Author's Note:

So...we had another long delay. I can be a frustrating dude. But allow me to defend myself. Remember when I said I would upload the next chapters as pairs. Well...I decided to just finish the dam story. That's right...I finished it. LUMIOSE UNIVERSITY IS FINISHED!

So, sit back, relax and enjoy the final six chapters of the story that took over four years to finish. You guys are awesome for sticking with me through this. I hope you enjoy, and Merry Christmas!

Chapter 30: Righting a Wrong

Serena had already gone a few blocks by the time she lost sight of the helicopter, seeing it carrying Absol off into the distance. She didn't stop running, though, her drive to save him only increasing. This was the plan all along when she'd separated from Ash. Her friends could secure the Pokemon Centre. She had to get to Raphael, and she had no doubt that was where Absol was being taken to. She would find them.

She clutched at the blue ribbon Ash had given her, feeling the Key Stone tied within it. Maybe she was going crazy, but she was sure she could feel Absol through it. Their connection was strong enough for that. She was sure of it. All she had to do was follow her heart and she would find Absol and save him from Raphael. Hopefully Ash would be there to help her.

Serena hated the hunters more than ever for doing this. How cruel they were to put Pokemon through this. And for Absol it had gone on for so long. What was it they wanted from him? Serena realized now how strange it was that they hadn't bothered to take Gabby's Altaria, who could also Mega Evolve. Or even Ninetales and Braixen, who were at the Pokemon Centre as well, and quite strong. She felt a pang of regret as she thought of Braixen, still back there. Please Dawn, Clemont, Shauna...all of you. Please keep her safe. I have to get Absol back and I need your help to protect Braixen.

A smile came to Serena's face as she looked to Sylveon running alongside her as they neared the edge of the city, leading towards one of the pathways into the forest. Her friends would do it. Trevor and Tierno had rallied the students at the residence buildings. Dawn, Shauna and Marie had taken back the Pokemon Centre, apparently aided by Bonnie of all people. Clemont and Korrina had fortified Prism Tower and awakened an entire army to aid the city. And Gabby, her fierce rival only hours before, had fought hard at her side since this fight had begun. None of them would let her down.

"We can do this," Serena whispered to herself, narrowing her eyes as she burst out of the city, luckily avoiding a small skirmish between some trainers with some bug type Pokemon fighting off some hunters. One of Clemont's robot Pokemon was helping.

As she exited the city and looked ahead to the forest, she was sure she was going to find resistance. She reluctantly slowed her pace, deciding caution would serve her better at the moment. She'd need as much strength as possible once she reached Raphael and Absol. Pancham was already wiped out, and Sylveon had done some fighting already. Without Braixen and Absol, Serena would need to rely on whatever Sylveon had left and Popplio, who wasn't too experienced.

Serena reached the top of the hill leading into the forest a moment later, pausing as she examined the area. She was expecting hunters to be nearby, and her eyes widened as she realized she was right to expect that. However, surprisingly, the three she saw were knocked out by a tree nearby, looking as though they'd been hit by a Sleep Powder. She had no idea who could've done that, but she was definitely grateful to whoever had done so.

Still wary of a potential ambush, Serena advanced, Sylveon's ears perked at her side. She could still hear sounds from the city. The battle still raged on, and the explosions were still mostly coming from near the Pokemon Centre. However, there was still plenty of noise in other areas, and as Serena glanced back, she could see flashes of light throughout the city, including the tip of Prism Tower. As she continued to head into the forest, she was pretty sure she heard some distant noises from the other end. Serena hoped it was whoever had knocked out the hunters she'd seen before, and not Ash, who was in that fighting. She needed him to be safe.

As she drew further into the forest, the sounds from the city did get a little quieter, and eventually, what Serena could hear was certainly not from the Pokemon Centre, but likely closer to the edge of the city. She still heard noises in the forest, however, and that kept her alert. There were even some sounds that she was sure were likely nearby. She realized that if she was going to reach Raphael it wasn't going to be without fighting. There were just too many hunters. She just had to hope that the mysterious newcomers were fully on the side of the trainers in Lumiose City, and that they could draw as many hunters away from her and Raphael as possible.

It was when she reached a forest clearing not too far from where they'd discovered one of the hunter bases when they'd been searching for Bonnie a couple months back, that Serena finally heard the sounds of someone approaching her. She decided not to walk right into them and a potential ambush, coming to a stop and standing tall as she stared down the shadow she could see through the trees ahead. Eventually, they moved forward, smirking as she glared at them.

"Hm...you don't look like one of those bug catching freaks that's been coming after us. You a student, or one of the ones that got all those wild Pokemon over here attacking us? All of you are making a big mess of this situation." This hunter seemed to carry a sense of authority. Serena had noticed a lot of them in groups so far, and she had a feeling that the higher level ones didn't go with the groups as much. They were stronger, and didn't need to rely on others.

"I'm a student," Serena answered honestly, Sylveon moving in front of her protectively. "I'm coming for your boss and I'm not letting you or any of his other thugs get in my way."

"Thugs?" The hunter smirked, pulling out a pokeball and touching something that dangled from his neck. Serena gritted her teeth, seeing a blackened Key Stone. "We're just doing business, ya snooty brat. Not our fault if you kids feel the need to make things difficult."

"The way I see it, we're not just making things difficult," Serena said confidently, surprising herself somewhat as she smirked back. "We're making it impossible. You and your friends will be beaten and arrested within a few hours."

"We'll see about that, missy." The hunter threw out his pokeball, laughing as he did so. "Aggron, let's show this brat why not to mess with her superiors."

Serena took a deep breath, eyeing the menacing steel type cautiously. Sylveon would be at a major disadvantage against it, and she was sure it was only going to get harder. Her suspicions were confirmed a moment later as the hunter laughed again and grabbed his warped Key Stone and called for a Mega Evolution. Then, just as with Tyranitar, a darkness swirled around Aggron, before leaving the Iron Armor Pokemon, steel points extending above his head, arms and back, while he loomed even larger than he had moments before. Sylveon looked like a speck of pink dust in its presence.

How am I going to beat this thing on my own? Serena thought, feeling panic beginning to rise within her. She did her best to appear confident, and Sylveon looked ready to fight no matter what, but Serena knew she was at a severe disadvantage, even if she called out Popplio as well. Pancham couldn't fight anymore, and Braixen was back at the Pokemon Centre still. Really, only Absol had the raw strength to take on a Mega Evolved Pokemon like this regardless, and his absence was why Serena was here.

"Prepare yourself, Sylveon," Serena said, narrowing her eyes and taking a deep breath. "This will be tough, but I know we can make some trouble for these two. We'll double our efforts!"

As Sylveon murmured agreement, Serena suddenly heard a shuffling in the bushes, followed by an excited burst of whispering. "Did I here someone saying they want to prepare...for trouble?"

"And make it...double?" another voice finished.

"I tink we're gonna have ta step in den!"

Suddenly, a cloud of smoke burst up by the bushes to the right of the clearing they were in, and Serena stared as dark shapes emerged in the smoke. She was worried for a moment, but the hunter seemed confused as well. Wait...could this be who I think it is? Serena thought, narrowing her eyes as she tried to focus on the shapes. They widened as the smoke began to dissipate.

"Prepare for trouble, we're joining the twerpette!"

"And make it double, we'll sound the trumpet!"

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all peoples within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"

"Meowth that's right!"

"Wobbuffet!"

"Doo-oo-oo!"

Serena blinked in surprise at the arrival of the group, who upon further inspection, were not alone. The surprising new member of their team, at least based off his part in their motto, Skiddo, appeared to have brought a herd of his companions, along with a group of Rhyhorn, Seviper, Quagsire and a few other poison, water and bug type Pokemon. They seemed to be led by a Florges, who after a quick nod from Jessie and James, led most of the group of Pokemon away and towards the city. Most of the herd of Skiddo and the Rhyhorn remained, though some left, and from what Serena could see, they were ready to fight. As her eyes drifted to Meowth, Wobbuffet and what must've been the lead Skiddo that Meowth appeared to be riding, Serena suddenly remembered that the last time she'd seen Team Rocket, Meowth had been taken by the hunters.

"You got these Skiddo and Rhyhorn free of the hunters, didn't you?" Serena suddenly asked, eyes wide with surprise.

Meowth looked pleased as he turned his attention to her. "We got a bone ta pick wit these guys, too, twerpette. How about we team up just this once? Dis Aggron was a real pain when da hunters had us captive, and I tink Skiddo here wants ta give it a taste of its own medicine."

Serena smiled, turning to look at the hunter, who, although appearing to look unbothered, had taken a step back. "I'll take all the help I can get, Meowth. Allies it is...for today."

"It's a deal!" Meowth then looked to Jessie and James. "You two should go get some of dose other Wetlands Pokemon. See if you can find where da hunters are hiding all da Pokemon. We can take dis guy."

"You got it, Meowth!" James said, nodding confidently. "Jessie?"

"Take him down, Meowth. We'll meet up, soon."

As Jessie and James took off, Meowth rode Skiddo over to stand by Sylveon, positioning himself to her left, while Wobbuffet waddled over to her right. There, the four of them stared down the hulking Mega Aggron, who seemed to have been building up plenty of rage to take on his new enemies. The hunter looked little better.

"Yeah, ya big metal loser, ya remember me?" Meowth taunted, unsheathing his claws. "You're gonna find dis cat's got a few more lives left to get his revenge."

"Doo-oo-oo!"

"Wobba!"

Serena smiled, shocked at how glad she was to have Team Rocket of all things come to her aid. With the way Meowth and the others were staring down this Aggron, she knew she had a chance to get through this hunter. This alliance was going to be a good one, no matter how long it lasted. Serena knew she'd need to remain cautious, however. Aggron would still be very strong.

"So we had a Meowth that could talk this whole time, huh?" the hunter said, glaring at Meowth. "Well, doesn't matter that you slipped away now. We'll get some good money for you soon enough."

"I don't tink so!" Meowth yelled, raising a paw with unsheathed claws. "Go Skiddo!"

"Sylveon, back them up with Swift!" Serena ordered quickly, wanting to keep the pressure on and avoid Meowth getting in too close with no backup.

"Aggron, Flash Cannon!" the hunter ordered, sneering at the attacks coming his way. Clearly he felt that Meowth wasn't a problem and that Sylveon couldn't do much to help out.

"Wobba!" Wobbuffet shouted out loudly, leaping in front of Meowth as he called Skiddo to a quick stop. The Patient Pokemon began glowing, the Flash Cannon striking him head on. However, he didn't budge one inch, the Flash Cannon firing back at twice the speed, while Sylveon's Swift followed quickly, the two attacks hitting Aggron with a mighty crash.

"Aaaaagroooonnn!" Aggron roared in pain and rage, stomping his feet furiously, the dark energy of his warped Mega Evolution swirling around him. It even seemed to make his trainer uneasy, the hunter faltering a bit and allowing Meowth to get Skiddo charging in again, while Serena ordered Sylveon to distract them with Double Team.

"Doo-oo-oo!"

"Fury Swipes!"

With Aggron already frustrated from Wobbuffet's Mirror Coat, and with Sylveon distracting him with her surrounding Double Team, Skiddo was able to strike the Iron Armor Pokemon head on in the chest, driving it back a few steps, before Meowth jumped up and slashed at its face a few times. Unfortunately, this brought both of them too close to have any chance of escape for Aggron's counterattack.

"Metal Claw!"

Meowth cried out as he was struck first, his body flying across the clearing and landing close to Serena. He hit the ground hard, groaning as he tried to stand, while Skiddo was hit by a follow up strike, sent crashing into Wobbuffet, who grunted from the force of the collision. Serena decided she would have to act quickly to make sure they didn't lose the momentum they'd managed to gain with their first attacks.

"Sylveon, Fairy Wind!" she ordered, Sylveon rushing forward with all her copies, giving Aggron no specific target to hit, before she leaped into the air and all converged on one spot, the pink wind flying out in a powerful gust.

Being a steel type, Aggron didn't appear too affected by the attack, but it did give Meowth and the others a chance to recover, and Skiddo quickly fired off a Razor Leaf, hitting Aggron back as he roared in rage at Sylveon, locking his sights on her. Unfortunately it wasn't enough to prevent another quick counter.

"Flash Cannon, one more time!" the hunter roared, grinning as he saw Sylveon with no chance of escape.

"Aggron!" Aggron roared gleefully, firing off the beam of silver light that crashed into Sylveon with a super effective hit, the ground ripping up beneath her and sending her crashing into the ground in front of Serena. She didn't rise.

"Sylveon!" Serena called out in concern, gritting her teeth as the hunter laughed, turning his sights on Meowth and the others. Skiddo and Meowth began charging once more, this time from two directions, Meowth opting not to ride on Skiddo this time. Serena didn't look up to watch, instead making sure Sylveon was okay, before recalling her to her pokeball and pulling out her last one. "Popplio, I need you," she whispered, throwing out the pokeball, as she saw Meowth hit Aggron with another couple swipes with his claws, while Skiddo stumbled back from a Metal Claw.

"Pop!" Popplio cried out, already appearing battle ready as she looked across to her opponent. Serena smiled, knowing Popplio would fight as fiercely as any of her Pokemon, regardless of her limited experience. Of course Ash would give me a Pokemon that knows to never give up, Serena thought, clutching the ribbon at her chest.

"Aqua Jet!" she then ordered, deciding the pressure needed to be on if they were going to win this. Aggron did look tired, the rage forced into his attacks beginning to take its toll as it did with that Tyranitar in the city.

As Popplio launched herself forward, water swirling around her, Meowth and Skiddo charged in again as well, Skiddo only stopping a moment before getting within reach as Aggron attempted a Metal Claw, and firing off a Razor Leaf into the Iron Armr Pokemon's face. Popplio was next, hitting Aggron hard in the chest with her super effective hit, followed up quickly by Meowth using another Fury Swipes attack. Serena didn't let up one bit, though, and both Meowth and Skiddo got the message.

"Bubble Beam!"

"Pop!"

"Doo-oo-oo!"

"Meowth that's right!"

"Grooonnn!" Aggron fell on his back from the onslaught of their attacks, roaring in rage alongside his trainer as the barrage off bubbles struck his face, before a Horn Leech attack hit him in the chest and Meowth's Fury Swipes struck at his legs. As the three Pokemon leaped back, though, it appeared it wasn't over.

"Flash Cannon, you lousy oaf!" the hunter yelled, eyes wide with rage.

"Aggron!" Aggron roared once more, turning his head from where he lay on his back and aiming the massive blast of steel energy.

Wobbuffet wasn't going to have any of that.

"Wob wobbuffet!" the Patient Pokemon cried out, leaping over the other three and landing on his feet just as the Flash Cannon reached them, his body already glowing for another Mirror Coat. Serena grinned, seeing the hunter's eyes widen as the attack rebounded once more, heading right for him and Aggron.

Serena and her new allies shielded their eyes as the explosion lit the clearing. As the light dimmed a few moments later, though, they could see clearly that the hunter and his Aggron would be a problem no longer. Both lay by a tee at the opposite end of the clearing, unconscious, with Aggron reverted back to its original form.

"How do ya like that, ya ugly hunk of scrap metal!" Meowth yelled out, looking quite pleased with himself. He turned to Skiddo. "Skiddo, pal, you're quite da battler, aren't ya? And Wobbuffet, you saved the day a couple times der." The two looked pleased by the praise, but Serena could see Popplio was irritated not to receive a compliment. Fortunately, Meowth noticed as well before the alliance could be in danger. "And Popplio...dat Aqua Jet was real slick! Twerpette, dat wasn't half bad, huh?"

"I guess not, Meowth," Serena agreed, sighing in relief as she looked at their downed opponents. "Are you planning on going on ahead, or do you need to get back to the others?"

"Jessie and James might need us ta help reinforce your friends in the city if da fighting's still happening," Meowth pointed out. "We'll scout around here and stop any hunters coming through till they get back. I guess you're heading on up ahead, huh?"

"Yeah," Serena said, narrowing her eyes, "they've got a friend of mine."

Meowth studied her a moment, before finally nodding and looking to the small group of Skiddo and Rhyhorn that had stayed back with them instead of going with Florges. "Do you know anything about riding Skiddo or Rhyhorn?"

"I might know a bit," Serena said, eyeing the group, eyes locking on to the biggest Rhyhorn, its eyes narrowed in determination. She smiled at it. "Hopefully I'm not too rusty."


Dawn ducked underneath a Flamethrower that was directed towards the front of the Pokemon Centre, wincing as she heard a window crash behind her from the attack. She wasn't even sure if the attack was from a hunter. The area around the Pokemon Centre was complete and utter chaos as she looked up at it, with hunters, students and other Lumiose City trainers fighting all over the place. The only thing that gave her comfort at the moment, was knowing that with Casey having escaped the Pokemon Centre, and with the other hunters that had been in there now tied up, there would be no sneak attacks from behind her. They just had to hold the entrance. She'd led the effort for...a long time now.

It definitely wasn't easy, though, and Dawn had to act faster and faster with each attack she ordered or had coming at her. She made sure to have Piplup quickly douse the flames at the window with a small Whirlpool, before turning to order Buneary to help out Marie's Fletchling and Jigglypuff who were battling a pair of Ariados. As that was taken care of, she snapped her attention to her Vivillon, who was battling alongside Anton's, dodging back from a swarm of Beedrill. Fortunately, Friend Guard seemed to be working for a few of the Pokemon around Vivillon, giving them a boost against other hunters' Pokemon.

"Vivillon, try to use Powder on as many of those Beedrill as you can!" Dawn called out, looking for Quilava, who seemed to be engaged with a Granbull. A moment later, though, she saw Trevor breaking through, his Charizard and Aerodactyl up in front of him, blasting their way through a Fearow and three Spearow. "Trevor, can you light up those Beedrill on Vivillon's signal?!" she yelled to him. She thought he nodded, but had to turn her attention back to Piplup as he called out a warning, a hunter rushing towards the entrance near him. "Ice Beam!"

"Luuup!" the Penguin Pokemon cried out, striking the ground in front of the hunter and his Houndour, causing them both to slip and crash into the wall of the Pokemon Centre. It didn't appear either would rise soon.

Dawn heard a big explosion behind her, whipping around to see the air above lit up in flames, the entire swarm of Beedrill darting away, some of them falling and crashing into a group of hunters. Dawn grinned at the sight, turning to look towards Trevor, who gave her a nod and then quickly returned to the fight, ordering his Charizard to keep their advantage in the air.

"Dawn! Help!"

Her head whipped to the side once more, and she cursed, feeling the strain in her neck. This battle was going to give her whiplash. She saw Marie backing away, her Jigglypuff knocked out and in her arms. Ahead of her, Buneary and Fletchling were fighting their hardest to hold back Ariados that seemed to keep coming, a few hunters calling out more nearby. Dawn wasn't about to let it stand.

"Piplup, Whirlpool!" she yelled, pointing ahead for Piplup to attack. He didn't hesitate, forming that attack above his head and firing it forward. It seemed to pluck the Ariados off of the ground, a few more joining as Fletchling and Buneary pushed a couple more back. They began to swing around rapidly in the water, crying out in surprise at how sudden it had been. Dawn wasn't done, though. "Now, use Ice Beam! Buneary, you too!"

"Pip!"

"Bun!"

The Whirlpool was struck by two strong beams of icy energy, seemingly freezing instantly, only leaving a frozen pool of water that spun like a top. It continued to spin in the direction of the hunters that had called out the swarm of Ariados, sending them fleeing backwards. It crashed into them, knocking them down before the ice exploded against a nearby building, sending the Ariados flying in all directions, only a couple managing to rise afterwards, but easily picked off by some other trainers. Dawn felt a bit guilty for the harsh attack. Hopefully the building would be easy to repair.

As she was about to turn back towards where she'd last seen Vivillon and Quilava, wondering if she could use another Powder and fire combination, her eyes locked on to a trainer across the road, fighting alongside a group of hunters and clearing out a large group of students who had been making quite a stand earlier in the fight. Dawn's eyes narrowed, watching as Casey ordered her Ponyta to use High Horsepower on a Hitmontop that had rushed forward to strike. The poor fighting type didn't stand a chance as it was sent flying high into the air, crashing into the wall of a building and falling with a loud thud, its trainer rushing to it.

"Piplup," Dawn said, fury in her voice, "I've found our next-"

"Altaria! Ninetales!"

"Braixen!"

Dawn turned, noticing three shapes emerging from the front of the Pokemon Centre. They looked tired, as though they'd been working their way out slowly, but as they noticed the battle around them, their eyes lit up with the fire of determination. Immediately, Braixen and Ninetales were unleashing torrents of fire upon groups of hunters and their Pokemon, while Altaria was darting towards another group a little ways off. Dawn realized the dragon type was rushing towards where Gabby was fighting, arriving just in time to pull her Espeon out of the way of a charging Donphan, before sending it flying with a quick turnaround and a Dragon Rush.

"Braixen, you need to stay out of the fighting!" Dawn then heard Shauna calling out, ducking as Ivysaur grabbed a Murkrow from above her head and threw it away. "You can't risk hurting yourself after your battle!"

"Brai! Braixen brai?!" Braixen called back, gesturing wildly. Dawn knew exactly what Braixen was looking for. She manoeuvred her way over, Piplup knocking a Magmar out of her way with a Bubble Beam.

"Braixen, Absol was taken by the hunters on a helicopter!" she told the fire type. "Serena's gone out to save him. I know you want to find them, but Serena needs you to stay safe. You..." She trailed off, seeing Braixen's eyes. Her own drifted down to Piplup, seeing her partner Pokemon looking back at Braixen in understanding. "You would never listen if someone told that to you, huh Piplup?" she said, smiling as she glanced back to Braixen, who stared back defiantly.

"Brai!" she said, narrowing her eyes and pulling out her wand, flames shooting from it.

Dawn glanced at Shauna, who nodded, and then to Piplup, who voiced his agreement in what he knew she was going to do. "She went that way," Dawn said, pointing in the direction of the helicopter. "She should be okay. It sounds like Ash and Anton were heading towards the forest, too. Maybe they'll meet up."

Braixen nodded, firing off a quick Flamethrower at another hunter and their Pokemon, before rushing off in the direction Serena had gone. Dawn hoped she had done the right thing. She would've gone, too, but she needed to help here. As she had Piplup deflect a Poliwrath's Bubble Beam with his own, Dawn did see that something was rushing off behind Braixen, though, and she smiled. Vivillon had a trainer to find as well.

Dawn didn't have much time to watch the two take off, though, quickly noticing Clemont nearby the Pokemon Centre, trying to fight his way to Bonnie's side with his Grotle, Elekid and Luxray wreaking havoc on the hunters in his path. He'd managed to get a Tyranitar he and the others had recovered from a hunter to Nurse Joy earlier, and he'd been periodically checking to see how it was doing throughout the fighting. He seemed to think they might be able to use its strange dark Mega Stone to figure out a way to stop Raphael.

Marie seemed to have noticed Clemont making his way back, and she managed to use her Fletchling and Chikorita to trip up a few hunters in his way and he managed to guide Bonnie closer to the entrance, clearly worried about her having strayed too far away. Dawn was pretty sure Clemont wasn't too pleased she was involved in the fighting, but clearly he didn't think there was much of a choice. Dawn felt it was necessary as well, regardless of Bonnie's incredible rescue of her, Shauna and Marie. She was quite capable with Dedenne, Chespin and Bunnelby, and took advantage of the hunters underestimating her.

Once Bonnie was better positioned by Clemont, he left his Pokemon out front to help in the fighting and quickly rushed inside. Dawn decided to do so as well. She'd heard some hunters saying something about getting reinforcements of Mega Evolution fighters and she wanted to know what they were getting into. It sounded as though most of those hunters had been drawn towards where Diantha was fighting, but they were likely to arrive here soon.

The scene inside the Pokemon Centre was hectic, with Nurse Joy having been forced to turn the lobby into a large treatment area. Many trainers were comforting hurt Pokemon all around, while Nurse Joy and her Wigglytuff checked on them. Near the back, Dawn could see Clemont checking over the Tyranitar. She was uneasy seeing that it was awake, but it seemed too tired to do anything, and perhaps being abandoned by its trainer had made it unwilling to fight anyway.

Dawn quickly headed over, Piplup at her side looking ready to fight if needed. As she came to a stop next to Clemont, she glanced back outside, hearing pleased cheers from the students. That surprised her, and she wondered if somebody had taken down a Mega Evolved Pokemon without her noticing. She ignored it for the moment, though, looking at Clemont as he examined the weird stone that had been on Tyranitar.

"Notice anything about it?" Dawn asked, looking at the stone, and then at Tyranitar, who watched the two of them with tired eyes.

"It's strange," Clemont said, adjusting his glasses as he studied the stone. "I asked Tyranitar if it had ever Mega Evolved normally before, and it seemed like...he couldn't remember." They looked at the Armor Pokemon, and it looked thoughtful, before bowing and shaking its head. "I think...I think somehow these stones are made from regular Mega Stones, but...but something evil is done to them. Tyranitar seemed so enraged before. Mega Evolution is supposed to be brought out by the bond between trainer and Pokemon, but this forces it out and it seems like something dark is needed to do it."

"Hate..." Dawn murmured, leaning forward and noticing the dark, almost fog-like substance in the stone. "These hunters seem full of it. I wouldn't be surprised if Raphael came up with something as twisted as that. Hate and rage to pull out the most dangerous aspects of a Pokemon."

Clemont nodded sadly, looking up at Tyranitar, who had drifted off to sleep once more. "I think you might be right. I don't quite understand how it could work like that but...maybe I don't want to." He thought for a moment, staring at the stone, and then, surprisingly, looked up at Dawn with a hopeful expression. "This may be something we can use against them, though."

"How?" Dawn asked, tilting her head in confusion. "It sounded like this Tyranitar was pretty dangerous with this warped Mega Evolution."

"Yes," Clemont admitted, narrowing his eyes as he stood up, "but what happens if we take away that hate?"

He didn't say more, just taking a deep breath and heading back towards the entrance, ready to continue the fight outside. Dawn quickly moved to join him. She hoped they wouldn't have to test Clemont's idea, whatever it was, anytime soon, but she doubted that would be the case. In fact, as they headed to the doors, it sounded like fighting had intensified. At the sound of a few explosions, she and Clemont quickly opened the doors and stepped outside, ready to fight with everything they had.

Dawn's eyes widened as she saw the scene in front of her. The hunters had been hit by a sudden wave. A swarm of Butterfree, Beedrill, Pinsir, Heracross, Ledian and all kinds of other bug types were descending from the sky, striking at them in a brutal assault. Their snarling Pokemon fought back, and they were holding in some places where they grouped together, but a massive group of them and their Pokemon were being overrun.

"What...what is this?" Dawn said, eyes wide as she watched the attack. Not one of these arriving bug types attacked any of the defending trainers. They clearly knew who they were targeting and they were allies of the students, but where had they come from?

"The Hive..." Clemont then whispered, turning as if looking for something, before stopping and pointing, laughing a little as he did so.

"The...Hive?" Dawn was quite confused, although she felt that she should've known what that meant. She followed where Clemont was pointing to, though, and she noticed a large group of people in hiking gear with bug catching nets and straw hats emerging from a couple of side streets. They didn't really look intimidating, but they certainly looked determined, and their effect so far had been impressive.

"Anton and Gabby's dad is a part of this group," Clemont quickly explained to Dawn as they watched the group charge in further. "They're bug type Pokemon researchers and they've been worrying about what the hunters have been doing to the forest habitats all over Kalos. I think they've looked forward to this chance."

Dawn grinned, seeing the hunters pushed back as they attempted to engage against the furious bug type trainers. Perhaps they could start moving the battle away from the Pokemon Centre with them here. "We might be able to start driving these hunters out of the city," Dawn said hopefully, glancing over to where Casey had been last. It appeared she'd moved. Dawn wondered if she had fled, but she doubted it. "We have to work even harder than before, Clemont," she said, narrowing her eyes as some hunters neared where they were standing. "We can win this."

"We might be working even harder than you think, Dawn..." Clemont said quietly, voice shaking a little as he pointed towards the opposite end of the road from where the bug type trainers had emerged. Dawn's eyes widened as she followed, seeing a group of five hunters marching forward, each with a Pokemon in front of them that looked far too enraged to be anything remotely normal. "It's just like Tyranitar..."

Nearby, Dawn could see some other students growing uneasy, their excitement over the Hive's arrival quieting with this new challenge. However, she could see Trevor and Tierno moving ahead to engage, with Charizard already Mega Evolving and Blastoise looking ready to fight with Tierno's dancing style. Gabby was a little bit away from them, looking uncertain, but at a nod from her Altaria, who was now with her, she moved forward as well, touching the bow in her hair. Dawn heard her shout loud and clear.

"Altaria, Mega Evolve!" the Laverre Performance Team Captain yelled, drawing the eyes of those around her. It seemed to inspire some more hope, with many recognizing her, knowing the strength she had. Her Altaria straightened out in front of her, the light of Gabby's Key Stone shining brightly around her and extending out towards it.

And then, Altaria screeched in agony and rage, as darkness swirled around her.


Ash shielded his eyes as Decidueye, Skarmory, Goodra and the other Wetlands Pokemon blasted another group of ambushing hunters. The further their small army advanced into the forest, the more hunters there seemed to be hiding in the trees. Ash was pretty sure whatever ones that weren't knocked out from their attacks were regrouping and quickly joining the ones ahead. But it did at least show one thing. They were heading in the right direction.

As they quickly scanned their surroundings, checking a couple of the hunters to make sure they weren't going to get up and attack them right away, Ash glanced at Goodra organizing his squad of Wooper and Swanna. He was definitely glad Goodra was with him and Anton now. Even with the Pokemon they had with them, there was no way they would've been able to make it through all these hidden hunters. Raphael had guarded himself well, and there was a lot of ground to cover. Goodra was giving them a lot of firepower and the ability to scout much further ahead with the Swanna he had with him. Plus, it was just really nice to see Goodra again. Ash had missed him a lot.

As they moved on, getting notice from some Swanna circling overhead that there was another group of hunters up ahead, Anton spoke up, snapping Ash out of his thoughts. "I don't think these hunters gathered around here are simply protecting Raphael, Ash. He can fight for himself. He wouldn't want to look so weak."

"Well, it still makes sense for a bunch of them to be here. Maybe they just want to stop people fleeing," Ash suggested, glancing around in case any were planning to approach from behind again.

"Part of it might be that," Anton agreed, nodding. "But...they seem like they're keeping us from something."

Ash nodded back, knowing his words made sense. He felt a little hopeful at the thought, too. There was more than just Raphael they were looking for. "We'll keep an eye out. Goodra, think you can get those Swanna to check for something the hunters might be hiding around here?" he said, looking to his dragon type.

"Goo goodra!" Goodra answered happily, nodding to one of the Swanna next to him, who flew up to relay the message to the others already in the air. A few stayed back to continue scouting for ambushes, and some remained next to Goodra below.

As they moved towards where they suspected the next group of hunters were waiting, Anton looked over to Goodra, raising an eyebrow and looking thoughtful. "He's quite impressive."

"Goodra's awesome!" Ash said, smiling at the praise. "He's been protecting the Wetlands for a long time, now, after travelling with me and helping me in the Kalos League."

Anton frowned at that, but then shrugged, nodding. "Maybe there's something to those gym battles of yours after all. Might need to give them a second try..."

"We'll need to see if you're ready first?" Ash said, laughing at the frown that Anton gave him.

"Of course I'm ready. What do you mean?"

"You'll need to beat me in the finals first." Ash grinned, but it slipped a moment later as Anton stared back. "I was just..."

Then Anton smiled back, nodding. "Seems fair. I'll have to give it all I've got then."

"We'll make sure it's a battle to remember!" Ash said, pumping his fist in excitement.

Anton looked like he was about to respond, but just then, they heard the sounds of people running in their direction, and both he and Ash braced themselves for battle. A moment later, three hunters came out of the bushes. With them, were a Malamar, Mismagius and a Dusknoir. Anton was quick to have his Skarmory strike Malamar with Steel Wing, the psychic type moving forward first to attempt a quick strike. Ash was quick to follow up, making sure the others couldn't catch him off guard.

"Spirit Shackle! Back to back!" he ordered, Decidueye leaping into the air up above him, pulling out his ghostly bow and arrow. As Malamar was slammed to the ground, Decidueye fired, two ghostly arrows slamming into the opposing ghost Pokemon and seemingly locking them to the ground. A moment later, Goodra followed up the attack, leading off with an Ice Beam, before the Wooper squad with him sent out a barrage of Water Gun attacks. Ash had Decidueye wrap it all up with an Ominous Wind, which sent all three Pokemon flying towards their trainers, who ducked underneath. They quickly recalled their Pokemon and fled.

As Ash congratulated Decidueye on his efforts, Anton stepped forward, tilting his head as though hearing something. A moment later, Ash moved over to join him, while a couple of Swanna who had gone ahead, flew down to relay some information to Goodra, looking urgent. "Do you hear that?" Anton asked, frowning as he focused.

Ash held his breath a moment, straining his ears in an attempt to hear whatever Anton was hearing. A moment later, his eyes widened, hearing what sounded almost like something banging against bars. "Do you think that's...a cage?" Anton nodded, removing the sunglasses he still had on for some reason and snapping them in his hands. Ash had a feeling his rival just wanted to break something and those were the closest things he had on hand.

"That's where they're holding the Pokemon they've stolen...just up ahead." He took a deep breath, pulling out another pokeball. "I'm going to crush them."

"Hold on," Ash said, surprising himself somewhat with his own restraint. "We need to be careful." He looked at Goodra, who seemed to have been getting information about whatever was ahead from the Swanna. "Does it sound like they're holding most of the Pokemon up there?" Ash asked his dragon type.

"Goo goodra," Goodra answered, nodding seriously. "Goodra!"

"We can fight through whoever's there?" Ash asked, grinning as Goodra nodded in determination. "They must've sent out too many of the guards to track us down."

"I bet those last three were meant to draw us away. They tried to emerge as though they were coming from a different direction," Anton pointed out, clicking open the pokeball he had, releasing his Scizor. "We've got to be ready in case they've got some tough hunters hidden. Is your Pikachu okay to fight yet?"

Ash looked to Pikachu, who was indeed looking a little better, but still seemed pretty wiped out, clinging tiredly to Ash's shoulder. "I don't think so," Ash said, pulling out a pokeball of his own. "I've got the perfect Pokemon for this mission, though. Hawlucha, I choose you!" he said, clicking open the pokeball and releasing the Wrestling Pokemon, who emerged with a confident pose to show he was ready to fight. He and Decidueye would be perfect for drawing out whatever remaining guards were around, and then Scizor and Skarmory could quickly overwhelm them. Goodra and his group would be able to deal with any who slipped through.

Once Hawlucha was done with his poses, he noticed Goodra standing nearby, and jumped over to him, appearing overjoyed to see the old team member. "Lucha!" he greeted, holding out a fist for the dragon type.

"Goodra!" Goodra responded happily. Holding out his own. Ash smiled at the sight, glad to have part of the old Kalos team together like this again. They'd been through a lot together, and they were ready to pull off one last feat.

"Let's go," Ash said a moment later, nodding to the others as he led the way forward.

It didn't take too long before they noticed the camp. It was well hidden, even with them knowing where it was, but thanks to Goodra's scouts and some of the Pokemon making some noises with the lack of guards, they managed to get close fairly easily. Once they were near, Ash did see a few pairs of guards around, striking cages that had a noisy Pokemon. It was a massive camp, though, and it seemed like they'd managed to draw out what must've been a much larger guard that had likely been here before. This would give them the opportunity to strike a real blow against these hunters.

"If we can free these Pokemon," Ash said, whispering as they hid behind some bushes, Goodra needing to stay further back due to his size, "we'll have a clear shot at Raphael. They'll be rushing over here and if we can find where he is, we can go there without much trouble."

Anton nodded, looking more determined than ever as he looked to his two steel types. "Scizor and Skarmory, we're going to let Decidueye and Hawlucha sneak in and draw the guards to you. Once you have a shot, knock them out. If any get away, Goodra and the Wetlands Pokemon will stop them. If we can get these guards out of the way, all of these Pokemon can be free."

"Scizor!" Scizor said enthusiastically, nodding and aiming his sights on the camp ahead, while Skarmory darted into the air, hidden by the trees as he waited.

Ash signalled for Decidueye and Hawlucha to move forward, and they quickly departed. Decidueye looked more like a ghost than ever before, seemingly becoming part of the shadows in the night, before appearing behind a cage and drawing one of his ghostly arrows as he looked around the corner at a pair of guards coming down the pathway. Meanwhile, Hawlucha hopped on top of one of the cages, tip-toeing slowly across it, before preparing to leap to draw the attention of another pair of guards a couple rows down.

It was stunning how smoothly the first two strikes worked. Decidueye fired two arrows so quickly that Ash didn't even see him draw the second one. Each hit the ground in front of the first pair of hunters, and both stared down in confusion, freezing at the sight. Before they could even react, Skarmory swooped down from above and knocked the two of them out with one quick Steel Wing, before disappearing back into the sky. Meanwhile, where Hawlucha was, the Wrestling Pokemon hovered over where his pair of guards were, and dropped down behind them. As they turned, he swooped their feet out from under them, before darting back up to the top of the cages, while Scizor came in and hit the two over the head with a quick Bullet Punch.

"Four down," Anton said, nodding in appreciation at the perfect execution. "Our Pokemon work well together."

"We sort of have a similar style," Ash noted, grinning as Hawlucha drew another pair of hunters over to where Scizor was waiting with another prepared Bullet Punch. "Our Pokemon are able to take full advantage of their speed, and strike quickly in close."

"I guess that's true," Anton murmured, narrowing his eyes as Decidueye performed an Ominous Wind attack, which created a ghostly mist nearby a cage where a pair of guards were kicking the bars at a couple of crying Pokemon. The mist seemed to blend into the night, and Decidueye managed to use it to almost walk right up to the hunters. Once they noticed him, Skarmory was already striking them down.

After another couple of minutes, the four Pokemon moved further into the camps, and it was a little harder to watch them as they hunted for more guards. Fortunately, they all acted swiftly and efficiently, not drawing any yells of alarm from any hunters. Before too long, Skarmory was flying back over to where Ash and Anton waited, signalling it was okay to move in. With a quick scan of the camp, noting the downed guards scattered throughout, the two trainers moved in, Ash signalling to Goodra to be on the lookout for any hunters trying to escape.

Once in the camp, Ash and Anton quickly joined up with the rest of the Pokemon, while Skarmory stayed in the air to keep an eye out for more guards. "We should start breaking open these cages right away," Anton said, eyes darting around as they walked towards one of the cages. "Any Pokemon that are up for it can help us open the others and keep an eye out."

"Sounds like a good idea," Ash agreed, ordering Hawlucha to strike the door on one of the cages. It took him a few tries, but eventually he was able to weaken the doors. From there, Scizor and Decidueye took turns hitting with their own attacks. Once it looked to be beaten up enough, the three of them pulled together, yanking off the door of the first cage.

Fortunately, the cage they'd opened seemed to have mostly Pokemon that were likely newly caught. They didn't seem to have the deep sadness in their eyes that Ash remembered seeing from Absol, and they seemed pretty willing to trust Ash and Anton with their actions thus far. A couple of them, a Hariyama and a Pyroar, even seemed strong enough and willing to help opening up the other cages. It seemed the cage doors were much harder to access from the inside, otherwise Ash felt they might have been able to attempt an escape. Although the guards likely would've harmed them.

"Hopefully we'll get a few more Pokemon to help with each cage," Anton said, looking around somewhat anxiously. "This could take a long time, otherwise."

Ash nodded, eyes moving to the next cage. This one had an Inkay and a Gourgeist at the front of it. Ash was curious how a ghost Pokemon was able to be held inside, but it seemed like there was probably some kind of magnetic force in the bars that were holding them back. Fortunately, when the doors were broken down, that seemed to remove it, so they'd be fairly easy to free once the doors were opened.

As Hawlucha moved to strike at this door, though, Skarmory suddenly swooped down, an urgent look in its eyes. It cried out something quickly to Anton, and both he and Ash whipped around, seeing a pair of hunters running around a corner, spotting them immediately. Decidueye and Scizor darted out front quickly, preparing to strike, but Ash knew it wouldn't do any good. All the hunters had to do was sound the alarm, and they could be in for a big battle.

As one of the hunters pulled out a transceiver from his pocket, Ash braced himself, knowing they were about to call for reinforcements. But then, something struck the hunter from behind, spinning out front of the other one before he'd even fallen to the ground and lashing out once more. They were down in an instant, the transceiver falling uselessly to the ground. The attacker turned, looking cautiously to both sides, before resting its gaze on Ash and Anton.

"Scyther...?" Anton said, stepping forward, looking knowingly at the bug type that had made the timely arrival. Ash realized it looked pretty familiar to him as well.

"Figured you could use some help, son. Once I saw what you kids were up to that is." Ash and Anton jumped at the voice, seeing a man in bug catching gear emerge from around the corner, a few others dressed like him coming up behind him, bug types of all kinds with them. "Hope you don't mind me bringing the Hive along. And hello, Ash. Good to see you again."

"Henry..." Ash couldn't help but laugh, sighing in relief at the sight of the bug type enthusiast and his companions.

"Dad...you know who these people are, right?" Anton asked, his Scizor moving forward to greet Henry's Scyther, each looking pleased to see the other.

"I do," Henry said, eyes narrowing. "And I'm going to do everything I can to help you fight them. We came as soon as we saw the Wetlands Pokemon charging through one of our favourite research areas. I sent one squad into the city towards the Pokemon Centre where it looked like there was most of the trouble, and another one by the entrance out that way. Figured we should patrol that area once the helicopter went flying by there."

"Helicopter?" Ash asked.

Henry nodded. "Lost sight of it pretty quickly, but it seemed to be bringing something from the city. Unfortunately it must be something important to the hunters."

"Did you see anything else on the way here?" Anton asked, looking into the sky as though hoping to catch sight of the helicopter from where they were.

"We ran into a couple of familiar faces, actually. Those folks we found in the woods awhile back, Ash." He glanced behind him. "Are they back there?"

A moment later, two people came around the corner, looking suspiciously at the bug type trainers surrounding them. As soon as they noticed Ash, their eyes widened. "Twerp!"

"Team Rocket?" Ash frowned, looking at them. "Are you trying to steal Pokemon while this is all going on?"

Jessie put her hands on her hips and sniffed, pointing her nose in the air. "We've decided to help your side against these hunters. We have a bone to pick with them. Meowth is already fighting alongside that twerpette friend of yours."

"You've seen Serena?" Ash's eyes widened. "Where is she?"

"Must've been following after that helicopter," Henry suggested. Jessie and James didn't seem to disagree, so Ash decided that made the most sense. He knew she'd be able to battle past whoever got in her way, so he needed to assume the helicopter was what she was after, which meant it probably headed towards Raphael.

He was about to ask if they knew anything else, when suddenly, James gasped and ran forward, eyes on the cage Ash and Anton had been about to open. "Inkay!"

Jessie was following after him a moment later. "Gourgeist!"

"Those are yours?" Ash asked, realizing that the two had actually looked somewhat familiar. He couldn't help but smile, seeing the fondness in their eyes for their Pokemon. "Hawlucha, start breaking down the door."

"Lucha!" Hawlucha answered proudly, beginning to strike at it, Decidueye moving to help.

Once the door was open, and Jessie and James were reuniting with their Pokemon, Ash and Anton quickly got Henry and the others up to date on everything going on. They had seen both Raphael's and Clemont's broadcasts, but hadn't yet seen the heaviest fighting in the city. They looked glad to be able to help more now that they had the chance, though, and quickly got to work in opening up the cages. With members of the Hive able to take over guard duty, Goodra and the Wetlands Pokemon were able to help with the cages, too, making the process much faster.

As the work began to speed up, Ash noticed Team Rocket quickly finding a few more of their Pokemon nearby the cage that had held Inkay and Gourgeist. He couldn't help but be glad to see that. He'd felt horrible when they'd found them knocked out in that forest clearing weeks ago, their Pokemon stolen from them. They looked overjoyed to have them back.

The sight that he had been hoping to see had yet to come, though, but it wasn't far away.

With the more efficient work on opening the cages underway, Anton began a thorough search of the camp, and Ash and Henry stayed with him, keeping an eye out for what they both assumed he was searching for. As the Laverre student zeroed in on a row of cages by a path that led further into the forest and in the direction Henry had pointed in for where the helicopter likely was, Ash could sense the nervous excitement.

Anton ran at the cage right in the middle, his Scizor darting towards the door immediately. Despite the difficulty in opening most of the other cages, Scizor struck this door down with a single, mighty strike. Anton rushed in immediately, scooping up a red, bird-like Pokemon near the front. There was exhaustion in its eyes, but Ash could see the recognition on its face immediately.

"Fletchinder...Fletchinder, I'm so...I'm so sorry," Anton whispered, voice barely heard from where Ash and Henry waited. "I..."

"Fletch...fletchinder," the flying type murmured in response, managing to raise its head and nuzzle Anton's face.

Ash could see the surprise in Anton's posture, his body going stiff. Anton turned a moment later, though, holding his Fletchinder closely. It appeared to have drifted off to sleep. "I'm going to make them, pay, Fletchinder. Don't you worry."

Henry looked at his son, smiling with tears in his eyes at the sight. As Ash exchanged a smile of his own with Pikachu, he realized they both had tears in their eyes as well. "I'll watch him, son. You and Ash go and do what needs to be done. I'll keep him safe no matter what."

Anton hesitated, but after a glance at Fletchinder, and then at the cages all around him, he nodded. "This ends tonight. Are you with me, Ash?"

"Till the very end," Ash promised.


Raphael stood silently, alone with his Medicham, studying the night sky from his vantage point on a cliff looking over the forest between him and Lumiose City. He couldn't hear the battle sounds from here, but he thought he could see some signs of smoke in various places. Perhaps that was simply his imagination, however. Regardless, he knew what was happening with the various reports his scouts had given him. The last one had left an hour ago, however. None would return before Raphael's next visitors it seemed.

The battle had gone poorly. Raphael had underestimated these students, and the arrival of those Wetlands Pokemon and foolish bug researchers had certainly added to the trouble. Raphael would not be leaving with the high volume of Pokemon he had anticipated taking with him. No matter. He had acquired quality over quantity with one acquisition thus far. Another would willingly approach and grant him value beyond even what he had already.

Raphael turned towards the large tree in the centre of the clearing behind him, studying the creature lying there. What a mysterious Pokemon this Absol was. Bound now as he had been for years, it showed no signs of its admittedly remarkable transformation. The value of this creature. He had sensed it long ago. He had tried for so long to bring out the stunning strength inside of it. Even once crippled, it appeared to have potential. Eventually it appeared to be too pitiful and too costly an experiment.

That girl had brought out the incredible strength, however. How, Raphael would need to find out eventually. For now, he just needed the product. The product, and conveniently, the bait.

He scowled as he looked back towards the city. It had been costly to do this. First, the escape and discovery of the base, leading to Raphael being forced to flee the city. Then, the poorly executed attack by his subordinates. He took a deep breath as he calmed himself.

No matter, he would come out on top. The rest of the Mega Evolution hunters had been sent out, and if the foolish girl Casey had done her job, that Altaria would have those kids in a panic. The hunters remaining would at least be able to gather something.

But if they didn't...well, Raphael's two targets were of such great value, he would recover his losses soon enough. He'd hoped to gather enough wealth and resources to build a new, mighty organization that would strike fear into all opposition. That would take more time, now. He'd lost many followers this night. But, his rise would be fast with his new products. The second of which, would be arriving shortly.

"Cham!" Medicham hissed, standing straighter, and looking more alert. Raphael smirked, glancing at his Pokemon, before turning his gaze back to the city.

They draw near.

There were three guards he'd stationed on the path leading to this clearing. He heard them calling out, fury in their voices, before the attack orders followed. One had an altered Mega Manectric. Clearly, it was no match, as Raphael heard the exchange. He raised an eyebrow at the familiar sounds of Mega Scizor unleashing his ferocious Vacuum Wave.

After the explosion, there was silence for a few moments. Then, the sounds of footsteps drew closer. Medicham grunted out a warning as the bushes rustled, and the footsteps came to a stop, accompanied by heavy breathing. Raphael chuckled, still looking towards the city. Then, he spoke, his voice soft.

"So...we arrive at the finale."