"Deeear! Dear! Come quickly! That Team Plasma, they're threatening to steal some bones!" The person yelling was the man who gave Ash the quick tour, Hawes.

Lenora frowned. "What? What's going on?" Lenora quickly rushed out of the basement leaving Ash alone with his Pokémon. Ash turned to Oshawott and Pikachu and nodded, returning Oshawott, and ran after them.

As soon as the three exited the library, all they could see was smoke covering the entire museum and hear employees and visitors screaming. "What's going on!?" Lenora ran up to the smoke but quickly backed up as a Pokémon and person stepped forward out of the smoke, a Watchog and a Plasma Grunt.

Ash meanwhile looked carefully at the smoke. It wasn't a Poison Gas or Smog, nothing that can specifically hurt people, but could hinder vision. It was either a smoke bomb or a Pokémon attack. Ash doubted it was the former because no smoke bomb he's seen covered an entire room so it had to be an attack. Ash felt some sort of familiarity with this smoke.

"This is a Haze attack," Ash muttered, wishing he had Pidove with him. Ash started to think of all the Pokémon he's seen in Unova capable of learning such an attack but he didn't have enough knowledge of Unova to be able to determine that.

Lenora glared at the Plasma Grunt. "Explain yourself!"

"We're here to reclaim something. Something you have taken and placed on display for the purpose of humiliation!" The Plasma Grunt exclaimed.

"What are you going on about? I will not stand by and let you do as you please! Lillipup!" Lenora sent out a Lillipup to fight the Grunt's Watchog. "Ash, you go stop them!"

Ash nodded and ran into the Haze. Lenora turned back to the Plasma Grunt. "Heh, you think you can beat me with a Lillipup?"

Lenora smirked. "You seem to not know who I am, I am the Gym Leader of Nacrene City, the master of the Normal Types. Watch, as your big, tough Watchog falls to the cute Lillipup. Thunder Fang!" Lillipup's mouth started to electrify as it jumped and bit Watchog hard. "Hidden Power!" Balls of energy appeared around Lillipup who fired them straight at Watchog.

"Grr, Revenge Watchog!" Watchog ran up to Lillipup, ready to deliver the fierce strike. Lillipup stood its ground as Watchog sent it flying with the super effective, stronger attack. "Heh, checkmate."

"Yes. I win, Reversal," Lenora said as Lillipup glowed before charging straight at Watchog, sending it into the Museum wall, knocked out.

"You're kidding! What!?" The Plasma Grunt returned Watchog and was about to flee but was stopped by Lillipup and an Audino. Audino quickly detained the Grunt and Lenora walked up to him.

Ash saw red eyes piercing the Haze. "Pikachu!" Pikachu jumped off of Ash's shoulder and used Thunderbolt, striking the Pokémon which was a Patrat and knocking it out.

"What was that? Hey, it's that kid with the foreign Pokémon!" Ash turned around but all he could see was the black Haze.

"We must liberate it! Such a rare Pokémon doesn't deserve to be captured by a Trainer who will do nothing but mistreat it!"

Ash kept turning at the voices but was unable to see anyone. "How can they see? Do they have some sort of goggles? Stop hiding in this stupid Haze!"

"Who are you to make demands of us?" Ash was about to say something until he heard Pikachu scream. Pikachu was hit by an attack and Ash had no idea what it was. "It was a fast attack, but was it a physical attack or a ranged attack? And I don't want to hurt any innocent people…" Ash then heard Lenora speak from her fight.

"You will tell me everything. Don't think we League Associates have been just ignoring everything you Plasma people are doing. What is this all for?"

The Grunt glared before declaring their motives in an extremely loud voice. "To liberate Pokémon! Break them from their shackles! Save them from humans!"

In response, Ash heard a few dozen cheers from the Haze and was surprised at the amount of Plasma Grunts in the Museum. "Doesn't matter if there are a hundred of them! I'll defeat them all!"

"And how do you plan on doing that when you can't even see?" A Grunt asked, hidden.

"Simple! Pikachu, come back. Go Munna!" Ash released Munna and heard the Grunt laugh.

"This is too convenient! Go!"

"Defense Curl!" Munna rolled up as she was hit by an attack. Despite putting up her guard, she still took some damage.

Ash watched carefully and took note that it was a Purrloin this time. Ash looked at Pikachu who was also watching carefully and used Thunderbolt, hitting Purrloin and knocking it out. "Awesome Pikachu, Munna!" Munna floated over to Ash who responded by petting her head.

Ash heard the Grunt sniff as they returned their Purrloin. "How cruel! Using your Pokémon as mere bait! This is why we must liberate Pokémon from trainers as cruel as you."

Ash's eyes widened as he heard the sounds of multiple Pokeballs opening from around him. He clenched his fists as he was no doubt surrounded.

"Tranquill, Gust!" Ash turned to the entrance only to put his arm in front of him as gusts of wind filled the Museum, blowing the Haze away. Ash put down his arms and saw two familiar faces standing at the entrance.

"Cheren! Bianca!" Ashe exclaimed, surprised by their appearance.

"Ganging up on someone isn't very nice! Flame Charge, Pignite!" Bianca exclaimed and her Pignite that was standing by her side was engulfed in flames before charging at all the Pokémon the Team Plasma Grunts released, knocking out one by one.

Cheren approached Ash and pushed up his glasses. "We heard some screams and shouts so we decided to see what was going. I didn't imagine this."

Before Ash could say anything, he just heard the Grunts shouting to retreat and soon the Museum was empty with just the visitors and them. Ash then turned to Bianca. "Wow, you've gotten much stronger Bianca!"

Before Bianca can say anything, Cheren interrupted. "She had an easier time because of this." Cheren pulled out an orange gem. Ash and Pikachu looked at it in amazement. "This is a Fire Gem. Bianca happened to be lucky and found two in Wellspring Cave before we even got there. It boosts a Fire Type move by a significant amount but can only be used once it seems."

"Wow, that's amazing. Those would definitely be useful in a battle!"

Cheren nodded and handed Ash the gem. "You can have this one. Bianca gave it to me but at the moment I do not have any Fire Type moves."

Ash accepted the gem and put it in his bag. "Thanks Cheren!"

Cheren nodded and returned Tranquill. Ash also returned Munna and Bianca returned Pignite before walking up to them. "Anyways Ash, we were wondering if you've seen Hilda?"

"Huh? No I haven't visited her today. I was going to after I got my badge though," Ash said, tilting his head. "Why, what's up?"

Cheren and Bianca shared a glance before looking back at Ash. "Hilda was discharged earlier today. Problem is, we can't find her anywhere." That got Ash's attention and he grew a worried expression. "Even worse, no one has seen her since she left the hospital."

"Cheren!" Cheren turned to Bianca who was glaring at Cheren. "Don't say stuff like that so bluntly! You've made Ash worried!" Cheren turned back to Ash and noticed Ash was looking down with his hands clenched, appearing to be in deep thought.

Cheren sighed. "You make it seem like we aren't worried either. We're her best friends, I don't think I could stand it if something happened to her again. But that's why we need to stay calm and think about this, right Ash?"

Ash looked up and took a deep breath before nodding. "Yeah, you're right Cheren. But I just can't stand here and do nothing either. So if you've got a plan say it otherwise I'm-" Ash was cut off by a shout from Lenora. The three trainers turned around to see Lenora and Hawes looking horrified.

"What's wrong, Mrs. Lenora?" Cheren asked.

Lenora glared at the Dragon statue in front of her. "Those Plasma scum stole my Dragon Skull!"

"WHAT!?" Ash and Bianca exclaimed before looking up at the statue and sure enough, the skull was missing.

"Why would they want the skull of a dragon?" Bianca asked before shivering. "That's just…creepy!"

"They said they wanted to reclaim something, but this skull belongs to no one but that Dragon," Lenora said before heading to the exit. "Cheren, Bianca, mind guarding the museum? Ash, come with me and help me search for the Skull."

Ash looked between Cheren and Bianca. The three had similar thoughts, each wanting to help Lenora but also wanting to search for their friend. A minute passed in silence until Cheren spoke. "Let's help Mrs. Lenora. If I had to guess, Hilda probably chased after Team Plasma already. If I'm right, you better find her quickly."

Ash nodded and followed Lenora out of the museum. As soon as they exited the museum, they stopped at the large number of police officer and spectators. "It seems my husband called the police and people learned what happened. News spreads fast around here, Lenora said looking over the crowd.

A man appeared, waving to an officer, before approaching Lenora and Ash. He has brown hair which was curled. He was wearing a green V-shirt along with pink pants with green stripes and a red scarf. "Good day Lenora. How have you been? Find any good fossils lately?"

Lenora put a hand to her forehead. "What makes you think that, with all the police around here?" Lenora shook her head and turned to Ash. "Ash, meet Burgh. He's an artist who suffers artist's block more than any artist I know."

Burgh placed a hand over his heart. "Now that's a cruel introduction, Lenora! Artist's block is very serious!" Burgh turned to Ash and extended his hand. "Good to meet you Ash, I'm Burgh. A famous artist as well as the Castelia City Gym Leader." Ash's eyes widened as he shook Burgh's hand.

"Really!? You're a Gym Leader!?" Ash's eyes shined for a second before remembering their objective. He turned to Lenora. "We should start looking fast."

Lenora nodded and Burgh looked at all the police officers. "Things seem hectic around here. What's up Lenora?"

Lenora turned to Burgh and put her hands on her hips. "What's up!? Those Plasma goons you said were 'harmless' stole an exhibit, that's what's up!"

Despite the sudden outburst, Burgh remained calm and put a hand under his chin. "Now, now, let's be calm about this. They can't escape from me, I'll String Shot them and bring them back here. I'll go check the Pinwheel Forest."

"Good. Ash, go with Burgh, make sure he doesn't get distracted. I'll go check the east. Burgh, you show Ash the way. I'm counting on you two!" Lenora headed off and Burgh turned to Ash.

"Well, Ash, you raring to round up our robbers?"

Ash grinned. "You bet!"

Burgh nodded. "I like that. I feel I can get some inspiration soon. Come on, follow me." The two headed off to Pinwheel Forest. On the way there, Ash noticed the area seemed familiar.

"Hey Pikachu, didn't we fight N here?" Pikachu thought about it before nodding. "Yeah, it was up there." Ash pointed to the top of a cliff.

"Lenora was worried about me being distracted?" Burgh laughed and Ash immediately went back to following Burgh, until Burgh himself got distracted by a wild Throh and Tympole. "Oh that pose! How inspiring!" Ash sweat dropped as Burgh quickly dug out a sketchpad and started to sketch.

"Burgh, come on! We can't waste time here!"

"While this may be considered wasting time to you, it's actually strategy for me."

"What?"

"Now Swadloon!" Burgh tossed a Pokeball and appeared a yellow coloured Pokémon that was surrounded in a cloak of leaves. The Throh was about to kick the Tympole but Swadloon quickly used String Shot on the Throh's legs, making it trip. Burgh walked over to the Pokémon. "Now, now. No need for violence, what's wrong?"

The Tympole and Throh both started to speak and Ash noticed the Tympole was injured already. Burgh looked around the area and noticed some rocks were destroyed. "Well isn't this something. Seems like there was a big fight." Ash looked around and noticed Burgh was right, but what did that have to do with these two Pokémon? "You wouldn't happen to have fought with people who look like this, would you?" Burgh flipped some pages in his sketchbook before stopping at a sketch of a Team Plasma Grunt.

Throh nodded while Tympole started to shake at the image. "It's a shame I can't understand what they are saying," Burgh said, crossing his arms. "But it seems like Team Plasma had attacked these two and presumably other Pokémon in the area."

Ash had an idea and turned to Pikachu who knew what Ash wanted and jumped down from his shoulder to converse with the Pokémon. When Pikachu was finished, he started to relay everything to Ash. "Tympole's entire family was captured by Team Plasma, but Tympole was left because it was too weak. Throh was walking buy and scared Tympole who attacked it."

Burgh looked at Ash in amazement. "Are you able to communicate with Pokémon?"

Ash rubbed the back of his head as Pikachu jumped back on his shoulder. "Not exactly, it's just Pikachu and I have been with each other for so long we just understand each other."

"How incredible. I believe an image is appearing, yes! I can see it now! The next masterpiece! Now let's hurry and retrieve this exhibit so I can head back to Castelia!" Burgh returned Swadloon and turned around and started heading off to the forest.

"Wait Burgh," Ash said suddenly, making Burgh turn around. Ash glanced at the two Pokémon. "How did you know something was wrong? How could you tell what attack Throh was going to use? What was the point of all this?"

"To answer your first question, seeing two Pokémon as different as Throh and Tympole conversing is unusual. Second, by this." Burgh showed Ash the quick sketch he made of Throh. "An artist sees details that a normal person doesn't. With the way Throh posed and shifted its leg, I knew it was going to use Low Kick. And third, to resolve an innocent conflict and gain information. With this, we now know Team Plasma has headed this way."

The respect Ash had for Burgh went up significantly. Ash then glanced back at the Tympole, as Throh already left. The Tympole kept looking at the two trainers. "Hey Burgh, why don't you take Tympole with you?"

"Hm?" Burgh looked back at Tympole. "…Sure why not. I could use a variety, and this little Tympole looks like it could grant me a whole different type of inspiration." Burgh tossed a Pokeball and caught Tympole with ease. With that, the two entered the forest.

"Well what do we have here?" Burgh's voice made the many people in front of them turn around. In front of Ash and Burgh were over 20 Team Plasma Grunts.

"It's that kid from the museum!"

"It's a Gym Leader!"

The grunts looked between themselves before two stepped forward and sent out two Pokémon, a Patrat and a Pidove.

"It was very nice of you to not go into hiding," Burgh said sending out a Whirlipede. "Trample them." Whirlipede rolled and crashed into the two Pokémon, knocking them out immediately.

"We don't stand a chance against a Gym Leader! First some girl, now a Gym Leader!" The Plasma Grunts started to run. This caught Ash's attention and he quickly grabbed on by the hood.

"Some girl? Who!?" The grunt squirmed under Ash's glare.

"S-some girl who decided to meddle with us! Sage Gorm left after her, she'll be getting what she deserves soon enough-Ah!" The grunt was then tied up in a String Shot by Burgh's Swadloon.

"I'll be taking him with me to the north and blocking the exit there. Ash, continue going deeper into the forest and find the exhibit, and your friend."

Ash's eyes widened, not recalling telling Burgh about Hilda. "How did you…?"

Burgh smirked. "I simply read into what you said to this poor sap…heh, that and your eyes are full of worry. The only people who worry that much over some hunk of rock are Lenora and Clay. An artist can see the smallest of details you know. So get going."

Ash nodded and ran off. "Man Pikachu, Burgh is going to be one tough Gym Leader." Ash kept running until he heard some voices.

"What luck? I caught a Pansear!"

"Don't use it in battle, we need it at its full strength."

Ash decided to step out. "Hey!"

There was a total of four grunts. "Shoot it's the kid!"

"The Gym Leader isn't with him, let's liberate his Pokémon!"

"Yeah!" Three of the four grunts sent out their Pokémon, which were Lillipup, Herdier, and Venipede.

After quickly scanning Venipede, Ash sent out Munna and Tepig and Pikachu jumped off his shoulder. "Psybeam on Venipede, Flame Charge at Herdier, Thunderbolt on Lillipup!" Venipede and Lillipup fell immediately without doing anything while Herdier was still standing.

"Herdier, Take Down!" Herdier charged straight towards Tepig.

"Munna, Psybeam! Tepig, Ember!" The two Pokémon used their attacks to stop Herdier's charge. "Pikachu, Iron Tail!" Pikachu jumped and slammed his ironclad tail on Herdier's head, knocking it out.

"Well? Are you going to help out?" The three grunts returned their Pokémon and looked at the fourth grunt.

The fourth grunt shook his head. "That girl from before took out my other Pokémon."

"Girl from before? Did she have an Oshawott? Or a Purrloin? Or a Pansear?" Ash asked.

The grunt nodded before coming to a realization. "Oh great, you two are friends. No wonder she was so strong. Cocky too, Sage Gorm will give her the ultimate punishment for interrupting us."

"What do you mean by that?" Ash asked, stepping forward with his three Pokémon.

"He means Sage Gorm will get rid of her, like we will of you!" A grunt sent out a Pansear. "Incinerate everything!" The Pansear opened its mouth and fired flame blasts at their surroundings, even at Ash once.

"What do you think you're doing!? Pikachu! Munna!" Pikachu and Munna used Thunderbolt and Psybeam respectively at Pansear but the grunt quickly returned Pansear.

"I would say it's been fun, but it hasn't. Good luck kid." The Plasma Grunts then ran off. Just as Ash was about to give chase the flames in front of him intensified greatly, blocking his path.

"Team Plasma!" Ash shouted in rage. He turned to his three Pokémon. Ash returned Munna and sent out Oshawott, who was completely exhausted after the Gym Battle. Ash walked up to Oshawott and used a Potion. "Oshawott, can you use Water Gun to put out these fires?" Oshawott nodded and began doing just that.

Ash jumped at the sound of something falling nearby. He turned and saw a tree had fallen. "Maybe I should call the Squirtle Squad…too bad they're in Kanto." Ash's eyes widened when he saw several Pokémon start running from a spreading fire. "Oshawott! Over there!"

Oshawott turned around and immediately fired another Water Gun, but it wasn't enough to put out the spreading fire. Quickly taking off his hat and bag, Ash ran and grabbed the running Pokémon who were unfamiliar to him and pulled them away. "Are you guys all right?" He asked the Pokémon who were shaking. Ash pulled out his Pokedex.

Sewaddle. The Sewing Pokémon. Sewaddle is a Bug and Grass Type Pokémon. This Pokémon makes clothes for itself. It chews up leaves and sews them with sticky thread extruded from its mouth.

Cottonee. The Cotton Puff Pokémon. Cottonee is a Grass Type Pokémon. They go wherever the wind takes them. On rainy days, their bodies are heavier, so they take shelter beneath big trees.

Ash noticed the Pokémon were slightly burnt and gritted his teeth. He needed to remain calm so the Pokémon stayed calm. "It's going to be all right. Don't worry." Ash stood up and watched as Oshawott kept using Water Gun to put out the fire but was getting tired. "Hang in there Oshawott. Hopefully Burgh is also helping out with his Tympole.

Pikachu and Tepig let out a shout and Ash turned around to see them pointing at a Pidove nest in a tree that was slowly getting lit on fire. "Oshawott!" Ash shouted as he raced to the tree with Pikachu following. Oshawott put out enough fire to let Ash and Pikachu climb the tree to save the nest. Ash grabbed the Pidove nest and jumped down, though regretted it immediately after. "Ow…"

Then in an instant, the fires in the area were blown away by a windblast. Ash turned and saw a Pokémon in front of him, looking enraged. Pulling out his Pokedex, Ash is standing in front of Virizion. "A protector of the forest Pokémon, oh thank goodness!" Ash stepped forward. "Virizion I'm so glad you-" Ash was cut off as Virizion used Magical Leaf straight at him. Tepig quickly stepped in and used Ember to counter it.

"What was that for? Virizion! Please, listen to me!" Ash noticed a cloth on Virizion's horn, a white cloth. "Is that a Team Plasma…?" Virizion charged straight towards Ash, its sword exposed ready to cut anything. Tepig, Oshawott, and Pikachu fired their elemental attacks, only Pikachu doing damage and stopping Virizion in its path.

The Pokémon tried to get Virizion to listen but it was to no avail. "Come on Virizion, please!" When Virizion used Magical Leaf again and Tepig, again, countered it, Ash ran a hand through his hair. "You need to calm down! Oshawott, Aqua Jet!" Oshawott put his arms by his side and soon blasted himself in a jet of water straight towards Virizion.

Before going off course and hitting a tree. "Oshawott!" Ash returned Oshawott and smiled slightly. "Looks like we need to work on that, huh?"

Virizion ran towards Ash with its sword glowing. "Tepig, Flame Charge! Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Virizion avoided the Thunderbolt with ease and slashed at the charging Tepig, sending him flying into a tree and knocking him out in one blow. Ash quickly returned and thanked Tepig before focusing on Virizion with Pikachu in front of him.

Virizion's sword glowed and it charged towards Pikachu. "Iron Tail!" Pikachu's tail turned to iron and he jumped into the air and struck Virizion's sword with his tail, neither Pokémon letting up. "Generate some electricity Pikachu!" While holding off Virizion, Pikachu started to charge up electricity in his tail before suddenly a ball of electricity appeared and then exploded, sending both Pokémon back a bit.

Virizion didn't let that slow it down and sent Magical Leafs straight at Pikachu. "Countershield!" Pikachu got down and began to spin while using Thunderbolt, sending jolts of electricity everywhere completely blocking the Magical Leaf. Virizion ran forward again, this time vines appearing from its back and grabbing Pikachu before sapping his health.

"Giga Drain…Thunderbolt, Pikachu!" Pikachu let out a Thunderbolt which carried through the vines and struck Virizion, who ended up letting go of Pikachu. Still in close proximity however, Virizion's sword glowed and Virizion slashed at Pikachu, sending him flying. Virizion then immediately started running towards the flying Pikachu, sword still glowing. Ash saw this and clenched his fists. "Pikachu! Volt Tackle!" Pikachu quickly opened his eyes and landed against the tree with his feet and propelled himself before being engulfed in electricity. Pikachu met Virizion head on with Volt Tackle, both struggling to overpower the other.

The collision eventually led to another explosion and both Pokémon were at a fair distance from one another. "Let's not let it keep making the moves! Quick Attack!" Pikachu charged at Virizion with an incredible boost in speed and was able to hit Virizion. "We're not letting up, Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu used Thunderbolt, shocking Virizion once more but Virizion didn't stand there and take it. Virizion charged through the Thunderbolt with its hooves glowing, kicking Pikachu twice into the air. "Pikachu!" Ash shouted and Pikachu once again quickly regained his senses in the air.

Ash laughed quietly. "The whole reason I'm here…But we won't make that same mistake again! Volt Tackle Iron Tail!" In the sky, Pikachu engulfed himself in electricity and charged towards Virizion downwards. Virizion's sword glowed, ready to meet the attack. "Now! Iron Tail!" Doing a flip, Pikachu met Virizion's sword with a Volt Tackle-Iron Tail combination. The electricity began to charge around the Iron Tail before that ball of electricity from before appeared again and exploded. This time, Pikachu was standing and Virizion was only getting more injured and tired.

Ash's Pokedex beeped. Electro Ball. The user hurls an electric orb at the target. The faster the user is than the target, the greater the damage.

Ash blinked and pulled out the Pokedex from his pocket to confirm what the Pokedex just told him. "Pikachu, you have a new move," Ash said in surprise before grinning. Putting his Pokedex back into his pocket, Ash decided to test it. "Electro Ball, Pikachu!"

The ball of electricity appeared at Pikachu's tail, which then Pikachu sent flying towards Virizion and hitting it directly. However, it didn't do much damage. Ash scratched his cheek, "I guess Virizion is really fast."

Virizion used Magical Leaf and again sent leaves flying straight towards Pikachu. Ash didn't need to say the next move as Pikachu was already spinning on the ground and using Thunderbolt to bring up the Countershield. Ash was surprised though when Virizion then dashed forward with its sword glowing and cut through the shield and almost slashed Pikachu who jumped away at the last second. "Should've known that wouldn't work twice, Volt Tackle!"

Charging again, the two Pokémon clashed and another explosion. Ash noticed both Pokémon were getting tired. Virizion knew this and vines appeared from Virizion's back again. "Thunderbolt!" Pikachu used Thunderbolt, but the vines manoeuvered around the Thunderbolt and grabbed Pikachu. Virizion glowed and tossed Pikachu quickly before he could use another Thunderbolt.

"Tch, you're not taking any chances. You must really be at your limit?" Ash looked at Pikachu who was really tired now, especially now that his health was sapped by Virizion. Thankfully, not much of his health could be drained as Virizion released Pikachu almost immediately after using the attack. "Every attack we counter, or Virizion counters. We need to land one, solid hit. Iron Tail!" Ash called out as he saw Virizion's sword glowed. He still didn't know what that attack was, just that it was powerful.

Ash took the continued attacks between the two Pokémon as time to think. "We have to trap Virizion. Then deal the blow." Ash's eyes widened as he thought of an idea. He put his hands in his pockets, looking for an certain ribbon before realizing he left it in his old jeans. "Shoot, I hope mom empties out the pockets before washing…Anyways! Pikachu! Quick Attack around Virizion!"

Pikachu didn't question Ash and did just that, running around Virizion in circles at an incredible speed. "Now Thunderbolt, same way!" Pikachu realized what Ash was doing and grinned as he used Thunderbolt.

The results were a Thunderbolt ring surrounding Virizion. "Now! Jump!" Pikachu jumped into the air and the Thunderbolt Ring closed in on Virizion, shocking it. Ash fist bumped the sky. "Let's go, Thunder!" Pikachu shot a much more powerful and wicked Thunderbolt which, along with the Thunderbolt Ring, dealt severe damage to Virizion. Virizion let out a loud scream that made Ash wince with guilt. Ash and Pikachu watched carefully as Virizion stood, electricity surrounding it, before collapsing on the ground. Ash and Pikachu let out a breath and Ash grinned at their accomplishment.

Ash grabbed his bag and approached Pikachu and Virizion. He used a Potion on both of them. "I'm sorry Virizion. Will you now listen to us?" Virizion looked at Ash, its eyes tired and no longer filled with hate. "We didn't do this. Those Team Plasma guys did, we were only trying to help." Virizion stood up slowly and just nodded slightly. Ash smiled and wiped the sweat from his forehead. He looked around and noticed a majority of the fire was put out. Virizion's whirlwinds definitely helped.

Ash heard a sound from behind him and saw a Pokeball. Ash quickly put himself in front of Virizion and the Pokeball hit his head. "Ow…who's there!?" Ash asked while rubbing his head.

Out of the nowhere an old man appeared in clothing that reminded Ash of Zinzolin. "I thought that girl was a threat, but you. You singlehandedly defeated the Legendary Virizion."

"You're the leader, aren't you!? What happened to Hilda!?"

"The girl?" Gorm's eyes narrowed. "She's probably burned to a crisp by now."

This time, Virizion glared but Gorm didn't pay it attention. "Why you-!"

"Now, now. I'm done. Everything we did here was for naught. A shame too." Gorm reached into his sleeves and pulled out the Dragon Skull. "This is what you're after, isn't it? Then here." Gorm placed the skull on the ground.

Ash was on guard. "Why? You guys caused so much trouble just for that skull?"

Gorm sighed. "Yes, we went through great lengths, only to realize that this skull isn't the skull of the Legendary Dragon."

Ash blinked. "Well, Dragonite's are rare but…Legendary Dragon of Unova rare?"

"So you knew… You may be more knowledgeable then you let on. I have a feeling you're not going to let me catch Virizion. In that case, I hope you burn…" Flames appeared surrounding Ash, Pikachu, and Virizion. "…and farewell." Gorm disappeared into thin air. Ash quickly realized the flames were drawing closer and taller.

Ash wiped some sweat from his chin. "Virizion, can you get rid of these?" Ash turned to Virizion who shook its head. "Oh, right. You need to build up some speed. And Oshawott is unable to battle…" Sweat dripped down Ash's face for many reasons.

"Scald!" Ash turned to the direction where the voice came from and saw the flames around him die down before getting hit in the face by the water.

"AH! HOT! HOT! HOT! MY FACE! IT BURNS!"

"Uh, oops. Oshawott, Water Gun!" Ash was then met by a much cooler Water Gun to the face.

Ash rubbed his face and looked at their saviour, as it was none other than Hilda. Ash had never felt so relieved in his life to see a friend. "Hilda…You're all right."

Hilda could hear the extreme relief in Ash's voice and her expression softened. "Yeah. Sorry for making you worry, Ash."

Ash didn't know what overcame him then, but he stepped forward and pulled Hilda into an embrace, which Hilda gladly returned by putting her own arms around him.

"I'm so glad," Ash whispered. They released each other and Ash stepped back. Hilda was slightly bruised but was otherwise all right.

Hilda also observed Ash, who was covered in burn marks and had some leaves in his hair. At this Hilda giggled and approached him, picking some of the leaves from his hair. "What were you doing, climbing trees?" Ash chuckled nervously and Hilda rolled her eyes but kept smiling.

They then turned to Virizion and walked up to it. Hilda petted Virizion's head. "When I heard your cry I was so worried. I guess it was Ash's fault, huh?" Hilda turned to Ash. "So, are you going to catch it?"

Ash blinked. "Nah. Legendary Pokémon are special and are needed to protect the world. They should remain free."

"I never thought about it like that. But still…" Hilda looked back at Virizion. "Well whatever you say Ash. I guess you should go and check up on all the other forest Pokémon, huh?"

Virizion nodded and was about to head off. "Virizion, I know you held back against me. So one day, when I'm stronger, please battle me again at your fullest!" Virizion looked back at Hilda and smirked before leaping away.

Ash looked at Hilda impressed. "Not everyone challenges a Legendary Pokémon. You gained a lot of courage, huh?"

"Hm? You think so?" Ash nodded and Hilda looked down at Oshawott. "Well that's good. I wasn't going to get anywhere if I kept doubting my partners."

"Well who do we have here?" Ash and Hilda jumped at the voice and turned to see Burgh picking up the Dragon Skull. "You did a good job Ash. Finding your friend and getting the exhibit back."

"More like she found me," Ash said rubbing the back of his head.

The three laughed and Burgh looked at the area. "Something happened here that's probably a much more interesting story than mine. Anyways, care to introduce me, Ash?"

"Ah, yeah, this is my friend Hilda. Hilda, this is-"

"Burgh the amazing artist as well as the Gym Leader of Castelia City and the maker of the Burgh-Love Perfume and designer of the Sewaddle-Silk outfit series and even once had a cameo in the movie Enter the Beartic! I'm a huge fan!"

Ash sweat dropped as Burgh and Hilda conversed about…Burgh. "Drop by Castelia and I may grant you a free Sewaddle-Silk tee that I've been working on."

"That would be awesome, thank you!"

Ash laughed as he went over to where he placed his hat and placed it back on his head where it belonged. Burgh then turned to Ash and handed him the Dragon Skull. "Why don't you return this to Lenora? I'll be heading back to Castelia. I've got some prisoners I'd like to draw out information from…heh."

"Prisoners? Skull? Lenora? Ash, what's going on?" Hilda was completely confused and Ash just laughed before looking at Burgh.

"You can count on me. But, what do you mean by prisoners? Did you capture some Team Plasma members?"

"That's right. And I hope to see you two soon. I can't wait for our battle!" With that, Burgh left to the north, leaving Ash and Hilda alone.

The two looked at each other again and Ash scratched his cheek. "It's so strange, it's been only a few days, not even one day since we last talked, but it's felt much longer."

"Probably because you have so much adventures in just one day. You're going to have to tell what you've been up to!"

Ash nodded and put on his bag. "I'll tell you everything on our way back to the Nacrene Museum. Then we'll head back to the Pokémon Center for a change in clothes."

Hilda smiled. "Sounds like a plan."

"So you, Cheren, and Bianca went to the Battle Club, met some rude trainer, you then challenged the Nacrene Gym which was in the Museum, beat it, then Team Plasma stole some skull, you met up with Burgh to search for them, and then fought Virizion and won. Does that sum it up?"

Ash blinked. "Y-yeah, that was much faster than my explanation…"

Hilda rolled her eyes. "Yeah 'cause you kept going into extreme details on your battles."

Ash laughed and they soon approached the Gym. There they saw Lenora, Cheren, and Bianca. The two teenagers lit up when they saw Hilda while Lenora looked happy at the skull in Ash's hands.

"Thank you so much Ash. You have no idea how grateful I am. Someone as kind as you, I know your Pokémon are in good hands. Here," Lenora pulled a stone out of her pocket. "Take this."

"A Moon Stone!" Ash exclaimed as he accepted it. "Are you sure? I know Moon Stones are rare…"

Lenora laughed. "They're rare, even valuable, but that's nothing compared to my Museum." Lenora the noticed Hilda. "And who's this? Is she the one you told me about Bianca?"

Bianca nodded. "This is our childhood friend, Hilda! She's been sick for a while, but is back in action! Right?"

Hilda nodded. "It's nice to meet you Mrs. Lenora. I hope you'll accept my challenge."

"Of course. I'd say tomorrow is a good day, our Pokémon will be fully rested as well as us. Besides, you should catch up with your friends. They've been worried sick. Now if you'll excuse me," with that, Lenora headed into the museum, leaving the four trainers.

Ash took a sip from his drink as he, Cheren, and Bianca listened to Hilda's story of how she chased Team Plasma from the Pokémon Center to Pinwheel Forest. They were at the Pokémon Center at one of the tables and they left their Pokémon to be healed.

Bianca was completely fascinated by Hilda's story. "Wow Hil! That's amazing! You're like a real life superhero!"

"While I think Bianca isn't taking this seriously, she has a point." Bianca stuck out her tongue at Cheren. "You were impressive. Your Lillipup even evolved and you got closer to your Pokémon. You even found out some more info on Team Plasma's motives. I'd say this couldn't have turned out better for you."

Hilda scratched the back of her head. "Haha, yeah I guess. I still smell like a bonfire though," Hilda sniffed her vest. Seeing this, Ash also sniffed his sleeve. "Probably should shower soon."

"Yeah, we're just glad you're okay. Cheren wouldn't admit it, but he was practically tearing his hair out in worry for you!" Bianca exclaimed.

Cheren turned red and shook his head. "Don't accuse me of your actions. I was certain she'd be fine."

Bianca and Hilda laughed and Ash smiled before looking at Cheren and Bianca. "So what do you guys plan on doing next?"

Cheren spoke immediately. "Head to Castelia City. I'll get my next badge and move onwards. Though I would like to catch some more Pokémon."

"Me too! Castelia City is the second-most place I want to go to! It's the biggest city in Unova so it has almost any shop imaginable!" Bianca exclaimed.

Ash nodded. "We'll be right behind you guys after Hilda beats Lenora."

"That's right, which won't take long so you two better get going if you don't want us to get ahead!" Hilda exclaimed.

Bianca nodded enthusiastically while Cheren sighed and adjusted his glasses. "This isn't a competition. Not yet anyways. Oh yeah, Ash. There's some tournament being built in a few months. I don't know the exact date, it's in Driftveil City. Just thought you might want to look into it. Anyways, I should get going. Bye."

Hilda and Bianca waved Cheren goodbye while Ash was thinking about what Cheren said. Or rather, why he told him specifically. Bianca left soon after, wanting to check out the café nearby, leaving Ash and Hilda alone.

"I guess we should grab our Pokémon and prepare to sleep, huh?" Ash nodded though neither got up. "Hey Ash, one day, we'll battle, all right?"

Ash looked at Hilda in surprise. "What brought that on?"

Hilda shrugged. "I don't know. I guess your randomness and passion for battle has rubbed off on me. So?"

Ash laughed and grinned. "Of course. That will be a battle I'll never forget!"

Hilda smiled. "Good. I was worried at first, I thought battles only worsened friendships but battling with my Pokémon made me realize it does the opposite. I've only gotten closer to my Pokémon and I've gotten closer to the trainers. Well, not Team Plasma but Cilan, Cheren, even that boy from the beginning, I've gotten closer to."

Ash nodded, agreeing with everything Hilda said before suddenly standing. "Now you've got me psyched for then! Let's keep at it and never give up!" Ash exclaimed and Hilda also stood up. The two grinned and left to grab their Pokémon and get some rest from a very long, eventful, day.

Much faster update, huh? This one just came and went! Hope I made up for Pikachu's struggles before with his triumph over Virizion. And yes, Pikachu has six moves. Thunderbolt, Iron Tail, Quick Attack, Volt Tackle, Electro Ball, and Thunder. I am not getting rid of Volt Tackle like the anime did and I wanted Thunder to return. Don't know why they got rid of it in the first place. I want Agility back but it's practically the same as Quick Attack and I don't want to give Pikachu a seventh move.

Didn't mention it last chapter, but this story has officially broke 200 pages in Word 2013 with Calibri (Body) font size 11! Though in reality it may be around 190 Pages because of all the Authors Notes. I'll definitely remove the Author's notes when I'm done to find out how much words and pages this story actually is.

Okay so I had the Pokedex entry for Whirlipede in here before I remembered Ash and Cheren fought one before. I was looking for details on its appearance and Bulbapedia said it had a gray shell. I don't know about you guys, but I always thought Whirlipede looked purple. So I booted up my Pokémon Black 2 and using the search, I chose purple and sure enough, Whirlipede did not show up. Searched gray and there it was! I don't know about anyone else, but my mind is blown. I always thought Whirlipede was purple…

Cottonee is a Grass and Fairy Type, in Gen 6, I know. Ever since UpbeatButNegative pointed out that Cottonee and Whimsicott were Fairy Types a while back, almost a year ago, I've been thinking about what to do. But since those two and Mega Audino are the only Pokémon with the Fairy Type in Unova, I think I'm just gonna keep things in the Gen 5 territory. So no mechanics from Gen 6 will be here. I have at last decided this.

Also, sorry if I described some things in the battles awkwardly. I wasn't sure at how to describe certain things…

Anyways I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Nacrene City is pretty much over, just Hilda's Gym Battle and then we move onwards! Tell me what you think and thanks for reading!

Here are my replies to reviews!

Werewingwolfxx: I probably won't have him lose to a Frontier Brain; that was Paul's thing and Trip is already too similar of a character to Paul.

Red the Pokemon Master: Glad to hear that!

Server lock: If you are referring to the anime Gurren Laggan…I don't understand because I've never seen nor heard of it until your review haha.

Winter Arctica: Yeah, that's what I thought afterwards. She did have to use Potions and did lose most of her Pokémon, 3/5, though. Dang people really want to see Trip get destroyed. Should I offer a proposition? Either have Ash destroy Trip with his old Pokémon in a tournament? Or have Alder appear early and destroy him?

Klaw117: I'm glad you liked this chapter and yeah, Hilda needed to make a comeback after Wellspring. Thank you!

Cottonmouth25: Honestly, if I were to rewrite the other sagas, each villain would be considerably more threatening. Especially Team Magma and Aqua. But yeah, I always thought Team Plasma were a lot more threatening than people think because they were the first villains to use force on a Pokémon. (Kicking Munna). Though Team Galactic blew up a lake so…Not to mention they modified an ancient Pokémon and gave it some super armour with a cannon, something no other Team has done before. (Team Rocket didn't create Mewtwo in the games…at least, there's no solid proof of that). Ghetsis himself always felt more threatening as a leader then the others. I also had some inspiration from the manga where the Team Plasma there is also as bad as the one in this fic. Anyways, thank you very much!