Sorry for the delay on Chapter 5! This one is going to be our biggest yet! While it might seem like filler, it actually introduces two new characters that will be appearing in future chapters and has some Amour fluff for those who like it. Hope you enjoy!
Mauville City
The beating heart of Hoenn, Mauville City had seen some significant redevelopment since Ash's last proper visit. While the Flygon sandstorm had taken him and Goh back to the city a few months ago, they had never been to the downtown core proper, which had changed significantly. It was now a completely indoor area, to the point where several detractors had accused Wattson of turning the city into a shopping mall. As the group walked into the area, Ash, Goh, and Chloe were in awe.
"Why didn't you guys tell me Mauville was redesigned?!" Ash exclaimed as he looked around.
"We had assumed you knew already," Brendan responded. "I've seen it a million times."
"Well, now that we've arrived, there's something that needs to be dealt with immediately."
As if on cue, Ash's stomach growled, earning a giggle from Serena. Ash's love of food never ceased to amaze her.
"Don't worry Ash, I know just the place to get a bite to eat here," Brendan noted. He began to walk ahead of the group, with Ash and company quickly following suit. When they arrived at Brendan's food spot, they were amazed.
The food court was nearly the size of a Pokémon gym, trainers darting in between tables and courts. A large battlefield was spread across the middle of the food court, with two Trainers currently engaged in a battle. Ash was in awe as he looked on at the place.
"Battling AND food? Did they make this place just for me?"
"Ash, you're not the only one with a massive appetite," Chloe noted. As the group walked forward, they couldn't help but observe the battle before them.
"Loudred, use Stomp!"
"Roselia! Dodge and use Petal Dance!"
Loudred's stomp on the ground was immediately met with a ferocious barrage of petals, knocking it into a wall and knocking it out. Its Trainer immediately cheered in victory as the referee gestured his hand towards her. As the battle wrapped up, he grabbed a microphone.
"Attention everyone: the Mauville Food Court Tag Team Tournament will be starting in ten minutes! Signups can be done at the desk or via Rotom Phone, and the winning team will receive a coupon for a free meal for two at any of our restaurants!"
Several trainers crowded to the desk, while others stayed behind and registered on their Rotom Phones. One trainer, a girl with a bob cut and rose-printed hat, talked to a guy in a green and black jacket.
"Hey, you wanna team up?"
"Let's go for it."
The two of them high-fived and walked to the counter as Ash and company watched the crowd of Trainers signing up. Ash smiled as he looked at Pikachu.
"Pikachu, you thinking what I'm thinking?"
"Pika!"
While Ash and Pikachu were smiling at each other, Serena was lost in thought. While she wasn't the best at battles, she couldn't pass up an opportunity to be closer to Ash. Unfortunately, it looked like Brendan was about to speak up.
"Hey Ash, I think-OOF!"
Chloe immediately elbowed Brendan in the gut, before winking at Serena with a smirk. She looked to Ash nervously, scratching the back of her neck and blushing slightly.
"H-hey Ash, you want to team up with me?" Serena asked nervously. Ash looked at her with a smile, but also a stare of curiosity.
"Don't you normally not take part in events like this Serena?"
"Only if-well, with you I'm not as adverse to the idea. Remember the tag battle we did at the dance in Kalos? We-we did great!"
Serena blushed a little. She remembered that tag battle; Ash grabbing her hand, Team Rocket crashing, and Eevee had evolved! Ash didn't notice her blushing fortunately, simply returning a large grin and a thumbs up.
"You're right, we did do great! Let's head over and sign up."
As Ash and Serena went to sign up, Goh was distracted by the rose-printed hat girl from earlier, or more specifically, a Pokémon of hers.
"No way, you have a Darmanitan too?!" Goh gasped in surprise. He looked around at the Fire-type, who watched the excitable trainer.
"Yep!" the rose hat girl replied as she tipped the brim of her hat. "She's the first one I ever caught! Her name's Emberess by the way."
"Tan, TAN!"
The Darmanitan pounded both of her fists against the ground.
"Aw, settle down you!" the rose hat girl laughed as she patted her Pokemon on the head. "Besides, it's Reina's turn today!"
"I'm sure you'll be a great match for Ash and Serena," Goh responded. "Good luck out there!"
"Who?" The rose hat girl was confused.
"OH! Do you mean Pikachu guy and blondie? I swear those two were eying each other up like a Volbeat and an Illumise!"
"I…never noticed," Goh replied as he grinned. "Perhaps that's something I should keep a closer eye on."
Goh walked off towards the rest of the group, who had just returned from the signup counter.
"Hey Ash, you know what Pokémon you're planning to use?" Goh asked. Ash pondered for a moment, looking at his Poké Balls, before snapping his fingers.
"I think I'll run with Sceptile," he replied. "Serena, what about you?"
Serena was still thinking to herself about who to use. While Braixen, Pancham, and Sylveon were her most battle-adept Pokémon, she also wanted to give Milotic and Sceptile a taste of battle. Then again, Chloe had pointed out the affection between her Sceptile and Ash's Sceptile. Maybe that would be the route to-
"Serena? Hello?"
Serena jumped from her trance to see Ash waving a hand in front of her face. She smiled nervously at him, and clenched her fist in the air.
"I guess I'll bring Sceptile along! They won't expect us to both use the same Pokémon!"
Ash let out a small laugh as he smiled at Serena.
"Let's get some practice in before our first match then Serena."
As Ash and Serena walked off to practice, Brendan looked towards Chloe, clearly irritated, as he had a hand over his stomach.
"Hey, why'd you elbow me earlier?" he asked her. Chloe's teeth clenched slightly as she stammered briefly.
"I-I got scared of a nearby Pokémon and instinctually hit you by accident."
She looked over at some of the trainers' Pokémon; but which one looked the scariest…. That giant turtle with the tree on its back? She pointed at it as she feigned fear, with Brendan rolling his eyes.
"You're scared of a Torterra? One of the three Sinnoh region starters?"
"Y-yeah."
Brendan's eyes narrowly looked towards Chloe in suspicion briefly, before he shrugged and walked over to catch up with Ash and Serena. Chloe proceeded to sigh in relief, noticing Goh about to approach the Torterra and its Trainer, who was the Trainer with a green and black jacket from earlier. As Chloe grabbed Goh's arm, he looked to her with an annoyed stare as the two of them moved to join the others.
"The first battle of the Mauville Food Court Tag Team Tournament, between Ash and Serena and the Kemu twins is about to commence! Trainers, bring out your Pokémon!"
The two young girls jumped in the air as they threw their Poké Balls up high.
"Beautifly, let's go!"
"Dustox, you can do it!"
The Kemu twins' Bug-types flew above the battlefield, nodding to each other before staring down their opponents. Ash and Serena exchanged glances with each other, before nodding and throwing out their Poké Balls as they both shouted the same words.
"Sceptile, I choose you!"
Ash and Serena's Sceptiles emerged from their Poké Balls, hitting the ground as they looked at each other. Ash's had a twig in his mouth, and gave Serena's Sceptile a nod that was shortly reciprocated. The two Sceptiles stood firm and ready for battle as the twins smirked smugly at each other.
"Grass-types? We've got this in the bag, right, Yuki?"
"You said it, Miu!"
The twins high fived each other as the referee arrived onto the battlefield.
"Whichever team knocks out both enemy Pokémon will proceed forward. With that in mind, let the battle begin!"
"Beautifly, use Whirlwind!"
"Dustox, Poison Sting!"
As Beautifly kicked up a wind, Dustox fired off small purple stingers, which were then caught by the wind and sent flying across the battlefield towards the Sceptiles.
"Use Agility to dodge!" Ash shouted.
"Use Leaf Storm to knock them back!" Serena followed.
The two Sceptiles conducted their respective moves; Ash's started jumping about and running to avoid the stingers, while Serena's let out a ferocious barrage of leaves to knock back the stingers. This decision was twofold: it sent back the enemy attack, and it distracted them from Ash's Sceptile, who was now firmly behind them.
"Use Dual Chop on Beautifly!"
As if on cue, Ash's Sceptile jumped from behind to attack Beautifly with a duo of strikes, knocking it a good distance and ending the Whirlwind.
"Dustox, let's get loud! Use Bug Buzz!"
Dustox turned towards Ash's Sceptile as it let out a horrific sound wave, which caught Sceptile off-guard and forced him to kneel in response. Serena's Sceptile looked on in pity, and her Trainer was sure to help with that.
"Use Dragon Pulse to stop Dustox!"
Serena's Sceptile nodded as she held her arms back before unleashing a violent wave of energy across the battlefield that disrupted Dustox's Bug Buzz, as well as knocking away Dustox. Ash grinned at Serena before pointing his finger forward and smiling.
"Use Leaf Blade on Dustox!"
Ash's Sceptile leapt up into the air as one of the leaves on his arms started to glow green, before slashing Dustox with it. Dustox was sent flying, and despite seeming injured, it held on. However, the two of them had neglected one major opponent.
"Beautifly, String Shot!"
Beautifly fired off a barrage of string at Serena's Sceptile, which managed to ensnare her. Ash's Sceptile looked at her in concern, then at Ash.
"Sceptile, use Quick Attack to reach Serena's Sceptile, then hit Beautifly and the string with a Leaf Blade!"
Ash's Sceptile got into a sprint, lunging toward Serena's Sceptile. Then, in one graceful flip, he sliced through the string while knocking Beautifly to the ground. Serena, grinning, knew this was her chance.
"Finish it with Focus Blast!"
Serena's Sceptile prepared a ball of energy, before tossing it at the injured Beautifly. An explosion rocked the battlefield as Ash, Serena, and the Kemu twins covered their eyes, before the smoke cleared to show a KOed Beautifly.
"Beautifly is unable to battle!"
"Aww, no fair!" Miu crossed her arms and pouted at the referee. She returned Beautifly to its ball, then hugged her Pikachu plushie.
"Don't worry Miu, I've got this! Dustox, Sludge Bomb!"
Dustox coughed up a massive ball of sludge, which went flying towards Serena's Sceptile. Ash's Sceptile, out of pure instinct, dashed into the Sludge Bomb and took the hit before it could collide with Serena's Sceptile. Falling to the ground, he slowly emerged from the sludge but coughed slightly. Poison had taken effect. Serena's Sceptile looked on fondly for a moment, before shaking her head and staring down Dustox.
"Leaf Storm, now!"
Serena's Sceptile whipped up a massive storm of leaves at Dustox, continually cutting at it. Dustox could barely fly out of the storm, which gave Ash's Sceptile enough time to recover.
"Dual Chop!"
Ash's Sceptile leapt from his weakened position as its arms glowed, before unleashing a ferocious slice of his arms at Dustox. The Poison Moth Pokémon struggled to remain flying, a fact which Ash and Serena clearly noticed. Nodding at each other, they prepared for the finisher.
"Leech Seed!"
"Leaf Blade!"
Serena's Sceptile fired a seed towards Dustox, pulling it to the ground and entangling it. As its energy was drained, Ash's Sceptile readied a Leaf Blade and charged for Dustox, unleashing a clear cut that broke through the Leech Seed roots and sent Dustox flying into a wall. It fell off of the wall and landed face-first on the ground, knocked out.
"Dustox is unable to battle! The win goes to Ash and Serena!"
"So much for a free lunch," Yuki frowned as she returned Dustox to her ball.
Ash and Serena smiled at each other, their Sceptiles also exchanging glances. Serena's Sceptile nervously scratched her neck as she smiled at Ash's, who responded with a wink as he kept the twig in its mouth. He then suddenly coughed from the poison it had endured, causing Serena's Sceptile to throw its arm around his shoulder. The Sceptiles walked over to Ash and Serena, as did the twins. They held their hands out, expecting a handshake.
"It was fun to battle you two!" Yuki exclaimed.
"You were super strong!" Miu followed. Ash smiled as he nodded at the two of them.
"You two put up quite the battle," Ash replied. He then looked towards the Sceptiles to see that his was still suffering from poison.
"Sceptile!" he shouted. "Don't worry, I'll get you healed up as soon as I can."
As Ash returned Sceptile to his Poké Ball, he looked towards Serena's and smiled at it.
"Thanks for helping out my Pokémon. You're in good hands with Serena."
"Scep scep!"
Serena couldn't help but blush at the sight, smiling at her own Sceptile and walking towards her.
"You did great, Sceptile! Won the battle for us…"
She then leaned in to whisper to her Sceptile.
"And you might've won over the Pokémon of the boy I like."
Serena's Sceptile couldn't help but blush at that line, scratching her neck. Serena smiled as she returned Sceptile to her Poké Ball, before running over to meet with Ash as he walked to the Pokémon Center.
"We were awesome, weren't we Ash?"
"Definitely Serena. Our Sceptiles work really well together, don't they?"
"Y-yeah, they do. You could say the same for us as well, right?"
Ash paused for a moment, before smiling back at Serena.
"You bet! It's Ash and Serena against the food court! Nothing can stop us!"
"Nothing except for us."
At that moment, Ash and Serena were approached by the rose-hat girl and the green and black jacket boy from earlier. The rose-hat girl tipped her hat, and the jacket boy grinned as he tossed an Ultra Ball up and down in his hand.
"Your Sceptiles are something else," she spoke as she sipped from her bubble tea. "Honestly I was NOT expecting a 'two of the same Pokemon' deal!"
"It's an unexpected strategy, but it works since nobody's expecting it," the jacket boy added. "We should probably introduce ourselves though. I'm Terry, and I came here from Sunyshore City to challenge Hoenn's Battle Frontier."
"And I'm Rose!" she pumped a fist in the air. "I'm from Nimbasa City, and I came to take on the World Coronation Series!"
"Oh, you're in the World Coronation Series too?" Ash asked. "What class are you in?"
Rose proceeded to chug the rest of her bubble tea. She darted back to throw her empty drink in the trash, then ran back to the group.
"Just the Great Class. I'm ranked 365!" She flashed a peace sign as Ash and Serena grinned at her.
"As for the Frontier, I've got four symbols," Terry added. "Wait…are you Ash as in Ash Ketchum of Kanto Battle Frontier legend?"
"You bet!" Ash responded. "Good luck finding Brandon though."
"Oh, his pyramid doesn't fly around anymore. When Scott moved the Battle Frontier from Kanto to Hoenn, he put it all on one island, including the Battle Pyramid!"
"Consider yourself lucky then," Ash noted. Terry simply exchanged a smirk as he looked at Rose.
"We're up next I think. Are you ready?"
"I've been ready since I got here!" Rose cheered. "Heck, I didn't eat at all today for this! Hmm…..Wait, I gotta grab a drink!" She zipped to the vending machine, got herself an energy drink, and ran back to Terry.
"Your energy never ceases to shock me Rose."
As Terry and Rose walked off, Ash and Serena smirked at each other.
"Some duo, huh Serena?"
"They seem fun. Hopefully we get to battle them."
The next few hours were filled with Ash and Serena training their Sceptiles together and taking part in matches. During one particular match when Ash and Serena were up against two Trainers with a Sharpedo and a Camerupt, Brendan, Goh, and Chloe were spectating and chatting amongst themselves.
"Those two make quite the team, don't they?" Brendan noted. His arms were along the banister of the spectator area, and he had a ramune soda in his right hand.
"They've known each other for a long time, so I can't say I'm surprised," Goh responded, before being splattered with ketchup. Grookey and Pikachu (who had been left in Goh's care while Ash battled) had been fighting over a ketchup bottle AGAIN, and the result of their struggle had just hit Goh. He stared down the two of them, and they simply smiled guiltily. He then returned his gaze to Brendan and Chloe, who were holding back laughter.
"You guys are the worst."
As Goh grabbed some napkins to clean himself off, Chloe turned towards Brendan.
"It's almost like Ash and Serena trust each other completely," Chloe added. "And their Sceptiles seem close too. Remember how Ash's took that Sludge Bomb?"
"Yeah, that was awesome," Brendan replied, smirking. "Their bond is inseparable."
"Yeah, it's a good thing I made sure they ended u-er, that Serena was confident enough to ask to battle with Ash," Chloe said confidently, unaware that she now had Brendan staring at her with suspicion.
"Chloe, can I talk to you in private?"
Brendan grabbed Chloe by the arm as the two of them walked over to a nearby corner of the food court, with Goh looking at the two in pure confusion. He then turned towards Grookey and Pikachu to see that they were fighting over the bottle again, this time spraying it onto Chloe's Eevee by accident. Eevee squeaked as she tried to shake the ketchup off. Goh facepalmed as he got up to grab more napkins. As he was doing so…
"You elbowed me in the chest so Serena would be able to battle alongside Ash, didn't you?"
"W-well, it's not quite as simple as that."
Brendan and Chloe were standing in a corner next to the Wyndon Fish & Chips restaurant in the food court, with Brendan seeming annoyed.
"Chloe, I'm not mad. I just want to know what's going on."
"Alright, the truth is…Serena just wanted to try out battling again with Ash, and I didn't want her to be disappointed. We've-we've become really good friends."
"Ah, girl stuff. I get it. Besides, now that I know you're close with Serena, I do want to ask for your help with something."
Chloe's face went blank as she looked at Brendan worriedly.
"Oh no. He likes her, doesn't he? This'll be hard to manage."
"When she mentioned having May's number, I…kinda thought back to when I knew her back in the day, and I was wondering if you could help me get back in contact with-with her."
Brendan was scratching the back of his neck sheepishly as Chloe feigned a smile.
"Nevermind. This'll be even harder."
"The results are in! Our final matchup is between Terry and Rose, and Ash and Serena! Give them a hand!"
The four Trainers walked onto the battlefield, taking their positions. Ash looked at Serena with a smile.
"Remember Serena, if we coordinate our moves we stand a good chance of winning. And hey, if we don't, we still had fun."
"Right! I'm glad to have taken part in this with you Ash."
Ash exchanged a thumbs-up as he smiled at Serena, but this time he noticed a light blush on her face which gave him a weird feeling briefly. He quickly shook it off, but he was certain this wouldn't be the last time he'd have it.
Meanwhile, on the other end of the battlefield, Rose took her hat off and waved with it. She put her hat back on, and pulled a Moomoo Milk out of her pocket, chugging the whole thing at once. Terry was tossing a Poké Ball up and down, while also looking at what appeared to be a Pokétch. He then looked towards Ash and Serena with a smirk.
"You guys like your Grass-types, huh? Well I'll give you a battle you won't forget. Twigs, it's on you!"
A Torterra emerged from Terry's Poké Ball, letting out a fierce roar as several leaves fell from the tree on his back. Rose jumped up in the air, almost in response.
"In the name of Shoal Cave…." Rose announced. "Ruffles! Embress! I hope you're watching!"
She waved to two Pokémon in the crowd, a Venusaur and a Darmanitan, who waved back. As she smiled back, Rose tossed a Net Ball into the air.
"REINA! LET'S GOOOOOO!"
A Walrein popped out and landed against the battlefield, slapping her fins against the floor. The Walrein had a green ribbon tied around her neck, a Shell Bell dangling from the middle. Ash and Serena then nodded at each other before grasping their Poké Balls and yelling four words at the same time:
"Sceptile! It's on you!"
Ash and Serena's Sceptiles leapt out of their Poké Balls, taking their positions. Ash's Sceptile gave Serena's a wink, which made her blush in response and return her own. They stretched out their arms and stared down their opponents as the referee arrived onto the field.
"The battle ends when one side's Pokémon are unable to battle! With that in mind, begin!"
"Twigs, Grassy Terrain!"
"Reina, use Frost Breath!"
As Twigs enveloped the ground with green energy, Reina unleashed a breath of frost forward across the battlefield, causing the two Sceptiles to shield their eyes against it.
"Leaf Storm!"
"Quick Attack!"
As Serena's Sceptile unleashed a barrage of leaves to counter the frost breath, Ash's Sceptile got into a dash and lunged at Reina, tackling her to the ground. As this happened, countless leaves barraged Reina and Twigs, Reina even opening her mouth to try swallow some of the leaves. Twigs would soon turn towards Ash's Sceptile and stomp his feet.
"Twigs, Wood Hammer!"
As Ash's Sceptile got up from the Quick Attack, he was met with a massive glowing tree to the chest, sending him flying.
"Wood Hammer again!"
"Counter with Dragon Pulse!"
Before Twigs could go in for another hit, Serena's Sceptile unleashed a shockwave of energy forward at him, knocking him away from Ash's Sceptile.
"Jump on Twigs' back and use Leaf Blade!"
Ash's Sceptile lunged forward, leaping on top of Twigs as he unleashed a ferocious slice from above. Twigs roared in pain as his body started to shake, Sceptile gripping onto the tree as not to fall off. Rose proceeded to pull a parasol out and opened it up.
"Reina, use Surf!"
Reina roared as a massive wave swamped the battlefield, pushing Ash's Sceptile off of Twigs and towards Serena's. Ash then looked at Serena with a smile, clenching his fist.
"Ready for it?" Ash asked Serena.
"Ready!" Serena responded with a smile.
The two of them looked back towards Terry and Rose, grinning as they prepared to shout out a command together.
"Agility Seed on Reina!"
Surprisingly, Ash and Serena had developed a new technique to use together, inspired by the battle against the Kemu twins. Serena's Sceptile proceeded to use Leech Seed on Reina, ensnaring her with vines as her energy was drained. As this happened, Ash's Sceptile used Agility to get into a dash while confusing Twigs, then leapt at Reina with a ferocious Leaf Blade, destroying the vines and sending her flying.
Reina was visibly panting, looking towards her Trainer. As if on cue, Rose snapped her fingers. She had a plan.
"Reina, darling, use Hail!"
Reina roared as the air above the battlefield turned frosty and chunks of ice started to fall to the ground. Both Sceptiles winced as the ice chunks fell to the ground, but oddly enough, Twigs was also wincing in pain, likely due to its Grass/Ground typing. Reina looked more relaxed, her whiskers drooping down her chin.
"Dual Chop on Twigs!"
Ash's Sceptile dashed towards Twigs as both of his arms glowed, before slashing them forward and knocking Twigs aside. The Continent Pokémon snarled at Ash's Sceptile.
"Alright, Earthquake!"
Twigs slammed the ground repeatedly as cracks formed, causing the three other Pokémon to struggle keeping their balance. Serena noticed that Reina was near one of the larger cracks, and an idea formed.
"Sceptile, Focus Blast on Reina!"
Serena's Sceptile prepared a ball of energy, before letting it loose as it slammed into Reina. The Ice Break Pokémon fell back a good distance, tripping over one of the cracks and slamming onto the ground face-first. At that point, Ash turned his hat backwards as he pointed forward.
"Finish it with Leaf Blade!"
Ash's Sceptile dashed forward at Reina, leaping into the air, before slamming down with a powerful Leaf Blade. Reina was shot into the air from the impact, and fell to the ground with a thud.
"Reina is unable to battle!"
Rose choked in surprise. Her face went white as she returned Reina to her ball, before looking at Terry.
"It's on you. Let's get that free lunch!"
Terry nodded at Rose as he tipped his hat and pointed forward.
"Twigs! Wood Hammer!"
"Block with Leaf Blade!"
Twigs lunged forward at Ash's Sceptile, preparing to slam him with the tree on his back. Ash's Sceptile responded in kind with a glowing green blade as the two attacks collided. Both Grass-type Pokémon locked attacks as they glared at each other.
"Help out with Dragon Pulse!"
Serena's Sceptile fired a pulse of energy forward that collided with Twigs, sending him a good distance. Ash's Sceptile was then able to unleash the Leaf Blade, but not before Terry made his move.
"Counter."
Twigs erected a barrier that Ash's Sceptile collided with, sending it flying into the air and crashing down, KOed. Serena's Sceptile looked on in fear, shedding a tear.
"Sceptile is unable to battle! Whichever Pokémon is KOed next will decide the winning team!"
Ash tipped his hat forward as he held out Sceptile's Poké Ball.
"Rest up buddy. Serena's got this."
As Ash returned Sceptile, he looked to Serena with a smile, putting a hand on her shoulder. She blushed lightly as he did so, which gave Ash that weird feeling again. What was it?
"You're gonna do great Serena. I believe in you."
Serena smiled back at Ash, albeit she was very nervous internally. One on one with an aspiring Battle Frontier competitor? How would she pull it off?
"Sceptile, Leaf Storm!"
Serena's Sceptile roared as a barrage of leaves came flying forward towards Twigs, causing him to slide backwards. He roared heavily as he tried to maintain his footing.
"Interrupt it with Earthquake!"
Twigs slammed the ground as it rumbled and formed cracks, interrupting Serena's Sceptile's Leaf Storm and causing her to lose her footing. Serena stared forward, and extended her hand.
"Focus Blast!"
Despite all the commotion, Serena's Sceptile closed her eyes and breathed softly as a massive ball of energy formed in her hands. After a few seconds, Sceptile opened her eyes and threw forward the ball.
"Counter with Protect!"
Twigs threw up another barrier, deflecting the Focus Blast back. Serena panicked briefly, but then threw her fist into the air with a smile.
"Send it back with Dragon Pulse!"
Serena's Sceptile threw forward a blast of energy at the Focus Blast, sending it back towards Twigs.
"Protect!"
"Focus Blast!"
"Protect!"
"Focus Blast"
The Focus Blast continually bounced back and forth between Sceptile and Twigs, gaining power and momentum. After a couple more back and forths, Serena grinned, tipping her hat, as the Focus Blast bounced off of Sceptile's Dragon Pulse.
"Now! Leaf Storm!"
Sceptile unleashed a barrage of leaves alongside the Focus Blast, catching Terry off guard.
"Pro-"
Before Terry could announce the usage of Protect, several leaves slashed at Twigs, causing him to flinch slightly right as the Focus Blast slammed into him with a deafening explosion. The audience shielded their eyes from it, and a ketchup bottle on Goh's table burst in the process.
"OH COME ON!"
Eventually, the smoke cleared to show Serena's Sceptile kneeling on the ground, panting. In front of her was Twigs, whose legs wobbled briefly before he fell to the ground, eyes closed.
"Twigs is unable to battle! This means that the victory goes to Ash and Serena!"
Serena's mouth formed a massive grin as she raised her fist in the air. Ash ran towards her at the same time, grabbing her other hand and smiling at her as the two of them cheered alongside the crowd.
"WE DID IT!"
Ash and Serena were very clearly blushing, but didn't notice. As they lowered their hands and Serena returned Sceptile to her Poké Ball, the two of them walked towards Terry and Rose, smiling.
"That was one of the best battles I've ever faced," Terry noted as Rose slowly clapped.
"Yeah, that was something else! Guess I tried to pull the Hail trick too early."
Ash and Serena grinned back in response as they extended their hands for a handshake. Rose and Terry returned the handshakes, smiling back.
"So what are you two going to do now?" Ash asked.
"I was going to head back to the Battle Frontier to take on the Battle Factory," Terry noted. "Rose, you said you wanted to come with me, right?"
"In a sec, actually," Rose said as she tipped her hat. She looked over her shoulder at her Pokémon on the railing above, smiling.
"Hey guys! I'll be back with you shortly."
Venusaur roared, waving with one of her vines.
Rose pulled up her Rotom Phone, fidgeting with the Budew charm hanging from its side.
"So, uh, you guys wanna get my number? I'm always looking for more people to battle with!"
Ash nodded as he pulled out his Rotom Phone, Serena and Terry following suit. They held the phones towards each other, and after a few seconds they made dinging noises to indicate they were registered.
"Woohoo!" Rose nodded. She heard some roaring. Oh, right!
"Ruffles!" she yelled back. "We're going for boba soon!"
"Guess we'll see you two around," Terry noted. Before he left however, he leaned in to whisper to Serena.
"By the way, you are not subtle with Ash whatsoever. Good luck."
Serena blushed lightly as Terry walked off alongside Rose, Ash looking at her in concern.
"Everything okay? What did he tell you?"
"N-nothing. Let's go get that free lunch."
Ash, Serena, Goh, Chloe, and Brendan were all seated in the Mauville Food Court, complimentary lunch on the table. Pikachu, Grookey, and Eevee were spinning around an empty ketchup bottle, with Goh frequently turning towards them to make sure they don't do anything with it.
"You two made a great pair in those battles," Brendan noted. Ash grinned as he rubbed the back of his neck.
"Well, I'd say Serena won us the tournament," Ash replied. "Without her, we wouldn't have come out on top in the finals."
"No Ash, I'd say it was your tactics that let us win," Serena cheekily responded. "Remember when your Sceptile took a Sludge Bomb for mine?"
"That was awesome," Ash replied. Across the table, Chloe finished taking a sip of her tea as she looked at the two, grinning.
"Your Sceptiles seem really close now. I've heard a saying that when two Trainers' Pokémon are in love, it's a sign of their Trainers' affection for each other too."
Serena and Ash immediately blushed a shade of scarlet as Chloe grinned. Brendan nodded approvingly of Chloe's words, and Goh was too busy keeping an eye on Pikachu, Grookey, and Eevee to take notice.
"We-well, I don't know if our Sceptiles are in love per se, but they're definitely close," Serena stammered. Ash turned his eyes towards her, pondering her words. When she had said the word "love", there was a certain inflection to it and he could've sworn her eyes turned towards him. What did this all mean?
Mauville Pokémon Center
Late that night, Ash laid on top of his bed, Pikachu curled up next to him, as he bounced a Poké Ball in the air. Brendan was fast asleep, and Goh had his Rotom Phone out as he kept track of all the Pokémon he had caught. However, he couldn't help but notice Ash impatiently throwing the Poké Ball, as if he was deep in thought.
"Something on your mind?"
Ash stopped throwing the ball as he got up and turned towards Goh.
"Kinda, yeah. Lately Serena's seemed to be acting weird around me, and the tournament only exterbated that further. Did I do something wrong?"
Goh rolled over along his bed, his legs poking out over the edge, as he looked at Ash.
"I-I'm not sure honestly. To me, Serena seems really happy when she's around you. I never got that feeling when I met with Iris or Dawn."
Ash scratched the back of his neck nervously. Iris and Dawn were good friends, but they almost felt like siblings to him. Serena on the other hand gave him a different feeling.
"I'll sleep on it I think. Deep thoughts aren't my thing."
"No kidding. You're one of the most impatient people I know."
Ash chuckled at that remark as he laid back down. While he was going to head to sleep, he also set a new goal for himself: to keep an eye on how Serena acted around him. Maybe if he observed it closer he could find out why he's feeling this way.
Ash's denseness is cracking, isn't it?
I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Terry and Rose are actually the "trainersonas" of myself and my beta reader, and while they were initially intended to be one-off characters, the two of us had a lot of fun writing them and made the decision to turn them into reoccurring characters, but let me make one thing clear: while we do have OCs in this story now, the focus is and always will be on our main five established characters. This is not a story about OCs and I have no intention of turning it into one.
Two other interesting notes: the Kemu twins are based on a pair of Trainers found on Route 123 in Hoenn, and Brendan's team (Swampert, Shiftry, Aggron, Rhyperior) is based on the Pokémon he had in his movie cameos (Jirachi: Wish Maker, Temple of the Sea, and Giratina and the Sky Warrior)!
Be sure to leave a review if you want more!