: Alola Region :

"Is Serena excited?" Ash asked as he looked at Serena who was admiring the Alola Region. She turned back to face Ash.

"Yes!" she replied with a bright smile. The smile was similar to Bonnie's when she gets excited.

"Ah, the fresh Alolan air!" Ash exclaimed as he breathed in. Serena was excited.

"Yay! The Alola Region," she yelled with a smile. Ash smiled to himself and offered his left hand to Serena so that she could hold onto him.

"Shall we keep moving? Professor Kukui's house isn't too far from here," Ash said, to which Serena simply nodded.

STAND TALL

: Hau'oli City Beachfront :

"What? No, I can't give you my Pokémon. They're my best friends," a kid said, trying to defend his Pokémon.

"You've got no better option, kiddo. Give them to us or we'll have to snatch them," Team Skull grunt Tupp warned the kid, with his two other companions behind him. The kid didn't listen, and Team Skull took a step forward, about to attack the kid when they were stopped by a thunderbolt.

"What was that?" Rapp yelled.

"Fight someone your size, you idiots," they heard a voice.

"Who are you?" Zipp questioned.

"People call me Gary," Gary stepped out of the shade with his Electivire.

"Oh, you're the new kid at the Pokémon School, aren't you?" Tupp questioned.

"Yes, and I'm different from the others," Gary replied.

"Let's see, no one at the school could defeat us alone. They either fought in groups or were always interrupted by this one kid," Tupp replied, as he released his Salandit from its Poké Ball. The Salandit let out a fierce cry as it emerged, its body crackling with flames.

"Fire against electricity, huh?" Gary questioned with a smirk, as the other two grunts released their Zubat and Yungoos. The Zubat let out a sharp screech, while the Yungoos growled fiercely.

"Show us what you've got," Tupp said to Gary, his voice tinged with a hint of challenge. But Gary was not taken aback. He stood tall, his eyes locked on the three Pokémon in front of him. He easily defeated each of the grunts' Pokémon as they kept releasing more, his Electivire unleashing powerful electric attacks, leaving his opponents fainted on the ground.

From a distance, Team Rocket was watching this, and they planned to catch hold of Gary's Pokémon. The plan was: Step 1: Help Team Skull Step 2: Defeat Gary with the help of Team Skull Step 3: Defeat Team Skull Step 4: Steal Gary's Pokémon Soon, they came out of the bushes running towards the fight, their feet pounding the ground as they ran.

"Huh?" Gary looked at Team Rocket, surprised to see them join the fray. Team Rocket started their motto, their voices ringing out loud and clear.

"What do you guys want now?" Tupp questioned them, his expression one of confusion.

"We're here to help," Jessie replied, as she released her Mimikyu from its Poké Ball. The Mimikyu let out a high-pitched cry as it emerged, its body shrouded in a ghostly aura.

"As if one gang of hooligans wasn't enough," Gary replied, clenching his fists. He was ready for this new challenge. James released his Mareanie, and the battle continued.

"If you're here to help, it's okay. Let's begin," Tupp said, turning towards Gary. They battled fiercely, making Gary's Electivire and even Umbreon faint, Mareanie fainted, two of Tupp's Salandits fainted, all of Zipp's Yungooses fainted, forcing him to release his Garbodor, and all of Zipp's Zubats fainted. Gary's Blastoise was in bad shape, exhausted from Gary's Island Challenge. Gary had already used his Z-Move, and Mimikyu had also used its Z-Move. One more attack and Blastoise would faint. But all of a sudden, between Blastoise and the villains' Pokémon, a normal-sized Water Shuriken fell. It looked similar to Team Rocket.

"Huh?" Team Rocket said in unison, their eyes wide with shock as they looked at the Water Shuriken. Everyone looked up, including Gary, as they followed the trajectory of the powerful move towards the sky. Suddenly, the sun was blocked by a shadowy figure, three figures to be precise. A Pikachu was sitting on a boy's shoulder, and next to the boy were two other figures, one of them a Kalos starter. Team Rocket gulped, their hearts pounding in their chests as they realized the gravity of the situation.

"Who're you, man?" the Team Skull grunts questioned, their voices trembling with fear.

"Oh, you sure you want to see me?" the boy replied, his voice filled with confidence and power. Team Rocket and Gary Oak recognized the voice immediately, as memories flooded back of their previous encounters.

"The twerp is back!" Meowth exclaimed, his voice filled with a mix of fear and excitement.

"In style!" James added, his voice filled with awe.

"Ashy Boy?" Gary questioned, as Ash moved aside so Gary could see him. The two exchanged smirks, a silent understanding passing between them.

"Greninja, Hydro Cannon!" Ash commanded, his voice filled with determination and power. Greninja let out a fierce cry as it unleashed the powerful move, leaving the villains' Pokémon fainted on the ground. Team Skull retreated, their tails between their legs, while Team Rocket was still standing there, their minds reeling from the shock of the sudden defeat.

"Your turn, Gary," the boy spoke to Gary, who smirked and commanded Blastoise to use Hydro Cannon again. Team Rocket blasted off, and Bewear caught them with its powerful arms, holding them tightly.

"That's new!" Serena exclaimed, her eyes wide with surprise as she looked at Team Rocket being held by Bewear.

"Yeah, that's been happening for a while," Ash replied to Serena, a hint of a smile on his lips. "Anyway, what are you doing here in Alola, Gary?" Ash then questioned Gary, his expression filled with curiosity.

"I've been facing some problems during my research, so I thought I'd have to..." Gary was about to complete his sentence when Ash stopped him.

"Study!" Ash exclaimed in amazement, his eyes wide with surprise.

"Yeah, and who is this girl with you?" Gary asked Ash, causing Ash to blush and Serena to giggle.

"I see!" Gary smirked and grabbed hold of Ash, pulling him into a tight embrace. "I missed you so much kid," he told Ash, his voice filled with emotion. Serena just giggled, looking at their friends, her heart filled with warmth. After a bit of talking, the group decided to leave, their minds set on the next adventure that awaited them.

"Where're you headed to?" Gary questioned Ash, his expression filled with curiosity.

"To Professor Kukui's house. What about you?" Ash questioned Gary back, his expression filled with excitement.

"Even me, I've just completed my Island Challenge," Gary replied to Ash with a hint of pride and satisfaction on his lips.

"That's great, so let's get going," Ash said, balling up his fist with determination and excitement. After a few minutes of walking, they reached the lab, where all of Ash's friends were busy helping Professor Kukui extend the facility.

"Hey everyone!" Ash exclaimed as he ran up to his friends, waving energetically at them. Gary looked confused as his classmates already knew Ash. Burnet was the first to notice Ash's arrival, her face breaking into a wide grin.

"Looks like the strongest Ultra Guardian is back just in time for the most critical mission," she whispered to herself with a sense of relief. Everyone else greeted Ash with excited waves and smiles.

Fade into the future

"Sir, everything is ready, do you want us to move forward and open the Ultra Wormhole?", a man wearing full black asks, his voice tight with tension.

"Wait for my signal, we shouldn't miss this catch. I don't want those idiots to mess it up now", a man petting his Persian replies with a menacing tone. On the video, were three familiar faces, Jessie, James, and Meowth, their expressions a mix of fear and determination.

"We won't let you down sir", James replies, trying to hide the shake in his voice.

"We'll be reaching you in another ten minutes, be careful", the man in full black informs the trio, his voice cold and calculated.

After a few minutes, inside the forest, a plane lands, and the Team Rocket trio was waiting to salute their boss. Due to this sudden disturbance in the forest, the Ultra Guardians get alerted. Burnet, who realized an Ultra Wormhole nearly four days ago, now reveals, that she has done so, and kept it a secret. Everyone was shocked, but Burnet said that she didn't want anyone to get into trouble, at least until, Ash arrived back in Alola. It all started to make sense now. Gary and Serena were sitting in the class. Gary gets angry as to where the others left and stands up from his place, he looks towards the forest, and he sees something come out of the sky.

"What could it be?", he thinks to himself, and runs towards the forest, leaving Serena alone in the class. Well, at the same time, the Ultra Guardians and the full Team Rocket, arrive at the spot. No one looks at each other, neither of the Ultra Guardians looks at Gary or Team Rocket, nor any one of Team Rocket looks at the Ultra Guardians or Gary and even Gary doesn't realize the presence of the other two groups.

"That's Mysterious!", was all everyone could say, their eyes wide with wonder and fear as they gaze at the unknown entity emerging from the Ultra Wormhole.

BE A HERO