"Eh? Serena, you didn't get much rest last night?" Clemont said, adjusting his glasses. He observed the girl struggling to contain an especially large yawn.

Serena, Clemont, Brock, and Pikachu were in the north of Cerulean City, a long and expansive bridge in front of them. There wasn't an ocean nearby but Serena could still smell a faint scent of salt. There was a small crowd around them, evidently the participants to the Nugget Bridge Challenge. A small stage was on the bridge but it was currently unoccupied.

Serena chuckled and scratched the back of her head. "Oh no, I couldn't sleep. The pillow at the Pokémon Center was too stiff. What about you?"

"Strange," Clemont said. "I've slept well for the first time in a long time. Hey, I have an invention for your problem. The future is now, thanks to science! Citronic gear, on!"

Serena tilted her head as the Aipom arm shuffled around in Clemont's backpack. Judging by how much the backpack bulged, she was expecting an invention as large as a Wailord to pop out.

She almost fell over when the Aipom arm pulled out a puny pill.

"Introducing the Sleep-Pill-For-Restful-Sleep!" Clemont said, his glasses reflecting the sunlight. "Just one pill a day guarantees you will be knocked out for the recommended nine hours and fifteen minutes!"

He paused. Serena also paused. Brock raised an eyebrow, unsure of what was happening.

"Chu, Pika," Pikachu said sadly.

"Um, that's a terrible name," Serena said. That didn't help with Clemont's crestfallen face, though.

"We'll win the Nugget Bridge Challenge, Serena," Clemont said, his face and arms and even Aipom arm drooping.

"Yes, we will," Serena said. She placed an arm on Clemont's shoulder.

"Hey, if it isn't Ash's friends!" a voice said, trotting up to them. "It's Clemont, right? And Pikachu! And if it isn't—"

"Shh," Serena said, putting a hand on the girl's mouth. "Call me Leaf. What are you doing here, Mairin?"

The young girl's cheeks bulged as she tried to speak. The red-haired trainer was still wearing her green cap and pants back from her Kalos days, complete with a yellow top and red suspenders. Serena realized that the outfit looked remarkably like Misty's, actually, if she wore blue instead of green.

"I'm participating in the Kanto League!" Mairin said, hopping up and down. "Me and Chespie are going to become the best trainers like no one ever was! Well, after we beat Alain. Right, Chespie? And Alain?"

The Chespin nodded, the Pokémon outside of his Pokéball just like Pikachu. The two chatted just like they were old friends.

Serena turned to see the dark-haired teenager nod. He too was also dressed the way Serena remembered, a black jacket and pants along with a blue cloud-shaped scarf.

"Serena," Alain said.

"Alain," she replied.

"Clemont," he said to the inventor. Clemont just nodded. He couldn't bring himself to say anything in the air that suddenly turned chilly.

"Hello, my name is Brock," the gym leader said, offering a hand. Pikachu sniggered at Brock's obliviousness to the mood. "I've heard from my brother that you defeated him recently with only your Charizard. Impressive, using a Pokémon that is extremely weak to rock."

Alain shook his hand. "It was a good fight. I cannot underestimate my opponents here, even if I was a quarter-finalist in the Omega Conference."

"I didn't know you were competing in the Kanto league too," Serena said.

"Yup! Me and Alain both!" Mairin said, waving her arms. "We already have a bunch of badges! See, Alain has three—"

Serena could feel her gut getting wrenched by those words.

"And I have two!" Mairin finished. Somehow that hurt Serena's stomach more than before.

"Wow, that's nice," Clemont said. "Which gym leaders have you defeated?"

"Well, Alain and I have beaten both Forrest and Misty," Mairin said. "But I couldn't beat Gary from Viridian. Wow, he was hard! Chespie and I have to train a lot harder if we want beat him! Right Chespie?"

"Ches!" the Pokémon agreed.

"So why are you here?" Clemont said. "Shouldn't you be heading to Saffron City now? Or maybe Celadon or Vermillion for the next gym?"

"We've heard an interesting competition has been going on," Alain said. "And the winner has the chance to meet with Bill. I need to talk to him about something."

"And are you sure that something isn't actually for Team Flare?" Serena said. She smiled at him.

"Yes, I'm quite sure this time," Alain said. He actually smiled back, a rare sight. Clemont, meanwhile, felt his feet grow cold.

"Hello," said an amplified voice. The audience hushed and turned to the stands, where a portly man was talking into a microphone. "And welcome to the Nugget Bridge Challenge!"

People cheered at those words, perhaps too loudly. For a second Serena thought the host was Monsieur Pierre, but only his voice was similar.

"This month we'll be doing a two-stage competition," he said, the megaphone contorting with his every word. "The first will be a fishing contest! The first eight who capture the most amazing water Pokémon will advance to the three-round, single-elimination Pokémon battle tournament! And as always, since we respect the environment, please do not catch the Pokémon in Pokéballs."

"I wish Misty could participate," Brock said. "She would definitely ace this."

"Now for prizes," the announcer said. There was more cheering. "First place would have the chance to talk with the lovely Bill in his quiet house on Cerulean Cape! Spend an hour talking with the genius who's only second to Professor Oak! Runner-up will receive a valuable Nugget, worth at least 5000 Pokédollars to any store out there!"

In another section of the crowd, a cleverly disguised trio also cheered.

"5000 Pokédollars!" Meowth said, his eyes turning into dollars signs under his sunglasses. "Think of the amount of food we can eat!"

"Think of all the clothes we could wear!" said Jessie. She was dressed as a punk star, her hair in the shape of a Starmie.

"No, think of how much we could give to Giovanni!" said James. He was disguised as a cameraman, his fake cardboard camera falling to the floor.

"Any ideas for passing the fishing section?" Jessie said.

Meowth grinned. "I've got just the plan."

"Woooobbuffet!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Clemont, doesn't this remind you of the golden Magikarp we tried to fish once?" Serena said, her lure bobbing in the water. Even Pikachu and Chespie had their own little mini rods, themselves still chatting and catching up with each other. Mairin and Alain were still sitting with them, Alain facing away from the rest of the group. The sun was shining high above the Nugget Bridge, beads of sweat appearing on the necks of the trainers who were fishing.

"Wow, that's been a long time ago now," Clemont said, remembering. "I wonder if the museum curator ever fished the shiny Magikarp."

"We should visit him one day," Serena said. "Along with Ash and Bonnie and everybody."

Clemont nodded, letting the conversation die.

"So Serena," Mairin said. "I meant, sorry, Leaf. What have you been up to? I sure didn't expect to see you in Kanto."

"We're just sightseeing," Serena said. "Right now we've wanted to see Bill, but then we heard we had to win this competition, so that's why we're here."

"That's a lie," Alain said. He didn't even shift from his position.

"Well then, why are you here?" Serena asked.

"Mairin already told you," Alain said. "She wants to gather eight badges in a new region, and so did I, so we decided on Kanto."

"That's a lie," Serena said. Clemont's feet turned cold again at the smile on Serena's face.

"Fine. You got me. I just want to prove my Charizard is the strongest mega-evolved Pokémon, and what better way of doing that than winning the conference and defeating the champion?"

"That's also a lie," Serena said, still smiling.

"Hey, I got something," Clemont said, his fishing rod shaking as he started luring his prey in. He was glad he broke the silence. Serena and Alain were both still smiling at each other. Even the air around them was freezing.

"I'll help you out!" Mairin said, setting down his rod and running over to Clemont. Together, they tugged and tugged until the Pokémon flew over railing to the bridge.

"A Politoed!" Brock said. Serena pulled out her Pokédex.

"Politoed. The Frog Pokémon," the machine said. "If Poliwag and Poliwhirl hear its echoing cry, they respond by gathering from far and wide."

The green frog Pokémon beat her chest and began making a crying sound.

"That doesn't happen to be the cry the Pokédex was talking about, is it?" Clemont said.

Then, everybody's fishing rods shook as contestants reeled out Poliwags and Poliwhirls. Mairin even pulled out a Poliwrath.

"Wait," Brock said, putting a hand on Serena's rod before she could pull it up. "Wait for something else. I have a feeling you won't advance to the next round if you get a Poliwag."

"Amateur," Alain said, still sitting in his position. His fishing rod was moving, but he made no effort to bring it up. Serena just smiled at him. Clemont observed perhaps her lips were getting a bit strained.

"What's up with this? It's raining!" Mairin said, holding a flat palm under the storm cloud above them. The cloud wasn't that large, but it was enough to soak the group.

"Politoed must have Drizzle!" Clemont said. "Rain will fall wherever it goes!"

"Luckily," Brock said. He pulled out a cooking instrument. "I can use my frying pan as a drying pan!"

The silence was unbelievable as Brock covered his head with the frying pan. Then, there was the sound of a Pokéball releasing, and Croagunk socked Brock in the stomach with Poison Jab.

"Chu, Pika…" Pikachu said, a sweat drop forming on the back of his head.

"Ah, wonderful," the host said, walking up the group. He made sure not to step under the rain cloud. "I'll record that you have a Politoed, and the missus here has a Poliwrath. Now for the rest of you remember, you only have ten minutes left."

"Wait!" Brock said. His fishing rod tugged, and with a quick tug, aided by Croagunk, he pulled out a Seaking. The Pokémon shimmered in the air before diving back into the water.

"Seaking. The Goldish Pokémon," Serena's Pokédex said. "The horn on its head is sharp like a drill. It bores a hole in a boulder to make its nest."

"Very good, very good!" the announcer said. "I'll make sure to record that. Good luck to the rest of you!"

Waving goodbye to the Pokémon, Clemont, Mairin, and Brock released their lines. Mairin then sighed, taking off her hat and twisting it. Water gushed out and formed a puddle on the ground.

"Too bad the Poliwrath didn't want to stay with me," she said, sighing. "Oh well. We can find another friend sometime, right Chespie?"

"Ches!"

"I think I'll be going to the Pokémon Center to dry off," Clemont said, getting up and packing his fishing rod. "Anyone else want to come?"

"Ooh, sure!" Mairin said.

"It'll be a good chance to see Nurse Joy again," Brock said, and then he collapsed to the floor- Croagunk had socked him in the stomach again. "On a second thought, I might need to go to the hospital."

"Well, good luck Serena! And Alain!" Mairin said, waving. "We'll see you in ten minutes!"

They both smiled and waved as the group left. After that, they simultaneously realized they were the only two remaining.

"So," Serena said after a while. "How's your Charizard?"

"Fine. How's your Braixen?"

"Fine."

"Chu. Pika pika," Pikachu said, sighing.

Then they both sat in silence for a few more minutes. Serena shot a look at Alain every few seconds. The trainer didn't change his expression, just looking at the fishing rod in front of him, waiting for a catch.

"That's Ash's Pikachu, isn't it?" Alain said.

"Yeah."

"That's why you're here, isn't it? To find Ash?"

"Yeah. Same for you?" Serena asked.

"Yeah," Alain said.

Serena got up. "We don't need your help. Do you remember the last time you tried to help the good guys? You almost ended up destroying the world."

"I don't need your permission to find Ash," Alain said. He was still sitting down. "And I doubt a Pokémon Performer like you will be much help finding him."

"What did you say?" Serena said.

"Pika…" Pikachu said, tugging Serena's skirt, but she ignored him.

"At least my help doesn't help someone evil like Team Flare!" Serena said. "What on earth were you thinking?"

Alain just did a small, short chuckle. "You get riled up easily."

"Why do you even want to find Ash?" Serena said. "You hate him after he defeated you! Twice!"

"None of your business," Alain said.

"What do you mean it's none of my—"

"Wait. Something's tugging our fishing rods," Alain said, ushering Serena to shut up. Serena glared at him but complied, focusing her attention onto the river.

"Pikachu, help us out!" Serena said, and Pikachu ran over, tugging her legs.

"This is a big one," Alain said. "Charizard, come out."

The fire Pokémon flexed his wings before he grabbed onto Alain's fishing rod. With one fluid stroke, Charizard tugged onto the rod, sending Serena, Alain, and Pikachu tumbling down.

"GYYRADOSS!" the Pokémon roared, dropping onto the bridge with a massive thump. Serena could feel the floor shake as she stared at the beast, water dripping off of his body.

"Charizard! Dragon Claw!" Alain said, pointing at the Gyarados. The water Pokémon shot a geyser of water at Charizard, but the winged fire Pokémon moved out of the way, not breaking a sweat. Charizard's arms glowing green, he slashed it at the Gyarados, sending the wild Pokémon back into the river.

"In one hit," Serena said, amazed. After dusting his jacket, Alain reached into his pouch and pulled out a Poképuff.

"Here, Charizard," he said, proffering it to his first Pokémon. "You deserve it."

"Well well! A Gyarados!" the announcer said, hobbling up to them once again. "Now who reeled it in?"

Serena sighed, running her hand through her hair. By the looks of it, the timer had ran out. "Alain was the one who—"

"I helped Leaf reel it in," Alain interrupted. "We both caught it."

"Hmm, we don't have any rules when that happens," the host said. "I know! How about I divide the Gyarados between you two? You won't get the full score, but trust me. It's worth it. Now meet me at the foot of the bridge. We're almost done."

"Er—alright," Serena said, and the announcer walked away, hands clasped behind his back. She turned to Alain.

"Thanks for covering me," she said.

"Don't misjudge my intentions," Alain said. "I just want to see if you're good at Pokémon battles."

Serena bit her lip. Right. She or Clemont or Brock would have to face Alain, assuming they all pass. She would need to figure out some sort of strategy to defeat his fearsome Mega Charizard X.

"Chu pika," Pikachu said, patting Serena's head. She mused that Pikachu liked doing that as she stroked his fur.

When they walked back to the stage, they met up with a waving Brock, Clemont, and Mairin.

"What did you catch? What did you catch?" Mairin said, hopping up and down.

"And now I'll announce the results!" the announcer said, cutting off any answer to Mairin's question. "In first place we have Mr. Clemont, who reeled in a Politoed! Congratulations!"

Clemont blushed and bowed, almost tripping off his jumpsuit as people clapped around him.

"Next up is Miss Mairin who snagged a Poliwrath! Excellent job!"

"Yay, we did it Chespie!" Mairin said, giving her Chespin a high-five.

He went through a few more contestants before saying

"And Brock from Pewter City makes it through with his Seaking! Not to mention, Jessica squeaks by with hers, too!"

"The plan worked!" Meowth said, dancing with Jessie and James. "Good thing the brats weren't looking where they tossed the Seaking!"

Serena mentally counted the contestants as the host continued. "Four…five…six…" she thought. "What did he mean that it was a good thing? I guess I have to count on Clemont and Brock now."

"And now we have Leaf and Alain attaining the last two spots with the Gyarados they somehow caught!" he finished off to both the roar and disappointment of the crowd.

"Oh," Serena said.

"You got a GYARADOS?" Clemont said, his jaw unhinged. "Aren't they some of the heaviest Pokémon? How did you lift it up?"

"And now for the bracket," he said. He waved his arm, and a Smeargle trotted onto the stage. Dabbing his tail into a paint bucket, he slathered a rough looking bracket onto a canvas.

"It looks like I'm against Alain in the first round," said Brock.

"And I'll be against the winner of that in the second round, assuming I win," Clemont said.

"Serena! You better win your first round match!" Mairin said. "You'll be facing me in the second round!"

Serena nodded. She would be against someone called Jessica in the first round, then Mairin, and then whoever won on the other side of the bracket.

"Now there's a special twist to this tournament," the announcer said. "You'll only be allowed one Pokémon, the same Pokémon, throughout all three round of the single-elimination rounds. Also, your Pokémon won't be able to heal between rounds! The competitors with the lowest score choose their Pokémon first. Now, Miss Leaf and Mr. Alain, which Pokémon do you choose—"

"The answer is obvious," Alain said. "I'll use Charizard."

His Pokémon roared behind him, letting out a stream of fire into the sky. His wings flexed outwards, straining and showing his impressive muscles.

"Isn't that the Alain who made the quarterfinals of the Omega Conference?" an onlooker said.

"Right! And it was a close loss, too!"

"Isn't he so dreamy?" a girl said, letting out a long sigh as her head rested in her arms. "I was cheering for him all the way through."

"Don't get your hopes up," another girl said, presumably her friend. "It looks like he's taken by that girl with the white hat."

"EXCUSE ME," Serena said rather loudly. "I am not his boyfriend! Do you hear that? Not. His. Boyfriend."

"Who will you be using?" Alain said, ignoring the conversation. Pulling her head back, she ran through her options.

"I can't use Braixen," Serena thought. "Or Pancham. Sylveon will be good against Mega Charizard, but I have to keep in mind the other competitors. Who will Mairin be using? Flabébé perhaps? Then Sylveon won't be good against her..."

"Pika," Pikachu said.

"Pikachu? You want to battle?"

"Pika!" Pikachu said, raising an arm.

"I'll be using Pikachu then," Serena called out to the host.

The rest of the contestants chose their Pokémon. Jessica opted for her Arbok, Mairin decided to use Chespin, and Clemont and Brock were using Luxray and Croagunk respectively. Proceeding to the center of the bridge, which apparently had Pokémon battlefields etched into the road, Serena looked at her opponent.

"Arbok, I choose you!" Jessica said, tossing out the Pokéball.

"Go Jessie! Go Jessie!" said the reporter behind her. "I meant, go Jessica! Go Jessica!"

"Pikachu, you're up," Serena said, pointing the field. Pikachu was already one step ahead of her, glaring at the Arbok.

"Poison Sting!" Jessie said.

"Iron Tail them away!"

The Arbok spat multiple purple cones at Pikachu. While Pikachu dodged the first couple, he couldn't avoid all of them—but he was able to swat them with his glowing tail.

"That blasted Pikachu!" said the dwarf behind Jessica. "

"Pikachu, use Electro Ball!" Serena said.

"Wrap! Quickly!" Jessica shrieked.

Arbok was hit by the Electro Ball. However, that didn't deter the snake from using Wrap. Faint charges of electricity coursing through Arbok's body, he trapped Pikachu in his embrace.

"Pikachu! Thunderbolt!" Serena said.

"Pi ka…chu!" Pikachu said, shocking the Arbok. The poison Pokémon's skeleton flickered as he was shocked, finally letting go when he couldn't take it.

"Finish it off!" Serena said. "Quick Attack!"

"Arbok! You can continue!" Jessica said. "Poison Sting!"

The two attacks collided at the time time—Pikachu slammed into Arbok's head while being hit by a Poison Sting. Arbok fell to the ground while Pikachu leaped back, unsteady of his feet.

"And Leaf wins with her Pikachu!" the referee said, raising a flag.

"Pikachu! Are you okay?" Serena said, rushing over.

Pikachu responded with a vague "Pika" before a purple bubble popped out of his mouth.

"Unlucky!" the announcer said. "Pikachu was poisoned! Will he be able to last the rest of the tournament?"

Serena cradled Pikachu in her arms. "Pikachu? Are you alright? Can you continue fighting?"

"My my, I'm sorry my Arbok put your Pikachu in such a sorry state," Jessica said, walking up to them. "Do you mind if we treat him?"

"E-excuse me," the referee said, holding up a hand. "You can't give any medicine or berries to the Pokémon in between rounds.

"Oh no, we're just giving him a massage," the reporter said, reaching for Pikachu. Pikachu was too tired to resist.

"Jessica's massage techniques are renowned throughout the world," said the dwarf. "They can heal paralysis, burns, and even poisons."

"I'm sure it'll be fine," Serena said, starting a little tug-o-war fight with the reporter. Pikachu just moaned as he was passed back and forth.

"Please, we insist," the dwarf said, also putting his hands on Pikachu. By now it was turning into a rapid back and forth. "We got Ash's Pikachu in this situation in the first place."

"Ash's Pikachu?" Serena said, her pulling stopping. "How do you know that he's Ash's Pikachu?"

Jessica and the reporter looked at the dwarf who let out a nervous "Uh…"

"The plan's busted! Begin the motto!" Jessica said.

"Right. If you say 'How do you know that he's Ash's Pikachu?'" a catlike Pokémon said.

"Prepare for trouble!" said the all-too-familiar female voice.

"And make it double!" said the also recognizable male voice.

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all peoples within our nation!"

"To stand by the evils of love and truth!"

"The lovely, charmy, villains!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"The pair from Team Rocket soars through the galaxy!"

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"

"Meowth! That's right!"

"Woooobbuffet!"

"That's Team Rocket!" Clemont said, stopping his Pokémon battle and running over. The Team Rocket trio had thrown off their costumes, revealing their usual white uniforms.

"Team Rocket? Who's Team Rocket?" said the announcer.

"They're bad people who steal Pokémon!" Serena said.

"And now it's time to steal Pikachu!" said Jessie. She tossed a black smoke-cube onto the ground, spraying the black smoke everywhere. Serena could feel her limbs weaken as she collapsed.

"And we'll be taking the yellow rat brat from you," Meowth said. She could just barely make out his gas mask as Pikachu was snagged from her unwilling grip.

When the smoke cleared, Team Rocket was far off in the distance, the trio pushing aside tournament spectators and fishermen. Pikachu shot off jolts of lightning every once in a while, but James just cackled—he was wearing rubber gloves.

Serena started moving, but then she collapsed, her muscles aching.

"Move!" she thought to herself. "Why can't I move? My Pokémon can move after they've been hit again and again. Why am I so weak?"

"Don't get up. You'll hurt yourself," a voice said. Serena looked up to see who put his hand her shoulder. It was Alain. He was riding his Charizard, the massive beast's scales a pitch black and blue fire exhaling out of his mouth and nostrils.

"Charizard," Alain said, gripping his Pokémon's neck. "Time to use Blast Burn."

Roaring again, blue fire surrounded the Charizard. Alain didn't seem bothered, however, while the flames licked his clothes and skin. Charizard then punched the ground, sending a wave of energy which cracked and ripped the earth above it.

"That fire is approaching us, is it?" Meowth said.

"Faster! Run faster!" James said, lifting Pikachu up high while his legs rotated like stilts.

"It's catching up! It's catching up!" Jessie shrieked.

And then there was the massive explosion. The ground tearing under Team Rocket, it blew up in a massive ball of energy that gave the Rocket trio no chance.

"Pikachu!" Serena said. She was able to dig one foot into the ground, sliding her body forwards. Stretching outwards, she caught Pikachu by the tips of her fingers.

"You know, that was quicker than usual," James said, arms crossed as he sailed through the air.

"It almost makes me miss Pikachu's Thunderbolts," Jessie said, nodding.

"Y'know, next time it's probably not a good idea to attack the twerps in public," Meowth said.

"And we're blasting off again!" they all said, disappearing in a twinkling white star.

"Wooobbbuuffeet!"

"Well, uh, that was, how should I put this, different?" the announcer said, blinking in the direction of the flying Team Rocket. "Is your Pikachu okay?"

Serena rubbed Pikachu's head, and the mouse let out a small moan. "No, he can't fight," Serena said. The pain was starting to disappear from her legs as she stood up.

"That's unfortunate, but you're out of the competition then," the announcer said, frowning. "I'm sorry."

"Sir, please no, this is really important, I have to see Bill and—"

"Don't worry about it," said Clemont. Serena turned to see the boy touching the bridge of his glasses. "You don't have to do everything alone, Serena. And besides, I should be the one to save my sister."

Clemont faced Alain, the latter who was still riding his Charizard. "You've won your first match too, right? Luxray and I will be facing you with all we got!"

"I wouldn't prefer it any other way," Alain said. He wasn't looking at Clemont.