A/N: Hey, everyone! You know what time it is today! :D
Oh, and before we begin, it's come to my attention that the Pokémon anime FINALLY has a character named Parker in its canon. Aaaaand...that would be Chloe's younger brother. So...I gotta remember to avoid having both Parkers in the same story, lest I want everybody to get mixed up with differentiating the two characters. XD XD XD
I'm also pleased to announce that I've resumed writing chapters for "The Way We Will Be"! HOORAY! :D :D :D (As in, the actual, canon, and current version, not this version.) I hope to get the newest chapter out by the end of the month. I've also crafted an idea for a new "Pokémon" story, which I think will knock the socks off of everyone! Let's just say...it's my own personal spin on the Ash-is-betrayed trope that I used to see throughout the early-to-mid-2010s. I'm not sure if it's still popular nowadays (a cursory search through newer fics starring Ash seems to indicate that it's not), but if not, then I guess I'll be the one to give it a comeback! It wasn't really my favorite trope even then, barring a couple of exceptionally good fics that I read back in the day, but hey, that makes the challenge of writing it even spicier!
Alright, that's enough out of me! On with the chapter. ENJOY!
P.S.: For updates regarding progress on my writing and just life in general, please check out my profile! I try to update it as often as I possibly can with any status update!
P.P.S.: Due to the slowly improving situation regarding the coronavirus outbreak, I am going to have to remind you all about the basic steps you should take if you want to stay healthy, courtesy of my university's reminder emails:
-Wash hands often with soap and water for 20-30 seconds at a time, and/or use hand sanitizer
-Avoid close contact with people who are sick
-Keep your hands away from nose, eyes, and mouth (I can't imagine how difficult this part is probably going to be)
-Eat well, get adequate rest, and exercise regularly
-Get a flu shot if you haven't already and are able to
-Stay informed on the COVID-19 vaccines, get shots if you're able to, and try to get a booster shot if you're eligible
And if you ARE sick (I hope you get better if you are), please be a good sport and save other folks the trouble of getting sick. You can do this by:
-Covering your mouth and nose with your sleeve, elbow, or a tissue whenever you sneeze or cough
-Not sharing food and drinks with others
-Avoiding touching your mouth, nose, and eyes (Again, I understand this is probably going to be difficult)
-Avoiding close contact with others
-Cleaning and disinfecting surfaces and objects
-Staying at home if you're unwell (PRIORITY NUMBER ONE!)
-Staying calm and keeping yourself well-informed (My personal advice)
If you already know this, then great! If you didn't know any of this beforehand, please keep that information in mind as we all go through this trying time. It's a realm of unknowns at this point, and I wish myself and all of humanity well.
Original A/N: Alright, before I begin, I wanna talk about a couple of things for a sec.
First of all, some people who have reviewed have asked why Future Serena was using her maiden name instead of just 'Ketchum', since she's married, after all. Well, I'll partially answer that for you guys, since I probably should have put more implication on that: it has to do with the job she has in that timeline. It DOES NOT have anything to do with marital problems whatsoever. Just wanted to get that out there to prevent any further confusion for future readers.
Second of all, some of you guys have been leaving behind reviews that say "Excellent story, please update soon" or "Oooh, more more". At first, it did not bother me, but for one reason or another, I've been getting these kinds of reviews more lately with this story and I must say, I don't like it. Please, please, PLEASE be a bit more detailed in your reviews. What exactly did you like about this story? Anything you would like to comment on? Is there something that I should be improving on? I am not asking for drawn-out and thorough reviews, but I want more than just one-sentence reviews saying how much you like the story and that you want an update. Of course I know that already. But I'm gonna need more than just brief, almost minuscule reviews to convince me to update for you guys.
So, with that said, how long the next update will take now depends on the effort you guys put in your reviews. You guys don't have to be extremely specific on every tiny detail, but I want to see that you actually did read the story. Consider this a policy for this story, and likely future Pokémon stories by me.
Alright, now that that's out of the way, time to get underway with this new chapter. ENJOY!
Route 12
The Kalos region
Present day
The tiny twig snapped loudly underneath the black shoe as its owner closely followed her friends down the long and rough trail. Letting out a heavy sigh, the teenage girl adjusted her pink hat to allow its brim to protect her eyes. She could feel the heat of the unforgiving Sun bore down on her ferociously. Wondering if the forces of nature were simply against her today, of all days, Serena Yates sighed again and wiped her forehead of the beads of sweat that were dripping down her smooth skin.
"How in the world did the day get so hot?" she asked.
"I don't know..." moaned Clemont. "It was cooler a couple of hours ago... Very..." He panted under the pressure of the heat. "Very strange..."
"When're we gonna get to Galope Town, Clemont?..." sighed Bonnie as Dedenne slumped against her head while perched on her shoulder. "I'm getting thirsty..."
"Not till another couple of hours, according to the map... A shame we ran out of water..."
"Why didn't we refill our canteens back at the last Pokémon Center?..." Serena asked.
"Hey, does it look like we saw this heat wave coming? And I knew we should've taken that left turn a couple of miles back, but someone wanted to go the fast way... Yeah, fast way, my butt, we're still a couple of hours away, and yet, this heat wave's gonna be the death of all of us!"
"Hey, don't blame me!" Ash groaned, rolling his eyes. "Like you said, we didn't see this coming..."
"Pika..." added Pikachu semi-consciously.
"Man, this heat's really getting to me... We should rest..."
"Didn't we rest five minutes ago, Ash?..." asked Serena, feeling her legs buckling slightly.
"Don't know. Let's rest now."
With that, the three Trainers, plus the young girl, collapsed underneath the cool shade of a nearby tree. Pikachu and Dedenne both hopped off their respective owners and slept contently beside their legs, while Serena and Clemont tiredly began taking out the group's lunches and Pokémon food from their respective backpacks. With that done, minutes passed, being spent with the group eating and talking occasionally, still suffering under the immense heat.
Finally, after a while, Ash asked, "Man, this stupid heat... I can't wait till we get to Galope Town... I need to get to their Pokémon Center and have a nice rest..."
"Make that two of us..." replied Clemont, chuckling in exhaustion.
"Or three of us..." Serena added.
"Four..." moaned Bonnie, barely awake now as she was leaning against her brother's shoulder, her eyelids drooping noticeably. The others chuckled in response. They knew that as much as sleep looked very appealing and comforting to them, there was no time to waste. They needed to get to Galope Town soon.
However, a few minutes later, all four were ironically now sleeping contently underneath the tree's shade.
Approximately an hour later
The revving of a motor...
Pikachu's ears twitched upon hearing the noise, and its eyelids fluttered open. Upon registering the sound, it raised its head with a "Pi?"
Hearing his partner Pokémon, Ash groaned and opened his eyes as well. "Pikachu?" he asked. "What...What's wrong?"
Pikachu looked around, continuing to listen to the strange noise. Upon realizing that it was coming closer, it stood up, looked off towards the direction from which the group had originally come from. There seemed to be a cloud of dust in the distance, and as the Mouse Pokémon examined it, it realized what was coming.
It pointed towards the billowing smoke, exclaiming, "Pika!"
"Huh?" Ash followed the direction of Pikachu's finger and spotted the cloud of smoke as well. He then heard the nearing motor engine, and stood up cautiously. "What in the world is that?..." He narrowed his eyes to focus his eyesight at the unknown occurrence, and then spotted what appeared to be... "A jeep?"
At that point, Serena, Clemont, Bonnie, and Dedenne were all stirred awake by the loud engine of the jeep as well, and stood up, rubbing their eyes and yawning. The four then joined Ash and Pikachu as they watched the jeep drive down the trail, nearing their position. They could now see the outlines of the vehicle's occupants.
"Hey, maybe we can ask those people to give us a ride!" suggested Clemont, smiling.
"Yeah, sounds like a good idea, Clemont!" Ash replied. He then stepped closer to the trail, waving his arms desperately. "Hey, over here! HEY! Stop the jeep!"
It didn't take long for the jeep to slow down, and once it came to a stop beside the group, the occupants looked out towards them. The driver was a middle-aged man with brown hair, hazel eyes, the beginnings of a mustache, and wearing construction clothes and a white hardhat. The person in the passenger seat was a boy around Ash, Serena, and Clemont's ages, who also sported hazel eyes and brown hair, and was wearing a light-blue hooded sweatshirt and brown cargo shorts. The person in the backseat was a girl who was also around the boy's age, who also haed hazel eyes like the others, blonde hair tied in a ponytail at the back, and wearing a modest school uniform consisting of a black blouse, a white undershirt with a pink bow, and a pink skirt. In the jeep's exposed trunk was a number of unidentifiable supplies.
"You guys okay?" the driver asked, adjusting his hardhat. "D'you need anything?"
"Yeah, we're on our way to Galope Town," replied Ash. "But it's really exhausting for us to walk in the middle of all this heat."
"Ah, Galope Town? We're on our way back there. It so happens to be our hometown. Want a ride?"
"Yeah, thanks! My name's Ash, and this is my partner Pikachu."
"Pikachu!" greeted the Mouse Pokémon, waving at the jeep's occupants.
"Hi, I'm Serena!" Serena said, putting a hand to her chest in emphasis.
"I'm Clemont, nice to meet you," added Clemont.
"I'm Bonnie," Bonnie said, "and this is Dedenne!"
"Dede!" chirped the Antenna Pokémon, smiling widely.
The girl in the backseat smiled and squealed, "Oh my goodness, your Pikachu and Dedenne are both so CUTE! I love them!"
"Pikachu..." Pikachu rubbed its head in embarrassment, but Dedenne continued to smile at the compliment.
"Hey, the name's Yusif," the driver replied. "This is my son Joey-" He pointed at the boy, who waved at them nonchalantly. "-and my daughter Charlotte." He pointed at the swooning girl. "You guys may come on in. There's plenty of room at the back. Just be sure to be careful of all the supplies there; we're making a delivery."
"Sure, thanks for the ride!" Ash said as he and the others boarded the jeep, causing Joey to flinch. Once everyone was in, Yusif sped the jeep further down the trail.
Upon feeling the blast of wind hit his face, Ash smiled widely and sighed in relief.
"Man, I'm so glad we got this ride," he said, closing his eyes to savor the cool temperature of the wind. "Thanks, Yusif, for all the help."
"Hey, no problem! Like I always say, it helps the soul to aid someone in need! So, what brings you guys to Galope Town?"
"Oh, the sights and sounds. Plus, I heard the racing track is quite famous."
Yusif smiled. "Oh yes, indeed it is! The track was built almost a century ago. It's the oldest functioning racing track in the Kalos region. Galope Town's primary source of profit comes from it, actually. The townspeople are very proud of it. Including me. I assume you're gonna stick around for the track's centennial celebration?"
"Yeah. I've done Rhyhorn Racing once, and I enjoyed it. I'm gonna sign up there and participate."
"Really? Well, good luck on that, Ash. Every anniversary of the track's founding, the races are tougher than usual. Obstacles, point systems, you name it!"
However, Ash leaned back nonchalantly. "Ah, I think this will be a doozy."
At the corner of his eye, Ash noticed Joey rolling his eyes, but he decided to not pry into it. Meanwhile, Charlotte continued to look at Serena, who could feel her stare on her and became nervous. Finally, the blonde girl spoke up, her eyes shining, her voice almost trembling with excitement.
"Hey, by any chance, you don't happen to have a Fennekin in your team, do you?"
"Actually," replied Serena, "as a matter of fact, I do." She pulled out her Poké Ball. "Here, I'll show you. Come on out, Fennekin!"
The Poké Ball unleashed the Fox Pokémon, which barked happily as it sat on its Trainer's lap, its tail wagging slightly as it looked up at Charlotte. At that moment, she gasped before letting out what appeared to be her loudest squeal ever, even louder than the revving of the jeep engine. Everyone else in the vehicle, including Serena and Fennekin, flinched at the unbearable noise and covered their ears. Seconds later, Charlotte ended their torture and quickly picked up Fennekin, surveying it.
"I knew it!" she exclaimed, looking at Serena. "I knew it, I knew it, I knew it!"
"K-K-Knew what?..." stuttered the honey-haired Trainer.
Charlotte spoke so quickly that the others had a hard time trying to keep up with her words. "Yeah well, I figured that you looked quite familiar to me. Then, once you got close enough in the jeep, I mean, I knew it HAD to be you! But I needed to see if you had your Fennekin, otherwise, what would've happened if I was dealing with some lookalike or some other wacky circumstance! But since you have your Fennekin, that's all the proof I need! You're Serena, aren't you?!"
"Y-Y-Yeah, I mean...I introduced myself a minute earlier-"
"I mean the one with that awesome PokéVision video with Fennekin that's taken the websites by storm! You're her, aren't you?"
Serena's eyes widened in surprise, remembering the video. "Oh yeah, the video!" She crossed her arms and smiled proudly. "Yep, that's me-"
"OH MY GOODNESS!" Charlotte's squeal cut her off and startled her, as well as the others. "OH, MAY I HAVE YOUR AUTOGRAPH?" She immediately took out a piece of paper, which Serena looked at in complete surprise. "I AM SUCH A HUGE FAN OF YOUR VIDEO! PLEASE, MAY I HAVE IT?! PRETTY PLEASE?!"
"Um...uh..." stuttered Serena.
"Charlotte," Yusif said, shaking his head in amusement while still focused on the road, "you put that away. We don't want our guests to be startled, now do we?"
"Sorry..." Charlotte put the paper away. "It's just, well, like I said, I'm a very big fan. Your video inspired me, Serena. It did."
"It...It did?"
"Yeah!" Her eyes softened as she looked distantly towards the forest. "I mean, before I saw it online, I didn't really know what exactly I wanted to do with my life, as a goal. I was thinking about working at that old Rhyhorn Racing Track, but only because that was where everyone's working at. No other reason. But when I saw your video, I knew I found my true calling." She grinned widely. "Hey, um, would you mind if I hold Fennekin? I promise I won't do anything to it."
"Oh, sure..." Serena handed the Fox Pokémon over to the other girl. At first, Fennekin was wary of Charlotte. However, as soon as she started petting it and stroking its fur lovingly, as if she was grooming it, the Fire-type starter cooed in pleasure and nuzzled its head against her abdomen, enjoying the attention it was receiving.
"And besides, who in their right mind wants to work at that dump of a track anyway?"
"I do," Joey replied flatly, looking at his sister. "And what're you calling a dump? That racing track's still going strong! In contrast, making PokéVision videos is lame-"
"Joey," interrupted Yusif, his voice stern. "What'd I tell you about teasing your sister?"
"...Sorry, Dad..."
Charlotte rolled her eyes at her brother, then looked back at Serena, Ash, Clemont, and Bonnie. "Anyway, yeah... That's my life story, I guess."
"Wow, that sounds great!" Ash exclaimed encouragingly. "You managed to find your true calling! Now that's the spirit! And you pursue your dream to the very end!"
"Thanks, Ash. And to you too, Serena, for inspiring me."
"You're...You're welcome..." Serena replied, surprised that she actually made a difference in someone's life. "Wow... That...That actually feels good to know..."
Then, the honey-haired girl noticed Charlotte staring at Ash intently. Before she knew it, the other girl gave off another excited smile.
"Hey, Ash?"
The raven-haired Trainer looked at Charlotte. "Yeah, Charlotte?" he asked.
"You know..." She blushed slightly. "You're...You're very cute, you know that?"
Ash blushed strongly in embarrassment. "C-C-Cute? I-I can't i-imagine a human being cute, but a Pokémon, i-it's understandable. Like Pikachu, he's cute!"
"Pika..." The Mouse Pokémon, sensing Charlotte's emotions, shook his head in disbelief at its Trainer's less-than-satisfactory reaction.
In the meantime, Serena continued to stare intently at Charlotte, her eyes wide in shock, her face growing more florid with every passing second as she continued to observe the latter's blush. All respect that she had of the girl had vanished in an instant...and was replaced by another emotion that she knew all too well...
Jealousy...
Little did anyone know of the Meowth hot-air balloon that was floating across the sky in a rather suspicious manner. Aboard its small basket, its three occupants spied on the jeep closely with their advanced binoculars as it continued driving. Triumphant sneers appeared on their faces simultaneously.
"I hope they're counting their blessings," Jessie said, "'cause soon, the tides will turn in our favor! HAHA!"
"And Pikachu will be ours..." added James.
"All we gotta do is wait for da perfect opportunity," explained Meowth, "and den, we strike! And den, we will give it to da boss, and den, no one will be any wiser!" He lowered his binoculars, an excited grin curving his facial features. "Soon, our hearts shall be filled to dere fullest wit da boss's approval!"
Suddenly, a small grumbling noise emanated through the air, and Jessie and Meowth looked at James suspiciously. He immediately clutched his stomach, frowning.
"Oh," he moaned sadly, "the only thing that needs to be filled to its fullest is my stomach... I'm really hungry..."
Then, Jessie's stomach grumbled as well, and she moaned. "Oh, me too... I wonder if there's a restaurant somewhere nearby?..."
"If only there were such things as stop-by restaurants for balloons in the sky..."
Meowth shook his head disapprovingly, disappointed with his two accomplices' current states. "Come on, guys, we gotta stick to da program! We got a twoip Pikachu to catch, a boss ta please, and a whole bunch of promotions on our wayses! After all-" He raised a clawed paw in the air. "-WE'RE TEAM ROCKET! LET'S ACT LIKE IT!"
Jessie and James sighed sadly and raised their fists slowly.
"Team Rocket shall triumph..." they chorused in deadpan, unenthusiastic tones.
Then, a sound of Poké Ball popping once, and... "Wobbuffet!"
An hour later
As soon as Yusif's jeep took a right turn out of the forest and drove down a road situated near a cliff that was fenced off, Ash, Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie all gasped upon staring down at the valley below and spotting Galope Town. It was a moderately sized town that sported several buildings, a central plaza with a fountain, and a bell tower. Nearby the town was a lake, its bright-blue surface glittering like a group of magnificent crystals. However, perhaps the most distinguishable of the town's locations was the racing track that cut through the town in multiple locations, winding through the buildings with intimate intricacy like a Seviper. The four can barely see the dots that were the Rhyhorn Racers, running down the track at high speeds on their Rhyhorn, individual clouds of smoke trailing behind them.
"Pika!" exclaimed Pikachu in wonder.
"Wow..." Ash said. "So this is Galope Town..."
"Yep," replied Joey, joining the others as they gazed down at the faraway town. "I know, right? It's quite a view. Especially the racing track." He gazed at his sister as she continued to stroke Fennekin's fur attentively. "Which a certain someone just can't recognize as being the most awesome thing in the world..."
"Joey..." Yusif said sternly, silencing the boy.
Not the latest exchange, Ash instead wandered his eyes around Galope Town and its surroundings. Eventually, he noticed the nearby lake, and realized that the water seemed to be flowing from a river that disappeared into the depths of the forest and out of his sight. Intrigued by this, he looked back at Yusif.
"Hey, Yusif?"
"Yeah, Ash?" replied the older man.
"Where does that small river lead off to?"
Yusif looked at the lake and noticed the river. "You mean that river coming from the lake? Oh, that is runoff water coming from a makeshift dam. It was inadvertently created after the founding of Galope Town, during a particularly fierce rainstorm. The heavy downpour filled up a large crater in a mountain nearby, Galope Mountain, which is part of the racing track. The crater quickly overflowed and collapsed, nearly unleashing torrents of water that threatened to destroy the town, which was still new at the time. Fortunately for our ancestors, the falling rocks got stuck in a tight crevice and blocked off most of the water. Since it blocks off a large body of water, while still allowing some of it to come to town so we can thrive from it, the people now just call it the Galope Dam, even if it's not actually an official dam."
"The Galope Dam, huh?..."
"Yeah, that's correct." At that moment, Yusif looked to his right. "We're about to have a good view of the Galope Mountain soon, so you kids should look."
Ash, Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie followed Yusif's stare. It didn't take long for the jeep to pass the last of the trees and enter grassy farmlands that bordered Galope Town. Once it did, the four gasped collectively: standing just a couple of miles away was a large mountain that almost resembled a volcano.
"Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed.
"Dede..." gasped Dedenne.
"Whoa...th-that's Galope Mountain?" asked Clemont, shocked.
"It's ginormous!" Bonnie exclaimed in wonder.
"Quite a sight, isn't it?" Yusif remarked while Joey smiled slightly in amusement at the group's reaction. "You're gonna be racing around there, Ash."
"On that mountain?!" The young Trainer made a determined fist. "Awesome!"
"You're...You're not scared, Ash?..." Charlotte asked, surprised to see Ash's reaction.
"Well, of course not, Charlotte!" Ash looked at the blonde girl with a large, confident smile. "It's always great to be daring and do things you never do! Racing around on a large mountain is something I'm definitely gonna do, no matter how big and scary that mountain is or is supposed to be!"
Clemont chuckled and shook his head. "I guess Ash has made up his mind..." he said. "Once he's put his mind on something, there's no turning back for him!"
"Wow, that's so, so brave of you, Ash!" exclaimed Bonnie. "Standing up to that big, bad mountain? Awesome! I really wish Clemont had your guts, Ash!"
"Dede!" chirped Dedenne in agreement.
Clemont, blushing furiously with embarrassment, shouted, "Don't say that, Bonnie! Of course I've got guts too! I just...I just use them only whenever it's necessary!"
"Oh, I definitely agree," piped Charlotte, catching Clemont's attention.
The inventor looked at her, surprised (and actually a bit pleased) by her statement. "What, you do?"
However, Charlotte wasn't looking at Clemont; instead, she was looking at Ash. She leaned her face close to his, her hazel eyes shimmering with wonder.
"Bonnie's so right, Ash," she said. "You've totally got guts! You know, I really like the type of guy that's daring..."
Serena immediately started gagging in shock and outrage, but no one noticed. Ash, surprised by Charlotte's latest move, inched his face away from hers. Just like the last time, his cheeks were florid in embarrassment, and now, there were some noticeable beads of sweat present on his forehead.
"Th-Thanks...I-I guess..." he stuttered nervously.
"Pika..." Once again, Pikachu was disappointed in his Trainer's less-than-worthy reaction.
As for Clemont, he sighed sadly. "I thought someone had their attention on me for once..." he thought. Then, the aspiring inventor shrugged. "Oh, well..."
Original A/N: And here we are, the fourth chapter! It's shorter than I expected, but whatever. So, it looks like Serena's found a rival for Ash's affections, and we're getting to learn more details about Galope Town. Whether or not the details that we have just learned will play an important role in the story, that'll be pretty much unknown to everyone except me! You're gonna have to stay tuned to see what exact kind of importance they'll play! MWAHAHAHAHAHA! ...Ah yes, I'm evil, aren't I?
I would like to thank those who reviewed (can't answer reviews right now, sorry):
colonelstars1911
King nintendo (guest reviewer)
je18855
b0ss
chablaven
PocketMonstersDaisuki
Avatar Rikki
Guest reviewer
MizarW
OmegaEGG
Superman (guest reviewer)
Plasma57
BannanGodis
Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!
New A/N: And that marks the end of this chapter! We get a little insight on what the present-day characters are up to, and we are also introduced to some more new characters!
Just like with Lane, the trio of Yusif, Charlotte, and Joey are based on non-playable Trainer characters in the games. Yusif is based on the Worker class, Charlotte is based on the Lass class, and Joey is obviously based on the Youngster class. I even took Yusif's and Charlotte's names from those of Workers and Lasses that you encounter in the XY games.
Alright, I'd like to thank the following for reviewing:
-cricketlaxwolvesbandy: Well, the original plan was to build up to an epic entrance by the adult Ash, a strategy that I am still pursuing in the current version of "The Way We Will Be". But the adult Ash is most certainly involved in the lives of his children, don't worry about that! :D
Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!