Surskit fell to the ground, its legs twitching from electricity. "Surskit is unable to battle!" Clemont said, "Gym Leader Viola! Send out your next Pokémon!"

Serena watched emotionlessly as Viola sent out her Vivillion. A quick look at the Pokédex confirmed that it was a Flying-type. This would be easy.

On the field in front of her, Joltik was crackling with electricity. "Does the challenger wish to switch Pokémon?" Clemont added.

"No," Serena replied.

It had been a week since she lost Fennekin to Ash and Team Rocket. She had done all things you were supposed to do: report the crime, tell the police where it had happened, keep a closer watch in the future…

But she couldn't get over the fact that she was a complete idiot. Her own foolishness had caused her to lose her Fennekin on day one. Her starter now was effectively a Joltik, and for the last week she had been too numb to do anything besides train it. She said little to Bonnie and Clemont, and besides eating, sleeping, and training, the only thing she had done was catch a Budew so she could fight Viola.

She was a wreck.

"Begin!" Clemont said.

"Vivillion," Viola said, "use-"

"Electroball," Serena said to Joltik. Vivillion didn't even have time to move before Joltik slammed into it and began shocking it.

"Vivillion, hurry! Knock it off!" Viola said, looking frightened.

But it was too late. Joltik was very good at clinging to things, as Serena had learned a week ago, and less than a minute later, Vivillion slumped to the ground, unconscious. "Good job," Serena said. She returned Joltik and walked up to Viola. "Badge, please."

Viola looked at her Vivillion, returned it, and then sighed and said, "here you go, Serena." She looked at Clemont and said, "and uh, I think you guys should get some rest."

"Can't," Serena replied. "I've gotta train."

"Why? To become a Pokémon master?" Viola said.

"No. To kill Team Rocket," Serena replied. She didn't wait for Bonnie or Clemont to join her as she walked out.

Serena lay in bed at the Pokémon Center, staring up at the ceiling. Her room was a private one, so the only living things in there were a potted plant, Serena herself, Joltik (who had tired of trying to eat Serena's static electricity and had gone to sleep instead) and Budew, which was also sleeping next to a tray of water in the bathroom.

How she wished she could sleep too.

For the last six nights, she had had the same nightmare: meeting Ash, watching him steal Fennekin, and then leave. Each dream, his laughter got louder and uglier. And each time, she woke up when that handkerchief, that stupid handkerchief, fell to the ground next to her.

The handkerchief that, when she rolled to her side, she was staring at. She hated the stupid thing… but she couldn't bring herself to get rid of it. Not yet. In a way, it was a connection to Fennekin, and to her now-crumbling dreams.

A Pokémon master that loses her starter Pokémon. What kind of loser does that!? She suppressed a scream of frustration and decided to try and sleep instead.

"What's your name?"

"I'm Ash. Ash Ketchum."

"I'm Serena! Serena Yvonne!"

A little girl stuck her hand out for a little boy to shake. The boy stepped forward and cautiously shook it.

"Thank you for helping me," the girl said.

"Of course! Momma always says to help people in trouble," the boy replied.

"That's what my momma says too!"

The girl tried to stand up, but she quickly cried out in pain. "Don't step on your hurt foot! That's bad!" the boy said.

"Sorry."

The girl looked at the boy expectantly. "What's wrong?" the boy said.

"Well, you should help me walk out of the forest, right? Daddy says guys are always supposed to help girls."

The boy looked down. "Hm… ok."

There was a roaring from somewhere.

"What was that?" the girl said.

"That… that was my Charizard," the boy said.

Suddenly the boy shot up in size. A scar grew over his eye, his clothes morphed into a black suit. "Fennekin!" Serena cried.

"Sorry, Serena," Ash replied, stepping towards Serena, who now felt paralyzed and stuck in a child's body, "but Fennekin is mine. Pikachu… Thunderbolt. Stop her heart."

A Pikachu appeared in the sky, its eyes glowing red. "Pi-KAAAAAA-"

Serena woke up.

It was easy to break into a gym, once you knew what you were doing.

The thing was that gym leaders were predictable. The League sent out recommendations on what to use to guard your gym, such as Pokémon that were strong against your main type's weakness. Make sure to spread out your valuables. Train your Pokémon to be unruly if stolen by criminal teams. And so on and so on.

To any normal criminal, robbing a gym was madness.

And to any normal criminal, robbing one while the gym leader was there was absolute and sheer madness, especially if your hyper-powerful partner is off doing other business.

But Ash Ketchum was no normal criminal.

"You ready, Sceptile?" Ash asked his trusty Sceptile, one of his strongest Pokémon since Hoenn.

"Scept!"

"And Pikachu?" Ash asked his Pikachu.

Pikachu nodded.

Ash snapped his fingers, and the plan begun. Sceptile quickly ran up the side of the gym and, with a lightning-fast Leaf Blade, carved a circle in the glass. Then, Sceptile stomped hard on the glass, shattering it.

Instantly, alarms began going off all over the building. "Da easiest trick in da world," Meowth said. Ash nodded.

Sceptile jumped down into the building, followed by Pikachu. "Let's go," Ash said, and he and Meowth jumped down after them.

No enemy Pokémon had showed up yet. "Which way, boss?" Meowth said.

"Take Sceptile and head towards the computers. I'll find Viola," Ash replied.

Pikachu jumped onto Ash's shoulder and the two of them ran down the hallways. With a quick Thunderbolt, Pikachu took out all of the lights as they ran. Ash, who was used to working in darkness, quickly acclimated to the dark. His pitch-black clothes and deep red R would be easy to blend in.

Pikachu ran a little ahead of Ash. "A Pikachu!?" Ash heard a woman say. He frowned. That wasn't Viola.

And sure enough, the reporter Alexa stepped into the darkness. "The Rocket Prince," she said, "I should've known."

"You should've," Ash replied, "where's your sister?"

"Probably going to stop your thieves," Alexa said. She smiled and put one hand on her belt. "Well, 'Ethan', care for a Pokémon battle?"

"Oh, not right now," Ash said. He dropped a Pokéball behind his back and said, "though I'm impressed you remember Ethan."

"How is that impressive?" Alexa said. She threw an Unfezant out and said, "you robbed the Unova League champion of all of his Eeveelutions in broad daylight."

"No thanks for dealing with Team Plasma?" Ash said, smirking.

"Some hero you turned out to be," Alexa said dryly.

Ash started laughing and said, "thank you, Alexa, you make me proud. Now, if you wouldn't mind…"

Pikachu jumped onto Unfezant, bristling with electricity. "Unfezant, use-"

And then Alexa was cut out as a Heracross slammed directly into her, sending her soaring through the air, smashing her into the wall and then crumpling to the ground. Ash threw a deployable net over her. "Only a few seconds before she wakes up," he muttered as Heracross brought Unfezant's Pokéball to Ash.

Ash continued towards the front of the gym. "Pika?"

"That's right, buddy," Ash said, as they heard Alexa start yelling bloody murder behind them. "Heracross, help her out in a few minutes, will ya?"

Heracross dashed off. About a minute later, Ash arrived in the main hall of the gym. It was cold, silent, and empty. But Ash knew there were almost certainly going to be Pokémon lying in wait in her.

He smiled. Let them come. "Charizard, I choose you," Ash said. He threw his Pokéball with great gusto, letting Charizard – one of his oldest Pokémon, a behemoth of a Charizard too – into the central arena.

Instantly, the arena floor fired up. Security personnel ran into the room and surrounded the ring. The door behind Ash sealed shut and a guard pointed a gun at Ash. "Cocky, aren't you, kid?" the guard said.

"Of course," Ash replied, "I was just waiting for some kindling."

The guard narrowed her eyes and raised her gun at Ash. And then Ash snapped his fingers.

Instantly, the intercom system began filling with smooth jazz. Charizard took flight as Pokémon after Pokémon surrounded him. And then Ash shot forward, grabbed the gun from the guard, and shot her in the arm. She cried in pain and turned away, clutching her arm, and he began shooting into the arena, cracking the overhead glass.

And then the glass shattered and began falling haphazardly. "What was the point of that?" the guard snarled as Ash tossed the gun aside.

"All League gyms are equipped with fire-retardant systems in case of particularly fierce battles, including automatic oxygen deprivation systems," Ash recited in a sing-song voice. Then he snapped his fingers again.

Charizard bellowed and began spewing fire around the gym. Pokémon after Pokémon was knocked out by his fire, and the survivors were shocked by Pikachu until they went down too. "I went toe-to-toe with champions and you thought you could beat me?" Ash said as the guards started shooting at him.

But none of the bullets hit, instead slamming into an invisible wall mid-air. "What was that!?" one of the guards shouted.

As if in answer, an Inkay drifted down next to Ash. "Sorry we're late," said James, appearing on one side of Ash.

"We went a little long stealing the gas," Jessie added. She was on Ash's other side.

"G-gasoline!?" another guard shouted as Inkay began merrily sending a stream of gasoline to douse the walls and floors of the arena.

"Run," Ash said.

The guards returned their Pokémon and ran. He waited for the guard he'd shot in the arm to finish hobbling away before saying, "alright, Charizard. Light it up and wreak some havoc outside."

Pikachu returned to Ash's side as Charizard bellowed and flew to the shattered windows. Then he send down an enormous Fire Blast into the gym, instantly igniting it, and flew outside. "Let's go get Meowth and Sceptile," Jessie said. The other two nodded.

When Serena woke up, she heard sirens outside and an ugly orange flickering from the window. It didn't take long for the acrid smell of a gas fire to make itself known either. She jumped out of bed and rushed to the window.

Outside, just down the block from the Pokémon Center, Viola's gym was on fire. Firemen were trying to douse the flames and policemen surrounded the gym, but human and Pokémon alike were being driven off by attacks from a huge Charizard.

Serena's blood ran cold. A huge Charizard. That meant… Ash.

She looked down at the street and saw an ambulance. Unifrmed guards were being looked over by paramedics it looked like. Another ambulance pulled up, and the first ambulance's doors shut and it sped off. It wasn't going to the Pokémon Center – it had to be a hurt human. Did Ash try and kill someone?

Would it really surprise her?

He made her sick.

Serena was dressed in less than five minutes and running down the block. Joltik was clinging to her hat. Of course, she didn't run directly to the gym, but rather towards the rear entrance.

There, too, were police. They were trying to break down the back entrance, which looked currently blocked. The fire was the front half of the gym, so the back half had to be where her Fennekin was.

"Miss," a teal-haired police officer said once Serena drew close, "this is a restricted area. Please stay back."

Serena bit her lip but obeyed. She had no idea how many crooks were there, especially since Ash seemed to have his own little band with him last time.

Another officer ran up to the teal-haired cop. "Jenny, ma'am!" the officer said, saluting, "we have reports of a second break-in at Lysandre Labs!"

"What?" the teal-haired cop, Jenny, said, and she looked from the gym to the officer. "How bad?"

"They say there's reports of a-"

And then, with a solid thunk and the sound of shattering glass, a plume of thick black smoke emerged further into the town. What sounded like fire alarms were lighting up the night, and more and more trainers were emerging into the streets.

Clemont and Bonnie ran up to Serena. "We just heard!" Bonnie said, "someone tried to blow up Lysandre Labs!"

"What's that?" Serena said.

"It's a subsidiary of the XYZ Corporation," Clmeont replied. "They make consumer electronics – you know, stuff like smart phones or Pokédexes."

Serena frowned. "Would there even be anyone there at this time of night?" she said.

"Maybe a few security guards," Bonnie replied. She looked at the gym and said, "and the gym…"

"It was a distraction," Jenny suddenly yelled, and she threw her cap to the ground. "We have to go stop those perps! Viola can handle some small-time crook – leave a couple of cops to catch them afterwards."

"Sir!" the other cops said, saluting, and then most of them dashed off after Jenny, their Pokémon in tow.

"What's such a big deal about that place?" Clemont said.

"Who cares, we have to go and save Miss Viola!" Bonnie said.

"The cops have this covered, I'm sure-" Clemont started saying, but he stopped as the door burst open and a Sceptile bounded out, grabbed both cops left behind, and then threw them past Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie.

"A Sceptile!" Bonnie said, suddenly very excited.

The Sceptile seemed to notice, as it leaned against the doorway, crossed it arms, and closed its eyes. A straw was dangling out of nowhere. "Scept," the Sceptile said. For a moment, Serena was struck by how cool the Sceptile seemed.

And then she remembered that this was a criminal Pokémon. "We don't care what you are, you're not going to stop us from stopping Ash!" Serena yelled.

The Sceptile made a sound like chuckling and then just… stepped out of the way and beckoned inside. "Sceptile," it said.

"I think he wants us to follow him!" Bonnie said.

"Follow him into a burning building full of dangerous criminals!?" Clemont said, "Bonnie, please tell me you're not that stupid!"

"Scept," Sceptile said, and it gestured inside again.

"Maybe it's Viola's?" Bonnie said.

"If he's gonna let me run in and stop Ash, then I'm gonna take it," Serena said. "Right, Joltik?"

Joltik trilled in agreement.

"Serena, no, this is how you got into this in the first place!" Clemont yelled as Serena ran into the building, Sceptile close behind her.

Sceptile made no move against her as she raced through the dark hallways. "Sceptile," the Sceptile said, but Serena couldn't tell what it was trying to say. They ran into a larger hallway in a room filled with framed pictures on the wall. One of the doors nearby was torn off its hinges, and the sound of a Pokémon battle was going on.

"Is that Viola?" Serena said.

The Sceptile nodded and jumped in front of the entrance. Then he looked down at the broken door and his arm-leaves glowed green. A few seconds later, he had finished slicing something into the door, then picked it up and hurled it right next to Serena.

She looked down.

"IF YOU THINK WE ARE BAD," the scratches read, "THEN YOU HAVEN'T SEEN FLARE YET."

"Flare?" Serena said, but Sceptile shot a high-powered Bullet Seed that shredded the door. "What's Flare?"

Sceptile raced back down the hallway, and Serena followed him. As she grew closer to the fight, she saw a Froakie battling a Vivillion. "You know," Ash said, staring intently at Viola, "if I win I get a badge, right?"

"You break in, burn my gym down, wipe my computers and steal my Pokémon and want a badge too!?" Viola demanded.

"Isn't it League rules?" Ash said, mockingly. He glanced over at Sceptile and Serena and said, "nice of you to join us again! You're lucky that Joltik isn't very rare."

"Give me Fennekin back!" Serena yelled.

"Sorry, don't have her," Ash replied. "Sceptile, how's the progress?"

"Scept!"

"Go help him then," Ash said. Sceptile bounded off, leaving Serena to watch the fight. "Anyways, Serena, right? Well, Fennekin is safely in Team Rocket hands now. If you want her, you're gonna have to find us, break in, beat me in single combat, and take back what's yours with your own two hands."

"And expect another dirty trick, huh?" Serena said. She jostled Joltik slightly with her shoulder, who nodded at her.

"All's fair in love and war, Serena," Ash said.

"Quite," Serena replied. "Electroweb!"

Joltik hopped of Serena's shoulder lightning-quick and shot an Electroweb at Ash. Before it could hit, Pikachu jumped in the way, crackling with electricity. "Now!" Serena yelled.

And then Joltik shot a second web, a normal Spider Web, at Pikachu, entangling him and sending him to the floor. "Pikachu!" Ash said, and then Froakie was blasted away by Vivillion.

"Vivillion, Sleep Powder on Ketchum!" Viola yelled.

Vivillion rushed towards Ash, but a Heracross came flying out of nowhere and tackled it to the ground. "Where's the hostage?" Ash said.

"Hera!" Heracross said.

"What? Since when does she-"

The wall exploded and a Noivern, smaller than Drasna's but still quite large, emerged. "Don't count me out so soon, Ketchum," said a brown-haired woman who looked like Viola.

"Alexa!" Viola said.

"Ladies," Ash said, backing up, "it seems that perhaps, things aren't going as well as I thought…"

"Pikachu and Froakie are down," Viola said, "surrender now, Ash Ketchum."

"I thought that was my line," Ash said, and he whistled.

The ceiling cracked, and plaster rained down from above. Viola, Alexa, Serena, Joltik, and Noivern all looked up at it. "Hera!" Heracross said. Serena glanced at him and saw that it had just KO'd Vivillion.

"Joltik, Spider Web!" Serena ordered, entangling Heracross. Then she looked at Ash. "Ketchum-"

The ceiling shuddered again, and outside came a horrible roar. "Professor Sycamore left some very interesting rocks outside," Ash said, holding up one arm and indicating a gemstone on his wrist.

Alexa and Viola's eyes both widened. "Serena, stop him!" Viola yelled as Alexa yelled, "Noivern, Dragon Pulse!"

But Pikachu burst out of its web in time to deflect Joltik's next Spider Web, and then it charged full-tilt, bristling with electricity, at Noivern. "Charizard! Come to me!" Ash yelled grandiosely as he pressed down on the rock.

The ceiling exploded, and a Charizard smashed through the roof. Except now it was pitch-black, with bright blue flames coming out of its tail and mouth. It looked stronger and more terrible than ever before. "No!" Alexa said, "Noivern-"

And then with one Dragon Pulse, Noivern was KO'd with a blast so powerful a crater was left in the floor where Noivern was. The walls were cracked, and the cracks grew when Pikachu tackled Alexa and smashed her into the wall again. "Alexa!" Viola yelled.

"Don't worry, Pikachu won't hurt her permanently," Ash said casually, "probably a few broken ribs at best." He glanced at Serena and said, "bye Serena. Hope to meet you again." He returned his KO'd and trapped Pokémon. Pikachu leapt onto his shoulder and he walked over to a motionless, distraught-looking Viola.

Ash reached into Alexa's pants pocket and pulled out a badge. "Thanks," he said, "see ya around, Viola. Thanks for the pictures. The Boss'll be happy."

And then he laughed as he stepped onto Charizard's outstretched hand and they flew off. A second later, a hot air balloon shaped like a Meowth followed after him.

Serena and Viola's daze wore off, and the two ran over to Alexa. "Alexa!" Viola cried.

"I'm… I'm fine…" Alexa said, slowly shifting up. "Damn, it hurts… is Noivern?"

"Just knocked out," Serena said.

Alexa nodded. "Get her to the Pokémon Center. I need to see a doctor…"

"I'll go get one!" Viola yelled. She ran off.

Serena looked from Alexa to the retreating Rockets and back. "What do they want!?" Serena said, "did they even manage to steal any Pokémon!?"

"Heh… I bet not," Alexa said. "But I don't think they were trying to either…"

"What?"

"They might be on to the same thing as me…" Alexa said. She stood up, returned Noivern, and then shifted her shirt up to examine the bruises on her sides. "Trying to steal what Viola and I have uncovered."

"Uncovered on what?" Serena said as she started helping Alexa walk away from the now smoke-filled corridor she had been slumped next to.

"More like on who," Alexa said. She smiled slightly and said, "and the who, of course… that'd be Team Flare."

Ash waited, cross-armed, in the balloon. Jessie, James, and Meowth were all keeping watch and rather quiet for now. Charizard was resting in his Pokéball.

He glanced up when Mewtwo teleported in. "Did you find it?" he said.

"They're looking for something, but I couldn't figure out what," Mewtwo replied. "What about you?"

Ash glanced at Meowth. "Someone's been transmitting data from their little operation ta Team Flare," Meowth said, gesturing at the burning gym behind them. "Who, I don't know."

"There was no sign that Alexa or Viola were behind it," James said. "However…"

"The question is how far the rot extends in Kalos," Ash said. He glanced at Sceptile, who was leaning back, his straw in his mouth. "And what's your excuse?"

"Scept."

"I do not need a girlfriend," Ash said, rolling his eyes. "You do this every region."

Sceptile shook its head and said nothing.

"Boss," Jessie said, "say that Viola was taking all those pictures for Team Flare. What do they all mean then?"

Ash glanced down at one of the stolen pictures on his tablet. It was just a rock, albeit one with a strange texture… almost as if something was on it, like a Kecleon. "I don't know," Ash said. He glanced at Mewtwo. "What do you think?"

"I have no more idea than you," Mewtwo replied. He also looked at the picture and said, "perhaps the legends of this region should be investigated."

"Is there anything at all you know about what they're tryin ta find, sir?" Meowth said.

Mewtwo glanced at Meowth. "Just that they call it Le Meilleur des mondes," Mewtwo said.

"What's that?" Jessie said.

"It's French," James replied after a second of thought, "and it's the French title for a book called Brave New World."

The balloon continued on into the night.