An eerie silence filled the Megamart as Ash, with his aura activated, and Pikachu walked up to the battlefield with pure hatred evident on their faces. The rest of the group followed behind him, slightly afraid.

"This is not going to be pretty. Not that anything involving Ghost types usually are, but still..." Kevin stated, clearly thinking about a certain Legendary. Maria, Latias, Gary, Lillie, Snowy, Misty, and Gladion nodded in agreement. Ash and Pikachu stepped into the trainer's box and crossed their arms while closing their eyes. They waited for a minute before an evil laugh echoed throughout the place.

"Hello, twerp. Miss the beauty of Team Rocket, Jessie?!" the voice asked deviously. Everyone tensed up from hearing that. Ash and Pikachu snapped their eyes open and shot a hateful glare towards Jessie, who was standing on the other side and staring them down with her glowing red ones.

"Oh, the only thing we miss is blasting you off! Now...where is Sylveon?!" he shot back.

"Pika pi! Pikachu!" Pikachu added, sparking his cheeks. Jessie didn't seem to hear them, instead looking at Kevin and Maria.

"Ah, the twerp's brother. How is Leaf doing, twerp?...Oh, wait, that's right! You haven't seen her in a while, have you?" she inquired devilishly. The entire group flinched.

"Leaf..." Kevin uttered with his entire body shaking. Maria's cheeks also began to spark angrily while the red-orange aura surrounded him.

"Oh, and how about Delphox and Serperior, eh?! I bet your Greninja and Infernape misses them! Too bad they don't feel the same way, along with Leaf...AND Serena!" Jessie called out confidently. Suddenly, a Pokeball from both Ash and Kevin's belts opened up, and Greninja and Kong immediately rushed towards her maliciously. Before they could reach Jessie, she wagged her finger.

"Uh, uh, uh...I wouldn't do that if I was you." she concurred evilly, snapping them. The back door swung wide, and what the group saw terrified them to no end and even made Greninja and Kong stop.

"SYLVEON!" they all screamed, some in Pokespeech. Mimikyu was holding a struggling, chained up Sylveon up in the air by the throat using a black and purple claw. The Fairy type Eeveelution was coughing up some blood and looked like she hadn't been eating in days.

'HEY, YOU DEMON, LET HER GO!' Pikachu shouted, clearly pissed off. Mimikyu turned towards him and giggled darkly.

'Oh, look, Sylvie, your lovable Pikachu is here. Good. Once I destroy that very overrated piece of shit, I'm sending you straight to the Reverse World!' she exclaimed before placing Sylveon on the floor. The claw vanished, letting her breathe.

'Pika...is...that...really...you?' Sylveon asked hopefully, gasping for air.

'Yeah, it's me, Sylvie! We're getting you out of there! And Mimikyu, no one calls her that except for me! You hear me, bitch?!' Pikachu replied determinedly. A weak smile crossed Sylveon's face.

'Kick...Mimikyu's...ass...for...me...Pika...' she managed to say just as she collapsed on her side. The group yelped fearfully.

'Oops. I must have overdone it. Darn, and I was looking forward to seeing her reaction once I've beaten her mate. Oh well...' Mimikyu lamented. She quickly shrugged it off. At that point, Pikachu finally snapped.

'MIMIKYU, I AM SO GOING TO ZAP YOU INTO OBLIVION! WHY DID YOU COME AFTER SYLVEON ANYWAY, HUH?! IT IS ME YOU'RE AFTER, ISN'T IT?!' he shouted venomously. An evil chuckle escaped Mimikyu's mouth as she slid over to the battlefield.

"You want to know why we came after Sylveon, twerp? Because we want Pikachu to suffer the same way you, your brother, Greninja, and Infernape will be when you realize you can't save the ones you love. If we beat you one-on-one, or if anyone tries to interfere or sneak into the back room, it doesn't matter whether your 'Ash-Greninja' or 'Kevin-Kong' bullshit are the fastest Pokemon alive. These chains are boogey trapped with explosives, and when I press this button...BOOM! Two worthless lives will be destroyed!" Jessie answered for her while holding up a red button. Ash, Kevin, and their Pokemon gritted their teeth angrily. Everyone else was frozen in fear. The group then looked to Sylveon's right and saw a chained up and gagged young woman lying on the floor, clearly unconscious and also looking like she hadn't eaten in days. She had messy short purple hair with bangs collected in a small ponytail just above her forehead with a golden clover-shaped badge and purple eyes and was wearing a patchy dress of black, dark purple, and light purple with two ribbons coming from her back, a gold armband on her left forearm, and light purple sandals.

"Acerola...we'll get you out too. I promised Hau that much." Ash muttered to himself determinedly. He and Pikachu gave Jessie and Mimikyu a deadly glare.

"Hold on. Something isn't right..." Misty stated, sounding very confused.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Lillie inquired curiously. Misty looked all over the place, but couldn't find whatever or whoever she was searching for.

"Hm, that's odd. Where are James and Meowth?" she asked suspiciously. Latias, Gary, Lillie, and Snowy actually smiled at the mention of James and Meowth.

"I don't know. They're certainly not with Team Rocket anymore, though. However, my biggest question is, where's Jessie's Wobbuffet? And how does she know about Kevin-Kong?" he pondered. Misty's eyes widened.

"Wait, WHAT?! Not with Team Rocket anymore?!" she exclaimed, shocked.

Lillie nodded before saying, "James and Meowth gave Gary the money needed to bail me out of jail. Though, as fate would have it, he never had to use it."

"Yeah, and I still have the money right here." Gary added while taking out the envelope and wrapping an arm around her waist. Misty's jaw dropped while Gladion began to develop some respect for James and Meowth.

"I think I know who told Jessie about Kevin-Kong..." Kevin trailed off.

"Huh? Who?" Lillie questioned him. Kevin didn't respond. Greninja and Kong both walked off the battlefield, never taking their hateful glares away from Jessie and Mimikyu.

"OK, Mimikyu, you ready? Unleash your Totem power!" she shouted with a sneer. The orange aura suddenly flared up around Mimikyu's body as she continued to stare down Pikachu. If he and Ash were even the least bit fazed, they didn't show it.

"Pikachu, I choose you!" he exclaimed confidently. Pikachu ran across Ash's arms and leapt off his left wrist. Once he landed on the field, he anxiously sparked his cheeks. Jessie noticed this and smirked deviously.

"Since the Trial Captain is out of commission and will not be here after this battle, I've decided to call this the 'Trial of Jessie'! Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?" she asked cockily. Mimikyu instantly nodded in agreement. Ash and Pikachu both scowled.

"Tapu Bulu would never let scum like you become a Trial Captain, Jessie! But go ahead, humor yourself. After all, this is a trial, regardless of what it's called. We might as well call this the 'Payback Trial', because you're going down!" he retorted while slowly slashing his thumb over his throat.

"Pikaaaaa..." Pikachu added fiercely. Jessie frowned before putting her arm up in the air.

"Whatever you say, twerp. Now let the Trial of Jessie...BEGIN!" she shouted as she brought it back down, signifying the start of the battle.

Ash didn't waste any time, calling out, "Pikachu, Iron Tail!" Pikachu jumped up with his tail glowing white. He slammed it on Mimikyu's head, which drooped to the side, a sign that her disguise had been broken. Still in midair, Pikachu again swung his tail and hit her in the belly, sending her crashing on the floor. Jessie gritted her teeth angrily.

"Mimikyu, Psychic into Play Rough!" she commanded Mimikyu. Her eyes suddenly glowed light blue as an outline of the same color surrounded Pikachu's body, freezing him in place. Ash could only watch while Mimikyu stood tall, jumped towards his partner, and cloaked him with a thick, white smoke surrounded by stars. She proceeded to hit him multiple times with her stick. Mimikyu then used her psychic powers and knocked Pikachu back a few feet. Just as the glow in her eyes and the aura disappeared, he flipped himself over acrobatically, landing on his feet.

"Electro Ball!" Ash hollered.

"Shadow Ball!" Jessie countered. Pikachu's body became engulfed in yellow electricity with multiple sparks coming off. All the electricity condensed at his tail and turned into an orange-yellow ball with more sparks oozing out of it. At the same time, Mimikyu formed a ball of black and purple energy with black static around it. She and Pikachu both fired their attacks. The Electro Ball and Shadow Ball collided with each other, resulting in an explosion.

"Those two seem evenly matched so far." Gladion commented, almost sounding anxious. Latias, Gary, and Misty couldn't help but nod.

"Not surprising when we consider that Jessie knows Pikachu's moves after all these years of trying to take him away from Ash." he replied calmly. Gladion quirked an eyebrow.

"You seem surprisingly calm for someone who knows that this is a life or death situation, Gary." he stated. Gary actually smirked.

"Come on, this is a League runner up we're talking about here! Not to mention a hero who's saved the world countless times already and someone who stood up to a freaking Titan and Darkrai, if you recall. Ash will be fine." he concurred.

"I hope so, because I feel like this is partly my fault for getting caught off guard that night." Lillie said nervously while putting her hands together. Gary, Gladion, and Misty looked at her, dumbfounded. A shocked Snowy rubbed her head on Lillie's leg, hoping to comfort her.

"Come on, Lillie, don't go blaming yourself for this! You couldn't have known that Lusamine was going to arrest and try to murder you while taking away Sylveon and Delphox! There was nothing you could've done against that kind of bullshit." Gladion responded sternly, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah, but-" Gary interrupted Lillie by kissing her cheek.

"Never give up until the very end. This is not just a slogan. It's the way of a Ketchum. Ash and Pikachu will prevail." he declared confidently. Lillie seemed to calm down upon hearing that.

"Right! COME ON, ASH, PIKACHU, YOU'VE GOT THIS!" she shouted determinedly.

"VULPIX!" Snowy added, sharing the same look as her trainer. Kevin, Maria, Kong, Greninja, and Latias couldn't help but smirk a little bit despite the tense situation.

Just as the dust on the field was about to fade away, Ash formed a claw with one hand and called out, "Pikachu, use Thunder Tail!"

"Huh?!" everyone except for Pikachu, Greninja, and Latias asked, genuinely confused. Though, Kevin, Maria, and Kong seemed really interested. Pikachu leapt up high as his cheeks started sparking with yellow electricity and his tail glowed white.

"PIKAAAAAAAAAAAAA..." he started. Suddenly, the Iron Tail became yellow and crackled with electricity. When the dust settled, Jessie's eyes widened in total shock upon seeing Pikachu nosedive towards Mimikyu.

"Shit! Mimikyu, Shadow Claw!" she screeched desperately. Mimikyu quickly created a black sharp claw with a purple outline from under her rag.

However, before she could do anything, Pikachu did a front flip while shouting venomously, "CHUUUUUUUUUUUU!" His electrified tail hit Mimikyu's head hard, zapping her. She cried out painfully as the Shadow Claw dissolved.

"Heh, now that's a classic Ketchum move." Kevin commented, feeling proud. Maria, Kong, Greninja, and Latias nodded approvingly. The rest of the group looked on, totally awestruck.

"Thunder Tail? Where have I heard that move before?" Gary mused.

"Hey, Gary, remember those battles between our fathers that we used to watch at the ranch?" Kevin asked back. Gary gasped as a realization hit him like a brick.

"Of course! Red and Voltage perfected the combo move! So, Ash and Pikachu are following in their footsteps, eh?" he responded knowingly. Kevin simply gave him a nod while Maria secretly smirked. Pikachu's Thunder Tail proved to be so powerful that he made a crater on the floor. Mimikyu was literally buried in the debris, and Jessie looked at a huffing, but still angry, Mouse Pokemon, utterly terrified.

"Holy Miltank...I think we just learned to never mess with Sylveon." Gladion stated, almost sounding scared.

"Oh, trust me, between slashing a video phone and annihilating a bottle of ketchup, we already know that." Lillie responded as she winced upon remembering the ketchup incident. Misty flinched.

"Wait, WHAT?! Pikachu destroyed a bottle of his favorite food?!" she exclaimed, shocked.

"Yep. Long story short, Mimikyu really messed up his head. And now she and Jessie are paying the price." Gary replied scornfully. Misty shivered and gulped after hearing that.

A shaken-up Jessie managed to croak out, "M-M-Mimikyu, can you still g-g-go?"

Everyone waited for a few seconds with bated breaths before hearing a faint "Kyu..." Mimikyu flew out of the crater with her eyes glowing light blue and an aura of the same color surrounding her body. She landed on the floor and, while panting, furiously stared down a flabbergasted Ash and Pikachu. The glow and aura disappeared.

"Damn, that's one tough Mimikyu..." Gary commented, clearly surprised. Greninja, Latias, Kevin, Kong, Maria, Lillie, Snowy, Gladion, and Misty couldn't help but agree there.

Damn it...looks like I need to reveal my trump card, and fast. Jessie thought bitterly, balling her hands into fists.

"Sorry, twerp, but this is the end! Say goodbye to Sylveon!" she exclaimed nastily while crossing her arms up in a X. Ash and Pikachu took notice of Jessie's Z-Ring and the Mimikium Z-Crystal, which began to glow, but remained calm, to the suspicion of everyone besides Greninja and Latias.

"What is Ash thinking?" Gary asked curiously. The gang, minus Greninja and Latias, who were both smirking, simply shrugged.

'I think I know. Just watch.' she replied. Jessie spread her arms to the sides of her body, moving them in a semicircle formation. A pink aura formed around her body as she crossed them forward. Jessie then put her hands together, forming a heart. Finally, she stuck her left leg out, tilted her body slightly to the left, placed her arms on the sides, and angled her hands downward like she was trying to be cute. The aura transferred over to Mimikyu, who looked ready to end it right there.

"LET'S..." Jessie started. Mimikyu jumped up in the air and aimed her underside at an unmoving Pikachu.

"SNUGGLE..." Jessie continued. Mimikyu's disguise grew enormous with glaring red eyes staring down Pikachu from her underside and began to fall towards him, terrifying almost the entire group.

"FOREVER!" Jessie finished nastily.

"Now! COUNTER SHIELD!" Ash hollered.

"WHAT?! NOT THAT!" Jessie shrieked, utterly stunned.

Pikachu got on his back and spun around while yelling out, "Chuuuuuuuu!" He fired a Thunderbolt in front of him, effectively creating an electric shield in-between himself and the giant Mimikyu. She couldn't stop and ended up getting zapped. Mimikyu shrank to her normal size and crashed on the floor hard.

"NO! MIMIKYU!" Jessie shouted worriedly. Pikachu just lied there, gasping for air.

"Phew. Thank Arceus for Ash's quick thinking..." Gary muttered to everybody else, obviously relieved. They all let out a deep breath. The group then flinched upon seeing Mimikyu struggling to stand.

"Dang! How much more can she take?!" Misty uttered, shocked.

Ash noticed this too and said, "Rise up, Pikachu. It's time we show everybody our true power." Pikachu swiftly sat up and directed a deadly glare towards Mimikyu. Jessie looked internally freaked out from the sight of that as he stood on his hind legs. The duo then noticed a live video camera in the corner and scowled upon seeing a red R on the side.

Greninja... Ash started telepathically.

On it! Greninja replied. He formed two shurikens of water in his hands and threw them directly at the camera. Before Jessie could even do anything, they sliced it in four pieces, causing a minor explosion.

"Shit. There goes the live stream..." she cursed under her breath. Ash and Pikachu actually smirked before turning back to Jessie and Mimikyu, respectively.

"Sorry, Jessie, but we're not about to reveal a very powerful move to just anybody. Especially not your 'Madame Boss' bitch." he stated scathingly. That comment caused Jessie to gulp. Ash then took off his hat.

"Hey Pikachu, catch!" he exclaimed, throwing it towards Pikachu. He caught the hat with his tail and placed it on his head.

Just as anyone was about to question Ash, he balled both hands into fists and crossed his arms up in a X while shouting, "LET'S GO!" The Pikashunium Z-Crystal began to glow. Ash then spread his arms to the sides of his body, moving them in a semicircle formation. As his aura became orange-brown, he brought them forward, with one on top of the other. Pikachu jumped over to Ash, and they fist bumped. He then gave his starter a high five on the tail. Pikachu leapt back to the front and stared down Mimikyu. The duo moved in perfect synchronization and brought their arm forward as the aura transferred to him.

"Much stronger than a normal Thunderbolt! With love, our power will grow a thousand-fold!" Ash shouted determinedly. He pulled a fist back, like he was about to throw a punch.

"TEN..." Ash started, turning it downwards with his fingers pointing up. Pikachu's cheeks started to crackle with electricity.

"MILLION VOLT..." Ash continued.

Pikachu had one thought in his mind: Sylvie, this one is for you.

"THUNDERBOLT! NOWWWWWWWWW!" Ash roared, bringing his arm upwards with force. Pikachu wasted no time jumping high up. He absorbed even more electricity from the dark storm clouds that had formed above him. Pikachu shot one last glare towards a very tired Mimikyu while Jessie was desperately trying to think of a way to counter or dodge the attack. He grinned before firing seven bolts of lightning, each a different color of the rainbow, at the Disguise Pokemon. The attack hit her head-on, resulting in an enormous explosion. Everybody shielded their faces from the dust rushing through them as Pikachu landed on Ash's shoulder.

"Damn...such...power..." Kevin uttered, awestruck by the immense power. The rest of the group, even Greninja and Latias, couldn't help but agree with him there. After a few minutes, the dust settled, and Jessie was literally shaking in her boots. And it was not hard to see why, as Mimikyu was laying on the utterly destroyed floor, covered in soot and knocked out cold.

"They did it...THEY WON!" Misty and Lillie both cheered, pumping their fists.

"VULPIX!" Snowy added happily while jumping up and down. Greninja, Latias, Kevin, Kong, Maria, Gary, and Gladion all had smirks on their faces.

Well done, Ash. You might be able to even surpass Dad at this pace. Ash's brother thought. Jessie returned Mimikyu into her Luxury Ball and suddenly let out a menacing laugh, catching everyone off guard.

"What's so funny? We just beat your trial!" Ash shouted anxiously. Pikachu growled angrily. Jessie pulled out the red button and positioned her thumb over it. The entire group gasped in horror.

"NO! DON'T DO IT! WE HAD A DEAL!" Ash yelled out desperately.

"PIKA!" Pikachu exclaimed, clearly scared for his mate.

Jessie actually snickered before saying, "Too bad I don't follow the rules, twerp! Team Rocket will exterminate every Pokemon in the world! And I am going to start with that pathetic excuse of a Performer's Pokemon!" Gary and Lillie flinched upon remembering his former mother's words. Just as Jessie was about to push the button, the roof collapsed, and a Bewear landed on the floor with a loud thud. She instantly picked the unsuspecting Team Rocket member up in a bone-crushing hug, making her drop the button. While everyone else was flabbergasted, Ash, Gary, Lillie, and their Pokemon were experiencing a sense of déjà vu.

"What...the...Bewear..." Jessie managed to squeak out.

The entire group then heard a chuckle in the sky and a very familiar voice say, "Well, Jess, if you're not going to cooperate, we'll have to call it for you. Mimikyu is unable to battle! Pikachu is the winner! Therefore, Ash clears the Payback Trial!" Jessie winced upon recognizing him as relieved smiles formed on Ash, Pikachu, Greninja, Latias, Kevin, Kong, Maria, Gary, Lillie, and Snowy's faces.

"Don't tell me..." She trailed off. They all looked up and saw a very familiar hot air balloon floating above them.

"You..." Jessie groaned.

"Prepare for trouble, criminal scum!" James started.

"And make it double, Pikachu's love isn't going anywhere!" Meowth continued.

"To protect your world from devastation!"

"To unite all loved ones within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of lies and hate!"

"To extend our reach to help life's fate!"

"James!"

"Meowth, that's right!"

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

"Surrender now or prepare for a war!"

"Inkay!" Inkay exclaimed determinedly.

"Carnivine!" a Carnivine added, biting down on James's head.

"Ow! Hey, I know how much you missed me, but this isn't the time for that!" he shouted while struggling to shake him off. Fortunately, Carnivine understood the situation, jumped down, and glared at Jessie, who was looking really annoyed.

"Team Rainbow Rocket?! That's copyright infringement! And helping out the twerp?! James, Meowth, you two have gone soft!" she hissed out nastily. James, Meowth, Inkay, Carnivine, and Bewear actually scoffed.

"You wouldn't know how to go soft even if you tried. And what you attempted is much worse than copyright infringement! As a Pokemon, I am utterly disgusted to have joined up with the likes of you!" the Scratch Cat Pokemon shot back.

"And so am I! Anyway, Bewear, would you check Jessie's pockets? There are some items that don't belong to her." James asked sternly. Despite Jessie's squirming, Bewear inspected her pockets and pulled out Sylveon's Pokeball, a pair of keys, a purple wedge, and a Ghostium Z-Crystal. The Strong Arm Pokemon showed them to James, who nodded.

"Give that Pokeball back to Lillie, the keys to Kevin, and the wedge and Z-Crystal to Ash." he instructed her calmly. Bewear gave James a salute before tossing a thrashing Jessie over her shoulder and securing her there.

In spite of the Team Rocket member's constant cries of "Let me go!", she walked over to Lillie to hand back the Pokeball.

James then noticed Gary holding the envelope and stated, "Gary, keep the money. The bosses' order. Besides, you're going to need it for what's ahead." He nodded in thanks before putting it back in his pocket.

While that was happening, Gladion said, "Someone should go get Hau and Nanu. I'll do it." Nobody objected to his idea, so he went out the door. Ash and Kevin grabbed a Pokeball from their belts and pressed on the white buttons to enlarge them.

"Lucario..." he started.

"Kitana..." Kevin uttered at the same time.

"I need your help!" they both exclaimed, throwing the Pokeballs forward. They opened up, revealing two Lucarios. Kitana had a black and yellow striped fingerless glove with a Lucarionite embedded into it on her right hand. She and Lucario instantly saw the injured Sylveon and Acerola and gave their trainers a nod of acknowledgment before running over to them.

"Pikachu, go to Sylveon. She'd want to see her hero when she wakes up." Ash stated teasingly while taking the hat off Pikachu's head and putting it back on his own. The Mouse Pokemon blushed, but nonetheless, he jumped down and ran towards where Lucario and Kitana were beginning to heal Sylveon and Acerola, respectively. Bewear then went up to Kevin and gave him the keys.

"Jessie, I'm just going to cut to the chase here. WHERE ARE LEAF AND DELPHOX?!" he shouted angrily. Kong, Maria, Ash, Greninja, and Latias were looking quite furious too. Jessie, who had stopped squirming by that point, actually smiled devilishly.

"Delphox...well, wherever Madame Boss is, that's where you'll find that stupid fox. And if you think I'm just going to tell you my boss's location, tough luck! I don't know where she is, and even if I did, I wouldn't tell you either way! And are you sure you want to know where Leaf is? She is down there...IN HELL!" she exclaimed nastily. Gary, Lillie, Misty, James, Meowth, and their Pokemon flinched.

"Shit, we better tell them, especially if this is what we think it is." he muttered to the Scratch Cat Pokemon. Ash, Greninja, Latias, Kong, Maria, and especially Kevin were frozen on the spot.

"Don't tell me...THE REVERSE WORLD?!" they yelped fearfully. Jessie sniggered at this. Before she could reply, the front doors swung open.

"And don't tell me you're bringing back Necrozma, bitch!" Hau called out angrily as he, Nanu, and Gladion walked inside.

He then whispered to the Kahuna, "Jason might have beaten that thing back into Ultra Space four years ago, but I doubt that's over." He gave Hau a nod before looking towards Jessie, who had frozen up.

"I'm not at liberty to tell anyone that. Especially not someone who could potentially know that fucking Titanic asshole." she replied, saying the last sentence to herself. Nanu scowled and went over to Bewear.

"You know, Jessie, your mother would be very disappointed with you blindly following Madame Boss." he stated, eerily calm. Jessie, James, and Meowth's eyes widened in shock while everyone else looked downright puzzled.

"My mother? How...?" She trailed off.

Nanu smirked and said, "The whole world believes that Miyamoto died trying to get Mew's DNA for the Mewtwo project. Even her best friend, Palermo, who you know as Madame Boss, thought this. But her body was never found."

"Yeah, I know that already. What of it?" Jessie inquired curiously. Nanu's smirk only grew as he took out a walkie talkie.

"It's time." he whispered into it. Everyone, even Hau, was very confused now. Suddenly, an Alakazam appeared with a woman who looked like an older version of Jessie by his side, startling them. She was wearing a gray short sleeved shirt, a light blue sleeveless jacket over it, long black pants, and black shoes.

The woman stared at a very stumped Jessie and smiled warmly before saying, "Hello, my little angel. It's been a long time."