Ash yelped as he was excitedly pulled along by Mr. Star into the tower. For an old, hunched-over man, he was astoundingly fast and strong. "H-hey!" He protested. "Slow down, will y-" His grievances were erased from his mind the second he saw the interior of Star Towers. The base of it looked even bigger on the inside than the out. Thousands of people and Pokemon were bustling about, holding numbers of boxes and other manners of equipment.

There were numerous facilities adorning the walls of the tower, making it appear as if it were a mall. Possibly the greatest part of the entire thing was that Ash could see each and every floor all the way to the top. A sense of dizziness came over him just trying to take in the entire place. Everyone appeared to be chatting about happily. There wasn't a single person or Pokemon without a smile on their face even as they toiled away.

A silent, breathy "Woah," Escaped Ash's mouth, earning a chuckle from Mr. Star.

"I knew you would be impressed, my boy!" He said proudly. Twiddling his white moustache. "This," He motioned all around himself, "Is the culmination of not only my work, but the work of thousands of people and Pokemon who want our world to know peace again." He turned around taking it all in. "Truly marvelous, isn't it? This is the site that will mark our world's rebirth, borne from not just humans or Pokemon, but through the efforts of both together."

Ash nodded. "Looks like it. Truth be told, I was worrying about how everyone would cope after that fight, but with you working as hard as you are, it seems I don't have to worry."

Mr. Star's face fell. "I'm...not sure about that. This world's losses have opened up many pathways for the greedy and evil." He shook his head. "I'll tell you more about that when we're with the other trainers."

"Speaking of which," Said Ash, "Should we head up to them now?"

The man replied, "Don't worry about that for now, Ash." He pointed at the various facilities lining the walls. "I gave them all some time to explore around before the actual meeting starts since they seemed excited about it. Perhaps you should do the same."

Ash looked up at the massive expanse of the tower with an eager grin that was mimicked by Pikachu. "I just might have to take you up on that." He waved to the old man and was about to leave when Mr. Star stopped him suddenly.

"H-hold on a minute!" He said. When Ash gave him a questioning look, the old man pointed toward a group of Pokemon that were holding large, metal boxes of some kind. Amidst them was an absolutely gargantuan Tyranitar that nearly made Ash's jaw drop to the floor. "Hey, Tyranny~!" He called. The Tyranitar perked up at Mr. Star's call, somehow becoming even taller. Upon spotting the old man, a wide smile appeared on its face and it sprinted over, dropping its boxes onto the other Pokemon in the process.

Ash and Pikachu's eyes went wide, believing that the gargantuan Pokemon would smash into the frail old man. The former hastily created a barrier around Mr. Star, but to his shock, the Tyranitar managed to grind to a halt just before touching him. Excitedly, the large Pokemon attempted to scoop the old man into his arms, but was stopped by the barrier. It gave Ash a questioning look, but there wasn't a sliver of hostility that Ash sensed from it.

"It's quite all right," Mr. Star assured him. "He's just very excitable, especially since we've usually been too busy to spend time together lately."

Sensing that there was no potential danger or aggression from the Tyranitar, Ash nodded and dropped the barrier, trusting the old man's judgement. Mr. Star was immediately scooped into the Tyranitar's arms. It grinned happily, plopping onto the floor. The old man merely laughed during the whole ordeal. "This," He said, "Is my partner, Tyranitar." The Tyranitar waved at Ash and Pikachu with a bright smile.

Ash chuckled, waving back.

"Me and this big ol' goober go way back," Explained Mr. Star. "Fool that I was when I was young, I tried climbing up Mt. Silver to catch some powerful Pokemon to start my journey with. Of course, I ended up getting in over my head and getting lost up in the snowy areas." Mr. Star looked up at Tyranitar. "I found this guy, or rather, he found me when I was half-frozen and he was just a baby Larvitar. He helped me find my way back, and ever since then, we were inseparable."

The old man sat up in Tyranitar's large arms, looking down at Ash. "You and that Pikachu of yours remind me of us in our younger days, y'know."

"Woah, for real?" Asked Ash.

Nodding, the old man said, "I've looked into a lot of your battles in some Pokemon Leagues, you know, Those bouts with Gary, Paul and Alain were particularly impressive."

He was taken aback by this. "You've seen my battles?"

"Well, of course!" Responded Mr. Star. "Whenever I had the free time, of course. How could the earlier days of our world's savior not be enticing to see?"

The earlier days. It had only been a little over half a year since he took place in the Kalos League Finals against Alain, but those days felt like a lifetime ago now. Ash shook his head, stifling a sigh. Though he wore no apparent expression on his face, Pikachu could sense something troubling Ash. Apparently Mr. Star noticed this as well, because he spoke up.

"Ash?" He asked. "Are you alright, my boy?"

Shaking himself out of his stupor, Ash quickly nodded in response. "Y-yeah, I was just thinking about something."

Letting out a hearty laugh, Mr. Star said, "Am I talking your ear off? Sorry about that."

"N-no." Ash hastily replied. "Not at all. I really was just thinking about something else. Please, go on."

The old man shook his head. "No, no, it's fine. I have some business I have to attend to in the lower floors before we start anyways, and I should get there quick if I don't want my ear chewed off. In the meantime, feel free to explore around." He pointed to their left where a multitude of people were crowded around something. "You can't see it right now, but the secretary there should be able to give you a map so you can find your way around."

Before Ash could ask him anything else, Mr. Star patted his Tyranitar. Nodding, the large Pokemon got back onto its feet and rushed away into the crowd. Shrugging, Ash turned to the crowd of people and said, "That'll probably take too long, and you and I aren't exactly known for waiting, eh buddy?"

"Pi!" Chirped Pikachu with a nod and a knowing grin.

So, the dynamic duo went off to discover what wonders Mr. Star's hard work had in store for them. Though, as they made their way to the closest facility, what appeared to be a Pokemart, it quickly became apparent that it was too crowded to get into as well. The thought of announcing who he was to them in order to get them to move out of his way crossed his mind for a split second. It was wiped away by the realization that doing so would attract thousands of people. Besides, something like that just wasn't his style.

"I wonder if they have one of those digital board things that show off maps," Ash wondered aloud. He turned to Pikachu and asked, "Like they have in malls, y'know?" Pikachu simply nodded. They began weaving through the crowd in an attempt to locate one of those supposed boards, thanking Arceus that everyone else was so preoccupied with what they were doing that they didn't notice him.

As they broke through a part of the crowd, they came upon a large fountain. Though perhaps large was an understatement. It was so tall that it was creating a roaring waterfall, and the pool of water itself had to be at least thirty feet in diameter so that the waterfall didn't splash onto the floor. But that part wasn't what Ash was concerned with. The fountain itself seemed to contain myriads of people and Pokemon that spiraled up all the way to the top.

Ash blinked. "H-hey, is this...the mural?" It seemed like Mr. Star had built a perfect replica of the statue from the Rings of the Lost. He looked up toward the top, squinting his eyes to try and see the Legends and Zero, but the sunlight's glare reflecting off of it refused to let him do so. "Dang, I can't see the top," Cursed Ash. "Let's see if we can find some stairs or something."

Pikachu nodded eagerly. Ash couldn't see over the crowd, so he stood up on one of the benches near the fountain, with Pikachu hopping onto his head to aid the scouting process. They frowned, unable to find any escalators or elevators closeby, and the towering heads of the surrounding people didn't exactly help. Jumping back to the ground, he said, "Guess we'll just have to stumble upon it, then."

Plunging back into the crowd, Ash and Pikachu pushed their way through until they came upon a wall. To their right was a black, unmarked door. "Well," He said, "Here goes nothing." Quick as a spark, they opened the door and slipped inside, shutting it behind them as quietly as possible. When they were inside, they found a riggety-looking metal staircase. It was grated, so they could, theoretically, see all the way to the bottom.

The only problem with that was that the stairwell was so dark that he couldn't actually see where the bottom or top led to. Plus, for some reason, it only went down. Ash thought this meant that there might be an elevator or something below. "Well," He said, preparing to descend, "Let's get a move on the-"

He didn't even get to finish his sentence before he heard someone below shout, "HEY, THERE'S SOMEONE ELSE HERE, TOO?!" Ash winced, letting out a sigh to mentally prepare himself for what was about to come next.

"Yeah," He responded, "I'm trying to find an elevator to get to the higher floors, but there's so many people walking around that I can't even see one! I was hoping there might be one down here or something." In all actuality, he was just trying to rid himself of the crowd outside, but exploring where this stairwell might lead peaked his interest as well.

He heard the voice laugh. "Small world then, ain't it?" He heard the sound of clanking metal, indicating that the person was climbing back up toward him. "That's exactly what I was doing! I came here to Star Towers expecting to see some cool gidgets and gizmos, and what do I find but mountains of other people doin' the same? It's almost like- OH MY ARCEUS!"

Ash and Pikachu's faces dropped as soon as the other person, a brown-haired man in a shirt with a shade of yellow that was practically blinding. His face wore a grin so bright that it made his entire face expand. "Y-you're Ash!" He cried, pointing a trembling arm up at him. "Ash Ketchum! O-Oh my Arceus, this is amazing!" He jumped in place in his inability to contain his excitement like a child on Christmas morning.

"Yeah," Ash replied, trying to diffuse this whole situation before it escalated into something he didn't want to deal with. "Uhh, it's always nice to meet a fan. Say, by the way, did you find any way to get to the upper floo-"

"Hey!" Interjected the fan, "Could I...get a picture with you or something?" Before Ash could answer, he zipped right up the stairs, held his arm around Ash's neck and snapped the photo. "Ooooh!" He shrieked. "This is going to get SO many likes on Chatter."

Removing the arm from around his neck, Ash replied, "Yeah, that's really cool and all, but-"

He grabbed at Ash's wrist, holding it tightly with both hands. "H-hey," Protested Ash, let go, will you, that kinda hurts!" But the man wasn't listening. He was ranting away incoherently, unknowing of the harm he was actually causing to Ash. Ash attempted to pull away, but the fan's grip was unimaginably firm for someone of his build. "Please, would you just-"

A flash of light shot out from Ash's pocket, and the fan was suddenly thrown to the ground. When he looked back up at Ash in confusion, his blood suddenly ran cold when he found a Noivern glaring down at him. It roared down at the man, nearly deafening him on the spot. Noivern raised its right wing over its head threateningly, and the man's eyes went wide. He cried out in fear, pathetically attempting to shield himself with his arms.

Before Noivern could bring his wing down, Ash raced in front of him, shielding himself and the cowering man with his arms outstretched. Pikachu hopped atop Ash's hat and sparked his cheeks at the wyvern threateningly. "What are you doing, Noivern?!" Demanded Ash, making Noivern retract its wing and wince. "What has gotten into you?! Were you actually about to attack this guy?!"

Noivern visibly shrunk down, unable to meet Ash's gaze. "Look at me!" Ordered Ash. Noivern closed its eyes, so Ash repeated himself. "Look at me, now!" Hesitantly, Noivern opened his eyes and met Ash's furious ones. "What," He asked, "Has been wrong with you lately?! I get why you're overprotective, but this-" He motioned down at the still-cowering man behind him, "-Is going way too far! On top of that, it seems like whenever almost anyone comes near me, you get all hissy! It's gone way too far!"

When Ash saw the fear in Noivern's eyes, he relented, if just a bit, and sighed. "...I get it, you know. I really do. Seeing me apparently die like that...I'd probably go crazy if I saw that happen to…" He shut his eyes for a moment, pursing his eyebrows. "...Well, I did. But there is a limit to how far you can go, and this goes a mile further!"

As Ash looked into Noivern's eyes, he could still see the moment back during the war when the wyvern Pokemon was so furious over Hawlucha's death that he hissed at him. "Ever since then," He said, "That anger really never left, did it?"

Noivern didn't respond, so Ash continued. "You need to stop this. Now. You hear me?" The wyvern Pokemon hastily nodded. "Good," Ash said with a nod. "Then I'll stop chewing your ear off and we can forget about this." He knelt down to Noivern, placing a hand upon his shoulder. "Just remember to keep your cool, even if it looks like I'm getting hurt." Ash reached into his pocket and took out Hydreigon's Pokeball.

"When I found Hydreigon," He started, "He was consumed by rage to the point that he couldn't even think. I don't want that to happen to you, you know? Even if it is for my sake." Ash gently patted Noivern's head, allowing a smile to return to his face, then returned him back to his Pokeball.

Allowing Pikachu to hop back down onto his rightful place atop his shoulder, Ash was about to start making his way down the stairs until, to his own chagrin, he remembered the still-cowering man laying on the floor. "Ah, geez…" He rubbed the back of his head, unsure how to properly approach him. "I'm, uh, really sorry about my Noivern. He's been really overprotective of me since the war."

Slowly, he edged his way toward the collapsed man. "Hey," Ash said, "I'd be happy to take another picture, or sign an autograph or-" The moment he touched the cowering man, he shot up like a bullet and sprinted for the door, screaming all the while. Ash flinched when the metal door slammed shut, returning the stairwell to silence. "Well," He said to Pikachu, "This...has been an awkward exchange. Want to pretend it never happened?" Without hesitation, Pikachu nodded.

So, Ash and Pikachu began making their way down the metal stairs. He briefly peered down to try and find a bottom, but it was so dark that he could scarcely see. He put his hand atop Pikachu's back to hold him tightly, then leapt off, much to the mouse's surprise. Knowing how absurdly large the top portion of Star Towers was, Ash assumed it was the same for below. That was, until his feet met with the ground again after only four sets of stairs.

"...Huh," Remarked Ash. "Well, whaddya know?" Pikachu let out a relieved sigh. All around the two was pitch black, with the only light coming from above. He snapped his fingers, creating a flame of white Aura around himself to illuminate the area. Still, it was oddly dark, but he could at least half make out what was in front of him now.

Eventually, the fragile, rusted metal grating gave way to a firm steel plating. Ash pressed his hand against the steel wall to sense his surroundings and found a long hallway. He did not, however, see the sign that read, "DO NOT ENTER." to his side. Ash walked through the hallway until he spotted something at its end that made a grin race up his face.

"Finally!" He cried, rushing up to a large, metal side-winding door. "I guess there was an elevator down here after all!" Ash pressed the button, resulting in a light above the elevator turning on and a loud 'Ding!' filling the empty hallway. Soon after, the door opened, beckoning them to enter. As Ash did just that and looked at the numerous button options that lay before him, he felt something...off.

Ash's intuition was apparently correct because his Aura activated on its own. His gaze was attracted to a certain portion of the panel beneath the button numbered '3.' As he poked a finger at it, the steel gave way, allowing his finger to pass right through. "What the…? It's like...a hologram?" Hesitantly, he poked a finger into the hole, but it did nothing.

"Hey Pikachu," Ash said to his companion, "Want to give it a try?" Nodding, Pikachu hopped down to the floor and shot off a small spark of electricity into the hole. A loud buzzing noise filled the room, accompanied by the lights shutting off entirely. Ash and Pikachu were forced to cover their ears, the latter cutting his attack off. "Wh-what happened?!" Ash cried.

The buzzing stopped all of a sudden, followed by the elevator beginning to descend. Ash and Pikachu, their eyes still wide, looked at one another and shrugged. As they went further, the feeling Ash felt was becoming less and less ambiguous. It was the latent feeling of dread. Pikachu hopped atop his shoulder, and Ash procured a barrier around the two in preparation for what might come.

When the doors next opened, it was to a dark room, but not to the extremes of the stairwell above. Pikachu sparked his cheeks threateningly, but Ash didn't sense anything in the room at all. "It's alright, Pikachu," Ash said, dropping his barrier and his Aura with it. "There's no one else here." The odd feeling of dread had gone as well. He shrugged, assuming that it was simply his imagination getting the better of him.

As Ash stepped out into the room, he found that it was utterly immense. There were dozens if not hundreds of desks lined with machinery and tools he had never seen before. Behind them, there were a number of large...things of varying shapes and sizes with drapes hung over them to conceal what they looked like. He had never seen anything like them, but some of them resembled, oddly enough, Latios and Latias. Some others were blocky, with some odd extension poking out from their tops.

Ash, however, was more transfixed upon the desks. As he made his way over to them, Pikachu hopped off his shoulder to go exploring on his own. "What are these?" Ash asked aloud. Before him on nearly every single table were blueprints detailing the physiology of Pokemon. There were thousands upon thousands of notes beside each picture that appeared to have been hastily scrawled as fast as possible, though for the life of him, Ash couldn't figure out what any of it meant.

"That's odd," Ash said, tilting his head. "What's all this stuff for?" He attempted to make out anything else legible to him, and upon not being able to, shrugged and decided to look around at the other stuff. Ash found Pikachu atop the drapes of one of the blocky-looking things looking around. Intrigued by one of the Latias-looking ones, Ash decided to have a look at what was underneath the drapes. Yet when he attempted to pull said drapes off, they were astoundingly heavy.

"Gah!" Cried Ash as he fell onto his backside upon being unable to move the drapes. "What the heck are these things made out of?!" He climbed back to his feet, donning a cloak of pale Aura. "Well," He said, grabbing onto the edge of the drapes. "If at first you don't succeed-!" In one swift downward motion, Ash tore the drapes off of whatever lied beneath, throwing them to the ground beneath his feet in a heap.

Ash wasn't sure what he expected to be underneath, but it sure wasn't this. It definitely looked like a vehicle of some kind, if the chair that sat underneath a rounded glass pane was anything to go by. The strange vehicle also had what appeared to be wings with what he believed to be engines on each one, but that only served to confuse him further. Nearly the entire thing was made of metal, so how exactly were the wings supposed to make it fly? Especially when the turbines were on the wings itself.

On its side, something was inscribed. "A...one...zero…?" Ash read aloud. "What the heck does A-one-zero mean?"

"Why, that's the model of course!" Chirped Mr. Star, making the boy leap nearly a foot into the air in fright.

"M-Mr. Star?!" Cried Ash. "Wh-when did you get here?!" He mentally slapped himself for asking that, considering he was the one who was intruding. "I-I, uh…" He hastily tried to pick up the drapes and throw them over, but fell short and simply caused it to slide off back to the floor. Pikachu, meanwhile, was furiously attempting to lift the heavy coverings to no avail. "I-uh, this isn't- I mean."

Mr. Star merely laughed him off dismissively. "Don't worry about it, my boy. I was planning on showing these bad boys off sooner or later." He looked up at the contraction with a proud grin much like when he was showcasing the interior of Star Towers. "Though I do wish you would have waited. I would have loved to see your expression when you saw this in action."

Relieved that he was getting off from this scot-free, Ash let out a sigh. "Well," He said, "Still, I'm sorry about intruding. In any case, what are these things?"

The old man twiddled his moustache, humming in apparent thought. "Well, in order to answer that, I have to tell you some things I was hoping to say to all the trainers I gathered." His eyes suddenly went wide, a wide, eager smile appearing on his face. "But! ...I suppose I wouldn't mind saying it twice. I do love it when the young are interested in science."

Realizing that he hadn't actually answered Ash's question, the old man coughed and said, "I'm sure you know that the human population has dwindled to less than half of what it was before, right?"

Ash's eyes went wide. "Wait, it's that much?!"

Mr. Star's face wrinkled. "...Apparently, you hadn't. I apologize for being the bearer of such dour news." Clearing his throat, he continued. "The same goes for Pokemon. Actually, it might be worse for them. Unlike mankind, most Pokemon have an innate ability to fight normally upon birth or shortly after. So, nearly all of Pokemon kind appeared at the battle, and their losses were immense."

He motioned to the vehicles surrounding them. "These," He said, "Are multi-purpose vehicles we can use in their stead until they repopulate. They can fly, traverse rough terrain and go to the deepest depths of the oceans if need be." Pointing up at the one marked "A-1-0," he continued. "This one is built for flight and defense. It can fly nearly as fast as Latias is said to! On top of that, it has video camera technology that can record anything in its vicinity as far as two-thousand feet away."

"So it DOES fly!" Said Ash. "...Um, how does it do that? Isn't it too heavy?"

This earned a chuckle from Mr. Star. "Well, I'll let you see it for yourself once the time comes."

Ash nodded. "Alright, but what did you mean by defense?"

"That," Replied the old man, "Is an excellent question. Since humanity is less than half of what it used to be and Pokemon have even less numbers than that, should another invader like Necrozma show up, we will most certainly be doomed." He shook his head. "Of course, we would still need the assistance of Lord Arceus and the Legends either way, but this should alleviate the burdens of all parties." He chuckled. "Except for the aliens, of course."

Another Necrozma. Ash hadn't thought of something like that ever happening, let alone in his lifetime, but Mr. Star seemingly had everything figured out yet again. "That's...honestly incredible," He replied. "But I hope it never has to come to that."

Mr. Star nodded. "As do I, my dear boy, as do I. These weren't designed exclusively with combat in mind, you know. I told you before about this one's-" He pointed to the aerial vehicle. "-video taking capabilities, right? Those were for scouting and rescue missions. With these, a lost person or Pokemon should be able to be found in mere hours."

The old man walked over to one of the smaller vehicles and tore off the drapes that concealed it. It looked like a wide motorcycle with four wheels. "With a group of Officer Jenny's on some of these, once they're given the videos, they could rescue a missing person with ease!" Again, he motioned around them with his arm. "Everything here is for the sake of saving lives. In the state the world is in, we can't afford to let anyone else die."

Ash nodded. "I know what you mean. If I can help you in any way, I would be happy to."

"About that," Mr. Star said. "We should probably head back up to my office. Wouldn't want to keep the others waiting now, would we?"

"Time for the meeting, then?" Asked Ash, allowing Pikachu to hop back onto his shoulder. When the old man replied with a nod, Ash said, "Alright, just let me, uhh...fix the drapes."

Mr. Star grabbed onto his hand. "Ah, forget about it," He replied, excitedly pulling Ash back to the elevator. His speed and strength surprised Ash yet again. Before he knew it, he was already back in the elevator. "You know," Said Mr. Star. "I'm quite surprised that you managed to figure out the puzzle with this thing."

"Puzzle?" Inquired Ash. "What are you talking about?"

The old man poked his finger in the hole beneath the three. Ash silently made an 'O' with his mouth. "When I made the laboratory you just saw down there, I didn't want any of my creations falling into the wrong hands. So, for instance, if another Necrozma-like being decided to invade or a corrupt group wanted to take my inventions, they couldn't."

Ash didn't get it. "How would that puzzle have stopped them?"

To that, Mr. Star pointed at Pikachu. "The key is a unison of man and Pokemon," He explained. "And I made it so that only the purest, that being an Aura user and their partner, could solve it. Anyone could dismantle the elevator, but only the bond of Pokemon and human could solve the puzzle and go down to the lab." He chuckled. "It's quite ingenious, isn't it?"

"Yeah…" Replied Ash. "But...how did you get the machine to respond to Aura?"

Mr. Star froze up for a moment, then let out a nervous chuckle. "I, erm...may have taken a sample from the mural. B-but believe me, I had good intentions!"

Ordinarily, the desecration of that mural would have made Ash livid, but he couldn't bring himself to be mad at an old man like Mr. Star. And it was for a good cause, at the very least. But one thing still plagued Ash's mind. "Couldn't they just destroy the elevator and then use rope or something to climb down?"

The old man went to protest, but stopped upon being unable to deny that. "Hm...yes, I suppose they could." He took out a pen and paper, holding the latter against the wall of the elevator and began to furiously scribble down notes of some kind. He was also muttering to himself, and Ash couldn't even begin to understand the jargon he was spewing.

Ash chuckled to himself. "Oh boy, I've set him off, haven't I?"

When the elevator arrived at its destination, a loud ding alerted the two. However, even when the elevator door opened for them to exit, Mr. Star hadn't noticed. He was too far into his train of thought. Ash had to tap him to get him to stop, but when he did, the old man jerked violently. Ash hastily retracted his hand. "S-sorry," He said, "But, uh, we're here."

Mr. Star stared blankly into nothingness for a moment, then coughed as he was snapped out of his stupor. "So we are," He said, exiting the elevator and pocketing the notes and pen. "Well, what are you waiting around in there for?" Without waiting for an answer, the old man began walking off at a brisk pace. Chuckling at his antics, Ash followed.

After walking through a series of hallways, some of which with other elevators that Ash assumed were the correct way to get up here, the two came upon a carpeted one surrounded by glass. Ash dared a glance at them, peering down, and his eyes went wide. "Woah!" He exclaimed. By now, they were literal thousands of feet above ground. It was incredibly dizzying, but also thrilling at the same time. "This is...amazing!"

Chuckling at the boy's enthusiasm, Mr. Star clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Enjoying the view from the top floor?" He followed in Ash's footsteps and peered over the edge without a hint of fear. With a mischievous chuckle, he said, "Y'know, originally, this entire hallway was made out of glass, but my old secretary passed out from fright trying to cross it and I had to replace it...and the secretary." He laughed. "He was a funny guy for the short time I knew him. Real jittery, that one."

Pushing off the handlebars, he asked, "But you wanna know a secret?"

Ash gave him an odd look. "Yeah? What's up?"

Mr. Star knelt over and grabbed the carpet's edge, pulling it up to reveal the glass underside and a clearer view of just how high they were. He was half-wheezing half-laughing as he tried to speak until he eventually managed to blurt out, "I didn't actually replace it! I'm too old to give a Raticate's behind about uppity lawyers!" He then dissolved back into laughter, which Ash soon fell prey to as well.

It took nearly an entire minute for their laughter to fade and for Mr. Star to say, "Alright, alright. That's enough fooling around." He reached up to Ash, who took his hand to help him back to his feet. The oldster let out a long sigh to catch his breath, then said, "Let's head on in, shall we?"

Ash nodded.

When Ash opened the doors at the end of the hall, he was met with the sight of a large room surrounded by bookshelves that were filled to the brim. In the center was a large black desk that appeared to be practically drowning in papers and ornaments. Beside it was a large, fancy-looking chair where a girl with glasses was typing away on a laptop on her legs. When she glanced up from her work and saw them, her eyes went wide and she stood right up without regard for the laptop.

"Oh- H-hello, sir!" She cried, letting out a shriek as she attempted to rescue the falling laptop to no avail. Dejected, she knelt over to clean the fractured remnants of it.

Leaning over to Ash, Mr. Star said, "That would be my new secretary, Alice. As you can see, she's just as jittery as the last one." The old man called over to her, "Don't worry about it. I'll just take it out of your paycheck!" He doubled over with laughter, literally slapping his knee. Ash halfheartedly smiled, whereas Alice simply pouted. "Ah, it's just a joke, Alice. I'll pay for it. In the meantime…" He took a glance around the room. "Where are our other guests?"

To that, the Secretary pressed a button on Mr. Star's desk, resulting in a large portion of the bookshelves behind it shifting open. Behind them, there appeared to be an entire library with books as far as the eye could see. "They were becoming impatient, so I allowed them to explore the hidden archives."

Mr. Star nodded, twiddling his moustache. "I see," He said. "Well, let's get this party started, then." Clearing his throat, the old man opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out a megaphone. He snickered, winking back at Ash before entering the secondary library. Then, the old man turned on the megaphone, took a deep breath and yelled, "GET OUT OF MY LIBRARY!"

The immediate sounds of surprised yelps and dropped books were heard, earning giggles from the three. Satisfied with his work, a grinning Mr. Star quickly put the megaphone away and closed the drawer. He took a seat in the large chair behind his desk to await the other trainers. They heard numerous grumbling and complaining from inside the library as they approached.

"What a pain," Remarked one of them. Ash recognized the voice as Paul.

"I hear ya," Replied another. Ash chuckled. It was Gary to be sure. Ash would have recognized his voice from anywhere. Though he was surprised to see him of all people answering Mr. Star's call, considering what had happened to him during the war. He expected Gary to go right back to assisting his grandfather and never look back, but to his credit, here he was.

As the group of trainers came into view, Ash saw Serena amidst their ranks. Apparently she saw him as well because she suddenly stopped in her tracks and gasped. "A-Ash!" She cried, taking off to meet him. Serena jumped into his waiting arms, the two laughing merrily as they embraced one another for the first time since the war. Holding her arms around him tightly, she said into his ear, "It's so great to see you again!"

Ash found himself with a bright, warm smile that he couldn't let go. Not that he wanted to. "Same to you! It's been far too long, I'd say." Upon both of them practically feeling the stares from everyone else in the room, Ash set her back onto the ground.

Riley and Lucario stepped into view, the former tipping his hat to obscure a small grin seeing his friends again. "It didn't take you two long at all to get back into the swing of things, I see."

"I'll never get used to that," Gary said, shaking his head. In spite of what he was saying, he wore his usual smirk while saying it. Ash and Serena reddened slightly as he heard some of the others excitedly chatting it up about the couple. The former noticed Misty, May, Dawn and Alain were the only others that had arrived.

"Ah, to be young again," Mr. Star said wistfully, bringing everyone's attention upon him. He beckoned to some cushioned benches beneath the bookshelves. "But as much as I'd like to allow you lovers to do whatever it is you kids do these days, I think it's time that we actually got to discussing what I've brought you all here for."

Nodding, the gathered trainers took their seats upon the benches. Mr. Star took a glance at their numbers and sighed. "To those who came here today, I thank you. I sent out dozens of those letters, yet only you answered the call." He nodded to his secretary, who turned off the room's lights in response. Mr. Star, a remote in hand, pushed his seat to the side of the room and pressed a button. A screen lowered from the roof, illuminating the area once more.

The trainers were shown imagery of the few trainers who survived the war rushing back into the arms of their families, as well as their grieving over the lost. "I honestly cannot blame those who didn't respond," Said Mr. Star. "I'm sure they have their own lives to live, and returning to the scene of the war would obviously be difficult for them to do. That is why I am grateful for you all."

He clicked another button to change the scene. Now, the screen showed images of trainers. They weren't just any trainers, but rather, the League officials like Gym Leaders, the Elite Four of each region and Champions. "Many key members of the Pokemon members that upheld it unfortunately met their end or became disheartened after the war," Explained Mr. Star. One of the Champions' pictures grew to the full size of the screen. It was Cynthia's.

"...Especially the Sinnoh Champion, Cynthia. She was considered by many as the most powerful Champion. A living pillar of the world's order, but…" The trainers collectively let out a gasp upon the next picture shown. It was the once-proud Champion...hovering over the body of her iconic Garchomp. "The loss of Cynthia's Garchomp was too much for her, and she retired from her position as Champion."

"That's awful…" Dawn remarked. Having been born in raised in Sinnoh, she had been awed by Cynthia almost as much as her mother. "Poor Cyntia…"

Letting out a tired sigh, Mr. Star continued. "This...is only the beginning of the world's current troubles." They were shown many cities from around the world. Gigantic ones like Saffron, Mauville, Jublife, Castelia and Lumiose. The gathered trainers were appalled at how...empty they were compared to before. Before, there was barely any visible ground with how many people were running about. Now...it looked akin to a suburban neighborhood during school hours.

Mr. Star briefly nodded to Ash and said, "Less than half of the human population remains." That sentence made their blood run cold. Even Ash, who'd already heard the news, still shivered just thinking about it.

Riley leaned over to him and asked, "You feel it too, right? That disturbance...the sheer loss of life has shaken the very fabric of Aura. Here on Earth, at least."

Ash assumed he was referring to the entity with that last part. "Sometimes, yeah. I try not to think on it for too long."

The Aura Guardian chuckled dryly. "I wish I had the strength to be able to blot it out like that."

Ash's brows wrinkled. Blot it out? He didn't realize that his own Aura had allowed him to do that, and couldn't imagine just how torturous it had been for Riley. When Riley noticed the pitiful look Ash was giving him, he smiled and waved it off. "Don't worry about it," He assured him. "It's nothing I can't handle, and it'll only become easier to deal with as time goes on and the world begins to heal."

Their attention was snapped back to the screen once Mr. Star resumed speaking. "On top of that, the Pokemon population has dwindled significantly. Perhaps their losses were even greater than humanity's." They were shown landscapes devoid of life. Deserts, lakes, forests, plains...even parts of the ocean were barren. Only plant life remained in those areas, but without Pokemon to balance the ecosystems…

"...If someone were to tell me that even a third of all Pokemon were still alive, well…" Mr. Star faltered in his speech, wiping his face with his shirt. "...To me, that would be good news indeed."

A stunned Serena shook her head. "Y-you can't be serious," She said. It was more of a plea than anything else. "There's...less than a third left?!"

"I wish I wasn't," Replied Mr. Star, making Serena go completely silent. "Unlike humans, most Pokemon are able to fight since the day they are born. So while us humans could only send the trainers to aid in the war, nearly every Pokemon on Earth fought and met their untimely end."

He changed the screen once more, showing off pictures taken of Pokemon that were peering out at the picture-takers from behind the green brush of forests. "Beyond the loss of life, this poses an entirely new problem. The vast majority of the few remaining surviving trainers became disheartened after the war and ended up retiring to live more peaceful lives."

They were next shown some Pokemon Gyms. They were completely empty, with even the Gym Leaders gone. "There remain only a few hundred trainers left across the entire world. Most people are too frightened of death or harm that they do not become trainers and often refuse to let their friends or children do so either." Once again, they were shown the images of Pokemon in the forests afar.

"This has created a gap between human and Pokemon," He continued. "A lack of trainers has made Pokemon Gyms all but meaningless, and we are facing a potential shutdown of the Pokemon League entirely."

Ash's blood ran cold. The League shutting down was...unfathomable to him. It was his reason for becoming a trainer. Becoming a Pokemon Master had been his dream since he was a child. For it all to end… But he swallowed down that metaphorical pill in favor of another. A more pressing matter that he believed Mr. Star had been building up to. "That...isn't the end of it, is it?" He asked.

The others' eyes collectively widened. How could there be more?! A sorrowful expression on the old man's face, Mr. Star took a moment to reply. "...Astute as always, my boy. Yes, I fear something much worse on the horizon. If humanity fears allowing trainers to exist, it is only a matter of time until Pokemon become almost alien to them. And if they fear Pokemon…"

Riley tipped the edge of his hat over his face to obscure his rage, though Ash could feel it practically burning through their Aura. "Then there could very well be another war between humans and Pokemon."

To the horror of everyone, Mr. Star nodded. "Ordinarily, I would believe that it would take decades if not centuries for that to happen, giving us ample time to find a way to prevent that from ever happening, but…" The screen showed another photo that seemed to have been taken from afar. It was of Pokemon in cages, with broad, fearsome-looking men standing nearby.

"In lieu of the sacrifices of millions," Hissed Mr. Star, "There are groups of evil people who find the lack of trainers a fine opportunity to steal and sell the now-rarer Pokemon on black markets." Ash and the others heard the sound of flexing leather, indicating that the old man was gripping onto the arm of his chair tightly in his anger. "I doubt many, if any of them even took part in the war. Now they're using it to line their pockets, and its only a matter of time until vengeful Pokemon break free and declare all humans as enemies."

"Those selfish…!" Fumed Misty. She jumped out of her seat and cried, "We need to put a stop to them as soon as possible!"

The old man gently held his hand toward her, urging her to be still. "That will come," He assured her. Ash and Riley's eyes went wide as they felt the old man's rage skyrocket. "I assure you, with your help, this selfish, disgusting display of inhumanity will be put to a swift end. But that will come in time. For now, please allow me to finish." Misty nodded, taking a seat once more.

Nodding, Mr. Star changed the screen once more, and everyone there knew what it meant. A large, crimson-red 'R' with an edge as sharp as a knife. "Team Rocket!" They cried all at once.

"Indeed," Said the old man. "This lot in particular has been a problem, and I imagine they're the ones putting prices on the heads of Pokemon." They were shown what looked like camera footage of people in black suits in alleyways, behind the corners of buildings and in a variety of other dark areas where they would be well out of sight. "Team Rocket...they're certainly a dangerous bunch. But, beyond anything else I have said to you all thus far, there is one group that is more dangerous than any other."

Pictures of men in black suits and shades appeared on screen. Their pockets, belts and shirts appeared to be lined to the brim with technology, yet there was one space unoccupied by gadgets. The space over their hearts, which instead held a patch that marked what appeared to be an explosion in the night sky. Ash, Riley and Serena's eyes collectively went wide as they recognized the insignia.

"That's…!"

Mr. Star zoomed in on the patch. "From what my scouts have gathered, they are a branch of Team Rocket calling themselves the 'Nova Branch,' hence the exploding star they wear on those patches. We have yet to get any actual footage of them, but we know they are especially dangerous." The screen showed a burning building, beset upon by what looked to be rampaging Pokemon. "Do not mistake this," Quickly said Mr. Star. "This is not the work of Pokemon. Rather, this Nova Branch has likely enslaved them and forced them to do it."

Ash, riley and Serena glanced at one another, nodding in their collective understanding of the situation.

"This," He continued, "Is why I consider them to be the greatest threat to peace's return. They appear to be running directly counter to the goals of Star Enterprises, forcing their enslaved Pokemon to act destructively and then recording it from afar to sew fear...and I've even gotten word that they attacked my men many times."

He changed the screen once more, and what came next made every one of them gasp. "Their leader has sent me death threats through both audio and video. It seems as if he doesn't care about his identity being known. His name…" The screen replayed a certain video from before the war. It was from the news' perspective, and a certain stubby man was plain in view. "Christopher Lee. His only goal is to sow enough chaos to spark another war between man and Pokemon by using falsified videos and reports of Pokemon attacks on civilization."

With that, Mr. Star turned the lights in the room back on and retracted the screen back into the roof. Once again, Misty jumped back to her feet. "I'm going to take those pieces of trash out if it's the last thing I do!" She swore.

"I'm glad you feel that way," Said Mr. Star, "Because that's exactly why I called you all here."

Paul gave him an incredulous look. "You want us to try taking down an entire criminal organization?"

"That was...the original plan, yes," He replied, looking about the room. "But I thought that I would have had a miniature army when I sent out those letters. However, I have a plan B."

He first motioned to Ash, Riley, Serena and Gary. "You will be divided into two groups. You four will make up the first." Mr. Star followed suit with Misty, May, Dawn, Paul and Alain. "You five will make up the other group. My plan is for you all to act as...recon of sorts. If my intel tells me that they've potentially found any Team Rocket members, I'll have you scout out the area."

"So we're mercenaries, essentially?" Asked an incredulous Alain.

Mr. Star shook his head. "Nothing like that. I'm not going to ask you to needlessly put yourselves in dangerous scenarios if you don't want to. Contact me immediately if you find them, and I will send aid your way." He clicked the remote, making the images of the poachers appear again. "I would also ask of you to check up on the well-being of Pokemon in a given area, and I'm sure you're powerful enough to take down ordinary poachers. There would also potentially be other miscellaneous tasks, but I assure you that they would be to aid in the world's mending."

Paul nodded. "I see. So we're less like mercenaries and more like Boy Scouts."

"Well, only if you keep being all negative about it," Retorted Mr. Star with an annoyed, childish huff. He took another moment to compose himself, then asked, "In any case, what are all of your opinions on this? I won't force you to agree. The choice is yours entirely."

Ash stepped up without hesitation. "I'll do it. I won't let Team Rocket or their Nova Branch jeopardize the peace everyone worked so hard for!"

Serena immediately followed suit. "I go where Ash goes. Too many people and Pokemon were lost during the war. I don't think we could survive another."

Next came Misty. "I already said that I would take them down, and I'm not gonna back down now!"

To the shock of Ash and Dawn, it was Paul that went next. "I'm not the kind of guy to make speeches, but I'm in."

"I'll do it too!" Said May. "I was lucky that my family is still in one piece after the war, but Max hasn't smiled since...I'll bring it back, no matter the cost!"

Nodding, Alain stood next. "Professor Sycamore has been telling me that he fears exactly what you've told me might happen as well. I can't exactly just sit idly and watch it happen, can I?" He thought of Mairin and how brightly she smiled when they met after the war. 'I can't let her lose that smile a second time either.'

Gary, without his usual smirk, was the next to stand. "When I lost my Umbreon in the battle, I didn't think I would fight again." Feeling the gazes of the others and an unusual heat, he stared at the ground as to not meet their gaze. "I honestly just used the letter as an excuse to see New Goldenrod, but after hearing you out…" He chuckled dryly, shaking his head. "I'm in, alright?"

"...I, um," Dawn stammered. Her eyes flicked back and forth nervously, unable to face anyone for more than a split second.

Sensing that there was something wrong with her, Ash asked, "Dawn? Is everything okay?"

The blue-haired girl turned away from him and murmured something under her breath. To spare her any further embarrassment, May quickly went to her side and gently wrapped her arm around Dawn. "Please be patient with her," Said May. "During the war, an Ultra Beast sprayed some kind of toxin on her and she hasn't quite been all there since."

Riley crossed his arms and nodded. "I see. It must have taken courage to come here after an ordeal like that."

"How awful," Said Serena.

Ash looked upon Dawn's shivering form pitifully. "I'm so sorry, Dawn…" His head perked up as an idea struck him. "Wait...hey, Riley?"

"Yeah?"

"Would it be possible to use Aura to heal her?"

Much to the displeasure of Ash and the others, Riley shook his head. "I'm afraid not. I might be able to do so with Earthly poisons, but alien ones are completely unknown to me. If I tried, I might end up making it worse." He suddenly clapped a hand onto Ash's shoulder. "But that doesn't apply to you, I think. Your Aura comes straight from that being, right? So you should have no problem."

Ash's eyes went wide. "Could I really…?" He looked down into the palm of his hand, manifesting a small, white candle flame. His Aura was different from an ordinary user's, that much was true. Yet beyond power, there was still skill he had to account for. Skill that he didn't believe that he had. But Dawn needed him, and he wasn't about to let her keep suffering just because of his doubts.

He looked to Dawn questioningly, and though he saw fear in her eyes, she mustered the courage to nod. "Alright," He said, "I'll give it a try."

"Hold on there," Interjected Mr. Star all of a sudden. Everyone's gazes immediately shifted on him questioningly. "I won't claim to know anywhere near as much about Aura as you two, but as a man of science, I can't just let you do a medical procedure in good faith. Especially one regarding alien poison."

Mr. Star pointed to Dawn. "Plus, we don't know the nature of the toxins or if they're even still there. The poison might have already passed and her condition is due to its after effects. If you try to remove a poison that isn't there, you might end up hurting her even more."

Ash frowned, but begrudgingly dispersed the Auric flame. "That's true," He conceded. "But we can't just leave her like this!"

"Of course not," Replied the old man. Placing a hand over his heart, he said, "I swear, I will have my best doctors working to appease her ailment. And to that end…" He looked at Dawn once more. "I can't ask you to go on these missions. If you wait here, my doctors can help better." He reached over to a phone on his desk said, "Here, let me call your parents and-"

Dawn's eyes suddenly went wide at that. "N-no!" She cried, halting Mr. Star. Her sudden bravado faltered slightly after saying it, returning to her meek behavior. "...P-please don't call mom," She begged. "I w-wanna go...on the missions! I want to help!"

Riley saw right through her. "You didn't even tell your mom you were coming, did you?"

She looked away from him, twiddling her shaking fingers. "...If I d-did, she wouldn't…" Her speech dissolved back into murmurs after that.

May was quick to comfort her, but still called her out in a gentle manner. "We know why you did it," She said, "But it doesn't make it right. Even if you won't go back, she still deserves to know at least."

Dawn took a moment to respond. The wrinkled look on her face evidenced an inner turmoil. However, she eventually responded with a nod. "...Ok," She conceded. "But I w-won't go back!" Mustering the full extent of her courage, Dawn was able to look Mr. Star in the eyes. "I want to do this. I'm going to help!"

A wry grin crawled up Mr. Star's face. "Well then," He said, leaning over to place the phone back down. "I suppose it isn't up to an old coot like me to decide the fate of the young. You're in, kiddo."

May wrapped her arms around Dawn, bright, wide smiles shining on their faces. "But then," Started Mr. Star, putting all attention on him once more. He turned his sights upon Riley and asked, "What about you? Will you be joining us?"

To the shock of Ash and Serena, Riley shook his head. "I'm afraid not. I have other business that I need to attend to, though I would be glad to take down any Rockets or poachers along the way."

Mr. Star nodded. "I understand. Still, once you're finished with that, my doors are always open." He leaned forward, suddenly staring at Riley intently. "...By the way, out of curiosity, where will you be going?"

Without saying anything, Riley eyed the old man for a moment. His eyes lit blue with Aura to search Mr. Star's intentions, and upon finding that they really were simply out of pure interest, let his Aura fade. "I see no reason not to tell you. I'm going on a trip to the Tree of Life to further study Aura's flow."

"I see," Replied Mr. Star. "How interesting. In fact, I think this might work out for the better."

Riley tilted his head. "Oh? How so?"

"Rumor has it that the Tree of Life was untouched by the war," Explained Mr. Star, "And thus, the number of Pokemon within is still quite large. Naturally, there would be many groups that would take advantage of this."

Riley nodded, understanding where Mr. Star was coming from. "So if Lucario and I are there, we could potentially stop them."

"Indeed," Replied Mr. Star with a nod of his own. "I don't know what it's like in there, but considering no one else does, I assume it has astounding levels of defense on its own. Still, every little bit more helps." He perked up suddenly and dove behind his desk, digging through its drawers. "I almost forgot!" He called from behind it. "Before I let you all go, I have something for you all to aid you on your missions!"

When the old man next appeared, his entire body was adorned with thick, metal rings. They looked incredibly...technological, with a black, prismatic surface obviously meant to be some kind of screen. He even had one by the teeth. As each trainer donned them onto their wrists, Riley asked, "What exactly are these for?"

"Those," Started Mr. Star, "Are the Star Corporation's greatest technological achievement thus far." He pressed the surface of Ash's ring, setting it alight. Ash and the others were astounded as a holographic image of Alice appeared.

"Hello," It droned. "My name is Secretary Bot, an Artificial Intelligence designed to aid you on your missions. I am programmed to be able to respond to over three-thousand commands such as ordering supplies by air drop, delivering intel of the status of each team and sightings of Pokemon in need." The artificial Alice bowed. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Mr. Star chuckled, a proud smirk stretching across his face from ear to ear. "Whaddya think? Pretty sweet, right?"

The real Alice wasn't quite as thrilled. "Y-you modeled it after me?!" She shrieked. "Wh-why would you do that?! Now millions of people are going to know who I am! And why did you just call it Secretary Bot?! Is that supposed to mean something?!"

"Oh, don't get your knickers in a twist," Mr. Star snapped back. "Besides, you're just so helpful around the office that I just had to replicate it with these. You should consider it an honor." He cleared his throat, turning back to the trainers. "Anyways, that should clear up everything for today. I reserved some rooms here for you to spend the night."

"Rooms?" Inquired Paul. "Like, hotel rooms?"

Mr. Star nodded. "That's right. On the far side of the building, there's a hotel. It's only for a select few at the moment, but it is free to you. Alice, would you guide them to their rooms?"

Grumbling indignantly, Alice dropped the previous subject and complied. "...Yes, sir…" She walked past the others back into the glass hallway. "If you would, please follow me."

As everyone piled out of the room, Mr. Star called out, "Get a good rest, everyone! You're free to explore around wherever you like until nightfall!"

"Thanks!" They called back.

Just before they made their way to the correct elevators, Riley placed a hand on Ash's shoulder to stop him. "Stay back for a minute, would you?"

"Sure," Ash said with a nod. "What's up?"

Riley smiled at him kindly. "Not much," He said. "Just wanted to talk in private before we part ways for a while."

Ash blinked at that. "About that," He started, "Do you really have to go? I was hoping to learn more from you before we started these missions, or at least along the way."

With a small chuckle, Riley shook his head. "'Fraid not. On top of Lucario and I having our own business to attend to, I just don't think there's anything else I could teach you." He gently grasped Ash's wrist and activated his blue Aura, causing Ash's white Aura to surface on reflex. "This Aura...isn't like mine. I don't think mine could hope to compare, and besides, I doubt you'll have too much trouble mastering it on your own."

'Tell him that the Tree of Life was our original goal before we met him,' Said Lucario through their Auric bond. 'Though what we got instead wasn't exactly a waste of our time.'

Ash's eyes went wide, his gaze immediately snapping toward Lucario. "Did he...am I going crazy…?"

Riley and Lucario were equally shocked. "Hold on, can you hear him?!"

'S-Surely this must be some kind of mistake.'

"He did it again!" Cried Ash, pointing at Lucario. "What's going on?!"

Riley and Lucario, their mouths agape, looked at one another, then back to Ash. Eventually, a laugh broke out from the former. "See, what did I tell you? That Aura of yours...it's incredible."

"What does this have to do with my Aura?!" Cried Ash.

Lucario crossed his arms, grumbling. 'It's the only possible explanation. Even if you mastered ordinary Aura, only an Auric bond would allow a Guardian and their Riolu or Lucario to speak with one another. This has to be the work of this strange Aura of yours.."

Riley nodded. "It's just like I said. Your new Aura is completely different to mine. There's nothing I could teach you that you won't learn for yourself."

"So…" Said Ash, managing to regain his composure. "That's it, huh? It's kind of sad knowing that you can't teach me anymore."

A laughing Riley took off Ash's hat and ruffled his hair playfully, earning a laugh from him and Pikachu as well. "Aw, don't get all dramatic on me. I still have plenty of other stuff I could teach you that isn't related to Aura once I get back."

"Well that's a relief," Ash said as he grabbed his hat back and placed it back where it belonged. "So, promise you'll be back soon?"

"As soon as I'm done," Riley replied with a smirk. He took a backwards glance at Mr. Star's office and couldn't help but ask. "...Say, on an unrelated note, what do you think about that Mr. Star guy?"

Ash looked past him, following his gaze. "Mr. Star? As far as I can tell, he's a pretty cool guy. He seems genuine enough, and I sensed nothing but purity and good intentions with my Aura."

Riley nodded, satisfied with that answer. "I see. I thought the same when I sensed him for myself, but if you think the same, that's reassuring to me."

"Why did you ask?" Asked Ash.

Riley shrugged. "Dunno. Just wanted to get your opinion. If your Aura tells you that he's cool, then he's cool." He chuckled. "It's practically like a lie detector from God himself."

Ash gave him an odd look. After getting to know Aura, the entity, he didn't quite know what to make of it. He certainly didn't think of him as God despite him creating the universe, but that might just be because he was so familiar with it. Just as he opened his mouth to say something, they heard Misty call out to them from up ahead.

"Heeeeey! What are you Slowpokes doing?"

"N-nothing, Misty!" Ash called back. "Just having one last talk before Riley leaves!"

Misty huffed. "Do that in the hotel rooms! If you don't come with us, knowing your terrible sense of direction, you'll never find them!"

Ash chuckled. If his trip up here was anything to go off of, she was even more right than she knew. "Alright, we're coming!" He, Riley and Lucario took off after them. "Wait up for us!"


Author's Note

Creator: Fun fact: Every Gym Leader and the other rivals of Ash and his friends were present at the battle against Necrozma. It just would have become really repetitive to write battle scenes for them because of how few the Ultra Beasts are (Especially since I saved Guzzlord for last). On an unrelated note, Mr. Star has quickly become my favorite new character to write. He's just a fun, old grandpa with a heart of gold. Really refreshing to write after writing so many villains. Also, we've been getting crazy amounts of followers lately. Thank you all so much.

Hydra: ah yes I have been noticing the influx of new followers as well as favorites and to that I must say welcome to all the newcomers joining us on this new adventure.

Creator: Now, for the reviews.

Amourshipper35: "Wow I hope those Genesect can get stronger before the war starts again?"

Creator: War? The war's over.

Hydra: Lord sideous promised us peace we only wan- *gets slashed by saber* aghhhhh!

It's treason, then...

DarkPugLord23: "Ahh, so this is what the Genesect were up to during the Necrozma attack. Interesting to see that infighting is common around the Pokemon as well, even if some of them are Legendary/Fossils. I wonder if we'll see what happened to the rest of the Legendary Pokemon absent from Necrozma's slaughterfest. Good work as always."

Creator: Well, battles over territory are nothing new. Especially when they're all on edge. I think you'll like the Genesect storyline. We'll see a key few other Legends that were absent, though I don't want to spoil who. We've already seen one of them, though. Just not by name. Thank you very much.

Hydra: yes this is certainly not the end of chapters that won't have Ash. You will definitely be seeing the Genesects again. It just makes you wonder though? How are they related to all of this?

Guest: "Nice chapter. Wonder why none of the legendaries ask about Genesect's whereabouts.

Another thing I noticed is that Serena isn't tagged anymore in this story. Does that mean she and Ash will break up? I know she went to visit her mother but it's just a feeling.

Are you going to include Galar pokemons in the story?"

Creator: Thank you! To answer your first question, it's simply because they don't actually know about them yet. Arceus revealed in a previous chapter (13 or 14 I think) that besides the Legends he himself created, he simply pick and chose certain unique Pokemon to add to the Hall of Origins' roster for the sake of having more subjects to directly rule over. This is why Mewtwo wasn't considered a 'Legend' rather than a 'Legendary Pokemon' in the context of this fanfic until Chapter 10. After his return from Damos's betrayal, he stopped recruiting random unique Pokemon. So any artificial Pokemon introduced after that is not considered a 'Legend' to Arceus yet.

There are a few wild ones that follow this trend, even though they are born naturally. This is because this fic started in March 2017, before the release of US/UM. Any Legends officially revealed at that point or after haven't yet been discovered by Arceus or the other Legends yet. (Meaning none of the movies that took place during the Sun and Moon anime took place yet either, and neither has Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel because that hadn't been released either. Sorry for the absurdly long answer. I just wanted to explain it as thoroughly as possible without...revealing anything that might happen later.

Hydra: I'll answer your second question the reason we took Serena out of the character tags isn't because she's breaking up with Ash at all it's mainly because we felt at this point Serena is kinda intertwined with Ash's arc that we could replace it with someone else who may be getting their own character arc. It's pretty obvious who that is I would say. ;)

British-Vulture: "I really enjoyed this chapter. But don't think that you can slip a reference to Sword Saint Isshin without me noticing. Also, the fact that we got the Genesect in makes it all the bette-

Wait. Wasn't there a reply to a review asking abou-

You cheeky little shits. You said in that reply that there's wouldn't be any mention of the other Mewtwo, since the OG Mewtwo was going to be the only one. Which means he never met the Genesect Army (presumably). Oh... oh-ho-ho-ho!

This is gonna be fun! Yee-Haw! Let's do this, cowboys!

Seriously though, I really enjoyed this chapter (I may have missed some bits, but who doesn't sometimes? So if I'm wrong about the G-Bois not meeting Mewtwo before, don't crucify me), keep up the good work. And, last bit of advice, don't worry about people expecting you to do anything over Christmas, I certainly don't have a problem if you take a break. I mean, come on, it's Christmas.

So, uh yeah. Thanks for the brilliant chapter, and merry Christmas!

Creator: British Vulture...you are a most kind and auspicious reviewer. I could not bring myself to skip over your review even though we had already uploaded the doc. Yes, you are right in assuming that Mewtwo, in this fic, has yet to meet the Genesects. Considering how he reacted upon meeting Zero, I think he'd be thrilled to meet another man-made Pokemon. Though them returning the favor might end up similar to the actual movie. But regarding Zero once more...Mewtwo's been pretty busy looking into that alongside Lugia's mission to locate Christopher Lee. I wonder what he'll find. Also, about Christmas, we have something in store for that. Or around that general time, anyways.

Hydra: I'm very happy you enjoyed the Genesects this chapter I wasn't exactly sure how people would react to them at first but it seems my worries were for nothing. The Genesects will most definitely have a good story I assure you I have something really special planned for the young one, but as to what it could be I cannot say :)

Creator: This and the next chapter will have been made in advance, so they'll be released back to back. The tradeoff for this is that the next two won't be addressing any reviews, but they WILL be addressed and responded to after that. I'm heading off for two weeks to visit family for the holiday for the first time in years, but I didn't want to leave you all empty-handed. It will be released some time before January 4th.

Hydra: Well boys and girls I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and the fact that we've been releasing them a lot more frequently than we used to, it's quite fun I have to admit because we can hear your thoughts sooner and you guys don't have to wait long to get the next chapter. Anyways I hope you all enjoyed this one and we'll see you next time.