At dusk a few days after the poacher incident, Serena and Zinnia had been making very good progress on their way to Fortree City without any real incident. And while the blonde had been walking on eggshells to avoid upsetting her traveling companion, she found herself beginning to relax as the girl hadn't shown any signs of violence towards either her or anyone else during their travels.
Well, she had when a Zigzagoon had bitten her hand. But that was just a volley of angry words as she had waved her hand around trying to get it off. A sight Serena had found incredibly amusing.
"It's getting dark. We should probably find somewhere to camp for the night." Zinnia said as she looked up at the orange sky. "I think there's a river that feeds down into the ocean nearby. It's actually the same as the one that we camped at when we met Kay."
She turned to Serena with a grin. "That river actually snakes all the way from a little ways past Fortree. It's said long ago, people who lived in the area that would someday be the city used the river for all their fishing. And the reason they live in trees is because they lost all their supplies when it flooded."
"Wow. You know a lot about Hoenn, don't you?" Serena said, not hiding how impressed she was at the girl's wealth of knowledge. "Have you traveled to the region before? I know you had said at one point you left for Alola to get information on an old legend, but you seem to know Hoenn like the back of your hand."
Zinnia let out a bark-like laugh as she led them towards the river. "I've lived in the region my whole life. And since I grew up where I didn't have access to a TV, I spent most of my time reading old books and exploring nature." She replied light heartedly. "I must have spent thousands of hours reading up on history and legends. So by the time I left home at age ten, I already had a list of places in the region I wanted to see with my own eyes. Not your typical start to a Pokémon journey, but I've never exactly been what most would call normal."
Zinnia rubbed the back of her head awkwardly and let out a laugh, being careful not to shake Aster out of her hood where she was sitting for the latter half of the day.
"A good friend of mine said that there's no such thing as a normal journey. That everyone's unique. But I'm not going to lie, I was especially weird. I wasn't interested in the Pokémon league or Pokémon contests. In fact, a part of me just wanted to get out and start traveling, seeing my history with my own eyes. And so that's what I did. And after several years of training and experience, eventually I found that even if I did compete in a league, at that point, the trainers in them were so weak it was a waste of time. So I never did."
Serena found herself a little confused by that last statement. How had Zinnia gotten that much experience if she hadn't competed in leagues? Even Ash, with six years of experience under his belt, had struggled against much less expensive trainers like Sawyer. So how on earth did Zinnia get that good without battling the best?
"Well, enough about me. Let's talk about you." Zinnia said as she turned to grin at the blonde. "What kinds of experiences have you had? What shaped you into wanting to try the…umm…Showcases…things? Did you not like gym battles? Or was it something you wanted when you started your journey?"
Now it was Serena's turn to awkwardly rub her head as she answered. "I…actually just left home less than a year ago." She confessed, blushing slightly. She knew most people left when they were ten, but during her tenth birthday, she had openly confessed that she didn't want to go as she didn't have a dream yet. Her family had been very understanding and even when some of her younger cousins left on their journey, nobody had made fun of her or rushed her to find a dream.
"I originally started my journey to meet up with someone I knew-. Well, I met at summer camp several years ago. I also kinda wanted to get away from my mom's training. She was a professional Rhyhorn racer and wanted me to follow her footsteps. But while I didn't have a dream at the time, I knew I didn't want that for myself." Serena felt her face heat up as she spoke. She hadn't realized it until right now, but when said out loud, it sounded exactly childish.
"Hehe…I guess in a sense I was kinda running away. But after making friends and spending time on my own, I realized what I wanted to do was Showcases. And so, I devoted my time and energy to training for them. And now I really want to improve. So I came to Hoenn to participate in Pokémon contests and take what I learn from them back to Kalos. But I guess I already told you that part."
Serena let out a weak laugh to cover her embarrassment. "Not the smartest way to begin my journey. I was extremely lucky my friends were willing to teach me. Without them, I probably wouldn't have lasted otherwise." Serena was blushing furiously now and was doing everything in her power not to look at the dark haired girl.
"Pretty embarrassing huh? I should have done some research before heading out. Or gathered some supplies. Like a tent or a raincoat. I must sound really stupid to you. Most people leave four years earlier and are more prepared. Must make an experienced traveler like you cringe, huh?"
A part of Serena expected the dark haired girl to laugh at her early mistakes, and in all honesty she probably deserved it! But instead of poking fun at her, Zinnia just shook her head, a gentle expression on her face.
"Hey, we all gotta start somewhere." She said encouragingly. "Sure, some people do research before they leave, and I definitely recommend it. But at the end of the day, we all could use an experienced guide to help us. Hell, when I left home, I spent most of my time using the stars to navigate instead of bringing a compass or map! Got lost in a forest during a rain storm and couldn't get out for weeks! And let me tell you, that's just Ugg!"
She stuck out her tongue and made a face like she smelled something unpleasant, making Serena giggle. And out of the corner of her eye, she saw Zinnia smiling.
It wasn't long after that they came upon the river the dark haired girl had spoken of. And sure enough, it looked like a good camping spot. Running water, a dirt area where they could make a fire, enough space to set up a tent. It looked perfect!
The only problem was there were already two people there. And from the looks of it, they were in the middle of a battle!
On one side was a boy with spiky green hair who looked around Serena's age. He was skinny and had three Pokéballs on his belt. Standing in front of him was a Kirlia, who looked like they were on their last legs! Bruises covered its body and it was on its hands and knees gasping for breath. Clearly, the battle was almost over.
Behind the green haired boy was a half finished tent that looked like someone had kicked out one of the supports. An unlit campfire was set up just far enough so the tent wouldn't catch fire.
The boy had a plain blue shirt that looked dirty. And not the wear and tear dirty, the fall on the ground a few times type of dirty. Same with his pants. In fact, now that Serena got a good look at him, it looked like he had been on the losing end of a fist fight!
And looking across at his opponent, her suspicions were pretty much confirmed.
"Hah! Is that the best you've got?!" Karen gloated as his Scizor bared down on the injured Pokémon who looked up at it defiantly. "Well, to bad! I'm all out of patience! So I think I'll be winning now! Scizor! Take that loser out with X-scissors!"
"Kirlia, Dodge!" The boy screamed, but his Pokémon was too slow to react.
"Kir!" It cried as an x was slashed across its chest. The force of the attack sent the Pokémon flying towards the river forcing the green haired boy to break from where he was standing and run towards his Pokémon, diving into the air catching it before it hit the water!
"Gah!" The boy cried as he hit the ground hard, rolling across the earth as he covered his Pokémon's head protecting it from anymore damage! And despite the pain he must have been in, he held that position until they skidded to a halt several feet away.
"Aahhh!" He moaned as he slowly got to his knees, then looked down at the Pokémon in his arms, who was looking back up at him, eyes wide with concern.
"You okay?" He asked gently. "You were great today. You almost had him there. A bit more training and-."
"Haha! Almost had me?! What battle were you watching?!" Karen said, stepping forward so the boy was in his shadow. "Calling that close is like saying I'm not the best trainer in the region! Completely ridicules!"
"Lia!" The psychic type snapped angrily at the man, trying to punch him with their small arms, but their trainer wrapped his arms around them, holding them back.
"Kirlia, stop!" The boy commanded. "You're already hurt! You can't battle anymore! Please just let this one go! We'll get stronger from this loss! So please calm down!"
"Ha! Getting stronger from a loss?! Are you seriously still at that level?! What a loser!" Karen laughed, his eyes gleaming. "Look here kid, it's not a matter of getting stronger or learning from your loss! At the end of the day, it boils down to one thing. Talent! You're either born with it or you're not! And no matter how strong you get, eventually the talentless will eventually reach their limit and stop growing. Whereas the talented will continue to rise! And if you want the advice of a talented winner, here it is. Give up. Someone like you will never be able to win a Pokémon league! Sure, you might get lucky and scrape the top four, but anything beyond that will be forever out of your reach! So save yourself the embarrassment and go home now before you make a fool of yourself! Believe me, I won a Pokémon league, I know what I'm talking about."
The boy's head dropped slightly and Serena saw his dejected face. This must not be the first one he had heard stuff like this.
Clenching her hand into a fist, the blonde into the clearing. She had seen enough and was going to stop this senseless bullying right now! Someone like Karen was a disgrace to trainers everywhere!
"Hey! Leave him alone!" Serena's yell made the four turn to look at her in surprise.
"Don't you have anything else to do besides bully other people and Pokémon?! A winner of a Pokémon league should inspire others to chase their dreams, not tell them to give up because they're newer! It's people like you who should just go home instead of throwing their weight around!"
Despite her very loud voice, Karen didn't seem to have heard her. Instead he stared mouth open at the blonde, as if he was stunned that they had run into each other again.
But after less then a second, his face morphed into one of rage. His face turned a deep shape of red as his gaze shifted to Zinnia as she followed the blonde.
"You!" He roared, pointing right at the dark haired girl. "I remember you! You're that stealing little cretan! How dare you show your face to me again!"
Without hesitation, he strode over until he stood over Zinnia, leering down at her with his best Scary Face impression! Behind him, Scizor followed his trainer and mimicked his trainer! Unfortunately, neither wasn't very effective as she simply looked up at them completely unfazed. Serena used the opportunity to rush over to the boy and ask him if he was okay.
"You have a lot to answer for!" Karen snarled, looking down at the shorter girl who looked up at him with something that looked like confusion. Those Serena didn't know why.
"First, you try to steal from me, then you make me run all over town after you! Then you have the audacity to mouth off to the great and mighty Karen Olsen! The winner of the Pokémon league! The man who achieved his victory with only using three Pokémon per battle! The living legend who crushed each gym leader with such ease they begged for mercy! The fact that you are standing in my presence and not worshiping the ground I walk on is an insult beyond compare!" As he spoke, he began gesturing in a very dramatic fashion, Scizor moving in sync with him.
"You got the drop on me last time, I'll admit it! I underestimated you! But, this time I didn't spend the day running around! So I'm at full strength and you won't get off with dumb luck like before! And with these restrictions gone, I can show you my full might! So cower in fear and aw at this!"
Karen raised his hand into the sky and Serena saw his Kay Stone was embedded in a glove he was wearing. Immediately, light began flowing from it engulfing Scizor, who's Mega Stone (also on his claw.) began to glow. And as both lights exploded out, Karen's Mega Scizor stepped forward, eyes gleaming ready for his rematch!
"Mahaha! Behold! Our Mega Evolution! This time we won't hold back! You will feel our wrath!" Beside her, the boy immediately tried to rush over to Karen to make him stop, but Serena held up her hand stopping him.
"Don't worry." She reassured him. "Zinnia will be fine. She's handled him before and I'm sure she'll do so again."
"But-!" The boy protested, but stopped when Zinnia herself held up her hand to stop him.
"So, ready begging for mercy?!" Karen gloated, thinking she was trying to stop him. "I don't blame you! Last time I was too tired to put up much of a fight, but this time you have to fight me at full strength! It would make anyone pee their pants! Unfortunately I intended to pay you back in spades! But I am merciful. So I'll let you choose your last words before I pound you into oblivion! So chose wisely!"
Calmly, Zinnia looked up at Karen, her face still one of puzzlement, then she began speaking so calmly, someone might think they were having a nice conversation over some burgers.
"Okay, I guess if I get anything words I want, could you remind me who you are again?"
Karen froze, his mouth hanging open as he stared at her in disbelief!
"Sorry, I just beat some many guys like you, your faces all blend together. I can't keep it straight." Zinnia said in an upbeat tone as she grinned up at him. "I know your name Olsen, but I think this is the first time I've ever met someone so accepting of being a Karen. Honestly most of them deny it, it's kinda refreshing to find someone embracing it! So before I send you on a one way ticket out of here, I actually am curious!"
Karen's head began throbbing with veins as he reared back, a jet of steam flying from his nose! "That's it! You're dead!" He screamed pointing right at Zinnia. "Scizor, X-scissors NOW!"
Immediately the red Pokémon shot forward, aiming right at Zinnia! The boy immediately opened his mouth to scream, but Serena already knew by the time it got out, the battle would be over.
"Salamence." Zinnia said dryly as she tossed a Pokéball into the air in front of her.
Immediately, Mega Scizor was bright to a stop as the massive Dragon blocked the bug. He glared down at the powered up Pokémon as it effortlessly held back the attack with his claws.
"N-no way!?" Karen screamed, taking a step back in surprise. His face a mask of shock. Did he really believe the nonsense he was spotting? How delusional was he?
"Dragon Rush."
The boy's eyes widened in shock as the dragon shot forward, dragging the Mega Evolved Pokémon with him as he flew at incredible speed at the trainer! Karen barely had enough time to let out a shrill shriek before both him and his Pokémon were blasting off again!
"W-wow!" The boy breathed out as his gaze followed Karen until he became too small to see anymore, causing him to turn to Zinnia, eyes still wide. To see someone that skilled be taken out like it was nothing left him in stunned awe, staring at the girl, mouth hanging open.
"Amazing." He said, hugging his Pokémon tighter to his chest. Kirlia, who was equally awestruck nodded as it stared at the girl in amazement.
"Are you okay?" Serena asked, snapping the boy out of his daze as he turned to her. "I saw that fall you took. You weren't injured, were you?"
Immediately the boy turned red as he realized he had been staring. "Yes!" He said much too abruptly, practically jumping to his feet. "I'm fine! Sorry for causing you trouble! I didn't mean to make you go out of your way to help me! I-! Cough! Cough! Cough!"
The boy immediately fell back to his knees in a loud coughing fit, his body shaking violently with each heave! He had to use his arm to catch himself during his fall so his Kirlia was dropped. But it didn't show any signs of annoyance, it simply reached up and began gently rubbing his back as he coughed!
"Oh yeah. Real convincing there." Zinnia said sarcastically as she walked over. "Here's an idea. Put your masculine ego to the side and let us help you. I don't know about you, but I don't want to wake up in the middle of the night because your injury got infected. And besides, cleaning up after an amputation is such a pain."
"Y-You don't mind camping next to me?" The boy asked somewhat surprised. And if Serena was being honest, she was surprised as well. She thought Zinnia would want to go somewhere else rather than stay here if someone else was camping.
"Honestly, I do." The dark haired girl said bluntly, making the bound head sag. "But I'm not so heartless that I'd send you off into the woods where whatever injury you have will get you eaten alive. So just tonight, I'll play nice and let a stranger sleep close by."
Despite her hard words, Zinnia had her usual grin and her voice carried its normal cheerful tone. She wanted to help the kid as much as Serena, she just showed it in a different way.
"I'm Zinnia." The girl introduced herself with her usual grin her companion was getting more and more accused of seeing. "The blonde girl is Serena. And the little guy up here is Aster." As she spoke, the normal type poked her head out of her trainer's hood and waved at the boy and his Pokémon, who were happy to wave back.
"I'm Wally. And this is Kirlia." The green haired boy said, smiling at them. "It's nice to meet you!"
A little while later.
"So Wally, you're trying to enter the Hoenn league?"
The boy nodded at Serena's question as the three trainers sat on logs around a fire. (Zinnia had dragged them over with the help of her Pokémon.) They had just finished dinner and were enjoying some warm tea Zinnia had offered. At the edge of their camp site, Serena's Pokémon were playing with Aster as well as Wally's three Pokémon, Kirlia, Marill and Magnemite.
Beside them, Noivern watched them carefully, like an adult monitoring children as she simply enjoyed the wind on her battered wings. Salamence had been returned to his ball after some bad behavior.
"That's right. I actually tried to enter last year, but due to both my late start and my poor battling abilities, I couldn't make it." He said before his voice changed to one with a bit more confidence. "But this time will be different! I watched the whole league and improved myself by watching what the competitors did right! So this year, I intend to make it all the way!"
Serena smiled as Wally spoke with passion. He sounded so hopeful and happy. It was a nice breath of fresh air to see someone like him after her most recent trail.
But then she was sent crashing back to earth as the conversation turned.
"Watching a battle isn't going to improve you that much." Zinnia said with a dismissive wave. "It's one thing to see it on TV, it's totally when you're in the heat of battle. If you don't have a level head or are a slow thinker, then it doesn't matter how much you've studied, you fail when faced with a situation you haven't seen. Trust me, I learned that lesson the hard way."
"I-I know!" Wally said deflating. "I'm well aware that I need to improve on my own as well, but it's got to count for something, right?"
Zinnia shrugged her shoulders at the boy. "I'm not saying that you can't learn anything from someone. I'm saying you should learn how to think on your feet first. Otherwise you'll lose before the battle even starts. How can you lead your team if you just copy someone else? The sooner you accept that fact, the better."
Wally lowered his head slightly, then began wringing his fingers in between themselves.
"Yeah, I see your point." He said sadly. "It's just…I want to prove my strength to myself. And seeing as I've never been strong myself, I thought I could compensate for my weakness by learning the strength of others."
Serena understood that far too well. Back when she had first heard that Aria was the Kalos queen, she had initially thought she just needed to copy her idol and she would eventually reach a level where she could truly call herself a true Pokémon trainer. And maybe be able to stand with Ash as an equal.
Of course that notion had come crumbling down after her first showcase where she had been utterly humiliated. After that, she had resolved to no longer take half measures or shortcuts. That if she was going to actually be a Performer, she'd do it because she wanted to, not as a convent way to chase a different goal.
And as she took a sip of her tea, she wondered if Wally was the same as she had been at the start of her journey.
"I know I'm weak, but I still want to at least get a little stronger." The boy said, hands clenching tightly. "I'm nowhere near this level yet, but I want to become strong enough that I can challenge Ash Ketchum!"
Immediately, Serena choked on her drink! Wally knew Ash!? How!? He was too young to have met him when he was here, right?! Had the raven haired boy come back to Hoenn after he finished his league attempt?! She didn't know a lot of his travels before Kalos, but she knew enough that rarely went to the same region twice!
Fortunately, (or unfortunately.) Zinnia decided to take matters into her hands by first pounding on the blonde's back while asking the question Serena couldn't as she coughed tea out of her lungs.
"You've met Ash Ketchup? That's a surprise. Though he ran off after losing in the Hoenn league. How'd you meet him?"
Wally shook his head in response. "I haven't actually met him." He said shyly, fidgeting nervously. "But due to a long, confusing mess. I ended up staying with the Petalburg gym leader and his family. His daughter actually helped me catch Kirlia, who was still a Ralts at the time. Anyway, when I was staying there, they frequently talked about Ash Ketchum and how he changed their lives for the better! They told me how he never gave up despite the odds and how he touched the lives of everyone he met. It was inspirational!"
Wally was now blushing and staring at his feet intensely, completely oblivious to the expressions of the girls.
"I know it sounds cheesy, but I want to be like him. The way Max and May- I mean, the Princess of Hoenn spoke about him, it sounded like he was a hero right out of a book! They told me how he saved them and countless others during their travels together! As well as how much they learned from him. May even said he was the reason she got as far as she did! I wanted to be brave and strong like him! So I decided I'd get stronger! I decided I'd one day challenge him to a battle! And even if I lose, I'll know I've gotten at least a little stronger!"
Serena stared at Wally, her eyes wide. She didn't know Ash had traveled with the Princess of Hoenn! During her research, she had seen that during an interview right after she had lost to Lisia. The Princess of Hoenn had attributed her success to a boy she had traveled with when she first started. But the blonde would have never guessed it was Ash!
But now that she thought about it, it made sense! Ash hadn't really talked much about his journey in Hoenn, but he had said he had traveled with a female Coordinator. He even carried a half ribbon from when he had tied with her in a contest as a good luck charm! It showed how much she must mean to him.
Serena found herself wrestling with a tightness in her stomach. Back when she had first found out, she had been a little jealous to be sure, but she had told herself that she wasn't going to lose to his Hoenn friend and she'd make sure to have just as many incredible memories with Ash! Now that she knew it was the Princess of Hoenn herself, she felt like a child.
May Maple was considered one of the best Coordinators in the world. Consistently ranking in the top fifteen in the world at least! She was said to be one of the brightest young women to come out of Hoenn right after Lisia herself! And her performances were always something to behold. If that wasn't bad enough, fashion magazines often approached her for modeling or interviews and most recently, she had even won the Johto beauty contest in Ecruteak City! She was well and far ahead of Serena!
Biting her lip, the girl remembered how hard Ash cheered for her at her Showcases. Had he really been bored back then after working with such an amazing Coordinator like May? She must have seemed so simple compared to the Hoenn native and he just didn't want to say anything.
And while she knew he wasn't the type to mislead her or lie to her, she also knew he might have just kept his more critical opinions to himself to avoid hurting her feelings. Sure Showcases were very different to contests, but there was a lot of overlap in the skills required for both. And May probably would have gotten as far as the blonde if she tried her hand at one.
Immediately Serena shook her head, trying to rid herself of these thoughts. There was no point worrying about this right now. She had Ash's number. Next time she was in a Pokémon Center she could just call him and ask. Right now, she should just be thankful that Wally had found such a great mentor to train and inspire him. And give him someone as wonderful as Ash to aspire to be.
"Umm…did I say something wrong?"
Serena snapped out of her thoughts when she realized she had been staring. Immediately she shook her head letting the boy release a breath.
"No! No! You didn't!" She said quickly. "I was just thinking how I'm kinda the same! There's someone I want to be like too and it was just surprising to hear that-!"
"Phhfft!"
The two looked over at Zinnia, who had one hand over her mouth and was desperately trying to stifle her laughter. And while it looked like doing this was causing her physical pain, neither trainer could figure out what they had done that was so funny.
"S-sorry! I-I didn't mean to interrupt a heart to heart like that!" She said, still struggling to keep herself from laughing. "I-I just couldn't h-help it when you said you want to challenge a loser like Ash Ketchup! It's to-! Hahahaha!"
Immediately Serena bristled as Zinnia dubbed over laughing. Each guffaw sent a wave of anger through the girl's body as she struggled to hold herself back as the girl laughed mockingly at her hero.
"A loser? What do you mean?" Wally asked, confused. But his words only caused Zinnia to laugh harder. Her hands clenched her stomach and Serena could see tears in her eyes, making the blonde even angrier!
"I-! it's just-! Haha! G-give me a second! This is just too funny! Hahahaha!" Zinnia cried as she struggled to breath. Her laughter was so loud, it caused the Pokémon to look over at the trainer making sure they were alright.
After a few more seconds of having to endure Zinnia's laughing, said girl straightened up, wiping tears from her eyes as she turned to face Wally, who looked even more confused.
"Ha! Man, you should be a comedian! I haven't laughed that hard in forever! Thanks buddy!" She said, clapping the boy on shoulder. "Sorry about that. I wasn't laughing at you, I promise! It's just! Youcould do some much better than Ash Ketchup for an idol!"
"Ketchum!" Serena said, trying not to let her voice carry an edge. "And what do you have against Ash anyway?! He's an incredible trainer! Sure, he can be rough around the edges at times, but he has a good heart and is an incredible trainer!"
"Pfft! Are we talking about the same boy?" Zinnia said with a laugh. "Regardless of what I have against him, it doesn't change the fact that he's a half assed trainer at best. I watched his battles live in the Hoenn league all those years ago, and let me tell you, his was a disappointment."
"He was reckless, didn't think, barely strategized, had half his team not even fully evolved and was far too reliant on his ability to think quickly in the moment instead of doing his homework about his opponents." Zinnia's words felt like personal jabs to Serena. Each one made her more and more frustrated that the dark haired girl would dare slander someone so amazing!
Serena's anger had become visible on her face and while Wally noticed it, Zinnia was still looking at the boy so she didn't notice.
"He's a hyperactive loser with a big mouth! Honestly, just watching him battle makes me feel second hand embarrassment! He's so lame you'd never guess that he sto-! That he got all eight of his badges! If I'm being honest, it's kinda embarrassing that someone at his level got as far as he did! If I had been one of the opponents he beat, I'd probably be too ashamed to show my face back hom-!"
"Shut up!"
Immediately all eyes were on Serena who had jumped to her feet as she glared daggers at Zinnia. She was done listening to all the bad mouthing of her hero and she wasn't going to let the dark haired girl say another word against him!
"You don't know anything about Ash! So stop talking like you do!" She yelled. A part of the blonde knew this was a bad idea. The part that hadn't forgotten how easily she had sentenced someone to death. But right now she didn't care! Zinnia's words had been drilling their way into her head and she couldn't stand to hear another word!
"Ash is a kind and strong trainer who isn't afraid to stand his ground for what he believes in! He's saved countless people and inspired countless more! He never gives up and will always put his best foot forward at everything he tries! He is an amazing trainer!" Serena locked eyes with Zinnia who looked somewhat stunned. But even so, the blonde refused to let up, taking a step towards the girl.
"Ash Ketchum is out there right now trying to make his dream a reality! And with his courage and bravery I know one day he'll be the greatest Pokémon Master in the world! He's already accomplished so much and has faced dangers nobody else could imagine! Yet even after everything he's seen, he stays humble and respectful! He's the strongest trainer I know, stronger than even you!"
Zinnia stared up at Serena dumbfounded right up until she said that last part. Immediately the dark haired girl's face changed. And while it was only for a second, Serena saw a glimpse of the rage in the girl.
But the next second it was gone, replaced with Zinnia's usual grin as she turned away from the blonde with a dry chuckle.
"Wow. That was quite a sermon." She said, though her voice had a slight strain to it. "That Ash must have lit quite a fire under your butt for you to jump to his defense so quickly. You know him well?"
"Yes." The blonde replied stiffly. "He taught me everything I know about Pokémon. From battles to travel, I wouldn't be here without him." Serena held her stern gaze on the dark haired girl, who glanced over her shoulder and locked eyes with the other girl.
"Battles, eh?" She murmured quietly. Then her eyes lit up with a flame that almost completely overwhelmed Serena! For a second, she was looking at a girl, but a massive dragon! She had turned her long neck around to look at her, but she didn't see an opponent or an aggressor. To her, the blonde was just a pest.
Her eyes widened in shock and confusion. What the heck was going on?! The incredible intensity emanating from the girl was overwhelming! She had never felt anything like it from a single look before!
But before Serena could even process what was happening, the dragon moved suddenly, disappearing from her vision! And as she blinked back to reality, she saw that Zinnia had closed the distance between them in a single step! She now had one foot on the log and she had gotten so close to the blonde she could feel the girl's breath on her face.
Serena's first instinct was to take a step back. But doing that would show weakness, doubt. She wasn't going to back down about her claim, not when she still fully believed it.
So she gritted her teeth and held her ground
"So he taught you, huh?" Zinnia asked, her eyes still burning with that same spark as before. "Interesting. How about you put your money where your mouth is, Serena? Care to prove how much better Ash Ketchup is then me?"
"What do you have in mind?" The blonde asked. Though she had a pretty good idea of what it might be.
"A Pokémon battle! You show me just how much Ash taught you. And if half the things you said are true, then you should win easily! And if you beat me, I'll take back everything I said!" Zinnia's grin was noticeably wider than before as Serena got confirmation of her theory. "I'll even give you an appropriate handicap of your choice to make it fair and let you have a few days to train and strategize. But after that, we battle with two of your Pokémon against one of mine! And when I win, you have to admit I was right and he's a hack! That sound fair to you?"
It didn't. Zinnia was far more experienced and was much more comfortable with battles. If that wasn't bad enough, the girl had been watching the battle with Arnold so she knew a good number of her tricks meaning they probably wouldn't work on her.
But despite that, Serena held Zinnia's gaze, not backing down despite how much the odds were stacked against her. Tightening her hand into a fist, she held her gaze with the older girl as she took a deep breath before she gave her answer.
"I accept!" She said, strength and confidence in her voice as she held Zinnia's gaze.
The two stood there, glaring at each other with fire burning in their eyes. One a dragon with strength, fury, and sheer destructive power with the confidence to match. She was willing to lower herself to prove the hero couldn't take anymore from her!
The other, a princess, no longer bound by the chains once holding her down. Now ready to make her own stand to protect the honor of the hero who freed her. While lacking strength and experience, she made up with it through sheer determination!
The two girls glared at one another, both a titan in their own right, now about to clash for something neither's pride was willing to allow! Conviction radiated from them like flames that the other could feel, trying to push them into submission!
But neither was going to yield. This was too important to them. And so, the battlefield awaited!
"Ummm. Right. I think it's time for me to go to bed." Wally said quietly from behind the log where he had hidden.