BlaBlaBla (aka Author's Note): What's going on guys? Welcome back to Serene Phoenix Reborn! Yes, I've been quite busy lately and I'm sure all of you have been sitting by your comp and practically yelled in anger "OMG Oakez! It's a re-write, how long can it take to re-edit a chapter?!". Well, I'm not gonna lie and say that I could't do it faster, because I could've ditched schoolwork and all my other fics and just worked on this one, but I chose not to. Don't crucify me for it!
Now, on to some nicer grounds. They announced the releases of Omega Ruby and Alpha Saphire while in my abscense so I would like to just waste a line and say that DAMN did I get hyped by reading about those games! Sinnoh might be my favourite region, but Hoenn is following close behind! And while we are talking announcements, I would like to take this opportunity to trademark myself and my other Pokemon story Serene Dreams, that is also an amourshipping. It's very different from this one and if you haven't already, you should definetely give it a read. If it doesn't fit your taste, there are tons of other great Pokemon Authors out there that you can read stuff from so I am sure you'll find something nice! :) Thanks for reading this chapter's BlaBlaBla and have a nice time reading the actual chapter!
Disclaimer: Yup, it's still here. Which means that I still don't own Pokemon. If I did, this story would be canon and you would be able to watch it on pokemonepisode dot org, instead of reading it on fanfiction dot net.
Chapter Five: The Offspring of Sinnoh's Strongest, Part 2
Ash clumsily stumbled to the side to avoid Garchomp's Hyper Beam, which was kind of hard as he at the same time was struggling to keep the small connection to Garchomp's aura he had managed to establish so far. It would seem Brock had a point, he had no idea what he was doing. Sure, he had used aura before, but he had never done something like this. Well, he had felt something similar that time when he had connected with Sir Aaron's Lucario to save the Tree of Beginnings, but he figured that it had been Lucario who had been pulling the strings for the link back then.
So far, he had managed to get a feel of what Garchomp was feeling. It felt like feeling something that wasn't actually inside his body. He couldn't quite describe it, but it felt like... well, guess you could say that it felt like he had two sets of feelings, one that was his own, inside his own body and spirit, the ones that actually were his own. Then, there was Garchomp's feelings that were lingering somewhere outside of the boundaries of his own. That was the best description he could give it, and it still felt like it didn't do this strange connection justice.
Breathing heavily from the strain of keeping his mind in the battle and in connection with Garchomp's aura at the same time, Ash got back on his feet and faced Garchomp, who finally appeared to start tiring out. The dragon was bent over, breathing almost as heavily as Ash was. Ash suspected that the Aura Link was what was taking its toll. Either that, or it disturbed the signals from Team Rocket's Device. Whatever it was, it was progress.
"Pikachu, try to get in close with Quick Attack and hit the device around Garchomp's neck with Iron Tail!" Ash called to the yellow rodent that was standing in a fighting stance just a few feet in front of him.
Pikachu was not late to follow his orders. With a high pitched battle cry, Pikachu darted forward, covered in his trademark white layer of rushing air as he performed the Quick Attack. Zig-zagging from side to side to keep Garchomp from having a clean hit, the electric mouse managed to quickly make his way up close to Garchomp. However, that also brought him into Garchomp's preferred combat range and that's where things got complicated.
Seeing his opponent get up close, Garchomp was quick to cover his claws in a ghostly black aura and slashed at his opponent. Pikachu, seeing his opening, twisted his body in the air to avoid the first strike, took a brief footing on the wall of the tower to gain a burst of speed before he had to jump out of the way from a second strike from Garchomp's Shadow Claw. Unfortunately for Pikachu, the only place he could land from that jump, was the ground. By Garchomp's feet.
Ash's eyes widened in horror as he realized what Garchomp was aiming for. Still having a slight connection with the berserk Pokemon, he could feel exactly what move was on its way, even before Garchomp raised his leg to unleash it on his partner. And with that close proximity, there was no way Pikachu could avoid it! Well, only one thing he could do.
"Use Iron Tail on his leg! Don't let him use Earthquake!" Ash called, praying to Arceus that Pikachu would still have enough of the Quick Attack in him to perform the move fast enough.
Hearing his trainer's call, Pikachu covered his tail with a metallic glow and brought it up just as Garchomp brought his foot down to unleash the Earthquake. The two limbs clashed in mid air, sending airwaves out from the initial clash, before Pikachu felt the heavy preassure from Garchomp's foot. Overwhelmed by the pure power of the move, Pikachu was pressed down into the ground, causing the platform they were standing on to crack.
Seeing that his plan hadn't quite had the effect he had been hoping for, Ash growled under his breath. He was about to call out to Pikachu, but realized that he had other worries. Garchomp's move, while slowed down by Pikachu's interference, hadn't been completely nulified. However, even weakened down, Earthquake was a powerful move and right now, they weren't even standing on solid ground. As the cracks from the impact on the ground spread, Ash realized that the platform was about to collapse. He had to get in closer to the wall or he would fall off!
He had 2 seconds at most. He had to make a long jump if he was to survive, but right now his entire body was aching and felt like it was made of jelly, from the strain of keeping his Aura Link with Garchomp. In those two seconds, Ash had to reach a descision. On one hand, he could let go of the connection and make the jump to safety, but that would mean that the only thing that was currently restraining Garchomp in any way and keeping down the pain the poor Pokemon was going through at bay would disappear. On the other hand, he could keep connection up and try to keep easing Garchomp's pain, but if he did that, he would risk falling off when the platform collapsed.
Save himself or help a Pokemon... in Ash's mind, there was only one thing he could do. He had to clench his fist to keep his reflecxes from acting on his behalf, but he stood in place, keeping Garchomp's connection up, and preparing for whatever destiny had in store for him.
Then, many things happened at the same time in a flash. Someone grabbed Ash from behind and he was pulled into a jump in towards the wall where the platform was still relatively stable. At the same time, Pikachu gave off a mighty cry and unleashed an Electro Ball from his Iron Tail, which exploded as soon as it was formed. While the electricity didn't affect Garchomp, the explosion that it resulted in did. The gale that was summoned by the powerful explosion was enough to send Garchomp backwards, his balance ruined for a moment as he was standing on one leg.
Slowly, Pikachu crawled his way out of the crater that had been created from the impact. While he had managed to nulify the Earthquake, the clash and the impact against the hard steel ground hadn't been very pleasant and the explosion from the Electro Ball hadn't exactly made things better. But at least he had avoided being hit by the actual Earthquake. That would probably have dealt even more damage to him.
Over by the wall, Ash had been pulled to his feet by his mysterious savior. He could still make out Garchomp's feelings so the connection hadn't been completely broken. In fact, Garchomp's feelings allowed Ash to know exactly who his savior had to be. He couldn't make out a name amongst Garchomp's messed up feelings right now, but there was no doubt, the young man standing before him was Garchomp's trainer.
The trainer in question was about half a head taller than Ash, wearing a pair of long black pants, with matching black and white sneakers, a black shirt and a long, black trenchcoat with only the two highest buttons folded. However, what stood out to Ash wasn't his attire, but rather the long, spiky red hair that was currently flowing wildly aorund the man's head in the winds that lingered from the explosion just a few seconds ago.
"What were you thinking, just standing there? Were you frozen in fear or something? Get your head in the game man!" Garchomp's trainer said, looking directly at Ash.
Ash felt his cheeks flush slightly in embarrassment from the trainer's statement. He had looked scared? Actually, he had been terryfied, but that hadn't been the reason why he hadn't moved!
"I was trying to keep my Aura Link to Garchomp up so I could ease his pain. Fear had nothing to do with it!" he answered as he felt some of the feeling in his numb limbs return.
The trainer just sighed and shook his head, mumbling something to himself. Ash was pretty sure he could make out the words "...stubborn..." and "...just like C said..." but he wasn't quite sure. And he didn't really care, they had more pressing matters. It would seem that the new trainer was acknowledging that as well, because he turned towards Garchomp.
"Whatever, we can work that out later. Just keep your head in the game from now on, okay? I might not be able to cover for you the next time." he said. Then, feeling Ash's gaze on his back, he turned to look over his shoulder. "The name's Axel by the way. A-X-E-L. Got it memorized?"
Ash wasn't quite sure what to make of that, but he didn't have time to think about Axel's strange speech pattern because said trainer had already pulled out a Pokeball and unleashed the Pokemon within. Which turned out to be... actually, Ash had no idea what that Pokemon was. It looked like some kind of rock, that had a pretty flat head sticking up from the upper part. Here and there on its body, differently colored crystals were sticking out. Frowning at the unfamiliar Pokemon, Ash pulled out his Pokedex.
"Carbink, the Jewel Pokemon. Carbink is said to sleep for hundreds of millions of years underground before they finally wake up after its birth. It attacks by firing beams from the stones on its head."
In response to Axel sudden appearence, Garchomp had taken a few steps backward, as if he was trying to get as far away from his trainer as possible. Ash could feel Garchomp's panic rising. Two emotions in particular were dominating Garchomp: Fear and Panic. Fear of hurting the person who was most important to him and panic that his fears were so close to be realized. One moment of weakness would be all it took for Garchomp to potentially give Axel fatal wounds, if not downright kill him. In truth, Ash was amazed that Axel seemed to be so calm, despite the situation they were in.
"Hey Garchomp!" the red haired man called to his Pokemon. "Listen, I know that you're itching to fire off some moves, but try to stick to Dragon-type moves, okay? Carbink is a Fairy type. You probably don't know about it, but he's immune to Dragon-moves! So just stick to Dragon type-moves and we'll be fine, okay?"
Ash frowned. Fairy-type? Immune to Dragon-type moves? What was this? He had never heard of something like that.
However, Ash soon got something else to think off because at that moment, Pikachu had made his way back to his trainer. He looked pretty roughed up, but didn't seem to be too injured and considering what could have happened if Garchomp's Earthquake hit, he had to say that the damage seemed to be minor.
"You okay, buddy?" Ash asked as Pikachu climbed onto his shoulder.
"Pika!"
Taking that as a yes, Ash looked over towards Garchomp again. Axel's arrival seemed to have made Garchomp even more stressed, if the waves of panic that his aura was giving off was any indication. He watched as Garchomp fired a Draco Meteor straight at Carbink, not into the air like the move was normally performed. The orb of draconic energy split half way and all the resulting spheres struck Carbink head on, but true to Axel's statement, the supposed Fairy-type emerged from the explosion with no damage at all.
To say that Ash was astonished would be an understatement. That was the same move that had literary creamed Charizard's wing! Given, Charizard had been unlucky to get it caught right at the point of the explosion, but still. Draco Meteor was supposed to be one of the most Powerful Dragon-type moves in existance, yet it didn't even faze Carbink. Was it true about this Fairy-type thing? Dragon-type moves had no effect? He would have to remember to ask Axel about it later.
While Ash was contemplating what had just happened and was checking Pikachu over for any sign of serious injuries, Axel was studying Garchomp to try and find a way to get rid of the device that was hanging around his neck. Professor Sycamore had given him a brief summary of the situation and according to his theory, Garchomp should calm down if they would just get that device off him. And... he might have an idea.
"Hey Ash? Is Pikachu up for another go?" he asked without turning around.
Hearing Axel's question, Ash looked up at the older boy, who was standing with his arms crossed in front of his chest, studying Garchomp with a calculating look. Remembering the situation at hand, Ash was quick to stand back up. Somewhere at the back of his Aura Link, he could feel that Garchomp was starting to calm down a little, now that it was clear that Axel had a reliable defense from his attacks.
"I think so, why?" Ash answered the question.
"Good, I think I got an idea." Axel said and lifted his right hand to point straight at Garchomp's device. "See the device? It's sparkling with electricity. I think Pikachu's Electro Ball might've actually messed it up a little, so if we just shock Garchomp, we might be able to overload it."
Ash's eyes widened as he realized something. Garchomp was a Dragon- and Ground-type, so Pikachu's Thunderbolt wouldn't even faze him! It had never crossed his mind that despite Garchomp's immunity to Electric-type moves, the device might not be. It was ingenius, really!
"Right, I'm on it!" Ash said. "Pikachu! Use Thunderbolt on Garchomp!"
Pikachu, also understanding what Axel and Ash was getting at, didn't waste any time and jumped off Ash's shoulder. Barely had he left the shoulder before his cheeks began sparkling with electricity. With renewed battle spirit, Pikachu unleashed the Thunderbolt, which hit Garchomp head on. As expected, Garchomp wasn't fazed by the attack, but the device seemed to be, because it began beeping and sparkling.
"That's it! Keep going! Just a little more!" Ash exclaimed as he noticed the effects the Thunderbolt was having on the device.
Axel had his eyes locked on the device around Garchomp's neck, studying it for any sign of weakness. The Thunderbolt was working its magic, but it looked like the shock alone wouldn't be able to completely get rid off the device. However, he did notice something else that could be taken advantage off. Since the Thunderbolt hit, Garchomp had stopped moving. It would turn out that with the device being about to break down, it had frozen both itself and the Pokemon it was supposed to control. And a non-moving target is nothing but a sitting duck.
"Carbink! Use Power Gem on the device!" Axel called and sent his Pokemon forward for an attack. Hopefully, Garchomp wouldn't be hurt even if the attack hit him instead of the device. Carbink might be a wall when it came to taking hits, but it was also completely useless at dealing hits of its own. Not to mention that a Rock-type move would deal minimal damage to Garchomp, even with a decent user.
Carbink floated higher into the air and his body was covered with glowing white spots, that lifted off him and turned into pointy stones that in turn was sent flying towards the Dragon-type that was currently standing frozen in place from Pikachu's Thunderbolt. The barrage of stones hit its target and as Axel had suspected, they just bounced off from Garchomp's thick skin. Something that wasn't as durable however, was the device. One of the rocks managed to hit the already weakened device, which was the scource of the collar-like energy rope that had attached itself to Garchomp, causing it to be destroyed.
As soon as the device was off, Garchomp fell to the ground. Ash felt an extreme increase in exhaution as soon as this happened and, along with Axel, he was quickly by Garchomp's side.
"Garchomp! Hey, Garchomp old budd, you okay?" Axel tried to talk with his Pokemon.
Ash took a deep breath and tried to catch up on some of what Garchomp was feeling. The Dragon-type's feelings were pretty messed up and he could feel that his conciousness was slipping, but other than that he didn't seem to be too hurt.
"He's fine, he just needs to rest." Ash said in an attempt to soothe Axel's worries.
The red haired boy however, didn't seem to hear him as he was checking Garchomp over for injuries. Not that Ash could blame him, he would probably be the same if Garchomp had been his Pokemon. But since he now at least knew that Garchomp was going to be okay and the device was no longer causing him pain, Ash felt safe enough to sever his Aura Link with the Dragon.
"Pika!"
Hearing his partner call out to him, Ash turned in the direction where the yellow mouse was coming from. It had taken Pikachu a moment to recover from the Thunderbolt, but he now seemed to be back in full health, or at least as good health he could hope to be after being stomped on by a Garchomp. Seeing his partner running towards him filled Ash with a sense of satisfaction, knowing that they had managed to save yet another Pokemon from the clutches of Team Rocket, and more importantly from itself in this case. However, that satisfaction was quickly replaced by fear.
Pikachu took one miss step and got a little too close to the fragile edge that had been cracked from Garchomp's failed Earthquake and even though Pikachu wasn't particularly heavy, he weighed enough to cause the platform under his feet to collapse.
"Oh, no! Pikachu!" Ash almost thought his heart would freeze when Pikachu failed to grab onto the edge and fell.
Time seemed to slow down and everything around him disappear as Ash made one, big leap and threw himself off the platform, after Pikachu. Everything was played like in slow motion as Ash fel the air rush by his body and tear at his clothes and hair. He weighed a lot more than Pikachu so he quickly closed the gap between them and reached out to grab his partner.
-X-Y-Z-
Time seemed to slow down whe Serena saw Ash jump off the tower. She tried to scream, but not a sound escaped her lips. He throat constricted painfully and her heart seemed to freeze over with fear for her best friend. Her lips kept moving, trying to make a sound to match her shock and fear, but not a sound was made. Everything around her had gone quiet. At least, she didn't hear anything. She didn't hear the buzzing from the Television, she didn't hear her mother who was obviously shouting something as well, if the way her lips moved was any indication. All she could do was watch her best friend fall towards his death on the screen.
Was this it?
Was this really how it was going to end? After all of these years and she finally got to see him again, only for him to throw himself off Prism Tower? How could that be? What kind of justice was that?! All these questions and more ran through Serena's head in that single split second that she saw Ash fall down towards the asphalt. She felt tears of panic force their way through her eyeslids and run down her cheek as she helplessly reached out towards the Television Screen...
She fell to her knees in front of the sofa. Why wasn't anyone doing anything? There had to be hundreds of people watching this unfold over in Lumiose City! Why didn't anyone make a move to save him? There had to be something that someone could do! But Ash just kept falling... and falling... and falling...
Then something unnexpect happened. Out of nowhere, a stream of light came rushing towards the falling trainer, eventually engulfing him and his Pikachu in mid air. The stream was gleaming in various light colors, leaving no way to see what was inside, but it somehow slowed Ash's decent down towards the ground. Serene felt her breath being caught in her throat as the white and multicolored light impacted with the ground, landing with surprising softness. For a moment, the light seemed to hover in the air around Ash, covering the trainer completely, before it shot of into the sky and disappeared.
Serena blinked. What had just happened? She tried to draw in a breath, but her weak attempt to fil her lungs with air again after her silent screaming at the screen only resulted in her letting out a hiccup. Had something or someone actually answered her prayers? As the remaining light dispersed, she got her answer.
Standing tall in the spot where the blinding stream of light had been just moments ago stood a gobsmacked Ash Ketchum with his trusty Pikachu tightly clutched in his arms, still in the same position as when they were falling and Ash had grabbed the yellow rodent. However, he only stood in place a for a very brief moment before he looked up towards where the stream of light had disappeared and seemingly whispered something that the camera team couldn't quite catch.
For a moment, neither Grace nor Serena moved from the shock of Ash's sudden save, but as soon as the full implication of what had just happened sunk in, Serena felt herself collapse onto the floor. He was okay... He was okay!
'Thank Arceus for that!' she thought in shock as she tried to catch her breath.
-X-Y-Z-
The ground closed in on him, and fast. Ash tightened his grip around Pikachu to make sure he wouldn't lose him. He felt a spark of fear run through his chest as he realized that this might actually be it for him. The asphalt was closing in on him at an alarming pace and he had no way of saving himself. At that moment, a hundreds of thoughts ran through his head and he felt his blood freeze in his veins and his heart skip a beat, swallowing as he prepared for the harsh impact that would end his life.
But it never came.
Out of nowhere, a stream of white and multicoloroed light came shooting towards him, like a shooting star, and engulfed him in its mesmerizing glow. Ash's eyes widened in shock and surprise, his grip around Pikachu stiffening even more at the shock of this unnexpected turn of events. As the light engulfed him, Ash felt himself being wrapped up in strong but soft arms. He looked up in surprise at the gentle yet firm touch to find his savior, a humanoid white Pokemon that looked very familiar to him, though it had been several years since Ash last saw him. The Pokemon in question looked down at him with a determined look as they slowly descended towards the ground, slowed by the pokemon's psychic powers.
"Mewtwo?" Ash breathed in shock.
The pokemon nodded in confirmation. It had been a long time since he last saw his old friend, but there was no mistaking it. The pokemon that was currently carrying him and Pikachu down towards the ground, covered completely by a blinding light, was none other than the synthetic pokemon that Team Rocket's Scientist had created from the legendary Mew's DNA all those years ago, the Genetic Pokemon Mewtwo. He was one of a kind, so there was no way it was a different Mewtwo either. It was definetely the same one that they had rescued from the clutches of the Rocket Boss Giovanni in Johto and whose heart they had touched all the way back in Kanto on New Island, during their first journey.
As the two old friends locked eyes, they landed on the ground a few feet away from the crowd, still covered completely by the light that kept anyone unwanted from seeing them or exactly what was going on. Mewtwo let Ash down on the ground and gave him a slight push so that the two were standing with a little distance between them. He gave him a meassuring look for a moment, during which Ash couldn't do anything other than staring in shock. If he had imagined a way of surviving that fall, it certainly hadn't been this way.
"You've grown, Ash." Mewtwo's telepathic voice echoed through Ash's and Pikachu's heads, and Ash could swear that the Genetic Pokemon's mouth twitched into something akin to a smile before he bent down and took off into the air, flying away from them.
Ash stared after Mewtwo while the light around them began to dispatch to reveal them to the public. However, neither of the two payed any attention to their surroundings anymore. Memories from a journey long gone, from an adventure in which they had first met the Pokemon that had just saved them, played before their eyes. That look Mewtwo had just given them, it had been different from what it had been back then. Mewtwo might have wiped their memories of the incident right after it happened, but now that they had met again Ash could suddenly remember it as if it was just yesterday, as if Mewtwo had somehow managed to project them into Ash's head by their brief moment of eye-lock.
Maybe that was it. Maybe Mewtwo really had reaweakened their memory of that incident when they locked eyes tonight? But why? Ash remembered that back then Mewtwo had wanted people to forget about his shameless deeds, so that no one would be able to tell about them. So why give Ash and Pikachu back their memories of the incident? Could it be...?
"You've come a long way as well, haven't you? Mewtwo..." Ash whispered so only Pikachu could hear him.
Mewtwo had a reason for giving Ash back his memories. Back then, he had wanted them and everyone else to forget it because he felt shame for his actions and didn't want to stand for what he had done. By giving Ash, the person who had made him see things clearly, his memory of that incident back, he was trying to face up to what it was he had done. He wanted Ash to remember, so that he could be forgiven for real.
-X-Y-Z-
Serena sighed impatiently as she rolled over in her bed, trying to find a position comfortable enough to sleep in. But no matter how much she twisted and turned, she couldn't find a good position. Her body was still tense from the incident earlier that evening. It had all been a mess of mixed up emotions. Seeing Ash again and knowing that he wasn't too far from here had made her feel more excited than she had felt in several years. It had strenghtened her resolve to go on her Pokemon journey, because it meant that with a little luck she would really get to meet him again!
But then, everything had been cracked for a moment when Ash threw himself off Prism Tower. Why would he do something so reckless? Well, he had always had a kind of daredevil personality and reckless was practically his second name, but to actually jump of Prism Tower like that seemed a little too much, even for him.
She shuddered unwillingly and rolled over again. She should be happy that he was alright and that he had been saved by... whatever that strange stream of light had been. In any other situation, she would feel thrilled that they were so close to each other. Lumiose City was just a daymarch or two away from Vaniville Town. They hadn't been this close since they were separated all those years ago.
There was just something that had been nagging at the back of her mind. Even though it hadn't quite been out of character for Ash to go to great lenghts to ensure the safety of his Pokemon, it still made her feel like he had changed somehow. He had seemed so different from the little boy she used to know. The resemblance had still been there, but he had still managed to show her just how much he had changed in just the few minutes she had seen him.
Would he be different?
That was probably what troubled Serena the most. Now that they were so close, they were bound to meet again soon. But seeing him and most importantly, seeing how different he had become since they last saw each other, had planted a seed of doubt in Serena's mind. Did she really want to meet him again? Well, of course she wanted to meet him, but would it still really be him? Would he still be the boy she had missed so badly for the last 7 years or would he be a complete stranger, wearing that boy's face? The thought of meeting Ash again, only to find out that he wasn't the same person anymore scared Serena more than anything. After all, 7 years had passed, 5 of which Ash had spent on the road travelling and meeting lots of new people. He was bound to have changed somehow.
Turning over once more, Serena finally gave up on trying to sleep and sat up in her bed. She wouldn't be able to sleep properly if she kept pondering this back and fourth in her head. Silently, as to not wake up her mother, Serena got out of bed and walked over to her window and opened it, allowing the cool air from outside to cool down her summer heated room. As she felt the cool night breeze soothe her skin and cool off her body heat after having been confined under her blankets for hours without being able to sleep, Serena drew in a deep breath and tried to calm herself down.
There was no point in speculating about all this. Ash was bound to have changed because ultimately, she had as well. Looking at herself in the mirror, she could see that she had changed a lot from when she was still a little 8 year old. And yet, the physical changes were almost small or even tiny if she compared them to her personality, her interests, her mindset and the way she acted in general. And she had just stayed in one place, as opposed to Ash who had travelled through who knew how many regions by now. And in that aspect, Shauna was right. Travelling across different regions and meeting all kinds of new people and Pokemon was bound to make one see things in new lights and get new perspectives on things.
What if he really was a complete stranger to her now and it ruined her memories of him? Or even worse, what if he didn't even remember her at all? Leaning against the window frame, Serena groaned. This was going to be a long night.
-X-Y-Z-
Despite the late night struggle against the berserk Garchomp, Ash found himself up and ready to go early the next morning. He was still a little bit tired, but that was nothing that a little morning run wouldn't fix. After everything that had happened yesterday, he felt like he needed to relax his muscles a little and burn off some leftover steam. So he got out of bed quietly, as to not wake up Brock or Pikachu, both of whom he shared a room with, and sneaked out.
When he got out of the lab, he stopped to think about where he should run. If he remembered correctly, Brock had shown him a map of the city yesterday that had shown that the main street ran in a circle around Prism Tower, so if he just followed that one he should be good. The circular street had been a lot bigger than other streets, so if he just stayed on the biggest street, no harm would be done.
With that thought in mind, he took off at a slow, relaxing pace. The early morning breeze felt soothing against his face and skin as he made his way down the circular street, taking steady and deep breaths. In comparison to the constant running and panicked rushing they had done yesterday, this felt like heaven. No stress and no preassure, he had all the time in the world to complete his running.
As he was running, Ash couldn't help but wonder how this journey would turn out. He had only been here for 1 day and already so much had happened. If he had to say, he would say that this was the most intense first day to a new region he had ever had. Well, maybe his accidental clash with Zekrom in Unova came close, but aside from that most of his arrivals had been... okay, so maybe they hadn't been tranquil, but they hadn't been as intense as this one. That Garchomp had been really powerful, even more so than his Charizard. The damage that had been dealt to Charizard's wing by just that one Draco Meteor spoke volumes of Garchomp's strenght. Granted, it hit a joint in the wing and the following battles Charizard had been handicapped by his injury, but he could still tell that Garchomp was a strong Pokemon.
Maybe one day he would get to battle Garchomp and Axel in a full on battle? Axel had told him that he too was competing in the Kalos League this year, so chances were that they would face each other in the Conference. If they did, he looked forward to that. It would be a challenge for sure, but Ash felt confident that he could win.
Speaking of Axel, Ash had asked him about that Fairy-type that he had mentioned that his Carbink was classified as. Apparently, it was a typing that some Kalos Pokemon had, but it had also been researched lately and some of the more universal Pokemon, like Marill and Snubull, had their official typing changed because of traits they had shown that spoke of at least partial Fairy-typing. The type itself had been recently discovered and that was partly why some Pokemon had just recently been discovered to be Fairy-types, like Marill, who had been classified solely as a Water-type until the Fairy-type was discovered.
As he thought about it, Ash couldn't help but wonder if any of his own Pokemon was classified as a Fairy-type. Surely, Professor Oak knew if that was the case. He could ask later today when he would send Charizard back. After checking Charizard's wing over late last night, the Lumiose City Nurse Joy had declared that Charizard would need some rest before he was ready to go again, so Ash had figured that Charizard might as well be sent back to Professor Oak's Lab so that he could take it easy for a few days and have his injury watched over by Tracey. Charizard had been reluctant to go back, but had agreed under the condition that he would be sent back as soon as he could fly two laps around the clearing behind the Laboratory without flinching from his wound.
Just as he began considering if he should ask to have anyone else transferred at the same time he sent Charizard back, Ash noticed something that made him come to a stop. Wasn't that... Prism Tower? How in the world had he gotten here? The circular street was... well, circular. It was supposed to run in a circle around Prism Tower.
Realising what this meant, Ash groaned inwardly. He must have turned too sharply at some point and taken one of the streets that led up to the tower, rather than follow the circular street. He had been so lost in thought that he had forgotten to keep an extra eye on where he was running. Actually, how long had he been running anyway? He had no idea, he had just kept on running. If he had been away for too long, there was a risk that Sycamore and the others would begin to wonder where he had went...
"There you are!"
Hearing the familar voice, Ash looked turned around to find the by now familiar sight of Axel standing behind him, his arms crossed over his chest. His spiky red hair was moving slightly in the breeze and his black trenchcoat was flowing behind him. Getting a full view of Axel and seeing the intensity in his ice blue eyes, Ash had to admit that the older boy indeed shared some similarities with his cousin, Cynthia.
"Hey there Axel! What's up?" Ash asked sheepishly. In his mind, there could only be one reason why Axel had come here.
And sure enough, the red haired boy sighed and shook his head, mumbling something barely audible that Ash thought sounded a lot like "Why do I always get stuck with the icky jobs?". He had noticed that Axel seemed to mumble a lot to himself about things he found annoying, irritating or just because he felt like it. He had done the same thing yesterday when they were atop the tower and in the aftermath, when Professor Sycamore asked him to try and fend of the reporters who wanted a comment on the incident and what had triggered it.
"Do you know how long you've been gone?" Axel asked as he walked up to the younger boy and uncrossed his arms, instead opting to put his hands on his hips in a surprisingly good immitation of how Cynthia usually did it when she was reprimanding someone. "Actually, don't answer that. Just come on back to the lab. Professor Sycamore wants to ask you something."
Not complaining about being led back to the lab without having to ask someone for directions, Ash nodded and followed Axel, still with a sheepish smile on his face. For a little while, the two of them walked in silence, until Axel spoke up again.
"Actually, I don't think I ever got the chance to thank you yesterday, so I'll just say it now. Thanks for helping out with Garchomp." As he said this, Axel cast a sideway glance at the boy walking beside him, before he added: "Though try not to jump off anymore towers in the near future. C's gonna have my head if I let you go and kill yourself by being reckless."
Ash frowned for a moment in confusion before he realized that when Axel said "C", he was probably referring to Cynthia. However, as soon as he had figured that part out, another question quickly took its place in his mind.
"Why would she do that?"
For whatever reason, Axel actually chuckled at this, causing Ash's frown to deepen.
"Well, she holds you in quite high regard, both as a friend and as a Pokemon Trainer. If I just let you go and kill youself like that, I'd be willing to bet my hair that she would blame me for it and send Garchomp to deal a sufficent punishment." Axel laughed.
Hoping dearly that he was exaggerating with the punishment part, Ash decided to instead focus on the first thing that Axel had said. Cynthia held him in high regard as a friend and Pokemon Trainer. Well, as a friend didn't surprise him. He held her in high regard as a friend as well (not that he held any of his friends in low regard), but as a Pokemon Trainer? Did Cynthia really think that highly of him as a trainer?
"She really think I'm that good?" Ash asked in shock.
"Well, you'll have to ask her yourself about it, but it sure sounds like it. She even brought you up during the last family reunion. Something about how absurd it was that you lost so early in the Unova Conference. " Axel said with a shrugg as they approached the lab in the distance.
Being reminded that he had failed completely in the Unova Conference immediately caused Ash's mood to drop slightly, but he did his best to try and focus on the fact that Cynthia held him in high regard. That wasn't something to take lightly. After all, Cynthia was the Champion of the Sinnoh Region and, as far as Ash knew, one of the youngest Champions in the world at this point and she had already held the position for quite some time. For her to praise him, even if it hadn't been to his face, was huge! That meant that at least he was doing something right!
-X-Y-Z-
When the morning sun rose over the hills, Serena found that she had actually managed to fall asleep after all. She didn't know how long it had taken, but apparently she had been very tired because she had slept until 12 o'clock. To be honest, she was still a little drowsy, but if she went to sleep in the middle of the day, she knew she would have trouble sleeping again in the evening. She was initially surprised that her mother hadn't sent Fletchling at her, but then again she had probably looked pretty shocked when she went to bed yesterday so perhaps her mother wanted to give her some space?
Stretching out on her bed and yawning loudly, enjoying the feel of the cold blankets against her skin, Serena took her time to get up and start her day, now that she could actually have a relaxed morning for once. It almost felt strange to be able to brush her hair at her own pace and take her time deciding what to wear for the day. She had become so accustomed to Fletchling waking her up and her mother calling her down for Rhyhorn Racing Training that she felt like an entierly different person when she finally walked into the kitchen, approximately 40 minutes later. Her mother was sitting over by the televisionand was watching the news. However, when Serena walked in, she looked up.
"Good morning sleepyhead." Grace said and turned back to the screen." They have cleaned up after the Garchomp Incident. Three people was hurt badly and about 18 got minor bruises, but no casualties."
Serena froze slightly when her mother mentioned the Garchomp incident, but relaxed again when she heard that no one had died. She had been so focused on Ash yesterday that she hadn't even payed a thought to all the other people in Lumiose City that could've been killed when the Dragon rampaged through the city. However, hearing that everyone would be alright, she felt a lot better as she made her way over to the fridge and began to dig through it in search of something to eat.
After a few minutes, Serena sat down in one of the armchairs with a plate of Pasta Bolognese fresh from the microwave. Grace looked up when her daughter sat down with her to watch the news, but didn't comment on it. Even though Serena had never been one to care too much about watching Television at all, be it news or movies, she just figured that she wanted to see if they would reveal anything more about the Garchomp incident and, more importantly, about a certain young raven haired trainer who had been involved in the incident.
"Professor Sycamore called while you were asleep." Grace informed her daughter. "He said that he haven't been able to send someone just yet to deliver your Pokemon and Pokedex. The Garchomp Incident kind of messed up his schedule a little, but he said that he had someone to send off as soon as he got the time."
Serena just nodded her head. While she felt a little disappointed it would probably take a longer time for her to set off on her journey to try and catch up to Ash, she couldn't really blame Professor Sycamore for having his hands full with a rampaging dragon. And still, she didn't know how long Ash would stay in Lumiose. He might still be there when she got there. It really wasn't that far off so she could probably make it to Lumiose in a day or two if she didn't stop too long in Santalune City. So if it took the representat took 2 days to get here and she took 2 days to get to Lumiose, Ash would have had to stay in Lumiose for 4 days if she was gonna have a chance of catching him. Lumiose had a Pokemon Gym so if Ash was still going for his dream of becoming a Pokemon Master, then it wasn't illogical that he would be stuck there for a few days.
"It's fine. That just means I got one more day to spend here before I get to go." Serena said, trying to not let it bother her too much.
She felt her mother watch her as she ate her food, but tried not to think about it. Instead, she kept her eyes fixed on the television screen, which had stopped showing News and was now giving the latest about the top Pokemon Battlers in Kalos. Apparently, the Kalos League Conference was due to start in a month and so the channel was doing a check out of all the possible participants. Serena wasn't really that interested in it, but at least it gave her something to think of.
"...and now we will take a look at the Pokemon Trainer World Ranks that have been updated since the last tournaments in Unova and Sinnoh. Following his victory in the Unova Conference, Pokemon Trainer Trip have entered the Top 100 on 97th place. After having taken up League battling again and beaten 4 Gym Leaders in our own Kalos Region, Pokemon Trainer Axel have moved up a few spaces to 23rd place. Also, last years winner of the Lily of the Valley Conference, Ash Ketchum, have dropped a few spots after his loss in the quarter finals of the Unova Conference and is currently back on 68th place.
Moving up towards the top, Sinnoh Frontier Brain Palmer have climbed to 6th place after his victory over Kalos Champion Diantha, who in turn is dropped back down to 9th place. The Top 3 remains unchanged from last year and is as follows:
1. Sinnoh Champion Cynthia
2. Kanto and Johto Champion Lance
3. Kanto Frontier Brain Brandon
If you want the complete list, then please visit our website, which you can see down in the corner of the screen."
Serena checked the screen bottom corner and found the adress. She wasn't too interested in the World Rankings, but it had picked her interest slightly to hear that Ash was on the Top 100. That would mean that he set out on his journey a few years ago at least. It had been 5 years since he should have set out so that was the longest he could have been on the road. 'I wonder how many regions he have travelled so far?' Serena thought. The reporter said that he had won the Lily of the Valley Conference last year so he must have travelled at least 2 regions, since the Kanto region's tournament was called the Indigo Conference and it didn't make any sense for him to travel another region before he went to Kanto.
Deciding to check the website later for any kind of record of him and his battles to get an idea of how many regions he had travelled and how many tournaments he had participated in, Serena stood up and went over to the sink with her now empty plate.
"Do you have anything planned for today?" Grace asked when she noticed that Serena had left her spot in the armchair.
Serena stopped in her tracks and thought for a moment. In all honesty, she hadn't expected to have this day free so she hadn't planned anything. She could probably go over to Shauna's place and spend the day with her friend, but for some reason she didn't feel like spending another day in the company of her hyperactive friend. No offense to Shauna, but she could be quite a handful and right now, Serena really felt like she would just rather do something a little more relaxing.
"I haven't really thought about it. I'm still feeling a little tired, so I'll probably just lay down and read something for a while and relax. But I don't know about the afternoon." Serena said, eyeing her mother suspiciously. Usually when she asked that question, she would come up with an "idea" for what she could do, aka Rhyhorn Racing. "Why do you ask?"
"Well..." Grace said, turning back towards the Television, as if she was actually unsure of whether to put forth whatever suggestion she had or not. Serena was pretty sure she had a suggestion to what she could do today, otherwise she wouldn't have asked. "I was thinking... since you're going to leave on a journey soon, we should make sure you got everything packed and got some comfortable clothes to travel in. You know, so that you'll be ready to go when you finally get your first Pokemon."
Blinking in surprise, Serena turned towards her mother. If she had expected her mother to suggest something, it sure hadn't been that. Now that she mentioned Serena hadn't even begun to remotely think about what she wanted to bring along on her journey or what clothes she wanted to travel in. She had a pretty large wardrobe, but she couldn't take that one with her and thinking twice about it, she wasn't too sure that anything in that wardrobe was too well suited to travel in. Putting together a suitable travelling gear from those clothes would be hard, so buying a new set of more durable and comfortable clothes didn't sound too bad. There was just one little problem...
"You don't need to worry about money. I'll pay for whatever you want to buy." Grace added hastily when she noticed that Serena looked a little pensive.
That, if possible, caused Serena to become even more shocked. Her mother had always been very strict when it came to money. Serena was to pay for herself when it came to clothing and other personal articles. Sure, if there was something that was absolutely nescesary Grace would step in but otherwise she wanted Serena to buy her stuff for her well-earned money. In truth, Serena didn't really mind that since that just meant that she had a bigger influence over what she actually bought and didn't have to ask her mother for her opinon on everything before buying it, but it had still always made her feel a little as if her mom was keeping her at arm's lenght.
Realizing that her mom was waiting for a reply, Serena shook her head and tried to put on her best smile. She didn't mind wherever this was coming from, it sounded like a nice idea and if her mother was going to be the one paying for it, she wouldn't say no.
"That would be wonderful." Serena said, smiling at her mother, who smiled back at her when she heard her daughter's acceptance.
Serena wouldn't deny that she had loathed her mother since the day she was forced to pack up and move to Kalos. Her anger over the hasty and selfish descision from her mother's side had caused a rift between them and none of them had managed to close it completely ever since. And truth to be told, Serena hadn't really tried. The grudge had diminished over time, but there had always been something deep down that kept her from opening up to her mother the same way again. Their relationship had always been a little rusty since Grace had always prioritized her Rhyhorn Racing Career and that often left Serena in the care of someone else, usually Delia, while she was away, but at least back then she had still wanted her mother to be her mother.
After the move to Kalos, that will had vanished and thought they could still talk to each other and spend time together, Serena always felt like she locked up a piece of herself whenever she was with Grace. But seeing her mother smile at her like that actually made Serena feel warm inside. Was it because she now knew that she would be able to see Ash again? Maybe, but whatever it was that made her want to at least try to forgive her mother again, something she hadn't even considered since they left Kanto, it made Serena feel good inside.
-X-Y-Z-
It was later that day when Ash, Brock and Pikachu arrived in Aquacorde Town, the little town that stood between Santalune City and Vaniville Town. After Ash and Axel had gotten back to the lab, Professor Sycamore had asked Ash to run an errand for him that he couldn't perform because of his tight schedule. When Ash had asked what the task was, Professor Sycamore explained that he was supposed to deliver a set of Starter Pokemon to a girl in Vaniville Town, who was about to start her first Pokemon Journey soon. He should've sent them the day before, but his aides and assistants were all too busy or on vacation so he had no one else to send.
Naturally, Ash had accepted the task as soon as he heard about the new trainer who was going to start her first journey. Delivering a rookie trainer's first pokemon was, in his opinion, a HUGE and honorable task, as he knew how much that one trainer's life was about to change and how much this first pokemon would mean to her. The fact that there was a Gym he could challenge on the way back didn't exactly serve to make the task seem any less appealing to him.
So with that goal in mind, they had left Lumiose City as soon as Ash had freshened up from his early morning run and Brock had made sure they had everything for the journey ahead of them. Ash had spoken to Professor Oak over the phone and made sure to send Charizard back to the lab to get some rest. The joint in his wing was still sore so a little rest in the meadow would do him good.
He had also made sure to withdraw Gible and Totodile, both of whom had been very eager at the opportunity to travel with him again. He had just been about to hang up when Scraggy had come crying and practically begged him to pick him up. After all, Scraggy was still a Baby Pokemon and he regarded Ash as his daddy, since he had been the one to hatch him and take care of him since he was born. Realising the mistake of leaving the poor little Hoodlum Pokemon behind, Ash had almost kicked himself for it and had been quick to tell Professor Oak to send Scraggy over. It wouldn't hurt for him to have one extra space occupied at the moment, and since he still had yesterday's incident in mind, having one extra Team Member available sounded like a pretty good idea.
They had stopped briefly in Santalune City for lunch, but had been quick on their way again as soon as they were done. Preferrably, they wanted to make it to Vaniville Town before dusk. Professor Sycamore had told them that the little town was surrounded by walls that were supposed to keep wild Pokemon out during nighttime and the gates to those walls closed at 20.00. Thankfully, it looked like they would have no problem making it in time. They just walked straight through Aquacorde, not really having any reason to stop, and began their treck down Route 1.
It wasn't often they had a day this uneventful. They usually managed to find their way into some trouble and if they didn't, Ash would always somehow manage to turn something into trouble so the lack of stange events left the day kind of shallow. However, it had given Ash the time to think a lot about the journey ahead of him and there was just something that was nagging at the back of his mind...
"Hey Brock?" Ash asked as they walked down Route 1.
"Hm? What's up?"
Ash put his hands behind his head in thought. Brock looked over at him and frowned. Ash had been a lot more thoughtful than he was used to since they met up again and he still was not used to this more thoughtful Ash.
"I was just thinking... every time I travel to a new region, I always get a new friend who travels around the region with me. I mean, in Johto and Kanto it was you and Misty. I hadn't met any of you, but we became friends for life. Then in Hoenn, you came back and we met May and Max and the same happened in Sinnoh when we met Dawn. In Unova, I met these guys named Cilan and Iris and we travelled around the region together. Do you think this beginner trainer will want to come with us and travel around Kalos with us? I mean, it's always nice to meet new friends and I have kind of gotten accustomed to travelling with new people." Ash asked with a pensive look on his face, as if he was weighing the possibility that this rookie trainer would want to join them.
Brock frowned. He hadn't really thought about it, but now that Ash mentioned it, they did always get someone new who chose to travel with them. It was actually a quite ejnoyable habit they had made.
"I guess we can always ask. When you are a new trainer, you can always learn a lot from travelling with a more experienced trainer. I mean, Dawn and May sure grew fast as trainers while they were travelling with us and you grew pretty fast yourself when you were travelling with me and Misty." he answered, grinning at the last part.
"What's that supposed to mean?!" Ash growled under his breath as his face quickly took on the look of someone who had been deeply insulted by his friend. However, Brock just kept grinning at him teasingly while Pikachu was snickering at his shoulder.
Brock chuckled as he pulled out the map to check where they were supposed to go once they entered the town. They could see the gates by now. Professor Sycamore had warned them that the gates would be closing at 20.00 as a precaution to keep wild pokemon from roaming the town at night, but since they had barely made any stops along the way they had plenty of time to spare.
Ash kept sulking all the way into Vaniville Town, causing Brock to once again question whether he really had matured or not. In some situations, he could act all grown up and mature while in other, he just fell straight back to where he used to be, which meant childish, stubborn and sometimes reckless. When they entered the town however, he perked up somewhat and began looking around curiously. It was a little bigger than Pallet Town back home, but it still had the same calm nature hanging over it, being so close to the forest. Not many people were outside right now since it was dinner time, but it still had a welcoming feeling to it.
"I think we're supposed to go this way." Brock said and led them off to the left.
Ash just shrugged and followed. He knew that he himself was terrible at reading maps and keeping directions so he pretty much figured it would be best to just leave it to Brock or they would be wandering around all night. After all, he had proven that he was still as terrible at following even the simpliest of directions just earlier this morning.
As they walked along a long hedge that cut the street off from a serie of townhouses, Ash noticed one slightly bigger house by the end of the street. Being placed in a corner, it took full advantage of the extra space provided. And that was the house where Brock led them.
"It should be this one right here." he said as they stopped outside the gate.
Despite the impressive building, the front garden really wasn't anything special, only containing a big oak tree and a large kennel-like hut where a Rhyhorn was taking a nap. After having doublechecked the map, Brock nodded to Ash in confirmation and they boy from Pallet Town entered the garden. As he did, the Rhyhorn woke up and, finding two strangers in the garden, it immediately jumped to its feet and ran up to place itself between Ash and the door. The Spike Pokemon stomped its feet in the ground and growled lowly, daring them to try and get past it.
"Easy there Rhyhorn. We are just here to deliver a package to your owner." Ash said as he took a step forward and held up his hands.
Hearing his voice, the Rhyhorn seemed to hesitate and after a moment of staring at Ash, its eyes suddenly widened. Ash frowned at the Rhyhorn's strange behaviour, but seeing as it didn't mean him any harm anymore, he walked up to it and bent down to give it a pat on the horn.
"That's it boy. Nice and calm." he said.
"Rhy, Rhyhorn Rhy!"
When the Rhyhorn spoke, Pikachu's ears twitched and the electric rodent leant forward from his spot on Ash's shoulder to ask something of the Spike Pokemon. Ash watched in fascination while his partner talked with the Rhyhorn by using their own speech. It had always fascinated him how different species of Pokemon could understand each other despite them saying completely different things. However, he was brought out of his musings when Pikachu turned back to him and began gesturing with his hands.
"Pika pika! Pi, Pikachu! Pika!"
Ash frowned and reached up to scratch the back of his head with his hand. He usually understood Pikachu pretty good, but right now he either was too tired to think clearly, too hungry or Pikachu simply didn't express himself in a very clear way. But the yellow rodent was pointing at him and then at the Rhyhorn so Ash made a guess.
"Are you saying that I have met this Rhyhorn before?"
When Pikachu nodded, Ash raised an eyebrow and bent forward to study the Rhyhorn closer, as if he could recognize a Rhyhorn in the amount of Rhyhorns in the world just by looking at it. He couldn't really remember any specific trainer that had a Rhyhorn, at least not one that was worth remembering. He had faced a Rhydon or two and he had even met Palmer's Rhyperior, but he couldn't remember this specific Rhyhorn or even when during his travels he could possibly have run into it.
"Brock? Can you remember anyone special who have had a Rhyhorn that we might have met during our travels?" Ash asked as he stood up again.
Brock put his hand on his chin as he tried to think of any important trainer Ash had either faced or met who could have had a Rhyhorn. Now that he thought about it, he couldn't really remember the last time he had even seen a Rhyhorn. Oh, except the one who lived at the Pewter City Gym of course, but that one couldn't possibly be this one so that didn't count.
"No, not that I can think off."
Ash had went up the stairs to the door while Brock had been thinking and had already lifted his hand to knock on the door. Pikachu was still sitting with Rhyhorn, apparently trying to understand from where Rhyhorn knew Ash.
"Weird." was all Ash said as he knocked on the door.
Where could he have met this Rhyhorn? Better yet, how could he have met a Rhyhorn who lived in Kalos? He had never been to Kalos before so had he met someone during his travels who could have been from Kalos? Well, he would probably find out because he could hear someone coming to open the door. The door swung open and a middle aged woman appeared in the doorway.
"Good evening. We were sent here to deliver a starter Pokemon by Professor Sycamore." Ash said as a greeting.
The brown haired woman stared at him in shock. After a few seconds, Ash was starting to feel a little uncomfortable. Had he said something wrong? Well, it wouldn't be the first time but he was pretty sure he couldn't have messed up that badly with that greeting. Oh, well of course he could have said his name! However, as he opened his mouth to introduce himself, the woman beat him to it.
"Ash?" she breathed in shock.
Ash frowned. Now this was getting scary. First the Rhyhorn, then this random brown haired...woman... wait a sec... He narrowed his eyes to try and make out more of the woman's features through the dusk. As she took a step back to let them into the house, Ash's eyes widened as he recognized her. Suddenly, it all made sense! The Rhyhorn... and that brown hair... could this be...?
"Grace?" he gasped in shock.
Grace nodded in confirmation. Ash gulped. Now it all seemed so clear to him. He couldn't remember who on his journey he had met with a specific Rhyhorn because he had met the Rhyhorn before his journey. But if that Rhyhorn was that Rhyhorn and Grace was also here... then that would mean...
"Mom? Who was that by the door?" came a soft, angelic voice from the doorway that led off to the right further down the entrance hall.
Ash felt his heartbeat increase at an alarming rate as a young teenage girl stuck her head in through the doorway. And froze. For a long moment, the two of them just stared at each other.
Over the years, her hair had grown slightly longer but it still had that special gleam to it. Her face wasn't as round anymore as it had been when they were children, but it still looked softer than a silk pillow and her saphire-blue eyes were still as deep and glowing as Ash remembered them. She had grown quite a lot too. When they had been children, he could swear that he had been a lot taller than her but now they looked to be about equal height. As the light from the entrance hall cast its glow over her head, it made her hair look like it was flowing around her head, as if they were underwater. She had grown and changed a lot over the years yet she looked so similar. There was no doubt in Ash's mind who this must be.
"Serena?" he breathed out in shock.
Serena swallowed and put her hand over her heart. Of course she had seen him on the television just the other day, but it didn't make it any less unreal to see him like this again, standing in front of her. He had grown quite a lot since they separated. His black hair was confined by a baseball cap, but from what she could see it was still as messy as it had always been. His eyes still held the caring and compassionate look that she had always found herself staring into when they were children and he didn't look so skinny as he had back then. Serena took a deep, calming breath and for the first time in 7 years, the two best friend locked eyes.
"Ash?"
A/N: BOOM! There we go, finally another chapter done! Finally, they are together again and things are sure to become interesting from here on! Once again, I want to apologize for taking so illegally long time to post this chapter! I had a little trouble writing the struggle against Garchomp and I had to go back and change it more than once because I kept forgetting that Ash supposedly had an Aura Link established with Garchomp at the time. Hopefully, the lenght of the chapter and the quality will make up for it.
The next chapter might take some time as well. I received some critique last time that I over-dramatized Ash's and Serena's reunion so if I am going to change that slightly, I will need to tread carefully and that will take time. If you feel I should just do a grammar check and some simple changes to it, then tell me so in a review and I might have the chapter up faster.
Also, i would appreciate some feedback on Axel. I am really trying to make him a better OC than Dusk, while at the same time having him fill the role that Dusk was supposed to fill. And to add to that, I am trying to keep him in line with his original, the Axel from Kingdom Hearts. I will try to tone down his use of catchphrases though. I like them, but trying to fit catchphrases into each 3rd phrase he says would just ruin it. I've seen it done with Dawn's catchphrase several times and it isn't ejnoyable to read. So please, tell me what you think og Axel!
Finally, I would like to make sure you noticed one big change in the chapter and that is that Ash actually sent Charizard back to Professor Oak's lab in order for him to rest up his wing. Does that mean that Garchomp is so OP that the damage he deals is way more prominent than anything else in the entire Pokemon World? No, it doesn't. Charizard was hit in the joint of his wing and if you've ever been hit in a joint by something, you know just how painful it can be and how much damage even smaller jabs can cause. Don't worry, Charizard will be back soon. In the meantime, what did you think of my choice for temporary additions? :)
That was all I had to say. If you liked this and haven't already, make sure you smash the hell outta those buttons down below saying "follow" and "favourite", and if you got something to say, you know where the review sections is located. Flames will be ignored and if you insist on sending one, then please be kind enough to use a registered account so I can report you and bann you from this site for all eternity :) This is Andrew Oakez, signing out!