After a quick introduction to Serena, a budding young Trainer who lives with her mother in the Kalos region, we find Ash, Pikachu, and Alexa on a plane, preparing to land in Kalos. Saying that Ash is excited would be quite an understatement! The thought of meeting all the new Pokémon and having lots of exciting Gym battles has our hero beside himself with joyous anticipation.

But when Alexa discovers that her younger sister (who’s a Gym Leader) isn’t at her Gym in Santalune City, Ash wonders where he should try for his first badge. Alexa directs him to the Gym located in the Prism Tower, right there in Lumiose City! Ash and Pikachu arrive at the Gym, brimming with confidence and energy. But they are greeted by a robot who, upon discovering Ash hasn’t yet won a single badge in Kalos, promptly throws them out with a bang!

Outside, a Trainer named Clemont and his little sister, Bonnie, manage to catch Ash and Pikachu as they come flying out of the tower. After introductions all around, Ash challenges Clemont to a battle on the spot, and he agrees. With Pikachu up against Clemont’s new Pokémon Bunnelby, it proves to be a battle of power and strategy, until it is rudely interrupted by none other than Jessie, James, and Meowth of Team Rocket, who have followed Ash all the way to Kalos!

The villains proclaim that although Pikachu is their first Pokémon-catching priority, the wealth of prime Pokémon in the Kalos region is too great to ignore! As a new battle begins, Team Rocket’s Wobbuffet proves to be quite a powerful Pokémon, thanks to its Mirror Coat move, which returns special attacks to the sender with double the power! But a Froakie has been observing the events from the sidelines, and now rushes in to help. When it flings the protective Frubbles that cover its back—which isn’t technically a move, and therefore not affected by Wobbuffet’s Mirror Coat—Team Rocket is sent blasting off again, but Froakie is injured in the process. Ash knows they need to get Froakie to a Pokémon Center right away, but Bonnie suggests it would be faster to go to Professor Sycamore’s research lab.

So off they go: Ash, Pikachu, Clemont, Bonnie, and the injured Froakie, ushering in a new round of adventures and excitement!