Charizard descended toward the ground and landed softly. The group—Ash, Serena, and Pikachu—was now on the outskirts of Goldenrod City. Ash regarded his trusty salamander with a light pat. It was early in morning, around 7 a.m, and the sun was just rising.
"Thank you, Charizard," Ash said. "You see, Serena, it wasn't too bad, was it?"
'Y—yeah, Ash," Serena stuttered.
Serena, who was visibly shaken, was holding on to Charizard's back firmly. Serena was used to riding on Pokemon—at one time, her mother was training her to become a Rhyhorn racer, like herself. The thing was, she was a few feet off the ground—compared to being hundreds of feet off the ground when she rode on Charizard.
Ash and Pikachu were the first ones off. Ash turned and saw that Serena was clutched on to Charizard, shaking lightly. "Okay, maybe we should have done some test runs first..." he trailed.
Ash walked over, and with a smile, extended his hand to her. Serena accepted and jumped off the salamander, quickly. She was not looking forward to traveling by air, on a Pokémon, anytime soon.
Ash pointed a Pokeball at Charizard and returned it. "Alright, we should head into the city. I want to check out those TM's they developed."
They were there for two reasons: for shopping, and for the newly created TM's. Silph Co., the developers of the technology, had created a much easy way for Pokémon to learn moves. When Ash overheard this, he had to get his hands on the new invention.
"Maybe you should get new clothes also," Serena suggested. She took in his appearance and noted how his clothes had become tighter.
Ash looked down at his attire and noted how worn out it had become. He liked the outfit he wore through Kalos, and he didn't want to part ways, but she did have a point. It was starting to smell, too, and there were dirt stains on it.
"Alright, you have a point, but you have to change your outfit up too. Your leggings are starting to get holes," Ash noted.
Serena looked down and blushed out the holes. She was normally careful with her clothing but traveling around has made that difficult. "Deal."
The city was lively, which was no surprise. Ash, Serena, and Pikachu were currently outside of the cities' famous radio tower, sitting on a bench. Serena was amazed by its size—it appeared to rival even Lumiose City, which was an amazing feat. Ash saw her expression and smiled. "You should see Saffron City in Kanto. It's pretty huge, too," he remembered.
He then got up and stretched, relieving the ache he still had from riding on Charizard. "Do you want to meet back here at around five o' clock?" he asked.
Serena nodded with a smile, even though she was secretly disappointed. She wanted to accompany him, but he knew she probably wouldn't be interested... She knew what to do! She would buy an outfit that would leave him speechless!
"Okay, you and Pikachu have fun!" Serena exclaimed, winking at the pair.
"Alright, I'll see soon! Come on, Pikachu," Ash said, grinning.
The pair started to walk in the direction of the Trainer Mart.
"Whoa! Five hundred dollars!" Ash exclaimed, scanning the glass casing the TM's were in, as patron's looked on curiously at the teen. He understood they made it easier to train Pokémon, but the price was ridiculous. If his Mom found out he spent that much, she was going to kill him.
"Um, sir... You're causing a scene," an employee said, giving him a quizzical look.
Ash placed his attention to the employee with an embarrassed expression. "Sorry," he said sheepishly. "I just wasn't expecting it to be that expensive."
The employee blinked, then returned his attention to the register he was manning. They didn't pay him enough to deal with people, especially rowdy teens.
Ash returned his attention to the case and let out a sigh. He wanted one badly, but was it really worth it? He turned away for a moment and his eyes fell on a bookcase. "Hmm."
"Hey, Pikachu," Ash called out. He scanned the area, searching for his starter. When he found him, several women were gawking over his cuteness. Ash waved over to him, laughing lightly at the scene.
The mouse spotted his trainer and ran over quickly. The women simultaneously let at a frustrated sigh. They were likely disappointed in the fact that Pikachu was owned by a trainer.
Ash, who was still laughing, crouched down and picked up the mouse. "You know, you're quite the catch, Pikachu."
Ash went over to the shelf that displayed a book that was called 'TM Capatible Pokemon'. He opened it up and started reading a random page. "Calm Mind," he started. The page displayed a chibi Gardevour performing the move. It was cute, he thought. "A move that significantly boosts both special stats."
Ash scanned the page, attempting to find a Pokémon that he owned that could learn the move. Finally, after about twenty seconds of searching, he saw two familiar names: Infernape and Leavanny. Infernape. Infernape. He didn't know why, but it jumped out way more than Leavanny. Probably due to Leavanny having more physical moves in its arsenal.
Ash did something—something that he should've done more often. He reached into his pocket, took out his Pokedex, flipped it open, and started to type. It was difficult, though. The screen was small, so he had to be careful. Once he was done, he pressed enter. "Infernape: status move-set: Feint, Calm Mind, Attract, Sword Dance—"
Ash paused it right there, quickly, and started to think. "Infernape can learn both Calm Mind and Sword Dance? Maybe I should get some TM's..."
He could come up with a strategy, or some new type of move. He was creative—he could use his Contest experience to come up with something unique.
Once he decided, he grabbed the large book, went over to the counter, and slammed it down, surprising the cashier. "Arceus, kid... I—I mean... Is there anything else?"
"This," Ash started, pointing at the book. He then tapped the glass case which held the TM's. "And three TM's... Um, Calm Mind, Swords Dance, and Ice Punch."
"A—alright, sir," the cashier stuttered. He typed in the selections on an electronic cash register—a light tapping noise could be heard. He grinned and turned his attention to the raven-haired teen. "Alright... Your total will be one thousand fifty-five dollars, sir."
"Arceus," Ash muttered. It was his turn to call out to the lama-god. He felt his bank account get lighter, and the looming wrath of his Mom. "Alright, you win..."
With Serena...
Serena walked out of Goldenrod's famous department store with a smile. She was holding multiple bags, along with Pancham and Braixen. She managed to find an outfit for herself, and much, much more.
She started to walk down the sidewalk until something caught her attention. An older man with a Poliwrath was in the center of a crowd, talking very loudly. He wore a blue kimono, and his hair and beard were as white as white.
"Ladies and gentleman, my name is Magnus, and I'm looking for an individual who has talent," the man, Magnus, said sternly. The people in the crowd looked around curiously, expecting this talent to show up.
"Mommy, look, Santa's here!" a child exclaimed. A noticeable tick mark appeared on Mangus's forehead, and he let loose a disapproving grunt. His Poliwarth, however, was laughing at the child's words.
Serena walked over, curious as well. Magnus started to pace back and forth, stroking his beard. "An individual who has heart—one who cares deeply for their Pokemon. One who enjoys competition—" he then stopped abruptly and swung his arm around with his finger outstretched. "You are that person!"
His finger landed on... Serena. The small crowd cheered and applauded her. "Wait..." Serena said, pointing at herself. "Me?"
Magnus walked over and placed his strong arm on her shoulder. "Yes, fair maiden! You're that talent! Come with me!"
He grabbed her hand, whether Serena liked it or not, and started to walk down the sidewalk. Her Pokemon tried to keep up with the all the shopping bags, and Mangus' Poliwrath walked at a moderate pace behind them. It seemed like the tadpole Pokemon has been through this before.
Serena struggled, but Mangus was too strong. How was he this strong? He was an elderly man! "Um, Magnus sir," she struggled out.
"Yes, my new pupil!" Magnus said excitedly.
Serena blinked and pressed on. "W—where are we going?" she asked.
"Oh," Magnus stopped, abruptly, and Serena stumbled. "Hehe. We're going to the Pokeathlon Dome! My greatest creation. Well... I guess my children would technically be my greatest creation..."
Magnus started to walk again, and Serena, once again, had to follow. "Alright, that's interesting," she replied tersely. Was a building this man's greatest accomplishment?
After some walking, Magnus stopped and pointed toward a building that had a golden fist on the front of it. "There it is!" he said, loudly. "Let's go!"
Dozens of people were currently inside of the Dome—many of them had their Pokemon out. Serena had to hand it to Mangus, his facility was quite impressive. She looked up and saw a video board that displayed multiple Pokemon participating in various sports related activities. Magnus stopped, and Serena stumbled once again. Okay, that was starting to get annoying.
Magnus finally let go of Serena, and he motioned her to follow him up a staircase. Before they went forward, Serena spoke. "Hey, can I put my shopping bags in a safe location?"
"Of course," Magnus said, a smile formed on his face. "Gabriel!"
A sharply dressed man came over moments later. "Yes, sir," he gasped, obviously out of breath.
"Take this fair maiden's shopping bags," he ordered. "I need to show her something."
He bowed and took the bags from Serena and her Pokemon and retreated. "Um, thank you!" she shouted. She wondered If he heard her because he went around a corner and disappeared.
The pair, along with Pancham, Braxien, and Poliwrath, went up the staircase. Once upstairs, he revealed a key and unlocked a door. "This..." he paused. "Is the Friendship Room."
It was a luxurious room with yellow tiled flooring, as well as a giant golden statue with names etched into it. "This, right here, is what one should strive for," he said. He turned his attention to Serena and her Pokemon and started to speak again. "Are you up for it, fair maiden?"
Uh, uh," Serena stammered dumbly. She arrived in the Goldenrod City that morning, and she was being offered the opportunity to participate in something that she didn't even know existed.
A/N: That's it for today! Review, ask questions, and I'll see soon. The section about Infernape will have some significants later on, and yes, Ash is starting to take this seriously. Spending over a thousand dollars on TM's showcased that. He'll take it even more seriously when I drop something on him in a few chapters...
