A/N: Hello, my lovely readers! I'm currently going through finals so forgive me if the quality of writing isn't up to par. I wasn't able to look through this chapter as much as I normally can.
Last time, we saw one of the Lycanrocs legitimately try to harm Serena, but failing due to Wasabi's aid. How will the final Lycanroc fare? Let's find out...
*Insert disclaimer about Pokemon being owned by Game Freak and Nintendo here*
Challenge is the pathway to engagement and progress in our lives. But not all challenges are created equal. Some challenges make us feel alive, engaged, connected, and fulfilled. Others simply overwhelm us. Knowing the difference as you set bigger and bolder challenges for yourself is critical to your sanity, success, and satisfaction. -Brendon Burchard
Ash managed to get back to his home after cruising the air with Charizard. He noticed the sun was beginning to set as it was dusk. As he was flying, he saw Gordo seemingly surveilling the tree. Ash was grateful that his grandfather made such an effort to keep everyone safe, but noted that if Gordo was patrolling the tree, Mew was preoccupied. The boy wondered if she was still with Serena and Alice.
His question was somewhat answered when he opened the front door to a pacing Alice in the living room. She seemed to be heavily worried about something.
Ash was about to greet her, but then he noticed she suddenly seemed anxious upon seeing him. Ash tilted his head at this, then eyed her suspiciously. Alice stopped pacing around, but was looking at her grandson with a nervous expression. He wondered what he did to make her act that way.
"Grandma, um, what's up?" Ash asked in a bit of an accusatory voice.
"I would say nothing, but that would be a lie," Alice admitted.
"What's wrong?" Ash said, now concerned.
"I'm… worried about the girl," Alice said while looking away.
"Where is Serena, anyway?" Ash asked with narrowed eyes. He crossed his arms as he looked at his grandmother for an explanation. Alice sighed as she complied.
Alice explained what she and Gordo had Serena do throughout the day. She talked about Gordo's brutality and her shrewdness in creating challenges that would be hard for Serena to deal with. She begrudgingly didn't leave anything out, feeling as though she needed to be completely honest from him to be able to move on. Talking about hers and her husband's actions made her feel awful, but she made her intentions about Serena clear with Ash. Ash listened intently, but the more he listened, the more irritated he was with his grandparents.
Alice sighed when he noticed a blue shroud of aura surrounding Ash to respond to his emotions. She couldn't look at her grandson's direction.
"Grandma, if I find Serena heavily wounded in that cave, I…" Ash closed his eyes for a moment and opened them to reveal his left eye turned red. He said with a clenched fist, "I'm not going finish my thought. Just know I don't think I would be able to control myself…"
"Ash, I…" Alice's thoughts immediately went to Mew's premonition of what would happen if Serena died. For the first time since talking to Ash, she legitimately felt afraid of what her grandson could do. She didn't know what else she could say to him, so she cut herself off.
"I have to find her and make sure she's alright." Ash immediately went outside. Alice quickly followed him to see if she could help if Serena did get hurt.
Once they got outside, but both witnessed a powerful surge of electricity and rocks launched into the sky. Ash seemed puzzled by this while Alice had widened eyes in realization. Then, she relaxed and made a relieving sigh. Meanwhile, Ash grew increasingly concerned.
"I don't think you need to search for your betrothed, young master." A greyish brown canine who had been sitting outside looking up in reflection suddenly called out. In Ash's haste, he didn't realize he had run past her. Now that the Pokémon was with her trainer again, her trainer caused her to speak telepathy without strain subconsciously.
"Who's this Pokémon?" Ash asked.
"This is one of my guardian aspects, Lupa. She's a Lycanroc from Alola and one of the guardians I mentioned that was to kill Serena earlier. Serena teleported Lupa back with full health." Alice quickly told him.
"Your mate was quite merciful to me. I do not believe she is deserving of an early grave, but I am loyal to Alison. I will do anything for her, even if I don't agree with it." Lupa said.
"I'm sorry I had you do something you hated to do, Lupa. I… really am. I never ever want you to feel like that." Alice said with regret in her tone. She had her head down. Saddened by her trainer's behavior, Lupa nuzzled her as an attempt to make her feel better about her actions. It seemed to have no effect.
"Grandma…" Ash watched his grandmother closely and noticed something different about her compared to earlier in the day. His face softened up when he saw her feeling guilty. He would have never thought it was because of Serena before today, either. He still felt slightly irritated with her, but it was much less than before. He made a small smile.
"If I ever tell you something that leaves you morally conflicted again, I want you to argue my word down," Alice said with a heavy voice.
"Mistress…" Lupa said in shock, but Alice interrupted her.
"Don't default to calling me that. You're my friend and I don't want you to feel forced into doing something wrong, alright?" Alice said with a soft tone.
"I…" Lupa seemed conflicted and lost. Alice sighed. The pooch was too loyal for her own good. She decided to take another approach with getting through to Lucy.
"I'm going to order you to argue my word down in the future if you don't agree with it. Don't disobey my orders." Alice said in a stern tone. Lucy perked up her ears at the order and nodded eagerly. Alice made an exasperated sigh and facepalmed at the quick turn around. However, she knew her partner well enough.
"Yes, Alison. I will do as you say." Lucy said while wagging her tail. Alice decided to pet her.
"Ugh… it's at least a start for you to learn to act on your own if necessary." Alice said. Lucy decided to regard Ash again.
"Out of us three, Lucy seemed the most indifferent to Alison's request to kill the girl. Lucy said she would only comply if the girl showed any signs of antagonism, and that she would watch the girl closely once encountered. It seems like Lucy concluded Serena to be good since they're outside. I wouldn't be surprised if Lucy decided to have a mock battle with the girl instead of chasing her outside." Lupa explained and stated her suspicions.
Ash widened his eyes in a new understanding. He still seemed worried. He was happy to sense her aura still active and strong. Her aura appeared much stronger than it was yesterday. Still, that realization wasn't enough to curb his worry.
"Say… how about we search for her once the sun goes down completely. I gave her until nightfall to come back with the three crystals, so if she doesn't come back by then, we will search every nook and cranny for her. At the very least, if we can't find her, we can search for your mother's Raichu, Wasabi. Wasabi has been helping the girl all day, after all." Alice suggested.
Pikachu perked up his ears upon hearing the name 'Wasabi'. He suddenly had a warm feeling of fondness swelling up in him. He hoped that once everything relating to Serena was alright, he could catch up with her. Meanwhile, Ash seemed conflicted about staying put. He had to make sure Serena was alright.
"…" Ash said nothing, but decided to nod to Alice's suggestion. It felt off just staying put, but he couldn't sense Serena in direct danger. If Serena was getting stronger through the trial, he didn't want to interrupt her. He used that thought to help himself relax.
"Ash…" Alice said in a soothing tone.
"I… just want her to be alright," Ash said in a soft tone. He seemed sad. Alice looked concerned at her grandson.
"I can't stand to see you like this. I swear I'll make things right." Alice thought with conviction. She said aloud, "Let's wait outside for when she's supposed to return, alright? Continue to sense her aura like I know you have been doing. Hopefully, she'll be able to come back here."
The two decided to stand in the front yard and wait for Serena. While they waited, Alice decided to take out a few more of her Pokémon for Ash to interact with in the meantime. She also played into his excitement of Pokémon to distract him from Serena. It worked as Ash immediately started to interact with her partners. Alice looked up at the sky, hoping things will turn out alright.
Earlier in the day...
As Serena continued through the labyrinth, she was still hung up about Lupa. She hated that Wasabi had to put her down the way she did. She hadn't seen anything as brutal as that since Ash's encounter with Delia. Serena was aware of the danger, but some part of her was hopeful that things would end well as it did for Lupus. She never imagined herself to get into that situation. It made her sad because she felt like all of it could have been avoided.
Serena also couldn't help on reflecting her time in the Ketchum house so far. Ash and Aurora had made things bearable, sometimes even fun with Aurora liking to spice things up at times. Aurora being a former Coordinator helped with that. Ash himself was usually a bit more somber than before he reunited with Aurora, but he was still the sweet and charming guy she fell in love with. She always had to hide a giggle when Aurora embarrassed him or when he was being a bit goofy.
However, Ash's grandparents were a different story. She longed not for their approval, as she already had Aurora's based on how Wasabi and most of her Aspects acted around her. The psychic guardian longed for some more civility. She hoped that once she fought Lucy, she could make a case for herself for them to at least tolerate her better. Serena partially hoped that Ash would be back by then to make things easier, but she doubted it considering his two missing Aspects were in different regions.
Serena sighed upon thinking about Ash. She really hoped to see him soon. She wasn't sure how much of his grandparents' antics she could continue to take. Still, she made it this far. Serena knew she could go all the way. She formed a fist with her left hand with a determined expression. Mew's cat-like eyes slowly wondered toward the girl in observation. Then, she made a small smile to herself as she continued to float right above her.
As they approached the final crystal, Serena noticed a canine-like Pokémon sitting down, staring into the final pink crystal with a bored expression. The Pokémon had midnight blue fur and sharp yellow eyes that were glazed over from boredom. Her eyes reminded the girl of Aurora. Just like the midday version, she had four rocks protruding from white fluffy fur on her neck and a white furry tail. She was also a quadruped and appeared very fast. Just like the midnight version, she had a lone stone coming from the top of her crown of white fur. The shape of her eyes resembled the midnight form a bit more.
Serena could see that she was guarding it, but wasn't sure how to approach. She stopped just outside of the Lycanroc's line of sight to think of a way to not engage. Her concern was soon increased when she saw Wasabi not stopping and putting herself in range. The electric type seemed oddly comfortable. Serena wasn't sure what to do and decided to stay put and see what Wasabi had in mind. The Lycanroc looked up and noticed Wasabi immediately.
"Oh hey, Wasabi. It's been like… totally a while!" The Lycanroc said excitedly. Once again, Mew enabled Serena to understand a Pokémon temporarily via their telepathy. Serena noticed that this Lycanroc's accent was distinct and she had an air about her that didn't seem to take much seriously. Lucy was relieved at seeing another living thing for the first time in hours, though she was confused about speaking telepathy. Wasabi chuckled slightly.
"Hello Lucy. You're guarding this crystal, right?" Wasabi asked. The Lycanroc suddenly looked slightly irritated, but nodded.
"Yeah… that's what I was assigned… or something. I think our trainer's parents wanted me to like… guard this crystal and to kill some girl when she came to get it…? Mr. Gordo said she was a major threat… but like… I seriously doubt that." Lucy said, somewhat disinterested. She then asked the mouse, "Do you know why Mew is like… causing us to speak with telepathy, but isn't like… revealing herself?"
When Wasabi didn't immediately answer, the Lycanroc decided to sniff the air for Mew. Instead, she smelled another presence nearby and knew something else was standing nearby Mew. Lucy's eyes suddenly changed to a bloody red and she made a low growl. Serena grew nervous at the sudden shift in the atmosphere.
Wasabi stopped Lupa from approaching Serena and made a relieving gesture. The canine-like Pokémon's eyes turned back to yellow as she tilted her head to the side, somewhat confused. Upon seeing Lupa aware of Serena, Wasabi ran to her and tugged on her to come forward. The girl complied shakily. Mew suddenly started to float right above Serena and made a greeting gesture to the Lycanroc. Lucy's ears perked up upon seeing a human girl here.
Lucy's eyes seemed to sear into Serena's soul as she tried to create a judgment of the girl. Serena looked terrified at the Lycanroc just staring at her.
The Lycanroc then lightened up. She said with renewed vigor in her tone, "Oh, I see! You must be that girl! Wasabi has to like be protecting you and stuff… or am I tripping?"
"Um…" Serena didn't know how to respond. Luckily for her, Lucy didn't seem too interested in posing a danger to her.
"Eh… it doesn't matter. I'm not into the killing biz unless I'm dealing with an actual threat. Besides, Mistress Aurora has like… taken a liking to the young master's girlfriend. I'm pretty sure she wouldn't react too well if I did something to her. I'm assuming you are his girlfriend since I've never seen you before two weeks ago and I've lived here for years." Lucy said. The wolf was more observant than Serena thought.
"Yes, I am his girlfriend. I'm trying to earn my place into the family." Serena confirmed. Lucy sniffed Serena's shoes and knees. Then, she nodded to herself.
"Cool. That's enough for me to disobey her parents. They're always like sooooo grody when talking about someone that's a psychic… or I guess in your case, someone that's partially psychic. Go ahead and take the crystal." Lucy rolled the crystal to Serena's feet. The honey blond girl was surprised. Lucy made a comforting smile.
"We… can have your crystal?" Serena was in disbelief of how easily she was willing to give it up, especially after dealing with Lupa.
"Sure. It's not like I care." Lucy shrugged. Serena picked it up. She now had all three in her possession. She felt happy that all of this was over.
"Wow… that was easy. Aren't you supposed to fight me?" Serena reminded.
"I mean… I can totally fight you if you want me to." Lucy said. Serena could tell she was excited because she was trying to hide her tail wagging. Serena chuckled at the sight.
"Depends on how much time we have left. Mew, do you know what time it is?" Serena asked the floating psychic type.
"It's early evening. You should have enough time if this is a sparring match and we travel outside before we do. I can stop you two when it gets to a certain point." Mew offered. Serena nodded.
"That would be nice. I do want to learn how to be a better trainer, so it would be nice to learn and battle without stress today." Serena decided. Lucy got into an excitable stance with her tail wagging wildly.
"Alrighty then. One serious but not really battle coming right up. I'll try my best to help you learn… I guess." Lucy said after calming herself down a bit. Serena seemed to have gotten a bit more comfortable interacting with this Lycanroc because of how nice she was. Serena petted her and rubbed behind her ear. Lucy seemed to enjoy the contact because she murmured, "I really like you, girl. Give me more rubs…"
"Serena… despite how nonchalant Lucy is, she's definitely given me trouble in sparring matches before. You'll know what I mean soon." Wasabi warned. Serena nodded.
"Mew, can you get and destroy the last crystal now that I have all three? I don't want any Pokémon to find it and get hurt." Serena requested the mythical psychic type. Mew laughed, but nodded.
"I was planning on doing that, actually. You found the three stable crystals already so I see no need for you to find extras. Good on you for being concerned about the Tree's Pokémon. I'll meet you outside." Mew teleported away before Serena could thank her. That had been a nagging feeling in her mind all day so Serena was glad it could be put at ease.
"If you want to like… leave this dull place, follow me. I know a shortcut." Lucy gestured Serena to follow her. Although Serena was feeling weary of Lucy due to Lupa, but decided to go along with it upon seeing how Wasabi was like around Lucy. She figured if the Raichu felt comfortable around this Lycanroc, so could she. Besides, this Lycanroc was already ten times better than the other two by virtue of not trying to pick a fight right away.
Lucy led Serena and Wasabi out of the crystal caves toward Aurora's house in record time. Lucy seemed to know the cave labyrinth better than Wasabi. Serena wondered if that was because Lucy was a rock type and rock types tended to like caves. Based on how Lucy seemed to be bored while in the cave, Serena doubted that was the reason. The girl wondered if Aurora often took Wasabi out more than Lucy. Serena began to wonder how many Pokémon Aurora caught in her journey.
Serena took notice of the sky. The sun was beginning to show signs of setting, but the sky wasn't quite orange. Serena was happy that this was almost over. She had a strong sense to finish this.
Serena noticed how eager Lucy was. Lucy's tail was wagging heavily while she led the group through the cave. She seemed so different than the other two Lycanrocs, but she knew looks could be deceiving. Ash's Pikachu was a good example of a Pokémon that didn't seem too powerful and was very friendly, but when battling, he was terrifying to fight against.
Lucy eventually led Serena an open field, the same field Alice and Gordon had fought in earlier. Mew was floating in the middle of the field, waiting for them. Her expression perked up when they finally arrived. Lucy stood at the other side of Serena and Wasabi, poised to battle. She made a toothless grin. Her yellow eyes, though excited, seemed to be more analyzing than before.
Wasabi stood right in front of Serena on her hind legs with her arms on her stomach. She was smiling at her opponent. It felt nice to see no malice between a Lycanroc and Wasabi for once. Mew floated in the middle of the field. She looked at both Pokémon participating in the battle and nodded at both of them. Wasabi and Lucy responded in response. Mew brought her paw up and then brought her paw down to signal the battle to begin. She then teleported out of the way.
The moment Mew moved out of the way, Lucy's excited yellow eyes turned into a dangerous red. Her smile was gone and she was making a slight, but serious frown. Serena gulped at the sudden change.
Lucy immediately made multiple copies of herself and surrounded them around Wasabi. Wasabi looked to Serena for a command. Serena said, "Wasabi use Thunderbolt on all the copies!"
With cheeks crackling with blue electricity, Wasabi shot a powerful line of electricity at all the Lycanroc copies. Serena noted that Wasabi will change the intensity of her electricity depending on who she fought against and also made the conclusion that Lucy could take her weakened electric attacks better than most.
Wasabi's aim was precise. Each copy was destroyed instantly. However, as the copies were getting destroyed all of them were smiling and glowing white. She still looked like she was taking damage despite glowing. Serena wondered what the glow was and then remembered what Wasabi had told her about each Lycanroc.
"Uh-oh… Mirror Coat…" Serena thought. If she could take back her command, she would.
As the final copy was destroyed, the real Lucy took the Thunderbolt with a grin. She then broke out of her attack and immediately counterattacked with a strong white light. Wasabi hissed at getting stuck directly by Lucy's Mirror Coat. Wasabi was still feeling a bit weak from her earlier engagements with Lupa and Lupus, so she didn't take Lucy's counterattack as well she normally could.
Lucy didn't give Wasabi a chance to breathe as she approached Wasabi with her body glowing white as a breakneck pace. Serena recognized the attack as Accelrock. Serena thought, "Since Lucy will counter any special move Wasabi does, let's fight back with some physical moves!"
Before Serena could finish her thought, Lucy already hit Wasabi with her move. Wasabi winced in slight pain after being hit with the Rock type version of Quick Attack. Serena thought in shock, "Geez, she's fast!"
"Wasabi, knock her back with Iron Tail!" Serena said in retaliation.
Wasabi nodded and made her tail glow a steely grey. Lucy reacted extraordinarily quickly. Before Wasabi could land the steel type move, Lucy used Double Team to make it hard for Wasabi to hit the right one. Wasabi swung her tail and made each copy disappear. However, only the real one remained. With a yell, Wasabi swung her tail at the Rock type, but Lucy was much too quick. Dodging effortlessly, Lucy retaliated with a fiery bite. Wasabi hissed when she was bitten by Fire Fang. Serena sucked her teeth and thought about her options.
Seeing how adaptable Lucy was made Serena impressed with the canine, but also thankful she had no intention of killing her. However, she wasn't sure how to attack all the copies without using a special attack. Lucy decided to patiently wait to see what Serena would decide. It was clear to her that the girl had little battle experience, so she didn't want to push her. Wasabi looked back at the girl and wondered why she wasn't saying anything. The mouse realized she was thinking instead. She decided to give some advice.
"Serena… when Lucy's eyes are red, her power and speed are heightened. This is also true for a dusk form Lycanroc. You'll have to react faster to her attacks so I'm not overwhelmed by them! Try and think outside the box in approaching her!" Wasabi told her.
"Think outside the box? I'm not Ash! I can't think of wacky strategies like him!" Serena said with a sigh.
"You did this in the cave and you're doing it now. Serena… stop comparing yourself to Ash." Mew suddenly called out.
"Mew?" Serena blinked her eyes in response at the pixie saying something to her during an active battle.
"You're right. You're not him. However, you still are just as capable." Mew said with a strong voice. Serena was stunned at seeing the psychic type's confidence in her. Mew continued, "Think a bit… and use your observational skills. You might adapt to Lucy this way…"
Serena thought about both Wasabi's and Mew's words. She then looked at Lucy. Lucy was also giving her an encouraging smile. She made her eyes turn back to yellow and wagged her tail slightly when she made eye contact with the girl. Serena chuckled at the sight.
The psychic guardian tried to think about how to overcome Lucy's Double Team fast enough to where Wasabi was able to hit her without getting counterattacked by Mirror Coat. She looked around the field to see something she could use. She noticed how flat the grassland was and wondered if she could alter that somewhat to give herself an advantage. Serena smirked as she got an idea.
Mew saw a change in Serena's demeanor and nodded in approval. She couldn't wait to see what she came up with. Lucy also noticed a change, but got into a battle stance in response. Serena noticed that Lucy didn't change her eyes back to red to power herself up. Lucy took after her trainer in more ways than she realized.
Serena commanded, "Wasabi use Thunderbolt!"
Wasabi was surprised she would make that command considering what happened before, but nevertheless did what she wanted. As Wasabi prepared her attack, Lucy's body began to glow white. Serena made an uncharacteristic smirk when she saw that. Serena brought out her hand and said, "Aim for the ground!"
Wasabi smiled and carried out her temporary trainer's order. Wasabi launched her electrical blast toward the ground. The electricity spiraled into the air wildly, but also caused dust to form between Wasabi and Lucy. Lucy's body stopped glowing white in surprise. Wasabi started to run toward Lucy in the midst of the confusion. Serena took advantage of this by saying, "Now use Iron Tail!"
With a loud cry, Wasabi made her tail glow a steely grey. She smirked as she landed a direct hit on the Lycanroc. Lucy hissed in pain, but didn't yield. As she was struck, Lucy's eyes turned red and she showed a ferocity Serena hadn't witnessed in her yet. Despite getting hit, she pushed Wasabi back and retaliated with a Fire Fang. Wasabi winced at the attack.
Serena was stunned witnessing that. Lucy clearly took damage from the Iron Tail as she was beginning to pant, but she didn't expect the wolf-like Pokémon to still be fast enough to retaliate. She decided to try and do something about that. She noticed that Wasabi was also beginning to pant.
Serena called out, "Wasabi, are you doing okay?"
"Of course. It'll take more than a few bites to take me down." Wasabi said reassuringly.
"Good. Can you use Electroweb then?" Serena requested. Wasabi rubbed her paws against her cheek and launched an electrical web of energy. Lucy narrowed her eyes and seemed to gain a twinkle in them. Mew noticed and wondered what the Lycanroc was planning.
"You've shown me enough, human. Let's see how you handle this…" Lucy thought to herself.
Lucy's eyes turned back to yellow. Using her quick reaction speed, she not only dodged Wasabi's Electroweb, but she also moved past Wasabi. Within a blink of an eye, Lucy lunged for Serena. Serena wailed in surprise when she was knocked on the ground by Lucy. Lucy had her locked in her paws and she looked ready to bite into her neck. However, Lucy held her mouth open instead. It happened so fast that Serena's heart was beating out of her chest, but she didn't dare move. Serena could practically feel Lucy's sharp teeth grazing her neck. When Lucy didn't do anything else but stare into her, Serena relaxed.
Wasabi gasped in horror upon Lucy zipping past her. Lucy had her mouth open near Serena's neck. Serena could literally feel the canine's breath mere centimeters from her. With one bite, she could break her neck in two. Despite seeing this, she knew that if Lucy wanted to bite, she would have already. The mouse made a sigh of relief.
"If I like… seriously wanted to kill you, gaining your trust and attacking you with both yours and your Pokemon's guard down would be the best way, like just now. Don't worry… I don't see a reason to kill you. It's a good thing… you're a nice girl…" Lucy's yellow eyes seem to sear into Serena's soul for a split second. For that moment, Serena saw a glimpse of how Lucy was like when she was seriously following an order. The girl gulped and got the message. Then, Lucy got off Serena and sat up. Her eyes turned much more amicable. Her tail started to wag when the girl got up. She chuckled slightly, "Didn't see that coming, did ya?"
"You scared me half to death!" Serena said, slightly upset.
"That was the intention. I'm glad you didn't panic when your neck was so close to my jaw." When Lucy spoke this time, her earlier accent was gone and her tone carried out to be much more like Aurora's. Serena gasped at the difference.
"Huh?" Serena blinked her eyes at the odd compliment.
"You gave me the impression of someone not battle hardened. I figured giving you a bit of a scare would help me see into your instincts in a stressful situation… and most importantly who you are at your core. You're calm at your core, but you may freeze up." Lucy said, giving her impression of the girl.
"…" Serena didn't know how to respond to the Pokémon, but she knew her words rang true. Lucy was much more insightful than she appeared.
"Work on your reactions a bit more. I noticed even when commanding Wasabi, you didn't react in time to my Accelrock or Double Team. Despite that, you did find a way to halt me in my tracks temporarily… and let me tell you how hard that is normally. Nice adaptation." Lucy said with an approving smile. Serena made a bashful smile back.
"She's not wrong. I'm sure she only hit me back with Fire Fang because this battle wasn't too serious." Wasabi chimed in with a laugh. Lucy confirmed this with a nod. Lucy turned to Serena again.
"I know you've recently started to train, so it's all good. Getting faster reactions comes with more practice." Lucy said with a patient smile. Serena nodded as she took the advice. She nuzzled slightly against Wasabi with a toothless grin. She commented in her original accent, "That was like… a fun workout! Been a while since I had to try against an opponent. I expect nothing less from the Mistress's eldest ace."
"I thought Chari was her ace." Serena was confused by the comment. After all, Chari was Aurora's starter Pokémon.
"I'm her original ace… and in many ways, I'm like a hidden boss now. I was her ace before she got closer to Chari by virtue of Chari being a guardian partner." Wasabi explained.
"How do you feel about not being one of Aurora's guardian partners?" Serena asked.
"It stung at first and I wondered what type of bond Aurora and I had. I doubted myself, wondering what I did wrong to not be her aura partner. We've always shared a tight bond. After all, I've known Aurora the longest out of her Pokémon. It took me a while to accept that I wasn't her guardian partner. I got over it because I remembered one crucial thing." Wasabi said.
"What was that?" Serena wondered.
"No amount of stupid aura can ever convey the love she has for me and the love I have for her. As long as I keep that in mind, I don't get upset. In fact… I even help her more inexperienced electric types sometimes with controlling their electricity. I'm content with helping Aurora out whenever she needs it." Wasabi stated with a satisfied look on her face.
"That's a really good way to look at it." Serena acknowledged. Wasabi laughed wistfully.
"I wish it took me less time to think about it that way, but I was young. Having youthful blood makes you do dumb things at times, but it's all about maturing and being a better person or Pokémon at the end of the day." Wasabi suddenly got on all fours. She looked up at the sky and noticed the sun was getting closer to setting. She said with a heavy voice, "Now I'd say you should hurry back to the house before you fail. Try to keep pace with me."
Serena nodded. Serena waved Lucy goodbye. With Wasabi's lead, Serena began to hurry back to the Ketchum house. Mew looked at Lucy with a small mischievous smile before hurrying with Serena. Lucy sat down where she was for a few moments, deep in thought. She didn't know why, but she wanted to stay by Serena for a little while longer. Then, she seemed to come to a decision. Lucy quickly hurried to catch up with Serena.
Wasabi heard something coming from behind them and moved her ear toward the source. She quickly turned around and stopped Serena in her tracks. Serena was surprised at seeing the dawn form of Lycanroc. Lucy seemed ecstatic that they stopped for her.
"Sorry about reminding you about that nasty stuff, buddy. Didn't mean to." Lucy said with an apologetic tone. Wasabi made a disarming smile, but then tilted her head in confusion.
"It's fine. Um… why are you following us?" Wasabi voiced her confusion. She would have thought Lucy would have run off like the other two by now. Lucy's yellow eyes seemed softer than normal.
"I got nothing better to do. Besides, now that I've seen this… Serena… as you called her… I want to meet young master Ash properly. I've seen him from a distance since he's been here, but I've never directly come up to him because I don't know how he'll respond to me. Should be easier to approach him now that I've battled his betrothed." Lucy admitted.
"You were too nervous to meet him?" Serena realized. Lucy looked away and hid a blush. Serena made an encouraging smile and petted her again. Lucy eased into her touch. The Lycanroc didn't know why, but she felt comfort near Serena. Lucy didn't want to admit to Serena that she also didn't want to leave her, so she went along with her small lie. Serena said, "You shouldn't feel that way. I'm sure he'd love to meet you. I liked meeting you myself."
"Aww, a sweet one, huh? That's… cool or whatever." Lucy said with a disinterested tone, but her tail betrayed her voice. It was wagging wildly. Serena chuckled and acted like she didn't notice for Lucy's sake.
With that, the four of them headed to Aurora's house as fast as they could. Serena didn't know what to expect from Alice and Gordo, but she knew she needed to make a stand. She felt a surge of confidence with Wasabi and Lucy near her. As she hurried through the tree, she couldn't help but eye the setting sun. It felt like time was beginning to go against her.
A/N: This part of Alice's trial was probably my favorite to write. I hope you all enjoyed the different variety the Lycanrocs had. Ash and Serena will finally reunite next chapter. How will things be once Serena reaches the house? So many questions... so many answers. I hope you all will enjoy the result.
Next Chapter: An Altered Perspective
~SPG123~