Chapter Text
805. Kalos, Where Dreams and Adventures Begin!
Arriving in the Kalosian capital of Lumiose City, Ash is barely off the plane when he glimpses a strange Pokémon resembling a Blaziken that is significantly taller. Wondering what it was, he meets up with Alexa, only to discover that her sister’s gym is actually in Santalune City... and that she is not currently in. Though the news dampens his excitement, Ash nevertheless decides to challenge the local gym instead and separates from Alexa to explore Lumiose independently.
Quickly getting lost in the sprawling metropolis, Ash receives help from a young girl who directs him to Prism Tower, the tallest manmade structure in the city, which also houses the Lumiose Gym. Heading inside, he requests a battle, only to be informed by a robotic voice that he needs four more Gym badges before he is violently ejected from the building. Fortunately, he is saved from a painful impact by a large cushion thrown by a bespectacled boy, who introduces himself as aspiring inventor Clemont Liscio, whose younger sister Bonnie recognises Ash from his recent adventure in Unova. Forming fast friends with them, Ash decides to have his first Pokémon battle in Kalos against Clemont, who accepts by using a Bunnelby, but while Pikachu’s Volt Tackle and Electro Ball give him an edge, he and Ash soon learn about the Digging Pokémon’s powerful ears, which stop an Iron Tail in mid-air… just before the match is interrupted by none other than Team Rocket.
Annoyed that they have followed him from Kanto again, Ash fights them, but Pikachu is unable to get a single hit on Wobbuffet, who has drastically improved since the last time they met, and is forced to turn to Bunnelby for help. However, as Ash channels his Aura into Pikachu, he is abruptly saved by a strange frog-like Pokémon that Clemont identifies as a Froakie, which incapacitates Team Rocket with its sticky frubbles and allows Pikachu to blast them off... right before it collapses from its injuries. On Bonnie’s recommendation, Ash decides to take the Froakie to a local professor for some medical treatment, and as they run off, the girl from earlier is seen approaching a strange man with golden eyes at a café, who immediately asks who she is.
806. Lumiose City Pursuit!
Arriving at the regional Pokémon lab, Ash is introduced to Professor Augustine Sycamore, who explains that this particular Froakie is a notoriously picky starter Pokémon who either abandoned several trainers because he didn’t like them or was returned because he refused to listen to them. Contemplating this, Ash thanks the temperamental Water-type for helping him, but points out that he can’t work alone forever before his attention is diverted when Clemont brings up the topic of something called Mega Evolution.
Elsewhere, the young girl introduces herself as Dina Fyodorova and asks the man if he can help her with something, explaining that she has been having dreams of herself going on adventures with someone who looks like him. Suspicious, the man asks her if she knows his past, and when she responds in the affirmative, he asks her why she would want to help him in the first place, which leads to Dina pointing out that enough time has passed since “that time” as she expresses a desire to help him put “the past to rest” so that he can assume his “destiny”. Scoffing, the man bitterly states that people who tried to help him ended up hating him, but Dina expresses her faith in him before passing him a handwritten message that surprises him.
Back at the lab, Sycamore tells Ash about the recently discovered phenomenon of Mega Evolution and explains how several Pokémon are capable of temporarily assuming a superpowered form while in the presence of certain types of gemstones that he has since dubbed “Mega Stones”. Realising that he has seen something like this with Newtwo, Ash tells the professor about what he has seen, confirming the role of the Mega Stones in the transformation while also revealing that an additional stone and a strong bond with a trainer are required to trigger the transformation properly. Before he can explain more, Team Rocket infiltrates the lab to steal Sycamore’s Garchomp with a shock collar, but while they are quickly blasted off, the device malfunctions and causes Garchomp to go berserk from the electrical discharges as it breaks out and flies away.
Assisted by Froakie, Ash and Professor Sycamore chase Garchomp as she rampages through the streets, and Dina takes her leave upon witnessing this, telling the man that if he has truly lost all hope, he won’t help solve this problem. Indignant, the man remains silent as he watches her leave, but as he regards the message again, he realises that she is right before getting up and following the commotion as Garchomp lands on the Prism Tower.
Upon arriving at the tower’s base, Ash gains access to an emergency stairwell with help from Clemont, but is separated from the others when a Hyper Beam collapses the entryway. Continuing alone, he finds Garchomp on the observation deck and tries calming her down with his Aura as Pikachu and Froakie defend him, but while a news helicopter captures the whole thing on live television, the floodlights on the tower prevent his Aura from being seen clearly. Eventually determining that he cannot calm Garchomp down, Ash has Froakie immobilise her with his frubbles, allowing Pikachu to destroy the collar with an Iron Tail... right before a section of the damaged walkway collapses and causes the Electric-type to fall off.
Without thinking, Ash immediately leaps off the tower to catch his starter before realising his mistake, but as they fall, an Aura field forms around them, which slows them down enough for a Pokémon to save them. Recognising the Pokémon as the same one from the airport, Ash deduces that it is a Mega Blaziken and silently thanks his rescuer before he reunites with Professor Sycamore, Clemont and Bonnie. Elsewhere in the gathered crowd, the golden-eyed man is revealed to be the one who generated the Aura field as he spots the Mega Blaziken reuniting with a masked individual on a rooftop.
The next day, as Ash prepares to leave with Clemont, Bonnie and a new Pokédex from Professor Sycamore, an impressed Froakie chooses him as his trainer after seeing his capabilities the night before. Accepting the Pokémon’s choice, Ash takes Froakie’s Pokéball as the strange man watches them from afar. Inspired by Ash’s actions, he decides that he is done with running as he rereads the message, which is revealed to be a phrase in a strange language telling him that “as long as there is life, there is hope”.
807. A Battle of Aerial Mobility!
As Ash registers for the Kalos League and receives his badge case, he is surprised to find the strange man waiting outside the Pokémon Center. Initially suspicious of him, Ash is taken aback when the man asks if he can travel with them for reasons he is unwilling to disclose, but he accepts him without further question. Though similarly surprised, the man thanks Ash before introducing himself as “Philippe”. Meanwhile, Team Rocket receives permission from Giovanni to keep following Ash while scouting Kalos for any other rival organisations, and immediately following the call, James catches an Inkay that keeps stealing his croissant.
On the road to Santalune City, Ash, Clemont, Bonnie and Philippe come across a Dedenne that Bonnie instantly takes a liking to; however, a wild Fletchling interrupts the moment before she can convince it to come with them. Setting his sights on this Flying-type, Ash decides to catch it, but runs into trouble when Froakie refuses to listen to him in the subsequent battle. Observing this, Clemont tries to help with an invention designed to attract Pokémon, only to attract a swarm of Beedrill that they are forced to run away from when the machine explodes. Eventually emerging into a canyon, Philippe secretly tracks the Fletchling with his Aura (passing it off as instinct when Clemont asks him), allowing Ash to catch the Pokémon by carefully planning a strategy by utilising the valley walls and Froakie’s jumping skills. However, while thrilled by his success, Ash suspects their newest companion is hiding something from them and asks him if he can use Aura in private.
Back in Lumiose City, as Professor Sycamore and his assistants clean the lab, they are visited by Serena Gabena, a new trainer from Vaniville Town who is there to receive her first Pokémon. As Sycamore brings out three starter Pokémon, Serena asks about Ash, apparently knowing him from before, and is delighted when the professor confirms his appearance and reveals where he is going.
808. A Shockingly Cheeky Friendship!
Over in Aquacorde Town, Dina heads to a renowned photo spot and retrieves something hidden behind the bricks of the bridge spanning the river. As she heads out, two thugs try to mug her, but she defeats them with her Eevee and Mawile before fleeing into the Santalune Forest. Meanwhile, back in Lumiose City, Serena selects Fennekin as her starter Pokémon.
Elsewhere, as Clemont tutors Bonnie on how to take care of Pokémon, Ash’s vain attempts to pry information out of Philippe are interrupted when Dedenne from before shows up, having been following the party ever since they first met it a few hours ago. Chasing the Antenna Pokémon, Pikachu eventually corners it after getting separated from the others, only to run into Jessie, James and Meowth, who send out Wobbuffet and Growlie. Unable to protect Dedenne and handle both Pokémon at once due to their training at the Team Rocket HQ, Pikachu gets the smaller Electric-type to escape into a river before blasting them off with an Electro Ball, but despite making it to safety as Ash and the others find them, Dedenne is left exhausted from the encounter.
With no medical supplies, the group are at a loss for what to do... until Philippe steps up and heals Dedenne with his Aura just as Team Rocket returns. Now back to full strength, Clemont takes control of Dedenne and defeats Inkay in a 1v1 battle before catching the Antenna Pokémon, but as he gives him to Bonnie to take care of, he also asks Philippe about his abilities. Seeing no way out of this, the group’s newest companion explains his skills in Aura to him and Ash.