Cave of Mirrors

"Fletchling, use Steel Wing."

Fletchling started to make his wings glow white and they ended up turning into metal. He then rushed at a tree and used his wings to leave marks on the tree's bark from the impact.

"Great job, Fletchling. You're really getting stronger the more we keep on training!" smiled Ash.

"Fletchling Fletchling." replied the tiny bird Pokemon.

"Pika Pika Pikachu!" smiled Pikachu from Ash's shoulder.

The rest of the group was sitting not too far from Ash's training area as they wanted to take a small break from traveling to get some rest. Watching their unofficial 'leader' train his Pokemon always made for some great entertainment for them. Serena loved how hard Ash worked into getting stronger for his goal, Clemont likes getting motivated from Ash's training so that he himself can come up with a training method for his Pokemon, and Bonnie enjoyed watching Ash make his Pokemon do cool attacks.

"You're doing great, Fletchling." cheered Bonnie as she shouted out to the Pokemon.

"The two of you have certainly improved a lot since the last time Fletchling was in a battle." Clemont added on.

"The two of you are always growing stronger each time." smiled Serena.

Ash turned to his friends and gave them a smile, "Thanks a lot, guys."

Ash knew that all of the training that he and Fletchling have been doing for the past few days was really paying off thanks to Hawlucha being Fletchling's training partner. Ever since he caught Hawlucha, he had Fletchling and him train together and help each other improve on their flying type moves. It really benefited both of the flying Pokemon.

"I think it's about time that we get moving. We have to get to the next town as early as possible if we want to make it before sundown." suggested Clemont.

The rest of the group agreed to this and soon started to pack up in order to move on. Ash returned Fletchling to his Pokeball and waited for his friends to get up. Once everyone was ready, they made it back onto the trail that they were on and returned to walking. They were in another forest that was different from the last one where Ash had caught Hawlucha.

"I heard that the Reflection Cave is somewhere around this forest." Clemont pointed out.

"What's the Reflection Cave, Clemont?" asked Ash.

"Well, inside the cave there are these glass like structures that are along the side of the cave. They are so clear that you can see your reflection on them like a mirror. Hence the name Reflection Cave." explained the teenage scientist.

"Wow. That sound pretty, I can't wait to see it." said Serena with a smile.

"I think a quick look at the cave would be fine. I'm also curious to see it for myself." said Clemont.

So the team decided to find the Reflection Cave and take a look inside of it. However, they needed to find it first. So they continued to walk through the forest in order to find the Reflection Cave, which led to them finding a cliff wall that was probably where the cave was located.

"I think this is where the cave is located." said Clemont.

Everyone looked for the mouth of the cave along the cliff wall so that they could find the Reflection Cave. The team looked for the entrance of the cave for about five minutes before Bonnie found it, "Hey guys, I think I found it right here." she called out.

The rest of the group ran up to her and looked inside of the cave's mouth, "Good eye, Bonnie. You found it!" said Clemont praising his sister.

Serena looked into the cave a bit and noticed that there was a bit of lit near the entrance, but it was darker further inside the cave, "Uhhh. It's kind of dark in there." she said nervously.

"It makes sense since the sun's light can't reach all the way into the cave." replied Clemont.

"Are you scared, Serena?" asked Bonnie.

"What! No! I-It's just...Well, I just..."

"If you're scared you can just stay close to us. We'll all stick together so that we won't get separated from each other." said Ash.

"Or the two of you can hold hands!" smiled Bonnie while she cupped her cheeks.

That suggestion automatically got Serena's attention as she started to blush brightly, 'Bonnie! Why did you say that!? Ash will think that that's weird and he'll-'

"That's a great idea. If we hold each other's hands we won't get separated while exploring the cave. Great thinking, Bonnie." smiled Ash.

Serena's thoughts were quickly stopped by what Ash said. If Ash was Ok with holding her hand, then that means that she'll be able to make an advancement on him and their relationship together!

"Uhhh...Yeah. Let's hold hands. Good idea." she said.

Ash gently grabbed Serena's left hand and held on to it. Serena couldn't believe that she and Ash were now holding hands together!

"Serena. Serena. Serena!" called out Ash.

"Huh! What is it!?" she asked.

"Aren't you going to hold onto Bonnie's hand so that we can stay together?" asked the raven haired Trainer.

That quickly ruined the moment for Serena as she realized that she needed to hold hands with another member of the group to avoid getting lost in the cave. She held on to Bonnie with her right hand and sighed in disappointment, 'Why could it be just me and Ash?' she thought to herself.

(A Few Minutes Later)

The group was now exploring inside the Reflection Cave and were about halfway through the whole cave. They've been walking for about 10 minutes and have seen a bunch of mirror like crystals along the walls of the cave. The girls ended up stopping a couple of times to look at themselves in them. Because girls love to look at themselves in mirrors.

"At least Serena isn't scared anymore." said Ash as he and Clemont waited for the two females to finish.

"They look exactly the same in every crystal." signed Clemont. He really wished that the girls would hurry up already. They were slowing them down and they needed to get out of the cave to find a Pokemon Center to stay in for the night.

'I wish my little sister wasn't such a hand full' he thought.

After the girls finished looking at themselves in the crystals, the team kept on walking through the cave. A few minutes later, Serena saw another crystal mirror that looked different from the other ones that they've seen so far. She went to take a closer look at it and looked at her reflection again. Bonnie saw what she was doing and suddenly came up with a sneaky idea to tease Serena about her crush on Ash again!

"Hey Ash, don't you think that Serena looks pretty in that mirror?" she asked.

Serena was quickly surprised by what Bonnie had just done, "WHAT! BONNIE!" she screamed.

Ash walked up to the crystal mirror and looked at Serena's reflection for a bit before turning back to look at her, "You know what...I think you do look good in that mirror, Serena." he said with a smile.

Serena was now blushing even more than before, "Oh uh...Thanks." she said softly.

Bonnie was now covering her mouth with both of her hand to prevent laughter from coming out, 'Happy to help, Serena.' she thought.

(A Few More Minutes Later)

The team kept on walking through the cave as they all looked at the different mirror crystals that appeared along the side of the wall. Pikachu then noticed something on one of the crystal mirrors as they passed by it.

"Pika?" he said as it caught Ash's attention.

"What is it, buddy?" he asked.

"Pika Pi!" said Pikachu as he pointed over to the mirror that he saw. Ash walked up to it to get a closer look at it.

Ash looked at the mirror crystal for a moment, but all he saw was his and Pikachu's reflections on it. He couldn't see anything that was worth attention, "I don't see anything, Pikachu." replied Ash.

Pikachu looked at the mirror again to see if what he saw was just his imagination. But suddenly, there was a white flash that caught both his and Ash's attention!

"Woah...What was that?" questioned the raven haired Trainer.

"Pika Pika Pi Chu?" replied Pikachu as he also had no idea.

The flash appeared again and caused both Pokemon and Trainer to blink a bit to cure their sudden blindness, "Wow! That flash was really bright. But what is it?" Ash asked himself.

Both Ash and Pikachu looked at the mirror again to see that it was now glowing!?

'What is happening?' thought Ash.

The glowing mirror suddenly started to form into a different shape. Ash and Pikachu stared at the mirror as the glowing moved around and was beginning to form. Once the glowing had stopped forming, both Ash and Pikachu looked and saw Ash's reflection. But it was only Ash's reflection that they saw and not Pikachu's reflection for some reason. If that wasn't strange enough, Ash's reflection did something that he didn't do.

It talked!

"Pikachu, there you are!" said Ash's reflection.

"What the..!?" said Ash as he jumped back a bit from the sudden surprise he got from his reflection. But his reflection then reached out through the crystal mirror and grabbed Pikachu with both of his hands before pulling him through the mirror.

"Hey! That's my Pikachu!" shouted Ash as he reached out with his left arm to grab his best friend. Unfortunately for him, he lost his balance and fell forward into to mirror along with Pikachu.

"Ash!" shouted Serena as she and the siblings ran up to where Ash had disappeared inside the mirror. All that they saw was Ash's leg before it went into the mirror with the rest of him and disappeared completely from their eyesight!

"What happened? Where did Ash and Pikachu go?" asked Bonnie.

"I don't know, Bonnie! I never saw anything like this before. It's like something from straight out of an anime." replied Clemont with a concerned look for his friend, Ash.

Serena just locked her hands together and looked at the mirror that Ash disappeared into, "Ash what happened to you? Are you Ok?' she thought to herself.

(With Ash)

"Ohhh...Maaann..." Ash said as he got up from the ground. He then took a moment to look at his surroundings and saw that he was no longer in the Reflection Cave, but he was in fact outside. Not only that but the world looked to be much lighter as well, as the colour of everything was much lighter than it was before.

"What's happening?" Ash asked himself in confusion.

"Ow...that hurt." said a voice from behind him. Ash turned around to see another him that had Pikachu in his arms.

"HEY! Who are you and why do you look like me? And why did you take my Pikachu?" Ash asked as he demanded an answer to at least one of his questions.

"What do you mean I look like you? Your the one that looks like me. And what were you doing with my Pikachu?" asked the Ash look-a-like.

"Your Pikachu!? That's my Pikachu...Just who do you think you are?" replied Ash.

"Me? I'm Ash Ketchum. And this is my Pikachu that you took, buddy!" replied the second Ash.

Ash's eyes widen from what his look-a-like just said. There was another Ash Ketchum beside him? And if that was true, does that mean that he wasn't in the Pokemon World that he knew, but in another dimension!?

"Hey, Ash." called out a voice. The two Ashes turned their head in the direction that the voice came from and saw Serena running up to them. However, something seemed different about Serena. In both colour and tone of voice.

"There you are, Ash. Why did you run off like that? Still upset that..." Serena was now distracted by the fact that she was now seeing doubles of Ash. There was the one in front of her and the one that was sitting on the floor with a Pikachu in his arms.

"What the...Who the heck are you and why do you look like Ash?" asked Serena in a demanding voice at the regular Ash.

Ash was a bit confused about what was happening right now until he remembered that he had somehow ended up in another dimension! So he'll need to somehow talk his way out of this.

"Easy, Serena. What's with the attitude, it's so unlike you." he replied.

"How do you know my name?" asked the confused Serena, or Serena look-a-like.

"Serena, why did you have to leave us behind like that." called out another familiar voice.

Serena and the two Ashes looked at who was coming and saw that it was Bonnie and Clemont. But there was something strange about Clemont, which is that he's running faster than usual without looking tired out.

The siblings then noticed that there were now two Ashes and were now very confused, "Ash, do you have a twin brother that you never told us about?" asked Bonnie in a very mature voice.

All of this was really starting to make Ash realize that he truly was in a different dimension. The question is can he get back?

"Wow, two Ashes? Since when?" asked Clemont in an excited voice that Ash had never heard from him.

Serena then looked at the another Ash, "Ash, you better not be playing a prank on me!" she warned him.

Ash had just about enough of this Serena's cold attitude and got in her way of the another Ash, "What is your problem? You can't just act so high and mighty and talk to other people like their beneath you!" he said.

Everyone in the group was surprised that this another Ash was so brave and stood up to Serena like that so quickly. The another Ash was confused as to why his copy would stand up for him like that.

"Ash's twin is really brave. I don't think anyone we know has ever talked back to Serena like that!" whispered Clemont to his sister.

"Aahhh! You make me so mad!" replied the Serena look-a-like, as he looked back at the Ash that stood up to her.

Ash came up with an idea that could help him move things along a bit, "Then how about a battle?" he asked.

"You want to battle me?" asked the Serena look-a-like.

"Yeah, and if I win you'll need to be a bit nicer to the Ash over there." Ash pointed at his counterpart.

The Serena look-a-like thought about it for a moment and smirked, "Fine, but if I win, you'll need to get down on your knees and beg for forgiveness!" she replied.

"Sounds fair to me." Ash answered.

(A Few Minutes Later)

The two Trainers looked at each other from where they stood and were ready for the fight. The other three had sat down along the side of the road to watch. The Ash look-a-like was a bit surprised that his double stood up to Serena for him, but also for how brave he was for doing it.

"You ready to rock?" asked Ash to the Serena look-a-like.

"I'm ready to win!" she replied.

Ash smirked at that claim because it could help him win this battle if he plays his cards right, "Then why don't you go first then?" he offered.

"You're going to regret that decision. Go, Fennekin!" called out Serena as she threw her Pokeball and unleashed her Fennekin to battle.

"Fletchling, I choose you!" called out Ash as he unleashed Fletchling from his Pokeball.

Both Pokemon were now ready for a fight, as one was in the air and the other on the ground. Having Fletchling fight will make thing's a bit easier for Ash as Fletchling has more room to move around in the air, while Fennekin is limited to the ground. However, this also meant that Fletchling would need to get in close for an attack, which could put him in the danger zone that could give Fennekin an advantage. Ash was going to have to play it smart if he hoped to win.

"Fennekin, use Ember." ordered the Serena look-a-like.

Fennekin opened her mouth and shot out small flames that were heading towards Fletchling.

"Dodge them by diving down." ordered Ash.

Fletchling did as he was told and dove down towards the ground to get away from the small flames that were heading his way. He managed to avoid them as they flew past him as he when down.

"Use Peck." Ash called out.

Fletchling followed Ash's order and started to make his beak glow white, ready for attack.

"Use Scratch." called out Serena.

Fennekin made her left paw glow white before jumping into the air to use Scratch.

Both Fletchling and Fennekin were heading towards each other with glowing body parts that were ready to hit the other. The Two Pokemon got closer and closer until they met in the middle. Fletchling's Peck hit Fennekin straight in the chest as she was sent falling back towards the ground, where she crash landed and the impact created a dust cloud.

"Fennekin!" cried out Serena.

"Use Razor Wind." Ash ordered.

Fletchling started flapping his wings and was firing multiple curved wind projectiles at Fennekin. The little fox Pokemon jumped away from each projectile as they were sent her way. After that, she used Ember again and was shooting flames back at Fletchling from the air. The two Pokemon were now firing long range attacks at each other from a distance while dodging them at the same time.

"Use Steel Wing." called out Ash.

Fletchling started to make his wings glow white, which resulted in them turning into metal. With his wings now made of metal, Fletchling was now soaring towards Fennekin at a higher speed than before so that he could land a hit.

"Big mistake! Use Ember again." called out Serena.

Fennekin opened her mouth and shot out flames that hit Fletchling head on! The little bird Pokemon crashed into the ground and took a lot of damage from the look of how much he was in pain!

"Charging in head first was not the best idea." said Serena with a smile.

"FLETLINNNNNG..." called out Fletchling as he was starting to glow brightly! His whole body was shining as he began to grow a bit taller and bigger. Once the glowing stopped it revealed a newly evolved Pokemon.

"Fletchling...What did you evolve into?" asked Ash as he used his Pokedex to scan it out.

Fletchinder

The Ember Pokemon

And the evolved form of Fletchling. From its beak, it expels ember that sets the tall grass on fire. Then it pounces on the bewildered prey that pops out of the grass.

"...You also learned a new move too! Use Flame Charge, Fletchinder."

Fletchinder then started to cover his body in fire before he made a quick dash towards Fennekin and slammed right into her, which made her crash against the ground before she got up again.

"Hang in there, Fennekin, and use Scratch. " ordered the Serena look-a-like.

Fennekin made her left paw glow white again before running up to Fletchinder to attack him with it. Ash had other plans, as he wasn't going to left Fletchinder loss this battle.

"Fletchinder, use Spinning Steel Wing." said Ash.

Fletchinder made his wings glow white and were then made of metal after the glowing stopped. He then started to head towards Fennekin with spinning like a propeller as he got closer. He hit Fennekin with a direct hit from his Spinning Steel Wing and sent her flying back from the impact. She crashed into the ground and ended up fainting as a result of all the damage she took. That meant that Ash and Fletchinder were the winners of this battle!

"Fennekin!" cried out Serena as she ran up to her fallen Pokemon. She just couldn't believe that she had lost to Ash, even if it was different Ash from the one that she knew.

"We did it, Fletchinder! Great job out there." Ash cheered for his newly evolved Pokemon.

"Fletchinder." replied the bird Pokemon.

"Pika Pika Pikachu." called Pikachu as he ran over to Ash and out of the arms of the one that held him.

Meanwhile, the other Ash was staring at his double in amazement. He couldn't believe that he had managed to defeat Serena out of all people while being so brave and confident in himself. He really wanted to be just like him!

"That was an awesome battle out there. You really are different from the Ash that we know." said Clemont as he walked up and congratulated Ash on his victory over Serena.

"I've never seen a move like the one you and Fletchinder used at the end. It was outstanding!" smiled Bonnie.

Ash smiled at the nice comments that the look-a-likes of his friends gave him, "Thanks for that, but it was really Fletchinder's evolution that helped us out." he replied.

Serena walked over to him after she had returned Fennekin to her Pokeball, "Your not half bad for a copy of Ash. I guess I underestimated you a bit." she said.

"You did pretty good out there. Just remember what you promised." Ash reminded her.

Serena turned to the other Ash that was sitting on a log, "Ash, I'm sorry for being so mean all of the time. I'll try to be nicer to you." she pouted.

The other Ash smiled a bit at Serena, "It's alright, I'm not mad. However, I still don't have my Pikachu with me." he signed in disappointment.

Ash was a bit confused about what his double just said, "Hang on, didn't you think that this was your Pikachu?" he asked while pointing to Pikachu on his shoulder.

The other Ash replied, "I thought it was my Pikachu at first, but during the battle, I got a closer look at him and realized that he wasn't. He was yours just like you said." he signed in sadness.

Ash knew that his double was upset that he was missing his best friend. He was sad plenty of times when he and Pikachu got separated from each other during their adventures. That being said, he knew what he and the others had to do.

"I guess we're just going to have to find him and get the two of you back together." he said.

This caught everyone's attention in the group as they looked at him with surprised looked, "Y-You're going to help me?" asked the other Ash.

"Of course I am. I always help others, it's what I do." smiled Ash as he gave his double a thumbs up.

"Before we do that, Can I get an answer to who you are and where you came from?" asked Serena to Ash.

Ash decided that it was time to confirm if where he came from was true, "Well, Pikachu and I were inside the Reflection Cave exploring around with my friends, who all look like you. When the other Ash mistook my Pikachu for him and pulled us through the mirror. I guess I could be from another dimension maybe?" he answered.

"An alternate dimension? That means the legend is true!" said the Clemont look-a-like.

"I'm confused...What legend?" asked Ash.

Clemont started to explain, "There's a legend about the Reflection Cave that says that some of the mirrors inside of it are actually portals to alternate dimensions. If someone goes through one of them, they end up in a different dimension that is a bit like the one they came from, but with a few changes."

"So you're saying that since I came here through a mirror in a cave. This place is like some kind of 'Mirror World'?" asked Ash.

"I guess you can call it that." replied Clemont.

Ash knew that this was a bit to take in, but he had dealt with out of this world stuff on his adventures in other regions before, so this shouldn't really surprise him all that much. One thing was for sure is that he couldn't stay here for long!

"I just hope that my friends aren't too worried about me. I got to get back to my home dimension soon!" he said.

"Question, do your friend look like us?" asked Mirror Bonnie.

"Well, yeah. They're alternate versions of you guys. Each with a very different personality than what I'm seeing right now." he replied and he looked at Mirror Serena.

"What are you looking at me for?" asked Mirror Serena.

'Yup, she's definitely different from the Serena that I know.' he thought.

(With the group back in the Reflection Cave)

Serena, Bonnie, and Clemont had waited for Ash to come out of the mirror that he and Pikachu fell into for about ten minutes now, but he hasn't returned yet. This was making everyone worry a lot, especially Serena!

"How could he even go through the mirror in the first place?" she asked.

Clemont thought about it for a moment to see if he had forgotten something about the Reflection Cave that made it so famous other than the mirror crystals. He looked at the mirror that was in front of them and saw nothing but his reflection, he narrowed his eyes as if he was looking closer for something.

'Why else is this cave so special?' he asked himself mentally.

The girls looked at Clemont as he was still thinking about what could have made Ash disappear. Bonnie hoped that her big brother wouldn't fall into the mirror and disappear like Ash did. Serena was very scared that something could be happening to Ash as this very moment as they waited for his return.

"Maybe we should go in after him?" she asked.

The siblings looked at Serena and were surprised by her suggestion, "But how did Ash go inside the mirror in the first place?" asked Bonnie.

"He fell into the mirror, so maybe we can walk right through it like its air!" said Clemont.

Serena quickly volunteered to be the first to go in, "I'll go in first and see." she said.

She walked towards the mirror with hopes that she would be able to get inside of it, but she ended up hitting her face with the surface, which caused her to step back from the shock that it didn't work.

"Why didn't it work?" she asked as she held her nose.

"Maybe someone smaller needs to go in first. I'll try!" suggested Bonnie. However, she got the same results as Serena and couldn't with through the mirror either.

"OW!? Why isn't it working?" she asked.

Clemont walked up closer to the crystal mirror and lifted his right hand to touch it. He pressed his hand against it to try and get through it, but his efforts were in vain as it did nothing.

"How could Ash get through it, but we can't?" he asked himself softly.

Serena was now starting to lost hope that Ash would ever appear again. She just couldn't think of this being the last time she would ever get to see him again. She still had a lot of new memories that she wanted to make with him. She never got a chance to tell him that she loved him!

'Ash, please come back to me!' she thought to herself as a few tears down her cheeks.

(With Ash)

"Why did you need to take the other you into the forest for?" asked Mirror Serena to Ash.

Ash smiled while waving his finger sideways, "It's a secret!" he answered.

Mirror Serena just pouted and turned her head away from him. Ash and the Mirror group were now walking through the forest to help Mirror Ash find his missing Pikachu. Before that, Ash took his double into the forest for a second away from the eyes of the others for a little private talk and boost of confidence to aid them in their search. Now they were walking through the forest to find Mirror Ash's Pikachu.

"How far do you think he could have gotten?" asked Mirror Bonnie.

"I'm not too sure about that. It's been about an hour since I last saw him, he could be far away by now." sighed Mirror Ash.

"You can't just give up hope like that so easily. You need to think positively and work hard at something if you wish to get it. We'll find your Pikachu." Ash assured his double.

"You really think that we can find him?" asked Mirror Ash.

"I know that we'll find him, we just have to keep on looking until we do." Ash smiled.

"Pika Pika!" said Pikachu with a smile.

Mirror Ash smiled at his double and started to feel a little bit better. He had some hope that he could find his Pikachu again. The team kept on walking in order to continue on their search for Mirror Pikachu. They had no idea that they were being watched from the bushes by something who doesn't like strangers on his territory!

(5 Minutes Later)

"How far could he have gotten?" asked Mirror Clemont.

"I'm not really sure." replied Mirror Ash.

The group was now on a dirt road path that was in the middle of the forest. They were now in front of a bunch of bushes that were under a tall tree. They heard the bushes move a bit and decided that maybe it could be Mirror Ash's Pikachu.

"You think it could be him, Ash?" asked Mirror Bonnie.

"I sure hope so." replied mirror Ash.

"Let's pull the bushes back on three. One..." said Ash.

"Two..." continued Mirror Bonnie.

"Three!" finished Mirror Ash.

The two Ashes pulled back the bushes to see what made them move a few seconds ago. They found a Pikachu tangled up in vines and hanging down from the branches of a tree. He was struggling to get out of the vines, but he couldn't.

Mirror Ash quickly recognized the Pikachu and know for sure that it was his this time, "Pikachu! It's you!" cheered Mirror Ash.

"Pika Pika Pikachu!" replied the tangled up mouse Pokemon.

Mirror Ash ran over and started to untie his buddy from the messy vines that kept him from moving, "How did you get stuck like this?" he asked.

"Pi Pi Chu Pika." replied Mirror Pikachu.

"Pi? Pika Pika Pi Chu!" screamed out Ash's Pikachu.

"IT"S A TRAP!" yelled Ash.

"RRAAGGGGGGGHHHHH!" roared a loud voice. It was the voice of a wild Pokemon that sounded hungry!

The team turned around and were face to face with an Arcanine that eyed them with hunger.

"Oh no! What's an Arcanine doing here?" asked Mirror Ash as he started shaking in fear.

"My guess is that we're probably on his territory. I heard that they don't like trespassers!" answered Mirror Clemont.

"I'm not going to let a big bad dog scared me, not when I can fight fire with fire!" said Mirror Serena as she reached for her Pokeball the held Fennekin.

"You already used Fennekin in our battle. You can't use her to fight, she's already hurt!" reminded Ash.

Mirror Serena stopped and remembered that Ash was right, without Fennekin to defend her she was now defenseless, "Oh..."

Mirror Ash started to untie his Pikachu from the vines as fast as he could, but he wasn't getting anywhere close to freeing him as he was rushing too much to do it properly. The team started to back up a bit from the Arcanine as it got closer to them. Ash started to think of a way to get everyone out of being Arcanine food as fast as he could. He could use Pikachu a full power, but he suddenly got a better idea.

"Hey, Ash..." he called out to Mirror Ash, "Do you remember the gift I gave you a little while back before we started looking for your Pikachu?"

Mirror Ash nodded his head in response to his double's question. The others, however, were just confused to what the two Ashes were talking about.

"What gift?' asked Mirror Serena.

"I think it's time to use it!" said Ash, completely ignoring Mirror Serena's question.

Mirror Ash started to remember what his double gave him before they started searching for his Pikachu. It was right after the battle between Mirror Serena and Ash...

(Flashback)

Ash and Mirror Ash are in the forest away from the others so that they can talk in private for a bit. Which had Mirror Ash a bit confused as to why his counterpart wanted to talk to him about.

"What is it that you want to talk about?" he asked.

"I wanted to let you know something about me that will not only help you out in getting your Pikachu back, but can also help you stand up for yourself too." Ash answered.

Mirror Ash was surprised at what his double just said. If what he was saying was true, then he could finally have some more confidence in himself and not cry so much. He could finally be brave and defend himself and his friends!

"What is it?" he asked Ash.

"First, give me your hand." replied Ash.

Mirror Ash gave him his right hand and waited to see what Ash would do next.

"Now, close your eyes." he said.

Mirror Ash closed his eyes and waited for something to happen. Ash started to pour his aura into Mirror Ash's hand in order to power up the hidden aura that was locked away inside of him. Ash closed his eyes as well so that he could look deeper and find Mirror Ash's aura. He suddenly felt it and started to awaken it by activating his own aura as well. The hands of both of the Ashes started to glow blue as it meant that the two have now activated their auras, now they just needed the element that they're naturally given. It took some time, but Ash started to hear the sound of electricity in his hand. The sound only grew louder and it caused him to open his eyes and see that both his and Mirror Ash's hand were covered in yellow electricity!

Mirror Ash opened his eyes and was surprised to see that he had electricity coming from out of this own hand!

"Woah! What's happening?!" he asked in shock of what's happening.

Ash chuckled at his double's reaction, "You know about the aura that Lucarios use, right?"

"Yeah, Lucarios are some of the most famous Pokemon in the world, so a lot of people know about their aura." replied Mirror Ash.

"Well, believe it or not. There are a few humans who also have the ability to control aura as well. We can use it to create attack and defenses just like Pokemon. The reason that we're both controlling lightning is because its the elemental type of our first Pokemon. Since your another version of me and I can use aura, you must be able to use it too." explained Ash.

Mirror Ash was amazed and could hardly believe what Ash was saying, but he looked at his hand and saw that the yellow lightning was still there meaning that it was all true. If he can use aura now, then he could now stand up for himself more!

"Thank you. Now I won't be scared so much anymore!" replied Mirror Ash with a smile.

Ash smiled at his double and was happy that he could help, "No problem. Now let me show you a few tricks to help you get the hang of this." he said.

(Flashback Ends)

"You're right, it's time!" said Mirror Ash. The two Ash Ketuchms then walked in front of the group in a protective manner and looked at Arcanine with serious stares. Arcanine return the look as he saw that the two look-a-likes have decided to stand and fight. But for some reason, they weren't having their Pokemon stand in front of them?

"WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING?! ARE YOU TRYING TO GET EATEN?!" shouted Mirror Serena in disbelief of what the two Ashes were doing.

"You could get hurt!" said Mirror Clemont.

"Other Ash, use your Pikachu." called out Mirror Bonnie.

Arcanine decided that he had enough and jumped towards them to pounce on his prey. Until the two Ashes did something unexpected.

"Double Thunderbolt." they called out. The two of them then surrounded their bodies with yellow electricity and launched it at Arcanine. The two lightning attacks combine to a single more powerful Thunderbolt that landed a critical hit on Arcainie and sent him flying back from the impact.

"What do you think?" asked Ash as he looked at Mirror Ash.

Mirror Ash was amazed at what just happened. He stood up for himself and damaged his attacker at the same time. Sure he had help, but he still had the courage to do it in the first place. He even protected his friends as well.

The others were awestruck at what happened before their eyes. Two Ash Ketchums had used Thunderbolt from their own bodies to attack an Arcanine that was going to eat them. One of them was known for being a crybaby that barely had any confidence in himself, but he somehow still found the strength to fight back!

"W-What...just happened?" asked Mirror Serena. She was too surprised to think properly about anything after seeing Mirror Ash protect them, with some help.

"I believe that the two Ashes fired a Thunderbolt from out of their own bodies!" replied Mirror Bonnie.

"That was the coolest thing ever!" cheered Mirror Clemont.

Arcanine would have to disagree on that statement as he was getting up from the ground. He didn't think that a human using an electric type move was cool at all, especially when he was the one hit by it. He then glared at the two boys as he opened his mouth and made his whole jaw catch on fire!

"He's going to use Fire Fang!" said Mirror Ash as he pointed to the incoming dog Pokemon.

"I got this. Charge Beam!" shouted Ash as he brought his hands together and started to gather yellow electricity. He waited for just the right moment until Arcanine was right in front of him and fired Charge beam at him from a point blank range!

Arcanine was sent back from the attack once again and landed on the ground, only this time he landed on his feet and slid back against the dirt. He looked at Ash with fury and rage as he was now done playing around!

He opened his mouth again and unleashed a Fire Spin that was heading towards the group. Everyone dodged it by leaping out of the way and avoided the fire type move, unfortunately, the flame caught on the leaves of the tree and started to set it on fire!

"Oh no! If one tree catches on fire the others will too!" panicked Mirror Clemont.

Ash took action and tossed a Pokeball that had just the Pokemon for the job, "Frogadier, use Water Pulse!"

Frogadier soon appeared and started to form a ball of water in his hands before he tossed it at the tree. The liquid soon put out the flames as the tree now only had burned leaves on it. With that problem out of the way, the team started to think about what to do with the angry Arcanine.

"Frogadier, use Water Pulse on Arcanine." called out Ash.

Frogadier followed Ash's order and began to make another ball of water in his hands. Once it was done, he tossed it at the fire type Pokemon, but it didn't hit as Arcanine dodged it in time.

"What else can we try?" asked Mirror Bonnie.

"Pika Pika Pi." replied Mirror Ash's Pikachu.

"Pikachu!? When did you get out of the vine?" asked Mirror Ash as he hugged his partner.

"Pi Pi Pika Chu." Mirror Pikachu explained that he managed to release himself a few seconds before the tree caught on fire.

"That's great! I'm so glad you're safe." smiled Mirror Ash.

"I hate to interrupt the moment, but there's still an angry Arcanine that was us for lunch!" shouted Mirror Serena.

"I'll handle it. Pikachu, Electro Ball." said Mirror Ash.

Mirror Pikachu started to create a ball of electricity from his tail that grew bigger and bigger until he fired it at Arcanine, who had his back turned and was unable to see it coming. This resulted in him getting hit by it and taking more damage.

"Use Water Pulse again." called out Ash.

Frogadier made another ball of water in his hands and threw it in Arcanine's direction, but this time, it hit him. The effectiveness of the attack was strong and it looked like Arcanine would need just one more hit to go down!

The two Ashes looked at each other with a smile, "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" asked Ash.

"I think so?" replied mirror Ash.

The two of them leaned in closer and started whispering to each other. Once they were finished, they then got down on their knees and started whispering to their Pikachus. They then stood up again and looked at Arcanine, who was panting hard from how tired he was and all the damage that he took from the battle.

Ash decided that maybe it was time to try talking their way out of this situation, "Arcanine, we don't want to fight anymore! Let us all go and we won't hurt you again!" he said.

Arcanine did not agree with Ash's suggestion and used all of the strength that he had left to unleash a powerful Flamethrower at the team! It was coming at them fast and it looked pretty powerful as it got closer!

'You try to be reasonable.' thought Ash, as he now knew what he and the others had to do.

The two sets of doubles started to surround their bodies with electricity all at the same time. They kept charging it up until the Flamethrower was about ten meters in front of them, that was when they unleashed their most powerful attack!

"MEGA THUNDERBOLT!"

The four of them all fired off a stream of lighting from their bodies before they all combined into a single Thunderbolt. The Thunderbolt and Flamethrower collided and the two attacks started to push against each other in a beam struggle in order to overcome each other and hit their targets!

Arcanine was putting as much power as he could into his Flamethrower so that he could hit the group of trainers with it, but that Thunderbolt was making it difficult for him to hit his mark. The Ashes and Pikachus were struggling from the same problem as the Flamethrower was making it hard for them to hit Arcanine. This only started to get worse when it looked like the Flamethrower was surpassing the Thunderbolt!

'Not good! We need to try harder, or else we're all going to be barbequed Arcaninie food!' Ash thought to himself.

He then thrust his arms out forward as if he was pushing something in front of him. Mirror Ash copied his action and the two of them were now putting more power into the attack. The Pikachus decided to support themselves by getting down on all four limbs, which ended up adding them in getting better balance.

These changes in position ended up helping the doubles in making the Thunderbolt stronger, as it started to push back against Arcanine's Flamethrower. Now the attacks were evenly matched again. But how long before one side grew stronger?!

The other three trainers could only watch as the beam struggle continued on. They felt a hand full of emotions move through their bodies the more that they watched, fear, excitement, confusing, uselessness, etc.

Mirror Serena was the first one to come back to her senses, "That's it! I can't just sit here anymore!" she said as she was about to get up, but Ash's Frogadier stopped her from going.

"Move it! I'm going to help them." she said.

Frogadier shook his head in response. He knew that the Ashes and Pikachus needed help, but having the others come out would do more harm than good.

"You expect me to just stand by while they're out there risking their lives for us?!" she shouted as she pointed towards the Ashes and Pikachus.

"Froga Frog!" replied Frogadier. He then lifted his right hand and showed Mirror Serena that he created a Water Pulse in his hand. The look on her face made it clear that she knew what he was up to.

Frogadier then turned around and looked at Arcanine as he was too busy focusing on his Flamethrower to notice anything else. It was the perfect time to strike!

Frogadier leaped into the air and aimed a bit in order to make sure that he hits his mark. Once he was ready, he tossed the Water Pulse at Arcanine, which landed right in his face!

The doubles saw this as an opportunity that they could not waste and used it to its fullest!

All four of them used up as much as electricity as they could and added more power to the Thunderbolt to make it stronger than before and with Arcanine distracted from the surprised Water Pulse, it meant that his Flamethrower was weakened. The Thunderbolt pushed harder against the Flamethrower until it surpassed it and ended up hitting Arcanine!

"RAAGGHHHHHHH!" he yelled in pain as the electric attack shocked him to the core and fried him good.

The two Ashes and Pikachus decided that Arcanine had enough and stopped the attack. Everyone looked at the fire type Pokemon to see what was going to happen next! He just stood still for a moment and didn't move at all, until a bit of static appeared around his fur, after that he lost balance and dropped to the ground!

Everyone stared at Arcanine's unconscious form for a bit longer until they realized that they won!

"We did it! We did it!" cheered Mirror Ash as he jumped up and down with excitement at their accomplishment.

"Pika." said Mirror Pikachu as he formed arms over his chest and smiled.

"I was a little worried there for a moment! I need to train harder once we get back, right, buddy?" Ash asked his Pikachu.

"Pikachu." replied Pikachu as he nodded his head.

The rest of the group finally managed to recover from the shock that they've entered after seeing that battle with a wild Arcanine and wanted some answers on that just happened.

"I'm still a little confused on what we saw just happened. Can someone please explain to us how you all were able to use electricity together?" asked Mirror Bonnie.

The two Ashes looked at each other for a moment before turning to face the rest of the group, "It's a long story..." said Ash.

(One Explanation Later)

The group was now rushing towards the Reflection Cave in the Mirror World as fast as they could before the sun goes down. The reason being that Mirror Clemont remembered something about the Reflection Cave. If someone enters through a mirror crystal and doesn't go back by sundown, they'll be stuck in the Mirror World forever!

Ash and Pikachu couldn't be stuck in this place for the rest of their lives because they still have their friends to get back to. So, they were rushing quickly in order to make it in time!

"I think I see it up ahead." called out Mirror Bonnie.

Everyone looked at where she was pointing and saw a cave entrance inside a rock wall. Ash and Pikachu dashed right in with the hopes that they weren't too late to go back to their home dimension. The mirror counterparts quickly followed them inside and found Ash standing in front of a mirror crystal.

"Why'd you stop?" asked Mirror Serena.

"This is the same mirror crystal that I fall through when I first got here, so, it has to be the way back home." he replied.

The others looked at the mirror crystal and saw only their reflections. But Mirror Ash recognized it as well, "Your right. This is the same one that I pulled you and your Pikachu out of. It must be to way back!" he said.

Everyone kept on staring at the mirror crystal until it suddenly started to glow. It meant that it was activated and was ready for Ash and Pikachu to use.

Ash then turned around to get one last look at the look-a-likes of himself and his friends, "Well, I guess this is it. I'm glad to have met you all, it was interesting, to say the least." he said.

"Same for us. You take care of yourself, Ash." replied Mirror Clemont.

"Keep battling the way you do and you'll be a Pokemon Master in no time!" smiled Mirror Serena.

"Thanks," smiled Ash as he turned to his mirror counterpart, "Remember, Ash, have confidence in yourself and you'll do just fine."

"I will. Thanks for helping me get my Pikachu back and for this gift." said Mirror Ash with a smile as he lifted his left hand and covered it with lightning.

"Best of luck to you, Ash. And say hello to your Bonnie for me." said Mirror Bonnie.

Ash turned around and looked into the mirror crystal, "I will. Thanks for everything you guys, goodbye!" he said. He then reached out towards the mirror and touched it with his right hand, then his whole arm when through it. And finally, his whole body went into the mirror as both he and Pikachu disappeared from the Mirror World.

(Reflection Cave)

Serena, Clemont and Bonnie were still standing in front of the mirror crystal that Ash disappeared into. They still couldn't figure out why Ash was able to go through it and they couldn't, it made waiting for him to come back on his own the only available option that they had. But, most of them were now starting to lose hope of Ash and Pikachu coming back safe and sound.

"Oh, are we ever going to see Ash again?" asked Bonnie.

"Of course we are, Bonnie. Don't even ask that!" replied Clemont with a determined face. He knew that Ash was going to return to them. He couldn't explain it, but he had a lot of faith in the raven haired boy. If Ash could survive and accomplish so many incredible things on his journey throughout the world, then coming back from another dimension was just another weekly scenario for a TV show to him!

Before another word could be said by anyone, the mirror crystal started to glow brightly, forcing the three of them to cover their eyes to protect them from the brightness. The glowing soon stopped and they removed their arms from their eyes and saw a sight that brought joy to them all, especially Serena!

"ASH!" she cried out in joy as she ran up to him and threw herself at him, forcing him to hug her so that she won't make the two of them fall. (Pikachu jumped off his shoulder the moment Serena yelled Ash's name.)

"Woah...Easy, Serena. I'm right here!" he said as he held her close to him in a hug. He didn't know why, but he was happy to see this Serena again. Maybe it was because of how much stronger their bond is than the one their counterparts have.

"Ash, you're back!" smiled Clemont as he ran up to his friend and stood next to him while looking down and seeing him be hugged.

"We were so worried about you two!" said Bonnie as she hugged Pikachu.

"We've been trying to get in through the mirror to follow you, but nothing worked. I've been worried sick about you. Please don't ever disappear like that again!" said Serena as she looked at him with a worried expression.

Ash felt...touched by what Serena had just said. He knew that his friends would fear for his safety and would worry about not seeing him again, but Serena was the most affected by his disappearance. He didn't know why, but he was happy that she worried so much over him.

He wrapped his arms around her and hugged back to show his appreciation for her concern, "I'm sorry, Serena. I just follow Pikachu through the mirror crystal to make sure he was Ok, but we're both back now." he apologized to her for making her worry so much.

"What happened to you, Ash?" asked Clemont.

Ash was about to open his mouth and explain his adventure in the Mirror World, but he stopped and decided that maybe he'll do it later, when they're all rested after all the excitement, "You know what, I'll tell you guys later. Maybe when we're all rested and ready for bed I can make it a bedtime story, sound good?" he asked.

"Yeah! A bedtime story would be awesome!" cheered Bonnie.

"Then let's get out of here and find a Pokemon Center so that you can explain to us what happened." said Serena as she got up and helped up Ash. She then locked her right arm around Ash's left arm and held him for a moment.

"Uh...Serena, what are you doing?" asked a very confused Ash Ketchum.

"I don't want you to disappear again, so I'm going to hold you close to me so that doesn't happen." she answered.

Ash looked at her face and could see that she was very concerned him. He felt kinda happy that she was worried about him, but for some strange reason, he also felt happy that she was so close to him. He smiled and decided to let her have her moment, "With you taking care of me, I'll be as safe as can be."

Serena felt warm and happy by his response and then rested her head on his shoulder. Ash decided not to question it and the two of them started to leave the cave. Bonnie and Pikachu were smiling at the sweet scene and were happy to see that Serena was putting more effort into getting out of the friend zone with Ash and trying to enter the romance zone. Clemont meanwhile was a bit confused about what had gotten into Serena lately.

'What's up with her?' he wondered.

(With Ash and Serena)

As the two of teens walked closer to the cave's exit. Serena decided that it was time to ask Ash something, "Hey, Ash..."

"Yeah?" he replied as he turned to meet her face.

"We're going to stay on our journey together, right?" she asked with a hopeful smile.

All Ash could do was smile and give the obvious answer, "For sure, I wouldn't want it any other way."

"I wouldn't want to be traveling without you all by my side either." said Clemont as he walked up behind them.

"We're a team. And we're always going to be a team!" cheered Bonnie.

"Pika Pika!" said Pikachu as he stood up on Bonnie's head.

"Dedenne!" replied Dedenne as he popped his head out of Bonnie's bag.

Serena was happy with the answers that everyone gave, but she decided it was time to ask a more serious and impactful question, "What about after our journey is over? What will you do then?"

Ash thought about it for a moment and replied, "Well, once I'm finished here, I'll be heading back home to Kanto and thinking about what I'll do next. But we're nowhere near the end this adventure, so don't worry about it for now."

Serena took a moment to absorb all of that information and began to realize that her time with Ash was limited until the Kalos League. She didn't want Ash to leave without know what he meant to her and knew that she was going to have to tell him sooner or later if she wanted to enjoy this journey with him to the fullest. The group them started to walk out of the Reflection Cave and got back on the path towards the next town.

Serena still held Ash close and was now thinking about how and when to confess her feelings, 'I have to tell him! If I don't, then coming with him on this journey would have all been for nothing!' she thought to herself.

To Be Continued...

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you all!

This is 79003car here! I hope that you've all enjoyed this chapter, as it was the final chapter I'll be writing this year in 2018. It's also my Christmas present to you all as a thank you for always supporting me throughout the year. I hope that you all stay safe this holiday season and enjoy it with your loved ones.

It's time for me to rest up for the rest of the year, but I'll be ready to give you all a great 2019 with a lot of new content to enjoy throughout the year. Thank you all for all of your support and enjoy the holidays!

I'll stay you all in '2019!'.