"I knew there was something happening at the Chateau," Serena commented, as she and the others approached.

"You're right about that," Ash added, looking over the crowd of people visible through the windows. "Something's seriously happening."

The group of six slowly approached the large, stone building that looked like a cross between a mansion and a castle, which sat near the intersection of Routes 7 and 8. The Battle Chateau was a popular destination for those looking to test their Pokémon battle skills, but right now it was absolutely jammed with people, far more than Ash or Serena would have anticipated. There was even a short line of people waiting to enter the building.

"What do you think is going on?" Serena asked, trying to see what was happening further up the line, watching people handing their Poké Balls to attendants.

"Maybe it's some kind of party?" Madison suggested, squinting at one of the building windows. "Looks like people are talking and eating snacks and stuff."

"Party, huh?" Brock straightened up a bit. "That could be pretty fun. We could use a break after all that hiking."

"Yeah, but would we even be allowed in?" Iris looked over the others in line, seeing a lot of adults in fancy clothes, with only one or two kids around their age. "This seems like kind of an exclusive thing." Ash jogged ahead, stepping up to the person the end of the line.

"Excuse me," he asked, causing a man and woman in fancy dress to turn around. "What's going on at the Chateau? What are all these people doing here?"

The woman smiled, as Iris walked up behind them curiously. "It's the Battle Chateau's semi-annual gala. Everyone gets together to socialize and have fun, and there are some exhibition battles for everyone to watch as well."

"All members of the Chateau nobility can attend, along with however many guests they like," the man added, linking his arm with his female companion's. "Finally, I get to see what one of these parties is like."

"Really?" Ash's eyes lit up. "That's perfect!" He turned to his friends and started waving them over. "Come on, guys! We're going to a party!"

"Wait, what?" Iris cocked her head, as Shannon and the others followed Ash's lead. "How are we supposed to get in?"

"Anyone with a noble title can get in," Ash answered, as they all stepped forward in line, another guest being let inside. "So we're good to go. I'll get us in."

Iris groaned, not reassured, imagining Ash trying to bluff his way into the party and getting himself thrown out. She and the others spent a couple of minutes waiting in line, watching as other guests were let inside after handing their Poké Balls over. Eventually, Ash made his way to the front, where an attendant waved him over.

"Your name and title, please?"

"I'm Ash Ketchum, and I'm a Baron," Ash replied proudly, before gesturing backward toward his friends. "These five are my guests." The employee raised an eyebrow, thinking that this teenager was abusing the guest policy somewhat, before looking up his name.

"This is not going to work…" Iris muttered under her breath, as the attendant searched for Ash in her laptop computer, looking skeptical herself. Seconds later, the computer emitted a chime, and her eyebrows raised.

"Well, here you are," she confirmed. "Ash Ketchum, title of Baron. If you and your guests could please proceed forward and deposit your Pokémon." She gestured to her right, ahead of them in line, ignoring the utter shock plastered on Iris's face.

"Deposit our Pokémon?" Brock spoke up, leaning in closer. "Why do we need to do that?"

"It's a new policy for events like this," the employee explained. "If we don't do this, the entire building is just nothing but Pokémon battles, which makes socializing… difficult. Don't worry, they'll be returned to you when you leave. And if you need any Pokémon for an exhibition battle, it will be retrieved for you right away."

Serena nodded, reaching for her Poké Balls, with Madison, Shannon and Brock following suit. Ash hesitated, glancing at Pikachu on his shoulder, who glanced back. "Well, see… my Pikachu really doesn't like going into his Poké Ball, so…"

The attendant nodded, reaching under the table at which she was working. "That's no problem." She pulled out something that looked like a long, thin strip of silver fabric. "If you could just have your Pikachu wear this ribbon, the other attendants inside will know they are a non-battling guest." Ash reached out and took it, happy with this compromise.

"I'll need one of those too, for my Axew," Iris spoke up, still astounded that they were somehow being permitted to enter. The employee reached under the table again, as Ash placed Pikachu on the table, looking over his Pokémon's short limbs and wondering where he was supposed to apply the ribbon.

"Let me do that, Ash," Serena offered with a smile, gently taking the ribbon from his hand. He nodded and let her do as she pleased, reaching down and grabbing his own Poké Balls to hand them over. Another employee took them and placed them carefully in a box, which had been quickly labeled with Ash's name a few seconds ago. He watched as they started collecting his friends' Poké Balls into the box as well.

"Ta-da!" Serena's triumphant voice drew his gaze once again, and he glanced over at his Pokémon. She had managed to turn the ribbon into a silver bow tie, which sat smartly around Pikachu's neck. "Now he's perfectly dressed up for a gala!"

"Hey! Looking good, Pikachu!" Ash grinned wide, impressed by Serena's handiwork, as Pikachu stood up tall, feeling handsome and proud. He jumped onto Ash's shoulder, as Iris finished tying Axew's ribbon around his arm, and the group made their way inside.

Inside, the building was even more packed full of partygoers than they had thought, talking, eating hors d'oeuvres and drinking punch. Everyone looked around at the lavish decorations, taking in the view from the enormous windows, which overlooked the immaculate gardens below, as well as the battlefield suspended above a lake.

"Wow!" Shannon exclaimed, eyes shining with wonder. "This is incredible! I've never been any place like this!"

"I can't believe we actually got in," Iris added, glancing back toward Ash, thoroughly impressed. "Ash, you're really a Baron?"

"That's right," he answered proudly.

"How on Earth did that happen?"

"Serena and I came through here back on our first journey," he explained, as he led the others further inside, looking for snacks. "I won a battle, so I got the title of Baron."

"You won one battle?" The wonder started to fall away from Iris's voice. "Was it like… a really important battle?"

He shook his head. "No, just a normal battle."

"People at the Battle Chateau battle each other for noble titles," Serena explained. "You start as a Knight, then as you battle you become a Baron, Viscount… um, Earl…" She paused as she tried to remember the other titles. "And eventually, if you're really good, you can become a Grand Duke. Or Duchess."

"That's the silliest thing I've ever heard," Iris replied, no longer impressed, speaking up a little to be heard over the hustle and bustle of the party. "I thought you had to do something really noteworthy to get a title, but they're just giving these out to themselves for winning Pokémon battles? I've probably won more battles than most people here, but you don't see me calling myself a Duchess or whatever."

"That's because you're a Gym Leader," Brock chimed in. "Battling is your job."

"Exactly!" she shot back, her voice rising as she got herself worked up. "I'm actually doing something with my battles, not putting some dumb title next to my name and roleplaying like I'm a member of the upper crust!"

"Iris…" Shannon warned, trying to calm her friend down.

"All these people are just trying to convince themselves that winning a few Pokémon battles can make them better than everyone else with no effort," Iris continued. "Playing pretend with their own egos like a bunch of little kids!"

"Iris!" Serena snapped, her voice a low, chastising hiss.

"What?!" Iris snapped back, before realizing the room had become eerily silent. She looked around to find that nearly everyone was now staring at her, their expressions ranging from amusement to bewilderment. She immediately felt herself starting to shrink.

"I… what I meant was…" she tried to explain, feeling the heat of embarrassment rising on her cheeks.

"Come on, Iris." Shannon grasped her hand and started leading her toward a less populated part of the Chateau, sensing that she wasn't likely to be welcome in this room anymore. "You can castigate the aristocracy somewhere else, forest child." Iris kept her head low as the two of them started walking off.

"I meant every word I said," she grumbled.

"I know you did, Iris."

The others watched quietly as Shannon led Iris away, down a large set of stairs. The activity in the room quickly resumed, with other attendees starting to talk with each other again, many of them talking or laughing about what they just witnessed.

"Do you think we should go after her…?" Madison asked.

"I think we should let Shannon take care of it," Brock suggested. "They've known each other a long time. Iris will be alright." Ash kept watching Iris as she left, unsure, but his thoughts were interrupted as a voice rang out over a loudspeaker.

"Everyone, if I could have your attention, please. We will now begin the first of our exhibition Pokémon battles. If there is anyone with the title Baron who wishes to participate, please speak to the nearest attendant."

"A Baron battle!" Ash's eyes lit up. "I've got to be a part of that!" He immediately dashed off, in search of an attendant close by.

Serena smiled and shook her head. "And just like that, he's forgotten about everything else."

Brock chuckled. "If there's anything more important to Ash than a Pokémon battle, I don't know what it is." The three of them watched as Ash managed to track down an attendant, and after a short conversation, he turned back and waved all of them over. They followed him downstairs and outside, making their way to the exhibition battlefield.

Minutes later, Iris was standing on a large balcony outside, resting her arms on the balustrade as she looked down at the battlefield below. She watched as Ash, Serena, Brock and Madison ventured down onto it, Ash stepping into one of the challenger's boxes with Pikachu. One of the party attendants handed him a Poké Ball, which he tossed out onto the field, releasing his recently-caught Absol. She slumped down and rested her chin in her arms, deflated, able to hear the whispers of people around her, talking about the girl who had made a scene and insulted everyone at the Chateau. Axew was nestled in her hair, halfheartedly watching the action, able to tell that his trainer was distressed, but not sure what to do about it.

"Here." Iris stood up straight and glanced over to her side, seeing Shannon holding a glass of punch in each hand, offering one of them to her.

"Thanks." She gave a weak smile as she accepted the drink, immediately taking a sip before looking back down. Shannon took up a position next to her.

"So, you think you might want to go down there and cheer Ash on?"

Iris shook her head. "Nah. I've come to accept that I ruined the party for myself in the first thirty seconds. I'll just spend it here, in exile. Plus…" She paused for a moment, looking contemplative. "Eh, never mind."

"You can't start a sentence like that and then not finish it." Shannon leaned on the balustrade as well, looking over, trying to see her friend's eyes. "What's on your mind?"

Iris's eyes fell to her glass. "I don't… really want to see the others right now," she confessed. "I'm tired of embarrassing myself in front of them. I'm tired of apologizing to Ash."

"Oh…" Shannon went quiet for a moment, realizing she had missed some significant events before she reunited with Iris. "How many times have you had to do that?"

"Twice so far. And honestly, I owe him more than that," Iris admitted. "He does something boneheaded, and I lay into him about it, but then afterward I feel guilty, like I went overboard."

"Well…" Shannon took a moment to try and find a good spin on the situation. "It's not like you're trying to hurt him, right? It's all coming from a place of love. You do it because you care about him."

"Of course I care about him, he's my friend." Iris looked down at the battlefield, where Ash's Absol was dodging a Hydro Pump attack from his opponent's Dewott. "But that doesn't make me feel any less like the bad guy. And what about just now?" She held her face in her free hand. "What was I even thinking? Why did I let myself get so worked up over this?"

"You saw people doing something silly, and you called them out on it." Shannon gave a small smile. "You always did want to be the mature one in the room. I remember how much you would call the boys in the village 'little kids' whenever they were acting childish."

"I don't feel like the mature one right now, that's for sure." She slumped forward again. "Am I the dumb, immature jerk now? Am I the problem?"

"You've never been the problem, Iris," Shannon answered quickly. Iris looked down again, eyes on the battle below, not looking bolstered by her friend's words. Shannon bit her lip, not used to seeing such insecurity from someone who was normally so confident, before deciding that more honesty was in order. "Though, honestly, it feels like your patience is kind of thinner than it used to be."

Iris nodded, in full agreement. "I'm just stressed out. Being a Gym Leader is a lot harder than I thought it was going to be. It's hard to give your all in every single battle, day in and day out. It's hard on my Pokémon, too."

"Maybe you can take a break?"

"That's what this was supposed to be," she responded quickly. "I was supposed to go on a nice, long journey to relax and recharge my batteries. And instead I'm spending it getting mad at strangers and yelling at my friends." She slumped forward again, sounding genuinely upset with herself. Shannon stepped closer, reaching out and rubbing the back of Iris's shoulder with her free hand; Iris closed her eyes and exhaled slowly, relaxing just a bit.

"Do you think it might be better if you weren't the Gym Leader anymore?" Shannon dared to ask.

Iris quickly shook her head, keeping her eyes closed. "No way. It's stressing me out, but I still really enjoy it. And it's what I need to be doing. I can tell I'm growing stronger as a trainer every day. This is part of how I become a Dragon Master."

"Then start doing what you need to do to reduce your workload," Shannon responded. "Take a smaller number of challengers. Make them queue up to battle you. Start closing the gym on weekends. You can come visit us in the Village of Dragons."

"I don't know…" Iris pushed herself up off the balustrade, straightening up and opening her eyes again. "The Opelucid Gym has a reputation to uphold. What are people going to think if they see me taking it easy like that?"

"Who cares what they think?" Shannon shot back confidently. "Your well-being is more important than their dumb opinions. It's your gym and your rules, and if trainers want a Legend Badge they'll just have to deal with them. If they don't like it, they can take it up with me and my Hydreigons."

Iris gave her friend a warm, heartfelt smile, deeply appreciative to have someone like this in her corner. "I've really missed you, Shannon."

Shannon grinned back, reaching her glass out and clinking it against Iris's. "I've missed you, too." The two of them both took a drink of their punch, not noticing the footsteps approaching from behind.

"So this is where you went off to." Both of them quickly turned around, finding a blond-haired woman wearing a white-and-green dress and a smile. "You really got the party talking, you know."

Iris averted her eyes. "Mm. Don't remind me."

"Who are you?" Shannon asked, looking this newcomer over curiously.

"My name's Viola," the woman answered. "I'm the leader of the Santalune City Gym… and a Grand Duchess here at the Chateau."

Iris gave her a skeptical glance. "Are you here to try and convince me that I'm wrong about what I said?"

Viola shook her head. "No. I'm here to tell you that you're completely right." She grinned at the looks of confusion on the young girls' faces, before continuing. "Honestly, the whole thing is pretty silly. It probably had a serious origin however many centuries ago, but now it's really just a bunch of adults playing pretend. It's mostly an excuse to dress up in fancy outfits and have a good time. And really, what's wrong with that? It's nice to let go and have fun once in a while, isn't it?"

Iris looked down and away, not sure how to rebut that, feeling guilty all over again. Viola watched her for a second before speaking back up. "Why don't the two of us have a Pokémon battle? Right now, here on the balcony. No titles, just one Gym Leader against another."

"A battle? Here?" Shannon asked, as Iris looked up in surprise. "Isn't that against the rules?"

"Psh. Rules are made to be broken. If we tell them we're going to have a battle, nobody's going to have the guts to tell us no." She turned and flagged down one of the party attendants, who quickly rushed over. "This guest and I are going to have a battle. Could you go and retrieve my Scizor?"

"A… a battle, miss?" The attendant looked a bit uncomfortable at the request, not having expected to enforce the rules at all, much less against a Gym Leader and a Grand Duchess.

"That's right." She turned back toward Iris. "What Pokémon will you use?"

Iris smiled, warming up to the idea. "I'll use Garchomp. It'll be with Ash Ketchum's Pokémon."

"That… I…" After a few moments, the man bowed his head, giving in. "Yes, miss. I'll be right back." The three watched him scurry meekly off, as Iris started planning out her battle strategy, the stress starting to leave her mind. Shannon smiled as she watched Iris think, glad that her mood was already improving.

"Shadow Ball, Absol!"

Ash's Absol leaped into the air, opening his mouth and forming a black ball of energy, before spitting it out and launching it at his foe. The opposing trainer's Dewott tried and failed to dodge, the blast from the Shadow Ball knocking it back.

"Perfect!" Ash grinned. "Now close in and finish it with Night Slash!"

"Don't give up now, Dewott!" the opposing trainer encouraged. "Use Water Gun!"

Dewott struggled to its feet, rearing back and preparing to fire a stream of water from its mouth. Absol moved in quickly, however, and slashed Dewott across the face with its glowing claw. A small explosion of water flew out of Dewott's mouth, the Water Gun misfiring, as the Pokémon flew backwards. It rolled along the ground before coming to a stop, making no attempt to get back to its feet.

"Dewott is no longer able to battle!" the nearby referee announced. "Absol is the winner! The victory goes to Baron Ash!"

"Yes!" Ash threw his fist into the air as a polite, restrained applause rose from the audience. "You did it, Absol!" His Pokémon turned and bounded back toward him, rubbing against him happily with his eyes closed, eager for both praise and pets. Ash was happy to provide both, kneeling down and rubbing Absol's back and side with both hands. "You were great out there! Dewott didn't stand a chance!" From down below, at Ash's feet, Pikachu gave his congratulations to Absol as well.

"Great job, Ash!" Serena walked up behind him with Madison and Brock, reaching out and running her fingers through the fur on Absol's head. "You were great too, Absol!" The Pokémon mewled contentedly from all the affection he was receiving, before looking up and licking Serena's hand, causing her to giggle.

Brock grinned as Madison stepped up to take Serena's place, wanting to pet Absol as well. "That's got to be the most affectionate Absol I've ever seen."

"That's all the better," Ash replied. "A happy Pokémon is the best kind of Pokémon."

"Pretty good battle there, kid." Everyone turned as they heard a familiar voice, seeing the large, muscular Byron approaching in the same casual outfit they first saw him in. By his side was a woman bearing long brown hair, rimless glasses, and a long, slim, black dress.

"Byron!" Ash stood up, as Absol immediately turned toward the overly large man, suspicion all over his face. "You're here, too? Do you have a title here at the Chateau?"

"Nah, I just go where I want." He stepped up to the group, ignoring the Pokémon's glare. "You've got some good battle instincts. Ever think of getting a sponsor?" The woman next to him leaned down in front of Absol, producing a square piece of yellow Pokéblock and offering it to him.

"A sponsor? What do you mean?"

"You know, someone who sponsors you," Byron explained unhelpfully, as Absol curiously sniffed, then consumed the candy being offered. "Someone who hooks you up with the good stuff. What about being sponsored by Team Ace? You could be part of our battle team. We'd get you all the best Pokémon to battle with. You'd win one match after another."

"Oh…" Ash shook his head. "Thanks, but no thanks. If I'm not raising my Pokémon myself, then what's the point?"

"Hah! Good answer, kid. I like your style," the man replied, looking unfazed by the rejection. "It's just as well. I don't think Team Ace even has a sponsored battle team." He glanced over at the woman in the black dress, who was standing up after gently petting a still-suspicious Absol. "Remind me to look into making a trainer sponsorship thing for Team Ace, alright?"

"That sounds like something you should tell your secretary, who I'll remind you is not me," she answered without missing a beat.

"Right, right." He reached into his vest, pulling out a small recording device and bringing it to his mouth. "Note to self: look into creating a sponsored battle team for Team Ace." He lowered the device before quickly bringing it back up. "Also, check and see if sponsored battle teams are a thing."

"Wow." Madison looked up toward the woman, slightly awed. "If I ever talked to my boss like that, I'd be fired for sure."

"Well, then you don't have real job security." She smiled down at the young performer. "My name's Rosanna. I'm Head of Operations for Team Ace."

"Rosanna here is the reason Team Ace ever gets anything done," Byron chimed in. "Before she came on board, we were just throwing money around and not accomplishing a thing. She turned this team into an actual charity operation. If you ever get an employee like that, pay her well and never take her for granted."

"You constantly take me for granted," she responded, her voice flat.

"Well, I pay you well, don't I?"

"That you do." Rosanna turned her attention toward Ash. "You were the trainer who battled at the re-opening of the Cyllage City Gym, aren't you? I remember watching that." Her eyes darted toward Brock, whose gaze had been fixed on her since she approached. "And you were the Gym Leader, I believe."

Brock nodded quickly, a bit stiff. "Yes, that's me. That was us, I mean."

"So all of you are the ones who began rebuilding the gym, before we stepped in." She gave Ash a gentle smile. "It's easy to do things like that when you're a large organization, but it's much harder when you're just a handful of people, especially children. You all should be very proud of yourselves. I know I am."

Serena smiled wide and nodded, already exceedingly proud of Ash for his selflessness. "Thank you, Rosanna, very much."

"Keep up the good work, and all that," Byron butted in, reaching up and straightening his cap. "I'm gonna find some other people to hobnob with. I hear there are some politicians here who managed to get knighted or whatever." He turned and walked off, giving them a casual two-finger wave as he departed.

"I suppose I'll have to go hobnob with him." Rosanna stood up straight. "It was nice meeting all of you. Take care of yourselves."

"It was nice to meet you, too," Ash answered with a smile, resting his hand casually atop Absol's head. "See you later." She nodded and walked off, following Byron as he disappeared back inside.

"She seems nice," Madison spoke up, once the pair were out of earshot. "He seems… not as nice."

"Maybe that's the kind of person you become when you're a billionaire," Brock wondered aloud, back to his senses. "At least he's being generous with his money."

"Excuse me, sir." Ash turned to his right, seeing a party attendant standing there. "I'll have to ask you for your Absol's Poké Ball back. Chateau rules, I'm afraid. And we need to get the field ready for the next battle."

"Oh, yeah…" Ash took out Absol's Poké Ball, looking down at his victorious Pokémon once more. "Thanks again, Absol. You were awesome!" Absol seemed quite satisfied as he was returned to his ball, which Ash handed back to the grateful attendant.

"So, what now?" Serena asked to everyone else. "I'd like to track down some food, personally." Brock and Madison quickly agreed.

"Well, let's go find some," Ash replied. "At a place this nice, they're bound to be serving something good." Pikachu climbed back up onto Ash's shoulder, and the foursome went off in search of sustenance.

Back on the balcony, Iris's Garchomp was grappling with Viola's Scizor, each of them trying to overpower and toss the other away. A crowd had formed at the edges of the balcony, giving the two Pokémon plenty of space. A small group of Chateau attendants were huddled not too far away, each of them wondering if they were going to be disciplined for not putting a stop to this.

After a few moments of the two Pokémon struggling against each other, Garchomp managed to get the upper hand, lifting Scizor up and throwing it across the balcony. Iris grinned, her eyes lighting up as she smelled blood in the water.

"Take Down, Garchomp!" she called out. "Now's your chance!" Her Garchomp growled and lowered his head, starting to charge as fast as he could.

"Scizor, counterattack with Iron Head!" Viola ordered. Scizor quickly got to its feet, standing its ground as Garchomp approached. The three horns on its head glowed a bright white, becoming hard as iron, and it swung its head sideways into its opponent as he approached. Both Pokémon were knocked back several feet from the force of the impact, taking their time getting to their feet. The two Gym Leaders carefully evaluated their combatants, seeing how dazed and unsteady they were after the last attack.

"Why don't we call it here?" Viola suggested, calling out. "That last attack took a lot out of both of them. They seem pretty evenly matched, too."

Iris nodded, thinking the same thing. "Sounds good to me." She walked up to her Garchomp, rubbing his back for a moment and offering words of praise, before returning him to his Poké Ball. The two trainers met in the middle of the balcony, Shannon following close behind Iris.

"That was a great battle, while it lasted," Viola offered. "You're a strong trainer. No wonder you're a Gym Leader."

"Thanks! Same to you." Iris smiled back up at her. "That was a lot of fun."

"It sure was," Viola answered, with a hint of a smirk. "It's nice to just let loose and do what you feel like every once in a while, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I know what you're getting at," Iris responded. "Point taken." Internally, she was trying to tell herself that she needed to loosen up a bit, to not let things get to her so easily. She wasn't about to admit this out loud, however.

"Glad to hear it. Now, what do you say we get something to eat? I can show you where the really good snacks are."

Iris grinned. "Now you're speaking my language." She glanced back at Shannon, who smiled back at her. The two Gym Leaders handed their Pokémon over to the highly relieved and grateful attendants, before heading back inside.

Hours later, Brock was scanning the downstairs floor of the Chateau, on the lookout for a familiar face. After a few minutes, he managed to spot a familiar head of purple hair, with an Axew buried in it. Iris and Shannon were seated in a corner of the large room, talking with an attractive blond woman he didn't recognize. He waved his hand in the air as he called out, moving more quickly. "Hey, Iris!" The three girls all glanced over as he approached, Shannon waving back to him.

"Hey, Brock!" Iris responded as he approached, having expected his arrival after receiving a text message from him. "So everyone's getting ready to go, huh?"

"Yeah, seems like it. We're all starting to get a bit tired." His eyes moved from one girl to the next. "Did you have an alright time at the party?"

"Mhmm, it was great, actually." Iris turned her head to smile at her new friend. "We've been hanging out with Viola this whole time. She's the Santalune City Gym Leader."

"You look familiar," Viola spoke, eyes running over Brock's face. "Aren't you a Gym Leader here in Kalos, too?"

"Ah… that was only for a few days," Brock clarified, looking over Viola's face in return. "I'm actually training to be a Pokémon Doctor."

Her eyebrows raised. "Well, that's even more impressive, if you ask me. Good luck with your training, Brock."

"Thanks. Same to you," he replied automatically, before faltering. "Er, with… the gym, I mean…" He smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head, as Iris and Shannon stood up.

"Alright, I'm ready to go," Iris announced. "We just need our Pokémon back now, I guess. Do we just talk to someone at some front desk somewhere, or…"

"I know a faster way." Viola stood up. "I know where they store the Pokémon during large events. I bet if we go right there, we can get your Pokémon back faster."

"That sounds good, thanks." Iris started following Viola as she walked off, with Shannon and Brock following behind. "Is the whole 'storing your Pokémon' thing normal? That's kind of a strange rule."

"It started around a year ago," Viola explained, leading them down a tucked-away hallway. "Some people were upset about it at first, but it is a lot easier to have conversations without battles happening all over the place… here, it's right through this door." She reached out and grasped a doorknob, pushing the door open and taking a step inside. She was about to call out and ask for assistance, before she noticed a pair of hushed voices talking further inside.

"Looks like a Jigglypuff…" a female voice spoke quietly. "What about yours?"

"I've got a Throh," a gravelly male voice answered. "Could be a good candidate."

"Yeah, could be," the girl responded. "Set that one aside."

Iris's eyes shot open wide, the voices sounding very familiar to her. She brushed past Viola and stepped further inside, rounding a corner and gasping as she found herself face-to-face with Butch and Cassidy, who were each holding Poké Balls underneath a scanning device in order to view their contents. The two of them looked up from their task, nearly dropping the Poké Balls they had in their hands.

"You! What are you doing here?!" all three of them exclaimed at once, immediately incensed. Viola, Brock and Shannon ran up behind her, with Brock recognizing the pair quickly, while the other two stood on in confusion.

"Iris, who are they?" Shannon asked nervously.

"They're with Team Rocket!" Iris exclaimed. "They're probably stealing people's Pokémon down here!"

"You little brat," Cassidy growled. "You're not going to stop our plans a second time." She reached down and grabbed a communicator on her hip, bringing it up to her face. "We've been found out. We're switching to Plan B."

"I liked Plan B better anyway," Butch added, a smirk on his face.

"Whatever Plan B is, you're not going to get the chance to do it!" Viola shouted, instinctively reaching down to her hip. She froze as she felt nothing on her side, realizing that all of her Poké Balls were now stashed away behind the two villains in front of her. The others quickly came to the same realization.

Cassidy couldn't help but laugh at the panic that flashed across everyone's faces at the same time. "You're going to stop us, huh? With that little Axew?" She reached down and tossed out a Poké Ball of her own, summoning Houndoom, as Butch brought out his Mightyena. Both Pokémon growled viciously as they took a couple of steps toward their prey.

Shannon instinctively grabbed Iris's wrist, turning toward the exit door, yelping as she saw two party attendants standing there. They both grabbed their uniforms and tore off the shirts, revealing black outfits with a large, red "R" on the front, before adding a Nidoking and a Boldore to the mix.

"Let's make sure you four are nice and out of the way," Butch spoke menacingly, as the four Team Rocket members stepped forward. Iris and the others looked around fearfully, having no idea how they were going to get out of this.

Two floors up, Ash, Serena and Madison were standing near one of the building's large windows, in various stage of fatigue; Ash was starting to come down from the high of watching Pokémon battles, while Madison was stifling yawns, ready for some sleep. Serena had the most energy of all of them, always enjoying an opportunity to socialize, though she was now concerned for Iris once again, after they hadn't seen her for hours.

All three of them jumped as the sound of crashing metal started ringing out around them. They quickly looked around to find large, metallic shutters slamming down in front of all of the windows, cutting them off from the outside world. Many of the guests began to panic, while other guests tried to convince them everything was alright, that this was likely just a security malfunction.

"What's going on?!" Madison exclaimed, instinctively clutching Serena's arm as she eyed the metal shutters.

"I don't know, but it can't be anything good…" Ash muttered, scanning the room for anything suspicious. His scan was interrupted by the sound of Pikachu's muffled cry, coming from his shoulder. He whirled around to see his Pokémon encapsulated in a rubber ball, attached to a long metal arm that was extending from a panel in the wall.

"No! Pikachu!" He ran and jumped after his Pokémon, trying to grab the ball and pry Pikachu out of it, but it quickly moved upward and out of his reach. He watched with clenched fists as Pikachu was pulled inside the wall, quickly vanishing from view. Looking around the room, he could see a number of other Pokémon being captured with similar devices, all of them wearing the shiny silver ribbons they had been provided upon entry.

"What's happening?!" Serena ran up next to Ash, eyes moving to the panel where Pikachu had just disappeared. "Who's taking our Pokémon?! Who's trapping us in here?!" Ash didn't get a chance to respond, as he felt a strong hand gripping his arm painfully. He cried out and whirled around, looking into the face of a tall man dressed in the telltale Team Rocket outfit.

"We got special orders from the lady in charge," the villain rasped, keeping a tight grip. "She said you're too much trouble to leave alone. You're coming with us." He reached out for Ash's other arm, ready to drag him off.

"Let me go, you jerk!" Ash exclaimed, struggling to get away, but he quickly found himself in the man's grip as he was pulled along. Quickly changing tack, he charged forward and slammed his body into the Team Rocket member, the top of his head bashing into the man's jaw. His captor staggered backward, his grip loosening, and Ash immediately stepped backwards and away. Acting on instinct, he looked back and grasped Serena's hand, starting to pull her along.

"Come on, you two! Let's get out of here!" Serena didn't think twice, grabbing Madison's hand with her free one and following Ash, as they ran as fast as they could toward the nearest doorway.

"Stop them!" Ash's former captor called out, rubbing his jaw as he regained his balance. "Get them tied up, all of them!" Responding to his call, several attendants tossed their uniforms aside to reveal their Team Rocket uniforms underneath, all of them chasing after Ash and the others. He pulled the two girls along as he led them into a hallway, looking around for some sort of escape, able to hear several pairs of feet chasing after them. He eventually found an unoccupied room and ducked inside with Serena and Madison, slamming the door shut before barricading it with the first thing he could find, propping a chair up against the door handle.

He took a moment to catch his breath, looking around the room and finding a few more large chairs, dragging them into position against the door, which was now being pounded on by several Team Rocket members. He could hear Madison audibly panicking as he worked, a few feet away.

"What's happening?!" she spoke aloud to no one in particular, her voice trembling, gripping her bangs. "Why are they chasing us?! What's going to happen to us?!"

Serena stepped up behind her and placed her hands on Madison's shoulders, trying to relax the young girl, plenty scared herself but doing her best to hide it. "They're Team Rocket. They're a bunch of criminals, but they're not very good at what they do. We'll figure out how to stop them. We always do."

Ash took in a deep breath and let it out, trying to calm his mind, wondering how he was going to stop them without any Pokémon. He looked around the room for any sort of outlet or exit, now worried that he had trapped them all in here with no escape. While he couldn't find a door or an unimpeded window, his eyes lit up as he spotted a Pokémon transfer station in the corner of the room.

"That's perfect!" He dashed over to the machine, grabbing the attached phone and starting to dial, as the girls watched.

"A transfer device?" Serena could feel a weight lifting off her chest as she realized what was happening, relieved that they might not be completely defenseless. "Who are you going to call?"

"I'm going to bring in an old friend," Ash responded cryptically, his foot tapping impatiently as he waited for the person on the other end to answer the call. "It's a little dangerous, but dangerous might be what we need right now. I just hope they pick up…" Serena and Madison both rushed to his side, looking at the video screen, hoping that Ash could get his Pokémon before Team Rocket broke through his makeshift barricade.

A couple of minutes later, the handful of Team Rocket members on the other side of the door had brought in some stronger reinforcements, bringing their numbers to six. Two very large members were standing in front of the door, staring it down, angry that a group of children were foiling their capture attempts and ready to put a stop to it.

"On three," one of the larger members spoke. "One… two… three!"

Both men lifted one foot and twisted in place, slamming their feet into the door with identical, powerful kicks. The door finally gave way, flying back as it was knocked off its hinges, knocking away some of the furniture that had been assembled on the other side. The other members exhaled in relief, starting to move inside, when a powerful blast of water from the other side slammed into them and knocked them onto their backs.

They groaned in unison, holding their dizzy heads, shocked at the strength of the attack that had come from inside the room. Hearing footsteps passing them by, they turned their heads to see several pairs of shoes running past them, along with one pair of webbed feet.