Hello there! Thanks for checking this out! This story was written by me and Kit the Pokèmaniac!

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokèmon, and I don't think Kit does either. Let's go with no.

According to legends, long ago, the legendary Pokèmon Yeveltal and Xerneas changed ordinary evolutionary stones scattered around the region of Napaj into Mega Stones, powerful stones that have a special power in them, supposedly powered by the sundial in Anistar City. As long as the sun comes up ever day and illuminates the sundial, every single Mega Stone in the world will continue to be active, glowing with a strange power at certain times of the day.

Each Mega Stone is different, able to activate a power in Pokèmon. This power is called Mega Evolution, and is a strange ability that many do not understand. Mega Evolution allows certain Pokèmon to "Mega Evolve", boosting their power and changing their form. Not every single Pokèmon can Mega Evolve, and more Mega Evolutions are being discovered every day! Even if a Pokèmon can Mega Evolve, they'll need more than a Mega Stone.

To Mega Evolve, a Pokèmon needs a strong bond between themselves and their trainer. Their trainer also needs a special stone, known as a Key Stone. Only then can the powers of Mega Evolution be revealed.

Serena yawned. Man, was she tired. It had been a long day of training with Delphox the day before, and she had gone to bed exhausted. Now, her muscles still ached from everything they had done together. They had done some rock climbing to build muscle - rock climbing was an activity which Serena particularly hated - along with ribbon twirling, which required lots of endurance and grace, and speed training, which involved plenty of Flamethrower-on-target-while-running exercises. All in all, it had been a great Training day... but very, very exhausting.
Serena stretched and yawned again before dragging herself out of bed and heading into the bathroom to change and fix her hair. She was staying in a room at the Pokémon Center along with Ash, Clemont, and Bonnie on their way to the next town for Ash's next Gym Battle.
Suddenly, as she unfolded her clothes, something tumbled out of the fabrics and clattered onto the tile flooring. Serena frowned and reached down to pick it up.
Oh.
It was her Key Stone.
Serena bit her lip. Ash had gotten her the special stone, along with Delphoxite for her partner, as a birthday present, but she had honestly been afraid to use them. She remembered back when they met Korrina's Lucario and shuddered. The thought of her Delphox being like that... no. Serena just didn't want it to happen. She sighed heavily and changed as quickly as she could. They needed to get going to the next town...
When she exited the bathroom, all ready to go with her hair brushed and shining and her clothes neat and smooth, Serena noticed Ash and the others just waking up. Before anyone could notice, she quietly slipped the Key Stone into a small, hidden pocket in her bag.

Ash got up groggily from his bed. His sight was blurry, so he stumbled over to the bathroom. Splashing his face, he dried off and glanced at the clock on the wall. It read 4:30, much earlier than he usually got up. Stretching, he walked out of the washroom, his bare feet silent on the tiles as he quietly crossed the tiles. Serena was on the top bunk opposite to Ash's and Clemont was sleeping next to Bonnie, who was on the bottom bunk across from her brother but must have had a bad dream because she was next to him now.

Grabbing his backpack, Ash pulled out his daytime outfit, a black short sleeved t-shirt, baggy navy blue pants, socks, red shoes and his blue and white jacket. Finally, he picked his hat up from the dresser and set it on top of his unbrushed hair which stuck out (like always), giving him a younger, more childish look. Grinning, he clipped his Pokèballs to his belt, and crept out of the room, leaving his companions and Pikachu behind as they slept.

As quiet as possible, the raven haired trainer tiptoed outside, and took a deep breath. The morning air was crisp and chilly, but Ash felt rejuvenated, and released his team. Fletchinder, Frogadier, and Hawlucha appeared, looking a little tired but ready to battle if needed.

Ash smiled. "Sorry if I woke you guys a little too early, but I woke up early myself, and thought you'd want to see the sunrise."

The Pokèmon nodded, and seemed to be calmer like Ash as they rested on the dewy ground, Frogadier and Hawlucha sitting and Fletchinder perched on Ash's red hat. The group watched as the sky turned lighter, and the sun rose in the air, sending rays across the ground. They weren't trainer and his Pokèmon right now, just trainer and his friends.

So when a Pokèmon he didn't recognize unsheathed and held two swords at his throat from behind him, the atmosphere quickly changed to 'trainer's Pokèmon when their trainer is threatened.'

Hold on... Serena looked over at the spot where Ash should have been sleeping and did a double take. He wasn't there!
"Clemont!" She gasped. "Wh-where's Ash?!"
"Huh?" Clemont frowned, confused. Then, realizing that Ash was gone, his eyes widened. "But... well, I remember him being really excited when you told him the sunrises here were supposed to be gorgeous. He said he wanted to see one, and he wanted to show his Pokémon. Remember?"
Serena nodded, relieved for a moment, then looked over at the clock hanging the wall of the Pokémon Center room. Her heart dropped to her shoes.
"Clemont, it's nine o'clock. The sunrise was three hours ago." She said gravely.
Bonnie, who had been listening to the conversation, bit her lip nervously. Dedenne sensed her fear and seemed to become restless as well. "Is... is Ash okay, Clemont?" She asked her brother worriedly.
"I'm not sure, Bonnie," Clemont said with a shake of his head. "Come with me and Serena. We'll go see if everything's okay..."
Serena quietly opened the door of their room and slipped out into the hallway. She didn't know why Ash had disappeared or what happened, but she didn't like this one bit. She could she Bonnie was nervous, too, and so was Clemont.
Serena walked out the front door of the Center, Clemont and Bonnie close behind. She noticed that there was no Nurse Joy in her usual place at the front counter in the Pokémon Center lobby. She didn't know why, but that made Serena even more uneasy then before.
"Help!"
Hearing the cry, Serena turned. There was a young boy who couldn't have been older than ten. Probably a trainer who just started on his journey, Serena thought. There was an exhausted and terribly hurt Pokémon in his arms - a small Chespin.
"Please, miss, you have to help me!" The boy begged. "There are bad people out there, and they're attacking another Trainer with a Pikachu! They defeated all his Pokémon except the Pikachu, and they're beating him up bad! They're really hurting him!" There were tears in the boy's eyes and in his voice as he spoke. "I tried to help, but my Chespin... p-please, miss, you have to help me!"
Serena was shocked to hear such a story. She reached down and tenderly picked up the boy's Chespin. She could try to heal it, but she honestly had no idea what to do. And that boy out there... the kid had said the boy who was being beat up by bad guys had a Pikachu... immediately, Serena thought the worst.
"W-wait!" A feminine voice shouted, gasping for breath, from the doors of the Pokémon Center. It was Nurse Joy! "I'll take care of that Chespin. I tried to help the boy, but whoever those people were..." She shook her head. "I barely escaped them."
Nurse Joy quickly reached out and took the Chespin from Serena's arms. The young honey-haired Trainer turned to Clemont and Bonnie.
"Come on!" She cried urgently. "We have to go help Ash!"

Three Hours Ago
Pikachu wasn't really awake. He was feeling drowsy, but a little cold, and was going to cuddle against his trainer, so he rolled over a little.

He kept rolling. The little mouse bolted up and looked to his right. Ash wasn't there.

"Pikapi Pikachu?" he whispered, and climbed down the bedpost, careful not to wake Serena, Clemont and Bonnie. No one heard his little feet as he crossed the room and jumped up, grabbing the door knob and turning it, opening the door just a crack. Slipping out, he shut it quietly behind him, dashing down the stairs and hurrying out the automatic doors outside.

The first thing he saw was two swords and Ash's hat. Thinking on the spot, he sent a Thunderbolt at the metal blades, and they groaned before pulling away from his trainer and turning around to face him.

"Doublade..." it said, angry. Pikachu sparked his cheeks in response.

"Pika Pika!" he yelled, and Doublade attacked, swinging it's double blades furiously as Pikachu could only dodge. Pikachu tripped though, and fell on his back as Doublade prepared to deal the finishing blow. Then Froakie came up from behind, throwing a Water Pulse at the Sword Pokèmon and halting it momentarily. Pikachu used that time to run to Ash.

The usually confident trainer was shaking a little, and Fletchinder was gently blowing air on him.
"Thanks Fletchinder." he finally said, and Pikachu jumped into his arms. "Pikapi Pika?" the little rodent asked, and Ash laughed. "Yeah, I'm okay."

"Not for long."

Ash whipped his head around to see Froakie lying on the ground, cuts and slashes on the blue frog and swirly eyes. Doublade hovered next to a man in black. All that was visible was his eyes, a steely pale blue that looked like pieces of ice.

"Who are you?" the raven haired trained asked, and the man chuckled.

"Me? I'm your worst nightmare."

Doublade spun and slashed, and his Pokèmon were falling quickly.
"Fletchinder, use Razor Wind! Hawlucha, use Karate Chop!"

Hawlucha flew towards the Sword Pokèmon, swinging his hand down in a chopping motion but Doublade was unaffected by the Fighting type move, quickly attacking with Slash, and Hawlucha was down.

Fletchinder's Razor Wind didn't do anything either, and another Slash was aimed at the bird, but hastily dodged.

"Flame Charge, but don't get hit with those swords!" Ash yelled, and Fletchinder flew towards Doublade, it's body on fire as it crashed into the Sword Pokèmon.

"What'd you think of that?" Ash grinned, but his opponent seemed unfazed as his own Pokèmon effortlessly got up, not a scratch on it.

"But how?"

"Night Slash!" the man said, and with dark blades, Doublade slashed in an X-Scissor-like motion, and Fletchinder fainted.

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Ash said quickly, and his starter jumped into the fight, eager to defeat this evil man. The electric mouse released a powerful bolt of electricity at Doublade, pushing him back. He finally looked a little tired.

"Electro Ball!" Ash commanded, and Pikachu threw the electric sphere at his opponent.

But the Sword Pokèmon avoided it, and rushed forward, inches from Pikachu.

"Slash, let's go!" the man said, his voice cold.
"Iron Tail!" Ash countered, and the two metals clashed against each other.

Pikachu seemed to be gaining the upper hand, but that hope disappeared when the other sword rose above the mouse's head.

"Fury Cutter!"

The sneak attack knocked Pikachu to the ground, and the little Pokèmon struggled to get up.

"Finish it."
Doublade rose one of it's blades in the air, the steel shining in the early sunlight. Pikachu pushed itself, trying to get up, but could only watch as the sword swung down onto him.

"Vine Whip, Chespin!" a young voice cried out, and the green vines lashed out, wrapping around Doublade's weapon, yanking it back away from the defenceless rodent.

"Now, use Bite!" the boy called out, and his starter, not even at level 14, pulled Doublade towards him and bit down on it's sword.

It didn't have the effect he was expecting. Chespin cried out as he bite down on the solid steel, his teeth nearly shattered.

"Do not interfere! Fury Cutter!" the cruel man shouted, and Doublade, using it's free sword, sliced Chespin, knocking the tiny thing back to his trainer as the vines released their hold. The little boy ran to the Pokèmon Center in tears.

Pikachu was on his feet, a little pale and shaking unsteadily but ready to protect his trainer.

"Please." the man scoffed. "Your Pikachu is weak if he cannot stay strong against my Doublade."

"Pika Pikachu Pi!" the mouse stubbornly replied.

"Battling your pathetic Pokèmon is a waste of time. Doublade, Shadow Sneak, and get that brat!"

Ash could only watch as the Pokèmon disappeared into a nearby shadow. Scanning the ground, he felt a pain in his back as the sword slashed at him, knocking him to the ground.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu cried out as his trainer tried to get up.

"Night Slash, quickly. Our mission was to take him out."

The pitch-black blades glowed a dark colour, reminding him of his darkest nightmares as they hit him full power.

And then the world went black.

"ASH!" Serena shouted in horror. She saw Pikachu, pale and weak, out of the corner of her eye. She saw a fierce and virtually unharmed Doublade, and all of Ash's Pokémon besides Pikachu completely knocked out. She saw a dark figure with icy blue eyes, staring coolly at the scene around him. But her only focus was Ash.
As Serena dropped to her knees beside Ash and saw his condition, she bit back tears. Fire burned in her eyes as she whipped around to face the man and his Doublade...
But they were gone.
Completely gone.
Serena's eyes widened. Apparently, the man's sole focus had been to attack Ash. Now that the young raven-haired Trainer had been knocked unconscious - and nearly all of his Pokémon, as well - the man had no reason to stay. As the realization struck Serena, she suddenly came up with a question.
Why would they want Ash...?
"Ash! Serena!"
The honey-haired girl looked back to see Clemont and Bonnie just catching up to her. None of them had hesitated to race out of the Pokémon Center and across the grassy field to where Ash was, but Clemont wasn't exactly athletic, and Bonnie felt inclined to wait for her big brother. Now, they were just catching up, and Bonnie was yelling their names frantically.
"Right here!" Serena called to the little girl. Bonnie gasped in fright when she saw Ash. Clemont was just as horrified.
"Pika..." Pikachu stumbled over to his Trainer and licked his cheek affectionately. Then Pikachu's legs wobbled for a moment. He was exhausted after the gruelling battle.
When Pikachu collapsed beside his Trainer, it snapped Serena back into focus. She gently gathered Pikachu in her arms and handed the little Pokémon to Bonnie. "Take him to the Pokémon Center," she said hurriedly. "Get Ash's other Pokémon there too." Clipping the balls from Ash's belt, she tossed them to Clemont. "You - you've got to hurry!" She insisted.
Serena quickly turned her attention back to Ash, and felt a tear slide down her face. She slipped her phone out of her pocket and dialled 911.
"H-hello?" She spoke nervously into the receiver. "Yes? P-please, ma'am, my friend..." her voice cracked a little. "He got attacked. By a man with a Doublade... he's unconscious, and he's in really bad shape. P-please..."
As Serena filled the operator in on all the details, she clutched Ash's hand tightly.
Please, she thought desperately, please let him be okay...