The Unown Predicament
"Welcome to the Battle Hall, Ash!" Scott exclaimed while waving at the approaching group. Ash and his friends had just arrived in Jubilife City but Ash went ahead and called Scott ahead of their arrival to inform him that he'd be challenging the Frontier Brain of the Battle Hall! "And I must say that I'm quite grateful that you and Zach stopped Eternatus, that was quite the scare coming face to face with a thousand foot Ursaring!" He was sure the sight would haunt his dreams for weeks!
"Don't mention it!" Ash chuckled lightly before offering an excited expression. "So is the Frontier Brain inside?! I'm eager to get this battle started!"
"Pi Pikachu!" Pikachu pumped his fist.
"Of course, of course!" Scott laughed while motioning with his hand. "Right this way!" Scott led them into the Battle Hall where a familiar face could be seen standing alongside Argenta. The other figure had their back to the group but Argenta caught sight of them from around the woman's head.
"Why if it isn't that Ketchum boy I've heard so much about! I can't wait to see if you're really as good as people say you are or if it's all talk!" Argenta clasped her hands together as she began making her way towards them. "I'm Argenta, Matron of the Battle Hall, such an honor to finally meet you!"
"I'm Ash Ketchum and this is my best buddy Pikachu!"
"Pi Pikachu!"
"Tox tox!" Toxtricity excitedly spoke up
"Oh yeah and that's Toxtricity!" Ash laughed as he wasn't quite used to Toxtricity following him around yet. Toxtricity was perfectly fine with staying at Professor Oak's but whenever he was with Ash, he remained outside of his Pokeball.
"And I'm Marnie, pleasure ta meet ya!"
"Morpek!" Morpeko waved from atop Marnie's shoulder.
"I'm Dawn."
"Pip Piplup!"
"And I'm Zach."
"Carrr."
"Ace!"
"Dawn? As in Dawn Berlitz? You must let me create some fashion designs for you sometime! I've always wanted to design outfits for a Top Coordinator!" Argenta exclaimed.
Dawn sweated in response. "Thanks but no thanks, I prefer making my own outfits! But you could try my friend Zoey, I'm sure she'd be down for that!"
The other woman soon turned her head around, recognition flashed through her eyes as they landed upon Ash however he didn't keep her attention for long as it was quickly stolen by the Electric types!
"Eee!" Elesa squealed out, the woman quickly rushed over to squeeze Pikachu's cheeks. "Hello Pikachu, long time no see! Still has cute and lively as ever I see!"
"Chaaaaa!" Pikachu didn't shock her like he'd do to most trainers that did such an act.
"And what a cutie, I didn't know you owned a Toxtricity!" Elesa threw her arms around Toxtricity, a red tint formed across his cheeks in response to her action. "I've always wanted to own one of you but I never had much luck during my time in Galar!"
"Tox..."
"And that's a Morpeko, hi there!" Elesa affectionately pet the top of Morpeko's head before quickly backing away. "Now I know how eager you must be for the battle so I won't ke-Oh hey, it's you." Elesa finally took notice of the others, her gaze fixated upon Zach as she spoke while he gave off a shy wave in response.
"Hold up you know Elesa?!" Dawn gasped while turning towards her boyfriend. "I didn't know that."
"I forgot," Zach shrugged. "We only met once and that was for a few minutes, she is a friend of Nessa's and was visiting Hulbury the same day that Sonia and I came to visit. It was years ago and I barely spoke to her, wasn't exactly memorable so I'm surprised she even remembered!"
"Yeah you're that boy who had a Riolu following him like a shadow and I assume that little fellow is this big guy?" Elesa turned towards Lucario and offered him a smile.
"Carrr." Lucario didn't really remember her but he forced a smile as he sensed a familiar aura within her.
"Yep, that's him! We've gotten way stronger than we were back then!"
"I bet, I've gotten plenty stronger myself over the past few years. I'd honestly compete in the World Championship if you didn't have to commit to accepting every challenge that you're issued, my modeling career takes so much of my time but I'd never stop as it's my dream!"
'So she's not competing either.' Ash frowned for a brief moment before his eyes widened as an idea came to mind. "Hey Argenta would you be down for teaming up with Elesa? I'd love to challenge both of you!"
"If she's up for it but I believe that she has a flight to catch?" Argenta questioned while giving Elesa a look.
"Oh that won't be for a few hours," Elesa waved it off as an excitable smile formed across her face. "Besides your rules state that all matches are three on three right? Well then that'd mean that Ash would have to use Toxtricity as he'd be using his whole team! I can't wait to see what power that lizard has in store!" Stars filled her eyes as she envisioned battling against Toxtricity.
"Well actually I was going to form a team with Zach-" Ash started only for the Galar native to interrupt him.
"Nah it's cool, I don't mind sitting this out. It looks as if she really wants to fight Toxtricity and if she's waited this long to fight one then I'm not going to take that chance away from her! We can tag team some other time." Zach informed while offering him a sincere smile.
Ash smiled back at his friend before turning his attention towards Argenta and Elesa. "Well alright then it looks like it's me against the two of you!"
"Oh this is so perfect, I can't wait to fight against a Toxtricity!" Elesa squealed.
Heavy machinery dug through the ground, removing large chunks dirt as a construction crew worked to begin the construction of a new building. Upon discarding the dirt, the machinery dug into the ground once more before striking against something hard!
"Um that's not supposed to happen, it sounds like I hit a rock!"
"There's not supposed to be any rocks there, try again! Maybe the machinery's wiring is messed up again, stupid machine!" The foreman formed a look of annoyance as he gave the machine a hard kick. "We're in a hurry, faster it's built the faster we get paid! Hurry up and put it back in the ground now!"
The worker let out a grunt as he began shoveling at the dirt once more, a soft rumble could be heard shortly upon him striking the hard object before the ground suddenly caved in around the area and took the foreman along with it!
"Ahhhh!" The foreman screamed as he fell through the hole in the ground before landing face first against the flooring of an ancient ruin!
"Boss! You okay?!" The worker shouted down after him. "I can't see you!"
"Ugh... I-I'm fine, Joe! Get a rescue team ready stat, I-Actually hold off!" The foreman's eyes narrowed as he saw some strange writing on the walls. He turned his attention towards a nearby door that had been sealed up. "Those are Unown letters, I recognize those from my time working as Grand Oak's assistant! Oh I bet there's all sort of riches back there... can't let those guys up there hear about this though. I-I'll be a minute!" He shouted the last sentence upwards before making his way towards the door to pry it open, unaware that he was being watched.
"Alright the tag team battle between Hall Matron Argenta, Elesa and Ash Ketchum will now get underway!" The referee waved his flag to signal the start of the match!
"Oshawott, Hippowdon I choose you!" Ash shouted while throwing a set of Pokeballs forward.
"Luxray let's put on a show!"
"Arcanine let's rumble!" Elesa and Argenta threw forward their own Pokeballs as Ash threw his own forward.
"Oshawott!" Oshawott excitedly cried out as he burst from his Pokeball!
"Hippo!" Hippowdon roared out.
"Arca!" Arcanine barked.
"Luxray lux lux!"
Ash felt a bit of relief upon seeing Arcanine, he had no idea that he'd be facing off against Elesa when he woke up that morning so it wasn't as if he planned for Oshawott to be there but it was comforting to know that Oshawott wouldn't be at a disadvantage the entire time!
"Oshawott hop onto Hippowdon's back and use Hydro Pump! Hippowdon follow up with Earthquake!" Ash shouted.
"Osha!" Oshawott leaped up onto his teammate's back and took aim at Arcanine before firing off a powerful stream of water, Arcanine yelped out as the water splashed against his fur. A look of annoyance filled his eyes as he glared at Oshawott.
Hippowdon raised his hind legs into the air before crashing them against the ground causing the battlefield to violently shake about, Arcanine and Luxray lost their balance and fell to their knees but they weren't down yet as they soon hopped back to their feet!
"Thunder Fang!" Argenta shouted out.
"Ice Fang!" Elesa called out alongside her.
"Arca!"
"Lux!" The two Pokemon raced across the field, electricity crackled around Arcanine's fangs while ice covered Luxray's as the two Pokemon sprang forward and prepared to sink their teeth into their opponents!
"Osha!" Oshawott cried out as electricity began surging through his body but the otter wasn't going to call it quits! He toughened through it and stared Arcanine down with a determined expression while Hippowdon grunted out as Luxray sank his icy fangs into his leg.
"Alright Oshawott use Aqua Jet on Arcanine, Hippowdon use High Horsepower on Luxray!"
"Osha!" An aquatic veil surrounded Oshawott's body as the otter rocketed across the field where he struck Arcanine head on, their heads bashed against each other causing Arcanine to let out a pained yelp before uttering out another snarl as he sang his electrically charged fangs into Oshawott's neck, the canine rapidly shook him about before throwing the otter's body back towards Ash! Oshawott grunted out as he landed in a slump while an orange aura surrounded Hippowdon's body as the hippo charged at Luxray!
"Counter with Iron Tail!" Elesa cried out.
"Lux!" Luxray's tail glowed a bright silver color as he swung around to strike it against the incoming Hippowdon, the tail made impact and definitely left it's mark as Hippowdon uttered out a pained grunt but it wasn't enough to stop the charging hippo! Hippowdon soon slammed his body against Luxray, crushing the poor lion Pokemon and when Hippowdon rose up one could see swirls had formed within Luxray's eyes indicating that he'd been taken out!
"Way to go Hippowdon!" Ash shouted.
"Hippowdon's first match was a win, that's nice!" Marnie commented with a light smile while the others nodded in agreement.
"Luxray is unable to battle!" The referee called out. "Elesa send out your next Pokemon!"
"Zebstrika let's put on a show!" Elesa cried out, not even hesitating in her decision as the zebra Pokemon burst out to replace his fallen teammate!
Oshawott let out a pained groan as he slowly rose back to his feet, determination shined within his eyes as he refused to give up! "Osha!"
Ash knew Oshawott wanted to stay in so he wasn't going to bother asking. "Alright Oshawott let's finish this with Hydro Pump!"
"Oshawott!" Oshawott's mouth opened as the otter fired off a large stream of water, the water rocketed across the field before splashing Arcanine as it made contact! Arcanine let out a pained whimper as he collapsed to his side, tongue lolling out as swirls formed within his eyes.
"Arcanine is unable to battle, Argenta please send out your next Pokemon!"
"Alright Oshawott!"
"Pika pi!"
"Osha-Oshawott!" Oshawott flexed his arm muscles as his body began to be engulfed in a bright blue light! The Pokemon's white fur soon vanished as the light blue fur on his chest proceeded to expand onto the rest of his body. As he grew his appearance started resembling a samurai while two scalchops rested on the side of his waists, the one that formerly rested upon his chest had disappeared!
"Dew ott, Dewott!" The newly evolved otter Pokemon cried out.
"Dewott the Discipline Pokemon, it's exquisite double-scalchop technique is likely the result of daily training, and it can send even masters of the blade fleeing in defeat!"
"Way to go Dewott, you evolved! I bet you can't wait to show off your new form to Servine and Emboar!"
"Pi Pikachu!"
"Dewott!" Dewott tapped his chest while flashing Ash his usual cocky smirk before exhaustion finally took it's toll on him, the otter's eyes rolled upwards as he collapsed towards the ground where he landed in a defeated slump!
"Dewott is unable to continue, Ash Ketchum please send out your next Pokemon!"
"Dewott return, you were great out there and deserve a long rest." Ash smiled down at Dewott's ball before placing it back upon his belt as he reached out for another. "Alright Gigalith I choose you!"
"Giga!" Gigalith roared out as he burst from his Pokeball!
"Dragonite let's put on a show!" Argenta tossed forward a ball of her own, revealing a mighty Dragonite that appeared to be more powerful than both Ash and Zach's Dragonite.
"Dragooo!"
"Gigalith use Sandstorm, Hippowdon use Giga Impact on Dragonite!"
"Giga!" Gigalith cried out as a fierce sandstorm whipped up and covered the battlefield, pelting his opponents with sand as he obscured the view! Hippowdon brushed his foot against the ground and uttered out a fierce cry as he stampeded across the field before throwing himself at Dragonite! Dragonite grunted out as he was knocked off his feet by the large hippo but he was quick at getting back to his feet!
"Dragonite use Hurricane to blow away the sand!" Argenta shouted out.
"Zebstrika once it's clear use Flame Charge!" Elesa added on.
"Dragooo!" Dragonite flapped his wings, summoning up a large cyclone that gathered up the sand and flung it away! The cyclone continued racing across the field before pelting Hippowdon. Zebstrika raised his front hooves and neighed as flames engulfed his body, the zebra quickly galloped across the field where he proceeded to throw himself at Hippowdon! Hippowdon uttered out a pained grunt and appeared to be nearing his last breath!
"Hippowdon use Rest, Gigalith use Stone Edge!"
"Hippo!" Hippowdon closed his eyes and fell asleep causing his injuries to rapidly heal! His health had been completely restored but he was left vulnerable for an attack, thankfully Gigalith was there to cover for him!
Gigalith raised a foot and slammed it against the ground causing several pointed rock pillars to burst from the ground and rush towards his opponents, trapping them both in an enclosure but Dragonite simply flew out upon Argenta's command leaving only Zebstrika to take damage from the attack!
"Zeb!" Zebstrika let out a pained neigh while Elesa grit her teeth.
"Wild Charge!" Yellow electricity surrounded Zebstrika's body as the zebra galloped across the field, his gaze locked onto his Gigalith before shortly throwing himself at the rock Pokemon! Gigalith uttered out a pained grunt as he was pushed back and while he was distracted, Argenta made her move!
"Blizzard!" Zebstrika quickly galloped away from Gigalith and raced back towards Dragonite to escape his firing range as the dragon raised his arms, summoning up a fierce blizzard that swept across the field and pelted both Gigalith and Hippowdon with snow and ice! Gigalith grunted out while Hippowdon's eyes shot wide open!
"H-Hippo..." The hippo shivered before dropping to his side as Argenta landed a critical hit on him!
"Man either she got really lucky or that Dragonite is as strong as he looks!" Marnie commented.
"Hippowdon is unable to battle, Ash Ketchum please send out your next Pokemon!"
"Hippowdon return, you were great out there and deserve a long rest. We'll take it from here," Ash placed Hippowdon's ball back upon his belt before reaching for another. "Alright Articuno I choose you!"
"Cuno!" Articuno spread her beautiful wings and let out a melodic cry as she burst from her Pokeball!
"Dragooo!" Dragonite leered at his opponent.
"My my, I knew that you'd managed to catch yourself a Legendary Pokemon but this was a pleasant surprise!" Scott exclaimed.
Ash let out a nervous chuckle before throwing out his arm. "Alright Articuno take to the sky and use Blizzard! Gigalith follow up with Earthquake!"
"Cuno!" Articuno swiftly flew up into the air before stretching out her wings once more, a melodic coo escaped her lips as a fierce blizzard swept across the field! Dragonite grunted out as he was unable to stay in the air due to the strong breeze, his feet soon planted firmly upon the ground which created an opening for Gigalith to attack!
"Flame Charge!" Zebstrika began warming himself up, repelling most of the damage as his fiery body melted away the snow and ice that touched him! The zebra began galloping across the field and didn't even flinch as the ground began violently shaking beneath him! The zebra leaped a surprising distance into the air before tackling Articuno towards the ground after the earthquake had dispersed.
Dragonite shook himself off after having been dealt some hits from the two prior attacks, the dragon gave them both a heavy leer as Argenta uttered out a shout!
"Draco Meteor!"
"Dragooo!" Dragonite waved his arms as a series of purple meteorites fell from the sky above, raining down on Articuno and Gigalith! Both Pokemon uttered out a pained grunt but appeared to still be capable of battling although Gigalith was looking noticeably worn out likely having survived the attack thanks to his Sturdy ability!
"Wild Charge!" Zebstrika swooped back his hoof as he took aim at Gigalith and charged!
"Articuno fly out of the way! Alright Gigalith, let's use Explosion!"
"GIGA!" A yellow light enveloped Gigalith's body before a large explosion occurred, blasting both Gigalith and Zebstrika away! The two Pokemon were flung through the air before landing on their sides as swirls filled their eyes.
"Gigalith and Zebstrika are unable to battle, challengers please send out your final Pokemon!"
"Ampharos let's put on a show!" Elesa cried out as she returned Zebstrika before swiftly throwing forth another Pokeball!
"Ampha!"
"Gigalith return, you were great out there and deserve a rest. Alright Toxtricity I choose you!"
"Tox!" Stars filled Elesa's eyes as Toxtricity leaped onto the battlefield.
"Oh yes! Ampharos leap up and deliver a Fire Punch to Articuno!"
"Fire Punch?" Ash noticed that while Flame Charge served to increase Zebstrika's speed, Elesa's other Pokemon had attacks that countered their weaknesses. He wondered for a brief moment why Ampharos would know that before it clicked as he noticed a familiar ring sitting atop Elesa's wrist! 'Of course, Mega Ampharos gains the Dragon type!' She was most likely waiting for Articuno to be taken out before activating it!
"Articuno dodge by flying up!"
"I don't think so," Argenta smirked. "Dragonite fly up and blast her with Flamethrower!"
"Dragoooo!" Dragonite soared upwards and proceeded to blast Articuno with a powerful stream of fire! Articuno let out a pained cry and began sinking towards the ground where she was quickly met by a fiery fist to the face courtesy of Ampharos! Articuno fell towards the ground and landed with a thud.
"Articuno is-" The referee paused as Articuno raised back to her feet.
"Arti!"
"Alright Articuno! Let's hit them with a Blizzard, Toxtricity use Overdrive on Dragonite!"
"Cunooo!" Articuno raised her wings, summoning up another fierce blizzard which pelted her opponents in snow and ice once more! Ampharos shook her head before leering at Articuno while Dragonite appeared to be a bit dazed by the attack.
"Dragooo!"
"Tox!" Toxtricity summoned up electrical energy which took the form of a guitar, the lizard then quickly played some notes causing a large vibration to race across the field towards Dragonite, knocking the Dragon right off his feet and onto his back as swirls formed within his eyes.
"Dragooo..."
"Dragonite is unable to battle, Argenta please send out your final Pokemon!" The referee called out.
"Lopunny let's dance!" Argenta cried as she threw forth another ball.
"Lopun!" Lopunny excitedly cried out as she burst from her Pokeball before a bright pink glow enveloped her body, transforming her into Mega Lopunny! Zach glanced towards Dawn who didn't appear to be shocked or excited by the Pokemon's appearance, implying that she had a Mega Ring she simply just didn't wear it unless she needed it much like how Zach's Dynamax Band was rarely ever on his wrist and was stored safely inside his bag!
"Use Fire Punch!" Both of Ash's opponents shouted simultaneously, making it clear who they were targeting. He didn't even have time to react as Lopunny's speed was greatly enhanced by her Mega Evolution allowing her to punch Articuno across the Legendary's face! Articuno let out a pained grunt as she was knocked back before falling backwards as Ampharos struck a fiery blow to her stomach! Articuno gasped for air before swiftly dropping to the floor as swirls filled her eyes.
"Articuno..."
"Articuno is unable to battle, challenger Ash please send out your final Pokemon!" The referee made the call.
"Articuno return, you were excellent out there! Take a good long rest, you deserved it. Alright Pikachu I choose you!" Pikachu leaped onto the field as Articuno returned to her Pokeball.
"Pika!" Pikachu's tail flicked before his gaze flickered towards Toxtricity. The two Pokemon gave each other a childish leer while Elesa proceeded to activate her own Mega Ring now that Articuno was off the table.
"Pikachu use Volt Tackle on Lopunny, Toxtricity use Poison Jab on Ampharos!"
"Pika pika pika pika!" Golden electricity surrounded Pikachu's body as he raced across the field, Toxtricity's fist glowed a venomous shade of purple as he raced alongside his partner before suddenly tripping up causing him to land on top of Pikachu! Pikachu let out a gasp as he was struck by the Poison attack before angrily shooting up to strike Toxtricity across the chest with Iron Tail!
"Pika pi!" 'You did that on purpose!'
"Tox tox!" 'It's not my fault, I tripped and you were in my way!'
"Pika pika!" Pikachu flattened his ears and crossed his arms as he glared at Toxtricity. 'I don't buy your excuses, you've been out to replace me since the start! I'm not taking anymore of this from you!' His cheeks sparked as he prepared to unleash a powerful Thunderbolt attack on his teammate, not intent on holding himself back!
'Says you, you're just worried that Ash likes me more than he likes you!' Toxtricity flashed his teammate a childish smirk as he whipped out his electric guitar before hitting a note as the two Pokemon shocked each other!
"W-What's going on?" Ash questioned.
"Huh? Ya seriously don't know? Toxtricity and Pikachu have been giving each other jealous looks ever since Toxel first hatched!" Marnie exclaimed.
"Carrr!" Lucario added.
"Pikachu's worried that you're replacing him with Toxtricity while Toxtricity wants to be your new favorite!" Zach translated for Lucario.
"Is that it...?" Ash sweated before turning his attention back towards his teammates as Toxtricity was blasted away with Dragon Pulse while Lopunny dealt Pikachu a heavy blow with Close Combat! The two Electric types collapsed to their sides and groaned out before they slowly rose back to their feet. "Time out!"
Elesa and Argenta gave each other a look before shrugging.
"We'll allow it." Argenta spoke.
"You've got five minutes," Elesa added.
Ash raced onto the battlefield and dropped to his knee to look both of his Electric types in the eye. "Pikachu what are you thinking? You're my best friend and you've been at my side since the very start, I could never replace you! We're best friends until the end and that's not going to change simply due to me having another Electric type! Toxtricity, Pikachu and I may have a close bond but that doesn't mean that I love him more than I love the rest of you, if I did I'd constantly use him in battle and not allow the rest of you a fair chance to prove yourselves! I love both of you equally so can we please put this squabble behind us and focus on the battle? We can discuss this more later if we have to."
Pikachu and Toxtricity gazed at their trainer before silently turning to look the other in the eye. Pikachu offered Toxtricity a friendly smile as he extended a closed fist to him, Toxtricity smirked before copying his teammate as the two shared a fist bump!
"Alright now that's more like it!" Ash raced back to his position on the battlefield. "I'm ready!"
"Alright Ash, it's your turn now. Hit us with everything you've got!" Elesa grinned.
"Pikachu, Toxtricity use Thunderbolt!" The two Electric types kept their fists against each other as electricity surged through their cheeks before a large and intimidating blast of electricity fired across the field, enveloping both Mega Pokemon in the electrical bolt as it struck! The two Mega Pokemon cried out as electricity surged through their bodies, they started swaying back and forth as the combined Electric attack proved to be too much for even Ampharos to handle! The two Mega Pokemon dropped to the ground as a pink light enveloped their bodies, reverting them back to their normal form as swirls formed within their eyes!
"Alright, you two did it! Doesn't this show that you work better as a team than as rivals?!" Ash excitedly exclaimed.
Toxtricity and Pikachu turned to each other as mutual respect shined in their eyes for the first time ever, the two Electric types shared another fist bump before bowing apologetically to each other as they apologized for their behavior.
"A-Ampharos and Lopunny are unable to battle, that makes the challenger and his Pokemon the winner!" The referee called out.
"My my I sure wasn't expecting them to take out two Mega Pokemon like that! Those two make quite the team." Scott smirked.
Elesa didn't seem the least bit disappointed in her loss as she gazed towards Toxtricity, stars filled her eyes as she squealed out. "Oh wow, Toxtricity's even more impressive than I had hoped! I can't wait to get one of my own!"
Argenta merely smirked as she stepped across the field, a golden symbol shined in her hands as she held it out in offering to Ash. "Here, this is the Fashion Symbol!"
"Fashion symbol? Why'd you call it that?!" Marnie questioned as it seemed odd.
Argenta shrugged. "All the good names were taken." She explained before turning her attention back towards Ash. "That was an incredible battle, I can see why Volkner and the Elite Four speak highly of you. I'm quite eager to see how you fare against Palmer though before that you'll have to face Dahlia, the star of Hearthome's Battle Arcade!"
"And don't forget the newest Frontier Brain!" Scott added on with a sly smirk. "I heard they're quite eager to battle you, they even passed on a message!" Scott held up his Rotom Phone as he played a recording.
"Ash if you don't hurry up and beat the other Frontier Brains, I'll be forced to fine you a billion Pokedollars! I've been waiting years to face off against you and I've gotten impatient, hurry up and beat Argenta and Dahlia already!" Barry's voice shouted out.
"Heh," Ash sweated. "Well then it looks like we're going to Hearthome next! I don't want to keep Barry waiting, I've been eager to face him too!"
"Pi Pikachu!"
"Good luck with the World Championship, Ash." Elesa waved before taking her leave as she had to catch her flight.
"Yeah, good luck with that." Though Argenta had some doubts as she wasn't quite sure that he was capable of beating Palmer just yet.
A few hours had passed since Ash's victory against Marnie, Marnie decided to celebrate by dragging Ash off to a restaurant while Dawn accompanied Zach to the nearby forest. The two had gone on several dates already as they'd been dating for awhile now and had even done so the night prior to this so Dawn had no issue with them spending the evening looking for a Pokemon, she was still spending quality time with her boyfriend and she knew he'd been wanting to capture a Grass type for awhile.
"I'm not sure what to catch, maybe a Roselia? I could use a Poison type or perhaps a Turtwig! There's so many options, it's hard to choose!" Zach exclaimed. He hadn't had much luck the past hour though as all they managed to find were Bug types, Bidoof and Starly. "I think I'll just settle for the first thing I see."
Dawn's hand was wrapped around his as they walked through the woods, her head gently leaned against his while her eyes glanced about as she assisted him in his search. Her eyes soon widened as she pulled away from him in order to point towards a wild Pokemon that was eating from a berry bush that stood across the clearing. "Turtwig!" She hissed out.
"Turtwig? Oh this is perfect, I can catch it and get Cyndaquil some experience!" Zach excitedly turned to Cinderace and lifted Cyndaquil off her shoulder. "Alright Cyndaquil, let's go catch a-Aaah!" As he raced across the clearing the ground suddenly gave out from under him, causing him to plummet down a hole!
"Zach!" Dawn shrieked out with a panicked expression as she watched her boyfriend plummet out of sight!
"Carrr!"
"Ace!" Lucario and Cinderace sprang forward with Lucario looking as if he were prepared to jump in after his trainer!
"Ow..." Zach groaned out, rubbing his rear as he managed to land on it. It still hurt like heck but nothing appeared to be broken! Cyndaquil was cushioned safely within his arms, safe from harm. "W-Where am I...?" He quickly gazed around the room before focusing his attention on a nearby wall which had Unown letters written across it. Unown weren't exactly familiar to Galar natives but Sonia had informed him of their existence years ago, there was even a time during his stay at the dojo where they sent each other letters written in Unown letters so he was able to read the wall clearly. "Hisui...? What the heck is Hisui?" He blinked upon reading the word before looking up as he heard his girlfriend call out for him.
"I'm okay Dawn, Cyndaquil too! We're just stuck down here!"
"Is it safe to come down? Lucario looks as if he's prepared to jump!" Dawn exclaimed.
"Lucario don't!" Zach called out.
"Carrr?" Lucario tilted his head as he gazed down the hole, he could see his trainer's aura and knew that he was perfectly safe. The jackal just wasn't comfortable leaving his best friend down there!
"I'll try to find my own way out, I've got Cyndaquil with me to light the way and I've got Obstagoon and Dragonite with me! Dawn and the others could use you though, you can use your aura to find the entrance to the place. It'll be easier to get out once we know where it is." He could just blast his way out with Dragonite but he was worried about bringing down the ground and possibly causing harm to wild Pokemon above.
"You sure? Togekiss can lift me down there." Dawn offered.
"I'm sure, I'd feel more comfortable knowing you're safe up there!" Dawn smiled at her boyfriend's words before nodding in agreement.
"Alright, I'll try to find the others. Stay safe!"
"You too!" Zach's gaze flicked towards the Unown letters once more, curiosity filled his mind but he shook his head as he figured it wasn't worth trekking deeper into the ruin. He could feel wind coming from the opposite direction so whatever laid down that path would take him away from the exit and possibly in danger, it wasn't worth the risk.
"HELP!" A voice screamed out from the passageway causing Zach to quickly jerk back around as soon as he had his back to it.
"Somebody else is down here?" Zach narrowed his eyes as he wondered if he heard correctly, the call for help soon echoed back from the passageway giving him little choice. If somebody actually was down here and needed help he wasn't about to just up and abandon them! "Come on Cyndaquil, light the path with your flames!"
"Cynda... quil!" The fire mouse squealed as the flames lit atop her back, lighting the passageway as the two began making their way towards the cry for help!
"Unbelievable, there's no treasure here!" The foreman angrily punched the wall upon reaching a dead end. "Ah!" He suddenly shouted out while clutching at his chest as a question mark shaped Pokemon flew right out of the wall!
"Unown!" The Pokemon began hovering around the foreman while giving him a blank look.
"An Unown! Well I may not have found treasure but I can certainly sell you for a fair amount of money, come here!" The foreman pulled an empty Pokeball from his pocket and prepared to throw it before a beam of ice suddenly shot from the shadows, freezing the ball to his hand as a Beartic stepped into view.
"I don't think so!" Joe stepped out after Beartic, a sinister smirk formed across his face as his eyes locked onto Unown. "Ya should have asked for help, city folk can be so gosh darned stupid at times!"
"You're telling me brother," Another worker stepped out while gleefully rubbing his hands together. "Nobody knows that he's down here!"
"J-Joe?! Marty?! Y-You two are so fired for this!" The foreman aggressively shouted out. "In fact I wouldn't stick around Sinnoh after this stunt, the Sinnoh branch of Team Rocket will be out for blood! This whole construction operation is a sham! I'll tell them what you did here!"
"We're Team Rocket too!" Joe ripped off his mask to reveal Leroy's face while Marty revealed himself to be Cletus. The two managed to stow themselves away on a ship during the Shadow Lugia incident and got a free ride to Sinnoh, unfortunately they were still broke so they were forced to take up a construction job in order to get some money rolling in and it was a sheer matter of luck that they managed to find some ruins! The two quickly followed their temporary boss into the place as they figured they could easily sell whatever was down there and quit that exhausting job!
"Yeah, our ma is the leader of the Unova branch so don't be threatening us!" Cletus growled.
"Your ma is-Help! Somebody help me! Help!" The foreman shouted.
"Beartic freeze him!"
"Bear!" Beartic fired an ice beam at the man's lips.
"H-Help!" He cried out once more before his cries were muffled as his lips were frozen shut! The man tried to bolt for it but Beartic was quick to freeze his legs in a block of ice causing him to slide across the room where he collided head first against a wall! The man's eyes went cross as tiny Torchic raced around his head before he toppled over as he fell into a state of unconsciousness!
"Unown?" Unown blinked curiously as he watched, unaware of the danger he was in!
"Now Beartic let's freeze that Unown! It must be the Pokemon our brother sent us to catch!"
"Um... I don't think so boss aren't Unown a known species?" Cletus asked.
"Of course not, they're called Unown for a reason idiot!" Leroy rolled his eyes. "Beartic use Blizzard!"
"Use Flame Wheel!"
"Quil!" Flames surrounded Cyndaquil's body as she rolled across the field before hurling himself at Beartic's back, taking the polar bear by surprise as he was sent flying into a nearby wall, crashing directly through it where he soon laid on the other side in an unconscious state while a large bump formed atop his head!
"What?!" Leroy shouted out.
"Oh no, how does this brat keep showing up to mess with our plans?!" Cletus growled out as Zach came into view, Cyndaquil resting alongside him. "It's always him, that goth chick or that Pikachu loving brat!"
"Fear not brother, why bother facing him when we can simply catch Unown?" Leroy flashed a sinister smirk as he held up an Ultra Ball, having pickpocketed it off a trainer a few days prior. "Ultra Ball go!" He shouted while throwing the ball towards Unown!
"Oh no you don't," Zach quickly reached into his back and pulled out a ball at random, intending on beating Leroy to the punch. The Unovan Rocket member may have a pitifully weak throw but he was much closer to Unown than Zach was so the ball wasn't in danger of just dropping to the floor! Zach pulled back his arm and summoned all his strength as he hurled his own ball forward only to come to the realization that it too was an Ultra Ball as it flew through the air! "Oh crud..."
The two Ultra Balls smacked against each other before opening up, enveloping the clueless Unown in a beam of red light! The Ultra Ball hit the ground and began shaking although it wasn't clue who it belonged to as they used the same type of ball! The ball soon chimed out as both Leroy and Zach dove forward to grab it.
"It's mine!" Leroy shouted.
"Says you, my phone isn't getting reception down here!" He couldn't even use it to clarify if he got Unown or not, he certainly wasn't going to pull it out to see if it was trying to send the registration info off.
"Zach!" Dawn shouted out as the others arrived.
Cletus whipped out a Pokeball as he prepared to attack only to immediately throw up his hands as he realized that Pikachu, Piplup, Cinderace, Lucario, Morpeko and Toxtricity had him surrounded!
"Dawn?" Zach glanced towards his girlfriend while continuing to try and tug the ball away from Leroy before it ended up cracking open! Unown flew out, it's eye turned a fiery red as it locked it's gaze upon Leroy.
"Unown!" He cried out.
"Unown Unown Unown!" An army of Unown flew from the walls and began viciously flying around Leroy and Zach as they had the two surrounded. A bright blue field of energy surrounded the two as the Unown prepared to fire off their attack.
"Oh no, Zach get out of there!" Dawn anxiously cried out.
Zach glanced towards Leroy who seemed to be frozen in fear as the Unovan wasn't moving or reacting, Zach was quick to give him a hard push to knock him out of the energy field before racing out himself. He turned his gaze towards his friends and the Pokemon before realizing that something was off. "Where's Cyndaquil...?"
"Quil, Cyndaquil!" Cyndaquil danced about in the blue light, seemingly oblivious to the danger of the situation.
"Oh no, Cyndaquil!" Zach quickly dove forward to grab Cyndaquil before it was too late only to wind up getting caught in the blast along with the fire mouse as the energy beam fired from the Unown! When it dispersed all that was left behind were Lucario and Cinderace's Pokeballs along with the balls that contained Obstagoon and Dragonite!
"Zach!" Dawn shrieked out as tears began flowing through her eyes.
"Carrr!" Lucario raced forward before anxiously looking about for his trainer's aura.
"Ace..." Cinderace dropped to her knees and began to cry.
"Cyndaquil... a-are you okay?" Zach awoke to find himself falling through a long purple vortex, he wasn't sure where he was but he was pretty sure that he was still alive thus Cyndaquil remained his primary concern.
"Quil!" Cyndaquil beamed up at her trainer causing him to let out a gasp of relief.
"Thank Arceus."
"You're welcome..."
"W-Who said that?!" Zach heard what was distinctly a male's voice but he didn't see anything other than him and Cyndaquil. After a few minutes of falling a portal briefly appeared, giving him a window to another universe!
"Alright Pikachu use Voltage Vortex!" Ash's cry could be heard as Pikachu's eyes glowed the familiar shade of blue that signaled an incoming Psychic attack. A vortex of telekinetic energy surrounded Pikachu, blue electricity flowed through the vortex as Pikachu sent it flying towards a Mega Alakazam! The Mega Alakazam let out a pained cry as he was sucked into the vortex and welcomed by a powerful dosage of electricity! Swirls formed in the Mega's eyes as he fell towards the ground before landing in a defeated slump as he reverted back to normal.
"Whoa, that attack was awesome! I wonder if the Pikachu I know can use that?!"
"No, that Pikachu is special. Only that particular variant of Ash and Pikachu are able to use Voltage Vortex." The same voice explained causing Zach and Cyndaquil to jerk their heads about as they tried looking for the source of the voice.
"Where are you...? Who are you...?" Zach questioned only for the portal to get his attention once more as it fast forwarded to show Ash making out with Chloe. "What?! H-Hold up, you mean in that universe Ash and Chloe are... what?!"
"Yes, she doesn't like him that way in your universe though so I understand your confusion."
"My universe? Oh I get it, this is just a dream isn't it? I'm really laying in a hospital bed." Zach theorized.
"You're not in a coma, I can assure you that this is real! What you're actually seeing now is another universe. There's a multitude of them!"
A bunch of portals suddenly appeared around Zach, giving him and Cyndaquil a view at a multitude of other universes. One of which was quick to catch his eye! "Oh hey, Ash is the World Champion I knew he could do it! Wait-Whose the chick?" He tilted his head as he saw a brunette girl he never encountered race up to Ash and throw her arms around him before the pair embraced.
"Verity." The voice simply responded.
"Verity? Well that's helpful." Zach commented before widening his eyes as he saw that his counterpart managed to get both May and Dawn as his girlfriends! "That's strange."
"Heh, you saved the world from an alien that couldn't control his power, talked with wolves and even entered the cyberworld yet you think somebody having multiple lovers is strange?" The voice chuckled.
"I'll destroy you!" Another portal nearby showcased what appeared to be an evil Ash standing over his companions, his eyes glowed a mencaing shade of red while blue aura flared within the palm of his hands! "I'll teach you a lesson for betraying me!"
"Oops, that one shouldn't exist!" And just like that the portal evaporated to dust signaling that the third universe the voice showed him had come to an abrupt end. "Sorry about that."
"What kind of nonsense is that?! We'd never betray Ash!"
"Agreed, none of his companions nor rivals would do such an act." The voice agreed. "Now that I have your attention though I was wondering if you could help me?"
"Help you? Look whoever you are, you seem pretty powerful as it is. Why would you need my help?! Where are we anyways?"
"This is my realm, we're beyond both time and space right now!"
"How did I get here then? Last thing I know is that I was blasted by Unown!"
"And putting an enemy's and Cyndaquil's safety before your own, a noble gesture. As for why? Well why not? It's perfect, there is a great evil thought to be long lost that has risen again there. I'm afraid I can't send Ash there with you as they'd instantly recognize him, you're perfect for the job as the two of you never met. This was long before your time with Ash."
"Long before? W-What do you mean?"
"Cyrus lives."
Zach's eyes widened upon hearing the name, he may not have met him but Dawn had described the events to him. "Cyrus but isn't he after the ancient deities? That would mean that-" Zach went silent as he realized exactly who he was speaking to. "Arceus?"
"Correct, about time that you pieced it together!" Though Arceus didn't show himself.
"How may I be of service then?" Zach questioned while offering Arceus a bow of respect. He wasn't going to deny Arceus his help, if Arceus needed it then surely the universe was screwed if he didn't help!
"Like this." Zach's eyes flashed a bright yellow color before he fell unconscious. "I'm sorry about this but you'll work best as an undercover agent this way!" Zach's Rotom Phone rose from his jacket and began rapidly spinning around, it's blue/black color scheme disappeared and was replaced by an entirely white colored device which had Arceus' crest on the back of it! The phone whisked away followed by Cyndaquil before Zach himself was whisked away!
"Good luck, until we meet again."
"My, what's that now?" A man with a tanned skin tone gazed towards the skyline as he saw a figure falling out of the massive hole in the sky. The man appeared to be in his thirties and was well dressed for somebody of his profession as he wore a suit beneath his lab coat while a Tapu Fini patterned hat sat atop his head. He saw the figure fall somewhere close and shot a quick look towards his escaped Pokemon before quickly rushing off to investigate as he figured the person might need help!
"Ugh..." Zach rubbed his forehead as he slowly rose to his feet.
"Arc Phone activating... communication with Arceus reached! Pokedex app and photo gallery set to hidden to avoid unnecessary time pollution!" The transformed phone dubbed itself before turning off. Zach apparently didn't hear it as he didn't pay it much mind, simply holding his head as the figure approached.
"Oh my, are you okay there good sir? Do you need help?!"
"N-No, I think I'm fine... Y-Yeah, I'm fine!" Zach groaned as he rose to his feet before shaking his head. "W-Where am I?"
"Why you're in the Hisui region, where else?" The man smiled before extending his hand. "The name's Professor Laventon, a pleasure to meet ya! Now where might you be from?"
"I-I don't know..." Zach gazed towards the ground as he tried skimming through his mind but he couldn't remember anything, not even his name! "W-Who am I...?"
Now I wonder why Dewott evolved? ;)
I actually didn't plan on writing a double battle when I started, Oshawott was planned to evolve all along it just evolved into a double battle as I thought on how to extend Argenta's character and make her more interesting. I decided bringing in Elesa would be the perfect way to do it and from there it transitioned into a double battle and as I plotted it out I figured this would be the perfect place to end Pikachu and Toxtricity's rivalry as they were both present!
And I thought it'd be fun to slide in references to two of my other fics but that's as close of a crossover as you'll get!
I honestly want to give one of the characters an Alpha Pokemon during the arc but I'm struggling to think of one that could work. A giant Snorlax would be amusing but just think of how much food it would eat, that's more than Cinderace, Morpeko and Ash's Snorlax appetites combined! I definitely want to have an Alpha join the main cast though, just hard thinking of one. I really don't want to give them one just for the 'lols' like the anime did with Kaijukarp
Anyways the Hisui arc begins! Ash and the others will obviously find their own way there, I mean I confirmed Kleavor and Samurott are happening for Ash haha! But I'm not going to say how they get there! I love Legends, it definitely surpassed BW 1 and ORAS as my overall favorite and can't wait to write this arc!