Our hero has joined Alexa, a reporter from Kalos whom he met in the Sinnoh Region after the Lily of the Valley Conference. The two later travelled back to Pallet Town, where Alexa set up an interview with Professor Oak, and they discussed the dynamics of the ranch that took care of the many pokemon who called it home.
And now they're on a journey to the Kalos Region, where Ash will continue on his quest to become a pokemon master.
Pikachu jumped excitedly on Ash's lap as the plane moved closer and closer to the Kalos region.
"Soon Pikachu." Ash smiled as he gently pet his Pokemon's ear.
"I'm sure you're both excited to start your journey in the Kalos Region." Alexa said with a smile on her face.
"Of course!" Ash spoke enthusiastically. "We're always excited to start on a new journey!"
And soon enough, their flight landed at the Lumiose Interregional Airport. Ash walked out of the flight, with Pikachu on his shoulder. He took in a deep breath, and then let out a joyous scream. "Hey Kalos Region! Ash from Pallet Town is finally here!"
Alexa chuckled behind him. "Whoa, what's with all the yelling Ash?"
"We're finally in the Kalos Region, and as soon as i step down this ladder Pikachu and I will start our journey." Ash declared emphatically, before turning around, and his eyes landed on a pokemon he had never seen before.
But a misplaced foot made him tumble down the stairs on to the tarmac. Alexa and Pikachu rushed down towards him. "Pika Pi." "Are you alright Ash?"
The reporter gave him a hand and Ash was back on his feet. "You really are excited aren't you?" She chuckled.
"Of course! We're finally in the Kalos Region, and I can't wait to go for my first gym battle already!" He declared.
Alexa smiled at his antics before asking. "And who's going to battle you exactly?"
"Your sister of course! You said it right? She's a gym leader!" Ash declared confidently.
"Oh, but you see my sister's gym is Santalune City, but right now we're in Lumiose City." Alexa replied, as she watched him deflate immediately.
"Oh come on! I really wanted to have a gym battle!" "Pika Pikachu!" Trainer and pokemon whined in sync.
"But!" Alexa started cheerfully. "If you really wanted to have a gym battle there's one right here in Lumiose City!"
"Really? There is?" Ash asked in excitement, as he followed her to the arrival lobby of the airport. They walked outside and stopped in front of a map of the city. "Of course! And it's right in the centre of the City: Prism Tower, that's where the gym in Lumiose City is!"
"Oh yeah! This is awesome!" Ash jumped in excitement.
"This has been fun Ash, but this is where we have to part ways." Alexa interrupted him. "You can find your way to the gym right?"
Ash calmed down and nodded. "Sure! No problem at all!"
It was time for goodbyes now. "Alright then! Good luck with your gym battle Ash!" "Hel lioptile!"
"Thanks you two!""Pika Pika!" And with that the kid from Pallet Town bid them farewell, running towards his first gym battle in the Kalos region.
"Go get'em Ash!" Alexa muttered to herself as she watched him move further and further away.
[Line Break]
It didn't take long for Ash to find his way to the Prism Tower. On the way he and Pikachu met various pokemon, some new ones that were native to Kalos, others that he had seen on previous journeys.
The duo marvelled at the colossal structure that was the signature of Lumiose city. "Look Pikachu! This is where we are going to have the first gym battle of our Kalos Journey!"
The mouse pokemon on his shoulder nodded in agreement, anticipation of the challenge could be seen from its eyes.
As Ash and Pikachu walked towards the entrance of Prism tower, two people with lemon blonde hair observed them. One was a boy who donned a sky blue jumpsuit, and a heavy backpack, he had round glasses that shone in the light for a moment.
The other was a smaller girl who had a brown and white sundress, with a small bag slung across her shoulder.
And some distance away, between the branches of a tree was a blue pokemon. Its face was covered in a white foam like substance, leaving only its eyes exposed. It observed the trainer and pokemon as they walked into Prism Tower.
The duo from Pallet Town were greeted by many electrical equipment running throughout the lobby of Prism Tower. "Guess this is an electric type gym then. You ready for this Pikachu?"
Their path to the battlefield was blocked by a door, and a robotic voice spoke to them. "Welcome to the Lumiose City Gym."
"Hi, I'm Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town, and this is my buddy Pikachu!" Ash responded to the voice. "Pika Pika!" Pikachu added, introducing himself.
"We're here to challenge the Lumiose Gym!" Ash continued his declaration.
"Very well, how many badges do you currently have?" The robotic voice asked calmly.
"Well, this is our first gym battle in Kalos." Ash stated, but hearing him the robot started to make zapping noises, equipment emerged from the ceiling.
"YOU HAVE NO BADGES!" The voice yelled. "To challenge the Lumiose Gym, you need at least four Gym Badges. Please leave immediately." The voice said again, as it prepared to zap him.
The device sent out a jolt of electricity which Pikachu absorbed due to the Lightning Rod ability, and the next instant a trapdoor opened beneath their feet.
The sudden surprise made Ash clench Pikachu tightly in his arms. At the end of the tunnel Ash carefully spun in the air, landing on the ground quite acrobatically in front of the two blondes who had seen him walk into the gym.
The little girl couldn't stop herself and crashed into Ash, knocking herself, and him and Pikachu to the ground.
Ash got up first and bowed in apology. "I'm really sorry, I didn't see you there when I landed." However the little girl's attention was captivated by something else entirely.
"Wow brother, look a Pikachu and it's so cute!" She squealed as she brought the poor electric rodent into a hug. Pikachu got scared and sent out a powerful thunderbolt, zapping the three humans there.
"Wow,...that...was...quite...shocking" Bonnie said in a dazed tone.
"I'm really sorry for my sister's actions!" Clemont said bowing to Ash. He then turned to his sister. "Bonnie You apologize as well!"
"But Clemont, I was just hugging Pikachu because it's so cute!" Bonnie yelled back at him.
"Yeah but did Pikachu like it?" Clemont said in a calm but stern tone. Bonnie realized her mistake as she hung her head low. "I'm sorry Pikachu" She said in a low voice.
"It's alright! Pikachu was just a little surprised." Ash said sweetly. "What a weird gym!" He said turning towards the gym.
"You were thrown out because you didn't have four badges, right?" Clemont asked in a respecting tone.
"The gym leader is this really strong guy, so they asked how many badges you have right?" Bonnie asked.
"Yeah, and when I said I didn't have any it tried to zap me, but I kinda destroyed that thing. Then this trapdoor like thing opened up, so I asked Espeon to stop our fall and teleport us outside!"
"You don't have any badges?" Bonnie asked in surprise.
"Mhm, you see, I just arrived in the Kalos region today. I've been through other regions, but I've never seen a gym like this one before." Ash replied.
"Pardon me, but where are you from" Clemont asked.
"I'm from Pallet Town in the Kanto Region. I'm Ash and this is my partner Pikachu. And we're on a journey together so that I can become a Pokemon Master!" Ash said with his usual enthusiasm.
[Line Break]
Ash followed the siblings, until they reached a small battlefield in a park. "So we should probably introduce ourselves." The boy in the jumpsuit started. "My name is Clemont, and this is my sister Bonnie."
The little girl jumped in excitement. "It's so nice to meet you!"
Ash spread his arms allowing Pikachu to jump around his shoulders, before the mouse pokemon perched atop his head."Well, you guys know me already! I'm Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town, and this is my partner, Pikachu!"
"You and Pikachu look like such good friends!" Bonnie gushed out.
Clemont chuckled nervously. "Well Bonnie is just about old enough to get her starter pokemon, but she's always excited to see anyone who has a pokemon."
"I hear you!" Ash said, rubbing his nose as he remembered his first day as a trainer, though he was a little ditzy on that particular day. "I couldn't wait to get my starter from Professor Oak, and so I kinda overslept. That's how I got to meet Pikachu though, so no complaints from me!"
"Pika Pika!" The mouse pokemon added in agreement.
"So, are you both on a journey too?" Ash asked out of curiosity.
"A Jo-Journey?" Clemont stammered nervously, and Bonnie had to take over. "No, not yet. That's something we'll do after I get my first pokemon!" She declared proudly.
"Well, I don't have a sister so I don't really know what it'd feel like! But I'm sure a family journey would be really fun!" Ash said as he bent down and patted the little girl on the head.
"But you've got Pikachu with you! I'm sure it's a lot of fun!" Bonnie pouted while swatting his hand.
"Oh yeah! My buddy and I are the best of friends!" Ash declared enthusiastically. "Hey I know! Why don't we have a pokemon battle?" He suggested.
Clemont looked at him in confusion. "A battle? Here and now?" He asked.
"Of course!" Ash nodded sagely. "Battling with your pokemon is the best way to understand your partner and each other." Pikachu jumped down to the battlefield.
"I do have a pokemon that I caught recently." Clemont hummed as he retrieved a pokeball. "Alright then, I accept your challenge!"
Ash wasted no time. "Pikachu, Quick Attack, let's go!" Pikachu blurred into motion, lightning-fast paws tearing across the pavement.
"Use your ears to block it, Bunnelby!" Clemont countered.
With surprising strength, Bunnelby planted its long ears into the ground, bracing itself like a shield. Pikachu slammed against them but bounced back, unable to break through.
Ash blinked in surprise. "Whoa...! You can stop Pikachu like that?"
Clemont smiled faintly. "Bunnelby's ears are strong. You'll have to try harder than that. Now use Dig!"
Bunnelby tunnelled into the ground leaving Pikachu wary, as it tried to sense its opponent that was moving underground.
"Can't let them catch up Pikachu! Use Quick Attack and run around the battlefield!" Ash called out urgently.
However Bunnelby was faster, emerging from underneath and tossing Pikachu into the air.
Taking advantage of the situation, Clemont called out his next move. "Now use Double Slap!"
While Pikachu was twirling around mid-air, Bunnelby jumped high and started pummelling him with its ears.
Ash watched as Bunnelby continued to land hits on Pikachu. "Use Thunderbolt to push Bunnelby away!"
Listening to his trainer Pikachu charged up and let out a streak of electricity, zapping Bunnelby, and smashing it towards the ground. Then the mouse pokemon flipped and landed on the ground perfectly.
"Awesome Pikachu! Now use Iron Tail!" Ash called out, taking the initiative once again.
Clemont had a smug smile on his face. "Not happening! Bunnelby hold him with your ears!"
Pikachu's tail which had a metallic glow was no stuck between Bunnelby's ears.
"Like I said, Bunnelby's got strong ears!" Clemont declared.
However Ash had a smirk on his face. "That's true, but you can't use your ears now can you?" He asked, and Pikachu mirrored Ash's smile. "Electro Ball!"
A ball of electricity formed around Pikachu's tail, and it blasted Bunnelby away from the battlefield causing a cloud of dust to rise.
Bonnie watched in awe, and started jumping excitedly. "Wow, Ash and Pikachu are really really strong!"
'Now I can see it, by battling him, I understand him even better!' Clemont thought, his face now showed a determined expression.
"Pikachu! Quick Attack!" Ash called out once again.
"Heads up Bunnelby!" Clemont responded just as Pikachu began to gain momentum. But right at that moment an object was tossed towards the middle of the battlefield, and Pikachu had to skid to a stop.
The group moved closer to see if Pikachu was alright, and Ash was agitated that the battle got interrupted so abruptly. "Alright! What do you think you're doing?"
"That was reckless and dangerous!" "Who are you?" Clemont and Bonnie added in righteous fury.
In the middle of the battlefield was a sleek black device with hexagonal bases, in its centre was a jagged hexagonal green cut.
The device glows up with a pale green light coming out, and a small cell like creature is captured within it.
"Stay out of this!" A man dressed in an orange suit calls out as he descends the stairs and lifts the device with his hand.
He is joined by his female companion who wears a similar outfit. "This little thing contains more beauty than everything else in the world!"
Ash had already experienced uniformed freaks going around and causing trouble around the regions. His gut told him that whoever these two were, they weren't here for any good. "Pikachu, stop those two!"
The mouse pokemon jumped over their head, and landed on the other side.
"We'll help too!" Clemont declared and looked towards his partner pokemon. "Let's stop them Bunnelby! Use Mud Shot!"
"Hmph!" The two intruders harrumphed and tossed their pokeballs, revealing a male and a female Meowstic.
The male Meowstic moved first, its eyes flashing as it released Thunder Wave. Sparks shot across the ground, seizing Bunnelby before he could dodge, locking his muscles in paralysis.
The female Meowstic followed, raising her paws to form a shimmering Light Screen, the barrier scattering Bunnelby's Mud Shot like harmless splatter.
"Bunnelby!" Ash cried, clenching his fists.
"Don't give up! Try Iron Tail!"
Pikachu launched himself forward, tail glowing silver, but the male's Psychic seized him mid-leap, slamming him against the dirt.
The female's voice rang out with a melodic chime—Disarming Voice—waves of sound crashing into both Pikachu and Bunnelby, sending them skidding back.
"Bunnelby, Dig underground!" Clemont ordered.
Bunnelby burrowed deep, ears twitching as he tunneled, but the male Meowstic's keen gaze followed his movements. Psychic energy flared—he was yanked up from the earth and hurled aside like a doll.
"They're overwhelming us," Clemont muttered, pushing his glasses nervously.
"Pikachu, Electro Ball!" Ash called.
The electric sphere shot forward, but the male twisted it back with Psychic. Pikachu barely had time to brace before his own attack careened toward him.
"Pikachu!" Ash dove, catching him before he slammed into a tree. Pikachu panted heavily, eyes blazing with determination despite the pain.
"We better retreat Ash, their Meowstic can reflect our attacks back using psychic abilities." Clemont cried out.
But Ash who had just protected Pikachu, simply got up and adjusted his hat. "We won't retreat! I believe in Pikachu's abilities!"
Pikachu nodded in agreement and jumped back onto the battlefield, prepared to continue.
""What a pain, Meowstic use Future Sight!"" Came the voices of their two opponents.
A small blue figure landed between Ash and Clemont and the enemy, a Froakie. With a determined croak, it hurled sticky frubbles that splattered across both Meowstics' faces. Their eyes snapped shut as the frothy substance blinded them, disrupting their coordination.
Seizing the chance, Froakie leapt forward, throwing more frubbles in rapid bursts to shield Pikachu and Bunnelby. The Meowstics staggered, their psychic glow faltering under the sticky barrage.
However the female Meowstic lashed out blindly with Psychic, her eyes barely visible under the frubbles. Froakie was caught in the attack, slammed hard against a rock.
Ash rushed in towards the pokemon that saved them, and he knelt down to examine it. "Hey are you alright? Thanks for helping us out back there."
Seeing that the kids were distracted, the two grunts slipped away.
"That's a Froakie!" Clemont stated. "It's the water type starter pokemon for new trainers in the Kalos region."
Just then Froakie let out a muffled groan before collapsing. "Froakie!" Ash cried in worry. "Something's wrong! Is there a pokemon centre nearby?"
Clemont shook his head. "Froakie needs help immediately, and the nearest pokemon centre is too far!"
Just then Bonnie cut in. "I think it would be a better to take Froakie to the professor's lab!"
Clemont nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I'm sure Professor Sycamore's lab has the necessary equipment to help Froakie!" He then pulled out a pokeball and returned Bunnelby.
"Come on Ash, it's this way!" Bonnie called out as she started to lead him towards Professor Sycamore's lab.
"Right!" Ash nodded as he followed her. He looked down at Froakie who he had swooped into his arms. "Don't worry Froakie! Everything's going to be alright!"
Clemont followed the two, desperately trying to keep pace with them.
AS THE JOURNEY CONTINUES!