A helicopter was flying in the air, heading straight for Aether Paradise. Inside, Madame Boss and Jessie were sitting in their seats, both holding one Pokeball in their hand. They were smirking evilly as they stared at it.

"I can't believe how easy it is to manipulate the police like that! That twerpette didn't stand a chance, and now she's literally hanging while we took two Pokemon that means a lot to the old Serena...not to mention the main twerp's Pokemon! Boy, if I had thought of that earlier, that Pikachu would have been ours a long time ago!" Jessie stated with a cackle.

Madame nodded before saying, "Yeah, though, if you had thought of that when Giovanni was still running the place, he would have kicked you out in an instant! Arceus, I hate his sense of justice sometimes..." She rolled her eyes at that last part. Jessie scowled a little bit before smiling wickedly.

"Then I am glad that you've retaken the position as the leader of Team Rocket. You are far more cunning than that pathetic man will ever be. And I know that Mom would've thought so too. Anyway, I bet Mimikyu will be delighted to see that I have Sylveon with me. Knowing my Pokemon, she's probably just thinking of ways to torture her right now." she replied with a snicker aimed at Sylveon's Pokeball. Madame couldn't help but giggle darkly at that.

"Now remember, Mimikyu needs to restrain herself from killing her prey before actually beating Pikachu in a battle...or unless they don't show up within the time limit that I've set up for if Ash somehow wakes up with all his memories intact. Anyway, I have something special for you two." she said as she dug her hand into her pocket. Jessie looked on in curiosity as Madame pulled out a black and red Z-Ring. In the center of it was a small tan Z-Crystal with small extensions and the symbol of a Mimikyu's eyes and arm. Jessie's eyes widened in surprise as she recognized the symbol.

"A Mimikium Z-Crystal?!" she exclaimed in shock. Madame nodded before putting the Z-Ring in Jessie's hand.

"One of my Admins found this in a cave on Poni Island. I assume that you already know the dance for the Fairy Z-Move, right?" she asked with a smirk. Jessie simply nodded, too stunned to speak.

"Good. Basically, use that for Mimikyu's Z-Move." Madame explained. Once Jessie regained her composure, she strapped her new Z-Ring on her left wrist before showing it off to her.

"Thanks! How do I look?" she inquired with gratitude evident in her voice. Madame had a vicious smile on her face at the sound of that.

"Looking good, Jessie! Just beat Ash's Pikachu up for me, will you? That is, if Guzma and Miette don't get to his trainer first..." she responded. Soon, the helicopter landed on the manmade island. With the Pokeball still in her hand, Madame got off and turned to Jessie, who was still seated.

"For the glory of Team Rocket!" she shouted as she held a fist up in the air.

"For the glory of Team Rocket!" Jessie repeated while also holding her fist up. The helicopter took off into the air again, this time headed for Ula'ula Island. Madame gave it a short wave before turning around. She suddenly smirked as she saw Lusamine and her Nihilego coming up to her with a warm smile on the president's face.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't my rightful daughter in law...How have you been, Lusamine?" Madame asked as she walked up to them. The women shared a short embrace before she patted Nihilego's head, causing her to coo in delight.

"Oh, just peachy, my Queen. How was your trip?" Lusamine asked back curiously. Madame simply shrugged.

"Eh, it was all right. At least I got to properly reunite with Miyamoto's daughter for the first time in years. She had to go 'pick up' Sylveon's Pokeball from the police station. Meanwhile, I got the Pokemon I've been wanting to get my hand on for months now. Are the psychic resistant chains ready? And the psychic resistant tape?" she replied with a sadistic smile on her face. Lusamine couldn't help but chuckle at this.

"Yep, everything is all ready. Shall we soften her up a little bit?" she inquired as she looked down at Nihilego, who had been itching for a little action. Madame simply walked back a few feet before pressing on the white button to enlarge the Pokeball.

Taking that as a confirmation, Lusamine stared at Nihilego and said in a sickeningly sweet voice, "OK, Nihilego, shoot a Power Gem straight ahead, just as we've planned!" Nihilego nodded before firing a light blue beam from her two stars in Madame's direction. Without a word, she tossed the Pokeball towards the Power Gem. It opened up, revealing Delphox, who immediately got hit in the chest by the attack. She yelped in pain as she flew high up in the air. Madame moved out of the way as Delphox zipped right past her, crashing into a wall, which created a crater. She was in so much pain from the Power Gem that she immediately fell unconscious.

"Oops. I guess I overdid it a little bit." Lusamine stated in a sarcastic tone. Madame snickered as Nihilego hovered over her fallen foe. She wrapped her tentacles around Delphox's body to the point that only her face was visible. With their prisoner firmly held in her grasp, Nihilego flew inside the building. Madame was about to follow her when she felt Lusamine's hand on her shoulder. She turned around to see a curious expression from the president.

"Just out of curiosity, why did you want that Delphox so much anyway?" she inquired. Madame scowled at that as she looked back in the direction Nihilego had gone off to.

"As revenge for her trainer rejecting my offer back in Kalos!" she shouted with venom evident in her voice. Suddenly, Madame's whole body started to glow red. Once it stopped, she was a completely different woman. This woman now had short grey hair and cold blue eyes and was wearing a grey blazer with the sleeves rolled up in the wrist area and designed with gray and white stripe and little pockets on the side, a tight grey skirt, and a velvet scarf around her neck.

She smirked devilishly before saying, "Nobody rejects a former Kalos Queen and gets away with it! Especially not one in the family!"

-

Young Ash was sleeping in a tent in the Pallet woods, having a good dream about becoming a great Pokemon Master like his father before him. Just as he was about to get to a battle against his role model, however, he was suddenly woken up by a very loud scream. And Ash's blood went cold when he instantly recognized that voice.

"SERENA!" he shouted in horror as he dashed out of the tent. Gary had gotten out of his as well, clearly indicating that he, too, had heard the scream. He had a flashlight in his hand, due to it being nighttime, and was horrified by what he had just seen. Ash turned his head towards where Serena's tent was, and his eyes widened.

"NO!" he yelled out as he saw two people, a man and a woman, both trying to get Serena out of it. The woman, who was pulling on one of the girl's legs, had gold hair worn in pigtails and purple eyes and was wearing a pair of triangular pink earrings, red lipstick, a black short sleeved minidress with a big red R on the front, white gloves that reached the sleeves and had a red stripe near that area, and white thigh high boots with the same stripe near the tops and a small heel, while the man, who was pulling on the other leg, had short green hair and purple brown eyes and was wearing a black long sleeved shirt with the same R on it, white gloves with a red trim, black pants, a white belt, and white boots with the same trim. Serena was holding on to the tent for dear life with tears falling down her face.

"HEY! What are you doing to Serena?!" Ash exclaimed, clearly angry at this point. The man and woman succeeded in pulling Serena out of the tent, ripping it apart in the process. They both quickly lifted her off the ground by the armpits before turning to the boys with an evil cackle. Seeing Serena struggle was making Ash madder and madder by the second.

"Prepare for trouble, this girl is ours!" the woman stated.

"And make it double, we'll turn her into a slave!" the man continued.

"Here's our mission, so you'd better listen!" they both said at the same time.

"To infect our world with destruction!" the woman went on.

"To blight all people in every nation!" the man continued.

"To denounce the goodness of truth and love!"

"To extend our wrath to the stars above!"

"Cassidy!"

"And Butch, of course!"

"We're Team Rocket, circling Earth all day and night!"

"Surrender to us now or you will surely lose the fight!"

Serena had been crying throughout the whole motto, which was really pushing Ash to his limit.

"OK, Cassidy and Bob, you give Serena back right now!" he shouted in a very hostile voice. Cassidy flinched, clearly not expecting the edginess in Ash's voice.

Butch, on the other hand, was clearly annoyed as he exclaimed, "THE NAME IS BUTCH, NOT BOB! Geez, kids have no sense of respect these days..." At that point, Ash finally snapped.

"SHUT UP!" he yelled out. Suddenly, a purple aura surrounded Ash's body as his eyes glowed blood red. Butch was taken aback by the two words that he had said and, along with everyone else, absolutely terrified by the change.

"Um, we'll be going now..." Cassidy trailed off, sweating profusely as she and Butch prepared to move. Ash spread his arms out wide and focused his aura into both hands, creating two blue balls of energy with some red inside and black lightning surrounding them. Cassidy and Butch both stopped, looking terrified as Ash aimed the Aura Spheres at them. Serena and Gary were also afraid, as they had never seen this side of him before.

"We can do this the easy way, or we can do this the hard way. Your choice, Team Rocket." Ash said in a dark tone. Serena shivered at this, knowing that this clearly wasn't the voice of the boy she had developed a crush on in the last two days. Cassidy and Butch looked at each other.

"We can take him on, right, Cassidy?" he asked with an arrogant smirk. Cassidy smirked back at him.

"Right, Bud. This little brat can't possibly hurt us!" she replied confidently. Butch internally groaned at Cassidy's mispronunciation of his name as they put Serena back down in a sitting position.

"You stay here, OK, little girl? Our boss is really looking forward to meeting you." she stated in a mock sweet voice. Before Serena could respond, the Team Rocket duo suddenly got hit in the chest by the Aura Spheres. They both gasped in pain as they crashed, back first, into the trees. Cassidy and Butch landed on their stomachs.

"I think the brat broke my back. Ugh. You were saying?" he complained as they struggled to get back up on their feet with their hand on their backs. Cassidy didn't answer, as she was too spooked out by what she was seeing. Following her gaze, Butch gulped at the sight of Ash with two more Aura Spheres in his hands.

"The hard way it is. You have no idea what you've just done." he said harshly with an evil smile stretching across his face. Cassidy and Butch were understandably paralyzed in fear.

"On second thought, we should get the hell out of here before this boy straight up murders us!" she yelled out. Butch had no objections to that. Before they could fully stand up, though, Ash fired his Aura Spheres at them. They hit the duo again, this time in the face. They both dropped down to one knee, coughing up blood.

"Two more should do it for them." Ash mumbled to himself as he once again spread his arms out wide. Before he could focus his aura into his hands again, he suddenly felt two arms wrap themselves around his waist and a head on his chest.

"A-A-ASH, S-S-STOP!" Serena's angelic voice stuttered out, clearly in fear. Ash could also feel her tears falling onto his green and yellow striped night shirt. He started to calm down as he gently wrapped his arms around Serena's back while she continued to sob. Soon, the purple aura disappeared as Ash's eyes turned back to normal.

"It's OK. It's OK. I'm here for you, Serena. No need to worry. Just let it all out." he reassured Serena in a soothing tone as he held her close.

In his mind, however, Ash was thinking, What just happened to me? He snuck a glance at Cassidy and Butch, who were limping out of the forest as quickly as they possibly could in their states. Ash frowned at them before returning all his focus to Serena. After a few minutes of her sobbing, they were lying down on the grass. Serena had fallen asleep with her head on Ash's chest. He was pondering over what to do when Gary, who had been motionless throughout the whole ordeal, walked over to them, holding a blue blanket in his hand.

"Here, take this." he said quietly as he handed it over to Ash. He silently mouthed a thank you to Gary as he draped the blanket over his and Serena's bodies.

"Gary, can you keep what just happened a secret? I don't want anyone else knowing about this, especially not Mom and Professor Oak." Ash asked in a quiet tone. Gary instantly nodded before walking back to his tent. Ash stroked Serena's long hair for a bit, causing her to purr softly in her sleep. He couldn't help but smile at this before cuddling with her.

Ash's last words before falling asleep again were: "Sweet dreams, Serena. I will protect you, no matter what."

-

Back in the present, Gary and Pikachu were staring down the Team Rocket executive with shock evident on their faces, both for different reasons. Lillie was looking aghast at the woman who had her tied up on the helicopter, to begin with.

"Hold on...you're Gary's mom?!" she exclaimed. The woman snickered at Lillie's reaction.

"Yep, I am. You may call me Daisy. Are you really Gary's girlfriend...Lillie Yvonne?" she asked with an evil cackle. Lillie flinched at the sound of her former last name. Gary still couldn't speak, but he simply nodded to acknowledge their relationship.

Daisy took a hard look at Lillie and shook her head before saying, "Hm, you're nothing special, Lillie. Gary will get tired of you and drop you like a bad habit. After all, aren't all Oaks like that? I mean, I could help you do exactly that by dropping her to her death." She had an evil smile on her face as she directed the last statement at Gary. He looked rather irked while Lillie looked both terrified and angry at the same time.

"Hey now, Gary loves me with all his heart! Don't you?" she asked with hope clearly in her eyes. Gary instantly nodded in agreement.

"And I WILL keep on loving her forever! She is way too special to lose...unlike you, you traitor. No wonder Dad left you with a scar on your face, courtesy of his Arcanine! You betrayed him by joining Team Rocket in the Kanto-Johto war fifteen years ago, just like Agatha also betrayed Gramps by also joining them twenty years before that! I'm surprised Lance had kept her in Kanto and Johto's Elite Four after all this time. Is he blind?! Because if he isn't, he's doing a piss poor job as a G-Man! And I'm sorry to say, but that betraying trend isn't continuing with Lillie. She could have already done it with her former mother. But she didn't, and I know without a doubt that she will never join up with the likes of you! Nor will she break my trust! That's how much faith I have in my girlfriend!" he exclaimed passionately. Lillie had a heartwarming smile as a pink blush crossed her face. To their dismay, Daisy was smirking devilishly as she tossed an enlarged Pokeball up and down in one hand while also holding two small ones in another.

"It was all for eliminating each and every one of these vile creatures that you call your friends, Gary. And if you truly do love Lillie, then prove it by facing me in a one-on-one battle. If you lose or say no to my challenge, she dies. But if you somehow beat me, Lillie will live and take back her Vulpix and Altaria...or isn't it Serena's Altaria?" she replied in a challenging tone. Gary, Lillie, and Pikachu all gasped as a realization hit them in the heads like bricks.

"You're sick, Mom! And where are Delphox and Sylveon?!" he shouted with venom evident in his voice. Pikachu's cheeks were sparking more furiously than ever at the mention of Sylveon's name. Daisy quirked an eyebrow at that.

"So...Pikachu does love that Sylveon, eh? Interesting. Too bad she's way out of your reach right now." she stated tauntingly. Pikachu suddenly leapt up in the air towards Daisy.

Before he could charge up a Thunderbolt, however, she pointed at Lillie before saying in a smug voice, "Attack me, and she goes bye-bye." Her, Gary's, and Pikachu's eyes widened in horror.

"Pikachu, don't do it! She's not worth getting Lillie killed!" he shouted desperately.

"Pi..." Pikachu whimpered in sadness as he landed on the ground and turned around to walk back to Gary. Daisy smirked evilly.

"Hey Pikachu, just a heads up. You could lose Sylveon...forever!" she stated in a taunting tone. Pikachu suddenly stopped walking, his whole body shaking and his cheeks sparking the most electricity that Gary had ever seen from such a small Electric type Pokemon. He got worried for Lillie's life as his best friend's longtime partner turned his head to face Daisy with absolute hatred in his eyes.

"PIKAAAA!" Pikachu yelled out as a yellow electric aura suddenly surrounded his whole body. He was able to control himself, though, and it disappeared as he ran the rest of the way back to Gary, who had grabbed a Pokeball off of his belt.

"If it's a battle you want, you've got it! And WHEN I save Lillie, you're also going to tell me where Sylveon and Delphox are!" he exclaimed angrily.

"Gary, Gary, he's my man! If he can't do it, no one can!" Lillie cheered on. Gary couldn't help but think that those words sounded like music coming from his girlfriend's mouth. To their and Pikachu's confusion, Daisy shook her head.

"Even if I knew where Sylveon and Delphox are, and I don't, I wouldn't tell you anything. That is for Ash and his Pokemon, especially Pikachu and Greninja, to find out. Oh, and if Pikachu or any other Pokemon interferes with our battle, it also counts as a loss. So, Pikachu, if you want Lillie to live, keep your anger in check." she stated with a smug look on her face. Lillie flinched while Gary and Pikachu gritted their teeth in anger.

"Fine then, have it your way, bitch! Blastoise, I need you!" he shouted as he threw his enlarged Pokeball forward. It opened up, revealing Blastoise, who let out his signature cry as he glared at Daisy. On one of his cannons was a blue metallic band holding a Blastoisinite. Daisy smirked at the sight of Gary's starter.

"Like father, like son. Ampharos, battle stance!" she exclaimed as she threw her Pokeball forward. It opened up, revealing Ampharos, who had an arrogant smirk on her face upon seeing who her opponent was. Around her neck was a red and black striped collar holding an Ampharosite. Gary and Blastoise remained calm, but Lillie had a fearful look on her face after realizing that her boyfriend was at a disadvantage.

Her fear rose even more as Daisy pressed on her Key Stone while saying, "For the glory of Team Rocket!" It started to glow.

"Ampharos, MEGA EVOLVE!" Daisy shouted, holding her fist up in the air with her Key Stone pointed at Ampharos. The Ampharosite began to glow, and a few seconds later, she started to glow as well. Once the glowing stopped, her toes turned black and she grew white wool at the back of her head and over her tail. Her long wooly tail had many small, red orbs attached to it. Her conical ears retained their stripes, but were now segmented with swirled tips. Mega Ampharos growled menacingly as the orbs emitted a strong light.

"Gary, be careful!" Lillie exclaimed worriedly. Gary looked up at her with a smile.

"If Ashy Boy can beat a type disadvantage, then so can Gary motherfucking Oak!" he called out confidently. Lillie couldn't help but blush at that as Gary glared back at his mother.

"It's time we go all out and blast them straight out of the gate!" he said before pressing on his Key Stone. It started to glow.

"You're going to regret ever putting your filthy hands on MY Lillie! Blastoise, MEGA EVOLVE!" Gary shouted, holding his fist up in the air with his Key Stone pointed at Blastoise. The Blastoisinite began to glow, and a few seconds later, he started to glow as well. Once the glowing stopped, he developed two smaller shells over his arms, each with their own water cannon. The two cannons on his back were replaced by a single, central water cannon of greater size. This cannon extended forward over his head. Small ridges developed over his, now red, eyes and extended to his ears. The ears angled slightly backward and there was a small point on his chin. Mega Blastoise let out an even louder cry than before as he stared down Mega Ampharos.

She and Daisy seemed unfazed, and even more so when the trainer said in a calm tone, "Rain Dance, my dear." Gary and Mega Blastoise narrowed their eyes in suspicion as Mega Ampharos growled menacingly, summoning a dark cloud that spun counterclockwise, and then stopped. Rain poured out from it, drenching everyone in the vicinity.

"Aw, great..." Lillie moaned out as she started getting wet. Some of the Team Rocket and Team Skull grunts that were guarding the police station also started complaining. Gary, on the other hand, didn't seem to care about the rain. In fact, he and Mega Blastoise were actually smirking.

"You do realize that the rain helps us as well, right? Blastoise, Water Pulse!" Gary called out. Mega Blastoise aimed his huge cannon at Mega Ampharos and fired a massive blue sphere of energy directly at her. She and Daisy were too stunned at the sheer size of the attack to try to counter it, as it hit the Light Pokemon in the stomach, exploding into a gigantic wave of water on contact.

"Get out of there and fight back, you worthless piece of shit! THUNDER!" Daisy shouted angrily amid Mega Ampharos's scream of pain. Though, she was in no mood to even move after having been washed away to the ground. Mega Ampharos was, however, struggling to get up, and with Daisy basically confirming to Gary what she was trying to do, he wasn't about to let her.

"We're not letting you do anything...Daisy. Blastoise, keep up the pressure with Dragon Pulse!" he exclaimed with hatred for his mother evident in his voice. Daisy gulped in fear as Mega Blastoise fired three differently colored beams from his three cannons. The beams then combined into a giant multicolored energy dragon.

"You use Dragon Pulse too, you useless trash!" Daisy yelled out in horror. Mega Ampharos was still on one knee, staring down the dragon that was soaring straight for her with one of her eyes open. She quickly fired her own multicolored, dragon shaped beam of energy from her mouth directly at the bigger Dragon Pulse. They collided with each other, causing a massive explosion. Lillie screamed in horror as the strong wind blew her right and left continuously. To add to her fright, the rope that was holding her was starting to come loose.

"GARY, HURRY!" Lillie shrieked. Gary and Pikachu both looked up at her and were terrified by what they saw.

"HOLD ON, LILLIE!" he exclaimed.

"PIKACHU!" Pikachu shouted in unison.

Then everyone heard an evil cackle before Daisy said in a calm tone, "Thunder, my dear." Gary turned pale at the sound of that as he stared back at the battle. Suddenly, a massive yellow lightning beam shot up in the still raining clouds...and came crashing straight down on Mega Blastoise. He howled, obviously in a lot of pain, before collapsing to the ground on his stomach. Gary could also see yellow static all over Mega Blastoise's body, clearly indicating that he had been paralyzed. Once the dust cleared, Mega Ampharos had completely stood up, panting heavily, but still with the arrogant smirk on her face.

"Shit..." Gary muttered to himself, clearly rattled by that point. Lillie was starting to tear up while Pikachu just looked on, feeling completely helpless.

Daisy had an evil laugh as she proclaimed, "You're finished, Gary! Kiss your girlfriend goodbye!"

Meanwhile, the Pokemon Center was having a serious issue as well, as a Darkrai had just put everyone in the lobby and at the battlefield to sleep with multiple Dark Void attacks. He, along with Guzma, Miette, and a Hypno by her side, was walking to a certain room with the keys in the Team Skull boss's hand. Her face was heavily bruised and bandaged, her ribs were very wrapped up, and she was limping considerably, all thanks to Delphox.

"Here we are." Miette said as she pointed at a certain door. Before Guzma could continue, she suddenly grabbed him by the shoulder, forcing him to stop and turn to his sister.

"No matter what happens, we can NOT allow Ash to get his childhood memories of Serena back." she stated desperately.

Guzma nodded before saying, "And he won't. Not if Big Bad Guzma had anythin' to say about it! Just out of curiosity, why are ya so worried about it, sister?"

Miette had a frown on her face as she answered, "If Ash gets all his memories back, that makes him extra motivated. Especially once he and Greninja hears about Delphox and Sylveon. And we do NOT want to face this kind of Ash."

She had one thought on her mind as she said that: And my chances with him will vanish completely. I must NOT let that happen!