Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon, or any other property in this work that I did not make myself.

Pokémon: Sinnoh no Isekai

Chapter One-hundred and eighty-three: Alain's Actions

The heroes were resting at a Pokémon Center on the way through their journey through the Kalos region. Outside behind the Pokémon Center, the reborn trainers were helping to work with Ash's Greninja to try and get a hang of its special transformation. As a side note, Sawyer was there as well and watching as Dawn, Kenny, and Trip had Ash's Greninja spar with Leni, Cell, and Veda, all three of which were Mega Evolved.

"So Ash's Greninja has a special transformation it can assume?" Sawyer asked.

Turning to look at where Sawyer sat on the sidelines with Clemont, Serena, and Bonnie, Dawn explained, "Yes. And we're trying to help Ash and his Greninja train so that they can not only master that power, but be able to call upon it at will maybe."

Kenny, his arms folded over his chest, said, "The transformation that Ash's Greninja has looks comparable to a Mega Evolution from where the lads and I stand. Hence why we're having our Pokémon who can Mega Evolve spar with Ash's Greninja."

"We figure that if Ash's Greninja spars with Mega Evolved opponents enough," Trip spoke up, "It might be the push it needs to master its awesome power."

Pointing right ahead, Dawn called out, "Leni, use Aura Sphere!"

"Greninja, Double Team!" Ash called out. Ash's Greninja conjured doppelgangers of itself, but the Aura Sphere conjured and cast by the named Mega Evolved Lucario flew right at the real Greninja. Ash, getting alarmed upon seeing that Aura Sphere was about to hit Greninja, called out, "Counter with Water Shuriken!" Greninja then conjured and threw a bunch of Water Shurikens at the oncoming Aura Sphere, making both attacks blow up into one another, creating a massive dark smoke cloud from the resulting explosion.

...

Alain, the Mega Charizard X user, was wondering around the town near the Pokémon Center that the heroes were at. He was looking at his Mega Ring, hoping it would react to the presence of Mega Evolution using Pokémon nearby. Alain was very worried, especially since he hasn't heard from, or been able to contact, Lysandre in quite some time. That worried Alain, especially as Lysandre and his men were looking after Mairin and her named Chespin Chespie, who was currently comatose.

Alain decided that he'd just focus on finding trainers who can Mega Evolve their Pokémon so he could challenge them. As he thought about that, the explosion made by Ash's Greninja countering an Aura Sphere went off, drawing Alain's attention. Alain looked over in that direction, and furthermore his Mega Ring went off in a way that told him there were Mega Evolution capable Pokémon in that direction. This prompted Alain to make a beeline straight for where the heroes were at.

...

Over at the Pokémon Center, Ash's Greninja landed, its Double Team doppelgangers having all been busted. "Greninja is doing well, Ash," Dawn remarked.

"Yeah, I'll say!" Ash declared, "And we're in it to win it! Right, Greninja?"

"NINJA!" Ash's Greninja cried out, right before the torrent of water formed around it as it transformed into its special transformation, although the water torrent still cloaked it from view.

Clapping his hands together, Trip said, "Well alright! We got a transformation here! Now all we have to do is-"

Trip was then cut off when he and the others heard the familiar (to the reborn trainers at least, thanks to knowledge from their previous lives) voice of Alain speak up, "Hold it!" Everyone then saw it as Alain ran over to them, his eyes firmly on Ash's transformed Greninja. Alain took a look at his Mega Ring, but it didn't respond to Ash's Greninja in the least. Lowering his Mega Ring, Alain said, "Who owns the transformed Greninja?"

"That would be me," Ash replied as Greninja's transformation came undone since the battle was interrupted.

Throwing his hands up into the air, Kenny said, "Great! That's just great! We made some progress in helping Ash's Greninja learn to master using his Persona, but before we can get further, some guy who is clearly trying way too hard to be one of those 'cool older bro' types crashes the party and puts a stopper to the training!"

To his credit, Alain did look like he felt guilty. "I apologize for interrupting, but I have my reasons."

...

After officially deciding to take a break, the heroes and Sawyer sat down to have some lunch. Not only did Kenny make his famous camp out curry, but Trip having shaken the rust off of his culinary muscles also made food, proving that men can cook just as well as the ladies. As everyone ate, Alain filled the heroes in on who he was and what he was up to. "So you're a trainer researching Mega Evolution," Dawn said, "And part of said research involves you having your Charizard that you can Mega Evolve into Mega Charizard X battle one of each other Mega Evolved Pokémon."

As Alain nodded in agreement, Kenny said, "So what all have you, a mildly edgy guy clearly trying way too hard to be the cool older brother type, done so far in your efforts to learn more about the secrets of Mega Evolution?"

"Actually right now," Alain said, "I'm gathering intel about Mega Evolution capable Pokémon at the behest of my employer Lysandre, who's looking after a young girl I'm mentoring named Mairin. Mairin's Chespin has fallen into a coma and hasn't woken up yet."

"Let me guess," Kenny said, a hint of suspicion in his tone, "Some jerk nozzle in need of a redemption arc got super steamed at Mairin so he had one of his Pokémon beat Mairin's Chespin into a coma."

Giving Kenny a wry and mildly confused look, Alain said, "Umm... no. I'm... not quite sure where you got that from. Mairin's Chespin just got really sick after some exposure to something I can't go into detail for due to classified intel, and then fell into a coma as a result."

Turning to look at Kenny, Sawyer asked, "Alain's got a point. Kenny, where in blazes did you get the bit from about a jerk nozzle and a... redemption arc? Is that what you called it?"

"It's..." Ash began, his tone and expression showing he knew what Kenny was talking about, "...A bit much to get into right now." Turning to look at Alain, Ash as his expression softened asked, "Do you have any details on how Mairin and her Chespin are doing?"

Alain gently shook his head. "Actually, no. I haven't gotten any word from them in a while. I've received no contact from Lysandre, and I'm unable to reach him. I don't know what's going on, but I'm assuming he's just super busy at the moment. The most I can do is hope for the best for Mairin and her Chespin."

Dawn had a worried expression of concern on her face. Thanks to knowledge from her previous life, Dawn knew that Lysandre is actually the head of Team Flare. However, Dawn and the rest of the heroes have yet to encounter any hostile Team Flare members, and the one Team Flare member that they did find so far was found laying dead in the deepest reaches of Terminus Cave. Dawn, from that plus Alain's testimony thus far, had reason to believe that Team Flare had run afoul of another party that does not quite feel like having to share with others.

Turning to look at Alain, Dawn asked, "Do you have any idea where your employer Lysandre is at? What about the location this Mairin girl and her Chespin?"

Once more, Alain gently shook his head. "I have no clue. All I know is that Lysandre is keeping a watchful eye over Mairin and her Chespin, so at least I know that they're all safe." Looking to the heroes, Alain went on, "As worried as I am about Mairin and her Chespin, I have to trust in Lysandre that he's looking after them, I have to continue doing research into Pokémon who can Mega Evolve." After that, Alain turned his attention to Ash. "That's... part of why I had run in and gotten everyones' attention during the battle with your Mega Greninja. I wasn't even aware that Greninja could Mega Evolve, and it's clear you're doing it without a Key Stone or the right Mega Stone."

"Umm... Greninja can't Mega Evolve," Ash said, "His transformation is some sort of phenomena that we're still trying to figure out. But I can't quite blame you for thinking it was a Mega Evolution. It does give off vibes like that."

"Would it be alright if my Charizard had a battle against your Greninja?" Alain asked.

Ash gave an appreciative smile. "I'd love to, but my Greninja is still a bit winded from our training with Dawn's Lucario, Kenny's Scizor, and Trip's Abomasnow."

Alain nodded once in understanding. "Very well. It wouldn't be fair, or fun, if I came in fresh while you went in still winded. But perhaps maybe later? I am kind of interested in getting to see the mysterious, Mega Evolution-esque transformation of your Gre-"

*Ba-ling ba-ling* *Ba-ling ba-ling*

Alain was cut off when he heard a phone go off, so he reached into a pocket on his pants, fished out a phone, and answered a call that he was receiving. "Hello?" Alain said, "This is Al... MAIRIN!" Alain suddenly getting surprised caught the heroes by surprise as Alain got up from his seat. It would seem that Alain was being contacted by that Mairin girl he was talking about. "Mairin, I am SO sorry about how our last time seeing one another went down," Alain said, "I did not mean to snap at you like how I had back... your Chespin had been recovered? Mairin, that's wonderful ne... what?"

Alain looked at the rest of the heroes, gave them a considering look. "...Tell me where you're at, I'll come right for you," Alain replied, "...Okay. I'll see you soon." Alain then ended the call and turned to look at the heroes. "Well good news, Mairin has popped up," Alain said, "And furthermore her Chespin's been treated."

"...What's the bad news?" Trip asked.

"Mairin..." Alain began, "...Incurred a bit of a debt as a result of her Chespin being treated. I'm heading right over to bail her out. I'm just glad Mairin turned up and both she and her Chespin are okay."

As Alain got up and left, Clemont asked, "You want us to come alo-"

"This is something of a personal matter to me," Alain interrupted, "I must handle it alone."

"...Mairin is like your kid sister, isn't she?" Kenny asked, as if sensing something about Alain's reasons.

"...Yes," Alain replied, "She's young enough to be my kid sister. Maybe even a baby sister. I guess some manner of protective instinct had been awoken in me to drive me to do what I can for Mairin."

Kenny nodded not only in understanding, but also approval. "Well that helps to explain why you're giving off vibes you're trying way too hard to be a cool older brother type. You got a sweet little sister type to look after."

Clemont likewise nodded in understanding and approval. "Mairin needs you, Alain. Go help her." Alain didn't turn back to face the heroes, but he did give a single nod that conveyed thanks before he left.

After Alain was gone, Bonnie asked, "You think Mairin and her Chespin are okay?"

Dawn, an unsure look on her face, gently shook her head in the negative. "...No clue."

...

(UNKNOWN LOCATION, KALOS REGION)

Alain strode through a front lobby area of a place that was occupied by Team Scorn; not only was there a large artwork of the insignia behind the front reception desk, but there were no less than half a dozen male grunts in the room. "Whoa whoa whoa, buddy," the first male grunt said to Alain as he got up to him, "The hell do you think you're doing just waltzin' right into the place?"

"A young girl is here that asked me to come," Alain said firmly, "Her name is Mairin."

"Oh yeah, the girl with the Chespin," the second male grunt said, "You must be Alain then." After Alain gave a single affirmative nod, the second grunt gestured for Alain to follow him while saying, "Yeah, this way."

Alain felt very unsure about all of this, especially considering how deep into enemy territory he was. Still, Mairin was involved, so he forged on ahead. Alain allowed the male Scorn grunt to lead him further into the base. Looking around, Alain saw that the Scorn base, while properly set up, showed signs that it can be abandoned if the need to do so arose, even if it was at a moment's notice. Considering that Alain was not a member of Team Scorn, he figured this location was given away to him due to how, even if Alain blew the whistle on it, Team Scorn would be gone before the authorities showed up.

Eventually, Alain was led to a door that, opening it, revealed a moderately well appointed hospital recovery room. Inside was Mairin, her Chespin Chespie who indeed was happy and well again, as well as Team Scorn Admin Hero and his Admin's Assistant Asami. "So you're Alain," Hero said as the first thing to come out of his mouth upon meeting Alain.

"I take it I have you and your people to thank for treating Mairin's Chespin?" Alain asked, keeping his tone cool, neutral, business-like, as he addressed the head of Team Scorn's Shield Sector.

Hero gave an affirmative nod to Alain. "Let's cut to the chase. Lysandre and... certain fellows of his... are no longer a factor as it were. You'll be doing some leg work for Team Scorn, at least until some primary issues of business are handled. Then you and Mairin will be free to wash your hands of your association with us."

Alain's gaze narrowed a bit at Hero. "...What did you guys do to Lysandre?"

"Something that I'm loathe to talk openly about in front of young girls," Hero said, "I'd rather not have to give Asami here reason to have nightmares." Alain saw Hero gesture to Asami who stood next to him. Alain, although he knew full well Team Scorn wasn't to be trusted, could tell that Hero spoke from a place of genuine sincerity when he said he didn't want to cause any undue distress to Asami. Considering how much Alain is concerned for the safety of Mairin, and looking at her Alain saw that she was very much worried, he decided not to push Hero for answers there.

Instead, he got onto a different topic of interest. "...What is it that you would have me do?"

Hero gave a single nod of approval. "You catch on quick. That's good." Gesturing to Alain, Hero said, "I understand that you've been seen challenging trainers across Kalos who use Pokémon that they Mega Evolve, matching them with a Charizard that you can Mega Evolve into a Mega Charizard X. But I hope that your Charizard isn't the only Pokémon that you have in your party."

"It's my only one that I have the means to Mega Evolve," Alain answered, "But no, Charizard isn't the only Pokémon that I own. I have five others."

"A full party, good," Hero said, "Now let me ask you this. How strong do you see yourself as? Do you think that you can, if pushed to do so, earn eight Kalos gym badges in time to qualify for the Lumiose Conference?"

Alain was surprised by where this line of questioning was going. "...I can do so easily. Why?"

Pointing at Alain, Hero said, "I need you to earn eight Kalos gym badges in time to qualify for the Lumiose Conference so that you can compete. Additionally, you're to refrain from having any involvement in places where Pokémon Showcases are held, especially where the Master Class Showcase will be held."

Now Alain was getting more confused. He was to earn eight Kalos gym badges and get himself into the Lumiose Conference? And why is he being told specifically to refrain from bothering with the Pokémon Showcase scene? It didn't make any sense to him. But then again, Alain did get it that Team Scorn tended to be impossible for one to wrap their head around. "...Fair enough," Alain replied, "Anything else I have to do?"

"Well for starters, keep word of our new partnership here a secret," Hero began, "Not only would it be bad for Team Scorn, but also bad for you are you're now working for us. Second, keep an ear out for any jobs I have lined up for you. We'll... also be keeping an eye on the girl over there, so as to ensure you play nice." Looking over to where Mairin sat, Alain became infuriated that Team Scorn was now holding Mairin hostage. Still, he had to curb his anger. Alain could tell that it wouldn't be doing Mairin any good if he lost his temper here. Besides, Team Scorn was able to somehow fully restore Mairin's Chespin, so there's that.

Looking to Hero, Alain asked, "...Where do I begin?"

"I recall that Santalune City has a Pokémon gym that uses bug types," Hero replied, "With a Pokémon like Charizard, it should be an easy win for you."

After they had gotten over their meeting with Alain, and Sawyer broke off from them, the heroes continued their journey. Along the way, they came across an old robot planting seeds, and the robot was protected by a Chesnaught. The heroes got the lowdown from the grandson of the man who both owned the Chesnaught and built the robot, that the man who has since passed on was trying to revitalize the area they were in. When the robot broke down, Clemont used his scientific and inventive know how to restore the robot to brand new working condition. The heroes then took off after that.

Especially because Fleurrh City was just up ahead, and Serena needed to win her next Princess Key.

...

Although this would be the Showcase where Serena would try to earn her second Princess Key should she win, once more the reborn trainers and Ash had to skip out on seeing it due to the need to get Ash and his Greninja to master the special transformation power that Greninja has. The heroes' encounter with Alain had lit a fierce and burning fire under Ash to get to work on mastering Greninja's power.

When Bonnie pointed out that it wasn't considerate of the others to skip out on watching the Showcases that Serena takes part in, Kenny countered that the special transformation power that Greninja can use still hasn't been perfected, and Ash can't use it too hard or too much for very long without collapsing. Ash collapsing like that can be dangerous, especially if if occurs during a Team Scorn attack.

Serena, her care for Ash overriding any other objections, said that she understood full well that Ash needed to get a firm hold over this power his Greninja has. To his credit, Ash wished Serena the best of luck in her second showcase. As such, while Clemont and Bonnie went to the Showcase hall to watch Serena perform as hard as all get out, Ash and the reborn trainers hung back to help Ash train.

...

This time, the reborn trainers were mixing it up by having Ash's Greninja spar with Ieyasu and Godzilla while they were Mega Evolved; Trip still insisted on using Veda as his Mega Evolution capable Pokémon to spar with Ash's Greninja, despite Ash being aware Trip can also Mega Evolve his Sceptile. Dawn and Kenny both knew why Trip is so insistent on having Ash's Greninja spar with a Mega Abomasnow, so they assured Ash that Trip knew what he was doing. That was good enough for Ash, thus they got right back to Greninja's training to master its special transformation power.

"Hey, do you think that Serena will do fine?" Kenny asked, "I mean, she only has one out of three Princess Keys that she needs."

"I also heard that there's a girl entering the Fleurrh City Showcase with a shiny Dragonair," Trip remarked.

That instantly drew alarm from Dawn; Serena had lost Showcases she normally would have won because she faced off against someone using shiny Pokémon. Dawn did remember from the anime in her previous life that Serena won the Fleurrh City Showcase despite that handicap, but here shinies seem to triumph every time, even more so if they're fresh on the Showcase scene. "We just have to have faith in Serena is all," Dawn replied.

"The harder we work, the harder our faith will help Serena!" Ash declared, then with a yell he looked to be synchronizing with Greninja, triggering Greninja's special transformation power, although the torrent of water still cloaked Greninja and kept it from being seen clearly.

As Ash and Greninja cried out while synchronizing like that, Kenny exclaimed, "Holy geez! Ash yelling like he's about to go Super Saiyan seems to have a positive effect on triggering a transform-" Kenny stopped short when Ash suddenly gasped loudly, before falling to his knees and passing out. Similarly, Greninja also gasped loudly and fell to its knees before passing out. "Note to self," Kenny said as he, Dawn, and Trip went about tending to Ash and Greninja, "Discourage Ash from trying to go Super Saiyan to trigger Greninja's transformation power."

...

Sometime later, Ash came to while laying in bed in the Pokémon Center bunk room. When he opened his eyes, he saw that Dawn, Kenny, and Trip were looking over him while Clemont, Bonnie, and Serena stood in the background. "...I passed out again, didn't I?" Ash asked.

"After trying too hard to achieve the legend, yes," Kenny replied.

"Yeah, this incident is more reason for you guys to work with Ash to help him master Greninja's power," Clemont said, "Heck, I'm going to have to help out as well. I have no doubt that the power of science can help Ash and Greninja master the power forged by their bond."

Ash, looking right at Clemont, nodded once in understanding before sitting up in bed. Turning his head to look at Serena, Ash asked, "Since you're here, I'm guessing the Showcase is over, huh? How did you do?"

To Ash's surprise, Serena held up a new Princess Key. "I won," Serena said, looking and sounding less happy than she should, "It turned out that the girl I faced who had a shiny Dragonair had used it a few times already, so it lost some of its wow factor. Also, I got it that girl had a bit of a snobbish attitude. That didn't help her all that much either."

"Ochaco when she competed showed she was just excited to compete at all," Trip remarked, "A severe lack of snobby attitude to be sure."

Ash, remembering that he had to take it easy since he did just wake up from passing out during training, smiled and gently clapped his hands. "Well alright Serena," Ash said, "You got two Princess Keys. Just one more and you're set to enter the Master Class Showcase."

"There's... a problem with that, Ash," Serena said, "All remaining Rookie Class Showcases are too far away for us to get to and still get our group over to Snowbelle City in a reasonable time frame so you can earn the badge there." Serena, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes, said, "As much as I want to get into the Master Class Showcase, I don't want it at the expense of you potentially missing out on qualifying in time for the Lumiose Conference. I... I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I got to achieve my goal at the cost of-"

*knock* *knock*

"Champion Dawn? You still in there?"

Serena was cut off when there was a knock at the door leading into the bunk room, followed by Nurse Joy calling into the room. Seeing that the call was for her, Dawn got up and opened the door, seeing Nurse Joy and, surprisingly enough, Monsieur Pierre. some hushed words between the three led Dawn to step out of the bunk room temporarily. The rest of the heroes waited in silence for a few moments, during which time Bonnie tried to comfort and reassure Serena, who was clearly upset that she wouldn't be able to qualify for the Master Rank Showcase in time unless Ash (as well as Kenny and Trip) gave up wanting to qualify in time for the Lumiose Conference because of the backtracking that would be necessary for Serena's dreams.

After about a minute and a half of silent waiting, Dawn walked back into the room, holding a fancy parchment envelope with a ribbon and wax seal on it. Dawn closed the door behind her, then sat down where she had originally been sitting before opening the parchment envelope, breaking the wax seal in the process. "What does it say, Dawn?" Clemont asked.

"And why was that Pierre guy who hosts Showcases there with Nurse Joy?" Kenny asked, catching Serena's attention given that Kenny mentioned Pierre was there; her back was turned as she was hunched over slightly to cry, so she didn't see Pierre.

Dawn took the letter out of the envelope, unfolded it, and read it over. "...To the esteemed Dawn Berlitz, Champion of the Sinnoh region," Dawn said as she read the letter aloud, "You are cordially invited as a VIP to attend and watch the Champion's Favor Pokémon Showcase that will be hosted in Sojourn City."

"Champion's Favor Pokémon Showcase?" Kenny said, sounding confused.

Trip got out a town map and looked at it. "...Sojourn City in along the way to Snowbelle City. We can hit it up on the way to get the last gym badges without having to backtrack."

Looking at the fancy letter and envelope, Dawn remarked, "Considering the fancy get up of this invite, I feel that turning the invite down would be kind of a bad move." Tiurning to look at Serena, Dawn said, "Well it turns out that you still have a shot to qualify for the Master Class Showcase after all, Serena."

END, CHAPTER ONE-HUNDRED AND EIGHTY-THREE

Author's notes;

Yeah, this chapter covers the heroes formally meeting Alain. Alain has slightly different motivations here, as well as slightly different concerns, but still he's ultimately more or less the same. That... may change given that Team Scorn took over owning his employment contract also they're holding Mairin and her Chespin hostage, but for now Alain will be following the formula of gathering gym badges in Kalos in order to qualify for the Lumiose Confernece, as per the request of Admin Hero.

After that, a filler episode is skimmed over in favor of getting right to Serena winning the Fleurrh City Showcase, earning her second Princess Key here, something the reborn trainers and Ash don't get to see because they're still trying to help Ash get a firm hold over Greninja's transformation power. Ash passes out and wakes up to the good news that Serena won, despite an opponent fielding a shiny Pokémon.

However, as the Fleurrh City Showcase is canonically the last one Serena takes part in before the Master Class Showcase, and Serena here is one key shy, an original Showcase had to be developed. That's where the Champion's Favor Pokémon Showcase, held in story-original location Sojourn City, comes in; more details will come in the next chapter, but long story short is that Serena has one more chance to show what she's got.

As a side note, Alain's bit took up more than what I was expecting, so the adapting of where Ash's Noibat evolves into Noivern (Dawn's Noibat is also planned to evolve into Noivern at the same time) had to be pushed off until the next chapter. So spoiler alert on that. But I won't spoil what else will happen in that time frame. That would be too spoiling, and that would not be good at all. See you all in the next chapter.

Dawn's Pokémon: (on hand) Chi-Chi (female Infernape), Tobias (Darkrai), Germany (male Garchomp), Ieyasu (male Aerodactyl), Leni (female Lucario), Tsukune (Palkia)

Kenny's Pokémon: (on hand) Roshi (male Torterra), Cell (male Scizor; shiny), Goofy (male Houndoom), Shallot (male Glaceon), Godzilla (male Tyranitar), Black (Giratina; Origin Form)

Trip's Pokémon: (on hand) Fourze (male Electivire), Veda (female Abomasnow), Myde (male Empoleon), Kululu (male Greninja), Deelia (Dialga), Todoroki (male Goodra; alpha; Hisuian)

Ash's Pokémon: (on hand) Pikachu (male), Goodra (male), Steelix (male; shiny), Greninja (male), Noibat (male), Charizard (male)