Chapter 7: The Chase
On the outskirts of Vaniville Town, a large herd of Rhyhorn rampaged. Many of them grunted as though they were afraid. Sonic and his posse arrived to see them trudge through a kid's sandbox.
"They're out of control!" Serena exclaimed.
"And yet they're almost coordinated in how they run around," Clemont observed.
"Any idea what provoked them?" Sonic asked.
"It doesn't matter," she replied. "We just need to calm them down so we can herd them back into the pen. But they're too fast to catch up to in a reasonable time."
"I see," Sonic nodded. "Do we have anything faster?"
"I left my motorbike back in Lumiose City," Clemont grumbled.
"My bike isn't even working," Serena sighed. "It got electrocuted by a wild Luxray."
"Too bad I don't have a hoverboard," Sonic said. "Is there anything we have that can outrun a Rhyhorn?"
"I guess not," Clemont replied.
"Then we'll have to think of another strategy," Serena said. "Maybe we should –"
"GUYS!" Bonnie suddenly shouted in exasperation. "WE HAVE LITERALLY THE FASTEST THING ALIVE STANDING RIGHT IN FRONT OF US!"
Everyone was silent for a moment, blinking once, then twice, before performing a collective facepalm.
"Man, you know we've screwed up when even I forget I'm faster than a Rhyhorn," Sonic grumbled.
"I can't get a hold of him," Ash moaned. "I've tried everything, and I can't reach him."
"Pika," Pikachu sighed in disappointment as they walked down the path to Vaniville Town.
"It's too bad, really. He could really be helpful at a time like this. Who knows what Eggman's got up his sleeve this time?"
"Pikachu."
"I mean, he turned Sonic into this monster thing. What kind of power is he playing with?" Pikachu shivered. Ash stopped and turned to him in concern. "You okay, buddy?"
"Chu," Pikachu nodded.
After a moment, Ash nodded when he understood. "Scary, isn't it?"
"Pika. Pi? PikaPikachu!"
"Huh?" he looked in the direction Pikachu pointed in. "The Rhyhorn? What are they doing?"
Sonic tailgated the last Rhyhorn in the herd, trying to locate the herd's leader. "If you can calm that one down, they'll all calm down," Serena told him. This Rhyhorn didn't seem to be the one he was looking for.
"Hang loose, big guy," he said as he vaulted himself up and jumped over the herd.
"What's he doing?" Clemont wondered as he watched the blue hedgehog's acrobatics.
"I think he's trying to make this go faster," Bonnie said.
The Rhyhorn at the back of the group slowed to a stop when Sonic jumped off of him. It looked around, confused, before turning and walking away in the opposite direction that the herd was running in. It disappeared into a bush.
"You guys really need to learn how to bathe," Sonic grumbled as he nimbly leapt from one Rhyhorn to the next. "You smell like pigs! Aha! There you are!"
One of the Rhyhorn glared up at him when he insulted them. The others followed suit. He'd found their leader. However, he didn't have much time to celebrate, as the Rhyhorn picked up their pace and slowly pushed him towards the front of the herd.
"What are they doing?" Clemont wondered.
Serena gasped. "They're trying to trample him over!"
"Wuh-oh!" Sonic grunted as he fought back against the herd, but their strength was too much for him. Slowly, he got pushed closer and closer to the front. "Not good! Not good at all! Oh, jeez...this isn't going to turn into 'Long Live the King: The Sequel,' is it?!"
"Don't slip, Oily! We've got you covered!"
Everyone gasped at that voice. Suddenly, a Rhyhorn leapt out of the bushes. A familiar figure was mounted on its back.
"It's Ash!" Bonnie exclaimed.
"In the nick of time, too!" Clemont cheered.
"Ash?" Serena nearly whispered, eyes wide and throat slightly dry.
The raven-haired trainer rushed forward and quickly caught up with Sonic as he was being pushed toward the front of the pack. "Sonic!" he called. "Jump on!"
Sonic obliged and leapt out of the pack and onto Ash's Rhyhorn. "You're late, Baseball Head!"
"Sorry," Ash replied through the wind. "I was looking for someone."
"Tell me later," Sonic replied. "We've got trouble!"
"Thank you, maid," Ash grumbled under his breath.
They ran in front of the herd and gradually slowed down. The rest of the herd, unwilling to trample one of their own, slowed down with it. Then, finally, they all came to a halt.
"Yes!" Bonnie cheered. "They did it!"
"Okay, quickly," Serena said hastily. "Let's herd them back into the pen. Go! Move! No time to lollygag!" Everyone quickly started to move out except for her, as well as the raven-haired trainer, as their eyes met for the first time in a long time. In the midst of the commotion surrounding them, all they could see was each other. No words were spoken, nor were they necessary, as the sad expressions on their faces said it all.
"Hey, Baseball Head," Sonic said, stepping in front of him. "You know how Pikachu can hurt a Rhyhorn if he aims for the horn? Well, one of these guys is being a bit of a doozy. Is it okay if –?" He stopped when Ash didn't respond. "Ash? You all right? What's –" He turned and saw Serena, then looked back at Ash. "Oh," he murmured, slowly edging away. "This is a bit more awkward than I expected."
"Your hair," Ash finally said. "You changed it back?"
Serena didn't respond. She just slowly walked towards him as though in a trance. "I haven't heard from you in a while," he said, trying to make small talk. "Have you entered any more showcases? I'd love to see what you and Braixen have put together since –"
His rambling got cut short when Serena lunged at him in a huge hug. She laid her head on his shoulder and clutched the back of his shirt.
"I missed you," she whispered.
Ash was taken back, and his expression quickly became sad once again as he lightly returned the hug. "Yeah," he said half-heartedly. "You too."
A broken heart can't beat again unless it gets rebuilt. If it breaks in half, it's easy to put back together. But your heart was shredded to pieces when he chose her over you.
You're going to need help to rebuild it. Let me help. Oh, trust me, you will thank me later.
