Sorry for the delay everyone, I'm back in college now. I promise I'll do my very best to keep this fanfic updated!
Also, I really want this to be noticed: In Chapter 3, there's a hidden joke relating to the Pokémon X and Y games (hint: it's a glitch) and in Chapter 4, there's a hidden RWBY joke! The first person who finds both jokes gets an awesome prize!
Well anyways, here's Chapter 5! Please enjoy!
"Hey Jimmy, can I ask you something?"
"Sure. What's up?"
"Do you know a boy from Pallet Town named Ash Ketchum."
Jimmy and his Pokémon paused for a bit until Jimmy finally spoke up and continued on walking.
"Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town? Wasn't he the guy who mysteriously disappeared eight years ago?"
"Yes."
"Well, I knew of him, but I never really knew him personally. Sorry."
"So you've never seen him at all? Not in any of your journeys?"
"Yep. Well actually, back during my Kanto journey, I stopped by his hometown, Pallet Town, to visit Professor Oak. During my time there, I was challenged by another trainer and I won, and after that, Ash Ketchum's mom, Delia Ketchum, came up to me to tell me how my "battling spirit" was so similar to her son's."
"Can't say I'm surprised."
"Because of how much I reminded her of her son, she politely asked if I would like a meal over at her house. Knowing she was a mother of a disappeared child, I knew how lonely she must've felt, so I said 'yes'. Over at her house, that's where I saw many pictures of Ash Ketchum, like there was one with him in a light-blue and white jacket holding his Pikachu with many of his Pokémon surrounding him at Oak's lab."
Serena knew what he was talking about. The picture of Ash after his Unova journey. Serena had seen it too during her search for Ash at Kanto. It was one of Delia's greatest treasures.
"So with that said, I guess I can say I know what he looks like, but ever since he disappeared, I haven't seen a single real life trace of him."
The four walked some more for a bit until Serena spoke up again.
"You know, that Ash Ketchum... I was one of his many friends. You could almost say he was one of my... best friends and I could never ask for a friend better than him, but now that he's gone, life has been drastically different."
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. It must have been a huge tragedy when you learned he disappeared, huh?"
"You have no idea."
Realizing he made a mistake in his words, Jimmy quickly tried to lighten things back up.
"Whoops, sorry! I didn't mean it like that, I-"
"Oh no, it's okay, really. You don't mind if I continue on about Ash? I don't wanna make this night depressing for you."
"I wouldn't mind at all. Of course you can go on."
"Alright."
(plays Ilia's Theme from The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess)
"I knew Ash ever since we were little kids attending Professor Oak's Pokémon Summer Camp together. I met him when I got lost in the woods and injured my knee, and back then, I was afraid of Pokémon, so I felt trapped and doomed. That was, until he came and helped me back up on my feet and out of the woods. For the rest of the year, he was the one I always looked up to. Whether I was frightened by Pokémon or bullied by other students, he was always there to protect me. All that changed when the year was over and graduation happened, and then my mom and I moved back to Kalos. Though, besides a small little diploma, I did gain a lot of things from my experience at the summer camp; I was no longer afraid of Pokémon and I made a friend who I could always admire."
"Did you see him again after that?"
"I did. Four years later, not too long after I reached my tenth birthday, I was watching the news and I saw him, Ash Ketchum, facing off against Professor Sycamore's Garchomp on top of Prism Tower. I was surprised. I always wanted to see him again after I left Pallet Town, but I never expected to see him fighting a dragon on top of one of the region's most famous landmarks. That's when I remembered the handkerchief he gave me as kids, and that I never returned it, so on the very next day, I decide to finally start my own Pokémon journey to return that handkerchief. I went to Lumiose City to receive my starter from Professor Sycamore and chose Fennekin. Sycamore told me Ash was on his way to Santalune City, so I decided to go that way too. When I finally caught up to him, he didn't recognize me at first, but after I showed him the handkerchief and helped him win against Viola with the same encouraging words he told me as kids, he finally remembered me. From there on out, I traveled with him throughout the entire region. With him around, I was able to find my true passion in life, Pokémon Showcases, and with his encouragement, I was always ready to try my best in reaching my dream of becoming Kalos Queen. Outside of showcases and gym battles, we had a ton of crazy adventures. There was a time I helped him learn how to ride on Rhyhorn, one time we both fell off a cliff though I fell first and he tried to save, and there was this one time where he got a fever and I had to dress up as him to battle another trainer's Pikachu."
"That journey with him really must've been a blast."
"It really was, but sadly, all good things must come to an end. Near the end of our journey, Team Flare attacked this city with a brainwashed Zygarde after Ash lost the Lumiose Conference, ranking as runner-up. Instead of running away though, we all fought back against the villains. It was almost like war honestly. At the end, we managed to defeat Team Flare and save Zygarde and the entire region of Kalos. With Team Flare defeated and the Kalos League over, it was now Ash's time to leave the region. Before he left, he promised he would see me when I compete in the Master Class Gloire Showcase again, but unfortunately, that evening at the airport was actually the last time I ever saw him as the very next day was when he suddenly disappeared. I was shocked when I heard the news and I tried to deny it at first, but when the realization finally came through my head, it became unbearable. My childhood friend, the one I always looked up to, the person who helped me keep my head up in any situation, no matter what it is, gone. Just, suddenly gone! But I didn't just give up, instead, I traveled to all the regions and chain islands he had journeyed through in the past in hopes of finding. Too bad for me, despite taking about six years of my life to find him, I just couldn't get any trace of him."
"You searched for him for six years?"
"Yeah, desperate, I know."
"Oh no, it's not desperate or anything like that. It's actually really thoughtful."
"Heh, yeah, tell that to my friends. They all thought I was crazy, but I didn't care. I just wanted to find him. I mean, he was always there for me at camp, he was always willing to cheer me up when I felt down, I couldn't give up. I guess you could say I may have some feelings for him. Even when I slowed down on my search after I was done with Unova and the Decolore Islands so that I could focus on becoming Kalos Queen, I still took every small chance I had to find any clues on Ash's disappearance without anyone knowing, except Bonnie, though she understands, unlike many of the others. The reason why I'm still searching is because I just know he's still out there, somewhere. I can feel it in my heart. He's still alive somewhere in the world and I need to find him!"
Hearing all this, Jimmy was silent until Serena stopped in her tracks and turned to face him.
"Jimmy, I want you to look directly in the eye and tell me honestly, are you sure you have not seen anyone else during your time at Mt. Silver?"
"...I'm sorry Serena, but I did not see anyone over there."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I am!"
"Jimmy, please tell me truth!"
"I am telling you the truth!"
Pichu saw the intensifying conflict arise between his master and Serena and he jumped off Jimmy's shoulder to intervene, but Typhlosion stopped the younger Pokémon from doing anything, telling him that they shouldn't get between them and that it will probably be for the best.
"I know you're lying," shouted Serena, who was now in tears, "I just know from my heart that the story you told us of your time at Mt. Silver isn't completely true! Jimmy, I'm sorry for coming off like this, but I absolutely need to know the truth! You have to understand, I know you saw someone else at Mt. Silver, probably and most likely the Legend, and I have a good feeling that it could be Ash! Please Jimmy, I need to know!"
Jimmy silently stared at Serena for a bit until he looked down to his Typhlosion, who nodded towards his trainer. Jimmy nodded back. It was time to reveal Serena his secret that he swore he would never tell anyone, but this time, it's different. Serena deserves to know this secret, knowing a certain friend were to do the same if he were to become missing.
"Alright Serena, you got me, I did see someone else over at Mt. Silver."
A small glance of hope glowed in Serena's eyes. Jimmy was then about to explain more, but Serena quickly interrupted him, saying, "Jimmy, you don't have to explain more right now. You can continue on when we reach the place to eat at."
Jimmy nodded and said, "Alright."
(plays Event: The Base from Sonic Adventure 2)
Serena led Jimmy, Typhlosion, and Pichu to a small alley close to Rouge Plaza, showing them some kind of restaurant. Despite the questionable location for a restaurant, it actually looked pretty good.
"Whoa. What is this place?" asked Jimmy.
"The Sushi High Roller." answered Serena with a smirk.
"Did you just say 'sushi'?" questioned Jimmy. Serena only grinned at him as she casually walked into the facility and Jimmy and his Pokémon followed.
(plays Sushi High Roller from Pokémon X and Y)
Walking into the Sushi High Roller, Serena was immediately greeted by the bouncer who wore some kind of martial artist outfit.
"Well, well, well, if isn't the Kalos Queen herself, Serena." the bouncer friendly greeted.
Jimmy was surprised that the bouncer was able to recognize Serena in her Serylah disguise, as during his time at Lumiose City, no one else (with the exception of Clemont and Bonnie of course) did.
The bouncer then turned to the manager at the receptionist desk and said, "Sir, Serena has returned here once again."
"Is that so?" asked the manager. He then saw Serena walk over to him as she took off her disguise, revealing her regular attire. The manager smiled and said, "Serena, it's been a while. How have you been?"
"Not much. Just the regular hiding from public and searching for Ash business."
"Really now? How has your search been lately?"
"These people know of your search?" asked a surprised Jimmy as he and his Pokémon went up to the desk where Serena was.
The manager took notice of the boy and asked, "Serena, is this a new friend of your's?"
"He doesn't look very stylish enough to be here." said the bouncer as he grabbed Jimmy's shoulder, causing Typhlosion to growl at him.
"Don't worry about him," Serena told the bouncer, "he's with me for tonight, plus he has competed in two Pokémon Leagues and won, so that should make him qualifiable to be here."
"Hm, yeah, I guess that's impressive." said the bouncer as he took his hand off Jimmy's shoulder and respectfully backed away, causing Jimmy to sigh out of relief.
"Anyway, this guy's name is Jimmy and he hails from New Bark Town of the Johto region. He's a new friend of mine and he actually has some info that could help me in my search."
"Is that so? Then he's more than allowed to dine here," the manager respectfully told Jimmy before he turned to a waiter. "Waiter, please seat these two immediately and tell the chefs there will be no battles for them tonight. They have some important business to talk about amongst themselves."
The waiter bowed and said, "Yes sir."
Serena, Jimmy, Typhlosion, and Pichu then followed the waiter to a two-seat table over at a corner, a little far away from the other patrons
"Sorry if that was all awkward for you," Serena whispered to Jimmy, "these guys are very strict of the people they dine here."
"It's no biggie." said Jimmy as he rubbed the shoulder the bouncer grabbed.
Approaching their table, Serena and Jimmy sat down (Pichu hopped off his trainer's shoulder and onto the table and Typhlosion sat beside his trainer's seat) and the waiter handed both of them menus.
"What would you two like to eat tonight?"
"I'll just take the regular oshizushi please." said Serena.
"Very well Serena," said the waiter as he wrote down Serena's order on his notepad before turning to Jimmy. "And what about you?"
Jimmy looked through the menu, wondering what to get, though it was pretty hard to decide considering the tremendous prices.
"Don't worry Jimmy, get whatever you want." said Serena.
Jimmy looked up to see Serena smiling at him with a shining credit card between her right index and middle fingers.
"It's all on me."
Jimmy smiled and looked through the menu again, finally deciding his choice.
"I'll just take some nigiri please."
The waiter nodded and wrote down Jimmy's order. He then went off to the kitchen and soon later, a furisode girl came out and served Serena and Jimmy their orders and walked away.
The two dined and Jimmy shared his sushi with Typhlosion and Pichu.
"So, about my time at Mt. Silver..." Jimmy spoke up as they ate, "what I was telling you and the others at the café this morning, I actually was telling the truth up until the 'running away from Steelix' part."
"I kinda figured. You seem too strong of a trainer to just run away from danger."
"Heh, thanks. Anyway, in reality, I did my best to avoid the wild Pokémon of Mt. Silver as I knew that while my Pokémon were able to take them, it would've been better to keep their energy so that going up the mountain would be easier. During my time at Mt. Silver, I primarily focused my research within the tallest mountain of the entire place and midway up the mountain, I actually did encounter a giant rampaging Steelix, though instead of running away and falling off the mountain, I just jumped into the lake where I was getting water at. The Steelix waited for me to get out, but it eventually gave up and went away."
"What did you do after that?"
"Well, even though by then I had more-than-enough research of the terrain and Pokémon, I kinda got carried away and continued my way up the mountain. You see, I just thought it was so awesome getting higher and higher, I didn't wanna stop. But like I said before, the higher I got, the worst the weather conditions became, and considering much of the path leading to the top was outside and not in caves, yeah, it was no cakewalk."
Serena looked down in thought for a little bit. To think Ash would disappear to such a place is beyond her. Yes, he's done plenty of crazy stuff before, but going to a mountain range filled with deadly snowstorms and Pokémon? Just... what could be his reasons?
"Did you ever make it to the top?" asked Serena after she brought her head back up to face Jimmy.
"Yep. After about four days of rock climbing, waterfall surfing, and ignoring all the frostbite, I finally made it to the top of the tallest mountain of Mt. Silver. The blizzard up there was unforgiving and it was so rough, I could barely see a thing, but for some reason, I just kept going. Honestly, looking back, I don't even know why I even wanted to reach the top in the first place. There were no wild Pokémon or any type of ancient landmark, but maybe deep down inside of me, I guess I kinda wanted to see the mythical Legend of Mt. Silver."
(plays Trainer Red Epic Orchestral Remix by DJTheFishhead)
"And as it turns out, I actually did."
"Do you remember what he looked like?" asked Serena. It was now time to see if this Legend is really Ash.
"Well, it was kinda hard to get a good luck because of all the snow, but I could tell that he was very tall and muscular, his hair seemed dark and spiky, and the only clothes that he was wearing was a pair of tattered pants, spiked wrist and ankle bands, and a red and white hat. There was also a Pikachu standing next to him too."
Dark and spiky hair, a red and white hat, and a Pikachu. Serena knew she was right. The Legend of Mt. Silver is Ash.
"I saw him standing on top of the mountain's peak and he and his Pikachu were staring down at me and Typhlosion. I called out to him, asking for his name and if he was the 'Legend' everyone keeps talking. He didn't say a single word, instead, he just pointed towards me and his Pikachu jumped down a few feet away from me and upon landing, it stood on all fours with electricity sparking from his cheeks. At first, I thought he commanded his Pikachu to attack me, but after one look at the man's face, I figured he was challenging me to a battle."
"Sounds like him. Ash, I mean." said Serena, knowing Ash's love for battles. "How did it go?"
"Well, I'll just tell you how it all went so you can determine that for yourself. After I gave myself and the Legend a good battlefield distance and decided the best team I should use for the battle, I started off with my Donphan, hoping the type advantage would give me the win, but I was wrong. Dead wrong. At the beginning of the battle, he pointed towards me again, apparently his way of telling me that I have the first move. I had Donphan start off with Earthquake, but his Pikachu dodged the attack completely by using Iron Tail on the ground to counter the tremors. I then had Donphan use Rollout, but Pikachu was too fast to be hit, and man, that Pikachu is definitely the fastest Pokémon I've ever seen. Pikachu then fired a Thunderbolt towards Donphan. Since ground Pokémon are regularly not affected by electric attacks, I didn't told Donphan to dodge, but that was a big mistake, as the attack actually damaged Donphan, really bad in fact. After the attack, Donphan was struggling to stay on his feet, only to be met by a fast and powerful Volt Tackle, taking Donphan out."
"Wow. Pikachu sure has gotten strong over the years." Serena commented to herself.
"The most crazy thing about that whole match is, besides Pikachu's electric attacks harming Donphan, is that the man did not spoke a single word, yet I could tell by his Pokémon's face that he was still giving commands somehow, kinda like telepathy."
Hearing this surprised Serena. Ash always had a way of making powerful connections with his Pokémon, but now he was somehow able to talk with them in their minds. What has Ash been doing these past eight years?
"I recalled Donphan and switched to Suicune. Instead of staying with Pikachu, his Pokémon returned to his side and he then took out a Pokéball and released out a huge Blastoise. At first, I thought Suicune's power would've given me the advantage, but once again, I was wrong. I had Suicune start off with Extrasensory, but Blastoise easily blocked it with Withdraw. Within his shell, Blastoise then charged towards Suicune with Rapid Spin, so I told Suicune to counter that with Giga Impact, but Suicune was easily overpowered. Suicune still had some energy left, so I told him to use Hydro Pump. Blastoise though used Hydro Pump as well and the two attacks met in the center of the battlefield. It looked even at first, but within mere seconds, Blastoise's Hydro Pump overpowered through Suicune's and hit him, launching him right past me and into a mound of rocks. And with that, Suicune was knocked out."
Serena was even more surprised hearing this. She knew Ash has battled and beaten Legendaries before, but now he was able to defeat them with no sweat.
"My next Pokémon was Togekiss and his was Snorlax, the biggest one I've ever seen. When he was sent out, his landing shook the entire mountain. I almost lost my balance, though his trainer looked barely fazed by the brief earthquake. Back to the battle, I wanted to overwhelm Snorlax with ranged attacks, so I told Togekiss to fly up high in the air and use Aura Sphere. Snorlax easily deflected Aura Sphere, even when I told Togekiss to fire more in a faster pace. The next thing that came from Snorlax was a powerful Blizzard attack, and since we were already in a snowstorm, the attack easily hit Togekiss, freezing him in a block of ice before he plummeted back to the ground where he was finished off with one Heavy Slam."
"The next one I sent out was Ambipom while his next one was Venusaur. I was surprised to see a Pokémon like that in such a cold area, but by the looks of it, that Venusaur was well trained enough to ignore the freezing climate and be completely unaffected by it. I had Ambipom start off with Double Hit, but both of his tails were grabbed by Venusaur's vines and then he was slammed to the ground. Venusaur was then about to hit Ambipom with a point blank Energy Ball, but thanks to Agility, Ambipom was able to avoid the attack in just in the nick of time. I then told Ambipom to use Swift and Venusaur countered with Razor Leaf, completely slicing through Ambipom's attack and hitting him. Ambipom barely pulled through that attack, but he was soon taken out by a fearsome Solar Beam attack. I must say, it was almost weird seeing such a strong Solar Beam in the weather we were at, but considering what I had seen from him beforehand, I wasn't too surprised."
"I was now down with only two Pokémon, and I almost considered to give up until I saw him giving me some kind of look that was telling me to stay strong and don't give up on my Pokémon, so I kept going and released my second-last Pokémon, Politoed, and we were now facing off against his Lapras. At the start of that match, I had Politoed use Hypnosis on Lapras to put her to sleep, but even though the hypnotic waves made contact, it somehow had no effect!"
"Do you think perhaps she had used Safeguard to defend herself from the attack?"
"No as there was no trace of any type of shield when she was hit by the attack. His Lapras then fired an Ice Beam towards Politoed, but Politoed was able to dodge it and we tried to fight back with Dynamic Punch, but when Politoed got close, Lapras used Psychic to stop him in midair and then slam him onto a giant stone. Politoed tried to get back into the battle, but Lapras took him out quickly with Thunderbolt."
"With Politoed out, I was now down with only Pokémon while he still had all six, with one not even being sent out yet, but I didn't back down. My challenger would've been disappointed in me, so I sent forward my last Pokémon for the battle: Typhlosion. The Legend sent out his last Pokémon: Charizard. Now, I've battled many Charizard before, but his Charizard was definitely the most beastly, ferocious, and humongous one I've ever battled. His flame was so hot, the snow melted just for being near him, heck, I could feel his heat from where I was at despite being several feet away from him. Despite how scary Typhlosion's opponent looked, we stood strong and remained battling. We started off with Flamethrower and they used Flamethrower as well. Just like the Hydro Pump between Suicune and Blastoise, the attacks met in the center, but Charizard's Flamethrower overpowered through Typhlosion's, but Typhlosion was able to dodge in time. We then tried to use Eruption, but all the molten rocks were destroyed by a single Fire Blast before any of them could get even close to Charizard. The next attack we tried was Shadow Claw, but Charizard easily deflected Typhlosion away with Dragon Claw. Our very last option was Flame Wheel, but when Typhlosion got close, his Charizard just grabbed Typhlosion with one hand, stopping the attack. His Charizard then took off into the air like a jet and defeated Typhlosion by throwing him to the ground straight from the sky with Seismic Toss."
Serena was speechless on hearing this story. She knew Ash was a strong trainer, but now he's on a whole new level. He completely trashed Jimmy's team and is able to battle in a snowstorm on top of probably the highest mountain in the world.
"With Typhlosion unconscious in the snow, I ran up to him to make sure he was alright, but like all of a sudden, the storm became worse. I held onto Typhlosion as the blizzard started to bury us deep in the snow. Because of how cold it got, I started to lose all consciousness and I felt too weak to get a medicine from my backpack or send out another Pokémon. I thought it was all gonna be over for me."
(plays Dragon Roost Island (starts at 0:13) from The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker)
"That is, until moments later, I finally woke up and I found myself lying down on a bed leaves next to a lake full of fresh water. I got up and I saw many fire-type Pokémon sitting around me to keep me warm. A Torkoal, an Emboar, an Infernape, a Talonflame, the same Charizard I fought at the peak, and a Typhlosion, which at first, I thought was mine before it viciously snarled at me when I tried to pet it, something that my Typhlosion would never do. I then started to look around the entire area I was in, which was inside a tall and wide mountain crater. It was surprisingly full of foliage and there were many other types of Pokémon all around. That's when I noticed that my Typhlosion and the Pokéballs of the Pokémon I had recently used were gone until they came out of nowhere running to me, all fully healed up. Before I could ask where they were, we were suddenly offered some berries by the Venusaur that we had fought and a leaf full of fresh water by a Greninja."
All the Pokémon Jimmy mentioned were all-too-familiar to Serena, especially the Pikachu, Talonflame, and Greninja. Many of the others were Pokémon Ash's friends told her about when she was searching for him and by the sound of things, many of them have evolved.
"And then that's when I saw him. The Legend of Mt. Silver in plain view walking towards me with his Pikachu on his shoulder and a Meganium and Lucario walking beside him. He told me he had his Meganium and Lucario heal my Pokémon and asked me if I was alright. I said 'yes' and then I asked him for his name. His answer: Ash Ketchum."
"I thought so," said Serena as her eyes glew from tears of relief and gratitude. "Of all these years, I've been searching high-and-low for Ash without any success, but now thanks to you, I now know where he's at. And I know he's alive too."
"I'm happy you know where your friend is. Also, your friend is quite the powerful trainer. Apparently, when I fell unconscious after our battle, he took me in his crater home instead of having his Charizard fly me down to the bottom like he has done for all the other trainers who made it to the top. The reason why was because, according to him, whenever he looked into my eyes during our battle, he saw the 'never give-up' spirit and the love and trust I had for my Pokémon that reminded him of his, unlike his previous challengers, and he offered to train me in my skills as a trainer."
"He offered to train you?"
"He sure did. To be honest with you, before I met him, despite my accomplishments, my battling skills were okay at best, well, in his standards, and my win-loss record was not as impressive as you may think, but under his training, WOOOOO, his skills and power were something else!"
"Hm, how so?"
"Well, remember that trick Typhlosion pulled off in our battle yesterday where he redirected Luxray's Swift back at him by jumping behind him. That was one of the many types of strategies he taught me. The same goes for many other tricks like Pichu using Iron Tail to launch him to the air or Politoed adjusting to a certain angle to have Hypnosis make contact for sure."
"So that's why he reminded me so much of Ash when he was battling Clemont. His spirit was just like Ash's and Ash was the one who taught him all the strategies and techniques he used."
"He trained me for about a week. He didn't want to keep me around for too long since he knew my friends and family at home would get worried. His training was intense, but it was also pretty fun, despite how mean his Pokémon were at times." Jimmy said, recalling all those times Ash's Pokémon attacked him when he tried to pet them. One example would be the time he tried to pet Ash's Staraptor, only to be whacked by his Steel Wing into a tree.
"Did you ask him why he went up to Mt. Silver in the first place?"
"I did, but he said it was a secret. I tried to ask him some more, but his response was always the same, plus the more I asked, the more his Pokémon got angry at me."
"So he never told you why he disappeared from everyone?"
"Nope. Sorry."
But why? Why would he not tell anyone why he disappeared from his friends and family to Mt. Silver. There just has to be reason and she has to find out.
"Once the week was over, he was about to have his Charizard drop me off at the bottom so I could return home, but before I left, he had me to promise to never tell anyone where he was at, his battle and training with him, and that he was the Legend of Mt. Silver. I kept my promise, not telling a single soul until now. I was reluctant at first, but after seeing how much you truly care for your missing friend, I figured you deserve to know."
Serena smiled at Jimmy and said, "Thanks for telling me all of this, Jimmy. You're a great guy."
(plays Peace for the Galaxy from Star Fox Command)
Serena and Jimmy then proceeded to finish their meals. Serena payed the bill with her credit card.
Upon leaving the Sushi High Roller, Jimmy went up to Serena and said," Thanks for buying us dinner Serena, it was really nice of you. Right guys?"
Typhlosion and Pichu both nodded.
"It was no problem Jimmy. Thank you again for telling me where Ash is."
"Of course. Well, I think it's about time to resume on my journey."
"Oh, you're leaving already?"
"Yeah sorry, but I had a truly great time here, thanks to you and your friends. Tell them I said 'goodbye' for me, okay?"
"Sure! And best of luck when you reach the Kalos League!"
"Thanks!" Jimmy and his Pokémon then turned around and started making their way to the gates leading to Route 14. "And best of luck to you on your search for Ash!"
"Thanks."
Waving goodbye, Serena saw Jimmy leave Rouge Plaza and into the Route 14 gate. She then sighed to herself before she looked up to the high full moon above.
"Ash, I now know where you are. Even if you don't want me to, I'm going to find you and figure out why you disappeared in the first place. And hopefully by the time I reach you, I can finally let you know how I've felt about you ever since the very day I met you when we were kids. Yeah, hopefully. My search is almost to its end."
Serena then felt her phone buzz in her right jacket pocket. Pulling it out, she saw she had just received a text message from her mom, asking her if she plans to come home soon, which she remembered she promised to do before she went off to Ambrette Town. Looking back up to the sky, Serena knew that a good night's rest would be wise before flying over to Kanto, so she went back to her phone and replied "yes" to her mom's question. Serena then looked through her messages to see that Bonnie had sent her one while she was having dinner with Jimmy. She must have been too entranced by Jimmy's story to notice. Reading Bonnie's message, it said:
'Hey Serena, sorry if we're taking too long! The generator is fine, but Chesnaught somehow got himself stuck in a bunch of wires when he "tried" to help (smiling face with open mouth and cold sweat emoji)'
Serena started to text back, leading to a texting conversation.
'It's fine Bonnie, sorry I didn't respond sooner. Jimmy got hungry after you two left, so I took him out to eat at the Sushi High Roller. After we were done eating, Jimmy had to leave to resume on his journey, but he said 'goodbye'.'
'Awww... ): I wanted to see his Suicune! Oh well, we're almost done getting Chesnaught out right now, so do you wanna stay over for the night?'
'Sorry, but no. I promised my mom I would return to Vaniville for the night.'
'Aww, okay. Have a nice night! See ya tomorrow and tell Grace I said 'hi'!'
'Thanks Bonnie. Goodnight.'
Now done with their conversation, Serena put her phone away and walked out of the city via the Route 4 gate. While the walk there was long, she didn't have to worry about people seeing her due to how late it was. Now on Route 4, Serena released Charla from her Pokéball.
"Hey girl, do you think you could fly me home?"
Charla nodded and lowered her back for Serena to get on before taking off to Vaniville Town.
Serena and Charla reached the calm and peaceful town in no time and after Charla quietly landed before her trainer's house, Serena recalled her back to her Pokéball. She then knocked on the door and Grace quickly opened it up, happily greeting her daughter in a soft hug.
"Serena, sweetie, where've you been?"
"Oh, y'know, just hanging with Clemont and Bonnie and meeting some new people. Nothing outta the ordinary."
"No fans or photography this time?"
"Nope. I remembered my disguise this time, so no loss of oxygen this time."
"That's great. Well, (yawn) better get to bed now. It's getting awfully late. I made your bed for you."
"Mom, I'm 18. Do you really think I still need my mother to make my bed for me?"
"You're still my daughter." Grace teasefully sang as she walked back into her home as Serena pouted and followed her in.
"Whatever. Goodnight mom." Serena walked upstairs to her room.
"Goodnight sweetie."
Entering her room, Serena saw the day's annual pile of fanmail on her desk close to the closet. Ignoring it for now, Serena changed into her pink pajamas, placed her Pokéballs on the small table next to her bed, and lied down on her bed with heavy thoughts in her mind.
"Ugh, what should I say to my mom before I leave for Kanto? I can't tell her I'm looking Ash or else she'll freak out. Hmm, maybe I could lie to her that Professor Oak wanted to see me and since the Kanto airport is close to Pallet Town, I could tell the Professor himself to cover for me in case mom were to ever call him. I mean, he could keep secrets, right? Then again, what should I tell him when I visit Pallet? If I tell him I'm looking for Ash, he might stop me and call mom. I could tell him another lie, but what if it's completely from the one I told mom and if she calls and asks him how I'm doing with subject being different from the one I told her, then he could get suspicious. Hmm, what about Delia? Wait, wait, that wouldn't work either. I would have to come up with a different lie for my mom and another one for Delia and then there's chance that mom would call and if I were to ignore Delia completely, then mom would be mad and- AAAHHHHHH! I need to sleep!"
Serena closed her eyes and slept through the night, hoping to think of good plans tomorrow. But if there was one thing she was excited for, she was going to see Ash again. Mt. Silver is going to be a hard place to go through, but she believed she could do it from the bottom of her heart. There's nothing in the world that could stop her, at least that's what she thinks.
Oh, poor Serena. Thinking her search is all gonna be easy for her, but in reality it won't be. Not only does she have to come with lies to tell her mom and friends on why she's going to Kanto, but also somehow get the approval to enter Mt. Silver and then scale up the entirety of the largest mountain, after going through the lakes, hills, and the ruined Silver Town beforehand of course. Oh, what is she going to do?
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I want to say thank you for all the great reviews so far! They really mean a lot and I especially want to give a shoutout kurifu gari for the idea of Ash training Jimmy. I was a great idea and I really appreciate it! That goes the same for every else who has left nice reviews! Speaking of reviews, don't forget to leave one if you'd like to share your ideas, critiques, music ideas, questions, your general thoughts, anything you want!
Don't forget I will give an awesome prize to whoever finds the two hidden jokes in Chapters 3 and 4 first!
Have a nice day!
