BP: Hello, everyone, I have decided to start on Heartsong Symphony earlier than planned. Since this is about Ash travelling in a new region altogether, all the towns and cities here are made up.

I'll try to write the story in a style similar to how the Pokémon Anime goes, and furthermore, some information may be inconsistent to the original series for good reasons. Each "episode" would have a title and in one chapter there could be up to five episodes, so do look forward to it!

Some information may not be accurate as I didn't wait until the XY series ends before I wrote it, so I had to fill in the gaps on my own. Also, Rosaline may or may not be replaced, since Rosaline is not my OC, and I don't feel right using it to be honest. This may be one of her few appearances in Heartsong Symphony.

Let me tell you this though: I am seriously PISSED at Ash losing to Alain. Come on, he had the type advantage and he can equal a Champion's Mega Evolved Gardevoir, and that is saying something. Why did they make Alain's Charizard so overpowered? And Alain only competed because he wanted to battle Ash, nothing more, nothing less. I am tired of the writers making Ash lose League after League, and I am going to write this my way.

Song Title: The Poké Heroes

(Sung to the tune of Sonic Heroes by Crush 40)

I will be the very best

(Ash and Pakura running across a clear path with Pikachu and Sylveon)

Make sure my feet won't touch the ground

(Various Flying Pokémon flies in the sky)

Seeing the world in a whole new light

(Ash seeing a city from a hill, and an animation of him feeding Pikachu was shown)

Oh, how we will make things right

(Focus turns to Pakura, and an animation of her moving her fan in a graceful way was shown)

I can feel your every rage

(Pakura clashing weapons with a boy with blue eyes and black hair)

Step aside I'll turn the page

(Ash preparing to battle an unknown person)

Breaking through your crazy maze

(Ash and his Pokémon running from a darkness threatening to consume them)

Like a laser beam my eyes on you

(A silhouette of two people appearing at the top of the rocks, watching the PAL Region, lightning behind them)

Watch me make my mark right now

(Ash revealing his Mega Glove, and Mega Evolving his Charizard)

Watch me save the day

(Pakura throwing a knife to prevent a package from dropping to the floor)

Feel my storm is getting close

(Team Rocket trio trying to attack Ash and Pakura, only to be blasted off with Pikachu's Thunderbolt)

Heading your way

(Pakura showing her psychic powers with a dark smile on her face)

Poké Heroes

Poké Heroes

Save the world and discover secrets

(Ash and Pakura exploring a dark cave and was awed at what they found)

Poké Heroes

Poké Heroes

Setting the stage for the Chosen's parade!

(Ash running past all the known Legendaries)

Poké Heroes

(Rain falls heavily on a silhouette with red glowing eyes)

Give us the mission and they'll be on their way.

(Ash and Pakura smiling in the camera with all their Pokémon behind them)


HS001: Dreams Never End.

Ash was on his way back to Pallet Town with his beloved Pikachu in the evening air, satisfied with the end of another adventure in another region. It was an eventful one like the other regions, but he felt it was one of his best ones yet.

He thought of his latest travelling companions, Serena, Clemont and his little sister Bonnie, and smiled at the thought of them trying to achieve their dreams back in Kalos.

Serena had decided to be under the tutelage of Palmero, a former Kalos Queen and who she mentioned had offered to tutor her after the Master Class ended, but couldn't do so because she had wished to continue travelling with them. Ash was taken aback, but was grateful at the fact that his friend chose to stay with them rather than go off on her own, which she could have done to achieve her dream of beating Aria and becoming the next Kalos Queen. Also, she had made a decision that if she has the time, she would travel to Hoenn to compete in Pokémon Contests.

Meanwhile, Clemont had decided to return to the Lumoise Gym, having experienced enough to feel he can take over the role of the Gym Leader, and decided to repair the Gym, having been invaded by Team Flare as part of their plan to take over Kalos with the use of a Zygrade Core they had captured and forced under their control. Bonnie's Squishy, which turned out to be another Zygrade, took it on, and it was one of the fiercest battles they had ever seen.

Ash and the others had taken down Team Flare with the help of a remorseful Alain, who admitted he was working under Lysandre and even helped him all because of the fact that he had given Alain his Charizardite X and Mega Ring.

Ash was at first angered at the fact that who he thought was a friend was working for the enemy, but realized Alain wasn't actually a bad person- in fact, he was tricked into working for Team Flare under the belief that the Mega Evolution energy was going to help save Mairin's Chespie, which in turn would make her smile again.

After the battle ended (with the help of a surprising ally- The Hoenn Champion, Steven Stone), however, everyone was made aware of Alain working for Team Flare and helped them capture Z2, which caused the fiasco in the first place, and revoked his status as the winner of the Lumoise Conference- and the status fell to him, therefore making him the winner of the Kalos League, much to his delight. Though Alain expressed happiness for him, he noticed the look of regret, that he had even helped Team Flare.

"The dream never ends, though." Ash said to Pikachu, who nodded in agreement. "Come on, let's run! I can't wait for our next adventure!" Pikachu nodded again, and clung to Ash, who started running along the path that lead to Pallet Town.

Ash screeched to a stop he came upon a petite girl with waist-long black hair with hot pink highlights, and her outfit consisted of a hot pink shirt with a red short jacket and a white skirt. Her outfit was complete with knee-length hot pink boots. She seemed to be staring at a map and Pallet Town at the same time under the illuminated streetlight. Beside her was a Pokémon he recognized as Espeon.

"Excuse me." Ash said, tapping on her shoulder. "Are you lost?" The girl started, and turned around.

"Oh, I'm sorry." she replied, putting down her map. "Could you repeat that? I didn't quite catch it." Her Espeon seemed to be sighing beside her.

"I asked if you were lost." Ash repeated. The girl smiled.

"Oh yes, I am a little lost. I'm not very good at reading maps, after all. You see, I am working on a case, and it's said someone connected to the case lives here. His name is Harold Worthington. Do you know him?"

"Yeah, I do." Ash nodded, remembering the name. "He lives at the house with the yellow door, which is located that way." He pointed at the North West direction. "You won't be able to miss his house, his house is the only one with purple flowers."

"Thank you." The girl grinned. She looked him up and down. "You look like a strong trainer. Would you care to battle me?" she asked.

"Never thought you would ask." Ash grinned. "Greninja, I choose you!"

The Poké Ball opened to reveal the Ninja Pokémon.

"I like the look on that Greninja." The girl nodded approvingly. "My name is Rosaline Pyra. What's yours?"

"Ash Ketchum, from Pallet Town." Ash answered. "Where are you from?"

"I was originally from Hearthome City in Sinnoh, but I moved to the PAL Region." Rosaline replied.

"PAL Region?" Ash was puzzled. He had heard of the Alola Region from Professor Oak, and was planning to go there next, but this PAL Region was something he never heard of before.

"Why don't I tell you more after our battle?" Rosaline offered, and Ash nodded. "Well, Ash, this would be my Pokémon!" Rosaline threw a Poké Ball to reveal a Gardevoir, and it was wearing a Mega Stone. That was when Ash noticed a Mega Ring on her right index finger.

'I see, a Mega Evolution user.' Ash thought, looking at the Gardevoirite.

"Let's get this show on the road!" Rosaline, like Ash, was excited for the battle.

"Gardevoir, let's start things off with Thunderbolt!" Rosaline commanded. Before Ash could even react, the super-effective Thunderbolt hit Greninja.

"Are you alright, Greninja?" Ash was concerned. Greninja shook its head, and got back to battle stance.

"Gardevoir, let's keep attacking with Shadow Ball!" Rosaline grinned.

"Let's bring out all we got!" Ash cried to Greninja, as their movements started to synchronize. "Much, much stronger! Let's go!"

Rosaline widened her eyes as a mysterious transformation unfolded before her eyes, and Greninja was covered in a water veil at first, but the water veil later turned into a giant water shuriken on its back and its appearance looked like it was fused with his trainer.

'What the?' Rosaline had never seen this type of transformation before.

"Alright, Greninja use Water Shuriken!" Gardevoir tried to endure the hit, but was knocked off its feet, and Rosaline had no choice but to use Mega Evolution if she wanted to even the playing field.

'I have never seen that transformation in my entire life.' Rosaline thought. 'What is going on?' But no matter what, the battle must go on.


"You really put up quite a fight." Rosaline's Gardevoir was panting as Ash's Greninja was knocked out, and Ash returned Greninja after a word of thanks.

"Thank you." Ash smiled. "So what is the PAL Region?"

"I don't know where to start." Rosaline said sheepishly. "It's a region containing the Pokémon of all the regions for one. It's a paradise for Pokémon, and our League sort of work differently." She rubbed the hand at the back of her head sheepishly. "There are a lot of thing that is hard to describe about our region, you'll have to check it out for yourself. Oh, we also have one more thing: We don't have a regional Champion."

"Don't have one?" Ash asked Rosaline, a little in shock.

"Yeah, that's right." Rosaline responded. "No one could get past the first Elite member, which is why we don't have a Champion, because no one has ever defeated the Elite Four before."

Ash stood back, even more shocked than before.

"Wow…" Ash began, scrambling for words. "So, you're investigating a case now?" Ash asked her.

"Yeah, I am also here to see if I can get any inspiration." Rosaline answered.

"Inspiration for what?" Ash asked, a little too excitedly.

"Actually, I've hit a bit of a writer's block when it comes to books." She admitted. "I'm an author, so I can't afford to not write stories and turn them into books. I have a lot of competition from other authors as well. I was hoping to win this year's Best Author Award. How about you? Were you on your way home?"

"Yeah, I want to show my mum I'm doing well, as well as to see my Pokémon."

"It's a bit late, so I suggest you go back home and see your Pokémon the next day." Rosaline said. "Maybe I can drop by Professor Oak's lab for some inspiration after I question my suspect. Thanks for your help in direction and the battle. I really appreciate it."

"I had fun too!" Ash replied, grinning at Rosaline.

"You're not a new trainer, are you?" Rosaline asked Ash, as they made their way through Pallet Town on the way to Ash's house.

"No, have been travelling for six years already." Ash answered.

"Cool." Rosaline nodded. "What do you plan on doing next?"

"I am thinking of going to either the Alola Region, but now I'm deciding whether to go to the Alola Region or the PAL Region, now I know that it exists." Ash tilted his head.

"Oh, well if you come to the PAL Region, I'd be happy to have a rematch with you." Rosaline said "Well, I better get going now. Thanks again!" she said, as she reached the house Ash had indicated earlier.

"Bye!" Ash shouted to her, and she waved. As she left, Ash decided to continue on his way to his house. His mum was outside with Mimey, and as soon as she saw him, her eyes widened. "Ash!" she said, coming up to him, and giving him a big hug.

"Hey, mum, I'm home." he greeted, trying to get out of her hug to no avail. Eventually, she let go and looked at him.

"My boy's all grown up." His mum mused. "And there's a surprise waiting for you!"

"What is it?" Ash asked, as he entered the living room, only to see Gary and Professor Oak in the living room sipping tea.

"Well, look who's here!" Professor Oak greeted.

"Hey, Ashy-boy!" Gary held out his cup of tea. "Congrats on making it to the Finals this time. I heard you were crowned the winner after the previous one was exposed to be working for the bad guys, so I'm happy for you. You technically won for the first time."

"Thanks, Gary, although he was a good friend in the end. I felt bad for him actually." Ash replied. "So what are you two doing here?"

"I was waiting for you, actually." Professor Oak admitted. "I have been hearing about an unusual transformation surrounding your Greninja, and I'd like to study it if possible. It might be a new phenomenon that no one has ever seen before!"

"You have been waiting for a while, so how about some dinner?" Delia suggested.

"Good, I'm starving!" Gary answered, and the other two nodded in agreement.

"Great!" Delia smiled. "I'll go start making dinner. Ash, leave your backpack at the kitchen chair, as I'll be doing your laundry later. You three just wait in the living room." With that, she went into the kitchen and began to make something for dinner.

"Professor Oak." Ash started.

"Yes, my boy?" Professor Oak replied.

"Have you heard of the PAL Region?" Ash asked, and Professor Oak gasped.

"Why, my boy, that is the most prestigious region!" Professor Oak breathed. "It is the region that is supporting all of the other regions financially and other products. The PAL Region is also known for producing people that are talented in other areas besides Pokémon battling. It stands for 'Pokémon Awakens Love', and the Pokémon League there works differently from other regions. The Elite Four is also powerful, and most of them hold other jobs since the more powerful members hardly get challenged."

"However, the PAL Region is also considered the most dangerous." Gary said. "I don't know why, since they didn't specifically say the reason, but that region has a lot of secrets."

"Well Rosaline didn't mention that." Ash muttered, but didn't care on Gary's warning. The thought of an adventure in a region that is different from other regions excited him.

"You met Rosaline?" Professor Oak sounded shocked.

"Yeah, she was here earlier, asking me directions and for a battle." Ash gave him a funny look. "Why?"

"Ash, Rosaline Pyra is one of the members of the PAL Elite Four." Gary sounded awed.

"No way!" Ash was surprised that Rosaline didn't mention her status as an Elite Four. "I want to go to the PAL Region even more."

"I think you should think it over and tell me your decision." Professor Oak persuaded him, and Ash nodded.

"Dinner's ready!" Delia called out, and everyone rushed over to eat. Ash even sent out his Pokémon as she had prepared Pokémon food as well. Delia had definitely gone overboard with the dinner spread. There were dishes heaped with spaghetti, French fries covered with mayo and cheese, fish fingers, croquettes, and some other dishes Ash didn't know the name of. He had forgotten how good home cooking can be and he ate wolfishly, going back for seconds and then thirds.

"Tomorrow?" Delia said.

"Yeah, I decided to set off tomorrow and go to the PAL Region." Ash nodded, surprising everyone, considering he just came home. He went on, "It would be a nice change from the other regions since it works differently. I'll be aiming to win the League there, no matter how different it is from others. I felt the last one was because I got a little lucky. I want to truly win the next Pokémon League with my own strength."

"I knew you'd say that." Delia smiled and nodded, as she went somewhere.

"You know, since it's established as a fairly dangerous region, I think you should take a few more Pokémon other than just your Pikachu." Professor Oak suggested, when Delia left. "That way, you'll be protected."

Ash nodded, as Delia returned with a fresh set of clothes. This time, however, there was no hat, and his outfit consisted of a blue long-sleeved shirt and navy blue pants, and a dark green vest complete with matching fingerless gloves.

"I hear PAL Region has a colder climate, so you'll need these to stay warm." Delia explained. "I packed shorter sleeved shirts as well in case it gets hot."

"Thanks, mum!" Ash grinned.

"Since it's different from the other regions, I figured you won't need the hat." Delia laughed. "Something different in your outfit for a change. Well, Ash, good luck with your adventure in the PAL Region."

"I'll do it. I'll win that Pokémon League as well!" Ash said with determination.

"Now that is settled, you should eat to get energy!" Delia said.

"I'll help secure you a plane ticket to Primordium Town, where the Regional Professor Phlox's Lab is." Professor Oak added. "You can go to her to get the PAL Region's Pokédex and register for the Pokémon League there."

"Thanks mum, Professor Oak!" Ash was excited at the thought of his next adventure.

"Typical Ashy-boy." Gary shrugged, as if exasperated by his actions, only to earn a playful punch from Ash. "Ouch, that hurts!" Gary exclaimed, as everyone laughed.

Unknown to them, their words were being recorded by Team Rocket, and they were hiding up a tree listening to their conversation with a headphones connected to a satellite that can pick up nearby sounds.

"Did you hear that?" Jessie said.

"I did, I did." James smirked. "The PAL Region, huh? Looks like he'll start travelling again. Not surprising, though."

"But what is this PAL Region?" Meowth wondered.

"Why don't we find out and get there before him?" Jessie suggested. "We can take all our Pokémon since it's clear the PAL Region has all the regional Pokémon."

"Means we can steal as much as we want." James was excited. "Let's aim for the PAL Region!"


Somewhere in a bar located in the PAL Region, a black-haired girl sat on the stool in front of the bartender as she sipped her glass of cosmopolitan. Earlier, before Rosaline had left to investigate a case and look for a possible lead, her prediction ability acted up again, and she had somehow predicted that someone special will be coming to the region and make a change to the region.

The girl absent-mindedly shook her glass as she wondered who that person would be, unknown that she was being watched a man sitting in the corner who noticed her sitting alone.

She placed her empty glass of cosmopolitan, and said "Another please." She accepted the second glass with a word of thanks as she heard a chair scrape and detected someone approaching her. She turned to glare at him with her amethyst eyes as he came closer and finally stopped behind her.

"You alone?" The man asked. "How about hanging out with me after this?"

The girl sighed. It wasn't unusual for this to happen, of course, but it doesn't make it any less irritating. She slapped the bills on the counter and thanked the bartender, before leaving the bar. She had not even went ten steps before she heard the door open and fast footsteps approaching her, and the same man saying, "That's cold of you. You aren't ignoring me, are you?" He placed a hand on her shoulder, much to her disgust.

The girl turned her head back and said coldly, "Don't touch me with your filthy hands."

The man laughed, "Come on. Don't be so stiff." However, he was cut off as his head was crushed into pieces by her telekinesis, splattering her clothes with blood.

"Oh, geez." The girl sighed, but was interrupted when her phone rang.

"What is it, William?" The girl answered the phone.

"Amethyst, come report to the HQ immediately, there is something I would like you to see."

"Alright, whatever." Amethyst closed the phone, and made her way to the HQ where she worked one of her jobs.


That night, Ash laid in his bed, thinking of the events of today. Now that he knew Rosaline was part of the Elite Four, he couldn't wait to get there to challenge the other members, or at least have his rematch with Rosaline.

"I can't sleep again." Ash sighed, smiling as he sat up, and looked at the Lumoise Conference Trophy that was originally Alain's.

Pikachu opened his eyes, clearly listening. "I'm just excited of visiting my Pokémon before going onto the plane to Primordium Town in the late morning." He told Pikachu. "I also wonder what the PAL Region is like."

"Me too." Pikachu replied, though Ash couldn't understand him.

Ash seemed to have sensed what he was saying, as he replied with, "Tomorrow, we pay a quick visit to the Pokémon, take some with us like Professor Oak said, and we set off for the PAL Region."

Pikachu nodded, as Ash closed his eyes, and somehow went to sleep.

Ash found himself in a darkened and cold stadium with a single spotlight illuminating the battlefield. The battlefield, was made of what looked like pink ice, and blue rose petals were slowly falling onto the ground. Ash heard the cheering of the audience in the background, but it seemed to be muffled, as if he was underwater. He was standing on one side of the battlefield with his partner Pikachu, who was trying not to shiver, as the battlefield was very cold.

A girl he didn't know stood on the other side, face covered in the shadows, her Sylveon determined to defeat the Pikachu. But Ash would not let her, no matter what.

"Sylveon, Moonblast." The girl ordered.

"Pikachu, Electro Ball!" Ash commanded. Pikachu obeyed, and met head on with an Electro Ball, and an explosion occurred. Sylveon then attacked with Fairy Wind, which Pikachu took it head on. He clutched to the ground, trying to withstand the Fairy Wind but to no avail, as the battleground was made out of ice.

"Contact…would be made soon…" The girl spoke.

"What?" Ash was puzzled, as suddenly the surroundings around him became dark and quiet. Ash screamed as the girl pounced on him, a knife in hand.

Ash sat up, shaking. The morning sunlight was already peeking through the curtains, indicating it was morning. Ash must have screamed during the dream, because Pikachu, his partner, seemed startled.

"Are you alright, Ash?" Pikachu asked, concerned. Ash smiled.

"I'm okay, buddy." Ash replied. "Just a bad dream". Pikachu nodded in understanding, as he got up and stretched his arms, ready for his next adventure with Ash.

'I wonder what that was, and who the girl was.' Ash thought, as he grabbed his new clothes, and dressed in them, ready to visit his Pokémon. He couldn't help but think the girl was going to play a role in his journey in the PAL Region.

"Ash?" Delia knocked on his door. "Hurry up, you're going to visit your Pokémon before you go, remember?"

"Coming, Mom." Ash replied, as he got dressed and went downstairs, Pikachu hopping on his shoulder, and sat down as Delia placed a plate of bangers and mash on the table.

Delia smiled and shook her head as Ash ate his food quickly. "You're always in a hurry." Delia commented.

Ash swallowed his food before he spoke up. "Mom, it's a new region. How can I not get excited?" He gulped down his milk before standing up. "Come on, Pikachu, let's go!" Ash grabbed his new backpack his mother had prepared and went to the door. He opened it and ran towards Professor Oak's lab.

"Remember, don't forget to change your you-know-what!" Delia shouted after him.

"Mom!" Ash was embarrassed as his Pikachu laughed.


A girl disguised as a sixteen year old and currently wearing a navy blue long sleeved shirt and a sky blue vest, along with a black skirt, was making her way to Primordium Town. She hitched her backpack higher on her shoulder, her Sylveon trying to calm her anger, though she knew the cause.

"Are you serious?" Rosaline seemed to be amused, overhearing the conversation between Amethyst and a boy with brown hair and baby blue eyes. "All of us are a personal Chosen except you? Looks like you got lots more to work on your attitude before you get Chosen."

The brunette boy noticed a flash of anger in her eyes and for a moment he thought Amethyst was going to leap at her throat. But then she settled back, folding her arms and kept her features neutral.

"Does that even matter?" Amethyst asked.

"Not sure. I mean, all of us are a personal Chosen of a Legendary except you. And you were the one that made a big deal of me not being a Hunter when I applied. Hypocrite much?" Rosaline winked cheekily.

"Come on, Rosaline." The brown haired boy said weakly. Rosaline ignored him.

"Phillip, are you sure you're not the Leader?" Rosaline asked him.

"Rosaline, shut up!" Amethyst snapped. Right as she was telling her to shut up, the door opened, and a boy with black hair and amber eyes came out. He stopped when he felt the tension between the two female Elites.

"You know what, Rosaline." Amethyst stepped towards her. Rosaline took a hasty step back, like she thought Amethyst was going to hit her or something.

"I'm sick of you." Amethyst went on, her face right up in hers. "I may not be a personal Chosen, but I am still better than you in Pokémon battling and combat in all sorts of ways. Might I remind you that you were not a Hunter when you came for the last spot, and you lost to Jude, and claimed type advantage? I came down knowing I have the disadvantage, but you still lost. You should have backed down, but no, you just had to beg for a third chance, thinking yourself above our rules. You only wanted the spot to prove you're the very best to the bullies you had as a child, and never thought of the region. Fine. Since you're think you're so smart, I QUIT!"

With that, she stormed off to the room, and slammed the door behind her.

"I don't think you should have said what you just said..." Jude said to Rosaline, who looked remorseful.

"Yeah, I think you better apologize to her. She's our Leader after all." Phillip added.

Rosaline sighed. "Fine, I did go too far. Why can't I keep my thoughts to myself?" She went to Amethyst's room, and knocked, but there was no answer. Rosaline tried the knob, and was surprised to see it was unlocked, but Amethyst was nowhere in sight.

"Crap! She must have prepared a backpack beforehand and left the Plateau!" Rosaline exclaimed. "How do I explain that now?"

Amethyst, who had just jumped down from the window and closed it with her telekinesis, quickly made her way out of the Elite Plateau and out of Caelum City.


"All right, I'll call when I arrive in the PAL Region." Ash said to his mother, Professor Oak and Gary. He had decided to take Greninja and Charizard with him to the PAL Region, alongside Pikachu.

"Take care of Ash, Pikachu." Delia said, as Pikachu nodded.

"I can't wait to see your reports on the Pokémon you're going to catch!" Professor Oak added, and Gary nodded in agreement. "Your Greninja was an interesting discovery!"

"Thank you." Ash replied, as he made his way towards the terminal, gave his ticket, and waved to Delia, Professor Oak and his childhood friend Gary. They waved back, smiling at him, and watched as the plane Ash boarded took off for Primordium Town in the PAL Region.


HS002: Arrival in the PAL Region: A Permanent Mishap

The plane landed on the runway, as it screeched to a stop. The door opened to reveal that Ash was already standing at the doorway, and stepped outside. Pikachu hopped onto his shoulder excitedly, as Ash ran a hand over his hair since he did not have a hat to adjust anymore.

"Alright, PAL Region, here comes Ash from Pallet Town!" Ash shouted, as some of the people turned to look at him, shaking their heads in amusement. They had seen enthusiastic trainers like him, and they had loved to say hello to their region, and commemorate their first step in their region.

Ash heard something, and gasped as he saw multiple Cutiefly flying in the air.

"A Pokémon I never seen before!" Ash said in awe, as he ran down the steps to see them better before they flew off towards the trees Ash could only assume it was a forest.

Meanwhile, Team Rocket were spying on him with binoculars.

"He took Pikachu with him, as usual." Jessie commented.

"Alright, let's get our plan in action." James added.

"Let's get going!" Meowth was excited at the thought of succeeding in taking Pikachu from Ash.

That was when Ash entered the airport, and saw that PAL is a really beautiful region, with lots of greenery even in the city areas. Ash ran out into Primordium Town, and realized it looked more like a city.

"PAL Region must be bigger than the others." Pikachu commented.

"Yeah." Ash nodded enthusiastically. "I cannot wait to see what they have in store for us." Ash started running around, and saw an Alolan Ninetales next to a Trainer.

"A form I never seen before!" Ash knew it was a Ninetales, but it looked so much different, as he took a running start towards the forest where the Cutiefly went. "Isn't this great, Pikachu?" Pikachu nodded his agreement. "And we'll make new friends too, and be the first PAL Champion."

Unknown to him, the Team Rocket balloon was floating above him, and James aimed a cannon towards Pikachu. A rubber hand shot out, grabbing Pikachu from Ash's shoulder.

"What the? Pikachu! Who did that?" Ash turned, only to see Team Rocket with Pikachu in a glass cage. It seemed to be electric proof as it wouldn't break no matter how much Pikachu used Thunderbolt on it.

"Prepare for trouble!" Jessie started.

"And Make it double!" James added.

"To protect the world from devastation!" Jessie flaunted.

"To unite all people within our nation!" James went on.

"To denounce the evil of truth and love!" Jessie struck a pose.

"To extend our reach to the stars above!" James grinned

"Jessie!" Jessie introduced herself

"James!" James followed suit.

"Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light!" Jessie said

"Surrender now or prepare to fight!" James smirked.

"Meowth. That's right!" Meowth finished with a flourish.

"You again, Team Rocket!" Ash gritted his teeth, as he ran after the balloon. Why do they always follow him to every region he goes to?

"Well, twerp, it looks like today is our lucky day!" Jessie said in a sing-song voice. "Come and get him if you can….which you can't!"

"Oh yeah?" Ash replied. "Charizard, I choose you!"

"What?" Team Rocket was surprised Ash would bring another Pokémon other than Pikachu.

"Charizard, use Dragon Tail!" Ash commanded. The Dragon Tail managed to hit the balloon, and they tumbled downwards towards the forest.

The explosion caught the attention of a girl who was reading a book by the river. She kept the book and stood up, beckoning to her Sylveon, and went to investigate. When Ash caught up, however, he saw Team Rocket disappear into the cave with Pikachu. Without thinking, Ash returned Charizard, and rushed into the cave. He thought he heard a girl shout, "No, don't go inside!" but dismissed it.

In the cave, it was so dark he contemplated sending out Charizard, but stepped on something scaly. The last thing he remembered was a Pokémon spraying poison on his face.


Ash groaned and squeezed his eyes, before opening them. He realized he was in a white room with a matching bed. Ash realized he was wearing what looked like a hospital gown, and to his relief, his Pikachu was sleeping next to him.

"You're awake." A curt voice said. Ash turned to the source of the voice and saw a black-haired girl sitting on a chair on his bedside. She looked to be around his age, and Ash noted the Mega Charm sitting on her neck. Next to her was his backpack and behind her was his clothes hanging over the closet, all pressed and clean.

There was also a Sylveon curled up on the floor, which Ash assumed was hers.

"Who are you?" Ash asked. "And how did I get here?"

"My name is Pakura Ameyuri." Pakura replied. "You went into the cave, a dumb move by the way, since the cave is full of snake-like Pokémon. You passed out when an Ekans used Acid Spray on your face. Your face was heavily injured, but I managed to restore it….but your appearance is slightly different now."

"Mirror? Can I have a mirror?" Ash asked. Pakura nodded, and went into her bag, retrieving a beautiful silver handheld mirror and handed it to Ash.

Ash looked into the mirror and gasped. He did look relatively the same, except his birthmarks on his face were gone. Some of his hair were also affected, as when he ran a hand through, his hair thinned out considerably, though it wasn't enough to warrant a bald patch.

"I say every cloud has a silver lining." Pakura shrugged.

"Thank you…for rescuing me and my Pikachu, and for healing me…" Ash said quietly.

"I do what I had to do." Pakura yawned, somewhat bored. She propped Ash up, and began tidying his hair by cutting and styling them. When she was done, his hair was no longer spiky and instead was fallen flat around his head, and his fringe now covered his forehead.

"There, you look better now." Pakura nodded in approval, as Ash stammered his thanks. "So are you new here or something?"

"Yeah I am." Ash nodded.

"And what do you plan on doing here?" Pakura gave him a look.

"I am going to compete in the PAL League." Ash informed her. "And this time, I will win and become the first PAL Champion."

Pakura gave him a long look, before saying, "Is that so? Then I suggest you hurry up and get going, there is no way you can do anything with you lying on the bed like this."

Ash shot up. "Oh yeah!" He cried, as he scrambled to change into his travelling clothes, just as the doctor came in.

"Is out patient alright?" The doctor asked.

"He's up and about when I mentioned to get going if he wants to start on his journey." Pakura pointed to the toilet door, as she packed her grooming supplies. "So what do you think?"

"Well, I guess I can discharge him." The doctor sighed. "After all, you have paid for the hospital stay already."

"Whatever." Pakura rolled her eyes.


"Here's the lab." Pakura said, leading Ash and his Pikachu to a large building. Ash walked up to the door of the lab and knocked. The door opened, and a young woman with dark brown hair put in a ponytail, black glasses and wearing a lab coat over her tank top and jeans opened the door.

"Well, there you are, Ash!" The Professor said. "Professor Oak has contacted me saying you'd be here. But what took you so long?"

"The idiot had a mishap." Pakura replied, and Ash shot her a look when she called him idiot.

"Well, no matter." the Professor said. "I'll get you your Pokédex, follow me. I'm Phlox DeLaurentis by the way, I'm the Regional Professor." The pair followed her to a private room with two other doors.

"That door leads to a room where there are other doors that would lead to the environment where Pokémon can live in comfort. We have different environment for Pokémon depending on the type and preference of the Pokémon." Phlox explained. "And this door leads to a day-care where I keep the Pokémon Eggs."

"You breed Pokémon too?" Ash was excited.

"Of course!" Phlox nodded. "I also offer starters from all regions, so they have more choices."

"What's this, Phlox?" Pakura asked, pointing to an Egg sitting in an incubator. The Egg was black in colour with a dark blue stripe in the middle, and in the stripe was filled with paw prints.

"I don't know really. I got it sometime ago. I don't really know what Pokémon is inside, but it hasn't been responding." Phlox frowned. "I'm currently trying to study it to see what Pokémon it contained."

"May I take a look at it?" Ash asked, pointing to the Egg.

Phlox nodded. "Sure, I don't see any problem with that." She took the Egg from the incubator, and handed it to Ash.

Ash smiled and petted the Egg, and widened his eyes as he felt it shift slightly. Phlox's eyes were wide open when she saw the slight movement from the Egg.

"That's amazing. I had it for some time now and it hasn't been responsive to me. And here you come and this Egg moves from your touch alone." Phlox was taking notes as she spoke. "You should keep holding it Ash, it's apparently responding to you. I'm so excited to finally find someone who can make the Egg respond." She was ecstatic when she saw the Egg shift in Ash's arms again.

"May I take a look at the environment you put Pokémon in?" Ash asked.

"Of course, I'll show you around!" Phlox replied enthusiastically, as she led the pair to the door leading to the various environment.

Pakura frowned at the change of events as they walked. There is something about Ash that makes him different from other Trainers, and she knew it. The Egg responding to Ash only proved her right. As they entered the environment specifically for Ice-type Pokémon, she kept her guard up as she sensed three people spying on them via the glass rooftop.

"Wow…." Ash was intrigued at the environment for Ice-type Pokémon. The environment looked like a frozen tundra, and various Ice-type Pokémon were playing around. Luckily for him, the shirt his mother made for him kept him warm.

"Yes, this is also a training ground for Pokémon. They can train on their own or with other Pokémon. That way, they can become stronger and wouldn't slack. I also have a Medical Bay with a Nurse Joy in case of injuries, and I order medical supplies and keep the Medical Bay stocked."

"Amazing….Professor, what kind of research do you do?" Ash asked.

"Oh, I do all sorts of research." Phlox replied. "I am currently studying the technology behind the makings of a Poké Ball. I am curious as to how some Poké Balls increase the chances of a captured wild Pokémon, and why some Poké Balls work better on certain Pokémon than others, and how they allow trainers to recall a Pokémon with it and allow them to stay inside. I am also giving my focus to Z-Moves."

"Z-Moves?" Ash was curious.

"Yes, it's a special type of move in which a Trainer and their Pokémon's wishes combine to unleash an attack comprising the full power of both. These moves are very powerful, but they can only be used once per battle." Phlox explained.

"Wow, amazing!" Ash was excited at the thought of his Pokémon knowing a new powerful move in battle. "How does one perform the Z-Moves?"

"Two items are required to perform a Z-Move: a Z-Ring and a Z-Crystal." Pakura replied.

"What is that?" Ash asked.

"Well, in order to perform a Z-Move, a Trainer must wear a Z-Ring with a Z-Crystal set into it, and their Pokémon must hold a Z-Crystal of the same type as the one in its Trainer's Z-Ring. The Pokémon itself must also know a move of the same type as the Z-Crystal it is holding." Phlox said. "Z-Crystals have different varieties corresponding to the different Pokémon types. For instance, Pakura herself has a Z-Crystal." She nodded towards the bracelet with a few crystals on it.

Meanwhile, Team Rocket was spying on Ash as usual.

"A Z-Move, that sounds strong." Meowth commented.

"A move on top of a move!" James grinned. "It looks like the girl has access to it." He pointed to the bracelet Pakura was wearing.

"We have to get the Pokémon here, and that bracelet the girl is holding!" Jessie pointed to the bracelet Pakura had on her wrist.

"But I wonder what happened to the twerp, he looks different." James remarked.

"Oh, who cares? Let's just get the Pokémon and that bracelet!" Jessie snapped.

"Um, Pakura, can I ask you for a favour?" Ash asked.

"What?" Pakura sounded irritated, as she knew what Ash was about to ask.

"Could you maybe show me the Z-Move?" he asked her.

"Fine." Pakura grumbled. "It'll be good for you anyway." She backed up and threw a Poké Ball, and a Pokémon Ash recognized as a Flareon appeared. It was wearing a crystal as well.

"Flareon, let's use Inferno Overdrive!" Pakura commanded. The Z-Crystal with the flame symbol was reacting to Flareon's Z-Crystal, and Flareon unleashed a powerful attack towards one of the larger ice sculptures. The ice sculpture exploded, and the ice around it melted into water.

"I tried to power it down." Pakura shrugged, as she returned her Flareon.

"Nah, it's fine." Phlox shook her head. "I can repair it later."

"Wow!" Ash was bouncing in joy and excitement. Pakura shook her head and exited towards the lobby of the laboratory with her Sylveon, just as the door opened and Team Rocket came in, disguised as lab assistants.

"Hello, we're here to…" James was cut off as Pakura threw a knife at them.

"You're not lab assistants." Pakura glared at them. "State your business here, or else the next knife would be the last thing you'll see." She took out three knives to prove her point.

The trio knew their game was up, and took off their disguise. Pakura narrowed her eyes as she recognized the "R" on their uniforms.

"Prepare for…." Jessie started, but Pakura shouted, "Sylveon, Fairy Wind!"

The Fairy Wind was enough to blow the Team Rocket trio off their feet, and they hit the wall.

"Ouch! Don't your parents teach you not to attack people when they are talking?" James rubbed his head.

"Don't your parents teach you not to steal anything?" Pakura raised a brow. "Sylveon, give them hell!"

Sylveon nodded, and fired a Hyper Beam at them, which exploded, and sent them flying.

"Team Rocket is blasting off again!" The trio shouted, as they disappeared in the sky.

"You're in my blacklist now, Team Rocket." Pakura hissed. One day, she will kill those three for being members of Team Rocket, an organization she hated.

"What's going on?" Ash and Phlox came running, apparently hearing the impact of the Hyper Beam.

"Nothing much. It was some intruder." Pakura shrugged. "Don't worry about it."


"Here's your Pokédex." Phlox handed Ash the PAL Pokédex, which was thin and shaped like a tablet, though it is small enough he can hold it with one hand. "I have other colours, but I figured black is the new style. The Pokémon also appears in 3D holograms whenever you scan them. With some help, I adjusted the AI in such a way that it has its own personality, intended as a new way for humans and Pokémon to communicate. It also includes a detailed map that can point out nearby locations of interest, and give advice on where to go or what to do next."

"Wow, thank you so much!" Ash couldn't wait to test out the functions of the Pokédex. Pakura, who was standing on one side, sighed.

"No, thank you." Phlox said, pointing to him. "Oh, before you go, take this with you." Phlox held out the same Egg Ash was holding the other day. Only this time, it was in an Egg case.

"You want me to have the Egg?" Ash pointed to himself. Phlox nodded. "But why? Isn't this what you're researching?"

"I have lots more I can research. Besides, it took to you very well and it seemed to like you, so I want you to have it." Phlox said.

Ash blinked, and then smiled. "Thank you, Professor. I'll take good care of it! Good luck with your research!"

When he left the lab with Pakura, he turned to Pakura and asked, "So, what are you going to do now?"

"Me?" Pakura was surprised. "I don't know….I guess I'll see where the wind takes me."

"Why don't you travel with me?" Ash smiled. "You saved me back there, who knows what might happen if you weren't there. If we travel together, we can help each other out in the future, isn't that right?"

Pakura thought about it for a moment, and said, "I don't see why not."

"Nice!" Ash grinned.

"Alright!" Pikachu cheered.

"Come on, let's go, Pakura!" Ash ran off, leaving Pakura to chase after him.


HS003: At the Drop of a Ralts.

"We'll need to cut through this Route to get to Altria City. That is where the first Gym is located." Pakura said, as she and Ash walked along a beautiful meadow.

Ash looked on at the various plants and flowers growing in the meadow, amazed at the beautiful scene, but Pakura didn't seem fazed by it, as she said, "All Routes look around the same. After all, this region has a lot of natural environment for the sake of the Pokémon."

"I'm hungry." Ash held his stomach with his free hand, frowning.

"Shall we stop for lunch, then?" Pakura offered.

Ash nodded. "Sounds good." He replied.

"I'll make some preparations. Just wait here, and take care of my stuff." With that, she left. She returned a few minutes later carrying a basket of fruits.

"It looks good!" Ash exclaimed, as Pakura put the basket of fruits on top of a tree stump next to Ash's Egg case. His hands reached out to take a banana, but Pakura slapped his hands away.

"Ow! What was that for?" Ash glared at her.

"I'm not done." Pakura informed him stiffly. "Do you really think I would just let you eat fruits like that? Those were just the ingredients."

Later, Pakura was seen at the stove cooking lunch for Ash and his Pokémon, in addition to dessert, which was why she gathered the fruits in the first place. Ash sat on a chair and watched her alongside his Pikachu, Greninja and Charizard.

"Is it ready, Pakura?" Ash asked excitedly. Pakura then came along with two dishes, one containing roast beef and another had mashed potatoes. She placed two empty plates on the table and gracefully sliced the roast beef and placed it on the two plates. She then got the plate of banana cream pie and the jug of fruit juice.

"Smells good!" Ash's mouth watered, as Pakura served their Pokémon as well by filling their bowls.

"Well, then, go ahead and eat." Pakura said. "After this, I'm serving some dessert for the Pokémon too."

Ash nodded, and took a bite of the roast beef. "Delicious!" His eyes sparkled, and started gobbling the food up. "It's so good!"

"Glad you do." Pakura nodded, as she cut her roast beef into small bite-sized pieces before eating them, as Ash started on the mashed potatoes.

"Hey slow down, there is more where that came from." Pakura shook her head.

"Really? Where?" Ash stood up, and went to the cooking station Pakura set up, only to find the plate empty.

"Weird. I swore I put it here." Pakura frowned. "What happened to the…" She was cut off when she heard a rustle. Ash and Pakura looked at each other, and approached the source carefully, only to see a Ralts munching on the roast beef.

Ash took out his Pokédex, and scanned the Ralts. A 3D hologram of Ralts appeared, just like Professor Phlox said.

"Ralts, the Feeling Pokémon. It can use the horns on its head to read human emotions. It is highly attuned to the emotions of people and Pokémon. Ralts rarely shows itself to humans, but may occasionally approach when it senses positive or happy feelings. It hides if it senses hostility." The Pokédex read out. "I advise you to catch it Ash, since it does evolve into a strong Gardevoir or Gallade, and both can Mega Evolve."

Ash was startled at the fact that the Pokédex was speaking to him directly.

"Why did it talk?" Ash asked Pakura, who facepalmed.

"Ash, Professor Phlox told you about the AI inside, right? It gives each Pokédex a personality of its own." Pakura replied, exasperated.

"Oh….all right, I'm catching it!" Ash was determined to do so. However, his voice startled Ralts, who quickly scampered away.

"You idiot, you just alerted her. You just can't keep your voice down, could you?" Pakura sighed.

"How do you know it's a she?" Ash gave her a funny look.

"It's a secret." Pakura placed her finger on her lips. "Come on, the food is getting cold we can look for her later. Besides, I have desserts for the Pokémon." Sylveon perked up at the sound of dessert.

The dessert turned out to be Poké Puffs, however the Poké Puffs were significantly fancier than Serena's back in Kalos. In fact, some decorations looked like they were made personally for some Pokémon, such as a Poké Puff with the colour scheme of a Sylveon.

When the Pokémon took a bite, Ash noted that they looked like they went to heaven with just a bite of the confections.

"You shouldn't startle the Ralts next time we meet her." Pakura advised, as she sipped her fruit juice. "Most small Pokémon are easily frightened by noise."

"Alright." Ash nodded, as he drank his juice, marvelling at the taste. "Let's look for Ralts after this!"

As usual, Team Rocket was up a tree spying on them.

"Ralts are adorable…" Jessie mused. "It would make a good addition to my team!"

"Let's get that Ralts!" James agreed.

"Yeah!" The trio said, but unknown to them, Pakura detected them in the tree, and frowned, but did not do anything.


"I wonder where Ralts is." Ash was looking around at the top of the hill with his Pokémon.

"Not here, definitely." Pakura rolled her eyes. "Obviously we can't look for her together, it'd be intimidated. Come on, we should separate, and go into the forest. That is where she would hide."

Ash nodded, and both of them entered the forest, looking for Ralts.

"Ralts! Where are you?" Ash called out, clutching to his Egg case tightly.

"Ralts!" Pikachu shouted for her as well. Some of their Pokémon were also looking to no avail. Even Pakura was helping, though she wasn't interested as she had already owned a Gardevoir.

"I wonder where Ralts is…." Ash muttered, as Greninja came up to him.

"Greninja, have you seen Ralts?" Greninja shook its head, and Ash sighed.

"I see…maybe it isn't in this area….Greninja, please go search over there too." Ash pointed in a random direction. Greninja nodded and left to search for Ralts. "Pikachu, you go that way." Ash pointed in a direction opposite to where Greninja left. Pikachu nodded, and left, leaving Ash to go straight. Unknown to Ash, he walked past the tree Ralts was at, who was watching him.

"I really want to befriend her…" Ash mused.

Ralts was curious as soon as he said that he wished to befriend her. However, when she leant forward, she fell, and let out a startled cry. Ash, hearing the cry, put down his Egg case, ran over to Ralts, and caught her, injuring his knee in the process.

"Are you alright, Ralts?" Ash asked. Ralts, being startled, teleported away.

Ash sighed. "I guess it's impossible, huh?"

"Why am I doing this again?" Pakura muttered, as she decided to place her Poké Puffs around the area she is at, hoping to lure Ralts out.

"Well, he looked like he could use a Ralts." Sylveon shrugged.

"Right…." Pakura yawned. "Maybe while waiting, I should read the file William gave me, and find out more information on Blaze Kaminari." She took out a manila and opened it.

Pakura opened the file William gave her when she reported to the Hunter's Association Headquarters. A picture of a boy with messy black hair and blue eyes fell out, and Pakura immediately recognized him.

"Blaze Kaminari..." Pakura was stunned. "I thought we agreed not to hunt him down and kill him, considering I proved that the orphanage the boy stayed at contained crappy caretakers who is only in for the money and cared about themselves while abusing and neglecting the children."

"We did." William nodded.

"Then what? Are we supposed to recruit him or something?" Pakura said sarcastically. "Let him use his abilities to protect our region and add to our manpower?"

"That would be an idea. But remember, we don't know what his objective is, killing all the people listed in there." William indicated a list of known kills he made in the file. "Be careful around him. We don't want to lose our best assassin now, do we?"

"Sounds to me that you're giving me a playmate." Pakura said casually. "This is the kind of people I like to play with, and I would not miss this playdate for the world. Blaze Kaminari, let's play!"

"Logically, if I were Blaze, I'd go to the regions where I am not wanted…at least, not yet. He is waned in five regions, so that eliminates them as possibilities, so it's either Kalos, Alola, or this region. However, PAL is rather hidden, so it leaves Kalos or Alola." Pakura muttered to Sylveon.

"I say Kalos is more probable, as these photos and articles about him cut from The PAL Times indicated he had won all the six regional Conferences and not to mention had beat some of the Elite Fours and Champions. So it is safe to assume he is in Kalos at this moment." Sylveon flicked her tail.

"Good point." Pakura scribbled it down. She heard a rustle, and she sensed Ralts hopping to the branch where she placed one of her Poké Puffs. She signalled to Sylveon with telepathy, and Sylveon looked up. Sylveon gave a smile to Ralts and waved for her to take it, and Ralts began consuming it.

"No, no luck." Ash called to his Pokémon in the forest. "Come on, let's go find Pakura and see if she has better luck." With that, he returned his Pokémon and looked for his travelling partner.


"How did it go?" Pakura asked, as she made dinner for the both of them.

"I did find her." Ash admitted. "But she ran away."

"You should be careful, though." She nodded toward his injured knee. "What have you been doing in the forest? Never mind, I don't want to know."

"I want to search again tomorrow." Ash declared, as Pakura served him his dinner, which is Meaty Pot Pie and lemon omelette, along with Chocolate Scones for dessert.

"You are right. For now, let's have some dinner." Pakura nodded, as they dug in.

That night, Ash couldn't sleep, as he thought of the Ralts. As he got up, he alerted Pikachu, who got up as well.

"What's wrong?" Pikachu asked.

Ash shushed Pikachu, in case he woke Pakura up. He got up silently and exited his tent, with Pikachu following behind.

"Sorry for waking you up." Ash apologized. "I couldn't sleep for some reason. I'll be going for a short walk."

"I'll come with you." Pikachu answered, and Ash nodded, as he seemed to understand what Pikachu was saying. When they left, however, the zipper of the second tent opened, and Pakura came out.

"I have a bad feeling about this…" Pakura muttered, letting out her Flareon to take care of the camp, and going after Ash.

Ash saw the Ralts sitting on a rock, and smiled. "Hello, Ralts." Ash said.

Before Ash could move, however, he was surrounded by a psychic force, and was thrown against the tree. Ralts looked guilty when she made the move.

"Ash!" Pakura ran to him. "Are you alright?"

"Y-Yeah." Ash got up, surprised that Pakura was there. "Ralts, I don't want to hurt you. I just want to be friends." He held out a hand and Ralts looked at it hesitatingly. However, as she approached to take the hand, a cube was thrown towards Ralts, and she was trapped in the net.

"What?" Ash was shocked.

"Prepare for trouble!" Jessie started the motto

"And make it…" James started, but before he could finish, Pakura asked Sylveon to attack with Disarming Voice.

"We're not even done with our motto!" Jessie protested.

"Yeah, who cares? No one wants to hear your motto in the middle of the night!" Pakura shot back.

"Let Ralts go!" Ash demanded.

"Too bad." Jessie gloated. "This one would be my powerhouse! Let's do this, Seviper!"

"You too, Inkay!" James sent out his Inkay.

"Seviper, use Poison Tail!" Jessie commanded.

"Inkay, Psybeam!" James said.

"Sylveon, Iron Tail!" Pakura countered. The Iron Tail overpowered the Poison Tail, and sent Seviper flying towards Inkay.

"Go rescue her, Ash. I got this." Pakura said. Ash nodded, however, Sylveon's Moonblast missed them, and hit in front of them instead, and the net containing Ralts was sent flying, and it was destroyed in the process. Ash started to run towards Ralts, and Jessie shouted, "Don't let the twerp get close to Ralts!"

"Oh, no you don't!" Pakura's Sylveon intercepted them and began battling them, as Ash caught the Ralts, but fell onto his butt.

"Ash!" Pakura called out.

"I'm fine!" Ash called back. "Moreover, are you alright, Ralts?" Ash asked Ralts, who was startled, and began running away.

"Hey!" Jessie cried.

"Hold it!" James added.

"We won't let you get away!" Jessie shouted, as the pair chased after Ralts, only to be stopped by Ash.

"We won't let you pass!" Ash declared, as Ralts stopped, and looked back.

"Seviper, use Poison Tail!" Jessie ordered, and Ash closed his eyes, bracing himself for the attack, but none came.

When he opened his eyes, Ralts was protecting him with Safeguard, and attacked the Team Rocket trio with a powerful Psychic that blasted them off.

"I thought we would get the Ralts for sure….my powerhouse!" Jessie cried mournfully.

"Right now, we have the power to defy gravity." James shrugged.

"It's temporary, though." Meowth noted.

"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!" The trio cried out.

"Ralts, thank you." Ash told Ralts. "You're an amazing Pokémon. I guess I'm sorry for chasing you like this. It was a great pleasure knowing you." Ash knew Ralts deserved to be free.

"Come on, Ash. Let's go back to camp." Pakura said. Ash nodded, and he waved to Ralts as they made their way back to camp. Ralts watched them with sadness in her eyes, and once they were almost out of sight, she shouted, "Wait!" and chased after the group.

"Please wait!" Ralts shouted again, as she closed in on the group. Pakura was the first to stop as she had heard Ralts' cries to wait thanks to her enhanced hearing. She tapped Ash on the shoulder and he turned, only to be surprised to see Ralts running towards him. He knelt down, and Ralts placed her hands on his knees.

"What's the matter, Ralts?" Ash asked, as Ralts said, "I want to come along!"

"I think she's saying she wants to come along." Pakura translated. Ralts nodded as she rubbed her head against his thigh in affection.

"Do you want to come along, Ralts?" Ash asked, smiling. As answer, Ralts came up, and kissed him on the cheek.

"How cute, someone has a crush!" Pakura said, as Ash laughed, and got his Pokéball out. Ralts pressed the capture button willingly, and it dinged without too much struggle

"Alright, I got a Ralts!" Ash and his Pikachu struck a pose.

"You got to be kidding." Pakura muttered. "Come on, let's get back to bed, I'm tired!"

"Alright, alright!" Ash grinned, as both of them made their way back to bed.


HS004: Hunter Down!

The next morning, Pakura was cooking breakfast as usual, while Ash and their Pokémon were waiting for her to finish. As she cooked, Pakura asked, "Ash, why are you traveling?"

"I want to become a Pokémon Master!" Ash told her. "And I will become the first regional Champion of this region. How about you?"

"I'm looking to getting the PAL Duchess title." Pakura replied.

"What's that?" Ash frowned.

"It's the title awarded to a Pokémon Performer who has won the Master Class tournament of Pokémon Showcases in this region." Pakura answered. "Since this region is actually a principality, they couldn't really name the title PAL Queen, as it would imply this person is above the regional Princess." She refrained from mentioning that she is the one currently holding the title of PAL Princess, as she shovelled chocolate pancakes with chocolate cherry syrup and whipped cream onto their plates.

"So you're an aspiring Pokémon Performer?" Ash was excited.

"Yeah. Only in here, we need to collect five Princess Keys before we can enter the Master Class. Anyway, after breakfast, we should continue our way to Altria City. We still have quite a distance to go." Pakura said, as she poured a rich brown cup of something Ash never saw before into his cup.

Seeing Ash's questioning look, Pakura went on, "That's hot chocolate. Made it myself. You should try some."

Ash took a sip of the hot, sweet, creamy liquid and a shudder ran through him. He was about to drink some more, when Pakura stopped him.

"Eat your breakfast first." Pakura said firmly, and Ash reluctantly placed the cup back on the table. After breakfast, Pakura started packing up their gear.

"Are you sure you don't need any help?" Ash asked, as he took his Egg case.

"No, I got it." Pakura replied. After Pakura finished packing, they started to travel deeper into the Route. On the way, they ran into another trainer.

"Hey." He said, pointing to Ash when they met in the middle. "Let's battle!"

"Bring it on!" Ash said, accepting the challenge, shifting his Egg case so that he had a hand to take his Poké Ball.

"Beedrill, I choose you!" The boy threw a Pokémon to reveal the Poison Bee Pokémon.

"Greninja, I choose you!" Ash decided to send out the Ninja Pokémon.

"Greninja, let's use Cut!" Before the trainer could react, Greninja was in Beedrill's face, and attacked it with a powerful Cut. Beedrill skidded backwards, and got back to battle stance.

"Use Pin Missile!" The boy ordered.

"Jump up to dodge!" Ash countered. Greninja nodded, and jumped up.

"Poison Jab!" The boy commanded.

"Double Team!" Greninja made copies of itself, which confused Beedrill as to which copy he should attack.

"Now, Aerial Ace!" Ash clenched his fists in victory, as Greninja dealt a super effective move to Beedrill, who fell to the ground.

"Beedrill, please get up!" The boy pleaded, but it was useless as Beedrill was down for the count.

"Beedrill is unable to battle! Greninja wins!" Pakura lifted her arm.

"Man, I was hoping my Beedrill could defeat your Greninja." he said, sighing. "Oh well, thanks for the battle!" With that, he left towards Primordium Town.

"You're welcome!" Ash shouted back to him, as they continued their way entering Blass Forest, where they had went to look for Ash's Ralts earlier. Blass Forest had a fork, which Pakura informed him that one also led to Keskaja City, a city that is built like the medieval times, though there is no Gym there.

It used to be where one of the rulers of the PAL Region, who was born in an aristocrat family lived with her family, but now it was a tourist attraction for people around the world, and the house the family used to live in was now a museum.

They took the right path leading to Altria City, and later came upon an older man with short dark grey hair and matching eyes. He had a look of alarm when he ran into the pair.

"What are you two doing? Do you know it's dangerous around here?" The man demanded.

"What do you mean?" Ash asked.

"There's a Pokémon Poacher around here setting up traps to trap Pokémon, whether wild or Trainer owned, and carting them off to sell them in the black market after smuggling them out of the region." The man explained. "My name is Gregory. As a Poacher Hunter, I got assigned to catching this man, and killing him."

"Killing him?" Ash shouted, and Pakura shushed him.

"Our region is run by people called Hunters. There are many types of Hunters, Poacher just being one of them. Those Hunters are allowed to kill in order to eradicate the crimes in this region. Many criminals are after the resources and Pokémon we have here." Pakura explained.

"How does one become a Hunter?" Ash asked.

"You'll have to take the Hunter Exam. After that, you have to take another Exam set by the Hunter's Association, and finally, one that is set by the Head of the department you choose to work as." Gregory answered. "We don't really have Officer Jennies, it's rare, and even if we do, they have a Hunter's License."

"Nurse Joys here also have a Hunter's License, you know." Pakura added.

Gregory nodded. "Yup, Hunters are usually assigned missions to help protect the PAL Region, and we would sacrifice our lives for the good of the region. We are expected to know how to fight to protect our Pokémon, and we won't just let our Pokémon protect us."

"Whoa…." Ash was dumbstruck.

"Don't worry, Ash. For now, I will protect you, until you learn how to fight." Pakura said, patting him on the shoulder.

"You know how to fight?" Ash was surprised, and Pakura nodded.

Pakura frowned as she heard something that sounded like a vehicle. "Did you hear that?" Pakura asked Ash.

"Hear what?" Ash asked.

Pakura widened her eyes as she saw a vehicle speeding towards them from behind, and threw Ash and Pikachu aside, before jumping up a tree branch with her Sylveon. Pakura narrowed her eyes as she saw a man with a sadistic grin on his face. Her Sylveon, noticing something, grabbed something from the back of the truck with her ribbons.

"What's with that guy?" Ash groaned as he got up from the ground.

"That's him!" Gregory exclaimed.

"Wait!" Pakura stopped him, and pointed to the item Sylveon had grabbed earlier. It turned out to be a cage and it contained an Igglybuff, who looked resigned to its fate.

"It's an Igglybuff." Gregory was stunned.

Ash took out his Pokédex to scan it.

"Igglybuff, the Balloon Pokémon. Igglybuff has a soft and plushy body that feels very much like a marshmallow. From this body wafts a gently sweet fragrance that soothes and calms the emotions of its foes. Its resilient body is very bouncy, and allows it to bounce endlessly once it's been put in motion, and be impossible to stop. When it sings continuously with all its might, its body steadily turns a deepening pink color. However, it would hurt its throat if it were to sing too much. This Pokémon gargles with freshwater from a clean stream. And that's about it, I guess." The Pokédex said. "It may be part Fairy type, but it doesn't have much in the way of Fairy-type moves. Still, I think you better take it to the nearest Pokémon Center. There is one in Altria City."

Igglybuff whimpered as Pakura gently picked it up.

"Shh, calm down, little one. We're your allies, not enemies." Pakura said soothingly, and Ash was surprised as Igglypuff really calmed down, and in fact, fell asleep in her arms.

"Hang in there." Pakura muttered.

"It has been weakened. I'll take you to the Pokémon Center. Come on." Gregory sent out an Alakazam.

"Alakazam, teleport us to Altria City's Pokémon Center." Gregory commanded, and Alakazam nodded, as they now found themselves in the interior of the Pokémon Center.

"Nurse Joy!" Ash shouted, once they were inside.

Nurse Joy rushed out with an Aromatisse, who was wearing a Nurse hat and coat, and gasped at the sight of the Igglybuff.

"Please heal it." Ash pleaded, and Nurse Joy nodded, and turned to Aromatisse.

"I'll count on you then, Aromatisse." Aromatisse nodded, and wheeled the Igglybuff away with the help of Psychic.

"It'll be fine now." Nurse Joy told them.

"Thank you." Gregory said, as they sat down around a table.

"Could you tell us more about the poacher?" Ash requested.

Gregory nodded. "Well, you do know that there are Pokémon Merchants that capture Pokémon from all over the regions and sell them on the black market or Internet or whatever, right?"

Ash nodded, while Pakura showed no response.

"This guy I am after is called Raito. Raito specializes in baby Pokémon, and he captures them in large scales from our region. Snatches them from our environment and perhaps from their families. After all, our region has a lot of wild Pokémon living here, it is sure to attract their attention." Gregory sighed.

"Then that means this Raito person must be keeping the captured baby Pokémon in his hideout somewhere in this region!" Ash exclaimed.

"Yeah, he must have been keeping a large number of them locked up." Gregory nodded.

"What a horrible person!" Ash stood up. "We can't let him get away with this!"

"I agree!" Pikachu hopped onto his shoulder, growling.


"Are you seriously doing this?" Pakura was carrying a dummy Pokémon Egg in an Egg case.

"I don't really want to use my Egg…" Ash replied apologetically.

"He's bound to notice and come back for his lost commodity, but we decided he would find you and the dummy Egg instead. Since Pokémon Eggs contain a baby Pokémon, he is sure to take it from you. No questions asked." Gregory said.

"Understood." Pakura sighed. "So I'm to be the bait for him, then?"

"Well, you look the most innocent, so…." Gregory trailed off. Pakura's Sylveon flicked her tail and snorted. If only they knew that she was actually the regional's best assassin taking the guise of an ordinary trainer….well, as ordinary as she can get, anyway. Gregory would probably wet his pants if he realized he is in the presence of the current Head of the Blacklist Department, the most dangerous department in the Hunter's Association.

"Alright, I'll do it." Pakura sighed. "But my Sylveon stays with you."

"But Paku!" Sylveon protested.

"But nothing. I don't want this Raito guy to get you as well." Pakura said grimly.

"Anyway, if he comes to take the Igglybuff, and snatch the Egg, I am sure it would lead us to his hideout." Gregory said.

"And expose him!" Ash added angrily.

"Here he comes." Gregory and Ash, along with Pikachu and Sylveon, hid in the bushes while Pakura walked towards him, pretending to be on the way to Altria City.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" A fat man, who must be Raito, stepped out of his vehicle. "I found me a Pokémon Egg! Hand that over, girl, if you don't want to get hurt."

"No way, you ugly old fart." Pakura held the Egg case away from him.

"I shall make you!" Raito smirked arrogantly. "Barbaracle, Cross Chop!" The Cross Chop sent the Egg case flying. Pakura gasped, and Raito said, "Use Dragon Claw!" The Barbaracle slashed Pakura across the stomach with Dragon Claw, sending her flying against the wall. Raito then grabbed the Egg case and sped off, shouting, "Let's go, then!" Gregory, reacting immediately, sent out his Pidgeot to fly after Raito.

"Pakura!" Ash shouted, supporting her as she got up. "Are you alright?"

'I hate acting weak, but for the sake of being an ordinary trainer, I have to.' Pakura thought. "Yeah, I'm fine, Ash." Pakura replied. "Quickly, send out your Pokémon and let's follow him."

Ash nodded, and said, "Charizard, I choose you!" Charizard came out, and roared in an intimidating fashion. He helped Pakura get on, before getting on himself, with Pikachu and Sylveon hopping on as well.

"Follow the jeep." Ash ordered. Charizard nodded, and took off into the sky.

"At least our cover isn't blown." Pakura sighed in relief, as they rode on Charizard.

Ash nodded, but was worried for Pakura, as he did notice blood on her stomach. Pakura waved it off, saying she endured much worse. Unknown to him, the wound on her stomach has already completely healed, though she noted that she'd need to get a new shirt, considering the Dragon Claw also tore the lower half of her shirt.


The Pokémon later landed outside of what looked like a secret cave, concealed by trees.

"There's no doubt…that's Raito's vehicle." Ash said, pointing to the jeep parked outside the cave.

"Bastard….he must have made use of empty Secret Bases to plan his dirty deeds!" Pakura narrowed her eyes.

"Secret Bases?" Ash asked.

"Most routes in the PAL Region have several areas which can be converted into a Secret Base." Pakura explained. "A Secret Base is like a private place for Trainers to relax or do their work and stuff, and they can decorate it anytime they want. Usually, one has to have a Pokémon that can use Secret Power to access them. Looks like no one's keeping watch, though."

"Where's Gregory, though?" Ash asked. Sure enough, the Poacher Hunter was nowhere to be found.

"We better wait and see what happens." Pakura suggested.

"It'd be bad if he escaped while we wait." Ash shook his head. "Come on, let's go!"

"Wait, Ash." Pakura stopped him. "If we go in head first, he'd most likely use the Pokémon as hostages. We'll be at a disadvantage then. Our top priority is rescuing the captured Pokémon."

"What do you suggest we do?" Ash asked.

"I'll check the interior to see if there is anyone inside. You stay outside and keep watch. Alert me when you see him." Pakura said.

"Won't you be caught?" Ash frowned.

"I'll be fine. I did these types of things before." Pakura winked, as she went into the cave. Once she was sure she was out of Ash's sight, she turned invisible.

'Can't wait to teach Ash what aura abilities are….oh well, someday, though.' Pakura thought, as she went deeper into the cave, making use of her aura to sense everything around her. Pakura narrowed her eyes when she saw that the baby Pokémon were all in glass cages, apparently starved and beaten.

Pakura's telekinesis lashed out, breaking all the cages, alerting Ash.

"Pakura!" Ash shouted. "What's going on?" However, a net came around him, trapping him, Pikachu and Sylveon.

"Look what we have here." Raito stepped out.

"Raito!" Ash gritted his teeth.

"What? You know me?" Raito laughed.

"Let me go!" Ash glared at him.

"How annoying, tricking me like that." Raito glared at him. "Where's the girl that gave me the fake Egg, eh?"

"You won't get away with this!" Ash shouted.

"Shut up. Tell me where my Igglybuff is." Raito demanded. "Maybe I'll take that Egg of yours too, after I beat you up." He took out a Poké Ball, and threw it to reveal Barbaracle.

"That's enough." A cold voice said, as Pakura stepped out of the cave behind him. "I'll take you on."

"You!" Raito recognized her as the same girl whom he took the fake Egg from.

"Let's go, Carbink!" Pakura chose the Jewel Pokémon.

"Pakura, do your best! Don't lose to a guy like him!" Ash shouted from inside the net.

"Yeah Ash, I know that." Pakura rolled her eyes.

"Barbaracle, let's go! Use Shadow Claw!" Raito commanded.

"Dodge it, and use Psychic." Pakura countered. Carbink nodded, and threw Barbaracle with Psychic, but Barbarcle got up again.

"Stone Edge!" Raito ordered.

"You use Stone Edge too." Pakura pointed to Barbaracle. The two attacks clashed, and exploded in mid-air.

"Next, use Aerial Ace!" Raito smirked.

"Wait until it gets close." Pakura said to Carbink. Carbink nodded, and waited, until Pakura said, "Now, use Toxic." Barbaracle had no time to dodge and became poisoned.

"What?" Raito was shocked.

"Now, finish it off with Moonblast." Pakura grinned. The Moonblast, along with the fact that the Toxic was wearing its health off, was too much for Barbaracle, and it fell to the ground with swirls in its eyes.

"Ok that's it!" Raito roared, as he took out a pile of Poké Balls. "I will crush you with all the Pokémon that I've…" Pakura widened her eyes as he was shot through the head. Ash widened his eyes as he clutched to the net.

"Oh, I forgot." Pakura went over to Ash, and cut him free, and he shakily stood up.

"You alright?" Gregory asked, looking at Ash.

"He never really saw a kill before in the PAL Region." Pakura replied.

"Boy, this is how it works in the region. I killed him because I was assigned to kill this poacher." Gregory explained. "It's kill or be killed here, that's why our region is very dangerous."

Ash nodded. He should be expecting this, considering the warnings he was given.

"Well, thanks for helping me with the poacher." Gregory said. "I better gather the Pokémon, and put them in the Pound, maybe someone would adopt them." he commented. "You're going to Altria City, right?"

"Yeah, for his first Gym Battle." Pakura explained.

"Good luck." Gregory nodded. "And thanks again."

"Bye." Pakura and Ash waved goodbye to Gregory. As they left his sight, Pakura noticed that Ash had been a little quiet (for him) ever since he watched Gregory kill the poacher.

"Ash, you've been awfully quiet. Are you alright?" Pakura asked.

"I'm fine." Ash replied. "I heard of the customs in this region. Seeing it is another thing, though."

"Then do you want to give up and go home?" Pakura suggested. "You don't seem the type to me."

Ash thought for a while. There are so many things about this region that he don't know, and he wasn't about to give up his journey now. Once he starts something, he will finish it. And no matter what, he will finish exploring the PAL Region.

"No, I am going to continue travelling here." Ash replied. "I was warned, but I am not about to back down now."

"That's the spirit." Pakura smiled, as they made their way to Altria City.


HS005: Song of Healing! Go, Wigglytuff.

By the time the pair entered the city, the sun was beginning to set, so they decided to head straight for the Pokémon Center once more and handed their Pokémon over to the Nurse Joy to heal their Pokémon and check on Ash's Egg. Ash also decided to register for the PAL Pokémon League.

"May I register for the PAL League, please?" Ash asked.

"I understand." Nurse Joy smiled. "Well then, please put your Pokédex here." She indicated a touchscreen at the front of the counter.

Ash nodded, and placed his Pokédex on the touchscreen.

"Ashura Red Satoshi Ketchum from Pallet Town. Registration for the PAL League complete." A voice said. "Number of Symbols completed: Zero. Current Number of Parts Collected: Zero. Wish you the best of luck."

Ash wondered what it means, as it said "Symbols" and not "Badges".

"And here is the Symbols Case." Nurse Joy added, handing him a thin black velvet case surrounded by a gold lining with a button on the golden clutch to push open and close the case. Inside the cushion (which was made of silk) were four circles, presumably to fit the symbols.

"Well, why don't we take a look around?" Pakura suggested, and Ash nodded.

The Pokémon Center, unlike most, was very grand, as besides rooms where Pokémon Trainers could stay the night and having different types of rooms depending on the number of people staying in one room, there were various facilities such as an entertainment room where Trainers could play games or watch TV, a room to relax themselves or read the books available, a gift shop where one could buy gifts on the spot for any occasion, a mini convenience store to buy snacks and drinks, and even a dining room where trainers could have their meals, either served to them like in restaurants, or being put buffet style.

Ash and Pakura decide to get some dinner from the dining room, where food was currently arranged on carts around the room and they were supposed to serve themselves. They even served desserts as part of the buffet. Some trainers were sitting in groups, while most others sat alone like lost Mareep.

Ash and Pakura ate together, and kept a friendly conversation throughout dinner, though Pakura tactfully refrained from talking more about the Hunters protecting their region, feeling he was not ready.

While they were eating, Nurse Joy brought back their Pokémon and Ash's Egg, reporting that the Pokémon inside the Egg is fine, and they stopped talking to thank her as she left for her other duties.

"Do you want to stay the night?" Ash asked Pakura.

"We might as well." Pakura shrugged, swallowing her bite of beef rouladen. "I won't have to cook breakfast for a change."

"Yeah." Ash nodded. "And then tomorrow we can make our way to the Altria City Gym and I can battle the Gym Leader."

"Sounds like a plan." Pakura nodded. "Only we don't have Gym Leaders….we have Battle Gym Leaders."

"Is there a difference?" Ash asked.

"Yup. These Battle Gym Leaders don't have a type specialty for one, and second, their battles work like those in the Battle Frontier." Pakura shrugged. "Instead of badges, you'll be collecting symbols. There are three parts to each symbol, and you need a total of four symbols to get into the Trainer's Tournament, which is like a Pokémon Conference for the other regions. In other words, you need to defeat the twelve Battle Gym Leaders in order to be able to qualify for the competition."

"Why did they call it a Trainer's Tournament, when it's just like a Pokémon Conference?" Ash asked.

"Oh no, it's different. Every twenty five years, there is a twist in the Trainer's Tournament. I can't really describe it to you, you'll have to watch the tapes yourself." Pakura answered. "Oh yeah, one more thing before you go to the Gym tomorrow…"

"What?" Ash looked at her.

"You'll need at least four Pokémon on hand. Most of the Battle Gym Leaders battle with three to six Pokémon. You won't have any idea how many Pokémon they'll ask to battle with, it's all random." Pakura said.

"Tough bunch to beat, huh?" Ash muttered, and Pakura nodded.

"Well, you must have a whole lot of Pokémon at some laboratory or something, ask the Professor or whoever to transfer them to you." Pakura rolled her eyes as they finished up their meals and put away their dishes before making their way to the front desk to request to Nurse Joy to stay the night.

"Of course you can." she told us. "What kind of room would you like?"

"A pair, I guess," Ash replied.

"Alright, here is a room key for the both of you. Room number is stated in the keychain. Bring it back before you leave, won't you?"

"Of course we will!" Ash told her.

"By the way, there are empty hangers in the closet of your room. Change your clothes and put all of your dirty clothes on the hangers and leave it outside your room. We'll clean it and it'll be ready by morning." Nurse Joy said. "We'll also dispose of spoilt clothes, just put it in the plastic bag in the room." She nodded towards Pakura's ripped shirt.

"It's an indirect way of saying that your clothes are dirty." Pakura muttered to Ash, low enough to not let anyone else hear. "And mine needs to be thrown away." Ash shot her a look.

"That's very nice of you." Ash smiled, turning back to Nurse Joy. "Thank you!" Nurse Joy smiled back, as they headed to their room. Pakura decided to use the bathroom first, and came out wearing a pink fleecy nightgown. Ash then used the bathroom to freshen himself up and changed into his blue striped pyjamas.

During that time, Pakura had already hung up their clothes into two hangers and placed it at the horizontal metal pole at the top of their door on the outside, along with a plastic bag which contained her torn shirt on the floor.

The clock in the room indicated that it was 11pm, so Ash decided to go to sleep. As he laid on his bed, his thoughts turned to the fact that he was going to challenge the first Battle Gym Leader tomorrow. He wondered who the Battle Gym Leader was like and what Pokémon he or she would use for tomorrow's challenge and he knew he couldn't wait.

However, he drifted into a deep slumber after a few minutes alongside his Pikachu, a fact not unnoticed by Pakura, who had decided to turn on the lamp at her bedside and collect some information and perhaps do some paperwork before sleeping. After all, just because she is travelling does not mean she can slack on her duties.

Making sure Ash and Pikachu were asleep, Pakura dropped her illusion, and she became twenty centimetres taller, her figure becoming more prominent, and revealing her distinctly large bust. Her cheekbones were also higher and her face was also less rounded, revealing her supernatural beauty in all its glory. The nightgown, who looked loose and modest earlier, also looked noticeably sexier on her at that moment.

Pakura took out her portable TV that was shaped like a Skitty's head, and plugged it in the socket to charge it, as it was running out of battery. She tuned it to the latest news, where Malva, the Kalos Elite Four member, sat and reported on the latest news.

"We continue with our report for Pokémon League-related news." Malva said. "Today, I bring shocking news. Kalos Champion Diantha has been defeated soundly by a mysterious Trainer by the name of Blaze Kaminari, who had swept her entire team with a Mega Charizard and a shiny Espeon. Further sources revealed that Blaze Kaminari was a famous Trainer who had won all the six regional Conferences, and have beaten several of the regional Elite Fours and Champions. Fear not, people of Kalos. Champion Diantha is still our Champion as he refused to take the title, stating he was here to test his abilities."

"You're right, he is in Kalos. It looks like Kalos is not aware of the kills he had made in his lifetime, so this means he hasn't killed anyone in Kalos yet." Pakura said to her Sylveon. "I admit, it's not an easy feat to win all the regional Pokémon Conferences, and I only know one other person who did so, and he was part of the Legendary Dragon Duo."

"According to the information in the file, it looks like Blaze idolizes them, and they were the ones who inspired him to train Dragon-type Pokémon." Sylveon nodded.

"Well, after Ash wins the first of the twelve parts required,I'm going to try and convince him to go back to Kalos for a bit, since he is a little shaken at the kill Gregory made. After all, there is an upcoming competition I'd like to compete in. It'd be perfect time to try and look for him." Pakura was taking notes while she watched the whole footage on Blaze's battle against Diantha.

"What are you going to do when you find him?" Sylveon asked.

"Who knows? Kanto's the one at fault for not checking on the orphanage children." Pakura shrugged. "I'm not surprised he turned out to be like that, with the crap they put him through. He's quite like me, don't you think?"

"You're going to offer him a chance to turn his life around, like you did?" Sylveon was surprised.

"Who knows?" Pakura gave a mysterious smile. "PAL Region may be in for a surprise….especially with Ashura here. I detect a strong potential within him. I think from what I observed, Ash might be the shared Chosen among the Legendaries and Arceus' personal Chosen. Looks like the PAL Region might have a Champion after all."


"Wake up, you idiot." Pakura shook Ash, who was still in a deep slumber. "It's already 10am."

"W-What?" Ash sleepily opened his eyes, and widened them when he saw the time on the clock. "Oh no!" Ash quickly grabbed the clothes Pakura handed him, and he rushed to the bathroom to dress and freshen himself up. "Why didn't you wake me?" He shouted at Pakura who was outside.

"You didn't ask me to do so. Besides, no need to shout, I'm not deaf." Pakura's cool voice replied.

"I missed breakfast, didn't I?" Ash sighed, as he started brushing his teeth.

"Not exactly." Pakura said.

'What does she even mean by that?' Ash thought, as he rinsed his mouth with mouthwash.

His question was answered when he came out, and saw a plate of scrambled eggs, ham, pancakes filled with maple syrup, sausages, French toast, and hash browns waiting for him. There was also a jug of milk waiting for him and a glass waiting to be filled.

"I got that from the breakfast buffet. Kept it warm with the help of Will-O-Wisp and Psychic." Pakura explained, as she set it in front of him at a table.

"Thanks, Pakura!" Ash smiled gratefully, as he started to devour his breakfast.

"What would you do without me?" Pakura sighed, her hands on her hips. "Come on, after breakfast, we go get your Pokémon, and then we can go over to the Gym so you can challenge the first Battle Gym Leader."

Ash nodded, as he stuffed his food into his mouth, and made use of the milk to help him swallow quickly. Pakura shook her head, knowing Ash would get an upset stomach later. After breakfast, he rushed over to the video phone to make a call to Professor Oak to transfer his Sceptile and Totodile over for his battle with the Battle Gym Leader. After that, he ran out of the Pokémon Center, leaving Pakura to return the keys to Nurse Joy, and run after him.

Ash's Pikachu was running ahead, and while he was running, he bumped into a Wigglytuff coming from around the corner.

"It's a Wigglytuff." Ash commented, screeching to a stop.

"Watch where you're going!" Wigglytuff huffed at Pikachu.

"Sorry about that." Ash ran over to pick up Wigglytuff. "I hope you're ok."

"Oh no!" A female voice cried out. Ash and Pakura turned to see a young woman running towards them. The person looked like she was in her late teens and she had brown hair that reached to her shoulder and her fringe covering her eyebrows, with matching eyes.

"Did my Wigglytuff hurt you, little Pikachu?" The young woman asked.

"I'm sure Pikachu's fine." Ash waved it off. "Aren't you, Pikachu?"

"I sure am!" Pikachu agreed.

"Why, aren't you just the cutest thing?" The young woman cooed, as she picked up Ash's Pikachu. "I do know how to make an injury feel better." She kissed the Pikachu on the forehead, and Pikachu grinned at the affection.

"My name is Ai Uozumi. Nice to meet you." Ai introduced herself.

"I'm Ash, and this is my companion Pakura." Pakura nodded curtly.

"Are you two traveling together?" Ai looked from Ash to Pakura.

"Yes we are!" Ash replied.

"Thanks for getting my Wigglytuff. Poor one is running away because it's always failing at using Heal Bell." Ai sighed. "It kept using Sing instead, which puts everyone to sleep." Wigglytuff lowered its ears in sadness.

"Well, why don't we see if we can help her, Ash?" Pakura suggested. "You might learn something from it."

"Great idea." Ash nodded. "If you like, we can help you out, Ai."

"Really?" Ai was smiling. "Thank you so much!"

Unknown to two of them, Team Rocket was up the building spying on them with their binoculars, as usual.

"It looks like the Wigglytuff belongs to the girl." Jessie said.

"I just got a great idea!" Meowth grinned. "We get that Wigglytuff to use Sing to Altria City, and when it does…."

"It's nap time for Altria City!" James mimed a person sleeping.

"And then we can grab anything and everything we want!" Jessie cheered.

"That would teach them to mess with us!" Meowth smirked.

"Let's get to it!" They nodded.


"Alright, Skitty, let's go!" Pakura sent out the Kitten Pokémon once they reached the battlefield behind Altria City's Pokémon Center. Ash frowned when he saw it appear, and took out his Pokédex.

"Skitty, the Kitten Pokémon. Skitty has the habit of becoming fascinated by moving objects and chasing them around, and will get completely caught up in pursuing them. This Pokémon is known to playfully chase after its own tail and become dizzy. In the wild, this Pokémon lives in holes in the trees of forests. It is said to be difficult to earn its trust. However, it is extremely popular for its cute looks and behaviour, and it is also a popular pet among trainers. In battle, it makes its tail puff out. It threatens foes with a sharp growl. Her Skitty looks well-trained to me, don't you think so, Ash?" The Pokédex said.

"Well, Skitty, show Wigglytuff how to use a Heal Bell." Pakura commanded.

Skitty nodded, and released blue sound waves from its body.

"Now you try." Skitty said to Wigglytuff.

Wigglytuff nodded, and took a breath to try and emit the same sound waves, but ended up using the move Sing again. Everyone fell asleep except for Pakura, who sighed.


"Well, that was a bust." Ash rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Now Wigglytuff is mad at us for sleeping during her training." He nodded towards the Wigglytuff sulking away.

"But I apologized already!" Ai was getting frustrated, as Wigglytuff shrugged in a haughty manner.

"Calm down, both of you." Pakura glared at them, as they turned away from each other. "You and your Wigglytuff's heart is not really in synch. Both of you need to have a strong wish of truly learning the move for the benefit of each other. With you two fighting like that, how do you expect Wigglytuff to learn the move quickly?"

"Well, the truth is, I just got this Wigglytuff." Ai explained. "I got her when I graduated from nursing school last week. The Head Nurse said it would be a good idea for me to train a Pokémon to help me in my medical studies, so I got this newbie for my Pokémon."

"I see." Ash nodded. "Come on, why don't we work on that Heal Bell again?"

Ai nodded, as Skitty once more demonstrated the Hell Bell move. Wiglytuff looked nervous as she had failed many times even when Skitty had demonstrated it.

"Once more, Wigglytuff!" Ai encouraged.

"You can do it, Wigglytuff!" Ash added. Wigglytuff closed her eyes and concentrated, but was interrupted when a vacuum sucked up Wigglytuff. The three looked up in surprise to see a giant Meowth robot with vacuum arms.

"Oh, not again!" Ash groaned.

"That's right. Prepare for…." Jessie was cut off when Pakura commanded, "Skitty, Assist." The Assist turned out to be Blizzard, which blew back the robot.

"We know how to handle pests like you!" Jessie screamed. "Come on, Meowth!"

"Got it!" Meowth replied. The target honed on Pakura, and Meowth pressed a button. A sack appeared and trapped Pakura, Skitty and Pikachu. Pakura let out a noise of surprise as she struggled to break free.

"Meowth!" Jessie grinned.

"Collect them, collect them!" James added.

"Understood!" Meowth pressed another button, and the sack was hoisted up, and hanging from the arm of the robot.

"Pakura! Pikachu!" Ash shouted in worry.

"Wait a second!" Ai stepped up.

"Now what?" Meowth asked.

"Let Pakura and the Pokémon go!" Ai demanded.

"Or else what?" Jessie smirked. "You can't do anything!"

"I wonder…" Ai said, tilting her head. "Wigglytuff, let's show them how powerful you are. Giga Impact!" The Giga Impact managed to break the robot from the inside, and it blew a hole through the robot.

"I think we're in trouble." James gulped.

"Wigglytuff, let's save Pakura, Skitty and Pikachu." Ai said. "Focus Punch!" The Focus Punch cut the sack, freeing Pakura from the sack, along with Skitty and Pikachu. Pakura and the pair of Pokémon quickly ran back towards Ash.

"Double Slap!" Ai ordered. Wigglytuff aimed the Double Slap at the head of the robot, causing Team Rocket to be thrown left and right, causing them to scream in fear.

"It's strong…." Jessie was groaning.

"Play Rough!" Ai commanded. Team Rocket screamed even more when the attacks on the robot just kept coming.

"And now, let's finish this!" Before Ai could command Wigglytuff, Wigglytuff released blue sound waves from its body, and aimed it at the robot. When Team Rocket heard the melody, they started to relax.

"Somehow, this feels really good…" James said.

"It's like listening to a music that healed my soul…" Jessie agreed.

"Somehow, I just feel like we should stop fighting!" James exclaimed.

"You're right. Let's give up on getting Wigglytuff!" Jessie declared.

"That's right, that's right!" Meowth added. "That's a great idea!"

"Finish it off with Thunderbolt!" Ash commanded. Pikachu jumped up, and unleashed a powerful Thunderbolt, which made the robot explode, and sent Team Rocket blasting off once more, though they were happy and shouting, "Let's make our way back!"

"Thanks, Wigglytuff. You were great." Ai complimented. "Thanks Ash, Pakura. We couldn't have done it without you. I'd sure like to have a match with you."

"Well, about that, I was about to challenge the first Battle Gym Leader." Ash explained.

"Oh, why didn't you say so?" Ai smiled. "I could have taken you to the Gym right away. Come on, let's go!" Ai gestured for them to follow her.


The Gym was a two-storey large building which is entire white with the roof designed like a typical Nurse's hat. It also has automatic glass doors similar to what one sees in a hospital. In fact, Ash thought it looked more like a fancy hospital rather than a Gym, with all the frosted glass and Japanese-looking trees. However, on the glass doors, they saw a "CLOSED" sign.

"Er…are you sure, Ai?" Ash asked. "According to the sign, the Gym is closed until tomorrow."

"Forget about that silly sign." Ai replied. "Today is the Battle Gym Leader's day off, but I'll be more than happy to open the place for you, Ash, as a thank you for helping me out."

"Wait a minute…" Ash stopped. "What do you mean by that?"

'Is he that dense?' Pakura thought.

Ai shook her head. "I guess I forgot to mention it in all that has happened. Silly boy, the Battle Gym Leader is me!"

"WHAT?" Ash shouted, and Pakura sighed.

"Why don't I heal up our Pokémon, and then we can have our battle?" Ai invited, as she unlocked the doors to her Gym.

Ash nodded, and entered the Gym with Ai and Pakura, and was awed as it looked like her Gym was also a medical facility for Pokémon, and there was even a Pokémon transporting machine. Seeing the look on Ash's face, Ai explained, "Sometimes when there are too many sick or injured Pokémon, the Nurse Joy would bring it over to me. I dream of working in a hospital where I can take care of people as well. Now, let me tend to your Pokémon." Ash nodded, and they handed their Pokémon over to the student-nurse.

They sat on the couch, and Pakura picked a magazine from the magazine rack Ai had provided in her Gym. She opened the magazine and started reading.

Meanwhile, Ash couldn't sit still as he knew that once Ai was done, he could have a battle with her, the first Battle Gym Leader. He wondered what Ai had in store for him.

BP: Well, it might be bad, as I never actually wrote a story where Ash travelled in a whole other region, and I have to think of the names of the cities, towns and whatnot and the legends behind. In fact, I might write some "movies" as part of Heartsong Symphony, as this is sort of part of the main series, I guess. I'm sorry if you didn't like the fact that Ash got his face injured (though it was restored) the moment he went in the PAL Region. It's to symbolize a huge change in his life, you know, since the PAL Region is not one to be messed with.

I suspect it might be easier to write the Ashura Kurobane series as there are anime episodes based on him travelling through the regions I plan on him to have travelled, and I can make use of the anime series and write it to however I like, unlike Heartsong Symphony, as I need to try to vary the characters of the day for one, and plan a whole new batch of Pokémon for Ash to catch.

About Rosaline's appearance, this may be one of her few appearances. We (as in Mysterypink98 and I) had discussed that she will be in Heartsong Symphony, but since we fell out with each other (which will explain Team Rocket's disappearance from the spotlight in PAL Chronicles)

I won't feel right using her character, since she doesn't belong to me) so I decided on a compromise: She will still appear in the story in the beginning, but I had thought up of a nice plot that would write her off in a nice way, without involving killing of the character.

Oh yeah, about Blaze Kaminari, he's also an OC, but it's not mine either. He belongs to a person I been friends with recently called Shadow9843 in Deviantart. I heard him out on what his OC he had put on the shelf was like, and I decided I only have one word for him: Perfect. The only thing I can say for now is that his OC will definitely do well in the PAL Region.

Also, I decided to replace the resurrection fic with another Pokémon fanfic where the PAL Region had to host the Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom Tournament. The resurrection fic would be pushed back until the other fics have been written.

I got the inspiration of writing a Marvel vs. Capcom tournament fanfic when I saw the trailer of Phoenix Wright, one of my favourite characters in Ace Attorney as a fighter in the game, and thought "Hey, why not have a normal lawyer to save the world, with Ash as his mentor as he had did it before?" And since there are so many characters to write about with different abilities and personalities, it might be interesting to write (at least for me)

But of course, since it's a Pokémon fanfic as well, I would add a story for them as well, probably suffering from a loss of an Elite member (either Shiki or Rosaline) and having just replaced him or her and also the reluctance since they had just finished hosting the Pokémon World Championships and the Battle Olympia, a biennial fighting tournament held in the PAL Region, which would be elaborated upon in the story. They will also help the participants out in the tournament as well.

I am going to make Phoenix Wright (I love him as a fighter, especially his Turnabout Mode) as the main three-man team alongside another two.

If you guys like, you can choose who his teammates should be (preferably one from Capcom and one from Marvel), and put them in the reviews (I can't decide who the other two should be). I would have to read up on their backgrounds before writing them, so do vote on that too!

Anyway, do tell me what you think of the first chapter of Heartsong Symphony, and add in any other ideas you have when you read this chapter.

Do review, favourite and follow! I hope you like the cover page I made for this story!

And do remember to tell me who you want in the team with Phoenix Wright!