"Don't worry, we'll take good care of your Pokémon. We'll call your name when he's ready to be picked up. It won't take long."
Ash nodded, smiling at Nurse Joy as she held his weary Pikachu in her arms, with Excadrill's Poké Ball resting on a cart with a number of others. "Thanks a lot." She smiled back and turned away, bringing all of the Pokémon into the back rooms of the Lumiose City Pokémon Center.
"Well, that's done," Iris commented next to him, holding Axew gently in her arms. "Now you just need to get registered, right?"
"Right. We can do that at the main desk," Ash responded, as the two started walking toward the front of the building. "Then maybe we can get some food."
She smiled and nodded. "Sounds good to me. I haven't eaten since my plane left Unova." They both proceeded toward the front desk, as Ash glanced toward Iris, his eyes settling on the Pokémon she was holding.
"Hey, I've been meaning to ask," he began. "Both you and Axew wanted him to evolve into his final form, right? How come it's still an Axew?" As he asked the question, he could see Axew sigh and slump further into Iris's arms, almost physically deflating.
Iris sighed as well. "I've been trying, I really have. He's been in plenty of battles, fought lots of Pokémon… for some reason, it's just not working." She gently rubbed Axew's head, trying to comfort him. "I don't know what could be wrong."
"Hmm." Ash pondered this for a moment; he'd heard of plenty of Pokémon who had trouble evolving, but well over five years of waiting was definitely strange. A couple seconds later, he spoke up again. "Maybe we can take him to see Professor Sycamore. I bet he'd have some idea why Axew is having trouble evolving."
"You think so?" Iris's eyebrows raised, intrigued. "Is he an evolution expert or something?"
"Well, Mega Evolution, mainly," he responded. "But he's got to know plenty about regular evolution, right?"
She shrugged. "It's worth a try. I've already asked Professor Juniper in Unova, but she was stumped."
The two of them made it to the Pokémon Center front desk, where Ash handed his Pokédex over to be registered. A minute later, it was handed back to him, and he looked into the screen; all of the badges he previously had acquired had been removed from the device's memory. He was starting over from scratch.
"Well, it's official," he muttered. "I'm competing in the Kalos League again." He smiled to himself, as the thought of another journey started to excite him all over again.
Next to him, Iris grinned teasingly. "And you've already lost your first battle against a Gym Leader. You'll have to step it up."
Ash laughed. "Oh, I will. I'll have those Gym Badges before you know it!" He put his Pokédex away as the two sat down, waiting for their Pokémon to be healed so they could go and eat.
One hour later, the pair were walking into Professor Sycamore's lab, their stomachs full and their Pokémon back in their possession. The receptionist at the front desk smiled at the two of them and waved; they'd been prepared, as Ash had called ahead.
"You're here to see the professor, right?" she asked, as Ash and Iris approached the desk, Pikachu sitting on Ash's shoulder. "He's going to be a few minutes late, but he says you should go right on in. One of our resident Pokémon doctors will take a look at your Axew, to start." They nodded, thanking her, as she directed them down the hall to their right.
"Pokémon doctor, huh…" Ash muttered to himself, a little lost in thought.
Iris glanced toward him, cocking her head. "What are you thinking about, Ash?"
"Oh, nothing," he responded. "Just thinking about someone I used to know, who was studying to be a Pokémon doctor. I wonder if he ever became one."
"You don't stay caught up with your friends very much, do you? First this mystery girl, now this doctor…"
"Hey, come on," Ash shot back, annoyed. "I just… well…" He realized he didn't have a satisfactory answer prepared, and Iris laughed as his words faltered.
"One of these days I'm going to teach you how a phone works," she teased, smirking. "They're easy to use, trust me."
"Yeah, yeah…" he grumbled in response, as the two of them walked through a door into the doctor's room. They quickly glanced around, seeing a number of chairs, small tools and larger machines for diagnosing more serious conditions. They stepped in further, looking for the person who was going to take a look at Axew, when they suddenly heard footsteps from behind them.
"Sorry about that," a male voice spoke, as the two turned around. "I just took a second to…" He quickly stopped speaking as his eyes focused on Ash, recognition immediately flashing across his face. Ash's face lit up as he recognized this man's voice, darker skin, and perpetually squinting eyes.
"Brock!" he called out, running up to him, beaming. "I don't believe it! What are you doing here in Kalos?" The two shared a high five before Pikachu leaped cheerfully over into Brock's arms.
"Ash! Pikachu!" Brock responded, holding the Pokémon gently, looking as surprised and pleased as he could without opening his eyes properly. "I've been studying Mega Evolution with Professor Sycamore! It's something I'm going to need to know if I'm going to be the best doctor I can be." He stepped into the room, closing the door behind him. "What about you? Is this your first time here?"
Ash shook his head. "I challenged the Kalos League a few years back, and now I'm trying it again. This time I'm going to win!"
"That sounds like you, alright." Brock smiled as he let go of Pikachu, who climbed back onto Ash's shoulder. He adjusted his white doctor's coat, which he was wearing over his normal clothes, in an attempt to look professional. "It's been too long since we hung out. You'll have to fill me in on everything that's going on!"
"So will you! When did you get to Kalos? Is Olivia here with you?"
Brock shook his head. "She's still in Alola. I'm going to visit her when…"
"Ahem." The two boys abruptly stopped talking, turning toward a slightly irritated Iris. "I know you two need to catch up, but…" She held up her Axew, who was also looking a bit impatient.
"Right…" Brock rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry about that. Let's take a look at your Axew…"
Ten minutes later, Axew was seated in a smaller-sized doctor's chair, as Brock was finishing his examination, kneeling down close. Ash and Iris stood nearby, on opposite sides, watching as he stood up; Pikachu sat on top of Ash's head, similarly curious.
"Well, the good news is that Axew appears to be perfectly healthy," he stated, taking his stethoscope out of his ears. "The bad news is we're not any closer to figuring out why he hasn't evolved. If there is a problem, I don't think it's a physical one."
Iris groaned. "Well, what else could it be, then?"
"Does that mean it could be psychological?" Ash wondered aloud.
"Maybe," Brock responded, walking to a nearby bowl and taking a Poffin out of it. "It might be some sort of mental block, preventing him from evolving. Or he could just be a late bloomer." He walked back and offered the Poffin to Axew, as a reward for being a good patient; the Pokémon happily accepted and started munching on it.
"Five years late…?" She sounded almost despondent.
"It's possible." Brock shrugged. "Do you have any ideas, Professor?" Ash and Iris blinked and turned toward the entrance, neither of them having noticed the lanky, wild-haired Professor Sycamore walking in the door.
"It's hard to say," the professor responded, walking closer. "Did you find any physical abnormalities, Brock?"
"Nope, none at all."
He smirked a bit. "Figures that you'd get a puzzle like this on your last day, eh?" He glanced back at the others, as Axew finished off his Poffin. "Well, it could be a handful of things; it's not that anything is necessarily wrong with him. Some Pokémon may just need a compelling reason to evolve. Perhaps Axew hasn't found his yet."
Iris sighed, looking down at the floor, disappointed that she had gotten her hopes up yet again. Ash frowned, glancing at her, before looking back at Sycamore. "Is there any way to find out for sure?"
"Well, we can gather some more data, eliminate some possibilities, narrow down the causes…" the professor offered. "In order to do that, though, you'd have to leave Axew with me for a little while. A couple of weeks, perhaps. Is that something you'd like to do?"
Iris looked up, taking a long look at her Pokémon; Axew looked terrified at the idea, having never been apart from his trainer since they had met. Eventually she stepped closer, reaching out and lifting Axew out of the chair, holding him close again. "Thanks, Professor, but I don't think so. I don't want to leave him here if I don't know it's going to be worth it."
He nodded, understanding. "Well, just keep battling with him and getting him experience, I suppose. Sorry we couldn't be of any more help."
She nodded and offered a quiet thanks, walking out the door. Ash watched her for a moment before turning back to Brock and Professor Sycamore to say his goodbyes, as Iris walked into the lobby, looking down at her newly-disappointed Pokémon.
"It's alright, Axew," she offered quietly. "I'm not giving up. We're going to get you evolved into your final form one day, I promise." He sighed, not too optimistic, and admittedly she wasn't very optimistic either. Even if they did manage to get him to evolve, it would have been nearly eight years after he hatched before he became a Fraxure. How much longer would it take for him to become a Haxorus?
He eventually turned around and reached upward toward her head; taking the hint, she lifted him up to the top of her head, where he crawled into her hair, which was one of his favorite perches. She felt him getting nestled in just as Ash and Pikachu walked back into the lobby.
"Sorry that didn't work out, Iris."
"It's alright, Ash. It was a good idea." She glanced back at him, forcing herself to put on a more cheerful face. "Ready to go?"
He nodded, and the two of them walked outside, starting to discuss travel plans. They had just agreed to stay the night in Lumiose City when they became aware of a voice calling out to them.
"Hey, guys, wait up!" They both turned around to see Brock running toward them, wearing a large backpack instead of his doctor's coat.
"Brock? What is it?" Ash inquired, curious. "Did we forget something?"
"Didn't you hear Professor Sycamore say it was my last day?" Brock answered, grinning. "I'm all done with my studies under him. I was going to travel through Kalos for a while before heading to Alola."
"Really? That's awesome!" Ash grinned wide. "Well, now you have to come with us, don't you? My old traveling partner!" He glanced back. "Iris, you don't mind if he comes with us, do you?"
She smirked a bit. "That depends. You don't snore, do you?"
"If I do, nobody's told me." He grinned. "I can cook pretty well, though."
"Oh yeah?" She glanced toward Ash. "How does his cooking compare to Cilan's?"
"It's at least as good," he answered. "Maybe even a little better."
Iris immediately extended her hand. "Good to have you with us, Brock!" He laughed and shook her hand, before turning and receiving a fist pound from an excited Ash, and one from his Pikachu as well.
"This will be great; just like old times. Where are we going first? Are you going to challenge the Gym here in Lumiose City?"
Ash shook his head. "The Gym Leader here won't battle you unless you have at least four Badges already. We'll have to come back another time." His mind wandered back to Clemont, the Lumiose Gym Leader, and his little sister Bonnie, as well as all the time they had spent together. He knew he could easily get in and battle now if he wanted, based on their friendship, but Ash wanted to show Clemont the respect he deserved.
"Makes sense." Brock nodded. "So what's your plan?"
Ash pulled out his Pokédex in response, flipping through screens. "I was just thinking about that. I was planning on going to Coumarine City first, to get a Plant Badge, but it looks like Route 13 is closed down, for some reason." He zoomed his screen in. "So instead, we're going to go down Route 14, toward Laverre City."
"But we're going to stay in Lumiose City for tonight," Iris chipped in, glancing up at Brock. "The two of you can spend some time catching up before we leave."
"Sounds like a plan to me." Brock watched as Ash put his Pokédex away, and the two of them started talking about what they had been up to over the past five years. Iris smiled and listened closely, wanting to learn about their new travel companion, as the three sought out a place to stay.
Elsewhere in Lumiose City, a specialty restaurant was starting to wind down for the day. As soon as the last customer left, the owner walked up to the front door and turned the hanging sign on it from OPEN to CLOSED.
"Another slow day," he muttered to himself, before turning back toward the three employees that were working in the kitchen and behind the counter. "Alright, you guys, clear down. You know the drill."
"Yes, boss!" the employees responded in unison, moving from their current posts and starting to clean up the dining room. He watched them for a second before walking up to the register and opening it to take out the cash, trusting them to take care of things in the dining room and kitchen. He had taken on all three of them at once years ago, having found them down on their luck, unemployed and without a place to stay. At the time it seemed like a gamble, but they turned out to be great workers; they were skilled cooks, they always jumped on any task no matter how small, and they had a strong deference to authority.
As he collected the cash and walked into the back, his eyes wandered over to the shortest of the three. No matter how many times he looked, the employee never quite looked normal to him, due to his size and his strangely shaped face. It was almost as if he was some sort of Pokémon, wearing lots of layers, but he didn't know of any Pokémon who could talk. He shrugged it off and continued into the back room.
One of the workers, a woman with long red hair, spoke up as she was wiping down tables. "It's funny... I never saw myself doing work like this for the rest of my life. It seemed so embarrassing, but really, it's not as bad as I imagined it would be."
"Speak for yourself, Jessie," replied another, a man of the same age with shoulder-length blue hair, as he swept the floor. "We never had to clean up messes and sweep floors when we were with Team Rocket."
"Yeah, we did," the shortest of the three replied, collecting dishes, his whiskers starting to peek out from the hooded clothes he was wearing. "It just felt less demeaning then."
"Everything was better then, before we ran out of second chances." Jessie sighed, laying on top of the table she just finished cleaning. "Now my only hope is that some movie director comes by, finds this waitress down on her luck and makes her a star…" A dreamy look came across her face as she closed her eyes, imagining her future success. The other two stopped and watched her for a moment.
"I think she might be losing it, James."
"You know she's always been like this, Meowth," the sweeper replied. "Just leave her be. She'll come back down to Earth soon." Meowth sighed and moved to start collecting more plates. Glancing out the window, something caught his eye that nearly made him drop what he was holding.
"Guys! Look outside! Quick!"
The other two turned their heads toward the front windows, just as a trio of trainers walked by on the other side of the street. All three of them immediately recognized one of the three, with black hair, a blue vest, a red hat, and a Pikachu on his shoulder.
"It can't be!" Jessie exclaimed. "It's the twerp! And he's got a brigade of twerps with him!"
"What is he doing here?" James wondered. "He doesn't live here, does he?"
"What does it matter?" Meowth turned back toward the other two. "This is opportunity knocking, you two! That's our ticket back into Team Rocket out there! We nab that Pikachu and give it to the boss, and he's bound to let us back in!"
"Are you serious, Meowth?" Jessie glared down at him, incredulous. "Did you forget what happened the last time we tried to capture that little yellow rat?"
"We'll do it right this time!" he insisted. "We'll hand-deliver him to the boss ourselves! When he sees what Pikachu can do, he'll be begging us to rejoin!"
Jessie looked up toward James, wanting to order him to talk some sense into their feline companion. Her hopes were dashed as she saw the starry-eyed expression on his face, his mind already filled with dreams of returning to Team Rocket. She groaned and held her head in her hand.
"You two are both out of your minds," she muttered, before lowering her hand again. "You're gluttons for punishment."
"Think about it, Jessie!" James stepped forward and clasped one of her hands in both of his. "We can leave this restaurant behind and travel the world again, working for Team Rocket! We can be respected by the boss! We can be something more than we are now! We have to take this chance!"
She was about to tell him off, but she paused as she looked into his eyes again. There was a light in them that she hadn't seen in years, the light of hope and inspiration, that made her think twice about what she was going to say to him. After a few seconds, she sighed and let a smile cross her face.
"Alright… I'm in," she relented. "Let's go get that Pikachu!"
"Wonderful!" James beamed as he let go of her hand, turning and running behind the counter. He kneeled down and lifted up one of the loose floor tiles, revealing a box that had been long since stashed away. He pulled it out and placed it on the counter, opening it up and taking out a pair of gray and black outfits with a large red R on the front. They were a little worse for wear, dirty and torn in a couple places, but to James they looked like royal tapestries.
"Alright, this is it!" Jessie ran up and grabbed her outfit, holding it up to herself to make sure it still fit. "This is where our fortunes finally turn around!"
The three of them ran out the door, ready to grasp their futures with both hands and reclaim their dreams. Seconds later, they ran back inside to finish cleaning up the restaurant before departing again, hot on Pikachu's trail.