The group hung around the gym waiting around for the group coming from Alola.
Iris sat at the table with a huge blush on her face and heart racing, unable to get Ash's pecks and barley covered lower area out of her mind.
Serena remembered the morning clearly as well, as she looked out the window with a blush.
"Serena, are you okay? You're all red!" Red said.
Serena gasped. "O-oh… W-well…"
"Oh yeah! And you fainted this morning as well! You probably should head to the center and lie down," Ashley said.
Bonnie smirked. "Maybe she's thinking of someone in their boxers…"
Serena heavily blushed and gasped with a worried look. "What?! I-I'd never do that, Bonnie!"
Iris jumped and heavily blushed when Bonnie mentioned the boxers.
Cilan smirked at her. "Are you thinking of someone in boxers as well, Iris?"
"NO! I am NOT!" Iris shouted with beat red face as she looked away and crossed her arms.
Ashley and Red looked away with an embarrassed look.
It's getting close to 6pm while the group waits for the group from Alola to get here.
Suddenly Serena's phone rang, and she answered it.
"So… I got good news and some bad news," May said.
"Okay, we're listening…"
"The good news is that Cesar and the other Ash is okay."
Everyone in the room sighed of relief.
"The bad news… is that his pikachu is in such bad condition that it's uncertain that he'll make it."
Everyone gave a worried look.
"Not Pikachu…" Bonnie commented.
It was silent in the room for a bit.
"What shall we do?" Iris asked.
"We'll stay here and wait for Tom, Mallow, and Lana of course," Cilan said.
"But…"
"Alright. And for now, we'll wait on news for Pikachu and let you all know!" Brock said.
Cilan smiled. "Sounds good. Thank you… and we'll keep you posted if anything pops up." Cilan said.
"Alright. Take care."
"You too." They hung up.
Not too long afterwards, Lana, Mallow, and Tom came into the gym.
Cilan and his brothers encouraged everyone to sit down while they got refreshments for them.
"Thank you all for coming. So, did Tom inform you two all that is going on?" Cilan asked.
Mallow looked down with a concerned look. "Well, he said Acreus has brought him here from some other dimension to take down Team Rainbow and has brought a bunch of other Ashs from other dimensions to help stop them." She looked at them with serious look. "Is that all we need to know?"
"Well in any case, that's what we know of what the Ashs need to do." After he took a deep breath, he explained all that they done and figured out before Cesar's group got here, and what all happened to the other Ashs groups they have.
Lana gave a serious look. "So… the only Ash we know of that hasn't been located at is in Sinnoh?"
Cilan gave a concerned look. "He was located there, however… he hasn't been seen since. We don't know if he went to hiding and is hanging in Sinnoh, or if he's going on a wild zangoose chase to find other Ashs from other reports of seeing an Ash."
"Hey! Is there someone from Sinnoh we can call to see if they can maybe reach an Ash there?" Red asked.
Ashley smiled. "It's worth a shot!" He called Dawn and she picked up.
"Hi Ash…ley," Dawn answered. "I'm sorry, but I can't talk long. I have something I have to do for Paris."
"That's fine. I just want you to try something when you get the chance."
"Alright. What is it?"
"Try calling me and see if some other me answers!"
Dawn gave a puzzled look.
"See Dawn, we get Ashley whenever we call him, and we guess it's because he's closest to us," Cilan explained.
"I see. Alright, I'll try it when I get the chance."
"Alright, thanks, Dawn!" Ashley said.
Then they said their goodbyes hung up.
"So, what's our course of action? How will we stop Team Rainbow?" Lana asked.
They all looked at the Ashs.
"Arceus just told me that when the time comes… that two humans and a pokemon will lead us the way to take them down," Tom explained.
They all looked at him with a confused look.
"Who are the people and the pokemon?" Iris asked.
"How would they know where to take us?" Cilan asked.
Mallow frowned. "Arcues wasn't more specific than that? Like, when IS the time we should expect them?"
Tom frown from being thrown so many questions. "I… Uh…"
"If have to guess…" Ashley thought for a moment. "Well, it seems you all being working hard looking for us Ashs and looking for Team Rainbow… so maybe, the international police will come through!"
Everyone gave an unconvinced look.
"That would be… more than two people leading us the way," Bonnie explained.
"Maybe two of our friends will pull through, with the help of one of their pokemon, they'll find a way to take Team Rainbow down! And that time will be when we all come together!" Red shouted.
Serena smiled. "Well, that does sound like a possibility."
Cilan smiled at Iris. "Well, if that's the case, we should work hard into looking into those suspicious characters that have been around Pallet Town and Viridian City."
Iris nodded. "Sounds like a plan."
Back at Team Rainbow's Base:
Jessie, James, and Meowth walked around the building with a sad look. They aren't upset that bob-cut glasses goon made their boss' dreams a reality and not them. Nor are they depressed they haven't brought any new pokemon to the boss and lost some as well as damage important equipment constantly costing the organization thousands in repairs and have been caught deceiving the boss on their success, so they been forced to clean up the headquarters while the others went out and did things for the new Team Rainbow. Something else, for quite a while has been taking a toll on their mind.
"I can't believe… he's dead. And what the boss did to Pikachu…" James said.
Meowth crossed his arms with a pissed look. "Yeah, I couldn't stomach him just ordering someone to toss the poor thing in the dumpster like that after it was confirmed he…" He took a moment to hold back his tears as he clenched his paws. Pikachu treated Meowth nice so many times, and it was hard for him to think how he suffered and died of heartache. It ached his heart when he thought about it. "… Anyways, I went and give him a proper burial."
Jessie and James turned with him with a small smile.
"Do you think you can show me the spot sometime?" James down with a frown. "I just think… I want to give a proper goodbye and apologize to him. I know I don't deserve forgiveness, but…"
"Oh, James! You're such a softy! You better take me, so you won't spend the rest of your days crying at the grave," Jessie said. However, she planned to go sometime to pay proper respects to Pikachu as well.
James frowned as he continued to think about Ash. He understands why the boss worried about Ash taking down Team Rocket after learning it was Ash that took down the other organizations around the world. However, James didn't like that he thought the only solution was to kill him. James knows Ash was a nice guy and didn't deserve to have his great life that he worked so hard for, taken from him. Even when they constantly tried to steal his Pikachu and his and his other friends pokemon, Ash still helped him with his problems, like when he and his friends helped him deal with his family and Jessabelle. "The boss could've just taken his pokemon and locked him in a room… That'd at least be less severe than what he actually did," he thought to himself. Though James knows Ash still could find some way to bust out the room and mess everything up, like he's done before. He stood and wondered why they constantly tried to steal his Pikachu and appeased to the boss. Ash cared about all of their feelings more than the boss ever did, and the same goes for Pikachu. At some point, he realized that it would've been smart to have just stop and to and apologize to Ash and Pikachu and do what Cassidy and Butch did. They have been very successful doing other things for money, so there was no need to stick to Team Rocket. James never really wanted to be separated from Jessie and Meowth, though. He was worried that if they were to do get a real job would mean that he would sometime have to stop working with them, and he believes that he was able to do so well with them working alongside him when they did odd jobs. As he worked with Jessie and Meowth, he felt that he got to know and care for them so much, he couldn't think about not having them in his life and with Team Rocket, it kept them close, as to complete a common goal. He sighed as he thought about all this.
"Hey James! Hurry up! We need to clean this whole place up before we are allowed to leave for the day, and I have things I'd like to do that just stay here!" Jessie snapped.
James gasped with a worried look. "Y-yes, coming!" He then took the bathroom cart and hopped it wasn't too bad in there.
