Hey, guys!

So, this chapter was quite a ride to write. Not, because it took a long time or made me do rewrites, but because this... well, it just got heavy. I'm trying to experiment with writing and hopefully this went well. One of my one-shots that you may have read was another step in my experimentation. I don't know if it'll stick, but oh well! I'm no fortune-teller, so we'll see how it goes!

Anyway, someone mentioned Kamen Rider in the FFN reviews where it's similar to Sougo in Zi-O where he becomes the destroyer of the future, and I thought that was an interesting idea. Now, the idea of this future arc is more or less inspired by Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow primarily. Kamen Rider Zi-O has some loose inspiration here and in a future story I'd like to get written one day.

Another thing: There will be one more OC introduced in the story. After Solomon, Lidia (who will have no bearing in the story aside from being his secretary), and the new character, there will be no more OCs introduced in this story. I know some people don't like OCs, and personally, I don't either. However, for characterization and story progression/development, I created Solomon and the new character for a reason. If one were to find how I created the new character, take a look at a certain flashy pirate from Zenkaiger. That is all.

Anyway, enough of the rambling! Let's get showy!


Episode 12: Clefairy's in Trouble?! Who am I…?

The ongoing silence intensified.

No one spoke a word, not even a small hum or a small out of breath exhale dared make a sound. Right now, no one wanted to speak about what happened back at the excavation site. It has been over an hour since they last ran from the place, evading the guards and scientists that were wanting them to stay and interrogate them. In their manic haste, Brock's Sandshrew inadvertently scraped some of the people trying to reach out for them; Brock thanked the small mole for protecting them.

Ash woke up ten minutes after they sprinted out from there, but to their worry, he hasn't spoken since then. He kept his distance from them all, even making Froakie and Pikachu go with Brock and Misty, as he wanted some space from everything and everyone.

Serena felt nauseous.

Brock told her that it wasn't her fault as they never expected it all to take place; they all thought it was going to be just a cool, little place to learn more about the history of humans. However, to their horror, things went out of control and Ash was the one to pay the price. Even though Brock and Misty attempted to comfort Serena, one glance back at Ash would make her dejected, believing that she shouldn't have allowed such a person get their attention like that.

Right now, the group are all sitting down in a small clearing, a few meters away from the open road that is leading them to Cerulean City. Everyone is taking the time to unwind from the situation that has transpired, but Ash is, yet again, the most distant. He has sat down further from everyone else, his entire body facing away from his friends.

Ash right now just has his head slumped down, looking at the floor, a dark mood looming over him.

"Pikapi…" Pikachu mutters, sneaking a glance at Ash, his ears drooping down at the sight of his friend.

Froakie too looks despondent, hating himself for not properly taking care of his trainer and friend. "Fro…" He wishes he could have been faster, but he didn't expect someone to just come at his trainer like that, but he should have! He knew that the man was not what he made himself out to be in the first place. He had an aura of deceit – a sinister feel to him that it made Froakie on edge the entire time.

The worst part is that the man didn't even seem at all strong, but… looks can be deceiving, apparently.

"Ash…" Serena whispers, looking back at Ash, noticing her crush's two Pokémon being all down about the situation. She grips the ribbon on her chest, the one given to her by her crush, and bites her lip. She wishes she can go to him, but she fears a potential retaliation from him. Truth be told, she wishes it to happen, because then she can say she deserved it.

Misty sits next to Serena and puts her hand on the girl's shoulder, "Serena, just let him be for now." Misty says with a gentle tone. Serena turns to the redhead, who gives her a firm look, "Don't think it's your fault, Serena" Misty reassures her. "You didn't know what was going to happen."

Serena just looks down, whispering a choked response, "But I led him to us… If I had said 'No' to him, then Ash wouldn't have been taken there and we wouldn't have been scared… We wouldn't have had to deal with that… that creep…"

Misty closes her eyes, holding the girl, who chokes back a sob. She rubs the younger girl's back soothingly. The young girl just shook in the embrace, tears falling as she just kept the images of Ash passing out, being grabbed by Solomon, and being led down to the dark and dreary temple running in her mind. She wanted to escape, but that lunatic kept them going. She should have said 'no'…

Brock gets up and gets near the two girls, crouching to Serena's eye level and puts his hand on her shoulder. He whispers gentle, yet firm words of encouragement,

"Listen, Serena… I know this was scary; Hell, I wish I could have figured this all out and stopped him before he could have done something, but the fact of the matter is that we're okay. We're shaken, but we're okay. None of this happened because of you and if it was, we all take responsibility for not stopping him. Don't blame yourself."

Serena looks at the two of them, slowly nodding, appreciating their comforting words. She then looks towards Ash's backside and sighs, "And what do we do about Ash?"

Brock sighs, "Just like Misty said, it's best to leave him alone for a little bit – give him some time away from it. If it gets worse, we'll step in, but for now, just let him gather his thoughts."

Not really wanting to do that, Serena feels like no other choice but to accept.

As they give Serena some comfort, Ash stares blankly at the trees around him. A light wind passes through, shaking the leaves on the branches, letting him indulge in the noise. He's never been a nature kind of person, but he can see why staying around it can make someone feel inspired or even relaxed.

Pikachu and Froakie sit next to him, the two sleeping on each side, letting him rub their heads with both his hands. He takes a slow, deep breath before exhaling silently, not wanting to disturb his Pokémon. He just can't help but think about what was said to him; the prophecy being spoken to him, like it was meant for him. But why? Why was that creep so interested in him after he was able to make a guess? It just makes no sense.

This is the second time he's experienced something about the Monarch. The first time was a dream, if you can call it that. Now, he's experiencing it with some stupid tomb that was unearthed, like it was meant for him to explore. He had no rhyme or reason to even venture further with Solomon, but the pull to get near that coffin was too strong. Why?

Why him?

'Who am I?' he thinks to himself.

The thoughts flooded his mind. There was also this head-splitting headache that arose the moment Solomon grabbed him. What's worse is that he felt as though he saw something – something ancient; something dangerous. He can't remember it now, but the moment he saw it, for that split second, it hurt him. It scares him.

'What am I?' he once again thinks to himself, this time more melancholic.

Unfortunately, all things must pass. A shrill scream echoes past them, alerting them of someone in danger. They all stand up, Ash the last to do so, but even he is willing to forget everything in favor of saving someone in need. His Pokémon also just as ready, with him frowning, clenching his fists looking around for where that scream was coming from.

"Guys, I think I heard it come from over there!" Brock points, facing westbound from where they had been sitting. They all race, momentarily forgetting their stuff, to head towards where the sound was coming from.

Ash, being the fastest of the four, was able to out speed everyone, his two Pokémon sprinting as they ran alongside him. For a brief second, Serena flashed a small smile as she saw Ash was back to normal for the time being. Hopefully, he'll be fine afterwards…

To their shock, they see a Clefairy being harassed by three men in black uniforms, a giant, red 'R' emblazoned in the middle of their uniform. One had a whip, cracking it towards the Clefairy with a maniacal grin. "Oh, little Clefairy, we're going to have so much fun beating you down!" They don't see the group of kids watching them as their Pokémon, an Ekans, a Raticate, and a Magnemite surrounding the poor Fairy-type.

Ash growls, "Team Rocket."

Serena stares at Ash in shock, "This is the Team Rocket you mentioned back in Viridian City?"

To her, the ones Ash mentioned didn't seem at all that scary, just a bunch of buffoons thinking they were hotshots, but they were all incompetent bullies that couldn't fight their way against a paper bag. Right now, they don't seem to be the ones at all Ash mentioned! They actually look terrifying.

Misty sneers, "No, those guys were different. These guys seem to be a lot crueler than the ones he and I fought back in the Pokémon Center."

Ash, not giving anyone a moment to think, jumps in calling out, "Pikachu! Thunderbolt on the guy with the whip! Froakie! Use Bubble to separate them from the Clefairy!" His anger ever present as he glared in disgust at the group.

The two immediately oblige, with Pikachu grunting and blasting a Thunderbolt at the man using the whip, electrocuting him harshly. He screams in pain, dropping the whip.

Froakie uses Bubble on the whip, causing a minor explosion around it to make it fly away from the Team Rocket gang. The other members look alert, turning around dramatically at the kids that ambushed them. "Hey, brats! How dare you stop us from having some fun with this Clefairy?! Don't you know who we are? We're Team Rocket!"

Serena gets near Ash, yelling, "Well, you're all a bunch of bullies, hurting that poor Clefairy! Fennekin! Use Ember!" She calls out, pointing to the Pokémon.

"Fen-kin!" Fennekin spewed an Ember at the grunts' Pokémon.

"Not so fast! Raticate, use Quick Attack!" One of the grunts counters, with Raticate using Quick Attack to escape the fire. It then retaliates by launching itself at Fennekin!

Serena gasps, "D-Dodge it!"

Fennekin was too slow and got hit by the Raticate, being sent flying.

"No! Froakie, use your frubbles to grab Fennekin!" Ash orders, with Froakie already doing so. He had the same thought and created a rope of frubbles to grab Fennekin before she hurt herself colliding with a tree. Serena sighs in relief as Fennekin lands softly on the ground, getting up, still ready to battle.

"Thanks, Ash," she looks over to her crush, who merely nods, still glaring at the grunts.

"Heh. Guess, you have some fight in ya," the leader, the one that one held the whip, states with a smirk. He then releases a Pokémon, to which appears to be a Machoke, who flexes menacingly in front of the kids. "Heh, say 'hello' to my Machoke, kids."

Brock and Misty immediately call out Sandshrew and Staryu, ready to battle.

Serena notices that Clefairy is trying hard to run away, but the Ekans used Wrap to constrict the poor thing. She glares at the snake Pokémon, but it hisses, making her wince.

"Machoke, use Dual Chop!"

Machoke's forearms glow white with energy, charging at the group. Serena growls, "Fennekin! Use Ember!"

Fennekin once again uses Ember, but Machoke slashes the projectiles of fire sent towards it. Misty then commands her Staryu to use Water Gun, to which it hits the Machoke square in the face. However, it keeps using its forearms to push through the attack, wincing slightly.

"Now! Sandshrew, Fury Cutter!"

"Raticate! Use Hyper Fang!"

The Raticate intercepts Sandshrew, its front teeth growing larger and biting down harshly at Sandshrew, who cries out in pain. This gives Pikachu the chance to whack at it with Iron Tail, sending the rat flying, freeing Sandshrew.

Sandshrew graciously nods at Pikachu.

The two narrowly dodge being chopped by Machoke, as Froakie uses Water Pulse to hit it square in the chest. It flinches from the attack, but glares, being commanded to use Dynamic Punch on the frog. It lands a mighty punch, sending Froakie flying in the air. It recovers fast enough to land on a tree, glaring at the Machoke.

"Magnemite! Use Sonic Boom against that stupid frog!"

The Magnemite sends impulsive noise, compressed to a beam of energy, and sends it towards Froakie. Froakie narrowly dodges the attack, but winces at the ringing in his ears. He grabs his head, eyeing the members.

"Sandshrew, use Rollout on that Magnemite!" Brock orders.

Sandshrew, using the ability to bounce around while spinning, was able to use the momentum in his bounces to send itself hurtling towards the Magnemite at incredible speeds, to which it takes the hit, sending it down to the ground. Sandshrew continues to spin fast, gaining even more speed, before returning to attack again.

The leader of the Team Rocket grunts growls, "No! Machoke! Use Dynamic Punch to stop that stupid mole!" Machoke rushes in, charging energy in its punch to hit Sandshrew.

Ash growls, "Not if I can stop it! Pikachu, Thunderbolt on Machoke!"

Misty also helps out, "Use Water Gun again, Staryu!"

The attacks combine, hurting the Machoke even more than it should, making it scream in pain. The attacks explode on the Machoke, sending it flying and landing on the Raticate. One of the members growls, "Dammit," he turns to the last member of the three, "go and take that stupid fairy out of here! Get that stupid thing shipped out!"

The last member nods, saluting them, before ordering Ekans to slither with its prey.

Clefairy whimpers in pain as Ekans tightens its grip around it, being dragged along. Serena frowns, rushing to stop the guy, not being noticed by anyone. She and Fennekin chase after the guy, who glares at the small girl in front of him, "Listen, girlie, I'm not here to hurt you, but if you get in our way, I'll make sure you wish you hadn't!" he threatens, but Serena stands firm.

"As if! I'm not letting you hurt that innocent little Pokémon!"

"You brat! Do you have any idea how much money a single Clefairy can make you?!" he roars, sending out a Zubat in Ekans' place. "You can literally live off of a single Clefairy when you sell it in the black market! Imagine if you can breed loads of them!"

Serena gasps, angry to even hear such a thing, "You're despicable!" She calls out Beedrill, who immediately tenses up, sensing the dire situation from its ball. "Beedrill, attack that Zubat with Twineedle!"

Beedrill immediately rushes in, strengthening its stingers to attack the Zubat. It lands a hit but misses the second one as Zubat flies nimbly around it.

"Zubat, use Screech!"

Zubat unleashed a hellish screech that made Beedrill flinch. The bug type guarded its head to blockade the high pitched screech. Serena does the same, yelling out, "Poison Sting!"

It listens and sends a barrage of tiny projectiles, hitting Zubat and ending the screech, much to their great pleasure. The grunt snarls, "You annoying brat!"

She then calls out, "Fennekin! Attack Ekans with Scratch! Aim for its head!"

The grunt's eyes widened as he forgot about the fennec, "Crap! Zubat, Use Poison Fang on that stupid fox!" Zubat charges at Fennekin.

Serena smirks, "Got ya! Beedrill, Fury Cutter!" Beedrill attacks the distracted Zubat, swiping it down with its stingers, making Zubat fall to the ground unconscious. Fennekin then attacks, using its claws to scratch at Ekans, who hisses in pain.

Ekans then releases Clefairy from its grip, making it run towards Serena, who holds it protectively in her arms. "Hey, hey" she whispers, "I got you. We're here for you." Clefairy mumbles something, wanting to be away from the mean people. The Team Rocket grunt just stomps his feet in anger.

"No! No! No!"

He yells, "I had enough of you, pathetic brat! Ekans! Get up and use-"

Serena interrupts him, "Beedrill! Use String Shot at him! Fennekin! Use Ember before Ekans gets back up!"

"Zzzt! | Fennekin!"

Beedrill wraps the grunt with String Shot, making him unable to move. Just for kicks, Beedrill even uses String Shot around the guy's mouth. Unexpectedly, Fennekin disobeys Serena's orders, rushing towards Ekans, but gaining speed as a burst of fire surrounds the fox. She then launches herself at the snake.

It hisses in pain, down for the count near its partner and trainer.

Serena gasps, "Fennekin! I think you learned a new move!" She squeals excitedly, with Fennekin yipping in happiness. Beedrill, expectedly, cries, hugging its partner happily.

"Bzzt!" it buzzes, tearfully, happy to know its friend learnt a new move!

Fennekin and Serena just laugh at its affection, but they all turn to face the grunt, losing their smiles. Serena glances at them and sighs, the grunt wiggling around in the cocoon made for him, trying to escape. "What do we do…?"

Beedrill uses String Shot to make a rope and begins to pull the grunt as it flies back to where Ash and the others were, making Serena smile, "Good idea, Beedrill."

Clefairy stares at the girl who saved her, "Clefairy…"

After finding the Poké Balls for Zubat and Ekans, she holds them, and proceeds to go with her team to go find her friends. The grunt groans in pain as he gets dragged along roughly, being pelted with rocks and sticks and going over them.

During the time Serena was battling the lone goon, Ash and the others noticed that she had disappeared on them. Ash frowns, yelling out, "Serena? Serena, where are you?!" He frantically searches around, his heart beating rapidly as all he can focus on is the fact his best friend was no longer around him.

Brock nudges him, "Ash, calm down!" He orders the Ash, noticing the frantic look. "She went after the lone Team Rocket agent! We need to end this off quickly, before more of them can come! If we take too long, who knows what will happen to her!"

He snarls, "Then what are we waiting for?!" He snaps, even angrier. He turns back, ignoring the slightly shocked look Brock was giving him. "Pikachu! Froakie! We're ending this fight now!" He orders and the two, feeling his anger, become just as ferocious.

Froakie snarls, unleashing a barrage of Water Pulses. "Kie! Kie! Kie!"

"Pika-pika-pika-chuuu!" Pikachu explodes, using Thunderbolt to obliterate the team in front of him.

The attacks blast through the Raticate, making it scream in agony! "Rati-caaaate!" The blast from the Thunderbolt searing its skin, feeling the anger coming from the yellow rodent its fighting. The Magnemite's metallic skin beginning to crack from the pressure as the Water Pulses blast right in front of it.

"Magne… mite…" It passes out immediately.

The leader of the grunts sneers, unable to believe he's being bested by some children! "You damn kids… When I get that girl of yours, boy, I'll make sure she suffers! You hear me?! I'm going to make sure that she gets shipped out like a goddamn animal!"

Brock and Misty glare hatefully at the man, "How dare you?!" Brock yells out. "You're going to regret saying that!"

Ash stays silent.

Misty commands her Staryu to use Psybeam against the lone Machoke, with Brock using Sandshrew's Poison Sting to cause further damage to the Machoke. Machoke just screams in pain, even worse with the Psychic attack hitting for massive damage. Then the poison begins to seep in its wounds, making it wobble.

It passes out.

The leader screams in frustration, closing his eyes and grabbing his hair. Brock, Misty, and the other Team Rocket grunt gasp.

Then he feels himself falling to the ground, as a tooth is knocked out of his mouth. He quickly opens his eyes to see a murderous looking Ash tower over him, his breathing raggedy, his eyes wide with anger - a black fire replacing his pupils.

"Don't you dare." Ash whispers harshly. Ash picks up the fallen grunt by the scruff of his shirt, "Don't you dare hurt Serena!" He roars, punching him again.

"Gah!" The Rocket member grunts in pain. "Help me, you idiot!" He calls out for his team member, who shakes his head swiftly to get rid of the surprised look on his face. He then jumps onto Ash, wrapping an arm around Ash's neck, choking the boy.

Ash, flails, trying to use his arms to claw at his choker's head. He succeeds as he begins to claw roughly into the back of the man's head, drawing blood. That's not enough to let the man let go of him. "Let me go!" He chokes out.

Ash got punted in the stomach by the grunt he knocked over, causing him to gasp in pain, breathless.

"You freaking brat," the punched grunt smirks, ready to exact his revenge, "I'm so going to enjoy this." He punches Ash once, but Brock and Misty step forward, grabbing the guy and Brock overpowers him. Brock puts him in a chokehold, similar to what Ash is in, with Misty forcing the other guy to let go of Ash.

She punches the other guy, but he pushes her away. Ash kicks wildly behind him, with Misty coming back up to bite on the guy's head, making him howl in pain. "Ow! Who the Hell bites someone?!"

Misty just talks while biting him, "And who tastes like utter garbage?!" She stops biting him to spit out the taste of the guy, punching his head. The guy eventually let's go of Ash as he wants to focus on Misty beating on him, but Ash turns him around and decks him square in the face.

"Don't you dare hurt my friends," Ash harshly says, his throat guttural from being choked. He knocks out the one guy with Misty, before turning back to fight off the other member.

Brock ultimately loses strength holding the flailing member, but Ash and Misty both deck the guy at the same time, his head slumping down immediately.

There was a moment of silence as the trio pant hard, trying to regain their breath. They all wait a minute to see if the two grunts would get back up. After a minute of another tense silence, they wrap a rope around the two grunts, before their adrenaline gives out and they all slump their arms down, exhaustion hitting them all.

The three look at one another, before Brock just shakes his head, a chuckle escaping his lips, "Ash… you have to keep your anger in check, bud." He tries to lighten the mood, with Misty whacking Ash lightly on the back of the head, before wincing herself.

"Ow, my hand hurts…" She whines, glaring lightly at Ash. "What's with you picking fights with everyone wanting to harm Serena? Oh wait, don't answer that. You're her boyfriend after all." She sighs dramatically. "As romantic as that sounds, I didn't expect to fight Team Rocket again… this time with my own fists… Ow…"

Ash looks at the two of them with a hardened stare, "Sorry… Sorry…" He looks away, feeling ashamed, but not at his actions. He wished he didn't need to drag his friends along the way. "I just… it's her, you know? She's my best friend… and—"

"We get it, Ash," Brock interjects softly, "if it was any of my siblings, or you guys, I'd have done the same without any hesitation."

With a playfully dramatic sigh, Misty voices her opinion, "I suppose if anything happened to you guys as well, I'd put my life on the line like that too." She then glares at Ash, "Just don't make it a reoccurring thing! You hear that, Ketchum?" Despite the venomous tone, it was all still in jest, to which Ash just rolls his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah," he waves it off playfully.

Misty then eyes Ash's two starters plus their other Pokemon, "At least you guys are okay… Sheesh, next time help us out, would ya?" She chides them jokingly, knowing that this time they themselves had to join in on the battle. All the Pokemon the own come forward to check up on their trainers, wanting to make sure they weren't seriously injured.

Pikachu and Froakie attend to Ash, making sure the punch he was given wouldn't bruise.

Staryu uses a weak Water Gun to try to wash Misty's hands.

Sandshrew nuzzles against Brock.

It would take a couple of minutes before Serena saw her friends, completely tired out from the battle. She waves at them, "Hey!" She smiles, rushing towards them. She notices that other Team Rocket members are all passed out with rope wrapped around them. The Pokémon they owned also returned in their Poké Balls.

They all turn, even Ash, and Brock and Misty rush to her. Ash calmly walks over, a small smile on his face. They all congregate together, and they look to see that Serena has the Clefairy with her, clinging onto her like a scared child. The others also notice the third and final grunt wrapped in a cocoon, making Misty shudder.

'Better him than me…' she almost gags at the idea of being wrapped in a cocoon made by Bug-types.

"You're okay," Brock says with relief, making sure she hasn't been hurt in any way, unlike them. She smiles, nodding, not paying attention to what happened to the trio while she was away.

"Yeah, luckily he wasn't too much trouble. He didn't really seem all that bright, so it was kind of an easy battle," she taunts, giggling when the grunt heard the remark and proceeds to wiggle again in his web prison. Beedrill hovers near him threateningly, and the grunt wisely just stops struggling as he hears the wings flutter close to him.

"That was really reckless of you, Serena," Misty scolds her halfheartedly, relieved to see Serena back in one piece, also realizing how hypocritical she was sounding. "I'm just glad there weren't more of them, otherwise you'd have been in a lot more trouble."

Serena playfully sticks her tongue out, "I'm sorry, sister dear," she teases, making Misty snort playfully.

She then looks over to Ash, who still has been silent the entire time, "Ash?"

She notices that he's a little more scuffed than the others, making her worry. "What happened to you?" She asks him, causing the boy to grimace. Brock notices the boy being uncomfortable and puts his hand on Ash's shoulder, nodding at the boy to explain what happened. Serena frowns, wondering what happened while she was away… it was only a couple of minutes! What could have possibly happened to have made Ash take some scratches here and there.

Ash slowly sighs, trying to figure out a way to explain what happened. Brock, realizing the futility of it all, decides to speak on Ash's behalf. "Serena," Brock says with a neutral tone, "Ash fought the members."

Taking the words in, she eyes Ash warily, wondering if he means it in a specific way, "As in…" she wants him to continue.

Brock sighs, realizing why Ash was so uncomfortable saying it. How can you explain yourself like that? "He went and fought them, throwing punches at them. He got caught in a brawl between the two grunts. Luckily, none had weapons, aside from the whip used that we got rid of, but… yeah, he went ahead and picked a fight with them."

Serena stops breathing for a moment and her eyes widen, looking over to a nervous looking Ash, her hands trembling. "Why?" she whispers out unevenly. Her voice begins to crack. Ash gulps. Pikachu and Froakie try to calm Serena down, but she ignores them as she storms over to Ash, her anger rising. "Why in the world would you do something so stupid?!" She all but yells, grabbing him roughly by the shoulders.

Ash stares at her, surprised. "Serena…" he mutters, saying something for the first time in over a couple of minutes since her return. She tears up, shaking him harshly.

"Just why?!"

He looks away, he then notices Brock giving him a small nod; it's his turn to explain it. "Because… they were threatening to take you and hurt you… I just… I couldn't help myself. I'm sorry."

Panting, she glares at him, "And you think throwing yourself like that would make a difference?! Ash," she chokes, "why?!"

"Well, why wouldn't I?!" Ash snaps, angrily.

They all look at him as he exhales loudly, "Why wouldn't I?" he asks again, this time quieter. "Serena, they threatened to stop us, to find you, and then kidnap you! What was I supposed to have done?! We beat them, but they were trying to escape! They wanted to find you! When you ran off, they were saying they were going to grab you and make sure you suffer! They said they had plans! I… I snapped, okay! I didn't want them going after you!" He explains, venting, talking faster the more he goes on. His eyes dart back and forth, as he then glares once more at the unconscious Team Rocket members with hatred.

If one were to look at his eyes, his eyes burning with passion. It's like there is a fire in his eye, unable to be extinguished. Serena knew this look all too well. This is the same look whenever he had an idea or thought of something that he would do. When he devised something or was in the middle of doing anything while having that look, nothing can stop him.

She then turns to Brock and Misty, a frown marring her face, "And what happened with you two?! Why didn't you stop him?!"

Misty and Brock sheepishly show off their hands, showing signs of a confrontation as well, making her gasp. "Well, we joined in too… but, only after Ash knocked one of them out and the other tried to choke Ash. We… we didn't expect it, but when Ash almost got one of them down for the count, the other tried to get back at Ash. When that happened, we went and took action against the last guy." Misty explains, her hands a little red and scuffed, nowhere near as bad as Ash's.

Serena frowns, "You guys… and you dared say I was being reckless!"

Going to turn back to Ash, she looks at him with anger and sadness, "You silly boy…" she pulls herself away from him, "you shouldn't have done that."

Ash frowns, looking away from her. "Yeah, well… It doesn't matter. No one hurts or threatens to hurt you or my friends." He states coldly. He begins to walk away, not wanting to speak more about it. The fact he's being scolded right now just makes him feel frustrated; frustrated that what he did was apparently wrong. To him, it's anything but. However, he hurt Serena by putting his life on the line, further fueling his aggravation. Right now, he just needs to cool off.

Serena closes her eyes, shaking her head.

What was going on with her Ash?

Clefairy, while realizing the mood was tense, still had something to say. It gets closer to Serena, grabbing the helm of her skirt and tugs on it gently, making Serena focus on it. "Hey, Clefairy… what's up?" She asks, forcing a smile.

Giving her a hug, the Fairy-type points at the Poké Ball hanging on Serena's skirt. The girl's eyes widen, and she realizes what Clefairy is wanting. "You want me to catch you?" The Pokémon nods, just going into the spare Poké Ball. The said ball doesn't even shake, it just automatically dings, signaling the successful catch.

Serena smiles, taking the Poké Ball and holds it in front of her, "I just got Clefairy…"

Fennekin and Beedrill smile and nod approvingly. Misty and Brock congratulate her happily, but the mood is still tense, even with the capture of a new Pokémon.

Night would roll over and the grunts were all taken into custody by an Officer Jenny, who was notified by Serena's tablet to come over. Officer Jenny and her men were able to handcuff the grunts, taking their Pokémon with them. She thanks them all for their service, despite her telling them they should have called her first before engaging.

The group all nod, just wanting her to finish with the lecture. Even Brock was too tired to flirt with Officer Jenny, much to the shock of the group.

The only one Pokémon to have stayed was the Zubat as, for some reason, the Poké Ball that held it was damaged, thereby releasing Zubat back into the wild.

Brock opted to take care of the Zubat, much to everyone's surprise, and to Ash's annoyance.

"As a Breeder, it's my responsibility to make sure any Pokémon nearby are to be treated with love and respect. No Pokémon is inherently evil, just like humans. I want to make sure that Zubat is aware that what it did was wrong, but that wasn't its fault as it was just told what to do by Team Rocket. If you were in its shoes, you all would have done the same."

His explanation was sound, and they all just accepted it.

Serena felt bad for snapping at her friends and decided to apologize to both Brock and Misty, both of whom just waved it off. They explained to her what they explained to Ash, further making her want to talk to Ash. She realized she overreacted and wanted to speak to Ash, this time under a less than stressful situation. During the entire time they ate, Ash just kept to himself, secluding himself yet again from everyone.

As everyone finishes their meals, ensuring they all have cleaned up behind themselves, they all begin to turn in for the night. Well, except for two. Brock was the first to go to bed, explaining he wanted to wake up early to make breakfast. Misty then proceeded to go next, stating she just needed a break from the nonstop action. She quipped that she hoped she wouldn't get any nightmares about what happened all day today.

Serena just nervously chuckled, still feeling guilty about the first half of the day.

As all the Pokémon slept, from Ash's Pikachu to Serena's brand new Clefairy, Serena knew she needed to talk to Ash. Eevee, once being Ash's temporary Pokémon, noticed his sour behavior and slept on his lap, trying to see if her cuteness would brighten his mood. It worked for the time being, making Ash say how Eevee's fur has gotten a lot shinier and has become very well-kept.

Serena held back a blush from the compliment. She knew she needed to get Ash's attention.

"Ash?" she whispers gently.

With an annoyed sigh, Ash looks over to Serena, thinking she was going to get on his case again. "What?" He didn't want to hear how stupid he was or how he shouldn't have done what he has done. He knew he was still feeling terrible dragging his two new friends into a fist fight, endangering their lives, but he also felt awful making Serena worry. He just wants to protect his friends. Is that so wrong to understand? He's not sure if the aggravation was towards her or towards himself. However, it came out to sound like it was towards her.

She looks hurt at his tone, and he sighs, realizing he's not acting the way he usually does around her. "I'm sorry." He apologizes softly, "I didn't mean that. What is it, Serena?" he asks her again, this time a lot gentler than before.

Getting close to him, she bites her lips, and then asks him right away, "What's been troubling you, Ash?"

A chuckle escapes his lips as he shakes his head, "Nothing, 'Rena. Nothing has been bothering me," he lies, giving her a smile to ease her worries.

She frowns, "And we both know I'm the Queen of Galar," she retorts with a bite. Ash's smile vanishes. "Listen, Ash… I know," she sighs, "I know that… whatever happened with Solom- I mean, that guy, scared you, but… you've been acting so distant with us afterwards… and… and now, you picked a fight with those Rocket guys! Ash, this isn't like you! Tell me, please… please, tell me what's going on!" She pleads with him, her eyes shimmering.

Silence.

Serena opens her mouth, but Ash is the first to speak.

"Serena, who am I?"

Blinking, she immediately answers, "Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town… my best friend that I've had for four years now." And her crush, but he didn't need to know that yet.

"And what am I?"

She scrunches her face in thought, trying to understand what he's getting at. "I'm not sure what you mean by that."

He scoffs, "Figures. Neither can I." He looks skyward, staring at the stars glimmering in the far distance. He counts every single one that he can see, trying to piece them all together and see what shapes they form. "I've been wondering that all day."

She stares at him, "Is it because of what that creep said?"

Ash shrugs, "Most likely… Serena, he homed in on me the moment I said something. He was spooked and just went straight to me for answers – answers I just didn't have! Then he mentioned something about the Monarch and-and it just terrified me!"

Serena frowns, "Yeah… he started reciting some crazy poem or something, saying it was a prophecy, but… he's crazy, there's no such thing as a prophecy about some king or anything. He has to be making it all up." Ash shakes his head, wanting so hard to believe her, but he knows better.

"I'm afraid not… This is the second time I've heard the name 'Monarch' before." Ash confesses, making Serena blink.

"When was the first time?"

He chuckles, trying hard to not sound crazy himself, "Well, it was in a dream… back when we were in Viridian Forest. I… I had this weird dream, telling me to rejoice for the Monarch… saying he was coming back. Then… when Solomon said that weird stuff… it didn't feel like a coincidence. I don't know, Serena… why am I somehow involved with this?" He chokes, not wanting to cry, "I just wanted a normal adventure… you and me… and our friends… but this? I just don't know what's going on now."

A tear slips and he chokes a sob, "What am I?" He has never felt this vulnerable before… some would consider him pathetic, or childish, for crying.

"Who am I?"

Without hesitation, Serena just wraps her arms around Ash, tightening around him. She begins to play with his hair, humming a gentle tune to calm him. Eevee, still in Ash's lap, wakes up. She notices what's going on and slips away, proceeding to sleep next to Pikachu, sighing in content.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Serena whispers in his ear. Ash shudders at her voice. Nothing sounded sweeter than her voice, but he shook the thought as that wasn't important right now. "Ash, you're you… you're not some Monarch, not some king, or candidate, or whatever he spouted on. You're you, the boy from Pallet Town that I trust and care for. You're the boy that's going to be a Pokémon Master… the boy who will become the strongest trainer out there… You're the boy that I…" she hesitates, letting it trail off.

Ash picks up on it, "That you–?"

She gulps a bit, "The boy that I lo- the boy that I love to see shine bright… the one that will always look forward, never look back, and face every obstacle with that smirk that says, 'I will defeat you!' The very same smirk that instills confidence in not just you, but me as well."

He closes his eyes, "Serena… I'm sorry for hurting you… for making you worry over me… I-I wasn't thinking straight when they threatened you." He apologizes, feeling terrible about making his best friend worry over him. He always had that desire to protect her, ever since he was young; that feeling only over increased the more he and her stuck together, relishing in each other's presence.

She closes her eyes, "No. You have nothing to be sorry over. I should be sorry. You tried to protect me, even when I'm not there. You, Brock, and Misty… you three went on to get hurt, just for me… I shouldn't have yelled at you guys. Just promise me something, Ash. Just please promise me something."

Ash pulls away, staring at Serena, his eyes looking straight into hers. 'I never realized how much those eyes sparkle…'

"What is it?"

She gives him a shaky smile, "Just promise me that, if you ever do something reckless like that again, please come back to me safely. I will always worry about you, Ash. Your temperament will get the best of you one day. Promise me that you'll keep yourself in check and come back to me safely."

He holds her hands, "I promise."

She nods, "And promise me that… no matter what happens, we stick together, and we never give up until the end. We're a team."

Ash smiles warmly, nodding. "Of course. I promise."

The two hug it out, feeling a lot better.

Serena whispers, "I think it's time we head off to bed, huh? We have a bit of time left before we get to Cerulean City… for your next badge."

Ash chuckles, "Yeah… and for your debut as a Coordinator."

The two whisper words of encouragement for one another, before deciding to head off to bed. For Serena, she sleeps wonderfully, feeling that she's getting closer to Ash with every passing day, and dreaming of her debut contest performance.

For Ash, he sleeps a dreamless night, but the one thing that sticks in his mind is the thought of Serena being there for him. For once, since his journey began, he has no trouble at all sleeping that night.