Chapter 8 Serpentine City

Ash and Alice arrive at Serpentine City after leaving Mossy Forest, the buildings are all pink and beautiful, and a delightful aroma fills the air.

Ash smiles, taking in the scenery, "Wow, not only does this place look beautiful, but it also smells amazing."

Alice nods in agreement, "I know. The gym leader of this city is a bit like me. We both recently took on our positions."

Suddenly, they hear a familiar voice calling out to them.

"Rodney: Alice! Ash! Over here!"

They notice Rodney waving to them from the road, so they walk over and greet him.

"Hello, Rodney," Alice says warmly.

Rodney grins, "You guys made it! Did you find your friends and catch any new Pokémon?" He looks excited, then quickly adds, "Wait, don't tell me! I want to see them in a battle!"

Ash chuckles, "So you want to battle now?"

Rodney shakes his head, "But first, I think we should check out this place on my right. It's the Trainer's School!"

Alice frowns, a shadow passing over her face as she remembers her past experiences. Sensing her discomfort, Ash gently holds her hand to reassure her.

Rodney tries to reassure Alice, "Don't worry. This school is different from the one in Kalos. I'm sure you won't get the same treatment here. Do you think we might learn something cool if we go in?"

Ash grins, "I think there's only one way to find out!"

The three of them walk into the school, and they find that the class is having fun. Alice sighs in relief, knowing that the people here must be friendly.

"Let's talk with the teacher! Come on!" Rodney urges.

They walk forward and find the teacher, a middle-aged man who looks like he's about to turn fifty.

"Why, hello there, young trainers! My name is Donovan Bella, but you can call me Mr. Bella," the teacher greets them warmly. "I'm the teacher at this Pokémon Trainer School! I teach beginner trainers the things they need to know to become the best trainers they can be!"

After the three of them introduce themselves, Mr. Bella learns that Alice is a Gym Leader.

"I'm passing on my experience as the former Gym Leader of this city, which my daughter has now taken over," Mr. Bella explains.

Rodney's eyes widen in amazement. "Woah! Your daughter is the Gym Leader here?"

"Yes indeed," Mr. Bella replies with a proud smile. "I taught her everything she knows about being a Gym Leader. She's still new to it all, but I think she's finding her feet."

Alice's eyes light up with recognition. "So your daughter is Donna? We got our positions on the same day."

Rodney grins. "Really? That's awesome! Ash, this will be easy."

Mr. Bella chuckles. "I wouldn't be too confident about that, young one. She may be new to being a Gym Leader, but she's quite experienced as a trainer. You definitely have an intense battle ahead of you." He pauses, then adds with a twinkle in his eye, "Hey, you know what? Let's make a deal, kiddo. If you beat her in battle and show me the badge, I'll give you something special! I won't tell you what it is, but it's something very useful for trainers."

Ash smiles confidently. "That doesn't sound too hard! You're on, Mr. Bella!"

Rodney is practically bouncing with excitement. "Come on, Ash, Alice! Let's go to the Gym! I want that Gym badge!"

They make their way to the Gym, filled with anticipation. Upon arrival, they find the Gym Guide and ask about the Gym Leader.

The Gym Guide shakes his head apologetically. "Sorry, kids, Donna's not at the gym at the moment."

Alice frowns slightly. "Did she tell you where she went?"

"She mentioned she's taking a short break and relaxing at the Serpentine Gardens," the Gym Guide replies.

Ash nods thoughtfully. "The Serpentine Gardens? Maybe we should go find her on our own."

Alice agrees, "I agree. The Serpentine Gardens is north from here, so we should be able to get there with ease."

Rodney whines, "Aw man...I really wanted to battle her though!"

Ash, sensing an opportunity, smiles. "Didn't you want to see my new friends and new Pokémon? So why not a battle between us?"

Rodney's face brightens. "That's right. I did promise that. Come on, let's go!"

They decide to battle in front of the gym, and it quickly gathers a crowd. Rodney chooses Budcheep, while Ash has something different in mind.

"How about I show you one of the Pokémon that only comes from Alola? Go! Freezy," Ash says confidently.

Ash sends out his Ninetales, and both Rodney and Alice are amazed at its beauty.

Rodney stares in awe. "Wow... A Ninetales, but why is it white?"

Ash smiles. "This peaceful Pokémon is known to rescue people from treacherous mountain accidents. It's an Ice and Fairy Type."

Alice is equally impressed. "That is so cool, and she is also pretty. I really want to own one."

Without thinking, Ash blurts out, "Well, you are also pretty as well."

Both Ash and Alice realize what he just said and turn away, blushing.

Ash mumbles, "Did I just say that?"

Alice, still blushing, asks, "Ash, about what you said, did you really mean it?"

Rodney, now annoyed, interjects, "I think it's not the time for you two to be flirting with each other. We have a battle to go."

Ash nods, grateful for the distraction from the embarrassing moment. Freezy moves gracefully, almost as if she's dancing, and with a stunning Aurora Beam, she defeats Budcheep easily.

Rodney smiles, albeit a bit wistfully. "Well, that sure is a beautiful sight, but here's my next Pokémon."

Rodney sends out his starter Pokémon, Salatad, and Ash decides to switch his Pokémon.

"Freezy, you did a great job. Please take a rest. Now go, Elecritter!" Ash calls out.

Rodney looks at the Electric Type Pokémon curiously, "Is that your new Pokémon?"

Ash nods, "Of course, and this is its first battle."

Thanks to Elecritter landing a critical hit with Thunder Shock, Salatad is quickly defeated.

Rodney recalls Salatad and smiles, "I really enjoyed the battle. And I can see you're going to win with ease."

Ash grins, "You bet."

Alice smiles at Ash, clearly pleased with his victory. Rodney notices her expression and suddenly grabs Ash's hand.

"So, Ash, can we have a private moment for now?" Rodney asks.

Ash looks confused but agrees, "Sure?" He turns to Pikachu, "Pikachu, can you go with Alice for a while?"

Pikachu nods and jumps off Ash's shoulder, joining Alice. Meanwhile, Rodney drags Ash behind the gym.

Ash asks, "So what do you want to talk about?"

Rodney looks serious, "You see, I've known Alice longer than you, but you managed to make her smile like that. I don't know how you did it, but you did a good job."

Ash blushes, "Thanks?"

Rodney continues, "And I can clearly tell you that you have some spark with her. I want to say, a girl like her comes once in a blue moon. You should try to ask her out."

Ash, understanding what Rodney is getting at and knowing that Alice has feelings for him as well, responds, "I'll try."

After walking back, Ash and Rodney find Alice and Pikachu waiting for them.

Alice asks, "Ash, Rodney? Are you done? What did you guys talk about?"

Rodney quickly responds, "Well, I was just giving Ash a Charcoal, which will be useful in the Gym battle," he puts the Charcoal in Ash's hand, and Ash decides to go along, "And I think I need to train some more before I battle the Gym Leader."

A voice interrupts, "Nice battle, but it could've been better."

The three of them turn around to find a red-haired boy who has been watching the whole battle.

Ash looks confused, "I'm sorry, who are you?"

The boy smirks, "The name's Rick. I'm a trainer from Rassic City, and I'm traveling through Rikoto to collect badges. I'm going to beat the Pokémon League and defeat the Elite Four and Champion so that I can be the Champion of this region."

Rodney looks intrigued, "Oh... okay then... Wait, you're taking on the Gyms? We're taking on the Gyms, too! Well, we would, but the Gym Leader isn't here!"

Rick grins cockily, "That's because I defeated her, so I guess she had to take a break."

Rodney sighs, "Oh man..."

Rick notices Pikachu in Alice's hands, "A Pikachu... quite rare in this region... Anyways, I'm gonna head to Dullfern Forest. There might be strong Pokémon there. See you later, losers!"

Ash flinches at being called a loser but decides to ignore it, recognizing the behavior as typical of annoying rivals like Paul or Trip.

Rodney shakes his head, "Wow, that guy is a bit full of himself..."

Ash nods, "Yeah... he kind of reminded me of my rivals, Gary, Paul, and Trip... They're also full of themselves, but I beat them in the League."

Alice looks curious, "I would like to hear the story about it."

Rodney says, "Anyway, Ash and Alice, I'm gonna do some more training before taking on Donna. I'll see you later!"

After Rodney leaves, Ash and Alice decide to explore the city. They arrive at a house and find a doctor inside.

The doctor greets them, "I'm the only doctor here in Serpentine City! If there are any sick Pokémon or people, I'll cure them! But I'm just not that easy to call because I misplace my phone again and again..."

Ash speaks up, "We were asked by a birdkeeper named Nile. His wife is ill, and he tried to call you."

The doctor looks shocked, "What?! Birdkeeper Nile's wife is ill?! He tried to call me?! Oh man, I have to go immediately!"

Ash and Alice decide to help the doctor. They fly back to Mossy Town, with the doctor leading the way since he knows where the house is. Meanwhile, Ash and Alice head to the Pokémon Center to talk to the birdkeeper.

Nile greets them anxiously, "Hello! Have you found our family doctor?"

Ash nods, "We did. He is at your home right now, and we came here to tell you the news."

Nile looks immensely relieved, "Yes?! I'm so grateful! I'll head back to my wife now! Here, take this for your effort!"

Ash and Alice accept 5 Super Potions from the man, who then rushes back to his home. Realizing their part is done, Ash and Alice decide to head back to Serpentine City.

Once they return to Serpentine City, they decide to visit the Quest Floor to see what they can do next.

A worried mother approaches them, "Hello, I'm here because I lost my three kids. They are running through the city, but I can't find them anymore. Can you search for them for me?"

Alice responds kindly, "Sure, we can help you."

After leaving the Pokémon Center, they manage to find a kid nearby.

The kid looks up at them, "What did you say? My mother is searching for us? Oh. I should go to the Pokémon Center."

After finding two more kids running around, they return to the Pokémon Center, where the three kids are now sitting at a table.

The mother smiles gratefully, "Thank you so much for finding my kids. Take this as a sign of my gratitude!"

She hands them a bottle of Protein. They then decide to help someone else.

A man approaches them, "Hello, my name is Password Pat! I have very special gifts in my bag, but you can only get them if you tell me the correct password!"

He gives them a piece of paper, and they read the riddle on it.

Alice reads aloud, "Let's see... Snorlax has eaten too much, now its stomach is..."

Ash thinks for a moment, then answers, "The answer is full?"

Password Pat nods, "Correct answer! Here is your prize."

They receive a bag of Leftovers as the prize. Ash and Alice sigh as they take them, knowing that it is an item that heals Pokémon. After that, they decide to leave and head to Serpentine Garden.

Here is a new chapter, and in this chapter, Ash and Rodney have a rematch, and they meet a new rival named Rick. (I don't like this character very much) I hope you like this chapter and the next chapter will be more Pokemon capturing and meeting the Gym Leader.