Ash winced when a beam of light from between the window covers struck his eyelids, awakening him from his slumber. He groggily leaned his head away from the offending light and looked about the hotel room. The bed besides his own was empty, and the mattress made. There was no trace of Riley or Lucario, nor any of their belongings. Ash sighed, wishing that Riley had woken him so they could have said their goodbyes.

He sat up with a groan, smiling upon seeing Pikachu curled up on his legs. Gently, he stirred his partner. "Let's get a move on," He said. "Today's the day we really start bringing peace back to the world." Pikachu, in his groggy state, looked at him oddly. He glanced over to a clock that read '5:45,' then back to Ash incredulously. Ash swiftly got out of bed, earning a yelp from Pikachu as the mouse was dragged off the blanket and onto the floor.

The eager Ash blitzed throughout the room as swift as a bolt of lightning as he readied himself for the new day, changing into his usual outfit and gathering his belongings. Allowing a semi-annoyed Pikachu to hop onto his shoulder, Ash burst out of the room. He first noticed, as he peered down at the floors far below, was that even this early in the morning, there were hundreds of people moving about Star Towers. The same could not be said for his friends, who he sensed were all still fast asleep.

"Whaddya say, Pikachu?" Asked Ash with a mischievous grin. "How about we wake the others?" Pikachu sighed once more, knowing he didn't actually have a say in the matter. One by one, Ash pounded his fists on their doors, eliciting a number of either shocked cries or annoyed groans from them. Usually both. The first to emerge was, naturally, Misty.

"What do you think you're doing?!" She demanded, still clad in pajamas. "It's not even 6AM, and even then it wouldn't be okay!"

Serena, rubbing her tired eyes and yawning, added, "It's way too early for this, Ash… Let's go back to bed."

A grinning Ash shook his head. "Not a chance! Adventure waits for no one, you know~!"

Paul sighed, shaking his head. "You never cease to find new ways to be annoying, even now."

"Better get used to it," Said Gary with a chuckle. "I've been dealing with it my whole life!"

Grumbling, Misty began making her way back to her room. "Well, the rest of us will deal with it in four hours, thank you very much." She tried to slam the door, but Ash caught it just in time.

Misty glared at him, opening her mouth to give him an earful, but Ash spoke first. "Some Pokemon might not have that time, you know." That made Misty stop in her tracks. "There are probably many that are in the hands of poachers and Team Rocket right now," Added Ash, "And four hours could be the deciding factor between capture and freedom."

"...That's not fair," Misty said with a pout and succumbing to his logic. Still, she was quick to add, "You probably just want to get back to travelling anyways…"

Ash chuckled. "Well...you're not wrong, but I meant what I said." He went to Misty and Serena's side and turned toward the others, his grin failing to fade in the slightest. "So," Asked Ash, "Are you all ready to go?" His grin immediately fell upon seeing that the others had already returned to their rooms. "Wha…?"

Serena placed her hand upon his shoulder gently, and as Ash turned to her, he saw that Misty had followed the example of everyone else. "Don't worry," She said reassuringly. "They're probably just getting ready." The young woman ruffled her own messy hair and giggled. "Which is something I probably should be doing too, so you and those hypothetical Pokemon will unfortunately have to wait." With that, she went into her room and closed the door, leaving Ash and Pikachu all alone.

Ash's precious four hours later and the group emerged from the base of Star Towers and were surrounded by the crowd of bustling workers that raced in and out of the large building. Unable to hear one another over the crowd, they silently nodded to one another and began hastily stepping down the stairs. As they passed a dark alleyway, Ash sensed that someone was observing them, but when he looked toward them, they ran away.

"What's up?" Asked Gary, looking at the alleyway in question. "Was there someone there?"

Nodding, Ash replied, "Yeah, but they ran away when I looked at them."

"Odd," Remarked Alain. "Do you think that they were Team Rocket?"

Ash shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe." He scowled in annoyance. "I should have sensed their intentions before they left."

The prospect of them already being hunted down made Dawn shudder, which May took note of. Attempting to ease her trepidation, May piped up. "Maybe it was just a shy fan? There are probably a lot of those around here."

"Whoever or whatever it was," Started Misty, "I doubt that Team Rocket, unless we're dealing with those three, is dumb enough to attack us in the middle of a crowded city."

Paul scowled at the now-empty alleyway. "But those Nova Division guys might. We don't know what they're like, or what they might do if they were desperate enough." His comment made Dawn tense up, much to May's chagrin. Paul motioned with the nudge of his head for everyone to leave. "I don't doubt our combat abilities, especially after…" He cleared his throat. "All that's happened, so we could probably win, but there are way too many people here that could get hurt."

Ash was unsurprised to hear something so analytical from Paul, but even though he knew the guy had gone under some transformation or other after the war, hearing him genuinely care for the wellbeing of others was still jarring. Gary piped up, replying, "Ah, so we head outta the city instead."

"Well, we were heading out anyways," Said Ash. His eyes went white for a brief moment as he sensed their surroundings. When his eyes returned to normal, he pointed past the others. "That way's the northern exit and the way to Ecruteak City. It's where we were headed anyways, so it works out." The others nodded and began walking, wading through the crowd toward the exit with their pursuer weighing heavily on their minds.

As the group walked through the golden city, Ash noticed that Dawn still appeared nervous. To take everyone's minds off of Team Rocket, he decided to make conversation. "So Misty," He said, catching their attention, "Do you know why Brock didn't come? I expected he of all people would be raring to help with the recovery effort."

Misty looked to the ground sadly. "Brock was kept up at home. His father...never returned from the war, so he was charged with raising his siblings again."

Ash and the others winced. Stories like that were a dime a dozen nowadays, but still, it never hurt any less to hear it. "That's awful!" Remarked Serena. She took out the Boulderbadge she received from the old man. It was her first ever Gym Badge. To hear that Flint, the man who kickstarted the second era of her journey in a sense, was dead...it made her feel sick.

The redhead nodded. "From what I know, the guy was rarely around for his family, but still…" She shook her head, turning to Ash once more. "It's been a while since I heard from him, and he sounded terrible when we spoke. He'd been using the Gym as a way to support his family, but…"

"Now that isn't possible anymore," Alain finished for her. "Without trainer confidence, the Gyms have all but shut down, and without Gyms, it probably won't be long until Trainers disappear forever." He balled his hands into fists, gritting his teeth. "But our world is practically ran on the trainer system. Without it, people's lives are just going to get worse."

The ebony-clad trainer shook his head and let his tense posture loosen. "There are too many stories I've heard similar to Brock's. And…" He couldn't help but envision Mairin as she ran to him with tears in her eyes after he returned to Kalos when the war ended. "There doesn't need to be any more." He looked over his shoulder, glaring into the nearest alleyway. "Team Rocket, those selfish monsters, are standing in the way of peace returning."

Ash sensed that he was fuming, practically itching to get his hands on their pursuer. He placed a hand on Alain's shoulder, allowing his Aura to calm him. "I know what you mean," He said. "I can't wait to put an end to them too. I just wish I'd known about what they were doing sooner."

May's head perked up at that. "That reminds me…" She stepped beside Ash, leering at him passively. Still, it was more than enough to make him uncomfortable. "What have you been up to since Necrozma? I haven't heard a thing about you until today! You didn't call any of us and Pallet Town was blocked off for you!"

Everyone stopped in their tracks suddenly, eager to hear this story as well. "It was blocked off?" Asked Ash, genuinely surprised.

A chuckling Gary clapped his arm around the back of Ash's neck. "What, you seriously didn't know? The whole world, or what was left of it, was geared up to get a look at the place that raised you. There were so many tourists trying to get in that the Officer Jenny's had to block off Route 1 for weeks!" Ash was flabbergasted into silence, earning another laugh from his age-old rival.

"Anyways," Said Gary, "Ash here was just lazin' around most days. Spending time with his mom, playing with his Pokemon, stuff like that."

When Ash saw the looks everyone else was giving him, he quickly added, "I was helping around the lab too!" He playfully shoved Gary off of him, making Gary snicker. "Besides," Continued Ash, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment, "I thought that we had already achieved peace. I just wanted to...live in it for a while, y'know? I was going to call you all eventually, but then I got Mr. Star's letter."

"I thought that we had already achieved peace," Repeated a grumbling Paul, shaking his head. "Didn't we all?" He turned away from the others toward where they had been walking. "Well, you're here now. Let's just get moving and fix this whole mess."

Unable and unwilling to argue, the others nodded and continued onward. A few minutes of pushing through the endless crowd later, Dawn piped up, asking, "H-hey, Ash?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you...sense the person f-following us?"

Deciding to find that out for himself, the pupils of Ash's eyes flashed white, and he was made aware of every individual around them...which didn't end up helping him at all. There were so many people around them that he couldn't distinguish one from another. Extending his sensory range all across the city only made it worse with all the thousands of people walking about.

"It's no use," Ash replied, shaking his head and returning his gaze to normal. "There are too many people around, and I didn't have time to sense the guy before he ran away."

Dawn nodded, though she still appeared disturbed about their pursuer. "O-okay. It's f-fine, Ash."

Ash glanced at her sadly. Every time she spoke like that, he felt a pang of guilt for being unable to help her condition. The new Dawn was a far cry from the one he'd journeyed across Sinnoh with, and it made him feel utterly terrible to no end. The old days where she would tell him that there was no need to worry were long gone. "I'll help you, Dawn," He swore under his breath. "I swear it."

It wasn't long after that the group found themselves at New Goldenrod's edge, facing the emerald plains that stretched out as far as the eye could see. The group threw one last glance behind them at the city apprehensively, then crossed through the city's gate. After distancing themselves from the city for fear of being overheard by whoever was pursuing them, the group took refuge in the midst of a small cluster of trees.

"So what now?" Asked Paul. "I don't think we're being followed anymore, so what do we do about these missions? Mr. Star didn't exactly give us any instructions."

Ash reached into his bag and pulled out the watch-like device he and the others received from the old man, wrapping onto his wrist with a loud metallic click. "I was thinking we'd use these." He tapped the large screen, causing the holographic image of Mr. Star's secretary Alice to appear.

The holographic alice bowed to Ash and said, "Hello, Master Ash. How may I assist you today?"

'Master?' Everyone collectively thought, giving the hologram—and Ash—odd looks.

"Well," Said a slightly-red Ash upon noticing the glances he was getting, "You can just call me Ash for starters."

"Understood," Chimed the hologram. "You may call me Holo-Alice. Mr. Star has created me for the purpose of aiding you all in your missions, but you already knew that."

"Didn't Mr. Star call you Secretary Bot before?" He shook his head to dispel the question, instead asking, "Speaking of which, can you call him? We want to know what our first mission is exactly."

"I apologize," Replied Holo-Alice, "But I cannot do that. Mr. Star is currently still asleep." Ash could feel the icy glares from everyone without even looking up to see them. Misty especially. "However," She continued, "This mission's details have been prepared in advance, and I am permitted to relay them to you."

Alain narrowed his eyes at the device. "It reminds me of Lysandre's Holo Caster."

The hologram blinked away for a moment, reappearing to face Alain. "I was created with similar technology, but in his disgust for Lysandre's actions, Mr. Star made sure to differentiate his product from Lysandre's by creating me." Alain was taken aback by the hologram's ability to turn itself toward him, but nodded to it without a further word. It nodded to him, then turned back toward Ash.

"Now then," It said, "We will first divide you into two randomized teams." The image of Holo-Alice was replaced with four holographic images of the gathered trainers and the header, 'Team 1,' above them. "Ash will be paired with Gary, Serena and Paul." The same happened for Team 2. "The other team will consist of Misty, May, Dawn and Alain."

Ash and Serena looked at Paul oddly, earning an exasperated sigh from him and a chuckle from Gary. "Never thought I'd be travelling with you, Ashy-boy," Jeered Gary.

An excited May wrapped her arms around Dawn, causing the latter to gasp before the two devolved into a fit of giggling. Misty watched on, laughing as well at their antics. Alain was less than pleased with the outcome, however. "Why am I the only guy on my team?"

Interrupting them, Holo-Alice continued. "Now then. Team 1's mission goes as follows:" Holographic text appeared in her place, but her voice remained to read it aloud. "A minor Team Rocket hideout has been made out of the Burned Tower of Ecruteak City. Flush them out and capture them. Mr. Star's men will then hand them over to the authorities."

"The Burned Tower?" Asked Misty. "Why would they use that?"

Holo-Alice replied, "It is theorized that they are lying in wait in an attempt to capture one of the Beasts of Johto, as their most common sightings are typically in that location."

Alain furrowed his brow in thought. "They're only a minor group, yet they're attempting to capture a Legendary Pokemon?"

Chuckling, Ash said, "Well, it isn't the first time certain members of Team Rocket have been dumb enough to try something like that."

"That may have been the Team Rocket you knew," Said Paul, "But you've been out of action for five months. They may be a bigger threat now to the point that they could get away with using only a small group."

Ash crossed his arms. "That is a...fair point actually. Using those three as a benchmark probably isn't a good reference point to go off of."

"Those three?" Asked Alain. "You mean those weirdos with the giant Meowth robot?"

Serena sighed. "Yeah, that's them, alright. They're usually more of an annoyance than actual threats."

"We're getting off track," Interjected Paul. He turned his sights back upon Holo-Alice and asked, "What's the mission for Team 2?"

Bowing once again, Holo-Alice replied, "Yes, sir. Team 2 will be visiting the Three Lakes of Sinnoh. Most notably, Lake Verity due to its current vulnerability after Mesprit's demise."

Dawn shuddered at that for a number of reasons. Mesprit had once been tied to her through a sort of bond as she, Ash and Brock combatted Team Galactic. News of its death had greatly shaken her. Then, there was another reason. "I...have to go b-back home?!"

"Oh, that's right," Said Misty. "You ran away from home."

Gently wrapping her arm around Dawn, May said, "Then we'll just have to avoid Twinleaf Town!" She smiled at the bluenette. "You can stay behind when we're at the Lake too if it's too much for you."

Dawn vigorously shook her head. "N-no! I still w-want to help! I won't r-run!" Her mustered bravado faltered soon after, and she added, "...But...let's s-stay away from T-Twinleaf…"

"What's going on with the lakes?" Questioned Paul with interest. "Has something happened to them?"

Holo-Alice shook its head. "It is merely an educated guess on Mr. Star's part, but he believes that Team Rocket or similar groups could abuse the lakes for their own gain." An image of the three lakes appeared. "Azelf and Uxie are still heavily injured from the battle and their combative abilities are questionable at the moment. If someone were to try to capture them, they might succeed. As for Lake Verity, Mesprit's residual energy still dwells within the lake, and it would be easy to take it."

"But we don't actually know if there's anyone there?" Inquired Alain.

Reappearing, the hologram nodded to him. "As I said, it is an estimate, but the prospect of the Lakes' abuse is very likely. We would like you to survey the area and dispatch of anyone attempting to do so. After that, Mr. Star will send his own men to keep watch over the area in your stead." It blinked away for a moment, then appeared again to turn toward everyone else. "I assume your missions are now clear. If you would like me to repeat your instructions, you may equip the Star Rings Mr. Star gave you."

Misty knelt down, taking the device out of her bag and staring at it. "So that's what these things are called."

As Ash watched the others put on the devices, he sensed something behind him. Two presences nearby. They were making their way toward him and the others. "Heads up," He said, getting everyone else's attention. "Someone's heading our way."

"Really-?!" Squeaked May before promptly having her mouth covered by Paul's hand.

"Shh!" Hissed Paul. "Get down and have your Pokemon ready." Holo-Alice disappeared to prevent any possible enemies from learning of Mr. Star's technology. The others laid down in the grass and were, hopefully, obscured by the trees' shade. Their hands hovered over their Pokeballs anxiously. Ash activated his sensory abilities and found that, indeed, there was someone walking toward them. But to his surprise, it was someone familiar.

"Hold on," Ash said aloud. "Is that…?"

"Do you recognize them?" Asked Alain, to which Ash nodded.

"I think so…" Retracting his hand from Charizard's Pokeball, Ash set Pikachu down next to Serena and stood up. He silently motioned for the others to stay still and surrounded himself with his gleaming ivory Aura. Slowly, he stepped out from the trees and called out, "Hello? Who's there?"

"There you are!" Another voice called back, though its source was something Ash couldn't quite put his finger on. Ash heard the crunching of grass and fallen leaves as the person made their way toward him. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you guys were hiding from me." Then, Ash saw who it was, and his eyes went wide. He didn't know who he was expecting, but it certainly wasn't him.

"Tobias?!"

Upon hearing Ash call out the name of the strongest trainer in the world, the eyes of everyone hiding amongst the trees collectively went wide. To Paul's chagrin, they stood up and went to get a look at Tobias. Though, he would be lying if he said he wasn't curious like them. As he followed them out, there indeed stood the ominous trainer across from Ash...though he looked worse for wear to say the least. His clothes were ragged and torn. His hair was messier than usual and fraying at every angle. And his skin was pale as a sheet.

"Ah," He said upon seeing Ash's friends emerge from the small tree cluster. "So you were hiding from me."

Misty apologized for them. "Sorry. We thought you were someone from Team Rocket."

Chuckling, Tobias replied, "Well, I don't suppose my stalking helped. Sorry for that by the way. But…" He looked down at his ragged cloak and frowned. "It was necessary for me to stay hidden in a place as big as that. I haven't seen a city that packed with people since…" He trailed off, shaking his head. "You know."

"Why did you need to stay hidden?" Questioned Paul with narrowed, accusing eyes. "Everyone thought you died in that battle when you weren't counted among the survivors. There has to be a reason you haven't shown yourself since then. You haven't joined up with Team Rocket, have you?"

Tobias returned Paul's glare fiercely. "As if. Because of them, the sacrifices of my team were for nothing."

Ash winced. He recalled hearing the names of Tobias's Pokemon at the funeral Arceus held for the fallen Legends. "That's right," He said aloud, though he didn't mean to. "Your team…" Ash shook his head. "I'm sorry about them. Really, I am."

The once-mighty trainer's glare dissipated as his gaze shifted to Ash. "That means a lot...but I didn't come here to wallow in my own self-pity. I came here because I wanted to ask you all something." He looked down at the Star Rings on their wrists. "That Mr. Star guy I've been hearing about ever since the war. I overheard that you were doing missions for him involving Team Rocket. Until they're dealt with, my friends will never know peace. I want in."

A series of surprised gasps rose up from the group. "For real?!" Cried Ash, to which Tobias nodded without hesitation. Ash stared at him for a moment, then replied, "Ordinarily, I would let you without a doubt...but we're going to be fighting some heated battles and…"

Ash was hesitant to say what he meant bluntly, but Tobias gave him a knowing look. "I don't have any Pokemon anymore. I know that. If you think that's going to stop me, you're wrong. With or without you, I'm going to fight!" Ash tried to respond, but was only able to give a pitiful sigh. The others looked at him with either a similar pity or incredulous looks as if he were crazy.

He scowled in frustration, stepping toward Ash. The action made Hydreigon and Noivern's Pokeballs twitch anxiously. "Please!" He begged. "I've spent enough time feeling like I'm helpless! I know that, without my Pokemon, I'm weak! I know that better than anybody!" He shook his head vigorously. "I don't want that for me anymore, and I know my friends wouldn't either! I want to fight, tooth and nail, for the peace that they did! That they sacrificed their lives for! I don't care if it's dangerous! I'll fight with my bare hands if I need to, but I want to make a difference! I can only do that with you!"

Everyone looked on at him with pity now, but none could find the words to reply to him with. They were dumbstruck. Ash's expression was unreadable, shadowed by his cap. Tobias mentally cursed himself, believing that he had overstepped somewhere or revealed far too much personal information. His fears were put to rest when Ash chuckled and put his hand on Tobias's shoulder.

"Well," Said Ash with a smile, "How can I turn you down after that? Welcome to the team, Tobias."

Tobias's knees faltered for a brief moment, but the happiness on his face was as bright as the shining sun. "Thank you!" He cried. "I won't let you down!"

Misty protested. "Are you sure about this, Ash?"

Ash nodded back to her without hesitation. "Why wouldn't I be? I sensed his intentions, and they're pure, so there's no problem."

"Sensed?" Inquired Tobias, sporting an odd look on his face. "What do you…?" He facepalmed, shaking his head. "Well, you were able to slay Necrozma after all. I suppose 'sensing intentions' is just the tip of the iceberg."

Paul let out a long-winded sigh. "I don't mean to sound heartless, especially after that speech, but I still disagree with letting him on the team. Without any Pokemon, he'll just end up getting hurt or killed." He glanced at Ash and said, "Knowing you, you'll end up defending him when he's targeted by Team Rocket once they realize that he can't fight back. He'll just end up in the way if he's fighting alone."

"Fighting alone…" Mused Ash, ignoring the rest of what Paul said. Turning back to Tobias, he said, "Speaking of which, I sensed two things approaching us. Is someone else here?"

This caused the others to look at their surroundings cautiously. Tobias gave him a questioning look. "What do you me-" He stopped short, appearing to have realized something before chuckling. "Oh, you mean…" He pulled on the collar of his robe as if he was going to open it. "This is actually why I was hiding from everyone in the city. You see, I'm not actually truly alone. I was waiting to show this to you until after I was let in on the missions, but you guys have to promise not to freak ou-"

He was suddenly interrupted when a large golden gate, looking like a portal of some kind, appeared at Ash's side. "WHAT THE-?!" Tobias and the others, excluding Ash, all jumped back with fright at the gate's sudden appearance. Especially Tobias, who jumped nearly his own height skyward.

In stark contrast to the others, Ash was merely perplexed by it. "What is…?" His eyes widened in realization. "Ooooh." Turning to the others, he nonchalantly said, "I'll be right back, guys. Arceus is calling me for something."

"ARCEUS?!"

Ash nodded. "Don't worry. I shouldn't be gone for too long." He rubbed the back of his head in thought. He didn't actually know how long these meetings took, but they couldn't go on for long, right? At least, he hoped so. After all, what could they even be talking about? A checkup, maybe? Introducing Ash to the other Legends again? ...Then again, Arceus could be telling everyone else what Mr. Star had already told him, which would be another story entirely. "At least, I don't think so…"

He shrugged and waved to his wide-eyed friends. Just before stepping into the portal, he stopped in his tracks and reached for his Star Ring. "Not sure if Arceus would want me taking this in there." Ash took it off and tossed it over to Tobias, who fumbled around with it as he tried to catch it. "Hold onto that for me please." With that, he waved at them once more and entered the golden ring, causing it to disappear and leaving his bewildered friends behind.

Author's Note

Creator: Apologies for the long wait and short chapter. You know how the holidays are. But we're back in action now. This chapter was just something to get the show on the road so to speak. The next wait will not be as long, I can assure you all of that.

Hydra: I know it's a little late but I hope you all had a great Christmas and New Year's Eve! I can't believe it's already 2020 yeesh.

Creator: Now, onto the reviews that we missed last time.

Amourshipper35: (Chapter 22) "Wow I hope Ash and the others can stop Team Rocket and keep the peace the world needs."

Creator: Thank you, Amourshipper35. Very cool. Indeed, "Team Rocket" is jeopardizing the peace so many died for, and they must pay. They will pay. Huehuehue.

Hydra: Yes I sure do hope they can stop "team rocket".

British-Vulture: (Chapter 22) "Okay, so, to recap. We got Handler from Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts, a possible extinction crisis and my predictions which turned out to be partially right. Oh, and fucking Tony Stark. You magnificent bastards. I-

You know when you hate something, because it keeps reminding you of something you're not in the mood to think about, yet love it at the same time?

Yeah, that was me during this chapter. I hated how my mind kept going on tangents (NOT. I REPEAT. NOT A PROBLEM WITH THE CHAPTER), but I did enjoy the chapter.

Seeing as Christopher Columbus is intent on starting a war between humans and Pokémon, and we know the legends are trying to prevent it (at least with Lugia), I'm curious to see what will happen if war does break out. Also, I'm worried as to what Christopher Eckleston is gonna deploy against the legends. I don't want any Arsenal Bird or Submarine Alicorn shittery.

I would actually love that, but I wouldn't want Christopher Robin to have it. God, the birbs are fucked if Christopher Hemsworth pulls out a Flying Fortress like the AB.

I loved this chapter, have a Merry Christmas and have a Happy New Year."

Creator: Incredible review as always, my friend. I've no idea who that particular handler is. Were you referring to Alice the secretary as the comparison? And extinctions...more like a POKEXTINCTION lelelelelelellellellelkill me, anyways… I know that particular feeling all too well. Particularly, whenever I'm writing and want to listen to a song I love but that song doesn't go with the scene I'm writing but I wanna listen to it anyways cuz it's a damn good song but I gotta work and write and aaaaagh...the good song always wins in the end.

Tangents are a good thing, which is why we love your reviews so much. Tangents are signs of incredible, thoughtful, detailed thinkers in my opinion. Unfortunately, in my case, I often go on these tangents for scenes as I'm writing them but forget most if it by the time I'm there. It's like saying something, but forgetting it right before saying it. Oh hey, speaking of tangents.

If Christopher Lee had his way, he would "Discover" The entire world. As for the weapon...remember Lysandre in the games? Heh. 'Flying fortress' you say? Heheh. Happy new year to you too, my good fellow. Heheheh.

Hydra: bruh bruh bruh I freaking LOVE THIS. I am very happy you enjoyed this chapter. So you finally got introduced to some new villains, Tony especially, one has to wonder what fate might await this new band of villains will they be the next big threat or shall they be disposed of quickly? FIND OUT NEXT TIME WITH THE CREATOR AND HYDRA!

DarkPugLord23: (Chapter 22) "Wow that Mr. Star is a real nice guy! Can't wait to see how the gang deals with their first day at Boy Scouts/Recon Camp."

Creator: He is indeed a nice guy. Probably one of my favorite OC's after Zero. Unfortunately for them, the gang won't get the luxury of camp. They get to fight criminals for a living!

Hydra: It's nice to finally be introduced to some new characters that aren't just a villain that's one of the big reasons Mr. Star is one of my favorite characters, well that and all the awesome tech that he's got for Ash and his friends.

Thor94: (Chapter 22) "so new troubles are coming and the war let a dangerous and fear taking place threating the peace between human and pokemon.

Look, Mr. Star anticipated this and created new technology to help ash group to maintain peace.

A question: Is nova TR the evil group who stole necrozma's power or the two team are different? That would make the situation far worse, almost impossible for ash to deal if he must face two big dangerous evil team at same time instead of one (don't count canon aqua and magma since they were not really evil compared to other villain teams)"

Creator: It's so great to have you back, my man. Missed ya. For your question… They are one in the same. Not necessarily in goals or ideals, but they are merged. Indeed, it does seem like quite the predicament for Ash and co. Brains will win this game, not brawn like the last.

Hydra: yes new troubles are certainly coming let's just hope they can be stopped before they become as large of a threat as Necrozma was. Also it's great to see you again it's been awhile since we've heard from ya hopefully everythings been well!

Amourshipper35: "Oh that Team Rocket, they make me sick! I hope they can be stopped and the Pokemon can be saved."

Creator: Though this was not dealt by Team Rocket themselves, it is safe to say that their actions would be similar to the Hell Hunters if in the same situation. Necrozma truly leaves only cruelty in his wake, in both people, Pokemon and the world itself.

Hydra: I know right who would've thought that team rocket could be this cruel! They must pay for what they've done!

DarkPugLord23: "Oh man, seeing these Hell Hunters basically torture the Pokemon fill me with an indescribable rage. Especially Tony. I do hope they'll all get their comeuppance soon, and in a very slow and brutal way as well. Also, poor Shaun. Glad to see he hasn't become corrupted like his godforsaken father. Hopefully, things will turn out for the better for him. Brilliant work as always!"

Creator: The strength of Brutus, the brains of Nevio, the cruelty of Raphael and the hunters instinct of Salomon. That is Tony, the leader of the Hell Hunters. Wouldn't it be great to see him tortured, bent and broken the way he does to Pokemon? His son deserves better. But will he get it?

Hydra: Shaun is such an innocent kid it's so sad seeing how he's being treated by has father, luckily he's the one shining star in that chapter, let's just hope that he can get away from his cruel father and find someone a lot more loving and nicer to take care of him and be a better example.

Creator: That's all for now folks. Sorry again for the short chapter, but life's been busy. You can all take solace in the fact that the next chapter will be out very, VERY soon. So soon in fact that you'll remember this chapter as if it were yesterday.

Hydra: Well that does it for this chapter boys and girls, as always let us know what you thought and hopefully you all have a good day. P.S. the next chapter is much more close to being released than you realize. ;)