Chapter 8

A Race for Home

It was nearly upon us. Coumarine City was just on the opposite end of Azure Bay. Only a few hours away as the Murkrow flies. The only thing that stood between us was the famous Baa de Mer Ranch. Feeling the need to play tourist, we decided to pay a brief visit.

As we approached the border of the ranch, we noticed a series of Pokémon more abundant than the rest. They were mostly green and earth brown, with hooves and horns.

"Skiddo!" Cocoa cried joyfully.

"Uh… gesundheit?" Brock replied.

"No, she was talking about the Pokémon," Dexter stated as an image appeared on his screen.

Skiddo
The Mount Pokémon
A Grass-type
Because of Skiddo's mild temperament, they're thought to be one of the first Pokémon to live in harmony with humans.

Serena pulled out her guidebook. "It says here that this ranch is famous for its delicious dairy products made from Skiddo milk."

"Dairy?" Bonnie asked.

Misty placed a hand on her shoulder. "You know, like cheese, butter, ice cream, and delectable holiday eggnog."

"All this talk of dairy is giving me a craving," Cocoa stated. "Why don't we try it out while we're here?"

"Seconded!" I stated.

We quickly made our way inside and found the shop in almost no time. Fortunately, there was no line, so we could take our time deciding what we wanted.

Ash was the first to step up to order. The woman behind the counter turned around to face her customer. "Can I get two scoops of-!" He literally jumped as he saw the clerk's face. "MOM?!"

Much to everyone's surprise, especially Ash's, the woman working behind the counter was in fact Delia Ketchum, Ash's mother. "Hi, sweetheart! How're you doing?"

A moment of recomposure later, Delia had closed the shop temporarily to meet us all. "It's nice to finally meet you all. I'm Delia, Ash's mother. Thank you for looking after my son."

"Kinda the other way around, actually," I commented. "Ash has taught me so much about Pokemon battling, and he's gotten us out of a few hairy situations."

"Anyway, Mom," Ash began, "what are you doing all the way out here? Did Professor Oak invite you on one of his research expeditions again?"

"Not this time," she explained. "After you contacted Grace, she told me about how you and Serena ran into each other, and we felt inspired to reunite ourselves."

"Oh?" Serena cut in. "So, is my mom here, too?"

"Last I saw, she was at the corral." She then guided us to a nearby corral filled with humans and Skiddo. Most of the humans in the pen were children, riding on their backs.

"Wow!" Bonnie chimed in. "They let you ride Skiddo, too?"

"Sure do!" said a voice from behind. We quickly turned around to see another familiar face coming our way. "In fact, many famous Rhyhorn racers started off practicing on Skiddo. This is commonly considered the first step."

"Mom!" Serena swiftly stepped over and grabbed her mother in a hug.

"It's been a while, Serena. I hope you've been doing well."

"I have, but I'm kinda wondering what the two of you are doing on this side of Kalos?"

"I was invited here as a special coach for the Rhyhorn Racer Training Camp. This event is meant for beginners, so we use Skiddo instead. Rhyhorn can be a little too strong and rough for the younger ones."

"As for me," Mrs. Ketchum cut in, "The person who actually works that stall called in sick, and the manager is another old friend of mine. So she asked if I wouldn't mind working the stall until the next clerk came in to relieve me."

Ash looked to the herd and the children riding on them. "I wish I had known that for my first Rhyhorn race..."

"I wanted to warn you," Serena explained, "but you just had to be a part of the expedition race."

"In all fairness, I excelled at that race because of your guidance," Ash replied in a form of humility.

His childhood friend's then looked a little flustered. "Well, it's really because you were a fast learner."

"Well, if you already rode a Rhyhorn, I guess there's no need for your training," Grace commented. "But if you wanted to ride for the fun of it..." we all politely accepted her offer.

*Serena's POV*

For a little while, everyone had a fun afternoon riding Skiddo, especially Bonnie. She handed her pouch to me, so that she would not drop Squishy and Dedenne from up there. As my mom helped Bonnie up, she told her what she needed to do. "Now, make sure you don't speak too loudly. Skiddo get scared really easily..."

"Okay..." she gently nudged forward and spoke softly to Skiddo. "I'd really like for us to be friends, so do you want to go for a walk together?" Skiddo cheerfully bellowed at Bonnie as they began their walk.

While mine was not nearly like Bonnie's, her ride reminded me of my first ride. I was scared half to death. As such, Skiddo would not move at all.

"Look at that! You're a natural!" Mom smiled. "You'd make a great Rhyhorn Racer someday!"

Bonnie smiled. "Thanks, Mrs. Paschall"

By about noon that day, the other coaches had declared lunch. "We'll all have some lunch, and pick it up again in about an hour," they told us before we and the others dispersed.

'You really become a student here, huh?' Squishy asked, 'And you've only been here for less than an hour!'

Bonnie smiled. "Yup! Maybe I should be a Rhyhorn Racer when I grow up!"

"She's certainly got what it takes," Mom added, "You'll get the hang of it in no time."

Mom and Mrs. Ketchum invited us all to the inn where they were currently staying for a little lunch. As they were setting the table, I had pulled in Mom's soup from the stove. As I removed the lid, Squishy caught a whiff of the aroma. 'Mmmm-mm! Wow, this stuff smells amazing!'

"My mother makes the best soup in the world!" I told him.

"Honestly, Serena's never been much of a cook," Mom told the others. "Is that a bother?"

"Not at all," Clemont replied. "She's a big help. Serena's always helping me out with cooking, if not Brock recently."

"And her desserts are to die for," Brianna added.

"She also puts pretty flowers on the tablecloth for us!" Bonnie chimed in.

Mom looked over at me. "Sounds to me like you've been quite the helping hand."

"I guess," I replied. "I just try to make our mealtimes a little more fun."

"That's quite the turnaround. Before you left for your journey, all you ever did was sleep in, and skip out on your Rhyhorn training. You never completed anything you started. Sounds to me like my little girl has grown up a lot."

My face turned red. "Did you have to say that?"

And with that, it was time to eat. We all released our Pokémon from their Balls to feed them. Then the rest of us came to the table, and Mom served the soup and sandwiches. I kept hearing one compliment after another regarding the food or the hospitality my mother was serving to my friends.

About midway through lunch, Mom had an idea. "So Serena, I've been thinking… Maybe after lunch, we could do another session of Rhyhorn training. I know you have to do your Pokémon Training as well, but you need to prepare for your future as a Rhyhorn Racer."

Brianna perked up. "Oh?" she began. "Didn't you tell her about-!" But before she could finish, I quickly clamped my hands over her mouth. "Mmph! Pherenuh! Whut're yuh doung?! Unhund muh faith!"

I giggled nervously. "I haven't been on my journey long, so I haven't given it much thought." That seemed to be enough to get her off my case… for the time being.

*Brianna's POV*

But now, she had someone else on it. After lunch, we realized we needed to head back to the ranch. I slyly snatched Serena's hat and hid it behind my back. "Oh! Serena, it looks like you forgot your hat. Let me help you find it." I then took Serena's hand and pulled her with me back into the inn. Inside, I handed her hat back and stared at her. "Do I even have to ask?"

She sighed as she put it back on. "I guess I'm just not ready yet. I can't tell my mom I want to be a Pokemon Performer yet. With almost no practice in, I don't want to look awful in front of her."

I breathed a silent sigh. "Well, I can certainly respect that… but I think you're running out of time. Either you'll miss your chance, or she'll figure it out herself. Heck, after what happened back there, she may already know."

She smiled. "I know. Like she said earlier, I was never one to finish what I started, but that was before I found my dream. I just want to prove to her that I can do this first."

I chuckled. "You sound a little like Ash right now. Very well, I won't say anything yet… if only because you should."

Serena decided to stay a little longer to practice with Fennekin and Pancham, so they slunk out the back door. Meanwhile, I made my way out the front to catch up with the others. However, I opened the front door to see a certain mother just inches from the opening. I screamed a little as I saw her. "Gah! Mrs. Paschall… I was just, uh… How long have you been standing out here?"

"Long enough," she replied. "Come with me. Let's go for a little walk and discuss my daughter's future..."

I gulped. "I have a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach..."

*Serena's POV*

After a short walk, we made it back to the ranch. I joined the other shortly, but there was no sign of Brianna. Cocoa was just about to ask about her when it happened… Out of nowhere, a cargo van zipped past and nearly ran us over. As it passed, Ash quickly recognized the drivers. "Team Rocket!"

Then one of the ranch keepers ran up behind it. "Stop! Thieves!" he windedly stopped in front of us. "Those crooks raided our pantry! They took everything!"

"Everyone! Grab a Skiddo and get after them!" Ash stated. Cocoa hopped on behind Ash, and everyone took off after the truck.

All except for me… "Those Skiddo aren't fast enough..." I glanced around and saw a Rhyhorn resting. Rhyhorn are significantly faster than Skidoo, so I had to wake it up. "Sorry, Rhyhorn, but I need your help. You're the only one who can catch that truck." Rhyhorn growled in agreement, and I clambered on.

Sit up straight…

Eyes forward…

And be one with Rhyhorn… and off we went.

Fortunately, the truck was not too far off. It was fast, but I was catching up, passing all of my friends. As I got close enough… "Rhyhorn! Use Horn Drill on the tires!" Rhyhorn's body became surrounded by light blue, spiraling streaks of energy. It then charged at the tires and stabbed them with its horn, bursting them open. The truck lost control and crashed into a nearby tree. Meanwhile, I slowed to a halt near the cab. "Okay, you three, give up now, and spare yourselves a beating!"

"Prepare for trouble; don't boss us around!" Jessie began as they clambered out of the truck.
"And make it double! We rule, pound-for-pound!" James added.
"To protect the world from devastation!"
"To embrace the virtues of milk and cheese!"
"And we'd never forget about yogurt! Puh-leeze!"
"To extend our reach to the stars above!"
"Jessie!"
"And James!"
"Team Rocket blasts off with a truck full of treats!"
"Surrender now, while we have your good eats!"
"Meowth! That's neat!"
"Wobbuffet!"

Ash and Cocoa pulled up next to me. "Don't those fruitcakes have anything better to do?!" growled the former.

"We're not fruitcakes!" Jessie rebutted, "Still, the answer is no."

"Inkay, let's go!" James stated and released his partner.

"You too, Pumpkaboo!" James added.

"Pikachu, use Quick Attack!" Ash called, and his partner slammed his head into Inkay's head.

Though that did not seem to phase them. "Psybeam, now!" The same Pokemon fired a beam at Pikachu, who was barely able to dodge.

That was when I called out my Fennekin. "Flamethrower, quick!" She breathed a stream of fire at Pumpkaboo who fell onto the hood of the truck.

"You're such a brat! Shadow Ball, stat!" Jessie's partner fired one at Fennekin. She got hit, but she was still standing.

At this point, the rest of our crew had caught up with us, including my mother and Brianna. Delia informed them of what was going on, and they all came to the rescue. "Flamethrower, once more!" Fennekin launched another attack, striking Pumpkaboo and Inkay, in that order.

I could tell Mom was impressed. "Serena..."

Brianna caught up to Ash. "Shall we?"

"Let's..." he nodded

The two of them spoke up together. "Cocoa/Pikachu! Double Thunderbolt!" The two Pokemon fired off their Electric-type attack in sync, and the resulting explosion sent Team Rocket flying once again.

"WE'RE BLASTING OFF HUNGRY…!" we heard them scream.

As the caretakers from the ranch began retrieving their stolen merchandise, Ash's Mother turned his attention to me. "Great work, Serena. You were amazing with that Rhyhorn."

"Oh, well, I guess so," I giggled.

Then mom stepped in. "I know so. I can see that you truly do have what it takes..."

"What do you mean?" Bonnie asked.

"I mean to be a professional Rhyhorn Racer," she replied, "I want you to come back home with me, and start training again."

The statement shocked us all. I knew this would mean I would not be able to travel with my friends anymore, or begin my newfound dream of being a Performer. It was now or never, but before I could...

"Hold on!" Ash interjected. "Mrs. Paschall, there's something about her you don't know. She-!"

"-wants to be a Performer instead," Mom finished his sentence , making us jump. "I heard her and Brianna talking earlier."

"You were eavesdropping?" Ash's mother stated. "Why don't you just read her diary while you're at it?!"

"This is a family matter, Delia. Stay out of it," Mom replied, and turned back to me. "And you, as soon as you think it's getting too hard, you'll simply give up."

"Look, Mom," I began, "I know you want me to be a Rhyhorn Racer, like you, but as good as I am, it's not for me. I can't have someone else telling me what I should be… not even you."

Mom stared for a moment. Then she smirked in a rather devious way. "I know how to settle this… let's have a Rhyhorn race, you and me. Win, and I'll give you my blessing. When you lose, you will come straight home." She held her arm out to me.

"I will not lose," I told her as I shook it.

"That's crazy!" Brock stated. "You're a Champion of the sport after all!"

"He's right..." Mom stated. "In that case, we'll race with Skiddo instead."

*30 MINUTES LATER...*

Everything was all set. My mother and I have selected our Skiddo, and our friends have finished planting markers and cameras for the race course. A volunteer from the ranch spoke into the microphone as the bleachers filled up. "Well, here we are, ladies and gentlemen at the Ba de Mer Ranch! It's a lovely early evening for the sensational battle of speed and stamina! There's a huge crowd out here today; everybody's in a gala holiday mood!"

"Programs! Programs! You can't tell a racer from a rider without a program!"

"And now, coming out on the course, Grace Paschall of Vaniville Town!" The announcer began as my mother rode out to the starting line. "The Graceful Ace, they call her. Never lost a single race in her career. The keenest eye, the steadiest hand, the fastest reflex (not to mention the best penmanship) of any Rhyhorn racer in Kalos."

I took a deep breath… "Okay… here we go..." And I began to take my place next to her.

"And here we have the challenger, Grace's daughter and potential successor, Serena. Compared to Rhyhorn, Skiddo do much better with a lighter rider, which favors the challenger. But anything can happen this evening, and probably will."

As I took my place next to her, Ash stepped out in front of us. "Okay, ladies. This competition will test your speed, balance, and reflex. The winner will be whoever makes it through the forest and brings back the one of the two flags I planted atop the incredibly dangerous, but inaccurately named, Mount will be no shoving, no Pokemon moves, no intentional stops, no road-hogging, and no flag-stealing. Are you ready?"

"I was born ready!" I replied.

"I was ready before I was born!" Mom added.

"Any moment now," the announcer continued. "Battle stations, visors down, target set... The betting is four-to-one in Grace's favor, but anything can happen today… The audience is on their toes…"

One of the referees threw a green flag down and blew a whistle at the same time, and Mom and I took off, the race was on.

"And there they go! The Champion is pulling ahead, but here comes Serena on the inside of the first turn! Both girls are moving at a furious pace; it's going to be gastly! Serena is on the rail, and here comes Grace! They're coming up on the edge of the forest!"

Suddenly, a wild Pachirisu popped out from some tall grass, chasing a Berry it dropped. The sudden event startled my Skiddo and it harshly skidded to a halt, causing me to fall off overhead.

"But what's this?!" the announcer stated. "Something's gone wrong! Serena's grounded! And there goes the Graceful Ace, taking advantage of this mishap! It already looks like the beginning of the end, folks, with Grace the winner and still Champion!"

I was a little sore, both physically and emotionally, as I watched my mother take the lead. 'Not yet… I'm not giving up until the end!' I thought to myself. With determination, I quickly got back on and continued the race. By the time I got to my flag at the top, Mom was way, way ahead. Winning the race now seemed impossible, but I did not care. 'I wasn't thinking about the future at all when I started my journey… I simply left because I didn't want to be a Rhyhorn racer like Mom said I should. But then, I met my friends: Ash, Pikachu, Bonnie, Clemont, Brianna, Cocoa, Fennekin, Pancham… through all of them, I realized so much about me I didn't know about before… and after everything I've been through together, I finally have a dream! I finally found what it is that I want to do! And I'm NOT GIVING UP!'

At that instant, my Skiddo began to glow brightly…

*Brianna's POV*

The rest of us saw everything, especially the blue light surrounding Serena. We all knew what that meant. After it settled, Serena's ride was shown to be different. It was at least twice as large, with even longer horns, its fur was thicker, and its colors more broad.

"Would you look at that!" the announcer declared excitedly. "Serena's Skiddo just evolved! The tables have now turned in her favor!" As he spoke, Dexter showed us his entry in the Pokédex.

Gogoat
Skiddo's evolved form
Gogoat is able to sense its Trainer's feelings through the grip on its horns. This allows both Trainer and Pokémon to move together as one.

In a matter of seconds, the two girls emerged from the forest, Serena catching up to Grace rapidly. It was going to be close…

I looked at my Pokedex friend. "Dexter! I think we need an overhead photo finish!"

"I'm on it!" Dexter hovered over the finish gate and readied his camera. As the two girls rounded the final turn, I could see that Grace was looking back at her daughter… and smiling. As they crossed the finish line, Dexter took multiple pictures. Good thing too; they seemed to cross side by side.

"A photo finish!" the announcer stated. "Let us turn to the judges…whose word is law."

Dexter showed the judges the photos he took, and zoomed in for further analysis. "The winner..." one of them stated, "...and still undefeated champion… Grace by a literal nose!"

"No..." Ash breathed out of sorrow.

Serena unmounted her Gogoat and stroked its muzzle. "Thank you, Gogoat. You did your best." She then turned to her mother, who subtly gestured for her to follow her, to which she complied.

Ash stepped up to intercept. "Mrs. Paschall, wait!"

But I stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. "It'll be okay, Ash… trust me..."

*Serena's POV*

After a short walk back to the inn, she asked me to wait by the front door, while she grabbed something from within. While she was gone, I released a large puff of air. I had lost the race, just barely… and yet, I was rather pleased with myself. 'I did everything I could, and this was the result… but I'm okay…'

A few minutes later, Mom came back. For a moment, she stared at me. And then she smiled. "Ta-dah!" She suddenly revealed a dress she was hiding behind her back. It was a white and pink dress with a red ribbon on the chest area, a black and red mini-skirt.

I was shocked, but I still smiled as I accepted this surprising gift. "Oh, Mom! It's beautiful!"

"You never like any of the clothes I pick for you," she explained, "so I asked your friend for help."

"Brianna..." I had to thank her later.

"And Serena… good luck in the Showcase. I'll be waiting to hear that you became the new Top Idol!"

That was oddly what surprised me the most. "But… you said if I lost-!"

"I know what I said," she cut in. "It was a test. I wanted to see how committed you were to your dream." She glanced back to the ranch. "Skiddo and Gogoat can sense a Trainer's feelings. That's why we raced with them - so that I could sense your feelings through them. And seeing how your Skiddo evolved through your commitment alone, that was good enough for me."

"Oh, Mom…" I embraced her for a long moment of silence before speaking up again. "Thank you so much! I promise, I won't let you down. I'll never give up again!" By finishing this race, I was starting a new one to my dream. There and then, I decided to do something rather… symbolic.

*Serena's POV*

While she was doing that, I had explained everything to Ash and the others. Ash, it seemed, was the most relieved, which had me wondering…

The next morning, we had all packed up the room the two mothers were living in. As we finished the final load up, we noticed Grace standing by the hallway to their rooms. "Hey, Mrs. Paschall, have you seen your daughter this morning?" I asked her.

"Ladies and gentlemen," she began, "please welcome the new Serena Paschall!" She stepped aside…

...and our friend came in. "Ta-dah!" She looked like a completely different person. She now wore a light pink dress over her tank-top and a long red vest with large pockets over that. She also wore a pink-red fedora and brown boots in place of her old hat and shoes.

But the biggest change in her appearance was… "Your hair!" Brock stated after a collection of shocked reactions.

"What in the world did you do?!" Clemont asked.

"You decreased it's average length by 65%!" Dexter snagged a photo. "Updating profile!"

"Time for a change," Serena commented as she gave it a flick with her wrist. "I think it looks kinda cute."

"That makes two of us," Ash stated.

"Aw, thank you, Ash."

He then glanced down at her new outfit. "That outfit, though… I'm not one for women's fashion, but I think it's missing… something."

She glanced down. "I agree, but I'll figure it out later. For now, I think it's time we got back on the road. Off to Coumarine City."

"Coumarine City, eh?" Delia asked.

I nodded my head. "We're hoping we can find one of the Pure Hearts from the Gym Leader there."

"You know, I heard they're going to have a Pokemon Showcase over there. Part of some sort of festival." Delia turned to Serena. "That would be a convenient debut as a Performer."

"That's not a bad idea," Serena smiled. "I've still got some practice to do before I'm really ready, but I think I'll do it."

"Hey, do you mind if we tag along?" Grace asked. "The festival in Coumarine City is something we've always wanted to check out."

"Sure, why not." Ash said with a smile. "It'll give us some more time to spend with family."

Serena finally gained the courage to share her feelings with her mother, and in turn… well, I guess you could say that the Skiddo was not the only one to have evolved that day. Now, not only is Coumarine the site of our next Gym battles, a Pokemon Showcase awaits Serena there as well. Three birds with one stone. But will all three of us emerge triumphant? Will Ramos actually hold one of the Pure Hearts I need for my quest? And what about this festival Ash's mother mentioned? All of this and more, as the journey continues...