SZ: *sniffles as he blew into his nose*stupid hayfever…

GT: *wearing a medical mask* Yep. I don't know what hayfever is, but I know fevers are contagious.

SZ: it's when there's a high amount of pollen in the air, GT...and no it's not contagious….just make sure not to breath in a lot of pollen, otherwise you'll be dealing with a stuffy and runny nose...and hacking up a lot of muckus coated pollen that's been stuck in your lungs and throat

GT: Ew...I wonder if you could get it in a forest near a dam being constructed…

SZ: If there's trees, grass with weeds growing, or flowers...there's a chance pollen will be in the air. Ahem...anyway...let's move onto the story. You already know who we own and don't own, so...Makoto!

Makoto Nanaya: *offscreen* hai?

Makoto Lucario(SZ's OC): *Offscreen* Yeah? What is it?

GT: No, not you, Makoto. Makoto!

Both: What?

GT: We're not talking about you, Makoto. We're talking about Makoto!

Both: Yes! What is it?!

SZ: No. Not you, Makoto! We mean Makoto!

Both: I am Makoto!

GT: Not you, Makoto! Makoto!

Both: You two…

GT: Uh-oh. *runs off* RUN AWAY FROM MAKOTO AND MAKOTO!

SZ: Meep! *Runs*

Both: *comes crashing in* YOU! *the curtain comes down on them*...Oh come on!

Entry 31: Greetings, This is Kajun Faycott reporting. It has been a few months since young Ashton has left his home town, a-

*BOOM!*

?! ...What was…? ...I apologize, but I may have to cut this short and give you…the abridged version of what happened. We came across a polluted town due to its current (now former) mayor's greed, Pikachu, Cherry, Berry, and Yuki got sick due to the pollution in the area. The power went out at the Pokemon Center and the entire city with a small group of us going to the local power plant to investigate while Noel and Mai stayed behind. We learned the power outage was due to a group of Grimer and Muk blocking the…

*BOOM!*

That sounded close….ahem. As I was saying, the Grimer and Muk were blocking the waterway leading to the power plant. We had to force them back and were failing before a group of Magnamite and Magnaton (one of the former being a admirer to the electric trio due to their illness) came and drove them back. The leading Muk tried to get us before Pikachu and his fellow Electric Types shocked him and Ashton caught it. By the time we left, the pollution was gone and we learned from Noel and Mai that it was the work of Suicune and Shaymin, two Legendary Pokemon a…

*BOOM!*

….Oh for goodness sake...Makoto, that better not be you, Onix, and Terra fighting each other again!

"It wasn't me!" Makoto yelped as Kajun glared at her while coming out from behind some trees a bit away from the group, "Didn't you hear those explosions?!"

"Yes. And the majority of the time they're caused by either Pikachu practicing Zap Cannon, you practicing with Onix and Terra, or Ashton and Brock attempting to assist Charmander with his Rage-induced state when he uses the move."

"...Fair point, but does any of those times sound like fuses going off before an explosion happens?"

"I…" Kajun began before adopting a thinking stance, "...Actually, no. None of them do."

"Then it's not me th-" Makoto began before another explosion went off in the distance.

"Vul/Vui!" Yuki and Nymph yelped as they ran behind Umi, shaking a bit.

"Where are those explosions even coming from?" Mai whispered.

"Cu…" Noble sat down on the ground before another explosion was heard, "Bone!" he pointed in a direction, "Bone-bo-cu!"

"Noble seems to be onto something," Brock noted.

"In that case, let's check it out!" Ash shouted.

"Gah...not again…" a rather rotund man in a construction workers helmet groaned as he got out of a truck wreckage, "Gah!" he fell to his knees and began to hit the ground with a fist repeatedly, "I just can't take it anymore!"

"Are you okay?" the man looked over to see Ash and co running over to him.

"NO, I AM NOT OKAY!" the man snapped before pointing an accusing finger at something, "Those Diglett are destroying all our hard work!"

"Diglett?" Ash repeated.

"Them! Those little beast poking in and out over there!" the man snapped.

The group looked in the direction the man pointed. Poking out of the ground was a tiny little Pokemon. It had tiny beady eyes and a big red nose, yet only its head stuck out of the ground while the rest of its body seemed to be buried beneath the ground. One other thing to not was that...it was tiny. Even smaller than Berry, Cherry, and Pikachu even.

"Aww~ How cute," Misty cooed.

"Y..yea-" Noel began.

"YOU THINK THEY'RE CUTE?!" the man snapped, startling the two, "It's because of them we can't even finish the dam! Ugh...curse those Digletts, I hate them~~!" he snapped as he beat on his helmet so hard, its top shattered to pieces.

"Diglett?" Ash pondered as he pulled out Dexter.

=Diglette, the Mole Pokemon. Diglett are raised in most farms. The reason is simple - wherever this Pokémon burrows, the soil is left perfectly tilled for planting crops. This soil is made ideal for growing delicious vegetables= Dexter informed =Living underground at, at most, three yards, its skin is very thin. If it is exposed to light, its blood heats up, causing it to grow weak. The only way to keep track of Diglett is to follow the trails of upturned earth it leaves behind=

"...I don't see any upturned earth," Ash blinked, looking out at the road ahead.

"No...unless it's covered by the asphalt," Tsubaki guessed.

"Yes! Thank you!" the man exclaimed, "Glad to know there's someone smart among you idiotic children!"

"Idio-HEY!" Makoto snapped.

"Calm down, Makoto," Kajun advised, "He's only know us for a few minutes with all of us not even saying anything." she looked at the road to see cracks on the surface, "They're digging underneath the roads, creating sinkholes from their tunnels."

"EXACTLY!" the man exclaimed, "It'sw because of them we can't get supplies to build the damn! See!? Look at the wreckage they've caused!" he pointed to a large pile of broken trucks and building supplies, "We even created a special division to develop strategies to fight off the Diglett."

"...It's not killing Diglett, is it?" Tsubaki frowned.

"We considered the option, but we don't want those Pokemon-loving pacisfit Team Plasma to come barging here from Unova to come attack us!"

"And don't forget the reports of a Giant Tentacruel destroying a city and forcing the citizens to relocate and start anew due to a crazy woman wanting to kill the Tentacool, Boss!" a worker added nearby.

"Thank you, Johnson!" the man shouted before pulling out some tickets and a pamphlet, "We issued a call to any passing Pokemon Trainers with real know how to help deal with the Diglett via capture. We're willing to pay all expenses for the famous Skyva Hot Springs resort on Cinnabar Island. If you know any passing trainers, w-"

"Hot Springs?!" Misty, Makoto, and Noel exclaimed.

"Well…" Ash began as he rubbed the back of his head, 'We're Pokemon Trainers."

"Oh? So you're the first squad of Trainers we called in."

"No. We were actually making our way to Fuschia City," Kajun explained, "We were attracted by the explosions."

"Ah...Well, they are necessary to widen parts where we're putting the dam in," the boss noted.

"Oh...wait. Then who's th-" Ash began before they heard tires skidding to a halt.

"The first squad of pokemon Trainers have arrived!" a familiar voice called out, "The rest are in these buses!"

"...Gary…" Ash's eye twitched.

"Not him again…" Mai groaned in annoyance.

"Huh?" Gary blinked, hopping out of a red sports car as he looked over at them, "Well, well, if it isn't little Ash from Pallet."

"Pika?" Pikachu looked at Gary.

"Oh? Gramps gave ya that little pesky rat that ate the cables under the lab?" Gary asked.

"PI?! Pika-pika~!" Pikachu covered his face with his paws, blushing in embarrassment at the reminder of his capture.

"But moving on. What brings you here, Ashy-boy?"

"Well…"

"On second thought, don't answer. This is just an unlucky coincidence anyway," Gary waved off, "Only the best of the best deserves to be here, and you...well with me being numero uno...you are dead last since you're the fourth to leave Pallet."

"4th?! I'm better than that!" Ash snapped.

"Again, fourth to leave home, but as a Trainer...heh. You are dead last," Gary smirked.

"D'oh…" Ash growled.

"Dead last? Hardly," Makoto snorted, "I mean, you have what? Just a Squirtle?"

"Blastoise," Gary corrected.

"Ah...Right, right," Makoto nodded, recalling the illusion made by the Ghastly, "But yeah...you only have one of the normal Starters. Ash h-"

"Yeah. I'm gonna stop ya there, cosplayer," Gary held a hand up, "Even if you're a 'friend' of his, only lame amatures brag about what Pokemon they have...but…" he paused as he looked at Makoto and the rest of the girls, "Noticing you and your friends now...you must be those older girls I heard were travelling with him...I see that blunette that was with Ash before is there, too."

"It's not a c…" Makoto began.

"How about this? Instead of travelling with this loser and hurting your delicate feet, why not become my personal cheerleaders and travel with me in style?" Gary offered, "I can even help ya get as many rare Pokemon as ya want with no expenses paid for the Pokeballs."

'RRRRRRRRRR!-!-! WHY AM I ALWAYS INTERRUPTED?!' Makoto mentally screeched.

"My apologies, but wouldn't driving around scare Pokemon away?" Kajun questioned.

"Obviously. We stop near a place where there's tons of Pokemon and, when one's spotted...heh...I use one of my Pokemon to block its escape so you can catch it," Gary smirked, "Ohh! And thanks to your cosplayer friend there...Hey girls! Next cheerleader outfits will be Pokegirl themed!"

'How is that even a legal amount for people in one vehicle?' Kajun pondered as there were seven cheerleaders, yer only five seats in the sportscar.

'Mmm…' Noel slumped, seeing their figures.

"Yeah...Again, no thanks," Mai scoffed, "I'd rather walk with a great Trainer in the making then drive around with a guy that's got an ego as big as the Entei we encountered outside of Celadon."

"You wh-?!" Gary stumbled a bit before calming down, "...Fair enough…" he looked at the rest of the girls, "How about you four? I….wait…" he looked a bit at Noel, "...Scratch that. How about you THREE?"

"Three?" Mai blinked.

"Didn't notice the blonde boy with you there."

"..."

"Vul…" Yuki whined, squirming a bit at Noel's arms tensing.

"Sorry, Yuki," Noel apologized, loosing her arms.

"And like that, all hope of you getting us to got with ya is shot," Makoto scowled, putting an arm over Noel's shoulders, "Noellie's a girl, Blue boy."

"Aw great...He told ya that lame nickname Leaf made up for us?"

"Yup."

"...Whatever. Since I'm here, might as well get started on dealing with those Diglett," Gary scoffed as he hopped back into his sports car, "So long, loser brigade!" he laughed as he drove off.

"Gary Oak! Gary Oak! He comes through when others choke!"

"Oh Arceus, that was so flippin' lame~!" Makoto groaned.

"Shows what you know, lame cosplayer!" Gary shouted from the distance.

"NOT A CO…!" Makoto began to scream when the buses honked their horns, "SHUT UP!-!-!-!-!"

"Can we pl-?!" the boss began before Makoto shot a glare at him, her eyes red with rage, "...c...can we get back to the subject at hand? Please?"

"Of course. Our apologies. Just some rivalries between Trainers is all," Kajun assured, "Is there a place you consider an office near here that we can discuss about how this all started, sir?"

"Yes. But first, I need to give an announcement to all the trainers that arrived."

"...Fair enough."

"So...Those explosions from earlier were because of some workers and Diglett?" Jessie asked.

"Yup," Meowth confirmed, sitting on Ariados' back.

"So we know who to blame for ruining our afternoon lunch!" James growled.

"True, but dey're offerin' a reward fer catchin' the Diglett. Passes for da famous Skyva Hot Springs Resort in Cinnabar Island."

"Ooh~! The Skyva Hot Springs?! I haven't been to those since I was a little lad," James noted.

"Wait...How were you able to afford such a place?" Jessie blinked.

"Gh?!" James froze, "W-Well, it's because my family won a raffle for tickets for a week there of course! In fact, it was at that very island that I caught Koffing!"

"Koffing!" the mentioned Pokemon beamed, popping out of its ball.

"Oh...well, what a coincidence," Jessie spoke, "I was coming there on a cruise from Fuschia and caught Ekans when he snuck on board the ship."

"Ekans," the snake Pokemon noted, popping out of its ball at the mention of its name.

"In fact...Let us revisit those glory days!" Jessie declared.

"Yes, for we…" James began.

"...Are Team Rocket!" the two declared as they posed.

"..." Meowth pulled out the communicator, "...Hello? I know we're not supposed t' call fer another week, but is it possible fer me to get trasnfered t' a less embarresin' team?"

=No= Karai replied bluntly before hanging up.

"And o' course I get Lady Karai…" Meowth sighed.

=Thank you for coming, you many talented Trainers= the boss called out over a megaphone =We apologize for interrupting your training, but we need your help to get rid of the Diglett!= he noticed a few looks given to him =No, we are not having you kill the Diglett. That is the worst possible thing to do and we heavily frown upon any who would think that is an option=

"Sure are a lot of people here…" Ash noted as he stood within the crowd

=You with the Pikachu on your head! Listen with your ears, not your mouth!= the boss snapped, making Ash flinch =Honestly…=

"...Least he could do is yell at me by name…" Ash muttered as he slumped a bit.

"We never did introduce ourselves properly to the foreman," Kajun noted.

"Yeah. We could try when we go talk to him," Misty added.

"Yeah...My name is Ash, the loser from Pallet…" Ash slumped further.

"Ah, don't let Blue Boy get ta ya. Guy may be ahead of ya in catches and Badges at the moment, but it's quality over quantity," Makoto noted before whispering, "Plus, he never got to see an Entei or a Ho-Oh up close like you did. Let's see him brag about that."

=To anyone who sees a kid with a Pikachu and a red hat, ignore him and if possible, call him a loser with no talent for Pokemon!= Gary's voice shouted over a megaphone =Also, continue foreman!=

"...Ash, you wouldn't mind if I broke his legs, do you?" Makoto's eye twitched.

"..."

"...Ashton, no," Kajun frowned, noticing the thinking look on Ash's face.

=Ahem! Now then, your targets are the Diglett! They may be small and weak on their own, but just a small group can cause a mighty earthquake or worse, Fissure!= the boss explained =And if you see any Dugtrio in sight, then you have my permission to go all out in order to either force them to retreat or capture them on sight!=

"Diglett dig~ Digglett dig~"

=Ah! It's them! It's...the Diglett!= the foreman freaked before the buses collapsed into a sinkhole opening up beneath them.

"Whoa! Those guys must be fast diggers," Makoto gawked.

"Heh. I'll start things off," Gary smirked, grabbing one of his Pokeballs, "This should do the trick...heh heh…" he smirked as he tossed it, "Go Blastoise!" the ball hit the ground a bit before it opened up...only to close immediately, "What the…?!"

"It didn't come out?" Ash pondered.

"Dig!" a Diglett popped out beneath the ball and brought it over to Gary.

"Oh...thanks," Gary smiled as he took the Pokeball, "...Hey wait a minute!" He pulled out another Pokeball, "Go, Arcanine!" the ball opened...before snapping shut, "What?!"

"Lett!" the same Diglett brought it back.

"What's wrong? I thought you were calling yourself one of the best?" Makoto asked, amusement in her voice.

"...Sh...shut up!" Gary snapped before pulling out more Pokeballs, "I'll toss out every Pokemon I have on me! Go Alakazam, Gyarados, Exeggutor, Pidgeot, Rhydon, Nidoqueen, Nidoking, Raticate, and Fearow!"

"How does he even have all those with him?" Ash gawked.

"It's rare, but with the correct paperwork, a Trainer with a certain amount of Badges can be authorized to carry twelve Pokeballs at once," Kajun explained, looking at a book.

"But...Gary h-"

=JUST STOP THOSE DIGLETT!= the boss screamed as the other trainers there began tossing out Pokeballs =...Wait. There's two people who aren't throwing their Pokemon out!=

"Did it ever occur to you that you MAY be disturbing their home with the explosions?" a voice spoke up.

"...Ken?" Misty blinked as she and the others turned to see him and La standing in the front of the crowd.

"Your Pokemon are smarter than the majority of you all. They can see that fighting these Diglett and catching them is us in the wrong," La noted.

"Trio~!" beside La was a bronze-colored set of three Diglett bunched together with long flowing locks of metallic yellow hair.

=AHH! A Dugtrio in a wig!= the boss freaked.

"...I don't get it. Isn't it three Diglett wearing wigs?" Makoto raised a brow.

=Dugtrio, the Mole Pokemon, and the evolved form of Diglett. This version of Diglett is the Alolan Variant. Its metallic whiskers are heavy, so it's not very fast, but it has the power to dig through bedrock. Its shining gold whiskers are advanced sensors that can detect vibrations from sounds several miles away. It's reputed that keeping any of its fallen hairs will bring bad luck= Dexter informed =Alolan Dugtrio are of the Steel/Ground-Type, having adopted the Steel-Type from absorbing minerals from volcanic ashes and producing their whiskers=

"There's also the fact that I have a Dugtrio that I raised from a Diglett," La noted, crouching down to gently pat the heads of the three-headed Pokemon, "Isn't that right, Pele?"

"Trio-trio-trio trio~ tri~ Dugtrio~tri~! Dugtrio~!"

=Ahh...ahh….th...then...GAH~! That's it!= the boss snapped as he discarded his megaphone and pulled out a hammer, "I'll get rid of these Diglett myself via whack a mole!"

"...Well...this just got boring now," Gary muttered before looking out at the crowd, "I don't know about you guys, but I'd rather get back to training then watch this archaic game. Besides, I need to resume my journey to become the best Trainer in existence! But before that..." he looked back at Makoto and the girls again, "Last chance. Come join me or stay with the loser brigade."

"You…!" Makoto began.

"No, Makoto...Let us handle him…" Kajun spoke with Tsubaki giving a small nod.

"...Fair enough," Makoto smirked, placing her arms behind her head as she watched the two approach Gary.

"Oh no thank you. We'd rather not be with a Trainer that can't even send out their Pokemon," Tsubaki noted as she took out Luca's Pokeball, "Luca, please come out. You won't have to battle the Diglett if you don't want to." she tossed the ball up and caught the released Luca, "See?"

"...So you took notice of that, too…" Gary noted, "...Well regardless, there's nothing else to do except watch that old geezer play Whack a Diglett."

"I'm not that old!" the boss snapped between attempted strikes until Pele popped up before a Diglett and grabbed the hammer with its locks of hair, "My hammer!"

"And as for Ashton being 'dead last in terms of Pokemon talent'..." Kajun began as she leaned in towards Gary, a rather...unsettling glint in her eyes.

"Yeah...What about it?" Gary asked, managing to keep his cool.

"I'll have you know he has five Badges, of which I helped him attained with my personal training program...and one of the badges is for a Gym meant for Trainers with FIVE Badges beforehand…when he only had three."

"...So? I got 15 Badges. Can h-"

"Let me finish…" Kajun ordered, making Gary tensed up a bit at the tone she used, "And while you said 'those who brag about their Pokemon are lame amateurs'...Not once has Ashton even talked about them like you have with your own."

"...W…well…"

"Then there's the amount of Pokemon you have caught...claiming quantity over quality…" Tsubaki added as she leaned in a bit as well, Luca noticing what was going on and making his eyes glow with Foresight, "That..is simply untrue. With the right training and proper care, a Pokemon can take on even a fully evolved one. My advice? Speak with your grandfather about what Ash has registered in his Pokedex under Seen and Caught."

"And as for me…" Kajun began before grabbing the scruff of his shirt, making Gary tense up further at the look in her eyes, "You ever….EVER try and shatter Ashton's spirit like that again...or even attempt to ask me or my compatriots to abandon him for your selfish desires...I will have Hikari Teleport me to where YOU are at..and I will personally show you my training at the military academy my friends and I had attended before coming here to Kanto." she released him, "Now please, do be on your way, Mr. Oak. I do hope you try to think before speaking, less you do something to cause trouble with your grandfather and his lab."

"...O….of….of course…." Gary slowly nodded, stepping away slowly before hopping into his sportscar, his cheerleaders hoping in in equal fear, "L...later!"

"AHHH~!" the cheerleaders screamed, hugging each other in fear as Gray drove off as fast as he could.

"...Wow…." Ash slowly blinked in amazement.

"Yeah…" Ken added in equal amazement.

"Ashton, I am so very thankful we snuff that attitude back at AJ's gym," Kajun informed, "Now then…" everyone blinked and she was now kneeling down to Pele-who was waving the swiped hammer at the foreman-, a notebook in hand, "Fascinating. Are you performing a biofeedback of sorts to control your hair?"

"Oh no...she's gone into Science Mode again!" Makoto freaked.

"Science what?" Ken blinked.

"Ack! Pikachu, Thundershock before she goes after us all!" Ash panicked.

"CHUU~!"

*BZZZZZRAAAAAAAAAAP!*

"This is so good~" Makoto groaned in delight, wearing an acorn yellow bikini, as the group was in a large hot spring.

"How did you even find this place?" Misty asked, a red bikini on, as she looked at La, who was in a lavender one-piece bikini.

"Pele talked with the Diglett and Dugtrio about this. None of us are going to try to catch them, so they were willing to help find a place for us to relax away from the people they've been at odds with," La explained.

"Ahh...well that's nice of them at least," Mai noted, wearing a deep blue one-piece swimsuit.

"Did you find anything about Entei?" Brock asked, a pair of green and orange trunks on him.

"Oh yes!" La beamed, "We were lucky that Entei had gone under some natural formations and left behind some pawprints. They were still warm, even…"

"Heh. You should've seen her. She never left that spot for a week," Ken chuckled a bit, wearing a pair of sky blue and pale yellow swim-trunks, "We would've been there longer if her Incineroar didn't carry her off."

"Mmm…" La puffed her cheeks a bit.

"...um...I...I encountered a Suicune and Shaymin when we were in Gringy City," Noel spoke, wearing a modest blue and white one-piece.

"...The Cleansing Duo?" La's eyes widened.

"Th...that's right...Shaymin was so cute, too...oh!" Noel gasped as she reached over the side of the springs, grabbing her Mystic Water from her bag, "Suicune even dropped this before me as she and Shaymin were leaving."

"A Mystic Water?!" Ken gawked.

"Said to be a crystalized teardrop from a Suicune…" La noted, leaning in to get a better look, "If you put that on a Water-Type Pokemon or a Pokemon that knows a Water-Type Move, its power will skyrocket."

"...W...well...I was thinking of putting it on Umi…" Noel admitted, "I'd think it would look nice on her."

"We're not gonna have to backtrack to Gringy City, are we?" Ken deadpanned at La.

"No. By now, the trail and traces of the two being there outside of the cleansing of the land, sea, and air the two performed would be long gone," La admitted.

"Oh...got it," Ken nodded before looking over at Kajun and Tsubaki, the two in lavender or pink one-piece swimsuits, "As for you two….wow. That talking you gave Professor Oak's grandson earlier...just wow."

"I've kinda been hoping someone would do that or something like it since I met him in Pewter City," Brock admitted.

"...Honestly, same when my sisters told me about him before we left Cerulean," Misty added.

"Wait. Really?" Ash blinked as he looked at her.

"He even asked them to temporarily close the Gym just to travel with him…Thank Kyogre they said no, otherwise some….things would've been said…." Misty stated.

"...You think he's trying to get so many girls with him is to overcompensate for something?" Makoto asked.

"Huh? Overcompensate for what?" Ash tilted his head.

"Nothing! Just...uh...oh! Maybe he needs someone to overfeed his ego is all...heh heh...yeah...that's what I meant to say..eh...eh heh…" Makoto chuckled sheepishly, not trying to look at the stern glares Tsubaki and Kajun were giving her.

"Oh…"

La giggled before pausing, "Hm?"

"Something up?" Brock asked.

"It sounds like they're singing," La noted.

"Singing?" the others repeated.

"...I think she's referring to the Diglett and Dugtrio," Ken guessed.

"Diglett dig~ Diglett dig~"

"Trio-Trio-Trio~!"

"Diglett dig~ Diglett dig~"

"Trio-Trio-Trio~!"

"...See?" Ken said, spotting a few Diglett and a couple of 'bald' Dugtrio moving by while carryign some sticks and leaves.

"Ah!" La gasped, "What happened to those Dugtrio?"

"Um...Those are Kantonian Dugtrio," Ash noted, looking at Dexter.

"...I should've asked Pele if she could give some of her shed follicles to make wigs for them…"

"...Well...let's check out what they're doing," Ash suggested as he stood up.

"W-wait! Shouldn't we get dressed first, Ash?" Brock asked.

"Ahh...ahh...D...Diglett...too...many…" the boss panted out, a pair of his workers laying beside him ,"Manfredi, Johnson...do we...have...any more...hammers?"

"No boss...we broke...the last ones…"

"What about...the ones in…"

"Pele took them…" Manfredi informed, weakly pointing at the singing Alolan Dugtrio that had been going around them the entire time.

"...The jackhammers?"

"Broke too…"

"Sledgehammers?"

"What do you think broke the jackhammers?"

"Ugh~!" the boss groaned out before noticing Ash and Company (now fully clothed) running off, "...What are those kids up to...Manfredi, Johnson, stay here. I'm gonna go check and see what they're doing."…?"

"Tri-trio~!"

"Ah!" the boss yelped as Pele scooped him up and began to follow the company, "P-Put me down this instant! Ah! Oh, this hair is surprisingly silky. Ah wait! I'm being kidnapped by Dugtrio!"

"Trio…" Pele rolled her six eyes a bit before dropping him before continuing on after her Trainer.

"Gah! Not so rough…" the boss muttered as he stood up, rubbing his sore rear as he followed after the Alolan Dugtrio.

"Koffing!" Koffing beamed as James scrubbed him with a bristle brush with a purple handle.

"Ekans…" Ekans smiled as Jessie gently helped remove his old layer of skin.

"...Remind me again what we're doin' with these two?" Meowth asked in confusion.

"Simple, we're trying to get them to evolve in a way," James explained.

"Eh?"

"Think, Meowth. How do you think those Twerps always have an advantage over us?" Jessie asked.

"...Because they're good?"

"No! Because some of them have evolved Pokemon," Jessie argued.

"We have Ariados, Weepinbell, and Hitmonlee."

"Yes, but Koffing and Ekans have barely gotten any good battle experience since we met those twerps…" James sighed

"And we…" Jessie paused as she sniffled a bit, "We put so much time into raising them...but…"

"But what?" Meowth asked.

"When they evolve, they become entirely different...and I don't want Ekans to lose all the memories we shared…" Jessie sniffled.

"Neither me with Koffing," James agreed, tears in his eyes.

"Oh, James...How...How could we ever…" Jessie's eyes watered.

"Evolve them?!" both cried as they hugged their Poison-types. The moment their tears touched the two, both Ekans and Koffing seemed to give off a flash of light, "?!"

"Wh-what's goin' on?!" Meowth tensed as Ekans and Koffing seemed to be growing in size.

"...A...are they….?" Jessie began.

"They are! They…" James begam

"Are evolving!" the two gasped.

"Where are these guy going?" Makoto pondered.

"Good question…" Mai said as they continued to follow the trail of Diglett and Dugtrio, the full moon shining down from the night sky.

"I see something up ahead," La noted as they soon came upon a layered clearing where Dugtrio were digging up the ground as Diglett were working together to put saplings into the fresh soil.

"...Hmm...fresh soil...sticks and leaves...tree saplings…." Ken muttered, thinking a bit, "...I think this is their home, and they're planting new trees for the Pokemon living here in the forest."

"Nature's first non-Legendary gardeners," La noted with a small smile, "Dugtrio plows the soils while Diglett plants the flora."

"Ah...I think I understand now," the group looked to see the foreman looking out at the Diglett and Dugtrio, "Upon the dam's completion, this whole forest would be engulfed in water."

"So many innocent Pokemon would be washed away by the rising waters," Kajun noted, "In essence, this entire place would be lost. The Pokemon all realized this long before any Trainer could, which is why none of them were willing to come out unless, like Tsubaki proved, it was for reasons other than trying to fight and catch the Diglett and Dugtrio."

"?! ...Y..you're right...if we…." the foreman began before pulling out a walkie talkie, "Manfredi, tell Johnson and the others that construction of the dam is cancelled."

=What?! B...but sir...what about all the money we…?=

"Considering how much you've done so far…" Kajun noted as La tapped away at her tablet before showing him a diagram, "You could convert what you've done so far into a building acting as a place for people to learn more about the delicate ecosystem of this land."

"Brilliant!" The foreman beamed, "Manfredi, change of plans! We're converting the dam into a learning center on the ecosystem! Go call your cousin and see if he'll be willing to be the resident Pokemon Ranger for here!"

"Pokemon Ranger?" Makoto pondered.

"They're people who use an item to let them help calm down and befriend wild Pokemon without Catching them who protect various ecosystems," Brock explained.

"Ahh."

"Okay good...good…" the foreman nodded as he walked away, "...What do you mean the men are arguing about it?! I...I'll pay double and offer three months off work if they do this!"

=Boss says he'll pay double and give us three months off if we do this!= Manfredi shouted.

"Boy, talk about motivation," Makoto noted, her ears hearing the cheers over the radio.

"Well, I think I've learned something today," Ash noted.

"Sorry, but the lesson's just begun!" a voice declared.

"...It's those three again, isn't it?" Ken asked with a groan.

"What do you think?" Makoto deadpanned as Kajun hit her head against a tree a few times.

"Meowth, dat's right!" Meowth declared as the trio stood before them on a higher level.

"...Listen, we're not in the mood for you right now, okay?" Ash deadpanned, "Can we do this some other time?"

"Tsk tsk!" Jessie waved a finger at him, "Sorry, but we're after that prize that foreman was giving, whether he likes it or not. And we have a surprise for you all."

"A surprise?"

"Yes!" James declared as he and Jessie changed outfits, him in a pink kimono and her in a blue one with one arm out of the sleeve, exposing part of her bandaged chest.

"A very flavorful surprise!" Jessie added.

"For da foist time in dis story!" Meowth declared.

"Our new fully evolved Pokemon!"

"Our Ekans evolved into…" Jessie began as she motioned her fans to a Pokeball, "Arbok!"

"And Koffing evolve into…" James began as he motioned his fans to a Pokeball, "Weezing!"

The two sphered opened and released the two Pokemon. Instead of Ekans, a large purple snake resembling a king cobra with intricate black, red, and yellow markings resembling a menacing face on the inside of its hood.

"Chaaaarbok!" the serpent hissed.

Replacing Koffing was a bulkier version of one. Its comical skull and crossbones had become a much more menacing version. There was also the fact that a much tinier Koffing was somehow fused with it, a white ring on where its skull and crossbones should be.

"Weezing…" the fused Pokemon wheezed out.

"They really did evolve…" Mai whispered.

"Arbok, maximum power!" Jessie ordered, "Poison Fang!"

"CHAAAARBOK!" Arbok hissed before lashing out at them, fangs glowing a menacing violet.

"Guess we'll have to deal with them now…" Ash frowned, "Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu called out as he send out the lectric blast at Arbok, only for the large cobra to curve out of the way, "Pika?!"

"Noble, Bonemerang!"

"Cubon! Cu…!"

"Weezing, Smog!"

"Wheezing, wheeze~" Wheezing rasped out before releasing a black burst of gas right at the Cubone.

"Bone?!" Noble gasped before the smog engulfed him, causing the tiny Pokemon to start coughing and hacking.

"CHAA~~R!" Arbok began as he was before Pikachu, fangs bared as he lunged at him.

"I don't think so! Berry, Cherry, Iron Tail!" Makoto called out.

"Ventus, blow the Smog away from Noble!" Mai called.

"Chipa/Emol…" the two squirrels lunged out of Makoto's tail, their own tails glowing, "SU/GA!"

"Bok!" Arbok hissed as he moved back from the two, causing them to miss as he slithered back.

"Ruflet~!" Ventus shouted as he flapped his wings hard, blowing away the smog attack and revealing Noble, who was coughing a bit with a purple 'blush' on his skull.

"He's been poisoned!" La gasped.

"I knew having Koffing learn Toxic beforehand would come in handy," James smirked, "Now Weezing, Venoshock!"

"?!" Ken's eyes widened at that, "Uh oh…"

"Uh oh? Why 'uh oh'?" Mai asked.

"If a Pokemon that's been poisoned is hit with Venoshock, then the damage is increased by double," Ken explained.

"Wheezing!" Wheezing gasped out as he released a barrage of poisonous needles at Noble.

"Iron Defense!"

Nobel closed his eyes as they attack came before the needles bounced off a silver barrier. The silver barrier removed itself and became the golden locks of Pele.

"Clever…" Jessie frowned a bit, "Arbok, dive underground!"

"Weezing, follow!"

"Char!" Arbok dug into the ground, Wheezing following.

"Pele," La spoke, "Magnitude, please."

"Trio~!" the tri-headed Mole Pokemon declared as it began to glow.

"Ah! Not Magnitude!" Meowth freaked.

"Magnawhat?"

"Magnitude, a Ground-type move that randomizes in strength or, if the opposing Pokemon is underground..." Kajun paused in her explanation.

"(Deep below the ground where magma rivers flow~ Ancient powers gather to me and it all begins to grow~)" Pele sang.

"What happens if they're underground?" Mai asked.

"Its power doubles," Kajun informed.

"TRI-O~!" Pele roared as their hair formed a fist that slammed into the ground, creating a massive tremor that created a trail of explosions, ripping Arbok and Wheezing out of the ground and into the Trio.

"That was Magnitude 4," La noted.

"That was only the weakest it can end up as?" Kajun gasped, 'Just how strong is this Dugtrio of hers?'

"Even with the project canceled, you still wanted to do harm to innocents," La noted, her eyes narrowed, "And even worse…" she pulled out a silver Z-Crystal with what appeared to be a black gear symbol inside, "You poisoned a hatchling."

"Hoo boy…" Ken whispered with wide eyes, La placing the Z-Crystal on her Z-Necklace, "You guys may need to stand back."

"Another Z-Move?" Kajun gasped as La crossed her arms before her.

"Yup...and a particularly strong one at that…" Ken nodded as he moved the others back.

La began to move like she was doing the robot. She banged her fists together before punching ahead with both. The Z-Crystal released a multicolored energy that raced out and into Pele.

"J...James….what's happening…?" Jessie asked nervously.

"I...don't know…" James gulped.

"I dink we're gonna be blastin' off~" Meowth paled.

"With the force of steel refined beyond its limits! Pele…" La ordered as the Alolan Dugtrio began to spin until it erupted out of the ground as a metal drill twice the size of one of the buses before rocketing right at Team Rocket, ripping into the ground, "CORKSCREW CRASH!"

"GAH!" Team Rocket freaked, hugging each other in fear as the drill approached them and collided with the trio, creating a large explosion that sent them rocketing off.

"What was that?!" Jessie exclaimed.

"I dink I remember now! Dat gal made a fairy pose and her weird lookin' Ninetails grew pink butterfly wings and KOed Chaos in one blow back on the SS Anne!" Meowth recalled.

"And just when they evolved, too!" James groaned, hugging Wheezing.

"LOOKS LIKE TEAM ROCKET'S BLASTING OFF AGAIN~!" the trio cried as they became a twinkle in the sky.

"Nice job, Pele," La smiled.

"Trio~!" Pele beamed.

"Noble!" Mai ran over to the Cubone as he started to fall over, "Oh man…"

"I have some medicinal cream made from Pecha berries for poison status," La offered, already digging out her Pokemon Refresh kit, "We need to tend to him stat. The pain caused by Toxic gets worse with each passing second."

"?!" Mai quickly ran over to her.

"Okay...It was inhaled most likely so the best place to apply this would be just beneath the nose so he can inhale the fumes," La explained as she dabbed a cotton ball into a pink cream.

"Got it," Mai nodded, taking the cotton ball before dabbing it carefully under Noble's nose, "Hang in there…"

"Diglett!"

"Dugtrio!"

"We didn't make them mad, did we?" Makoto gulped as she noticed they were surrounded now.

"Diglett dig~ Diglette dig~!"

"Trio! Trio! Trio~!"

"They're cheering for Pele. They seem to be in complete awe of her," La translated.

"Well...who wouldn't after turning into a freakin' drill!" Makoto exclaimed, "Seriously, that was so cool!"

"Trio~" Pele beamed.

"You're releasing her?" Misty pondered the next day.

"Yes. In truth, Pele has been looking for a place to settle down and find a good mate and she told me that this is where she wants to stay," La explained before giving Pele a hug, "I'll miss you, Pele."

"Trio-tri~" Pele's hair shifted into a hand to let her hug La for a few moments before the two ended their hug and Pele went off to the Diglett and Dugtrio, all of them going underground once she was with them.

"...You raised her well, La," Ken put a reassuring hand on La's shoulder, a small smile on his face, "You'll see her again someday."

"I know," La nodded, "She'll always be missed."

"So what are you two planning on doing now?" Brock asked.

"...Honestly, not sure as of yet," Ken shrugged, "We were gonna head to the Safari Zone in Fuschia City due to hearing about a Kangaskhan 'kid' being sighted."

"A Kangaskhan's kid?" Ash tilted his head.

"Something about a human child being raised by Kangaskhan."

"It sounds so convoluted and like a bad plot for a filler episode of an anime," Makoto admitted.

"True, but there's always some truth in fiction," La noted, "After that, well...I was wondering if we could all meet at the Fuschia City's Pokemon Center."

"Hmm? What for?" Noel asked.

"I'm hoping there's more information on the Rainbow Hero in that center's library considering it's the town closest to the mountain range the Rainbow Wing pointed towards," La noted.

"It would be nice to know more about it," Ash admitted, looking down at his inside coat pocket where the Rainbow Wing was.

"Yeah...and hopefully we won't run into that jerk Cross."

"Agreed," Mai spoke.

"Ahh...I knew getting this private hot spring was a great idea," Karai sighed in relief as she laid down in the soothing hot springs water, wearing a revealing black and crimson bikini.

"True," Aoiro noted, wearing a white and blue one-piece bikini.

"It's really nice~" Serenade noted in content, floating around on a pale-blue swim tube.

"And the best part? We don't have to deal w…I almost jinxed it," Karai blinked before shrugging, "Oh well, not like they're gonna come barging in. They got one week left of not showing up a…"

"I hear screaming coming from a decreasing angle," Serenade informed as she paddled for shore.

"...Ugh…" Aoiro sighed.

"What….oh no…." Karai groaned, "Ravage! Pinball defense, go!"

"AaaaaaaaaaHHHHHHHH-!" Team Rocket's voice screamed as they were near crashing into the hot springs.

"Awooo!" Ravarge howled as he shot out of the trees, encircled by glowing rocks as big as his paws.

"Nonononononononnon-!"

*BAM!*

"We're blasting off again?!"

"Dumbasses…" Karai muttered as Team Rocket flew off into the distance once more, "...Did they get an Arbok and Weezing recently?"

"Seems they finally evolved," Serenade noted.

"(Pfft! They still suck regardless…)" Ravage scoffed.

"Good boy, Ravage. Ya get your choice of steak later," Karai grinned at her Lycanroc.

"I'm not translating his cheers," Serenade deadpanned as Ravage bounced around, howling in glee.

"Good…" Aoiro nodded as she got back to reading her book.

"Hmm...What to have that Pachirisu girl dress as if I make her my slave…?" Karai muttered to herself.

"...Karai, no."

"Bu-" Karai began in argument before a Rocket Grunt ran in, "Oh for...WHAT?!"

"We….we got...a call…" the grunt panted, fear evident in his voice.

"And?"

"Sh...Sh….SHE's coming back."

"...Oh…oh…" Karai began to pale, losing all color to her face.

"Who's coming back?" Serenade asked before looking at Aoiro, "Mistress, are you okay? You've suddenly gone whiter than a shiny Mega Gengar."

"...K….Kira…." Aoiro whispered, fear in her voice as she nearly dropped her book into the water, "She's coming back…."

"(KIRA?!)" Raage screamed before jumping into Karai's arms, shivering with wide eyes.

"Who is Kira?" Serenade pondered.

Out in the ocean on a cruise liner, a group of chefs stood in front of a table in worry. All were looking on at a young woman with long, pale yellow hair, a few galaxy-colored highlights in them. She wore a silver button shirt with the top three unbuttoned, exposing the entirety of her cleavage were it not for a near-black dark gold tube top, and a pair of jeans that hugged her lower figure snug. Over all that was a space-colored jacket with the ends of the long leeves having gold 'claws' on them. Currently, she was finishing up a porterhouse steak, giving a small bite before placing the knife down.

"W...well...wh-what do you think?" one of the chefs ask.

"...The steak was a bit flavorful, but it felt undercooked, and too much seasoning was put on it," the woman stated as she put her knife and fork down, "The baked potato was a bit burnt and was missing a crucial ingredient...the sour cream."

"?!"

"But...you may redeem yourself if the dessert is good...if it comes in time," the woman whispered as she slowly opened her eyes, revealing them to be in the colors of a deep galaxy.

"Y-Yes, ma'am! G-get the lady her dessert!"

"Milady, perhaps you've already eaten enough…" the woman glanced over at a Pokemon.

The Pokemon was a relatively tall bipedal Pokémon resembling a fox. It was covered in a coat of fur that resembled a robe that was primarily dark purple, with pale red flame-like markings near its knees as well as a thin tuft of white fur on its torso, flanked by silver fur draping down from its shoulders. It had three tufts of pale red fur protruding out of each ear. Its forearms featured long red silver resembling sleeves, and its hands and feet were dark gray with three clawed fingers and toes, respectively. A tail covered in silver fur protruded from its 'robe' while a wooden staff intricately detailed to resemble a Kantonian Ninetails was turned into it was held in one paw. The fox also wore a pair of small reading glasses on its snout.

"I know, Velvet, but I wanted a nice relaxing meal before I returned home to father and my siblings…" the woman whispered, a small frown on her face, "And so far...the meals on this ship have been subpar at best…"

"H-here…" a chef whispered as he returned, placing down a Tiramisu before her, "Please, enjoy this Tiramisu."

"...Hmm…" the woman mummered as she looked at the tiramisu carefully.

"Oh Arceus...what if she doesn't like it…?" one of the waiters whispered in worry as she picked up a small piece with her fork.

"She has to. It's our best dessert!" another hissed in fear.

"Shh! She's about to taste it!" another hushed as the woman put the piece in her mouth, giving it a few nibbles as she put her fork down, "W...well?"

"Hm?" Velvet pondered while feeling something tug her tail, making her look down to see a silver and red bird-like Pokemon holding its large tail like a bag, "Yes?" the Pokemon pulled out a folder and handed it to her before flying off, "Ah. Information from headquarters."

"...What does it say, Velvet?" the woman asked, not once looking at her as she took another small bit of tiramisu.

"It appears to be notable Trainers that have gotten involved with Team Rocket affairs since we left," Velvet informed as she thumbed through the reports, "...We've lost the Game Corner in Celadon City and an occupation of Saffron City due to a new Pokemon Trainer known as 'Red.' Two Trainers known as Gary Oak and Leaf exposed Lady Karai's operation in Sakura Town and nearly exposed her real identity outside of Black Ideal were it not for her using an Escape Rope since they were in an underground base. All three are from Pallet Town and received the Starters Charmander, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur respectively with all three now having their fully evolved forms. Red has also been noted as the largest threat of the three because he was able to beat Persian with a Pikachu." she moved the report and blinked, "Oh my. It's been a while since a report folder has another report folder within."

"Hmm?"

"...?! A…A Rainbow Hero potential…that is also a possible Aura Guardian?!"

The woman paused in eating her tiramisu, her fork a few inches to her mouth as she took those words in, "...Is that so….?" she asked, interest in her voice as she put her fork down.

"Let's see...what else...Has confronted both Lady Karai and Lady Aoiro various times. During a capture attempt on an Ancient Dragonite, his Starter-a Pikachu that had been caught just several minutes before he obtained it-overpowered one of Serenade's Protect barriers and defeated Lancelot with a newly learned Zap Cannon after being proven capable of handling the full power of a Thunder released by the Ancient Dragonite. Was able to prevent the Black Fog from being released from its imprisonment after being strangled to near-death. Defeated Sabrina, Gym Leader of Saffron City with a Gengar...by...making her laugh?"

"...Impossible," the woman frowned.

"Gh! Sh...she doesn't like it…" the waiters freaked, seeing the frown on her face.

"I'm not kidding. Lady Aoiro witnessed it herself. He had his Gengar utilize slapstick comedy to make Sabrina laugh and knock out her Kadabra," Velvet informed, "He is also registered as having all three Starters of Kanto and is travelling with two Gym Leaders. Mysteria Waterflower of Cerulean City and Brock Stone of Pewter City."

"...Velvet...we are leaving," the woman ordered as she stood up, "Chef."

"Gh?!"

"The Tiramisu…" the woman paused as she looked over at him, "It...was much better than expected."

"Yes, milady. There are also five other Trainers with them, all from the farthest north. Makoto Nanaya, a Pachirisu Cosplayer, Kajun Faycott, a potential Professor based on acing all tests by Pokemon Tech in just one afternoon, Mai Natsume, seems to have a genetic issue which gives her an overpowering sense of taste, Tsubaki Yayoi, owner of a Riolu that knows Aura Sphere, and Noel Ver…" Velvet froze.

"Velvet?"

"It...It can't be…" Velvet gasped.

"What? What is it?" the woman asked as she walked over, her eyes starting to slowly widen in shock, "...It….can't be…How…?"

Velvet held up a picture, showing Noel in her Contest outfits with Yuki and Nymph in either one, "Lady Mu…is alive?"

SZ: Lady….Mu?

GT: Hoo boy...Seems that there's a big explosion of mystery now. Who is Lady Mu? And why is she connected to Noel?

SZ: And how is she connected to Aoiro, Karai, and our mystery woman?

GT: Guess you'll have to find out in the next chapter. So until then, we are SZ and GT, and we're hoping for big reviews!

SZ: and apologies for no omake this time! I gots a busy day tomorrow for a 5K run!

GT: Cheer him on, everyone! Good luck, SZ!