We find our heroes still in the cold storage, in a unit seemingly owned by the nefarious Team Plasma, waiting as Hugh wishes to confront the group

"So while we're waiting for them to return, want to tell me why you're so invested in fighting them?" Ash asked casually.

"It's none of your concern." Hugh said coldly.

"Hugh, you can trust him." Rosa said.

"It doesn't matter to him!" Hugh snapped. "You knowing is already more than I'd like!"

"You know what happened?" Ash asked.

"It's not my place to say." Rosa admitted, shivering slightly. "Why can't they ever be hiding in somewhere normal?"

"Here, I've got an idea. Larvesta come out and use String Shot!" Ash said, sending out the bug type.

Larvesta popped out, wrapping Rosa's hands in it's silk.

"What was that, ohhhh." Rosa sighed.

"Larvesta's a fire type, I figured maybe his string shot would also be pretty warm as a result.

"Daru." Darumaka said, lifting Larvesta onto her head, the two getting into the center of the group, heat radiating off of Larvesta.

"That also would have worked." Rosa said, still glad for the warmth.

"Look Hugh, you don't have to tell me what your problem with Team Plasma is, but know we're not leaving without helping you." Ash said.

"Thanks Ash." Hugh said.

"Guys, I hear someone coming." Elliot whispered, as two familiar grunts go into the open doors.

"It's those Brats!" Clyde said in shock.

"Of course it's them! But they're trapped! Gigalith let's go!" Bonnie called out.

"Conkeldurr come out!" Clyde said.

"Close the doors!" The two exclaimed.

"Pignite use Arm Thrust!"

Riolu use Force Palm!"

The two fighting types rushed forward, striking against the doors, keeping them from closing.

"Darumaka, Larvesta its time to get in! Use Fire Punch and Ember! Pikachu use Iron Tail!"

Darumaka rushed forward, striking Conkeldurr with her fist as Pikachu struck Gigalith with his tail, allowing Pignite and Riolu to throw open the doors letting the group of trainers run out of the shipping container.

Ash rushed out, seeing Riolu holding Gigalith back and Pignite doing the same with Conkeldurr, but then to the side saw Larvesta fighting the shivering Sunflora and Darumaka against Dunsparce.

"Riolu are you good to keep going?" Ash asked, the non fire type, who simply nodded. "Alright then use Blaze Kick! Darumaka use Fire Punch! Larvesta use Ember!"

"Pignite use Flame Charge!"

The surrounding area heated up as the four fire attacks all went off at once.

"Now Trapinch hold them with Sand Tomb!" Hugh said angrily, sending his ground type out, trapping the two grunts in the attack.

"Hugh!" Ash snapped. "That's not the answer to this!"

"You don't know! You don't know what they did!" Hugh argued.

"And was it them?! Or are you letting your anger out at their group, on them?" Ash questioned.

"It doesn't matter, they need to pay for what they've done!" Hugh said.

"And they will. But attacking them isn't the right answer!" Ash argued. "Larvesta tie them up!"

Larvesta sent out a massive amount of silk out, entrapping the two grunts together, then their Pokemon.

"You guys want to go and get the police while Hugh and I watch here." Ash said.

"Are you two going to be good?" Rosa asked.

"Yeah, we'll be fine." Ash said, turning back to Hugh after Rosa and Elliot left. "Alright, tell me what's going on or we have a no hold bar rematch tight here."

"They took my sister's Purrloin, a few weeks before we met." Hugh said. "I wasn't strong enough to stop them either. Let me guess, you think less of me because of it."

"We aren't defined by our lowest points, were defined by how we move forward." Ash admitted. "We can help you find her Purrloin, but you can't go against your own morals in order to do so."

"But if I don't push further and harder, I won't find them!" Hugh said angrily. "I need to be more ruthless than them if I want to win!"

"No, you don't." Ash said calmly. "Back in Sinnoh, I had a rival named Paul, this guy was crazy strong, pushed his Pokemon to their absolute limits and it worked for him, but he sacrificed a lot along the way. He released Pokemon he viewed as weak or if they didn't pull their weight up to his standards."

"So what happened?" Hugh asked.

"I stuck to my guns, training my Pokemon my own way, with kindness and affection, knowing that while his methods were brutal they were more effective, and then in the end I ended up beating him with one of his own old Pokemon." Ash said. "I didn't change who I was as a trainer and that's what made the difference."

"But what if they know where Purrloin is?!" Hugh asked.

"Alright, we can ask. Do you two know where the Pokemon you 'liberate' are taken?" Ash asked.

"Our headquarters, but you'll never get it's location out of us!" Clyde argued.

"Mostly because even we don't know." Bonnie admitted.

"Shut up! They didn't need to know that." Clyde said.

"Okay, that gives us a lead, we find their headquarters we find the Pokemon they've taken." Ash said.

"We did not take any Pokemon! They were liberated from their suppressors!" Bonnie exclaimed.

"Shut up, you're tied up in an oversized freezer with silk from a Pokemon less than a week old." Ash put bluntly. "Hugh, if you promise to trust me and not put away your morals, I promise I will help find your sister's Purrloin."

"Alright Ash, you've got a deal, thanks for talking me down." Hugh said.

"It was nothing, you were barely a step off the ground." Ash joked, as the officials arrived with Rosa and Elliot.

Authors Note

Real Quick, after however long the poll about a Paldea story has been up, it's finally closed, with 31 votes total. 20 for a brand new Ash, 10 for Trap Ash, and 1 for no Paldea story, honestly that has been up for so long, the no might have been from me to make sure it worked when I first made it. I have come to a plan for how to do Paldea, while it won't be a brand new Ash anymore, it won't be one that has reached champion status yet. But there is now a NEW POLL up in my profile, check it out and let me know as this one is much more time sensitive.