"Thunderbolt!"

Ash's voice ripped through the Shalour Gym Arena, not even drowned out by the thunder of the subsequent attack. A strike of golden lightning cracked the air in two, onlookers turning away lest they be blinded. Ash and Pikachu, however, didn't waver. The bolt of energy hit its target, encasing their opponent in a cocoon of electricity.

"Lucario!" Korrina cried, nearly stepping into the ring. She couldn't see her partner, and for a moment, she couldn't feel them either. Did the Mega Evolution bond get cut?

Pikachu touched down to the ground with a light bounce, eyes locked on the dispersing smoke cloud ahead of him. He had to stay standing. If Pikachu fell before Lucario was confirmed to be out, they could lose.

Yet, both Ash and Pikachu's fears were confirmed, as the kneeling form of their opponent broke through the smoke. Lucario growled at them, their Mega Form still holding. They had knocked them down, but not out.

"Good job, Lucario!" Korrina cheered, steeling herself. She pointed forward, proudly. "Now, let's finish this! Aura Sphere!"

Lucario pushed themself to their feet and reared back, a blue sphere forming in their paws in the next moment. Pikachu trembled and steadied himself for a moment, gritting his teeth. Ash did the same, analyzing the situation in an instant.

Pikachu didn't have too much left in him, Ash thought. One direct hit and they were most likely out. They had to finish this now.

"Pikachu—" Ash paused. Korrina had to know that as well, he thought. Any move from them and she'd have Lucario launch their attack early. And Pikachu was probably too hurt to effectively dodge.

So they wouldn't dodge.

"Pikachu! Volt Tackle!" Ash called out, the familiar words crossing his lips with an air of nostalgia. Both Korrina and Pikachu had a moment of shock. They weren't expecting this. Of them, however, Pikachu grinned. He knew not to question Ash's sudden ideas.

"Pika!" Pikachu shot forward, accelerating far faster than any Quick Attack had ever taken him. In one step, he was a meter closer, in another, he was a five. Korrina's eyes widened as in less than a second, Ash's Pikachu was encased in a shell of golden light. "Pikapikapikapikapika!"

"Lucario, now!" she cried.

"Pika!"

There was a flash of gold and blue, then an explosion that took up the entire ring. Ash fought hard against the shock wave whilst Korrina struggled to not be pushed away on her skates. At this point, all of Ash's party had run for cover.

Ash stumbled back onto his haunches as the boom came to an end, breathing heavily before opening his eyes. The wall of dust that greeted him didn't serve to calm his worry.

"Ash, are you okay!" he heard Serena call from the rafters. Ash couldn't bare to pull his eyes to look up at her, his attention dead set on his partner.

"Pikachu!" he called, cupping his hands to yell into the smoke. His lack of patience was soon rewarded as the cloud quickly cleared, revealing both his partner and the result of the match.

Lucario stood, weak and breathing deeply, but conscious. Their arms were crossed in front of them, protecting it vaguely from what had just happened. Before them was Pikachu, undeniably knocked out, but thankfully breathing. He was just unconscious.

And they had lost.

Ash let out a mixed sigh of disappointment and relief. Relief that his partner was okay, and disappointment that they had lost a second time.

Guess they'd have to try something else.

There was a knock on the door of the Pokémon Center accommodations. Ash blinked, the sound rousing him from his attempts to sleep. It was one of those rare nights he had trouble knocking out. He looked at the door for a moment before the digital clock on the wall.

"3 AM?" Ash said aloud. He stumbled from the bed and approached the door, taking care to not wake up Serena, Clemont, Bonnie, or Pikachu. The door cracked open, and Ash recoiled as he adjusted to the stream of bright hallway light. His eyes strained before widening, seeing who stood before him. "Korrina?"

"Get your stuff, I've got something to show you," she said with a smile, as if she weren't at his door at an ungodly hour of the night. He blinked once before nodding.

"Alright, but—" Ash glanced back at his party, deciding he'd be back before they even noticed. "—What's going on?"

"It's been like three days since you challenged me," she exposited, drifting to the right on her roller blades. "Thought I'd kick your butt into gear with something cool."

Her infectious smile grew onto Ash, who felt his lips turning up on their own. He didn't know why, but he was getting excited. He just had one question.

"Why so late?"

Korrina grinned.

"Let's just say I have a special guest who's on quite a tight schedule," she explained, giving a wink. Her hand gripped the handle of the door and tugged. "Hurry up, I don't got all night."

With a pull, the door shut with a silent thump, leaving Ash standing in the room in the dark.

"Hmph, so she can tell the time," he muttered with a sarcastic smile.

"Woah," Ash muttered with his mouth agape, stepping into the cave entrance. Long glittering stalactites hung down from the ceiling, enticing him with their dance of different colours. He would've stood in amazement for hours.

Korrina pulled his sleeve, urging him to keep moving as he stared and gawked. For once, her roller blades were gone, replaced now with sturdy boots for the journey below. Ash shook his head before grinning, following her lead down the path.

It took a few minutes of trekking before they reached their destination, an opening in the cave system with a chamber inside. Scores of excavation equipment stood against the walls, with a table in the center. Blueprints and papers that Ash would die of boredom of if he tried to read them covered said table.

The walls glistened with more spectacular colours, like a starfield itself lived in the stone. This would've taken his attention again, if it weren't for a far more interesting feature: a person.

"Ash Ketchum!" A happy voice called from one of the back walls, surprising Ash. The figure stood up, causing rock dust and a few pebbles to fall away from the long flowing clothing on their body. With a turn, Ash immediately recognized the person before him. How could he not?

"Cynthia?" he said, stepping in with his eyes widening. "Oh, wow Cynthia! I haven't seen you in forever!"

Korrina smirked from the entrance of the cave opening, crossing her arms as she watched the two old friends greet one another.

"Haha, I wish I could say the same about you, Ash," Cynthia responded with a smile, walking to the table in the center of the room. She deposited some flat stones Ash didn't notice she was carrying. "It seems like every other month I'm hearing about you in the news or from one of the other champions. You've made quite a name for yourself."

"Ah, it's okay. Not like anything I've been doing is as cool as being a Pokémon champion!" Ash replied, talking down his own adventures. Cynthia turned to him, sparking a question to mind. "What are you doing here in Shalour City? And why so late?"

"Oh I was stopping by the Kalos region for a small event with Diantha, but honestly could not miss the opportunity to examine some of the exquisite ruins here." Cynthia pointed over to the wall she been crouched by moments ago, directing Ash's sight to the site in question.

It took him a moment, but he definitely caught distinctly carved lines and imagery behind numerous spots where the stone had chipped.

"I decided to spend the only night I was here in Shalour to examine this area, with Korrina's permission of course."

Ash turned back to Korrina, who uncrossed her arms and stepped forward.

"I couldn't leave her alone down here, so I stuck around and struck up some conversation while she worked." She stopped at the table's side and picked up one of the flat stones Cynthia had dug up. "And man, has she worked. She's found stuff I couldn't even dream was down here."

Cynthia grinned before turning and walking back to the wall.

"These markings have absolutely enraptured me," Cynthia said, her fingers traveling the surface of the stone in her hand. She looked up at the cave wall. "They're absolutely authentic, from thousands of years ago, but it's depicting imagery that would suggest it's from the Hoenn region!"

"Wow, that's crazy! Isn't Hoenn on the other side of the world or something?" Ash asked. Cynthia nodded, raising the stone she held and holding it between her and the wall.

"Yes, which suggests the people at the time had some kind of communications set up between them, which is an interesting development in world history," Cynthia said, her voice waning. After a moment, however, it picked up. She stepped forward. "But honestly, what I care about more, is what the markings depict."

Cynthia pressed the stone in, matching the hole in the wall nearly perfectly. Fiddling with it for a moment, she stepped away, as it hung on securely.

The image of a dragon rising to the sky revealed itself to the three.

"Woah," Ash commented, immediately taken by the cave carving. It was striking and powerful, yet, somehow familiar.

"Who's that Pokémon?" Korrina asked, leaning in. Ash pulled out his Pokédex and raised it up to the image before them. It immediately beeped, however, telling him that this wasn't some Pokémon he had seen before.

Yet, he felt like he had.

"Don't fret over not having this one in your Pokédex. I think the number of trainers in the world who do could be counted with the fingers on my hand," Cynthia said, reaching into her pocket then. She pulled out a small black Pokédex, bearing marks and scuff across its frame. "I had to pester Steven for weeks to get his Hoenn entries."

It took Ash a few moments to process that she meant Steven Stone, the Hoenn champion.

"Now, let's see who you are," Cynthia spoke aloud, popping open her Pokédex and pointing the camera to the cave carving. The device gave a loading tone of a moment, before letting out a light chirp, bringing a smile to the Pokémon Champion's face. A match.

"Latias, the Eon Pokémon. Latias is an extremely rare Legendary Pokémon located in the Hoenn region, but specifically near the island city of Alto Mare."

And like that, Ash felt taken back to another place and time. Memories of a lovely water city with winding canals and beautiful waterside homes returned to him. And with it, one of the highlights of his journeys.

Meeting Latias, and a promise he made to her.

While Ash was left in a state of wonder, Korrina kept her own under control. She glanced at the vague image on the Pokédex and then the clearer one on the wall.

"It looks so different though?" she questioned. "Unless…"

"There's a reason it's here in Shalour," Cynthia said with a smirk.

"A Mega-Evolved Legendary Pokémon?" Korrina said aloud, her wonder now coming through like it was for Ash. Her gaze was locked to the Pokédex in Cynthia's hands. "Psychic-type too? Oh man, I would never want to meet that in a dark alley at night. Even my Lucario would be nothing to that."

By now, however, Ash's attention was long gone, taken instead to memories of the past and thoughts of the future, of something he should've done a long time ago.

It was time, to complete a promise.

"Bone Rush!" Korrina called out, her voice barely managing a weak cry. She resisted the urge to yawn as she looked upon the battlefield, watching her Lucario, not even Mega-Evolved, fight. They blitz forward, forming a blue aura staff before swinging down on their opponent: A small child's Dedenne. "Hold it!"

Lucario's strike stopped just short of whimpering Antenna Pokémon, causing to jump back in fear. For a moment, neither fighter moved. The child standing across from Korrina cried in silence, not taking the opportunity to counter in any way. Sighing, Korrina turned away. Not even a little surprise, she thought.

"Just— Just bop it out, Lucario," Korrina ordered, skating away and not even bothering to see the result of the attack. With a light tap, Lucario knocked the Dedenne away, launching it into its trainer's arms and sending them back slightly to land on their haunches. With a whimper, the trainer looked down at their Pokémon, not even unconscious, and choose to run away.

Korrina's Lucario grumbled as they stood up, tossing the bone staff and turning to their trainer. Korrina, herself, was pacing in the background, skating in circles with her hand attached to her chin as she was lost in thought.

"Where is he, where is he!" she mumbled to herself, her pitch rising to an annoyed cry. She huffed and turned, gliding back to the gym floor with crossed arms. "I told him to take a day or two off, not a whole week!"

Lucario whined at her for a moment, reminding her of their presence.

"Oh, Lucario, you don't think he skipped us, did he?" she speculated, her hand returning to her chin. "That would be crazy uncool, I want to battle him now! Not after he's grinded against all the other Gym Leaders!"

A low growl and ruff from Lucario made Korrina pause.

"That's a good point, the last gym a trainer goes against is meant to be their most difficult," she said, holding a conversation with her taciturn partner. "We barely won last time, how are we gonna stand a chance against him with a full team?"

Lucario raised their paws, taking a fighting stance before her, a standard training form. Korrina smiled.

"You're right, we shouldn't just wait for him, we should be ready! So whenever he comes back we'll—"

"Korrina, I'm back!" the distinct voice of Ash rang out from the front door.

"Welp, training over, battle now!" Korrina rushed forward, hoping to make it to the door before her opponent could. But it was a thrown open with a blast of air, forcing Korrina to a stop as a light from outside flooded in. Her eyes adjusting, she looked back at the door and smiled at her worthy adversary. "What took you so long, Ketchum?"

Ash grinned as he walked in, Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie following behind. The later three looked slightly different, a bit tanned almost. And Korrina could definitely spot the tourist trap shirt wrapped around Bonnie's waist.

"Let's just say I took a trip to meet up with an old friend," he commented, nonchalantly taking his space in the challenger's side of the field.

Korrina skated back to her position, pulling out a Full Restore and holding back a grin. She twirled around Lucario and sprayed them liberally, eliciting a cough from her partner. She wanted to make sure this went perfectly.

"Didn't know a vacation was on the standard regimen for training," Korrina quipped sarcastically, taking her position. "But hey, if it works. Let's see if your Pokémon are strong enough to win this time."

"Let's go!" Ash roared in ecstasy, calling out his first Pokémon. "I choose you!

"Bone Rush!" Korrina cried, her arms swinging through the air as if she held the aura staff in her Lucario's hand. Her Pokémon sprinted across the field, zigzagging across several different spaces in an attempt to confuse Ash's Pokémon, Hawlucha.

"Hawlucha! Flying Press!" Ash ordered in response. Hawlucha took to the air before immediately diving on the opposing Lucario.

"Bullet Punch!" Korrina shot back. In a flash, Lucario disappeared, confusing Hawlucha as it faltered mid-attack. In a flicker, the fighting Pokémon appeared and disappeared again, before a massive blow was delivered to Hawlucha's chest. With a pained cry it fell from the sky, right into the arms of Ash who rushed out to catch it.

"You've done good Hawlucha, you've done great," Ash praised with a smile, making sure his Pokémon was okay before returning it to its Pokeball.

Across from him, Korrina tried to hold a grin. She was winning, she thought, so why wasn't Ask panicking?

"You're down to just Pikachu, and Lucario hasn't even Mega Evolved!" she declared, boasting herself. It was true, she was more ahead of Ash thing time around, but only on the fluke of the last few matchups, where she got more lucky hits. It'd be a safer victory, but in no way a safe one. "What're you gonna do now!"

"Kick her butt, Ash!" Serena called down from the sidelines, cheering on Ash. "Show her your secret weapon!"

This brought Korrina pause. What was Serena talking about? What secret weapon? Korrina gritted her teeth and puffed up her chest. It didn't matter. She was still ahead.

That was until Ash pulled out another Pokeball.

"You've caught another Pokémon?" Korrina said out loud, her earlier raw passion and energy draining away. Was this Ash's secret weapon? Is this why he left for so long? To catch this?

"Caught isn't the right word for it," Ash explained, looking down on the pokeball in his hand. He smiled, gripping it tight. "More like, reuniting with an old friend."

"Well, call it out then, there's no way it'll beat my Mega Lucario!" Korrina called out, posturing.

"We'll see about that!" Ash cried, rearing the Pokeball back. "I choose you!"

A instant of silence took the Gym.

"Latias!"

"What?!" Korrina blurted out, her mind not believing her ears. Yet, her eyes soon confirmed the story. Ash tossed the ball out, and out came a burst of light that filled the entire gym. As the pink aura faded away, Korrina was left mouth agape at the sight before her. The Legendary sight before her.

Latias, the Eon Pokémon, chirped with a shrill happy cry, flying around the perimeter of the gym as Korrina looked on in amazement. She flew back to Ash, nuzzling his head for a moment and eliciting a laugh. It was this that grounded Korrina back to reality.

"What!? How did you— when could you—" Korrina shook her head. "What!?"

Ash grinned at Korrina's flabbergasted gaze, exactly what he expected.

"How do you have a Legendary Pokémon!" Korrina cried, finally forming a full sentence. Her brows furrowed. "Where did you go on vacation!?"

"Latias is an old friend of mine," Ash explained, running his hand down the length of Latias's neck, eliciting a minor purring. "I promised I'd go back and see her someday, so I did. And she decided to come along with me!"

Korrina's mouth opened and closed in succession. One could practically decode a morse code message from it. She pinched the ride of her brow to reduce stressed followed by pinching her arm to check if she was dreaming.

"This is, completely, unfair," she grumbled, getting low and bringing her finger to her Mega Stone.

"As unfair as being the only one in this battle with a Mega Pokémon!" Ash jested playfully. Laitas nodded in agreement. Korrina grumbled.

"Still," she began, her confused frown turning into grin. "It's an honor, to face an opponent like this. Isn't it, Lucario!"

Korrina's Lucario nodded in agreement, keeping their posed fighting stance. They could tell this would be a hard battle, even with Mega Evolution.

"Hey, we feel the same way, Korrina!" Ash called, wiping his nose and grinning. "Who knows, maybe we'll find our own Mega Stone, and you can teach use how to use it."

"Hah, we'll see about that!" Korrina shouted back. With that, the two fell silent, each not saying another word to another. Latias took her position, floating in front of Ash. Lucario, meanwhile, loosened their stance, rather to pounce at a moment's notice.

And that moment was now.

"Lucario, jump into the air!" Korrina called, taking the first move. Lucario flickered from sight, appearing the air in a second, surprising Ash and Latias. "Now!"

Korrina squeezed her Mega Stone, eliciting bright bands of electric-like lightning to shoot out. Similar bands grew from Lucario, who was quickly coated in a suit of light, almost like an egg shell. The ropes of energy fired across the room, highlighting a chain between Korrina and her Lucario. In the next instant, the egg shell shattered, and Mega Lucario appeared.

"Bullet Punch!" she called next.

"Dodge!" Ash retaliated, his pause for the Mega Evolution coming to an end. Latias flickered from sight moments after Lucario, and after a second, an impact shook the gym. "Keep dodging!"

Lucario leapt from from the crater where Latias just was, looking around for their opponent. Korrina was leading them, yes, but Lucario had to make a move when she was too slow. And in this fight, being too slow was a distinct disadvantage.

"Now, Psychic!" Ash cried. Latias phased into sight just behind Lucario, letting out a blast of bright pink energy.

"Bullet Punch away!" Korrina ordered, not giving Lucario the chance to even see the attack coming. With a swing of their fist, Lucario shot away, narrowly avoiding the attack that fired behind it. "Now, turn and Bullet Punch back!"

Still skidding, Lucario spun against the ground and faced their now visible opponent. With another swing they shot back towards her.

"Ice Beam on the ground! And rise!" Ash commanded. Latias's lips curled as a beam of light blue shot out from it onto the ground. As she flew into the air, the ground at Lucario's feet became coated with a thin layer of ice.

Korrina gasped as Lucario shot past the spot Latias once was, unable to stop.

"Lucario, jump away!" she called, her eyes focusing on the rising Legendary.

"Now we gotcha, Latias, catch Lucario!" Ash cheered, cocking his fist.

"What?!" Korrina said in disbelief. Latias shot forward, ceasing her Ice Beam and grabbing Korrina's Lucario by their wrists. "Lucario, Aura Sphe—"

"Keep their arms apart!" Ash said next. Korrina's eyes widened as the small blue sphere that Lucario was forming shattered, as Latias pulled their hands away. "Now, throw them into the air!"

"Close Combat! Hold onto its arms!" Korrina retaliated. Latias tried to toss her opponent into the air, but Lucario's iron grip kept them latched on even as Latias tossed them over her head. On the downswing, Lucario pulled, bringing Latias with them. "Throw it down!"

With Lucario's muscles accelerating, they jerked Latias downward, sending her on a collision course with the gym floor.

"Latias!" Ash cried, no command coming to mind. An ploom of smoke and debris filled the arena along with the subsequent sound of the crash and cry from Latias. "Are you okay!?"

"Lucario, Extreme Speed and Bone Rush!" Korrina followed up. As Lucario cascaded towards the cloud of smoke, they formed their aura staff. A instant later, they flickered from sight, disappearing from view and into the smoke cloud.

A loud crack filled the arena.

The smoke quickly cleared and for a moment both sides were left wondering what had happened. Yet, when the cover finally vanished, all they were left with was confusion.

"What!" Korrina called, blinking her eyes in disbelief. Lucario stood alone in the center of the collision, their bone staff shattered against the floor of the gym. They looked around confusedly, trying to find their opponent. Yet, Latias was nowhere to be found.

Then, Ash grinned, a realization dawning on him.

"Latias, show reveal yourself now, then Double Team!" Ash cheered, his hand swiping through the air. In a flash, Latias suddenly appeared above Lucario, shocking both Korrina and Lucario. And as soon as there was one Latias, more began to form. A circle of red dragon appeared in the air around Lucario, confusing and riling them up.

"You can go invisible!?" Korrina cried, adding that to the growing list of reasons she believed this was completely unfair. "Gaaah! Lucario, Metal Sound!"

With a flick of their wrists, Lucario knocked the steel struts on their hands together, sending out a resonating shock wave of resonating sound. The images of Latias began to falter and weaken, the area attack hitting her no matter where she hid.

"Disappear again!" Ash told her, and with a nod she slipped back into invisibility.

"Oh no, you don't!" Korrina roared, sticking her finger out. "Lucario, track its Aura!"

Ash's eyes widened as he quickly realized his folly. He was more than familiar with how much Lucario's could sense through Aura alone. Latias's invisibility didn't help here at all.

So forget the invisibility, he thought.

"Latias! Appear and Tackle!" he commanded. Latias's form flickered into view and rushed Lucario, who turned and rushed her back. Ash gritted his teeth. "Disappear, then rise!"

Again Latias's body slipped away, and Lucario pounced forward to hit nothing. They looked upwards, just in time for an Ice Beam to suddenly materialize.

"Dodge and then Bone Rush!" Korrina called. "Follow its attack!"

Lucario dove away from the icy blast, forming their Aura bone staff again as they rolled. They jumped to their feet and, like a javelin, speared their weapon into the air.

"Latias, Protect!" Ash panicked called out. Latias's invisibility fell away as a shield of psychic energy formed, blocking the Aura attack in its tracks. Still, she was driven back into the air by the force of the impact. "Hold onto that protect and Tackle!"

It was Korrina's turn to have her eyes widen in surprise, as she saw the Legendary Pokémon dive bomb her partner with a field of psychic energy.

"Lucario! Extreme Spee—"

"Ice Beam it to the ground!" Ash shouted out over her. A beam of blue light fired from Latias's sphere and struck Lucario as their feet, locking them in place from any escape.

"Gah! Fine! Close Combat!" Korrina screamed. Lucario reared back, a blue and red Aura consuming them. A flurry of punches flew, and on impact with Latias's attack there was another shockwave of energy and dust.

Ash took a step back as he resisted being blown away. Pikachu held onto Ash's shoulder and barely didn't lose his own grip.

"Latias!" he called as the dust cloud dissipated again. He stumbled, his hope that Latias could slip away again apparent on his face. Yet, that look of hope died away.

Lucario stood above Latias, holding her down to the ground whilst panting. Her psychic shield laid in shattered on ground. Neither party looked well, but they were definitely still conscious. Latias tried to pull away, only for Lucario to tug her back down. Korrina smiled.

"And that's it, Ash. We have Latias pinned," she gloated. "She can't escape, and she certainly can't beat Lucario in close quarters. We've won!"

A part of Korrina couldn't help but revel in Ash's look of defeat. He was an amazing opponent, bar very few. Yet, she still derived a certain amount of joy in beating him. It was a terrible feeling she had, that enjoyment of the defeated look on his face—

—Which quickly fell away.

"Latias!" Ash called out with a proud grin. "Mist Ball!"

"What?!" Korrina cried, never hearing of that move before.

Lucario stared in shock as a sphere of pink suddenly formed in front of their face, exploding with a ploom of smoke that blew them back a few meters. They coughed and sputtered, eyes clenched shut as they whipped around, trying to find their opponent. Latias, however, hadn't moved.

She floated back, shaking her head and rubbing her neck.

"Lucario, Latias hasn't moved! Keep the pressure!" Korrina ordered. Desperately, she threw her arms forward, pointing towards the psychic dragon.

Lucario's eyes finally cracked open, locking onto their opponent. Readying another attack, they raised their paws. That attack was annoying, yes, but certainly not anything to worry—

Lucario's arm slumped to their side.

"Lu— Lucario?!" they sputtered, looking down at their immobile limb. They shook it once but it did not respond.

"Lucario, what are you doing!?" Korrina screamed. "Kick it into gear, and kick that Latias into new week!"

Gritting their teeth, Lucario sprinted forward, their limp arm flapping in the wind. They crouched to leap for a kick, but their legs were next to give. Flumbling to the ground, Lucario crashed against the gym floor with a rolling thud.

Korrina stared in horror as Lucario lost the energy to keep going. She looked up at Ash, who gave a small smile as he straightened his hat.

Lucario tried their best to lift themself up again, anchoring themself on their last arm. Looking up at Latias, they growled. So this is what Mist Ball does, they thought. Latias approached and for a moment Lucario was tempted to growl in anger.

When Latias lifted them off the ground, however, they faulted.

"Give em back, Latias, we got this," Ash said with a sigh of relief. Latias handed the exhaustion ridden body of Lucario back to Korrina, who after a moment of hesitation pulled out her Pokeball.

"You did great Lucario, absolutely amazing. I don't blame you for losing against them," she said with smile. Turning away, Lucario nodded before they were returned to their Pokeball. Korrina sighed then.

A silence took the gym, stilted between the two trainers standing across from one another. It broke, however, with a chuckle from Korrina.

"Well, you've won."

"Way to go Ash!" The cries of support from his party rang out, startling Ash slightly. After a moment, however, he caught himself. A wide grin exploded to life across his face.

"Yes!" he cheered, throwing his arms into the air. He swung down and picked up Pikachu, turning and laughing with him in hand. "We won!"

"Pika, Pika!"

Latias chirped happily as she tackled into the two, eliciting a happy laugh from Ash as she joined their celebration. Pikachu climbed to Ash's shoulder as Ash took Latias's hands into his own.

"You did amazing, Latias!" he cheered, turning with her in tow. A shrill happy cry rang out from her in agreement. "Absolutely just the best!"

Korrina rolled her eyes as she approached the three, reaching into her pocket for something she hadn't dug out in a while. Fumbling with it for a moment, she caught the group's attention and broke their twirling display of happiness.

Ash straightened up, a grin on his face as Korrina paused in front of him.

"Congratulations Ash," she began. "It took you three tries and an actual Legendary Pokémon, but you finally managed to scrape by a win."

Ash broke out in laughter, Korrina's joke cutting deep. She rolled her eyes again, on the edge of tossing out the prize stashed between her fingers. Resisting the temptation, however, she instead smiled.

"Here you go, the Shalour Gym Rumble Badge," she said, presenting the metal pin. The image of two fists striking one another greeted Ash's eyes and with a barely controllable glee, he swiped his prize from her fingers. "You've earned it."

"Alright!" Ash cheered, turning and facing no one in particular. "We got, the Rumble Badge!"

"Pika!" Pikachu added, throwing his paws into the air. Latias cheerfully went along with them, letting out a cheerful cry after her own.

"Now, you better keep safe out there with the other gyms," Korrina started again, pulling back the attention of the three. "They won't go as easy on you as I did."

Ash's grin was practically growing off his face.

"Wouldn't have it any other way," he pushed, nodding his head. Korrina laughed.

"Ha! Yeah, right!" she jeered. "Let's hear you saying that when you're 0-10 against Valerie!"

"We'll see about that! I betcha we'll beat 'em in less tries than you!" Ash shot back.

"Hah, that is not a high bar to clear," Korrina argued, cheerfully skating around the three. "There's been little kids who've gotten the rumble badge in less tries than you."

"Only cause you used a Mega Pokémon against me!" Ash said, following her around. Latias's head began to turn in circles as she tried to keep up with the two.

"Says the guy who brought an actual Legendary Pokémon to battle me," she said, shrugging with a smug grin. "You've got no legs to stand on~"

There was a moment of quiet between the two, not silent or awkward, but needed. Between them, they were breathing heavily, their back and forth leaving them without much air. Even after the Pokémon battle had ended, the fighting between the two hadn't stopped. And they reviled in it.

Ash offered his hand forward for a fist bump. Korrina paused for a moment and returned it.

"I'll see you around then?" Ash suggested, leaving the offer open. Korrina's grin became a small, sweet smile.

"Definitely."