A/N: I have received many, many, many questions and comments (both good and bad) regarding Serena's new haircut and whether or not I will put it in my story. Truth be told, I actually like her new look and thinks she looks rather cute. As far if I will put it in my story, I'm not sure yet. If Serena does cut her hair in this fic, it won't be in Kanto or the Orange Island arcs. I will wait to see what the anime does regarding her new look and make my decision based off of that. Hopefully that satisfies everyone's curiosity.
I've also listened to many people's requests and have now posted Ash and Serena's team on my profile page. It will change every time Ash or Serena catches or releases a Pokemon.
Now on to the chapter!
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.
Chapter 52: Cubone and Togepi
Morning sunlight peaked through the windows of Pallet Town. It was the morning after the group had encountered Mew, Mewtwo, and the other clone Pokemon. As agreed, they didn't tell their parents about any of those events. When asked about what took them so long to get home, the group merely responded that they waited for the storm to die down at the wharf before coming home. All of the adults seemed to accept that, with the exception of Red, Blue, and Rose who smiled knowingly. The group wasn't sure if that was because they were on similar adventures growing up or because Red's aura detected a lie. Regardless, the group was glad they didn't tell the others.
Now, the Gabena household was pretty packed with guests. Unfortunately, Ash's house would still have a few more days of repairing before he and his family could move back in. Serena and Grace stayed in their respective bedrooms while Delia and Red took the guest bedroom, leaving Ash with the couch in the living room. He didn't mind, of course. Having spent so many nights sleeping on the ground in a sleeping bag when he wasn't in a city gave Ash the ability to sleep anywhere and be comfortable.
It was truthfully the best sleep Ash had in quite a while. He had no problems to deal with. Giovanni was gone, Mewtwo was on the right side, the incident of his parents' past was behind him, and he had all eight badges. Only the Pokemon League separated Ash from being a Pokemon League champion. Then he could face the Elite Four. Today would be his first full day of Pokemon training since coming back to Pallet Town.
Unbeknownst to Ash, Serena Gabena was coming down the stairs of her house and into the living room. Despite the restless events the past few days, she had been the first one up on purpose this morning. She set her alarm clock for six in the morning so she could get up early. Why? As celebration for winning all eight badges, Serena wanted to cook Ash a victory breakfast using the cookbook Brock had given her on her birthday. This would be her first attempt all by herself since Brock showed her how to cook. She even left Cubone asleep in her bed so she could be alone.
As Serena padded across the carpeted living room, she spotted Ash sleeping on the couch across from her. It warmed Serena's heart to see him look so peaceful right now. She crept over to her boyfriend as quietly as she could, her slippered feet making little to no noise. Once Serena reached the couch she leaned over the back of it stared lovingly at Ash. He was lying on his back with Pikachu on is stomach. The yellow rodent was rising and falling slightly in tune with Ash's gentle breathing. She thought Ash looked so cute like that and felt herself blushing. Despite them being together now, Serena still couldn't resist that sometimes. She smiled to herself and continued to make her way over to the kitchen.
The noises that were being made in the kitchen weren't what awoke Ash later that morning. It was the smell of delicious food. Ash's mouth was already watering as he cracked his eyes open and was greeted by the sun in his eyes. Ash turned away from the window which shook Pikachu awake, too, before giving a stretch. He figured everyone else must already be up and Mrs. Gabena would be working on cooking a large breakfast for everyone. He slowly sat up on the couch and let out a big yawn before standing up and heading to the kitchen. Pikachu leaped onto his partner's shoulder, as usual.
When Ash entered the kitchen, he was surprised to find it wasn't Grace who was cooking and causing the delicious smell. In fact, Serena was the only occupant in the kitchen at the moment! She appeared to be just finishing up and was pulling a very large pan of some sort of casserole out of the oven. She set the pan down on top of the stove before pulling off her oven mitts and turning to find Ash watching her. She gave slight jump at his sudden appearance but soon smiled.
"Good morning, Ash," she greeted with smile before turning to the yellow rodent on his shoulder. "And you, too, Pikachu."
"Pika Pi!" Pikachu responded happily.
"So I see you're cooking. It smells awesome," Ash said as he made his way over to her to see what it was.
"Thank you," Serena replied. "It's a recipe I got from the cookbook Brock gave me. It's a breakfast casserole and consists of eggs, hashbrowns, sausage, milk, and even a few secret ingredients that Brock scribbled down to make it even better."
"Heh. You can always count on the Brockster to have some good ideas," Ash said before adding, "You made this by yourself?"
"I sure did!" Serena answered with a giggle. "I woke up really early this morning so I could make enough for everyone, but it was mainly for you getting all eight badges."
"Thanks a lot, Serena. If it tastes even half as good as it smells, it'll be great," Ash said.
"Why don't you try it out first?" Serena suggested.
"Sounds good to me!" Ash said as he took the large spoon from Serena's outstretched and took a scoop from the casserole. He took a bite and his eyes lit up with how good it was. "This is amazing, Serena!"
The honey-blonde haired girl beamed upon hearing that. "I'm so glad you think so, Ash. This is the first thing I made all by myself with no help from anyone!"
"If I already hadn't known you, you could've fooled me. You're a natural!" Ash stated as he reached down with his spoon to take more, but a light slap on the hand from Serena stopped him.
"Now, Ash. I let you have the first taste, but wait for everyone else to come in before we start eating. I tried to time it just right for when everyone gets up so we can all eat together," Serena scolded with her hands on her hips.
Ash couldn't help but inwardly laugh at Serena's appearance. She was wearing a cooking apron around her pajamas with her hands on her hips and a stern expression on her face. In short, she looked and sounded like a mother just then. It was probably her time with Cubone that helped. Besides a mother, Serena probably make a good wife one day, too. Wait! What!?
"So what are you going to do as far as training goes today?" Serena asked him once losing the stern expression on his face.
Ash pushed the thought of Serena looking motherly out of his head before answering. "I want to be able to spend time with each of my Pokemon today, particularly the ones I haven't gotten to train much yet, like Dratini and Aerdactyl. I want all of my Pokemon to be in tip top form for the Pokemon League!"
"That sounds like a plan!" Serena smiled, until Ash asked her a question next.
"And are you going to be training to beat the Battle Chatelaines to conquer the Battle Chateau, too?" Ash inquired.
Serena cast a look towards the ground as she knew where Ash was going with this. Ash's journey through the Kanto region would be ending soon, and he wanted to know what she was going to do in the meantime about the Battle Chateau. She still had four Chatelaines to defeat and had no idea what to do in such a short amount of time. Would she leave it undefeated or not?
"I don't know," Serena replied with a sigh. "I don't understand how I am going to beat them all in such a short amount of time."
"You shouldn't let that stop you, Serena. Haven't things always worked out in the end?" Ash asked her.
"Yes," Serena answered. "But what am it supposed to do this time?"
Ash stared at her with a sympathetic look. Maybe he was being too hard on her right now. He wasn't in the exact same situation right now and didn't feel pressed for time like Serena did. He would wait a million years before going to another region if that's what it took for Serena to conquer the Battle Chateau, but he also knew she would never do it. They were almost at a stalemate with the situation. He would wait for Serena to conquer the Battle Chateau and put his journey on hold, or they could travel to a new region together while putting Serena's journey on hold. It was a very difficult decision. Ash was always one to come up with a solution, but right now, he was at a loss. For Serena's sake, he hoped something would present itself soon.
The breakfast that Serena cooked had been delicious. Grace, Red, and Delia had woken up about fifteen minutes after Ash, and everyone sat down and enjoyed the great breakfast Serena had cooked. Grace complimented on how great her daughter had done much to Serena's embarrassment. She was glad everyone enjoyed her food, but of course, was most happy Ash enjoyed it.
After finishing the big breakfast of the casserole, Ash and Serena wasted no time in heading to Professor Oaks' lab to see their Pokemon with Pikachu and Cubone following them. Grace, Red, and Delia offered to clean up the kitchen so their kids could begin training as fast as possible, which they appreciated. Ash and Serena figured Brock and Misty were already up and could meet up with them there. Leaf and Gary would most likely be there, too.
Once Ash and Serena reached the lab, they were about to knock when the door was flung open, and Brock was standing there with an excited look on his face. Ash was about to ask Brock what was up, but didn't have to when Brock spoke first.
"Guys! Great timing! I was just about to come get you both! The egg is going to hatch soon!" he said quickly.
Ash and Serena's eyes lit up in alarm at that news. The egg was fixing to hatch, and they almost missed it?! They quickly followed Brock through lobby of the lab and into the backroom where the egg was being kept. The last time Ash and Serena were in this room was when they were receiving their first Pokemon, but that was beside the point. Unbeknownst to them, Cubone had a look of wariness on its face.
Professor Oak and Daisy were already in the lab, along with Misty and Leaf. It wasn't too surprising that Gary wasn't there as watching someone else's egg hatch wasn't really his thing, or he could have already left to train somewhere. Upon seeing the arrival of Ash and Serena, Professor Oak gave them a smile. He carefully took the egg out of the incubator and set it gently down on the table so everyone could see.
"Ah! Ash! Serena! I was worried you two would miss the hatching of the egg! It's fortunate that you were already coming," Professor Oak commented.
"Thanks for taking care of the care of the egg for us," Ash panted to Professor Oak and Daisy once he, Serena, and Brock came to a stop.
"It was our pleasure, Ash. It's always exciting to see the hatching of an egg. Grandpa and I have never seen this type of egg before, honestly," Daisy replied.
Pikachu and Cubone jumped onto table while the humans crowded around in anticipation for what was to come. With the exception of Professor Oak and Daisy, the group had never seen a Pokemon egg hatch before. Ash and Serena had their heads closest to the egg, but Misty was trying to push them out of the way since she was the furthest back.
The egg then began to crack slightly and gave off a dim glow. The egg continued to crack more and more, but for some reason, the middle part remained perfectly hard. The top and bottom of the egg finally broke open to reveal what looked like a…faceless yellow oval. The group raised their eyebrows at this until the pale yellow oval unfurled into spikes of a crown of some sort. Short, stubby hands and feet sprouted from the side and bottom of the egg, respectively. Finally, the oval top turned upward to reveal a face with black eyes and small nose and mouth. The middle part of its body was still remained in its toy designed shell.
"Togeprrriiiii!" the newborn Pokemon chirped. It then gave a yawn and looked up at all who were surrounding it. Its face first saw a raven-haired boy to its left and a honey blonde-haired girl to its right. There were several others beside it, but these two were the closest to it. They must be the ones!
"Togepriiiiiii!" it cried happily again.
"Uh…what Pokemon is that? I've never seen that before," Ash muttered.
"You're in luck my boy. That is a Togepi! It's an extremely rare Pokemon not found in the Kanto region!" Professor Oak proclaimed.
"Really?!" Ash exclaimed as he looked back at the new Pokemon. He, Serena, and Leaf then took out their pokedexes to scan the new Pokemon.
"Togepi, the spikeball Pokemon. This Pokemon is considered a symbol of good luck and brings happiness to people who treat it kindly," informed the pokedexes.
"Oh! It's so cute!" Leaf squealed.
"It sure is!" Misty agreed as she pushed past Ash and Serena and picked up the new born Pokemon. She gave giggle of delight and gave the Pokemon a warm smile. "Hello there, Togepi!"
Togepi gave Misty a look of confusion and said nothing in return. It cocked its head to one side before doing something completely unexpected. It began to cry, and not just small sniffles, either! It was completely bawling in Misty's arms.
"Oh! Did I do something wrong?!" Misty cried, quite worried she did something to offend Togepi.
"Hold on, Misty. Let the Pokemon breeder take care of this one," Brock interjected as he gently took Togepi from Misty's arms and gave it a smile of its own. "There. There. It's okay. The Brockster knows how to care for you."
Much to Brock's surprise, Togepi only seemed to cry even louder at Brock. He was as gentle and soothing as he could be with this Pokemon. There wasn't a Pokemon alive that he wasn't able to become friends with immediately, with the exception of his Rhyhorn. Was he possibly losing his touch?
"Maybe I should try it. I've taken care of plenty of baby Pokemon myself so I know how to handle it," Professor Oak suggested as he took Togepi next. Like Brock and Misty before it, the spikeball Pokemon didn't let up on its crying. If anything, it was practically screaming and crying itself silly. Did this Pokemon like anyone?
"Pika Pi. Pikachu?" Pikachu commented as it tried to make funny faces at Togepi to make it laugh, but to no avail.
Togepi then turned around in Professor Oak's arms before facing Ash and Serena. It stretched its stubby arms as far as they would reach in their direction. It was clear that it was trying to get to them.
"Oh? I think this Togepi wants to go to you two," Professor Oak translated.
"Well, I guess I could give it a try, but I don't know what could make me so special compared to everyone," Serena said as she took Togepi next. She then attempted a smile at the Pokemon in what she assumed to be a motherly smile. She hoped her experience with Cubone would pay off.
As soon as Togepi was in Serena's arms, it immediately stopped crying and put on a happy expression. It began laughing and waving its arms around joyfully like it never cried in the first place. It was just like Serena had that magical touch.
"Wow. That's amazing, Serena. Are you just that good?" Misty wondered.
Togepi then saw Ash and motioned that it wanted him to hold it, too. Ash raised an eyebrow at this. Why on Earth would a newborn baby Pokemon want him to hold it of all people? Sure, it was him that Togepi's egg was given to, but he knew nothing about caring for babies. He attempted to try with Cubone, but it had mainly been Serena who cared for it, not him.
"Uh, okay. I'll try it," Ash responded as Serena gave Togepi to him. Like Serena before him, Togepi once more gave a delighted expression to Ash and hugged his arm affectionately with its stubby arms.
"Hey. I guess Togepi likes me, too. Who knew?" Ash said rhetorically.
"I don't understand, though. Why does Togepi like Ash and Serena but no one else?" Misty asked in a somewhat upset tone.
Everyone seemed to think for a second until Daisy Oak spoke up. "I think I've got it! When Togepi hatched, the first things it saw were Ash and Serena. Once that happened, it stared at them for a while, but when Misty took it, it started crying. The same happened with Brock and Grandpa until Serena and Ash took it back."
"So what does that mean?" Ash asked.
"It means Togepi really thinks you and Serena are its parents!" Daisy explained.
"Huh?!" the group gasped.
"Me? A parent?" Ash questioned as he looked with wide eyes at the laughing Togepi in his hands.
Serena, on the other hand, beamed at this. "Oh wow! This is so cool! We get to act like parents to this Togepi and raise it!"
"Well, Ash! It looks like you and Serena can be closer than you think through this!" Brock commented as he clapped his hand on Ash's back.
Cubone, however, didn't seem too thrilled about this news. All this Togepi seemed to do was scream and cry unless it was with its parents. It was so needy and clingy! Cubone eyes suddenly lit up with realization that it wasn't like this too long ago, either. It was entirely dependent on Serena ever since its real mommy was shot, and it really liked Serena. It wanted to start fighting alongside her other Pokemon to help her win, but a small part of it still wanted to be loved and taken care of. It was just a lonely Pokemon that wanted attention, but now this Pokemon had just been born, and everyone was fawning over it, even Serena. Would it be replaced now that a younger Pokemon was here? Would it have to grow up right now and not receive the attention it used to? It looked up at Serena beaming over the Togepi, and she didn't even seem to notice it at the moment. With a heartbroken expression and a sigh, Cubone hopped off the table and quietly sneaked out of the room without anyone noticing, not even Pikachu.
"Now Ash. My research has shown me that Togepi are very dependent their first stages of life. Unlike some Pokemon who are able to battle and be ready for training as soon as they hatch, that isn't the case for Togepi. It must be loved and cared for like any human baby," Professor Oak said.
"Yeah…," Ash muttered. It wasn't like he wasn't excited about the prospect of raising and having a rare Pokemon like this. It was just he didn't think he was cut out for the role of a father very well, yet. He didn't have a lot of experience with this since he grew up half of his life without a dad. Of course, he's forgiven Red since then, but Ash still had no idea how to act like a parent.
"Ash? Don't you think that's great we get to raise this Pokemon together?" Serena asked unsurely once she and the others saw his expression.
"Do you guys really think I have what it takes to raise this Pokemon?" Ash inquired as he looked around at the others.
"Ash, you are one of the kindest trainers I know. You will do great!" Leaf answered, trying to boost his confidence.
"Trainer maybe, but parent? I'll probably screw up a lot," Ash countered.
Serena got a serious expression as she placed a comforting hand on Ash's shoulder. Normally, he would be the one reassuring her, but this relationship worked both ways and she would help him out, too, when he needed it.
"Ash. No one is a perfect parent. We will all make mistakes at some point, but that is so we can learn from them in the future. How good a parent you are is judged by how much your child loves you, and I think this Togepi will completely adore you by the time it grows up. I know you will love this Togepi just as much as your other Pokemon, and it will love you in return. Plus, you won't be alone anyway. We are all here to help you," Serena said.
Ash looked back down at the Togepi appraisingly. Could he really do this? Did he have what it takes to be a good parent? He was surprised to see Togepi give a huge yawn before hugging Ash's arms again. The spike ball Pokemon certainly seemed trusting of Ash and believed that he would be a good dad to it. Maybe he could try this parent thing out, after all.
"You're right," Ash agreed as he smiled at the Togepi and then everyone else. "I may not be perfect, but this Togepi seems to like me, and I won't let it down! I'll do my best and raise this Togepi into a Pokemon to be proud of!"
"That's the spirit, Ash!" Brock approved.
"What do you think, Togepi?" Ash asked it.
"Togeprriiii!" it chirped again.
"Heehee! It looks like you're going to be a big brother again, Pikachu!" Serena giggled.
"PikaPi!" the rodent happily responded as it hopped on Ash's shoulder and grinned at the Togepi, who returned it. As long as Togepi was with one of its parents, it seemed to like everyone. It was on that note that Misty, Brock, and Professor Oak didn't take it personally.
"I bet you're excited to be a big brother, too, right Cubone?" Serena asked as she turned to where the lonely Pokemon was, only to discover it wasn't there anymore. "Cubone?"
Everyone then started to glance around to see where Cubone was, but it wasn't anywhere in the room! Only now did the group realize that they hadn't heard a word from Cubone since entering the room.
"Pikachu, did you see where Cubone went? It was closest to you," Ash questioned the rodent.
"Chuuuuuu," Pikachu shook its head at the question.
Serena then got a frantic look on her face. She made to dash out of the room in an attempt to go search for it, but Togepi's shrill cry reminded her of the new baby. She looked back and forth from Togepi to the doorway as if deciding who she should go to, but Ash saved the day.
"Go ahead and look for Cubone, Serena. I'll take care of Togepi. Now's a good a time as any to try this dad stuff," Ash said.
Serena shot Ash a grateful look at that. "Thank you, Ash. I know Togepi will be just fine with you."
With that, Serena left the room, leaving Ash and the others to look after Togepi. Ash looked at the Togepi in his hands with bit of uncertainty. Despite this, the Togepi looked absolutely thrilled to being held in its "daddy's hands". It continued to smile and laugh like nothing could ever being it down. That is, of course, unless someone else was holding it.
"Well, don't just stare at it, Ash. Say something to it," Misty urged.
"Uhhh….hi Togepi. I'm your….dad?" Ash ended the last part in a question.
Everyone face palmed at this. Ash had a long way to go.
As Serena left the room, she thought of which way she should go. She called for Cubone throughout the building but never received an answer. It was really unlike Cubone to not come running to her the first time she would call for it. The only conclusion could be was that Cubone wasn't inside of the lab. It must have gone outside, but why? Furthermore, how on Earth would it have reached a door handle?
Either way, Cubone couldn't have gone far. She doubted Cubone would leave the lab through the front way so it must have gone to Professor Oak's reserve through the backdoor. Why would it leave the room in the first place? Serena knew that Cubone was a little apprehensive about the arrival of Togepi lately, but she also thought that it would at least stay to meet it.
Serena ran to the door that led to Professor Oak's field and stepped outside. She scanned the area for any sign of the lonely Pokemon, but saw no trace of it. No sooner had Serena taken two steps to look for Cubone that she felt a weight on her leg. Looking down, Serena saw the culprit was none other than Omanyte clinging to her leg with its slimy tentacles, as usual.
Letting out a sigh but trying not to be annoyed, Serena pried Omanyte off her leg and brought it up to face level.
"Hey, Omanyte. Would you have happened to see Cubone anywhere out here?" she asked the prehistoric Pokemon, trying to sound casual and not panicked.
Omanyte rustled its slimy tentacles continuously in an effort to grab onto Serena again, but it ended in failure. Ultimately giving up, Omanyte relaxed in Serena's outstretched arms before nodding. It then pointed several of its slimy tentacles to a small patch of small trees not too far to Serena's left.
"Thank you, Omanyte," Serena replied with a quick hug before setting it down and running to the patch of trees.
As soon as Serena moved, Omanyte took that opportunity to attach itself to Serena's leg again. The honey-blonde haired girl looked down and saw the Pokemon staring up at her affectionately. Giving up on trying to get the prehistoric Pokemon off of her, Serena waddled as fast as she could to the trees. Once she reached them, she heard what sounded like continuous clunks against wood. Following the sound as best as she could, Serena entered the small clearing and took in her surroundings.
Cubone was off to the right in the clearing. It was using its bone as a boomerang and trying to throw it at an apple hanging from a branch. However, its aim was off, and the bone kept hitting the tree instead, which explained the clunking.
Serena breathed a sigh of relief at finding Cubone before breathing a puff of annoyance. She was going to scold Cubone for running off like that until she noticed something strange. Cubone was normally very accurate with throwing its bone despite its young age. It was missing every shot this time, though. Serena knew something must be seriously wrong with Cubone if its aim was this bad, or it may not even be trying. Either way, something was bothering it.
"Cubone, you had me really worried. You don't need to run off like that without telling me first," Serena called out to it as she stepped into the clearing.
Cubone turned towards Serena with a slightly guilty expression before turning back to the opposing apple and throwing the bone again. It didn't really want to let Serena know about its feelings for growing up. It was hoping to let out its frustration on this darned apple, but its feelings were in the way and causing its aim to be off.
"Something must be bothering you if you are doing this," Serena brought on as she bent over next to it. "Will you tell me what it is?"
"Bone," Cubone said in slight distaste as it pointed to a certain figure on Serena's leg right now.
"Oh, right. You don't want Omanyte to be here right now," Serena realized with a slight giggle before addressing the prehistoric Pokemon. "Omanyte, could you leave Cubone and me for a little bit? We would like to talk alone."
"Ooooommm," Omanyte muttered before jumping off Serena's leg and crawling off through the trees.
Satisfied with the results, Serena once more turned to Cubone and finally was able to kneel down fully since Omanyte was off her leg. "Now will you tell me what's bothering you?" she asked kindly.
"Bone," Cubone replied in little more than a whisper as it threw the bone again and missed.
"Does it have anything to do with Togepi?" Serena asked, realizing Cubone probably wouldn't say anything unless asked directly.
Cubone finally stopped throwing its bone at the offending apple and turned to face Serena fully for the first time. It supposed that it was pretty obvious that its situation would have something to do with the newborn Pokemon. Cubone didn't dislike Togepi or angry that it was born, but when it heard that Serena would be its mommy, it couldn't help but be jealous. Serena was ITS mommy! Was it wrong for it to be selfish of Serena when its real mommy was killed by Team Rocket? Despite this, it nodded its head at Serena, confirming her suspicions.
"What's wrong with Togepi?" Serena questioned.
Cubone looked away from Serena again towards the ground. It didn't really know how to respond to Serena without sounding selfish or childish. It knew that it was wrong, but it couldn't control how it felt.
"Are you upset that I'm going to be Togepi's mommy like I am to you?" Serena continued to press.
Cubone whipped its head in Serena's direction. She hit the nail on the head. It didn't need to nod its head for Serena to know she was right this time. Cubone's expression said enough.
"Cubone, I can't be your mommy forever. You know that, right?" Serena stated.
"Booone?" Cubone questioned as it looked up at Serena with watering eyes. Was she going to abandon it?
"No. I didn't mean it like that. We'll still be together, but I can't baby you forever. You will have to grow up eventually, and I think that time is now," Serena said
"Cu…," Cubone mumbled.
Cubone didn't know why it wanted to be so attached to Serena. Was that just its nature to want to be taken care of by others for the rest of its life? Surely by now it was old enough to battle and possibly even live by itself out in the wild. Was it because it couldn't let go of the past? Was its past trauma haunting it from wanting to grow up? It just wanted to feel safe, and that was easy to do when it was being babied all of the time.
"I know you feel safe and secure with me, Cubone. That's why I'm staying with you, but if I don't let you grow up, it will only hurt you," Serena reasoned.
"Bone?" Cubone asked curiously.
"If you stay the way you are now, you will never grow stronger. You will always be dependent on others and never be able to take care of yourself. There are times when I will not be around, and you will have to defend yourself," Serena continued.
Cubone looked away to the side briefly. She did have a point. It couldn't stay this way forever.
"I'm telling you this because I love you, Cubone. I want you to be the best you can be and stronger than anything I know," Serena finished.
Cubone stared up strangely at Serena. She really didn't want to baby it anymore. Even if it wasn't for Togepi, Serena had this thought for quite a while now. Togepi being born just sped things up. Now a new Pokemon was going to need taking care of like a baby, and Serena and Ash would need to devote their time to it, but what could Cubone do to repay Serena for everything she did for it?
As if reading Cubone's thoughts, Serena gave her answer. "The greatest thing you can do for me now is to show me how much stronger you've gotten since we first met. I want to see that I've parented you properly and see that you have grown up just fine. It's what all mothers wish for."
Cubone felt tears come to its face at Serena's words. She really did love it, and it loved her back. Knowing that things would be different from now on, Cubone ran forward and hugged Serena's right leg tightly as it started to cry fully.
"Oh, Cubone," Serena smiled as she let a few drops escape her own eyes before embracing Cubone back. "Just because I can't be your mommy anymore doesn't mean I still don't love you. We will still have a lot of fun together and be great friends."
She was right. Cubone was long overdue to stop acting so childish. It was time to be the baby no more. It's told itself over and over, and even had a few talks with Pikachu, about wanting to battle and fight for Serena. It was going to show her how much stronger it was gotten and help her win her Pokemon battles. It was going to show those Pokemon what's what. It let go of Serena and wiped its eyes before staring up at her with determination.
"What is it, Cubone?" Serena asked when she saw the look in its eyes.
"Bone," Cubone replied seriously as it pointed to an empty pokeball on Serena's belt.
"You mean you actually want to travel in a pokeball like my other Pokemon and fight for me?" Serena questioned with wide eyes.
"Cubone!" it replied.
"Cubone, that makes me so happy! Thank you! You'll be fantastic! I know it!" Serena said as she hugged Cubone again
After staying that way for a few moments, Serena looked down at Cubone and gave it a warm smile. "What do you say we get back to the others? I'm sure Togepi can't wait to meet its big brother!" she suggested.
"Cubone!" the lonely Pokemon answered with a nod.
Together, the two then walked out of the clearing back to where everyone was in Professor Oak's lab. They couldn't wait to let everyone know of Cubone's decision of wanting to grow up and battle like the other Pokemon. Before they left, Cubone glanced back at the apple it had been trying to hit since it got here. It then stopped and faced its target with a look of determination.
"What is it, Cubone?" Serena asked curiously.
Cubone didn't answer as it threw its bone one more time at the apple. The bone soared through the air and struck the stem with perfect precision. The apple fell to the ground with a clunk once it landed. Satisfied with itself, Cubone ran forward and plucked the apple from the ground and hurried back over to Serena before continuing on.
"Ah, so Cubone's finally going to start battling for you?" Brock nodded in approval once the group heard the news.
"That's so cool! Congratulations, Cubone!" Misty told it with a happy smile.
"Pika Pi!" Pikachu ran over to shake its little brother's hands and pat its back.
Cubone rubbed the back of its head nervously before spotting Togepi in Ash's arms. Instead of frowning like last time, Cubone did just the opposite. It smiled at the young Pokemon and motioned for Ash to set it down.
"Oh? Sure," Ash said as he set the baby Pokemon on the ground in front of Cubone.
For a while, Cubone and Togepi didn't do anything to each other. The simply stared. Cubone seemed to have a neutral expression on its face while Togepi had a childlike wonder as it stared at the older Pokemon. Finally, Cubone walked forward and extended its hand for a handshake from the baby Pokemon, not knowing what else to do.
Togepi stared at the open gesture for a moment in curiosity before doing something else. It laughed and ran forward before knocking Cubone over on its backside. It then crawled on top of Cubone and laughed again. Cubone gave an annoyed look at Togepi in response
"Heehee! I don't think Togepi knows what a handshake is yet, Cubone," Serena said in an amused tone at the situation. "I think that's just Togepi's way of saying it likes you. I bet you will be a great big brother to it. You might even be then one to help it grow up on day!"
Serena then knelt down and hugged Togepi and Cubone. Togepi chirped happily at the affection from Serena while Cubone smiled despite itself before getting a mischievous glint in its eyes. It leaped away from Serena which caused her to look at it with confusion. Cubone then began making fighting motions with its hands to indicate it wanted a battle and be caught like any other Pokemon.
"You really want to battle me first, Cubone?" Serena asked with wide eyes.
"Cubone!" it replied.
"It seems it's a Pokemons' natural instinct to want a battle no matter what the circumstances. I think it will be a good experience for both you," Professor Oak told Serena.
"Well, in that case, you're on, Cubone!" Serena said as she looked down at it.
The group was now standing outside in Professor Oak's field. Serena stood on one side while Cubone stood on the other. Serena had to admit that it felt kind of weird to be facing Cubone like this, but knew it was for the best. What better way for Cubone to get its first taste of battle than one in where it is officially caught?
Serena went over in her head as to which Pokemon she could use against the lonely Pokemon. She certainly wasn't going to overdo it and use someone like Charla, Hitmonlee, Scyther, or Jigglypuff. She needed something that would be close to the same level as Cubone. She needed a Pokemon that would give a challenge for Cubone, but also not incredible hard. She needed something like…
"Oooommm," Omantye muttered as it suddenly attached itself to Serena's leg again.
"Omanyte?" Serena questioned as she looked down at the Pokemon.
Cubone mentally frowned at this but shook its head away from these thoughts. It didn't need to get jealous every single time another Pokemon was showing Serena affection. Even so Cubone personally thought this Pokemon was a little annoying with its literal 'clingy' nature.
"Why don't you use Omanyte to battle Cubone, Serena?" Ash asked her while he held Togepi. "You haven't used it yet, so I bet this will be a great first battle for both Cubone and Omanyte."
"I think that's a great idea, too," Brock chimed in. "You would need to train Omanyte one day, it might as well be now."
"Oh? Well, do want to battle for me, Omanyte?" Serena asked it.
Omanyte said nothing as it continued to look up at Serena. The group was starting to wonder if Omanyte suffered from slowness in a much similar fashion to Psyduck or Slowpoke. It clearly didn't look like the sharpest tool in the shed. It was like all Omanyte knew how to do so far was cling to Serena in some way, shape, or form.
Finally, Omanyte unstuck its tentacles from Serena's leg and leaped off of her onto the ground. It then crawled in front of her and faced Cubone with what looked like its first ever serious look. Maybe it was capable of battling after all when the situation called for it. It was quite a contrast.
Cubone then held its bone to the side as it got ready. It had learned the basics of battling from Pikachu and watching Serena's other Pokemon. In the process, it had learned a few tricks of its own. It couldn't wait to show Serena what it had learned. Wait, did it just think of her as 'Serena' and not its mommy? That felt so weird. Pushing those thoughts away, it focused once more on the shelled Pokemon which would soon be its opponent.
Serena stared at the Pokemon that she once took care of like a baby. This was it. It was her time to finally attempt to capture Cubone. She almost had second thoughts about this despite what she said to it earlier, but as she looked at Cubone's eyes, she saw a hardness that showed nothing but its resolve to do this. It was what Cubone wanted now, as well. At last, Serena made her move.
"Omanyte, use Water Gun!" she called.
Omanyte spread out its tentacles to reveal a small opening and shot a burst of water straight a Cubone. Since it hadn't battled before, the attack was a little wobbly, but with more practice, Serena was sure the attack would be perfected.
Just before the Water Gun reached Cubone, the lonely Pokemon extended its arm holding the bone and twirled it around like a baton. The water attack hit the bone and began to fan out in many directions due to its twirling. The jet of water soon stopped and Cubone was completely unharmed by the attack. It then let out a proud smile at Serena.
"Ah, Cubone used its bone to block the Water Gun. That was pretty clever," commented Brock.
"I wonder if a certain yellow rodent had anything to with that," Ash said as he gave a knowing smile at Pikachu on his shoulder.
"Pihihihihi," chuckled Pikachu as it rubbed the back of its head. Being an experienced battler, Pikachu was able to learn Cubone's strengths and weaknesses. It had taught Cubone to use its bone for not only offense, but defense, too. That was just one of the many tricks Pikachu taught to it.
Serena couldn't help but smile back at Cubone for dodging the attack, but knew she had to focus on the task at hand. If Cubone was able to whisk away its water attack weakness like that, she doubted it would be able to do the same thing with mud due to how thick it was. She then called out her next attack.
"Use Mud Shot, Omanyte!" she said next.
Omanyte scraped up a large amount of mud with its tentacles and flung them towards the lonely Pokemon. As expected, Cubone didn't attempt to block the attack this time. It leaped out of the way of the mud and threw its bone at Omanyte for a Bonemerang attack. Cubone had now gone on the offensive.
Serena knew that Omanyte was going to be too slow to dodge the incoming bone, but she had a reliable move to use in situations like these. "Use Protect!" she hollered.
Omanyte extended its tentacles and formed a shining barrier around it. The bone bounced harmlessly off the shield and flew back to its owner's hands who caught it skillfully. Cubone then threw the bone once more for another Bonemerang. Since Omanyte was unable to use Protect continuously, it was unable to form another shield and was smacked in its soft innards by the bone, causing it to stumble backwards in pain.
Serena thought hard about what she could do. It definitely made the playing field rather difficult with how slow and immobile Omanyte was. It couldn't just stay in one place forever and dodge attacks while Cubone was able to run all over the place. Protect certainly wasn't going to last forever as what was just shown. There had to some type of move Omanyte had that would increase its speed.
"Think Serena!" she thought to herself. She remembered studying her pokedex on all of her Pokemon in her spare time but was only able to go over Omanyte's known moves briefly. She wracked her brain to think of anything, and there was one move that stuck out to her. It was a rather odd move that she read about, but it seemed to make sense. She could try that!
"Use Shell Smash, Omanyte!" she called.
"Shell Smash? What's that?" wondered Ash aloud.
"My pokedex was able to tell me about that move when I was studying one of my Pokemon," Leaf answered beside him. "It's supposed to weaken and lighten the shell on a Pokemon. This lowers their defense but raises their speed, attack, and special attack."
"Okay. So it's a trade-off?" Ash concluded.
"Right. In this case, Omanyte needs all the speed it can get since its going against a hyper Pokemon like Cubone," Leaf confirmed.
Ash had to give credit to Leaf and Serena. He had learned a lot of the attacks his Pokemon could learn by studying his pokedex about them, but apparently nowhere near the level of those two. Serena was a studious person to begin with, and Leaf's desire was to fill up the pokedex which probably meant she spent a lot of time gathering as much information as she could about the attacks of Pokemon, too. He could learn a thing or two from them. It would probably help out when he entered the Pokemon League soon
As Ash turned back to Omanyte, he indeed saw Omantye's shell glowing white. Once it was finished, its shell appeared little smaller and…lighter? Had it shed a few layers of its shell somehow?
"Now use Rollout!" Serena yelled.
Omanyte withdrew inside of its small shell and began rolling towards Cubone as fast as it could. The group was rather surprised at how fast it could roll. That Shell Smash must have really helped it. Cubone appeared to be surprised, too. It blinked in surprise before Omanyte slammed into it. Before Cubone could fly away a good distance, Serena had already called out her next command.
"Grab onto to Cubone, and use Tickle," she said.
Omanyte jumped after Cubone before quickly coming out of its shell and grabbing Cubone with its slimy tentacles. It then began to wiggle them all over Cubone's body, causing it to laugh hysterically. Cubone was so busy laughing that left it wide open for another attack, which Serena took advantage of.
"Use Constrict!" she yelled.
Omanyte then began to wrap its tentacles around parts of Cubone's body to bring it into submission. Cubone was giving a mighty struggle to try to break free, but Omanyte's tentacles were many. Serena thought she about had the match, but Cubone managed to slither the arm holding its bone free and smacked Omanyte for a Bone Club attack. The spiral Pokemon grimaced and released its hold on Cubone, but Serena managed to call out another attack as Cubone was still gasping from the constriction.
"Use Water Gun again!" Serena called.
Omanyte once more shot a jet of water at Cubone. The lonely Pokemon was unable to bring up its bone this time and was sprayed by the current. It was pushed backwards before landing on the ground, moaning in pain from the super effective hit.
Serena inwardly cringed at hurting Cubone like this. Her motherly instinct was telling her to run towards it and give it a hug, but she knew she couldn't do that. This was a match to catch Cubone, and that's what she was going to do. Pushing away her mother side and summoning her trainer side, Serena pulled out an empty pokeball and took a deep breath at what she was about to do.
"Pokeball, go!" she cried as she threw it forward towards Cubone.
The pokeball sailed through the air until it connected with Cubone. It was sucked inside and began shaking back and forth. As it was, Serena started to have a flood of memories of all she and Cubone had done together up until this point. She remembered their first meeting in Lavender Town at Mr. Fuji's house. It had been so cold and lonely at first from the emotional trauma of watching its mother die. After it got a chance to say goodbye to its mother through its ghost at Pokemon Tower, it had warmed up considerably. Cubone and Serena had really hit it off there, and it decided to come with her due to how motherly she could be, and that's where their true bond started. Serena was raising Cubone almost like a human. She had taught it how to eat and drink properly. She remembered when it was lost in the snowstorm and how she and Ash had to look for it and Pikachu. She remembered all the rude, yet funny awakenings she received from Cubone when she was asleep. Now here Cubone was. It had come such a long way since they first met and was now ready to officially be caught.
Serena was snapped out of her thoughts by the imperative dinging noise. Knowing what that meant, Serena focused on the unmoving pokeball in front of her. A lone tear managed to escape her eye at this, but she and Cubone knew that with this chapter of their lives closing, a whole new slew of exciting adventures could soon begin. She was very proud of Cubone. It was with that thought where she went over to the pokeball containing Cubone and held it out in front of her.
"Well, I caught Cubone now," Serena said more to herself than anybody else. Now that it was in a pokeball, Serena knew they wouldn't be able to spend every moment together like in the past. Cubone would have to be rotated just like any other Pokemon she had. It was quite saddening, but also for the best.
Serena felt a hand on a shoulder and turned around to see Ash, Pikachu, and Togepi smiling at her. She then felt a slight pressure on her leg and looked down to see Omanyte hadn't wasted any time in clinging to Serena's leg again now that the battle was over. It had done surprisingly well its first battle, and so had Cubone, of course.
"Thank you, Omanyte. That was a really great job you did," she told it with a smile.
"Ommmm," it replied slowly, but Serena could detect the slightest hint of appreciativeness in its tone.
"That was brave of both you and Cubone," Ash said to Serena before wrapping her in hug with Togepi and Pikachu joining. "I imagine that was a pretty difficult thing for both of you, but you held tough."
"Yeah. I know things are going to be different now, but Cubone and I will move forward together," she replied.
Ash and Serena then released each other before Serena held out her new capture and released Cubone. The lonely Pokemon appeared and looked around before staring up at Serena. It didn't look hurt or scared from being inside of a pokeball for the first time, with the exception of the black pokeballs from Mewtwo. It took the situation really well.
Serena then knelt down to be more eye level with Cubone despite Omanyte on her leg. "Hey there, Cubone. I'm really proud of you for that battle you gave me. Thank you. You can bet I'll be using you a lot from now on so you better practice up!"
"Cubone bone!" it replied with determination before jumping into Serena's arms and embracing her. Now that it was captured, it would redouble its training so it could be a worthy Pokemon for its mommy…err…Serena! Oh…the heck with it! They would always have that special past bond. Cubone couldn't wait to see the exciting battles it would have now that it had grown up!
It had been a few hours since Serena had caught Cubone. They were both now hard at work with their first real training session. Serena had all of her Pokemon sparring with each other, trying to cover each other's weakness. The only Pokemon of Serena's not participating was Slowpoke. Serena had tried to convince the dopey Pokemon that it would need to train if it hoped to get stronger, but all it did was stare blankly ahead like it hadn't heard her. Serena was worried that if this kept up, she may never get to use Slowpoke for anything.
Cubone was currently dueling with Eevee. Cubone and Eevee were both very hyper Pokemon that would complement each other well while batting. Thought quite mobile, Cubone was still a tad slow, so having a quick and agile Pokemon like Eevee to train with would really help it out. As Serena saw how hard Cubone was working, she had no doubt that it would fit in just fine with the rest of her team.
Serena then heard footsteps behind her and turned to see Ash was standing there, along with Togepi and Pikachu.
"Hey, there, Ash? Did you get any training in?" she asked.
"A little," he replied, before making a gesture to Togepi, "But this one wanted some attention, too. I think it's ready to see you now."
"Is that so?" Serena asked with a grin as she took Togepi from Ash. "Did you miss me, Togepi?"
"Togeprriii!" it chirped happily.
Serena gave a quick glance at Cubone from the corner of her eye, but it seemed to either not mind or not notice the interaction between her and Togepi. It continued to duel Eevee as if nothing happened. Yes. Cubone really would be just fine.
"Anyway, besides Togepi, there's another reason I came to see you," Ash said, turning her attention back to him. "I have some great news!"
"Really? What is it?" Serena asked curiously.
"Well, all of us know your problem with the Battle Chateau," Ash began, the 'we' referring to him, Brock, Misty, and Leaf. "We made a call to the Battle Chateau in Viridian City a short while ago."
"A call? What for?" Serena wondered as she arched an eyebrow.
"We explained to Hennessy that it was important you finished the Battle Chateau as fast as possible because of personal reasons," Ash continued. "He told us we would have to speak to the Battle Chatelain there for any ways to help. The Chatelain at the Viridian City Chateau today was none other than Nita!"
"Nita?" Serena echoed, remembering the quirky, bright, blonde-haired lady she lost to recently.
"Yep! It turns out she was still impressed with that battle you gave her a while back. She told us she would be inviting all of her sisters to the Viridian City Battle Chateau tomorrow for you to meet and face them!" Ash finished.
"All of the Battle Chatelaines are going to be there tomorrow for me?" Serena breathed with wide eyes. She must have really made an impression on Nita for her to do this for her.
"Yeah. Nita said she couldn't wait to battle you again and really wanted to help you out with this situation so that's why she's doing this," Ash said with a smile.
"Wow," Serena murmured in amazement, until a though occurred to her. "Wait. How am I going to face all four Chatelaines in row? One was hard enough. It will be impossible for me to beat all of them without a break!"
"You won't be facing them back to back. Nita said it'll be a double battle," Ash explained.
"A double battle?" Serena questioned.
"Yep. They said you would face two of the Chatelaines with two of your Pokemon while they would each use one of theirs. Then you would have a small break so you can face the other two. If you beat them all in a double battle, they will still realize you as a great trainer and say you conquered the Battle Chateau!" Ash exclaimed.
"Oh," Serena said quietly. It truly was a kind thing that Nita was doing this for Serena, but she didn't know how she could beat all of the Chatelaines in one day.
"What's wrong?" Ash asked in confusion once he saw her expression.
"Ash, I really appreciate this, but I don't know how I can beat them all. I've already lost my first match with them. Now I'm supposed to face them all at the time," Serena replied.
"That was a really close match, though. You only lost to Nita by a few seconds," Ash countered.
"I know, but still…," Serena trailed and looked to the ground. Why was she so unsure all of the sudden? She and Ash had been searching for a solution to the Battle Chateau for quite a while. Now that an opportunity has finally presented itself, she was wanting to back down. Was she just making excuses?
"Serena, you can do this. I know you can," Ash told her seriously. "Remember what you told me during all of my previous battles, especially against Giovanni? Well, I'm telling you the same thing now."
Serena looked up at Ash and saw he was staring her straight in the eyes. Despite her unsureness, Serena found herself unable to look away. He was making a valid point.
"All of us are here for you, Serena, especially you're Pokemon. Look at how hard they are all training for you right now. They aren't doing this so you can not finish your goal," Ash said with a gesture to Serena's Pokemon.
Serena spared a look to her Pokemon and saw they had all stopped their training to watch. They had overheard the conversation and were staring at Serena with determination. They were just as ready as the next Pokemon to take on any challenge, from Charla all the down to Cubone. Ash was right. She as always telling Ash that she and all of his Pokemon were there for him during his tough battles. Now, it was her turn. There was certainly no harm in attempting this. As many times as it would take, she would do this.
"Never give up until the end," Ash concluded with his mantra.
Serena giggled lightly to herself at Ash using his famous line. The opportunity to conquer the Battle Chateau had come, and she was going to take it! They could do this!
"Alright, Ash. I'll do it," she said with a nod.
"There you go! You'll do great tomorrow, Serena. Me, Pikachu, and everyone else will be right beside you, cheering you on," Ash replied.
Serena nodded again before turning to her Pokemon. All of their attention was fixed solely on her now. The all eagerly awaited to hear what she had to say.
"Alright, everyone," she began. "We are going to be facing against all of the Battle Chatelaines tomorrow! It will probably be the hardest battles we've faced so far. We lost once before, but we're stronger now! Let's do it!"
All her Pokemon cried in agreement at Serena's motivational words. They would definitely be trying their hardest tomorrow. They were going to do their trainer proud!
"Let's put all our hands in then!" Serena declared as she held her hand out.
All of her Pokemon then crowded around her to join in. Charla was first followed by Cubone, then one by one, her other Pokemon. Even Slowpoke had somehow gotten the message and was in the circle.
"You join us, too, Ash," Serena told him as she turned to look at him.
"Sure. Why not?" Ash replied as he went over and placed his hand on top of all of the Pokemon's and Serena's hands or tentacles or anything they could use. Pikachu placed its paws on top of theirs, and finally, Togepi leaped from Serena's free arm and landed on top everyone else's, laughing merrily.
"Alright, everyone. On three!" Serena smiled. "One…"
This would be it. They didn't know why, but they felt this was going to be a great battle tomorrow. The Pokemon had never worked as teams in a double battle, but they weren't going to let Serena down!
"Two…," Serena continued.
Her Pokemon got in the ready. They were going to make sure all of Professor Oak's field…no…all of Pallet Town heard them. They were super pumped and ready for any challenge in their way. Yes, they were aware that it would be the toughest battle for them so far, but they were so much stronger now. Here they go…
"Three!" Serena finished.
Everyone broke off and cheered as loud as they could for tomorrow. It was going to be a big day for Serena.
Cubone has now officially become one of Serena's Pokemon and been captured in a pokeball. Togepi finally hatched and Ash and Serena are its parents.
Another Battle Chateau chapter is next week and it will be the last one. Serena will be having a double battle with two of the Chatelaines at a time. I saw there were times in the games when you could face two at a time so why not now? Will it be good or bad for Serena? It is also the longest chapter that I've written so far (around 20,000 words and took forever to type!) See you all next Tuesday and have an awesome week!
Chapter 53: Serena's Chateau Finale!
Answering the Questions:
In AS when you go into Archie's room, you find a picture of a young Archie, a young Shelly and Jirachi. Will this picture and Jirachi have great significance in Archie's development as a character and antagonist?
I don't know yet.
Will James and Jessie ever turn away from evil? Will there be Rocketshipping?
I won't reveal the future of Jessie, James, or Meowth about if they turn away from evil or not. Right now, however, they still criminals. If they were to ever turn good, Rocketshipping is certainly a likely scenario.
Even though as won't catch legendaries can he still battle with them like against Tobias
No. Ash will never use legendaries for personal Pokemon battles.
When will Ash and Serena share their first kiss?
Well, technically, Ash and Serena have already kissed. Serena kissed him once in chapter 35 and again in chapter 40. If you mean when will they share their first kiss together…you will see. I believe the time they share their first kiss will be appropriate. A couple of people seemed to think that it would be when Ash was revived, but I purposely didn't do it at the moment. I have another situation in mind. Fear not, it isn't THAT far away.
Will you do something similar like make a wardrobe change for everyone before or after the kanto arc?
Ash and Serena will definitely have a wardrobe change for each new region. I know Ash doesn't technically get his first one until Hoenn in canon, but here, he changes his clothes after Kanto, and so will Serena. Misty will change her clothes, too, for the Orange Islands. Brock will be with Professor Ivy during the Orange Islands so he won't change his clothes until Johto.
When making the story and having Ash or Serena get what Pokemon, did you ever consider giving Ash or Serena's Pokemon nicknames? And if so, what kind of nicknames?
I did but decide against it. The thing with nicknames is that very few people agree on what a good nickname is. What I think is a good nickname may be hated by everyone else on the planet, or vise versa. It's easier for the Pokemon to not have any so everyone is pleased. The only exception I made was Charla so it could be distinguished from Ash's Charizard ,and even that nickname I just pulled straight from the anime rather than make one up myself.
Will Serena ever catch her own Rhyhorn?
Probably not but you never know.
Tracey will still have Venonat and Marill besides Scyther, right?
Of course.
Will Ash ever get to pull Brock by the ear in future Arcs?
I don't know. He probably won't get the opportunity with Misty or Max around. An unimportant detail like that isn't something I plan out and just happens if it happens.
Will Dratini evolve, if it does will it still have a shy and nervous disposition?
Yes. Dratini will evolve at some point in the series. When it evolves, it will have overcome it's extreme shyness.
Have you decided who Ash's Sinnoh rivals will be? Can we expect some of the same ones from the anime like Nando, Barry, and Conway?
Yeah. They'll be there.
Will there be any legendary pokemon that will befriend only serena?
Hmm…there might, or at least ones that are closer to Serena than Ash.
Are you gonna have Cubone evolve?
Maybe, but not for a long while.
Just when will Ash and his friends encounter Mew and Mewtwo again?
I don't wish to reveal that. Sorry.
Will there be a tournament in the Orange Islands arc?
There will be a small one at some point.
I'm also surprised you didn't include Amber in any way. Could you not find a way to make it work, or have you not watched The Birth of Mewtwo?
I've seen the birth of Mewtwo, but Mr. Fuji wasn't a part of Mewtwo's backstory in this fic. Considering that, I wrote out Amber, but Mewtwo still remembers Charmandertwo, Squirtletwo, and Bulbasaurtwo. They were mentioned briefly in this fic.
How many of the remaining chapters will be the Pokemon League?
The Pokemon League starts in Chapter 55 and lasts until probably 61.
Do ya think Paul and Ash will eventually become friends like they did in the anime?
They will, but I won't reveal when.
Will Ash or serena get any shiny pokemon besides Ash's Noctowl?
If they do, it would only be one other shiny Pokemon for the whole series. Shiny Pokemon are supposed to be extremely rare and unique. If Ash or Serena had multiple shiny Pokemon, that would really undermine their rarity.
Are Ash and friends going to have more of the different type of Pokeballs when they met Kurt?
Maybe.
What will the main reason be for our heroes traveling to Johto?
To travel a new region and see the new Pokemon there, of course. It's the same as canon. All other events are a subplot.
When will Ash get Serena a new hat?
He will get her a new one before Kanto ends. It will be part of her wardrobe change for Orange Islands and Johto.
Will May or Dawn get contest ideas from watching Serena's performances?
Yes. Some.
