The Way We Will Be

by TheCartoonFanatic01

REWRITTEN AND REPOSTED! While in Kiloude City for a Pokémon Showcase, Ash and Serena meet a girl who claims to be their daughter from their future. This startling turn of events results in an adventure like no other, and quite perhaps...something a little bit more? AmourShipping, Ash/Serena, SatoSere! R&R!

37. Lead-Up to the Show-Down

A/N: Hey, everyone! Here's another chapter for you all to enjoy! Obviously, this one continues the final action sequence, and trust me, lots of developments are going to go down here! So, keep your fingers crossed, because the true climactic fun is about to commence, and timelines are going to clash! ;D

Also, before I begin with the chapter, I just wanted to share a few things with you. Brace yourselves, for I'm going to truly go on a rant for a moment. (It's nothing too bad, but it might be important to keep your eyes and ears open for these tidbits.)

First off, I just wanted to reiterate the warning that I gave to everyone in the previous chapter, because I was hit with it once again. If you are a fanfiction writer, you may have received a form of communication (typically a review) from someone affiliated with (or claiming to be affiliated with) the online literature platform Webnovel, soliciting you for the monetized publication of your works on their site under a contract. If you see such an offer, DO NOT ACCEPT IT AND IGNORE IT ALTOGETHER! Webnovel has a reputation for horrendous contracts in which you, the original author, get screwed over royally, one way or another.

At this point, Webnovel is an absolute joke of a platform. People may complain about the current state of older fanfiction sites like this one, but at least all the works posted here are for free and not bound by any sort of contract (which is frankly how it should be, since it's technically illegal to profit off of fan-made works). For further information about this entire debacle, please Google "Webnovel Writer Beware" and click on the topmost search result for the blog Writer Beware. They go in-depth about Webnovel's infamy, and it's a good read. I'm one of perhaps many people who have received such an offer, and I knew better than to accept their offer right off the bat. Reading between the lines is always important, people!

Secondly, for those of you who don't know, fanfiction site Archive Of Our Own (AO3) underwent a daylong DDoS attack, which is basically a cyberattack method wherein the attacker completely overwhelms a website's servers by inundating it with all sorts of superfluous requests. You can Google it for further information. Thanks to the hard work of all the volunteers over at AO3, the website is back up, although they had to implement some temporary extra security measures to prevent such an attack from hitting the site again in the near-future.

In the meantime, please show your support for the AO3 team however you can! Donations, messages, anything. I already have. As an AO3 user, seeing the site under attack like this made me very worried for other fanfiction-hosting websites and for the writers and readers who make good use of such sites every day. It has caused me to strongly consider cross-posting my stories onto additional fanfiction sites in case more DDoS attacks occur here and at AO3. Unfortunately, I don't think cybersecurity is something that crossed the minds of a lot of fanfiction site creators when they first started up said sites.

And finally (and this last one is going to be super-important, so listen up), this chapter, and the three that'll follow it, are going to absolutely long whoppers of chapters at about 20,000 words each, excluding the Author's Notes. There's going to be a lot packed into this final battle sequence, and I do mean A LOT, so be warned. However, I'll bisect each chapter with a little pronounced break halfway through (you'll know what it is once you see it), so then you can use that break as a bookmark of sorts. This will be our test-run of such a bookmark, so do let me know if more are necessary! Other than that, be up for a ton of reading, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls! It'll be chock-full of action, romance, drama, family, comedy, and everything in-between!

Alright, that's enough mindless chitchat! Let's get on with the new chapter. ENJOY!

P.S. #1: For all FF users reading this who are unaware (and this is VERY IMPORTANT), there's a new account feature for this site called "Email Opt-in". It controls the site's ability to send out email notifications to you. It is disabled by default, so you need to go to your account settings and enable it by clicking "Yes". The site will disable the opt-in by default again after 90 days of activation; in other words, you'll need to return to your account settings about EVERY THREE MONTHS to manually reset it. Without the opt-in, you WILL NOT be getting email notifications on whether any of your favorite stories have been updated or not, or whether an author that you are following has posted a new story or not. Please heed these instructions! FictionPress announced this new feature on their Twitter account, but I doubt news of this has reached everyone!

P.S. #2: For any updates regarding progress on my writing and just life in general, please check out my profile! I try to update it as often as I possibly can with any status update!

P.S. #3: The coronavirus advisory that had been attached to my opening Author's Notes since 2020 is no longer posted there beginning May 11, 2023. The advisory's removal coincides with the lifting of federal emergency declarations in the U.S. on the aforementioned date. However, it will remain on my profile for as long as it needs to be there, and it can be reposted on my Author's Notes should the pandemic worsen again, which is still a possibility. In the meantime, please continue to stay healthy and stay safe!

---

– o – BEGINNING OF SCENE 1 – o –

---

The present day...

---

The Battle Club
Nimbasa Town, Unova

"Goooooooooooooood morning, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, Pokémon of all types and sizes!"

A deafening, raucous cheer erupted from the audience stands in response, just as multicolored fireworks exploded high in the blue, cloudless sky, signaling the beginning of the event that hundreds upon hundreds of people had come from all over to see. The enthusiastic, celebratory noises flowed through the entire Battle Club stadium like a rushing river, lifting the spirits of the two Trainers who were entering the battlefield from opposite sides. Up in the announcer's booth, two people were seated before microphones; one was a muscular, intimidating-looking, mustached man wearing a karate gi, while the other was a nicely-dressed, leaner man with dark-blue hair and beady eyes.

"This is Freddy O'Martian here with our dear ole Don George!" the nicely-dressed man announced. "And together, we're proud to bring you all this year's exciting Club Battle tournament!"

The invocation of the competition's name triggered another round of cheers and whoops from the audience, which swept across the stadium with overwhelming power. Once the cheering died down, the karate gi-wearing man cleared his throat and leaned his face closer to his own microphone.

"Now then," Don George said in a gruff voice, "will our first-round contestants please step up to the battlefield?"

The two Trainers finally reached their spots on either side of the battlefield and stared each other down. One of them was a young boy, no older than ten, with messy brown hair and matching brown eyes that shone with determination. The other was an older, taller, well-built boy with pale-red hair and large beady eyes that could frighten anyone, even an Ursaring, with one brief glance.

"First," continued Don George, "we have Blake, a Nimbasa Town local who has just begun his journey!"

The brown-haired boy waved energetically at the audience, but he was met with sparse applause and cheering. This didn't daunt him, though, as he continued to wave like his life depended on it.

"And on the other side of the battlefield," Freddy said, "we've got Dino, a veteran of these tournaments!"

This time, the audience roared alive with cheers, whoops, and whistles. However, unlike the receptive Blake, the pale-red-haired boy didn't pay the spectators any mind; instead, he stared down his opponent with sheer determination.

"I'm not gonna go easy on you, newbie!" he snarled. "I'm gonna crush you, and I'm gonna crush you GOOD!"

At first, Blake was taken aback by Dino's hostility. Then, his apprehension receded, and a determined smile graced his own facial features while he pumped a clenched fist in the air.

"Tough talk coming from a loser like you!" the boy replied with gusto. "My Pokémon and I are gonna show you just how powerful we truly are!" He reached into one of his pockets and pulled out a Poké Ball. "Scolipede, come on out!"

He threw the Poké Ball high into the air, causing it to open up and release a blinding beam of light. It hit the ground and swiftly took on the shape of an insectoid being. A second and a flash later, the Megapede Pokémon was standing on the exact same spot. It chittered at Dino, its antennae-like horns gleaming from the sunlight and its eight foreclaws twitching in anticipation. However, the muscular boy sneered with confidence at his opponent and stuffed his hand into his own pocket.

"A Scolipede, eh?" Dino asked. "Not bad for a newb like you, not bad at all! But don't think you're big scary Bug-type is gonna be enough to bring me to my knees!" He pulled out a Poké Ball of his own and threw it. "Heatmor, come out and burn 'em away!"

The Anteater Pokémon emerged from the device and marked its arrival by spouting a stream of fire from its elongated nose, aiming it high in the air. The audience cheered and clapped once again at this. Back in the announcer's booth, Don George nodded in approval at the two opposing Pokémon, while Freddy spoke into his microphone again.

"So it's Blake's Scolipede against Dino's Heatmor! Will type strengths and weaknesses hold true in this match?! Or will Blake and his Scolipede overcome all odds and defeat their opponents?! It's time to find out!"

Blake smiled widely and determinedly at Dino, who just narrowed his eyes at him and Scolipede, focusing on the task at hand. As for Heatmor, it gave its opponents an ember-filled snort of intimidation.

"Battle..." began Freddy.

"BEGIN!" declared Don George.

---

As the first round of the Club Battle went underway, no one noticed the Shiny Mega Salamence landing on the edge of the stadium. Its rider, a Shiny Mega Sceptile, hopped off its back, carrying two sets of chained shackles. Together, the two stared at the battlefield, examining both Blake and Dino in turn as their Pokémon charged towards one another...

---

Kiloude Forest, Kalos

"Ash?! Ash?!"

"Dad, wake up! Please wake up!"

"Daddy, you gotta get up! You have to!"

"Pikapi!"

"Ninja!"

"Uuuuuggggghhhhh..."

Ash's eyelids fluttered open. At first, a secluded corner of his brain expected his eyesight to be greeted with explosive, blinding sunlight. Instead, he saw mostly darkness, with only faint but warm golden light penetrating through the mass of oblivion. Then, his eyesight began to adjust, and as it did, the raven-haired boy began to make out something.

Bars of stainless steel.

At that moment, it all came flooding back to him in waves.

"Did you really think I'd given up so easily?"

"Well, well, well... And you're the kid with the interesting Greninja. I thought I gave the two of you the beating of a lifetime?"

"Give us what we came here for, and we'll leave without making a bigger mess. And when I say 'a bigger mess', I mean..."

"NEVER! I'm not giving up Celebi, you meanie!"

"AAAAAGGGGGHHHHH! MOMMY! DADDY!"

"I wouldn't interfere if I were you. One wrong move and...well, you get the picture."

"NOOO! STOP IT! STOP IT! YOU'RE HURTING IT! CELEBI! CELEBI!"

"LET. MY. DAUGHTER. GOOOOO!"

"PIKA-CHUUUUU!"

"GRE-NIIIIINJAAAAA!"

Ash sat up with a gasp. Frantically, he looked around, hoping to see Serena, Yancy, and Selene okay. At first, his eyes continued to adjust themselves to the relative absence of light in the environment. However, even through blurred and semi-focused vision, Ash could already distinguish the outlines of familiar people. The sight of their outlines alone made his heart swell with immense relief. He then felt something scurry up to his shoulder.

"Oh, Ash!" Serena took him in a tight, tender hug, one that he found no discomfort in returning. "I'm so glad you're alright!"

"Y-Yeah!" Yancy sniffled. "I...I thought that Aggron... I thought it...it..."

She couldn't bear to finish her sentence, instead hiccupping. At almost the same time, Ash felt someone smaller join his and Serena's embrace.

"Daddy!" Selene wailed. "I'm scared! They have Celebi, and I don't have Pichu with me!"

"Pika-pikachu, Pikapi!" Pikachu squeaked.

"Greninja!" Greninja croaked.

At that moment, Ash's eyesight was fully readjusted. With gritted teeth, he broke himself from Serena and Selene's hug, stood up, and marched over to the bars. His arms impulsively twitched towards the stainless steel, but years of experience with Team Rocket's traps overrode those impulses. Instead, he peered through the bars to evaluate the current situation.

They were in a cage suspended dozens of feet in the air, giving them an unparalleled, unobstructed view of what was a manmade clearing down below. Ash looked left and right and realized, to his horror, that the surrounding trees and greenery were completely destroyed in the process of creating this clearing. All that was left were splintered tree stumps, charred soil, and shredded remnants of grass. He could only imagine the amount of Pokémon that were rendered homeless because of this atrocity against nature.

Then, he saw human activity at the center of the clearing, yards away. Kay was coordinating several of Adam's associates into setting up positions around the area, while the others were scouring through the clearing for any potential signs of life that remained. Ash's hands balled up into fists at the horrific, objectionable sight.

"Enjoying the show in there, Ketchum?" a familiar voice asked tauntingly.

Ash gnashed his teeth tightly, just as Parker came into view, hovering in the air with the aid of jetpack-mounted boots. The Pokémon poacher was wearing a detestable sneer, which only widened further when his eyes met the boy's outraged expression.

"Good," he said. "Because it's only about to get better. In due course, Kay and I will rendezvous with our associates, at long last, and we shall profit from the secure yet unsafe exchange of Celebi. But before we hand it off to our client, we will do a selfish thing for once in our careers."

"And what's that?" Ash snarled.

"Availing ourselves of Celebi's abilities. To be more specific..." Parker leaned his face close to the bars. "We will take this moment to change the course of history altogether...by ridding this planet of you and your pretty wife. Or, in this case, girlfriend." He looked over his shoulder at Serena, who scowled hatefully and defiantly at him. "Your legacy's left such a stain across the world in my timeline. A disgusting, disgusting stain. But without it, without YOU, the UTM will be free to do as it wishes! Ohhhhh, I can imagine it now!"

Serena looked at Yancy and whispered, "The UTM...?"

"Basically the Pokémon black market," Yancy whispered back while keeping her eyes narrowed at Parker in bitter disgust. "Parker's group is just the tip of the iceberg. You, Dad, and everyone else have been working for years to get it all shut down."

"I heard that," Parker growled. He peered over Ash's shoulder and gave the two girls a maliciously jubilant sneer. "But it doesn't matter. With Celebi, we're going to unravel all those years of damage that you've all inflicted on our operations. With it, we're going to celebrate wealth and business beyond our wildest imaginations!"

"Wealth and business," Ash spat angrily. "Is that all you people care about?! Do you think of nothing else?!"

"Pika, pika-CHU!" Pikachu squeaked just as furiously.

"Ninj!" Greninja grunted in agreement.

"What should I think about? It's just like what I told your friends and your little daughter before." The poacher stared tauntingly at Selene for just a moment. "Pokémon are tools and nothing but tools. Their only existence is to serve us humans unconditionally. To expect anything more from them is childish idealism."

"And it's just like what I told YOU before!" Selene squeaked defiantly with a pointed finger. "You're a big, mean, nasty BULLY who needs to pick on Celebi and other Pokémon to feel better about yourself! Your mommy and daddy should be ashamed of you, you meanie!"

This seemed to have touched a nerve. Parker's brow twitched noticeably, and his lips became pursed with silent yet extreme fury and a little discomfort. There was a newfound glint in his eye, one that made Selene slowly back up to the safety of Serena's arms.

"I'll have you know that I don't give a Rattata's a- er, butt on what my parents would think of me," the poacher snarled. "All I care about is the paycheck I'm about to receive for this operation. And hopefully the extra effort of ridding the world of you people comes with a hefty bonus."

Just then, a high-pitched beeping noise filled the air. With a slightly irritated grunt, Parker promptly pressed a button on the frames of his sunglasses.

"Yeah?"

After a second, the poacher turned his back on them, allowing Ash to face Serena, Yancy, and Selene.

"We need to find a way out of this cage," he said. "Yancy, you and Nate have dealt with these guys before, obviously. How do you defeat them?"

"Dad, this isn't like your daily skirmishes with Team Rocket," Yancy whispered in concern. "This is only the fourth time I've encountered them, and Nate's only come across them, like, fifteen times throughout his entire journey."

"So you've encountered them three times before! How'd you manage to beat 'em the last three times?!"

"The thing is...you don't..." Yancy's face fell slightly. "You just don't. I don't even know how some of these people work. All three of my previous encounters with them ended with them getting away only because backup arrived. One time...we weren't even able to save a Pokémon that they were after..." Her lower lip quivered at the memory. "Poor Staraptor..."

"Well, it's not gonna happen this time!" Ash declared. "We're gonna beat 'em at their own game, no matter what it takes! Never give up till the end, remember?!"

"Pika-pika!" Pikachu cried.

Greninja simply nodded.

"Daddy's right!" chirped an ecstatic Selene. "We can do this! We'll beat those bad guys and save Celebi!"

"But how?" Yancy asked. "We're trapped in these cages. And before you even think about it, Dad..." She shot her father a knowing glance. "Those bars are equipped with a special type of technology that will deflect any attacks launched at them back to the point of origin."

"I kinda figured that one out already..." Ash glanced at Parker with gritted teeth; the poacher was still whispering into his earpiece. "We just gotta hope that these guys will let us out for whatever reason. Outside of that, we'll just have to do what you said earlier, Yancy."

"And that is?"

"Wait for backup."

Just then, Parker said, "Got it."

He hung up and faced Ash, Serena, Yancy, Selene, Pikachu, and Greninja. Yancy and Selene drew closer to Serena for safety and comfort, while Ash, Pikachu, and Greninja protectively stood in front of all three, the former's fists clenched and the latter's cheeks crackling with electricity. Parker smirked at the sight before directly addressing them.

"I just wanted to give you kids a heads-up: history's about to change. And the boss wants you to bear witness to it."

"You're darn right history's about to change!" Ash snapped. "For you guys, that is!"

"Pika-pika!" Pikachu shouted.

"Greninja!" Greninja cried.

Parker scoffed derisively. "Is that a threat I'm hearing from the great Ash Ketchum?" He leaned closer to the bars, though Ash stood his ground in spite of his intimidating presence. "How cute. Now, I hope you haven't eaten anything for dinner, because I'm going to take you all for a quick ride."

"What do you mean 'quick r-' AGH!"

Ash, Pikachu, and Greninja were knocked down when the entire cage began swinging back and forth. Serena held tightly onto Yancy and Selene as she looked out of the cage; she could see that whatever had the cage suspended in midair was moving. Parker hovered alongside them, fiddling with his wristwatch all the while. It didn't take long for both Ash and Serena to realize that they were being taken to Kay's position, and as they got closer, they could see what exactly was happening over there.

Kay, Adam, Sid, and several construction workers were gathered in the middle of the clearing, with some of them staring at seemingly vacant air. Kay was keeping Celebi captive in a cramped cage only big enough for it; Adam was flexing his fingers in uncontrollable excitement; and Sid was looking around with a cold, analytical expression, like he was on the lookout for spies or vulnerabilities in their positions.

Once they got close enough to them, Ash, Serena, Yancy, Selene, Pikachu, and Greninja felt the cage lowering itself until it touched the barren ground. As soon as it did, Kay turned towards them with an elated smirk, the caged Celebi dangling from her gloved hand.

"CELEBI!" Selene cried.

"BIIIII!" Celebi squealed helplessly.

The young girl tore away from Serena's grip and shot up to her feet. "LET CELEBI GO RIGHT NOW, YOU BULLY!"

Kay simply widened her smirk and replied, "I'm glad you could join us. You're about to-"

"Bear witness to history as it's changed, yadda yadda," Ash interrupted with a roll of his eyes. "I know, I know. Your friend here gave us the rundown and everything already."

The female poacher grunted in displeasure, and her eyelid was visibly twitching. Then, as Ash stood back up on his feet and joined Selene, Kay took a deep breath and readjusted her collar.

"No, what I was about to say before I was so rudely interrupted was that you're about to see Celebi's true power unfold before your very-"

"I've seen that too many times to count by now, lady," Ash interrupted again. Then, he crossed his arms and smirked back at Kay, relishing how she looked absolutely affronted by his constant interjections. "I'm Ash Ketchum, after all. Or did you forget?"

White-hot frustration gave way to simmering fury as Kay approached the cage and leaned her face close to the bars. Despite this, Ash and Selene both remained firmly in place.

"No, I didn't forget," she snarled. "How could I? From where I come from, you're a living legend."

Ash widened his grin. "So I've been told."

Kay gave him a pronounced scowl as she scanned him from head to toe. "You're feared all across the UTM. If any member came across you, they'd rather turn and run for the hills than try to do the nobler thing and fight their way through you, regardless of their reputation or reliability. Even some of my colleagues dread the possibility of a battle with you. But not me." He narrowed his eyes at the boy. "You don't scare me, Ketchum. You never have. Not as an adult, and certainly not as a bratty kid. I have the time and energy to crush that fighting spirit of yours, even if it takes all day and all night to do it."

"Not scared of me, huh?" Ash asked tauntingly, giving the poacher a crooked brow. "Well, I don't know about you, but I'd like to think that my future self would drop any morals he's got if his loved ones are in danger. And as his past self, given the presence of his loved ones right now..." He took on a more outward stance of aggression, as did Pikachu and Greninja. "I'd AGREE."

"I wouldn't be so cocky if I were you," Parker said as he landed beside Kay. "Don't forget who we have in our clutches here."

He rapped his knuckles against Celebi's cage, creating a loud, hollow noise that made the Time Travel Pokémon cover its eyes in discomfort. Ash gritted his teeth in anger at Celebi's distress, but his posture relaxed, and he unfurled his fists. Parker smirked and chuckled at the sight.

"That's a good boy. Now, you and your family can take a seat." He turned around and started walking away. "It's time for us to open the gateway home."

"Gateway...home?" Selene repeated in confusion.

Parker stopped and looked over his shoulder at the little girl. "Of course. How did you think you were going to return to your original timeline?"

Just then, a twinkle shone in the corner of Ash's and Serena's eyes. They looked up in the air and initially saw nothing but the stripped forest canopy and the star-dotted sky. Then, it appeared again, almost camouflaged with the twinkling of the night stars: a small, ethereal opening of emerald-green. Suspended in midair, it looked unnatural, like the very fabric of space and time was mere solid matter that had a literal hole punched into it.

"Is that...what I think it is...?" Ash asked.

"Yes, it is," Kay replied. Her eyes were now glued to the otherworldly tear as well. "A Time Ripple."

"And the doorway to MY success!" Adam proclaimed with a bloodcurdling chuckle.

Parker shot the green-haired man a discreet side-glance of disgust and disapproval. "Yeah, right... The doorway to your success..."

Adam glowered at the poacher with a furrowed brow. "Wait a minute, was that sarcasm?"

"Of course not," Parker replied, punctuating his sentence with a roll of his eyes as he looked away.

But Adam was not convinced. "Yeah, right there! I'm pretty sure that's the kind of tone I'd use when I'm being sarcastic!"

Kay rolled her eyes next.

---

Laurier Maison
Northern Kiloude City

Grace and Meyer pushed their way through the crowd that had congregated in front of the Laurier Maison and ran towards the main entryway as fast as they could. They noticed the wooden barricades propped up in front of the closed doors, but there were no police officers or security guards in sight.

"Where'd security go?!" Grace exclaimed in deep concern.

"It doesn't matter!" Meyer replied. "We gotta get to our kids, quick!"

Once they reached the doors, they tried to pull and push them open, but they stubbornly refused to budge. After her third try, Grace gnashed her teeth together and slammed a tightly clenched fist against the surface of the door, creating a loud rattle that communicated her rage perfectly.

In contrast, however, Meyer calmly removed his beefy hands from the handles of his door and approached Grace with a composed posture. Tears were starting to stream down her cheeks, even as she was clearly trying to keep herself together in the midst of all this stress. With a soft expression, he put a hand on her shoulder, and he felt the trembling in her body subside substantially.

"It's gonna be alright, Grace," he said.

"How?!" the Rhyhorn Racer asked in mournful frustration. "Our children might be in danger, and now we can do nothing to help them! Nothing!"

The corner of Meyer's lips twitched into a small smile. "I didn't say we were gonna do nothing, Grace."

Grace looked at him with a sniffle. "H-Huh...?"

Upon hearing this utterance, Meyer instinctively hesitated. Then, after a brief moment of contemplation, he followed his baser impulse and reached into one of his pockets. Grace followed his hand and raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

"Hm? What're you doing, Meyer?"

"Taking out my last resort," the electrician replied. Then, he furrowed his brow in discomfort. "I was hoping I wouldn't be using this more than once today, but...here it goes." He produced a Poké Ball and threw it into the air. "Come on out, Blaziken!"

The device opened up and unleashed the Blaze Pokémon, which let out a roar of anticipation. Grace immediately took a step backward from the newcomer in surprise.

"Whoa!" the former jockey cried. "S-Since when did you have that?!"

Meyer cracked her a nervous yet mischievous grin. "Like I said earlier tonight. I'm full of surprises, hon."

Grace pouted in dissatisfaction at the reference. "Okay, now's not the time for any of your corny pickup lines, Meyer..."

He couldn't help but chuckle. "Sorry. I just couldn't resist."

"Right." The jockey's brow was twitching. "Like how I can't resist the urge to punch that stupid lil' smile off your face. The urge that I'm feeling right now."

...

Meyer and Blaziken both sweat-dropped in immeasurable apprehension.

"Right," the electrician replied.

---

"They should be calling by now... Anytime now, guys..."

Nick nervously paced around the destroyed remains of the dance floor, fiddling with his Holo Caster all the while. As he did, Floyd, Lloyd, Cecile, and the rest of their associates had their captives rounded up in the center of the venue. Most of them were nervous or downright terrified, including the captive Performers, but only a few remained focused on the task at hand: Clemont, Bonnie, Shauna, Calem, Miette, Tierno, Nini, Trevor, Clarice, Palermo, Summer, and Officer Joy.

"So," Summer whispered, "what's the gameplan, kids?"

"We gotta wait until these guys get their guard down," Clemont replied while he discreetly analyzed their captors. "They're clearly not professionals, so they're gonna screw up at some point. Once they do, we take them down, and then we go after Ash and Serena." Then, he looked around. "Hey, where'd Nate and Evelyn go?"

"I dunno," Miette replied with a shrug, while Nini shook her head.

"Last I saw 'em," Tierno explained, "Nate was still dancing with Yancy."

"And Evelyn was watching in the sidelines with Bonnie and Selene," added Trevor.

"The explosion must've thrown them farther away..." concluded a concerned Clarice.

"Well," Shauna replied, "once we get free, we go look for them."

"Yeah," Clemont said. He then glanced towards the distant Kiloude Forest, with Mt. Kiloude looming in the background. "Then we go after Ash and Serena."

"That sounds like a good plan, kid," Officer Joy commented. "I'll try and pass the message along to my people."

"Yeah, but...there's just one little problem though, Clemont," interjected Calem.

The inventor looked at him. "And that is?"

"They may be buffoons, but they and their Pokémon outnumber us, like, five to one. We need to sign up everyone for this lil' escape plan." Calem then glanced at the other Performers, many of whom were bawling their eyes out, or otherwise frozen with absolute terror. "And I have a bad feeling that we're not gonna have that part covered."

Palermo sighed and shook her head. "I'm terribly sorry about that, but Performers aren't like Trainers, young man. It's not in their nature to try and fight their way out of a situation. Not to mention..." She worriedly glanced at Aria, who was paralyzed in terror in the midst of all her fellow Performers. "Their shining example is in no fighting shape herself."

"Well, they've got no choice now!" Clemont protested as quietly as he could. "Who knows what's gonna happen next?! With Celebi in their hands, there's no telling what those guys are gonna do! To the timeline, for example!" At this point, the inventor's patience was waning, and his voice became louder with every word that came out of his mouth. "They've got so many lives in their hands, and we gotta do something!"

Just then, the inventor heard some quiet weeping beside him. Looking down, he was stunned to see Bonnie staring in the direction that Kay's and Parker's mechas took towards Kiloude Forest. She protectively held both Dedenne and Selene's Pichu in her arms like they were her children, while Squishy was poking its head out of her satchel. Tears were streaming down the girl's cheeks, and Dedenne and Pichu's eyes were shimmering with intense emotion as well.

"Bonnie?" asked an alarmed Clemont. He lifted a hand and gently stroked the top of her head in comfort. "Hey Bonnie, it's gonna be okay. It'll all be okay. We'll get outta here and go rescue Ash and the others, okay?"

Bonnie tried to manage a weak nod, but instead, there was only the sound of sniffling. She looked up at her older brother and then hugged him tightly. Surprised at first, Clemont then returned the hug, patting the little girl on the back in consolation.

"I was just...having fun...with...Selene..." Bonnie whimpered between soft sobs and tiny hiccups.

Clemont nodded. "I know you were. I saw the two of you dancing around." He patted her again. "I'm so glad the two of you were finally able to get along."

"We didn't just get along; we became the bestest of friends..." The girl dug her face into her brother's shirt. "We gotta get Selene and Celebi back, Clemont! We gotta!"

"We will, we will."

"If we don't, then...then..."

Her voice trailed off, but the despair of her tone alone made Clemont's heart sink. Very rarely did he see his optimistic, upbeat, Pokémon-crazy younger sister in such a despondent, terrified state. But every time he did, it would feel like his entire world was being torn to shreds. No matter how many times she embarrassed him by "proposing" to random girls and women they met on the street, no matter how many times she was quite a handful for him, no matter how many times he had to get her out of trouble, she was still his sister, and he was going to do everything in his power to make things right by her, for her.

"Selene means quite a lot to you, does she, Bonnie?" he mentally asked. Then, with narrowed eyes, he glared at the same direction Bonnie had been staring at, and the moonlight started to reflect off his lenses. "Very well, then. We won't just do everything we can to get them back. We'll move Heaven and Earth to save 'em. It'll be the last thing we do if we must!"

---

"Well, they've got no choice now! Who knows what's gonna happen next?! With Celebi in their hands, there's no telling what those guys are gonna do! To the timeline, for example! They've got so many lives in their hands, and we gotta do something!"

Clemont's exclamation provoked a response from the other Performers. However, it wasn't directed at him or anyone else in his group. Instead, they turned on one of their own.

"This is all your fault, Amelia!" the Nidoqueen Trainer spat.

"Yeah!" snarled the Lickitung Trainer. "If you hadn't brought your crazy uncle to the dance floor, then we wouldn't be IN this mess in the first place!"

"And we'd be finishing up the dance!" added Odette, the Swanna Trainer.

"It's no wonder you're super-hated across the board!" the Psyduck Trainer snapped.

"Your snobbish, stuck-up, holier-than-thou attitude..." began the frustrated Vileplume Trainer.

"You got it from your family!" the Sylveon Trainer completed in outrage.

For the entire time, Amelia was shriveled up against an upturned table, her head lowered and bangs of hair obscuring her face. But upon hearing the barrage of insults and blame, she couldn't take it anymore, and she glared at her fellow Performers with teary eyes.

"I didn't get it from ANYONE!" she wailed pathetically. "My family is full of good people! They...They..."

She couldn't find the words to speak anymore. She was utterly overwhelmed by the emotions brought on by her uncle's betrayal and heap after heap of revelations about her true situation. The other Performers seized on this vulnerability in an instant.

"Obviously not," growled Alouette.

"In fact," Kayleigh hissed, "you've gotta be the worst of 'em all if your crazy uncle's trying to wipe you from existence with that weird Sewaddle!"

"Who knows what he's gonna do to the rest of us if he does that?!" cried Elma. "I've watched sci-fi movies! I know what happens when you mess with time!"

"Any one of us could get wiped out with you!" shrieked Lily. "Or some of us! Or all of us!"

"I don't wanna get wiped out!" wailed a teary-eyed Kazalie and a sobbing Concetta at the same time. "I don't wanna get wiped out, I don't wanna get wiped out, I DON'T WANNA GET WIPED OUT!"

"I hope that teaches you to be less of a thorn to others!" Shulin scolded.

"It doesn't matter," spat Sara Lee. She glowered at Amelia with a smoldering intensity that outmatched those of the other Performers with ease. "It's not like she's gonna have enough time to let that lesson pass through her thick skull and sink into her smooth brain. Seems like it doesn't run in the family, anyway."

Even Monsieur Pierre was absolutely beside himself as he remarked, "I never really enjoyed your performances anyway, young lady!"

For the second time tonight, Amelia couldn't take it anymore. She started bawling like a baby, unable to keep the tidal wave of emotions at bay for any longer. In the first few seconds, none of the other Performers bothered to show her any sympathy and console her. In fact, more than a few of them started to snicker and whisper in gossip amongst themselves at her misery and turmoil. Then...

"STOP IT! STOP IT, STOP IT!"

Blanche scrambled in front of Amelia and held her arms out like a shield. The other Performers gawked at her in disbelief, and even their captors could only watch silently with muted interest. However, the only exception was Sara Lee, who didn't look surprised at all by Blanche's outburst.

"Can't all of you see how terrible enough Amelia feels about what's happened?!" the blue-haired girl snapped in an uncharacteristically furious voice. "She doesn't need any of your input!"

"Oh, come on, Blanche!" Sara Lee snapped back. "Don't tell me you didn't feel the least bit annoyed whenever Amelia looked down on you! I know she did; she's done it to all of us at least once!"

Blanche narrowed her eyes. "Yes, she did look down on me. But that doesn't give me or you or anyone else the right to treat her horribly! If we do that, then we'd be no better than she is! In fact, it'd make us worse than her, considering her attitude towards others wasn't entirely hers to begin with."

Sara Lee gritted her teeth and clenched her fists so tightly that her nails dug into her well-manicured palms. Her entire body trembled with uncontrollable fury, and her face became as red as a Cheri Berry. The other Performers noticed her rising anger and scooted away from her in fear.

"Ohhh, look at you, Blanche!" the green-haired girl said mockingly. "So high and mighty! Little Miss Perfect! Mary Sue! You can never get angry at anyone, can you?!"

Blanche blinked in suspicion. "And what's that supposed to mean?!"

"Oh, don't you play dumb now! For as long as I've known you, I've never seen you frown, like, the angry kind of frown, nor have you raised your voice with anyone! No matter what anyone would do to you, you'd just smile back at 'em like they're your friends or something! Not explode at them or something!"

"Well, that's the kind of reaction that those kinds of people want, right?! So, I'm not gonna give them the satisfaction! A Pokémon Performer always has to wear a wonderfully radiant smile! And there's nothing that can triumph over a wonderfully radiant smile! 'Cause with every smile that you make for someone, you'll brighten up that person's day, even if it's by a small amount! And it's every Pokémon Performer's job to make everyone happy!"

Sara Lee rolled her eyes and growled in derision. "Graaaaagh... You're sooooo frigging dumb, Blanche. No wonder you're such a pushover sometimes..."

The blue-haired Performer's eyes grew wide with shock at the words. "What?"

"You heard me!" Sara Lee barked. "You're a pushover! You're so dedicated to making people happy and bringing smiles to everybody's faces that you can't see the obvious traps that're in front of you!"

"And that's what makes you my favorite Performer, Blanche!" Nick suddenly squealed.

Blanche ignored the unexpected, off-color praise and simply gawked at Sara Lee in disbelief. The jigsaw pieces in her mind were being put in place, and Sara Lee could see as much. Invisible electricity was starting to spark between the two girls' eyes.

"Is...Is that why you lied to me?" Blanche asked slowly. "Why you sabotaged me in the Anistar Theme Performance all those years ago?"

In response, Sara Lee clapped her hands together once, the sound echoing resonantly across the dance floor. "About darn TIME! Gosh, to this very day, I still can't believe you fell for it, hook, line, and sinker! It's basic elementary to not dress your Pokémon up in ridiculously large dresses if they're gonna take the catwalk! But since you'd only see the best in people, especially the ones you call your friends, you could NEVER see the white-faced lie that I was flashing in your face! Even if I told you as much! It was just too easy, I tell you!"

The color was starting to drain from Blanche's fair face. "But...But why...? Why didn't you tell me-?"

"And ruin the greatest wakeup call that you so desperately needed in your life?!" Sara Lee scoffed. "Blanche, if I didn't leave you to feel the full weight of your mistake, then the lesson wouldn't have sunk in. But..." She scowled deeply in disappointment. "Even after all that I've done to you, for you, you didn't LET the lesson sink in. You just rebuffed it entirely, doubled down on your stupid ideals, and kept on smiling. Even after we ended our friendship, you just kept on smiling and smiling and SMILING!" Her face reddened as her voice grew. "IT WAS TICKING ME OFF LIKE NO OTHER!"

Suddenly, the horror faded from Blanche's face and was replaced with a somber look. "Are you sure that's all there was to it, Sara Lee?"

"Huh? What in Arceus's name are you talking about?!"

"I may try to see the best in all people, but I know you, Sara Lee. You've always hated being in second place. Always. Anything less than first was unacceptable to you." Blanche took a deep breath, having seemingly come to her conclusion in real time. "And whenever you and I participated in a Showcase together, I'd be declared the winner. Every time."

Sara Lee's deafening silence was all the answer Blanche needed. The blue-haired girl sighed heavily.

---

"Anytime now, ladies and gents. Anytime now..."

Clemont, Bonnie, Shauna, Calem, Miette, Tierno, Nini, Trevor, Clarice, Palermo, Summer, and Officer Joy all watched while Nick resumed his pacing. He held his Holo Caster in plain view of everyone else, spinning it around and tossing it from one hand to the other in an attempt to alleviate the air of boredom hanging over him. Floyd, Lloyd, and Cecile were also loitering around in languor: Floyd was leaning against the railing lining the dance venue, looking as if he was about to doze off at any moment; Lloyd was aimlessly scrolling through his own Holo Caster, humming an offbeat tune to himself; and Cecile was examining her manicured fingernails, her lips pursed and her brow furrowed in impatience. As for the rest of their colleagues and Pokémon, a number of them had already fallen asleep, while the remainder were close to reaching that state.

Eventually, once Floyd let out a loud yawn, Cecile grunted in anger and slammed a clenched fist down on the nearest upturned table. The motion was so sudden and unexpected that it startled the others from their self-induced reveries.

"Ohhh, just face the music, Nick!" the cinnabar-haired woman snapped. "Adam and Sid ditched us, plain and simple!"

"No, they didn't!" protested Nick. "I know Adam! He'd never leave his friends behind! Never, ever!"

Cecile quirked an eyebrow in amusement. "Friends. That's how you view your role in this entire arrangement."

"W-Well, o-of course! Wh-What else would I be in Adam's eyes, if not his friend?!"

...

...

...

Tierno, Trevor, Miette, and Nini all looked at one another, all of them coming to the same realization.

"Those guys abandoned you," Tierno said.

"You've been abandoned," Trevor said.

"You've so been abandoned," Miette said.

"Ditto," Nini said.

"He DID NOT abandon us!" Nick snapped. "He wouldn't! Not when he's shown us the way to a brighter future!"

"And that future can only be guaranteed by you guys...retaking a science quiz?" Miette stifled a giggle. "You guys are still such tools."

"We are NOT tools!" Lloyd cried.

As for Floyd, he started to cry loudly. "I can't believe a girl insulted me again!"

While Nick, Floyd, and Lloyd began to suffer under the barrage of snide comments and Cecile had to struggle to keep herself together, Clemont noticed something in the corner of his eye. Discreetly glancing towards the Laurier Maison, he noticed a familiar-looking V-shaped crest disappearing behind one of the upper castle columns. He blinked twice, unsure if what he just spotted was an illusion or not.

Then, he saw something peek its head out from behind the same column. Clemont had to narrow his eyes in order to make out more of its features. Once he had the time to take the entire sight in, his bespectacled eyes grew wide in both amazement and confusion.

"A Blaziken...?" he thought.

Finally, the inventor saw two additional heads peek out from behind the upper column. The owner of one of them seemed to be gesturing to Clemont, but he couldn't make out the figure's hand movements. Even so, his eyes widened even further in disbelief when he recognized the cap on that same figure's head.

"Dad?! Grace?! H-How?!"

Clemont looked back at Nick, Floyd, Lloyd, and Cecile, only to see that they were still distracted with themselves. Then, he glanced back at the same column, just in time to see the Blaziken leaping from it to a lower-level one, carrying Meyer and Grace with it. They landed soundlessly and took shelter behind it for a few moments, before Meyer peeked his head out and gave his son what was now an unmistakable thumbs-up.

Down at the ground, Clemont suppressed a gasp at the sight of the gesture, before he smiled in understanding, adjusted his eyeglasses, and returned it with a thumbs-up of his own. Meyer nodded, grinned toothily and confidently at his son, and then retreated his head behind the column, leaving Clemont to take things from there.

"Hey, you guys," he whispered, piquing the attention of the others.

"What is it, Clemont?" replied Shauna.

"What's up, man?" Calem asked.

"My dad and Grace are here," the inventor replied. Then, he added as a confused afterthought, "With a Blaziken, of all Pokémon."

"Daddy's here?!" Bonnie whispered with renewed delight.

"Ah, so we've got our ticket outta here," Officer Joy commented. She softly nodded her head in approval. "Alright, I'll spread the word to my people. We'll be fighting back soon."

As the policewoman turned away to whisper the news to the first of her colleagues, Summer responded, "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Does your dad have a plan? Or what?"

"To be quite frank, Summer," Clemont deadpanned, "I can never tell with my dad. He's so unpredictable sometimes...and he's been a bit mysterious lately. We just have to trust him on this."

The Pokémon Ranger nodded in understanding. "I'll take it."

Just then, a new voice shouted, "Hey, what's with all the commotion over there?!"

Clemont's skin crawled as Nick, Floyd, Lloyd, and Cecile advanced upon him and his group. On instinct, he scrambled in front of Bonnie, Dedenne, Pichu, and Squishy to shield them with his body. However, Cecile merely scowled down at him.

"You heard me," she snarled. "Now answer my question."

"N-Nothing's going on here!" Shauna exclaimed. "There's no commotion!"

"Y-You're probably just hearing things!" added Nini.

Cecile's scowl deepened, and she snapped her fingers. The group watched while Cecile's Rhyperior and Shiny Krookodile marched up behind her; Rhyperior's horn shone from the venue's floodlights, while Krookodile threateningly bared its cone-shaped teeth at the Trainers and Ranger. Everyone's skins crawled at the sight of the two hulking Pokémon.

"You wanna run that by me again?" Cecile asked ominously.

Clemont swallowed and felt a single bead of sweat run down his temple. Then, a few more broke out on his forehead, and that was when he realized it wasn't coming from his body heat. Rather, it was coming from an external source.

"BLAZIKEN, USE BLAZE KICK!" a familiar voice hollered.

Meyer's Blaziken appeared from high above, spun around with great force, and kicked a nearby construction worker's Steelix with a fiery leg. The Iron Snake Pokémon yowled loudly in pain as its metallic, serpentine body was knocked to the ground. In the process, it collapsed atop several of Nick's underlings and their own Pokémon, halving Nick's numbers already. It also triggered a large, billowing cloud of dust that enveloped the entire dance venue.

"What the?!" Cecile snapped.

As for Nick, Floyd, and Lloyd, they looked at each other, then at Clemont's group, the fear evident in their expressions. Summer could only smirk up at them.

"Ohhhhh," the Ranger replied in a faux-terrified voice, "I can't even begin to imagine the kind of trouble that I'm in right now."

Nick, Floyd, and Lloyd all gulped simultaneously. At that moment, Clemont and the others sprung up to their feet, with the inventor sticking his hands into his pockets.

"Chespin, Luxray, we need you!" he hollered while throwing the devices in the air.

Once his two remaining Pokémon were summoned, Shauna immediately followed suit, sending out the rest of her team. Her actions were mimicked by Calem, Miette, Tierno, and Nini, all of whom summoned their full teams while Clarice chimed in with her Fletchling. Nick, Floyd, and Lloyd looked at one another yet again, the realization dawning on them. Even so, they confidently nodded at one another and defiantly faced the children.

"Prepare for trouble!" proclaimed Floyd.

"And make it double!" declared Lloyd.

"OH, NO YOU DON'T!" a familiar voice hollered, cutting off the trio before they could even start.

Everyone turned to see Jessilee, her date, and her Meowth and Wobbuffet glowering intensely at Nick, Floyd, and Lloyd. Their shared fury was so palpable and tangible that everyone else could feel it in the form of fire hotter than a thousand suns.

"You're not gonna defile our motto again!" Jessilee shouted.

"We're gonna show you how the pros do it!" proclaimed Jessilee's date.

"And we're gonna knock yer socks off in da process!" Meowth added.

"Wobbuffet!" Wobbuffet cried with a salute.

Without warning, Jessilee and her date tore their disguises off, causing most of the others to scream and look away at the apparent attempt at immodesty. But Clemont, Shauna, Calem, Miette, Tierno, Nini, and Clarice found it in themselves to not do the same thing; and they immediately came to realize that it was for good reason.

"Prepare for trouble!"

"And make it double!"

Clemont, Shauna, Miette, Nini, Tierno, and Trevor all stared flatly at the newly revealed Team Rocket trio. In contrast, Calem's and Clarice's eyebrows shot up, befuddled and slightly by the flashiness of the trio's performance. As for everyone else, they could only watch in mounting confusion at what was happening.

"To protect the world from devastation!" proclaimed Jessie.

"To unite all people within our nation!" declared James.

As for Nick, Floyd, and Lloyd, they all looked flabbergasted by Team Rocket's recital of their own motto.

"Wh-What is this?" Nick asked slowly.

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!" Jessie continued.

"To extend our reach to the stars above!" shouted James.

"Jessie!"

"And James!"

"Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"

"Meowth! Dat's right!" completed a jubilant Meowth.

"Wobbuffet!" Wobbuffet added with a salute.

Everyone could've sworn they saw an imaginary R-shaped logo materialize behind them.

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

"Did..." Floyd said slowly. "Did we just...get ripped off...?"

"DID YOU JUST GET RIPPED OFF?!"

Jessie, James, and Meowth's singular explosion was so great and terrifying that it would've put Arceus's Judgment attack to shame.

"YOU TRULY ARE WITHOUT SHAME!" Jessie shrieked.

"WE'RE GONNA BURY YOU IN LAWSUIT AFTER LAWSUIT!" yelled James. "BURY YOU!"

"YA CAN BET YER LUCKY PENNY ON IT!" warned Meowth.

In a matter of milliseconds, the trio became so rowdy and vocal in their outrage that some of the other Performers and their Pokémon had to hold them back. Cecile shook her head in increasing exasperation, just as a new voice spoke up.

"NOW'S OUR CHANCE!" Clemont hollered. "GIVE 'EM EVERYTHING YOU'VE GOT, GUYS! LET'S GO!"

Just like that, Bunnelby, Chespin, and Luxray sprang into action, engaging some of the remaining construction workers and their Pokémon. Upon seeing Clemont's example, Shauna, Miette, Nini, and Clarice looked to one another and nodded, as did Calem, Tierno, and Trevor.

"EVERYONE, LET'S GO!" all seven Trainers chorused.

Shauna, Miette, Nini, Calem, Tierno, Trevor, and Clarice's Pokémon went to work as well, joining Bunnelby, Chespin, and Luxray in dispatching their captors. Officer Jenny and her fellow officers followed suit with their own Pokémon, and together, Clemont's group made quick work of defeating Nick's inexperienced associates in a matter of minutes. Cecile, Rhyperior, and Krookodile retaliated; but Nick, Floyd, and Lloyd didn't join in on the clash. Instead, the trio huddled together, shuddering in terror at the sudden change of circumstances.

"Wh-Wh-What'll we do now?!" stammered Floyd.

"D-Do-Don't ask ME!" Lloyd stuttered.

Then, the twins beseechingly turned to their remaining colleague. "Nick?"

But Nick didn't respond. His skin was pale, and his pupils were dilated in fear. Finally, after an initial moment of silence, he gulped and flashed them a nervous smile.

"W-Well...I say we make a run for it!" he said confidently.

Floyd and Lloyd looked at each other and nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, we run for it!" Floyd cried.

"Running for it sounds good!" replied Lloyd.

The trio promptly turned on their heels and tried to run for the nearest exit. They passed by Cecile, who could only gawk at them in disbelief while her Rhyperior and Krookodile tried to bring down Clemont's group.

"Where in Arceus's name are you three going?!" she shrieked, stopping them in their tracks. "Get back here and help me out!"

But Floyd could only give her a shaky thumbs-up. "Don't worry! You've got this, Cecile!"

She was about to respond when Rhyperior and Krookodile came hurtling out of nowhere and collided into her. All of them were sent crashing into the trunk of a nearby tree, knocking them out at the same time. Miette walked up and stood upon the spot where Cecile had once been standing. She smirked triumphantly at the sweaty Nick, Floyd, and Lloyd while her Meowstic found his perch on her shoulder, his eyes glowing blue.

"Oh, yeah," she replied sarcastically. "She sure got this, you three."

Nick, Floyd, and Lloyd looked around in search of reinforcements, but all of them had already been defeated and were now being arrested by Summer, Jenny, and police officers. Now rendered completely useless and defenseless, the trio huddled close together again while Clemont and the others in his group joined Miette.

"Give it up, you three!" Clemont exclaimed. "It's all over!"

"Mm-hm!" Bonnie added with an angry pout. "Surrender now, bad guys!"

"Pichu-pichu-pi!" Pichu squeaked furiously from the girl's left shoulder.

"Nenene!" cried an equally angry Dedenne from her other shoulder.

Floyd and Lloyd retreated behind the trembling Nick, whimpering fearfully and helplessly. As for Nick, he could only chuckle nervously and manage an insecure smile.

"Y-Ye-Yeah, s-sure!" the Dedenne-like man cried tentatively. "B-But first, I-I thought I left the stove on!"

"Y-Yeah!" added Floyd. "A-And I think I hear my grandma calling!"

"And I, uh, I need to go to the bathroom!" Lloyd squeaked unconvincingly. "I, uh, I have an upset stomach!"

Once again, the trio turned on their heels and ran for the nearest exit.

"THEY'RE MAKING A RUN FOR IT!" Shauna shouted.

Before the trio could reach their exit, their path was quickly blocked by Blaziken, who gave them a threatening snort while crossing its arms. Meyer and Grace joined the Fire-type's sides, with the former's arms crossed as well while the latter scowled angrily at them. Nick, Floyd, and Lloyd took a step backward in unison.

"This is a very serious situation," Nick commented apprehensively.

"Well," Floyd replied, "when the going gets tough, Team Pocket gets going!"

"Yeah, on the double!" added Lloyd.

"Go, Team Pocket!" Nick squealed as he and the twins turned around and tried to flee the other way.

"GOURGEIST, USE SHADOW BALL!" a familiar female voice shrieked.

"PSYBEAM, INKAY!" another familiar, male voice yelled.

The dual attacks hit the ground in front of the false trio, sending them flying into a pile of upturned party tables.

"OOF!" Nick grunted.

"OW!" squeaked Floyd.

"MY JEWELS!" moaned Lloyd.

Soon, the three poked their heads out from the heap of hardened plastic, just in time to see Jessie, James, and Meowth approaching them, flanked by Wobbuffet, Gourgeist, and Inkay. White-hot fury was etched into each of their visages, fury that took even Clemont and Bonnie aback.

"We told you we'd bury you in lawsuits!" James proclaimed.

"So prepare for trouble," snarled Jessie, "'cause you'll be getting your day in court!"

"Start counting yer lucky pennies!" an incensed Meowth growled.

"WOBBUFFET!" Wobbuffet cried.

Nick, Floyd, and Lloyd could do nothing but weakly lift their hands upward in surrender. As they did, Clemont, Bonnie, and the others approached the Team Rocket trio.

"So you guys have been Jessilee and her crew this entire time?" Shauna asked.

"Why, of course!" Unconcerned about her freshly uncovered identity, Jessie instead puffed her chest out in pride. "So, what'd you twerps think of my dazzling and magnificent performances? Hm?"

Miette made an unsure motion with her hand. "Ehhh, so-so..."

"SO-SO?!"

Just then, the group heard a low groan coming from beside them. They turned to see Cecile regaining consciousness, poking her head out from the heap that was her motionless Rhyperior and Krookodile. Meyer, Grace, and Blaziken immediately marched up to her, just as the cinnabar-haired woman regained her bearings and noticed the trio.

"I remember you," Meyer growled. "You were trying to give me, Grace, Layla, and Moose a hard time before."

"Heh heh heh..." Cecile grinned malevolently yet groggily. "And now, you people are about to have a harder time, if you know what I me- Ugh! Whoa, whoa, whoa, HEY!"

Grace had grabbed Cecile by the collar and lifted her up from the pile of her Pokémon's unconscious bodies. The cinnabar-haired woman's eyes widened when she saw that the jockey had cocked her other arm, her hand balled up into a quivering fist.

"Where. Did. They. Take. My. DAUGHTER?" Grace demanded.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, I don't know a thing about that part!" Cecile squeaked. Then, she winced when Grace prepared to launch her fist. "I swear, I swear! I don't know! I DON'T!"

"Hey, Grace!" Meyer cried in concern. "Calm down-"

"Don't tell me to calm down, Meyer!" growled the former Rhyhorn Racer. "My daughter's in danger, and I'm not gonna just stand here and do nothing about it! I won't!"

Cecile shook her head rapidly. "Pl-Pl-Please! J-Just think about it f-for a moment-"

"Wait a minute, Grace!" Clemont cried. The inventor ran up to her and caught her attention. "We know where Serena and the others are! We know where those guys took 'em!"

Grace looked at him in relief. "You do?!"

He nodded. "Yeah! We can go and save them!"

"No," Summer interjected sternly, once she got done helping Officer Jenny in restraining the last of Nick's associates. "You've done enough for one day, kids."

"What?!" Tierno, Trevor, Miette, and Nini exclaimed at the same time.

"NO!" protested Calem.

"You don't understand, Summer!" Shauna cried. She ran up to the Pokémon Ranger and tugged at her arm. "Serena and Ash are our friends! We can't just leave them like that!"

"Who said we were leaving them?" Summer glanced at Jenny, who nodded at her before retrieving her walkie-talkie and speaking into it. "Officer Jenny and I will lead a strike force into Kiloude Forest and get Ash, Serena, Selene, and Yancy back. Officer Jenny's got her entire police department at her disposal, while I've got colleagues in the area. I'll call them in and-"

"Well, we want to be a part of it!" Clemont cried.

"Yeah!" Bonnie added tearfully. "Friends don't leave friends behind, no matter what, Summer!"

Summer scanned the group of youths and took quick notice of their shared enthusiasm and determination. She took a slow, deep breath and then gave them a sorrowful smile, disheartening the children.

"I'm sorry, kids," she said, "but I can't allow you to get any more involved in this than you already are. I've seen all of the players involved now, and we've already dealt with all the incompetent bad guys-"

"HEY!" the affronted Nick, Floyd, and Lloyd cried simultaneously.

"But now..." Summer briefly shuddered. "I can tell that the remaining bad guys mean serious business."

"I've faced worse together with Ash and Serena!" snapped Clemont.

"Same here!" Bonnie added. "This is nothing to us!"

"Nenene!" squeaked Dedenne.

"Pi-chu!" added Pichu.

"I concur with that!" Jessie exclaimed.

"Yeah, same here!" James added.

"Every week, dose twoips manage ta kick our butts!" Meowth explained.

"Wobbuffet!" Wobbuffet added in agreement.

"I think we're only talking about the serious bad guys here, you three..." deadpanned Miette.

"HEY!" the affronted Jessie, James, and Meowth cried simultaneously.

But Summer remained firm and shook her head. "No. I'm sorry, I really am, but this is where your involvement ends. I promise, we'll get your friends back safely. But for now, you kids need to get to a safe place while Officer Jenny and I get this operation underway." She turned towards the blue-haired policewoman. "I need everyone you can think of in your department, Officer Jenny."

"I'm already on it, Summer!" Jenny replied with a stern nod.

"But Summer-" began Clemont.

"No, Clemont," Summer interrupted sternly. "You and your friends and family go find a safe place. Look, if it helps, I'll keep you updated by the minute. But I'm not letting you come along. That's final."

Ignoring the inventor's dejected reaction, she glanced at Clarice and Palermo, both of whom were busy helping Monsieur Pierre in consoling the other Performers. Many of the girls were crying and hugging their Pokémon with relief, while a few others were calling their loved ones to let them know of their status.

"Ms. Palermo?" Summer called. "Do you think you could keep an eye on these children?"

The producer turned to the Ranger and nodded. "Yes, ma'am. I will be keeping everyone in the Laurier Maison's lobby until you get a good handle on the situation."

"Good." Then, the Pokémon Ranger glanced at Officer Jenny and her colleagues. "Alright, everyone! We all know what the mission is, so let's all get to it!"

"RIGHT!" the police force barked all at once.

Just then, a low but sinister laughter started to fill the air. "Heh heh heh... Ha ha ha... Hehehehehe... Hahahahaha..."

Grace glared at the source of the laughter, Cecile. "Okay, now what exactly is so Arceus-darn funny?" the jockey demanded.

"Oh no, I'm sorry," Cecile replied mockingly while wiping away an invisible tear. "I'm just cracking up on your cliched heroics and all that."

"Well, I'm glad that you're having fun, at least," Meyer said sarcastically.

Cecile glared at Summer and Officer Jenny. "Do you guys really think that you're gonna put a stop to Adam's plan?"

Summer crossed her arms and frowned. "Well, I mean, he's gonna do something that could wipe my existence off the timeline, as well as everyone else's. Yours included. You can't blame a girl for trying."

"Heh..." The cinnabar-haired woman rolled her eyes. "Knowing that Parker fella and his friend, they're probably getting that Celebi primed and ready to go, time travel-wise. I've seen the tech that they're packing. They're probably traveling back in time as we speak."

Everyone's skins paled at the thought, which triggered a malicious smile to appear on Cecile's face.

"Ohhh, look at all of you, so useless and helpless! You think the tides may have turned in your favor, but believe me, your troubles have just BEGUN! You're DOOMED! HAHAHAHAHA! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! HAHAH- OOF!"

Grace was the only one who didn't react to Cecile's taunt. Once the cinnabar-haired woman started cackling, the former Rhyhorn Racer, with a twitching brow, raised her unoccupied fist and punched her squarely in the face, cutting her laughter short. The force of the punch was so great that Cecile was knocked into the tree trunk behind and rendered unconscious in a split-second. Several leaves and Berries fluttered and fell all around her as she slid back to the ground, beside her two unconscious Pokémon. Her entire face was already blackened with a giant bruise.

With an angry huff, Grace rubbed her knuckles and turned to the others, just to be met with a singular reaction of shock and a little terror. She quirked an eyebrow at them, having seemingly forgotten about her brief episode of fury.

"What?" the jockey asked.

"Nothing," everyone replied simultaneously.

Meyer then surreptitiously nudged his Blaziken's elbow, catching its attention. "Hey, Blaziken. Reminder me to not tick her off. Ever."

Blaziken rapidly nodded in agreement.

---

– o – END OF SCENE 1 – o –

---

– o – BEGINNING OF SCENE 2 – o –

---

"I'm sorry... I-I'm so sorry, Yancy. This is... Oh, this is so, so, SO weird, Yancy! I...I don't know what to do! I-I-I-"

"No, Nate. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have thrown this onto you. You've got a lot on your plate as it is. The Kalos Battle Frontier, Emboar's Battle Bond Ability, Teams Ebony and Ivory, Kyurem... I'm...I'm very, very sorry, Nate... I should've known I'd be a huge burden on you... I'll just-"

"Wait a minute! Yancy!"

"No, it's alright, Nate. I shouldn't have said anything. I shouldn't have forced this on you. Maybe...Maybe there is a point where you should just give up. Maybe this is the end of all this- N-Nate...?"

"Yancy...I...I..."

"Nate...?"

"Nate?"

"Nate?!"

"Nate!"

"Nate!"

"Nate!"

"NATE!"

"I lo- H-Huh...?"

Nate's eyelids fluttered open, revealing his youthful, chocolate-brown pupils. For only an infinitesimal moment, he expected to be greeted with a blast of blinding, bright light, his typical way of starting the day. Instead, the first thing that the boy saw was a pair of shimmering eyes of navy-blue, framed by the starry nighttime sky.

"Nate!" Evelyn exclaimed in relief, just as tears of relief dripped down her cheeks. "Oh, Nate!"

She pulled him into a hug without warning, startling him. Before Nate could say anything, a certain smell started to fill his nostrils. At first, he didn't know what it was, but as his memories started to return to him, so did his better olfactory senses.

It was charred wood.

"Evelyn?" Nate parted from her and looked into her eyes. "What...What happened...?"

"W-We were attending the dance party, Nate!" Evelyn exclaimed while wiping her eyes. "Y-You and the others w-were dancing, a-and then, there was an explosion, a-and...and..." The blue-haired girl sniffled. "Nate, it was Parker!"

Nate's eyes grew wide with shock at first. Then, they narrowed into slits, and he clenched one of his fists tightly in anger as he absorbed the implication.

"Parker..." the teenager growled.

"A-A-And that's not all! Nate, he..." Evelyn's lip started to quiver. "I-I don't know how, b-but he found Kay, a-and they...they..."

Her voice trailed off, and Nate suddenly felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. He didn't know why, but he felt like something was missing in his life. The back of his mind was screaming at him, begging him to find out what that was.

"And they what?" he asked. "Evelyn, what?"

Evelyn's lip was still shaking. "Oh, Nate! Th-They took Yancy and Selene!"

In an instant, the sinking feeling transformed into a swirling vortex leading into oblivion. With gritted teeth, Nate tried to stand up, but a sharp pain shot up his left leg. Crying out softly, he collapsed back onto the ground, which he noticed was coated with debris that threatened to tear through his clothes and dig into his skin. Evelyn swiftly took a hold of his shoulders while he slowly glanced at his leg. He was only able to catch a glimpse of red when Evelyn spoke again, catching his attention.

"Nate, you're hurt! J-Just stay still! Help's already arrived." She then looked over her shoulder, just as flashlight beams started to shine through the dust-distorted darkness. "H-Hey! HEY!" She began to wave frantically. "We're here! Guys, w-we're over here!"

"Hey, didja hear that?" a voice asked, coming from the direction of the flashlight beams.

"Sounded like it came from over there!" a second voice cried.

"This is the Kiloude City Police Department!" Officer Jenny's familiar voice hollered. "Shout again if you can hear us!"

"HERE!" Evelyn yelled at the top of her lungs, a feat that Nate had never seen from her before. "We're over here! Please, come help us! My friend's hurt!"

"Don't worry, ma'am! Just stay put, the two of you! We're on the way!"

As Nate overheard Jenny and her colleagues make their way to him and Evelyn, he tried to recall the events that happened right before he blacked out. However, the longer he tried to strain his mind using what Evelyn had told him, the more he started to come to a startling realization.

"I...I-I can't remember...a thing that happened before then..."

---

Kiloude Forest

"What's the delay, Parker?"

Ash, Serena, Selene, and Yancy looked back and forth between Kay and Parker while remaining seated in their cage. Kay had her arms crossed and her foot tapping in impatience, while Parker was pacing around and monitoring his wristwatch as it projected a minuscule 3D image of something.

"I apologize, Kay," Parker replied earnestly while keeping his eyes glued to his contraption. "Salamence and Sceptile should have the second part of their objective complete anytime now."

Kay groaned and threw her head back in exasperation. "I can't believe this. A minute wasted is a minute that Gray brat manages to spend preparing and making his way over here."

Meanwhile, Adam, Sid, and a particularly large, muscular construction worker were lounging nearby, observing Kay and Parker's conversation with interest. Upon hearing Kay's complaint, Adam's brow became wrinkled as the green-haired man approached the two poachers.

"I don't understand, you two," he said. "We've got that Celebi in our clutches, and we're beside that Time Rippler or whatever you call it. How come we're not making good use of it?! Why haven't we traveled back in time already?! What are we doing just standing there and doing nothing?!"

Kay shot him a bitter, dissatisfied look. "We're waiting for our Pokémon, Mr. Glazing. Please be patient-"

"Forget your stinkin' Pokémon!" Adam interrupted brashly. "You said it yourself; that Ranger and Officer Jenny are definitely planning a counterattack against me as we speak!"

"You?" Parker repeated with an arched eyebrow and an amused smirk.

Adam ignored him and snarled, "We're still a few steps ahead of them, so we need to use Celebi while we have the chance!"

"We have the technology to repel them easily. You know it, and I know it. They won't stand a chance."

"Alright. And what about that Gray kid that you mentioned? It sounds like he knows what to do to take you guys down."

"He's a slimy little Weavile," Kay snarled. "He has...ample experience in foiling our plans."

"Which is why you guys are going down!" Yancy shouted defiantly, catching everyone's attention. "Nate knows I'm in trouble by this point, and he never abandons the people he cares about! He'll stop at NOTHING to get to you and make sure that my sister, parents, and I are safe!" She pointed a trembling finger at them. "You guys might as well surrender now, while you have the chance!"

"Yeah!" Selene chirped, mirroring her older sister's movements. "Give it up now, you big meanies! Or Natey will kick your BUTTS until you don't have any!"

"Heh." Parker widened his smirk and approached the cage. "Bold words coming from a couple of foolish, immature little girls. But don't forget, we've got six bargaining chips that'll even out the odds."

"Six bargaining chips?" Ash repeated. He glanced at Serena, Selene, and Yancy, mentally counting them. "But...there's four of us. Unless you're also counting our Pokémon-"

"Now why would we do that, Ketchum? Pokémon have no rights, after all."

"That's such a HORRIBLE thing to say!" squeaked an infuriated Selene.

Parker rolled his eyes in disbelief. "I'm not gonna have this discussion again, little girl. Just know this, you four: you're about to have company really soon. In the meantime, just have a seat like good little children and be quiet."

Neither Selene nor Yancy said anything back at him, allowing Parker to turn his back on the family and return to Kay. While the two continued their conversation, Ash, Serena, Selene, and Yancy all huddled together, making sure none of their captors were watching.

"Did I hear that right?" Ash asked. "We're gonna have company soon?"

"Yeah, I heard that too," replied Serena.

"Pika-pika," Pikachu squeaked quietly with a subtle nod.

Greninja croaked as quietly as he could.

"What do you think that means?" Yancy asked. "Are they...Are they holding someone else captive?"

"Judging by what they were just talking about, they sent their Pokémon to go capture someone somewhere else, and they're waiting for them to bring them over here." Serena looked at her future daughter. "Does that sound like something they'd do?"

Yancy shook her head. "That doesn't sound like them at all. These people are ruthless and meticulous, Mom. They'd never leave anything to chance like this. I don't get it." She looked over her shoulder to secretly observe Kay and Parker. "I mean, they have Celebi already. That's all they ever wanted. I get what they kidnapped us: to ensure Celebi's cooperation. But normally, this is the point where they'd use Celebi's powers to bring us back to my original timeline. I don't get why they're waiting around like this, let alone taking the extra effort of more kidnappings. It just doesn't make any sense..."

"Well, we can use that to our advantage," Ash replied confidently.

"Huh?" The pink-haired girl looked back at her father. "What do you mean, Dad?"

"I mean, the longer they wait around for their Pokémon to come back, the more time Nate, Clemont, and the others have to get here and save us and Celebi! Because that's what they're doing right now, no doubt about it!"

Serena smiled brightly in realization. "Yeah, that's right, Ash! We just gotta hope that the others get here in time."

"Yeah. But in the meantime..." Ash crossed his legs until he took on a crisscrossed position, looking as if he was entering a state of Zen now. "We just sit here and wait."

"Pika," Pikachu squeaked softly while joining his friend in the same seated position.

"Ninja..." Greninja croaked as he too sat down beside Ash and Pikachu and crossed his legs.

Serena, Selene, and Yancy all looked at one another, nodded in agreement, and sat down before Ash, their legs crisscrossed as well. Once she got herself comfortable, Yancy couldn't help but giggle, something that didn't go unnoticed by Ash and Serena.

"Hm?" Ash crooked an eyebrow at her. "What's funny, Yancy?"

"Oh, it's nothing, Dad," Yancy replied with a shake of her head.

"No, come on! Tell me, I'm curious!" Then, the raven-haired boy blinked slowly, but with realization. "Is...Is this something that I do in the future?"

"Yeah...I guess you could say that, Dad..."

"Really...?" Ash's auburn eyes started to spark alive, as did Pikachu's. "If you don't mind me asking, what exactly is the importance of this position?"

Yancy opened her mouth, but before she could speak, Selene's hand shot high up in the air. The little girl was bobbing up and down in childish excitement.

"Ooh, ooh!" she squeaked in a quiet voice. "I wanna tell the story, I wanna tell the story! Can I tell the story, Yancy?! Please, Yancy?!"

Ash, Pikachu, Greninja, Serena, and Yancy all looked at her in amusement. Then, the pink-haired girl sighed and casually shrugged her shoulders.

"Well, it's not like I've got a choice, now do I?" she replied.

This time, both of Selene's arms shot up in enthusiasm. "HOORA- MMPH!"

Yancy clamped her hand tighter down upon her sister's mouth while putting her other index finger to her lips. "Shhhhh! Quiet now, Selene!"

Fortunately for the family, neither Kay, Parker, Adam, Sid, nor their associates heard Selene's joyful outburst.

---

"Geot! Geot!"

A few minutes had passed, and Adam, Sid, and their associate had momentarily broken away from Kay and Parker. The trio watched while a Pidgeot landed in front of the construction worker, giving one final flap of its mighty wings to settle its feet on the forest floor.

"Anything to report, Pidgeot?" Adam's associate asked.

The Bird Pokémon shook its head with a low chirrup, allowing Adam to sigh in relief.

"Good," the green-haired man replied. "We still have time to carry out the plan."

"It won't be long before that Ranger and Officer Jenny arrive to mess everything up, though," Sid interjected. "Have Pidgeot continue to keep an eye from the skies."

"Will do," the third man replied. He then faced his Pidgeot and gave its plumage a gentle pat. "You know what to do."

The Bird Pokémon nodded and then took off to the air again with a squawk. As the Flying-type made its leave, Adam turned around to face Mt. Kiloude, whose shadow was still looming over everyone despite the darkness of the night. He narrowed his eyes and parted his lips, revealing a set of meticulously-cleaned teeth that did nothing to mask the twisted malice of his smile. For once in his life, something that he had once striven for, but thought for the longest time that he could never achieve then, was now within his reach...

"It won't be long," he said, more to himself than to Sid and his other associate. "It's...truly a miracle that that Celebi and I crossed paths. It's...It's as if...Arceus Himself is showing me a sign...a path to a better future for myself! This is just my final test- no, my final tribulation, to show that I am WORTHY of the gift that He has bestowed upon me! Heh heh heh... Fortunately for myself, this'll be a tribulation that I can pass with ease! Because as long as I have my goalpost within my sights, NOTHING is impossible for me!"

"Really?" Sid commented, while his associate was struggling to stifle a giggle of amusement. "Tribulation, huh? You sound like you're gonna double-cross Kay and Parker when given the opportunity."

Adam twirled around to face his compatriots. "Why, of course!" After taking one last, paranoid glance at the two poachers to make sure they weren't listening in, he continued, "Those two go on and on and on about their contract and the salary it'll give them. I know the truth just as much as they do. Whatever their contract is, they've got no intention of letting me share the spoils of victory. Once they have an insurmountable advantage, one that neither friend nor foe will be able to overcome, they will leave me to rot."

Sid quirked an eyebrow in faux-interest. "You?"

"Us," Adam corrected quickly. "Us, Sid. Are you deaf or something?"

"Apparently so," Sid replied, slyly and sardonically. "If I recall, though, you were the one who let the Hoopa out of the Prison Bottle by unearthing Kay and that...that thing of hers."

"Only because she's got the tech and the wherewithal to get the mission done." Then, Adam's lips curled into a devious grin. "I can afford to play her little game a while longer, though. As long as she still believes I'm mentally inferior to her, I can take over her operation from the inside. All I have to do is play dumb and gaze in wonder at her miracles, and Parker's too.

"But I know better, because I'm Adam Glazing! Adam Glazing, you hear?! I'm the best, like no one ever was! Everyone is rightfully beneath my feet! The world knows and cherishes the name of Adam Glazing; they just don't know it yet! Adam Glazing is the household name of the ages! Adam Glazing doesn't do what Adam Glazing does for Adam Glazing! Adam Glazing does what Adam Glazing does because Adam Glazing is ADAM GLAZING!"

The green-haired man was about to burst into insane, megalomaniacal laughter, but he quickly caught himself and refrained from doing so. Instead, he could only emit a sinister snicker, with his eyes wide and his pupils dilated in madness. All the while, Sid and his associate continued to watch on in derision.

As did Kay and Parker, both of whom could only shake their heads in disbelief.

---

Pokémon Center
Nimbasa City, Unova

"Awwwwww, Rattata! You've gotta be KIDDING me, sis!"

Inside the lobby of the Pokémon Center, two girls with identical brown hair watched as the local Nurse Joy, her Audino, and a female assistant waved goodbye to a departing male Trainer and his Boldore. One of them, whose hair was tied into a ponytail at the back, pouted at the other one, who had her hair styled into a bun at the top of her head.

"I can't believe you let such a cute boy slip by your fingers like that!" scolded the girl with the ponytail. "You're never gonna get a boyfriend at this rate!"

The girl with the hair-bun rolled her eyes as she began to jot down some notes on a clipboard. "Well, it's not like I've got my head deep in my pants all the time, Nee. Seriously, you need to drop your obsession with romance and help me out here! These sign-out sheets aren't gonna write themselves, you know!"

Nee crossed her arms in exasperation. "What in Arceus's name are you trying to do, Lee? Inherit the entire Pokémon Center? 'Cause last I heard, your name's not Nurse Joy."

"No, but..." Lee pointed towards two stacks of clipboards that towered precariously over the two girls on one of the side-desks. "If we don't help Mom out with the paperwork, the Center's not gonna function properly. Ever heard of something called the 'domino effect', sis?"

"And have you ever heard of something called 'being a killjoy', Lee?" Then, Nee sighed in defeat and snatched a clipboard from one of the stacks. "Fine. I'll help out with these stupid sign-out sheets."

But to Lee's dismay, all Nee did was quickly sign the sheet without looking, place it down on a cleared-out part of the desk, grab another clipboard, sign it just as quickly, put it away on the same spot, and repeat the process over and over again without any regard for the finer details. Lee grabbed her head and groaned in irritation while her sister completed thirty forms in the span of ten seconds.

"What're you DOING, Nee?!" Lee shrieked. "You're not even comparing the sheet info to the patient info in the database! What if they gave the wrong info and we just let it slip by until the Pokémon Center Association catches it?! Mom's gonna be out of a job in no time!"

Nee looked at her dumbly. "Compare the what-now to the what-now?"

"Arceus in frigging HEAVEN! Did you forget everything that Mom and Nurse Joy taught us?!" Lee snatched the latest clipboard out of her sister's hands and stormed over to the nearest desktop computer. "Come on, I'll show you again."

The other girl childishly pouted at her again. "You act like we're actually getting paid to do this. You do know these are just volunteer positions-"

"Listen up, Nee! This is how it goes!"

Lee pressed a finger down on the keyboard, preparing to type. But as soon as she did that, the front sliding doors to the Pokémon Center exploded open, the shock-wave sending the girls' mother and Nurse Joy flying. Lee and Nee screamed and ducked their heads under the desk, just in time to avoid flying debris that struck the wall behind them. Patients and Pokémon lingering in the lobby screamed and fled in all directions, while Nurse Joy's Audino ran up to its now-unconscious Trainer and tried to wake her up to no avail.

"What the heck was THAT?!" Nee screamed with her hands over her head and ears.

But Lee was already sticking her head out from underneath the desk, her eyes wide with worry. "Mom?!" she called. "Mom!"

She immediately saw the still body splayed out in the middle of the lobby. At first, the young girl feared the worst, but her alarm was soothed when she saw the woman move to her side and moan.

"Mom!" Lee cried again.

She was about to leap out from under the desk and run over to her mother's side, but the outlines of two beings stopped her from doing so. They became distinct even through the thick, billowing cloud of smoke that was pouring into the lobby from the blown-out sliding doors. Lee felt her skin crawl at the sight of them; a voice in her head was telling her that those shapes were nothing but bad news.

Then, the assailants responsible emerged from the smoke, revealing themselves to her: a Sceptile and a Salamence, both of whom were Shiny. Her eyes grew wide at the sight of the Sceptile in particular, for it had a red right eye and a yellow left eye; a nasty-looking scar was running down its left eye and cheek.

And tucked underneath its armpit was what appeared to be the unconscious form of a boy...

---

Laurier Maison
Northern Kiloude City, Kalos

Clemont paced back and forth in frustration, his slightly unkempt blond hair swaying to and fro and the lenses of his eyeglasses shining brightly. Right now, he and the other attendants of the dance party were in the front lobby, where the Performers had reunited with their dates and families and were now tending to their Pokémon. Some of the girls were crying in terror from their earlier experience, others were chatting away on their Holo Casters, and a few were even filming their vlogs for PokéVision with the hope of filling their fans and viewers in on the situation.

All the while, everyone was being looked after by some of Officer Jenny's underlings, rookie police officers who were trying to corral everyone. Unexpectedly, Clarice had taken charge of supervising the huddled Performers and consoling some of the more severely traumatized ones. With the help of her Fletchling, she proved to be a natural at comforting them and bringing a modest aura of tranquility to the lobby, one that had been sorely lacking in the wake of Aria's mental incapacitation. In contrast, Aria had isolated herself in a secluded corner of the lobby, unseen and unnoticed by the other Performers for once.

But unlike the others, Bonnie, Shauna, Calem, Miette, Tierno, Trevor, Grace, and Meyer all watched Clemont in the middle of his pacing. Shauna and Calem looked particularly impatient, while Bonnie was enthusiastically bobbing up and down with her heels.

"Come on, Clemont!" Shauna snapped. "We can't just stand here! I thought we were gonna do something!"

"We are, Shauna," Clemont replied without looking at her. "We are. But remember what we agreed to, Shauna. We need to wait for Team Rocket to come back."

Bonnie rolled her eyes in disbelief. "Jeez! I can't believe we're getting help from those guys!"

"Nenene!" Dedenne squeaked in agreement.

"Well," Trevor replied with an uncertain smile, "a-at least we know that there are some boundaries that those guys can't cross. Am I right?"

"Meh," Miette responded noncommittally. "I think those three just don't know how to be bad guys, personally."

"Don't say that to their faces, though," Tierno said with a small smirk of amusement. Then, he glanced at Nini, who had just returned to his side. "How's Nate, babe?"

"He seems to be recovering pretty quickly," the rotund Performer replied. "At least he didn't suffer any serious memory loss. He did hit his head pretty hard back there."

She glanced over her shoulder and at the visor-wearing boy, who was still being tended to by Evelyn. The blue-haired girl was busy carefully wrapping a white medical bandage around her crush's forehead, concealing the dark bruise that adorned it. Nate winced and became restless every few moments, but Evelyn would pat his shoulder and whisper bits of consolation into his ear every time, thereby bringing him back to a fair state of peace again.

"The poor thing..." Nini said sympathetically.

"Wait a minute," Trevor piped up. He gave Tierno a suspicious side-glance, which he followed up with a crafty grin. "Babe?"

Tierno puffed his chest outward in pride. "Yeah, so what? Nini and I are joined at the hip now! We're soulmates, destined to be together for life!"

"Really? Just a few days ago, you were ranting and raving about how Serena was the love of your l- MMPH!"

The dancer-in-training held a finger to his lips while keeping his other hand clamped down on his friend's mouth. Fortunately for him, Nini didn't seem to notice, for she turned her attention to Clemont next.

"Clemont?" she asked. "N-Not that I don't wanna do this or anything, but are you sure we should be doing this? Sneaking out to help when Summer and Officer Jenny are already working on getting Serena and the others back? We might just get in the way-"

"We have to do this, Nini," the inventor interrupted with a hardened, resolute voice. "We have to. Ash would never turn his back on us, so there's no excuse to do that to him. Not when he needs his friends more than anything else now."

"Now, wait just a moment!" a new voice chirped. "You're...You're not thinking about going after those guys, are you?"

Clemont, Bonnie, and the others turned to see Shulin standing a few feet from them, her arms crossed. Blanche and Kazalie had just caught up with her.

"Well, what else are we supposed to do?" asked Calem.

"Oh, I dunno." Shulin scowled at him, disbelief radiating strongly from her visage. "Maybe stay here and let the adults do the work?!"

"Didja see the tech those guys were packing?!" exclaimed Kazalie; the girl was vigorously nodding her head in agreement.

"Hmph!" Bonnie stomped her way in-between her brother and Shulin and stubbornly crossed her arms as well. "No one asked you to come along! Not like you would've been much help, anyway!"

Shulin scowled down at the little girl. "Awfully confident in your chances, are you?"

"We've faced worse than this!" Bonnie squeaked defiantly. "And we always come out on top! You wanna know why?! 'Cause we've got each other!"

"Dedenne!" Dedenne squeaked in agreement.

"Pichu-pichu-pi!" Pichu chirped while static electricity crackled on its cheeks.

Squishy just garbled incoherently.

"Each...other...?" Blanche repeated in stunned shock and a little amazement.

"Yeah!" Clemont replied. "Friends don't leave each other behind, and they most certainly never give up on 'em! It doesn't matter if Summer and Officer Jenny are on their way to save Ash and the others! We need to be there for them, no matter what! I mean, what if things go south and we're not there to help out?! What kind of friends would we be, then?!"

"And what if things still go south when you're there?"

This time, it wasn't Shulin or Kazalie who had spoken. Clemont, Bonnie, and the others watched in surprise while the other Performers began to gather around them, having overheard the conversation.

"What then?" the Honchkrow Trainer asked.

"You guys are going to get hurt!" exclaimed the Furret Trainer.

"Or worse!" added the Trainer with the Pansage, Pansear, and Panpour. "Those guys are bad news!"

"And yet you're not afraid of dealing with that?!" asked the Psyduck Trainer.

"I know I would!" the Vileplume Trainer added.

"And look at Aria!" Kayleigh shouted, pointing over her shoulder. "Look at her! If people like them are able to scare her stiff, then they've gotta be worse than all the horrible fanboys and anti-Showcase cretins out there, COMBINED!"

Clemont followed the turquoise-haired girl's finger and saw Aria still sitting by herself in her corner of the lobby. The once-dignified Kalos Queen was now in an upwards-facing fetal position, tightly holding her knees close to her chest with her arms. Her eyes were wide with some indescribable horror, and her fair skin was deathly pale, as if she had seen a Haunter. Even so, despite the redhead's appearance, Clemont cracked a weak smile that still radiated confidence.

"Well..." the inventor said, "it doesn't hurt to try."

"Especially if it's for your friends," Shauna added.

"Yeah," Miette said. She then pointed at Alouette. "What if your Furfrou was in danger? You're telling me you're gonna give up on it?"

"H-Huh?!" Alouette looked at her Poodle Pokémon in a panic; it looked back at her beseechingly. "D-Don't throw me and my Furfrou under the spotlight here!"

"And what about your Roserade, Elma?" Nini asked, glancing at the Performer from the Coumarine Showcase. "Would you do anything to help it if it was in a pickle?"

"My...My Roserade...?" Elma looked down at her Grass-type, which looked back up at her expectantly. "I mean, of course I would! Roserade's my Pokémon! My friend! Wh-Why wouldn't I?!"

"Then this is no different than us going out there to help our friends!" Shauna protested. "Our friends need us, and we're gonna be there for them! Because that's what any true friend would do! And if you girls are gonna try to stop us..." She scanned the entire group of Performers, giving each one a stare of resolve. "Well, you're welcome to, but I can't guarantee your success."

None of the Performers responded to that. In fact, some of them had their heads lowered in shame, while others were fidgeting and twiddling their thumbs with guilt. With a deep breath, Shauna turned around to face the others in her group. As she did, she saw Jessie, James, Meowth, and Wobbuffet running up to them; they were no longer wearing their civilian disguises and were back in their standard Team Rocket uniforms.

"Ay, twoips!" Meowth called, catching the attention of the others. "Our ride is gassed up and ready tah go!"

"Thanks for that, Team Rocket," Clemont replied with an unsure smile. Then, he recalled how the trio volunteered to assist them in getting to Mt. Kiloude and how enthusiastic they were in participating in the rescue operation. "Y-You know...you guys didn't really have to do this-"

"Well, what can we say?" Jessie interrupted. "They've got Pikachu and the main twerp captured! The only ones who're allowed to capture 'em are US, after all!"

"Plus, they're messing with time," added James. "And whenever that happens-"

"Dat means dis show's 'bout tah get canceled!" Meowth completed.

...

"Right..." Clemont responded. Then, he regained his bearings, cleared his throat, and faced Nate and Evelyn. "Hey, guys! Team Rocket's here with our ride! We're gonna be leaving now!"

"Good!" Evelyn replied. She then looked at Nate, who was still clutching his head. "Did you hear that, Nate? We're gonna go and save Yancy and Selene now!"

"About time..." growled Nate. He stood up, a certain fire burning in his brown eyes while he stuck a hand into his pocket and produced a Poké Ball. "Kay and Parker have officially crossed a line here. Now, they are gonna pay for messing with my friends like that!"

"Okaaaaay..." Clemont commented in alarm. Then, he smiled and faced the others. "Alright, everyone! Let's go save Ash and the others!"

"And we'll kick some Pokémon poacher butt too!" added an excited Bonnie.

"YEAH!" the others chorused in unison.

As for the other Performers, they could only watch on, stunned by the strong display of courage before them.

---

Twenty years in the future...

---

Kiloude Forest
Near Laurier Maison

Finn paced back and forth, his fingers twitchy and his teeth clenched in impatience. The breeze that blew through the forest became chillier as the setting Sun began to touch the horizon. However, he was undeterred by the slow but steady decrease in temperature, for he was training his ears to eavesdrop on the conversation his father and aunt were having with the other adults just a few yards away.

"You know, Finn," a voice piped up, "walking in circles like that isn't gonna speed things up any faster."

With an annoyed grunt, Finn looked up at the speaker, a slightly older boy with tanned skin, cream-blond hair, and gray eyes. Those eyes usually shone with an insatiable energy that was only indicative of his fighting spirit, but right now, they radiated nothing but concern for him.

"Who said I'm trying to speed things up, Dash?" Finn asked angrily. "You know it's physically impossible to alter the fabric of space and time to your liking just with mere movement like this!"

Dash slightly cocked his head to the side in confusion. "Ummm...I'm gonna pretend that I understood every word that you just said-"

"Oh, don't tell me that you're looking on the bright side of things, bro!" Finn interrupted.

"And you don't think there's a bright side to this?" Dash looked over his brother's shoulder and at the adults who were conversing a short distance away. "You gotta have patience. Mom, Dad, Auntie Bonnie, and the others have this figured out already."

"Oh, yeah? Then what're we doing just standing around here for?!"

Finn mirrored his brother's movements, looking over Dash's shoulder and at the other Trainers and children. Rosa, like Finn, was pacing back and forth, all the while struggling not to cry and muttering all sorts of threats about Nate's fate. Hugh stood nearby, watching the twin-tailed girl in her highly emotional state with a staggering amount of calmness in his visage. Constance was leaning against the trunk of a nearby tree, trying her best to suppress her frustration while Lane, like Dash, was doing all he could to console her over their friends' absences. Elio, Allie, and Maddie were huddled together, the former hugging the latter two while they wept over Selene's disappearance. Savannah, Millefeui, Nali, Mackenzie, Nita, and even Dana were crying even more loudly than Allie and Maddie were, while the collected Morgan consoled them. And as for Benji and Tyler, they were talking to each other in secret, undoubtedly coming up with a strategy to bypass the adults and somehow rescue Nate, Yancy, Evelyn, and Selene.

"Look at everyone else, Dash!" Finn snapped. "Everyone's a mess!"

Dash followed his brother's stare and nodded in reluctant agreement. "Yeah, I know. Trust me, bro, I'm worried for the guys too." He then looked back at Finn. "But you heard Dad and Morgan. This was supposed to happen. And judging by how confident Dad and Auntie Bonnie were, I'm willing to bet that this situation is supposed to have a happy ending-"

"But how do you know that, Dash?! How do you know that?!" Finn clutched his hair in distress. "Time isn't something we're allowed to play around with, all nilly-dilly! Anything that Nate, Yancy, Evelyn, and Selene do in the past might have an effect on the present! For all we know, one of them stepping on a single piece of grass or misplacing a random pebble on the ground poses major implications for any one of us!

"What if Nate knocking a vase over wipes me or you from all of existence or something?! What if Yancy buying a little hat causes Mt. Kiloude to collapse on top of us?! What if a single teardrop from Evelyn materializes an Ursaring in the middle of this clearing, an Ursaring that's gonna try and eat us?! What if Selene tickling a Durant causes it to return in Gigantamax form and squash us all?! What if...?! What if...?! What if...?!"

"Dude, chill!" Dash interrupted, his eyes growing wide in alarm while the others were beginning to turn their heads towards their direction. "Chill! You're hyperventilating again!"

"I-I am?!" Then, Finn realized that his words were coming out between deathly wheezes, just as his world began to spin. "Oh, I am! I...I-I-I-"

Constance and Lane ran over to their bespectacled friend and grabbed each of his arms, providing their support while he collapsed on his posterior. Everyone else gathered around Finn, with Allie and Maddie producing handheld fans out of nowhere and using them to fan some air towards him. Meanwhile, Savannah knelt beside him and began to gently stroke his back, calming him down by the minute.

But despite his friends' best efforts to prevent him from fainting, Finn's mind was still racing with immeasurable worry and doubt.

"Why, why, oh why did this have to happen?!" he thought. "I...I should've done more to stop this! I should've known what was gonna happen the moment I saw we were dealing with a Celebi! I remember all the research I've done into it! Ohhhhh, I should've been stronger! I should've been able to stop Yancy, Nate, Selene, and Evelyn from being sucked into that Time Ripple! But...I didn't... I didn't... Dad would've done a whole lot better than me in my situation... Dash... Most certainly Uncle Ash... What...What does that mean about me...and my place in the family...?"

"Finn?"

The familiar voice pulled Finn out of his chaotic mental spiral. As his eyesight began to focus back on reality again, he felt a new presence looming over him, accompanied by a familiar warmth. He looked up, just in time to see a soft smile.

"Hey, Dad..." the boy greeted in shame.

Clemont knelt before the bespectacled boy. "Look, Finn. Whatever happened to Yancy, Selene, Nate, and Evelyn, it wasn't your fault."

Finn looked away with a soft sniffle. "It was, Dad. Lucario and I had every opportunity to catch them. We...We should've gotten there faster, but-"

"Finn."

Clemont's voice was slightly more forceful and authoritative, but the smile never disappeared from his face as he took his son's shoulders. Finn still didn't look at him, but he nevertheless allowed his father's voice to sink into his brain.

"It doesn't matter what you could've or should've done differently. Everything that happened is done. It's over with. All that matters is what you choose to do next. What you can do to make up for all of that." Clemont's smile widened by a centimeter. "And the best time for you to do such things is now, so what're you doing sitting around here and waiting aimlessly?"

Finn finally looked at his father again. All traces of doubt and self-loathing were gone from his visage now. Instead, they were replaced with awe at his father's words, and the newfound opportunity that they presented to him.

"So," Clemont continued resolutely, "let's get going, son!"

---

The adults and children were now congregated around the Time Ripple again, and it was shining and glittering as strongly as ever. Finn stared up at it in awe, while Clemont approached it with a devious grin etched on his face.

"Hey, Uncle Clemont?" Savannah asked hesitantly.

"Yes, Savannah?" the inventor replied without turning around.

"Uh...what exactly is the plan you said you came up with?"

"Why, it's simple!" Though nobody could see his face, they could all feel Clemont's grin widening even more, to the point where he would look disturbingly hungry. "Science."

"Science?" the Trainers, sans Finn, repeated in monotone.

"Yes, science. Time travel may not be the most tried-and-true field, but it's still a scientific field! After all, the future can never be now, if not for science!"

"Uh, Uncle Clemont?" Benji piped up with a hand raised. "May I...ask a question?"

"By all means, Benji," replied a grinning Clemont, "ask away."

"Does that mean you've invented something that would allow us to travel across time safely? Or bring Yancy, Selene, Nate, and Evelyn back safely?"

"ACK!" To the children's surprise and the adults' slight amusement, Clemont fell over, landing face-first on the forest floor. "Awwwww... I was gonna make the unveiling look cool and dramatic..."

"Well, consider it cool and dramatic," Constance deadpanned. "Now, can you please show us whatever it is you came up with so we could solve this Celebi situation once and for all?"

"Of course..." Then, Clemont shook himself out of his depression and shot back up on his feet. "I-I mean, of course! Korrina, Bonnie, bring it in!"

The Trainers heard a small squeaking noise, causing them to turn their heads to the right. There, they saw Korrina and Bonnie wheeling in what appeared to be a cart that had a large sheet draped over it. Clemont approached the mysterious object, the lenses of his eyeglasses shining as brightly as the Sun. With a triumphant smirk, he adjusted his glasses with one hand and used the other to grab the sheet.

"Clemontic Gear, ON! I present to you all...the Time Ripple Opener Version 6.0!"

With a powerful yank of his arm, Clemont removed the large sheet, revealing a four-wheeled, man-sized machine made out of silver metal. It boasted a variety of buttons, levers, and sensors, but what really stood out to everyone was the pair of green mechanical arms with two-clawed pincers for hands.

"A device that'll open up the Time Ripple without the assistance of Celebi!" Clemont explained.

"A device that'll open up the Time Ripple without the assistance of Celebi!" Finn repeated, his eyes wide with admiration and relief. "Excellent! Great thinking, Dad!"

But the other Trainers looked absolutely confused by the device's purpose.

"Uhhhhh...what?" Rosa asked flatly.

"How were you able to invent something like that?" Hugh queried with a raised eyebrow. "I mean, I know you're one of the greatest inventors around, Clemont, but-"

"I didn't know you were that good," Constance completed.

But Clemont wagged his finger at the youth with a self-absorbed grin. "Uh, uh, uh! Never doubt the expansive reach of science, for there are no limits to what it can do!"

"Wow! Science is so amazing!" Dash cried with wide, beaming eyes.

"Seriously, though..." Lane said as he became the first Trainer to approach the machine, examining every inch of it at every angle. "How does this thing even work?"

"I've been conducting on-and-off research into Celebi and its powers for the past several years," Clemont explained. "Of course, this device cannot open time portals on their own, but!" He raised an index finger high up in the air, towards the glittering Time Ripple. "As long as there's a Time Ripple nearby, the Time Ripple Opener Version 6.0 can fulfill its purpose. Time Ripples have a greater chance of staying open as long as they have a foreign object inside, and in this case, the foreign object would be the Time Ripple Opener's arms!"

"Oh, wow!" Nali exclaimed, impressed.

"Great thinking, Uncle Clemont!" Elio cried.

"That's why Uncle Clemont is the best!" Allie and Maddie chirped at the same time.

"But wait a minute," Rosa piped up with a raised eyebrow of her own. "Won't sticking something into the Time Ripple, like an arm, cause the arm's owner to be hit with a huge surge of temporal energy?"

"Yep!" However, Clemont confidently adjusted his glasses again. "But the Time Ripple Opener Version 6.0 operates on two different sources of energy! Its secondary source is solar power. But once its arms go inside the Time Ripple, it'll finally starting feed off of its primary source: temporal energy!"

"Ohhhhh!" Savannah cried in realization. "So once the Time Rippler...thingamajig sticks its...thingamajigs inside the Time Ripple, it'll switch from being fed by the Sun to being fed by the Time Ripple itself!"

"Thereby allowing it to keep the Time Ripple open for longer periods of time! It's a circular pattern. Heh heh heh! Ha ha ha!" Clemont spun around dramatically on his heel. "This is surely my greatest invention yet!"

"Let's just hope it doesn't become your greatest explosion yet too..." Bonnie deadpanned.

"Ohhh, ye of little faith, little sis!"

The blonde woman shot him a deadly glare. "What'd you just call me?"

"Dedenne?" Dedenne squeaked with a tilt of its head.

But Clemont ignored her, walked over to the Time Ripple Opener Version 6.0, and pressed a button on its side. "Now then, let's see you fulfill the abilities bestowed upon you and surpass your predecessors in the process! I have faith in you, Time Ripple Opener Version 6.0!"

The machine began to shake and rattle to life, causing everyone to take a step back in caution at first. However, the rattling sound started to die out by the second, and the shaking subsided until the device's dual arms started to extend outward on their own. Elio, Allie, Maddie, Nali, and Tyler began to cheer, causing Clemont to grin again and pump his fist in success.

"YES!" the inventor shouted. "Step one, complete! Now, it's time for step two..."

With greater resolve than ever before, Clemont began pressing additional buttons and operating some of the machine's levers. The Time Ripple Opener Version 6.0 responded to his machinations by aiming its arms upward, allowing them to head towards the Time Ripple. Everyone watched on, some with apprehension, others with anticipation. Clemont and Finn in particular had their fists clenched and their eyes glued to each of the arms, silently, frantically hoping that they would be able to accomplish what they were designed to do.

...

...

...

In a matter of seconds, the arms sunk themselves deep into the Time Ripple, triggering a reaction almost instantly. The portal's green color turned into a sickly purple shade, bathing the two groups and their surroundings in it. Then, waves of purple temporal energy began to surge out from the Time Ripple and into the Time Ripple Opener Version 6.0.

To everyone's relief, however, the machine didn't begin to overload from this newfound source of power right away. Instead, it was motivated to dig its arms deeper into the Time Ripple, drawing out even more temporal energy and widening the portal even further.

"WHOO!" Dash yelled. "You did it, Dad!"

"Awesome..." Finn whispered admiringly. Then, he looked up at his father, his face pink with overwhelming respect. "So, what're we gonna next, Dad?"

Clemont's smile widened by an inch. "Frankly, son, I've got no clue."

...

...

...

"What?" Finn asked dumbly.

"No clue, kiddo," the inventor replied earnestly. "Seriously, I'm not sure what comes next."

...

...

...

...

...

"You're kidding me...right, Dad...?"

"Nope."

...

...

...

...

...

All of the Trainers were now the ones falling face-first into the forest floor. Then, a second later, Rosa was the first to hop back up to her feet.

"WHADDAYA MEAN 'YOU'VE GOT NO CLUE'?!" the twin-tailed girl demanded. "YOU'RE THE BIG-SHOT INVENTOR!"

"An inventor, I am," Clemont replied, still in a calm state of mind. "A fortune-teller, I am not. Not that I believe in that pseudoscientific nonsense, but-"

"YOU CAN'T JUST HAVE NO CLUE, CLEMONT! YOU ALREADY KNOW WHAT'S SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN NEXT! AT LEAST, THAT'S WHAT YOU AND THE OTHERS HAVE BEEN LETTING ON EVER SINCE THIS ALL STARTED!" Rosa then glared at the other adults, many of whom recoiled under her fiery gaze. "Or have you all been lying to me?"

"No, we haven't been lying to you, Rosa!" Korrina exclaimed.

"We promise!" added Shauna. "It's just...well, it's just-"

"It's just what?!" snapped Rosa. Then, her fury was assuaged when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up to see that it belonged to Clemont.

"It's not like all of this was preplanned and anticipated from the start," the inventor explained. "We're not omniscient on these matters. Everyone has a role to play, both in the present and in the past." Clemont glanced at the widening, pulsating Time Ripple with narrowed eyes. "And right now, this is the moment for the players in the past to make their move. If we don't, well...there's no telling what's gonna happen next."

Rosa's eyes grew wide with worry. "No telling what's gonna happen next...?"

"This is time travel we're talking about here. Even the smallest and most inconsequential misstep by either side could pose major ramifications for the entire timeline." Clemont looked down at her again. "We just need to trust the plan and let things proceed naturally. And most importantly, we need to be patient, Rosa. For Nate's sake, and for the sake of everyone else."

---

"This is time travel we're talking about here. Even the smallest and most inconsequential misstep by either side could pose major ramifications for the entire timeline. We just need to trust the plan and let things proceed naturally. And most importantly, we need to be patient, Rosa. For Nate's sake, and for the sake of everyone else."

Alizée deactivated her high-tech earpiece and made her descent to the forest floor with her skateboard-shaped flight device. There, she found Delos, the rest of her colleagues, and Countess Diable waiting for her. Once she approached, Delos was the first to step forward.

"What have you observed, Alizée?" the poacher asked.

"Some...truly interesting proceedings," Alizée replied with only the smallest shift in tone humanly possible. "Clemont has invented a device that opened up the Time Ripple and is now using the temporal energy that it emits as sustenance."

"Opened up the Time Ripple?!" Inezia cried with glittering eyes. "Does that mean-?!"

"They're opening a pathway to Kay and Parker," Matt growled with a predatory grin. "Say less. Let's get moving, people!"

But before the large man could start running, Diable held out a hand in front of him, stopping him in his tracks.

"Not so fast, you single-cell-brained buffoon," the older woman said snobbishly.

"Single-what-now?" Matt mumbled.

The countess ignored him and marched forward, beckoning Delos's attention. "Remember our agreement, Delos. Our priority must be Celebi. It holds the key to what I want. It's my only chance. And if a single scratch is inflicted upon its beautiful frame-"

"Then you're perfectly free to fine us for the damage," Delos interrupted. "My apologies for the haste, but we won't get another opportunity like this. We must move now." He then faced his colleagues. "Now then, is everyone geared up and ready to go?!"

"Yes, Delos!" the five chorused. They reached into their pockets and procured Poké Balls, which they then threw high into the air. "GO!"

The devices opened up, unleashing five different teams of Pokémon; each of them belonged to a different type.

"Hector, ready?!" Delos called.

"Ready!" Hector yelled loyally. His Pinsir, Beedrill, and Ariados squeaked and chittered ominously, their pincers and stingers at the ready.

"Zora, ready?!"

"Ready..." Zora deadpanned in response. In contrast to her bored, detached demeanor, her Sableye and Zoroark snickered treacherously, while her Mandibuzz squawked hungrily with narrowed eyes.

"Matt, ready?!"

"Ready!" Matt boomed boisterously. His Swampert and Feraligatr roared at the same volume as their Trainer, his Empoleon hollered arrogantly, and his Gyarados emitted an earsplitting roar that resonated through the air.

"Inezia, ready?!"

"Ya betcha, Delos!" Inezia chirped with a cheeky salute. Her Ampharos, Electivire, and Jolteon all growled while her Magnezone and horde of Magneton and Magnemite began to crackle with electricity as a display of power.

"Alizée, ready?!"

Alizée only nodded at her superior in cold silence. Her Pidgeot, Fearow, and Staraptor stared on at him just as silently and predatorily as their Trainer.

"Excellent! Now, then..."

Delos reached into his own pockets, pulled out Poké Balls of his own, and threw them as high as he could. With brilliant flashes of light, they unleashed his own team of Pokémon: a Medicham, a Reuniclus, and a Solrock. Then, he lifted a flap on the breast of his pinkish-red kimono, revealing a Key Stone sewn into the fabric. One by one, Hector, Zora, Matt, Inezia, and Alizée produced their own Key Stones: Hector's was attached to the headband of his tan explorer hat, Zora's was attached to her left earring, Matt's was attached to brass knuckles that he wore on his right hand, Inezia's was attached to a wristwatch that she donned on her left hand, and Alizée's was attached to the center of her goggles.

Together, the six poachers and all of their summoned Pokémon faced the direction where they knew Clemont's group was at, just several miles away. They could already feel the pulsating temporal energy coming from the Time Ripple, drawing out some sort of inner spirit from Kiloude Forest.

"Let's go catch ourselves a Celebi, ladies and gentlemen," Delos instructed menacingly.

"Again," Zora muttered to herself while secretly giving a roll of her eyes.

---

– o – END OF SCENE 2 – o –

---

A/N: And that officially marks the end of this chapter! Once again, please tell me if the breaks are effective enough as bookmarks of sorts, and if I'm going to need more for the following chapters! Thanks!

Anyway, that sure was a lot to swallow, but I'll give the best recap that I can. Ash, Serena, Yancy, and Selene regain consciousness and take stock of the situation that they're now in. Adam begins to scheme against Kay and Parker, but he isn't doing the best job at it. We learn the finer details of Blanche and Sara Lee's past friendship. Nick, Floyd, Lloyd, and Cecile are subdued, and the hostages are freed. Team Rocket finally reveals themselves to the group. Nate is revealed to have suffered amnesia affecting the last hour or so of his memory, amnesia induced by the blast. Clemont and the other heroes concoct a scheme to rescue Ash, Serena, Yancy, and Selene themselves despite Summer's warnings not to do so. The future Clemont comes up with a plan of his own to intervene in the situation with the future heroes. Kay and Parker's associates hope to take advantage of the future Clemont's plan for their own needs.

Oh, and lastly, Kay and Parker are arranging the abductions of two random kids from Unova for some strange, unknown reason. Who could they possibly be...?

Yep, definitely a lot to swallow. I hope you are all able to follow along!

Now, I'd like to thank the following people for reviewing:

-ValorFennekin:

1) Yes, yes, yes! The epic battle arc is indeed happening! And I promise you, I've got a lot in store for this arc, as you can tell by the unusually longer chapters that I'm now writing.

2) You'll be getting an explanation behind Ash's chest scar sometime in the next couple of chapters. Keep your fingers crossed for that!

3) Ohhhhh, yes. Future Serena will be coming into the story in the most magnificent way possible, rest assured. Just stay tuned for that! ;D ;D ;D

-Ander Arias:

1) Oh, Kay and Parker have more dastardly ideas in mind for Ash and Serena than just taking them along for a time-travel ride... ;D

2) Turning a new leaf or not, Amelia has to go through the verbal abuse of a lifetime from her fellow Performers, all of whom are understandably outraged.

-DarkKitten94: I dunno. You tell me...

-assistanceneededhelppls:

1) Correctomundo!

2) Yes, yes that does rhyme.

3) Yeah, poor Yancy. She couldn't reach her mother's level even if both Nate and her tried. XD

-FantasyLover88: I hope that doesn't mean there was quite a lot of content to read.

-F4nficR5der47:

1) Oh, and the hour's about to get darker, not to mention crazier! Trust me on this.

2) We'll see about that...

3) Ohhh, you've got that darn right! :O

4) His fatherly instincts are getting activated, and once they're on, there's no off-switch! Kay, Parker, and the other villains are going to learn that soon enough...

5) Oh, I think the dance party will manage to wrap itself up somehow... ;)

6) Good question, actually! Looks like you'll have to find out with Rosa's future appearances going forward!

7) Yes, I remember that theory. But hey, even if that did turn out to be true, I guess I could've cooked up something. Maybe it would've been halfhearted, but still, it'd be something. I guess. XP

8) Or maybe Team Rocket just isn't doing a good enough job nowadays. XD XD XD

-SunnyEspeon22:

1) Patience, grasshopper, patience. Good things come to people who wait. :)

2) Yep, Serena's the perfect wife for Ash. Kind, maternal, and warm-hearted, but can become a force of nature if you push all of her wrong buttons for too long. XD XD XD

3) I'm not sure if I already made this clear, but unfortunately, Red will not be making an appearance in this story. That's one too many storylines to cover at this point (and Arceus knows I'm juggling with too many as it is).

Well, hope you enjoyed this SUPER-LONG chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!