This two-part episode is dedicated to Pokémon's 25th anniversary. Train on!

Episode 125: The Master Plan of Mirage Pokémon Part 1

Ash is running excitedly through the crowded streets of a busy city. He shouts, "Come on guys, it's already started! We can't be late for this!"

Brenda and Brock struggle to keep up behind him. Brenda shouts, "Come on, Ash, wait up!" She looks to Brock accusingly. "We wouldn't have to be running if you hadn't held us up."

Brock chuckles. "There's no getting between me and Nurse Joy."

Brenda teases back, "Unless you're Meteorfight, that is."

Brock declines to say anything further.

Ash makes it to his destination, an overly crowded sidewalk packed shoulder to shoulder with people and Pokémon. He looks excitedly ahead to see a parade marching down the road. It's made up of massive balloons made to look like Pokémon. The one passing by currently is a gigantic Pikachu. Ash cheers, "We made it! Check it out, buddy!"

As Brock and Brenda catch up, Pikachu cheers, "Pik pikachu!"

On this landmark day, our heroes have made it just in time for a celebration of grand proportions! It's a celebration of history! A celebration of legacy! A celebration of something we all love! So, join in for this momentous occasion! It's a party, and everyone's invited!

The parade continues on, with Pokémon of all kinds being marched down the street in balloon form. First, it's a Mew and Mewtwo. These balloons remind Ash of the time that he met the two at Mount Quena, when Mewtwo returned. He thinks about how Mewtwo was gravely injured, but he was able to drag Mewtwo to the healing springs, teaching it a valuable lesson along the way.

Next comes a Ho-Oh and Lugia balloon. Focusing on the Lugia brings Ash back to the time when he was declared the Chosen One, and he had to gather the Orbs of Fire, Lightning, and Ice. He remembers riding on the back of Lugia after saving the day, with Moltres, Zapdos, and Articuno flying alongside them.

Those balloons are followed by ones of Groudon and Kyogre. This gives Ash two different flashbacks. The first is of the massive Groudon-like monster that was created from the power of Jirachi. He thinks back to how he helped to stop the machine that had created the monster, and how Jirachi preceded to destroy the beast with a massive attack. The flashback shifts to memory of him passing through the sea, engulfed by the light of the Sea Crown as he passes by a Kyogre.

Now balloons of Palkia and Dialga are floated by. This reminds Ash of the time when Palkia and Dialga were locked in combat, and slowly destroying the Town of Alamos in the process. After Darkrai's brave sacrifice, Ash is able to calm the dueling legends by causing the music player of the Space-Time Tower to play the Oración tune. The music soothes the savage Pokémon, healing Palkia and causing the Pokémon of time and space to abandon their battle, all while giving a breathtaking light show.

In the present, balloons of Reshiram and Zekrom are now passing by. This brings Ash back to the time where he witnessed Reshiram and Zekrom do battle. He thinks of how even after all the fighting between the two them, they were able to put aside their differences and help to save Victini. He thinks of how after this the twin Pokémon flew off together across the ocean, behind a rainbow.

The following balloons are Xerneas and Yveltal. He is forced to remember the traumatic moment when Pikachu is struck by Yveltal's Oblivion Wing, turning Ash's best friend to stone. All seemed lost, but then Xerneas appeared and used its power to return life to Pikachu, as well as everything else Yveltal had drained. With its job complete, Xerneas returns to its sealed form.

Next comes balloon replicas of Solgaleo and Lunala. Ash remembers his time spent with Nebby the Cosmog, and how it went on to evolve into Solgaleo in order to help save Lusamine from Nihilego. But even after it left, that wasn't the end. It later reappeared alongside a Lunala, and together they had to face off against Necrozma, trying to steal their light. Alongside Solgaleo and Lunala, Ash and the other Ultra Guardians gathered all the Ultra Aura they could muster to restore Necrozma's lost power.

Rounding out the parade is balloons of Zacian and Zamazenta. This causes Ash to recall the time when he and Goh fought alongside the Legendary Pokémon in order to put a stop to the Darkest Day, battling the monstrosity that was Eternamax Eternatus.

While everyone watches the representations of various Legendary Pokémon, no one realizes that there's an actual Legendary Pokémon standing just behind them. Atop a tower behind the crowd, the massive audience is watched over by a stoic Velocivity.

As the parade marches around the corner, a man announces over an intercom, "Thank you all for joining us for our Silver Jubilee Parade, celebrating 25 years of joyous history! The parade may over, but that doesn't mean the celebration is! Next up is the Silver Battle!"

Another parade float is moved into position. This is no ordinary float, its large flat top is clearly meant to serve as a battlefield.

The announcer continues, "Thousands of people entered, and now two names will be drawn. Those two will have the honor of doing battle in honor of this Silver Jubilee!" Ash eagerly leans forward, waiting for the names to be announced. "Our battlers today will be Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town and Mira from Kanaveral City!"

Ash cheers, "Alright! Time for a battle!"

Pikachu joins in, "Pika pik pi!"

They rush for the battle float, bumping into many people along the way. He grabs onto a ladder on the side of the float and climbs up. Once on the battlefield, he notices his opponent climbing up too. It's a young woman wearing a lab coat and oversized round spectacles. Her long red hair is styled in a thick braid. She appears rather flustered and nervous. She mutters to herself, "If I knew there'd be so many people watching, I never would have agreed to this…" She glances about anxiously.

Trying to calm her, Ash grins as he shouts, "So you must be Mira. I'm Ash. I bet this is going to be a great battle!"

She glances quickly back to Ash. "Yeah, Mira. That's me." She chuckles nervously, as she takes quick glances back at the crowd surrounding them.

Ash suggests, "Hey, in a battle all that matters is the battlers and their Pokémon. It's just you and me right now, no need to think about everyone else."

Mira closes her eyes for a brief moment as she gathers herself. Once she opens them again, it's like a switch has been flipped. With some confidence in her voice, she announces, "Okay, I'm ready."

The announcer declares, "Chose your Pokémon!"

Ash shouts, "Pikachu, I chose you!"

Mira throws a Pokéball. "Let's do this, Pterabite!"

The Pokémon that appears is a large moth-like Pokémon. Its large wings are colored a dark green with lighter green lines branching out and forming paths across the wings. This gives the wings the appearance of circuit boards. The body also looks as if it's comprised from computer parts, such as circuit board capacitors for antenna, wires for legs, a cooling fan on its chest, and a USB connector at the tip of its abdomen.

This prompts Ash to check his Pokédex. "Pterabite, the Datavore Pokémon, and an Electric and Bug Combo-Type. It can interface with nearly any computer system in order to consume its data, causing the computer to break down in the process. It will consume just about any type of electricity, but it prefers the highly organized nature of data. Evolves from Malworm at level 27."

Ash grins, looking forward to the chance to battle such a unique Pokémon. He jumps right into things by ordering, "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

"Pikaaaaa chuuuuuu!"

Mira shouts, "Absorb it, Pterabite!" Pterabite raises the tip of its abdomen and absorbs the electricity through its connector. The absorbed electricity can be seen flowing through the circuits of its circuit board wings. Mira grins. "Send it back with Charge Beam!"

This perfect counter elicits gasps from the massive audience surrounding the float battlefield.

"Pteraaaaa!" The electricity is funneled back down to its connector, then released in a compact beam of electricity.

Ash is quick to command, "In the air, Pikachu!" Pikachu leaps up, smoothly jumping over the Charge Beam. "Now bring down your Iron Tail!"

"Chu, pika!" Pikachu slams its silvery tail down on its opponent, scoring a powerful blow.

This first hit of the battle causes applause in the audience.

As Pikachu bounces back, both trainers order at the same time, "Electroweb!" Both Pokémon launch webs of electricity at the other. The two webs collide ad tangle into a ball of electricity.

Mira quickly follows up, "Try Signal Beam instead!" Pterabite flaps its wings and attacks with a beam of iridescent light.

Ash notices the ball of tangled Electroweb and gets an idea. "Iron Tail, on the Electroweb!" Pikachu uses its tail to smack the mess of electricity up at the incoming Signal Beam. Once the two intercept, the Signal Beam causes the Electroweb to explode, showering Pterabite in fragments of electricity.

Mira urges, "Shake it off!" Pterabite begins to move erratically in an attempt to get the web off.

While it's distracted, Ash commands, "Iron Tail, now!" With impressive speed, Pikachu slams into its opponent before it can free itself. Pterabite is knocked back several feet by the blow.

Pterabite manages to recover and free itself, but before it can ready itself to attack, everything goes crazy.

It starts with a single cry of terror, which quickly cascades into a mess of screams from across the city. Ash and Mira glance off in the direction of the first scream. Standing in the crowd, causing everyone to flee, is a massive Guzzlord. It immediately begins to destroy a nearby building and consume the rubble.

Brenda and Brock are near the Pokémon. Instead of fleeing like everyone else, they take a few apprehensive steps back. Brock says, "No way, that's an Ultra Beast!"

Ash's eyes are wide with shock. "How could an Ultra Beast be here?"

He swivels around when he hears more shouts, from the other side of the parade grounds. There he sees a Celesteela, already swinging one of its massive arms through a neighboring tower.

"Now there are two!?" He looks to Pikachu. "Pikachu, we have to do something."

Pikachu nods in agreement. "Chu."

Somehow not seeming afraid or startled, Mira shouts, "Ash, you take that one over there," she points to Guzzlord, "and we'll take the other one!"

Ash grins and nods. "Glad for the help!" He and Pikachu leap off the float, running towards Guzzlord. "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" Pikachu unleashes a powerful Thunderbolt at the rampaging gluttonous Ultra Beast. The attack doesn't seem to inflict much damage, but it does get Guzzlord's attention. The Ultra Beast pivots to face Ash and Pikachu, and raises one of its arms to attack back. It charges for a Dragon Pulse.

Ash's eyes widen, as he realizes he may have bitten off more than he can chew. The attack from Guzzlord will be too big to avoid. But just as Guzzlord attacks, Ash and Pikachu are saved by a streak of golden light that rushes by, intercepting the powerful attack before disappearing just as fast as it appeared. Ash gasps. "It's that light again!" Ash quickly realizes he doesn't have time to stop and think about this strange light. So instead he orders, "Pikachu, use Volt Tackle!"

"Pika pika pika pika pika pika pika chuuuu!" Pikachu rams into Guzzlord at full power, cloaked in an intense cover of electricity. The attack forces Guzzlord to stagger back, but still does little to phase it. As Pikachu is bouncing off of the Ultra Beast, Guzzlord uses its pincer arm to smack Pikachu away. "Pikaaa!"

Ash contemplates his next move when suddenly a voice shouts, "Witness the power of the mighty beast!"

Ash gasps. "I know that voice!" He turns around to see Gladion and his Silvally leaping down from above.

Gladion pulls out a light-yellow disk and throws it at Silvally as he shouts, "Silvally, accept this Light Memory and become the beast whose light pierces the shroud of darkness!"

The port on the side of Silvally's head pops open to accept the Light Memory. The port closes and Silvally becomes cloaked in a light-yellow aura as its crest and tail turn the same color, and it transforms into its Type: Light form. It roars.

"Silvally, use Multi-Attack!" The aura around Silvally grows stronger as the Pokémon lunges at Guzzlord and slashes at it with its front claws. The attack is extremely powerful, sending even the massive Guzzlord hurtling back. Oddly, the Ultra Beast dematerializes as it flies through the air.

Ash is confused by this but doesn't take the time to question it. "Gladion, what are you doing here?"

Gladion explains, "This isn't the first report of Ultra Beasts appearing in this city. They haven't attacked yet, but Silvally and I decided to come here to investigate." He looks around at the destruction. "And it looks like we got here just in time."

Meanwhile, Mira is still locked in battle with Celesteela. Things don't seem to be going well for her and Pterabite. She shouts, "Pterabite, use Electroweb!" Her Pokémon attempts to cast a net to immobilize the Ultra Beast, but Celesteela raises its arms to use Flash Cannon, blasting straight through the web. It then prepares another Flash Cannon to attack directly. Mira steps back fearfully.

But then Gladion shouts, "Multi-Attack!"

While Ash shouts, "Thunderbolt!"

The two attacks come in at once, Silvally now colored red in its Type: Fire form. Both attacks land, forcing Celesteela to dematerialize as well.

For just a split second, Mira grins at seeing Silvally. She drops the grin and looks back to see Ash and Gladion running towards her. Ash asks, "Mira, are you okay?"

She nods. "I am now. Thanks for your help."

Brock and Brenda also run over. Brenda says, "Wow, great job Ash! You beat back those Ultra Beasts!"

Brock asks, "And who's this?"

Ash introduces, "Guys, this is Gladion, he's from Alola. Actually, he's Lillie's sister. His Pokémon, Silvally was designed specifically to battle Ultra Beasts like those Pokémon."

Brock looks over Silvally closely. "Wow, a human-engineered Pokémon meant to fight Pokémon from another world. I can't believe it."

Silvally looks uncomfortable so Gladion steps in between it and Brock. "Don't get too close to it."

Brock instantly steps back. "Sorry, I got too eager."

Ash explains to Gladion, "This is Brock and Brenda, they're my friends traveling with me in Tenno."

Gladion nods. "Yes, Lillie told me about them."

Brenda looks around at the destruction caused by the Ultra Beasts. "There's no way the Silver Jubilee is going to continue like this. What should we do now?"

Mira speaks up, "I'm currently staying at the Pokémon Center. You're more than welcome to spend the night there with me."

Brock nods. "Thank you, I'm sure it's really hard to get a room anywhere here now, with the celebrations going on."

Ash asks, "You'll stay for a little too, right Gladion?"

Gladion nods. "Just in case any further Ultra Beasts appear, I should be here."

The group heads off, but something follows just behind them. It's a Mew, dancing through the air, quietly following them.

At the same time, both Ash and Mira look back towards where Mew was floating, but it has completely vanished from sight. They both shrug and continue on, only for Mew to reappear behind them.

Who's that Pokémon!?

It is said to have emerged from an egg in a place where there was nothing, then shaped the world.

Later that night, Ash and Brock sit and watch as Gladion trains with Silvally out behind the Pokémon Center. Gladion orders, "Silvally, use Crush Claw!" Silvally leaps forward and brings its powerful talons down on a nearby boulder.

Ash comments, "Wow, Gladion, you and Silvally are as strong as ever."

Gladion looks to Ash as he positions his hand over one of his eyes. He comments, "It's not enough, it's not ever enough."

Ash asks, "Are you sure? Because you managed to take care of those Ultra Beasts pretty easily."

Gladion shakes his head. "We must be ready for anything. We were lucky that there were only two Ultra Beasts today. Had there been more, things might have gone differently."

Brock takes a look over Silvally, observing it closely. "Silvally really is an amazing Pokémon. Was it really made by the Aether Foundation?"

Silvally looks uneasy. Gladion states, "Silvally doesn't like being studied." Once Brock has stepped back, Gladion then answers, "But yes, it was created by Faba as a weapon against the Ultra Beasts. Though the Aether Foundation deemed it a failure, I saw its potential and ran away with it."

Brock repeats, "Created as weapon against the Ultra Beasts… How did they manage that?"

Gladion explains, "Silvally was created to replicate a certain mythological Pokémon. It is said that that Pokémon is the strongest to have ever lived, and Silvally was an attempt to recreate and harness that strength. Now, together, Silvally and I harness that strength to protect this world from Ultra Beasts."

Brock simply replies, "Incredible…"

Deciding to let Brock continue his survey about Silvally, Ash spots Mira sitting at a nearby table working on something. He walks over and asks, "Hey, what're you doing?"

Mira looks to be typing on a virtual holographic keyboard. She looks up to Ash and smiles. "Oh, nothing too interesting, for you at least."

Ash is perplexed. "What does that mean?"

She chuckles. "I'm just writing some code."

"Code? You mean like computer code?"

"Yeah, that's it. I'm studying to become a programmer. I find writing code to be… therapeutic."

Ash takes a glance at the holographic screen floating in front of her face. It's full of what can only be described as an indecipherable language. He shakes his head in disbelief. "Just looking at that screen stresses me out."

Mira chuckles again. "That's how most people react. But not me. You see, I wrote my first major program when I was a little girl. It was a simulation." After a quick thought, she pulls up something different on her screen. It's a video game. The graphics are extremely simplistic, featuring small pixilated sprites with no color. She controls a character from a top-down perspective as the character navigates a world. She has the character take a step into a patch of grass, which causes a Pikachu to appear and attack her character on a separate battle screen.

Ash gasps, "Wow, you made that yourself!? That's amazing!"

Mira blushes. "It's really nothing all that special. If I wanted to, I could create something far better today." She aimlessly moves her character around through the virtual world. "But still, this simulation did mean something special to me." She sighs. "You see, I've never really felt comfortable in the real world. It's unpredictable. Impossible to control. Take today's events, for instance. And don't get me started on interacting with real people…" She pauses for a moment. "But in a simulation like this, everything is run by pre-determined functions and algorithms. There are unbreakable rules. If I do an action, I know exactly what the result can or will be. I wish I could create a simulation like this, but so vast that it could replace real life."

Ash shakes his head skeptically. "I don't want to live in a world like that."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that life may be full of surprise and unpredictability, but that's what makes it interesting. Like, if it wasn't for the uncontrollable aspects of life, I'd never have met my buddy Pikachu." He scratches Pikachu's cheek, eliciting a squeak of joy. He shakes his head. "Nuh uh. Give me the excitement of real life any day. Even if it does mean every once in a while, I have to deal with something crazy like today. It all worked out in the end anyways."

Mira looks back to her game and a glumness comes to her face. "You make it all sound so noble, but I know that's not how it is from experience. If I could just code a world, I know it would be a better place." Looking to change the topic, she looks over towards Gladion and asks, "So that boy is your friend?"

Ash nods. "Yup. More than that, even. He's my rival. It was him that I battled for the title of first Alola League Champion."

"Wow, that's crazy. And his Pokémon, it's a strange one."

Ash nods. "It's one-of-a-kind."

Mira looks at a time display on her screen. "Well, it's getting pretty late. I think I'll head to bed. Good night, Ash."

"Good night, Mira."

It's Arceus!

Everyone is asleep in their room at the Pokémon Center. The room has a triple bunkbed and regular bunkbed, fitting everyone. Ash sleeps on the top bunk of a bed with Brock and Brenda, while Gladion and Mira are on the other bunkbed. Silvally sleeps besides Gladion.

There's a small flash of light and the Mew from before manifests in the room. It looks around at everyone sleeping with curiosity, then focuses its attention on Ash. It floats up to him and pokes his side.

Sleeping deeply, Ash lazily slaps the air where Mew was floating as he mumbles something incoherent, but Mew darts out of the way.

Mew floats back in and this time tries to push Ash's side in an attempt to wake him.

Ash mutters, "Stop that, Pikachu… that tickles…"

Mew is getting annoyed at this point. With a determined look on its face, it floats over Ash's face and slaps him on a cheek.

This causes Ash to bolt upright, shouting, "Wha!? Who's there!?" He catches a glimpse of Mew for just a fraction of a second before it disappears as everyone else in the room is woken up by Ash's shout. Ash is left looking confused. "Was that…?"

Brenda asks sleepily, "Ash… what's wrong…?" She yawns.

"I… I'm not sure…"

Brock asks, "Was it a dream?"

"No, something hurt me and woke me up." He rubs his cheek, which looks slightly red. "The weirdest part is, I could have sworn I saw a Mew when I first woke up."

With some interest, Mira asks, "A Mew? The Mythical Pokémon?"

"Yeah, but it disappeared before I could get a good look at it."

Gladion grumbles crankily, "There's no way a Mew just happened to be here and decided to wake you up. It was just a dream. Go back to sleep." He lowers himself back on to his pillow. Silvally also lowers its head.

Ash shakes his head. "No, it was a Mew, I swear."

Brenda yawns. "We'll talk about it in the morning." She lies back down too.

Brock suggests, "Some dreams can feel very real, like the one I was just having about Nurse Joy." He puts his head down as well.

Ash says to himself, "It was a Mew, it really was." He sighs, deciding it's not worth pushing further. He lies back down and instantly falls back to sleep.

This leaves only Mira awake, who looks around the room observantly.

Ash is suddenly woken up by Gladion shouting, "Ash, get up! It's happening again!"

Ash tiredly asks, "What…? What's happening…?"

"Ultra Beasts. There are more of them."

Upon hearing this, Ash is fully awake. He leaps up out of bed and prepares for action.

Ash, Brock, Brenda, Gladion, and Mira run out into the city streets, where they find a group of three Nihelego attacking pedestrians. As if excited about the challenge, Ash grins and says, "It's almost like we're back with the Ultra Guardians. Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

"Pikaaaaaa chuuuuuuu!" Pikachu gets the attention of the Nihelego with the electric attack.

Gladion and Silvally are ready to leap into action. Gladion pulls out a disc and throws it at Silvally. "Mighty beast Silvally, accept this Psychic Memory and transform into the beast whose thoughts neutralize the poison!"

The Psychic Memory is inserted into Silvally's drive, and Silvally transforms.

Meanwhile, Brock is looking over the scene with skepticism. He says, "Something's not right here…" His eyes widen. "Yesterday, when you defeated the Ultra Beasts, they didn't retreat into an Ultra Wormhole, they just disappeared! And today, according to the news report we heard that brought us out here, these ones just appeared from thin air too!"

Brenda suggests, "Maybe they're just really small Ultra Wormholes."

Gladion declares, "It doesn't matter where they come from or where they retreat to. All that matters is that Silvally and I will defeat them! Silvally, use Multi-Attack!"

Silvally roars as it lunges forward with a purple aura surrounding it. It prepares to bring its claws down on the center Nihelego, but once it has committed to the attack, something bizarre happens. The Nihelego begins to glow, then it grows several times in size as it also changes shape. Right before Silvally can land its attack, the Ultra Beast has transformed into a Guzzlord. Silvally's Psychic-Type attack bounces harmlessly off of Guzzlord.

Gladion's eyes widen. "Huh!?"

The Guzzlord quickly uses one of its claws to snatch the rebounding Silvally right out of the air and squeezes down on it tightly. Silvally roars in pain.

Gladion shouts, "Silvally!"

Brenda asks, "What's going on!? How did that Pokémon transform into another Pokémon!?"

That's when a deep voice answers, "That's because that Pokémon is no mere Pokémon. It's not even a mere Ultra Beast! It is something far greater!" Everyone looks up to see a figure descending from the sky atop a small hovercraft. The person wears a black cloak with a cape, a black hat, and a metal mask.

Ash recognizes immediately, "It's the Mirage Master! It's Dr. Yung!"

Brock objects, "But that's not possible! Dr. Yung walked right into a burning building and never came out! We saw it ourselves!"

The Mirage Master chuckles malevolently. "You're not wrong. I am no longer the weakling you saw walk into that fire. In the flames, I was reborn." He pulls off his mask to reveal that he is indeed Dr. Yung, except now his face is half covered in red scars, almost certainly from the fire. He places the mask back on. "Dr. Yung is no more. I am now completely the Mirage Master!"

Ash realizes, "Then the Ultra Beasts, that must mean…"

"Yes, the Ultra Beasts you have battled are actually my next generation of Mirage Pokémon! And I assure you, these ones are flawless!"

Gladion asks with comprehension, "Ash, what's going on?"

Ash explains, "Brock and I encountered the Mirage Master a while back. He's a sociopath with no concern for life. He wants to use his holographic system to create what he deems to be the 'perfect Pokémon.'"

Brock realizes, "But wait, those can't be Mirage Pokémon, there are no mirage emitters!"

Mirage Master chuckles. "My new generation of Mirage Pokémon have evolved past such weaknesses. In order to create the perfect Pokémon, it can't be held back by the need to stay in place, or a glaring weak point for enemies to attack."

Gladion asserts, "We have to free Silvally!"

Ash nods. "Don't worry Gladion, we won't let the Mirage Master have it. Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

"Pikaaaaaa chuuuuuuu!"

Pikachu attempts to attack the Guzzlord holding Silvally, but the remaining Nihelego float in the way and intercept the attack.

Mirage Master announces, "If you're looking for a fight you can't possibly hope to win, then you have one! Go, Mirage Balls!" Mirage Master throws eight Pokéball-like objects. They are dark purple in color, except for the red button. Unlike typical Pokéballs, they seem to have no seam.

Each Mirage Ball begins to glow once thrown. Instead of opening up to release a Pokémon, a holographic field is created around each ball, and that field morphs into the shape of a Pokémon. From the Mirage Balls appear a Charizard, Umbreon, Rayquaza, Lucario, Chandelure, Greninja, and Dragapult. All the Mirage Pokémon, completely indistinguishable from actual Pokémon, roar intimidatingly.

Brock notices the Rayquaza and realizes, "Wait, no! We destroyed the Mirage Master's database! How could he have the data to recreate a Legendary Pokémon like Rayquaza without the data he stole from Pikachu's mind?"

Mirage Master answers, "Your Pikachu was impressive in the amount of Legendary Pokémon it had encountered, but it wasn't the only Pokémon to witness that many."

Meanwhile, in a laboratory, Jessie and James stand over Meowth, who's strapped into a machine that's attached to his head. On a screen next to Meowth, a scene of a Rayquaza attacking a Deoxys plays out.

Jessie chuckles. "That's right, Meowth, remember that Rayquaza! Make us that money!"

James cheers, "That twerpish Pikachu doesn't have the monopoly on Legendary encounters!"

Meowth says to himself, "I'd really rather not remember some of these things, but for the amount of money he offered, how could I say no?"

Wobbuffet appears to chime in, "Wobbuffet!"

Ready for battle, Brock has sent out Meteorfight, Brenda Kappaqueous, and Gladion Lycanroc. Ash orders, "Pikachu, blast them all with Thunderbolt!" Pikachu attacks in a wide arc with its electricity, but it seems to have little effect on the Mirage Pokémon.

With this attack, the Mirage Pokémon all run in to attack, and four different battles break out.

Brenda and Kappaqueous battle against Mimikyu and Chandelure. Brenda orders, "They may be mirages, but I bet they're still like Pokémon! Kappaqueous, get Chandelure with a super-effective Aqua Bomb!"

"Kappapapa!" Kappaqueous throws an orb of water towards the Mirage Chandelure, but then Chandelure counterattacks with a Thunderbolt, which causes the Aqua Bomb to explode prematurely.

Brenda objects, "Hey, wait a second! Chandelure can't use Thunderbolt!"

Brock explains, "That part of how the Mirage Master wants to make the perfect Pokémon! His Mirage System allows his Mirage Pokémon to use the moves of another Pokémon stored in the system."

Brenda pouts, "No fair! That's cheating!" But she doesn't have any more time to complain, as Mimikyu has started to use a Thunderbolt of its own. Both electrical attacks are now aimed at her Pokémon. Kappaqueous is blasted back with no hope of dodging or blocking. "Kappaqueous!" She runs over to it and helps it get up, looking to the opposing Mirage Pokémon with hatred.

At this same time, Brock and Meteorfight are battling against Charizard and Umbreon. Brock shouts, "Hit them with Meteor Slam!"

"Meteor!" Meteorfight pulls its limbs in and throws itself at Charizard so fast that the Mirage Pokémon would have little time to respond. But it would seem that Umbreon is able to. It uses Dark Pulse to push Meteorfight out of the way.

Not letting this stop it, Meteorfight quickly gets back up. Brock orders, "Rock Blast!" Meteorfight fires several rocky projectiles at both opponents, but Charizard breathes a Flamethrower so hot that it melts right through the boulders. Brock says with apprehension, "Guys, I don't like this!"

Gladion asserts, "We have to keep fighting! We have no choice!" He stares down his opponents, which are the formidable duo of Lucario and Greninja. "Lycanroc, use Stone Edge!"

Lycanroc howls as it slams its fists into the ground, causing massive rock spikes to erupt beneath the feet of its opponents.

However, both Lucario and Greninja are swift. They're able to agilely dodge by leaping upwards. Then Lucario directs itself downwards as it summons a long bone to attack with Bone Rush.

Gladion is quick to order, "Counter!" Lycanroc adopts a defensive stance as it becomes covered in a red aura. Just as its about to counterattack against Lucario, the Mirage Greninja summons two large Water Shuriken and uses them to strike Lycanroc, ruining its Counter. With the move stopped, Lucario lands its Force Palm with no resistance. Gladion grunts.

Meanwhile, Ash is faced with arguably the hardest fight of them all. He and Pikachu face down Rayquaza and Dragapult. He shouts, "Pikachu, grab ahold of Rayquaza's tail!"

"Pik!" Pikachu leaps forward and just barely manages to grab the edge of the serpent Pokémon's tail.

"Now climb! Get to the head, but hold on tight!" Pikachu climbs up and begins a sprint up the winding Pokémon's body. Rayquaza attempts to twist and contort its body to get Pikachu off, but Pikachu holds firmly.

Then Dragapult swoops in and fires off its Dragon Darts at Pikachu. Pikachu dodges to avoid the first, then the second. The Dreepy are recalled and Dragapult tries again. Pikachu just keeps on running up Rayquaza, refusing to knocked off by Dragapult or shaken off by Rayquaza. Pikachu manages to make it to the top of the head.

The moment it's there, Ash shouts, "Now use Hallowed Lightning!"

Pikachu begins to gather electrical energy. "Chu pikaaaaa, chu!" The gathered energy is unleashed as a burst of electricity sent straight down onto Rayquaza's head. The burst is immediately followed up by a massive bolt of lightning coming down from the sky above.

Rayquaza roars as it's struck. Momentarily, its entire holographic matrix stutters as it destabilizes. During this moment, it ceases to be solid and Pikachu falls right through it.

"Pikachu!" Ash runs to catch Pikachu, managing to do so just in time. But before either can catch a breath, they look up to realize that Rayquaza is back to normal and looks completely unharmed. The Legendary Pokémon then uses its tail to smack both Ash and Pikachu away. They crash into a building behind them.

Mirage Master announces, "Do you see now? It is pointless to fight my Mirage Pokémon. They are the future of this world! No, they are more than that!" He lowers his hovercraft to Guzzlord. "And now I will leave with my prize." He strokes the side of Silvally's head. This angers Silvally, but it's unable to do anything about it. "It really was quite a marvelous idea of the Aether Foundation to create a living weapon using mythological data, but their execution was severely flawed, as was the resulting Pokémon. Such is typical of biology."

Ash weakly looks to his side where he sees Mira standing, looking worried. He says, "Mira… you have to help us…"

She sighs. "I'm sorry, Ash. I can't do that." With her head hung low, she walks slowly towards the Mirage Master. The Mirage Pokémon make no attempt to stop her as she walks right past them.

The Mirage Master has lowered his hovercraft to the ground. "Welcome back." Mira steps on to the craft.

Ash's eyes widen. "Mira… no…" Everyone is left in shock.

The Mirage Master laughs, savoring his success. "Soon I shall recreate this world! I shall make it perfect!" He and Mira fly away, followed by Guzzlord, holding Silvally, and the other Mirage Pokémon.

Gladion shouts in an uncharacteristic despair, "Silvally!"

To Be Continued…