"I wish you could've been here to see it." Ash said, a smile on his face.
"It would've been nice, maybe next time though." Serena said, smiling back.
"I wish we could talk more than once a week." Ash said.
"We agreed that for now, once a week would be enough until we got our schedules worked out, any more and it would be difficult." Serena said.
"I know, I guess I miss you is all." Ash said.
"I miss you too." Serena said, as her gaze shifted upwards. "Sorry to cut things short, but I have to go now. I'll text you later, okay?"
"Okay, see ya." Ash said as the two hung up.
The trio was about to leave Circhester, but Ash wanted to make his weekly call with Serena before they left. Their plane didn't leave for a while anyways.
"Chloe! How much did you buy!" Goh asked as Chloe brought out a third bag.
"Don't worry, we just need to get this all on the plane. Who has room in their bags?" Chloe asked.
"I think I can make some room." Ash said.
"Hey Ash, can I talk to you for just a second?" Gordie asked.
"I got this, go on." Chloe said, rearranging objects.
"What's up Gordie?" Ash asked.
"About yesterday, no hard feelings right?" Gordie said.
"So you're not great with social cues, Goh isn't good around bikinis, I'm not good around realistic mannequins, Chloe isn't good around strangers. We all have problems." Ash said.
"Realistic mannequins?" Gordie said.
"Why do they need noses? They don't wear glasses?" Ash argued.
"Fair, weird but fair." Gordie said.
"But also, what I said about Orre. I think you'd do great there." Ash said.
"I already talked to your pal Duking, I'm going to stay here for a few weeks to wrap things up, and then I'm gonna head there." Gordie said.
"Good for you. Maybe one day we'll have an actual match out there." Ash said.
"Now I made you all some lunches, and call me once you're in Hammerlock. If you run into trouble, don't forget…". Melony was cut off.
"Mom, you're embarrassing me!" Gordie complained.
"Sorry, sorry. I'll back off." Melony said.
"Thanks for the lunches, and we'll call once we arrive, don't worry." Chloe said.
"Thank you, and remember to make your own legend." Melony said with a smile. "You, stop hesitating, you'll never succeed if you don't take risks." Melony said to Goh. "And Ash, next time you're in Galar, Raihan said to look up Pierce for a real challenge."
At the exit of town
"So who's Pierce?" Chloe asked.
"No clue, but if Raihan said I should challenge him, why not." Ash said.
"Says here he's the Spikemouth Gym Leader." Goh said, looking him up. "And an expert on dark types. Oh, sorry." Goh said, walking back a bit as the other two unstiffened.
"We'll get there eventually!" Ash called out.
"nom?" The little Snom said, sticking his head out of a ramen container. Something smelled good, and it was coming from those three. Snom went full speed to chase after them.
On the train at Motostoke
"You guys go ahead and take the booth, I'll just sit over there." Goh said, glumly.
"Goh…" Ash said, unsure of what to say next.
"This isn't a risk worth taking, we've made progress, but I don't want to force it, and risk it going backwards." Goh said. "You'll come to me once you're ready. Until then, that slingshot idea we did, could be useful."
"What slingshot?" Chloe asked.
"I'll explain." Ash said. "Oh, here's your lunch Goh." Ash reminded, handing Goh the sack lunch Melony had prepared for him.
Unseen by anyone, an exhausted Snom collapsed inside of Ash's open bag, just before it was closed back up.
A while later
"Is this seat taken." A girl asked.
"Huh, no, go ahead and take it." Goh said, not looking up from his phone.
A few minutes passed, and a hand pushed down his phone.
"So what's so interesting on there?" The girl said angrily.
"Oh, I thought that when you…". Goh said trailing off.
"What you thought I was going to move the bolted down seat?" The girl asked.
"Umm, no I just thought that you…". Goh stuttered.
"Look, if you didn't want to talk that's fine!" The girl said.
"It's not that, it's just, why me?" Goh asked.
"I don't like groups of people, and this was the best option." The girl said.
"Aren't you afraid I might hurt you?" Goh asked.
"I've seen Morpeko more threatening than you." The girl laughed.
"Sorry, it just seems every time I get close to a girl, she flinched." Goh said.
"Here, I'll prove you aren't dangerous. Just so you know, if you tell anyone I'm doing this, you'll be the one flinching." The girl threatened, setting her hand down on the table. "Go ahead." She said, slightly annoyed.
"Okay." Goh said hesitantly setting his hand on Hera.
"Ahhh!" The girl screamed, causing Goh to fall backwards off of his chair.
"Hahahaha." The girl cracked up.
"Not funny!" Goh shouted.
"It was kinda funny!" Chloe said from her booth.
"Look, you didn't hurt me." The girl said, helping Goh up.
"Yeah, you still didn't have to do that though." Goh said, decomposing himself.
"I didn't have to, but I wanted to." The girl said.
At Ash and Chloe's booth
"Let's take out those lunches already, I'm getting hungry." Chloe said.
"Okay, let me get them." Ash said opening his bag. "What in the?"
"What is it? Did we lose the lunches?" Chloe asked.
"No, we have a stowaway." Ash said, lifting up his bag.
Taking out the contents were lunches for him and Chloe, as well as a Snom.
"You don't think?" Chloe said suprised.
"nom." The Snom said waking up. "nom!" It said excited to see its old friends.
"Did you follow us all the way from Circhester?" Ash asked.
Snom vigorously nodded.
"Wait, do you want to come with me on my journey. Is that why you followed us?" Ash asked.
Snom looked at the lunch, and then back at Ash, before jumping onto Ash's shoulder, snuggling up to the trainer.
"I'll take that as a yes." Ash said with a laugh. Pulling out a spare Pokeball. "Welcome to the family Snom."
'Next stop, Hammerlock.' A voice over the Intercom said.
"Well, this is my stop." Goh said.
"It's been fun messing with you." The girl replied.
"Thanks for helping me with my confidence." Goh said.
As Ash, Goh, and Chloe got off the train, the girl tripped over her own bag running to catch them.
"Wait! I never caught your name!" The girl shouted from the door.
"I'm Goh!" Goh shouted.
"I'm…". The girl said, as the train horn blew, and it started to move.
"Wait I didn't hear you!" Goh shouted chasing after her.
"I said my name is." The girl said interrupted from another train whistle.
"I still didn't wahhhhh!" Goh said falling over the railing into the river going through town. "I'll learn your name one day Train Car Girl."
Meanwhile in Vermillion City
"Well I have to say, I'm quite impressed, but the final decision will still come down to the other field researchers." Professor Cerise said. "They should be back tomorrow, if you need I can get you a room at the Pokémon center in the meantime."