What's up guys, I just wanted to say that this story has over 1000 views within 3 days now! Not sure if that's considered good or not, but personally I'm pretty happy. Thanks for reading! I appreciate all the advice and praise. Some more reviews would be greatly appreciated, though. Now, let the story continue...

Chapter 5: I'm With You

"Luxray...use Discharge...one more time..." Clemont commanded, exhausted, as he collapsed to the ground.

Without hesitation, Luxray leaped into the air and launched a powerful Discharge attack towards the huge Pokemon that stood before him.

The electricity zapped its desired target with what looked like a lot of power. Luxray landed next to Clemont and roared loudly. The roar was meant for intimidation purposes, but the truth was Luxray was terrified of his opponent. Incredibly strong, fast as lightning, quick to make split-second decisions...this Pokemon and its trainer were like nothing he had ever battled before.

Clemont looked up. "It's...over...I'm sorry Luxray...I wasn't strong enough..."

Bonnie rushed to her brother's side. "You can't give up yet, brother! We need to hold them off until Dedenne and Chespin come back with the others. They'll be here soon, I just know it!" Bonnie was on the brink of tears, not knowing what to do.

Luxray looked back at its trainer with worry. Then it turned to face its opponent, who did not seem to be injured or fatigued in any way. He roared and ran straight ahead, surrounded by electricity. With all of its might, Luxray leaped straight at its target with the most powerful Wild Charge it could muster...only to be shot down with an immensely strong Flamethrower attack.

Luxray cried out as it fell to the ground. He didn't get back up. Bonnie looked over and her eyes teared up. "You big meanie!" She yelled. "What did we ever do to you?" She yelled angrily. She kneeled down next to Luxray, putting her hand on its fur.

A woman stood on the back of the Pokemon who defeated Luxray. She stood there silently for a few moments, her gray hair blowing in the wind. "Hyper Beam," she commanded.

And then Mega Salamence attacked.

Ash and Serena were running when they heard a loud roar. "That was Luxray!" Ash shouted, and he ran faster, determined to save his friends. Serena was starting to lag behind, still tired from her run earlier.

I can't fall behind now, she thought. What would Ash think? I can't show any weakness. Not now.

She pressed on, keeping up with Ash. They ran into a clearing, where Clemont, Bonnie, and Luxray all lay on the ground. None of them looked conscious.

"What the! Who did this?" Ash shouted as he ran and knelt next to his fallen friends. Pikachu tried to help Luxray get back up. Serena followed suit, exhausted. She started treating Bonnie, who didn't seem too badly hurt, thankfully.

Then Ash turned to face a Pokemon he had never seen before. Or have I seen this Pokemon before? He wondered, noticing that it looked awfully familiar. Then he looked up and saw the woman standing on the Pokemon's back. The hairs stood up on the back of his head. No way, he thought.

Hunter J laughed. "Ah, it's great to be out in the open world again. Who knew I could evolve my beloved Salamence, who was already so powerful? The Hoenn region was quite a success. After I stole a Salamencite, my spies overheard your friend with the red bandana talking about you. I followed her here, and as luck would have it, I have found you as well. Now it's time for my revenge."

Ash stood up, boiling with rage. "How dare you attack my friends! If it was me you were after, why didn't you just go for me first?"

J replied, "I took an interest in that boy's Chespin and Dedenne. They are Pokemon that don't appear in any other region as of yet, and a client in Hoenn was willing to pay a hefty price for them. I would've had them if not for this Luxray, who I have now easily defeated. Now it's time for you to hand over your Pokemon, Ash Ketchum. I've waited a long time for vengeance. You don't know how difficult it was to recover from the incident at Lake Valor."

"I don't get it. How did you survive? Uxie and Mesprit both destroyed your ship! You sunk in a whirlpool! There's no way you could've gotten out!" Not only was Ash angry, but he was also starting to get worried. Hunter J was one of the toughest, baddest criminals I've ever faced. I barely managed to defeat her with the help of many others. How am I going to face her now? And with her Mega Salamence to boot!

J was done talking now. "Salamence, use Flamethrower. I want my hands on that Pikachu and any other Pokemon he has."

"Not so fast! Frogadier, use Water Pulse!" Ash shouted, releasing the Bubble Frog Pokemon from its Pokeball. Frogadier launched a blue sphere of water and it soaked through the Flamethrower attack.

J looked at Frogadier. "Hm. Change of plans. Don't harm them, Salamence. I want all of these Pokemon in good condition when I sell them." She glanced at Luxray, who was still on the ground, completely knocked out. "I guess we'll just have to leave that one here. It's too damaged to do business with." Then, suddenly, she stuck her arm out, and a gadget on her wrist shot a ray of light towards Pikachu.

"No! Pikachu!" Ash cried out.

"Gadier!" Frogadier jumped in front of Pikachu, attempting to block the light with a Cut attack. Instantly, Frogadier fell to the ground, its body encased in stone.

Serena put her hands to her mouth in shock. She was worried about Ash. I've got to do something, she thought. But if Frogadier couldn't stand up to her, how could my inexperienced Braixen and Pancham do any good?

Just then, May and Officer Jenny appeared out of the brush. May had Beautifly and Blaziken at either side of her and Jenny was on her motorcycle, with her Manectric beside her. "Alright, I don't know who you are, but you're under arrest for...uh...a lot of things!" shouted Officer Jenny. Two police cars pulled up behind her. 4 men came out of each car, each man holding a Pokeball. They had J cornered.

J's smirk turned into a frown of disapproval. "Well this wasn't part of the plan. Salamence, we're going to have to retreat. For now." Her Mega Salamence roared and flew high into the sky with its large, red wings.

"Not so fast! Manectric, use Thunder!"

Jenny's Manectric leaped into the air and released a powerful Thunder attack at Salamence. Unfortunately, it missed its target. Mega Salamence responded with a Hyper Beam, which hit Manectric directly, causing it to faint. Then Salamence transformed back into its original form as they disappeared over the horizon.

"Manectric!" Jenny cried, rushing to her Pokemon.

Chespin ran to Clemont's side, trying to shake him awake. "Che che!" he cried out, concerned for his trainer.

Dedenne tried to Nuzzle Bonnie awake, but Bonnie was out cold. Luxray was the only who managed to get up, after a police officer treated it with a Revive.

"Just who in the world was that lady?" Jenny asked Ash, who was kneeling and looking down.

Ash slowly looked up. "That's Hunter J. She turns Pokemon to stone, steals them, and sells them. We ran into her multiple times back in the Sinnoh region. We thought we had managed to defeat her, but...I guess she's back. I still don't get how that's possible, though." He put his head in his hands, then remembered something. "Frogadier!" He shouted, getting up and running to his Pokemon's side.

Frogadier was motionless. Ash touched the hard stone where soft, sticky frubbles used to be. Instantly he felt overwhelmingly guilty. I should've warned him, he thought. I should've been able to protect him. And Clemont. And Bonnie. He wanted to scream.

Serena knelt beside him and put her hand on his shoulder. She didn't say anything; she just looked at him with a worried look in her bright blue eyes. Ash turned around. To her surprise, he pulled her into a hug. "At least you didn't get hurt, Serena. I guess I'm not a total failure..."

Serena blushed and said, "Ash, you're not a failure at all! It wasn't your fault...it..." Then Serena felt a pang of guilt. This is my fault. If I hadn't run off, Clemont and Bonnie wouldn't have gotten into this situation.

It was as if Ash had read her mind. "Well, at the very least don't blame yourself for this, Serena. It's not fair. None of this is fair. I thought we had beaten her!" He cried out in frustration, slamming his fists on the ground.

Now it was May's turn to say something. She walked over and put her hand on Ash's shoulder. "Ash, it's ok. You beat her once before, surely you can do it again?" she didn't sound too sure of herself. But seeing her old friend breaking down like this was discomforting. Ash usually kept his cool, no matter what the situation.

Ash looked up. "Thanks, guys. I appreciate the support, but...I'm leaving. Now." He got up and started walking away, towards the direction J had flown off. May didn't seem surprised. Always trying to do it on his own, she thought. When will he grow up?

Serena grabbed Ash's hand. "No, Ash." she said with a firm voice. Ash turned around, slightly taken aback at Serena's abruptness. "You're not going alone. We're going to wait for Clemont and Bonnie to recover, and then we'll find J as a team. But you are not going out on your own! I would never forgive myself if I..." she stopped. Was she saying too much? She decided she didn't care. "...If I lost you! So promise me you'll take me with you, where ever you go and whatever you do. I'm not being separated from you again!" she hadn't realized it, but she had gradually raised her voice to the point where she was almost yelling. She took a step back.

Ash was shocked. "Serena..." was all he could manage.

He looked into the distance. After about a minute, his mouth curved into a slight smile. "I guess I won't be going anywhere just yet, then." He hugged Serena again, blushing a little. Serena enjoyed the embrace, proud of herself for confessing at least that much to Ash. They let go of each other when Officer Jenny approached them.

"Alright, we're taking your friends to the Pokemon Center right away. You all be careful out here, got it? Don't worry, we'll catch that thief. I'll notify all the other police forces immediately." Jenny recalled her Manectric and drove off.

Ash, Serena, and May all started walking back to the city, none of them saying much. Ash was carrying Frogadier, his face full of concern. Serena looked over at him. Poor Ash, she thought. He always works so hard...he doesn't deserve any of this. Exhausted, the three of them arrived at the Laverre Pokemon Center after about half an hour.

Ash put down Frogadier and yawned, stretching his arms. It was getting late. "I think I'll crash for the night. I'm tired from all that running. Oh, and thanks for coming when you did, May. You really saved us back there." He smiled.

May winked. "No problem, I'm always here to get you out of trouble like the good ol' days." She chuckled.

Ash was too tired to argue with her. Besides, May was pretty much right. He did have a nose for trouble. He just shrugged and started walking to the rooms. "'Night May. 'Night Serena," he said as he walked. May noticed that Ash had blushed a little when he said Serena's name. She smiled. "Good night, Ash."

Serena watched him as he walked, smiling and blushing. "Good night," she said.

That's the end of the chapter. You all remember Hunter J right? I know it seems really random, but to me it just seemed sorta fitting with Mega Salamence coming out with ORAS. I know that the show definitely won't do that, but I figured it was a decent idea for the sake of my story so I threw it in. Anyways, what did you think? Let me know in the reviews, even if it's just a quick comment, I read everything. It really helps. Thanks for reading! Chapter 6 is on its way.