"Well, this is Nacrene City," Keldeo said.

"Have you been here before?" Cilan asked.

"Of course not," Keldeo replied. "I'm a Legendary Pokémon. You don't get Legendary Pokémon walking down city streets in…"

He stopped.

"There's literally three of them doing it right now, aren't there?"

"Technically I'm floating," Zacian replied. "Mew's here, I think, but they're floating as well."

"But anyway, it's because there's a sign over there," Keldeo added, waving a hoof vaguely. "I knew there would be one, because of Unova Local Town Ordinance…"

He frowned, muttering under his breath. "Two hundred and sixty-five? Did I get that one right?"

"Two hundred and sixty-five," Arc repeated. "Pokémon League Champions are allowed a free dinner for them and their companions on their first arrival in a city. You might have meant-"

"No, I don't care about that one any more," Keldeo decided. "Let's go and have dinner."

After dinner, Ash followed Arc's map to Nacrene Gym.

Like Striaton Gym, Nacrene Gym wasn't just a gym. It was a museum as well, which contained an eclectic mix of artefacts from Unova's past both historic and prehistoric.

It also contained some familiar faces.

"Oh, hi!" Ash said. "I haven't seen you in a while!"

Jessie, James and Meowth all tried to jump into one another's arms, which led to them going crash on the floor in a heap.

"Where did you come from?" James demanded, picking himself up.

"Pallet Town!" Ash answered. "Didn't I say that before? I must have done."

"...we walked into dat one," Meowth said.

"For your information, twerp, we're here to take in a bit of local culture!" Jessie added. "There's some amazing exhibits here… I don't suppose you'd know anything about that, though."

"I know that there's a big Dragonite skeleton over there," Ash said, pointing.

The skeleton moved.

"What was that?" James asked. "Did that just move? I didn't know Dragonite was the kind of fossil Pokémon that could come back to life!"

Jessie tutted. "Of course it's not coming back to life. It's some kind of regional Ghost type Dragonite variant that's never been discovered until now."

She put her finger to her lips. "Which, now I think of it, would be worse. Especially if it's angry."

The Dragonite skeleton roared.

"Looks like Team Rocket's getting out of here before we damage the roof!" Meowth said. "Ambipom, get us outta here!"

A large, ornate and vaguely familiar fighter jet briefly phased into existence around the Rocket agents. Then it vanished again, taking the Rockets with them.

"Friends of yours?" Iris asked.

"It's complicated," Pikachu said.

"Still, that moving skeleton is worrisome," Zacian added, drawing her sword – her conventional one, not the Rusted Sword. "We should ask for help from a specialist."

"Who would be a specialist on that sort of thing?" Iris asked, blinking. "How can you have a specialist on, uh, whatever it is?"

She frowned. "Though I think it might not be the Dragonite…"

"Well, I was wondering if this might be Giratina's department, but he's more of an alternate dimensions specialist than one who works with the undead," Ash replied. "Yveltal, maybe? But my Yveltal is still young and I don't think Normal Yveltal has given him the proper lessons yet on how to split the veil between life and death…"

"What are you on about?" asked the museum's assistant director, a man called Hawes. "Wait, aren't you that trainer who battled in the Sinnoh League?"

"A lot of trainers did, I think," Cilan said. "But you're right that Ash was part of that delightful mix!"

"What about Xerneas?" Pikachu suggested. "Or Ho-Oh."

"I don't think Ho-Oh is a good idea," Zacian said. "He'd just end up reviving the Dragonite skeleton or something."

"Then we'll go with Xerneas!" Ash decided. "Arc, Ibid, can you get hold of him between you?"

"Contacting Shiny Xerneas," Arc said, as Ibid vanished with Teleport.

The Mecha Giratina materialized again, hovering in the space just below the roof, and a pair of clamps grabbed onto the Dragonite skeleton. It re-dematerialized with a shimmer, taking the skeleton with it, and Hawes stared.

"...what just happened?" he asked.

"Team Rocket stole the skeleton!" Ash said. "I wondered if they were up to no good!"

Then the Mecha Giratina re-re-materialized, dropped the skeleton, Meowth threw a note out the side door, and it disappeared once more.

Pikachu jumped up, used Fly, and caught the note.

"Sorry about the confusion," he read off. "We're keeping the Yamask though."

"So it was a Yamask!" Iris said. "That explains it."

"We did get what we thought was a Yamask mask recently," Hawes admitted. "It wasn't on the paperwork but I thought that was an oversight."

Ibid reappeared with Shiny Xerneas, and the Fairy-type took in the situation at a glance.

"I see the problem!" he said, activating Active Mode. "I'm here to help!"

"Now I feel very conflicted," Iris admitted. "How does that even work?"

The Dragonite skeleton shrugged.

"Okay, so firstly," Shiny Xerneas began, defensively. "I was under the impression that it was urgent, and I appeared here and saw a skeleton. I naturally assumed that a revival had to take place, and quickly before Ho-Oh showed up and did it instead."

He pointed with half of his points. "I did not know that was possible either. Normally when I'm asked to resurrect someone they're a little more… fresh."

"Nobody actually asked you to resurrect anyone," Pikachu said. "That was just your assumption."

"Yes, thank you, I'm aware of that now," Xerneas grumbled.

"I never thought I'd see so many Legendary Pokémon," the Dragonite Skeleton added, demonstrating that they could talk. "I can hardly believe my eyes… probably because I don't have any!"

"Well, at least they don't seem upset," Keldeo said, dubiously.

Zygarde tilted their head. "Is there a reason why you are not quoting a rule?"

"I don't think anyone has ever had to set up rules about this, and if they did I want to know why," Keldeo replied.

"Ah, hold on, I might know what's going on," Xerneas said, mostly to himself. "It's just a guess, but I think I revived Dragonite's spirit as a Ghost-type which has possessed its own former body. Possibly a Dreepy? Hard to tell."

"Umm…" Hawes began. "What's going to… happen now?"

"Well, I don't mind making an exhibition of myself," the Dragonite Skeleton said. "I think you'll find I'm in very good spirits about the whole thing!"

"Now I'm even more conflicted," Iris sighed.

Gym Leader Lenora turned up a few minutes later, and after just an hour of explanations they got on to the bit where the actual Gym Battle happened.

"So… does the battle take place in here?" Ash asked, looking around the library. "I know that at Striaton the battle happened in the main area, but they did clear it out first, and these books don't look damaged… how does it work?"

"What an excellent question," Lenora said. "How do you think you'd find that out?"

"By asking you?" Ash replied, a little confused.

"I mean if you couldn't ask me," Lenora clarified.

Ash frowned, thinking. "I… hmm. Can I ask any of your Pokémon?"

"Also not an option," Lenora told him.

"In that case, I'd ask Celebi!" Ash decided. "Hey, Arc, can you-"

"There's no need for that," the Gym Leader interrupted hastily. "I'm trying to see how you solve problems, and…"

She sighed, rubbing her temples. "Normally I'd say it's a bad sign that you didn't think of checking a book, but since I'm sure you literally do have the option to ask a time travelling Pokémon to go back and look… that is a primary source."

"It's downstairs," Zygarde said. "There is underground space in this building."

"Good enough," Lenora decided. "But how do you think you'd find how to get there?"

Ash pondered that for a minute.

"I'd ask Giratina for a lift through the floor!" he said.

Lenora pulled on one of the books in a nearby bookshelf, and the bookshelf slid aside to reveal a stairway.

"Just get down there," she requested.

"So, here are the rules," Hawes began, once they were in the underground battle arena. "Two Pokémon on a side. The Gym Leader may change Pokémon whenever they want. The challenger is not restricted either."

"Okay, that makes sense," Ash decided. "I've got some Unovan Pokémon who haven't had a Gym Battle yet, so I guess I'll be using those first!"

"Then send out your first Pokémon," Lenora invited.

Ash did so, sending out Snivy, and Lenora's response was a Watchog.

"Mean Look!" she ordered immediately, and the Watchog glared at Snivy.

"Oh, my, you may look all you wish," Snivy said, winking and flirting with her tail.

"Careful, Snivy," Ash reminded her. "I can't switch you out now, so be careful."

"But of course," Snivy replied. "Attract!"

Watchog didn't seem impressed.

"Sorry," he said. "If you were male, it'd work."

"Oh, how inconvenient this is," Snivy sighed. "In that case, I suppose I will have to put in a little more effort, no?"

"Confuse Ray!" Lenora ordered, and Watchog threw a jet of spiralling light at his opponent. It connected with Snivy, throwing her off, and Watchog followed up a moment later with a Signal Beam that Snivy couldn't dodge in her distracted state.

"Snivy, make up!" Ash replied, as his Pokémon staggered slightly.

"Ah, of course, M'sieu Ketchup!" Snivy agreed, doing a wobbly twirl, and silvery light pulsed along the fronds above her arms. They lit up with a bright pink glow a moment later, then the same flash of silver-and-pink went along the yellow markings over her eyes and the stripe down the top of her tail, and she rose into the air before doing another balletic twirl.

"I don't recognize that move," Lenora said, as Snivy lit up too bright to look at. "What is it?"

"Lunar Blessing," Ash replied.

"A-ha!" Snivy cheered, the silver-and-pink glow exploding away from her in a shower of sparkles and revealing that little silver particles were gathered around her tail. "Moon power make up!"

"Um," Watchog began.

"Moonblast!" Snivy added, with a flourish. The silver sparkles flashed more brightly, and she launched out a jet of silver-pink light from one arm that slammed Watchog back into the wall. "And, after me comes the flood!"

She used Surf as well, which finished the job of making Watchog quite miserable.

"How did she use that Water move, again?" Cilan asked.

"Well, she was using the power of the moon," Ash replied, calling Snivy back. "And the moon's in control of the tides. Someone once suggested it'd be possible to steal the tides, so I guess this counts?"

"I'm just going to send out my second Pokémon," Lenora decided. "Stoutland, ready?"

"Yes!" the big canine barked.

"And I'm sending out my first Unovan Pokémon!" Ash retorted. "Zekrom!"

"Oh come on," Lenora said quietly.

"Brave Bird!" Zekrom declared, and slammed Stoutland through the wall.

"I have changed my answer," Stoutland mumbled. "I wasn't ready."

"Brave Bird?" Keldeo repeated. "You seem to be missing out on at least one of the requirements for that move."

"Excuse me?" Zekrom asked, huffily. "I am quite brave, thank you."

"It's the other one," Keldeo said. "You're not a bird."

"I'm the Legendary of Ideals, not Truth," Zekrom countered. "It was ideal for me to be a bird for that attack, so I was a bird for that attack."

Keldeo raised a hoof uncertainly. "But you could use that argument to do anything?"

"Yes," Zekrom declared, in a tone that mingled utter certainty and incredible glee.

"It feels incredibly wrong to say this," Lenora said. "But I can't really deny giving you the Basic Badge."

AN:

I'm still not apologizing.