"Madison? Are you up?"
Madison stirred at the hushed voice coming from outside the tent she shared with Serena. She blinked a few times as she turned in her sleeping bag, focusing her eyes on the tent flap, and the humanoid shadow visible on the other side. There was a sound like a finger flicking against the tent, as if the speaker was trying to imitate a knock.
"Ash?" she answered quietly, her voice croaking a bit, before covering her mouth and yawning. "What is it?"
"Can I come in?" he asked. "Are you… decent?"
She sat up and glanced down at herself, and the blue nightgown she was wearing. "Yeah…" She turned her head to her left, seeing Serena still curled up in her sleeping bag, facing away from her. "Serena's still asleep, though…"
The tent door slowly began unzipping itself, as Ash tried to open it as quietly as he could. Once the hole had grown large enough, Pikachu pushed his way through it and into the tent. He ran over and clambered onto Madison's lap, nuzzling her stomach affectionately.
Madison covered her mouth as she giggled, rubbing the top of the Pokémon's head between his ears the way he liked. "Good morning, Pikachu!" She pet him for a moment before looking back at the tent flap, which Ash had forced his head and arms through. He sat up on his elbows as he grinned at her.
"Happy birthday, Madison!" he congratulated. "Get dressed and get outside as soon as you can, okay?"
"Huh?" Madison's eyebrows raised curiously. "What for?"
"You and I are heading out," Ash answered, his voice full of energy even as he half-whispered. "We're going to go out and catch your very first Pokémon!"
"We're what?!" Her eyes widened in shock. "Right now?"
"As soon as you're ready! We'll get going after breakfast!" He wriggled his way back out of the tent, and Pikachu followed after him, darting out of the tent before Ash closed it up again.
Madison was now fully awake, her drowsiness chased away by adrenaline and excitement. She threw her clothes on as quickly as possible, briefly brushing her curly hair before tying it into a high ponytail. Once she had made herself presentable, she unzipped the tent and stepped outside, closing it behind her before rushing to get breakfast.
A few seconds after Madison had left, a grinning and fully conscious Serena sat up and slid out of her sleeping bag, starting to get dressed herself. She waited for the sound of Ash and Madison heading into the forest before stepping out, moving toward the campfire to get started on a birthday surprise of her own.
One hour later, Ash, Madison and Pikachu were wandering through the woods, all six of their eyes roaming over their surroundings. There was no shortage of wild Pokémon in the forest, as its occupants slowly awoke. Many of them scuttling away as the group approached, while others ignored them and continued on with their business, and still others stopped and watched the group as they passed. Ash had to suppress his desire to catch one of the Pokémon for his own team. He had to remind himself that he was out here for Madison's sake, not his own.
"Lot of choices for Pokémon around here," he muttered quietly, trying not to disturb the forest too much. "See anything you like?"
"Mm… I don't think so, yet…" Madison answered distractedly, eyes roaming the trees and brush around her. "I don't even really know what to look for…"
"Yeah, that happens." Ash let his gaze wander again. "Usually I don't know what I want until I see it. Sometimes the right Pokémon finds you instead." He spotted a familiar, anteater-like Pokémon roughly twenty feet away, scrounging for food. "What about a Heatmor? We've seen a few of those. You could do some cool fire stuff with that."
"No." She shook her head firmly. "Skiddo would hate me if I caught a Heatmor. And fire is already Serena's thing."
"What do you mean, her thing?" he responded, confusion in his voice. "Serena didn't, like… invent fire."
Madison rolled her eyes. "It's like her signature, though. She does all sorts of cool stuff with fire. The ribbon, the battle, that giant fire flower she made years ago… if I start doing fire stuff, too, after spending all this time with her, everyone's going to say I'm just copying her. I need my own signature. I need to stand out."
"Hm…" Ash looked away again, a contemplative look on his face. After a few moments of silence, he spoke up again. "Maybe you could have something like a wind specialty?"
"Huh?" She looked back up at him curiously. "Wind?"
"Yeah!" His voice picked up a bit. "I was just thinking about that cool tornado move you did in Brackish Town, and the thing where you sent out all the petals and stuff… seems like something you already do a lot, so… you know?" His ramble was inarticulate and slightly incoherent, but the enthusiasm in his voice spoke more clearly than his words.
Madison blinked a couple times, parsing his words before starting to think them over. She hummed idly as she considered the possibility, thinking back to her past performances. Ash kept the two of them walking forward, keeping his eyes peeled in case a new Pokémon popped up that he wanted her to see.
His vigilance was unnecessary. After another minute, Madison jumped as a small purple creature darted in front of them, crossing their path. Her eyes snapped to the cat-like creature as it effortlessly climbed up a nearby tree, with both speed and grace. Partway through its climb, it jumped off and grabbed a nearby branch with its front paws, swinging around in a full revolution before launching itself up to another branch up above. The Pokémon immediately bounced off that branch, kicking with its hind legs, and returned to the trunk of the tree, continuing its climb. The extra movement around the branches was entirely unnecessary for its climb; as far as Ash and Madison could tell, those had just been for fun.
As it neared the top of one tree, the Pokémon leaped away from the tree with its back facing the ground, reaching its paws out and plucking a blue Oran Berry from one of the tree's branches in the process. With its meal in hand, the Pokémon completed a full backflip and landed on its hind legs on a lower, sturdier branch. It started nibbling at the berry, looking very pleased with itself, as Madison watched on in astonishment.
"A Purrloin…?" Ash mumbled, reaching for his Pokédex and aiming it at the cat-like Pokémon. He held the device close to Madison, so she could more easily hear the information it had to offer.
"Purrloin, the Devious Pokémon," the device reported. "Purrloin fools people into letting their guard down so it can steal their possessions. When angered, it uses its claws to fight back."
"Wow…" Madison's eyes were locked on Purrloin as it quickly downed the Oran Berry. "It's… agile." Pikachu nodded and murmured in agreement, having plenty of expertise in being agile.
"That was a pretty slick move," Ash agreed, slipping his Pokédex back into his pocket. "It looks like it has good, uh…" He took a moment to search for an acceptable word. "…Balance."
"Mhmm…" She barely listened, her eyes unfocused as her mind immediately took her to the showcase stage. She was already starting to assemble new performances pieces, imagining what she could do with a dedicated dancer or acrobat in her arsenal.
"So?" Ash prompted after a moment, as the Purrloin sat on the branch and began grooming itself. "You think you might want Purrloin on your team?"
"Maybe…" Madison's reply was non-committal, but Ash wasn't fooled. He didn't bother hiding a smirk as he saw the starry-eyed look on her face. Her heart had made a decision, even if her mind didn't know it.
"Well, then you should try and catch it," he continued.
She blinked at this, his statement snapping her back into reality, and she looked down at the capture devices attached to her hip. "How do I do that? Do I just throw a Poké Ball at it?"
He shook his head. "That won't work. You need to weaken it first, by battling it." He paused for a moment, as another idea came to him. "Or maybe it will join you if you just ask it, like Absol or Growlithe."
Ash watched as Madison pondered her options, her eyes flicking back and forth between Purrloin and her Poké Balls. He kept quiet, not wanting to push her one way or the other, knowing it would be best for her to make a decision herself. After ten contemplative seconds, she stepped forward toward Purrloin's tree and cupped her hands to her mouth.
"Purrloin!" she called out, capturing the Pokémon's attention. Purrloin immediately stopped grooming itself and jumped up onto its hind legs, looking down at the two trainers below. Madison froze, as she realized she didn't actually know what to say. "I… um… hi."
Even Ash found himself wincing at Madison's awkward attempt to reach out. Purrloin had a disappointed look on its face, and it started to turn away, ready to leap to another branch. Madison panicked as she saw the Pokémon turn to leave.
"Wait!" she shouted. "Please wait! I want you to be part of my team!" Purrloin paused, turning back to face her, curious enough to hear her out. Feeling encouraged, Madison continued.
"I'm a Pokémon performer! I get up on stage and dance and perform with my Pokémon partners! And I want you to be one of them! I want you to be up there jumping and dancing with me! I think you'd be great at it!"
She stopped to inhale, having run herself out of breath in her excitement, and her eyes met Purrloin's. He regarded her curiously for a minute, thinking her offer over, before giving her a smirk and leaping away from her, traveling further into the forest.
Madison's face fell, her shoulders slumping, as the Pokémon ran off. "I guess that means no…"
"That wasn't a no." Ash stepped up beside her, an excited grin on his face. "That was a 'convince me'." He reached down and grasped her hand in his. "Come on, let's go after it!" He started running off with her in tow, and she yelped as he began pulling her along. She quickly fell into step beside him, and the two trainers ran after Purrloin, with Pikachu leading the charge in front of them.
The chase took the trainers deep into the forest. Purrloin moved effortlessly from one tree branch to another, clearly experienced in this method of travel. Pikachu was able to keep up easily from the ground, and while Ash and Madison lagged behind, they were able to keep up by keeping the bright yellow Pokémon in their sights. Ash had briefly worried that Madison would tire out or become demoralized, but every time he glanced over at her, she had a look of clear determination on her face. He couldn't help but be proud of her.
As Purrloin leaped from tree to tree, it eventually screeched to a stop, with no more trees in front of it to jump to. The forest gave way to a small clearing that was mostly hill, with a gap of more than fifty feet before the trees resumed. Purrloin paused for a minute to consider its options, as Ash and Madison finally managed to catch up. Madison reached down to her hip and grabbed one of her occupied Poké Balls, tossing it in front of her. She had been preparing a strategy in her head during the chase, and now she was ready to show Purrloin what she had to offer.
"Swellow, loop around the branch and hit it with Quick Attack!"
The bird Pokémon wasted no time once it emerged, zooming through the air directly toward Purrloin's perch. He twisted his body around as he flew in a tight loop around the branch, first to Purrloin's left, then to its right. On the third loop around, Swellow smashed his body directly into his opponent's, sending Purrloin crashing to the ground with a pained yowl. Pikachu leaped out of the way as Purrloin hit the ground, running over to Ash's side.
Purrloin got to its feet quickly, impressed with Swellow's agility, but not about to concede yet. He watched and waited as Swellow swooped down for another Quick Attack, before leaping out with its claws outstretched, ready to scratch. Swellow turned his body and tried to bank away, but he still cried out in pain as Purrloin's claws raked along his back.
Madison grimaced at the attack, but forced herself to keep her cool. She wasn't going to let Purrloin go so easily. "Use Peck!"
Swellow whirled around in an instant, changing directions on a dime even as it flew inches above the ground. His beak glowed white as he approached, and he pecked several times at Purrloin's face and chest, knocking the cat Pokémon onto its back.
Purrloin growled and sat up, watching as Swellow flew around for another assault, waiting for a moment to strike. As the bird Pokémon approached, Purrloin dug its claws into the dirt and flung some of it into Swellow's eyes, emulating a Sand Attack. Swellow squawked and tried to shake the dirt away, but a strong tackle from Purrloin sent the bird reeling through the air, slamming into a nearby tree.
Madison clenched her fist, wanting to end this short battle before her Pokémon was badly hurt. "You can do this, Swellow! Whip up a whirlwind around Purrloin!" Swellow pushed himself up and into the air once again, flapping his wings powerfully and kicking up a small tornado, blowing away the dirt nearby and causing all of the branches on the trees to rustle.
Purrloin looked around at the wind for a curious moment, but as the whirlwind picked up speed and strength, the cat would come to regret its curiosity. The wind started to spin Purrloin around with it, and despite its attempts to dig its claws into the dirt, the Pokémon was soon spinning in small, quick circles. Madison could see it growing dizzy and unsteady, and saw her opportunity to strike. It was time to use one of the techniques that Ash had generously taught to Swellow.
"Now, finish it with Aerial Ace!" she commanded.
Swellow cawed affirmatively, banking away from the whirlwind and navigating the trees carefully, creating a bit of distance. Once it was far enough away, it turned around and swooped back toward Purrloin, speeding up rapidly until it was barely visible. Swellow ducked his head as he approached, slamming into Purrloin with incredible force and sending the Pokémon flying. When Purrloin hit the ground again, right at the edge of the forest, it was too dazed and sore to get back up.
"Yes!" Ash exclaimed. "Now's your chance to catch it!"
"Alright… here goes…!" Madison reached down and snatched a spare Poké Ball from her belt, taking a deep breath before throwing it in Purrloin's direction. The ball landed on Purrloin's stomach, and the Pokémon was quickly converted into red energy before it was sucked into the contraption. Madison held her breath nervously as the ball shook once, twice, three times. It soon came to rest, emitting a triumphant chime, and her eyes lit up.
"I did it!" she squealed in excitement, nearly jumping for joy. "I caught a Pokémon! My first one!"
"Great job!" Ash praised, nearly as excited as she was. "That was a great catch! Now go get it!"
Madison nodded and ran toward her newly occupied Poké Ball, wanting to claim it and show it off as soon as possible. She was already imagining herself showing it off to Serena, teaching it some of her performance routines, and bringing it onstage to the cheers of an excited crowd. Her heart was pounding with excitement and anticipation.
In her haste to get her hands on the Poké Ball, she did not look to see where she was going.
Right before she was able to reach out and grasp the device, her left foot got caught on an exposed branch, sending her twisting and tumbling to the ground. She yelped in pain and surprise as she started rolling down the hill, trying and failing to grab Purrloin's Poké Ball as she rolled past. Ash gasped and ran after her, sliding down the hill with Pikachu beside him. Both of them winced as she reached the bottom of the hill, crying out in pain as her foot hit against the trunk of a tree.
"Madison!" he called out as he started running down the hill. "Are you okay? That looked like it hurt!" She groaned and rolled onto her back, her left foot coming to rest on the ground. She immediately shouted and lifted her foot in the air again, grabbing at her leg near her ankle but trying not to touch it directly.
"Ow ow ow ow ow…" She closed her eyes tight as she held her leg, trying to roll forward into a sitting position. "I think I hurt my ankle really bad…"
Ash kneeled next to her, reaching down and helping her sit up, before looking down toward the injured ankle. "Can I see it?" He reached over toward her foot, carefully trying to pull her sock down. As his fingers brushed against her ankle, she cried out again and retracted her foot.
"Ow, no, don't touch it!" she yelled, and his hand recoiled as if it had touched a hot flame. He frowned, thinking hard about what he needed to do to help her, but there was only one thing he could think of: take her to someone who actually knew what they were doing.
"We need Brock to take a look at your ankle," he declared. "Do you think you can walk?"
"No," she answered without hesitation. "It hurts if anything touches it at all. I can't even put it on the ground."
Ash nodded, sighing. "Well, there's only one thing to do, then." He shifted so his feet were solidly underneath him, then slid his arms underneath her and lifted her into a princess carry. She yelped again, reflexively wrapping her arms around his neck, not wanting to be accidentally dropped.
"Ash!" she protested, even as she clung to him for safety.
"We need to get you back," he insisted, turning back toward the hill. "If you have a better idea, let me know." She groaned as he started to slowly walk uphill, not having any better ideas, but mortified about the situation all the same. At the very least, she was thankful she had chosen to wear pants today instead of a skirt.
Ash slowly trudged up the hill with Madison in his arms, exhaling in relief as he reached the top. He looked down at the nearly-forgotten Poké Ball on the ground, before turning his gaze toward his Pokémon partner. "Pikachu, can you bring Purrloin's ball back with you?"
Pikachu nodded and scampered over to the Poké Ball, grabbing it and lifting it over his head. He held it aloft as he walked back toward their campground, and Ash walked alongside him. Madison kept her eyes on the ground, praying that she would wake up soon and discover this was all just a bad dream.
Back at their shared campsite, the three remaining travelers were all preparing for Ash and Madison's return. Iris was setting plates and silverware on the nearby picnic table, as Brock tended to a delicious-smelling dish that he was cooking over the campfire. Serena and Delphox were kneeling around a small, folding, metal box on the ground, which Serena had fashioned into a makeshift oven some weeks before. Delphox was using her pyrokinetic abilities to heat the metal, along with the birthday cake that was baking inside. Serena had practiced this baking technique several times in the past, and she was excited to surprise the birthday girl with it once she returned.
"Brock! Come here, quick!"
Everyone turned in confusion at the panicked sound of Ash's voice, not having expected him for another hour at least. They each gasped in turn as he came into view, carrying a distressed Madison in his arms. This was not the return they expected.
"Ash!" Serena stood up and ran toward him, leaving Delphox to monitor the cake on her own. "What happened? What's going on?"
"Madison tripped and fell down a hill," he explained quickly. "Her ankle is hurt bad." He set her down on the bench of the picnic table, and she leaned her back against it as she held her injured ankle in the air.
"Oh, no…" Serena brought her hand to her mouth, eyes moving to the suspended ankle. She leaned in closer, as if she might be able to diagnose the issue if she stared at it hard enough. A moment later, she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder coaxing her away, and she shifted to stand behind Madison, allowing Brock to kneel next to the patient.
"I need to take a closer look," he explained, immediately switching into Doctor Mode. He reached out and carefully started to unlace her shoe, as Iris watched curiously from nearby.
"Ow!" Madison pulled her foot away, recoiling in pain. "Don't, please! It hurts!"
"The shoe has to come off," he explained. "Even if I didn't need to see it, you don't want your shoe on if your ankle is swelling." Madison gritted her teeth and nodding, trying her best to suppress her cries of pain as Brock unlaced and removed the shoe as carefully as he could. Serena reached down and grasped Madison's hand in one of hers, and she felt the young girl squeeze tightly every time Brock's fingers caused her more pain. Soon her red, inflamed ankle was exposed, and Brock took a careful look at he injury to determine its severity, his fingers probing as gently as they could.
"Well, it doesn't seem broken, so that's good," he announced after a minute. "I'd guess that you twisted your ankle when you first tripped."
Madison's face fell as she heard his diagnosis. "What does that mean…?"
"It means that you shouldn't put much weight on it for a little while, if you can help it," he explained. "I'll wrap it in a bandage to keep the swelling down. That will make it less painful while it heals."
"Great…" Her voice was defeated, devoid of energy as she looked down toward the ground. "That's it, then. It's over for me."
"What do you mean?" Iris asked, concerned.
"I can't do any more showcases like this," Madison explained, her eyes growing dim. "I can't dance on a twisted ankle. I can't keep traveling if I can't walk." She let go of Serena and wrung her hands together. "I knew something like this was going to happen eventually. This is the end of my dream of being a Pokémon Performer."
"Huh?" Brock cocked his head, confused. "What, over this?"
She looked back at him, not sure why he wasn't as pessimistic as she was. "The showcase season is more than half over already… I'm not going to be able to perform again like this, am I?"
"Well, maybe not for a couple of weeks," he conceded. "But it's not nearly as bad as it could have been. As far as twisted ankles go, you got off kind of easy. There's still plenty of showcases left, aren't there?"
"Yeah, but the Couriway Town showcase is only a few days away. I can't compete in that. And without that…"
"But Couriway Town is a Performance Battle showcase," Serena reminded her. "Your Pokémon are going to be the ones doing all the moving, not you." She rested her hands on the young girl's shoulders. "I bet we can get you a brace to stand on. We'll find you a longer dress and nobody will even notice."
"I… but…" Madison was grappling to reconcile her defeatist attitude with the optimism of those around her. "I can't even walk… how am I supposed to get there? I'll just be holding you guys back…"
"I bet Absol would be happy to give you a ride," Ash suggested. "He loves you as much as he loves anyone else here. He wouldn't want you to leave because of this."
"Or Skiddo," Serena piped up. "If he's big enough."
"B… but…" Madison found herself at a loss for words. She looked from one companion to the next, searching for any sign that they might just be humoring her, and finding nothing.
"Don't worry, Madison," Brock reassured her. "Your dream of being a Pokémon Performer isn't going to die because of a little mishap like this. We won't let it, will we?"
"No way!" Ash agreed. "We'll do everything we can to help you get those Princess Keys. We're all here for you, I promise." Everyone around him emphatically voiced their agreement, especially Serena.
"You guys…" Madison felt her lip trembling, her heart swelling and her throat growing choked up. She had never experienced what it was like to have people supporting her performance dreams like this. The strength and the sincerity of their support was leaving her feeling overwhelmed.
"Th… thank you…" she managed to choke out, as tears of gratitude began to leak from her eyes. "Thank you all so much…" She reached her arm up to wipe her eyes.
"Madison?!" Serena exclaimed, surprised. "Are you alright?"
The young girl didn't answer, keeping her eyes shut tight as she sniffled, trying her best to not openly sob. Serena leaned down and wrapped her arms around Madison's shoulders, not saying anything, just offering the same quiet comfort that her mother had offered her in the past. They stayed together like this the entire time Brock was treating Madison's ankle, as Ash and Iris watched on with concern. None of them said another word until Brock was done.
Later that evening, everyone had retired to their tents for the night, ready to get some sleep after a surprisingly eventful day. Serena and Madison were busy figuring out how to get the latter into her sleeping bag without irritating her twisted ankle, which was easier said than done. They eventually managed it after fully unzipping the bag, and Madison resigned herself to needing Serena's help to get in and out of bed each morning, at least in the short term.
"This is definitely the most memorable birthday I've ever had," the younger girl muttered, lying back onto her pillow. "Welcome to eleven, I guess."
"Well, it wasn't all bad, was it?" Serena slid into her sleeping bag as well. "You caught your first Pokémon, and it's a great one. Purrloin will be there long after your ankle heals."
"Mhmm." Madison nodded in agreement. "And after was good, too. Dinner and dessert were delicious." She turned her head toward her tentmate. "I can't believe you figured out how to bake a cake in the middle of the woods."
Serena grinned. "Well, it wasn't my first time trying it. It took a few attempts to get it right."
"Well, it was great. You nailed it." Madison closed her eyes, letting out a sigh. "I'm sorry for being a mess today."
"You weren't a mess," Serena responded. "Today was a lot. Getting hurt like that is scary, especially for us performers. I would have been worried, too."
"It wasn't even that, though," Madison replied, her eyes opening again. "After that, when you were all figuring out how to help me, that just… yeah."
Serena propped herself up on one elbow. "What, did you think we would do anything else?"
"Ugh, I don't know." Madison rubbed her temple with one hand. "I guess I just expected you all to do what my parents would do."
Serena's eyebrows raised. "What would they have done?"
"Probably just tell me to stop traveling and come home," Madison answered. "The same thing they always tell me when I call them on the phone."
Serena was fully sitting up now, eyes wide with shock. "They really say that? They don't want you to be traveling? Or… they don't want you to be performing?"
Madison groaned. "They act like they're all supportive of me being a performer, but they aren't, really." She propped herself up with her elbow. "When I told them what I wanted to do on my journey, they said 'oh, that sounds wonderful! Go out there and achieve your dreams, Madison!'" Her eyes fell to the ground, her voice taking on a bitter tone. "'And then when you're all done having your fun, you can come back home and run the family store like you're supposed to.'"
Serena rested her elbows on her knees, trying to find a positive spin on the situation. "Maybe they're just worried about you. You know how parents can be super protective of their kids. Maybe they thought you'd get hurt?"
"They've said that to me," Madison replied. "But I think they're just making up excuses. People don't really get hurt being performers, do they? I mean, you had that sprained wrist in the Master Class, but besides stuff like that."
Serena was quiet for a moment, frowning and looking lost in thought. After a few seconds of contemplation, she slid herself out of her sleeping bag. "Let me show you something."
Madison's eyebrows raised and she sat up curiously, watching as Serena started peeling the sock off of her right foot. She gasped as she saw what was underneath: a ring of discolored skin around Serena's ankle, bordered by scar tissue on the top and bottom.
"Oh my gosh!" she exclaimed, quickly hushing herself. "What is that?!"
"This is from my first few attempts at the fire ribbon routine," Serena explained. "This was before I was using a cold-burning flame. While I was doing a twirl, the ribbon wrapped itself around my ankle and burned me really badly."
"Oh no, oh gosh…" Madison closed her eyes tight, her whole face reacting to the gruesome image that had formed in her mind.
"Yep… that day was a big reality check for me." Serena covered her ankle back up with the sock. "I was feeling kind of unstoppable at the time. I didn't think something like that could ever happen to me. I figured it happened to other girls who weren't as careful. So much for that."
"Wow…" Madison was a bit dumbstruck as Serena slid back into her sleeping bag. The tent was quiet for a moment before Serena broke the silence.
"You know, my mom wasn't very supportive of me when I set out on my journey, either," she said. "She told me I was just going to quit when things got tough. She thought I wasn't strong enough, and she said it to my face."
"She what?!" Madison was aghast. "That's horrible!"
"Well, honestly, she sort of had a point," Serena explained, lying back down. "At the time, I wasn't a very motivated kid. I was kind of lazy. I mostly just sat around the house. That's why she tried to push me onto her career path, I guess."
"What was that?" Madison asked.
"She wanted me to be a professional Rhyhorn racer."
Madison sputtered into laughter. "What?!"
"Hey, don't laugh!" Serena huffed, pouting. "I wasn't… well…" As she recalled the memories of herself being bucked off of her mother's Rhyhorn time and time again, she had no choice but to abandon her protest.
"Sorry, just…" Madison continued giggling as she calmed herself down. "I just really can't see it, is all."
"Yeah, well… neither could I," Serena conceded. "That's part of why I went on a journey in the first place. I just wanted to get away from my mom for a while."
"What about your dad?" Madison asked curiously. "What did he want for you?"
"Oh, I never knew my dad," Serena answered casually. "He left when I was just a baby. My mom didn't have many nice things to say about him. I have no idea why she married him in the first place."
"Oh…" Madison bit her lip, a bit embarrassed at her faux pas. "Any brothers or sisters?"
Serena shook her head. "I'm an only child. My mom's the only family I have."
Madison nodded contritely. "I have a couple of older brothers, myself. I wish I had a sister I could talk to."
"Yeah?" Serena smiled as she rested her head on her arm. "I think I would have really enjoyed having a sister like you growing up, Madison."
"Oh, I would have loved having you as a big sister!" Madison responded excitedly, the words bursting out of her, as if she'd been holding onto this information for months. "We could stay up talking all night about girl stuff, we could trade clothes and accessories and stuff…"
Serena covered her mouth with her hand as she giggled, not expecting such an enthusiastic reply, but far from upset. Her eyes lit up a moment later, and she sat up once again.
"Oh, that reminds me!" She turned herself around, reaching for her bag which sat in the corner of the tent. She pulled it closer and opened the top flap, rifling through it for a moment, before she pulled out a rectangular box wrapped with red paper.
"Here." She handed it over to Madison. "This is for you. It's a birthday gift I nearly forgot about."
"Really?" Madison reached out and accepted it, holding it gently and looking at it with reverence. "Can I open it?"
"Of course! It's your birthday, isn't it?"
Madison turned the package over and began carefully unwrapping the paper, not wanting to be disrespectful by tearing it. She soon had the paper removed, and opened the pink box that was hiding underneath. Her eyes widened and she gasped, nearly dropping the box as she saw what was inside. The box held a headband made of blue beads, a pair of white gloves with pink ribbons around the wrists, and a black choker with a gold pendant - all of which looked very familiar.
"Serena…" Her eyes were shimmering as she looked up. "Are these yours…?"
Serena nodded, a smile stretched wide across her face. "They're the same ones I wore on my first journey. They won't fit me anymore, but I think they'd be perfect for you. What do you think?"
Madison looked down at the gift again, her mouth opening and closing several times, at a loss for words. She eventually set the box aside and scrambled over to Serena, wrapping her arms tight around the older girl's torso.
"Thank you so much, Serena," she spoke quietly, a hint of a tremor in her voice. "This is the sweetest gift anyone's ever gotten me."
Serena smiled warmly, wrapping her arms back around Madison, sliding her fingers into the girl's hair. "You deserve it. Happy birthday, Mads."
The two girls stayed together for a long time, not saying anything, simply relaxing and basking in the mutual affection. Serena closed her eyes and gently rubbed Madison's back, her heart feeling warmer from the younger girl's grateful embrace.
Maybe Serena had more family than she realized.