Chapter 10: Flight

The gentle sound of small waves splashing into the beaches of western Kalos sounded remarkably serene that morning.

"Dark Pulse! Psybeam!" Serena's pokemon unleashed their attacks just above her, colliding and bursting into a beautiful display that further emphasized the glittering blue water around them.

Serena wore just a pair of white coverings around her waist and a similar top over her breasts. The Princess's hair had similarly grown, not quite reaching its previous length before escaping Lumiose, but close.

As the mixed dark and psychic energy fell down, Serena vigorously danced beneath it with her pokemon. Their movements caught the power, further emphasizing each elegant dance move.

The Princess would've sweated by now from the hot sun and her intense practicing if it weren't for the splashing waves. Fennekin and Pancham leaped up into Serena's hands before she tossed them above her, allowing them to hold paws and spin. Upon coming back down, they let go at just the right time to land on each of Serena's shoulders before unleashing their next moves into the falling energy, creating a series of iris-shaped power.

"Ta da!" Serena cried, earning a round of applause from Ash, Red, Bonnie, Clemont, and their pokemon. All three young men wore just a pair of undershorts.

Both brothers' bodies shined like the ocean from sweat and seawater covering their muscular bodies after a long borning of sparring, training, and swimming.

"Magnifique!" Ash cried.

"Pika!"

"You're so beautiful!" Bonnie cried with stars in her eyes, particularly excited at Serena's regrown long-hair.

"Well, 'huff' done Serena." Clemont almost hyperventilated. His scrawny body was similarly soaked with seawater and sweat after Bonnie forced him to train with both brothers that morning. The beach rested before a series of cliffsides just south of Ambrette town, with a few wild Wingull, Pelipper, Clauncher, and Corsola moving about.

"Do you think we're ready for the merchants of Ambrette town?"

"Absolutely!" Ash cried, earning a slightly blush from Serena.

"Bonnie wants to see you perform again!"

"You will when we get to Ambrette town. Come on, let's let Serena practice on her own." Red said, smirking at Ash and Serena, who both blushed slightly.

"Awww, but Ash gets to stay!" Bonnie pouted as Clemont took her by the arm and walked away with Red.

"Well, he's her husband." Clemont said, trying not to sound uneasy.

"Are they going to make a baby?" Bonnie asked in a completely innocent tone. Despite this, Clemont yelped, and Red shot her a surprised look.

Serena wasn't sure if she should giggle or be concerned like Red but decided to let the others handle it. Instead, she turned back to Ash and slowly stroked her long hair.

"You think people will recognize me?"

"Well, it doesn't look exactly like it did before, and people were starting to get used to you with short hair."

"Including you." Serena said with a smirk, which Ash returned.

"Je ne me plains pas, I always loved your long hair."

"Merci!" Serena beamed.

"Pika." Pikachu said to Pancham and Fennekin nervously. Both nodded and got away from Serena as she beckoned Ash towards her. The knight didn't hesitate and approached his wife.

"It will be nice, finally getting to a sizable town, not under Galar occupation." Ash said, earning an eager nod from Serena. They'd learned from a few travelers that Ambrette town was free of Galar control since Count Grant returned to the area.

"Red won't be pleased he doesn't have any Galar to fight." Serena giggled while wrapping her arms around Ash's shoulders.

"Eh, he could use a break, so could I, for that matter." Ash's smile wavered slightly as he adjusted his shoulder, still a little sore from a run-in with a few Galar routiers the day before, which resulted in Ash facing and killing a particularly savage Galar knight while Red dealt with his four soldiers.

"Are you ok?" She asked tenderly while rubbing Ash's shoulder.

"Oui, I'll be fine. I always am." Serena's expression turned slightly stern.

"Bonté, it's a good thing I'm here to take care of you." Serena tried to caress Ash's shoulder, but instead, he bent down and lifted her into his arms.

"Who's taking care of who, mon amour?" Ash chuckled before planting a long kiss on her lips. Serena began to melt away in Ash's arms and caressed his shoulder again before suddenly feeling herself fall and crash into the water.

"Ahhh, merde, my shoulder. Désolé mon amour." Ash laughed, not noticing Serena's angry expression transform into a malevolent grin as she went underwater and swam toward's her husband.

Ash's laughter stopped abruptly when Serena burst out and slammed into the knight, catching him off-guard and sending them both back underwater.

Ash came up moments later, coughing up some ocean water.

"Merde! Alright, you got me, now-" Ash's eyes went slightly wide as he saw Serena giggling uncontrollably while holding a very familiar pair of undershorts in her hands.

Ash's face shot red, and he tried to cover himself before Serena laughed harder.

"What's the point of that? It's nothing I haven't seen already, mon amour!"

Ash narrowed his eyes and soon mirrored her evil grin as he stood up and nodded.

"Fair enough." He said before rushing after Serena, who playfully tried to get away while laughing, even as Ash's hand reached her bottom coverings and slid them down to her ankles.

"Pika." Pikachu muttered as he and the other pokemon sweatdropped before quickly departing. All except for Charizard, who peered in closer with an eager expression.

"Grauuu!"

Later that morning, Serena wrapped her arms tightly around Ash's muscular chest as they rode Charizard over the ocean. She savored the ocean's cool breeze that flowed through her hair and contrasted the knight's warm body.

"Pika!" Pikachu cried while he held onto the top of Ash's head. Like Serena, he too enjoyed flying with Charizard.

"I've missed this." Serena said while resting her head on Ash's shoulder.

"Me too. But have you ever considered possibly getting a pokemon which you could fly for yourself?"

"Eh?" Serena asked.

"You wouldn't need Charizard and me if you ever wanted to go flying, and I'd imagine there are countless possibilities it could add to your routines." Serena had never thought about that before, and her eyes lit up as she imagined numerous new routines while riding a flying pokemon.

"Si beau! Oui! Oui, I need to get one! Merci, mon amour!" Serena almost cried as she kissed Ash's cheek.

"Alright, we just need to think of who'd work best for you. There's Noivern, Altaria, Pidgeot, Salamence." Serena considered these options and thought about who would work best with her current team when suddenly, she saw something in the water below.

"Eh?" Serena peered closer at what looked like some large pieces of driftwood and possibly a pokemon struggling to stay above water on the largest one.

"Ahhh! Ash look!" Ash, Pikachu, and Charizard all turned their attention to where Serena pointed.

"Pika!"

"Grauuu!"

"Charizard, get down there! Hang on!" Serena and Pikachu did as Ash ordered and felt a tingle in their stomachs as Charizard dove nearly straight down towards the stranded pokemon.

Charizard was only yards from the water when multiple water guns shot up from the ocean straight for him.

"Watch out!" Charizard turned sharply, nearly throwing his passengers off him, but avoided the incoming attacks.

"There it is! Stop that Sliggoo eater!" Ash and Serena's skin crawled upon hearing the Galar language while the pokemon growled. Turning back to the water, they saw five rugged men with blue face paint, tattoos, and bandanas on their heads, all riding Basculin with nets in one hand and curved blades in the others.

"Galar pirates!" Ash snarled.

"Pika!"

More water guns followed, which Charizard continued to dodge.

"Pikach thunder-" Ash cut himself off when he looked back at the struggling pokemon in the water.

"Merde!" Ash grunted as Pikachu similarly grit his teeth in frustration. Serena almost yelped in horror when she saw one of the Basculin and Galar pirates made a b-line for the pokemon.

"Fire moves won't do much. Luckily we have more, dragon pulse!"

"Grauuu!" Charizard blasted one of the Basculin and its rider through the air like ragdolls when his violet beam made contact. However, Serena gasped when she saw the resulting waves send the pokemon back into the water.

"No!" Serena jumped off Charizard's back and dove into the ocean below without hesitation.

"Serena!"

"Pika!" Charizard wanted to go after her, but more incoming water guns prevented this from happening.

"Pika!" Pikachu shouted as he pointed to Serena, who now swam towards the pokemon.

"Keep them away from her, dragon claw!"

"Grauu!"

Pure determination filled Serena as she swam against the rough waves towards the pokemon, who barely kept herself above water, clutching the driftwood with her claws.

"Char! Char!"

"Hold on!" The pokemon's grip steadily slipped as she got closer and closer to submerging entirely. However, Serena reached the pokemon and pushed her back onto the driftwood at the last moment.

"Je t'ai eu!" Serena cried.

"Char." The Princess felt a warm tongue lick her cheek and finally got a look at the pokemon.

"Eh?" Serena muttered in disbelief at what she saw. If she had to guess, it looked like a Charmander, but unlike any Charmander, she'd ever seen before.

For one thing, instead of being orange and yellow, this Charmander was black with a violet stomach and tail flame. Additionally, she resembled a dragon more than a lizard, as was typical for Charmanders, at least until they evolved into Charizards. To top it all off, she even seemed to have a pair of small wings.

"What in the world-" Serena started before another Basculin came straight for them.

"Char!" The odd Charmander yelped in terror as Serena wrapped her body around the pokemon defensively. However, it proved unnecessary, as Charizard swooped in and slashed the attacking Basculin away with dragon claw.

Serena did her best to push the driftwood away from any incoming Basculin as Charizard knocked them out with dragon claw until none remained.

"Whew, est-ce que tu vas bien?" She asked tenderly as Charmander nuzzled the Princess's face, at least until they both saw Charizard swoop back in and pick them up in his strong arms.

"Serena, are you ok!?" Ash shouted.

"Oui!" Serena answered, the Charmander now in her arms. Charmander, however, no longer focused on Serena but the powerful Charizard that carried her to safety.

"Char!" She almost yelped, her eyes turning to hearts while blushing uncontrollably, making Serena giggle.

A few minutes later, the odd Charmander eagerly feasted on some pokemon food Serena and Clemont prepared for her while the others gazed at her in utter bewilderment.

"She's so cute!" Bonnie cried.

"Kirlia?"

"Fenn?"

"Grouu?"

"Scept?"

All of the pokemon turned to Pikachu and Ash's Charizard, who sweatdropped. Neither had a clue what exactly this strange Charmander was.

"Incroyable! It's as if she's a dragon type and fire type! She even has wings!" Red sounded almost giddish as he and his Charizard examined the Charmander closer. However, she yelped and raced behind Serena's legs, shaking.

"Red, you're scaring her!" Serena scolded him and Charizard.

"Ahh, pardon." He said while sweatdropping with Charizard.

"Grauuu." Ash's Charizard lowered his head and tried to calm the odd Charmander, who blushed intensely.

"Do you think this is some kind of new pokemon species never before discovered?" Clemont asked.

"I don't think so. She's clearly a Charmander." Ash answered while stroking his chin thoughtfully.

"Maybe she's a hybrid between a Charizard and a dragon-type pokemon?" Ash continued.

"Non, that's impossible. For hundreds of years, people have tried to create hybrids between pokemon in the same egg groups. They always come out as the same species as one of their parents, never a mix, save for a move or two." Red answered.

Serena decided to do a small test and reached into her bag to take out three macaroons.

"Ches!" Chespin tried to rush forward before Bunnelby grabbed him.

"By!"

"Ches." Chespin pouted.

"Let's see what she prefers. This one was made specifically for fairy types." Serena offered the pink sweet to Charmander, who sniffed it before turning away with a revolted look.

"Hmm, how about a fire type?" Serena took out a red macaroon, and the Charmander cautiously sniffed it before eating it.

"Char." Charmander sounded somewhat pleased.

"And finally, a dragon special!" Serena offered a purple macaroon to the Charmander, who smelled it before appearing as if she'd entered paradise. The odd Charmander almost snatched it from Serena's fingers and blushed before her eyes turned to sparkling stars.

"Char!

"Incroyable!"

"Too cute!" Bonnie screamed.

"You are a dragon type!" Serena beamed as she knelt back down and patted the Charmander's head as she licked the Princess in gratitude.

"Well, she liked the fire macaroon too, which means she's probably a dragon primary and fire secondary." Red said.

"No wonder those Galar pirates were after her. She might be one of a kind." Ash said. A chilling fear ran down Serena's spine as she thought about Galar routiers taking the Charmander and selling her to a private collector.

"We can't let get her!" Ash put his hand on her shoulder and gave his wife a reassuring look.

"We won't."

"Fletch!" Fletchling flew back from over the ocean and landed on Ash's shoulder before saluting.

"Any sign of Galar pirates?"

"Fletch!" Fletchling shook his head. Charizard noticed a longing expression while looking back at her wings, and Serena saw this with interest.

"Charmander, have you ever flown before?" The odd Charmander whined a little while licking her wings.

"Awww, poor thing, hey, maybe we could help her learn to fly!" Bonnie cried.

"Hmm, if she knew how to fly, she could get away from Galar more easily." Red said.

"We'll help you learn to fly." Serena promised the Charmander.

"Hold on, let me do some measurements." Clemont took out a few tools and began measuring her wings, nearly making her jump. However, Serena's comforting presence eased her enough for Clemont to finish and then write a few things down on parchment.

"Hmmm." Clemont said while tapping his mouth with the quill.

"Well?" Bonnie asked.

"According to my calculations, she should be able to fly with those wings, but not easily."

"If it's possible, we'll find a way." Ash said.

"Pika!"

"The wings are similar enough to a Charizard's wings. She should probably learn from them to do it properly."

"No problem, Charizard!"

"Grauu!" Both Charizards nodded and kicked off the ground. Serena lifted Charmander into her arms so she could get a better look and did so with wonder in her eyes.

"Char!" Charla watched their tight turns and swift maneuvers with awe, focusing on Ash's Charizard in particular even though Red's was a bit more agile.

After a few minutes, they landed in front of her, nearly making Charmander melt in excitement.

"Ok, now maybe one of them should fly with her." Ash suggested.

"Char!" Charmander cried, almost jumping out of Serena's arms as she tried to get to Ash's Charizard.

"I think she wants to go with your Charizard." Serena giggled.

Charizard nodded and lowered his arms as she sprinted over into them.

"Char!" The dragon Charmander savored Charizard's thick muscles and warm body as he kicked off the ground and flew over the ocean.

"Be careful with her!" Serena shouted like a concerned parent.

"She's fine." Ash assured her. Charizard flew much safer than before and growled, asking Charmander what she thought. However, he sweatdropped upon realizing she was more interested in savoring his embrace and nuzzling him.

"Grauu."

"Char!" Charmander yelped, blushing intensely.

"Grauu." Charmander growled again, telling her to open up her wings. Charmander nervously extended her wings out, feeling slight pain as she did so.

Charizard tried to ease her into a simulated flight, but any time he made it seem like he might let go, she yelped, and he tightened his grip. This continued for another few minutes until he landed and handed the Charmander back to Serena while sweatdropping.

"Too nervous?" Ash asked while he nodded.

"It's ok." Serena assured the Charmander while caressing her head. She set the odd Charmander down beside Fennekin, Chespin, Pancham, and Pikachu, who each patted her back reassuringly.

"Fen." Fennekin tried to share her warm fur's body heat, but it wasn't quite the same as Charizard.

"Hmm, hmm, hmm, this looks like a job for technology!" Clemont smiled widely while adjusting his spectacles.

"Behold, the wing suits!" Clemont cried before revealing odd clothing.

"Wing suits?" The others muttered together in bewilderment as they looked at Clemont's invention. It appeared to be a one-piece suit with black arms and a white body. The fabric was like nothing they'd ever seen before, with some of it connected between the arms and waist like a set of Emolga wings.

"What on earth are those?!" Serena cried.

"Something very special I've been working on, a suit that will allow a man to fly in the wind!"

"Incroyable!" Ash, Serena, and Red all shouted with stars in their eyes. Bonnie, however, remained skeptical.

"Have you ever tested it, brother?" Clemont sweatdropped with a nervous expression.

"No, but my calculations show that the wind is strong enough for us to fly in them, plus we have the ocean beneath us to break our fall."

"I want to try!" Ash cried with an almost child-like exctitement.

"Me too!" Serena added.

"And me!" Red shouted.

"Parfait!" Clemont, Red, Serena, and Ash each put on the suits, which felt surprisingly comfortable, and each came with a cap and goggles for their heads.

"Wow, this feels great." Serena said as she looked at herself in the wingsuit. Ash's face turned slightly red when he realized how the suits hugged their skin tightly and emphasized Serena's 'features' in the best way.

"What do you think?" She asked Ash who almost yelped.

"I uh, you look good." He muttered, earning chuckles from his pokemon.

"Alright, we just need to extend our arms out and let the wind guide us."

"Pikachu, you want to fly?" Ash asked.

"Pika!" Pikachu eagerly climbed onto his trainer's shoulders while Chespin did the same to Clemont, poking him.

"Aie!"

All four young adults lined up on the cliffside and waited for the next gust of wind.

"Now!" Clemont cried as he lowered his goggles. Each leaped off the cliffside and held their arms out. Serena felt a sensation of weightlessness like nothing she'd ever experienced before and smiled with unending joy as she glided through the wind as a bird would.

"Étonnant!" Red laughed as he soared nearby.

"Ahhhh!" Clemont yelped before crashing into the water with Chespin.

"Another failure, brother!"

Ash didn't fare much better and grit his teeth as he struggled to remain in the air.

"Pika." Pikachu clutched onto Ash's shoulder tightly as he wobbled about, steadying himself only to fall further until finally, the knight splashed into a wave, emerging moments later beside Clemont.

"Ok, they could still use some work." Clemont sweatdropped. Ash, however, looked back up at Serena and Red, who continued to glide over the bay like birds.

"Or we could." Ash said with a slight smile, particularly when he saw the joy in Serena's face and the thrill in Red's.

"Clemont, this is your best invention ever!" Red laughed.

Ash and Clemont climbed back up the cliffsides and tried again, but only to meager results. Ash remained airborne a minute longer while Clemont went straight into the water again.

Lucario, Bunnelby, and Luxray all sweatdropped while Sceptile, Funnekin, Kirlia, and Pancham snickered. Fletchling, Noibat, and both Charizard, however, took off to join their trainers.

Noibat and Charizard eagerly flew beside Red while Fletchling and Ash's Charizard sighed as he continued to wipe out every few minutes. The Charmander watched Serena in wonder, a human flying so masterfully as if she was born to do so.

A few minutes later, she and Red landed, their hearts still pumping from the adrenaline.

"Clemont, we're keeping these!" Red laughed.

"Are you ok, mon amour?" Serena giggled as she saw Ash and Clemont soaked.

"Oui, it was still fun, even if I couldn't quite get it right." Ash said as he stroked Pikachu's cheek.

"Well, I'm glad it works ok for you two." Clemont sighed.

"Serena, if you can fly in that suit, you could incorporate it into your performances." Ash suggested. Serena, Fennekin, and Pancham's eyes lit up as they imagined all the possibilities.

"Char?" Charmander asked while tilting her head in a confused manner.

"Fenn!" Fennekin eagerly explained performances while wagging her tail.

"Char." The dragon Charmander now looked intrigued.

"Would you like to try again?" Serena asked.

Charmander trembled but slowly nodded and climbed onto Serena's back. Moments later, she took off and soared with Ash's Charizard close beside her.

Red and his Charizard similarly took off, followed shortly after by Ash. Clemont, however, had had enough for one day and changed out of the wingsuit.

Charmander wobbled as she stood up on Serena's back and extended her wings out.

"Char, Charmander!"

"You can do this."

Charla leaped off Serena's back and glided through the air for a brief moment, feeling an overwhelming sense of delight. However, it ended abruptly, and she lost control, falling headfirst towards the water.

"Char!" Charmander screamed in horror. Charizard turned his wings sharply and readied himself to catch Charmander but saw it wasn't necessary. Serena flew down with pure determination and caught Charmander in her arms.

"Je t'ai eu!" Serena cried as she caught Charmander in her arms. The odd Charmander clung tightly to the Princess, nearly tearing up as she did so.

"It's ok." Serena said, stroking her head.

Later that evening, Charla curled up beside a fire used to make dinner earlier. Bonnie had already gone to sleep, and Clemont worked on his wingsuit while Ash and Red trained with their pokemon.

"Stone edge! Psybeam!" Charmander looked over towards the sound of Serena's voice. She slowly peered behind a rock and watched Serena fly around blue stones brought up by Pancham, Fennekin, on her back.

"Fenn!" Fennekin blasted the rocks as she passed them and sent sparkling pebbles around them. Charmander watched the performance with a sense of wonder, particularly how Serena flew. Pancham jumped up and caught Serena's outstretched hand.

However, he did so too hard and pulled Serena down into the sand.

"Char." Charmander cringed, gritting her teeth. However, to her surprise, she merely shook the sand out of her hair and took out a brush to do the same with her pokemon.

"We'll get it eventually. We just need to keep at it." Serena assured her pokemon, who nodded.

"Fen!"

"Pan!"

"Char?" Charmander muttered, slightly confused at how nonchalantly they took a failure. She leaned in closer but lost her footing and tumbled out onto the sand.

"Char." She grunted, opening her eyes to see a smiling Serena over her.

"Soirée."

"Char." She said, nervously sweatdropping.

"It's ok if you didn't fly today." Charmander looked back at her wings and whined a little.

"If you ever do learn to fly, where will you go, what will you do?" Serena asked. Charmander gazed out at the ocean and became lost in thought.

"Char." She muttered, unsure of the answer.

"I've ridden Charizard with Ash before but just started this flying thing today, and I never imagined how amazing it was to do it myself. Still, I clearly have a lot to learn. Maybe we could do so together."

"Char?!" Charmander almost yelped.

"Fenn."

"Cham!" Fennekin and Pancham patted Charmander's back reassuringly. The odd Charizard soon imagined herself flying with Serena, performing together alongside Fennekin and Pancham.

"Char! Charmander!" She leaped into Serena's arms and hugged her.

"Merci. I also assume you want to be a Charizard one day."

She thought about Ash's Charizard and vigorously nodded.

"Oui, I thought so. That means we'll have three Charizards in our group. Maybe I should give you a different name. How about Charla?"

"Char!" Charla cried, approving her new name.

Nearby, Ash, Pikachu, Lucario, and Charizard watched them with proud smiles.

"Pika!"

Lucario smirked at Charizard and muttered something about Charla possibly becoming a beautiful Charizard one day. Charizard responded by smacking Lucario across the face with the end of his tail.

Ash, however, felt his smile fade when he thought he saw movement on the ridge above them. He stood up with his pokemon and looked closer, but everything went still.

"Pika." Pikachu growled, swearing he'd heard something.

Author's note

Yes, Serena's hair is growing long again,

Also, I decided to make Serena so good at flying in a wing suit as an ohmage to her Manga Counterpart who was a Sky Trainer, however, it won't be limited to this chapter either

Charla is very unique but don't worry it will be explained where she came from and how she came to be

I also wanted to take a break from the heavier action and make a lighter chapter, but don't worry, there's plenty of action in the next several chapters ahead, and more of your OCs to be seen :)

So until next time,

Please review, comment, suggest, or ask (VIA PM)