The good thing about the end of Ash as the main character was that I could mourn the fact that they will never do another season with the Kalos gang. I have to admit that at the end of XY&Z I was still hoping that they would come back, especially when I saw the ratings of SM and then JN dropping more and more (be careful, you have the right to like these shows, but the ratings are what they are). Somehow, that's what happened with Pokémon Horizons and the return of Tetsuo Yajima, who has a good XY/XY&Z vibe, except that they decided to change the main character at that time.
Don't get me wrong, it's not the fact that Ash has been replaced that makes me "sad", but rather the fact that he had to say goodbye in a series that I consider mediocre and that doesn't give any real resolution, in addition to the fact that MPM completely forgets that Ash met other people outside of Kanto...
Let me join the meadow of Asphodèle
Despite the exhausting day, Serena had spent the rest of the evening in the Pokémon Center kitchen. I did my best to help her, but cooking was not my strong suit. So Braixen was in charge of the operations, while Pancham and Sylveon chose the ingredients. Yeah, even in a kitchen, Serena and her pokémons worked as a team, but what about me?
"Charmander, can you cook the dough with your flames?" Serena asked me.
I slapped my chest to show her that she could count on me. Braixen looked at me not very reassured and pulled the apron of her trainer while she said: "I don't think this is a good idea." The fox was exaggerating, I could handle it. I put all my energy into this Ember attack and... the once yellow dough had turned completely black and emitted a pungent smell.
"It's okay," Serena reassured me.
Pancham laughed out loud at my uncomfortable face, while Braixen sighed at the mess. Sylveon had approached me and rubbed her colored ribbons against my back for support. I looked up as Serena handed me a wooden spoon.
"You can mix what's in the bowl, please."
I knew she thought I was a young pokémon and didn't want me to feel left out. But I was already bad at that as a human, so as a pokémon... Braixen didn't let me hesitate any longer and pushed me towards the bowl to take over my duties. At the point where I was anyway. I had to hold the huge spoon with both hands to move it properly. The metal bowl rocked with every move I made, threatening to spill its contents all over the table. I wiped my sweaty forehead when I finished; I hadn't done so badly after all. Serena laughed, what had I done now? I understood when I saw my reflection on the surface of the bowl: my scales were covered with a slimy paste. Serena took a handkerchief from her pocket and wiped me. Her gestures were gentle, but I really felt like a child.
"Ta-dam! A clean Charmander."
The flame at the end of my tail crackled. Serena was really...
"Your scales are weird."
I looked down at my arms, they had indeed gone dark again and it seemed to be getting worse.
"I should ask Nurse Joy for advice, it could be an allergy," she worried.
She didn't give me time to protest or run away. Serena took me to the nurse and quickly explained my problem. Joy just smiled and explained:
"It's a natural reaction. When charmander's temperature rises, its blood flow speeds up and the capillaries in its scales dilate to dissipate the heat. This is an additional regulation mechanism to the tail flame. But I'm surprised that you could notice it, the change is so subtle that trainers usually aren't aware of it."
"I see," Serena reassured herself, "but I don't understand why his temperature went up when we were just cooking."
"Wasn't he feeling any particular emotion, like fear?"
I could see that Serena was thinking, she seemed to abandon the course of her thoughts and said:
"He's still young, maybe it's related to that."
The nurse did not deny this version, anyway, finding the cause was not so important. Serena returned to the stove and finally managed to finish our meal. I was surprised to see the bowl she handed me. Unlike the usual kibble, these dumplings were colorful and smelled nice. Serena seemed to be waiting for me to decide to taste them. This time I didn't hesitate and took a bite. It was good, very good in fact, so good that I forgot it was pokémon food.
"You seem to like it," Serena reassured herself.
How could she have guessed my thoughts? I followed my trainer's gaze and noticed that my tail was playing a metronome. I was tired of all my emotions being so readable.
"Charmander, if I make this kind of food again, will you eat it?"
I sighed, she really wanted me to eat like a pokémon. But after all the effort she had put in, I couldn't refuse.
"Der, charman," I muttered.
"Perfect! Now we have to decide where we're going next," my trainer said.
My trainer? It wasn't the first time I'd used those words in reference to Serena. What exactly was I playing at? Serena had regained her confidence, so I had no reason to stay. Besides, Pikachu must have missed me. It was high time I found him and took care of my problem. I looked at Serena, who was enjoying her meal, smiling and talking to her pokémons: it was the right time. I slipped away quietly; my recent experience at the market had made it clear that I couldn't get to Pikachu on my own, but I had a little idea how to remedy the situation. The videophones in the center were in a rather isolated corner, and fortunately no trainers were present, so I had a free hand to make my call. A little climbing and I was there! The number of Professor Birch was there. I hit the keys and waited, hoping not to be mistaken. Fortunately, the professor's face soon appeared and I congratulated myself on my memory.
"So that's it"? he understood me.
I nodded, it was time to get back on track with my dream of becoming a Pokémon Master.
"Does Serena know?" he asked me.
It was better not, she had to continue her contests without worrying about me, and for that she had to know nothing.
"She might worry if you disappear like this."
"Charman."
"Ok, ok, I'll pick you up in the morning. I think I remember that the Contest Hall is not too far from the center, we could meet there. That way Serena won't notice anything."
The plan seemed good, I thanked the professor one last time before joining my friend. With her pink tablet in her hand, she pondered our route. I didn't have any doubts, it was the best thing to do. Serena might be sad about my departure, but I had no doubt that with the support of the others, she would be back on her feet in no time. Serena was strong. She didn't need me to make her dream come true...
My friend had gone to shower without the slightest inkling of what I was up to. For the moment I needed to rest, the day had been exhausting and tomorrow might not be restful either. I took advantage of the bed for a little while before my trainer came out of the room. I missed the soft mattress and the fluffy blankets. I looked at my flame, if I wasn't careful this bed would turn into a pile of ashes. Serena finally came out of the next room in her pyjamas, she was yawning and would soon be under the covers. I sat down on the edge of the bed without deciding to lie down, the cold and hard floor I had tested the night before was not the ideal place to rest.
"Do you want to sleep with me tonight?"
Surprised, I lost my balance and fell head first onto the floor. How could she suggest that? She was a girl, I was a boy, transformed into a charmander, but still a boy! Sleeping in the same bed was simply impossible! I gestured in all directions and squealed to make my refusal clear.
"Are you afraid of burning the sheets?"
That was also a reason and it was not negligible. And even more than the sheets, I was afraid that my friend's pajamas would catch fire! But Serena didn't seem willing to listen to my protests. I tried to escape, but she caught me with ease and pinned me in her arms. I struggled, but it wasn't very effective, especially since I was afraid of scratching her if I tried too hard. She lay down on the bed, still holding me tightly against her.
"I didn't dare suggest it to you the last few nights, since you seemed determined to sleep on the floor. But you know, we slept together at Briney's and I didn't get burned."
I froze. We slept together? I couldn't remember. I must say that I had fallen asleep so quickly at the sailor's house that I must not have noticed.
"Now that I think about it, I should have been more careful," she continued, "but I remember at that moment, even when your flame touched my pajamas, nothing happened. I think that when you are calm and relaxed your flames do not burn and it must be the same for the other charmanders."
The idea of sleeping in a bed again was not unpleasant, but we were much too close, not to say stuck together. How could I relax in that position? And it didn't solve the main problem!
Serena began to run her hand over my scaly skin. She started at the top of my head, moved to my neck, down my back to the base of my tail, and back again. I felt as if my scales were moving, following the motion she was giving them. A new passageway made me sigh. I could make out every relief of her hand, it was all I could think about. What were you doing with me, Serena? I felt like I was losing my mind. My muscles relaxed, my eyelids grew heavy, my shoulders weighed a ton. I... I... Serena's arms are so... comforting.
I woke up before Serena this morning. I didn't dare to move too much, she was still holding me close to her so that I could feel her breath on my face. Her hair was shining in the light of my flame and was falling down on her cheek. This was no time to stand still and watch her sleep! I pulled myself out of her arms, hoping not to wake her. I felt bad for leaving without saying anything. I hoped she wouldn't look for me, that she would understand that I had left of my own free will. I still had to open the door, always a challenge with my size. After several attempts and a little contortion, I managed to reach the handle and turn it: the door creaked, I was hanging on the handle, hoping the noise wouldn't wake my friend. Serena mumbled a few unintelligible words but didn't wake up. I exhaled and hurried away.
The streets were deserted, hardly anyone but the murkrows had shown up early. The parking lot in front of the Constest Hall was completely empty, I had arrived at the meeting place way too early. I sat down on a bench and waited for Birch. My tail was wagging in the air, marking the passing of the seconds. I looked up at the giant screen in the building, instead of commercials and performance broadcasts, it just showed the time. 7:01... I was really early, and the professor wouldn't be here for a while.
"Hey, what are you doing here?" a man in uniform called out to me.
Not good! I tried to run away, but the guard would not let go of me, and I would not be able to escape him with my much too short legs. Luckily, the complex where the contests were held was open. I rushed inside and fled to the stands. Well hidden among the thousands of seats, the guard had no chance of finding me. Once the man was gone, I emerged from my hiding place. My recent defeat came back to me and with it the desire for revenge.
"Come on Ash, don't think about it anymore! " I encouraged myself.
I left the Contest Hall and found a quiet corner outside: a narrow alley with many abandoned objects. I hesitated what would fall on me between the piles of precariously balanced cardboard boxes or the rusty pieces of metal. But at least from here I could watch all the comings and goings without being noticed. At first, it was just maintenance workers with their brooms and garbage collectors lifting overflowing trash cans. Then gleaming cars invaded the parking lot. I could see people in the cars making final adjustments to their hair and makeup. Soon, adults emerged from their metal shelters, some well-dressed, others less so, but all anxiously glancing at their watches. And despite this frightening number of people crowding into the gaps between the too tightly packed cars, there was no sign of the professor. The crowd gradually disappeared and I was still waiting between these two wet walls. I looked up at the giant screen, it was almost noon and the smell of mold was becoming unbearable. But what was taking him so long?
"Did you see him?!" I heard someone shout.
It was a hopeful voice, a voice I knew well. Quietly, I poked my head out of my hiding place. There she was, at the entrance, talking to the man who had chased me earlier. I didn't want to be noticed and... my tail knocked over a bunch of pipes. They hit both the metal plates and the cardboard boxes, causing everything to collapse on me. I pulled myself out in a hurry, but I had left my hiding place and was back in the sun with my orange reptile skin. Even though she was far away, with all the commotion I had caused, she would soon notice me. I waited, and finally she shouted the fateful word:
"Charmander!"
I took off running, quickly followed by Serena. I was too slow! If I didn't find a solution, she would catch me. I turned into an alley and came to a dead end. Luckily, the wall was old and full of holes, one of which was big enough for me to crawl through. I heard Serena scream, but I had already made it to the other side at the cost of a skinned knee. I caught my breath slumped against the wall, it was a close call.
"Please come back," I heard her whisper.
Her broken voice gave me some remorse. Serena saw me as her pokémon, so it was natural that she would try to hold me back. I would probably react the same way if one of my friends ran away without saying anything. But she had to understand that I had my own path to follow, just as she had hers. She would be sad for a few days, but she would soon forget me. Braixen, Sylveon, Pancham, they were there for her. I just gave her a little push and that was it.
"Is it because we lost yesterday that you don't want me as your trainer anymore?"
"Of course not! That has nothing to do with it! "
But she couldn't understand, especially when she couldn't see my face.
"I was afraid when I didn't see you this morning, I thought you had been kidnapped... but in the end it was you who left of your own. I'm sorry. If only I had realized yesterday that you were not well."
Even though I couldn't see her, I could hear her sniffling and her voice shaking. I stood for a moment and looked up at the blue sky. Would it really be okay if I left her?
A sizzle. The noise I had just heard was a screen showing various commercials in a loop. It wasn't new, the images kept getting blurry, accompanied by that annoying noise that sounded like an old television set turned up too loud. Serena kept talking, but I was already not listening to her anymore. I wanted to see Pikachu again, become a Pokemon Master. It wasn't the first goodbye I'd had, and it probably wouldn't be the last.
That was how journeys worked. I got up and walked away from the wall, away from Serena and her quiet voice. The murkrows looked at me, hiding their faces with their witch hats to do their low masses. But I could still hear their mocking chatter.
"Don't go without me," I heard.
I stopped. Despite the electrical sizzle, I had heard her voice. Why did she say that? It was the first time I'd been asked to stay... The murkrows took flight, I could hear them complaining about the noisy human.
"Let's shut her up," one of them said, quickly followed by his mates.
I turned around. This was the first time I had been denied to pursue my dream. I stepped through the opening and placed myself between Serena and the murkrows.
"Why do you refuse to abandon me!" I shouted.
My claws flashed and narrowly missed the black feathers of the pokémons. They had flown away, shouting insults at me. I looked down at my hands, it was not my usual attack I had just used. But the murkrows came at me again, preventing me from thinking, and I spat my flames, which the flying pokémons easily avoided. I still lacked precision... One of the monsters grabbed my tail between its beak, making me scream in pain. Then, without wasting a moment, the bird of misfortune lifted me into the air, leaving me hanging in the void. The pain was unbearable, my tail would come off by force! But a pink wind hit the dark pokémon hard, forcing it to let go of me. Down below, Serena reached down and clumsily tried to intercept me. She managed to catch me, but she lost her balance and fell. Sylveon had come up to us to make sure everything was okay.
"You're back," I heard her whisper.
She was holding me so tightly against her chest that I was suffocating. I patted her arm, begging her to let me go as soon as possible. She finally released me, letting me see her reddened eyes. Had she been crying?
"I promise to do better next time."
I sighed, she still thought that was why I left. She rubbed her eyes, but the tears still threatened to fall.
"You know Serena," I rested my forehead on my trainer's, "I don't like to see you cry."
"Charmander?"
I broke free of her arms, annoyed at what I had just done. I scratched my cheek, after all, I had not left. Oh well! I could stay with her a little longer! Serena seemed to have found the smile, she looked over my shoulder and then proposed:
"Do you want to go to the Pokémon Center?"
My tail shook from the pain, and I could still see the mark of the other bird's beak in bright red on my scales. Indeed, a little visit to Nurse Joy was not a bad idea.
Birch looked around the Contest Hall for his young friend. He checked his watch, he was really late, but it was a long way from his home to Slateport, even by car. And he had two or three things to take care of before he left. After another tour, the professor had to face the fact that the salamander was not there. Maybe Ash hadn't found the right opportunity to sneak out... He'd better check it out at the Pokémon Center.
Passing by one of the windows, he noticed something that he preferred to observe discreetly. The young Serena was talking to the little salamander. The professor could not hear what they said, but their movements were more than enough. She pinched the little monster's cheek, which seemed embarrassed and quickly released itself with a few small cries. Birch was softened by the sight, though he was also a little annoyed that the boy had made him waste his morning and a good part of his afternoon for nothing.
"I won't be fooled next time," he grumbled.
The professor hoped Ash had heard him, because he wasn't going back to the center to tell him again. The man turned away from the window, determined to leave unnoticed. But after a few steps, he couldn't help but take one last look at the center, where the trainer and her pokémon were laughing.
"You're not going to call me back, are you?" Birch sighed.