The salty sea breeze blew the faces of the trio as they arrived in Hulbury. It was a small town right on the coast of Galar. It was an important port city, and there was also the next Gym, where Nessa, the Gym Leader, specialized in Water-type Pokemon.
Ash, Serena and Gou walked along the streets of Hulbury and Riolu walked beside Ash. "You seem restless, Master," it said through Aura and Ash shook his head slightly. "I'm not restless, but excited," he replied with the help of Aura, resolutely raising his fists in the air. Pikachu on his shoulder did the same and said, "Pika!"
Ash had developed a lot using Aura during their few days as they had traveled towards Hulbury. Talking through Aura went from him completely without any problems and next Riolu wanted him to start practicing performing Aura. Although Ash had already done it in past, the skill had been forgotten over the years and now he had to learn it again.
"I see, Master. What about the other thing we talked about on the first night? Do you still understand what I meant by the girl and your density?"
Ash shook his head. "No, I'm not. I still don't understand what Serena has to do here. Couldn't you just tell me?" he created a begging look at Riolu, but it just smiled devilishly. "I'm sorry, Master, but you just have to come up with a solution yourself, I'm not going to help with that."
Then it closed the Aura connection and Ash was annoyed to stare at the back of Serena's head. What did Riolu mean by that? Was this somehow related to the feelings Ash had with Serena and the girl was causing her? Pikachu shook his head on his shoulder. The density of the Ash wouldn't just disappear into anything.
Since only Aura's users could hear the speech using it, Serena had no idea what Riolu and Ash had just discussed. She browsed the Rotom Phone and the Yamper next to her barked and began to spin around her legs restlessly.
Serena had learned that by the time Yamper started doing so, he was either hungry or wanted attention. In this case, she thought the behavior was due to hunger, as they did not eat for many hours and Serena herself was a little hungry, too.
Serena lifted the restless Yamper into her arms and turned to the boys. "What would you say if we went to eat somewhere before we looked for that Gym?" she asked and put her Rotom Phone in her pocket.
"Good idea," said Gou, and Scorbunny nodded on his head, agreeing. "I'm really hungry now"
"What about you Ash?" Serena asked Ash, smiling, turning to the boy, and at the same time gently tapped Yamper on its nose as it had tried to bite Serena's fingers.
Ash startled. He had been completely in his own thoughts when Serena had turned to him, but had been able to save the situation quickly.
"Me? I think that's a great idea!" he said and his stomach growled, agreeing. Ash laughed in embarrassment. "And my stomach agrees," he said and Serena giggled.
Ash sighed in relief. Luckily, Serena couldn't read the thoughts, otherwise, she would have found out that Ash had been thinking of honey-blonde-girl. Riolu and Pikachu, on the other hand, knew why Ash had been so in his mind and looked at each other like conspirators.
****
A moment later, they stepped into a small restaurant called Captain's Table. It was pretty famous for its seafood, but it wasn't those five-star restaurants where one glass of water was overpriced.
The restaurant was a little quieter today than usual, so the trio easily found a free table. They sat at a table next to the window and the friendly-looking waitress brought them menus, and as she left, Ash looked at the restaurant with interest.
It was decorated in a nautical theme and blue and white were the predominant colors. Next to their table was a window overlooking the street and both sides of the window were lined with blue and white striped curtains.
Ash opened the menu and listened with one ear on the restaurant's rumble and the second one to Serena, who was wondering what to eat. She had already given her Yamper a small bowl of Pokemon food, as it had already become very restless.
"And then Rianna told Tea that she had seen Benny with Olivia, even though everyone knows Benny is with Ellie. You don't believe how Rianna.."
The girl's voice from behind made Ash freeze. He recognized that voice. Pikachu opposite from him looked at him strangely as Ash glanced gently over his shoulder and made sure he was right.
Yep, yes he was. Towards their table walked the same two girls who had asked for a selfie with him at the airport on that first day. There could be no mistake about that pink ruffle skirt and hair clips.
The girls approached their table menacingly and Ash hissed at Serena, "Hide me, quick!"
"What?" Serena startled and Ash hissed between his teeth, "Hide. Me. Quickly. I don't want to be seen."
"But why?" asked Serena in wonder, but Ash noticed the girls were almost at their table and in desperation grabbed the curtain next to the window and hid behind it.
"But Monica, you know Olivia, that bitch is sleeping with any dude who's interested in it, Benny is just one of the big group. Ellie doesn't seem to be happy, Benny seems to be her first decent boyfriend, I said she should have chosen Thomas, that dude will never let you down.. "
Ash heard the girls approaching from behind the curtain and prayed with fingers and toes crossed that they would pass the table and just continue their journey. He was by no means amused to stay chatting with them and taking selfies was at the bottom of his list.
Ash held his breath as the girls passed the table and when they were at a safe distance, he sighed in relief and dared to come out from behind the curtain.
Gou seemed to burst out laughing soon, Pikachu grinned broadly, and Riolu and Scorbunny looked wondering, as did Serena, who asked, "Ash, what was that about? You seemed to know those girls, but why did you have to hide from them?" She looked at Ash sharply and felt jealousy grow.
Gou could no longer hold back his laughter. "We met them the day we arrived in Galar, they called themselves Ash's 'fans' and demanded to be able to take pictures with him. I don't understand why you were hiding now, then you seemed to really enjoy the attention of those girls."
Ash's ears blushed and he lifted his menu to protect his face so others wouldn't notice him blushing. Gou still snickered, but Serena didn't laugh. She had guessed that Ash's Alola's victory would bring the boy some sort of fame, but she hadn't thought it would be quite like this. Attention and crowds of girls, hah, Miette had been already enough.
"Oh, I see," she said dryly, raising her menu in front of her face to conceal her sour look. Gou did the same, and Riolu, who had heard every word very well, said to Ash through Aura, "The Master seems to have fans. What would they say if the Master showed little Aura tricks.."
"Shut up," Ash said bitterly, using Aura and Riolu fell silent, still grinning mischievously.
****
They ate in silence and, after eating, set out in search of Hulbury Gym. By that time, Serena's jealousy had completely disappeared and she was a normal, happy self. Gou had finally gotten himself piled up, no longer laughing at hiding behind the veil of Ash. And Ash in turn... well, he was after the same, over-eager himself.
Serena looked at Rotom Phone's map and then said to the others, "This way, I'm pretty sure this takes us to the gym," she said, referring others to follow.
Guided by Serena, they found their way to Hulbury Harbor and the salty sea breeze blew against their faces.
"Where now?" Ash asked and felt his enthusiasm grow. What would Hulbury's Gym Leader look like? Would she have Pokemon who could Dynamax or even Gigantamax itself? And if so, how would he himself beat them?
Meanwhile, Serena examined her map and tried to find a Gym in it. The sea breeze blew her hair all the time to her eyes and she had to brush them off by fingers all the time. Should the hair be cut again, she thought and looked at her hair, which had grown a little below her shoulders.
They sat on a bench near the fence that prevented people from falling into the water and Ash and Gou watched the sea that opened in front of them. Although the air was a bit windy, it was still warm and the sunshine made the surface of the water sparkle beautifully.
A close voice made them startle. They turned their gaze to the sound and saw a man with a heavy-looking camera around his neck looking at something about it and saying to another man holding some kind of shooting lights, "These are good, but these are still missing something. Something startling, you know."
The men stood near the point leading to the pier and behind them was a black van parked and surrounded by all sorts of photography equipment. The man holding the camera was clearly a professional photographer and the man holding the equipment was as well.
"Startling?" said a beautiful, young woman who walked over to the men from the car and peeked at the camera.
The woman had dark skin, startlingly blue eyes, and dark, straight, and long hair with light blue streaks. She had put some of her hair on the bun and the rest was free.
She had gold ring earrings in her ears and two different rings in her left arm, a thicker blue and a yellow, zigzag pattern. She had a yellow bead belt on her hips, a necklace with a round blue stone around her neck, and a blue glove on her right hand.
As for clothes, she wore a short, white-orange-blue top and shorts of the same color. As for shoes, she wore special sandals of the same color with tense, lifebuoy-like embellishments.
"After all, we already took pictures with the Pokemon, isn't that startling enough already?" she said and put her hands in a gust.
The cameraman scratched his head. "Yes, they are on some level, but I miss something else, something new and surprising, like.. you!"
His gaze had wandered around and suddenly he had noticed a trio sitting nearby and staring at them. His gaze had nailed to Serena, and he had immediately realized she had his "startling thing."
The cameraman exclaimed in their direction, "Hey you, you honey-blond girl in a pink dress! Would you come to visit me here a little!?"
Serena was amazed. Did he mean her? Why did the cameraman want her to come to him? She looked at Ash and Gou and they glanced at each other and shrugged. Then they got up and went for a walk towards the cameramen and the young woman.
As she got closer, Serena distinguished the cameraman's appearance better. He was tall, had muscular shoulders and arms, and was wearing completely black clothes. He was wearing a black beanie with a white picture of a Pokeball, a black T-shirt, black jeans and black sneakers. He also had black glasses and really the only colored things in him were his copper-colored hair peeking out from under the beanie, a bushy beard of the same color, and colorful tattoos on his arms.
As Serena got closer, the man felt she was perfect. He said to his assistant, "The girl is perfect, with her help we can take pictures of the century."
His assistant did not seem to understand what he meant. "Axel, what are you really after?" he said, but a cameraman called Axel did not respond. Instead, he measured Serena with his gaze and when the girl had gotten close enough, he said, "Perfect. Young lad, whatever your name is, have you ever been a model?"
"I'm Serena and I have been once a fashion show, but..," Serena began, but Axel clapped his hands together, interrupting her. "Perfect! And.. wait, is that Pikachu!? An Electric Pokemon! Nessa, now I figure out it! Electric and water, what a perfect combination, it's going to look so great!"
"Uh... what?" said Serena and Ash exclaimed suddenly after noticing a young woman who had been watching Axel all the time in amazement at his plans, "Are you Nessa!? Hulbury's Gym Leader?!"
Nessa nodded and formed the word silently on her lips, "Later." She pointed to Axel, who was currently explaining to Serena, "You and this Nessa here, with your help, I'm taking pictures what was never seen. However, you need some other clothes, that dress is a little too thick, when Nessa also only has shorts and a top.. "
Now it dawned on Serena what this Axel was really chasing. "WHAT!" she exclaimed after realizing that she should pose as a model with that one named Nessa, apparently the Leader of the Gym of this place. "Am I a model? Nope, never, absolutely not!" she resisted and Axel seemed to beg.
"Please, with you and Nessa and that Pikachu, it would be perfect! Of course we'll pay you, if it's stuck with it, the pictures will still come in a pretty sensible magazine, right?"
"I don't need money, I just..." Serena bit her lips. Should she agree? Being at Valerie's fashion show was a whole different matter than this. That's when she was only seen by a bunch of people, no more. But this... she would be seen by anyone looking at the magazine. On the other hand, after all, she had already been in front of the cameras, Showcases was usually filmed to watch the whole of Kalos...
Serena glanced at Ash, who raised his thumbs up and said, "Go on, Serena, I know you can do it." Pikachu jumped on her shoulder and said resolutely, "Pika pika chu!"
Serena smiled at them and then sighed. Then she finally said to Axel, "Fine, I'll do it." Axel seemed to explode with excitement.
****
After a while, Serena had gotten new, lighter clothes that she was supposed to be wearing with Nessa in the pictures. The clothes included an orange top, white shorts and greenish sandals. She was to appear in the pictures with Pikachu.
"Um... aren't these a little too light clothes here?" asked Serena, who was shaking slightly in the wind blowing from the sea. She wrapped her arms around her body and looked at Ash and Gou, who were comfortable being on a nearby bench. Fortunately, the sun was shining.
Axel waved his hand and said, "Phhw... Not at all, look at Nessa now, she doesn't freeze in those either." Serena stared at the Water-type Gym Leader and thought, "How?"
****
When the pictures had finally been taken and Serena had put on her normal clothes again, Axel packed his stuff, shook his hand with them and said, "It was a pleasure to work with you, Serena. I'll send you the finished pictures then and you'll probably see them in the magazines sometime, I don't know the exact date" Then he and his assistants packed up the rest of their belongings and left in their van.
The trio plus Nessa watched as their car drove away and then Ash turned to talk to Nessa and said, "I didn't know you were a model. Aren't you pretty busy if you're a Gym Leader too?"
Nessa smiled. "Well, I am, between me, it's pretty tricky sometimes to reconcile the two." Then her expression suddenly became more determined and she said to Ash, "But not about that anymore. I guess you've come here to challenge me to a Gym battle, right?"
Ash raised his fists resolutely into the air. "Yeah," he said, and Pikachu, who was now in his usual place on Ash's shoulder, did the same, and also said resolutely, "Pika!" Nessa nodded and said, "All right then, and oh, we have arrived"
In front of them was Hulbury Gym, which was very reminiscent of Turffield Gym. It was located near a pier and resembled a sports stadium. "Why are they so big?" Serena asked, tilting her head in amazement and Ash realized she was right.
"That Pokemon can fit in Dynamax or Gigantamax themselves inside them," Nessa explained and led them inside. "If the Gyms were smaller, the Pokemon wouldn't be able to do that and the whole hall would just fall apart as they grew to be many times big."
"Oh, well, of course," Serena said, feeling a little stupid and watched around.
The Gym also resembled a lot of Turffield Gym inside, and one of the Gym's employees rushed against them. Nessa greeted him and explained that she and Ash would take a Gym battle. The employee nodded and said he was acting as a referee.
After a while, Ash and Nessa stood on both sides of the field and the assistant referee was in the middle of the field. Serena and Gou had gone to sit in the auditorium and Scorbunny sat interested in Gou's lap. "What kind of match is this going to be?" Gou thought and Serena thought the same.
"I hope it goes well for Ash," she said a little worried, but Gou just crossed his arms behind his neck and said carefree, "Nah, he's Ash Ketchum, he's fine."
On the field, the referee just explained the rules. "This is a three-on-three match between Gym Leader Nessa and challenger Ash. The winner is the one whose Pokemon are the last to stand. Begin!"
Ash threw one of the Pokeballs into the air and shouted, "Rookidee, I choose you!"
A small bird Pokemon appeared in front of him and said resolutely, "Dee!"
Nessa grinned and picked up one of her Pokeballs. "Rookidee? Well, my Pokemon then is this: Arrokuda, I'll pick you!"
A Water-type Pokemon resembling a pike appeared in front of her. It looked a little angry and Nessa grinned.
The battle could begin.