Author's Note:

Hello all my Poliwag friends. We've got a little something different today. In case you weren't aware, I sometimes run a fantasy hockey pool on twitter, and the prize offered to the winner is a oneshot. Well, the winner of not one, but two of the hockey pools was NS5playz and as such he earned two. Because of his patience, I granted a bonus one. He's opted for a three part story dedicated to a rematch for Ash with none other than Tobias, the DEM master of the Sinnoh League. So, I've put together this little three-parter. I'm not sure it's my best. I had to pack a lot in so things move very quickly. But, hopefully it works out well enough. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 1: A Wetlands Reunion

"Ash! Goh! Wake up! My dad wants to talk to us about something."

The sudden sound of Chloe's voice woke Ash from his dream, and he yawned loudly as he sat up, blinking tiredly as he stared at the door where she'd poked her head in to glare at the sleeping boys. Her maroon-coloured hair with its long braid was dangling by the doorknob, where her Eevee was peeking around as well. It was peering at Cinderace, who was curled up and still asleep, despite Goh, its trainer, stumbling out of bed.

Goh took a step towards where he had left his Rotom-phone lying on a bookshelf, before doing a double take and looking at Chloe. His dark hair was messier than usual after sleep, but his blue eyes were wide with alarm. "Wh-What are you looking in here for, Chloe?"

Chloe's cheeks puffed out angrily. "I said my dad wants to talk to us. I've been knocking for five minutes but you two kept sleeping!"

Ash chuckled a bit, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment. He shook his head, his raven-coloured hair falling into its normal, uneven appearance as he did so, and then looked at Chloe. "Sorry, we were out training pretty late last night. Lucario and Cinderace have-"

"We can talk about that later!" Chloe interrupted. "Just hurry. I think my dad has a research mission for us."

"Research mission?" Goh asked suddenly, outrage over Chloe opening the door appearing to have gone. "You're going?"

"Well he wants us all to talk to him so I guess so." She looked pretty excited and Ash knew that since she'd started going on a few of these missions, she'd begun to really enjoy them. Especially with Eevee along for the ride.

Chloe left them to get ready, and Ash and Goh quickly got changed and gathered their things, Pikachu and Cinderace helping them. Within a few minutes, they were in the lab, where Chloe and her dad, Professor Cerise, were waiting with Cerise's assistants, Chrysa and Ren, by the large monitor he had for big projects and research mission explanations. The four of them turned around at Ash and Goh's arrival, looking eager to get things started. It made Ash even more excited, knowing that whatever this was, it must be something pretty big. Goh seemed to feel the same, and they hurried over after exchanging an excited look.

"Is something going on, Professor Cerise?" Ash asked, as he and Goh stopped behind the professor's chair, looking up at his monitor, which seemed to be showing a map of the Kalos region.

"Indeed there is, Ash!" Cerise said excitedly, adjusting his glasses and looking to him, Goh and then Chloe in turn, before gesturing to the monitor. He had the same maroon-coloured hair as Chloe, but cut short, and he wore a lab coat, distinguishing him as a researcher."I think I have a very exciting mystery for you and Goh to look into for me. And Chloe, I think it would be an excellent thing for you to be a part of as well."

"Something in the Kalos region?" Ash asked, smiling as he remembered their last trip there, where he had been competing in the Battle Festival and gotten to have a rematch with Korrina and her Lucario. "Maybe I'll be able to have another Coronation Series battle!"

Cerise grinned at that, before Ren leaned forward, pointing to his own, smaller monitor. He had messy, blond hair and wore a yellow t-shirt with a Magnemite on it under his lab coat. "You may actually get a chance to. It appears as though Kalos is hosting another Battle Festival. This one's scheduled to be in Lumiose City in a few days."

Ash's eyes lit up at that, but Chloe coughed, bringing his attention to her. "That's not what we're going for, though, is it?"

"Er..." Cerise chuckled, shrugging as he looked to Ash. "Well...not quite, although I figured Ash might as well enter after you three check out this little mystery for me."

"What's the mystery?" Goh asked, looking impatient to hear more.

Cerise smiled, nodding to Chrysa, who was noting something down as she peered at the monitor in front of her, before brushing away her long, purple hair and turning to them. "It appears as though there have been some...unusual sightings in Kalos."

"Unusual sightings?" Goh asked, moving over to look at her monitor. "Of a Pokemon?"

"Perhaps multiple Pokemon," she said, as Cerise clicked something and the image on Chrysa's monitor was projected onto the larger one, replacing the map of Kalos. It was a picture quite familiar to Ash, but he didn't say anything as Cerise spoke up next.

"It seems that north of Lumiose City, around the Wetlands, there have been some sightings of something...dark and powerful." Cerise appeared confused, unable to find the right words to explain it. "The reports have been pretty vague, but we believe these are sightings of a powerful Pokemon using dark type attacks in the area."

"Maybe it's just the Pokemon in the Wetlands," Ash suggested, smiling knowingly. He knew there were some strong Pokemon around there. Goh gave him a confused glance, but his attention turned to Cerise as he answered.

"This appears to be more unusual than what would be expected from the Pokemon normally congregating there," Cerise said. "We've had some scans done and power readings are very high in the area for not only dark energy, but psychic and electric energy as well. Some sightings suggest something fast moving in the skies, or something like lightning flashing in the cliffs. I've contacted the warder of the Wetlands, and he's reported restlessness in the Pokemon and some lack of sleep himself."

"Lack of sleep...couldn't that be a Darkrai? If there's dark type energy in the area that would fit, right?" Chloe said, looking up at the monitor as an image showing the energy readings popped up.

Cerise grinned, nodding at his daughter, before an image of a Darkrai appeared on the monitor as well. "Exactly what we've been theorizing, Chloe."

"Hmm...Darkrai," Goh muttered, pulling out his Rotom-phone and looking it up. Immediately, the image of the shadowy, ghostly Pokemon appeared on the small screen.

"Darkrai, the Pitch-Black Pokemon," the Rotom-phone said. "Darkrai is known to sometimes cause nightmares in people and Pokemon in nearby places." Goh grimaced at that explanation.

"It's a curious situation," Cerise murmured, looking back to his monitor as the different energy readings came up again. "There is some evidence to support it being a Darkrai, but these psychic and electric readings are high as well, along with those strange sightings. And the warder didn't seem to be concerned about nightmares, but simply restlessness and some difficulty sleeping. Almost as though there was something controlling the power being exuded."

"Well, you can count on us to find out what's going on!" Ash said excitedly. "Besides, I know the Pokemon in the Wetlands there. I'd like to help them out if there's any trouble."

Chloe frowned. "What do you mean?"

Ash grinned, looking knowingly at Pikachu, who smiled back from his shoulder. "I've got an old friend I'll be able to introduce you guys to!"

As was usually the case when Professor Cerise had a research mission for Ash and Goh, they were off on a plane to their destination within a few hours. With Chloe accompanying them, they were even faster getting things together, with her being able to keep them a little more organized than they would normally be. They arrived in Lumiose City before too long, and were off to the Wetlands quickly upon landing.

Ash had wondered about checking in with his old friends Clemont and Bonnie when they'd arrived, but he knew they would be busy with the Lumiose Gym, where Clemont was the leader, and he figured it would be better to hang out with them once he was staying in Lumiose City for the Battle Festival. With the research mission ahead, they needed to keep their minds on that, so they hurried in the directions of the Wetlands without spending much time at all in the city. Chloe and Goh were clearly excited about seeing it more later, though.

They had to camp out the first night before arriving in the Wetlands, but they were all pretty happy to do so. Ash was obviously quite used to it with all the journeys he'd been on before, and Goh was already quite outdoorsy. Chloe and Eevee seemed to take it as a perfect opportunity to bond, and they even asked Ash and Goh to help them with a few training exercises. It made Ash miss the days of travelling through forests and mountains on journeys towards collecting badges. It did, however, also make him extra excited to get to the Wetlands, where one of his old friends from his Kalos journey awaited him.

As they were sitting around a fire after a small dinner Chloe had made, Goh asked Ash about his Kalos journey, and who they would be seeing once they reached the Wetlands. "You said it was...a Goodra, right?"

Ash nodded, looking up as the memories came to him. Finding Goodra as a little Goomy after it had been carried off in a battle in the Wetlands, and then raising it up to a Sliggoo and having him gain confidence and strength to finally become Goodra, before winning his Lumiose Gym battle with Clemont and his Luxray. Ash told the story as best he could, noticing Chloe and Goh getting surprised when he described leaving Goodra at the Wetlands.

"Goodra's a really strong Pokemon," Ash said, smiling as Pikachu glanced him, looking excited to listen, even though he knew the stories already. "I couldn't keep him from his friends in the Wetlands, though. I knew they needed him. He still came to help me during the Kalos League, though."

"That must've been really hard," Chloe murmured, glancing at her Eevee, who looked just as surprised by the story as her. "I can't imagine having to leave a Pokemon after raising it like that."

Ash nodded. "It's happened a few times," he admitted, thinking of the many goodbyes he'd had during his travels. Every one had been for the happiness of his Pokemon, though, and that's what mattered. The thought made him turn his head towards the forests, though, thinking of another particularly difficult goodbye here in Kalos. "Goodra's not the only one that stayed behind in Kalos."

Goh noticed Ash's gaze shifting to the forest, and glanced there, as though thinking he would see who Ash was talking about. "You mean your Greninja? The one you had the strange connection with?"

"Yeah." Ash briefly explained the Bond Phenomenon, where Greninja had achieved a form similar to Mega Evolution in which he'd released additional power upon connecting with Ash on a deep level. Chloe looked stunned, but Goh seemed to understand somewhat. He at least knew a little bit about Mega Evolution from Korrina's Lucario. "Greninja stayed behind to help deal with some of the...leftover trouble from when Team Flare attacked after the Kalos League."

"I remember hearing about that on the news," Chloe said, nodding thoughtfully. "There were a bunch of strange plants shooting up all over the place, right? They said more of those had popped up in some places."

Ash nodded once more, remembering Bonnie's good friend, the little Zygarde named Squishy, who had explained how Greninja's ability to sense those plants was helpful in keeping them from harming more people and Pokemon around Kalos. "Greninja's been helping keep Kalos safe from letting those things do more damage."

"Seems like you had to let go of a couple of really cool Pokemon," Goh said. "Maybe we'll be able to meet Greninja as well as Goodra, though! I'd love to see that cool connection you two have!"

"It could be anywhere in Kalos, though, couldn't it?" Chloe asked, pulling out her pink Rotom-phone and opening up a map of the region. "There's a lot of places that stuff could've popped up."

"Yeah, I hope it's not as bad as it was back then, but I'm sure Greninja's pretty busy searching around for it," Ash murmured, smiling as he thought of the determined water type. "He was always determined to keep everyone safe."

Goh appeared to be getting a dreamy look in his eyes. "While we're in Kalos, I need to catch a Greninja."

"Maybe you should just catch a Froakie and raise it to a Greninja. They sound pretty strong," Chloe said, pulling up the descriptions on her phone. "They're the water starter here, though, so they're probably pretty hard to find in the wild."

"I think you'd have to be pretty lucky to find a-"

"THERE'S ONE OVER THERE!" Goh suddenly yelled, leaping up and running off towards the woods.

Ash jumped, turning around as Goh ran off. He exchanged an amused glance with Chloe, and then the two of them chased after their friend, with Pikachu and Eevee following after them. As they neared Goh, Ash's eyes widened. Sure enough, there was, indeed, what appeared to be a wild Froakie hopping along near the forest.

"Cinderace, let's catch it!" Goh called out to his partner Pokemon. "Pyro Ball, let's go!"

Ash couldn't help but grin as he watched the two act in perfect sync. Goh and Cinderace had come a long way since they'd met in Galar when Cinderace was just a Scorbunny. The fire type was up and kicking a flaming rock into the air within seconds, the flame growing larger and larger until it was the size of a soccer ball. A moment later, he kicked it with all his might and it rushed towards the startled Froakie.

"Froakie!" the frog-like Pokemon cried out, falling back as it was struck.

"Now, pokeball goooo!" Goh shouted immediately, throwing the pokeball towards the small water type. It hit a moment later, and Froakie was absorbed into it, before the ball began to shake. It shook once, then twice, before finally dinging. "YES!"

"No...way...he actually got one right away!" Chloe looked stunned, but Ash just laughed. He'd seen Goh do this kind of thing a number of times already. He seemed to be capable of finding a lot of different Pokemon.

"We all need a bit of luck if we're going to accomplish our goals!" Ash said.

"Well hopefully we have that much luck when we reach the Wetlands," Chloe murmured, but she grinned as well. "It would be really cool if we got to see some legendary Pokemon!"

Keanan, the Warder of the Wetlands, was quite pleased to see Ash again when he and the others arrived the next day. Ash got the feeling he was particularly relieved to have some people looking into the strange behaviour of the Pokemon and the strange sightings nearby, though. He certainly seemed to be quite restless as he led Ash, Goh and Chloe into the Wetlands. He seemed quite busy himself trying to keep things calm around there, not able to stay after dropping them off where Goodra apparently mostly hung out, though.

Once Keanan had dropped them off by a cliff that held a small spring where Ash and his friends had once stopped Team Rocket from stealing water from, Ash looked around, admiring the view for a moment. Goodra was not there yet, but there were quite a few familiar looking Pokemon. Ash recognized a group of Wooper, and one of them looked over at him as they were playing in the water, apparently recognizing him as well. It came over a moment later.

"Wooper! Wooper wooper?" it said, looking excited as it asked its question. Ash knew what it must've been asking.

"Yeah, remember me?" he said with a grin. "I'm Goodra's friend!"

"Wooper!" Wooper said excitedly, nodding. "Wooper wooper?" it added, gesturing up a pathway that led to the spring.

Ash looked up, feeling his heart racing excitedly. "Goodra's up there? Sure, lead the way!"

Ash, Goh and Chloe were quick to follow as Wooper hurriedly scurried up the pathway. It appeared almost as excited as Ash felt, and he supposed Wooper probably knew how close Ash and Goodra were, and was happy to reunite them. It made Ash happy to know what good friends Goodra had here in the Wetlands.

When they finally reached the small cave at the top of the pathway, Wooper gestured for Ash and the others to follow it inside, before hurrying in. Ash grinned at his two friends before following. Then, as he entered, it took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the darkness, but before they could, he felt something grabbing hold of him.

"Goodra!"

Ash laughed, knowing exactly who it was as he was lifted off his feet. He didn't even mind the slime on Goodra's arms as he was spun around in the air in a tight hug. It felt just like he was back on his Kalos journey, hearing Goodra as happy as ever but feeling the strength of his old friend in the grip he had on Ash. Finally, after a few spins, he did set Ash down, and they had a good look at each other.

Goodra looked as healthy and happy as ever. He towered over Ash, looking down on him with his big, shining eyes, but there was nothing whatsoever intimidating about him. He looked slightly larger than the last time Ash had seen him, and Ash had the feeling he'd been continuing to train, despite not having been called upon to battle in a long time. That brought a fleeting thought to the back of Ash's mind, but it was interrupted as Goh and Chloe each made a noise, obviously wanting to be introduced.

"Oh yeah!" Ash said, laughing as he gestured to his friends. "Goodra, these are my friends from Professor Cerise's lab in the Kanto region. Their names are Goh and Chloe, and their Pokemon are Cinderace and Eevee. Guys, this is my old friend Goodra!"

"Wow, you're so awesome, Goodra!" Goh exclaimed, running forward to examine the dragon type, who smiled widely and greeted Goh enthusiastically himself. "He reminds me a lot of your Dragonite, Ash!"

"It's nice to meet you, Goodra," Chloe added a little nervously, stepping forward with her Eevee. "Ash has told us loads about you."

"Goodra!" Goodra said in response, looking pleased. "Goo goodra!"

It was like they hadn't missed a beat. Goodra and Ash led Goh and Chloe on a small tour of the Wetlands, visiting the various Pokemon around. They went to the place where Goodra had first disappeared from the Wetlands after being carried off during a battle. After that, they checked out where a Carbink had rampaged before Ash and his friends had stopped it. It was so peaceful, and the Pokemon were so friendly, it was hard to remember why they had been sent here in the first place. They finally got down to that after visiting with the Florges that had once been Goodra's rival, but was now his good friend and one of the leaders in the Wetlands.

"So Goodra," Ash said, as they were resting under a tree by a small river, "have there been any signs of strange Pokemon around here? We've heard there have been some Pokemon getting restless and that some signs of a powerful Pokemon have shown up."

Goodra appeared to be a little uneasy, although not quite fearful. Ash got the impression he was more frustrated by the mystery. "Goodra goo goodra," he murmured, after a small nod. He looked up towards some cliffs that were further off. Not where the Wetlands Pokemon settled, but within sight of where they were.

"You've seen something over there?" Chloe asked, following Goodra's gaze.

Once again, Goodra looked frustrated and uncertain. "Goodra..."

"Have you had trouble sleeping?" Goh asked. "Or have any of the other Pokemon?"

Goodra shook his head, but seemed to indicate that there was some uneasiness in the Pokemon. It seemed to follow what Professor Cerise had gathered from Keanan previously. It certainly seemed to be frustrating for Goodra, however. Clearly something was strange and he wanted to understand it better.

"We'll help you figure it out, Goodra," Ash said, grinning. "We'll hang around with you tonight and see if we feel anything, too. Then we can go over there later and check it out tomorrow." He looked to his friends. "Sound good?"

"Sure!" Goh said excitedly. "Maybe I can catch it if it really is a Darkrai!"

Chloe nodded, although she looked more nervous. "Hopefully it's not too dangerous, but it seems like it's worth a try."

So with that, the group made their camp in the Wetlands that night, nearby the cave where they had met up with Goodra earlier in the day. As darkness came and the moon rose high in the sky, they settled down around a campfire just as they did the night before. This time, however, Goodra and many of his friends, including Wooper and Florges, were accompanying them. Ash could see they were all curious to find out what he, Goh and Chloe were going to discover.

As Goh and Chloe settled down to go to bed, though, Ash couldn't help but stay awake. It wasn't that he was feeling restless, but as he sat there with Goodra, looking up at the stars, he couldn't help but remember that night when he'd asked his friendly dragon type to help him in the Kalos League, knowing he'd need a sixth member. It brought his mind around to what he would be doing once they had finished this research mission, and he couldn't help but imagine the Battle Festival, and bringing a special secret weapon with him.

"Hey Goodra," he whispered, looking over to the Dragon Pokemon.

"Goodra?" he answered questioningly, his shining eyes reflecting the night sky and the fire in front of them. Pikachu was lying against his tail, and he was remaining quite still so as not to disturb him.

"I've been thinking," Ash said, keeping his voice quiet. "Well...there's this thing I'm competing in called the World Coronation Series, where Pokemon trainers are competing to be ranked among the very best so that we can battle the strongest trainers. There's one named Leon who's the reigning Champion. And there's this event in Lumiose City in a few days where you can compete in a bunch of battles to increase your ranking, and..."

"Goodra!" Goodra's eyes were shining even brighter somehow, and he looked extremely excited. "Goo! Goodra!" he exclaimed, somehow managing not to wake the others.

"You want to help me out?" Ash asked, grinning.

"Goodra!" Goodra said, nodding in determination.

Ash laughed, pumping his fist. "It'll be just like old times. We'll win all our battles for sure!"

And it was with those happy thoughts that they both settled down for the night, allowing themselves to be drawn into their dreams.

Darkness surrounded Ash, and his head whipped around as he felt a cold wind push him from behind. His gaze locked onto a light in the distance. He had no idea where he was, and he had no idea if he was in a wide open area, or in some kind of cave. The light was so far away, it could've been the exit of a cave, or simply some kind of lamp or other light source. He was hesitant to move, but he walked towards it.

He didn't run or even walk very fast. Ash had no idea what may be in front of him, so he was doing his best to be careful. He shuffled along, keeping his gaze on the light ahead. He wanted to reach it quickly, hating the uncertainty of this darkness he was in. Hopefully it would be able to lead him to some kind of safety where he could find his way out of wherever he was.

Suddenly, he heard a swishing sound behind him, and Ash whipped his head around. Only darkness was in sight, and he turned back towards the source of light. However, when he turned back, the light had vanished. He swallowed nervously, but then heard a sound. He looked in the direction of it, and was surprised to see something flashing every few seconds in the distance. Something like electricity.

"Pikachu?" Ash called out weakly.

There was no answer, and he hesitantly took a step towards the flashing light. Once more, however, there was a swishing sound behind him, and Ash couldn't resist the urge to look back. Once again, there was nothing, and once again, when he turned back the way he had been moving, there was no longer anything flashing.

Frustrated and nervous, Ash turned around in a circle, hoping he would see something. He turned once, twice and then three times. Nothing happened. His heart was beginning to race. Where was he? Why was he here? What was he doing before he had ended up here? Where was he supposed to be going? He only knew one thing. He needed to find a way out, and he needed to find Pikachu and his other Pokemon.

"Jaaa..."

"What?"

Ash whipped around at the sound. It echoed, so Ash felt as though that was confirming that he was, indeed, in some kind of cave. He squinted, trying to see through the darkness, but nothing happened. His eyes weren't adjusting. None of this made any sense. He wanted to scream.

"Where am I?" he called out. "Is someone there?"

Suddenly, he froze, hearing the faintest of sounds behind him. He didn't know whether to feel relieved or terrified, though. He knew something was right behind him. Was it going to attack? Or, was it someone there to help him get out of here. He took a deep breath, bracing himself.

"Who...who's there?" he whispered, tensing up as he shifted his feet. There was no answer.

Ash took another deep breath, and he turned around as the sound of a drop of water hitting the ground was heard behind him.

Ash woke up sweating and breathing hard. As he sat up, he noticed Goh, Chloe, Pikachu and Goodra staring at him in concern. He could remember very little of his dream. All he knew was that it had been dark and...confusing until...something had appeared. It wasn't really scary exactly, but something had actually made him feel hopeful in the end after all that confusion. Other than that, his mind was blank. It appeared, however, as though the force affecting the Pokemon that was similar to a Darkrai had, indeed, affected him.

"Are you okay, Ash?" Goh asked, looking relieved now that Ash was up. "You were yelling a lot. We thought you were going to hit us if we got too close."

"Goodra was about to use Rain Dance on you if you didn't wake up," Chloe said, handing Ash a cold, damp towel to wipe his face. "Maybe you still need it regardless..."

"I'm okay," Ash murmured, feeling relieved as he wiped his face with the towel. "Just a nightmare. Well...sort of a nightmare. Maybe not totally. I guess there is a Darkrai around here, though, huh?" Goh and Chloe exchanged looks. "What?" he asked, confused by their expressions.

"Well..." Goh looked embarrassed. "Nobody else had any nightmares. Keanan actually showed up a bit earlier before you had started yelling. He said he thought we must've done something because he had a pretty relaxed sleep. Seems like the Pokemon around here did as well. And me and Chloe slept normally."

Ash frowned, looking at Pikachu and Goodra. "How about you guys?"

"Pika."

"Goodra."

They both seemed fine, and Ash scratched his head, confused. "Weird...maybe it was just bad luck. I mean...you can still have a nightmare from time to time, right?"

Goh shrugged, seeming to accept that answer. "Yeah, I guess. We'll still check out the place where those sightings happened, though. Still up for that, Chloe?" he asked, turning to her.

Chloe didn't look quite so willing to forget Ash's nightmare, though. "Are you sure you're okay?" she asked. "It didn't seem like a normal nightmare. Maybe there is a Darkrai and it just targeted you for some reason. Or maybe it's a different Pokemon."

That actually made Ash somewhat excited, and a big grin came to his face. He ignored Chloe's exasperated look and glanced at Goh. "Do you think it might've been a new Pokemon? Heard of anything other than a Darkrai that can mess with people's dreams?"

Goh frowned, pulling out his Rotom-phone. "I don't know. I guess we can check. Maybe-" He jumped suddenly as his phone began to ring. "Hey, it's Professor Cerise!"

"Answer it!" Chloe said quickly, turning away from Ash and heading over to Goh quickly. "We should tell him what happened.

Goh quickly answered, holding the phone up as he positioned himself so Chloe and Ash, who had scrambled to get up, could see. Professor Cerise's face appeared on the screen, taking in the sight of them quickly. He looked a little embarrassed, and Ash had a feeling he knew what the professor was going to say before he spoke.

"Hi you three," Cerise began awkwardly. "I...um...well, we have a bit of an update for you."

"Let me guess," Chloe said, looking thoughtfully at Ash, before continuing. "The energy readings changed."

"Well...yes and no." Cerise looked as confused as Ash was beginning to feel, and he noticed the others seemed confused as well. "You see, the readings from before...well...they seem to have reappeared nearby Lumiose City. However, they're not showing up as frequently. They're very...contained. The power isn't quite building and it's restricted. Something we would normally ignore or not even notice but likely only noticed after having our focus on the Wetlands. It seems as though..." He trailed off, looking both stunned and confused.

"It's a Pokemon that's with a trainer?" Ash asked, eyes widening.

Cerise nodded. "And perhaps not just one, mind you. It certainly seemed like there were multiple Pokemon of that power in the Wetlands. We had different power readings there."

"So...is this something dangerous?" Goh asked. "Why would they have come here and then moved to the Wetlands? This isn't something like what happened in Galar is it?"

Cerise smiled, looking somewhat amused. "I...I think this may just be a...very impressive trainer. Ash, I think this may have been someone training for that Battle Festival in Lumiose City."

Ash's eyes widened further somehow. "You think someone is bringing legendary Pokemon to the Battle Festival to battle with?!"

Cerise laughed lightly. "The evidence seems to suggest that may be the case." He frowned again a moment later, though, glancing at something that must've been his computer. "There is one other thing, though. It may just be an error with the power levels we were noticing before, but we did notice a brief spike from overnight in some kind of spike in a different kind of power reading. I think from what I've read of Mega Evolution it was that. Perhaps someone was training a Mega Evolved Pokemon for the festival? Although...something did seem strange about it. I can't quite put my finger on it, though."

Ash was too excited to care about that. It sounded like this Battle Festival was going to be one of the best battling experiences ever. "This is going to be so awesome!"

"So does this mean we should return to Lumiose City?" Chloe asked, looking a little frustrated. "At least then we might be able to do something close to researching what we came here for."

"That would be great!" Cerise said. "And if Ash gets to battle these Pokemon that's all the better!"

With that, he hung up and Goh put his phone away, looking around as though he was surprised at how quickly their stay was coming to an end. "Looks like we didn't come here for much." His eyes found Goodra, and he frowned, guilt in his eyes. "Sorry to visit for such a short time, Goodra."

Ash grinned, though, heading over to stand by Goodra's side as the dragon type smiled. "Nothing to worry about, Goh! This trip was totally worth it."

"What do you mean?" Chloe asked, narrowing her eyes in confusion.

"Goodra's going to be a secret weapon against those legendary Pokemon!"

Goh's eyes lit up at that. "Awesome! It'll be cool to see Goodra in action!"

"Goodra!" Goodra said happily in response, eyes shining.

"Now you just need one more thing," Goh said, smiling as they began to pack up their camp.

"What's that?" Ash asked, frowning as Pikachu scurried up onto his shoulder.

"We need your Greninja to show up, too!"