Gray and Ash slowly descended into their destination — a valley towered by unspoiled mountaintops. Its surrounding peaks were so high that it cast eerie shadows on the abandoned compound nestled within.

  As they neared the ground, they could feel the change in atmosphere. The increased static in the air was ominous, causing the fine hairs on Ash’s arm to rise with a tingling feeling on his skin.

  So intimidated by their surroundings, Ash huddled close to Gray, enthusiasm for his new pokemon briefly curbed.

  Gray released Mimikyu and Grimmsnarl from their pokeballs to ensure their protection. Mega Altaria refused to be recalled, opting to find a perch on a towering tree that overlooked the valley. He released a steady aura of draconic-fairy energy, counteracting the static in the air.

  Up above, he lay in wait. Gray could feel a headache coming, not liking how giddily excited his dragon postured.

  Feeling a bit more confident with familiar companions around, Ash cautiously walked ahead of Gray to survey the building in front of them.

  The abandoned powerplant was enormous, as wide as a football field and taller than the buildings in Pewter City. Its walls were riddled in decay, some parts crawling with fern and vines that contrasted hauntingly with the dilapidated structure it enclosed.

  “Stay close. I want everyone on alert. Ash, no wandering off,” Gray instructed.

  Mimikyu drew closer to Ash, ready to tail the boy at all times. Grimmsnarl positioned himself right behind his trainer, eyes darting around to ensure nothing got past him.

  Gray marched forward, unperturbed by the creepy surroundings.

  They were first greeted by a massive room, the floors above lined with railings connecting different areas together. Gray could spot alcoves dug within the inner walls, vantage points that allowed a clear view of the entrance.

  The ground was littered with debris, pebbles and dirt strewn about. The abandoned powerplant saw little to no foot traffic, yet no dust had settled on its floor.

  Smiling at the signs, Gray stepped forward to address the empty space.

  “We don’t mean any harm. We’re just looking for a pokemon friend willing to come home with us. We promise not to disturb you.”

  Silence was his only reply, yet Gray remained steadfast and unmoving.

  “Uncle, who are you talking to?”

  “The residents of course,”

  “Huh?” puzzled, Ash began to doubt his uncle’s sanity just a tiny bit. Having grown up in the lab and thus used to the eccentric nature of pokemon trainers, Ash decided to humour his uncle and give him the benefit of the doubt.

  He copied his uncle in remaining still, only fidgeting when he struggled to remain still.

  Faith had its own reward as something shifted in the air. Static seemed to impossibly build up again. Ash shifted closer to his uncle, unnerved by the changes.

  “Pika?”

  Curious squeaks broke the stillness, and soon Ash could see yellow ears emerge from some of the alcoves on the walls.

  The electric mouse pokemon, seeing that their trespassers reacted very little to their sudden appearance, began to emerge slowly from their homes. They were soon followed by other species, Magnemites floating along and Elekids creeping closer in curiosity.

  Gray spotted a cluster of Plusles and Minuns come out too. Encouragingly, a pair of Electivires emerged from one of the bigger holes. They were corralling the Elekids and preventing them from approaching the strangers.

  Nodding at their tolerance, Gray began walking forward again. Ash hurried to follow along.

  A more assertive Pikachu approached the young boy, head tilted to one side in curiosity. Ash held his breath, instinctively bending to his knees to appear more approachable.

  Gray had stopped breathing too. He kept a close eye on the approaching pokemon, feeling a bit apprehensive. Was this the overpowered rat that could duel legendaries?

  “Mimikyu,” sounded out before the pokemon could get any closer.

  The pika-clone took a few steps forward, effectively keeping Ash shielded behind him. The Pikachu seemed to have lost courage when the creepy Fairy-Ghost pokemon made itself known. Fur just on the verge of bristling, it leapt away without sparing a glance back.

  Ash deflated, tension making way for disappointment. “Mimikyu, you just chased it away!”

  Mimikyu turned its little body, stepping even closer to Ash. “Mi-mikyu,” he whimpered in apology, doll head tilting perfectly upwards to appear contrite.

  “No, no, I’m not replacing you… Alright, alright! I’m sorry!”

  Ash patted the tiny thing in comfort. He scooped him up, depositing him on a shoulder. Ash straightened back up, still disappointed judging from his drooped head.

  Relief coursed through Gray. As willing as he was to let Ash have Pikachu early, it felt supremely wrong to interfere with fate that way. So far, he had been willing to go against canon, but to jerk it completely off course by offering a random Pikachu was sacrilegious.

  Chance gone, Ash faced forward again and joined Gray. Without the boy’s attention on him, Mimikyu swayed on his perch with glee. Gray decided to leave the smug pokemon alone, thankful that his distaste for Pikachu in general played a part in keeping destiny on track.

  The group went deeper and deeper into the abandoned factory. Electric pokemon kept their distance, content to ignore the intruders for the most part and remaining alert but unconcerned.

  Ash kept a hopeful gaze, but as they ventured deeper he could not help but feel disappointed that he was not approached by another pokemon.

  The more they explored the abandoned powerplant, the eerier their surroundings became. Light struggled more and more to penetrate the gloom of neglect, and soon the group had to rely on the pokemon’s low powered Dazzling Gleam to traverse.

  They soon entered a room filled with generators, the light emitted from the group casting menacing shadows to appear behind each mechanism. There were barely any electric pokemon here as well, empty but for a lone Magneton whose eyes blinked tiredly at them.

  After smiling politely at the pokemon, Gray inspected the room slowly. He soon noticed a stairwell descending downwards, hidden conspicuously on a corner of the room that was difficult to spot due to the large equipment dominating the room.

  Smiling a bit brighter at that, Gray led the group down. Their steps echoed against the metal staircase, a creepy rhythm that had Ash clasping Gray’s clothes tight.

  Amused, Gray let the boy be.

  When they reached the bottom floor, they were greeted by rooms that were once employee quarters. Behind one barely hanging door were bunk beds with yellowed mattresses.

  “Flutter Mane,” Gray softly called out.

  Emerging from the shadows beneath his feet, Flutter Mane extended out his head. His red eyes appeared sinister in the low light, yellow cat-like irises questioning as he listened to his trainer.

  “Can you help me gather some of the pokemon around? I’d like the chance to talk to them,”

  Flutter Mane fully escaped his trainer’s shadows. He gave his trainer a look and rumbled lowly.

  Unlike modern pokemon who tended to communicate with repetitions of their name, Flutter Mane was only capable of disconcerting sounds. Strangely enough, they were still perfectly comprehensible to other pokemon. Gray knew this for a fact, having witnessed heated conversations between his pokemon.

  “Yeah, I know. We’ll be fine,”

  The Paradox pokemon hummed in understanding before he disappeared right before his trainer’s eyes, one moment there and another gone. Satisfied with the exchange, Gray nonchalantly strolled through the area.

  When enough minutes had passed, he began to open drawers at random. He wasn’t searching for anything for he never rummaged through them, but he periodically opened up doors, cabinets and whatever openings he could find.

  Ash was in complete disbelief over his uncle’s actions. Nevermind the fearlessness, he fully expected to be equally brave when he was a trainer, but Gray’s behaviour had hardly shifted as they explored the area. He treated the abandoned powerplant like a mall, strolling and going about his business as if all was right in the world!

  “What are you looking for, Uncle? I — I can help,” said Ash, trying to summon courage by tightly holding on to Mimikyu. The disguise pokemon was fully on board, squealing in delight when Ash tightened his grip. Unbeknownst to him, the unsettling sounds only served to frighten Ash more.

  “Nothing really. Just speeding up the process,”

  Gray kept up his actions, the rhythmic opening and closing of drawers an abnormal symphony in an otherwise dead silent atmosphere.

  Pausing for a moment, Gray let a closing door echo in the room. It reverberated through the air, only to end in an unnatural silence.

  Gray opened another door, and a high-pitched shriek followed his action. An apparition leapt at Gray’s face.

  Ash screamed out loud, hugging Mimikyu close to his chest as he fumbled backwards and fell to the ground.

  Startled by the young boy’ scream, Mimikyu used his ghostly energy to erect walls to protect the duo. The slits on his dress darted around the room, looking for other signs of threat.

  In complete contrast, Gray remained unfazed, not even taking a step back after the shriek. A Reflect covered his front, thanks to Grimmsnarl’s quick reaction time. The ghostly apparition stopped a few centimeters from Gray, unable to actually touch the trainer.

  Gray gave a bland smile at the mysterious object, before introducing himself calmly.

  “How scary. Thanks for that. I assume you’re willing to help now?”

  Slowly, the spectre lost its menacing cover to dissolve into a disgruntled Gengar. It frowned heavily at Gray, annoyed at his lack of reaction.

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  Flutter Mane’s head poked out of the door surface, snickering at the ghost’s failed attempt at startling his trainer. He gave a pointed look at the levitating Gengar, daring him to flee.

  The purple shadow sighed before sitting back in the air. It folded its legs, placing an elbow on one knee, waiting for instruction. It would have reneged on the bet he made with the weird ghost that had approached him, but he innately felt that doing so would not serve him well.

  “Thanks for your willingness to help,” said Gray, ignoring Gengar’s rolling scarlet eyes.

  “We’re looking for a ghost pokemon that likes to possess motors or electric devices. Are any of them around here?”

  Gengar’s eyes flashed in recognition before it cast a suspicious gaze on the group in front of him.

  “Gen-Gengar,”

  “Don’t worry, we won’t force anyone to join us. Only the willing,” Gray reassured

  Gengar considered them for a bit. The silence dragged for a bit as the shadow pokemon stared Gray down without blinking. When his silence was passively accepted, he gave a reluctant nod before floating away.

  Pleased at the acquiescence, Gray followed after picking Ash up and dusting him off. The boy had calmed down significantly, his attention now focused on the floating Gengar leading the way. Once Gray was satisfied after fussing, Ash quickly hastened his steps to keep pace with the pokemon leading the way.

  He carefully placed Mimikyu on the shoulder closest to the wild pokemon, a barrier to keep himself a little more protected. Regardless, he began chattering at Gengar.

  Gray couldn’t help the flicker of amusement at Ash’s ability to bounce back so quickly.

  Gengar began leading them around the facility, making so many twists and turns that even Gray would have struggled to trace their steps back. Still, the experienced trainer was indifferent.

  They were soon joined by a haunting of Ghastly floating along with the group. The new additions were successful in drawing Ash’s attention. Gengar’s unmistakable sigh of relief made Gray laugh a little.

  Sometime later, they were led into an old store room filled with discarded electronics and appliances. Perhaps a dumping ground of forgotten things? It mattered little to Gray, as long as what they were searching for was there.

  “Gengar,” the shadow pokemon announced.

  A zip of blue lightning darted around the air so quickly that it was difficult to track with human eyes. It settled at the far end of the room, hovering high up and out of reach.

  When it stopped, they could now make out a circular, orange pokemon surrounded by streaks of blue electricity on both sides. It looked down at the group suspiciously, hovering tensely in the air.

  Unhurried, Gray stepped forward. The relaxed demeanor of the older human marginally calmed the electric-ghost for it sensed no negative intentions. It remained far though, poised and ready to flee.

  “Hello there. We hope you’re willing to join our little family.” Gray began.

  “Rotom,” it replied, unimpressed.

  “Don’t be so quick to reject! You’d be playing a really important role. Plus, you’d get to possess this exciting piece of tech!” Gray whipped out the red pokedex he had taken from Ash earlier this morning.

  “Rotom?”

  “This here is a pokedex. It has information on so many different types of pokemon. Plus, you’d get to do this!” he dramatically explained, pressing a button that immediately caused a mechanical voice to read out Gengar’s pokedex entry.

  The Rotom appeared more interested, eyeing the pokedex greedily.

  Gray gave himself a pat on the back. He had bet on a Rotom’s inherent ghostly curiosity and fascination with electronics to great success.

  “You can try it out, see how you like it,” Gray stepped closer and placed the pokedex on the ground. He stepped back, giving ample space for the electric-ghost type to feel safe.

  Rotom immediately dived in, disappearing into the device that began to flicker on and off with its extra guest.

  It rose in the air, levitating and flickering all the while. A mechanical voice soon came out of it.

  “Te-tes-test,”

  Eyes appeared on the pokedex screen and it emitted a blue aura of plasma not unlike Rotom’s original form. It was a far cry from the Rotom Dex that were widely available in Alola, but Gray felt that it was suitable enough for now.

  “Hel-lo, hello, hello!” Rotom excitedly exclaimed. Its eyes gleamed yellow as it quickly skimmed through information available inside the pokedex.

  It floated close to the Gengar before spouting out information.

  “Gengar, the Shadow Pokemon. Lurking in the shadows of rooms, it awaits the chance to steal its preys’ lifeforce,” Rotom announced in a mechanical voice. “But slap it with a Psychic or Dark move and it’ll go down quickly. Haha!”

  Rotom zoomed around Gengar mockingly. Annoyed, it readied a Shadowball only to be stopped by the pointed humming of Flutter Mane. Gengar dissipated its move and huffed.

  “Wow! So cool! Why Psychic though?” asked Ash.

  “Bzzt. Gengar is a Ghost-Poison type, making Psychic attacks super effective!” it cheered.

  Gray let the two have an animated conversation. He interrupted in the middle of them discussing ghost on ghost effectiveness.

  “What do you think, Rotom? Interested in joining? You’ll help Ash learn more about pokemon, so you guys can learn together.”

  “Bzzt. Will I be required to battle?” said Rotom nervously.

  “Nope. You’ll be focused on accompanying Ash,”

  Ash whined, but stopped when Gray pinched a cheek. “You’re too young to be battling anyway. Would you force a pokemon who doesn’t want to fight?”

  Ash was quick to deny, hurriedly reassuring Rotom that he wouldn’t force it to do anything it didn’t want to do.

  Rotom gave an uncertain hum.

  “You don’t have to decide now. Take your time. In the meantime, join us for lunch!”

  Gray quickly began setting up lunch. He found a relatively spacious area, and sat down. His other pokemon released themselves, eager to stretch their legs out for a bit. Some of the fussier ones like Ninetales were disgruntled at their neglected surroundings, but were quick to get over it.

  Rotom seemed distressed at the attention he was receiving from the clearly more powerful pokemon. It was fleeting, however, as the majority of Gray’s team barely spared him a glance after a polite greeting.

  Taking out portions of pokemon food and berries, Gray thanked his past self for splurging on his spacefolding backpack. He took out more than enough for the pokemon to feast. He generously invited Gengar and the Ghastly to partake, feeling accomplished for discovering Rotom.

  He had no basis to believe that Rotom would even be found here in Kanto, but with every ‘foreign’ pokemon they encountered in the powerplant his confidence grew. The abandoned powerplant, thanks to its scale and mostly undisturbed nature, had probably acted as a gathering spot for electric pokemon in the Eastern regions.

  Abandoned pokemon was a reality in the pokemon world, and it was likely that some of the foreign species left to fend for themselves in Kanto congregated here. Generations later, they bred and made homes for themselves.

  There was probably some other reason Electric pokemon felt comfortable here, but Gray paid it no mind. He wasn’t here to solve greater mysteries. It was enough to know that electric pokemon were attracted to ‘electrical’ places.

  Ghost pokemon were another matter altogether, their amorphous nature making them impossible to limit to a single region. Even their breeding and formation remained largely unexplained phenomena, and it was likely that the conditions here were just enough for Rotom to exist.

  In his opinion, a version of a Rotom dex made for a good companion for Ash. Rotom were inherently curious and attracted to motors and electronics. Once they possess something, they become eager to explore it and cause mischief.

  Gray was confident that with the plethora of information the pokedex could provide, Rotom would be hooked on the many different ways other pokemon could be beaten.

  Just to be on the safe side, Gray made sure to be extra generous with the serving he had offered to Rotom. He paid no mind to some of the berries levitating away from Rotom’s share he could spot from the corner of his vision.

  Besides, Gray had a secret weapon right with him. He secretly relished at Ash’s infectious fervour, the boy having taken advantage of the mealtime to share with Rotom exactly how awesome the world was outside of the abandoned powerplant.

  He regaled stories about other pokemon, battling and whatnot. He described the daily excitements in the laboratory, about how he was working to become ‘the best trainer in the world’ and how ‘insanely strong uncle’s pokemon was’.

  Ash gleefully introduced Gray’s pokemon one by one, accompanying each with petting and attention that Gray’s team soaked up.

  Rotom seemed overwhelmed but hungry to hear more about the world outside.

  Lunch was soon wrapped up, and Gray slowly returned his pokemon who were eager to nap away their food coma. Like before, he kept Mimikyu, Grimmsnarl and Flutter Mane outside.

  He addressed Rotom who seemed to belong more after sharing a meal together.

  “So what do you think, Rotom? Want to stay?”

  “Bzzt. That is alright with me. But…”

  Rotom buzzed out loud, and soon four other Rotom appeared in the room. They huddled close together, a friendly foursome who cheered their names out loud. Gray laughed at the remnants of berry juices from their mouths.

  “Bzzt. Can we all join? Bzzt,” it asked. His control with the pokedex must have been improving rapidly, because Gray could detect a hint of sheepishness behind the mechanical voice.

  “Yes, that’s alright. But we only have one pokedex right now. The rest of you will have to wait a few days for your own pokedex to play with.”

  “Rotom!”

  “Ro-Rotom!”

  The foursome squealed in joy. Gray dug in his bag for five unassigned pokeballs. He enlarged each one and placed it on the ground.

  “Bzzt. Must we stay inside the pokeball? We wish to remain outside.”

  Unsurprised, Gray reassured Rotom. “There’s no need to. You guys can remain in my shadow for now. You’ll have to share with Flutter Mane though.”

  The dark blue pokemon sighed before nodding his head. There was a spike in ghost energy in the air though, a silent warning. The Rotom cheered but adjusted their floating to be slightly lower than Flutter Mane’s.

  It was a good sign, a gesture of respect towards a more powerful pokemon.

  Rotom took the lead, emerging from the pokedex and approaching a pokeball. Ash hurriedly caught the pokedex before it could fall to the ground.

  “Wait!” Ash protested before Rotom could tap the pokeball. “Can I be the one to catch you? Please?”

  Rotom looked back to Gray, waiting for his verdict. Gray hummed, “Yeah you can, but you know… He’s technically not yours, right? You’ll have to study hard, turn ten and get your license before you can actually own a pokemon.”

  “I know, but I just want to catch a pokemon. I’ve never done it before!” Ash pleaded.

  “Fine, here,” Gray tossed a ball at Ash, who only fumbled a bit before he managed to right himself. He grinned from ear-to-ear, nearly vibrating out of his body in anticipation.

  Rotom hovered in front of Ash, waiting.

  “Go pokeball!”

  The ball flew towards Rotom. Unfortunately, Ash’s aim was off so Rotom had to readjust itself quickly. It managed to butt its head against the ball just before it landed on the ground, causing it to disappear in a flurry of red energy.

  The pokeball barely shook before it sealed with a distinctive click. Gray picked it up, laughing at Ash who had reddened. Still, an exhilarated grin was on his face. Gray released Rotom immediately.

  Rotom reappeared briefly before flying back into the pokedex. By the time it had readjusted to the device again, the other Rotoms had already captured and released themselves.

  “I did it! I caught a pokemon!”

  “You did, buddy. But we’ll have to work on your aim. Imagine if this was your first real catch. What would you do if you can’t even throw your pokeballs right?”

  Ash stuck a tongue out at his uncle, before resuming his chattering with Rotom. The pokedex possessing electric-ghost happily replied, sometimes taking a few seconds to scan for the information inside itself for answers.

  Pleased at a completed task, Gray thanked Gengar for its assistance.

  “Gengar!”

  It turned its attention back to Flutter Mane who gave a dismissive grunt. Choosing not to look a gift horse in the mouth, it hurriedly flew towards a wall, disappearing in a circular splatter of purple ghost energy.

  The Ghastly that had been following the group were much more relaxed in their goodbyes, slowly disappearing one by one by phasing out of the room’s walls.

  “Alright. Let’s head back! Get us out of here, Flutter Mane,”

  The paradox pokemon floated forward, spear heading their way out of the abandoned powerplant.

  They were nearly out of the powerplant, obvious from the increasing amount of light and gradual reappearances of electric pokemon when the entire building suddenly rumbled.

  Dust and debris began to fall all around them. Pokemon cries sounded out worriedly, and Gray couldn’t help but feel the same.

  “Grimmsnarl!”

  A protective screen formed on top of the group, before similar walls surrounded them in a cage. While Gray had full faith in his pokemon’s ability to keep them protected, he did not want to test fate.

  He picked up Ash and ran out to the building. Sensing the danger, Ash did not protest.

  Their rapid exit was not solitary, for other groups of pokemon were also making their way out of the powerplant.

  A pair of Electivires were hurriedly leaving, each carrying bundles of Elekid while some hung off them precariously. Clusters of Magnemites and Magnetons were levitating together, producing a collective aura of electricity that would disintegrate larger debris threatening to fall on them.

  The ground rumbled again, this time accompanied by an outburst of energy that could be felt. Pressure increased in the air, making it more difficult to breathe.

  Gray tucked Ash deeper into his embrace, placing a worried hand on the boy’s locks.

  “Grimm!”

  The shields around them thickened, reducing the heaviness in the air. It did not completely alleviate the pressure, but Gray could feel himself being able to draw in more air.

  To Gray’s relief, they managed to exit the building before something more dangerous could occur.

  His emotions remained high and tense, however, as he took in the scene before him.

  Altaria, still in his mega form, was hovering in the air. Each beat of his fluffy wings increased the heaviness in the air as he released more and more draconic energy. The purple energy was intermixed with wisps of pink, Fairy energy that was equally potent.

  But the bulk of pressure was emanating from the massive bird nestled within heavy thunderclouds. Its spiky, yellow plumage was backed with black feathers, each sharp enough to stab clean through a man. Its talons and orange beak were equally razor-sharp, creating an intimidating visage that screamed danger.

  Lightning flashed through the air. In the time where the world became a blinding white, the pokemon managed to strike at Mega Altaria with a Drill Peck.

  Altaria gracefully spun to avoid a majority of the damage. The glancing blow he would have taken had been absorbed by a hasty Cotton Guard, the dense fluff coming off and leaving him untouched.

  The clash was still enough to create a crashing wave of air that blew through those on the ground. Gray instinctively turned his body to protect Ash, leaving his back to the elements. Fortunately, he barely felt a gust thanks to another timely Light Screen from Grimmsnarl.

  Gray managed to turn his head back on the action, just in time for Altaria’s opponent to free its beak from Altaria’s Cotton Guard.

  Zapdos roared, and the world flashed in spasms of black and white as lightning flared.