The meal passed without any fuss, and Blaine hadn't been wrong, this restaurant was simply excellent. Pikachu ate with great gusto, just as much as Ash. Bidding farewell to Blaine, who had to return immediately to the rebuilt Cinnabar Gym, after the eruption a few years ago had destroyed it, to attend to potential challenges from aspiring trainers. Ash and Misty with nothing else to do, decided to go to the Pokécenter to inform Oak of Ash's curious discovery through a video call.
Just when they had arrived at the Pokémon center, the young man checked the compartment of the backpack where he kept the Pokémon sweets. Pikachu had accidentally hit the glass of the entrance and his nose hurt. To comfort him, Ash would give him one of the sweets he carried with him. Pulling it out, he noticed something rather strange. There were two more candies in his backpack, which he didn't remember packing. Ignoring the fact, he gave the prize to Pikachu.
Professor Oak responded immediately on the other side of the monitor, with his characteristic high spirits:
-Are you having a good vacation? Don't tell me you already want to come back, it would be a shame if you don't enjoy the summer celebrations in Cinnabar!-
"We're having a great time, Professor Oak," Ash replied, reciprocating the enthusiasm. "Now we wanted to inform you of something very peculiar that happened."
-What could it be? Have you caught any rare Pokémon, have you seen any variation of a known species?- Ash shook his head.-
-It is a Pokémon that I had never seen. Maybe someone knows something of this species. It's quite…strange." Ash took out the Pokéball and released the colored sphere, which floated distractedly around the room.
-Er...I've never seen anything like this...- Oak looked genuinely stunned.- I doubt very much that the Pokédex has any information. Can you send it to me, Ash? This would be an unprecedented discovery, when we thought that all the species in Kanto were already catalogued... - The young man nodded.
-I want to test its skills first, if you don't mind, Professor.- Oak nodded.- I don't know its attacks, I would like to know what it is are capable of. It seems to be strong...-
-Okay, I know you're a responsible trainer and I'll let you spend some time with it. But, indeed, I'm interested in knowing what kind of creature this is. Any weird or dangerous stuff you gotta talk to me immediately, got it?-
-I'll do, professor.-
The call ended, and Ash returned the mysterious being to his Pokéball. Misty however, was the only one who didn't seem very enthusiastic about the new Pokémon.
"Ash, I wonder if that Pokémon isn't some failed experiment from Team Rocket..." The boy's look became more serious.
-It's true... But at the moment we don't know anything about that creature. I'll be careful, although it doesn't seem dangerous.- Misty didn't seem convinced by her boyfriend's words. They headed back to the beach as the sun was setting. Upon arrival, Ash entered the sea to search for a wild Pokémon with which to test the abilities of his new capture. It didn't take long for a wild Goldeen to make an appearance: Ash immediately dispatched the strange orb.
-Good, now that I have caught you, I order you to attack that Goldeen. The sphere complied, again making an aerial attack towards Goldeen. The blow was fatal, the fish Pokémon was instantly defeated and fled as the sphere moved erratically across the sea surface.
"Ash, don't be so cruel to the water Pokémon!" Misty complained, slightly annoyed.
"I didn't think his attack was going to be that effective, Misty!" he excused himself, making the mysterious being return.
"Well, I think it's getting dark, we should go to the hotel now." Ash couldn't shake the suspicious look from Misty as they walked back to the hotel. He still didn't see anything really strange with the nameless Pokémon he just caught, nothing he had witnessed so far of its behavior had made him question its origin or what was behind it.
-Tomorrow I will send this Pokémon to Professor Oak. For today I would like to observe it...-the young man spoke once they reached his hotel room. There, he released the colorful orb, which was ignoring its trainer and Pikachu as it paced across the room. He lasted observing their behavior for about an hour, while Misty watched them seriously. The girl's look was quite inquisitive and Ash was beginning to feel uncomfortable with it. Until finally, he turned around and looked at his girlfriend.
-You see it? It seems that it is harmless. I wonder if it's possible that...-
The young man wanted to touch it, but it seemed to have no mass. Upon touching the surface of the being, the yellowish colors it emitted became so bright that it filled the room. A warmth began to rise from the being, so much so that Ash's hand felt uncomfortable. He offered it a Pokémon gift from his backpack. The being approached and took it from Ash's hand, emitting warmer colors this time.
It made him go back to his Pokéball. The truth is that he was quite a friendly creature.
"I'll call you Mystery," the trainer uttered as the being played friendly with Pikachu.
"What a peculiar being..." Misty seemed a little calmer when she saw that he didn't seem to pose a threat. They watched television for a while longer to distract themselves while sleep overcame them, until they ate something light and retired to the bedroom to rest. Just as Ash was brushing his teeth in front of the mirror, he swore he saw Serena spying on him from the hallway again. Spun around. Maybe it had been his imagination. Misty was already waiting for him on the double bed, distractedly reading one of the books on the hotel shelf.
The night passed quietly while the young man slept next to his girlfriend. Between dreams, he saw Serena again. She ran to him, hugged him and cried with happiness for the reunion, but he told her that Misty was already by his side. The sadness of the young woman was palpable in the midst of the dream images, and she tried to get away from her while the blonde pouted and refused to leave...
The next morning he woke Ash up with a start. Misty had already dressed and was preparing breakfast by herself. Just when the young man reached the kitchen, the sad look of the redhead disconcerted him. That change of mood was not normal. He kissed her as he did every morning since they were on vacation, but she seemed unwilling to return the romantic gesture.
"Are you're fine, Misty...?" The young man already sensed that something was wrong with his beloved.
"No, honestly not, Ash," the girl replied with a jerk as Pikachu looked at them curiously from the table.
"But what's wrong with you, Mist?" He took her hand to comfort her. The redhead looked at him with teary eyes.
-Ash, last night... you talked in your sleep. You were talking to Serena. You told her that...you didn't know if you loved me...- The young man's soul fell at his feet. The truth is that although he esteemed Serena as a friend, his romantic feelings were for Misty and he felt very sure of it.
-But, what are you saying, Misty...?- the boy swallowed saliva.- You know she's just a childhood friend. There is no one who interests me more than you.-
-I hope so...- The girl's gaze was quite oppressive for the raven-haired boy. The truth is that he himself had forgotten how to deal with his girlfriend's jealousy towards other women. The girl's mood improved slightly as they ate breakfast. And again, just as they were leaving the hotel to send the mysterious Pokémon and then go to explore the Tentacool reefs, he saw Serena again looking at him curiously from the huge mirror that decorated the hotel room. Arriving at the Pokémon center, they were met by a concerned nurse Joy, who was with a technician who was examining the machine in charge of Pokéball transfers.
-Unfortunately the machine will not be ready for a few more days. Yesterday it had an error and we have to repair it. We have already notified the rest of the centers in Kanto. - The young employee of the Pokécenter excused herself.- Ash snorted in disgust, as he turned around and left the room. In a few minutes, they were on the beach ready to head to the reefs near Lapras. Just a strange weight in the backpack distracted him again, when he was about to get on his plesiosaur Pokémon.
"What?" Ash examined his backpack again. It was unusually full. He didn't remember packing much that morning when he left the hotel. What was his surprise to find a lot of Pokémon sweets, which he didn't remember buying. The situation was very strange as this was the second time he experimented with that kind of issue. Misty looked fixedly at him while he examined the insides of his backpack.