Hello everyone! I'm here with another chapter for you all. I can't believe I've written 40 chapters now! This is the most involved story I've written since, well...ever! This specific chapter will be a bridge chapter (so to speak), which roughly means that this chapter will lead right into the next major story arc, which will be the most impactful one for the Alola part of the overall story. I'll tell a little bit more about the arc at the end of this chapter. Well I better end this before I spoil too much, so enjoy the chapter!
It's been a little over a week since Ash and Serena returned from Ula Ula Island. Ash didn't slack off, he's been training his Alola caught Pokemon every day since.
'Just one more island to go, then it's the Island Challenge Championships' Ash said.
Serena sat on the porch steps watching Ash train. It got her thinking about something.
'I wonder...if I really can be a great battler like Ash...'
She sighed as she thought this. She suddenly felt a paw on her shoulder. She turned to see Delphox looking down at her and smiling.
'Of course you can. If anyone can, it's definitely you.' Serena looked at Delphox in shock. Don't you remember? You cleared that Trial all by yourself, Ash didn't even lift a finger, because he believed you could do it. And he was right, wasn't he?'
Serena's eyes glistened at her partner's words. She did have a point, Ash didn't physically help her at all, she did everything all on her own.
'You're a lot stronger than you realize Serena. Think of everything you've accomplished both in Kalos and Alola. Do you still think you're not as good as Ash?'
Serena just stared in awe at Delphox, tears forming in her eyes. She suddenly smiled and wiped her tears away. She got up and hugged Delphox.
'Thank you Delphox, that means so much.'
Delphox returned her hug and held her close.
'You're welcome...my precious partner.'
The two said nothing after that, they just stood there in a caring embrace. Ash and Greninja saw this and smiled. Ash turned his head towards Greninja.
'Hey Greninja—'
Before he could finish, Greninja patted his shoulder a couple times and proceeded to walk away, leaving Ash confused.
Eventually all of Ash's Pokemon were granted a break. Silvally went to the porch and laid down. Lycanroc started digging in the sand for some reason. Mimikyu and Passimian started to build a sand castle. Pikachu joined Ash and Serena on a walk, as Sylveon was taking a nap. Decidueye flew up to the roof and sat in the edge. The memory still echoed in his head.
"I've never had feelings for him. Who'd have feelings for a hooded weirdo like him?"
Decidueye silently chuckled. "Yeah...sounds about right..."
Serena's Pokemon were also relaxing from a little training. Pancham was sparring with Kartana to work on close combat. Ninetails was tending to the garden with Burnet. Delphox and Greninja were also sparring with each other, the former teasing him by calling this a date. Brionne had been swimming to work on some water training.
She eventually popped up to surface and noticed Decidueye sitting on the roof. She suddenly grew sad. She'd been trying to apologize to him but was too ashamed to barely even be around him. She knew she had broken his heart, the memory of his face upon hearing what she had said about him played repeatedly in her mind. She had been crying herself to sleep ever since. She decided to seek advice from one of her teammates.
She got onto the beach and looked around. All of her teammates were busy doing their own thing. She didn't see Sylveon though, so she went inside the house to search for her. She decided to check the loft, and after some struggling she managed to get up to the loft. She quickly found her sleeping. Her closed eyelids were glistening and her mouth was partially drooling. She also had a facial expression that showed she was having a good dream. Brionne got in closer and heard her talking in her sleep.
"Pikachu...hehehe...more..."
Brionne sweatdropped at seeing her state. She hesitated to wake her up. She started to turn away, but missed the latter opening and smacked her head against the bar wall.
"Ah! Ass packing f—!"
Before she could finish, Sylveon woke up from the noise. She slowly got up.
"Who's there...is that you darling...?" she asked tiredly while rubbing her eye with her feelers. She looked and saw Brionne clutching her head. "Brionne...? What are you doing here...?" She asked with a little sleep left in her voice.
"S-Sorry to bother you. I can come back later" Brionne said.
"No it's alright. So what is it?"
Brionne tapped her flippers together. "W-Well for starters, I'm really sorry about the things I said when we were on Ula Ula Island..."
"Why are you apologizing to me? Shouldn't you be doing that to Decidueye?"
Brionne looked away. "I...I've been trying to...but, I'm just too ashamed to even be around him..."
Sylveon did feel a little sad for Brionne, but was also tired of this whole thing.
"Brionne. I want you to think REAL hard about this. Do you have feelings for Decidueye or not" Sylveon asked seriously. Brionne was surprised at her seriousness.
"I-I..." she started but was unable to finish.
"If you can't be honest with your feelings for someone you care for or theirs, then you're no friend of mine" Sylveon stated coldly.
Brionne's breath hitched upon hearing this. Sylveon walked passed her and jumped down to the ground floor. Brionne stood there, frozen from Sylveon's words.
As the afternoon rolled into the evening, Jake approached Serena.
"Hey Serena" Jake said.
Serena turned to face. "Hey dad, what's up?"
"Do you think we could go out to dinner tonight? Just the two of us?" He asked.
Serena was a little surprised being asked that.
"That's a good idea" Ash said.
The professors nodded in agreement. "You two deserve some time together" Kukui said.
Serena turned back to face Jake. "Then I'd love to" she said with a smile.
Jake smiled widely. "Thanks Serena."
Ash smiled seeing the two interact. 'It's nice to see Serena getting along with her dad.' His smile suddenly disappeared. He suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Kukui looking at him. "What's up professor?"
"Since Serena is going out with her dad tonight, how about you, me and Burnet go out together?"
"Sure Professor, that sounds nice" Ash said with a new smile.
A little bit later the two groups of humans started to leave.
"Take care of the house guys" Ash said.
"We'll all be back later" Serena said.
All the Pokemon nodded.
The two groups split up, going in separate directions. Jake took Serena to a restaurant that was located right on the beach in Hau'oli City. They entered and sat down at a table that had a clear view of the ocean. A waiter came up to them and handed them menus.
"Hello my name is Chris and I'll be severing you this evening. May I start you off with a beverage?"
"I'll have a Diet Pepsi please" Serena said.
"I'll have a Root Beer please" Jake said.
The waiter nodded and retreated to get their drinks.
"I'm surprised you got a Root Beer and not a regular beer" Serena said.
"Tried it once, woke up the next morning with a 500 dollar hotel bill. Never again" Jake said.
Serena laughed. Jake also laughed.
"Your mother tried to warn me that I was a light drinker, so she wasn't too happy when I came home" Jake said.
This intrigued Serena.
"How did you guys meet each other?"
"I was traveling with my best friend and I spotted your mother with her Rhyhorn. She was so beautiful I was awestruck. My friend dared me to go up and talk to her. I eventually did and, well, after some time we fell in love with each other" Jake explained.
Serena smiled warmly.
"I really am sorry Serena" Jake said. Serena looked at him with confusion. Jake looked at her with sadness. "I'm sorry for not being there for you while you were growing up..."
Serena looked down in sadness. "It was hard, not having you around...but, part of me hoped I'd finally get to meet you someday." She raised her head and gave him a closed eyes smile. "And I'm happy that I finally did."
Jake smiled warmly at his daughter. Eventually the waiter came back with their drinks and took out a notepad to take their orders.
"I'll have the Tapu Burger minus Tomato" Serena said.
"Would you like fries with that?"
"Yes please."
The waiter wrote down her order. He then turned to Jake.
"I'll have the Island Trial Burger and a bowl of MeleMele soup" Jake said.
The waiter wrote down their orders and took their menus and left for the kitchen. Eventually their food came and the two began to eat. Jake saw Serena putting Ketchup on her fries with her tongue slightly out. This caused Jake to chuckle.
"What's so funny?" Serena asked.
"I just remember when you were a baby, you would make that same face whenever you played with your food. You also loved Ketchup on quite a few things too" Jake said while still chuckling.
Serena blushed in slight embarrassment. The two talked back and forth between bites. While the father-daughter duo were enjoying themselves, the Professors and Ash were sitting down at a restaurant on the outskirts of Hau'oli City.
The Professors sat next to each other and Ash was sitting on the opposite side. All of them felt different emotions. Kukui was happy to be out and about, Ash was looking forward to eating, Burnet was rather quiet.
'This feels like...a real family outing...' Burnet thought.
"Um honey? You alright?" Kukui asked.
This snapped Burnet out of her trance. "Huh?! Oh! I'm fine, just thinking about what to order."
"Yeah I can't decide either! Everything sounds really good" Ash said.
Burnet giggled. "I know right? There's lots to choose from here."
After some time a waitress came up to them. She wrote down their orders and drinks and left.
"So Ash, have you made plans for the next Island yet?" Kukui asked.
Ash shook his head. "Not really. Serena wants me to take another break before we set out again."
"That's a good idea. Every great trainer needs their rest" Burnet said.
Kukui nudged Burnet. "You should take a rest too honey, you've been working a lot more lately."
Burnet sighed. "I want to, but I don't want to spend it doing nothing."
Ash suddenly spoke up. "You could teach me how to make more recipes. I really want to make more foods that Serena would like."
Burnet was surprised by this. Kukui smiled and added on.
"That's a great idea! Plus spending the day out with Ash is also something you could do as well."
Burnet thought about that. 'A day out with Ash...'
Images suddenly appeared in her head. Some of them was the two going to different places, one of them was Ash stuffing his face with food as Burnet smiled, one of them was them going to an arcade and playing a game together and Ash beating her in a landslide, and one of them was them watching the sunset. Burnet smiled in pure bliss with her eyes closed and mouth slightly and giggled at these thoughts.
Kukui and Ash looked at her and sweatdropped. Kukui turned to Ash.
"S-She doesn't get out that often" Kukui said rubbing the back of his head.
Ash simply chuckled. A little while later their food arrived. Everyone dug in and chatted during the whole. Burnet had to remind Ash not to eat too fast or he'd choke.
"Shorry" Ash said with his mouth full.
Burnet sighed. "And swallow before talking..."
"Yeah Ashh, you shhould wait till yer mowth ish empty" Kukui said with his food filled mouth.
Burnet looked at the two boys. She sighed again. "Honestly..." She then placed her food in her mouth. "You boysh have no shense of manners."
The three laughed together. After a while the two groups left their respective restaurants. Serena and Jake were on their way back.
"Thanks dad, that was delicious" Serena said.
"It sure was. Thanks for coming out with me" Jake said.
There was momentary silence, until Serena finally broke it.
"Hey dad?"
"Yes?"
"Does um...does mom know you're here?" She asked nervously.
This caught Jake off guard. He was speechless for a moment. He eventually regained his voice.
"Y-Yeah...she does."
Serena looked at him.
"And...how does she, feel about it...?"
Jake sighed. "To be honest I'm not sure. She hasn't talked to me much every time I call her."
"Does she know that I've forgiven you?"
"I told her that, but I don't know how much that actually did."
"Well then how about the three of us get together and talk about this?" Serena suggested.
"I don't know Serena...your mother might not want to do that."
"Why not? If she sees us getting along then everything should be okay right?"
Jake turned to face her. "Serena...your mother is very protective of you, she knows how much it hurt you when I wasn't around. She's not going to forget and forgive so easily."
"But...you're here now, and you promised you would be from now on...so why can't she be happy about that...?"
Jake looked at her with hesitation. Serena felt through her aura that he was hiding something.
"What are you not telling me dad?"
Jake sighed. "Serena...there's something you need to know about me, something only me and your mother know."
Serena was getting a little scared. "W-...What is it?"
"You know that friend I mentioned earlier?"
"The one who dared you to speak to mom?"
Jake nodded. "We used to be best friends when we were kids. We journeyed together. But as we got older we started to change. I of course wanted to marry and settle down, but my friend only wanted to be the strongest Pokemon Trainer in the world and nothing else. We started to drift apart, and we eventually lost touch." Jake said with sadness. "But...that all changed one day..."
"What happened?"
"One day he just randomly called me. He asked if we could meet up and I said yes. I happened to be in Kanto at the time so it wasn't an issue. When we meet up it seemed normal at first, but something told me it wasn't going to be."
Jake closed his eyes, opening them again after a few seconds.
*flashback*
Jake was walking while looking around.
"He said he'd be here..."
He then heard footsteps getting louder. He looked forward and saw him walking towards.
"Jack! What's up man!" Jake called out with a smile.
Jack looked at him with a side smile. The two men approached each other.
"Jake, it's been a while."
"It sure has. Almost 6 years" Jake said.
"How are things?" Jack asked with no excitement in his voice.
"Things are going great! Me and Grace have been married for a few years now, and our daughter is about to turn 3!" Jake said with excitement.
"Daughter? You have a kid?"
"Yup! Her name is Serena!" Jake said with a wide smile.
Jack looked unfazed by this. Jake didn't notice this and asked him something.
"So what about you? You got a family of your own yet?"
"Yeah...a wife and kid..." Jack said almost like it upset him.
"That's great man! Who's the lucky lady and kiddo?"
"Wife's name is Delia. Kid's name is Ash."
"Interesting, how old is Ash?"
"3 years old."
"Wow so he and Serena are the same age? We should definitely set up a play date for them! I bet they'd love to meet each other" Jake said with pure excitement.
Jack simply grumbled. Jake finally picked up on this.
"Hey, Jack, you alright man?"
Jack looked at Jake in the eyes.
"Jake, let's go on a journey again, just like old times."
"Go on a journey? I think those days are long gone buddy. Although I guess parenthood can be considered a journey too" Jake said with a laugh.
Jack wasn't laughing. Jake stopped when he noticed.
"Wait...you're not joking are you...?"
"It was a mistake" Jack said.
"A mistake?" Jake said in confusion.
"Settling down. I didn't want it but I got stuck with it."
"Don't be like that, settling down is a great thing. You get to start a family and your life becomes more amazing each day. I get you might be scared though, I was a little when Grace was pregnant but once I laid eyes on Serena I knew it was going to be okay. I love those two so much. It'll be the same with you, even if it isn't right now."
"I didn't want it! I didn't want any of it! All I wanted was to be the greatest trainer ever! But instead I got stuck with some angsty bitch and a snot nosed brat!"
Jake suddenly got angry. "Don't call your wife and son that!"
"Oh please! That stupid bitch can't do anything except cook! And that freak brat always pisses me off! I hate it!"
"If that's how you feel then why the hell did you let it happen?!" Jake asked angrily.
"I was drunk okay?! I was getting over another bs loss and one thing led to another and I got stuck with a wife and kid!"
"Are you kidding me?! I told you to stop drinking so much!"
"I don't drink that much!"
"Dude, you started drinking when we were 14! Do you have any idea how uncomfortable you made Grace? And both our parents weren't happy with you either!"
"Whatever! They were all annoying!"
Jake was about to yell more when I scary thought occurred to him.
"You're not...you're not hitting them...are you...?"
Jack scoffed. "Even if I was, it wouldn't matter."
"Wouldn't matter?! It does matter! Laying a hand on anyone is bad enough, but laying a hand on your wife or child is unforgivable!" Jake went up to Jack and got in his face. "If I find out you're abusing your wife or son I'll have you arrested."
Jake started to turn away.
"Nice threat coming from a guy with a hag wife and a bitch daughter" Jack said boldly.
Jake immediately turned around and punched Jack in the face, hard. Jack fell to the ground, clinging to the area that was hurting most. Jake stood in front of him.
"Never. Insult my wife or my daughter, in front of me." He grabbed Jack and held him up. "If you ever, come near my family, I'll send you back to Kanto in a body bag." He threw Jack to the ground. He began to walk away.
*present*
Jake finished the story, however he left out any mention of Ash or Delia by name. Serena was silent.
"It's been 12 years since then, and I haven't seen him since. I can only image how dangerous he is now."
"Wait...so if this Jack guy is as dangerous as you say he is, what does this have to do with anything?"
Jake looked down. "Because...Jack is...Ash's father..."
Serena froze. She felt cold, ice cold. Her eyes went wide as her breath stopped.
"....No...." was all she got out.
Everything finally made sense.
"I've spent all these years tracking him down, but he's always been so elusive. I knew that if I stayed close to you and your mother he'd find a way to get to you. Fortunately I never told him where exactly I lived."
Serena bit her lip as tears started to fall. 'He stayed away...so me and mom would be safe...'
"Serena...I never wanted this to happen." He suddenly placed his hands on her shoulders. "But I'm afraid it's going to."
"Wha...W-What do you mean by that?" She asked with a scared voice.
"The enemy from your past is coming" a voice suddenly echoed. The two looked and gasped.
Meanwhile, Ash and the Professors were walking back home.
"Man I'm stuffed" Ash said while patting his stomach.
"The food sure was good" Burnet said.
"Not as good as yours though" Kukui said while putting his arm around his wife.
Burnet blushed. "K-Kukui, not here" she said shyly. Kukui just laughed.
"He is right, nothing in Alola beats your cooking Professor" Ash said.
Burnet covered her face with her hands as her head started to turn more red. "B-Boys...! Come on..." she wined. This only caused said boys to laugh harder.
Ash suddenly felt something overtake him. He stopped dead in his tracks.
"What's wrong Ash?" Kukui asked.
Ash turned his head in the direction towards the beach. He suddenly ran in towards the beach, the Professors following behind him. Once the Professors caught up to him, Burnet was about to scold him for suddenly running off like that.
"Ash! Don't just—"
She stopped when she saw what he was looking at. Both of the Professors gasped.
"It's you..." Ash said.
Back at the house, the Pokémon were all spread out. Decidueye had not left the roof the whole day. He watched the now night filled horizon in silence. He didn't hear the noises that were getting louder until they were right behind him. He turned and to his surprise saw Brionne right in front of him. Decidueye said nothing, and just turned back around. This didn't help Brionne muster more courage but she had to do this. Not just for her, but for Decidueye.
"Decidueye...I-I know you probably don't want to see me right now...but I...I want you to know that I—"
"It's alright."
Brionne looked up with surprise. "Huh?"
"It's alright that you don't like me. Who would though right? After all I'm just a show off and I'm really inconsiderate of other's feelings. No one likes a hooded weirdo like me..." He turned his head back to face her. He was smiling with his eyes closed. "So it's alright. You've got nothing to apologize for. Thanks for helping me realize who I am."
This sight shattered Brionne's heart completely. She knew he wasn't really smiling, he was hurting, he was hurting so much.
"So don't worry, I'm sure you'll find someone you actually love, and I'll support you guys" He said, still maintaining the fake smile.
If it could shatter even more, Brionne's heart was certainly trying. She started to shed tears. Her shame overwhelmed her, making her leave the roof of the house. Decidueye looked back towards the ocean. Tears started to run down his face.
Greninja was leaning against the porch when Delphox came out.
"So this is where you've been" Delphox said, taking a spot next to her mate.
"Sorry, just wanted to get some air."
"Same" Delphox said with a sigh.
The two leaned on the rail now in silence, waiting for the other to say anything.
"Hey um, Greninja? Can I ask you something personal?"
"Sure, what is it?"
"Do you...um...do you ever think about your birth parents?"
Greninja's eyes widened. He turned his head towards Delphox. "W-...What?"
"S-Sorry...i-it was a dumb question..."
"N-No...it's fine..." Greninja said as he looked away. "What made you think about that?"
"I-I don't know really, it just randomly popped into my head earlier."
"Well, to answer your question, not really. I try not to think about it" Greninja said.
"I guess you're right..."
"And you? Do you think about yours?"
Delphox looked away. "N-Not until recently..."
Delphox wanted to just address the main issue.
"H-Hey um, Greninja? Do you...do you think I would be a good mother someday?"
Greninja's breath hitched. He was definitely not expecting that. Greninja looked at Delphox, who looked sad and embarrassed.
"I-I—"
Before he could finish, Pikachu and Sylveon suddenly appeared in front of them.
"Who are they?" Sylveon asked with surprise.
Greninja and Delphox looked in their direction and gasped at the two Pokémon floating in front of them.
"Tapu Koko..." Ash said.
"Tapu Lele..." Serena said.
"Tapu Bulu..." Pikachu said.
"Tapu Fini..." Greninja said.
The four island guardians faced their respective groups.
"A grave threat will soon arrive, which will send Alola into a crisis. An enemy from your past will arrive with a weapon, and will lay waste to everything in their path. You must not let Alola fall."
"Ash Ketchum" Tapu Koko said.
"Serena Yvonne" Tapu Lele said.
"Pikachu and Sylveon" Tapu Bulu said.
"Greninja and Delphox" Tapu Fini said.
"We the Island Guardians of Alola will support you as best we can, but our power alone will not be enough. The power you all share is the power to save this world. Prepare yourselves...they will come."
The Island Guardians flew away. Ash and Serena made a beeline back towards the house. Once everyone returned, they all sat down. It was an awkward silence for a while. Nothing could really be said though. The only noise heard was the clock on the wall ticking. Even Rotom wasn't making any noise. Words kept trying to get out, but none did. It didn't take long for everyone to start heading to bed.
Ash and Serena laid in bed still awake.
"...What are we gonna do?" Serena whispered.
"I...I don't know..." Ash whispered back.
Serena suddenly gripped Ash's hand from under the covers. This calmed them both down.
"But...what ever it'll be, we'll do it together right?" Serena said as she turned to face him.
Ash faced her. "Yeah...we will."
Serena clung to Ash, holding him tight like it will be the last time. They eventually fell asleep, hoping tomorrow will be alright.
Meanwhile on a ship, two men were sitting in the observation room, overlooking a city.
"It seems the coordinates your servant gave us were correct."
"She did say she had personal experience with this city."
One of the men pressed an intercom button.
"Fire when ready."
A large turret shaped object started to glow. After a few seconds of charging, a large beam shot out of it. Once it made contact with the base of the city, the entire area erupted in explosions and endless fire. The two men watched as the entire city was now in fiery ruins, all the residents most likely deceased.
"Good. The weapon is fully operational. Set a course for Alola."
The other man took out his phone and dial a number. After a couple rings, a voice picked up.
"Hello master, I've captured the target and am bringing them to Alola now."
"Excellent work my apprentice. I and the rest of Rainbow Rocket will arrive by tomorrow. Make sure our guests will be ready for us."
"Yes sir."
The man hung up the phone and rejoined the other man.
"It's a shame isn't it? It would've been great if he was here too."
"True. However...Jake already made his choice, now he'll suffer the consequences."
"I take it you've been looking forward to this, haven't you Jack."
"I have indeed Giovanni...I have indeed."
Giovanni tapped a button on the video screen. A few seconds later a man appeared.
"Ah master Giovanni, master Jack, I take it the weapon is operational now?"
"It is indeed. Excellent work Faba. Prepare for our arrival tomorrow" Giovanni said.
"As you wish" Faba bowed.
The screen went black again.
"Now then...what will you do now Ash? Or rather..." a silhouette of a Pokémon suddenly appeared next to him. "What will both of you do?"
As the ship flew away, the city continued to burn behind them.
And there we go! Chapter 40 is now done! I hope you all enjoyed. The next chapter marks the beginning of the next major arc, and the one I've been waiting to start writing for months! Not gonna spoil too much, but let's just say that after this arc is over, NOTHING will ever be the same for everyone. I've got the layout of the arc mostly mapped out, however I still need to do more before I start working on the chapters, so it might take longer for the chapters to come out, but I'll try to get them out as soon as I can. So my fantabulous readers, next time on Our Promise, Our Future! The Alola Crisis Arc will finally began! Power to the Readers!
JohtoAmour64 out!