"My name's Ash, and I've come all the way from Pallet Town in the Kanto region! I wanna have a Gym Battle, please!"
Inside a tall tower in Lumiose City, in the Kalos region, a young raven-haired boy was talking excitedly with an electronic panel on the wall, stationed above the door to the Lumiose City Gym. On his shoulder rested a yellow mouse-like creature with red cheeks, and a tail shaped like a lightning bolt.
A computerized voice issued forth from the panel. "How many badges do you have?"
"Badges?" The boy shrugged. "This is the very first gym I'm challenging here, so I haven't won any yet."
"You have none?! Not a single Gym Badge?!" the voice incredulously responded. "In order to challenge the Lumiose Gym, you must have accumulated at least four Gym Badges."
Ash's eyebrows raised in surprise. Most gyms he had been to would allow any challenger to have at least one match, without restrictions. Were things different in Kalos, or was this gym a uniquely challenging one? Would this machine allow him to proceed if he had badges from somewhere other than Kalos?
He didn't have the chance to make his case. Seconds later, he heard the sound of moving machinery around him, and he looked around to see four Tesla coils emerging from the walls, pointed in his direction. Both he and Pikachu yelped and started to panic.
"Please leave immediately," the digital voice continued, in a calm and reasonable tone.
"Hey! Gimme a break! Wait a minute!" Ash insisted, to no avail. The devices sparked and shocked Ash with a powerful electric current, lasting for several long and painful seconds. Once the electricity had finally shut off, Ash didn't have long to catch his breath before the floor under his feet gave way, as a trapdoor opened up underneath him. He held onto his Pokémon as tightly as he could, as he dropped onto a long and winding slide, one that eventually deposited him outside of Prism Tower, several dozen feet in the air.
Ash could do nothing but scream as he began plummeting toward the ground. He had none of his other Pokémon here, with no Flying-types to break his fall, leaving him with no recourse but to try and signal for help with his voice. He could hear other voices somewhere below him, but was unable to make out what they were saying, or look down in their direction. As the ground approached, he closed his eyes tight and braced himself for a painful landing.
His collision with the ground wasn't nearly as painful as he expected. Right before he hit the sidewalk, his descent was slowed by what felt like a net made of limbs, and he ultimately landed on something much softer than concrete. He kept holding onto his Pikachu tightly as his eyes slowly opened, wondering if he had landed on some sort of boney octopus. Groaning at the soreness in his neck and back, he tilted his head up to see a blue-and-black, fox-like Lucario lying on the ground, pinned underneath his legs.
"Hey, are you alright?"
A female voice caught Ash's attention, and he tilted his head backward to see where it was coming from. He found himself looking upside-down into the concerned, blue-grey eyes of a blonde-haired girl around his age, who was sitting up on the ground. Given their relative positions, he realized she must have been the other half of the pair he had landed upon, and he was still trapping her underneath his frame.
"Yeah, I'm fine…" He rolled off of the girl's legs, letting Pikachu out of his arms. "Did you two catch me? Thanks a lot!"
"No problem!" she responded cheerfully, as both of them got to their feet, along with the Lucario. "How did you get thrown out of that tower, anyway?"
"That's the Lumiose Gym in there," Ash answered, as Pikachu scampered back up onto his shoulder. "I asked for a battle, but they said I couldn't have one unless I had four badges already. Then they threw me out." He took a closer look at the girl who had just saved him. She had a few inches of height over him, thought most of that was due to the roller blades she was wearing. Her outfit also included a short white dress with red trim, with black shorts and a matching helmet. Her long blonde hair poked through the vents on top of her helmet, with a large, long ponytail stretching all the way down to her waist. Ash estimated that this girl was probably a year older than he was, maybe two.
"Four badges?" She sounded as surprised as he had been. "I've never heard of a gym making a rule like that." She looked up toward the tower, hands on her hips. "I guess they really want to keep out beginners, huh?"
"I'm not a beginner, though!" Ash replied, frustrated and impatient. "I've got more than forty badges of my own! They're just not Kalos badges!"
"What?!" The girl was even more shocked now. "Forty? How on Earth did you get all those?"
"I've been traveling around for ages, collecting badges from different regions," he answered proudly. "I started in Kanto, then I went to Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova… I took fourth place in the Lily of the Valley Conference in Sinnoh!"
"Wow…" A grin spread across the girl's face. "In that case, how about a battle?"
"A battle?" Ash blinked. "You mean with you?"
"Of course!" she replied eagerly, as Lucario walked up beside her. "The best way to get to know another trainer is with a Pokémon battle."
He grinned from ear to ear, already liking this girl. "I know exactly what you mean. Let's do it!"
"Great!" The girl gestured to herself. "My name's Korrina."
He nodded in response. "I'm Ash. Ash Ketchum."
She smiled back at him. "There's a battlefield close by we can use. Come on!" She turned and started wheeling off, at a fast clip, with her Lucario keeping pace behind her.
"Hey! Wait up!" Ash started running after her, trying his best to keep up.
Minutes later, Ash and Korrina were standing on opposites sides of a spare battlefield in a nearby park. Ash was relying on his Pikachu, being the only Pokémon he had brought to Kalos, while Korrina had chosen the Lucario that had helped to save Ash from his fall from Prism Tower.
"I'm looking forward to a good battle, Ash!" Korrina called out. "You can have the first move!"
"We'll take it!" Ash pointed forward toward his opponent. "Pikachu, hit him with Quick Attack!"
His Pokémon took off like a rocket, dashing across the battlefield with incredible speed, making a beeline for his opponent. Lucario stood his ground dutifully, not moving without a word from his trainer, having absolute trust in her. Korrina was confident as she issued her first command.
"Stop that charge with Metal Sound!" she ordered. Her Pokémon raised his paws and crossed them before pulling them apart, clashing the metal spikes on the backs of his paws together. Rubbing them against each other rapidly, he was able to produce a loud, grating and cacophonous sound that reverberated across the arena. Pikachu screeched to a stop to cover his ears, and even Ash had to use his hands to block out the painful noise.
"Now, get him with an Aura Sphere!" Lucario grunted and held his paws close together, forming a blue ball of Aura energy between them. Once it had grown to the size of a volleyball, he grabbed it in one paw and flung it at his opponent with precise aim. The attack exploded in Pikachu's face, sending him flying across the battlefield.
"Pikachu, fire back with Electro Ball!"
Even as the mouse Pokémon was recoiling from the energy blast, he was able to focus and form a ball of electricity on his tail. He managed to twist himself just enough to fling the Electro Ball back at a shocked Lucario, who was unable to dodge in time. The electric attack delivered a strong shock and froze him in place for a few moments, allowing Pikachu to get back to his feet as he landed.
Korrina grinned, surprised and impressed. "Not bad, you two!" She clenched her fist in front of herself. "Again, Lucario! Aura Sphere!" Her Pokémon summoned another energy blast, and she watched as the Aura Sphere flew across the battlefield, curious as to how her opponent would react.
In the handful of seconds that the battle had been going on, Ash had already learned a good deal about Korrina's approach to the battle. She was taking her time, keeping her distance, and clearly holding back. She was observing the battle carefully, trying to pick up on his strategy and battle style, before she turned up the heat. He smirked, knowing how to counter both the Aura Sphere and Korrina's evaluation. It was time to throw her for a loop.
"Scoop out the ground with Iron Tail!" he commanded. Pikachu nodded and leaped into the air, as his tail stiffened and became as hard as iron. He swung his tail sideways into the ground, shaking the battlefield and unearthing a few large chunks of it, which flew into the air. The Aura Sphere collided with the dirt and exploded, creating a small cloud of dust.
"Now, take that Iron Tail to Lucario!" he followed up. As Korrina and Lucario tried to see their opponent through the dust, Pikachu dashed through it at a high speed, closing the distance between the two Pokémon in no time. He leaped up and whirled around, swinging his tail into Lucario's stomach, causing the Aura Pokémon to collapse to one knee, holding his gut.
Korrina was surprised, but she kept her cool. "Quick, use Power-Up Punch!" Lucario growled and clenched his right paw into a fist, which began to glow with a bright orange energy. Before Pikachu could even hit the ground, Lucario's punch sent him flying once again, landing heavily on the battlefield and rolling to a stop. As Korrina's Pokémon got back to his feet, the orange glow spread from his fist to his entire body, giving his strength a significant boost.
"Perfect!" Korrina locked eyes with the trainer across the way, smirking confidently. If she couldn't get a read on his strategy, then she would just have to go all in. "You've done well so far, but it's time for us to take control of this battle!" She cast her hand out in front of her. "Get in there with Bone Rush!" Her Pokémon, still glowing, put his paws together and pulled them apart slowly, forming two bone-shaped masses of Aura energy. Holding one in each hand, he dashed forward toward his opponent, ready to strike.
"Stop him with Thunderbolt!" Ash called out, not shaken by Lucario's power boost. Pikachu closed his eyes tight, summoning a mass of electricity throughout his entire body, which shot out at the approaching Pokémon.
"Dodge it!" Lucario obeyed immediately, leaping to the side just as the Thunderbolt struck, leaving him unscathed. Ash and Pikachu both recoiled in shock. Lucario was much too close now, and moving too fast, to fire off another attack.
"Move it, Pikachu! Don't let yourself get hit!" Lucario began swinging the energy bones at his much smaller opponent, while Pikachu was forced to jump about to avoid the barrage of blows. He tried to create some distance between himself and Lucario, in order to catch his breath and prepare another attack, but Lucario's assault was relentless, and it was all he could do to keep from getting hit. Eventually, he couldn't keep up anymore, and one of the bones slammed directly into Pikachu's back, knocking him away.
Korrina was giddy, able to see victory in her sights. "We can finish this, Lucario! Use one more Aura Sphere!" Lucario grunted and formed another energy ball in his hands, still holding onto the two energy bones, the effects of Power-Up Punch boosting his Aura abilities.
Pikachu got painfully to his feet, looking back at his foe as he hurled the Aura Sphere. Ash clenched his fist involuntarily, knowing that his Pokémon likely wouldn't be able to take another attack from this powered-up opponent. On the other hand, Lucario wouldn't handle his own powered-up attack very well, either…
"Hit that Aura Sphere back with Iron Tail!" he called out. Pikachu tensed his body and spun himself around with precise timing, his rock-hard tail smacking into the Aura Sphere and sending it right back at its owner.
The grin never left Korrina's face for a moment. "Hit it back with Bone Rush!"
Lucario brought his paws together, stepping forward and swinging at the Aura Sphere with his energy bones, like a baseball player swinging at a fastball. After a moment of pushing against his own attack, he growled and forced it back, sending it back toward its original target. Pikachu had no time to react before the Aura Sphere exploded in his face, sending him rolling across the arena. When he finally came to a stop, he didn't try to get back up, down for the count.
Ash ran out onto the battlefield as soon as it was clear that the battle was over. He knelt down and scooped his Pokémon up into his arms, not looking back at Korrina as she ran out and embraced her still-glowing Lucario, congratulating him on a battle well fought.
"Are you alright, buddy?" Pikachu stirred after a moment, the sound of his trainer's voice giving him a bit of strength. He gave Ash a disappointed and apologetic look, and Ash smiled back in response. "You did a great job, Pikachu. We just had a tough opponent today." Pikachu smiled and nodded, his trainer's words lifting his spirits. The smile disappeared from his face, replaced with a look of surprise, as a yellow fruit with orange spots appeared in front of his eyes.
"Here, eat this," Korrina advised, holding out the Sitrus Berry. "You'll feel better." Pikachu accepted the gift and gobbled it down quickly, feeling a surge of strength shoot through him. He leaped out of Ash's arms, feeling in top shape again, as Lucario knelt down next to him to offer his own words of praise. The two trainers watched the Pokémon exchange words in their own language, finding the camaraderie between former opponents to be rather inspiring.
"You and your Lucario are really strong!" Ash exclaimed, looking up into the girl's eyes. "Once that power-up happened, you were pretty much unstoppable."
"Thanks, Ash!" Her eyes shone as she basked in his praise. "You and your Pikachu are pretty great, too! Your battle strategy really kept us on our toes." She knelt down next to the two Pokémon as they talked, producing a small notebook and what looked like an ink pad from her skirt pocket. "By the way, can I get your pawprint, Pikachu?"
Ash cocked his head, not having seen this after a battle before. "Huh? Why do you want his pawprint?"
"I'm getting one from every Pokémon we defeat," she explained, as Pikachu pressed his right paw into the ink pad. "Lucario and I are aiming for a hundred victories in a row, and I'm keeping a record of every battle." Pikachu took his ink-covered paw and placed it onto the blank page that was presented to him. Satisfied, Korrina stood up and removed a pencil from her pocket, writing the number 52 into the top corner of the page.
"Wow, a hundred?" Ash was taken by surprise, but his shock quickly morphed into a smile. "That sounds like a great goal to shoot for. Good luck with the rest of your battles!"
"Thanks!" She pocketed the notebook, her eyes meeting his again. Before she could say another word, however, the low and guttural sound of a growling stomach filled the air between them.
"Sorry…!" Both of them knelt down in unison, reaching down to grab their empty stomachs at the same time, flushing with embarrassment. They blinked in surprise, gazing back at each other, before they both started to laugh. Between their love of battles and their apparent love of food, it seemed that both of them had managed to find a kindred spirit.
"Why don't we get something to eat? My treat," Korrina offered. Ash graciously accepted, as Pikachu climbed back onto his shoulder, leaving very faint, inky pawprints on his jacket. The four of them started walking further into Lumiose City, looking for a delicious lunch.