Author's Note:

Before this chapter, I'd like to thank everyone for helping me hit the 100-100 mark in favourites and follows for the story. Definitely pretty cool to see that. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Chapter 37: Interference

"I need my top group." Ash said, giving Professor Oak a serious look. "I need my strongest Pokemon." He had thought hard about it as he and Dawn had picked up their pace to get to Lumiose City as fast as possible. They were now only about a day away and he knew exactly which Pokemon he had decided should be with him should things go very badly. "Send me Charizard, Infernape, Sceptile, Pidgeot and Houndoom." He only wished he could use Greninja as well, but maybe he was still watching over Serena in Lumiose City and he would help anyways.

Oak nodded, apparently deciding against asking Ash why he needed his strongest Pokemon. "Alright...I'll go and get them. Please place your pokeballs on the tray and scan your Pokedex in the meantime."

Ash did so and then waited with Dawn. "If anyone is hurting Serena, I'm not letting them get away with it. Pikachu with these five are gonna make them pay."

Dawn nodded, smiling. "And Piplup and I are there to help too." She pumped her fist confidently. "There's nothing to worry about. Either Serena's ok anyways, and we don't even need to check on her, or, anyone hurting her is gonna be regretting it this time tomorrow."

"Got that right." Ash muttered. He looked at Pikachu who gave him a quick nod. "I've never put together a group like this before. And the way I've been battling...I don't think anything can stop me."

"I've gotta admit...I'm pretty excited." Dawn said. Ash gave her a disbelieving look and she quickly shook her head. "No! No I don't mean that. I mean about seeing all your strongest Pokemon. I've never even seen your Pidgeot, Charizard or Houndoom. I bet they're awesome."

Ash smiled. "They sure are."

Oak finally arrived back on screen, carrying the five pokeballs in his arms. "Alright, Ash, I've got your...um...A-Team here. Are you ready?" Ash nodded. Oak clicked a few buttons and the familiar flashes of light transferred the pokeballs from each location. Ash smiled, seeing his new team on the tray in front of him. "All good on my end." Oak informed.

"All good here as well, Professor." Ash said. "Thanks for the help. I'll get in touch soon. Goodbye."

"Bye Professor Oak." Dawn called out.

"Goodbye you two." Oak said, waving before the screen went blank.

Ash looked at Dawn after he picked up his five pokeballs. "Ready to say hi to everyone?" She nodded excitedly and they ran out. They ran for a few minutes to get some distance from the Pokemon centre, so they could avoid getting a crowd in case people recognized Ash.

"It'll be good to see Infernape again. I've missed him." Dawn said. "He was so great in that battle against Paul."

Ash nodded. "Well...here he is." Ash threw out the pokeball containing Infernape and the flaming monkey-like Pokemon emerged. When he saw Ash he immediately hugged his trainer. He then noticed Dawn and a look of surprise came on his face. "That's right, Infernape, Dawn's here."

"Infernape!" Infernape yelled, and he gave Dawn a hug as well.

Ash then called out Sceptile, who although it was clear he was excited to see Ash again, he attempted to keep calm and just chew on the twig he kept in his mouth. After that, came Houndoom. The horned dog happily barked a greeting when introduced to Dawn, which made her quite excited, as she had expected him to be moody, despite Ash explaining that he was nothing like Malva. After Houndoom, was Charizard.

"No way...how could you not use him in the Sinnoh Leauge?" Dawn asked, eyes wide as she stared at Charizard.

Ash laughed nervously as Charizard looked at him with a disapproving look. Apparently this was a question he had wondered about himself. "I'm sorry, Charizard. I just thought...you were at Charicific Valley..."

Charizard eventually nodded, accepting the apology and then Ash called out Pidgeot. If Dawn was impressed by Charizard, she was apparently even more impressed by Pidgeot. This seemed to surprise both Charizard and Pidgeot, although it made the latter quite pleased. Charizard was fairly used to being ogled at, whether in front of another impressive Pokemon or not, so being considered less impressive than Pidgeot seemed to bug him.

"So this is the Pidgeot that flew here all the way from Kanto?" Dawn asked, stroking Pidgeot's beak. Ash nodded, smiling at Pidgeot, who seemed to just love the attention. Ash also noticed a quick glance from Pidgeot to Charizard, who's tail fire was burning a lot brighter. "He's amazing. He seems larger than any I've seen before."

"Yeah...I don't know...he grew a lot since we separated. I didn't even know a Pidgeot could be this big." He shrugged. "I'm not complaining, though. He's definitely strong and the size doesn't slow him down one bit. He might be the best flier I've ever seen, too."

Charizard roared angrily, making Dawn laugh and then walk over to him and begin petting his leathery neck. "Sorry Charizard, you're really strong too, aren't you?" She said.

Ash gave Charizard an apologetic look. "Right...sorry Charizard. You definitely have some good flying skills too." He smiled. "Remember when you saved me from that Aerodactyl?" Ash thought for a moment. He supposed it was debatable whether Charizard had saved him back then. He definitely hadn't been as loyal then as he was now and he'd seemed to be pretty mad at the Aerodactyl at the time. Charizard nodded anyways, apparently deciding that he had saved Ash.

Dawn was about to say something else, when she looked at something behind Ash with a questioning look. Her eyes then widened. "Ash look out!" She ran forward and grabbed Ash, pulling him back, causing them both to fall to the ground.

Ash looked at where he had been standing. Scorch marks were all across the ground. He turned and looked at where they had come from. There was a woman standing there. She had baggy, black track pants, an oversized black jacket and a black shirt underneath it. Her purple hair was tied in a pony tail and the hood of her jacket was over her head. Ash couldn't see her face, because a red scarf was around it, along with large, black sunglasses. A female Pyroar was in front of her.

"Ash Ketchum." The woman said. "I've been looking for you."

"What?" Ash asked, getting to his feet. His Pokemon quickly stood in front of him and Dawn, blocking the woman from attacking them again. "Why have you been looking for me?"

The woman laughed. "You've caused me a lot of trouble." She moved her head, and Ash realized she was looking at Houndoom. "You look weak as ever, you pathetic mutt."

Houndoom's eyes widened. He looked at Ash quickly and barked, before turning his attention back to the woman and glaring at her. Ash didn't know what Houndoom meant, only that this woman seemed to be dangerous. Regardless, she'd insulted his Pokemon and he wasn't going to allow that. "Take that back! Houndoom's a great Pokemon."

"He's weak. Pathetic. How about I show you?" The woman said, laughing.

Ash stepped forward and Houndoom walked up alongside him, until they were facing the woman, ready for battle. "We'll show you how weak he is." He looked at Houndoom. "You up for this?" Houndoom nodded and glared at the woman.

"Ash...are you sure about this?" Dawn asked nervously, standing back with Ash's other Pokemon. Ash saw that they all looked pretty mad. Charizard and Infernape looked particularly enraged. Ash supposed it was some kind of fire-type honour thing.

"Of course I'm sure. You remember when Paul insulted my Pokemon. I don't take that and neither do they." Ash could feel the fury boiling up inside him. However, despite that, there was still that calm feeling as well. His mind was clear and he knew that Houndoom's was the same.

The woman didn't waste any time in ordering an attack. "Pyroar, use flamethrower!

"You too, Houndoom!" Ash yelled.

Both Pokemon opened their jaws wide and flames blasted forth and slammed into each other. The power from the two fire-types was unmistakable. There was no smoke from the collision of the flamethrowers. It was all pure fire. The heat washed over everything. Ash could feel sweat immediately run down his face. He would have taken a few steps back, but he noticed that the woman wasn't flinching, despite her baggy clothes, so he didn't want to give her the satisfaction of looking weaker than her. He was going to show her that he and Houndoom were a fierce duo and insulting them was a big mistake.

XXXXX

Lysandre stared at the Sundial in front of him. It had been absolutely useless for Team Flare since they had acquired it. All it seemed to do was glow. At some points it had stopped, but at others it had acted up furiously. Like now. Now, the Sundial was flashing in a bright light. It seemed to be alternating between red, blue and even going black at some moments.

"What do you think it is, sir?" Xerosic asked, walking up to the Sundial and peering closely at it. "I've never known the Sundial to act up like this. I had thought it was something to do with Zygarde...but...apparently not."

"Not everything to do with Zygarde, obviously." Lysandre said. He paused and thought about it. "However, don't forget that the data from the Sundial has helped us control Zygarde. There is some kind of connection there."

Xerosic raised his hand and tilted it side to side in a 'so so' gesture. "I'm not quite sure, sir. I suppose there is some kind of connection, but perhaps it isn't solely based on Zygarde. There could be another unknown factor."

"Such as...?" Lysandre asked.

"We won't know for a little while, I suppose." Xerosic said. "However, would you agree that it seemed strange that the Ketchum boy seemed to overpower Mable and Ariana so quickly?"

"Somewhat strange." Lysandre said with a nod. "Although Ketchum is quite capable. He's defeated us on a number of occasions."

Xerosic nodded, as though mourning their defeats. "I suppose that's true." He paused, thinking. "That Oshawott and Snivy, though...they seemed to look quite strong."

Lysandre shrugged. "We cannot know the power of Pokemon that Ketchum has never used against us. Don't underestimate them because of their size. Obviously that Pikachu has incredible power. Otherwise it wouldn't have defeated Malva."

"I guess you're right." Xerosic agreed, although he seemed to still have doubts.

"Don't be shy, Xerosic." Lysandre said, seriously. "I need to consider all options. If you have an idea about how we could control the Sundial...?"

Xerosic shook his head. "Well...I'm not really quite sure of how we could control it. I wouldn't even say it is something that is controlled."

"That doesn't help much." Lysandre noted. "I hope you're going somewhere with this."

Xerosic nodded. "I..." He looked at the Sundial, which now had stopped flashing and was just coloured in a black colour, with a few silver, red and blue stripes throughout it. "Do you think it's possible it...connected to the Ketchum boy?"

Lysandre stared back. "I think that's obvious."

Xerosic looked taken aback. He didn't seem to expect that Lysandre had known this and done nothing about it. "But sir...why haven't we tried to capture the boy again?"

Lysandre shrugged. "I'm in no rush. I have a plan and I will execute it. Ketchum is on a high right now. He believes himself to be unbeatable. I have no doubt the Sundial has given him strength. Soon, though, he will have his doubts. After that...he's no threat."

Xerosic nodded, but Lysandre knew he had no clue about what all that meant. "Very well, sir. I suppose you have a better idea about these things than I do."

"You may go now, Xerosic." Lysandre said quietly. "I have some business to take care of. I need to have complete quiet."

Xerosic quickly left and Lysandre was left alone in his office. It was quite the set up for a 'criminal' on the run. He had known he'd be alright though. His wealth had allowed him to plan for circumstances like what happened in Geosenge Town. He'd been able to build another hideout. An even better one. And he knew...no one would find him until it was too late.

Lysandre stood up and approached the Sundial. He knew what this meant. The way it reacted. Ketchum was battling, the blue and red lights were a signal of that. Quite like when the boy battled with his Greninja, and it took on a similar appearance to him, the Sundial did something fairly similar. But what was the black colour that dominated the stone? Lysandre had theorized it took the dominant colour of the Pokemon Ketchum used. Which Pokemon was he using now?

Something made Lysandre reach out towards the Sundial. He had been hesitant to do that until now. He had no idea how dangerous it could be. Clearly the power within it was extraordinary and who knew what it could do to those that didn't treat it with caution. Regardless, Lysandre placed his hand on the Sundial, and instantly it reacted.

A quick vision flashed before Lysandre's eyes. It was only an image, like seeing a photograph, but he understood it immediately. It was Ketchum, battling with the Houndoom that Malva had, in Lysandre's opinion, stupidly abandoned. And on the other end of the battle, was Malva herself with her Pyroar in front of her. Lysandre could see right through her disguise. It almost made him laugh seeing her look like that.

Lysandre opened his eyes, realizing that they had instantly closed when he had received the vision. He was shocked to find himself on the floor, on his back. He was a few feet away from the Sundial. Apparently, it had knocked him back. Incredible. Lysandre thought. The power...

Lysandre stood up and looked at the Sundial. "Well, Mr. Ketchum...I think it's time you learned a quick lesson." He approached a shelf and picked up one of the guns that fired the restraining laser beams that were currently holding Zygarde. "If this can restrain the power of Zygarde, it can definitely restrain your power, Ketchum." He pulled the trigger and fired the laser at the Sundial and enveloped it in an orange light.

XXXXX

Gurkinn left the battlefield before Korrina's gym battle began. He knew the result already. Only three trainers had managed to defeat her since Ash Ketchum. The boy with the Sceptile, the boy with the Chesnaught and the woman with the Pyroar. Trainers were now quickly realizing that if they wanted to compete in the Kalos League, they would need to find lesser gym leaders to defeat.

The grandfather of the Shalour Gym approached the statue of the Lucario. He smiled to himself, thinking of how Korrina, Ash and their friends, along with those fools known as Team Rocket, had thought the rules of operating a gym was the true secret he held in this statue. No...far from it.

He looked around quickly, just to make sure that Korrina hadn't somehow defeated her opponent in record time. He then stepped around to the back of the statue. He released his Lucario from its pokeball and the two of them looked at each other.

"I feel it again." Gurkinn told his Lucario. "Do you?" His Lucario closed his eyes. His eyelids fluttered for a moment and then he opened them again. He stared at Gurkinn in shock and nodded. Gurkinn smiled. "It was subtle back when he was at the gym and before that in Geosenge Town, but now it seems to have really come out. His aura truly is special isn't it?" Lucario nodded. "I think we need to get it ready. I didn't think we'd need it until Korrina was ready, but it is clear to me now that we must prepare the training."

Gurkinn looked up towards the back of the Lucario statue. What he was looking at was very hard to see and nobody could notice if they didn't know it was there. Even if they did notice, it was useless to them unless they were a true descendent of the first mega evolution trainers. Gurkinn and Lucario began to climb up the back of the statue. Gurkinn smiled in amusement as he did this. He sometimes put on an act of his age slowing him down, but in reality, he was possibly more physically fit than Korrina. Eventually, Gurkinn and Lucario reached the place they wanted and they both placed their bracelets, which held their mega stones, into the two slots open at the back of the statue. There was a bright flash of light and immediately, above the two slots, a small window opened and something came out. A key. Gurkinn took the key and closed everything up, before he and Lucario came back down.

There was the sound of an explosion and Gurkinn knew that Korrina had likely just knocked out one of her opponent's Pokemon. He and Lucario went back around to the front of the statue and entered into his office, which was at the bottom of the statue. When he entered, he immediately went to his bed and pulled it aside, revealing a cellar door underneath it. He pulled a key, not the one from the statue, from his pocket and unlocked the cellar door. He then pulled it up and climbed down the ladder, Lucario close behind him.

Gurkinn pulled a pokeball from his belt and tossed it to the floor beneath him and his Blaziken emerged. "Blaziken, would you please light the torches on the walls?" Gurkinn asked. Blaziken made a noise of agreement and then shots of flames started flashing beneath Gurkinn, until the cellar seemed to light up. Gurkinn and Lucario reached the bottom of the ladder and then Gurkinn recalled Blaziken to his pokeball.

There was nothing impressive about this part of the cellar. It was small, dull and grey, with the torches being the only source of light. However, there was a door straight across from the ladder. Gurkinn studied the door for a moment. It was a wooden door, and clearly quite old, but to Gurkinn, it was beautiful. A picture of a Lucario was carved into the door. The greatest Lucario, according to the legends. The Lucario that all leaders of this gym, hoped for their Lucarios to become. No, not the one that had been the first to mega evolve. Not even mega evolution could match what this Lucario was capable of.

Gurkinn smiled and wiped away a tear that had formed in his eye. He always felt sentimental when about to enter this room. He studied the key in his hand for a moment and then placed it into the lock of the door and turned. There was a click, signalling that the door had unlocked, and then Gurkinn opened the door.

It was quite a large room. It had a kitchen in one corner, a dining area next to it, a leisure area next to that and a few beds to the left of the door. On the other side of the door was a library, full of books, almost all for study of the history of the Shalour Gym and the ancestors that were so crucial before the gym was founded. And ahead of the library, was the training area. It was an obstacle course, of sorts. Logs were hanging from ropes. When training, the ropes would swing the logs in all directions and the trainer would need to dodge the logs as they manoeuvred the path which also had logs and holes the trainer would have to avoid. Gurkinn smiled. It wasn't that easy though. One could only truly pass this obstacle course if they passed it with their eyes closed. They needed to sense their way across through the use of aura.

Gurkinn made his way across the room and stared at the pictures that were at the end and in the middle on the far wall. There were pictures across the entire room. Beautiful paintings that captured the essence, the aura, of Gurkinn's ancestors. He looked at his Lucario and saw him also observing the central pictures, clearly feeling the same sentimental feelings he was feeling. He glanced around at the other pictures. They were all from before the gym had been founded. The first gym leader had created this place in honour his ancestors. There were pictures of trainers with various Pokemon. Surprisingly, they weren't all Lucarios. There was a trainer with a Buizel, another with an Oshawott, one with a Quilava, one with a Swellow, and another with a Houndoom. There were dozens of pictures around the room. All with various ancestors and their faithful partners.

Gurkinn turned towards the pictures at the centre of the far wall again. These were the most special of the paintings in the room, however. The greatest of the ancestors. The ones who truly inspired the trainers of the Shalour Gym. The six greatest Aura Guardians. One had an Infernape, another had a Sceptile and there was one with a Charizard. One even had a Greninja. This trainer was rumoured to have been the one to travel to Ninja Village, and had accomplished an extraordinary feat with his Greninja. Ah...and the trainer with the Pikachu. The one who had saved the people of Sinnoh from that Spiritbomb. Yes...that trainer was definitely unique. Quite similar to...well actually all of these trainers were similar to him. Including the central hero. The one with two very loyal Pokemon. The Lucario, which inspired Gurkinn's family's love of the Pokemon, and a Pidgeot, a particularly large one. Possibly the greatest Aura Guardian ever...Sir Aaron.

Suddenly, Gurkkin felt a pressure leave from his mind. What was that? No...could it be? He looked at his Lucario and saw his faithful Pokemon looking back with shock in his eyes. "It's weaker. I can't sense it like I could a few moments ago. Is it the same with you?" Lucario nodded. "It's still there though. Something is interfering with it, but...it isn't gone."

XXXXX

"Houndoom, use dark pulse quick!" Ash yelled. Houndoom quickly ended his flamethrower, ducked and rolled aside so that he could avoid Pyroar's flames. He then launched his dark, purple energy towards the lion-like Pokemon. It struck with full force and knocked Pyroar aside. For a moment, Ash felt a pure rush of satisfaction. He looked at Houndoom, who looked just as pleased. Then, Ash's eyes widened as there was a brief, but very bright flash from Houndoom's collar.

"You still have the Houndoomite?" The woman asked, surprise in her voice.

"Huh?" Ash asked. Both trainers seemed to have forgotten the battle, shocked by what they had seen from Houndoom. "Houndoomite?"

"On the collar, you fool." The woman growled. "My-I mean...Malva's Houndoomite. She never took it back from Houndoom."

"Um...no I guess she didn't." Ash agreed. "But...why did it flash? I don't have a keystone." He looked at Houndoom who was looking back with a pleased expression.

"It doesn't matter. He's useless whether he mega evolves or not." The woman said, fury clear in her voice. "Pyroar, get up." Her Pyroar struggled to its feet. "Hyper voice!" The woman yelled. Her Pyroar opened its jaws and screeched loudly. Houndoom winced and started staggering back quickly.

Ash felt pure determination. He knew Houndoom desperately wanted to win. He wasn't going to let him down. He knew what he needed to do. "Houndoom-" Ash inhaled deeply, feeling as though he had just lost all the air from his lungs. What just happened? He thought. He winced again. It wasn't pain, really, but more a wave of exhaustion and the feeling of his mind going foggy.

"Ash? Ash, what's wrong?" Dawn asked. He turned and saw her looking at him with wide eyes. He realized he was on his knees.

"I'm fine." Ash said quickly. He stood up and saw the woman laughing.

"You're pathetic. Can't even keep up with the battle huh?" She said. "I knew it was a fluke you beat me-I mean Malva. It was really only because this mutt was so weak." She gestured to Houndoom. "Pyroar, use wild charge." Her Pyroar ran quickly towards Houndoom, her body crackling with electricity. She slammed into the horned dog with incredible strength and he was launched back, landing hard at Ash's feet.

"Houndoom, you ok?" Ash asked. Houndoom nodded and got to his feet. Ash took a deep breath. Something had happened to him. He no longer had that calm and peaceful feeling in his mind. He had to get it back. There was no reason he couldn't. "Alright...use smog." Houndoom nodded and inhaled, before unleashing a blast of purple smoke towards Pyroar.

"Flamethrower." The woman ordered. Her Pyroar blasted the purple, poisonous smoke away easily, making it ignite on contact with the flames.

The failed attack made Ash feel like he remembered something. He knew something about an ability some Houndooms had. He closed his eyes. What was it? He thought. I can't concentrate.

"Hyper voice!" Ash opened his eyes and saw Pyroar opening her jaws and then she screeched again. Houndoom was struck again and he staggered back.

"Come on, Ash!" Dawn yelled. "You've been winning everything lately. Don't stop now. Houndoom needs you!"

Ash clenched his fists. Dawn was right. Houndoom needed him. This woman had insulted him. Insulting Houndoom was insulting Ash. It didn't matter that Houndoom hadn't been Ash's Pokemon that long. He was still Ash's Pokemon. He was still Ash's friend. "Houndoom, smog one more time!" Ash yelled.

If Houndoom thought Ash ordering an attack that had failed already was strange, he didn't show it. He launched forth a huge cloud of sickly, purple smoke towards Pyroar. "Flamethrower!" The woman ordered with a laugh.

Ash smirked. "Now's our chance. I know you can do it, Houndoom. Jump into the flames!" Houndoom nodded and leaped forward. Ash heard a gasp from his opponent and also Dawn, but his mind was clear again. Maybe not as clear as before, but he knew what he was doing. Houndoom was struck and he staggered back. "You ok?" Ash asked. Houndoom responded just how Ash thought he would. He opened his jaws and blasted one of his strongest flamethrowers into the sky. Ash winced at the heat, but smiled, knowing his plan had worked.

"Flash fire..." The woman said, shock clear in her voice. "Clever..."

Ash nodded. "And now Pyroar's getting a taste of it. Houndoom, show her your power!" Houndoom glared at Pyroar and opened his jaws. Immediately a massive jet of flames launched forth. It engulfed Pyroar in flames and Ash heard the screech of pain. Houndoom kept it going a few moments and then let up. When his attack stopped, Pyroar was slumped in front of its trainer. "Give up?" Ash asked.

The woman snapped her fingers and Pyroar moaned. She snapped her fingers again and Pyroar struggled to its feet. "Not yet."

"How could you make your Pyroar keep battling like that?" Dawn yelled. "It's done. The battle is over."

"No it's not." The woman snarled. "I made the mistake of treating that one with compassion." She pointed at Houndoom. "It only made him weak."

Ash's eyes widened. "Wait...you're...Malva?"

Malva removed her scarf, pulled down her hood and released her hair from her ponytail. Aside from the baggy clothes, she was definitely recognizable as Malva. "Of course I'm Malva. I've been looking for you, Ash Ketchum."

"I guess you wanted to lose again." Ash said. He noticed that Houndoom was shaking in front of him. With fear, anger and maybe even exhaustion. "You're definitely not getting Houndoom back. You're not treating him like you did before."

"Why would I want him back?" Malva asked. "He's weak. Look at him. He can barely stand."

Ash looked at Pyroar in front of Malva. It didn't exactly look much better. "Pyroar's in rough shape too."

Malva shrugged. "I'm making sure she gets stronger. I've changed my training style. I don't tolerate weakness anymore like I did with Houndoom."

Ash's eyes widened, suddenly remembering something. "You...you were the one who attacked Serena."

Malva laughed. "Of course it was me. Weren't you there? You were the one who stopped me."

Ash shook his head. "Greninja stopped you. I was in Anistar City."

Malva looked confused. "How would you know if...?" She shook her head. "It doesn't matter. I'm proving now that it was a fluke that you beat me." She pointed at Houndoom. "The last hit wins." She laughed. "The question is...who will strike first?"

Ash hesitated. He knew she was right. If Houndoom was hit, he was done. His mind was going foggy again. He was letting nervousness take over him. "Houndoom..." Ash said quietly. He felt guilty. He'd allowed Houndoom to get hurt just to power up an attack. That was usually the kind of tactic he hated. And this was why. Houndoom was breathing heavily and then Ash noticed it. A slight purple puff from Houndoom's nostrils. He was poisoned from his own smog attack. He was going to drop at any moment.

"Pyroar...flamethrower." Malva ordered.

No. Ash told himself. I said she wouldn't hurt him again. He ran ahead and stood in front of Houndoom. He heard his Pokemon and Dawn gasp behind him. He knew that none of them would be able to stop it. He had no idea what this attack would do to him, but he knew that he couldn't let Malva keep hurting Pokemon. The flames rapidly approached, but then something appeared before Ash. A spiky shell that blocked the flames until they stopped. In front of it, a Pokemon was out, a Blaziken and it ran towards Malva's Pyroar and struck it with a blaze kick, knocking it out.

Then, something landed near Ash. It was a guy that, with a strange realization, Ash saw looked a little like him. He was on the back of a Fearow. He glared at Malva. "You wanna run now, or should we get you back in jail?" He asked her.

Malva looked at her unconscious Pyroar in front of her. She glanced at Ash and then this other boy with hesitation. She recalled her Pyroar and took a step back, bringing out another pokeball. She then started running, releasing the pokeball as she did so. A Talonflame emerged. It was much larger than Ash's, much like his Pidgeot was larger than others. She hopped on her Talonflame's back and they whipped away into the sky and out of sight.

Ash turned to the guy who'd just saved him. He'd hopped off his Fearow and was now recalling his Pokemon to their pokeballs. He knelt down in front of Houndoom, pulling something out of his bag. "I've got a couple of pecha berries here. That should help." He said.

"Thanks." Ash said, as the other boy pulled out a couple of berries and fed them to Houndoom. Ash smiled, seeing Houndoom's become less foggy. Ash looked at the boy. "I'm Ash by the way. Thanks for saving me, there."

The boy stood up and looked at Ash. "I know who you are. I've heard quite a bit about you. According to Serena, you're quite the trainer. I'm Calem by the way."

"Ash, what were you doing? She could have killed you!" Dawn ran up to Ash and glared at him. "What is Serena going to do if you go and get yourself killed?"

Ash scratched his head nervously. "I...um...well Houndoom..."

"Hey...come on, that was impressive." Calem said. "How many trainers are willing to take a full on flamethrower for their Pokemon like that?"

Dawn looked at him. "Well thank you for saving him. I'm Dawn."

Calem smiled. "I don't think Serena mentioned you." He looked quite amused. "Jealousy thing?" He asked, looking at Ash.

Ash shook his head, while Dawn's eyes widened angrily. "Serena doesn't even know Dawn. I travelled with Dawn in Sinnoh. We ran into each other about a week ago. She's coming with me to Lumiose City." Ash narrowed his eyes in confusion. "Wait...how do you know Serena?"

"I met her at Professor Sycamore's lab. She thought I was you for a moment." He laughed. "And then she didn't like hearing it when Sycamore said I might be good enough to win the Kalos League. She thought it was a slight on you. She ended up having a battle with me."

Ash's eyes widened in disbelief. "Serena wanted to battle?" He smiled. "Did she do well?"

Calem nodded, smiling. "It ended in a draw." Pikachu hopped up on Ash's shoulder and Calem looked at him. "Oh...so this is the Pikachu you used to beat Malva before?"

Ash nodded, smiling at Pikachu. "Pikachu was my first Pokemon."

"Awesome." Calem said. He looked at Ash's other Pokemon. "These are really strong looking Pokemon here."

"My strongest." Ash said. "I need them for when I get to Lumiose City. I...uh...I kind of have a feeling Serena's in danger."

Calem furrowed his eyebrows. "She seemed fine yesterday. She was doing some kind of performance practising I think." He shrugged. "Anyways, if you've got a feeling, I guess you'd better check for yourself. I've had that kind of thing before, too. Definitely don't want to ignore it." He looked a little hesitant, but then started speaking. "However...before you go to Lumiose City...I was wondering about something."

"What about?" Ash asked.

"A battle." Calem said.

"With me?" Ash's eyes narrowed in confusion.

"No, Ash. He came here to battle me." Dawn said sarcastically. She laughed, but then gave Ash a serious look. "We need to be fast."

Ash nodded and looked at Calem. "We can't battle now...sorry. I need to make sure Serena's ok. If I get there even a second too late, I'll never forgive myself."

Calem nodded. "I understand." He smiled. "Well...when you're done with that, maybe we can battle then. Are you staying in Lumiose City?"

Ash shook his head. "I've gotta go to Shalour City after."

"Maybe we can battle there?" Calem suggested.

"Sure." Ash said. "And I'll show you that Sycamore was wrong about you being able to win the Kalos League."

Calem narrowed his eyes. "We'll see."