Chapter 22:
When Training Doesn't Go the Way You Expect
Route 6 – Pahar Hills
It had been a couple days since the group had left Rochfale Town behind them, as they headed towards their next destination, Bealbeach City. Serena had warned them that the road towards said city from Rochfale was a long one, and they would take quite a few days to reach their destination, so they were taking the trip easy.
At first sight, Pahar Hills was not that different from Tancoon Way, the route on the other side of Rochfale: there were many trees full of red, orange, and yellow leaves that framed the man-made paths, giving the place an air of an eternal autumn.. But that's where the similarities ended. Unlike Tancoon Way, the grass that grew around the trees was of the same color as the leaves. There were also many bodies of water, adding some splatters of blue to the red and yellow palette of the zone, from small ponds to large rivers.
As the name implied, there were many Pahar, as well as their evolution, Palij, flying around the place, with a few Owten here and there as well. Lunapup, Minyan and Baaschaf wandered on the ground, while Sponee, as well as another yellow bug Pokemon with brown stripes and blue legs they had never seen before, crawled the trees in search of food.
"Tricwe, the Shock Bug Pokemon. Bug. Related to Smore and Sponee, Tricwe is very hyperactive and loves nothing better than sneaking up behind trainers and scaring them," the Pokedex supplied once the new Pokemon was scanned.
"I was going to suggest we stop and set up camp here, but upon hearing that, I prefer if we find a spot free from potential pranksters," Clemont said.
"Better a prankster than a thief," Serena pointed out, the memory of the Pokemon thieves still present in her mind.
"Well, we didn't see any Ranger or sign warning us of danger, so I think we're safe here," Ash said.
Still, they decided to humor Clemont and find a spot away from the Tricwe. Once they had finally set up their camp, it was time for their Pokemon to come out so they could breathe fresh air and stretch their legs.
"Come out everybody!"
One by one, all their Pokemon materialized in front of them. Many yawned, others stretched, and others looked around, taking in the surroundings.
Greninja immediately prepared to fire an Ice Beam in order to form an igloo for Colarva to literally chill, but the Ninja Pokemon realized the little bug didn't appear to be as uncomfortable as he used to be whenever he was out of the pokeball.
"Gre! Greninja!" Greninja called Ash, and nodded at Colarva.
Ash looked at the Snow Mite Pokemon, and took only a couple seconds to understand what Greninja meant.
"Hey, you're right, Colarva doesn't appear to be about to have a heatstroke. Maybe he finally got used to a warmer climate?" Ash pondered, before walking towards the Bug-type. "Say, how are you feeling, little guy?"
"Co! Colarva!" Colarva happily chirped, and he quickly glomped Ash's leg, making him lose balance for a second.
"Heh, I take it you're feeling great. Well, no more igloo then. That means you're getting much stronger!" Ash said, smiling and nodding at the bug still latched to his leg. The boy then looked at Serena, who was surrounded by her own Pokemon. "Hey Serena, do you want to spar?"
"Maybe not today. I would like to focus more on training my team on my own right now. Is that okay with you?" she asked unsurely.
However, Ash's smile didn't falter. "Of course, if that's what you want to do, go ahead."
"Great. Let's find a spot where we can train without getting into each other's way," Serena said, as she began to walk away. "Come on everybody, there's much work to do today!"
As Ash watched Serena go, he looked at his Pokemon. He was already planning to focus on Colarva, and began to wonder who he could choose to be his partner. "Given that I won't be training with Serena, I think I could use Dunsparce. What do you say pal? Ready to train?"
"Parce..." Dunsparce let out a despondent sigh as if he was making a huge sacrifice by accepting Ash's request.
"What about you, Clemont?" Ash asked.
The inventor looked at his two newest Pokemon. "I think I'll continue with Eletux and Eevee. The two of them are progressing at a good pace. In no time, they'll be on a similar level to Luxray and Bunnelby."
"What about Chespin?" Bonnie chimed in. "I don't see you training with him much."
"Yeah, I don't think I've seen you focus on Chespin in a while" Ash pointed out. "How is it that you don't train him anymore?"
Clemont looked at where Chespin was, sitting against a tree stump, while stuffing his mouth with several berries he had gathered from a nearby bush. It seemed that the Spiny Nut Pokemon hadn't heard them mention his name, perhaps a bit too engrossed with his food. The inventor sighed. "I'd love to, but Chespin isn't as up to training as my other Pokemon are. It seems he only fights when he has to. Unless there's danger, the only things he likes to do is eat and slack around," Clemont explained.
Bonnie crossed her arms. "You know Clemont, I think you're being a little harsh on Chespin. I know he's far from being Luxray, but I'm sure he tries his best."
"He surely tries his best at stuffing as much food in his mouth as possible," Clemont deadpanned. "Though that's probably for the better. When he isn't still, he's either picking fights with Pancham or wandering around and getting into trouble," Clemont continued, before he sighed again.
"You know, I had seen my fair share of Pokemon who weren't that keen on training. Most of the time, unless there was some major problem at play, they simply lacked motivation," Ash gently said. "I'm sure you could have Chespin training just as much as everybody else to stoke his enthusiasm."
"That's easier said than done, Ash. Like I think I said more than once, food is the only thing that motivates Chespin." Clemont said, before looking back at the spot Chespin was sitting at, only to find it empty. "Huh? Where did Chespin go?"
"Maybe to find more food?" Ash weakly offered.
"I'll see where he went. You two keep training in the meantime," Bonnie said, as she began to walk away.
…
Chespin sat sadly against a rock, as he dejectedly looked at the water running of a nearby river, some Pokemon swimming under the surface. Chespin looked at the remaining berry in his hand, and not feeling hungry, he lazily tossed it into the water, crashing with a splash.
Contrary to what Clemont believed, Chespin did hear what his trainer and the other humans said about him. At first, he was both angry and sad over hearing what his trainer had to say about him. However, upon further reflection, the anger faded into disappointment with himself as he realized that what Clemont said wasn't entirely wrong.
He didn't like training, that much was true. What was the point? It's not that Clemont took part in competitions like Ash and Serena did, so he didn't need to stay in top shape or anything. Life was too short not to enjoy it. And while Clemont was content with leaving Chespin be, that came at the cost of being the least favorite of his team.
Chespin was torn. On one hand, he wanted to both prove Clemont wrong and earn the respect of his trainer. But on the other hand... well, habits were hard to break, and his lazy nature was no different. Plus, if he went and asked Clemont to train him, chances are Clemont wouldn't take him seriously.
"You heard what Clemont said, didn't you?" a voice said from behind, startling the Grass-type Pokemon.
Jumping to his feet, Chespin quickly turned around, and standing before him was Bonnie, her eyes looking at him with a mixture of pity and sympathy.
"Ches..." Chespin said, lowering his head.
Bonnie didn't say anything, she just walked and sat beside him, Chespin doing the same.
"Hey, don't be so glum. I think you're a Pokemon with a lot of potential," Bonnie said.
"Ches?" Chespin asked, sounding a little incredulous. After what Clemont had said, Bonnie's words could feel a little like empty compliments.
"Yes! I mean, I saw you battle many times. Plus, didn't you help Ash that time in Passage Cave?" Bonnie asked.
"Pin..." Chespin weakly nodded. Then again, it was Greninja who did most of the job taking down that Terlard. Chespin just provided some support.
"And deep down, my brother also thinks you have a lot of potential. All you have to do is show him what you're capable of!" Bonnie said, energetically thrusting a punch forward.
"Nene!" Dedenne added, mimicking his trainer.
Bonnie's enthusiasm appeared to be contagious, as Chespin felt a little more eager to prove Clemont his worth.
"Ches, chespin!" Chespin said, now with more energy.
"Great! Let's show everybody what you're made of," Bonnie said, as she stood up. "Ash says that the best way to bring a Pokemon's potential is to motivate them, and I think I know how to motivate you to train. You should go back to the camp before Clemont worries. I need to talk with Serena first."
…
A few minutes later, Bonnie found Serena, training with all six of her Pokemon near another small river. They seemed to be hard at work, as Bonnie could see every Pokemon using one attack while Serena, Pokedex in hand, directed them, her voice overflowing with energy.
"Come on Braixen, let's see if you can make Fire Blast wider, " Serena told Braixen, who was practicing the aforementioned move "Keep punching, Pancham! Let's see if you can learn Fire or Ice Punch! Keep working on that Double Kick, Minicorn!"
"Whoa..." Bonnie whispered in awe. She knew Serena was far from a slacker, but the intensity she was training now was something completely new. Was it because of the recent loss? Serena didn't act like that when she lost her first contest. "Hey, Serena?"
Serena turned around, and saw the younger girl approaching her. Serena smiled. "Hey, Bonnie! Did you come to watch our training?"
"Actually, I came to you to ask for a favor," Bonnie asked.
"If I can do it, sure. What is it?" Serena said.
"I wonder if you could prepare some pokepuffs for me. Especially those Chespin likes a lot," Bonnie said.
"Chespin likes almost all of them," Serena said, chuckling a little. "But yeah, I know which ones you are talking about. May I ask why, though? Not that I mind doing them, but I believe the last thing Chespin needs is to eat more."
"I think it would be a cool way to motivate him into training more seriously," Bonnie said. "I read somewhere that giving Pokemon prizes whenever they make progress in their training pushes them to train harder."
"That's... a really clever idea, Bonnie! I'll have those pokepuffs done by tonight," she promised. Then, as a thought crossed her mind, she added: "Though, now that you mention Chespin, I don't remember Clemont training him that much since we came to Tandor. In fact, he now spends most of his time with Eletux and Eevee."
"I know. That's why I'm going to train Chespin, and show big brother how cool he can be," Bonnie proudly said, puffing her chest out a little. "I'll be able to become a trainer in less than a year, you know, so this will also serve as a warm-up for when I have my own Pokemon besides Dedenne!"
"That's good, though Chespin might be a little too challenging for a beginner," Serena said, giggling a little. "So, is that all you want from me?"
Now that you mention it..." Bonnie began, her eyes drifting towards Serena's Pokedex. "Can I borrow your Pokedex? I think it could be of help with training Chespin. I don't even know what attacks he can learn."
"I'm sorry, but I can't do that. I need it right now for our training," Serena said apologetically. "Why don't you ask Ash to lend you his?"
"But you never use your Pokedex when you train," Bonnie pointed out, a light scowl slowly developing on her face. "In fact... this looks almost nothing like how you usually train."
"I know, and that's the point," Serena said, a little forcefully. "The latest contest showed me that I'm becoming a little complacent. Neither me nor my Pokemon can rest on our laurels just because we got a couple wins, you know? And the more attacks they learn and master, the better we'll do in the contests."
There was a tense moment of silence, as the two girls held their stare. Bonnie was the first one to avert it.
"If you say so," Bonnie said, as she turned around and began walking away. "I'll ask Ash for his Pokedex, then."
As Bonnie walked back towards the camp site, she could once again hear Serena shout orders and encouragement to her Pokemon as they trained, with far more energy than usual.
…
Once Bonnie returned to the camp, she saw that Chespin was there, an unreadable expression on his face replacing his usual nonchalant demeanor, looking at Clemont as he commanded Eevee and Eletux in a sparring match against Ash's Dunsparce and Colarva.
A little away from the battle, the lemon blonde could see Ash's Orchynx, still trying to master Iron Tail under Pikachu's watch, while Ash's Aveden was engaging her brother's Bunnelby in another spar of their own. Greninja and Luxray kept watch over the camp like they usually did.
Wordlessly, Bonnie joined Chespin and watched the battle together, which lasted for about half an hour, with no clear winner.
"Alright everyone, good job!" Ash praised his Pokemon, something that they appreciated. "It's going to get dark soon, so let's take a break here. Soon it will be time for dinner!"
"Hey guys!" Bonnie said, as she walked towards the two of them. "I want to ask you a couple things!"
"Sure thing! What do you want?" Ash asked, smiling.
"First, given that you're not paying him that much attention, could I train Chespin myself?" Bonnie asked sweetly.
Clemont raised an eyebrow. "Eh...sure. If you're able to make him listen to you, go ahead," Clemont said. Bonnie whispered a cheer in victory.
"I think Chespin has a lot of potential. He only needs the right push to bring it to the surface," Bonnie said.
Ash nodded approvingly. "Spoken like a true trainer, Bonnie! Every Pokemon has something to offer, though they have different ways to show it."
Bonnie giggled, and couldn't help but even blush a little at receiving praise from Ash himself. "Well, I'm going to be a trainer soon, so I better start acting as one already, right?"
"Though, why the interest? Do you want me to transfer Chespin to you or something?" Clemont asked, as his eyes drifted towards Chespin, who watched the exchange with the same unreadable expression as before.
"I just think you're giving up on Chespin too soon," Bonnie said. "I know he isn't really that much into training, but with the right motivation..."
"Well, it's just that he's not really the most training happy Pokémon. If you find a way to motivate Chespin that works, be sure to share it with me later," Clemont said, half-jokingly..
Bonnie ignored her brother's comment, and looked at Ash. "Say Ash, can I borrow your Pokedex? I need it to see what moves Chespin can learn."
"Sure!" Ash said, handing her the device, no conditions attached. "Be careful with it, alright?"
"You can be sure I will! I know how important it is!," Bonnie said.
"Okay, I trust you'll handle it with care," Ash gently said. Then, he looked around, as if looking for something. "Hey, has Serena returned yet? Is she still training?"
"I guess so," Bonnie replied.
"Weird. Serena never trains longer than I do," Ash said, scratching his cheek. Bonnie knew Ash was remembering all the times Serena chastised Ash for spending too much time training and that he should take it easier, only for her to ignore her own advice now.
"I think she took that last defeat pretty badly," Bonnie said, folding her arms behind her back. "When I saw her, she was training way harder than she usually did. Maybe you should talk with her, Ash. I'm kind of worried for her."
"Now, let's not get worried prematurely," Clemont intervened. "It's obvious that losing must have affected her in some way, but not to that point."
"Yeah. Serena learned to take defeat in stride a long time ago," Ash agreed with the inventor.
But time passed, and Serena didn't return. When the sun completely set, paving the way for the darkness of the night, Serena didn't return either. An hour after that, Ash and Clemont were starting to worry, and Ash was ready to call her on her Pokegear to check if she was okay. It was that moment when they finally saw her return.
"Hey there!" Serena happily greeted the rest of the group, waving at them. "Sorry for the lateness! I kinda lost track of time, and when I realized, it was already nighttime!"
"Serena?" Ash asked, as worry began to creep up his spine. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Why do you ask?"
Serena looked... way less than fine. Despite her excited demeanor, the Kalosian girl was covered in soot, sweat, and had some burn marks here and there. Her Pokemon weren't much better, all of them looking exhausted.
"I see you've been training a lot," Ash said, the understatement of his words being left unsaid.
"Yup! We've been hard at work today, and made a lot of progress!" Serena proudly stated. "If we keep this up, in our next contest we'll wipe the floor with the competition!"
Ash and Clemont traded worried glances, before they looked at Bonnie, a silent "See what I meant?" floating between them.
For the time being, they decided not to say anything, and to leave the topic for later.
…
The next day, the group was up as soon as the sun emerged from the east. After a quick breakfast, they continued their journey through Pahar Hills without any incident, taking on the beautiful sights the route had to offer. And, like the day before, once it was past noon, they found a spot to set up a campsite, and let all their Pokemon out of their pokeballs. And sometime after that, they had lunch.
"Say, what's the plan for today?" Ash asked Serena. "More training on your own?"
"Yes. I think we're making a lot of progress. If we keep this up, the next contest will be a piece of cake," Serena said.
As those words left her lips, Sylveon, Minicorn and Chicoatl cringed. Braixen patted Chicoatl on the head, as if trying to reassure or calm her down. Something that didn't go unnoticed by the other three humans.
"That's great but... try to take it easy, you know? Don't push your Pokemon too hard," Ash warned her.
"My Pokemon are more than ready to train. Tell him, guys!" Serena said, looking at where her Pokemon were gathering.
She got a rather halfhearted chorus of affirmation cries. Serena scowled a little. "Come on guys, I know it can feel a little like an uphill climb, but if we all put in some effort, it will pay off!"
Her Pokemon cried again, this time trying to put a little more energy, something that seemed to please Serena, but not so much her friends.
"Maybe you can later have another sparring battle against me?" Ash suggested. "So we both can see how much you and your Pokemon have improved."
"Sure, but we still have plenty of work to do on our own," Serena replied. She then looked at Bonnie. "And I'm not the only one, right?"
"Yup! Chespin and I begin our training today, Right, Chespin?" Bonnie asked, looking at the Spiny Nut Pokemon, wolfing down his food.
"Che, chespin!" Chespin cried happily, his mouth completely full.
"Yeah, you better eat, since you're going to need a lot of energy for all the hard work ahead of you!" She said.
"Ches?" this time, he sounded less enthusiastic.
…
An hour later, Bonnie and Chespin were on a spacious forest clearing, devoid of any tripping hazards, and no nearby wild Pokemon that might have gotten in the way. There was a pile of various items that Bonnie had brought from the campsite, which she believed could be useful in their training.
Aside from Chespin, Clemont had sent Luxray with them in order to watch over them, as well as to keep them safe in case they found themselves in any danger. The Gleam Eyes Pokemon was lying on his stomach, head resting over crossed paws, as he watched intently both his teammate and his trainer's sister.
"Alright Chespin, time to show Clemont what you're capable of!" Bonnie stated, her voice full of youthful resolve, a small basket on her hand. "See, I have the perfect way to motivate you. Do you know what's this?" she asked, showing him the basket.
"Ches?" Chespin asked, tilting his head.
Bonnie opened the small basket, and pulled out a yellow and brown pokepuff. Chespin's eyes widened a little. "I had Serena bake some of those pokepuffs you like so much! And if you do a-HEY!"
As Bonnie talked, Chespin used Vine Whip to snatch the pokepuff from her hand and bring it to his mouth, before devouring it in one bite.
"Ches, chespin!" Chespin happily said, chewing the delicious treat.
"Hey, you weren't supposed to eat it now!" Bonnie protested, stomping her foot. "Those were prizes for making progress in your training!"
"Nenene!" Dedenne also chided Chespin.
"Pin..." Chespin said, almost as if sounding regretful. Though Bonnie couldn't tell if he was being sincere or not, she wasn't going to draw another pokepuff out of the basket.
"Alright, ready to begin your training?" Bonnie began. "I've been checking the list of moves you can learn. Given that you're kind of a hardhead, how about Iron Head?" the lemon blonde then went to the pile of random items, and grabbed an old-looking pillow, and held it in front of herself. "So let's train by headbutting this pillow!"
Chespin nodded, and did so, diving headfirst into the pillow. He hit it with enough force to push Bonnie back a little.
"Not bad, that was far from an Iron Head. Try to give it more power!" Bonnie advised.
Chespin headbutted against the pillow a second time, with the same result.
"Come, on again!" Bonnie said.
Chespin obeyed, but nothing changed.
"No, this isn't a headbutt! Just..." Bonnie placed a finger under her chin as she tried to find the proper words to explain something she had never experienced. "Just try to emulate what Pikachu does when he uses Iron Tail! But instead of the tail, apply it to the head!"
"...ches?" Chespin titled his head at her in slight confusion.
"Come on, keep trying! Sooner or later, you'll get it right!" Bonnie encouraged.
Chespin continued headbutting the pillow, but nothing he did came close to an Iron Head. Eventually, the Grass-type grew tired, and lied on the yellow grass, gasping for air.
"You're tired already?" Bonnie asked, walking towards the exhausted Chespin, one hand on her hip. "Come on Chespin, I know you can do more than that!"
"Ches..." Chespin breathed.
"Come on Chespin, if you keep working more, I'll give you a pokepuff!" She said, pulling out the delicious treat from the small basket. Unlike the other time, however, Chespin didn't react. "Really? Don't you want this Pokepuff?" Once again, no response. "Ugh, Kung Fu Pangoro made this look so much easier..."
"Lux," Luxray softly said, catching Bonnie's attention. Bonnie looked at the Gleam Eyes Pokemon, who merely shook his head, as if telling Bonnie that this was as far as she'd reach for the time being.
She reluctantly accepted. "Alright, this is your first day of training seriously, so let's call it a day. You may have not learned a new attack, but here, have this anyway, a reward for working hard!"
And Bonnie picked a pokepuff from the small basket, and placed it on Chespin's stomach. The Spiny Nut Pokemon grabbed it and slowly brought it to his mouth, and began eating it.
"Come on, let's go back to Clemont and Ash," Bonnie said, as she headed back to the camp, Chespin and Luxray walking behind her.
…
When Bonnie, Chespin and Luxray returned to the camp, they saw Ash and Clemont engaged in a sparring battle. Ash was using Orchynx, while Clemont was using Eevee. Meanwhile, every other Pokemon –minus Greninja, who was seemingly meditating under a tree– were playing by tossing a ball at either Colarva or Eletux, and they would try to catch it with either String Shot or Electroweb.
"Come on Eevee, Shadow Ball!" Clemont ordered.
"Ev!" Eevee cried, opening his mouth and forming a sphere of darkness in front of it, before firing it at the grass feline.
"Counter it with Iron Tail!" Ash replied.
"Chynx!" Orchynx meowed, as her tail turned completely stiff, shining with a silvery sheen, and smashed into the coming ghostly projectile, shattering it to tiny black bits, much to Eevee's displeasure.
"Good job, Orchynx! You've finally mastered Iron Tail!" Ash praised the cat.
"Or, orchynx!" she proudly meowed.
"Vee..." Eevee growled, somewhat annoyed that his attack had been stopped like that.
And Eevee wasn't the only one annoyed.
"Look at Orchynx, already having learned a new move," Bonnie thought, as she involuntarily pouted a little.
"Hey, there!" Bonnie greeted, as she walked towards the camp.
Clemont turned around towards his sister. "Oh, hey, Bonnie! Back already?"
"How was the training?" Ash quickly asked.
"Eh, it was..." he looked at Chespin, walking slowly behind her. "It was good! For a start, it was pretty good!"
"Good to hear that! I thought Chespin would give you more trouble, but you sound confident," Clemont said.
"Eh... well, we mostly did some warm up for the REAL training, you know?" Bonnie clarified. Feeling a little uncomfortable, she quickly changed the topic of the conversation. "I take Serena isn't back yet either?"
"No. I imagine she's still training with her Pokemon," Ash deduced. He looked in the direction Serena had left a few hours ago, and sighed softly. "I guess it'll take some time for her to come back, if yesterday was any indication. So, do you want to do something before dinner?"
"Not today. Training left me a little tired," Bonnie said, letting out a sigh of exhaustion. "Pokemon might do most of the work, but being a trainer can be quite draining."
"I know, right? It feels like you spend as much energy directing your Pokemon as they do training," Ash said, his lips curving into a somewhat nostalgic grin. "But it gets better over time."
Eventually, Ash and Clemont wrapped up the training, and the two of them moved to prepare the camp for dinnertime, with Bonnie helping them in any way she could. Once they were done, she just sat on a nearby stump, and to pass time, she began to play with Dedenne.
And just like the day before, hours passed, and Serena didn't return, not that it surprised her in the least.
It had only been one day, but the lack of progress with Chespin was a little discouraging. A part of her said that there was a reason for her brother to not focus on Chespin for the sake of other Pokemon more willing to better themselves, and that she was being arrogant for thinking she could do better than Lumiose City's Gym Leader. On the other hand, Ash had said that there was no worthless Pokemon, and she wanted to believe that.
But if there was nothing wrong with Chespin, then that means there was something wrong with her. A conclusion she didn't like in the slightest.
"What am I doing wrong?" Bonnie whispered to herself.
"Probably nothing," Bonnie was startled upon hearing Ash's voice from behind, letting out a high pitched squeal. "Sorry, sorry! I didn't want to spook you," Ash chuckled, as he walked towards her, and sat on the grass beside the tree stump. "I take training Chespin didn't go as smoothly as you tried to make us believe?"
"No," Bonnie admitted, as her shoulders sagged. "At least Clemont did believe my lie. Otherwise he'd be telling me 'I told you so' like he likes to do when he's right and I'm not."
"Oh, you didn't fool Clemont either," Ash told Bonnie. Upon seeing the girl's surprised face, he added: "He didn't want to discourage you from trying to train Chespin. You should give your brother a little more credit."
Bonnie didn't say anything.
"Though, I don't want you to get discouraged because you aren't making as much progress as you think you should," Ash told her. "Stuff like this takes time, you know?"
"You make it look so easy," Bonnie said. "I mean, Orchynx just learned a new move today."
"No. Orchynx has been practicing Iron Tail since we were in Rochfale, and it wasn't until today that she got it down," Ash clarified.
"Oh," was all Bonnie could say.
"So yeah. Then again, don't get frustrated if Chespin takes more time to learn something new. There are no two Pokemon alike," Ash continued. "Tell me, did you feel like tossing the towel? Be honest, I promise I won't judge you."
"...yes," Bonnie admitted. "I mean, if Clemont stopped training him... there must be a reason."
"Clemont doesn't take part in competitions, at least when he's not in the Gym, so he doesn't need every Pokemon to be in top shape," Ash explained. "So he can afford to focus on Pokemon who are more motivated to train."
"I thought I could use food to motivate Chespin, but it seems that's not enough to push him into working harder," Bonnie told Ash.
"And you think Clemont didn't try that?" Ash asked her, making her realize her idea wasn't as brilliant and revolutionary as she initially believed.
"Then... what can I do? What would you do if you were in my place?" Bonnie asked. "With all the Pokemon you have, I'm sure you must have had some trouble training some of them."
"And you wouldn't be wrong," Ash chuckled. "As for my advice? Don't give up. I know it sounds like a cliché, but this is very important. You took over Chespin's training because you believed in his potential, didn't you?"
"Yeah."
"And when you trained Chespin, did he at least listen to you, even if you aren't his official trainer?" Ash asked.
"At first. But then he got tired and didn't want to train anymore. Not even with the promise of his favorite pokepuffs," Bonnie said, resting her head on her hands, the memory leaving a sour taste in her mouth.
"Getting a Pokemon to listen to you is much harder than most people think, and you have that part down. That means that Chespin is willing to work with you, even if he might not be that motivated," Ash reassured her. "A Pokemon will notice when their trainer has faith in them. If you keep having faith in Chespin, Chespin will reward that faith. I can promise you as much."
As Bonnie soaked those words, she felt a little more reinvigorated. She smiled and nodded. "Alright. In that case, I'll keep the training going on. Even if I can't get Chespin to learn a move before Clemont leaves... well, at least I hope Chespin knows that I believe in him."
Ash nodded, proud of her. "Well said."
"Hey look, Serena is back!" the two of them heard Clemont say.
Looking in the direction Clemont was looking, Bonnie and Ash saw Serena walking towards the camp, her Pokemon trailing behind her. Her radiant smile was a sharp contrast to, once again, the rather sorry state she was in, with her clothes full of dirt and her body covered in sweat. Her Pokemon were so tired, they were basically dragging their feet behind her.
"Hey there!" Serena saluted, waving her hand. "Sorry for the lateness! I know it's the same thing I said yesterday, but whew! Time just flew by!" she said, sounding worryingly chipper.
"Serena?" Ash asked, a little stumped by the image in front of him. "Are you… are you alright?"
She titled her head quizzically. "I'm feeling great, especially with all the progress we've made today."
"Your Pokemon don't feel that great," Ash pointed out. "In fact, they look like they could collapse at any moment."
"Nonsense! Sure, we've dialed up the training a notch, but they can take it,"Serena said, and prove her point, she turned around, and asked: "Right guys?"
All her Pokemon smiled and cried in agreement. Though both Ash and Bonnie could feel that they were just putting up a front for the sake of their trainer.
"See? Nothing to be worried about," Serena happily said. "Come on guys, let's have a light dinner and go to bed early. Tomorrow we have to train even more!
Once Serena and her Pokemon were out of sight, Bonnie shot Ash a flat glare. The message was unsaid but crystal clear.
"Alright, I'll talk with her soon, I promise," Ash told Bonnie.
…
The next day, the group was once again ready to continue their journey as soon as the sun was up. They would finally say goodbye to Pahar Hills. There would be no training this day, given the kind of path they had to take in order to continue their trip towards Bealbeach City.
"According to the map, in order to reach Route 7, also called Tandor Sheets, we have to cross another cave, Rochfale Tunnel," Serena announced while reading from her tablet.
This drew a chorus of tired groans. After Passage Cave and Comet Cave, no one was in the mood for yet another hellish cave where Pokemon would swarm and harass them by the dozen. Still, if this was the only way they could take.
Fortunately for the group, this cave didn't prove to be as catastrophic as the previous two: unlike Passage or Comet Cave, Rochfale Tunnel was just that, a tunnel. A rather long one that took them most of the day to cross, but there were no branching paths or divergent ways, so it was just walking in a straight line for most of the time.
The Pokemon inhabiting the tunnel, mostly Gligar and Modrille, mostly minded their own business and in the worst cases, they flew or scurried away wherever the group of humans came too close to them, something the group of teens were thankful for. All in all, the trek through Rochfale Tunnel was a dull and uneventful experience, but compared to their past treks through caves, the change was very much a welcomed one.
When they finally reached the tunnel's exit, the sun was starting to set. The group saw how the agreste forest of Pahar Hills was no more, instead replaced by a vast expanse of sand, dotted with clusters of palm trees.
"Hey look, a Pokemon Center!" Bonnie said, pointing out to the nearby building, conveniently located next to the tunnel's exit.
"That's a relief. I really wouldn't mind sleeping on a bed again," Clemont said.
"It's not that we'd have to sleep in the open for that long," Serena said, eyes on her tablet. "From this point on, there's only a day and a half of travel until we get to Bealbeach City!" she excitedly announced.
"About time!" Ash said. "It feels like it's been ages since the last time I had a Gym Battle!"
…
The very next day, after having a hearty meal at the Pokemon Center cafeteria, the group left the place and continued their journey north, towards Bealbeach City.
While Pahar Hills had a certain charm with its many shades of yellow, orange and red, the almost white sand and the many palm trees that give Tandor Sheets a tropical look was the preferred scenery for the group of four.
Naturally, the Pokemon that inhabited this land were also different. Gone were Tancoon, Owten and the Pahar that gave the name to Route 6, replaced by Pokemon more fitting for such a place, such as the Cocaran they had seen for the first time back in Seabreeze Way, some Corsola, and a few Cassnail.
And, as usual, it was time to stop for the afternoon. The group had lunch, accompanied by some coconut milk from the coconuts that grew on the palm trees common in the area. And once they were done, they would dedicate the afternoon to train, like they've been doing for quite some time now.
"Chespin and I are leaving!" Bonnie said, as she and Chespin went to find a decent spot to train, followed by Luxray.
"Good luck on your training with Chespin!" Serena said, as she began to walk away from the camp. "My Pokemon and I will be training a lot too. We need to get ready for the coming contest in Bealbeach City."
But today was going to be a little different. Ash took a deep breath, and walked towards the leaving blonde.
"Hey, Serena!" Ash called.
Serena stopped on her tracks, and turned towards Ash, looking at him expectantly. "Yes?"
"Say..." Ash began. He rubbed his arm as he tried to put his thoughts in order. While he was normally a master at thinking on his feet, he was lost when it didn't involve Pokemon battles. "I was wondering... given the good weather, and how nice this place looks... would you mind if we take a walk together?"
Serena let out a high pitched yelp, as her cheeks turned pink. She stammered a little, sounding as if she was going to agree, but she said: "I-I'm sorry, Ash. I'd love to, but my Pokemon and I have a lot of training to do..." she said, while averting her gaze, as if shame consumed her.
But Ash wasn't deterred. "Come on Serena, you have been working really hard for the past few days. Weren't you the one who always said that resting is important?"
Serena hesitated, shifting on her feet as if making such a decision was tearing her apart. Noticing this, Ash gave her a nudge.
"It can be a short walk. Then you can go and train," he added.
"Alright," Serena finally said, still sounding conflicted over shortening her training. Her Pokemon, however, breathed in relief and looked at Ash with hopeful eyes. "Guess I can take some time for a walk..."
"Great! Come on, I'm sure we can find somebody who sells some ice cream around here," Ash said, as he and Serena walked away.
…
A few moments later, Bonnie had found a good spot to train with Chespin, next to a small lake surrounded by tall palm trees that provided a nice and cool shade.
"Alright Chespin, ready to continue the training?" Bonnie asked.
"Ches..." Chespin nodded, as if saying "If I have to."
Bonnie smiled gently at him. "Hey, I know that this isn't easy on you, but I want you to know that I'm really proud of all the effort you're putting," she began. "And even if you progress at a slower pace than others, all of us still believe in you and think you're an important member of our team. Right guys?"
"Nene!" Dedenne agreed.
"Lux," Luxray softly growled.
Chespin spend a couple seconds looking at Bonnie, as her words slowly sink in. Then, his mouth slowly curved into a tiny smile, and nodded while looking at Bonnie with resolute eyes.
"Pin!" he cried.
"Great!" Bonnie said, as she held up the same old, large and beaten up pillow she used for training. "Let's continue where we left off! Come on, give me an Iron Head!"
And, focusing his power onto his head, Chespin headbutted the pillow.
…
As Bonnie trained with Chespin and Clemont watched over the camp and the rest of their Pokemon, Ash and Serena walked together. Like Bonnie, they also choose to walk close to the shade of the palm trees in order to be shielded from the sun. They could see the sea a few kilometers in the distance, but decided it wasn't worth going that far just for that.
They'd have plenty of sea to enjoy once they arrived at Bealbeach City.
"Ahh, isn't this great?" Ash said, taking a deep breath. "The scent of the sea in the air, the sun shining above us, wild Pokemon around us...it helps one to relax, doesn't it?"
"Indeed," Serena agreed, looking at her feet while she walked. "It's very soothing."
"I'm glad that you're enjoying this," Ash pointed out. Now that he broke the ice, he decided to press the issue forward. "Because it looked like you needed to relax a bit."
"I'm perfectly fine, Ash," Serena replied, her tone sounding a little snappy.
Ash suppressed a sigh. He already expected Serena to get defensive. Perhaps he should have been more subtle? Then again, subtlety wasn't his forte. Plus, that way he wouldn't waste any time dancing around the issue.
"Listen, I know I'm somebody who loves to throw himself into training. But even I know when to stop," Ash began. He ignored Serena rolling her eyes. "And honestly, the way you've been training recently... well, it's less training and more running your Pokemon into the ground. And yourself. Which was making us a little worried for you."
Serena stopped, and looked Ash in the eye. Ash could see a glint of anger in her eyes, but much to her surprise, she merely smiled at him. "Ash, I appreciate your concern. I really do. But you have nothing to worry about. My Pokemon and I are fine. I'm simply stepping up our game. I have to if I want to make it to the Grand Festival."
"Is this because of your last contest? Because you lost?" Ash asked. "Losing happens. Hell, this isn't even the first contest you lose."
"Of course it's not because I lost, Ash. I already learned to accept defeat way back in Kalos," Serena replied, crossing her arms.
"Then why? What happened in the last contest that caused you to train like that?" Ash insisted.
"Because I... nothing," she said, turning her back to Ash.
But Ash wasn't having any of it. "So it is something that happened in the last contest! What is it, Serena? What's going on? Come on, you can tell me."
"I said it's nothing," she insisted.
"And I don't believe you. I know you, Serena. There's something that's eating you on the inside. What is it?" Ash said.
"I already said it's nothing. Why must you be so persistent?" Serena asked, losing her patience a little.
Alright, time for a more direct approach. "Remember Winding Woods?"
This seemed to do the trick, given that Serena's body went stiff. Ash allowed himself a self-congratulatory smirk. He got her now.
"I was in a really bad place back then. And Wulfric was far from the first Gym Leader I lost against. But remember what I told you? It wasn't just Wulfric, but how I was unable to beat Alain, how I couldn't get Greninja's transformation under control, how Sawyer had surpassed me..." Ash said. He dared to place a hand on Serena's shoulder, who flinched upon being touched, but didn't swat his hand away. "Come on, you can tell me. Let me help you, the same way you wanted to help me back then."
Ash heard Serena sigh as her body slumped. She turned around, no longer smiling or angry, looking melancholic instead.
"Let's go find somewhere to sit down," Serena said.
Ash nodded, and after some minutes walking, they sat down on the trunk of a fallen palm tree. Ash waited for Serena to gather her thoughts and start speaking without pressuring her.
"Yes, it was because I lost the last contest, but it wasn't because of the loss itself," Serena began. "It was because I lost to Vitor."
"Why? Vitor is a pretty skilled coordinator. There's no shame in losing against him," Ash replied.
"No, but I'm more experienced than him. Maybe we started doing contests at the same time, but I had a whole year on him as a Pokemon trainer," Serena continued. "Funny thing you mentioned Sawyer. I thought that I could be to Vitor what you were to Sawyer. Somebody whom I could help reach his full potential.
"And just like how Sawyer eventually got to your level, I was counting on Vitor to become my equal too, or even surpass me. But I wasn't expecting it to happen so soon! This was the third contest we did together, and the second contest we faced each other! Did he really need so little time to beat me?"
"Serena, just because somebody beats you once doesn't mean that they have surpassed you," Ash gently said.
"It's not just that, Ash," Serena replied. "I tend to think of my victory over Vitor back in Moki as a clean victory, but now I realized that it was a pretty narrow one. Vitor was never that far away from me. And now that he finally caught up to me... the distance between us is only going to get even bigger. That's why I need to push myself and my Pokemon harder.
"Then... I also remember Sayaka's words. About how I wasn't taking this seriously. What if she was right? Here I am, talking about having fun and making people smile, while everybody else works hard to improve themselves and carve a path to victory..."
Ash shook his head. "You know Serena, you could continue training like this until we get to the next contest, and you'd lose again," Ash said, unperturbed by Serena's gasp. "And do you know why?"
"...because my Pokemon would be too tired?" Serena guessed.
"That too, but that's not what I was thinking," Ash said, as his eyes fixed on the horizon. "Because that wouldn't be you, Serena. You aren't somebody who competes because you want to win at all costs. You're somebody who has fun by doing what you do, and transmit that feeling of fun to those watching you and rooting for you. Because when you are having fun, it's when the best of you comes out. And watching you at your best... it's something that would make even the sourest people smile.
"Not to say that you shouldn't train! Of course training is important," Ash said, chuckling a little, before he returned his gaze towards Serena. "But to not lose sight of...Serena? Are you okay?"
Serena was looking at Ash with her eyes opened wide –and what appeared to be tears forming on them–, her lips pursed and trembling, and her previously pink cheeks had turned into a much deeper shade of red.
"It's... it's nothing, Ash," Serena squeaked in a comically high pitched tone.
"Are you sure? You look a little agitated," Ash observed.
"I'm fine! I'm fine!" She insisted, her voice lowering to her normal pitch. She then cleared her throat, and took a deep breath. "Yes... you are right, Ash. Now I realize it. I was so focused on not losing, that I ended up losing sight of my true goal. One mere defeat shouldn't have been enough to make me doubt myself so much."
"So, about your Pokemon...?"
"I think that after how hard I made them train, they earned a well deserved rest," Serena said. "Not to mention an apology,"
Ash smiled at her. "Great! Let's go back to the camp! I'm sure they'll enjoy it if we spend some quality time with them that doesn't involve training," Ash said, as he got up from the fallen tree.
"Wait!" Serena said, grabbing his arm. "Say... could we stay a little longer? It's really nice here," Serena said.
Ash smiled and sat down again. "Of course."
…
Sometime later, Ash and Serena returned to the camp. Once they were close, all of Serena's Pokemon quickly gathered around her without her having to call them. After a few days, they already knew the drill.
Today would prove to be different, though.
"Hey there, guys. I see you're ready to train," Serena noted. She rubbed her arm a little. "Though, after talking with Ash, he made me realize certain things and the way I've been behaving and… well, I decided that we could skip training today and instead play some games to have some fun and relax."
Needless to say, all her Pokemon cried in surprise, but also in happiness, something that didn't go unnoticed to the honey blonde.
"I worked you to the bone these past few days because of my mistaken belief that we weren't doing enough, when all of you have always done everything I asked you, and then some," she said. "So I'm really sorry for the way I treated you these past days. Will you forgive me?"
The answer came in the form of all her Pokemon throwing themselves at her for a hug.
"Hehe, I'd say that's a yes," Ash chuckled.
"So it seems," Serena giggled. "Though, if I ever behave like this ever again, don't be afraid to call me out, okay? If you're unhappy with the way I treat you, you shouldn't remain silent."
They all nodded in agreement.
…
This time, Bonnie decided to take it a bit easier. She had Chespin headbutt the pillow in his attempt to learn Iron Head. However, once the Spiny Nut Pokemon appeared to lose his breath, she called for a break in order to let him rest.
Once Bonnie judged that Chespin had rested enough, they continued the training. She also began to move from one side to another, as Chespin continued to headbutt the pillow, since she had read on the Pokedex that it helped simulate the pace of a real Pokemon battle. This caused Bonnie to call for breaks a bit more often than when she stayed still.
And then, it happened.
"Come on Chespin, one more time!" Bonnie, sweating a little, said as he jumped from one side to another.
"Cheeees...!" Chespin began, as he got ready to headbutt the pillow. "Pin!"
As Chespin charged Bonnie, for a couple seconds, his head shell flickered with a silvery glow, not unlike Pikachu's tail when he used Iron Tail. And when Chespin's head smashed against the pillow, Bonnie was knocked on her butt from the sudden increase in the force compared to previous attempts.
"Ches!?" a concerned Chespin said, as he rushed to check on Bonnie.
"Lux?" Luxray asked, also getting back to his feet.
"I'm okay, I'm okay!" Bonnie reassured them, also getting back on her feet, and wiping out the sand from her clothes. Then, she looked at Chespin and beamed. "Chespin! Did you see that? You almost had it there!"
"Ches?" he asked, tilting his head.
"Your head turned all metal-like for a couple seconds! And that last headbutt was so whoaaaaa!" She excitedly said.
"Ches? Chespin, ches!" he cheered, as he began to excitedly bounce.
"Luxray," Luxray nodded at his teammate, as if congratulating him.
"See? All that effort paid off!" Bonnie excitedly said. "You haven't mastered the attack just yet, but you're on your way there! Come on, let's go back to Clemont and the others and show them!"
Fueled by the adrenaline provided by their breakthrough, Bonnie and Chespin rushed back towards their campsite, Luxray following behind at a steady pace. When Bonnie arrived, she saw that Ash and Serena were already back. While Ash and Clemont were talking to each other, Serena was playing with her Pokemon with a beach ball. It seemed that Ash managed to talk Serena out of her worrying training methods and let both herself and her Pokemon relax a little.
"Heh, this day keeps getting better," she thought. "Hey guuuuuuuuys!"
The three teens and their Pokemon turned around to see Bonnie running towards them, with Chespin and Luxray behind.
"Hey Bonnie, back already?" Ash asked.
Bonnie stopped in front of them, and stopped a few seconds to catch her breath and wipe some sweat from her forehead.
"You look excited. Something happened?" Serena asked.
"You can bet it did!" Bonnie said, as she put some distance between herself and Chespin, holding the pillow in front of her. "Come on Chespin, Iron Head!"
Chespin nodded, and prepared to headbutt the pillow. As it happened before, Chespin's head shell glowed with a silvery light for a couple seconds before it hit the pillow. Unlike the previous attempt, Bonnie was prepared and wasn't knocked backwards. Despite not being a complete move, this drew a gasp from the three teens.
Even their Pokemon were impressed, many of them cheering for Chespin –except Pancham, who just looked aside and muttered something that made it sound like it wasn't that great.
And no one was more surprised than Clemont.
"Did you... did you teach Chespin a new move?" Clemont asked, his mouth open wide, as he looked at Chespin as if it was a completely different Pokemon.
"He hasn't mastered it yet. But give him a couple days and he'll have it down," Bonnie proudly said, as he handed Chespin one of the last pokepuffs Serena had backed for him, which he accepted and ate with gusto.
"I still can't believe it. Chespin has never learned any new moves since I caught him, and has never shown any interest in training," Clemont said, his eyes still fixed on his Grass-type Pokemon. "How did you do it?"
Bonnie puffed her chest proudly. "Because I'm amazing, that's how!" she cheekily replied. "Say, are you going to train him now with the others?"
"I've always been willing to train Chespin. It's him who didn't want to," Clemont replied, but upon seeing Chespin growing a little upset, he added: "Then again, maybe I should have been a little more insistent before throwing the towel with him. If you were able to find a way to motivate him, then me, a Gym Leader, has no excuse.
"So sorry Chespin. Maybe I shouldn't have given up on you so easily just because training you proved to be a little harder than the others. You're welcome to train with me again, if you want to," Clemont said, looking at Chespin, who nodded.
"Awesome!" Bonnie cheered. "Now-"
Bonnie was interrupted by a loud, deep growl that rumbled across the area, causing many of the Pokemon wandering around there to run away in terror. All eyes were fixed on Ash.
"Don't look at me," Ash replied. "It wasn't my stomach."
"...it was mine," Bonnie, her face reddening, sheepishly admitted. "All that training with Chespin left me starving."
Clemont smiled gently at his sister. "In that case, let's have some dinner already. I think the two of you deserve it."
And as usual, Clemont's cooking left no one disappointed. And none of Chespin's past meals felt as tasty as the one he had that night.
Author's Note: A low key chapter, but after the trepidation of the last few chapters with Serena's contest and all the stuff with Garlikid, it was necessary. Especially since the story will kick into overdrive once the group reaches Bealbeach City the next chapter.
I think this is the first time I focus on Bonnie in this fic. With Squishy out of the picture, is kinda hard to write her other than being the comic relief. But here I saw an opportunity to flesh out a little her desire to be a trainer once she's old enough and focus on a part of her that doesn't involve laughs. It also gave me a chance to write a scene between Ash and Bonnie which I'm very proud of, given that these two don't interact much.
Also Chespin. I admit that I don't like Chespin much. He's easily my least favorite of all the mons of the Kalos gang, and I think it shows since he got the least focus of all of Clemont's Pokemon, both old and new. To the point that I even considered to make Clemont leave Chespin back at Prism Tower and take another Pokemon with him, maybe Heliolisk, but in the end I decided against it since it would be too self-indulgent. So I decided to do the next best thing and give him some character development. So here it begins Chespin's journey to stop being an unfunny one-joke comic relief and becoming stronger and more reliable battler.
Then there's the Serena half of the episode, which as Ash had lampshaded, was like the Winding Woods episode only with their roles switched, and admitedly less angst. There's a reason as for why Serena is acting like this. Sure, her first journey taught her to accept defeat with dignity and grace, but here she has to contend with something she didn't have to in Kalos: challenging rivals.
Because while I think that Shauna, Nini and especially Miette are great characters, they're pretty poor rivals. Hell, whenever Serena lost a showase it was because of a mistake she made, like Fennekin tripping over a ribbon too long or not taking into account Eevee's stage fright, rather than a rival proving to be better. That wasn't something I enjoyed, so I gave Serena rivals that will force her to push past her limits. And what happened here is the result of that. Thankfully, with Ash's help, Serena will cope with this new situation much better in the future.
Thanks a lot to 61934, Chuck, Fox McCloude, Viroro-kun and hirowriter for reviewing last chapter, and special thanks to Viroro-kun for his job as betareader and his help in making this story so much better.
Hope you enjoyed the relative peace and quiet of this chapter, because things will be shaken up a lot from the next chapter inwards. Also, don't forget to leave a review with your thoughts on this chapter!