Ash is still sitting down at the corner of his jail cell, hugging his legs and waiting to be rescued. He can hear something is going on outside despite having no window in the entire room, and he hopes it's his friends fighting to stop Team Rocket. He tightens his grip on his legs, feeling anxious because he can't do anything to help while he's stuck in his cell. Second by second, he begrudgingly waits for an opportunity to get out of his cell and stop Team Rocket.

"Pika, pi!"

"Braixen!"

"Ash!"

Ash's eyes widen, and he immediately gets on his feet. He runs over to the metal bars of his cell and stares at the door on the other side, waiting to hear the voices again.

"Pika, pi!"

"Braixen!"

"Ash, where are you?"

"Serena! Pikachu! Braixen! I'm over here!" he shouts. "I'm inside this room!"

Ash waits a moment until he hears footsteps coming toward him. Before long, Serena bursts through the door with Pikachu on her shoulder and Braixen following behind. Serena and Pikachu's eyes immediately meet Ash's, and they smile brightly. Ash smiles back before Serena sees the lock on the cell door and points at it.

"Pikachu, Iron Tail on that lock!" she commands.

Without hesitating, Pikachu jumps high into the air from Serena's shoulder and smashes the lock into pieces with Iron Tail. Ash wastes no time to open the door and get out of the cell, happy to be free. Pikachu jumps into his arms, and the two of them joyously hug each other, laughing as Ash spins his partner.

"It's so good to see you again, buddy," he says, squeezing his friend. "I missed you."

"Chaaaa!" Pikachu squeals.

Ash smiles at the mouse Pokemon before he feels two arms grab him tightly from behind. He turns his head to see Serena hugging him with her eyes shut and a look of relief on her face.

"Thank goodness you're alright," she sighs quietly. "I was so worried about you."

Ash blinks, taken aback by her demeanor before he smiles warmly. He lifts his arms so that Pikachu can climb up to the top of his head before turning around to hug Serena back.

"I knew you'd come," he says. "I never doubted you once."

Serena lifts her head while still holding Ash tight and smiles brightly. Her heart is filled with exhilaration from hearing him express his confidence in her.

The moment of bliss is interrupted, however, by the sound of Jessie taking through the communicator in Serena's coat pocket.

"Hey, twerpet - uh, I mean Serena, did you find him yet?" She asks.

Serena reluctantly breaks the hug and takes the communicator out of her pocket to reply.

"Yes, Jessie. I found him," she confirms.

"Hold on. Jessie helped you?" Ash asks, surprised.

"She did. So did James and Meowth," Serena answers. "Coovers is downstairs with them along with Gary, Koga, Agatha, Looker, and the rest of the International Police."

"Gary is here?" Ash asks.

But before Serena can reply, Coovers' voice is heard through the communicator.

"Serena, you need to hurry!" he says impatiently. "Timothy could be charging his way to Arceus any second now!"

Serena turns serious and takes out the communicator saying, "Right. We're on our way. Where is the nearest staircase from the cell?"

"If I remember correctly, it should be at the end of the other side of the hall from where you came from," James replies. "Just take a left from there, and there should be a door leading to the staircase."

"Copy," Serena says before turning to Ash. "We need to go now."

"Where?" Ash asks.

"To the top of the tower," Serena answers. "We need to destroy the Gieldanstone before Timothy frees Arceus."

"The what?" Ash asks.

"I'll explain everything along the way, but we need to go," Serena says as she grabs Ash's hand, pulls him out of the cell room, and leads him to the end of the hall with Pikachu and Braixen following behind.

************************************************************

Giovanni is still sitting on his chair and petting Persian while he watches the battle continue from down below. Even though he can't see everything that is happening from the top floor, he can tell that all four fronts of his enemies are starting to slowly break under the strength of his army. He takes pleasure in seeing the legendary birds and the legendary beasts fighting the battle, excited to see them under his control when the fighting is over. He turns his head to Mewtwo and Mew, who are still floating in the air above him with blank looks on their faces.

"Isn't it marvelous, you two?" He says. "Their forces grow weaker by the second. Their cards are used up and the strength of their Pokemon is depleting. It's only a matter of time before they have completely lost and I can begin the next step in taking over the world."

"Don't count on it!"

Giovanni frowns and stands up from his chair to see Ash, Pikachu, Serena, and Braixen standing from the other side of the room. The two trainers and their partners glower at the leader of Team Rocket while Giovanni sighs uncaringly.

"Can't keep one person from freeing the boy and reaching to the top. Zager, you fool," he mutters.

"We're here to stop you, Giovanni!" Serena announces.

Giovanni looks at the honey blonde girl for a moment before he bursts into laughter.

"Stop me? You think you can stop me?" He asks as he roars in laughter. "I don't think you realize the gravity of the situation, you silly girl. Your friends are going to lose the battle in a matter of minutes, you each have only one Pokemon, and I have the two most powerful Pokemon in the entire world by my side. All I have to do is say the word, and they will obliterate you before you can move a muscle."

"You can, but you won't," Ash claims.

Giovanni stops laughing and smirks at the raven-haired boy.

"Oh, really? Why not?" He asks.

"Because if you want to feel like you deserve to take over the world, you should face me in a Pokemon battle," Ash says.

"Ha! Don't be ridiculous," Giovanni says. "You are getting delusions of grandeur just because I kidnapped you as a precaution. I have nothing to fear against the likes of you."

"If that were true, then you wouldn't rely on Mew or Mewtwo to keep me from doing anything to stop you like a coward!" Ash exclaims. "You said yourself that I might be a big threat against your plan to take over the world. If that's the case, then you should be battling me face to face with your own Pokemon to show I am inferior to you even with Serena here to support me."

"Pika!" Pikachu shouts.

Serena glances at Ash with a sweet smile before Giovanni gives a low chuckle.

"I don't care what you say," he says. "You couldn't beat me last time, and you won't be any match for me now."

"Prove it!" Serena shouts, stepping in. "If you are so sure you can best Ash without relying on brainwashed Pokemon to do your dirty work, then face him like a real Pokemon trainer. Or are you going to rule the world remembering you felt even a little threatened by Ash and did nothing to prove you could beat him."

Giovanni frowns at the way Serena challenges him. He resists the urge to still rebuke the children, but in his mind, he can't deny that he feels provoked into proving himself to them.

"Fine," he snarls as her stands up from his chair and he and Persian walk around his desk to face their enemies. "If you want to witness the might of Persian and me again, we'll have ourselves a little battle. It will at least pass the time while my army wipes out your little band."

Unknown to anyone in the room; however, a herd of quadruped Pokemon are charging through Team Rocket's forces, heading to the bridge that leads to the tower and Arceus.

Ash smirks and takes a couple steps forward with Pikachu. Giovanni stands in front of his desk with his hands in his pockets while Persian gives Pikachu a menacing grin. Pikachu steps in front of Ash and makes a battle stance with sparks coming out of its red cheeks. Serena puts her hand on her ribbon while she looks at Ash with a serious look, eager to see him win. Braixen stays beside its partner, ready to cheer Ash and Pikachu on with her.

The room stays silent for several seconds before Ash makes the first call.

"Pikachu, use Quick Attack!" He shouts.

"Oh please," Giovanni says. "Slash."

Pikachu charges at its opponent, but Persian's claws come out, and it slashes at Pikachu just it's about to ram it. Pikachu is hit by the attack and is sent rolling back to Ash's feet.

"Now use Shadow Claw," Giovanni says plainly.

Persian's left claw becomes surrounded in a black aura with a purple outline shaped like a claw. It runs toward Pikachu, who is slowly getting up.

"Quick, Pikachu, use Iron Tail!" Ash shouts.

Pikachu turns its tail into iron and quickly uses it to deflect Persian's attack. It then jumps into the air and smacks its opponent hard in the face.

"Now, use Electro Ball!" Ash commands.

Before Giovanni can say anything to get Persian to avoid or counter the attack, Pikachu takes advantage that its opponent is still inches away from it and flings a ball of electricity right at it. The attack hits the classy cat Pokemon and sends it rolling back a couple of feet before standing up with a few scratches on its body. Giovanni is slightly taken aback to this, and he begins to glare at Ash.

"Okay, Pikachu, now use Electro Ball again!" Ash shouts.

"Dodge and use Dark Pulse," Giovanni growls.

Pikachu throws another Electro Ball at Persian, but it jumps away, easily missing the attack. Persian fires a beam of dark purple circles at Pikachu while it's still in midair, and the mouse Pokemon is sent flying high into the air. Ash runs over to where Pikachu is falling and catches it in the nick of time.

"Are you okay, Pikachu?" He asks.

"Pika," Pikachu says with a nod even though it has a couple of scratches on its body.

Ash smiles before putting it down, and Pikachu gets down on all fours, still ready to fight Persian. Giovanni smirks in amusement as he looks at Ash.

"You have lasted longer than before. I'll give you that," he says, "Use Power Gem."

The gem on Persian's head glows red, and it fires a pale pink beam of energy with a bright white energy around it.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt to counter!" Ash shouts.

Pikachu stores up the electricity in its body and unleashes a large bolt of electricity toward Persian's attack. The two moves collide and create an explosion that shakes the floor and covers the area with smoke.

"Now use Thunderbolt right where Persian is standing," Ash shouts.

Pikachu fires another Thunderbolt straight at the area where it last saw Persian. Giovanni and his pet have no idea what is happening until the Thunderbolt hits Persian hard. The leader of Team Rocket begins to grow impatient as the smoke clears.

"Use Shadow Claw," he snarls.

"Dodge using Quick Attack!" Ash commands.

Persian shakes off the pain from Thunderbolt and charges towards Pikachu, ready to use Shadow Claw again. Pikachu races toward Persian and, with its incredible speed, dodges Persian's claws and rams it by its side, causing Persian to fall on its side. Giovanni's irritation grows, inflamed that the boy is getting the upper hand. Anxious to deal with the matter quickly, he comes up with a foul idea.

"Alright, Pikachu, use Electro Ball!" Ash shouts.

"Dodge and use Power Gem on the boy," Giovanni orders with a low growl.

Pikachu jumps into the air and flings Electro Ball at Persian, but it dodges the electric attack with ease. Persian then fires another pale pink beam from its gem. Pikachu prepares to dodge it, but the beam flies over its head and heads toward Ash.

"Ash, look out!" Serena cries out.

Ash tries to move away, but the attack hits him hard in the chest. He lets out a loud "Augh!" as the attack knocks him off his feet and sends him slamming against the wall. Serena's heart drops as Ash falls down like a plank of wood.

"Ash!" She screams with her and Braixen running to Ash's side.

Pikachu turns its head to see what happened and shouts, "Pika, pi!"

"Now Shadow Claw," Giovanni says, grinning again.

Persian also grins and strikes Pikachu while its back is turned. Pikachu is sent flying into the air and hitting the wall before falling down on top of Ash.

"Pikachu!" Serena shouts.

Giovanni scoffs and gestures Persian to return to his side. Serena kneels down beside Ash, vainly shaking his body in hopes of somehow wake him up. Ash only replies with a soft groan, barely conscious before Serena turns to Giovanni and stands up angrily.

"How dare you attack him with your Pokemon!" She yells. "Have you no shame as a trainer?!"

Giovanni sniggers and says, "Pokemon trainers. Pokemon battles. What do I care about little formalities like that are going to fade out of existence? After all, when the world is mine, there will be no Pokemon trainers or need for any Pokemon battles. People will merely serve me and all of Team Rocket to no end with all the Pokemon in the entire world at my disposal to make sure no one will ever defy me. What do I care about looking dishonorable to some little girl like you just because my Persian knocked out your boyfriend?"

Serena's anger grows upon Giovanni's reply. In any normal situation, she would be blushing over Ash being called her boyfriend, but the honey blonde girl doesn't even flinch at the title. Her hands turn into balls of fists, livid by the extent of the Team Rocket leader's dishonesty.

"You...you really are afraid," she mutters.

Giovanni frowns and growls, "What did you say?"

"I said you're afraid!" Serena barks. "You're afraid that you will never be as purely strong as Ash Ketchum! I can see in your eyes that you have never once experienced what it means to care about anything but yourself! Ash, on the other hand, cares about both people and Pokemon! He can be stubborn and childish, and sometimes he fails to think things through before he acts, but no matter his faults he will never stop being there when his friends need him the most! Even when he's at his lowest, he can always count on the people and Pokemon in his life to be there for him because his strength comes from everyone he cares about! But you?! You will forever be alone even if you gain the entire world! Behind the brainwashed Pokemon and every person fearing you, you'll be hiding the fact that you have no honor or benevolence or anyone in your life who truly have a hint of care about your wellbeing! You have no true strength! You're nothing but a power-hungry coward who can't even have a fair battle with a great Pokemon trainer less than half your age! You're weak!"

At this point, Giovanni is even angrier than Serena is as he barks, "I'll show you who's the weak one here! Mewtwo, Mew, dispose of these annoying pests!"

Mewtwo and Mew starts floating towards Serena, Braixen, Ash, and Pikachu, getting ready to attack, but Serena doesn't show a hint of fear.

"You're not going anywhere near Ash!" She shouts. "Braixen, use Hidden Power on Mew and then use Fire Blast on Mewtwo!"

Immediately, Braixen forms a light blue ball of energy in front of its hands and fires it in front of Mew. As soon as the attack is thrown, Braixen takes out its stick and forms a 大 - shaped yellow and orange fire from the tip of its stick. Giovanni smirks in amusement as both legendary psychic Pokemon easily use Psychic to knock away both of Braixen's attacks. But what neither of them realize is that Serena was using Braixen's attacks as a distraction to take out her other Pokeballs.

"Pancham, Sylveon, Poliwag, Absol, come out now!" she shouts, throwing all four of her Pokeballs into the air.

The rest of her team come out with serious looks in their eyes, feeling the same sense of anger and determination that is flowing all over their trainer's body. Giovanni laughs out loud at the sight of the honey blonde girl and her Pokemon looking ready for battle.

"Are these all the Pokemon you've got?" He mocks. "None of your Pokemon are fully evolved, and your Absol is the only one that can't be affected by psychic-type moves. I doubt you've trained them well enough to give either Mewtwo and Mew a single scratch even if you land a hit on them. Do you honestly think you have a chance against two of the greatest Pokemon in the entire world?"

"Only one way to find out," Serena replies before pointing at Mewtwo and Mew. "Braixen, Pancham, Sylveon, use Fire Blast, Stone Edge, and Fairy Wind on Mewtwo! Poliwag, Absol, use Water Gun and Feint on Mew!"

Braixen fires a stream of fire, Pancham slams its fist on the ground, causing blue pillars to emerge from the ground, and Sylveon releases pink wind at Mewtwo while Poliwag shoots a stream of water from its mouth and Absol disappears. Mewtwo summons a bright blue barrier around its body, and Braixen's Flamethrower and Sylveon's Fairy Wind just hit the barrier with no effect. Then a blue pillar emerges underneath Mewtwo only for the top of it to break upon impact. Mew uses Psychic to stop the Water Gun, but because it only focuses on Poliwag's attack, allowing Absol to hit it from behind. Serena smiles brightly at the sight of Mew getting hit, but Giovanni sneers at the optimism.

"You are a fool if you think that little hit will help you before Mewtwo and Mew wipes out your Pokemon," he says.

Before Serena can reply, Mewtwo and Mewtwo both unleash Shadow Ball at her Pokemon. The two balls are so large that they hit all five Pokemon and send them back a couple of feet. The ghost attack gives their targets severe scratches. Even Absol, despite being resistant to ghost attacks takes a lot of damage from Mew and Mewtwo's great power. Serena looks at her friends worriedly as all of her Pokemon except for Absol become surrounded in a blue outline and are lifted into the air. Absol slowly gets up, while Serena looks at her trapped Pokemon until she looks at Absol and gets an idea.

"Pancham, use Dark Pulse! Absol, use Night Shade!" She shouts.

Absol grins and charges at Mew with its horn glowing purple while Pancham quickly fires a beam of dark purple circles at Mewtwo. The Dark Pulse hits Mewtwo, and Absol jumps into the air to slash Mew with its horn, causing both of them to release their psychic grip on Braixen, Pancham, Sylveon, and Poliwag. Serena grins at hitting both Mewtwo and Mew despite neither one of them looking like they have been hurt at all.

"Now, everyone use Hidden Power, Dark Pulse, Swift, Hydro Pump, and Night Slash!" She commands confidently.

All five Pokemon use their respective attacks, but Mewtwo and Mew simply protect themselves with a blue and pink barrier respectfully. The barriers knock back Hidden Power, Dark Pulse, Swift, and Hydro Pump while Absol jumps high in the air again, but it's simply bounced back upon impact of Mew's Barrier and hits the ground. The two psychic Pokemon quickly release their barriers and use Psychic on Braixen, Pancham, Sylveon, and Poliwag again and slam them against the wall behind Serena, before the honey blonde girl has a chance to counter their attack. She and Absol quickly rush to their sides while Giovanni lets out a low chuckle.

"Your confidence and persistence is quite mirthful," he says. "But I have a legion of people and Pokemon who are crushing your friends as we speak, Arceus is mine, and you're nothing but a mere trainer trying to take down the most powerful Pokemon in the world. You will never win with whatever power your Pokemon possess."

Serena feels her heart sink, disheartened by Giovanni's words as she stares at her injured Pokemon. She turns to Ash and Pikachu, who are still lying on the ground, wishing they could get up and help her, but then she feels a paw hold her hand and turns to see Braixen giving her a small smile while still lying down with scratches all over its body. Pancham, Sylveon, and Poliwag roll over to smile encouragingly at their trainer, and Absol licks her hand while giving its mother-like figure a supportive look. Serena looks at all of her Pokemon and smiles back, knowing what she needs to do. Without a word needed to be said to her friends, she stands up and looks at Giovanni with a confident look.

"You're right," Serena says. "I'm not very powerful, but that won't stop me from trying. When all looks lost, I remember not to give up until the very end. You'll have to beat me and all of my Pokemon down if you want to stop me for good. Besides, you're wrong about one thing."

"And what is that? " Giovanni asks.

Serena smirks proudly as Braixen, Pancham, Sylveon, Poliwag, and Absol take battle stances again.

"I'm not a mere trainer. I'm a performer," she says before pointing at Mewtwo and Mew again. "Braixen, Pancham, use Flamethrower and Dark Pulse in front of Mewtwo! Sylveon, Poliwag, use Swift and Bubble Beam in front of Mew!''

Giovanni frowns, unsure of what the honey blonde girl is planning as four of her Pokemon carry out their attacks. Braixen and Pancham use Flamethrower and Dark Pulse, and they both collide just inches in front of Mewtwo while Sylveon and Poliwag use Swift and Bubble Beam, which collide in front of Mew. Both combinations explode into fireworks of various colors, startling both Giovanni and the psychic Pokemon.

"Now, Pancham, Absol, Poliwag, use Dark Pulse, Night Slash, and Ice Beam at maximum power!" she shouts.

Pancham fires a bigger beam of dark purple circles, and a large light blue ball appears in front of Poliwag's mouth before the tadpole Pokemon releases a light blue beam at Mew from the ball. Disoriented from the fireworks, Mewtwo and Mew get hit by the two attacks. Mewtwo briefly grunts as Dark Pulse distracts it before Absol pounces with Night Slash. The second Dark-type move hits it with enough force to force it crashing into a wall. Mew squeaks and struggles before its body is completely frozen in a giant block of ice and crashes into the floor. Serena smiles brightly at the sight of Mew trapped, glad that all of her training with Poliwag's Ice Beam paid off. For the first time, Giovanni is stunned with what is happening, but then his shock disappears almost as quickly as it came.

"Is trapping Mew supposed to intimidate me, child?" He mocks.

Serena frowns and says, "What do you mean? I took it down."

Giovanni laughs out loud and says, "Oh, please. You got lucky, and even then, Mew is nothing compared to the might of Mewtwo."

Serena looks at the leader of Team Rocket flabbergasted and asks, "Are you so uncaring about the wellbeing of Pokemon that you will discard them for failing you?"

Giovanni sneers again and says, "Of course. Pokemon have always been nothing more than tools for people like me. Mew, in particular, is nothing more than a collector's item - a means to an end. And besides, if you were so concerned about Pokemon, you would have paid attention to what Mewtwo is doing."

Serena looks at him confused until she looks up to see Mewtwo back in the air and conjuring a larger Shadow Ball. She gasps and tries to tell her Pokemon to look out, but Mewtwo already throws the ball at them before either of them realizes what is happening. The impact once again knocks Serena and her Pokemon off their feet, and Braixen, Pancham, Sylveon, Poliwag, and Absol are knocked unconscious by the powerful move. Serena grunts in pain while she pushes up to a sitting position, glaring at Giovanni, who just smirks at her with Persian.

"I must admit you lasted longer than you should have," he says. "That said, I'm hardly surprised that all of your Pokemon are beaten. I feel I should thank you for giving me some entertainment while waiting for the battle outside to end. Either way, you and that boy have failed utterly. You said you won't give up until the end, so let me assure you that this indeed the end."

Serena keeps glaring at Giovanni, refusing to believe his words. But the silence is suddenly broken when everyone hears two groans behind Serena. She turns to the right, and the honey blonde girl's heart leaps at the sight of Ash and Pikachu slowly getting up.

"Ash! Pikachu!" Serena exclaims.

"Serena?" Ash asks, rubbing his head. "Is it over?"

Giovanni cackles before he answers Ash's question.

"It's all over, boy," he bellows. "Your girlfriend tried to defeat both Mewtwo and Mew only to fail. Now they will dispose of you both once and for all."

Fully aware of what is happening, Ash steps in front of Serena defensively while he and Pikachu glower at the leader of Team Rocket.

"You are not laying a finger on Serena!" He shouts.

Serena is taken aback at Ash before she looks at him sweetly again.

Giovanni waves his hand and says, "And what makes you think you two have a prayer with just your Pikachu? You can't try to best Mewtwo using Ice Beam again."

Ash looks at Giovanni, confused until he notices Mew lying on the ground in a block of ice before turning to Serena.

"Did you beat Mew with Ice Beam?" He asks.

Serena smiles and nods.

Ash smiles back, impressed, and says, "Nice job, Serena."

Serena's cheeks turn pink, but he moment is interrupted with a sneer, and they turn back to facing Giovanni.

"Yes, yes, she managed to beat Mew. I'm sure you are astonished," he says impatiently before he turns to Mewtwo and shouts. "Now destroy them already!"

Mewtwo turns to Giovanni and gives him a robotic nod before turning back to Ash, Pikachu, and Serena. Serena returns Braixen, Pancham, Sylveon, Poliwag, and Absol back into their Pokeballs before she and Ash look seriously at Mewtwo with Pikachu taking a battle stance. Mewtwo puts its hands together and forms another black ball of energy with blue sparks appearing all over it. Mewtwo slowly spreads its arms, and the ball grows bigger, making the two teenagers and the mouse Pokemon uneasy with how they will counter it. Giovanni smirks and starts petting Persian as the two of them watch Mewtwo prepare to attack.

But suddenly, Mewtwo freezes in place. Everyone looks at it, confused as they watch it groan, and its eyes grow heavy. It struggles to keep control of the large Shadow Ball and starts wobbling back and forth on the air.

"Mewtwo, what on earth are you doing?!" Giovanni barked angrily. "I said destroy -"

But at that moment, Mewtwo spins around and flings its Shadow Ball at Giovanni and Persian. Their eyes widen, and they run away from the line of fire as fast as they can. The ball hits Giovanni's desk and causes a massive explosion that obliterates the desk and destroys the bottom half of the large window. Giovanni is knocked off his feet with the explosion destroying the back of the top half of his suit as he falls down face first. Persian, on the other hand, barely manages to avoid getting blown away while the frozen Mew is sent flying to a wall. Ash, Pikachu, and Serena turn around to cover themselves with Ash still in front of Serena.

When the smoke clears, Ash, Pikachu, Serena, and Persian turn around to see a gaping hole in the window, and the edge of the floor destroyed. Nothing remains of Giovanni's desk except for splinters and pieces from where his computer stood all over the floor. They turn to Mewtwo, who is lying unconscious on the floor.

"What just happened?" Serena asks.

"I don't know," Ash replies.

Giovanni groans, and he slowly gets up. Persian walks over to his side as he realizes the back of his coat and buttoned shirt are destroyed. He growls in irritation as he takes both of them off, leaving nothing but his undershirt and the Gieldanstone strapped to his chest. Serena gasps as she looks at the white jewel, realizing she and Ash have a chance to destroy it.

"Ash, look!" She shouts, pointing at it. "It's the stone!"

Ash turns to Giovanni and sees the shining stone strapped to his chest. The leader of Team Rocket realizes that the children are trying to take away his prize and wraps his arm around it as if it is a fragile egg.

"Persian, get in front of me!" He orders.

Persian jumps in front of him and growls in a threatening tone. Serena glares at the leader of Team Rocket again until Ash stretches out his hand in front of Serena, confusing her as he looks at her with a smile.

"Serena, leave this to me," he says. "Pikachu and I started this battle with him and Persian, and we must finish it."

Serena stares at him for a moment before she gives him a smile for support.

"Okay," she says. "You got this. I believe in you."

Ash nods before turning to Giovanni and Persian. Pikachu keeps its battle stance on all fours, its eyes fixed on the classy cat Pokemon. Ash smirks confidently at Giovanni, who stands up with his arm covering the Gieldanstone defensively.

"Let's finish this," the raven-haired boy says as he turns his hat backward.

Giovanni grows uneasy, knowing that his pet is all he has to protect himself and his prize. He hides his worry with a hateful glare while nodding at Ash.

"Let's finish this," he agrees before he looks at Persian and barks, "Dark Pulse!"

"Pikachu, counter with Thunderbolt!" Ash shouts.

Both Pokemon release their attacks, and they collide, covering the room in a cloud of smoke again.

"Now, use Thunderbolt again!" Ash shouts.

"That won't work again, boy," Giovanni snarls. "Move away and then use Slash followed immediately by Shadow Claw!"

Persian jumps away just in time to avoid Pikachu's Thunderbolt and charges straight through the smoke. Pikachu is surprised when Persian suddenly emerges from the smoke and strikes the mouse Pokemon with Slash and Shadow Claw, causing it to roll a couple of feet away close to Ash.

"Pikachu, can you keep going?" Ash asks.

Pikachu has several more scratches on its body, and it moans for a moment before it slowly gets up, still ready to fight. Ash smiles at his partner while Giovanni frowns, disappointed the mouse Pokemon is not down.

"Use Dark Pulse," he commands.

Ash realizes that Giovanni is having Persian attack while he is distracted and shouts, "Jump up and use Electro Ball!"

Pikachu jumps into the air, easily missing Persian's attack and does a flip as it throws an Electro Ball that hits Persian. The classy cat Pokemon groans as it takes damage, while Ash smirks confidently.

"Now use Iron Tail!" He shouts.

"Counter with Shadow Claw!" Giovanni orders.

Pikachu jumps and flips again, prepared to hit Persian in the head with Iron Tail. But before it can hit its opponent, Parsian blocks its tail with Shadow Claw on one paw before knocking Pikachu back using Shadow Claw on the other. Pikachu rolls in the ground again, but quickly gets up, still able to fight.

"Pikachu, use Electro Ball again!" Ash shouts.

Giovanni grins and commands, "Use Power Gem while it's in the air!"

Persian grins, automatically knowing what it's master has in mind. It waits until Pikachu has jumped into the air and releases a pale pink beam at it. Pikachu does a flip, preparing to use Electro Ball again, but as it does, the pale pink bean hits it hard and sends it flying higher into the air. Ash and Serena watch and shock as Pikachu slams into the ground with many more scratches all over its body.

"Pikachu!" Ash and Serena scream.

The two of them rush to Pikachu's side, and Giovanni lets out a low cackle, believing he has finally won.

"Pika..." it says quietly.

"Come on, Pikachu. You can do it," Ash begs.

"You've got to get up, Pikachu," Serena says.

"Oh, just look at the two of you," Giovanni mocks. "You can't even stop yourself from worrying if even one of your Pokemon falls. This is why it's foolish to treat them as equals."

Serena turns to Giovanni and shouts, "Better to treat them as our equals than to treat them like inanimate objects."

"That's right," Ash says. "None of us would trade the friendships we have with our Pokemon for anything."

Giovanni raises an eyebrow and says, "Is that so? Well, then I know just what to do with all of you when this is over. I'm going to have Mewtwo create a few more cells in our prison floor and lock you up in each of them. You and your Pokemon will have your own jail rooms so close to each other that you will be mere yards apart at best. But you will never see each other or be able to hear each other. While Team Rocket rules the world, you will spend the rest of your miserable lives knowing you failed to save your friends, and you will never see each other ever again for the rest of your days."

Ash and Serena, look at Giovanni angrily while he and Persian grin evilly at all of them. But then they hear a soft groan, and they turn to see Pikachu get up on all fours again. The mouse Pokemon walks past its friends until it's standing in front of them. Ash smiles at his partner while sparks come out of its red cheeks.

Giovanni rolls his eyes in annoyance and shouts, "Seriously?! After every beating it has taken, it manages to get up?! Why won't your stupid rodent stay down?!"

"Because it's not going to let you separate us from each other," Ash says. "You see our bonds with our Pokemon as weakness when it's really our strength."

"That's right," Serena says. "No matter what rare Pokemon you have or how strong your Persian is, you won't stop us because what we have for each other is stronger. This is how we are going to win."

Giovanni growls, frustrated with their persistence. But underneath his anger, there is also a twinge of fear. Deep inside him, he starts to realize that Ash is right when he told him that his friends are his power. Witnessing the way the two teenagers and their Pokemon have stuck through the entire time despite the odds makes him understand how the raven-haired boy could have had a part in taking down all of his rival crime organizations. The fear begins to fester as it hits him how the boy is truly a threat to his plans and shouts in an act of desperation.

"Persian, use Shadow Claw now!" He screams.

Ash smirks, knowing that his enemy's confidence is fading and shouts, "Pikachu, dodge using Quick Attack!"

Just like before, Persian charges with a dark aura shaped like a claw, but Pikachu uses its great speed to avoid the attack and ram Persian by the side, using its head.

"Now, use Iron Tail multiple times!" Ash commands.

Pikachu's tail turns into iron and begins hitting Persian in the face repeatedly with it. With every harsh blow the mouse Pokemon delivers, the Team Rocket leader's timidity grows.

"Use Dark Pulse now!" He yells.

"Dodge and use Electro Ball!" Ash commands.

Pikachu stops hitting Persian, and the classy cat Pokemon takes the moment of relief to unleash a beam of dark purple circles only for Pikachu to dodge it easily. Without a moment of hesitation, Pikachu summons another ball of electricity and spins around to hit Persian on the side again, knocking it off its feet. Persian lands on the ground on its other side and meows in agony,

"What are you doing?!" Giovanni yells, panicking. "Get up and fight!"

Persian lifts its head to look its master and, with a pleading look, says, "Mmmmeeeeoooowwww."

"I said, get up!" He shouts. "I am your master, and you will do as I command! Now get up and take down that rodent now!"

Persian winces at his harsh words and slowly gets up out of fear of Giovanni's fury. It makes its best battle stance despite its weak state and countless scratches on its body, and Giovanni grins, thinking he still has a chance.

"Now, use Power Gem!" He screams.

"Dodge it, Pikachu!" Ash shouts.

Persian fires Power Gem again, but it uses it slow enough that Pikachu can dodge it with ease.

"Use Power Gem multiple times!" Giovanni barks. "And don't stop until it's down!"

Ash and Serena both smirk, knowing that Giovanni has made a grave mistake.

"Pikachu, dodge with Quick Attack, and wait until it's tired to hit it again!" Ash instructs.

Pikachu nods and uses its speed to dodge Persian's attack again. The classy cat Pokemon desperately keeps using Power Gem, aiming at Pikachu. Pikachu starts circling around its opponent, and Persian starts firing in all directions. Unknown to anyone; however, Persian's Power Gem hits the edges of the floor, connecting to the walls closest to the window. The impact of Persian's attack is so strong that there are holes in the floor that start to produce cracks all over the room.

Finally, Persian begins to tire, and the rate that it unleashes its attack, it all becomes slow. It isn't long before Pikachu notices and grins, seeing its opportunity to attack. Still using Quick Attack, Pikachu dodges Power Gem one more time and rams into Persian right in the face.

"Now, use Thunderbolt and give it everything you've got!" Ash shouts.

Pikachu stores up the biggest amount of electricity it can muster since its battle with Electchu and unleashes it on Persian. The classy cat Pokemon screams in pain as a hundred thousand volts flow all over its body. Its body grows weaker and weaker until it no longer has the strength to stay standing. Pikachu finishes its attack, and Persian stands in place until it lets out a soft groan and faints.

"Way to go, Pikachu!" Ash cheers.

"Good job, Pikachu!" Serena praises.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu says cutely to its friends.

The three of them look at each other, smiling for another moment before they turn to the leader of Team Rocket, who looks at his beaten Pokemon in shock.

"It's over," Serena announces. "You're defenseless. Hand over the Gieldanstone now."

Giovanni keeps staring at his Pokemon until he clenches his teeth furious, glaring at the teenagers.

"Never!" He screams, hugging the stone defensively again. "You won't take it from me! And even if you could, Arceus is still mine. It can't get out of the machine even if you order it too!"

But as soon as he finishes his sentence, the holocommunicator in his pocket starts ringing. He huffs before he takes it out and presses a button, revealing a hologram of a horrified Matori.

"What is it?" He barks.

"Sir, we've got trouble!" Matori shouts, panicking. "The psychic Pokemon are attacking us!"

"What?!" Giovanni shouts. "Where is Arceus?"

"I don't know!" Matori shouts. "One minute, it was on the machine, and then the psychic Pokemon suddenly collapsed, and I turned to find it is gone! The next thing either of us know, the psychic Pokemon came to and started attacking us! We're overrun! We need -"

Suddenly, a Psybeam hits Matori in the back, and the hologram disappears. Giovanni's pupils shrink, and he starts pressing the button on his holocommunicator repeatedly. Ash and Serena look at each other, realizing that Timothy succeeded in freeing Arceus. Giovanni keeps pressing the button until he sees the two teenagers and Pikachu getting ready to attack.

"One last chance," Ash says. "Give us the stone."

Giovanni clenches his teeth again and puts his hand on the Gieldanstone.

"Arceus, where are you?!" He screams. "Get over here and -"

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Ash shouts.

Pikachu shoots a bolt of electricity again, and it hits Giovanni. The leader of Team Rocket yells in pain, and he stands in place disoriented when Pikachu is done. The next thing he knows, Serena runs over to him and tries to pull the Gieldenstone out of its secure place. Giovanni pushes Serena back with his hands, but Ash gets behind him and pulls his arms away from Serena. The honey blonde girl keeps pulling as hard as she can until the jewel pops out, and she falls down on her back. Giovanni tries to free himself from Ash's grip, horrified that the stone is no longer in his possession, but Pikachu steps in front of him threateningly with its cheeks sparking electricity. Serena quickly stands up and holds the stone close to her.

"Arceus, stay where you are!" She orders. "Do not do anything unless your trainer tells you to no matter who is holding the Gieldanstone!"

Ash smirks and says, "Great job, Serena! Now destroy it!"

Giovanni's eyes widen, shocked that his enemies planned to destroy his prize the whole time. He tries to free himself from Ash, who is still holding him back from behind.

"Wait!" He begs to Serena as he struggles. "Please don't destroy it! I'll do anything! Whatever your wildest dreams and deepest desires are, I'll give it to you! Just give me back my stone!"

Serena looks at the desperate man with a serious look and bluntly says, "What my dream is you're trying to take away, and what I deeply desire you can't give me."

With that, she holds the stone with both hands, lifts it high above her head, and throws it into the ground. The Gieldanstone breaks into tiny pieces upon impact as if it is made of glass, and Giovanni's pupils shrink in horror.

"NO!" He shrieks.

Ash lets him go, and the leader of Team Rocket gets on his hands and knees and starts collecting pieces of the shattered jewel, thinking he can put it back together in his state of shock. Ash and Pikachu walk over to Serena's side, and they all look down at the devastated man.

"As I said, it's all over," Serena says coldly. "You'll never take control of Arceus or any other Pokemon again, and your organization is crumbling as we speak."

Ash nods and says, "Face it. Team Rocket is gone forever."

Giovanni keeps his head low, with his eyes still fixed on the remains of the white stone. But then he slowly lifts his head with a threatening look in his eyes.

"Fools! I am Team Rocket!" He shouts.

He springs back up, and charges towards them with his arms stretch out with his eyes fixed on Serena.

"Pikachu, Iron Tail!" Ash shouts angrily.

Pikachu doesn't hesitate to jump high in the air and smack Giovanni hard in the face with Iron Tail. Giovanni holds his face as he takes a couple of steps back and glares at the teenagers and Pikachu.

But before he can make any threats or charge at them again, the floor begins to break at the center of the room, creating a line of cracks between Giovanni and his enemies. The next thing anyone knows, half of the floor closest to the destroyed window slopes down, and Giovanni loses his balance and falls on his back before slowly sliding down the steep surface. His eyes widen in fear as he watches himself slide toward the edge.

"Help! Help!" He screams.

Suddenly, Giovanni stops sliding and is lifted into the air. He looks around in confusion to find his body surrounded in a blue outline and Mewtwo standing up with its eyes glowing blue. The leader of Team Rocket looks at the Pokemon in awe as the genetic Pokemon gently puts him down close to the slope side of the room using Psychic.

"You...you saved me," Giovanni says, dumbfounded. "Why? You had the chance to be rid of me just like all the scientists you killed when you were awoken."

Mewtwo shakes its head and says, "Yes, I killed the people who created me in my anger, and if we were in the same scenario back then, I wouldn't have hesitated to let you fall. But now I know how valuable life is and how important it is to preserve it, and none of that would be possible if it wasn't for Ash and his friends."

Ash, Serena, and Pikachu smile at Mewtwo, who smiles back warmly at them. Giovanni turns his head back and forth to look between Mewtwo and its friends before his look of surprise melts away into a grin and he reaches into his pants pockets.

"Oh, Mewtwo. Even you believe in their pathetic dogma," he bellows.

Ash looks at Giovanni, confused until he sees him takes out a Pokeball with a black top and a red "R."

"Mewtwo, look out!" He shouts.

But by the time Mewtwo hears Ash, Giovanni has already pressed the button on the ball, enlarging it before he throws it at Mewtwo. The ball hits the Pokemon, and Mewtwo gasps in alarm before the ball opens and sucks it inside. Ash, Serena, and Pikachu's eyes widen as the ball falls to the ground and it starts to move back and forth until it finally stops and sparks come out of the center with a "Ding!"

"Mewtwo!" Ash and Serena shout.

"Pika!" Pikachu cries out.

Giovanni lets out a cruel cackle as he walks over to the Pokeball and picks it up. He turns to the two trainers and Pikachu and holds the Pokeball up in the air like a trophy.

"I may not have my army or Arceus, but I still have the most powerful Pokemon of all in my hand!" he roars "Mewtwo was created to serve me years ago, and now it is forever mine! With its incredible power, I will smite everything and everyone that dares to oppose me, and the world will still be mine once and for all!"

But as he is saying that, the floor beneath him begins to crack, and Giovanni panics as he drops the Pokeball, loses his balance, and falls onto the steep floor again, causing the Pokeball to roll down the slope and fall off the edge.

"Mewtwo!" Ash cries out again.

Giovanni looks at the edge in horror as he slowly but surely slides down again. He whimpers fearfully as he moves his arms and legs in a desperate attempt to climb back to safety.

"No, no, no, no, no!" Giovanni cries out hysterically as he slides towards the edge. "Save me! Save me, please!"

Serena looks at the cruel man with a look of compassion and asks, "Isn't there anything we can do to save him?"

Ash shakes his head and says, "Mew is still frozen, we have no other Pokemon available apart from Pikachu, and he just captured the one Pokemon willing to save him. With Mewtwo trapped in that Pokeball that just fell off, there's nothing we can do. He doomed himself just to capture the Pokemon he wanted for himself."

Giovanni's eyes widen in horror as he realizes what Ash just said. The fact that he's about to die in roughly the same manner as Lysander scares him more than death himself. Eager to save himself from the humiliation, he moves his hands and legs more rapidly in a desperate attempt to climb back up to safety.

"No! No, please, no!" He shrieks. "Not like this! Not like this! NOT LIKE THIS!"

But the more he struggles, the faster he slides down. Serena looks away, unable to watch while Ash and Pikachu watch Giovanni whine hysterically as he slips. Finally, his feet touch nothing but air and the leader of Team Rocket screams at the top of his lungs as gravity pulls him down.

"NNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!"

The two trainers and Pikachu stay silent for several seconds with Serena still disturbed by what just happened. She turns around to look at the steep slope and turns to Ash worriedly.

"Now, how are we going to get out of here?" She asks.

Ash frowns and says, "I don't know. If we can't go down to the bottom of the building, then we probably have to wait until someone rescues us with a big flying type Pokemon or something."

Serena frowns, uneasy with the situation. But then she glances at Mew, who is still lying on the ground, unconscious and smiles widely.

"I know. What if we free Mew and it can use its psychic powers to fly us down here?" she says. "I'm sure Team Rocket has some kind of medical equipment somewhere on the lower floors from here. So let's grab Mew and find some."

Without giving Ash a moment to reply, she runs over to the Mew to pick it up. But as she's running, Ash's eyes widen, realizing that Mew is close to where half of the floor collapsed.

"Serena, wait!" He shouts.

But by the time he calls out to her, she kneels down to Mew's side before the floor beneath her breaks. Serena's eyes widen in fear as she falls down on her stomach and screams as she slides down the slope.

"Serena!" Ash yells.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu yells.

Serena stretches out her hands, hoping in vain that someone will save her from falling. But no matter what she does, she inevitably reaches the edge and falls off. Without even thinking about it, Ash runs over to the slope, slides down with his feet, and jumps off the edge with Pikachu crying out to him. He dives face first with his eyes fixed on Serena, who is still screaming in terror.

"Serena!" He calls out again.

Serena stops screaming and sees Ash falling towards her. Her pupils shrink, and she gasps loudly, horrified with what Ash has done.

"ASH, NO!" She shrieks.

Ash catches up to Serena and wraps his arms around her before he does a flip so that his back is facing the ground below.

"Don't worry, Serena!" Ash shouts. "It's going to be okay! You're going to be okay!"

Serena is shocked by what Ash is trying to accomplish, but deep down she knows that neither of them will make it. With tears coming out her eyes, she wraps her arms around the boy she adores, squeezes him with all of her might, and buries her face with Ash's shoulder with her eyes shut.

"Oh Ash," she sobs with her voice muffled by Ash's shoulder.

The two teenagers hold each other tightly as they fall toward the ground. Not a word needs to be said, for they both know what fate lies in store at the bottom. The next thing they know, however, they abruptly stop falling and feel they are lying on top of something. Ash and Serna open their eyes at the sound of large wings flapping to realize they are lying on something with pale silver-white skin, and they lift up their heads to see a familiar face.

"Lugia!" Ash shouts with a bright smile.

The diving Pokemon flies in the air while carrying the two teenagers and turns its head to Ash with a warm smile.

"Hello, Ash," it greets telepathically. "It is good to see you again."

"It's good to see you too. Thanks for saving us," Ash says as he and Serena sit up.

"Yes, thank you so much," Serena says, smiling before she realizes something. "But what about Pikachu and Mew? They're still on top of the tower."

"Do not fear. Zapdos, Moltres, and Articuno are on their way to retrieve them," Lugia replies.

Ash and Serena stare at Lugia for a moment before they look up to see the legendary birds flying up towards the top of the building. The two of them smile, relieved that their Pokemon will be brought back safely. They then get in a sitting position with Ash holding on to Lugia and Serena, wrapping her arms around him from behind and then look down below to see that the battle has ended. All the members of Team Rocket who aren't unconscious are returning their Pokemon, lifting their hands up and getting down on their knees in surrender. Ash and Serena smile brightly as they watch dozens of Officer Jennys and other policemen start cuffing them and taking them away while everyone else down below cheers victoriously. From behind, they can see the terrible storm out in the ocean has disappeared. Serena closes her eyes and rests her head on Ash's shoulder from behind, feeling a sense of bliss flowing all over her body.

"We did it," she sighs. "We won."

Ash turns his head to see Serena so happy while resting on his shoulder. He smiles, happy to see the honey blonde girl smiling again.

"Yes, Serena," he says. "It's over."