Chapter 115 - More of a relaxed chapter for you guys today. It will be focused of what happened after the battle between Ash and Calem and more on the mystery trainer. Ash has some doubts he has to deal with and then he goes with Serena on a date.
I hope you like the chapter and make sure to vote, comment and if you're really onto it, drop a follow. It could help make the book reach more people and therefore more popular. Now without further a do, enjoy the chapter!
Important info: The commentator will be written in Italics.
League scoreboard:
Bold: Trainer/Pokemon name
Italics: Fainted Pokemon
Underline: Resting Pokemon
(Pokeball): Unrevealed Pokemon
For example - Trainer A: Poke1, Poke2, Poke3, Poke4, Poke5 (Pokeball), Poke6 (active one)
Wordcount: 6860
_______________________________________
Narrator: Last time, Ash managed to defeat Calem by defeating Mega Absol with his very own Mega Houndoom.
"Absol is unable to battle, Houndoom wins and that means the winner of this battle is Ash Ketchum of Vaniville Town!" The referee declared.
Then, the crowd erupted in cheers and screams. Serena couldn't hold it anymore and neither were Max, Bonnie May and even Shauna as they were jumping, crying of joy and screaming, together with Pikachu and Lucario.
Gary, Tierno, Trevor, Tracey and Clemont had their mouths agape. Delia was slightly sniffling due to the joy she felt. Professor Oak simply smiled. "Well done my boy..." He mumbled.
Ash stood at the battlefield, motionless as he processed everything. He stared blankly infront of him. "We... won..." He mumbled before his eyes fell on Houndoom. "Houndoom! We did it!" He shouted as he ran over to the fire type.
Houndoom reverted back to normal was about to collapse to the ground but was caught just in time by Ash.
"We did it Houndoom! We've avenged you!" Ash laughed while hugging his fire type. Houndoom grunted in pain but was happy that he beat Calem and his Absol.
Having returned his absol and surprisingly praising him for an amazing battle, he walked over to Ash and Houndoom and slowly clapped.
Ash and Houndoom looked up to him. "Amazing... Truly amazing..." He smiled. "That was an incredible battle and it was so much fun! And Houndoom... I never expected you to master mega evolution again. Truly amazing!" He spoke genuinely.
Houndoom was surprised by Calem's words while Ash stood up and gave Calem a handshake. "It was great fun and you were really good Calem! We should battle again soon!" Ash grinned.
Calem was taken aback by this for a moment before he smiled. "Yeah, I'd like that."
Houndoom smiled at the interaction between the trainers aswell. He seemed genuinely changed and Houndoom was happy for that.
Then, Calem bend slightly through his knees and faced Houndoom with a genuine smile. He placed his palm on top of Houndoom's head and said, "I'm sorry Houndoom."
Houndoom had a bewildered look on his face as he looked at Calem. "I'm sorry for how I treated you. You deserved way better and today, you've proven that. And therefore I want to thank you aswell Ash." Calem said, still holding his palm on Houndoom's head while facing Ash. "You've showed him the love he deserves and made him an even stronger pokemon."
"It's nothing, really." Ash chuckled, scratching the back of his head. Calem smiled at it. "I guess I'll see you two around."
"Yeah!" Ash smiled before the two separated and went their own ways back to the tunnels. Ash had returned Houndoom before he left the battlefield as it was too weak to walk on its own.
Once he was outside, he was met with two voices shouting towards him. "Pika!" "Rrah!"
Ash was able to turn around before he got tackled into a hug by Pikachu and Lucario. Ash laughed as both pokemon were nuzzling him in affection and pride. Proud that Ash managed to advance.
"Alright guys! That's... enough..." Ash said between the laughs. And as he said that, Pikachu and Lucario stopped and gave him some time to breath.
Max and Bonnie were running towards Ash as he stood up, followed by the others. "That was such an amazing battle Ash!" Max shouted with a large smile and uncontrollable excitement.
"And your pokemon were so cute and so strong!" Bonnie added with the same attitude.
Ash chuckled as everyone else started congratulating him with his win. He smiled and thanked them as they rambled on about his win over Calem. But then, his eyes were focused on a certain person that stood behind the crowd of friend, behind Gary and Clemont to be precise.
She had her head bowed down slightly with her eyes meeting his. She wore a faint blush on her face as she smiled shyly.
Ignoring the others who now started talking amongst each other, he smiled at her and walked over to her. "Hey..." He said.
"Hey..." Serena replied shyly ik a cute voice, looking at him. "You did very well..." She added.
"Thanks!" Ash smiled af her as he took her in for a hug. Her head was on his chest while his was on top of her head.
Serena let out a blissful sight, mixed with some relief that was still present from the battle. Finally being back in his arms helped a lot to get rid of the unsettled nerves.
"Guys!" Max shouted suddenly, pulling both Ash and Serena out of their little moment. Everyone was looking at them "What is it Max?" Ash asked curiosity as he raised his eyebrow.
"Are you guys coming? You can do that lovey dovey stuff later. Besides, Bonnie's match is about to start and I'm right after!" Max said with excitement, hinting that he wanted to go to the stadium as quick as possible.
Both Ash and Serena looked at each other before back at the youngster and smiled. "Sure, let's get going!" Max bursted into a run, along with Bonnie who kept up pretty easily with him. They were excited for their first official league battle in a stadium as big as these.
However, the persons who weren't as happy with the rush of excitement the two young trainers had were May and Clemont who called out their names several times while chasing after them.
Just as Ash and Serena were about to go, Tierno spoke up. "We're not joining you. I've got my own battle ans Trevor has to heal his pokemon from his previous battle." Tierno explained.
"I can take your Muk, Snorlax and Houndoom aswell Ash, if you let me atleast..." Trevor chimed in, agreeing with what Tierno said.
"Sure thing! Thanks Trevor!" Ash smiled at the red haired teenager. He took out the pokeballs and handed them over. Once Trevor got them, he went over to thr pokemon center while Ash and Serena entered the stadium.
They were standing on top of the stairs when they suddenly saw Shauna waving and calling out their names. "Ash, Serena! Over here!"
Ash and Serena were quick to recognize them and went over to them. Ash and Serena sat down right behind Gary and Shauna. Max was battling in this stadium so May was also present, along with Dawn. Clemont went to watch Bonnie's battle, along with his father who showed up just when they entered the stadium. Atleast, that was according to May.
Delia had to run a few quick errands while professor Oak and Tracey joined professor Sycamore and Diantha in their special VIP room. Professor Sycamore wanted to discuss some stuff about their research with professor Oak and Tracey. Mainly about the mega evolving pokemon that came from Kanto and Jotho.
As the commentator was making the announcements of Max and his opponent Henry, who came from New Bark Town in the Jotho region, Ash and Serena watched down at the battlefield with a nice smile on their faces. The crowd roared as Max nervously entered the field, much to Ash's amusement and May's worries.
"I hope he's alright out there..." May commented, feeling uncertain about her little brother. Sure, he had journeyed on his own and together with Bonnie for a while but entering a league was different. And seeing how he felt, didn't make it easier for her.
Ash placed his hand on her shoulder, causing her to look at him. "Relax May, he's going to be fine!" Ash smiled warmly, trying to reassure her. May smiled in response before turning back to the battlefield.
In the meantime, a little bit higher in the stadium on the stairs were three people standing. A girl with long, pink hair, a man with purple hair and a short man. The three of them were selling food to the audience while they every now and then glanced at the battlefield.
(---)
Max and Bonnie's battle went well. Max won with a clean three to one, thanks to his Mega Gallade taking down Henry's Slaking and Steelix. Max's first pokemon, Mightyena fell in a double knockout with a Breloom.
Bonnie had more difficulty in her battle but won with a three to two. Her Floette and Pyroar fell, making her Dedenne take the win over a large Aggron which was impressive in itself.
Ash, Serena and the gang were about to leave the stadium until the announcer started speaking.
"Now everyone. The final battle of the day will start in just a few minutes. It will be between the trainers Gareth of Mauville City, from the Hoenn region and our mysterious trainer R."
This caused Ash's curiosity to peak, much like the others and they decided to sit down again and watch the battle, maybe even study a possible opponent for Ash.
A few minutes later both trainers appeared on the battlefield. Gareth looked decently muscular and was smirking as he stood confidently in his box.
The mysterious trainer named R however was as shady as ever. His large hood covered his face for the most part while the rest was covered with a blue handkerchief that covered his mouth and nose. It matched his complete attire.
"Now what? Are you so scared that you need to hide yourself in that costume?" Gareth taunted. R however stayed silent, not giving any response to the attempt. Gareth shrugged. "Whatever..."
"Ladies and gentlemen! The final battle of the day is about to get underway! Make yourselves comfortable because even though it's the last, it's not something you should sleep on! Trainer R, how mysterious he is, managed to beat every single gym leader using only one pokemon!"
The crowd grew silent after hearing this and even Gareth had a moment to gulp. Ash however felt a shiver going down his spine. He had a deja vu moment as the Tobias experience appeared in his head again. Serena noticed this and placed his hand on his knee, causing him to look at her. "Something wrong?" She asked.
Ash smiled at her warmly with his eyes closed. "Don't worry about it" he said, deciding to put it aside for now. It couldn't be him... Right?
Serena accepted his reply and faced the battlefield again, interested to see what the competition could bring to the table.
"Trainers! This will be a three on three battle. Substitutions are allowed and there is no time limit. When either side's pokemon are unable to continue, the battle is over and the victor will be determined. Understood?" The referee asked.
Gareth nodded while R stayed silent. The referee assumed he was ok with it so he raised both of his flags. "Bring out your pokemon!"
"Golem! Let's battle!" Gareth shouted. He threw the pokeball and it opened. The white flash that was inside materialized into a large round boulder that had arms, legs and a head. "Golem!" It exclaimed, landing on the ground and making it shake as it did.
R simply grunted as he threw his pokeball forward. It opened and a large majestic bird appeared. It was a large, avian pokemon with dark red feathers on its back and dark blue feathers on its underside. Its tail feathers were red, turning to yellow, and then blue at the tips. The legs were long and thick with yellow feet that each have a digit facing backward, and three facing forward. Each digit was tipped by a short, thick, black claw. "Braaaaaiii!" It exclaimed loudly before landing on the ground.
"Trainer Gareth decided to go with Golem! A very strong and solid pokemon while trainer R has chosen to use his Braviary. Even though it does have a large disadvantage, Braviary is the pokemon to be known as undefeated!"
Gareth sweated at hearing this. "Battle begin!" The referee exclaimed. Gareth didn't give R a chance to do something as he was fast with his command. "Golem, Rollout!"
"Go---LEM!" It exclaimed, retracting his feet, head and arms into its round, rocky armor. It started rolling towards Braviary, gaining more speed as it did.
"Golem is coming in with a lot of speed! What will R do?"
R stayed silent. Just as Golem was about to strike, R nodded.
Braviary narrowed it's eyes before it released a loud screech. "Braaiii!!" It exclaimed as it flapped it's wings with might, taking to the air and thus, making Golem miss.
"Don't let up Golem! Keep using Rollout!" Gareth shouted.
"Lem!" Golem exclaimed, turning around while rolling. It's speed increased as it went even faster.
"Crush Claw!" R said in a low pitched but aggressive voice.
Golem rolled faster and faster towards Braviary who's feet started to glow brightly red. It dived in fast towards Golem.
*BOOM*
A big smoke cloud appeared and Golem was seen rolling backwards from it until it came to an abrupt stop infront of Gareth. It was already bruised up badly and had trouble to get on its feet.
Most of the crowd were shocked. Especially Ash and Gary who were amazed by Braviary. "Such power!?" Ash commented in surprise. "And to think that Golem resists it aswell!" Gary added.
"Finish it off. Heat Wave." R said.
"Braaaiii!" Braviary squaked before flapping its wings powerfully. A hot, or better said, an incinerating stream of fire was sent towards Golem that burned the whole ground on its way to the rock and ground type.
The fire burned the whole round shield like boulder and burn marks were everywhere before it finally came to a stop. Once it did, Golem's legs, arms and head popped out of it's shell. His eyes were swirly and he was seated completely unconscious.
"Golem is unable to battle. Braviary wins!" The referee said, raising his flag that pointed to R's side.
The crowd stayed silent, aswell as Ash and friends. Even the commentator was speechless. Most mouths in the audience were open in pure disbelief and shock.
Gareth however was dumbstruck. He slowly grabbed his pokeball before returning Golem. He had no idea what just happened and what to do next.
"Trainer Gareth. Please release your next pokemon." The referee said. He didn't want to do it as the power that Braviary showed was unmatched so far.
"Uhh... Right!" Gareth said, shaking his head to regain his senses. He took out another pokeball and threw it. " Go Eelektross!" He exclaimed.
The pokeball opened and from it appeared an eel-like pokemon that resembled a lamprey, with a long tentacle like, finned limb extending from its head. It had red eyes, a dark blue body, and possessed clawed, paddle like arms with yellow spots and yellow and red palms. It also had a beige fin on the upper portion of its body and beige fin like legs below.
Serena was surprised to see it since she didn't know what it was. So she took out her rotom phone and scanned it.
---------------------------------------------------------
Eelektross, the EleFish Pokémon. Eelektross is an electric type. Eelektross's mouth locks onto its opponents, where upon it delivers an electric shock.
---------------------------------------------------------
"Not a Pokémon you want to mess with." Serena commented before putting her rotom phone away.
"Yes! And since it's partly electric type it has an advantage over Braviary's flying typing!" Clemont added.
The empty pokeball on the scoreboard changed into the picture of Eelektross.
---------------------------------------------------------
The scoreboard now looked like this:
Gareth: Golem, Eelektross, Pokeball
R: Braviary, Pokeball, Pokeball
---------------------------------------------------------
"And Gareth's second pokemon is Eelektross! Let's see how this will unfold..."
"Battle resume!" The referee announced, raising both of his hands. This time however, R didn't let Gareth give a command to his Eelektross as he gave Braviary his first command.
"Sky Attack!"
"Braaaiii!" Braviary exclaimed as it became gold outlined. Then, it swooped down at a speed that made everyone gasp.
"Eelektross Thunder, quick!" Gareth shouted in sheer panic as Braviary was already in Eelektross's proximity.
Eelektross engulfed itself in electricity and was about to shoot it towards Braviary when---
*BOOM*
The moves collided. Even though Eelektross wasn't able to fire it off, it still managed to electrocute Braviary who flew out of the smoke cloud that surrounded Eelektross with a few bruises over its body.
The smoke dissapeared and revealed Eelektross to be covered in injury marks and breathing heavily but it was still able to continue.
"Finish this! Crush Claw!"
The crowd, along with Gareth gasped at hearing the command. Braviary's claws glowed bright red as it scooped down towards Eelektross.
*BOOM*
Another explosion happened due to the incredible power of the flying type. Eelektross could be heard sizzling and screaming in pain before Braviary took flight again and appeared from the cloud.
Once the smoke was settled, Eelektross was seen, sharing the same fate as his predecessor Golem. Unconscious with swirly eyes.
"Eelektross is unable to battle which means that Braviary is the winner!" The referee declared. The scoreboard updated and Eelektross's picture darkened.
The whole stadium was silent and Gareth's eyes were shadowed as he returned his Eelektross. Now, it was only one of his pokemon against three of R's pokemon. He put it away before he grabbed his last one.
He looked at it as he whispered. "Okay buddy... We're down three to one and it's basically an impossible task. But if anyone could accomplish this, it's you! So... GO SWAMPERT!"
He threw the pokeball and from it appeared the blue coloured, water type and the final evolution of the Hoenn starters. "Swam---PERT!" It roared as it landed on the ground with a thud. It was Gareth's started and roaring to go, not wanting to let its trainer down without a real fight.
"For his final pokemon, Gareth has chosen his Swampert! Now, let's see how things will turn out!"
"Swampert use Mud Bomb!" Gareth commanded ruthlessly. Swampert roared loudly while it opened it's mouth and started firing an endless barrage of small mud bombs.
"Dodge."
Braviary flapped it's wings, easily going around the incoming move.
"Good, now use Heat Wave." R said as Swampert was incoming with a glowing fist, using its focus punch.
Just as Seampert was about jump up in order to strike, Braviary flapped it's wings and a powerful incinerating wave came from them. Swampert's eyes widened in surprise as it didn't expect the sudden move.
The waves burned Swampert. Even though it's a water type, it had trouble to handle the power of the fire type move. White smoke due to the heat was rising from his body.
Gareth had to do something and he knew it. "Swampert, Hydro Pump!" He commanded, hoping it could extinguish the overwhelming heat.
The stream of water coming from Swamperts mouth did its job and most of the water evaporated into smoke. But this also created a cover for Swampert to use to its advantage.
"Great! Now Swampert, use your fins to get control of your surroundings and then use Rock Slide!" Gareth commanded quickly, waving his hand sideways.
Swampert's fins started vibrating as it took a powerful stance in the middle of the smoke, impossible for R and Braviary to locate. Then, swamperts eyes glowed brightly as suddenly, above Braviary, large rocks appeared. It was too sudden and too big for Braviary to dodge as the first one hit, making it groan in pain while it was sent to the ground. Then the second one hit, and the third.
"Yes!" Gareth celebrated as the smoke around Swampert dissapeared. He smirked as Braviary was still covered under the rocks. "Let's power up Swampert!" Gareth said as he pulled off his sleeve to reveal a small accessory on his hand that had a keystone in it. "Swampert! Mega Evolve!" He shouted out loud.
He pressed the keystone and lights started to appear from it.
"That won't happen!" R shouted all of a sudden, gaining Gareth's attention aswell. "Braviary! Superpower!"
Suddenly, before Swampert even had a chance to Mega Evolve, the large boulders shot away, one of them smacking Swampert straight in the face.
Braviary revealed itself, screeching as it was completely red outlined.
"Now do it!"
While Swampert was recovering from taking that sudden rock to the face, Braviary flew in, completely red outlined as it let out a powerful screech.
It closed the gap quickly and before Gareth could do anything, Braviary smacked into Swampert, sending it straight into the stadium wall.
A small cloud made of mostly sand, dust and debris surrounded the place of impact.
Ash's eyes were slightly shaking and sweat formed on his forehead, seeing the incredible power Braviary possessed. His imagination sent Tobias images through his head, the traumatic experience he had to deal with during the Sinnoh League.
The rest of their group of friends were just stunned, not expecting this at all. They believed, like most of the crowd that it wasn't as insane as it sounded and more like a rumor. But now, they saw it was real.
The smoke faded, revealing the unconscious state of Swampert which everyone probably already had guessed. "Swampert is unable to battle, Braviary wins! Therefore, the winner of this battle is R!" The referee declared.
Just like that, the battle ended and everyone keft the stadium. On the way back to their house they were given while the league was ongoing, Ash hadn't said a word and was mostly in deep thought. At first, Serena hadn't really noticed. Even though she had her arm wrapped around his, she was mostly talking with May and Shauna. Pikachu, who was on Ash's shoulder and Lucario had noticed it but understood the situation as to what they've seen before was not normal.
Once they separated from the group and Serena talked to him, she noticed that he was absent and that his mind was occupied. She could probably guess already what it was but she was worried for him.
Once they went inside the house and Pikachu and Lucario went their own way, she pulled him to the couch and made him sit down before she sat down beside him.
"Ash." She said, placing both of her warm hands on his face and turning it towards her so that they made eye contact.
Ash finally got out of his thoughts and looked at her with a questioning expression on his face. "Yeah?"
Serena looked at him in concern. "Are you alright? Ever since that last battle, you've been... absent."
He thought for a moment. Then, he shook his head. "Nah... I'm just thinking about stuff..." He said, forcing a weak smile.
Serena however, wasn't gonna buy that. "What stuff? You can tell me y'know... You do trust me... right?" She asked.
"Ofcourse I do!" He answered, tensing up immediately. This startled Serena a little bit. Then his face softened again, slumping back into his seat. "It's just... I don't know..." He said.
Serena smiled at him softly, showing him some sympathy. "It is that last battle, isn't it?" She asked him in a soft, understanding tone.
Aah looked at her with a 'how do you know?' Look but then he realised that there was no hiding anything for Serena and that she knew him through and through. He chuckled at it, gaining a weird look from Serena.
"It's funny you know..." Ash smiled at her. "You always seem to know what's going on."
Serena's face changed into a smiling one aswell as she placed her hand on his. "That's my job as your girlfriend you know." She giggled slightly. "Now tell me. Are you... worried?" She asked, showing some compassion again.
Ash sighed and looked at her. "I- I don't know if I can beat him if I end up facing him..." He said, finally letting go of what was bothering him. "You know aswell as I do, I need to win this tournament for our sakes but I'm scared if I'm not good enough..." He said.
Serena stood up and took a seat on top of his lap, sitting sideways so that she still was able to face him. She rested her arms on his shoulder, around his neck as she gently smiled at him.
"Worrying doesn't suit you, you know?" She spoke before she continued. "I've seen you train for this for a long time and I've seen how hard you worked. Saying you won't stand a chance is pure nonsense!" She said, raising her fist in determination. "Besides..." She said, winking. "You went toe to toe with legendaries not too long ago and even Arceus himself recognized you for it."
Ash laughed before he placed wrapped his arms around her waist. A huge wave of relief, knowing Serena was right waved over him. He had practiced a lot for this and worked extremely hard to get ready for this. So hard that he even neglected Serena for it which wasn't intentionally. He took her in for a hug. "Thanks. I needed that." He whispered in her ear.
Serena smiled at this with her eyes closed and deepened the hug. "Anytime." She whispered back before they released each other from the hug.
Ash grinned at her. "Now, how about we freshen up and after that, I'll take you out for dinner?" He suggested.
Serena looked at him with a stunned expression. "Ash... Are you asking me out for a..."
"Date!" Ash finished. "Yeah! But before that we have to go to the pokemon center in order to see who I'm facing next!" Ash smiled at her.
Serena's stunned face turned into a wide smile. "That's a deal!" She shouted in excitement before pressing her lips onto his. She was ecstatic up on hearing the prospect of going on another date with him.
"Great!" Ash said with excitement. "Now, why don't you have a shower first while I'll feed our pokemon?" He suggested.
"How thoughtful of you..." Serena said with a playful smirk as she hopped off his lap and released her pokemon from their pokeballs.
Ash led them outside while releasing his own aswell as Serena went to the bathroom.
Having only six pokemon with him while the rest of them were at home saved him a lot of time feeding them. As he did, he went over the battle against Calem with them, praising them for their hard work aswell giving a few pointers on what to improve for the future. All pokemon were ecstatic with the work and progress they had made and that they were advancing another round.
Once they were done, Ash told them that they could relax at home for the rest of the evening and that he would take Serena out for dinner. All of their pokemon smiled happily at hearing that. Sylveon was sitting closely next to Pikachu and she was happy that her trainer got some alone time with her loved one, or in pokemon terms, her mate.
Once Ash was done, he walked back inside of the house and just when he got inside, he heard Serena shouting from upstairs. "Ash, you can go now!"
"Coming!" Ash said as he immediately went upstairs. Once he reached the top, he saw Serena walking towards him, wearing her bathrobe and a towel that kept her hair in place. She was smiling and leaned in for a quick kiss before she went to their bedroom, hopping in excitement in order to get ready.
Ash smiled at himself. Taking Serena out for a date always managed to make her happy and excited as ever. Even a simple dinner made her like that, especially when the word 'date' was involved. But he wanted the best for her and he had already found a decently fancy restaurant in trainers village.
Even though it was more for trainers, fancy restaurants were set up for the rich people that also came to participate or to watch the league. And him being a competitor gave him extra benefits such as, not having to pay a single penny for it, just like in all the other leagues he had competed in. Not that he didn't want to pay for anything though. If it was up to him, he'd do anything to make her smile.
He stepped into the bathroom and was done not much later. Once he was done, he got dressed. He was wearing a light blue, cyan coloured buttoned, long sleeved shirt with dark grey pants. He wore black, formal shoes and decided against wearing a hat. He even wanted to tame his hair but thinking about his previous experiences trying it, he kept it as usual. Besides, something had to stay the same, right?
"Serena, I'm ready!" He shouted, putting on the finishing touches on his shirt while walking down the stairs. "How about y---" he was about to say but then he saw her standing in the kitchen area. His jaw dropped at the sight of her.
"Hey Ash, how do I look?" She questioned, posing shyly as she Ben one of her knees slightly while placing her hand on her cheek, underneath her hair.
Ash was at the point of drooling as he looked at her. Her hair was like she usually had it but there was a pink clip in it on the left side, keeping it from going into her face. She wore the necklace he gave her that had a picture of them, along with the keystone he gave her. For her dress, she wore a lavender pink dress that just covered till her thighs and reached just above her knees, matching it with the same coloured heels she wore. Finishing it off, she wore the blue ribbon around her left wrist. She also had a small pouch around her shoulder that was brown of colour.
"Y-Y-You look incredible..." He whispered with a stunned expression.
Serena smiled at him, feeling some confidence come up. "You don't look too bad yourself y'know." She giggled slightly before walking over and wrapping her arm around his while placing her other hand on his arm aswell. "Are you ready to go?"
"Uhh... Yes!" Ash said, regaining his posture. "Let's get going then!" Ash said with some excitement. Just right before reaching the door, he turned around and looked at Pikachu who just hopped onto the kitchen table. "Hey buddy, take care of everyone will ya?"
"Pi-Pikachu!" The electric rodent nodded.
"Well be back at 11!" Ash said before opening the door for Serena before walking out himself. He locked the door so no one could get inside that weren't supposed to.
It was already dark outside and the street lights were shining brightly. There was a nice breeze in the wind, giving off the perfect temperature.
Serena was as close as she could to him, resting her head on his shoulder. Their hands were joined with their fingers intertwined. She let out a blissful sigh before looking up at him. "So Ash, where do you want to go?" She decided to ask up.
Ash smiled at her. "When we took a stroll to check out trainers village yesterday, I saw this good looking restaurant and made a mental note of it." Ash explained. "But first, we need to walk past the pokemon center. The match ups should be up now."
"Oh yeah, let's go there quickly then!" She said in excitement, taking the lead and much to Ash's surprise, pulling him along with her.
Once they reached it, a large screen was on above the doors. It revealed the match ups. It wasn't long for them to find Ash's picture that was next to a dark haired man that looked around his low thirties with a purple outfit. "Remo huh..." Serena said, looking at it.
"Cool! I remember he battled Alain last time. His Garchomp looked really strong!" Ash commented on it before turning to her. "Now, how about we get some food?" He winked.
Serena smiled widely. "Right! Let's go!" She added.
Again, both walked hand in hand, with Serena laing her head down on his shoulder as they walked towards the restaurant Ash had chosen beforehand.
Once they got there, it looked not too fancy from the outside, making Serena slightly question it but once they went inside, everything changed. It was beautiful. It was class, yet cozy. The atmosphere was just right and there was even a small group of staff members playing the piano, violin and trumpet.
Ash talked to the lady behind the frontdesk who not much later, sent someone to bring them to their seats. They had some good seats, near a small fountain. Instead of sitting across from each other, they sat side by side, wanting to be closer to one another. Both had ordered their food and their drinks which were asked by the lady who led them to their table.
"This is beautiful Ash!" Serena commented once the lady was gone. Ash smiled at her. "Only the best for you Serena."
Serena herself smiled at this before she placed her hand in his cheek and gave him a kiss on the lips. "Thanks Ash..." She said gently before leaning her back against his chest. Ash himself wrapped his arms around her, placing his hands on top of hers, on her lap and stroked his thumb over her knuckles. Both let out a blissful sigh, enjoying their moment alone with each other.
Once their food arrived, they started eating in peace. "So, what do you want to do after the Kalos League is over?" Serena questioned all of a sudden.
Ash looked at her with a serious expression. "Hmm... I haven't really thought about it yet." He said as he thought for a moment. "Maybe we could take some time off and then continue collecting badges for the World League. In the order that suits your performances ofcourse." He smiled at her warmly.
Serena smiled aswell, satisfied with the answer she got. "But I've got to won the Kalos League first!" Ash grinned determinedly, knowing that that was the first task at hand.
"I believe you'll be able to do it." Serena said, smiling at his determination. "Your confidence, trust in your pokemon and your determination are your strongest weapons." She said. "And if that isn't enough, you can always count on Charizard to come in clutch!" She added, giggling.
"Yeah! Charizard has always been there I'm the toughest moments." Ash smiled, thinking about one of his oldest companions. "We've come such a long way together, I know he's one of my strongest now, if not the strongest." He said. He didn't want to disrespect Pikachu, Greninja, Sceptile, Infernape of any other of his pokemon but he had to stay realistic. Charizard was always the one to pull it off in the most difficult situations. He even managed to challenge Mega Rayquaza, Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre. If that didn't say anything, then what did?
Ash took another bite from his food. He was chewing as he looked at Serena who took a bite herself. "What do you wanna do after this is all over?" He inquired.
Serena looked at him before entering a deep thought. "I don't know to be completely honest with you. Now that I achieved both of my goals..."
"Wait..." Ash interrupted. "Both of your goals?" He questioned.
"Yeah!" Serena said, smiling widely. "Becoming Kalos Queen and my true goal, becoming your girlfriend ofcourse silly!" She giggled. Ash was taken aback for a moment. He never thought that he was her goal, not to mention her true goal.
"Now I feel extra stupid for not noticing earlier..." Ash sweatdropped, sighing in defeat.
"Hey..." Serena said. "It doesn't matter now, does it? We're together after all. Besides, it was quite adorable and hot when you were so battle obsessed and giving it your all on the battlefield." Serena said in a playful, yet teasing tone while smirking.
Ash blushed at this and his face turned slightly red. He quickly recovered from it though as they conversed a bit more until their desert came.
Once finishing up their desert, they left the restaurant. Serena was surprised that they didn't have to pay for anything until Ash explained to her that was due to him being a participant.
On their way back, they decided to walk through the park where they admired the beautiful scenery. The lights, connecting with the thick trees surrounding the place and finally the stars that were shining brightly made it almost perfect. Serena wore a light jacket that she had taken with them before they left.
As they walked through the park, Ash noticed a small, grassy hill. "Why don't we sit down here for a moment?" He suggested, pointing towards the hill.
Serena agreed with his idea. Ash placed his jacket on the ground and sat down first before Serena took place on his lap. She didn't want her dress to get dirty so that's why Ash came up with this solution.
Serena leaned back against his chest. Both had their eyes closer and Ash rested his chin on top of her head, enjoying the peace around them.
"This is nice." Ash spoke gently. Serena hummed in agreement. "Thanks for tonight Ash. It was nothing short of amazing." She said in a soothing tone.
Ash smiled proudly at himself after hearing this and gently kissed the back of her head while giving her a small squeeze in the hugging position they were in.
They enjoyed the position they were in as the scene slowly changed to a brighter one. The crowd was roaring as Ash stood on his trainers platform with his best buddy Pikachu on his shoulder and Lucario by his side.
"Greetings Ladies and Gentlemen and welcome to the final battle of the second round! The battle that we have today will be between trainers Ash Ketchum of Vaniville Town and Remo Dracula from the Village of Dragons!"
Remo stood across from him, proudly holding his umbrella while the field that was selected for the battle slotted into place. This time, it was the desert field that had four large rocks in it.
The scoreboard showed Ash and Remo's pictures in the scoreboard with pictures of three pokeballs on both sides. In the middle of the pictures of the trainers was the picture of the chosen battlefield for the battle.
Ash smiled widely. Early this morning, he had called home to his mom, Professor Oak and Tracey who had been staying there while Ash participated in the league. He had called up for the pokemon he wanted to use for the battle today.
Ash closed his eyes and took a deep breath before opening them again and looking up at the stands where he knew that his inspiration was sitting. They made briefly eye contact and nodded in determination before Ash looked at Remo again.
"I hope you know what's coming for you kid." Remo smirked, pointing his umbrella straight at Ash with the keystone shining brightly on the top before he leaned the stick of the umbrella back on his shoulder, unfolding it at the same time.
Ash smirked. If he only knew... He thought.
The referee took his position on his platform and raised his flags. "Trainers!" He shouted, gaining their attention. "For today's battle, the rules are as followed!"
"This will be a three on three battle. Substitutions are allowed and the battle will be over when all of either side's pokemon are unable to battle! Furthermore, there will be no time limit, understood!?" The referee asked.
Both Ash and Remo nodded. "Good, now choose your pokemon and let the battle begin!" He shouted.
"Let's let them taste some of our power! Go Hydreigon!"
"Talonflame, I choose you!"
Both trainers threw their pokeballs and their chosen pokemon appeared on their respective sides. They let out a dominant screech as they took stance infront of their trainers, eyeing eachother closely.
"Remo has chosen to start things off with his Hydreigon while Ash starts off with his Talonflame! An interesting match up to start off things. Now, let's see how this will play out!"
The screen froze with Ash and Talonflame on one side and Remo with his Hydreigon on the other.
Narrator: Now that the stage is set for the next battle. How will things unfold and who will proceed to the next round? Find out as the journey continues!