Serena and Bonnie took a deep breath.
After being cooped up in an airplane for over eight hours - Serena sometimes hated just how secluded Kalos was from the other regions - both girls were more than happy to be anywhere except that cramped airplane cabin. Almost immediately, Serena picked up on the strong scent of sea salt in the air as she took in her surroundings.
Olivine City was larger than expected, even for a port city. It was no Lumiose, to be fair, but it was impressive nonetheless. The entire city was awash with various shades of silver and gray, undoubtedly in reference to the city's gym and its reputation for Steel-type Pokemon. That wasn't to say it was devoid of any green; there were small outcroppings of carefully manicured garden plots or tree clusters that helped break up the monotony of the sprawling silver metropolis.
As they exited the airport, Serena glanced down at her traveling companion. She was so glad to be traveling with Bonnie again, and this time she'd be able to see how her surrogate sister was as a trainer. Had she taken after Ash, or perhaps she took after Serena herself?
"Are you ready for this, Serena?" Bonnie asked, her voice laced with hope and determination. "We're going to explore a whole new region with Ash again! It'll be just like old times!"
"Denne!" Dedenne cried out, clearly just as excited about his trainer for the road ahead.
Serena smiled and nodded, her eyes glimmering with vigor. "You bet!"
"So where are we supposed to go?" Bonnie asked, tilting her head slightly with curiosity.
Serena pulled out her Holo Caster and began scrolling through lines upon lines of holographic text. "It says here we're supposed to meet our contact with the PMA here at the airport. Ash is supposed to meet us at the docks, and then we'll board a ship for Orre."
"Alright then." Bonnie said, now scanning over the crowds funnelling in and out of the airport entrance. "Any idea who this PMA person is?"
Serena lowered her Holo Caster for a moment to join the young blonde in scanning over the crowd. There had to be at least a few dozen people within viewing distance at any given time, and Palermo's e-mail had only given a name to go off of. She'd mentioned nothing about what this person looked like.
A voice chuckled from behind them. "I think that would be me."
Serena and Bonnie both wheeled around to view the stranger that had approached them. He was a tall man, probably about six feet tall, of a relatively muscled build and probably in his early 20's. His brown hair was spiky but not overbearingly so, styled just enough to add character but not to overwhelm the rest of his features. His thin eyes betrayed his otherwise intimidating physique, instead hinting at the man's gentle nature. Serena could tell that he probably had some Kantonian heritage somewhere in his ancestry, given his tanned complexion. She recalled Ash himself was tanned, but this gentleman was even more so.
He wore a pale green and black short-sleeved vest, under which was an orange shirt. The rest of his attire was relatively unremarkable, consisting of a simple pair of grey cargo pants - complete with a plethora of deep pockets - and a pair of green and brown shoes. On his back was a blue backpack that looked filled to the brim with supplies. Emblazoned on the sides and back of his pack - as well as on his vest chest pocket, actually - was a logo that looked like a red plus sign in front of a greyed Pokeball insignia. Serena knew this particular emblem was representative of the Pokemon Medical Association, or PMA.
"I take it you two are Serena and Bonnie?" The man asked with a gentle, yet inquisitive, smile.
"That's us!" Bonnie exclaimed. "I'm Bonnie and this is Dedenne!"
"Denne!" The antenna pokemon cried out in greeting.
"I'm Serena." The performer stated with a smile. "It's nice to meet you, Mister…?"
He gave a quick laugh. "Right! Where are my manners? I'm Brock, nice to meet you both."
"It's nice to meet you, Doctor Brock!" Bonnie said with a smile and a quick bow.
"Please, just Brock is fine." He replied, quick to wave off the auspicious title.
Serena found that odd. Most medical professionals - even Nurse Joys, now that she thought about it - preferred to be called by their official titles, too. She couldn't exactly blame them, given the kind of schooling they had to go through. Years of it, she heard. She certainly didn't enjoy school as a child, so the thought of having to go through more of it as an adult was not the most exciting prospect. Yet Brock seemed to want to be called just by his name. It was refreshing, honestly, albeit a little odd.
Wait. Why was that name so familiar?
"Oh!" Serena practically shouted as realization dawned on her. "You're Ash's friend, aren't you?!"
Brock smiled. "That I am! I've traveled with Ash through four regions, so we've definitely known each other for a while. I take it that makes you the Serena?"
Serena went wide-eyed and she felt a slight bit of blush creep onto her face. How had Brock heard about her? The way he emphasized 'the' as if he'd heard story after story about her was simultaneously intriguing and embarrassing. Somehow she didn't think it was due to her fame as a performer and coordinator. The way he'd asked that suggested something else entirely.
Bonnie, meanwhile, was grinning maliciously.
Typical.
"Uhh, I guess?" Serena said bashfully, rubbing the back of her neck nervously. "What do you mean?"
"Mind if we walk and talk?" Brock asked, gesturing vaguely towards the harbor off in the distance. The girls both nodded and the trio - plus Dedenne - started making their way towards the port. "I've kept in touch with Ash through the years. He's mentioned you on more than a few occasions, so it's nice to meet you in person."
"O-oh!" Serena stammered. "He talks about me?"
Brock raised an eyebrow and glanced down at Bonnie before looking back at Serena. "Oh yeah, he's always going on about his performer friend from Kalos and how far she's come since he met her all those years ago."
Serena felt her heart flutter while she silently cursed herself. This boy - no, this man - had a way of throwing her emotions out of whack even when he wasn't around! It wasn't fair!
She cleared her throat, forcibly pushing her blush down. Noticing Brock and Bonnie's amused gaze on her, she decided to change the subject. "Ash told us a lot about you, too, but not everything. How did you two meet?"
Brock was all too happy to tell his side of the story. Over the next half hour or so, while the trainers made their way down to the harbor, Brock regaled them story after story about his travels with Ash. How he and the raven-haired boy had met during Brock's tenure as the Pewter City gym leader in Kanto, and how his battle with Ash and Pikachu led to a lasting friendship. He told them about his travels with Ash and Misty in Kanto and Johto, then with Ash and May in Hoenn, and finally topping it all off with his journey in Sinnoh with Ash and Dawn.
As it turned out, Ash was not the only well-connected individual.
By the time they reached the docks, Serena and Bonnie had already made good friends with the Pokemon doctor. It helped that they were mutual friends of Ash, and that they knew something of each other via the Champion in question, but Serena was already looking forward to traveling with Brock. She could very easily see why Ash looked at the Pokemon doctor like an older brother.
Brock looked down at his watch before scanning over the harbor. Finally, he seemed to spot something, outstretching an arm and pointing. "I think that's our ship. The S.S. Tidal. I wonder if Mr. Briney still captains it..."
Serena followed Brock's pointed finger and saw the ship in question. While it was dwarfed by some of the larger cruise vessels also docked in Olivine, it was by no means a small ship. It was a moderately sized vessel, and could probably hold about 30 people on its deck alone. A single Wingull flew circles around the ship, every so often calling down to a figure standing outside what must have been the helm. As the trio made their way closer, Serena could tell that the figure in question was an elderly gentleman, who despite his aging figure and greyed hair still looked full of life and energy, if his interactions with the Wingull were anything to go off of.
"Mister Briney!" Brock called out once they were close enough, waving his hand in greeting.
The man on board turned to look and squinted his eyes. After a few moments they snapped open in recognition. "Brock, my boy! It's been ages! How are you?"
Brock chuckled as the trio finally came up alongside the boat. "I'm doing just great, sir. I didn't know you sailed out this way; I figured you'd stay over in Hoenn."
Mr. Briney waved a hand dismissively. "Oh not at all, my boy. I'm a sailor at heart. I go where the winds and the seas take me!"
Serena smiled at the elder's exuberance. She could only hope she'd be so memorable and forthcoming with her goals when she reached that age.
"That, and the League's paying me quite well for this trip!" Briney declared without shame.
The trio sweatdropped at the abrupt confession. The man did have to make a living, after all.
"Well, it looks like we're your passengers then!" Brock said with a smile. He turned towards the girls with him. "This is Serena and Bonnie. They'll be joining us as well."
"Nice to meet you!" Both girls greeted in unison, each giving a friendly wave.
"Dene-ne!" Dedenne shouted in greeting.
"Likewise!" Briney said, his smile beaming. He gestured above him to the Wingull that was now landing on his shoulder. "This here is Peeko!"
"Gull!" The Seagull Pokemon squawked out in greeting.
"Are we all ready to go, then?" Briney asked, placing his hands on his hips.
"Not quite, sir." Serena said as she and the others boarded the vessel. "We're still waiting on one more."
Brock chuckled to himself. "Leave it to Ash to be late again."
"What do you mean?" Bonnie asked as she leaned her back against the ship's railing. "Again? Has he done this sort of thing before?"
Serena had to agree with Bonnie there. The Ash she knew was impulsive, sometimes rash, and quick to move on to his next objective. He even woke early multiple times during their adventures to train with his Pokemon. Being late wasn't something Ash did usually, if at all, if he could help it.
"I wasn't there for it, but his mother told me about it." Brock chuckled as he leaned over the railing, looking out over the ocean. "The first day of his Pokemon journey, he woke up late to get his starter. Then again, waking up late did lead him to get Pikachu, so I'd say it all worked out in the end."
As Bonnie and Brock seemed to bond over a younger Ash's juvenile antics, the former delighting in the idea that her role model was just as immature as she was once, Serena decided to step away and fully take in her surroundings. It was a beautiful day, after all, and if the stories she'd heard about Orre were true, she wouldn't be seeing anything so scenic in quite some time once they arrived.
The sound of the ocean, the waves lapping on the shore and kissing the sides of the boat. The smell of the salty sea air. The murmur of Olivine City behind her, loud enough for her to hear but faint enough so it wasn't distracting. The lighthouse off to her left, which housed Amphy, the famous Ampharos responsible for lighting the way for lost sailors in the dead of night. The large Charizard cruising high in the sky, flying towards the port. The flock of Pidgey that flew past her, calling out with a cacophony of squacks as they flapped past. The school of Magikarp swimming below, as well as the occasional Qwilfish idling by, content to linger in the shadow of the boat.
Wait, a Charizard?
Serena's gaze snapped back to attention at the rapidly approaching orange draconic shape flying overhead. There was no way that was a wild Charizard. Serena wasn't as well traveled as some of her friends, but even she knew that Charizard weren't native to Johto, let alone flying in a coastal region like Olivine.
Suddenly, the Charizard veered off course, aiming directly for them. It seemed Serena wasn't the only one to notice the oncoming pseudo-dragon, as Brock and Bonnie paused their conversation to observe the great orange lizard approaching. Gazing up and bringing a hand up to shield her eyes from the sun, Serena spotted the vague shape of a trainer riding on the Flame Pokemon's back.
Before she knew it, the Charizard landed with a resounding thump as it came into contact with the dock. Serena had to bring her hand up to shield herself from the intense winds that came off of its wingbeats. Slowly lowering her hand, she watched as a man dismounted from his Pokemon's back. He gave the Charizard - which Serena now noted was large even for his species - a few pats on the shoulder in thanks before returning it to its Pokeball. Serena squinted as she saw the man's silhouette start to come into focus. She felt her chest tighten, recognizing that optimistic grin anywhere.
Ash.
"Brock! Serena!" Ash called out, beaming from ear to ear and waving while Pikachu leapt off his shoulder to give out his own greetings. Ash paused. "Bonnie?!"
"That's some greeting there, Ash!" Bonnie half-scolded, unable to keep a smirk off of her face. "What's wrong, didn't expect me?"
Ash bashfully rubbed the back of his neck. "Not really, but it's still good to see you!"
"Pika!" Pikachu shouted, waving to everyone.
"Dedenne!" Dedenne exclaimed in return, giving what amounted to a wave with its stubby little arms.
Brock, Bonnie, and even Mr. Briney all went forward to greet the young Champion. Serena stood back, not quite sure how to approach her old friend. Clearly a lot had happened since she last saw him. He was taller and seemed to carry himself with a degree of confidence and maturity. She gulped.
He was hot.
Disregarding his looks, Serena also couldn't help but hesitate mostly due to how they'd parted all those years ago. She promised that the next time they met, he'd like the kind of person she'd grown into, but was that true now? Sure, she now had a number of Pokemon contests under her belt, but she hadn't achieved her dream of becoming Kalos Queen. He had, having become Champion of not one, but two regions.
Then there was the matter of that kiss.
How had he taken that? She hadn't stuck around long enough to really see his full reaction. What did he think of it at the time? Did it have the kind of impact that she hoped it would? Would things be awkward between them now? Had her bold and sudden move jump-started him into romantic maturity?
Oh Arceus, did he have a girlfriend now?
"Hi Serena." A deeper-than-she-remembered voice said, snapping her out of her internal struggle. Serena looked up to see Ash a few steps away from her, giving her the warmest smile she'd ever seen.
"Hi Ash." She replied, not quite sure what else to say in response. Her eyes flitted over to Bonnie reflexively. Just as she expected, the young blonde was giving her the most mischievous of grins.
"It's good to see you again." He added, his brown eyes shimmering with life and energy just like she remembered. "Congratulations on winning the Sinnoh Grand Festival, by the way. You were amazing."
"Thanks." Serena said, her features already dusted pink, despite her best efforts to the contrary. "Y-you saw that, huh?"
"Of course." Ash answered, a mild look of confusion crossing his features. "Why wouldn't I? Even if I can't be there, I'll always support you."
Arceus above, he was not making this easy.
Serena heard Bonnie snicker off to the side, and was that Pikachu smirking? She'd have to have a conversation with her fellow Kalosian before things got out of hand. If they were going on another adventure together with Ash, some ground rules needed to be established. She'd probably go crazy if Bonnie decided to play matchmaker again.
She sighed.
Who was she kidding? Bonnie does what Bonnie wants, and usually at Serena's expense.
"Alright!" Mr. Briney cut in, cutting the tension like a knife and bringing everyone back to the reality at hand. "Now that everyone's here, what say we get this journey started?"
"Sounds good, Mr. Briney!" Ash answered, shifting his gaze away from Serena and over to their captain. He gave a determined nod.
"To Orre!"
Serena felt the hairs on her arm stand on end.
It was a familiar feeling, one that she'd grown accustomed to three years ago and now felt herself reacclimating to once again. This time, however, it was far more intense. Clearly he'd grown stronger in the three years since she'd seen him. In fact, back then, it was nothing more than a simple Thunderbolt attack. Now?
Pikachu was letting loose a full-blown Thunder.
"Dodge it, Dedenne!" Bonnie cried out, almost in a panic.
The Antenna Pokemon practically dove to the side in a desperate bid to avoid Pikachu's devastating Thunder attack, rolling to a stop once it made contact with the deck of the ship again. The enormous bolt of lightning crashed into the deck of the ship, the electricity dispersing across and around the impact site. Miraculously, the deck was relatively unphased by the immense attack. There was a noticeable black char stain on the deck now, but it hadn't splintered and frayed like she expected it to.
"Did you replace the decking of your boat, Mr. Briney?" Serena heard Brock ask behind her. She glanced behind her to see the Pokemon doctor standing next to their captain while both looked at the Pokemon battle with some amusement.
"Out of necessity, my boy!" Briney said with a hearty laugh. "I've ferried so many Pokemon trainers over the years that one day I decided to go ahead and invest in better quality materials. Frankly, I got tired of having to repair the ship every time a pair of trainers decided to hold an impromptu battle during the trip."
Serena leaned back onto the railing as she watched Dedenne return fire with a Thunderbolt attack of his own. Pikachu dodged the attack, but with noticeably more finesse and balance than his smaller counterpart had just now.
"You could stand to take it easy on her, Ash!" Brock called out. Serena found herself agreeing, partly out of concern for Bonnie's morale and for the safety of Briney's ship. Pikachu's Thunder attacks were frightening, if she was being honest.
"No way!" Bonnie answered, cutting off the Champion before he could retort. "Dedenne and I can handle it! We're not going to grow stronger if he goes easy on us!"
"That's the spirit, Bonnie!" Ash exclaimed with a smile. He gave her a thumbs up before turning to Pikachu with a nod. "Alright buddy, let's work on Dedenne's speed. Quick attack!"
Serena looked on with mild amusement as the two electric rodents sped around the deck of the ship, the smaller hamster having to constantly dodge the larger mouse's Quick Attacks. The former was starting to tire out, while the latter was only now starting to feel winded.
"Right where we want you!" Bonnie cried out, startling Serena. "Nuzzle, Dedenne!"
Serena saw Ash smirk. He also didn't give out a counter, which struck her as odd. Nuzzle was a move that inflicted paralysis on the target if Dedenne could get in close enough. With Pikachu constantly in close range, Bonnie and Dedenne were in the perfect spot to pull off a move like that. After dodging a Quick attack from Pikachu, Dedenne dug in its tiny little heels and bounded towards Pikachu, almost immediately making contact. The Antenna Pokemon then sparked its cheeks and began to adorably rub its face against Pikachu's.
Meanwhile, Pikachu just stood there and seemed to be enjoying the affection.
"Chaaa…" Pikachu cooed with delight.
"Umm…" Bonnie stammered, clearly expecting Pikachu to be riddled with paralysis, not to be enjoying the nuzzling from Dedenne. "... why isn't it working?"
Ash laughed and gave her a knowing smile. "Even moves like Nuzzle, which are guaranteed to inflict paralysis, don't work on Electric types. That was a good strategy though, Bonnie! If it were anybody but Pikachu that would have worked!"
Bonnie facepalmed, the sound of the smack echoing across the deck. "Of course! How could I forget? Dedenne, switch to Play Rough!"
Everyone visibly winced at what came next.
With Dedenne in the perfect position to do so, the electric hamster stopped nuzzling Pikachu's face, instead grabbing it with his tiny little paws. Before Pikachu could even react, the smaller rodent started tossing and flailing Pikachu's body in every direction, smacking the electric mouse into the nearby wall, the deck itself, and even the nearby railing in a stunning display of uncharacteristic brutality.
"Break free, Pikachu!" Ash shouted out. Just as his faithful partner broke out of the smaller hamster's grip, Ash gave his next order. "Let's wrap this up! Iron Tail!"
Both Dedenne and Bonnie's eyes widened, knowing exactly the kind of effect a super-effective Steel-type move would have against the Fairy-type. No words needed to be said between trainer and Pokemon; Dedenne immediately tried to distance itself from Pikachu, but the electric mouse was too quick. Spinning in place, Pikachu charged up his tail and slammed it into Dedenne's side, sending it careening off to the side. Seeing that her Pokemon's trajectory was going to take it off the side of the boat, Bonnie dove and caught the Antenna Pokemon before it could plunge into the deep ocean below.
"Bonnie!" Ash and Serena both cried out, rushing over towards the young trainer. Brock, too, looked concerned, but seemed to understand that the girl was in no immediate danger.
"I'm alright." Bonnie said with a somewhat pained smile. She looked down at Dedenne. "Looks like we have a ways to go, huh?"
"Dene…" Her electric rodent replied weakly with a smile.
Serena heard a set of footsteps approaching. She looked up to see Brock standing over them, a Sitrus berry in hand.
"Here, eat this." The Pokemon doctor said, gently nudging the berry towards Dedenne, who was more than happy to accept the fruity gift. "Try not to have any more battles for a few hours, at least. Dedenne needs the rest after taking an Iron Tail like that."
"Sorry…" Ash apologized, meekly rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment. "We probably shouldn't have used a super-effective move like that for training."
Bonnie shook her head. "No, don't be. If we're going to get strong, we need to take on strong attacks like - "
"There it is!" The voice of Mr. Briney called out, interrupting the quartet's moment. They all looked up to see Briney pointing forward. She heard Briney let out a sigh. "Gateon Port!"
Serena stood up to get a better look, squinting her eyes to avoid the glare of the sun reflecting off the ocean waves below. The first thing she noticed was the rather weather-worn lighthouse. Even at this distance, she could tell that the structure was old and probably in need of repair, given its faded appearance and small chunks of concrete missing from the side. The port itself was no better, the docks appearing dilapidated and the few ships already docked very old and rusted. Peering further in, the town itself was either made mostly of concrete or had been sun-bleached so badly over the years that the entire town was blindingly white.
"That's Gateon Port?" Bonnie asked rather bluntly, still cradling the mildly injured Dedenne. "I'm not impressed."
Serene couldn't help but agree. Were it not for people she could see milling about the town, she would've thought the town was deserted. There weren't many Pokemon she could see around, wild or trained.
"It's definitely seen better years." Briney admitted with a shrug of his shoulders. "Past few decades haven't been kind to places here in Orre. You kids make sure to stay together while you're here. Never know what kind of trouble you'll run into."
"I… believe it." Brock muttered, his face looking as incredulous as Serena felt.
"I doubt any of them hold a candle to you folks though!" Briney quickly retorted, clearly trying to lift everyone's spirits. "After all, it's not every day that a Champion, a Princess, and a Doctor visit! Little miss Bonnie could probably show 'em a thing or two as well!"
Not long after, Briney pulled the ship into port, docking it with practiced ease. As Serena and Brock went to retrieve their belongings from the hold, she saw Ash and Bonnie already running off onto the dock. She smiled and shook her head.
Some things never changed, apparently.
"Hello Orre!" Ash exclaimed. Bonnie looked similarly enthused but decided not to join her role model in boldly announcing their presence. Already a few passersby were glancing at them like they'd grown a second head.
"Same old Ash…" Brock chuckled as he and Serena made their way off the boat.
"I'll be staying here in port for the next few hours while I restock, so you kids let me know if you need anything, alright?" Briney called out from on deck.
"Where would you recommend we start, sir?" Serena asked as she readjusted her pack on her back.
"There aren't many Pokemon Centers here in Orre, so you'll need to check in at a local hotel or inn." Briney began, cupping his chin in thought. "If you're thinkin' of heading further inland at some point, you might want to look into some transportation, on account of the desert and harsh terrain. The local machine parts shop, if it's still here, might be able to get you something."
"Sounds good!" Ash said, sporting his trademark goofy grin. "Let's get going!"
It wasn't that difficult to navigate around Gateon Port, Serena soon discovered. The town was relatively simple and the fact that the port was built against a mild slope meant that nearly every notable building was easy to spot from a distance. They soon found a hotel to stay at and rented a four-bed room to stay in; everyone unanimously agreed to stay in one room instead of several just in case Orre's reputation for crime turned out to be true. The room itself was modest enough, though clearly not quite as lavish as some of the places she'd been in before. Then again, her lifestyle as a performer and coordinator did kind of skew that perception, she admitted to herself. Once everyone was mostly unpacked in their room, they all sat down to discuss their next steps.
"So Ash." Brock said, sitting himself down on the bed and turning his attention to the Champion in the room. "What's the plan? The PMA wants me to suggest new Pokemon Center locations and check up on the Pokemon Centers in this region to make sure they're up to code, but I can do that in any town or city so I don't have any particular order to follow."
"Same here, more or less." Serena chimed in. "The PCC wants Bonnie and I to just report back on what we find, see what we might be getting ourselves into here."
"What exactly did the League want you to do here, Ash?" Bonnie asked while Dedenne hopped off her shoulder to play with Pikachu on a nearby bed.
Ash cupped his chin in thought before he suddenly snapped his fingers. He walked over to his backpack and retrieved what looked like a folder filled with paperwork. He sat down on the bed opposite Brock - which just so happened to be the bed Serena was sitting on as well - and opened the folder.
"My job here is kind of the same as yours, honestly. I'm supposed to report back with what we find here in Orre, see what problems exist and propose solutions that the League can help with." Ash admitted. "... at least, officially."
"Officially?" Serena asked, not quite sure or happy with where he was going with this. "... what about unofficially?"
"Unofficially, I'm not even supposed to tell you guys this." Ash said, his expression turning somewhat serious for a moment. "But I want to tell you this because I trust each of you completely. After the trouble we've been through in the past, I trust you with my life."
Serena felt her heart swell with pride at that admission, only for it to then be tinged with concern. What sort of trouble had Ash been in before? His admission of that with Brock present could only mean he'd run into trouble while the Pokemon doctor was in attendance as well.
"Unofficially, I'm also supposed to gather information on two criminal organizations that have caused Orre trouble in the past." Ash continued. "If possible, I'm to take action to weaken them since they're the main obstacle for the League in helping this region recover."
"Wait, why are you the one doing this?" Serena asked pointedly.
"Lance and the G-Men are too busy with Team Rocket to dedicate any resources here in Orre." Ash explained. "I've worked alongside them enough in the past where Lance trusts me on this. If I come up with anything concrete, then they can move in but they don't want to invest in anything major unless we confirm there's an actual threat."
"You said there were two organizations?" Brock asked, his brow furrowing with either interest or concern.
Ash nodded. He pulled out a few files out of the folder and handed them around. "The first is a criminal gang called Team Snagem. After reading up on them, they sound like a cheap copy of Team Rocket. They basically bully regular citizens into giving up their money and Pokemon."
Serena scowled after Ash passed along the file he'd just pulled out of the folder. She took a look and agreed; this looked like a more serious version of what the bumbling trio did to her, Ash, Clemont, and Bonnie during their adventure in Kalos.
"Great. More Pokemon thieves." Bonnie grumbled, crossing her arms.
"The second one…" Ash continued, passing along another file. "... calls themself Cipher. After Team Snagem steals Pokemon, they pass them along to Cipher for experimentation."
"Experiments?!" Serena said with a gasp. She immediately thought of what Mairin's poor Chespie had to go through back with Lysandre Labs and recoiled at the thought of that on a larger scale. "What sort of experiments?"
"That's the thing." Ash replied with a solemn expression. "We're not sure exactly, only that the Pokemon come out stronger and more dangerous as a result of it. They give these changed Pokemon back for Snagem to use, which they then use to steal more Pokemon, and so on and so forth."
"That's terrible!" Bonnie cried out, inadvertently startling the two electric rodents nearby and causing the two Pokemon to focus on the conversation the humans were having.
Ash nodded again. "Lance recommended I go see this region's Pokemon professor, Professor Krane. I asked Professor Oak if he knew him. Not only did he know him, but he told me where I could find his lab."
"What kind of Pokemon Professor is he?" Brock asked, leaning back slightly.
"According to Professor Oak, Professor Krane specializes in studying these changed Pokemon. Apparently this kind of thing happened before, some years ago, so Krane studies these Pokemon in hopes of changing them back to normal."
"Sounds like that's where we're going first, then." Brock said with a determined nod. "As a Pokemon doctor, I can't stand by while this Cipher experiments on Pokemon like this. I'm sure the PMA would agree with me on this."
"Where is his lab?" Serena asked. She went to reach for the PokeNav Plus she'd acquired during her travels in Hoenn, only to stop and realize she didn't have the map data for Orre.
Ash brought out a map from the folder in his hands, laying it out on the small side table next to the bed. Everyone scooted closer to the sides of their respective beds that was closest to the table, while Ash pointed at an area immediately north of Gateon Port. "It's just north of us, actually, and it's not far away."
"Good!" Serena said, feeling eager to meet this Professor and learn more about these changed Pokemon. Her job here as a representative of the PCC was important, but doing something about these Pokemon took precedence in her mind. "Maybe we should go check out that machine shop and get some transportation. The area between here and the lab looks safe enough, but the rest of Orre looks like it's nothing but desert, so we should get something now while we can."
Everyone seemed to agree with that idea, so they all left the room to go to this machine shop.
Bonnie took the lead heading out of the hotel, ever eager to see the sights of Orre, however dull they might have seemed to Serena. Once she'd crossed the threshold and was properly outside, Bonnie brought a hand up to shield her eyes from the harsh sun. She then seemed to be scanning the surroundings for something, likely the aforementioned machine shop. After a few moments, her face morphed from an excited grin to a disgruntled scowl.
"Where is it, anyway?" She said as Serena and the others caught up.
"I think I saw a building with a bunch of scrap metal piled in back on our way here." Brock said, pointing back towards the port. "Maybe that was it?"
"Let's go then!" Ash declared, speeding up to walk beside Bonnie, matching her pace and mood.
Ash and Bonnie took point as they walked briskly towards the docks. Meanwhile, Serena and Brock decided to hang back and take their time.
Serena sighed. "Why do I get the feeling you and I are going to be the responsible ones during this adventure?"
Brock laughed. "I'm just glad I'm not alone this time! Ash has always been a bit impulsive, but our other friends weren't much better. Misty, May, Dawn; they might not have been quite as enthusiastic as Ash but each acted just as childish from time to time."
Something chuckled. "I still find it funny you know May and Dawn too. It seems everyone I know knows everyone else, if that makes any sense."
"No, I follow. How did you meet them, anyway?" Brock asked, glancing towards Serena.
Serena grinned. "I met May when I traveled in Hoenn and she introduced me to Dawn. They're great!"
"Small world, huh?" Brock chuckled. "And to think none of us would know each other if it wasn't for a certain boy and his Pikachu."
"Yeah…" Serena trailed with a smile. Brock glanced over at her again and smiled before refocusing on their two companions ahead of them.
The quartet continued on towards the harbor, either excitedly talking amongst themselves in the case of Ash and Bonnie, or in companionable silence as was the case for Serena and Brock. Serena leaned her head back and closed her eyes, taking a moment to enjoy the sun and the sea breeze. It felt nice, actually. Between that and the relative silent ambience of Gateon Port, there was a calming effect on her nerves. Once she opened her eyes, she felt noticeably much more relaxed than before.
That relaxation turned to mild confusion as she saw something dark plummeting from the sky.
"Uhh, guys…?" Serena called out as she pointed skyward. Brock was the first to stop and notice, followed closely by Ash and Bonnie. "What's that?"
Ash shielded his eyes from the sun as he, too, looked up. "What is that?"
A few moments passed, during which the object kept falling and getting closer to the ground. Whatever it was had legs, arms, a body…
Serena's eyes widened once she realized what it was.
"That's a person!" Serena cried out. "Someone's falling!"
"What?!" Brock and Bonnie exclaimed at the same time. The former seemed to recover first from the initial shock of it all. "At that height, the fall will kill him!"
"I've got him!" Ash shouted as he ran forward and threw out a Pokeball. "Charizard! Catch that guy!"
Even as he was emerging from his Pokeball, Charizard rocketed forward with a mighty roar. A few passersby stopped to see what the commotion was about before they too cried out in alarm. Charizard, meanwhile, flew as fast as he could to reach the falling boy. Serena nervously clutched her blue ribbon in fear of what would happen if Charizard couldn't reach him in time.
Charizard managed to swoop in and grab the boy just before he crashed into a rooftop, which probably would have killed him given that the rooftop in question looked to be made of concrete. A few cries of joy and cheer went up around the crowd as Charizard flew back with the boy clutched firmly in his arms.
"Nice job, Charizard!" Ash cried out, pumping a fist into the air. Serena breathed a sigh of relief, glad that the boy hadn't met an untimely end against the white pavement below.
Charizard eventually landed next to the group and gingerly laid the boy down on the ground. Ash gave his pseudo-dragon a pat on the shoulder in thanks while Brock rushed forward and kneeled down next to the unconscious boy. Brock immediately retrieved a small first aid kit as he began to quickly examine the boy for any injuries.
"A little space, please!" Brock shouted with authority, warding off the few curious bystanders nearby. "I'm a doctor."
The boy, now that Serena had a better view of him, looked to be about her and Ash's same age. He had short, brown hair that was spiked in every direction imaginable, and was somewhere between her and Ash in terms of height. What was strange about the boy, Serena noted, was his clothes. Even someone as fashion-savvy and up-to-date as Serena couldn't help but be a little bit confused at his attire.
He wore a maroon, grey and black short-sleeved hoodie that was unzipped down the middle. Around the boy's neck was a silver necklace with the pendant resembling some sort of crown. Underneath the jacket itself he wore a simple black v-neck t-shirt. On his forearms were what appeared to be either a set of bracers or oversized fingerless gloves; Serena couldn't tell which was the more accurate name for them. His pants resembled large, incredibly baggy cargo shorts whose grey and black color scheme matched his jacket quite well, actually. Serena glanced further down and raised an eyebrow.
His shoes were massive.
Each shoe had to have been over half the length of each pant leg and just as wide. They were so comically bulky that Serena started to doubt if the boy was capable of even walking in footwear that large.
"How is he, Brock?" Bonnie asked as she knelt down beside the Pokemon doctor. Ash likewise knelt down beside them as he looked over the unconscious boy.
"He's stable, just unconscious." Brock said with a relieved sigh. He looked around at some of the people that had stayed to watch the spectacle. "Did anyone see where he came from? What did he fall from?"
Serena scanned the crowd, finding only confused faces and worried expressions. Apparently no one else saw where he might have fallen from. Serena herself began to look around at the surrounding buildings. The only structure even remotely tall enough to explain a fall from that height was the lighthouse, and that was too far away for that to make sense.
"Well, in any case we need to get him out of this sun and onto a bed." Brock said, seizing control of the situation. While he was a Pokemon doctor, no one would argue that he wasn't the most qualified here to treat somebody in this condition. "Ash, help me get him back to our room."
Ash gave a firm nod before recalling Charizard back to his Pokeball. Once his flier was returned, Ash took one arm of the boy while Brock took the other, both supporting his weight on their shoulders. Pikachu had since hopped off his trainer's shoulder and scampered up onto Serena's. Once they finally reached their hotel, Serena and Bonnie rushed ahead to open the doors for Brock and Ash. After they'd entered their hotel room, Brock and Ash walked their unconscious guest over to the closest bed and gently laid him down.
"Who is this guy, anyway?" Bonnie asked abruptly, breaking the preceding silence.
Serena looked to the stranger now resting softly on one of their beds. She looked over at Ash, who met her gaze with just as much confusion and worry.
"I'm not sure, but we'll find out once he's awake." Ash said, his expression one of seriousness and worry. Meanwhile, Brock threw out a Pokeball and out emerged a Blissey, who immediately set about assisting her trainer with caring for the stranger. With not much else to do, everyone took a seat either on a bed or on one of the nearby chairs,
They could only wait and see.