"Could you two stop that fight even for a moment!?" exclaimed Ash and looked annoyed at Lucario and Greninja.
Those two fell silent for a moment, glancing at Ash, and Ash had hope that even this time his words had some effect. But then Greninja and Lucario glanced at each other and started arguing with each other with their own Pokemon language.
"This is hopeless," Ash said helplessly. "They've continued that since Postwick, and I don't even have an idea what they're arguing about."
Serena, who knew very well what it was all about, sighed deeply and Gou, who was also knowledgeable about things, said, "Ash, sometimes you're not only dense, but also blind."
They had now traveled three days from Postwick towards Motostoke and all that time Greninja and Lucario had fought, quarreled and behaved towards each other otherwise badly. The reason for this was simple: Braixen.
Every time Braixen was out of her Pokeball, Greninja and Lucario tried to get her attention. They fought over who should sit closer to Braixen, presented her their strength, and bragged about which one had done the bigger deeds.
When the Braixen didn't seem to get much excited about either, they started their usual war of words, which ended with Ash returning the fighters to their balls, from which they returned back out a minute later and continued where they had left off. This, as you might guess, had made the nerves of the expedition quite tense.
Right now, the war of words between Greninja and Lucario went like this: (Translated from Pokemon to make it easier to understand)
"You heard what the Master said, shut up, frog"
"What, I started this?! You are here tolerate shut up, dog. Besides, I'm a ninja, and not a frog!"
"Really? I think you have not even seen a ninja! Besides, I'm not a dog, I'm Aura Pokemon!"
"Are you sure? I could even bet that Pokedex would describe you as doggy, whatever that means. And using your Aura skills are so lousy that it's not even worth talking about!"
"What did you say? I don't know how to use Aura? Let's see, shall we? I can create a small blow from this right in your face, and I wouldn't have to look at your ugly face anymore."
"You wouldn't dare, your Master would be angry and wouldn't like you anymore. And what Braixen might say..."
"She'd think at least I defended my own honor. Unlike you! And my Master has no say in this fight!"
"Your honor? Since when did you have one? I am here one, whose honor to be defended, not that kind of wannabe Aura Pokémon!"
Lucario growled and formed a blue cane in his hand.
"I warn you, frog. One single wrong word or move and you will become Mandibuzz's food"
"Should I be afraid of you, dog? I have weapons too"
Greninja formed a few Water Shuriken with his hands and they both stared at each other angrily.
"ENOUGH! Enough! Both of you! You went too far!" exclaimed Ash angrily and walked between them.
"Master, don't interfere with this. This is the thing between me and that frog. The stronger wins, that way it would go by nature," Lucario said and growled at Greninja. Greninja tensed his hand ready to throw Shuriken to Lucario.
"Maybe, but you're not in the wild. Return!," Ash said, pointing both at their Pokeballs. Lucario and Greninja disappeared inside and Ash wondered, how long they would stay in them this time, maybe even two minutes.
Half a minute. Then Greninja and Lucario came back out and continued their argument. Ash looked at them disgusted and said to Serena and Gou, "Are we just going on?"
The others nodded and moved forward, Lucario and Greninja arguing at each other in an ever louder voice.
****
They went some distance and all the while Greninja and Lucario insulted each other and a few times the going was going to turn into a fight. Then Ash had to intervene and Lucario and Geeninja fell silent for a moment. Until they started over.
After traveling for about two hours, an unexpected obstacle came in front of them; a deep gorge that seemed to go a long way.
They stopped at the edge of it and Ash glanced down. It was so deep that the bottom wasn't even visible. Ash scratched his head and said, "Well, a dead end. How do we get over that?"
"There's no way," Gou said. "None of us have a powerful enough Flying-type Pokemon to transport us, and the bridge doesn't seem to be around either."
"Could we get around it?" suggested Serena. "We could walk along the edge until the gorge ends or there is a crossing in front, what do you say?"
"But what if the gorge doesn't run out? What if it continues all the way to the coast? Then at least we can't get over it," Gou said and Serena sighed. "True, I didn't think about it," she said and they all tried to think of a solution to the dilemma.
Ash tried to get even some useful idea in his head, but Greninja and Lucario's constant word-of-mouth made it difficult for him to concentrate. In the end, it was enough for him.
"SHUT UP, both of you! Don't you see I'm trying to come up with a solution to this?!" he shouted, pointing to the gorge and Greninja and Lucario fell silent in surprise at his volume.
Finally, Ash thought contentedly. At last, they fell silent. He grinned and his grin seemed a little crazy, as Serena worried and asked, "Ash, are you okay? You don't look quite like that and you don't usually shout about your Pokemon!"
"Yep, I agree. And no offense, Ketchum, but you look mad with that grin," blurted Gou, and Ash's silly grin froze.
"I just.. uh, I'm tired of fighting over Greninja and Lucario, I'm tired and I'm now feeling like I'M DONE WITH THIS BICKERING!"
Greninja and Lucario had started bickering again and now Serena was getting bored. "You heard what Ash said, be quiet," she urged, but the words had no effect.
Serena got tired. "SHUT UP!" she roared and it worked. "Thank you. And if you care about any of your trainer, you'll be quiet too. And now we're going to look for a crossing point for this gorge."
Having said that, she set out to march along the edge of the gorge and Ash and Gou remained amazed to stare at her waning back.
"How... she did that?" said Ash and Gou shrugged.
"We'll probably never get an answer to that," he said, and they hurried after Serena, Lucario and Greninja glaring at each other, but, miraculously, remaining silent.
****
They walked forward, following the edge of the gorge in silence, each immersed in their own thoughts. When Lucario and Greninja were finally silent, they could even be heard.
Ash thought a little bit of everything, from the match strategies to the honey-blond girl in front of him. He still didn't quite understand what made him think of Serena and he decided to try to see if Lucario would agree to tell him anything.
"Lucario, could you help?" he asked cautiously through Aura, he wasn't quite sure what mood Lucario might be in after his shouting.
"Depends on the situation, but at least I'll try, Master," Lucario replied and Ash was relieved that Lucario didn't sound very angry.
"Could you explain why Serena always seems to be on my mind? I don't really understand it and it bothers me," Ash said and Lucario seemed to sigh very deeply.
"Oh, this question again. I told you then that I wasn't going to tell you the answer to this. So, have you thought about what I asked you while I was still Riolu?"
"I am, but I still do not really understand it. Every time I'm inventing a solution, it seems, that it glides away again"
"Have you come close to any solution yet?"
"Not really, but I know there's a word involved in the solution. I just don't remember what it is."
"Yes, Master. The word is connected to it, and when you come up with it, you also come up with a solution to your question. Now, if you had nothing else, Master, I want to be alone with my thoughts for a while."
"All right," Ash said, ending the conversation and after a while he realized that Lucario hadn't really helped him in any way with the question.
Time passed and the gorge continued and continued. They noticed that gray clouds began to form in the sky, darkening the sun, and the air cooled slightly. And it didn't take long after it started to rain, first drizzling and then pouring.
They really couldn't help but continue the journey. There were very few trees in the area and the few that were there would not have provided much protection.
They were also not amused to set up tents at that point, so they just walked forward, water running down their hair, soaking their clothes and turning the surrounding sand path into the mud.
As they gradually began to feel that the gorge would be impossible to cross, they noticed a suspension bridge that took them across the gorge. Enthusiastic about this observation, they hurried forward, groping wet hair from their faces at times.
When they reached the bridge, their enthusiasm froze a little. The bridge did not look very sturdy. It consisted of strings and pieces of plank and it seemed that the strings had almost worn across some points. Nor was it helped that the planks had become slippery from the rain.
They stared at the bridge and Ash said, trying to sound positive, "Well, it's better than nothing."
"Pika.." said Pikachu on Ash's shoulder and Lucario and Greninja wondered if pushing another down the bridge would be too crude an act. Maybe it would be.
Serena swallowed and said, "There must be other crossings here than that. That looks like the one you step into when you want to play with your life."
"Yep, that looks like it wouldn't even stand Eevee," Gou said and a gloomy silence descended upon them, only the sound of rain dripping over the planks of the bridge.
Eventually, Ash broke the silence. "Well, I guess there's no other option, so we have to cross that bridge. Serena, you go first, Gou and Lucario then, me, Greninja and Pikachu we'll follow."
The others nodded and the nervous Serena stepped cautiously onto the first plank, while holding on to the ropes. The plank creaked slightly under her weight, but it lasted and she carefully took the second step. The bridge seemed to withstand, too.
She walked carefully forward on the wet and slippery planks, squeezing the ropes into the knuckles white and hoping the rain would stop. She kept her eyes glued to the opposite shore all the time and warned not to look down. For if she had done so, she would surely have fallen.
When she got to the middle of the bridge, she stopped. The bridge had last until now, and she hoped it would last until the end as well. She gently turned her head and smiled a little at Ash and Gou and Gou stepped onto the bridge as well.
Serena turned her gaze back forward and took a deep breath. Then she continued her journey again, keeping her eyes tightly forward. She didn't want to take the risk of look down.
When she finally got to the other side, she slumped into the ground with relief and cared nothing that the muddy ground would mess up her dress.
Shee got up and smiled in relief at Ash, who was standing on the opposite side, and Gou, who was now halfway between the bridge. "I'm fine!" she exclaimed and Ash and Gou sighed in relief.
Now Ash also stepped on the bridge. Greninja and Pikachu came with him and Ash hoped the bridge would still be able to support him.
Gou was just with Lucario stepping up to Serena and Ash was in the middle of the bridge when things started to go wrong.
At first, Ash felt the bridge sway ominously. Then he saw that the string had been worn across many points in front of him and Greninja was just stepping to that point. Ash's eyes widened in horror as he realized that the strings would not withstand Greninja's weight.
"Greninja, NO!" he exclaimed and stepped forward unnoticed too quickly. It and Greninja's, Pikachu's and his combined weight were too much for the ropes on the bridge and they snapped across.
Ash felt the base disappear under his feet and then he felt him fall. He had time to grab Pikachu and grab his lap, move him to his shoulder and grab Greninja by the hand. He tried to grab the hanging ropes from the bridge, and got a grip on one. But how long he could hang on to it was a different matter.
Ash hung from the rope with one hand and held Pikachu in his shoulder and Greninja in his other hand. The rain made the rope slippery and he gradually felt his strength run out.
He told Pikachu to move over his head and speculated one of his Pokeballs on his belt. He let Corvisquire out and when this appeared in front of him, he said, "Corvisquire, take Pikachu to safety."
"Corvi corv," (But what about you?) said Corvisquire, but Ash shook his head. "You can't stand me. No, no objections. You take Pikachu and take him up. Is that clear?"
"Squire," Corvisquire said submissively and took Pikachu on his back. It carried Pikachu up, and there Pikachu immediately jumped into Serena's arms. The next thing made them both scream in horror. Ash's grip slipped and he fell with Greninja.
Serena looked at this in horror and shouted, "Ash! NO!" She tried to plunge to the edge, but Gou prevented her. "You can do nothing," he said as Serena rumbled in his grip.
Eventually, she surrendered and slumped into the ground crying, the rain mixing with her tears. Pikachu patted her on the back and looked very sad, he was sure his trainer and best friend were gone.
But Corvisquire had not given up yet. Contrary to Ash's command, it plunged into the gorge intending to rescue Ash.
Lucario, who had watched this biting lip, sighed, went for a run, and jumped into the gorge. Gou looked at it like crazy, but Serena didn't see anything as her eyes were full of tears.
****
Ash felt the wind hum in his ears as he dripped through the air and Greninja drips beside him. Well, that kind of way to die then, he thought grimly and suddenly he noticed a black dot crashing towards him.
Is that Corvisquire? he thought and then noticed another black dot appear next to the other. The second dot formed something blue and Ash realized it was Lucario.
Corvisquire flew as hard as it could, but it still didn't feel enough. It found Lucario next to him doing something about his Aura Tricks and then Corvisquire cried loud. He wouldn't let his trainer die because of its slowness!
Then its body began to shine and it began to grow in length and width. Its beak expanded and it got a steel feather cover. And when the glow faded, it was no longer Corvisquire, but Corviknight.
The newly evolved Corviknight may not have been faster, but it got Lucario back on his back. Together they flew towards Ash and Greninja and hoped they would not be late.
Ash saw them coming, but he also noticed the ground approach. He closed his eyes and hoped for the best.
Lucario got the idea. It concentrated its forces and directed them to the ground. It made Stone Edge and noticed with satisfaction a few peaks appearing. Admittedly, the effect was not as strong as it would have been if he had slapped his hand on the ground, but this was valid.
Then it was the turn of the challenging part. Lucario closed his eyes and touched Greninja's mind with Aura. "Can you hear me, frog?" he asked and miraculously got an answer.
"I can. What do you want?" asked Greninja and Lucario quickly explained, "You have to grab one of those boulders I created. Grab my Master and wait for us to pick you up."
"Why would I trust your words, dog?" Greninja asked suspiciously and Lucario sighed in despair.
"You just have to! If you want to live! If you want Mas... Ash live! So, just do it, please"
Greninja was silent for a moment and then muttered, "All right. This time."
It wrapped its tongue around the stack and Ash opened his eyes. He found himself hanging from Greninja's hand and Lucario and some big and dark Pokemon flying towards them.
When these reached them, a dark Pokemon flew under them and Lucario ordered Greninja to drip down. Greninja obeyed and it and Ash pounded on the back of the dark Pokemon.
"Hello Master, luckily you're fine," Lucario said through Aura as Ash rubbed his knees. "Hello Lucario," Ash said. "And... Corvisquire?" he continued, recognizing the Pokemon.
"Yes, but he's no longer Corvisquire. He evolved on the way here and now he's Corviknight. It's worth a look at Pokedex," Lucario explained, and Ash nodded, picking up Rotom and scanning Corviknight with it:
"Corviknight, Raven Pokemon and final evolution of Rookidee. Flying and Steel-type. This Pokémon Reigns Supreme in the skies of the Galar region. The black luster of its steel body could drive Terror into the heart of any foe."
"Oh, congrats, Corviknight," Ash said, putting the Rotom away. Corviknight growled and then Ash said: "Let's go up, I'm pretty sure that Serena, Pikachu and Gou think that we're dead"
Corviknight seemed to nod and started to rise. On its ride, Lucario and Greninja blinked at each other.
"Thank you.. for saving me," Greninja growled and Lucario shrugged.
"You would have done the same," it said and they were silent for a moment. Then Greninja opened his mouth again and said, "But the competition still continues, dog."
"I didn't expect anything else, frog," Lucario grinned, but it was clear that the relationship between them was no longer so awfully awkward.
****
At the top edge of the gorge, Gou notices the rain has stopped and glances at the sky. The gray clouds slowly recede away and the sun reappears. He smiles slightly at the sight. Maybe this is a sign that everything will turn out good anyway.
Serena, on the other hand, does not notice the sun. Her mood is as gray as the recent sky. She sits on wet ground, her hair in front of her face and cries quietly. Pikachu looks at her worried and equally sad. However, Pikachu still manages to believe that Ash will be saved somehow.
Suddenly, Pikachu moves his ears and turns his gaze to the edge of the gorge. It starts to walk towards it and Gou notices it.
"Pikachu, what now?" he asks, but Pikachu does not answer. Gou leaves to walk to Pikachu and suddenly something big and dark rushes down the gorge, descending to the ground.
Gou recognizes the creature as a Pokemon, and on its back he notices Lucario and Greninja, who sitting side by side without quarreling. Then he hears a familiar voice say, "Hi Gou! Look, Corvisquire evolved, he's now Corviknight!"
Gou's eyes widen in amazement. "Ash?" he says and Ash nods and descends from the back of Corviknight. Pikachu immediately jumps into his arms and Ash laughs.
"Hey Pikachu!" Ash says and Lucario and Greninja also descend from the back of Corviknight. Gou comes up to them and says, "How... I thought you died"
Ash grins. "Nope, Corviknight, Lucario and Greninja saved me," he says and then flashes around. "Gou, where's Serena? Isn't she here?" he asks, and Gou suddenly remembers that Serena probably hasn't noticed Ash's arrival.
"She's over there," Gou says, pointing in the direction of the girl. Ash looks in the direction he points and sees Serena sitting sadly munch on the ground.
He gives Pikachu to Gou and sets off for Serena. Gou tries to join, but Lucario stops him by putting his hand in front of him. Gou looks at him and realizes. This is Ash's job itself.
Ash gets to Serena and kneels in front of the girl. Serena shows no signs of a reaction, but sits quietly and tears flow quietly along her cheeks.
"Hey Serena," Ash says quietly and Serena moves. She slowly raises her head and raises her tear-stained face toward Ash. Her blue eyes still shine and redden from the traces of crying.
"Ash?" she says quietly and Ash nods and flashes his familiar toothy smile. Serena is silent for a moment and stares at Ash's face with her mouth slightly open. "But.. you.. you fell. How.. how... Ash, I thought you died!" she says, but Ash grins.
"But I didn't die," he says. "And I'm not going to die. Come on, you should get up, it's not good to sit in cold and wet ground."
Ash reaches out his hand to Serena to help this one up and Serena grabs it. But instead of getting up, she pulls Ash into a tight hug and says, "Never do that again. Promise?"
"I promise," Ash says and Serena frees him from the hug. Her cheeks are a little red and she gets up to stand. Looking at her dress, she exclaims, "Oh no! It's pretty dirty!"
Ash giggles. "That already sounds like a normal Serena," he says with a laugh and Serena starts laughing.
"You're right," she giggles and soon they both giggle like crazy and the Gou and Pokemon standing a short distance away wonder if they already lost their mind.
****
They set out to continue their journey, but this time on the back of Corviknight. It was Gou's idea and since it was all very good, they decided to continue their journey from now on that way.
They finally stopped by a small river where they cleaned up and washed their clothes. They put on food and when they had eaten, they lied on the lawn, melting it.
Something good had followed from falling into the gorge; Greninja and Lucario had stopped fighting. They still didn't behave like besties, but a big change had taken place compared to before the gorge adventure.
Ash sat on a rock by the river and watched Serena wash the dishes with Sylveon and Pancham a short distance away. Serena laughed as Sylveon splashed the water with one of her feelers on them and Ash smiled.
Lucario came next to him and Ash said through Aura, "You know, I'm slowly starting to understand what you meant by your question."
"Great, Master," Lucario said. "And little by little, you're starting to understand the use of Aura, too. We're rehearsing it tonight, don't forget."
"I won't," Ash said and Lucario left pleased to plan the exercises and wonder if Braixen could possibly get to watch them. Ash instead sat on the rock and looked at Serena.
"Come on, Ash, let's go help her," Gou said and Ash got up. "Coming!" he exclaimed and then he ran straight into the river, splashing water in every direction and making Serena scream in joy.