Pokémon XYZ: Life, Death, Order, and Chaos (book 2 of the HBoD series)

Chapter 5: Hidden Enemies

Alex, Robert, and I flew out of Lumiose City on the back of the Pidgeots. We soared over the outer city and into the countryside. I smiled, my hair pushed back due to the wind. This could never get old.

Alex directed her Pidgeot to fly next to mine and we soared side-by-side. I grinned at her and she just laughed. Suddenly Robert and his Pidgeot twirled out of nowhere, diving into the lead. He looked back and gave us a thumbs up.

I patted Pidgeot's feathery neck. "C'mon. Let's beat him."

Pidgeot squawked and burst forwards, but so did Alex's. The three of us raced across the sky, reaching the river that led to Aquacorde Town. Finally, the town came into sight. We came in for a landing, which Robert managed to beat us by a few seconds. 

He pumped his fists into the air when we touched down next to him. "Ha! Beat ya!"

"Congrats," I said, feeling a bit shaky on my legs.

Tierno and Trevor waved from a cafe table. "Hey, you're back."

I nodded and sat at the table, Alex and Robert following me. "Shauna said she'll be waiting at the Lab."

"So," Trevor asked, leaning forwards. "Were you able to keep Froakie?"

I held up the pokeball. "Yep. And we were able to win our first battle together with another trainer."

Tierno nodded appreciatively. "I knew Sycamore would let you. He's an understanding guy."

He looked at my two friends. "Who are they?"

"Oh yeah," I said. "Guys, these are my friends from Alola. Alex and Robert. Friends, they're Tierno and Trevor."

As they shook hands, I noticed three cups on the table, two by Tierno and Trevor. Taking a guess, I asked, "Was Serena here?"

Tierno nodded. "She was, but she left in a hurry once she saw the news."

He pointed at a TV inside the cafe behind us. It was replaying old news, but I could clearly see the Lumiose Tower. Not just that, but I could see Ash Ketchum. He was standing on top of the tower with his Pikachu and Froakie, a Garchomp looking mighty pissed. 

"That's Ash," I said aloud.

Tierno looked at me. "You know him?"

I nodded. "Shauna and I met him while in Lumiose."

"Then Serena must know him as well," Trevor said. "She said something about needing to meet him."

Looking back at the TV, I noticed something off about the Garchomp. It looked relatively fine except for the eyes. Its eyes were glowing a sickly purple. It looked like Ash was trying to calm it. Finally an Iron Tail from Pikachu knocked some sense into it. Suddenly, the ground beneath Pikachu broke and Ash jumped off the tower after him.

I jerked forwards, eyes wide. "What!?"

"No way," Robert said. "That's suicidal."

"No," Alex murmured. "He really cares about his Pokemon."

Just in time, he was saved by a Blaziken, but the Blaziken looked different from usual. 

"Mega Blaziken," Trevor explained from our looks and I nodded.

"Megas," I said. "We saw a couple back in Alola."

"Anyway," Tierno said. "He's fine. But Serena seems to really want to meet him."

"Huh," I said. "Interesting."

High-fived the both of them. "Well, I'll see you two around. I'm heading home."