With newfound strength through new friends, Team Q4 is now at a nearby store. Emi smiles as she and the gang try on their new clothes. Meanwhile at the Pokémon Center, Bonnie is looking between the doors and the nearby video call booths. "Clemont?," Bonnie says to her Big Brother, "Do you got any idea on what Kai and the others' new looks might be?" Clemont just shrugs as he looks back at Ash and Serena, still making the calls. An hour passes and soon, it's sunset. "Hey guys, we're back!", Shin says to Ash's group as his group's currently carrying bags filled with new clothes and traveling supplies. Kamui is a little out of breath, "Man... this place has a lot of travelers. Gotta admit though, we are excited." Misaki with some bags comes over to Serena, "Thanks again for letting us join you." Serena blushes at that compliment, "We've set up some rooms for all of us for the night. You can thank Nurse Joy and the Pokémon Centers for that." The members of Team Q4 each shake their heads as they each follow the Trainers to the rooms.
In room one, there is Misaki, Clemont, and Shin. "I can't wait to see what Pokémon is all about," Shin says to Clemont who's across the room. "Are you sure about this, Shin?," Misaki asks her uncle with an unsure voice. Shin and Clemont both shake their heads to Misaki. "We'll help you find your friend, Misaki," Clemont says to her in a friendly tone, "In the meantime, we can learn about Vanguard, and you can learn about Pokémon." Skitty nuzzles up to Misaki and she smiles, "Perhaps, we can both learn a thing or two." In room two, there is Kamui, Bonnie, and Serena. "I just hope that we can find Big Bro," Kamui says, looking up at the middle part of the bunk. "We will find your friend, Kamui," Serena says to Kamui from the other side of the room. Bonnie then peeks her head from the top of her bunk, "Serena's right, you can count on us!" Kamui smiles at the trainer to be, before sleeping soundly, thinking about the upcoming trials and tribulations to finding Aichi Sendou.
In the third room, there is Ash, Kai, and Emi. But while Kai and Ash are asleep in their bunk, Emi is the only one away from her bed. She's sitting at the nearby desk, in her PJs, and looking at the Blaster Blade Seeker card that she held onto. Pikachu slowly wakes up and sees her in a bit of a slump. He then very quietly, heads to her, trying not to wake Kai and Ash up. As Emi looks at the moonlight, she notices Pikachu on her leg. "Oh... hey, Pikachu," Emi quietly says to Ash's electric friend. Pikachu blushes as he motions with his hands for Emi to pick him up. "Well, here we go, little one...", Emi says softly as she picks up the mouse. Pikachu smiles as he gets lifted by the young girl. As Pikachu looks at Blaster Blade, he looks back at Emi, who now has a sad expression on her face. "(You ok, Emi?)", Pikachu says softly to her, concerned about her brother. "I'm just a little down, little one," Emi says to Pikachu. She is a little amazed that she's talking to a new friend, despite not being another human. "I'm just hoping that we can find my brother," Emi admitted to Pikachu as she yawns, getting very tired. Emi decides to head back to her bed.
Pikachu heads back to his trainer but then realizes something as he goes near Ash. He thinks to himself, "(Perhaps, she needs a sleeping friend)," Pikachu then proceeds to put the card back in the sleeve and back into the bag. As Pikachu puts the card in Ash's bag, the mouse then turns and smiles. "(Goodnight, Ash)," the electric rodent says to his trainer quietly. Then, Pikachu heads to Emi's bed and jumps up near her. Emi opens up one of her eyes and sees him. As she makes a small smile, Pikachu lies near her. Emi creeps forward and gives him a small kiss on the head. Pikachu blushes and gets near her, and returns the favor. "Good night, Pikachu," Emi says quietly to the electric rodent. "(You too, Emi. Have a good rest.)", Pikachu whispered back. As they sleep, Emi smiles as she realizes something. In this world, she doesn't have her usual friends, nor her usual life. Despite this, she has some new friends, as well as the Pokémon, and the same goal, to find her brother, Aichi Sendou.
It's morning and the sun shines on a new day for both groups. Most of the Pokémon Center rooms that were once full are now empty. However, in the last room, Emi is starting to wake up, ready to start a new journey. She is now feeling her cheek being rubbed against something or someone. When Emi opens her eyes, she sees Pikachu smiling at her. "Good morning, Pikachu," Emi says to him, unaware of what's to come. "Good morning to you too, Emi-", Pikachu says before cupping his mouth in surprise. Emi is shocked, but she does give Pikachu a big hug regardless. "I guess we both are starting with a good note!," Emi says as Pikachu embraces her. "I guess we do, Emi," Pikachu admits as he nuzzles with the young Cardfighter. "Let's meet everyone down there, Pikachu," Emi giddily whispers, "I bet they'll love my new style!" On the ground floor of the Pokémon center, the Trainers and the Cardfighters are having their breakfast. Ash is excited more than ever. "I can't wait to start with you guys!" Kamui says to Ash's Group, but he is looking around. Misaki notices Kamui searching for someone, "Hey, Kamui, are you looking for Emi?", the niece of Shin asks the young boy. "Don't worry about her, let's just focus on this." After everyone finishes up, Ash is the first one to see Emi coming down the stairs. "Guys, look, over there!", Ash says to everyone, getting their attention.
Not do they only Emi and Ash's Pikachu, but the youngest Cardfighter is also in her new clothes. Emi is now sporting a blue shirt with a Pokeball symbol, but also with a knight holding a sword. She also wears a pair of silver athletic shorts and pink athletic shoes to comprehend her trainer look. Serena is intrigued by the design of the knight on the shirt, "I guess that is supposed to be Blaster Blade?" Emi shakes her head as she adjusts her blue claw-like gloves. Pikachu jumps onto Emi's shoulder after the gear is put on. "Wow, you look just like Blaster Blade, and Pikachu..." Ash says to Emi, as he comes over to her. He then turns to his best buddy, "You look like you are ready to help her out." Pikachu blushes and Kai, despite being stern, cracks a smile before calling out to the Trainer Leader. "So, Ash, you said that this Prof Oak is coming to give us a surprise?", Kai asked Ash in a friendly tone. He nods and tells everyone what the agenda is, "As soon as we see all our new outfits, we'll head to Lumiose City and meet up with Prof. Oak and Prof. Sycamore!" Everyone is excited as they will start a new journey.
The focus now heads to a train to Lumiose City, with everyone interacting with each other, especially with the new clothes that the Vanguard Group has. Starting from the front of the train is Misaki, who now sports a green tank top, a white skirt, a white backpack, and a pair of pinkish-red athletic shoes. Next to her is Shin, he is now sporting a yellow t-shirt with a mix of blue, green, and red slash marks on them. He's also sporting a pair of black jeans and black shoes, along with having a black backpack. Next to him are Emi and Kamui, they are checking out Ash's Pikachu. Kamui is sporting a light brown jacket, that's over a gray t-shirt. He's also wearing silver and bronze-colored shorts and red sneakers to complete the new look. Kai is the last in line and is near Ash to his right. The Kagero user is now sporting a blue jacket and red vest combo, along with blue jeans and black shoes. Ash is concerned for Kai, as the leader of the Cardfighters, is looking out the window, with a worried mind. "Hey, Kai?", Ash says, getting his attention, "After my surprise, can you teach us about Vanguard and tell us about Aichi?" Kai looks at Ash, his shoulders dropping a little, "Yeah... We'll all tell you about Vanguard and Aichi." Pikachu then joins Ash as the train stops, and everyone follows suit. Emi suddenly heads to the front of the group, holding onto Ash's right hand. "Wow, Emi, you're very excited, aren't ya?", Ash just noticed the excited Cardfighter's embrace. Emi nods as she notices Pikachu join her. "Wow, I'm a little jealous, Emi," Kamui announced to the youngest girl of the Cardfighters, "Pikachu seems to like you more than me."
Just as everyone makes it in through the doors of Professor Sycamore's lab, the sight of both Sycamore and Oak catches everyone's attention. "Ah... looks like our friends have arrived!" The older professor says to Sycamore who's at the other side of the staircase. "Looks so, Prof. Oak," Sycamore answered to the older man in the room, before coming down the stairs and addressing everyone. "Ash, this is quite a group, my boy," Oak addressed to the leader of the trainers, "Regardless, I'm happy to see you again." Ash and Pikachu smile at seeing one of their oldest friends and mentors. "It's great to see you again too, Professor Oak," the leader of the Trainers admitted to him, "We have some new people joining our family, in a way." As the two professors introduce themselves to the Cardfighters, they bring out carts full of Pokeballs, as well as Trainer's Supplies. Kamui and Emi are like kids on Christmas morning, surprised by all of the items. The adults are interested in the new sights, but Ash is probably the most excited out of everyone here. "Hey, Ash?," Serena called out to her childhood friend, "You seem excited, what's up?" Sycamore steps in and not only explains that the Pokédexes and Trainer gear are for everyone, but Ash asked Prof. Oak to bring all of his Pokémon. This is so that everyone can see what it's like to own a team and deal with all kinds of situations. Everyone is shocked by the gift that Ash prepared them, but Ash then comes down to Bonnie and Emi's level. "I know that you guys aren't old enough to be official trainers," Ash began, acting like a father to both of the youngest girls, "But, this time, we'll make an exception." The girls look at each other like siblings, before paying attention to Ash again. "Each of us will have 5 Pokémon, cause I understand Kai that we are the leader and there are five allies in Vanguard?" Kai shakes his head in agreement and soon, everyone immediately lined up to select from Ash's previous travels.
After everyone has selected their Pokémon, with smiles and anticipation, it's time for the Cardfighters to become the teachers. The fight was to be held in the conservatory so that everyone can watch and learn about Vanguard. While everyone looks at each other, Ash and Kai, are standing across from each other, with their Pokedexes in hand. Looking at their new V-sword symbols, they press it, and out comes their clan selection screen. "Wow, this is amazing...," Ash admiring the new mode on the Pokédex, "So, what's going to happen to us, Kai?" Kai smiles at the question, "We'll begin the game. By choosing a clan, like my Kagero, and your inherited Royal Paladins, we'll gain the powers of our selected clan." Everyone then turns to see the device turning into another through the AI inside, "Vanguard Mode, initiate." The device then transforms into a gauntlet that goes on each persons' left arm. The AI continues to speak as the excitement continues to build, "Battle mode ready... place your First Vanguard onto the Battle Gauntlet." "What does that mean, Kai? What's the first Vanguard?," Ash asked Kai, trying to clarify what the AI is asking of him.
"Before we do that, my student, just do one thing, Ash," Kai says before getting a confused expression from Ash. "Everyone, Imagine it," Kai simply says as the conservatory that everyone is turning into a landscape of a distant planet. The benches that the spectators were on now transform into rocks. The plants that were in the area then cover the battlefield Kai and Ash are standing on. "Whoa, where are we, big brother?," Bonnie said to Clemont, with a worried voice. "This is...," Kai begins, at first shocked, but calms down as he looks at the familiar surroundings, "Our battlefield, the Planet Cray." Ash and the others are mystified at the sudden change, but Kai stays calm as he further explains the basics. "We are just weakened spirits at the moment, but now that we've chosen our clans, there is some good news. When we play the game, we have got two special powers that are available to us." Those two powers, as Kai describes, are to Call and to Ride. Calling is the power to summon the units or the cards in the Cardfighter's deck to the battlefield. The other power is to Ride and become the Vanguard, the one who leads the way. Players start with a Grade 0 Vanguard, and each fighter take turns riding, calling, and attacking until someone deals 6 damage to their opponent. At that moment, all contracts with the units are broken, and the player turns back into a weakened spirit who disappears. "I'll explain the rules as we continue our fight, Ash," Kai said to Ash and the crowd. "Now then, Ash... Are you ready to fight?" Ash shakes his head, as he thinks to himself, "If I'm going to help out Kai and the others find Aichi... Then, it's time to stand up for a new battle." He then eyes Kai, with a grin and announces to him, "I'm ready Kai, Let's Stand Up!"
Ash Ketchum is about to step into a new battle, but he's not alone. He's got new friends, new rivals, and a new way to battle any evil...
Next time: The First Fight! The Overlord VS The King!
Ash will Stand Up his Vanguard... as the journey continues!