As Ash stood on the podium, Diantha and the other officials positioned in front of him, he could barely stop the corners of his mouth from twitching downwards. I don't understand. This is supposed to be happy and exciting – so why do I feel apprehensive about this? It doesn't feel like normal accepting-an-award nervousness, I know that at least. But where do I remember feeling this before…?

He didn't have time to contemplate further, though, as Diantha began speaking immediately afterwards. "Citizens of Kalos, we are gathered here today to honor and acknowledge the achievements of this year's Conference Champion. Overcoming the overwhelming strength of Mega Evolution, persevering through whatever challenges faced him, and letting his battles soar to new heights."

There was a smattering of laughter amongst the crowd at her words (especially from her staff members, who were aware that the opening sentences had been written well before the semi-finals took place). She graciously paused until it had run its course before continuing. "But as I am sure you all know, this has not been his only achievement here: the good Professor Sycamore informs me that Lumiose owes him a great debt for saving the city from an enraged Garchomp on the day he first arrived in Kalos. As a foreigner, he would have been well within his rights to simply report the incident to the authorities and be done with it – but instead he selflessly set aside his own safety to ensure the well-being of Pokémon, even to the point of sacrificing himself to save his Pikachu."

A small smile slipped onto her face. "And yes, that is the same Pikachu you all just saw take down a Tyranitar and a Metagross. It is my firm belief that this strength came about as a result of the bonds he has with his partners and the care he has for Pokémon, and that these are both qualities we ought to seek to emulate. Not just the strength of will and trust that enables Mega Evolution, but strength of character as well."

Diantha then turned to address Ash directly. "On behalf of the people of Lumiose City, I thank you for your service, and on behalf of this region's branch of the Pokémon League Committee, I congratulate you on your victory." She handed him an ornate sculpture, topped by the image of a Pokéball. "This trophy serves as a recognition of your abilities and a testament to your skill, and it is my great honor to be able to present it to you. Do you have any words you would like to say?"

Ash scratched the back of his neck, accepting the trophy with his left hand. "I guess just thanks and – GET DOWN!" Reflexively, Diantha ducked, and a massive black-and-red root shot through the space where her head had just been. Almost immediately afterwards, a glowing blue blade cut through it and it fell, revealing Ash with a sword composed of Aura in his hand as the other zipped up his backpack. Do you have any idea what's going on? he asked Serena as the crowd began vacating the stadium in a panic.

About halfway through Diantha's speech, Squishy started acting odd. she told him, mental voice sounding concerned. Then, right before you yelled, I felt a faint pulse of something – but it was apparently strong enough to make him run off without saying anything else. Bonnie and I are following him now.

Huh, now that I think about it, the energy in these roots does feel sort of like Squishy. Different, though – it feels warped, almost as if it was mixed with another type of energy I've felt before that it wasn't supposed to be.

"Ash, do you know where Mairin is?" Alain interrupted him. "You said you ran into her this morning; did she say anything then?"

"Yeah, she said she was going to be watching the battle with Lysandre…" Something clicked into place, and Ash took a closer look at the Mega Ring Alain was wearing. "Hold on, he told you that you were collecting Mega Evolution energy to heal Chespie, right?"

"Yeah – but why is that important right now?"

Ash's reply stopped Alain in his tracks. "Because these roots are full of the same energy as the Mega Ring he gave you, and it feels like it's being used to manipulate the energy of a Pokémon. Does Lysandre by any chance have a green Pokémon with one eye and a colored jewel in its stomach with him?"

Alain's eyes widened. "You're saying this is – Mega Evolution Energy and Z2?"

Ash nodded. "Unless I'm mistaken, which I highly doubt, Lysandre's been keeping his real plans secret from you this whole time. Which means Serena and I were right not to trust him when he tried to find out how Greninja's transformation works this morning."

"But why would he…" Alain's voice trailed off as he recalled his conversation with Kazuto. "Is he really trying to take over the world?"

Ash's face darkened. "Either that or destroy it. Which means we need to find Mairin and the others as soon as possible."

Alain clenched his fist. "But if Mairin is with Lysandre, or even was… he's bound to have someone standing by to take her hostage. And she'll probably trust them, since she doesn't know. There might even be an executive officer there, too."

Ash sighed. "And on top of that, we need to get to Lysandre so we can stop him. You said he trusts you, so there wouldn't be a problem there – unless you ended up fighting against that officer and he or she told Lysandre, which would mean…"

His eyes lit up as an idea came to him, and he quickly sent a copy of himself to go find Professor Sycamore. "I think I know a way we can get to him. If Professor Sycamore is there to watch Mairin, you can pretend to still be loyal to Lysandre and capture me. That way we'll probably get taken straight to him. And since the Professor is gonna know about the plan, he can play along and tell Mairin afterwards so she doesn't hate you for it."

Alain turned to face him, eyes burning. "One change. Instead of me capturing you, I pretend to be having a conflict of loyalties between my evil boss and my naïve but well-meaning rival while they do the capturing. I've worked with them before, and they'll be much more likely to buy that than the original plan."

Ash nodded in assent, and they began running for the exit again. As they did, he relayed the plan to Serena, who had a counter-suggestion of her own. Gotcha. Do you think we should try and rescue Chespie while you're up against Lysandre?

A swirl of images assaulted his mind, including Kazuto and Clemont typing rapidly on a set of keyboards while Korrina watched nervously, Blaziken Mask standing protectively over a worried Bonnie, and Mairin staring up at Serena with a hopeful look on her face in an unfamiliar set of hallways.

Her voice then echoed in his mind again, much more quietly than before. Ouch. Sorry you had to feel that too – I forgot how bad of a headache that gave me last time. Don't worry, I can still fight, though. I just won't be able to use my psychic abilities for a while once this link goes down.

Ash sent a pulse of energy across the connection, along with a sense of encouragement. Well, at least we know where people need to go now. And I know you already know this, but stay as safe as you can out there. I don't want you to get hurt.

A weak surge of affection managed to make it back along the decaying connection. Y..u ..oo. ….v.. y…. ..sh.

Love you too, Serena. he replied, closing off his end. Now let's go save the world!

As Ash and Alain approached the balcony near Lysandre's viewing box, Ash scanned the area for any concealed Flare agents. His job was made harder by the fact that Zygarde's roots were everywhere, saturating the air with their twisted Mega Evolution energy, but he managed to scope out the situation just before they came into earshot. Tapping Alain on the shoulder, he held up four fingers on each hand.

Four enemies, four Pokémon with them. Alain nodded almost imperceptibly, eyes focused on the splash of green and red that was currently calling his name. "Alain, thank goodness you're here!"

"Don't worry." he called back, not even needing to fake the protectiveness in his voice. "I'll get you out of there. Charizard, give me a lift!"

There was a surge of power from a device one of the agents held (marking that person as an executive), and the flow of the energy mixture changed to direct a pair of massive roots to erupt between them and Mairin. Alain called for a Dragon Claw and Ash for an Iron Tail, but each time one set of roots was severed another took its place.

"This isn't working – we'll have to find another way around!" Ash said loudly, both for Mairin's benefit and the hidden Flare Admin's. "Try and find Professor Sycamore, and we'll meet up with you there!"

"Okay!" Mairin yelled back. "Be careful, Alain!"

As Mairin's footsteps retreated, the concealed Admin moved from her hiding spot to a vantage point on top of the root structure. Ash, noticing this, turned as if to leave – only for a Sludge Bomb to impact the ground in front of him. "Oh no you don't. My boss wants to have a word with you, Ash."

Ash swiveled to face her, setting his feet in an aggressive stance when she came into his field of vision. "You – you're one of the ones who was after Squishy in the cave, weren't you?"

The woman laughed. "I'm so flattered that you remember me. But like I said, you're my target this time. One of my colleagues is going after Z-1." Her voice took on a sing-song quality. "Come along, Alain. We wouldn't want to keep Lysandre waiting, would we?"

If Alain didn't know better, he would have sworn the incredulity in Ash's voice was genuine. "Wait, you two know each other?"

A snort escaped her lips. "Know each other? We work for the same boss. And Alain, that boss is ordering you to give him a face-to-face report right now."

"The same boss? Alain, what's she talking about?" Ash grabbed Alain's wrist, pretending to try and pull him away, but Alain stood firmly in place with a trying-and-failing-to-hide-my-emotions look on his face. "C'mon, Alain, we need to go find Mairin!"

"I'm afraid you can't do that." the woman stated, snapping her fingers. As if they had been waiting for a signal, three Flare grunts emerged from the shadows and surrounded them.

"Don't worry, Pikachu." Ash said, voice full of confidence. "We can take care of them all, even without Alain's help."

"Ah-ah-ah. We knew we couldn't stand up to you in a straight fight, so we had a contingency plan. Drapion, Confuse Ray!"

A series of glowing yellow orbs was launched toward him, and he snorted inwardly at their slow pace (relatively speaking). If you were really serious, you wouldn't have wasted that time monologuing. I probably could have taken out half these Pokémon myself by now… Retreating into his 'mental mansion,' he closed all the 'doors' to the outside to prevent the mindscape-warping technique from disturbing his own mind. I'll play along to find Lysandre, but good luck actually affecting me with that.

Unfortunately for him, his clone chose that exact moment to dispel and come sauntering back into his mindscape to unload its memories. "Hey, Boss – what are you doing in here? And what's with all those weird color-swirly things outside? The Professor just found Mairin, by the way."

The swirling wave of yellow rushed in through the now-open door and turned the 'room' upside down (literally in some cases, metaphorically in others). Thankfully, the effect was contained to that room and that room only, but the fact still remained that it had affected him. And now, if he wanted to be able to fight effectively later, he had to actually be unconscious (for all intents and purposes) rather than pretend to be so he could re-organize his thoughts.

"Eh heh heh… whoops. Good thing for me I'm about to disappear, right?"

Ash looked around the room at the piles of scattered paper, and wondered not for the first time why he had chosen a newspaper archive room to organize his memories of encounters with Legendary Pokémon. Man, this paperwork is going to take me forever to get through… he griped, vaguely aware of his physical body being restrained and loaded onto an airship. *sigh* If nothing else, maybe I can find and remember an old tactic that Lysandre may not be expecting. Cracking his knuckles, he began to tackle the one task that was the bane of Rock-type Gym Leaders everywhere.

Half a region away, the Anistar Gym leader was cut off by Grant sneezing on the other end of the phone line. "Sorry about that. You were saying there was an emergency?"

Olympia nodded mysteriously. "The threads of fate are being woven anew, and I sense that all our combined strength shall be needed to defend the world against its impending doom. The Mentor, the Apprentice, the Hero, and the Guardian are doing what they can, but against this Fire none can stand alone. The city of the Star shall be our gathering place, for the Crystal Dragon desires to swallow the Sun."

Her statement was followed by several seconds of silence, during which Grant blinked disorientedly. "Well, that definitely sounds ominous. By 'city of the Star,' I'm guessing you mean Anistar City?"

This time, Olympia's nod seemed less mysterious. "I believe so. And I sincerely apologize if you are confused, but my abilities drain too much of my strength if the vision is not vague or cryptic."

Grant held back a chuckle. "Got it. Do you want me to call some of the other Gym Leaders so we can get ready faster?"

Olympia's mouth twitched upward. "Why do you think I contacted you first? You tell Ramos and Wulfric, while I alert Valerie and Viola. The other two shall come in their own timing."

"Right." The image on the screen winked away – coinciding eerily with the blackout of every other screen in the vicinity.

"And so it begins…" Olympia intoned gravely, dialing the next number on her list as the image of a fiery stylized F swirled into place on the television.

"Greetings, citizens of Kalos." a commanding voice announced over the hijacked news feed. "For those of you who do not know me, my name is Lysandre. This symbol you see on your screens is the mark of Team Flare: an organization which seeks to return the world to perfection, and by doing so to bring peace to this land."

The image shifted to show a massive red-and-black serpentine Pokémon perched atop Prism Tower and gazing over the city. "This is the Legendary Pokémon known as Zygarde, and it is angry with the corruption and selfishness that have invaded our world. We, being of the same mind, have allied ourselves with this powerful Pokémon – and in return, Team Flare shall be allowed to lead the world into this bright new era."

"Yeah, right." Kazuto scoffed as the group stopped so Bonnie could catch her breath. "More like they made Zygarde angry but hypnotized it into ignoring them. Nice try making yourself seem like the good guys, though."

Lysandre's pre-recorded message ignored him. "Unfortunately, this selfishness – this ungratefulness – has grown too deeply into our society to save from within. People steal what they do not need, withholding it from those who do and even destroying it to increase others' dependency on them. As such, Zygarde has decided that the world must start anew, which in turn will allow both humans and Pokémon to live free of this world's corruption once again. And only those who have been judged worthy shall be allowed to remain."

Another snort. "AKA you and your gang of fashion-blind goons?" Crouching down, Kazuto gestured to his back. "Get on, Bonnie. This may not be Aincrad, but I'm pretty sure my Strength stat is still high enough to carry you for a while."

"Thanks for that, Kazuto." Clemont said, nodding gratefully. "I would do it myself, but…" He tapped his backpack sheepishly. "Even though my endurance has been getting better, I don't think I could carry her and this that far."

Korrina grinned, slinging an arm around his shoulder. "See? I told ya skating would be good for you, didn't I? Now, let's get going. To Prism Tower!"

After several minutes of running, the group was intercepted by an imposing figure who stood firmly in their path. "I'm sorry, but I cannot allow you to pass."

Serena, however, would have none of it. "You can, and you will." she said, eyes flashing as she strode boldly forward. "Not every hero is a superhero, and even the best heroes need backup sometimes. We have a mission, and we're going to complete it – with you."

Blaziken Mask blinked for several seconds, confused to the point that he missed Clembot's arrival on the scene. "I thought for sure the saying went 'with or without you'…"

Serena shook her head, directing Braixen to burn away an approaching root with a flick of her hand. "I managed to catch a glimpse of the future like Olympia does, and you were there with Bonnie. That means either we're going to Prism Tower with you, or else you're going there with us."

The vigilante sighed heavily, shoulders slumping in resignation. "Fine, but stay behind me. I shall do my best to protect you all."

There was a flash of blue and silver, and Kazuto stood less than a foot away from him, the glow of Sacred Sword fading from Genos' blade as an advancing root fell into pieces. "Offer appreciated, but I feel it would be best if the lead position switched periodically to preserve strength. And whoever's not running point can be carrying Bonnie. No use getting there only for one of us to be exhausted."

Blaziken Mask nodded. "Point taken." He turned away in a swirl of cloth and began swiftly walking toward the center of the city.

His next words were spoken much more quietly, as if all his bravado had vanished for a moment. "And I'm sorry you had to go through something like this before, to think of that so quickly. I hate to see that age-born-of-experience look in the eyes of a face so young."

Kazuto smiled wryly in agreement as he and the rest of the group started jogging to catch up. "Sometimes, I feel the exact same way about myself."

Up on the tower, as Lysandre explained his plan, it was taking all Alain had not to break and lash out at his employer. In keeping with the plan, he had tried to keep his reactions the same as if he was finding out for the first time – but hearing Lysandre's words and expecting them made his disgust all the more potent.

"See, Alain? With the power of Zygarde on our side, we can finally have world peace."

Thankfully, Lysandre mistook his internal conflict as simple indecision, and Alain decided to play up that image as best as he could. "And how exactly does destroying the city bring about peace and protection?" he challenged, his voice cracking slightly.

Lysandre only smiled. "Ah yes, I forgot you were on the airship when my message was broadcast." His eyes then narrowed. "This peace and protection belongs only to the chosen few."

Behind him, the red Zygarde shifted to look at something around the corner, and the amusement returned to Lysandre's face. "So the prodigal finally returns to us. Welcome back, Z-1."

Squishy, standing there in his canine 10% Forme, ignored the jab. "Speak to me, brother! What have they done to you?"

"If… stands in way… is… enemy…" the red Zygarde rumbled in response, sending out a Dragon Pulse that Squishy's lower number of gathered Cells could not hope to match. "Must… destroy!"

Alain gazed on in horror as Squishy fell from the tower, reverting to his base form as he did so. The indecision now gripped him worse than ever, his brain torn between following the plan and trying to take out Lysandre where he stood.

The Flare Boss put his hand to his ear briefly, then turned to face Alain once again. "I see that you are conflicted about this. Such a shame – perhaps your friend shall be easier to persuade. And then once he sees the light, I am sure you will follow his example."

He gestured towards the platform above them with a wave of his hand, and a series of metal spheres rose up into Alain's field of vision. Suspended between those spheres were Ash and all his Pokémon – from Pikachu, Charizard, and Goodra on one side to Noivern, Hawlucha, and Talonflame on the other, with Ash and Greninja positioned in the center. All appeared to be asleep or unconscious, on top of the restraints preventing them from moving.

Alain growled. "I know that Charizard wouldn't have gone down without a fight – what did you do?"

"Merely had my scientists release them into a field of concentrated Hypnosis beams, Spores, and Sleep Powder." Lysandre said dismissively. "After all, I couldn't have him acting rashly before I finish giving him my offer, could I?"

His eyes were then drawn upwards as Ash began to stir. "Ah, it seems our guest is waking up. Let us hope he makes the right choice."

Zygarde roared again, punctuating Lysandre's statement with an aura of doom. And in that instant, it became crystal clear: no matter who made them, the choices made atop that tower would determine the fate of the entire world.

Omake: pls do a stopping

As soon as Kazuto saw Zygarde displayed on the video screen, he knew exactly what needed to be done. "Serena. I know you're tired from that vision you just told us about, but do you think you can muster up the energy for one last Teleport? I need to get to the top of that tower as quickly as I can."

"I don't know, but I'll try."

"Here, eat this." Braixen told her, rummaging through Serena's backpack and pulling out a Berry. "Leppa Berries help restore attack energy faster – I learned that from Nurse Joy's emergency reference books that day we were volunteering. Even if you're not a Pokémon, it still might help, and it never hurts to try."

Serena smiled gratefully. "Thanks, Braixen." As she chewed, she contemplated the most efficient way to Teleport him. Even when she was included, longer-distance Teleports took more energy, and third-party Teleports took even more. It was almost as if the universe itself was pushing back against her efforts to move objects to locations it didn't think they were supposed to be.

Too bad I can't make the universe think we're supposed to be in a different place… she thought. …or can I? After all, back in Aincrad, each person's location was registered as a set of three coordinates that determined where in the castle Cardinal thought you were – so what would happen if she tried changing the location metadata rather than personally moving all the information from one point to another?

The scenery twisted, and with a pop of displaced air Kazuto was now standing directly in front of the raging Zygarde. Calling upon the infinite wisdom of the internet, he extended his finger and gently poked the massive snake's nose.

Immediately, the red glow around Zygarde disappeared and it began shrinking as its Cells left again. Lysandre watched, eyes wide with horror, as months of his life's work went down the drain in a single minute.

"…what did you do?" he whispered disbelievingly, unable to comprehend what just happened.

In return, Kazuto grinned. "It's a little secret I picked up over the years I spent as a socially helpless nerd. You wanna know what it is?"

As Lysandre stood there doing his best Magikarp impression, Kazuto told him the 'secret' in his most dramatic voice.

"If ur snek not doin a happy, boop the snoot or heck off pls."