Welcome back my loyal readers, I am very pleased with how much positive feedback I'm getting. I was going to have this be the battle chapter but I'm having a little trouble actually writing the battle. I'm not going to do a full six on six like last time as this is not that big of a battle and I got some complaints last time. I know I'm going to have Max use Mega Evolution and Ash use Z-Moves but I'm not sure how to write it in terms of showing how much difference there is between the two. So if any of you have some ideas, please let me know. With that out of the way, on with the chapter.
"Ash, you're the Frontier Brain!?" Max said in shock.
"Not only that, but you have a girlfriend," May added in shock as well. The entire group was in shock as well; more at the fact that Ash Ketchum, the densest boy on the planet, had a girlfriend than being the Frontier Brain.
"I'm sure you guys have a lot of questions," said Ash. "But I'm pretty sure that Max would like a battle, don't you."
"I do want to battle," Max said. "But I think I speak for everyone when I say you've got a lot of explaining to do. Like how you finally accepted Scott's job offer."
"How you, the densest man on the planet, have a girlfriend," May continued.
"And where on Earth did you learn to dance," Dawn finished.
"Alright, alright," Ash said as he tried to calm his former traveling companions down. "I guess I do owe you an explanation."
"How about starting when you two first met," Zoey suggested. "I'm sure that's how this all started."
"Sure, so why don't we all take a seat," said Serena.
May and Dawn sat back in their chairs while Ash, Bonnie, and Zoey sat next to Serena and Max grabbed a chair that was in front of the vanity and placed it in front of the coffee table.
"So I'm going to take a wild guess and say that you two met in Kalos," Dawn said.
"We did meet up there yes," said Serena, scooting closer to her boyfriend.
"But it wasn't where we first met," Ash finished.
"It's not?" May asked.
"We actually met long before that," Serena explained. "When me and Ash were around seven years old, there was a summer camp going on at Prof. Oak's lab. My mom, who is a famous Rhyhorn Racer, sent me there thinking it would be a good experience for me and so she could focus on her racing for a while. I didn't really like it at first and was so scared and didn't make any friends. Then we had a scavenger hunt where we had to look for pokémon that were scattered through the camp site. I quickly got lost in the forest and I got startled by a Poliwag."
"A Poliwag," May snickered. "I'm sorry but, I used to not like pokémon too, but even I thought Poliwag was cute."
"I thought it was an Ursaring or something, cut me some slack," said Serena. "Anyway, I was startled so much I fell and hurt my knee. I was so scared I started crying. Then I heard the bushes rustle again; I thought it would be another pokémon, one a lot more scary, but it was actually a boy looking for that very same Poliwag that startled me."
"Ash?" Zoey asked knowingly.
"Ash," Serena replied, her face flush. "He saw how helpless I looked asked me what was wrong. I told him that my knee was hurt and he immediately took out a blue handkerchief and tied it around my knee. I tried getting up but it still hurt, Ash then did this adorable little 'spell' and I still couldn't get up. He the got up and offered me his hand. I hesitantly took it and he helped pull me up and lead me out of the forest and back to camp where I got my knee properly treated."
May, Dawn, and Zoey all gave a cute sigh at the sweet story.
"Ash was the first friend I made at that camp," Serena continued. "I had to head back to Kalos once camp was over, but I still held onto the handkerchief Ash gave me."
"Fast forward a few years later to when I first arrived in Kalos," said Ash. "Team Rocket was trying to steal a Garchomp at Prof. Sycamore's lab in Lumiose City but it backfired and went on a rampage. I tried to go help calm it down."
"Why am I not surprised," Max asked sarcastically.
"Anyway," Serena continued. "That rampage made it onto the news. I had finished up training for Rhyhorn Racing with my mom when she told me to come and watch. As soon as I saw Ash's face I immediately recognized him and felt like I had to see him again."
"You went on a pokémon journey just for that?" Zoey asked.
"Well, not entirely," Serena explained. "I never really liked Rhyhorn Racing like my mom does, but I wasn't sure what my dream was and going on a journey would help me figure it out. Seeing Ash again was just the push I needed to start."
"That kind of sounds like me in a way," May stated. "I just wanted to go on a journey so I could travel before deciding to become a coordinator, and I didn't want to battle Gyms and become powerful like my dad."
"Nice to know we have something in common," Serena smiled. "So I went to Lumiose City to see Prof. Sycamore and get my starter and he told me Ash was already in Santalune City. When I arrived he was in the middle of a battle with Viola, the Gym Leader. He lost and forgot his backpack while heading to the Pokémon Center."
"So you followed him to the Pokémon Center, returned his backpack, he recognizes you and you fall in love," May said enthusiastically.
"Actually I didn't recognize her at first," Ash stated nervously.
The Hoenn and Sinnoh trainers felt themselves falter a little at Ash's statement.
"It's okay guys," Serena said. "He did recognize me eventually. After he won his second match against Viola, he invited me to go with him on his journey along with Clemont and Bonnie."
"Wait, he invited you?" May asked. Serena nodded. This took the group by surprise, they either invited themselves or asked for his permission when they first traveled with Ash.
"So after that Serena showed me the old handkerchief I used to treat her knee and that's when I recognized her," said Ash.
"So from that point we travelled across Kalos where he conquered the Gyms, I finally found my dream in Pokémon Performing, and I slowly fell more in love with Ash," Serena explained. "When our adventures were coming to an end, I knew I wanted to continue performing, but I didn't want any special training or it would be Rhyhorn Racing all over again. So Palmero, the former Kalos Queen and someone who offered to train me, told me about Contests in Hoenn and said that they would be great practice for performing."
"So I'm guessing you andAsh had to split up," said Dawn.
"Yeah," Serena said. "But when I we were at the airport, I told Ash that he was my goal and the next time we met, I would become a more attractive woman."
"Oh my gosh," Dawn said. "That is so sweet."
"Of course, I was still extremely dense at the time so the meaning behind that statement went over my head completely," said Ash. "But as time went on, I started to realize what she meant."
"Well at least you realized it eventually," said May.
"Though I was was sure he would get it after she kissed him," Bonnie said bluntly.
"What!?" The group asked in shock.
"Yeah, before Serena got on her plane to Hoenn, she ran right back up the escalator and gave a quicky on the lips," said the blonde Kalosian.
The group then turned to the couple to she Serena looking down at the floor while blushing. They had to admit, she was bold.
"So how did you meet up again?" Zoey asked.
"Well, after Kalos I went to the Alola Region where I attended to attend their Pokémon School," Ash explained.
"Oh yeah I remember that," said Dawn. "You invited me and May there to talk to the class about contests."
"Right," said Ash. "My denseness started to lessen a little there as I was staying with Prof. Kukui and later his wife, Prof. Burnet, joined us. Seeing how they acted around each other made me slightly less dense.
"Then one day Prof. Kukui and Principal Oak, Prof. Oak's cousin decided to tell the class about Pokémon Performances," Ash continued. "So, like with you and May, I recommended Serena and invited her over."
"I happily accepted and after I explained performances to Ash's class, I decided to stay for a while," said Serena. "I asked Ash if he could show me around town and he agreed."
"It was during that time she was in Alola did I finally realize how much Serena meant to me," said Ash, placing his hand in Serena's.
"We meet up again after his graduation and went on another date," Serena continued. "That's when I told Ash how I felt and he responded with, while he wasn't completely sure, he felt the same."
"Of course I'm 100% sure now," said Ash. "So after a year since we got together, I was starting to doubt whether I could become a Pokémon Master. Then Serena told me that Palmero wanted to expand performances to other regions, and that's when it hit me. I didn't need to become a champion to be a Pokémon Master, in fact, there is no finite way to be a Pokémon Master. I could be a Pokémon Master in my own way. While I still wanted to battle, I wanted to help Serena the best I could. I then remembered Scott's offer and called him and Palmero to pitch the idea for what would be the Battle Theatre. They both agreed, but Palmero had one condition, I had to help in the Performances."
"He agreed and construction of the Battle Theatre began," said Serena. "So while that was going on, I was given the difficult task of teaching Ash how to dance."
"I wasn't that bad," said Ash.
"Oh yes you were," Serena shot back.
"I was not."
"I would have to agree with her," said May. "You were a pretty terrible dancer."
"Agreed," said Max.
"I wouldn't want to be your dance partner," said Dawn.
"Okay, okay, I admit, I was a pretty bad dancer," said Ash, sighing in defeat.
"Well you aren't terrible any more," said Serena, looking straight at him.
"I had a good teacher," Ash replied, looking right back.
"Well, I'm pretty sure I still have much more to teach you."
"Can you two NOT flirt right now," Max shouted, getting annoyed with how the couple was behaving.
"Sorry Max," said Ash.
Their conversation was interrupted by a knock on the door.
"Come in," said Serena.
The door opened to reveal four figures; a woman with long, magenta hair that was styled into a curl and blue eyes wearing a red business suit and skirt, a man with blue hair with green eyes wearing a grey jumpsuit and a green cap that was covered in grease and oil, a Meowth wearing a suit, and a Wobbuffet.
"I thought I might find you here, boss," said the man. "We just got word that…" He stopped when he noticed Max, May, Dawn, and Zoey were in the room and their eyes were trained on them. They had recognized them immediately.
"Team Rocket," the four of them shouted.
"Guys, relax," said Ash. "Jessie James and Meowth aren't with Team Rocket anymore."
The four visitors turned back to the performance host with a shocked look on their face.
"It's true," said Jessie. "You see, our former boss, Giovanni, had teamed up with a mad scientist in the Alola region named Faba."
"They had opened up portals to parallel dimensions where the leaders of Team Aqua, Magma, Galactic, Plasma, and Flare had actually each succeeded in their goals," James continued. "They brought them all to this dimension to form Team Rainbow Rocket."
"At first we went along with it, thinking it was all part of his master plan to rule the world. Although, we didn't trust Faba all that much," Meowth continued. "But what we eventually found out was that Giovanni's plans had shifted from total world conquest to total world reset."
"We also learned that Giovanni planned to get rid of us once this new world was formed," Jessie said.
"So they decided to quit Team Rocket all together and helped me and my friends in Alola take them down," continued Ash.
"They had shifted between quite a few jobs after that," said Serena. "They were just fired from their last job when the Battle Theatre was still in construction. So Ash told about what was going on and they immediately jumped on board."
"And we are forever grateful for that," said James. "Jessie and Meowth get to perform, while I work as the performance hall's mechanic and the official referee whenever Ash gets a challenger."
"Hold on," Dawn chimed. "If Jessie is a performer, how come we didn't see her on stage today?"
"Well you see," Jessie said with a blush on her face. "Two years after Team Rainbow Rocket fell, James and I had gotten married. And a few months ago… well." Jessie paused as she put a hand on her stomach. The group then noticed that it was a bit larger than usual.
May came to the realization immediately. "You're pregnant!?"
Both Jessie and James responded with a silent nod.
"Wow, congratulations," Dawn cheered.
"Glad to see you three are finally happy," Zoey added.
"Thank you," said Jessie with a warm smile. She was truly happy for this chance, she had a great job doing what she enjoyed most, a loving husband, and soon, her own sweet bundle of joy. It made her feel like the rotten life she had never existed.
"No that that's out of the way," said Ash." You wanted to tell me something."
"Oh, right," said James. "We just got a call from Cerulean City, they have agreed to host Pokémon Performances there. They wish for you and Serena to look over the plans before they begin construction."
"That's great, tell them we'll be on our way shortly." Ash said.
James nodded and the former Team Rocket trio left the room.
"Sorry Max," said Ash. "I'm going to have to do this first before we can have our battle."
"Palmero put us in charge of the whole Performance Circuit since she's too busy running it in Kanto."
"That's okay, I understand," said Max. Even though he said this, Max was still a little disappointed that he could battle is lifelong role model.
"Is it alright if we came with you?" May asked. "It's been awhile since me and Max have been to Cerulean City, and I don't think that Dawn and Zoey have met Misty yet."
"We've heard stories," Dawn confirmed. "But we still haven't had the chance to meet her."
"Of course you guys can come," said Ash. "I'm sure Misty would be glad to see you guys. Is it alright with you Serena?"
"I don't mind," said Serena. "I really want to get to know you all better."
"Alright then let's get going."
And that is it!, thank you all for you support and patience with this story. I will make sure to get the next few chapters out I soon as I can, but it will be difficult with all of my school work. So we'll be seeing Misty next chapter, are you curious how she reacted to Ash and Serena's new jobs and relationship? I hope you enjoyed, and I will see you next time.
Next Chapter: Making a Splash.
