Ash trotted through the city in light spirits, refreshed with new energy. After Giovanni gave him the money, he didn't hesitate to take advantage of it. He accomplished that by finding a fancy restaurant and eating all five courses there. After having his full, he paid the bill and went on to the next thing.
He bought a new backpack and crammed it with tons of supplies. He'll be prepared if he had to take another unexpected trip, but if that trip was another kidnapping, his efforts just went into waste. Now the young trainer thought about what to do next.
He needed to find his friends as soon as possible. But there was no telling where Cilan and Iris could be now. He was thinking of checking the Pokémon Center, as it would be the first place they could be. If they weren't, he'll take advantage of being at the Center to rent a room and get some much needed rest. Since he remembered the Subway Bosses as his last vivid memory, he'll go to them for help if his search failed. Ash nodded with approval, proud of his plan.
"Don't sweat it, Pikachu, we'll find everybody," he promised.
"Pika, pika-pi," his partner replied.
They walked down a few busy streets to find the Pokémon Center. It was a large three-story building, tucked in a corner next to a small plaza. It was twice the size of a regular Center, due to its metropolis setting and the fact it held exclusive features, including a Pokémon spa.
Trainers were walking in and out of the main entrance, automatic glass sliding doors, accompanied by either Pokémon or a fellow battler. Ash and Pikachu followed the flow of travelers in. They were greeted with a huge lobby: the receptionist desk straight ahead from the door, various furniture taking up half the space, several doors along the walls leading to different parts of the building, and even a staircase to the right leading to the balcony of the second floor. Polished purple tiles gleamed on the floor with various colors splattered across the walls. The lobby was crammed with trainers as they rested between errands and prepared for their next battle, whatever it may be.
Even though he had been there before, Ash paused for a moment with a small gasp to absorb it all. This place was nothing like the other Pokémon Centers in Unova. He snapped himself out of his thoughts and returned to business. He neared the front desk to be greeted with a Nurse Joy patiently waiting. She had her hands folded in front of her and she wore a warm expression.
"Hello, how may I help you?" she asked.
"Yes, I like to rent a room for the night, please," Ash replied politely.
She nodded and focused her attention to a computer set up in front of her. "Alright, let me set one up for you."
She had only typed in a few buttons when suddenly Pikachu started freaking out. The mouse's eyes became wide and his ears perked up all the way. He let out a small growl and leaped off Ash's shoulder so hard the trainer stumbled to keep his balance.
"Pika, pika, pikachu!" the Pokémon snarled, letting off sparks from his cheeks as he took a battle stance.
Ash and Nurse Joy froze, staring at Pikachu's sudden aggression with bewilderment. Ash was about to ask what was going on until he recognized commotions happening across the lobby. Trainers gasped as their Pokémon ripped away from them and glared a challenge at nothing, much like Pikachu.
"What in the world?" Nurse Joy gasped.
Her question was answered as there was a bang. Ash jumped, startled. When hearing it again, he whirled around toward the noise. An air conditioning vent high up on the wall was the only thing he saw. The trainer winced again as the metal screen suddenly shook violently, accompanied by the bang. Fellow trainers also noticed, anxiously shifting and staring at the source. There were a couple more slams, and then the vent was replaced by a cloud of debris as the portion of the wall exploded. Rocks and dust flew in all direction, forcing a few to cover their heads.
Everyone else gasped and leaped away. At the same time, a powerful blue beam shot from the smoke cloud and struck the ground. As the beam dragged across the floor, large ice formations immediately formed. The closest trainers to the Ice Beam let out cries of fear and fled.
Ash watched with shock as then a dozen Pokémon flew out into the open from the same origin. They were about three feet in diameter, as they were the shape of an octagon. Their bodies were made of solid ice, sharp points lining the edges. Two round glowing eyes were set in the middle of a large crack in the center of the body. A smaller crack was located just under the eyes, this one in the shape of a frown, a chain of ice hanging from it. As Ash observed it, the Pokémon looked like a giant snowflake with a face. The creature had an aggressive look and its blank eyes seemed to glare at the surroundings.
Never seeing the Pokémon before, Ash instinctively reached into his pocket and pulled out his new Pokedex. He felt a little guilty realizing it was probably a bad time, but when he saw a few other trainers doing the same thing, he was relieved. The black and gray Pokedex opened and lit up, revealing a picture identical to the Pokémon. The male electronic voice sounded.
"Cryogonal, the Crystallizing Pokémon," the device identified. "When Cryogonal's body temperature rises, it turns into steam and vanishes. It can capture prey with chains made of ice."
Ash looked up and stared at the Pokémon, Cryogonal. It sounded like a tricky Pokémon. Well, it wouldn't be the first time. Even though all the Pokémon in the Center were ready for battle, some even rushing in, Ash couldn't make himself attack the intruders without a good reason. Instead he turned to Nurse Joy, whose mouth was dropped open and staring in shock.
"Nurse Joy, what's going on?" he asked.
The nurse blinked, snapping herself out of her trance and focused on the boy. "I-I don't know. Cryogonal aren't found anywhere near here. And never in my lifetime have I heard or seen anything like this."
Ash blinked. "Then how—"
He couldn't finish as suddenly Pikachu shouted out a warning. Ash jumped away as dozens of shards of ice rapidly shot at where his feet once been. He looked up to see an angry Cryogonal floating above him. It looked like he had no choice.
"Pikachu, use Electro Ball!"
Pikachu cried a confirmation and jumped into the air. A coat of electricity covered the mouse that quickly collected in his tail. The electricity concentrated into a sphere at the tip of the lightning-shaped tail. Once it was fully charged, Pikachu yelled again and flung the attack at the Cryogonal. It impacted the ice Pokémon square in the face. There was a small explosion of smoke before the victim fell to the ground.
In the corner of Ash's eye, he saw other trainers recollecting with their Pokémon and organizing their own attacks. Those without Pokémon understood to stay out of the way and hid behind makeshift shelters. It was pretty much chaos, but Ash kept himself in a positive mood. These trainers looked strong and he couldn't see them losing. The Cryogonal didn't look that scary. But as if the universe wanted to make fun of his arrogance, a dozen more Cryogonal flew out of the new hole in the wall. These seemed bigger and meaner than the first wave.
There was a quick echo of dismayed groans from stressed trainers. Ash glanced at Pikachu. They exchanged a determined look and Ash said, "Let's do it, Pikachu."
Then trainer and Pokémon charged into the battle.