“Why hello, my dear Zero,” Greeted Ryder with a bow, “I do believe you and I are overdue for another chat?”

  Without waiting for even a second, Zero lunged at him with a Leaf Blade, but her attack only caught the afterimage of the armored man. “So hasty,” Taunted Ryder from behind her, “Come now, none of that.” Zero whipped around with a Focus Punch, but only succeeded in blasting another crater in the ground. Ryder appeared once more at her side, still completely unscathed.

  Zero seethed. “You…!”

  Ryder held up his hand to stop her. “I’ll have you know that I didn’t come here with the intent to fight,” He told her, “No, I merely came here to talk.”

  A scowl wormed its way up Zero’s face. “Pardon me if I don’t exactly trust you. Especially not after arriving right after Damian again.” She narrowed her eyes at him darkly as the memories of the Eevee she’d attempted to rescue from the aforementioned trainer came flooding back. “I’m starting to think you two are connected somehow.”

  Ryder allowed his crossed arms to fall back down to his sides, and Zero summoned another Leaf Blade in response, preparing herself to counter if he reached for his own blade. However, he didn’t make any attempt to reach for his weapon. “I don’t need your trust,” He said, “All I need from you is your ears for a couple of minutes.”

  Without moving from her battle stance, Zero replied, “...All right. I’ll listen to what you have to say, but if you make even the slightest move to attack…”

  Ryder nodded. “You’ll try to kill me, I know.”

  Zero’s eye twitched. “Trying implies that I’ll fail.”

  Ryder tapped the area of his visor that Zero had shattered in their previous battle. “As I remember, you only managed to break my visor in our last battle, whereas I sliced through your throat, impaled you on a tree, and nearly sliced you to ribbons.”

  Zero growled with irritation. “I’m sorry, I was under the impression you weren’t here for a fight.” She summoned another emerald green Leaf Blade with her free hand and scraped them together. Ryder, in response, merely shrugged.

  “It was you who started with the death threats. I was simply correcting your misinformation. Zero made an attempt at another remark, but Ryder spoke once more before she could. “And speaking of correcting misinformation,” He said, “About that boy...Damian, you called him?”

  The armored man chuckled amusedly. “I must admit, watching him torment his Pokemon into obedience in mere days was entertaining, but he and I are completely unrelated.” He reiterated to make his point clear. “My arriving after him twice now is but a mere coincidence.”

  Zero bared her teeth at him as her rage began bubbling back up. “As if.”

  “Believe what you want,” Snapped Ryder, “It matters not to me.”

  “Well, what’s next then?” Zero asked impatiently, “I’m sure you didn’t come all this way from whatever ditch you crawled out of just to tell me that.”

  The armored man before her gave no visible reaction to the young girl’s discontent and answered, “Indeed. My...no...our master has instructed me to tell you about the true reason for your creation.”

  Zero would have rolled her eyes if she had any. “You mean that world-destruction nonsense? I’ve already heard it all from that bastard Charon.” She smirked at him. “So, sorry that you came all this way for nothing.”

  “Wrong.” Ryder’s voice boomed with an inhuman ferocity and volume that took Zero by surprise, but his tone somehow didn’t suggest that he was yelling, or even angry. Reaching his hand out to her, he said, “You were created for a far greater purpose than what that psychotic wretch gave you.”

  “...How do you know this?” Asked Zero.

  “I know this,” Answered Ryder, “Because our purposes, bestowed upon us by our great master, are one in the same.” He balled his hand into a fist and placed it atop the patch laid out over his heart. That patch, the same one Charon and those men Zero saw in Ash’s more recent memories, that detailed the starry void of space with an explosion in the middle of them. “I’ll have you know that Charon is dead. Killed by my hand.”

  Zero’s pitch-black eyes widened in shock. “W-what?!”

  “I know you were planning on extracting vengeance upon him one day,” Ryder told her, “But our master had deemed him too large of a threat to be left alive, and so I was sent to extermi-”

  Zero once again lunged at the armored man, abandoning the Leaf Blade in favor of a Hyper Beam that incinerated everything in its path. Heaving with rage, she scoured her surrounding, in an attempt to find Ryder, who took away her one chance at vengeance. “Bastard!” She hissed with fury, “First, you take away my only chance at redemption, and now you take away my only chance at recrimination?!”

  The blur of Ryder’s form appeared behind her once again, but as she whipped around to face him with a Fire Punch, she was met with a kick to her abdomen that sent her sprawling onto her back. As she attempted to get back up, she was stopped when Ryder blitzed toward her and pointed his black blade down at her throat.

  “Stay down,” He ordered, “As I’ve told you before, I have no intention of fighting you on this day.”

  Zero grabbed the blade, threatening to crush it with her inhuman strength. “You should have thought of that before you robbed me of my chance at vengeance!” As Ryder attempted to pull the blade away, Zero leapt up at his visor and pulled back her fist, but once again, Ryder disappeared from sight before her attack could hit its’ mark. “Dang it,” She cursed, “Stand still, damn you!”

  The silver blur of Ryder’s armor rushed into the edge of her sight, and she whipped around towards it, firing a Flamethrower from her hand that, once again, only met air. A silver streak of light rushed across the back of her legs, slashing at them and making her fall onto her knees. She hissed, though more out of frustration than pain.

  Ryder appeared once more, a few feet away from her, so that she couldn’t try the same trick again. “Enough,” He commanded, “This is exactly why I’ve come here!”

  Zero heaved for air in rage like an animal, glaring at the armored man before her with hatred in her void-like eyes. “Why, then?! To tell me why you stole my only chance at vengeance against the man who created me for the sole purpose of killing the ones that I love?!”

  “That was beyond my control,” Ryder told her, “Orders from our master are absolute and not to be questioned. He knows all, after all.”

  “He is no master of mine!” Roared Zero, “If it was his order to kill Charon and take away the revenge I deserved, then I’ll kill him instead!” It was Zero’s intention for that remark to send Ryder into a rage so that they would battle once more, but that attempt had failed. Instead, Ryder merely laughed at her, like such a prospect was so laughably impossible that it was dispelled without a second thought.

  “Master cannot die,” Ryder said, “He sees everything. He knows everything. The second you could pose a threat to him, you would be dead.” He sheathed his sword once more. “But that is a conversation for another day. If you live long enough, that is.”

  Zero smirked at him. “If I live? So, you actually plan on killing me now?”

  Ryder, to her confusion, shook his head. “No. Killing you would be directly disobeying our master’s orders.” The armored man shook his head, then pointed down at Zero with his index finger. “It is not I who will kill you. It is you who will kill you.”

  Zero narrowed her eyes at him, not believing a word he said. “Is that right? Tell me, how do you plan on accomplishing that?”

  Ryder shook his head. “Not a thing. It is something that will happen on its own in due time.” He made his way over towards her, coming to a stop just outside of her arm’s reach. “That is, unless our master completes you.”

  “Completes me?” Repeated Zero with an eyebrow raised in suspicion, “If you mean to take me back to that hell, then the only thing you’ll drag back is my corpse.”

  “And make another suffer the same fate as you?”

  Zero winced at that remark. “W-what?”

  Ryder once again pointed his finger down towards Zero. “If I were to kill you, it would merely be a temporary nuisance for our master.” He chuckled to himself. “You being alive or dead would hardly make a difference. If I were to kill you completely, he could simply use the DNA of your body to create an entirely new life form.” He eyed her with what Zero, despite Ryder’s face being completely obscured by his helmet and visor, knew was an arrogant, knowing smile. “And that would mean having to redo the entire training process over again. You wouldn’t dare to inflict your pain onto another, would you?”

  Zero mentally cursed, looking back down to the cracked ground beneath her knees. He was completely right about that. Never in a million years would she ever wish to inflict her pain on anyone, save maybe Charon, though that option was now lost to her.

  “Oh, who am I kidding?” Remarked Ryder, snapping Zero out of her train of thought. “Of course you would.”

  Baring her fangs in rage, Zero burst out, “Excuse me?! If you think I would ever willingly make someone else suffer through the same fate that you, your master, and Charon put me through, then you’re nothing more than a-”

  “What about Ash, then?”

  Zero was stopped dead in her tracks. “What…?”

  Ryder turned away from her, looking out somewhere through the forest’s trees. “Like I said the previous time we met, I’ve been keeping my eyes upon you. Every action you take, I see.” He turned his gaze back toward the silver-haired girl and pointed out to where he was just previously looking. “And of course, I saw what you did to Ash.”

  Zero paled, and her blood ran cold. Still, she tried to deny his claims. “N-no, that wasn’t-”

  “Wasn’t what?” Interjected Ryder, “It wasn’t the same? How could it not be?” The armored man crossed his arms and laughed. “You made him experience your memories of the event, and from what I saw and heard, you made him not only see the visions, but feel them as well.”

  Zero was ashamed. She knew he was right, but something within her simply could not accept it. Her mind tried to deny his claims, but her heart told her Ryder was correct. These two sensations clashed within her violently, tearing away at her emotional state. All she could do in their wake was clutch at her head. “S-stop!”

  “Why should I?” Ryder marched up to the young girl and grabbed her wrists, pulling them away and forcing her to look up at him, forcing her to accept the truth. “What I say is the absolute, undeniable truth.” He let her fall back to the ground and once again turned away from her. “Tell me,” He said, “Do you wish to know why?” He tilted his head back toward her. “Why, you cannot help but cause pain, to destroy, and why you cannot escape from the hauntings of your memories?”

  Zero didn’t answer. Instead, heaving for air on her hands and knees as she desperately attempted to hold in her tears. Ryder answered anyway. “It is because you are unfinished,” Spoke the armored man, “It is because Charon rushed your completion and unleashed you upon the world too quickly in wake of your “saviors.”

  Ryder placed a hand to the underside of his visor and chuckled. “It’s ironic,” He said, “Your rescuers are the reason you are like this.” Zero balled her trembling hands into fists, crushing the rocky dirt in her hands, but still didn’t respond to Ryder’s maddening claims.

  Ryder turned back to face the young girl, his dark visor reflecting the vision of Zero upon its glass while obscuring the man within. “I know this,” He said, “Because I am like you.” He motioned to the starry badge planted upon his suit over his heart. “We are both creations of our master, in a sense.”

  Zero’s eyes widened, and she snapped her gaze back up toward him. As she stared into his visor, she only saw the reflection of herself. “Unlike you,” Ryder spoke, “I do not have the pleasure of saying that I was completely created by our master.” A dark chuckle emanated from the armored man’s mask in spite of this. “However, unlike you, I am not comprised of those filthy animals the clueless denizens of this world call Pokemon.” Jabbing a thumb toward himself, he told Zero, “I am human, whereas you are merely pretending to be one.”

  Zero scowled up at him and retorted, “Ironic, considering you cover yourself from head to toe in armor! You say you’re human and proud to be one, yet you mask yourself and hide yourself from the world like a coward!”

  Before Zero could blink, she was met with the sight of Ryder’s ebony black blade pointed between her eyes, distancing itself from her head by mere millimeters. Neither one of them spoke or even moved for what seemed to Zero like minutes. She eyed him warily, judging her position and what she could use best to strike him, but before she could prepare an attack, Ryder spoke once more.

  “Look at this blade,” He told her. She gave him an odd look, but complied nonetheless. His blade was completely black, with only the edges reflecting any light. It was eerily similar to Ryder’s black armor, which was barely visible, only observable to the eye due to the contrast of it and their surroundings. “This blade,” Ryder said, “Is no different than you or I.”

  Zero gave him another odd look. “What do you…?”

  “What I mean,” Said Ryder, “Is that this blade signifies the only connection you and I truly share: We are weapons, created by our master for the sake of his bidding.” In the span of a blink of an eye, Ryder sheathed his blade once more. “That is our purpose.”

  Zero scoffed at him. “Your purpose, maybe, but not mine. Whoever my creator is, Charon or this master of yours, means nothing to me or my fate.” Zero reached her hands down to the back of her legs, using Heal Pulse to undo the damage Ryder had done earlier. Zero eyed Ryder warily, preparing to use Protect at the slightest movement she sensed from him, but Ryder didn’t move a muscle.

  “Is that right?” Mused Ryder, staring down at Zero curiously. “If what you say is true, then answer this: Why is it that, if you are not a weapon, you have battled some kind of foe every single day since you were ‘freed’?”

  Zero gave no visible reaction, instead replying, “To defend my friends. If they find themselves having to fight, I fight as well. It’s as simple as that.”

  To Zero’s agitation, her response elicited an amused chuckle from the armor-clad man. “How naive,” He chided, shaking his head. “You still deny the truth? Very well. I’ll answer the question for you.” He walked back over toward Zero, making her tense up. Once again, she was faced with that damnable reflection from Ryder’s visor, and she quickly looked down at the ground.

  “You are a weapon,” Ryder hissed, “Whether you like it or not, either you are drawn to battle, or battle is drawn to you. That is the truth for both you and I. It is this way because our master created us to be so.” Zero opened her mouth to retort, but Ryder cut her off before she could. “As long as you live, which won’t be for much longer in your sorry state, you will find nothing but strife and battle, because that is the destiny we were ordained from your creation and my rebirth.”

  “That may be true for you,” Started Zero as she rose back to her feet, “But unlike you, this master of yours no longer controls me!”

  Ryder sighed, shaking his head in disappointment. “Still, you deny it? Very well, then. I suppose I’ll have to reveal to you something you cannot refute.” He disappeared in a blur, and Zero summoned a Protect around herself. Then, she felt a tap on her shoulder, and she clasped her fists in rage. Ryder had gotten behind her before she could even properly react.

  “Do you wonder why those images and voices of your past continue to haunt you as relentlessly as they do?” He asked. Zero didn’t respond, still trembling with rage. “As I said before, you are unfinished. Incomplete. I was once this way as well.” Zero whipped around with a Fire Punch, but only succeeded in blasting apart a few trees. Ryder once again appeared in a blur behind her without so much as a scratch on his armor.

  “You see,” Started Ryder, apparently unperturbed by Zero’s attempts at killing him, “I, too, once had similar visions to yours haunt my every waking moment. It’s utterly maddening, is it not?” He tilted his head down toward the ground and crossed his arms. “The ones you love lying dead at your feet, and the voices of those who were to blame...you see and hear it too, right?” Raising his head back to face Zero, he told her, “The reason you experience these torments is because Charon neglected to shield your mental state, opting to increase your bloodlust to the point that you were no different than a raging animal.”

  Zero glared at the armored man, who either ignored it or seemed to not care, as he uncrossed his arms and laughed. “However, I was freed from this torment by our master, who granted me power beyond measure! If he can do that to me, just imagine what you could become if you simply embraced our master’s grace! He can free you of your torment.”

  “At the cost of my free will,” Retorted Zero.

  Once again, Zero was subjected to the utterly maddening sound that was Ryder’s laughter. “Free will? That is something you never had, not even now. As I told you, you are nothing but a weapon for our master’s use! Even in this so-called “freedom,” your actions are only furthering His goals.”

  “What do you mean?!” Demanded Zero.

  “Every single day, you battle something,” Answered Ryder, “And that increases your fighting prowess. Not to mention the chaos you’re stirring up.”

  “You don’t make any sense!” Shouted Zero, “What are your master’s goals anyways?!”

  Ryder shook his head. “I’ve already said too much on the subject, and time is running thin, so I’ll quickly tell you the last thing I came here to say.” He pointed at Zero. “Without the completion only our master can offer, your life will soon come to an end.”

  Zero’s blood ran cold. “...Wha...what did you just say…?”

  “As it stands,” Began the armored man, “You are nothing more than a mess of jumbled-up DNA. Something like that cannot continue to exist for long.” He shook his head. “No, you see, due to Charon’s hasty actions, your lifespan is far too short.” He looked off to the side, and somehow Zero knew he was scowling underneath his helmet. “That fool, he only ever worked on your destructive potential and violence, resulting in every aspect of what you are, both mind and body, being unstable.”

  Zero vigorously shook her head. “No, no, what the hell do you-”

  “That is why you have those emotional outbursts and such,” Ryder said, cutting Zero off, “And furthermore, did you ever stop to think about your vocal patterns? They’re erratic. All over the place. Sometimes, you speak like the child you are. Other times, your vocabulary reaches the level of a middle-aged librarian.”

  “Shut up!” Screeched Zero, “What kind of absolute fool do you-” She cut herself off with a gasp of realization.

  Once again, Ryder crossed his arms. “Do you see now?” He asked. “It’s just as I said.”

  Zero heaved for air, again, vigorously shaking her head as if the action would deny Ryder’s claims. “No, this isn’t...it’s not…”

  “It is.”

  Zero’s gaze snapped up to Ryder with fury welling up in her empty, black eyes. She bared her teeth and attempted to summon a Focus Blast, only for the energy to spark up violently and fizzle out into nothingness in mere seconds. Staring down at her hand in horror, she cried, “What?!”

  “Charon tied your powers to your emotional state,” Ryder told her, snapping her attention to him. “The more rage you feel, the more powerful you become. So, when you were in your berserked state, your power was at its’ highest...but…” He turned his gaze toward the ground. “...That power is a double-edged sword. As your body and mind continue to degrade and come closer to death, you will eventually lose control altogether and go on a mindless warpath, destroying everything in sight until death finally takes you.”

  He lifted his head up at her, and Zero could have sworn she saw something of a grin from behind the dark visor. “That means that you will destroy everything you love. Any Pokemon you come across?” He made a chopping motion with his arm. “Killed. Those people in Goldenrod?” He pretended to slit his throat with his index finger. “Slaughtered mercilessly by your hand.”

  Zero erratically shook her head. “No,” She whimpered under her breath, “I won’t…”

  “And what of Ash?” Asked Ryder, making Zero’s eyes shoot open. “Knowing him, he’ll try to save you to the very end and be cut down along with his friends.” He pointed at the shuddering young girl. “All by your hand.”

  “Shut UP!”

  Zero pulled back her arm and shot another Focus Blast. This time, it worked, sending a large orange ball of crackling energy Ryder’s way. Though, with but the flick of Ryder’s blade, Zero’s attack was split in two and sent crashing into the forest behind him. Bright orange flames began crackling around where it hit, quickly lighting up the surrounding trees. Zero stepped back, mortified by the sight of the trees slowly being reduced to cinders.

  “You cannot hide or run from it,” Said Ryder, “For death will come all the same. As it stands, you have two options left.” He held out his left hand. “You can allow your mind and body to de-generate, go insane, and destroy everything you’ve ever loved. All the while, battle will be drawn to you endlessly, and you will never know peace. As your mind dissolves, your powers will become uncontrollable, and just like what happened with that Focus Blast that fizzled out, your powers will either die out or be unleashed uncontrollably. Or…” He held out his right hand next. “You can come with me willingly, allow our master to complete you, and embrace the life you were truly meant to live: As a weapon to be used for His goals.”

  “Shut up!” Cried Zero, clawing madly at the sides of her head. She was no longer thinking. Ryder’s words clawed themselves into her mind even as her consciousness tried to reject them, resulting in another psychological meltdown. Visions of the lab flashed before her eyes, and once again she heard the cackling of Dr. Charon. She could not accept that her fate was to either willingly serve the one who created her for the sole purpose of being a killer, or to fall apart at the seams and destroy all that she had come to love in her short time living.

  Facing Ryder with her fangs bared, she held her arms out towards him. The energies of every Type crackled around her wildly, like a cataclysmic rainbow. Despite the maddening voices plaguing her every sense, she managed to focus all of it into a single point. Just as Riley had told her before. Focus...concentrate… The young girl tried her hardest to force the memory of her teachings up past the voices and bloodstained imagery, and pointed the attack straight at Ryder’s head.

  “I...will not...be a weapon!” She bellowed. “Nor will I destroy the ones that I love!” With all of her might, she unleashed the attack as a colossal, pure white beam of light. The moment she saw Ryder disappear into that light, she pulled her arms up toward the sky, angling the attack in a way that prevented any further destruction of the surrounding forest. She cut the attack off suddenly, making her fall to the ground in exhaustion. As she panted desperately for air, she uttered, “I...am free now...thanks to them… I’ll...make my own fate!”

  The invisible voice of Ryder whispered into her ear, “You are free of nothing. You have your options, and you will choose one or the other. You have no choice. I don’t expect you to answer right away, but you will give me your answer to life. Will you be free and destroy everything you love along with yourself, or will you become the weapon you were always meant to be and live your life as such?”

  A dark chuckle, almost indistinguishable from the whispers of the wind, echoed throughout the forest. “There is no other option...but in the meantime, that boy Ash appears to be in trouble...” Then there was a gust of wind, signifying that Ryder had disappeared.

  Zero stood back to her full height, staring through the trees. “...In trouble…?” Her eyes shot open in horror. Was Ash being targeted next? No, that didn’t make sense. If Ryder was targeting Ash next, then there would be no point in letting her roam freely until her...due date… She shook her head to dispel her train of thought. “There’s no point in trying to figure it out,” She told herself. “In trouble or not, I need to get back to Ash.” With that, she took off into the forest’s depths.

  …

  Hydreigon, after nearly a minute of holding its’ savior in a deep embrace, let Ash go at last, turning away in moderate embarrassment from the action. The other Pokemon followed suit, backing away from Arceus’s chosen one. Ash let out a small chuckle at Hydreigon’s expense and placed a hand gently atop the hydra Pokemon’s head. He tilted his head around Hydreigon so that they were once again facing one another.

  “There’s no need to be embarrassed,” Ash told it. “If I’d been rescued from a guy like Damian, I’d probably hug my rescuer too.” Standing back up to his full height, Ash said, “You know, you remind me of a friend of mine I met recently.” Hydreigon perked its head up at him with interest. “Yeah,” Said Ash, “Her name’s Zero, and when I met her, we were actually in a pretty similar scenario to how I met you.”

  Ash’s smile faded suddenly, and he turned his gaze around the Pokemon gathered. “Come to think of it,” He said, “She was just here a moment ago.” An inkling of where she went popped up in his mind, making him wince with worry. “Crap, she might’ve gone after Damian! She did say something about meeting him before…”

  He turned his gaze to the surrounding Pokemon. “Hey, sorry, but do you think you guys could help me find someone?” The Pokemon looked around oddly at one another for a moment, but quickly turned back toward Ash and nodded, earning a grateful smile from him. “Thanks,” He said, “With you all looking for her, it’ll be much easier.”

  He turned back around to Hydreigon, making it shift uncomfortably at the sudden movement. “What about you?” Ash asked. “Think you can help me out?” The Dark Dragon Pokemon froze at the sudden request. It wasn’t that it was questioning whether or not to help him, no, it was simply the suddenness of it that made it freeze. It was the lingering pressure of Damian’s influence, making it feel like the request was a demand, for it knew no difference.

  Sensing Hydreigon’s inner turmoil, Ash quickly decided to take away some of the pressure. “Hey, it’s no big deal,” He told it. Then, an idea came to his mind. He took out a Pokeball, unnerving the gentle dragon, and set it on the ground. “Say,” He began, “Would you like to join me?”

  The Hydreigon’s eyes widened, and it subconsciously backed away in fear. While it felt nothing but sincerity and kindness from Ash’s Aura, a request like that sent an array of panic signals through its mind. To Hydreigon, it was almost like asking it to once again be subjugated by Damian, and though Hydreigon knew Ash and Damian could not be further apart, the trauma from the thought alone of becoming another human’s Pokemon sent fear through every aspect of Hydreigon’s being like ripples.

  Ash sighed, quickly taking the Pokeball and pocketing it to put it out of Hydreigon’s sight. “Right, right,” He said, “I’m sorry, Hydreigon. That was selfish of me to ask, especially after having just been freed from Damian.” He walked past the Dark Dragon Pokemon, briefly putting an Aura-coated hand on its shoulder. “Still, though, I’d like you to at least come with me to find my friend. I think you and her...would be good for each other.”

  The Hydreigon looked at Ash’s back with guilt. In all honesty, being with Ash didn’t sound too bad, but that natural terror of being with a trainer gripped hold of its’ actions and refused to let go. It was as if two voices were fighting in its’ head for dominance. One of hope for a better future than what Damian had allowed, and the other of absolute terror that repeatedly shouted, “Do not trust anything.”

  Hydreigon continued to inwardly debate with itself, failing to notice the other Pokemon already walking past it to join Ash. As Arceus’s chosen one came to the edge of the forest’s opening, he stopped and turned around, giving the other Pokemon the chance to catch up. He gave Hydreigon one last glance, then turned back around and took a step out of the clearing.

  From the opposite side of the forest clearing, a gargantuan, white, metal hand resembling that of a cat’s paw sprung out, quite literally due to it being attached to an equally giant metal spring at the wrist, and grabbed Ash suddenly. The boy, the Pokemon, and Hydreigon alike scarcely had the time to comprehend what was happening before Ash was pulled back over the clearing and into the trees. Then, two voices sounded out over what sounded like an intercom.

  “Prepare for trouble!”

  “And make it double!”

  The metallic clanking of moving machinery began emanating from where Ash had been pulled into, and soon enough, a horde of shifting, metal plating began rising up out of the trees. Towering over the Pokemon below, who growled at whatever this newcomer was who had dared to capture Arceus’s chosen.

  “To protect the world from devastation!”

  “To unite all peoples within our nation!”

  The shifting metal plates suddenly changed direction, moving outward and twisting around to make some kind of shape. A large round head emerged at the top of the plates, and the hand that had caught Ash in its’ grip re-emerged, now attached to an arm that protruded out from the shifting metal plates’ side.

  “To denounce the evils of truth and love!”

  “To extend our reach to the stars above!”

  Hydreigon paled at the newcomer. Uncontrollable fear overtook it, and it quickly rushed behind a tree, where it cowered in fear. The other Pokemon looked back at it with disdain, but decided that whoever this newcomer was more important at the moment and turned back to face it. The plating eventually shifted into the shape of a colossal Meowth with a clear glass visor over where its’ eyes should have been. Inside the visor were three seats facing away from the glass, and a large red ‘R’ was painted on its’ forehead.

  “What the heck is going on?!” Cried an utterly baffled Ash as the colossal robot waved him around in the air like a trophy.

  The left seat turned around, revealing a woman dressed in a revealing white suit with another red ‘R’ on her chest. Her hair was long and pink, jutting out backwards and ending with a circular curve. “Jessie!” She announced.

  The right seat turned around next, revealing a purple-haired man who wore a less-revealing white suit, again with the bright red ‘R’ over his chest. Smirking down at the furious Pokemon below, he announced himself. “James!”

  The seat between the two of them, placed at the center of the colossal robotic Meowth’s glass visor, whipped around to reveal an actual Meowth, who shouted, “Meowth, that’s right!”

  “Team Rocket?!” Ash cried out in disbelief. “What, are you here for Pikachu again?! Sorry to burst your bubble, but he’s not here!”

  The trio of Rockets laughed at that. “We ain’t here for Pikachu this time, twerp!” Said Meowth. “This time, we’re here for you!”

  “For me?” Ash asked, puzzled. “What do you want with me?!”

  “Ohohoho,” Laughed James, “It’s not what we want with you!”

  Jessie crossed her arms and nodded. “Indeed! The Boss took interest in you after that worldwide message from Arceus, and now he’s been intrigued!”

  Their demeanor took a sudden one-eighty as tears welled in their eyes. They hugged one another and shouted out, “Who’d have thought our little twerp would become such a big-shot?!” Their new attitude went as soon as it came, and they hopped back into their respective seats. Their devious grins returning, they pressed a bunch of the buttons on a large keyboard that stretched across the visor, and a large hole opened up at the robotic meowth’s chest. A glass ball with a seat in the middle rolled out and stopped halfway through, opening itself up.

  The Rocket Trio pressed another series of buttons, and the colossal mechanical arm carrying Ash dropped him onto the seat. The moment Ash made contact with it, an array of metal bindings was ejected from the seat, constricting him completely from the neck down.

  Baring his teeth, Ash summoned his Aura. It sparked outward against the bindings violently, but to the boy’s surprise, the metal didn’t budge an inch. “My Aura’s not working?!” Exclaimed Ash. “What the heck are these things?!”

  Once again, the Trio of Rockets laughed over the intercom. “That was a pretty light show,” Said Jessie, “I guess being Arceus’s chosen one has its’ merits!”

  “But ultimately, it’s useless!” James followed up. “With our new tech, even the strongest Pokemon would have trouble damaging this!”

  Meowth chuckled, rubbing his hands together. “Check it! This robot was made with technology given to us by the Boss himself!” He flexed the mechanical Meowth’s robotic arm. “This thing’s got more power than a dozen Machamps!” The cat Pokemon then smashed the gigantic metal arm into its own chest, resulting in a thunderous, booming thud that alone nearly blew the Pokemon off their feet. “And what’s more, this thing’s more durable than a Mega Steelix!” Surely enough, as Meowth pulled the arm away from its chest, the area he’d stricken was revealed to be completely unharmed and shimmering in the bright sunlight.

  “Ha ha ha!” Laughed Meowth, making the robot flex its arms. “The ultimate offense and the ultimate defense! That is what our latest and greatest invention is!”

  “Indeed,” Added James, “This truly is our magnum opus!”

  “This is the culmination of our...no…” Jessie’s eyes gleamed as she looked up to the sky, pumping the gigantic Meowth robot’s fist skyward. “This is the culmination of Team Rocket’s greatest achievements!”

  Meowth cackled, and the robot stamped its feet into the ground with a resounding thud that shook the very earth. “Standing at fourty-five meters high and coming in at two thousand tons, this is…” The robotic Meowth stretched its arms out and up to the sky, and out from its’ palms, two holes opened up, shooting out large columns of bright orange flames. “ULTIMEOWTH!”

  To say Ash was nonplussed would be an understatement. “What do you think you’re doing?!” Demanded Ash as he continued to push against the bindings. “Necrozma is going to be here tomorrow! Even the likes of you can figure out what happens if he wins!”

  “Oh please,” Meowth scoffed, “Our orders came directly from the Boss! Even though we don’t know what we’re doing, he probably does!”

  “That’s right,” Jessie chimed in. “The Boss’s orders are absolute! We could never deny him!”

  “It’s all for the sake of Team Rocket!” James exclaimed. “And Team Rocket is our world!”

  Ash shook his head. There was no way he was going to get through to them. Turning down to the various Pokemon below, he asked. “Hey guys! Think you can get me outta here?”

  The Pokemon nodded, roaring out their names and preparing various energy-based attacks to fire upon the robot. They unleashed a colorful array of Thunderbolts, Flamethrowers, Hyper Beams, and more, but the attacks bounced off Ultimeowth’s metal exterior without making so much as a dent.

  “Tsk, tsk,” Chided Meowth with the waggling of his finger, “Didn’t you punks hear me? Like I said before, Ultimeowth is completely invincible!” The gigantic mechanical Meowth turned away from the Pokemon, and Jessie’s voice rang out from it next. “So long, Poke-twerps!” With that, it took off, sprinting away into, or rather onto, due to its’ height, the forest.

  Without the slightest hesitation, the Pokemon followed in pursuit. All of them, save one. Hydreigon, still cowering in fear, was trembling in terror as it hid behind the tree. It wanted desperately to save the one who saved it, but couldn’t bring itself to even move. So, it huddled into a ball and cried, despising itself for its’ cowardice.

  Ultimeowth bounded through the forest, crushing any trees in its wake as it went. “What are you guys doing?!” Demanded Ash. “If I’m not back there before Necrozma arrives, then the people there won’t be organized! They’ll be slaughtered!”

  The Team Rocket Trio merely laughed at him. “Silly twerp,” Chided James, “You think too little of us!”

  “Did you really think we’d just take away Arceus’s chosen one without a plan?” Jessie asked.

  “Okay,” Said Ash, “What is your plan then?”

  Meowth chuckled. “Easy! We deliver you to the Boss, and he comes up with a plan!”

  The trio laughed, and James said, “The Earth’s destruction obviously isn’t on his agenda, considering he wants to rule it!”

  “So obviously,” Jessie followed, “The Boss wouldn’t tell us to capture you without a reason!” Her eyes became dreamy all of a sudden as she pictured the Team Rocket Leader. “I bet he’s thinking of ways to repel that horrible alien as we speak!”

  Ash shook his head. Even if their leader had a plan of some sort, he couldn’t just let Goldenrod be helpless like that. He knew that in the grand scope of things, as a fighter, he was unimportant and his Pokemon were all already there to help defend the city, but if Arceus gave him a warning of Necrozma’s arrival and he was trapped in some Team Rocket base, he would have no way of telling them or rallying them. They would be blind and helpless to a surprise attack.

  Ash closed his eyes and sighed, calming his raging Aura since it obviously wasn’t working on his bindings. The robot was running clear away from the city, so there was no hope of any of the trainers helping him. However, nearly all the world’s Pokemon were located here in this forest and around the city. They were his only hope.

  With his Aura, Ash called out to them. ‘Anyone who can hear me, my name is Ash! I am Arceus’s chosen one-” He cringed as he said it. “-and I need your help! I am trapped inside a giant robot Meowth! You can’t miss it! I need to get back to Goldenrod City before Necrozma arrives, but I cannot do it alone! I need your help!”

  The Team Rocket Trio continued laughing as they sprinted across the forest until James noticed something on his radar. He reached over and tapped Jessie to get her attention. “Um, Jessie?” He asked, “The radar’s supposed to be green, right?”

  “Of course it is,” She hissed, “Don’t you know how a radar works?! It’s green when nothing hostile is around, and when there is something hostile, it shows them as a tiny red dot!”

  James pointed at the radar, his face beginning to pale with fear. “Then what’s that?”

  Meowth and Jessie leaned over to see just what James was making such a fuss about. When they saw what he was pointing at, their faces paled to mirror his. The radar showed a gigantic circle of red closing in on them, and they were closing in fast. There wasn’t even a speck of green amidst the red, and whatever green was left around the Ultimeowth was quickly disappearing.

  The Trio quickly brought the gigantic robot to a stop and attempted to turn back around, only to be met with the sight of thousands of growling Pokemon glaring up at them. They turned back around to where they were originally running, only to find the exact same sight. The sky itself became shadowed by thousands of Flying Type Pokemon circling overhead.

  Ash smiled down at the Pokemon, letting them know he was thankful for their help with his Aura. ‘Thank you,’ He told them. Next, he turned his head up at the Rocket Trio and said, “It’s over, Team Rocket! No matter how strong your robot is, it won’t be able to withstand the attacks of all these Pokemon!”

  “T-that’s what you think, chump!” Stammered Meowth, “If we can’t run or jump our way outta this…”

  “Then we’ll dig!” Jessie and James finished.

  Raising its arms to the sky, the metal plating of Ultimeowth’s paws began shifting once more, changing shape into gigantic drills. “No one can stop Team Rocket!” Meowth bellowed. “Now take this! Giga Drill Rocket!” The colossal Meowth robot pointed down at the ground with its drills. With the press of a button from Meowth, Ultimeowth’s drills began spinning rapidly and piercing down into the ground. What’s more, the dust and dirt from the drilling surrounded Team Rocket in a large, spinning makeshift smokescreen that prevented anything from coming near.

  “Hah!” Laughed Meowth. “You chumps are no match for the genius of Team Rocket!”

  “Now if you’ll excuse us,” Said Jessie.

  James finished the sentence for her, “We’ll be going now!”

  “Ohohohoho-huh?!” The trio’s laughter was silenced when they heard a loud clank from beneath them. What’s more, their drills had stopped spinning. “Hey, what’s the hold-up?!” Meowth demanded.

  Jessie and James peered their heads up and paled. “A bunch of Pokemon are biting the drills!”

  “What?!” Exclaimed Meowth, “How is that even possible?!”

  Beneath Ultimeowth, a horde of Onix and Steelix had used Crunch and taken hold of the drills, keeping them from spinning. “We’re not even safe underground?!” Meowth hit the keyboard in frustration, but in turn accidentally ended up hitting one of the buttons. The Drills retracted suddenly, and in their place, what appeared to be giant hose tubes appeared. They sprayed the Onix and Steelix with flames, making them retreat back through the ground and pushing Team Rocket out of the hole they dug, and into the sky.

  Though this wasn’t the end of the Rocket Trio’s troubles. Their sudden ascension, combined with the weight of Ultimeowth, caused the robot to shake violently. “W-what d-did y-you d-do, M-Meowth?!” Cried Jessie as she desperately clung to the arms of her chair.

  “I-I d-don’t k-know!” Stuttered Meowth, “I-I j-just p-pressed a b-button!”

  “W-well p-press t-the o-one t-that f-fixes i-it!” Shouted James, holding onto the keyboard for dear life. In doing this, the purple-haired Rocket grunt accidentally ended up making Meowth’s mistake and pressed one himself. Ultimeowth stopped its’ ascent suddenly and hovered in place, but the momentum caused the Rocket Trio to ‘rocket’ upwards and hit the roof, then fall back down behind their seats with a thud.

  Jessie rubbed her now-aching head and groaned. “Which button did you press that time?!”

  “I don’t know,” Replied James, “These things aren’t exactly labeled, you know!”

  Meowth suddenly screamed out in terror, catching the attention of his two comrades. Jessie asked snidely, “Oh, what is it now, Meowth?!” Her expression, along with James’s, immediately changed to a look of horror that mirrored their feline compatriot. The thousands of Flying Type Pokemon from before had now flown up and were swarming around Ultimeowth, furiously attacking it.

  Many of them attacked the exposed glass ball that housed the trapped and bound Ash, and though their attacks did no actual harm to the mechanical Meowth, the Team Rocket Trio panicked and began rapidly pressing the keyboard’s buttons, hoping that one of them would have some kind of solution. The plating of the robot Meowth shifted rapidly, turning the legs into a circle of fire hoses that sprayed out in all directions, deterring the winged menaces.

  As the flying Pokemon backed off, the legs shifted back to normal, and the arms pointed upwards, sending Ultimeowth on a crash course back to the earth below. The Team Rocket trio screamed in helpless terror, but Ash took the opportunity to warn the various Pokemon awaiting below. ‘Run! This thing’s about to crash into the ground, and it’s gonna crash hard!’ With his message sent, he could already sense the Pokemon sprinting away. As for him, all he could do was shut his eyes tight and hope this thing was as invincible as the trio had boasted.

  The robotic Meowth’s arms tilted backwards, slowing their descent and pushing them forward instead. The change happened just in the nick of time, preventing the crash right before impact and sending them rocketing away just over the trees, leaving the Pokemon in the dust.

  The three Team Rocket grunts, who had hugged one another, expecting the end, dared to open their eyes. At first, they gaped in disbelief at their luck, but then laughed. “Heh...heheha!” Cackled Meowth. “We’re alive!”

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  “And the Pokemon are getting further and further behind!” Chimed in Jessie.

  James, however, had to spoil the moment. “It’s great that we’re alive and all, but we have another problem!”

  “Can’t you keep your negativity to yourself, James,” Said an annoyed Jessie, glaring at him.

  “Yeah!” Meowth followed. “We’re alive and outta harm’s way, aren’t we? Let’s just be glad for that.”

  James grabbed them with his arms, pulling them in as his eyes widened with terror. He pointed at the glass visor, and cried out with his eyes widened with terror, “WE’RE HEADING STRAIGHT TOWARD GOLDENROD CITY, YOU FOOLS!”

  Surely enough, the shimmering silver lights of Goldenrod City’s skyscrapers reflecting the sun’s light came into view and was approaching fast. The Team Rocket Trio and Ash, who was still locked firmly into place, screamed in terror, and the aforementioned trio quickly went to work. They rapidly pressed the buttons at random, hoping that whatever miracle had worked before, would work again now.

  Ultimeowth’s arms ceased the flames, allowing its’ legs to touch ground once more. The momentum it carried forced the robot to continue sprinting to avoid tripping, and as it bounded across the now-dwindling forest, Ash sent out another warning. Though this time, it was not to a Pokemon.

  ‘Riley!’ Ash called with his Aura. ‘Can you hear me?’

  It took a few moments, but eventually, Ash got a response. ‘Yeah, Ash? What’s up? You complete your daily forest trip yet.?’

  ‘No time for that right now!’ Ash said, ‘Team Rocket ended up catching me in some giant robot Meowth, and it’s approaching the city fast!’

  ‘Wait, for real?! What happened?! Don’t those idiots know Necrozma is-’

  Ash interrupted him. ‘Yeah I know, I already tried telling them that! Anyways, tell everyone in the city that a threat’s on it’s way and to be prepared to fight or run if they can help it, but make sure to tell them it’s not Necrozma! We don’t need that kind of panic.’

  Riley nodded, though Ash of course couldn’t see it. ‘Will do. Hold on tight, Ash, we’ll get you outta there!’

  Riley cut off their connection to quickly tell as many people as he could, leaving Ash back alone. All Ash could do now was sit back, and hope Riley did it quickly. Team Rocket, meanwhile, had managed to find the breaks for the legs and pulled back on it with all their might, making Ultimeowth dig its’ feet into the ground to try and halt its’ movement.

  However, its speed proved to great, and the brake only managed to rip up the ground beneath as it uncontrollably got closer and closer to Goldenrod City’s gate. Ash and the trio could only shut their eyes and wince before the mechanical Meowth burst through the front gate, flying off its’ feet and tumbling across the city.

  Dozens of trainers screamed out in terror at the sudden appearance of the flying robot. They jumped out of the way or hit the deck before it could hit anyone, but many tents had been utterly destroyed and sent flying in its’ wake.

  “What the heck is that?!”

  “Move out of the way! Get down!”

  “What is that thing?!”

  “Is that what that blue guy was talking about?!”

  Ultimeowth eventually landed back on its feet, coming to a screeching halt at last. Ash let out a relieved sigh now that the ordeal was finally over and that he didn’t sense anyone being seriously hurt. “Looks like Riley made it in time…”

  The Team Rocket Trio had less than an easy stop in comparison to their prisoner. Once the mechanical Meowth had finally come to a stop, they were flung directly into the glass visor and had their faces pressed up against it. They slowly slid down until they fell to its bottom. Rubbing their increasingly aching heads, the Trio hazily got back to their feet.

  “Is it over yet?” Whined Meowth dizzily.

  “Something tells me it isn’t, I bet,” Jessie replied.

  “This is a day I hope I forget,” Whined James.

  When the Team Rocket Trio managed to open their eyes again, they were greeted by the sight of buildings around every corner. “Wait, are those…?” James trailed off.

  Jessie finished his thought. “Skyscrapers…?”

  The three Team Rocket members paled at the realization of just where they were. They had managed to land in the center of Goldenrod City and were completely surrounded by Pokemon and Trainer alike. Neither of which looked anything less than pissed.

  “...Oh boy…”

  …

  In the middle of the forest and completely alone now that its denizens had all taken off after Ultimeowth and its’ captive, Hydreigon continued to agonize over the decision of what its’ next course of action should be. It yearned to go with them and save the one who had saved it from Damian’s hell, but it still couldn’t bring itself to even move.

  It was utterly terrified, just as it had always been. Even before meeting Damian, Hydreigon was a cowardly Pokemon. How it had managed to evolve in spite of that was beyond it. Ever since the day it was born, the only thing it ever felt was fear when it had no right to. It was a cowardly, pathetic excuse for a Pokemon, and it knew it.

  Every time it had managed to work up some semblance of courage, its fear tore it back down and kept it from moving. It screamed in its head that everything was to be feared and by leaving, it was in danger. But the desire to help its’ savior, to help save Ash, just as he had saved it from Damian, fought viciously against Hydreigon’s deep-rooted fear of everything.

  Hydreigon forced itself to move out from behind the tree, but immediately froze up and fell onto its face as its’ xenophobia quickly took hold over the Dark Dragon’s actions again. It beat its’ hand into the ground in frustration, or tried to at least. In actuality, it only managed to gently tap the dirt beneath it. A part of Hydreigon cursed itself for being so weak of will. The other, its fear, which had ruled Hydreigon ever since it had first emerged from its’ egg, told Hydreigon to stay put, and that doing anything would only lead to it being hurt again.

  Hydreigon itself tried to deny its fear and pull itself back up. It felt suddenly as if it had been violently choked by some invisible force the moment it fought against its trepidation. The Dark Dragon wheezed desperately for air, but its fear held it tightly in its’ omnipresent grip. It would not release Hydreigon. Not now, or ever.

  Hydreigon then realized something. Its’ fear was trying to trap it in its’ hold, and would end up killing it if it didn’t get its way. Gritting its teeth, Hydreigon forced in a gasp of air and pushed itself off the ground with its’ wings. It flew out of the trees and into the clearing, only to suddenly freeze up once more and crash face-first into the dirt.

  The icy claw of Hydreigon’s all-encompasing fear once again gripped hold of the hydra Pokemon’s neck, only this time with an unbelievable amount of force. The sensation spread throughout the entirety of its body. It felt its body suddenly go unbelievably cold, like its very blood flow had stopped. Its’ heart froze up as well. Without blood flow or the ability to breathe, Hydreigon’s vision became blurry. The more it struggled against its’ fear, the more violently its’ fear retaliated. Now, Hydreigon had enraged it to the point that it would end the dragon once and for all. Hydreigon’s vision became more and more blurry until it faded into complete blackness. Hydreigon neither saw nor felt anything anymore. Its’ fear had ended its life.

  Then, it heard a voice. It was seemingly invisible and coming from all directions like its fear, only this one was...warmer. It felt infinitely comforting to a Pokemon who had lacked comfort all its life. But there was a dire sense of urgency from the voice.

  ‘Anyone who can hear me, my name is Ash!’

  Hydreigon’s eyes shot back open. The voice was Ash!

  ‘I am Arceus’s chosen one,’ Spoke Ash’s disembodied voice, ‘I am trapped inside of a giant robot Meowth! You can’t miss it! I need to get back to Goldenrod City before Necrozma arrives, but I cannot do it alone! I need your help!’

  I need your help.

  Those words struck Hydreigon to its very core. Ash needed help! Hydreigon forced itself to move against the frigidity of its fear. As it moved, it could feel its heart begin to beat again, and it was able to breathe as well. Twice now, Ash had saved Hydreigon. Hydreigon’s fear attempted to take hold of it once more, but its icy grip was combated by a new warmth: The warmth of bravery Ash had implanted within it.

  Hydreigon’s cowardly expression shattered, and in its place, determination ruled. Narrowing its’ eyes and turning its’ gaze to the heavens, Hydreigon let out a booming roar that shook the very earth beneath it and took off, shedding its’ tyrannical fear once and for all. The Dark Dragon’s next course of action was clear: it would go save Ash without fail. Nothing could stand in its way.

  Though, as Hydreigon prepared to bolt off into the sky, it was stopped by the sound of a footstep from behind. It tentatively turned around and found a young human girl with silver hair and an entirely charcoal-black body from the neck down. For some reason, her eyes were closed, but she looked up at Hydreigon as if she could see him anyway.

  “Hey,” The girl said, “You’re that Hydreigon from before, right? The one with Damian?”

  …

  “Drapion, stand by for battle!” A purple-haired trainer commanded. He wore a dark blue jacket with long grey jeans and had a fierce, cold look in his eyes. This trainer was none other than the rival of Ash whom he met in the Sinnoh Region. Upon Paul’s command, and of course the throw of his Pokeball, a large, purple scorpion-like Pokemon, with saw-like mandibles on the sides of its’ jaw and a third claw where its stinger should have been, appeared, roaring out its name challengingly at the colossal Meowth robot that had stirred up chaos within Goldenrod City.

  The legions of trainers that had all come to fight against Necrozma and his forces were none too happy about the sudden threat of Ultimeowth, especially at a nerve-wracking time like this. Every second they had left before the arrival of the alien menace was more important than anything. It could be used for last-minute preparations or spending as much time with their loved ones as possible. But now, the arrival of Team Rocket and their invention had jeopardized that.

  Infuriated, the thousands upon thousands of trainers sent out their Pokemon, whose looks of irritation mirrored those of their trainers. The streets of Goldenrod City became crowded with the vast array of Pokemon to the point that the entire city was now packed to the brim with trainers and Pokemon alike. Not to mention, the wild Pokemon outside the city were all either circling around or overhead Goldenrod, and all of them, trainer and Pokemon alike, had their sights set upon one singular target: Team Rocket.

  The Team Rocket Trio paled in their seats. “W-what are we going to do, Jess?!” Cried a panicked James. “In trying to get away from all those Pokemon, we ended up trapping ourselves in an even worse situation!”

  “W-what do you expect me to do?!” Stammered an equally panicked Jessie. “I’m just as stuck as you!”

  Meowth, unexpectedly, let out a confident chuckle, grabbing the attention of the cat Pokemon’s two partners in crime. “You bozos,” He said, “Can’t you two see we’re in a perfect position? There’s not a thing in the world to be afraid about!”

  “Nothing to be afraid about?!” Jessie bellowed, pointing out at the myriad of furious trainers and their Pokemon who were readying themselves to take their robot apart. “You call that nothing to be afraid about?!”

  “Come to think of it, you were screaming for your life with the rest of us back in the forest,” James pointed out, “So what’s different now?”

  “What’s different…” Meowth let out a laugh and began pressing the keyboard’s buttons randomly, making Ultimeowth pump its’ fist into the air. The trainers and Pokemon outside flinched and crouched into a battle-ready position at the movement. “...Is that I realize something now! Even after all we just went through, Ultimeowth still doesn’t have a single scratch on it!”

  Jessie and James blinked, hardly believing what they’d just heard. “Wait, for real?!” Asked James, rushing over to his seat and checking over the robot’s digital schematics. Surely enough, there was no apparent damage anywhere. “By Arceus, you’re right!”

  Jessie quickly threw herself back into her seat with a giddy grin. “Well, would you look at that! I should have known better than to question the technology given straight to us from the Boss himself!”

  Chuckling, Meowth turned the intercom back on to address the surrounding trainers. “All right, chumps,” He said aloud, his voice booming across the city, “Let’s take it from the top!”

  Jessie and James nodded. “Indeed!”

  “Prepare for trouble!” Jessie said once more.

  “And make it double!” James followed.

  The face of a certain orange-haired girl crinkled up at the phrase. Her name was Misty, the Water-Type Gym Leader of Kanto’s Cerulean City and Ash’s first companion, barring Pikachu. “Of course it would be them…”

  Next to her, a dark-skinned man with spiky black hair, an orange shirt, and green vest crossed his arms and nodded in agreement with Misty. “You’re tellin’ me,” Said Brock, the former Rock-Type Gym Leader of Kanto’s Pewter City. “You’d think they would have given up by now.”

  A brown-haired girl walked up next to them, putting a hand over her eyes to shield them from the sun as she peered up at the robot. She wore a bright red bandanna tied over her head with a shirt that matched its color, along with dark blue shorts. “Wait, is that…?”

  A young, dark blue-haired boy who only came up to slightly above the brunette’s waistline took a spot next to her. “I know, right, May?” He said, now affirming the brown-haired girl as May, Ash’s friend from the Hoenn Region. The boy’s name was Max, May’s younger brother.

  “To protect the world from devastation!”

  “To unite all peoples within our nation!”

  A blue-haired girl who wore a white hat with a Pokeball design on its’ front walked up beside Misty. “Even at a time like this, those three are something else.” The bluenette girl wore a black one-piece skirt that stretched out into a jagged-shaped, pink at its’ bottom. She was Dawn, a friend of Ash’s from Sinnoh.

  Another girl, one with a skin tone similar to Brock’s, appeared next. She had astoundingly long, round purple hair and wore a yellow shirt with a large pink sash tied around her waist. She was the aspiring Dragon Master Iris, who had journeyed with Ash through Unova. “Seriously,” She said, “You would think that after all this time they would give up by now.” She chuckled to herself and shrugged. “But of course, those three always have to show up at the worst possible time.”

  Next to Iris, a green-haired man wearing a formal tuxedo with a green bow-tie on the front of his shirt collar to match his hair said, “Indeed, these three appearing at a time like this is certainly a recipe for disaster.” This man was Cilan, one of the three Gym Leaders of Unova’s Striaton City. He used Grass-Type Pokemon, and recently fought alongside the Grass Type Gym Leader of Kanto, Erika, against Ash and Serena. Before that, he journeyed alongside Ash and Iris through the Unova Region.

  “To denounce the evils of truth and love!”

  “To extend our reach to the stars above!”

  A blond-haired boy with wearing round glasses and a light blue full-body suit of some kind that was lined to the brim with large pockets rushed up to the rest of Ash’s companions. “You’ve gotta be kidding,” He said, “I knew these three weren’t the brightest, but still…” He was Clemont, the Electric-Type Gym Leader of Kalos’s grand Lumiose City, an aspiring inventor and dear friend to Ash.

  A little girl walked up by Clemont’s side. Her hair matched Clemont’s, and she wore a brown shirt with a white skirt piece tied around her waist. The girl had a bright yellow bag around her shoulder. “Team Rocket? Seriously?” She was Bonnie, Clemont’s little sister who had accompanied him, and Ash by extension, on his journey through Kalos.

  Then came none other than Ash’s confidante, Serena. She had spent the previous four days with Ash and his friends, getting to know them one by one. Explaining her “relationship” with Ash to them had been an experience to be sure, but got along with them rather well. Meeting Misty and Cilan again had been fun as well, and reuniting with Clemont and Bonnie was wonderful. Though all of that was neither here nor there at the present moment.

  “Hey, wait a minute,” She said, looking amidst the crowd for a certain someone, someone who happened to be incredibly important for an untold variety of reasons, “Where’s Ash?”

  The others perked their heads up at the name and turned their gazes amidst the crowd to search for their close friend and, according to Arceus, leader, against Necrozma but couldn’t find him. Hearing this, the surrounding trainers began chattering amongst themselves, wondering where Arceus’s chosen one was.

  “Come to think of it,” Brock mused, “Didn’t he go out into the forest to check up on the wild Pokemon?”

  “Yeah, but that was hours ago!” Replied Bonnie. “He should be back by now.”

  Iris once again sighed and shrugged. “Even now, he’s hopeless.” She couldn’t help but let out a dry laugh. “Such a kid.”

  “That’s not it.” Another man stepped out from the crowd in front of them, shaking his head. He was clad in a blue and black leather suit and wore a cyan-colored hat that pointed forward. At the man’s side was Lucario, the Aura Pokemon, and the man’s partner. “When I warned you all of the impending danger, I only had enough time to tell you there was a danger and nothing more.” He was Riley, Ash’s mentor in the arts of Aura and current traveling companion.

  The Team Rocket Trio chuckled and stood up from their seats, unveiling themselves to the horde of trainers and Pokemon arrogantly.

  “Jessie!”

  “James!”

  Dawn looked at Riley oddly. “What do you mean?” She asked him.

  “What I mean,” Said Riley, “Is that there’s more to the story.” He summoned his Aura, allowing him to trace the location of his student. He pointed up to the large glass ball located at the center of the mechanical Meowth’s chest. “I don’t mean to alarm you, but Team Rocket managed to capture Ash in the forest and is currently holding him inside that ball.”

  “Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!” Jessie exclaimed.

  “Surrender now or prepare to fight!” Followed James.

  Ash’s friends’ eyes shot open in shock, but anything they could have said was cut off by Jessie and James’s boisterous laughter. Meowth hopped up onto the keyboard to reveal himself as well. “Meowth...no…” He hopped back onto his seat and began pressing more of the keyboard’s buttons once again. In response, the colossal robot Meowth spread its’ legs, stomped its’ feet into the ground and held its arms outward. The palms of its’ hands sent pillars of red-hot fire into the sky. “Ultimeowth, that’s right!”

  “Team Rocket!” Riley called out. “Release Ash at once! Surely you know how-”

  “Yeah, yeah, we know,” Interrupted Jessie, “The twerp already gave us that whole spiel.”

  James nodded, though no one at ground level could see it due to Ultimeowth’s height. “But don’t get us wrong! We’re not so evil that we would just rob you of the chosen one at a time like this!”

  The trainers began chattering amongst each other again at the mention of their chosen one, trying to theorize Team Rocket’s meaning. Was he captured, or did he go with them? They didn’t know, and continued talking until the Team Rocket Trio made Ultimeowth lean down and point at the glass orb. The trainers of Goldenrod gasped as they saw their chosen one was tightly bound and strapped to a chair within the ball.

  Seeing the opportunity, Ash called out to them. “Hey! They got me trapped in here! Can you guys get me outta here?!” The trainers didn’t make any obvious reaction, and so Ash tried once more. “HEY! THEY’VE GOT ME TRAPPED IN HERE!” His words, again, fell on deaf ears. Ash inwardly cursed. “Must be this glass ball...I don’t think they can hear anything…” Then an idea struck him, evidenced by a cyan glint in his eyes. “But someone can…”

  ‘Riley!’ The Aura Guardian heard Ash’s call within his mind and responded as such.

  ‘Ash, you’re alright! What would you have us do?’

  ‘We can’t afford any damage to the city before Necrozma shows up,’ Ash said, ‘So try and lure them back outside of it! The wild Pokemon are circling around the city as we speak.’

  ‘I see,’ Replied Riley with a nod, ‘The sheer number of wild Pokemon will be more than enough to tear that thing apart, but in the meantime…’

  ‘I’ll leave you in charge,” Said Ash. ‘You should be able to figure that out without much of an issue. There’s not much I can do in terms of commanding from up here.’

  ‘Will do, Ash. Just hang in there until we can get you outta there.’

  With that, Riley ended the Auric transmission and turned to address Ash’s friends, along with anyone else who could hear him. “Listen up! Ash is trapped within that glass ball, and our objective is clear: Free Ash from the ball, but don’t cause unnecessary damage to the city!” He turned back around, pointing at the city’s front gate Ultimeowth had destroyed in its’ impact. “We need to push them outside the city gate! The wild Pokemon will handle it from there, and don’t worry about Ash. The Pokemon know he’s Arceus’s chosen just as we do! They yearn for his safety as well!”

  “Ah, ah, ah,” Chided Jessie, “You didn’t give us the chance to explain ourselves!”

  Bonnie huffed, putting her hands to her hips with a look of irritation writ plainly upon the young girl’s face. “As if you guys actually have something worth listening to!”

  “How rude!” James remarked. “Between you and that silver-haired girl we met a few days ago, I have doubts of hope for the future generations!”

  Meowth hopped up onto the edge of the keyboard closest to the visor, as to not accidentally step on the buttons. “You see,” He said, “This whole plan of capturin’ the chosen twerp actually ain’t ours! You see, it was actually none other than the Boss himself who ordered us to capture him!”

  Brock put a finger to his chin in confusion. “The boss...of Team Rocket?”

  “What does he want with Ash?” Asked Misty.

  James crossed his arms and chuckled. “To tell you the truth, not even we know what the Boss’s goal in this is.”

  Jessie’s eyes gleamed at the mention of their leader. She clasped her hands together, fangirling over the Boss. “Though it’s obvious he doesn’t want the world’s destruction!”

  “But,” Said Meowth, “If we had to take a guess…” Meowth raised his arms up to the sky. His eyes became dreamy and foggy. He pressed a button on the keyboard with his toe, and Ultimeowth’s eyes lit up, casting a holographic screen in the sky for all to see. It was time for another of the Team Rocket Trio’s infamous “Boss Fantasies.", only now it was visible to everyone.

  In the Trio’s collective fantasy, the chosen twerp Ash Ketcheum sat bound in a chair amidst a dark room with only a singular light directly above him. Then, the leader of Team Rocket, Giovanni, stepped out from the shadows to address him. “So, you’re the chosen one,” Giovanni, or rather Meowth, said.

  The Trio’s hypothetical vision of Ash growled at Giovanni and struggled against his bindings to no avail. This earned a hearty laugh out of the Team Rocket Boss. “Fool,” He said, “You’ll never be able to break those bindings! For you see, they are created with the greatest of Team Rocket’s technology!”

  “What are you going to do with me?!” Demanded Ash in James’s exaggerated, high-pitched voice.

  “Wahahaha!” laughed the Boss. “It’s all part of my master plan!”

  The scene shown on the hologram changed from the dark room back to Goldenrod City, only now it was under siege by Necrozma’s forces. Though since the trio never actually saw what Necrozma looked like, their depiction of him was...odd. Their version of Necrozma was just a green jellyfish-looking alien thing with a goofy face and a black ‘N’ painted on its forehead. His forces were all just miniature versions of himself without the ‘N.’

  Even the screen itself admitted to the sheer ridiculousness of the depiction. At the bottom of the screen were subtitles saying, ‘Due to lack of concrete information, your hosts at Team Rocket have taken the liberty of improvising a design for Necrozma and his lackeys. We are sorry for any confusion or disturbance this may cause. Actually, we’re not.’

  The Team Rocket Trio’s version of Necrozma crossed two of its tentacles as if they were arms and laughed. “Weak fools! I am Necrozma, and you stand no chance of victory against me! Now, my underlings...attack!”

  Upon the jellyfish Necrozma’s command, his miniature versions began swarming the city. The Trainers and their Pokemon tried fighting against the grey swarm, but quickly found themselves unable to defend themselves and collapsed onto their knees.

  “We can’t stand up to them!” Cried one of the trainers. “It’s all hopeless! We’ve lost!”

  “That’s right!” Bellowed pseudo-Necrozma. “You weak Earthlings are nothing but pawns beneath the mighty...huh?!”

  “Necrozma’s” attention was grabbed by something in the distance. A colossal cloud of dust was racing toward the city at breakneck speed and stopped upon a tall hill. As it stopped, the dust cloud dispersed and revealed Giovanni sitting atop the divine Pokemon Arceus’s back, as if he were a steed. He even had reigns comically taped to Arceus’s face.

  “So,” Said Giovanni, “This is Necrozma…”

  Team Rocket’s version of Necrozma scoffed. “You don’t look so tough. Who are you anyway?”

  A wide grin stretched out upon the Team Rocket leader’s face, and he pulled back on the reigns, making Arceus reel back onto his hind legs. “I am Giovanni,” He announced, “And I’m here to stop you!”

  “Hah!” Mocked “Necrozma,” “You and what army?”

  Giovanni clapped his hands, and a figure that was riding on Arceus behind Giovanni hopped off the Alpha Pokemon. The person was revealed to be Ash, who now sported a white Team Rocket uniform like the trio themselves. Ash reached his hands out to the sky and called out, “Oh, Legendary Pokemon! I am the chosen one! Now come to me and defend the Earth in the name of Team Rocket!”

  The real Ash, meanwhile, wrinkled his face and cringed at their depiction of him. “You’ve gotta be kidding me…” The expressions of his friends, and practically everyone else besides the trio, were similar to Ash’s.

  Back in the Team Rocket Trio’s somehow-visible fantasy, Ash’s call ended up working, summoning the Legends to Giovanni’s side. Giovanni let out a thunderous laughter and said, “Now I can defeat anyone! For the sake of the world and, more importantly, the great Team Rocket, I will defeat you, Necrozma!”

  The Team Rocket leader pointed forward, ushering Ash and the Legends to charge at “Necrozma” while he himself rode Arceus into battle. The grey jellyfish-like Necrozma cowered in fear. “Please don’t hurt me!” He begged. “I promise, I’ll never hurt anyone again!”

  The scene changed, revealing Giovanni standing atop Necrozma’s body, placing his boot on the alien’s head. “Never!” Giovanni roared. He pumped his fist to the heavens and was showered with a bright golden light. “What you’ve done is unforgivable, and you must pay for your crimes!”

  The rest of “Necrozma’s” fleet flew back into space now that their leader was done for, and Giovanni let out another heart laugh. “Wahahaha! Thanks to me, the Earth is saved!”

  Ash bowed down to Giovanni and asked, “Now, Great Lord Giovanni, now that Necrozma’s threat is no more, what will we do?”

  Giovanni chuckled. “What else? Now that I’ve saved the world, it’s high time I control it as well!”

  Once more, the scene changed. Now, Giovanni sat atop a throne at the top of an enormous skyscraper that pierced through the clouds themselves. Ash bowed before the Team Rocket Boss, and soon after, the Legends followed suit. Yet again, Giovanni let out a laugh that the real Ash and everyone else were quickly growing weary of.

  “Taking over the world was a piece of cake,” Giovanni said, “And it’s all thanks to Jessie, James, and that wonderful, irreplaceable Meowth! From now on, those three will be my most trusted advisors and will be paid all the world’s gold! Wahahahahahahahaha!”

  The screen shut off, leaving the trainers, their Pokemon, and Ash himself in a state of bewilderment, and to a certain extent, disgust.

  “Well?” Asked Jessie. “Wouldn’t a world like that be wonderful?”

  “I couldn’t imagine another reality quite as wonderful as that,” Said James.

  Everyone simply stared at them blankly. Even the wild Pokemon who had seen it were left utterly dazed by Team Rocket’s sheer stupidity. The ensuing silence was so deafening that a gust of wind could be heard from one end of the city to the other. Of course, this only gave the trio the wrong idea.

  “Would you look at that,” Said James. “They’re completely stunned in awe of our brilliance!”

  Jessie crossed her arms and nodded. “Indeed. Truly, no one could deny that our glorious leader would be the best possible person to lead the world against that nasty Necrozma.”

  “Come on,” Meowth said to the trainers of Goldenrod City, “Let’s hear those cheers! Three cheers for Team Rocket!”

  In unison, the Team Rocket Trio said, “Hip hip....” awaiting a “hooray” from them. Of course, nothing of the sort happened. The entire city continued being completely silent. Ash could have sworn he saw a tumbleweed or two rolling amidst the trainers.

  “Oh, don’t be shy,” Jessie said, “Let’s hear it! Three cheers for Team Rocket!”

  “...”

  “...”

  “...”

  Finally, one of the trainers spoke up and broke the deafening silence, though what they said was far from what the Team Rocket Trio wanted to hear. “LET’S GET EM!”

  This singular command rallied the entirety of Goldenrod City, and the trainers eagerly shouted, “YEEEEEEAAAHH!”

  A colorful array of attacks shot up from the crowd at Ultimeowth, and the trio piloting it quickly went on the defensive, making the robot shield its face. “Hey, what’s the big idea?!” Demanded James. “You’re supposed to be praising us!”

  Jessie growled, tearing at her hair angrily. “Fine, then! If you want a fight so badly, we’ll give you one!”

  Meowth nodded. “Whether you chumps like it or not, we’re takin’ the chosen twerp to the Boss!”

  The giant mechanical Meowth turned away from the multitude of attacks pelting it and leapt onto the side of the nearest skyscraper. “So long, chumps!” Mocked Meowth as Ultimeowth began climbing up towards the building’s top.

  “Um, Meowth?” Asked James. “Why are you going up here?!”

  “Yeah, there’s a horde of angry Flying-Type Pokemon up there ready to tear this thing to shreds!” Cried Jessie.

  Meowth merely chuckled at his two partners in crime. “So far, Ultimeowth here hasn’t taken so much as a scratch! Gettin’ past a few Pokemon shouldn’t be a problem!”

  The two white-clad Team Rocket members blinked. “Oh, that’s right...SO LONG, SUCKERS! OHOHOHOHOHO!”

  Riley bit his lip. “Looks like we’ll have to shift our plan up a bit.” Turning toward the rest of Ash’s friends, he asked, “How many of you have Flying-Type Pokemon?” Only Brock, Dawn, and Iris raised their hands. “This might be tricky, then…”

  Clemont took the opportunity to speak up, his glasses shimmering in the sunlight. “Actually, I have another idea!” He turned around for a second and pulled out an array of thin jetpacks from seemingly nowhere. “I thought Necrozma might have a ship, so I prepared a few of these, so we might be able to invade it and take it down,” He said proudly, “But I guess I’ll have to bust these babies out early.”

  “Incredible,” remarked Riley, marvelling at the machines. “Yes, these should allow us to catch up to those three.”

  “I wouldn’t count on those things,” Bonnie told him. “Whenever my big bro has a brand new invention, they usually end up exploding.”

  “She’s right,” Serena said, “No offense, though.

  Clemont doubled over from the blow to his pride. “H-hey, it doesn’t happen all the time!” Bonnie and Serena gave him a knowing look, making Clemont falter. “...Okay, they do…”

  Riley placed a hand to his chin. “I see. If those things blew up on us while we’re airborne, then...well, it wouldn’t be a pretty sight.”

  The group’s discussion was cut off by a sudden explosion. They whipped back around to the source of the noise and found the robot now only holding on by one hand and frantically trying to regain its hold. There was now a decently sized hole halfway up the skyscraper, presumably where Ultimeowth had been holding.

  “Drapion, use Hyper Beam at the building once more!”

  At that command, a large orange laser burst up from the crowd at impacted the skyscraper right above Ultimeowth’s hand, making the gigantic mech fall back to the ground. Riley and Lucario nodded to one another and quickly summoned a barrier around the fallen mech to trap the wind and dust kicked up from their fall and prevent it from hitting anyone else.

  Dawn, however, was more concerned about something else. “Wait a minute...that voice!”

  Dawn suddenly rushed into the crowd before anyone could stop her. Everyone looked at one another in confusion for a moment, then ran after her. As the bluenette pushed past the crowd of people, she eventually found none other than…

  “Paul?!”

  The purple-haired trainer turned to Dawn at the call of his name, finding the blue-haired girl along with Ash’s other friends approaching behind her, “Oh, it’s you,” He said, “What do you want?”

  Dawn huffed. “What do I want?! You just attacked a building! There could still be people in there! What were you thinking?!”

  Misty leaned over to Brock and asked, “Who’s this guy?”

  Brock crossed his arms and furled his brows. “That would be Paul. He was a rival of Ash’s back in Sinnoh, and probably the one he clashed with the most.”

  Misty’s eyes widened a bit. “Really? Even more than Gary?”

  Brock nodded. “Without a doubt. Ash and Gary may have butted heads a lot when they were rivals, but their ideals in terms of Pokemon battling were relatively similar…” A deep frown curled down Brock’s face. “Paul, however, was brutal and unforgiving with his Pokemon. He made them train until they could no longer move, and his training often entailed long, brutal fights between his Pokemon.”

  Serena, whose attention had been caught by their conversation, decided to pitch in at hearing that. “That’s horrible! How could he treat his Pokemon like that?!”

  Brock looked down, shaking his head. “That’s not even the worst of it. He put immense amounts of time into his Pokemon, so if they didn’t meet his expectations, he just abandoned them on the spot.”

  “How awful,” Remarked Cilan, who placed a hand to his forehead dramatically and was apparently listening in as well, “How can someone just abandon their Pokemon? How heartless can you get?”

  The former Gym Leader of Pewter City nodded. “His unrelenting cruelty toward his Pokemon made him clash with Ash, so whenever Ash lost to him, he took it pretty hard. In the end, though, Ash finally managed to beat him once and for all in the Sinnoh League.”

  “That’s good,” Said Serena, “So did he win, then?”

  “Sadly no.” Answered Brock, shaking his head, “He was defeated by another trainer named Tobias.”

  Serena pouted slightly. “That’s a shame.” Something about the name Tobias struck Serena as odd. ‘Hold on,’ She thought, ‘Have I...heard that name before?’

  Paul sighed in annoyance at Dawn and pointed up at the two holes his Drapion blew into the skyscraper. “No attack was actually hurting that thing, you know. Had I not done what I did, it would have escaped with Ash.”

  Riley stepped forward toward him. “Be that as it may, there are still people in that building, like Dawn said! What would you have done if that attack hit them?!”

  To Riley’s agitation, Paul merely shrugged nonchalantly. “What, do you not think that everyone in there would have escaped already? Practically everyone in this city is around us as we speak.”

  Riley could feel anger bubbling up within him and quickly eating away at his patience. It wasn’t often that something like that happened so quickly, but Paul’s uncaring attitude toward the implications of his actions managed to do it. The Aura guardian opened his mouth to retort, but Paul cut him off by saying, “You’re that guy who warned everyone about that thing ahead of time, right? The Aura guy? Ash showed me his own a couple days ago.”

  “...Yes, I am,” Answered Riley, “But what does that have to do with-”

  Paul turned away from him and said, “If you’re that concerned, why don’t you just sense if anyone got hurt? That is, if anyone was in there at all.”

  Riley held back an irritated growl, but couldn’t argue with Paul’s logic there at the very least. Turning up to the two holes, he summoned his aura and sensed for life energy. He saw dozens of blue dots still within the building, but all of them were nearing the bottom of the building anyway.

  “Well, no one was hurt,” Riley said, “But there are still people inside the building even now.”

  Paul shrugged. “If they weren’t hurt, it doesn’t matter. Now if I were you, I would pay less attention to me and more attention to the giant robot that’s about to get back on its feet.”

  Iris lightly elbowed Riley’s arm and whispered to him, “Jeez, what crawled up that guy’s pants?”

  Riley shook his head and sighed, replying, “Well, he’s right about one thing.” At the base of the tall skyscraper, the robotic Meowth slowly managed to push itself back onto its feet. It still didn’t have a single dent or scratch even after taking a fall from that height.

  “Why you…!” Fumed Jessie. “Which one of you was that?!”

  Without a single moment of hesitation, Paul said, “It was me,” and stepped towards it, making everyone around him back off except for Ash’s friends.

  Jessie’s booming voice screeched out from Ultimeowth, nearly deafening everyone in the area. “You have a lot of nerve!” Jessie pushed Meowth off of his seat and took control over its actions, making it raise its’ fist threateningly. “Annoying twerps like you should learn not to stick their nose where it doesn’t belong! Didn’t your mother teach you not to hit a lady?! You messed up my hair and everything! It takes me three hours every day to give it its point and curl! Why I ought to-”

  “EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!” The high pitched fearful screaming of James cut Jessie’s infuriated rambling off.

  Jessie, annoyance and irritation plastered on her face, turned her gaze to her counterpart. “Oh, what is it now, James? Can’t you see I’m berating a twerp?!”

  “Seriously, what’s got you all spooked up?” Asked Meowth.

  James leaned over the keyboard and pointed down.”Look there!” Jessie and Meowth raised an eyebrow and leaned over to look at what James was talking about, and when they saw it, their faces paled.

  “THERE’S A GIANT CRACK ON THE BALL!”

  Surely enough, the glass ball containing Ash now sported a massive crack that stretched down completely from top to bottom. Bonnie pointed up at it. “Hey, he’s right!”

  “Well would you look at that,” Said Paul, “Looks like we might get this over with faster than I thought.”

  Misty stepped up next to him, eyeing the damaged container. “Maybe so,” She said, “But once we get Ash outta there, how do we deal with the robot?”

  Paul’s expression remained ever stoic. “Isn’t it simple? There are thousands of us, and one of it. Not to mention, there must be millions of wild Pokemon out in the forest and up in the sky. No matter where it runs, it won’t escape all of us.”

  Riley quickly caught on to Paul’s meaning and turned to address the surrounding trainers inhabiting Goldenrod City. “All right, everyone,” He said, using his Aura to heighten the volume of his voice, “Spread yourselves throughout the city! We need to make sure they don’t escape at all costs!” He nodded to Lucario, and the two of them turned back around to Ultimeowth with Aura Spheres ready in their hands. “And when you have an opening, attack the glass ball!”

  The surrounding trainers nodded in response and ran off to various points of the city. Some stayed behind, close to Ultimeowth, whereas most others went to the city’s edges or different streets to secure any and all possible escape positions. Riley and Lucario unleashed their attacks, but Team Rocket quickly moved Ultimeowth’s arm up in front of Ash’s container, negating the attack.

  “As if we’d just let that happen!” Shouted Jessie.

  “We’re delivering the chosen twerp to the Boss no matter what!” James followed up.

  Meowth pressed a button, making Ultimeowth’s metal plating shift and changing the robot’s arms and legs into, ironically, rockets. Riley and Lucario quickly summoned a barrier around their group, just in time to block the ensuing smoke from Team Rocket’s takeoff. Once the smoke cleared, Ultimeowth was high in the air and approaching the swarm of flying Pokemon above.

  The Flying-Type Pokemon, seeing their target approaching, dove down toward the oncoming contraption, but Ultimeowth suddenly swerved its’ body on its’ side, ‘rocketing’ toward the forest and blasting smoke into their faces.

  “Team Rocket’s blasting off again!” James cried.

  “Only now it’s a victory instead of crushing defeat!” Sang Jessie

  “And now the Boss’s victory is nearly complete!” Exclaimed Meowth. “And just so the twerps don’t get any bright ideas…” He tapped another button, dropping a hail of black balls down upon the city. Once they impacted the ground, they detonated into smokescreens and blinded most of the city. The trainers were quick on the uptake, having their Pokemon blow away the smoke, but by the time it was gone, Team Rocket was already so far that they were only visible as a dot in the sky.

  “Damn it,” Cursed Riley, “Don’t let them get away!”

  Brock threw out a Pokeball, unveiling a purple four-winged bat Pokemon. “Crobat, go after Team Rocket!” He ordered. Crobat nodded and took off into the sky. Next, Brock sent out a Steelix, which knelt down and allowed its trainer to hop onto its head. “Riding Steelix is a bit rough,” Brock said, “But its head is smooth and can probably hold two more.”

  “I’ll pass,” Iris said, unveiling a Pokemon of her own. It was a Dragonite that stood up to its full height proudly and roaring out its name. Iris hopped onto its back and said, “I have my own ride, thanks.” She offered her hand to Cilan. “Here, get on.”

  “Wh-what?” Cilan stammered, “M-me? I don’t think I’m cut out for-” He was interrupted by Dragonite, who grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and placed him in front of Iris, then blasted off before the now-screaming Cilan could react.

  May raised her hand. “Max and I will take you up on your offer, Brock.” Max nodded his head in affirmation.

  “Sure thing,” Brock said as the two of them boarded Steelix’s head, “Just be sure to hold on tight!” With that, Steelix raised its head and took off toward Team Rocket.

  Next, Dawn sent out her Togekiss and rubbed its fur affectionately. “Think you can keep up with Team

  Rocket with me on your back?” Togekiss looked back toward her and nodded eagerly, determination etching its face. Dawn grinned back at it and hopped onto its back. “Alright, then, let’s save Ash!” Togekiss nodded once more and soared off alongside the others.

  Clemont took out a Pokeball of his own. “Alright, then,” He said, “It’s my turn! Go, Luxray!” Upon throwing his Pokeball, a large, black wolf-like Pokemon with glowing red eyes and a star-shaped tail appeared. Clemont lifted Bonnie onto its back, then hopped onto it himself. “We should be able to follow them,” He said to Serena, Misty, and Riley, “But, er...what about you guys?”

  Misty frowned and took out the Pokeball of her Gyardos, “Gyarados doesn’t move all that fast on land, and I don’t have any Pokemon that can fly…”

  Serena took out the Pokeball of her Pangoro and sent it out. “Goro!” It bellowed, flexing its arms proudly. It picked up Serena, bridal style, and went to run after the others.

  “Wait!” Cried Serena, making the panda Pokemon stumble. When it looked down at her questioningly, she returned the stare with an apologetic look. “Sorry, but you’re not exactly the fastest Pokemon. We’d probably get left behind.” Pangoro, albeit looking saddened, nodded and put his trainer down, who returned him to his Pokeball right after.

  The three trainers then turned their gaze to Riley, who merely shrugged. “I can make people float with my Aura,” He said, “But I couldn’t go anywhere near fast enough to catch up to them.” Looking down at Lucario, he continued. “Lucario here is definitely fast, but I’m not about to make him try and carry me.” Lucario nodded, letting out a short growl.

  “So you’re stuck,” Said Clemont, earning a nod from the three. The young scientist placed a hand to his chin in thought. There was no way Luxray could carry any more than he already was and still be fast enough to give chase, and any invention he could possibly pull out of nowhere would just explode. Then, something caught his eye.

  “Hey, you,” Clemont said to Paul, “What about you?”

  Misty, Serena, and Riley turned to Paul, who was in the middle of walking away. Misty and Serena had expectant looks on their faces, but Riley scowled, already knowing what Paul’s answer would be by sensing his Aura.

  “Forget it,” He snapped, “If you guys can’t follow them, that’s your own fault for not building your teams better.”

  Misty’s eye twitched. “Why you…!” She stomped over to Paul, who let out an angry sigh, knowing that he was about to receive an earful. “If we don’t catch up with Team Rocket, they’ll take Ash!”

  Paul pointed up at the sky. Following closely behind Team Rocket, the massive flock of Flying-Type Pokemon were in close pursuit, nearly blotting out the sky where they flew. “Whether you catch up or not, it won’t matter. They’ll catch up long before you will. At this point, you’d probably be better off staying out of the way.”

  Paul turned away without waiting for a response, making Misty fume to herself. “That jerk…!”

  “I wouldn’t bother with a chump like him anyway.”

  Misty and the others’ attention was caught by that voice. When they turned to identify its source, they found none other than Gary Oak himself. His ever-cocky grin still present, he waved to the group. “Hey, what’s up?”

  “Gary?!” Exclaimed Misty, “What are you doi-” She cut herself off, shaking her head as she realized it was a dumb question. “Nevermind, what’s up?”

  Gary chuckled and tossed out two of his own Pokemon. First was a large, bright-red canine Pokemon, Arcanine. Next came a large, three-headed bird. It had no wings, instead having long, powerful legs. This Pokemon was Dodrio, the Triple Bird Pokemon.

  “Well,” Said Gary, motioning around himself to the horde of people who were now rushing into the forest after Ash and Team Rocket, “I was on my way to follow these guys, but then I couldn’t help but notice you guys,” He sent a smirk Paul’s way, who looked away uncaringly, “and I overheard your little problem regarding this chump, so I thought I’d lend a helping hand.”

  “Gary?” Asked Serena, “Hey, you were that guy Ash fought in Pallet Town!”

  Gary nodded her way and laughed. “Yeah, and you’re Ash’s girlfriend, Serena, right?” He resisted the urge to facepalm and stifled a laugh. “Man, I’m never gonna get used to that. Anyways, how’ve you been?” He shook his head suddenly and motioned up to Ultimeowth. “Actually, hold onto that for now. Let’s get going, yeah?”

  Riley smiled at him gratefully. “Thank you very much,” He said, “My name is Riley. I don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure of making your acquaintance.”

  Gary offered a hand to him. “Name’s Gary, as Misty just said,” He sent a small nod in her direction, “And it’s nice to meet you too, Mr…?”

  Riley took Gary’s hand eagerly. “You can call me Riley, and I don’t mean to be rude, but…” He looked at the Dodrio and Arcanine, “We still need one more if we’re all going to go.”

  “Right,” Admitted Gary, “I was planning on taking Dodrio since it’s rowdier than Arcanine, but I don’t think Arcanine alone could handle you, Misty, and Serena.”

  “Excuse me,” Another voice said to them. The group looked over to the voice’s source and found a young, black-haired man who wore a similarly-colored leather jacket, long jeans, and a fuzzy cyan blue scarf around his neck, “Are you guys in need of assistance?”

  “Wait a minute,” Exclaimed Serena, “Is that...Alain?!”

  Gary gave her a questioning look. “Alain? Who’s that?”

  “I wanna know too,” Added Misty.

  As Alain approached the group, Serena explained it to them, “Alain was Ash’s rival throughout his journey through Kalos.”

  “Kalos?” Asked Misty. “That was also your journey with Ash, right?”

  Serena nodded. “That’s right. Alain’s a very strong trainer who can use Mega Evolution, which proved difficult for even Ash to deal with.”

  Misty pulled out the Pokeball of her Mega Gyarados. “Mega Evolution? So he can use it too…”

  Clemont decided to add his own input as well. “Mhm,” He said with a nod, “And what’s more, Ash never actually ended up beating him.”

  Gary’s eyes widened, and he whistled in mild awe. “Geez, for real? This guy must be a big deal, then.” Misty and Riley had similar expressions of surprise at hearing that. Even Paul, who’d been in the middle of walking away, stopped and turned back around, now interested in the conversation.

  Serena continued. “The two of them only battled around three or so times, but soundly defeated Ash over and over again. Even when Ash managed to get to the final round of the Kalos League, Alain stood in his way and defeated him one last time.” She looked up at the aforementioned rival of Ash’s, who had now reached the group, and asked, “Isn’t that right, Alain?”

  “Something like that,” Answered Alain. Apparently, he’d been listening to their conversation as well. “You’re Serena, right? I saw you and assumed everyone else here were friends of yours, and by extension, Ash’s?”

  Gary nodded and motioned behind him to Paul with his thumb. “Everyone except that guy.”

  Alain leaned his head over to look past Gary at Paul, who once again just closed his eyes and turned away from them. “What’s up with him?” Asked Alain.

  “That’s just how that guy is,” Riley answered with a sigh, “Anyways, Alain, I don’t mean to be pushy, but we’re running low on time. Do you have any Pokemon I might be able to ride?” He pointed up at Team Rocket’s robot, which was now hardly visible. “We’re a bit short on able Pokemon ourselves, but we need to pursue Team Rocket.”

  “Well, sure,” Answered Alain, “If you don’t mind flying, that is.” He took out two Pokeballs and threw them into the air. From one, a large orange draconian Pokemon with a fire on its tail. It was Alain’s Charizard, who bellowed out a roar upon being summoned. It also had a large silver ornament worn around its neck. There was a hole at the ornament’s front with a beautiful stone that seemed to contain every color of the rainbow. The second Pokemon was a fairly large grey-feathered bird. On its head was a pink, ribbon-like growth that stretched around its eyes and out behind its head, but other than that, it had no other defining features.

  Alain hopped up onto Charizard’s back and asked the bird Pokemon, “Unfezant, do you think you could take, um…”

  “Riley,” Said the Aura Guardian.

  Alain nodded to him. “Do you think you could take Riley on your back and follow that robot?”

  The bird Pokemon, now identified as Unfezant, nodded without hesitation. “Great,” Exclaimed Alain with an appreciative smile, “Now, is everyone accounted for?”

  Misty and Serena looked at one another, and the former asked, “I guess one of us will be taking Arcanine, then?”

  Gary nodded. “Go for it. Arcanine’s tough enough to handle two girls like you.”

  The two girls looked at each other unsurely, and turned around to Arcanine, who lowered itself to the ground so they could get on. Arcanine was fairly large, so they should both be able to ride it. With their doubt now gone, they hopped up onto the large canine Pokemon’s back.

  “I’m not all that good with Fire-Types,” Misty admitted, “I am a Water-Type Gym Leader, after all. But…” She leaned forward and gently petted the Arcanine’s fuzzy mane. “I think we’ll be fine. You ready, Serena?”

  Serena nodded without hesitation. “Yeah. Oddly enough, I’m not scared at all.” She chuckled. “Guess Ash is rubbing off on me.”

  “Good to hear,” Commented Gary as he hopped onto Dodrio’s back, “So are we all ready?”

  Alain’s Unfezant knelt down, allowing Riley to mount it. “Everyone’s accounted for,” He said, “So I’d say yes.”

  Alain looked over to Paul. “What about him?”

  “I wouldn’t worry about a guy like that,” Gary told him, grinning cheekily at the purple-haired trainer, “I’m sure he’d much rather go be edgy in a dark corner than actually be helpful.” Paul made no reply.

  Alain frowned. “I see. What about the rest of Ash’s Pokemon? Are they trapped as well?”

  Riley shook his head. “No, Ash went into the forest this morning alone.” He activated his Aura and attempted to sense for the location of Ash’s Pokemon, but couldn’t find them amidst the horde of people and wild Pokemon. “I can’t sense them,” He told the others, “They’re likely already en route to save him.”

  Gary chuckled. “Well, let’s not let ‘em show us up! Let’s get going!”

  Lucario asked his partner, ‘Should I follow on foot?’

  ‘There aren’t any other options,’ Riley replied, ‘Sorry.’

  Lucario rolled his neck, knelt down onto the ground, and flared his own cyan blue Aura. ‘Actually, I’ve been meaning to do some physical exercise as of late.’

  A chuckle managed to escape from the Aura Guardian. ‘All right,’ He said, ‘Sounds like a plan, then.” He turned his head around to the others and exclaimed, “Now’s our chance! Let’s go save Ash!”

  “Yeah!” Cheered the others, pumping their fists skyward.

  As the group, along with the myriad of trainers of Goldenrod City, took off into the forest after Ultimeowth and Ash, Paul scoffed. “Idiots. Whether you’re there or not won’t matter. With all those Pokemon after them, we’re better off laying back until Necrozma shows up. Why can’t they see that?”