Pocket Monsters: The World Tournament Series Volume One
Genre: Adventure, Drama, Family, Action, Fantasy, Science Fiction
Chapter 02: A Small Link To The Past Part III
Several years ago at the back of a certain home in the Pallet Town, which served as the location of the town's only certain restaurant are two young children - a boy and a girl whose ages seemingly ranged between seven and eight years old - happily eating certain dishes on one of the serving tables during the nighttime. It was the first day of the Pallet Town's Professor Oak's Pokemon Summer Camp.
"Mmm... So the article here in the magazine we brought here tells the truth about your restaurant... The food here is the best!"
"Really? Thank you! But what magazine was that?"
"Wait a second..." said the little girl as she looked for something to her and her mother's backpack for a little while. Feeling relieved as she found something:
"Here!"
The little girl showed a certain article of a certain magazine to the little boy. Such article is entitled Unexplored Regions: The Best Food In The Little Villages. [1]She then pointed out a certain page about a certain restaurant, the Pallet House [1], to the little boy. She added:
"These are the pages focusing on this little restaurant. It seemed this was one of the reasons my mom's interested to go here too."
"Oh, I didn't realized that. Somehow, I felt happy seeing this," said the little boy to the curious little girl, "that's really impressive for my mom. She's really the best cook in the world!"
"No, you're wrong. No matter how good your mother at cooking these dishes, my mother does the work the best."
"So you're at that again, straw-hat girl!"
"My name's Serena, not the straw-hat girl, Ash!"
"I know, I know... I would not forget such name... Serena..." said the little boy smiling while looking at the very happy little girl. He continued while scratching his head for some reason, "... probably."
"W, What are you saying, Ash?!"
The little girl felt annoyed at the boy's words, making her shout at him like that. The boy, eventually feeling unhappy for a bit, told her:
"I'm sorry, Serena. I just want to have fun, but it turned out not that well for you. You know, this is my first time talking to someone of my age that lasts longer than I thought. So, I'm really sorry."
"Huh?" The little girl somehow showed certain shades of pink on her cheeks to the little boy who said such compliment, turning her annoyance to a genuine smile, and answered while looking at her iced tea: "You know, this was also my first time to do the same thing."
"Ah... That's good to hear, Serena."
"Thank you."
The two of them smiled at one another for their compliments. Some time after they eat the main dishes, upon hearing the happy conversation between their mothers inside the first floor of the two-storey home, they continued their little conversation:
"Ah... Thanks for the food, Ash! I'm really satisfied!"
"So, which one of our mothers is a better cook, Serena?"
"I am still preferring my mother's cooking skills, of course."
"Huh? So, you're really preferring your mother, anyway."
"By the way, your mother is really great. She can manage to work on this restaurant alone!"
"Ah... Yeah, my mom really is. She told me when I was younger that since my grandmother's death, she is the only one who takes care of this place. But most importantly, she's the only one who took care of me as well since my birth. Because of that, I helped my mom doing some chores too in return."
"What do you mean?"
"Huh?"
"What do you mean by your mother working alone for you?"
"I see... Well, my father had left to a journey to become one of the greatest Pokemon Trainers in this world after I was born, still seeking to surpass the greatest trainer of this town, Pallet Oak," said little Ash who was rather smiling as he revealed something to the little Serena, "I... No, I and my mother still don't know where my father was. But I knew he's somewhere out there, still working to achieve his goal. That's for sure."
"..."
"That's why... That's why I will be following the footsteps of my father, my grandfather and Pallet Oak as Pokemon trainers... No, I will be going to better than my father or my grandfather for my dream to become the world's greatest Pokemon Master for the sake of my mother, who had been working hard managing the Pallet House alone while sacrificing her dream to become one for my sake, straw-hat girl!"
The little girl felt surprised hearing those words from the little boy, regardless of the little boy calling her the straw-hat girl. After all, this is such a great dream to achieve by some people in this world... and yet it is mysterious and vague.
That is, to become the greatest Pokemon Master.
The little girl then commented:
"You have such a great goal, Ash. I envy you about that. You really decided to do that for your mother."
"Huh?"
"I had been trained by my mother to become a Rhyhorn racer, but I don't have a feeling to be one."
"Is there anything else you can do other than becoming a Rhyhorn racer?"
As little Serena heard such question from the little raven-haired kid, she paused a bit, thinking of something that comes to her mind. She then answered:
"I... I don't know. Other than being a Rhyhorn racer, I cannot really think of anything else right now, not even something you dreamed of might interest me."
"I see." Ash then looked at the confused little honey-haired kid with a confident smile as he said:
"Don't worry, we are still young, Serena. In fact, we are still studying about what we needed in our lives from our primary education... like Mathematics, even if that would not be as useful as I thought when it comes to becoming a Pokemon Master... Wait, Mathematics might be useful to your experience as a Rhyhorn racer, you know."
"I know about that. It might be compulsory to every one of us to study for the primary school until we graduated at 10, but it was really that useful after all... Ash?"
After Serena talked a bit about the primary education, she observed Ash thinking about something. The little boy happily answered:
"Don't tell me... You want to get married at the age of 10, don't you?"
"M, M, Marry?! W, W, What are you saying?!"
Annoyed, Serena shouted at Ash's words, now with notable shades of red on her cheeks while she lightly shaked Ash's head through holding his neck, making the little boy felt dizzy.
"Haha... I, I'm sorry. I, I didn't really mean to answer with that. A, After all, you didn't really have a choice that interested you a bit, you know."
"I, I see! Even if I knew that was also a choice after graduating for the primary education that we needed, along with pursuing secondary education and finding a certain career choice, I don't expect to do that as early as 10, Ash!" Serena still felt annoyed about Ash's answer even if she stopped doing shaking his head after he answered but upon realizing the reason behind Ash's answer, she became thoughtful and replied:
"Besides, are you really trying to help me about my choice?"
More importantly though, in this world, like what the little girl had said, once a certain child finished his/her primary education, at least by the age of 10, he/she will decide whether whatever path he/she choose, including marriage. After all, such 10-year-old child is now considered an adult already in this world. [2]
"Y, Yeah. Is there anything wrong with that? It was your own future that you needed to seek after all, Serena. We are here with a purpose, you know. There is no reason you should give up finding for that goal," said Ash as he then looked at the star-filled dark skies above them with a smile. He then looked at the brightest star and he seemingly grabbed it with his right hand. Ash's answer made Serena giving off an innocent yet thoughtful smile to him, still having shades of pink on her cheeks for some reason. She muttered:
"Now that you said something about marriagge, I think it's not bad when I choose to marry you in the future, Ash..."
"Serena?"
"Huh?!"
Once he put down his hand, he immediately looked at the little girl calling his name. By that time, little Ash clearly saw little Serena saying something...
"What are you saying?"
... but never heard what she said after calling his name. She instead said:
"Ash, since we will be staying here for one week, can you then make a tour around your house-"
"Hmm... This is not our house... This is our home..."
"Huh? I see... You're right... This is your family's home..."
Little Ash immediately corrected the little girl about the choice of terms while giving her a thoughtful smile. After all, both of them eventually understands the big differences of the definition of house and home. She continued:
"Can you?"
The little boy nodded and said:
"Yeah, but first, let's wash the plates and utensils that we used for eating our food, Serena. This is still my mom's restaurant, after all."
Both of them agreed and immediately did the chores in cleaning the restaurant. However, they never realized that they were being watched by two certain women in their mid-20s, who eventually smiled at them working together.
After some time of cleaning the tables, as they cleaned the plates in a certain washing area of his and his mother's home, Serena said something:
"Then, I will try to learn more about Rhyhorn racing from my mom. Maybe, I might enjoyed it more if I learn more."
"Hmm... Then do it... Do it what you really like, Serena..."
"Yeah, I will..."
Both of them smiled afterwards as they continued working in finishing the chores together. And those days continued...
In a certain hospital room...
"So, she really slept soundly this time, Mama, Mrs. Grace... Just like this morning..."
"Pikapika..."
"Tiyana..."
The raven-haired patient said such words with a smile as he looked at the honey-haired Pokemon Performer sleeping on her seat near his bed. Ash's Pikachu and Serena's Braixen agreed to him as well, even if they don't know what Ash had said to her during that morning. Notably, the room's now occupied by only four people - Ash, Serena and their mothers, Delia and Grace, respectively - as well as some Pokemon. Delia and Grace, sitting one another at a certain fluffy sofa, are happily eating some of the food on a certain table near the bed. Delia then pleasantly proceeded to say something:
"Then, my son..."
"Mama?"
"Can you carry her to this sofa here?"
Ash paused for a bit as he then looked back at the sleeping honey-haired young beauty. He sadly answered:
"I cannot... I'm sorry, Mama..."
"Pika?"
"Tiyana?"
Both mothers, as well as Pikachu and Braixen, felt shocked a bit hearing his answer for some reason. Yet, he continued with an assured smile while still looking at the girl.
"After all, Serena told me that I should not do any strenuous work that might affect my back until I am fully recovered. She will be angry if I would not follow that."
"I see it, my son," said Delia as she understand his reasoning, eventually giving him a genuine smile.
"Besides, you mentioned my daughter instead of your doctor, Ash," commented Grace as she observed Ash getting mild astonishment about what she said, "it was the doctor who gives such advice to their patients. You should already know that."
"Ah... I didn't know about it, Mrs. Grace. I mean, Serena might forgot to tell me about that, anyway... Besides, I was only awake this morning," replied Ash which made the two mothers feeling worried with his words. He continued while he has been thinking of everyone who joined the cause against Lysandre three days ago, "because of that, Serena... no, everyone around me were feeling worried that I would never be awake since that day. So, I will not be adding such burden to them after I finally awake."
Ash then proceeded to stand up on the floor from his bed and went to the sleeping beauty and continued while he finally decided to know what to do.
"Besides, even if either mom or Mrs. Grace doesn't ask me about it," said the raven-haired patient as he slowly proceeded to carry Serena in his arms from her seat — one arm under her legs and the other supporting her back - smiling, "I will be doing this anyway, considering her duties to take care of me these previous three days here in this room."
With that, Delia and Grace truly understood what he had tried to say while doing so, making them feeling worth to give him a thoughtful smile for some reason, and then proceeded to stand aside in order for Ash to put Serena on it. Eventually, as he and the sleeping girl he carried is about to reach the fluffy sofa:
"Mmm..."
"Huh?"
"Pikapika?"
"Tiyana?"
"Mmmm..."
The young lady slowly opened her eyes, making the boy looking down for a certain reason. It might possibly be bothering Pikachu and Braixen as well.
"W, Why are you stopping, my son?"
"It's... a... trouble... mom..." said the nervous raven-haired trainer while looking at the two mothers this time with a weak laugh.
The girl finally widened her eyes, only to see the nervous raven-haired trainer's face and spoke weakly:
"A, Ash...?"
This is dangerous, he thought as he then looked at the finally-awaken Serena, making his throat cleared up, and then he answered with a weak smile: "Good... evening... Serena..."
The room's filled with silence for a while after Ash did that. Serena weakly asked, not realizing anything that had happened: "What are you doing?"
"What? Well..." Ash then looked away from the girl as well from their mothers, still with that smile that he used.
Serena, realizing what Ash was doing, only looked down, putting her hands to her heart and answered in a mellowed tone, "You didn't follow me then, huh?"
"Well, you didn't tell me it was the doctor who told me about it, Serena. It doesn't matter though, since you really need some sleep after what you did these three days."
"T, Thank you, Ash. I didn't notice I got slept like this."
"Yeah, sure it seems. You were seemingly worried about something. Besides..."
The raven-haired trainer eventually changed his joyful expression to something serious for some reason, which made Serena to feel nervous about it. Considering his personality, Ash then looked back at the nervous Serena, and eventually answered her back:
"T, That's nothing important, Serena. You don't need to feel nervous. Anyway... Here it goes."
Ash had finally reached the sofa, still carrying the honey-haired lady. From there, Ash properly put her there in her sleeping position.
If only I could tell Serena... Not just Serena, but also Mama or even anyone about it, he thought as he then seriously looked at the same brightest star in a certain star-filled night skies and clenched his right fist... about my goal to become the Pokemon Master.
／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼
"W, Where's everybody?"
Everyone at the room looked at the honey-haired performer, who upon putting her in the bed by the Pokemon Master aspirant, realized that only the four of them are here inside the room along with some of their Pokemon. She added as she looked at her mother:
"More importantly... Mama..."
"Hi, my dearest daughter..." said Grace as she waved her right hand to her daughter, "Long time no see..."
Some time had passed, Serena had understood what the others had tried to tell her.
The four fashion designers working under the Lavarre City Gym Leader Valerie, namely Kali, Katherine, Linnea and Blossom, decided to leave the place after many others came in. Much to the surprise of everyone around them except Pikachu, and to the shock of Serena, Ash revealed to them that the white-haired designer had almost declined her proposal for their date for some reason, if he didn't told the girl that she might regret it. Not that, the others can't helped, it happened that Ash is really too oblivious at something like this, after all.
Ash also revealed to Serena that the yellow-haired lady in white dress named Lusamine who had come along with the fashion designers offered him to help her and a certain organization - the Aether Foundation - in a certain region he only have known through the world map - the Alola Region - for the research the organization take in response to their interest on him and his Greninja, specifically on the process of improving Greninja's power, through the so-called Bond Phenomenon.
Serena's mother, Grace, just came in to the room after the five came out in order to see her daughter, who was sleeping for some reason.
Finally, The remaining others who had come as well - Professor Sycamore, the Kalos League Conference winner Alain, the rookie trainer Mairin, the Shalour City Gym Leader Korrina, the Lumiose City Gym Leader Clemont and his younger sister Bonnie, the daughter of the President of the Orange Logo Inc. Lillie, and the Cerulean City Gym Leader Misty are currently on a certain battlefield that was built within the hospital itself. Ash continued:
"After I told Alain about Greninja's condition, he decided to wait for its return so we can have a fair match between his Charizard and my Greninja some day."
"I see." Serena understood the situation but she eventually followed that with something else. She proceeded:
"Then, why are they on that battlefield now?"
"Misty had promised Alain to have a match between his Charizard and her Gyarados. That's what I heard before we finally reach the hospital."
"Charizard and Gyarados...?"
"Pika...?"
Upon hearing the name of Gyarados, a certain scene in the past struck to his mind, something that Pikachu is aware of that. Such scene was the battle between him and his Pokemon, Alain and his Charizard, and Malva and her Houndoom, and Lysandre and his Pyroar and the Red Gyarados. Said Gyarados can also perform Mega-evolution with its trainer, similar to Alain and his Charizard, Malva and her Houndoom, Steven and his Metagross, Diantha and her Gardevoir, Korrina and her Lucario, and Wulfric and his Abomasnow. [3] He said:
"So, it was a Mega-Evolution battle, huh?"
"Mega-Evolution...? What is it?" Grace wondered about the term itself. Her daughter explained:
"According to Professor Sycamore, Mega Evolution can only be achieved if there is a strong bond between the trainer and a specific Pokemon, Mama. There are many things to learn about it, such as the Key Stone and the Mega Stone used for the Mega Evolution."
Feeling relieved on Ash's condition, Delia proceeded to ask Ash about something:
"Anyway, don't you want to watch the battle, Ash?"
"Huh? Hmmm... Of course, I wanted to, Mama. But Serena..."
Ash then looked at Serena. Upon hearing Ash's words, Serena, who was already sitting up on the sofa, looked away from him and said:
"Since you can able to carry me like that, maybe you can watch it. Don't blame me if you got hurt."
"Then, I'll be careful then, Serena. Let's go, Mama. Let's watch the battle from the corridor."
"You're right, my son."
Ash and his mother Delia then proceeded to go to the corridor to watch a certain battle between Misty and Alain. Delia then asked:
"Grace, Serena, aren't you joining us to watch it?"
"Don't worry. We could come along later so we can still have some bonding time between me and my daughter here."
"Mama?!"
Grace answered with such words, which made her daughter felt dismayed with it. Then, Delia and Ash are about to leave the room as they talked to each other:
"Anyway, let's watch it, my dear son."
"Yeah. I can't wait to see such battle again after three days, Mama! Let's go, Pikachu!"
"Pikapika!
As Ash, his mother and his Electric-type mouse who then excitedly take a leap to its trainer's shoulder, had left to the other side of the door to watch the battle, Grace eventually changed her tone to a soft one as she proceeded to have a conversation with her daughter.
"There is something we needed to talk briefly, my dearest daughter."
"Huh?"
"Try to tell me about it, I'll help. After all, I watch that yesterday."
"Mama..."
Serena eventually realized what her mother was trying to talk about. After all, she had made performances within the city yesterday, along with Shauna and their Pokemon. Serena then proceeded as she felt worried:
"Listen... I... I realized that I definitely like doing such performances. I feel I could able to do thing that many others can't able to do. While I thought of something while performing yesterday, I saw the smiles of the people in the city... And I still have a lot but... I want to really make more people smile like Ms. Elle. But I felt she would lose everything so far."
"I do not believe that it is happening. Your journey was all for that? You definitely have changed. The things that had happened have not been so easy for you, do you think so? Then, you should have more confidence," said Grace while giving her daughter a confident smile.
"Mama."
"After all, you are my daughter!"
"Mama! Thank you."
Grace is really proud seeing her daughter changed for the better, it seems, as she gave a more proudly smile. This made her daughter smiled back as well. [4]
／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼
"Then who do you think who will be going to win, my son?"
"Of course, with that special ability Alain and his Charizard obtained, they will definitely win the battle. But it was going to be a hard battle if Misty's Gyarados can also do the same thing though, Mama."
"You're right... What?!"
Once the mother and son duo reached the windowpanes that can make anyone see the entire quadrangle - which served as the battlefield for many interested Pokemon trainers - they only felt surprised on what they had witnessed.
The match isn't between Alain's Charizard and Misty's Gyarados... but it was between Alain's Charizard and Misty's Golduck.
What's more surprising, it was Misty's Golduck that gained the upper hand over Alain's Charizard, despite the fact that Charizard already underwent the Mega-Evolution process with Alain. Charizard might have yet to be defeated, but it already felt exhausted in comparison to the unscathed Golduck.
So Misty was this stronger already? Ash thought as he witnessed such one-sided battle.
On a certain lobby near the entrance of the same hospital, two certain people in white dresses - one of which is Lusamine - are watching a certain battle at the quadrangle of the hospital and made conversations to one another. At that time on the battlefield, the exhausted Flame Pokemon Charizard owned by a raven-haired winner of the Kalos League Conference was being overpowered by the unscathed Duck Pokemon Golduck owned by an orange-haired young lady.
"So, what happened, Miss Lusamine?"
"I told him about the offer, Mr. Chairperson."
"Hmm... Then, what's his answer?"
"He said that his top priority is to help the citizens of this city. After that, he will be making his decision."
"Anyway, you really decided to do it yourself, Mr. Chairperson."
"It can't be helped. I would like to see him myself."
Eventually, the chairperson of the so-called Aether Foundation then looked closely at the battlefield. He then saw two people and a Pikachu rushing to the spectators of the battle, which made him feeling interested for some reason.
So it is really a small world, indeed, he thought.
"It's been months since I've got here, Jessica."
"You're right. By the way, I've heard your fashion group got here. I'm happy to see you here anyway, Blossom."
"Yeah, me too. We're here to help to give free clothes for some people here in Lumiose City."
"That's so thoughtful of Valerie and the group to do that."
"By the way, your Furfrou is quite well-designed here!"
"Oh, really? Thank you. If it wasn't because of some friends I've met quite some time now, I couldn't able to work better now."
During that certain night in front of Friseur Furfrou, the fair-skinned fashion designer, Blossom, had a happy conversation with a certain blue-haired Pokemon trimmer, Jessica, being accompanied by a well-stylized Furfrou. [5]
"But... h, huh?"
"Uh! W, What is it, Blossom?"
"L, Look up, Jessica..."
The happy conversation between Blossom and Jessica had apparently interrupted as Blossom nervously pointed Jessica and her Furfrou towards a certain point above them...
"What was that?"
"I don't know..."
A blinding light appeared in the middle of star-filled dark skies above the Friseur Furfrou's establishment, much to the shock of everyone around the vicinity, especially Blossom, Jessica and the latter's Furfrou...
On that night, a certain mysterious creature slowly appeared from that portal - a white cockroach-like creature and then immediately dashed elsewhere at very high speeds without noticing the other people and Pokemon below it.
"UB-03..." Jessica mumbled something, much to the worry of Jessica.
"Huh?"
"Beauty..."
Continue on: Chapter 02: A Small Link To The Past Part IV
REFERENCES:
[1] Part of Ash's past in "Pocket Monsters: The Animation" novels.
[2] One notable part of the worldbuilding in the Pokemon world in "Pocket Monster: The Animation" novels is that it followed such rules depending on the circumstances, even marriage at the age of ten, since being a 10-year-old is already considered adult.
[3] Pokemon XYZ Episode 39 - Pokemon XYZ Episode 43
[4] Said conversation between Serena and her mother was also played out in Pokemon XYZ Episode 45 - One Last Battle With Ash! Serena's Choice!
[5] Pokemon XY Episode 008: Pokémon Trimmer and Trimmien!