A shaft of morning sunlight fell upon the figures of two teenagers, embracing them with its warmth. Pikachu had woken up already, but he wasn't on the windowsill anymore. Instead, he was at the foot of the bed, waiting patiently for the moment that was about to come.
Feeling how the annoying sun had begun to hit his eyelids, Satoshi grumbled lowly and buried his nose deeper into the soft pillow that had been cushioning his face the whole morning. He inhaled softly and an unconscious smile raised the corners of his lips. Smells like flowers.
He stayed there, already awake but not ready to start the day, breathing into what was becoming the sweetest scent he had ever smelled. Why was it so irresistibly sweet, though? Since when did his pillow smell like this? And… why was it so familiar?
Satoshi moved his face a little and stopped when he felt like something was tickling him. This isn't a pillow, he thought. Moving a little more, he recognized it was smooth and divided into what felt to be strands.
Is this… hair?
Even half-asleep, he was sure his own hair wasn't long enough for him to lose himself in it. He moved his face away from its previous cushion and pressed his cheek against a different surface. This one didn't feel like hair, he was sure of it. It was smooth too, and it originated such tender warmth that it made him want to stay there forever. It still wasn't a pillow, however.
What the…?
Intrigued, Satoshi finally decided to open his eyes. Once his vision had cleared out enough, the first thing he saw was his own arm surrounding something pink. ''Hmm?'' he hummed quietly. His conscious senses were coming back, and he realized he was hugging a pink sweater.
His eyes shot open fast and every single bit of sleepiness that was remaining finally evaporated into thin air. Everything became clear to him in the span of three seconds: his face had been buried into Serena's hair, his cheek was currently resting on her shoulder and his left arm was cuddling her waist and pulling her closer—
He stiffened when Serena suddenly stirred. She took a deep breath and hummed when she let it out, beginning to wake up. It was then that he noticed she was also hugging his waist, her fingers brushing his bare skin under his slightly rolled up shirt.
Satoshi felt like every second that went by was an hour as he stupidly waited for her to come to the same realization as him. When she stiffened and her eyelashes tickled his neck as she widened her eyes, he knew she was fully awake too.
Almost like in sync, both of them slowly backed away to look at each other in the eye, still not letting go of each other entirely. They stared, sky-blue eyes meeting auburn, in silence.
A silence that was easily broken by a certain yellow Pokémon at the foot of the bed.
''Good morning, guys,'' Pikachu said casually.
''AHHHHH!'' they both screamed and tried to untangle themselves from each other at the same time. Serena's back flattened against the wall as she backed away the best she could, face as red as Braixen's Flamethrower. She gasped when she heard Satoshi falling on the floor with a thump.
''Satoshi!'' she exclaimed with mortification and went over to the edge of the bed to check on him. ''Are you okay?!''
Satoshi, who was lying face-first on the floor, raised a thumbs-up to reassure her. ''I'm fine,'' he said, his voice muffled. ''Nothing broken, at least.''
He sat up on the floor and Serena released a breath of relief when she indeed didn't see anything was broken in his face. They locked eyes again.
''I'm so sorry—'' they said at the same time. They stayed silent, looking at each other for exactly five seconds, before they burst out laughing.
Pikachu had already been laughing, pretty much since they had screamed, so their room was now filled with two teenagers and a Pikachu holding their stomachs and wiping amused tears off their eyes.
''Oh, Golden Magikarp,'' Serena said between laughs, ''I'm seriously not going to make it if I continue like this. It's the second morning in a row I wake up screaming.''
''It's always a good exercise,'' Satoshi said.
The door to the room was suddenly opened by Clemont, his little sister standing right beside him. ''We heard a noise, are you guys oka… Oh.''
Clemont sighed in relief when he confirmed his friends were looking more than okay. He decided not to ask why Satoshi was on the floor. However, it did make him curious. He placed a hand on his chin as he thought about it in silence.
Eureka was already petting Pikachu as a good morning greeting.
''Eureka wants to know the joke!'' she said, noticing how they were all looking amused. ''Tell me! Tell me!''
Satoshi and Serena shared a look and averted their gazes at the same time, looking bashful. Pikachu had a radiant smile on his face, pleased with what he had accomplished. Eureka pouted when no one answered.
''You guys! I really wanna know the joke!''
''Satoshi,'' Clemont said suddenly, getting everyone's attention. He seemed to have come to a realization. ''Where did you sleep last night?'' The red color Serena was getting dangerously accustomed to was already coming back to her cheeks. ''Since I shared my room with Eureka… Did you sleep here with Serena? This bed looks quite small for both of you, so…''
Even Satoshi looked terrified of Eureka's big smirk. ''Did you guys cuddle—''
''So anyway,'' Satoshi said, standing up faster than he had ever done and starting to stretch. ''Good morning, Clemont, Eureka! Today's a new day, isn't it? Let's go get some breakfast!''
Satoshi power-walked out of the room, leaving a confused Clemont and a smug Eureka behind. Serena released an inaudible breath, seriously considering if she should just go back to sleep. Eureka wasn't going to let her live this down.
Meanwhile, Pikachu had perked up as soon as Satoshi had said food, and was already out of the door to follow his trainer downstairs.
''So, Serena,'' Eureka began, and Serena braced herself. ''Satoshi and you were here all nigh—''
''Clemont,'' Satoshi's voice came from the kitchen downstairs, ''if you don't come here now I'll start cooking breakfast myself.''
Everyone flinched at his last words.
''Oh Tesla,'' Clemont exclaimed, ''I better go before he starts a fire trying to cook. Again.''
''I'm going too!'' Serena said and began to pick up her usual clothes for the day.
''Sometimes I think I'm the only one who hasn't set something on fire around here,'' Eureka muttered to herself, following her older brother downstairs.
''It's part of growing up,'' she heard Serena say from her room. Eureka giggled despite herself.
Breakfast came and went without any life-threatening situation, to everyone's relief. Soon after everyone was done eating and preparing themselves to leave the Pokémon Center, Serena announced she was going back to the town to get a new hairbrush for her Pokémon.
''I saw a cute one while I was walking around yesterday, and I just realized I really need a new one,'' she said, holding out the current hairbrush she used. Red, yellow, black, white and pink furs were sticking out of its bristles in all directions. Braixen, Pancham and Sylveon scratched the back of their heads at the same time with embarrassment. ''It'll be super quick; I'll be right back!''
''Hey, wait for me!'' Pikachu said eagerly from Satoshi's shoulder. Satoshi's senses shot up and his reflexes allowed him to stop Pikachu from jumping off.
''Pikachu,'' he warned in a tone only his Pokémon could hear. ''I don't want any funny business with Serena.''
Pikachu feigned offense. ''Me? Telling Serena about your undying love for her? How could I?''
Satoshi gave him a look.
''Okay, okay, I promise I won't,'' Pikachu said with amusement. ''I just… I like talking to her, you know?''
That was something Satoshi could agree on. ''Yeah, I know. But still—''
''Yeah, no funny business, I get it.'' Pikachu's eyes glistened. ''Maybe I can get her to buy me a new bottle of ketchup before we come back!''
''You're impossible.''
''Pikachu! Are you coming or not?'' Serena called out to him, standing at the Pokémon Center exit.
''Absolutely!'' Pikachu said, already running toward her.
He climbed on her shoulder and Serena gave Satoshi an apologetic smile. ''Sorry I've been stealing Pikachu so much lately,'' she said.
''It's okay,'' he said before winking. ''Just be sure to come back quick, yeah? I want to get going as soon as possible. I feel like I haven't stretched these legs in years.''
''Don't worry about it,'' Serena answered. ''We'll be back in five minutes.'' She made a show of jogging in place to prove her point, which elicited a chuckle from Satoshi, before actually taking off in the direction of the shop.
''Can you buy me some ketchup?'' Pikachu implored for the third time since they had entered the town. It had been exactly two minutes since they had entered the town.
''I'll do it after I buy a new brush, Pikachu,'' Serena repeated, also for the third time. ''But I won't do it if you remind me even one more time.''
''This Pikachu's mouth is closed!'' The Pokémon fastened an imaginary zipper across his mouth. Serena rolled her eyes fondly, knowing that shutting up had become the last thing in Pikachu's mind since she was able to understand his every word.
Serena walked by many stores, trying to recall which one sold the hairbrush she had seen. She stopped in front of a store with a poster that had a beautiful Ninetales painted over it.
''Is this the shop?'' Pikachu asked, looking through the window of the store.
''Mhmm!'' she hummed affirmatively, and they went inside.
''Now you'll buy me my ketchup?'' Pikachu said once they were back outside. Serena stopped admiring her new hairbrush to pout at him.
''Whose money do you think I'll be spending by buying that for you? I'm making you a favor here, so you could at least be quiet!''
He shook his head dramatically. ''Nobody understands your beauty, my dear ketchup.''
Serena rolled her eyes and was about to head in the direction of the square when she caught something in the corner of her eye. When she turned around, she was surprised to find a figure waving at her from under a tree, right on the outskirts of town and at the start of the forest. When she squinted to take a better look, she realized it looked like Satoshi.
''Hey, isn't that Satoshi?'' she asked Pikachu. He looked at the figure too and tilted his head.
''It's impossible to mistake that fashion sense,'' Pikachu said, sounding more admiring of Satoshi's 'fashion sense' than pejorative.
''Did he follow us?'' Serena wondered as she began to walk toward Satoshi.
''Maybe he wanted to make sure you were okay,'' Pikachu said in a knowing tone Serena couldn't quite understand. The thought of Satoshi worrying about her was sweet, but still confusing.
''You're with me though, and he said he'd wait with the rest…''
''Let's ask him ourselves,'' Pikachu suggested.
''You're right.'' Serena picked up the pace until she was right in front of Satoshi. She smiled at him sweetly and showed him her most recent purchase. ''Hey, Satoshi! Look at my new hairbrush! Doesn't it look cute?''
Satoshi remained silent. He barely spared Serena a glance before his eyes set on Pikachu.
''Um, Satoshi?'' she asked.
She suddenly felt Pikachu squeezing her shoulder. When she turned at the Pokémon, she saw he was smiling. But it seemed fake.
''Serena,'' Pikachu said in a cheerful tone, but it was as fake as his smile. ''Don't panic, but this is not Satoshi.'' What? she asked mentally. When she turned back at the boy in front of her, an uncomfortable shiver ran down her spine. He looked exactly like Satoshi, but she quickly realized he didn't give the merry, jovial vibe Satoshi usually did. ''Make up an excuse to go back to the Pokémon Center immediately,'' Pikachu said, still maintaining his convivial attitude.
Serena took a deep breath and plastered a matching smile on her face. ''Um, Satoshi! Now that I think about it, we should continue our journey now. You can wait here if you want, I'll just go look for something at the Pokémon Center and I'll be back—''
''Watch out!'' Pikachu shouted. When Serena looked up, he was already in the air and generating an Electro Ball. He threw it as soon as it was ready and it collided with a Shadow Ball that had been heading directly toward them.
Serena coughed and waved her hands around to try and dissipate the smoke from the collision of the two attacks. When the smoke cleared out, Pikachu was standing in a defensive position in front of her. Five feet away from them, an Aegislash floated next to the fake Satoshi. The latter was looking impassive, as if he wasn't in the middle of impersonating someone else and attacking that person's friends.
''Run away,'' Pikachu told her. Sparks of electricity were flowing angrily on his red cheeks as he scowled at their two attackers. ''Tell Satoshi and the others. I'll hold them here.''
''I'm not leaving you here on your own!'' Serena said quickly, a fire of determination expanding inside her chest. ''You're one of the strongest Pokémon I know. We can take this guy!''
''Serena—''
''We have no time for this,'' the fake Satoshi said, startling both of them. He snapped his fingers and, in a blink, Serena and Pikachu found themselves surrounded by an Aromatisse, an Exploud, an Eelektross and a Hydreigon. They were covering every possible escape route.
Serena gulped. Maybe not. Her previous fire of determination was becoming a growing seed of fear as she realized there was no way out. She felt stupid. Why had she left the Pokémon Center without her Pokémon? What kind of trainer was she? But, even if she had her Pokémon with her, would they be enough to defeat all of these…? She looked back at the town. Not even one soul was walking around, and the employees inside the stores hadn't seemed to have heard anything. She didn't have her Pokédex on her either, as she had given it to Eureka so the little girl could play with it before going out.
Pikachu stood closer to Serena, clenching his teeth. He looked around to all the big, strong-looking Pokémon that surrounded them. Damn it. Satoshi will be mad if Serena gets hurt, he thought. Electricity began to flow from his cheeks again. I'm getting mad already just by the prospect of it. No matter what, I need to find a way to get Serena to safety. But what can I do?!
''Serena,'' he whispered so only she could hear him, ''I will attack them, and you'll try to find any possible breach to get away. You cannot fight me on this. We need help.''
Serena listened to Pikachu's words and had to agree with him. She hated the idea of leaving Pikachu alone with all of them, but there was virtually no way for them to get out of this situation on their own…
''Give me the Pikachu and no one gets hurt,'' fake Satoshi said, as impassive as ever. Serena scowled deeply at him, furious. Screw this. That guy was targeting Pikachu specifically, and who knew what he wanted to do with him?
''I am not giving you this Pikachu,'' she said with the courage she didn't know she had. When fake Satoshi's expression finally showed an emotion, and it happened to be anger, she realized she was also acting with a recklessness she didn't have before. But she still didn't back off. Satoshi's rubbing off on me, she thought, and just like Satoshi, I will protect Pikachu to the very end.
''Serena, stop that!'' Pikachu scolded. ''You're going to get hurt, or even worse!''
''What about you?!'' she retorted. ''You're my friend. You're just as important as I am.'' She shifted her position on the floor, standing firmer. ''I'm not letting him take you.''
Pikachu couldn't help but admire Serena's determination for a Pokémon that wasn't even hers. She never stopped reminding him of Satoshi. And, speaking of…
Satoshi's absolutely going to kill me now, he thought. No, I need to find a way. There's gotta be a way, because there's always one. Serena's counting on me.
Pikachu's efforts to find a way out were cut short when tiny green particles began to fall on him. One of them fell on his nose, causing him to sneeze. Suddenly, he began to feel drowsy. He looked up when he heard Serena sneezing too, and his eyes widened (as much as his drowsiness allowed) when he noticed the Venomoth flying over them.
It was using Sleep Powder. And they were covered by it.
Serena kneeled on the grass, eyes half-closed. ''Pikachu… What is th…'' she murmured before she went to lie down on her side. She fell asleep.
''Hmm, this might come in handy,'' the impostor said, smiling for the first time.
''Serena…!'' Pikachu said with alarm. He tried to battle the powder the best he could, but it was getting too hard to keep his eyes open. Suddenly remembering one of the first strategies he had used with Satoshi in Kalos, he began to generate an Electro Ball with every ounce of his willpower.
''No, you won't,'' he heard the voice of the impostor say. ''Aegislash.''
Pikachu cried out in pain when a new Shadow Ball impacted his tail, canceling his attack. The pain disappeared right after it came as his body went numb with sleepiness. His paws gave up and he tumbled next to Serena. The last thing he saw before closing his eyes was Serena's sleeping face, and he wished for everything to be fine in the end.
''Hey! That's my apple!'' Jessie exclaimed, pointing an accusatory finger at James. ''I left it on that branch while I took care of my flyaways; give it back!''
''Finders keepers,'' James said before taking a bite from said apple. ''Hmm, yummy!''
''Why you little—''
''You guys,'' Meowth called out to them, watching something from the branch he was sitting on. ''Look over here. You will not believe this.''
''What is it, Meowth?'' James asked as he and Jessie moved to the same branch as Meowth. The cat Pokémon pointed with his paw at the dirt road that led outside of Andarus City. Both humans gasped when they caught the sight.
Satoshi was holding a sleeping Pikachu; that was normal. What wasn't normal, however, were the Aegislash, Aromatisse, Exploud, Eelektross and Venomoth that were following him. Moreover, there was also a Hydreigon that was, for some reason, carrying a sleeping Serena on its back. The blond siblings that were part of Satoshi's gang were nowhere to be seen.
''What in the…'' James uttered.
''Since when did he get all of those Pokémon?'' Jessie asked.
''And why is one of them carrying the twerpette like that? Who even sleeps at this hour?'' Meowth continued the line of questions.
''Wobbuffet!'' said the blue Pokémon as he exited his Poké Ball and stood on the branch they were all sitting on. The same branch that was starting to give up under their weight.
''Wait—''
''Wobbuffet, get out of here—''
''We should've seen this coming.''
The tree branch finally broke and the four of them fell on the grass near the dirt road; right next to Satoshi and his very scary-looking new Pokémon.
Jessie, James and Meowth shared a panicked look before Jessie shook her head and stood up. ''We're not going to be intimidated by his new team! Prepare for trouble!''
''And make it double!'' James joined in.
''To protect the world from devastation!''
''To unite all peoples within our nation!''
''To denounce the evils of—''
''Hyper Voice.''
Just like it was commanded, Exploud opened its large mouth and sent an obnoxiously loud Hyper Voice toward Team Rocket. They immediately stopped reciting their motto to cover their ears, their complaints drowned out by the noise. Once the move was over, Jessie's expression became furious and she glared at Satoshi.
''How dare you?!'' she fumed.
''You rude little twerp!'' James said.
Satoshi didn't even blink at them before he continued to walk down the road, his Pokémon following behind.
''Hey! Are you even listening to us?!'' Jessie shouted with sheer indignation. He's become a real brat all of a sudden!
''We'll teach you not to mess with us by stealing your Pikachu!'' Meowth said and the rest of them backed him up with a ''Yeah!''
This seemed to finally catch Satoshi's attention. He stopped walking and set his eyes on Meowth. The cat quickly felt like running away. His gaze was so intense, and it wasn't the kind of intensity Satoshi usually had whenever they threatened to steal his Pikachu. This was somewhat deranged.
''A talking Meowth,'' Satoshi said, and his voice was nothing like Satoshi. ''How interesting.''
Meowth gulped. ''Hey guys, I think we should take the day off and leave the twerp alone for today,'' he suggested with a nervous smile.
''Meowth? What has gotten into you?'' James asked, confused by his partner's sudden change of heart.
''And why is the twerp's voice so different? Did puberty finally hit you or something?'' Jessie inquired with a raised eyebrow.
Satoshi wordlessly pointed at Meowth with his index finger. His Pokémon promptly set their eyes on the cat as if he was their next prey. Meowth gulped again and began to back away.
''Seriously, guys, today I'm not in the mood for— AHHH!''
''Hey! Give Meowth back!''
''T-the Dragon Pulse that Hydreigon is preparing isn't for us, is it…?''
''We're blasting off again, but we'll come back for Meowth! We swear!''
Satoshi's foot tapped on the floor for the umpteenth time. He stood up and began to pace around the common area again, his Pokémon watching his every move.
Serena had said she was only going to be out for five minutes. Serena had even exited the Pokémon Center in a jog. Serena never lied.
It had been exactly twenty minutes.
Serena hadn't come back yet.
Pikachu's with her, Satoshi pondered. If anything bad were to happen, he'd protect her. I know he will.
When he almost walked into a wall, he turned around and began to walk to the other side of the room.
But what if Team Rocket appeared, trying to steal Pikachu now that it's only Serena and him? What if they hurt him? What if they hurt her?
Satoshi stopped in his tracks. ''Serena hasn't come back,'' he said to Clemont and Eureka.
Clemont had been immersed in fixing a small gadget in his backpack and lost track of time, so he was surprised when Satoshi told him it had been twenty minutes since Serena had taken off. Eureka, on the contrary, had been sitting next to Satoshi's Pokémon the whole time, looking at him as he paced around and worried his head over Serena.
''Do you really think she's in danger?'' Eureka asked with worry.
''Eh? Who said anything about danger?'' Clemont quickly chimed in. ''Maybe she saw a dress she liked, or maybe they met some new Pokémon they hadn't seen before! We shouldn't jump to conclusions.''
Satoshi shook his head. ''Whatever it is, I feel something's wrong.'' He turned at the siblings. ''Are you ready to go?''
Eureka nodded eagerly, standing up from her seat. Clemont knew there was no way to change Satoshi's mind once he was set on something, and he was starting to worry too, so he saved his tools and shouldered his backpack.
Braixen, Pancham and Sylveon were the first ones at the door, as determined to go find their trainer as Satoshi was. They had been talking amongst themselves at a corner at first, but every minute that had passed without Serena appearing had made them grow more and more restless.
Satoshi nodded at them and opened the door. ''Let's go!''
''I'm right behind you!'' Eureka said.
''Here we go again,'' Clemont muttered to himself as he ran as best as he could to keep up with them.
''Talonflame, search for Serena and Pikachu from above!''
Talonflame didn't need to hear it twice; right after they entered the town, it dived swiftly up in the air and began to search for its friends. Satoshi and the others ran around the different stores in town, looking inside each one of them to check if Serena was there.
Satoshi spotted a store that sold items related to Pokémon healthcare and rushed inside. The store clerk confirmed that a honey-blonde girl with a Pikachu on her shoulder had come and bought a pink hairbrush.
''That was around twenty minutes ago,'' the clerk said.
Damn it.
Satoshi exited the store and told everyone else the news. Clemont was finally convinced that they needed to start worrying. If Serena had already bought the brush, why hadn't she come back?
Talonflame flew to join them again, shaking its head no. The town was small. If Serena were still there, they would've found her by then.
''Look over there!'' Eureka said, pointing at a tree on the outskirts of town. They ran there and the details were easier to see. The grass in that area was damaged, as if a Pokémon had launched an attack right there. Clemont noticed there were also small green particles lying around.
''Some kind of dust… maybe a powder,'' he mused, adjusting his glasses and squinting at it.
Satoshi's eyes widened and his heart thumped painfully in his chest when he caught sight of something else on the ground. He kneeled and took it in his hand, touching it with his fingers. It was a short strand of hair. Silky honey-blonde hair that probably used to smell like flowers.
Eureka gasped when she saw it too. ''Serena was here…?'' she uttered quietly.
''Syl.'' Sylveon reached out for the strand of hair with her feelers. After Satoshi nodded, she took it from him and began to smooth it. Braixen and Pancham stood at both sides of her. There was a glint of uneasy apprehension in all of their eyes.
''This is Sleep Powder,'' Clemont spoke up, no doubt in his voice. ''I knew I recognized it from somewhere. I began to inform myself on different powder moves after your Gym matches with Viola, and this is the same kind her Vivillon used on Pikachu.''
A battle. Sleep Powder. Neither Serena nor Pikachu came back.
''Someone kidnapped Serena,'' Satoshi said out loud. ''They probably have Pikachu too.''
''What?!'' Eureka asked with utter shock.
''I didn't want to believe it,'' Clemont said, face crinkling with concern, ''but the evidence is right here.''
Something told Satoshi that Team Rocket was not responsible for this. None of their current Pokémon knew Sleep Powder, and even if one of them did, the members of the team weren't exactly known for being able to carry out such smooth plans like this one.
This felt more sinister than those daily attempts at stealing Pikachu.
Satoshi stood up. There was no time to lose. ''Greninja!'' he called out. Greninja was right in front of him in the blink of an eye. ''I need our bond.''
That was all Satoshi needed to say. Greninja nodded earnestly and closed his eyes.
Their blood burned inside them, their heartbeats synchronizing, and they let out a battle cry. Next thing everyone knew, Greninja had an oversized Water Shuriken on his back and he shared Satoshi's look of determination in his red eyes.
Clemont and Eureka stared with surprise. Satoshi and Greninja had never bonded in order to bring Satoshi–Greninja so fast before.
''Let's go find them,'' Satoshi said, frowning purposefully.
The objective was simple: Satoshi and Greninja would use the special abilities their bond granted them to look for hints that normal humans and Pokémon couldn't see. Footsteps, loose tree branches, maybe more of Serena's hair or Pikachu's fur.
They had found some footsteps to a road that led outside of town. However, the footsteps faded right after they reached an intersection; it divided the path into two roads, one to the north and the other one to the northwest. Satoshi and Greninja were scanning the ground as best as they could to find more hints; even Clemont's Luxray was doing everything he could to help with his x-ray vision.
Suddenly, Eureka saw something moving in the bushes. ''Guys, look!''
Everyone stood still at first. Some seconds later and after seeing what it was with their enhanced vision, Satoshi, Greninja and Luxray rolled their eyes and continued their search. ''It's Team Rocket,'' Satoshi said with a dismissive wave. ''I don't have time to deal with them today.''
Jessie and James fell out of the bushes right after Satoshi spoke. They seemed disoriented. Jessie's hair was a mess, which was incredibly unusual. Eureka crossed her arms as she looked at them sitting up. ''You guys either had a bad day or someone other than us sent you blasting off again,'' she said.
James sent her a look, scratching his head. ''Those two things aren't mutually exclusive.''
''My hair!'' Jessie shouted with distress after she noticed the state of her dark pink hair. ''Don't look at me! I need to get this fixed—'' She let out another shout after she saw Satoshi some feet across from her. ''It's you again!''
Satoshi only spared her a brief unimpressed look. ''I'm not thrilled to see you guys, either.''
''And you're just as rude as before,'' James said. He tried to stand up, but his lower back cracked loudly and he sank back on the ground with a grimace.
''Give Meowth back right now!'' Jessie exclaimed, glaring at Satoshi.
''Give Meowth back?'' Clemont asked. ''We haven't seen him all day.''
''Of course you haven't,'' James said, pointing at Clemont first and then nodding at the raven-haired trainer nearby. ''The twerp stole him from us when you weren't around.''
''They've truly lost it now,'' Satoshi mumbled. He shared a look with Greninja and then glanced at Luxray. ''Nothing yet?'' Luxray shook his head. ''Damn it,'' he muttered. ''We gotta keep searching.''
''Seriously, what's gotten into him?'' James asked as he and Jessie stared at Satoshi.
Eureka rolled her eyes. ''You wouldn't understand. Someone kidnapped Serena and Pikachu, the person and Pokémon he loves the most!''
Satoshi didn't have the time to panic and/or deny that statement. Not like it was a lie, anyway.
James stared at Eureka, seemingly putting two and two together, while Jessie huffed. ''Pikachu seemed perfectly fine in his arms last time we saw him. Catching that gigantic Hydreigon is cheating, by the way.''
Satoshi froze. He turned at Jessie. ''Hydreigon?''
Jessie pouted. ''What? You want me to congratulate you for getting that thing? I could get myself any Legendary without moving a finger if I wanted to—''
James suddenly held out a hand to shut Jessie up. ''We saw someone who looked exactly like you some minutes ago. He had an Aegislash, a Hydreigon, an Exploud, an Aromatisse, an Eelektross and a Venomoth.''
''Someone that looked exactly like Satoshi?'' Clemont pondered, frowning pensively. He gasped quietly. Could it be… that Kecleon criminal Officer Jenny was talking about before?
James nodded. ''I think he was holding your Pikachu in his arms. I'm not sure why, but he was sleeping soundly. The guy then discovered us and took Meowth away.''
Satoshi was already walking toward him. ''He had Pikachu?''
''The twerpette was also sleeping on the Hydreigon's back,'' Jessie mumbled, looking unbothered. She almost yelped when Satoshi all but teleported in front of her.
''HE HAD SERENA?''
''Is this normal to you guys?'' Jessie asked the blond siblings and the Pokémon around them. ''Because I think this brat ate too much sugar this morn—''
''Where did he go?'' Satoshi asked, cutting her off.
James raised an eyebrow. ''You may be onto something, Jess—''
Satoshi was now in front of James, grabbing the latter's shirt with both of his hands and looking at him in the eye. Satoshi's auburn eyes were fierce and his hold was firmer than ever. ''Where. Did. He. Go?'' he asked again, his voice deep and leaving no room for debate whatsoever.
James stared with wide eyes. The fake Satoshi had been threatening, but this was a completely different kind of scary. He pointed at the dirt road that led to the north. ''He followed that route—''
''Let's go,'' Satoshi said to his gang, releasing James' shirt and standing up. Everyone else nodded and they began to run down that path.
Letting out a breath, James did his best to smooth down his shirt. ''That kid sure is intense today.''
''We gotta follow him,'' Jessie said, seemingly in a better mood now that she had fixed her hair. ''That impostor still has Meowth, after all.''
Wobbuffet exited his Poké Ball. ''Wobbuffet!''
James frowned at him. ''So now you come out. Where were you when a sixteen-year-old was staring daggers into my soul?''
''Wobbuffet…?''
When Serena opened her eyes, she was met with darkness.
She blinked a few times to let her vision adapt and slowly sat down. She held her head and almost wheezed when she felt a stinging pain on the back of it.
Ahhh…
She didn't remember being attacked, so it was probably a result of the cold, hard ground she had been sleeping on. Speaking of remembering…
Right before she could've thought of a plan of action with Pikachu to somehow defeat the fake Satoshi, she had begun to feel incredibly sleepy, and Pikachu talking to her was the last thing she had seen as her eyes had fallen shut.
Her vision adapted quickly, but what she was able to see still wasn't anything remarkable. The previous darkness was now a very dim blue light. As she looked around, she wasn't able to identify any shapes—or that was until she looked right in front of her.
His fur was obscured by the lack of illumination, but she could still recognize Pikachu anywhere. And it seemed Pikachu was able to do the same thing regarding her.
''Serena!'' Pikachu exclaimed when their eyes met. ''You're finally awake!''
''Pikachu!'' Serena moved forward to hug Pikachu but was held back by a shackle. A shackle that was holding her ankle. Huh?! Since when is this…
She went to shield her eyes when bright sparks of electricity appeared from Pikachu's cheeks. He was using his electricity as a temporal lamp. ''Oh, yeah,'' Pikachu said after he saw why Serena had moved like she did. ''The shackles. That impostor wasn't going to take any chances at anyone escaping.'' He lifted one of his hind legs to show Serena he also had a shackle. He didn't look amused about that at all.
Serena knew that, if there was enough light to see her face with clarity, Pikachu would notice how pale she was right now. She had been asleep for Arceus knows how long, just like Pikachu. Her clothes were intact and the only thing seemingly out of place was her headache, but she still felt uneasy. She was cuffed inside a room probably no one else knew about. Who knew what kind of person the man that had kidnapped her was? What did he want from her if she wasn't a Pokémon he could trade for money?
Serena didn't want to think about it. So instead, she looked around again, now that she had Pikachu's provisional light to help her. She gasped when she saw another cuffed Pokémon next to Pikachu.
''That's Meowth,'' Pikachu explained. ''He was already here when I woke up. He was probably attacked by Sleep Powder too.''
Sleep Powder. That was what had made her so sleepy before.
That impostor son of a Jynx.
''I know,'' Pikachu said, and Serena realized she had said the words out loud. ''But don't worry. When he comes back, he's going to learn what real electricity feels like.'' More than just determined, Pikachu looked straight out of a horror movie as he said it. The sparks of electricity he was periodically releasing became bigger and sharper as he seemed to be warming up in case danger was nearby. Serena knew Pikachu enough by now to know when he wasn't just kidding. She felt relieved to have him by her side and to be able to share with him her not-so-merry feelings concerning their kidnapper.
She wondered where Satoshi was. Would he be capable of locating them? What would they do if he couldn't?
Serena needed to find a way out herself. Well, not herself; with Pikachu's help. And… maybe Meowth's? If Team Rocket wasn't associated with the impostor (and she had a feeling they weren't), then Meowth should ally with them so they could all escape together, right?
''Nya…'' Serena and Pikachu turned when they heard the third member of their party waking up. Meowth sat down with a hiss, scratching his head. ''Me–ow… Everything hurts… Where am I…?'' The cat blinked when he saw Serena and Pikachu in front of him.
''Welcome to the club of kidnappees,'' Pikachu said with an acknowledging nod.
Meowth blinked again. He looked from Pikachu to Serena a couple of times before he groaned loudly and shook his head. ''I just knew I should've taken the day off today.''
Pikachu raised an eyebrow before turning to Serena. ''I'm going to stop providing light. I gotta rest for when the right time comes.''
''Okay,'' answered Serena. ''We could actually use the weak lighting as an advantage and take them by surprise.''
Pikachu nodded and stopped releasing electricity. Meowth was still too disoriented to notice their exchange, but didn't seem surprised when everything went dark again.
''So,'' the cat said, now more active and ready for action, ''do we have an escape plan?''
''As Serena said, we should use the element of surprise,'' Pikachu began. ''We're cuffed and I already tried to use Iron Tail on the shackles to no avail, but that doesn't mean we can't try to wear them down with multiple attacks. If we manage to break free, we can decide whether to wait for someone to come and ambush them or to get out of this room ourselves. I was waiting for you guys to wake up because I didn't want to tire myself out by trying it by myself.''
''That seems plausible. It's not like we have a lot of options anyway,'' Meowth commented. ''I'll translate what you said to Serena.'' His voice sounded closer as he turned at the honey-blonde. ''Pikachu says that—''
''Don't worry, Meowth,'' Serena interrupted. ''You don't need to translate.''
''Yeah,'' Pikachu said dismissively. ''We should start with our plan now. There's no time to lose.''
''Wait, wait, wait. What do you mean I don't need to translate?'' Meowth sounded confused.
They stayed silent for some seconds.
''Should we tell him?'' Pikachu asked.
Serena shook her head, action that they could see even with the weak light. ''It would be too convoluted to explain right now. And you said it, there's no time.''
''Right.''
''What?'' Meowth was way past bewilderment by now. ''How are you understanding Pikachu language? Only the twerp can do that!''
''Meowth, we just said we're in a hurry—''
''I'm not moving a paw until you tell me what's up. Are you a witch or something? Maybe a Pokémon that adopted the form of a human? I can understand how you're so close to the twerp if both of you are so freaking weird! Or is every human randomly capable of speaking fluent Pokémon now?!''
Serena didn't know if she should feel flattered or insulted by that. Pikachu, on the other hand, sounded amused when he next spoke.
''Are you upset because your translating services aren't required?'' Pikachu released electricity again to temporarily illuminate Meowth's face. True to his suspicion, the cat seemed taken aback by the comment. Pikachu smirked and turned at Serena. ''He's always been proud of being a Pokémon that's able to talk like humans. He sometimes pretends he doesn't like it, but in the end, he's always pleased when people need him to understand something. He considers himself Poké–Human–lingual or something.''
Serena couldn't help the little smile on her face. ''Really?''
''That's not true!'' Meowth complained and crossed his arms with dramatic indignation. ''I just like to help fellow Pokémon communicate with humans, that's all.''
''Yeah, of course. Don't pretend you're not annoyed by the way Satoshi has never needed your services to understand me.''
Meowth gasped soap opera style. He sharpened his claws and brought them up for them to see. ''You wanna go, you yellow rat?!''
''I can leave you looking like a sorry hairball with a Thunderbolt if you'd like,'' Pikachu replied smugly.
''Now you've done it!'' Meowth lunged forward, aiming at Pikachu's face with his sharpened claws. Pikachu nodded at Serena and she understood what he wanted her to do. She gripped the chain of Pikachu's shackles and extended it just as Pikachu moved to the side to avoid the incoming attack. Meowth's claws landed on the chain and a shrill metallic sound was heard as they scratched against the surface. Everyone looked at the chain afterward. It looked perfectly intact.
Pikachu scoffed at Meowth. ''I expected too much of your Scratch. Not even in a battling mindset were you able to leave a mark.''
''Excuse me?!'' Meowth was fuming. ''And what about your Iron Tail? I don't see marks anywhere either!''
The electric mouse took a section of the chain a little farther from the section Meowth had hit and turned it around. Serena and Meowth were able to see a small diagonal line, result of his Iron Tail.
''It's better than nothing,'' Pikachu said. ''I hate to admit it, but I'm still gonna need you if we want to cut these as soon as possible, so you better actually try next time.''
Meowth scowled at him and mumbled, ''The audacity of some Pokémon.''
''Are you always such a bully to Meowth?'' Serena asked with curiosity, finally speaking since the whole exchange had begun. She scooted some inches away, wary of the way Meowth seemed to be cursing at Pikachu's entire ancestry at the moment.
Pikachu shrugged. ''Not really. I'm just riling him up extra hard because the moment requires it.'' He then whispered to her with a smile, ''It's not like I'm not enjoying it, if I'm being honest.''
They both turned around when Meowth sighed. Serena thought for a second he was going to threaten Pikachu again, but the cat simply looked at both of them and began sharpening his claws even more, looking more resigned than angry.
''I gotta give it to you, you got me good.''
''Anytime, buddy.''
''But once this is over, I'm handing your electric ass to my boss, and this time I'm for real.''
Pikachu nodded, already accustomed to the usual threats of Team Rocket. ''Yes, of course. You do you.''
Serena resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Pokémon were just like humans when it came to rivalry and pettiness. Or maybe it was just these two adopting human tendencies because of the very long time they've spent next to humans.
Either way, she was indeed glad she didn't need Meowth to translate everything to her. It almost felt freeing, in a way. Here she was, a human girl communicating with two Pokémon pretty much flawlessly and listening to them bickering. She could just imagine how out of context Meowth's sudden anger would've sounded like if she hadn't known Pikachu had been riling him up.
After Meowth finished sharpening his claws, they went back to the mission at hand—or rather at paw—and began to attack the shackles, beginning with Pikachu's since it was already somehow damaged.
Some tense minutes of the two Pokémon attacking the shackles nonstop went by. Pikachu was forced to keep providing electricity so they could land their attacks on their target, and Serena knew he was getting exhausted faster than Meowth. But Pikachu's stamina was always something that amazed Serena—he didn't complain, not even once, during the whole time.
A piercing metallic sound surprised everyone and the next thing Serena and Meowth saw was Pikachu tumbling on his back with a thud. The room went dark again.
No one said a word, only Pikachu and Meowth's panting filling the air. Pikachu sat down slowly and then resumed his job as the group's lamp. All of their eyes landed on Pikachu's chain, and…
''It's broken!'' the three of them exclaimed.
''You guys did it!'' Serena felt hope resurfacing on her chest. For a moment, she had thought they wouldn't be able to destroy their restraints. She began to pet Meowth's head and gave him a radiant smile. ''Good job, kitten!''
''Hey! Don't call me kitt—! W-wait… Keep doing that— Yes, just like that… Actually, okay, you can call me whatever you want…'' Meowth leaned on Serena's touch and she had to stifle a laugh when she heard (and felt) a low purring coming from the cat.
Pikachu stood up and took in his paw the loose chain that had been keeping him restrained some seconds ago. He was free. His eyes were shining with renewed determination when he looked at Serena.
''Your shackles are next.''
''Satoshi, did you see something?!'' Eureka asked as they ran all the way to the north. They had been running aimlessly for the last twenty minutes, but then Satoshi and Greninja had gasped at the same time and had begun to run even faster in a specific direction.
''A warehouse,'' was Satoshi's reply.
''Oh Arceus, please let that be it,'' Clemont said next to them. He sounded on the verge of collapsing as he rode on Luxray's back. The run had been so intense that he hadn't been able to keep up; Luxray had offered his back as a ride to avoid his trainer from passing out. The blond was still recovering.
The rest of the Pokémon were back in their Poké Balls to keep them rested except for Dedenne and Squishy (which were as always in Eureka's bag) and Serena's Pokémon.
Their pulses quickened when they were able to see the warehouse twenty feet away from them. The rest followed Satoshi and Greninja as they hid behind a few bushes right in front of the building. Finally being able to rest for some minutes, everyone panted and gazed at the warehouse. Satoshi, Greninja and Luxray were up front as they once again made use of their enhanced vision.
''I can't see too farther inside. The shapes are all blurry,'' Satoshi said, and Clemont noticed how exhausted he sounded. He seemed like he was barely staying conscious. ''Greninja, Luxray, anything?''
Greninja shook his head, looking only slightly less exhausted than Satoshi. Luxray didn't seem to be able to look too far into the building either.
''Damn it,'' Satoshi mumbled. His words were coming out slurred and breathy. ''We gotta get inside. This is the only hint we have of Serena and Pikachu's whereabouts.''
''Satoshi,'' Clemont chimed in. ''You should rest or you're going to pass out from exhaustion!''
The way Satoshi looked at him was something Clemont had never seen.
''How could I rest when I don't know if my best friends are okay?'' he asked rhetorically. He was clearly trying to sound firm, but the way he was almost hyperventilating truly betrayed him.
''Satoshi…?'' Eureka asked, realizing his condition as well. ''My bro is right, maybe you should—''
''Greninja, we go in on my signal,'' Satoshi said, turning to his Pokémon as if no one had been talking to him.
''Satoshi,'' Clemont tried again, moving so he could look at Satoshi straight in the eye. ''You're not supposed to keep the Satoshi–Greninja transformation for so long. Your body is not capable of enduring such great and extended physical activity. If you don't rest now, it could seriously hurt you!''
''Clemont, I'm okay, see?'' Satoshi took a very deep breath and wiped the sweat off his forehead to prove his point. He was able to keep a steady voice when he spoke next. ''I will rest once Serena and Pikachu are back here, with us. I promise.''
''Satoshi…'' Clemont didn't sound convinced.
''There's no time to lose, Clemont,'' Satoshi pressed on.
''But—''
''Guys!'' Eureka said. ''I think Dedenne located Pikachu!''
The boys turned in a flash to the tiny Pokémon that was now outside of Eureka's bag. Its eyes were closed as some sparks of electricity were emanating from its cheeks, and it looked deadly serious when it looked up at them.
''Denne ne!''
Satoshi and Clemont shared a meaningful look before Clemont sighed in defeat.
''Okay. We're going in. But once this is over, we're booking it to the nearest Pokémon Center or whatever place we find where you can rest, got it?''
Satoshi nodded. ''Got it.'' He looked at Greninja. ''This is it.''
Greninja was usually very earnest in everything his trainer commanded him to do, and he was good at keeping a stoical, impassive countenance no matter what. And even then, he looked slightly uneasy when he stared back at Satoshi. He knew how much Satoshi was pushing himself at the moment, considering Greninja was in similar conditions. But Greninja was a Pokémon, he could handle that. Satoshi was a human—him? Not so much.
However, there was something in Satoshi's soul that was far more intense than the worryingly rapid beating of his heart; there was hope. Resolution. Desire. Need.
Satoshi needed to go inside that warehouse now and rescue what was dear to him. At that point, Satoshi didn't care about what could happen to him; he only cared about Serena and Pikachu's wellbeing, about making sure they were safe. And Greninja was going to grant him the opportunity to do it because he knew Satoshi would do the same for him.
(As much as he hated to think about what could happen to Satoshi after this.)
The trainer in question took one last deep breath before standing up. ''Let's go.''
They all cheered when the last chain broke.
''I'm finally free!'' Meowth exclaimed. ''But of course I was the last one to get freed because of some selfish Pokémon and person,'' he added while squinting at them.
''You ungrateful little furball,'' Pikachu said, but he didn't look truly bothered by the cat Pokémon's words. ''Serena, Meowth, part one of our plan is done. Now we need to decide if we stay here and wait or try to get out ourselves.''
Meowth glanced at Serena. ''You're still able to understand what he says?''
''For the third time, yes, Meowth,'' Serena answered. She then turned her focus to Pikachu. ''Are you sure you're okay? You look exhausted.''
''I've been through worse,'' Pikachu said nonchalantly, although Serena had noticed that his electricity had been coming out weaker and weaker with every minute.
''I can assure you, he has,'' Meowth said. ''Anyways, now that we can finally move, we should see if we can find a way out.''
Serena and Pikachu agreed and they all began to move around the room. Serena and Meowth felt the walls with their hands/paws and Pikachu looked cautiously around with his light.
After some seconds, Serena felt something solid sticking out of the wall. She began to slide her fingers over it to try and figure out what it was. ''Guys, I found someth—'' She accidentally pressed her fingers against the solid surface and there was the sound of a click. The next time everyone blinked, the room was brighter than before—like a normal, decent level of brightness. The previously dim light was now vivid enough that they were able to see the rest of the room without a problem.
Pikachu stopped providing electricity and his left eye began to twitch.
''There… there was a light switch here the whole time. I've been using up my electricity for an entire hour for absolutely no reason WHATSOEVER?''
Meowth tried to muffle his laughter for exactly three seconds before he exploded into delighted cackles. ''You useless excuse for a night lamp! Serves you right for messing with me!''
''Guys! Shhh!'' Serena said before Pikachu went to murder Meowth right on the spot. ''We're going to get caught if we don't stay quiet!''
''You're lucky Serena is here, Meowth,'' Pikachu said, ''because I swear to Arceus you'd be dead by…'' he trailed off, suddenly looking very focused.
''What is it now? Has the Meowth got your tongue?'' Meowth taunted. He frowned when he didn't get an answer. ''Come on! It's not fair if you don't react to my insults.''
Pikachu's cheeks abruptly flickered with electricity and he looked taken aback. He looked up at Serena and she stared back at him.
''Pikachu, is that…?''
The electric Pokémon nodded. ''That was Dedenne. Satoshi and the others are outside.''
Meowth clasped his paws together. ''So we can throw the 'waiting for someone to come' plan out of the window, right?''
Serena and Pikachu locked eyes before matching looks of determination settled on their faces.
''To Giratina with waiting around,'' Pikachu said.
''Let's get out of here,'' Serena finished.
''Oh! So now the three of us have a special motto too? I'll join! So, um… Meowth, that's right!''
Pikachu deadpanned at Meowth, ''You didn't even say something original.''
Meowth merely shrugged. ''This was a last-minute decision, don't expect a miracle from me.''
After they finally decided to look at the rest of the room, they were quickly able to find a door. Pikachu used Iron Tail and slashed it in half.
Right outside of the room that had held them prisoners, there was a long corridor. They ran through it and, upon reaching the end, they entered a new room.
They gaped at the huge area that was in front of them. There were hundreds of racks that divided the space into different aisles. Some racks held boxes of diverse sizes, though Serena wasn't able to discern what they contained, either because they were sealed or too high up for her to see. There were no windows and the long white lights hanging from the lofty ceiling were on.
They slowly began to walk through one of the aisles.
They were in a warehouse; that was clear. Truth to be told, the whole place seemed downright abandoned. Even when there were packages around, they weren't even close to filling a quarter of the room. But, if the place was abandoned, why were the lights of this room on?
Serena shared an uneasy look with Pikachu and Meowth.
That could only mean—
The blaring sound of an attack landing right above them broke the eerie silence. When Serena looked up, she saw how a box that had been up on a rack was falling right toward her. Pikachu and Meowth moved to try and divert it, but it was too late. The box hit Serena with a blow to the head and she fell to the floor.
''Serena!'' Pikachu shouted frantically.
Serena's previous headache came back to her full force and was four times worse than before. Or maybe five times. Ten times? Serena wasn't in the right state for calculating such things right now. She was hurting too much to pass out this time though, so she opened her eyes and saw the horrified look in Pikachu's own black eyes.
''Serena!'' he repeated. ''Are you okay?''
She felt like her head was pulsating, as if her accelerated heart had suddenly gone on a vacation in her brain and was now trying to get out through her skull. She glanced to her right and saw the box that had hit her had its contents spilled next to her. It had been full of small—but still very heavy—dumbbells.
''The freak?!'' she heard Meowth hissing somewhere to her left. Or was it her right? ''That could've killed her! What the heck kind of warehouse is this?!''
Serena groaned and tried to cover her ears at Meowth's loud voice. Pikachu whispered to Meowth what seemed like an angry scolding to make him lower his voice before he talked to Serena.
''Hey, Serena,'' Pikachu told her in a soft voice, ''everything will be okay. Just stay here, and we'll deal with…'' he trailed off, looking intently at somewhere in the distance, ears pricked on alert.
''…What?'' Serena asked, trying to ignore the incessant ringing in her ears. ''What is it?''
Pikachu's expression turned enraged. He clenched his teeth and the electricity was so strong and over his face that Serena was barely able to see his red cheeks. ''You,'' he said in a growl.
Meowth's teeth were clenched too, his feline fangs standing out more than Pikachu's, and he seemed ready to pounce at any given moment. ''We're not afraid of you, you fake!'' the cat exclaimed.
Once again ignoring how her head felt like it was about to explode, Serena shifted on the floor so she could face the direction the two Pokémon were looking at. Like she had thought, the fake Satoshi, the impostor, was standing at the end of the aisle. His Aegislash was, not surprisingly, floating next to him. The man was still disguised as Satoshi. Serena would've clenched her hands into fists… if only doing that didn't immediately worsen her headache.
''So you actually got out,'' he said with perfect nonchalance. ''I shouldn't have underestimated you, I see that now. I'll fix my mistake right now.'' The rest of his Pokémon came into view. Hydreigon, Exploud, Aromatisse, Eelektross and Venomoth; some of them were hanging from racks around them, others were standing or flying on either end of the aisle. All of them were cutting off their exits.
The impostor looked down at Serena and she felt horrible. The look in his eyes wasn't and would never be like Satoshi's. They were devoid of Satoshi's warmth, of Satoshi's kindness. In the impostor's eyes, she only saw apathy. A desolate, grim, complete apathy. As if the girl and Pokémon in front of him were just pawns he was using to get what he wanted.
''I'm sorry, girl,'' the impostor said, not even attempting to look apologetic. ''I still need to keep you here in case things get complicated for me.''
''What are you even talking about?!'' Meowth said. ''I'm a member of an organization that steals Pokémon from people and even I can see how immoral and just downright evil this is!''
''Don't bother,'' Pikachu said lowly. ''He'll learn his lesson after we're done with him.''
''You know, I like to see you're so confident about this, but uh…'' Meowth looked around, trying not to appear afraid. He wasn't doing a very convincing job at that. ''How are we planning on beating all of these guys?''
''I don't know. What I know is that I'll fight till the end. I let them capture us once, and thanks to that, Serena's hurt. I will not give them that chance anymore, even if it costs me my life.''
''Pikachu…'' Serena whispered. She was visibly fighting her headache. She felt faint. Everything was blurry and she didn't know how much longer she would be able to stay conscious, even with the incredible pain she was in.
The impostor seemed about to command his Pokémon when a voice Serena absently recognized shouted from somewhere outside the building.
''Clemontic Gear On! I call this the 'Warehouse Entrance Opener'!—Yes, Eureka, I did envision a situation as specific as this—So, yeah, I just hit this button and…''
Serena heard an explosion. She was facing away from the commotion, but even while dizzy she could promptly guess what had happened.
''So it just… explodes and that opens the door?'' Eureka asked in her usual disappointed tone.
''Um… That wasn't exactly what I had planned for, but… It worked, didn't it?! So voilà! We're in—''
''Serena! Pikachu! Where are you?!''
Serena almost gasped when she heard his voice. She rolled on her back as fast as she could to face him. Pikachu and Meowth looked as relieved as she felt.
''Satoshi! We're here!'' Pikachu shouted.
After fanning the smoke of the explosion away, Satoshi ran closer to the origin of his Pokémon's voice. When his gaze landed on them, he looked relieved too—until he saw Serena lying on the ground. His pupils contracted as his auburn eyes frantically raked her form up and down with alarm.
She felt like crying when she saw her three Pokémon appear after Satoshi.
Braixen, Pancham, Sylveon.
''Serena's badly hurt!'' Meowth exclaimed. Eureka gasped with concern as she looked from Serena to Meowth. Her Pokémon were in a similar state of shock. Satoshi's eyes never left Serena. ''A box full of dumbbells fell on her head and she seems to have one heck of a headache!''
I failed you.
''Dumbbells, you said?!'' Clemont adjusted his glasses with urgency. ''She must be severely concussed, we need to get her medical attention immediately!''
''So we have some unwanted company, don't we?''
Everyone stared with surprise at the man on the other side of the aisle. Nobody had noticed neither him nor his Pokémon when they had first arrived, being too focused on the trio conformed of Serena, Pikachu and Meowth.
''He… he does look exactly like Satoshi,'' Eureka said in a horrified murmur. Even his eyes were the same color as Satoshi's now.
''I was right.'' Clemont moved to stand in front of his little sister protectively. ''This is The Kecleon, one of the most wanted criminals in the region.''
Serena didn't want to be here. Serena wanted to be back in the Pokémon Center and spend the night with her friends and laugh as they had done before.
Satoshi's gaze was still fixed on her. He was uncharacteristically quiet. Greninja—or rather Satoshi–Greninja—stood by his side, matching his trainer's behavior.
Pikachu turned to his partner. ''He's the kidnapper, Satoshi. He ordered his Aegislash to attack the rack next to Serena and made the box hit her on the head. I don't think I need to say more.'' Pikachu looked more ready to battle than he had ever been when he nodded to Satoshi. ''Come on.''
Serena wanted to rest.
Suddenly, sleep didn't sound so bad.
Yes. Serena wanted to sleep.
''Satoshi…'' she whispered as her eyelids began to grow heavy.
The visual of a heavily injured Serena about to slip into unconsciousness snapped Satoshi out of his trance.
''Serena!'' she heard him yell and could barely make out his shape running toward her.
''Energy Ball.''
A green sphere struck the ground in front of Satoshi, impeding his efforts to reach her. He landed on his bottom, hat falling next to him.
''That's enough,'' said The Kecleon. ''I'll make you an offer, kid, and it's the only one I'll make. I'll give you back your girlfriend for the mere price of your Pikachu. It's easy enough to decide, isn't it?'' He snapped his fingers. His Pokémon were circling closer to the group, just waiting for their trainer's orders.
Satoshi glared back at him, his eyes igniting with awakening rage. ''You…''
''I would advise you not to try anything stupid. I've watched you and your little friends for enough time to know what you can and cannot do. I do not care about how strong you think you are. Accept my kind offer and get lost, it's your best choice. Unless you want me to take her too?''
''People like you make me sick,'' came as Satoshi's answer. He stood up from the ground and adjusted his hat back on his head, this time turning it backward.
Maybe it was just Serena being delirious and hallucinating, but Satoshi looked almost out of it.
''You really want me to beat you so badly, huh? Alright.'' He wiped the cold sweat off his brow. He felt dangerously lightheaded and he knew he was on the verge of blacking out, but Satoshi had simply decided that slowing down to rest wasn't an option he could take. His heart throbbed painfully in his chest when he glanced down at Serena.
Just resting while she was looking at him with those vulnerable blue eyes was not even considered as an option.
He glowered at the man responsible for Serena's condition. Greninja swiftly stood to attention next to him. ''You're gonna regret what you've done. All of it.''
The Kecleon shrugged. ''Guess I should've expected your stubbornness would win over your common sense. I withdraw my offer, then. Hydreigon, Dragon Pulse.''
''Greninja, Water Shuriken!''
The atmosphere that had been full of eerie apprehension abruptly transformed into complete chaos after those two attacks. All of The Kecleon's Pokémon went from remaining relatively still to releasing a myriad of aggressive moves, as if their internal chip had been switched from alert to attack.
Serena didn't know how she was keeping herself awake, but she was grateful for that. She was afraid of what could happen if she were to fall asleep—what could happen to anyone while she couldn't even know about it.
Satoshi yelled for everyone to take cover before he called out Talonflame, Hawlucha and Noivern. Pikachu and Meowth stayed close to Serena as they redirected all of the attacks coming their way. Braixen, Pancham and Sylveon rushed to their trainer like nothing else mattered, slowly making progress as they had to dodge multiple attacks on their way.
''Eureka, get out of here!'' Clemont said, still protecting Eureka with his body. He had called out Bunnelby and Chespin as his Luxray sent multiple Swifts to the enemy Exploud to keep it at bay.
''No! I can't just go and leave you guys here!'' Eureka countered. ''Dedenne and I can fight! We can help—''
''I didn't ask you to do it,'' Clemont said, and Serena had never heard him sound so serious before. The light shining over his glasses made it impossible to see his eyes. ''This is an order, Eureka.'' He pointed to the exit. ''Go to safety. Now!''
''But—''
''Luxray, please help me out here!''
Luxray roared and ran toward the younger sibling. He took the collar of Eureka's shirt with his teeth, against the little girl's protests, and made a beeline for the warehouse entrance.
Eureka was trying to squirm out of Luxray's hold. ''No! Let me go! I want to stay!''
''Squishy!'' Clemont called out before they were out of earshot. ''I'll trust you to keep her safe!''
The aforementioned Pokémon chirped in agreement from Eureka's bag; Dedenne did the same.
Clemont turned back to the battlefield, narrowly jumping away from an Echoed Voice Exploud had launched. Luxray reappeared some seconds later, having dropped Eureka somewhere outside the building, and jumped into battle just as fast with Thunder Fang.
Serena looked around in a desperate attempt to find Satoshi, but there were so many things happening that everything she could see was different colored blurs. She screeched with pain when a rack fell to the ground some feet away with a loud crash.
''Everything will be okay,'' she heard Pikachu say. She couldn't tell where he was anymore. ''I promise, okay? Satoshi–Greninja will wipe the floor with— Meowth!''
''Argh! The 'Romatisse got me! Someone do something!''
''Piiiikaaa…chuuuu!'' There was a small pause. ''Are you okay?''
''Maybe warn me when you're gonna go full Thunderbolt next time— Ahhh! Now the Eelektross?! Why do you guys hate cats so much?!''
''Shut up and back me up!''
From here on, everyone divided into different skirmishes, helping each other either with or without a trainer to command them; all of this in hopes of defeating all of The Kecleon's Pokémon.
The battle had officially begun.