Pokémon Gray

by Carlos Shiny

Pokémon Gray. What if Ash had never traveled to Unova before now? Ash, now eighteen and strongest trainer in the world, wants to take an important step in his journey to become a Pokémon Master. It's not about participating in another Pokémon League Tournament or defeating other champions, but doing something new and completely different.

1. A promise is a promise

A promise is a promise

It had been a while since Ash had traveled to a new region. He often traveled between regions he had already visited, Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Kalos, Alola and Galar. By now he considered himself almost a citizen of each of them, after all he could count on excellent friends who could easily host him.

Years earlier he had understood what was one of the fundamental steps to becoming a Pokémon Master. Befriend as many Pokémon as possible and help them as much as possible.

It was a night in early March. They were the last days of winter, but it seemed that the cold didn't want to leave the small town of Pallet Town. Under the covers, Ash couldn't sleep. Two weeks earlier he had confirmed his title as the strongest Trainer of all, his opponent, like all the other times, had been Leon. The two were excellent friends, but, despite this, they did not hold back in their fights at all.

Pikachu had noticed that his Trainer wasn't sleeping. To get his attention, she gave him a small headbutt on his chest.

"Yes? Are you worried about me? Yes, I can't sleep, but don't worry. I am fine. Sometimes it happens that certain thoughts don't let you sleep." Another header.

"Alright then. I explain to you. I can't hide my secrets from you. You know it. I want to become a Pokémon Master and I want to do it with you and everyone else. Except, tonight, I was thinking about exactly that." Pikachu let out a small moan of perplexity. He seemed to be asking him "what would you say?" Ash, understanding his friend's perplexity, added more details. "You see. I was thinking about what I need to do to achieve our goal. I realized that if I want to become a Pokémon Master, I have to help others achieve their goals too. Think of May, Dawn or even Serena…" Pikachu smiled as he heard the names of each of his friends. He thought of May and Dawn and their dream of becoming Super Coordinators, and Serena and her dream of becoming Kalos Queen.

Pikachu thought about how, in fact, none of them had managed to achieve their goal. Like Ash anyway. He had not become champion neither in Hoenn, nor in Sinnoh, nor in Kalos.

"For this reason, I would like to travel to a new region, with you and a few other friends. I have no idea where to go, there are many places we haven't visited yet."

The boy got out of bed, turned on the bajour and took a globe from his glass cabinet. "Look, these are the regions we visited. Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Kalos, Alola and Galar. Look at how many regions, we haven't visited yet, there are so many, who knows maybe in one of these we will be able to find someone who can heeeeelp us." The boy let out a huge yawn. Perhaps talking about his doubts with his friend had helped him fall asleep.

"Maybe we'll talk to Professor Oak about it tomorrow. Who knows, maybe some of his colleagues might know some Trainer to help with his goal. Then, of course, doing this trip alone is not a good idea, of course, maybe I will meet some new friends but no. I'm not sure I want to start from scratch."

Pikachu, at least partially understood what the boy was referring to. Maybe now that his friend was getting older, love interests were starting to spark up too?

The boy fell asleep, and Pikachu with him. The next morning, the boy woke up at ten in the morning. A relatively late hour, but rather early by his standards.

After a hearty breakfast, prepared by his mother, an extraordinary cook, the boy jumped up from his chair.

"Ash, where are you going in such a hurry?" His mother asked him. She used to see him enthusiastic even about small things, but this reaction of his beat them all.

"From Professor Oak. I would like to ask him for a small favor." The woman was even more perplexed. What could he ask the professor that was so exciting? Maybe he wanted to go on a new trip and wanted to ask the professor for advice on which region to visit? But what's the point? Now he was the strongest Trainer of all. It was the other trainers, Gym Leaders, Elite Four and Champions above all, who wanted to challenge him.

The flow of thoughts distracted the woman long enough. The boy had already left and headed towards the professor's laboratory. Ash and Pikachu had started running. In a few moments they reached the laboratory.

As soon as he crossed the gate, the boy was hit by the herd of Tauros captured in the Safari area. "Calm down guys! I'm happy to see you too! As soon as he got up and dusted himself off, the boy joined his other Pokémon. He visited them often and willingly. He confided his secrets to them too. "Hey, Bulbasaur! Could you do me a little favor?" the seed Pokémon, he understood immediately. A jet of golden dust came out of the bulb on the Pokémon's back and reached a rather high height. That was the signal. All of the boy's Pokémon reached the seed Pokémon and their Trainer.

As soon as they reached Ash, they formed a circle around his Trainer. The smallest in front, the largest in the back. Having his Pokémon's attention, the boy took his Smart Rotom and contacted Professor Kukui. He also wanted to ask a small favor from the one he considered his adoptive father. After a few rings, the professor answered. After a short chat with the professor, Ash got to the point. He wanted to see his Pokémon. Lycanroc, Incineroar, Melmetal and Rowlet. As soon as he saw them on his phone screen, and certain that he had their full attention, Ash finally began his speech. "As you know, if I wanted to have you here with me it's because I have to announce something important to you." That sentence attracted the attention of his Pokémon even more. They began to exchange doubts and questions, each in his own language. "If I am where I am now, I owe it solely and exclusively to you. You know that. And you also know that I share everything with you. And I will do the same today too. I figured out what next step I need to take if I want to become a Pokémon Master. And to do that I need your help." The boy's Pokémon were even more curious. "I would like to leave on a new journey. A different journey than usual. And I would like to let you participate. Obviously all together is impossible. A Trainer can only carry six Pokémon with him. But don't worry. You will all come with me in turn. I haven't decided where we're going yet, I'll ask Professor Oak for help on this, but I promise you that wherever it is, it will be a wonderful experience. Believe me. And, I promise you'll make some new friends too." the boy's Pokémon were even more exciting.

"And that's all, guys." The boy's Smart Rotom returned to his hands. He greeted Professor Kukui, Magnolia and little Keiki.

Then, the boy headed for the laboratory doors. The doorbell rang and, a few moments later, the professor answered.

"Ah, it's you, Ash! Well come!" The professor pressed a button and triggered the door opening mechanism.

A click confirmed to the boy that the door had opened.

The boy, with Pikachu on his shoulder, reached the professor, who was busy working on the computer. "Good morning Professor." He greeted him. "Hi Ash! Tell me everything." The professor welcomed him.

Tracey wasn't there at the time. And Ash was fine with that.

They were friends, but he would have preferred to speak privately with the professor.

"Of course, right away. He knows it very well. I dream of becoming a Pokémon Master. This is an extremely difficult goal, and with each passing day I understand a new aspect of this dream of mine." The professor turned towards the boy with interest.

"Well. And how could I help you in this goal of yours?" The professor was a very kind person and would have done anything

all to help the boy. But at that moment he had no idea what to do to help him.

"Here you are. I understood that to be a Pokémon Master I must also help others achieve their goals" The professor was starting to understand. "But you have already traveled with May, with Dawn and with Serena. You traveled with them and supported them on their journey. Don't you think that's enough?" Ash was quick to respond. "Unfortunately not. May did not become a Super Coordinator. And the same goes for Dawn. Or Serena, who didn't become Kalos Queen. Here you are. For this reason I do not consider myself to have fulfilled this task. That's why I asked her for help." Finally the professor had understood the expert Trainer's question. "So would you like me to put you in touch with a colleague of mine so that you can help a young Trainer or a young Trainer on his journey?" Ash smiled. The professor had fully understood. "I see I understand. Maybe I know who can help you. I warn you, he lives quite far from here. It's going to be a nice trip."

Ash mentioned how the distance, at least for him, wasn't a problem. "She is a professor and lives in the Unova region. Her name is Aralia. Aurora Aralia. At this time in Unova it is ten at night. It's a little late, but he might as well respond. Giving it a try shouldn't be a problem."

The professor got in touch with his colleague. After a few moments, the woman answered the call. The face of a woman of about forty appeared on the computer screen. She had light brown hair, done up in a strange style, and light green eyes. She wore red, square-shaped earrings.

She was dressed in plain clothes at the time. A pink t-shirt covered by a sports jacket. As soon as she realized who her interlocutor was, the woman greeted him.

"Hi Samuel! To what do I owe this call? You know it's ten in the morning in Unova! It must be urgent." The man answered her immediately. "Well, it's because of this guy." The professor pulled Ash's jacket, making him move closer to the camera. "Ash Ketchum? What an honor! The strongest Trainer of all! To what do I owe this call?" The boy hurriedly replied. "I asked Professor Oak if he could help me achieve my goal of becoming a Pokémon Master. And I realized that, to do that, I have to help someone achieve their goal. I talked about it with the professor and he put me in touch with you." The Professor smiled. "I understand. In three weeks I will give some young trainers their first Pokémon. And I already have in mind the person you could help. She is the daughter of a very dear friend of mine. She is a very shy girl, and perhaps having an energetic boy like you as a traveling companion could help her change and open up to others" "Yes. I accept the challenge. Goodbye professor and thank you for your collaboration." "Thanks to you, Ash."

The professor sent the professor's contact information to Ash. He had done his. Now the choice was in the boy's hands.

The boy returned to his Pokémon, who had been waiting for him where they were. Still arranged in a circle. Some of them moved aside to let him pass.

First he sent a voice message to Professor Kukui, asking him to play it for his Pokémon. "Boys. It's practically done. Soon we will leave for a new adventure. And I will share it with you. We will go to a rather distant region. Unova. Of course, it's not official yet. We'll have to iron out some details, but I can assure you that it's almost certain now." The boy's Pokémon were enthusiastic about the idea. They wondered among themselves who would come with him. Of course, knowing him, in all probability, sooner or later it would have been everyone's turn, but the curiosity about who would be the first was difficult.

The boy said goodbye to his Pokémon and headed home. Very happy to be able to give the good news to his mother too. Arriving at the front door, he inserted the keys into the lock and clicked the lock. Since the door wasn't closed, mom was home. And sure enough, the woman was sitting on the couch next to Mimey. They were watching television.

"At that time? How did it go?" The woman asked him. "Very good. I can't promise anything yet, but I found someone who could help me achieve my dream." "I think it's great news. Where are you going?" the woman asked him. Ash replied almost without thinking. "In the Unova region." The boy's mother almost had a stroke. "It's very far away! That's almost eleven thousand kilometers of travel! I'm not saying I'm worried. I'm sure you'll be fine, but as a mother I am, I worry about my son. You will have to get some new clothes. You'll have to make a good impression like the champion you are!" Ash. he didn't answer. His concern was another. The boy had gone up to his room and opened the address book on his Smart Rotom. He had a fixed thought in his head. At least for once he didn't want to leave alone. Of course, in one way or another he had always met people with whom he had become friends and had then traveled with them, but this time he wanted to change. He didn't want to start from scratch. He knew that the person he would have to guide would be a girl, and a rather shy one at that. This made him think that the ideal candidate had to be a girl. Who? Ash thought about his friends and tried to figure out who the ideal candidate was. Starting with Misty. Immediately excluded due to her enormous commitments to the gym. Further increased by the little collaboration of the sisters.

He then thought of May. The last time she had heard from her friend was just a week ago. On that occasion Ash had discovered his intention to try to climb to the rank of Super Coordinator again with the Kanto races. And Ash wasn't one to trample on other people's dreams. Similar story for Dawn, who was trying with the Johto races.

That left Serena, Mallow, Lana and Lillie. The friends from Alola were discarded, mainly due to logistical problems, since to travel to Unova documents were needed that the friends did not possess, the only remaining candidate was Serena. The relationship between the two was quite particular, with the girl having tried in every way to make Ash understand her interest, with the latter seeming to be the only one who didn't understand it.

Could a trip together now that they were grown up finally make them understand?

Ash knew that this was not the right time to contact Serena, precisely because of the time difference. In Kanto it was around noon, while in Kalos it was five in the morning.

To be able to contact her friend at a decent time, she would have had to wait until at least three in the afternoon, when in Kalos it was eight in the morning. Ash had so many questions. He wondered, for example, whether Serena would want to take such a trip, especially considering that they would have to travel to such a distant region. And if she hadn't accepted the proposal, would she have let him go alone, knowing that there would be another girl who would get in the way?

He understood that Serena was a jealous girl. At least that. So she wondered how she would deal with

that girl, as soon as she got too close to him?

And since he was the one who had that desire, he had to be the one to find something for her. Pikachu, noticing the Trainer's concern, placed a paw on his shoulder.

"Thank you. You really understand me. But it's not me you have to convince. You know it." Pikachu understood well what his Trainer meant. It was now clear that he, alone, would not move. And this was worth even more, considering that there was a girl involved. Who knows how Serena would have taken it if she had discovered that Ash had a new female friend. Already with Lillie, Mallow and Lana she had been very close to multiple murders, but the presence of another boy had

attenuated those instincts quite a bit. But a trip to a distant region, in the company of a girl and without other boys...

He would think about how to explain the situation to Serena after lunch.

Ash was one who thought best on a full stomach. Unfortunately, the very abundant lunch did not help the boy. And, in less than an hour and a half, the boy had to think of something.

The only thing he could think of was to do a little research on the region, hoping to find something that

could be of interest to the girl too. The search, fortunately, was fruitful. Varietà were present in Unova

Pokémon, as well as in Kalos. On the contrary. In fact, they were originally from Unova.

Ash had discovered that, originally, Pokémon Showcases were a side event to sporting or other events. Then, later, they became an event in their own right.

In the worst case scenario he would have leMayged that. The Unova Show Shows were very prestigious and difficult, and for the girl it could be quite a challenge. At least he wouldn't be traveling at all.

The girl had come second in the professional category in Kalos, and subsequently attempted the Pokémon competition route in Hoenn, again without success. Maybe that trip could have been the right opportunity for her too. It was three in the afternoon. Ash contacted his friend. At that moment in Kalos it was eight in the morning. Maybe it was a little early, but he wanted to try anyway. The boy took his Smart Rotom and contacted Serena. The latter, half asleep, answered only after several rings.

"Oh, is it you? But you know it's early here. It's eight in the morning!"

He replied, his voice still thick with sleep. It was clear that she had been woken up by the ringtone of her Smart Rotom.

Ash had to admit that the girl, despite still having the pillow attached to her head, was equally charming. "You see. I would like to leave on a new journey and I would be very happy if you would come with me." The girl was perplexed. Where did Ash want to go? He had now become world champion. It wouldn't have made any sense to set out to conquer some league or the like. "What exactly would you like to do?" He asked him.

"Last night I thought about what it meant to become a Pokémon Master. And I understood what step I will have to take if I want to reach the goal" "But it's fantastic!" Serena was overcome by enthusiasm. In the background, Ash could hear the girl's mother's voice. He asked her if everything was okay or something.

"And what is it?" He asked, recovering a little of his aplomb. "I understood that I have to help someone achieve their goal. His dream." It took the girl a short time to understand. "I didn't succeed. And I understand that the same can be said of your other friends. But that doesn't explain why you want to go to Unova. There are other regions that we have not yet visited. And they are even closer. For example, Paldea, which is very close to Kalos. May I know what led you to choose it?" The boy replied without hesitation. "Actually, Professor Oak suggested it to me. She put me in contact with a colleague of hers, Professor Aralia, a colleague of hers who studies in the Unova region. He told me about how, soon, it will be time for new trainers to get their first Pokémon and how I could help one of them. And besides this I also have some good news to give you" "Interesting. You'll have fun! But what do I do? I would like to go to Kanto and try the races there... they start soon and we know very well that a trip for an entire region is quite long."

Ash smiled. He knew very well how jealous Serena was. She would never allow him to travel alone. Imagine if he had discovered that the person he would have to take care of would be a girl.

"In Unova there are Pokémon Showcases. You could try to rise to Unova Queen. After all, you were so close to Kalos... and now you have much more experience..."

The girl did not respond immediately. "I have to think about it. I imagine that there is some time between now and the date you have planned to leave. I am wrong?"

"Three weeks. I don't know. If you want to come home and we can fly directly, or we'll meet directly in Lumiose City?" Serena had to think about it. Ash was always an enthusiastic guy. He always expected immediate answers.

"Let's do something. For the moment, don't say anything to the Professor. In any case, I'm leaving for Kanto tomorrow. I found a last minute flight. I would have liked to stay here longer, but a flight at that price is impossible."

Ash accepted. The girl ended the call and started packing her suitcase.

He released his Pokémon from their respective Poké Balls and told his family the news. "I have some news to give you. On the contrary. More than one." The girl's three Pokémon pricked up their ears.

"Ash proposed to me to leave for a new journey. It will be quite far from here. In the Unova region. I honestly don't know what to do. He told me that there are Pokémon Showcases in Unova. Well. We will be able to attempt to ascend to the throne of Unova. But I'm not sure. He has always supported me in my dream both when I tried with Pokémon Showcases and with Contests. Whenever he could he was always present in the audience to watch and cheer for us. But I'm not sure I want to try again.

What do you think about it?"

Sylveon wrapped one of his ribbons around the girl's arm. The meaning of that gesture was very clear. Whatever choice he made, he would support it.

Delphox and Pancham had a similar reaction. "Yes. Thank you. I am very happy to be able to count on you. Whatever the choice, tomorrow we will go to Kanto. In case we don't leave for Unova we will try the Kanto races. What do you think?"

The girl's Pokémon merely approved her words.

Serena opened the door to her room and went down the stairs, followed closely by her Pokémon.

"What happened? What is all this enthusiasm due to? It doesn't seem like you have much reason to celebrate lately. Or at least you told me that. Aren't you hiding something from me? Know that you can't hide anything from a mother. Whatever you try to hide from me, sooner or later I will find it."

"No. It's just that Ash made me a proposal, but I don't know what to do. For the moment I was vague, I didn't tell him either yes or no. He told me I have just under three weeks to decide. He told me that, if I decided to leave, I could take part in the Pokémon Showcases. He told me they are very difficult, but he believes in me."

"So what do you think you're going to do? Know that whatever choice you make, I will support you."

"Thank you. Even if I have already made a small decision. I will return to Kanto sooner than expected. Tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? But didn't you promise me yesterday that you would stay for another ten days? It's not like you and Ash..."

"No." Serena blushed. "I would like to try to participate in a race in Kanto. Then I'll decide what to do. It's not a choice you can make on the spot. Maybe taking part in a competition could help me."

"If you do not know."

After having breakfast, the girl finished packing her suitcase. He knew well how to deal with that type of journey. He shouldn't have brought too much stuff. Just what is necessary.

It took him a couple of hours to choose what to take in his checked luggage and his hand luggage. And he had to check again and again that he had everything.

Certain. If something was missing, he could have bought it locally, but he preferred to avoid that kind of unexpected event. Better to check once more than worry later.

The next day, the girl got up very early. She had to take the train to Lumiose City Airport, and although it was a train known for its speed, the girl didn't want to be late.

The flight was at eleven in the morning, she was supposed to be at the airport at nine. At least. The train journey lasted approximately an hour and a half and left from Borgo Bozzetto station at seven in the morning.

The girl, fearing she would be late, got up at five in the morning. She had put on her backpack, her handbag and her trolley which she would then load into the hold.

Before leaving, the girl had made sure she had purchased the right ticket. It would have really been a disaster,

otherwise. Yet another check confirmed that that ticket was a direct Borgo Bozzetto-Luminopoli Airport.

First class. The only one available on that type of train.

The Borgo Bozzetto station was quite small, as was the town. It was a simple brick building positioned in front of the tracks. Three tracks.

An underpass allowed access to the second and third tracks. To prevent people from getting sunstroke or heat stroke on hot summer days, a very high metal roof projected its shadow along all three tracks. Some benches allowed travelers to sit while waiting for the train to arrive.

Screens showed the times of the different trains that would pass. They were updated in real time. His train would arrive at six fifty-eight. It would have stopped for two minutes and then it would have left again.

From there he would stop at Rio Acquerello, Novartopoli and, finally, Luminopoli.

In fact, in the region's largest city, he would have stopped three times. His stop would be the last. Right at the airport, which, moreover, was the terminus.

The girl, to pass the time, started playing with her phone. "The extra-urban train "31655" headed to the airport

of Lumiose City is arriving on platform 1. Move away from the yellow line!"

The voice of the announcement system brought the girl back to her senses. Getting distracted wasn't like her, and that distraction was about to cost her a flight.

The enormous and very modern train slowed down until it stopped. The girl was lucky enough to be a short distance from the door.

All she had to do was press a button for it to open, with a breath. The interior of the train mirrored the exterior in every way. Clean, tidy and elegant.

Since she was alone in that carriage, the girl didn't worry too much about placing the trolley in the overhead compartment. He would have risked forgetting it and it would have been a disaster.

The two minute stop passed and the train quickly picked up speed. The girl sat down and didn't worry too much about it. She was sitting forward facing and that acceleration kept her glued to the seat.

From the screen, positioned on the wall of the carriage, just in front of her, she could read the name of the next stop. The Rio Acquerello station. It was really five minutes by train.

Fortunately, few people got on at that station too. He could still keep the trolley where it was.

Now the destination had changed. Novartopoli. The city where she and Ash had met after years. It hadn't gone very well for him. He had lost the gym challenge against Violetta.

They had trained hard, and on his second attempt, he was able to earn the Bug medal. Few people in this case too. There was still an hour of travel left.

For about forty minutes there would be no stops. This allowed the rapid train to express its excellent speed performance. Over three hundred kilometers per hour.

At that speed, everything seen from the window appeared absolutely incomprehensible and confusing.

The forty minutes started quickly and the train slowed to enter the first station, on the western outskirts of the city.

A good number of people were waiting for the train.

The girl instinctively moved her trolley to allow one person to sit. But no one seemed interested. There were plenty of free seats.

A quarter of an hour later the train stopped at the central station, where many of the people who had boarded at the west station got off. In truth, the total passenger count did not change much. Just as many people, headed for the airport, had boarded. Only the last quarter of an hour of the journey remained.

The airport station was directly connected to the arrivals area. This meant that, as soon as she arrived, she would have to travel quite a distance. The city's airport was huge and crowded.

Luckily for him, the directions, hanging on signs protruding from the ceiling, were clear and numerous. First he would have to weigh his checked baggage and collect his boarding label. He scanned his boarding pass into the totem and the machine, in a few moments, printed the label.

The girl placed it in the handle of the trolley and headed to the baggage area. Here he handed the suitcase to an employee and the latter, after reweighing it, slid it along a conveyor belt.

Now that her hold luggage had been secured in the hands of airport workers, the girl had to go through security checks.

Luckily the queue for long-haul flights was quite short. It took her a short time to reach the security checkpoint, remove possible metal objects she was carrying and pass through the metal detector.

Everything is fine.

The girl collected her personal belongings and reached the long-haul departures area. Boarding of his flight had not yet begun. He still had ten minutes.

She didn't want to get distracted like with the train, so after sending a message to Ash, she put it in her bag and promised herself not to use it. Unless it was really necessary.

Serena was among the first in line to reach the boarding gate. He placed his digital boarding pass in the card reader. A sound confirmed to the girl that she could pass. The girl almost forgot her identity document.

She went down the stairs and had to get on a minibus that would take her and other passengers to the plane. The plane he was supposed to take was very recognisable. It had a stunning metallic blue livery. And the white wings.

He was lucky enough to be able to book a window seat. At least she could have sat down once and for all and wouldn't have had to get up to pick up other passengers. The same would also apply upon arrival. No one would have pushed her to leave. He could have done with a little more calm.

Sure, it was a little inconvenient when he had to go to the bathroom, but it was a small price to pay for all the other, huge benefits. Plus, he could have taken some nice photos.

After about twenty minutes, boarding was completed and, while the plane was being towed to the take-off runway, the on-board staff explained the various safety regulations to the passengers.

Not news for the girl, a regular on that route and that airline, but in any case she decided to listen.

Statistically, flying was the safest means of transportation, so there was no reason to worry.

After a two and a half hour flight, the first meal was served. Serena wasn't particularly hungry, but she didn't want to risk being hungry later.

Once the meal was finished and the tray was handed over, it was the Pokémon's turn to dine, and those of the Kalos native were no exception. At least they had an appetite.

After about two hours, the crew, escorted by some grass-type Pokémon, ordered them to use Sleep Powder.

This allowed the passengers to fall asleep.

This trick allowed us to be perfectly aligned with the Kanto time zone. When the passengers were put to sleep, it was 10 pm in the Kanto region.

After nine hours of flight, the passengers were woken up. Some were already awake earlier. Others don't. Including Serena. The plane would land in an hour. And that was breakfast time. Included, like the previous meal, in the ticket price.

And there would have been more. After the trainers it was also the Pokémon's turn to have breakfast.

Serena looked at the time on her Smart Rotom. There was still an hour of flight left. The girl took advantage of the fact that the bathroom was not was busy going there.

Both out of necessity and because he hadn't gotten up from his seat in hours. He still had his seatbelt on from takeoff, so had to unbuckle it. She had gotten so used to his presence that she had tried to get up with the same one still on. Failing miserably.

On the second try he undid his seatbelt and stood up. He walked down the hallway of the airport and reached the bathrooms. Sitting all that time had made her legs numb.

Upon his return, the crew gave the ultimatum. Whoever had to go to the bathroom still had half an hour. Then the services would be closed.

As the plane began landing, Ash had reached the arrivals area of Saffron City International Airport.

The friend would arrive shortly thereafter.

Ash had reached the area intended for people waiting for someone. It certainly didn't go unnoticed. After all, he was the strongest Trainer of all and many male and female admirers had asked him for photos and autographs.

The boy willingly accepted. He was sorry to disappoint his fans.

After pleasing several dozen admirers, Ash was finally able to reach the area he wanted. Serena's plane was completing the final stages before landing. Ash still couldn't see the blue giant land, but he knew that he would soon be able to spot the sky giant landing, thanks to the huge windows.

The plane was now a few tens of meters above the ground. The landing gear was out and fully engaged. The blue giant landed. The pilot, using the controls, increased the aerodynamic resistance of the vehicle and activated the thrust reversers. The only way to make that giant stop and avoid leaving the track.

Serena, unlike Ash, was a fairly patient person, so she would have easily accepted letting a good part of the passengers off, before getting off herself.

When most of the flow of passengers left the plane, the girl took her backpack from under the seat in front of her and went down the aisle and exited the plane.

He then reached the baggage claim area and, after a short wait, collected his suitcase. Now, finally, he could reach Ash.

The girl began to pull her trolley, cursing herself for how much she had loaded it. The maximum weight of checked luggage was thirty kilos, and her mother had forced her to use every last gram.

At least he was aware that for the rest of the journey that great knight Ash would carry it for him. And he wasn't wrong.

Once this was done, Pikachu greeted the girl by climbing onto her shoulder, and the latter greeted him in turn, caressing him gently. Ash began to pull the girl's trolley, soon realizing how heavy it was. Luckily the station wasn't far away.

To reach the station, the two had to cross the arrivals area, walk down a hallway, go down a flight of stairs and walk down a further hallway.

As with Lumiose City, also in that case the airport was the terminus of the route they should have taken.

The next train would pass just two minutes after they arrived. In Kanto the trains were always on time. Maybe too much. Train drivers were punished if they left late, or early.

If anything, the trains were even nicer and, perhaps, faster than those in Kalos. They were certainly busier, but despite this, they were quieter. Despite the dozens of people present in the carriages, a dead silence reigned.

In this case Ash was forced to place Serena's trolley in one of the train's overhead bins. They had to remember to take it back, or they would have to visit the lost property office.

And, after a journey of so many hours, Serena just didn't feel like it. It was nine in the morning, and although she had slept several hours, she wasn't very rested.

The train stopped at all stations. The first stop was Cerulean City, the city where Misty, the water-type gym leader, Ash's first historic traveling companion, was originally from.

Some of the passengers got off the train, allowing Ash, Serena and Pikachu to be a little more comfortable. Second stop was Pewter City. Town where Brock was originally from. Of course, the friend was not present at that moment. His studies as a Pokémon doctor had forced him to move to the Sinnoh region.

And, finally, the station of Emerald City arrived for the two, the closest city to small Pallet Town.

Pallet Town, in fact, was not served by train tracks, so Ash had to ask his mother for a ride. The woman had been waiting for the two for a good half hour. The woman was well aware of how Serena needed to rest. Like the loving mother she was, she treated Ash's friends as if they were her own daughters.

Ash placed the suitcase in the hood of the car, then closed it. Once this was done, he opened the door for Serena, waited for her to sit down, then sat down next to her. Luckily, his mother's car had three seats in the front and three seats in the back, a very unique configuration, but one that made it suitable for such situations. Serena was sitting in the middle seat, and as soon as she sat down, she fastened her seat belt. The journey was quite short, just about ten minutes. As soon as they arrived, Delia parked the car in the driveway of her house, a small villa, similar to all the other homes in the city. A two-story white house, surrounded by a garden and with a small veranda.

Every time she visited the town, the girl wondered how they could recognize their house if all the houses in the small town were white. From this, after all, the name of the city came.

"You've had a long journey, if you want you can rest, you know that here you can make yourself at home!" The woman invited her. Despite the invitation, Serena declined the offer. He would have preferred to do something else, such as training for the Saffron City competition. He hadn't talked about it with Ash, but the outcome of that race would determine what to do.

If she had won she would have dedicated herself to the Kanto Contests. And he would find a way to keep Ash away from the demands of the Unova fans.

The competition in question would have been a double performance, and the girl had not yet chosen who to use. He only had three Pokémon, but it was a difficult choice, after all, his future depended on it.

The girl sat down on the steps overlooking the entrance to the Ketchum house. He sat down on the steps and took out his three Poké Balls from his bag. Delphox, Pancham and Sylveon.

"Let's see... Delphox and Pancham work well together... but also Pancham and Sylveon or Sylveon and Delphox... in short it's difficult. Then… I can't ask Ash. No. Not if he's that involved. Then, even if I told him about the race, how would he take it if I entrusted this decision to a single race? And then, now that I think about it, do I really want to entrust my next career choices to just one race? Maybe two or three… but one?"

The girl didn't notice, but about halfway through her speech, not far from her, Delia, Ash's mother, sat down. Serena had gotten to know her. A woman under forty, brown hair and eyes of the same color. Serena knew that the woman had really been through a lot, given that she had become a mother very young, just at the age of nineteen, well. One thing that, well, put a certain psychological pressure on Serena, was that she had to raise Ash alone.

"If you don't want to talk about it directly with Ash, you can talk about it with some of your friends. Maybe they can help you. Both for decide who to choose in the race, both to decide whether or not to travel to Unova. I don't know how much I can help you, and you know well the reason, I would be too biased, but maybe they can."

With that, the woman walked away and went back to her chores. In a little while he would start preparing lunch. Serena didn't move. It almost looked like a statue.

Yes. She had thought about asking her friends for advice, but who? Her two former rivals (even in love!) Shauna and Miette would have told her to travel with Ash without even thinking about the race. It would have been a sort of ultimatum. They would tell her something like "either you come out or I'll do it." And then they were both aware of the presence of Variety in Unova too and of their high prestige, so they would have pushed her in that direction.

May, on the other hand... as well as a friend, she was a rival. And blurting out his strategy to a potential rival wasn't a thing.

And she too, not without interests, would have advised her on the path of Variety. They were friends, but they had just been dating Poké Balls in capsules, they became rivals. This meant she had to decide for herself.

"Maybe talking to Ash is the best choice. I had the opportunity to observe you and you were as still as a statue. Were you afraid to ask or what?" Delia asked, startling her.

"No. Or better. Not only. I thought about what they would say to me. And none of them would have helped. Hand. I'm not sure I want to talk to him about it."

"You know him by now, maybe even better than me. You know that he is perfectly capable of putting his desire aside in order to make you attempt this climb. He has waited until now, he can wait further."

"Wait". That word bounced around Serena's mind. After all, if they were in this situation, it was partly his fault too. After the defeat at Kalos he had wanted, at least partially, a change of scenery.

She took a gap year and then tried her hand at racing in Hoenn, Johto, and Sinnoh. She had always been able to win the fateful five ribbons and participate in the respective Grand Festivals, but she had never won one.

In one way or another he had always lost in the final, almost as if it were a curse. And as such it had to be broken.

"Maybe I should start where the curse started?"

The girl asked herself without getting an answer. After all, if Ash wanted to help someone achieve their goal, that would be fine too, right?

"Maybe I should talk to him. Maybe without saying anything about the fact that my choice depends on a race."

The girl stood up and rubbed her back. She hadn't been sitting for long, but her back still hurt a little.

The girl entered the house. Delia was busy cooking, and almost didn't notice that the girl had entered.

"Ash and I are going for a walk, we'll be back soon!"

Ash was a little surprised by the girl's words. Not that he didn't want to go around with her, of course, otherwise he would never have invited her to join him, but he didn't expect such a proposal. Pallet Town didn't offer who knows what attractions, so he imagined it was a simple excuse to be alone for a while. "All right. Where would you go?"

Serena didn't answer. It seemed that the important thing wasn't so much where to go, but rather whether to talk to him. The two went out, complete with jackets and backpacks.

The two had no clear path to follow, with Serena dragging Ash from side to side. Remaining silent. He didn't know how to introduce the topic.

Telling him that if he wanted to lead someone to his goal, she would be the ideal candidate, seemed too direct and out of her league. And then did she really start with the desire to become Super Coordinator? Was that his wish or was it just a fallback? And then how would she have been seen, as a foreigner, as super coordinator of the year?

In Unova it was different. The great region was famous for being a crossroads of people from all over, and although the current queen was from Johto, no one had said anything. On the contrary.

Ash noticed how Serena had remained silent all this time. As if he were trying to keep a secret and was afraid of revealing it as soon as he opened his mouth.

"Everything is fine?" Ash asked, sounding worried.

"You know, I thought I wanted to participate in the Saffron City competition"

The girl replied. From his tone it seemed as if he had been keeping that news inside for a long time. "Well, I don't see where the problem is. It should be in two weeks, so we can easily leave..."

Serena interrupted him. "I don't know. Lately I've been wondering what my true desire is."

"You said it yourself. You wanted to become the Kalos Queen. After everything that happened you decided to dedicate yourself to Pokémon racing, but you never said that that would be your choice"

The girl thought about it for a while. Ash was actually right. She had never expressed her desire to become Super Coordinator. The races had been a sort of rebound for her.

"I thought that my experience in Pokémon Showcases would be helpful in the Contests. But I was wrong. They are two totally different worlds. And when I realized it it was too late. Yes. I won some ribbons, I mean, you followed all my races, you know how it went. I'd like to try it one last time."

In the end, the girl had fallen where she didn't want to fall. He had openly declared his interest in participating in the Kanto Contests.

"I understand. You must not give up and you must try until the end. Whatever it takes."

Serena was amazed by that reaction. She expected Ash to support her, but she feared that he had gotten tired of seeing her continually fail when she was one step away from succeeding.

"However. I am trying to say. Lately you've always followed me, you were there at practically every one of my races..."

"Believe me. Doing it didn't bother me at all. Otherwise we wouldn't be where we are now."

Maybe Serena misunderstood Ash's words, and that's why she blushed. They were alone at the time. Alone together.

"Everything OK?" Ash asked her, worried.

"Oh yes. Absolutely" The girl tried to put everything she had thought about up until that moment out of her mind. He feared her reaction. Maybe they would drift apart forever if she actually told him what she was thinking.

"And the commitment you made? I don't want you to have to give it up just for me."

For Ash, finding the right words wasn't easy at all. "After all, becoming a Super Coordinator is also a challenge

objective. And I have never specified that I have to help a Trainer become a champion."

"If you say so. In any case I was thinking of one thing. I will participate in this race, and based on how it goes, I will decide what to do. If things go badly, I'll try to take the throne of Unova. Maybe going back to basics could do me some good."

Ash stopped suddenly. "You don't want to give up becoming Super Coordinator just because of the outcome of a competition?" Serena, who in the meantime had continued walking, had only now realized the distance that separated her from Ash.

"It's not just a race. I've been trying for almost twenty-five races and three Grand Festivals now. Maybe I should go back to basics and try again with the Varieties. And then it's my life. I'd like to be the one to decide."

The girl was starting to get warm. And both Ash and Pikachu noticed. "That's not it. It's right that you follow your own path. I can't decide for you, and I will always support you, whatever choice you decide to make."

The girl smiled. That was the Ash he loved.

"I'd say we can go back. I promise you that I will prepare this race like all the others. I'll try not to think about how important it is." The two returned to base just in time for lunch. As soon as the two crossed the threshold of the door,

without even having time to place the jackets and backpacks on the dead man, Delia immediately unleashed her

curiosity. It was quite strange to her that Ash would choose to start a journey with a former traveling companion.

"So, how did it go?" As it was formulated, the question could have been addressed to both of them, but Serena soon realized that the question was addressed to her.

"I told him everything. In the end, he took it well. Just like you told me." Both Ash and Pikachu scratched their heads. What were they referring to? What were his mother and her friend messing with?

The growling of Ash and Pikachu's stomachs made it clear that, at that moment, they had other priorities. The boy helped his mother set the table.

The woman, despite the short notice, had prepared a great lunch, complete with starter, first course, second course, side dish and dessert.

After the abundant lunch, it was Serena who took the initiative again. "Can I ask you a question?" "There?" Ash was still finishing his third slice of ice cream cake. By now he had almost completely lost the sensitivity in his mouth due to the low temperature of the dessert.

"You always told me that you had captured other Pokémon, besides those from Kalos, but why didn't you ever let me know about them?" Ash froze at the girl's words. It was true. Even more so since the Kalos league, unlike the previous leagues, had not allowed other Pokémon to battle other than those captured there.

"We never had time. We were always in quite a hurry. Every time you came here you stopped by to say hello and that was it. But since there's no shortage of time this time, we can stay there as long as you want."

The two left the house again, and headed towards Professor Oak's laboratory. Serena didn't know the way, so Ash had to guide her. The laboratory was located on top of a hill. It was a large building topped by a wind turbine that provided much of its energy needs.

Not far from it there was a fence surrounding a large plot of land. "Here you are. This is where my Pokémon live!" Serena remained silent for a few moments. "But I don't see anyone. Aren't you kidding me?" The girl didn't have time to finish her sentence before the ground immediately began to shake. "What is this? An earthquake?" Serena was terribly scared. "I would advise you to move" Ash warned her. "Why should I?" The girl asked. Pikachu, understanding what was happening, jumped from his Trainer's shoulder and pushed Serena away with a powerful swipe of his tail, causing her to fall. "HEY! BUT WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH YOU? ARE YOU CRAZY?" The girl shouted. Pikachu didn't respond, simply sitting next to the girl.

Soon the vibrations in the ground became even more intense, and in the distance it was possible to spot a gigantic cloud of dust approaching at great speed.

Soon the sound of hooves was added to the vibrations of the ground. A few more moments and Ash was thrown into the air.

"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!" Ash, having fallen back to the ground, got back on his feet, rubbed his back and dusted himself off. "Here you are. They are my Tauros" The herd of Bull Pokémon surrounded their Trainer and began to lick him affectionately.

"That's their way of showing affection. Let's just say it's a little extreme and I didn't want you to get hurt."

Serena blushed. Ash had been worried about her. He was wrong to blame Pikachu. "Excuse me. I was wrong to take it. You just wanted to avoid me getting seriously hurt. Sorry again" Pikachu jumped on her, as if to make her understand that everything was settled. The girl, in response, caressed it.

Serena and Pikachu, very slowly, reached the Tauros herd. "Don't worry, you can pet them, they won't do anything to you." The girl, a little fearful, stretched out her hand towards the nearest specimen.

He slowly brought his hand closer to the Pokémon's head and touched it. The Pokémon licked her arm in response. "Hey! But you're tickling me like this! The girl couldn't help but laugh.

"Sorry if I'm indiscreet, but how come you caught... One, two... three..." the girl continued to count in her head. "Thirty Tauros?" Ash smiled sheepishly. "To tell the truth, they are the ones who decided to get captured. When we visited the Safari area, to catch some Pokémon, they did, well… what they did before and…"

Serena tried not to laugh. "I understand… I understand. But the others?" "They're coming, they're coming! Hey! Bulbasaur!?" The seed Pokémon, as soon as it heard its Trainer's voice, the seed Pokémon started running towards it. He stopped his run as soon as he saw what, for him, was a complete stranger.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't introduce her to you. This is Serena. A very dear friend of mine." The Seed Pokémon looked the girl up and down. He seemed like a nice guy. He moved closer to the girl and smelled her.

"It seems to have recognized that you have some Pokémon with you. Maybe he wants to get to know them before trusting" Ash tried to interpret his Pokémon's gesture. The girl, understanding that at that moment she was, in a certain sense, a guest, could not help but indulge him. "On! Come out!" The girl took the three Poké Balls from her bag and let her Pokémon out. From the girl's Poké Balls came a Delphox, a Pancham and a Sylveon.

The Seed Pokémon looked at each of the girl's Pokémon. Starting with Delphox. The Fire/Psychic fox seemed like an okay Pokémon to her. He then moved on to Sylveon. She too remained calm, also receiving Bulbasaur's approval.

Pancham was quite nervous, which was sensed by Bulbasaur. The Seed Pokémon moved away from the Rascal Pokémon, and began charging a Gearbox. As the Seed Pokémon began to run, Pancham understood its intentions, and used a powerful Stone Edge. Huge sharp blue boulders emerged from the ground. Bulbasaur seemed to notice this in time and, using his powerful vines, destroyed the boulders, then grabbed his opponent.

"HEY! YOU TWO! WHAT DO YOU DO!" Serena couldn't stand seeing Pokémon fight. She wasn't against battles, otherwise she wouldn't even have become a trainer, a fundamental step for most careers in the Pokémon world, but, for her, like for many others, respect came before battles. "Let them vent. Maybe they will respect each other once it's over fight." "As you like." Serena simply said.

Meanwhile, Pancham attempted to attack with Ice Punch, hitting Bulbasaur's whips and forcing him to let go, causing Pancham to fall.

The latter, now free, attacked with Black Pulse. From his upper limbs a series of rings of dark, colored energy was generated purple, which were easily avoided by the opponent. Bulbasaur simply rolled to the right. At the same time, a greenish-colored sphere of energy began to generate from his mouth. He remembered, for sure

you shed some sort of eye.

Something, however, didn't add up, at least in the eyes of Pancham and Serena. Why on earth was Bulbasaur casting his Energyball in a totally different direction than Pancham was in? Ash, on the other hand, had understood what his Pokémon's intentions were.

Use a technique invented by his Torterra when he was still a Grotle. Swallowing his own attack and then hitting the opponent with an incredibly more powerful move.

Torterra was one of Ash's calmest and most peaceful Pokémon, so he had become a great friend of Bulbasaur, so it was quite likely that he had taught him to master such a powerful technique.

Ash's intuition was not wrong. Bulbasaur leapt and swallowed his own attack. Serena, Pancham, and the girl's other Pokémon were stunned. Never before had they seen a Pokémon swallow its own attack.

And it wasn't over. A gigantic beam of yellow-orange energy was generated from the Pokémon's bulb and hit Pancham squarely. Knocking him out.

Serena rushed to her Pokémon, helping him to his feet. Once this was done, he disinfected his wounds with a potion that, fortunately, he had with him. Finally, he fed him some Poké Puffs.

Bulbasaur also approached Pancham, now devoid of any belligerent intentions. Only at this point did he use his powerful Solar Beam to recall all of the boy's Pokémon. The latter, in their own time, reached the couple.

"There are that many?" Serena asked. "Many more!" Ash replied, letting out a smile.

In a short time, all of the boy's Pokémon came to the two. The first Pokémon to show its affection was Muk, who jumped on its Trainer. His way of showing affection.

"Thank you! I'm happy to see you too!" Ash couldn't help but laugh. Serena a little less. She knew that Muk was capable of secreting toxic substances and was quite worried about this. He calmed down when he saw Ash emerge from that shapeless, purple mass that was Muk.

The Pokémon captured in Kalos and those who had participated in the World Tournament rushed towards Serena. The others remained more indifferent, towards what they considered simply one of Ash's many friends.

"Come on! A little enthusiasm, she will be our traveling companion, I would like you to welcome her with at least a little warmth" "Hey! You had accepted my proposal. You said we would only leave for Unova if my race didn't go well. You said that helping me become a Super Coordinator was also part of the goal of helping someone realize their dream! " Ash remembered it very well, and already had the answer ready for such an eventuality.

"In any case, I will take everyone with me. Obviously in turns. All at once it's impossible" Serena had to admit that Ash had an incredible ability to get himself out of difficult situations.

Little by little, all of Ash's other Pokémon approached Serena and her Pokémon, starting with Swellow and Staraptor, Talonflame's great friends. If he had trusted that girl, then maybe they should have trusted him too.

Little by little the girl and her Pokémon were surrounded by the Pokémon captured by Ash in Hoenn and Sinnoh, and shortly afterwards also by those from Kanto and Johto. With the temperatures starting to drop and the sun about to set, it was a really good feeling. The Kalos native hadn't noticed how Pancham and Ash's Buizel were glaring at each other. Luckily Bulbasaur stopped him before it was too late.

"So, now that I've met them, can you tell me why you waited so long to introduce them to me? They all seem quite calm and friendly to me."

"We simply never had the time. No other reason" The boy replied. This despite the fact that he was well aware of being looked at askance by his Bayleaf.

The Pokémon couldn't explain it, but she really didn't like that girl. He felt like he wanted to steal Ash from him. She seemed like a totally different person than all of Ash's other friends.

What should he have done? Attack her? It wasn't a good idea at the time, with all of the boy's Pokémon defending her. And one against all was not a good idea.

She would show her intentions the moment she was chosen as part of Ash's team. With fewer opponents he could have made his intentions clear.

In those same moments, after a lot of insistence from the girl, Dragonite finally let go. "Aren't they trying to corrupt me?" The girl asked. "When I asked you to come here you didn't resist because you knew that your Pokémon would convince me to come with you to Unova!"

"Not at all," Ash replied. "I simply talked about the fact that we will have helped someone achieve their goal. Yes, I admit I talked about Unova, but I never mentioned you. You can confirm?"

The boy's Pokémon, each in their own way, confirmed his words.

"Then if that's the case, you won't mind if I ask one of your Pokémon to compete with me? Obviously just for the race... God forbid!"

Ash smiled at her. Then he scratched his head. "You know well that you don't have to ask me"

"Oh, sure. Right!" The girl knelt down and approached Ash's Bulbasaur. "Would you like to participate in the next race with me? I saw how you fought with Pancham and you made me think of new combinations for races. What do you think?" The Pokémon gently wrapped one of its vines around the girl's arm, similar to the ribbons on her Sylveon. "So it's a yes?" The Pokémon responded with a slight nod.

"Incredible. You managed to gain his trust immediately! " Ash complimented. Meanwhile, the Seed Pokémon had gotten closer to its bulky Grass and Ground-type friend. He would entrust him with responsibility for the Pokémon in the laboratory.

Torterra was a calm guy and, to Bulbasaur's memory, he had only seen him angry once. And that was enough for him.

He knew well that he was the ideal candidate to keep the peace between the boy's different Pokémon in his absence.

"Well, since he agrees, I'd say all that remains is to get his Poké Ball. The professor should have it somewhere. All we have to do is go to him."

Serena just nodded. It was ironic that they were heading to the one who, in a certain sense, had brought them together eleven years ago.

Ash had never told her that their meeting, however coincidental, was caused by his being a chronic latecomer. But, in a way, that was okay.

The professor was a man of almost sixty, with short gray hair, black eyes, and a square face. He had a shaved beard

fresh and gave off a strong aftershave scent.

He was wearing a white lab coat, underneath it you could see a red polo shirt. He was wearing pants

light brown and dark brown work shoes.

"Ah, it's you Ash... and I see you also brought a guest..." The professor looked the girl up and down. "But you are Serena. How could I not have noticed!" The man called himself a fool. They had seen each other several times on video calls, but it took him a while to remember her.

"So… when are you leaving for Unova?" Churches. He was rather eager to inform his colleague what to do.

Ash and Serena looked into each other's eyes, then the girl spoke up.

"We haven't decided yet. We'll have to take care of a little thing before we leave." The girl was rather vague, arousing the scholar's curiosity. "Sorry if I'm indiscreet. But may I know what it's about?" The girl nodded. "Absolutely. A Pokémon race. It will be held in two weeks in Saffron City. Based on how the race goes, we will decide what to do." The professor understood what the girl meant with those words.

"And speaking of that, I'd like to ask you a favor." Ash added. "Just tell me." The professor answered him. "Do you happen to know where Bulbasaur's Poké Ball is?" The professor replied without asking why "Sure, I'll get it for you right away. But don't stay out there. Come in and I'll offer you something!"

Ash, Serena and Pikachu made themselves comfortable in the professor's laboratory, sitting on the sofa. The professor began to heat some water in the kettle. While the water was boiling, he opened the refrigerator and took out a tray of sweets.

Once this was done he headed towards the laboratory area where he stored the Poké Balls. They were arranged in alphabetical order, therefore. It didn't take him long to find what he was looking for.

He arrived, empty Poké Ball in hand, just as the water was boiling. He flipped the switch and turned off the device. He poured the boiling liquid into three cups.

In short, the color of the liquid went from clear to amber. A little more and the hot drink would be ready.

The three took turns putting sugar in the drink. Ash was the one who preferred it sweeter, the professor the one who preferred it closest to its natural taste.

"Sorry if I'm indiscreet, but why did you decide to recall Bulbasaur? He hasn't fought in a while and you know he's responsible for keeping order here at the shelter." The professor asked. "I was the one who asked." Serena replied. "I saw him fight Pancham and it reminded me of some combinations for Contests." The professor took another sip of his hot drink. "I understand. But who will take care of order in his absence?" He asked, rather worried. "This is not a problem. Torterra will take care of maintaining order."

The professor, knowing the Continent Pokémon well, knew not to worry. "Here she is!" The professor handed Bulbasaur's Poké Ball to the girl.

After having a snack, the two, accompanied by the professor, reached the garden again, where Ash's Pokémon were. Bulbasaur was giving Torterra final instructions on how to behave in his absence. He finished quickly when he saw his Trainer, his friend, and the professor heading towards him.

The Seed Pokémon approached, almost instinctively, the woman who would temporarily be its trainer.

Serena was kneeling towards him and holding the Poké Ball in her hand, with her hand resting on the opening mechanism. Noticing this, Bulbasaur struck the sphere with one of his whips, causing the sphere to roll out of the girl's hands. "It would seem that he doesn't want to go in. At least for now. Maybe he wants to get to know you better before coming in." The professor commented. "Is that so?" The girl asked. The Seed Pokémon gave a small nod of approval. "You know, Bulbasaur isn't the type to trust easily. But he seems to like you." Serena smiled. "I'm happy."

The girl picked up the Poké Ball from the ground and put it in her bag. "I hope I can convince him to enter at least for the race. The entrance is important in Pokémon Contests." Ash knelt down towards his Pokémon. "Understand mate? Do you think you can do it? Then, obviously it will only be for a few minutes, don't worry." The Seed Pokémon nodded in understanding. Despite the fear of what could have happened around him, without his being able to intervene, he would have agreed to stay in the Poké Ball with that girl, as long as it was for a short time.

Once this was done, the two took their leave with the professor and headed towards a nearby fighting field. Pikachu and Bulbasaur walked a short distance away from the couple.

The electric rodent, in his own language, was explaining to his friend the particular relationship between the two. He also told his friend about the kiss given by the girl when they separated.

Pikachu also talked about how the race he would face alongside Serena would be fundamental in deciding what to do. If they won, they would travel to Kanto. In case of defeat in the distant Unova region. The Seed Pokémon understood his friend's words well. In case of defeat, Serena and Ash would have had a greater chance of getting closer, without anyone forcing them too much.

He would have done his best in that race, but he would have been ready to sabotage it if needed. Hearing those words, Pikachu took him back. It wasn't a good idea at all.

The days passed quickly, between training, meetings with fans, and hordes of suitors stared at by Serena, and finally the eve of the match had arrived.

To avoid incurring delays, Serena had proposed to Ash that they leave for Saffron City the day before, with the boy having accepted the proposal without objecting.

Delia accompanied the two to the station. Ash, like the day of his arrival, had opened the door to the girl and waited for her to sit down, before sitting down himself.

Delia was a little disappointed. She hadn't minded having a "daughter" to spoil at all, and now not only was she leaving, but Ash was leaving too. For now they would only be gone for a day, but then, perhaps it would last for a long time.

The woman was aware of the situation. On the one hand he understood that there was something more than a simple friendship between the two and perhaps a new journey together could make it blossom, whatever it was.

Perhaps it would have been better for both of them if the trip had taken place in the distant region of Unova, but the woman didn't feel like rooting against Serena.

She knew that however things went, Ash would support her and accompany her in her dream. Whatever it was. And this really meant a lot to her.

Having accompanied the two to the station, and having said goodbye to the three, the woman returned home. Ash, Serena, Pikachu and Bulbasaur, after looking at the time board, realized that they would have to wait half an hour.

The small station wasn't very crowded, so they easily found a bench to sit and wait. They would have had to take the train to Saffron City airport, although they would have stopped at the metropolis' central station, one stop before the terminus.

"Regional train 7845541 headed to Saffron City airport is arriving on platform 2. Move away from the yellow line!" The recorded voice startled the two. But at least they were on the correct platform. Fortunately.

The train, very similar to the one they had taken two weeks earlier, had just arrived. The few passengers on board had gotten off. They were the only ones going up. This meant that they had the choice of where to sit.

Moments later, the train began to move, heading towards Saffron City.

The train, as per tradition, would stop at all stations. Pewter City, Cerulean City, Saffron City outskirts, and finally, their destination, Saffron City Central.

During the journey, the train was filled with people. Many were travelers headed to the airport, but just as many were headed to the city center.

Having climbed the river of people, accompanied by the Pokémon, they were finally able to breathe again. They were in the central square of the city. Square dedicated to an important historical figure of the Kanto region.

From the square, to reach the hotel they had booked, they would have had to take a bus. Luckily for them, that

The square was the terminus of numerous city bus lines, including the one they were supposed to take. Line Q. That vehicle, after seven stops, would literally take them in front of the hotel where they would be staying.

The hotel also included a Pokémon center, so Ash and Serena took the opportunity to get their Pokémon checked out. Ash, at that moment, only had Pikachu with him, since, at that moment, Bulbasaur was in Serena's care.

While the Nurse brought the cart into the back room, the two headed to the counter to check in. It was a fine wood counter, perfectly in tune with the high class of the hotel.

The surface on which the various objects were placed was made of fine marble, as were the floors. From the wide ones windows, from which it was possible to see the outside, but not vice versa, a lot of light entered.

Spring was coming, after all.

The young employee had immediately recognized Ash. "Good morning. How can I help you?" Churches, reaching dangerously towards the boy, visibly making Serena nervous.

She was a girl more or less their age, red hair, light skin. He had a face covered in freckles and blue eyes.

He was wearing a simple white shirt with the hotel logo stitched on it.

She wore small silver earrings set with precious gems. Over his shirt he wore a dark vest.

"Good morning. The room we booked. The double" The girl cut him short. He couldn't stand the employee being so close to him. "Oh yes. Here she is. Here. It's room 1208. It's on the twelfth floor, but don't worry. You can easily take the elevator. It's back here. I just need your documents." The two looked for their Trainer card in their respective Smart Rotoms. Official identification document recognized everywhere.

The young employee scanned the QR codes. "Perfect. This is the lock card. You will have to insert it into the appropriate slot to activate the power when you are inside. Listen to me. Always carry it with you. Oh, by the way..." the girl smiled mischievously. "The room has a double bed" Serena blushed. "Double bed?" he repeated. "What are you doing to me, Ash?" The boy felt further embarrassed. "Actually I only booked a double room. I had no idea that..." Serena, in her heart, believed it. She was of the opinion that Ash hadn't figured it out yet, so it was legitimate for him to expect a room with two single beds. In any case, Serena turned towards the girl, and saw her laughing under her breath.

This only meant one thing. The employee had done it on purpose.

After moving away from the counter, they arrived in front of the large elevator. The girl pressed the button that allowed her to call him back. A short acoustic signal confirmed its arrival.

The metal door opened, allowing the two to enter. Ash pressed the button that allowed him to reach the twelfth floor. The elevator door closed and the elevator began to ascend. He was interrupted on the fourth and ninth floors, by people heading to the ground floor, but, due to the way the device was structured, the latter gave priority to the fastest travel. Ergo the first stop was on the twelfth floor.

As soon as the elevator door opened, the two stepped out. The floor of the hallway was a fine parquet. Ash looked around for their room, the eighth on that floor.

In truth, it was Serena who took the initiative and found the room. Room that was on the opposite side of where Ash was looking.

The girl grabbed his arm and pulled him in her direction and almost snatched the card from his hand. Once in front of the door, the girl placed the card on the sensor and this triggered the lock.

The girl opened the door and rushed in. He didn't even bother to insert the card into the system that activated the room's power. That wasn't his concern.

He turned towards the bed. Well yes. It was actually a double. The girl felt her blood boil. He wanted to kill the receptionist.

The room, like the hallway, had a fine parquet floor, next to the bed there were two bedside tables, made of fine wood.

Resting on it there was a telephone, to contact the reception and a bajour.

Not too far from the bed, a small table with two chairs and a large flat-screen television. The walls, colored a delicate yellow, were decorated with numerous paintings, mainly representing Pokémon from the Kanto region.

There was no actual chandelier, and this made Ash wonder how they would be able to see at night.

On the wall closest to the entrance and farthest from the bed there was the door that led to the private bathroom.

Ash immediately noticed the girl's embarrassment. It would only be one night, but Serena's embarrassment was palpable. "It's a shame that Pikachu is at the Nurse's, otherwise I could have asked him to share the bed with Iron Tail" Serena couldn't hold back her laughter. Humor was one of the things he appreciated most about Ash.

"Yes… of course and then they ask us for damages!" Serena replied, trying to hide her blush. The two placed their backpacks against the front of the bed. Serena took the dress she had brought with her out of her backpack. It was all wrinkled, so he would have to take it to a dry cleaner.

The girl looked at her Smart Rotom. The place he was looking for was not far from the hotel. Ash looked at him briefly. It looked like a dark evening dress. She had never seen it, and she already imagined it being worn by her friend.

The girl put the card in her purse and left the room, followed by Ash.

The two took the elevator and went down to the ground floor. "Well, what was the room like?" The employee asked, with the clear intention of teasing Serena. "Beautiful beautiful." The girl replied, having understood that it was a provocation.

"Ah, it's you!" The two immediately recognized the Nurse's voice.

"Your Pokémon are now in perfect shape!" The two approached the Nurse's counter, who had placed Serena's Poké Balls on the counter. Pikachu and Bulbasaur, however, were on the cart, outside the Poké Ball. The electric rodent climbed onto his Trainer's shoulder, while Bulbasaur, using his whips, reached the floor.

Serena dragged Ash to the hotel exit, and from there to the bus stop. They would have to reach the laundry, which was on the other side of the city.

Ash didn't understand all this haste on Serena's part. He only understood it once they arrived in front of the building. It was a small sign on a door.

Serena dragged Ash and the Pokémon inside the building. It was a rather small laundry room. Only two people worked there. Two girls, to be precise. They both recognized Ash. And they also noticed the fact that he was accompanied by a beautiful girl.

"Greetings." He greeted Serena politely, complete with a deep bow, similarly to Ash. "How can I help you?" One of them asked. "Here" The girl placed the envelope on the counter. "Could you take care of my dress?" The saleswoman smiled. "Normally I would tell you that you should wait at least a week, since we are full, but since you are Ash's girlfriend… we will make an exception and you will have it ready by tomorrow morning." Serena blushed. As much as she wanted it, Ash wasn't her boyfriend. At least for now. But if it allowed her to have the dress ready for the next day, she would agree to pretend it was.

"Well. We need your Trainer card so we can recognize you tomorrow." Serena, half paralyzed at having been defined as Ash's girlfriend, it is possible that even complete strangers would liken her to the boy, handed the requested document to the shop assistant. The girl, after scanning it, returned it to the owner.

As they left the shop, Serena pulled Ash's ear.

"Why didn't you say anything when she said I was your girlfriend? Why didn't you object?" Ash didn't even think about how to respond. "Otherwise they wouldn't have gotten your dress ready in time, right?" The girl pretended to make an angry face. But inside he was happy. Since Ash didn't object, then maybe that meant he didn't mind being near her.

Having entrusted the dress to the specialists, the two, together with the Pokémon, had the opportunity to go around the city, with Ash acting as a guide to the girl, accompanying her to the arena where the competition would take place. It was a building located in the middle of the park in the center of the city.

It resembled a sort of dome, supported by several arches. On the front door, there was a large sign. "Registration for the Saffron City Pokémon Contest is open until 7:00 am on the day of the race." Serena read. "While we're at it, you might as well sign up now, what do you think?" The girl thought about it for a few moments. It was clear how much Ash cared about her participating in that race. The next day, there would most likely have been more people and they would have risked not making it. "Yes. Good idea. Let's go."

Ash opened the door for the girl, and walked in right after her. Having closed the door, he noticed that, apart from the receptionist, there was no one there. Serena rushed to the counter.

"Good morning" Serena greeted. "Good morning to you!" The receptionist greeted her. "I assume you came here to sign up for the race, didn't you?" Serena replied in the affirmative, with a small nod.

"Perfect, then let me register you" Serena passed her Smart Rotom to the employee, so she could scan the card.

"I see you have participated in several Contests. But this is your first time here in Kanto. I think you can do well" Serena smiled. "I hope so."

Once this was done, the two went to have lunch in a nearby restaurant. Ash and Pikachu's stomachs had rumbled, making Serena understand what the next plans would be.

After lunch, the two continued exploring the city. They visited the numerous points of interest of the big city until sunset. The temperature was becoming too low to be tolerated with a simple jacket.

Back at the hotel, something caught Ash's attention. A long line of male and female Traineres pressing towards a door. "Sorry if I'm indiscreet, but why are there all these people?" Ash asked, turning to the receptionist.

"They found out that you were staying here and thought they would find you at the fighting camp. The guards, in order to make people understand that you weren't there, had to lock themselves inside. Well. Now that you're here, you might please them." Ash locked eyes with Serena. From an exchange of glances, the situation was very understandable. "Well. Where should we go?" The boy asked.

"Follow me." The girl stood up and motioned for the two to follow her.

They left the hotel silently and reached a secondary entrance. The latter was located in a poorly lit alley. A small neon light illuminated the secondary entrance.

It emitted an annoying hum, which caused a certain uneasiness.

The girl took a bunch of keys out of her bag, and having found the right one, inserted it into the lock, triggering the mechanism. The door wasn't opened often, so he had to use some force. There was a serious risk of breaking the key, but luckily everything went well. The lock clicked and the girl turned the handle. With a considerable push, the latter opened allowing the three to enter. As soon as they entered, the girl activated a series of levers, similar to those on electricity meters.

Several lights, similar to those used in stadiums, turned on, illuminating the entire field like daylight. Realizing the low temperature in the room, he also turned on the heating.

The field was quite large, surrounded on all sides by equally large stands. To reach the pitch you had to go through a passage under the stands. The two let themselves be guided by the girl. Not that there was a risk of getting lost, in the worst case scenario they would have ended up in the bathrooms, or the changing rooms, but simply because they wanted to reach the pitch as soon as possible.

As soon as they arrived in front of the protective net, the girl opened the padlock that closed the door that allowed entry into the fighting area.

The high fence made it possible to protect the public from attacks and the like. "Good, now I can let the public in!"

The girl abandoned the two, and headed to the main door, opening it. She was overwhelmed by the enormous flow of people waiting for Ash.

They competed to get the best seats, those that allowed them to have a better view of the fighting field. Many of them were Traineres, but they knew that they would have no hope against him.

After several moments of silence, in which Ash and Serena looked into each other's eyes and could see the enormous presence of the audience. No seat was free.

At a certain point, an elderly couple entered through the front door, most likely the owners of the hotel.

The man had short, white hair. About six feet tall, and of robust build. As a young man he must have had a physique that would have made Bruno envious. He had a mustache in the shape of an isosceles trapezoid. He also appeared to have a gold tooth.

he was wearing a green sweater, brown pants and black shoes. He wore a solid gold chain. On the ring finger of his left hand, a gold ring. The woman was also wearing the same one. Ergo they were married.

The woman, with a thin build, slightly taller than Serena, had slightly gray hair, tied in a bun. She was also wearing a sweater, but light pink, and a long black skirt. When she moved her arm, Serena could see the large number of bracelets the woman was wearing.

"And so the champion and his girlfriend decided to visit us!" The old woman began. "Well… I… really…" Serena tried to deny the woman. She wasn't Ash's girlfriend after all. Or at least for the moment. Only he noticed how the numerous girls present looked at Ash with dreamy eyes.

If pretending to be his girlfriend was enough to keep them away, he would have accepted. But now was not the time to think about those things. It was clear that the two elderly Traineres wanted to fight.

The girl who had accompanied them had positioned herself in the referee's position. This meant that she would be in charge of managing the meeting.

"The tag battle begins between the World Champion Ash and the er… Performer? Coordinator? Trainer?" It seemed that the girl didn't have much sympathy for Serena. Or perhaps he wanted to belittle her in the eyes of others and then take on Ash, or perhaps he wanted to make her nervous to benefit the hotel owners, even if, in that case, it would have made more sense to take it out on Ash. Provocation or not, she didn't like that way of doing things at all.

"And the owners of the hotel, Mr. Renato and Mrs. Emiko, it's about to start. Each trainer will only be able to use one Pokémon, the battle will be over when both Pokémon in a pair are no longer able to continue! Traineres! Send out your Pokémon! Ash and Serena looked into each other's eyes. Whatever choice their opponents had made, they had clear ideas about who to send onto the field.

"Dude, are you feeling up to it?" Pikachu replied in the affirmative, moving to the field. "Sylveon! It's your turn!" Serena shouted as she threw her Sylveon's Poké Ball. "I rely on you!" The two elders shouted at the same time, sending out an Espeon and an Umbreon.

"Fantastic! An Espeon and an Umbreon!" Ash was, as usual, very enthusiastic. "They look really strong!" The two elders looked at the young couple. "You do well not to underestimate us!" The old man replied.

"Shall we hurry? There is an audience here that can't wait for anything else!" The redhead urged him.

"Yes, certainly!" Ash answered her.

"If you don't mind, we'll start! Pikachu go with Quick Attack on Espeon!" Ash shouted. "And you Sylveon use Comets!" Pikachu started running at great speed towards his opponent, with the latter initially not seeming to react. Similar speech for Umbreon. He almost looked like he wanted to be hit.

"Dodge!" The two elders shouted in unison. As if they were one person. Pikachu was stunned, seeing his attack interrupted just moments from being successful.

And perhaps even worse, he was about to be hit by Serena's Sylveon attack.

"Soon! Destroy the comets with Iron Tail!" Ash ordered. The structure of the Pokémon's tail changed, becoming as hard as steel. The energy stars launched by Sylveon were destroyed, turning to dust.

Serena breathed a sigh of relief. It certainly wasn't his intention to attack one of his allies.

"Quick Attack!" Second order. Always as if the two elderly people were a single entity. The two Eeveelutions ran at great speed towards Pikachu. they would reach him soon. And that could have been a problem.

"Soon! Iron Tail on the ground!" Pikachu well understood the technique that his Trainer wanted to adopt. It was a classic. He took a big leap with the help of the muscles of his hind limbs, then upon landing he hit the ground with a violent blow of his tail, creating a large crack in the ground, and projecting both opponents into the air.

"Good, just what we needed! Sylveon, use Fairy Wind!" The girl's Sylveon generated a very strong current of air that violently launched both opponents towards the protective net.

As hard as the blow was, it wasn't enough to defeat them. After shaking off the pain, the two Pokémon were ready to attack again.

"Shadow Ball!" Again the two elders ordered the attack in unison. The two Pokémon released a large ball of dark energy from their mouths. Dark purple color, tending towards black. It was covered in numerous bolts of energy, similar to lightning of a similar color.

"Quick Pikachu! Use Iron Tail to destroy their attack!" Pikachu leaped and, with a violent swipe of his tail, detonated one of the two spheres of dark energy.

Pikachu attempted to do the same with the second, but before he could even get close, he was blocked by an invisible force. It was the Psychic of the two Pokémon. The same could be said of Serena's Sylveon, which was hit directly by the opponent's attack. A large explosion projected it against the nets.

"Everything okay, Sylveon?" The girl's Pokémon got back to its feet, confirming that everything was okay. Despite this gesture, Serena noticed how the impact with the nets had caused her some injuries.

"Come on, use Comets!" The Pokémon followed its trainer's order, generating a fan of golden stars that it hurled at the two opponents. The two Pokémon attempted to defend themselves by throwing Shadow Ball, but the two spheres of dark energy collided with only some of them.

The rest hit the two Pokémon and sent them crashing into each other.

"Very good, Pikachu! Let's end on a high note! Use Thunderbolt!" The electric rodent generated a very powerful electric discharge that hit the two opponents squarely and projected them into the air.

"Sylveon! Are you ready? Use Fairy Wind!" The girl's Pokémon generated a very powerful current of air that launched the two opponents against the net again.

"Espeon and Umbreon can no longer continue! Pikachu and Sylveon win! Consequently, the winners of the match are Ash and Serena!" The referee declared.

The two boys and the elderly owners of the hotel met in the middle of the wrestling field and shook each other's hands.

"I must admit that your bond is really strong. Maybe more than ours." The old man congratulated. Serena blushed at that compliment. He knew he got along well with Ash, but…

His thoughts were interrupted by applause from the audience. It had been a really good fight, and the many spectators had enjoyed it. And this was the important thing.

After such an intense fight, hunger made itself felt. And, in fact, looking at the time, it was clear that it was time for dinner.

The hotel restaurant was located on the twentieth floor, and the crowd of people, although eager for dinner, made a good decision to give priority to those involved in the fight.

After the abundant one, at least for Ash, since Serena ate almost nothing, either due to tension or due to the terrible joke of the reception employee.

Knowing that they would have to get up early, the two, escorted by their Pokémon, reached their room, and, after watching some TV, went to bed.

Ash and Pikachu immediately fell asleep, unlike Serena. She lay down, but couldn't sleep. She was dangerously close to Ash. Although the boy was sleeping blissfully and was on the outer edge of the bed, he was still DEFINITELY TOO CLOSE and this made her feel quite uncomfortable. Furthermore, the enormous embarrassment about the situation was causing her a very strong feeling of heat, which further worsened the situation, making it impossible for her to sleep.

In the end, he didn't sleep a wink that night.

Ash, having just woken up, noticed this immediately. "Everything is fine? From your face, it looks like you haven't slept much." What he feared had happened. And he had to come up with a plausible excuse. Luckily for him, Ash was a simple boy, he would buy any excuse. "The tension from the race simply didn't let me sleep. Don't worry, everything is fine" The response was not long in coming. "If you say so." After getting settled as best they could, they reached the breakfast room via the elevator.

Ash, as usual, wentrge himself on food, and Pikachu the same way. Serena, still tense, ate the bare minimum, ate just a pasta and drank a coffee, the first of a long series.

After breakfast, they immediately headed to the bus stop, to be able to collect their clothes and then reach the arena where the match would be held. As soon as they arrived, the girl showed her documents to the employee and rushed towards the changing rooms. He wanted to be flawless, as much as possible.

As soon as the girl looked at herself in the mirror, she was scared. He hadn't slept and that had taken its toll. He had terrible dark circles under his eyes. This meant he would have to use makeup. Something he didn't particularly like to do, but, in this case, he had no choice.

While he was getting ready, he drank three more coffees. The fact that he hadn't slept at all weighed more and more, but there wasn't much he could do about it. He just hoped that this wouldn't compromise the results of the race too much. In any case, he couldn't hold back anymore. Especially given the great importance of that race.

His only luck was the absence of May, the one he considered his greatest rival. He had had a small setback and would not have been able to attend.

Of course, this didn't mean that she shouldn't have put in the effort, but the absence of such a high-level rival could have turned the fate of the race around.

"All coordinators must present themselves in the dedicated room within five minutes!" Serena heard the loudspeaker crackle, and knew she had to hurry. The girl quickly finished putting on her makeup, mostly to hide her dark circles, and finished fixing her hair.

It was fast enough that he even made time to drink his fifth coffee of the day. The caffeine was starting to make her nervous, but there was little she could do about it. The other choice was to fall asleep.

After getting ready, the girl reached Ash. She wore a dress designed and made by herself, given her well-known sewing skill.

It was a black dress, made up of a two-height skirt, the longest part of which almost reached the floor and the shortest part a little above the knee. The dress only had one shoulder strap. He wore a light green sash around his waist.

She then wore not too high heels and green earrings.

"Well, how am I?" The girl asked. Ash, who was surrounded by numerous fans at the time, couldn't see her, and motioned to the several girls surrounding him to make some space.

Serena was about to explode with jealousy. He couldn't stand girls hanging around his Ash. The boy, Pikachu and Bulbasaur looked at her. It was simply divine.

"You are fantastic!" The boy replied, never stingy with compliments. The Pokémon, in their language, confirmed this. The other girls, looking at her, understood well that they couldn't compete.

A few minutes later, Serena and all the other coordinators left to reach the area dedicated to those who were supposed to perform.

Serena would be the fifth to perform. This allowed her to get a taste of the level of her opponents, which had proven to be quite high. An excellent motivation for the girl.

"Serena?... Serena?" A female voice startled the girl. "Yes?" She asked, still focused on the screen. "You'll be next. You better start preparing."

The girl didn't hesitate to answer. "Certain. I'll be right there."

Serena, who did not know the plan of the building, decided to follow the employee. A choice that turned out to be particularly successful, since the passages were quite intricate. If she hadn't followed her, she would most likely have gotten lost.

She was a little nervous, but it was quite normal for her to be.

He was a few steps away from the exit and was already starting to hear the chants of encouragement. The girl took the last steps that separated her from the arena.

She was surrounded by the audience on all sides. On the left there was the small jury bench, composed, as per tradition, of Mr. Contesta, a gentleman of about fifty years of age, black hair with a gray quiff, dressed in an elegant red suit, Mr. Sukizo, a man about forty years old, short brown hair, dressed in a dark blue suit, and last, but not least, Nurse Joy.

As soon as he found himself in front of the audience, he greeted everyone with a wave of his hand. Then, when he received the signal, he sent out the Pokémon they would participate in the recitation rehearsal. Pancham and Bulbasaur.

The first came out of the Poké Ball surrounded by lightning bolts, due to the Lightning Bolts covering the Rascal Pokémon's Poké Ball. Bulbasaur's stamps, on the other hand, were Florbubbles, which is why he was surrounded by numerous colored petals. The Pokémon, as previously agreed, repelled them with a powerful Whip.

Now that the two Pokémon had landed it was time to begin. "They communicate! Pancham! Use Stone Edge! You, Bulbasaur swallow Energy Ball and then go with Solar Beam!" While the Seed Pokémon began to generate an intense green sphere of energy from its mouth, similar in some ways to an eye, Pancham threw a powerful punch on the ground, generating gigantic sharp blue boulders. He didn't need to be told anything. At the moment Bulbasaur was charging towards his own attack, Pancham was, acrobatically climbing up those rocks. One somersault after another he reached the highest rock. Meanwhile, Bulbasaur had absorbed his own attack, accumulating enough energy to use Solar Beam.

"Now! Pancham! Use Black Pulse on the Solar Beam! You Bulbasaur! Throw an Energy Ball high, then hit the rocks with Whip!" Pancham launched a series of purplish rings from his upper limbs, which surrounded the yellow beam of energy launched from the bulb on the Seed Pokémon's back. The two attacks, as they intersected, resembled a sort of propeller. Her stay was short, however, as she was hit by Bulbasaur's Energy Ball.

The clash between the two attacks generated an explosion of sparks of various colors.

All that was missing was the final blow. A powerful Whip destroyed the rocks. Pancham, as planned, took a leap and landed vertically, surrounded by the blue dust of the stones.

"Truly remarkable!" Mr. Sukizo commented laconically. "You were truly fantastic, you expressed your skills to the maximum" Mr. Contesta added. "Two little Pokémon really full of energy, who delighted us with their great skill!" Nurse Joy concluded.

Despite the positive opinions from the entire jury, Serena was quite nervous. She was aware of the excellent work done, but could not be certain of the result, at least until it was announced.

The girl was sitting in the waiting room, and observed the performances of her rivals.

"And now, after Francesca's performance, we announce the eight coordinators who will access the wrestling competition phase!"

Little by little, the images of the finalists appeared on the screen.

And Serena was the sixth.

Now, the matches were appearing on the screen. Her opponent was Francesca herself, the last coordinator to have performed. It was a girl a couple of years younger than her. He had very light blonde hair, almost white, very pale skin and blue eyes. She was wearing a dark dress, which made her look even more cadaverous.

It was highly probable that this, for Francesca, was one of her first races, if not the first.

The girl, during the acting rehearsal, had used a day-shaped Lycanroc and a Furfrou, with a gentlewoman cut. Her hairstyle resembled a sort of hat, and she had braids. Some parts of the body, such as the front part of the chest, the lower part of the legs and the band on the hat are yellow, and by regulation he should also have done so in the wrestling competition.

Likewise, Serena sent out Pancham and Bulbasaur.

The two girls looked into each other's eyes, and smiled at each other. Francesca knew her opponent. She was a very expert coordinator, as well as a performer. She had come close to being Kalos Queen.

He knew he couldn't beat her, but he would use the wrestling match to gain experience. They were just waiting for the signal. Which arrived almost immediately.

"Let's start! Furfrou, use Sand Turbo, Lycanroc use Grim Face!" From the ground, the Poodle Pokémon generated a large wave of sand, which was hit by the energy released from the Wolf Pokémon's face. The combination of the two moves created a sort of sand monster.

This caused Serena to lose several points. Despite this, the Kalos native was calm. He knew exactly how to respond. "Bulbasaur! Use Energy Ball on their Sand Spinner! Pancham uses Stone Edge!" Bulbasaur, from his mouth, generated a sphere of green energy, similar to an eye, and threw it at the opposing combination, causing it to explode, causing Francesca to lose points. Less than the points she lost, but that was okay.

Pancham, meanwhile, threw a powerful punch against the ground, generating blue boulders from the ground. "Lycanroc! Use Pietrataglio too!" The opponent ordered. The Wolf Pokémon hit the ground with its front limbs, generating blue boulders in turn.

The two attacks met in the middle of the field, generating an explosion of blue sparks, causing the two to lose points equally.

"Bulbasaur! Swallow Energy Ball! And then go with Solarraggio! Pancham! Use Stone Edge again!" The Seed Pokémon generated a ball of green energy, similar to an eye, and shot it upwards.

He jumped too and swallowed it. His body was illuminated by a greenish light. This gave him enough energy to

being able to charge his Solar Beam without having to absorb sunlight. The beam of energy shot out from the bulb on the Pokémon's back, directing it towards Fourfrou.

"Force! Defend yourself with Shock Ray!" The Poodle Pokémon generated a beam of electrical energy from its fur that hit Bulbasaur's attack. The two attacks, colliding, exploded.

The two coordinators lost the same number of points. For this reason Francesca maintained her advantage. However small. "Lycanroc uses Quickrock on Stone Edge!" he ordered. Serena waited and waited. As if he expected it.

"Pancham! Wait for him to reach you and attack him with Arm Thrust! Then you, Bulbasaur attacks with Energy Ball!" Lycanroc ran at great speed, crumbling the opponent's attack, and causing Serena to lose more points. The points counter didn't have time to update before Lycanroc was immediately thrown into the air by the opponent's powerful attack. As if that wasn't enough, he was also hit by Bulbasaur's Energy Ball.

"Lycanroc can no longer continue. The winner of the race is Serena"

The oath was announced. The two girls met mid-court. And they shook hands. "You were great!" Francesca complimented. "You too. It was a really good fight. I think you will have a great future in racing." Francesca was extremely happy with the compliment she received. She had great admiration for the Kalos native and hearing those words filled her with pride.

The two had cleared the fighting field to allow the others to perform. From eight, the participants became four. Serena studied her opponents one by one. They were a girl and two boys.

His opponent would be one of the two boys in the next stage. Such Ryo. A boy with black, crew cut hair. Dressed in a suit and tie. More than a coordinator, he seemed like a sales agent.

For the young girl, it wasn't difficult to snatch victory and get a ticket to the final stage. Where her opponent would be Elin, the winner of the race after her.

After making the necessary arrangements and taking care of the Pokémon, the two coordinators found themselves face to face.

Elin was about the same age as him, and it was assumed that she had a similar experience.

Elin had lavender hair and matching eyes. Small nose and thin lips. She was dressed elegantly and soberly.

His Pokémon were a Vaporeon and a Flareon. They had participated in the acting rehearsal and the following phases, as per the regulations, moreover.

He had had the opportunity to test his skills. He was really very, very skilled. The two studied each other for a seemingly endless time.

The exchange of glances ended only when the signal was given to send their Pokémon onto the field. Who they sent onto the field was not a surprise at all, due to the stringent regulations, but the challenge would have been equally interesting.

"We can start! Vaporeon! Shadow Ball! Flareon, show what you can do! Quick Attack!" The girl ordered, with strong conviction. Vaporeon generated from his mouth a sphere of dark energy, purple in color, surrounded by energy discharges, similar to lightning.

"Come on, Bulbasaur! Defend yourself with Energy Ball! Pancham Stone Edge!" The two spheres of energy met in the air, exploding, creating an explosion of colored dust. The two coordinators lost the same amount of points. Serena took the lead when the boulders generated by Pancham's powerful attack knocked Flareon backwards.

"Come on, let's try again! Flareon! Quick Attack on Bulbasaur! Vaporeon! Iron Tail on Pancham!" She ordered. She was quite surprised when Serena didn't react. He seemed to be waiting for the right moment and didn't want to reveal his strategy. Flareon was getting dangerously close to Bulbasaur and the same could be said of Vaporeon with Pancham. "Now! Bulbasaur! Stop him with Whip. You Pancham! Grab Vaporeon and throw it!" the two Pokémon complied. Two vines sprouted from Bulbasaur's body and grabbed and tightly wrapped Flareon. At the same time, Pancham grabbed Vaporeon's tail and threw him towards the opposite end of the field.

Serena had a good lead, but there were still three minutes to go. The opponent, evaluating the situation, reacted immediately. "Flareon! Start warming up! Vaporeon you use Ice Beam!" Flareon's body began to turn red, and smoke began to appear. Bulbasaur, without Serena telling him anything, didn't let go. Far from it. Flareon made an expression of pain, but did not give up. On the contrary. "Pancham! Use Stone Edge around you!" The Rascal Pokémon followed the command, protecting itself from the opponent's attack with the blanket of boulders. In this way the boulders were frozen, but Serena lost far fewer points than expected. Bulbasaur, for his part, had to let go. The heat was excessive. Flareon fell to the ground, but the blow was well cushioned.

"Very good! Pancham, now throw the rocks with Arm Thrust!" The Rascal Pokémon followed the command by throwing the crumbled boulders and pieces of ice at its opponent. This caused the opponent to lose more points. Serena was very close to winning. But there was still a minute left.

"Come on, Vaporeon! Knock his Iron Tail attack back! You, Flareon attacks Bulbasaur with Fire Charge!" With a quick flick of its tail, the Pokémon launched the same pieces of frozen rock that had been thrown at it previously. Flareon at the same time, started running and covered himself in flames.

"Bulbasaur! Soon! Adapter!"

The two Pokémon clashed halfway across the field. "NO!" The two girls shouted at the same time. "Flareon and Bulbasaur are no longer able to continue. According to the rules, the match will be transformed into a one-on-one match and two extra minutes will be added." Mr. Shizuko announced.

The timer went from thirty seconds to two and a half minutes.

The two coordinators were both enthusiastic about it. "Pancham! Go with Arm Thrust!" The Rascal Pokémon started running towards its opponent, who remained waiting.

"Come on, Vaporeon! Aim Ice Beam at Pancham's hands!" The Bubble Jet Pokémon followed the command by aiming the beam of freezing energy right at its opponent's limbs, knocking it off balance and causing it to fall to the ground.

As he fell, the ice covering Pancham's limbs broke. The Pokémon tried to get up, with enormous difficulty.

Now the two were equal on points. "Vaporeon! Let's end it here! Iron Tail!" The opponent ordered. Vaporeon quickly covered the short distance that separated him from his opponent and hit him with a violent blow of his tail. "NO! PANCHAM!"

Serena lost her last remaining points. For this reason, the winner of the Saffron City ribbon was Elin.

Despite the crushing defeat, Serena approached her opponent and congratulated her on the results of the match. The Kalos native's face began to stream with tears.

Not so much for the defeat, or for the promise he had made, but rather for the fact that he had disappointed expectations. The girl ran straight into the dressing room, to abandon the performance dress and, if possible, destroy it.

Still in tears, she finished changing. Once this was done, he took his Delphox's Poké Ball out of his bag and let it out. The Fox Pokémon looked at her trainer and couldn't help but notice the great sadness she carried.

"Yes. I lost. Now destroy it!" the girl was holding her dress on the hanger, well away from her. So as to allow his Pokémon to destroy it, without her getting hurt.

Delphox lit his branch like a torch, but didn't move. "On. Let's go! I'm your trainer… I know what…" Delphox didn't move.

That gesture reminded her so much of the day the girl lost her first Pokémon Showcase. On that occasion, the girl had decided to give her hair a clean cut.

Now she wanted to do the same with that dress. But what results would it bring? Would it have had the same effect or was it a pretense to blame the defeat on something else?

"Are you saying that if I lost it wasn't the dress's fault?" The Pokémon extinguished the flame on the staff and handed it to her trainer. "You are right. We swore, with Pancham and Sylveon, that we would win the Professional Pokémon Showcase. But we didn't succeed. Yet, you didn't want to abandon him. Maybe that's what you want to tell me?"

The fire fox nodded in approval. "You are right." He said, still crying. "I will become Unova Queen and I will do it in this dress. If of course you and the others help me."

The girl placed her Pokémon in the Poké Ball and was reunited with Ash and Pikachu.

"Here, this is Bulbasaur's Poké Ball." He handed him the Poké Ball of the borrowed Pokémon, which had recovered in the meantime. "He behaved well, but, as you could see, it wasn't enough." Ash, despite being quite sorry himself, tried not to make the matter weigh too much on her.

"You were fantastic. It matters little how the fight went. It's just a competition after all, don't..." The girl interrupted him with a wave of her hand. "Did you forget? What did we say to each other about this race?" The boy and his Pokémon scratched their heads, looking puzzled. "No?" The girl looked him in the eyes. "Of course?" An expression between perplexed and disappointed was painted on the girl's face.

"Come on… Give me a clue!" The boy encouraged her. "Alright then! Then it means you will travel to Unova alone! I will continue with the races!" The boy felt the earth disappear under his feet.

What would he have done, alone? How could he help that girl, alone? He was a direct and extroverted guy, he had no idea how to behave in such a situation.

And, what's more, the girl had moved away. He exuded nervousness and disappointment from every pore. Ash tried to follow her. But he certainly didn't want to appear like a secret service agent, like Looker. Even if that was the only way to convince her to come with him.

Serena looked around. "All clear!" He said, in a low voice. The girl let her Sylveon out of the Poké Ball. He was able to confess to her more than anyone else.

As soon as she came out of the Poké Ball, the latter wrapped one of her ribbons around her trainer's arm. Thanks to his antennas he had well understood the emotions the girl felt.

She was disappointed and bitter. "You see? I promised Ash that I would go to Unova with him if I didn't win the Saffron City competition, but apparently he forgot. As if he doesn't care about me" Sylveon turned towards his trainer.

His look said more than a thousand words. "Yes. Maybe it's true. That's how he is. He forgets things easily." The Pokémon tightened its ribbons a little tighter. "Yes. You really know how I feel. I can lie to people, but not to you Pokémon."

Sylveon pulled her towards him. "I really have to tell you. I understand. I've never taken this race seriously." Ash, who had followed her, had to stop himself from screaming when he heard her.

"But what does it mean? What do you mean he didn't take that race seriously?" He wondered. Hoping not to be heard by the girl.

The latter passed the alley where Ash was holed up, continuing to talk to the Pokémon. "Or at least since I met Francesca. I saw myself a lot in her. When we tried with the Kalos Varieties. I saw the same enthusiasm in her, the same desire to aim high. If you understand me. But this has to stay between us girls. All right?"

Sylveon gave a small nod of approval. He also let go of his ribbons. Now she was back to being delicate, as she used to do.

"Well. Now all I have to do is warn Ash." The girl took her Smart Rotom from her bag and dialed her friend's number. He heard the sound of ringing and… a ringtone.

Ash's.

The girl strode towards the source of the sound. Ash didn't notice anything. He answered the phone. "Hey Hello! Everything…" The boy was cut off before he could finish.

"But how dare you follow me like this?" The girl seemed particularly angry. It didn't look like he was faking it at all.

"Actually, here I am…" The girl touched his nose with her index finger. "Not lying. I notice it." She told him, finally with a smile. "I was worried about you. I saw you running away after my words and I wanted to make sure you were okay." the girl remained silent for a few moments. "Okay. You didn't tell a lie. I do." Ash tried to understand. Yes. He had overheard part of his confession to Sylveon, but he couldn't show it.

"You see. I would have gone to Unova with you even if you had won the race. I had the opportunity to compete against a girl who reminded me a lot of myself from a few years ago. When I tried with the Kalos Varieties and..." Ash and Pikachu looked at her petrified. "AND?" The girl, realizing she was the center of attention, tried to prolong the time. But, in the end he gave in. "And it reminded me how much I loved Pokémon Showcases. And that it is them that I must aim for."

Ash managed to be sufficiently surprised that it didn't seem like he had been listening to her the entire time. Similar speech for Pikachu. The girl dragged the two to the nearby bus stop, on the side that would take them to the station.

It was around six in the evening. If they had gone to the station and caught the six-thirty train, they would have arrived home by seven-thirty. Also counting the journey by car.

Trip for which he would have had to contact his mother. The boy took his Smart Rotom from his pocket and started looking for his mother's number. Noting it with out of the corner of his eye, Serena stopped him.

"Emerald City and Pallet Town aren't that far away. What do you say if we went on foot?" The boy and Pikachu looked into each other's eyes. "Yes. All right. We'll arrive a little later, but that's not a problem."

The two waited for the bus for a good quarter of an hour. Luckily for them, the vehicle was not crowded. Far from it. They validated their season tickets and sat on board.

The journey, rather short, just about ten stops, took them right in front of the train station. They had already bought tickets previously, so they didn't have to go to the ticket office.

Looking at the big screen, where the arrival times were shown, they understood that, if they wanted to take the first available train, they would have to hurry. They would have had to take a long underpass that would have taken them to the platform opposite to the one they were on.

They managed to arrive just in time. The train stopped moments after their arrival. The two boarded after waiting for the large number of passengers to disembark.

They managed to find two seats close together.

The journey, like the outward journey, was rather short. Quickly the train took them to Viridian City station.

From there he would have a long walk home, but that was fine. They could have discussed the final details before departure. Even if the delivery of the starters would only take place the following week, for logistical reasons, it would have been better to leave at least a couple of days earlier. But they would later talk about this with Professor Oak.

They arrived at Ash's house just in time for dinner.

The two, quite tired, went to bed almost immediately. Especially considering they had to get up early the next day. They had several errands to run, not the least of which was to talk to Professor Oak.

"You sure are scruffy, Ash!" Serena commented, realizing how criminally poorly dressed her friend was. Not that Ash had ever had any taste in clothes, but that time he had outdone himself. Worse.

If she didn't know him so well, she would have thought he had been dressed by a color-blind designer.

"But, if you don't mind… I'll help you choose… color-blind stylist!" Hearing that sentence, the boy's mother laughed. Ash had actually never had good taste in dressing. When the boy went on his travels, she was the one who took care of the wardrobe factor.

"Yes, but shouldn't we talk to the professor?" Ash asked. "We can do it when we return. Consider that there are many hours of time difference between here and Unova. One option could be to ask the professor a favor and make the video call at night, when it is morning in Unova. The other option is to go now. If we arrive early, we will be able to contact you and then have the whole day for us." The girl particularly emphasized the "for us", but Ash didn't particularly notice it.

Once they finished breakfast, the two, escorted by Pikachu and Bulbasaur, reached Professor Oak's laboratory. The professor, an early riser, was already in his laboratory.

Before ringing the professor, they let Bulbasaur return to his responsible role at the laboratory, but not before asking Torterra for a detailed report.

While the two grass-type Pokémon conversed, the two reached the professor. As soon as he saw them from the window, the man opened the door, allowing them to enter.

The man welcomed them with a smile. "Hello, early risers, today eh!" At the same time he motioned for the two to follow him. "Good morning Professor. We came to you to confirm our intention to leave for Unova." The boy replied.

"I'm glad to hear it. And will Serena come with you?" The professor asked. "Yes. I could never leave him alone." The girl replied. "Anita will be happy. Maybe having a new friend could help her overcome her shyness." Serena made a strange expression. Ash had never told her that they would be traveling with a girl, ergo a potential rival. But, perhaps the fact that he decided to travel with her meant something. "But, now…" The professor interrupted the girl's thoughts. "You'd better get in touch with Aralia so you can tell her the good news." The professor was contacting his colleague. The video call was started, and a few moments later, the Professor answered.

It was much earlier than last time. So the woman didn't think it was an emergency or anything like that.

"Good morning, Samuel!" The woman greeted her colleague cordially, who responded equally cordially. "I guess if you called me, there's news." The professor nodded his head. "But I wish they were the ones to tell you." The two approached the monitor, with Pikachu giving the woman a small wave. "And so you would be Serena. Pleased to meet you." The girl replied with a smile. "My pleasure." The girl replied. "Well. So, have you decided to come to Unova?" The woman asked. "Exactly!" Ash replied, with his usual enthusiasm. "Very good! Then I buy the tickets. You will leave in four days, so you will have time to get used to the time difference. Do not worry. I went to pick you up in Ponentopoli." The two looked into each other's eyes. "Perfect. We will be happy to help you. Even if there would be a little thing." The boy added. "Tell me everything." The woman asked. "I hope it won't be a problem if I were to participate in the Pokémon Showcases, right?" The woman smiled at her. "No problem. On the contrary. I will do everything I can to follow you and support you. After all, becoming Unova Queen is also a goal." A girl's voice, off-screen, surprised "Unova Queen?" The Professor turned around. "Fantastic! Does this seem like the way to you?" From the screen the two boys, Pikachu and the professor, saw a girl appear with blonde hair styled in a funny way, big green eyes and a pale complexion. He had red glasses. She was dressed in a lab coat, similar to the Professor's, which covered an orange T-shirt.

"Hey! But that's a Pikachu! I had never seen one that wasn't in the photograph! I can't wait to pamper him with cuddles!" The girl shouted with dreamy eyes. Pikachu, in response, began to emit electric shocks from his cheeks. "Calm down, friend! I know you don't like pushy people." Ash reassured him. "Hey! I'm never intrusive!" Belle complained, ignoring Pikachu's sixth sense.

"Well. Now that I'm sure of your presence, I'll tell Anita. I think he will be happy about it. Now, excuse me, but I have a small commitment and I have to leave you, see you soon." The woman took her leave. "Until we meet again." They greeted her back.

The two boys later also greeted the professor. They had some errands to run, first of all renovating the boy's wardrobe.

After leaving the laboratory, they headed towards an area of the village that, before then, they had only seen briefly. A bus stop. Usually they had always relied on trains, but in this case they would have relied on road transport. The bus, headed right for Celadon City, a city known for its colossal shopping center, the largest in the entire region. They would only have to wait ten minutes. They would not be back until eight in the evening, so they would have lunch on site.

Ten minutes later the bus arrived. It was brand new. It had a very dark blue livery. It had red on the sides and the company logo was in white.

The vehicle had tinted windows, so the interior was invisible. The driver stopped the vehicle and opened the door, allowing the two to get on board. The bus smelled new. The seats were in imitation leather and blue fabric. There was a yellow plastic handle on the aisle-side seats. Ash ushered Serena into the window seat, then sat next to her. The girl felt slightly embarrassed, even though there was nothing wrong. Ash was just sitting next to her. It wasn't the first time this had happened.

Pikachu, sensing the girl's sensations, lowered the armrest between the two seats, with a small movement of his tail, without Ash noticing. The girl gave him a gentle pat on the head.

The vehicle started up and took off towards Celadon City. The journey would have lasted an hour and a half. They would pass through the cities of Viridian City, Pewter City, Cerulean City, Saffron City, and finally Celadon City, right in front of the mall. The shopping center was a huge and very modern building, made of steel and glass. Several automatic doors allowed entry and exit from it.

The first floor of the mall was dedicated to grocery stores, the second floor was dedicated to technology stores, and the third floor was dedicated to Pokémon stores. On the fourth they sold accessories for Contests, on the fifth women's shoes and accessories, on the sixth they specialized in women's clothes and accessories, on the seventh men's shoes and accessories, on the eighth men's clothes and accessories, on the ninth and tenth there were restaurants .

If it had been up to Ash, they would have rushed straight to the top floors and stayed there, but the reason for their

trip was very different.

They entered and took the elevator, heading to the fifth floor. In Serena's mind, Ash had to start redoing his look from the bottom up, so they would start from the shoes.

Obviously the girl would also think of herself, after all she wanted to look her best too. After dozens and dozens of attempts, in various shops, in the end, the boy had found two pairs of shoes that he liked and that also satisfied Serena. The first pair was blue and gray and had a slightly sporty cut. The second was in shades of black and were much more elegant, but not uncomfortable.

The girl also found some shoes for her. A pair of brown leather ankle boots, similar to the ones he already owned, a pair of pink and black sports shoes, a new pair of heels, lower and more sober than the ones she owned and a pair of sandals, in case the stay in Unova lasted longer than expected.

Once this was done, and with the boy already forced to carry the boxes of six pairs of shoes, the two reached the floors dedicated to the shops dedicated to men's clothes.

As soon as they entered the store, Serena had to stop Ash from rushing towards the sportswear area of the store. The girl had to drag him towards the area dedicated to clothes that were a little more suitable for going out.

In the end, in addition to the underwear, she forced him to buy some pairs of jeans, from more torn pairs, for more casual outfits, to cleaner pairs, more elegant trousers, to match the darker shoes, numerous t-shirts, here too, being careful to choose standard ones, shirts, jackets and, finally, a belt, as well as swimsuits, because you never know. Of course he didn't forget about the hats either. From sports caps to more elegant hats. Of course, the boy wasn't exactly comfortable with the most elegant clothes, but he had now turned eighteen. In fact, he was about to turn nineteen. Now he had to dress like an adult and not like a kid.

Despite the large quantity of clothes purchased, the bill was not at all high. Having thought about the boy, now it was her turn, but before she could get back on the elevator, to head to the lower floors, when she was interrupted by the roar of her friend's stomach. Had they really spent that long choosing that stuff? Was it really lunchtime already?

His friend's stomach was more precise than any clock. Before continuing shopping they would make a stop in one of the many restaurants. Of all of them, they chose one typical of Alola.

Ash was used to the cuisine of that region, so he would have been a harsh judge, while for the girl it was her first experience with that type of cuisine.

After the hearty lunch, the two completed the shopping session. After spending the morning mainly caring for Ash, she could now dedicate herself completely to herself.

She too, in addition to normal underwear, bought skirts of different lengths, jeans and shorter trousers. She then took some T-shirts, tops and shirts.

He also did not neglect more elegant clothes. Not so much for the Pokémon Showcases, given the promise made to his Delphox, but for other possible opportunities that could have arisen. The girl also took the opportunity to buy a new bag, and forced Ash to buy a new backpack and a new purse.

Once the girl's shopping was finished, it was practically time to go back. They left the shopping center and, after a short wait, the bus arrived.

The day of departure arrived quickly. The day before departure the two took care of preparing the suitcases. Ash also worried about deciding which Pokémon to start with. During the trip he would allow everyone to participate, but deciding who would have the honor of starting was not easy.

After careful consideration, he decided to bring with him, in addition to Pikachu, Gengar, Infernape, Noivern and Lucario.

Delia personally took care of accompanying the two to the airport. Their flight was quite early, at eight in the morning, and since it was a long-haul flight, they would have to do extra checks.

This meant they should have arrived at least three hours earlier. They would have to go through security checks, entrust their hold luggage to the loading service and, only then could they board.

They would have faced a thirteen-hour flight. Ironically, thirteen hours was also the same time zone that separated the Kanto region from Unova. This meant that they would land in Unova at eight in the morning, while in Kanto it would be nine in the evening. After a while they were finally able to get on board.

The plane was from the same company as the one Serena had taken to reach Kanto, even if it was a different model. Bigger and more elegant.

The Professor had been generous. He had bought the two business class tickets. They were in the same row, but only one of them was on the window side. Ash had been generous, allowing Serena to sit next to the window. She considered herself lucky. Between the two seats there was not a thin armrest, but a much wider divider. A sufficiently large anti-embarrassment barrier. In theory.

The blue giant took a run and took flight. It quickly reached the cruising altitude of thirty-six thousand feet, about eleven thousand meters. During the boarding, the staff had informed the passengers about the safety regulations.

Once the cruising altitude was reached, the signal requiring passengers to wear their seat belts was deactivated.

After approximately two hours of flight, the first meal was served. Wanting to respect the time zone of the destination, it was dinner. It was nine in the evening in Unova, a very normal time for dinner.

After eating, although they did not fully enjoy the meal due to the high altitude which altered the perception of flavours, the two spent the following two hours fantasizing about what the region would be like.

At a certain point, the plane's staff, equipped with some Grass-type Pokémon, had put the various passengers to sleep. Perhaps out of habit, Pikachu held his breath, managing not to fall asleep.

He was sitting on Serena's lap and had been able to watch her slide to the left. Ash, on the other hand, was sliding to the right. Suddenly the divide between the two wasn't so wide.

Contact between the two was inevitable, although not unpleasant. Pikachu, who, unlike his Trainer, had somewhat understood how things were, tried not to laugh.

He would enjoy them for a while. Then, perhaps he would separate them, as gently as possible. In the end, however, perhaps due to some dust raised by Serena during an involuntary movement during sleep, he too gave in.

After a few hours of flight, the passengers were woken up.

Everyone except Ash. The boy was a heavy sleeper. This gave Serena the opportunity to recover from the embarrassment. Had he spent hours and hours in such close contact with Ash? He didn't know what to think. Well Ash hadn't moved, maybe he didn't mind his mate? Whatever the reason, he wouldn't talk about it. If something was going to happen, it was just going to happen.

In any case, perhaps awakened by the smell of breakfast sweets, Ash also woke up. For him the scent of food was more effective than any salt.

After breakfast, there would only be an hour and a half flight left. The large jet landed gently, despite its colossal size.

Serena held out her arm in Ash's direction, to prevent him from making a bad impression. He was aware of the

great enthusiasm from the boy, and he wanted to avoid making one of his usual fools.

When some of the passengers got off, the girl did the same, and Ash and Pikachu with her. As soon as they got off the plane, they were greeted by a mixed smell of kerosene and rubber. Anything but pleasant.

They should have reached the arrivals area. Reaching it was easy, just following the signs on the ground. They found themselves in front of the arrivals building.

It was a huge, modern building. Inside, several conveyor belts allowed passengers to retrieve their suitcases. After a short wait, the two were able to retrieve their bags. Ash, like the knight he was, also pulled Serena's suitcase, which was much heavier and bulkier than his.

Following further directions, they managed to reach the exit.

"So you two are Ash and Serena?" A voice, which the two had come to know, asked. "Professor Aralia?" The two asked at the same time.

A woman with light brown hair, green eyes answered. "In person!" The two looked at her better. She was wearing a light green t-shirt and a black skirt. He was wearing winter shoes. "Now, but follow me. I left my assistant alone in the car and I'm a little scared. She's a very good girl but she's a bit clumsy."

The woman led the way to the parking lot.

When they arrived a short distance from the car, the woman took the keys out of her bag. The Professor's car was a long sedan with soft and elegant lines. Maybe it's because of the dark gray colour, the flat alloy wheels, the tinted windows, but Ash was hypnotized by that car. In his eyes, she looked like she had stepped out of a science fiction film, or some video game. The car had a very long bonnet, rounded headlights and at the same time rhomboidal in shape. They were framed by chrome profiles, set in the rounded fenders. The grille was also chrome-plated and its shape resembled a shield. Shield that embellished the bonnet and accentuated its triangular shape, and which highlighted the fact that it was slightly raised. This created an effect similar to many classic cars. The grille connected perfectly with the bumper, painted in the same color as the bodywork and embellished with chrome profiles that started from the point where it connected to the bodywork and which embellished the sides of the car.

It had to be a real flagship.

Thanks to the press of a button on the key, the hood opened, revealing the gigantic space. Ash loaded the two suitcases and the two backpacks, then closed the hood.

Once this was done, the boy opened the door to Serena, revealing the luxurious interior of the car. They were truly classy, dominated by red leather and rich woods. They smelled new.

After the girl sat down, Ash sat down too, closing the door. The woman got into the driver's seat and started the engine. Ash was amazed at how quiet the car was. The journey from Ponentopoli to Soffiolieve would have been a long one, mainly on the motorway, where the qualities of that flagship as a great road driver really came to the fore. It was quiet and comfortable, very comfortable. The journey seemed to take just ten minutes.

The woman, having arrived in the small town of Soffiolieve, parked the car and signaled to the passengers to get out. The professor's laboratory was on the main street of the village. It was totally different from Professor Oak's. The professor's laboratory was in the middle of the countryside, surrounded by a vast garden, while Professor Aralia's was a not too large building, with a fighting field next to it.

"I welcome you to my laboratory!"

She welcomed them back.