DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN POKEMON. IF I DID, ASH WOULD HAVE WON A LEAGUE ALREADY.

Author's Note: Sorry for disappearing like that. I'd been swamped with school work, but now that my summer break has started, I can get back to writing fanfiction. A new poll will (probably) be up on my page, so vote there.

Chapter 5

Rivalry Renewed and Santalune Gym Conquest

LAST TIME ON POKÉMON...

"Gary?!"

"Ashy boy?!"

Yes, out of all the people in the Pokémon Center, it was Gary Oak, from Pallet Town. Childhood friends, and past rivals. Gary had gone off to work as a Pokémon Researcher, leaving the active battling circuit. Ash meanwhile had forged ahead with his dream of becoming a Pokémon Master.

"What are you doing here, in Kalos?" Ash asked.

"Well, I was in Kanto only for a few days, so that's how I got your Haunter. But now.. I am here to research about Mega Evolution. Ever heard of that, Ashy boy?" Gary replied.

"As a matter of fact I have Gary, I even have a Key Stone for it." Ash countered, and took it out to show Gary.

Gary snatched the Key Stone out of his hand and held it high in the air, examining it in the light.

With an indignant 'Hey!' Ash tried to reach for his key stone, but Gary kept it out of reach, due to his slightly superior height. Gary just kept it above his face and stared at it for a few seconds, then tossed it back at Ash, who caught it.

"What was that for?!" Ash asked angrily.

"Well, that was so I could identify a Key Stone if I found one myself Ashy boy." Gary shrugged while replying.

Ash grumbled for a bit, but suddenly an idea popped into his head as he asked,"Why don't you travel with me? It'll be like old times, me and you against the world. I'll challenge the Pokémon League, and you get to research Mega Evolution!"

Gary looked stunned at the offer, he didn't say anything for a moment then smirked and replied,"Sure Ashy boy. Just try to keep up with me."

And the bickering started again, though now with Ash Ketchum, Gary Oak was also joining him, on an adventure for the history books.

The Santalune City Gym had been close by to the Pokémon Center, so both had elected to walk over to the gym, instead of riding a Pokémon.

"So Gary, are you going to challenge the Gym too?" Ash asked, curious about how much his past rival has been battling.

"Nah, I only occasionally fight the tougher gyms to keep up my team's performance. Here in Kalos, the toughest ones according to my knowledge are the Anistar City, Snowbelle City and Shalour City Gyms, so those are the ones I'll be battling. I've got a decent number of fighters, though I prefer to battle against other trainers instead of challenging Gyms. Most of my Pokémon are for research purposes." Gary explained.

Ash shook his head in acknowledgement, he knew that Gyms were far apart and required quite a bit of travelling, so it was understandable that Gary only went for the toughest Gyms to keep up his veteran battling team's strength.

Ash stopped as Gary put a hand in front of Ash while pointing one finger to the side at a building.

"We're here."

Ash stared at the side, and realized that Gary was indeed correct. The Gym was to their right, with a Pokémon League logo at the top. Ash jumped excitedly at the prospect of a Gym battle, and ran inside with Gary trailing slowly behind him.

Ash looked around as he went inside and saw that pictures hung from everywhere on the walls. Pictures of Pokemon, people, scenery and just landmarks in general.

Suddenly a voice behind him spoke, causing him to turn around.

"Are you a challenger, requesting a battle?" It was a woman, looking a few years older than Ash, with a camera hanging from her neck. Before Ash could reply, Gary answered for him,"Yeah, the little kid's here to battle, I'm just a spectator."

The Gym leader looked at Ash, and Pikachu on his shoulder, in a judging way and clicked a photo of them before walking towards the battlefield.

"Well then, allow me to introduce myself. I'm Viola, the Santalune City Gym Leader. I use Bug types as my specialty." She informed them.

Ash hurriedly walked over to catch up with her, not wanting to get lost in the building by himself.

"Wait, why did you click that picture of me? And can I get a tougher battle, because you see... I've been training some of these Pokémon for a few years, so they have more experience than the usual starting Pokémon."

"Well, I clicked that photo because I thought that you and Pikachu's bond would make a great theme. As for your second question, how many new Pokémon have you caught which you want to use?" She replied without even looking back.

"Two." Ash replied immediately without hesitation. Froakie and Fletchling would be put to good use in their first gym battle.

She just nodded, and stepped out of the corridor into a huge battlefield, surrounded by some trees. Ash and Gary walked in behind her, looking around. As Ash went towards the battlefield, Gary proceeded towards the stands to watch the battle, along with a few Gym trainers sitting there. 'They must be training under Viola to take over the Gym' thought Gary, as he sat down.

Ash and Pikachu readied themselves for their first gym badge in Kalos. Pikachu hopped down from Ash's shoulder and stood on the floor, to let his trainer concentrate on the battle. Ash turned to face the electric mouse, and in a regretful tone said,"Sorry buddy, but I think you're gonna sit this one out."

Pikachu hung his head down in disappointment, though he agreed with his trainer's decision. His other Pokémon hadn't fought on his side for a long time. It wouldn't be fair otherwise.

The referee stood in the center of the battlefield and declared,"This is a full six-on-six battle between trainer Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town, and the Gym Leader Viola. The trainer is allowed to substitute his Pokémon, while the Gym Leader cannot."

Ash adjusted his hat on his head, and got a determined glint in his eyes to win this battle. Viola had six Pokéballs on a stand next to her. She grabbed one and while throwing it yelled out,"I'm going to start it off easy, and slowly crank up the difficulty."

Ash nodded and made his choice, both Pokémon were released on the field at the same time.

Froakie against Surskit.

As soon as the flag was sent down signalling the start of the match both trainers reacted at once.

Ash called out first,"Get in close, use Quick Attack!" Froakie hopped around from place to place, while getting closer to Surskit.

"Stop it with Signal Beam!" Viola countered. Surskit quickly fired off a sinister looking beam of light straight at Froakie. Froakie determinedly ran forward, having trust in his trainer.

"Use Double Team to dodge it!" Came the reply. Froakie immediately created tens of copies, and Signal Beam ended up hitting a copy, missing it's mark.

Froakie slammed into Surskit sending it flying back. Although it wasn't enough to end it. It got back up just in time for Viola to call out,"Use Bubble!"

Froakie couldn't dodge the hit in time and was thrown backwards. It wasn't damaged much and still got back up again, ready to prove himself.

Ash grinned in excitement and Viola got ready to test the Kanto trainer.

"Ice Beam on the battlefield!"

Surskit unleashed Ice Beam on the ground an started covering all of it in ice. Ash's eyes widened in astonishment. Soon enough, all of the battlefield was covered in ice. Froakie tried to move, but it slipped on the ice, and shakily got back up. Ash realized what Viola was going for all along. She was increasing her mobility, while decreasing his own.

"Use Fell Stinger, Surskit!"

Ash had to think fast to avoid hi Pokémon getting knocked out,"Use Pound on the ground, and knock yourself up to dodge, then use your frubbles to stop it from moving!"

Surskit glided along the ice, and aimed it's leg at Froakie. Froakie's arms glowed white as it hit the ground. It wasn't a particularly powerful hit, but it did the job. Froakie was thrown into the air, where it grabbed the frubbles from around his neck and threw them at Surskit.

As soon as Surskit was beneath Froakie it got hit by the frubbles, trapping it with the ice.

Viola's gaped in shock, and shouted,"Get out of there!" It struggled to get out but it couldn't. While Froakie was still in the air, Ash called out,"Now, use Bubble!"

Froakie launched an array of bubbles towards the trapped Surskit, hitting it head on. Surskit slid back from the impact, and didn't get back up again.

"Surskit is unable to battle, Froakie wins. Gym Leader, send out your next Pokémon." The referee stated.

Viola didn't look disappointed as she recalled her Pokémon, in fact she looked happy. Happy because she was fighting a competent trainer. She picked up a second Pokéball and sent it out.

This was another Pokémon that Ash didn't recognize, so he took out his Pokédex and scanned it.

"Vivillon, the Scale Pokémon. A Bug and Flying type. Vivillon with many different patterns are found all over the world. These patterns are affected by the climate of their habitat."

Nodding, he pocketed the Pokédex and turned towards Froakie. The ice on the battlefield wasn't doing wonders for Froakie's mobility. He would have to send another Pokémon for now.

"Nice work Froakie return, now Fletchling, I choose you!" He called out.

His most recent team member came out of the Pokéball and started flying out excitedly at the prospect of his first battle.

"Use Poison Powder, Vivillon!"

"Blow it away with Razor Wind!"

Vivillon released purplish, noxious fumes towards Fletchling, but midway they were cut apart by Razor Wind, rendering the powder useless.

"Now, go in with Peck, Fletchling!"

"Blow it away with Gust, Vivillon!"

Fletchling's beak glowed white as he charged towards Vivillon. Vivillon retaliated with a huge Gust, sending Fletchling sprawling to the ground. He struggled a bit, but then managed to get back up, and flapped his wings raring to go.

"Let's speed it up with Flame Charge!" Ash grinned while shouting. Immediately, Fletchling was surrounded by an aura of flames and flew at Vivillon. It became noticeably faster, as Vivillon had no time to dodge and got hit head on.

Vivillon was about to fall to the ground, but steadied itself mid way, and turned towards Fletchling. Viola, at the same time, spoke,"Use Psychic now!"

"NO! Get out of there!" Ash shouted in panic. But it was in vain as Fletchling was hit head on, and sent crashing into the ground. He struggled to get up but couldn't. This was his first battle, and he would lose? No. Not today. Anger coursed through his veins, unlocking his hidden strength, and making his body change. His body shone with energy as it glowed with new found power. It's wings and beak elongated. Feathers sprouting on it's wings, and it's beak growing sharper. When the light diminished, a new Pokémon was standing in his place.

"Fletchinder!"

"Woah! It evolved! That's so amazing!" Ash exclaimed while taking out the Pokédex again. It scanned the new Pokémon and conveyed in a monotone voice,"Fletchinder, the Ember Pokémon. A Fire and Flying type.

From its beak, it expels embers that set the tall grass on fire. Then it pounces on the bewildered prey that pop out of the grass."

"If you think that an evolution will stop us, then think again! Now, use Acrobatics!" Viola shouted.

"We'll show you our power, match it with Steel Wing!"

Vivillon and Fletchinder both charged at each other. Vivillon's entire body was glowing blue as it moved, while Fletchinder's wings were glinting silver.

They both collided in the center of the field, and were stuck in a power struggle. Both refusing to give up.

"Don't give in Fletchinder, use Ember head on!"

Vivillon was stuck and unable to move, but Fletchinder opened his mouth and released a burst of flames straight at it, making it lose focus and collapse to the ground, eyes swirling in defeat.

"Vivillon is unable to battle, Fletchinder is the winner. Gym Leader send out your next Pokémon."

Viola recalled Vivillon with a thanks and took out her next Pokémon. A Durant.

Ash looked at Fletchinder and asked,"Can you continue, Fletchinder?"

Fletchinder shook his head in agreement and Ash got ready to continue the battle.

"Alright then, rev up with Flame Charge!"

"Stop it with Metal Sound!"

Fletchinder charged again, shrouded in flames. Durant clicked it's pincers together producing a horrible sound, which caused Fletchinder to veer off course, and crash into the ground.

"Push forward with Vice Grip!"

"Fletchinder, use Peck!"

Fletchinder couldn't get off of the ground, but still charged up his beak in determination. Durant skittered towards Fletchinder and clamped down on his beak with it's pincers.

"Now, use Thunder Fang Durant!"

Ash didn't know how to retaliate, Fletchinder's beak was trapped and it couldn't take off, effectively rendering it useless.

Durant's pincers charged with electricity as it remained clamped down upon Fletchinder. Fletchinder and Durant were both thrown back from the collision, but Durant got back up without much damage, while Fletchinder didn't.

"Fletchinder is unable to battle, Durant wins. Challenger send out your next Pokémon."

Ash recalled Fletchinder and mentally berated himself for letting Fletchinder take that damage. Viola really knew how to bring out the best in Bug types. He then steadied his nerves and looked back up, noticing that the ice was still there, untouched. He could use that to his advantage.

"Lapras, I choose you!"

His old friend from the Orange Islands materialized out of the Pokéball with a soft cry. She was happy after being released after so long and noticed the ice she was on. She looked back up and saw a little ant-like Pokémon on the ice, and got ready for the battle.

Ash grinned in excitement, bent on winning the battle. Viola also got a glint in her eye at the prospect of battling a strong Pokémon.

"Lapras, start off with Ice Beam!"

"Match it with Flash Cannon Durant!"

Both Durant and Lapras fired off silver and white beams respectively. Causing a collision in the center. There was a cloud of smoke between Lapras and Durant, covering them from the other's sight.

Ash took this time to set up his move,"Use Hail!"

Viola covered her eyes as a hail started battering away at Durant. She couldn't even see her own Pokémon. She heard Ash say,"Blizzard!"

But even then, through the hail, she tried to command her Pokémon,"Use Iron Defense, quick!"

Ice swirled around Lapras and started to head towards Durant, but it coated it's entire body in metal, protecting it from the bulk of the attack, though the sheer momentum sent it crashing into a tree side by.

Lapras stopped the onslaught of ice and waited patiently for the next move. Ash wanted to finish it up quickly and took the chance to finish it off.

"Use Aqua Tail on the ground to propel yourself, then finish off with Body Slam!"

Lapras hit the ground with a glowing blue tail, throwing herself into the air. Then she aimed towards Durant and crashed down on him, cracking the entire stadium's ice.

The hail cleared out to reveal Lapras laying on top of Durant, half embedded into the ice.

With a sad look Viola recalled Durant and praised Ash,"That's quite a Lapras you've got there. Durant didn't stand a chance."

Ash modestly accepted the praise and said,"Yeah, Lapras is amazing.. isn't she?"

Lapras cheered happily at the praise from her trainer and launched water into the air.

Viola then got a serious expression on her face and said,"But I won't be going easy on you, Ash. The real battle starts now."

Ash adjusted his gloves and pumped up his fists excitedly,"You bet!"

Viola quickly picked out another Pokémon and tossed the Pokéball into the air revealing a...

Scolipede.

Ash looked at the field and saw that the ice field was in ruins and was basically useless and uneven. Lapras wouldn't be able to move here at all. So with a quick 'thanks' he recalled Lapras, and sent out his next partner.

Leavanny materialized with a soft melody, and crossed arms. He got into a battle stance, immediately after seeing his opponent. Viola started off first,"Scolipede, start off with Venoshock!"

"Cut through it with X-Scissor!" Ash retaliated.

Scolipede spat out poisonous liquid at Leavanny, whereas Leavanny charged forward with his glowing limbs. He sliced apart the venom with his appendages, making the toxic venom fall to the ground with a 'hiss'.

Viola adjusted her camera, while Ash tilted his cap up, both getting pumped up by the battle.

"Alright Scolipede, let's push ahead with Megahorn!"

"Quick Leavanny, counter with Seed Bomb!"

Scolipede scuttled forward with a glowing horn on his head as Leavanny launched dozens of seeds at Scolipede. But Viola seemed to have been expecting this and countered,"Hit them all back!"

Ash got shocked by the speed at which Scolipede twirled it's head. It weaved in a circular motion, deflecting any attacks sent it's way, and slammed into Leavanny hard, sending him soaring back. Leavanny slowly got back up and took a defensive stance, to stay cautious of his opponent. Ash was proud of his Pokémon for battling so hard, and still staying hard. In retaliation, he shouted,"Alright then, let's try something new. Use String Shot!"

Leavanny shot off String Shot from his mouth, ensnaring Scolipede in his strings. Viola didn't look bothered much by it and countered,"Use Bug Bite to get rid off it!"

Ash was waiting for this opportunity and said,"Now, while it's busy cutting the strings, use Leaf Blade!"

Scolipede's fangs glowed green as they clamped down upon the strings, breaking them. Scolipede looked up and was as surprised as it's trainer when Leavanny was almost near it's face, and hit it, sending it crashing back. With a low groan, it got back up to fight.

Both trainers smiled at the close battle between the similar Pokémon, and shouted at the same time.

"Double Edge!"

"Leaf Blade!"

Leaf Blade collided with Double Edge at the center of the field, shaking it and causing an explosion. Both Pokémon were sent flying backwards in the direction they had come from, both refusing to get back up.

"Leavanny and Scolipede, both are unable to battle. Both sides will select a new Pokémon."

Ash and Viola both recalled their fallen Pokémon with a smile, not regretting any decision. Both simultaneously chose a new Pokéball and tossed it onto the battlefield to reveal..

A Quilava for Ash.

A Volcarona for Viola.

Ash had to be careful now. Volcarona were known to be very powerful, and if Quilava had to beat it, they would have to play the game cautiously.

Viola grinned and started off first,"Use Heat Wave, Volcarona!"

Ash quickly flicked out his hand as he shouted,"Use Flame Wheel, circle around it!"

Quilava immediately tucked himself into a ball, and started rolling on the battlefield. Most of the Heat Wave was pushed aside by the speed of the attack, though some of it grazed Quilava. As soon as Quilava was behind Volcarona, Ash shouted,"Use Flamethrower!"

"You use Flamethrower as well!" Viola countered. Both Flamethrowers met in the center and started combining together to cause a huge intensification of energy. All of it exploded outwards, throwing both Quilava and Volcarona to the ground. Volcarona landed in front of Ash, while Quilava landed on the opposite side. Both determinedly got up, not wanting to give up. Ash and Viola simultaneously smirked in exhilaration, this battle proving to be a good challenge for either trainer.

"Use Quick Attack to get in close, then Eruption, Quilava!"

"Stop them with Silver Wind, Volcarona!" Viola shouted in panic.

Quilava ran fast towards Volcarona, despite being battered by Silver Wind. He ignored the pain and charged headfirst towards Volcarona. As soon as he was below Volcarona, the flames on his back grew to enormous sizes and exploded, trapping Volcarona in a swirl of fire. Volcarona was thrown from the explosion and landed harshly on the ground.

"Volcarona! Can you still continue?" Viola asked in worry. Luckily for her, Volcarona lifted itself off the ground and fluttered it's wings weakly trying to fly. It settled for a mild hover over the ground.

Ash was amazed at the Volcarona being able to take such a powerful attack. It was still fighting. He grinned and got even more pumped for seeing her final Pokémon.

"One final Swift, Quilava!"

"Counter with Signal Beam!"

Stars materialized over Quilava, as they were launched towards Volcarona, spinning and circling as they went. Volcarona launched off Signal Beam towards Swift. The incoming stars were hit down with precision, though a few collided with it, sending it down for good, with swirls in it's eyes.

"Volcarona is unable to battle, Quilava is the winner. Gym Leader send out your final Pokémon."

Viola recalled Volcarona with a sad smile, though she didn't regret anything. She picked up a final Pokéball and held it out for Ash to see.

"Now Ash, this is my strongest Pokémon. Don't get scared so easily. Are you sure you're ready?" Viola smirked while saying.

"I was ready for this battle, the moment I stepped into this Gym. We're going home only AFTER we get the badge." Ash replied with an equally excited expression.

"We'll see about that. Now, come out Pinsir!" Viola shouted while throwing out her Pokéball. It revealed a powerful looking Pinsir, ready for battle. But it didn't stop there. It had a shiny stone hanging by a hook locked onto one of it's pincers. Viola flipped her camera towards Ash to reveal a smaller, albeit similar stone attached to the camera as well, and tapped it once. Both of the stones glowed as tendrils of light connected them together, power flowing through each tendril, changing Pinsir. Evolving Pinsir.

Ash had to look away from the bright light for a second, and when he turned back, he saw a Pinsir he had never seen before. It's horns had elongated, and were covered in spikes. Wings had grown on it's back and were buzzing rapidly. It's eyes had gone from white to shining yellow. Ash could feel the power difference from before and now easily. He looked at Quilava, unsure if he he should battle right now or not.

Ash was super excited. He had never seen Mega Evolution before. This was Mega Pinsir. Ash knew that this was going to be an amazing battle for him. Even up in the stands, Gary looked interested with the phenomenan, taking out a recorder to record the match.

"Do you want to continue Quilava?" He asked for his Pokémon's opinion, not wanting to disregard his wishes. Quilava shook his head rejecting the idea. He wanted to battle, even if he might lose. Just to show his determination.

Ash nodded and turned back towards Viola, saying,"We aren't giving up now, you can count on it. Use Burn Up!"

"Match it with X-Scissor!"

Quilava made the flames on his back burn brighter and brighter as he gathered energy. He fired it all off towards Pinsir, in a desperate final blow. Pinsir seemed to remain almost unaffected, as it blew through the Burn Up with X-Scissor, and hit Quilava. Quilava crashed painfully into the wall behind Ash, and slid down, not able to get up.

"Quilava is unable to battle, Pinsir is the winner. Challenger send out your next Pokémon."

Ash recalled Quilava with a shaky hand. He almost couldn't believe it. Quilava had been beaten so easily, granted he had already been damaged heavily by Volcarona, but still. Then he steeled his nerves, his drive to win was fueled by determination. With all his might he threw the last member of his team into the air, shouting,"Heracross, I choose you!"

The blue colored Bug and Fighting type materialized on the field while flexing his muscles. He saw the strange, but powerful, looking Pinsir in front of him and took a guarded stance. Heracross and Pinsir were natural rivals, so they were perfect opponents for each other.

Both trainers prepared themselves for what was probably going to be the last stretch of the battle. Ash pulled on his gloves and Viola adjusted her camera simultaneously.

"Start off with Megahorn, Heracross!"

"Use Vice Grip! Show them your power!"

Heracross and Pinsir both were charging towards each other, horns glowing. They clashes together and refused to budge. Heracross was clamping down on Heracross's horn from both sides.

"Use Vital Throw to fling them away!"

"No! Get out of there!"

But try as he might, Heracross couldn't break out of Pinsir's tight grip on his horn. Pinsir lifted Heracross with his pincers and threw him into the ground. Heracross skidded backwards and grounded to a stop. He got back up groggily, still wanting to prove himself. Ash quickly countered with his own move,"Use Brick Break!"

"Still won't learn Ash? Match them with Aerial Ace!"

"Watch it carefully then dodge!" Ash retaliated.

Heracross kept a watchful eye on Pinsir as it blurred in and out of view. Left, right, up, down. No movement went unnoticed by Heracross. Suddenly it disappeared from view completely, but Heracross knew where he was coming from. He had watched enough Pinsir in the wild to know their attack patterns completely. He ducked low to avoid the potentially devastating blow that could have knocked him out. Pinsir's glowing fist passed right above Heracross's horn by a hair's breadth. Heracross turned around and punched Pinsir right in the chest, sending him into the ground. Heracross flew back quickly, to get some distance between himself and his enemy.

Pinsir quickly got back with an evil look in its eyes. Heracross glared right back unflinchingly. Viola quickly picked up the pace, shouting,"Charge them with Bug Bite!"

"Use Horn Attack!"

Heracross and Pinsir both charged once again, determined on beating the other. One's horn glowing, the other's teeth. They met in the center, and created a collision to rock the field. They both flew back and crashed into the ground. Both slowly lifted themselves up, determination the only thing keeping them standing.

"Heracross, let's finish this with Close Combat!"

"Stop it with Superpower Pinsir!"

Both Bug types trudged over to each other. Punching and kicking each other, wherever they could. Each blow given, and the pain forgotten. Soon enough, both of them stopped attacking and just waited there for the other to fall.

Ash and Viola put all there efforts into one last attack.

"Double Hit to end it Pinsir!"

"Use Hyper Beam, now!"

Heracross charged up energy with half lidded eyes, while Pinsir slowly raised it's hand and punched Heracross once. Before the other hit could land though, Heracross shot Pinsir with a huge beam of light, completely engulfing it. The light vanished as Pinsir was shown to be still standing, along with Heracross.

Then, simultaneously both of them collapsed to their knees. Then a second of pause.

Then Pinsir collapsed. That did it. The decision was final.

"Pinsir is unable to battle, Heracross wins and with 3 Pokémon still remaining, the challenger Ash Ketchum is the winner."

Ash and Pikachu jumped into the air together as they celebrated their victory, while Heracross proudly, albeit weakly, raised his fists.

Up in the stands, Gary whistled, clearly impressed by the match. Ash had gotten even stronger since he had last seen him. On top of that, taking notes on a Mega Evolved Pokémon was an added bonus. The other trainers were watching with mixed expressions of sadness, anger and agreement.

Ash and Viola walked to middle of the stadium to shake hands, showing no hard feelings.

"Congratulations Ash, you beat me. As proof of your victory, I offer you the Bug badge." Viola said while taking out a badge from her pocket and handed it to Ash.

"Awesome! We just won the Bug Badge!" Ash said as he raised the badge high over his head in a pose. Pikachu and Heracross also jumped in excitement along with him.

"Nice battle Ashy boy. I see you haven't gotten slower since your last battle." Gary said as he approached them, one hand in his pocket the other holding his backpack which was slung over his shoulder.

"Of course not Gary, and I'll get much much stronger now!" Ash replied with zeal.

Gary just chuckled and said,"Yeah, yeah now come on. We need to get out of the city by nightfall. Don't slow me down."

Ash's eyes widened in shock,"Yeah! You're right. Come on Pikachu Let's go!"

He recalled Heracross as he thanked him for the amazing battle, and ran out of the battle along side Gary. Viola just snickered lightly watching them go.

Ash had just gotten his Pokémon healed at the Pokémon Center. Gary was reviewing the footage from the Gym Battle, writing down the color, behavior, look and dimensions of the Mega Pinsir. Ash didn't really understand much of it, so he took to the battlefield to train up Pupitar and Gible.

They were pseudo-legendary Pokémon, or atleast they could be, so they were the toughest types of Pokemon to train up. Though he could feel that both Gible and Pupitar were close to evolving. He tossed out their Pokéballs onto the field.

"Tar!"

"Gible!"

Both Pokémon came out with their respective cries. Gible looked around in confusion as to what was happening. Ash knelt down next to both of them and spoke in a soft voice,"Hey guys, today we'll focus on you two specifically. We're gonna get a lot stronger, am I right?"

They both let out excited cries and got ready for the training. Ash pit both of the Pokémon against Pikachu and told them to keep it low so that noone got hurt.

"Alright then, Pikachu start off with Quick Attack! Pupitar use Stone Edge! Gible use Dig!"

Pikachu raced on the field, circling around Pupitar as Gible disappeared underground. Pupitar summoned stones around him in a sphere, and flung them at Pikachu.

"Send them back with Iron Tail! Gible now!"

Pikachu jumped as he spun around his tail and hit the stones back at Pupitar, though he remained relatively unaffected. As soon as Pikachu landed Gible appeared from beneath the ground and bit Pikachu's tail.

"Alright, now Electro Ball!"

Pikachu charged up a small amount of electricity in his tail, concentrating all of it into a ball and fired it inside Gible's mouth. Gible let go of his tail quickly and scrunched his mouth, feeling an odd, but not painful sensation in his mouth.

As soon as Pikachu jumped back and landed on all four paws, a net was fired off from the side and stuck onto both Pikachu and Pupitar, capturing them together.

"Hey! What's the big deal!" Ash shouted, clearly annoyed.

As soon as turned around he saw it. A large balloon, shaped like a Meowth. Internally he let out a groan,'Not these guys again'. Three figures were visible in the balloon. Two people and a Pokémon.

"Prepare for trouble"

"Make it double"

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all people within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Jessie!"

"And James!"

"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now, or prepare for a fight!"

"Meowth, that's right!"

"Wobbuffet!"

"Team Rocket! What are you doing to Pikachu?!" Ash yelled out in frustration.

"Well, what does it look like? We're stealing Pikachu and you can't stop us." Jessie teased him.

"Not if I have anything to say about it. Me and Gible are still left. Gible use Rock Climb!"

Gible immediately took off, stones raising into the air as Gible jumped off each one to get even higher.

"Now, Slash!"

"Not if Meowth can do anything about it!" Meowth gave a laugh as he jumped into the air and stopped Slash with his own Fury Attack, then proceeding to backflip into the balloon as Gible landed on the ground.

"Alright then, we'll just have to hit you from here! Use Draco Meteor!"

Gible fired off a sphere into the sky, which slowed as it peaked height. Then it split off into several orbs and hurtled down at high speeds in all directions. As soon as some of them were about to hit Team Rocket's balloon, Wobbuffet jumped up and his entire body was covered with a glow, as soon as an orb hit his body it was reflected back towards Gible.

Mirror Coat. A move which reflects Special Attacks back at the opponent.

No one had time to react as it hit Gible, exploding directly in his face.

"Gible!" Ash shouted in panic. He had to have taken good damage from that hit. And Ash was right. There was a crater in which Gible was struggling to stand. He staggered ahead as Team Rocket laughed, getting even further away. For the first time Ash saw an angry look in Gible's eyes. He gave off a pained cry as he was shrouded in light, which abruptly ended as they saw the spectacle before them.

Gible's body was elongating, his arms and legs getting a more defined shape. He was growing jagged fins on his arms and his face changed from a circular to a more oval shape.

"Gabite!" It gave a cry as the light died down, revealing the new Pokémon.

"Awesome! Gible you evolved into Gabite! Now let's show them!" Ash yelled in excitement.

Gible, without a word, just took off. It was surrounded by a purplish glow as it moved. Gaining momentum as it flew.

Dragon Rush.

He crashed into Team Rocket's balloon with such force that Pikachu and Pupitar's net fell off, right into Ash's hands. The balloon was already damaged, moving down slowly, instead of up. Pikachu untangled himself from the net and jumped onto the ground, sparking his cheeks angrily.

"Send them away with Thunderbolt."

Pikachu sent off a Thunderbolt flying in their direction. It hit the balloon, making it explode and sending Team Rocket soaring into space.

"We're blasting off again!" Was heard throughout the city, as the trio blasted off and disappeared as a twinkle in the sky.

Ash stared off into the distance for a second, after which he turned back towards his three Pokémon on the field.

"You all were so amazing! Gabite even evolved from Gible!"

The Pokémon took in the praise happily, Gabite going as far as to biting Ash's head, though it was more playful than aggressive.

Quickly recalling them, Ash headed inside, to get them quickly checked up for injuries. He was getting excited at everything that Kalos would have to offer. Mega Evolution, new rivals, new friends and new Pokémon.

Author's Note: I think Gym Leaders should have more powerful Pokémon since they are referred to as the eight strongest trainers in a region. So, Mega Evolution Pokémon for each Gym Leader seems fitting, but only if the trainer asks for it. Regarding me giving genders to Ash's Pokémon, it makes them seem more like a living creature, rather than an object.

If you have any particular opinion for a Pokémon's gender, feel free to voice your opinion. I'll only assume the gender of those Pokémon whose gender is Unown(see what I did there, no? I'll leave now), otherwise I'll try to follow the Canon genders.

Author's Note 2: Hope you all enjoyed the chapter, if you have any questions feel free to PM me about it, or leave a review. Don't forget to favorite and follow if you like the story, motivates me to continue my writing.

Concerning the story, I'm currently debating on certain topics, so expect polls to be up on my page(if not now, then in the future).

Expect next chapter in two weeks, not before that. Sorry for my slow typing. Forgive my hands.

This is OmegaLordtheFirst.

Peace out.