1. Ash's Story (Part 11: Paldea,Kitakami,Unova)

Chapter 74

(Penny's Friendship Quest)

As we walk through the school hallway, we stumble upon Penny, who's hiding behind a wall. I inquire, "Penny?"

"Gyah! What—? Ash and Serena?! Hurry up and hide! And remember, stay quiet, okay?" She hastily pulls us behind the wall. "Phew... That was a close one."

Serena inquires, "What's happening here?"

"Um... yeah, you see, I'm just... errr... sigh I suppose I might as well be honest." Penny frowns, "Take a look over there."

We notice Ortega and Giacomo near the entrance. Penny continues, "Do you understand now?"

"Not really. I see Giacomo and Ortega, but what's wrong with them?"

"Ah, sorry about that. Your jump scare earlier completely rattled me. My brain's still trying to reboot. Alright, here's the situation. Team Star've started coming to school again... But I'm not sure if they'll fit in okay, and it's been weighing on my mind, you know? So, I'm keeping an eye on them from here..."

"Hmph... I guess we're still not exactly getting a warm welcome here, huh?" Giacomo sighs.

"Well, duh," Ortega agrees, sighing. "Sure, the teachers finally figured out we're not a bunch of delinquents... But it's not like we can press some magic button to make everyone else accept us."

"True story. We gotta fix this, my man. Time for a change of tack!" Giacomo announces.

Penny grows increasingly worried as she mutters, "Huh? A change of tack...? What, are they going to start wearing normal school uniforms to stop scaring off the other kids? Oh, Momo... Ortie... They're both really trying their best to fit in here at school..."

"A 'change of tack,' huh? What exactly are you suggesting?" Ortega asks.

"Buh? I mean, uhhh..." Then he comes up with an idea, "How 'bout we just say a big, friendly 'howdy' to everyone here? Like, just yell it. As loud as we can."

Ortega drops his cane and gasps, "WHAT?! That's stupid! Go on and embarrass yourself if you want to, but count me out!"

"Errr, yeah, that idea seems a bit... off," Serena whispers to me, her brows furrowing in concern as I nod in agreement.

"Hold up—let me explain. You know Ryme, right? She does this at her concerts, no joke. If the crowd isn't hyped at the start of the show, she'll shout the loudest greeting you ever heard into the mic, like 'S'UP Y'ALL' or whatever! It lifts the mood like nobody's business."

Serena raises an eyebrow, appearing to consider the explanation. "Yeah, that makes sense, 'cause those are CONCERTS. This is SCHOOL. It's different," Ortega retorts, his tone skeptical.

"Okay, smart guy. So, we're opting for the cold shoulder treatment forever, then, are we?" Giacomo asks, a hint of frustration in his voice.

"N-no... That'd totally suck," Ortega frowns, his shoulders slumping in defeat.

"It would, wouldn't it? So, yeah. Our only option is to yell at everyone so they know we're nice. Here, I'm gonna go for it..." Giacomo takes a deep breath before yelling, "HEEEY! MORNING, Y'AAAAAALL! HOW WE ALL FEELIN' TODAAAY?!"

The loud voice causes everyone in the hallway to turn their attention to them, their faces displaying various expressions of surprise and confusion. Ortega mutters, "Oh nooo! Giacomo! What are you DOING?! This is SO embarrassing!" His cheeks flush with embarrassment as he looks down at the ground.

"EVERYONE HAVIN' A GOOD TIIIIIIME?! C'mon, Ortega—you gotta do it, too!" Giacomo adds, undeterred by the crowd staring at him, a mischievous glint in his eyes.