Hello, ladies and germs! So good to see you all again! I mean it hasn't been that long. I did only talk to you guys yesterday!

What? That was four months ago!?

I apologize that this chapter took so long, but the truth is, I was studying all the episodes of the XY series before they vanished from Netflix. I just wanted to make sure I didn't forget anything about this show so I can be accurate when I write this story.

Plus Yuni Oha needed my help. Team Rocket was holding him hostage, taking over his website, and forcing him to watch the Mario Bros Movie. So, obviously, I have to rescue him, with a little help from a... friend of mine.

Anyway, let's finally get on with the show.

After Ash's victory at the Corwald City Gym and departure with a Muscle Badge, our heroes are about ready to head out from Corwald City. The question is, what will step two be now?

As the group walked away from the Corwald Gym, Ash examined the Muscle Badge sitting snugly in its slot within his badge case. "Our first Ralia League badge," he said to himself. "But where do we go now?"

Suddenly, a large group of people began charging past them, nearly knocking them over. Ash actually fell onto the ground, and Serena attempted to walk over to him to help him up, but one last person actually crashed right into her, knocking her to the ground as well.

"Oof!" said the person, as she attempted to stand up. "I'm sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going."

"No, it's okay," said Serena, as she accepted the other person's hand to stand up. "I guess everyone's just a little-"

Then she suddenly recognized the red-haired girl with shimmering eyes standing in front of her. "Eva?"

"Serena!" Eva suddenly beamed. Looking behind her, she added, "And Vernon!" She then turned behind her and saw Ash still lying on the ground. "Ooh! And Ash! Sorry, I didn't knock you down too, did I?" she said, offering him her hand.

"No, that was those other guys," Ash explained, taking her hand gratefully.

"Eva!" called another familiar voice. They all turned their heads to see Brett running up to join them. "There you are!" he said as he slowed down, panting. "Can you not run away from me next time?" Suddenly, he had a chance to look up and see his old friends. "Oh, hey, guys! Didn't think we'd run into you here."

"Hey, Brett," said Ash. "Long time no see! What're you guys up to?"

"We arrived here earlier together," Eva explained. "Old Brett there tried to win a Gym badge from Master Kai, but he was too much for him to handle."

"It's true," Brett moaned. "I've been training since then to get ready for a rematch."

"I know how that feels," said Ash. "I lost to him on my first try, too. But don't worry. Everyone loses a battle sometimes. You just gotta keep trying." Brett looked up and smiled at Ash's encouraging face.

"By the way, where's Chris?" said Vernon.

"Oh, he already set out for the next town," said Eva. "He's determined to fill that PokéDex."

"So why was everyone stampeding us before?" said Serena.

"You didn't hear?" said Eva. "They're holding a Pokémon Pageant here today!"

"No way? A Pokémon Pageant?"

"Yep! And I'm gonna be the first to sign up!"

"Okay, so that must be the secret Team Shade hideout," said James, looking at a shady-looking building near the edge of the town.

"Alright, you guys heard the boss!" said Meowth. "We sneak in, and then we-" he suddenly paused when he noticed that Jessie was no longer with them. "Hey, Jess! Where are you!?"

The guys then spied Jessie gushing at the site of an extravagant building, painted red and with a large ribbon-shaped pendant on the top with a gold medal in the middle.

"I don't believe it!" said Jessie. "It's a Pageant Hall!"

"A what now?" said Meowth.

"I've heard about these things before. They're like Pokémon Contests and Showcases put together! And you know what that means?"

"No, please, no!" James begged.

Jessie suddenly ran off and came back wearing a pink and purple horror extravaganza of an outfit. "Madam Joselyn must now take the stage!"

"Madam Jocelyn?" said James.

"Well, I can't use the same fake name every time, can I?" said Jessie. "Those twerps are around, they might get suspicious."

"Jessie, we're on a mission right now!" said Meowth. "The boss is counting on us to-"

"I know what the boss said," said Jessie. "But it can wait. A Pageant will be starting very soon! And we certainly don't wanna deprive the people of the woman they're waiting for, now do we?"

"Wobbuffet!" cried Wobbuffet, popping out of its PokéBall. The two then rushed off for the hall, leaving a groaning James and Meowth behind.

"She's not really gonna do this now, is she?" moaned James.

"'Fraid so," said Meowth. "Now we have to go along with her. We need all three of us to make this mission work." the two reluctantly dragged themselves forward.

Eva rushed into the main hallway of the Pageant Hall, and saw some other people bustling through. With everyone else right behind her, she ran up to find the signup sheet.

However, as soon as she made it, she felt herself being shoved to the side by a larger lady wearing a pink and purple outfit.

"Make way for her greatness, twerp!" the lady said. "Madam Jocelyn is hear to steal the show." She arrogantly signed the sheet and left.

Serena and the others caught up with her, and Serena said, "What was that all about?"

"I don't know, some weird lady," Eva shrugged. "Anyway, I need to sign up now." She quickly jotted her name down on sheet.

"What about you, Serena?" Eva said, turning back to her friend. "Are you gonna sign up, too?"

"Well, I-" Serena started, but suddenly a man from behind the counter took the sheet away. "Sorry, but we're now officially full. We're closing up signups."

"Well, so much for that," Serena said disappointed. "Well, I suppose all I can do now to cheer you on."

"Aw, I was really hoping we could make our Pageant debut together," Eva said.

"Well, with any luck, there will be others," said Vernon.

"Say," said Eva, "Serena, you said that you've done Pokémon Showcases and Contests before, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, then, this is a bit embarrassing for me to ask, but could you help me train? I know I've seen these Pageants before on TV and stuff, but I'm still inexperienced."

"Sure!" said Serena. "I know it can be a little scary at first, but I'm sure you'll find you're own style."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Eva excitedly grabbed Serena by the arm and practically dragged her away.

"Hey, guys! Slow down!" said Vernon.

Meanwhile, Ash was about to follow them, until he felt Brett pull on his shirt sleeve.

"Say, Ash, I was gonna ask you a favor, too," he said somewhat awkwardly. "If you've really fought Kai before, would you mind giving me some pointers on how to beat him. I mean you've already gotten your Muscle Badge. You must know how to help me."

Ash paused for a second, looking back at where Serena had gone, but eventually decided to nod and say, "Okay, I can help you a little."

"Sweet!" said Brett.

"I can come, too!" said RotomDex. "I'd love to gain more data!"

"Okay," said Vernon. "I'll stick with the girls and tell them where you guys went."

Who's that Pokémon?

It keeps its eggs warm with heat from fermenting leaves. It also uses leaves to make warm wrappings for its children.

Eva led Serena through the backstage area, with Vernon right behind them struggling to keep up. Several of the Pageanters were either talking to their Pokémon, getting their outfits ready, or rehearsing what they were about to do on stage.

"C'mon, c'mon!" said Eva. "What're we waiting for?"

"For my heart to resume beating," said Serena, still trying to catch her breath. "Eva, please, the Pageant isn't going anywhere."

"Oop, sorry," Eva said. "I'm just so excited to get started."

"Do you even know what you need to do?" Vernon asked, having finally caught up to them.

"Sure, I've seen a whole bunch of them on TV. Basically, there are three parts to it. Part one, called the Challenge Round, can vary, but it usually comes down to either testing brainpower or physical ability. You won't know until you see it. But part two is easy. That's the Performance Round, where you have to show off your Pokémon's skills with their moves, powers, stuff like that."

"Oh, yeah," said Serena. "I think I get that part. Your Pokémon have to use their moves together in such a way that it will impress the audience."

"Exactly," said Eva. "And finally, there's the Battle Round. There, contestants will battle each other with their Pokémon, and it goes on for about three minutes. You want to either make a KO, or it will be decided by a point system. See, each contestant will be given about 50 points, but that score will slowly decrease if your Pokémon takes damage or if it can't get a move in. The first one to make a KO or the one with the most points left wins."

"I remember Battle Rounds from Pokémon contests," said Serena.

"So, you think you can help me?" Eva asked eagerly.

"Of course," said Serena, "but I've learned that it's good to be prepared for anything."

"Attention, all Pageanters," came a voice on the P.A. "We will be beginning in above fifteen minutes. Please get ready to walk out on stage and officially introduce yourselves to the audience."

"Ooh, I better get ready," said Eva. She opened the pack on her back, and pulled out a neatly-folded green dress. "I know this dress isn't much, but I can make it work, right?"

"Actually," said Serena, "I might be able to touch it up for you if you like. I'm really good at designing."

"Sure, that'd be great!" said Eva.

"This looks like a good place to practice," said Ash, as he led Brett into an empty parking lot. "It's a bummer we're gonna miss the Pageant. I wonder what actually happens in those."

"I can tell you about them later myself," Brett suggested as he situated himself on one side of the parking lot while Ash settled on the other.

"Right, so let's get started," said Ash as he pulled out a PokéBall. "Humbeat! I choose you!" he said as he flung the PokéBall, and it exploded into Humbeat.

"Okay! Then I'm gonna use this Pokémon!" Brett threw his own PokéBall, revealing a Wombite.

"Wombite, wom!" Wombite stretched out its legs on the battlefield.

"What do you think? It's the first Pokémon I've caught," said Brett.

"Pretty good first catch," said Ash. "Now let's see how it does in battle!"

BATTLE BEGIN!

"Humbeat, use Drill Peck!" Humbeat dived down and succeeded in hitting Wombite.

"Shake it off, Wombite! Use Scratch!" Wombite slapped Humbeat down and began slashing at it with its razor-sharp claws.

"Now, use Razor Wind!" Humbeat stirred up the wind and shot sharp air currents at Wombite, knocking it back and allowing Humbeat to take to the sky.

"What? I thought I had you guys!" said Brett.

"Now, use Wing Attack!" Ash said. Humbeat's wings glowed white and it bashed them against Wombite's face.

"Er, uh, Wombite, use Hyper Fang!" Wombite crunched its teeth down on Humbeat's wing. "Now use Fury Swipes!" Wombite's claws grew longer and began slashing at Humbeat. The Hummingbird Bird managed to scramble away, but it was feeling worse for the wear.

"Humbeat, what's wrong?" Ash asked.

"It's Wombite's Ability, Tough Claws," said RotomDex. "It powers up moves that make direct contact."

"Perfect!" Brett cheered. "Now use Tackle!" Wombite charged forward and jumped towards Humbeat.

"Fly higher, Humbeat," Ash commanded. Humbeat soared higher and kept out of Wombite's reach.

"Whoa!" said Brett. "Humbeat is fast!"

"Now use Razor Wind again!" Ash said. Humbeat pummeled Wombite with more razor-sharp air currents, and Brett suddenly felt himself freezing up.

"Use Wing Attack one more time!" As Humbeat charged forward with its wings again, Brett looked on, struggling to come up with a plan, but Humbeat quickly closed the gap, and knocked out Wombite with one more shot.

"Wombite is unable to battle!" called RotomDex. "Humbeat is the winner!"

"Great work, Humbeat!" Ash praised as Humbeat excitedly flew around its trainer.

"Wombite! No!" said Brett, running over to pick up his Pokémon. "I-I'm sorry, I messed up." He quickly recalled it into its PokéBall.

"You were doing well, Brett," said Ash. "It's just that you froze up once things started going our way."

"M-maybe," said Brett. "I couldn't think of what to do."

"You gotta be ready to deal with the unexpected. Just stay focused and keep cool, and wait for the right chance," said Ash. "And remember, your Pokémon and you have to do it together."

Brett paused for a few seconds, but slowly, he smiled and nodded. "Thanks, Ash," he said. "So, how about round two?"

"You bet!" Ash said. "Pikachu, I choose you!" Pikachu jumped into the battlefield as its cheeks emitted sparks.

"Then I choose, Koaleaf!" said Brett, as he threw Koaleaf's PokéBall into the battlefield, causing Koaleaf to appear. "Electric Type moves aren't very effective on Grass Types. Looks like I have the advantage."

"We'll see about that!" said Ash. "Pikachu, use Iron Tail!" Pikachu's tail turned metallic silver and bashed Koaleaf away.

"Oh, no you don't!" said Brett. "Use Razor Leaf!" Koaleaf shot razor-sharp leaves at Pikachu, making a close hit.

"Welcome, one and all, to our latest Pokémon Pageant!" A tall silver-haired man wearing a blue tuxedo emerged from behind the curtain on the glowing stage, speaking into a large microphone. "Hosted by me, the one and only Fenwick, a former contester, but expert on all things glamorous! So without further ado, let's bring out our newest Pageanters!"

Several spotlights shone down on the stage, revealing seven contestants. One of them was "Jocelyn", milking the entire scene. "Yes, breathe it in, my adoring fans! Your Madame Jocelyn is here to denounce the evils of lesser beauties!"

In the audience, James and Meowth, in disguise, held their heads in the palms of their hands. "She's enjoying this way too much."

"Let's just get this over with," said Meowth. "The sooner we're done here, the sooner we can get on with the Boss's mission."

The seventh and final contestant was revealed to be Eva, wearing her green dress from earlier, only now, the shoulders were decorated each with a green flower, and there were black stripes twisting around from the bottom to the top.

From backstage, Serena and Vernon were observing everything on a monitor. "You did a pretty good job on that dress Serena."

"I designed all my outfits for my Showcases and Contests," said Serena. "I've picked up quite a few things."

"And just think, next time, it'll be you out on that stage," said Vernon.

"Yeah," said Serena wistfully. "Y'know, Vernon, seeing all those people out there reminds me of my first Pokémon Showcase. I remember giving it my all. Showing everyone what Braixen, then a Fennekin, and I could do together. We lost because Fennekin tripped, but it was all worth. I felt my aspiration and inspiration build up from there, and Ash always told me to never quit. And you know, being up there on stage, making all those people smile with your talents, it's a feeling like no other."

Vernon listened to what Serena was saying, and slowly, he felt his hand reaching into his back pocket, and he pulled out the recommendation slip Cameron had given him. Looking it over, he thought about everything Serena was saying about being on stage and bringing joy to the audience. He remembered what that felt like. He wished more than anything that he could do it once again.

He knew both Serena and Ash were dreamers. Ash dreamed of being a Pokémon Master, and Serena dreamed of giving incredible performances like these. "Yeah," he said quietly. "It's great to have a dream."

"And so, these will be our contestants for this afternoon," said Fenwick. "Our first round will begin shortly, but first, let's give them a big Corwald City welcome!"

The audience began clapping their hands together, as some firework-esque special effects began going off in the background. At the the great and loud sound, Serena suddenly felt some wiggling in her back pocket, until Chrysaluxe popped out of its PokéBall. The sounds were starting to irritate it so it suddenly bounced off into the studio.

"Whoa!" said Serena. "Chrysaluxe, come back!"

"Serena, wait-" Vernon tried to follow. but the two were already gone.

The first round was about having the contestants' Pokémon climbing to the top of a large, plastic mountain to retrieve three fake gemstones to bring it back to their trainers. Eva won first place in this round with the help of her Charmor, with Jessie coming in second with Napiat. As such, both of them plus two other contestants were allowed to enter the next round, while the other three were eliminated.

As Eva returned to the backstage, Vernon returned after looking around for Serena and Chrysaluxe, before spying Eva.

"Hey, Eva," he said. "Saw you guys go one the monitors in the lobby. Quite a good first impression, I'd say."

"Thanks!" said Eva. "Wait, where's Serena?"

"One of her Pokémon ran off on her," Vernon explained. "She's still trying to find it."

"Contestants, please prepare both your Pokémon for the next round, which begins in a few minutes. Remember, you need at least two Pokémon to participate."

"Did he say two Pokémon?" Eva said, surprised.

"Yeah," said Vernon.

"No! I only have Charmor with me! What am I supposed to do now?"

It's Leavanny!

"Okay, Pikachu, use Quick Attack!"

Pikachu charged forward outlined in white, and bashed Koaleaf back.

"Hit Pikachu with a Scratch attack!"

Koaleaf managed to scratch up Pikachu's face with its claws.

"We're not done yet!" Ash declared. "Use Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu leaped into the air and lit up its body with electricity. "Pi-ka-chuuu!" it said as it shot a bolt of lightning at Koaleaf, and lit up its body.

"Ugh!" Brett said, feeling himself freezing up again. However, he forced himself to pull himself together, clenched his fists, and told himself to focus. As Pikachu began falling back down, he suddenly got an idea. "Use Razor Leaf, Koaleaf! Send it up towards Pikachu!"

Koaleaf nodded as it recovered from Pikachu's Thunderbolt. It then shot more razor-sharp leaves from the foliage around its neck, and they floated upwards, hitting Pikachu and causing the Electric Mouse Pokémon to tumble backwards towards Ash.

"There you go, Brett!" said Ash. "You're starting to get it now. Just focus and don't quit. Don't give up till it's over! That's what I always say."

"Yeah, you're right," said Brett, as he walked up to Koaleaf and scratched his Pokémon on its head. "I think me and Koaleaf could be really good at this someday."

"Koaleaf," Koaleaf nodded.

"Pikachu and I never gave up," said Ash, petting is own Pokémon. "In fact, at first, we didn't exactly see eye-to-eye. But in the end, we managed to use that and our weaknesses to make us both stronger."

"Pika, pika!" Pikachu said.

In the background, a certain Charmor of a different color peeked out from behind a bush, and thought to itself of its life from Corwald Forest. It remembered how the larger Charmors in the group kept telling it that it was weak and that it couldn't amount to anything. Yet, everything it had heard Ash say made it believe that it had so much untapped potential. That it was capable of so much more, if it could find a new way to be stronger.

And as it looked back at Ash, it believed it knew what that new way was.

"So can you think of a strategy for beating Kai yet?" said Ash.

"I wish," said Brett. "It's a Fighting Type Gym, I know that, but Koaleaf and Wombite are the only Pokémon I have, and I know that Wombite is at a disadvantage."

"Hey, type disadvantages have never stopped me before," said Ash. "Advantages don't mean much if your opponent can't make a hit."

"Hm," Brett thought. "I know he has a Kuninja and a Jumjoey..."

"Actually, his Jumjoey evolved into a Brawllaby during our Gym Battle."

"Oh, great, so now it's even stronger than before."

"I've seen most of his strategies by now. C'mon, I'll try to demonstrate them two you."

"Chrysaluxe, c'mon!" Serena said as she frantically searched around for her bug Pokémon, until she finally noticed it hiding behind some crates next to the stage.

"There you are, Chrysaluxe," Serena said, relieved. As she approached it, she added, "C'mon, we should get back to backstage. Vernon and Eva are probably wondering where we are."

As she picked up her trembling Pokémon, it tried to wrestle out of her grip. "Man, you really are a scaredy Meowth, aren't you?"

"And now for our next Performance, please welcome Madame Jocelyn!" Fenwick's voice was heard onstage, as Jessie in disguise ventured out onto the stage before the crowd, Wobbuffet and Napiat right next to her.

"Alright, my lesser beauties," Jessie announced, "Prepare for a stunning performance you won't soon forget!"

Napiat faced Wobbuffet and unleashed a Venoshock as Jessie ordered a Mirror Coat move. The attack bounced off Wobbuffet as a result, and exploded into the air as purple streaks rained to the ground as a result.

As Serena was about to turn and walk away, Chrysaluxe couldn't help but notice the Performance. It turned its head to get a better view, and Serena looked down at her Pokémon in confusion. "What is it Chrysaluxe?"

Chrysaluxe ignored her voice and looked towards Jessie and her Pokémon. "Now, Napiat, use Venoshock and make a bubble!" Napiat shot its Venoshock attack upwards and it collected together in a bubble-like form. Slowly, it descended back down towards Napiat, and Jessie ordered it to use Poison Fang. Napiat caught the bubble in its teeth and squeezed it until it burst, causing it to explode into more purple streaks. Some of those streaks fell down towards Wobbuffet, but he used Mirror Coat again and reflected them around the stage once more.

"Ta-da!" Jessie declared, striking a pose with her Pokémon.

"Okay, an excellent performance from Madame Jocelyn. Very good," said Fenwick.

As Chrysaluxe viewed the raining purple streams, it got a vision of shooting stars and the setting sun and moon in its head. In Corwald Forest, it had always enjoyed viewed the beautiful lights at night, and watching this now, it felt so intrigued.

Serena noticed this and smiled and stroked her Pokémon's head. "So you do like this, huh? Well, I know stuff like this by heart. I think it could be just the thing to help you with your shyness."

"This is no good," said Eva, sitting in a chair, tapping her foot nervously. "I thought they'd accept a performance from just one Pokémon."

"It's okay," said Vernon. "There must be something we can do."

"Hey, guys," said Serena, returning backstage with Chrysaluxe in her arms. "Isn't it about time for the next round?"

"There's a problem," Vernon explained. "She needs at least two Pokémon for the next round, but she's only got one."

"Where am I supposed to get another Pokémon on such short notice?" said Eva.

Serena suddenly looked down at the bug Pokémon in her arms, and she had an idea. "Say, Eva, what if you borrowed one of my Pokémon?"

"Really? Which one?" said Eva.

"This one, right here, my Chrysaluxe," said Serena. At this, Chrysaluxe's eyes suddenly grew huge and it leaped out of Serena's arms and hid under a nearby chair.

"Um, Serena?" said Vernon, pulling Serena away to talk to her. "I don't know if you've noticed, but Chrysaluxe is kind of scared of everything."

"I know," said Serena. "Just let me talk to it." She walked over to the chair Chrysaluxe had hidden under and bent down to its height. "Hey, Chrysaluxe, it's okay. Just come out and let me talk to you."

Chrysaluxe was reluctant to move, but turned to face its trainer. "I know you're a little scared of the outside world, but I saw how you looked at that other contestant's performance. It moved you, and for the first time, you didn't feel afraid. I saw boldness in your eyes. Well, now I want to help you channel that boldness. Right now, Eva could really use our help. And I know if there was ever a Pokémon to help her right now, it's you. So what do you say? Can you help us?"

Chrysaluxe looked back at its trainer with questioning eyes, but it thought back to seeing Jessie's performance. It reminded it of the beautiful night sky that it loved to observe as it was falling asleep last night. Looking at a sky like that made it feel like it could soar. It was the one thing that made it feel such an incredible feeling. Slowly, it looked back towards Serena and nodded.

"Great!" Serena clasped her hands. "So what do you think, Eva? Can Chrysaluxe be in your performance?"

"Sure! That'd be great! But what're its moves?"

"Don't worry," said Serena. "I think I have an idea."

"Dodge it, Koaleaf!" said Brett, and Koaleaf managed to duck underneath the descending Pikachu's Iron Tail. At the moment, Ash was trying to replicate Brawllaby's jumping strategy to teach Brett to counter it.

"Nice job, you guys!" said Ash. "I think you're getting the hang of this now."

"Cool!" said Brett. "I think we've got the jumping strategy memorized by now. Now what to do about Kuninja's stealth tactics?"

"Well, Kai himself taught me that my Pokémon and I should pay close attention to everything we see and hear," Ash explained.

"Pay close attention," Brett repeated slowly. He decided to close his eyes and try to listen closely to everything around him. At first, he could here nothing, but then...

"WOO! THAT WAS A GOOD ONE! DO IT AGAIN! JUMP HIGHER THIS TIME!"

"Huh?" said Ash. "Who was that?"

"Oh, I'd know that voice anywhere," Brett said, rolling his eyes. "C'mon, let's go see."

"I hope you're all ready for our fourth and final performance," said Fenwick, "Eva!"

Eva walked out onto the stage as the spotlights rained down on her. She then pulled out her PokéBall and threw it into the air, and it exploded into her Charmor. Then, from behind her, out slowly crept Chrysaluxe.

"Hello, everybody!" Eva greeted. "I think we've got something that you're gonna love!"

Chrysaluxe looked nervously at the cheering crowd in front of it. It shut its eyes, afraid of all the looks it was getting. However, it soon remembered what Serena had said to it earlier.

"I know you're a little scared of the outside world, but I saw how you looked at that other contestant's performance. It moved you, and for the first time, you didn't feel afraid. I saw boldness in your eyes. Well, now I want to help you channel that boldness. Right now, Eva could really use our help. And I know if there was ever a Pokémon to help her right now, it's you."

Slowly, Chrysaluxe opened its eyes and forced itself to look upwards at all the stage lights. This caused it to remember all the starry nights it had enjoyed before, before it suddenly began to envision itself floating through space, passing by the stars and witnessing comets whizzing past. The feeling was like now other. It felt bold, fearless for once.

Then it looked forward with uncharacteristic determination as Eva and Charmor got into their starting positions.

From backstage, Serena and Vernon looked intently at the scene from one of the monitors. "Chrysaluxe..." Serena whispered to herself, "I know you have it in you..."

Eva's performance round is about to get underway, but will Chrysaluxe really be able to keep it together and help her win this thing? I guess with find out...

Ash, Pikachu, RotomDex, and Brett wandered into the forest area surrounding the next route leading out of Corwald City, only to be spooked but a jumping Wombite.

"Whoa!" said Ash. "What was that about?"

"C'mon, show me whatcha got!" they heard a familiar voice say. They peeked through the trees to see Professor Acacia poking another sleeping Wombite with a stick, until finally, it jumped upwards and ran off.

"That's what I'm talking about!" Acacia said.

"Professor Acacia?" said RotomDex.

"Why am I not surprised?" said Brett, shaking his head.

...as the journey continues!

Alas, I must end the chapter here, because I've been working on it for far, far too long, and I wanted to give you guys something. Still, don't worry, my next chapter should come out soon. Just let me find some time to write it, because remember...

You can't rush art!

And don't worry. In the next chapter, something big is coming, concerning a certain team we know. Just try to guess which team that is.