After a long and shocking turn of events, our heroes are being accompanied by by an unlikely friend, Jessie's Wobbuffet. Now, our friends continue their trip to Ironriver City, the site of Ash's next Gym Battle.

"So, Ash, have you any ideas on how you're going to defeat the Ironriver City Gym Leader?" RotomDex asked.

"I'm not sure," said Ash, putting a hand to his chin. "Actually, I was thinking of catching a few new Pokémon just to make my roster a little bigger."

"Do you think Wobbuffet would be willing to fight with you?" said Vernon.

"Mmm, probably not," said Ash. "I think what I should try is something with a little more... finesse."

"Hey, there's a Pokémon right there!" said Serena, pointing. Everyone looked forward to see a tall, pink Pokémon with long, pointy ears, a spiral tail, and a small pair of wings on its back.

"Hey! That's a Clefable!" said Ash.

"Clefable, the Fairy Pokémon. A Fairy Type. Clefable moves by skipping lightly as if using its wings to fly. Its bouncy steps even allow it to walk on water. Evolves from Clefairy when exposed to a Moon Stone."

"Ooh, it's so pretty!" said Serena, unable to resist moving closer. However, the Clefable saw her approaching, and annoyed, it let out a piercing attack in the form of a loud screech and heart-shaped beams directed at the group.

"Ugh! So loud!" Serena whined, covering her ears.

"That's Disarming Voice!" said RoromDex.

"Wobbuffet!" cried out a familiar voice, as Wobbuffet emerged from its PokéBall and jumped in front of the group. It used Mirror Coat to bounce the Disarming Voice off of it, and sent it crashing back into Clefable.

"Faaaable!" the Clefable whined.

"Whoo, thanks for that, Wobbuffet," said RotomDex.

In a huff, the Clefable quickly went away in the other direction.

"You should be careful around Fairy-types, Serena," said RotomDex. "They may seem all cutesy, but they're incredibly powerful, and tend a bit tricky and mischievous."

"You're right, I'm sorry, guys," said Serena. Looking after where the Clefable went, she said, "But still, I wonder what it's doing out here."

"Maybe we should see for ourselves," said Vernon.

"Wobbuffet!"

The Clefable walked up to a tall, middle-aged woman sitting on a tree stump. She wore a long dress the was pink and purple, and her hair looked like swirled pink and purple cotton candy. She was absentmindedly tapping her chin with a purple pen, looking off into space around the forest that surrounded her.

"Clef?" the Clefable asked.

Slowly, the woman looked down at the Clefable and said, "Ah, there you are, Clefable. Did you find any new inspiration for me?"

"Clef."

"I see. Oh, how I wish I could find the inspiration I need. My play, it's too predictable. It needs to learn... a few more tricks."

"Excuse me?" came a voice. The woman turned to see the group all walking up to her. "Is that your Clefable?" said Ash.

"...Indeed it is," said the woman. "Let me guess, it attacked you?"

"Well, yeah!" said Serena.

"...My apologies, but Clefable does as it pleases. It is a Fairy-Type after all. They do as they please. And my Clefable, she isn't a fan of the cutseyness."

Both Ash and Serena looked at this lady like she was strange, but Vernon suddenly began gaping as he walked towards her. "You're... you're... it's you! It's really you, isn't it?"

"Who?" said the woman.

"You're Titania! The greatest playwright in all of Ralia!"

"...I am."

"Oh my, you have no idea what an honor this is, Miss Titania!" said Vernon. "In fact I am an actor! The great Vernon!" He struck a pose. "Surely, you've heard of me, yes?"

Titania looked at him with a stoic expression on her face, before saying, "No."

Vernon face-faulted, but quickly stood back up and said, "Well, either way, I hope you know how big a fan I am of your work! I even thought about going into theater before settling on TV and movies!"

"...Well, you are a man of exquisite taste, my boy," said Titania. "But if you could lower your voice so that I may concentrate, I would appreciate it. I am in the middle of trying to write my newest masterpiece."

"You are?" said Vernon. He looked down to see the small stack of papers that rested in her lap. "Oh! I see! I apologize, Miss Titania. Do carry on with your masterpiece."

He walked away as Titania fell silent. She and Clefable looked into the trees as a light wind blew through their hair and fur. Titania tapped her chin with her pen, and suddenly put it to the paper, before suddenly, pulling away and shaking her head.

As Vernon rejoined his friends, Ash asked, "So you know who that lady is?"

"You kidding me!?" said Vernon. "Everyone in Ralia should know who she is! She's a brilliant playwright and writer, who makes all her greatest dreams a reality. From her mind come the most intriguing, interesting, thought-provoking, and unpredictable stories the world has ever known. She inspires a lot of great people, and her plays are always sold out." Gaining a sly look, he added, "And you, Ash, may be interested to know... she's also the leader of the Ralia Elite Four."

"The Elite Four!? No way!" Ash said, looking over to her. "So, she must like Fairy Type Pokémon then. Man, she must be pretty strong."

"The strongest," said Vernon. "She's not just unpredictable in her scripts, she's unpredictable in battle. Our current Champion's the only one who's ever managed to defeat her. This woman greatly values the unpredictable. That's what makes her plays so effective."

Serena looked over at her, tapping the pen to her paper, but writing nothing down. "Hmm, but it looks like she has writer's block or something."

Vernon looked over to her as well. "Yeah, looks like it. I wonder why?" Scratching his chin, he said, "You know what? We should try to help her."

Titania continued to stare off into space, as her mind continued to draw a blank. Suddenly, she heard the shuffling foot-steps behind her, and turned to face Vernon and his friends once again.

"Excuse me, Miss Titania?" said Vernon. "We couldn't help but notice that you seem to be having trouble writing anything."

Titania remained silent for a moment before saying, "...It's true. I am in need of a great masterpiece, one that will top all my previous ones, so I came out here to find some inspiration. And yet... I have nothing."

"Well, can we see what you have so far?" said Vernon. Titania handed him her script, and Vernon began skimming it. The play started by telling a story of a handsome, young man who wandered into the forest, at a loss after losing the woman he loved. He met many interesting Pokémon on his trip, all of which offered him a way to deal with his grief, but none worked.

"I see, so it's a tragedy," said Vernon.

"It is," said Titania. "But I feel as though it is simply dragging on. I need to something to keep my audience invested. Something that appears to be worth their time."

"Let me help you," said Vernon. "I've been in so many different roles over the years, I think I may have a few ideas."

Titania stared at him, before nodding and saying, "Very well, tell what you have in mind."

Who's that Pokémon?

It feeds on the nectar and pollen of flowers. Because it can sense auras, it can tell which flowers are about to bloom.

While Vernon looked over the script, a familiar trio was spying on them from afar.

"So, that lady leads the Elite Four in this region, does she?" said Meowth, looking through binoculars.

"So what I'm hearing is that the Pokémon she harbors must be incredibly powerful," said James.

"Beautiful and deadly, my favorite combination!" said Jessie. "It's settled! Her Pokémon will be ours."

"Well, Miss Titania," said Vernon, "I think the problem is that the conflict here does not increase. Your protagonist just seems to undergo the same emotions over and over again, with each Pokémon he talks to."

"Is that so?" said Titania. "Then tell me how shall improve his conflict?"

"Well, he should be thinking about his problem in new ways. All these Pokémon are giving him a unique perspective each. Surely that must change his point of view at some point, right?"

"My protagonist is a complex character," said Titania. "He cannot heal instantly overnight. After all, this is a tragedy."

"Well, maybe you ought to try altering the tone of the story as you go along. Maybe it'll give your story some new emotional depth."

Suddenly, the group heard a loud crash coming in from behind them. They turned to face the entrance of Team Rocket.

"Prepare for trouble, what a depressing scene!"

"And make it double, all it does it hurt and demean!"

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all people within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of tragic turns!"

"To extend our reach to an enemy who never learns!"

"Jessie!"

"And James!"

"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now or prepare for a well-written fight!"

"Meowth, that's right!"

"Mime mime!"

As they finished, Meowth couldn't help but sigh. The motto just doesn't feel the same with Wobbuffet.

"Team Rocket! What are you doing here?" said Ash.

"It's simple, really," said James. "Right now, we are in the company of one of the most powerful trainers in Ralia. And that means her Pokémon are prime of the picking."

"Exactly!" said Jessie. "So how about you give up your Pokémon and no one gets hurt?"

"Hmph, surely you kid," said Titania, not opening her eyes to see them. "I could defeat you fools with my eyes closed."

"Well, if that's what you're going to do," said Jessie, readying a PokéBall, "I guess we'll have to take you up on that offer."

"Wob!" cried out Wobbuffet. Team Rocket gasped as Wobbuffet suddenly appeared in front of the group. Its body glowed as it prepared a Mirror Coat attack as a warning.

"Wobbuffet, please, you of all people must understand what this means to us?" said Jessie.

"Never mind that," said Titania, as she suddenly threw out a PokéBall. It opened up to reveal a snow white Pokémon. It floated with no legs, and had long arms made of ice, a crown made of icicles, a fairy-like face, and wings that looked like snowflakes.

"Who's that Pokémon?" said Ash.

RotomDex quickly scanned it and said, "Celestice, the Ice Pixie Pokémon. An Ice and Fairy Type. When travelers get lost in blizzards on snowy peaks, they sometimes hear the songs of a Celestice. Some Celectice guide the travelers home, but others may lead them astray for days. Follow the song at your own risk. Evolves from Pixice at level 22."

"Hmph, that won't scare us," said James, pulling out a PokéBall.

"Celestice, use Powder Snow," said Titania. Celestice spewed a large amount of white, powdery snow from its mouth, which quickly blinded Team Rocket, causing them to stumble.

"Good, now use Perish Song!" Celestice emitted some red sound waves from its body, which began damaging Team Rocket by their ears.

"Owie!" cried out Meowth. "Anyone ever tell you to try some lessons, pal?"

"Now return!" said Titania, recalling Celestice into its PokéBall.

"Huh?" said Serena. "Why'd she do that?"

"Because Perish Song will cause its user to faint unless it's switched out," said RotomDex.

"Now, Clefable, your turn," said Titania. "Use Disarming Voice!"

Clefable stood in front of everyone and unleashed another Disarming Voice attack. Team Rocket quickly scattered in different directions to avoid it.

It's Cutiefly!

"You three are fools," said Titania. "You are so... predictable. Now, use Thunder Punch!"

Clefable's fist lit up with yellow electricity, and it charged directly forward to punch James.

"Eek!" cried out James as the attack made contact. "What kind of Clefable is this thing?"

"I told you, unpredictable," said Titania. That was when she suddenly whipped out Clefable's PokéBall and recalled it.

"Huh? What'd you do that f-" Meowth started, before he suddenly felt a strange feeling overcome him, and he fell over with swirls in his eyes.

"And that's Perish Song fully taking effect," RotomDex said.

"Ugh, you cheated!" said Jessie. Suddenly, she pulled out her own PokéBall and threw it. "Go, Solarfly."

"Go, Possneak!" said James, throwing his own PokéBall.

The two Pokémon burst onto the scene, prepared to fight, but before they could even blink, they saw Celestice standing before them.

"Perish Song, again!" said Titania.

"Gak!" said Jessie and James, as they hurriedly recalled their Pokémon. "How did you let that thing out so quickly?"

"Do you think I got to the top of the Ralia Elite Four by focusing on EVs?" said Titania. "Just give it up. This is a battle you cannot win."

"Grr," said Jessie, quickly throwing another PokéBall. "Napiat, use Venoshock!"

Napiat appeared and spat a purple stream of poison from its mouth. Quickly, Wobbuffet appeared in front of Celestice and desperately used Mirror Coat. The Venoshock was shot away in all sorts of directions, hitting Titania from behind, and hitting Team Rocket directly.

"Gak!" said Jessie and James, as they flew away with Napait and Mime Jr. "We're blasting off again!"

"Finally," said Titania. Suddenly, she spied the unconscious Meowth on the ground. "Hmm, I suppose I should help the poor, defenseless creature." She reached for a PokéBall, but to her surprise, she could find nothing.

"What? Where are my PokéBalls?" she said.

"Uh, oh," said Vernon. "That stray Venoshock that hit you. It must of knocked your PokéBalls loose."

"Wob," Wobbuffet said apologetically.

Titania sighed as she said, "It is alright. Come, let us go find them."

"Why don't we split up?" said Ash. "Serena and I will search this way, you and Vernon can go that way."

"Very well," said Titania, as she motioned for Vernon to follow her. As she began walking away, she couldn't help but see Wobbuffet hovering over the unconscious Meowth concerned.

"That Pokémon of yours," said Titania, "Wobbuffet, why does he hover over that Meowth creature?"

"Uh, it's complicated," said Vernon. "But if you must know, it used to work for Team Rocket, the ones you just saw."

"Oh?" said Titania. "How so?"

"Well, it was their Pokémon, but it got tired of the way they treated it, so it ended up with us," explained Vernon. "But it was the hardest thing it ever had to do."

"Fascinating," said Titania. Suddenly, her hand reached down fro her pen. "Am I believe it feels loss, fear, and confusion?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess so," said Vernon. Suddenly, he spotted a PokéBall on the ground. "Ooh! Here, this must be yours!"

"Thank you," said Titania, as she took the PokéBall. "So, I was meaning to ask you before, Mr. Vernon, just what kind of actor are you?"

"Uh," Vernon said before scratching the back of his head. "One who's fallen on hard times, actually."

"Whatever do you mean?" said Titania.

"Look, let's just say that something happened to me a long time ago, and I fell from grace. I-I don't like to talk about it."

"I see," said Titania. "How did it all make you feel?"

"Miserable. I felt like I had it all, but it was all gone in one fell swoop," said Vernon. "I had people who loved, but-"

"So you say no one loves you anymore?" said Titania.

"Huh? Well, no, I don't think so," said Vernon. "I know I still have talent. And I have my Pokémon to support me."

"And what of your two friends?" said Titania. "Surely they do not like solely because you are an actor."

"No, of course not," said Vernon. "They're good friends. And we've been having a fun journey together."

"Yes... perhaps it is not such a tragedy after all."

Ash was searching a small bush, but then he spied something shiny. Carefully, he pulled out a PokéBall.

"Look, Serena, I found one!" he lifted it up to show Serena.

"Good, then that makes two!" said Serena, holding a ball of her own.

Wobbuffet stood concerned over its friend. Meowth still laid unconscious on the ground, unmoving. "Wobbu," Wobbuffet said, feeling terrible. Suddenly, it spied a PokéBall on the ground. Curious, it pushed the button, and out in a flash of light popped Clefable.

"Cle? Clefable?" it questioned before seeing Meowth on the ground. "Clef!" it cried out, reading a fist.

"Wob! Wobbuffet!" said Wobbuffet, stepping in front of Meowth. "Wobbu, wobbu!"

"Clefable?" said Clefable. "Clef, clefable, clefable?"

"Wobbuffet, Wob!" Wobbuffet insisted.

Clefable looked at Meowth curiously, before back to the sincere face of Wobbuffet. "...Clefable," it nodded, before adding, "Clefable, clef, clef."

"Wob?"

"Clef," said Clefable, as it suddenly began to use Heal Pulse on Meowth. The shimmering pulse began to erase the damage Meowth took, until finally, he opened his eyes.

"Oi, my head hurts," said Meowth, before suddenly seeing Clefable standing over him. "Ack! Back up, pal! I got eight claws and I ain't afraid to use 'em!"

"Wob," he suddenly heard from behind him. He turned to see Wobbuffet, who said, "Wob, wobbuffet."

"For real? You did that for me?" said Meowth. Wobbuffet nodded, and Meowth felt tears welling up in his eyes. "Oh, you never lost that touch of yours, did you?"

"Now!" cried out a nearby voice. Everyone turned to see a net suddenly covering up Clefable. James and Jessie confidently walked onto the scene. "Sorry, not all fairy tales have a happy ending," said James.

Meowth looked to Wobbuffet, who was angry, before looking back to James and Jessie, unsure of how to react. But suddenly, several cries came onto the scene.

"You guys again!"

"Can't you get enough!?"

"Let Clefable go!"

Ash, Serena, Vernon, and finally Titania ran onto the scene, though Titania was as calm as ever.

"Oh, look, the twerp squad," said Jessie. "Just what you plan to do to stop us exactly?"

Suddenly, they heard a loud burst, and turned to see Clefable having freed itself from the net with a Disarming Voice.

"What?!" said James. "Just how strong can a Clefable be?"

"Oh, would you like to find out?" said Titania, a smug grin on her face. "Come, Clefable, let us show them just how strong a Clefable can be."

What she did next shocked everyone present. Attached to the end of her pen was a string, and at the end of the string was a round ball. It was multi-colored, and had a symbol with two points at the end, a curve in the middle, and line running through it.

"I-Is that?" said Serena.

Clefable suddenly pulled back the fur on its arm to reveal a larger ball with a similar symbol, but it was pink, and the symbol had a line run straight through from top to bottom.

"It is!" said Ash.

"Clefable, respond to my heart and mind," said Titania, her ball suddenly beginning to glow as Clefable's did the same. "Unleash your true strength. Mega Evolve!"

Clefable's body began to glow, and it changed shape. It grew two longer wings, and they all expanding to lift it in the air. It grew long, pink tassels coming from the base of its ears. And it gained an aura of barely visible stars.

"It can't be!" said Jessie. "Mega Evolution?"

"Clefable, use Disarming Voice!" said Titania. Clefable soared upwards into the air and unleashed a torrent of heart-shaped beams at Team Rocket, bashing them back.

"Seriously, get some singing lessons!" said Jessie.

"Now use Thunder Punch!" Clefable charged up its fists with electricity and bashed Jessie and James back.

"Now use-" started Titania.

"Wob!" cried out Wobbuffet. Everyone looked to see Wobbuffet suddenly standing between Clefable and Jessie and James, arms outstretched as if trying to subdue the situation.

"Wobbuffet?" said Jessie. "A-are you-"

"Wob!" said Wobbuffet.

"Don't any of you lousy mugs get it?" said Meowth. "Wobbuffet really doesn't want to fight us. It doesn't wanna see us get hurt, but it also doesn't want us to steal Clefable."

Jessie looked at Clefable, then back to Titania, who was standing by quietly, and then back to Wobbuffet, who held a stern look in its eyes. Feeling a few tearing manifesting behind her eyes, she said, "Oh, Wobbuffet, I knew you could never change."

Suddenly, she held up her arms. "Okay, we surrender, alright? For Wobbuffet."

James looked confused, but seeing Wobbuffet, he too raised his arms in surrender.

Meowth walked between them and said, "Look, just call off your Clefable, and we'll be on our way, alright? Crook's honor."

Titania stared at them stoically, before growing a tiny grin and saying, "Very well. If that is Wobbuffet's wish, so shall it be."

Team Rocket carefully backed up, but Clefable, under Titania's orders, did nothing but glare at them. Finally, Team Rocket turned tail and ran.

"Cool," said Ash, walking up to Wobbuffet. "That was a pretty gutsy move there, Wobbuffet."

"Wob," Wobbuffet shrugged.

Clefable flew up to beside them before landing on the ground and transforming back to normal. Ash grinned and said, "But seriously, Titania, that was awesome! I didn't know Clefable's could Mega Evolve."

"Yes," said Titania, "but just know, child, that Mega Evolution is a controversial topic here in Ralia. There is a reason few want to channel its power recently."

"Oh, I see," said RotomDex, pulling up a few Dex entries on its screen. "I mean reading all these entries I have on Mega Evolutions, I can see why people may be reluctant to use it."

"Well, Clefable's Mega Evolution is completely harmless," said Titania, "so do not worry about it." Clefable smiled and gave a small salute to confirm this.

"But how is Mega Evolution even possible in Ralia?" said Serena. "I mean, from what I know, there has to be something in Ralia that makes it happen like in Kalos or Hoenn."

"Do I look like a university professor?" said Titania. "I don't have all your answers."

That was when she eyed Wobbuffet curiously. "So, you used to work with those three, I hear? They drove you off because they did not treat you well, and yet, you still care, don't you?"

"Wobbuffet," Wobbuffet nodded.

"So it is still difficult for you," said Titania. Suddenly, she pulled out her paper. "Please, I want to hear all about it."

About an hour later, Titania held up her papers triumphantly. "And with that, my masterpiece is finally complete!"

"Clefable!" Clefable celebrated.

"Awesome!" said Vernon. "So, how'd you finally get it right?"

"Let's just say that you, Mr. Vernon, and Wobbuffet inspired me," said Titania. "Your stories, they had a touch of tragedy to them. But they helped me see a silver lining. A hope towards the future. And that is what I established for my protagonist."

"Great, but is that unpredictable like you want?" said Vernon.

"It is," said Titania. "In its own way."

"Can we see it?" said Serena.

"Absolutely not," said Titania. "To show it to you would be a betrayal of not only my other fans, but of theater itself. Do not worry though. You can see in about a month."

"Ugh, right," said Vernon. "Well, I think we gotta get going now. Ash still needs to get to Ironriver City."

"I know," said Titania, before eyeing Ash. "I shall wish for your success, my child. Who knows? Maybe an incredible battle awaits the two of us someday."

"I sure hope so!" Ash said excitedly as Pikachu hopped up onto his shoulder. "Well, see ya, Titania!" he waved as he walking away.

"Goodbye!" waved Serena.

"So long," said Vernon.

"Wob!" said Wobbuffet.

Well, just like any good hero's journey, today's events had some delightful twists and turns. More to come as the journey continues!

TO BE CONTINUED...

So, Titania's name is from the queen of all fairies in Shakespeare's mythos, which is how I had the idea of making her a playwright.

Also, I should now clarify something. I've decided my fanfiction is taking place in an AU. Basically, everything up to the end of Sun and Moon happened, except RotomDex decided to to return home to Kanto with Ash instead of staying with the Aether Foundation, okay?