In this chapter, I'm including a game called Spot the References. There are 4 references hidden in this chapter. The reviewers who get them all, receive a shoutout when chapter 4 is released.
Also, I'd like to give a shoutout to Indisrini who helped me with this chapter.
Chapter 3 - …in Saffron
"Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We will be arriving shortly at Saffron City airport. Local time is 3:57 AM, it's a nice 17ºC and the sunrise is expected to occur in the next hour. In the name of everyone from Air Pidgeot, I'd like to welcome you to the Kanto region. We hope your flight experience was pleasant and come fly away with Air Pidgeot."
He always felt a dash of excitement when returning home. His mom, his friends, his Pokémon. They would always support him and his dreams. But today, along with the excitement, he was feeling a bit queasy. It was the first time he did this, after all. He never brought home a girl. Sure, his friends visited him when he returned from his travels, but he had never arrived home alone with a girl. This was sure to spark comments…
The girl beside him stirred. Her journey through dreamland was at an end, for now.
"Good morning, Serena." He greeted her.
Serena opened her eyes and squinted them for a better view. For a fraction of a second, she thought she saw a kid from long ago. But further observation revealed the teenager that kid had become.
"Good morning, Ash." She replied.
Serena still had the events of last night fresh in her mind. The talk with the flight attendant, who turned out to be the mother of the acclaimed Princess of Hoenn, had been quite enlightening.
Ash had traveled with other girls; that was certain. And among them was May, the Princess of Hoenn herself. But there was something that Caroline said that stuck in Serena's mind: "I thought my daughter would get through to him, but it was you." She thought about it until she looked out the window.
"Oh my God!" Serena exclaimed at the astonishing sight.
The lights of Saffron City glinted like stars below them. As they descended further, they could make out individual buildings and houses; then cars; then even people before the plane lurched as it touched down on the runway.
The plane slowed down and eventually halted. The "fasten seatbelts" light, which had been turned on earlier during the final approach, had finally become dark, signaling the end of the flight.
After landing, Serena's thoughts drifted back to her conversation with Caroline. To May. To how close she was to Ash. She didn't like being jealous, but that feeling was getting the best of her. But she decided to put those thoughts in the back of her mind.
But they would occasionally return.
Ash, on the other hand, was ecstatic to be back in Kanto. After stepping out of the plane, he rearranged his hat, opened his arms and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Kanto region! I am home!" which caused the people standing on the airplane to shush him immediately. After asking one of the flight attendants about where to get his Pikachu, Ash started talking about his Pokémon in great detail. He stopped talking only when someone else talked to him.
Arriving at the baggage claim conveyor belt, the teens yawned. It was a long, late-night flight. The sun would be up soon.
Ash proceeded "…and mom makes some of the best food I've ever tasted, just wow…"
Despite Serena being lost in her thoughts, she heard what Ash said and decided to play with him a bit.
She put on her best hurt voice. "Even better than mine?"
Ash was left with a tough choice. He could defend his mom's cooking and face Serena's rage, or take his statement back, saying Serena's the best cook, and possibly be branded a liar later.
But Ash had always been honest and truthful, and he wasn't going to stop now. He turned to her.
"Serena, I'll be honest. On one hand, we have my mom's cooking," he said, raising his left hand. "On the other, we have yours," he continued, raising his right hand. He then proceeded to move them, like plates on a scale, which have similar weight on them, but never settling which is heaviest. "But your sweets…" Ash raised his right hand heavenward, while lowering his left as much as he could.
Serena looked at him, upset. Ash stared at Serena, but he couldn't figure out why. And then he saw it.
"OH!" He lowered his right hand and raised his left. "Sorry, my bad."
Serena smiled. She knew that his intentions were genuine, and so was his mistake. Maybe it wasn't fair of her to make him choose between her and his mother's cooking. Besides, Ash didn't mean anything bad by what he did. Despite that, this discussion about who was the best cook was almost able to let her forget about the conversation with Caroline last night. Almost.
Serena's smile turned sad.
"Ash, can I ask you something?" Serena questioned tentatively.
"Of course, Serena. What is it?" Ash stated.
"How did you survive while you traveled?" It was an odd question, but hopefully Ash wouldn't mind answering it.
"What do you mean?" Ash asked, confused.
"Don't get me wrong, but I've never seen you cook. How did you eat on your journey?" Serena wondered.
"You know, just because you've never seen me do something, doesn't mean I can't do it." Ash commented, mockingly. "But yeah, I can't." He confessed. "On the first few days of my journey, we had sandwiches, Pikachu, Misty and I." Serena's expression, which was proof she was enjoying what Ash was recounting, changed slightly upon hearing Misty's name.
"Then we met Brock and our lives changed. His cooking is just…" Ash noticed Serena's look, and regretted the path he was taking. "Never mind… May did cook for me once… She made me a grilled cheese sandwich. She couldn't find the cheese. She didn't know it could be sold already sliced." Ash recalled fondly.
May. The Princess of Hoenn. Top Coordinator. Former travelling companion of Ash's. Serena just couldn't forget the conversation she had with Caroline the night before.
Serena was just about to ask Ash about May, when Pikachu's cage appeared on the conveyor belt of the baggage claim area.
"Pikachu!" Ash exclaimed.
"Pikapi!" Pikachu cheered.
"You know, the airport people in Lumiose never told me why Pikachu couldn't travel with me." Ash wondered. "When I went to Kalos, there wasn't any problem."
Suddenly, a male voice echoed behind the teens.
"Young man," the voice said, "have you tried the Pokémon Gym in Petalburg City?" Ash and Serena turned around to see a man, in his thirties, wearing a red jacket with vertical black lines and dark blue pants. A pair of black boots covered his feet.
"It's been a long time, hasn't it, Ash?" The mysterious man asked, to which Ash smiled.
"It sure has, Norman!" Ash replied, extending his right hand, an action repeated by Norman.
"Norman, I'd like you to meet my…" Ash froze. How was he supposed to introduce Serena? He hadn't thought about it… Such a simple question became a debate in Ash's mind. What were they to each other? Friends? No, they are closer than that. Boyfriend and girlfriend? No, their accidental kiss did not change their stance towards each other. So, what was the middle ground?
He does feel something for Serena, but doesn't know what it is. But he believed he had found an answer.
"… my close friend, Serena, from Kalos."
Serena smiled as she shook Norman's hand. It was almost as if she could hear Ash's internal debate.
"Kalos?" Norman wondered, "You're a long way from home, Serena. What brings you to Kanto?"
"Ash does." The girl stated. "He won the Kalos league and he's having a party in Pallet." Serena looked at Ash and blushed. Norman's keen eye saw it.
"And you didn't invite me? That hurts, Ash…" Norman said, smiling.
"It's sort of an open invitation. And I was hoping you'd find your way to Pallet." Ash confessed. "May did."
"Haha, I'm just joking." Norman laughed, causing Ash to sweat drop.
"Are you on a family vacation, Norman?" Ash questioned, excited to see his old friends.
"No, just me and my wife" Norman replied. Looking down, Norman saw the cage Pikachu traveled in.
"Ash, I'm intrigued. What's with the cage?" Norman remarked. "I know you'd never do that to your Pokémon, at least not willingly."
"Airline rules. All electric-types are to be either inside of their Pokéballs or on the cargo hold, and since Pikachu doesn't like his Pokéball, the solution was obvious." Ash turned to Pikachu, "But he knows I didn't have a choice, right buddy?"
"Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed.
"What they didn't tell me, is why." Ash said.
Norman smiled. "I know just the right person."
He reached into his pocket, pulled out his cellphone, pressed a few buttons, and raised it to his ear.
"Hey, honey, it's me". Norman said on the phone. "You'll never guess who I ran into. The new Kalos League Champion! Ash! Yeah!"
Serena took the opportunity and turned to Ash. "Ash, why did Norman talk about the Petalburg Gym?"
"He's the Gym Leader." Ash replied.
"Okay. See you soon. Love you too." Norman said as he hung the phone up. "Caroline will be here in 10 minutes."
Upon hearing Caroline, Serena's head jerked up.
Could it be? Was it the same woman who talked to her on the plane the night before? The same one who saw her and Ash holding hands while sleeping? The same one who told her about May, the Princess of Hoenn? Serena wished it wasn't. She wished it would be someone else, with the same name.
No such luck.
About ten minutes later, a woman with brown hair appeared to be headed in their direction.
She wore a yellow top, held by a white stripe that covered her shoulders. She had an orangy-brown skirt and sandals. A piece of red ribbon was tied on her waist.
Maybe she just walks past us, Serena thought.
"Caroline, over here!" Norman shouted, waving at the woman. Serena sweatdropped.
"Welcome back, honey!"
"Hi, sweetie!" Caroline approached her husband and greeted him with a kiss.
Ash and Serena stood confused as they watched the older couple kiss.
In all his travels, he met many couples but not one of them made such a public display of affection. Serena, on the other hand, had dreamt about that. Not only that, she had also stayed awake thinking about that. Their "makeshift" kiss in the Champion's Hall was such a moment, but she wasn't sure on how to classify it, because it wasn't intended.
She looked at Ash, blushing. It caused him to turn to her, and her blush made him blush, which in turn made her blush even more. They just wanted that awkwardness to be over.
It had barely begun.
The older couple broke their kiss after what felt like hours to Ash and Serena, but was actually just a few seconds.
"So, did you get it?" Norman asked.
"No," Caroline shook her head, "a woman named Emily got it."
"Oh, I'm sorry, dear…" Norman said, trying to comfort his wife.
"I'm not. Their hours were too complicated. Besides," Caroline's voice became more seductive as she grabbed her husband's collar, "I can stay at the Gym with you…"
"Oh…" Norman smiled at Caroline.
Knowing where it was headed, and to save Serena and himself from further embarrassment, Ash kicked the cage Pikachu had arrived in. He kicked it hard enough for it to make a sound, but not hard enough for it to go too far.
Norman and Caroline snapped back into reality.
"Oh, sorry, Ash!" Norman apologized. "Caroline, you remember Ash, right?"
"How could I forget? He's the only thing May talked about, as well as Max." Caroline greeted Ash with a handshake. "Hello, Mr. Champion!"
Ash smiled. "Hello, Mrs. Maple! What are you doing here?" He inquired.
"Well, a friend of mine told me Air Pidgeot was hiring, and I've always wanted to know how they do their job, so I applied for it. They had 7 applicants and they put us in a trial-by-fire situation with mystery flyers being hired to evaluate us. I was doing fine, until I stopped to talk to you." Caroline revealed.
Serena was speechless. She liked talking to Caroline the night before, and now she found that that same conversation had cost Caroline her chance for a new job…
"Mrs. Maple, you lost your job because of our talk?" Serena questioned with a cracking voice.
"No, no, no, no, no!" Caroline waved her hand. "Don't worry. The other applicant on the plane, a woman named Holly Gennero, told me that the woman who got the job won by a mile. So, don't worry about it, and turn that frown upside down." She put one hand on Serena's shoulder. "I'm sure Ash here wouldn't want to see his girlfriend sad, now would he?" She turned to Ash.
"No, I wouldn't." was Ash's instinctive reply. Serena started blushing redder than ever before. Caroline and Norman just smiled.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Five.
That was the number of seconds it took Ash to fully assimilate what Caroline had said. After he did, he blushed and asked with a stutter "Wh-what do y-you mean?
"Last night, when you were sleeping, I was talking to Serena, and you were very keen on not releasing her hand. To me, that's something." Caroline commented.
Ash suddenly felt the need to learn Dig, just so that he could hide. He was asleep, he wasn't aware of his actions.
Seeing a bit of himself in Ash, and remembering what he was like, Norman decided to help Ash, by changing the subject.
"Caroline, do you know why Ash couldn't bring Pikachu in his lap?" Norman steered the conversation.
"You mean you don't know, Ash?" Caroline questioned, to which Ash shook his head.
"They should have told you that when you were to board the plane." Caroline remarked.
"Well, in their defense, it was a busy day for them…" Serena commented.
About two years ago, there was an incident on a plane heading to the Orange Archipelago…" Caroline started explaining, but noticed a metallic object on the floor.
"Ash, maybe you should return that cage. The booth's over there." She pointed to the left. "Meanwhile, Norman, why don't you be a dear and get us a rental car?" Caroline told her husband.
Norman looked around and found what he was looking for.
"The red and white booth, right?" Norman confirmed.
Norman looked around and saw what he was looking for.
"Yes. Get us a car that seats 5 people, we might give them a ride." Caroline informed.
She then looked around. After seeing that both Ash and Norman were far enough, she turned to Serena.
"I have to talk fast, they might hurry." Caroline whispered, to Serena's amazement.
"Even a blind man can see you're in love with Ash." Serena blushed, but Caroline continued. "I don't know if you want my advice, but I'll give it anyway. Go for it. Make a move."
"But what if it ruins our friendship?" Serena asked, worried.
Caroline looked around again. Ash was starting to make his way back. Caroline guessed she had about 30 seconds to quell Serena's doubts.
"Don't worry about that. There's no reason to. Trust me." She calmed the girl down. And she did so just in time for Ash to join them.
"What are you guys talking about?" Ash asked curiously.
"I was asking Serena if she knew what route you will take to Pallet." Caroline replied, with a knowing smile to Serena, who smiled back.
Ash pondered on that. He hadn't given it any thought. He wanted to hurry home, but maybe Serena wanted to see the sights. Hurrying home would take them a few hours, through Diglett's Cave, but taking the scenic route would make their journey longer by at least two days, through Mt. Moon and Pewter City… unless…
Ash snapped his fingers. "I got it!" he exclaimed, before running off. Five seconds later, he returned, with his hand on the back of his head, and asked where the Pokémon Center was, causing Serena to sweat drop.
Caroline laughed. "It's to the right, Ash. You'll see the sign." Ash thanked Caroline and ran off, leaving the women to converse.
About five minutes later, Ash returned to where he had left Serena and Caroline, who were now joined by Norman.
"Did you get what you needed?" Serena asked.
"Yes, we're good to go." Ash replied, with a big smile.
"I guess I should finish the story, then…" Caroline commented when they were walking towards the exit. "So, there was this 5-year-old boy with an Elekid who wasn't in his Pokéball. When the plane was in the air, the Elekid got scared and its Static engulfed the plane's fuselage, causing damage to some of the gauges of the plane. When the pilots found out the reason for the damage, they did all they could to calm Elekid down, but to no avail. One girl had to put Elekid to sleep…"
Ash and Serena stopped. They couldn't believe their ears. Both Ash and Serena's eyes were open in shock. Serena had her hands covering her mouth.
"…with a Sleep Powder attack."
The teens blinked in disbelief at Caroline's poor choice of words.
"There were no injuries to report, but they added a rule that all Electric-types were to travel in their Pokéballs or in cages, in the cargo hold. A bit heartless, if you ask me, but they want to protect their customers, so I get it." Caroline finished.
"That makes sense, I guess, I wouldn't want Pikachu to hurt anyone… except maybe Team Rocket…" Ash commented.
The group shared a laugh at the expense of the determined semi-evil trio.
"So, Ash, can we give you a lift?" Norman questioned.
"Actually, no, Norman. Thank you, though." Ash replied, earning a hurtful look from Serena.
"Are you sure, Ash? Caroline insisted.
"I am, don't worry." Ash's smile was increasing in size.
"Then this is where we part ways, Ash, Serena." Norman commented. "You should visit Petalburg sometime."
"I will. Say hi to Max and May for me!" Ash exclaimed as he waved farewell to his friends' parents.
Serena turned to Ash. "Ash Ketchum, you better tell me what you have in mind. I'm very tired from the flight. I can barely feel my feet…"
"When Caroline talked about what route we'd take to Pallet, I thought of two choices:" Ash revealed, as he walked towards the street. "We could go through Diglett's Cave and arrive in Pallet in a few hours, or take the scenic route, adding two, maybe three days of traveling to our schedule."
"I don't feel like walking for one hour, let alone two days… Isn't there another way?" Serena complained.
Ash's smile reappeared. "There is. In that building." He pointed to a building about 10 stories tall.
xxxxx
"Oh, my God! It's amazing!" Serena beamed. "It's just so beautiful!"
Ash smiled. He himself had had that reaction when he first laid eyes on the landscape of Saffron City, viewed from the top of the Silph Co. building observatory.
Saffron City is remarkably calm at night, despite its large size. The lateness of the night, or the earliness of the morning, depending on one's view, forced the streetlights to still be on, due to the lack of natural light present. The dark color that covered the sky was changing, ever so slowly, hiding the few visible stars that dotted the firmament.
Looking north from the entrance of the roof, towards Celadon City, allowed one to see the Department Store building with the lights still on. To their west, the Vermillion Sea was could barely be seen. On their east, only a few lights in Cerulean City were visible. If they looked to their south, a marvelous sight. The Pokémon Tower in Lavender Town blocked the view of the sun, which was spreading its light everywhere.
"I'll admit, it is quite amazing, but I've seen things that are more beautiful." Ash stated as he walked towards Serena.
Serena looked to her left and saw Ash standing there, looking at the horizon, She then attempted something that didn't go too well in Courmarine City, in Kalos: she tried to hold Ash's hand. Ash didn't pull his hand away, at first. When he did, he brushed it against his jacket, saying "It's a bit sweaty, sorry" and handing her his own hand.
Serena was on top of the world. She knew that moment would have to end, but she didn't care. Ash held out his hand for her to hold.
"So," Ash broke the silence, "you don't want to walk? I got just the thing."
Ash let go of Serena's hand, much to her dismay, and grabbed a Pokéball from his belt. After clicking the button to expand it, he threw it into the air and a draconic lizard materialized.
"Charizard, can you take us somewhere, please?" Ash requested his Pokémon.
Charizard nodded and bowed, allowing the trainers to climb on his back.
"Serena," Ash warned, "you might want to keep your hat in your bag." Serena complied.
Ash climbed on Charizard's back and offered Serena his hand for her to do the same. He whispered something in Charizard's ear, to which the Pokémon grunted and took off. Serena put her arms around Ash to avoid falling into almost certain death.
"Before we go to Pallet, we're gonna go somewhere first, okay?" Ash informed, speaking loudly so Serena could hear him, due to the rushing wind passing them.
"Where?" Serena replied with the same volume.
"We're visiting an old friend." Ash revealed.