Sky


Above the cloud layer, Bird Pokemon through the sky had a surprise flying companion. Among the Pelipper and Altaria, the king of the skies, Rayquaza, darted through the air.

High above the ocean, Brendan's Rayquaza carried our heroes through the sky. Brendan sat in the front of Rayquaza's long, serpentine body, giving Rayquaza directions as they soared above the clouds.

"Looks like we're about 20 miles south of Hoenn by now" Brendan said, putting his Pokenav away. "We're making good time from Unova, only about 5 hours and we've already passed over Sinnoh and Hoenn."

"Good, tell me when we reach Kanto, or any ground for that matter" Dawn said, her eyes scrunched tight and gripping onto Rayquaza with everything that she had.

"I guess that you aren't a fan of flying, Dawn" Diamond laughed. "I never flew very much, but seriously, this isn't nearly as high as we could be."

"Yeah, I know that. I've climbed Mt. Coronet, which was higher than this, but at least my feet were planted on a solid surface" Dawn said.

Diamond laughed. "Come on, we'll be there soon, then we can land on the ground and give you a chance to get feeling back in your legs before we go on again."

"Actually, Diamond, we may need to stay on the ground a bit more than that" Brendan called back to his passengers. "Bad news, looks like the Plasma Frigate's been seen in the airspace in Kanto. Isn't that thing Ice-Powered?"

"Yeah, it is" White spoke up. "At least, it was before. It looked like they changed it up a bit this time, but it still looked like it was harnessing Kyurem's power."

"Which wouldn't be good if they decided to attack Rayquaza, a Pokemon, that while Legendary, has a typing that Ice-Types eat for lunch" Brendan concluded. "Besides, if they even notice that we're anywhere near the region, then they'll be sure to come after us. Not only do they view us as a threat, but they probably still want to get their hands on Rayquaza" he said, stroking the Legendary Dragon-Type's head.

"You know, that Omega kind of reminded me of someone" Ash said, thinking hard. "The way he talked seemed kind of familiar, they way he talked about taking Rayquaza."

"And was it just me, or did he particularly look at you while he addressed us down in the stadium?" Brendan asked. "You think that you may have met him in the past?"

"I don't know" Ash said. "He was in a cloak, so he didn't show his face or anything."

"Well, we know what to ask when we finally defeat them" Brendan smirked. "Oh, I just love the thought of knocking those pumped up crooks off their high horses." He paused for a moment, but then a look of despair crossed his face. "But once the press finds out that we took them down…" he trailed off.

"Is all the publicity really that hard to deal with?" Ash asked.

"Believe me, you don't know the half of it" Brendan groaned. "Every time I go to a new region, I have to ditch my old favorite outfits and get completely new ones just so I'm not swarmed to the point of not being able to leave a town short of blasting a path through the reporters with Hyper Beam."

"You haven't actually done that, have you?" Ash chuckled nervously.

"No, but I've gotten almost that desperate" Brendan laughed hollowly. "You don't know what it feels like to be cooped up in a random town by random people who want to strip you of all your privacy."

"Yeah, that sounds pretty intense" Ash agreed.

Brendan took a second to look at his Pokenav. "Well, we really need to get to Rota, the sooner the better, but we shouldn't chance going too far inland. I say that Rayquaza should take us about to Route 2 in Kanto, then we can take the path through Viridian Forest, travel on Route 3, go through Pewter City, then we'll have to do some major hiking, but we should make it across the mountains there to Rota within a few days without assistance."

"Um, do you think that we can skip past Viridian Forest?" Misty called up.

"Why?" Brendan asked, before Ash waved him down.

"Uh, Misty's got a little thing about Bug-Type Pokemon" Ash explained.

"Ah, I see how it it" Brendan said. "We really shouldn't risk taking Rayquaza that far inland though, and between all of us, I'm still not sure we have enough passenger carrying flying Pokemon to carry us across."

"Yeah, I have Charizard, but he's still resting from his fight with Kyurem" Ash said.

"It's natural for most Pokemon to need a long resting period after their first time Mega Evolving" Brendan commented. "Adding that to the fact that Charizard was fighting a Legendary Pokemon, not even counting that it was one of the major ones, probably knocked it out of commision for a little longer."

"Well, I guess we either have to risk flying over Viridian Forest with Rayquaza, or Misty will have to deal with it" Ash summarized.

"Yeah, we can't risk something on this level over a Bug-Type phobia. Besides, the variety of Bug-Types in Viridian Forest isn't that great from what I've heard, mostly just Caterpie and Weedle lines" Brendan said, the first part loud enough for Misty to hear.

"Seriously? You expect me walk underneath those slimy things?" Misty exclaimed angrily.

"Goldeen and Psyduck have more slime on them than Caterpie do, Misty" Ash responded.

"As soon as we land, you're going to regret saying that, Ash!" Misty yelled.

"Oh geez" Ash muttered. "I hope that Pikachu is ready to protect me from Misty."

"Pika!" a muffled yet indignant voice came from within Ash's pack.

"Seriously, you're still that scared of her?" Ash complained.

Brendan chuckled. "You guys remind me of my old rival Sapphire back in Hoenn. Boy, she would let me have it if I did anything to offend her."

"Well, Misty was never really a rival of mine, but she can be a little, um, what's the word…" Ash stopped and thought.

"Intense?" Brendan asked.

"That's the one" Ash said.

"Did you ever have a rival?" Brendan asked.

"Oh, a lot of them" Ash laughed. "And they were all really strong. My first rival, when I travelled through Kanto and Johto was my friend from our childhood, Gary. Then, when I went to Sinnoh, I met a trainer named Paul, and he was really strong too, but he was really cold and treated his Pokemon poorly. He changed after I beat him in the Lily of the Valley Conference though. Then in Unova, this trainer named Trip became my rival, then after we battled in the Vertress Conference, I haven't seen him since. I've had some friends that I've shared friendly rivalries with, but they were my big ones."

"When you said Gary, your childhood friend, you didn't happen to mean Gary Oak, did you?" Brendan asked.

"Yeah, he's the one" Ash conceded.

Brendan laughed. "I remember hearing about him, he set some kind of badge collecting record in Kanto and had a gaggle of cheerleaders that followed him for every major battle that he had."

"Yeah, he became a little full of himself during his journey" Ash chuckled. "But since then, he's become a Professor like his grandpa, Professor Oak. Last I saw him, he was aiding Professor Rowan in Sinnoh."

"That's pretty neat that you had a big time rival like him" Brendan said. "I bet he helped push you to be who you are today."

"You bet, he was a big reason that I've gone as far as I have. I wanted nothing more than to beat him when I first started travelling, and since then, I've wanted to keep getting stronger, so that every time I meet someone like him, I'll be able to beat them" Ash said.

Rayquaza growled deeply, alerting everyone riding him. "What's wrong?" Brendan asked worriedly.

Rayquaza shook its head downwards, trying to get a message across. "Something down there?" he asked. Rayquaza nodded. "Alright, take us down so that we can see it" he said.

Rayquaza let out another growl and sank beneath the clouds, descending towards the ocean.

Red looked down at the water. "We're just above the Sevii Islands" he announced. "I've been here before, it's a small chain of islands outside Kanto, similar to the Orange Islands, but the Pokemon here are stronger than they are in most other areas."

"Yeah, but what did Rayquaza sense here that was so important?" Brendan asked.

Rayquaza answered by shaking its head towards a rather large, mountainous island. "That's Quest Island, the seventh major island in the Sevii Islands" Red announced. He then pointed towards a large canyon showing recent signs of damage. "And THAT isn't supposed to be there" he said, pointing at a large break in the canyon wall.

As Rayquaza flew down towards the destruction, Red briefed them about the area. "Quest Island is considered to be the most dangerous of the Sevii Islands, as the mountains arounds here are filled with powerful and territorial Tyranitar, Onix, and Golem. I'd say that this damage could've easily been caused by a rampaging Tyranitar, but Rayquaza feels something, so I'd say something is down there."

"Rayquaza, set us down here" Brendan commanded, settling near the top of the canyon near the hole. The Ozone Pokemon slowed down and settled to the ground, allowing everyone to clamber off. "You did amazing. Rayquaza, return!" he praised, recalling his Pokemon. "Ok, everyone, be ready, just in case."

Pikachu leapt onto Ash's shoulder, cheeks crackling lightly, while everyone else reached and grabbed a Pokeball.

The group made their way steadily down the cliffside, working their way down to the wreckage, surveying the surroundings. After some careful climbing, the group descended onto a wooded beach. Similar to the cliff face, there was a large amount of the foliage plowed away, as if something had crashed through it.

"Yeah, something big came through here" Red conceded.

"And it doesn't take the senses of a Legendary Pokemon to notice that" Diamond commented.

"Let's get in there" Brendan said, pulling out a Pokeball. "Okay, here goes. Swampert, I choose you!"

The Pokeball opened to reveal a large blue quadruped Pokemon. "Swaaaaaaaaaammmmmppp" it cried.

"Swampert, can you help clear the trees here?" Brendan asked.

"Swampert Swamp!" Swampert replied.

"Excellent, let's go" he said.

Swampert walked forward on its hind legs and began to shift the massive trunks out of the way, clearing a path for the group to walk through.

White peered into the brush. "I don't like this, I feel like something is wrong" he said worriedly.

Up in front, Swampert used Hydro Pump to blast away a particularly stubborn group of trunks blocking the path. "I do feel like we're being watched" Brendan commented.

"Do you think that it's a trap?" May asked.

"That is a possibility" Diamond affirmed. "But we can't risk someone being in need of help and just walk away from them."

Swampert used Hydro Pump to clear away some more trunks, then something happened that stunned the whole group.

Through the woodwork, a beam of swirling winds flew through and struck Swampert, sending it flying very painful through the trees. "Swaaaaaaaaaaaaa" Swampert cried out.

Gold looked at Red. "That look like an Aeroblast!" he exclaimed.

Red nodded. "Which means that we either have a very angry Smeargle who has had quite the encounter, or…"

Gold pulled out a Pokeball with an emblem on it in the shape of a blue diamond. "Come on out, Suicune!" he yelled.

With a flash of light, the Legendary Dog Pokemon, Suicune appeared in the clearing. "Ruuuuuuuuuuuu!" it rumbled.

"Alright, we know that you're in there, Lugia" Gold shouted. "We don't want to fight, but one of my Pokemon felt something wrong. We came to help!"

Within the brush, a roar came out, and a blue light began to shine through.

"Suicune, Aurora Beam!" Gold commanded.

Suicune lept into the air and fired off a cold beam of multicolored energy to intercept the Aeroblast. The beams collided and cancelled each other out, filling the air with smoke.

They heard another roar, but that roar devolved into a moan. A moan of heart-breaking pain shot through the air.

Gold hopped on top of Suicune and looked into the woods. "Alright, Lugia. I'm coming to help, not to hurt you" Gold announced. When there was no response, Gold lightly urged Suicune to walk into the brush. He was soon followed by the rest of the group.

"Oh!" Iris gasped.

Lying in the trench it plowed, a very battered Lugia lay before the group. It's body was covered in purplish spots, and its left wing looked like it had been broken.

Lugia looked at the group and let out a rumbling growl again. It opened its mouth and began to charge a large ball of pink energy, aiming straight at them.

Brendan was shocked. "There's no way, it's impossible for a Lugia to use…"

Suddenly, a weak voice rang through the clearing. "Lugia, stop."

Lugia closed its mouth, dispersing the energy it had been gathering and looking back behind itself.

A young boy, wearing a yellow jacket and blue pants, stood up, looking over Lugia. The boy had spiky red hair and turquoise eyes.

He looked hard at the group, then spoke up again. "Weren't you guys the people who I helped battle the guys who attacked the Driftveil PWT Stadium?" he asked.

Red nodded for them. "And by the looks of it, you're the one who battled that dark looking Lugia with your own Lugia. What happened?"

The young trainer coughed and then addressed the group again. "Well, I used some strong medicine to heal my pal here right up" he said, patting the Lugia on the head. "Afterwards, I immediately went to chase after those crooks, riding Lugia. I found them around here, and had Lugia attack their ship. But before I could knock them out of the sky, XD002 came out and attacked us. Lugia put up a good fight, but the Shadow Moves eventually took their toll, and they sent us crashing down into the island."

"XD002, Shadow Moves, what are all of those?" Ash asked.

The trainer looked at him. "Back in my home region, the evil team there once sought to make the strongest Pokemon to take over the world with, and they created what we called Shadow Pokemon, Pokemon with the doors to their hearts closed, and filled with nothing but darkness and negativity. Shadow Pokemon learned special Shadow Moves, moves of a unique type, that were extremely effective against any Pokemon that wasn't a Shadow Pokemon. As for XD002, that's the code name for their Shadow Lugia."

"So wait, you're saying that they took a Legendary Pokemon, and made it into one of these Shadow Pokemon to fight for them?" Red asked.

"Yeah, and if they went the same route as last time, they made sure that XD002 is all but impossible to purify also" the trainer said. "Even if it could be, my Snag Machine is all the way back home in Orre, and I'm fresh out of Master Balls."

"What is this talk about purifying and Snag Machines, and why do they call it XD002 instead of XD001? They don't have another Pokemon stronger than it, do they?" Diamond asked.

"Well, I don't know if they do have anything stronger, but I wouldn't figure" he said. "From what I've seen of their research when I raided their base, only young Legendary Pokemon can be infected into Shadow Pokemon, so their super ancient Pokemon like that Goudon wouldn't be able to become Shadow Pokemon, they're too powerful to be corrupted in that way. But the reason they're calling it XD002 is because this," he said, stroking his Lugia's neck, "was XD001."

"Wait, excuse me, but what the heck do you mean?!" Red exclaimed, causing Lugia to growl again.

"This was the original Shadow Lugia that Team Cipher created, and the only Pokemon they made to be unable to be purified. That's why Lugia is so on edge. Because they had to catch it young, it's in what we would call its teenage years right now. They said that Lugia was their best work, because it was impossible to change back. But we found a way" he said, rubbing Lugia to calm it down. "Oh, and I don't believe that I've properly introduced myself. My name's Michael."

"Nice to officially meet you, Michael, but there's one thing I'm curious about, if you'll indulge me" Brendan said. "A bit ago, I saw your Lugia about to use an attack that should be impossible for it to use. How did it learn Psycho Boost?"

"Psycho Boost?" Ash asked.

"A concentrated blast of Psychic energy, and the only Pokemon ever known to be able to use it is Deoxys" Brendan said.

"Yeah, this Lugia here is special. From the moment I purified it, it knew how to use some powerful moves, including Psycho Boost" Michael said. "It's been a big help whenever I've met some Cipher dregs."

"Well, do you know who that was that was commanding the Shadow Lugia?" Red asked.

"Yeah, one of the old admins. His name is Ardos, and he kept saying that he would build Team Cipher up, but I never figured that he would do it" Michael said. He winced and then sat on the ground. "Sorry, Lugia isn't the only one who got hurt when we crashed."

"Are you ok?" Dawn asked.

"Yeah, just a few scrapes and bruises. It's Lugia that I'm worried about, I think his wing broke when we crashed last night" Michael explained.

"Allow me" Brock said, stepping up and slinging his pack down. "I should have Lugia healing pretty quick here, but it may need to rest overnight to be completely ready again. Why don't we set up camp?"

"What, you mean here?" Michael asked.

"Yeah, what else did you expect, Fullmoon Island?" Brock laughed. "I'll need to be here to help Lugia tonight, and I know that the rest of us don't like to leave a pal alone in a dangerous area."

"No, seriously, you don't have to do that. I'm fine camping alone" Michael said. "Besides, my Pokemon are strong, they can protect me."

"Really, they're strong, can I see them?" Ash asked.

"Huh, oh, sure" Michael said, caught slightly off guard. He reached down to his belt and detached three Pokeballs. "These three are some of my most trusted partners" he assured, tossing them into the air.

With three bright flashes of light, the Pokemon Flareon, Ursaring, and Dragonite materialized on the island.

"Wow, quite a variety there" Red commented. "Each one is also a member of a powerful species. Dragonite, of course, being one of the Pseudo-Legendary Pokemon, Ursaring being known for their massive strength, and the intense Fire-Type attacks a Flareon can produce."

"Yeah, Flareon was my first Pokemon here" Michael said, rubbing Flareon underneath the chin. "Ursaring used to be a Shadow Pokemon, but he was the first one that I freed from Team Cipher. Similarly, Dragonite was the last known Shadow Pokemon that they created, and I caught him from an Ex-Cipher boss."

"So at least three of the Pokemon you've caught are previous Shadow Pokemon?" Gold asked.

Michael nodded. "Yeah, most of them are. Back in my home region, I was given a device called a Snag Machine, as well as a Shadow Visor. The Snag Machine allowed me to bypass the ownership system a Pokeball gave to a Pokemon, as long as the Shadow Visor picked up that the Pokemon was a Shadow Pokemon. It was my means of freeing the Shadow Pokemon from Team Cipher."

"So Shadow Pokemon were a pretty big deal in your region at one point, huh?" Diamond asked.

"Yeah, Team Cipher tried to take Orre over with Shadow Pokemon twice" Michael said. "The first time was before me, some guy named Wes and a girl named Rui already had taken them down once before me. I also heard of Shadow Pokemon appearing briefly in a far away region, but apparently someone there also took care of them."

Ash stepped forward. "Hey, do you think that I could battle your Pokemon that used to be Shadow Pokemon?"

"A battle, huh?" Michael asked. "How come?"

"Well, I always love a good battle" Ash said. "And I need to keep training if I want to get strong enough to keep up with these guys."

"Ok then, sure. 3 on 3 good with you?" Michael offered.

"Yeah, that's fine" Ash agreed.

"Jumping into random battles, still such a kid" Iris sighed.

"Hey, not necessarily" White said. "Battles are the best way to train your Pokemon and grow as a trainer and develop new strategies."

"Still, just to come out of the blue and ask for a battle with a random trainer" Iris countered.

White laughed. "I guess you've never taken any normal paths through a region. Most trainers challenge each other on sight on the road."

"Allow me to referee this battle" Cilan said, stepping up.

"Alright, thanks Cilan" Ash thanked.

"No problem, Ash" Cilan said. "You always perform greatly, and supply hot fights that are amazing to watch."

"Well, ready to go?" Michael said, standing up carefully.

"Yeah, let's do this" Ash cheered, running down to the beach.

Down on the beach, Ash and Michael stood facing each other.

"This will be a 3 on 3 battle between Ash and Michael" Cilan declared. "Each trainer is allowed the use of 3 Pokemon, and a winner will be decided when all three of a trainer's Pokemon are unable to battle. Now, send out your Pokemon!"

"Cilan, you sure take this seriously" Ash laughed, pulling a Pokeball from his belt. "Well, time to see how these guys battle" he said to himself. "Eevee, I choose you!"

The Pokeball sprung open, and the light that shot onto the ground materialized into the DNA Pokemon, Eevee. "Vui?" it asked, uncertain.

"Hey Eevee, ready for our first battle together?" Ash asked.

Eevee started for a second more, then nodded confidently. "Vee, Eevee Vui!"

"Ok" Ash smiled.

"I suppose that it's my turn" Michael said. "Delcatty, I choose you!"

With another flash, the Pokemon Delcatty appeared on the field across from Eevee. "Del!" it growled.

"Battle, begin!" Cilan declared.

"Alright, start out with Quick Attack, Eevee!" Ash said.

"Vui" Eevee said, pelting off at Delcatty, moving so fast that it was only visible by the trail of white light behind it.

"Delcatty, use Shock Wave to stop it" Michael countered.

Delcatty began to glow with static electricity, then it shot out a wave of lightning at the incoming Eevee.

"Eevee, jump to dodge!" Ash commanded confidently. Eevee leapt into the air, the momentum from Quick Attack allowing it to soar high. However, Ash was quite surprised when Shock Wave went up to catch Eevee.

"Veeeeeee!" Eevee squealed as electricity coursed through its body.

"How did it curve like that?" Ash asked.

"Sorry, Shock Wave is a move that's nearly impossible to dodge" Michael shrugged.

"Hmm" Ash thought hard. "Ok, Eevee, let's try Quick Attack, one more."

Eevee jumped back onto its feet. "Vui!" it cried, taking off at Delcatty once more.

"Delcatty, you know what to do" Michael said.

"Catty" Delcatty smirked, charging up another Shock Wave. As it watched Eevee grow near, it released it directly at Eevee.

"Now, use Double Team!" Ash said.

As Eevee sprinted at Delcatty, multiple Eevee began to appear on the field. Shock Wave passed through one Eevee, which disappeared on the spot, leaving several others there.

"What?" Michael yelped.

The Eevee copies disappeared, leaving only a single Eevee right in front of Delcatty. Eevee slammed into Delcatty, sending it flying backwards with the momentum that it had produced.

"Well, I've got to give you props for the last second Double Team" Michael said. "But Delcatty is far from down for the count."

As if to prove his point, Delcatty stood up and growled at Eevee.

"Ok, then. Eevee, use Swift!" Ash commanded.

Eevee leapt into the air, spinning around, creating stars around it. Eevee flipped and sent each one straight at Delcatty.

"Well, looks like I'm not the only one using accurate shots" Michael said. "Let's try this, use Wakeup Slap!"

"Del!" Delcatty cried, leaping up to meet the incoming stars, swiping its tail through the air, bashing through each one and causing them to explode into stardust.

"Now, follow it up with Faint Attack" Michael commanded.

Delcatty ran at Eevee, then disappeared into thin air.

"Eevee, be ready!" Ash warned, but no sooner had he said that, than Delcatty had reappeared and struck Eevee, sending it reeling.

Delcatty ran back over near Michael. "Great job, Delcatty. Let's wrap this up. Assist!"

"Assist?" Ash wondered, forgetting what it did.

"Yeah, Assist is a move that allows Delcatty to copy one of the moves of any Pokemon I have on me knows" Michael explained.

Delcatty glowed briefly, then reared it's head back and unleashed a stream for fire straight towards Eevee. "And it looks like it took Flareon's Flamethrower."

"Look out Eevee!" Ash cried, but Eevee just stood its ground, facing the oncoming stream of fire. A moment before the flames hit, Eevee smirked and began to glow.

The flames washed over Eevee, who disappeared in the inferno. "EEVEE!" Ash yelled.

The flames quickly vanished, and everyone watching the fight stared in shock. Standing where Eevee had been, a Flareon now stood, glowing with a red aura.

"How did it evolve so quickly?" Michael asked in dismay. "That should be impossible!"

"Well, apparently, the person who gave me this Eevee had it genetically modified to evolve and devolve through its forms at will" Ash explained. "And it looks like this Eevee is really smart, too" he added, smiling.

"Of course, because Flareon have the ability Flash Fire, which means it would absorb a Fire-Type move like Flamethrower to power up its own Fire-Type attacks" Michael realized.

"And with powered up Fire moves" Ash began. "Ok, Flareon, use Flame Charge!"

Flareon stamped its feet on the ground, erupting into flames, then sprinting towards Delcatty with a speed almost on par with its Quick Attack.

"Come on, think" Michael said, trying to find something to do. "Alright, let's play the luck game. Assist again!"

Delcatty closed its eyes and glowed briefly once more. When it opened its eyes, it lifted a paw up and its claws glowed white and extended. "Awesome, Ursaring's Slash!" Michael said.

Delcatty began running towards the incoming Flareon, claws are ready to combat with Flareon's Flame Charge. The two collided in an explosive crash, filling the air with smoke.

The smoke cleared to reveal the two Pokemon, facing their opposing trainers with their backs to each other. Flareon's embers dispersed and Delcatty's claws retracted. For a moment, neither Pokemon moved, then…

"Delllll…" Delcatty moaned as it collapsed to the ground, its eyes unfocused.

"Delcatty is unable to battle, Flareon is the winner!" Cilan declared.

"Great job, Delcatty, you deserve a long rest. Return" Michael, said, recalling his fallen Pokemon. He put the Pokeball back on his belt and pulled out another one. "Ok, next round. Let's go, Ursaring!"

Michael called out the massive bear Pokemon to his side of the field. "UUUUUUUURRRRRRSAAAAAA!" Ursaring roared.

"Whoa, what a roar!" May exclaimed on the sidelines.

"Let me tell you, we saw a lot of Ursaring while we were travelling through Johto, but that one is the biggest that I've ever seen!" Misty said.

"Well, let's go. You going to switch out Flareon?" Michael asked.

"Flareon, you want to take a break?" Ash asked.

Flareon looked at Ursaring for a moment, then began to glow. When the glow faded, instead of Flareon, there now stood a Jolteon.

Michael was wide eyed. "Wow, you weren't kidding when you said that the Eevee could change its form at will."

"Jolt!" Jolteon barked at Ursaring.

"I guess that Jolteon really wants to fight, should we keep him waiting?" Michael asked.

"No way, let's get to the next battle" Ash said.

"Alright. Ursaring, open up with Earthquake!" Michael ordered.

Ursaring stomped the ground, sending a large tremor through the ground, knocking Jolteon into the air.

"JOOOOOOOLLLLLLLTTTTTEEEEEEE!" Jolteon cried out in pain as it was knocked into the air by the super-effective move.

"Rrrr" Ash grunted. "Ok, time for a good move, Jolteon is still worn out from his previous fight, and Ursaring's brute force isn't going to let him stay up for long" he thought.

"Ok, let's try this. Jolteon, right yourself, then use Discharge and Pin Missile at the same time!" Ash commanded.

"Jolt" Jolteon grunted, rolling itself back into a right side up position before launching electricity and its quills towards Ursaring.

"Urrrrr" Ursaring growled as it was struck repeatedly by sharpened quills and bolts of electricity from Jolteon.

"Jolteon, when you land, use Charge Beam" Ash followed up.

Jolteon landed unsteadily, then opened his mouth and fired off a beam of jagged yellow energy.

"Ursaring, deflect with Slash" Michael commanded.

Ursaring reached its paw back and its claws extended. It swung its arm and batted the Charge Beam away, wincing slightly from the volts it experienced touching it.

"Ursaring, one more Earthquake to finish it!" Michael said.

Once more, Ursaring stomped the ground with all of its force, sending a tremor through the ground towards Jolteon.

"Look out, Jolteon. Use, use…" Ash couldn't figure out what to do.

Once again, the tricky little Pokemon knew exactly what to do. Around Jolteon's feet, a pulse of electricity went out. When the tremor reach Jolteon, it didn't even shake him.

"Of course, that was Magnet Rise" Michael said. "I thought that it was nearly impossible for a Jolteon to learn Magnet Rise though…"

"Wow, you are full of surprises, huh?" Ash asked Jolteon. Jolteon looked back at Ash and gave a confident smirk. He then spoke up. "I actually don't know what Magnet Rise does, but whatever it did, it seems to have cancelled out your Earthquake."

"Magnet Rise is a move that pretty much only Steel and Electric-Types can use. They use electromagnetism to levitate slightly, avoiding Ground based moves" Michael said. "If you look closely, Jolteon is actually about an inch above the ground right now."

"Alright, that's pretty neat" Ash commented. "Ok, Jolteon, use Quick Attack!"

Jolteon took off, soaring just barely over the ground towards Ursaring.

"Ursaring, use that move that we've been working on" Michael commanded with a small grin.

"Ursss" Ursaring growled, standing its ground as Jolteon charged towards it.

Jolteon picked up its speed as it neared his opponent, to the point where it had nearly vanished. It reappeared, as if jumping out of hyperspace, and struck Ursaring full power.

Ursaring grunted and flinched backwards. However, a brief second later, Ursaring glowed red and struck out at Jolteon, sending it flying through the air, squealing in pain. When Jolteon landed on the ground near Ash, it was out cold.

"Jolteon is unable to battle, the winner is Ursaring!" Cilan declared.

Jolteon glowed blue and shrunk, reverting to its preevolution of Eevee. "Eevee, you were great. Return" Ash said, recalling the fallen Pokemon.

"Great job, Ursaring" Michael praised. "You used that Counter perfectly.'

"Counter, that's the move that takes the damage you took and hits me with it double times" Ash said, it dawning on him.

"Yup, me and Ursaring have been working on that one for a while now" Michael revealed. "Counter is a great move in case of an attack we have no other means of stopping. After all, why try to block an attack when we are able to return whatever you deal to me twice over?"

Ash took another Pokeball from his belt. "Well, now it's time for my next Pokemon." Ash took a deep breath. "Ok, here's one of my new partners from Kalos. I choose you, Greninja!"

With a burst of water-like energy, the Ninja Pokemon appeared on the ground. "Niiiiiiiinn…" Greninja growled, staring down Ursaring.

"Wow, never seen Ash have that Pokemon before" May said.

"Well, he did say that he caught it in Kalos, and chances are he caught quite a few new Pokemon in Kalos considering that he only takes Pikachu between regions" Brock said, having just returned from fixing up Lugia.

"Ok, Greninja, ready to go?" Ash asked.

Greninja looked back at Ash with a sharp eye. "Gren!" Greninja said.

"Okay then. Greninja, use Water Shuriken!" Ash said.

Greninja sprang into the air almost immediately, reaching high into the sky. With the sun to his back, Greninja fired off a spinning blade of Water-like energy towards Ursaring.

"Ursaring, use Slash to counter!" Michael commanded.

Ursaring reached his arm back, claws extending. But before Ursaring was fully prepared, the Water Shuriken struck, knocking Ursaring stumbling back.

"Follow up with Aerial Ace!" Ash said.

Greninja streamlined his body and dived down towards Ursaring, preparing to attack once more. With a blinding speed, Greninja slammed into Ursaring before either it or his trainer could react.

"Geez, can that thing freaking Teleport?!" Michael exclaimed, noting Greninja's unbelievable speed.

"Man, I've heard tales of how powerful Greninja are, but this is my first time seeing one in action" Brendan commented. "That is one super Kalos native Pokemon."

"Well, then my only option is to knock its speed down a few pegs" Michael decided. "Ursaring, Rock Tomb!"

"Gregregregregre" Greninja sniggered when it heard the command.

"Yeah, I guess you remember what to do. Just like you did against Grant's Onix, right?" Ash laughed.

Ursaring's eyes became clouded with rage when it saw Greninja laugh it. "URRRRRSAAAAARING!" Ursaring roared, hurling a massive cracked boulder at Greninja, which split in midair into a hailstorm of stones.

"Go Greninja!" Ash cheered.

Greninja nodded. It leapt straight towards the incoming Rock Tomb attack. Greninja landed on a single boulder and shot off again, leaping from stone to stone, approaching Ursaring rapidly, leaving the Pokemon and the Trainer open mouthed.

Greninja soared off of the final boulder mere feet away from Ursaring. "Use Cut!" Ash prompted.

Greninja gripped his hand together, a blade of water forming in it. "GreninJA!" Greninja cried, swiping its Cut attack at the large Bear Pokemon.

Ursaring was struck hard, sending it flying into the turf, sending up a plume of sand. When it cleared, Ursaring was down for the count.

"Ursaring is unable to battle, Greninja is the winner!" Cilan declared.

"Dang, I couldn't even touch your Greninja" Michael complemented. "Well, I may be behind, but things are..." he said, reaching for his third Pokeball, but stopped as a beeping rang across the battlefield. "Hm?" Michael wondered, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a device. "Oh crap, I guess things are over!"

"What?" Ash asked.

"Sorry, but I've got to get back to Orre pronto, my home is under attack by Shadow Pokemon!" Michael said in an extremely hurried tone.

"Oh no, that's not good" Cilan said.

"Let us help you fight them off" Ash said.

"No, the Shadow Pokemon in Orre are my deal" Michael said. "Besides, you guys need to track down these guys' main forces." He sighed. "I hope that Lugia will keep healing in its Pokeball, because I need to transport it. I just wish I had him at full health, my Pokemon all of a disadvantage against Shadow Pokemon."

"Do you have a way to get to Orre from here?" Brendan asked. "I can have my Latios carry you over really fast, then have him come back."

"No, seriously, I've got this. My Dragonite knows Agility, and it moves incredibly fast" Michael assured. "Just make sure that you take down the rest of them. With them, Cipher should be near powerless again."

"Don't worry, that's our main goal" Red said.

"Ok" Michael said, plucking a Pokeball off his belt. "Dragonite, let's go, max speed transit" he said, summoning the Pseudo Legendary Dragon.

"Gooooouuuuuu!" Dragonite cried, leaning down to allow Michael to climb up.

Michael leapt onto Dragonite's back, then turned back to look at the group. "Good luck, you guys" he said, before urging Dragonite to take off into the air. Within moments, the orange dragon had disappeared into the clouds.

Red looked down and kicked the earth. "I can't believe how widespread those scum are corrupting the regions. Not only are they taking over entire cities and spreading fear throughout everyone, but now they are turning Pokemon into weapons of destruction. Oh, if we find their Plasma Frigate, I'm going to freaking have Mewtwo punch a hole in the hull, and watch them sink!"

Gold chuckled nervously. "Maybe it was a good thing that you didn't talk during our battle, because you say some pretty dark stuff."

Red took a deep breath. "Sorry about that, but after dealing with Team Rocket for so many years, I kind of have a short fuse when it comes down to swine like them."

"Well, I'm not sure that having your Mewtwo commit mass murder is the answer," Brendan said, "but our next goal should be to reach Kanto. Once Ash has partnered with Mew, maybe we'll stand a shot at taking them out."

"Come on, guys. We don't even know if Mew will show itself, much less join my team. Mew's life force is tied to too many Pokemon to count" Ash said.

"Yeah, but even Mew will understand how bad the situation is" Red countered. "With Legendary and Shadow Pokemon on their side, it's only a matter of time before they spread everywhere, including where Mew is hiding out."

"Fair enough" Ash smiled.

"Well, gang, what are we still doing here?" Brendan asked. "Let's leave now if we want to hit Kanto by nightfall."

"Right, let's go" Diamond said.

And in moments, Rayquaza was once more soaring through the afternoon sky, carrying his passengers towards the land of Kanto. "You know, I really don't like the sound of these Shadow Pokemon" Red said. "Pokemon that know moves that are super effective against any Pokemon? That doesn't sound like much of a picnic to fight."

"Well, since when are any of these missions a picnic to begin with?" Brendan laughed.

"True that, true that…" Red conceded. "Oh, and by the way, Ash, that was an amazing battle. That was your first time using Eevee, right?"

"Yeah, first time I took it out of the Pokeball since Giovanni gave it to me" Ash said.

"You battled really well for that being your first time with that Pokemon. Although, it did do a lot of the best moves on its own" Red said.

"Yeah, I've still got a lot to learn. It seems like you guys know what moves a Pokemon knows and what every single one does, and each Ability, and everything" Ash said.

Red laughed. "Come on, we don't nearly know everything. A lot of what I learned comes from experience, and studying data entries on my Pokedex. In time, you'll know at least as much as we know. Heck, your Eevee could teach you some strategies."

"Eevee seems to be a bit on the cocky side, though" Ash said.

"Well, it's smart, powerful, and has abilities most Pokemon can't even dream of. Each form gives it different immunities and abilities" Red said. "It could be ready for almost any situation. It could use bulking moves as an Umbreon, power up as an Espeon, then transfer all that power to its other forms. I do not want to see how powerful of a Hydro Pump it could use as a Vaporeon after powering up."

"You know, I still need to test out Drapion too. Maybe there's some sort of Battle Club in Viridian" Ash mused.

"Or you could always spar with us" Diamond said. "We're a team now, and teams help each other get stronger."

"Cool, I can't wait" Ash said.

Brendan whistled back. "Hey guys, Kanto ahoy!"

Ash craned his head to look around Rayquaza, and sure enough, on the horizon, stood his home region.

"I'm back" Ash said.


As always, read and review. Sorry it took so long to get this chapter up, I've been sick for a long time yet, so I've had trouble thinking clearly enough to write. But it's up now, so enjoy, and I'll see you all next time.