A/N: Well, 2014 is upon us, ladies and gentleman! A belated Happy New Year to everyone! :D
Time to get started on the first update of this story in 2014. ENJOY!
P.S.: I was originally planning on posting this earlier, but then school came along and I got distracted. And then, I came down with a really bad fever, and I had to stay away from my laptop while I recuperated. So, I apologize sincerely if any of you thought that this chapter was way overdue.
"So, what're you gonna do, Serena?" Adam asked. "Either way, your little friend dies..."
"NOT IF WE CAN HELP IT!" a familiar voice shouted loudly and determinedly.
Serena and Bonnie both gasped in relief as they watched Ash and Clemont run into the fray as fast as they could. With them were Pikachu, Fletchling, Froakie, Bunnelby, and Chespin, all of whom were ready and primed for battle. The seven joined Serena's sides as they all face down the quartet and their Pokémon.
"Sorry we're a bit late, Serena," Ash said, looking at a smiling Serena. "Did you miss us?"
"Ash..." Serena whispered, relieved beyond belief. "Clemont..."
"WHAT?!" screamed Adam. "You guys?! How in the world did you find us?!" Then, he watched as Ash's Fletchling landed on its Trainer's shoulder and chirped at him angrily. At that moment, his eyes widened as he came to a realization. "It was...that damn Fletchling... DAMN IT! I KNEW I should've killed it!"
"Nice going, boss," Lloyd whispered nastily.
"Froakie," Ash shouted, "use Water Pulse on that fire! Free Bonnie!"
Froakie nodded and leaped into the air, preparing to fire the Water-type attack. However, Adam grinned and pointed at Froakie.
"Oh no, you don't!" he snarled. "Delphox, use Psyshock on that Froakie!"
"Chespin, use Pin Missile on Delphox!" Clemont commanded.
The three spikes on Chespin's head stiffened and then began to glow a bright white before firing a barrage of glowing white spikes with light-green streams of energy trailing from them at the opponent. The Pin Missile attack successfully hit Delphox before it could fire its Psyshock, causing a tremendous explosion that violently threw the villainous quartet and their Pokémon backward, causing them to crash painfully into the depths of the forest. At that point, Froakie was able to unleash its Water Pulse and put out the wall of flames that was barring Bonnie from reaching the others.
"Clemont!" shrieked Bonnie as she embraced her older brother in a tight hug.
"Bonnie, I was so worried about you!" Clemont exclaimed in response, returning his sister's hug. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm okay, Clemont, I'm okay."
"I wouldn't say you're okay," a voice snarled.
The group watched as Adam, Floyd, Lloyd, Nick, and their Pokémon stood up from the ground, Adam looking extremely agitated. Nick pointed at the group.
"Hawlucha, use Wing Attack!" he ordered.
"Fletchling, counter with Steel Wing!" Ash ordered, pointing at Hawlucha.
Fletchling's wings glowed a metal-gray color, and it flew at Hawlucha, whose wings had become wider and were now glowing white. Both Flying-type Pokémon slashed at each other with one of their glowing wings, deflecting each other as if they were in an aerial sword-fight. The two slashed at each other repeatedly, neither of them showing any signs of wearing out from the continuous attacking. Meanwhile, on the ground, Clemont's Pokémon engaged Floyd and Lloyd's.
As for Adam, he was focused on Ash and Serena. Realizing that Pikachu, Froakie, and Fennekin outnumbered his Delphox and Fearow, he merely smirked.
"I'm outnumbered two to three," he said. Then, to Ash and Serena's surprises, he produced a third Poké Ball. "Well then, I guess I have to even out the playing field!" He cackled as he threw the Poké Ball into the air. "GO, AGGRON!" An Aggron emerged and roared angrily and loudly at its opponents.
"Aggron?" Serena asked, taking out her Pokédex and scanning it.
"Aggron, the Iron Armor Pokémon," it explained. "While seeking iron for food, it digs tunnels by breaking through bedrock with its steel horns."
Serena raised an eyebrow in curiosity, for there seemed to be something wrong. The picture of Aggron that the Pokédex was showing her depicted it as being colored gray-and-silver, but Adam's Aggron was colored differently: the gray was replaced with light-blue, while the silver seemed to have a yellowish tinge to it, and additionally, its eyes were red instead of blue as depicted in the Pokédex. It looks like she would have to check on it later.
"Delphox, use Mystical Fire!" Adam shouted suddenly. "Fearow, use Drill Peck! Aggron, Iron Head!"
Delphox fired a beam of flames from its wand, Fearow's beak began to spin like a drill and it flew towards its opponents, and Aggron charged towards them as well while the steel plate on top of its head began to glow a bright white. Ash and Serena both reacted instinctively.
"Froakie, use Water Pulse!" Ash cried. "Pikachu, use Iron Tail!"
"Fennekin, use Ember!" exclaimed Serena.
Froakie created a blue sphere of water energy between its hands, which it then fired at Delphox's Mystical Fire, colliding with it and engulfing it in an explosion of water, putting out the fire. Meanwhile, Pikachu's tail became surrounded with white sparkles, and its outline glowed white; the Mouse Pokémon then struck Aggron's head with it, causing a small explosion that threw both backward. As for Fennekin, it fired a shower of embers at Fearow, spraying its face with it and blinding it, prompting it to stop its attack and fly around in the air wildly, cawing in pain. Adam growled and pointed at Serena and Fennekin in anger.
"Delphox, use Flamethrower!" he roared. "Double-time!"
Delphox fired a stream of flames from its mouth, which hit Fennekin and sent it flying in the air, severely burned. It let out a cry of pain.
"FENNEKIN!" Serena shrieked as the Fox Pokémon landed in her arms.
"AGAIN, DELPHOX! HIT THEM BOTH HARD!"
Serena looked up and gasped upon seeing the stream of fire heading towards her... Her eyes widened in fear...
"FROAKIE, USE BUBBLE ON THE FLAMETHROWER!"
Beams of multiple clear bubbles appeared and intercepted the Flamethrower, putting all of the fire out before it could reach Serena. She gasped again and then glanced at Ash, who was now glaring furiously at Adam, Delphox, and Aggron, all three of which were smirking back maliciously.
"He saved me...again..." she thought.
"You think you can defeat us?" Adam asked, chuckling madly. "I've faced tougher challenges than you lousy, worthless kids, and even they were pushovers!"
"You don't attack my friends like that!" roared Ash, looking infuriated beyond belief. "FROAKIE, USE WATER PULSE!"
"Fearow, Drill Peck," ordered Adam in a rather bored and dismissive tone before yawning briefly. "Finish this quickly; this is starting to get boring."
Fearow, having just recovered from the Ember, suddenly appeared, its beak whirring menacingly as it soared towards Froakie. The Bubble Frog Pokémon tried to dodge the ambush, but it was too late: Fearow slammed its beak into the helpless Water-type, violently throwing it up in the air seconds after performing its Drill Peck attack upon it. Ash gasped when the Beak Pokémon then swooped up towards the falling Froakie, with the intention of attacking it again despite the severe damage the Drill Peck dealt on his Pokémon. It was too late for him to try and order Froakie to move away or defend itself...
An Ember attack suddenly appeared and hit Fearow's wings, severely burning them and causing it to caw in pain as it descended closer to the ground, partially unable to fly. Then, a second Ember struck the Beak Pokémon squarely in the face, knocking it out and causing it to crash-land on the ground. This allowed Ash to catch the damaged Froakie in his arms, as Adam's jaw dropped open at the sight of one of his Pokémon being brought down so abruptly
"Wh-What?!" he exclaimed. "F-Fearow? NO! But...But..."
Shocked by what just happened, Serena looked down at her Fennekin. It was obviously still in pain from the burns it suffered, but it was determinedly looking at Adam and Delphox, growling menacingly, smoke issuing from its mouth. A glint of liveliness flashed across its eyes for a moment, something Serena noticed.
Adam also noticed Fennekin's stare, and he gritted his teeth. "Why that... That little... That little...FENNEKIN!" He pointed at Serena and Fennekin. "DELPHOX, USE MYSTICAL FIRE! TEACH THOSE TWO MORONS A LESSON THAT THEY'LL NEVER FORGET: THAT THEY SHOULDN'T MESS WITH THE LIKES OF ME!"
"FROAKIE, USE WATER PULSE AGAIN!"
Delphox fired its attack, which was then put out by Froakie's Water Pulse. Adam gritted his teeth again in frustration, and pointed at Ash, Pikachu, and Froakie.
"AGGRON, USE METAL CLAW!"
Aggron charged towards the trio, its claws glowing white. However, Ash was ready.
"PIKACHU, USE THUNDERBOLT!"
Pikachu unleashed a volt of electricity from its body and struck Aggron. To Serena's surprise, the electricity wasn't affecting Aggron at all, although it did help to stop it in its tracks. Then, more to her surprise, Ash pointed at the Iron Armor Pokémon, a smile of confidence etched on his face.
"FROAKIE, FINISH IT OFF WITH WATER PULSE AGAIN!"
Froakie fired another sphere of water, which hit the Iron Armor Pokémon with full force, amplifying the effect of Pikachu's Thunderbolt in addition to dealing out its own damage. With a roar of pain, Aggron was sent flying towards Fletchling and Hawlucha, both of whom were still fighting heatedly. Fletchling immediately noticed Aggron coming and flew out of the way, but Hawlucha wasn't so lucky: it was slammed by the body of the Iron Armor Pokémon.
"HAWLUCHA, MY BABY!" screamed Nick.
"CARBINK, USE PSYCHIC!" ordered Floyd quickly. Carbink's eyes immediately glowed pink, and soon, so did the outlines of Aggron and Hawlucha's bodies. Soon, the two Pokémon were floating in midair, just inches close from landing directly into the blazing fire that was nearby.
Meanwhile, Lloyd focused all of his attention on Clemont's Pokémon. "TYRANTRUM, USE DRAGON CLAW!" he snarled.
Tyrantrum charged towards Bunnelby and Chespin, its claws glowing red.
"Chespin, use Pin Missile!" ordered Clemont. "Bunnelby, use Mud Shot!"
Chespin and Bunnelby quickly fired their respective attacks, both hitting Tyrantrum with quick succession and knocking the Despot Pokémon down to the ground hard. Bonnie and Dedenne, both of whom were nearby, let out cheers of triumph. Lloyd stared on in shock, but then, he began to snicker malevolently.
"So, you wanna play it tough, eh? Okay, then. Tyrantrum, use Crunch!"
Tyrantrum stood up and charged towards the two Pokémon quickly, its fangs glowing a bright white. Clemont's eyes widened at Tyrantrum's fast speed.
"Dodge, guys!" Clemont cried.
Bunnelby was able to move away from Tyrantrum, but as Chespin was doing so as well, it clumsily tripped on a rock. Tyrantrum was nearing it...
"FROAKIE, USE WATER PULSE ON TYRANTRUM!"
A sphere of water appeared and hit Tyrantrum before it could reach Chespin. Tyrantrum collapsed on the ground, severely affected by the Water-type attack.
"NO, TYRANTRUM!" screamed Lloyd.
Clemont smiled and glanced at Ash, who was giving him a thumbs-up. "Thanks, Ash!" he cried.
Ash nodded before glancing at Aggron and Hawlucha, who were being set down to the ground by Carbink under Floyd's command.
"PIKACHU, USE THUNDERBOLT ON THEM!"
Pikachu fired another Thunderbolt at the two Pokémon, striking both successfully and electrocuting them.
"AGGRON!" screamed Adam furiously.
"HAWLUCHA, NO!" Nick shrieked hysterically.
Both Pokémon then collapsed to the ground, smoke rising from their bodies. Hawlucha was unconscious, but Aggron managed to stand up, growling angrily.
"Pikachu, use Quick Attack!" Ash ordered.
A white outline surrounded the body of the Mouse Pokémon for a brief moment before it charged towards Aggron at a fast speed, silver energy trailing from its body while doing so. The Iron Armor Pokémon tried to dodge Pikachu's attack, but it was too late: the Mouse Pokémon slammed into its body, bringing it down.
Floyd gasped and pointed at Pikachu. "Carbink, use Ancient Power!"
The Jewel Pokémon nodded and formed a glowing sphere of white energy in front of its body. However, before it was able to fire the sphere at Pikachu, a blue stream of bubbles suddenly appeared and hit Carbink and its Ancient Power, causing a tremendous, violent explosion that threw the Jewel Pokémon backward, colliding into Floyd and sending them both to the ground. Ash glanced at Pikachu's savior, which happened to be Froakie, who was in a readied battling stance.
"Thanks, Froakie!" he exclaimed, and the Bubble Frog Pokémon nodded at its Trainer.
Ash then stared down Adam's Delphox as Serena watched. Her blue eyes were shimmering with hope.
"He's got control of the situation...as always..." Her lips curved into a smile of satisfaction. "It's great to be back with him in the face of a situation such as this..."
"Now, let's finish this off, Pikachu!" Ash continued. "Use-"
However, Adam was quicker in his command. "DELPHOX, USE PSYCHIC ON THOSE THREE!"
Suddenly, Ash, Pikachu, and Froakie outlined with a glowing red aura. Serena and Fennekin watched helplessly as all three began to float in the air, trying their best to break free, only to be unsuccessful. Adam was chuckling sadistically, his Delphox twitching its wand as Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie all gasped.
"What are ya gonna do now, little children?" he asked, still snickering. "Try and make a move, and I'll make sure Delphox gives these three the day of their lives! Oh, and speaking of which...Surrender now, all of you meddling fools!" Then, his lips curved into a terrible smile. "Or else-" He snapped his fingers, and Delphox twitched its wand; Ash's torso was thrust outward, and the Trainer screamed. "I'll make Delphox snap him and his Pokémon in half, like a bunch of weak twigs!"
"YOU MEANIE!" shrieked Bonnie, running forward before Clemont could stop her. "YOU LET ASH, PIKACHU, AND FROAKIE GO NOW!"
"DEDE!" Dedenne cried angrily in agreement.
"Aggron, use Heavy Slam," Adam said to Aggron. The Iron Armor Pokémon nodded before charging at the young girl, its outline glowing blue. Before Bonnie and Dedenne could move of the way, Aggron brutally slammed into them with great force, sending them to the ground hard.
"BONNIE!" Serena, Clemont, and Ash screeched simultaneously.
To everyone's surprise, Bonnie stood up, weakly so. She was sobbing, but it was clear she was holding it back with great effort. Her arms and legs were badly scraped and bleeding, her lower lip was cut and also bleeding, and bruises adorned her head. However, all of the pain didn't seem to be affecting her.
"DEDENNE, USE THUNDERSHOCK!" Bonnie ordered. Dedenne immediately hopped out of her satchel and released a beam of electricity, directing it at Delphox.
However, Aggron, having quickly recovered from the Thunderbolt it suffered, suddenly jumped between Delphox and the incoming ThunderShock attack, taking all of the attack willingly. Everyone gasped in shock as the volts of electricity merely coursed through its body, evidently not affecting the Iron Armor Pokémon. It then let out a loud, eerie chuckle of triumph that caused Bonnie and Dedenne to break out in a nervous sweat.
"Foolish girl," Adam whispered to himself. Then, he pointed at Bonnie and Dedenne. "HEAVY SLAM AGAIN, AGGRON!"
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" someone screamed.
A blur of light-blue stepped between Bonnie and Adam's Aggron, taking the full force of the latter's attack. Bonnie gasped as she saw the limp body of Clemont collapsed beside her, his glasses cracked, dirt-marks streaked across his face. After taking a few seconds to register what happened, Bonnie let out what could possibly be the loudest scream in her entire life. Serena also gasped as she gazed upon the body of her dear friend, while Ash screamed in anger.
"CLEMONT!" squeaked Bonnie, her voice practically almost gone. "Clemont, Clemont! Wake up, Clemont, wake UP!"
"Well," Adam said, no emotion laced in his voice, "that was...unexpected... But it was still a good show, nonetheless!" Then, he burst into laughter.
Serena continued to observe Clemont as Bonnie came to her brother's side and tried to wake him up. Tears were cascading down her cheeks.
"My friends..." she thought in horror. "The people I love the most are...paying the price for what I've done... As well as this forest..."
She looked around, examining her surroundings as the fire caused by Adam continued to rage on, consuming the remnants of the beautiful forest, causing the forest Pokémon to flee for their lives. Surprisingly, the flames didn't seem to be closing in on the entire group, as if they were protected.
"My friends... The Pokémon... Ash... ...Fennekin..."
Serena looked down at her beloved Fox Pokémon, which was still conscious, but still severely burned from Delphox's Flamethrower. It looked up at her with its red eyes, which were now shimmering. Then, she looked up at Adam as Lloyd joined his side. Meanwhile, Floyd and Nick closed in on Bonnie and Clemont's limp body, ready to tie them both up; Bonnie looked extremely fearful while Floyd appeared pitiful. ...She trusted these villains...
And now...everyone and everything she knew was paying the price for it. Even the forest, which she considered her greatest fear...
Everything she tried to put right to her wrongs was only making everything worse... Ash, Bonnie, and Clemont were all suffering, as were the Pokémon...
Serena sighed and closed her eyes. Time suddenly seemed to stand still for her...
"I...I screwed up... Maybe I should just give up..."
"Don't give up now, Serena!"
"Why should I? I've tried to do everything in my power to make things right, and yet, everything I've done has led to an outcome that is worse than ever. Clemont and Bonnie are both hurt. Fennekin is hurt. Ash, Pikachu, and Froakie may or may not die at Adam's hand. All of the forest Pokémon will not have anything to call home for Arceus knows how long. Everything I do is just a stupid mistake. I probably should've just stayed home and accepted Rhyhorn Racing. But no, I just left home just so I could meet up with the boy who helped me out of the forest so long ago, a boy I only met once, who I barely know at all. I should've accepted Rhyhorn Racing..."
"You and I know perfectly well that you hate that."
"Partially because I never understood why Mom wanted to teach it to me. But Ash helped me in understanding Mom's position. And now...I regret saying all that I have said to Mom. I rejected her love, her affection. I was her only child, the only thing she ever had to live for! And what was my gratitude to her, for all of the things she's ever done to me for my sake, and not hers? 'Oh yeah, well something unbelievable happened to my FACE, okay?' ...I'm sorry, Mom..."
"I doubt that, or any of the other stuff that you said, hurt her. Your mother, she is a tough woman, Serena, but also an understanding one. There's no doubt she would've understood your motivations for disliking her, as much as you understood her motivations for teaching you Rhyhorn Racing. But what happened between you and your mother is NOT the issue here, Serena. The real issue is that your friends are on the verge of death, as are you and dozens, maybe even hundreds of Pokémon. Are you willing to let the consequences of your actions break past such a limit?"
"As I said before, why should I?"
"Remember what Ash said, Serena: never give up till the end!"
"...I...I did everything that Ash told me to do. I never, ever gave up till the end. And yet, I'm at the end...and I have every reason to give up..."
"And what about the things I told you to do?"
Serena's eyelids jerked open, and she no longer found herself in the midst of a fire. Instead, she was overlooking a vast landscape of green and blue.
"W-W-WHAT?!" squeaked the Trainer fearfully. She looked down at her arms, only to find that Fennekin was gone. She then looked around frantically, but found herself alone in this strange new environment. "What happened to me?! Did I die?! Am I dead?! Where am I? WHERE AM I?!"
"Today's not the day to find out the answer to that."
Serena yelped out in fear the moment she saw a man standing beside her, wearing plain all-white clothing that seemed to flow with the breeze in the air. She noticed that he had honey-colored hair, just like she did. Before the Trainer could think about it further, she was surprised when the man stared at her.
"Hello, Serena," he greeted.
Serena merely blinked. "Who...Who are you?..."
"I believe Floyd mentioned me to you quite a few times."
It didn't take long for Serena to realize who she was talking to.
"J...Jake?"
The man smiled brightly in response and completely faced her. "Yes, Serena, that's me. The famous Jake."
"But...But..." Serena's eyes widened. "Does that mean you're...you're dead?"
"Yes, that's right, Serena. I'm dead."
"But how?! How'd you die?!"
"I believe, for you, that's one of the hidden things in life that should always stay hidden. You will not enjoy the answer."
"But...But if you're dead, does that mean I'm..." Serena gulped. "-dead too?"
To her relief, Jake smiled, closed his eyes, and shook his head. He opened them again, and she noticed that his eyes were as blue as hers.
"No, Serena, you're not dead," he replied modestly. "No, your consciousness was just transported here, to a world that is free from the constraints of time. As we speak, everything is frozen in the real world. Your friends have yet to die. But their fates will be decided by the decision you make here."
Serena looked around, examining the area she was standing on. It appeared to be a ledge, but there was something about it that seemed...alive...
"Can you please tell me where I am?" she asked instinctively.
"You'll find out one day, Serena," replied Jake, "but today will not be that day. Besides, you are not necessarily here, it is just your consciousness. It was taken here on its own accord, as a response to all of the desperation you were feeling." However, Serena looked confused, but Jake calmly continued. "Well, in other words, you needed any kind of help you can get, and so, you are now standing in this place, talking to me. Your mind was routed here on instinct."
"My...My mind?..."
"Yes, Serena, your mind. And now that you're here, it's time to talk about what should happen next."
"What happens next?" Then, Serena remembered what they were talking about. "I don't know what's gonna happen next. But I know one thing, and only one thing: I've let them down. My friends. ...All of them. I put my trust in someone I never fully knew, and now, they're paying the price for my stupid mistake."
"But they don't have to, Serena," replied Jake encouragingly.
"How, Jake? What do I have to do to fix everything that I've done?!"
"It's not my place to answer that question. The only one who can answer that question is you, Serena. Remember my advice that Floyd told you?"
"A-Advice?"
"Always hope for the best and don't think about everyone else, because you're the only one in charge of your life."
Serena's eyes widened upon remembering. "That was you?"
"Yeah. I was the one who gave him that advice. Unfortunately, he hasn't followed it as of now. But fortunately, he's relayed it to you."
"So, what he said...that was true? But...But he's a bad guy-"
"He's a good guy at heart, but he's just misguided. ...Don't go down his path, Serena. You don't have to, and you'll never need to. Do you know why?"
"W-Why?"
"Because you have one thing that is better than the mind." He tapped a clenched fist over his heart. "And it will guide you wherever you go, Serena."
Instinctively, Serena placed her hand over her heart, as if it was drawn to it by some unknown force. She looked down at her hand as her fingers began to curl until it became a clenched fist. She then looked up at Jake, who was now smiling happily, his arm lowered.
"My heart..." she whispered, more to herself than to Jake. However, he seemed to have heard completely, for he nodded his head in response.
"Yes, Serena," he replied. "Your heart. If there's no one else you can possibly trust, your heart will be the only thing that could guide you through any situation, regardless of the odds that are against you." Jake observed Serena's confused expression. "It's okay if you are confused, Serena. It's not like you, or any other kid for that matter, to understand philosophies like that. But when the time comes, and believe me, it will, then that's when you understand."
"No, I understand completely on what you're talking about, Jake..."
Jake raised an eyebrow. "Then why so confused, Serena? There's nothing more I can do to clarify my message to you."
"Why am I talking to you, of all people? I never even knew you until Floyd talked about you yesterday. Why you?..."
To Serena's surprise, another smile appeared on Jake's face. But for some reason...it seemed to radiate sadness...
"Once you put your mind to it," he replied, "it won't be all that hard to figure out the answer."
Then, Jake's smile widened, just as Serena felt the world she was in begin to disappear all around her.
"Wh-What?!" she exclaimed. "What's going on?!"
"It is time for you to go now, Serena," Jake replied. "Your friends need you. There is no need to fear about letting them down once again, for you know exactly what to do. Just remember my words, Serena: Always hope for the best and don't think about everyone else, because you're the only one in charge of your life.
"Good luck."
Then, as everything around her began to blur, Serena watched Jake's lips move, but she couldn't heard any noise coming from them.
Goodbye, Serena. Till we meet again. Tell your mother I said hi, and that I'm very sorry. ...I love you...
Serena opened her eyes and found herself back in the blazing forest. Adam was still cackling.
"You fools thought you could win against us, eh?" he asked. "Well, guess what? You've all LOST!"
"Not all of us!"
Everyone glared at Serena, who was standing on her ground firmly. She was staring down Adam with all of the courage she could muster. A flame of newfound determination and boldness was blazing in her blue eyes as Fennekin hopped out of her arms, landed on the ground, and growled at Delphox.
"ADAM!" she shouted relentlessly. "I challenge you to a battle between my Fennekin and your Delphox. If I win, you let my friends go, and you put out this fire. If you win, you can take me, but ONLY me, as your hostage." She ignored Ash and Bonnie's gasps. "Do we have a deal?"
Adam blinked, taken aback by Serena's unexpected proposal. But then, his lips curved into a smirk.
"Deal."
However, Serena wasn't afraid of what could happen next. Not at all.
A/N: And now, it's all come down to this: a battle between Serena and Adam! Who shall be the crowning victor?
As for the scene between Serena and Jake...I can't explain why that happened. It will be too much of a spoiler for what I have planned next... Just stay tuned.
Well, I'd like to thank those who reviewed:
SakuraNinjaress: Unfortunately, it looks like Adam kicked their butts. For now, that is.
vanilla869: I shall! Hope you enjoyed this chapter.
BlueLightningXD: It looks like it's gonna be Serena who'll be taking the revenge...
Guest reviewer: I'm sorry, but that's what I have planned. It's always been that way since day one. And...seriously? You're thinking it's gonna be a bad story the moment Floyd becomes a good guy? Well then, I suggest leaving, then, because it's obvious you're not gonna like what happens next.
Jay (guest reviewer): You got that right! :)
K9wolf369: It looks like the battle isn't over yet, though...
colonelstars1911: Well, it's obvious this isn't the last chapter. We've got a couple more chapters to go.
Darkspecter141: Well...here are some more torture scenes for you...
pokemon'smaincharacter (guest reviewer): Like I told the other guest reviewer, Floyd IS becoming a good guy. I recommend skipping out the last couple of chapters if you're really convinced Floyd becoming a good guy is gonna ruin the story for you.
jm (guest reviewer): Oh, I wouldn't say that. I'm pretty sure there are other people who are better than me at that. I don't deserve such a title. I just wanna write down a good read for everyone, that's all. :)
Guest reviewer: Not sure if that was supposed to be sarcasm or not...
Feibush Meibuch (chapter 4 review): Well, I already responded to your review, so thanks for reviewing!
NGA96: Here's the continuation you heart wanted and desired! Hope you enjoyed!
diego (guest reviewer): Yeah, sorry Ch. 7 was late. Hopefully you enjoyed this.
Guest reviewer: Oh trust me, it's gonna end in quite a surprising way. And I mean it literally; you're in for a shocking end.
PurimPopoie: Thanks for the review! Yeah, I'm very proud of how I portrayed the in-show characters and my OC's. Again, thanks for the note!
Nornichica: Not really, but the story's not over just yet. And yes, I've heard of the episode. I'm looking forward to watching it as well. :D
Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!