One Step Closer

Team Decisions

After everyone agreed to travel together again, the main question was their destination. "We could always go to Snowbelle City and play in all the snow!" Bonnie suggested. "I've always wanted to see Anistar City's sundial!" Max claimed at the same time.

"May, back me up here!" Max ordered his older sister, who laughed but shook her head. "I'm not arguing against the birthday girl."

"Clemont, will you back me up?" Bonnie asked her older brother, who shook his head as well. "You're a Trainer now. Fight your own battles."

Serena chuckled at that. "Where do you think we should go, Serena?" Ash asked, not wanting one of the Kalos natives to not have her own input.

"Well..." she thought for a moment. "I did promise my mum that I'd come home when I could, so maybe we could go to Vaniville Town. Bonnie does love riding the Skiddo and playing with the Rhyhorn, too."

"Ooh! That's a great idea!" Bonnie agrees. "I've never ridden a Rhyhorn or a Skiddo before," Max says. "Is it good?"

"It's the best!" Bonnie and Ash declare in unison, causing laughter to erupt around the table. "Max, Serena knows everything about riding Rhyhorn!" Bonnie says. "She's amazing!"

"Bonnie, I'm not that great," Serena blushed slightly at all the praise. "Yes you are!" Bonnie stated. "You can ride so well and you know everything about Rhyhorn and they all love you!"

"What's a Rhyhorn, anyway?" May asked. "It's this," Serena pulled up Rhyhorn's data in her Pokédex. "My mother was actually a Rhyhorn racer, so she made sure I could handle them from the time I was a little girl."

"That's so cool!" Max declared. "Let's go see the Rhyhorn!" "Yeah!" Bonnie agreed excitedly, all thoughts of a snow day abandoned. "Looks like we've decided, then!" Ash grinned. "We're going to Vaniville Town!"

Suddenly Ash's stomach rumbled loudly. "Let's eat first, though!" He laughed. Everyone else joined in and they ordered their food.

Everyone let out their Pokémon to eat. Serena's team consisted of Braixen, Pancham, Sylveon, Vulpix and an egg. "What egg is that?" May asked, looking at it curiously when Serena placed it down in between Braixen and Sylveon, who were looking after it while they ate. "I'm not sure," Serena replied. "Ash gave it to me when we found it in Alola. That's all I know about it."

May's team was Blaziken, Beautifly, Glaceon, Snorlax, Blastoise and Skitty. They all cheered happily when they saw Serena and Ash again.

Clemont's team was made up of Bunnelby, Chespin, Luxray, Manetric and Jolteon. When Chespin saw Serena's Sylveon, he quickly ran over to greet her. "Pin Pin Ches!" "Veon!" Sylveon smiled back, then went off to hug Bunnelby, who hugged her as well.

Max's team had Sceptile, Gallade, Gabite and Ninetales. "Wow, is that Ralts?" Ash asked in surprise, looking at Gallade. "Of course it is!" Max confirmed. "I've been training my Pokémon for a long time now! They're going to get stronger and stronger until we can beat you in a battle! Just like how you lost at the Silver Conference!"

"Still remember that, hey?" Ash sighed.

Bonnie's team were, of course, Chikorita, Dedenne and Squishy. "What Pokémon is that?" Max asked Bonnie, pointing at Squishy. "That's Squishy!" Bonnie replied, picking up and hugging the little Pokémon, able to do so as they were in their core form. "They're the best! And they're super strong, too!"

"It doesn't look very strong," Max said. "You'll see," Bonnie smirked knowingly.

Ash's team were Pikachu (of course) and Greninja, but that was it. "Nobody else?" Max asked while Clemont and Bonnie went over to greet Greninja. "Actually, I couldn't decide who else to bring with me, so I just brought Pikachu along," Ash smiled, rubbing the back of his head. "Then Serena and her friends managed to find Greninja and Squishy, so she brought them back to me and Bonnie."

"You're keeping Greninja on your team, right Ash?" Clemont asked. "Of course I am!" Ash confirmed. "He's one of my strongest Pokémon ever! Why would I let him go?"

"He doesn't look as strong as your Sceptile," Max remarked bluntly. "Oh trust me, you haven't seen those two in action," Serena smirked knowingly to Max, who looked at Greninja in fascination.

Once all the Pokémon were out, everyone sat down to eat. "Hey, Ash, Serena, what have you guys been doing since you left Kalos?" Clemont asked.

"Well I started out in the Hoenn region as a Pokémon Coordinator, where I met May," Serena explained. "I went back to Kanto and then I went to the Pokémon school in Alola!" Ash added his input enthusiastically.

"But what happened after you left Hoenn?" May asked Serena. "You stayed for about a year and a half, then you went off somewhere."

Serena blushed slightly and gave Ash a sideways glance. Ash glanced at her as well, then offered his hand under the table. Smiling, Serena took it, then the pair raised their hands so the others could all see. "I was... with Ash," Serena explained to everyone, who were looking at them both in shock, save for Ash and Serena's Pokémon who already knew about this. "We were in Alola together. When Bonnie told me it was her tenth birthday soon, I promised her I'd come to see her, so here I am."

"You never came to see me on my tenth birthday," Max scowled at Ash. "Well May isn't my girlfriend," Ash pointed out. "If she was, she would've asked me to go see you with her. But Serena's my girlfriend and she wanted to see Bonnie. So I came here."

"I'm just lucky that you aren't my boyfriend," May remarked casually to herself while Max muttered to himelf, scolding himself for being called out by Ash of all people.

Deciding to take the heat off herself, Serena smirked evilly at May. "Talking of boyfriends, how's Drew doing?"

May blushed furiously while everyone laughed at her expense.