Ash's Story (Part 6: Unova)

Chapter 2: Thunder Over Unova

The plane touched down in Unova before my heart was ready to believe we had crossed the ocean. Through the window, Nuvema's coastline shone under pale morning light, peaceful enough to look innocent.

Pikachu climbed onto my shoulder as we left the plane. His ears twitched at the unfamiliar air, but he did not spark with excitement the way he usually did when a new journey began. Absol walked close to Alice, silent and watchful.

Professor Oak stretched outside the terminal, his Pinap Berry shirt brighter under Unova's sky. "Ah, there it is. A new region always has a taste in the air."

Eve gave him a sideways look. "Professor, please do not start tasting weather."

Golly checked the travel folder while Zorua watched every passerby. "Professor Juniper's message says she can meet us near the port before taking us to Nuvema Town."

Alice stayed beside me, her fingers brushing mine. "Ash, are you all right?"

I looked across the port, past the people, the luggage carts, and the wide sky above the water. Unova felt familiar in a way that made my chest tighten. It was not home, but it remembered me.

"I do not know yet," I said honestly.

Then Pikachu stiffened against my shoulder.

His ears shot upward, and Absol stopped at the same moment, his horn tilting toward the sky. The bright morning dimmed as a black thundercloud rolled over the port too quickly to be natural.

Pikachu's meaning struck me sharply. "Something old is above us, and it is looking down."

I looked up as lightning twisted inside the cloud like a living vein. My mouth went dry. I knew that pressure. I knew the way the air bent around it, like the world had to make room for a legend.

Alice followed my gaze. "Ash?"

Before I could answer, two metal cages dropped from above. One slammed around Pikachu on my shoulder, knocking him away from me, and the other trapped Absol before Alice could reach him.

"Pikachu!" I shouted as the cage snapped shut.

Alice's eyes turned cold in an instant. "Absol!"

A balloon rose from behind a warehouse roof, black uniforms standing beneath the basket. Jessie, James, and Meowth looked down at us with the kind of confidence that only people who never learned from pain could keep wearing.

"Team Rocket," I said, and my voice came out lower than I expected.

Jessie tossed her hair back. "What a welcome! We arrive in Unova and find rare cargo waiting."

James pointed dramatically toward the cages. "A Pikachu and an Absol together make an excellent opening shipment."

Meowth grinned down at us. "And this time, we ain't blasting off before payday."

Golly stepped forward, one hand already near Zorua's Poké Ball. "Release them now. You are committing cross-regional theft in a public port with witnesses."

Jessie blinked once. "Did the twerp group get a lawyer?"

"You killed our mother," I said.

The words froze the air harder than the storm did. Jessie's smirk cracked. James's face lost color. Meowth's ears flattened.

James shook his head quickly. "Hold on. We steal Pokémon. We cause trouble. We are not murderers."

"Then start explaining before I stop listening," I said.

Alice's hand caught my wrist before I moved. She did not pull me back. She only reminded me she was there.

A bolt of black lightning split the sky before Team Rocket could answer. The storm swallowed their balloon, and the cages burst open. Pikachu tumbled free, and Absol landed hard but stayed standing.