered.

"What?" Clemont asked.

"You would!?" Bonnie cheered, her hopes of visiting a new region renewed. She looked at Clemont with pleading eyes. "Please say yes, big bro! I won't get in any trouble if I'm with Ash!"

"That's true, but..." the inventor began, rubbing the back of his head. "Bonnie can be a real handful, and I don't want to impose-"

"You won't be imposing anything. Bonnie is my friend as much as you and Serena are. Plus, I'd have somebody to talk to. I love my Pokemon, but I can't imagine not traveling with another human being," Ash assured.

"Well, if you don't mind... guess there's no harm in letting Bonnie come," Clemont finally admited.

"YES!" Bonnie shouted, before tackling Ash in a hug. "Thank you Ash, you're the best!"

"It's so great that you guys get to travel for longer a little more," Serena, who had been silent for most of the conversation, finally said.

This seemed to snap Bonnie out of her joyous mood. "What do you mean, Serena? Are't you going to come with us?"

The possibility was tempting but... what was she supposed to do, once she arrived on Tandor? Be a mere tag-along like she was during the beginning of their Kalos journey? Become Ash's cheerleader? Become Bonnie's babysitter when Ash was too busy to look after her?

No. Sure, delaying her journey to Hoenn in order to spend a few more days with Ash was one thing, but going to an entirely different region and do nothing just because she wanted to be with Ash –and Clemont and Bonnie, she reminded herself– wasn't something she could allow herself to do. As much as it pained her, it was time to say goodbye for the time being.

Serena finally shook her head. "I'm afraid not, Bonnie. My path takes me somewhere else."

"What? Why?" Bonnie protested.

"Serena also has to follow her own dreams. In order to achieve her goals, somebody recommended Serena to go to Hoenn in order to take part in Pokemon Contests," Ash gently explained. Bonnie had heard of Contests a couple times, being similar to Kalos' own Performances. "It's not that Serena doesn't want to come with us, but sometimes, you need to say goodbye to your friends in order to follow the path ahead of you. I myself had to say goodbye to plenty of friends for similar reasons."

Bonnie didn't say anything. It pained her that Serena wouldn't come with them, but no matter how much she wanted, she couldn't refute Ash's words. After all, Bonnie wasn't a stranger to goodbyes. Even if they didn't become any easier.

Fortunately for Bonnie, the solution would come from Professor Oak.

"If that's a problem, maybe you should know that Tandor has contests as well," Professor Oak said, as he scrolled down the website, and highlighted a certain section.

"It does?" Serena asked, surprised by this new revelation. She rushed towards the computer as well, and scanned the screen until she found the highlighted section that talked about contest. And indeed, Contests were also big in Tandor as well, to the point that one of its toughest Gym Leaders was also a Top Coordinator.

"Well, makes sense. Hoenn might be the region that pioneered contests, but a lot of regions hosts them, such as Sinnoh, Johto, or even Kanto itself," Ash commented.

"See? If you go to Tandor with us, you can do Contests as well! I mean, it's not that you have to go to Hoenn, right?" Bonnie asked.

This... this changed everything! Now Serena could stay with her friends and follow Palermo's suggestion!

Trying to make the volcano of joy erupting inside her heart not too obvious, Serena merely smiled and said: "If that's the case, then I don't see why I couldn't go with you guys."

"YES! The gang's complete once again!" Bonnie cheered, pumping her fist into the air.

"I'm glad you're going to stay with us, Serena," Ash began, smiling at her. "It wouldn't be the same without you."

Serena couldn't help but smile back at him.

…

Team Rocket HQ, Undisclosed Location

The trio of Team Rocket agents Jessie, James and Meowth were standing in front of their boss, Giovanni, sitting on his desk inside his spacious office. They enjoyed a few days of rest after their mission on Kalos, but now, it was time to get back to work, and the Team Rocket Boss already had a new target for the trio.

"This," Giovanni began, pressing a button on his desk. An holographic projector displayed the image of a map of a region the trio was unfamiliar with, being made of land to the west and an archipielago to the east. "Is the Tandor region. From what our scouts reported, the region has many Pokemon that can't be found anywhere else, but that's not the reason I want you three to go there. There's also-"

The phone began to ring, making Giovanni flinch, and the trio of agents to gulp. They knew if there was something their boss hated, was being interruped.

"I told Matori not to pass me any calls when I'm briefing agents," Giovanni growled, before picking up the phone. "This better be imporant," he said, sounding almost like a threat. "WHAT!?" Giovanni's yell made the trio startle once again. Whatever Matori told him, they weren't good news. "And how many...? But that's almost half of them! No, no, tell that idiot not to do anything! I'll be sending them reinforcements." and with that, he hung the phone.

"Uh, boss? Everything's okay?" Jessie dared to ask.

He glared at her as if she asked something extremely stupid. "No, it isn't. Matori just told me our cell in Sinnoh had been compromised, with almost half of our field agents there being arrested. If our operations in Sinnoh are to continue, I need to send more people there to replace those who had been taken away."

Before Jessie or her teammates could say antyhing else, Giovanni then opened his laptop, and began to type something.

"According to your files, you've been in Sinnoh before," Giovanni read. He then narrowed his eyes at the screen, before shooting the trio a questioning look. "An... inordinate amount of time, might I add."

The trio gulped once again, as a feeling of dread grasped their very souls. Officially, they were the ones who took down Team Galactic, but deep down they knew that was a lie and it was all the twerps' doing. If their boss realized that they falsified their reports...

"...y-yes?" Meowth weakly confirmed.

"Then I imagine you're familiar with the region?" Giovanni asked.

Sensing that they were no longer on thin ice, James spoke up: "Yes sir! We know the region like the back of our hands!"

"Good because I need agents that know the zone. You'll depart for Sinnoh immediately. Your contact will be waiting for you at Veilstone City," Giovanni told them.

"Right away, sir!" James obediently said.

"Uh, boss? What about the Tandor mission?" Jessie asked.

"The Tandor mission is shelved for the time being. Now go!" Giovanni ordered.

Not needed to be told twice, the bumbling trio rushed out of Giovanni's office. The Team Rocket Boss then took one last look at the hologram of Tandor, sighed in defeat, and switched it off.

It seemed that fate didn't want Team Rocket to set its foot on Tandor.

…

Pallet Town, next day

Packed and ready for their newest adventure, Ash and his friends were at the edge of Pallet Town, with Delia Ketchum and Professor Oak about to see them off.

"Good luck, sonny. I'm sure you'll win the league this time," Oak encouraged. Ash. Then he looked at Serena. "And good luck to you with your contests as well!"

"Thank you, Professor Oak!" the two of them said in unison, before looking at each other in surprise, and sharing a laugh.

"I already gave Bamb'o a call, so he'll be expecting you. Be sure to pay him a visit once you arrive at Moki Town," Oak added.

"Will do," Ash replied.

"Also, be sure to call me once you get there, to know you you arrived safely," Delia began.

"Don't worry, mom, I will," Ash insisted.

"And please, call me more often! I hardly heard from you on Kalos, and I'd like to know how were you doing," Delia continued.

"Sorry mom, I promise to call you more often this time," Ash assured.

This made Serena wonder if she should call her mother more often as well.

Delia smiled. "That's what I wanted to hear," she then gave Ash a hug. "Have a safe journey, and lots of luck."

"Thanks a lot, mom," Ash replied, before he gently broke the hug. He then turned towards his friends. "Ready to go, guys?"

All of them nodded, and the group of four finally departed Pallet Town, with Ash sighing in relief that just this time, his mother didn't embarras him by loudly reminding him to change his underwear every day.

"Oh I almost forgot!" Delia shouted. "Make sure you change your underwear every day!"

Ash's fell to the ground facefirst. Spoke too soon.

…

As the group made their way towards Old Shore Warf, they didn't realize that there was somebody following them. Somebody quick and stealthy, who could have remained undetected had he chose to do so. But once he was close to them, he decided to make his presence known by deliberatedly making some noise.

"Huh?" Ash asked. "Did you guys hear that?"

"Yeah, it sounded like something was rustling the trees," Clemont replied.

"A pokemon?" Bonnie asked.

Bonnie was right, of course, but neither she nor the others were expecting said pokemon to be no other than Ash's Greninja, who landed in front of them with all the grace and skill of the spies his species were named after.

"Greninja? What are you doing here?" Ash asked, taken aback to see the first Pokemon he ever caught in Kalos.

"What's on Greninja's hand?" Serena asked, noticing the item Greninja was holding on his right hand.

If on cue, Greninja lifted his arm at Ash, showing that he was holding his own pokeball.

Ash and Greninja locked eyes, and through their unique bond, Ash could sense what Greninja was feeling: Disappointment, not in Ash but in himself. Dissatisfaction. Frustration. The desire to do better and prove his worth. It didn't take Ash long to realize what the Ninja Pokemon wanted.

"You were disappointed that we couldn't win the Kalos League, after we got so close to victory," it wasn't a question, but a statement. "And you want another chance."

"Gre," the blue frog confirmed.

Ash finally averted his gaze, for a brief moment his eyes became obscured by the visor of his cap. But once they were visible again, Ash smiled widely.

"You only needed to ask, Greninja," Ash said, before taking the pokeball from Greninja's hand, and returning the Ninja Pokemon inside it. "Welcome back to the group."

Now that the group was truly complete, their newest adventure could finally begin.

Chapter Text

Ten Years Ago

Today was a normal day for Doctor Lucille Raine. A day like any other.

She got up at seven o'clock sharp in the morning. Normally, her husband Kellyn would get up about the same time as her in order to go to work, but since their kids were born, he decided to take a paternity leave in order to take care of them. Not only did Lucille's job brought more money home, but Kellyn knew how much Lucille loved her job, which how much she gushed about the project she was working on at the Nuclear Power Plant, even if she couldn't share many details with him for professional reasons, so he took the responsibility of looking after the babies while Lucille continued her work.

Giving her still sleeping husband a kiss on the cheek, Lucille went to bathroom in order to get herself ready for the day. She looked at the mirror, and a woman of thirty years of age with bright green hair that flared up to the sides returned the gaze.

She then got dressed, and took the ship that would take her to the island where her workplace was located at: Nuclear Plant Epsilon, one of Tandor's three power plants.

Though, once she reached the power plant, the sight of a man with bright red hair with a yellow stripe crossing it told them that this day wasn't going to be just like any other. A man he knew to well.

"Cameron!" Lucille said, smiling widely, as she walked towards the man.

"Hey there, Lucille," the man, Cameron, replied, smiling back.

Cameron Cain was a longtime friend of her husband. A former trainer who retired in order to become a family man, he took the job of nuclear technician, whose job was to inspect the power plants and ensure they met all the safety expectations. And upon meeting him, he quickly became a close friend of her as well. Like Lucille and Kellyn, Cameron had become a father recently as well. He named his son Theo.

"What are you doing here? Another inspection?" Lucille asked. "Not that I mind seeing you, but I wasn't expecting you to show at least in four months!"

"Eh, you know, the higher ups. They have this idea that there's some irregular activity going on, and are worried about the plant's safety," Cameron explained.

Lucille couldn't help but roll their eyes. "You'd think they'd have more trust in me by know."

"I know. Unfortunately, I'm paid to follow their orders, not to question them," Cameron said, somewhat apologizing. "Don't worry, I promise I'll be as swift as possible. You won't even notice I'm here."

"Hey, I love having you here," Lucille insisted. "Anyway, how's Theo doing?"

The two of them continued to talk as they went to do their jobs. But while Lucille wasn't lying when she said that she loved seeing Cameron, she had a bad feeling that there was something more to his impromptu visit that a bunch of politicians getting ansty. Feeling that amplified when his inspection began to take longer than they usually did.

Upon walking by the main reactor's control room, Lucille saw Cameron still there, typing furiously on one of the computres, his eyes fixed on the screen. Unable to contain her impatience, fueled by the gnawing thought on the back of her head that something was going very wrong, she entered the room, and walked towards him.

"Cameron, have you finished your diagnostics?" she asked.

Cameron typed a few more times before giving his answer. "Yes, just now. I checked and double checked and... everything seems to be in order."

Lucille smiled, a little relief making way through her heart. "See? I keep my power plant in pristine condition."

Yet, there was something in Cameron's voice that made her on edge. Like... disappointment? Like he was trying to find something that wasn't really there.

"Indeed. That new reactor is a technological wonder," Cameron said.

"Of course it is! I created it!" Lucille said, puffing her chest a little. "So, I take you're done?"

"Yeah," he replied.

"Excellent. Though, before you leave, how about if we have lunch together at the plant's cafeteria?" Lucille suggested. "I'd love if we could catch up. With our jobs and families we hardly see each other these days."

"Sure I'd love-" Cameron was interrupted by a beep coming from the computer terminal. "Huh?"

"Something wrong?" she asked.

"These temperature readings... they were normal not even a minute ago, but they're steadily rising," Cameron said, as worry crept up his voice.

"That can't be right," Lucille said, as she went to check another computer terminal. "Maybe the thermometer is malfunctioning?"

"That can't be. I just checked the thermometer and it worked fine," Cameron replied, sounding more shaken.

"Then what-"

There was a loud boom, and the whole place shook as if it was in the epicenter of an earthquake. Red lights began to flash across the whole plant as a loud alarm blared.

"What's going on!?" Cameron asked.

"T-The reactor! There must be a breach in the reactor!" Lucille said, as she continued to type on her computer, in order to check for possible damage. "The temprature keeps rising! If I don't stop it, we'll have a total meltdown!"

"Then we need to evacuate, NOW!" Cameron shouted, as he got up from his seat, ready to leave as soon as possible.

But Lucille didn't move from her seat.

"Lucille, what are you doing? Come on, we need to leave!" the man insisted, standing on the room's entry.

"You leave. I need to stay here and stop it. If there's a meltdown, the consequences would be catastrophic," Lucille stated, her voice filled with determination, before getting up from her chair and walking towards Cameron.

"Have you gone insane? It's too late to stop it-HEY!" Cameron shouted as Lucille pushed him out of the control room, and locked the door closed. Cameron began to angrily pound on the closed steel door. "Lucille! Lucille! What the hell are you doing!?"

"What I must do. I'm sorry, Cameron," Lucille mournfully said. "If I don't come back... tell my husband and children that I love them."

With that, Lucille walked towards the main control panel, and activated a hidden switch beneath it. A trapdoor opened with a hiss, revealing a series of step irons that lead somewhere below. Taking a deep breath, Lucille climbed down, as the trapdoor closed above her a minute later.

Sometime later, there was a nuclear meltdown, and the power plant blew up. Thankfully, all the workers were evacuated in time, so there were no human casualties. Except, of course, Lucille, who never returned from wherever she went, and was presumed dead.

…

Present Day

The boat trip to Tandor was both long and uneventful, and the group was glad that they were finally able to touch land once again. And they were even more glad that they would only need to walk a short distance from the port towards their first stop, Moki Town, where, according to Oak, Professor Bamb'o was waiting for them.

They didn't have to wait long until could finally see the town in the distance. While he was doing an admirable job keeping it on check, Ash was eventually overpowered by his impatience, and rushed madly towards the town in front of him.

"Ash, where are you going?" Serena asked.

"Don't you see? Moki Town is just there! Come on guys!" Ash said, his voice overflowing with excitement.

They had no choice but to run after Ash –much to Clemont's displeasure– until they arrived at the aforementioned town. A sign welcomed them.

Welcome to Moki Town

The Town of Fresh Beginnings!

"Uh, that's oddly appropriate," Serena said out loud after reading the tagline under the welcome message.

Now that there had finally arrived at their destination, Ash managed to calm down a little, and the group began to walk through the town, taking in the sights as they moved.

Moki Town was pretty small, but it had a feeling of cozyness and warm only matched by Pallet Town. Most of the houses were small, no bigger than two stories. The town roads were flanked by either trees, or bogs that had beautiful flowers growing on them.

The were three places that stood out the most: the first was a park in the middle of the town, next to a pond. At the east side of the town was a large, colorful building that Ash immediately identified as a Contest Hall. And lastly, a large building next to a ranch built on the top of a small cliff at the far end of the town.

"That must be where Professor Bamb'o's laboratory is," Clemont deduced. "We should be heading there."

"Shouldn't we go to the Pokemon Center first? So I can sign up for the Pokemon League and Serena for the contests?" Ash asked. "I mean, there's a Contest Hall there! There might be a contest today!"

"I find that unlikely. There's still a few days until Contest Season begins," Serena pointed out. "We can go to the Pokemon Center later. I'm sure Professor Bamb'o is waiting for us, and it'd be rude to keep him waiting longer than needed."

"Okaaaaaay..." Ash conceded.

It only took them less than ten minutes of walking at a good pace to finally reach the laboratory. Bonnie immediately rushed towards the fence of the ranch, hoping to see cute Pokemon, but much to her disappointment, the ranch was completely empty.

"Where are all the Pokemon?" the little girl complained. "Aren't Pokemon Professors supposed to have many Pokemon to study? Both Professor Sycamore and Oak had lots of them!"

"Professor Oak said that Bamb'o just became a Pokemon Professor, so maybe he didn't have time to catch any," Clemont conjectured, before gently puling Bonnie away from the fence. "Come on, let's get inside."

They entered the main lab, and what saw them seemed to validate Clemont's suggestion: rather than a neat lab with lots of machinery, electronics, essay tubes and other scientific tools one might find at a laboratory, the place was a mess: there were lots of boxes and crates, some unopened, others still closed, scattered around the place. Lots of long cables were spread around the floor, making walking without stepping on them a difficult affair. There were some technicians installing computers and other devices most of them didn't have any idea what they were for.

And directing the technicians was a man in his early thirties with spiky black hair, strangely dressed in a green and yellow hoodie, blue shorts, and sandals. A pair of sunglasses were resting on the top of his head. Upon seeing them, the man smiled and walked towards them, doing his best to avoid the cables on the floor.

"Oh, it's you guys! Welcome, welcome!" the strange man said. "So, you're the kids that came for the jobs aren't you? Sorry for the mess, but you guys arrived sooner than expected. Hmmm... I thought you were only three. And aren't you a little young to be a Pokemon trainer?" the man asked, looking at Bonnie.

"Job? What job?" Ash asked, looking confused. What was this man talking about?

"You know, field research assistant? You're supposed to go out there to catch Pokemon for me to study?" the man asked, as if he was saying something obvious. He crossed his arms as a frown developed on his face. "What are you doing here then?"

"Professor Oak told us to come here and meet Professor Bamb'o. Do you know where he is?" Serena asked.

"Professor Oak...?" the man asked, before suddenly slapped his forehead. "OF COURSE! You are the other kids, right? The kid from Pallet Town and the kids from Kalos!" the man said, as a sense of ease set among the gang now that they've been acknowledged. "Man, I totally forgot about you guys. As you can see, we're quite busy and stressed, and I may not be at my best."

"That's... okay. Now if we could talk with Professor Bamb'o..." Ash said, trying not to sound rude.

"But you're already talking with him!" the man replied, grinning a little. "Professor Ernest Bamb'o at your service! Yes, yes, I know, I don't look much like a Pokemon Professor, I get that a lot. It's the lack of a white coat? Sorry, but I hate those coats, they're so..." he shivered as he make a grunt of annoyance. "Anyway, follow me. Again, sorry for this mess. I just finished my thesis a few months ago and I'm in the process of setting my lab. Say are you guys interested in becoming a Pokemon Professor?"

"Eh-"

"You totally shouldn't! You have to study and work a lot and spend your best years while everybody else is having fun! And when you finally get your license and get to work, is a constant battle to get enough funding!" Bamb'o rambled as he led the group to another room. "Anyway, here we are!"

They arrived to a room that appeared to be Bamb'o's personal office. Unlike the rest of the lab, it was much more tidy. There was a large wooden desk in the middle with a computer on top of it. There were shelves resting against the left and right walls filled with books and folders of many sizes and colors. On the wall behind the desk was a screen, and a projector hung from the ceiling.

"So, you guys are the kids Professor Oak told me about. Your names being...?" Bamb'o asked.

"Oh, right! I'm Ash Ketchum, and this is my partner, Pikachu!" Ash introduced himself.

"Pika-pi!" Pikachu greeted.

"I'm Serena," Serena said.

"And I'm Clemont, and this is my little sister Bonnie," Clemont said.

"And this is Dedenne!" Bonnie proudly said, showing the small electric and fairy type to the black haired man.

"So, do any of you guys have Pokedex? Because you might want me to upgrade them if you want them to be useful here," Bamb'o asked.

Wordlessly, Ash and Serena handed their Pokedex to the black haired man, who took them and connected them to his computer via a pair of cords, before typing something on his keyboard.

"Okay, the updating process might take a bit. Unfortunately, they don't give the best hardware to newbies like myself, I have to do with the outdated junk I'm given, so if you guys want to ask me something while we wait..."

"Now that you mention that, what's your specialty, professor?" Clemont asked.

"Pokemon Elements!" Bamb'o enthusiastically answered. "More commonly referred to Pokemon types. How they interact among each other. Why some Pokemon develop a certain types. Why some Pokemon gain a new type upon evolving, or completely replace their old type with a new one. Or my absolute favorite: why two Pokemon of the same species are of different types depending on their home region!"

"Wait, what?" Ash asked. "Come again?"

"Are you telling us that, for example, a Dedenne from another region wouldn't be Electric and Fairy, but something else?" Bonnie asked, looking at her partner curiously.

"Exactly! They're called regional variants, albeit not every region has them. In fact, that was the topic of my thesis. Look!" Bamb'o said, as he started to franctically type something on his computer.

The projector hanging from the ceiling beeped to life, and projected an image on the screen behind him, an image of three Pokemon. The one in the middle was a Meowth, a Pokemon they were very familiar with thanks to their constant runs with the Team Rocket Trio. To its left was another Meowth, except this one had grayish blue skin, and its feet and top of its tail was white. To the right was another version of Meowth, which was extremely furry, with a mouth full of sharp teeth, and its coin amulet being black instead of golden.

"You see, this is a common Meowth, found in many regions. But this one is a special Meowth only found in the region of Alola. It's typing is Dark rather than Normal. And this other Meowth, which is Steel type, can only be found on Galar. And that's not all!" Bamb'o explained, and before the gang had a chance to ask anything, he pressed a key, and the image changed from Meowth to Persian. Well, at least two of them looked like Persian; the other one was a bipedal feline with a bushy beard and horns sticking out of its head. "While Alolan Meowth evolves into an Alolan Persian, Galarian Meowth evolves into a completely new Pokemon, Perrserker! Fascinating, isn't it?"

"Indeed!" Clemont said.

"Does Tandor has regional variant of Pokemon of other regions as well?" Ash asked, his mind filled with possibilities.

"Even better!" Bamb'o said, his excitement matching Ash. "You see, there are officially eighteen recognized types, but technically, there are nineteen. And Pokemon of said type can only be found here, in Tandor! You see-"

That moment, the door to his office opened, and one of the technicians walked in.

"Professor? A trio of kids have just arrived. They're asking for you," the technician informed.

"Oh, those must be my potential field research assistants!" Bamb'o said. He was about to get up, before something on his computer's screen caught his eye. "Oh look, your Pokedexes are already updated! In fact, they've been for some time. Anyway, there you go!" Bamb'o said, returning their updated Pokedex to Ash and Serena. "Not only did I update them with information about Tandorian Pokemon, but there's also data on Alolan and Galar Pokemon, should you run into somebody using them! Oh, and besides Pokemon, there's also plenty of information about other related topics, such as Gym Leaders, geography, and the like. Anyway, follow me!"

Bamb'o led the group back to the laboratory, where a new trio of teens were waiting for them. There were two boys and a girl, around three or four year younger than Ash and Serena, looking to be either eleven or twelve.

The girl had shoulder length light brown hair and blue eyes. She was wearing a red short sleeved hoodie, a brown skirt and red sneakers. There was a yellow fanny pack attached to her waist, and a white poofy cap covered her head. Next to her was a boy whose face was almost identical to hers. He had short brown hair and blue eyes, and was wearing a green stripped short sleeved t-shirt, brown shorts with yellow trims, and blue sneakers. Unlike the girl, he was carrying a backpack.

The last of the trio was the one who stood out the most, and not just because of his bright red hair with a yellow stripe crossing it. The boy was wearing a white, short sleeved t-shirt with red sleeves and a yellow star in the middle, dark blue shorts and blue sneakers. He also appeared to have a way more restless disposition than the other two.

For some reason, that boy reminded Ash of Iris.

"And there you are!" Bamb'o greeted the new trio. "You must be Natalie, Vitor and...Tommy?"

The boy with the red and yellow hair frowned. "Honestly, pops, can't you even remember my name? It's Theo! Theo!"

"Come on Theo, don't get so mad just because he got your name wrong," the girl, Natalie, said with a roll of her eyes.

"Easy for you to say, he got your name right!" Theo protested.

"Come on guys, let's not have a fight today," the other boy, Vitor, said, getting in the way of the two.

Theo then noticed Ash's group, and his scowl returned. "Hey, who are those guys? You didn't give them the Pokemon you promised us, did you!?"

"What? No, of course not! These guys have come to Tandor on behalf of my teacher, Professor Oak. They were already leaving," Bamb'o said, before turning at them. "...unless you want to stay and watch how my field research assistants get their first Pokemon? I mean, I don't think you guys had the chance to see a Pokemon native to Tandor, didn't you?"

"Yes! We'd love to!" Bonnie quickly replied.

"Nenene!" Dedenne added, sharing his trainer's joy.

"In that case, everyone, follow me!" Bamb'o said, as he lead the group of seven to yet another room of his lab. The new room was larger than his office, but appeared to be much more empty. There was a table with a large case resting on it, and a couple cabinets resting against the walls, but unlike the main lab or his office, there were no electronics.

Bamb'o then walked towards the large case, and opened it. He pulled three pokeballs, as well as three devices Ash guessed were Pokedexes.

"First of all, your Pokedex. A necessary tool for every trainer worth their salt. You'll find lots of useful information on Pokemon there, as well as many other applications. And now, what you guys have been expecting: these are the Pokemon Tandor trainers begin with: Orchynx, Raptorch and Eletux. Come out guys, and meet your new trainers!" Bamb'o said, tossing the three pokeballs, which released the Pokemon they were holding inside.

Bonnie couldn't help but let out a squee, while Ash and Serena pulled out their Pokedexes to scan the new Pokemon.

"Orchynx, the Kitten Pokemon. Grass/Steel. Metal plates underneath its fur protect it from harm. It replenishes its energy by basking in the sun's rays. "

The first Pokemon, Orchynx, was a dark green cat with light green stripes on its back and its forehead, as well as grey spots on its cheeks. Its eyes were closed all the time not unlike a Cyndaquil or an Abra. It had metal rings around one of its forelegs, one of its hind legs, and its tail.

"Raptorch, the Fire Dino Pokemon. Fire/Ground. They are energetic Pokémon that require constant attention, or they will start setting their surroundings on fire."

Raptorch looked like a small bipedal theropod with black skin and a dull orange underbelly. It had two red shells, one on its back, the other on its head. A flame burned at the tip of its tail, similar to a Charmander.

"Eletux, the Hippocampus Pokemon. Water/Electric. Eletux is capable of generating strong magnetic fields around its feet and tail that allow it to walk on water."

Eletux, the last of the starters, was a blue skined quadruped whose head looked like that of an equine. Its body had two yellow lightning-shaped marks running around its sides. It had four tails, three of them extremely short, and the fourth one much longer, all of them having yellow bulbs at their tips.

"They're so cute! If I had to chose one between the three of them I don't think I could," Bonnie said.

"Well kids, time to choose your first partner!" Bamb'o said, clapping his hands together. "Say, why don't you go first, Natalie? Ladies first and all that."

"Thank you, professor," Natalie said, before taking a step forward, and started to inspect the three Pokemon before her.

"But I wanted to choose first!" Theo protested.

"Don't be so impatient, Theo. There will be Pokemon for all of you," Bamb'o tried to reassure.

"I made my choice! I want Raptorch!" Natalie said.

"Rap!" Raptorch cheered upon being the first to be chosen.

"Excellent choice!" Bamb'o said, before returning Raptorch to its pokeball and handing it to Natalie. "I'm sure you two will go on doing great things!"

"Hey, no fair! I wanted to choose Raptorch!" Theo protested. "It's clearly the cooler of the three!"

"Come on Theo, don't say that. All Pokemon are cool in their own way," Ash said, taking a step forward. "I'm sure the other two Pokemon are just as great as Raptorch."

"Who are you to lecture me? I bet that you got the starter you wanted when you became a trainer!" Theo angrily retorted.

"Not in the slightest. Not only I didn't get the starter I wanted, but I overslept, and when I arrived to the lab to get my Pokemon, all of them had already been claimed, so I had to do with what Professor Oak could give me, and he gave me this Pikachu," Ash explained. "At first we didn't get along and he refused to obey me. But we eventually bonded, and became best of friends. Now I can't imagine being a Pokemon Trainer without Pikachu by my side."

"Pikachu!" the yellow rodent cheerfully agreed.

"Yeah, don't be such a kid, Theo. Come on, you can go and choose next. I'll take the Pokemon you don't choose," Vitor offered.

Theo grumbled something unintelligible as he walked towards the two remaining Pokemon. After tasking a good look at the two of them, he pointed at Orchynx.

"Alright, that one then," Theo said.

"So, if Orchynx goes to Theo, then Vitor gets Eletux!" Bamb'o said, before returning the two remaining Pokemon to their pokeballs and handing them to their new trainers. "Congratulations! You're officially now Pokemon trainers!"

"Hey, I have an idea! Let's test our Pokemon with a battle!" Natalie suggested.

"But how are we going to do it, sis? We're three," Vitor pointed out.

"Ummmm..." the brown haired girl began to ponder. "You vs me and whoever wins vs Theo?"

"But then Theo is going to have the advantage because he's going to be fighting with a fresh Pokemon," Vitor countered.

"How about a two vs two?" Ash suggested. "You two versus me and Theo! What do you say?"

"Are you sure, Ash? You're way more experienced than them. It would be quite the lopsided match," Bamb'o warned.

"Don't worry, I know how to hold back when I'm fighting against a beginner," Ash reassured the professor. He then looked at Clemont. "Clemont, will you referee?"

"Sure, you don't need to ask," the inventor replied.

A few minutes later, everybody moved to the ranch at the back of the lab. Since it was empty, it was the perfect spot for a match. Vitor and Natalie were on one side, and Ash and Theo on the other, with Clemont in the middle.

"This will be a two versus two battle with no time limit. Each trainer will use one Pokemon each. The team will win when both Pokemon of the other side can't fight anymore. Trainers, send your Pokemon!" Clemont shouted.

"To time to kick ass, Raptorch!"

"Come out and play, Eletux!"

"Let's go, Orchynx!"

"Pikachu, I choose you!"

"Let the battle begin!" Clemont said, making a downward chopping motion with his hand.

~Ash (Pikachu) & Theo (Orchynx) VS Natalie (Raptorch) & Vitor (Eletux)~

"Alright Theo, do you want to make the first move?" Ash asked. He wasn't planning to overshadow Theo or the twins. This battle was for their sake after all.

"Indeed! Orchynx, use Metal Claw on Eletux!" Theo ordered.

"Chynx!" the Kitten Pokemon meowed, as it dashed forward towards one of his opponents, preparing his claws for the attack.

"Not if I have something to say about it! Raptorch stop it with Ember!" Natalie ordered.

"Ra-Rap!" Raptorch said, as it gathered fire inside his mouth, before opening it and releasing several small fireballs.

The fireballs hit the Grass-type feline squarely, stopping his attack on its tracks, causing him to meow in pain.

"Orchynx, no!" Theo cried upon seeing his starter in pain.

Vitor decided it was the time to intervene. "Eletux, follow up with Thundershock!"

However, so did Ash. "Pikachu, intercept that Thundershock with Electroball!"

The bulbs of Eletux's four tails started to crackle with electricity, before releasing several yellow bolts at the pained cat, while Pikachu charged a ball of electricity on the tip of his tail, before sending it to the coming attack. Both electric attacks clashed against each other, producing a bright blast.

"Nice save, Ash!" Bamb'o cheered.

"He didn't need to save us, everything's under control!" Theo said, before pulling up his Pokedex. "What other moves can Orchynx use...? Oh, this one looks good! Orchynx, Vine Whip on Eletux!"

"Theo, wait-" Ash said, but too late.

A pair of whips emerged from Orchynx's sides, and shot towards the Water/Electric Pokemon.

"Repel them with Thundershock!" Vito ordered.

"Tux!" Eletux cried in afirmation, sending another bolt of electricity towards the coming whips, pushing them away.

"And to make sure that that Pikachu doesn't get in the way, Raptorch, Mud Slap!" Natalie ordered.

"Dodge it with Quick Attack!" Ash countered.

The Fire Dino Pokemon turned around and started to kick up clumps of mud towards Ash's Pokemon. Pikachu, however, blitzed forward and used his speed to constantly zigzag, dodging the Ground-type move, before slamming headfirst into Raptorch.

"Nat!" Vitor cried in distress, upon seeing his sister's Pokemon taking such a hit.

"Don't worry about Raptorch! Focus on the battle!" Natalie chastised.

"Yeah, listen to your sister," Theo said, as he put his Pokedex back on his pocket. "Orchynx, Leech Seed on Eletux!"

"Counter it with Water Gun!" Vitor ordered.

Orchynx opened his mouth, and fired a salvo of malignant seeds that were quickly pushed away by Eletux firing a stream of water from his mouth.

"Theo, stop!" Ash shouted. "You can't just throw attacks at random without rhythm nor reason! If you fight like that, all you'll accomplish is having your Pokemon defeated!"

"Just because you've been trainer for longer than I am doesn't mean that you can tell me what to do! You're no boss of me!" the redhead fired back.

"I'm not trying to boss you, just advice you!" Ash replied, matching Theo's anger. "And yes, you'd do good if you bothered to listen somebody who has been a trainer far longer than you!"

Meanwhile, on the sidelines, Serena, Bonnie and Bamb'o couldn't help but notice the heated discussion Ash and Theo got into.

"Geez, what's the problem with that guy?" Bonnie asked.

"Well, Theo has always been a... complicated kid," Bamb'o began. "He has always competed with the twins, and rarely, if ever, beat them at anything, be either grades or sports. He feels the need to prove he's better than them. Add to that his rather impatient nature and..."

"You have somebody who acts rashly without thinking first," Serena finished. She sighed a little. "Ash told me he used to be like that when he started his Pokemon journey. Maybe all Theo needs is a little guidance and experience..."

Back to the battlefield, Ash and Theo continued with their argument.

"Alright smartass! What would you have me do, given that you know sooooo much about Pokemon fights?" Theo fired.

"Given that their Pokemon have advantage of range over yours, maybe you should let them attack first, try to dodge, and then counterattack when they're wide open," Ash replied, lowering his voice so the twins wouldn't hear his strategy, his anger subduing a little now that Theo appeared to finally be listening.

Theo weighed in Ash's words, before raising an eyebrow. He then averted Ash's gaze and directed it to the battlefield. "Alright, let's do it your way."

"Good. First, I'll goad them. When you see the chance, have Orchynx use Leech Seed," Ash told him. "Pikachu, Thunderbolt on Eletux!"

"Pika...CHUUUUUUU!" Pikachu said, releasing a powerful lightning bolt towards his fellow Electric type.

"Not so fast! Raptorch, get in front of Eletux and shield him with your body!" Natalie commanded. "You're a Ground type, so electricity shouldn't harm you in the slightest!"

"Rap!" Raptorch cried, as he jumped in front of his partner just in time to block the attack, negating it completely, albeit he was forced to close his eyes due the light produced by the attack.

"Good one, sis! Now Eletux, counter with Water Gun!" Vitor added.

"Ele!" Eletux cried, as he fired once again a stream of water from his mouth, hitting Pikachu squarely.

"Orchynx, now! Use Leech Seed on Raptorch!" Theo ordered.

"What? Raptorch, watch out!"

Orchynx did as ordered, firing once again a cluster of seeds at the Fire and Ground type Pokemon. Despite hearing Natalie's warning, Raptorch was too slow, and the seeds landing on his body. The moment they did, they quickly grew roots that wrapped themselves around the Fire Dino Pokemon, impairing his movements and draining his energy.

"Yes! Direct hit!" Theo cheered.

"Raptorch, try to get rid of those!" Natalia panicked. Raptorch did as she told him, but other than uselessly trash his arms, he had no idea of what to do.

"Good job Theo! Now that you have the advantage, you should press the attack!" Ash adviced him.

"Now Orchynx, use Vine Whip!" Theo commanded.

Once again, the Kitten Pokemon grew two grassy vines from the sides of his body, and used them to whip the now helpless Raptorch.

"Eletux, quickly, Water Gun on Orchynx!" Vitor ordered.

"Pikachu, Quick Attack on Eletux!"

Eletux did as ordered, firing a stream of water from his mouth at Orchynx, the water blast pushing it away from Raptorch and interrupting his attack, even if it didn't cause that much damage, but in doing so he was unable to dodge Pikachu slamming into him once again, the small yellow Pokemon packing a deceptively strong attack, sending the Water type crashing into Raptorch.

"Eletux, no!" Vitor cried.

"Time to finish this! Orchynx, use Vine Whip on the two of them!" Theo said, almost savoring victory.

"Orrrrr!" Orchynx meowed, as he once again released two vine whips hidden from the sides of his body, and used them to lash both Pokemon.

Due Raptorch's weakened state thanks to the Leech Seed, he was quickly weakened, with Eletux soon following, falling before the constant super effective move.

Clemont raised a hand in Ash and Theo's direction. "Raptorch and Eletux can't fight anymore! The winners are Ash and Theo!"

"Great job, Pikachu!" Ash praised his starter, who happily returned with her trained, reclaiming his usual spot on his shoulder. Ash then turned at Theo with a conciliatory smile. "Good job Theo! See, if you work together-"

"OH YES!" Theo loudly cheered, ignoring Ash, pumping his fist into the air. "I beat you! I totally beat you! Who's the best trainer! ME! That's who!"

"You only won because you have an experienced trainer on your side!" Natalie fired back, as she returned her defeated Raptorch to his Pokeball. "Before he coached you, Vitor and I were kicking your sorry ass!"

"Yeah! If you have fought against either of us solo, we would have beaten you," Vitor added, also recalling his fainted Eletux.

"Now, now, come on kids, it was just a sparring match," Bamb'o said, walking towards the battlefield, followed by Serena and Bonnie. "No need to make a fuss over something so minor. Yes, it's true that Theo has Ash's help, but let's not diminish his contribution to the fight. And Theo, being happy when you win is okay, but only bad sports rub their victory on their opponents' face. Learning to enjoy victory with grace is as important as learning to take defeats in stride."

"Whatever," Theo dismissively said. "Anyway, I don't have anything else to do here. Come on Orchynx!"

"Or!" the Kitten Pokemon said, following his trainer out of the ranch.

"As for you two, follow me. I have some potions in my lab that will get your Pokemon back in shape," Bamb'o told the twins. "I guess you can't wait to start your journey either!"

"We should better get going as well," Ash suggested. "Now that we're done with Bamb'o, we should head to the Pokemon Center so Serena can get her Contest Pass and I sign for the League."

Everybody nodded in agreement, considering their bussiness with Bamb'o settled for the time being.

…

The Pokemon Center wasn't very different from the ones Ash had seen in his previous journey, but there were two things that stood out not just to him, but to his Kalosians friends as well: the first one was that the Nurse Joy at the counter didn't have the pink hair styled in two ring-shaped pigtails, this one had dark blue straight hair.

"Heh, look at that, a regional variant Nurse Joy," Bonnie said with a snicker.

"Bonnie! Don't be so rude!" Clemont chastised her.

And the second was that, rather than a Chansey, a Blissey, an Audino or a Wigglytuff, the nurse was assited by two Pokemon: an Aromatisse, and another Pokemon none of them had seen before: it was half the size of the Nurse Joy's height, with a long body covered in purple feathers that flared up at its collarbone and its feet. It had two thin long arms ending in four sharp green claws. It had a white face shaped like an old plague doctor mask, and the top of its head ressembled a hat with two small green wings on it.

Ash and Serena took their Pokedex out to scan this new Pokemon:

"Miasmedic, the Plague Doctor Pokemon and one of Spritzee's possible evolutions. Fairy/Poison. It has the ability to both cause and cure disease. Using its claws, it injects pathogens into its foes."

"Whoa, I didn't know Spritzee had another evolution!" Serena gasped.

"It does, but only Tandorian Spritzee can evolve into Miasmedic," the nurse explained upon hearing the honey blonde. "I take you aren't from here, are you? No matter, both natives and foreigners are welcome to our Pokemon Center! What can I do for you?" the blue haired Nurse Joy asked, just as friendly as her pink-haired relatives.

"Hello there! We're new in the region. Aside from having our Pokemon checked, I'd like to sign up for the Tandor League!" Ash announced. He then pointed towards Serena. "And my friend here wants to sign up for the Contest season."

"Of course," the nurse said, while her Pokemon placed all their Pokeballs, Pikachu and Dedenne on a tray, and took them to the back of the center. "Can I have your Pokedex, please?"

Ash and Serena did so, and after a couple minutes, she returned them back.

"There, all done!" Nurse Joy said, smiling cordially. She then looked at Serena. "The first round of contests will begin in less than a week. Right now, the closest contest will be held at Kevlar Town, to the west of Moki Town. To get there, all you have to do is follow the Lakeside Path."

"Thanks a lot, Nurse Joy!" Serena happily replied.

"Does Kevlar Town have a Gym as well?" Ash excitedly asked.

The boy from Kanto deflated when the nurse shook her head.

"Kevlar Town has no Pokemon Gym, sorry. The closest Pokemon Gym is on Nowtoch City. To get there, once you're in Kevlar Town, go north via Owten Nook, and you'll get there."

"I see. Thank you, Nurse Joy," Ash said.

The group went to sit at the lobby and wait for the check up to finish. Clemont then looked at the hour on one of the Center's screens.

"I'd say it's a bit too late to go to Kevlar Town, but too early to have dinner and turn in," Clemont noted. "Do you guys want to do something?"

"I think I'm going to train with Greninja and Pikachu once the checkup is done. If you want to join us, all you have to do is ask," Ash told them.

"I think I'm going to look some more information into the region's power plants," Clemont said.

"I'm going to groom all your Pokemon once the checkup is over!" Bonnie excitedly said, brush already in hand.

"I think I'm going to do some exploring," Serena said. "We went directly to Bambo's Lab, spend a good chunk of the day there, then we came here. I'd like to see the sights of the town."

"Very well then. Make sure to get back before it's dinnertime, though," Clemont told her.

…

It took Serena less than half an hour to see almost the whole town, with no spot in particular catching her interest.

"Maybe I should have stayed with Ash and have some training done as well..." Serena said aloud. While she wasn't lazy when it comes to training, she didn't have Ash burning passion for it either –at least when it came to battles, she loved to come up with and try new performing routines–, and she liked to spend her free time doing something else as well. "Oh well, at least I got a nice walk out of it...huh?"

Then, something caught her eye when she thought that there was nothing in town that would draw her interest: a clothing store.

"Now that I think about it, it's been a while since the last time I bought some new clothes," Serena said.

Her mind drifted back to that fateful day on Courmarine City, when she took part on her very first Performance, which ended in such disastrous way. However, while the Serena of old would have just given up, like she gave up so many things before, she decided that this time would be different, she would persevere, she would achieve her dream. And as a way to show her inner change, she also changed her outside appearance by cutting her hair short and donning a different set of clothes.

But now, Serena realized she wasn't that girl either as well. She had learned a lot through her journey through Kalos, culminating in the Master Class Performance, making it to the very finals and fancing her mentor and idol, Aria. And while she lost, she managed to learn one last valuable lesson, the last missing piece that would allow her to finally reach her dream.

Upon seeing her reflection on the shop window, Serena realized for the first time that her hair had grown almost to the same length it was when she started her journey on Kalos.

"Guess it's true that they say about time passing fast when your're having fun," Serena said, passing a hand through her now much longer locks of honey blond hair. She wondered if she should cut her hair again, but this time decided against it. Then, for some reason, her mind recalled tagline from the sign at the town's entrance: "The town of fresh beginnings... fresh beginnings..."

Yes, this was a fresh beginning. And to show it, Serena decided that a wardrobe change was in order.

And this time, it wouldn't be just for her.

…

A couple hours later, back at the Pokemon Center, the rest of the group were done for the day, and given that it was starting to get dark, decided that it was a good moment to have some dinner.

"Ah, I missed those training sessions with Greninja so bad!" Ash said, as he and his two Pokemon entered the Pokemon lobby. "Boy, I'm starving! What about you two?"

"Pi-Pika!" Pikachu agreed.

"Gre," Greninja said, confirming he was hungry, but not wanting to sound as eager to eat as his Trainer and Electric-type teammate.

"I'll be getting the food for the Pokemon ready, then we can go to the Center's cafeteria to eat something ourselves," Clemont offered, as he began to dig inside his backpack for the food.

"Hey, what about Serena? She isn't here yet. It would be rude to start without her," Bonnie pointed out.

"Huh? Serena isn't back yet?" Ash asked, looking around the lobby to see that, indeed, the aspiring coordinator was nowhere to be seen. "I thought she'd be back by now. I mean, what did she find in this little town to catch her interest?"

"Hey everybody!" Serena's voice said, as the Pokemon Center's automatic doors slid open. "Sorry for the lateness!"

"Hey there Serena, we were about to-whoa!" Ash gasped in shock, and he wasn't the only one.

Serena wasn't wearing her usual pink dress, red jacket, red and black hat and brown boots. Instead, she was now wearing a black long sleeved t-shirt cropped so it exposed her midriff, with pink trimmed sleeves and a picture of pink butterfly wings on its chest with the blue ribbon that Ash had gifted her attached in the middle. She was wearing once again a red skirt (though this one was a little shorter than he one she initially wore), tigh high black stocking, red and black sneakers with a pink star to the sides, and a black beret with a red pokeball symbol on it.

"So... what do you think?" Serena asked, making a twirl so they could appreciate her new look better.

"Whoa, you look amazing Serena!" Bonnie praised.

"You think so?" the honey blonde asked.

"Totally!" Ash agreed, making Serena blush a little. "Though, even if you look amazing, why the change of wardrobe?"

"Well... given that we're about to start a new journey, I decided to get a new look to go with it. And I wasn't the only one. Ta-dah!" Serena said while lifting the bags she carried, bags the others didn't realize she had until now. "I also took the liberty to get some new clothes for you guys!"

"Really? That's great!" Bonnie cheered, as she took one of Serena's bags and inspected its contents.

"Now that you mention it, these are kind of worn down, so I could use something new," Clemont said, looking at his overalls.

"That was so kind of you," Ash said.

"Come on, go and put them on! I want to see how they look on you!" Serena excitedly urged them.

Five minutes later, the rest of the group had changed as well.

Serena had bought another overalls for Clemont, since she was aware the inventor favored practical clothing that could be used for mechanical work. This one, though, was dark grey an blueish grey, with the edges of the sleeves and trouser legs had green trims.

Bonnie was wearing a short-sleeved lavender shirt with white sleeves and a purple ribbon on it, a purple skirt with golden sun patterns over black knee-length pants, but kept the same pink mary janes.

And lastly, there was Ash, whom in Serena's definitely not biased opinion looked the most handsome of all of them with his new clothes: Ash was now wearing a short sleeved blue jacket with four pockets with black lines across its sleeves and through the zipper, grayish blue pants with light blue trouser legs, and blue sneakers with red stripes. Lastly, he was now wearing a red and blue cap with a light blue lightning bolt symbol on it.

"So, what do you think?" Serena asked. "Do you like the new clothes?"

"Yes! They're awesome!" Bonnie beamed.

"Yeah, these overalls are great!" Clemont added.

"Indeed, they are great. But that's not a surprise, you have a great taste for clothes, Serena," Ash praised her.

"Th-Thank you, Ash," Serena said while averting his gaze, as she felt her cheeks turning pink.

The moment was ruined when Ash's stomach rumbled. Loudly.

"Hehe, sorry!" Ash said, placing his hand behind his back. "I guess that the training made me hungrier than I thought."

"Pika..." Pikachu sighed, shaking his head.

"Alright, let's have a good dinner, and then off to bed! Tomorrow we finally begin our journey through Tandor!" Serena cheered.

Chapter Text

Route 1/ Lakeside Path

The next morning, after waking up, the group of four and their Pokemon had breakfast at the Pokemon Center before leaving for Kevlar Town. They couldn't wait to see what the rest of Tandor was like.

And what they were seeing so far didn't disappoint them. Lakeside Path was a beautiful expanse of green grass surrounded by dense forests, and a river of crystaline blue water running alongisde it. The beautiful nature trail wasn't the only thing that enthralled the gang, as they were quick to check the new Pokemon that roamed the area, just like the squirrel-like brown Pokemon with a blue belly, blue ears, blue tail tip and blue cheek mars that scampered across the tree branches

"Chyinmunk, the Chipmunk Pokemon. Normal. The length of a Chynmunk's stripes determines its authority in a group. If it spots a predator, it shrieks loudly to warn the others." The Pokedex explained.

There were also some Pokemon with a pink, worm-like body but the head of a bear, and a leaf-like coat over their back.

"Cubbug, the Love Bug Pokemon. Bug. It shares characteristics with bug and mammal Pokémon. Being in its presence has a calming effect."

Not just land, but they could see many more Pokemon swimming on the clear waters of the river. There were many Magikarp –it seems that with the exception of Unova, there were Magikarps pretty much everywhere–, as well as a Pokemon that looked like blue frogs with round, purple bodies and purple cheek marks.

"Fortog, the Round Toad Pokemon. Water/Poison. This Pokémon is rarely seen walking because of its weight. Rather, it rolls to get anywhere. They are often found at the bottoms of lakes."

There were also many bird Pokemon soaring the skies, but they were too far away for the Pokedex to scan. Oh well, sooner or later they'd run into one or several at ground level.

"Heh, I can't still get over the fact that Nurse Joys here have blue hair," Ash began. "Wonder if Officer Jennys are blonde instead? Or redheads?"

"There aren't Officer Jennys in Tandor, Ash," Clemont told him. "According to what I learned about this region, the Ranger Corps are the ones who keep law and order in Tandor."

"Rangers, uh? I see," Ash said, recalling the few times he had crossed paths with a Ranger.

"Ranger? What's that?" Serena asked.

"They're a kind of Pokemon trainers that don't use pokeballs," Ash began to explain. "They instead use this gadget thingies called Stylers, which allow them to bond with wild Pokemon quickly, and thus get them to help, but only temporarily."

"Sounds really weird," Bonnie commented.

"Maybe, but it works for them," Ash said, shrugging nonchalantly. "Though, it's not that they only use wild Pokemon, most Rangers also have a permanent Pokemon of their own as a partner, even if they don't keep them inside Pokeballs."

Suddenly, Clemont stopped. Naturally, they all turned towards him.

"Big brother? Something's wrong?" Bonnie asked.

"Don't you guys hear that?" Clemont asked.

"Hear what?" Serena asked.

"A Pokemon?" Ash asked. Pikachu's ears perked up, alerted to possible dangers.

"No, it sounds like... an engine?" Clemont said.

"Yes, I think I'm hearing it now..." Serena said. "Weird, since there doesn't appear to be any roads nearby..."

"Guys, move!" Ash said, as he grabbed his three companions by the arms and dragged them away from the main grassland and into a nearby cluster of trees.

A few seconds passed, and now everybody could hear the sound of engines much louder, and coming even closer. Then, a mob of bikers rushed in front of them, men and women of varying ages, the oldest appeared to be in their late forties, and the youngest being older teenagers. While their clothes varied from individual to individual, all of them were wearing a sleeveless blue jacket with a Dunsparce on the back.

Once they could no longer hear the sound of the engines, the group decided it was safe to come out from the hiding spot behind the trees.

"Geez, what's with those guys? Does this look like a road to them?" Serena asked, placing her hands on her shoulders. "Could have run over us if we didn't move in time..."

"Guess Tandor has its own share of jerks too," Bonnie said, mimicking Serena's stance.

"Nenene!" Denenne added, mimicking Bonnie.

"Let's continue," Ash suggested. "It's not that we're going to enocunter anymore of those bikers running through a grass field, right?"

"Way to tempt fate, Ash," Bonnie deadpanned.

Though fate proved Ash right, and they managed to continue without any further incidents. Once they saw it was close to noon, they found a good spot near the river and decided to stop in order to rest a little and then have some lunch.

"This is a good place to stay. We can rest, or train for a bit if you prefer, and once we finish lunch, we can continue our journey towards Kevlar Town," Clemont stated, with the three othersw nodding in return.

"Everyone, come out!" Serena said, tossing all her pokeball into the air, releasing the Pokemon inside, an action that was mimicked by Ash and Clemont as well.

A few moments later, everything was settled. Pikachu, Dedenne, Pancham, Sylveon, Bunnelby and Chespin were playing with a ball, while Luxray, Braixen and Greninja relaxed.

Feeling that their Pokemon were set for the time being, Serena opened her backpack and, after digging a little, pulled out a small booklet and started reading it. She read in silence for a couple minutes, until she reached for a certain part.

"Oh, that's no good..." she unwittingly said out loud.

"What are you reading, Serena?" Ash asked, upon noticing what his traveling companion was doing. "What is no good?"

"I got this at Moki Town's Pokemon Center," Serena said, showing Ash the booklet. He could see it was information about contests. "So far, most of the information here matches with what you've told me, but there are some rules which are more complex. For example, contests that use the double format doesn't allow to use in the Contest Battle the same Pokemon you used in the Appeal Round, meaning that you must have at least four Pokemon," Serena explained, worryingly looking at where her three Pokemon were.

"It's not that big of a problem, Serena. All you have to do is catch one or two more Pokemon," Ash reassured.

"Well... I'm not that proactive in catching Pokemon. Despite how long we spent traveling through Kalos, I only got two Pokemon besides my starter," Serena said.

"That's easy to solve, though," Ash said, looking around. "Say, would you like to look around and catch a Pokemon?"

"Eh..."

"Something wrong, Serena?"

"Well, this is going to sound a bit silly but... well, when I caught Panchan and Sylveon back when she was an Eevee... I caught them because I felt a special connection between the them and me," Serena explained, as she rubbed her arm. "Going out there and chuck a pokeball to the first Pokemon that crosses my path feels... wrong."

Ash didn't say anything, he merely looked at her, his expression unreadable as he digested her words. Serena averted his gaze and grasped her blue ribbon.

"You probably think I'm being silly..." Serena said.

But much to her surprise, Ash emrely smiled. "Not in the slightest. I know what you mean."

"You do?" Serena asked.

Ash then looked upwards, his eyes looking at the branch where Greninja was resting on. "Do you remember how I caught Greninja back when he was a Froakie? It's not that I went to catch him, he was the one who came to me. And he wasn't the only one. I have plenty of Pokemon that I didn't catch before I bonded with them to some extent."

"Is that why you aren't going out to catch any new Pokemon either?" Serena pointed out.

"Guess you're right," Ash chuckled, rubbing the back of his head, before his expression grew serious. "Though, if you're so worried about not having enough Pokemon soon enough, then maybe you should go and try to capture one yourself without waiting for them to come to you."

"I guess you have a point," Serena conceded.

"...but don't get too stressed about it. We just barely began our trip through the region. Sooner or later, we shall cross paths with a Pokemon or two that are the right fit for you," he reassured her.

"Right," she said with a nod. "Besides, the first round of contests use Single Format, so I can still do with the Pokemon I have."

"Yeah. Like a coordinator friend of mine used to say, no need to worry," Ash said, chuckling a little.

"Birb!" a new voice said. Though "chirped" should be a better word.

Ash and Serena looked in the direction of the voice, and saw that it belonged to a small bird Pokemon with a round blue body. It was the same Pokemon they had seen soaring through the blue skies, but now that it was on the ground, they could appreciate it better: it had yellow tail feathers and two antenna-like feathers of the same color extending from the top of its head. Just below its beak there was a segmented cyan crest that looked like a large smiling mouth.

"Well, speaking of Pokemon that came to us," Serena joked, as she and Ash scanned the newcomer with their Pokedex.

"Birbie, the Eden Bird Pokemon. Normal/Flying. It defends itself by dazzling opponents by flashing its brightly colored plumage. They are known for their elaborate mating dances."

"So, you're a Birbie, huh? Nice to meet you!" Ash greeted.

Birbie didn't say anything. He looked intently at Ash, then at Serena, then started to look around, poking some things with his beak, inspecting their little camp with curious blue eyes.

"Ash? Do you think that maybe we invaded his territory or something?" Serena asked, a little worried that they may have upset the bird Pokemon.

"Nah. I guess he's just curious. Looks pretty young. Maybe he hasn't seen many humans yet," Ash said.

Birbie then saw something that saw his mood change from merely curious to excited: the Pokemon that weren't resting chasing after the toy ball. It really looked that they were having lots of fun, and Birbie really wanted to be part of that.

"Birb! Birb! Birbie!" the little bird Pokemon said, bouncing in place.

"You want to play with them, Birbie?" Ash asked. The round bird energiccally nodded. Ash then walked towards the group playing with the ball, and drew their attention by clapping his hands twice. "Hey guys! This Birbie saw how much fun you were having playing with that ball, and he'd like to know if he can play with you. What do you say?"

"Pi-Pika!" Pikachu happily agreed.

"Chan, Pancham!" Pancham agreed as well.

"Bun," Bunnelby nodded.

Thankfully, all the Pokemon were okay to include the wild newcomer in their game, which proceeded as usual.

"Look at him go," Serena said, watching Birbie chase the ball.

"Like I said, he must be pretty young. He's discovering a whole new world," Ash added. He then looked up towards the sun. "It seems to be a bit too early to eat. Say, how about if we train? That way, we can work up our appetite."

"Your appetite doesn't need any work up, but I'm for it," Serena said. "Braixen versus Pikachu?"

"You mentioned double battles before, and now that I think about it, how are you on those? I remember that we battled together a couple times, but I don't think I ever saw you use more than one Pokemon at once outside Showcases," Ash pointed out.

"Well... not much," she sheepishly admitted. "But even if you hold back, I don't feel very confident fighting against Greninja and Pikachu at once, given what you were able to do with that Gible..."

"Two versus one then?" Ash asked. "After all, this is to get you accustomed to double battles. I think I'll use Greninja. He needs some action too!"

As soon as Ash said this, Greninja landed behind him.

"Alright... in that case, I'll go with Pancham and Sylveon," Serena said. "Pancham, Sylveon, come here! Time to do some training!"

Pancham and Sylveon stopped what they were doing upon hearing their trainer's call. They turned to the rest of their friends, shrugged, told them something –probably to keep playing without them– and walked towards Serena.

"Listen, since some contests use double battles, we need to start working on fighting together. It shouldn't be much of a problem, since you've been working together when doing performances," Serena told her two Pokemon.

"Syl!/Cham!" the two of them agreed in unison.

"Say Greninja, do you feel like taking on two opponents at once?" Ash asked.

"Gren!" Greninja said, adopting a fighting stance.

"Good! Let us begin then!" Ash called. "Serena, you make the first move!"

~Serena (Pancham & Sylveon) VS Ash (Greninja)~

"Alright then! Sylveon, Fairy Wind! Pancham, Stone Edge!" Serena commanded.

Sylveon started to wave her feelers, raising a pink colored gust of wind, while Pancham slammed both paws into the ground, summoning a row of large pillars in Greninja's direction.

"Greninja, jump and use those pillars as platforms!" Ash called.

"Gre-NINJA!" Greninja cried, and with his impressive agility, he leaped just when one of the stone columns was about to rise just below him, landing in the column behind that one, and hopped from one to the one before.

"Think before calling for a move, Serena. Letting your opponent use your Pokemon's moves against you will also make you lose points," Ash told her. "Well done, Greninja! Now use Water Shuriken!"

"Dodge it, quickly!" Serena told her two Pokemon.

Greninja spread his arms, summoning a star made of water on each hand, before tossing one at Pancham at another at Sylveon, who were already running away to avoid the powerful watery attack, which, ultimately, and fortunately, they did, by running in opposite directions.

"Good job, guys!" Serena praised. "Now-"

"Yes, you dodged Greninja's attack. But now Pancham and Sylveon are apart from each other and thus unable to work together or lend each other help," Ash said, much to Serena's horror. "Greninja, Aerial Ace on Pancham!"

"Ninja!" Greninja said, as his forearm started to glow with a white light, before dashing towards Pancham.

Serena knew that, even with the type advantage, the Playful Pokemon was no match for Ash's strongest Kalos Pokemon, and Aerial Ace was impossible to evade. However, despite her growing panic, an idea dawned upon her.

"Pancham, use Stone Edge on yourself!" Serena commanded.

"Pan-CHAM!" while confused at first, the little panda quickly realized what his trainer was planning, and slammed his paws into the ground once again. A rock coulmn burst from the ground beneath his feet, pushing him upwards, just in time to avoid Greninja's attack, which ended up hitting said column, hurting his hand a little.

"That was very clever, Serena! You're starting to get better!" Ash praised her.

"I have a great teacher!" Serena replied with a wide smile, winking at him. "Time to regroup and counterattack! Sylveon, Fairy Wind again!"

"Greninja, dodge!"

"Syl!" Once again, Sylveon started to wave her feelers, summoning a gust of pink wind towards the Ninja Pokemon, who ran away in the opposite direction.

"And Pancham, Dark Pulse!" Serena added.

"Paaaaaaan...!" from his vantage point, Pancham cupped his paws together, summoning an orb of black and purple swirling energy, before releasing it in the form of a beam of the same color. "...CHAAAAAAAAM!"

"Greninja, Double Team!" Ash called.

Greninja nodded, and in an instant, the field was filled with dozens of illusory copypcats of the Ninja Pokemon. Some of them were instantly dispelled when they were hit by Pancham and Sylveon's attacks, but many of them still remained, hiding the real one among their numbers.

"Now, Water Shuriken!" Ash commanded.

Every Greninja began to form a single watery star between his hands. There's no way for Serena to know which one was the real one! Though, perhaps she didn't need to, as another idea popped inside her mind.

"Pancham, get behind Sylveon, and Sylveon, use Protect!" Serena commanded.

Pancham nodded, leaped from his stony platform, landing just behind the Interwining Pokemon, who formed a green energy field in front of her, just as the Greninjas launched their Shuriken towards Serena's Pokemon, though, predictably, most of them just vanished the moment they touched the barrier, with only one crashing against it, resulting in an explosion of water that, as expected, left Pancham and Sylveon unscathed.

"Very good Serena! Heh, if you keep fighting like that, I'll be forced to use the Battle Bond!" Ash said.

Of course, Serena knew that Ash was just being nice, given that her Pokemon were on the defensive most of the time. She grimaced a little. "Please don't. Greninja is already challenging as he is now."

"I guess I'm craving an opponent that I can go all out against," Ash admitted. "Boy, that first Gym battle can't come soon enough."

"Guess you'll have to do with sparring against us in the meantime. Sylveon, find the real one with Swift!" Serena ordered.

Sylveon waved her feelers once again, relesing a flurry of sparkling golden stars that quickly destroyed all the illusionary duplicates until only the real Greninja remained.

"Greninja, deflect all those stars with Cut!" Ash ordered.

Greninja nodded, and summoned a kunai-shaped blade of pure white energy in order to parry the incoming projectiles. However, the white kunai then grew longer, its color going from white to black with purple edges.

"Wait, that's not Cut, that's..." Ash said, as a huge grin spread across his face. "Greninja, you learned Night Slash!"

As Serena saw Greninja counter Sylveon's attack with his recently learned move, she let out a sigh. "Geez... first Gible evolved into Gabite, and now Greninja learns a new move... you're surely getting more mileage out of this sparring sessions than us," Serena commented, before sighing a little.

"Well... I don't know what to say to that...!" Ash chuckled, rubbing the back of his head.

…

While Ash and Serena had their sparring battle, Clemont and Bonnie were watching over the rest of the Pokemon, some of them still playing with the rubber ball alongside the wild Birbie. Said Pokemon, however, was drawn by the noise the three Pokemon of the two humans were doing. With the curiosity and short attention span that came with youth, Birbie quickly forgot about the game, and went to check the source of the noise.

"Birb!?"

"Birbie?" Bonnie asked, trailing after him.

And what he saw left him completely speechless.

"Pancham, surround Greninja with Stone Edge! Sylveon, climb the rocks and attack Greninja from above with Fairy Wind!" Serena commanded.

"Not bad, but that won't be enough to put Greninja down! Greninja, Water Shuriken!"

Birbie's eyes grew so wide, they threatened to pop out of his head. Never in his admitedly short life had the small bird Pokemon seen such an spectacle like the one that was happening before. The sheer strength of those Pokemon's attacks, the way those Pokemon moved... it was like a completely new world had been laid before him.

"Say, do you like that?" Bonnie asked the wild Pokemon. "That's Ash's Greninja, and those are Serena's Pancham and Sylveon. They're really strong, aren't they?"

"B-Birb!" Birbie replied, nodding.

"Of course. Ash and Serena did a good job training them," Bonnie said, crossing her arms. "And when I'm old enough, I'll be even better than them!"

So, with the help of a human, a Pokemon can become that strong? Every new revelation felt like a giant hammer into the young bird's worldview. Then, an idea popped inside his mind. If he impressed these humans, then maybe they'd train him just like they did with the other Pokemon. His decision settled, Birbie then started to fly towards Ash, while crying loudly.

"Birb! Birb, birbie!" Birbie cried, trying to draw Ash's attention, while flying around him.

"Birbie?" Ash asked. "Do you want something?"

Birbie then turned around, and began to fly back in the direction where the other Pokemon were playing.

"I think he wants us to follow him," Serena deduced. "Maybe he wants to show us something?"

"I see. Alright, let's take a break for the time being, Greninja," Ash told his Kalosian Pokemon.

"You too, Pancham, Sylveon," Serena said, as she and Ash followed Birbie.

Once they returned to the playground, Birbie asked something to the other Pokemon, who merely nodded and moved away, but left the rubber ball alone. Humans and Pokemon alike watched what Birbie was planning to do.

Birbie then looked at the ball intently, started to flap his tiny wings to gain altitude, and dashed towards the ball leaving a trail of fading white light behind. Birbie slammed against the rubber ball, sending it flying, before it hit a tree and bouncing back.

"That was Quick Attack!" Clemont pointed out.

"Of course! Birbie saw your Pokemon fighting, so guess he wants to show you what he can do," Bonnie said in realization.

"Really? That's great!" Ash excitedly said. "Such a good Quick Attack!"

"What else can you do, Birbie?" Serena asked.

Birbie then spread his tiny wings and puffed his chest, as if to emphasize his segmented crescent mark. Said mark started to glow with a bright white light, causing humans and Pokemon alike to shield their eyes, before the entire zone was bathed in light. It took the others a few moments to adjust back to the natural sunlight.

"That was Flash!" Serena said.

"Come on Birbie, do something more!" Bonnie squealed.

"Nenene!" Dedenne encouraged.

Birbie's little body was overflowing with excitement. They liked him! They thought he was great! He couldn't fail now. If he truly wanted to impress them, nothing but the attack he had been trying to master for the past few weeks would do. He hadn't grasped it just yet, but with this confidence boost, he was sure he'll be able to do it.

Once again using the toy ball as a target, Birbie started to flap his little wings as fast as he could, raising a wind current that appeared to elevate the ball at first. However, the wind started to die down, and Birbie franctically flapped his wings even faster, but to no avail, and the ball touched the ground once again.

"Huh?" Serena asked.

Oh no, he was losing them! He needed to try a deep breath, Birbie once again attempted to create a small tornado by flapping his wings, and once again, the wind died down before the tornado could fully form.

"I think that was supposed to be a Gust...?" Clemont asked, scratching the side of his head.

"Birb..." Birbie cawed, lowering his head in shame.

"Hey, don't get discouraged, Birbie! Sometimes, it takes some time to master certain moves," Ash told the blue bird.

"Yes, we all think you were great!" Serena added, before looking at the group of Pokemon around them. "Right guys?"

All the other Pokemon cried affirmatively, trying to cheer Birbie. At least, all of them minus one.

"Pi-pika," Pikachu said, crossing his arms.

"Pikachu?" Ash asked, confused.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu walked towards Birbie, and started to move his arms emphatically as if he was explaining the bird something. "Pika! Pikapi! Pi-pika!"

Birbie seemed to drink every word Pikachu was saying, nodding several times. Once Pikachu was done, he left Birbie the space he needed and returned to Ash .

Birbie once again stared at the ball. He flapped his wings, but rather than summon a gust of wind, he instead elevated a meter or so into the air, before once again attemtping to summon a little tornado. And io and behold, unlike the other two tries, this time a tornado was sucessfully formed, launching the ball into the air, before it returned to the ground.

"You did it, Birbie!" Bonnie cheered.

"Of course! He was unable to form a Gust at ground level. He needed to stay mid air in order to do so," Clemont observed.

"So that's what Pikachu was telling Birbie!" Serena said in realization, beaming at the yellow rodent.

"Pi-pika!" Pikachu proudly nodded.

"Should have realized of that. I mean, Pikachu has seen plenty of my Pokemon fight, so he must have a good idea of how most moves work. Isn't that right, buddy?" Ask asked.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu agreed again.

"Congratulations Birbie! You just learned a new move!" Bonnie cheered, pating the bird on the head.

"Bir-Birbie!" Birbie cheered.

Birbie's celebration was interrupted when he was startled by a roar. No, it was more like a growl of hunger. What was that? Birbie had never hear anything in his life before, and it sounded like a dangerous predator! Panicked, he started to franctically look around, lest this henious beast put his new friends in danger-

"Don't worry Birbie, that was only Ash's stomach," Serena said, giggling a little.

"Guess that sparring match from before did work up my apetite, hehe," Ash sheepishly chuckled.

"Well, I think this is a good time to have lunch," Clemont decided.

"Say, do you want to eat with us, Birbie?" Ash asked. "Clemont's Pokemon food is amazing! And you're going to love Serena's pokepuffs!"

Birbie's eyes opened wide in shock. Not only did these humans taught him a new move, but they were willing to give him food as well? Without asking anything in return? Boy, humans were amazing!

The lunch happened without incidents, and indeed, true to Ash's word, the food Birbie was fed was the most delicious food he had ever tasted. Way better than the berries that grew on the forest he called his home. After that, Ash and Serena resumed their sparring session, with the other Pokemon offered to spar with Birbie as well, so he could hone his attacks more.

And then, what was essentially the best day of Birbie's life was cut short when he saw the humans packing up their stuff, as if they were going to leave. Why did they want to leave?

"According to this, if we keep a good pace, we'll reach Kevlar Town by tomorrow before noon," Serena said while checking a map on her tablet.

"Great! In that case, let's not waste anymore time!" Ash said, as he and the others began to walk. He then turned at Birbie, and waved at him. "Goodbye, Birbie! It was great to meet you!"

"I'm sure you'll become a really strong Pokemon!" Serena added.

"Birb...?" he chirped in confusion, before dashing after them. "Birb! Birbie, birb!"

"What's wrong, Birbie?" Bonnie asked, before she quickly realized what was going on. "Do you... want to come with us?"

"Birb!" Birbie said, nodding energically. He didn't care if he had to leave his home, there's no way he was going to get separated from these amazing humans and their Pokemon.

"Of course you can come with us, Birbie!" Ash said, much to the bird's joy, before turning towards Serena. "Well, guess what you said about some Pokemon coming to us ended up being true sooner than I thought! Come on Serena, catch him!"

Serena, however, shook her head. "I can see that this Birbie is more of a fighter than a perfomer. He'll be much better under your care, Ash."

"Are you sure?" Ash asked.

Serena nodded. "I can tell Birbie will make a great member of your team. Pikachu already seems to take the role of mentor to him."

"Pikapi..." Pikachu said.

"I see. In that case..." Ash said, pulling out an empty pokeball. "Pokeball go!"

Birbie dived into the ball, which opened up and sucked Birbie inside. The ball dropped to the grass below, and dinged without shaking even once, signaling that Birbie has been captured. Ash walked towards the pokeball, and picked it up.

"I caught a Birbie!" Ash cheered. "My first Pokemon from Tandor!"

"And I'm sure Birbie will be the first of many. For all of us," Serena said with a smile.

And with a new friend and companion in tow, the group of four continued their journey, heading towards Kevlar Town, and Serena's first contest.

Chapter Text

Kevlar Town

Just like Serena had said, it only took the group another day of traveling to get to Kevlar Town. Just like with Moki Town, they were greeted by a sign that announced that they were entering the town.

Welcome to Kevlar Town

The Tiniest Town in Tandor!

"Tiniest town? Well... I don't think that's something to be proud of..." Bonnie mentioned, as she took a look at the town. Even from a distance, it really looked even smaller than Moki Town.

"I guess they also wanted to use an aliteration for their entrance sign," Clemont pointed out.

"Doesn't matter. Come on, let's head to the Pokemon Center first," Ash suggested, as he walked towards the town. Given its small size, he hoped they wouldn't take too long to find and reach the Pokemon Center.

"I can see the Contest Hall from here!" Bonnie cheered, before she turned towards Serena. "So, when does the contest begin?"

"In two days. We've been traveling at a pretty good pace, so we arrived with some days to spare," Serena said.

"You can use those days to do a little more training," Ash suggested. "That way you'll be extra prepared for your first contest."

"Though, I feel I should also do some training on my performing routines. All the training I've been doing lately have been combat focused, and while that's nice and good, it would be useless if I can't get past the Appeal Round," Serena said.

"Come on Serena, you reached the finals of the Master Class Shwocase! I'm sure you'll do great!" Ash said.

"I agree with Serena on that. Contests have two parts, and you can't neglect one part for the sake of another," Clemont added.

And just like Ash thought, they didn't take any time to find the Pokemon Center. They were surprised to find it a little more crowded than the one from Moki Town, who was rather empty, but it made sense, there was going to be a Contest soon. There was also one known face among the people inside the Center, that of a bown with brown hair, sitting on one of the Center's tables.

"Hey look! It's Vitor!" Ash said, and waved at the boy, who noticed them and waved them back. The group then walked towards the table. "Hey there Vitor!"

"Hello there, guys. Fancy see you again so soon," Vitor said. "Not that I'm complaining."

"So, I know it's only been a couple days, but how is your Pokemon journey going?" Ash asked. "Everything fine? Did something interesting happen to you?"

"Well, other than catching my first Pokemon, I didn't do anything special. You yourself said it, I just started my journey," Vitor said, before he chuckled. "I mean, it's not that a Legendary Pokemon is going to cross my path on the very same day I leave my hometown!"

"Yeah, the probabilities of such thing happening are so low as to be nonexistent," Clemont said, with Serena and Bonnie nodding.

"Actually-" Ash was going to say, but somebody else cut him.

"So, is Natalie with you?" Serena asked.

Vitor shook his head. "Not really. We aren't traveling together, you know. Not just because we want to see how far we can go on our own, but also because we have different goals. Since Kevlar Town doesn't have a Pokemon Gym, Natalie wouldn't have any reason to stay here other than rest and restock on supplies."

"You aren't doing the Gym Challenge?" Ash asked. The Pallet Town native had enjoyed the double battle against Vitor and his sister, the two of them showing talent for them, and Ash hoped that he could fight against the twins again in the future. But alas, it seemed that only Natalie and Theo would be his rivals. "What are you doing then, contests?"

"Exactly. Don't get me wrong, Pokemon battles are good and all that, but to me, Contests have a kind of depth that normal battles can't hope to match. They don't only measure the strength or skill of a Pokemon, but pushes their limits in new and different ways," Vitor excitedly explained. "This is going to be my first contest, and I can't wait for it to start!"

"Well, guess that makes us rivals then," Serena said while smiling so she didn't sound confrontational. "Since I'm also taking part on this contest."

"I'll be looking forward facing you then. It would be great if the two of us made it to the finals," Vitor commented.

"Indeed," Serena nodded.

"So, I guess you two are my rivals if you're going to take part in this contest," a new voice said.

Everybody turned around to see the source of said voice. It was a girl, the same age as Ash and Serena, with long raven black hair and black slanted eyes. But the most striking thing about her was her clothes: she was dressed as a ninja, wearing a sleveless black haori with leather shoulderpads, black matching pants, and a red obi tied around her waist. She was also carrying what appeared to be a short katana strapped to her back.

Her expression and body language helped her radiate an intimidating aura that tell Ash's group and Vitor that she wasn't planning to be friends with them.

"Are you... are you going to take part in the contest too?" Serena asked the newcomer.

"I'm not going to 'take part'," the ninja girl replied, as she narrowed her eyes at Serena. "I'm going to win it."

"Well, she isn't lacking in confidence," Clemont commented.

"And why shouldn't I? Given the level of my opponents, it's not that I should be worried," the girl replied.

"You really have a high opinion of yourself, don't you?" Ash asked, the girl's attitude beginning to tick him off. "Who do you think you are?"

"Oh my, where are my manners, I didn't even introduce myself," the ninja girl said. "My name is Sayaka, member of the Nami Clan of Tsukinami Village."

"Tsukinami Village?" Vitor repeated. "You're very far away from home then. That's on East Tandor!"

"What, did you expect that I'd begin the Contest Season just after getting my first Pokemon?" Sayaka asked, and upon seeing Vitor's face reddening a little and averting her gaze, she smirked. "No, I've been traveling the region and training my Pokemon for the past few weeks to make sure we're ready. I shall win every contest I take part on, right until I claim the title of Top Coordinator."

"Yeah well, I'm afraid that's not going to happen beacause you're not going to win this contest!" Bonnie shouted, before she pointed at Serena. "Do you think she's some rookie? No! This girl here is no other than Serena Gabena! She was the runner up of the Master Class Showcase in Kalos!"

Though rather than being impressed, Sayaka merely laughed.

"And I'm supposed to be intimidated by that? Showcases are nothing but a pale imitation of contests, and 'runner-up' is a just fancy way of saying 'loser'," Sayaka said, before she turned around and left. "See you in the contest. Try at least to be a worthy challenge."

The group spend a few moments in silence, before an angry Bonnie finally opened her mouth.

"Just who the hell thet girl thinks she is?" Bonnie said, crossing her arms, Dedenne mimicking her from within her pouch. "I thought she would be a good keeper for Clemont, but he's way too good for her!"

Clemont silently thanked for the fact that Bonnie didn't pull her usual stunt whenever they met a pretty girl.

"She's far from the first person I met that needs an attitude adjustment," Ash said, remembering not only his fair share of rude rivals like Gary at the beginning or Paul, but those of his traveling companions, such as Harley. "And that girl is screaming for a big ration of a humble pie. And you know what's the best way to serve it?"

"Winning this contest?" Serena asked.

"Exactly! So let's make sure to train really good so you're ready to beat not just her by any other coordinator!" Ash exclaimed.

…

And indeed, Serena spent the next two days training, both on her own and with the help of her friends, Bonnie included. Even if it had been a while since the last time she had practiced her showcasing routines, neither she nor her Pokemon had lost their touch and managed to execute them flawlessly. The battle training filled her with confidence. This time, it was Clemont who was her sparring partner. She was never close to victory, but her Pokemon did really good. And if her Pokemon were able to hold their own against a Gym Leader like Clemont, then she had nothing to fear.

The two days passed very quickly, and the day of the first contest arrived. But Serena wasn't nervous. She wasn't a rookie anymore. She was ready to wow Tandor with her Kalosian charm and skill.

When they arrived at the Contest Hall, they were greeted by a long line of people who wanted to see the beginning of the Contest Season.

"And here I thought that we were early," Ash sighed.

"Guess not early enough..." Clemont said. He adjusted his glasses as he took a look at the long qeue before them. "Let's hope there are tickets left for us."

"Well, I better get going. I need to get both me and my Pokemon ready for my contest debut!" Serena excitedly said, as she headed to the backstage entrance. "Wish me luck!"

"You're going to do great, Serena!" Ash said.

"Yeah! And show that stuck up jerk what you're made of!" Bonnie added.

…

A few moments later, Serena arrived at the backstage entrance. Showing her Contest Pass, she was allowed to enter once the security guard checked that she was in the list of coordinators that would take part in the contest, and an aide guided her to a large room that appeared to be a dressing room. She was told that, once she was ready, she could go to the Coordinator's Box and wait there for the contest to begin.

Serena had chosen a white long gown with pink flaps and red trims and ribbons that bared her arms and shoulders, and a small silver-like tiara on her head. She was a bit sad that, unlike performances, Pokemon weren't allowed to wear dresses, but she found the Ball Capsules and Seals quite interesting.

She then pulled out two of her three pokeballs, and released the Pokemon inside, Braixen and Sylveon.

"Alright guys, we're about to take part in our first contest. Aren't you excited?" Serena asked.

"Brai!"

"Syl!"

"I'm glad to see that you're as eager to take part as I am. I'm sure you guys would do great no matter what. We have done this quite a lot of times already in Kalos, so no reason to be worried. And above all things, let's have lots of fun," Serena said, before returning them to the balls. She then picked her third ball, and said: "Sorry Pancham. I'll save you for the next time."

With that, the Kalos native left the changing room and went to the waiting area, where most other coordinators were. Most of them were unfamiliar faces, but she spotted Sayaka. The ninja girl was now wearing a dark blue kimono with lavender trims, decorated with light purple moon patterns, and her usually long hair was tied in a neat bun, held together by a golden headpiece shaped like a moon as well.

Serena was thankful that the black haired ninja hadn't spotted her.

"Hey, Serena!" a male voice said.

Serena turned around, and saw Vitor walking towards her. The Moki Town boy was now wearing an old time ship captain (or maybe it was admiral?) blue and white uniform, complete with a cravat and a tricorn.

"Hey there, Vitor," Serena said. "So, how are you feeling?"

"Truth be told, a little nervous," the brown haired boy replied. "I knew we'd perform in front of a lot of people, but the crowd out there..."

"I know the feeling. When I started doing Showcases in Kalos, I was also pretty nervous as well, though I eventually got used to it," Serena said.

"So... any advice to a newbie on how to deal with crowds?" Vitor asked, hoping his more experienced rival would feel kind enough to help him.

"While this may not work for everyone... try to focus on your Pokemon first and foremost. If you focus your attention elsewhere, you won't realize there's a crowd watching until you're done," Serena told him.

"Alright, I'll try that. Thanks a lot for the advice!" Vitor replied. "Given that we're rivals, I wasn't expecting you to help me."

"I'd lie if I said nobody helped me when I was starting, so I think it's appropriate for me to help others in the same situation I was," Serena said, smiling sincerely.

…

After waiting almost half an hour on the line, Ash, Clemont, Bonnie bought their tickets and entered the Contest Hall, finding three seats thankfully not too far away from the arena.

"I wish we could have gotten better seats to see Serena's contest debut, but guess these will have to do," Ash said in resignation.

"Pika," Pikachu said, patting Ash on the head sympathetically.

"At least there are screens around the Hall," Clemont said, pointing out to the many screens. The inventor then noticed that Bonnie was trying to look for something on her seat, with Dedenne helping her. "Bonnie, what are you doing? Did you drop something?"

"I'm trying to find the glow casters, but there doesn't seem to be any!" Bonnie said, panicking a little. "How are we going to vote for Serena without them?"

Ash couldn't help but laugh a little. Of course Bonnie would think like that. "This isn't like Showcases, Bonnie. The public's only here to watch and cheer. Contests have judges that decide who wins and who loses."

That moment, the light dimmer as several spotlights focused on the stage below, and the crowd went from murmuring to downright roaring.

"Look, it's about to begin!"

That moment, a woman in her late twenties entered the stage. She had fair skin and shoulder-length brown hair that curled up at the ends, was wearing a white sleveless crop top that exposed her midriff,, knee-length blue pants, and a pair of sandals. She tapped her mic a few times before speaking.

"Welcome everyone to the beginning of the Tandor Contest Season!" the woman replied, and the crowd exploded into a multitude of cheers. "My name is Jillian Meridian, and I shall be your host! Now, let's give a big applause to the three judges that will evaluate our wonderful coordinators!"

Jillian waved her free arm to a trio of booths with three people on it.

"Our first judge shall be Kevlar Town's own Nurse Joy!" Jillian continued.

"It's a pleasure to help," the blue haired nurse happily said.

"Next is the Venesi City Gym Leader, who also happens a Top Coordinator as well as a top notch theatre actress, Rosalind!"

"Did she said Gym Leader?" Ash asked, as he eyed the next judge. It was a young woman with a really bizarre appearance: half her hair was black and straight, and the other half was white and wavy. She was wearing a thigh-length dress, similar to the pink one Serena used to wear, except it was half white and half black and had a white cravat, with each short sleeve of the opposite color, a pair of shorts, one half white and the other half black, a white sock on one leg and a black one of the other, and shoes of the sock's opposite colors.

"Grazie!" Rosalind said, standing up, and started to wave at the public. "I can't wait to see what these new coordinators are capable of!"

"Hmmm..."Ash said, as he checked information on Rosalind on his Pokedex. While it wasn't unusual for a Gym Leader to be a contest judge –Fantina came to mind– they only did it in special ocassions, like a Grand Festival, but Jillian made it appear as if Rosalind was a regular. How could she do that, and still be a Gym Leader? He hoped she wasn't like Fantina and simply closed the Gym when she felt like it. "Oh, I see."

"Hm? Did you say something, Ash?" Clemont asked.

"I was looking information on Rosalind," Ash replied. "Here it says that Rosalind is one of Tandor's "Big Three", the three toughest Gym Leaders, all of them from East Tandor. Rosalind can afford to be a contest judge on a regular basis since she doesn't take challengers that have less than five badges. And since she has a pretty good victory track, the Pokemon League allow her to put such restriction."

"Interesting. I tell people not to challenge my Gym until they have four badges, but I mostly mean it as a recommendation. I guess other Gym Leaders aren't as flexible," Clemont mentioned.

"And last but not least, the S-Rank Connoiseur, Ambrose Reigns!" Jillian finished.

When Jillian introduced him as a Connoiseur, Ash expected somebody like his friend Cilan or his rival Burgundy, but Ambrose looked nothing like them: a broad shouldered man in his late thirties with short spiky black hair and a stubble, rather than the waiter-like uniform, Ambrose was wearing a plain black short sleeved shirt and a pair of jeans.

"Psche. Let's see if these kids can impress me," Ambrose said, as if he was expecting to be disappointed.

"And with that, let us commence! The coordinator who wins this contest shall earn the Kevlar Ribbon!" Jillian said, showing the ribbon to the crowd. "Five ribbons are needed for the Tandor Grand Festival on Venesi City, so whoever wins this contest will have an early lead over their fellow coordinators! Now, let's give a warm welcome to our very first coordinator! From Vaniville Town in the region of Kalos, Serena Gabena!"

…

Serena took a deep breath, and walked onto the stage. Time to show the public the fruits of her experience and hard work. She grabbed a pokeball, and tossed it into the air.

"Braixen, go!"

The pokeball opened up, releasing a wave of flames. The flames then condensed into single ball, which took the shape of a fox-like humanoid pokemon, before dispelling completely, revealing mid-evolved Serena's starter.

"Brai brai!"

"Time to make people smile! Braixen, begin with Flamethrower!" Serena ordered.

Braixen ignited her wand, and started to use the most well known fire-type attack. Though rather than streams of flame, Braixen would release them in the form of rings or coils, almost looking like a Fire Spin rather than a Flamethrower, sometimes making them clash against each other, or firing straight streams of fire through them.

"Very good! Now follow up with Hidden Power!"

Braixen summoned multiple energy orbs of swirling light of many colors, spinning in a circle.

"Combine them with Flamethrower!"

Once again, Braixen released a coil of flames from her wand, puhsing the multicolored orbs upwards.

"And for the big finish... Fire Blast!"

Braixen breathed a massive wall of flames that quickly took the shape of the kanji of fire, and send it upwards. Once it touched the Hidden Power orbs, they exploded in a shower of multicolored sparks, almost mimicking fireworks.

The public broke into loud cheers and applause, and Serena and Braixen made a polite bow as a thank you for their support. The public's reaction filled her with hope and confidence.

"And Serena opens the contest with quite a strong showing, setting the bar pretty high for the rest of the coordinators!" Jillian said. "Now let's see if the judges agree with the public!"

"Serena and Braixen's display was simply spectacular, perfectly showcasing their skill and experience," Nurse Joy said.

"A magnifico display! The use of the fire was so daring! I love it!" Rosalind excitedly said.

…

Back in the stands, Ash, Clemont and Bonnie were just as happy to see that Serena had pretty much aced the appeal round.

"Yes! She's doing so great!" Bonnie cheered.

"Well, of course she is. The Appeal Round of a contest is very similar to the Freestyle Performance. Serena is past the point of losing here," Ash confidently said.

They weren't really paying attention of what the third judge was going to say, since they assumed that he'd say something similar to the other two.

Boy were they wrong.

…

The spotlight focused on the last judge, and Serena was waiting eagerly for his evaluation.

"Watching your display left me completely stunned..." Ambrose began, much to Serena's joy. "...stunned, because I never imagined somebody would have the nerve to think that such a boring and basic showcase would be enough to get a high score!"

Serena gasped, and she wasn't the only one.

"You know, just because you used a Fire-type Pokemon doesn't mean that you have to stick sorely to Fire-type moves! Pokemon can learn a wide variety of attacks!"

"W-What? But I..." Serena stammered.

"But you what? Thought that because you've done showcases, contests would be the same? Yeah, you can see it's not the case! Now get the hell out of the stage, we're on a schedule and there are plenty of coordinators to judge!"

"Y-Yes..." Serena said, before returning Briaxen, and walking away from the stage, as a deafening silence reigned over the Contest Hall. Her mind was in a dazed state, still reeling and shaken from Ambrose's verbal beatdown. Did she fail that badly?

"Uh..." Jillian was trying to get the mood back up after Ambrose's savage verbal beatdown killed it almost completely. "Well, Ambrose's quite the hard judge to please! Maybe the next coordinator will do better? Everybody, let's welcome the next contestant, Sayaka Nami from Tsukinami Village!"

As Serena returned to the Coordinator's Box, she crossed paths with Sayaka, wearing a haughty smirk on her face.

"Does it sink now, Serena? What you're up against?" Sayaka mocked. "Now watch and learn how a true coordinator wows both the audience and the judges."

Serena didn't say anything, trying her best to ignore her rival, and returned to the waiting area. There, Vitor was waiting her, a look of concern plastered on his face.

"Hey," the boy said. "You okay?"

"Y-Yes, it's just... I wasn't expecting to fail my first contest so badly," Serena said, still shaken and a little saddened. Her mind was reviewing Braixen's performance. She knew something like that would have earned a lot of points in a Kalosian Showcase, but that apparently wasn't enough here.

"Hey, maybe you didn't fail. The other judges liked your performance," Vitor reassured her. "And for all it's worth, I think it was amazing. If you weren't able to impress him, I don't think what I'm going to do will do it then. Let's see if the Tsukinami girl does better."

Serena looked at one of the screens hanging from the ceiling of the waiting area, which displayed Sayaka, about to begin, a pokeball already in her hand.

"Heed my call, Luxi!"

The pokeball opened, releasing the pokemon among a storm of cherry blossom petals.

Sayaka's chosen Pokemon was a small creature, looking like a dog with rabbit features. It had a light gray body, whose forelegs, muzzle, ears and tail –which looked like a squirrel's tail– were green. Its neck was golden, and also had a pair of golden dots among its eyes, which appeared to be permanently closed, like those of an Abra or a Cyndaquil.

Serena and Vitor immediately took their Pokedex in order to check this new Pokemon.

"Luxi, the Lucky Pokemon. Dragon/Fairy. Simply being around a Luxi is said to increase one's fortune, which, alongside its rarity, made it for a valuable and sought out Pokemon. Ceramic statues of them are good luck charms."

"Wow... that's quite the impressive Pokemon..." Serena said, amazed.

"She has to be an excellent trainer to catch a Pokemon so rare..." Vitor added.

The public seemed to be just as wowed, since very few of them have seeing a Luxi in the flesh, making Sayaka's smirk widen.

"Alright Luxi, let's start with Energy Ball!" Sayaka ordered.

"Lux!" Luxi happily yipped, opening its small mouth to form a green sphere of energy which it threw into the air.

"Now, Thunder Wave!" Sayaka ordered.

Luxi's body started to crackle with electricity, as it redirected lightning bolts towards the Energy ball, still flying into the air, even if its ascension was beginning to slow down, until it stopped completely.

"Bathe it with Dragon Rage!" she commanded.

Luxi took a deep breath, and released a stream of blue, purple and fuchsia flames towards the falling electricity-imbued Energy ball, giving it a coat of flames.

"And finish with Protect!"

Luxi was encased inside an energy bubble of its own creation just seconds before the Energy Ball crashed on top of it, producing an explosion of green light, yellow lightning bolts and blue and purple flames, with the Pokemon in the middle.

Like with Serena, people got up to cheer and clap.

"And Sayaka manages to meet up with the expectations set by Serena, and then some!" Jillian cheerfully said. "But let's see if the judges agree with such assesment!"

"I do agree with that statement, Jillian," Nurse Joy said. "We only saw two coordinators so far, but the two of them were so talented!"

"Indeed! Sayaka made such a masterful use of color and lights in her display!" Rosalind gushed.

Sayaka nodded and smiled. Two out of three. She then directed her gaze towards the last judge, Ambrose.

"Luxi is quite the rare Pokemon. Only the most skilled and determined trainers are able to get their hands on one," Ambrose began. Sayaka's smile widened, basking on the connoiseur's adulation. "However, if you think that having a rare Pokemon is going to be enough to become a Top Coordinator, you're sorely mistaken. Being a coordinator is a matter of talent and hard work, not just rare Pokemon!"

Sayaka's smile dropped. "W-What? But I-" she tried to articulate a reply, but Ambrose cut her.

"In fact, I'm sure that you didn't even catch that Luxi. You're from one of Tsukinami's two founding ninja clans, so your family must be pretty loaded. Let me guess, your rich parents bought that Luxi for you? Well, if there's one thing your parents won't be able to buy is the talent needed to become Top Coordinator. Now shoo."

Shock was replaced by pure anger at such an insult. Sayaka's face was burning red, and it almost looked like steam was pouring out of her ears. "WHAT? How dare you! I demand you to-"

"Didn't you hear me the first time? I said 'shoo'. Like I said to the other brat, we're on a schedule and you're making other people wait," Ambrose dismissively said, as he gestured her to leave the stage already. "Perhaps there's somebody with some smidge of talent among this sorry lot..."

An angry Sayaka recalled her Luxi, and stomped her way back towards the waiting area.

"Wow, that Ambrose guy is hard to please," Vitor said, letting out a whistle.

"Try 'impossible'," Serena added. "Sayaka's performance was great, I daresay better than mine, yet that guy reacted as if watching it made him lose several years of his life," Serena mentioned. While she wasn't going to voice it out loud, she was now feeling better over the verbal beatdown she got from him. Not because she enjoyed seeing her unpleasant rival getting chewed–well, that too; somebody needed to knock that arrogant girl down a peg or two–, but because that means that her performance wasn't so bad after all.

Though, that dig about her rich parents was uncalled for. Rich or not, Serena could see that Sayaka was somebody who was both genuinely talented that worked hard to hone her skills.

The rest of the coodinators were called for the Appeal Round one by one. Some were good, others, not so much. Yet Ambrose's judgement were negative to the point of being caustic.

"You call that a dance number? Because to me, that Leafeon looked like it was having a seizure. If your Pokemon is sick, take it to a Pokemon Center."

"Watching your Lombre flailing its limbs without rhythm nor reason made me long for a tall glass of Arbok poison."

"The point of the Appeal Round is to captivate the audience with an eye catching performance. Your Spritzee fluttering around aimlessly was a cure for insomnia."

"I knew that I chewed that other girl for trying to come up with a fancy Pokemon but... a Chynimunk? Seriously? Couldn't you catch something a bit less overwhelmingly mediocre?"

It was now Vitor's turn.

"Come out and play, Pahar!"

Vitor's Pokemon was a red bird whose wings were ended in yellow feathers, white belly surrounded by a yellow circle, and a trio of yellow feathers on its forehead. Serena once again checked her Pokedex to look for info on this new Pokemon.

"Pahar, the Cinder Bird Pokemon. Fire/Flying. They are intelligent and are commonly kept as pets. They can even be taught to talk, although not to the degree of Chatot." The Pokedex said.

"Huh. Interesting Pokemon," Serena said to herself.

"Pahar, Will-O-Wisp!" Vitor ordered.

Pahar spread its wings, summoning several blue and white balls of fire that started to spin around it, slow at first, then faster and faster.

"Now, use Air Cutter!"

Pahar's wings started to glow with a blueish white light, right before he flapped them, releasing several blades of wind towards the fireballs spinning around. Whenever a blade of air crashed against one of the blue spheres of fire, it produced a flash of blue light, followed by a cloud of sparkly blue smoke.

Once the scenery was set, Vitor gave the next command." Fly around those clouds and use Flame Burst!"

Pahar then started to fly around the resulting sparkly clouds, making intrincate maneuvers around them. Then, it opened its beak, forming a fireball within it, before throwing it into the air. The fireball then burst into multiple streaks of fire that fell down to the ground, finishing its performance.

For a beginner like Vitor, his showcase was rather good. Perhaps not good enough to make it to the next round, but acceptable. And indeed, while Nurse Joy and Roslind had nothing but kind words for the Moki Town native, Ambrose was much less kind.

"So, setting a bird on fire is what passes for a showcase this days. Disgraceful."

Vitor merely sighed, returned his Pahar, and walked back to the waiting area, as Jillian called the next contestant.

Unlike Serena and Sayaka, the coordinators that came after them barely reacted to Ambrose's harsh to the point of being insulting criticism. Guess the shock of his words kinda died off after hearing it so many times.

About an an hour later, the Appeal Round came to an end, and all the coordinators were waiting in the Contestant's Box. All eyes were trained on the screen, showing Jillian, who was about to speak again.

"Those were amazing performances, don't you think so? Unfortunately, only the best eight contestants can go onto the next phase, the Contest Battle!" Jillian said. "Now if you turn your attention to the monitors, you will see which coordinators earned the highest score!"

Eight faces appeared on the monitors, with their respective scores under them. The images were arranged from the highest score to the lowest. Sayaka was the first, Serena was third, and Vitor managed to snag the very last spot.

…

"Yes! Serena passed to the next round!" Ash said, jumping from his seat in excitement.

"Pi-Pika!" Pikachu added, sharing his trainer's joy.

"So did Vitor!" Clemont pointed out. While he was rooting for Serena first and foremost, both he as well as Ash and Bonnie were happy that the Moki Town boy did pretty good as well.

"Too bad the ninja jerk managed to score first place," Bonnie lamented, crossing her arms.

"Well, you have to admit that, regardless of her attitude, she's a pretty good coordinator," Ash said, as he sat down on his seat, before he smiled again. "Then again, the spot on the Appeal Round matters little. Even if Serena didn't rank first, she's now in the Contest Battle phase, and with all her experience and training, I'm sure she'll sweep the competition."

Jillian once again tapped her mic to draw everybody's attention. "Now, time to begin the second phase of the contest! Our coordinators will engage each other in a Contest Battle using one Pokemon each! They will have five minutes to execute beautiful attacks and combinations to make the opponent lose as many points as possible! To win, a trainer must have more points than their opponent when the timer reaches zero, make the opponent lose all their points, or knock the opponet's Pokemon out! Our first two coordinators fighting will be Vitor, from Moki Town, versus Nico from Nowtoch City! Five minutes on the clock! Begin!"

"Eletux, come out and play!" Vitor said, sending his starter.

"Go, Feleng!" his rival, another boy with short green hair, said, sending his Pokemon. It was a little cat with white fur and two stubby tails, with the top of its head, its back and front paws were half red and half dark brown. Each of its tails was one of those two colors as well.

Ash pulled out his Pokedex to scan the new Pokemon.

"Feleng, the Kitten Pokemon. Normal. Although small and weak, it can manipulate other Pokemon just by giving them a pleading look and meowing cutely."

The fight started even, but soon it became evident that Vitor would be the winner, as his opponent lost points at a faster rate than he did, and overall, Eletux seemed to be dominating the battle. Vitor had been diligent with his training, given that Eletux knew how to use Double Team and Charge Beam, two attacks Ash didn't remember using during their double battle with Natalie and Theo.

With a well aimed Water Gun, Nico's points dropped to zero. A buzzer rang.

"Nico has no more points left! The winner and first semifinalst is Vitor!" Jillian announced, as the main screen showed Vitor's face with Eletux besides it, with the word "WINNER" under it in big, bold letters.

"Yes!" Vitor cheered, pumping his fist. "Way to go, Eletux!"

"See? That's what I was talking about," Ash began. "Vitor scored the lowest of all the eight finalists, yet he managed to win his battle and advance to the semifinals. That's why I'm sure Serena is going win this even if she didn't score the highest during the appeals."

"And now, for the next battle, Trey from Bealbeach City versus Sayaka from Tsukinami Village!" Jillian announced, as the two coordinators took their respective spots. Sayaka's rival was a blond guy wearing sunglasses dressed like a stereotypical surfer. "Five minutes on the clock! Begin!"

"Glaceon, heed my call!"

"Lombre, time to show off!"

"A Glaceon. So that's the Pokemon Sayaka is going to use for the Contest Battles," Clemont mentioned.

"Too bad Serena can't use Braixen. It would be an easy win if she could," Bonnie said.

Sayaka managed to get an early lead even quicker than Vitor. Her strategy consisted on using Hail from the very beginning, let the enemy attack first, dodge their attacks, and countering.

"Boy, that Glaceon is really fast. The way it dodges..." Bonnie began, as she watched how Glaceon dodged a Bubble Beam in such a casual way it was almost insulting.

"I guess it's because that Glaceon's ability is Snow Cloak, which makes it faster during a snowstorm," Clemont explained. "That's why Sayaka had it use Hail from the beginning."

"Glaceon, Shadow Ball!" Sayaka commanded.

Glaceon opened its mouth, forming a sphere of pure darkness in front of it, before firing the sphere of shadows towards the already weak Lombre, blasting it backwards.

"Lombre, no!" Trey cried. A buzzer then rang.

"Lombre can no longer fight! Sayaka is the winner!" Jillian announced, as the main screen changed to display Sayaka and her Glaceon as the victors.

"Another unworthy adversary falls before my skill," Sayaka said, before returning her Glaceon and walking away from the stage.

The next battle was between a girl with blond girl with a pink streak named Zoe, and another girl with pink hair named Tina. Zoe used a Fortog that defeated Tina's pokemon, a green chrysalis with the face of a pink bear, and pink insect wings poking out of its sides. Once again, the Pokedex revealed what this new Pokemon was.

"Cubblfly, the Love Bug Pokemon and Cubbug's evolution. It scatters pollen and seeds in order to help flowers grow. It always smells like flower petals."

…

While Serena was the first one to perform during the Appeal Round, now she was stuck with the last fight. As she walked towards one side of the battleground, she took a deep breath to calm herself down.

"Come on, Ash helped you train for this. You can do it," Serena told herself

At the other side of the stage was her opponent, a boy the same age as her with dark purple short hair named Alex. He had used a Birbie on the Appeal Round, but she couldn't tell what Pokemon would he use now.

"And now, for the next battle, Alex from Rochfale Town versus Serena from Vaniville Town!" Jillian announced. "Five minutes on the clock! Begin!"

"Sylveon, go!" Serena said, releasing her Fairy-type Pokemon, emerging around pink clouds that burst into a shower of sparkles of the same color.

"Misdreavous, show them what you're made of!" Alex said, sending his Pokemon, come came out from a dark vortex. "Begin with Shock Wave!"

"Mis!" Misdreavous said as its body started to crackle with electricity, before it fired multiple streams of lightning towards Sylveon.

"Shock Wave can't be avoided, but it can be countered! Sylveon, stop it with Switft!" Serena ordered.

"Veon!" Sylveon cried, waving her feelers, releasing a flurry of golden stars that blocked every single one of Misdreavous' lighting bolts.

"And Serena manages to nullify Alex's attack!" Jillian commented, while Alex's points dropped.

"Oh no!" the boy cried, taking his hands to his head.

"Our time to attack! Fairy Wind!" Serena ordered.

"Misdreavous, quick-" Alex was about to say, but his Ghost-type was hit by Serena's attack, costing him even more points.

"Fairy Wind again!" Serena ordered, and Sylveon repeated her last move.

"Misdreavous, block that with Shadow Ball!" Alex commanded.

The Screech Pokemon formed a sphere of darkness among its stubby arms, and tossed it towards the incoming sparkly pink wind. The two attacks clashed, resulting in an explosion of darkness and pink sparkles. This time, it was Serena who lost points.

"Alright, I didn't want to use it this soon, but let's go for our combo! Use Will-O-Wisp!"

"Dreeee!" Misdreavous sang, as it summoned several blue fireballs that rotated around itself, before sending them towards Sylveon.

"Sylveon, dodge them with Double Team!" Serena said.

"Veon!" Sylveon cried, as two dozen duplicates appeared around Misdreavous. Some of them were taken away by the blue fireballs, but it seems that none of them found the original. Alex lost even more points.

"M-Mis?" the Screech Pokemon whimpered, looking around the many Sylveon copies.

"Sylveon, Fairy Wind again! Rapid fire!" Serena ordered.

Every Sylveon began to bombard Misdreavous with Fairy Wind. Once the attack hit, the original would switch with a copy, and repeat the process. Every time Misdreavous was hit, Alex's points would drop further and further.

"Misdreavous, quick, dispel those copies with Psybeam!" Alex ordered.

Misdreavous tried to do so, but every time it charged the attack, it was interrupted by a Fairy Wind smaking it from a blind spot.

The buzzer rang.

"Alex's points are down to zero! That means that the winner, and last seminfinalist is Serena!" Jillian announced, as the main screen changed to show Serena's victory.

"I did it," Serena said, letting out a sigh of relief. "I won my first Contest Battle!"

…

Right after the match, Serena walked towards her defeated opponent to congratulate him for a good battle and to wish him good luck for his next contest.

"YES! Go Serena!" Ash shouted, pumping his fists into the air.

"Show them who's boss!" Bonnie added.

"Nenene!" Dedenne cheered as well.

"Look, they're about to show the next matchups," Clemont pointed out as the main screen began to shift.

The matches were Serena vs Tina followed by Sayaka vs Vitor.

Serena won her match just as easily as the first one, despite fighting against a Pokemon with a type advantage. It was obvious that the girl, Tina, was much less experienced, and her Fortog didn't have that much training. She appeared to be a rookie trainer, just like Vitor, but with either less skill or work ethic.

Then, it was time for the second match of the semifinals, Vitor vs Sayaka. It was obvious whom Ash and co. would support this time around.

"Come on Vitor, you can do it!" Clemont cheered.

"Put that jerk in her place!" Bonnie added.

"Show her what you're made of!" Ash shouted as well. "Don't let her intimidate you! You can beat her!"

Clemont turned at Ash, a bit confused by what his friend just said. "Do you think Vitor feels intimidated?"

"Probably. It's obvious that Sayaka has an advantage in experience, and she will use such fact to demoralize Vitor," Ash explained.

"You don't think Vitor can win?" Bonnie asked.

"I didn't said that," Ash said, as he looked at the two coordinators. "Though Vitor will have to work much harder if he plans to overcome Sayaka's experience. I believe he can win this."

"And now, for the second semifinals battle, Vitor from Moki Town versus Sayaka from Tsukinami Village!" Jillian announced, as the two coordinators pulled out their pokeballs. "Five minutes on the clock! Begin!"

"Eletux, come out and play!"

"Glaceon, heed my call!"

Eletux appeared among a storm of yellow lightning bolts, while Glaceon emerged from a tornado of snow.

~Vitor (Eletux) VS Sayaka (Glaceon)~

"Glaceon, Hail!" Sayaka ordered.

"Glaaaaaa!"

Glaceon started to glow with a light blue aura as it reared its head back, summoning grey clouds above the battleground. Soon, a hailstorm formed.

"Eletux, use Thundershock!" Vitor commanded.

"Tux!"

Eletux's yellow tail bulbs crackled with yellow electricity, releasing several bolts of lightning towards Glaceon. Sayaka merely smirked. "Glaceon, stop it with Shadow Ball!"

Glaceon opened its mouth once again, creating a sphere of shadowy energy, before firing it towards the lightning bolts. The two attacks collided, resulting in an explosion of yellow bolts and dark purple streaks of energy. Vitor lost almost one quarter of his points.

"And Sayaka expertly counters Vitor's attack resulting in a spectacular contrast of lights and shadows!" Jillian commented.

"And that's just the beginning," Sayaka said, before thursting her open hand forward. "Glaceon, use Hyper Voice!"

"GlaaaaAAAAAAAA!" Glaceon yelled, amplifying its voice intio a powerful sonic blast.

Vitor, however, wasn't going to just stay there and take the attack. "Dodge it with Double Team!"

"Tux-tux!"

Eletux created almost two dozen illusionary duplicates, with half of them being instantly destroyed by the Hyper Voice, each destroyed illusion bursting into a shower of sparkles. This time, it was Sayaka who lost points, almost not as much as Vitor.

"And not only Vitor dodges Sayaka's attack, but manages to turn it into a visual display of sparkles!" Jillian commented. "And with so many copies remaining, what will be Sayaka's next move?"

Sayaka, however, remained as cool as her Pokemon. "Glaceon, stay clam and don't take your eyes away from the enemy," Sayaka commanded her Ice type. "The hailstorm will reveal the real one."

While the hailstorm wasn't strong enough to destroy the Eletux copies, it did made the real one flinch whenever he was damaged by the falling ice. Something neither Sayaka nor her Pokemon missed.

"There it is! Glaceon, move closer and use Icy Wind!" the Tsukinami Village native ordered. Glaceon rushed forward as cold mist spilled over its mouth.

"Eletux, counter it with Water Gun!"

Eletux expelled a stream of water from his mouth as Glaceon breathed a wave of cold wind. The Water Gun was instantly frozen into ice, but it didn't stop its momentum, and the frozen water continued towards Glaceon.

"Dodge it and keep moving forward!" Sayaka ordered.

At an almost imperceptible speed, Glaceon took less than a second to sidestep the chunk of ice coming towards it and return to its original track. This cost Vitor another few points.

"Now Quick Attack!"

Glaceon's speed increased, leaving a trail of white light behind it. Before Vitor could issue another command, Glaceon slammed into Eletux, sending it skidding backwards on its back, costing Vitor's even more points.

Meanwhile, at the stands, Ash, Clemont and Bonnie watched the match. Clemont and Bonnie had begun cheering Vitor, but their cheers became less and less enthused as the battle progressed and made it clear that Sayaka was going to win. Vitor continued to desperatedly trying to scratch more points from Sayaka's scoreboard, but the ninja expertly turned all of Vitor's attacks against him, making him lose more and more points.

"Just as I feared. Vitor is good, but not good enough to beat her. If the match continues this way, she'll win for sure," Ash said in resignation, as he continued to watch the battle, which was nearing its conclusion.

"Eletux, Charge Beam!" Vitor commanded.

"Glaceon, counter with Shadow Ball!" Sayaka ordered.

Eletux's raised his longest tail, the bulb at the end glowing with a yellow light, before firing a single bolt of electricity towards Glaceon, who countered the electric attack the same way it did before. When the two attacks clashed, it resulted in yet another explosion of yellow bolts and dark tendrils, draining the last of Vitor's points.

The buzzer rang.

"Vitor's has lost all his points! The winner of this match is Sayaka!" Jillian announced, as the screen changed to reflect the result.

Vitor's body visibly slumped, and lowered his head before returning Eletux.

"Good job, buddy. Maybe next time," he whispered to him as he turned back and walked towards the changing room, his time on his very first contests already over.

Sayaka also returned her Glaceon, and wordlessly walked towards the waiting area.

Bonnie let out a defeated sigh. "Boy, what a pity, Ash was right. Vitor lost."

"Yeah. That Sayaka is a force to be reckoned with," Clemont noted, as he adjusted his glasses.

"Oh well, even if it sucks that Vitor didn't make it to the finals, at the very least we'll see Serena kicking that girl's butt!" Bonnie said, as the idea of Serena being so close to her first contest victory renewed her good mood. "Right, Ash?" she asked.

Ash at first didn't answer. But then, he turned towards Bonnie, and smiled. "Of course. Sayaka is pretty good, but Serena is much better than her. Serena's going to wipe the floor with her."

…

Meanwhile, back at the waiting area, as she heard Jillian announce a ten minute break to give Sayaka and her Glaceon time to rest, Serena took a deep breath, trying to prepare herself for the battle to come. Most people competing here were not only rookies when it came to contests, but people who became trainers very recently, such as Vitor. Sayaka, however wasn't one of them.

She had been keeping a close eye on the East Tandorian girl, rightfully pegging her as the most dangerous opponent so far. The girl had a keen mind for strategy, and knew how to keep a cool mind when dealing with unforeseen situations. And her Glaceon was both strong and very well trained and groomed. Sayaka wouldn't be as easy as the two opponents she had to face before.

"Plus, just like how I've been watching her fighting style closely, she more than likely did the same with me, and her mind is now coming up with ways to defeat me and Sylveon," she reminded herself.

Speaking of the devil, Sayaka entered the waiting area that very moment. The two coordinators locked gazes. The East Tandorian smirked.

"Funny thing how many people used to be here a few hours ago. But all of them fell one way or another, and now, it's only you and me," Sayaka noted. "And soon, it will only be me."

Serena scowled. "Do you think you can intimidate me?"

"Please. I don't need to lower myself to such dirty tactics to achieve victory. My skill and hard work are more than enough to deal with you," Sayaka replied, crossing her arms. "I was merely stating a fact."

"I saw the way you treat the opponents you beat. You dismiss and insult them after you beat them, as if they were the lowest of the low! So yes, excuse me if I think you're not above such dirty tactics!" Serena snapped at her.

"You said it yourself. After I beat them, not before," Sayaka pointed out, taking Serena aback.

"And in the case you happen to face them again in another contest, they'll feel intimidated by you, making your victory all the easier," Serena retorted. "I wasn't born yesterday, you know."

Sayaka's smile vanished, replaced by a dismissive scowl. "If they can't withstand the pressure of being a coordinator, then they shouldn't be here to begin with. Everybody here comes with one goal in mind: to win. And I'm somebody willing to do everything that doesn't go against the rules to achieve said goal."

"Even if that means trampling over other people?" Serena asked.

"Those people would be willing to trample over me if I didn't do it first," Sayaka replied. "You know, I may not be that familiar with the world of Kalosian Showcases, but I did hear that their environment is just as cutthroat and competitive as contests. I'm unable to understand how somebody like you managed to reach the the very finals of the Master Class."

"Because being a performer isn't about winning or popularity or whatever cynical people like you may think. In order to be a good performer, one must be able to inspire others, to give them strength and advice. To make people smile," Serena began. "To lift them up when they're down, not to kick them further like you do!"

"Yes, I'm sure all the people you defeated to get to the finals feel very uplifted right now," Sayaka laughed.

Before the conversation could follow any further, they were interrupted by Jillian speaking once again. "Time for the contest's final battle to begin! Coordinators, please head to the stage!"

"Guess the time for words have passed. Prove me of your convictions' superiority in the battlefield then," Sayaka said, as she walked towards the stage.

"Oh, I plan to," Serena said, following her.

…

Ash, Clemont and Bonnie watched Serena and Sayaka move towards the opposite ends of the battleground, as they intensely stared each other down. They could tell that there was more at a stake in this battle than a simple ribbon.

"Coordinators, send your Pokemon!" Jillian told them.

"Sylveon, go!"

"Glaceon, heed my call!"

Serena's Pokemon emerged around pink clouds that burst into a shower of sparkles of the same color, while Sayaka's came from a tornado of ice.

"The final Contest Battle begins now! Five minutes on the clock! Begin!"

~Serena (Sylveon) VS Sayaka (Glaceon)~

"Glaceon, Hail!" Sayaka ordered.

"Glaaaa!"

Once again, grey clouds formed above the battleground, pelting everything below it with a constant rain of icy bits.

"Sylveon, use Fairy Wind!" Serena commanded.

"Syl!" Sylveon replied, as she began to flap her feelers, generating a gust of sparkly pink wind towards Glaceon.

"Dodge, and get close to Sylveon!" Sayaka ordered.

Once again, Glaceon seemed to develop supernatural speed with the way it dodged Sylveon's attack, while rushing forward Serena's Pokemon. This made Serena's points to drop a little.

"Quick Attack!" Sayaka said next.

Glaceon's speed picked up, its legs moving so fast they were little more than a blur, while leaving a trail of fading white light behind.

"Sylveon, now! Double Team!" Serena called.

Sylveon's body flashed white for a second, before two dozen copies littered the battleground. Glaceon's Quick Attack slammed against one of the copies, vanishing it. Due her failure, this time it was Sayaka who lost points, her score being the same as her rival. Sayaka sneered, but she was far from impressed.

"The other fool tried the same strategy, and it won't-"

"Quickly Sylveon, Fairy Wind again!"

All the copies repeated the same move as they did before, even if only one of them was real. Neither Glaceon nor Sayaka could tell which attack was the real one, and Glaceon took a hit as a result, making Sayaka's points to drop even further.

"Yes! Keep it up, Sylveon!" Serena cheered.

"Don't let that pink eyesore get away from you! Glaceon, get close and stop her with Icy Wind!"

"Protect!"

Cold mist poured from Glaceon's closed mouth, until it opened it, releasing a gust of freezing air, just as Sylveon encased herself inside a green energy bubble, safe from Glaceon's attack. Sayaka sneered as her points dropped even further.

"And with a well timed Protect, Serena's Sylveon avoids yet another attack! Sayaka started strong, but Serena seems to be in control of the macth right now!" Jillian happily commented.

"Now Sylveon, Fairy Wind again!" Serena ordered.

But much to Serena's confusion, Sylveon started to glow with a pink light, as it spread her feelers outwards. An orb of swirling white and pink light formed in front of Sylveon's face, before she used her feelers to push it forwards. The amazed public burst into cheers.

"Wait, that wasn't Fairy Wind, was it?" Bonnie asked, excited.

"Not at all! It was Moonblast! Sylveon must have learned it mid fight!" Clemont explained, just as excited.

"Yes! Serena's even closer to victory!" Ash said, thursting his fist forward.

Sayaka, however, wasn't intimidated in the slightest. "Dodge it and get closer with Quick Attack!"

Once again, Glaceon's Snow Cloak ability allowed it to easily dodge the attack, before rushing forward towards Sylveon at great speed, costing Serena more points.

"You won't be able to dodge this! Sylveon, use Swift!" Serena ordered.

Sylveon jumped into the air and waved her feelers towards the incoming Glaceon, releasing a flurry of golden stars that homed on the Ice-type Pokemon. Sayaka, however, smirked as if she was expecting it.

"Glaceon, Mirror Coat!" Sayaka yelled., causing Serena to gasp.

"Sylveon, quickly, Protect!"

Glaceon skidded to a halt, canceling the Quick Attack, as its body started to glow with a blue light. The golden stars hit the Ice type Pokemon squarely, costing Sayaka even more points, but the East Tandorian wasn't worried. Glaceon's body glowed with an even brighter light, before it released a wave of destructive energy towards Sylveon.

Sylveon, however, was unable to use Protect in time, and the powerful attack completely engulfed her, costing Serena so many points, her score was now lower than Sayaka's.

"Sylveon!" Serena cried, watching her badly wounded Fairy-type trying to get back to her feet. "Sylveon, are you okay?"

"Sy...Syl!" the Interwinning Pokemon replied, breathing heavily.

"Good! Now Sylveon, use Moonblast!" Serena commanded.

Sylveon's body started to glow pink once again as she spread her feelers outwards, forming another orb of swirling pink energy that she launched towards her fellow Eeveelution.

"Glaceon, counter it with Shadow Ball!" Sayaka ordered.

Glaceon opened its mouth, forming an orb of pure darkness, before firing it towards the incoming Moonblast. The two attacks clashed, resulting in an explosion of pink beams of light and dark purple tendrils. Serena's score dropped even further. One more good attack from Sayaka and it would be over for her.

"Time to finish this!" Sayaka said. "Glaceon, get close with Quick Attack!"

"Gla!"

Once again, the Fresh Snow Pokemon rushed forward, leaving a trail of white light behind.

"I won't make the same mistake again! Sylveon, counter with Swift, then prepare a Protect!" Serena ordered.

"Syl-VEON!" Sylveon cried, as she waved her feelers at Glaceon once again, sending a flurry of golden stars in its direction, before encasing herself inside a green protective bubble.

Sayaka, however, didn't order anything. Glaceon took Sylveon's Swift head on, costing the ninja more points, before Glaceon slammed uselessly head on against Sylveon's barrier, losing even more points, her score being similar to that of Serena. Meaning that, if Serena managed to land one more hit, the match would be hers!

"Sylveon quickly, use Moonblast! Even with Snow Cloak, it won't be able to dodge from such close distance!" Serena ordered, and Sylveon prepared the attack as quickly as she could.

However, Sayaka wasn't somebody who made such rookie mistakes. Even if she had to lose quite a lot of points, in the end, she got what she wanted, and now was ready to put an end to the match.

"Iron Tail!" Sayaka yelled.

"What?"

Glaceon's tail began to glow with a silvery light, and the Fresh Snow Pokemon slapped Sylveon with its metallic tail, causing her to cancel the Moonblast, sending her reeling backwards. Serena's points dropped, and the buzzer rang.

"Serena's points are down to zero! The winner of this match, and winner of this Contest, is Sayaka from Tsukinami Village!" Jillian announced.

Serena blinked, speechless. She took a couple seconds to register what Jillian just said.

"No..." Serena said almost in a whisper. How could she lose against this girl of all people?

"You said you wanted to make people smile," Sayaka said, as she recalled her winning Glaceon. "Well, look at the bright side. This victory is going to make me smile a lot! Hahahaha!"

Serena gritted her teeth but didn't raise to the bait. Sylveon then walked towards her, and wrapped one of her feelers around Serena's hand.

"Syl..." she cried, as if apologizing for losing.

Serena shook her head. "It's okay, Sylveon. You did your best and that's what matters. Next time, we'll do better."

Moments later, the three judges and Jillian were in front of Sayaka, all of them on a podium, with Rosalind holding an open box in her hands with the Kevlar Ribbon on it.

"Congratulations on your victory, Sayaka," the Venesi City gym Leader said. "We wish you luck in your future contests as well!"

"Thank you," Sayaka said, taking the ribbon. "But luck is for those who lack talent."

"And thus, the first Kevlar Town Contest comes to an end! I hope you have a great time, and see you next time!" Jillian said, officially ending the contest.

…

Half an hour later, the group was out of the Contest Hall, with Serena back in her traveling clothes. Ash, Clemont and Bonnie were comforting her after her loss.

"Such a pity. You did so well, but you ended up losing in the finals," Bonnie lamented.

"Though, you did pretty great for your first contest," Ash said, placing a comforting hand on Serena's shoulder.

"It's okay. I know I did good. I'll win next time," Serena assured. "Besides, it's not that I'm a stranger to losing. I mean, I also began my career as a performer losing. And losing even worse than now."

"You aren't going to cut your hair again, are you?" Bonnie asked. "Because you look so much better with long hair!"

Serena couldn't help but giggle at the young blonde. "Don't worry, I won't plan to this time."

"Boy, that ninja girl is tough," Ash commented. "Not even with Sylveon learning that new move were you able to beat her."

"Sometimes learning a new move mid-battle, or even evolving, it's not enough to win," Clemont said. "Unforeseen factors can throw a wrench in the opponent's plan, but they can only carry you so far."

"So, what do we do now? It's a bit too late to continue our travel. The sun is beginning to set," Serena pointed out.

"How about we spend the rest of the day relaxing? Maybe we could let out Pokemon out, play with them, have some fun...?" Ash suggested.

"Wait, you, Ash Ketchum, are suggesting for us to relax?" Serena asked in mock shock. "I thought you'd want to train or something."

"Hey, after this, I'm sure training is the last thing you want to do right now. Plus both your and your Pokemon could use some relaxation. To rest properly is just as important as training!" Ash stated.

"Guess we can't argue with that," Serena said. "Come on, let's go."

Before the group left the Contest Hall behind, Ash had one last thing to say.

"Hey, Serena?" Ash asked.

"Hm?"

"I agree with Bonnie. I think long hairs looks really good on you," Ash earnestly said.

"Oh," Serena replied, though it sounded almost like a squeak. Her cheeks turned a little pink. "I'll make sure to keep it long then.

Chapter Text

Kevlar Town

It was the next day morning, and the sun was shining brightly in the sky, not a single cloud blotting it. The sour taste of Serena's defeat at her first contest was no longer on etiher her or her friends' mouth, a good night of sleeping wiping it away and refilling them with the needed energy to continue the journey that it had just begun.

The group were now having breakfast at the cafeteria section of the Pokemon Center. The plan was to eat and then immediately head north to Nowtoch city. If they left the Pokemon Center early, they would be able to cross all of Owten Nook and reach Nowtoch City shortly after nightfall. Owten Nook wasn't a very long path, and with a good pace, they believed it could be crossed in a day.

Once they had finished breakfast and had all their Pokemon with them, the group was ready to leave. However, there was something that was going to delay their journey.

"Attention to Clemont, there is a videocall for you on Videophone 3!" Nurse Joy's voice said through the center's intercom system.

"A call to Clemont?" Ash asked, wonder who could be.

"Do you think it's dad, Clemont?" Bonnie asked.

"I had our dad fill for me as Gym Leader while I'm on Tandor," the inventor explained, already sensing Ash and Serena's incoming question.

The group walked towards the videophone in question, but when Clemont picked it up, the image that appeared on the screen wasn't that of the bearded burly man, but of a bespectacled girl with black hair combed in a pair of braids.

"Hello, Clemont. It's been a while," the girl greeted him.

"Lilia!" Clemont almost yelled. "It's such a surprise to see you! Not that I'm complaining but..." suddenly, a realization hit Clemont. "Wait a minute, Orangics! It was you, right? You suggested me to work on the new power plant they're building here."

Lilia giggled. "Guilty as charged."

"Oh, by the way, do you remember my sister Bonnie and my friends Ash and Serena?" Clemont asked, moving aside so Lilia could see them. Ash and Serena happily waved at the other girl, but Bonnie merely huffed and crossed her arms.

"Yes, I do. It's great to see you guys as well!" Lilia greeted back.

"By the way, how did you know I was here?" Clemont asked.

"I saw Serena on yesterday's contest on TV," Lilia began. "I didn't recognize her at first, even if her name and face rang a bell, then I remember she was one of your friends. Oh, by the way, Serena, I'm sorry that you lost that contest. Especially since you made it all the way to the finals."

"Thank you. But it's all in the past already," Serena said with a dismissive hand wave. "All that matters now is to make sure the same thing doesn't happen the next contest."

"So, I guess you want me to get to the plant as soon as possible, huh?" Clemont asked.

"Not at all," Lilia replied, much to Clemont's surprise. "With everything that happened on Lumiose, and the fact that you were on vacation in Kanto, none of us expected you to come to the region as soon as you did, so the work we need you for isn't ready yet, so if you want to take the scenic route, you're free to do so. Though, give me a call once you get close to Bealbeach City, okay?"

"I will," Clemont asked. "So, you know what I've been doing since we last met, but what about you, Lilia? What you've been up to? How did you end up on Tandor?"

"Well, it's a long story, but guess I have time to tell it since you're interested," Lilia began. "So, anyway..."

And thus Lilia started to tell Clemont everything she did right after the group parted ways with her, with Clemont listenting intently and nodding, drinking every word the bespectacled girl shared.

"You know," Serena whispered to Ash and Bonnie. "Maybe we should let those two some privacy to catch up."

"Fine," Bonnie said with a roll of her eyes. "Though let's hope Clemont doesn't spend too much time talking. We need to continue our journey."

"Come on, let your brother talk if he wants to. You heard Lilia, it's not that we're on a schedule," Ash said.

"What about Serena's contests? Those ARE on a schedule!" Bonnie protested.

"The closest town where a contest will take place is Moki Town, and the contest won't start until a week and a half. More than enough time to reach Nowtoch City and for Ash to win his badge," Serena said.

"Fiiiine..." Bonnie huffed, crossing her arms. It was obvious that she wasn't going to win this.

"Nene?" Dedenne asked in confusion, but Bonnie didn't say anything.

"Come on, let's take a walk through the town. With my contest, we didn't have the chance to see it," Serena suggested.

As they walked out of the Pokemon Center, they were greeted by a sunny and beautiful day. Even if it was early in the morning, people were already up and ready for their daily work. One of those people was a Tandor Ranger, wearing a distinctive green and black uniform, that was stapling a sign to a wooden post. Moved by curiosity, the group of three went to read it.

WANTED: RICHARD HUNTER

LEADER OF THE DUNSPARCE BIKER GANG

Wanted for: Vandalism, Robbery, Property Destruction, Pokemon theft and trafficking.

Considered dangerous. If he or any of his gang members are seen, do not engage them, and contact the Tandor Ranger Corps immediately.

The poster had a picture from the shoulders up of the gang leader. He was a burly and broad shouldered man in his early forties, with jet black hair, a pronounced widow peak, and a goatee of the same color. A scar crossed his left cheek without touching his eye.

"Hey Ash..." Serena began, as the gears in her mind began to turn. "Those bikers we saw the other day through the Lakeside Path..."

"They all were wearing jackets with a Dunsparce on their backs," Ash recalled.

"Pika..." Pikachu nodded.

"And they were heading towards this very town..." Bonnie feafully said.

"People here doesn't seem to be very worried about a violent biker gang being here," Serena said, looking around. "Though, maybe they didn't stop here and went somewhere else."

"Even then, we should go to a Ranger Station and tell them we saw those bikers coming here, just in case," Ash said.

They remembered passing in front of the Ranger Station when they first arrived at the town, being close to its border with Lakeside Path. It wouldn't take them very long to get there. However, when they were close to their destination, something drew their attention.

"Selkid! Selkid!" it was a brown haired teen boy the same age as them yelling something, they guessed it was the name of a Pokemon. "Selkid, where are you?"

They decided to check what was wrong with the boy, given that he looked clearly distressed. "Hey, is everything okay?" Ash asked.

"No, not really," the boy replied. "You see, I had an argument with my Pokemon, Selkid, and... well, I got so angry I wasn't even thinking, and I told her something terrible..."

"And she ran away, right?" Serena asked. The boy nodded. "That's awful."

"Say, how about if we help you find your Pokemon?" Ash offered.

The boy's face beamed with you. "You would!?"

"Of course. I think we all had an argument or two with our Pokemon, and many times we say things we don't mean," Ash said.

"Weren't we going to go to the Rangers to tell them we saw those bikers?" Bonnie asked.

"We can do that later. I think this is a bit more urgent," Ash said. Serena nodded in angreement.

"Say, uh..." Serena began.

"Maury," the boy said.

"Maury, was this the last place you saw your Pokemon?" Serena asked. Maury nodded. She then looked at the path that went out of the town and into Lakeside View. "Maybe Selkid left the town...?"

"Let's check the Pokedex. Maybe knowing more about the Pokemon will give us a hint on where she may be," Ash said, as she introduced Selkid's name on his Pokedex.

"Selkid, the Sea Nymph Pokemon. Water/Fairy. They gather together on rocky shoals and sing together as a harmony. Their human-like voices can be misleading because they sound like a child lost at sea."

A picture of Selkid appeared on the screen. It was a vaguely humanoid Pokemon with blue skin and a white face and underbelly. It had dark blue arms ended on stubs, tiny fin-like feet, and a fish tail. It had a teardrop-shaped head, black eyes, yellow cheek marks and a yellow ruff around its neck.

"Hmmm... given that Selkid's a Water-type, she might wanted to go to a place with water, and Lakeside Path has a river of crystaline water," Ash began to ponder.

"Let's check there first. Maury, you stay here and continue looking in case Selkid didn't leave the town," Serena advised.

"Got it," Maury said with a nod. "Oh, before I forget! Selkid is also carrying a jewel with her. Make sure it doesn't get lost, she's very attached to it."

"Don't worry, you can count on us!" Bonnie replied. "Right Dedenne?"

"Nenene!" Dedenne happily agreed.

"Okay, Lakeside Path is pretty big. How about if we split to cover more ground?" Ash suggested. "Serena, take Bonnie with you."

"Very well then. Let's meet at the town's entrance in an hour," Serena said, as she and Bonnie went into another direction, leaving Ash alone.

"Alright. Birbie, I choose you!" Ash said, releasing the Tandor little bird.

"Birbie!" he chirped. He looked around, and realized that they were back on his former home. "Birb?"

"Listen Birbie, we're looking for a lost Pokemon," Ash said, as he showed Birbie his Pokedex, which was displaying a picture of Selkid. "She looks like this. We're going to look from the ground, and I want you to look from above. Can I count on you, Birbie?"

"Bir!" the Eden Bird Pokemon chirped, and wasting no time, took off into the sky.

"Oh! Selkid is a marine Pokemon, so make sure to check the water!" Ash said, before he and Pikachu began their own search.

…

Lakside Path

Meanwhile, on another part of the route, a scared Water and Fairy-type Pokemon wandered around the unknown zone, trying to find a way home. She was protectively clutching a gemstone between her small arms.

"Selkid..." the Pokemon whimpered.

Selkid was lost, away from home, and very scared. She had seen many Pokemon around, but she wasn't familiar with either of those and didn't dare to trust them. They were all small and didn't look dangerous, but she knew that appearances could be deceiving.

Then she heard it. The sound of water running. Was there water in this foreign and strange place? Deciding it was her best lead, Selkid ran as fast as her little feet allowed her too, still clutching her jewel and making sure she didn't lose it. She didn't know why, but she had developed a strong attachement with the round, shiny item, and felt an overwhelming urge to keep it close to her.

As she ran, she couldn't just hear it, she could now see the running water! For the first time in what felt like ages, Selkid felt hope. All she need to do was dive into the water, and the road home would be an easy trip from there. And the moment she reached the shore of the river, she dived heafirst into it.

Though, rather that the sweet feeling of water enveloping her body, all what Selkid felt was pain as her face slammed against something wet and slimy, but definitely solid, bouncing her back to solid ground, dropping her jewel in the process.

"ROG!" somebody angrily said.

Selkid rubbed her pained face, before she looked forward and realizing that the wall she had crashed against wasn't a wall, but a Pokemon that was now stepping out of the water. It was large, with a bulky body ended in a tail supported by four robust legs. Its underbelly was purple, and had stripes of the same color on its back. It had red cheeks, and eyes of the same color.

And said eyes were looking at her with a hate filled glare.

"FOL!" the Pokemon roared, as he menacingly advanced towards Selkid, clearly taking Selkid crashing into it as a personal attack.

"S-Sel..." Selkid tried to apologize but the larger Pokemon wouldn't hear it.

It raised one of its forelegs, and its fingers started to glow with a sickly purple aura. Selkid's eyes grew wide upon noticing it was a Poison-type attack. Given the colors, it was obvious that this Pokemon was also part Poison. Just her luck.

"SEEEEEL!" Selkid wailed as she jumped away, just in time to avoid the powerful Poison Jab move.

Her enemy moved towards her once again, preparing yet another Poison Jab. It was obvious that it wasn't going to just leave her alone. Meaning that, even if she had no faith in her combat abilities, Selkid had to fight.

"Seeeel..." Selkid brought her arms together, summoning a small orb of water, before tossing it at her enemy. "KID!"

The orb of water sailed forward, but her larger enemy merely swatted it away with its other hand as if it was nothing, and thurst its other, poison-coated hand into Selkid, hitting her squarely in the gut.

"SEEEEEEEEEL!" she cried, the pain from the super effective attack being unbearable.

Before her vision turned too blurry to be of any use, she saw a round, dark blue Pokemon flying above her.

…

Meanwhile, at another part of the route, Serena and Bonnie were looking for the missing Selkid, without much success. They decided to stick close to the river, given that Selkid might be close to it.

"Selkid! Selkid!"

"Selkid! Where are you?"

"Nenenene!"

"Come on Selkid, come out, we just want to help you!" Serena called, before letting out a sigh. "This is useless. We've been yelling Selkid's name for a long time, but no sight of her."

"You know, if Selkid got into the river, she could have swim into the sea," Bonnie pointed out.

"No, I don't think she'd do that. Even if she's on bad terms with her trainer now, no Pokemon would abandon their trainer like that," Serena replied. "Selkid is probably waiting for Maury to come back to her and apolo-"

"SEEEEEEEEEEL!"

Serena was interrupted when she and Bonnie heard a high pitched cry of pain, which definitely wasn't human. The two girls traded a look.

"Serena, do you think...?"

"Only one way to know, let's go!"

As the two girls rushed towards the direction of the cry, they took no time to finally see Selkid, being beaten by a Pokemon that looked like a Fortog, but was much larger and had a more intimidating appearance.

"It's Selkid! And that other Pokemon is beating her!" Bonnie said, pointing at the battle.

Serena's hands quickly reached for one of her pokeballs, before tossing it in the direction of the two Water-type Pokemon.

"Pancham, go!" Serena said, as the Playful Pokemon emerged from the capture device, landing on the ground in front of Serena. "Pancham, protect that Selkid from the bigger Pokemon! Use Dark Pulse!"

"Pan-CHAM!" Pancham cupped his paws, before thrusting them forward, releasing a stream of dark and purple energy towards the blue and purple Pokemon, pushing it towards the edge of the river.

"Good job, Pancham!" Serena said, before pulling out her Pokedex. "Let's see what we're up against..."

"Folerog, the Long Toad Pokemon, and Fortog's evolution. Water/Poison. Folerog need to remain damp to survive, so they are found in areas with plenty of water such as rivers and lakes."

Meanwhile, Bonnie rushed towards Selkid, picked her up, and quickly rushed back to Serena's side.

"Serena, I have Selkid!" Bonnie said, as she ran towards the older girl.

"Well done! Quickly, give her to me," Serena said, taking the small Pokemon from Bonnie's arms, and cradling her on her own. "She looks badly wounded. That Folerog must give her quite the beating."

"Seeel..." Selkid whimpered.

"But... why? What did Selkid do to deserve that?" Bonnie asked.

"I don't know. Maybe This is Folerog's territory saw Selkid as an intruder," Serena said. "Though that doesn't matter now."

"Even then, that's not a reason to be such a bully!" Bonnie replied, glaring daggers at the wild Folerog, who was now snarling at Pancham.

"It seems that Folerog won't leave unless we force it to," Serena declared.

Folerog decided it was his turn to attack. Its dewlap swolled up, before it opened his mouth, releasing a wave of purple sludge from it. Pancham dodged it by making a few backflips.

"Well done, Pancham! Now use Arm Thurst!" Serena ordered.

"Pan..." Pancham jumped into the air, cluthing one of his paws into a tiny fist. However, instead of glowing white as usual, it glowed yellow and started to crackle with electricity. "CHAM!"

When Pancham's fist collided with Folerog, it produced an explosion of yellow sparks that electrocuted the Water and Poison-type Pokemon, causing it to cry in pain.

"Wait... that wasn't Arm Thurst! That was Thunder Punch!" Serena said, rejoicing over Pancham learning a new move. Especially one that was so useful with the situation at hand.

"First Sylveon and now Pancham! Your Pokemon are on fire!" Bonnie praised.

"Nenene!" Dedenne added.

…

Selkid didn't know what was going on anymore. She could hear the noise of a battle going on, but she didn't care. She was now between the arms of yet another human. Her instincts told her that she was in danger and she should leave, but she didn't have any strength left to do so.

Though... there was a part of her that didn't want to. Despite her whole body in pain, being wrapped in the arms of that human felt... nice. Warm and comfortable. And the more she basked in that sensation, the less her instincts told her she was in danger.

…

"Well done, Pancham! Now Stone Edge!" Serena said.

"Cham!" Pancham said, before he slammed both paws into the ground, summoning a row of rock pillars towards Folerog, slamming the Long Toad Pokemon back into the water.

However, contrary to what Serena was expecting, that wasn't enough to drive the angry and persistent Folerog away, as the blue and purple Pokemon crawled out of the water once again, looking even more pissed.

"Fole! Folerog! Rog, rog!" it began to loudly croak.

There were three splashing sounds, and Serena, Bonnie and Pancham saw how three Fortogs leaped out of the river and onto the grassy ground.

"Uh-oh. The bully called some friends for help..." Bonnie said.

"P-Pan!" Pancham said, taking a step back as the three newcomers quickly moved to surround him. He looked back at Serena with eyes that begged her to do something about that. "Pan, pancham!"

The Fortogs immediately fired several Water Gun at Pancham, who dodged them as well as he could by doing cartwheels, but he wouldn't be able to dodge forever.

"Sylveon, go! Protect Pancham!" Serena said, tosing a second pokeball.

The Interwinning Pokemon materialized in front of the little panda, and immediately encased herself inside an energy bubble, which managed to block the attacks before it disappeared.

"Sylveon, Pancham, watch out!" Serena warned.

"ROG!" Folerog loudly croaked, as it charged towards Sylveon, Poison Jab already prepared to strike.

"Pikachu, Electroball!"

Before Folerog could strike Sylveon, he was blasted by a sphere of yellow elecricity. Folerog croaked in pain as the electricity coursed through its body, causing all the Fortogs to look back at its bigger counterpart in worry.

That moment, Ash, followed by Pikachu and Birbie, arrived at the scene. The two Pokemon, noticing the battle, quickly joined Serena's Pokemon, ready to face the group of Water/Poison types from the river.

"Ash!" Serena said, rejoiced to see her friend.

"We got Selkid, but she was being attacked by those wild Pokemon!" Bonnie quickly explained.

"I see. It's a good thing that I send Birbie to explore from the sky, otherwise he wouldn't have find you guys," Ash said. "Alright, let's end this battle with the next move! Birbie, Gust!"

"Birb!" Birbie chirped, as he elevated into the air and started to flap his tiny wings, produced a decently sized tornado that moved towards the Folerog and the Fortogs.

"Pancham, Dark Pulse! Sylveon, Swift! Aim at the Gust!" Serena ordered.

"Pancham, cham!"

"Syl!"

Pancham and Sylveon fired a beam of dark energy and a flurry of golden stars at Birbie's Gust. The three attacks merged into a tornado of darkness and glowing yellow stars. The combination attack blasted the Folerog and the Fortogs, producing an explosion of darkness and golden stars, hurling the four Water and Poison type Pokemon back into the water. It seemed that this time they decided they had enough, as they quickly swam away without ever looking back.

"Let's hope they learned their lesson," Bonnie said, as he watched them disappear into the distance. She was about to rejoin Ash and Serena, who were setting Selkid on the ground, before she caught something glinting among the grass. Crouching down, she reached her hand to grab the item in question: it was a marble, dark blue in color with a pink core. Bonnie knew it was no ordinary marble, as she had seen many of its kind. It was a Mega Stone! "Cool!"

While Bonnie did that, Serena decided to focus her attention on the wounded Selkid.

"Good timing, Ash, Come on, help me with Selkid. She's very injured," Serena said, as she gently placed the Water and Fairy type on the grass.

"Sel..." she whimpered.

"Don't worry Selkid, this will make you feel fine," Serena said, as she looked for something on her backpack, before she pulled out a Potion. "Now this may sting a little."

Serena started to spray Selkid across her body, the Sea Nymph Pokemon flinching and wincing whenever the medicine soaked her. However, in a few seconds, as her body absorbed the medicine, the pain started to recede, and her strength started to come back little by little. She was a little confused on what had happened, but she didn't care. She was grateful she was feeling better.

"Pikapi?" Pikachu asked Selkid.

"Kid," Selkid replied, nodding weakly.

"I think Selkid feels a little better now!" Ash said.

"Hey guys, look what I found!" Bonnie said, as she ran towards the two teens, showing her finding.

Both Ash and Serena immediately recognized what the small marble was, and gasped in shock.

"Whoa! A Mega Stone!" Ash exclaimed.

"Where did you find it?" Serena asked.

"It was near the river. It was a good thing that I saw it, given how hidden it was between the grass," Bonnie proudly said, before taking a look at the stone. "So, what Pokemon do you think can use this stone to Mega Evolve?"

That moment, Selkid noticed the stone, and her eyes grew big.

"Sel! Selkid!" she began to cry, as she tried to reach the Mega Stone with her short arms. "Sel!"

"Pika?" Pikachu asked, before he turned towards Ash and pointed at the Mega Stone Bonnie was holding. "Pi, pika!"

"I think Pikachu says that Mega Stone belongs to Selkid," Ash said.

"Hey, didn't Maury said that Selkid had a jewel? Maybe that's what he was talking about?" Serena asked. "Maybe she dropped the Mega Stone when she was attacked by that Folerog."

"So Selkid can Mega Evolve? Cool!" Bonnie said, before handing the stone back to Selkid. "Sorry, I didn't know this was yours. Here, you can have it back."

A bit surprised that the human was returning her jewel so easily, Selkid merely grabbed it, clutching it against her chest, and nodded. "Selkid."

Bonnie beamed at her. "You're welcome!"

"Well, given that Selkid is safe and she has her Mega Stone back, let's go back to Kevlar Town," Ash suggested.

The girls nodded, and the group, plus Selkid, returned to the small town.

…

Turns out they didn't need to get to the town perse, as Maury had apperently grown tired of looking there, and was now looking for Selkid on Lakeside Path as well. He took no time to notice Ash, Serena and Bonnie walking towards him, and he quickly went to greet them.

"Hey!" Maury said, waving at them.

"Maury! We're back!" Ash said, waving back.

"And you found Selkid! Oh, you guys have no idea how much I owe you! I thought I had lost her for good!" Maury said.

"Yes. Thankfully, now you can tell her how sorry you...feel..." Serena began, as she felt something that made her lose track of her thoughts. "Selkid?"

Selkid was hiding behind Serena's leg, grabbing it with one arm while she held the megastone with the other. She was trembling, and looking at Maury with eyes filled with nothing but pure fear.

"Serena? What's wrong?" Ash asked.

"It's Selkid... she's shivering!" Serena said, before looking at Maury, anf fixed him with a hard stare. "Just... what exactly did you do to her that caused her to run away from you?"

"Um, I already told you! We got into an argument, and I yelled at her, and she ran away!" Maury said. "Now please, can you hand me Selkid back?"

Ash scowled. Serena was onto something. The Kanto native had seen enough arguments between a trainer and their Pokemon, and in almost every case, the Pokemon would be angry or upset at the trainer. But Selkid... she was paralyzed by terror.

"Ash, there's something here that doesn't feel right," Serena warned him.

"And I agree," Ash said, taking a step forward, placing himself in front of the girls as if to shield them from Maury. "Listen, let's head back to Kevlar Town, and come with us to the Ranger Station. I'm sure they can sort this mess out and-"

"JUST GIVE ME THAT STUPID FISH ALREADY!" Maury exploded.

"Selkid!" Selkid flinched, clutching Serena's leg even harder.

There was a moment of silence, as Maury realized he had screwed up big time with that outburst.

"You aren't Selkid's trainer, are you?" Bonnie accused him.

Maury merely looked down, and chuckled.

"Tell me, do you have any idea how much that dumb fish is worth?" Maury began. "Selkid live deep under the sea, and they very rarely come out to the surface. And when they do, they tend to flee whenever a human being gets close, so they're very hard to catch. That's why Selkid are so valuable.

"And that's not even counting that Selkid's evolved form can Mega Evolve! So a Selkid with a Mega Stone would sell for almost ten times its original value!" Maury's expression then went from demented joy to cold anger. "So you'll understand that, if I tell my dad that I lost such a valuable Pokemon, he'll be very, very mad at me. So now, please, return that Selkid, before I get very, very mad at you."

"You despicable... wait a minute, you're working with those Pokemon traffickers, aren't you?" Serena asked.

"Very smart. Now you understand why I can't go to a Ranger Station. Enough chitchat. You're giving me that Selkid and the Mega Stone, or things are going to get ugly," Maury said, as he walked threateingly towards them.

"Pikaaaa!" Pikachu seethed, as he released sparks from his cheeks.

"If you want that Selkid, you'll have to take her by force!" Ash shouted.

"Trust me, that won't be a problem!" Maury said, pulling two Pokeball. "Riolu, Primeape, KILL!"

"Braixen, go!"

"Pikachu, I choose you!" Ash said, before turning at Bonnie. "Bonnie, make sure Selkid is okay!"

"Got it!" Bonnie said, as she gently lifted Selkid and moved a few step back.

Pikachu jumped from Ash's shoulder onto the ground, as Serena's starter materialized near him, while Maury's two Fighting types appeared before them. Much to Ash and Serena's befudlement, Maury's Pokemon were wearing what appeared to be some sort of mechanical device strapped to their chest with a red Omega symbol.

Maury then pulled a small remote from a pocket, and smirked evilly at his enemies. "You guys have no idea what you're fighting against," he sinisterly said, before pressing a button.

The devices hummed to life as the Omega symbols on them light up, and the two Pokemon hissed in pain, closing their eyes and cluthcing their bodies, but remaining in place. They opened their eyes to reveal they were now bloodshot, and Riolu's mouth was twisted in a demented snarl.

"What... what are you doing to your Pokemon?" Serena asked.

"Improving them. Now, attack! Primeape, Karate Chop! Riolu, Quick Attack!" Maury ordered.

The two Fighting types shot like rockets, Riolu slamming its whole body against Pikachu and Primeape smacking Braixen with an open palm, sending both Pokemon rolling backwards.

"Pikachu!" Ash shouted.

"Braixen!" Serena cried.

"Keep attacking! Riolu, continue with Shadow Claw! Primeape, Frustration!" Maury said.

"RU!" Riolu screeched, as it leaped into the air, raising a paw that was coated in ghostly energy. Primeape's body, meanwhile, started to glow red as it charged towards the downed Braixen.

"Quickly, dodge!" Ash said.

"You too, Braixen!" Serena added.

Both Pikachu and Braixen managed to move from the spot their were laying on before another attack could hit. Riolu's Shadow Claw opened a small crater when it hit the ground, while Primeape opened several bigger ones in his temper tantrum.

"Such destructive power..." Serena said in horrified awe.

"Do you like that? That's thanks to the Muscular Enhancer, a little gadget our science division has developed. Activating it is the equivalent of several Sword Dances in a row. It also increases a Pokemon's aggression, but keeps them fiercely loyal to their trainer. You cannot beat my Pokemon when their offensive power is so high, they only need one hit to beat yours!" Maury boasted.

"We'll see about that! Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Ash ordered.

"Braixen, Flamethrower!" Serena commanded.

Pikachu's cheeks started to produce yellow sparks as his body build up electricity for the attack, while Braixen waved her ignited wand at the two Fighting types.

"Braix!"

"CHUUUUU!"

"Primeape, deflect that Thunderbolt with Thunder Punch, Riolu, push that Flamethrower back with Force Palm!" Maury ordered.

Primeape curled one of its hands into a fist, which was quickly coated in electricity, before thrusting it towards the incoming lightning bolt, deflecting it away, while Riolu's Force Palm generated such a powerful shockwave that it tore through the Flamethrower as if it was nothing, dispeling it instantly.

"You still don't understand how useless your Pokemon are against mine?" Maury taunted. "Primeape, Rock Slide!"

"PRIIIIII!" Primeape screeched, as it raised its arms, and summon a bunch of truly massive boulders above Pikachu and Braixen, before they launched themselves at the two Pokemon with the force of meteors.

Pikachu and Braixen ran in opposite directions in order to dodge the falling boulders, which were so big and heavy, the earth trembled whenever they impacted the ground. One of these boulders fell way too close to Braixen, and the resulting quake made them trip and fall facefirst.

"Braixen!" Serena yelled, as she saw how a gigantic boulder was about to crush her.

"Pikachu, Iron Tail!" Ash called.

"PI!" Pikachu replied, as he dashed towards the incoming boulder while his tail glowed with a metallic sheen, jumped into the air, and smashed the large rock to bits with a tail strike, allowing Braixen time to get back on her feet.

"Riolu, Quick Attack on Pikachu!" Maury ordered.

As Pikachu landed on the ground below, he was slammed by a blue blur which turned out to be Riolu. Pikachu was smashed against Braixen, and the two Pokemon were sent rolling on the ground backwards.

"Briaxen!" Serena cried.

"Pikachu!" Ash cried as well, as one of his hands moved towards one of his other two pokeballs.

"You know, you could have been reasonable and give me that Selkid. But for making me waste my precious time, I think I'm going to take your Pokemon as well as a compensation, even if they aren't that great," Maury said. "Riolu, Blazing Kick on Pikachu!"

"RU!" Riolu once again jumped into the air, and raised a leg that was quickly coated in flames.

"Greninja, I choose-" Ash was about to say, but what happened next stopped his hand.

For some reason, while it was mid air, the fire around Riolu's leg petered out. Riolu then cried in pain, lost its balance mid-air, and crashed clumsily into the ground. The Emanation Pokemon tried to get back on its feet, but the moment it did so, it clutched its chest as if merely standing was causing it a great pain.

"Riolu! What the hell are you doing!?" Maury shouted.

Ash and Serena didn't know what was happening either, but they weren't going to let this opportunity slip away from their fingers.

"Pikachu, use Quick Attack on Riolu!" Ash commanded.

"Pika!" Pikachu said, as he dashed towards the writhing Fighting type, leaving a trail of fading white light behind him.

"Primeape, stop that Pikachu with Karate Chop!" Maury shouted.

Primeape moved to intercept Pikachu, as his right hand glowed white, ready to smack the yellow rodent with it. But just like with Riolu, Primeape stopped dead on its tracks and clutched its body, as unbearable waves of pain coursed through their bodies.

"Not you too! What the hell's wrong with you!" Maury yelled, just as Pikachu slammed into Riolu, sending it tumbling backwards.

"Can't you see it?" Serena asked. "That device you forced them to wear made them much stronger. But increasing their strength so much in so little time must have put an immense strain on their bodies, and that's taking a toll on them!"

"Riolu! Primeape! I don't care how much you're hurting righ t now, get up and finish this fight!" Maury hollered.

"You know, I actually feel bad for doing this to your Pokemon, but you leave us no choice," Ash said, fixing Maury with a harsh glare. "Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"

"Braixen, Fire Blast!"

"Pika-CHUUUUUUU!"

"BRAAAAAI!"

Pikachu released once again a powerful electrict blast, while Braixen conjured a huge mass of flames shaped like the kanji of fire. In their current state, neither Riolu nor Primeape were able to move to dodge the two attacks, which added to the harm the Muscular Enhancer was causing, they were more than enough to defeat them for good.

"No... no!" Maury said in desperation, as he hastily returned his Pokemon to their pokeballs, before stumbling backwards. "You... you have no idea what you just did today! When my father learns of what you've done, it will be over for you! You'll see!"

And with that, Maury turned back and ran away as fast as he could, not towards Kevlar Town, but towards the nearby forest, disappearing among the trees. Ash and Serena decided that chasing him wasn't worth the effort.

Now that the danger was gone, Bonnie finally let Selkid go, gently placing her on the ground, while Ash and Serena walked towards them. Serena crouched , and gently patted Selkid's head.

"That's why you run away from him, didn't you?" Serena asked Selkid. "Sorry for not realizing of that sooner."

"Selkid..." Selkid said.

"But don't worry, I promise you that I'll help you return to the place you belong, and failing that, to find you a place where you will be cared for and will make you happy," Serena vowed.

"I think we should return to Kevlar Town and go to the Ranger's Station," Ash suggested. "Besides telling them we saw the bikers, we should tell them about Maury working for them, and what he was planning to do with Selkid."

"Agreed," Serena said, as she stood up. "Let's go."

…

Later, Ash and Serena brought Selkid to the Ranger Station, while Bonnie returned to the Pokemon Center to fetch Clemont and tell him everything that had happened. They were attended by the same Ranger that they had seen earlier putting up the poster of the Dunsparce Gang leader, and told them about how they had seen them on their way to Kevlar Town.

"Yes, more people claimed they've seen a group of bikers that matches the description of the Dunsparce Gang. We will make sure no incident happens as long as they are close to the town," the Ranger replied.

"About that," Serena said, and motioned to Selkid. "We had an encounter with one of their associates, some kid named Maury. He admitted to us that he worked for them and that he was planning to sell this Selkid."

The Ranger took a look at the Selkid, who whimpered and hid behind Serena's leg.

"I see. Selkid are extremely rare and hard to catch. It fits among the Pokemon they'd target," the Ranger said.

"Maury said that his father was one of the traffickers. Though he didn't look like member of the gang himself," Ash pointed out.

"Perhaps they were testing him before they let him become part of the gang officially," the Ranger replied. He then shook his head in disappointment. "Boy, to think they'd fall so low..."

"What do you mean?" Serena asked.

"The Dunsparce Gang has been a fixture of Tandor for many years, but they weren't too bad. Their crimes were pretty minor, like instances of harrasment or vandalism, and most of the time they kept to themselves, and never harmed any Pokemon," the Ranger began. "But when they started to dip their toes in the world of Pokemon trafficking... well, it was quite the surprise. Oh well, there's no point in mulling over that. It's our job to put an end to their operations and see that their members face justice."

"Indeed," Ash nodded. "So, what about Selkid? What are we going to do with her?"

The Ranger smiled. "That's easy. Selkids live in the sea, and while they don't do well on the surface, their sense of orientation underwater is almost unmatched. All we need to do is bring Selkid to a river, and once she reaches the sea, she'll be able to return to her home on her own."

"A river? Like the one in Lakeside Path?" Serena asked.

The Ranger nodded. "For example."

"I guess that's what you were trying to do when we found you, right?" Serena asked Selkid. "If it wasn't for that Folerog, you'd be already on your way home."

"Selkid..." Selkid nodded, and lowered her gaze.

"Well, it doesn't matter! Come on, let's escort her back to the river so she can go back home!" Serena stated.

…

Lakeside Path

The sun was beginning to set, casting an orange light over the mostly green abd blue route, and soon shadows would follow.

At the edge of the river were Ash, Serena, Clemont, Bonnie, their Pokemon, the Ranger, and finally, Selkid. They were all looking at the white and blue Pokemon espectantly.

"Well, this is it," Serena said. "Get into the water, and you'll be on your way home."

"We made sure there are no more of those Pokemon that attacked you before!" Bonnie helpfully added.

"Fortog and Folerog are mostly diurnal Pokemon, so you won't run into any of them when the sun begins to set," the Ranger helpfully explained.

Still clutching her Mega Stone, Selkid took a step forward. She looked at the water, before turning around and giving one last look at the humans that had helped her. More specifically, Serena. She then looked at the Mega Stone as a whirlwind of conflicting emotions brewed inside her.

Selkid remember how she was forcefully dragged away from her home by those horrible humans. Being locked inside a cold, metallic cage, alongside other equally miserable looking Pokemon. She remembered the beatings she took when her captors tried to break her. Her finally escaping once she had the chance, only to run into those Poison-type Pokemon.

Then she appeared, like an angel send by the gods. She fought those Poison-type Pokemon, and then, alongside her partners, fought against one of her captors when he tried to claim her back. And now she was going to let her go just like that. Her recent experiences let Selkid believe that all humans were monsters, but this group had shattered her perception.

Taking one last look at the water, Selkid made a decision. Filled with determination, Selkid handed her Mega Stone to Pikachu, much to everybody's surprise, and walked away from the water.

"Pika?" Pikachu asked, not knowing what to do with the jewel.

"Selkid? What are you doing?" Serena asked.

Once there was enough distance between them, Selkid turned around, put on a brave face, and held her arms in a fighting stance.

The Ranger smiled. "It isn't obvious?" he asked. "Selkid wants you to capture her. But she wants you to battle her first."

Serena gasped in shock, and looked at Selkid. "Is that true, Selkid?"

"Sel!"

Serena smiled, before her expression turned determined as well, ready to meet Selkid's challenge. Pancham's capture came to mind, how the little panda refused to join her until she proved her worth to him. Despite her fragile appearance, it seemed that Selkid was stronger than she let on,

"In that case... Sylveon, go!" Serena tossed the pokeball forward, releasing her Fairy-type. Selkid tensed up. "Sylveon, use Fairy Wind!"

Sylveon waved her feelers, raising a gust of sparkly pink wind towards Selkid. Selkid crouched down, and used her tail as a spring to jump into the air. While she was airborne, she brought her arms together, and fired an orb of water at Sylveon.

"That was Water Pulse!" Clemont identified.

"Sylveon, dodge!" Serena called, and thankfully, the interwinning Pokemon moved aside, letting the orb crash against the grass. "Now that she's mid air, Fairy Wind again!"

Sylveon repeated the same maneuver, but this time Selkid was unable to evade. The sparkly pink wind hit her squarely, pushing her backwards and making her crash against the ground on her back. Still, that wasn't enough to put her down, and Selkid quickly jumped back to her feet.

"SeeeeeeeelKIIIIIIIIIIID!" Selkid yelled, as her voice formed a sonic blast that sailed towards Sylveon.

"Sylveon, Protect!" Serena called.

"Syl!" Sylveon cried, before enacing herself inside a green protective bubble, which nullyfied Selkid's attack.

"And that was Hyper Voice!" Clemont added.

"I don't understand, that Selkid is really strong, how is that we had to help her deal with that Folerog?" Bonnie asked.

"Well, from what you've told me, Selkid appeared to be both scared and suffering from trauma, meaning that she wasn't in the right state of mind to fight. But now..." Clemont said, as he adjusted his glasses. "It seems that she cast all of that away, at least temporarily, so she can fight Serena at her best."

The battle continued. Selkid used another Water Pulse, which Sylveon countered with a Fairy Wind. Realizing that Sylveon was the stronger of the two, Selkid tried a different approach.

"Sel, sel, sel, seeeeeeeel..." Selkid started to intone a melody, as ethereal musical notes started to form around the battleground, slowly closing on Sylveon.

"That's Sing!" Serena said, as she noticed how her Pokemon was slowly falling asleep. "Sylveon, resist!"

"S-Syl..." Sylveon cried, trying to fight off the drowsiness.

"SeeeeeeeelKIIIIIIIIIIID!" Selkid interrupted her song, turning it into an Hyper Voice. Even if Sylveon wasn't completely asleep, she was impaired enough not to be able to move quickly, and the sonic attack hit her fully.

"Sylveon! Are you okay?" Serena called.

"Syl!" Sylveon cried. At the very least, the attack had snapped Sylveon fully awake.

"Good. Time to finish this. Sylveon, use Swift!" Serena ordered, motioning her hand forward.

"Syl-VEON!" Sylveon waved her feelers, releasing a flurry of golden stars that flew towards Selkid.

Selkid tried to run away in order to dodge them, but Sea Nymph Pokemon quickly learned that such attack was impossible to dodge as the stars homed on her, before she took the impact of the attack.

"Sel!" she cried in pain.

"Now, Monblast!" Serena ordered.

Spreading her feelers, Sylveon formed an orb of pink swirling energy, before launching it towards Selkid, who was getting back on her feet. The Water and Fairy type Pokemon was unable to dodge Sylveon's attack, and she was engulfed by an explosion of pink and white light.

"Pokeball, go!" Serena said, tossing an empty pokeball at Selkid.

The capture device found its mark, with Selkid being turned into pure energy and sucked into it. The pokeball fell to the ground, and wiggled for a few seconds, only to stop with a ding, signaling a sucessful capture. The Kalosian teenage girl walked towards the pokeball, and picked it up.

"Ta-da! I captured Selkid!" Serena said, holding the pokeball with both hands, as she showed it to the group.

"Awesome!" Bonnie cheered.

"Congratulations, Serena!" Ash said.

"Your first Tandor Pokemon!" Clemont pointed out.

"Good work, Serena. I'm sure you'll do a great job taking care of that Selkid," the Ranger said.

Given how long and frenetic day most of them had, they decided to return to the Pokemon Center in order to have dinner and get a good night of rest, so they could continue their journey the very next morning.

As they walked, Serena looked at Selkid's pokeball on her hand, and couldn't help but smile at the conversation she had with Ash a few days ago regarding her lack of Pokemon. Indeed, sometimes it was the Pokemon who chose the trainer, rather than the other way around.

…

Meanwhile, from an elevated terrain, there was blond woman wearing a sleveless blue jacket with a Dunsparce on its back. From her vantage point, the woman had been watching the whole chain of events without fear of being seen. Events that she found could lead to great success for her group if they played their cards right. She opened the Pokegear on her wrist and dialed a number.

"Richard? This is Amber," the woman, Amber, said, before her lips curved into a smirk. "I saw something in Kevlar Town that you're going to find mostly interesting..."

Chapter Text

With no more delays, the group had finally left Kevlar Town and were on their way to Nowtoch City, where Ash could challenge his first Tandor Gym for a Gym Badge. To do so, they had to cross Route 2, also called Owten Nook, named after the Pokemon of the same name that made such place their home.

"So, according to the map, Owten Nook is a mountain pass," Serena began as she checked her tablet. "Fortunately, it's very easy to traverse by foot, and thus special climbing gear is not needed. Though it says that some slopes are a little steep, and thus they should be traversed with caution."

"Well, it's not that we're strangers to mountains, huh?" Bonnie asked.

"Yeah. Besides, what's a journey without some variety in the landscape?" Ash added.

While the path so far was completely flat grassland surrounded by trees, they could see a small mountain rising in the horizon.

"Hey, look at that!" Bonnie said, pointing to the canopy of a nearby tree, where several small Pokemon where perched on. Said Pokemon looked like small cats with tan and white fur, fluffy tail, a white ruff around their neck, and wings instead of front legs. They appeared to be sleeping.

Ash and Serena immediately pulled out their Pokedex to scan the new Pokemon.

"Owten, the Observer Pokemon. Normal/Flying. They are mainly seen at night, when they are looking for berries and other individuals of its species. They are known for their lovely singing voice."

"So, that's an Owten," Ash said.

"They're so cute!" Bonnie squealed, as expected when the group met a new Pokemon.

"You know, between this one, Birbie, and Selkid, Tandor has quite a few Pokemon that are known for their singing voices," Clemont pointed out.

"Hey, Serena, maybe you should catch one. Selkid could form a duet with an Owten, and use it in the Appeal Round of contests," Ash suggested.

"You know... that's not half a bad idea," Serena said. Catching a new Pokemon felt good, so she wasn't against the idea of getting another one so soon after Selkid. Plus, they seemed pretty nice and friendly, so no harm in getting close and ask nicely.

However, before they could do anything, they heard what appeared to sound like an explosion, followed by a minor quake. The Owten immediately woke up and flew away in terror.

"Wait, don't go!" Serena begged, disappointed at missing her chance to befriend and catch an Owten. She then looked towards the direction the explosion had come from. "What was that?"

"It came from the mountain," Clemont pointed out.

Then, they heard that noise again, except this time it wasn't accompained by a rumble.

"It appears to sound like a Pokemon battle," Ash said. "And it's not very far away."

Ash immediately rushed forward, followed by his three companions –with Clemont complaining about running without reason–, until they finally found the battle in question: A Raptorch fighting and beating a Mankey. And commanding that Raptorch was no other than Natalie.

"Alright Raptorch, finish with Flame Wheel!" Natalie ordered.

"Rap rap!" Raptorch yipped, as it spun into a ball as its body was coated in flames. The spinning fireball slammed into the Mankey, hurling it backwards and making it fall on its back.

"Well done, Raptorch!" Natalie praised, before she pulled out a pokeball. "Now, time to catch it! Pokeball go!"

The group watched in awe how Natalie threw the pokeball... only to fly past Mankey on a big curve, before landing in the middle of some bushes.

"Oh crap, not again!" Natalie cried, as she ran after the pokeball. "That's my last pokeball! Raptorch, help me find it!"

The Fire Dino Pokemon obediently heeded its trainer's call and helped Natalie look for the pokeball. Unfortunately for her, while the duo was busy, Mankey got up, and seeing their predicament, the Pig Monkey Pokemon wisely ran away.

"Aha!" Natalie said emerging from the bushes, raising the pokeball on her hand as if it was a trophy. "Okay, now... OH COME ON!" she shouted when she realized that the Mankey had left. And just after that, Natalie noticed Ash and his friends. They awkwardly stared at each other, not saying a word or even moving, before Natalie spoke: "You saw that, didn't you?"

All of them (including Pikachu) nodded wordlessly.

Natalie groaned as she dragged her palm through her face. "Of course. As if it wasn't humiliating enough, this time I get an audience," she complained. "Oh well, at least this time I got the pokeball back."

"What do you mean 'this time'?" Clemont asked. "Do you have problem catching Pokemon?"

Natalie smiled awkwardly as she scratched her cheek. "Well..."

…

Natalie was in the middle of a grassland, her Raptorch having just defeated a Birbie.

"Good job Raptorch!" she said, before tossing a pokeball. "Pokeball, go!"

However, the pokeball sailed past Birbie, and fell among several bushes.

"What the hell?" she asked, pulling out another pokeball. "Pokeball, go!"

The pokeball once again sailed above the fainted Birbie, and hit the canopy of a tree instead. There were a chirp of pain followed by the rustle of feathers, as a flock of angry Birbie flew at her, their hostile intentions more than evident.

"AAAAAAAAHHH!" she yelled, running away.

…

Natalie was next to a slope, her Raptorch having just defeated a Cubbug.

"Well done, Raptorch! Time to catch our first Pokemon!" Natalie said, before tossing a pokeball. "Pokeball go!"

But the pokeball sailed past the Cubbug, and went rolling down the slope.

"No no no no NO!" Natalie cried, taking her hands to her face.

…

Natalie was next to a river, her Raptorch having defeated a Fortog.

"Alright, THIS time I'm catching a Pokemon!" Natalie said, before chucking the pokeball with a little less force. "Pokeball go!"

Still, the pokeball sailed past the Fortog, and fell into the water.

"You have to be kidding me!" she screeched.

…

"... so yeah, thanks to my inability to properly toss a pokeball, I haven't caught any new Pokemon yet, and I lost every pokeball except this one," Natalie shamefully admitted.

"If that's a problem, you can always just walk to the Pokemon and touch it with the empty pokeball without tossing it," Bonnie pointed out.

"You can do that?" Natalie asked in shock. "I wish it would have learned of that earlier. Oh well, at least from all the fighting we've been doing Raptorch has gotten pretty strong. Isn't that right, Raptorch?"

"Torch!" the Fire Dino Pokemon yipped, happily wagging its tail.

"Say, have you ever fought against other trainers, or just wild Pokemon?" Ash asked.

"So far, only wild Pokemon. I didn't find any trainers to fight against yet," Natalie explained. "Then again, I just begun my journey!"

"Say, how about a Pokemon battle against me? You aren't going to do so well against a Gym Leader if you never fight against another trainer before," Ash suggested.

"Fight you? Yeah no," Natalie said, crossing her hands in front of her chest for added emphasis. "I saw what that Pikachu of yours can do, and I know you have another Pokemon which is just as strong if not stronger on top of being a Water-type."

"I won't use Pikachu or Greninja," Ash said, as he took out a pokeball, and tossed it, releasing Birbie. "I'll use Birbie."

Natalie narrowed her eyes at the Birbie. She looked as if she was trying to assess how strong the Eden Bird Pokemon was. If she reached the conclusion that Ash caught it back on Lakeside Path, the answer would be "not much".

"I caught Birbie not too long ago. I trained him a bit, but I haven't use him to fight against another trainer yet, so the experience would do him some good," Ash said.

"Bir, birbie!" Birbie happily chirped, ready to fight.

"Oh, if you're going to use a freshly caught Pokemon, then no problem!" Natalie said. "What do you say, Raptorch? Are you ready to fight a more challenging opponent?"

"Rap!" Raptorch yipped, letting out a small spark of fire from its mouth.

"Even if Birbie is a freshly caught Pokemon, he will be directed by a very experienced trainer," Serena adviced Natalie. "You shouldn't keep your guard down."

"Don't worry, I won't," Natalie said, as she and Raptorch put some distance between Ash and Birbie.

Clemont, meanhwile, placed himself between the two combatants, ready to take the role of referee. "This will be a one of one fight between Ash and Natalie, with no time limit! However knocks the opposite side's Pokemon first wins! Ready? Begin!"

~Ash (Birbie) VS Natalie (Raptorch)~

"Alright Natalie, you can go first!" Ash offered.

"Very well then! Raptorch, begin with Mud Slap!" Natalie ordered.

"Torch!" Raptorch cried before turning around, and started to kick blots of mud at the Eden Bird Pokemon.

"Birbie, fly away!" Ash ordered.

"Birb!" Birbie chirped, as he took off, the mud missiles sailing below him.

"We missed!" Natalie cried.

"Ground type attacks aren't very effective against Flying-type Pokemon like Birbie," Bonnie pointed out.

Natalie slapped her forehead. "Dammit! How did I forget something so basic?"

"Birbie, Quick Attack!" Ash ordered.

"Bie!" Birbie chirped, before diving at the earthbound Pokemon, leaving a trail of fading white light behind him.

"Raptorch, dodge-"

However, Birbie turned out to be too fast, and Raptorch was unable to dodge in time. As a result, Birbie slammed into Raptorch, sending the Fire Dino Pokemon crashign backwards.

"Raptorch!" Natalie cried. However, much to her relief, her starter Pokemon quickly jumped to its feet. The brown haired girl sighed. "Good to see you're okay. Alright, time to counterattack! Flame Wheel!"

Raptorch spun his body into a ball, before coating himself in flames, and shot towards Birbie

"Use Gust!" Ash commanded in return.

Birbie took off once again, and started to flap his little wings as fast as he could produced a small tornado between himself and his rival. The moment Raptorch tried to cross through the tornado it was trapped by the wind current, before it was pushed backwards, canceling the attack.

"It didn't work?" Natalie asked, gritting her teeth.

"Now Birbie, Air Cutter!" Ash ordered.

Birbie's wings started to glow with a dim blue light, before flapping them twice, producing two crescent-shaped blades of wind of the same color.

"Try Ember!" Natalie ordered.

"Rap!" Raptorch yipped, as it gathered flames inside its mouth, before releasing them in a flurry of small fireballs. The fire and wind attacks clashed against each other in the middle, producing a small explosion, followed by a cloud of smoke.

"Birbie, use Quick Attack again!" Ash ordered.

Birbie crossed the cloud of smoke at such speed, it blew a hole on it, before he slammed once again into Raptorch, sending the Fire and Ground-type Pokemon crashing backwards.

"Damn, not again!" Natalie seethed, fists clenched in frustration. "That Birbie surpasses Raptorch in speed, and is better at attacking from a distance than Raptorch, so the only way..." Natalie began to murmur, as an idea formed inside her head. "Hey, maybe this could work!"

The fact that Natalie had come up with a new tactic didn't go unnoticed to Ash, who smirked lightly, deciding to test the girl's creativity. "Birbie, Quick Attack again!"

"Birb!"

After flying up to put some distance towards Raptroch, who once again got back on its feet. Even if Raptorch was still able to fight, the previous hits it had endured were starting to take a toll on its body. Birbie dove again like the world's most adorable missile, leaving yet another trail of white light that faded behind him.

"Raptorch, use Bite!" Natalie ordered.

Serena, Bonnie, and Clemont gasped at the order. And just as Birbie was about to slam into Raptorch for the third time, Raptorch opened its mouth and snapped its jaws around Birbie's round body. The momentum of Birbie's attack send Raptorch skidding backwards, but it took almost no damage from the attack.

"Birb! Birb!" Birbie cried in distress, as he tried to break free from Raptorch's tight jaws.

"Yes! We did it!" Natalie said, cheering with both fists raised, finally landing a hit while avoiding an attack. "Now Raptroch, Ember!"

While Birbie was still between its admittedly small jaws, Raptorch gathered fire inside its mouth, coating its jaws in it and setting the trapped Birbie on fire, before the Fire Dino Pokemon brought its head back, and violently slammed Birbie into the ground, sending Birbie bouncing back

"Oh no, Birbie!" Ash cried.

"That attack wasn't merely Ember! I think by using a Fire type move attack while using Bite, Raptorch learned Fire Fang," Serena observed.

"Really? That's awesome!" Natalie cheered.

"Are you okay, Birbie?" Ash asked.

In response, Birbie quickly jumped back to his feet, shook his head to snap out of his dizziness, and wiped some of the sooth from his feathers.

"Birb!" he chirped.

"Good!" Ash said, before looking at Natalie, and smiled. "That was a pretty clever move, Natalie!"

"Well, when your options are taken out one by one, the solution becomes more apparent," she noted. "I wish I came up with that earlier."

"Don't worry about it. Being able to think fast in the middle of a battle is a skill that takes a lot of time to hone," Ash reassured her. "Anyway, let's continue! Birbie, use Gust!"

"We're not going to let a little wind get in the way! Raptorch, run forward and get around the Gust!" Natalie ordered.

"Rap Rap!" Raptorch replied, kicking a cloud of dust as it dashed forward, but avoiding the tornado the way Natalie had instructed it.

"Well done! Time to strike now! Fire Fang!" Natalie ordered.

"RAAAAAP!" Raptorch cried, as it lunged at the airborne Birbie with its jaws wide open, orange and yellow flames pouring from them.

"Birbie, Flash!" Ash called.

Birbie's crest started to glow, before it exploded into a torrent of bright white light, blinding both Raptorch and Natalie. The human girl could shield her eyes in time, but given the close distance, Raptorch wasn't so lucky and was blinded, missing Birbie completely and crashing headfirst into the ground.

"Raptorch, quickly, get up before-"

"Birbie, use Air Cutter!" Ash ordered.

Birbie's wings started to glow with a dim blue light, before flapping them twice, releasing two more crescent-shaped blades of wind at the downed Raptorch, hitting it squarely.

"Raptorch, no!" Natalie cried.

"Finish with Quick Attack!" Ash ordered.

"BIIIIRB!" Birbie cried as he rocketed towards the Fire Dino Pokemon, slamming against it for the third time, sending it flying against a tree with a loud crash, before falling down to the ground with a thud.

"Raptorch can't continue fighting! The winners are Ash and Birbie!" Clemont declared.

"Yes! Good job, Birbie!" Ash cheered.

"Birb birbie!" Birbie chirped, just as happy.

Natalie sighed sadly, and and walked towards her defeated starter. She pulled out a potion from her backpack, and sprayed her Pokemon with it. The wounds slowly began to vanish as Raptorch opened its eyes, sending its trainer an apologetic look. She smiled at it. "You did your best, Raptorch. Return and have a nice rest," she said, returning Raptorch to his pokeball. He then walked towards Ash. "Boy, you kicked our asses so badly with a freshly caught Pokemon. Guess that's what the difference in experience can achieve."

"Hey, don't feel so bad, Natalie. You and Raptorch did a phenomenal job," Ash reassured her.

"Yeah! Using Bite to stop Birbie's Quick Attack was super clever!" Bonnie excitedly added.

"Y-You think so?" Natalie asked, blushing a bit at the compliments.

"Sure! Besides, the only way to improve is to pit yourself against people that can challenge you," Serena said. "You may have lost, but both you and Raptorch came out of this fight a little wiser and stronger."

"Yeah... it never ocurred to me using Bite like that, and thanks to that Raptorch learned Fire Fang, so yeah!" Natalie said, a little more upbeat. "Plus, you said it yourself, I can't expect to face a Gym Leader if I don't fight against other trainers."

"Speaking of which, if you're on this route, I take you're going to Nowtoch City?" Ash asked.

"You bet. It's the closest Gym from home, so I though I could challenge it first," Natalie said. "You're going to challenge it as well, don't you?"

"Pretty much, yeah," Ash replied.

Natalie then looked at Serena. "By the way, Vitor told me that you're a coordinator. You should know that there's no Contest Hall on Nowtoch City, so you should head east instead."

"W-Well, I know, but-"

Natalie slapped her forehead. "Oh sorry, silly me. I can't believe I didn't realize of it sooner. You and Ash are together," Natalie said, making a cross with her index finger.

Serena yelped, and turned beet red, much to Bonnie's amusement and Clemon't confusion. "A-Actually-"

"Yeah, Serena and I travel together," Ash happily agreed, completely oblivious to Natalie's implication. Pikachu shot his trainer a flat look. "We've been together for a long time, since we met all the way back in Kalos."

"I see. It shows," Natalie nodded.

"Clemont and Bonnie have been with us for as long," Ash added, not wanting the rest of his friend to feel left out. "Many people like to travel alone, but I think it's more fun to do it with friends."

"Though, given that we're going to the same place, why don't you come with us?" Bonnie asked. "That way, we get to know each other better!"

"Plus, if we see a Pokemon that catches your interest, we can help you with the capture," Clemont offered.

"Sure, why not? It could be fun," Natalie agreed.

"Great! Nowtoch City Gym, get ready, because here come Ash and Natalie!" Ash said, pointing in the direction of the mountain in front of them. "Nothing can stop us!"

…

"What do you mean, the path is blocked?" Ash indignantly asked.

Unfortunately, there was something that did stop them. Because, after half an hour walking, they found the path blocked by a very large pile of rocks. There were a few Rangers directing some Pokemon that were working on removing the obstacle. Some of them they knew, like Mankey, Primeape, as well as others that didn't know, like a mole-like brown Pokemon with purple legs, and a massive yellow drill for a nose, that the Rangers were using to drill the rocks into smaller bits.

"Modrille, the Drill Pokemon. Ground/Dark. They hate being confined within any space and will always drill their way out of it. Trainers are advised to keep spare Poké Balls on hand," the Pokedex said after the new Pokemon was scanned.

"Just what I said. The recent tremors caused by the quarreling Pokemon in Passage Cave have caused a landslide, making progression impossible," the Ranger explained. "We're working as fast as we can to clear out the area, but it will be a few days until this path is transitable again."

"So that's what caused the tremor we felt before," Bonnie said.

"Hey Clemont, don't you have something among your gadgets that could help with the clearing?" a hopeful Ash asked.

"I'm afraid not. Had I know we would have encounter something like this, I would have devised something," Clemont admitted.

That was a bit odd, given that Clemont always seemed to have a gadget ready just for anything.

"Well, explosions are pretty good at removing debris, aren't they?" Bonnie deadpanned.

"Isn't there anything we can do? Our friends need to go to Nowtoch City so they can challenge the Gym there," Serena asked the Ranger.

The Ranger grabbed the peak of his green hat, and looked towards the west. "Well, you can always try to cross Passage Cave, given that one of its exits lead directly into Nowtoch City. But I wouldn't recommend it, given that it's currently mating time for the Pokemon living there, and they can get a little... territorial."

"If that's the only way to reach Nowtoch City, so be it," Ash said.

"In that case, make sure to have your Pokemon ready to battle. Once the native Pokemon sense you, they'll attack you on sight," the Ranger warned. "You'll find the entrance to Passage Cave following that rocky path to the left."

After thanking the Ranger, the group of five followed the directions he had gave them. They could see how vegetation slowly disappeared, being replaced but nothing but dull brown rocks. Every minute or two a quake shook the land, causing a few peebles to roll down the mountain.

"Here it says that Passage Cave used to be the only way to reach Nowtoch City," Serena explained, reading from her tablet. "But they opened a new path across the mountain in order to have a safer way to reach the city."

"So much for that safer way," Natalie said. "Oh well, let's take this as a challenge. I won't have any business in a Gym if some cave dwelling Pokemon are enough to scare me."

"That's the spirit!" Ash said.

It didn't take them long to reach the entrance of a large cave. Guarding the cave was another Ranger, this time a redheaded woman, accompained by a Folerog, and looking extremely bored. The Ranger was sitting on a large metallic box that had the symbol of the Tandor Ranger Union painted on its sides. The moment she noticed the group approaching, she was snapped of her boredom and stood to attention.

"Whoa there! Hey, are you planning to enter Passage Cave?" the Ranger asked.

"One of your friends told us the usual route is blocked, so yeah, we are going to cross this cave in order to reach Nowtoch City," Ash explained.

"Is there any problems?" Serena asked.

"No. You aren't the only ones crossing the cave now that Owten Nook is blocked. Before you cross, however, you need to have this," the Ranger said, before opening the box and handing the group five gas masks.

"Gas masks?" Clemont asked. "Does this cave have leaking gas deposits or something?"

"Do you know what's a Tonemy, blondie?" the Ranger asked.

"It's a Poison-type Pokemon only found in Tandor," it was Natalie who answered. "They mostly live in caves, and their main method of attack is to release venomous gas."

The ranger nodded in approval. "Somebody did her homework."

"Excuse them. They aren't from here," Natalie said.

Ash and Serena introduced Tonemy's name in their Pokedex. The screen displayed a rather adorable looking pokemon with a small, purple round body, black beady eyes, a small mouth, stubby legs, bat-like wings, a tuft of brown hair on its head, and a furry tail of the same color.

"Tonemy, the Poison Ball Pokemon. Poison. New trainers traveling through caves are advised to bring along antidotes against a Tonemy's poison, which causes great pain if it isn't treated immediately."

"Yikes," Bonnie winced, as she held Dedenne close to her. "I better keep Dedenne safe from those Pokemon."

"Heh, if only the Tonemy were the problem," the Ranger continued. "Tonemy are a bunch of annoying pests, but they ain't the worst of the bunch. There are other species that live on that cave as well. One of them is Barewl. Since they're part Steel type, they don't give a damn about the Tonemy's gassing the caves."

Once again, Ash and Serena introduced the name of the new Pokemon in their Pokedex. This time, the screen displayed a small, round shaped brown Pokemon with stubby legs, a tail, no arms, and a helmet covering its head with a wire sticking out of it. Its face was just a pair of small black eyes, with no mouth or nose.

"Barewl, the Iron Ball Pokemon. Steel/Rock. Incredibly dense metals make up their bodies. They are much heavier than they look. They live in dark caves and feed on rocks and metal ore."

"Well, they don't look that bad. At least we won't have to worry about looking tasty to them," Serena said.

"When the Barewl clash with the Tonemy, they naturally win and drive the purple buggers away. But this causes other species, the Grozard, to show up. Grozard are Ground-types, so the Steel and Rock-type Barewl are easy pickings for them," the Ranger continued.

As expected, Ash and Serena introduced Grozard's name to find information of them. Grozard was a small, orange snake-like Pokemon with small ears, and rocks growing down its back. In the image, it appeared half buried, like a Diglett.

"Grozard, the Seprent Pokemon. Ground. Its snakelike body is almost always partially underground. The tunnels they dig make traveling caves hazardous."

"And when the Barewl are driven away, the Tonemy return. And since Tonemy can fly, they don't have to worry about Grozard's Ground-type attacks. And when the Grozards flee, the Barewl return. Lather, rinse, repeat," the Ranger explained.

"So the three species of Pokemon are engaged in a three way war that neither side can win," Clemont summarized.

"Exactly. But don't think that they'll ignore you to focus on their usual enemies. These Pokemon are very territorial this time of the year, so they'll attack whoever they perceive as an intruder," the Ranger explained. "My advice? Try to cross that cave as quickly as you can, and try not to draw attention to yourselves."

"So, are those all the Pokemon we should worry about?" Clemont asked.

"I think there are a few Dunsparce living there, but there aren't that many and they won't give you any trouble," the Ranger replied.

"If that's all, let's go in," Ash decided. "Thank you for the masks and the advice."

"Don't sweat it. You can thank me by being extra careful while you're inside that cave," the Ranger said, as she moved away in order to let the group pass.

They cautiously entered the cave, as another tremor shook it. Shadows began to grow darker as they walked into the cave and moved away from the entrance. Fortunately, Clemont had a solution.

"Don't worry guys, I've got this! Clemontic Gear on!" Clemont said, as a mechanical arm emerged from the backback. Said arm ended in a satellite dich that resembled the frills of a Heliolisk. With a click, the gadget turned on, projecting a powerful beam of yellow light, illuminating the area.

"Nice one, Clemont. Though I think I can help too," Serena said, as she picked a pokeball. "Braixen, come out and give us some light!"

"You too, Raptorch!" Natalie added.

The two Fire-type Pokemon emerged from the capture devices. Braixen immediately ignited her wand, and alongside Raptorch's ignited tailtip, they provided even more light.

"The light may attract the native Pokemon, but we can't hope to cross the cave quickly if we can't see where are we going," Clemont reasoned.

No one objected to that, and they continued forward, their guards up if they come across a group of hostile Pokemon. They eventually reached a split in the path, branching off in multiple directions.

"Where to?" Ash asked.

"According to this map, in order to reach the exit we should always move to the north. The other tunnels lead to the lair of the native Pokemon," Serena explained, as she read the information from her tablet.

"Well, that solves-" Ash said, but was interrupted by another tremor.

"Guys? Did you feel that?" Bonnie asked.

"Nene!" Dedenne cried, and buried himself inside Bonnie's bag.

"I'm still feeling it right now," Natalie said. "And it's getting stronger!"

"Look!" Clemont said, pointing the light towards one of the branching tunnels.

While at first it didn't appear to be anything, all of them saw multiple bumps on the surface that moved towards them. The closer they come, the more intense the tremors became.

"What's that!?" Bonnie shouted.

"Underground Pokemon!" Ash said in realization. "Come on, move!"

They didn't need to be told twice, and they quickly moved out of the way, returning to the tunnel they came from, just as the underground horde crossed the tunnel, leaving a trail of uneven terrain in its wake.

"They must be Grozard. The Pokedex said they liked to dig and move underground," Ash said.

"They appeared to be in a hurry. As if they were trying to run away from something," Clemont said, rubbing his chin.

"Running away from what?" Bonnie asked.

Natalie's eyes grew wide as she pointed in the direction the Grozard came from. "Perhaps from that!"

Everybody looked in the same direction, and much to their horror, they saw a cloud of purple gas quickly filling the tunnel, moving towards them. Nobody needed to tell that that if they breathed that gas, it wouldn't do them any good.

"A poisonous cloud! It must be a job of the Tonemy!" Serena said.

"The gas masks, now!" Ash commanded once again, as he took his mask and put it on his face, the rest of his companions doing the same.

"Ash! What about Dedenne and Pikachu? We don't have gas masks for them!" Bonnie pointed out.

Of course they didn't. The Ranger probably assumed that they would just return their Pokemon to their pokeballs, but there wasn't a situation that convinced Pikachu to do so, and Clemont had left Dedenne's pokeball back at the Prism Tower. And of course, there were also Braixen and Raptorch, whom they were needed outside to provide light.

"In that case, we'll have to push that cloud back! Birbie, I choose you!" Ash said, tossing a pokeball, which released his first Tandor capture. "Birbie, use Gust to push that cloud of gas back!"

"Bir-Birbie!" Birbie chirped, as he took off, and began to flap his wings as fast as he could producing a powerful gust of wind that successfully pushed the cloud backwards.

"Good job, Birbie! Now everyone, to the next tunnel!" Ash said, as every other human and Pokemon quickly followed his lead.

The tunnel lead into an ample cavern with a small river crossing through it. There were many other tunnels that led to other parts of the cave, but according to Serena, they had to take the northernmost one. Which they would have done, if the cavern wasn't the place of yet another battle, as a bunch of Barewl were pelting some Tonemy with Rock-type attacks. The Tonemy tried to defend themselves, but their Poison and Normal type attacks did little to the small but tough Rock and Steel-type Pokemon, and in no time, the Tonemy flew away.

And then, the Barewl turned around, and glared at the group of humans.

"We're only passing through. Just ignore us, okay?" Natalie asked, trying to sound as nonthreatening as possible.

"REWL!" one of the Barewls yelled, and the rest of the Barewl, numbering in about a dozen, attacked. Half of them charged forward, while the rest attacked from a distance using Rock-type moves, forcing everybody to move away in a different directions, while the charging Barewl split as well.

"Raptorch, Flame Wheel!" Natalie ordered.

"Rap rap!" Raptorch yipped, as its body spun into a ball that was quickly coated in flames, crashing against a trio of Barewl. The attack packed so much force, it send the Rock and Steel-type Pokemon crashing against their brethen behind them.

"Ash, remember how did we defeat that Folerog?" Serena asked.

As the memory dawned upon him, as nodded and smirked knowingly. "Birbie, Gust on those Barewl!"

"What? But a Flying-type attack will do very little against those Pokemon!" Natalie protested.

Both Ash and Birbie ignored her, and the Eden Bird Pokemon once again flapped his wings as hard as he could, creating a tornado localized around the Barewl closest to them. Their double resistance meant that they weren't really perturbed by the move, but that was only the first part of something much worse that was to come.

"Braixen, Flamethrower into the tornado!" Serena ordered.

"Braix!" Braixen cried, as she pointed her wand towards the Gust, releasing a stream of flames.

The Flamethrower combined with the Gust, turning into a blazing tornado. The Barewls inside cried in pain, and jumped out of it before they were cooked alive. Whil their bodies were covered in burn marks, they had still enough energy to run away.

"Ba! Barewl!" one of the Barewl in the back, who appeared to be the leader, screeched as it jumped up and down. The rest of Barewl summoned more Rock-type attacks to bombard the humans and their Pokemon with.

"Pikachu, deflect those rocks with Iron Tail!" Ash ordered.

"Pancham, do the same with Arm Thurst!" Serena ordered as well, while tossing Pancham's Pokeball forward, releasing the Playful Pokemon.

Pikachu's tail glowed with a metallic sheen, as Pancham's arm turned bright white, and the two Pokemon leaped towards the assault of incoming rocks and boulders, shattering them to bits with well timed strikes..

"Wow..." Natalie said in awe.

The Barewls, upon seeing their attack nullified, decided that these foes were too much for them and quickly ran away. Well, except the leader, who protested loudly, and probably called them cowards, before running away as well, seeing that it was vastly outnumbered and outgunned.

"We did it! We made them run away!" Bonnie cheered.

"Nenene!" Dedenne cheered as well.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu, however cried in warning.

"Pikachu is right, this isn't over yet!" Ash said, as he moved from the entrance of the tunnel they just left, as a cloud of poison gas poured into the larger cavern.

And from the cloud of gas, a multitude of Tonemy emerged, letting out high pitched screeches. Some of the Tonemy took a deep breath and exhaled even more poisonous gas, while others used attacks such as Sludge and Shadow Ball.

"Birbie, Gust against that cloud of gas!" Ash ordered. "Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"

"Braixen, Flamethrower! Pancham, Dark Pulse!" Serena called.

"Raptorch, Ember!"

"Luxray, come out and use Discharge!" Clemont said, tossing the pokeball containing his strongest Pokemon.

Birbie once again created a tornado to push the cloud of poisonous gas back, while the Tonemy found themselves at the receiving end of a storm of yellow lightning bolts, a wall of flames, and a stream of pure darkness, forcing them to fly back to where they come from.

And for the first time since the group entered Passage Cave, silence reigned. But aid reign didn't last long, being broken by Natalie groaning loudly.

"Just what's wrong with this cave!? This place's a goddamn warzone!" she complained, not caring that her voice might attract more Pokemon. "If I wasn't with you guys..."

"How long until the exit, Serena?" Clemont asked.

The honey blonde opened her tablet, and checked the map. "We need to take that tunnel, which will take us to another chamber, and on said chamber there's the exit."

"So we aren't that far away from the exit. Good," Natalie said, relieved.

"We can't leave just yet," Ash said, much to everybody else's shock.

"Pika?" Pikachu asked.

"Ash, have you lost your mind? Why do you want to spend more time on this cave with three warring Pokemon groups?" Bonnie asked, frustrated at her friend's decision.

"Natalie is right. We're a large group, but what about trainers who travel alone? Especially inexeperienced trainers. This cave is way too dangerous for them the way it is. We need to stop those Pokemon from constantly fighting. " Ash firmly stated.

"That's all nice and good, Ash, but how do you plan to do it?" Serena asked, crossing his mind. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I see where are you coming from, but what we saw is only a fraction of the Pokemon that live inside this cave. Our Pokemon are strong, but not strong enough to take on such big numbers."

"We may not need to," Ash said. "Pokemon that live in large groups like these ones usually have a leader. If we beat the leader, the rest of the group will fall apart."

"That's only partially true. Sooner or later, another Pokemon will take the place of the leader," Clemont countered.

"But by doing this, we'll be buying the Rangers more time to clear out the debris from Owten Nook," Ash rebutted. "Besides, wasn't the constant battles inside the cave what caused the avalanche to begin with?"

"That's... not really a bad plan," Serena said.

"If you put it that way..." Clemont said.

"I hate to admit it, but Ash has a point," Natalie reluctantly said. "I hate spending more time than I need to on this place, but given how lucky I was to meet you guys before I entered the cave... it would be really selfish of me not to help other trainers as well."

"Alright, in that case, it's settled! Time to teach those Pokemon a lesson until they calm down," Ash said.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu said in agreement.

"If we hope to do it, we need to take on the three groups of Pokemon simultaneously," Clemont interjected. "Otherwise it will be tha same cycle they've been going through with an extra step."

"Very well then. I think Greninja could make short work of the Grozard, so we'll take them," Ash said, as he released the Ninja Pokemon.

"Given that Natalie and I have Fire-type Pokemon, we should go against the Barewl," Serena offered.

"That leaves Bonnie and I with the Tonemy," Clemont said.

"Take Pikachu and Birbie with you," Ash said, much to his two Pokemon's surprise, especially Birbie, something Ash noticed. "I will be fine with Greninja. Birbie can dispel the poisonous clouds with Gust, and Pikachu could give you some additional firepower. Don't worry guys, I simply think that as long as this situation lasts, you'd do better with Clemont."

"Pikapi," Pikachu said, patting Birbie as if telling him not to worry, before he scurried to Clemont's side. The little bird took a look at Ash before doing the same.

"In that case, take Chespin with you," Clemont said, releasing his Grass-type Kalosian starter. "Chespin will do much better against Ground-types than Poison-types."

Pikachu greeted Chespin, and presumably explained him what was going on. Chespin nodded, and quickly walked to Ash's side.

"Oh, and since none of your Pokemon can provide light, you'll need this," Clemont said, as he handed Ash a flashlight.

"Well thought," Ash said, switching the flashlight on. "Now, let's see where this Pokemon come from, and we'll find their main lairs, and hopefully, their leader. Once we're done, let's meet here again."

Everybody nodded, and the three groups entered a different tunnel each.

…

Ash, followed by Greninja and Clemont's Chespin, ran through the tunnel that would lead him towards the Grozard's territory, using Clemont's flashlight to illuminate the path ahead. The Pallet Town native noticed that the tunnel was becoming progressively wider and taller.

"Good, that way, we'll have more space to move during a battle," Ash said to himself.

Once again, the ground started to shake, forcing Ash, his Pokemon, and his borrowed Pokemon to stop. Several bumps of ground moving towards them. Once their were close enough, the bumps stopped, and the upper body of several Grozard burst from them. The closest Grozard's bodies started to glow with a faint orange light, as their bodies released shockwaves that caused the ground below their feet to shift and tremble.

"That's Bulldoze! Guys, move back!" Ash ordered, the two Kalosian starters doing the same.

Meanwhile, the Grozard in the back bombared them with mostly Rock-type attacks, and oddly, a couple Shadow Balls. Ash, however, knew that he couldn't let them set the pace of the battle.

"Greninja, Double Team!" Ash ordered.

"Gre!" Greninja replied, as suddenly, dozen of Greninja copies appeared around the tunnel, much to the Grozard's confusion, as they quickly moved to attack them.

"Good, now that they're distracted, Greninja, Water Shuriken! Chespin, Vine Whip!" Ash commanded.

"Gre-NINJA!"

"Ches!"

Greninja fired a barrage of watery ninja stars, summoning one as soon as another left his webbed hands, while Chespin lashed at the Grozard Greninja wasn't attacking with whips that grew from under his neck.

"Gro! Grooooo!" the Grozard cried, as they were pelted by the barrage of super effective attacks, causing most of them to flee.

"Yes! We puhsed them back! Good job guys!" Ash greeted the two Pokemon. "However, this isn't over yet, not by a long shot! We need to find the leader!"

Both Greninja and Chespin nodded, and followed Ash through the tunnel. They would enocunter a few more Grozard here and there that would attempt to stop their incursion into their home, but they were easily defeated. First by Greninja's Night Slash, another group by Chespin's Pin Missile, then another by Greninja's Aerial Ace.

Ash knew that the key to victory was not to let the enemy not even a moment to breathe. And thus strategy paid off when the human and two Pokemon reached a large cavern that the Pallet Town teen reasoned it was the Grozard's main dwelling. There were several Grozard that were looking at Ash with defiant eyes.

"Sorry Grozard, I didn't want to do this, but you left us with no other option!" Ash replied, sensing the hostility the wild Pokemon were projecting onto him, while his auburn eyes tried to guess which one was the leader.

Then, the ground started to shake, much more violently than it did before. However, Ash could tell that this wasn't a Ground-type attack caused by the Grozard. As the Grozard present quickly dug underground to flee, Greninja and Chespin tensed up, as if sensing that a great danger was about to come.

"TER!"

That moment, a new Pokemon burst from underground. Like Grozard, it was an orange serpent, only much, much larger, whose body split into two necks with a horned head each. Both heads pierced Ash and his Pokemon with a fierce glare.

"Whoa! Just... what is that!?" Ash asked, quickly scanning it with his Pokedex.

"Terlard, the Double Worm Pokemon, and Grozard's evolved form. Ground/Dragon. Their two heads have completely independent brains. That they ever manage to coordinate at all is a miracle." The Pokedex droned.

"So you're a Terlard. An evolution. I imagine that you must be the leader of this bunch, right?" Ash asked, not really expecting for the two headed Pokemon to confirm his suspicions. "I don't know what's gotten into your and your pack, but this senseless violence needs to stop!"

One of the heads lunged towards Ash, jaws wide open, ready to crush him between them. The Kantonian trainer's reflexes kicked in, making him jump backwards, just before Greninja got between them and swatted the offending head with powerful slap.

"Whoa!"

"GRE!" Greninja yelled, piercing Terlard with an angry glare.

"So, a fight it is. I'm sorry to do this, but you and your friends are making this cave and its surroundings much more dangerous than they need to be, and you need to calm down! Greninja, Water Shuriken! Chespin, Vine Whip!"

Once again, Greninja formed two watery shuriken between his fingers, before tossing them at Terlard, while Chespin lashed out with a pair of whips that emerged from his neck. Terlard's heads opened their jaws, releasing a wall of purple, blue and magenta flames, blocking the attacks.

"Watch out! That was a Dragon Pulse!" Ash noted. "This Terlard is much stronger than the Grozard we had faced!"

Terlard's tail, which was also split in two, with a jagged spade at the end of each tip, burst from underground behind Greninja, and smacked him in the back, making him fall on the ground facefirst.

"Greninja!" Ash cried.

Terlard tried to capitalize on its advantage by breathing yet another Dragon Pulse at him, but was stopped by Chespin wrapping his whips around each of his necks without Ash having to order him, pulling Terlard back.

"Well done, Chespin!" Ash praised the Grass-type.

"Ches ches!" the Spiny Nut Pokemon happily replied, before Terlard reared its heads back, violently pulling the much smaller Pokemon. "PIIIIIIIN!"

"Greninja, grab Chespin!" Ash commanded. "Chespin, release your Vine Whip!"

"Ninja!" Greninja cried, as he leaped towards Chespin just as Clemont's Pokemon let go of Terlard, and was grabbed by Greninja's arm.

"Well done!" Ash said. "Now, use Double Team!"

After seeting Chespin on the ground, Greninja filled the cavern with duplicates. Both heads looked around in confusion, before angrily snarling. Their shared body began to glow, as they shockwaves through the ground that caused the whole place to violently shake, causing small rocks from drop from the ceiling, and quickly dispelling the illusions.

"Whoa! That was an Earthquake!" Ash said, trying to keep his balance. "Be careful! This Terlard seems to be on a different league than the other Pokemon of this cave!"

Having only two enemies to worry about, Terlard continued to bombard them with Dragon Pulses, with one head aiming for Greninja, and the other head aiming for Chespin, forcing them onto the defensive.

Ash wracked his brain thinking how to defeat this opponent. If everything else failed he had Battle Bond, but he didn't want to rely on that for a mere wild Pokemon. But Double Team had proved to be useless, and Chespin could only help so much and-

Ash smirked as an idea dawned upon him. "Chespin, when Terlard fires again, use Vine Whip again! But this time, tie both necks together!"

"Ches?" Chespin asked, unsure, remembering what happened the last time he tried that.

"Just trust me on this! Everything will be fine!" Ash promised.

"Ches..." Chespin unsurely said, as Terlard's mouth billowed with purple flames.

The Spiny Nut Pokemon jumped once again to dodge Terlard's Dragon Pulse, before using Vine Whip once again, tying both necks together.

"Quickly Greninja, use Night Slash before Chespin is pulled away!" Ash shouted.

"Gre!"

Greninja leaped towards Terlard as he summoned a dark energy blade with purple edges, slashing the Double Worm Pokemon's two faces. One head tried to pull back, but the other tried to get rid of Chespin's bindings, meaning that they got nothing done.

"Laaaaaaard...!" Terlard cried in pain as just like the Grozard before, dug underground in order to flee the two Kalosian Pokemon's onslaughts, forcing Chespin to release it.

After Terlard feld, silence reigned supreme, as Ash and the two Pokemon tensed up, almost sensing that Terlard was going to come back with a vengeance. But said moment never came.

"It seems that guy had enough," Ash said, deciding he could lower his guard and relax for the time being. "Come on, let's see if we can help the others."

…

Meanwhile, Serena and Natalie rushed through another tunnel, one that lead into the Barewl's territory. The army of Iron Sphere Pokemon tried to bombard them with Rock-type attacks, but Pancham took care of them while Braixen and Raptorch roasted them with powerful Fire-type attacks.

Braixen would shower them in flames with Flamethrower, forcing them to disperse besides harming them. Raptorch would then pick them one by one with Flame Wheel, Ember or Mud Slap. And whenever they counterattacked, usually with Rock-type moves, Pancham would spring into action, shatter the rocks with a well placed Arm Thurst, or pushing them back with Dark Pulse.

Eventually, the girls reached a large cavern teeming with Barewl, with the Barewl leader in the middle, angrily barking orders, frustrated at how its troops were unable to keep their domain safe from invaders.

"Natalie, watch out, Raptorch is about to get flanked!" Serena warned the brown haired girl.

And indeed, while Raptorch was using Fire Fang on a Barewl, another was coming at him from one of his sides.

"Raptorch, slam the Barewl you're holding against the one coming from your left!" Natalie commanded.

The Fire Dino Pokemon did so, neutralizing two enemy Pokemon with a single move.

"Rewl, rewl!" the Barewl leader screeched.

The other Barewl nodded, and started to use their Rock-type attacks as well. Not on the girls and their Pokemon, but to build a small hill of piled rocks.

"What... what are they doing?" Natalie asked.

Once the two hills were big enough, the Barewl started to climb it from the far side, and slide it the front side like a sledge while rolling, launching themselves at the intruders at high speed. Some of then missed, slamming violently against the walls of the cavern, making it shake, but others were really close to their marks.

"Quickly, fall back! To the tunnel!" Serena urged.

Natalie nodded, as she and the Pokemon followed Serena into the relative safety of the narrow tunnel.

"What... what the hell are they doing?" Natalie asked, panting heavily.

"They're using Rollout. The small mounds of rocks is to help them build up speed so Rollout is even stronger," Serena explained, having realizing what was their plan. "The moment we enter their lair, more Barewl will come barreling at us at great speed. I doubt our Pokemon can take more than one hit that carries so much force."

"For a bunch of walking rockheads, that's a pretty clever tactic," Natalie said, sounding annoyed, but still holding some hint of admiration for their tactics. "Maybe we should wait for them to come to us, but it doesn't seem like they plan to leave their lair."

"So we are at a stalemate," Serena sighed.

"These Pokemon are quite tough. Your boyfriend must be having a hard time, given that he's all alone and with only two Pokemon," Natalie said.

"Um, about that..." Serena began, her cheeks turning pink. "Ash is not my boyfriend. We're traveling together, but that's it."

Natalie raised an eyebrow. "He isn't? You would have fooled me. Given the way you act around him and..." Natalie trailed off, a wide smile spreading across her face as a realization dawned upon her. "Sweet Twin Gods! You do like him, don't you?"

"Can we talk about my love life later? We have a bunch of Pokemon to subdue," Serena chastised the younger girl.

"Right, right, sorry," the brown haired girl said. She peeked through the tunnel exit, just enough not to be seen. The Barewl were still there, with the leader in the middle and two of them on the top of the rock mounds, ready to Rollout them to death the moment they entered the place. "Hmmm... it seems they're still waiting for us to make our move."

Serena also took a peek at the army of small Pokemon that waited for her. "If we could only take down the leader, the others wouldn't be a threat."

"The problem is, they vastly outnumber us, and the moment we step into their dwelling, our Pokemon are going to get steamrolled," Natalie said. "If there was a way to distract them, or stun them or something... it doesn't need to be long term, just long enough for us to get to the leader."

The gears inside Serena's brain began to turn, as she realized she had a Pokemon that could be of help. Her hand reached one of her two unopened pokeballs. "Perhaps we can disable them for a little while. Selkid, come out!"

"Sel!" the Sea Nymph Pokemon said upon being released.

"Whoa!" Natalie gasped upon seeing the Water and Fairy type. She crouched down to inspect her, causing Selkid to wimper and hide behind Serena's leg, not that the Moki Town girl was deterred by such reaction. "You have a Selkid? You just arrived at Tandor, and got your hands on a Selkid? How? Where? We aren't even close to the sea!"

"It's... a long story," Serena said. "Anyway, what's important now is that Selkid can be of a lot of help. Selkid, I need you to use Sing to put the Pokemon inside that cavern to sleep. But be sure not to get too close to the tunnel exit."

"S-Sel!" Selkid replied affirmatively, leaving the relative safety of Serena's leg, and walking towards the edge of the tunnel entrance.

"Everyone, cover your ears," Serena told both Natalie and their Pokemon, which did as instructed.

Selkid began to intone a soft, melodious song, as ethereal musical notes started to appear around the cavern, slowly floating around the place. The Barewl inside started to get drowsy, some of them dropping on their faces and snoring.

"It works!" Natalie cheered.

"Yes, it does! No time to waste! Get to the leader, my Pokemon will cover you!" Serena urged. "Briaxen, create an opening with Flamethrower!"

"Yes! Come on Raptorch!" Natalie said, as she and her started rushed into the cave.

Selkid's Sing hasn't been able to put all the Barewl to sleep. Many of them were only groggy and forcing themselves to wake up, with some not even drowsy at all. Still, Braixen's Falmethrower was enough to force most of the awake Barewl into the defensive. When they tried to attack Natalie and Raptorch, their Rock-type attacks were stopped by an Arm Thurst and a Water Pulse.

Natalie finally reached the leader, angrily barking orders at its minions, trying to wake them up.

"Raptorch, Flame Wheel!" Natalie ordered.

"Torch!" Raptorch yipped, as he curled into a spinning ball, before his body was coated in flames, and smashed against the distracted Barewl.

"Bar!" Barewl yelled, looking angrily at Raptorch. Several rocks appeared above the Fire Dino Pokemon, before they fell down on it.

"Quickly, dodge!" Natalie said, as her Pokemon nimbly moved, avoiding the falling boulders. "Now, Mud Slap!"

Raptorch sweeped the ground with its tail, sending a wave of mud at the Barewl leader, covering it in grime, and leaving its vision impaired. It began to cry in pain and indignation as its tail glowed with a metallic sheen, and swung it aimlessly.

"Now, Fire Fang!" Natalie ordered.

Raptorch's mouth was filled with flames, as it trapped the Barewl leader between its blazing jaws, before slamming it on the ground. Natalie grabbed her last empty pokeball.

"Pokeball go-" Natalie was about to toss the pokeball, but stopped herself before the ball could leave her hand. "You know what? I'm not risking it again."

And Natalie ran towards the Barewl and poked it with her pokeball still in her hand, only allowing herself to drop it the moment Barewl was turned into pure energy and absorbed into the capture device. The pokeball shook a couple times before it dinged, confirming the successful capture. Natalie picked up the pokeball and raised it like a trophy.

"Yes, I captured a Barewl! My first capture!" she cheered. "About damn time! Remind me to thank Bonnie when I see her again."

The few awake Barewl, upon seeing their mighty leader defeated, cried in horror and ran away from the cavern. Serena, followed by her Pokemon, walked towards Natalie as she looked around the area. She nodded in satisfaction.

"I think these Barewl won't cause anymore trouble, at least for the time being," Serena said. "We're done here. Come on, let's see if the others need our help."

…

On another part of the cave, Clemont and Bonnie battled the area where all the Tonemy lived. The purple winged Pokemon attempted to drown them with toxic gas, but whenever they attempted such a tactic...

"Birbie, Gust!" Bonnie commanded. Bonnie was the one commanding Ash's Pokemon, so Clemont could focus on his own Pokemon.

"BIIIIIRB!" Birbie chirped, as he flapped his wings as fast as he could, producing a wind current, pushing the gas backwards, much to the Tonemy's confusion.

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Bonnie added.

"Luxray, Swift!" Clemont ordered. "Bunnelby, Wild Charge!"

Unlike the Grozard and the Barewl, who used direct attacks, it seemed that the Tonemy's tactic was exclusively to flood the tunnels with Poison Gas, and once somebody countered that tactic, they didn't know what to do.

Some of them attempted something different, like using Gunk Shot or getting close and smack them with Steel Wing. But their attacks proved to be ineffective, with the rangers falling victim to Pikachu's Electro Ball and Birbie's Air Cutter, and those who dared to come close felt the power of Luxray's Thunder Fang and Bunnelby's Double Slap.

Needless to say, it didn't take long for the Tonemy to fly away, letting out scared screeches.

"You're doing great! Keep pressing forward, and we'll get to their lair!" Clemont said, as he and his Pokemon advanced, with Bonnie and Ash's Pokemon covering their rear. "Hopefully we'll find the leader there."

"How will we know who's the leader?" Bonnie asked. "They all look the same to me."

"Pack leaders usually have this imposing presence to them that show everybody that they're in charge," Clemont said. "Once we see it, we'll know."

"If you say so," Bonnie said.

They followed the tunnel until they reached to a large stone chamber that had a couple of tunnel exits to the sides. Dozens upon dozens of Tonemy flew around the place, and the moment they saw the intruders, half of them dived at the newcomers, while the other half released clouds of toxic gas.

The tactic didn't have any more success than the previous times they attempted it. Birbie once again pushed the noxious clouds back with Gust, while Pikachu fired Electroballs and Thunderbolts. Luxray fired barrages of golden stars that homed onto the Tonemy, while Bunnelby slapped the Tonemy that got close.

Desperation spread among the Tonemy, given that neither their numbers or abilities were making any dent on the invaders, with a good chunk of them flying away.

"Yes! They're running away!" Bonnie cheered. "Do you think we got the leader?"

"Probably," Clemont said. "One of our attacks must have knocked it out, so once they saw-"

Clemont, however, was interrupted when one of the few remaining Tonemy, strangely enough, landed on the ground –the first time they saw a Tonemy touch the floor–, and much to his and Bonnie's shock, after a crackling sound, began to glow with a white light, and started to grow larger.

"It is... evolving?" Bonnie fearfully asked.

"I think we just found the leader," Clemont said, his eyes fixed on the evolving Pokemon.

When the light disappeared, Clemont and Bonnie could take a better look at the new Pokemon. It was much, much larger than a Tonemy, with a robust body supported by four thick legs, a huge mouth full of sharp teeth, large nostrils, and a ridge of light brown fur running down its back, ending in a furry tail. Tonemy's vestigial wings were at the sides of its head, looking like ears, but it was obvious that this Pokemon was not capable of flight.

"TOFURANG!" the newly evolved Pokemon roared.

"Tofurang? That's its name?" Bonnie asked.

Many of the Tonemy that had left returned to the chamber, flocking around their new and powerful leader. Clemont gulped, but reigned in his doubts and fear.

"Alright, my Pokemon and I will deal with this new threat. Bonnie, use Ash's Pokemon to cover our backs," Clemont told his sister.

"Leave them to me!" Bonnie replied.

The Tonemy charged again, several towards Bonnie and Ash's Pokemon, and others towards Clemont and his Pokemon. Bonnie did a good job keeping them out of his back, even if she missed some of them. Fortunately, Bunnelby was there to swat away the rest with powerful Double Slap.

"Luxray, Wild Charge on that Tofurang!" Clemont ordered.

"Ray!" Luxray's body began to crackle with electricity, before rocketing towards the purple skinned behemoth.

In response, Tofurang's body glowed with an orange aura, and charged forward, leaving a trail of cracked ground in its wake. The two Pokemon met in the middle, the energy of both attacks exploding into a blast of kinetic energy that blew a gust of wind and sent both Pokemon skidding backwards.

"Luxray, are you okay?" Clemont asked, worried.

"Lux...!" Luxray said with a nod, before his eyes focused again on the enemy.

"That was Giga-Impact," Clemont noticed. "That Pokemon got a huge power boost upon evolving."

Tofurang took a deep breath, before opening its mouth, releasing a wall of purple sludge at Clemont's pokemon. The Lumiose Gym Leader immediately identified the attack.

"And that's Sludge Wave! Bunnelby, quickly counter it with Mud Shot!" Clemont ordered.

"Bun!" Bunnelby created a golden energy sphere between his ears, and launched it at the incoming wave of detritus. The golden sphere burst into mud, stopping Tofurang's attack.

"Bunnelby, watch out!" Bonnie called.

Too late. A pair of Tonemy flew towards Bunnelby and smacked him with a Steel Wing each when he was mid air, sending him crashing down against the rock floor.

"BUUUUN!"

"Bunnelby!" Clemont cried.

Before the Tonemy could attack the downed Bunnelby, Luxray moved to intercept, shielding Bunnelby with his body, while frying the nearby Tonemy with a potent Discharge.

"Well done, Luxray!" Clemont said. "But don't lower your guard! Tofurang is coming after you!"

Because, indeed, Tofurang was charging at Luxray with its mouth wide open, its sharp teeth glowing with a purple light, which made Clemont realize it was going to use Poison Fang on the Gleam Eyes Pokemon. Fortunately, Clemont knew what to do.

"Bunnelby, quickly, Dig!" he ordered.

Bunnelby jumped into the air, and began to rapidly spin, drilling into the ground with his whole body.

"Luxray, dodge the attack!" Clemont told his Electric-type Pokemon.

Luxray managed to jump out of the way just as Tofurang's venomous jaws closed upon him. The purple Pokemon tried to bite Luxray multiple times, but the Gleam Eyes Pokemon used his superior speed to dodge every time and run circles around it.

Then, the ground below Tofurang cracked, and Bunnelby burst from underground, slamming into Tofurang.

"Luxray, now! Thunder Fang!" Clemont commanded.

"Lux-RAY!" Luxray cried, as electricity poured out of his mouth, before he sank his teeth onto the larger Pokemon.

Tofurang cried in pain as electricity ran through his body.

"And Bunnelby, Wild Charge!"

Bunnelby's body crackled with yellow electricity as he launched himself towards Tofurang, slamming into its body, and zapping it once again for good measure.

"To...fu..." Tofurang panted, as it stumbled backwards, its body covered in smoking burn marks, before it turned around, and escaped through one of the exit tunnels.

Seeing their leader defeated, the Tonemy swarm panicked and flew away in every direction, trying to escape the mighty invaders that had invaded their home. Clemont let out a sigh of both relief and tiredness.

"Finally..." Clemont said.

"Yes! Victory!" Bonnie cheered, pumping his fist into the air. "Great work, guys!"

"Nenene!" Dedenne cheered as well.

…

A few minutes later, the group of five reunited once again in the same chamber they had split before, returned their borrowed Pokemon to their rightful trainer, and told the others about what they had fought before. Clemont and Bonnie told them about how a Tonemy had spontaneously evolved into a Tofurang, and the other three quickly introduced the name into their Pokedex.

"Tofurang, the Cave Beast Pokemon, and Tonemy's evolved form. Poison. Unable to fly or move swiftly like Tonemy, Tofurang instead catch their prey by exhaling a poison gas that makes Pokémon sluggish." The Pokedex explained.

"It seems we all had our share of tough enemies," Natalie commented.

"But we persevered, and came out on top!" Ash added.

"Exactly," Clemont said with a nod.

"And what's most imporant: this cave will be now much safer to cross now that those Pokemon won't cause anymore trouble," Serena said. "At the very least, until the Rangers can clear out Owten Nook."

"Indeed. And speaking of which, shall we continue forward? I think I had enough of this cave," Clemont suggested.

Clemont was far from the only one who wanted to leave Passage Cave behind. Following the map, the group continued traveling north, this time without any hostile Pokemon attempting to attack them, until they finally reached the exit. The light of the sun and the blue skies were a welcomed sight after spending so much time inside that dark cave.

At the exit of the cave was another Ranger, next to another box identical to the one at the entrance. They handed them the gas masks and thanked them for their service. The Ranger told them that all they needed to do was continue forward and they'd reach Nowtoch City.

"Look! I can see a city into the distance!" Bonnie said, pointing forward. "Is that Nowtoch City?"

"If what the Ranger told us is true, then it has to be!" Ash said, the thought of his first Tandor Gym Battle filling him with excitement. Without any warning, he started running towards the city "Come on guys, let's go!"

The rest of the group quickly rushed after Ash –though Clemont protested about having to run without any need– as they headed towards Ash and Natalie's first major milestone in their journey.

Chapter Text

Nowtoch City

Just like the Ranger had said, it didn't take long for the group to arrive at Nowtoch City. As per usual, a sign greeted the group:

Welcome to Nowtoch City

The Bustling City in the Mountains!

After the small, rural towns of Moki and Kevlar, the group wasn't expecting to find themselves entering such a large city, in both extension as well as height, given that there were multiple skyscrappers that stuck out of the skyline. The city, however, wasn't all concrete, steel and glass, as there were numerous green areas, such as parks, as well as plenty of trees planted across the sidewalks, as well as around the edges of the city.

While Ash had wanted to go straight to the Gym as soon as they entered the city. However, Serena convinced her that doing so wouldn't be the best option right now, given that they had spent a lot of time inside a cave battling literal armies of wild Pokemon left and right.

"And you want your Pokemon to be at your best when you face your first Gym Leader, don't you?" Serena had asked.

And no matter how much Ash wanted to rebuke that question, he was unable to come up with any arguments, and conceded she had a point. So they headed straight towards the Pokemon Center in order to get their Pokemon restored to their best, and would take the afternoon to rest.

Natalie said she was going to a Pokemart in order to buy some more pokeballs, as well as other necessities, and Serena had suggested to go and do some general shopping. She was hoping that a large city like Nowtoch would have something more to offer in terms of shops than the small towns of Kevlar and Moki, something Natalie had agreed with. Bonnie also decided to tag along, leaving the boys alone in the Pokemon Center.

Ash didn't want to rest. Normally, he would train, but given that his Pokemon needed to rest, he couldn't do that either. So he was now sitting on the lobby of the Pokemon Center, doing the next best thing: find information about the Gym Leader he was about to face.

"So, how's the research going?" Clemont asked, coming with a pair of soda cans in his hands. He handed one to Ash, which he happily accepted.

"Did you know that the Nowtoch City Gym Leader, Maria, used to be Tandor's Champion?" Ash asked.

Clemont's eyes opened wide in shock. "No way! They weren't kidding when they said that Tandor's Gym Leaders were much tougher than average!"

"Yeah. Though being a Champion works a little different here than in other regions," Ash said, as his eyes looked at the screen of the Pokedex. "Rather than the League winner having to fight the Elite Four and then the reingning Champion, the League winner becomes Champion directly. Then, the reinging Champion must enter the League in order to defend their title. If the Champion declines to return, they automatically give up the title and becomes vacant until the next League winner.

"Maria won the League the last three years, but this year announced that she wasn't going to defend her title anymore, and decided to become a Gym Leader instead," Ash finished his explaination. "Her Gym also doubles as a trainer school, where she teaches young children how to become proper trainers. Huh, just like Roxanne."

"Don't you think that fighting a former Champion is a little too much for your first Gym Challenge?" Clemont asked, looking a little worried for his friend's chances. "Not to mention Natalie, who is a beginner. Even if Gym Leaders use weaker teams desginated to fight beginners, it might still be too much for her."

"On the contrary, it gets me even more pumped! I mean, I can't hope to be a Pokemon Master if I only take the easiest road, don't you think?" Ash asked. "Besides, it's not that I'm a stranger to Champions. Diantha wasn't even the first Champion I battled against."

"Yes, but have you ever defeated a Champion before?" Clemont asked.

"I have faith that my Pokemon can push through any obstacle, no matter how big it is," Ash said, looking at Pikachu. "Right buddy?"

"Pi, pika!" Pikachu happily agreed.

"If you say so," Clemont replied, but didn't sound very convinced.

…

The next morning, the group of five headed towards Nowtoch Gym. Unlike the many skyscrappers, the Gym was a mere two story building, rather simple in design, with the symbol of the Pokemon League above the entrance that separated it from the rest of the buildings. As the automatic doors slided open, a soft chime announced to the people inside of the newcomers.

"Welcome to Nowtoch Gym!" the receptionist, a maroon haired woman in her forties, greeted the group, smiling. "Did you come to join Maria's trainer school, or do you plan to challenge her to a Gym Battle?"

"The latter," Ash added.

The receptionist then noticed the size of the group, and arched an eyebrow. "Are all of you going to challenge her?"

"No, just me and Natalie," Ash said, pointing at the younger girl.

"Very well then. Please follow that corridor to my left, and you'll find the battleground. Meanwhile, I'll inform Maria that she has challengers," the recptionist said, as she grabbed the phone. "She's usually teaching now, but she's willing to interrupt her classes to face challengers."

"Thank you," Ash said, as he and the rest of the group walked towards the corridor the receptionist had told them about.

After walking out of the corridor, the group reached the battleground, just like the receptionist had told them. The Nowtoch Gym battleground was a pretty standard field of dirt, without any frills, bells or whistles. Rather fitting for a Normal-type specialist as Maria.

A few seconds later, another door leading into the battleground opened, and a group of children lead by a pair of young women walked in. One of the women was carrying a pair of flags and a jacket with the Pokemon League symbol on its breast, meaning that she was a referee.

The other, whom everybody presumed was Maria, was a woman in her late twenties, with straight black hair that fell down her back, gray eyes, and fair skin. She was wearing a short sleeved white shirt, a pair of jeans, and maroon sneakers.

"Alright children, sit down, and don't make any noise, understood?" Maria told the children, who nodded and went to sit on the bleachers around the battleground, while Maria herself headed towards the group. "Heya! Welcome to my Gym! I'm Maria, the Gym Leader. So, I was told that I had a pair of challengers eager to battle me."

"That's correct! My name is Ash-"

"-Ketchum from Pallet Town," Maria said, much to the boy's surprise.

"You... you know who I am?" Ash asked.

"Yep. The latest Kalos League was pretty intense, and that was before all the stuff with Team Flare. I showed many of the matches in class, since you can learn quite a lot from them,"Maria explained. "And who is the other challenger...?"

"That would be me," Natalie said, raising her hand. "Name's Natalie Raine."

"Raine? Oh, I see, you're one of Kellyn's kids, are you?" Maria asked,

"Kellyn?" Ash repeated. "As in, Kellyn the Ranger?"

"Chief Ranger," Maria clarified. "You know him? Have you met him already?"

"I met him sometime ago in Sinnoh," Ash said. "So, he's now working on Tandor?"

"Sinnoh?" Natalie asked. "Oh, you must have met my older brother, Kellyn Jr."

"So, you have another brother besides Vitor?" Serena asked.

"Yep. He decided to follow dad's footsteps and become a Ranger. When he was old enough, he left Tandor in order to see the world and hone his skills," Natalie explained.

"Anyway, back on track," Maria interrupted, crossing her arms. "You two want to challenge me for a badge. So, who's going to go first?"

Ash looked at Natalie and smiled at her. "Ladies first?"

Natalie rubbed her arm and averted Ash's gaze. "Actually... how about you go first? That way, I'd get a better idea of what to expect of a Gym battle. If you don't mind."

"Not at all. I hope you can learn a thing or two by watching me fight, then," Ash said.

"And she won't be the only one. My children are really excited to see one of the Kalos League finalists in action, live," Maria said, as she and Ash walked towards the battleground. "So, even if this is your first Gym Battle in Tandor, given that you're an experienced trainer, I'm going to use some of my strongest Pokemon. Is that okay?"

"Sure. I want you to do your worst," Ash confidently said.

"Well, well, somebody has a lot of faith in his chances," Maria laughed, as she and Ash took their respective places. "Did you know that you're about to face a former Champion?"

"I do. And that makes it even better," Ash replied.

The referee raised both her flags. "This is an official Gym Battle between the Gym Leader Maria, and Ash Ketchum. The battle will be single format with no time limit, and each trainer will use up to three Pokemon. The battle will be over when one side has no more Pokemon remaining. Only the challenger may make substitutions. Trainers, select your first Pokemon."

"Alright Pikachu, I choose you!" Ash said.

"Pika!" Pikachu happily replied, jumping from Ash's shoulder and landing on the ground on all fours, electric sparks jumping from his feet.

"So you start with your famous Pikachu. Well, I guess if you want to deal with a mouse, the best answer is a cat. Felunge, go!" Maria said, tossing a pokeball forward.

The pokeball opened, releasing a bipedal cat-like Pokemon, with white fur, the fur on one of its front paws being orange and the other brown, and its feet of the opposite colors. It also had a brown patch of fur over one eye and an orange one over the other. It had two tails, one brown and the other orange. The Pokemon reminded Ash of Feleng, another cat-like Pokemon he had seen during Serena's first contest. He pulled out his Pokedex to scan it:

"Felunge, the Nimble Cat Pokemon, and Feleng's evolution. Normal. They're are expert hunters, able to see in very low light and move without a sound. Many people keep them to deter pests such as Chynimunk."

"Your Felunge looks strong. But you're going to need a much bigger cat to deal with this mouse!" Ash boasted.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu empathically added.

The referee lowered both flags in a chopping motion. "Begin!"

~Challenger Ash (Pikachu, ?, ?) VS Gym Leader Maria (Felunge, ?, ?)~

"Pikachu, let's start with Quick Attack!" Ash ordered.

"Pika!" Pikachu said, before dashing forward towards his feline opponent, leaving a trail of fading white light behind.

"Counter it with Brick Break!" Maria ordered.

"Fel!" Felunge meowed, as one of its paws started to glow white, and the moment Pikachu leaped towards it, it slammed its glowing paw onto Pikachu's head, sending the electric mouse bouncing backwards.

"Pikachu!" Ash cried.

"Well done, Felunge! Now, Fury Swipes!" Maria ordered.

Felunge's claws seemed to grow twice their size, while also glowing with a white light, as the Nimble Cat Pokemon moved to slice Pikachu. On his part, Pikachu did his best to dodge and evade all the slashing swipes aimed at him, while being pushed back. Pikachu tripped and fell on his back. Felunge smirked, and leaped into the air while raising one of its claws, ready to deliver a brtual strike.

Fortunately, Pikachu rolled on his back just as Felunge's claw smashed against the ground, opening a small creater, and the Mouse Pokemon jumped back to his feet.

"Well done, Pikachu! Now, use Thunderbolt!" Ash said.

"Pikaaaa...!" this time, it was Pikachu who jumped into the air, as sparks jumped from his cheeks, before his body releasing a powerful bolt of electricity towards his Normal-type enemy. "CHUUUUUUUUUU!"

"Felunge, dodge it with Dig!" Maria shouted.

Felunge jumped into the air, spinning its body rapidly until it became a living tornado, before drilling itself underground just as the Thunderbolt passed towards him.

Ash smirked confidently. "Let me show you what we do with Pokemon who think they can escape from us by going underground! Pikachu, Iron Tail on the field!"

"What?" Maria asked in surprise.

Pikachu jumped into the air, his tail glowing with a silvery sheen, before he slammed his tail into the battleground, smashing a large hole on it and sending many rocks flying in every direction. And most importantly, forcing Felunge out into the open once again.

"And Iron Tail again!" Ash commanded.

"Block it with Shadow Claw!" Maria ordered.

"Pika!" Pikachu shouted, as he leaped towards the still airborne Felunge, swinging his tail against it. Felunge's claws were coated in a black ghostly aura, and used them to parry Pikachu's Steel-type move. However, it wasn't enough, and Felunge was sent crashing against the ground, while Pikachu landed on his feet.

…

Meanwhile, back on the bleachers, Maria's kids were cheering, mostly for her, but also because they were enjoying the battle. Sitting near them were Ash's friends and Natalie.

"Whoa, I knew Ash was good, but not this good!" the Tandorian girl said. "I don't think I would have come up with something like using Iron Tail on the ground to counter Dig."

"Ash is a very experienced trainer. When you have fought as much as he has, coming up with new tactics quickly become a second nature," Serena explained. "When he started training me for Contest Battles, I didn't have much idea of complex tactics either, but the more we sparred, the easier it became."

"Let's hope it's true, because I don't think I'm going to get very far as a trainer if this is my competition," Natalie said.

…

Back on the battleground, despite Pikachu's direct hit, Felunge quickly jumped back to its feel, showing that it still had enough energy to continue the battle.

"Are you okay, Felunge?" Maria asked. The Nimble Cat Pokemon nodded, and its trainer smiled. "Good! This was just a little setback."

"This will be more than a mere setback! Pikachu, use Electroball! Rapid fire!" Ash ordered.

"Pika!" Pikachu jumped into the air, forming a sphere of yellow electricity on the tip of his tail, before tossing it at the Nimble Cat Pokemon, followed by another, and another, and another.

"Do you plan to exhaust Felunge by either forcing it to dodge or to parry, but that's not going to work. Felunge, grab one of those boulders and use it as a shield!" Maria ordered.

"Lunge!" Felunge said, as it tan towards one of the many boulders that Pikachu's Iron Tail had scattered around the battleground, grabbed one almost as big as the feline Pokemon was, and used it as a shield to absorb the incoming barrage of electric spheres.

"What?" now, it was Ash's turn to be surprised.

"You don't get to be a champion if you don't know how to think outside the box," Maria said. "Now Felunge, grab onto that boulder, and move towards Pikachu!"

"Fe, lunge!" the Nimble Cat Pokemon said, rushing forward.

"Not a bad idea, but your plan has a glaring hole in it!" Ash said. "Pikachu, Iron Tail on that boulder!"

"Chu!" Pikachu said, as his tail once again glowed with a metallic sheen, and slammed it against the boulder, shattering it to pieces, and sending Felunge flying backwards.

"Felunge!" Maria cried.

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Ash ordered.

"Pika...CHUUUUU!" Pikachu yelled, releasing once again a powerful electric blast.

This time, Felunge was unable to dodge, and took the full brunt of Pikachu's most powerful attack, letting out a shrill meow of pain. The bipedal cat dropped to one knee.

"And finish with Iron Tail!" Ash said.

"Pikapikapikapika...!" Pikachu said, rushing towards the weakened Felunge, his tail glowing once more.

"Felunge, Attract!" Maria called.

"Oh no! Pikachu, stop!" Ash shouted.

Felunge waved her arms, sending a flurry of pink hearts towards the incoming Pikachu. Unfortunately for Pikachu, he had no time nor space to either stop to a halt or even maneuver around the attack, and the pink hearts reached him. Pikachu's own eyes turned into hearts and his mouth formed a goofy grin as he looked enthralled at Felunge.

"That was a close one, huh?" Maria said, sighing in relief. "I think I should have used that move earlier. Oh well, no point in mullying over roads not taken. Felunge, Shadow Claw!"

"Feeeeel!" Felunge meowed, as her claws were coated in the same ghostly aura as before, and delivered a couple of painful spectral slashes at the spellbound Pikachu.

"Pikachu, move!" Ash shouted.

But Pikachu continued standing there, besotted, and taking Felunge's attacks, pain not even registering in his brain.

"Felunge, now Fury Swipes!" Maria ordered.

"Pikachu, snap out of it!" Ash begged.

But Ash's pleas fell on deaf ears, and Pikachu once again took the full brunt of Felunge's attack, who swiped time after time after time, puhsing Pikachu backwards.

"Finish with Brick Break!" Maria ordered.

That moment, the effect of Attract finally ended, and Pikachu snapped back to his senses, much to Ash's joy and relief.

"Yes! Now quickly-"

However, Pikachu winced and fell to his non-existent knees as a wave of pain washed over his small body, now feeling the effects of the attacks he took while under the effect of Attract. And that didn't allow him to dodge in time, and the Brick Break connected, sending Pikachu falling backwards.

"Pikachu!" Ash cried.

Pikachu landed on his back, his arms and legs sprawling on the ground. Grunting in pain, the electric rodent tried get back to his feet, but was unable to.

The referee raised a flag in Maria's direction. "Pikachu can't fight anymore! The winner is Felunge!"

…

"YAAAAAAAAAAAY!" the schoolchildren cheered in unison, happy that their teacher was in the lead now.

Naturally, Ash's friends didn't share their joy, as they watched with a bit of worry as the Pallet Town native walked over Pikachu, scooped it between his arms, and brought him to his side of the battlefield, while he whispered something, probably some words of encouragement or reassurement.

"I can't believe Pikachu just lost like that..." Bonnie lamented.

"Yeah, he was about to win, and then BAM! Attract!" Natalie said, raising her hands in the air. "If her Felunge knew that attack, why didn't she used it before?"

"She was clearly keeping it as some sort of last resort. I imagine she wanted to see if her Felunge could beat Pikachu without using it," Clemont explained. "A good trainer never reveals all their cards at once."

"And now Ash has lost one of his two most veteran Pokemon," Bonnie pointed out.

"It doesn't matter. I'm sure Ash will find a way to turn the match around," Serena said as she watched Ash reaching for the pokeballs buckled to his belt. "The match has only begun."

…

"Birbie, I choose you!"

Ash tossed the pokeball forward, releasing his first and so far only Tandorian Pokemon.

"Bir, birbie!" Birbie chirped, as he was released from the capture device.

Maria quirked an eyerbow, and shook her head. "First a mouse, now a little bird? Tsk, tsk."

"You're about to discover that this little bird packs quite the big punch," Ash retorted.

"Birbie versus Felunge! Begin!" the referee said.

"Given that you already know about Attract, no point in hiding it anymore. Felunge, Attract!" Maria ordered.

"Feeeeel!" Felunge meowed, as she waved her paws, releasing a flurry of pink energy hearts.

"Birbie, fly around to dodge them!" Ash ordered.

Birbie did as was commanded, and began to fly high in circles around the battleground, easily dodging the heart-shaped projectiles.

"Now Birbie, use Air Cutter!" Ash ordered. "Then get close to Quick Attack!"

"Dodge!"

Keeping distance, Birbie's wings began to glow with a faint blue light, before flapping them twice, releasing a pair of crescent-shaped blades of wind, which the Nimble Cat Pokemon gracefully dodged, missing their mark. But while the feline Pokemon was busy dodging, Birbie shot towards her, leaving behind a trail of fading white light.

"Getting close and personal? A daring strategy, Ash, but a foolish one!" Maria said. "Felunge, Brick Break!"

Felunge raised one of her paws, which began to glow with a white light, ready to smack the Eden Bird Pokemon the moment he got any closer.

"Birbie, Flash, now!" Ash shouted.

"What?"

Birbie's crest under his beak started to glow, before it exploded in a burst of blinding white light, causing everybody to shield their eyes, and for Felunge to cancel her Brick Break. The Nimble Cat Pokemon hissed in pain as the sudden burst of light left her temporarily blind.

"Birbie, quickly, use Gust!" Ash commanded.

"BiiiirBIE!" Birbie chirped, as he flapped his wings as fast as he could, creating a tornado around the blinded Felunge that lifted her into the air.

"Follow with Quick Attack!"

Birbie barreled towards the airborne Felunge, slamming against her body with as much strength as the little bird could muster. Then a second time. Then another, and another and another. The last Quick Attack send Felunge pummeling down, before she crashed against the ground with a painful boom.

And just like Pikachu before, Felunge didn't appear that she could move anymore. The referee raised a flag.

"Felunge can't fight anymore! The winner is Birbie!"

Maria sighed, and returned Felunged to her pokeball. "Good job, girl. Take a rest."

…

Now, it was the schoolkids who were disappointed, whule Ash's friends

"Yes!" Bonnie cheered. "They're even."

"Man, that Birbie is a beast in a cutie clothing," Natalie commented, remembering her own battle against the bird.

"Well, Pikachu had softened Maria's Felunge, so Birbie only had to deliver the finishing blows," Clemont said. "Fortunately, Birbie hardly had to spend much energy fighting Felunge, so he should be good for whatever Pokemon Maria sends next."

"Here goes my next Pokemon. Go, Kinetmunk!" Maria said, tossing the pokeball forward.

The capture device opened, releasing Maria's second Pokemon. It was a slender, quadrupedal rodent with long legs. It was covered in yellow fur, with blue markings above its green eyes and around its back, and a long tail of the same color.

Ash pulled his Pokedex out to scan it.

"Kinetmunk, the Chipmunk Pokemon, and Chynimunk's evolution. Normal/Electric. They dig intricate tunnels that can stretch for miles underground. They use small electrical pulses to relax their muscles, allowing them to run faster."

Serena saw Clemont wince upon hearing the typing. Not only it was going to be an uphill battle for Birbie, but that Kinetmunk could pose a threat to Greninja as well. Ash didn't share their friend's worry, having proven in past matches that type advantage wasn't everything.

…

"Birbie versus Kinetmunk, begin!" the referee said.

"Kinetmunk, fry that bird with Discharge!" Maria ordered.

"Birbie, counter it with Air Cutter!" Ash replied.

"Munk!"

"Birb!"

Kinetmunk's body crackled with yellow electricity, before sending multiple bolts of electricity at Birbie, while Birbie flapped his wings, sending several blades of wind to meet the electric attack. The two moves met in the middle, resulting in an explosion.

"Kinetmunk, get close with Quick Attack!" Maria ordered.

"Use Quick Attack too, Birbie!" Ash ordered as well.

The Eden Bird Pokemon and the Chipmunk Pokemon dashed towards each other, moving so fast they left a trail of brief afterimages in their wake. The two Normal-type Pokemon slammed against each other, the clash resulting in a gust of wind that blew in every direction, and for a fraction of a second, it appeared as if their strength was equal, before Birbie lost the struggle and was send flying backwards.

"Birbie, no!" Ash called. "Quickly, regain your balance!"

"Time to press our advantage Kinetmunk! Use Super Fang!"

"Kineeee...!" Kinetmink yelled while it charged towards Birbie, as its buckteeth started to glow with a white light, tripling in length.

"Birbie, keep Kinetmunk away from you with Gust!"

"Birbirbirbir...!" Birbie chirped as he flapped his wings as fast as he could, producing a strong gust of wind.

While the Gust did little to damage the electric squirrel, it at least managed to slow it on its tracks.

"Good job Birbie! Now blind it with Flash!" Ash ordered.

"Not a second time! Kinetmunk, close your eyes, quickly!" Maria ordered.

"Bir-BIE!" Birbie chirped, as the crest on his chest glowed brigthly, covering the battleground in white light, forcing everybody to shield their eyes a second time.

Unfortunately for Birbie, Kinetmunk heeded Maria's advice, and was able to close its eyes shut before Birbie's attack could blind it like it did to Felunge.

"Now Kinetmunk, use Quick Attack again to get closer!" Maria said. Even if she couldn't see, she knew that Birbie was in front of Kinetmunk and wouldn't have time to move, given that the Flying-type Pokemon was channeling two attacks at once.

Kinetmunk's teeth returned to normal as Super Fang was canelled, and dashed forward, the attack allowing it to move faster than it normally would overpowering the effect of the Gust, before slamming its body against the smaller Pokemon.

"B-BIRB!" Birbie cried upon being smacked backwards.

"Now, hit him with Aqua Tail!" Maria ordered.

Kinetmunk's blue tail was coated in water as it swung its limb at Birbie, still reeling from the quick attack. The water around Kinetmunk's tail exploded the moment it impacted against Birbie, sending the Eden Bird Pokemon crashing down against the ground.

"Bibie, no!" Ash said in desperation.

"Finish it with Spark!" Maria said.

"Kinet-MUNK!" Kinetmunk's body was surrounded by a yellow electric aura, and launched itself towards Birbie. Just like with the previous attack, there was an electric explosion once the move hit its mark, releasing lightning bolts everywhere.

The super effective move was too much for the poor Birbie, who fell on his back to the ground, body covered in burn marks and his eyes swirly.

The referee raised a flag in Maria's direction. "Birbie can't fight anymore, the winner is Kinetmunk!"

Ash let out a sigh as he returned his Tandorian Pokemon. "Good job, Birbie. You did your best."

…

"Now Ash is only down to Greninja," Natalie lamented. "And he has to beat an Electric-type Pokemon."

"It's okay, Greninja is super strong! He'll beat that squirrel, you'll see!" Bonnie reassured the brown haired girl.

"Nene!" Dedenne said, sharing the blonde's enthusiasm.

"Even if Greninja beats Kinetmunk, there's also Maria's last Pokemon," Clemont added. "Which no doubt will be her strongest one."

"Ash can do it," Serena reassured. "He has overcome odds far worse than this one."

…

"Greninja, I choose you!" Ash said, tossing his last pokeball.

The pokeball opened, releasing Ash's strongest Kalosian Pokemon, as well as the strongest Water-type he ever caught.

"Ninja!"

Maria's mouth curved into a smirk, while Ash could see a glint of expectation in her eyes. "And there it is. Your famous Greninja. I'd never imagine that I'd have the chance to battle it."

"I'm sure Greninja will surpass all your expectations," Ash replied.

"In that case... Kinetmunk, use Discharge!" Maria ordered.

"Munk!" Kinetmunk happily replied, as it coated its body in electricity before firing multiple lightning bolts at the Ninja Pokemon.

"Dodge it with Double Team!" Ash ordered.

A multitude of Greninja copies flashed into existence, filling the battleground with blue. Kinetmunk's electric bolts managed to destroy some, but most of them remained.

"Dispel them with Quick Attack!" Maria ordered.

Once again, the Chipmunk Pokemon dashed like crazy through the battleground, clashing against every Greninja copy in its way easily reducing their numbers.

"Greninja, stop it with Aerial Ace!" Ash ordered.

The original Greninja moved towards the still running Kinetmunk, his arms and feet glowing with a white light as he prepared the attack, and delivered a powerful blow to the gut of the Normal and Electric Type Pokemon, stopping it on its tracks.

"Very good, Greninja! Follow with Night Slash!" Ash said.

Greninja's limbs stoped glowing white, before he unsheathed a sword made of pure darkness out of a seemingly nonexistent sheath, and delivered a pair of brutal slashes to Kinetmunk, sending the electric rodent crashing back against the ground.

"Kinetmunk!" Maria cried. "Are you okay?"

In response, the Chipmunk Pokemon jumped back on its four feet, and shook its head to snap out of the dizzyness result of such assault. "Kin!"

"Good," Maria's eyes rested on Ash's Pokemon. "Perhaps going on the offensive like that was a mistake..."

"Greninja, Water Shuriken!"Ash called.

Greninja jumped into the air, watery stars forming on each hand, and tossed them at Kinetmunk. Maria, however, had already planned a counterattack.

"Kinetmunk, dodge them with Quick Attack!" Maria ordered. "Use it to get closer!"

"Munk!" Kinetmunk said, as it began to move as faster than normal speed, almost becoming a yellow and blue blur.

Kinetmunk quickly sidestepped just before a Water Shuriken could hit it, and once the Chimpunk Pokemon was close enough to Greninja, it leaped at him.

"Greninja, use Aerial Ace!" Ash ordered.

"Now, Discharge!" Maria shouted.

Once again, Kinetmunk's body started to crackle with electricity, before sending a barrage of lightning bolts at Greninja. At such close distance, it was impossible for the Ninja Pokemon to dodge. Greninja croaked in pain as electricity coursed through his body.

"GREEEEEE...!"

"Greninja!" Ash cried.

"Keep pressing on, Kinetmunk! Super Fang!" Maria ordered.

Kinetmunk charged once again towards Greninja, its front teeth glowing and enlogating until they xtended beyond its face, and leaped towards the Kalosian Pokemon, ready to sink its teeth on its flesh.

"Parry it with Night Slash!" Ash ordered.

Greninja once again summoned a sword of pure darkness, and raised it just in time to block Kinetmunk's attack. The two Pokemon struggled there for a second, before Greninja's superior strength managed to push it back, bouncing against the ground multiple times, but landing on its feet.

"Finish with Aerial Ace!" Ash said.

"Spark!" was Maria's order.

Greninja's sword of darkness disappeared, as his foreams glowed with a white light, dashing towards the electric rodent. Kinetmunk, meanwhile, coated its entire body in electricity, and rushed towards the Ninja Pokemon.

The two Pokemon clashed. There was a flash of electricity followed by two cries of pain, culminating in an explosion that once again, lunged Kinetmunk backwards. The Chipmunk Pokemon landed on its back, eyes closed shut and teeth gritted, its entire body twitching in pain. That last hit marked the end of the fight for the Normal and Electric-type.

"Kinetmunk can't fight anymore! The winner is Greninja!" the referee announced.

Maria returned her fallen Kinetmunk, not looking bothered by the loss in the slightest. "You did great, Kinetmunk. Take a rest."

"We did it Greninja!" Ash cheered. "One more fight and-"

"G-Gre!" Greninja flinched, as several electric sparks jumped from his body.

…

"Oh no. This is bad. This is really bad," Clemont said, looking worried.

"What's wrong with Greninja?" Bonnie asked, sharing the same mood as her brother.

"Paralyzed?" Serena repeated.

"Unfortunately, so it seems. That last Spark... Maria knew that Kinetmunk was on the verge of defeat, that's why she ordered it to use Spark. Spark has a good chance to inflict paralysis on the opponent," Clemont explained. "Maria will be saving her strongest Pokemon for last. And for Greninja to beat it with such a handicap..."

"Alright, here goes my last Pokemon!" they heard Maria said, as she pulled out another pokeball. "Kiricorn, go!"

The pokeball opened, releasing Maria's last Pokemon... and Serena almost forgot to breathe when her eyes laid upon it.

Kiricorn was a horse-like Pokemon, with white skin, a soft pink mane, and a long, fluffy tail of the same color. It had two horns curving outwards at the sides of its head, as well as blue, antler-like horn in the middle of its forehead. Kiricorn reared upon being released, and let out a loud neigh.

In Serena's opinion, it was the most beautiful Pokemon she had ever seen.

"OH MY GOODNESS! IT'S SO CUUUUUUTE!" Bonnie squealed. The younger girl apparently shared Serena's opinion.

…

"Kiricorn, the Unicorn Pokemon, and one of Minicorn's possible evolutions. Normal/Fairy. The hair in its mane is made of gossamer-thin threads and is impossibly soft. It will only allow those it trusts to touch it." The Pokedex said upon being scanned.

While the Pokedex's initial description didn't mention its fighting prowess, Ash knew that Kiricorn would be a very challenging opponent. And that was without getting Greninja's paralisys into account.

The referee raised both flags. "Greninja versus Kiricorn, begin!"

"That Greninja can barely stand. Let's give him a quick and merciful defeat! Kiricorn, use Mega Horn!" Maria ordered.

Kiricorn neighed, and galloped forward while lowering its head, a large green aura in the form of a spike glowing around its middle horn.

"Greninja, jump above Kiricorn and use Water Shuriken!" Ash commanded.

Greninja did as he was told, and evaded the Bug-type attack with a well timed jump. A pair of water shuriken appeared on each of his hands while he was mid air. However, before he could throw them, the paralisys acted up, causing the Ninja Pokemon to wince, and for the attack to be cancelled. Still, he was able to fight the paralisys in order to at least land on his feet.

"Kiricon, Moonblast!" Maria shouted.

Kiricorn turned around, and formed a pink and white sphere of energy in front of its head, before firing it at Greninja.

"Greninja, counter it with Night Slash!" Ash ordered.

A sword of darkness formed around Greninja's right hand, and with a mighty slash, the Moonblast was shattered into a rain of white and pink sparkles, even if it the sword was destroyed as well.

"If we were in a contest, that maneuver would have costed me quite a few points," Maria observed. "But unfortunately for you, we aren't in a contest. Kiricorn, Moonblast again!"

"Greninja, use Double Team!" Ash shouted.

Just as Kiricorn fired the second Moonblast, dozen of Greninja copies filled the battleground. The Fairy-type projectile merely hit one of the duplicates, which vanished instantly.

Maria, however, wasn't fazed in the slightest. "That's not going to work against us! Kiricorn, Earthquake!"

Letting out a loud neigh, Kiricorn reared before bringing its front legs down, the battleground violently shaking the moment its hooves slammed the ground, sending seismic shockwaves through. The effect was immediate, and most of the Greninja copies quickly vanished, while the real one suffered the effects of the Ground-type attack, and was blasted backwards by a seismic shock.

"Greninja!" Ash cried. "This is bad! We haven't even landed a single hit, and Maria's Kiricorn continues to wear us down!"

"Moonblast again!" Maria ordered.

"Parry it again with Night Slash!" Ash ordered.

Kiricorn fired yet another orb of pink and white light, and once again, it was shattered by Greninja's Night Slash.

"I'll give you something you won't be able to parry! Kiricorn, use Flamethrower!" Maria said.

"We won't be able to parry it, but can still counter it! Greninja, Water Shuriken!" Ash replied.

Orange flames billowed from Kiricorn's mouth, before the Unicorn Pokemon openedits mouth, releasing a torrent of flames towards Greninja, just as a pair of blue liquid shuriken formed on each of his hands. Thankfully, the paralisys didn't kick in, and Greninja succesfully threw them. The two opposing elements clashed, and nullified each other in a cloud of steam.

"Greninja, quickly! Use Aerial Ace!" Ash ordered.

Greninja crossed the battleground at such speed, he split the cloud of steam in two. His forearms started to glow with a white light, and once he was in close combat distance, and delivered several swipes at Kiricorn.

"Counter with Mega Horn!" said Maria.

"Use Water Shuriken as a shield!" Ash replied.

Kiricorn's antler-like horn was surrounded by a greenish-yellow aura in the form of a spike, while Greninja created a rather large shuriken out of water. When Kiricorn tried to gore the Ninja Pokemon with its piercing attack, Greninja blocked it with his liquid shuriken. Unfortunately, it was unable to absorb all the force of the impact, and the shuriken exploded into thousands of droplets while Greninja was blasted backwards. After bouncing on his back a couple times, the Kalosian Pokemon landed on his feet.

Keeping his spirits high, Ash decided to play the last card in his hand, trusting it would be able to turn the tide of the battle.

"Alright Greninja, time to go all out! The two of us, together!" Ash said.

As the bond between Ash and Greninja became stronger, a torrent of water exploded around Greninja, before taking the form of a spiraling column of water. Though their shared bond, Ash could sense how Greninja's power grew, and as a response to that growth, his body changed to adapt to it.

"Gre!" Greninja cried within the vortex, and Ash could feel him flinch.

There was something wrong. The transformation was taking too long. Was it because of the paralysis? Whatever the reason, this didn't go unnoticed to the Gym Leader.

"Kiricorn, quickly, use Mega Horn! Don't let him complete the transformation!" Maria shouted.

Kiricorn neighed, and galloped towards the stil transforming Greninja as a his middle horn glowed with a greenish-yellow aura. Unlike the previous attempts, the move contected, and Greninja was send flying backwards out of the spiraling water tower by the super effective attack, landing painfully on his side.

"Greninja, quickly, you need to get up!" Ash urged, waving his arms at him.

Letting a croack of pain, Greninja ignored at best as he could how much his body hurt, and tried to get back on his feet and continue the fight. Unfortunately for the amphibian, Maria wasn't going to let him.

"Moonblast," was all what Maria said.

Kiricorn fired the powerful Fairy-type move, and the pink and white orb of light blasted Greninja, resulting in a blast of light of the same color, followed by a cloud of magenta smoke.

"Greninja...!"

And once the smoke dispelled, it revealed Greninja, lying on the ground, his body twitching, but otherwise motionless.

The referee raised a flag in Maria's direction. "Greninja can't fight anymore! Since Ash has lost three Pokemon, the winner of the match is Maria!"

As the crowd of children sitting in the bleachers cheered, Ash stood there, motionless, unblinking, as if his brain was still trying to process the loss. Then, his head dropped and his shoulders slumped before recalling the fainted Greninja.

"Good job buddy. Sorry I wasn't up to par," Ash whispered.

"For all that's it worth," Maria said, as she started to walk towards him. She had already recalled her Kiricorn. "I think it was a pretty good fight. Guess I was lucky that I managed to paralyze your Greninja with Kinetmunk's last Spark."

"Still, you fought better than me, no point in denying that," Ash replied, before adding. "I... I want a rematch!"

"Sure," Maria replied. "But first, take a day or two to train a little. Maybe catch more Pokemon so you have more options in battle."

"Ash!"

Ash turned around, and saw his friends as well as Natalie walking towards him. Ash could also see Maria's children, talking among themselves no doubt happy that their teacher defeated the challenger, being escorted out of the battleground by the referee.

"Hey Ash, sorry about your loss," Clemont said.

"Are you okay?" Serena asked, looking at him with concern in her eyes.

"It will be alright," Ash said. He tried to put on a brave face. "I mean, you remember Kalos, right? This isn't the first time I lose to a Gym Leader. Plus, you heard Maria, she gave me a rematch."

"Whenever you decide to return, I'll be waiting for you," Maria gently said, before her eyes rested on Natalie. "So, if I remember correctly, you wanted to challenge me to, right?"

Natalie, however took a step back and shook her head, reacting as if she was asked to do a potentially suicidal dare. "After what I just saw? Hell no!"

"I'm not going to use those Pokemon against a beginner trainer. Gym Leaders have weaker teams to fight against trainers with few or no badges such as yourself," Maria explained.

"Even then, Ash here taught me that even barely trained Pokemon can be a force to be reckoned with if they are coached by a competent trainer," Natalie rebutted. "Aside from my starter, I only have another Pokemon I literally caught yesterday. So I think I'm going to take a few days to train, and maybe catch more Pokemon."

Maria nodded. "As you wish. Challenging a Gym unprepared is nothing but foolish, so I applaud your decision to make sure you're ready. Like I told Ash, whenever you want to come, you'll find the gates of my Gym open."

"Come on guys, let's go," Ash said.

And thus, the group left Maria's Gym. Though, unlike what Ash was hoping, he didn't leave it with his first Tandor badge in his possession.

Chapter Text

Nowtoch City

After taking his Pokemon to the Pokemon Center, Ash had told his friends that he needed to take a walk to clear out his thoughts. All of them, especially Serena, had looked at him with concern, but they had respected his decision. Perhaps they remembered the way Ash reacted the last time he lost a Gym Battle.

True to her word, Natalie had left Nowtoch city in order to catch more Pokemon and do some additional training. And Ash knew he needed to do that too. Not now, though, given that his Pokemon needed to recover.

Ash walked through the beautiful city, not knowing what to do since his Pokemon were out of commission for the time being –and wondered if he should try to find a hobby to fill the time during these kind of moments– before he saw a park, like an oasis of green in a sea of gray and black. There were several kids playing with some small Pokemon, and what Ash presumed were their parents sitting on benches.

The Pallet Town native moved towards one of the empty benches and basically let his body slump against it. While Ash was known as somebody with too much energy to take a moment to relax, defeats like this one left him drained, and the quietude was something both his body and mind appreciated. So for the next half an hour all Ash did was sit on a bench, and relax.

"Hey."

The voice snapped Ash from his thoughts, or better said, from the void that was his mind right now. A little startled, Ash realized that Serena was in front of him.

"Hey," he replied. His voice lacked its usual energy, something that didn't go unnoticed to Serena.

Serena shifted in her spot as she held her blue ribbon with one hand. "Do you mind if I sit?"

Wordlessly, Ash slidded to the side in order to give Serena room, and the honey blonde took a seat besides him. The two of them spent a couple minutes sitting there, completely silent.

"Sooo..." Serena began, hesitating as if carefully choosing her next words. "...still thinking about the loss? "

"Is it that obvious?" Ash sighed. "I'd lie if I'd say I'm peachy. Major defeats are always hard to stomach, no matter how many times they happen."

"I know how you feel. Remember that I lost my very first contest not long ago," Serena reminded him. "But that doesn't mean I'm going to give up. And you shouldn't either. Never give up until the end, remember?"

Ash cracked a hint of a smile upon hearing that. "Using my own words against me, huh?"

"Maybe you needed to hear them from somebody else," Serena replied.

Ash couldn't help but notice a certain edge to her voice. Guessing what was troubling her, he showed her a reassuring smile. "You know Serena, if you're worried that this is going to be Wulfric all over again, I can assure you it won't be the case."

This seemed to alleviate Serena somewhat, given that she looked as if a crushing pressure had left her body. "Good! Because we weren't going to have a repeat of the Winding Woods! Is there anything I can do? If you need to talk to someone, I'm here, and you can tell me everything-"

"Serena," Ash interrupted her, looking at her in the eyes. "I'm fine. I promise."

"Y-You sure?" she asked.

"As fine as I can be," Ash replied. "I... I just need some time, you know? To get my thoughts back in order. And to think what I'm going to do to defeat Maria. She did raise some valid points. I should have trained more before facing her. Maybe I also need more Pokemon."

"You have plenty of Pokemon at Professor Oak's lab. Why don't you have Oak send some of them to you?" Serena asked. As those words left her lips, another realization hit her. "Now that I think about it... how is it that you left all the Pokemon you caught in Kalos back in Kanto? I mean, you weren't even planning to bring Greninja to begin with. I'm sure that if you had Hawlucha or Talonflame or Noivern you would have made short work of Maria's Pokemon."

"Because... well, it's a little hard to put into words," Ash began. "Let's say... it's part of the journey? As in, every region has Pokemon unique to them, and I feel that catching Pokemon native to the region is an important part of the experience of visiting a new place."

"I see," Serena nodded. "Though, maybe you could still bring some of your older Pokemon too as well, and gradually replace them as you catch and train new ones?"

"That's what I tried to do the first time I visited another region," Ash replied. "After returning from the Orange Islands, I went to Johto, and took most of my Pokemon there. I also caught quite a few Pokemon in Johto, but given that my Kanto Pokemon were much more experienced and stronger, I ended up relying on them too much and didn't give the Pokemon I caught in Johto the attention they deserved.

"It's also a matter of keeping my skills honed. I could have brought the likes of Snorlax, Sceptile or Infernape, which would have made this journey way easier, but if I did that, I'd become complacent and my skill as a trainer would stagnate. On the other hand, catching wild Pokemon and raising them into a team able to compete in a Pokemon League? Now that's a challenge that makes all my victories feel earned."

Ash's mind replayed his victory over Natalie's Raptorch using his freshly caught Birbie. The proof of what a well coached Pokemon could do, even if it lacked power and experience.

"I... haven't thought of that," Serena said. "Why did you allow Greninja to come with you, then?"

"Because he asked to come," Ash flatly replied. Sensing Serena's slight incredulity, he decided to elaborate. "Normally, most of my Pokemon feel satisfied after one adventure, and see their stay at Oak as a well deserved retirement. You saw Greninja when he came to us: Kalos wasn't enough for him. He wasn't satisfied with his run through Kalos. And hey... this was Greninja's first big fight in Tandor, yet I was unable to help him claim victory."

Serena placed placed a hand on Ash's knee, and gave him a reassuring look. "Come on Ash, I'm sure Greninja knows you did your best, and that you can't win all the time. The only way Greninja would be truly disappointed in you it's if you decided to give up."

"Never give up until the end," Ash repeated, and he and Serena smiled. "Yes, you're right. We might have lost, but it's not the end of the world. Maria gave us another chance, and we aren't going to waste it."

Serena nodded. "That's what I wanted to hear. What do you plan to do?"

"Maria has already seen what Pikachu, Birbie and Greninja can do. I need to throw her off balance, come up with something she wouldn't expect," Ash began. "Maybe I should go back to Passage Cave to train. The Pokemon there are pretty rough, so Pikachu, Greninja and Birbie could get a pretty good training there."

…

Passage Cave

A few hours later, in the afternoon, Nurse Joy told Ash that all his Pokemon were now fully healed and ready to go. The rest also did Ash some good, as the Pallet Town native appeared to be in a better place mentally than he was in the aftermath of his defeat, and was ready to do anything it took to win that gym badge.

Per Ash's own suggestion, the group decided to return to Passage Cave. Not that they were overly excited with the idea, given what they had to do in order to cross it. Then again, he reassured them that they wouldn't go too far into the cave, just until they ran into a Pokemon. Which they didn't expect it would take long.

"You know... the cave seems awfully more silent than when we first crossed it," Clemont pointed out, as he directed the light from his Heliolisk-shaped lantern forward.

"It's almost eerie," Bonnie added.

"Maybe those groups of Pokemon are still leaderless?" Serena wondered. "I mean, that's why we taught them a lesson, right? So they would calm down for some time."

"Still, those Pokemon must be around here somewhere," Ash stated. "I mean, there used to be lots of them."

"Pi?" Pikachu asked, as his ears perked up. He then pointed somewhere in front of them. "Pikapi!"

"Clemont, light over there!" Ash said, pointing in the same direction.

Clemont did so, and the group saw a yellow and blue snake-like Pokemon looking back at them, seemingly startled.

"...parce?"

"Whoa! A Dunsparce!" Ash said, growing excited.

"Dunsparce? I thought that there were only Barewl, Grozard and Tonemy in this cave..." Bonnie said.

"That's true but... didn't the Ranger said that there were a bunch of Dunsparce here as well?" Clemont asked. "Maybe now that the other three groups of Pokemon calmed down, they decided to show up."

Since she had never seen this Pokemon before, in this case Serena pulled her Pokedex out in order to scan it.

"Dunsparce, the Land Snake Pokemon. Normal. Its drill-tipped tail is used to burrow into the ground backwards. This Pokémon is known to make its nest in complex shapes deep under the ground."

"Alright, this time Dunsparce won't escape me! Birbie, go!" Ash said, tossing Birbie's pokeball.

"Bir, birbie!" Birbie chirped after being released. He quickly noticed Dunsparce, and correctly identified him as the opponent to beat.

"This time?" Serena repeated. "Did you try to catch a Dunsparce before?"

"Yeah. But they always got away for one reason or another. Not this time, though," Ash confidently said. "Birbie, Quick Attack!"

"Bir!" Birbie chirped, before diving at Dunsparce, leaving a trail of fading white light behind him.

As Birbie attacked, Dunsparce did something no human or Pokemon expected in the slightest: He coiled into a ball and started to cry.

"Dun! Dunsparce! Duuuuun...!" the Land Snake Pokemon sobbed.

Birbie stopped to a halt mid air, and looked back at his trainer with a confused expression. "Birb?" He asked, almost wondering if Ash really wanted to fight that Pokemon.

"Uh..." Ash stuttered, as she scratched his cheek, taken aback by the unexpected reaction of the wild Pokemon. "I don't think we should attack a Pokemon that won't defend himself..."

"Well... it seems that Dunsparce doesn't have much of a fighting spirit," Serena said, looking at the coiled Pokemon with a bit of pity.

"Yeah Ash, better- WATCH OUT!" Clemont suddenly yelled.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu shouted as well.

Unfortunately, Clemont's warning came too late, and when Birbie had his back turned to Dunsparce, the Land Snake's Pokemon's expression changed from frightened to downright malicious, and delivered a brutal Headbutt at the unsuspecting bird.

"BIIIIRB!" Birbie cried in pain, before turning around, and glared at Dunsparce with anger filled eyes.

"Did... did that Dunsparce pretend to cry and then attack from behind?" Serena asked in shock. It was the first time she saw a wild Pokemon display such an underhanded tactic.

"...what a jerk!" Bonnie yelled.

"Nenene!" Dedenne said, sharing Bonnie's indignation.

"Guess that Pokemon does have a fighting spirit after all. Even if rather unconventional," Ash said. He smirked as his determination did nothing but grow in the face of this new challenge. "But we aren't going to buckle down! Birbie, use Air Cutter!"

"Bir! Birbie!" Birbie chirped, flapping his glowing wings, releasing crescent shaped blades of wind at Dunsparce.

The Normal-type Pokemon dodged one but was smacked by the other, blasting him backwards and landing on his back.

"Now Birbie, Quick Attack!" Ash commanded.

Birbie once again dived at Dunsparce, and this time, he wouldn't stop no matter what that snake would attempt to do. Dunsparce coiled into a ball again, not to appear defenseless, though, as he began to spin in place, before rolling at Birbie. The two Pokemon clashed, but Dunsparce was the clear winner of the bout as the Eden Bird Pokemon was smacked backwards.

"That was Rollout!" Clemont pointed out. "It seems that that Dunspace knows something more than mere dirty tricks."

Once again, Dunsparce curled into a spinning ball, and launched himself at Birbie. This time, the speed at which Dunsparce spun and moved appeared to be much greater than before.

"Rollout is a move that becomes stronger if used consecutively. Fortunately, I know how to stop it," Ash thought. "Birbie, use Gust to lift Dunsparce from the ground!"

"Bir, birbie!" Birbie chirped, as he began to flap his little wings as fast as he could.

The winds blown by Birbie formed a tornado that easily lifted Dunsparce into the air. Not sensing the ground anymore, the Land Snake Pokemon stopped rolling and opened his eyes.

"Dunsparce!?" the startled Pokemon yelped.

"Now Birbie, Quick Attack!" Ash ordered.

Birbie barreled towards the ariborne Dunsparce, slamming his body against that of his enemy, sending Dunsparce flying backwards until he crashed against a nearby wall.

"That must have hurt quite a bit," Ash observed. "A couple more moves, and Dunsparce will be ours! Birbie, Air Cutter again!"

Falpping his wings, Birbie send another pair of blades of wind towards the Land Snake Pokemon. Dunsparce jumped from the wall, began to spin his body becoming a yellow and blue tornado, and drilled into the ground.

"That was Dig!" Clemont pointed out.

"Well, the Pokedex said that Dunsparce dig tunnels..." Serena recalled.

"Alright! Birbie, don't get close to the ground! That way, Dunsparce won't be able to reach you!" Ash said.

"Birbie!" Birbie acknowledged, and did as he was instructed.

As Ash wondered where Dunsparce would emerge, he suddenly felt a small tremor below his feet. Looking down, he saw the ground cracking, before Dunsparce burst from underground and slammed his head against Ash's chest.

"AAAAAAGH!" Ash cried in pain, as he was launched backwards.

"Ash!" Serena, Clemont and Bonnie shouted in unison, rushing to help their friend.

"Pikaaaa!" Pikachu shouted, landing on all fours in front of Dunsparce, menacingly releasing sparks of electricity from his cheeks.

Unfortunately for Dunsparce, he paid for that dirty trick almost instantly, as he was left wide open to Birbie's counterattack, the Eden Bird Pokemon nailing Dunsparce with a devastating Quick Attack, sending him flying against another wall.

"Bir, Birbie, BIR!" Birbie angrily chirped, his anger at Dunsparce growing even bigger. How dare that lowly worm attack his beloved trainer!

Meanwhile, Ash's friends helped him to get back on his feet.

"Ash, are you okay!?" A worried Serena asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I had it worse," Ash tried to downplay it, but even he had to admit that attack hurt quite a bit. "That Dunsparce's fighting style is sure something."

"Ash, you aren't planning to catch that Dunsparce, are you?" Clemont asked in disbelief.

"If anything, this makes me want to catch him more," Ash said, as he looked at Dunsparce.

Dunsparce shook his head to snap out of the dizzyness caused by the hit, and focused his eyes once again on his avian opponent. He raised his drill-like tail, as a swirly, purple aura formed around it.

"Birbie, watch out! That's Poison Jab!" Ash warned, recognizing the attack.

Dunsparce launched tail-first at Birbie, the Eden Bird Pokemon dodged just in time. Dunsparce continued with the attack, forcing the Normal and Flying type Pokemon onto the defensive, until it finally struck him.

"B-bir...!" Birbie weakly chirped, as it coughed some purple bubbles.

"Birbie was poisoned!?" Bonnie asked, a little worried.

"Poison Jab has a small chance to poison a Pokemon. To poison Birbie on just one hit... that was such bad luck!" Clemont lamented. "Fortunatedly, Birbie hasn't taken that much damage just yet."

Ash's brow furrowed in thought as Clemont's words sunk in, as if he realized something, before issuing the nest command. "Birbie, Flash!"

"Biiiir..." Birbie's crest started to glow with a white light. "BIEEEEEE!"

Everybody shielded their eyes as the entire cave was bathed in a bright white light. Unfortunately for Dunsparce, the Land Sanke Pokemon didn't see the attack coming and was blinded by it.

"Dun! Dunspaaaaarce...!" Dunsparce cried, as he flopped on the ground helplessly.

"Time to finish this! Birbie, Air Cutter!" Ash ordered.

Birbie launched two more blades of wind at Dunsparce, both projectiles finding their mark, sending Dunsparce crashing against yet another wall.

"Pokeball, go!" Ash said, tossing an empty pokeball at the downed Dunsparce.

The pokeball connected, and Dunsparce was turned into pure energy before being sucked into the capture device. The pokeball then fell to the ground, and wiggled a couple times, before it finally dinged, signaling a successful capture. Satisfied, Ash walked towards the pokeball, picked it up, and raised it like a trophy.

"Yes! I finally caught a Dunsparce!" Ash triumphantly said, as he raised the pokeball like a trophy. "And this Dunsparce is exactly what I need to win my rematch against Maria!"

However, rather than the usual cheers from his Pokemon upon having a new friend and teammate, Pikachu just crossed his arms and frowned, while Birbie merely glared at the pokeball in Ash's hand.

"Uh...yay?" Serena awkwardly said.

"Uhhhh..." Ash stammered, as he awkwardly lowered Dunsparce's pokeball, and opened his backpack. "I better get some antidote for Birbie..."

…

Nowtoch City

Right after the capture, Ash had taken both Dunsparce and Birbie to the Pokemon Center so they could be healed from the wounds they sustained from their battle. And once that was done, Ash headed towards the Center's battleground in the backyard, ready to introduce Dunsparce to the rest of his Pokemon.

"Come outside, everyone!" Ash said, releasing the pokeballs of Greninja and Birbie. As his two Pokemon materialized, Pikachu hopped from his shoulder in order to join them. "Meet the new member of our team, Dunsparce!" Ash said, releasing the Land Snake Pokemon. "Though Pikachu and Birbie already met him, hehe."

Pikachu and Birbie glared at the newest addition to the team, the former with his arms crossed and a scowl across his face, the attack on their beloved trainer still recent in their minds. Greninja, for his part, merely looked at him with a cautious but neutral eye.

Dunsparce looked at them as if they were below him. Or at least, to Birbie. He looked at Pikachu and Greninja with more caution, as if he could sense that they were on a completely different league than him and Birbie.

"I know we didn't start off on the right foot, but I'm sure we can all get along, right?" Ash hopefully asked.

"Pika!" Pikachu agreed, despite his initial reserves.

"Gren," Greninja agreed to, even if more subdued.

"Birb," Birbie agreed. He didn't like Dunsparce, but he was willing to give the new Pokemon a chance if Ash asked him to.

"See? What do you say, Dunsparce?" Ash asked.

After a moment of silence, Dunsparce let out a grunt of agreement. Despite Dunsparce's apparent reluctance, Ash took it as a good sign.

"In that case, let us begin with some training!" Ash said, looking at Dunsparce.

…

At the edge of the battleground, Serena also had her Pokemon out, ready to train some more with them once Ash was done. There was still some time until the next contest, but she didn't want another repeat of Kevlar Town.

"There you go!" Serena said, finishing the last touch. "What do you think, Selkid?"

Selkid looked at her tail, where Serena had tied the Mega Stone with a ribbon. The ribbon was elastic, so if Selkid evolved and her body grew, it would remain in place. She wagged her tail a couple times to test the attachment.

"Selkid!" Selkid happily said with a nod.

"Great! Now let's see if it stays in place during the training," Serena said.

Serena looked at the battleground, where all of Ash Pokemon were training in what appeared to be a double battle of Pikachu and Dunsparce versus Greninja and Birbie. It seemed that Ash wanted to make the unruly Land Snake Pokemon to feel like a member of a team first and foremost, given the unusual choice of spar.

Like all the Pokemon living in Passage Cave, Dunsparce had a fierce temper and enough power to go with it, making him into a force to be reckoned with in the hands of a competent trainer. Then again, Serena was also a little worried that Ash may have his work cut out for him, given his rebellious personality.

Ash had Dunsparce fight against Pikachu this time, the latter holding back to better gauge where the Land Snake Pokemon was power and skill-wise. Dunsparce's battle style was... somewhat odd. It attempted to lure the opponent into lowering their guard by appearing to be less threatening than he was, before delivering a brutal strike. Of course, such tactics didn't work on a Pokemon that had already seen them, such as Pikachu.

Ash was trying to convince Dunsparce to fight like the rest of his Pokemon, mostly by praising the strength of his attacks and his clearly cunning mind. One attack Ash was putting some emphasis on was Rollout. He seemed to be familiar with the attack, and adviced Dunsparce on how he could use the attack without being restricted to move in a straight line.

The Land Snake Pokemon semeed to obey Ash only reluctanctly. Then again, if there was somebody who could do it, that was Ash. There wasn't a Pokemon that could resist the Pallet Town native's natural magnetism and charm.

…

Ash had spend almost the whole day training with his Pokemon, mostly Dunsparce, and went to bed that night with a sense of satisfaction. The next day, he woke up completely reinvigorated, and per his suggestion, the group returned to Maria's Gym for his rematch.

Once the receptionist called Maria to inform her of another challenger, the group headed towards the Gym's battleground, just as Maria and her referee escorted a group of schoolchildren to see the battle, just like the previous time. The children sat on the bleachers while Maria and the referee moved to their positions on the battleground.

"You barely took time to lick your wounds, Ash," Maria said. "Are you sure a single day is enough to get ready for a rematch?"

Ash smirked confidently. "Plenty of things can be done in a day, Maria."

"If you say so," Maria said with a shrug. "You may know what Pokemon I'm going to use, but foresight is useless if one lacks the mean to change the events to come."

The referee raised both her flags. "This is an official Gym Battle between the Gym Leader Maria, and Ash Ketchum. The battle will be single format with no time limit, and each trainer will use up to three Pokemon. The battle will be over when one side has no more Pokemon remaining. Only the challenger may make substitutions. Trainers, select your first Pokemon."

"Felunge, go!" Maria said, tossing a pokeball forward.

"Fel!" Felunge said, as she was released from the capture device.

"What do you say, Pikachu? Ready for a rematch?" Ash asked his starter Pokemon.

"Pika!" Pikachu energically nodded, and jumped from Ash's shoulder onto the battleground.

"Pikachu again?" Maria asked, sounding a little disappointed. "Did somebody ever tell you what's the definition of insanity, Ash?"

"This won't be like the last time. We know what your Pokemon can do and you won't catch us off guard," Ash replied.

"Perhaps. But you should keep in mind that I also know what your Pokemon can do," Maria rebuked.

The referee lowered both flags in a chopping motion. "Let the battle begin!"

~Challenger Ash (Pikachu, ?, ?) VS Gym Leader Maria (Felunge, Kinetmunk, Kiricorn)~

"The first move is ours! Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Ash called.

"Pikaaaa!" Pikachu jumped into the air, his whole body shimmering with electricity. "CHUUUUUUU!"

"Felunge, dodge it with Dig!" Maria shouted.

"Lunge!" Felunge jumped into the air, and began to rapidly spin, becoming a living drill and digging into the ground, just as Pikachu's Thunderbolt sailed past him.

"You should know that Dig is of no use against us!" Ash said. "Pikachu, Iron Tail on the ground!"

"Pika!" Pikachu's tail began to glow with a silver sheen, before the Mouse Pokemon slammed his glowing limb into the battleground, shattering its surface, and sending many rocks and chunks of earth flying in multiple directions. "Chu?"

However, much to Pikachu and Ash's confusion, Felunge was nowhere to be seen.

"Uh?"

"Felunge, now!" Maria said.

Pikachu felt a small tremor under his feet, just before Felunge burst from underground, delivering a brutal swipe at the Electric-type Pokemon as she reappeared.

"But... how...?" Ash asked, wondered how his tactic had failed.

"You weren't the only one who have been training for this rematch, Ash," Maria began, a hint of a taunting smile on her lips. "I instructed Felunge to dig twice as deep into the earth as before, so she wouldn't be pulled out like before."

"Really clever," Ash replied.

"Our turn to attack! Felunge, use Shadow Claw!"

"Pikachu, dodge!"

Felunge launched herself towards Pikachu as she raised one of her paws, as it was encased in a dark purple aura shaped like sharp claws. When the spectral claws came down, Pikachu jumped sideways just in the nick of time, and Felunge's attack hit the ground, opening a small hole. Felunge continued delivering swipes with the Ghost-type move, with Pikachu struggling to dodge.

"Felunge, Attract!" Maria ordered.

"Use Quick Attack to get away from Felunge, now!" Ash ordered.

Felunge shot a flurry of pink energy hearts at Pikachu, who used the speed provided by Quick Attack to put some distance between him and the Nimble Cat Pokemon, while running in circles around her, dodging her attempts to seduce him. Once the stream of hearts started to die down, Ash decided it was time to counterattack.

"Pikachu, Electroball!" Ash ordered.

Pikachu raised his tail, and formed an orb of electricity on its tip, before jumping and flinging it towards the feline Pokemon.

"Use Dig again!" Maria ordered.

Once again, Felunge evaded Pikachu's electric attack by burrowing underground.

"Pika!" Pikachu turned at Ash, asking him what they were going to do now that their usual counter to Dig proved to be ineffective.

"I'm on it!" Ash replied, knowing that he only had a few seconds before Felunge ambushed Pikachu. Ash's eyes scanned the battleground, wondering if there was something they could use to stop Felunge's attack. Then, he saw the hole the cat Pokemon had dug, and he smiled as an idea dawned upon him. "Pikachu, jump into the hole Felunge just dug and use Thunderbolt!"

"Pika!" Pikachu nodded, and did what Ash told him, already knowing what was going to be the result. "CHUUUUUUUUUU!"

Yellow electric bolts came from the hole, just as another hole was blasted from the underground, as a stream of lightning botls launched Felunge into the air, before she fell to the ground with a loud thud.

"No!" Maria cried. "Felunge, are you alright?"

The Nimble Cat Pokemon, while hurt, had enough energy to continue the battle as she jumped to her feet and shook her head, before she hissed at Pikachu.

"Let's keep pressing on! Pikachu, Iron Tail!"

"Pika!" Pikachu jumped into the air as his tail glowed with a metallic sheen, and swung his hardened limb at the Nimble Cat Pokemon.

"Felunge, parry with Shadow Claw!"

Once again, a shadowy aura in the shape of sharp claws formed around Felunge's paws, and slashed at the incoming Iron Tail. Both attacks clashed, producing a burst of kinetic energy that pushed both Pokemon backwards, even if they landed on their feet. Felunge hissed in pain.

Ash noticed this, and smirked, already knowing how to win this. "Iron Tail again!"

"Shadow Claw again!"

Once again, the two Pokemon met in a clash between Ghost and Steel-type attacks, but this time, much to Maria's surprise, Pikachu overpowered Felunge, undoing the shadowy aura of her paws and sending her crashing backwards.

"What?"

"Time to finish this, Pikachu! Thunderbolt!"

"Pika...CHUUUUUU!"

Dazed from the attack, Felunge had no chance to dodge the incoming Electric attack, and the poor feline took the electric blast head on. Felunge meowed in pain, and once the attack ceased, she fell to the ground facefirst.

"Felunge!" Maria cried.

The referee raised a flag in Ash's direction. "Felunge can't fight anymore! The winner is Pikachu!"

Maria let out a sigh of defeat, and returned her fallen cat. "Good job, Felunge. Take a rest."

"YES!" Ash said, pumping a fist. "One down, two more to go!"

"Pikapi!" Pikachu cheered as well.

…

"Yes! Pikachu won!" Bonnie cheered.

"It shows that this match isn't going to be a repeat of last time," Clemont said with a nod.

"Indeed. Let's see if he can keep it up," Serena said, also feeling more hope for Ash's chances. "Though, how is that the second time Ash used Iron Tail against Felunge, it managed to overpower Kinetmunk's Shadow Claw? You'd think the result would be the same."

"My guess would be Iron Tail's additional effect, a chance to weaken the target's defense," Clemont explained. "Ash must have noticed that the effect was triggered, while Maria did not. Hence why Ash made Pikachu use the same move again, since he knew he'd overpower Felunge."

Bonnie couldn't help but smirk. "Guess that doing the same thing multiple times can yield different results after all."

…

"Kinetmunk, go!" Maria said, sending her second Pokemon.

"Kin!" the Normal and Electric-type happily cried after being released from its pokeball.

"Pikachu, return!" Ash ordered. Pikachu looked a little surprised, but complied anyway. Once he was besides his trainer, he titled his head at him.

"Pika?"

"Don't worry, you were doing fine, but I want to save you for later," Ash explained, as his hand reached for one of his pokeballs.

"Aw, you're returning Pikachu?" Maria asked, placing her hands on her hips. "And here I thought you wanted to know which one of our electric rodents was the better one."

"Perhaps you need an answer to that question," Ash replied, perhaps a little snappier than he intended. "Now, time to put our newest team member to test! Dunsparce, I choose you!"

Dunsparce was released from his pokeball, landing on the ground with a soft 'thud'. He looked far calmer than he was in either Passage Cave or during the training the previous day. "Paaarce..."

"Dunsparce versus Kinetmunk, begin!" the referee said.

"Oh, a Dunsparce. You are bringing something new after all. Did you find it in Passage Cave, I guess?" Maria asked. "Well, let's see how much of a help this Dunsparce will be to you, Ash! Kinetmunk, use Super Fang!"

"Munk!" Kinetmunk cried, as it dashed towards Dunsparce, its buckteeth glowing white as they tripled in length.

"Alright, Dunsparce, counter that with-"

"Dun! Dun! Dunspaaaaaaarce..!" Dunsparce cried as he curled into a ball, his body shaking with fear.

"Dunsparce, no! We talked about this!" Ash shouted, frustrated.

"Munk?" Kinetmunk stopped, cancelled its attack, and looked at Maria, clearly not feeling comfortable fighting a Pokemon that wasn't going to defend himself.

"It seems that Dunsparce doesn't feel very comfortable fighting, Ash," Maria chastised, shaking her head.

"No, it's not that! Dunsparce-" Ash tried to explain, but Maria raised a finger to silence him.

"A trainer as experienced as you should know better than sending such a Pokemon against a Gym Leader. Kinetmunk, keep fight-"

"PARCE!"

While Kinetmunk had its back turned, Dunsparce hit it with a powerful Headbutt, sending the Chipmunk Pokemon crashing against the ground facefirst. Of course, a mere hit, even one from behind, wasn't enough to knock the Normal and Electric type out, who quickly jumped back on all fours, and looked at Dunsparce with incredulous eyes.

Maria was also stared at Dunsparce, dumbfounded. "Okay that... was pretty cheap."

"Sorry! We've been trying to work on that tendency of his..." Ash apologized somewhat bashfully.

"Eh, no need to apologize. Even if it was a cheap shot, it wasn't illegal. Or else the referee would have said something," Maria reassured Ash. "Though, don't think we're going to fall for that trick a second time."

"Don't worry, I'm sure Dunsparce won't do it again. Right, Dunsparce?" Ash asked.

"Parce..." Dunsparce spat, rolling his eyes.

"Pika!" Pikachu cried indignantly, seemingly insulted by that Dunsparce said.

"Let's continue the battle. Kinetmunk, Super Fang again!" Maria ordered.

Once again, Kinetmunk, who understandably looked rather pissed, charged at Dunsparce, its buckteeth once again glowing and enlarged.

"Dunsparce, counter that with Rollout!" Ash said.

Dunsparce curled into a ball, and rolled at great speed towards the incoming Kinetmunk. The two Pokemon clashed, with Kinetmunk trying to sink its empowered buckteeth into the Land Snake Pokemon, but Dunsparce spinning speed was too high for that, and eventually the Chipmunk Pokemon was overpowered and hurled backwards.

"Yes!" Ash cheered. "See Dunsparce? You don't need to fight dirty to show your strength! Now, Rollout again!"

Dunsparce continued rolling, building even more speed as he moved to steamroll Kinetmunk with an attack twice as powerful as before.

"If contact moves won't work, ranged attacks will have to do. Kinetmunk, use Discharge!" Maria ordered.

"Kinet...MUNK!" Kinetmunk's body crackled with electricity, before it launched multiple streams of lightning towards the incoming Dunsparce.

The attack connected, and Dunsparce's Rollout was cancelled as he was electrocuted.

"Paaaaaarce!" he cried.

"Ignore his cries! Quick Attack!" Maria said.

Not willing to let the Land Snake Pokemon any time to breathe, Kinetmunk dashed towards Dunsparce at such speed it almost looked like a yellow and blue blur. Dunsparce didn't have time to avoid the attack, and the slam pushed him backwards.

"Dunsparce, hold on!" Ash shouted.

"Kinetmunk, follow up with Spark!" Maria ordered.

Kinetmunk's body was surrounded by an electric aura, and dashed towards Dunsparce once again.

"Dunsparce, dodge it with Dig!" Ash said.

Dunsparce quickly burrowed underground just as Kinetmunk was about to hit him, but passed above him instead. Once the Chipmunk Pokemon stopped, Dunsparce emerged from underground, hitting its underbelly.

"Good thing he didn't think of attacking Maria." Ash thought in relief.

"Kinetmunk, Super fang, now!" Maria ordered.

As it was taking Dunsparce's hit, Kinetmunk's buckteeth tripled in length as they glowed with a white light, and were sunk into Dunsparce's body. The Land Snake Pokemon cried in agony.

"Dunsparce, no!"

"Hold on and don't let go, no matter how much he begs!" Maria instructed. "Prepare a Discharge!"

That moment, Ash realized that there was one attack of Dunsparce that Ash didn't tell him to use just yet, one that would work great in the current situation. "Dunsparce, Poison Jab!"

As Kinetmunk's body began to crackle with electricity, Dunsparce's drill tail was covered by a purple aura, before jabbing it into Kinetmunk's gut. Kinetmunk's eyes opened wide, releasing Dunsparce and stumbling backwards. The Chipmunk Pokemon's face turned of s sickly pale color, and coughed what appeared to be purple bubbles.

"No!" Maria cried, covering her mouth with her hands.

"Kinetmunk was poisoned? Yes!" Ash cheered, basking on his good luck. "Come on Dunsparce, use Rollout!"

Once again, Dunsparce rolled into a ball and dashed towards the poisoned Kinetmunk.

"Kinetmunk, stop it with Discharge!" Maria said.

"Dunsparce, swivel to the sides to dodge!" Ash commanded.

Once again, Kinetmunk fired multiple electric bolts at the incoming Dunsparce, but the Land Snake Pokemon moved to the sides in order to avoid them, until Dunsparce's spinning body slammed against Kinetmunk, sending him tumbling backwards. Still, Kinetmunk appeared to have some fight in it, given that it was trying to stay on its feet, even if its legs were shaking badly. The Chipmunk Pokemon coughed more purple bubbles, before it finally collapsed on the ground.

The referee raised a flag in Ash's direction. "Kinetmunk can't fight anymore! The winner is Dunsparce!"

…

"Yes, yes, yes!" Bonnie cheered, bouncing on her seat. It was quite the contrast compared to the schoolchidren, who were obviously not cheering, but murmuring in disappointment that their teacher was losing so badly. "That's two of Maria's Pokemon that go down! One more and Ash will win!"

"Ash was surely lucky that that Poison Jab poisoned Kinetmunk," Serena said. "I know it has a chance to cause poisoning, but said chance isn't too big."

"I think it has to do with Dunsparce's ability, Serene Grace," Clemont explained. "Which increases the chance of attacks causing additional effects. Remember how Dunsparce also poisoned Birbie when they battled each other? I have the feeling Ash realized Dunsparce had such an ability."

"Serene Grace? That's the name of an ability?" Serena asked, raising an eyebrow.

"What's wrong with it?" Clemont asked.

"Well, aside from the fact that 'serene' is a letter away from my name, my mom's name is Grace," Serena reminded Clemont and Bonnie.

"Haha, I haven't realized of that!" Bonnie laughed. "Maybe your mom named you after that ability?"

"Now that's a conversation I'll be forward to have," Serena deadpanned, before her eyes returned to the battle. "That Dunsparce might have an attitude problem, but Ash caught himself quite the strong Pokemon," Serena commented.

"Well, at least he isn't disobeying Ash," Bonnie pointed out.

"No, he won't. While I saw Ash training Dunsparce yesterday, I could see that Dunsparce had a flippant attitude and poor sense of teamwork, but he also has a begrunding sense of respect for Ash," Serena began. "Dunsparce is the kind of prideful Pokemon that only respects strength, and Ash has that in abundance. Hopefully, Ash will make him understand that strength isn't all that there's to it."

…

"Kiricorn, go!" Maria said, tossing her last pokeball.

As Kiricorn was released from the capture device, it reared once again while letting out a powerful neigh.

"Dunsparce versus Kiricorn, go!" the referee said.

"Dunsparce, Rollout!" Ash ordered.

Once again, Dunsparce curled into a ball and rolled towards the white and pink Pokemon.

"Counter it with Mega Horn!" Maria said.

Kiricorn's antler-like horn began to glow with a greenish-yellow aura in the shape of a spike, and the moment Dunsparce was close enough, Kiricorn gored Dunsparce, launching him into the air, before it landed on the ground with a painful thud.

"Dunsparce!" Ash cried.

"Now, follow with Moonblast!" Maria said.

"Rollout again!" Ash said.

As Kiricorn summoned a sphere of pink and white swirling light above its head, Dunsparce once again rolled against his foe. Kiricorn then fired the attack.

"Swerve to the left!" Ash ordered.

Dunsparce did as Ash said, and managed to avoid the attack, if barely, as it exploded behind him, leaving a cloud of pink and white dust sparkled, before he finally slammed against Kiricorn, who neighed in Pain.

"Double Kick!" Maria ordered.

Before Dunsparce could attack again, Kiricorn delivered a powerful kick with its hard hooves, pushing Dunsparce backwards.

"Follow with Flamethrower!" Maria commanded.

"Avoid it with Dig!" Ash replied.

Kiricorn gathered flames inside its mouth, before releasing them in the form of a blazing stream. Dunsparce quickly burrowed underground, just as the burning torrent passed above him, safely avoiding the attack.

"That was a pretty big mistake, Ash," Maria said, smirking confidently. "Kiricorn, Earthquake!"

"No!"

Kiricorn reared as the hooves of its front legs began to glow with a white light, before he brought said legs down. The moment the hooves touched the ground, they sent powerful seismic waves through the earth, causing the whole battleground to quake, twist and break apart. Multiplie fissures were formed, as Dunsparce was blasted away from underground, falling on his back.

Dunsparce didn't made any attempt at getting back to his proverbial feet.

The referee raised a flag in Maria's direction. "Dunsparce can't continue the battle! Kiricorn is the winner!"

The announcement was followed by the crowd of children cheering for Maria, as Ash returned Dunsparce to his pokeball and whispered a few words of gratitude. Ash then looked at Pikachu.

"Ready to go, buddy?" Ash asked.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu replied, eager to battle again, and quickly dashed towards the battleground.

"Pikachu versus Kiricorn, begin!" the referee said.

"Pikachu, start with Thunderbolt!" Ash ordered.

"Counter it with Flamethrower!" Maria replied.

Pikachu jumped into the air, his body glowing yellow with electricity, as Kiricorn's mouth overflowed with flames, before the two Pokemon released their attacks. Lightning bolt and stream of flames met in the middle, producing a loud explosion.

"Don't let Pikachu time to breathe! Moonblast! Rapid Fire!" Maria ordered.

"Dodge them with Quick Attack!" Ash said.

Kiricorn summoned and fired Moonblasts as fast as it was able to, while Pikachu dashed across the battleground in a zigzagging pattern, dodging all the pink and white projectiles that ended up exploding beneath him, until he was close enough to the Unicorn Pokemon.

"Use Double Kick!" Maria ordered.

"Jump and use Iron Tail!" Ash said.

Pikachu jumped in time to avoid being crushed by Kiricorn's hard hooves, just as his tail began to glow with a metallic sheen. The moment Pikachu was eye to eye with the equine Pokemon, he slammed his hardened tail into Kiricorn's forehead. The equine whined in pain caused by the supereffective attack as it stumbled backwards.

"Yes! Direct hit!" Ash cheered. "Now use Thunderbolt!"

"Earthquake!" Maria shouted.

As Pikachu prepared his strongest attack, Kiricorn slammed its front hooves into the ground, causing against another earthquake. The ground twist and shifted violently under Pikachu's feet, and the electric mouse was blasted away by the seismic shockwaves.

"Pikachu, no!" Ash cried, seeing his starter Pokemon landing on the ground. Pikachu tried to get back to his feet, but the Ground-type attack had made a number on his body, and collapsed.

The judge raised a flag in Maria's direction. "Pikachu can't fight anymore! The winner is Kiricorn!"

Once again, the announcement was met by a roar of cheers from Maria's schoolchildren. Ash walked towards Pikachu, and carried it back to his side of the battleground.

"Don't worry buddy, you did great," Ash reassured his fallen Pokemon, before gently setting him on the floor next to him. Ash looked at Kiricorn before he reached for his final pokeball. "Thanks to Pikachu and Dunsparce, Kiricorn should have been softened enough to make the final fight easier. It all depends on you now. Greninja, I choose you!"

…

"Man, that Kiricorn is sure something," Serena said, feeling worried for Ash, but unable to surpress a sense of admiration for the strong and beautiful equine Pokemon. "It alone managed to neglect Ash's advantage."

"Yes, but this isn't like the other time. Even if they lost the same number of Pokemon, Ash still has the advantage," Clemont replied. "If he's careful and plays his cards well, he can win this."

"And thus it comes down again to Greninja versus Kiricorn," Serena's attention was drawn to Maria, who began to speak. "The last time, your Greninja was tired and afflicted by paralisys, while now it's completely fresh, while my poor Kiricorn has expended quite a lot of energy taking down your other two Pokemon."

Despite the summary of the situation, Serena didn't feel that Maria was too worried. If anything, she sounded... almost excited?

"I already told you that this match wouldn't be a repeat of the last time," Ash confidently said.

Maria's confident smirk not only matched Ash's, it surpassed it. "Oh, you have no idea of how right you are, Ash," Maria said, as she moved a lock of black hair back, revealing one of her ears, and most importantly, an earring she was wearing. She took it off and showed it to Ash. "You come from Kalos, Ash, so you should know what is this, right?"

The Kalosian teens (and one Kalosian kid) gasped. Maria was holding a multicolored, marble-sized orb with a symbol that looked like a DNA helix.

"That's a Keystone!" Bonnie loudly pointed out.

"Can... can Kiricorn Mega Evolve?" Serena asked in shock.

"You see, Mega Evolution is also pretty big in Tandor, Ash. Though, I'm not able to use it as often as I'd wish, because most of my challengers aren't that experienced, so it would be a little overkill," Maria began, shaking her head and looking down. She then raised her head, and beamed at the Pallet Town teen. "But you Ash... you are the kind of challenger that I love the most. The one that pushes me and my Pokemon to our limits. The one that allows us to go all out! I was a bit disappointed with the way our first match ended, but Aotius and Mutios blessed me with this wonderful second chance. Now Kiricorn, unleash your true power! Mega Evolve!"

As Maria's Keystone shone brightly, Kiricorn's Mega Stone, on a clip hidden beneath its mane, began to glow as well. Both Keystone and Mega Stone shot beams of energy towards each other. The beams clashed, merging into one, and as the link between trainer and Pokemon was forged, Kiricorn began to glow and change its shape.

"Oh my goodness..." Serena said, almost blushing, while covering her mouth with her hands. "It's so..."

"CUUUUUUUUUUTEEEEEEEEE!" Bonnie almost screamed.

If Kiricorn was beautiful then, its beauty had now reached an otherworldly level. Its mane had grown in length, now covering almost its entire body, falling to its sides like the coat of a king. Its bushy pink tail had grown as well, now extending to the ground. Its antler-like blue horn had split into three, while its side horns had grown considerably longer. Blue tufts of hair surrounded its hooves, looking like small boots. Lastly, three rhomboid blue crystals floated at each side of its body, almost looking like wings.

Besotted by such majestic Pokemon, Serena just couldn't take her eyes away from Kiricorn.

…

While Ash wasn't expecting Maria to have such a trump card hidden, he wasn't taken aback either. Kiricorn could Mega Evolve, so what? Ash had already fought and defeated many Mega Evolved Pokemon before, and he would do it again. As many times as were necessary.

"Alright Greninja, time to go all out!" Ash said, throwing a fist forward. "Let's do it, together!"

"GRE!" Greninja shouted, crossing his arms in front of his face as a spiraling tower of water formed around him. As trainer and Pokemon synchornized their minds and spirits, Greninja began to transform as well. The water then began to recede, condensing in the shape of a shuriken on Greninja's back, revealing the Kalosian water type's empowered form.

"Greninja versus Kiricorn! Begin!" the referee said.

"When I saw that Greninja of yours on TV, I never imagined I'd have the chance to battle him myself," Maria said, sounding almost giddy. "Come on Kiricorn, let's give it our all! Moonblast!"

"Parry with Night Slash!"

As Kiricorn summoned an orb of pink and white swirling energy, noticeably larger than the ones it created before Mega Evolving, a pair of swords made of dark energy formed on Greninja's hands. The Moonsblast was fired, and Greninja dashed forward, spinning into a tornado just as the Fairy-type attack was about to hit, and slashing it, causing it to burst like a balloon into thousands of tiny sparkling bits.

"Now Greninja, Aerial Ace!" Ash emphatically ordered.

Greninja vanished, and the next second he reappeared in front of the startled Kiricorn, his arms and legs glowing white, before delivering a brutal swipe to the Unicorn Pokemon's face. Greninja then vanished and reappared at different positions around Kiricorn, continuing his assault with more swipes and kicks, causing the Mega Evolved Pokemon to whine and stumble backwards.

"Defend yourself! Use Double Kick!" Maria shouted.

Overcoming the surprise of the attack, Kiricorn reared once again and tried to block and kick Greninja's frontal attacks back with its front hooves. Horse and frog traded blows, until Kiricorn was able to land a kick on Greninja's chest, pushing the Ninja Pokemon backwards, making him wince in pain.

"ARGH!" Ash growled, as he clutched his chest with one hand.

"Ash? Are you okay?" Maria asked, a little concerned.

"Yes! It's a Battle Bond thing, but pay it no mind! Keep fighting!" Ash insisted, fighting off the pain.

"If you say so, we'll keep fighting without holding back! Flamethrower!" Maria ordered.

"Dodge it!"

Kiricorn took a deep breath, and exhaled a massive stream of flames from its mouth. Greninja moved backwards by doing several backflips, before jumping backwards into the air, letting the blazing torrent pass over him.

"Now, strike him with Megahorn!" Maria ordered.

"Double Team!"

A spike-shaped yellowish-green aura formed around Kiricorn's central horn, before the Unicorn Pokemon charged towards Greninja, who was about to land. The moment he touched ground, however, he filled the battleground with fake duplicates of himself, causing Kiricorn to stop on its tracks and cancel the attack.

"Remove those duplicates with Earthquake!" Maria ordered.

Once again, Kiricorn reared, and brought down its front hooves to the ground with great force, producing a shockwave so powerful it shattered the battleground even further, sending large chunks of rock and dirt into the air, dispelling all the copies and blasting Greninja into the air.

"Now that he can't dodge, use Moonblast!" Maria ordered.

"Greninja, use those rocks in the air as stepping stones!" Ash shouted.

"Gren!" Greninja agreed, and as soon as he regained his footing, he started to jump from one rock to another, dodging Kiricorn's Moonblasts.

"Get close and use Night Slash!" Ash commanded.

"Fry him with Flamethrower!" Maria shouted.

Jumping from one of the airborne rocks, Greninja nosedived towards Kiricorn as he summoned a purple glowing swords on each hand, who once again took a deep breath and exhaled a cone of roaring flames. Then, much to Maria's surprise, Greninja delivered a vertical slash, splitting the sea of flames in two, giving the Ninja Pokemon a direct path towards Kiricorn, striking the Unicorn Pokemon with the other sword the moment he was in close combat, the swing carrying so much force that Kiricorn was launched backwards.

"Night Slash one more time!" Ash ordered.

"Parry it with Megahorn!" Maria countered.

Two more swords formed on Greninja's hands, and the Water and Dark-type Pokemon dashed towards his Mega Evolved foe, as Kiricorn's middle horn was surrounded by a spike-shaped aura. This time, Kiricorn was able to parry Greninja, and the two Pokemon engaged in a surreal fencing duel, trading blows, thursts and parries.

"Greninja, Aerial Ace!" Ash ordered.

"Kiricorn, use Double Kick with your back legs!" Maria ordered.

That moment, Greninja's dark swords disappeared as his hands and legs glowed white, before vanishing and reappearing behind Kiricorn. Fortunately, thanks to Maria's warning, Kiricorn managed to deliver a double kick on Greninja's chest, sending the Ninja Pokemon Tumbling backwards.

"Press on, Kiricorn! Moonblast!" Maria ordered.

"Greninja, Water Shuriken!" Ash said, already savoring victory.

As Kiricorn created another swirly orb of pink and white light, Greninja jumped into the air as he grabbed the water shuriken attached to his back, and raised it above his head, tripling in size, before tossing its at his foe.

Both attacks met in the middle, but unlike the previous time, they didn't cancel each other, resulting in an explosion. The enhanced Water Shuriken broke through the Moonblast, shattering it into thousand of sparkly bits, before it continued its way towards Kiricorn. The gigantic watery star found its mark, exploding into a torrent of roaring water that drowned the Normal and Fairy type Pokemon.

"Kiricorn!" Maria cried.

The torrent of water finally calmed and dispersed into a large puddle, revealing Kiricorn, no longer in its Mega Evolved form, lying sideways on the ground, completely unconscious.

The referee raised a flag in Ash's direction. "Kiricorn is unable to battle, Greninja is the winner! And since Maria has no more Pokemon, the winner of this match is Ash Ketchum!"

"Yes!" Ash said, pumping a fist into the air. "We did it, Greninja!"

Greninja turned around, the Battle Bond coming to an end, returning Greninja to his normal form. "Gre," Greninja nodded.

"Ash!"

Ash turned around, and saw Serena, Clemont and Bonnie running towards him.

"Ash, you did it! You beat Maria!" Serena almost squealed, beaming proudly at him.

"Greninja was so awesome!" Bonnie cheered.

"Indeed. Both you and your Pokemon remain as sharp as you were in Kalos," Clemont complimented.

…

Meanwhile, Maria sighed, and recalled her defeated Kiricorn. "Good job, Kiricorn. It was a great battle," she said, before walking towards Ash. "I may have lost, but I'm happy. Happy to be part of such an amazing battle."

"Hehe, thanks!" Ash chuckled, as he rubbed the back of his head. "You were such a tough opponent! If other Gym Leaders are just as strong as you are... boy I can't wait to fight them!"

"I'm sure you'll find them challenging enough," Maria said, as she began to dig for something on her pocket, before pulling it out. "Anyway, I guess I should give you this. The Normal Badge is yours. Congratulations."

Ash took the badge from Maria's hands. It was rather simple in design, a square with a diagonal cut, the left half yellow and the right half pink, surrounded by a silver frame.

"I got the Normal Badge!" Ash excitedly shouted, rising the badge for all to see.

"Pi-pika!" Pikachu cheered.

Ash then took out his badge case, and placed his first badge inside it. Seeing that the case was no longer empty filled Ash with encouragement.

"One down, seven more to go," he said, before closing the case.

"So, Ash, what do you plan to do now?" Maria asked. "Do you have your next destination in mind?"

"Uh..." Ash scratched his cheek. "Well, not really, hehe. Guys, do you know where are we going next?"

"The closest town that will hold a contest in the near future is Moki Town, so I think we should go there," Serena suggested. "Though, Moki Town doesn't have a Gym..."

"That can't be helped. Once you're done with the contest, travel east through the Seabreeze Way, and you'll reach Burole Town," Maria explained. "There's a Pokemon Gym there that you can challenge."

"Alright then! First Stop, Moki Town, and then, Burole Town!" Ash said, recovering his earlier excitement.

Maria escorted the group to the Gym's exit, and watched them go. They waved her goodbye, until they finally disappeared into the distance. The Normal type specialist couldn't help but smile.

"I have the feeling this year's Pokemon League is going to be unforgettable," she said.

Maria had no idea how right those words would prove to be.

…

As Ash and their friends exited Nowtoch City, they were being followed from a distance by somebody: the same blond biker woman who had spied on them in Kevlar Town. Once they saw them heading towards Owten Nook, she took her Pokegear and dialed a number.

"Richard? It's Amber again," Amber replied. "Yes, the kids have left Nowtoch City and are heading back to Kevlar... no, they don't appear to suspect anything. Shouldn't we...? Alright... okay, I'll continue trailing them. I'll call you soon."

As the call ended, the woman got back on her bike, and continued following the group of teens.

Chapter Text

Owten Nook

Thankfully, by the time the group left Nowtoch City, the rocks blocking Owten Nook had been finally removed and people could use the route again without having to cross Passage Cave. Though, thankfully, it seemed that the Pokemon inside the cave had remained calm and no more rock slides happened as a result of their constant territorial disputes.

They had spent the whole previous day walking, stopping only a couple times to eat and or to rest, before they set up the tents for the night. Then, as soon as the sun was up, they decided to continue their travel, until it was noon, and decided it was time to rest and fill their stomach, as breakfast felt far away and wouldn't be able to sustain them for much longer, so after finding a spot next to a small forest, they set up their camp.

Naturally, the first thing they did after setting camp was to release their Pokemon from their pokeballs so they could spread their legs and breathe some fresh air before it was time to eat.

As they waited for lunch hour, Ash had suggested that he and Serena had a sparring match to work up their appetites, something he was saying so often it was on its way to become a catchphrase. Ash decided to use Dunsparce and Birbie, while Serena used Braixen and Selkid.

"Let's see what you think of this combination, Serena!" Ash boasted, before addressing his Pokemon. "Dunsparce, Rollout! Birbie, use Gust to help him build even more speed!"

Dunsparce curled into a ball and rolled forward, while Birbie flapped his wings in order to produce a gust of wind that pushed Dunsparce from behind.

Serena smirked confidently. "Let me answer that with a combination of my own! Selkid, use Hyper Voice! And Braixen, use Flamethrower on it!"

"SeeeelKIIIIIIIIIID!" Selkid screamed as her voice manifested in the form of sonic shockwaves that flew towards the coming Dunsparce.

Braixen then aimed her wand into the sonic waves and shoot a stream of flames into it. The moment the fire touched the soundwaves, it began to wriggle and shift, forming a spiraling cone of flames around the Hyper Voice. The combination attack blasted Dunsparce backwards, who uncoiled as it landed on the ground with a soft thud. Even if Dunsparce didn't suffer much damage –she deduced the spinning force helped the Land Snake Pokemon deflect most of the damage– he was stopped in his tracks.

"Very good, Serena!" Ash praised her. "That combo would have made me lose a lot of points."

Serena beamed with pride at Ash's compliments, the determination to become even better burning brighter than ever. "And just wait to see what else I have prepared! Selkid, use Sing!"

The Sea Nymph Pokemon intoned a song that could have easily been mistaken for a human voice. Ethereal musical notes started to appear around Ash's Pokemon as they grew drowsy.

"Guys, resist! You must-eh?"

Then, much to Ash and Serena's surprise, Birbie started to chirp the same melody Selkid was, trying to follow the Water and Fairy type's pace. More musical notes started to appear around them.

"Look at that. Birbie learned Sing by listening to Selkid," Ash pointed out.

"It seems he wanted to form a duet with her," Serena said, giggling. Could it be that Birbie felt something for Selkid?

Serena, however, noticed something about Selkid. While she was allowing Birbie to sing alongside her, she was looking at him as if the Eden Bird Pokemon was challenged her. Selkid continued her song, only increasing her range and her pace, with Birbie trying to keep up with her as best as he could. She couldn't help to feel a little bad for Ash's Pokemon, given that the little bird wasn't trying to compete with her.

"Parce!"

Unfortunately for the singers, their duet abruptly ended when Dunsparce chose that moment to Headbutt the unaware Selkid, sending her rolling on the ground, getting dirt and blades of grass all over her body.

"Selkid!" Serena cried, as she went after her.

"Braix!" Braixen cried as well, following her trainer.

"BIRB!" Birbie screeched.

"Dunsparce!" Ash shouted. "Why did you do that!?"

"Parce?" the Land Snake Pokemon asked defensively, as if reminding everybody else that they were still in the middle of a battle.

While Ash and Birbie admonished Dunsparce, Serena and Braixen helped Selkid back on her feet. Fortunately, Dunsparce's attack hadn't hurt her much, even if she was now dirty.

"Selkid, are you okay?" Serena asked.

"Sel..." Selkid said, as she tried to wipe the dirt and grass from her little body, before glaring at the unapologetic looking Dunsparce.

"That Dunsparce..." Serena shook her head. "Say, there's a small pond going in that direction. Braixen, why don't you take Selkid there so she can wash herself?"

"Braix," Braixen nodded, as she held Selkid's hand and escorted the Sea Nymph Pokemon to the aforementioned pond.

As her Pokemon left, Ash walked towards her, a guilty look on his face, unlike the unruly Land Snake Pokemon.

"Hehe, sorry for that," Ash began. "I thought that Dunsparce realized that he shouldn't attack, but guess he's still difficult-"

Serena raised a finger, silencing Ash. Though she shot him a gentle smile to reassure him that she wasn't mad. "It's okay, Ash. I know it wasn't your fault. Then again, it may be for the best if you don't use Dunsparce during our spars until you have the time to curb his... atittude problem."

Ash smiled at her, still guilty but relieved to see Serena wasn't mad at him. "Guess I can't argue with that."

"Come on, let's-"

Serena was interrupted by a rustle coming from nearby bushes, as she and Ash turned around towards the source of the disturbance. And from the shrubbery, a small Pokemon emerged. It was a cute equine Pokemon, with white skin, a pink mane, a long tail ended in a pink fluff, a horn in the middle of its forehead, and big, clue eyes.

Serena's heart skipped a beat when she saw that Pokemon, who ressembled a smaller version of Kiricorn. Both she and Ash pulled out their Pokedex.

"Minicorn, the Foal Pokemon. Normal/Fairy. Its small stature, gentle demeanor and delicate features make it beloved by young children. A popular line of toys is based on it."

Checking Kiricorn's entry after that one, Serena confirmed that yes, Minicorn evolved into Kircorn when exposed to a Shiny Stone. Serena couldn't believe her luck, running into a Minicorn so soon, given their rarity.

Minicorn let out a high pitched whine, alerted by the sound the Pokedex made, and snapped her head towards the humans, looking at them with apprenhsive eyes.

"Uh oh, she looks scared," Ash whispered to her.

"I know. I'll try not to come off as menacing," Serena whispered back, before clearing her throat and putting on her best, most reassuring smile. "Hi there, Minicorn! My name is Serena, and I wondered if you'd like to be my fri-"

Serena was interrupted when Minicorn let out a loud, high pitched neigh of terror, before dashing back into the small forest.

"Minicorn, wait!" Serena said, taking a couple steps in the direction Minicorn ran towards. "I don't want to hurt you, I promise!"

"Guess that's a shy one," Ash commented. "Or maybe it's a Minicorn thing. Well, no wonder they're so hard to catch if they don't get close to humans."

"Too bad. I would have liked to befriend her," Serena dejectedly said, and she and Ash walked to Clemont and Bonnie, in the process of setting up the table.

Just as they finished, Braixen and Selkid returned, the latter already cleaned from all the dirt on her body, which still gleamed from the dripping water.

"Hey, look who's back!" Serena smiled at her most recent Pokemon. "Are you feeling better now? Because your food is ready!"

Selkid looked at the other Pokemon, both those who belonged to Serena, and those who don't, already happily munching on their food. Birbie noticed her, and waved a wing at her, but she ignored him. She furrowed her brow when her eyes rested on Dunsparce, the Land Snake Pokemon gobbling down his food as if nothing had happened.

"Selkid?" Serena asked.

Wordlessly, Selkid grabbed her bowl of food, and carried it to the other side of the table, away from the other Pokemon.

"Guess she isn't feeling that good yet..." Serena dejectedly said.

"Braixen," Braixen said, resting a paw on Serena's back to comfort her. The Fox Pokemon then grabbed her own bowl, and went to eat with Selkid. Thankfully, the Sea Nymph Pokemon didn't mind Braixen's company. The two Pokemon silently ate together.

…

Unbeknownst to the humans, Minicorn hadn't gone too far. In fact, she was still at the edge of the forest, carefully watching those humans returning with the rest of their herd, which also included a bunch of other Pokemon.

Normally, Minicorn wouldn't have left the safety and protection that the forest provided, especially since those other humans were still looking for her and her friends. One of the reasons she decided to go in the open was because she heard a voice, a singing voice, one that she hadn't heard in quite a few weeks.

But alas, she wasn't there, instead only a couple humans that could have easily captured her if they were faster. Granted, they didn't look as dangerous as the humans that kept her and her friends prisoner, but she didn't dare to push her luck with them.

Coming to terms with the fact that her missing friend wasn't there, Minicorn was about to leave, but something else caught her attention: a heavenly smell of something delicious. Something not of this world. Something that made her mouth water and stomach growl. Finding food has been a constant problem since she and her friends escaped captivity, so the promise of food was a welcome one.

One problem: the smell came from the human encampment, meaning that the food was theirs, and their Pokemon's.

Oh well, there's no reward without risk. And her friends were coutning on her.

…

And now, it was one of Dunsparce's favorite time since he allowed that human to catch him: lunch time.

Initially, Dunsparce only traveled with Ash because he thought that doing so would allow him to become stronger. The free food, however, was an unexpected but very welcomed surprise. And the taste was so much better. No more digging and scrapping to find stale mushrooms to eat, for the Land Snake Pokemon had hit the jackpot.

Though, he would have enjoyed his food much more if he couldn't feel Birbie's glare burning through his skin. Was he still angry because he attacked that fish in the middle of their singing? It wasn't Dunsparce's fault if the two of them forgot they were in the middle of a fight. Hell, Selkid should be grateful for Dunsparce holding back. A Poison Jab would have been far worse than a mere Headbutt.

Maybe he should have attacked Birbie instead, and teach that naïve chick what happens when you lower your guard in the middle of battle. Birbie was young and full of energy, traits of somebody who had an easy life and never experienced any hardships. How Ash allowed such a weakling among his ranks, Dunsparce couldn't tell.

Of course, Dunsparce was forgetting, either deliberatedly or otherwise, that said weakling had beaten him not long after that, but Dunsparce surely didn't consider that relevant to the topic at hand.

"Ches? Chespin? Chespin!"

"Cham! Pancham!"

"CHESPIN!"

Dunsparce's peace was disturbed further when he saw the Chespin from the nerdy human, Clemont, getting into an argument with the Pancham of the corny human. Apparently, Chespin was accusing Pancham of stealing some of the sweets the corny human, Serena, had baked for them, with Pancham naturally denying it.

"Pi, Pika!"

Before the two of them could get into a fight, Pikachu offered Chespin one of his sweets –Dunsparce believed Serena called them "pokepuffs"– which seemed to calm the Grass type down.

Too bad, that argument looked entertaining. And it seemed those two didn't get along. A malicious smile spread across his face as Dunsparce thought in ways to sow discord between them so they could get back to fighting-

YOINK!

"Cham?" Pancham asked, as he noticed that the pokepuff at his side had disappeared. He immediately turned at Chespin, a paw curled into a fist. "Pancham!? Cham, pancham!"

"Ches?"

"PANCHAM!"

...turns out no action on Dunsparce's part was necessary, as something had stolen Pancham's pokepuff. He didn't know who was, he only saw a brief flash of white and pink, but he didn't care. This time, Pikachu was unable to deescalate the situation, as he had no more food of his own to use to placate either of them.

"LUXRAY!" the nerdy human's Luxray quickly got in the middle, keeping the two angry Pokemon apart from each other.

Party pooper.

"Syl? Sylveon!" Sylveon cried, nervously looking around

"Nene?" Dedenne asked.

Apparently, Sylveon's food had also disappeared when she wasn't looking, and so did Dedenne, and accused the other Pokemon of taking away their food. Whoever that thief was, it was good, and has Dunsparce's respect.

"Bir-"

Birbie tried to say something, but his plea was silenced as the situation snowballed into a loud argument, drowning his voice in a cacophony of yells, as Pikachu, Luxray, and later Greninja tried without much success to defuse the situation.

Maybe with some luck, the argument would result in violence.

"Hey, what's happening over there?" Ash asked.

"Why are you fighting?" the small human, Bonnie, asked.

All the Pokemon immediately turned towards their trainers and began to loudly accuse the others of stealing their food, while the humans did their best to calm them down.

…

The raid had been successful.

Minicorn happily trotted with her loot, which she carried on her mouth, horn, and wrapped around her tail. It wasn't much, but she guessed it would last her and her friends a couple days, if they were careful with the rations.

And the best part, no one had seen her, as the other Pokemon quickly blamed each other for the disappearance of the food. Then, they'll leave with their trainers and the whole incident will be forgotten.

Or that's what Minicorn thought, as she wasn't unaware that a certain bird was following her, making sure the Foal Pokemon didn't spot him.

…

It took them some time, but they finally managed to calm their Pokemon down. It seemed that their food had disappeared, which was the cause of the argument. They were unable to come up who was right and who wasn't. Blaming Chespin was tempting, given his history, but even the Spiny Nut Pokemon wasn't as big of a gluttonous jerk as to steal food from pretty much every other Pokemon.

After that, the humans told their Pokemon to finish what was left of their food while they finished theirs, and they would resume their journey.

"Guess it's a good thing Selkid decided to eat apart from them," Serena said, as she began to recall all her Pokemon into their respective pokeballs. "Being in the middle of such an argument was the last thing she needed."

"Though, it's kind of weird that our Pokemon got into a fight like that," Ash said, as he did the same.

"Yeah. Chespin might cause some trouble with food, but never to this scale," Clemont agreed. "Which made me believe that this time he wasn't the culprit of the food disappearance."

"Guess there's no point in mulling over it. We will have to keep a closer eye on our Pokemon so there's not a repeat of this," Ash said, as he was about to recall Birbie, but the Eden Bird Pokemon was nowhere to be seen. "Birbie? Birbie? Birbie, where are you?"

"Pikapi?" Pikachu asked, looking around for the blue bird, only noticing his absence now.

"Where did Birbie go?" Serena asked, looking around as well.

"Wait... what if... Birbie stole the food and then ran away? Well, flew away," Bonnie pondered.

"There's no way Birbie would do that. In fact, of all my Pokemon, he's the one who eats the least," Ash said. "Though, now that you mention it, I don't remember seeing Birbie as part of the-"

"Birb!" Birbie chirped, as he emerged from the forest, looking a little agitated.

"Oh, there he is!" Ash said, relieved. "Birbie, where did you go? We were going to leave and-"

"Bir, birbie! Bir, bir!" Birbie chirped loudly, before he turned around, and returned to the forest.

"Hey, Birbie, where are you going? Come back!" Ash shouted, a bit confused by the behavior of the normally calm and chipper bird.

"Ash... I think Birbie found something and wants us to follow him," Clemont deduced.

"The food thief?" Bonnie asked.

"Only one way to know," Ash said, as he entered the forest, following Birbie.

The group of four followed the Eden Bird Pokemon across the small forest, the latter flying at a slow pace so they could follow him properly. They sometimes had to push some bushes or overgrowths here and there apart to walk, but otherwise the trek wasn't a difficult one.

"Whoa," Bonnie said.

They eventually reached to their destination: a rather large tree with an underground grotto partially hidden under its roots.

"So... the thieves are under that tree?" Ash asked.

"Birb!" Birbie nodded.

"Very well. Thanks for your help, Birbie. Return," Ash said, as he recalled Birbie into his pokeball.

The group went into the underground grotto, with Clemont activating his Heliolisk Flashlight to illuminate the area. It didn't take long for them to find its inhabitants, as they heard a high pitched neigh.

"...Minicorn?" Serena asked.

In front of them, bathed in the aritficial yellow light, were three Pokemon. One of them was Minicorn. The other was an Eevee, and the other was a blue and yellow insect Pokemon neither of them had seen in their lives, surrounding and eating from a pile of food the gang quickly realized was what their Pokemon were eating. Ash was quick to scan this new Pokemon with his Pokedex.

"Colarva, the Snow Mite Pokemon. Ice/Bug. The older they get, the sharper the ice spikes on their back become. Stepping on one buried under the snow is an unpleasant experience."

Eevee and Colarva flinched and shrunk in fear upon seeing their shelter breached by outsiders. Minicorn, instead, let out a neigh, and glared at the group, ready to go down fighting to protect her friends.

"Pikaaa!" Pikachu, in response, jumped from Ash's shoulder, landing on all fours, and releasing sparks of electricity from his cheeks. If these thieves wanted a fight, they'd have one.

"W-Wait! We don't want to fight you!" Serena said, raising her hands defensively. "If you only wanted food, all you have to-"

The honey blonde was interrupted when she felt one of her pokeballs shaking on its own, before opening and releasing the Pokemon inside.

"Selkid!" Selkid said, waving both arms at Minicorn.

Much to the group's bewilderment, Minicorn blinked in surprise, before relaxing her body. The two Pokemon walked towards each other, Minicorn nuzzling Selkid's face, while Selkid rubbed Minicorn's head with her arm. The Eevee and Colarva in the back also stopped shaking, and even got closer to meet Selkid, who also greeted them.

"Selkid? Do you know these Pokemon?" Serena asked.

"Selkid!" Selkid turned towards Serena and nodded at her.

"If that's true... then that means that these Pokemon must have been in the hands of those traffickers!" Clemont said in realization.

"Is that true, Selkid? Is that how you know these Pokemon?" Bonnie asked.

"Sel..." Selkid sadly agreed.

Ash's stare hardened. "We're close to Kevlar Town, where we rescued Selkid from that Maury kid. This confirms it. The traffickers' base of operations must be around Kevlar Town."

"Plus, we saw those bikers coming heading towards Kevlar after we left Moki Town," Clemont added.

"So... what are we going to do now?" Serena asked.

"First of all, these Pokemon look pretty beat up, not to mention hungry. Given that there are no Pokemon Centers around and we're still too far from Kevlar, we're going to take care of them oursevles until they're back to full health," Ash decided. His three friends nodded at the suggestion. "After that, we're going to find these traffickers' base and release all the Pokemon they have captured."

This earned Ash a few odd looks from his friends.

"Um, Ash, as much as I want to see those Pokemon free, shouldn't we contact the Rangers and let them take care of it?" Clemont suggested.

"By the time we reach Kevlar and contact them, it may be too late," Ash said, shaking his head. "In fact, I'm sure our encounter with Maury already tipped them that they're on thin ice and decided to bail already. Now that I think about it, it's possible that these three Pokemon took advantage of them moving out to escape."

"So if we find their base, they might not even be there," Serena summarized.

"Possibly, but we don't lose anything by taking a look first," Ash said. "If we don't find anything, we'll tell the Rangers once we return to Kevlar. Alright?"

To Ash's satisfaction, none of them opposed his suggestion.

"Very well then," Serena said, before turning at Selkid. "Selkid, ask your friends if they want to come with us for the time being. We can feed them and heal their wounds."

"Sel," Selkid nodded, before turning towards the trio of Pokemon, and presumably translated what Serena had told her.

The three Pokemon looked at each other, before sharing a couple of mutters. The three of them then turned towards the humans, and nodded.

…

A few minutes later, the group were back at their camp. Thankfully, it was still the way they left it. Leaving their tents, folding table and other belongings there unattended was foolish in hindsight, but fortunately, they weren't gone for long, so the camp was exactly as they left it.

The first thing they did was to give them some food, which they accepted eagerly, and wolfed them down as if somebody would take it away from them if they ate too slowly.

"Easy there, guys! You're going to choke on your food if you don't properly chew!" Bonnie told them.

"I guess these Pokemon haven't had much to eat lately," Clemont said, adjusting his glasses.

Once they were full, it was time to spray them with some Potions. Minicorn appeared to be the healthier of the three –perhaps that's why she was the one who went out to find food– but Eevee and Colarva, not so much. However, the Evolution Pokemon and the Snow Mite Pokemon took a step back the moment Clemont got close with the spray bottle, clearly not trusting him.

"Sel, selkid!" Selkid said, presumably telling them not to be afraid.

"This might sting a little at first, but trust me, you're going to feel so much better after that," Clemont reassured them, as he sprayed them with the Potion. The two Pokemon winced a little, but they trusted Selkid and let Clemont continue spraying them. However, after a few seconds, Eevee and Colarva looked at their bodies in amazement, seeing how their wounds disappeared and the small but persistent aches that afflicted them disappeared, replaced by a feeling of relief like they've never felt before.

"Ev!" Eevee squaled.

"Co-co!" Colarva happily screeched.

"See? I told you guys you can trust us," Bonnie smiled at them.

"Nene!" Dedenne emphatically added.

"Alright, now that you guys are better," Ash began as he walked towards then. "So, I was wondering-"

"Pika!" Pikachu suddenly interrupting, his ears perking up.

"Pikachu?" Ash whispered.

Silence reigned for a moment as neither human nor Pokemon made any noise, as if expecting for something to happen.

Then, they heard it.

The engine of a motorbike in distance, growing fainter and fainter until it disappeared.

"The bikers..." Bonnie said.

"They're close by..." Serena added.

Ash, however, looked far from worried or intimidated. If anything, he looked even more resolute than ever. "Then we were right. They do have their hideout somewhere around this parts. And inside said lair must be all the Pokemon they've poached."

"The noise came from that direction," Clemont said, pointing to the west. "But said lair could be anywhere."

"Fortunately, we know some Pokemon who managed to escape from that place," Ash told the trio of wild Pokemon, his voice sounding more pleading rather than demanding. "Listen, you may not like this, given that you'll have very bad memories of such place, but... can you lead us to the place you escaped from?"

Predictably, the trio grew uncomfortable with such a question.

"I know that going back to such a place may not be easy for you," Ash continued, kneeling before them so he could look at them in the eye. "But... think in all the Pokemon that, like you not long ago, were in the hands of those criminals. They're suffering like you did. And they're waiting for somebody to rescue them. You can help them escape."

"Pi, pikachu!" Pikachu added, waving his paws.

"Selkid!" Selkid added as well.

Once again, the trio of Pokemon looked at each other, before trading some whispers, and thankfully, once again their response was a positive one.

"You will? Awesome!" Ash cheered.

"And don't worry. We promise you we won't let you those guys catch you again," Serena reassured them.

…

About an hour later, the trio of escaped Pokemon led their human saviors through the forest, coming out from the other side, and heading towards the west, towards the rocky hills that surrounded Owten Nook.

"Are you sure this is the right direction?" Clemont asked, as he looked around. "There doesn't seem to be anything here."

"Eev!" Eevee said, nodding.

"Well, it looks secluded enough to build a base, but the terrain here isn't the best to build anything," Serena commented.

"I'm with Clemont, I'm not seeing anything here," Bonnie said, looking around as well. Then, she grabbed Dedenne and lifted him above her head. "Do you see something, Dedenne?"

"Nene," the Antenna Pokemon shook his head.

The trio then stopped, making the whole group to stop as well. The path ahead branched in different directions, and they were looking at them in confusion, as if trying to remember which one was the one they took when they escaped. They spend there quite a few minutes, unable to reach a decision.

"Guess this is as far as we're going to get," Serena said, as she scratched the side of her head.

"I guess that they were worried with escaping and didn't take the time to memorize the place," Ash said. "Not that I can blame them."

"Well, if I was an evil guy, I wouldn't just want my base on a far away place, but also hidden so people don't find them on accident," Bonnie pointed out. "Maybe that's why they're having trouble remembering where it was."

"That's... a rather clever observation, Bonnie," Clemont admitted, making his sister smile proudly.

"It's also a problem. How are we going to find something that's hidden?" Serena asked.

"Don't worry, I have the best Pokemon for the job!" Clemont said, as his hand reached for one of his pokeballs. "Luxray, go!"

"Lux!" the Gleam Eyes Pokemon shouted as he was released from the capture device.

"Luxray, we're looking for a place that might be hidden somewhere around this area," Clemont explained. "Can you use your X-Ray vision to help us track it?"

"Luxray!" the Electric type nodded. Luxray's eyes started to glow as he activated his X-ray vision. He began to move around, looking in every possible direction, trying to find something that might not fit with the current rocky terrain. And after a few minutes, he finally did. "Lux!"

"Did you find something, Luxray?" Clemont asked.

Luxray then began to run in the direction of one of the rocky paths, with the rest of the group trailing after him. Eventually, they reached the end of the path, which was blocked by a pile of large rocks and boulders. Luxray, however, didn't stop, and continued running towards the seemingly blocked path, and much to their shock, Luxray walked through it as if it wasn't there.

"A holographic disguise!" Clemont said. "No wonder the Rangers had such a hard time finding their hideout."

"A good way to hide the way to your lair. Bonnie was right, this isn't something one would find unless you were looking for it," Ash said, as he and his friends walked through the hologram.

"Those bikers surely have access to advanced technology," Bonnie commented, impressed.

They continued walking through the path, who took multiple turns, while also becoming more and more like a slope.

"You know, for a bunch of bikers, those Dunsparce guys chose quite an odd place for a hideout," Serena said, as she kicked one of the many, many pebbles scattered around the rocky slope. "This isn't a good place to ride a motorbike. You'd need something like an all-terrain vehicle."

"Who says they don't have them?" Clemont asked. "Maybe they chose this place precisely because no one would think in looking for a bunch of bikers here."

The path began to widen little by little, until they finally reached a large cliff wall. And at the base of said cliff wall there was the entrance of a tunnel, blocked by a metallic double door.

"I have the feeling we just found the hideout," Ash said.

"Lux!" Luxray warned.

"I think Luxray agrees with you," Clemont said, noticing how Luxray was looking at the gate intently. Or more specifically, what was behind that gate.

"Come on, let's see if we can force that door open," Ash said.

As they walked towards the tunnel entrance, they realized that Minicorn, Eevee and Colarva hadn't moved from their spots, and were looking at the metal gate with fear in their eyes. The humans didn't need to ask to know what was going through the Pokemon trio's minds.

"It's okay, you don't have to come with us any further," Serena said in a soothing voice. "We can go on our own from this point onwards."

"Yes. Thanks a lot for guiding us to this place," Clemont added. "You were very brave doing so."

Thye three Pokemon nodded before they turned around and ran away, presumably back to the same forest where Ash and his friends found them.

"Goodbye Minicorn," Serena said in a whisper. "Let's hope you and your friends will find a good place to live."

"Alright, time to rescue the rest of Minicorn's friends," Ash said, pulling one of his pokeball buckled on his belt. "Greninja, I choose you!"

Ash tossed the pokeball forward, releasing his strongest Pokemon so far. "Gre!"

"Greninja, use Night Slash on that gate!"

"Gre..." Greninja said, as he summoned a black and purple energy blade on his hand, before dahsing forward and delivering several slashing motions. "...NINJA!"

While the door appeared to be pretty solid, it wasn't hard enough to resist Greninja's might, and the Ninja Pokemon's Night Slash was able to cut a hole big enough for all of them to pass.

"Alright, let's go!" Ash said before rushing inside, the rest of his friends and the Pokemon following behind.

…

Once again, the blond biker named Amber had also been trailing Ash and his friends while they searched for the hideout of the Pokemon traffickers. Given the extremely rocky terrain, she was forced to leave her motorbike and continue on foot, though that wasn't an obstacle for the woman to do her job.

Once she saw Ash's Greninja break the steel door open, allowing the group and his Pokemon inside, she opened her Pokegear and dialed the number of her boss.

"Richard? This is Amber. I don't know how but those kids managed to find the secret hideout," Amber said, her voice sounding panicked. "So you and the others better get your sorry butts here, because things are going to get ugly really fast!"

…

As Ash and his friends ran through the ample tunnel, they couldn't help but notice the metallic sheets covering the ground, walls and roof, as well as the small lights to the sides and on the roof that kept it well illuminated, to realize that the traffickers had dug their base into the rocky hill rather than on top of it.

The walls were also marked with a large red Omega symbol, identical to the one on the Muscular Enhancer Maury's Pokemon wore.

The tunnel entrance led to what appeared to be a lobby. There were two men and a woman, wearing some sort of military uniform: a dark blue bodysuit with a gray metallic chestplate, gauntlets, boots, shoulderpads, belt and helmet, with more Omega symbols on them. The helmets had a green visor-like monocle that covered a single eye of their faces.

"Hey, who the hell are you and what are you doing here!?" one of the armored men asked.

"How did you enter here?" the woman demanded.

The helmet of the second man began to beep as information flashed on his visor. "Hey, that's the Selkid Maury lost many days ago!"

"So you're the Pokemon traffickers, huh?" Ash asked. "Well, to answer your question, we're the ones who are going to put an end to your operations!"

"Pika!" Pikachu said, jumping forward and landing on all fours, electric sparks jumping from his cheeks.

"Gren!" Greninja said, as he took a step forward, ready to attack as well.

"Big words for such a small kid!" the first man said, as he pulled out a pokeball. "We'll teach you not to meddle with Team Omega! Go Primeape!"

"Go Tofurang!" the second man said.

"Go Folerog!" the woman said.

"Team Omega, huh?" Ash asked. "You aren't the first group of criminals I faced that believed they could treat Pokemon the way they pleased. Greninja, Water Shuriken!"

"Gre!" Greninja said, as a pair of blue shuriken formed on his hands, and tossed them towards the enemy pokemon.

"Primeape, counter with Karate Chop!" the first grunt ordered.

"Use Poison Fang, Tofurang!" the female grunt ordered.

Primeape's fist glowed white, while a glowing purple aura surrounded Tofurang's mouth, as the two of them moved to counter Greninja's attack. However, the moment the two of them hit the water shuriken, they exploded into a mass of torrential water that pushed the Pokemon backwards, slamming them against the wall behind them.

"WHAT!?" the female grunt asked, shocked to see their Pokemon beaten so easily.

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt on Folerog!" Ash ordered.

"Pikaaaa..." Pikachu jumped into the air, his body crackling with electricity. "CHUUUUUUUU!"

Pikachu released a powerful lightning bolt towards the hapless Folerog, the super effective attack knocking out the Water and Poison type instantly.

The helmet on one of the male grunts beeped, as more information flashed on his visor. "What the hell? The power of those two Pokemon is off the charts! Just what's wrong with this kids!"

"Retreat!" the other male grunt said as the trio of criminals bolted for the nearest exist.

"Oh no, you won't! Luxray, don't let them escape!" Clemont ordered.

The Gleam Eyes Pokemon leaped above the criminals, landing in front of them and blocking their only exit, and growling at them menacingly. Yelping, they scrambled for another door, but this time it was Greninja, without needing Ash to tell him to, who jumped in front of the door, staring down at them, arms crossed.

"Selkid, Sing!" Serena ordered.

As Selkid began to sing, ethereal music notes began to float around the Team Omega grunts, the Sea Nymph Pokemon making sure her friends were unaffected by the effect of her attack. In a few seconds, they succumbed and collapsed on the ground, deeply asleep.

"Good job, you two," Ash praised Clemont and Serena. "Now these three won't alert the rest of their cronies about our presence here."

"While the battle was quick, I'm sure somebody must have heard the commotion and more of those thugs are coming to see what's wrong," Serena pointed out.

"In that case, we better find where are they keeping the captured Pokemon so we can release them as soon as possible," Ash said, looking around the lobby. There were three doors leading to three different hallways. "Though... this place looks pretty big. Even if we split, we might take a lot of time to search every corner..."

"I think this may be of help," Clemont said, as he walked towards one of the sleeping grunts, and removed his helmet. "I hope you don't mind if borrow this for a few moments," Clemont said, before removing his glasses and putting on the helmet. Using the buttons on the side of the helmet, Clemont began to test what the device could do. "This helmet has a built-in computer. It has many functions, and one of them must be... bingo! A map of this base!"

"That's great, Clemont! So, you know where all the captured Pokemon are?" Bonnie asked.

"Give me a second..." Clemont said, fiddling with the device more. "Yes! I know exactly how to reach it! Follow me!"

Clemont lead the group through the Team Omega base. From time to time, they encountered a couple grunts who tried to stop them, but their Pokemon quickly fell before the might the intruders' Pokemon. They also made sure to block their escape so Serena could put them to sleep with Selkid's sing. There was no need to release more of their Pokemon, as those currently out were more than enough to face the threats that crossed their path.

The base was almost nothing but sheets of metal welded together, with no decoration except that red Omega symbols painted on them at regular intervals. Some rooms had windows that allowed them to see what was inside: some appeared to be offices, other had computers and machinery, and others appeared to be chemistry labs, but none of them had any Pokemon prisoner inside.

"We're close!" Clemont told them. "This corridor leads to a large room, which I think it's some sort of control room or command center. To the right there's a corridor that leads to a large storage area where all the Pokemon are being held!"

"That's great!" Ash cheered, his gaze filled with resolve. "Come on guys, just a little more! Nothing can stop us now!"

They exited the corridor and entered the control room, but they were forced to skid to a halt, as, much to their surprise, they were greeted by a veritable army of Team Omega grunts – according to Clemont's stolen Team Omega helmet, there were twenty two people in the room–, each of them with a Pokemon already out.

"Welcome to our humble abode, children," a new voice said.

Several grunts in the middle moved aside to make room for the source of the voice: A bald, fair skinned man in a Team Omega uniform, except his had bigger shoulderplates, and a black cape falling down his back. Unlike the grunts, he wasn't wearing a helmet, but he was wearing the one-eyed visor.

"Allow me to introduce myself. Captain Zebos, leader of Team Omega's Alpha Division, and main overseer of its operations," the man said, making an exaggerated bow. "We've been waiting for you."

"...you were?" Serena asked.

"You know, your friend had the right idea with stealing one of our helmets. I'm sure it helped you navigate this base," Zebos said, pointing at Clemont. "Too bad he didn't think in switching off the radio communicator."

Clemont's face grew pale with horror at such an oversight on his part, while Bonnie and Dedenne shot the inventor an accusing look.

"Of course, we had to let you believe that we were none the wiser, at least until you were past a point where escaping was impossible. Otherwise you would have turned around and leave, and we couldn't have that. Not after you brats stole something that belongs to us," Zebos said, piercing Selkid with his glare.

Selkid whimpered, and hid behind Serena's leg.

"Selkid isn't yours to take!" Serena protested, standing protectively in front of the Sea Nymph Pokemon.

"I beg to differ. You stole it from my son, so now I'm taking it back," Zebos stated. Then, he looked at Greninja and Pikachu. "And I think we're going to take a few more Pokemon from you for the trouble you caused us. Yes, that Greninja of yours will fetch quite a price in the black market."

"Gre!" Greninja angrily hissed, as he took a fighting stance.

"Oh? Do you want to fight?" Zebos asked. "I admit, you stand a solid chance. I know about you, Ash Ketchum, and your friends. Your Greninja and Pikachu alone are a force to be reckoned with. But powerful as they are, they are only two Pokemon. We will crush you with our sheer numbers."

"If you think we will go down without a fight...!" Ash seethed.

"With or without a fight, you will go down," Zebos said, his lips curving into an ugly smirk.

"Not if I have something to say about it!" a new powerful voice said.

That moment, a large group of people entered the control room. Men and women of various ages wearing punkish clothes, and the same blue sleeveless jacket with a Dunsparce on its back. And leading them was a tall, broad shouldered man with slick black hair, a goatee of the same color, and a scar crossing his left cheek.

Ash and Serena had seen this man before: on a 'wanted' poster on Kevlar Town. This man was Richard Hunter, the leader of the Dunsparce Gang.

"The bikers!" Bonnie yelped, as she held Dedenne protectively.

The smirk disappeared from Zebos' face as he eyed Richard and his gang of bikers. "Well, well, well, look who decided to show up uninvited. The security of this place leaves a lot to be desired."

"Wait...aren't they on the same side?" Serena asked, a little confused, as the bikers began to fill the room, many of them standing between the teens and the Team Omega grunts.

"If that's the case... you guys aren't traffickers then?" Ash asked the bikers in general.

"Hell no! We might not exactly be law abiding citizens, but we do love Pokemon! We would never stoop to do something so horrible!" Richard grimaced in disgust.

"These assholes were the ones poaching Pokemon to the highest bidder," another biker said. He had a powerful build like Richard and was of a similar age, but had dark skin, a full beard and a short mohawk. "While framing us for their crimes!"

"Exactly like Lou said," Richard said with a nod. "But not anymore! We knew about you and that you had a hideout somewhere around these parts, and thanks to these kids, we finally found it!"

"Wait... you've been following us?" Clemont asked, cringing at the idea that such an intimidating group had them on their sights.

"By pure chance, Amber there," Richard said, nodding at a female biker, a tall woman with long blond hair, who waved at them. "Saw your confrontation with that little shit over the Selkid. She told me about you, and I knew that, if you didn't seek Team Omega, they would go after you. And once that confrontation happened... we would be there both to provie help and settle the score."

"This changes nothing! You're nothing but a bunch of brutish, uneducated rabble! Team Omega, crush all of them!" Zebos commanded.

"Dunsparce Gang, show them what happens when scum like these mess with us!" Richard yelled, pokeball in hand. The other bikers soon followed suit.

"Go Arbok!"

"Time to kick ass, Dunsparce!"

"Fight, Tofurang!"

"Go into overdrive, Tancoon!"

"Go Dunsparce!"

"You too, Dunsparce!"

"Seek and Destroy, Sableye!"

Chaos engulfed the large control room as the bikers' Pokemon engaged those used by the Team Omega Grunts. Attacks flew in every direction, some finding their marks, others missing and crashing against either the walls or the electronic equipment spread around the room. In less than five minutes, the walls were covered in large cracks and burn marks, and all the electronics were made unusable, the worst being on fire.

The initial volley of attacks also caused Ash and his friends to scatter in different directions in order to dodge them, before they found safe spots to stay for the time being. Clemont was calling for Bonnie, but stopped once he saw that his little sister was with Serena.

Ash couldn't tell friend from foe, given the sheer amount of Pokemon duking it out. All Dunsparces being friendly was a conclusion easy to reach –for a given value of "friendly", if they were anything like his own Dunsparce–, but for the rest of the Pokemon, no idea. For the time being, Ash decided to play defense.

"Stay close, but don't move. Only attack when you're attacked, otherwise we may hit a friendly Pokemon," Ash told Greninja and Pikachu, the two of them nodding in agreement.

A Primeape ripped a piece of ruined equipement and chucked it against a Tofurang. Said Tofurang was then slammed by a Dunsparce's Rollout. A grey and pink Pokemon Ash didn't know –nor had the time to scan with his Pokedex– blasted another Dunsparce with a Hyper Voice. A Sableye used Night Slash on another Tofurang.

A Lombre bombarded a pair of Barewl with a powerful Bubble Beam, before said Lombre was at the receiving end of an Arbok's Slam, which send it crashing against a Flaafy that was fighting a Felunge. A trio of Tonemy flew towards Ash, ready to drown him and his Pokemon in Poison Gas, but Pikachu was faster and zapped them with a Thunderbolt.

"Luxray, no!" Ash's heard Clemont's voice cry.

Despite the loud cacophony of noises product of the large battle, Ash managed to pinpoint Clemont's voice, and saw how his Luxray was being harrassed by a Gliscor and a couple Gligar. Clemont had released Bunnelby and Chespin, but they were having trouble defending their teammate.

"Greninja, help Clemont's Pokemon!" Ash ordered.

Greninja nodded, and leaped into the air, gracefully dodging all the ranged attacks that both sides were launching at each other, while a pair of Water Shuriken formed on his hands. Greninja launched the projectiles, hitting the Scorpion Pokemon with powerful blasts of water, getting them away from Luxray.

"Thank you!" a grateful Clemont shouted.

Ash was about to say something in return, when he heard Richard yell.

"Oh no, you're not getting away, you scum!" the biker leader said.

Ash's eyes locked onto Richard, and saw that the biker was chasing after Zebos, who just escaped through one of the control room's doors. Scowling, Ash immediately went after the two of them. He wasn't going to let that awful man get away with his crimes.

…

Meanwhile, at another side of the control room, Serena had released Braixen, who alongisde Selkid were defending their trainer and Bonnie from some Team Omega grunts that had surrounded her.

"Braixen, Hidden Power! Selkid, Hyper Voice!" Serena commanded.

Braixen and Selkid unleashed their attacks, easily pushing the enemy Pokemon back. Sure, the Team Omega grunts outnumbered them, but their Pokemon left a lot to be desired. Though if these criminals treated Pokemon as mere property to be sold, they probably wouldn't treat their own Pokemon that much better.

Then again, no one would join a criminal organization as low-ranked grunts if they were good trainers, Serena thought.

"Hey, Serena!" Bonnie called.

"Sorry Bonnie, but I'm a little busy right now!" Serena hurriedly replied. "Braixen, counter that with Flamethrower!"

"Serena, this is important!" Bonnie insisted, as the flamethrower cast a brief orange light over the area. "That door over there! According to what Clemont said, the captured Pokemon are all behind that door!"

"Really?" Serena shouted back, now feeling a little guilty for dismissing Bonnie like that. Resolve filled her eyes as she gazed upon the door. Their goal was now within reach. "Alright. We'll release the captured Pokemon. If the bikers keep the Team Omega guys occupied, they won't be able to stop us from releasing them. Braixen, Selkid, we need to make a path towards that door! Help them, Pancham and Sylveon!"

Serena and Bonnie moved towards the door as soon as they had the chance, though the constant battles made their progress frustratingly slow. Braixen and Pancham were mostly on the defensive, while the two Fairy types were kept close to the girls in order to protect them.

"Braixen, Fire Blast! Pancham, Dark Pulse!" Serena ordered. "Selkid, Hyper Voice! Sylveon, Protect!"

While Serena's Pokemon were doing fine, the Kalosian teen soon realized one of the cons of having so many Pokemon out at once: not being able to keep an eye on all of them. When Serena was giving Selkid an order, Pancham was blindsided by an Owten's Wing Attack, sending him crashing backwards.

"Pancham!" Serena cried.

"Good job, Owten! Now use Confusion!" the Team Omega grunt in command of the Owten shouted.

"Tancoon, Take Down!" a new female voice said.

Before Owten could deliver another attack, it was slammed by a canine-looking black and brown Pokemon. The hit send Owten crashing against a steel wall.

"Good job, Tancoon! Now Arbok, Bind that asshole and use Glare!" the same female voice said.

Serena could see now it belonged to one of the bikers, a very tall girl –Serena wondered if the Dunsparce Gang had a height requirement for its members, given that all of them were pretty tall– with brown skin and black spiky hair, the right side so long it covered the right half of her face, the left side so short it was almost shaved. A large tatoo of an Arbok was coiled around her left arm.

She was wearing the gang's common sleveless blue shirt with a Dunsparce logo behind on top of a dark fuchsia t-shirt cut above her belly, short jeans, and dark green boots. Unlike the other members of the gang, who were in their thirties or forties, this girl appeared to be no older than eighteen.

Before the Team Omega grunt could do anything, an Arbok silently slithered behind him and quickly coiled around his body.

"What the-"

"Shaabak!" Arbok locked eyes with the hapless grunt, who quickly fell to the paralisys. Once done, Arbok released her prey, which collapsed on the ground.

"Well done, guys!" the biker girl praised her Pokemon.

Taking advantage of the respite, Serena pulled out her Pokedex to scan the unknown Pokemon from her savior.

"Tancoon, the Racoon Dog Pokemon. Dark/Normal. They are mischievous, and are known to steal food from small Pokémon or journeying trainers." the Pokedex droned.

Tancoon was a mostly brown canine Pokemon, similar in size to a Growlithe or a Poochyena. It had black ears, tail, and paws, as well as a v-shaped black mark on its forehead. It had two large claws at the end of each paw, and two fangs stuck out of its closed jaws.

"Hey, you okay?" the biker girl asked.

"Now we are. Thank, you, ummm..." Serena began.

"Aisha. Nice to meet you. And you're welcome," Aisha said, smiling at her.

"I'm Serena, and this is Bonnie," Serena said.

"Hello," Bonnie said with a wave.

"What are you guys doing here in the open? In case you haven't noticed, this place has become a battleground," Aisha cringed as a loud explosion blasted at the other side of the room. "You should find a place that has a good cover!"

"We can't do that! Those traffickers had their Pokemon locked behind this door, and we have to save them!" Bonnie retorted, pointing at the door.

Aisha's visible eye opened wide, before she looked at the door. "You should have started from there then!"

Serena pressed the red button next to the door, and it slid opened with a whoosh. Free of obstacles, the three girls and their Pokemon finally entered the storage room where all the Pokemon were being kept. Once inside the dimly lit room, Serena could see multiple Selkid, Minicorn, Colarva, Eevee, Luxi, and many more Pokemon she hadn't seen before, but if they were here they were probably rare and valuable.

Needless to say, all of them looked miserable, and reacted with fear when the trio of girls entered the room. Like Selkid before, they weren't too trusting of any human being nor Pokemon affiliated with them.

"Fear not guys, we're here to save you!" Bonnie announced, trying to both sound heroic and soothe the visibly scared Pokemon.

"Nenene!" Dedenne added.

"This is awful. Look at this Pokemon, forced to live in these cramped cages," Serena said, kneeling before a cage containing a sad looking Eevee. "How can somebody treat Pokemon like this?"

"The world is full of scumbags, there's no point in mulling over that," Aisha said, shaking her head, as she began to open the cages. "Fortunately, the world also has good people like you and me. Come on, time to return these little fellas to where they belong."

Serena and Bonnie nodded, as they began to open the cages one by one, releasing the Pokemon inside.

…

Running through another hallway covered in sleek metal, Ash followed Richard, who was in turn following Zebos. It seemed that Zebos had summoned every other grunt to the main control room, given that no more grunts crossed their paths.

The chase eventually led them to another control room full of computers, as well as monitors covering the wall in front of the door, but no way to escape. It wasn't as big as the one where the main battle was taking place but it was still rather spacey. There, they found Zebos franctically typing on one of the keyboards. hitting the last key with a satisfyed grunt.

"And done!" Zebos triumphantly said.

"Yeah. You're pretty much done," Richard deadpanned. "What the hell were you doing? I thought you'd take this chance to escape like the vermin you are!"

"Escape? From you? Don't make me laugh!" Zebos replied, as he pulled out a pokeball. "No I'm not afraid of any of you. But I know that you're not entirely stupid, and you probably had somebody alert the Rangers of the position of this base, meaning that it's compromised. So it was imperative to purge all our servers of incriminating information."

"That's so noble of you, sacrificing yourself to protect your buddies," Richard said, as he pulled out a pokeball of his own. "Though in the end, it will be worthless. All of you are going down."

"I'd like to see you try! Lucario, go!" Zebos said, sending his pokeball.

The capture device opened, releasing the Aura Pokemon. A rectangular device with a red Omega symbol on it was starpped to its chest.

"Go Dunsparce!" Richard said, releasing the Pokemon whose gang was named after.

"Go Dunsparce!" Ash echoed, sending his own Dunsparce. "You too, Pikachu!"

"You have a Dunsparce too?" Richard asked, beaming at Ash. "I'm starting to like you more and more, kid!"

The Team Omega Captain let out a loud laugh. "Really? That's what you plan to use to fight my Lucario? A pair of worms and a filthy rat?"

"You make a big mistake underestimating us," Ash warned him.

"Oh really? Let's see..." Zebos tapped the side of his visor, and information flashed in front of him. "Ha! Your Pikachu's power is high, I give you that, but those Dunsparce barely reach to the sole of my Lucario's feet! My Lucario could wipe the floor with all of you without needing to use the Muscular Enhancer," he then pulled a small remote, the same remote Maury had used, and pressed a button on it. "Then again, why take the risk? Plus, this way the beatdown will be even more brutal!"

The device hummed to life as the Omega symbol glowed with a red light. Lucario winced in pain, closing his eyes shut as the device worked to strengthen its body. The Aura Pokemon opened its eyes, which were now bloodshot red, as his mouth formed an ugly snarl.

"Richard, be very careful right now! I've seen that before! That device made Lucario much stronger!" Ash warned the biker.

"You did?" Richard asked.

"Yeah, a boy affiliated with Team Omega used it on his Pokemon," Ash explained. "You said he was your son, right?"

"Just because you beat my incompetent son, I'm going to be an easy prey?" Zebos asked, outraged. "Maury made the mistake to think the Muscular Enhancer is a replacement for training, but I'm not him! I trained my Lucario to reach the peak of its power, and with the Enhancer's help, its strength is on par with a legendary Pokemon!"

As somebody who had witnessed the power of multiple legendary Pokemon, Ash had some big doubts about such claim, but decided to let Zebos dwell on his delusion. Then again, Ash had also witnessed the effects of the Muscular Enhancer so, he knew that Lucario had become extremely dangerous.

"Richard, be careful, I already saw that device in action before. That Lucario has now the strength to knock out our Pokemon in one or two hits at most," Ash warned the biker.

"Are you kidding me!? Then how are we going to beat that guy?" Richard asked in disbelief.

"Follow my lead. For the time being, we'll fight defensively," Ash said. "Let's try to make that Lucario extert itself as much as possible, then we strike."

"Very well, kid. Let's hope you're right."

"I take that's how you defeated Maury? By having your Pokemon dance around his until they tired out? Ha!" Zebos mocked. "Such tactic won't work on me! My Lucario's stamina is an endless ocean! It can fight for hours on end if I order him to!"

"Let's put that theory to test then!" Ash said. "Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu jumped into the air, his body crackling with electricity, as he channeled all that energy into a single lightning bolt towards Lucario.

"Lucario, deflect it with Bone Rush!" Zebos ordered. "Then counterattack!"

"LU!" Lucario summoned a long bone made of green energy between its paws, and spun it in front of him, dispersing the Thunderbolt into smaller electric bolts that flew in different directions.

After Lucario blocked the attack, it gripped the bone tightly, holding it like a combat staff, and rushed towards the trio of yellow Pokemon.

"Pikachu, dodge! Dunsparce, Dig!" Ash ordered.

"Dunsparce, Shadow Ball!" Richard shouted.

Pikachu jumped backwards just as Ash's Dunsparce drilled through the metal floor to bury himself underground. Meanwhile, Richard's Dunsparce raised its tail, forming a large orb of darkness on its tip. Flicking its tail, it launched the sphere of shadows towards Lucario. Lucario struck the incoming projectile, but it also caused the energy bone to break as well.

Lucario then felt something under its feet, and fell back with a backflip as Ash's Dunsparce burst from underground, barely missing his target, much to the Land Snake Pokemon's frustration.

"You can't surprise Lucario! It can sense sneak attacks thanks to its aura!" Zebos boasted. "Now Lucario, Power-Up Punch on that Pikachu!"

"Cario!" Lucario dashed forward, clenching its right paw into a fist, which was covered in a bright orange aura.

Pikachu was able to move out of the way just as Lucario brought its fist forward hitting only a wall. However, the Power-Up Punch blew a huge hole in the wall, creating an impromptu passage to the next room, which appeared to be a large storage room with a few crates scattered around, as well as a few ground vehicles. The ground was made of concrete rather than metal, and the walls weren't covered in metal, leaving its brick and mortar composition visible. There was also a large garage door that presumably lead outside.

"Whoa! What a destructive power!" Richard said in horror.

"It's the effect of several Sword Dances in a row," Ash told him. He then looked at the adjacent storage room. "Let's move the fight there, we'll have more room to avoid its attacks."

"Got it," Richard agreed.

As the teen, the biker and their Pokemon entered the storage room, Zebos and his Lucario followed them.

"So now you're the ones who want to escape from me? Well, I can't allow that! Lucario, Blaze Kick!" Zebos ordered.

Lucario leaped into the air as one of his legs was coated in bright red flames. It then dived towards the trio of yellow Pokemon, landing between them foot first. The moment his fire-coated foot touched the ground, it produced a fiery explosion that blasted Pikachu and the two Dunsparce in different directions each.

"Does it sink yet how hopelessly outmatched you're against me? You stand no chance against Team Omega!" Zebos boasted.

Despite taking almost no damage from the fight, Lucario flinched. Ash noticed this, followed by how heavy his breathing was becoming. It was close.

"Dunsparce, Ancient Power!" Richard ordered.

"Parce!" Richard's Dunsparce cried, as it summoned a spinning circle of small glowing spheres above it. The spheres then grew in size, taking the form of large, golden boulders, before they flew towards Lucario.

"Lucario, deflect once again with Bone Rush!" Zebos ordered.

And once again, Lucario summoned yet another bone staff made of green energy, and used it to smash to bits the coming rock projectiles.

"Pikachu, Iron Tail from above! Dunsparce, Rollout, aim for the legs!" Ash ordered.

Pikachu leaped towards Lucario in a wide arc, as his tail glowed with a metallic sheen, and readied it to hit Lucario with it. Meanwhile, Dunsparce coiled into a ball, and rolled towards the aura Pokemon.

"Lucario, dodge and then Aura Sphere!" Zebos ordered.

In an awe-inspiring display of agility, Lucario jumped sideways, avoiding both Pikachu's Iron tail and Dunsparce's Rollout, as it formed a blue and white sphere of energy between its paws, before tossing it at Pikachu. Unable to block or dodge, the Mouse Pokemon was hit by the attack, and was blasted backwards, crashing against a nearby crate.

"Pikachu!"Ash cried.

While hurt, Pikachu managed to jump back to his feet, and nodded at Ash, making him know Pikachu could still fight.

"I guess I should be lucky Aura Sphere isn't affected by the Muscular Enhancer, since it's not a physical attack," Ash thought.

"Dunsparce, Flamethrower!" Richard ordered.

"Cut through it with Blaze Kick!" Zebos ordered.

Richard's Dunsparce opened its mouth, releasing a torrent of flames at Lucario. Lucario's right leg was coated in flames once again, and delivered a flying kick at Dunsparce. Thanks to its own fiery cover, Lucario was able to plow through Dunsparce's attack, minimizing the effect of the super effective attack, before slamming its foot against Dunsparce, resulting in a fiery blast, and Dunsparce was send rolling backwards until it crashed against a concrete wall.

"Dunsparce!" Richard cried, as he rushed to check his Pokemon. While that hit had hurt Dunsparce quite a bit, it wasn't hurt enough to give up the fight. "I guess the Flamethrower must have softened the blow..."

"Time to finish this! Lucario, Power-Up Punch on that Pikachu!" Zebos ordered, as he pointed at Ash's Pikachu.

Lucario prepared to attack, but much to Zebos' surprise, the Aura Pokemon winced, before dropping to his knees and clutching its chest, while loudly hissing in pain.

"Lucario, what the hell are you doing!? I said Power-Up Punch!" Zebos roared.

"You asked before how did I beat Maury. Well, this is how," Ash began. "That Muscular Enhancer gives your Pokemon a truly monstrous power boost. But said power comes at the expense of putting the Pokemon's body under an equally monstrous strain. And Lucario's body reached its limit. It won't be able to fight anymore."

"That... that's nonsense!" Zebos shouted, his face red with anger.

"You seem surprised by this. Didn't Maury tell you about the little flaw in your invention?" Ash asked. "Or maybe he told you but you refused to listen to him?"

Zebos didn't answer, he merely gritted his teeth, as his eyes drifted back and forth between Ash and his suffering Lucario.

"Your silence is rather telling. You're right about one thing, though. It's time to finish this! Pikachu, Electroball Dunsparce, Rollout!"

"Dunsparce, Flamethrower again!" Richard ordered.

Pikachu jumped into the air, forming a yellow orb of electricity on the tip of his tail, before swinging it at Lucario, just as Richard's Dunsparce exhaled a torrent of flames. Both attacks impacted Lucario at once, setting it ablaze as electricity shocked its body, before Ash's Dunsparce, coiled into a rolling ball, slammed into it, sending it crashing backwards, before it fell on its back.

"Lucario, get up! Get up you useless mutt!" Zebos roared. But Lucario was too weak to move, much less continue the fight.

"Sir!" That moment, a jeep with two Team Omega grunts on it skidded near their leader. "We need to go! Our troops have been beaten, and those bikers released our goods!" the grunt on the passanger's seat said. "The Rangers will be here at any moment."

Seething, Zebos recalled his downed Lucario, shot one last hateful glare at Ash and Richard and jumped onto the jeep, before it dashed for the opening garage door.

"No! We can't let him-" Richard tried to reach him in vain. He curled his hands into fists as he watched the jeep get away. "Of all the times of not having my bike..."

"You made a powerful enemy today, brat!" Zebos threatened as the car drove away. "You better sleep with one eye open as long as you're in Tandor!"

And with that, Zebos and his two remaining grunts abandoned the base.

Richard let out a sigh. "We'll get him next time. At the very least, they won't be able to cause more problems around this zone anymore," Richard said, as he returned his Dunsparce.

"Plus we saved all the captive Pokemon. That's what matters the most," Ash said.

…

Two hours later, outside the Team Omega Base

After Team Omega had been subdued, the Dunsparce bikers rounded them up and herded them outside –at least those who hadn't managed to escape–, waiting for the Rangers, who had been warned shortly before the bikers assaulted the underground base.

All the Pokemon captured by Team Omega were also waiting outside. Many of them wanted to follow their survival instinct and run away as fast as possible. Fortunately, Serena's Selkid managed to calm them down and explain them that such an action would be extremely foolish, since many of them were too far from home.

Once the Rangers arrived, they began to take care of the situation. They brought multiple vans, both to take the Team Omega grunts away and to transport the trafficked Pokemon back to their natural habitats.

While this happened, the Captain of this group of Rangers, a woman in her late twenties with short light brown hair, was addressing both the bikers and Ash and his friends.

"Even if I would generally not condone acts outside the law such as this one, I think I'm going to let this go, given how much we've managed to accomplish thanks to your help," the Ranger Captain said. "Good job, but if the next time you find evidence or hints of illegal activities, please report them to the next Ranger Station."

"That would have been hard, given that we were unjutsly persecuted for crimes we didn't commit," Amber said, pursing her lips.

"Yeah, about those charges on the wanted posters..." Richard continued.

The Ranger Captain sighed, but smiled. "Given all the evidence that we managed to acquire here, it's more than enough to exonerate your group of such accusations," the Ranger said, as she pulled out a tablet and began to tap on it. "And, as an unofficial reward for your help dismantling this criminal cell, as well as compensation for the false trafficking charges, I think I'm going to remove from your sheets all the minor offenses such as vandalism or harrassment."

"You heard that guys? We're clean!" Richard cheered.

"YEAH!" the bikers chorused back.

The Ranger Captain shook her head. "Don't think this means you're free to do whatever you please. If you guys cause any trouble again, the Rangers will fall upon you with all the weight of the law, you got it?"

Richard shot her a sly smile. "We'll be on our best behavior. We promise."

She nodded. "Good."

Another Ranger, this one with spiky reddish brown hair, walked towards the Captain. "Captain Kate, both the Pokemon and the detainees have been loaded onto the vans. We're ready to go."

"Alright Keith. Let's go then," Kate said, as she walked towards one of the vans before getting inside it.

The Ranger Vans drove away, leaving Ash and his friends alone with the biker gang. Richard looked at the teens (and Bonnie), and smiled.

Richard clapped his hands. "Well, we're no longer on the Rangers' wanted list, and it's all thanks to you guys. Not to mention, you saved a lot of Pokemon from a miserable fate. I think a little compensation is in order, don't you think?"

"Eh, it's okay. We only did what we thought was right," Ash said.

"Yeah. If we helped more people than we intended, then the better," Serena added.

"Nonsense! We of the Dunsparce Gang never forget a debt! So, from now onwards, you four are all members of the Dunsparce Gang!" Richard declared, and the rest of the bikers cheered again, "Normally, there are two requisites to become a member of this gang: to have a Dunsparce and a motorbike. Ash has a Dunsparce, and since you're too young to drive, we'll overlook that for the time being. Bring them their official Dunsparce Gang jackets!"

Two bikers stepped forward, carrying a pair of jackets each, and handed them to the four kids.

"Thanks a lot for the present," Ash said, smiling at them, as he looked at the jacket.

"How is that you guys have jackets of Bonnie's size?" Clemont asked, as he saw his sister putting on her jacket and making a twirl.

"That used to be Aisha's. I hope you don't mind it being a hand-me-down," Lou spoke up. "Aisha always wanted to be part of the gang since she was little. Do you guys want to see pictures of her when she was a kid driving her little toy bike? She was so cute-"

Aisha cut him off by punching him in the shoulder, making the large man wince.

"Goddamit uncle, put a sock on it!" Aisha yelled at him. "No one wants to see my childhood pictures!"

"Anyway, when you guys are old enough to drive a motorbike, if you want, there will always be room for you among the Dunsparce Gang," Richard said, as he and his friends started to get on their respective motorbikes, which they had left parked next to the hideout's entrance.

"Where are you guys going? Maybe we can give you a ride," Amber offered.

"Thanks for the offer, but we prefer to walk," Ash politely declined.

"Yeah, part of traveling through a new region is to appreciate its scenery," Serena added.

"Understandable Tandor has a lot of beautiful sights to see. In that case, I wish you guys a safe travel and good luck on whatever goals you're pursuing," Richard said. "Dunsparces, let's ride!"

Loud engine noises filled the air as the motorbikes started up and sped away, leaving trails of dust behind them. After a few seconds, there was no trace of the bikers anymore, and silence reigned once again.

"I think we should get going," Serena said, before she pulled out her tablet, and checked their position on the region. "Despite this detour, we can still reach Kevlar Town before nightfall if we walk at a good pace."

"Very well. Let's go then," Ash said.

…

An hour later, the group was walking through the main path of Owten Nook. The sun was beginning to set, bathing the scenery in a soft orange glow, that would soon follow by the cover of the night. Fortunately, even if they were still far away, they could already see Kevlar Town in the distance.

"Boy, I'm exhausted!" Ash said, stretching his arms. "After everything that happened today, I can't wait to get to the Pokemon Center, have a good dinner, then go to bed and sleep like a Snorlax!"

"I think all of us are pretty spent," Clemont agreed. "Nothing that a good night of sleep can't fix, though."

"Pika..." Pikachu said, shaking his head. Then, his ears perked, and stood alert. "Pi?"

"Something wrong, buddy?" Ash asked, noticing his friend's change in demeanor. He turned around. "Is somebody following... us...?"

Serena, Clemont and Bonnie also turned around. And indeed, there was somebody following them. Three somebodies, to be exact. Much to their surprise, it was no other than the Minicorn, Eevee and Colarva that they had helped earlier in the day, before they raided that Team Omeha hideout.

"It's you guys!" Bonnie cheered, happy to see them again.

"Why are you following us?" Ash asked, before he guessed the answer himself. "Do you want... to come with us?"

Minicorn took a step forward, and began to neigh. Ash didn't know what she was saying, but apparently Pikachu did, given the attention the electric mouse was paying to the Foal Pokemon.

"Pi, pika, pikapi, pi!" Pikachi began, motioning his arms emphatically. "Pi, pikachu!"

"Really? Well, that makes sense..." Ash said.

"Um, Ash?" Serena asked, smiling a little. "Not all of us can understand your Pikachu..."

"Oh right! Hehe. Well, from what I could understand, Minicorn and his friends didn't go far away after they led us to the Team Omega base. They saw how we stopped those criminals and released all the Pokemon they had captured," Ash said. "They consider us trustworthy enough to ask to take them with us."

"That's great!" Serena beamed, clapping her hands. "So, how do we do the split? It's three Pokemon and three of us, since Bonnie isn't a trainer yet."

Both Ash and Clemont smiled at Serena knowingly. "We all know what Pokemon you want the most, Serena," Ash began.

Serena smiled back at the boys, grateful for their gesture, and took a step towards Minicorn. "Hey Minicorn. Would you like to join me? I'd love to have you in my team, and my Pokemon are very friendly and would welcome you with open arms."

Minicorn neighed happily, stomping one hoof on the ground in affirmation.

"Hey Clemont, can we get the Eevee? Since Serena got hers, I always wanted to have one," Bonnie pleased Clemont, as she tugged him by his sleeve repeteadly.

"That would depend on Eevee," Clemont said, turning towards the Evolution Pokemon. "What do you say, Eevee? Would you like to join my team?"

"Yeah, you'll have like, lots of fun with us! And Clemont is a superb cook!" Bonnie added.

"Ev, evui!" Eevee agreed, as he walked towards the sibling duo.

"That means that Colarva is stuck with me then," Ash said, before adding. "That's it, if you want to join me. What do you say, Colarva?"

"CO!" Colarva then launched himself at Ash's face, knocking him on his back as he wrapped all his limbs around his head, while buzzing happily. "Co, colarva!"

"Hehe, such a cuddlebug," Bonnie chuckled.

Ash managed to pry Colarva from his face and placed it on the ground, before chuckling himself as well. "Heh, I take that as a yes."

Once all the choices had been made, Ash, Serena and Clemont pulled out empty pokeballs, and tossed them at one of the three Pokemon in front of them. The pokeballs opened upon hitting the pokemon, absorbing them inside, before they fell to the ground. None of them shook, and dinged immediately, signaling a successful capture. The three trainers walked towards their respective pokeballs and picked them up.

"Today is a great day for science, I caught an Eevee!" Clemont said, raising Eevee's pokeball.

"Ta-dah! I caught a Minicorn!" Serena cheered, holding the pokeball with both hands.

"I caught a Colarva!" Ash shouted, raising the pokeball above his head.

"Pi, pika!" Pikachu cheered as well.

The three of them took a moment to look at the pokeballs that held the new member of their respective teams, before putting them with the others, and continued their journey.

Today would be a day that they would remember for a long time. Not only did they took down a criminal cell, saved lots of trafficked Pokemon and befriended a gang of bikers, but also incorporated three new friends to their group.

And given that their journey just barely begun, they wondered what other surprises Tandor was storing for them.

Chapter Text

Kevlar Town

The group arrived at Kevlar Town at nightfall. Exhausted as they were, they only had a light dinner, and went straight to bed. All four of them fell asleep as soon as their bodies touched the matress, and slept like logs for many, many hours. The very next day, they woke up completely refreshed and recharged.

Given that there were still a few days left until the contest in Moki Town would take place, and they needed less than a day to cross the distance between the two towns, the group decided to take at least one day of leisure in order to recover from the trepidation from the previous day.

After they finished their breakfast, one of the first things that was suggested was to introduce the newcomers to the group. Once they were on the empty lobby, they released all their previous Pokemon first, before sending the new three Pokemon last.

"Guys, these are Minicorn, Eevee and Colarva," Ash began, motioning his arms at the aforementioned Pokemon. "Minicorn is with Serena, Eevee with Clemont, and Colarva with me. Make sure you give them a warm welcome!"

All the Pokemon present greeted the trio of newcomers. Well, except Dunsparce, who remained silent and rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"We decided to give everybody, ourselves included, a free day, so no training. Why don't you guys take this as a chance get acquainted with your new friends?" Serena suggested.

Pikachu quickly walked towards Colarva, and convinced the bug to meet Greninja, Birbie and Dunsparce. The former two gave Colarva a warm welcome, which the insect returned with an effusive multi-armed hug. Birbie accepted the hug happily, Greninja mostly out of politeness. Then it was Dunsparce's turn, and the Land Snake Pokemon muttered a welcome under his breath,

This didn't save him from Colarva's efusive hugs.

"DUNSPARCE! PARCE!" Dunsparce yelled, trashing wildly as he tried to get the Ice and Bug type Pokemon away from his body. But Colarva happily and obliviously held onto him.

Selkid was the one who eased Minicorn into meeting Braixen, Pancham and Sylveon. Fortunately for the foal Pokemon, all of Serena's Pokemon were rather approachable and easygoing, and Minicorn was slowly becoming more and more comfortable around them.

Lastly, there was Eevee, who was warmly welcomed by all of Clemont's Pokemon, Dedenne included. He was a little intimidated by Luxray at first, but quickly relaxed when the Gleam Eeyes Pokemon told the newcomer something –probably reassuring Eevee not to be afraid of him–. Then Eevee heard something, and looked in the direction of Serena's Pokemon.

And there she was. Sylveon, happily chatting with Minicorn. Eevee's eyes grew wide as his mouth was open agape... before he narrowed his eyes, his mouth turned into a sly smile, and strutted towards Sylveon.

"Ev! Eevee!" Eevee introduced himself to the Interwinning Pokemon with what sounded like a pick-up line, shooting Sylveon a seductive stare –or what he believed was seductive–, wiggling his nonexstient eyebrows at her.

"S-Syl..." Sylveon chuckled sheepishly as a bead of sweat ran down her neck.

Back with Clemont's Pokemon, Luxray titled his head quizzically, Chespin glared daggers at the newcomer, while Bunnelby sighed and shook his head.

…

While the Pokemon were on their own, the group gathered on the lobby, and wondered what to do. Though, Clemont already seemed to have an idea. Sitting on one of the many empty tables, Clemont began to dig inside his backpack, pulling first a laptop, and then the helmet he had stolen from that Team Omega grunt, and linked then both with a cable.

"Hey, that's the helmet you got from the hideout," Serena said upon seeing the object. "What do you plan to do with it?"

"Unfortunately, that Zebos guy wiped the base's servers clean before the Rangers seized it," Clemont began, as his fingers began to hit the keys with practiced ease. "However, while the helmets' built-in computer was linked to those servers, the internal memory isn't. I managed to download some information into the helmet before the wipeout, but I'm also going to see what additional information I can get out of this."

"I thought the Rangers had taken all those helmets away," Ash pointed out. "How is that they let you keep that one?"

"Well, not to brag, but some of the Rangers know who I am and what I can do, despite being from another region, and believed I could help with this," Clemont said, proudly smiling puffing out his chest a little. He then looked back at the helment resting on the table. "First, I want to make sure I extract every last bit of information before I begin tinkering with it. The technology on this helmet is something I have never seen before."

"Yeah. I never saw something that could measure a Pokemon's power like that," Serena commented, taking a closer look at the helmet's one-eyed visor. "Not even a Pokedex can do that."

Ash crossed his arms. "I don't think a Pokemon's worth can be reduced to mere numbers like that. Pokemon are much more than simple power."

"Pika," Pikachu nodded.

"Still, knowing the power of an opposing Pokemon is advantageous in battle. Every bit of information you can get out of your opponent helps," Clemont pointed out.

"If you ask me, those Team Omega guys are too obsessed with power," Ash continued. "Did I tell you about that Muscular Enhancer gadget? Two times it was used against me, two times they failed to beat my Pokemon. Why? Because there's more to Pokemon, and Pokemon battles, that brute strength."

"But that's because the Muscular Enhancer puts the Pokemon's body under a huge strain. Imagine if they perfect it so it has no drawbacks," Serena said, and shivered at the thought of having to fight a Pokemon like that.

"Clemont, do you think it's possible for them to do that?" Bonnie asked, sharing Serena's worry.

"I don't know, but I'm inclined to say no," Clemont replied. "To increase a Pokemon's attributes in such a big way in a short span of time, without any negative side effects... I can't see how they could do it."

Ash nodded. "The path to true strength has no shortcuts."

Serena couldn't help but chuckle. "That sounded so sagacious, Ash. Did you come up with that yourself?"

"Eh, no, I think I heard that from an Elite Four member. I think it was Bruno?" Ash asked, scratching his cheek. "Anyway, that doesn't make it any less false."

"It seems that the Muscular Enhancer is only the tip of the iceberg. These people seem to be working on a lot of gadgets to increase Pokemon's attributes," Clemont continued typing as more blueprints popped in the screen. "There's a Psionic Enhancer for Pokemon that use special attacks, as well as a Motion Enhancer that increases speed. And many more."

"What do they plan to do with all those things?" Ash asked.

"From the data I'm mining, it seems they sell their tech to their highest bidder," Clemont said, eyes fixed on the screen.

"So they don't just sell Pokemon," Bonnie concluded.

"Indeed. They had deals with criminal organizations from other regions as well. Team Rocket, Team Galactic, Team Plasma, Cipher, Team Zenith, the Abyssal Cult, the New Elders..." Clemont said, reading the names of their buyers.

Ash knew some of those names, as he had encountered those organizations on his journeys to other regions, though others didn't ring any bell.

"Now that you mention Team Rocket..." Ash began, as a realization dawned upon him. "We've been on this region for almost two weeks, and they haven't show up yet."

"Wait, did you expect Team Rocket to follow you all the way to Tandor?" Serena asked, raising an eyebrow.

"They've been following me pretty much since I began my Pokemon journey, no matter what region I've been to," Ash said, shrugging a little. "They've been rather insistent in capturing Pikachu."

"...seriously? Wow. I knew those guys were stubborn, but that's some dedication," Serena said, shaking her head. "Though, that does indeed raises the question of why aren't they following you now."

"Maybe they saw the error of their ways, quit Team Rocket and turned a new leaf?" Bonnie innocently suggested.

"I don't think they'd do that, but it'd be great if they did turn around their lives," Ash said, smiling a little.

"Though, speaking of criminal gangs, I have the feeling that we may encounter those guys again," Serena began. "And if we do, we won't have a way to alert the Rangers of their presence. So we should buy Pokegears for all of us."

"Good idea! On top of that, we can also keep in contact in case we split up," Clemont suggested.

"Yeah, like when you start working on that power plant. We might not be able to be together anymore, but that way we can talk to each other whenever we want," Bonnie said.

"Good idea! Given that Clemont's busy, let's go the three of us," Ash proposed.

"Actually..." Bonnie began, feinging thoughtfulness. "I think somebody should stay here and make sure all the Pokemon behave and play nice, especially with the newcomers. So why don't you and Serena go to buy the Pokegears?"

Bonnie then winked at Serena in the most unsubtle way ever known to a human. Ash just looked at Bonnie a bit confused, while Serena grew stiff, before letting out a sigh.

"Um, okay. Let's go, Serena," Ash said, as he began to walk towards the Pokemon Center's exit.

Serena trailed after him, before giving one last look at Bonnie, who waved at her while smiling mischeviously. Serena mouthed a silent "thank you" before leaving the building as well.

…

Despite Kevlar being a small town, its Pokemart was rather well stocked. Not just with the most common products bought by trainers such as potions or pokeballs, but it also had a small electronics section that sold pokegears. After choosing the ones that offered the best balance between price and functionality, Ash and Serena bought four of them. They were color coded: blue for Ash, pink for Serena, green for Clemont and yellow for Bonnie.

Since they were on the Pokemart, they took the chance to restock on some of their other supplies as well.

Once they were done with their shopping, they walked through the town until they found a small park with a few benches on it. The duo sat on one of the benches, and immediately after, they opened their new gear and strapped them on their wrists and switched them on. The display quickly flashed to life, displaying the time of the day, current weather, and current location.

"Heh, they look good on us, don't they?" Ash asked, holding his wrist to his eye level.

"Indeed," Serena said, as she scrolled through the menu. "Oh, we need to exchange our numbers! Give me yours and I'll call you so can have mine."

"Alright," Ash said, as he handed Serena the slip of paper where his number was written. As Serena introduced the number, Ash continued to admire his Pokegear. "Heh, I can't believe I didn't think of buying one of these sooner."

"Yeah, with all the times we got split in Kalos, they would have been useful," Serena said. Once she was done typing Ash's number, Ash's Pokegear beeped a couple times, as Serena's number flashed on the screen.

"Oh, that reminds me!" Ash said, as a realzation dawned upon him. "Let me call mom! That way she'll have my number too. I'm sure she'll be happy to know that she can call me now herself instead of having to wait for me to call her."

Ash introduced his home's phone number. After a couple rings, Delia's face appeared on the Pokegear's small screen.

"Hey there, mom!" Ash greeted her.

"Ash! It's so nice to see you," Delia said, greeting her son. Then she looked at Serena and smiled at her. "Hello to you too, Serena."

"Hello, Mrs. Ketchum," Serena replied.

Delia's expression then turned quizzical. "Ash, where are you calling me from? You don't look to be inside a Pokemon Center."

"Oh, that's because I'm calling you from my new Pokegear!" Ash told her. "We decided to buy one for each of us, so in case we're separated, we can still stay in contact. Oh, and you can call me if you want too! Isn't that great?"

"Indeed it is!" Delia said with a nod. "Though, tell me, what have you guys been doing? How is Tandor?"

"Tandor's great mom. Oh, look!" Ash said, as he began to dig through his backpack, before pulling out his badge case. He opened it, revealing his only badge. "Look mom! I already have one badge!"

"That's great, son. But that's just one of your steps to get into the League, isn't it?" Delia said, before adding: "Not that I want to undermine your achivements or anything!"

"I know. But I wanted to show you because the gym leader made me sweat ink to earn it. Gym Leaders in Tandor are so tough!" Ash said.

"You should have been there, Mrs. Ketchum. It was a battle worthy of a League," Serena added, her eyes twinkling in excitement as her mind replayed the battle.

"I'm sure it was. And what about you, dear? Ash told me you were doing Contests?" Delia asked.

"Yes. I have taken part in a contest but..." Serena blushed a little, averting Delia's gaze. "...I didn't win it."

"Oh, don't worry about it. I'm sure you'll start winning sooner or later," Delia reassured her. "After all, you just begun your journey. Just keep working hard."

"I will, Mrs. Ketchum," Serena said.

"Sorry to cut you here, but there are some chores that need to be done," Delia apoligized. "Though, thanks a lot for calling, Ash! I love to talk with you from time to time, and see how you are doing."

"I will call you again soon, mom. Bye!" Ash said, before his Pokegear's screen turned black once Delia ended the call.

Once the call ended, the two of them sat there, not saying anything for a few moments. Until Serena spoke.

"Your mom's a sweetheart," Serena said, giggling a little.

"I know. She's the best," Ash nodded, smiling back at her. "Though, yours is pretty great too."

"Still, I'm sure your mom didn't force you to practice for a profession you had no interest in taking," Serena said.

"Oh come on, she only worried about you," Ash defended Grace. "Besides, she was pretty supportive when you started doing showcases. And I'm sure she'll continue supporting you now as well when you tell her what are you doing."

"Do you want me to call her?" Serena asked.

"Yeah, why not?" Ash asked, his smile unwavering. "I'm sure she'll be super happy to hear from you."

"Pi-pika!" Pikachu encouraged her as well.

"Alright then," Serena said, as she typed her home's number on the Pokegear. After a couple ringtones, Grace's face appeared on the small screen.

"Hello?" she asked.

"Hey there, mom," Serena greeted her.

"Serena! It's so good to hear from you!" Grace beamed at her daughter. "So, are you in Hoenn already?"

"Oh, about that...in the end, I didn't went to Hoenn," upon seeing her mother's questioning look, Serena quickly added. "I'm on Tandor."

"Tandor? Isn't that the place where that nuclear meltdown happened all those years ago?" Grace questioned, sounding a little worried.

"Yeah, but you yourself said it. It was many years ago. It's totally safe now," Serena insisted. "Anyway, Tandor has contests too, so I decided to come here instead."

"I see. And..." Grace said, as her eyes moved towards Serena's companion. "Is that Ash Ketchum I see?"

"Hey there, Mrs. Gabena!" Ash cheerfully greeted her.

"Hello, Ash," Grace replied. "You know, I have the feeling that you have something to do behind Serena's change of plans."

"Hehe, yeah," he admitted, laughing sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head. "Serena was going to go to Hoenn, but since Clemont, Bonnie and I were coming to Tandor, she decided to change her plans and come with us. That way, the group continues together."

"Of course, of course. The group. I'm sure that's the only reason she tagged along," Grace nodded, while shooting Serena a knowing look. The honey blond began to turn pink as her mother continued talking.

"M-mom! You're making it sound like, like..." Serena began to stutter, as her eyes nervously moved back and forth between Ash and the Pokegear's screen, much to Ash's confusion.

Grace, however, appeared to be amused at her daughter's reaction. "Like what, sweetheart?" she asked, feigning confusion, before deciding to be merciful and change the topic. "Anyway, how is Tandor? Are you enjoying the journey? Did you take part in any contest already?"

"Tandor's been nothing but great so far, and yes, we're having a good time exploring this region. I only took part in a contest and I didn't win, but there are many more to come," Serena replied.

"It's okay, sweetie. Falling down doesn't matter, what matter is-"

"...geting up and keep going forward, no matter what," Serena finished.

Grace nodded in approval. "If you stay on any path you choose, you will eventually reach your goal, no matter how many obstacles you find in your way."

"Thanks, mom," Serena smiled. "Oh, and I also caught two new Pokemon! I don't have them with me right now, but I'll show them to you later."

"By the way, where are you calling me from? You appear to be outside. You always call me from a Pokemon Center," Grace asked.

"Heh, my mom asked that too," Ash pointed out.

"We bought some Pokegears so we can call each other in case we're split," Serena explained. "And... to call home without having to go to a Pokemon Center."

Grace nodded in approval. "That's great to hear. In that case, I expect to hear more of you, honey."

"Y-Yeah. I'll call you again when I win my first Ribbon," Serena said.

"Understood. Have fun on your journey," Grace said, before her eyes turned towards Ash. "Oh, and Ash?"

"Yes, Mrs. Gabena?" Ash asked.

"I know you already did in Kalos, but I'm trusting Serena's well being to you. Make sure she's okay," Grace requested.

"Sure! You don't even need to ask!" Ash porudly declared. He then placed a hand on Serena's shoulder and pulled her towards him. Serena let a high pitched squeak, her face becoming redder, at Ash sudden and probably unintentional display of physical affection. "She'll be safe with me!"

Grace smiled at them. "That's what I wanted to hear. See you soon."

As Grace hanged the phone, the Pokegear's screen turned black. Ash let Serena go, and the girl let out a weary sigh.

"By the way, what was your mom talking about that got you so worked up?" Ash asked. "I wasn't quite following that part."

"Girl stuff, Ash. Don't sweat it," the honey blonde replied.

Thankfully, it appeared that such response was enough to curb Ash's curiosity, since the teen boy didn't press the issue. The two teens slipped into a comfortable silence as they enjoyed the view around them, with nothing but the chirps of the flying Birbies making any noise.

"Hey Ash," Serena began.

"Hm?"

"Do you think we should have told our moms about Team Omega?" Serena asked.

"What? No way!" Ash replied. "All it would have done is getting them worried about us. I mean, you heard your mom. Even she's worried about an accident that happened many years ago."

"I know, but still..." Serena begam fidgeting with her fingers.

"Besides, we deal with Team Rocket on a regular basis during our journey through Kalos," Ash continued.

Serena shot him a flat look. "Ash, don't compare Team Rocket with these guys. Team Rocket might have given us a scare from time to time, but most of the time they were mostly nuisances. These guys have more in common with Team Flare, and you yourself saw how much harm those guys managed to do to Lumiose."

Of course he remembered. That incident was still rather fresh in his mind. While his mom had been worried about the incident, Ash had hidden from her how involved he had been.

"And we encountered and fought those guys many times before that, when they were trying to get their hands on Squishy," Serena continued.

"Okay, fair point," Ash conceded. "Though, these guys doesn't seem to be looking for a Legendary Pokemon to cause havoc or something like that."

"We don't know that," Serena rebutted. "Maybe they have plans to do that but that Zebos guy deleted them when he wiped out his base's servers."

"Alright, I get that those guys aren't Team Rocket," Ash conceded, holding his hands defensively. "But I still think we shouldn't worry our moms over that. Besides, I don't think we will encounter those criminals again."

Serena let out a mirthless chuckle. "Way to tempt fate there, Ash."

"You know what? Enough talking about criminals. Let's switch to a better topic," Ash stated. "For example, your contests."

"Very well," Serena agreed with the topic change, seeing that the talk about criminals wasn't getting them nowhere.

"So, do you plan to use Selkid and Minicorn anytime soon?" Ash inquired.

"I think Selkid's ready for the Appeal Round, so I'll use her next contest," Serena replied. "Minicorn needs a little more training and experience before I think in choosing her. I still don't even know what attacks can she use."

A knowing smile spread around Ash's face. "Well, there's a good way to know about that."

"Let me guess... a sparring match?" Serena asked, though she was also smiling back at him.

"You know me so well."

"Didn't we agree to give our Pokemon a free day to relax?" Serena reminded.

"I know, I know! I didn't mean right now," Ash explained, barely restraining his enthusiasm at the chance of seeing Serena's new Pokemon fighting for the first time. "We can do it after you're done with your contest, as training for the next one."

"Alrght," Serena said, before she quickly added: "But no Dunsparce! At least not until you get him to behave!"

Ash wanted to defend his Pokemon, claiming he wasn't so bad, but he quickly remembered the cheap shot he delieverd to Selkid when she and Birbie where on their duet/singing duel, and that made him reconsider his position.

"Understood. I guess he still needs a little more discipline," Ash sheepishly stated. "At the very least, he follows my commands in battle, so there's that."

Serena gave him an odd look. "You talk as if you had Pokemon that disobeyed you in the past."

Given the sheer respect all the Pokemon Ash trained professed for their trainer, she found weird that there would be someone who wouldn't want to follow him.

"Only one, but he gave me quite a lot of trouble back then. You met my Charizard, right?" Ash asked.

Serena nodded. That was one of the many Pokemon of Ash she had met when they were in Pallet Town. It was a good thing that Ash never used him against her, because he appeared to be pretty strong. "I do. Though, despite his appearance, he was rather kind."

"Let's say Charizard wasn't always like that. He was always obedient when he was a Charmander, but then he evolved into Charmeleon, and stopped listening to me. He even attacked me sometimes. And it got worse when he evolved again into Charizard."

"Honestly, I just can't picture a Pokemon disobeying you. I see the way your Pokemon act when you send them to battle. The trust you inspire in them is palpable," Serena praised.

"Hehe, thanks," Ash said, blushing a little, and rubbing the back of his head. "Though, keep in mind that when I met you in Kalos, I was a very experienced trainer. Back then, I was still learning the ropes about Pokemon training, and I made lots of mistakes."

"Don't feel bad about that. We all make mistakes, especially when we do something for the first time," Serena reassured him.

"Oh, I know that. No other Pokemon has disobeyed me since then," Ash continued, now more cheerful. "And I'm sure Dunsparce won't disobey me either. He might be a scoundrel, but he respects me. Or at least, that's what I like to think."

"Congratulations for being the only living being that yellow snake respects," Serena said, rolling her eyes a little.

"Don't worry, sooner or later I'll get through him and make him realize the error of his ways," Ash said. "You'll see how, little by little, he'll become a better Pokemon."

"I don't doubt your word. But until that happens, make sure he doesn't cause more trouble and learns to respect our other Pokémon," Serena requested.

"Guess you have a reason to ask that," Ash conceded. "No problem. I mean, Dunsparce isn't the only newbie in my team. Colarva needs to catch up to the others, and Birbie still has much training to do as well. And while it may be too soon to tell about Colarva, you saw that Birbie has a very pleasant disposition."

"Indeed. No wonder Dunsparce can't stand him," Serena laughed.

"I think he also hates that Birbie beat him," Ash added. "Not helped that Birbie doesn't seem to appreciate his attitude either."

"Because Birbie is a decent Pokemon," Serena replied. She then looked at the time, and realized that it would be soon time to have lunch. "Well, now that we bought the Pokegears and tested them, shall we return to the Pokemon Center? I'm sure Clemont and Bonnie want theirs too."

"Yeah, let's go back," Ash said, as he and Serena got up from the bench and began walking.

…

A few minutes later, Ash and Serena returned to the Pokemon Center. Clemont was still working on the Team Omega electronic helment, and they presumed Bonnie was outside, playing with the Pokemon. Upon calling both siblings, Ash and Serena gave the other two Pokegears to Clemont and Bonnie, who quickly took them out of their boxes and put them on their wrists. Bonnie in particular was looking at the device with stars in her eyes.

"Thank you guys!" Bonnie excitedly shouted. "I never had something like this before! It's so cool, right Dedenne?"

"Nene!" the Antennae Pokemon agreed, even if he had no idea what Bonnie was talking about.

"You know, Clemont thought that he could build some communicators based on that helmet," Bonnie pointed out. "But I'm not going to wear something Clemont built next to my ear, you know, if it goes BOOM!"

"Not everything I build explodes, Bonnie," Clemont protested, indignant. He then looked at the helmet, still on the table. "Though, better use Pokegears for the time being. If I use this technology to create communication devices, those Team Omega guys might be able to track us down."

"Can't they track us now?" Serena asked, worried after hearing such bit of information.

"Only when the communicator function is active, and I made sure to disable it," Clemont reassured her.

"Yeah, after the number we did on that base of theirs, I'm sure they'd want to get some revenge on us," Ash said, though he wasn't particularly frightened by such prospect. "Have you found something digging on that helmet?"

"Just bits and pieces here and there," Clemont said, as his eyes returned to the screen. "I was downloading as much information as I could from their servers, but the sudden wipeout caused many files to download corrupted or incomplete. Aside from dealings with other criminals, plans for future inventions.

"However, something I found something called 'Project 092' that gets mentioned quite a lot of times, and it appears to be important," Clemont said. "Unfortunately, this is the only thing I could get:"

Report #01 : Prog - is - - - -dename 092. - - - from radiation-s biofiber. It - - to reconstru- - - damage-

Report #02 : - power core - from over-. It - - a large - - nuclear fuel to -. - - activated- - - - prod- - limitless energy.

Report #03 : Th - MRI - anomalous brainwave -ns. - specim-n - - inca-e - indep-ent thoug-. We - -ing - - suppress-.

Report #04 : - - the Interface - final- today. Th- -erator - - - - - full control - -e Sp-cimen. - chief reseacher, Dr. - -s - granted clearance.

Report #05 : - has been - breach - confidential-. - - - shall - relocate - undergr- -. Project 092 - have - - -rminated.

Ash, Serena and Bonnie read the pieces of text on the screen, the former two with far more interest than the latter. Given how many words and letters were missing, they couldn't form a picture of what this project was or what was Team Omega attempting to do. Still, the words "radiation", "nuclear fuel" and "limitless energy" stood up.

"That... it looks that those Omega guys have their hands on something bigger than mere trafficking," Serena said, covering her mouth with her hands.

"Indeed," Clemont nodded, and continued to type. "Alright, I just sent this information to the Ranger HQ. Hopefully it will help them shut down Team Omega for good."

"Yeah. Between this and what we did before, those guys' criminal activities have their days numbered," Ash said, placing a reassuring hand on Serena.

Serena smiled, and grabbed his hand. "Of course," the honey blonde began. "I'm sure the Rangers will deal with them in no time."

Chapter Text

Moki Town

The group had returned to Moki Town with a day to spare before the contest would take place. Naturally, they were using that day to help Serena prepare for said contest. The entire group was on the Center's adjacent battleground, watching Serena train with Selkid. Her other Pokemon were also out, watching her.

Thankfully, the Pokemon Center wasn't very crowded, so they had no problem using the battleground. They knew more people would arrive as the day went by, and by the next morning, the Center would be as crowded as when they first arrived to Kevlar Town.

"Alright Selkid, one more time, Sing!" Serena ordered.

The Sea Nymph Pokemon opened her mouth, and began to sing a beautiful and soft melody. Ethereal music notes of many colors started to appear around the area, drifting around slowly like clouds on a calm day. Eventually, Selkid's voice gave out, and the Water and Fairy type Pokemon's song was interrupted by a pair of high pitched coughs.

"Very well, Selkid!" Serena praised.

"Braix!" Braixen added, smiling at the smaller Pokemon.

Every time Selkid sang, she made a conscious effort to increase her range and timbre a little more. While her progress was slow, it was still progress.

"Selkid's singing is getting really good," Bonnie praised the Pokemon. "But will it be enough to win the judge's approval?"

"Selkid isn't just going to sing. But that's the hardest part, that's why we're making more emphasis on that," Serena explained. Upon seeing Bonnie's quizzical look, she smiled and added: "You'll see when the contest begins."

"Do you think it's safe to use Selkid so soon?" Clemont asked, adjusting his glasses. "This is only your second contest, and you only got Selkid very recently."

"I know, but the sooner Selkid and Minicorn gain experience by taking part in contests, the better, and I trust Selkid to help us win" Serena argued. "And even if we don't, the Contest Season has barely begun. We'll have much more chances afterwards."

Indeed, the only reason Serena hasn't used Minicorn just yet is becaase she barely had the chance to train her.

"So, you have Selkid for the Appeals. Have you thought of who you are going to use for the Contest battle?" Ash asked.

"I promised Pancham that I'd use him for the second contest," Serena said, looking at the Playful Pokemon.

"Cham!" Pancham proudly said, puffing his chest out. He clearly couldn't wait to show the public what he was capable of.

"Say, Serena, how about a sparring match with Pancham, to make sure he's ready to fight?" Ash suggested. "I think I could-"

"Oh, the battleground is already being used," a new voice said, a voice all of them had heard before. "Hey, it's you guys!"

The group turned around, and saw a smiling boy with brown hair.

"Vitor!" they all said in unison, as they went to greet the boy.

"Heh, I should have expected to find you here," Serena said. "I guess you're here for the contest too."

"Indeed. Guess I should have expected to see you here as well, given how close this is from Kevlar Town," Vitor pointed out.

"How about that Sayaka girl? Have you seen her too?" Serena asked, as she gripped her blue ribbon while her rival's name left her lips.

"No, I haven't," Vitor said, as he scratched the back of his head. "Maybe since she won a ribbon so early, she's taking it easy and is skipping this contest."

"I find that unlikely," Serena muttered.

"Hey, the less competition, the better, right?" Bonnie asked. "Especially if the competition is that good."

"Maybe. But competition isn't good if your rivals aren't up to par," Ash intervened. "I wouldn't like to win a league if all my rivals were poor trainers."

"Yeah. If we're aiming to become Top Coordinators, we can't just hope for our tougher rivals to simply disappear," Serena continued, before her eyes burned with resolve. "Besides, I'm not afraid of her. I want to face her again and show her that all the horrible things she said were wrong!"

Vitor raied an eyebrow. "Horrible things?"

"I'll tell you later," Serena said. She didn't feel like spoiling her mood reliving that moment. Not when she had a contest so soon.

"Well, I do have a bone to pick her too," Vitor pointed out. "I'm not a sore loser, but she wasn't exactly a graceful winner."

"Yeah. It would be great if either of you knocked that stuck-up ninja down a peg," Bonnie said, seething a little at the memory of Sayaka's haughty personality.

Vitor's face lighted up as if he remembered something, and looked at Ash. "Oh, by the way, I got a call from my sister! She told me that, if I saw you guys before her, to tell you that she defeated Maria and earned her first badge."

"Really? That's great!" Ash cheered.

"Indeed. Maria was a very skilled trainer. Even if the Pokemon she used against Natalie weren't as strong as those she used against Ash, beating her must have been quite the ordeal," Clemont pointed out.

"And she wasn't the only one who beat Maria!" yet another voice said. "I got a call from Theo. He also defeated Maria, and plans to challenge another gym leader as soon as possible."

All the teens turned around, and saw no other than Professor Bamb'o, who entered the battleground as well.

"Hey, Professor!" Ash greeted him. "Not to sound rude, but what are you doing here?"

"I was hoping to find you guys, given that there's going to be a contest soon," Bamb'o said. "And tell you that I'm going to be a special judge!"

"Really? Great!" Vitor cheered.

"Yes, I'm so glad that you find my already huge workload getting even bigger with this kind of requests something great," Bamb'o nonchalantly said, making the others wondering if his complaint was serious or a joke. "Though, don't you guys think that I'm going to be biased towards you because I already know you!"

"I'll never ask you to do something like that," Vitor said, raising his hands defensively.

"Yeah! I was doing one last bit of training before tomorrow," Serena said. She then looked at her Pokemon, and beamed with pride. "My Pokemon's performace will leave your mouth agape."

"Heh, I have no doubt that-" Bamb'o began, before he did a double take, adjusting his sunglasses. "Wait, is that a Selkid? And a Minicorn? Are they yours?"

"Y-Yes?" Serena replied, feeling uncofortable at the attention Bamb'o was giving her two newest captures.

"Whoa! Those Pokemon are super rare! And Selkid aren't even native to this area!" Bamb'o said, as he got closer to the two Pokemon. Selkid whimpered and hid behind Serena's leg, while Minicorn shot the researcher a meaning look. "So I imagine that you didn't get them from those traffickers that the news are talking about, not that you look like the type to do that. But that only makes me more curious of where did you find them. "

"Uh..." Serena stammered, before she looked at Ash and Clemont, silently asking for help. Ash and Clemont both nodded, the honey blonde understanding what they meant. "Well, the truth is..."

Serena told Bamb'o and Vitor the truth about them, recounting their encounter with Maury, followed by their raid on the Team Omega base, with the aid of the Dunsparce Gang. When she was done, Vitor was looking at them in amazement, and Bamb'o let out a whistle.

"Boy, you guys just arrived in Tandor, and help dismantle a gang of traffickers. One that the Rangers have been looking for months!" Bamb'o said in amazement. "Then again, given what Professor Oak told me about what you guys did in Kalos, I shouldn't be surprised."

"Yeah. I don't know why or how, but trouble seems to have a knack for us," Ash sheepishly said, rubbing the back of his head.

"Hey, at least plenty of good came out of this," Bamb'o said.

Then, after a moment of silence, Serena remembered something Vitor said just as he entered the battleground. "By the way, Vitor, given what you said before, you wanted to use the battleground to train, right?"

"Yeah. I also wanted to do some last minute training as well. I have a new a Pokemon I want to use for tomorrow's contest, and he needs all the training he can get," Vitor explained.

"Then you can use the battleground. I think I hogged it long enough," Serena offered.

"Are you sure? This is big enough for the two of us to share," Vitor said.

Serena smiled knowingly. "Yes. But you won't want me to see your perfomance routines and battle strategies, right?"

Vitor slightly reddened in embarrassment, realizing the two-way implications of Serena's words. "O-Of course not. Thanks a lot for your generosity."

Serena nodded. "Come on. I think we can find another place to train. See you tomorrow, guys!"

"See you in the contest!" Bamb'o said, waving them as they left. "Maybe I should leave too, or else you won't be able to surprise me tomorrow with whatever you have planned!" the professor said, before vacating the battleground as well.

…

The day of the Pokemon Contest finally arrived, and, as expected, the normally quiet Moki Town was flooded by a wave of people, a minority being those who wanted to take part in the contest, as well as their friends and family who wanted to see them, and contest enthusiasts from neighboring towns and cities who wanted to watch the contest live.

They got up early and had breakfast. They tried to look for Vitor in the cafeteria, but they found no trace of him. Either he was still asleep, or maybe he had already left. Once they had their bellies full, they exited the Pokemon Center and headed towards the Contest Hall.

Unfortunately, they didn't get up early enough to avoid a large line of people who wanted to enter. Ash, Clemont and Bonnie sighed in exasperation.

"Well... I guess that this is where we part ways. I'm sorry I can't stay with you to make you company," Serena apologized.

"Eh, it's okay, this is nothing new for us," Ash said, dismissing Serena's concern with a handwave. "Better get going so you have enough time to get ready."

"Hopefully we'll get some good seats this time around," Clemont added.

Serena waved them goodbye, and walked towards the coordinator's entrance. After showing her Contest Pass to the security guard in front of the door, a worker there pointed out where the changing room and the waiting area was. Getting into the changing room, she quickly changed into her contest dress, and headed to the waiting area.

As expected, many coordinators were already there, waiting for the contest to begin. Serena quickly saw Vitor, already in his vintage admiral outfit. She smiled and walked towards him.

"Vitor!" she called.

The younger boy turned around, and smiled back at Serena.

"Hey, there you are!" Vitor greeted her.

"Heh, you arrived here earlier than me. And here I thought that we got up early," Serena said.

"Well... there was only one bathroom in our house, and both Natalie and I always fight to see who gets to use it first in the morning, since we like our long showers, so we try to get up before the other," Vitor explained, chuckling a little. "Getting up early is nothing new to me."

"Speaking of Natalie, do you know if she's going to come to see you?" Serena asked. "Nowtoch City isn't that far away from here," Serena said.

"She wanted to, but she took too long to beat Maria. You know how it goes, catching new Pokemon, training them..." he began. "Not that I blame her, I don't expect her to be here to watch all my contests, just like how I'm not going to watch all her gym battles."

"Fair enough," Serena conceded.

"I mean, we all knew this when we decided to travel on our own," Vitor said.

"Now that you mention it... I don't have siblings, so I don't know how you two must feel but... don't you miss her a little?" Serena asked.

"Yeah. I mean, of course I do, but it's only natural. She may be my twin, we had shared a lot of our lives with each other, but that doesn't mean there wasn't a moment where we were going to follow our own path away from the other," Vitor continued.

Serena nodded. "Guess that makes sense."

There was a moment of silence, and the two of them wordlessly acknowledged that the topic had reached its end. As the waiting area began to slowly fill with coordinators already on their outfits, Vitor began to look around.

"I was expecting Sayaka to show up, but I haven't seen her so far. It seems that she did skip this contest," the brown haired boy pointed out.

While she wasn't proud of such a reaction, Serena was inwardly glad that the ninja wasn't here this time around. She knew that she still had a long way to go before she could match Sayaka's skill. For as much as she itched for a rematch, she knew she and her Pokémon needed to get ready to avoid a repeat of their previous battle

"Maybe I'm not ready to defeat Sayaka just yet, but if I keep training hard, I'll be able to," Serena inwardly told herself.

Serena remembered Sawyer. When they first met him, the gap between him and Ash was so big it was almost comical. At first, Ash defeated him with almost insulting ease. Then, Ash had to work a little more for each of his victories over the short green haired boy. Until one day, Sawyer finally beat Ash. Sure, Ash had trouble with Greninja's Battle Bond, but it's not that Ash had needed it to defeat Sawyer before.

Then, when they battled for the last time in the Kalos League, Sawyer proved to be Ash's equal, pushing the older boy to his very limit. And even if Ash won at the end, Serena admitted there were moments when she feared that Sawyer might have been the victor.

As the last few coordinators filled the room, all that was left was counting down the minutes until the contest finally begun.

…

Despite the rather big line, Ash, Clemont and Bonnie managed to get pretty good seats. It wasn't first row, but it was close enough to the arena so Serena could see them if she looked in their direction.

"It's starting!" Bonnie cheered, as Jillian walked into the performance area. The murmurs and humming of the public died down as the spotlight focused on her. Meanwhile, the three judges took their seats.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the Moki Town Pokemon Contest! I'm your host, Jillian Meridian!" she began, and the crowd exploded into loud cheers. "Thank you! Also give a warm welcome to the judges that will evaluate our wonderful coordinators: Moki Town's own Nurse Joy, the Venesi City Gym Leader Rosalind, and the S-Class Connoiseur Ambrose Reigns!"

People began to applaud and cheer, though Ash couldn't help but notice that many people also booed when Jillian mentioned Ambrose's name. Not that Ash thought that the caustic judge didn't deserve the boos. Though, given how the man was looking at the public as if they were garbage under his shoes, he didn't seem to care.

"And our special judge, Moki Town's own Professor Bamb'o!" Jillian added, before motioning to the shades-wearing man, sitting next to Ambrose. People cheered even louder than before, probably happy than one of their townspeople was getting the spotlight.

"Thank you! I'm looking forward seeing what these coordinators have to offer!" Bamb'o said.

Jillian then went to explain the rules of the Pokemon Contests for those in the public not aware of them, and then showed the ribbon the contest winner would take with him or her, finishing off with introducing the very first contestant, beginning the Appeal Round.

Coordinators walked in and out of the arena one after the other, their Pokemon doing all sort of tricks, light shows, dances and acrobatics. Some where good, others not so much. Rosalind and Nurse Joy often passed a positive judgement, while Ambrose completely tore down the coordinators' display with brutal verbal beatdowns. Even if the shock vale was lost after the first contest, his harsh words drew more than one coordinator to tears.

"Let's welcome with a big applause to our next coordinator! From this very Town, Vitor Raine!" Jillian said, as the brown haired boy walked into the stage.

Picking up a pokeball, he tossed it into the air. "Eletux, come out and play!"

Vitor's starter emerged from the pokeball among a storm of yellow lightning bolts.

"Let's begin! Eletux, Ice Beam!" Vitor called. "Just as we practiced!"

"Tux!" the Hippocampus Pokemon happily cried, and began to fire an Ice Beam around him.

The glowing white beam began to form a trail of ice of irregular height, in some cases even forming a loop. Soon they realized that it appeared to be some kind of rollercoaster. It ended on a ramp that moved upwards.

"Look at that folks! A rollercoaster made of ice!" Jillian commented.

Ash remembered seeing Dawn using a similar trick during the Sinnoh Grand Festival with Buneary and Quilava. She wondered what Dawn would say if he saw somebody doing something so similar. Given that contests are televised, did Vitor watch Dawn during the Grand Festival?

"Now, Eletux, run across the ice with Aqua Jet!" Vitor commanded.

Eletux jumped onto the ice path, and began to run. As his feet stopped touching the ice, he was coated in a cloak of water, and dashed over the ice like a rocket, raising a trail of snowy powder which sparkled under the light of the spotlight, creating a rather beautiful effect. Eventually, Eletux reached the end of the rollercoaster, and thanks to the final upwards ramp, he shot into the air.

"Now, Eletux, use Charge Beam on the ice!" Vitor shouted.

The watery cloak around Eletux disappeared, and Eletux, still mid air, moved his body so his head would be facing downwards. The bulb of his longest tail began to glow with a yellow light and crackle with sparks of the same color, before he fired from there a single yellow bolt of electricity. The lightning bolt hit the ice rollercoaster, which shattered into thousands of ice shards that crackled with electricity, producing yet another amazing visual effect.

"And finish!" Vitor said, just as Eletux landed on all four on the ground. Both trainer and Pokemon beamed with pride as the public erupted into cheers, and began applauding him.

"What a great performance, folks! Let's see what our judges have to say!" Jillian said, as she motioned to the judge panel.

"An amazing performance. Not only it was a delight to see, but Eletux also seemed to be having a great time!" the blue-haired Nurse Joy said, much to Vitor's delight.

"Veramente, one of the best performances I've seen today!" Rosalind said, in a similar mood.

"There were so many sparkles, I was almost blinded. But for the positives, I didn't have to submit my eyes to this awful performance in full," Ambrose deadpanned.

"Don't listen to the sourpuss, Vitor! I think you did an amazing job!" Bamb'o said, earning a glare from Ambrose. "I still remember when I gave you that Eletux, and I can see how much has grown thanks to your training!"

It didn't take much effort for Vitor to ignore the caustic judge's opinion, especially with Bamb'o's encouragement. He then returned Eletux to his pokeball, made a polite bow, and walked away, as the public clapped enthusiasthically. As he left the stage, Jillian announced the next coordinator.

"That was a pretty good performance he did there," Clemont pointes out. "He must have been trying a lot since the Kevlar Town Contest."

"His first performance wasn't exactly bad either," Ash said, remembered the tricks Vitor's Pahar did with Will-O-Wisp.

"Pika," Pikachu nodded in agreement.

"Then again, I'm sure not even he can beat Serena's experience," Bonnie said, her faith in Serena unwavering.

More coordinators walked in and out of the stage, drawing mostly positive judgement from Bamb'o, Nurse Joy and Rosalind, and absurdly negative comments from Ambrose.

"And now, let's welcome our next coordinator! From Vaniville Town in Kalos, Serena!" Jillian announced.

Serena walked into the stage, waving at the public. Ash, Clemont and Bonnie clapped and cheered the loudest, which caused the honey blonde to see them. She beamed and waved at them as well.

"Look, she saw us! She saw us!" Bonnie yelled. "Go Serena! You can do it!"

"Selkid, go!" Serena said, tossing the pokeball into the air.

The capture thevice opened, releasing Selkid among a flurry of blue bubbles, that went up into the air before popping.

"Sel, selkid!" Selkid cried. The public roared upon seeing her, which caused her to flinch. It was the first time Selkid had seen so many humans in a single spot. Looking back at Serena, the trainer smiled and gave Selkid as thumbs up. This seemed to calm Selkid somehow. "Are you ready, Selkid?"

Not wanting to disappoint her trainer, Selkid put on a brave face and nodded. "Sel!"

"Good! Then, leave them everybody amazed with your Sing!"

Selkid nodded, closing her eyes in order to push the public out of her mind, and began to sing. As her melody began, ethereal musical notes of different colors began to float around the stage.

Selkid were known for their beautiful voices, and given their rarity, the public quickly grew silent so nobody could miss such an oportunity. And indeed, judging by their faces, Selkid's song was meeting their expectations. Serena glanced that the judge panel: Nurse Joy and Rosalind leaned forward expectantly, while Ambrose looked at Selkid with an eyebrow raised and a flat look, as if wondering if that was all what Serena planned to do.

And she was going to show him that it wasn't. "Very well, Selkid! Now, Water Pulse into the air!"

Without stopping her song, Selkid opened her eyes and brought her arms together, and summoned an orb of water. Once the orb was big enough, she tossed it into the air. As it flew upwards, the sphere of water absorbed some of the musical notes inside it.

"Now, Hyper Voice!"

Selkid's song changed into a high pitched cry, releasing a stream of sonic waves upwards, in the same direction of the Water Pulse, which was now falling back down. The sphere of water crashed against the sonic waves, causing the former to explode into rings of water that spreaded outwards, before dissolving even further into tiny drops of water that glittered under the light of the spotlights. The notes inside the sphere also exploded, resulting in echoes of Selkid's song, making it sound like backup singers.

"And done!" Serena said. The crowd cheered loudly, causing Selkid to flinch again. Not wanting to push Selkid further, she returned her Pokemon to her pokeball.

"An amazing spectacle involving both sound and visuals!" Jillian praised, before she motioned to the judge panel. "Let's see what our judges have to say about it!"

"Selkid's song alone was a delight to watch, but the way it was followed by that combination of Water Pulse and Hyper Voice was simply sublime!" Nurse joy beamed.

"As somebody who already heard Selkid singing, yours was simply magnifico!" Rosalind said.

"Maybe you could have your Selkid shatter some glasses with her voice. I mean, she was this close to shatter my eardrums," Ambrose complained. "So please, next time you plan to torture us with another concert, gave your Selkid singing lessons."

"Can somebody tell me why did they hire this guy?" Bamb'o said, pointing at Ambrose. "Because I have a hard time believing we saw the same performance! Your Selkid was simply amazing! Anybody can get their hands on a rare Pokemon, but only a truly skilled trainer can bring a Pokemon's whole potential out, and in your case, I can see that you're doing a good job with her!"

Serena didn't regret recalling Selkid when she did; while she could ignore Ambrose's cutting words, her poor Selkid might have taken them much worse, even with Bamb'o softening the blow. After all, Serena still remembered how she felt when she heard the conoisseur's judgement the first time.

Serena muttered a "thanks", made a slight bow, and returned to the waiting area.

…

Serena returned to the waiting area, where the rest of the coordinators were. As she entered, another one walked towards the stage, a girl older than her that she had never seen before. Unlike the previous contest, where she was the first, this time she was among the last. Only a few coordinators were left to perform before the results of the Appeal Round were in.

"Hey, Serena!" Vitor called, waving at her. She walked towards him. "Pretty good show! Your Selkid has an amazing voice!"

"Thanks. I only had Selkid for a short time, so I didn't have much time to train her. I know Selkid's strongest point is their voices, so I decided to go with that," Serena explained. Then, she smiled and added: "Though, your perfomance was nothing to scoff at. It was really good."

"To be fair, the idea wasn't mine. I saw it on TV some time ago," Vitor admitted, rubbing his arm sheepishly. "Naturally, I added my own edge to it, even if I used it as a base."

"Hey, coming up with performing routines is hard. Especially for new coordinators who didn't have the chance to catch many Pokemon and train them," Serena defended him. "I'm sure that, once you catch more Pokemon, train more, and acquire more experience, you'll amaze people with performances never seen before."

"You think so?" the boy asked.

"Sure! I can see you have a lot of potential," Serena assured.

Vitor let out a content sigh, and smiled. "Well, coming from a veteran like you... that means a lot."

The two fell into a comfortable silence. Wordlessly, their eyes drifted towards one of the monitors hanging above them, showing a coordinator who had just finished her display. While Nurse Joy, Professor Bamb'o and Rosalind praised her and her Owten, Ambrose tore them down with a savage critic.

"Okay, what's the deal with that guy?" Serena asked, as her brow furrowed. "Has he ever passed a positive judgement? It seems like everything every coordinator does disgusts him."

"No idea. The judges on the contests I watched on TV tended to be more fair and inclined to praise," Vitor commented. "Maybe they included him because people enjoy the way he tears down the contestants. I heard caustic critics are all the rage these days."

Serena crossed her arms, and scowled. "That's not a good reason to let this happen. Everyone is here to make the crowd enjoy the show, and all his scathing criticism is doing is making Coordinators and Pokémon question themselves and feel bad for their hard work."

"Though maybe..." Vitor began, but didn't finish what he was saying.

Serena looked at him, and raised an eyebrow. "Maybe what?"

"Well... it's kind of silly," Vitor admitted. "But maybe he's some kind of secret test. Like, if somebody's able to get a positive reaction out of that guy, there's a secret prize or something."

"I find that unlikely," Serena said, her eyes glaring daggers on the screen displaying Ambrose. "Though, coming up with a performance so good he has nothing negative to say even if he wants to sounds like a promising challenge."

Yes. She will always remember how Ambrose nearly broke her during her first performance. In turn, Serena would do such an amazing, jaw-dropping performance she would make him eat every word he had said.

Time passed, and the few remaining coordinators completed the Appeal Round.

"And thus the Appeal Round comes to a close!" Jillian announced. "The judges have already cast their evaluation and score of each coordinator. Now, the eight coordinators that will move to the next phase will appear on the screen!"

Everybody held their breath as their one by one, the faces of the eight finalists appeared on the screen. Serena was among the first to let out a sigh of relief, being no less than second, with Vitor on fourth place. Once all eight finalists had been revealed, the rest of the contestants either sighed in relief, or groaned loudly, lamenting having been eliminated already.

"We both have passed!" Vitor cheered.

"Indeed we did! Though, with that display of yours, it'd be a crime if you didn't," Serena said.

…

Meanwhile, back at the grandstands, Ash, Bonnie and Clemont had just seen the eight finalists appearing on the screen. Needless to say, they were overjoyed when they saw Serena's face, especially so soon.

"Serena passed! Serena passed! Look!" Bonnie bounced up and down, as she excitedly pointed at the big screen behind Jillian, that displayed the faces of the finalists.

Ash smiled. "Did you have any doubt?"

"Of course not!" Bonnie replied, almost indignant, before pouting a little and adding: "Though, I can't help but feel a little nervous when they're announcing the finalists."

"Like I said before, Serena is past the point of losing the Appeal Round. Not with her vast experience in Showcases helping her," Ash added.

"Now, let's see which opponent our talented coordinators will have to battle against!" Jillian said.

The eight portraits began to shuffle for a few seconds, before they were paired up. Vitor was on the second bracket, and Serena was on the third. They wouldn't fight unless the two of them made it to the finals.

"Well, it would be a bummer if Serena and Vitor had to fight each other from the get go," Clemont pointed out.

"Not that it would change anything, since Serena is going to win this easily!" Bonnie claimed.

"Nenene!" Dedenne agreed.

And indeed, Serena didn't have much trouble reaching the finals. She first fought against a coordinator that used a Felunge. Aside from type disadvantage, this Felunge was nowhere near as well trained as Maria's, and quickly fell to Pancham's might. In the semifinals, Serena had to face a coordinator with an Owten, which gave Serena more trouble, but in the end the Kalosian girl and her Pancham rose the victors.

Vitor's first fight was against a coordinator with a Buizel. A point of interest is that it allowed them to see a new Pokemon Vitor had caught.

"Come out and play, Leafeon!" Vitor said, releasing his newest Pokemon.

The coordinator with the Buizel flinched. It was obvious he was banking on the opponent not using a Pokemon with type advantage. And as many people predicted, Vitor's Leafeon won the match. Following that, Vitor had to face a girl with a Barewl. The Barewl proved to be a resilent opponent –the memory of fighting them in large numbers in Passage Cave was still fresh Ash's mind– though in the end Vitor won because Leafeon's attacks were far more visually stunning, and when the buzzer rang, he had more points than her.

…

Back on the waiting area, Serena heard Jillian announce a small reprieve of ten minutes before the final battle could take place. The honey blonde watched Vitor entering the waiting area, as he removed his tricorn in order to wipe some sweat from his forehead.

"Hey there," Serena greeted him upon entering the waiting area. "Nice victory."

"Thanks. Though, I had to work much harder for this one than for the first one," Vitor admitted. Then he looked at Serena, and added: "And I will have to work even harder if I want to win the final battle."

Serena smiled at the unsaid compliment. "I'm sure you'll do great, That Leafeon is strong and well trained, especially for a Pokemon you haven't have for a long time."

"Heh, if you think so," Vitor said, as he pulled out Leafeon's pokeball and stared at it intently. "Hopefully he'll be good enough to beat your Pancham."

"At the very least, he's good enough to carry you to the finals. That's not something to scoff at," Serena pointed out.

"I guess not," Vitor agreed.

The ten minutes passed much faster than either of them realized. A staff membered entered through a back door, and told the two remaining coordinators that it was time for the final contest battle. They nodded and walked towards the room's main exit.

"Well, time to battle. I never had the chance to battle you the previous contest, given that that ninja girl kicked me out in the semifinals," Vitor commented.

"I would have loved to fight you too. I'm grateful for this chance," Serena replied, smiling.

"Good luck," he said.

"Good luck to you too," she replied. "May the best coordinator win."

…

"There they are!" Bonnie shouted, as she watched Serena and Vitor walking into the battleground. The two of them went to occupy the spots at the opposite sides of the arena. Bonnie jumped from her seat and began to wave at her. "Come on Serena! You can win this!"

"We're all rooting for you!" Ash added.

"Now, the moment you have been waiting for!" Jillian excitedly announced. "The Moki Town Contest final battle! On one side, we have Serena, from Vaniville Town, Kalos!"

The public cheered, Ash, Clemont and Bonnie being the loudest. Pikachu and Dedenne cheered as well.

"And on the other side, from Moki Town itself, Vitor!" Jillian continued.

The public's roar was way louder than what Serena got. Ash imagined that, being from Moki Town, more people were rooting for him to win.

"Coordinators, present your Pokemon!"

"Leafeon, come out and play!" Vitor said, tossing a pokeball.

The capture device opened, releasing a storm of green leaves and flower petals of many colors. The petals and leaves merged into a single, large flower, before it burst into a thousand bits of light, revealing Leafeon.

"Pancham, go!" Serena said, mimicking her oponent.

Serena's pokeball released a flurry of golden stars, the Playful Pokemon appeared among them, and turning them into golden dust with well-aimed punches and kicks.

~Serena (Pancham) VS Vitor (Leafeon) ~

"The first move is ours! Pancham, begin with Stone Edge!" Serena commanded.

"Cham, pancham!" Pancham said, before slamming both paws into the ground, summoning a row of rising pillars of jagged blue rock towards Leafeon.

"Leafeon, jump over those rocks and use them to get close to Pancham!" Vitor ordered.

"Leaf!" Leafeon cried, as he did what was told. The moment the Rock-type move was about to reach him, he jumped above it, and landed on the top of a stone column just as it formed. Leafeon them began to hop from one column to another getting close to Pancham. "Now, Aerial Ace!"

The moment Leafeon was close to Pancham, he lunged towards the Kalosian Pokemon, his front paws glowing white. Serena, however, wasn't worried.

"Pancham, now!" Serena called.

Just as Leafeon was about to strike Pancham, another column of rock rose beneath Pancham's feet, launching him into the air, and taking Leafeon's attack instead. Leafeon cried in pain upon hitting the hard rock.

"It seemed that Serena had made a mistake, but it was a deliberate plan to lure Vitor in a trap!" Jillian commented. Vitor lost a tenth of his points.

"No!" Vitor cried as he watched his point counter go down.

"Heh, I remember that I used the same tactic with Greninja when I was sparring against her, and she came up with that way to counter it," Ash proudly said.

Clemont nodded. "All that training she had with you is bearing fruit!"

"Now Pancham, Dark Pulse!"

While he was still pushed into the air, Pancham shifted his body to face Leafeon, while cupping his small paws.

"CHAM!"

Pancham thurst his paws downwards, releasing a stream of pitch black energy with purple edges.

"Leafeon, use Magic Leaf on yourself!" Vitor replied.

"Leaf!" Leafeon said, as his body began to glow with a green light. Multiple leaves made of glowing green light formed around Leafeon, and began to spin around his body, forming a green spinning shield.

Pancham's Dark Pulse crashed against the spinning shield of leaves that protected the Verdant Pokemon, dispersing the attack into multiple threads of darkness. This caused Serena to lose five percent of her total points.

"Great!" Vitor cheered, having repelled the attack completely. "Now send those leaves to Pancham!"

The leaves stopped spinning around Leafeon, and flew towards Pancham, who was still falling down. The Palyful Pokemon was unable to do anything, and was peppered by a storm of green darts, making him cry in pain before he crashed on the ground. This made Serena lose an additional tenth of her points.

"Yes! We're back on top!" Vitor cheered, pumping his fist.

"Pancham, are you okay?" Serena asked, as she worriedly looking at the first Pokemon she ever caught.

While he had some cuts and his fur didn't look so good, Pancham quickly jumped to his feet, resolve burning in his eyes.

"Pancham!" he cried.

Serena sighed upon seeing that her Pokemon was okay, before she looked at the scoreboard, and scowled. "I've been too careless. Vitor is a beginner but he's talented and learns fast. I need to be more careful," she thought.

"And with a very creative use of Magical Leaf, Vitor gains an advantage over Serena! Can Serena do something to turn the match around in her favor?" Jillian asked.

"Of course I will!" she replied, as if taking offense to such comment. "Pancham, Stone Edge again!"

"Cham!" Pancham said, slamming both paws into the ground.

Another row of blue stone columns emerged from the ground towards Leafeon. Without having to be told, Leafeon once again jumped over the rising stone pillars, and ran towards Pancham hopping from one to another. This maneuver costed Serena another bit of her score, though she had already predicted it.

"Leafeon, once you're close, use Energy Ball!" Vitor commanded. He knew what would happen if he used a close ranged attack again.

"Now, Pancham! Arm Thrust on the stone pillar!" Serena commanded.

Panchamp jumped forward, rearing one of his front paws back, which glowed with a white light as he closed it into a fist. He punched the stone pillar Leafeon was about to land on, shattering it completely. Leafeon cried, suddenly founding himself without footing, and pummeled to the ground among the pieces of shattered rock.

"Leafeon!" Vitor cried. He didn't notice how he lost another bit of his score, enough to put him under Serena's.

"And Serena succesfully bait Vitor by making him believe he was using the same tactic twice!" Jillian commented, seemingly charmed with Serena's move.

"Pancham, Thunder Punch!" Serena ordered.

"Cham!" Pancham jumped once again, and closed his front paw into a fist, which was quickly coated in electric yellow sparks.

"Leafeon, quickly, move!" Vitor asked.

Shaking the pain of the fall, Leafeon managed to get back to his feet, and jumped a couple meters aside just in time to dodge Pancham's electrified fist, which slammed into the ground, releasing a shower of yellow sparks in every direction. This made Serena lose even more points, putting them in the same spot as Vitor. By now, both of them have lost half their points.

"Leafeon, Aerial Ace!" Vitor ordered.

Knowing that Pancham couldn't avoid it with Stone Edge from that distance, Serena opted for the next best thing: "Pancham, block it with Arm Thrust!"

Leafeon leaped at Pancham, forelegs glowing with a white light, while Pancham curled his front paws into fists, also coated in a light of an identical color. Both Pokemon struck each other, the combined force of the blows pushing them backwards. Unfortunately for Serena, Pancham took the worst part of the attack, and was send crashing on his back, while Leafeon merely skidded backwards.

Nervous, Serena took a moment to look at the scoreboard. Vitor was once again in the lead as she saw her points dropping to about forty percent, compared to Vitor's fifty. There was only a minute and a half remaining.

"Did that much time pass already?" Serena thought distressingly.

"Let's press our advantage, Leafeon! Energy Ball!" Vitor ordered.

"Leaf!" Leafeon cried as he opened his mouth, and formed a green and yellow sphere of power in front of it, before firing the projectile at Pancham.

Serena was about to tell Pancham to counter it with Dark Pulse, but she had the feeling that was what Vitor was hoping she'd do, since the attack would left Pancham wide open. However, as she wracked her brain over what she could do, she remembered something that happened during the fight with Maury, and realized that maybe she could use Vitor's tactic against him.

"Pancham, use Thunder Punch!" Serena ordered. "Punch in a straight line!"

"Pancham!" Pancham nodded, as he once again curled his paw into a fist before it began to glow with electric sparks.

Pancham thrust his electrified fist into the coming green and yellow projectile, and after a second of struggle, he managed to bounce it back at Leafeon. There was a collective gasp from the public.

"And look at that folks! Serena is able to send Vitor's attack back at him!" Jillian pointed out, followed by a cheer. Meanwhile, Vitor's points dropped so they were now equal to Serena's.

"Leafeon, counter the Energy Ball with Iron Tail!" Vitor managed to say, a little stunned to see that his strategy didn't work as intended.

Leafeon's long leaf-shaped tail glowed with a metallic sheen, and slammed it into the incoming projectile. The Energy Ball exploded, showering the area with beautiful shower of gren and yellow sparkly bits of light. This made Serena lose another bits of point, which was now reduced to a third.

"Pancham, Dark Pulse now!" Serena cried.

When the sparkly bits dispelled completely, Vitor and Leafeon saw, much to their shock, that Pancham was firing yet another stream of black energy with purple edges towards the shocked Leafeon, which after using Iron Tail, was briefly wide open. However, that instant was all what Serena and Pancham needed. The attack connected, blasting Leafeon backwards before engulfing Leafeon in a black and purple explosion. Vitor's points dropped.

"Yes! Direct hit!" Bonnie cheered from the stands.

BZZZZZZ!

"And time's out!" Jillian declared after the buzzer rang. "The winner of the Moki Town Contest is...!"

Both Serena and Vitor quickly turned their heads towards the scoreboard. Serena still had a third of her points. Vitor a little over a fourth.

"...Serena and her Pancham!" Jillian cried.

Serena and Pancham both gasped and looked at the scoreboard, which now changed to show Serena's picture next to a smaller one of Pancham's, with the word "WINNER!" written under it, almost as if still processing that they've won.

"We've won...?" she asked.

"Pancham, pan!" Pancham happily cried, leaping a Serena. The honey blonde yelped and barely caught the Playful Pokemon between her arms.

"We've won...? Yes, we've won! We did it, Pancham!" Serena cheered, lifting Pancham above her head while making a twirl.

Meanwhile, both Vitor and Leafeon sighed, the Verdant Pokemon lowering his head in shame. Vitor walked towards his Grass-type, and rubbed his neck.

"Hey, don't feel bad. You were amazing and did your best," the Moki Town boy reassured. "We'll do better the next time."

"Leaf..." Leafeon said, forcing himself to smile.

After celebrating it with Pancham, Serena walked towards Vitor. The boy straighthened up a little, and cleared his throat.

"It was a really good match, Serena," he began, trying to sound polite. Serena could see that he was trying to supress the bitter feeling of yet another defeat. He extended his hand. "Congratulations."

Serena smiled, and took his hand. "It was a good match, indeed. There were many times I thought you were going to win. Your Leafeon is very well trained."

"Guess not good enough," he sadly said.

"Don't be discouraged. Nothing we do is pointless. If you keep training hard and persevere, there will be a time when you will reach your dreams," Serena assured him. "The road to victory is paved with defeats. That's something I had to learn as well."

"I... thank you. We will continue to train hard," Vitor stated. He then pulled out a pokeball, and returned Leafeon. "Come back Leafeon, take a rest."

A few minutes later, Serena was standing on a small podium, the four judges and Jillian next to her. Professor Bamb'o was holding an opened box with the Ribbon on it.

"A well earned victory, Serena," the professor said, allowing Serena to grab the ribbon inside it. "The Moki Ribbon is yours."

Almost trembling, Serena grabbed the ribbon. She looked at it for a moment, before rising it above her head. "Ta-da! I won my first ribbon!" she cheered, and the public broke into a loud applause.

"And thus, the Moki Town Contest comes to an end! I hope you have a great time, and see you next time!" Jillian said, officially ending the contest.

…

About half an hour later, the group was outside the Contest Hall, both Serena and Vitor already changed back into their usual clothes, and they were ready to continue their respective journeys.

"Once again, congratulations for your first ribbon, Serena," Vitor said.

"Thanks. And don't worry. I'm sure you'll win yours in no time," Serena reassured him.

"Yeah, I met quite a few novice coordinators. Winning the first ribbon is always the hardest, but all of them eventually got there," Ash added as well. "And you won't be any different from them."

"Let's hope you are right," he said, almost in a whisper. "So, what do you guys plan to do now?"

"We're heading east, to Burole Town, since Ash needs to fight for his second badge," Clemont answered.

"According to the Contest Schedule, there's going to be a contest on Burole Town soon, so you might kill two Birbie with one Rock Throw," Vitor told them.

"Really?" Serena asked. "In that case, maybe you could travel with us."

Vitor, however, shook his head. "Thanks for the offer, but I already have other plans. There's also going to be a second contest on Kevlar Town. I got a call from Natalie, and she asked me to meet her there so she can help me train."

"Oh. What a pity," Bonnie said.

"I see. In that case, I wish you luck in your next contest," Serena said. "Hopefully, once we face each other again, we'll both have more ribbons."

"Let's hope you're right," Vitor said, as he turned around and began to walk towards the west part of the town. "Until we meet again!"

They waved Vitor goodbye, as the group of four began to walk in the opposite direction.

"According to the map, we'll take a few days to reach Burole Town," Serena said, checking her tablet. "But there's still enough hours of sunlight to reach next Pokemon Center."

"In that case, let's not waste anymore time, and let's go!" Ash excitedly said.

And thus, the group said goodbye to Moki Town for the second and final time, as they headed towards the next stop in their journey.

Chapter Text

Route 3 – Seabreeze Way

It's been a couple days since the group had said goodbye to Moki Town, and continued their journey, now heading east, towards Burole Town.

The journey after leaving Moki was pleasant and uneventful. Like Lakeside View, Seabreeze Way was mostly a contrast of the greenery provided by vast expanses of grass, circumvented by trees, with the blue of many small lakes and streams. The sky was completely clear, the sun shining brightly without any cloud dampening its light. Even if the temperature was a little warmer than ideal, the weather was great to stay in the outdoors.

So far they didn't see any Pokemon that they hadn't seen before. All that they saw were Mankey fighting each other, Lotad waddling near the streams, Owten flying around the tree canopies and Feleng either lazying around or trying to find some food –though Bonnie swore to see a Buizel jumping from the surface of one of the streams. That's it, until Serena saw a new Pokemon she hadn't seen before.

"Hey, what's that?" Serena asked, pointing to a nearby cluster of bushes.

Following her direction, they saw a bunch of red and black insect-like Pokemon gathering berries.

"Well, there's one easy way to find the answer," Ash said, as he and Serena pulled out their Pokedex.

"Smore, the Cute Ant Pokemon. Bug. If a Smore approaches your picnic, it's not trying to steal your food, it just wants attention. Still, some people are afraid of them."

"Well, they really look cute," Bonnie said, as she hopped towards the group of Bug-types. "Hello there!"

"Nene!" Dedenne added, waving to them as well.

The bunch of Smore turned around at Bonnie, looked at her in alarm, and disappeared under the shrubbery with the berries they were collecting.

"Hey, where are you going?" Bonnie asked, pouting a little. "Come back, please!"

"It seems that those Smore were shy," Clemont began. "Or maybe they were afraid you were going to take their food away from them."

Bonnie crossed her arms, scowling. "I wasn't going to do that. Plus, the Pokedex made them look like they liked humans, but it lied to me."

As they continued walking, they could see that the greenery started to slowly fall back, replaced by more blue, this one belonging to the sea rather than rivers or lakes, as well as yellowish-white sand. They could also hear the racket of many people in the distance. The few trees they could see also changed, the oaks and pines being replaced by palm trees.

"Look! There's a beach over there!" Bonnie pointed out, visibly excited. "Let's make a stop here!"

"I'm with Bonnie. This could be a good place to stop and rest," Ash agreed, much to the blonde's joy.

"Yeah. I think we could also have lunch on the beach as well," Serena added.

"Well, looks like the majority has already spoken., so sure, why not?" Clemont asked.

"YAAAAY!" Bonnie cheered, jumping into the air.

"Heh, no wonder this place is called 'Seabreeze'. Otherwise, it wouldn't be close to the sea," Clemont pointed out.

"Well, that other route near Moki was called 'Lakeside View', yet it had no lakes, only a river," Serena pointed out.

"Maybe they mistook the river for a lake?" Ash offered weakly.

As they looked for a spot for them to take, they took a look around the beach. There were many people scattered around the white sand, either sitting on beach chairs or lying on towels. There were many children playing near the shore, and some grown men and women fishing with rods. There were also some teens with surfboards in the water.

Aside from people, there were also many Pokemon on the beach as well, vastly different from those they had seen in the grasslands or the mountainside. There were some Corsola playing in the shallow water –the way Serena looked at them made Ash remember the time she tried and failed to catch one, and wondered if she'd try again–, while there were some brown and green Pokemon in the sand that neither he nor his friends had seen before.

It had the body of a coconut, with three legs that looked like seaweed on each side of its body, as well as two additional front limbs ended in brown pincers. A long thin neck ended on a tiny head sprouted of the coconut-like body, said head having black eyes on stalks.

"Cocaran, the Coconut Pokemon. Grass/Ground. When they retract their eyes and legs, they're almost indistinguishable from a coconut. Their shells are very buoyant, so they float in water," the Pokedex droned.

"Grass/Ground, huh? Given the way they look, I thought they'd be Water types," Ash said, taking a look at the Coconut Pokemon.

"Hey, maybe we can get coconut milk out of them!" Bonnie pointed out, as he looked at the Coconut Pokemon with renewed interest. Cocaran, however, grew mighty uncomfortable.

"According to this, they don't produce milk," Serena said, checking Cocaran's entry on the Pokedex, much to Bonnie's disappointment. She then raised an eyebrow, and chuckled. "In fact, coconut milk is their favorite meal."

"...so they eat their own?" Bonnie asked, looking a little taken aback.

Cocaran shot Bonnie an incredulous stare, before it decided to leave the scene by burrowing under the sand.

After finding a good spot to place all their things and getting changed into their swimsuits, the group decided to release their Pokemon, so they could enjoy the nice beach day as well.

"Come out, everyone!"

Pokeballs flew into the air, opening up and releasing beams of light that materialized into their Pokemon. Some looked around the unfamiliar place, almost as if trying to locate opponents to beat, while most of them realized that it was a leisure day, so they relaxed and stretched their limbs.

"Cooooo..." they a little moan of pain.

They all noticed that said moan came from Colarva. The poor Bug and Ice-type Pokemon was sprawled on the sand, looking tired and unwell. A dark puddle of what appeared to be sweat began to form on the sand around him.

"Pi?" Pikachu asked.

"Colarva? Are you okay?" Ash asked, a little worried, before he kneeled before his suffering Pokemon.

Clemont placed his hand under his chin, deep in thought, as if trying to remember something. "Didn't the Pokedex say that Colarva live in the snowy peaks of East Tandor?" the inventor asked. "I believe the poor guy must not be used to warm climates."

"Then we need to do something to keep him fresh!" Serena said, as she looked at the other Pokemon. "Do any of you guys know Ice-type moves?"

All Pokemon looked at each other. Some shrugged, others looked a bit crestfallen over not being able to help. Dunsparce looked indifferent.

Bonnie saw a pair of kids walking by, each eating an ice cream. This gave her an idea. "Maybe we could feed Colarva an ice cream?"

"That's a great idea, Bonnie!" Ash said, as he began to look around. "There must be an ice cream stand somewhere... oh, I think that must be it! Come on Colarva!"

Bonnie looked at Ash, then at Serena. Her lips curved into a devious smile.

"Hey Ash, why don't you-"

"Do you mind if I come with you?" Serena asked, interrupting Bonnie. "I feel I could use an ice cream too."

"Oh, sure," Ash happily said, as he picked Colarva up. "Come on buddy! You'll feel better in no time!"

Serena quickly joined Ash, before he shot Bonnie an annoyed look. The young blonde appeared to be a bit taken aback at first, but she smirked, seemingly satisfied with the result of the event.

…

Ash and Serena walked through the hot white sand towards the ice cream stand in the distance, leaving Clemont, Bonnie and all their Pokemon behind.

Serena looked at Ash –and also took the chance to admire his body devoid of most of the clothes he usually wore– who looked back at her, and smiled, before he returned his sight to the ice cream stand. She wasn't planning to accompany Ash, but Bonnie had put her on a bind. Normally, she'd appreciate the younger girl's efforts of pushing them together, but her approach tended to vary wildly from one occasion to another.

Serena would have to sit Bonnie down and explain her the difference between getting herself out of the way –and maybe taking Clemont with her– so Serena could spend some time alone with Ash, and blatantly pushing for the two of them to do something together when there's no need to.

"If Bonnie is going to not-so-subtly suggest Ash to take me with him as to get closer, I might as well do it on my own volition," Serena thought, letting out a sigh, before looking at Ash a second time. "Oh well, since we're at it, I might as well enjoy the moment."

"Don't worry buddy, you're going to feel better in no time," Ash gently reassured the Pokemon between his arms.

"Pikapi," Pikachu added, as he patted the overheated Colarva on his shell.

"Um, Ash. Has this happen before with any of your other Ice-type Pokemon?" Serena asked. She did remember that Ash had a couple Ice-types on Oak's ranch. Glalie stood out among them.

"Not really. Though I know it's not unheard of of such thing happening," Ash began. "I'd say Colarva is pretty young, so he still takes warm temperatures badly. And his time under Team Omega's captivity, and then trying to survive on his own on an unfamiliar environment didn't do him any good. Then again, I'm sure that after some training and a good diet, he won't have this trouble again."

"It's a pity none of our Pokemon know any Ice-type moves. Otherwise, they could have helped keep Colarva cool," Serena pointed out. "Maybe we should try to teach them, in case another situation like this happens?"

"That's a great idea, Serena!" Ash praised her, making the honey blonde smile bashfully. "I think Greninja's arsenal could use an Ice move. And I'm sure Selkid can learn Ice type moves as well. Plus, having her learn an Ice type move could give her a lot more options for performances. Look what Vitor did with his Eletux!"

"True," Serena nodded. "After seeing how the Contests in Tandor are like, I think me and my Pokémon need to be able to create more varied combinations. Sticking solely to the same routine won't get us far here."

"Didn't Pancham learn Thunder Punch not long ago?" Ash asked.

Serena nodded. "He did. But he did on his own rather than because I taught him. Same with Sylveon learning Moonblast. The only Pokemon who hasn't learned anything new is Braixen. Maybe I should work some new moves with her."

"I've been busy training the Pokemon I captured here, though I'm starting to think that I'm neglecting Pikachu and Greninja," Ash pointed out. "Just because they're veterans doesn't mean that I shouldn't give them attention."

"Pi, pika," Pikachu said, shaking his head, as if to reassure Ash that he wasn't neglecting them. Ash gratefully smiled at him.

"Yeah. I've been busy too making sure Selkid and now Minicorn catch up, that I fear I might not giving my other three Pokemon the attention they deserve," Serena said, before letting out a sigh. "Things were easier when I had so few Pokemon."

"Don't worry, you'll get better in time. I mean, it's entirely normal that new Pokemon demand more attention that Pokemon that have been with you for a long time," Ash reassured her. "As long as you don't forget that your older Pokemon still exist, everything is fine."

Serena didn't say anything, but she couldn't picture herself forgetting about Braixen, Pancham and Sylveon just because she caught shiny new Pokemon.

They reached the ice cream stand, and made their orders, one ice cream for each of them. Thankfully, the stand also sold ice cream for Pokemon, served on bowls so it would be easier for those lacking hands to eat. After paying for their ice cream, Ash and Serena sat on a nearby bench, Pikachu wedged between them, and Colarva under the shadow of the bench, protected from the heat of the sun.

"Co?" Colarva grunted as Ash placed the ice cream bowl in front of him. The spiky insect was immediately drawn by the cold the snack was emitting, smelled it, and took a tentative bite. "Co, colarva!" Colarva chirped, as he began to eat the ice cream with more gusto.

"Do you like it?" Ash asked, though he got no verbal response. "Heh, I knew you would like it. Hope it keeps you cooled off while we're here."

"Co, co!" Colarva happily chirped, the cold treat slowly restoring him to full health.

The two of them ate their ice cream in silence. Serena couldn't help but smile upon thinking that, her past self would get all flustered about how a situation like this, she and Ash eating ice cream together, wearing nothing but their swimsuits, with no company other than a couple Pokemon, would make it like a date. Over time, she learned to treasure every intimate moment she spent with Ash, regardless of how romantic they were, and to enjoy them for what they were.

Not that Serena had given up to pursue a romance with Ash. But she knew better than to rush it, or to get pointlessly flustered over it.

…

While Ash and Serena were away to buy ice cream, Clemont just sat on his towel, watching the rest of their Pokemon and Bonnie play or relax. While continue to work on his inventions was tempting, he felt that, just this once, he should relax and do nothing other than enjoy the warmth of the sun and the coolness of the sea breeze.

Then again, it's not that he could work on his machines while keeping an eye on the Pokemon and his little sister, now that Ash and Serena weren't there.

Speaking of which, her little sister was playing with Dedenne, Chespin, Bunnelby, Pancham, Selkid, Minicorn and Birbie on the shore, running around, laughing while they tackled each other into the water or tried to get the others soaked with splashes of water. Some other kids her age were drawn to her, no doubt thank to the large number of Pokemon she was playing with, and began to play with her and the Pokemon. Oh well, it was good for Bonnie to spend some time with kids her age.

The Pokemon that weren't with Bonnie didn't look to be up to much: Greninja was under the shade of a palm tree, sitting cross-legged, meditating. Or maybe dozing off, Clemont couldn't tell. There was a lump of sand Clemont knew was Dunsparce, probably sleeping as well. Braixen was happily basking under the sun. Luxray was lying on the sand, though not sleeping, as his barely blinking eyes were trained upon Bonnie and the other Pokemon, as if to make sure nothing bad happened to them.

And then there was Eevee, the newest member of his team, who was apparently flirting with Sylveon, the latter Pokemon not playing him much attention.

"Half my Pokemon have a crush on Serena's Sylveon," Clemont said, shaking his head a little. He then looked at the area where Bonnie was, and saw Chespin and Pancham trying to push each other into the water. "Heh, let's hope Chespin doesn't see what's Eevee is doing."

Even if Chespin hasn't tried to flirt with Sylveon for some time, Clemont wasn't sure that flame was truly gone, and he didn't want bad blood between his Pokemon.

Through the corner of his eye, Clemont saw that Eevee and Sylveon were heading towards the water – though not the area where Bonnie and the other Pokemon were playing.

Clemont was a little taken aback, given that he wasn't expecting Eevee to succeed like that. Moved by curiosity, he leaned forward, his eyes now fixed on his newest Pokemon.

Once they were near the water, Eevee formed a sphere of darkness in front of his mouth, and fired it into the horizon, the projectile creating small ripples on the water as it sailed into the distance.

"That was a Shadow Ball..." Clemont said, adjusting his glasses.

Then, it came Sylveon's turn. She tried to emulate Eevee, but unlike him, all she did was summon a small sphere of darkness, a little more than a marble, that petered out and dissolved into nothing before it could even sail over the water. Eevee once again repeated the move, and Sylveon tried to emulate it, without much success.

"So Eevee is trying to woo Sylveon by teaching her a new move..." Clemont realized, adjusting his glasses. A small smile appeared on his face, before adding out loud: "Well, that's a good tactic."

"Big bro!" Bonnie's voice yelled.

Clemont saw his little sister, still soaked from head to toe, walking towards him. The Pokemon were still on the shore, playing on their own. The kids she had been playing with were nowhere to be seen, but she didn't look like she had a fight or anything. In fact, she looked pretty excited.

"There's going to be a Magikarp Jump contest right now!" Bonnie happily said, bouncing up and down. "Why don't we go to see it? It sounds like really fun!"

So that's where the other kids went, Clemont deduced. Oh well, it's not like he was against spending time with Bonnie. Especially since, once they reached the Power Plant, he wouldn't have any other chance to do it.

"Sure, why not," Clemont said, as he got on his feet. "Luxray, will you watch over everybody else until I return?"

"Lux!" Luxray agreed, sounding as if Clemont didn't even need to ask him such a thing.

"Good. We'll be back in a while."

After a few minutes walking, Clemont and Bonnie arrived to a spot on the beach where many people were gathering, and he correctly deduced that must be where the contest was taking place. He scanned the crowd, wondering if Ash and Serena were there, but if they were there he didn't see them. Maybe he didn't find a Magikarp Jump contest appealing, and truth be told, Clemont didn't either.

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, the Magikarp High Jump tournament is about to begin!" said the announcer.

And thus, the contest began. People cheered whenever the Magikarp jumped, holding their breath as they leaped into the air, before they stopped and let gravity pull them back down. The crowd cheered wildly whenever a Magikarp jumped especially high, and Clemont found himself rather enraptured by something that sounded so boring on paper.

Eventually, they reached the finals, between a rather muscular man under the name of Kasukarp and his shiny Magikarp, nicknamed Shinegoldie, and a boy Clemont's age named Goh who had short black hair and a fairly androginous appearance, and his larger than usual Magikarp. According to the announcer, Goh was also from the same region as Ash, funnily enough.

"Ready... get set... jump!" the announcer called.

"Magikarp/Shinegoldie, jump!" Goh and Kasukarp yelled at once.

While Shinegoldie managed to jump a respectable height, Goh's large Magikarp jumped so high, he disappeared into the sky, much to everybody else's utter amazement.

"Whoa, Goh had wiped the floor with Kasukarp!" Bonnie cheered. "Well done, Goh!"

The public continued to look into the sky, looking for any sign of Goh's Magikarp coming down. But they waited and waited, but the Magikarp didn't come down. People started to mutter. Goh looked visibly worried.

"Uh... since according to the tournament rules, the results are measured after landing..." the announcer began, sounding unsure. "...that means Kasukarp's Shinigoldie is the winner by default!"

There was a half hearted applause at the announcement.

"Yes!" Kasukarp cheered, seemingly happy with winning through a technicality. "We're still the kings of Magikarp Jump!"

With such a weird and frankly anticlimatic ending to the tournament, the crowd began to disperse. Clemont and Bonnie walked back towards the spot their Pokemon and their things were at, passing through a row of several men who were fishing near the shore.

"Man, what a bummer. The tournament was so great, but then Goh's Magikarp loses because of such a dumb reason," Bonnie whined.

"Nene," Dedenne agreed.

"I'm worried about that Magikarp," Clemont pointed out. "What must have happened for it to not come down?"

"Maybe it jumped so high it flew out of the planet," Bonnie casually said.

"Come on Bonnie, that's ridiculous," Clemont said. "Do you know the amount of energy needed to escape the planet's gravitational pull? For a mere Pokemon to be able to do that... it's scientifically impossible."

"OUCH!" somebody cried in pain.

Clemont and Bonnie's heads quickly turned towards the source of the cry, and they saw it was one of the men fishing by the shore. He had dropped his fishing rod into the water, and was nursing his hand as if something had hurt it. The two siblings quickly went to check on him.

"Are you okay, sir?" Clemont asked the fisherman, before picking up the rod and handing it back to him.

"I think. Thanks," the fisherman said, as he gratefully took the rod back.

"What happened?" Bonnie asked.

"A mostly odd thing... I was fishing, when something bit the bait, and I reeled in... and something zapped me!" the fisherman explained.

"Zapped?" Clemont repeated. "...well, maybe you caught a Pokemon that's both Water and Electric?"

"It must be that damned Eletux again," a second fisherman said.

"Eletux?" Bonnie asked.

"That can't be right," the fisherman said, shaking his head. "Eletux live mostly in lakes and rivers. They've been spotted in the sea a couple times, but those times are extremely rare. Plus-"

BZZZZ!

"OW!" another fisherman yelled, dropping his fishing rod as well and falling to the shallow watter on his rear. "What the...? Something shocked me!"

BZZZZ!

"AW!" a third fisherman shouted, unwittingly following the actions of the first and second ones.

The rest of the nearby fishermen, seeing what happened, quickly pulled back their rods and got out of the water.

"Just... what in the name of Leviathao is going on?" another fisherman asked.

"Maybe it's an Eletux after all..." the first fisherman was forced to admit.

"See? I told you! That Eletux has been here bothering us for quite a few days now," the second fisherman said, before looking towards the sea, and scowled. "Good for nothing troublemaker, bothering people who are just minding their own business..."

"But what it's doing here? This is seawater!" another fisherman protested.

"I don't know, but as long as that Eletux is here, we won't be able to fish. I better go somewhere else," another fisherman said, as he walked away. The small group of fishermen followed suit, quickly dispering, leaving Clemont and Bonnie alone.

"It seems that Eletux is a troublemaker," Bonnie said, crossing her arms and gazing into the water, as if trying to see where he was. "Unlike Vitor's Eletux, which is so nice."

"Well, it's kind of expected. Trained Pokemon tend to be less unruly and hostile to humans than wild Pokemon," Clemont explained.

"We should do something about it. Shocking those fishermen wasn't very nice," Bonnie said.

"If he continues causing trouble, somebody will call the Rangers, and they'll solve this problem as fast as efficiently as possible," Clemont replied.

"The Rangers? Ha!" the second fisherman said. "I already called them a few times, but according to those guys, a mere Eletux bothering people isn't reason enough for them to show up. Heh, as if they had anything better to do..."

"In that case, let us deal with him!" Bonnie offered, before she looked at Clemont. "Besides, Eletux might try to zap people bathing in the water too," Bonnie said, before she looked towards the direction they came from. "Some of our Pokemon are still playing in the water."

Clemont looked in the same direction, and saw said Pokemon blissfully playing in the water, splashing at each other. Remembering how quickly they turned on each other when Minicorn stole their food, the inventor realized that if Eletux chose them as their next targets, another free for all might happen as a result of the Pokemon trying to find the culprit.

"...I think you may have a point," Clemont said, adjusting his glasses. "Let's make sure that Eletux doesn't cause any problem."

"If he doesn't have a trainer, you should catch him yourself," Bonnie suggested. "You didn't catch any new electric Pokemon after Luxray."

Clemont didn't say anything, but he didn't oppose the idea.

…

A few minutes later, after Clemont fetched Luxray and Chespin –leaving Braixen in charge to watch the remaining Pokemon– , Clemont and Bonnie had returned to the area the fishermen were. The plan was to use Luxray's vision to locate Eletux, and Chespin's Vine Whip to catch him and pull him out of the water, while Clemont was on the water, acting as the bait.

"Why I'm the one who has to be on the water?" Clemont protested.

"If not you, who else then? Dedenne?" Bonnie asked, while holding her Pokemon protectively. "Come on! Pretend you're having a great time so that Eletux comes to ruin your day!"

"Okay..." Clemont sighed, as he began to waddle through the water from one side to another.

As Clemont pretended, rather unconvincingly, to be having fun, Luxray watched the water intently while Chespin just stared at both his trainer at the sea with a hesitant expression, not knowing well what was he doing there.

Clemont spend a few minutes waddling through the water and making some small splashes with his hands, but nothing happened. For a few minutes, Bonnie watched his brother's lame attempt at drawing Eletux out. Then, during a brief flash, she saw something moving close to him.

"Clemont, I think it's there!" Bonnie yelled.

"Where-AH!" Clemont yelped, seemingly seeing something swimming close to him underwater. The blond began to panic, but managed to call for action. "Chespin, Vine Whip!"

"Ches!" Chespin replied, firing two vine whips into the water next to his trainer. The whips wrapped around something, and pulled it out of the water...

"Karp!"

...revealing it to be a Magikarp.

Both Bonnie and Clemont sighed, the former in disappointment, the latter in relief, before Chespin, not knowing what to do, opted for returning the clueless fish back to the water.

"I should have realized it wasn't an Eletux. Otherwise Luxray would have seen it, right?" Clemont asked.

"Lux," Luxray, who was lying on the sand on his belly, nodded softly.

"Let's try again," Bonnie said.

And try again they did. Clemont managed to draw quite a few aquatic Pokemon, but none of them was Eletux. It was obvious in hindsight that none of them were Eletux since Luxray didn't warn him of Eletux's presence. However, whenever Bonnie would see something move near Clemont, she would scream, causing Clemont to panic and order Chespin to fire Vine Whip. After several failed attempts, Clemont was ready to throw the towel.

"This isn't working," the inventor said. "We need to think-"

"LUXRAY!" Luxray shouted, as he jumped to his feet, his body tense and ready to battle.

"What, where!?" Clemont panicked, as he looked around him, trying to find a hint of where the mischevous Pokemon might be.

"Tux, tux," a voice cried softly behind him.

Clemont turned around, and indeed, there was an Eletux there. Or better said, the head of an Eletux peeking out of the water, looking at Clemont with an unreadable expression. Or at least, an expression that didn't make Clemont feel safe around the Water-type Pokemon.

"Hey there," Clemont said, trying to sound friendly.

"Tux?" Eletux asked, titling his head quizzically.

"You're an Eletux aren't you? Well, of course you are, that was a bit dumb of me to say, hehe," Clemont chuckled nervously, as he began to look around. "So... haven't you been causing some problems to those fishermen, weren't you?"

Clemont expected some form of acknowledgement for his question, but all he was met with was silence.

"I'm sure you didn't mean harm and you only wanted to play," Clemont continued. "But you can't-AGH!"

Clemont was interrupted when all of sudden, Eletux fired a Water Gun to his face, making him fall backwards into the water.

"LUX!" Luxray roared, as he jumped into the water, ready to protect his trainer from the rogue Water and Electric type.

"Chespin, pull Clemont back!" Bonnie hastily ordered.

Chespin obeyed, firing two vine whips, this time directed at Clemont, which wrapped under his arms, lifted him out of the water, and gently placed him back on the sand. Meanwhile, Luxray attempted to catch Eletux, but the Hippocampus Pokemon had advantage in the water, and quickly swam away. Letting out a low growl, Luxray swam back to the shore. And shook the water out of his fur.

"Are you okay, Clemont?" Bonnie asked, holding her hands a little worried.

"Y-Yeah, that Water Gun wasn't that powerful," Clemont reassured her, before coughing out some water he had swallowed. "I guess that Eletux does like to cause mischef for fun."

"That Eletux needs somebody to set him straight," Bonnie said, crossing her arms, and looking into the water. "Though, I don't know how are we going to catch him now. If you get into the water, he'll know it's a trap."

"True. Eletux might like to cause problem, but he didn't look stupid," Clemont agreed.

"Fishermen appeared to be his favorite target," Bonnie pointed out. "We could try to fish him with a rod, but then he'll shock us..."

"Wait... that's it! All we need is a rod that Eletux can't use to shock us!" Clemont said, as his eyes gleamed with an excited glint. "And I have such rod! The future is now thanks to science! Clemontic gear on!"

However, nothing happened. It took Clemont a couple seconds to realize that he wasn't carrying his backpack. The inventor's face reddened a little.

"Well, that was embarrassing," he sheepishly chuckled. "Thank goodness no one saw that..."

"I saw it. And Luxray and Chespin saw it too," Bonnie flatly said.

…

A few minutes later, Clemont returned from the spot where he and his friends and sister had left their backpacks. He was carrying a sleek looking fishing rod.

"Behold! A normal fishing rod, but completely automatized! The rod uses professional fishing techniques to calculate casting techniques and depths to fish from, and then, once a Pokemon bites the lure, it automatically reels it in!" Clemont proudly explained. "I call it... the Automatic Fisher and Jumper Fishing Rod!"

"Not getting into how your naming skills still need a lot of improvement... how is that rod going to help us?" Bonnie asked, as she studied the invention with her eyes.

"Didn't you hear me? This rod does everything in place of the fisherman! Now look!" Clemont said, before casting the lure into the water, about five meters away from the shore. Then, he stabbed the lower end of the rod into the sand, deep enough for it to remain firm. "See? We don't have to do anything! The rod will do all the work!"

"Do you think it's a good idea to use an electronic rod to catch a Pokemon that likes to zap fishermen?" Bonnie asked, crossing her arms.

"I had that in mind, so I designed the rod to be extra resistant to electric attacks," Clemont said. "Now all we need to do is sit and watch."

Clemont and Bonnie sat on the sand, looking at the water in front of them, with Chespin and Luxray sitting besides them. Then, after a couple minutes, Luxray quickly jumped to his feet, growled and glared at the water, and a second after that, something pulled the line, followed by yellow electric sparks traveling alongisde it. However, like Clemont had said, the rod resisted.

"There! We have him now!" Clemont said, as the rod began to reel the line, and Eletux with it.

"ELE!" Eletux cried from the water, as his head was pulled. His body crackled with sparks as he sent more electricity towards the rod, while resisting its pull.

The rod held in place, but a buzzing noise could be heard from one of its components, while a thin plume of smoke appeared from another.

"Oh no! Eletux is overloading the rod!" Clemont said in panic.

"I thought you said you made it electricity-proof!" Bonnie yelled at him.

"I said I made it resistant to electricity, but I wasn't expecting Eletux's electric attacks to be that strong!" Clemont yelled back at her, though unlike Bonnie, his voice reflected worry and fear rather than anger.

"I knew it would end up exploding..." Bonnie deadpanned, as the thin trail of smoke coming from the rod became thicker.

Then, something unexpected happened. Luxray leaped towards the shore, but rather than going after Eletux, he bit down the line, redirecting Eletux's electricity from the rod towards his own body. Luxray flinched when the foreign electricity entered his body, but resisted. Then, with all his might, Luxray tugged the line with as much force as he could, violently pulling Eletux out of the water. The Water and Electric-type soared through the air in an arc above Clemont and Bonnie, the lure dropping from his mouth while mid air, before painfully crashing on the ground, raising a small cloud of sand.

"He did it! Luxray pulled Eletux out of the water!" Bonnie exclaimed, bouncing up and down.

Eletux got back on his feet, shaking his head to get rid of the dizzyness of the impact, before dashing towards the water. However, before he could reach the sea, Luxray jumped in front of him, cutting his path.

"Well done Luxray!" Clemont praised his Pokemon, as he ran behind him. "Now that Eletux is out of the water, he'll have to face us head on! Are you ready?"

"Lux!" Luxray nodded, before he glared at Eletux.

The Water and Electric-type returned the glare. It seemed that, despite attacking from the safety of the water, he wasn't adverse to a fight on solid ground. Eletux was the first one to attack, as the bulb on his longest tail glowed with a yellow light, before firing a thin stream of electricity.

"That's Charge Beam! Luxray, counter it with Swift!" Clemont ordered.

"Lux!" Luxray said, as he swung his tail towards the incoming attack, releasing a flurry of golden stars that flew towards the electric bolt in a straight line. The stars crashed against the incoming electric attack one after the other, bursting into golden sparkle whenever they impacted the Charge Beam, until both attacks cancelled each other.

"Now, Luxray, Thunder Fang!" Clemont ordered.

Luxray charged towards his fellow Electric-type, a torrent of electric sparks pouring from his open mouth. Eletux fired several Water Guns at Luxray, but the Gleam Eyes Pokemon was able to dodge them without slowing down. Once he reached close combat distance, Luxray sunk his electricity-imbued fangs onto Eletux's body.

"RAY!"

"TUUUUUX!" Eletux cried in pain.

"Hold on, Luxray! Don't let him escape you!" Clemont told his Pokemon, and Luxray faithfully obeyed.

Eletux, however, was about to prove to be more resilant than his appearance would suggest. His cheeks puffed up, before releasing a cloud of cold, white smoke into Luxray's face. This caused the Gleam Eyes Pokemon to accidentally drop Eletux, who quickly used the mist as a cover to put some distance between himself and his much stronger opponent.

"That's Mist!" Bonnie said in realization.

"Quickly, Luxray, don't let him escape!" Clemont urged him.

"Luxray," the Electric-type Pokemon calmly said, his eyes glowing, shaking his head.

Clemont understood what he meant. "He... he isn't trying to escape?"

"Lux," Luxray nodded.

"I see," Clemont said, his eyes locked onto the mist. "In that case, Eletux will try to use the fog as a cover to attack. That will be your chance, Luxray! The mist is useless against your eyes!"

"Ray!" Luxray proudly agreed.

It didn't took long for the attack to come. A yellow light shone within the mist, before a ball of electricity shot out of it, aiming for Luxray.

"Electro Ball, huh? Luxray, counter it with Discharge!" Clemont commanded.

Once again, Luxray's body crackled with electricity, before firing multiple yellow lightning bolts at the incoming electric orb. But much to Clemont and Luxray's surprise, the electric orb suddenly transformed into a circular net made of electricity. Most of Luxray's bolts went through the net's openings, before Luxray was trapped by the net.

"Luxray!" Clemont cried.

"Just what was that?" Bonnie asked, sounding outraged. "What kind of attack-"

"Electroweb. An electric attack that can slow down a Pokemon," Clemont said in realization. "Electroweb sometimes looks similar to Electro Ball just after it's been cast. I should have ordered Luxray to dodge instead."

Luxray shook the web off of his body, but his body already felt a little more numb and heavy. That moment, the fog disappeared, revealing Eletux. The Water and Electric type Pokemon looked at Luxray smugly.

"Luxray, Discharge!" Clemont ordered once again.

For the third time, Luxray's body was charged with electricity, before releasing it in the form of multiple lightning bolts. However, those bolts appeared to move slower than they did before. Eletux began to jump around the sand, skillfully dodging Luxray's attacks, before firing a powerful stream of water at Luxray from his mouth.

"Luxray, dodge!" Clemont called.

Luxray tried to get out of the way of the attack, but thanks to Electroweb's effect, he wasn't fast enough, and the stream of water slammed into his body, sending him crashing backwards.

"Luxray!" Clemont cried. "Luxray, are you okay?"

"Lux..." Luxray wheezed, as he got back to his feet. He was panting, and his body had a few bruises, but he didn't look to hurt.

"That Eletux is craftier than I thought," Clemont said, before looking at Chespin, who had been watching the fight in awe. "Chespin, go and help-"

"LUXRAY!" Luxray roared, causing Clemont to startle. He then glared at Eletux, before growling softly at him.

"Luxray..." Clemont said. He felt the need to call his Pokemon out for acting so prideful, but it was in Luxray's nature. He was a loyal and dutiful Pokemon who saw himself not only as the protector of the rest of Clemont's Pokemon, but their trainer as well. And if Luxray couldn't defeat this Eletux who had dared to attack Clemont, what would that say of him? "Alright, Luxray, I have faith you can do it!"

"Lux!" Luxray said, standing proud on his four legs.

Eletux then began to run and jump around Luxray, raising small trails of sand around him. It seemed that Eletux was aware that he was now the faster of the two, and wanted to exploit that advantage for all what it was worth. He sometimes fired Charge Beams of Water Guns at Luxray, which the Gleam Eyes Pokemon was too slow to dodge.

"That Eletux thinks that he has mobility advantage over Luxray. Does he know Luxray has an attack that can't be dodged?" Clemont wondered. "Luxray, use Swift!"

"Ray!" Luxray cried, swinging his tail at Eletux, releasing yet another flurry of golden stars.

Eletux moved around in an attempt to dodge the attack. But much to the Hippocampus Pokemon's shock, the stars actually homed on him as if they had life of their own. Caught off guard, he was hit by the attack before he could use one of his own to counter it, and was painfully pelted by a shower of energy stars.

"Time to finish this! Luxray, Wild Charge!" Clemont called.

"Luuuuuux...!" Luxray charged as fast as he could towards Eletux, as a thick cloak of yellow electricity engulfed his whole body.

Eletux was still reeling from the damage caused by Swift when he caught a glimpse of what was coming to him, and looked at Luxray like a Deerling caught in the headlights. "El?"

"RAY!"

Luxray slammed into Eletux with as much force as he could muster, and the moment he slammed into his foe, the cloak of electricity exploded into a blast of lightning bolts. The force of the slam and the electric explosion sent Eletux flying backwards, before loudly crashing against the sand.

As this happened, Clemont pulled out an empty pokeball from the pocket of his swimming trunks. "Pokeball, go!"

Clemont tossed the pokeball towards the downed Eletux. The capture device found its mark, opened up, and sucked Eletux inside it, before closing and dropping to the ground. Clemont and Bonnie held their breath as they watched the pokeball wiggling a couple times, before it stopped, and dinged, signaling a successful capture.

"You did it, Clemont! Yay!" Bonnie cheered, as she began to jump up and down.

"Nenene!" Dedenne cheered as well.

"Ches, chespin!" so did Chespin.

Clemont walked towards the now still pokeball, and picked it up.

"Today is a great day for science, I caught an Eletux!" Clemont said, raising Eletux's pokeball.

"...ray," Luxray said, before he collapsed on the sand.

"Luxray!" Clemont said, as he rushed to check his Pokemon. He was pretty tired and bruised, not to mention sweating down a waterfall, given he had to fight under such a heat, but so far, he didn't look too bad. Clemont smiled, as he rubbed Luxray's mane. "You were great, Luxray. An impressive battle."

"Lux..." Luxray weakly said, his mouth curving into something that appeared to be a smile.

"Say, how about a treat for helping me catch a new Pokemon?" Clemont suggested. "Right now, I think all of us could use an ice cream."

Luxray merely nodded.

…

Sometime later, the entire group gathered once again at the spot they had left most of their stuff and their Pokemon. Needless to say, Bonnie excitedly told Ash and Serena how Clemont and Luxray had fought and caught that rogue Eletux. They also made sure to bring Luxray a big bowl of ice cream, so the Gleam Eyes Pokemon could both fight the heat and recover his strength.

"Man, what a bummer. We split for the day, and we miss Clemont catching a new Pokemon!" Ash whined. Pikachu shook his head patted him on the head.

"So, why don't you show us Eletux, so we can greet him into the group?" Serena suggested.

"Of course," Clemont said, getting out the pokeball of his newest capture. "Come out, Eletux!"

The pokeball opened, releasing the Water and Electric-type starter Pokemon of Tandor. He looked around, and was a little startled to see the sheer amount of humans and Pokemon looking at him.

"Don't be afraid, these people and Pokemon are your new friends," Bonnie happily reassured him. "Say hello to Eletux!"

All the Pokemon did so, some with most enthusiasm than others.

"Co!"

And there was Colarva, who launched himself onto Eletux and gripped him with his little legs in an attempt to hug him. Eletux, accosted by the cold, growled and began to gather electricity in order to get rid of the literal cuddle bug.

"Lux..." Luxray growled, as he pierced Eletux with a dispproving glare.

Eletux gulped, and relented, resigning himself to suffer Colarva's cold loving embrace.

"Excuse me, Colarva, but I'm afraid that you're making Eletux a little uncomfortable, hugging him like that," Clemont politely asked. "Would you mind giving him some space?"

"Larva!" Colarva happily agreed, as he jumped off of Eletux's body, much to the Hippocampus Pokemon's relief.

"See, Eletux? You don't need to be mean. You can accomplish a lot of things by being nice," Clemont told him.

"Lux," Luxray added, underscoring what Clemont had said.

Eletux looked at Clemont, and then at Luxray, as if judging their words, before he reluctantly nodded, and let the other Pokemon greet him on a more personal basis.

The group spend another hour on the beach. Ash, Serena and Bonnie went to the water to play with some of their Pokemon, while Clemont decided to stay on his towel and rest a bit after the intense battle against Eletux, with Luxray keeping him company. After that, they got dressed back on their usual clothes, and continued their journey towards Burole Town.

…

Goh sat on the sand, crestfallen, looking at the sky, wondering what has been of his Magikarp. Would he be okay? Would he be safe? It was hard to tell. And the thought ate him on the inside.

"Huh?" Goh asked, upon seeing something blinking into the twilight sky. Startled, he quickly jumped to his feet as he saw that a meteor was heading right towards him. A meteor that was very familiar to him.

"KAAAAAARP!"

The meteor slammed into the ground in front of him, opening a large crater in the sand. And inside that crater was no other that Goh's larger than normal Magikarp, flopping as if nothing had happened.

"YOU'RE BACK!" Goh said, as he hugged the giant fish in elation.

Chapter Text

Burole Town

After another day of traveling through Seabreeze Way, the group had finally arrived at Burole Town, which once again welcomed them with a sign.

Welcome to Burole Town

City of Caves. Take our word, don't travel west.

Checking information on her tablet, Serena explained that the "City of Caves" moniker came from the fact that Burole Town started out as a mining town that dug out iron and copper. Eventually, the mines ran out of ore, but the town remained.

They took a good look at the town as they set a foot on it, they could see that Burole Town could be described as a happy medium between Moki Town and Nowtoch City. It was closer to Moki Town in both extension and size of the buildings, but unlike the rural Moki and its rustic wooden houses, Burole had a more urban feel to its design, with more buildings made of metal and concrete.. And unlike Nowtoch, which was surrounded by rocky terrain and had a few trees here and there, Burole was sandwiched by a small mountain range to the north, and dense greenery to the south, east and west.

"Why don't they want us to travel west?" Bonnie had asked.

"Yeah. We come from the west, right?" Ash asked.

"Why, you ask?" a new voice said. The group turned to the direction of the voice, and saw a bunch of teeneage girls a couple years older than them sitting on a bench. "Why, because the towns to the west are a bunch of backwards places full of dumb hillbillies."

"That's a very awful thing to say," Serena replied, eyeing the teenage girls disapprovingly.

"You're not from here, are you?" another teenage girl asked, though it sounded more like a statement. "Well, if you only saw Moki and Kevlar, you probably think that Tandor must be quite the awful place. But don't worry, now that you're here, you can enjoy what a REAL Tandorian town has to offer!"

"Yeah, let's hope you have a fun time here!" a third teen girl said. "I know this is not exactly Bealbeach City, but compared to Moki and Kevlar, it may be!"

The rest of the teenage girls laughed as Ash and his friends continued their journey into the former mining town.

"Boy, I hope that not all people from this place are so arrogant," Ash sneered. "Or else our stay here is not going to be very pleasant."

"I think it's best if we forget about them," Serena advised, as she continued to check her tablet. "So, we're quite ahead of schedule. Contest-wise, I mean. There are still four days until the contest held in this town."

"Should we go to the Gym then?" Clemont suggested, looking at Ash.

"Eh, there's no hurry," Ash said, shaking his head. When he saw the other three raising their eyebrows in surprise, Ash decided to elaborate. "I think I could use a day or two to give my Pokemon a bit more training. You already saw Maria in action, so I'm sure whoever is the Leader here will be just as tough."

Serena nodded in approval, happy that Ash didn't let the excitement to fight a new Gym Leader get the best of him and go ill prepared. "In that case, let's go to the Pokemon Center First."

…

The group arrived at the Pokemon Center, and booked two rooms, one for the boys and another for the girls, for four days. Then, after having a nice lunch, they headed to the battleground next to the Center in order to train, which, thankfully, wasn't being used at the time. Or better said, Ash, Clemont and Bonnie went there; Serena claimed she had a new idea for a performance involving Pancham and Minicorn, but she needed more space tha half a battleground.

So now, it was just Ash training his Pokemon, with Clemont and Bonnie watching and trying to help their friend with whatever they could. Right now, Colarva was sparring with Birbie, and Dunsparce was sparring with Greninja, much to the latter's chagrin, while Pikachu oversaw both sparring sessions, though he was more focused on Colarva and Birbie.

"Okay Colarva, show me what you can do!" Ash told the Snow Mite Pokemon.

"Co!" Colarva happily said, before he turned towards Birbie and prepared to attack. From his tiny mouth, Colarva fired a sticky string towards Birbie, which the Eden Bird Pokemon skillfully dodged.

"So, you know String Shot? That can be useful," Ash said. "What else?"

"Co, co!" eager to prove himself, Colarva used another move, and blew a a chilly gust of powdery snow at Birbie. This time, Birbie was unable to dodge the move, and the blue bird was covered in frost and shivering on the spot.

"And that's Powder Snow!" Clemont pointed out.

"What else can you do, Colarva?" Bonnie asked, eager to see what the little bug could do.

"Co...?" Colarva asked, looking between confused and uncomfrotable.

"Don't you know more attacks besides those two, Colarva?" Ash asked, sounding a little underwhelmed.

Sensing his trainer's disappointment, Colarva slumped a little. "Larva..."

Pikachu and Birbie –the latter still covered in snow– quickly went to comfort the newest member of Ash's team, with Ash himself joining them as well.

"Hey, don't worry, pal. If you don't know that many attacks, that's okay! There will be time to learn more," Ash said, gently patting Colarva's spiky shell. "Say, for the time being, how about you focus on getting a little stronger? Birbie, help Colarva spar. Be gentle with him, okay?"

"Bir, birbie!" Birbie enthusiasthically nodded, letting Ash know he could be trusted with Colarva.

"Ash, you weren't planning to use Colarva against the Gym Leader, right?" Clemont asked.

"Of course not. Colarva still needs more training before he can get good enough to match the Pokemon of a Gym Leader," Ash said, looking at Colarva confidently. "And I know he will get there, sooner or later."

"What's wrong with Ash using Colarva?" Bonnie asked. "Ash used Dunsparce against Maria shortly after catching him."

"I did train Dunsparce before fighting Maria," Ash reminded the younger girl. "Though, it's not the same situation. Dunsparce is cut from a different cloth. Dunsparce was a Pokemon that knew how to battle well and was hardened by the place he lived in. Colarva was forcefully taken away from his home and was kept in awful conditions by those traffickers."

Ash then looked where the aforementioned Dunsparce was sparring against Greninja. Or better said, it was Dunsparce attacking and Greninja defending, since Ash doubted Dunsparce would be able to take more than a couple blows from the Ninja Pokemon without fainting, not with his current strength.

"Duuuuuun..." Dunsparce began, as he summoned a ring of golden marble-sized orbs above him. The orbs then began to increase in size, turning into glowing golden chunks of rock, before hurling all of them at Greninja. "PARCE!"

"Gre!" Forming a blade of pure darkness between his webbed hands, Greninja parried the attack with several strikes of Night Slash, destroying the golden rocks, which shattered into hundreds of tiny pebbles that in turn disappeared into tiny sparkles.

"Well done, Dunsparce! You're getting the hang of Ancient Power!" Ash praised.

"Parce," Dunsparce dismissively replied, as if Ash had underestimated him.

Seeing Richard's Dunsparce in action has shown Ash the sheer range of attacks the Land Snake Pokemon could learn. And given that all of Dunsparce's attacks were contact moves, Ash thought Dunsparce could learn one or two ranged attacks. Dunsparce appeared to have some affinity for Ancient Power, and for the past few days, he had been trying as best as he could to master it.

Right then the back door from the Pokemon Center opened, and Serena walked into the battleground.

"Hey guys!" Serena happily greeted them. "Still training hard?"

"You know it!" Ash excitedly said. "How about you? Are you done with that new performance?"

"Not yet, but we're on the right track. Just one or two more days of training," Serena said, as she glanced at Ash's Pokemon. "I decided that Pancham and Minicorn already trained enough, so I wanted to train my other Pokemon for the contest battle. Ash, are you up for a sparring double battle?"

"You don't need to ask!" Ash quickly promised. "Birbie, Colarva! Are you up for a tag team battle?"

"Birb!"

"Co!"

"Awesome! Let's go then!"

And thus Ash helped Serena train for her upcoming contest. They kept training until the sun began to set in the horizon.

…

After two days of training at the Burole Pokemon Center, Ash decided his Pokemon were ready, so he and his friends were heading towards the Burole Town Gym. According to the town map, it was in the northernmost part of the town. However, they began to doubt if the map's accuracy when they realized they were heading into the mountains and out of the town.

"Are you sure this is the right direction?" asked Bonnie, as she looked at the last bunch of houses the group left behind. "We're leaving the town."

"Yeah... normally, most Pokemon Gyms tend to be in the middle of their city or town, so people can find them easily," Ash said, as he scratched his temple. "Maybe we took a wrong turn somewhere?"

"Actually, we're on the right track," Serena said. "Look."

Serena was pointing to a nearby sign. Despite the distance, the big, bold letters on the sign made it easy to read.

No, you didn't take a wrong turn. Burole Town Gym straight ahead.

"Wow, that sign guessed our thoughts. Do you think the Gym Leader is a psychic?" Bonnie asked.

Her question was left unanswered. Trusting the sign, the group continued walking forward, until they found something: the entrance to what appeared to be a mine, blocked by a sturdy-looking steel gate. Above said entrance was the logo of the Pokemon League, which identified the place as an official gym. Ash walked towards the door, and seeing a button next to it, he pressed it down. For a few seconds nothing happened, but after that, the gates began to move aside, making a low pitched screech.

"This has to be weirdest gym I've ever seen," Clemont said, as he inspected the entrance.

They entered the gym, and as expected, it was a pure rock tunnel, albeit with many lamps hanging from each walls in order to keep it well-lit. There were rail tracks on the ground. They tentatively followed the tunnel, which eventually led to a large, well-lit chamber. Said chamber had four other exits, as well as many other railtracks that went in and out of them. And just as they arrived, a man entered the place from another of the entrances.

"Oh, hey there!" the man said. "Welcome to the Burole Town Gym!"

The man in question was somebody in his late thirties. He had fair skin, black hair, and a thin moustache under his nose. He was wearing a black long sleeved shirt and long pants of the same color. Over the shirt, he was wearing a green sleveless jacket with many pockets. On his head there was a helmet of the same color with a lantern on it. He was also wearing an utility belt with many tools attached to it, such as a small shovel, a pick, a flashlight, and many more.

"Uh... are you the Gym Leader?" Ash hesitantly asked.

"The one and only! Name's Davern, by the way," Davern introduced himself, before chuckling. "I know what you're thinking: I don't look much like a Gym Leader, do I? But as the old saying goes, looks can be deceiving."

"Oh, I see," Ash said, his disposition lightning up, seemingly trusting this man. "Well, my name is-"

"Ash Ketchum. And you're here to challenge me for my badge, don't you?" Davern interrupted, much to Ash and his friends' surprise. The Gym Leader smiled and rolled back his sleeve to show a Pokegear. "Maria told the rest of us about your victory over her, as well as the fact that you'll challenge my gym next."

"Heh, it seems you're starting to make a name for yourself in the region, Ash," Serena giggled, making Ash blush a little.

"No kidding! I mean, Maria sounded so excited after your fight... and boy, if you can get Maria like that, that means you're somebody worth taking seriously. Anyway, we can talk more while we head towards our battleground. Everybody, follow me!"

Davern then walked towards another of the chamber's exits, and the group of teens followed him.

"Don't take offense, Mr. Davern, but this is quite the... odd place to put a Pokemon Gym," Clemont observed.

"None taken, kid. And yes, I know most people may think like that. I mean, a Gym inside a cave? What kind of idiot does that?" Davern asked.

"Well, at least you didn't build your gym inside an active volcano," Ash pointed out.

Bonnie gasped. "You fought a Gym Battle inside a volcano!?" she asked, sounding as if that was the most awesome thing ever.

"Oh, you're talking about Blaine, aren't you? Of course you know him, you're both from Kanto," Davern said with a good natured chuckle. "I don't know how the Pokemon League let him do that. That Gym is a tragedy waiting to happen."

"Well, the Gym's battlefield was destroyed when the volcano almost erupted," Ash explained. "Thankfully there were no victims."

"Tsk, tsk, that Blaine..." Davern said, as he led the group towards a spacious shaft elevator.

When all of them got inside, Davern closed the doors manually, pulled a lever, and the elevator began its slow descent.

"You see, since I was a kid, there's nothing I loved more than caves. They were so spooky and mysterious, and I wanted to explore all of them. And of course, to study and befriend the Pokemon that lived there," Davern began to explain. "When I became the new Gym Leader, the old Gym that inherited from my predecessor was in shambles, so I had it demolished. But I didn't like the idea of being all day cooped between bricks and mortar. So instead of rebuilding it, I decided to use one of the empty mines as the place for the new Gym. Much cozier and welcoming for both me and my cave-dwelling Pokemon, don't you think?"

"Wow. This guy's such a caveman," Bonnie deadpanned.

"Bonnie!" Clemont chastised her.

Davern, however, didn't seem to pay her any mind. "Tandor has a lot of wonderful caves. Did you have the privilege of seeing at least one?" Davern asked.

"Well...we've been in Passage Cave," Serena pointed out, shivering a little when she remembered the violently territorial group of Pokemon that inhabited that place.

"Oh," Davern said, his enthusiasm seemingly decreasing. "As far as caves go, Passage Cave is kind of meh, so I don't blame you if you didn't enjoy it much. Don't let that experience color your opinion on Tandor's wonderful caves."

That moment, the elevator shaft reached the bottom, and Davern opened the doors, letting them out. They were now inside an extremely large underground cavern. Like the rest of the mine/gym, it was illuminated by many lamps hanging from the walls and the ceilings. There was a battleground with many rocks scattered around it. On one side, there were some seats for the spectators to take.

"Don't worry about possible cave-ins. This place has been reinforced to ensure maximum stability, and has the seal of approval of the Pokemon League," Davern explained. "No natural disasters to be afraid of either."

There was also another man dressed like Davern, holding a small flag on each hand. They guessed he was the judge.

"Good luck, Ash," Serena said, as she Bonnie and Clemont headed towards the seats, while Ash took his place on one of the sides of the battlefield and Davern took the opposite side.

…

Serena, Clemont and Bonnie sat on the empty bleachers, Serena on one side, Clemont on another, and Bonnie on the middle. Looking at Ash, Serena could see that her friend has been itching for a good Gym Battle. It's been quite some time since they left Nowtoch City. She hoped Ash could channel all that pent-up energy to victory.

"Are you ready, Ash?" Davern asked.

Ash smirked confidently. "Do you really need to ask?"

Davern nodded at the referee, who nodded back, and raised both flags. "This is an official Gym Battle between the Gym Leader Davern, and Ash Ketchum. The battle will be single format with no time limit, and each trainer will use up to three Pokemon. The battle will be over when one side has no more Pokemon remaining. Only the challenger may make substitutions. Trainers, select your first Pokemon."

"Alright, time to shine Dearewl!" Davern said, sending his first Pokemon.

From the pokeball emerged a four-legged, equine-looking Pokemon with metallic-like brown skin, a helmet-like piece of metal over its head with a string of curly metal wire coming out of its top, another that looked like a saddle over its back, and a round, light gray metallic plate on each on its thighs.

"Dearewl, huh? It looks similar to..." Ash began, as he pulled out his Pokedex.

"Dearewl, the Iron Horn Pokemon, and Barewl's evolved form. Rock/Steel. It is a stubborn Pokémon that will always stand its ground, even against a much larger opponent. It uses its horn to dig for metal ore." The Pokedex droned.

"Barewl's evolved form, huh? No wonder it looked familiar," Ash said, as he unclipped a pokeball from his belt. "Well, in that case, I shall beat your cave Pokemon with one of my own! Dunsparce, I choose you!"

Ash tossed the pokeball forward, releasing the most obnoxious member of his team. Everybody hoped he wouldn't try to pull the same stunts he was so used to do.

"Oh, you have a cave Pokemon too! Oh boy, Maria was right! This match is going to be incredible!" Davern exclaimed.

The referee lowered both flags in a chopping motion. "Begin!"

~Challenger Ash (Dunsparce, ?, ?) VS Gym Leader Davern (Dearewl, ?, ?)~

"Dunsparce, start with Rollout!" Ash commanded.

"Dearewl counter it with Headbutt!" Davern called.

Dunsparce quickly curled into a ball, and spun towards Dearewl, leaving a trail of dust behind. Dearewl, meanwhile, charged towards the incoming Dunsparce, lowering its head. The two Pokemon clashed, and Dearewl managed to stop Dunsparce's momentum and send him backwards, cancelling the Rollout. Though, by the way Dearewl shook its head, it was obvious it didn't get out of the clash unharmed.

"Rock Slide!" Davern called.

"Avoid it with Dig!" Ah replied.

Dearewl conjured multiple large rocks above Dunsparce, which quickly fell down once gravity took a hold of them. As this happened, Dunsparce leaped into the ground while spinning his body, turning himself into a living drill, burrowing underground just as the rocks buried the spot he was on a moment before.

"Dearewl, quick, get on top of one of the rocks!" Davern said.

"De!" Dearewl agreed, and quickly climbed on top of a nearby boulder.

Ash gritted his teeth as he saw how Dearewl avoided a sure hit. There wass no way Dunsparce would be able to pierce that much rock.

And indeed, Dunsparce emerged from underground on a spot next to the rock, while launching himself towards Dearewl. But thanks to the high ground, the Iron Horn Pokemon had a safe way to easily avoid and counter the attack.

"Now, use Headbutt!" Davern ordered.

Dearewl's iron-hard head smashed against the incoming Land Snake Pokemon, neutralizing his attack and sending him crashing against the ground.

"A really smart way to avoid an attack," Clemont commented. "Davern really knows how to use the irregular terrain of his Gym's battleground to his advantage."

Serena grabbed her blue ribbon. "That's just a setback for Ash. He has already fought on weird battlegrounds before," she said, her eyes fixed on the battle. "Ash also knows how to take advantage of the terrain."

"Now, Dearewl, use Metal Whip!" Davern commanded.

"Metal Whip?" Ash repeated, part confused and part tense. That was an attack Serena had never heard before, and judging by Ash's reaction, neither had he.

The wire sticking out of Dearewl's organic helmet began to glow with a silvery sheen as it quickly enlogated into a proper whip, which was wrapped around Dunsparce's body, immobilizing the Land Snake Pokemon.

"Oh no!" Ash cried. "Dunsparce, try to break free!"

"Parce, dunsparce!" Dunsparce cried, as he tried to futilely resist against the constricting force of the Metal Whip.

"Your Dunsparce can fight back all he wants, but he won't break free of Metal Whip," Davern stated. "Come on Dearewl, apply more pressure!"

Dunsparce cried even louder as the metallic wire squeezed him even tighter. As Ash debated what to do, he realized Dunsparce now had one more weapon to his arsenal, which might help him now.

"Dunsparce, use Ancient Power!" Ash called.

Fighting off the pain, Dunsparce concentrated, and summoned a circle of golden orbs that spun around his body. The orbs grew in size, taking the forms of large golden boulders, before said boulders shot towards Dearewl, smashing against its face repeteadly. Dearewl flinched each time a rock smashed into its face, and even if it didn't release Dunsparce, the Metal Whip loosened.

"Hang on, Dearewl!" Davern encouraged his Pokemon.

"Great job, Dunsparce! Ancient Power again!" Ash called.

Dunsparce summoned another ring of golden rocks, and threw them at Dearewl. This time, the Iron Horn Pokemon couldn't take it anymore, and released Dunsparce from the Metal Whip. The Land Snake Pokemon then glowed with a golden aura for a couple seconds.

"Huh? What was that?" Bonnie asked.

"I think that was the additional effect of Ancient Power," Clemont explained. "It has a chance to increase all the capabilities of the Pokemon that uses it."

"Well, Ash got lucky if the effect was triggered after just two times," Serena noted, before she remembered something that happened during the second battle against Maria. "Wait, didn't you say that Dunsparce has an ability to increase the chances of such effects triggering, right?"

"Exactly, Serene Grace," Clemont confirmed. "Ash was indeed very smart for teaching Dunsparce such a move. Its additional effect will be a great boon."

Serena looked at Dunsparce, who didn't look any stronger than he normally used to. Then again, she knew very well that appearances could be deceiving.

"Dunsparce, Rollout!" Ash ordered.

"Stop it with Rock Slide!" Davern replied.

Once again, Dunsparce curled into a ball and rolled towards Dearewl, leaving an even bigger trail of dust behind, while the Rock and Steel-type Pokemon summoned more boulders to drop on top of Dunsparce. The Land Snake Pokemon, however, was able to roll past the falling rocks before they could hit him thanks to his increased speed, and slammed against Dearewl with greater force then he did before, sending it hurling backwards against one of the battleground's boulders.

"Yes! Direct hit!" Bonnie cheered.

"Let's do it again, Dunsparce!" Ash shouted, looking how Dearewl got back to its feet, or better said, hooves. "Rollout before it has time to recover!"

Dunsparce rolled towards Dearewl once again, who looked at the incoming sphere of destruction not knowing what to do.

"Dearewl, jump!" Davern commanded.

The Iron Horn Pokemon did as it was told, and leaped over Dunsparce, who smashed himself against the same boulder Dearewl was slammed against. Dunsparce unfurled his body, and shook his head to get rid of the dizziness from the hit.

"Now, Rock Slide!" Davern called.

"Avoid it with Dig!" Ash replied.

Once again, Dearewl tried to bury Dunsparce under a rain of boulders that the Land Snake Pokemon averted by drilling underground.

"Dearewl, get on top of that boulder!"

And once again, Dearewl climbed a place from which Dunsparce wouldn't be able to land a clear hit. However, Ash had something planned already.

"Dunsparce, keep digging tunnels under that boulder!" he ordered, much to everybody else's confusion.

Everybody could hear Dunsparce as he dug under the boulder Dearewl was perched on. Then, the ground started to shake, and much to the onlookers' surprise, the boulder began to sink into the battleground. Dearewl looked around, confused, before jumping out of the sinking boulder.

"Wait, no-"

"Now, Dunsparce!" Ash called.

Dunsparce burst from underground right beneath Dearewl, smahing his head under the Iron Horn Pokemon's underside, sending it flying into the air, before it fell down on the ground with a loud thud. Dearewl didn't even make an attempt to get back on its feet.

The referee raised a flag in Ash's direction. "Dearewl can't fight anymore! The winner is Dunsparce!"

Ash and his friends cheered for his victory, as Davern recalled his Pokemon, and thanked it for its efforts before putting it away.

"Nice trick there, turning the battleground against me." Davern praised Ash, as he unclipped another pokeball from his utility belt. "You might have an early lead, but this battle is far from over. Tofurang, time to shine!"

Davern tossed his second pokeball, releasing a large, purple colored, four legged Pokemon Ash had never seen before.

"Rang!" Tofurang cried.

"Tofurang, Tofurang...oh, I remember! Clemont said he had to fight against one on passage cave," Ash said, as he pulled out his Pokedex to scan it. "Evolution of Tonemy? Huh, I wouldn't have guessed it, with how different they look. Dunsparce, can you continue fighting?"

"Parce!" Dunsparce cried energetically.

"Very well then," Ash said.

"Dunsparce versus Tofurang, begin!" the referee shouted.

"Dunsparce, Rollout!"

"Dun!" Dunsparce said, before turning once again into a ball and rolled towards the purple-skinned behemoth.

Davern merely smirked. "Tofurang, Toxic Spikes!"

Tofurang opened its jaws, forming a dark purple energy orb between them. It then launched the orb into the air, which exploded into smaller, spike-shaped purple energy darts that sunk across the entire battlefield. Once the move was done, Dunsparce slammed into Tofurang.

Ash clenched his fists and gritted his teeth as memories of his battle against Paul during the Sinnoh League returned to mind. This time, Ash didn't have a Pokemon with the right skills to clear the spikes out of the field. Despite landing a good hit, Davern had made the rest of the battle significantly harder.

"Rollout again!" Ash commanded.

Dunsparce rolled towards Tofurang again, leaving an even bigger trail of dust behind as his rolling speed increased. But Davern was prepared.

"Tofurang, use Payback!" Davern said.

Tofurang's body started to glow with a red blood aura. The moment Dunsparce slammed into it, said aura glowed even brighter.

"RANG!" Tofurang roared, as it slammed into Dunsparce, sending the hapless Land Snake Pokemon crashing backwards.

"Dunsparce!" Ash cried.

"Sludge Bomb!" Davern added.

Tofurang opened its jaws, and released a barrage of purple sludge globs towards Dunsparce, all of them finding their mark, making Dunsparce cry in pain with each hit. When the attack was over, Dunsparce was lying on his back on a puddle of purple sludge, completely immobile his mouth agape.

The referee raised a flag in Davern's direction. "Dunsparce can't fight any longer! The winner is Tofurang!"

Ash sighed in defeat, as he recalled Dunsparce and thanked him for doing his best.

"Clemont," Bonnie asked. "What's that move Tofurang used at the beginning? It didn't do anything to Dunsparce, but given the way Ash reacted..."

"Toxic Spikes isn't a move to defeat your current opponent, but to cripple the opponents to come," Clemont began to explain. "Right now, any Pokemon Ash sends to battle will take damage and will be poisoned."

"But... that's super unfair for Ash! Now all of his Pokemon are going to end up worse before they can do anything!" Bonnie protested.

"I know, but that's how things are. Ash will have to find a way to fight around the Toxic Spikes... or fight and hope that he can win the battle before the poison whittles down his Pokemon's vitality," Clemont said, looking intently at Ash, as if trying to guess what Pokemon would he use next.

Ash didn't take long to answer. "Birbie, I choose you!"

The pokeball opened the moment it touched the ground, releasing Ash's first Tandorian Pokemon, already flapping his wings to keep himself mid-air.

"Birbie, try to stay airborne as much as possible! If you touch the ground, you'll be poisoned!" Ash warned the bird.

"Bir, birbie!" Birbie acknowledged.

"Of course! Toxic Spikes are useless if the Pokemon never touches the ground!" Serena beamed, feeling her hope for Ash returning. "That was such a smart choice!"

"Perhaps, but not the most ideal choice," Clemont countered. Upon seeing Serena's questioning look, he elaborated: "I can tell from experience that Tofurang is a very bulky Pokemon that can take a lot of punishment before going down. And Birbie... well, he's fast and swift, but a small Pokemon like that lacks the power needed to take down Tofurang."

"Ash isn't somebody who takes down opponents through sheer brute force, so Birbie's still a choice that suits him," Serena replied.

"True. Ash probably wants to use Birbie's superior speed to run circles around Tofurang and tire it out, but..."

"But?"

"Well... I think that's something Davern already took into account. Payback is a move that becomes twice as powerful if the user has been hit before," Clemont explained. "And Birbie isn't the kind of Pokemon who can endure powerful hits without going down."

"This isn't the first time Ash had to face a challenging situation. He will find a way," Serena told Clemont, her hope in Ash unshaken. "Come on, Ash and Birbie! I know you can do it!"

"Bir!" Birbie happily chirped, grateful for the encouragement.

"Yeah, we can't let them down, can we?" Ash asked, as he smiled confidently.

"Birbie versus Tofurang, begin!" the referee said.

"Birbie, let's begin with Air Cutter!"

"Birbie!" Birbie chirped, as he took some altitude, and began flapping his wings, releasing crescents of compressed air towards Tofurang.

"Tofurang, counter that with Sludge Bomb!" Davern called.

The Cave Beast Pokemon opened its jaws wide, releasing a stream of purple colored globs. Both attacks clashed, resulting in an explosion of sludge that splattered the battleground in grime. However, Tofurang's attack packed much more power than Birbie's, and was able to push through the Flying-type move.

"Birbe, get out of the way!" Ash called.

Birbie didn't need to be told, and making use of his superior speed, he was able to avoid all the projectiles by increasing the altitude of his flight.

"You won't be able to avoid the next move, Ash," Davern confidently said. "Tofurang, use Smog! Cover the entire battleground!"

"Rang!" Tofurang cried, and took a deep breath, its body puffing up almost like a balloon, before exhaling from its mouth a torrent of purple, poisonous gas towards Birbie. The gas traveled in a wide cone, making dodging much harder.

Fortunately for Ash, he already had enough experience with that kind of attacks to know that there were alternatives.

"Birbie, push it back with Gust!" Ash commanded.

"Bir-bir-bir-bir...!" Birbie chirped franctically as he flapped his little wings as fast as he could, creating a powerful gust of wind that appeared to push the toxic miasma back.

"Push back, Tofurang! Don't let that bird get the best of you!" Davern encouraged his Pokemon.

The poisonous gas started to come out of the Cave Beast Pokemon's mouth with greater pressure, as Tofurang tried to overpower Birbie's Gust. Birbie, meanwhile started to flap his wings with even more energy, creating more powerful winds. In the end, it would be a battle of endurance decided by what would give in first: Birbie's wings or Tofurang's lungs.

"Tofu-ACK! COF! COF!" Tofurang began to cough, interrupting the stream of smog, which allowed Birbie to push it back.

"Well done Birbie!" Ash praised the little bird. However, his joy lasted little, as he saw how winded the Eden Bird Pokemon was from holding up a Gust for so long against a such a persistent attack from a purely stronger Pokemon. Birbie looked exhausted, and beads of sweat ran down his round body. His wing flaps were slower and slower, and it was obvious he wanted to touch the ground in order to rest for a bit.

Davern's knowing smirk made Ash realize that that wasn't a coincidence. Though the man thought he could play Ash like that, he had another thing coming.

"Birbie, if you need to rest, alight on one of the larger rocks!" Ash told him.

Birbie flew towards the nearest rock in the opposite direction from his foe, and perched on it, thankful that his body could get a reprieve, small as it was, from having to be airborne all the time. Both Birbie and Ash knew that the reprieve would last as long as Tofrang took to catch his breath.

"Tofurang, you okay?" Davern asked.

Tofurang coughed a couple times, releasing some puffs of purple smoke that quickly vanished in the air, before loudly clearing his throat. He was okay now.

"With how much you tired that Birbie, he won't be able to fly so fast right now," Davern concluded. "Tofurang, use Poison Fang!"

"Tofurang!" the Cave Beast Pokemon roared, as it charged towards Birbie with a deceptively fast speed, its jaw opened, showing rows of sharp teeth that glowed witch a sickly purple aura.

"Get out of there, now!" Ash called.

Birbie managed to take off before Tofurang could crush the Eden Bird Pokemon between its jaws, biting solid rock instead. However, everybody couldn't help but notice that Birbie's speed was much lower than it had been beginning of the fight.

"That was quite smart on Davern's part," Clemont spoke all of sudden. "The wings are the most important part of any Flying-type Pokemon, especially birds like Birbie. This fight has become much harder for Ash."

"Come on Birbie, you can do it!" Bonnie cheered, as if trying to offset what Clemont had said.

Serena gripped her blue ribbon harder, rememebring Clemont's earlier words about Tofurang's superior bulk and offensive power being a bit too much for Birbie to overcome with skill and speed. Still, Serena wasn't going to give up on her faith that Ash could overcome any odd that was thrown in his way.

"You can do it Birbie!" Serena joined Bonnie in her cheers. "Never give up until it's over!"

Still, those cheers did little to reassure Birbie. Tofurang continued its relentless chase on him, the poor Eden Bird Pokemon being unable to do anything but to run away from the much larger Poison-type, whose pursuit, while not very fast, didn't slow down, and was gradually closing the distance between the two of them.

"Keep going, Tofurang! He's almost yours!" Davern encouraged his Pokemon.

And indeed, Tofurang almost appeared to catch Birbie. It opened its jaws menacingly, ready to sink its poison-coated fangs onto the tender flesh of the Eden Bird Pokemon...

"Birbie, Turn around and use Flash!" Ash quickly shouted.

Birbie did as he was told, and fighting the dread induced by the horrid visage that was Tofurang with its jaws wide open, Birbie's chest crest began to glow with a faint blue light, before it exploded into a flood of white searing light.

"RAAAAAAAAANG!" Tofurang cried in pain as it was blinded by the sudden burst of light, interrupting its attack. It closed its eyes shut, a few tears of pain trickling through the closed lids, and took a couple step backwards, while it whined for its lost eyesight.

"Tofurang!" Davern shouted, caught just as off-guard as his Pokemon by the attack.

"Now's our chance, Birbie! Fly around and use Air Cutter!" Ash commanded.

His resolve and energies renewed by this unexpected second wind, Birbie nodded and once again took into the air, and flapping his wings as fast as he could, he began to pelt Tofurang with multiple Air Cutters launched from different directions, in order to stop the Cave Beast Pokemon from telling where Birbie was.

"Yes! Such a great counter from Ash!" Clemont beamed, no longer carrying the same cautious pessimism from before. "Cave Pokemon are naturally used to the dark, so their eyes can't stand bright lights!"

"I knew that Ash could do it!" Serena cheered, her faith in him validated.

"Now let's hope Birbie can cause enough harm to Tofurang before the latter recovers," Clemont added, as his eyes focused on the Cave Beast Pokemon.

"Continue the assault, Birbie! You almost have it!" Ash shouted.

"You don't need your eyes to fight, Tofurang! Rely on your hearing!" Davern said.

Tofurang tried to calm down and ignore the pain of the constant barrage of the blades of compressed air. His wing-like ears twitched as it tried to locate Birbie's position. Then he sensed it, a current of air beginning to form. He quickly turned into said direction.

"Well done, Tofurang! Sludge Bomb!" Davern said.

Tofurang spat a barrage of purple globs towards Birbie, just as the Eden Bird Pokemon was about to launch another Air Cutter. The two attacks met, and like it happened before, Torufang's overpowered Birbie's. This time Birbie didn't have the chance to dodge, and the poisonous missiles smashed into his little body with such force, they made him fall down against one of the rocks.

"Good job, Tofurang! One more hit, and this fight will be yours!" Davern cheered.

Ash looked at Birbie, who had luckily fallen on top of one of the boulders scattered around the battleground, rather than the ground. Thankfully, Birbie could still move, and tried to get back on his feet, but such a direct attack had made a number on him.

"Come on Birbie! I know you can do it!" Ash desperatedly encouraged his Pokemon.

Gathering what little strengh he still had, he stood up and shook the grime off of his feathers. Thankfully, the attack hadn't resulted in poisoning, or else he would have been done for. Though, despite Birbie's resolve to keep fighting was admirable, everybody could see that his strength didn't match it.

Ash took very little time and effort to earn Birbie's loyalty. The little bird Pokemon was eager to learn, and Ash had much to teach. And in return, Birbie would fight for Ash to the best of his ability, and win for him. This was an important battle, and if Birbie lost, he'd let Ash down, or that's what he thought, at least. And such thing was unthinkable in the Eden Bird Pokemon's mind.

"Biiiiiiiiir... biiiiiiiir..." Birbie began, breathing heavily, as he eyed Tofurang, who was starting to slowly blink, his eyes overcoming the effect of Flash.

"Birbie...?" Ash asked worriedly.

There was a crackling sound, and Birbie's body began to glow white and blue. Birbie then began to grow and change. When the light disappeared, in Birbie's place there was a completely different Pokemon.

"Aveden!" the new Pokemon whistled.

"Whoa, look at that! Birbie just evolved!" Bonnie excitedly said.

Serena pulled out her Pokedex, and scanned the new Pokemon.

"Aveden, the Bliss Bird Pokemon, and Birbie's evolved form. Normal/Flying. The blue feathers on its chest reflect light. They use flashes to communicate with one another in the forest canopy."

While he retained the same color scheme, Aveden couldn't be more different from Birbie: Aveden had still mostly dark blue feathers and beady light blue eyes, but his body was no longer a sphere with tiny wings, as he had now a slim, svelte body with a small head connected to it by a neck. The feathers on the head flared upwards towards the end, and there was a golden crest above the eyes that made him look like he was wearing glasses. His wings had grown considerably, and a yellow tail extended from the rear end of his body.

"Yes! Awesome!" Ash cheered, pumping his fist into the air. "Well done, Aveden!"

"Av, av!" Aveden whistled, just as happy.

"Amazing. Your Aveden's determination to win was so strong, he broke through his limits in order to evolve and gain more power," Davern said, half shocked and half amazed by the development. "Though, that won't change the outcome of this fight! Tofurang, Sludge Bomb again!"

"Tof!" Tofurang cried, as he assaulted Aveden with another barrage of sludge missiles.

Before Ash had any time to call four a counter, Aveden opened his beak, and fired a greenish-silvery beam of light that pretty much tore through the globs of grime as if they were mere water, before impacting Torufang in the face, resulting in a brief flash of silvery light, causing the Poison-type to cry in pain once again, forcing him to close its eyes shut.

"Blinded again!?" Davern asked, incredulous.

"That was Mirror Shot! Not only did you evolve, you learned a new move!" Ash said, his excitement so big his body was shaking. "Now, let's finish this, Aveden! Lift Tofurang from the ground with Gust!"

"Av, aveden!" Aveden whistled, as he began to flap his wings, blowing air in Tofurang's direction.

A tornado quickly formed around Tofurang, which began to lift it from the ground. The poor blinded Pokemon began to kick with all its four legs, as confusion and fear took hold of his mind.

"Now finish it with Quick Attack!" Ash called.

Aveden stopped flapping, and dived towards the airborne Tofurang, leaving a trail of fading white light in his wake. Aveden's body smashed against Tofurang, and the Cave Beast Pokemon was sent crashing down against the ground, landing with such force, it opened a crater.

Tofurang made no attempt to get back to his feet. The referee raised a flag in Ash's direction.

"Tofurang can't fight anymore, Aveden is the winner!" the referee declared.

Davern's face was that of shock, but he quickly chuckled, shook his head, and recalled his fallen Pokemon. "Good work, Tofurang. Take a good rest."

"Yes! Way to go, Ash and Aveden!" Bonnie cheered, as she bounced up and down excitedly. "Just one more Pokemon to go!"

"If Ash plays his cards right, I'm sure he can win this," Clemont confidently said. "Davern is down to his last Pokemon, and was clearly counting on wearing Ash's Pokemon down with Toxic Spikes, but Ash was able to fight his way around such a handicap."

"Yeah. This battle going much better than his first match against Maria," Serena said, though she didn't allow herself to feel relieved. It was obvious that whatever Pokemon Davern saved for last, it would be far from a pushover. Maria had already proved that her strongest Pokemon could match Ash-Greninja, and she was sure that Davern would be no different.

Davern unclipped his last pokeball from his belt. "Well, so far, you managed to do pretty well against me. Maria didn't praise you for nothing. You've proved to be a pretty excellent trainer. Let's see if you're good enough to defeat my last Pokemon. Drilgann, time to shine!"

The capture device opened up, releasing Davern's last Pokemon, which landed on the ground with a loud thud.

"Dril!"

Drilgann was a large, four legged Pokemon with brown fur, except its legs, which were purple. It had a long snout like a mole, with two yellow tusks ended on drills sticking out of it. Its eyes were covered by a star-shaped purple mask. There were three yellow drill-shaped claws at the end of each leg, and its tail was a large, conical yellow drill.

They couldn't help but notice a silver ring on one on its tusks, which had a small black and purple gemstone embedded on it.

Both Ash and Serena pulled out their Pokedex to scan this new Pokemon:

"Drilgann, the Drill Pokemon, and Modrille's evolved form. Ground/Dark. Often used as beasts of burden, a Drilgann can tunnel many miles in a single day without getting tired. Their claws can be spun individually to drill with precision."

All of them remembered the Modrille that the Rangers had temporarily tamed to clear the rocks blocking Owten Nook. Though since they didn't saw them fight, they didn't know what to expect from their evolved form.

"Aveden versus Drilgann, begin!" the referee shouted.

"Aveden, begin with Mirror Shot!" Ash commanded.

"Oh no, you're not blinding us again! Counter with Dark Pulse!" Davern replied.

Aveden fired yet another greenish silvery beam of energy towards Drilgann, while the Drill Pokemon casted a stream of dark and purple energy from its mouth towards Aveden. Both attacks clashed, and struggled to push the other back, resulting in a small explosion when either of them failed to overpower the other.

"That Drilgann is indeed strong. But we're stronger! Aveden, Air Cutter!" Ash called.

"Ve, ve!" Aveden whistled, as he flapped his wings, releasing mutliple blades of compressed air towards the Drill Pokemon.

"Drilgann, avoid them with Dig!" Davern called.

Drilgann jumped into the ground as if it were diving into water, and sunk just as easily. The drills on its claws and tusks easily allowed the Drill Pokemon to burrow underground much faster than any other Pokemon.

"Aveden, stay alert! Try to keep enough altitude from the ground do it can't reach you!" Ash told the Bliss Bird Pokemon.

"That won't be of any help. Rock Slide!" Davern shouted.

Suddenly, the ground below Aveden exploded, and multiple large rocks were fired upwards, as if they were propelled by some underground geyser. The startled Aveden did everything he could to avoid them, but one of them hit him in the wing, causing him to spiral down towards the ground.

"Aveden, no! Try to gain more height!" Ash pleased.

"Drilgann, use Dragon Claw!" Davern ordered.

This time, it was Drilgann itself who burst from underground, one of its claws rised and glowing with green energy. The Drill Pokemon's claws smashed against Aveden, and the poor Bliss Bird Pokemon was sent crashing against a nearby rock, before it slid to the ground.

"Aveden!" Ash cried again.

Aveden had both his wings and legs sprawled open, hiss beak also opened and his eyes rolled into his skull. It was obvious he wouldn't be fighting anymore.

The referee raised a flag in Davern's direction. "Aveden can't fight any longer, the winner is Drilgann!"

Ash sighed in defeated, and recalled his regional bird. "You did your best, buddy. Now let others pick up the slack."

"What a pity," Clemont said. "I was hoping on Aveden softening Drilgann for Greninja before going down, but he wasn't able to land a single hit."

While somebody would ask why Ash would choose Greninja, it was obvious it was Ash's only good option left: Colarva was too weak and lacked training, and as strong as Pikachu was, it was better to go for as much advantage as possible against such a powerful Ground-type.

Ash unclipped his last pokeball, reared it back, and weirdly enough, took a couple seconds to toss it, as if he was calculating its trajectory.

"Greninja, I choose you!" Ash said.

The pokeball landed next to a large rock, and released Greninja right on top of it. Davern couldn't help but smirk.

"Clever. Really clever, Ash," the Gym Leader chuckled.

"Greninja, try not to touch the ground! You'll be poisoned if you do!" Ash warned his Kalosian starter.

"Gre," Greninja said, looking at the ground around him warily.

"And there he is. Your famous Greninja," Davern began. "Maria gushed a lot about that Pokemon. I can't wait to see what is he capable of."

"I'm sure you won't be disappointed," Ash stated.

"Greninja versus Drilgann, begin!" the referee said, starting the deciding match.

"Alright Drilgann, let's test this Greninja's might with Rock Slide!" Davern commanded.

"Quickly, dodge them!" Ash told the Ninja Pokemon. "Remember not to touch the ground!"

Drilgann raised its head and growled, and several large boulders appeared above Greninja, who quickly hopped from the rock he was standing on to another. Drilgann generated even more boulders, forcing Greninja on the defensive. However, Greininja had no trouble avoiding the attack, hopping from one rock to another with so much grace, he almost looked as if he was floating.

"Get close to it and use Aerial Ace!" Ash shouted.

"Gre!"

"Defend with Dragon Claw!" Davern replied.

Greninja continued to jump from one rock to another, until he managed to reach Drilgann. The Drill Pokemon had raised on its hind legs and rose one of its forelegs to prepare the Dragon-type move, but Greninja was much faster, and struck it in the face with a white glowing arm, before landing on another rock, causing the Dragon Claw to hit nothing but air.

"Drilgann, use Dark Pulse!" Davern shouted.

"Deflect it with Night Slash!" Ash shouted back.

Turning towards the Ninja Pokemon, Drilgann opened its mouth and fired yet another black and purple beam of dark energy. Greninja, meanwhile, generated a sword of the same color between his hands, and used it to parry the beam, who split into multiple, smaller beams that flew in different directions, leaving the Kalosian Pokemon untouched.

"Great! And now, Water Shuriken!" Ash said, thrusting a punch forward.

"Drilgann, dodge them with Dig!" Davern shouted.

Greninja leaped in an arc above Drilgann, and formed two watery stars on each hand, before tossing them at Drilgann below. The Drill Pokemon once again dived into the ground, but it wasn't fast enough to dodge the Water Shuriken. Both liquid projectiles hit it while it was burrowing underground, producing a blast of water that interrupted the move and pushed Drilgann backwards, leaving it soaked. Meanwhile, Greninja landed on one of the nearby rock formations.

Davern let out a sigh. "Man, Maria wasn't exaggerating when she told us about what a beast your Greninja was," the Gym Leader said, scratching his forehead. "My Drilgann has power, but the difference in speed between our Pokemon makes that power useless. Not to mention that, with the type advantage, your Greninja hits hard too. If this match were to continue as it is, you'd defeat me easily."

"Thank you for your kind words," Ash replied, before he smirked at Davern. "Though, I have the feeling you aren't saying this because you want to concede, are you?"

Davern smirked back, as he pulled a pickaxe from his utility belt. "Of course not. What kind of Gym Leader I would be if I folded so easily? Plus, I said you'd defeat me if this match continued as it is," Davern emphasized the last four words, as he lifted his pickaxe to his eye level. Ash and his friends could see that there was something embedded at the top of the pick, something round with many colors.

"Is that...?" Bonnie began.

"Yes. A Keystone," Clemont said.

"Well, remember what Maria said: Mega Evolution is pretty big in Tandor," Serena reminded them.

Davern touched the Keystone with two fingers. "Now, Drilgann, dig deep within your being, and bring out all your hidden power to the surface! Mega Evolve!"

The Keystone and the Mega Stone on Drilgann's fang began to glow, and both of them fired bolts of light towards each other. The beams clashed, merging into a single one, and Drilgann began to change its form, as the Mega Evolution helix flashed in front of it. Once the light went out, they could all see Drilgann's new appearance.

"So that's a Mega Drilgann..." Ash said, narrowing his eyes at the Ground and Dark-type Pokemon.

Mega Drilgann's body was now more human-shaped, standing on two large and very stocky legs. Its body was also stocky and round shaped, with two yellow triangle marks with purple trims above a third mark that looked a like a purple grin, making it appear as if it had a face on its belly. Two large conical, yellow drills grew from its shouders.

"Drill!" Drillgan roared, making his shoulder drills spin menacingly.

Ash, however, wasn't intimidated. "Your Drilgann surely looks like a tough challenge, I'll give you that. But there's no challenge tough enough for Greninja and I working together! Come on Greninja!"

"GRE-NINJA!"

A spinning tower of water formed around Greninja, as he morphed into his advanced form. Once the metamorphosis was complete, all the water condensed into a shuriken that stuck to the Ninja Pokemon's back.

"You're about to learn why Drilgann is the king of the caves of Tandor!" Davern excitedly said, as he waved his pickaxe at Ash. "Drilgann, Sandstorm!"

"Gann!" Drilgann crossed its arms in front of its face, before spreading them outwards, and a sandstorm formed around him, spreading to encompass the whole battleground.

"G-Gre!" Greninja braced himself as he felt the damaging effect of the sand pelting his body.

"Don't you love sand? It's soft, smooth and soothing. And it can get everywhere!" Davern said.

"You'll need more than mere sand to defeat us! Greninja, Water Shuriken!" Ash said, thrusting a hand forward.

Greninja jumped into the air, took the large shuriken stuck to his back, and tossed it towards Drilgann. Davern merely watched as the watery star flew down towards his Pokemon.

"Dodge it," he simply said.

Then, much to everybody else's shock, Drilgann vanished from the spot, moving so fast it turned into a brown, yellow and purple blur, and the Water Shuriken missed its mark.

"What?" Ash asked, dumbfounded. Davern smirked at his reaction.

"Drilgann, use Dragon Claw on Greninja before he can land on one of the rocks!" Davern commanded.

Drilgann leaped towards Greninja, both claws already cloaked in green draconic energy, and before the ninja Pokemon could parry or block, Drilgann delivered a brutal slash, sending the Kalosian starter crashing towards the ground with such force, he opened a crater.

"Greninja, no!" Ash cried, his body wincing as fe helt the pain Greninja was subjected to.

Shaking off the pain, Greninja managed to jump back to his feet, but winced in pain as a flash of purple washed over his body.

Davern crossed his arms, and his smirk widened. "Sorry, but no more playing The Floor is Lava for Greninja."

"What? What did just happen?" A confused Bonnie asked. "Drilgann was super slow before, and now it can keep up with Greninja!"

"Did Mega Evolution increase its speed that much?" Serena asked, studying Mega Drilgann with her eyes. "It doesn't seem much faster now than it was before."

"If you ask me, I'd say Mega Drilgann's ability is Sand Rush. It's an ability that boosts a Pokemon's speed during a sandstorm. Hence why Davern ordered Drilgann to summon one the moment it Mega Evolved," Clemont explained. "Most cave Pokemon aren't known for being fast, and Ash has been using his Pokemon's superior speed to his advantage. And now Davern threw a wrench to that strategy."

"And Greninja is now poisoned..." Bonnie said worriedly.

"Yes. Between the sandstorm and the poison chipping away his health, Greninja is now on a time limit to defeat a Pokemon that's both fast and hits hard," Clemont summarized. "Ash and Greninja have a very uphill battle ahead of them..."

Serena held her hands worriedly as she looked at Ash and Greninja. Still, her faith didn't waver. "Come on Ash and Greninja, I know you can do it..."

"Drilgann, Drill Run!" Davern ordered.

"Drilgann!" Drilgann said, as it dashed towards Greninja like a rocket, shoulder drills already spinning, ready to pierce Greninja with one of them.

"Greninja, parry it with Night Slash!" Ash replied.

Once again, Greninja formed a black and purple sword of energy between his hands, and used it to parry one of the drills. The spinning drill grinded against the sword of darkness, producing a shower of purple sparks in every direction.

"Get rid of him with Aerial Ace!" Ash commanded.

Greninja's legs started to glow with a white light, and once he pushed Drilgann's backwards, he jumped and delivered a double kick to the bipedal mole's face, pushing him even further back.

"Now Water Shuriken!" Ash added.

Another shuriken of water formed on Greninja's back just as the frog Pokemon reached to grab it, and tossed it towards the still reeling Drill Pokemon.

"Dodge it with Dig!" Davern countered.

Once again, Drilgann dived into the ground, this time much faster than before, and was completely burrowed in by the time the Water Shuriken reached its position, which harmlessly passed over him.

"Greninja, be careful, it can't come out from-"

Ash didn't even have time to warn his Pokemon as Drilgann burst from underground in front of Greninja, and buried one of its shoulder drills onto Greninja's exposed belly. Ash doubled over upon feeling the same pain Greninja was experiencing, but forced himself to endure it.

"G-Greninja, Double Team!" Ash ordered, clutching his abdomen.

Greninja winced in pain, and his body flashed purple, suffering the effects of the poison and the sandstorm, before he summoned a myriad of copies of himself across the battleground, much to Drilgann's confusion. However, the sandstorm took little time to dispel those copies.

"Double Team is also useless?" Ash growled, as he clenched both fists.

"Drilgann, Rock Slide!" Davern ordered.

Drilgann rose its arms and conjured a multitude of boulders above Greninja –this time, far larger and in bigger numbers– before motioning its arms down, letting gravity take hold of the giant boulders. Ash didn't need to tell Greninja to dodge, as the Ninja Pokemon quickly began to run away, as the boulders landed with deafening noises. Some of them fell on top of each other, forming small mounds.

"Greninja, try to get close to it and use Water Shuriken!" Ash commanded.

Greninja nodded, and fighting off the pain of the sandstorm and the poison, moved towards Drilgann as he ran away from the falling boulders. He reached back as a watery star formed on his back, took it, and tossed it at Drilgann.

"Drilgann, avoid it with Dig!" Davern shouted.

Once again, Drilgann disappeared underground before Greninja's attack could reach him. This time, however, Ash knew what to do to avoid the attack. His eyes drifted to a pile of rocks that had formed from Drilgann's Rock Slide. The window of opportunity was small but Ash had faith Greninja could do it.

"Greninja, jump on top of that mound of rocks!" Ash ordered. Greninja nodded, and quickly leaped to the top of the pile, before Drilgann could emerge and attack from underground. Davern had used such strategy to avoid Dunsparce's underground attacks, so why couldn't it work for Ash as well?

"GANN!"

The answer came in the form of Drilgann bursting from under the pile of rocks, grinding them to peebles with its powerful drills on its shoulders and claws as if they were clay, and slamming into the surprised Greninja.

"Not a bad plan. But as you can see, there's no obstacle my Drilgann can't drill through," Davern proudly said, before he adjusted his mining helmet. "The match appear to be going my way, Ash. I know you aren't going to surrender but... seeing what your Greninja can do, and his current state, I just can't imagine what you guys can do to turn the tides of the battle."

"Don't count us out yet!"Ash said, gritting his teeth. "This is pretty bad! I can feel every strike Greninja takes, and that Drilgann hits like a truck! And with the sandstorm and the poison, Greninja doesn't have much time yet. And that speed! Not only it's fast moving, it's also fast to dig underground and then attack from below! Greninja doesn't have any attack that can stop this sandstorm or to force Drilgann out in the open. Not that he'd be able to use it, given that it attacks so fast that... hey, wait a minute, tha's it!"

"Drilgann, Dragon Claw!" Davern ordered.

"Greninja, parry it with Night Slash!" Ash replied, sounding far more confident than a couple moments ago.

Drilgann barreled towards Greninja, its rotating yellow claws glowing with green energy. Greninja blocked the first strike with his sword of dark energy, the countered with a thurst that was also blocked, followed by a claw swipe from Drilgann which was dodged.

"Greninja, Aerial Ace!" Ash shouted. "Use both arms and legs!"

The sword of darkness disappeared, and all four of Greninja's limbs started to glow with a white light. Dodging the next claw swipe, Greninja delivered a series of slaps, slashes and kicks to Drilgann's face and body, pushing it backwards.

"Now, Water Shuriken!" Ash said.

"Drilgann, Dig!" Davern said, sounding almost exasperated. "You already tried that tactic many times, why do you think it's going to work now?"

And indeed, Greninja's Water Shuriken once again missed Drilgann, who had burrowed underground rather quickly. Ash smirked, knowing that the enemy had taken the bait.

"Greninja, jump into the air and toss another Water Shuriken down!" Ash shouted.

Davern opened his eyes wide. "What? Wait, Drillgan-!"

It was too late. A second after Greninja jumped into the air and formed another Water Shuriken, Drilgann emerged from that same spot, ready to slash Greninja with its claws, but they only hit thin air. Greninja then tossed the water projectile downwards, hitting Drilgann this time. The Water Shuriken exploded into a torrent of water that blasted the Drill Pokemon backwards, and left it completely soaked.

"YES! Now Greninja, more Water Shuriken!"

Beads of sweat ran through Greninja's body as he could hear his heart beating faster and faster. He knew that his body was running on fumes, but he was also close to victory as well, so he continued pelting Drilgann with Water Shuriken, throwing and generating them as fast as he could. With each hit it took, the Drill Pokemon was more and more disoriented.

"Aerial Ace!" Ash said, making a chopping move with his arm.

"Block with Dragon Claw!" Davern ordered.

All four of Greninja's limbs glowed white, as he dashed towards the Mea Evolved Pokemon. A slash to the face, a kick to the sides, dodge Drilgann's Dragon Claw, then deliver more chops and punches to the sides, finishing with a powerful roundhouse kick to the face that ended up launching the large Ground and Dark-type Pokemon towards a large rock with such force, it was completely shattered.

"Drilgann...!" Davern cried.

The sandstorm subsided. Drilgann's body flashed for a second, as it reverted back to its original form. The Drill Pokemon lied there, not making any attempt to get back on its feet or even move.

The referee raised a flag in Ash's direction. "Drilgann can't fight any longer! The winner is Greninja! And since Davern has lost three Pokemon, the winner of the match is Ash!"

"YES!" Ash cheered.

"Pika!" Pikachu joined as well.

"G-Gre..." Greninja wheezed, as he reverted back to normal, and fell to one knee.

"Greninja!" Ash shouted, as he rushed towards his barely standing Pokemon. "You're on your last legs, aren't you? Between the poison and that sandstorm..."

"...ninja," Greninja said, shaking his head, as if trying to downplay the situation.

"You wanted to fight until the very end, don't you? Thanks a lot, Greninja. You're everything a trainer could ask for," Ash said, before pulling out Greninja's pokeball. "Take a rest. We'll take you to the Pokemon Center as soon as possible."

"Gre..." Greninja said, as he allowed the pokeball to suck him in.

Meanwhile, Davern walked towards his fallen Drilgann, and returned it to its pokeball as well. "Thank you, Drilgann, for such a memorable fight."

"Ash!" Serena shouted, completely elated, as she, Clemont and Bonnie ran towards him. "You won! Congratulations!"

"Yeah! It was such an amazing battle!" Bonnie added.

"There were times where I thought you were going to lose, but I knew that you would somehow come out on top," Clemont said.

"Thanks a lot, guys," Ash said, before scratching his cheek and chuckling a little. "Though, I have to admit, it was a close one! I also thought I was going to lose quite a few times myself, hehe..."

"Pika," Pikachu said, shaking his head.

"But you didn't," Davern said, as he walked towards him. Despite losing, the Gym Leader looked rather happy, oddly enough. "Not only did you keep fighting, but managed to keep a cool head in order to find a way to counter my tactics and grasp victory. Maria certainly wasn't exaggerating when she showered you in praise."

"Uh, thank you," Ash said, reddening a little. "I'm glad I was able to make a good impression on you guys."

"Though, I'm sure you didn't come here seeking flattery, did you?" Davern chuckled, as he reached into a pocket of his utility belt. "For defeating me in an official match, I hereby give you the Bright Gem Badge."

Davern extended his open hand at Ash, letting Ash pick the badge on his palm. Ash looked at the badge: it was an hexagonal ruby with silvery borders.

"Thanks a lot, Davern," Ash said, before dramatically raising the badge over his head. "I won the Bright Gem Badge!"

"Pi-Pikachu!"

"And that makes two badges," Clemont said.

"Yep! Only six more to go," Ash said, as he placed the Bright Gem Badge on his badge case, next to Maria's Normal Badge.

"Given that you came from the west, I guess you're going north?" Davern asked.

"Yeah, though we aren't going to leave Burole just yet," Ash clarified. "There's going to be a contest soon, and Serena is going to take part on it."

"But yeah. Once we're done with that, we're heading towards Bealbeach City," Clemont added.

"Clemont has been hired to work on that new power plant," Bonnie proudly supplied.

"Bealbeach, huh? In that case, I'll give Cali a call and tell her to expect you," Davern said. "I was going to suggest you go to Amatree town, but you'll have to take a detour, and I imagine you don't want to take too long to reach the new power plant. Guess you can always go to Amatree later."

The match finally over, Davern walked the group of kids towards the exit of his gym.

"I wish you the best of luck fighting the other Gym Leaders. And good luck to your friend on her contests as well," Davern said, before a thought dawned upon him that made him turn all giddy. "Oh, that reminds me! If you guys are going north, that means you'll have to cross Comet Cave! Oh, you guys are going to love it! Trust me, it's nothing like Passage Cave!"

"Er... sure, thanks for the... recommendation," Clemont awkwardly said.

"Though, now that I won my second Gym Badge, Serena needs to win her second Ribbon!" Ash said, as he turned towards her. "Come on Serena! We need to train a lot if you want to be ready!"

"Y-Yes!" Serena agreed, as she and the rest of the group returned to the Pokemon Center.

Chapter Text

Burole Town Outskirts

"Let's do it again Braixen! Psybeam!" Serena ordered.

"Braaaai..." Braixen began, her eyes glowing with a multicolored light. "...XEN!"

Braixen fired a blue, pink and white beam of psychic energy towards the sky. The attack didn't hit anything, but it did scare a bunch of Birbie and Owten, which flew away from the attack.

"Very good, Braixen! You have Psybeam down!" Serena praised while clapping at her starter Pokemon.

Following Ash's victory over Davern, the group had remained on Burole Town, mostly helping Serena train for the upcoming contest. At first they used the battleground next to the Pokemon Center, but as the days passed and the Contest was closer and closer, more and more people arrived the town, and thus the battleground wasn't as readily available as it was before, so they were forced to move towards other zones to train. Fortunately, the greenery surrounding the town provided plenty of spots.

Serena had been focusing on training Braixen and Selkid, given that they were the Pokemon she had chosen for the Contest Battle Round. She was confident that Pancham and Minicorn would ace the Appeal Round with the performance she had come up for them. It was the dusk of the last day before the contest, and Serena's Pokemon were finalizing their training before their big day.

"Alright Selkid, now it's your turn!" Serena excitedly said. "Show me your Ice Beam!"

Selkid nodded, and took a deep breath. "Seeeeel..." Selkid opened her mouth, and a white glowing orb covered in light blue mist formed in front of her. A small beam of the same color fired from the orb, before it petered out and shattered as if it was made of thin glass, before Selkid starting to cough white mist from her mouth.

"Selkid!" Serena cried, as she and Braixen quickly went to see if the Sea Nymph Pokemon was okay.

Thankfully, Selkid stopped coughing after Serena patted her back twice. The Water and Fairy-type sighed, and slumped her head.

"Aw, don't get discouraged. You did much better this time around," Serena assured.

"Brai, brai!" Braixen added, nodding.

Serena had been training both Braixen and Selkid to learn new moves. However, while Braixen made noticeable progress with Psybeam, Selkid was having much more trouble trying to master Ice Beam.

"Braixen is a Pokemon with lots of experience and training on her back. Meanwhile, you only got Selkid for a few weeks now," Clemont explained. "Of course Braixen is going to have an easier time learning new moves than Selkid."

"Come on Greninja, Ice Beam!" Ash's voice said.

Serena turned in the direction of Ash's voice, who was standing next to Greninja, both of them looking towards a large rock.

Greninja cupped his webbed hands, forming the same chilly white orb of frigid energy, before thrusting both hands forward, firing a thick beam of white and light blue colors. The beam sailed through the air until it impacted the rock, covering it in a sheet of ice and frost in less than a second.

"Well done, Greninja!" Ash praised, offering his fist to the Kalosian starter, whom he bumped back. "Now you have another weapon in your arsenal."

"Gre!" Greninja said with a nod.

Selkid couldn't help but feel a little discouraged upon seeing Greninja mastering the same move she was struggling with so much.

"Don't feel bad, Selkid. I'm sure if you keep training, you'll get it down eventually," Bonnie said, patting the head of the small water type.

Unfortunately, Bonnie's encouragement didn't have the effect the young girl was hoping for. Her mouth making a rather adorable pout, Selkid decided to try Ice Beam one more time. She opened her mouth and formed the orb of cold, but in her impatience, the orb exploded in her face, knocking her on her back and covering her head and the upper half of her body in frost.

"Selkid!" Serena cried, as she quickly went to help her Pokemon get back on her feet. "Come on Selkid, don't be so forceful. It will get you nowhere."

"Braix," Braixen agreed with a nod. She ignited the tip of her wand, and started to wave it around Selkid, slowly melting the frost covering her.

"...kid," Selkid sighed sadly. She then saw Pikachu walking towards her.

"Pikapi, pi, pika pikachu pi!" Pikachu began, moving his arms emphatically as if he was trying to explain something to Selkid. Selkid intently listened to the Mouse Pokemon, nodding at times. It reminded the humans of how Pikachu helped Birbie master Gust when he had struggles with it. Did Pikachu also know the secret behind Ice Beam? Pikachu then looked at Greninja. "Pika?" he asked, almost as if looking for confirmation.

"Ninja," Greninja laconically said with a nod.

While Selkid looked ready to give it another try, her trainer had another plan. Serena stood up, and looked into the horizon. Only half the sun was visible, meaning that it would be night soon. "I think we trained enough for today. Let's go back to the Pokemon Center," she said, much to Selkid's disappointment.

"Yeah," Ash said, looking at Selkid. "You won't be able to put on a good show if you don't eat well and have a good night of sleep."

"Pikapi," Pikachu added, nodding.

"Sel..." Selkid reluctantly agreed.

…

The next day, the group got up early, went to the Center's cafeteria to have a good breakfast, and headed towards the Contest Hall. As expected, there was already a pretty long line for the ticket booth.

"It seems that no matter when we get up, there's always a line," Bonnie complained, crossing her arms. "Do these people camp in front of the Contest Hall or something?"

"Maybe we should start doing that," Ash joked, before chuckling a bit. "Thank goodness there are no lines for Gym Battles..."

"Pika..." Pikachu shook his head.

"I wish I could stay here and make you company so the wait is more bearable, but I better get going, so I can get my Pokemon ready," Serena said, as she began to walk away from the line and towards one of the hall's back entrances.

"See you inside!" Ash said, as he waved at her.

With Serena out of sight, the two teenagers and the lone girl looked at the line, who appeared to advance rather slowly. Clemont estimated it would take about half an hour until they got to the booth. Which, admitedly, was an improvement over the almost three quarter of an hour they had to wait for the previous contests.

"You know, maybe we should try to bring something to do while we wait in line," Bonnie suggested in an annoyed tone.

"I know, but there's not that much that can be done while we're in a queue," Clemont replied.

"Oh boy, I just forgot how long these lines used to be," a new voice said, one that sounded oddly familiar, which belonged to an adult man. "Hey guys, look who's here!"

Ash, Clemont and Bonnie turned around, and saw Richard, followed by the rest of the Dunsparce Gang bikers.

"Richard!" Ash said, happy to see the biker.

"Hey there, kids. Such a surprise meeting you here," Richard greeted them. "How's going?"

"It couldn't be better. A few days ago, I defeated the Burole Gym Leader," Ash proudly said.

"And now our friend Serena is going to take part in this contest, and we're going to cheer her," Bonnie explained.

"Nene," Dedenne added.

"Yes, no wonder I was missing a member of your group," a female blond biker, Amber, said as she shoot a glance at the trio. "The girl with the honey blonde hair and black beret, right?"

"That one, yeah," Ash said.

"And what are you guys doing here? Are you guys going to see the contest too?" Clemont asked, his question carrying an edge of incredulity. It was hard to picture a bunch of tough bikers being interested in something like Pokemon Contests.

"Why, of course we're here to watch the contest," Richard replied. "Just like you, one of our own takes part in it, so we're going to cheer for her as well!"

"HUH?"

…

Serena didn't even need to be told the location of the coordinator's dressing rooms. Most contest halls had more or less the same layout, and after being in quite a few, it was now imprinted on the Kalosian girl's mind.

When she reached the changing room, she saw quite a few people on it, some already in their contest costumes and with their Pokemon out, others still in their casual clothes. Of course, Serena knew that it was still relatively early, and the final number of contestans would be roughly twice what there was now before her eyes.

She scanned the small group of people, as if trying to look for a familiar face, either be Vitor or Sayaka, though the honey blonde was hoping to avoid facing the rude ninja girl. Then again, neither of them appeared to be present. Though, fate would arrange it so Serena would meet again with a familiar face.

"Hey there, Serena!" a feminine voice said behind her. "So cool to see you here!"

Surprised, Serena gasped and quickly turned around, and was face to face with a tall, smiling dark skinned girl dressed like a biker. A girl she had met some time ago in Kevlar Town. She looked at the Kalos native expectantly, as if waiting for Serena to make the connection.

"Wait a minute... Aisha?" Serena asked, recalling the name of the biker girl from memory. The two of them had fought together during the raid in the Team Omega Hideout at the outskirts of Kevlar Town.

"You remember me! Good!" she laughed.

"What are you doing here?" she dumbly asked, and the second those words left her mouth, she squaked in embarrassment, her face tinting pink. "Sorry, I mean-"

Aisha pretended to be in deep thought, placing her finger under her chin. "Now that's quite a good question. Here were are, inside a contest hall that's about to host a contest in less than an hour. What could I possibly be doing here...?"

"Sorry," Serena repeated, her eyes downcast. "It's just, well... I didn't expect somebody like you to be a coordinator..."

"Because I'm a biker, right?" Aisha asked, though thankfully she didn't sound offended. "Yeah, I know I'm not what most people would picture when they imagine a coordinator, but hey, I'm a multifaceted person!"

Serena chuckled in response, her embarrassment slowly disappearing as Aisha's positive demeanor eased her nerves. "Still, it was wrong of me to make such an assumption."

"Hey, relax, it's not that big of a deal," Aisha said, slapping Serena's back. "Besides, even if it was, I couldn't be angry, given that it's thanks to you that I can do contests again!"

"Huh? T-Thanks to me?" Serena repeated. "What do you mean?"

Aisha rolled her eyes, but smiled. "Well, contests have this little rule that bans you from taking part in one if there's an arrest order against you. Not that I could have taken part in one anyway, with the gang and I constantly on the run from the Rangers," she explained. "But now that you and your friends helped clear our names, I can finally return to the contest halls!"

"I'm glad to hear that I was able to help you that much," Serena said, smiling back.

"So, how are you doing? Did you win any Ribbon already?" Aisha asked.

"Of course! I won my first ribbon a few days ago," Serena said, as she proudly showed the taller girl her open ribbon case with her first ribbon on it.

"Cool. Check out mine!" Aisha said, showing Serena her case.

The Kalosian girl's eyes opened wide upon seeing three ribbons inside. She choked. "T-Three!? You have three ribbons already?"

"Relax. They're from last year's season. Didn't I tell you that I've been unable to compete for quite some time until now? I don't think anybody who started from zero could have three ribbons so early into the season," Aisha told her, a bit amused upon seeing Serena's reaction. "Thank goodness these things don't have an expiration date, or else all the effort I poured into winning them would have gone down the drain..."

"Still, if you manage to win those, you must be a rather skilled coordinator," Serena praised her.

"Thanks. I like to think I am, but given how long I've been without doing contests..." Aisha began, as she rubbed an arm. "I kept up with my training whenever I could, but it's not the same. Guess today we'll see if I'm that rusty or not."

As they talked, Serena noticed that more and more coordinators entered the dressing room. Looking at one of the clocks on the walls, Serena realized that the contest would start soon.

"Say, there's not much time until the contest begins. I think we should go and get changed," Serena suggested. "We can continue our talk in the waiting area."

"Sure thing. Let's go."

…

Sometime later, Ash, Clemont and Bonnie were on their seats, waiting for the contest to begin. They managed to get good seats in the middle area that provided a decent view of the stage. Sitting behind them were the entire Dunsparce Gang minus Aisha.

The murmurs and humming of the public turned into a loud cheer as Jillian walked into the stage. Once she was in position, a pair of spotlights cast their light upon her.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the Burole Town Pokemon Contest! I'm your host, Jillian Meridian," she began, and the crowd exploded into loud cheers. "Thank you! Also give a warm welcome to the judges that will evaluate our wonderful coordinators: Kevlar Town's own Nurse Joy, the Venesi City Gym Leader Rosalind, and the S-Class connoisseur Ambrose Reigns!"

People applauded when Jillian mentioned the two women, but the clapping became noticeably more subdued when Ambrose was mentioned.

Jillian then went to explain the rules of the Pokemon Contests for those in the public not aware of them, and then showed the ribbon the contest winner would take with him or her, finishing off with introducing the very first contestant, beginning the Appeal Round.

And thus, the contest began. Coordinators walked in and out of the arena one after the other, showing both the public and the judges what their Pokemon were able to do. Some where good, others bad, and everything in between. Then again, most of them managed to get a positive reaction from the public.

…

In the waiting area, Serena and Aisha, already changed into their contest outfits, were looking at the performances from one of the monitors hanging from the ceiling. Something drew Aisha's attention, though.

"What's wrong with that Ambrose guy? Does he ever say anything nice?" Aisha asked.

"Don't you know him?" Serena asked, titling her head a little.

Aisha shook his head. "Last year, the third judge was this little old guy that only said 'remarkable' to absolutely everything. I later heard that the guy had a case of extreme senility and the poor sod wasn't aware of where he was or what was going on, so they sent him to an asylum," she explained, making Serena grimace a little. "And from what I'm seeing they took this guy with a colossal rod up his butt as a replacement."

"That reminds me, you should-"

Serena was interrupted when one of the monitors showed a picture of Aisha with the words "NEXT CONTESTANT" written under it.

"Well, it's my time to shine! Wish me luck!" Aisha said, more giddy than before, as she walked out of the coordinator box and into the stage.

"Wait! Ugh..." Serena sighed upon seeing the biker disappear behind the exit door. "I hope she doesn't take Ambrose's words too seriously..."

…

"And now, let's welcome with a big applause to our next coordinator! She's a veteran from the contest circuit that due to... unfortunate misunderstandings with our law enforcement," Jillian began, sounding a bit uncomfortable saying those words. "Has been unable to compete. But today, she makes her triumphant return to the contest scene! From Kevlar Town, Aisha of the Dunsparce Biker Gang!" Jillian said, and the spotlight fell onto Aisha as she made her way towards the stage.

"There's our Aisha!" Lou, Aisha's uncle, shouted. "Show them what you're made of!"

"Go Aisha! We're with you!" Amber cheered.

"Wipe the floor with all of them!" Richard hollered.

"Whoa, look at that outfit!" Bonnie gushed, leaning forward in order to see it better. "So cool!"

If Aisha's contest outfit reminded everybody that she was a biker, it was much more stylish than the deliberatedly torn clothes she normally wore: her outfit consisted on a long sleeved black leather jacket with a large pink pokeball symbol emblazoned on it, cut above her stomach, exposing her toned abs, a miniskirt of the same color and pink trim decorated with pink stars on its left side, and a pair of thigh high boots, also black, with a pink streak running vertically.

Aisha unclipped two pokeballs from her belt, and tossed them forward. "Alright, Dunsparce, Umbreon, gear up!"

Dunsparce's pokeball released a torrent of dark blue flames that formed a vortex, and the Land Snake Pokemon emerged from it, while Umbreon emerged from a flurry of golden stars.

"Dunsparce, fire a Water Pulse into the air! Umbreon, hold it in place with Psychic!" Aisha ordered.

"Dun!" Dunsparce cried, as it opened its mouth, forming an orb of water, which it launched it upwards.

Meanwhile, Umbreon's eyes glowed pink, and an aura of a similar color appeared around the watery sphere, keeping it floating into the air.

"More Water Pulses!" Aisha added.

Dunsparce fired three more Water Pulses, which Umbreon caught with Psychic. One of them was held still, with the other three spinning around it.

"Now, freeze them with Ice Beam!" Aisha said.

Dunsparce did so, firing a white beam of cold energy, freezing all four orbs into spheres of crysaline ice.

"And now, let's go for the big finish! Dunsparce, Thunderbolt on the three spinning ice orbs! Umbreon, Dark Pulse on the one in the middle, but don't drop the Psychic!" Aisha said, her order followed by several gasps from the public.

"And Aisha risks a rather complicated maneuver!" Jillian excitedly commented. "Will it pay off?"

"Aisha didn't win all her ribbons by playing it safe," Ash could hear Lou say behind him.

Dunsparce's body crackled with electricity, before firing three electric bolts towards the orbiting spheres of ice, linking them through chains of yellow lightning. Umbreon opened its mouth, and fired a stream of black and purple energy towards the central orb, which was split into three smaller beams, hitting the three outer electrified ice spheres.

The frozen orbs burst into explosions of crystalline ice, electric sparks and tendrils of dark energy. The audience was in awe upon seeing such a creative show of lights and shadows.

"And done!" Aisha announced, causing the public to break into a loud applause.

"That's our little girl! Whohooo!" Amber loudly cheered, causing Clemont to wince.

"Show them how we do it in the Dunsparce Gang!" Richard added just as loudly.

"And Aisha makes quite the powerful return with an amazingly complex performance involving multiple elements that has the public captivated!" Jillian commented. "Now let's see if the judges are just as impressed!"

The spotlight first fell on Burole Town's Nurse Joy, who looked rather pleased. "This performance has showed us that her time away from contests hasn't dulled Aisha's or her Pokemon's skills in the slightest."

The spotlight fell on the white and black haired Gym Leader next. "Proprio così! I do remember your performances from the last season, and they're just as impressive!" Rosalind kindly said.

The spotlight then moved towards Ambrose, which had many people hold their breath. Unlike Rosalind and Nurse Joy, Ambrose was a new addition to the judge panel, and thus Aisha wasn't familiar with him and his rather... peculiar style of assessing performances.

"You think you may have done pretty good since you got quite the warm reaction don't you? Well, just because you're able to impress simple minded people with low standards means crap in the world of contests," Ambrose began with his usual caustic flair. "Do you know why people taking part in contests are called 'coordinators'? Because that's what's required of them and their Pokemon, coordination. And your Pokemon lacked it. All they did was launch a bunch of attacks into a single point and produce a bunch of flashy explosions. But I imagine that you are unable to teach your Pokemon anything more refined or sophisticated. And your Pokemon are probably too dumb and boorish to learn it. After all, trainers tend to pick Pokemon who are similar to them."

Once Ambrose was done with his scathing review, a deafening silence reigned over the contest hall. The connoisseur leaned back on his chair, proud of his words, while Aisha just stayed there, her jaw clenched and eyes downcast.

Behind him, Ash could feel the temperature rapidly dropping, as well as hearing the sound of low growls and knuckles cracking.

"What are you still doing there? Come on, shoo, there are more sad attempts of coordinators that need to be evaluated," Ambrose said with a dismissive hand wave.

"What the fuck..." Aisha hissed, as she raised her eyes, fixing Ambrose with such a hateful stare, it made him flinch. "...did you call my Pokemon!?"

Then, much to everybody's shock, Aisha began to stomp her way towards Ambrose. The connoisseur's bravado disappeared, his face turned pale, and quickly stood up.

"Hey there, miss, what do you think you are doing...?" Ambrose fearfully began, raising his arms defensively.

"Uh, Ms. Aisha, you shouldn't-" Nurse Joy began, but Aisha didn't listen to her.

"COME HERE YOU PIECE OF SHIT!" Aisha yelled, as she ran towards Ambrose.

The man squeaked in terror, and quickly ran away from there, Aisha chasing after him. The public was confused: some people applauded and cheered Aisha for being the one to finally stand up to the detestable man, while others were distraught over the thought of what Aisha might do to him.

"Attacking a judge is a serious offense! I can get you banned from contests for life!" Ambrose shouted as he ran away.

"I'M NOT GOING TO HURT YOU, I ONLY WANT TO TALK!" Aisha unconvincingly yelled, as she continued the chase. "NOW STOP RUNNING YOU WALKING GARBAGE IN HUMAN SHAPE!"

…

Aisha and Ambrose ran three laps around the stage before the coordinator finally gave up the chase. Thankfully for Aisha, the Contest Hall security let her go with a warning, and was allowed to continue with the contest if she behaved, which she begrundingly agreed to.

"Hey," Serena greeted Aisha as she saw the biker walk back into the waiting area.

"Hey," she grumbled.

"Sorry, I wanted to warn you not to take whatever that man says seriously," Serena told her, as she patted her on the shoulder. "He's like that with pretty much everybody. I heard that caustic critics tend to cause some sort of fascination with the audience."

"I thought he was just a tough nut to crack," Aisha said, before visibly slumping. Now that the adrenaline fueled by her anger had worn off, the biker could realize what she just did. "I made a fool of myself out there, didn't I?"

Serena smiled at her. "I'm sure a lot of people thought that guy needed to be brought down a peg, and were rooting for you to do so."

"If you say so..."

"Well..." Serena said, rubbing the back of her head in a way that would have reminded her of Ash if she saw herself on a mirror. "...I certainly felt that way. I still remember the first time I was at the end of his scathing comments. He almost brought me to tears."

"Still, it was a bit embarrasing, letting myself lose control like that," Aisha insisted. "Though, I don't care what he or any other dumbass says about me, I'm thick skinned. But when somebody insults my Pokemon... now that's crossing a line."

"That's something I can agree with," Serena said.

Serena's name then appeared on the screen that signaled who was next on the Appeal Round.

"Well, my turn. Wish me luck!" Serena said, as she skidded towards the exit.

"You go, girl!"

…

"And our next coordinator is Serena from Vaniville Town in Kalos!" Jillian announced.

Serena entered the stage, waving at the public who welcomed her with a warm appaluse.

"There she is! Come on Serena, you can do it!" Ash cheered, pumping his fist.

Two pokeballs were already on her hand, and tossed them forward. "Pancham, Minicorn, go!"

The capture devices hit the ground and opened. Pancham appeared among a storm of pink and red hearts, while Minicorn emerged from a vortex of pink rose petals.

"Cham!"

"Corn!"

"Now Pancham, ride on top of Minicorn, and Minicorn, start running around the stage!" Serena commaned.

Pancham leaped into the air, gracefully landing on Minicorn's back, who reared back and let out a high pitched, cutesy neigh, before she started galloping, raising a small trail of dust behind.

"Now Pancham, show everybody your acrobatic skills!" Serena said.

"Cham-Pancham!" Pancham said, as he began to do handstands, both with two and one paws, while keeping perfect balance, all while Minicorn continued to gallop, though she slowed down when she reached one of the edges of the stage for the second time.

"Hey, not bad! Wonder how that Pancham would do with a motorbike instead of a foal," Ash heard Richard say.

"So that's what Serena had been practicing in secret!" Bonnie said, watching Pancham riding Minicorn with stars in her eyes.

"Makes sense. She'd need way more space for something like that than a mere battleground could provide," Clemont said in realization.

"Do you think Serena will let me ride Minicorn too?" Bonnie asked her older brother, though her question went unanswered.

"Excellent! Now Minicorn, throw Pancham into the air with Fairy Wind!" Serena ordered.

Minicorn stopped, and Pancham jumped high above him. Minicorn's horn started to glow pink, and waving it like a wand, it crated a powerful twister of pink wind with white sparkles that launched Pancham even higher. The Playful Pokemon curled into a ball and began to spin as he moved in an arc towards the opposite end of the stage.

"And contrary to her usual spiel, Serena delights the public with a skilled acrobatic number!" Jillian commented, as the public began to cheer.

This made Serena smile with even more confidence. "Pancham, use Stone Edge when you land! Do it the way we practiced!"

As expected, Pancham landed on his feet with no trouble. Both Pancham and Minicorn, at opposites sides of the arena, began to run towards each other. Pancham, however, stopped after a few meters, and slammed both paws into the ground, raising a row of stone pillars of blue shining rock. Each column was shorter than the one before, as if forming a slope.

It soon became obvious why of such odd Stone Edge when Minicorn jumped onto the top first and shortest pillar, and began to hop from one pillar to another, until she reached the highest one, and used it as a springboard to jump even higher.

"Charge Beam while you're in the air!" Serena shouted.

Minicorn's horn started to crackle with yellow electricity, and began to fire multiple lightning bolts in many directions while she soared through the air, much to the public's awe.

"Now Pancham, another Stone Edge to help Minicorn land!" Serena called.

"Cham!" Pancham said, repeating the same action as before. Except this time, the row of rising stone pillars was growing in height rather than decreasing.

Minicorn landed on the highest pillar, and hopped on the others until she finally got to ground level.

"And finish!" Serena said.

The public's ovation was deafening, much to Serena and her Pokemon's joy.

"Quite the delighful performance!" Jillian joyfully said. "Now let's see what the judges have to say about it!"

The spotlight fell on Nurse Joy, who looked satisfied with what she saw. "Teamwork is very important on performances involving two Pokemon, and Pancham and Minicorn worked so well together!"

Next, it was Rosalind's turn. "Not to mention, making sure one Pokemon don't overshadow the other, the two of them must be in perfect balance, and neither of them felt eclipsed by the other!"

And usual, they saved Ambrose for last. Ash wondered if, after what Aisha attempted to do, he'll try to restrain his usual caustic comments, or if, knowing Serena, he'd know that she wouldn't try something violent. "I don't know if you realized that this is a contest, not a rodeo, so save those embarrasing numbers for less refined spectacles. At the very least you didn't go half assed with it and also provided a rodeo clown to complete the picture."

Ash didn't know if Ambrose was calling either Serena or one of her Pokemon a clown. Serena didn't do anything, and ignoring Ambrose as best as she could, recalled her Pokemon and walked back towards the waiting area.

…

A smiling Aisha welcomed Serena back in the Contestant's Room.

"Good show out there! I loved how you had your Pancham ride your Minicorn!" Aisha said, slapping the Kalosian her on her back. "That was a very original trick."

"Thanks," Serena replied.

"Maybe for the next time, you could get Pancham a toy motorbike. I could teach him how to ride it and do some sick moves!" Aisha excitedly said.

"Uh, thanks, but I think I'll continue to have him ride Minicorn," Serena politely declined. "Though, why don't you use that idea? You're the biker."

"Oh yeah. Well, the case is, all my Pokemon either walk on four legs or... they don't have any legs at all," she said, chuckling a little. "So yeah, neither of them can ride a bike."

"It's a pity. I suddenly had this mental image of you riding your bike into the stage, followed by a Pokemon also riding a little bike," Serena said, giggling.

"Maybe I should keep that idea for future contests," Aisha replied.

The two girls continued to talk amicably as they watched the few remaining coordinators that had to perform in the Appeal Round. Time flew by, and before either girl realized, the Appeal Round finished.

"And thus the Appeal Round comes to a close!" Jillian announced. "While we had quite a lot of talented coordinators and Pokemon today, but sadly only eight can pass to the next phase! According to the judges, these eight are the coordinators that scored the highest!"

Everybody held their breath as their one by one, the faces of the eight finalists appeared on the screen. Serena managed to score second place, followed by Aisha's third. Once all eight finalists had been revealed, the rest of the contestants either sighed in defeat, or groaned loudly, lamenting having been eliminated already.

"Yes!" Aisha shouted, pumping her fist into the air. "Onto the next phase! I wasn't as rusty as I feared."

"And third position, no less! Of course, your display was amazing, so you didn't deserve any better than the top half," Serena added.

"Now, let's see which opponent our talented coordinators will have to battle against!" Jillian continued. The eight portraits began to shuffle for a few seconds, before they were paired up.

"Look at that," Serena said, eyeing the brackets. "It seems that the two of us will only fight if we both make it to the finals."

"In that case, make sure you reach the finals, you hear me?" Aisha said. "I want my grand return to the contest circuit to be something worth remembering, and a contest battle against you would be the icing on the cake."

"I'd love to fight you in the finals as well," Serena said, before she shoot the biker a look filled with resolve. "Though, don't think I'm going to be an easy opponent."

Aisha couldn't help but smile. "I'd hate if you were."

…

"Yes! Serena passed!" Bonnie cheered.

"Nene!" Dedenne cheered as well.

"It's not that surprising that she did," Ash said, his joy more subdued but still visible. "Serena is past the point of being eliminated in the Appeal Round."

"Still, the anticipation of wondering if Serena is going to pass or not is still there," Clemont pointed out. "Many of the other coordinators also put on amazing showcases, so the possibility that Serena might not make the cut is always there."

Needless to say, the Dunsparce bikers behind them began to cheer and holler loudly the moment Aisha's picture appeared among those who had passed to the second round.

"Yes! That's our Aisha!" Amber shouted.

"Come on girl! Show everybody who's the boss of this contest!" Lou tearfully added.

"Now, let's start the second phase of the contest, the Contest battles! Our first pair of coordinators are Aisha, from Kevlar Town, and Jonathan, from Hearthome City in Sinnoh!" Jillian annouced, as both coordinators made their way towards their spots in the battleground. Naturally, the moment Aisha stepped into the spotlight, the rest of the Dunsparce bikers cheered wildly.

Then, much to Clemont and Bonnie's surprise, the battleground began to shift, changing from the usual dirt terrain, to a large pool with a few islets on it. However, they didn't have to wait much for an answer..

"Coordinator Aisha has requested a water battleground, since she's going to use Pokemon that don't do well on dry land!" Jillian said. "Now, present your Pokemon!"

"Arbok, Tubjaw, gear up!" Aisha said, tossing two pokeballs forward.

Aisha's first Pokemon was her Arbok, which emerged among a bunch of loud red and yellow fireworks and landed on one of the islets. The other Pokemon, emerging from a vortex of ice crystals, was a blue fish-like Pokemon with a rhomboid main body, a long and narrow head just as big, black eyes with bright green irises, and a huge mouth full of sharp teeth of the same color. It had two small dark blue fins to the side and a tail of the same color.

"A new Pokemon," Ash said, as he pulled out his Pokedex to scan it.

"Tubjaw, the Jaw Pokemon. Water/Dark. They are able to unhinge their jaws in order to swallow prey larger than their head. Their teeth are sharper than razors."

"Boy, Aisha really has a thing for Pokemon with menacing appearance and sharp teeth," Clemont pointed out.

"Not all of them. She used an Umbreon and a Dunsparce during the Appeal Round," Ash countered.

Her opponent, Jonathan, was a boy with short dark blue hair, wearing a bright green tuxedo with a yellow tie and a light red shirt underneath. He sent his Pokemon, a Roselia and a Kirlia.

The battle began. Aisha's fighting style was pretty aggressive and quick, attacking relentlessly and never giving the opponent any chance to breathe. Arbok was pretty swift and sneaky, both on solid ground and on the water, and her Tubjaw was a great swimmer. She often used combos involving one of her Pokemon tossing a foe towards the other, which would greet it with a powerful blow. Such excellent teamwork was appreciated by the judges.

Such strategy took no time to net Aisha her first win, as her opponent's Pokemon quickly fainted after taking so many blows.

"Roselia and Kirlia can't fight anymore! The winners are Arbok and Tubjaw!" Jillian announced. "And thus, Aisha moves to the semifinals!"

The crowd erupted into wild cheers, and those coming from the Dunsparce Gang were the loudest among them. Ash, Clemont and Bonnie also rooted and cheered for the biker girl.

Serena's fight was third. It was against a girl with green hair tied in a ponytail, wearing a short red and white dress. The girl used a Cocaran and another Pokemon neither Ash or Serena had seen before. It was a small snail Pokemon with blue body and a brown shell. The shell had three bumps on it, making it look like a small castle.

"Cassnail, the Castle Pokemon. Ground/Water. It dissolves minerals in sand and uses them to form a hard carapace on its back. It lives in coastal regions." The Pokedex explained.

Serena's opponent was a tough cookie. Even if her Pokemon didn't appear to threatening, her strategy of using Sandstorm to hamper Serena's Pokemon, combined with her reliance on Ground, Water and Grass type moves, the former two supereffective against Braixen and Selkid being weak to the later, proved to be rather effective. Then again, Serena's Pokemon eventually prevailed, and like Aisha, she passed to the semifinals.

Aisha's next battle was against a girl who, oddly enough, was dressed like a shepherd, staff included. She used a Mareep, and another sheep Pokemon with black wool, gray skin, a blue muzzle, red eyes, and two stump-like horns growing at the sides of its head.

"Baashaun, the Hard Horn Pokemon. Dark/Fighting. Its wool is prized as fiber for extra-rugged clothing. However it is much harder to raise than its docile cousin Mareep." The Pokedex droned upon scanning the new Pokemon.

Nevertheless, the sheep duo fell before the might of Aisha's Pokemon.

Serena had to fight against a girl with a Cubblfly and a Kinetmunk in the second semifinal, who proved to be easier to beat than her first opponent.

That would mean that Serena and Aisha would fight each other in the finals for the Burole Ribbon. As per usual, there was a reprieve of ten minutes so both coordinators could rest a little. Some people took advantage of the pause to go to the bathroom or just stand and stretch their legs. Eventually, the ten minutes went up, and the two finalists walked towards the stage, whose battleground was shifting to accommodate Aisha's Pokemon.

"That friend of yours is pretty skilled, no point in denying it," Richard began. "But sadly, there is nothing she can do against Aisha."

"Aisha is indeed pretty good and her Pokemon are strong, but she's going to need much more than mere strength if she wants to beat Serena," Ash retorted back.

"Now, the moment you have been waiting for!" Jillian excitedly announced. "The Burole Town Contest final battle! On one side, we have Serena, from Vaniville Town, Kalos!"

The public cheered, Ash, Clemont and Bonnie being the loudest. Pikachu and Dedenne cheered as well.

"And on the other side, from Kevlar Town, Aisha!" Jillian continued.

The public cheered once again, the members of the Dunsparce Gang being even louder than Serena's friends had been just a moment before.

"Coordinators, present your Pokemon!"

"Braixen, Selkid, go!" Serena said, tossing her pokeballs forward.

Braixen emerged from a torrent of flames, while Selkid appeared among a vortex of clear water, the two of them landing on one of the battleground's platforms.

"Arbok, Tubjaw, gear up!" Aisha said, sending her Pokemon to battle, Arbok landing on another platform, while Tubjaw appearing on the water with a splash.

"Five minutes on the clock! Begin!" Jillian shouted.

~Serena (Braixen, Selkid) VS Aisha (Arbok, Tubjaw) ~

"Those who strike first, also strike twice, and those will be us!" Aisha energically said, throwing a hand forward. "Arbok, Sludge Wave!"

"Shaabak!" the Cobra Pokemon hissed, as it expelled a wave of black and purple sludge from its mouth.

"Braixen, counter that with Flamethrower! Selkid, get behind Braixen!" Serena ordered.

The two Pokemon did as commanded. Braixen aimed the tip of her ignited wand towards the wave of incoming sludge, casting a stream of fire towards it, setting it ablaze in a bright flash of red and orange, causing both Serena, Aisha and Jillian to shield their eyes. This action cost Aisha some of her points.

"Tubjaw, now! Aqua Jet!" Aisha ordered.

"Jaw!" the fish Pokemon said.

Before Serena could react, a missile of water rocketed out of the pool, striking Braixen right on her abdomen and pushing her aside, leaving Selkid in the open. Serena's points dropped to the same amount as Aisha's.

"Now Arbok, strike Selkid with Thunder Fang!" Aisha commanded.

Arbok quickly slithered towards the Sea Nymph Pokemon, as its fangs crackled with electricity, yellow sparks pouting from its mouth.

"Selkid, defend yourself with Hyper Voice!" Serena countered.

"Seeeeeeel-KIIIIIIID!" Selkid yelled, weaponizing her voice into a sound based attack.

"Cancel that and jump into the water, Arbok!" Aisha quickly countered.

Arbok's Thunder Fang was interrupted, as the Cobra Pokemon jumped into the pool, just in time to avoid a stream of destructive soundwaves. The dodged attack cost Serena more points.

"And Aisha keeps pressure with a relentless offensive, while also dodging all of Serena's attempts to counterattack!" Jillian excitedly commented. "What will Serena do now?"

"How about this, then?" Serena replied the announcer's rethorical question. "Selkid, freeze the water of the pool with Ice Beam!"

"Oh shit!" Aisha cursed.

"Kid!" Selkid said, opening her mouth and forming a white sphere of chilling energy in front o it. However, rather than a beam, it shot a cone of freezing energy that created a block of ice, before the attack petered out, leaving the Sea Nymph Pokemon with a coughing fit. Needless to say, this costed Serena even more points, whose score was now below three quarters. Tubjaw had jumped back into the pool, leaving Braixen free to rejoin Selkid.

"You gave me quite the scare there, you know that?" Aisha said, sounding mildly irritated. "I wasn't counting on your Pokemon having Ice-type moves, given that I didn't see you use any in the previous matches. Oh well, one less thing to worry about. Arbok, Thunder Fang! Tubjaw, Ice Fang!"

Both the Cobra Pokemon and the Jaw Pokemon jumped from opposite sides, the former Pokemon's jaws once again overflowing with electricity, and the latter's being covered in ice, with white mist coming out of it.

"Braixen, defend with Hidden Power!" Serena replied.

"Brai brai!" Braixen cried, as she waved her wand around her in circles, summoning a series of basketball-sized spheres of energy that constantly shifted color, forming a spinning shield around the two Pokemon. Arbok and Tubjaw slammed into the impromptu barrier, and were pushed back into the water.

"Oh shit!" Aisha said, grabbing her temples.

"And Serena manages to counter with a creative use of Hidden Power!" Jillian excitedly said.

"And that's not all! Selkid, jump into the water and use Hyper Voice!" Serena continued.

Selkid jumped into the pool making a little splash, and let herself sink. As she descended, she sensed a shift in the water, warning her that Arbok and Tubjaw had noticed her and were swimming towards her. Before they had any chance to attack, Selkid opened her mouth and released powerful soundwaves. The attack proved to be much stronger than it ever was on dry land, causing the water in the pool to stir so much, it almost looked like a sea storm, while Aisha's Pokemon were blasted away, with the former getting out of the water and jumping into one of the platforms.

Aisha's points dropped even further, being a little over half.

"Serena makes an intelligent use of the water battleground by using it to cast a very powerful Hyper Voice!" Jillian excitedly commented. "Allowing Serena not only to close the gap in points but switch it in her favor!"

Bonnie was a little confused at Jillian's explaination. She tugged her brother's sleeve. "Hey Clemont, why did that happen? How is that Hyper Voice is more powerful underwater? Is because Selkid is a Water type?"

"No, it has nothing to do with that. You see, soundwaves travel much faster through liquid than through air. That means that sound-based attacks like Hyper Voice will be much more effective underwater," Clemont explained.

"Really? I didn't know that," an amazed Ash said. "Science is so amazing!"

"Pi..." Pikachu said, patting his head.

"How could you not know that? It's basic physics!" Clemont replied, incredulous.

"Hey, I'm a grown man and I didn't know that either," Richard protested. He looked at Aisha. "And I don't think Aisha knew it either."

"Yeah, that Tubjaw has it tough. Unlike Arbok, it can't get out of the water," Clemont observed.

"Aisha is pretty smart, though. She'll figure a way to counter that move," Amber said, her confidence in her fellow biker unwavering.

Back on the battleground, Serena was planning to press on her advantage, now that she had finally turned the tides of the battle.

"Braixen, quickly, use Psybeam on Arbok!" Serena ordered.

"Brai-XEN!" Braixen said, her eyes glowing with a blue, pink and white light, before firing a beam of swirling energy of those very colors.

"Sha?" Arbok asked, who had just got out of the water, as it just noticed the super effective attack sailing towards it.

"Tubjaw, intercept that attack, now!" Aisha shouted.

Despite the damage taken from Selkid's underwater Hyper Voice, the Jaw Pokemon heard its trainer and was able enough to continue the fight. Tubjaw leaped out of the water, getting in the way between the Psychic attack and its partner, successfully blocking the former and saving the latter. Aisha's defense shaved off some points of Serena's score, but the girl from Kalos was still in the lead.

The biker girl looked at the time, and gritted her teeth. She had less than two minutes to turn around this before the buzzer rang.

"Alright, time to break out the big guns then! Tubjaw, get out of the water and hop onto Arbok's head!" Aisha commanded. The fish Pokemon did was it was told, using its fins to get a hold of Arbok's head. "Excellent! Now Arbok, use Seed Bomb! And Tubjaw, Dark Pulse!"

"Shaabak!"

"Tub!"

Arbok opened its jaws, releasing a barrage of melon-sized seeds, while Tubjaw exhaled a stream of black and purple energy. The two attacks combined, resulting in a salvo of darkness-coated seed missiles.

"Braixen stop that attack with Fire Blast!" Serena ordered.

The ignited tip on Braixen's wand burned with more intensity, as the Fox Pokemon aimed her weapon forward, releasing a giant wall of flames shaped like the kanji of fire. The two attacks clashed against each other, producing multiple explosions as the Seed Bombs detonated prematurely. However, much to Serena's shock, several of the projectiles managed to push past Braixen's fire attack, flying towards the two Pokemon.

"Braix!"

"Sel?"

Much to Selkid's surprise, Braixen pushed the smaller Water-type behind her, shielding the Sea Nymph Pokemon with her own body. The darkness-enhanced Seed Bombs smashed against Braixen, and the Fox Pokemon was engulfed in a multitude of small explosions of green and purple colors.

"Braixen!" Serena cried, as she watched her Pokemon drop to one knee. She didn't even notice that her points had dropped even further, now being less than half.

"Well, your Pokemon is pretty brave, and her sense of loyalty towards her partner is admirable, I'll give you that," Aisha said, the tone of her voice revealing she was genuinely impressed.

"Sel? Selkid!" Selkid said, watching the bruised and battered Braixen with eyes wide open. "Sel!?"

"B-Brai..." Braixed said, forcing to smile at the smaller Pokemon.

Selkid then put herself in front of Braixen, almost acting as a human shield.

"Man, look at that. You're making me feel like shit for what I'm going to do next," Aisha said, scratching her temple. "But I really want that ribbon, so sorry if I come as too rough. Tubjaw, Arbok, back into the water! Tubjaw, use Surf!"

"Tuuuub!" Tubjaw said, as it hopped from Arbok's head, and got into the water with a splash. From underwater, the Jaw Pokemon raised a huge wave in the middle of the battleground, just behind Arbok. The wave cast a large shadow over Braixen and Selkid.

Serena looked at the forming wave in horror. That attack would surely knock Braixen out, weakened as she was, and there's no way Selkid would be able to continue the fight alone. They needed to stop that attack, and right now, only one thing could do it.

"Selkid, use Ice Beam to freeze that wave!" Serena said, causing the Sea Nymph Pokemon to look at her, as if Serena was expecting for her to pull a miracle. "Come on Selkid, I know you can do it! You have a lot of power hidden inside you, and you trained a lot! A mere Ice Beam is nothing for you! Don't be afraid!"

Selkid looked at Serena, before looking at Braixen, who had took the brunt of a combined attack to protect the Sea Nymph Pokemon, still struggling to get back to her feet. She then looked at the incoming wave, and wiped expression of fear and uncertainity from her face, replaced by one of resolve.

"Seeeeeel...!" Selkid opened her mouth once again, forming an white orb of freezing energy in front of it. "KID!"

Focusing on the wave, Selkid released the energy stored inside the orb, this time being released in the form of a jagged and slightly wavering energy beam, but unlike the previous attempt, this time it didn't peter out or go out of control. The beam hit the wave, freezing it into a wall of ice.

"Now she can use Ice Beam!? This has to be a goddamn joke!" Aisha shouted, bringing her hands to her head.

"It seems second time's the charm, as Selkid's successful Ice Beam had stopped Aisha's attack on its tracks!" Jillian commented.

On the scoreboard, Aisha's points dropped, even if she was still on the lead. Meanwhile, Braixen had mustered the last of her strength, got back on her feet, and picked up her wand.

"Now, Braixen, use Psybeam on that wall of ice!" Serena ordered, thrusting a hand forward.

"Braiiiii!" Braixen cried, as her eyes once again glowed with a multitude of colors, before firing a beam of psychic energy from them.

The beam sailed towards the wall of ice unimpeded, shattering it into a thousand tiny shards, revealing a stupefied Arbok behind it.

"We're not giving up! Tubjaw, Arbok, use the Seed Bomb and Dark Pulse combo again!" Aisha shouted.

"Braixen, counter with Hidden Power! Selkid, freeze the orbs with Ice Beam!" Serena replied.

Once again, Tubjaw jumped on top of Arbok's head as the Coobra Pokemon fired a salvo of large explosive seeds, before Tubjaw exhaled an inky beam of dark energy, coating them in a cloak of shadows. Meanwhile, Braixen summoned a multitude of multicolored orbs and sent them to meet the incoming attack, while Selkid used Ice Beam to cover them in frost.

The two attacks clashed against each other, resulting in a beautiful explosion of green bits, tiny ice shards and dark purple sparks.

"Arbok, get close and-"

BZZZZZZZ!

"And time's up!" Jillian announced, giving both Serena and Aisha pause, the two coordinators completely engaged in the battle. After realizing what was going on, they both looked at the scoreboard, holding their breath. "And the winner of the match, and thus winner of the Burole Contest is..."

The two finalists weren't the only ones who directed their eyes towards the scoreboard, as the entire public did so as well.

Aisha retained a third of her points. Serena had a little over that.

"...Serena!" Jillian announced, as the scoreboard shifted to show Serena's picture, with pictures of her two Pokemon under it, and the word WINNER in bold, capital letters.

Serena let out a squeal of joy, as she quickly rushed towards her exhauted Pokemon.

"We did it! We won!" Serena said, scooping Braixen and Selkid into an effusive hug. "Thank you guys! You were truly amazing!"

"Brai..."

"Sel!"

Naturally, Aisha's mood had completely plummeted. She was this close to make her big comeback, and had her victory snatched away from her at the very last second. Needless to say, her Pokemon were just as upset.

"Hey, you did a great job, nothing to be ashamed of," Aisha said, sounding half chastising and half encouraging, as she rubbed their heads affectionately. "We'll continue training, so next time we'll do even better."

"Well said," Serena said as she walked towards her rival, startling the biker a little. The Kalosian girl extended her hand. "It was a good battle, Aisha."

Aisha smiled, if weakly, and gave Serena's hand a rather strong shake. "I thought I could come and take the ribbon, but guess we were rustier than I thought."

Serena shook her head. "Nonsense. You made me push my Pokemon to their very limits. And yours fought splendidly. Not to mention that you made it to the very finals despite how long you've been out of the contest circuit. I'm afraid to think how our battle would have ended if you weren't as rusty as you claim to be. Which I assume we'll learn the next time we meet again in a contest, right?"

Aisha's smile widened, becoming more genuine. "You can bet we will."

A few minutes later, Serena was standing on a small podium, Braixen and Selkid flanking her, with the three judges and Jillian next to her. This time, it was Rosalind who handed her the opened case with the ribbon.

"Congratulations for your victory, ragazza," the Gym Leader said, allowing Serena to grab the ribbon inside it. "Here's the Burole Ribbon."

Serena grabbed the ribbon. She looked at it for a moment, before rising it above her head. "Ta-da! I won the Burole Ribbon!" she cheered, and the public broke into a loud applause.

"And thus, the Burole Town Contest comes to an end! I hope you have a great time, and see you next time!" Jillian said, officially ending the contest.

…

Moments later, the group was outside the contest hall. Ash, Serena, Clemont and Bonnie were standing in front of the whole Dunsparce Gang, sitting on their bikes.

"Hey Serena, even if I lost..." Aisha began, averting her rival's gaze, before looking at her and smiling. "I really had a great time fighting you. It would have been better if I won, but oh well."

"Thank you. I also enjoyed our match as well, even if there were moments when you made me panic," Serena said, causing Aisha and all the bokers to chuckle.

"Hey, what's a competition without good rivals to keep each other sharp?" Ash rhetorically asked.

"Yes. You showed me that I still have a long way to go if I want to achieve my dreams. But the Dunsparce Gang isn't afraid of long ways," Aisha replied. "You better stay at the best of your game. It would be a shame if I defeated you just because you slacked off."

"I can assure you, that's something you won't have to worry about," Serena assured her.

Aisha smirked. "Good to hear that."

And with that, all the Dunsparce Gang bikers turned their bikes around and drove away, the noise their vehicles made growing fainter and fainter until they couldn't be heard anymore.

"Guess there's nothing left to do on this town anymore," Ash surmised. "Should we continue our journey to Bealbeach City?"

"Yeah. It will take us some time to get there, and I'd hate to make Lilia wait more than necessary," Clemont said. "What's the fastest route to reach there?"

Serena opened her tablet, and checked the map function. "According to the map, we should head east, take Route 4, cross the Comet Cave, then turn west towards Rochfale Town, and then move north."

"We're still pretty far away from it," Bonnie said, before perking up and looking at Clemont. "Oh well, the more time we get to spend with you before you have to go to the power plant!"

Clemont couldn't help but chuckle. "Heh, you always see the bright side of a situation, Bonnie."

"Rochfale Town holds contests, but I'm afraid that there are no Pokemon Gyms until we reach Bealbeach City," Serena said, looking at Ash. "At least, if we don't take a detour."

Ash shook his head and smiled. "The Gyms aren't going anywhere. I don't mind having to wait a little in order to get my hands on the next badge. Let's take that route."

The decision made and the path to their next destination chosen, the group left Burole Town behind, ready to continue their journey through Tandor and see what else the region had to offer.

Chapter Text

Chapter 15:

Route 4 – Baa Grasslands

With Ash's second badge and Serena's second ribbon, the group finally left Burole Town behind and continued their journey through Tandor by taking Route 4, also known as the Baa Grasslands. It was a fairly long route that connected Burole Town with Comet Cave, as well as Route 10. However, for the time being, the group would head towards the former.

As the name implied, the Baa Grasslands were mostly green grass fields, plenty of shrubbery, and small forests, with nothing but a natural-formed path that wasn't green. The route was also split in two by a river that led to the sea. Fortunately, there was a sturdy wooden bridge that allowed safe passage to the other side.

To the east, they could see some more beaches, with palm trees growing on them, not dissimilar to the beach they had spent the day in while they traveled Seabreeze Way. This time, though, they felt it would be for the best if they didn't spend time playing around in the sand. Baa Grasslands was a long route, and the quicker they crossed it, the better. They've been walking for two days, and they hadn't even reached the halfway point.

“Boy, we've been traveling for two days straight, and we're nowhere close to Comet Cave,” Bonnie complained. “Maybe we should have asked those bikers to give us a ride...”

“Come on Bonnie, where's the hurry?” Serena asked. “I thought you didn't mind a long travel since that means more time with your brother before he goes his separate way.”

“Yeah. Where's your sense of adventure?” Ash asked. “You should enjoy the sights of each place we visit.”

“I already did, yesterday. All there is is grass, grass, more grass, and some trees,” Bonnie continued, waving her arms towards the small forest to their left for added emphasis.

“Normally it hasn't taken us more than a day to go from one town to another,” Clemont observed. “And I believe the longer distance is taking a toll on Bonnie's patience.”

“How about if we stop and take a rest until lunchtime?” Serena suggested. “It should make the long trip until Comet Cave more bearable. Plus, our Pokemon could use the time to stretch their legs.”

“Well thought, Serena!” Ash agreed, before pointing forward. “Look, that spot between the edge of the forest and a small lake is perfect to set camp.”

Nobody contested the idea, and the group decided to take a rest from all the morning they've spent walking. The Pokemon certainly appreciated being let out after spending most of the previous day inside their respective capture devices.

The moment the Pokemon went out, they either yawned, stretched, happily greeted both each other and their trainers. Greninja, however, the moment he was let out, took a look at the rest of his teammates, and the moment he spotted Colarva, he then fired an Ice Beam towards an empty spot next to them. With great skill, Greninja managed to build a rudimentary shelter made of ice.

“Co! Colarva!” the Snow Mite Pokemon happily cried, as he rushed towards the icy construct. “Cooooooo...” he squealed, enjoying the coldness of the artificial cave.

“Great idea, Greninja!” Ash told his Kalosian starter. “That will help Colarva until he gets used to warmer temperatures.”

“Gre,” Greninja nodded. Then, all of sudden, Greninja tensed up. “Ninja?”

“Greninja? Something's wrong?” Ash asked.

Greninja looked upwards, and his trainer followed his eyes. There was something in the sky that was flying towards them. As it came closer, Ash could see it was a Staraptor, with somebody riding on its back. It was a young woman with light green hair dressed in a dark blue and green uniform Ash had already seen before.

“You can relax, Greninja. She's a Tandor Ranger,” Ash told the Ninja Pokemon.

The Staraptor landed, and the Ranger quickly hopped off its back.

“Hey there, Ms. Ranger,” Clemont greeted her, before awkwardly adding. “Is there any problem we should be aware of?”

“As a matter of fact-” the Ranger began.

“Whoa, you're quite the keeper!” Bonnie said, as she walked towards her. “Will you-WHOA!”

“No,” Clemont resoundinlgy cut her off, snatching her with his Aipom Arm before his sister did have the chance to embarrass him.

“You didn't even let me finish!” Bonnie protested.

“I don't need to! I know what you were going to do!” Clemont replied.

Serena shook her head as she chuckled a little nervously, before she walked towards the Ranger. “You were going to tell us something?”

“I was, yes. My name's Wendy, and as you can see, I'm a Ranger of Tandor. Given that I saw that you're about to set camp here, I should inform you about a series of thefts that had happened around the area,” the Ranger told them.

“Thefts?” Ash repeated. This also got Clemont and Bonnie's attention.

“Thefts. Many people who traveled through this area had reported disappearance of some of their belongings, usually after they had set up camp to rest, just like you're doing right now,” the Ranger confirmed. “And according to some of our witnesses' reports, the thieves are a group of Pokemon.”

“Well, we do have some experience with Pokemon thieves,” Bonnie chimed in.

Despite the fact that the young girl didn't look at anybody, some Pokemon, most notably Chespin, shot Minicorn a dirty look. The Foal Pokemon smiled awkwardly at them, while Pancham patted her on the back.

“The strangest part is, they're from species not know to work together, so it's possible that they may be working for a trainer. Though the fact that there doesn't seem to be a clear pattern regarding stolen goods puts this idea in doubt, since they just steal about anything they can carry,” Wendy further explained. “Anyway, some Rangers are patrolling this zone in case we catch the thieves, while also warning everybody who travels through this route, just like yourselves, so try to stay sharp.”

“Don't worry, we will. Thanks a lot for warning us!” Ash replied.

“Good,” Wendy said, as she hopped back onto her Staraptor. “And remember, if you have any information regarding the thieves, please contact any Ranger as soon as possible.”

With that final request, the Staraptor flapped its wings, raising a gust of wind as it took off, before shooting into the sky. In no time, Ranger and Pokemon disappeared into the clouds.

Ash then turned around towards the Pokemon, both his and his friends'. “You heard the lady! Keep your eyes open in case you see those thieves!”

They all nodded and cried in agreement.

After a few moments, both humans and Pokemon found something to do in order to pass the time: Ash and Pikachu trained with Colarva, Dunsparce and Aveden. Chespin, Bunnelby, Pancham, and Dedenne played with Bonnie. Sylveon, Eevee, Eletux and Selkid took a bath on a nearby pond, playing in the water, with Eevee continuing his efforts to woo Sylveon. And lastly, Greninja, Luxray and Braixen watched over them; the former two kept an eye on outside threats, while the later watched over the younger Pokemon.

As for the two remaining humans, Clemont thought it was a good moment to try to decrypt more of the data he downloaded from the Team Omega base, while Serena was about to start a new project.

“Minicorn, come here for a moment!” Serena called.

The Foal Pokemon quickly got out of the water, shaking the water off her wet body, before getting close to Serena. Serena, surrounded by many fabrics and sewing supplies, took a mesurement tape, and used it to take some measurements of Minicorn. After writing them down, she allowed the Foal Pokemon to return to the water.

“Hey Serena, what are you doing?” Serena heard Bonnie ask. The young girl had stopped playing with the Pokemon –who continued to play without her– curiosity piqued by what Serena was working on.

Serena smiled proudly at Bonnie's interest. “I'm glad you asked. Remember the outfits my Pokemon wore when they were doing Showcases?”

“I totally do! Those clothes made your Pokemon even cuter than they are!” Bonnie began to gush. “It's a pity they don't dress Pokemon for contests.”

“My thoughts exactly,” Serena agreed. “That's why I decided to make something about it.”

“Really?” Bonnie asked.

“Unfortunately, unlike Kalos, clothes for Pokemon don't appear to be a thing in Tandor, so I'll have to make the clothes myself,” Serena told her. “They will be only used for the Appeal Round, though. They'd end up completely torn apart during a battle.”

Bonnie didn't seem to mind that. “Can I help you?”

“If you want, sure,” Serena said, smiling at Bonnie's eagerness.

And thus, Bonnie helped Serena making clothes for the latter's Pokemon. Serena did most of the skilled work, while had Bonnie do the easier and less complex tasks.

As Serena and Bonnie worked on the clothes, Ash trained, and Clemont worked on his laptop, both Greninja and Luxray quickly grew tense.

“Gre!/Lux!” both cried in unison, as they looked towards several shrubs, which began to rustle. Everybody, both human and Pokemon, noticed this, and held their breath wondering what was coming to them. Were those Pokemon thieves going to attack them?

“Chy?” a high pitched voice said, as a Chyinmunk emerged from behind the shrubs, looking at the group with curious eyes.

Everybody looked at the newcomer, and let out a sigh of relief. “Oh, it's just a Chyinmunk. I was afraid of something bigger coming.”

“It doesn't even look malicious,” Clemont observed.

Chyinmunk looked around curiously, in a way that reminded them of the first time they met Aveden when he was a Birbie. And just like Aveden back in the day, Chyinmunk looked at the ball, smiled, and asked something to the Pokemon playing with it, probably if it could play with them. The other Pokemon happily obliged, and Chyinmunk joined the fun.

“Heh, it just wants to have some fun with the other Pokemon,” Ash said, chuckling.

“Maybe Chyinmunk wants to join us later,” Bonnie observed. “Like Birbie did.”

Despite everybody relaxing and dropping their guard with Chyinmunk, there were two Pokemon who did not: Greninja and Luxray watched the small rodent intently with distrustful eyes. They clearly didn't think that the Chipmunk Pokemon wasn as nonthreatening and it looked.

“Come on Greninja, I don't think a little Chyinmunk is going to pose any danger,” Ash told the Ninja Pokemon.

“Ninja!” Greninja said, as he continued to watch the newcomer alongside Luxray.

Ash merely shrugged, and decided to continue the training with the other Pokemon. Despite thinking that Greninja was a little paranoid, he trusted the Kalosian Pokemon wouldn't do anything unprovoked. So far, all Chyinmunk was doing was having fun playing with a ball. Everybody else also continued doing whatever they were doing before Chyinmunk joined them.

The next fifteen minutes were mostly pleasant and uneventful, as people and Pokemon continued with their activities undisturbed.

“Bonnie, fetch me some golden thread, please,” She asked the younger girl, as she pulled out a needle.

“Coming!” Bonnie replied, as she looked for the small case where Serena kept all her thread reels. However, despite looking around, she didn't find it. “Uh... Serena? The thread reels aren't here?”

Serena turned at her, a look on obfuscation on her face. “That can't be right. You've been giving me thread reels when I asked you to.” She stated, as she began to look around as well, but the case was nowhere to be seen.

“The sheets of fabric aren't here either!” Bonnie exclaimed. “And they were a few minutes ago!”

“Did we just get robbed?” Serena shouted.

The shout, naturally, drew the attention of everybody else, human and Pokemon, who quickly went to check on her.

“Everybody, look if there's something else that's missing!” Serena urged her male companions.

Ash and Clemont nodded, and quickly went to check their backpacks. They ruffled them for a few seconds, before the expected reactions came.

“Some of my clothes are missing!” Ash shouted.

“Some of my tools and books are missing too!” Clemont said.

“We just got robbed! But... how?” Ash asked, looking around franctially, as if the thief or thieves would be still close. “We had Greninja and Luxray watching for potential thieves!”

“Gre?”

“Lux...”

“Yes, but...” Clemont began. “They were rather fixated on watching that Chyinmunk that joined the Pokemon who were playing with the ball...”

Both Pokemon opened their eyes wide in shock once Clemont's implication hit them, as a feeling of shame washed over them.

“Speaking of which,” Bonnie chimed in. “Where is Chyinmunk?”

Everybody looked around, and realized that the Chipmunk Pokemon was nowhere to be seen. The implications of its absence soon became evident.

“Gren!”

“Luxray!”

The shame both Pokemon were feeling for failing to stop the theft quickly faded into both validation over realizing that they were right to trust their instincts and not trust the newcomer, and anger over realizing that Chyinmunk had still played them, being an intentional decoy rather a potential thief.

“Even with Greninja and Luxray distracted, how were they able to steal anything with all of us here?” Serena asked, throwing her hands in the air. “Somebody must have seen something!”

“It's not that we didn't have our attention elsewhere. All of us were occupied doing something,” Clemont said.

“How are we going to get the stolen stuff back?” Bonnie asked. “Should we just look for the thieves?”

“Of course! We aren't going to let a bunch of little looters get away with all our things!” Ash energically said, punching his palm. “Come on Pikachu, let's go!”

“I'll go with you!” Serena offered. “Pancham, Sylveon, with me.”

“Guess Bonnie and I will stay here to ensure that the thieves don't come back and steal even more of our belongings,” Clemont said, before letting out a sigh.

…

Minutes later, Ash, Serena and the Pokemon they took with them walked through the forest at the edge of their campsite, both humans and Pokemon as alert as they could be, trying to find anything suspicious. They encountered many Pokemon minding their own business, but it was impossible to tell if they were the thieves or not. They also saw several Chyinmunk, but Pancham confirmed neither of them was the Chyinmunk that had played with him earlier.

“So, Ash,” Serena began. “Do you know what are we looking for?”

“I've been thinking about the potential thief. It managed to evade our sight, and they only stole small things that weight very little. So it's probably a small Pokemon, like Chynmunk. Maybe even smaller,” Ash explained as he continued to walk with a resolute step.

Serena weighed his words, and couldn't find any flaw in his logic. “That makes sense. So we're looking for a nest or a lair...?”

“Yeah, pretty much,” Ash agreed.

“Ash... not to sound pessimist, but the Rangers had been looking for those thieves for quite some time, and they didn't find them,” Serena pointed out. “What are our chances to find them?”

“I know this is like trying to find a needle on a haystack, but what's the alternative, letting them get away with stealing our belongings?” Ash replied, his voice carrying a hint of anger, though thankfully not directed at her. “I never ever let anybody, be human or Pokemon, steal from me and get way with it, and I don't plan to start now.”

“Pikapi!” Pikachu energically nodded.

“I see you're not going to give up until we find them,” Serena observed. “Well, I admit I don't like the thought of letting whoever took our things to get away with it either.”

“Besides, I'm sure those Rangers have other duties to attend and thus don't have enough time to search properly,” Ash said, with Serena wondering how much of that hypothesis would be true, and how much of it was Ash presuming they'd had better luck. Still, the girl chose not to say anything.

They continued walking in silence, looking around for any possible clue. They didn't feel that they were doing much progress, since the forest appeared to never end, and they didn't find any lead, small as it may be.

“You know, I'd suggest splitting in order to cover more ground,” Ash said. “But we might get lost if we wander too far away from each other.”

“That won't be a problem. We can know where each other is through our Pokegears' GPS function,” Serena told him.

“The Pokegear has GPS?” Ash asked, dumbfounded.

“...yes? Unless it's manually disabled, you can use it to track the location of all your contact numbers,” Serena told him. “Didn't you know it?”

“No. How did you know about that?” Ash asked.

“It was on the instruction manual. Didn't you read it?” the Kalosian girl asked, hands on her hips.

“Ehhh... it may have slipped my mind, hehe,” Ash sheepishly said, scratching his cheek and averting her gaze.

“Pika...” Pikachu shook his head.

After Serena showed him how the GPS radar worked –and to ensure Ash's GPS signal was active– the group split off, Ash and Pikachu going one way and Serena and her Pokemon going the other way.

Trainer and Pokemon wandered around the forest, but they didn't have any luck. The most interesting thing they found was a shallow pond that had a small, insect-like Pokemon that Ash never saw before, with blue, round bodies with four bulbs at the top of it, four dark blue eyes and six little legs.

“Sponee, the Sponge Bug Pokemon. Bug. They are covered by a bizarre sponge-like material. When dropped, they bounce,” the Pokedex droned.

Being alerted by the Pokedex's voice, the Sponee quickly turned towards Ash and Pikachu, and before either could do anything, the group of Bug-type Pokemon quickly scampered off, disappearing behind the shrubbery.

“Huh. Guess they're a shy lot,” Ash commented, as he was reminded of the group of Smore that they encountered a few days ago which reacted the same way.

That moment, Pikachu began to sniff in the air.

“Pika! Pika-pi!” Pikachu shouted to draw his trainer's attention.

“Huh? Something wrong, buddy?” Ash asked. Pikachu smelled the air again, and began to move. Ash didn't take long to realize what his Pokemon was doing. “Did you catch the smell of my clothes?”

“Pi!” Pikachu said.

“Well done! Come on Pikachu, lead the way!” Ash said, as he followed his starter. He was about to call Serena to give her the news, but decided to wait a bit to see if they could find their stolen belongings first.

They advanced through the forest, making a lot of twists and turns. Ash realized that, the deeper they penetrated the forest, the less wild Pokemon they saw, until they didn't see anyone. The trainer from Pallet had a bad feeling about that.

“There parts are almost devoid of life,” Ash said, looking around with unease. “Does this mean we're getting close to the thieves' lair?”

“Pika,” Pikachu agreed, nodding, as he continued to smell the air.

“In that case, let's keep our eyes peeled. I'm sure those thieves don't want people poking their noses on their turf,” Ash warned Pikachu.

“Chynx,” a voice meowed.

Ash and Pikachu stopped, and saw an Orchynx lying on a low tree branch, her head resting on her paws, looking at them with a curious expression. While one of Ash's first thoughts was that Orchynx could be one of the thieves, she didn't look very threatening. Then again, better not let his guard down.

“Um, hi,” Ash cautiously said.

Then, Orchynx got on her feet, and with cat-like agility, hopped from the tree branch, landing in front of Ash, somehow not making any noise.

“Pikaaa...” Pikachu hissed, as sparks jumped from his cheeks.

Orchynx didn't pay Pikachu any mind, and once she reached Ash, she started to rub her body against her legs affectionatedly.

“Heh, you're quite a loving Pokemon, aren't you?” Ash chuckled, as he crouched began to scratch the Grass and Steel-type Pokemon behind her ear. Orchynx purred in delight.

“Pikapi!” Pikachu protested, tugging the trouser leg of his trainer.

“Oh, right, sorry,” Ash said, rising to his feet. “Sorry little guy, but we need to go.”

“Or?” Orchynx asked, tilting her head.

“You see, we're trying to find a group of Pokemon thieves. They stole plenty of our stuff, and we want to take it back,” the trainer explained.

Upon hearing that, Orchynx perked up, and grew excited. “Or, orchynx! Or!”

“Wait... do you know where those thieves are?” Ash asked, his excitement matching that of the green feline. “Can you lead us to them?”

“Pika-”

“Orchynx!” the Kitten Pokemon said, speaking over Pikachu, before turning around and running.

“Hey, wait a minute!” Ash said, before running after Orchynx. “Not so fast!”

Ash and Pikachu followed Orchynx as the green feline ran through the forest. Thankfully, the Kitten Pokemon stopped whenever Ash and Pikachu lost her, patiently waiting for them to catch up. After almost ten minutes of running, Orchynx finally stopped.

“Are we there yet?” Ash asked, looking around. A sense of unease began to form in his stomach as there was nothing ressembling a potential lair or nest in the area. “Orchynx?”

The Kitten Pokemon walked towarda a nearby bush with many berries growing on it. She plucked a berry with her mouth, and placed it at Ash's feet, before doing the same with an unamused Pikachu. She then went and ate a berry herself.

“Orchynx...!” Ash groaned, slumping his shoulders. “I said we're looking for thieves, not food!”

“Pikaaaaa!” Pikachu growled at Orchynx again, his cheeks sparking with anger.

Orchynx merely titled her head, confused at the human and Pokemon's reaction.

“Pikachu, can you track back the smell of my clothes again?” Ash asked.

Pikachu began to smell the air once again, several times while facing different directions, but he was unable to pick it up again.

“Chuuuu...” Pikachu said dejectly.

Ash crouched behind Pikachu, and patted his head to console him. “It's okay buddy, you did your best.”

That moment, Ash's Pokegear began to ring, as Serena's name flashed on the screen. Pressing the “accept call” button, Serena's face appeared on the screen.

“Hey Ash, we've been looking around this area of the forest, but no luck,” the Kalosian girl told him. “Did you find anything?”

“We had a lead, but sadly we lost it,” Ash told her.

Serena frowned, disappointed. “Such a pity. Then again, this forest is pretty big. Say, shall we return with the others?”

Ash sighed, as he looked towards the direction of the campsite. “Yeah. I think it's better if we regorup for now.”

“Alright. See you later,” Serena said, ending the call.

…

Ash and Serena returned to the camp, and told Clemont and Bonnie their failure in locating the thieves and recover their stolen belongings. Pikachu could tell Ash was both angry and disappointed, even if he did a good job hiding it. Not only with the thieves, but also with himself for not being able to track them and help their friends when they needed them.

They agreed to pack everything up and continue towards the next Pokemon Center, and rest there, given that staying any longer in this area risked losing even more things to the thieves. Especially if they also showed up at night. Thus, they recalled all their Pokemon back into their pokeballs, and began to return everything to their backpacks.

Serena walked towards Ash, and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Hey,” Serena said.

“Hey,” Ash replied.

“You okay?” Serena asked, sounding a little worried.

“Of course not!” Ash snapped, as he angrily shoved a rolled blanket inside his backpack. Remorse didn't take long to make itself known. “Sorry. It's not you I'm angry with.” He then stopped putting things on his backpack, his shoulders slumping. “I can't stand the idea of having to leave and let those jerks have our stuff.”

“I feel the same. I was planning to do some really cute clothes for my Pokemon, but now I have to wait until we get to the next town or city to buy more materials,” Serena explained.

“It's not just that. I felt that I failed you guys,” Ash confessed.

Serena titled her head, before she crossed her arms. “Failed us? How? Come on Ash, it's not your responsibility to keep us safe or anything.”

“I'm the most veteran trainer here, so it should be,” Ash insisted. “Besides, I felt that we're giving up too soon.”

“We can't stay here forever looking for those thieves,” Serena replied. “I already told you before: if the Rangers had a hard time finding them, what chances did we have?”

“Pikachu found a lead. We would have found the thieves with all our belongings if it wasn't for that-”

“Orchynx!” a new voice meowed, drawing Ash's attention.

…

“Orchynx!” a new voice meowed, making Pikachu's blood boil.

No way. Did that interloper have the nerve to follow them, after she costed them such a promising lead? Pikachu was going to make sure the dumb feline wasn't welcome there, but much to the mouse's chagrin, Ash and Serena got in the way before he could.

“Hey! What are you doing here?” Ash asked.

“Ash? You know this Orchynx?” Serena asked.

“An Orchynx!? Where?” Bonnie asked, frantically looking around, before she saw the green cat, and rushed towards her.

“Yeah. I followed this Orchynx thinking that she could lead us to the thieves, but all she did was show us some bushes with berries on it,” Ash explained. “I guess she thought we were hungry or something.”

“Chyyynx...” Orchynx purred, as she rubbed her body against Ash's legs.

Clemont chuckled. “Heh, I think she likes you.”

“So it seems. This isn't the first time she's doing this,” Ash said, chuckling as well, the cat's affection seemingly soothing his bad mood.

“Aw, no fair! I also want Orchynx to rub against me!” Bonnie pouted.

Upon hearing that, Orchynx stopped rubbing her body against Ash's legs, and playfully pounced Bonnie, knocking the young girl on her rear, before Orchynx started to lick her face.

“Hahaha! Come on Orchynx, stop, that tickles! Hahaha!” Bonnie laughed, as she played with the cat.

Pikachu, meanwhile, crossed his arms, fuming. Ugh, were Ash and his friends so easy to charm by this dumb cat? They were willing to drop whatever they were doing to indulge into her childish whims and give her attention. Some might say that Pikachu was jealous, but no sir, he wasn't! He knew that there was something fishy with that cat!

“Pika...” Pikachu said, realizing that something was indeed wrong. This image, of everybody playing attention to the newcomer... it felt familiar. A feeling of unease washed over the Mouse Pokemon as he turned around, looked at Ash's backpack in the ground, and could see and hear something within it. The thieves. “PIKA! CHUPIKAPI!”

Hearing Pikachu yell, everybody turned around towards the electric rodent, who was urgently pointing at Ash's backpack. All of them saw that there was indeed something inside it. And not just Ash's, but Serena and Clemont's respective backpacks as well.

“Hey, what do you think you're doing!?” Ash yelled, as he stomped towards the backpack.

Having been found, a Chyinmunk rocketed out of inside the backpack, thankfully taking nothing with it, as a pair of Sponee emerged from the other two backpacks. The trio of thieves and Orchynx quickly high tailed out of there.

“After them!” Ash shouted.

“That Orchynx! She was keeping us distracted while her friends robbed us blind!” Serena said in realization.

“Like that other Chyinmunk did before!” Clemont added.

They chased them through the forest, hoping that the Pokemon thieves would lead them to their hideout. Upon seeing that they were about to get caught, the Sponee changed course, disappearing behind some bushes, while Orchynx and the Chyinmunk tried to climb a tree. Chyinmunk proved to be the faster climber, quickly leaving the Grass and Steel-type Pokemon behind.

“They're getting away!” Bonnie shouted.

“Oh no, they won't!” Ash said, pokeball in hand. “Colarva, I choose you! Quick, use String Shot on that Orchynx!”

The capture device released Ash's most recent Pokemon, which, upon landing his eyes on the Orchynx, fired a string of sticky web towards her. The string latched onto her back, and Colarva tried to pull her down, but Orchynx sunk her claws into the tree bark, anchoring herself. Unfortunately for the cat, Pikachu, without waiting for a command, used Quick Attack on her in order to knock her from the tree, causing her to fall to the ground. Once down, Colarva quickly covered her in sticky strings, almost forming a cocoon, leaving her completely immobilized.

“Well done, Colarva!” Ash praised. “You too, Pikachu!”

“Co! Co!” Colarva chirped, happy to be useful.

Ash then glared at the immobilized Orchynx, and so did his friends. The caught cat whimpered in fear. It was time for her to pay.

…

The group looked down at the immobilized cat, who whimpered as if trying to move them or have them show her some mercy. However, neither Ash nor his friends were planning to forgive her until the matter of the thefts was resolved.

“Alright, speak! Tell us where you and your buddies are hiding all our stuff! If you refuse to speak, Dedenne here will make you talk the hard way!”

“Nenene!” Dedenne replied, trying to sound threatening and failing miserably.

“Bonnie... what are you doing?” Clemont asked, a little baffled at his sister's sudden aggression.

“Obviously, the 'good cop, bad cop' routine. Dedenne and I are the bad cops,” Bonnie explained. “Don't you remember those police shows we used to watch?”

“And who's supposed to be the good cop? Me?” Clemont asked.

“Well, duh. I mean, no offense big bro, you have a lot of good qualities, but you lack the edge needed to intimidate a suspect,” Bonnie explained, crossing her arms.

As Clemont and Bonnie discussed the merits of applying a TV series trope to real life, Ash, arms crossed and brow furrowed, looked at Orchynx. She looked frightened, and was trying to avert their gazes. Even if the fact that her interference cost Ash a promising lead still stung, Ash couldn't help but feel that the fear the Kitten Pokemon was feeling wasn't aimed exclusively at them. There was something fishy going on, and against his better judgement, Ash decided that a hard stance wasn't going to cut it here.

He crouched besides Orchynx, and tried to give her a reassuring look. “Alright Orchynx, don't be afraid. We aren't going to hurt you. All we want is our things back,” Ash began. Orchynx looked at Ash intently, as if deciding if he was trustworthy or not.

“Oh look, Ash makes a pretty neat good cop too,” Bonnie observed.

The trainer from Kanto ignored her. “You don't like doing this, don't you? Stealing from other people. I can tell that you're uncomfortable doing this. Is somebody else forcing you to do this? A human?”

Orchynx shook her head.

“...a Pokemon?” Ash ventured.

After a few seconds of hesitation, Orchynx nodded.

“I see. Alright, now, I'm going to release you. But you must promise me that you won't try to run away. Deal?”

“Pika!?” Pikachu asked in shock.

“What?” Serena asked, surprised. “Ash, what are you doing?”

“Following a gut instinct,” Ash replied.

“Ash, you just told me this Pokemon tricked you once. Are you really sure she can be trusted?” Serena shouted, motioning her arms for added emphasis.

“I know I'm taking a big risk here, but... just trust me, okay? I feel like there's more to this Pokemon than we believe,” Ash said. Orchynx tilted her head, while Serena crossed her arms and shoot Ash a disapproving look.

However, Serena quickly deflated. “Alright Ash, you win. Sometimes it does feel like you have a sixth sense when it comes to understanding Pokemon. Let's hope it doesn't fail you now.”

“Good,” Ash said, before turning back at Orchynx. “What do you say?”

After a few seconds of contemplating her options, Orchynx finally nodded.

“Great,” Ash said, smiling. “Pikachu, cut the web with Iron Tail.”

While unhappy with his trainer's decision, Pikachu complied. True to Orchynx's word, however, the Kitten Pokemon didn't attempt to escape.

Orchynx then lead the group towards what they hoped would be the lair of the Pokemon thieves. Orchynx walked at a steady but not too fast pace. The Kitten Pokemon knew that the moment her pace was too quick, the humans would take it as a sign of trying to run away, and they would stop her.

They spent about half an hour treking through the forest. And like it happened before, the more they advanced, the less and less wild Pokemon they saw, and the few they did quickly ran away from the strangers. Ash looked around, and realized that this part of the forest was similar.

“I believe that this is where we met Orchynx the first time,” Ash said.

“Pi,” Pikachu agreed, as he began to sniff the air, before growing excited. “Chupi, pika!”

“Did you catch the scent of my stolen clothes again?” Ash asked. “Awesome!”

They continued walking until they reached a wall of clumped trees and shrubbery. There was a small nook between two trees that could be used to cross it. Orchynx then stopped next to said nook.

“So, this is the place?” Ash asked.

“Chynx,” the Kitten Pokemon nodded.

“It may be a trap,” Bonnie pointed out.

“Fortunately, there's somebody who can tell us if it's safe or not,” Clemont said, pulling out a pokeball. “Luxray, go!”

After a flash of light, Clemont's strongest Pokemon appeared in front of them. He looked at his trainer, waiting for orders.

“Luxray, use your x-ray vision to see what's behind those trees,” Clemont said.

“Ray!” Luxray nodded, as he directed his gaze to the aforementioned trees. His eyes glowed as his vision pierced through them. He moved his head a little to the sides, as if scanning the entire area for potential threats. After a minute or so, Luxray gave his approval. “Lux, luxray!”

“Luxray says it's safe,” Clemont said.

“Great! Let's go!” Ash said.

Lead by Ash, the group entered the nook between the trees, which led to a clearing in the forest, surrounded by trees and a cliff with a cave on it. There were many Pokemon on the clearing: Chyinmunk, Kinetmunk, Ekans, Pahar, Sponee... all of them looked on edge at best and downright upset at worst. They quickly took notice of the newcomers.

“Ekans?” one of the Ekans asked, looking at Orchynx.

“Chyin?” A Chyinmunk chirped, looking at Orchynx with disbelief.

“APE!” a new voice yelled.

That moment, all the Pokemon in the clearing shivered in panic, and vacated the area as quickly as they could, leaving the group and Orchynx alone. Orchynx, also trembling in fear, hid behind Ash's legs. And that moment, two Pokemon emerged from the cave: one of them was a Primeape, the other looked like a Baashaun, only that it walked on two legs and had less wool over its body, and longer horns that curved upwards. Ash and Serena quickly scanned the new Pokemon.

“Baaschaf, the Hard Horn Pokemon, and Baashaun's evolution. Dark/Fighting. Now that it is able to stand on two legs, it can use more kicking and punching attacks. Unlike its previous evolution, however, it is rather playful,” the Pokedex explained.

“Well, that one doesn't look very playful to me,” Bonnie said.

“Ape, ape, prim!” Primeape yelled, galring daggers at Orchynx, who trembled behind Ash's legs.

“Baa,” Baaschaf bleated, crossing its arms smugly.

“Are those the Pokemon who forced you to steal, Orchynx?” Ash asked the frightened Grass and Steel type.

However, before he had the chance to get an answer, a third Pokemon emerged from the cave. It was a feline Pokemon that looked like a Feleng, only much, much bigger and bulkier, with a brown furry mane covering its neck. The new Pokemon walked between Primeape and Baaschaf, who remained in place, almost looking like bodyguards, while the giant cat fixed the newcomers a hateful stare.

“FEEEEL!” it growled.

“Just... what the heck is that?” Ash asked, scanning it with his Pokedex.

“Feliger, the Fat Cat Pokemon, Felunge's evolution and Feleng's final form. Normal. Many trainers are disappointed when Felunge evolves because it gets fat and lazy. It can crush foes under its enormous body mass,” the Pokedex drone.

Given its sheer size, they wholeheartedly believed the last part of the Pokedex's description.

“That must be the boss, the other two its minions. The three of them probably force the Pokemon of the area to steal for them,” Clemont quickly surmised.

“And they don't appear too happy about us getting in the way of their operations,” Serena said, locking eyes with Feliger's hateful glare. She reached for one of her pokeballs. “Sylveon, go!”

When the pokeball touched the ground, it released Serena's first Fairy-type Pokemon in a flash of white light.

“If you can keep the two minions busy, Pikachu and I will deal with the boss,” Ash said, before looking at his starter. “What do you say, buddy? You already defeated a Felunge before. Do you think you can take its evolved form?”

“Pi, pika!” Pikachu energically nodded.

“GER!” Feliger roared, and at its order, Primeape and Baaschaf dashed forward, both of them preparing a fighting type move, their fists glowing with white light.

“Sylveon, Protect!” Serena ordered.

“Luxray, Swift!” Clemont shouted.

Sylveon got in the way of Primeape's way as she generated an energy shield around her, which successfully blocked Primeape's attack, while Luxray waved his tail, releasing a flurry of golden stars towards Baaschaun, forcing the Hard Horn Pokemon to stop and use his attack to parry the barrage of missiles.

“This is our chance, Pikachu! Thunderbolt on Feliger!” Ash said.

“Pika!” Pikachu jumped into the air towards the Fat Cat Pokemon's direction, as his body crackled with yellow sparks. “CHUUUUUU!”

“FEEEEEEL!”

But just as Pikachu released a powerful lightning bolt, Feliger's raised one of its front paws, which was covered in a coat of electricity, and with a quick swipe, swatted the Thunderbolt away.

“Pika?” a confused Pikachu asked, seeing his attack deflected.

“What a powerful Thunder Punch,” Ash said in awe.

Feliger didn't waste any time, and charged towards Pikachu, moving deceptively fast despite his large girth. The claws of its front paws were glowing with green energy. Ash immediately recognized the attack.

“Pikachu, watch out, that's Dual Chop!” Ash warned him. “Dodge with Quick Attack!”

Using the attack's speed boost, Pikachu rocketed to the side just as Feliger struck the spot Pikachu was in twice, opening small craters on the ground with each impact. Pikachu then started to run circles around the large feline, before slamming into its side with his whole body. Feliger meowed in pain, as the force of the attack pushed him sideways.

“Feeeeel...” Feliger hissed, piercing Pikachu with its green eyes. Feliger then charged towards Pikachu, its body surrounded by a fiery white aura with spiraling yellow streaks of light around it, raising a trail of dust as it moved.

“That's Giga Impact! Quickly, dodge it!” Ash ordered.

Pikachu didn't need to be told twice, as he managed to move out of the way in the nick of time, with Feliger smashing against a tree instead. However, the attack carried so much power and momentum, the base of the tree was shattered into splinters, causing the tree to topple.

“Such power! No wonder that Feliger rules this forest with an iron fist,” Ash thought, who couldn't help but feel some admiration for the wild Pokemon's raw power, as well as disappointment that it chose to waste such strength like that. “Pikachu, Thunderbolt, now!”

As Giga Impact left Feliger briefly immobile, Pikachu jumped into the air, using once again his most powerful move. This time, Feliger didn't have the chance to deflect it with Thunder Punch, and took the attack in full.

“Feeeeeeeeel!” Feliger meowed in pain.

Ash allowed himself a second to see how his friends were doing. So far, it seemed that, while not dominating the fights, they were slowly wearing Feliger's minions down. Once they were out of commission, they could help us taking Feliger down.

“Let's press our advantage, Pikachu! Iron Tail!” Ash said, throwing a punch forward.

“Pi!” Pikachu agreed, leaping towards Feliger, as his tail began to glow with a silvery gleam. “Pikaaa...!”

“Liger!”

Then, much to Ash and Pikachu's surprise, Feliger rose on its hind legs, its front claws glowing with a green light once again. He used the first strike of Dual Chop to parry Pikachu's attack, and the second one to deliver a devastating counterattack, which sent Pikachu crashing against the ground with such force, he opened a crater once his body hit the grass.

“Pikachu! Are you okay?” Ash cried in horror, rushing towards his partner. While that attack had made a number on the Mouse Pokemon, Pikachu could still get back on his feet and continue the fight.

“Pika...” Pikachu said.

“Let's make sure you don't take another hit like that. Its strength is downright monstrous,” Ash observed, looking at the Fat Cat Pokemon with caution. “Then again, we managed to score quite a few hits. A few more, and it should go down.”

However, Feliger wasn't planning to go down anytime soon. Much to Ash and Pikachu's confusion, the Fat Cat Pokemon lied on its belly, and let out a yawn, as if it wanted to take a rest from the battle. Then, a green, wavy aura washed over its body, and all the burn marks and bruises left by the previous attacks vanished.

Ash clenched his teeth. He had seen that attack before: Slack Off. If on top of hitting like a truck, this Feliger could heal itself once it took enough damage, then this Pokemon was an even more formidable opponent than Ash had anticipated.

Then again, if there was something Ash prided in, was in never giving up, no matter how hard things became.

“If you can heal yourself, then we'll take you down so fast you won't have any chance to recover!” Ash boasted.

“Pika!” Pikachu agreed.

…

As soon as the battle had started, Orchynx found a place from enough distance from the fight, but still close enough to see it.

Then again, why did she want to see the battle? She already knew the result. Maybe Feliger's goons would go down, but Feliger was going to tear those Pokemon and their human masters to shreds. And then, things would go back to the way they always were. It's a pity, she liked that human. He was kind and compassionate, willing to listen to her and treat her with gentleness despite the fact that Orchynx didn't give him any reason to.

Then again... she still held some hope that a miracle might happen the humans might win, and she won't have to steal for her despicable master anymore. But with the way the battle was going, it was unlikely. Unless somebody else helped that Pikachu, Feliger would crush him.

Then, an intrusive thought entered her mind. “You're here. You can help them.”

But Orchynx pushed that thought away from her head. It was stupid. She was too weak to face Feliger. She saw Feliger crush, sometimes literally, Pokemon much stronger than her. Then again, wasn't risking some pain better than continue living this miserable life? An opportunity for a new, better life was at hand, and she might regret her indecision in the future.

And she was done living with regrets.

…

“Pikachu, Electro Ball!”

“Pika!” Pikachu said, jumping into the air, forming a sphere of electricity on the tip of his tail, and throwing said ball at Feliger with a mighty swing.

Feliger, however, swatted it away with a Thunder Punch, before charging forward, his front paws glowing with green light, ready for another Dual Chop. Pikachu, however, was able to dodge the attack, which pulverized a nearby boulder.

Despite the uphill battle, Ash wasn't planning on giving up. A second Pokemon out could've helped Pikachu, but Feliger was still a single wild Pokemon no matter how powerful. He trusted Pikachu to be able to deal with him

Ash watched how Feliger charged once again with another Dual Chop. He was about to tell Pikachu to dodge and to prepare a counterattack, but suddenly, out of nowhere, a barrage of green glowing bullets slammed against the Fat Cat Pokemon's face. Feliger shut its eyes, and growling in pain, took a step back.

“Pikachu, use Thunderbolt, now!” Ash quickly ordered.

“Pika...CHUUUUU!” Pikachu channeled a powerful lightning bolt through his little body, hitting Feliger in full, who was unable to deflect it like it did before. That attack alone, however, wouldn't be enough to end the fight, not by a long shot.

“Chynx!”

Then, much to the two Pokemon and the one human's surprise, Orchynx landed next to Pikachu, facing Feliger, her body adopting a battle stance, revealing herself as the source of the Bullet Seed.

“Orchynx...” Ash said.

“Pi?” Pikachu asked.

“FEL!?” Feliger growled at Orchynx, looking at her with hate filled eyes, almost as if questioning how did she dare to challenge it.

The moment the larger feline's gaze fell upon her, Orchynx's legs began to tremble, but the Kitten Pokemon fought the fear she no doubt was feeling and held her position.

“Orchynx? Do you want to fight alongside us?” Ash asked, feeling a little moved.

“O-Or!” Orchynx agreed.

“Alright! In that case, let Pikachu take the brunt of the battle. Try to attack when there's an opening, understood?” Ash said.

Orchynx didn't say anything, just nodded nervously.

And thus Orchynx joined the battle. Pikachu would attack, and when Feliger tried to deflect a move, Orchynx would attack from a distance with Bullet Seed in order to distract it, allowing for Pikachu's attack to land. And when Feliger moved onto the offensive, she would obstruct Feliger in order to give Pikachu an easier time to dodge.

Feliger eventually caught up to this, and rather Pikachu, centered its attention on Orchynx. First, it feigned to use Giga Impact against Pikachu, but when Feliger was about to obstruct the attack with an Energy Ball, Feliger changed course and barreled towards her.

“Chynx!?” the Kitten Pokemon cried, as she was paralyzed by the sheer horror of Feliger's massive body coming towards her, the Energy Ball dying before it could fully form.

“Pikachu, quickly, protect Orchynx!” Ash urged.

Pikachu rushed towards the stunned Orchynx, but he knew he wouldn't arrive in time.

“Pa!”

Not that Pikachu's intervention would be needed, as a red blur dived from the skies towards Orchynx, moving her away from Feliger's path, causing the Fat Cat Pokemon to miss once again and smash against a tree.

“Feee....” it growled in pain and anger, before something it saw caused its blood boil with rage. “Liger!?”

Much to everybody's shock, Orchynx was in the air, being carried by a Pahar. Other Pahar were also flying around her. Ash remembered there were a few of them in the clearing when they first entered.

Then, several Chyinmunk led by a single Kinetmunk emerged beneath the shrubbery, and surrounded Feliger.

“Munk munk!” Kinetmunk chirped, its cheeks sparking with electricity, as it and its smaller brethren fired several Thundershocks at Feliger. The attacks weren't very powerful on their own, but together, they made Feliger flinch.

It didn't end there: an Ekans emerged from underground just below Feliger, wrapped its body around the feline's neck, and sank its fangs onto Feliger's flesh. Feliger cried in pain, as it shook its head violently, trying to get rid of Ekans, until the Snake Pokemon couldn't keep a hold of the larger Pokemon's neck anymore and was launched against the canopy of a tree.

But just as Feliger did that, the Pahar above it bombarded it with multiple Incinerate and Air Slash, while several Sponee that had been hidden among the shrubbery fired a multitude of Water Guns towards the large feline.

Greatly sore and confused from the constant streams of attacks, Feliger's eyes began to water as it watched how all the Pokemon that used to be its minions gathered around Pikachu and Orchynx, which no longer trembled. None of them looked afraid in the slightest, and glared at their former master with eyes full of bottled up anger and resentment.

“Ape...!”

“Baa...!”

As for the last nail in the coffin, Serena's Sylveon and Clemont's Luxray had just defeated its two chief enforcers, which ran away when it was obvious the battle was lost.

And seeing how Feliger was vastly outnumbered and overpowered, he also decided to run away, having enough punishment for a day.

There was a moment of silence as those in the clearing, both human and Pokemon, processed that the long battle had finally come to an end.

“We won!” Ash said, breaking the silence.

All the Pokemon gathered there loudly cheered, happy to finally be free from Feliger and not having to steal from humans for him.

Ash walked towards Orchynx, and crouched besides her. “Did you see that, Orchynx? This victory was thanks to you. You inspired those other Pokemon to rally against that trio of bullies. Now that Feliger and its cronies will think twice before forcing anybody to steal for them.”

“Orch...” Orchynx softly meowed.

“Hey, guys!” Bonnie's voice came from within the cave. “There's a lot of stuff here! Those guys must've been using this cave to store all their loot! I'm sure our things must be somewhere around here...”

…

And indeed, all the stolen items were there. After recovering their belongings, the group contacted the Rangers, and told them about what had happened. A couple hours later, the same Ranger from before, Wendy, met with them in order to talk about the clash with the Pokemon thieves.

“First you guys dismantle that Pokemon trafficker cell, and now you deal with that band of Pokemon thieves we Rangers have been trying to locate for weeks,” Wendy began, shaking her head. “You're trying really hard to make us look bad, aren't you?”

The group of teens could only chuckle awkwardly in response.

Wendy, however smiled. “Relax, I'm not chiding you or anything. In fact, your help today has been invaluable. Once we deal with that Feliger, this route will be safe to travel once again.”

“What do you plan to do with it once you find it?” Bonnie asked, showing a surprising (or unsurprising) amount of worry for the Fat Cat Pokemon.

“We'll take it somwhere else where it can hurt any other Pokemon or human again, and we'll try to reeducate it to be more civil before releasing back into the wild,” the Ranger explained. She smiling reassuringly at Bonnie. “Don't worry girl, this is far from the first wayward Pokemon we had to deal with.”

“That's good to hear,” Clemont said.

“We'll also make sure that everything those Pokemon stole is returned to their rightful owners,” Wendy told them, as she walked towards her Staraptor. “Anyway, once again, thanks a lot for what you've done here,” Wendy said, as she mounted on her Staraptor. “Until we meet again! Take care!”

As they watched the Ranger disappear among the clouds, the group decided it was time for them to resume their journey as well. However, there was somebody who wanted to meet them again before they could leave.

“Orch!”

They turned around, and saw Orchynx there, sitting in front of them. She was smiling, her body language far more relaxed, and her tail wagging lazily.

“Pi, pika!” Pikachu said as he went to face the Kitten pokemon, and offered her a paw, probably as a sign of respect or gratitude for her help earlier. “Chu?”

Orchynx looked at the paw quizzically, before, giving it a friendly lick.

“Pika...” Pikachu awkwardly said, as he took the paw back.

“Oh, hey Orchynx!” Ash said, smiling back at her. “Did you come here to say goodbye?”

Orchynx then walked towards Ash, and began to rub her body against his legs affectionatedly. The Kitten pokemon might have done that to cajole Ash before, but now the trainer from Kanto could tell it was a genuine show of endearment.

“That... doesn't look like a goodbye to me, Ash,” Serena said, giggling a little.

“So it seems, hehe,” Ash agreed. He crouched next to Orchynx, and began to rub her ear. The green cat purred playfully. “So... do you want to come with us, Orchynx? You don't have to be afraid to stay here anymore. That Feliger won't bother you again.”

“Or, orchynx!” Orchynx insisted, looking at Ash expectantly.

“In that case...” Ash said, rising to his full height, while pulling out an empty pokeball. “Pokeball, go!”

Ash tossed the capture device at Orchynx, who didn't make any attempt to dodge it. The sphere opened up, and absorbed Orchynx inside, before closing and falling to the grass below. It didn't even shake before dinging, confirming that the Pokemon had been captured. Grinning, Ash picked up Orchynx's pokeball.

“I caught an Orchynx!” Ash cheered, raising the pokeball above his head in a dramatic way.

“Pikapi!” Pikachu cheered alongisde his trainer.

After his friends congratulated Ash for his capture, the group decided to continue the journey. They still had a long way to go until they would reach Comet Cave. But they would walk the rest of the trip with a new friend among them.

Chapter Text

Route 4 – Baa Grasslands

After their clash with the Pokemon thieves and Orchynx joining Ash's team, he and his friends continued their trip through the Baa Grasslands, heading towards Comet Cave. Thanks to the favorable weather, they managed to cover a lot of distance, including crossing a bridge that went over the mouth of a river, which signaled the halfway point of the route. As noon aproached, they agreed to stop, rest, and then have some food before continuing.

Despite the fact that they had dealt with that Feliger, Greninja and Luxray continued to keep watch over the camp, in order to make sure no more thefts happened. For them, it was much better safe than sorry.

And until that time came, Ash and Serena decided to have a sparring session. Ash decided it was time for Colarva to get a taste of battle, while also start his training on Orchynx so she could catch up as fast as possible with the others. Serena was also using her two most recent captures, Selkid and Minicorn. Clemont, Bonnie, and some of the Pokemon watched the match with interest.

“Now Selkid, Water Pulse!” Serena ordered.

“Sel, sel!” Selkid cried, as she formed an orb of water between her tiny arms, before thursting them forward, sending the projectile at Colarva.

“Colarva, freeze it with Powder Snow!” Ash called.

“Co, co!” Colarva chirped, as he blew a gust of freezing wind towards the incoming attack, turning Selkid's water orb into a sphere of ice.

“Good! Now Orchynx, push it back with Energy Ball!” Ash continued.

“Orch!” Orchynx opened her mouth, creating a sphere of green and yellow light in front of it, before shooting it towards the sphere of ice.

The Energy Ball smashed against the frozen orb, and like a cue ball impacting against another one, the sphere of ice was then pushed towards Minicorn.

“Good counter, Ash, but that won't be enough to beat us!” Serena confidently said, her voice full of energy. “Minicorn, Horn Attack!”

Minicorn neighed, as her horn started to glow with a white light, while increasing its size a little. Lowering her head, Minicorn stabbed the incoming sphere of ice with her horn, shattering it into a hundred tiny ice shards that glittered under the strong midday sun.

“That would have made you lose quite a few points if we were in a contest battle,” Serena remarked.

“Yeah, it would. Nice counter to my counter,” Ash earnestly praised. “You're getting better at thinking on your feet.”

“Hehe, thanks,” Serena smiled somehwat bashfully. “Guess I have a really good teacher. Though, if you liked that combo, just wait to see this: Selkid, hop onto Minicorn!”

Just like Pancham did before, Selkid jumped onto Minicorn's back, though unlike Pancham, she did it with far less grace.

“Now, Minicorn, charge forward and use Charge Beam! Selkid, Ice Beam!”

As the Foal Pokemon galloped forward, her horn began to glow with an electric yellow light, while Selkid opened her mouth, forming an orb of freezing energy in front of it. The two Pokemon then fired their attacks, a yellow lighting bolt and a beam of concentrated cold flying towards Colarva and Orchynx.

“Quickly, dodge!” Ash ordered. Both his Pokemon did so, but that didn't stop Serena's Pokemon, who continued to fire their beams of elemental power towards the fleeing Kitten and Snow Mite Pokemon. “Colarva, String Shot towards Minicorn's legs!”

Serena gasped, holding her hands in front of her face. “Minicorn, turn around, quickly! Selkid, hop off of Minicorn!”

But Minicorn's momentum was too high to change course, and Colarva's thread of silk wrapped around the Foal Pokemon's front legs, tying them together, causing Minicorn to trip and fall face-first, just before Selkid managed to jump off her back.

“Minicorn! Are you okay?” Serena worriedly asked.

Fortunately, it seemed that Minicorn wasn't hurt, as the Foal Pokemon was back on her hooves in no time, much to her trainer's relief.

Still, Serena couldn't help but sigh dejectedly. “And that blunder would have costed us some points.”

“Hey, at least you had the foresight of having Selkid jump off of Minicorn, or else you would have lost even more points,” Ash told her.

“Guess that-”

“Gren!”

“Lux!”

The Ninja and the Gleam Eyes Pokemon tensed up, and looked towards the north, warning them that something was coming from that direction. Everybody quickly turned around sai direction, and indeed, they saw that something was coming towards them.

“Hey, isn't that...?” Serena began, narrowing her eyes to see the distant figure better.

As the figure approached, they could see it was a young teen with bright red hair with a yellow streak in the middle. So far, there was only one person they knew in the region with such a distinctive hair color.

“It's Theo!” Ash exclaimed.

And indeed, the third kid from Moki Town was coming towards them, taking angry steps, his brow heavily furrowed, clearly being upset over something. It didn't take long for the redheaded kid to notice the gang.

“Oh, hey, it's you guys!” Theo said, his mood brightening a little. “Long time no see!”

“I think we haven't seen each other since we parted ways in Moki Town,” Serena said.

“We saw both Vitor and Natalie a couple times since then,” Bonnie chimed in. “I wondered if we'd ever run into you.”

“Oh you, know, I've been pretty busy! Catching new Pokemon, winning Gym matches, being awesome in general,” Theo said, acting all high and mighty.

“Really? That's great!” Ash said, ignoring Theo's tone. “So, how many badges do you have?”

“I'm glad you asked!” Theo said, pulling out his badge case from a pocket, and opening it. There were two badges inside. “Two badges already! Pretty impressive, huh?”

“Oh, so you have the same badges as Ash?” Clemont asked.

“What!? You also have two already!?” Theo asked, almost outraged to hear his accomplsihments have been matched. “How is that even possible?”

“Theo, Ash is pretty experienced, so it wasn't too difficult to win two badges since he started out,” Serena gently said. “In fact, I'd say that if it wasn't for my contests slowing us down, Ash could have three right now.”

“Come on Serena, don't say that. You aren't slowing anybody,” Ash reassured her.

“Anyway, where are you going?” Clemont asked. “Judging by your direction, you come from Comet Cave.”

Upon hearing the name of the cave, Theo's mood soured once again. “Yeah, that was the plan. But a couple of dumb Rangers didn't let me cross it and forced me to turn back. They say it's 'too dangerous' for me. Bah!”

“Dangerous? Why?” Bonnie asked. Both her and her older friends were dreading another incident like that in Passage Cave.

“Apparently, something happened that caused the Pokemon in the cave to go berserk and attack everybody who sets a foot on the cave,” Theo explained. He kicked the grass. “My Pokemon would wipe the floor with all the wild Pokemon in that cave! But since I'm alone, they don't allow me to pass!”

“We were heading towards Comet Cave. Do you want to come with us? I don't think the Rangers would object if you're part of a large group,” Ash offered.

Theo looked unamused at the suggestion. “I guess I have no choice but to accept if I want to cross that stupid cave. Though, once we're out, I'm traveling on my own again!”

“Trust me, I don't think anybody is going to be sad to see you go,” Bonnie deadpanned.

“Bonnie! That was very rude!” Clemont chastised.

“He was being rude first! Ash offered him the means to cross the cave, and he didn't even thank him!” Bonnie retorted.

“So, so say you caught new Pokemon?” Ash interceded, trying to avert a potential argument with the younger boy. “Can we see them?”

“Of course!” Theo said, clearly happy to have another opportunity to brag, as he picked out four pokeballs. “Marvel your eyes before the awesomeness of my Pokemon! Come out, everyone!”

Theo threw his four pokeballs into the air, which opened up, torrents of light pouring from each of them, before forming into a Pokemon each. There was his starter, Orchynx, as expected. There were also a Fortog and an Owten. The last and fourth Pokemon, though, was something neither of them had seen before.

The Pokemon in question looked like a puppy, with light brown fur, reddish-brown feet, ears and tail, which wagged happily. It had two golden crescent moon shaped parts on its chest, and two more above each of its eyes in place of eyebrows. Ash and Serena took out their Pokedex in order to scan the new Pokemon:

“Lunapup, the Loyal Pokemon. Ground/Fighting. Although small, it is very brave. It won't hesitate to protect weaker Pokémon in danger. They can often be heard howling at the moon.” The Pokedex explained.

“It sounds like a really neat Pokemon to have,” Serena said, as she and Bonnie crouched around the puppy, with Bonnie petting it.

“What about you guys? Are those your Pokemon?” Theo said, watching the large group of Pokemon around him. “Guess they don't look too shabby...” Theo began, as his eyes drifted towards Ash's Orchynx. “Wait, you have an Orchynx too? How?”

“Ah, yes. I caught Orchynx only a day ago. It's a long story,” Ash began. He didn't feel very comfortable airing Orchynx's dark past without her consent.

“If you caught that Orchynx yesterday, then it can't be stronger than the Orchynx I've been training since I left Moki Town.”

“I guess not. But with enough time and effort-”

“I challenge you to a battle!” Theo suddenly shouted, while pointing a finger at Ash's face, startling the Pallet Town trainer. “Your Orchynx versus mine!”

Ash was taken aback by the suddeness of the challenge, especially since he was requested to use a Pokemon he had barely trained due lack of time. Then, again, Ash smirked, being someone unable to say no to a challenge.

“Hey Orchynx, what do you think?” Ash asked. “Do you feel like fighting Theo's own Orchynx?”

“Or, orch!” Orchynx happily nodded.

“If she feels ready to face you, then so do I,” Ash stated.

“Good!” Theo said.

They all made room for Ash and Theo to battle. Their respective Orchynx were in front of them, ready to duke it out. Clemont would take the role of referee.

“This will be a one on one fight between Ash and Theo. No time limit. Whoever is able to faint the opposing Pokemon first will be the winner,” Clemont explained. “Begin!”

~Ash (Orchynx) VS Theo (Orchynx)~

Impatient as he was, Theo called the first move. “Alright Orchynx, let's begin with Leech Seed!”

“Or!” Theo's Orchynx meowed, as it spat multiple seeds at the opposing Pokemon.

Ash didn't even bother to say anything, and merely watched how his Orchynx batted away the harmful seeds with a swipe of her tail.

Theo's eyes opened wide, as his jaw fell. “What? How did my attack fail?”

“Leech Seed has no effect on Grass-type Pokemon,” Serena pointed out, sounding like she was chiding him.

Bonnie snorted. “I thought you'd had learned that by now.”

“That attack has never failed before!” Theo protested. “How I was supposed to know that?”

“Well, you certainly do now,” Bonnie chuckled.

“Uh, nevermind! That was only a little blunder!” Theo tried to save face. “Orchynx, Magical Leaf!”

Theo's Orchynx's body began to glow with a faint green light, as the Kitten Pokemon summoned mutliple razor sharp leaves, which flew towards its enemy counterpart.

“Deflect them with Metal Claw, quickly!” Ash called.

Orchynx's front claws began to glow with a silvery light, and quickly began to deliver a flurry of swipes at the leaves that came at her, shredding them to tiny green bits.

“That failed too!? But... how? Magical Leaf is supposed to be unavoidable!” Theo protested.

“Attacks that can't be avoided can still be parried or deflected,” Ash told him. “There's no such thing as an unstoppable attack.”

“Oh..., well, you aren't going to be so lucky a third time! Orchynx, Vine Whip!” Theo commanded.

A pair of vegetal whips grew from the sides of Orchynx's body, and shot themselves towards Ash's Orchynx.

“I think it's about time to move onto the offensive, don't you think, Orchynx?” Ash asked, his lips curving into a smirk. “Dodge that Vine Whip and get in closer!”

Orchynx obeyed, gracefully avoiding her counterpart's lashes, before rushing closer towards it.

“Now, Bullet Seed!” Ash said, throwing a punch forward.

Orchynx opened her mouth, and expelled a barrage of seed-like projectiles at the opposing Orchynx, most of them area it squarely in the face, making it wince in pain. The attack wasn't strong, but hitting a sensitive zone made it hurt.

“And now, Metal Claw again!” Ash shouted.

Taking advantage of Theo's Orchynx's predicament, Ash's Orchynx quickly bridged the distance between them, and delivered a pair of quick slashes with claws covered in a silvery aura. Theo's Orchynx meowed in pain as it was pushed backwards by the attack.

“Orchynx!” Theo cried, seeing his starter taking such a hit.

“Follow up with X-Scissor!” Ash said, pressing the advantage.

Ash's Orchynx's claws began to glow with a light green aura this time. She jumped into the air, slashing the air with both paws in opposing diagonal cuts, creating and launching an X-shaped blast towards Theo's Orchynx, who was still getting back on its feet.

“Orchynx, quickly, Dig!” Theo called.

“Orch!” Orchynx obeyed, jumping into the air, spinning like a drill before burrowing underground, avoiding the other Orchynx's attack.

Ash's confident smirk faded a little. He wasn't expecting Theo to have taught any of his Pokemon such an attack. “Orchynx, watch out! It can attack from anywhere!”

Orchynx send the ground beneath her feet tremble a little, before Theo's Orchynx burst from underground just beneath her, slamming its head against her gut, launching her upwards.

“Orchynx!” Ash cried.

“Ha! Take that! Direct hit!” Theo gloated, as he began to thurst punches forward, as if fighting an imaginary opponent. “I taught Orchynx that mostly to deal with Fire-type Pokemon, but Dig is such a good and useful move, it works with almost any opponent!”

“Indeed it is. You had quite the insight teaching your Orchynx Dig,” Ash agreed, his smile returning. “But that's not going to be enough to beat us! Orchynx, use Bullet Seed again!”

“Orch, chynx!” Orchynx meowed, as she fired yet another barrage of energy seeds at her counterpart.

Theo smiked cockily. “You're slow to learn, aren't you? Orchynx, Dig again!”

As it did before, the Kitten Pokemon turned into a living drill, and dug underground, avoiding its counterpart's attack.

“Orchynx, quickly, jump and fire Energy Ball to the ground below!”

“What!?” Theo asked in confusion. The redheaded boy watched his opponent's Pokemon jump as it formed a green sphere of energy in front of her mouth. That moment, the spot where Orchynx had been began to crack, just as Theo's Orchynx's burst from underground. “Orchynx, wait-!”

Too late. Ash's Orchynx fired the attack, which landed squarely on Theo's Orchynx's face, blasting it back towards the ground, while Ash's Orchynx landed on her feet near him.

“Time to finish this! Orchynx, X-Scissor!” Ash ordered.

Once again, Orchynx's front paws began to glow with a light green aura, as the Kitten Pokemon ran towards her counterpart. She then delivered a pair of diagonal slashes in opposite directions, forming an X-shaped blast that smashed against Theo's Orchynx. The attack sent Theo's starter rolling backwards, before it fell on its back. It didn't make any attempt to get back on its feet

Clemont raised an arm. “Theo's Orchynx can't battle anymore. The winner is Ash!”

“...what?” a dumbfounded Theo asked.

“Yes!” Ash shouted, pumping his fist. “Good job, Orchynx!”

“Pi, pikachu!” Pikachu congratulated the cat on her first victory as well.

“Or, orchynx!” Orchynx happily meowed. She returned to Ash and rubbed her head against his legs affectionatedly.

Theo angrily recalled his own Orchynx, before he stomped towards Ash.

“This doesn't count! You cheated!” Theo shouted, pointing an accusatory finger at Ash.

“What? I didn't cheat at all!” Ash indignantly replied. “I won fair and square, everybody saw it!”

“Then you're a liar!” Theo said, stomping his foot. “There's no way you could have defeated my Orchynx, which I've been training for weeks, with a Pokemon you just caught!”

“Theo, being a trainer isn't just about how much time you have had a Pokémon with you,” Serena interceded. “Like we've told you many, many times, Ash's greater experience is more than enough to make up for Orchynx being new to the team.”

“Yeah, the way he baited you to use Dig... even I saw what was he doing, and I'm not even a trainer yet!” Bonnie mocked.

“Listen, Theo,” Ash began, trying to keep his voice even. “Losing is part of a trainer's journey. There will always be somebody that's better than you for one reason or another. And there's nothing wrong with that. I myself suffered countless defeats, especially when I was a rookie.”

Theo looked at Ash, his lips quivering, a glint of anger remaining on his red eyes. He then turned around, clenching his fists.

“And what did you do when you lost?” Theo asked.

Ash smiled gently. “I kept going. I trained harder. I sought other people to help me out. I tried to come up with new strategies. Anything that makes victory more likely. Never give up until the end.”

“Failure tends to be the best teacher,” Serena interceded. “I'm sure you learned a thing or two about battles from fighting Ash.”

“I guess using Dig twice in a row was kind of a dumb move,” Theo admitted. “No wonder Ash already had a counter prepared.”

“See? That's the spirit!” Ash said.

“Though, next time make sure you fight against a opponent more suited to your skill level,” Clemont advised. “It will take some time until you can be a match for somebody like Ash.”

“How about you, Serena? You don't look as strong as him. Fight me! I still have three other Pokemon that can battle,” Theo challenged her.

Serena's eye twitched a little at the implied insult, but decided to ignore it. “No, thank you. I'm not a Gym Challenger like you or Ash. I'm a coordinator.”

“Coordinator? Oh, that's what Vitor is doing, right?” Theo asked, scratching his head. “Though, that doesn't explain why don't you want to fight against me. You were fighting against Ash when I arrived.”

“Because Ash knows how to emulate the fighting style of coordinators in order to help me prepare for contests,” Serena retorted.

“Also, it helps me learn quite a few tricks from contests that can be useful for gym fights,” Ash helpfully added.

Theo huffed and kicked some grass, angry to be unable to wipe out the bitter aftertaste of defeat from his mouth. Of course, the idea that Serena might have been able to trounce him just as badly as Ash never crossed his mind.

“Why don't you train alongside Ash? I'm sure you can learn much more things from him,” Serena suggested, before she looked at Ash and added: “If you're okay with it, of course.”

“Sure,” Ash happily said. “What do you say, Theo?”

The younger boy managed to supress his ego for enough time to accept Serena's offer. “Alright. Since I'm stuck with you guys for the time being...”

“Great! I already saw what your Orchynx can do. Now show me what your other Pokemon have in their arsenal.”

…

“Alright Aveden, one more time!” Ash said.

“Ave!” Aveden chirped affirmatively, as he began to flap his wings, creating a pair of blades of compressed air that slammed against a rock, leaving two small cuts on it.

“Alright Owten, now try it yourself! Air Cutter!” Theo yelled.

When Ash had asked Aveden to help him train Theo's Owten, the Bliss Bird Pokemon quickly agreed. How could he tell him no? Aveden managed to grow so far thanks to Ash and his Pokemon's help, so it was only fair that Aveden helped younger and weaker Pokemon to reach their full potential. Even if they weren't Ash's Pokemon.

Theo's Owten had spirit, but was a little impatient. This caused it to rush its attacks without properly building them up, failing in their execution. Fortunately, Pikachu also realized of this, and was quick to explain what the Observer Pokemon was doing wrong. The next time it tried Air Cutter, it worked better.

“Yes, you did it, Owten!” Theo excitedly cheered.

“It still will need a little more practice until it can master the move and use it without trouble,” Ash pointed out. “But with persistence, it will have the move down in no time.”

“Now that Owten knows a new move, let's do Fortog Next!” Theo suggested.

“Very well. I think your Fortog could learn a thing or two from my Dunsparce,” Ash said. Oh, Aveden didn't envy that poor Fortog in the slightest. Especially that maniac grin Dunsparce had on his face as he looked at the amphibian. “Thanks for your help, Aveden. Take a rest now.”

“Den!” Aveden nodded, and flew away, leaving the other Pokemon to their own devices.

Aveden knew what to do now. He'd knew what to do for quite some time. He was eagerly waiting for Ash to relieve him from training duty, but he didn't want to look like he wanted to be elsewhere. He could never do that to his beloved trainer. So he worked alongside Ash, as he tried his best to ignore the enticing song that came from the spot where Serena's Pokemon were training.

Except he didn't need to ignore that song anymore. He was now going to embrace it. Ah, there she was, the source of that beautiful voice, an equally gorgeous Pokemon. Even if they belonged to different worlds, he to the skies and she to the seas, he didn't care about that in the slightest. They belonged together in the world of music.

While Serena was training with Sylveon and Minicorn, Selkid was to herself, singing as usual. How the other Pokemon around her could continue with their work without letting such an angelic voice get the best of them was beyond him. Oh well, if they couldn't appreciate what they had in front of them, it was their problem.

Time to impress the object of his affections with his own, clearly inferior but still not too shabby singing.

And thus, Aveden followed Selkid's voice with his own, the two of them forming a duet, the Bliss Bird Pokemon doing his best to match his singing with the Sea Nymph Pokemon. This seemed to draw the attention of Serena and her Pokemon, who stopped what they were doing in order to listen to their song. Serena smiled and followed the rhythm of the song with head bops.

This filled Aveden with confidence, and started to sing more vigorously, trying to push his voice range as much as he could but careful not to drown Selkid's singing. He didn't want to upstage her after all.

Until it became impossible, mostly because Selkid had stopped singing. It took Aveden a few seconds until he realized he was singing alone. A feeling of awkwardness washed over the blue bird, he stopped singing alone and looked at Selkid, who was glaring at him, her arms crossed.

“Selkid?” Serena asked, looking at her with worried eyes. “Is something wrong? Why did you stop?”

That's something Aveden wanted to know as well. The way Selkid was looking at him, as if his very presence annoyed him, didn't fill him with confidence.

“Sel! Selkid, sel! Kid!” Selkid angrily began.

Aveden gasped. Selkid thought he was just trying to eclipse her? But... weren't his intentions clear?

“Av, ave, den den!” Aveden whistled, tried to explain that he just thought that singing a duet would be something fun.

Selkid's frown, though, didn't disappear. “Kid, selkid sel!”

Aveden gasped. So apparently Selkid didn't sing for “fun”, but considered it something serious and important, especially now that her singing was a key part to win contests. And that if he only wanted to sing for fun, to get lost and not bother her.

Tears formed around Aveden's eyes as Selkid's words of rejection tore his heart to shreds. Distraught, the Bliss Bird Pokemon turned around, and flew into the nearby forest.

“Selkid! What did you tell him to make him react like that!?” was the last thing Aveden heard Serena say before leaving.

…

“Ash, Ash!”

Ash was in the middle of training with Theo, as Greninja showed Theo's Fortog his Ice Beam so the Round Toad Pokemon could copy it, when Serena ran towards them, looking rather agitated.

“Serena?” Ash asked. “Something wrong?”

“I'm afraid yes. It's Aveden,” Serena told him.

“Aveden?”

The honey blonde then explained to Ash what Aveden tried to do, probably in an attempt to woo Selkid, before the Sea Nymph Pokemon rejected him in a rather brusque fashion, causing the bird to go away, leaving a trail of tears in his wake.

“You better find Aveden. The poor bird looked like he could use some comfort,” Serena urged him.

Ash nodded vehemently. “Don't worry, I will. Come on Pikachu!”

“Pika!” Pikachu said, as the rodent climbed Ash's, and took his usual spot on his shoulder.

“Theo, I need to leave for a moment. Will you be okay if you continue to train without me?” Ash asked.

“Of course I will! I'm a trainer too, who do you think I am?” Theo replied, almost insulted.

Ash wouldn't have left such reply unanswered, but now he had more important matters in his mind. Like Aveden.

“Um, Ash,” Serena said, clutching her blue ribbon in one hand, and the other hand on her wrist. “I'm sorry. For what Selkid did to Aveden.”

“It's okay. Whatever Selkid told Aveden, I'm sure she didn't pick up from you,” Ash said, sending Serena a reassuring smile. “Now Pikachu, do you think you can find Aveden by tracking his smell?”

“Pi, pika!” the Mouse Pokemon nodded in affirmation.

“Great. Then let's go!”

“Meanwhile, I'll talk with Selkid so she understand what she did was wrong and she can apologize to Aveden once you bring him back,” Serena told Ash.

Ash just nodded, before he and his starter got into the small forest. They started to look around, seeing some of the native Pokemon from time to time, but Ash paid them no mind and the Pokemon replied in kind. After five minutes of walk, Ash and Pikachu finally found Aveden, sadly perching on a low branch, his head hunched over. The Kanto native was relieved that to find his Pokemon relatively soon.

“Hey, Aveden!” Ash asked.

Aveden was snapped out of his funk, and looked at Ash. Cawing happily, the Bliss Bird Pokemon flew towards Ash, who held his arm, allowing Aveden to land on it.

“Hey there, pal. You got us a little worried there, flying away like that,” Ash said, trying not to sound chastising.

“Chupi,” Pikachu added, nodding.

“Den...” Aveden cawed sadly, lowering his head, as if asking for forgiveness.

“Hey, it's okay. At the very least, you didn't go too far away. I was afraid I might have to scout this huge forest to look for you, hehe,” Ash chuckled, scratching his cheek with his free hand.

“Av, ave!” Aveden cawed energically, as if saying that he'd never force Ash to do such a thing.

“Though... Serena told me what happened. I'm sorry to hear how Selkid rejected you like that,” Ash said, petting the bird on the head.

“Den...”

“Honestly, I wish I knew what to tell you here, but I'm afraid I don't understand much about what you're going on,” Ash sheepishly said.

“Pika...” Pikachu groaned lightly, shaking his head.

“Though, if I were to tell you something... I'm sure one day Selkid will see how awesome you are, Aveden,” Ash began. “And if that day never comes... somebody else will. I'm sure of that.”

Aveden didn't say anything, seemingly accepting Ash's words.

“Pi, pika,” Pikachu told Ash.

“You're right. We should probably get back before they get too worried,” Ash said, before looking at Aveden. “Are you ready to go back?”

Aveden merely nodded. Ash was about to walk back to the camp, when the Bliss Bird Pokemon's head suddenly perked up, and looked into the forest. Pikachu's ears also twitched, looking towards the same direction as Aveden.

“Guys?” Ash asked, a little worried. “Is there something wrong?”

But all what he met was silence. Or, at least, that was what he heard at first. After a few seconds, Ash was able to pick up a faint voice coming from the forest, almost as if it was singing. It didn't sound like Selkid, though.

“Ave, aveden!” Aveden happily chirped, as he took off and flew towards the direction of the voice.

“Hey, wait! Where are you going?” Ash asked, as he chased his first Tandorian Pokemon.

Fortunately for Ash and Pikachu, Aveden was flying slow enough so they'd be able to keep up with his speed. After a few minutes of running, they entered a clearing in the forest, and in the middle of said clearing, the source of that voice. Sitting on a tree stump, there was a Pokemon Ash had never seen before. It was small, only a little bigger than Pikachu, with four legs, with the head of a bird but no wings and four legs. Its body was covered in grass-like green feathers. Its black beady eyes were covered in two red wing-shaped marks that flared upwards.

Surrounding the stump were many other Pokemon that Ash already knew, intently listening to the singing. Ash pulled out his Pokedex.

“Chicoatl, the Green Chick Pokemon. Grass. Chicoatl are shy, but can be affectionate. They are said to be related to both dragon and bird Pokémon.” The Pokedex explained.

“Related to birds and dragons, yet she's a Grass-type,” Ash mused, as he put his Pokedex back on his pocket. “Well, she does look like a bird at the very least.”

The trio continued to hear Chicoatl song with interest. While Selkid's songs used to be slow, melodious and solemn, the tune of Chicoatl's song was something much more festive, something that induced somebody to dance to the melody. The Pokemon around Chicoatl weren't dancing, but they were bopping their heads or their bodies at the same rhythm as the song.

“Ave!”

Then, all of sudden, Aveden began to fly in circles above Chicoatl, and much to everybody's surprise, the Bliss Bird pokemon started to sing as well, trying to match Chicoatl's song.

“Chic?” Chicoatl's chirped in surprise, looking upwards towards the source of the new song, interrupting her own. The rest of the Pokemon listenting to her also looked towards the interloper.

“Uh oh...” Ash said, worried.

“Pika...” Pikachu tensed up, getting ready to get his Tandorian companion from a potential mess.

But much to both Kanto natives' surprise, Chicoatl continued her song, allowing Aveden to join as well. They continued singing together, trying their best to match each other's tunes. The Pokemon of the clearing not only bobbed their heads and moved their bodies with more enthusiasm, others were downright dancing at the rhythm of the duet.

“Whoa, look at that Pikachu. It seems like Aveden found his singing partner way sooner than we thought,” Ash said, smiling at the spectacle before him.

“Pikapi,” Pikachu nodded.

“Oh, the others must see this!” Ash said, as he opened up the Pokegear on his wrist. “I'm going to send a message to Serena telling her and the others to come here. They're going to love it!”

…

After Serena's reprimand, Selkid was understandably in a bad mood. So, that annoying bird comes, disrupts her singing practice to play games, but she's the bad guy here because she told him to shove it? The nerve!

The worst part was the thought of making Serena upset. After everything the trainer had done for her, Selkid felt like she was repaying her with such an unbecoming behavior. Even if part of her claimed that she had done nothing wrong and that bird just had it coming.

“I thought you had more tact than that,” Serena had said, as she looked at her in disappointment, arms crossed. “Once Ash comes back with Aveden, you're going to apologize to him, alright?”

Selkid had no choice but to agree. And it wasn't just Serena looking at her like that, Braixen also shared their trainer's disappointment as well. The Fox Pokemon had added that, if Aveden's presence wasn't welcomed, Selkid could have voiced her thoughts in a more civilized manner. The rest of the team didn't say anything, but tried to keep their distance from Selkid.

They treated her as if she had an aggression problem or something.

That moment, Serena's Pokegear beeped a couple times.

…

“A message from Ash,” Serena read the screen, and frowned, a little confused. She began to read aloud: “'Come here quickly, you guys HAVE to see this! It's so amazing!'. Well, Ash seems he had found something interesting during his little trip into the forest.”

“Let's go! I want to see what is it!” Bonnie urged, excitedly bouncing up and down.

“Knowing Ash, it's probably some new Pokemon he wants to catch,” Clemont guessed.

“If that was the case he would have caught it and then showed it to us,” Serena replied. “Come on, let's follow his GPS signal. I'm curious to see what did he find.”

“Yeah! If it's an amazing Pokemon, I want to catch it before Ash does!” Theo shouted.

The four humans and all their Pokemon entered the forest –well, not all of them. Being the ones often taking on the task, Luxray and Greninja stayed back in order to watch over the camp– following Ash's tracks. As they got closer to their companion, Selkid started to hear something. It sounded like a song. Were some Pokemon singing?

“Hey, do you guys hear that?” Bonnie asked, perking up her ears.

“Yeah, it sounds like... some Pokemon singing?” Theo asked.

“So it seems,” Clemont said. “The closer we get to Ash, the clearer the song is heard.”

After a couple more minutes of walking, they finally reached Ash's position, a clearing in the middle of the woods. They found the teen boy there, watching the spectacle in front on him: a multitude of wild Pokemon (and Pikachu) dancing to the tune of a duet between Aveden and a green bird-like Pokemon. Serena quickly scanned it with her Pokedex, which identified her as a Chicoatl.

“Hey, guys!” Ash said, motioning for them to get closer. “Take a look! This isn't something you see every day, huh?”

While Theo didn't look that impressed, Serena and Clemont nodded and smiled. Bonnie and Dedenne even joined the dancing wild Pokemon, wanting to take part in their fun. Serena noticed Aveden singing and dancing with Chicoatl, who looked like he was having the time of his life.

“Look at that. It seems Aveden found a new singing partner after Selkid rejected him,” Serena pointed out.

“Yeah. They make a good couple, don't they?” Ash replied.

Soon, most of their Pokemon –and even some of Theo's– joined Bonnie's example and joined the impromptu dance party.

…

Not every Pokemon had joined the dance party: one of them was Selkid, who was watching the scene in front of her with her arms crossed, as a whirlwind of emotions stirred within her.

So, this was what it took for that bird to move on? Really? Did she really mean that little to him? Sure, she had rejected him, but come on! She was expecting to dwell a little on the rejection, or even insist a little further. Though, it's not that she wanted Aveden to do so or anything, no sir!

And she definitely wasn't jealous over how that Chicoatl managed to get her claws on him. Or how she definitely didn't regret not giving Aveden a chance before writing him off. If anything, she should be happy that the bird had found somebody else who wanted to pay him attention.

“Parce,” a voice said.

Selkid groaned and rolled her eyes. “Sel, selkid!” she wasn't in the mood to deal with Dunsparce right now.

“Dun, dunsparce,” the Land Snake said. Yeah, like hell she was going to believe that he wasn't up to something.

“Selkid!” she shouted, trying to shoo him away, but the yellow Pokemon didn't bulge.

“Dun, parce dun,” Dunsparce amicably said.

“Selkid,” the Sea Nymph Pokemon nodded. Well, of course Selkid was much better singer than that forest hussy. Her species were known for their heavenly voices after all. At least the malevolent worm had some taste.

“Dunsparce,” he pointed out.

“Sel!?” Selkid replied in shock. So what if no one ever broke into dance upon hearing her singing? It's not like she sung for them to dance!

“Dun, dunsparce, parce,” he suggested.

Show Chicoatl who was better singer? Hmmm... that didn't sound like a half bad idea. Yeah, it was about time to show everybody who was the best singer!

As Selkid walked towards the stump were Chicoatl and Aveden were, she missed Dunsparce's evil grin, unaware that the Land Snake Pokemon had played her like a fiddle.

…

As Dunsparce manipulated Selkid in order to create drama for his own amusement, Ash and Serena continued to watch the espectacle in front of them, smiling happily as they enjoyed the festive mood of the place, even if they didn't directly partake on it.

“You know, if Selkid was okay with singing with Aveden, maybe we could have these kind of dance parties with our Pokemon,” Ash commented.

“I know, right? However, Selkid seems to be more of a solo singer. And outside of contests, she doesn't seem to like to sing for an audience,” Serena pointed out, thinking how Selkid always tended to keep some distance from the others when she practices her singing.

“Guess it can't be helped,” Ash said, shrugging.

Realizing of something, Serena looked at Ash, raising an eyebrow. “Though, coming from you, that's a little surprising. You aren't that much into dancing, are you? I'd thought you'd prefer to spend the time with your Pokemon training.”

“I'm not very good at dancing, I give you that,” Ash sheepishly said, and chuckled. “Though I wasn't saying it for me. I mean, look at the Pokemon, how happy they look and how much fun they're having. Little parties like this would do wonders helping them unwind and relax.”

Then, Serena saw it. Chicoatl and Aveden had created a really good chance for a moment with Ash that could be both fun and intimate. She took a deep breath.

“You know, Ash,” Serena said, unable to hold Ash's gaze, as she began to play with her hair, her cheeks turning pink. “You know... dancing isn't something Pokemon alone enjoy...”

“Oh...?” Ash dumbly asked, as he looked at Serena with mild curiosity.

“Yeah...” she rubbed her arm. “Maybe would you like to dance with-”

“Hey, what's Selkid's doing?” Clemont's voice interrupted Serena.

Both Ash and Serena followed Clemont's gaze and saw that Selkid was stomping towards the singing Aveden and Chicoatl. Serena's frustration over being interrupted quickly faded into worry over what the Sea Nymph Pokemon was going to do.

“Selkid...” she whispered, hands over her mouth.

The moment Selkid got close enough to the two singing birds, who hadn't noticed her presence, the Water and Fairy-type Pokemon cleared her throat and began singing, raising her voice so it could be heard above Aveden and Chicoatl's. It wasn't the slow, melodious serenade she often favored, but something similar to what the two birds were singing, something more festive and fitting for quick dancing, but different enough to deliberatedly disrupt the duo's singing.

At first, Aveden and Chicoatl were surprised into silence, and the Pokemon in the clearing stopped dancing, watching the singing Selkid, some confused, other curious, and everything in between. Still, some of the Pokemon there quickly grew to like Selkid's song, and resumed their happy dancing as if nothing happened.

And, seeing it as an invitation, Aveden left Chicoatl and joined Selkid's side, singing alongside her. This time, though, Selkid welcomed the Bliss Bird Pokemon's attempts at forming a duet, smiling victoriously while shooting the Grass-type Pokemon a smug look. Soon, the dance party resumed as if nothing happened.

“Chico? Chi, chico!”

The Green Chick Pokemon met Selkid's look with a fierce gaze of her own, and would have pouted if she had the facial features. However, as Selkid was about to find out, Chicoatl wasn't going to let this marine interloper steal her thunder in a such blatant way.

So she took a deep breath, and Chicoatl resumed her singing, raising the volume of her voice so it could be hear once again above that of Selkid and Aveden's. And once again, everybody stopped dancing, and Aveden stopped singing.

Selkid, however, not only didn't she stop singing, but sang even louder, not to let Chicoatl outdo her. And in turn, Chicoatl sang even louder.

As the two divas tried to out-sing the other, the Pokemon on the clearing became confused, then a little uncomfortable with Selkid and Chicoatl angrily singing at each other. The mood being no longer one of festivity, the wild Pokemon slowly dispersed, leaving the clearing until there was nobody but the humans, their Pokemon, and Selkid and Chicoatl, which their singing was more akin to yelling at that point.

“Uh, guys? Shouldn't you do something about that?” an annoyed Theo asked, covering his ears to shield his eardrums from the high pitched yelling that resonated through the forest.

“Pikapi!” Pikachu agreed, though he was barely heard.

“Selkid and Chicoatl might strain their throat if they keep up like this,” a worried Ash contributed.

“I... I think they have a point,” Serena said, a bit unsure on how Selkid would react to being told to drop it. “Um, Selk-”

However, before Serena could say or do anything, Selkid fell victim to a coughing fit, interrupting her singing.

“Selkid!” Serena cried, kneeling besides her Pokemon and patting her back. “Selkid! Are you okay?”

“Chi! Chicoatl!” Chicoatl cried in triumph, seemingly declaring her victory over their little duel.

Selkid gasped in shock. Then, upon realizing that she had lost, she puffed her cheeks angrily as she fixed Chicoatl with the most hateful glare she could muster.

“Seeeeeeeel...!” the Sea Nymph Pokemon seethed.

“Now Selkid, calm down. This doesn't mean that-” Serena tried to argue.

“SELKID!” Selkid shouted, and launched a Water Pulse into Chicoatl's face.

The attack hit the surprised Green Chick Pokemon in the face, knocking her on her back. The action drew a collective gasp from everybody watching.

“Selkid!” Serena shouted.

Chicoatl got back on her feet and looked at Selkid as tears gathered on her eyes, before the Grass-type Pokemon ran away, crying, disappering behind the shrubbery.

“Selkid! That was completely uncalled for!” Serena angrily chastised.

“Sel!” Selkid huffed, and crossed her arms.

“First you're so rude with Aveden, and now this!” Serena said, throwing her arms into the air. “Just what's wrong with you today!?

“Selkid?” she asked, almost surprised at how angry Serena was at her.

“Is singing such a big deal to you that you get mad when other Pokemon do it? Do you feel like they're overshadowing you or something?” Serena continued.

“S-Sel...” Selkid replied, unfolding her arms, her posture slumping a little. Serena's reprimand was quickly chipping away her bravado and anger. Her trainer could tell that Selkid was starting to feel bad, though if it was because she understood the weight of her actions, or because she didn't want to disappoint Serena, she couldn't tell.

Not that it mattered that much. Serea sighed, and tried to calm herself down, before kneeling before Selkid, and placing a hand on her shoulder.

“Selkid, I know that singing is very important to you. But there are others, both people and Pokemon, who see it another way. A way to have fun, or a way to connect with others. And that's okay,” she began. “Neither Aveden nor Chicoatl trying to outdo you or humiliate you or anything like that. Do you understand that?” she asked.

“Kid...” Selkid nodded.

“Then you'll also understand that the way you reacted to the two of them was wrong, and you ended up hurting them,” Serena continued.

Once again, Selkid nodded.

“So now it's up to you to fix this mess,” Serena said, standing to her full height, towering over the small Water-type. “And the first thing you must do is apologize to Aveden, don't you think?”

Selkid weakly nodded, and walked towards the Bliss Bird Pokemon, standing on the ground next to ass. “Sel, kid, selkid, sel.”

“Aveden! Ave!” Aveden happily chirped back. Thankfully, it seemed that Aveden wasn't somebody to hold a grudge.

“Good. Now, we need to find that Chicoatl so Selkid can apologize to her,” Serena said.

“Good luck with that. Who knows where Chicoatl is now,” Bonnie said, looking around. “This forest is pretty big.”

“Leave that to me!” Theo interjected. He waved a hand at his Lunapup. “Lunapup have a really great sense of smell, so I'm sure mine will be able to track that Chicoatl.”

“Arf, arf!” Lunapup happily barked in agreement.

“Come on buddy, find that Chicoatl!” Theo told him.

The group returned all of their Pokemon to their pokeballs minus Selkid. Lunapup began to sniff the air, and in no time, he managed to find Chicoatl's track. It seemed that the Green Chick Pokemon didn't go too far away, since they only took a few minutes of walking until Lunapup found her, lying at the edge of a small pond. After thanking his Pokemon for a job well done, he returned Lunapup to his pokeball.

Serena dug into her pocket, pulled a macaron, and handed it to Selkid.

“Here, give this to Chicoatl as a peace offering. Hopefully it'll make her more open to listen to you,” Serena instructed the Water and Fairy-type, who nodded.

While the rest of the group stayed behind, the two of them walked slowly towards Chicoatl, who still hadn't noticed their presence. That's it, until Serena cleared her throat, alerting the Green Chick Pokemon, who quickly jumped to her feet and turned around, shocked to see the humans and Selkid back. This time, though, she appeared to be ready to fight back if necessary. Both trainer and Pokemon froze on the spot.

“Chi, chico!!”

Serena raised her hands defensively. “Please, calm down. We didn't come here to fight you. I know that what Selkid did to you was awful, but she has something to tell you. Will you listen to her?”

Chicoatl narrowed her black beady eyes at the Water-type Pokemon, clearly not trusting her. Unlike before, Selkid was unable to hold the Green Chick Pokemon's fierce gaze. Eventually, Chicoatl nodded.

“Coa.”

“Come on Selkid,” Serena enocuraged her.

Selkid closed the remaining gap, and mustered enough courage to look at Chicoatl in the eye.

“Sel, selkid, kid, sel,” Selkid began, sounding sincere.

“Chi...” Chicoatl said, her body still tense.

“Sel?” Selkid asked, offering the macaroon.

Chicoatl looked at the piece of food suspiciously. She sniffed it a little, before her eyes grew wide. She tentatively bit a small piece with her beak, and tasted it.

“Chico...?” she asked, as her taste buds enjoyed the flavor. “Chico, chicoatl!”

Chicoatl opened her beak wide, snatched the macaroon from Selkid's hands, and basically swallowed it in one go.

“Chi, chico, coatl!” Chicoatl happily chirped. Judging by her reaction, that macaron was the tastiest treat the Green Chick Pokemon had ever savored.

“So, everything's all right?” Serena asked, hoping the macaron was enough to placate the wild Pokemon. “As Selkid's trainer, I once again apologize for her behavior. I hope you liked that macaron.”

“Chi, chico!” Chicoatl agreed.

“You have an amazing voice, Chicoatl. Keep singing and bringing joy and smiles to the Pokemon in this forest,” Serena said.

“Chi?” she asked, titling her head.

“Well, I think we're done here,” Serena turned at Selkid. “I sincerely hope this doesn't happen again, Selkid.”

“Sel...” Selkid shook her head.

“Good. Return,” Serena recalled the Water and Fairy-type back to her pokeball, before walking back towards the boys and Bonnie. “Alright, we're done here. Shall we return to the camp?”

…

After making peace with Chicoatl, the group returned to their camp, where they trained and played with their Pokemon before it was time to have lunch. After that, they packed their things, and continued their journey towards Comet Cave.

And after a couple hours of walking, the group finally saw a small mountain rising in the horizon.

“There it is! Comet Cave!” Theo excitedly said, as he began to run towards the mountain. “This time those Rangers won't be able to stop me from crossing it!”

“What are we waiting for? Come on!” Ash said, running after Theo, and quickly catching up to him.

“Theo, calm down! It's not that the cave is going anywhere!” Clemont said, as he and the two girls looked the two excitable trainers rush forward. “Why is that everybody likes to run so much?”

Serena giggled a little. “I guess it's in their nature.”

And thus, the group, as well as Theo, prepared to cross a cave for the second time since they arrived to the Tandor region.

“Chico!”

And unbeknownst to all of them, a certain green, four legged bird Pokemon who had been following them for the past few hours would cross that cave as well.

Chapter Text

Chapter 17:

Route 4 – Baa Grasslands

Seeing Comet Cave filled the group with ambivalent feelings: on one side, after the long trek through Baa Grasslands, they were happy to finally leave the route behind, not only for change of scenery, but because the long route made them feel they weren't making any progress, and a new location washed such feeling away.

But on the other hand, the memory of Passage Cave was still recent in their minds, and they didn't feel like going through that experience again. And no, Davern's words didn't make them any confident that this cave would be any better. The fact that Theo had been banned from entering the cave alone, plus the Ranger they could see watching the entrance didn't inspire them any confidence.

As they got closer, Serena pulled out her tablet, and looked what the net had to say about Comet Cave, not wanting any nasty surprises. She frowned a little when she saw that most of the Pokemon that inhabited Comet Cave were almost the same they also lived in Passage Cave –though she was forced to concede that it was logical–, but her expression perked up when she reached the section that talked about the cave's points of interest.

“Hey, hear this out, guys,” Serena said, reading aloud. “Despite the lack of unique Pokemon, Comet Cave is a popular spot among both trainers and researchers, given its large quantity of fossils of prehistoric Pokemon hidden beneath its walls and ground. It's also one of Tandor's many places where Mega Stones can be found.”

“Mega Stones and fossils? That's great!” Ash said, pumping his fists. “With some luck, we might find some in our way!”

“It would be cool if we did. Though, it's not that we aren't going to get any mileage out a Mega Stone, given that none of us has Keystones,” Clemont pointed out.

“Hm, that's a problem,” Ash said, placing a finger under his chin. “But given how many people in Tandor use Mega Evolution, they must getting them from somewhere, right?”

“Theo, given that you're from here, do you know where one can get a Keystone?” Clemont asked the redhead.

Theo mimicked Ash's expression as he tried to recall such information. “I think I heard the old man saying something about a Mega Evolution Master on East Tandor... maybe from him?”

“The old man?” Bonnie repeated.

“Professor Bamb'o,” Theo specified.

“Is he even that old?” Serena asked. “The guy said he just finished his thesis! He can't be older than thirty five.”

“Then how is that he guy never seem to get my name right, huh? Old or young, the guy's senile!” Theo hotly countered.

Before the argument on Bamb'o's mental health could develop any further, the group finally arrived to the cave's entrance, and a Ranger guarding it. Said Ranger was a broad shouldered man with curly red hair, and a thick moustache of the same color. Next to him was an Aggron. The Ranger smirked upon seeing the group, his brown eyes fixed on Theo.

“So, you're back, laddie? Hehe,” the Ranger laughed. “You bring some pals with you now, I see.”

“Yeah! So you can't stop me from passing!” Theo said, almost gloating.

“Hey, don't get mad at me, kiddie. I don't make the rules, only enforce them,” the Ranger said, shrugging. “You may be a large group, but you better be careful in there.”

“Is it that bad?” Clemont asked. “I mean, to ban people from crossing the cave alone...”

“There has been some seismic disturbances recently. As you can imagine, the Pokemon inside aren't exactly calm and relaxed,” the Ranger began to explain. “It's better to have a travel buddy so you can help each other in hairy situations. And if something awful happen to one of you, the others can tell us so we can mount a rescue.”

Serena nodded with a hum. “Guess it makes sense.”

“My advice would be to get to the other side as soon as possible. If you're like those people coming here to find Mega Stones or something like that, better come sometime later, when things calm down,” the Ranger warned them.

With that, the group entered the cave.

…

If there was one thing that Comet Cave was better than Passage Cave on, it was its size. While the latter had several chambers connected by narrow tunnels that made navigating the cave a bit of a hassle, the former and current cave was much more spacious.

There were also many flourescent teal-colored crystal formations growing across the walls and the ground, providing a dim but nontheless useful illumination, which would make crossing that cave all the easier.

“Whoa, look at those glowing crystals!” Bonnie ran to see the crystals better. Her eyes were twinkling with the light. “So pretty!”

“Bonnie, don't get away from us!” Clemont shouted. “Remember what the Ranger said! Let's stay together!”

“Yeah, better stick together. We don't want anybody to stray away from the group,” Serena added.

“Come on guys, don't be such a stick in the mud. You can still see me, right?” Bonnie replied, as she continued to admire the crystal.

“Can't you just take a picture or something?” Theo impatiently asked. “Come on, I want to get out of this cave as soon as possible!”

Huffing a little, Bonnie returned to the group, and they continued their march across the cave. Just like the their trip through Passage Cave, all they needed to do was move north, and they'll find an exit that would lead them to Route 5. Even if the cave branched into many paths across the middle, in the end all those paths converged on that same exit, so there was no danger of getting lost. Apparently, the only danger came from the wild Pokemon living in the cave.

For some time, they walked in silence, which was broken only by the sounds of water drops falling from the stalactites, as well as the current from small underground rivers that crossed the cave. Strangely enough, they didn't see nor hear any Pokemon.

Eventually, the group arrived at a large chamber, with several tunnel exits. Also, aside from the teal crystals, amethyst-colored glowing crystals dotted the ground as well.

“Whoa, there are even more colors here!” Bonnie almost squealed as she went to check the new crystals.

“So, which one should we take?” Ash asked, looking at the different tunnel exits.

“We have no way of knowing which one will lead to the exit the fastest, so we'll have to pick one at random and hope we chose right,” Clemont said, a little discouraged. “I think I'll have to work on something to help us navigate a cave.”

“Yeah, no. It will explode as usual and cause an avalanche,” Bonnie deadpanned, as she continued to admire the magenta glowing crystal. As she continued gazing into it, she noticed that the rock the crystal was growing from had some strange hole inside it. Moved by curiosity, Bonnie was about to poke the hole with her finger, when all of sudden, a pink eye opened inside the hole. “AHH!” Bonnie yelped, falling on her butt.

“Bonnie?” Clemont asked. “What's wrong?”

Then, as Bonnie crawled back to the group, the alleged rock grew four tiny rock legs, which it used to completely unbury itself from the ground.

“Com, comite!” the rock said, its voice sounding like a deep buzz.

“Wait is that... a Pokemon?” Ash asked, as he, Serena and Theo pulled their Pokedex and scanned the rock-like Pokemon.

“Comite, the Meteorite Pokemon. Rock. It can retract its legs into its body and appear to be an ordinary rock. Stories say they arrived on an asteroid.” The Pokedex explained.

“So you tell me that now,” Bonnie deadpanned, looking annoyed at the Pokedex.

“That's so cool! I think that Pokemon can make a great addition to my team!” Theo said, as he unclipped a pokeball from his belt. “The Pokedex said it was a Rock-type, right? Then Lunapup will make short work of it! Come on buddy!”

“Theo, wait-” Ash tried to warn Theo, but the younger boy already threw the pokeball forward, releasing the Ground and Fighting-type puppy.

“Lunapup, Brick Break!” Theo ordered.

“Arf, arf!” Lunapup happily barked, as he charged towards the Comite, and delivered a vertical chop with a white glowing paw that send the Rock-type Pokemon stumbling backwards.

“Yes! Direct hit!” Theo cheered.

“Com, com, comiiiiiiiiite!” Comite buzzed, almost sounding like a cry of pain.

“Cry all you want, nothing will stop me from catching you!” Theo said, throwing a punch for added emphasis. “Lunapup, follow up with Bulldoze!”

Lunapup was about to follow his trainer's command, when he was distracted by a rumbling noise coming from many directions. Looking around, everybody saw how the dozens of rocks the magenta-colored crystals were growing from began to shake as if they were alive, before each also sprouted four tiny legs, and turned around in order to gaze the intruders with their single eye.

“Com!”

“Comite!”

“Mit!”

The Comite's angry buzzing caused Theo's bravado and excitement to instantly vanish, his face losing a good chunk of color upon realizing how vastly outnumbered he was.

“That's what I was trying to warn you about! Pokemon living in caves tend to form large groups! If you attack one, more will come to their aid!” Ash hotly explained.

“See? This is why you always need to be more careful!” Serena added.

“Com, comite, mit!” the Comites began to buzz angrily as they closed in on the group. Theo fearfully took a step back, while Lunapup growled at them, while standing protectively in front of Theo.

“You... you guys are going to help me deal with them, are you?” Theo asked, knowing that not even using all his pokemon at once would be enough to match the enemy's numbers.

“We were going to help you, just stay calm,” Serena grumbled, a pokeball already in hand. “Pancham, go!”

“Eletux, go!”

“Orchynx, I choose you!”

“Pika!” Pikachu jumped onto the ground, ready for battle even if Ash didn't tell him to.

As the capture devices released flashes of white light, soon Lunapup was joined by two of the three Tandor starters, as well as the small Kalosian fighting-type.

The Comite began the attack, unsurprisingly with a bunch of Rock-type moves, most of them being basic Rock Throws, though Ash could see an Ancient Power there. Pikachu and Pancham leaped forward, breaking the coming stones with a powerful Iron Tail and Arm Thurst, respectively, shattering the incoming projectiles.

They followed with more varied and unexpected attacks coming from cave dwelling Rock-types, such as Charge Beam, Shadow Ball, Psybeam and Signal Beam, a combination that no single move would be allowed to counter. No single move bar one.

“Sylveon, use Protect!” Serena said just as she threw a pokeball forward, releasing her second captured Pokemon.

The moment Sylveon materialized on the ground, her eyes glowed with a faint while light as she generated a green semicircular green barrier around both herself and her friends. The incoming attacks crashed against the sudden barrier, causing Sylveon to wince, but the barrier held long enough to stop said attacks.

Ash couldn't help but feel a little surprised by these Pokemon's arsenal: in Ash's experience, cave dwelling Rock-types like Geodude, Aron, Roggenrola, and Tandor's own Barewl often favored physical moves, usually of one or two types, at least those in the wild. But these Comite were far more versatile than the average cave dweller Rock-type. Maybe Theo had the right idea in wanting to catch one.

Though, right now, he should focus on beating them rather than catching one.

“Time to counterattack! Orchynx, use Energy Ball! Pikachu, Thunderbolt!” Ash commanded.

“Eletux, Water gun!” Clemont joined in.

The combination of powerful yellow lightning bolt, a green sphere of plant-like energy and a powerful stream of water crashed against multiple Comite gathered in front of them, resulting in a multi-elemental explosion that sent them flying in multiple directions.

Seeing Ash and his friends in action, Theo recovered some of his lost bravery. Or maybe it was his pride warning him about the potential shame of freezing with shock when everybody else was able to fight.

“Our turn, Lunapup! Use Earth Power!” Theo said.

“Arf!” Lunapup jumped into the air, his front paws glowing with a golden light, before he landed pawfirst into the ground, releasing an underground shockwave towards the group of Comite. The seismic shockwaves knocked some Comite back, but others began to crackle with electricity, and much to Theo's shock, levitated into the air, avoiding the attack.

“What the... what the heck is THAT!?” Theo protested. “The Pokedex didn't say they could fly!”

“That's Magnet Rise,” Clemont identified the move. “An Electric-type move that allows the user a small measure of flight or levitation.”

“Are you kidding me!?” Theo asked, thrusting both arms exagegratedly. “There are Pokemon who can do that?”

As Theo wasted time voicing his thoughts, his Lunapup was lifted into the air by a Confusion, and painfully slammed against a stone wall.

“Lunapup!” Theo cried.

“Focus on the battle, Theo!” Serena told him. She then saw another barrage of multiple attacks heading their way. “Sylveon, Protect again!”

“Veon!” Sylveon cried as she once again erected a green curved barrier, blocking most of the attacks. Unfortunately, the second time in a row Protect wasn't as sturdy as before, and the barrier flickered a little before disappearing, allowing the last three attacks to pass and hit the Fairy-type.

“Sylveon!” Serena cried. “Sylveon are you okay?”

The few Comite that had used Magnet Rise took advantage of their new mobility, and circled the humans and their Pokemon pelting them with multiple Rock Throws, Charge Beams and Psybeams, forcing them to scatter around the chamber. Unfortunately, Bonnie ended up the furthest from everybody else.

“Bonnie!” Clemont cried.

“Don't worry, I'll get her!” Serena offered, being the one closest to her. However, when she tried to run towards her, she almost zapped by a Charge Beam launched by a flying Comite, forcing her to halt. “EEP!”

“We can't fight them on both ground and the air!” Ash said, as he pulled out another pokeball. “Let's even the odds! Aveden, I choose you!”

The pokeball opened, releasing a mass of bluish white light that coalesced into Ash's first Tandorian Pokemon, his wings spread and ready to face the enemy.

“Ave, aveden!” the Bliss Bird Pokemon cawed.

“Aveden, use Mirror Shot against those Comite! Aim for those levitating!” Ash commanded.

“Aveden!” the blue bird cawed, as he opened his beak, forming an orb of silvery light, before said orb exploded into an energy beam of the same color that barreled towards a nearby floating Comite, blasting it backwards. He then fired more beams towards the other Meteorite Pokemon, who did their best to avoid the super effective attack, but weren't used to move through the air as Aveden was.

That got the flying Comite out of their hair, but left those on the ground. And it seemed they didn't want them to reach Bonnie, because the moment Serena continued running towards the younger girl, a trio of groundbound Comite quickly got in her way. Pancham and Sylveon, trailing behind her, prepared to fight them. However, it proved to be unnecessary when said Comite were blown away by a powerful barrage of Razor Leaf, clearing the path.

“Thank you Ash!” Serena said.

“Thank you? Why did you-” Ash was about to ask, when a loud noise came from afar, drowning his voice.

GROOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRR!!

Suddenly, the Comite stopped fighting, and froze in shock, causing the Pokemon of Ash and his friends to stop fighting as well. For a few seconds, a deafening silence reigned supreme, before all the Comite suddenly scrambled for the nearest tunnel exit, running as if their lives depended on them.

Which proved to be an accurate statement, because not a second had passed since the Meteorite Pokemon began to run when the entire cave began to violently shake, as large chunks of rock began to fall from the ceiling.

“An earthquake!” Theo yelled.

Serena, Bonnie and their Pokemon tried to rejoin their male friends, but when they tried to get close, a multitude of rock chunks fell from the cave's roof in front of them, blocking their path.

“Serena! Bonnie!” Ash cried, also trying to get close to her, but unable to due the falling rocks.

“This chamber is collapsing! Fall back!” Clemont shouted.

Both groups ran in the opposite direction of the falling boulders. After a few seconds that felt neverending, the quake ceased, and so did the falling rocks. Unfortunately, there was now a large barrier of rocks separating Serena and Bonnie from their male friends.

“Serena! Bonnie!” Ash yelled again, his voice appeared muffled from the other side of the rock wall. “Are you okay?”

Serena looked at Bonnie, who appeared shaken but otherwise unharmed. “Yes, we're okay!”

“What do we do now?” Bonnie asked. “Can you guys remove the rocks?”

“It would take quite a lot of time. Plus, I'm seeing a lot of cracks on the chamber's walls and roof. If we do that, it might collapse completely,” Clemont's voice explained.

“Then what are we supposed to do? We can't go back, the tunnel we came from is on your side!” Bonnie protested.

“Is there any other tunnel exit?” Ash asked.

“Just one,” Serena replied, looking at the lone way out of her side of her chamber.

“We know all paths lead to the northern exit. You take that one, we'll take another, and we'll eventually meet at the exit. What do you think?” Ash suggested.

“It sounds like the best idea at the moment,” Serena agreed. “Alright, we'll see you at the exit.”

“Take care of Bonnie, Serena. And Bonnie, stay close to Serena and do everything she says, okay?” Clemont asked.

“Don't worry Clemont! We will be fine!” Bonnie assured him.

“We better start moving. We don't know how long this tunnel can go on,” she then turned towards her Pokemon, standing next to her. “You guys better return to your pokeball and- huh?”

Serena blinked a couple times, upon realizing that there was a Pokemon next to Pancham and Sylveon. A Pokemon that was neither hers nor her traveling partners', but a familiar one nontheless; a bird-like Pokemon with green grass-like feathers that walked on four legs.

“C-Chicoatl?” Serena asked in shock.

“Chico!” the Green Chick Pokemon happily chirped.

“What are you doing here?” Serena asked, as she returned Pancham and Sylveon to their pokeballs. “Have you been following us?”

“Chi?” Chicoatl asked, tilting her head quizzically.

“Hehe, guess that, despite all the troubles with Selkid, Chicoatl liked us so much she wanted to tag along!” Bonnie happily said. Then, a realization hit the blonde. “Wait, that Razor Leaf from before! It wasn't Ash's Orchynx, but you, right?”

“Chi, chicoatl!” Chicoatl chirped and nodded.

“Guess we should count ourselves lucky that you decided to follow us,” Serena said, taking a look at the wild Pokemon. She then looked at the tunnel exit, and a feeling of unease washed over her. “Come on, let's not waste anymore time. It may be wishful thinking, but maybe we'll be able to reach the other end of the cave without further incidents.”

Serena walked towards the tunnel exit, followed by Bonnie and Chicoatl.

…

Ash, Clemont and Theo wasted no time and took the closest tunnel exit.

“Alright, let's keep a good pace, and try not to fight any wild Pokemon until we reach the exit,” Ash began, taking the lead. “Once we reach it, we'll try to clear the area of obstacles so Serena and Bonnie have an easier time reaching us.”

“Who died and made you boss?” an annoyed Theo asked.

He was promptly shut up by Ash and Clemont's very unamused stares.

“Since you're a guest in our group, the least you could do is not being a hidrance for the rest of us,” Clemont said, fixing the younger boy with a hard stare. “If you didn't rush to fight that Comite so thoughtlessly, we wouldn't be in this situation. Now Serena and Bonnie have to fend off by themselves!”

“Hey, don't blame me for that! It wasn't me attacking those stupid rocks what caused the cave to collapse!” Theo protested. “Didn't you hear that roar before it happened? I'm sure whatever roared caused it!”

“Theo has a point,” Ash intervened. “Though, that means that whatever made the cave quake is still out there, and it might do it again. So all the more reason to move as quickly as possible.”

“Pikapi!” Pikachu nodded.

“What are we going to do if we find the thing that's causing the quakes?” Theo asked, his voice having a small edge of fear.

“I don't know. But that's the more reason to avoid unecessary fights,” Ash warned. “Our Pokemon can't fight forever, so let's make sure they're fresh for the battles we can't avoid.”

…

Meanwhile, in another side of the cave, Serena and Bonnie continued their trek, followed closely by Chicoatl. They had encountered a few hostile Pokemon that attacked her, such as a bunch of Tonemy or a lone combative Dunsparce, but nothing Serena's Pokemon couldn't handle. Though, after some time, they didn't encounter anymore hostile Pokemon. The girls decided to enjoy the respite as long as it lasted.

And the moment of peace allowed Serena to tackle a certain topic.

“So, Chicoatl,” Serena began, drawing the attention of the bird-like Grass-type. “Not that we don't enjoy your company but... is there any reason for why did you decide to tag along?”

“Chic?” Chicoatl asked, tilting her head once again.

“Like I say, don't get me wrong, I don't mind that you decided to tag along,” Serena continued. “It's just that... well, after what happened between you and Selkid, it's kind of unexpected that you want to spend more time with us.”

“Coatl,” Chicoatl replied, her body shifting in a way that made her look like she was shrugging.

“Maybe she liked having other Pokemon to sing with. Even if Selkid didn't get along that well with her,” Bonnie surmised.

“Chic, coatl!” Chicoatl chirped in agreement.

“Really?” Serena asked, genuinely surprised.

Suddenly, a roar echoed through the tunnel, causing the two girls and lone Pokemon to freeze with shock. Bonnie yelped, and clung to Serena's leg, while Chicoatl also huddled with the two girls.

“It's that thing again! It's going to bring the cave down!” Bonnie cried, buring her face into Serena's side.

“N-No, it's not. This one sounds a little different...” Serena said, trying to steel herself, mostly from Bonnie's sake.

The roar was heard again, and this time it seemed to be closer. Bonnie dared to open her eyes, and saw the huge shadow of a horned being projected on a nearby wall illuminated by the fluorescent crystals. “AAAAAAHH! It's here!!” Bonnie yelled, as she hid behind Serena, who took a pokeball with a trembling hand.

Then, the shadow began to shrink little by little, until whatever was projecting it finally came into view: a rather cute four legged, dinosaur-like Pokemon, no bigger than Sylveon with dark blue skin, and a cloak of white fur with teal spots covering its head and back, obscuring its eyes. Two stubby brown antlers poked out of its head, going through the fur cloak.

“Huh? That's it?” Bonnie asked, now feeling a little embarrassed for crying in fear of such a small and cute looking Pokemon.

“Weird. The guide didn't say anything about a Pokemon like that living in this cave,” Serena said, as she pulled out her Pokedex to scan it.

“Fafurr, the, Antler Pokemon. Ice/Dragon. This Pokémon's shaggy coat keeps it warm in freezing weather. They are sought after by hunters for their silky fur.”

The Pokedex also said that Fafurr's habitat was the icy mountains of East Tandor. Does this mean that this Pokemon has been taken away by Team Omega, but somehow escaped? After all, the Pokedex did say they were valuable.

“Fafurr? Did you find something?” a new voice said, this one belonging to a male human.

And coming from the same tunnel as Fafurr did, an old man emerged. Despite his age, the man was tall and had an imposing build. He was wearing a dark blue cloak that covered his entire body, complete with a hood, that obscured most of his face, except for part of a very thick gray beard. On his left hand there was a long staff of black metal, topped by the stylized head of a dragon.

“Oh,” the man said, upon seeing Serena and Bonnie. “I wasn't expecting to find any travelers here. Especially ones as young as yourselves. What are you doing here, young ladies? This place has become quite dangerous as of late. Especially for somebody too young to be a trainer,” the old stranger said, laying his unseen eyes on Bonnie.

“We didn't came here alone. There was a quake, and we got separated from the rest of our friends,” Serena explained. “We hope to get together with them at the exit.”

“I see. In that case, allow me to escort you two to the exit. I can't, in good conscience, leave you two alone in such a place like this,” the old man offered.

Serena took a moment to weigh his offer. What if this stranger was somebody shady? Like a Team Omega member? Even if Serena didn't get any bad vibes from him, it wasn't like her intuition was infallible. Then again, if this man had ill intentions, he would have acted on them already, no need for her to lower her guard. Besides, he was right that this cave was too dangerous to traverse without the company of another trainer.

“Alright. Thanks for your help, um...”

“Oh, where are my manners? Here I am talking with you, and I didn't introduce myself,” the man said, before pulling his hood back, revealing his face, which was mostly covered by a gray beard. Even his eyes were obscured by thick eyebrows of the same color. “My name is Vaeryn, son of Einryn. At your service.”

“Hello. My name is Serena. Um, daughter of Grace?” she awkwardly added, trying to match the archaic way the man used to introduce himself. “And this is Bonnie.”

“Daughter of Meyer!” she chimed in. Then, she showed Vaeryn Dedenne. “And this is Dedenne, son of... another Dedenne, I guess?”

“A Dedenne...” Vaeryn said, looking at the Antennae Pokemon with interest, stroking his beard. “That's not a Pokemon you can see around these parts.”

“Hey Dedenne, how is that you never told me about your parents?” Bonnie asked.

“Nenen?” Dedenne shrugged.

“We aren't from here. We're from Kalos,” Serena clarified.

“Kalos... ah yes. One of my daughters went there for her honeymoon. She spoke rather glowingly of the region,” Vaeryn said, smiling a little under his beard. “She insisted her mother and I should visit it, but alas, I never seem to find the time to do so. But I digress. I see there's a member of your little group you have yet to introduce,” Vaeryn said, motioning to Chicoatl.

“Oh, Chicoatl isn't our Pokemon. She has been following us around,” Serena explained. “Not that we mind her company.”

“She's been following you? All the way from Baikal Jungle?” Vaeryn asked. “You must had made quite the impression on this little one to inspire her to follow you for so long.”

“Baikal Jungle?” Bonnie asked.

“Yes. That's the place where her kind lives. Didn't you come from there?” Vaeryn asked.

“We come from Burole Town. We found Chicoatl on the Baa Grasslands, on our way here,” Serena told him.

“Hmmm, I see.Though, I ponder, what might have caused this little one to stray so far away from her home?” Vaeryn mused to himself. “But that's a question for another time. I'll escort you to the exit. Fortunately, I've been on this cave many times, and I know it like the back of my hand.”

With Vaeryn leading them, the group continued walking, Serena and Bonnie feeling a little relieved over this kind stranger making their trek through the cave a little easier. They walked in silence for a few minutes, until Serena opened her mouth to speak, her curiosity pushing her to learn more things about their new companion.

“Say, sir, are you from East Tandor?” she asked.

Vaeryn turned at her. “What makes you think I'm from there?”

“Your Fafurr,” Serena pointed at the small Pokemon walking besides Vaeryn. “The Pokedex says that they can only be found there.”

Vaeryn chuckled. “Yes, that's true. But maybe I just visited East Tandor in the past, and during my stay there I caught this Fafurr.”

“Oh. Yes, you're right...”

“But to answer your question, yes, I'm from East Tandor. From the north, to be precise,” Vaeryn clarified.

“And what are you doing here, then?” Bonnie asked. “Looking for Mega Stones or fossils?”

“Sometimes I do come here looking for Mega Stones, but not today. In fact, today I wasn't even planning to come here,” Vaeryn said, leading the girls into a chamber with two possible exits, and headed towards the leftmost one. “I was supposed to meet with a Pokemon Professor at Comet Port, north of here. But then I heard from the Rangers about something, or someone, that was disturbing the peace of this place, so I decided to come here first and see if I could do something about it.”

“A Pokemon Professor? You mean Bamb'o?” Bonnie asked.

Vaeryn shook his head. “Nay. Said Professor is not from here. In fact, if I recall correctly, I believe he's from Kalos as well,” he chuckled. “Such a coincidence, huh?”

A Pokemon Professor from Kalos? Could it be Sycamore? But if that was the case, what was he doing here? Then again... Mega Evolution was pretty big in Tandor as well.

As Serena pondered over that, they continued walking. They could hear the roar of running water, probably from another underground river. Said roar could be hear cleaer and clearer the more they moved, until they found an obstacle they wouldn't be able to traverse.

“Oh,” Vaeryn sheepishly said. “This... wasn't here the last time.”

Much to their surprise, they found their path was blocked by a river of torrential water. There was no way of telling how deep it was, and the speed of the water would make it impossible to waddle through it.

Bonnie turned angrily towards Vaeryn. “I thought you said you knew this place like the back of your hand!”

“And it's a statement I stand by,” Vaeryn replied. He stroke his beard. “Hmmm... the quakes must have brought an underground river to the surface, or maybe falling rocks formed an impromptu dam that diverted the course of a river. Though, the question is, how are we going to cross it?”

Serena tried to think in a solution. Maybe have Braixen use her psychic powers to levitate them to the other side? Nah, that would be asking too much of her. Have Pancham create a bridge with Stone Edge? She didn't know if the attack could reach the river's floor, and even if he could, it wouldn't be very safe. If Ash was here, maybe Greninja could....

“Hey, wait a minute,” Serena said, grabbing one of her pokeballs. “I know how we can cross. Selkid, go!”

Serena opened the pokeball while keeping it on her hand, releasing her first Tandorian Pokemon. Selkid looked at her, expecting orders, before she noticed Chicoatl. The Green Chick Pokemon looked at her, but Selkid averted her gaze.

“Selkid, can you use Ice Beam to freeze the water and create a bridge?” Serena asked.

“Sel, selkid!” Selkid agreed.

It took her a few minutes, but after several Ice Beams, Selkid had created a bridge of ice solid enough to resist their weight without crumbling, and in no time, they were able to reach the other side.

“Yay, we crossed! Thank you Selkid, you were awesome!” Bonnie praised.

“Sel..” the Sea Nymph Pokemon rubbed the back of her head sheepishly.

“Yeah. Good work Selkid,” Serena said. “Better keep you outside. We might need your help again.”

“Your Selkid looks well trained. And she appears to have enough trust in you, something that's not easy to achieve, as Selkid are naturally distrustful of humans,” Vaeryn observed. “May I ask how did you catch one?”

Looking at Selkid, Serena recalled how they met. “Long story short, I rescued her from a bunch of Pokemon traffickers. Team Omega. Have you heard of them?”

“Aye. I heard of them from the Rangers. The idea that such despicable people that treat Pokemon in such vile ways tainting my beloved region with their presence fills me with disgust,” Vaeryn said, his voice acquiring a dangerous edge.

“I wanted her to return to her home in the sea but... well, she preferred to stick with me,” Serena explained.

“And it seems that that Selkid isn't the only Pokemon affected by such a magnetism, if this little one is of any indication,” Vaeryn said, motioning at Chicoatl. Then, he looked at Selkid again, more specifically, her tail. “Is that a Mega Stone tied to her tail?”

“Yeah. Those traffickers wanted to sell her alongisde a Mega Stone. She liked the Mega Stone, so she uses it as an accessory,” Serena told him.

“Yes. Pokemon are naturally drawn to their Mega Stones, even if they haven't reached the evolutionary stage where Mega Evolution is possible,” Vaeryn mused. “And given that you're from Kalos, I assume that you also possess a Keystone?”

“Well... to tell the truth... no, I don't,” Serena said, feeling a little embarrassed for some reason. Not that she had to, it's not that every Kalosian trainer uses Mega Evolution, right?

But apparently, that's what Vaeryn thought. “You don't? That's mostly odd. My daughter told me that trainers of Kalos are rather fond of Mega Evolution, almost as much as the good people of Tandor.”

“Well, that's true, but as you can see, it doesn't apply to every Kalosian trainer,” Serena said sounding a little more defensive than she intended.

“I see. My apologies if I crossed a line with my words, my intentions were far from ill,” Vaeryn sincerely said. “But, given that you have a Pokemon capable of Mega Evolution with the matching Mega Stone... would you be interested in acquiring a Keystone? I'll understand if you don't, but I can't help but feel it would be such a waste of potential if you didn't.”

The Kalosian girl pondered over the question. Truth be told, Mega Evolution wasn't something that drew her interest in the past, given that none of her Pokemon were capable of Mega Evolution. Though, now that it was no longer the case, then the offer was worth considering.

“...yes, I'd like to get a Keystone,” Serena admitted. “Problem is, I don't know where I can get one.”

Despite his thick beard, Serena could see Vaeryn's lips curving into a smile. “In that case, let me tell you about this Mega Evolution Master that hails from the same town as I do, who gives Keystones and Mega Stones to those trainers he deems worthy of them...”

…

“Owten, Confusion!” Theo ordered.

The eyes of Theo's Owten began to shine with a blue light, as glowing outlines of the same color appeared around the swarm of Tonemy around them paralyzing them in place.

“Colarva, Powder Snow!” Ash shouted.

“Eletux, Electroweb!” Clemont ordered.

Colarva exhaled a gust of extremely cold wind from his mouth, while Eletux fired an orb of yellow electricity from the bulb of his longest tail, which turned into an electric net mid flight. Both attacks slammed into the immobilized Tonemy, knocking some of them out. When the effect of the Confusion disappeared, the remaining Tonemy quickly flew away from there, letting out high pitched squeals of terror.

“Yeah! Take that! That's what happens when you mess with the mighty Theo!” Theo boasted.

“Those Tonemy weren't that big of a deal. The ones we had to face in Passage Cave came in greater numbers,” Clemont said as he returned Eletux to his pokeball.

“Even then, its for the best if we keep fighting wild Pokemon to a minimum,” Ash said, returning Colarva as well. “Given how long we've been walking, I believe we must be pretty close to the exit. But I could be wrong.”

“Pika!” Pikachu energically said, as if stating he'd fight no matter what.

Ash was going to say something, when they were interrupted by a crackling noise, followed by a flash of light. Theo's Owten, glowing brightly, began to grow in size and change its shape, turning into a completely new Pokemon.

“Shou!” the evolved Owten cried.

“HELL YES! About time for one of my Pokemon to evolve!” Theo cheered, before he pulled his Pokedex. “Alright, let's see what you are...”

“Eshouten, the Observer Pokemon. Normal/Flying. They are shy and elusive, found only at night around mountains. Their incredible eyesight allows them to see clearly up to a mile away,” the Pokedex droned.

“Congratulations, Theo!” Ash said, slapping the younger boy on his back. “Seeing one of your Pokemon evolving for the first time is an unforgettable experience.”

“And soon the rest will follow,” Theo proudly said. “Now take a good rest, Eshouten! You deserve it!” he said, before returning his newly evolved Pokemon to its pokeball.

“Alright, let's-”

GROOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRR!!

There it was, that terrifying roar again, echoing through the cave. And this time, it sounded to be much, much closer. And just like it happened before, the entire cave began to shake. Small peebles and some sand fell from the roof. The three boys paled.

“RUN!” Ash yelled, snapping the other two out of their horror, the three of them quickly rushing forward.

As they ran, they crossed paths with several Pokemon, also running away in a mad dash, neither party paying attention to each other. As they ran through several tunnels, they reached a large chamber with a single exit that sloped upwards. The exit was illuminated by dim sunlight. Such sight filled the hearts of the three boys with hope.

“There's the exit!” Theo triumphantly said, as he pointed forward.

“What about Serena and Bonnie? We can't leave without them!” Clemont said.

Before Ash could say anything, the ground beneath their feet literally exploded, throwing the three boys backwards, as a massive, two-headed orange skinned serpent emerged from underground, letting out a deafening roar.

Ash looked up to the threatening figure of a Terlard towering over him and his friends. Given Ash's previous experience with such Pokemon, encountering one wouldn't have merit any reaction if it wasn't for the fact that this Terlard was, at the very least, twice as big as the one Ash fought on Passage Cave. Which proved to be a formidable opponent.

“Ash! What... what is that thing!?” Clemont asked, dragging himself away from the giant beast.

“It's a Terlard! I saw one before, but this one is so much bigger!” Ash said, helping Clemont back on his feet.

Terlard roared once again, making the chamber violently shake.

“Ahhh...aaaahhh....AAAAAAAAAHHHH!” Theo screamed as he ran away, disappearing through the tunnel they had crossed to enter the chamber.

“Theo! Where are you going!?” Ash shouted.

But Ash's thoughts were interrupted by the giant Terlard, letting out another ground-shaking roar, before one of its heads breathed a torrent of purple and amethyst dragon-shaped energy blast at Ash and Clemont, forcing the two boys to jump out of their spots. Ash immediately unbuckled a pokeball from his belt.

“Ash! Don't tell me you're planning to fight that monstrosity!” Clemont shouted, his whole body quivering in fear.

“What other option do we have? I don't think he is going to let us leave if we ask him politely,” Ash said, before tossing his pokeball forward. “Greninja, I choose you!”

The capture device opened up, releasing Ash's best choice for this kind of opponent, who looked up at his large foe, and slipped into a fighting stance.

Seeing Greninja seemed to soothe Clemont's fear a little, as he managed to regain some composure, picking up a pokeball as well. “I guess that... Terlard? Is a Ground-type, right?”

“Ground and Dragon,” Ash replied.

“None of my Pokemon are very suited for a Pokemon like that, but I think this one might be able to assist Greninja to some degree,” Clemont said, tossing the pokeball as well. “Eevee, I choose you!”

Eevee emerged from the mass of light released by the pokeball, ready to battle. But the moment he saw the titanic Pokemon in front of him, his fur bristled in terror. “EVOI!?”

“I know it looks big, Eevee! But don't worry, you won't be fighting it head on!” Clemont told his second most recent Pokemon. “Just let Greninja fight and help him whenever you can!”

“Ev...” Eevee said, not entirely convinced.

“Greninja, Ice Beam!” Ash ordered.

Greninja nodded, and cupped his webbed hands, forming an orb of icy energy between them. Thursting said hands upwards, the orb exploded into a focused beam of ice that smashed against one of the Terlard's heads, which cried in pain. The other head, meanwhile, fired another Dragon Pulse at Greninja, who was forced to cancel the attack and jump sideways.

“Water Shuriken!”

This time, Greninja formed a mass of water between his hands that quickly took the shape of a four pointed star. The moment the attack was formed, the Ninja Pokemon tossed it upwards. The attack flew towards one of the heads, exploding into a torrent the moment it made contact. Terlard cried in pain once again.

“Yes! Good one Greninja! Keep going on!” Ash cheered his Pokemon.

Terlard's two heads pierced the Ninja Pokemon with a fierce glare, and the eyes of one of them began to glow green. Then, to Ash and Clemont's surprise, a pair of glowing green vines burst from under Greninja's feet, wrapping around his legs and tying themselves in a knot. Greninja struggled, tried to move, but the vines kept him firmly in place.

“What the... that Pokemon can use Grass Knot?” Ash asked in shock.

The other head looked upwards, and summoned a multitude of rocks, floating above it. The head motioned downwards, sending the barrage of rocks towards the immobilized Greninja.

“Eevee, cut those vines with Iron Tail!” Clemont ordered.

“Ev!” Eevee cried, rushing towards Greninja as his tail glowed with a silvery light. He then jumped, and bringing down his metallic tail like it was a sword, it cut down the Grass Knot binding Greninja to the ground.

Greninja quickly picked up Eevee and dashed out of there before either of them could be buried under the brutal Rock Slide. Ash then noticed that the eyes of one of the heads were glowing green again.

“It's going to use Grass Knot again!” Ash shouted. “Greninja, Double Team!”

Suddenly, the chamber was filled by two dozen Greninja copies, just as a second Grass Knot formed around one of them, dispelling it. Both Terlard's heads growled in confusion, before going for another Rock Slide, bombarding the area below them in order to get all the fakes in one swoop.

“Ash, let's attack at once, one head each!” Clemont suggested, his voice alost drowned by the thundering noise the boulders crashing against the ground made.

“Very well!” Ash nodded. “Greninja, Ice Beam towards the right-side head!”

“Eevee, Shadow Ball towards the head on the left!” Clemont followed.

Once again, Greninja fired a beam of powerful freezing energy towards one of the heads while Eevee shot a sphere or darkness towards the other. Both attacks connected, resulting in explosions that produced clouds of white mist and gray smoke, respectively. But when they dispelled, the heads only appeared to be a little more hurt than before. And a deal bit angrier.

“Wow. This Pokemon is truly something, isn't it? But I should have assumed it would be a challenge given its size,” Ash said, before he threw a punch upwards. “Then again, you still haven't seen our full power! Come on Greninja! Let's beat it TOGETHER!”

…

On another side of Comet Cave, Serena, Bonnie and Vaeryn were running through a tunnel that, hopefully, should lead them to the exit, with Fafurr, Selkid and Chicoatl trailing behind. At least that's what Vaeryn had assured them. They heard that horrible roar again, and just like before, chunks of the roof began to fall off. It looked at is the cave would collapse entirely anytime soon.

“Keep running!” Vaeryn urged. “The exit is in the chamber just ahead of us!”

“Let's hope you're right!” Bonnie replied, agitated.

The cave shook again, followed by another roar, one that sounded to be really close.

“Vaeryn, I think we're heading towards whatever is making all that noise and causing the quakes!” Serena told him, worried.

“It may be. But this path is our only exit,” Vaeryn stated.

“And what are we going to do if that thing is waiting for us?” Serena asked.

“It isn't obvious? We battle that beast,” Vaeryn said with grim determination.

Leaving the tunnel, the trio entered the chamber, where, indeed, the responsible of the quakes was there.

“WHOA!” Bonnie cried in shock, instinctively hugging Dedenne. “How is that Pokemon so big?”

“That Terlard is truly big, indeed,” Vaeryn said, seemingly unsurprised at its size. “It must be the culprit behind the quakes, which are putting the rest of the Pokemon of this cave on edge. It needs to be pacified before it brings the whole cave down.”

The two headed serpent in front of them was a Pokemon Serena hadn't seen before, at least not in person. However, she remembered when Ash told him about his fight against such Pokemon in Passage Cave.

“Did Ash fight such a big Pokemon all by himself?” she mentally wondered.

Serena was snapped out of her thoughts by Bonnie's loud voice. “Look! There are Ash and Clemont! They're fighting it!”

“Then again, you still haven't seen our full power! Come on Greninja! Let's beat it TOGETHER!” Ash said, seemingly not noticing the newc arrivals.

“GRE!” Greninja shouted, crossing his arms in front of his face as a spiraling tower of water formed around him. Inside said tower of water, Greninja began to transform. The water then began to recede, condesing in the shape of a shuriken on Greninja's back, revealing the Kalosian water type's empowered form.

“What... what was that?” Vaeryn asked mostly to himself, his voice soft and full of awe, his eyes hidden behenath his thick eyebrows focused on Greninja. “Did that Pokemon just Mega Evolve? But... no, it didn't look like Mega Evolution...”

“Greninja, Water Shuriken!” Ash commanded.

“Eevee, Shadow Ball again!” Clemont followed.

Greninja grabbed the Water Shuriken stuck to his back, and tossed it towards one of the Terlard's heads, while Eevee fired an orb of darkness towards the others. Each of the heads countered the attacks by using Dragon Pulse, not only nullifying them, but tearing through them, forcing Greninja and Eevee to jump away.

“Come on Selkid! We need to help Ash!” Serena said. “Ice Beam!”

Selkid opened her mouth, firing a beam of icy energy at the colossal Pokemon, hitting one of its heads, which cried in both pain and surprise. This drew Ash and Clemont's attention towards her and her group.

“Serena!” Ash shouted.

“Bonnie!” Clemont shouted almost at the same time. “You're okay!”

The head that took the Ice Beam shook the frost that formed around it, and glared at the tiny Water and Fairy type. Its eyes began to glow green.

“Serena, watch out-” Ash tried to warn.

“Sel!?” Selkid cried as a pair of green glowing vines emerged from under her feet and tied in a knot around her, leaving her immobilized on the spot.

The Terlard head that was looking at Selkid conjured more floating boulders above her, before it let them fall. Serena panicked, watching in horror how Selkid, who was still struggling with the Grass Knot, was about to be buried alive under tons of rocks.

“Greninja, Night Slash!” said Ash's voice.

“Eevee, Iron Tail!” Clemont shouted as well.

Greninja and Eevee leaped in the direction of the falling boulders, the former with a sword of darkness forming on his hands, the latter with his tail becoming rigid and glowing with a metallic sheen. The two Pokemon managed to smash and cut the falling boulders before any of them could touch the Sea Nymph Pokemon.

Unfortunately, they didn't have the chance to help any further, as they were forced to run in different directions to avoid the Dragon Pulse from the other head.

Serena finally snapped from her shock, and realized she needed to help her Pokemon as soon as possible. But before she could take a step, a green blur blitzed past her. “Huh?”

Her brain took a second to process Chicoatl rushing towards Selkid, her glowing beak spinning like a drill, using it to tear the vines holding Selkid in place to shreds.

“Sel?” Selkid asked, surprised at the Grass-type's help.

“Chico!” Chicoatl happily chirped.

Relieved that Selkid was no longer a sitting Ducklett, Serena's eyes moved towards the two headed giant beast that occupied most of the chamber. That thing was able to match Ash-Greninja in terms of power, and its two heads allowed it to keep its attention to multiple opponents. Beating it would take more than mere brute force.

“We need to distract the heads, but how...?” Serena murmured, the gears in her head turning, until they produced a result. “I have it! Selkid, quickly, use Sing!”

Selkid nodded, and as Greninja and Eevee drew attention of the two heads to themselves once again, took a deep breath and began to sing as loudly as possible. The attack manifested in the form of ethereal musical notes that slowly flew towards the the Terlard heads, but they didn't seem to have any effect on it.

“Serena, it's not working!” Bonnie pointed out, worried.

“Selkid's voice isn't powerful enough to reach such a big Pokemon,” Serena realized, clasping her hands. “But how could we...?”

Before she could finish her ruminations, Chicoatl walked next to Selkid, and began to sing alongside her using Grass Whistle. Rather than the more cheerful and fast melody she sung back in the forest, she made an effort to match Selkid's slower and more melodious song. The floating musical notes grew in size and acquired a green glowing outline. The two Terlard heads appeared to grow tired and drowsy upon hearing the soothing duet.

“Yes! Now it's working!” Serena cheered, beaming at Chicoatl. “Thanks a lot, Chicoatl!”

“Come on Ash, Greninja! Hit it hard right now!” Bonnie hollered.

Ash nodded, and fixed his eyes on the sleepy Terlard. “Come on Greninja, Water Shuriken! As big as you can!”

Greninja grabbed the Water Shuriken from his back, placed it above his head, and willed it to grow almost thrice its original size, before launching it at the two headed beast.

“Selkid, Ice Beam on the shuriken!” Serena ordered.

“Sel!” Selkid cried, firing another beam of chilly energy at the flying four pointed watery star, freezing it white. The frozen shuriken smashed against the two heads, bursting into thousand ince shards, while the Terlard heads cried in pain.

Ash smiked, victory at hand, and pulled out an empty pokeball. “Now, let's-”

But before Ash had the chance to capture the giant Pokemon, the ground began to shake again, threatening to trip those around Terlard, as the two-headed Pokemon quickly burrowed underground. Once its body was completely buried, there was another rumble that hinted that the Pokemon was moving somewhere else, until the quake stopped completely.

“Huh? Where did he go?” Ash asked, looking around.

“Somewhere else. Probably its lair or another safe place where it can lick its wounds,” Vaeryn said, as he walked forward. “Congratulations for such a magnificent victory over such a mighty adversary, son. The two of you, as well as Serena, formed an incredible team.”

“Thank you, uhhhh...” Ash began.

“Vaeryn, son of son of Einryn. At your service,” the man said, making a reverence.

“Hi. My name's Ash....uh, son of Delia,” Ash said, scratching his cheek, as Pikachu shook his head. “That's Clemont. Son of Meyer. And I guess you know Serena and Bonnie.”

“Nice to meet you, sir,” Clemont greeted him.

“It was a mostly fortuitous chance that our paths crossed, though one that I do not lament, for it allowed me to witness such an spectacular battle,” Vaeryn claimed, his voice full of vigor. “Though, young Serena told me that there was another boy in your group... Thomas, mayhaps?”

“IT'S THEO!!” Theo's voice shouted from the tunnel he had disappeared into, causing everybody to turn towards it. The redheaded boy's head peeked from behind a wall. “Uh... is that giant monster still here?”

Clemont shot the younger boy an unimpressed stare. Not only did he ran away, but he didn't even go that far, meaning that he could have helped them deal with that Terlard. “Yes, you can come out now. The chance to prove yourself a hero is long gone,” the inventor deadpanned.

“W-Well, it's not that I wanted to be one!” Theo protested, clenching his fists, matching the disappointed stares of his temporary traveling companions with an angry glare of his own. “I only traveled with you guys because I wasn't allowed to enter this dumb cave alone! And since the exit is there, I no longer have to trail behind you! And you should leave as well before that monster comes back!”

And with that, Theo stomped towards the cave's exit.

“What was that, Theo? Oh yes, you're very welcome! No need to thank us for letting you travel with us,” Bonnie said in a mocking tone.

“That's quite an... interesting kid,” Vaeryn said.

“Guess that's one way to put it,” Serena said.

“Hey Serena,” Ash said, noticing another newcomer besides Vaeryn. “Is that the Chicoatl that we met on the forest a couple days ago?”

Serena looked down at the Grass Chick Pokemon, and smiled. “She is. It seems we made quite an impression on her, given that she decided to follow us all the way here. If it wasn't for her, we wouldn't have been able to subdue that Terlard for Greninja to finish it off for good.”

“Hey Serena, why don't you catch it?” Bonnie suggested. “They may have started with the wrong foot, but Chicoatl and Selkid made quite the amazing team!”

“Chico!” Chicoatl proudly chirped.

“Sel...” Selkid sheepihly cried, looking down. However, much to her surprise, Chicoatl affectionatedly rubbed her head against Selkid, as if trying to comfort her.

“Yeah. Chicoatl didn't follow us. She followed you,” Clemont added.

Serena then knelt down, and looked at Chicoatl's black beady eyes. “It is true, Chicoatl? Do you want to travel with us? Would you like to join my team?”

“Chi, chico!” Chicoatl happily chirped once again.

Serena smiled, and rose to her full height. She pulled out an empty pokeball, and gently tossed it at Chicoatl. The Green Chick Pokemon was absorbed into the capture device, which dropped to the ground, and dinged without shaking even once, signaling a succesful capture. Serena then picked the pokeball and showed it to her friends.

“Ta-da! I caught a Chicoatl!” she cheered.

“Awesome!” Bonnie shouted.

“Congratulations, Serena!” Ash happily said.

“Now you have a full team!” Clemont pointed out.

Serena then looked at the pokeball fondly, almost feeling her newest Pokemon inside it. “Welcome to the team, Chiocatl.”

“Alright. Now we should probably leave this cave and continue our journey. Theo was right about one thing, that Terlard might come back,” Ash told the others, who nodded in return.

Vaeryn then took a step forward. “Pardon me for asking this, young man, but would it be okay for me to travel with your group, at least until I reach my destination?” the old man asked.

Ash smiled. “Sure thing. It seems you've been helping Serena and Bonnie when they were on their own, but even if you didn't, I see no reason to turn you down.”

“I'm also okay with Vaeryn coming with us,” Serena added.

“He can't be a worse companion than Theo, that's for sure,” Bonnie said, crossing her arms.

“Excellent,” Vaeryn said, smiling under his beard. The four children and the single adult then headed for the exit. “Because, until we reach my destination, I have quite a few questions about that Greninja of yours...”

Chapter Text

Route 5 – Tancoon Way

Tancoon Way turned out to be quite different from the rest of the routes the group had traveled through. While the previous routes had plenty of green grass and trees of a similar color, the trees here were shades of yellow, orange and red, making the place look as if it was permanently in autumn. Even if the grass was still green, it was a more muted shade compared to the bright oneof green as the opposed bright shade from the previous route. It made the place look as if it was permanently in autumn, but But it couldn't bewasn't the case, given that the trees were lush with leaves, none of them having fallen to the ground.

"And none of the other Greninja from that village were able to emulate your transformation?" Vaeryn asked.

"I knew they were trying, but the last time I heard from Sanpei, he told me that neither him nor his older brother had been able to," Ash replied.

On their way to Comet Port, the town where Vaeryn would meet this professor, the old man had requested Ash to tell him everything about his Greninja, and to spare no details. So Ash recounted all the moments he had shared with the Kalosian starter: how he met shortly after arriving on Kalos, all the battles they had since then, evolving into Frogadier, Olympia's prophecy, the Ninja Village where he both evolved into Greninja and manifested the Battle Bond.

When they reached to that part, Ash also mentioned that according to the ninjas, another Greninja many centuries ago was also able to undergo a similar transformation. This caught Vaeryn's interest, taking it as proof that Greninja's transformation wasn't something unique, and perhaps it could be replicated in another Pokemon.

"You know, I don't remember anybody showing that much fascination in my Greninja, sir," Ash pointed out. "Not that I mind, but most people just tend to go with it."

Well, there was also Lysandre, but Ash preferred to forget about the man.

"How could I not be fascinated, boy? A transformation not dissimilar to Mega Evolution, except without either a Keystone or a Mega Stone? If somebody told me about that, I would have never believed them! Heavens, I saw it with my own eyes, and I still don't believe it!"

"You also display quite the fascination towards Mega Evolution as well," Clemont pointed out.

Vaeryn chuckled heartily. "Why, yes! You can say that Mega Evolution is a subject that I'm very passionate about. I spent quite a good portion of my life studying its mysteries, albeit not exactly from a scientific standpointway, like the man I'm about to meet with does. My approach is more... philosophical and spiritual."

Ash nodded. Ash was reminded of Gurkinn, Korrina's grandfather and Mega Evolution Master, who also had a similar outlook on the topic.

"Mega Evolution is indeed big in Tandor, huh?" Bonnie echoed.

"Aye. Though, while most people, those from this region included, merely see Mega Evolution as a way to increase their Pokemon's power, me and those with a similar mind see it as much more," Vaeryn said. "Namely, we think Mega Evolution is the ultimate bond that can be forged between humans and Pokemon, and the means to truly understand one another. And this makes me wonder, how deep is the bond between Ash and his Greninja, being able to reach such a transformation without the help of a Keystone and Mega Stone?"

"Well... as much as I like hearing that, I also like to think that the bond with other Pokemon is just as deep, even if I can't make them transform like Greninja does," Ash pointed out.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu energetically nodded.

"Oh, pardon me, my boy, if my words implied that your bond with your other Pokemon were lesser. It was far from my intention," Vaeryn apologized.

"Don't worry, it's okay," Ash said, smiling reassuringly.

Vaeryn nodded. "Thank you. Also, before we part ways, there's something I'd like to ask you, Ash. Would you mind battling me with your Greninja? I know I already saw it in action, but I want to experience a battle against him myself."

"Sure! I'd be glad to," Ash happily replied.

"Though, you better have a very strong Pokemon if you want to match Ash-Greninja!" Bonnie piped in.

"I can assure you that won't be a problem," Vaeryn confidently stated.

"Heh, you said that now, but wait until-" Bonnie interrupted herself, a frown developed on her face as a realization dawned upon her. "Hey, wait a minute! If you have a Pokemon so strong, why didn't you help us fight that giant Terlard before!?" she angrily asked.

Realizing that Bonnie made a good point, the rest of the group looked at Vaeryn. They weren't glaring at him or anything, just wanted to hear what he had to say in his defense.

"I was about to, but seeing Ash's Greninja distracted me. I also wanted to see not just his capabilities, but what the rest of you were able to, and your skill as trainers," Vaeryn began. "I swear by Aotius and Mutios that, had the situation demanded it, I would have stepped up and dealt with that Terlard myself. I would never let any young trainer be harmeda victim of any harm in my presence."

They continued looking at him, weighing his words. While they believed him, it almost looked as if they found his excuse a bit flimsy, and he should have helped them anyway.

"I see you're not convinced. Perhaps I should have offered my help as well back then," Vaeryn reflected. "Alright, let me try to compensate you, then. Ash, if you are able to impress me during our battle, I will give you and your friends a very special prize that will be of great help during your journey."

"Really? That's awesome!" Ash cheered.

…

Thankfully, it didn't take very long for the group to reach Comet Port. Not that they didn't enjoy the wild beauty of Tancoon Way, but after so many days traveling through the Baa Grasslands, sleeping in the open, followed by their arduous trek through Comet Cave, civilization was a sight for sore eyes for Ash's group. While they were no strangers to sleeping in the open, after doing it for so long, sleeping in a Pokemon Center was much appreciated.

Comet Port was a sizable town, much larger than Moki and Kevlar Town, though not as big asto the size of Nowtoch City. The town was mostly formed by one and two story houses made of wood with green roofs, but there were also large warehouses, mostly near the wharf –with several ships docked in–, where the load carried by ships was stored before it was sent away on trucks.

"Comet Port. Here we are," Vaeryn announced. "Once you want to go to East Tandor, you'll have to come here in order to board a ferry. Well, either here or Bealbeach City, but the price tickets are much cheaper here, hehe."

Wasting no time, the group headed to the Pokemon Center. Not only to have their Pokemon restored to full health and book a couple rooms, but also because they were curiousthey were also curious about this scientist Vaeryn was about to meet.

"Ah, there it is," Vaeryn said, looking at a man sitting at one of the tables in the lobby. A tall, handsome looking man with dark hair that the group was very familiar with.

"No way! It's Professor Sycamore!" Bonnie loudly said.

Upon hearing his name, the Kalosian Professor turned around towards the source of the voice, and smiled upon seeing the group.

"Hey, it's you guys," Sycamore said, getting up and walking towards them. "Fancy to see you here. Such a small world, huh? So, Ash, Serena, Clemont, Bonnie. I trust you've been okay?"

"Hey there, Professor!" Ash greeted him.

"Of course. A Kalosian Professor expert in Mega Evolution. It couldn't be any other but you," Serena said, recalling what Vaeryn told her.

"And I see that you've been acquainted with Gym Leader Vaeryn," Sycamore mentioned.

There was a collective gasp, as the group of four looked at the old man with a sudden sense of awe.

"Gym Leader...?" Ash repeated, while Serena pulled her Pokedex, and began to furiously type something on it.

"Indeed, young man. Didn't I mention it?" Vaeryn not-so-innocently asked, a wide smile forming under his beard. "It must have slipped my mind. You know, in my old age, my memory isn't what it used to be..."

"Not only is he a Gym Leader," Serena said, having found information on Vaeryn on her Pokedex. "You're one of Tandor's three toughest Gym Leaders, as well as a Mega Evolution master!"

"No wonder you know so much about Mega Evolution..." Ash said in awe.

"Well... I do try, hehe," Vaeryn chuckled.

"That's why we're here. Mega Evolution in Tandor is just as popular as in Kalos, and it has been for quite some time, thanks to its abundance of Mega Stones. So it was only logical to come here in order to continue our research on Mega Evolution," Sycamore explained. "And I couldn't think a better way to start than meeting the region's foremost Mega Evolution expert."

"Of course," Ash agreed, before he realized something. "Wait a minute... we?"

"Exactly, we," a familiar voice said behind them.

Ash turned around, and saw a tall black haired boy wearing a distinctive blue scarf, accompanied by a redheaded girl whose hairstyle was reminiscent of a Chespin, wearing a green hat.

"Alain! Mairin!" Ash said, smiling wide. "Heh, I knew that if the Professor was here, you wouldn't be far."

"It's great to see you again, Ash," Alain said, as both rivals shook hands. This allowed Ash to notice the new bracelet with a Keystone on it. Last time he saw the Kalosian teen, he had given it to the police since it had been given to him by Lysandre. "Huh? I see you got another Keystone."

"Yeah..." Alain, taking a look at it, his expression becoming unreadable. "Professor Sycamore was kind enough to get me another one to replace the one I got from..." He said, frowning a little as he left the line unfinished. He then smiled at Ash, as if pushing away from his mind some thoughts that troubled him. "I take you're going to challenge the Tandor League?"

"You can bet on it! I have two badges already!" Ash proudly said. "What about you? Are you going to take part in the League too?"

"Indeed! And he has four badges already!" it was Mairin who replied.

"Four? Whoa!" Ash gasped. "I better step up my game then!"

"At first I only challenged Gym Leaders here as part of our research, since all of them use Mega Evolution," Alain explained. "But now that I know you're also going to take part in the league, I'm going to enjoy it much more!"

"What, weren't you happy with kicking Ash out of a league once that you plan to do it again?" Bonnie deadpanned, shooting Alain an irritated look.

"Bonnie!" Clemont shouted.

Alain either didn't hear her or ignored her. "But you know what? As great as our last battle in the Kalos League was, now that I see you here I can't wait anymore! I challenge you to a battle, Ash!"

Before Ash could reply, Vaeryn cleared his throat. "While your enthusiasm is encomiable, and I understand why you would want to battle a trainer like Ash if you know him beforehand, I'm afraid that he promised to battle me when we arrived at Comet Port."

"Oh..." Alain said, deflated and a little disappointed. "Guess I'll have to wait my turn."

"Heh, you're surely popular around here, Ash," Sycamore joked.

Ash just chuckled bashfully, before he turned at Vaeryn. "If you don't mind, would you like to have our battle now?"

"I was about to suggest it, my boy, and I'm glad that we were thinking the same thing," Vaeryn said.

…

A few minutes later, everybody was on the battleground next to the Pokemon Center. Ash and Vaeryn were on their spots, with Clemont in the middle, playing the role of referee. Everybody else was on the sidelines, watching with interest.

"Vaeryn promised Ash a reward for this match. His Gym Badge?" Serena muttered to herself. Though louder than she thought, given that Alain heard her.

"No. Only matches that take place on Pokemon Gyms and with an official referee can result in winning a badge," her fellow Kalosian explained. "If Vaeryn gave Ash a badge now, not only the badge wouldn't be valid, but Vaeryn would get into trouble with the Pokemon League."

"Then what-" Serena was about to say, before being interrupted by Clemont.

"The battle between Ash and Vaeryn will be a one on one with no time limit! The trainer who faints the opposite Pokemon first will win," Clemont began. "Trainers, select your Pokemon!"

Ash already had a pokeball in his hand before Clemont could finish explaining the rules. "Greninja, I choose you!"

Ash tossed the pokeball forward, releasing the Kalosian Water-type starter, quickly slipping into a fighting stance.

Vaeryn didn't react, but a subtle shift in his body language revealed that he was excited to see Ash's Pokemon again. A pokeball appeared in his hand. "Show your worth, Ampharos!"

Vaeryn's pokeball opened when it hit the ground, and the Electric-type Pokemon emerged from it. Ash quickly noticed the collar around its neck with a Mega Stone attached on it.

"Begin!" Clemont shouted.

~Ash (Greninja) VS Vaeryn (Ampharos)~

"Let's begin with Water Shuriken!" Ash ordered.

"Gre!" Greninja nodded, forming a watery star between his hands, before tossing it at Ampharos.

Watching the four star projectile fly towards his Pokemon, Vaeryn wasted no time and issued an order. "Ampharos, counter it with Thunder Punch!"

"Am!" Ampharos cried, as it twisted the end of its arm into something resembling a fist, which crackled with electricity, before punching the Water Shuriken, which was shattered into a million electrified water droplets.

"Excellent! Now Dragon Pulse!" Vaeryn followed.

"Dodge it while getting closer and use Night Slash!" Ash replied.

Ampharos took a deep breath before releasing a purple and amethyst dragon- shaped energy blast at Greninja, who dodged as he rushed forward, as a sword of pure darkness forminged on one of his hands. Like a blue blur, Greninja bridged the distance between himself and the Light Pokemon, delivering a powerful slash across its chest.

"Phaaaaa...!" Ampharos cried.

"Well done Greninja! The first hit is ours!" Ash cheered. However, his joy was about to be very short-livedshort lived.

"Thunderbolt!" Vaeryn ordered.

"Aaaaam..." Ampharos began, as its body crackled with electricity.

"Greninja, quickly, move back!" Ash urged.

"PHAROS!" Ampharos cried, releasing the stored electricity in the form of multiple yellow lightning bolts.

Greninja hopped backwards as fast as he could, but he was too close to Ampharos to properly dodge the Thunderbolt, taking it in full.

"Greninja!" Ash cried.

"Whoever wins a battle isn't that whom strikes the first hit, but the last," Vaeryn told Ash, his tone carrying a scolding edge.

"Well, that Thunderbolt is far from being the last hit of the battle!" Ash proclaimed. "Night Slash once again!"

"Parry with Thunder Punch!" Vaeryn replied.

Once again, Greninja moved into close quarter distance, another blade of darkness in his hand, and delivered a swipe at Ampharos, who parried it with one of its electrified punches, and countered with the other, but Greninja's speed allowed him to dodge it. The two of them continued to trade blows that were either parried or dodged, until Vaeryn called for the next course of action.

"Focus Blast!" the old man shouted.

Ampharos pushed Greninja backwards, and formed a red orb of energy between its paws.

"Very clever," Serena heard Sycamore say. "Ampharos is a very slow Pokemon, so Vaeryn is playing defensive and goading Ash into getting closer, enduring Greninja's hits, but countering with something much more powerful."

"Yeah. Focus Blast is a strong move offset by its low accuracy, but from that distance, Greninja will have a hard time tryingwill have it hard to dodge it," Alain added, before he narrowed his eyes. "Though... Ash doesn't appear to be very concerned with that."

"Greninja, Water Shuriken! Make it as big as possible and use it as a shield!" Ash shouted.

"Gre!" Greninja said, forming a Water Shuriken twice as big as normal, and placing it so its blunt side would face the incoming projectile.

The orb crashed against the Water Shuriken, resulting in an explosion that canceled both attacks, also producing a shockwave that pushed Greninja backwards. However, the Ninja Pokemon managed to use the momentum to do a backflip in mid- air, before gracefully landing on his feet.

"Thunderbolt!" Vaeryn replied.

"Avoid it with Double Team!" Ash ordered.

As Vaeryn's Ampharos directed multiple lightning bolts towards Greninja, a multitude of illusory copies littered the battleground, much to Ampharos' confusion. Some of the copies were dispelled by the Thunderbolt, but most of them remained, including the original.

"You won't dodge this one. Ampharos, Thunder Punch on the ground!" Vaeryn said, hitting the floor with the bottom of his staff.

"Greninja, jump into the air!" Ash said.

Just as Ampharos' electrified fist hit the ground, releasing a circular electric shockwave that expanded outwards, dispelling the rest of the copies at once, Greninja leaped into the air, avoiding the attack.

"Now, Ice Beam!" Ash said, thrusting a punch forward.

"Greeee...!" Greninja began, forming an orb of ice between his webbed hands, before using it to fire a beam of frigid energy at his foe. "NINJA!"

Vaeryn was unable to issue another command, and the attack hit Ampharos. The Light Pokemon cried, as its body was slowly covered in frost.

"Now, Night Slash!"

Letting gravity pull him down, Greninja aimed his body so he would fall near the shivering Ampharos, as another blade of darkness was conjured ion his hand. The Light Pokemon couldn't react in time, and Greninja delivered a powerful swipe across its chest, carrying so much power, it knocked the Electric-type backwards.

"Yes! Direct hit!" Bonnie said, getting up and bouncing up and down. "Go Ash, go Greninja!"

"Indeed. Your start may have been a little sloppy, but you managed to match my battle pace quite admirably," Vaeryn praised. He then pressed a switch under the staff's dragon head, causing it to open its mouth, revealing a Keystone. The old man grabbed the Keystone, and said: "I believe this is enough for a warm-up. Should we begin the actual battle?"

Ash smirked confidently. "We're ready for anything you throw at us!"

Vaeryn matched Ash's smirk with one of his own. "In that case.." he raised the Keystone above his head. "Ampharos, my old friend! Let our bond bring forth the power within, and unleash it like a storm! Mega Evolve!"

Both the Keystone and the Mega Stone attached to Ampharos' collar began to glow, and fired beams of different colors towards each other. The beams clashed, and merged into one, and Ampharos began to glow as its body changed, the helix of Mega Evolution flashed before it once the transformation was finished.

"Oh my goodness...!" Bonnie said, looking at Ampharos with sparkles in her eyes. "Mega Ampharos is so cute! Look at that mane! And that tail! It's so fluffy I'm gonna die!"

"You're going to need more than fluffiness to bring us down!" Ash said, crossing his arms in front of his face, a move Greninja mimicked. "Come on Greninja! Let's do it TOGETHER!"

Trainer and Pokemon brought their arms outwards, and Greninja was surrounded by a vortex of torrential water that formed around him. Behind the water tower, one could see how Greninja changed forms as the Battle Bond was triggered. Lastly, the summoned water condensed into a single four point star that was attached to Ash-Greninja's back.

Vaeryn couldn't repress an awed "ohhhhhhh" as he witnessed the transformation.

"Last time, I was only able to catch a glimpse of that transformation from a distance. Seeing it whole, and in front of me, it was simply incredible," Vaeryn said.

"If you liked that, you're going to like this even better!" Ash said. "Water Shuriken!"

"Counter with Dragon Pulse!" Vaeryn replied.

Greninja grabbed the shuriken on his back, and launched it towards Ampharos, spinning so fast it resembled more a blue disc more, while the Mega Evolved Pokemon fired another purple and amethyst dragon- shaped stream of energy. The two attacks clashed in the middle, the ethereal dragon and spinning water star grinding against each other for a couple seconds, before Ampharos' attack won the struggle, tearing through the shuriken and barreling towards Greninja.

"Greninja, jump out of the way!" Ash commanded. Thankfully, Greninja reacted in time, and jumped aside, avoiding the Dragon-type move.

"Whoa, Mega Evolution made Ampharos really strong," Serena noted. "Its Dragon Pulses were nowhere near as powerful."

"That's because Ampharos has gained the Dragon-type upon Mega Evolving. So Dragon-type moves like Dragon Pulse become more powerful as long as Ampharos remains in that state," Sycamore explained.

"Whoa, Pokemon can gain new types upon Mega Evolving?" Bonnie asked, looking awed.

"Pokemon can gain new types upon evolving normally, so why should Mega Evolution be different in that regard?" Sycamore said with a smile.

"Other Pokemon also change types. My Charizard, for example, trades its Flying-type for Dragon-type," Alain added.

After the brief explanation, the spectators returned their eyes to the battle, where Ash was once again on the offensive.

"Get close and use Night Slash!" Ash commanded.

"Gre!" Greninja said, rushing forward, two blades of dark power appearing on each hand.

"Stop him with Thunderbolt, Ampharos!" Vaeryn said, slamming the bottom of his staff on the ground.

"AAAAMP!" Ampharos bleated, its whole body crackling with electricity, before releasing all of it in the form of a yellow electric storm. "ROOOOS!"

"Greninja, avoid it with Double Team!" Ash replied.

A multitude of Greninja clones appeared around the original, quickly hiding him. Several lightning bolts struck them, making them disappear, but the original remained untouched. All the Greninjas quickly surrounded Ampharos and prepared to attack.

"Ampharos, Cotton Guard!" Vaeryn shouted.

Ampharos' mane and tail began to glow with a white light, as balls of cotton quickly appeared around the Light Pokemon, covering it almost instantly. The moment Greninja hit, he was only able to shave some cotton off of Ampharos.

"Now, Thunder Punch!" Vaeryn replied.

Just as quickly as they appeared, the cotton puffs forming the unlikely armor disappeared, revealing Mega Ampharos, already lunging towards the surprised Greninja, electrified fist ready to strike.

"Greninja, dod-!"

But Greninja was unable to react in time, and Ampharos' attack landed, its improvised fist slamming into the amphibian's face, the hit launching him backwards as electricity ran through his body, bouncing painfully on his back. Ash winced in shared pain every time Greninja's body hit the ground.