"Xerosic, the weapon is primed and ready to fire. Shall we commence a test?" a grunt who had finished his diagnostic of the Ultimate Weapon. Xerosic smirked evilly. "Begin as soon as preparations are complete. I am very eager to see how my replica compares to the real one created thousands of years ago. Do not waste any time!"

"Yes sir, right away!"

The grunt entered a nearby room and sat down in his seat, alongside several others. They each completed the necessary preparations and prepared to fire. Xerosic stood on the upper level of the lab, in front of a window overlooking Geosenge Town. "Commence the test imm-"

"Xerosic, Sir! We have been informed from an inside agent that the boy Ash has nearly finished his Elite Four Challenge! He will be arriving here in a few days. Shall we wait to use him as a test subject along with his four friends and their Pokémon?" Matt panted out.

"Who is this inside agent?"

"She refuses to give her name in the situation that someone would uncover that she was working in affiliation with Neo Team Flare. However, she does inform us that she once maintained close ties with the boss."

"I see. I believe I know who you are referring to. I will contact her immediately and fill her in on our plan. And yes, we will delay our test until he arrives."

Little did Neo Team Flare know that AZ was watching them closely. After he had heard enough, he set off to find Ash and his friends.

"Congratulations Ash! I present you with this medallion to signify your win over Siebold of the Elite Four!" The Pokémon chef happily declared. Ash released his Pokémon, who each let out their exhausted cry of joy. The referee walked over to the trainer and pointed out a little convenient facility to the back of the stadium. "Ash, there's a Pokémon Center over there. It's fully automated, so don't worry. Siebold had it installed there ever since with Team Flare. They managed to KO his Pokémon because he had just fought a Pokémon Connoisseur by the name of Cilan."

"Cilan's here?"

By this time, the others had reached Ash and each congratulated him in their own way. "You did great out there Ash! I knew you could do it!" Serena joyfully shouted, before she tackled him in a hug. Bonnie's eyes mischievously. "Realllllyyy? I thought I heard a certain someone glancing ever so worriedly at her Ashy-oomph-hey!" Bonnie screamed as Clemont had conveniently covered her mouth at the right time and was using Aipom arm to keep her in the air. "We all believed you could do it, Ash, "Clemont politely said.

"Thanks, guys. Now I just have to defeat two more!"

Serena then released him from her embrace and pulled out her tablet. "Malva is next. Fire type specialist. She's currently awaiting you at Geosenge Town. We'll probably make it there in a few days if we leave tomorrow morning."

"I'd be wary around Malva if I were you. She's known to have a fiery temper, and she apparently keeps grudges for a long time," Siebold muttered, remembering his mock battle with her back when they had been selected.

"I'll keep that in mind. Thanks Siebold."

"No problem, Ash. Stay safe out there!"

It was night time. Ash and his friends had settled down in a hotel nearby and returned the rented Sharpedo and Lapras. Bonnie yawned as she scrolled through Serena's Pokedex. "When I become a trainer, I wanna catch a Cutiefly! It's so cute!"

"Sorry Bonnie, but that Pokémon is native to the Alola region. You'll have to fly there to catch one," Clemont commented sympathetically.

"Then what about Comfey?"

"It too comes from Alola."

In the next room, Ash was resting in Serena's lap while scrolling through her tablet, trying to develop a strategy against Malva. Serena was keeping herself occupied by combing through Ash's hair, trying to mat down his messy hair. "You really need to work on your appearance Ash," she chuckled. Ash looked up into her face. "Don't I look better like this?"

Serena giggled before she placed a quick kiss on his nose. "To me, yes. To others, I'm not so sure."

"Whatever. I'm fine with you being the only one."

"We should get some rest. It's getting late, and you need to be well rested for the trip tomorrow," Serena commented. Ash let out a yawn. "Yeah."

The next morning, the quartet exited the hotel rather quickly. Ash was eager to complete his next challenge, dragging a weary Serena, a confused Clemont, and a snoring Bonnie. "Why the ruckus Ash? It's only 7," Clemont yawned.

"Because we need to get to Geosenge Town!"

"It's not going anywhere, you know that right?" Serena groggily whispered. Ash didn't respond, but kept moving. His walking came to a stop abruptly when he came face to face with a giant figure. Ash let out a surprised yelp and tripped. "Ow..."

The stranger spoke quietly. "Sorry."

"No problem. My name's Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town, and this is my partner, Pika- oh." Pikachu was snoring lightly on his shoulder, barely hanging on. "Whoops, sorry about that buddy." He then turned his attention to the tall man. "Who are you?"

"You may calle me AZ. I am here to warn you. You and your friends will be in great danger should you continue to Geosenge Town. Team Flare was been resurrected, and they are planning to get revenge on what you did to them. I have a bad feeling that Malva is in on this as well. You must wait."

"Well, Mr. AZ, that does sound dangerous, but really, who cares? I mean, we've defeated Team Flare once, how easy will it be to get 'em again?"

"You do not understand do you."

"I'm sorry?"

"Listen to me. The scientist Xerosic has replicated the ancient Ultimate Weapon. He is preparing to cleanse the world of people and Pokémon alike to fulfill the wish of Lysandre."

"Wait, the Ultimate Weapon...what's that?"

The others had finally dragged themselves up the hill. Clemont spoke up. "The Ultimate Weapon was used years ago to wipe out all life in the Kalos region, save for its creator and those who were protected. Fortunately, it was not at full power, and those who were struck were frozen in stone, instead of being killed. Over the years, the people of Geosenge Town have collected the stone bodies and erected them on the route that leads to their town to honor them.

"The Ultimate Weapon Team Flare has replicated is at full power though. If you do not do something quick, who knows what will happen to you?"

Serena shrieked. "Ash behind you!" The raven haired trainer turned. In front of him stood several grunts, who each released their Pokémon. Pikachu had finally gotten rid of its drowsiness, and it leaped off of Ash's shoulder and let out a battle cry. AZ released his Pokémon as well, revealing a small Pokeball that held his Torkoal. The grunts spoke. "You shouldn't a been spying on us AZ. Now you're gonna pay!"

That finishes this chapter guys. I apologize for the rather inconsistent uploads, but I'm pretty busy. I also want to let you guys know that I won't be uploading over the Christmas break. In that case, I wish you all a Merry Christmas, and I'll see you next time!