Chapter 60:
The Bright Side of the Moon
Venesi City – Southern Port
The night that followed Serena's victory at the Grand Festival was one of joy and laughter as Serena and her friends celebrated the honey blonde's triumph with a dinner at one of Venesi City's finest restaurants. Though, at her request, they didn't stay until too late, since she was a bit tired from the competition and wanted to go to bed in order to get some rest. But still, it was an enjoyable night that they wouldn't forget.
The next morning, the group woke up fully rested and brimming with energy, and after a hearty breakfast at the Pokemon Center's cafeteria, the group bid Grace as well as the rest of Serena's rivals goodbye. Serena's mother was planning to stay a couple more days doing some sightseeing, Vitor would travel with Natalie in order to help her sister prepare for her final stretch of her own journey, and the rest of her rivals, Miette and Shauna would return to Kalos, Aisha would return to West Tandor and Leona to her home in Alola.
Once they all exchanged goodbyes and well wishes, Serena and her friends walked towards Venesi City's southern port. For today they wouldn't just be saying goodbye to many of their friends, but to the beautiful city for the second and final time, as they would board a ferry that would take them to Tsukinami Island.
"Ah, great! The next ferry to Tsukinami Island will leave in an hour! More than enough time to buy some tickets," Clemont said, looking at the ferry's timetable attached to an announcement board.
"There's quite the line to the ticket booth, though," Lilia pointed out, and everybody could see that the bespectacled girl was right.
"And here I thought that with the contest season over, we wouldn't have to wait in line for the rest of the journey," Bonnie groaned.
"Come on guys, it's not that big of a line. I'm sure that in less than twenty minutes we will-" Serena said, glancing at the long line of people waiting, but interrupted herself when she saw somebody wearing a black and red outfit reminiscent of a ninja. "Huh?"
"Serena?" Ash asked. "Everything's alright?"
"Pika?" Pikachu asked, tilting his head.
Serena looked at the line again, but said person was nowhere to be seen. "Huh, weird," she said, before turning back to Ash. "Eh, don't worry. I thought I had seen somebody, but I guess I was just imagining it."
…
An hour later, with Ash and his friends on board, the ferry departed Venesi City as it sailed into the southern part of Maskara Sea, towards Tsukinami Island.
Serena was on the poop deck, leaning against a railway seeing how the city became gradually smaller as the ship sailed further from the port. She then noticed Ash appearing next to her, also leaning his body against the railway.
"I'm going to miss this city," Serena said. "Not only did I win the Grand Festival here, but this is where the two of us shared our first kiss and finally became boyfriend and girlfriend."
"Heh, no wonder it became so important to you, with such big milestones in your journey," Ash said, nodding, before adding. "And to me, I guess, if only for the last thing you said."
Serena smiled, and leaned her head on his shoulder. "Hopefully Tandor will also be the region where you reach your next big milestone after chasing it for so long."
"Hopefully, yes," Ash nodded, as he turned his face towards Serena, the two of them sharing a quick but very pleasant kiss. "So, what do we plan to do once we reach Tsukinami Village?"
Serena raised an eyebrow, a little confused. "What do you mean, plan? Aren't we just going to the Gym so you can get your last badge?"
Ash chuckled. "Well yeah, I planned to do that too, obviously. I mean a plan for our date there. I have no idea of how Tsukinami Village looks like, but given the way Sayaka talked about it, it must be a pretty amazing place. And a place like that must have plenty of cool spots for a date."
Serena had to fight the urge of slapping her forehead. How could she forget about something like that?
"I mean, I'm kinda new to this romance thing, but after we hooked up, we're not supposed to stop going on dates, aren't we?" Ash asked. "We didn't have much of a chance lately between those Team Omega jerks, my Gym battles, and preparing for the Grand Festival, but now that we have some more time I thought that maybe we could do something just the two of us?"
"Oh right, of course! Sorry Ash, it's just that until recently I had nothing but the Grand Festival in my head, and even if it's over and I won it my mind is still kind of messy," Serena quickly excused. "But yes, of course! I'd love to go on another date with you while we're in Tsukinami Village!"
"Don't worry, I know what I feel. I can't help but think of nothing but the League when there's one close, hehe," Ash said. Seeing that Venesi City was no longer visible since the ferry was now in open sea, the young couple left the poop deck and walked towards the front of the ship. "Plus, I think a date could also help you unwind after all the intensity of the Grand Festival."
"I couldn't agree more," Serena nodded.
As the two teens kept walking, a cool breeze began to blow. There were several squawking noises coming from above, and the two teens saw a flock of Pajar and Palij flying above them, their vivid red colors contrasting against the blue sky.
"Hey, how about if we let our Pokemon out? I'm pretty sure Splendifolw, Dunseraph and Frosthra would enjoy a flight in such a clear sky," Ash suggested, as he grabbed three pokeballs. "Come out, guys! Take the chance to spread your wings a little!"
"You too, Coatlith!" Serena said. "And Syrentide, come out and enjoy the sea!"
Five pokeballs were tossing into the air, opening and releasing Ash's three fliers, Serena's one, as well as her aquatic Pokemon, the first four appearing mid air quickly soaring into the sky, while the fifth landing in the water with a splash.
"Sy, syren!" Syren happily squealed as she emerged from the surface and swam alongside the ferry, easily matching its speed.
"Look at them go," Ash happily said, his sight focused on the flying Pokemon above him.
The appearance of such Pokemon also made other people on the deck to stare at them in wonder and curiosity, given that, while Splendifowl weren't exactly rare, Dunseraph, Coatlith and Frosthra definitely were, and so was Syrentide. Serena couldn't help but feel some sense of pride in the admiration other people had for her and Ash's respective Pokemon.
"Huh?"
Again, for a fraction of a second, Serena saw a black haired girl dressed in black and red, walking among the crowd.
Without further ado, Serena rushed behind the girl.
"Hey, Serena, where are you going?" Ash asked, surprised by the girl's sudden action.
"Pika?" Pikachu asked.
"Wait! I only want to talk to you!" Serena shouted as she pursued the ninja girl, who turned to the left and entered the ship. Serena followed her, but upon taking the same door she had entered, the honey blonde found herself inside an empty hallway. "What? But how...?"
"Serena!" Ash said, appearing behind her, panting a little. "What's wrong? Why did you run away like that?"
Serena sighed in defeat. "I thought I had seen Sayaka again. But guess I must be imagining things..." then, as she wondered if her mind was playing games on her, she remembered something. And from that memory, an idea was born. "Ash?"
"Yes?" Ash asked.
"I need to borrow one of your Pokemon for something," Serena asked, her voice filled with newfound resolve.
Ash just raised an eyebrow.
…
Meanwhile, inside one of the ferry's lounges, Clemont, Lilia and Bonnie were sitting on one of the couches and talking among each other. Some of their Pokemon were outside; Clemont's Bunnelby was being smothered by Lilia's Lopunny, and her Hagoop was exchanging electric sparks with Bonnie's Dedenne. Lilia also had a third Pokemon out, a Skelerogue, which was conversing with Clemont's Luxray and Quilladin.
"So you've been in another ninja village before?" the bespectacled girl asked in surprise.
"Yeah. Though, unlike this one, the other village was hidden inside a valley surrounded by tall mountains," Clemont explained. "You could access it by a tunnel that was guarded by ninjas. Only those who knew the password were allowed entry."
"Thankfully they won't ask us such a thing in Tsukinami Village," Lilia said.
"Let's hope not. Given that they have a Pokemon Gym, it would be impossible to challenge if no one had the password!" Bonnie said.
"Or maybe not. Sometimes Gym Leaders like to put some kind of test on challengers to test their skills and determination," Clemont interceded. "The most common way is a required number of badges, but other people like to get more... creative."
"Yeah," the door of the lounge opened, as Ash walked into the room. "There was this Gym Leader in Kanto whose Gym was hidden, and you had to find the entrance if you wanted to challenge him. One of my friends stumbled upon it by pure accident. If it wasn't for her, I would have left the place empty handed, hehe!"
"And then there's my big bro who puts a crazy robot that kicks anybody who sets a foot on the Gym," Bonnie teasingly said.
"Hey, that was an accident! Which I fixed. And Clembot now works perfectly and is one hundred percent bugs-free!" the inventor protested. "Plus, I've been talking with dad recently, and he has told me that Clembot has been performing admirably."
"You have a robot that kicked people out of your Gym?" Lilia asked, chuckling. "Now that's something that you didn't tell me."
"Not just challengers, it also kicked Clemont and me out of the Gym!" Bonnie added with a wry smile.
Clemont crossed his arms and huffed. "Like I said, that's in the past and I already fixed-"
"You know, I'm glad that Clembot malfunctioned and kicked you out of your Gym," Ash nonchalantly mentioned, drawing some curious stares from the other three. While it wasn't something nice to say, his tone was completely devoid of malice.
"Why do you say that?" Clemont asked.
Ash smiled. "It isn't obvious? Because if that wasn't the case, I wouldn't have met you and Bonnie!"
"Pika!" Pikachu added, nodding happily.
Oh, of course. That was such an Ash answer.
"You would have met him when you eventually challenged him to a Gym Battle," Lilia pointed out.
"I mean, sure, but it's unlikely that we would have become such good friends and traveling buddies, right?" Ash asked again. "It's not like every other Kanto Gym Leader went to travel with me after I met them."
"Heh. When you put it like that... guess it was a blessing in disguise," Clemont admitted with a timid smile.
"Yeah! I may not be a trainer yet, but I learned sooooooo many things from traveling with Ash, it's going to give me such an edge over other newbies when Dedenne and I begin our own journey in a few months!" Bonnie added.
"Nenene!" Dedenne cheered alongside her.
"Speaking of! I think Dedenne is ready for a more thorough training. Say Ash, would you mind if I borrow Pikachu for the next few weeks? I think Pikachu could teach a lot of things to Dedenne," Bonnie asked.
"Of course, Pikachu will be more than happy to help. Right buddy?" Ash asked.
"Pi, pika!" Pikachu nodded, smiling.
"Though, it's kind of funny that you're asking me that," Ash said. "Because Serena just asked me if I could borrow another of my Pokemon just now."
"Huh? Why?" Clemont asked. "And what Pokemon did you lend her?"
…
"Finally I found you-oh, come on!" Serena whined, her arms sagging in defeat upon seeing yet another empty hallway. "I swear I had her this time..."
Thankfully, the Kalosian didn't think about inspecting the area any further, and left the hallway. Once she was sure her hated rival was gone, Sayaka stopped clinging to the ceiling, silently dropping to the ground with the grace expected from a ninja.
"Ugh, that girl is so persistent," Sayaka silently grumbled. "Why did she have to take a ship to Tsukinami Village? What the hell is she planning to do there?"
Once her ignominious defeat at the Grand Festival was sealed, Sayaka made her best to vacate the premises as soon as possible. No doubt, that nosy blonde wanted to talk with her, probably to rub her victory in, but Sayaka wouldn't give her the chance. After spending the night at an inn –she wasn't going to risk going to the Pokemon Center and running into her– she got up early and bought a ticket for the first ferry to her home island.
She thought she was free to dwell in the shame and humiliation of her untimely defeat without Serena making it worse, but alas, the Twin Gods were conspiring against her as much to her horror, the ninja saw the honey blonde's group arrive at the port just as she waited in line to buy a ticket. That means that not only she would have to avoid her hated rival during the sea trip, but also risked running into her once she was home.
"What should I do? Lock myself inside my house until I'm sure she has left?" Sayaka pondered, as she walked towards the other end of the hallway. She pulled her tessen fan and began to fan herself. "Ugh, what am I even doing? Running away from that girl like some scaredy Rattata? So what if I-uh?"
Sayaka's ramblings were interrupted when she saw something unusual: perched on the handrail, looking into the sea with his arms crossed, was a Greninja. Sayaka knew of the Pokemon –any ninja worth their salt did– but she had never seen one in the flesh.
"A Greninja?" Sayaka muttered to herself as she looked at the Water and Dark-type Pokemon, while taking a tentative step forward in order to see him better.
It seemed that her staring was more obvious that she intended, for the Greninja noticed her, turning his eyes towards the Coordinator. She instinctively took a step backwards.
"Gre-ninja!"
Sayaka was somebody who prided in having fast speed and sharp reflexes, but even she took a moment to realize that Greninja had shot his prehensile tongue at her, snatching from her belt her tessen fan with her Kesytone embedded on it.
"Nin, ninja!" Greninja said, pulling his tongue back and grabbing the fan, before running away.
"H-hey! Where do you think you're going, you thief!" Sayaka shouted, as she dashed in pursuit of the amphibian. She didn't ask for help, for she didn't want nor need anybody to solve her problems. She would recover her tessen fan herself and make that thieving bastard pay.
And thus a chase around the ship ensued. There were no places to hide, and Greninja weren't saltwater Pokemon, so all she needed to do was keep the chase until he made a mistake. Mistake that came when Greninja entered inside a cabin. Sure, cabins had portholes, but they were way too small for a Pokemon of that size to squeeze through.
Plus, there was also the saltwater.
"Got you!" Sayaka said, breaking into the cabin. Though, oddly enough, the Pokemon appeared to be rather calm, as if he didn't care that Sayaka had cornered him. Still, the indignity she felt over that frog daring to steal from her superseded her other emotions. "Return my fan right now!"
"Do as she says, Greninja," a female voice said behind her, and Sayaka's blood turned to ice.
The ninja turned back slowly just in time to see Serena moving the cabin's door which hid her from view.
…
"Do as she says, Greninja," Serena instructed.
Greninja calmly extended a webbed hand, returning the stolen item to the ninja. Sayaka huffed and took it back.
"Thank you for your help, Greninja. Don't worry, I can take care of this part myself," Serena replied.
Greninja silently nodded before walking out of the cabin, leaving Serena and Sayaka alone.
"At first I thought that my mind was playing games with me, but the fact that I kept seeing you... I knew that you were real," Serena began. "Why are you avoiding me?"
"Why are you chasing me?" Sayaka rebutted.
"I wanted to talk with you. I've been wanting to since the Grand Festival ended, but you pretty much disappeared after that."
"And can't you imagine why? It seems you Kalosians can't take a hint, can you? Now if you excuse me..." Sayaka said, as she moved to leave the room.
"Why are you running away from me?" Serena asked. "Are you afraid of me or something?
That seemed to do the trick, as Sayaka stopped on her tracks a second before grabbing the door handle. A few tense seconds passed before she got a response.
"I'm not afraid of you," Sayaka insisted. "I simply don't have anything to say to you."
"Then don't say anything," Serena said. "But it would be nice if you listened to what I want to say."
"Of course, you want to gloat your victory over me and how you were right and I was wrong, don't you?" Sayaka hissed at her. "Alright then, go ahead. Not only did you beat me when it mattered the most, you even managed to find me when I was doing my best to avoid you. Not only am I a failure as a coordinator, but I'm also a failure as a ninja. Whatever you have to tell me, I deserve to endure it."
"No, I don't want to gloat," Serena said, rolling her eyes. "And honestly, your ninja training is quite impressive. If it wasn't for Greninja, I would have never been able to corner you."
"Speaking of which, how come I never saw you use that Pokemon before? That Greninja's pretty strong," Sayaka asked.
"Because that Greninja's not me, but my boyfriend's," Serena explained. "Though, Greninja's familiar with me enough that he's willing to help me whenever I need, sometimes without even asking."
"Your boyfriend must be an extraordinarily skilled trainer. Greninja aren't easy to raise, and that one looks particularly strong," Sayaka said.
"You're right on both accounts. But we're digressing," Serena said. "First of all, I wanted to tell you this: Sayaka, you and your Pokemon did an incredible job at the Grand Festival. You should feel proud of both your skill and the hard work your Pokemon put in."
This seemed to take the ninja aback, who wasn't expecting a compliment of all things to come from Serena.
Sayaka blinked a couple times, before crossing her arms and huffing. "Why I should feel proud? I lost in the end."
"...because you did your best?" Serena asked, tilting her head. "And you make it all the way to the finals. That's something few people can boast about."
"My best wasn't enough," Sayaka rebutted. "Don't you remember what I told you the first time we met? Second place is the first loser. Don't try to sugarcoat it."
"I'm not sugarcoating it. Sometimes your best isn't enough, yes. Sometimes you do everything right, and you still fail," Serena said. "But failure is not a reason to feel ashamed if you did your best and your spirit remains undefeated."
Sayaka ran a face through her face as let out an exasperated groan. "Why are you doing this? Why do you want to cheer me up? I was nothing but mean and cold to you. Shouldn't you rub in my face that you're the better of the two?"
"Another person might do that, but that's not the kind of person I want to be. When I see somebody on the floor, even if it's somebody who has been less than friendly to me before, I will always help them back on their feet rather than kick them when they're down," Serena sincerely said.
"You're quite the annoying goody two shoes, did somebody tell you that?" Sayaka asked.
Serena merely shrugged. "You've called me worse."
The ninja sighed again. "Look at me. My mere presence used to make you quake in your boots. And now here you are, chasing after me as if I'm some hurt, helpless Feleng in need of nursing and protecting."
"Everybody needs help once in a while. That doesn't make them helpless," Serena replied.
"Just what else do you want from me then? Isn't beating me when I was about to achieve my biggest victory enough for you?" Sayaka asked, throwing her hands in the air.
"I want to see you smile," Serena simply said, much to Sayaka's confusion. "When you told me about your past, about your first failed attempt at being a Top Coordinator... I knew I had to beat you. Not just for myself, but for you as well. To show you that the first path you took wasn't a mistake. Plus, the person you used to be... she sounded like somebody wonderful, somebody I'd love to meet."
"I'm sorry, but that Sayaka isn't there anymore," the ninja replied. She didn't sound angry or snappy, but tired and even glum.
"That's not true. I know she's still there. I know that, deep down, you want to go back to being her," Serena insisted.
"It's not that easy, okay? I just... I just simply can't go back to how I used to be," Sayaka protested. "Back when I was starting, as the losses kept piling, as I became more and more frustrated... and bitter. So bitter. I was drowning in bitterness. And that... changed me. I thought that if I made everybody feel miserable, I'd stop feeling like that."
"But that didn't work, did it?" Serena asked. "Which is why you should stop pretending to be something you aren't."
"Maybe it was past me who was pretending, and this is the real me," Sayaka said, shooting a challenging look at Serena.
"That's not true," Serena insisted.
"Why not? You barely know me," Sayaka replied.
"Because I know that most people are good on the inside. And despite our past misgivings, I know that deep down you aren't a bad person," Serena said. "A bad person wouldn't have a dream to inspire other people, after all."
"I'd... like to go back to how I used to be. I don't think it's possible anymore," Sayaka finally said.
"Here you are, still being a quitter," Serena said, shaking her head, before adding. "Never give up until it's over. So don't say it's not possible before even trying."
Feeling that the conversation had already run out its course, Serena turned around and walked out of the empty cabin.
"One last thing."
Serena's hand stopped just before grabbing the doorknob. Oh well, it seemed that Sayaka still had something else to say.
"Yes?" Serena asked, turning towards her.
"What business do you have in Tsukinami Village?" the ninja asked, crossing her arms. "Because I don't want to believe that you planned to chase me all the way to my home in order to have this talk."
That comment elicited a chuckle from Serena. "No, of course not. My boyfriend is aiming for the Tandor League, and needs one last badge to qualify, so he decided to battle your village's Gym Leaders, given that they have a reputation for being very challenging."
"I see," Sayaka said, nodding. "In that case, let's hope your boyfriend is an extraordinary trainer, otherwise he won't stand a chance against Hinata and Kaito."
Serena smiled confidently. "'Extraordinary' doesn't even begin to describe him."
Her statement was followed by a moment of silence, which Serena took as a cue that Sayaka had nothing left to say. She then exited the cabin, leaving Sayaka alone with her thoughts.
…
"So, Sayaka was really here?" Clemont asked.
Serena and Ash were now back with the rest of the group, all of them now on the front deck, enjoying the amazing view of the ocean spreading in front of them.
"Yeah, but she was avoiding me," Serena said, before turning towards Ash and smiling at him. "Thanks for lending me Greninja, Ash. If I were to catch a ninja, I needed another one helping me out."
"You're welcome! You know that my Pokemon are always willing to help you," Ash said.
"Not that of a surprise. After all, Jillian said she was from Tsukinami Village whenever she introduced Sayaka," Clemont said. "It's only natural that, once the Contest Season is over, she might want to return home for the time being."
"And what did you talk about? Did you make up or something?" Bonnie asked.
"Or something," Serena replied. "I like to think that our little chat accomplished something, but in the end, it depends on Sayaka if she wants to turn a new leaf or not. Though I have faith that she will take the right path."
"And if she doesn't, you at least tried to reach her. You've done everything you could to help her," Ash added.
Of course, Serena would prefer if Sayaka followed her advice, since that would take the Kalosian closer to her goal of being somebody able to help people by reaching their hearts, but she had to admit that Ash was right. You couldn't help people who didn't want to be helped.
"Hey look, land! Land ahoy!" Bonnie shouted, snapping Serena out of her brief trance. "We've arrived!"
"Nenene!" Dedenne cheered.
"So soon? I thought that we wouldn't reach Tsukinami Island until the evening, and it's just the middle of the afternoon," Clemont said, looking in the same direction Bonnie was.
Because, indeed, there was a mass of land slowly emerging in the horizon.
"That's because that's not Tsukinami Island. Sorry Bonnie," Lilia said, smiling apologetically at the lemon blonde.
"If that's not Tsukinami Island, then what is it?" Ash asked.
"The island itself doesn't have a name, but that's where Nuclear Plant Omicron is," Lilia began. "Right now, it's the last power plant standing in Tandor."
"So if it were to be attacked..." Clemont began.
"The entire region would run out of energy, yes," Lilia grimly said. "Hopefully it won't come to pass. Its remote location, combined with all the efforts the Rangers are making to protect it, will make an attack on that plant very unlikely to succeed."
"Let's hope you're right," Ash said, his voice growing bitter. "This region already had enough nuclear disasters."
"Pika..." Pikachu solemnly agreed.
"Though, the fact that we're passing the island of the power plant means that we're close to Tsukinami Island," Lilia said, hoping to improve the mood with a topic change. "In a couple hours, we will be there."
"Too bad it will be too late to challenge the Gym Leaders," Ash lamented.
"It's probably for the best if you challenge them after both you and your Pokemon have a full night of sleep, rather than right out of a long journey by sea," Serena told him. Looking up, she could see all their flying Pokemon still in the air, hovering above the ship as they enjoyed the chance to soar the skies unrestricted for so long.
"Yeah. Though, the fact that I'm so close to qualify for the Tandor League... I'm just brimming with excitement!" Ash stated.
"And how's that different from you normally are, Ash?" Serena cheekily replied, eliciting laughter from everybody else and a chuckle from her boyfriend.
…
A couple hours later, just like Lilia had said, the ferry arrived at Tsukinami Island. As usual, there was a sign welcoming the newcomers.
Welcome to Tsukinami Village
The bright, shinning moon reflected by ocean waves
As the passengers began to walk out of the ship and into the ninja village, the sun slowly set in the horizon, signaling the end of another day. Thankfully, the Pokemon Center wasn't that far from the port, so Ash and his friends didn't have to walk very long. Once there, they left their Pokemon under the care of Nurse Joy, had some dinner, and went to bed.
The next day, after a refreshing night of sleep, the group was ready to dive into Tsukinami Village proper. While Ash's desire to challenge the Gym Leaders have done nothing but grow even bigger, he had agreed to take the scenic route to the Pokemon gym so the rest of his friends could admire the beautiful town.
If there was one word that would describe Tsukinami Village, it would be "Eastern", not all that surprising considering that it was a town founded by ninjas. The Pokemon Center, with its standardized design, stood out against the more traditional buildings of the village, most of them being no taller than one story, with kawara tile roofs. There was also plenty of greenery, with grass and trees mingling harmoniously with the roads and buildings.
In a way, it reminded Ash of Ecruteak City.
"Okay, according to the map, in order to go to the Gym, we should take the main street, cross the marketplace, and we'll be there," Serena said, reading from her tablet.
"I heard Tsukinami Village's marketplace sells unique products that can't be found anywhere. Maybe we could take a look?" Lilia suggested, then she looked at Ash and added: "Once we're done with your Gym battle, of course. I'd like to take my time to shop, and I don't want to keep you waiting."
"Sure. We may stay some more time here once I'm done, if you want," Ash suggested. "After all, there's still a whole month until the Tandor League begins, and this place looks pretty cool."
"Speaking of cool, look at the ninjas all around!" Bonnie squealed.
Because while most locals around them wore kimonos, yukatas, hakamas and other typical eastern clothing, there were many as well who wore ninja garbs, some being black with red trims (similar to those wore by Sayaka) and others instead wearing white with blue trims. Some, like the civilians, were walking around, looking at the stalls, talking with people and doing everyday chores, while others appeared to be standing on guard.
Once again, Serena had already her trusty tablet out in order to dig information up on whatever town or city they were visiting.
"According to this, Tsukinami Village was founded by two ninja clans, the Tsuki Clan and the Nami Clan, the former wear a white uniform, while the latter favor black. The two clans rule the village together, with their chiefs always being a marriage between a man from one clan and a woman from another. The two current rulers of Tsukinami, Hinata and Kaito, also double as their Gym Leaders as well," Serena read. "They're said to be the strongest leaders Tsukinami had in generations, which is why the Tandor League allowed them to reject challenges from trainers with less than seven badges."
"They sound like a hard nut to crack," Lilia commented. "If I were doing the Gym Challenge, I don't know if I'd like to face them."
"Well, in Ash's case, the stronger a trainer is, the more eager he is to fight them," Serena pointed out.
Ash chuckled at the astute observation as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. "Hehe, you know me so well!"
"Still, even without taking into account Ash's desire for challenging opponents, tackling the strongest gym leaders will ensure that Ash has advantage over other trainers at the League who decided to face only the easiest ones," Clemont pointed out.
"Yeah. Plus Alain said that he was going to face them too. If Alain defeated them, then so will I!" Ash said, full of resolve.
"Pi, pika!" Pikachu agreed with just as much energy.
As they continued their way towards the Tsukinami Gym, they saw a large statue of a Pokemon none of them had seen before: an elongated, serpentine Pokemon covered in scales and feathers, with three bird-like legs, two on the back and one on the front. A pair of thin horns shot out of its forehead, and had moustache-like feathers coming out of its beak-like snout, and a long tail that looked like a thin cloud.
"Look at that statue. What kind of Pokemon is that?" Lilia asked, adjusting her glasses.
"I don't know. We haven't encountered any Pokemon like that since we've been here," Serena said, narrowing her eyes at the statue. "Though it looks vaguely familiar..."
"It looks pretty tough." Bonnie observed.
"Let's see what the Pokedex has to say," Ash said, pulling out the trusty device and aiming it at the statue, hoping that the Pokedex would recognize it even if it wasn't the real deal.
"Yatagayru, the Stormbringer Pokemon. Voltasu's evolution and Volchik's final form. Electric/Dragon. A fearsome Pokémon told about in legends. It has the power to summon thunderstorms at will," the Pokedex explained.
"Yep, that sounds pretty tough," Bonnie said with a nod.
"But why would the people here have a statue of this Pokemon in particular?" Lilia asked.
"Because Yatagayru has always been revered by our people long before Tsukinami Village ever existed," a new but familiar voice said.
The group turned around, and saw no other than Sayaka standing before them. Though, unlike the other times they saw them, Sayaka's body language had shifted: she no longer carried herself with pride and haughtiness, and the usual confident grin adorning her face was absent, replaced by a more neutral expression.
"Sayaka?" Serena asked.
"What are you doing here!?" Bonnie angrily demanded.
"This is my home," the ninja replied with a shrug, much to Bonnie's surprise. "Didn't Serena tell you that? But let me reassure you that I didn't come here seeking a fight. If anything, it's quite the opposite. I came here to apologize to Serena."
"What?" Serena asked, now as surprised as Bonnie.
"Apologize? Seriously?" Ash said, skeptical.
"I understand if you don't believe me. Looking back, my behavior wasn't something I feel proud of," Sayaka began, before locking eyes with Serena. "I've been thinking about the talk we had yesterday on the ferry and... if you really think it's not too late, I'm going to try to be like how I used to be before. And in order to do that, I need to make amends to all the people I have wronged. I know it may not be enough, but please, accept my deepest apologies for the way I have treated you." And the ninja made a ninety degree bow.
"It's okay, Sayaka. Apologies accepted," Serena said, a warm smile on her face. "It takes a lot of strength to admit when somebody was wrong and work to be a better person."
"Thank you. Though I think you're too easy to forgive," Sayaka said.
"You said that like that's a bad thing," Serena replied. "You sound sincere to me, and that's enough to accept your apology."
"I'm glad to hear that. I guess I'm lucky you were in my town. Tracking the other people I have wronged will be more challenging," Sayaka said, as her eyes darted to the west, to the sea.
"Don't worry about it. Sooner or later, you will run into them, and you'll have your chance to make amends," Serena said.
"Let's hope you're right," Sayaka replied.
"Well, now that that's out of the way, we were going to the Pokemon gym so Ash could challenge Hinata and Kaito," Serena said. "Do you want to join us? I told you that Ash is an amazing trainer, so this is the perfect chance for you to see if my words do him justice."
"If the rest of your friends are okay with it, it will be an honor to accompany you," Sayaka said. "Plus, Hinata and Kaito rarely get challengers, so seeing them in action isn't a common event."
With that out of the way, the group, now with Sayaka as a guest, continued their way towards the Tsukinami Gym.
"So, that Yatagayru is popular among these parts, huh?" Ash asked. "Wait, it says that it's the evolution of Voltasu. You have that Pokemon, don't you?"
"Correct. Though, while they have great power, one needs to be a particularly skilled trainer in order to raise them properly. The stronger they become, the more temperamental they get, and the harder they are to control," Sayaka explained. "Our best warriors used them during the wars against the people of the Baykal Forest, many centuries ago."
"Wait, that's it!" Serena said, snapping her fingers. "Now I remember where I saw that Pokemon! They were in the murals of that temple Tiko used as a Gym! They were depicted fighting Coatlith."
"Yes. Just like my people revered Yatagayru, the people of the Baykal Forest worshipped Coatlith, and used them in battle," Sayaka said, before looking at Serena. "It's funny that I have a Voltasu while you have a Coatlith. It's almost like we were fated to be rivals."
"Rivals doesn't have to be equal to enemies, you know," Serena said, smiling reassuringly.
After walking for a few more minutes, they reached the gym. Like Vaeryn's Gym, it looked more like a mighty castle than a Pokemon Gym, but this one had the eastern style favored in the village, with black pagoda roofs, white walls, and several torii gates that lead to the entrance. There was a garden of beautiful cherry blossom trees surrounding the main building.
"Alright, here we are," Ash said. "Hinata, Kaito, watch out because Ash Ketchum is here to challenge you!"
Author's Note: And at last Serena has finally reached Sayaka and made her realize that her outlook and attitude was wrong. With that, Serena's victory is now complete. I know that some of you didn't care much about Sayaka getting a redemption given that she was quite the piece of work, but it was important for Serena's character arc, given her goal.
And oh, look at that, they passed another Nuclear Plant. I'm sure it won't be plot relevant later XP
Thanks a lot to TheDoctor1998, Fox McCloude, beamknight87 and hirowriter for reviewing the previous chapter.
Hope you enjoyed the last chapter of 2024 and hope you have a happy 2025! Next time, Ash will fight for his very last Gym Badge, adn it's something you won't want to miss. In the meantime, make sure you drop a review with your thoughts on this chapter!