The group walked along the gateway to the facility, passing through the crowds of reporters and peers waiting outside. The young champion, performer, and up and coming researcher all looked around in awe. Serena particularly was flabbergasted by the large stone-built facility that stood in the city. It was very sleek in its design, with the south end of the building arching forward, and was illuminated by bright blue lights in the night. On the side of the facility was a large red and white lit Pokeball symbol.

Vermillion City was one of the Kanto Region's most famous tourist destinations with its large but beautiful beach on the southwest edge of town. It was home to many iconic locations in the whole region, rivaling even Celadon City, from the long beach to its gym being led by former army lt. surge and his powerful partner Raichu. It had also been the home of the newly built Lugia Stadium. But today wasn't a day to watch Pokemon battles, today was to welcome the new research lab, and hopefully get some answers to Ash' newfound abilities.

Bright blue and green lights greeted their eyes, as the group walked from the lobby to the main laboratory. And once inside, they stood at the front of the room with a large crowd of scientists and reporters following suit. Two people that caught some eyes in particular were Unova Senator Robert Kelly, and Bollevar Trask, the former of which made the kalosian performer arch an eyebrow.

However, they couldn't glance at the man too long, as within a few minutes, the lights dimmed, and a man stepped forward on the podium.

"Welcome," The man gave a nice wholesome smile. "I'm Professor Cerise. Ever since I was little, I've always wondered something: how did our world come to be?"

The audience all gazed toward the professor as he continued his speech. Another professor soon stepped forward and stood on the podium with his colleague. He was a bit younger than Cerise, but the wrickles in his eyes said he was much more invested in their research. However, it didn't need to be said as to possibly why, as his right coat arm was folded up.

"It's because of this question that led us to research," he stated. "We've co-existed with Pokemon for generations, and worked together as friends, partners, but... why? How did we humans accept these creatures with abilities far beyond our own, and forge such special bonds with them?"

Cerise smiled and opened his mouth again.

At that moment however, Ash felt that strange tingling sensation again, only this time, it was much more powerful than before. His entire body tingled, his vision blurred, as if time itself became still. He glanced around, and his vision gazed upon the silhouette of a young man on the roof running from something.

"No witnesses," was all that could be heard for a moment.

As if his instincts took over again, the young champion charged head on into Serena, when a large light flashed in the room.

In a short flash, was followed by a large cloud of smoke and fire in the laboratory. In mere seconds, windows shattered as the walls were forced from their resting spots. Within seconds, there was no base, and the Pokémon center began to collapse on itself. On the outside, citizens watched in horror as a large blast of fire spewed out of the roof and spewed out of the windows. A large smoke cloud could be seen for blocks, maybe even a mile. The explosion sent a large shockwave for three blocks, sending many people and Pokémon to the ground. Many were shocked, their eyes wide and mouths being covered by their hands or on the floor. The blast was deafening, and some people ran out, on fire. They dropped and rolled, while others were on the ground, their flesh being seared by the flames.

"HELP!" A young boy screamed, reaching out for a civilian. "I'M ON FIRE! I'M ON FIRE!"

And a few short moments later, civilians saw another blast a few blocks away. This time however, the blast was much bigger.

"What was that?!" The alolan champion meanwhile turned upon hearing the first explosion.

He ran to the nearest window, and his eyes went wide in horror. He stared completely frozen, seeing the Pokémon center on fire, and watched the next explosion like he was a statue. The young champion fell onto his knees seeing the flames sear through innocent people's flesh, Charing their skin while they scream and beg for help.

"Ash," Serena pulled him to her, accidentally hugging him amidst the fire.

Suddenly, the young champion felt another tingling sensation, this time however, it felt as if both his neck and arms tingled. Around him, time felt like it slowed down, but he couldn't tell why this was happening. Everyone looked to him, puzzled, but Ash quickly glanced around. What was going on?

"Ash?" He heard Serena calling him.

He turned back to the performer, and his eyes went wide with horror. He saw red lights flash across the performer's head, and he noticed the same lights flash on Gary and Professor Oak. Something was wrong.

"LOOK OUT!"

The young champion tackled Serena, Gary, and Samuel Oak, pushing them down to the ground.

BANG! BLAM! BANG!

"What the?!" The fledgling researcher saw two bullets crash through the the window, making two small holes.

"Are you guys, okay?" Ash asked.

Serena was speechless, breathing heavily, while Samuel Oak let out a sigh of relief. Gary meanwhile looked up, completely confused.

"We're fine," Professor Oak said. "Thank you, Ash."

Ash, Serena, and Gary quickly turned, and saw Professor Oak behind them. But then, their eyes shifted downward, and all were left in horror. The ageing professor's shirt, and lab coat suddenly had a red splotch on them, and it was spreading. He was shot.

"GRAMPS!"

"PROFESSOR!" Ash and Serena screamed in unison.

Samuel quickly glanced down at his wound. He quickly glanced to the trio, and saw tears run down the two pallet born trainers' faces.

"It's okay," he said calmly.

At that moment, a flash of light consumed him. Then, the three watched him be consumed by an explosion. The blast sent them flying back, and they slammed into the wall. The trio fell onto the ground, with Serena coughing up smoke, while Ash slowly got up.

"Professor Oak..." Ash stood completely frozen, his eyes wide, the fire consumed part of the building.

"Gramps..." Gary fell to his knees, tears swelled down his face.

Professor Oak was dead.

"Pika Pika!"

At that moment, Ash felt his longtime partner and ally tap his cheek with his paw. Suddenly, the young champion blinked, he was back in his apartment room, he was back in reality. He shook his head around, and found Pikachu sitting on his shoulder, and in front of him, were the rest of his current team: Charizard, Greninja, Sceptile, Snorlax, and his Krokodile, all with one thing in common: fear ran across their faces.

Ash looked down and sighed, with a facepalm.

"I was thinking about that again, wasn't I?" He looked back to his comrades. "Sorry, guys."

"Pika..."

Pikachu nuzzled Ash' cheek lovingly. Deep down, Ash knew he couldn't have predicted what happened, but at the same time, he thought maybe if he could have warned the professor, maybe he would still be alive. After everything that happened, he didn't know what happened to Gary, or how he was feeling.

Serena on the other hand had went back to Kalos, but that's all the young champion had known regarding her. He hadn't called, text or anything, so for all the young man knew, she be anywhere in the world.

He looked to his partner and patted him on the head gently.

"Thanks, Pikachu. I needed that."

All his pokemon gazed at their trainer with sadness running across their faces. It wasn't the first time the alolan champion was like this, and no doubt won't be the last. They may have known about his powers, but they knew that power can't solve anyone's problems. The shinobi water type gave his trainer a look of somber and rage. He knew Ash inside out and could synchronize with him more than any of his pokemon, despite being the newest member of the team.

The young man clenched his fist...

"I'm sorry, Gary..."

XXX

Rain poured from the dark skies above Pallet Town as if heaven was crying. The small town all gathered in mourning Samuel Oak, many tears fell onto the ground. Many people from all over the world in the research community had gathered alongside the peaceful town. Gary couldn't help but look down and sob, watching his grandfather's closest friends carry his casket. Across from him, Ash and Serena looked down, the two shedding tears as well. Delia and Peter stood next to the two. The older man glanced at the photo of the late Pokemon professor, and then back to his step-son.

"Ash," Peter placed his hand on his stepson's shoulder. "I'm sorry."

The young champion didn't respond.

The older man sighed.

"Believe me, it's not your fault," he said. "You couldn't have known."

"I know..." He said his voice was tinted with anger. "Just..." He couldn't finish his sentence. Tears streamed down the young man's cheeks. "I just... I wasn't strong enough..."

Pikachu tried his best to nuzzle his longtime friend, Serena even squeezed his hand.

"Maybe... Maybe Professor Oak was right... Back when I first met Pikachu... Maybe he was right that I wasn't ready..."

The performer looked to the young man in pure disbelief.

"Ash, don't say that!" She spoke.

"PIKA!"

Peter clenched his fist and gazed at Ash directly in his red teary eyes.

"Believe me, Ash, Professor Oak didn't ever doubt you. He gave you Pikachu for a reason, and I know that... while things seem bleak for now, there are better days ahead."

"No, that's not what I'm going through at all."

The older man narrowed his eyes; his face became much more somber.

"No, I know what it's like to lose someone near and dear to my heart..." He explained. "I let a guy get away, when I could've stopped him, and... He killed my Uncle Ben..."

Tears began to run down his eyes. The Alolan Champion and performer looked at the man speechless.

"He once told me that I had been given a gift, and I know you did too, and I threw it in his face. He told me that with great power, comes great responsibility."

The young champion looked down, feeling pity for the older gentlemen.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"It's alright," Peter said. "The night Ben died, I felt guilty, and I wanted so badly to make things right, but... When I tried, it didn't make things better. It took me a long time to learn to get through that darkness. And I don't want you to end up like me. And I know he or your mom wouldn't want you to wallow in pity for the rest of your life."

The young man nodded.

"Thanks, Peter," he said. "Does it ever get easier?"

Ash' stepfather nodded and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Believe me, while it gets bleak at times, it always gets easier."

"Right," the alolan champion nodded. "I've seen people pass before, but..."

Pikachu nuzzled his cheek, as Peter patted him on the shoulder.

A few weeks had passed since Samuel Oak's funeral. The world had mourned, and now, people were forced to move on as best as they could. For Ash, he couldn't handle living in Pallet Town anymore. He ended up moving to a small apartment in Veridian with the help of his mother and Peter, and hopefully could avoid the paparazzi much easier that way. Delia, however, couldn't help but cry seeing her son move out of her house, even with a fiancé. But ultimately, she understood that he couldn't live in the quiet town anymore. Serena had went back to Kalos, but this time, Ash didn't see her off, he just couldn't. It broke her heart, but she understood why. Though, she just wished she could see the old Ash return someday, the one she admired, and fallen in love with.

The young champion lay in his new bed with his longtime friend and partner curled up next to him fast asleep. Ash, however, couldn't sleep, and just gazed at the ceiling, fury burning into his eyes. This was all my fault, he thought. If he had trained a little earlier or later, maybe all this wouldn't have happened.

With great power comes great responsibility. The young man narrowed his eyes and looked to himself in a mirror. He clenched his fist until he let out a deep breath and looked down. His face filled with rage soon turned to sorrow and guilt. He thought he saved the professor, but it was too late... His oldest friend and rival were now left without a grandfather, innocent people were gone, left loved one's mourning. Why?

Peter was right, Ash thought. The rage blossomed inside him, irradiating outward until it was hard for him to stand still. He threw a fist at the wall, causing it to crack with just one strike. Professor Oak gave me Pikachu for a reason... I got these powers for a reason...

He gazed at himself in the mirror, determination flowing through his body.

There was no reason for Professor Oak or anyone to die that day... No reason why people and pokemon get hurt everyday...

He narrowed his eyes.

I have power, thought Ash. I get what you said now, Peter... So, it's time to live up to those words.

XXX

Lumiose City, a metropolis at the center of the Kalos Region, and was touted to be the region's beating heart. With a population of over 10 million citizens, it was known as both a vibrant and technological marvel, and a tourist destination around the world.

Cranes lined up the city's vast skyline that spanned for what seemed like miles from a distance. The young champion hadn't been to Kalos since his travels there, and it looked like construction was still underway. Team Flare's attack had changed everything, he knew that. Ash and Serena had been touted as heroes to the public of the region, but the region and the world were left with scars. The energy produced from the battle of Lumiose City had caused an unknown amount of energy across the globe, allowing the use of a phenomenon that was only found in Kalos before. Mega Evolution was only allowed to be used in battle by the Pokemon association and The Baxter foundation had recently named this power, infinity energy, and Reed Richards and his closest friends were looking into it. But that didn't matter much to Ash right now. Right now, he wanted to see an old friend.

After his flight had landed, Ash decided to take a taxi ride to the Prism Tower. He looked out the window, and rolled down his window so he and his partner pokemon didn't have to completely suffer inhaling the disgusting smell of the driver's cigarettes. He gazed toward the flashes of people and pokemon that passed his eyes. It only took twenty minutes to get to the tower, the young pikachu both dashed out of the car, and gagged.

Finally, he thought. I thought that ride would never end. The duo's attention quickly turned toward the tower. It was in the very heart of Lumiose City, serving as a destination for tourists and Pokémon trainers. It had stood for 75 stories high and was home of the Lumiose Cotu gym. However, after the young champion's first arrival in Kalos, it had also been the sight of a rescue mission which nearly took Ash' life.

There was something nostalgic in a way, Ash thought. Saving Garchomp, battling the gym leader, and even the battle against Team Flare.

The young champion walked his way through the lobby of the facility, bright yellow lights met his eyes upon making his way through to the elevator. On his shoulder, the electric type Pokémon jerked his head to his trainer and let out a soft Pikachu. The Alolan champion's eyes shifted, his hand softly rubbed Pikachu's bright yellow fur.

"Don't worry, buddy, I promise we'll get back to training once all this is over."

While happy to have heard that, the electric mouse Pokémon couldn't help but wonder why they went all this way to Kalos to see Clemont. Ash had kept all his Pokémon in the dark about this, but it wasn't exactly rocketing science to have a good guess on why he'd fly from one end of the world to another.

Dull yellow lights filled the duo's eyes as they exited the elevator on the tower's 66th floor. As much as his feet would hurt after a long walk, Ash had always preferred it to riding an elevator, but even with his years of traveling, he was never going to walk up 66 floors. People would have to be either insane or doing some sort of training, he thought at least.

The large hydroelectric doors slid open, bright orange and yellow lights filled the young champion's eyes, as the two walked inside a room littered in machinery. It was a mess. Parts of various appliances were taken apart and looked to the duo like they were put into other pieces of equipment, and at the end of the room was a large screen with a monitor below. At the end of the room was a young man around Ash' age, whom many people have begun to recognize for his talents as a gym leader, and more importantly to him, an inventor.

He wore a bright blue jumpsuit, with a simple pair of circular glasses, and next to him was a machine that resembled him a little bit. It was strikingly tall, with a golden paintjob, which was new for the duo. Guess he really liked that robot from that old movie, Ash joked to himself. Seemed fair.

"Clemont?" Asked the alolan champion.

At that moment, the inventor flinched. He jerked his head back to see Ash and Pikachu giving him a wave. Immediately, his face turned from annoyance into a bright joyful smile, as he got up from his chair.

"Ash!" The aspiring inventor grinned. "Great to see you again!"

"You too," Ash replied, and gave his old friend a firm handshake.

Clemont's eyes went wide, his eyes darted to his old friend.

"Woah," he said. "That's one hell of a grip, Ash!"

The alolan champion chuckled,

"Yeah... A lot has happened recently."

"So I've heard," the inventor smiled. "Congratulations on winning the Alola league!"

"Thanks, man. It means a lot."

"What are you talking about?" Clemont asked. "You worked hard, and you finally became a champion. You earned it more than anyone."

"Indeed, you have."

At that moment, the two turned to see a woman that were their age, with long brown hair and crimson red eyes, and had a bright smile on her face. Along with her was well as a little girl with blonde hair, which had curled up into a small pigtail. The girl was much younger than the three, but what stood out more was the pokemon in her bright yellow bag. The pokemon in question was a small orange hamster like creature with yellow bags much like Pikachu, only whiskers were popping out of them.

"Nice to see you again," the young woman said.

Ash arched a brow seeing her.

"...Have we met?"

The inventor and sister duo both fell flat on their backs.

"Ash, where has your mind been all this time?" asked Bonnie.

The young champion scratched the back of his head.

"It's uh... Complicated," he said. Pikachu gave his friend a soft pat on the shoulder, trying his best not to pity his friend.

"It's Lilia," she responded with a smile.

The young champion blinked twice.

"Yeah that doesn't ring a bell."

"Nice to see you again," she said.

At that moment, his memories had clicked.

"Oh! You're that girl with the Bunneary!" He realized. "Wait, what are you doing here."

"Well," her and the inventor looked to each other, which made the alolan champion arch a brow.

Bonnie let out a long sigh.

"They're dating," she answered.

The alolan champion and electric mouse blinked a few times, their eyes darted toward the two. The young scientist couple's cheeks were flushed red, and they looked to the aspiring Pokémon trainer annoyed.

"WHAT?!" "PIKA?!"

"Yeah," Bonnie looked to the scientific couple. "It's a long story."

The young champion and his longtime partner glanced to each other. Why are so many of their friends getting together?

"So, why'd you call?" Clemont arched a brow. "Aren't you training for the tournament?"

"Yeah, but things got... uh..." The young man wasn't exactly sure how he could phrase his newfound powers without sounding like he's losing his mind. "Things got... weird."

The trio all looked toward Ash with puzzled expressions across their faces.

"How so?"

The alolan champion sighed.

"I think it's just better if I showed you."

"Show me wha-"

The young inventor was cut off, mid-sentence as Ash jumped up and clinged to the ceiling with ease. The brother, sister and girlfriend trio's mouths all dropped down to the ground, their eyes as wide as their heads could fit. As if that wasn't enough, the young champion slowly let his hands off the wall and began to stand upside down.

The inventor was one of the most brilliant minds in the whole Kalos region, even the world.

The young inventor chuckled his glasses immediately shimmered before he raised his voice.

"Leave it to me, for the future is now thanks to science!" He spoke. "Clemontic gear on!"

The alolan champion soon wore a pair of small wrist mounted devices. They looked like they could fit inside his pocket and were strapped to a pear of bracelets. At then were triggers that went down to the center of each of the young man's palms, and the devices themselves were small compact devices that looked to be the size of a poketch.

"I thought we'd encounter a situation precisely like this one!" Clemont stated.

"YOU DID?!" His little sister and girlfriend's jaw dropped to the ground.

Clemont smirked,

"Indeed. I call them, my clemontic sticky web web shooters!" He announced.

At that moment, Bonnie let out a groan.

"Once again, you cannot come up with a good name to save your life." Lillia couldn't help but snicker at her remark.

"Sticky webs?" Ash asked. "What made you think of that?"

"Well you said you got bit by that spinarak and adopted its powers, but what made me confused was how you didn't end up adopting its ability to shoot a string shot. So, I used the data I had from the wacky wop and applied them to these devices," he explained.

The young champion meanwhile gazed at the devices strapped to his wrists in awe.

"You see, the triggers are stored directly here in your palms. Try putting two fingers down on them."

The alolan champion nodded and placed his two middle fingers down, making a sort of rock out gesture with his hand.

"Those triggers require the exact pressure from those two fingers so they don't go off if you were to grab a pokeball for example." The young inventor helped position the alolan champion's arm to point directly at the wall in front of him, and then.

THWIP!

At that moment, a thin line that resembled that of a sticky web was fired from the device and splattered across the wall.

"SCIENCE IS SO AMAZING!" Ash' eyes sparkled.

Bonnie and Lillia gazed at the web line in awe. Clemont made a device that worked?! That was new, thought the inventor's little sister. Ash couldn't help but look and fire another web line with pure joy across his face. The next line splattered across the wall, the end of it making a small net reminiscent of an ariados' web.

Heh, guess I now got sticky webs.

At that moment, an idea flashed into his mind like a lightbulb.

"I want to try something," Ash announced.

Clemont glanced to the alolan champion, puzzled. Ash jerked his head back, with an arched brow.

"Could these webs support my weight if I fell?"

An hour had passed, and now, it was time to put those web shooters to the test. The young man gazed upon the room, and back to the line, his grip tightened. A wave of fear washed over him; a few trickles of sweat crept down his cheek. It was ironic, if it were a pokemon being in danger, he'd march into hell with no hesitation, but what he was thinking was either insane, or just really stupid. Within a moment, he stepped forward and fell, air rammed into his face like an oncoming train. Clemont, Lilia and Bonnie all watched with awe seeing Ash' massive gamble. He soared through the room, while they could hear him shriek at the top of his lungs.

A large gust of wind blasted his entire body, like an oncoming train. The inventor merely stood flabbergasted seeing his old friend propel himself from one end of his gym to the next. He flew through the air on his line in seconds, like he was flying. The Alolan champion looked forward but then, SPLAT! On the ground, everyone winced as he slid from the wall to the hard metallic floor below. 

At that moment, the masked champion darted his head, he was back in reality. He had been perched along the side of a higher up building in the middle of Veridian, the only sound he could hear were either Car honks or gusts of wind.

He let out a long deep sigh as he fired another web line. 

"Note to self: never attempt swinging in doors again."

The young man swung across Viridian City yet again to help clear his mind. It always helped, that and thinking about all his past adventures and friends. Misty, Brock, Tracey, May, Max, Dawn, Iris, Cilian, Clemont, Bonnie, Serena. There it was again. Serena, he thought. Just then, a small smile curled across his lips underneath his mask. Never give up, until it's over, he remembered.

He made another leap across a rooftop, soaring through the city with what he had told the kalosian trainer when they met.

Never give up until it's over, he repeated over and over again in his head. 

"I wish I could tell-"

At that moment, an idea flashed within the alolan champion's mind like a lightbulb. His somber eyes soon turned to that of calm, but shame toward himself. The young man knew Professor Oak as long as he was alive, and he knew he should've done this a long time ago. 

"I need to talk to Gary."

XXX

Celadon City glimmered in the night. Lights shined brightly upon the streets, turning night into day. It was the biggest and the capital of entertainment in the entire Kanto Region, whether people liked it or not. However, it wasn't all bad, as there were plenty of things to do outside of gambling away your fortunes. The metropolis was also known for its strong gym and its leader the always elegant but strict lady Erika, or at least when she wasn't busy running a perfume empire. And now recently, the powerful company Stark Enterprises had just set up a facility in the ever-beating heart of the city. However, this city's reputation made it a very desired target for those wanting more than just fame.

A balloon with the shape and style of a meowth flew across the night sky, and inside were three notorious criminals across the globe. A man, indigo haired, a woman, long purple haired and both wore black and white uniforms with an R plastered across their chests. And the third member was a small feeling creature, but unlike the rest of his kind, he stood on two legs and could talk like a human. They were known to be members of the mafia organization, Team Rocket, and they were known to be dangerous, even if they usually tend to screw up their assignments. They and the rest of the Team Rocket organization were not subtle about their motives, or even how they go about it, and those three were the least subtle of all.

Suddenly, a small orange device bounced across the balloon. The three all arched brows, puzzled. But within an instant, came a flash, and then, a large ball of fire and smoke erupted from the device, setting the trio's transport ablaze.

"What is that?" The indigo haired thug arched a brow. He glanced at something through his binoculars, when suddenly, the balloon erupted in a fiery explosion. The blast had set the balloon on fire, and the trio all screamed in terror.

"WHAT WAS THAT?!"

The balloon crashed just outside the city, it's smoke leaving a large trail, while the fires spread across the ground.

"*COUGH* Jessie *COUGH* *COUGH* Ja-"

The scratch cat pokemon noticed a shadow loom over him from behind. He turned his head puzzled, but then was hit by a powerful blast by some figure that loomed within the ash and fire. He seemed to be huge, at least, for human standards, but he stood completely motionless, while whatever he was on sounded like it was snarling at Meowth.

"W-What the?" The pokemon arched a brow.

"You three are the most predictable lot I've ever seen," the man scoffed. "Always trying to steal, and traffic pokemon..."

The normal type's eyebrow rose.

"Oh yeah? And what do you know about Team Rocket?"

"Heh... I know you're incredibly terrible at your jobs, it's almost comical how you aren't in prison."

The scratch cat pokemon chuckled.

"Maybe we're smarter than we look."

"Hehehe..." The man chuckled. "He was always so soft with you..."

Just then, the man tossed down a small pokeball looking device. As it fell, the talking normal type pokemon slowly crawled away. The ball landed on the rocky ground, and made a few small bounces, but as it bounced, a bright orange light flashed. The talking pokemon's eyes went wide and was consumed in an explosion. The man flew off, with a evil grin on his face, as he felt joy seeing Team Rocket perish.

"Hehehe... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"