A New Kind of Journey: Kanto (Inconsistent Updates)

Chapter 12: Heading Out Again

Ash surveyed their packed equipment. He had learned from experience that it was important to double-check everything. Serena was waiting for him downstairs. They were leaving today. Ash had planned to go to Pewter City next, but Serena had received a message about an experimental Performance/Contest, so they rerouted.

Satisfied that they hadn't forgotten anything, Ash gathered up their bags and brought them downstairs. He found Serena sitting at one of the tables and approached her from behind. She was looking at something on her tablet and muttering to herself, something Ash found adorable. He suddenly had an idea.

He carefully placed their bags on a nearby table and crept up behind her. When he was close enough, his hands darted to Serena's sides and started tickling her.

"AAAHH!" she yelped in surprise, then started laughing. "Aah- no- hahahahaha"
Ash stopped and hugged her, which she returned. "Ash," she said in a coyly annoyed voice. He couldn't help it. He laughed too.

"So," he began as he picked their bags back up. "Where's this performance test?" Serena looked back at her tablet and read something on it. "Saffron City," she said. "Not too far, about a day's walk." Ash nodded and walked over to the counter to get them checked out. When he got there, a news report on one of the monitors caught his eye.

"-heir activity level has increased, and local areas have been evacuated as a safety precaution. Professor Oak still says that all will be well if they are not provoked, but also that he has a contact that can help if the situation escalates." The news report was showing a hazy picture that appeared to be Articuno, one of Kanto's Legendary Birds. Ash realized that this must have been what that other report must have been talking about. He also thought he had a good idea of who Professor Oak's 'contact' was, and really hoped that wasn't necessary as he was enjoying being on the road with the woman he loved.

He got them checked out and returned to Serena. She smiled at him, then looked concerned. "What's wrong?" she asked. He realized belatedly that he was frowning as he thought of the situation with the Legendary Birds. He shook his head. "No, just haven't eaten yet." Serena laughed a little. "That's my Ash for you. Come on, I know a good place for breakfast before we head out."

"Hold on," Ash asked, realizing something. "Where's Makoto?" Serena frowned a little, then realized that he was genuinely curious. "She already left. Said she was going to Pewter City to challenge their gym".

He nodded and hugged her, having seen her slight frown and wanting to reassure her that there was no one else for him. It seemed to have the right effect, as she had a bright smile on her face all the way to the cafe she'd chosen for them.

As they entered, they missed the trio watching them from behind a bush.

"Alright," Meowth said. "The twerp's relaxed. This should be a good time to try and catch Pikachu". "Hold on," James said, watching Ash and Serena through the windows. "I didn't get a good look the last time, but isn't that the twerpette from Kalos?" Jesse followed his gaze. "Wait a minute," she said, surprised. "Are the twerps on a date? I didn't think the boy had it in him".

They all pressed their faces to the glass and watched as Ash and Serena talked, laughed, and flirted. They settled back into their hiding spot. "I seem to remember that twerpette having something of a crush on him," James said. "That's adorable," Jesse said. "Hold on," Meowth interjected. "Aren't we forgetting the objective, here?"

They all looked back at the couple as they shared a tender kiss. "Weeelllllll," Meowth said. "I suppose we could let them off the hook for a bit". The others nodded, and they left.

Inside the cafe. Ash and Serena both sneezed. "What was that?" she asked. Ash felt a prickling in the back of his neck and looked out the window at the very bush Team Rocket had been hiding behind. "I'm not sure," he said, turning back. "Someone must have been talking about us."

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I'm not going to say anything about the voting thing this time, I'm just going to be apologizing for my spottiness recently. I've been bouncing from house to house for a while, finally got settled into one, then my laptop broke and my senior year of high school started. I'm writing this on my phone, which is not my preferred method. To summarize, I've been very busy and never really had much time to write. The spotty upload schedule might continue or it might not. I won't make any promises as I know they probably won't mean anything.

That said, if you're reading this, thank you for staying with me in my unreliableness. I know it's not easy.

Until next time (As the journey continues), ありがとうごあざいます