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Pokémon Fan Fiction

The Adventures on the Crimson Isles

Rated 'M' for Language, Violence, and Suggestive Themes

Chapter 13: Breath of Love

With Serena's first Crimson Isles Princess Key, she and Ash look forward on their relationship, spending today on a date. But when Iris and Hayden are left alone all day, will love breathe upon our other two protagonists? Unbeknownst to those on the Crimson Isles, however, a new menace rises in the faraway region of Kanto, slowly infecting the world with corruption. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with Pokémon, GameFreak, or Nintendo.

Thanks to my beta reader, Wolf.

Kanto Region - Fuschia City

The cloaked man hurried through the cobblestone streets of Fuschia City. He felt many pairs of eyes watching him from the shadows, but they knew to keep their mouths closed. No one ever spoke out of turn in Fuschia. That was why he liked it. People kept to themselves, that was, out of his way.

His long, grime-blue hair washed over one of his eyes, and he slipped a white gloved hand to brush it out of the way. It was in vain, though, as his greasy locks fell right back where they were. The thick black-iron chestplate he was wearing felt heavy on him, and the black cloak draped over his wiry frame fluttered royally in the nighttime gales.

His organization had been slowly pulling Fuschia deeper and deeper into corruption for the past several months. Their underground creed kept the loud mouths from talking out of turn, but as of late, men in black uniforms had begun trickling in. He initially wrote them off as a novice crime family opening up shop in an already controlled city, but that was until he recognized the signature red "R's" on their uniforms.

The man reached the outskirts of the city, where a huge black wood and black stone manor stood. A tall, rusty iron fence swept around the perimeter as if the interior was a graveyard. And it was in a way; many had been killed within the walls of the manor, and their bodies had simply been dumped in a ditch, filled with dirt, and forgotten. All the shutters and blinds of the imposing structure were drawn, and the exterior was grown over with moss and vines.

The Obsidian Manor, as it was called by its residents, served as the headquarters to an organization long thought extinct, defeated in a war many years ago. The man opened the gate and closed it behind him, trekking up a modest incline to the door. He knocked once, waited a second, then knocked two more times. A narrow slot on the door shut open, and a pair of ruby red lips appeared.

"How did dusk lose the moon to dawn?"

"Why, morning of course," the man replied.

The sound of various latches being unlocked signified that his entry was granted. If he'd not done the knock-pause-knock knock, a poison dart in the door would've shot out and incapacitated him. His body would've never been found. If he'd gotten even one word wrong in his counter-answer, the doormat would've swung down, and he would've dropped fifty feet into a large pit, filled with other human corpses.

The slender woman that had opened the door was dressed similarly to the man who'd just entered, and she bowed before shutting the door behind him. She quickly disappeared into one of the doors lining the central corridor.

As he walked through the main corridor, his boots clopped regaly to announce his return. He descended a flight of cramped stairs, and nodded to several more of his comrades, hunched over a table in the sitting room, studying a scroll of sorts. He quickly passed through, the heat from the fireplace nothing more than a warm breeze across his left thigh. The man swept through two more rooms, the mess hall and the minor library , before stopping in front of a modest wooden door at the end of a dark hall.

This was his "office," though he never spent ample time in there. This was simply a designated room in the manor that he knew he wouldn't be disturbed in. The man turned the cold brass knob and pulled the door open. It squeaked as it went, and he took a step inside and closed the door behind him. The smell of dust and old parchment filled his nostrils. A dim oil lamp hung from the low ceiling, casting an eerie glow over the mountains of papers and parchment piling up on the floor and on his desk.

The man strode over and seated himself on his wooden stool. The room was tiny, and it made him feel like a giant; too big to be where he was, but that was the way he liked it. Dominating over everything.

The man sighed. Although he enjoyed the "hiding in plain sight" aspect of the Obsidian Manor, it was a minuscule headquarters compared to the original Obsidian Castle of the olden days. But that fortress was currently under watch by the International Police, and had been ever since his people had been exiled from civilization many centuries ago.

He shook his head, dispelling all distracting thoughts. Finding his telephone under a few leafs of parchment, the man snatched the receiver and dialed an encrypted number.

"Speak," a liquidated, warbling, deep-pitched voice said, clearly warped many times by a complex voice changer..

"Greetings," the man replied, not one to dabble in formalities. "When can I be expecting the shipment?"

"I dispatched a courier three days ago. It'll reach you in one."

"Excellent. And how much can I be expecting?"

"Enough to serve your needs."

Again, the man ignored formalities and skipped straight to the next point. "Also...there seems to be rival faction moving into Fuschia. I don't believe it's a crime family of any sorts."

He could almost feel the annoyance and disgust from the other end of the line. "But you do have your suspicions, yes?" The voice growled mechanically.

"Yes, I do. I think that...it may, in fact be Team Rocket."

"Team Rocket?" The voice sneered.

"Yes. Shall I strike a meeting with their leader? Perhaps coerce him into joining our...cause?"

"No." The reply was quick and blunt. "Team Rocket is against us."

"You already made a move against them?"

"I did. But it was thanks to them that we were able to procure a large amount of Omega Crystal."

"I see. Then what of their appearances here in Fuchsia?"

"Abduct one of their men. Squeeze the truth out of him. If it is indeed Team Rocket, then we may have to accelerate Project Typhon."

"Accelerate Project Typhon? How so? And for Team Rocket? Their nothing more than a band of underworld criminals!"

"It's naive of you to say that. Common criminals don't shelter vast amounts of Omega Crystal. Common criminals don't locate one of our facilities and execute a successful rescue operation. Common criminals would never have made it this far under your nose!"

"I shall eradicate them at once."

"If it were that easy, I would've done it already, wouldn't I have? No, they've been stockpiling resources for quite some time now. It would be...inefficient to attempt an attack against them at this point. No, we must direct all of our resources into Project Typhon."

"Has Arceus's champion been incapacitated?"

"That is irrelevant!" The voice snarled. "When the shipment of Omega Crystal arrives, your men are to be working around the clock! If we want our plans to become a success, then every aspect must be carried out to perfection! You must hold up your end of the Project, or it's all for nothing!"

"Consider it done, my King. I will report back when I have made wealthy progress."

"I should hope so...Lord Tobias."

Tobias smiled and hung up the phone, instinctively brushing a hand atop one of two Pokéballs on his belt. It was empty, and Tobias was saving it for a single Pokémon. After all, Arceus couldn't be caught in anything except a Master Ball.

The second of his Pokéballs was standard grade, and his hand was chilled by the Pokémon within as he brushed his hand atop it as well.

"The reign of our lord is almost at hand," he said aloud, presumably to his Pokémon. "And we will have played one of the most important parts, Darkrai."

Fungal Isle - Portabella City

Ash awoke to something wet on his lips. As his eyes fluttered upon and sleep ebbed away, and immediately smelled the sweet scent of Serena's shampoo. Her hair was tickling his face, and her lips were on his.

"Woah, hey, morning," Ash smiled, breaking off the kiss as his vision swam into clarity, rubbing his face to graze off the itches from Serena's hair.

Serena's cerulean eyes glittered and her hair looked like liquid gold, the sunlight from the window reflecting on it. Her smile was even more dazzling, especially when she was mere inches from his face.

Ash smiled again and threw his arm around her neck, pulling her in for another kiss. The cherry of her lips tasted like love and Ash savored every second of it.

"Ready for your Gym Battle today?" She asked, easing back up.

Ash ruffled his hair and sat up against the back of his bed. "Not today, I don't think."

"You still need a bit more training?"

"No...I was just thinking that...maybe we could do something fun today...by ourselves."

Serena brightened and a blinding smile pierced her face. "You mean like a date?"

Ash nodded back, surprised that he didn't feel embarrassed at all. "Like I said, I just thought of it. But, um, would you like to?"

Serena sweatdropped. "Of course I'd like to Ash!" She exclaimed, surging forward to kiss Ash again.

"Woah, woah, woah," Ash said, pushing her away at the last second, much to her dismay. "Let me brush me teeth first, then we can talk."

"Aw Ash. That wasn't bothering you a few seconds ago!"

Ash grinned. "Well, all this talk about dates has got me feeling like maybe I shouldn't ruin the moment with bad breath."

Serena smiled cheekily. "What a little kid!" She said, mocking Iris.

Ash threw on a teasing scowl, then headed off to the bathroom.

The quartet was fully dressed and cleaned for the day by ten, and they now enjoyed their usual meal in the Pokémon Center's cafeteria, making small talk.

"So Ash," Hayden began, sliding his fork out of his mouth and chewing on a bite of fruit. "Do you think you're prepared to fight Vince today for your fourth Gym Badge?"

Ash blushed and glanced at Serena, who returned a grin. "Actually, I was planning on taking Serena out today, if that's okay with you guys."

Iris's jaw dropped and she turned to Hayden, who swallowed his bite of fruit, before smiling his normal bright smile.

"Of course that's fine with us, Ash," Hayden replied for the both of them, as Iris seemed to still be in shock.

Serena giggled and planted a kiss on Ash's cheek. "Not the Ash you recognize Iris?"

Iris looked between Ash and Serena with a look of pure awe on her face. "Ash...going on a date," she mumbled. Then she burst out laughing. "Oh my gosh, Ash! You actually asked...hah, hah, hah!"

Ash laughed, his face beet red, and he shoveled a large bite of egg in his mouth to chew away the embarrassment.

"I don't know what you put in his drink Serena, but this is definitely not the Ash I met back in Unova!" Iris gushed.

Serena giggled again. "So I'm guessing you two will be okay by yourselves for the day?"

Hayden glanced at Iris, but spoke up before she could say anything. "Don't worry about us. We'll be fine. You two just enjoy your day together."

Ash beamed at the Professor's son. "Thanks Hayden. It really means a lot. Also, d'ya think you can watch over Pikachu for the day. See, he hates being in his Pokéball"

Hayden gave an enthusiastic nod, and Pikachu happily scampered to his side of the table.

"Woah, hey! You didn't see if I'm okay with it," Iris piped.

Ash rolled his eyes. "And Iris? Can you handle yourself without us for a day?"

Iris sneered at the raven-haired trainer. "I'd be happy to."

"Excellent!" Serena said, clapping her hands together. "Hayden, you'll look after her, right?"

"Of course. I would be most happy to."

"I don't need to be looked after!" Iris shouted, drawing the attention of a few other people in the cafeteria. "Hayden needs me to look after him!"

Serena giggled. "Alright, well you two better not get in too much trouble!"

"Hah, you're telling us." Iris retorted with a smirk.

The couple went beet red, and Iris roared with laughter. Hayden cracked a smile for the Dragon Master's sake, who kept slapping his shoulder as she howled in amusement. Ash and Serena left the table soon after, not before bidding hasty farewells, seeking solace in the lobby of the Pokémon Center, where the video call machines were.

Ash and Serena both took to one, Serena planning on phoning Miette, Ash trying his mother. Ash's call rang twice before pulling up an error tone on the third.

"Guess it's still not working," he told Serena, leaning out of the booth and flicking the machine off.

The rookie Performer had successfully called Miette, and her rosy face and blue, fluffy hair was displayed on the screen.

"Where'd you go yesterday Miette. I meant to talk to you a bit more," Serena said softly to the bluenette, who looked like she was somewhere in the outskirts of Fungal Jungle, given the low-hanging trees and lighter foliage.

"Sorry, but I can't have you getting a headstart on me," she replied, shrugging. "I needed to get right down to training."

"And I'm assuming that's what you're doing right now?" Serena questioned.

"Right, so if you'll excuse me…."

Ash stepped behind Serena and looked into the screen as well, his face appearing in Miette's vision. The bluenette's bored expression powered into glee, and a wily grin twisted onto her face.

"Hey, Aaash! Too bad I couldn't catch you yesterday! I was really looking forward to getting to talk to you again!"

Ash blushed, and Serena stuck her head into the camera. "Buzz off, he's mine!"

"I'm kidding girl, damn!" Miette chattered. "You need to loosen up! Say, has Ash taken you out someplace nice yet?"

Now it was Serena's turn to blush, but Ash leaned forward answer for her.

"Actually, I'm taking her out today!" He said proudly.

Miette narrowed her eyes and smirked. "Oh really? Where ya taking her then, huh?"

The color drained from Ash's face, and he scratched the back of his head nervously. "Uh, well, I haven't gotten that far yet."

Miette snickered and slapped her forehead. "Agh, of course you haven't!"

"I-I'll figure something out though," Ash stuttered, glancing nervously at Serena, who simply smiled sweetly, a tinge of red on her cheeks.

"Well, it was good to see you two again, I guess," Miette drawled, clearly bored now that she knew she wouldn't be able to hear all the juicy details of what Ash had planned.

"So where're you heading from here then?" Serena asked.

"Oh, I'm staying," the bluenette replied. "I'll be competing in next week's Showcase so I can get my hands on my own Venom Key."

"I see. Well, good luck to you, then. Maybe we'll see you around before we head off," Serena said.

Miette smirked. "Speaking of, have you challenged Vince yet Ash? Isn't he the Gym Leader here on the Fungal Isle?"

"No, actually. I'm planning on taking him on tomorrow," Ash responded.

"Wow!" Miette exclaimed. "Ash put you in front of a Pokémon Battle Serena! You must be something special!"

Serena blushed for the umpteenth time that day, and gave a slight smile. "W-We'd better be off, right Ash?"

Ash grinned. "I guess so. See you around Miette."

"Hmph. See you guys. Don't fall too far behind, Serena."

The call was cut off before Serena could retort that it was Miette who was currently behind. "Someday that girl's gonna wish she didn't piss me off."

Ash chuckled and slung an arm around Serena's slim waist, and pulled her in closer. "You get use to it."

Serena lay her head on his shoulder, and they departed the Pokémon Center. Much to their surprise, a familiar face was sitting on one of the cloven wooden benches outside the Center, twiddling a Pokéball between his fingers, as if waiting for someone.

Vince got up upon seeing the couple, and he smiled at Serena, and gave a look of slight distaste towards Ash. The raven-haired trainer gave a roll of his eyes, but it seemed to go unnoticed by the Portabella Gym Leader.

"Ah, Axel, Serena, how good to see you," he greeted.

"That's Ash."

"Yes, of course," Vince continued. "You're just the one I wanted to see. You see, I have some business to attend to in the Fungal Jungle, so I won't be able to take your challenge today. You'll have to come back tomorrow."

"Uh, that's fine. I wasn't planning on challenging your Gym today."

"Really?" Vince said, his voice laced with mock disbelief. "Taking your girlfriend out on a date, then?"

"Yeah. What about it?"

"Oh, well I was just thinking that a foreigner like yourself might want a few pointers from a local like me."

Ash chewed his words for a few seconds before responding. "Alright, I'll bite."

"Splendid," Vince said, a ghost of a smile creeping onto his face...or was it a smirk. "There's a nice beach about a mile's hike west. Lavender Beach is another one of my favorite places on this Isle. Then there's also Chardonnay Park in the middle of the City. Other than that, there's a nice shopping district in the east quadrant of the City."

"Wow," Serena said. "That's quite a lot of stuff for one day."

"I'd recommend the shopping first," Vince continued, winking at Serena and smirking at Ash, who slumped in dismay. "Unless you brought your own swimming suits…."

"Swimming suits?" Ash asked.

"For the beach, unless you were planning on swimming in that," Vince said, motioning to Ash's current outfit, and frowning, as if disappointed.

"I see."

"Well, let's get going then Ash!" Serena exclaimed, grabbing his hand excitedly.

"Yes, I must be going as well," the Gym Leader said. "Business calls. I'm glad I was able to be of assistance. Adieu. Have a wonderful day Serena and...Andrew," Vince smirked.

"It's Ash!"

Vince simply smiled and gave one last flick of his hand before slinking further into Portabella City, the Wine Master's Paradise.

The couple turned the corner, and were instantly met with the bustling sight of countless shopping, stores, and outlets crammed onto and into both sides of the street.

"Look," Serena chirped, pointing to the street sign that named the store-filled street. "Vince Street!"

"Hah, he would recommend a street named after him," Ash mused, but Serena was already tugging him along, pinpointing a shop with "cute outfits" in the windows.

Ash tried tagging along as best he could, keeping a smile up for the sake of his girlfriend, but as the minutes turned to hours, he found himself becoming more and more restless. The bags on Serena's arms were piling up, and Ash had to wonder how any of these stores were still in business, given the number of shopping-fanatical girls that passed through this street. This was not what he had in mind.

It was around lunchtime that Serena promised her boyfriend she'd only visit one more store. It was then that she remembered they still had to get swimsuits, and her heart sank every time she passed a store that looked like it had things she wanted. She'd said one more store, and no matter what she wanted, the last store would have to sell swim suits.

They located a tropical shop called Milotic Melody that was selling exactly what they were looking for. Ash purchased his suit relatively quickly; his first purchase of the day was a pair of dark blue swim trunks with Mantine all over it. Serena, however, took a bit longer. Ash stood patiently as she fingered through bikinis of various size, shape, and skimpiness. Finally she settled on a yellow two-piece, which she insisted she try on for Ash in the changing room.

Ash sat outside Serena's stall on a bench as she changed, the clatter of hangars and the hum of the air conditioning his only company. Finally, after checking his watch for the third time, she emerged.

Ash's jaw dropped, and he quickly sniffed up a dribble of blood that threatened to spill out of his nose. Serena looked good. Her long blonde hair fell over her modest chest, which Ash was thankful for, and he had to fight hard not to tear his gaze down to the lower half and cream-colored slender legs. He quickly spread his legs apart to hide the raging growth downstairs, and thankfully, his girlfriend didn't notice. But if she did, she didn't say anything.

Either way, she gave a mischievous grin to Ash's reaction, and did a quick twirl. "So, whaddya think?"

Ash quickly closed his mouth, realizing he looked like an idiot. "Uh...it looks great."

"Aw thanks Ash!" She said, scampering forward to give him a kiss, which she did.

Then, Serena disappeared back into her stall, and Ash exhaled loudly, feeling the blood in his tool ebb away. Serena came back out a couple minutes later fully clothed as usual, the bikini folded away in a bag. They paid for the suit, and departed Milotic Melody.

Not wanting to carry a hefty rack of bags all day, Ash suggested they head back to the Pokémon Center before continuing on their date. They arrived in no time flat, and thankfully didn't run into their other friends. They packed their bathing suits and departed the Center, their sights now set on lunch.

"C'mon, I think I saw a good place on the way back," Ash told his girlfriend as they walked hand in hand through the bright streets of Portabella City. It took them a fair amount of time to arrive at the restaurant, but within the hour, they had arrived.

The establishment was called Vin et Champignons, and looked like a quiet place to spend the afternoon for lunch. It wasn't too fancy, but wasn't an oil dump either. They were seated in a fairly short amount of time, and they ordered, eating happily and talking throughout the meal. Although Ash had been feeling nervous at the start of their day, his love for Serena, and the joy of being in her presence had loosened him up tenfold, and he couldn't help but smile every time he looked at her.

They finished their meal by two in the afternoon, taking their time, and not rushing the day, both of them wanting it to last as long as possible. From there, they continued walking around the city as tourists, soaking in all it had to offer. They found a cafe that had wonderful coffee, tea, and macarons, which they enjoyed at a table for two in front of a crackling fireplace, exchanging whispers and laughs. From there, they visited Chardonnay Park, a lush expanse of greenery filled with lovely smelling trees and playful wild Pokémon. They took the granite-tiled path through the quiet park, walking slowly arm-in-arm, as close as they could be, enjoying the peace and love flowing through them. They found a quiet park bench to enjoy their last satchel of macarons, and shared a passionate kiss in the shadows of the wind-blown trees.

After that, the couple continued walking through the city, stopping at various intervals to window shop, sometimes ducking inside, but never buying anything. Some time later, they found a nice stall that sold picnic baskets, and Ash decided to purchase one for the beach, which they now decided to head to.

As they left the city, the sun had set the sky on a beautiful scarlet color, the late hours of the day turning it into a canvas for the legendary fire-bird Moltres itself. The stone path turned to gravel, which soon turned to gray sand as they neared Lavender Beach.

Both sides of the trail grew long blue grass, and they only needed to crest one more hill before reaching the beach. Serena scampered ahead, pulling Ash behind her.

"Wow," she breathed, standing atop the hill. Ash climbed beside her, and his jaw dropped as well.

In front of them, Lavender Beach laid out in all its peachy glory. The sand was no longer crunchy and gray, but lavender in color, and fine to the touch. The ocean lapped quietly up the sand, and various rock formations, both big and small, decorated the beach itself, as well as the tropical water beyond. Not a single soul, human or Pokémon lie in sight, as if they had all retreated to give Ash and Serena the solitude they desired to finish their perfect day.

Serena took one look at Ash, the setting sun casting a luminous orange glow on her on side of her face, before bounding down the other side of the hill. Ash grinned and quickly sprinted after her, their picnic basket slung on his arm. The sea breeze wasn't the only thing blowing on him as he ran, though. Pure ecstasy coursed through his veins, the thrill of being with Serena shielding him from the chill of the late afternoon.

The honey-blonde kicked her shoes off further down the beach, and started to unravel a picnic blanket they had purchased with the basket. Ash quickly caught up to her, setting the basket down, taking his own shoes and backpack off, before running a bit farther ahead to see the ocean in all its glory.

Serena walked up behind him, slipping her hand into his. He gripped back, the wash and fizzle of the ocean singing the only tune they needed to hear. They stood silent for minutes straight, basking in the sun, the water, and the love. This was perfection. Just them, alone, on the most romantic date Serena could've ever hoped for. She hadn't had high expectations for dates when Ash first asked her out, but this blew her away. She looked up at the raven-haired teen. His jawline was set forward on the sea, and the hair that stuck out in points beneath his hat ruffled in the breeze.

Serena grinned, an involuntary blush creeping up on her face. She grabbed his hat and took her own off, slapping his cap on, whilst throwing her fedora on his head. Ash turned to look down at her, the pink fedora sitting jauntily on his mane of black locks. He grinned, but Serena was already off. She ran towards the water, and Ash bounded after her. The tide rolled in, and Serena quickly stopped herself, backpedalling straight into Ash's arms. He spun her around and lifted her up, spinning her playfully in the air as the water rushed around his feet. He brought her lips to his, warmth coursing through his body as if the ocean itself was roaring through his body. He set her down once the tide receded, and blushed down at her.

"Shall we get changed then?" He asked.

"I thought you'd never ask," she responded.

They took turns ducking behind a nearby rock to change. Ash went first, quickly taking off his clothes and pulling on his trunks. When he emerged from behind the rock, he felt Serena's lingering gaze on his body, and felt his cheeks begin to heat up.

"What's wrong?"

She smiled. "Absolutely nothing." As if for reassurance, she tipped his cap at him, and he smiled back. Serena disappeared behind the rock and Ash went back to their picnic blanket to drop off Serena's fedora. His cap had seen much more than a bit of saltwater, but he'd doubt Serena'd feel the same way if it happened to fall off his head and into the ocean.

She emerged from behind the rock clad in her yellow bathing suit, and Ash, again, quickly sniffed up blood. Luckily, the publicity of the moment kept his lower regions in check, and for that, he was glad. His hat was still on her head, and she looked extremely cute in it. The one thing that surprised him was the necklace around her neck. It was the Keystone Ash had given to her back on the Gloomy Isle, and to be honest, he'd forgotten about it, since it was always tucked in her shirt.

"Whaddya say we go for a swim," Ash asked, walking up to her and slinging an arm around her waist.

Serena smiled. "Let's go."

The water was cold—Serena made that quite clear upon first wading in up to her thighs. Ash had initially decided he'd stay out, but the next time the tide rolled in, the honey-blonde pushed him facedown into it. And so began their water adventures for the next half hour. They splashed and swam in the tropical sea, the water gradually warming the more they moved, further and further away from the beach. They tried looking down, but Ash had insisted they'd find nothing here because the water was too shallow. Nevertheless, she kept looking, and eventually she spotted a Magikarp and appeared to have wandered from the school. It was swimming fast and erratically far below them, and they decided to name it Spaz. Then Ash mentioned that it could've been getting close to evolving into Gyarados, and they fled the water quickly after that.

Scrambling back up to their picnic blanket, they toweled off, the setting sun drying the remaining film of moisture left behind. It was then that they unpacked their picnic.

Serena flipped open the clasp and opened the basket. Inside was two loaded sandwiches, a couple cans of bubbly soda, a small bag of chips, and a few wine glasses.

"Well we can stay away from those," Serena mentioned, motioning to the glasses as she tossed Ash a sandwich.

Ash grinned and caught the sandwich, swinging his backpack into his lap and unzipping it. He withdrew a long, crinkled brown bag.

Serena clapped hand over her mouth. "That is not!"

"Oh yes it is," Ash declared, pulling out the bags contents as one might withdraw a sword from its sheath. In his fist was the neck of a bottle of dark red wine.

"Ash, we're too young!"

"Not on the Fungal Isle we're not," Ash replied, taking out a wine opener from the front of the basket. "Apparently you only have to be thirteen to drink alcohol here." He unscrewed the cork out, tossed it back into the basket, and grabbed the two glasses. He poured them each a bit before handing a glass to Serena.

"To love," he said, holding up his glass.

"Shut up, I'm doing it," Serena snapped playfully, raising her own glass. "To us."

Ash snorted at the profound difference in their toasts, but nevertheless, he clinked glasses with Serena and took a long sip.

"Blechhh!" Ash horked, spewing the dark liquid all over the sand next to him. "That's nasty!"

Serena giggled, swallowing her gulp undeterred by her boyfriend's disgust. "I think it's good."

"I'd rather have this," Ash said, leaning over and locking lips with Serena.

Serena wrapped an arm around her boyfriend and pulled him closer. Her face burned with fervor, and she slid her tongue inside his mouth. She felt him tense up for a moment, but he quickly relaxed and inserted his own. She shivered as his tongue grazed the roof of her mouth. Her heart was pounding, and Ash was so close that she could feel his heart as well. Each pulse sent a wave of passion through her body, like a fire razing through a field of dry grass. Ash clenched her tighter and gave one last flick of his tongue before pulling apart. Serena nestled herself onto his chest, her head resting against his heart, his every beat thumping her cheek. It was still bulleting from the rush of their kiss, and Serena's wasn't any different.

She grabbed her glass and took a sip of wine. "Will it always be like this Ash?" She asked.

His heartbeat sped up once again as he racked his mind for a satisfying answer. "As long as it's within my power, I'm not going anywhere without you at my side."

Serena giggled. "You're so dramatic when you're trying to be romantic!"

"Hey, they kinda go hand in hand," Ash remarked.

With that, Serena relaxed herself on him, sipping her wine, while Ash crunched on chips. The huge setting sun shimmered on the molten magma sky in front of them, the violet water licking at its fire in vain. Serena drunk it all in, knowing Ash was doing the same. It was silent, save for the gentle twilight lap of the ocean, the constant munching on chips, and the occasional crinkle of cellophane, and the only thing that mattered to either of them now was each other. And so they lay there for awhile.

A few minutes after the kiss, Ash discovered Serena had fallen asleep on him, but he saw no reason to wake her. Before he knew it, he too had dozed off, and had awoken to the sight of his girlfriend gone.

Ash bolted up, his eyes adjusting to the twinkling dark. His eyes found Serena by the water's edge, but she wasn't alone. Sylveon danced with grace by her side.

Although, Ash quickly realized Sylveon was not dancing. It was battling. Serena's back was to him, and they seemed to be fighting something in the water, a little ways from the beach. The water in front of his girlfriend churned as though something was moving aggressively through it.

"Serena!" Ash yelled, standing up and sprinting down the sand. She didn't turn to acknowledge him, but he knew she'd heard him. Soon he was within earshot.

"Now, Moonblast!"

The air above Sylveon wavered and a twinkle of gold, almost like stardust, trickled into existence like powder snow. It churned and wafted above Sylveon as the Intertwining Pokémon flicked and twirled its ribbons above it. The twinkle thickened into rings of light that spun erratically, and gradually began to turn pink. Finally, the rings gave one last spin, and a glorious beam of white, gold, and pink jetted from Sylveon and into the frothing waters of the ocean.

"Serena, what's going on?" Ash demanded.

Again, he was ignored, and Serena cried out. "Now! Go, Pokéball!"

Serena hurled her Ball into the water, and before Ash could take a good look at its target, it was sucked inside.

Not wasting a moment, Serena waded to get the Ball. It was bobbing atop the waves, and if it wiggled, it was lost in the froth. It pinged.

Serena swiped the Ball and clambered back to shore triumphantly.

"Serena...what is it?" Ash pressed.

Serena smirked and tossed the Pokéball into the air. It sprang open and white energy poured out and coalesced into-

"Seadra," Ash breathed, just as the Dragon Pokémon landed gracefully on the lavender sand.

"Draaa," it purred, its wing-like crests fluttering softly.

Ash yawned and scratched the back of his head. "You couldn'ta woken me up for that?"

"Well, I didn't want you to beat me to it," Serena replied, returning Seadra.

Ash grinned. "Aw, c'mon, I wouldn't do that."

Serena giggled and grabbed Ash's hand. "Let's go, it's getting late, and you need to be well-rested for tomorrow."

Ash nodded and wiped the moisture the yawn had caused away from his eyes, and he followed Serena back up to their picnic spot, hand-in-hand.

The couple returned back to the Pokémon Center slowly, both bogged down by exhaustion. The moonlight guided them through the quiet streets of Portabella City, and when they arrived, they found the Pokémon Center quiet as well. Nurse Joy gave them a courteous smile, and the couple returned it.

When they got back to their room, they noticed Pikachu was missing, and came to the conclusion that he was safe in Iris and Hayden's room. They took turns showering. Serena went first, followed by Ash, and when they were both finished, they snuggled up into one of the beds.

"I love you," Ash whispered, his eyelids drooping already.

"Love you...too," Serena responded faintly, already nestled in Sleep's sweet arms.

Fungal Isle - Portabella City

His midnight black cloak whipped in the wind of the night. He stood atop the Pokémon Center, having just watched the boy and his girlfriend return. Beneath the gold ceramic mask he wore and the large hood draped over it, he smiled. The boy was all too easily distracted. A date one day, and a Gym Battle the next. Even with warnings from the International Police and Team Rocket, he still carried on as if nothing was wrong.

The Masked Man wondered if he even needed to worry about the boy so much. At this rate, Team Pluto would be able to execute Project Typhon without any resistance. That was a savory thought.

And of course it had to be interrupted by a call from the Pluto Queen.

"Countess Melinöe has completed the initial analysis of the Omega Crystal. The process should work. Macaria is running simulations as we speak," the Queen's voice droned from the Masked Man's wrist communicator.

"Excellent," the man whispered, his voice morphed by a voice changer set inside his mask. "I have contacted our friends in Kanto and they will begin their end of Project Typhon once our gift for them arrives."

"Lord Tobias, and his men?" The Queen asked. "Isn't Team Rocket onto them?"

"They're suspicious, and that's all. They may be hanging around more than usual, but they seem to have no intent on making a move anytime soon."

"That's good news for us. If they make a premature attack, it could ruin Project Typhon, and everything we've been working towards."

"Do not underestimate Tobias's league. They've been playing this game far longer than we have. Back in the Old Age, Tobias's ancestors served the Dark One personally."

"So then we can be certain they won't fail us?" The Queen prompted.

"There is no certainty," the Masked Man said simply. "Only confidence, and the amount of it I am willing to place in him...and you."

"Yes, my King," Pluto's Queen responded.

"I'll speak with you again soon...Persephone." The communicator went silent.

The nighttime wind blew Team Pluto's King cloak behind him, and his hood threatened to fall. He walked to the edge of the roof, and jumped off, landing seamlessly by somersaulting into a roll.

Then he disappeared into the night. Everyday the time drew closer. Project Typhon, Team Pluto's sole purpose, was entering its final stages. Lord Tobias and Queen Persephone were both playing their parts beautifully. The Dark One would soon emerge from his eons of slumber, and when he did, he would be there to greet him.

Next - Chapter 14: The Toxic Prince

Author's Note

Sorry this chapter is coming out so late, but as I've told a few people, my laptop broke and I just recently replaced my lost phone. As such, future chapters might be delayed by a week or two more than usual until I tell you guys otherwise, since I'm writing on my phone now.

Team Pluto's plans have pretty much just been sideline shit going on right now, but now we have a name to put to the face: Project Typhon. And Tobias is head of a group operating in the shadows of Kanto. It may seem a bit random as of now, but I promise everything will come full circle eventually. That being said, if you haven't already figured out Team Pluto's goal, it should become fairly clear once Ash and his friends get to the next Isle.

And lastly, sorry that Seadra's catch seemed like it was tacked on at the last second; I wrote that yesterday when I was half asleep, and at this point, I just want to get the next chapter out. It doesn't really matter how Serena got Seadra, the point is that she now has one.

As always, reviews are greatly appreciated, always over follows/faves, but hey, just reading is fine too. I'll catch you all in the next chapter.

Subject 666