Chapter 3: Keeping Pace with the Rhyhorn Race!
All five of us walked down the beaten path to Lumios City. We had been talking for awhile now and I'd learned a few things about my new companions.
Ash prefers his eggs sunny side up.
Pikachu loves ketchup.
Serena always combs the left side of her hair first, but I already knew that.
Clemont wears his glasses to bed.
Bonnie likes to talk about herself in third person.
And Dendenne sleeps a lot.
...What? I never said it was USEFUL information.
But Serena DID know Ash before she arrived in Santalune. Apparently she met him at Professor Oak's Summer Camp where he helped her after she got 'attacked' by a Poliwag. Apparently he doesn't remember her though, poor Serena.
Anyway, we were walking down the path. When Ash spoke up. "As long as we're going to Lumios City I'd like to take a shot at the Lumios Gym again."
"Pikachu!" Pikachu agreed.
I frowned. "You tried to challenge the Lumios Gym?"
Ash nodded. "Yeah. When I went there the first time some voice said I needed to have four Gym Badges first. And then it electrocuted me!"
I winced. "Sounds rough. I heard that for the last few days the Lumios Gym Leader was a very tough customer who'd always harshly criticize losers. To be honest, I don't want to battle a Gym Leader like that."
"Frooooakie!" Froakie nodded from his place on my shoulder.
I could see Clemont was nervous about our current topic and spoke up. "Well, lets keep in mind that you haven't been in the Kalos Region long, Ash. And Elliot you're a bit...inexperienced as a trainer."
"I trained with Froakie for four years." Froakie raised his hand for recognition.
Clemont got flustered again. "Well, um, that is..."
I just shrugged. "Well, if you think it's best Clemont, I'll agree with you."
Clemont secretly (Well, not secretly to me at least.) gave a sigh of relief. "Why don't you two use this time to catch another Kalos region pokemon?"
"Yeah, that's a good point." Ash grinned.
"Another teammate could be pretty useful." I pondered.
Me and Ash began scouring the grass. "'Kay, so where's my next pokemon hanging out?" Ash wondered aloud as he scanned the area.
"Let's catch a really cool one Froakie, like a Dark type or something." Froakie croaked happily in agreement.
"Hey Ash, Elliot?" We both turned to Bonnie at her speaking up. "If either of you catch a really cute pokemon, will you let me take care of it?"
"Sure, of course." Ash said.
"I won't mind. And I bet whatever pokemon I'd catch would love to hang out with you, Bonnie." I agreed.
"Yippee!" Bonnie cheered. She then came up and tugged on my sleeve. "So can I take care of Chimchar?"
As I got out Chimchar's Poke-Ball Clemont turned to Serena. "So why did you decide to go on a journey, Serena?"
"Huh?" Serena said, she then just smiled and walked up to Ash, producing a blue and white Poke-Ball handkerchief from her skirt pocket. "I wanted to give this back to you. It's yours after all." She then held it out to Ash, who looked at it a bit plainly.
"Ash, remember how we talked about going to Professor Oak's Summer Camp back when we were younger?" Serena asked, trying to jog his memory.
"Yeah?" Ash stated.
"Well, you let me borrow this way back then." Ash's eyes seemed to widen a little at the sentence.
"That's Ash's handkerchief?" Bonnie asked.
"Nenne?" Dendenne copied her.
To be honest, Serena had often told me, Liz and Thomas about a boy who had helped her back when she lived in Kanto. But I never thought we would actually meet him, let alone travel together.
"Yep." Serena clarified. "I wanted to give it back to you for a long time now. But I never really had the chance to do it. Thank you."
"Uh, sure." Ash said with an awkward look as he accepted the handkerchief.
"But then, when I saw the Garchomp news story on TV and saw it was you, I knew it was time for me to track you down." She explained.
"Hold on! Now I remember!" Ash blurted out with a smile. "Your the girl with the straw hat! Wow, that WAS you! And you came all that way for this?"
"Pikachu." Said pokemon asked happily.
"Not just that." Serena began pacing back and forth. "I also really wanted to see you again. Buuut..." She turned to Ash with a frown. "I'd never have guessed you wouldn't remember me at all!" She puffed out he cheeks to emphasise her disappointment.
"Uhh...yeah, sorry." Ash said with a nervous smile.
"Pika, Pikachu!" Pikachu stared at his trainer with a 'seriously?' look.
We all just started laughing, it was great, remembering a friend from the past and setting off down a path with friends, what could be better?
Suddenly the ground started shaking.
"What's that noise?" Bonnie asked.
Realizing I still had Chimchar's Poke-Ball out, I quickly pocketed it and tried to peer down the path.
"That's-" Serena started.
Uh-oh. If Serena recognises that sound there's only one thing it could be.
As if on cue, three rocky beasts known as Rhyhorn were charging down the path, each had a saddle, reins, and a rider on top wearing a different coloured riding jumpsuit. We managed to run out of the way just in time.
"I think I jinxed us." I gasped.
"Froak..." Froakie sighed with relief now that they had passed...only for three more to approach. Me and Ash got out our blue and red respective Pokedexes and held them up towards the incoming Rhyhorn.
'Rhyhorn, the Spikes pokemon. Rhyhorn recklessly charges straight ahead, trampling over anything that gets in its way.' Both Pokedexes stated.
We all regrouped as we looked where the Rhyhorn were running towards. "What was that all about?" Ash thought aloud.
"It's a Rhyhorn race." Serena said.
"Race?" Ash asked, obviously a bit confused.
We then heard another noise, only this time it was Officer Jenny approaching on a police motorbike with a passengers seat. "What do you all think your doing?" She questioned us. "Your not supposed to be here. Your standing right in the middle of the Rhyhorn racecourse!"
"The Rhyhorn racecourse?" Ash repeated, almost in shock.
OCXY
Soon we were overlooking a small village with a large circular Rhyhorn race track. "This is Odyssey Village. Where the Rhyhorn race begins." Officer Jenny explained. "The course starts here at the village square, goes through the forest and comes back."
We walked down to see a large screen depicting the racers and an announcer doing what his name implies.
"Wow, a Rhyhorn race! Never seen one before!" Ash marvelled.
I just stared. Whenever we went over Serena's house her mum would show old tapes of her when she was Rhyhorn racing. We all tried it a few times, and I think it's pretty cool. Only problem is Serena doesn't.
"Rhyhorn races are really popular in the Kalos region." Clemont said as we continued to watch the race unfold.
"This is so awesome to watch!" Ash said, totally glued to the screen.
"Pika!" Pikachu agreed.
"Rhyhorn are so cute, too!" Bonnie cheered. I sweat-dropped. She thought Rhyhorn were cute?
"You know, they even have special Rhyhorn racetracks in bigger cities." Serena spoke up, being an expert on the subject as her mum had hammered it into her. "This course is actually pretty easy."
"Wow, you sure know a lot!" Ash pointed out the obvious.
"That's because Serena's mum used to be a top Rhyhorn racer." I said.
"Woah, really?" Ash breathed. "That's so cool! How do you know about that Elliot?"
I smiled. "Serena, me, Liz and Thomas have been best friends ever since she moved to Kalos."
Clemont adjusted his glasses. "Really? You never mentioned it before."
It took me a few seconds to comprehend that sentence. "AHHHH! I FORGOT TO TELL YOU THAT!"
"FROOOOAKIIIIE!" Froakie copied me.
We both slumped over with depressed auras. "How could I forget to mention we're best friends? I'm a terrible person."
"Froakiiie..." Froakie sighed as he tried to comfort me.
Serena patted my back with a nervous smile. "Elliot is a bit...emotional at times."
I abruptly stood back up. "No worries! I'll remember next time!"
"Froak!" Froakie agreed.
"Well, at least he's quick to bounce back." Clemont said with an unsure laugh.
Serena turned to Ash. "Anyway, a total of six Rhyhorn compete in each race to decide a winner."
"Actually, there's a special race tomorrow that anyone can take part in." Officer Jenny mentioned. "If you want, you can enter it."
"You mean it? Great! I'm in!"
"Pika! Pika!"
OCXY
Soon we were hanging over a fence looking at a group of Rhyhorn, a woman wearing a white racing suit was the keeper of all of them. "Choose your Rhyhorn for the race from the ones here. Go ahead and pick any Rhyhorn that interests you." She said as she gestured to the group of Rock/Ground types.
Ash looked over the patch with eager eyes. "You mean I can really choose my own?"
"Sure." The woman agreed as Ash began a thorough look.
"Well, I need to get back to work." Officer Jenny said as she started walking away with a smile. "Have a great race, Ash. Bye."
"I will, thanks for everything, Officer Jenny." Ash agreed, immediantely going back to his search. "I wonder which one I should choose?"
"Each one of them is so cute!" Bonnie cooed.
Ash began walking over to one, when Serena shouted out:
"Ash! Don't do that!" He froze at Serena's call. "If you approach a Rhyhorn from behind, it might start to panic, and then run. Do this." She approached the Rhyhorn from the front. "Approach from the front, then move really slowly."
The Rhyhorn was instantly calmed and gladly accepted a rub to it's stony neck. "There, there, it's okay." Serena reassured it in a calming tone.
"Rhyhorn!" It roared happily.
"See?"
"Amazing..." Ash breathed.
"Pika." Pikachu agreed.
"Now this Rhyhorn seems to be gentle and really smart." Serena said.
"Rhy..." The Rhyhorn said.
"Sounds good." Ash said with a nod. "Then I choose you!" I knelt down beside it. "Hey there, nice to meetcha Rhyhorn."
"Wow! I'm impressed, Serena, your so good at handling Rhyhorn!" Clemont approved.
"Told ya. Serena's the best there is when it comes to Rhyhorn." I nodded.
"FroaKIE!" Froakie croaked in agreement.
Serena looked a bit taken aback by the compliments and blushed. "Thank you, but my mother's the one who taught me it all ever since I was a little girl."
"So Serena, do you want to be a Rhyhorn racer?" Ash brought up the major topic.
"Well...Rhyhorn racing is fine but..." She looked out towards the ever expanding forests. "...But I want to see if there is something even better out there for me! So I haven't made a decision just yet."
I smiled. I'm glad Serena's finally choosing to follow her dreams. And it's all thanks to Ash saving Garchomp and Pikachu. Even if he didn't know it, I owe him a lot for helping my friend.
Clemont raised a finger up in acknowledgement. "If you ask me, I'd say it sounds like you want to find your own path."
"Hm-hm." She nodded.
Ash stood up and grinned. "Hey Serena? Since you know so much about Rhyhorn racing, do you think you could teach me some of the basics like the rules and how to ride?"
"You mean, me?" She asked as if she'd just won the lottery.
"Yeah, please?"
"Umm..."
"You have so much experience, it would really be a big help. We don't know anything about Rhyhorn racing." Clemont interjected.
I nodded. "If anyone can do it, it's you Serena. Your the best."
"Please Serena? Your the expert!" Bonnie agreed.
"Well, I guess so." She still sounded a bit unsure.
"Alright!" Ash cheered.
OCXY
Ah, so sorry dear readers, but I must interject for a minute.
I believe you remember me from the Prologue? I am the omniscient narrator side of this story, just taking away our 'hero's' viewpoint for the moment so you can get the whole picture.
Who am I?
Secret.
Anyway, whilst this transpired, three individuals watched on through hi-tech binoculars.
Two wore white suits with a red 'R' on the front, one female with long pink/purple hair, the other male with average length blue/purple hair. Standing next to their feet was a cat-like pokemon with a golden coin on it's forehead, a Meowth.
"It's the twerp and Pikachu! We've been looking for those two!" The female, Jessie, said aloud.
"And they've got Rhyhorn racing on the brain, plus two extra twerps to boot!" The male, James, agreed.
"And when it's on da brain ya gotta get it!" The Meowth, Meowth, agreed.
"Wooooobuffet!" The very pokemon suddenly appeared with a cry of it's own name. The two instantly pulled it to the wall of the house they were hiding behind as they conversed.
"They've got power to spare, so bringing in a Rhyhorn AND Pikachu will get us the Boss' seal of approval for sure." Jessie sneered.
"With an added Froakie to seal the deal, this will be our day." James agreed.
"Yeah, so let's catch 'em, whaddya say?" Meowth added.
"Woooooobuffet!" Said pokemon finished.
Perhaps they should quite crime and go into poetry. But any way, I'll hand us back to our 'hero'.
OCXY
"Steady...Steady..."
I picked the fruit and felt myself fall. "Crud!" I yelled as I hit the ground.
"Froakie!?"
"Skrip!?"
My two pokemon rushed over to me to see if I was injured. "Don't worry, I'm fine." I reassured them as I stood up and brushed myself down.
Me, Froakie and Scatterbug were picking berries from a forest not too far away from the village. Serena had given me specific instructions on which berries Rhyhorn's liked the most, as a kinda reward scheme.
But then I had an epiphany. As long as I was out here, I'd collect berries for all the pokemon and save us tea (or dinner, whichever you prefer.). Chimchar was back at the village playing with Bonnie and Dendenne.
"Alright! Looks like we've got enough!" We all cheered at our basket full of berries. "I hope everyone will like these. Ash and Serena have been training all day! They deserve a little something."
It was just then that a Fletchling flew out of the bushes towards us, it looked injured as well. "A Fletchling?"| I said.
"Use Water Gun!"
Suddenly a jet of water shot out of a nearby bush and hit the Fletchling square in the back, knocking it to the ground.
"Okay! Poke-Ball, go!"
This time a Poke-Ball leapt out of the bush and bounced off of the Fletchling, sucking it in in a red light.
Click!
Click!
Click!
Ding!
"Yes! We did it!"
"Oshawott!"
Finally a girl and an Oshawott of all pokemon sprinted out of the bush. She looked about 16, with long dark brown hair, pale skin and blue eyes, although unlike my kind blue eyes, hers were slightly more grey. She was wearing a red hoodie that was zipped down a little, revealing a plain black T-shirt, she also had dark blue jeans, red fingerless gloves, and basic white trainers.
She ran over and picked the Poke-Ball up with a smile. "We did it, Joshua! We caught a Fletchling!"
"Osha! Oshawott!" The Oshawott cheered.
"Okay, let's go, Fletchling!" She tossed the Poke-Ball into the air to make Fletchling appear in a white light.
"Fletchling!" It cried.
The girl (I really shouldn't call her that, she's older then me!) Took out a light blue pokedex and scanned her new pokemon. "Male, huh? Okay then! I'll call you..." She pondered for a second before smiling. "Sonny!"
"Chling! Fletchling!" Sonny chirped at his new name.
"Umm...hello?" I asked hesitantly.
She noticed me instantly and gasped, returning Sonny to his Poke-Ball. "I'm sorry! I swear I didn't notice you there before!" She walked up to me. "Who are you?"
"I'm Elliot, and this is my partner, Froakie." Froakie leapt onto my arm and croaked it's hello.
"Nice to meet you! I'm Joanne." She then gestured to the Oshawott at her feet. "And this is my Oshawott, Joshua."
"Froakie!" Froakie said in gretting. But Joshua just crossed it's arms and held it's head up high.
"I'm sorry, he's not very friendly with other water types." She mumbled with a nervous smile.
"Oshawott, huh? Never seen a real one before." I said as I got out my Pokedex.
'Oshawott, the Sea Otter pokemon. Oshawott uses the scalchop on it's stomach masterfully for combat, and keeps it clean and shined at all times.'
"Skrip!" Scatterbug scuttled up to Joshua.
"Osha! Osha!" He instantly put on a happy face and started dancing with her.
"But he gets on well with other types." Joanne smiled. "So that's your Scatterbug?"
"Yep. Nice catch on Sonny by the way."
"Thank you! I'm glad someone noticed." She then glanced behind me. "Oh? Are those your berries?"
"Yep. They're for me and my friends. One of them's competing in the Rhyhorn race." I pointed to the town.
"Oh! Rhyhorn racing! I've watched a few myself." She looked at me. "Hey, do you need a help with those berries? We need to get down there anyway."
"Sure! That would be great!"
And so we distributed the berries between baskets and carried one each. Froakie felt Joshua's eyes bore into his back the whole way there.
When we finally got back it was pretty much dusk, and as we entered the cabin for racers Chimchar suddenly leapt out of the door.
"Chiiiimchaaaaar! Ch-hi-hi-hi-imchaaaaar!" He was crying a waterfall and hung onto my neck as if it was life itself.
"Hey Chimchar." I said, a bit startled. "Sorry I made you worry."
"Oh wow! Is this your Chimchar?" Joanne asked.
"Yeah, he's quite young." I confirmed as I tried to soothe the fire type.
Then everyone else came out. "Elliot! Are you alright?" Serena asked.
"Chimchar was getting worried, and then he started crying and wouldn't stop!" Bonnie panicked with tears in her eyes.
"I'm-I'm sorry." I said, feeling really guilty. "I just wanted to get some berries for everyone." I gestured to the basket.
"Chimchar!" He instantly stopped crying and leaped over to Froakie's basket, happily tucking in.
"Wow! We can make something really great with these!" Ash said.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu agreed.
"Oh. Who are you?" Clemont asked.
"I'm Joanne, it's very nice to meet you." She waved with one free hand. "And this is Joshua, my Oshawott."
"Oshaaaa!" Joshua cheered with a wave as he and Chimchar started playing tag.
"Well, I suppose you were out for a good cause." Serena pondered. "Hey Joanne, why don't you stay with us? You helped Elliot after all."
She smiled. "Thank you. I really appreciate it."
OCXY
Soon we were all having tea (Dinner, whatever) together, whilst the pokemon and Rhyhorn all snacked on a healthy heaping of berries.
"So these are your other pokemon, huh?" I asked as I took out my Pokedex.
"Yep, you already know Sonny though." Joanne confirmed as Ash also held out his Pokedex.
'Treecko, the Wood Gecko pokemon. It's small hooks on its feet allow it to scale cliffs quickly. It's tail allows it to sense the wind levels and predict the weather.' Ash's Pokedex said.
"That's Daxter, my Treecko. He's quite laid back, but is very nice." Joanne said.
'Torchic, the Chick pokemon. It's flame sac allows it to shoot flames of over 1,800 degrees F, making it very warm to hug.' My Pokedex confirmed.
"And this is Shane. He can be a bit hyper, but he loves to play with others." The trainer told us.
"So Joanne. What are you doing in Kalos?" Ash asked.
She reached into her pocket and pulled out a Badge Case. Inside was the Bug Badge. "Competing in the Kalos League."
"So you beat Sis?" I asked.
Joanne raised an eyebrow. "She's your sister? I didn't know. What's it like being the little brother of a Gym Leader?"
I huffed. "Pretty cool. But it's kinda hard being the only boy in a girl family."
We all just laughed. "Well, we should be settling down now." Serena said. "It's Ash's big race tomorrow."
"Yeah! And I'm gonna win!" Ash fist pumped.
"Pika!" Pikachu copied him.
"Want to stay with us for tonight, Joanne?" I asked.
"Sure, I'd like to see Ash race as well!" She agreed.
OCXY
My eyes slowly fluttered open to be met with darkness. Damn, I woke up too early. I sat up and rubbed my eyes and looked around. Everyone else was still asleep...except for...
Serena was gone.
I silently panicked and shook Froakie. "Froakie. Froakie! Wake up!"
Froakie groggily opened his eyes. "Froak..." He complained.
"Froakie! Serena's gone!"
Froakie instantly sat up. "Froakie!?"
I covered his mouth. "Shhh! Come on! We don't want to wake the others!" And so we both tiptoed around, when we saw a light on in the kitchen.
The two of us peered in to see Serena wearing a pink apron placing a tray in the oven with Fennekin sitting on the counter.
"Fenn? Fennekin?" The pokemon asked.
Serena placed a finger to her lips. "Shh, we have to be quiet."
"Fenn." Fennekin placed a paw to her own lips.
"I hope these turn out okay." Serena said as she closed the oven.
We both stared in. "Oh man. Serena's cookies are the best. Is she baking them for Ash?"
"Froakie?" Froakie asked.
I slumped down. "Serena's always so nice. But she doesn't get anything in return."
"Froak..." Froakie said sadly.
I suddenly thought of something. "Hey Froakie! I've got an idea!"
OCXY
"Folks, welcome to the final day of the Rhyhorn race!" The announcer commentated as all of us sat in the audience. "Where anyone can enter!"
Fennekin was out of it's Poke-Ball as all four of us watched the Rhyhorn's line up.
"Yay Ash! Bonnie wishes you luck!" Told you she likes to talk in third person.
"Thanks! I'll do my best!" Ash cheered.
"Pika Pika!" Pikachu was still on his shoulder, as Froakie was on mine.
"Good luck! We know you can win!" Joanne called.
"Oshaaaa!" Joshua called.
"Froak? Froakie?" Froakie whispered into my ear.
"Not yet Froakie." I said.
"Get set...GO!" On the signal the Rhyhorn's all charged forward...apart from Ash's which bucked around and ran off madly.
"I don't think that's how you start." Bonnie said.
"I sure hope he'll be okay." Serena whispered.
"I wonder..." Clemont said.
"He can do it! I know he can!" I cheered.
"We'll give him all the luck he needs." Joanne nodded.
As we watched via the monitors, one of them suddenly went black.
"Huh? What happened?" Serena asked.
"Must be a technical glitch." Clemont murmured.
That appeared to be less likely as all of them started going black. "Uh oh. Looks like we've lost our live feed." The announcer said.
"Poor Ash." Serena whispered.
"We should go investigate." Clemont said as we all stood up and ran down the path.
We first came across this really weird looking train filled with Rhyhorn in cages! Piloting it was two weird people in jumpsuits and a Meowth.
"What's that thing?" Bonnie asked.
"Whatver it is, it's got all the Rhyhorn!" I said in anger.
"What!? How could they just sabotage this race!?" Joanne shouted angrily.
"Bunnelby! Come on out!" Clemont threw a Poke-Ball and a Bunnelby appeared.
"Bunnelby! Use Mud Bomb!"
I nodded. "We'll help too! Froakie! Throw your Frubbles!"
"Take those guys out with Water Gun, Oshawott!"
The three pokemon launched their attacks, knocking the three off.
"Now stop the train with Dig, Bunnelby!" Clemont called.
"Buuuuuunnelby!" The rabbit pokemon dug underground, weakening the earth and halting the train. Bunnelby popped out of the ground with a puffed out chest of pride.
"Way to go, Bunnelby!" Clemont said as we arrived at the train. "Looks like we made it in time!"
"Yeah, but we DID have to wait for you to catch your breath the first time." I pointed out.
"Clemont! Elliot!" Ash called. He was tied up on the path.
"Ash!" Serena similarly called as she, Fennekin, Bonni, Joanne and Joshua ran up from behind.
"Are you okay!?" Bonnie shouted.
"Serena! Bonnie! Joanne! Wow, am I glad to see you!" Ash cheered as we all ran up to him.
"I thought something was up, but I never thought it would be THIS bad!" Clemont gasped.
"Yeah! It's Team Rocket!" Bonnie yelled accusingly.
"Little brat! What a loud mouth!" The pink head yelled.
"Team Rocket?" I asked.
"They're a group of thugs who steal peoples pokemon!" Ash told us.
"What!? Stealing other pokemon and just stopping this race to take those Rhyhorn!? How heartless are you!?" Joanne yelled. "Joshua! Let's teach them a lesson!"
"Oshawott!" The little pokemon tapped its scalchop and ran forward.
"Fenn! Fennekin!" Serena's pokemon tapped her leg.
"Huh?" Serena asked, only to break out in a small grin. "Oh right! Pikachu and the others are in trouble and you want to help them! Right?"
"Kin!" Fennekin agreed, leaping into battle.
"Froakie!" Froakie cried when I held him to my shoulder.
"Don't worry Froakie. This is Serena's battle." I said. I turned to Joanne. "Joanne, can you help me get those Rhyhorn out?"
Joanne looked a bit hesitant, but finally nodded. "Okay then, but only if I get to hit those guys hard afterwards!"
We ran over to the cages. "Froakie! Use Water Pulse!"
"Joshua! Use Razor Shell!"
"FrooooakIE!"
"OshaaaaWOTT!"
Two cages were instantly destroyed, allowing the Rhyhorn to walk free.
"Hey! Whaddya twerps think ya doin'?" We both looked up and saw a Meowth. "Stop poachin' from the poachers!"
My jaw dropped. "I'm sorry...but DID THAT MEOWTH JUST TALK!?"
Joanne got out a Poke-Ball. "We might have gone crazy. But that's not gonna stop me! Shane! Let's go!"
In a flash of blue light Shane was with us. "Torchic! Tor!"
"Have a taste of my Fury Swipes!" The Meowth said as he leaped at us with glowing claws.
"Shane! Use Ember!"
"Torchiiic!" The little chick exhaled a load of small flames at the Meowth.
"YOW! THAT'S TOO HOT!" The Meowth yelled.
"Now, Joshua! Use Aqua Jet!"
"Oshaaaaawott!" The little pokemon became enveloped in water and rammed into the Meowth.
"That's cheatin'!" He yelled as he was thrown away.
"That coming from you." I sweat-dropped.
We quickly freed the rest of the Rhyhorn and rejoined the others. And for the record, the Rhyhorn were NOT happy. The six charged at the trio, sending them flying away.
"Looks like we're blasting off again!" The three yelled as they disappeared.
"Are they gonna be okay?" I asked.
"They always are." Ash sighed.
"Are YOU okay, Ash?" Clemont asked.
"Yep, thanks everyone." Ash nodded.
"Fennekin! You were great out there!" Serena cooed.
"Fenn! Fenn!" Fennekin cheered.
"I'm just glad we got to hit those guys." Joanne nodded.
"Osha." Joshua copied her.
Suddenly we heard a familiar motorbike as Officer Jenny arrived on the scene. "Is everyone here all right?" Jenny asked.
"Officer Jenny!" Ash said.
"Clear the area! We're going to conduct and investigation and return all the Rhyhorn." Officer Jenny explained.
"Fenne!" Fennekin cried as Serena smiled proudly at her pokemon.
OCXY
"Nice to meet you! My name's Ash! And this is my buddy Pikachu!"
"Pika! Pika!"
"I'm Clemont! Hello there!" Clemont ried to push his way into vision.
"And I'm Bonnie! And this is Dendenne!"
"Denneeee!" Both of them appeared at the front.
We were all on the video phone to Serena's mum, so that Ash, Clemont and Bonnie could introduce themselves.
"And take a look! Fennekin!" Serena held her pokemon up to the video phone. "Fennekin's my new partner!"
"Fenne!" Said pokemon cried.
"It's very nice to see you again!" I cried, trying to be seen from the back.
"Froakiiiie!" Froakie cheered.
"Hey Joanne! You introduce yourself as well!" I suggested.
"Well..." I pushed her to the front. "Okay! Hello there! I'm Joanne and this is Joshua!"
"Oshawo!" The sea otter pokemon exclaimed.
"Nice to meet you! I hope you'll take good care of my daughter!" Serena's mum replied.
"Hey, you know what? Serena taught me how to ride a Rhyhorn today!" Ash cheered.
"Ash! You didn't have to tell her that!" Serena pouted.
"What? It's the truth." Ash countered. "And you know what else? She told me to be at one with Rhyhorn and that helped the most!"
Serena pushed her way to the front. "Mum, you see, I've decided to travel with Ash, Elliot, and all their friends! Isn't that the best!?"
"That's great! Have a good time!" Serena's mum said with a smile.
Serena got a confused look on her face. "Really?"
Serena's mum nodded. "I mean it. It will be a wonderful experience for you to enjoy."
Serena just stared for a minute. Then broke out into a huge smile even I very rarely see.
OCXY
"So Joanne, what are you doing next?" I asked.
"Well, we were planning to head to Lumios City to catch some more pokemon." Joanne said.
"Well then why don't you come with us?" Ash said.
"Yes, we're on our way there anyway. Let's go together!" Clemont said.
"Really? Thanks so much!" Joanne cheered.
"Oshawott! Oshaoshaosha!" Joshua sang.
Serena then came out as well. "Sorry I took so long! I decided I'm coming with you!"
"Great!" Ash said.
"We're going to have so many adventures!" Clemont said, adjusting his backpack.
"And we'll be the best of friends!" Bonnie laughed.
"We sure will!" Serena said as she clasped her hands together. "Oh yeah! Ash!" She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small pouch. "This is for you!"
"What's this?" Ash asked as he opened the pouch and took out a small plain biscuit. "Wow! Cookies! They look awesome!" He opened his mouth and took a big bite out of the cookie.
"They're a gift for all your hard work." She said with a blush. "And also a thank you for when we were little."
Meanwhile, Ash was shovelling down cookies like there was no tomorrow. "Ash! Slow down!" Bonnie tried to slow him down, but to no avail as he started coughing from stuck cookies.
"You're eating way too fast." Clemont said.
Serena then held out another pouch. "Here I made some for everyone!"
"Yippee!" Bonnie cheered as she accepted her pouch.
"Wow! Thank you very much!" Clemont gasped as he got a pouch.
"Alright! Thanks so much, Serena!" I instantly gave one of mine to Froakie, who smiled whilst munching away.
She even had one for Joanne. "You made one for me? Thank you!"
"Oshaaa..." Joshua turned on the puppy dog eyes to earn himself a cookie.
"Pika!" Pikachu said as he got a cookie himself.
As everyone was tucking into the cookies Froakie poked me in the cheeck. "Froakie." He said, holding out a small box.
"Oh! Right!" I took the box and walked over to Serena whilst everyone else was distracted. "Serena! We have something for you!"
"Really?" She asked as she took the box. "What is it?"
"Open it up." I replied.
She opened it to reveal a small cupcake with a simple vanilla icing. The words 'Thank you Serena' Were written in blue icing on it.
"Wow! This is great!" She smiled. "Elliot, did you make this?"
"Well-" I stopped. Looking at Serena I huffed. "No, Ash made it."
She frowned at me. "Ash?"
"FROAKIE!?" Froakie said in shock.
"Yeah. He made it. He wanted to thank you for baking the cookies...'cause he spied on you in the middle of the night." I said.
"Then why didn't he give it to me himself?" Serena asked.
"He was too nervous." I said plainly.
She seemed to accept it, as she smiled. "Well, thanks for giving it to me at least." She then walked back to the rest of the group.
"Froakie...?" Froakie said with a sad look.
I just smiled. "No worries Froakie. I'm just sad you didn't get any recognition."
"...Froakie Froak." He waved it off.
"Let's join the others, and go together."
"Froakie!"
We walked back to the group, eating cookies on the way.
Next Time: Our heroes make it back to Lumios City to find the Lumios Gym in turmoil due to Clembot, Clemont's own creation! Our heroes must take back the Lumios Gym! But who is this loud outgoing guy who's following them?
And here is another chapter for you! I hope you enjoy it!
I want to thank everyone who has reviewed this story so far. What did you think of this chapter?
And now about OC's. I'm so glad I got so many and I'll be happy to use all of them, thank you so much! Joanne is JJWalker12's OC, thank you! Anyway, I have to say that I'm almost full of OC's, so now I'll have to ask for specific ones.
I need a rival for both Elliot and Thomas, as I have accepted two for Liz.
For Elliot I need a Dark Rival. He/She can either be stubborn like Trip (Meaning that they look down on weak trainers and are overconfident in their own abilities) or cold like Paul (Meaning they believe strong pokemon survive and that they only train strong pokemon through harsh training methods.).
And for Thomas I need a Comical Rival similar to Burgundy or Georgia. Meaning that he/she has a misplaced grudge on him and often tries to outdo him, being quircky and unpredictable.
Just use the same form in the Prologue, but don't worry, I can still use my own OC's if none are submitted. And if I get any excess I shall use them as fighting characters later on.
Now then, time to sign off. Bonnie?
Bonnie: Everyone, get pokemon! And keep them too!