Chapter 54: A birthday surprise
It was early in the morning in Couriway town and Ash slowly awakened. He slowly raised his head and saw Serena still had her arms locked tightly around him. Apparently she was still feeling clingy which meant she was still feeling a bit afraid.
Ash wanted to get up and help the others finalize everything for Serena's birthday, but he knew how much she'd freak out if he just left her there.
"Ash is Serena still acting all clingy?" Ash heard Red's voice from an aura message.
"Yes, I want to get up but she'll get afraid she wakes up and I'm gone" Ash said back.
"Alright, we'll get breakfast ready. Is everything else planned out bro?" .
"Yes, since we already had dinner at that restaurant I doubt she'll want to go there again".
"Ok then what's your plan Ash?".
"It wasn't easy since Serena refused to be alone , but I found out the train had a special tour ride. It goes around the area allowing the passengers to see all the amazing cites, it provides a good dinner, and apparently they occasionally bring a celebrity guest aboard" .
"Well I'm sure she'll like that" Red said.
"I already have the tickets, I'll have Pikachu bring them to you" Ash said. Pikachu leapt down from the bed and ran over to a pair of Ash's jeans and stuck his head in a pocket.
He came out with several tickets in his mouth and turned to Ash.
"Good job" Ash said as Pikachu ran out of the room. Elsewhere in the lobby Red and the others were setting a table.
"Ok that's everything" Clemont said. Red noticed Pikachu running over to him with something in his mouth.
"There he is" Red said as Pikachu climbed onto Red's shoulder and dropped the tickets into Red's hand.
"What are those?" Korrina said.
"Ash's plan for Serena's party, apparently we're going on some kind of train tour with dinner" Red said.
"A train ride?" Korrina said unenthusiastically.
"Well it may not be the most exciting thing ever but it's Serena's birthday and it's something she'll probably enjoy" Red said.
"I suppose" Red said. Back in the room Ash was staring at the ceiling, despite last night Ash was still feeling guilt about the Flare grunt. He had hoped that maybe he would be able to move past it, but the feeling of guilt still lingered.
Ash sighed, perhaps today celebrating Serena's birthday would help clear his mind. Moments later he felt Serena move. He turned his head to see if she had woken up, but she still looked asleep.
Before Ash could turn away he saw a frightened look on her face. Serena started thrashing as the look on her face got more frightened.
"No! No ! Stay away from me creeper, Ash help me! Ash!". It was then Ash realized that Serena was having another nightmare.
"Serena wake up!" Ash said as he tried to wake her. Serena's eyes shot open and she saw Ash right in front of her.
"Ash!" She said as she tightened her arms around him and pulled herself closer.
"Serena are you ok?".
"Ash I had another nightmare about the grunt. It was worse than the last one" Serena said as she put her head against Ash's shoulder.
"It's alright Serena, it was just a nightmare. I'm here" Ash said. Serena did feel a lot better now that she was awake and beside Ash. She moved her head to the side and planted a kiss on his cheek.
A few minutes later they got dressed, to which Serena refused either of them to leave again, and walked out to the lobby.
" I wonder if the others are up yet?" Serena said. Just after she said that she saw the others standing around a table with breakfast set up.
"Happy birthday!" The group said. Serena seemed genuinely surprised by this.
"Oh you guys went all out" Serena said.
"Oh we just made breakfast it's nothing that big" Clemont said. Serena sat down next to Ash with the others as they started eating. At the same time they let all of their pokemon out so they could also eat.
"So how does it feel to be 15?" Clemont said.
"It actually feels nice, I feel like I'm growing up and becoming a woman" Serena said.
"I didn't make that big a deal out of my 15th birthday" Korrina said.
"Oh no did we miss your birthday Korrina!?" Serena said.
"No" Red said.
"I don't turn 16 until the end of next month" Korrina said.
"So Serena what do you plan on doing for the tournament at Snowbelle city?" Clemont said.
" Well seeing as I need to win this one to make the rank of duchess Ash and I have been training hard. I'll definitely be using Delphox, Absol, and Aurorus. I may use Furfrou but Spritzee and Zorua I'm not sure on. They're still pretty young and I will be going up against some very experienced trainers" Serena said.
As the pokemon ate Pikachu noticed Charizard was giving a rather concerned look over at Delphox. Pikachu walked over next to Charizard and looked over at Delphox. Pikachu noticed that she was acting very friendly with Zorua.
Charizard had been noticing that the closer Delphox and Zorua became, the more distant she was with him. Charizard feared that soon he would loose her, again.
"Pika Pikachu" Pikachu said as he tried to make Charizard feel better.
"Grauu" Charizard said sounding depressed.
"So what do we have planned for today?" Serena said sounding excited.
"It's a surprise" Ash said. Hearing Ash say that just made Serena more excited. After the group finished breakfast they made their way through the town. Ash knew that the train ride wouldn't begin for another few hours so he had to think of something to do in the mean time. Unfortunately it meant doing something that he would loath to no end.
"Wait Ash what are we doing until the train?" Red whispered to Ash.
"I'm sorry for this Red" Ash said.
"Sorry for what?". That is when Ash stopped the group in front of a clothing store.
"Here is our first stop" Ash said almost reluctantly. Serena's eyes lit up when she saw the store. In truth she couldn't remember the last time she went shopping for new cloths.
"Alright! This is going to be amazing! Serena said as he grabbed Ash by the arm and pulled him in.
"Shopping?" Clemont said unenthusiastically.
"Oh come on this will be fun!" Bonnie said as she grabbed her brother by the arm and pulled him in.
Korrina and Red both sweat dropped.
" So we have to go in?" Red said.
"Well Ash said it was something for Serena. I mean I don't think it's necessary for us to be here" Korrina said.
"Maybe, Ash will kill me if we leave though".
"Do you really want to stay here and watch Serena shop?" Korrina said. Red sweat dropped.
"He'll get over it" Red said as the two went off. Meanwhile inside the store Ash and Pikachu were sitting inside a changing room. Once again Serena made Ash stay with her in the changing area as she changed.
"Ok I'm done" Serena said. Ash opened his eyes and saw Serena in another outfit.
" SO what do you think?" Serena said.
"It looks great Serena, just like the other ones " Ash said. Serena had been trying on outfits for almost an hour as Ash watched.
"Alright I think I've tried enough on, which one should I pick?" Serena said. Ash really hadn't put any thought into it, but he feared having her go through them again.
" Uh, I think you should go with that one" Ash said pointing to a white and blue outfit.
"Alright I was hoping you'd pick that one" Serena said as she picked it up.
"Pika" Pikachu said with a relief berth, very happy they were done. As they walked out of the dressing rooms they saw Clemont sitting on a bench outside a changing room.
"Clemont where's Bonnie?" Ash said.
"She's still trying on cloths" Clemont said sweat dropping.
"Hey where's Red and Korrina?" Ash said noticing they weren't around.
"I don't know I thought they were with you" Clemont said.
"They just left?" Serena said sounding a little hurt. Ash felt a burst of rage run through him. He knew it was boring, but the least they could do was stick it out for Serena's birthday.
A few minutes later the 4 were at the front desk as Ash paid for Serena's new outfit and Clemont paid for Bonnie's. Just outside the store Red and Korrina slowly walked up towards the door.
"Ok we sneak in and act like we've been in there this entire time" Red said.
"Alright good idea" Korrina said. They were about to open the door when it was opened by someone else. Standing in front of them was none other than Ash.
" Oh Ash" Red said as he put his hand on the back of his head and sweat dropped with Korrina.
" You went off and did your own thing on Serena's birthday!" Ash said with an angry expression.
"Well we didn't think it would be that big of a deal" Korrina said sweat dropping. They could see the slightly hurt expression on Serena's face and started to feel bad.
"We're sorry Serena" Red said. Serena sighed.
"It's alright, I had a good time anyway" Serena said. Ash looked at his poketch and saw what time it was.
"Alright it's time for your party" Ash said.
"Really! Alright where is it!?" Serena said.
"You'll see" Ash said. Ash lead the group through the town and to the train terminal.
"The train station?" Serena said a bit confused.
"Just wait a little longer" Red said trying to reassure her. They approached a train car where a man in a black uniform stood guard.
"Tickets please" The man said as he saw Ash and the others approaching. Red took out the tickets and handed them to Ash who then handed them to the man.
"Very good, enjoy the ride" The man said as they walked onto the train. As soon as they stepped onto the train they could see how elegant the interior of the train was. It seemed to have an expensive and upperclass taste to it like battle chateau.
"Woah this place is so fancy" Serena said.
"I'm glad you like it because we get to spend the night here" Ash said.
"We do!".
"It's a tour ride that takes us around the area and shows off the natural beauties of this area. They also serve us a fine dinner that's complementary" Ash said.
Serena was almost overwhelmed, she was going to get to spend the night on a fancy train, see amazing sites and beauties, have an elegant dinner, and doing it all with her friends.
"This all sounds so amazing! Thank you so much Ash" Serena said before giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. Twenty minutes later the group each got settled in their own compartments.
Red and Korrina were in their room as Red set his pokeballs down.
"Having fun?" Red said unenthusiastically.
"No" Korrina said.
"I guess sitting on a train and seeing some sites isn't going to be as exciting as going out and being in the cites yourself. But Serena will certainly like this" Red said.
"I guess your right, I have to think of her more than myself. It is her birthday and we already abandoned her once" Korrina said. That was when they heard a loud whistle from outside.
"Attention the train will now be getting underway" The conductor said as he walked down the halls. A few minutes later the train was moving quickly through the Kalos countryside .
Serena and Ash were in one of the lounge cars sitting in a booth staring out the window at the environment below. They could also see pokemon like Durant, Lairon, Pupitar, and Geodudes in the grass and opens.
"It's so beautiful" Serena said. Ash felt a bit relieved that Serena was liking the train so far. In truth he was very lucky that he found the train ride when he did. There wasn't much in the town that he could take her that they hadn't already done the night before.
Red and Korrina walked into the lounge car and saw Serena resting her head against Ash's shoulder. They also noticed Clemont sitting at a table working on one of his inventions as Bonnie stared out a window.
The two sat down on a couch next to each other and sat there for a minute as Korrina rested her head against Red's shoulder.
"So now what?" Red said.
"I'm not sure?" Korrina said. That was when Red noticed Pikachu resting on a booth pillow next to Ash and Serena.
"Well we may be bored, but that doesn't mean our pokemon have to. Let's let them roam around" Red said as he took out his pokeballs and let each of his pokemon out.
"Why not?" Korrina said as she let her pokemon out. Ash and Serena saw what Red and Korrina had done.
"Huh, maybe we should let out own pokemon out" Ash said.
"Yeah except Tyrantrum and Aurorus" Serena said.
"Right" Ash said before he let out his other 4 pokemon. Serena did the same and 8 pokemon came out into the car.
"Clemont you should let your pokemon out to" Bonnie said.
"Why not" Clemont said as he let his other pokemon out. When Pikachu saw the other pokemon out he got up and leapt down onto the floor next to them.
"You guys have fun , but try to stay out of trouble" Serena said.
"Pikachu keep them out of trouble" Ash said.
"Pika" Pikachu said nodding. Pikachu and most of the other pokemon left the car they were in to go exploring.
"Ok now what?" Red said.
"I don't know, you wanna go back to the cabin and make out?" Korrina said.
"Sure" Red said as they got up and left the lounge cart. Clemont overheard what they had said and then turned over to Serena and Ash who were now kissing.
"Sigh", "I need to get a girlfriend". Elsewhere in another lounge cart Pikachu, Hawlucha, Ash's Lucario, Furfrou, Fletchinder, Gogoat, Spritzee , and Meinfoo were looking around for something to do.
"Go" Gogoat said as he looked around. He saw a middle aged man asleep on a couch with an eevee sleeping beside his feet, and a young woman sitting in a chair reading a book with a Fletchling on her shoulder.
" Go" Gogoat said sounding bored.
"Hawl!" Hawlucha said suggesting they have a battle.
"Go!" Gogoat said agreeing.
"Pika! Pikachu!" Pikachu said as he got in between them and protested, saying that they would wreck the cart and get their trainers into trouble.
The pokemon sighed in disappointment. That was when they heard something from behind them. The group turned around to see a Bulbasaur standing behind them with a look of excitement.
"Bulba Bulbasaur" The Bulbasaur said.
"PIka?" Pikachu said.
"Bulba Bulbasaur" Bulbasaur said. Apparently Bulbasaur and some of the other pokemon on the train had found a large empty car that they could battle in and was wondering if they wanted to join in.
"Hawl!".
"Go!".
"Grouu!". The others said in excitement. PIkachu wasn't sure about this, he was afraid of them getting into trouble. But at the same time he was very , very bored and wouldn't mind having a battle.
"Bulba" Bulbasaur pointed towards the door with his vine and lead them out of the car.
In another car Ash and Serena were getting some coffee from a small shop in the car.
"Vanilla or Kalos Roast?" The cashier said.
"Vanilla" Serena said as she placed a coin down on the counter. The man handed her a cup of coffee and Serena walked back over to to a table next to a window. As Serena and Ash looked down at the woods below it reminded them both more of when they first met.
"These woods look a lot like the ones back at Professor Oak's camp" Ash said.
"They do, you know the more I think about it the more ironic that whole camp was" Serena said.
"What do you mean?" Ash said.
"The thing was I didn't even want to go to that camp. When my mom told me that I'd be going to Kanto to spend a summer learning about pokemon with a man I never met I was scared. When I first got there I didn't have much fun , I was just scared and wasn't getting along with anyone".
"And the irony?" Ash said.
"The irony is that as much as I didn't want to go to that camp and as much as I didn't like it at first , the greatest thing to happen to me happened there. I met you" Serena said as she took his hand.
Both their faces turned slightly red.
"Well I always thought you had a fun time at the camp" Ash said.
"Don't get me wrong, after I met you I started to have a good time at the camp. In fact you were probably the first person to show me that pokemon weren't really scary. After that I was able to have lots of fun and learn a lot about pokemon".
"If I remember right you also became good friends with Leaf" Ash said. Serena remembered Leaf well. She was a girl around her age from Kanto that attended the camp with them. Leaf had already made friends with Ash at the camp and after Ash met Serena the two quickly became friends.
From what Serena remembered, Leaf had always been a close friend of Ash. When Serena first met Leaf she had been a little jealous of the two, thinking Ash might have liked Leaf as more than just a friend. But it didn't take Serena long to see they were just friends.
Leaf like Ash loved pokemon and loved learning about them. She had always been up the earliest to look for pokemon , and always been the first to ask questions about the pokemon.
Serena had always hoped that she could meet with Leaf again, though she hoped she could meet Ash again more.
Another 20 minutes passed as the two talked about their plans for their next challenges.
"So what pokemon will you be using in your next gym battle?" Serena said.
"Well probably Tyrantrum since he hasn't battled in a while. But if I can use more than one pokemon than probably Fletchinder. So what Pokemon are you using for your tournament?" Ash said.
"Delphox for sure, Furfrou, and Aurorus. Maybe Zorua, he has been training hard but we're going against people at much higher levels than we have faced before now that I'm a Marquises" Serena said.
"Well don't let that keep you from using him, if you're really concerned we could just add some more training for him"Ash started before he saw someone enter the car. Ash's eyes widened as saw it was a young woman around their age with long brown hair, brown eyes, and light skin; wearing a blue sleeveless shirt, a red skirt, a yellow handbag, and a white hat.
"No way" Ash said.
"What?" Serena said. She slowly turned to where Ash was looking and saw none other than Leaf.
"Leaf!?" Serena said. The young woman heard her name and turned to the other two. Leaf's eyes widened as she saw them.
"Ash, Serena is that you?" She said.
"Leaf!" Serena said as she rushed over and hugged her.
"Serena, it's so good to see you after all this time" Leaf said.
"Leaf what are you doing here in Kalos?" Ash said.
"I could ask you the same thing Ash" Leaf said.
"Well my mom got a job in the Kalos press and we had to move out here" Ash said.
"So that mean's Red's here too?" Leaf said.
"Yeah he's over in our cabin car with Korrina" Ash said.
"Korrina as in the gym leader?" Leaf said.
"Yeah, they're sort of dating " Serena said.
"What?" Leaf said.
"It's a long story" Ash said.
"So it looks like you two found each other again when you came here to Kalos. Still friends after all these years huh" Leaf said.
"Well" Serena said. That was when Leaf noticed Serena was holding Ash's hand.
"No, no, oh my god" Leaf said with an excited expression as she put her hands on her mouth.
"I knew it, I knew you two would end up together. Still I can't believe it actually happened I'm so happy for you two. So what have you two been up to lately" Leaf said.
"Well Red and I are competing in the Kalos league, we only need one more badge each" Ash said.
"I've been competing in the Battle Chateau, I made it to the rank of Marquiess" Serena said.
" How exciting, I hope you both make it" Leaf said.
"So what are you doing in Kalos?" Ash said.
"Well a few months ago professor Oak gave me my starter pokemon and asked me to help him fill up the pokedex. So I started traveling around Kanto and filling up the pokedex. After a month the professor suggested that I travel to other regions to fill up on pokemon not native to Kanto".
"So you've been around the world" Serena said.
"Yup I started in Hoenn which was a super awesome region. Then I went to Sinnoh. Which was ok I guess, but it was no Hoenn. Then I went to Unnova which just seemed like I was back in Kanto only not as good".
"There is only one Kanto" Ash said.
"So how are you liking Kalos so far?" Serena said.
"It's great here, a great turn around after Unnova. So what are you doing on this train?".
"Well it's Serena's birthday and we're celebrating" Ash said.
"Really!? Happy birthday Serena".
"Thanks, so why are you on this train?".
"I needed to head to Couriway town and this was the fastest way".
"So Leaf who did you choose as your starter pokemon?" Serena said.
"I picked a Bulbasaur, he's still a Bulbasaur and is had a lot of spunk in him" Leaf said.
Elsewhere in a large empty car the Bulbasaur lead Pikachu and the others into the center where several other pokemon had gathered.
"Bulba saur!" Bulbasaur said announcing the tournament would begin. A devious looking Weavile stepped forward and made a gesture towards Hawlucha.
"Hawl!" Hawlucha said as he stepped forward.
"Bulba Bulbasaur!" Bulbasaur said saying the match was about to begin. Hawlucha stood on one end of the cart with Weavile on the other. Pikachu and the others were standing behind him.
"Wea Vile!" Weavile shouted as he lunged forward with his claws glowing violet. Hawlucha waited until Weavile was close then dove forward and under his opponent's legs. As as a result, Weavile tripped over Hawlucha and smashed into the ground.
Hawlucha summersaulted forward and came up with an aggressive stance. Weavile got up and gave an angry expression as he formed a black ball of ghost energy in his hands before unleashing it at Hawlucha.
Once again Hawlucha waited until the attack was close then leapt up over Weavile, spinning as he did it. Bulbasaur and the other pokemon were amazed as they saw Hawlucha land behind Weafile and smack him into the ground with his wings.
"Grou!".
"Frou!" The other pokemon said cheering Hawlucha on. Weavile now looked furious as he brought his arms together and unleashed a pulse of dark energy all around him.
Hawlucha leapt up and into the air just above Weavile. Once he was high enough, Hawlucha fell straight down and onto Weavile. When the dust cleared Hawlucha was standing over an unconscious Weavile.
"Hawl!" Hawlucha roared in victory. Bulbasaur walked over and raised Hawlucha's right hand with his vine.
"Bulba saur!" He said declaring Hawlucha the winner.
Red's Gogoat ran forward to be the next pokemon to battle. A green Kecleon slowly moved forward and got into an aggressive stance.
"Bulba Bulbasaur" Bulbasaur said declaring the next match would now begin.
"Goat!" Gogoat shouted as he ran forward with his horns held down. Just before Gogoat could reach Kecleon the pokemon vanished with camouflage.
Gogoat made a harsh 180 degree turn and unleashed 3 seed bombs all around him. The resulting explosions knocked Kecleon off balance and allowed Gogoat to see where he was.
Gogoat sprinted forward and slashed Kecleon across the chest with leaf blade.
"Grou!".
"Hawl!". The others cheered rooting for Gogoat. Kecleon got up and ran at Gogoat aiming low with his claws and camouflageing himself. Just before Kecleon reached Gogoat, Gogoat unleashed a single seed bomb in front of him.
The explosion knocked Kecleon off balance and hurled him backwards. Gogoat lowered his horns and sprinted over to Kelceon before smashing his horns into Kelceon before he could get up.
Kecleon was hurled back across the cart and was knocked out.
Bulba saur!" Bulbasaur said as he went over and held his vine over Gogoat and declared him the winner.
Elsewhere in the train Ash and Serena were retailing their experiences with Leaf.
"So you guys both have dinosaur pokemon, you both have mega evolved your pokemon, and you've met 2 regional champions along with the world champion" Leaf said.
"Well when you put it like that I guess we have done a lot in the last year" Serena said.
"It sounds like you've lived an entire lifetime, let alone a year".
"So how long are you staying in Kalos?" Ash said.
"Well I still have plenty of pokemon to see so at least a few more weeks. So now that we're all caught up I was wondering if I could catch up with Red, he is here right?" Leaf said.
"Yeah I'm sure Red would love catching up with you" Ash said. The three got up and walked through the cars until they got to the lounge car where Clemont and Bonnie were still waiting.
Bonnie saw Ash and Serena walk in with Leaf and quickly got up.
"Hey Ash , Serena who's this!?" Bonnie said.
"Bonnie this is our old friend Leaf" Serena said.
"Bonnie Ash and Serena told me about you" Leaf said.
"Hello so nice to meet you Leaf" Bonnie said. Clemont heard this and turned over to them.
"Huh? What's going on?".
"Clemont this is Leaf our old friend from that camp at Pallet town".
"Well nice to meet you Leaf" Clemont said as he got up.
"Nice to meet you two" Leaf said.
"Do you think Bonnie will ask her?" Serena said to Ash through their aura connection.
"Probably" Ash said back.
"Wow ms. Leaf you're really pretty" Bonnie said as she got on one knee.
"Yup" Ash said.
"Will you please have my brother" Bonnie said.
"What?" Leaf said.
"Bonnie!" Clemont shouted as he grabbed her and ran out of the car.
"Please ignore her!".
"Was she being serious?".
"I've never been completely sure myself" Serena said.
"I think Red went back to his cabin" Ash said as he lead them to the door outside Red and Korrina's cabin.
Ash was about to knock when Leaf stopped him.
"Wait I want to surprise him" Leaf said. She opened the door and came in first.
"Hello Red!" Leaf said before she saw Red and another girl laying in one of the beds making out.
"Yahh!" Leaf said. Red and Korrina both jumped almost falling out of the bed .
"Gahh! What the hell are you doing!? Who the hell are you!?" Korrina shouted.
"I'm so sorry!" Leaf said.
"I think she just walked in on them" Korrina said.
"Wait a minute, Leaf?" Red said.
" You know this girl?" Korrina said.
"Yeah, she went to that summer camp with Ash and me" Red said.
"Red I'm sorry I just came in, I just wanted to surprise you" Leaf said.
"Well you accomplished that" Korrina said.
"Leaf what are you even doing here?" Red said.
"I was just traveling through Kalos and I came across Ash and Serena" Leaf said.
"Well this wasn't the way I hoped it would happen, but it's nice to see you again" Red said.
"So you must be Korrina, nice to meet you" Leaf said. Korrina sighed.
"Nice to meet you to" She said. Leaf and Red started to catch up as Korrina tried to get over what just happened.
Elsewhere in the empty cart Lucario was standing over an unconscious hitmonchan.
"Bulba saur!" Bulbasaur said raising Lucario's palm up with his vines.
"Bulba bulbasaur!" Bulbasaur said as he challenged anyone of the pokemon to a match.
"Frou!".
"Grou!" Lucario and Furfrou said egging Pikachu to take him on. Pikachu stepped up and sparked his cheeks.
"Pika!". Bulbasaur turned to him and smiled.
"Bulbasaur!". Bulbasaur stepped to one side of the room while Bulbasaur took the other side.
"Pika chu!".
"Bulba Saur!" Bulbasaur said as he unleashed a furry of razor leaves at Pikachu.
Pikachu smiled as he sped forward using his agility to evade each leaf.
"Saur!" Bulbasaur said as he whipped his vines around the the ground near Pikachu.
At the last moment Pikachu leapt up and above the vines using his speed to go clean over his opponent.
Bulbasaur quickly turned around 180 degrees and whipped the ground with his vines. Pikachu landed on his hands and pushed himself up just in time to avoid the vines.
"Saur!" Bulbasuar said as he unleashed a series of seeds towards Pikachu.
"Chu!" Pikachu said as he made a trio of copies that would took his place. The three copies were torn apart by the explosions.
Bulbasaur turned around and unleashed another 2 bombs at Pikachu who promptly made another 2 copies of himself. When the copies were destroyed Bulbasaur smiled until he heard something.
"Pika". Bulbasaur turned to see Pikachu standing elsewhere with a confident smile on his face. The other pokemon were very impressed with how agile Pikachu was. He had avoided everything Bulbasuar threw at him.
"Bulba saur!" Bulbasaur said as he unleashed a thick cloud of sleeping powder.
"Pika chu!" Pikachu said as he unleashed an electro ball right above him.
"Saur?" Bulbasaur said confused. As the sleep powder hit Pikachu the electroball flew back down and hit Pikachu. The resulting explosion burned away all of the powder.
"Saur!" Bulbasaur said in confusion.
"Pika chu!" Pikachu shouted as he sprinted forward and smashed his now metal tail into Bulbasaur's face hurling him back.
"chu!" Pikachu said as he blasted Bulbasaur with Thunderbolt.
"Saur!" Bulbasaur said as he lay on the ground with swirly eyes.
"Chu!" pikachu said.
" Grou!".
"Hawl!". Pikachu walked over to Bulbasaur and helped him get up.
"Chu" pikachu said.
"Saur". That was when the door to the car opened an a pair of employees walked in.
"What's going on here?" one of them said. The pokemon quickly scattered out of the car as the two employees looked around.
"Were they battling?".
"I don't think they caused any damage". Elsewhere back in the lounge car Ash and the others were sitting at a table.
"I can't believe all 4 of you have mega evolved pokemon, I have to see one" Leaf said.
"Well when Absol comes back I could show you" Serena said. That was when the door opened and several pokemon rushed in.
"Pika" .
"Pikachu" Ash said as he realized the pokemon were in the car.
"Pika!" Pikachu said as he ran over and climbed onto Ash's shoulder.
"So this is your Pikachu" Leaf said.
"This is my partner" Ash said. As the other pokemon came over Serena noticed a Bulbasaur walking towards Leaf.
" Is this your Bulbsaur?" Serena said.
"This is him" Leaf said as she held him up.
"Saur".
"Cool I've never seen a Bulbasur before" Serena said as she opened her opedex.
"Bulbasaur. It bears the seed of a plant on its back from birth. The seed slowly develops. Researchers are unsure whether to classify Bulbasaur as a plant or animal. Bulbasaur are extremely calm and very difficult to capture in the wild."
"What have you guys been up to?" Ash said.
"Pika" Pikachu and the other pokemon said sweat dropping. Later that evening the group was in the lounge car as Ash set down the cake.
"Happy birthday to you" The others finished.
"Alright make your wish!" Leaf said. Serena leaned forward and blew out the candles.
"What did you wish for?" Bonnie said.
"Bonnie she can't tell you, otherwise it won't come true" leaf said.
"I wished for Bonnie to stop proposing for you" Serena said.
"Why did you say that now it won't come true!" Clemont almost shouted. Serena and the others laughed a little.
"Alright let's divide this thing up" Red said as he let out his wrist blade and cut the cake into even pieces. After each of them had a piece Serena set a piece down for the pokemon to share.
Chespin tore his piece apart quickly and then hit the bottom of the plate in disappointment. He turned over and saw Hawlucha about to eat his. Chespin slowly inched closer to the piece until Hawlucha noticed him out of his peripheral vision.
Just before Chespin could get into reach Hawlucha whipped his right wing around and knocked back.
"Hawl!" Hawlucha said. Chespin got up with a disappointed look. That was when he noticed Charizard wasn't eating his piece, he was just staring at Zorua and Delphox who were sharing a piece together.
Chespin let out his vines and slowly moved them closer to the piece. This time he took it without so much as a reaction from Charizard.
Pikachu, Lucario, and Red's Charizard noticed this. Pikachu turned to Mightyena who was sharing her piece with Furfrou.
"Pika Pikachu" He said. Furfrou and Mightyena turned and saw how upset Charizard looked.
Pikachu was about to go and speak to Charizard when Lucario stopped him.
"Grou" Lucario said shaking his head. He told Pikachu that they had talked to Charizard enough and that it was time to talk with Delphox.
"Pika" Pikachu said nodding. Pikachu went over to Delphox as Furfrou followed him.
"Frou" Furfrou said as Delphox and Zorua turned to him and Pikachu.
"Furfrou" Furfrou said he wanted to talk with Zorua alone. Zorua sweat dropped but followed Furfrou.
"Pika Pikachu" Pikachu said to Delphox.
"Phox?".
"Pika Pikachu" Pikachu said that Charizard was starting to feel neglected and that he was concerned that she was loosing her feelings for him in place of Zorua and that she need to reassure him that it wasn't happening.
Delphox sweat dropped and gave a bit of an embarrassed look.
"Phox" She said quietly.
"Pika!" Pikachu almost shouted. Ash and the others heard this and turned over to him.
"Pikachu is everything alright?" Ash said.
"Pika" Pikachu said sweat dropping. He walked back over to the others with a concerned look.
"Pika Pikachu". The other pokemons' mouths dropped as they heard what Pikachu said. Apparently Delphox admitted to Pikachu that she was starting to like Zorua more than Charizard.
Pikachu wanted to tell Charizard but he was afraid of how hurt his big friend would feel. Not to mention how hurt Zorua would be when Charizard would be done with him.
After finishing the cake the group brought out presents for Serena.
"Open mine first!" Bonnie said. Serena reached for Bonnie's present first and opened it. Inside was a blue bow similar to the ones Serena liked to wear when she slept.
"It's lovely , thank you Bonnie" Serena said.
" Alright I think you'll like mine" Clemont said. Serena opened Clemont's gift and saw a hairbrush.
"I wanted to make you an automated one, but it blew up so I just bought you one" Clemont said sweat dropping.
"Thank you Clemont".
"By the way what did you get Serena?" Red whispered to Korrina.
"Oh I got her a" Korrina said before realizing she completely forgot to get Serena something.
"Oh no!" Korrina said as her face turned red. Red sighed before handing his box to Serena.
"It's from Korrina and I" Red said. Serena opened it and saw a maroon colored handbag. This handbag seemed much better crafted and designed than the one she had.
"It's awesome thank you guys" Serena said.
"Oh it was nothing" Red said.
"Reallly" Korrina said feeling bad she forgot to get Serena a gift.
" I wish I knew I was running into you I would have gotten you something" Leaf said.
"It's alright Leaf" Serena said.
"Alright now for mine" Ash said.
"Ash you already got me that outfit, this awesome train ride, what else could there be" Serena said.
"Something very special" Ash said. Serena opened the box and saw a small blue ribbon inside.
It took Serena less than moment to realize what the ribbon was.
"You saved it after all these years" Serena said touched.
"It was precious to me" Ash said. Red and Leaf soon recognized the ribbon.
"Hey that's the ribbon you and Ash won when you beat me and Gary" Leaf said.
"I gave it to Ash as something to remember me by, Ash I can't take this from you" Serena said.
"Then let's share it, we both won it" Ash said. Serena turned back to Ash and gave him a kiss.
Clemont walked over to Korrina and stood beside her.
"That handbag was just from Red wasn't it". Korrina sighed.
"Yes" Korrina felt like she had been bad friend to Serena. First she abandoned her at the store, now she had completely forgotten her gift. She wished there was something she could do for her.
That was when she remembered how frighted Serena had been after her kidnapping. That was something she could give Serena peace of mind.
An hour later the group had each gone back to their own compartments. Ash was relieved that Serena had agreed to let him take a shower alone. Serena was sitting alone in their compartment slightly scared.
When she heard the door open she jumped.
"Who's there!" she said before seeing it was Korrina.
"Oh sorry Korrina" Serena said.
"Serena I've noticed that you have been a bit jumpy after what happened with team Flare and I think I have a way to help you" Korrina said.
"How?".
"I want to teach you self defense".
"You want to teach me how to fight?" Serena said.
"I won't be able to get you to the same level as me, Ash, or Red. But I can teach you the basics of aura guardian hand to hand combat. That will allow you to protect yourself from people like team Flare grunts" Korrina said.
Serena had never thought of learning hand to hand combat before. But after thinking about it for a minute Serena thought it might help her get peace of mind.
"Alright I'll do it" Serena said.
"Excellent, we'll start tomorrow after we get off the train" Korrina said before walking out of the cabin. Just as Korrina walked out Ash came out of the bathroom drying his head with a towel.
"I heard Korrina, was she in here?" .
"Yeah she offered to teach me self defense" Serena said.
"Really, that sounds great. I think that's a great idea" Ash said.
"Me too" Serena said. Serena got up and walked over to Ash.
"Ash thank you for everything you did for me today, this was an awesome birthday" Serena said.
"It was nothing you didn't do for me and Red" Ash said. Both blushed a little.
"I love you" She said before kissing him. When Serena withdrew Ash heard Pikachu yawn as he stretched and laid down on the foot of the bed.
"Well we should get to bed" Ash said.
"Sounds good".
Author's note;
Hello and yes Leaf is in this story, I couldn't resist.
I'm sorry to say she will not be traveling with the group but they have plenty in the group already. Hell I never intended for Korrina to stay around after the final test, I forgot to have her leave and just went with it. Leaf will make a few more appearances in the story like Gary or Shauna.
Now next week I have final exams so I will need to study a lot. Luckily after that I have a month of no classes so I'll get a lot done.
So until next time please review, comment, suggest, or ask