Serena turns around to see someone she never really thought she'd see again after the Kalos masterclass. Her eyes widen in shock as she mutters in a worried tone "It's you."
The girl with blue hair places a nervous smile on her face as she looks across at the Kalos queen. She awkwardly waves a hand in the air as she replies "Um, hey Serena."
Serena looks at the girl in front of her and can't help but feel a cold shiver down her spine. She takes a defensive stance and exclaims in a cold tone "Hi Miette."
There's an awkward silence as only the sound of a light breeze through the night sky fills the air. The two girls keep their guards up, not really knowing what to do in this situation.
Sylveon is the same as she takes a defensive next to her trainer as she sets her sights on Miette. She was lucky last time that she was back in the locker room when she attacked her trainer. This time, she's got a Pokémon who's not afraid to get between the two.
After a few seconds, Serena breaks first as she lets her guard down slightly. She takes a small sigh before she questions "Why are you here Miette?"
Miette looks down at the sand in shame of herself as she shuffles her feet against the sand. She fidgets nervously with her hands as she replies "The same reason as you I guess, the ultra class showcase."
Serena's eyes widen in shock a little as she mutters "Oh I see."
They stand in silence for a bit longer as Serena begins to contemplate her thoughts. She never in a million years thought she would see Miette in Alola, and at a showcase so soon after what happened.
When Palermo about heard what happened backstage from the police, she was furious that Miette would do something like that. Attacking another performer like that was unacceptable to the new CEO and she was quick to act, banning Miette from performing in any Kalos related showcases for 3 years.
Palermo wanted to go further, and has asked Serena to press charges against her for assault. However, Serena didn't want to go down that road. Not for any high and mighty reason like she was too good to waste her time with such ordeals. No it was because Serena wanted to forget about the mess with the CEO and Miette, she instead wants remember the day for all the good things that happened. She wants to remember that day for what happened on stage and at her party afterwards, not off it.
Miette soon breaks the silence as she exclaims in a soft tone "Listen Serena, about what happened at the showcase I'm really sorry."
Serena looks at the ground and shakes her head disgust. She takes a small breath before she questions "Just why Miette, why did you do that? I thought you were a good friend. I thought I could trust you. Then you hurt me, you took advantage of me. Just why?"
Miette feels her eyes start to fill with tears as the regrets of the events a few days ago sting her heart. She looks up at Serena as she explains in a guilty tone "I know you did Serena, and I thought I was a good friend too. But when the CEO came to me with evidence that showed you were cheating to win votes. I was blinded by rage. I thought you were playing us all, and using Ash's popularity for your own gain. That's what made me make such a rash decision. I didn't realise he was actually lying to get you to sign a contract that was going to ruin your life, that was until Alain showed me the evidence. I felt sick to my stomach at what I had done. That's what I turned myself in, and am now testifying against the CEO. Serena, I know what I did was wrong and I'm so sorry. I realise now that I was fool. I should never of listened to him. Your love for Ash was never for personal gain, and I knew that deep down. Your the Kalos queen because your the best of us, and your the perfect girl to take showcases forward. Truth is Serena, I miss our friendship and I'm so sorry I ruined it. If you say no then I won't blame you. Could you possibly forgive me?"
Serena looks at the floor as she takes in Miette's words. While it is all just words, Serena can tell that Miette is sincere in some way. She definitely does have her regrets over what happened and she is definitely sorry.
But Serena isn't sure if she should forgive her. Is she just sorry that she got caught, or is she genuine? If she does accept the apology, will she later on just do the same thing again? What would the Kalos queen do?
Serena takes a few seconds to contemplate her thoughts before she makes her decision.
She fidgets with her hands a little as she begins with her head looking down at the sand "Miette, what you did really hurt and part of me wants to tell you to go away. In fact my head is telling me not to let you back into my life."
Miette lowers her head a little in disappointment and starts to walk away. She's not angry at Serena's response, if anything she's accepting. Getting forgiveness after what she did would almost be undeserved.
As the blue haired girl continues to walk away, Serena raises her head as a complicated look masks her face. She takes a small breath of anticipation before she continues "However, if I did that, I'd be letting the CEO win. While he may have failed to ruin my life and make me his cash cow, he would have succeeded in taking something from me. I can't let that happen. Miette, I know your a better person than you showed at the showcase. What you did afterwards showed me that and you had the courage to come and apologise in person. While not everyone deserves a second chance, there are some people who do. Some people make mistakes, and they deserve the chance rectify them. So Miette, I forgive you."
Miette gasps in shock as she hears Serena's last sentence. She shakes her head a little in disbelief as she questions "Are you serious?"
Serena takes a second to confirm her answer internally until she decides to trust her gut. A small smile coats her face as she nods to Miette.
Miette shakes her head a little as a bright smile begins to creep up onto her face. She takes off and runs towards the Kalos queen as the two share a sisterly embrace.
As the two break, they share mutual nod where they convey the same message. To forget what happened at the showcase and move on.
Serena smiles at her new friend and questions "So Miette, how come you are allowed to compete in the ultra class? I thought Palermo banned you?"
Miette smiles back as she explains "I'm banned from competing in Kalos but here I'm still eligible to compete. While Palermo initially did try to get me banned from this competition, she had to concede due to pressure from sponsors. I'm a decent draw these days so naturally they wanted me to compete. After you dropped the charges against me, I was free to do so. But I'm not completely off the hook. Palermo is making me do 20 hours of community service while I'm here, and she's scheduled me to work in the arena's in Kalos as a food vendor as punishment. All unpaid of course. So what about you? You've been here with Ash before correct?"
Serena nods as she takes in Miette's statement. Palermo is definitely not letting her off the hook easy. Although she does know, Palermo is the type of woman who will help Miette move past this.
Serena gets an idea in her head as a bright smile coats her face. She looks Miette in the eyes as she exclaims "Yeah we have, and I think you could help me with what I'm doing right now. If I talk to Palermo and Aria then I'm sure they will approve."
Serena goes on to explain to Miette about the school and the Galar league performances. She explains that she's still trying to fill out her list of performers and she could really use some help at the school. With some persuasion, she's sure she could convince Palermo to allow her to do both.
Miette smiles at the prospect and accepts Serena's offer to be part of the Galar league performance team, as well as to help Serena out at the school too.
The two say their goodbyes as Serena makes her way back to the professor's house, now with one of her best friends back on her good side.
She soon makes it home and gets herself ready for bed. She soon drifts asleep as she dreams about the battle she just watched her boyfriend have. Smiling in her sleep as she pictures his excited little grin.
________________________________
Meanwhile back in the Galar region, Ash and Hop make their way out of Turfield town after Ash's victory against Milo.
The two of them walk back through the streets as they begin to get moving towards their next destination. Ash turns towards his traveling companion as they walk and questions "So Hop, next up in my preseason battles is Kabu. Is there anything I should know about him?"
Hop turns towards Ash and nods as he explains "He's a fire type gym leader who in his peak, used to be the strongest gym leader in the whole of Galar. However in recent years, he's fallen down the pecking order due to younger trainers taking his place. He can be a bit of a salty old man these days. He really doesn't like young trainers, especially those of a higher rank than him."
Ash listens to Hop's statement as a small smirk crawls onto his face. He shakes his head as he exclaims "Age is just a number, I'm sure he's still got the power to cause trouble for me. We need to make sure we're on top of our game."
Hop raises an eyebrow a little at Ash's comment as he replies "Well maybe, but after watching Pikachu today I doubt you'll have much trouble with Kabu. Pikachu is more than strong enough on his own to beat Kabu. Or if you really wanted to, you could just use one of your old powerhouses."
Ash smiles a little at the compliment of Pikachu's power. He's places a proud look on his face as he looks over at his first Pokémon, content with how well he's progressed.
He turns back towards Hop with a smirk on his face as he exclaims "I know, Pikachu would do great. That's exactly why, he won't be battling in anymore of the extibiton matches in Galar unless I need him desperately."
Pikachu smiles a little from Ash's shoulder as he nods his head in agreement and squeaks "Pika pika."
Hop's eyes widen in shock of Ash's statement as he shouts in confusion "Wait! How does that make any sense!?"
Ash smiles a little at Hop's confusion as he rubs the top of Pikachu's head. He turns back towards the brother of the Galar champion as he explains "I won't be using him anymore because Pikachu doesn't need training against this level of opponent. I already know what he can do and what his level is. That's why I am going to use my newer Pokémon, who don't have the same experience so they can be ready when the big leagues come around. But, that doesn't mean we'll be slacking off on training. Isn't that right buddy."
Pikachu coos a little at Ash's touch as he lets off a happy "Chuuu."
Hop tilts his head a little as he replies "Huh, I never thought of it that way. Leon always only battles with his strongest 6 Pokémon, and always wins without losing one. These preseason battles for him are more like a way to flex his muscles than actually preparing for the league."
Ash smiles a little as he exclaims in his usual carefree tone "Well, that may create headlines but that's not how we do things. Isn't that right Pikachu!"
Pikachu nods his head in agreement with his trainer and raises a fist in the air as he shouts "Pi pika pikachu!"
Hop shrugs his shoulders a little as he concedes to Ash's way of thinking. These preseason battles are meant to be just for practice and don't really mean anything in the grand scheme of things. Therefore Ash's point of view makes sense, why not use them as a chance to train?
Hop smiles a little towards the Alola champion as he comments "Well, if it works for you then I can't argue."
Ash places a usual excited smile on his face as he pumps his fist and shouts with his usual exuberance "That's right! Anyway, let's get moving. We've got a long way back to Motorstoke stadium! Come on Pikachu I'll race you!"
Pikachu places a competitive look on his face as he jumps down off Ash's shoulder. The electric mouse soon kicks off, as he sprints ahead while surrounded in a white glowing aura. Ash let's off a childish laugh before he sprints off in pursuit of his first Pokémon, using a quick attack of his own.
Hop sighs a little and mutters under his breath "Well something's don't ever change."
The Galarian native shrugs his shoulders before he to runs off to catch up to his traveling companion.
________________________________
It's been 5 days since we've last seen Ash or Serena as they have both continued on their respective journey's.
Ash and Hop been traveling back through the wild area, and are just on the outskirts of Motorstoke city, the destination for Ash's next preseason battle.
On the way back, they have decided to take a longer route, in order for Ash to have a chance to explore more of the region.
In doing so, Ash and Hop ended up in a different part of the wild area as they traveled through a forest where they ran into a pack of wild Impidimp.
The wild Pokémon were unusually hostile towards the pair, but the reasoning soon became apparent when they learnt that they were being hunted by a bunch of pokemon poachers.
It turns out, a large portion of the Impidimp population were already under captivity of these poachers.
Naturally, Ash and Hop teamed up to help fight off the poachers and free the others from captivity with the help of one small Impidimp who was particularly determined to save his pack.
During the battle, the Impidimp in question evolved into a Morgrem in an attempt to help his friends.
After the battle, the Morgrem decided to join Ash's team after striking up a bond with the trainer. While it was tough to say goodbye to his friends, he wanted to become stronger and Ash was the perfect trainer to help him do so.
Ash was more than happy to accept the offer as he caught his first ever fairy type Pokémon.
After making their way through the forest, Ash and Hop continued on a more regular path until they ran into a day care.
When passing by, Ash was instantly recognised by the children and was promptly mobbed by them. While a day care visit wasn't exactly apart of Ash's plan, he was quick to make time for the kids as him and Hop practically spent the day there after being approached by the staff.
Ash ended up doing a little talk with the kids, as he gave them all advice and told stories of his Journey thus far.
During their visit, Ash was approached by the staff members with a query which he wasn't sure how to answer. The staff member showed him a pokemon egg, that had refused to hatch now for almost 3 years.
Ash had no idea what to do, but carefully approached the egg as he decided to investigate. As he did, he noticed that the egg had a blue aura very similar to his own swirling around it.
After using his own aura to call out to it, the egg promptly hatched as a Riolu emerged from his slumber.
Upon hatching, the Riolu was instantly startled by Ash's strong aura and shot an aura sphere at him in his haste.
Ash stopped the attack with Pikachu's iron as the electric mouse batted it to safety. After their little misunderstanding, Ash praised the young Pokémon for having the ability to use aura sphere. It was something that was pretty difficult to do for a Riolu, so one that just hatched being able to use the move was pretty special.
After Riolu calmed down, he soon realised that Ash's aura was pure and was calling out to him. He made the decision there and then, that Ash was the trainer he'd been waiting for.
He took a pokeball off Ash's belt and caught himself, much to the shock of the Alola champion.
Only one Pokémon he's ever caught actually caught themselves, Greninja.
If Riolu had a similar way of thinking to him, then there was no doubt that he wanted to be his trainer.
The daycare staff had little to no resistance to this, as they were just happy the Pokémon had actually hatched.
Ash and Hop said their goodbyes to the staff and children at the day care, as Ash left with a very strange new Pokémon on his team.
Meanwhile with Serena, she's been working at the school every day as she perfects the kids performing skills. Of course she has not been alone in this venture, thanks to her pokemon and Miette's help.
Having Miette as a teaching assistant has been a big help for Serena. While Miette is no where near as good with the kids as Serena is, she is an extra pair of eyes and that certainly helps with watching over a big class. Plus, Miette is a different voice for them to listen to and an accomplishment performer in her own right. She's great at giving the kids little techniques they can use to help improve their performances.
While Miette can get a little frustrated by how loud and energetic the kids are, she's overall a good partner to have. Plus, patience and understanding are Serena's specialty when it comes to teaching so they bounce of each other pretty well.
In terms of the kids, Serena has formed a bit of a big sister bond with Chloe. The girl has really been getting into the swing of things when it comes to performing, and is slowly gaining confidence as a performer and as a person in general with Serena's help.
While Serena never wanted to be that teacher who clearly has favourites, she has to concede that Chloe is definitely her favourite student.
Miette comments often about how similar the two are in a way, in terms of how they were both very shy and found confidence through performing. In that regard, Serena has to agree.
Goh on the other hand, has been....Goh.
He's still energetic, but Serena has learnt that he is actually quite smart and creative in his own unique ways. He's actually taking the performance training seriously, knowing if he wins then he'll have the opportunity to meet Ash.
While he can be hard work, the kid definitely does love his pokemon, and that sort of positive attitude can definitely put a smile on Serena's face.
The week passes quickly as the class nears its final sessions. Before they know it, it's time for the kids to deliver their final performances to Serena.
Serena stands on the stage with Miette next to her as the class gathers for their final day in session.
Serena wishes the class could go on for another week but unfortunately, this is all the time she's permitted to teach for. After this it's just more training and the contractual obligations that come with the Kalos queen entering a competition. Still, it's been fun while it lasted.
The class soon fills up with students as they all line up in the school hall. Serena places a bright smile on her face before she exclaims in an upbeat tone "This is it class, today is the day that your going to show me and miss Millefeui your final performances!"
A lot of the kids let off loud squeals of excitement as they prepare to show the Kalos queen what they've learnt.
Meanwhile, Chloe looks at the ground as she begins to feel her body fill up with nerves. She slightly shakes and quivers as the prospect of performing today beckons.
Serena notices Chloe's reactions and feels her heart cry out to her. She decides to try and improve her situation as a bright reassuring smile comes onto her face. She looks directly at Chloe as she advises to the whole class "Now, I know some of you will be nervous. Well that's a good thing. Use those nerves to make you stronger, channel energy that into your performances. I'll tell you all a secret, I always get nervous before going out on stage. But those nerves are what keep me sharp. As long as you smile and give it your all up there, then you all have nothing to worry about."
Chloe looks up at Serena as she takes in the Kalos queen's smile. That's one thing she's noticed about Serena over the last few days. She really stops smiling. Even when things are going wrong, she still keeps smiling through it all.
Well if that's what the Kalos queen does, then maybe she should take that approach too. She taught them all a lesson recently that a performer's smile can give other's strength. Well that's certainly the case with Serena's.
Chloe decides to take on Serena's advice as her words sink in. She places a small smile on her face as she looks up at her mentor.
Serena feels a sense of accomplishment come over her as she sees the young girl smile. She looks out at the class as she announces "Now, we've got a lot to get through. So, let's get started."
______________________________
One by one, the pairs of performer's go on stage and deliver their performances while Serena and Miette sit at a little judging panel.
There is a wide variety of performances to a mix bag in terms of results.
While some groups put on good starter level performances, others struggle and make big mistakes just like Serena did in her first showcase.
There are some students who make mistakes like misjudging their moves or making a wrong step while dancing.
Of course Serena came prepared for this with health and safety, knowing all to well that one wrong step in a performance can lead to injury.
She places Braxien and Sylveon on either side of the stage, and tasks them with using psychic and fairy wind respectively to stop any mishaps should they arise.
After making sure the kids are okay, Serena makes sure to comfort anyone who had a bad experience and encourage them to keep trying. She even embraces a few of them while they cry on her shoulder, being there for them to help them handle their disappointment.
Being the Kalos queen means showing others kindness, and she's definitely not forgotten that part of her duties.
Miette can't help but smile as she watches Serena comfort and cheer up the kids. She truly is one of the kindest souls in the world, and she truly is the perfect Kalos queen to represent them.
She also can't help but note how naturally maternal she is towards the kids. She certainly has naturally good instincts when it comes to dealing with children, which Miette can't help but feel will put her in good steads in the future.
After an hour of performances, it is finally time for Goh and Chloe's performance.
Serena let's them know that fact as she adjusts her clipboard from the judges table and exclaims "Alright, just one more to go. Chloe, Goh are you ready?"
Chloe and Goh nods as they take to the stage. Chloe takes her position with Eevee by her side. She fidgets a little with her hands as she replies in a nervous manner "Yeah I guess so."
Goh takes his position with Scorbunny by his side as a confident smirk rises onto his face. He pumps his fist in the air and shouts "Yeah, we're ready! Me and Scorbunny are fired, as for Chloe. Her and Eevee are gonna be amazing, just watch!"
Chloe blushes slightly at Goh's words as she looks down at the floor and mutters "Thanks Goh."
Miette chuckles slightly as she looks at the dynamic between the two. She turns towards her friend and whispers subtly "They remind you of something?"
Serena smiles a little as she whispers back "All too much."
The Kalos queen turns her attention back to the stage as she exclaims with an inviting smile on her face "Okay then, when your ready you can begin!"
Chloe and Goh put on their performance and do a very good job for a first effort, using the speed and cuteness of Eevee to match well with the more power oriented approach Scorbunny likes to take.
The performance would be a hit at a lot of rookie class showcases. In some cases, it may even have won a rookie class depending on the competition.
For only training for a week, that is some achievement. The two of them show a great connection with their pokemon as they move around the stage.
The performance ends as Serena and Miette stand up and clap in approval of their effort, as do the whole class.
Chloe smiles to the crowd as she takes in the applause. For the first time since she moved to Alola, she feels welcomed by her peers. Like she really does belong.
As she looks into the crowd of students, she places a bright smile on her face as she says in her head "I think I've found it, the thing I want to do above all else. I want to entertain people just like Serena does. I want to inspire others like she does. Just like how she inspired me."
Serena places a proud look on her face as she looks up at the stage. She can hardly believe that Chloe is the same girl that she met at the start of this week. That shy timid girl is no more, and the real Chloe is beginning to shine through.
Serena lets the applause die down before she exclaims in a positive tone "Great job both of you, I'm very proud of you both for how well you did. Especially you Chloe, you've come a long way in such a small amount of time."
Chloe smiles a bright smile at her mentor as she exclaims "Thank you Serena. Sorry, thank you so much for teaching us Miss Yvonne."
Serena shakes her head a little at Chloe's slip of the tongue. If anyone is allowed to call her by her real name, then it's Chloe. She smiles reassuringly as he replies "That's okay Chloe, it's been an honour to teach you all. Now, can you please join the rest of the class while me and Miette come to a decision.
Chloe and Goh nod in agreement with Serena as they make their way off the stage and stand with the rest of the class.
As soon as they exit the stage, they are immediately surrounded by their class mates as they are complimented on how good that performance was.
Chloe replies nervously as usual, while Goh is his usual cocky self and takes all the praise he can get.
After 5 minutes of deliberation, Miette and Serena come to their combined decision as they make their back on the stage.
Serena takes a microphone as she stands before the class. A small smile drifts onto her face as she begins "First of all, thank you all so much for showing me your amazing performances. You should all be very proud of yourself for having the courage to go on stage and perform, no matter the outcome. So, please give yourself a round of applause."
The whole class claps their hands, as so Miette and Serena in appreciation for all the student's efforts. After the applause dies down, Serena continues "As much as I would love to take you all to Galar, I can only take one pair with me. Well unless I sack Miette here of course."
The class all laugh a little at the Kalos queen's humour while Miette glares at Serena for her statement.
Serena giggles a little as she continues "I'm just kidding, I could never do that."
The Kalos queen takes a deep breath before she finally announces "So, the pair that me and Miette will be taking is......."
Chloe clasps her hands together and whisoers "Please, please, please."
....................
"CHLOE AND GOH!!!"!
Hearing this, the class cheers loudly at the winner as applause fills the hall.
Goh immediately places a bright smile on his face as he leaps up and down while shouting "Woooooo! We won! I'm going to the Galar region! I'm going to meet Ash!"
Chloe stands there with a look of disbelief on her face, not quiet believing what she just heard. She shakes her head a little in astonishment as she whispers "We, won? No way."
Serena places a bright smile on her face as she looks at the winners and exclaims "Congratulations to you both! Please come up on stage and accept your tickets."
Chloe stands in complete shell shock as she doesn't even hear Serena's point, still registering what just happened.
Goh can't wait for Chloe to snap out of her trance to get their tickets as he decides to take initiative. He takes Chloe's hand and starts running towards the stage, dragging her along with him as he shouts "Come on Chloe!"
Chloe shakes her head a little and snaps herself out of her trace. Once she does, she quickly realises that Goh is holding her hand. She goes a little red in the face in embarrassment as she shouts "Goh slow down!"
The two teachers giggle a little at the two youngsters as they both reach the stage. Serena hands them their tickets and gives them both a handshake in congratulations. She also lets them know that as part of their victory here, they are welcome to watch the ultra class showcase live in person which the two are quick to accept.
Afterwards, the class ends and all the kids thank Serena and Miette for teaching them over the last few days. Serena and Miette thank the students for giving them the opportunity, as they all decide to take one last big group photo to commemorate the class.
__________________________________
Later that day, Serena sits down on the soft sand of the beach, looking up at the stars. It was the spot she and Ash used to visit all the time in Alola, their little training spot not far from the professors's house. This spot was their quiet spot, and it means a lot to her now. They trained for the Alola league here, trained for the prom tournament here and it was were they shared their first mutual kiss.
Now it's where Serena will be doing the majority of her training for the upcoming ultra class showcase. She sits with Absol by her side, after an intense hour of one on one training. It was important for Serena take time to train Absol one on one, especially considering they'd only performed together once. Still, the way they moved together was completely natural and they could be mistaken for a performer, and pokemon duo that have traveled together for years.
As Serena sits on the beach, she turns her head towards Absol and comments with a beaming smile on her face "You know what Absol, watching Chloe perform today made me so happy. We helped make that possible, we helped her find her dream. If we never came to Alola then she would still be really shy."
Absol nods her head in agreement with her trainer as she smiles and replies "Absol sol."
Serena looks out at the moon as she exclaims "Yeah, it's nice isn't it Absol. It's nice to be able to inspire people like we did. I'm not going to lie Absol, these last few days have been tough. I am really starting to miss Ash. Even if we are still talking everyday, I'm missing his cuddles, his smile and everything else he does. But seeing how we managed to help change Chloe's life, it makes all that loneliness worth it. Even if we don't do well in the ultra class, I'll still be happy because of what happened at the school, and I'll have no regrets about accepting the offer."
Absol nods her head towards her trainer before she lays down next to her, resting her head in Serena's lap in an attempt to comfort her.
That's something that all of Serena's pokemon have been making a conscious effort to do, comfort Serena as much as possible to try and make up for Ash's absence.
They've all spoken about it together, and they are all in agreement that a times during this journey she will naturally miss being with Ash. When she is like that, they've taken responsibility to be there for her, and to help cheer her up.
Serena has noticed her Pokémon's attitude towards her and does really appreciate them. At the end of the day, they are one big team. They all share their problems and work through them together. They all have an incredible bond with each other and are a tight nip group. As long as they hey have each other's back, they can get through anything.
The two continue to relax, looking at the stars above as a peaceful mood fills the air. However, their peace is soon interrupted as a mysterious sound fills the sky.
Suddenly, Serena and Absol look up to see a fast moving pink blur up in the sky. The two try to focus on it, but the blur moves too fast and all they can make out is the light pink aura, similar to their own surrounding it.
As always being the protector, Absol jumps up in the air and takes a deep breath before she exhales a dark purple hexagonal beam towards the pink blur.
Suddenly, a pink ball of mist fires off from the blur and heads straight towards the dark pulse. The two attacks collide, and push against each other for half a second before exploding into pink and purple fireworks.
The beautiful sparks fill up the dark Alolan sky and glisten against the moon. The attacks were not meant to create such a sight, at least from one side, but they naturally form a performance style attack that would steal the show at any showcase.
All of a sudden, a small giggle fills the air as the figure appears in front of them, hiding amongst the fireworks.
Serena gasps in shock as she sees the pokemon that was watching her. She shakes her head in disbelief as she questions "Tapu Lele, what are you doing here?"
Tapu lele flies down towards Serena while playfully giggling. The legendary pokemon soon reaches the pair, and dances around in the air while spraying pink dust around. The dust begins to float down towards Serena and Absol, sprinkling the pair with her magic.
Serena smiles up at the Tapu as she remembers back to their first encounter. The honey blonde performer smiles a little as she exclaims "You want to play again, isn't that right?"
Tapu Lele practically dances around Serena with joy as she lets off a happy "Lele!"
Serena giggles a little at the legendary pokemon's playfulness as he commands "Well, okay then. Absol, jump in the air and do the same trick as Tapu Lele with dark pulse."
Absol nods as she leaps up into the air with elegance and grace. She soon takes a small breath before she fires off a small purple beam that quickly disintegrates, as she sprinkles a purple glitter across the beach.
Tapu lele giggles in amusement of Absol's trick as she inspects Serena's aura. Just as last time, the aura is of a pure pink. So much like one she saw hundreds of eyes ago.
Seeing how far her chosen one has progressed, she decides it's time to reward her progress.
Tapu Lele let's off a small cry as her eyes begin to glow blue with a psychic energy. Slowly, a pink
glowing sphere starts to form in front of her. After a few seconds, the pink sphere disappears, leaving a small box like briefcase in its place.
Serena looks at the box in front of her with bewilderment as she takes it into her hands. She tilts her head in confusion as she questions "A box? I wonder what's inside?"
Serena clips open the box as she gazes inside. As soon as she sees the contents on the inside, her eyes light up with a mixture of shock and excitement.
On the one side of the box, are multiple Z crystals representing the 17 types that Serena currently does not have access to.
On the other side is a black and white crystal with a small dna like symbol attached.
Serena takes a second to take in the surprise. First off, Z crystal's for all the other types she is missing. Before if she wanted to use another Z move other than psychic, then she would have had to ask Ash to borrow one of his Z crystals. While Ash would have been been fine with this, it's still nice to have her own stock.
Second is that black and white stone. Taking a glance at it, Serena quickly realises that this is clearly a mega stone. While she has no idea what Pokémon could possibly wield this stone, she is confident that she must be able to use it.
Serena shakes off her thoughts as she looks up at the legendary pokemon. She beams a bright smile as she exclaims "Well thank you Tapu Lele, I promise you that we'll use this for nothing but good."
Tapu Lele, smiles her chosen one as she lets off a small giggle. The Tapu sprinkles some pink dust into the air as she ascends back into the sky.
Serena watches with a bright smile as Tapu Lele flies off over the horizon. While she doesn't know why Tapu Lele seems to be helping her with her journey in Alola, or why she's taken such a liking to her. She's certainly not going to complain about befriending a legendary pokemon.
Serena decides to turn her attention back towards the box as her eyes meet the mega stone. She places a thoughtful look on her face as she comments "I wonder what Pokémon this is for?"
Absol takes a step closer to her trainer as she decides to examine the mega stone herself. Upon setting her sights on it, she instantly feels her aura reacting to the stone.
She puts her head in the air as she feels a wave of power wash over her. The dark type Pokémon feels the stone calling out to her as she exclaims "Sol, Absol!"
Serena looks at Absol and instantly notices something different about her. The pink aura that usually coats her body, is flowing in a calm stream towards the mega stone.
It doesn't take long for Serena to deduce what is happening as she shouts with wide eyes "No way! Do you think it's an Absolite!?"
Absol looks up at her trainer and nods her head yes in confirmation.
Serena beams a bright smile at the realisation as she exclaims with excitement creeping into her voice "Really!? Do you know what that means Absol. That means that you can mega evolve if you want to!"
Absol nods her head yes and matches Serena's excitement as she replies "Absol!"
While the dark type Pokémon never really thought about mega evolving before, it is certainly something she would like to achieve alongside her trainer.
Serena keeps her bright smile on her face as a hint of determination brims in her yes. She looks straight down at her mysterious pokemon as she exclaims in an enthusiastic tone "Well Absol, no performance has ever contained a mega evolution before. No one has ever attempted it because it's so hard to incorporate. But, we know we can do it right Absol? Nothing is impossible if we put our minds to it. This might be just what we need. This is what could set us apart from the rest at the ultra class!"
Absol places a bright smile onto her face as she hears Serena's idea. While it may be difficult for them to incorporate into a performance, if anyone can do it then it's them.
Serena smiles at Absol as she sees her response, she takes a small childish giggle before she shouts "Well then, what are we waiting for!? Let's get practicing!"
Absol leaps up in the air with excitement as she shouts in agreement "Sol Absol!"
Serena smiles as she takes 5 pokeballs out of her bag. She throws 5 pokeballs in the air as she shouts "Everybody come on out!"
The 5 pokeballs hit the ground as: Braxien, Pancham, Sylveon, Pikachu and Brionne emerge from their pokeballs. The 5 Pokémon line up as Absol quickly joins them.
Serena smiles brightly at her team as she exclaims in an upbeat tone "Okay everyone, I know this is a little impromptu and a little late at night. But we've got some practice to do!"
Serena's pokemon all see their trainer's enthusiasm and instantly find the energy to perform. They all pump a limb in the air and let off happy cries, as they prepare to begin practice.
Serena and her Pokémon all sit down and plan out a basic performance that they can use as a start point as they draw a diagram of their plan in the sand.
Once they have everything planned out, they move onto actually trying out their new performance. The routine starts off well, as they reach the mid way point with no real problems to speak of.
As they do, Serena takes a deep breath and gets ready to try out their new technique. She places a bright smile on her face as she imagines a cheering crowd in front of her. She points her hand forward as she exclaims "Okay Pancham, use stone edge!"
Pancham nods as he takes a glowing white fist and slams it into the ground. Suddenly, two giant stone like pillars sprout up from the ground. One lifts Serena up into the air, while the other lifts up Absol. Serena's pillar lifts her slightly higher while Absol stands on another just below her.
Serena takes a nervous sigh as she realises the time has come to test it out. She shakes off her worry as she places a confident confident smile on her face. She puts her hand to her blue ribbon as she shouts "Let's do this Absol, mega evolve!"
Serena clasps her full hand around her ribbon as a bright light shines out from her keystone. The light from the keystone shines bright and flows through the air, connecting with the mega stone on Absol's neck, comfortably situated in a homemade necklace Serena had handy.
The light soon engulfs Absol as she cries out "SOOLLLLLLL!"
Absol begins to glow, as her body begins to grow and change. Suddenly, the glow stops as Absol stands a top the rock as the mega evolution symbol flashes in front of her.
Her slightly longer hair flows majestically in the air, as her red colour scheme reflects against the moon behind her.
Serena gasps in shock as she slightly marvels at the sight of a shiny mega Absol, reflecting amongst the Alolan night sky.
Serena shakes off her initial shock as a sense of accomplishment comes over her. A bright smile coats her face as she exclaims in a triumphant tone "It worked Absol! You mega evolved!"
Absol looks at her trainer with a bright smile as she exclaims "Absol!" The mega evolved pokemon continues on with the planned performance as she jumps off the pedestal, landing gracefully with the help of her wings.
Serena smiles brightly as her pedestal sinks back into the ground. She stands back on the beach and exclaims "Okay then, let's work on more of this performance. Pikachu use heart stamp and Absol use dark pulse!"
Pikachu nods as she cups her hands in a heart shape over her heart. She winks at the imaginary crowd and throws her hands towards the sky, sending a massive red heart up into the air.
Meanwhile, Absol takes a deep breath before she exhales a powerful purple hexagonal beam towards the heart. The dark pulse slams into the heart, creating an explosion of red and purple hearts that float amongst the night sky.
All the rest of the Pokémon look on in awe, as they feel their breath being taken away from them by the sheer power on display via mega Absol.
Serena smiles at the sight as she feels her heart racing in excitement. She pumps her fist and exclaims "Alright Absol, now we'll try....
"ABSOL!!! "
Suddenly, Absol lets off an a venomous cry as her eyes begin to glow red.
Serena looks at her Pokémon and instantly knows something is up. Her usual pink aura is swirling around her violently, and looks completely out of control. Usually Absol's aura is pretty steady, but this is completely out of character.
In the end the explanation is quite simple, Mega evolution has only increased Absol's power and aura levels. With the increase, Absol is struggling to control her new found power. Being pushed to the height of her abilities is making her overwhelmed, and she is struggling to stay sane.
Serena instantly knows something is wrong, harping back to when Korina had similar issues with her mega Lucario. The Kalos queen tries to calm down her mega evolved pokemon, as she smiles warmly towards her and whispers "Absol, it's okay. We're your friends. I promise you that everything is going to be okay."
Absol looks at Serena and shakes her head, seemingly trying to stop herself from losing control due to her new found power.
Unfortunately, she can't completely restrain herself as she takes a deep breath, before firing off a dark purple hexagonal beam in a random direction.
The dark pulse attack heads straight past Serena, and hits the one Pokémon they wished it wouldn't, baby Pikachu.
Pikachu is hit square in the chest by the attack, launching her up in the air as she lets off a cry of pain. The baby Pokémon flies through the air before landing on the beach with a thud, kicking up some sand around her. The sand around her quickly clears, revealing baby Pikachu lying in the sand with swirls in her eyes.
Serena and Sylveon's eyes widen in shock as the Kalos queen screams "Pikachu!"
The two of them take off towards the baby Pokémon, as Serena kneels down and scoops her into her arms. She cradles the baby as a tear begins to form in her eyes. She looks down at the pokemon in her hands and whispers "Pikachu, are you okay?"
Baby Pikachu opens her eyes a little, and gives her trainer and adoptive mother a weak reassuring smile before closing her eyes to rest up.
Serena takes a small sigh of relief, as does Sylveon as they both get confirmation that Pikachu will be okay. Serena takes the baby's pokeball and returns her as she whispers "I'm sorry Pikachu, now take a good rest."
Meanwhile, Absol continues to try and fight back against her overwhelming power but to no avail. She takes a deep breath and fires off another powerful dark purple hexagonal beam, this time heading towards her trainer.
Serena notices the dark pulse shooting towards her at a rate of knots too late, and is instantly paralysed by fear. She closes her eyes and braces for impact. However after a few seconds, she feels none.
She opens her eyes and instantly spots Brionne, Braxien, and Pancham holding off the attack together as they combine their own moves to protect their trainer.
Eventually, the attack's manage to cancel each other out, as Serena stands with her remaining party of 4 in front of her. Serena beams a grateful smile at her pokemon and exclaims "Thanks guys. I really appreciate the help."
They all nod to their trainer, showing her that they are willing to fight to protect her. While Absol may be strong, they are going to do whatever they can to stop their trainer getting hurt.
Serena gives her pokemon a nod back in conformation as they all turn around to face Absol, still brewing with rage and confusion.
Serena smiles at Absol and makes one last plea as she exclaims in a soft tone "It's okay Absol. I know that your confused and scared. You don't need to worry, I promise you I'm not going to hurt you. It's me, Serena. Not any of those poachers you had to deal with before, just please calm down."
Absol shakes with confusion and fear, as she loses control once again. She takes another deep breath before she involuntarily fires off another dark pulse towards Serena and her Pokémon.
Serena and her pokemon see the incoming attack and manage to all roll out they way to dodge the powerful move.
Serena sighs a little as her and her pokemon get back to their feet. She was really hoping that she would be able to control mega evolution, but in her head she's let her pokemon and Absol down. Now she's in a tough position with only really one thing she can do.
She looks dead ahead at her mega evolved pokemon and exclaims in a sincere tone "I really didn't want to do this, but it looks like we've got no choice. I'm really sorry Absol. But we're going to have to battle you."
Absol growls at Serena's challenge as her eyes flash a brighter shade of red, completely losing control of herself. In her blind rage, she takes a deep breath before she fires off a powerful beam of flames towards Serena and her pokemon.
Serena sees the flamethrower coming and quickly acts. She extends a hand out as she commands "Braxien use flamethrower, and Brionne use hydro pump!"
Braxien nods as she takes out her magic wand. She twirls the wand around, before she uses it to fire off her own powerful beam of flames. Meanwhile, Brionne takes a deep breath before she fires off a powerful beam of water towards her opponent. The attacks clash together and push against each other for a second as they try to break through. Eventually they all manage to cancel each other out, causing a small explosion as a thick smoke kicks up along the beach.
Serena decides to stay on the attack a she shouts "Now Sylveon, use swift!" Sylveon leaps in the air while extending her ribbon feelers out. She forms a dozen stars in front of her before she fires them towards Mega Absol.
Absol sees the attack coming and instantly knows what to do. She leaps up into the air while coating her tail in metal. She uses her tail as a baseball bat to counter the attack, knocking every star back with iron tail.
Serena sees Absol preoccupied by swift and decides to try and take advantage by landing some super effective damage. She extends a hand forward and yells "Now Pancham, use arm thrust!" Pancham nods as he rushes forward towards the mega evolved Pokémon with two fists glowing white.
As Pancham approaches mega Absol, she bats the last star away and she turns her attention towards the panda pokemon. Mega Absol growls with rage, before she rushes forward towards the panda pokemon with glowing white limbs as she uses play rough. She soon soon slams into Pancham, delivering multiple brutal strikes to the panda pokemon as Serena gasps with a mixture of shock and fear.
Absol lands one more vicious strike, sending Pancham tumbling back through the air before landing on the beach with a thud. Once the sand settles, Pancham lays in the sand with swirls in his eyes.
Serena places a frown her face as she beats herself up on the inside for letting this situation get as far as she did. In her opinion, this is all her fault. If she wasn't so naive, if was smarter and wasn't so fixated on trying to mega evolve then this never would have happened. Only the strongest trainer's achieve mega evolution for a reason, and she severely underestimated how much dedication it takes to achieve.
She shakes off her thoughts for a second as she decides to refocus on the task in hand. She takes a pokeball out of her bag and holds it out in front of her as she shouts "Thanks for the help Pancham, now return."
Serena places the pokeball back in her bag as she looks up at Absol with determination brewing on her face, determined not to let anymore of her pokemon get hurt. She looks around at her remaining three Pokémon and comments "Well, I guess it's up to the rest of us."
Serena's final 3 nod, as they take a battle ready stance.
Absol makes the next move as she leaps forward while coating her tail in metal, as she prepares to slam it into Serena and her pokemon.
Serena sees the aggressive attack approaching and shouts "Brionne icy wind, and Sylveon use fairy wind!" Brionne nods as she takes a deep breath, before firing off an icy blue wind. Meanwhile, Sylveon leaps up into the air while extending her ribbon feelers as she fires off a powerful pink wind towards her opponent.
The two wind attacks combined and slam straight into Absol, pushing the dark type pokemon back through the air. Absol let's off a small pained cry as she tumbles back, landing on all fours as she skids back along the beach.
Absol catches herself and practically shakes with rage, furious that Serena would even dare push her back like that. She decides to stop playing games as she takes a deep breath, before firing a powerful dark purple hexagonal beam towards the 4 of them. The dark pulse travels quickly through the air as Serena and her pokemon take a step back. The beam smacks into the ground in front of them, causing a huge shockwave that sends the 4 of them tumbling along the beach in different directions.
Serena skids back through the sand as she lets off a small groan of pain. She catches herself and drags herself up into a sitting position, as she gazes out at the rest of her pokemon.
She sees then all down in pain, spread across the beach from each other as she calls out "Brionne, Braxien, Sylveon. Are you guys okay?"
All 3 lie in the sand and let out their cries weakly as they struggle to get back to their feet. Taking an attack like that has taken a lot out of all of them, and they are struggling to find the strength to keep fighting.
Absol sees Serena and her pokemon spread out along the beach as a small smirk rises onto her currently demonic face. With them all separated like this, she can pick them off individually, one at a time. In other words, this just became a whole lot easier.
Absol looks around at who to strike first and decides to take out the pokemon with type advantage first. She turns towards Sylveon, before rushing towards her with a tail coated in pure iron. She slams her tail directly into the fairy type Pokémon, causing her to cry out in pain and fly through the air before landing with a thud. The sand around the fairy type Pokémon settles as Sylveon lays with swirls in her eyes.
Serena feels her heart sink as she sees another one of her pokemon get hurt because of her mistake. She crawls towards Sylveon's pokeball and returns her, in an attempt to stop her from receiving any further damage.
Absol sees Serena crawling and decides she's her next target as she takes off towards her trainer as her limbs glow a bright shade of white.
However before she can get any closer to Serena, a powerful beam of flames shoots towards the mega evolved Pokémon and strikes her in the back. Absol let's off a cry of pain as she skids back along the beach with a mark showing amongst her usually clear white fur.
Braxien stands tall as she twirls around her magic wand and points it towards Absol. While she may not be the strongest pokemon in the world, she is the leader of Serena's group. She is the first Pokémon she owned and she'll always be the one who takes leadership amongst the group.
As a leader, Braxien will not stand by and watch while Absol hurt's her trainer, and the rest of her pokemon. Even if it means getting hurt herself, she will find a way to help stop this attack.
Absol turn to face Braxien and growls at the fire type fox, raging that she had the cheek to strike her while her back was turned.
Serena sees the stand off and tries to help Braxien out Braxien as she shouts "Braxien quick, use hidden power!" Braxien nods in agreement with her trainer as she twirls her wand around before firing off 4 purple orbs towards Absol.
Absol sees the attack coming as she shows incredible speed and agility. She dodges the incoming attack, Before she kicks off towards Braxien with her limbs glowing a bright shade of white.
Braxien sees the attack coming but has no time to dodge, due to the speed mega Absol moves at. She instead throws her wand to the ground and braces herself, ready to take the attack.
Serena sees exactly what's about to happen and feels absolutely helpless to do anything. All she can do is close her eyes and turn away, not wanting to see her first Pokémon get hurt because she can't control her mega Pokémon.
She feels like such a bad trainer, like a bad Kalos queen. Everyone is getting hurt and it's all because of her. She feels so stupid for even trying to use mega evolution on her own. She should have waited until she had back up. Now her pokemon are all paying the price for her mistake.
Braxien looks at Absol with no fear as she prepares to take the hit. She knows it's going to hurt and she's probably going to faint. But it'll give her trainer time to recover. If she goes down while protecting her trainer, then she can have no regrets.
However, that thought is soon lost as Braxien feels a wind brush against her back.
Suddenly, a bright blue ninja star of water, flies over her shoulder and head's straight towards Absol. Time seems to stand still for a moment as the ninja star travels towards the incoming Absol, and slams straight into her chest.
The mega evolved Pokémon lets off a cry of pain, never experiencing such a powerful attack before. She flies back through the air before she crashes towards the ground. She lands hard and skids back through the sand, as a few marks and bruises cover her body.
Braxien looks around frantically and quickly spots it. A blue flash moving through the trees, moving just as fast away from the scene as he was towards it.
Serena opens her eyes, expecting to see a fainted Braxien. However , what she sees instead shocks her as Braxien stands tall while looking up into the trees with a bewildered look on her face. Meanwhile, Absol struggles back to her feet while looking extremely hurt.
Serena assumes that Braxien must have countered the attack somehow, as she shouts in a relived tone "Great job Braxien!"
Braxien continues to just stare at the trees as she lets off a very conflicted "Braxien brax."
There's only one Pokémon she's seen that can move that fast, and only one that throws ninja stars as sharp as that. It could only be him right? Was he really watching over them? Does he really care like he says does? Why would he only step in when she was about to be hurt?
Absol makes it back to her feet and begins to shake with rage, fuming at being hit by this seemingly random passerby. She's even more enraged that Serena thought that Braxien actually countered her attack. She can't believe she would be so ignorant as to think that Braxien could actually block her attack.
The mega evolved Pokémon channels her rage as she quickly takes off and springs towards Serena with a tail coated in metal.
Serena stands paralysed as she sees the attack approaching fast. With Braxien distracted, there's no one else here to help her and she's hardly going to be able to overpower a mega pokemon with her bare hands.
She desperately calls out to Absol as a last ditch effort "Please stop Absol! You don't have to do this!"
Absol completely ignores her trainer's calls and keeps going, as Serena closes eyes and braces herself for impact.
Brionne watches from a far as the attack approaches Serena. Seeing her trainer in danger, Brionne feels the need to protect the girl who's done so much for her.
It was this very beach where they first met, it was right here where Brionne was accepted into her family. She's not going to let any bad memories flood this place.
Brionne musters up all her remaining courage and strength before she takes off towards Absol at speeds she's never traveled at before. She soon reaches Absol and meets her attack head on, catching the iron tail as she holds it in her fins. Absol feels the fins on her tail and instantly slams her tail down harder, desperately trying to push back the water type starter as Brionne digs her heels in.
Serena gasps in shock as she sees Brionne attempt to come to her rescue. The water type starter begins to show signs of pain as she scrunches up her face. Serena see this and becomes even more concerned. A frown plasters her face as she shouts "Brionne no! Your going to get hurt! Please don't!"
Absol continues the attack, annoyed that Brionne even had the audacity to stand up to her as she starts to push even harder. Brionne starts to slide back through the sand as her grip begins to falter.
She tries her best to keep pushing, not willing to let go. Her determination begins to win out as she slowly begins to push Absol back.
"BRIOOOONNNNEEEEEE!"
Suddenly Brionne feels a burst of strength as a white glow begins to envelope her. The burst of strength throws Absol off her, sending the mega evolved Pokémon crashing back through the sand as Brionne stands tall.
The glow surrounding her only begins to increase as her body begins to grow and change. Serena watches with wide eyes as she sees the sight unfolding in front of her.
Suddenly, the glow flashes and clears, as a new Pokémon now stands in Brionne's place. A Pokémon with a similar style, but much larger and more elegant in appearance.
Serena gasps in shock at the sudden change as she shakes her head a little in astonishment. A few seconds later, reality hits her as a bright smile coats her face. The Kalos queen looks down at her new Pokémon with bright eyes as she excitedly shouts "Brionne! You evolved into Primirina! You really did all that just to help me!?"
Primarina looks back at her trainer as a smile coats her own face. She claps her hands together in approval of her trainer's statement, before blowing a massive bubble into the air.
Serena smiles brightly at her newly evolved pokemon as a sense of accomplishment fills her body. She looks Primirina up and down as she states in a grateful tone "Congratulations Primirina, I'm so proud of you. Thank you so much for your help!"
Primirina nods happily towards her trainer as a bright smile coats her own face. The majestic looking water type Pokémon leans her head towards her trainer and nuzzles her cheek, as they both share a happy giggle.
However, their laughter doesn't last long as Absol recovers and gets back to her feet. She growls at Primirina, before she rushes forward towards Primirina with her tail coated in metal.
Serena sees the incoming attack and acts as she shouts "Quick Primirina use sparkling aria!" Primirina nods as she takes in a deep breath before singing out a majestic cry. Suddenly, blue sound waves fill the air before they slam straight into Absol. The mega evolved Pokémon lets off a cry of pain before she tumbles towards the ground, landing with a small thud.
Serena slightly marvels at how beautiful Primirna's cry really is. The song she sings is a masterpiece in her eyes, and fills her head with ideas of how she could potentially incorporate that.
Serena snaps out her thoughts as she sees Absol stumble back to her feet with marks and bruises all over her body. She knows she only needs one more big attack to incapacitate her dark type Pokémon. While she hates to do what she's about to do, it's something she needs to do to end this.
She stands with a confident look on her face as she shouts "Let's finish this Primirina!"
Primirina nods in agreement with her trainer as she prepares for what's about to come.
Serena reaches into her bag and takes out a pink Z crystal. She attaches the pink Z crystal on to her pink Z ring as the ring itself starts to glow. Serena raises her Z ring in the air as she exclaims in a determined tone "It's time use our Z power!"
Serena and Primirina begin to dance in sync as Z energy shines from Serena's ring and surrounds Primirina. The Z energy builds up until it completely encases around Primirina. Serena look straight at Absol, putting a side her love for her pokemon as she decides to go all out. She points her hand forward and yells "This is everything we've got! Use twinkle tackle!"
Primirina takes the Z energy as she encases herself in a bright pink aura. He looks her opponent dead in the eye before she charges forward. She charges fast towards her mega evolved pokemon, before she slams her whole body into her, causing a massive explosion.
The explosion fills up the whole beach as the sand blocks the view of the battle. After a few seconds, the sand settles as both parties come into view.
Serena and Primirina stand breathing heavy, as they recover from the energy used to activate a Z move. Meanwhile, the dust settles around Absol as she lays on the ground with swirls in her eyes and reverts back into her regular form.
Serena takes a few deep breaths as she feels relief wash over her. She hates that she had to do that to Absol, but she couldn't really think of any of way to stop her.
She shakes off that thought for now as she takes a pokeball out of her bag. She smiles towards Primirina and exclaims in a grateful tone "Thanks for the help Primirina, now return."
She returns Primirina to her pokeball, before doing the same with Braxien who is still hypnotised by the figure who just saved her.
After returning her two Pokémon, Serena takes a deep sigh as she approaches Absol. She reaches her dark type Pokémon and knells down next to her as she regains consciousness. Serena puts her hand on Absol's back and softly pets her in an attempt to comfort her after what must have been a traumatic experience.
She continues to pet her pokemon as she takes a solemn sigh. She shakes her head a little in disgust of herself as she whispers in a downed tone "I'm so sorry about that Absol. I didn't want to hurt you, but I couldn't think of any other way to stop you."
Absol looks down at the sand in disgust of herself as she feels her body fill with sadness. All she can think about are negative thoughts. She can't believe how weak she must be, not being able to control mega evolution. She can't believe how how stupid she is, for ruining her relationship with the only trainer who has ever showed her true love. The dark type Pokémon hangs her head in shame as these thoughts consume her.
Serena notices Absol's mood and instantly feels a twinge of guilt for making her feel this way. She places a small reassuring smile on her face as she exclaims in a soothing tone "It's okay Absol, please don't blame yourself. It's my fault you can't use mega evolution, not your own. Please don't think that I'm going to treat you any differently after this. You are way to special for me to act like that, you all are. I promise you, we'll work through this together. I'm not going to hurt you anymore Absol. I'm really sorry for attacking you and I promise it won't happen again."
Absol smiles a little at Serena's kindness as she nuzzles her head against Serena's leg.
Seeing as though Absol is okay for now, Serena returns her to her Pokéball before she heads away from the beach. She takes her pokemon to the nearest 24 hour pokemon centre, to get them checked up on.
She gets the all clear on her whole team before she returns to the professor's house to get some rest.
She lies in bed as she contemplates her next move, wondering what it is that she needs to do for her and Absol to be able to control mega evolution.
________________________________
The next day, Ash and Hop are still making their way to Motorstoke city through the wild area. Ash's battle vs Kabu is scheduled for tomorrow and he is pumped up, ready for another big challenge on his short Galar journey.
The two plan on making it through the wild area today, to stay the night in the Motorstoke city pokemon centre so Ash can be fully rested for tomorrow's battle.
As they walk through the wild area,they encounter two other trainer's who specialise in 2vs1 double battles. Naturally the two decide to take them on, never being the type of trainer's to shy away from a challenge.
Ash battles them both first, winning with Pikachu and Corviknight as his partners. Hop steps up next and proceeds to begin his battle.
With his traveling companion completely distracted, Ash sees this as the perfect opportunity to speak with Serena. He didn't get to hear her voice at all yesterday, so he's naturally looking forward to speaking to her again.
With his mind made up, Ash sneaks away from Hop and makes his way through a small forest like terrain in the wild area. He makes his way through the forest until he steps into a clearing, overlooking a small crystal blue lake with wild water type Pokémon playing peacefully.
Ash smiles at the pokemon first and places his hands up in the air as a sign that he's not here to hurt them. The water type Pokémon accept Ash's gesture and continue to play as if he wasn't even there.
Ash places a bright smile on his face as he closes his eyes and focuses his aura. His mind blacks out as images of his lover fill his mind. Her laugh blesses his ears as his heart fills with warmth. A few seconds later, his vision fully returns as he establishes their aura connection.
He takes a small breath before she begins "Hey Serena, you okay?"
Meanwhile with Serena, it is early morning in the Alola region compared to midday in Galar. Despite that fact, Serena is already up and on her way out for the day.
She is currently sitting on a ferry on the way to Akala island where she plans on spending the day. She has a mandatory photo shoot in the morning which she is actually looking forward to, considering she does love to dress up.
After that, she plans on taking a small break from training to instead spend the day with Mallow and Kiawe.
However despite the positive plans, the events of last night still run through her head. What happened last night makes her feel completely useless, like she's back to square one. All of her pokemon got hurt last night and it's all her fault.
She looks out at the clear blue sea as she takes a conflicted sigh. She hangs her head in shame a little as she thinks to herself "Mega evolution is so hard to achieve. I don't know how I'm even going to try and conquer it. If I try again, my Pokémon will just end up getting hurt again. Is it even worth it at that point."
Serena continues sits in deep thought as negative emotions fill her body. Thankfully right when she needs someone to cheer her up, she hears a familiar voice echo through her head "Hey Serena, you okay?"
Serena gasps in shock as she hears her boyfriend's voice, not expecting him to contact her so soon. She soon shakes off her shock and places a bright smile on her face. She closes her eyes and quickly reciprocates his connection. A warm bubbly feeling begins to flush through the honey blonde girl thanks to her boyfriend's presence. She takes a satisfied breath before she exclaims in an enthusiastic tone through aura "Ash! I'm so happy to hear from you!"
Ash chuckles a little at Serena's enthusiasm as she questions "Really Serena, and why's that?"
Serena giggles a little at her boyfriend's question as just his voice lifts her mood. Her smile only grows brighter as she exclaims "Well, because I really really miss you silly!"
Ash smiles at Serena's statement as he replies "I miss you too Serena as well. I'd absolutely die for a cuddle right now."
Serena lets off another giggle at Ash's admission while certainly reciprocating the feeling . While aura communication is fun and definitely fills them both with warmth. It is nothing compared to the blissful feeling of being cuddled up together with their loved one. The lack of affection certainly is something they both miss in their everyday life. But at the same time, they know when they do end back together that it'll make those affectionate moments even better.
Ash takes a second to let Serena catch her giggles before he questions "So, is training going well then?"
Just as Serena's mood was up, she feels it stoop down due to her boyfriend's genuine question. While she doesn't hate him for asking such an innocent question, it would be convenient if he didn't bring up her training, considering yesterday was a complete disaster.
Serena decides to lie as she places a fake smile on her face and replies "Yeah perfect, no issues."
Ash notices Serena's fake smile and her nervous mannerisms as he instantly realises something is up, especially when he takes into account how long it took her to respond.
The Alola champion takes a small sigh before he exclaims with a hint of authority in his tone "Serena, I can tell when your lying to me. Your face completely gives it away. So tell me, what's up?"
Serena places a a guilty look on her face as she playfully sticks her tongue out and says to herself "Busted."
She really doesn't even know why she tried to lie, Ash knows her too well to know she's feeling down. He knows her joyful smiles from her fake ones, and her happy face to her sad face.
The Kalos queen shakes her head a little as she comments with a hint of playfulness in her voice "You always know don't you? You always know what I'm feeling and what I'm thinking."
Ash takes in Serena's point and definitely feels as though there is some truth in what she says. He does pick up on his girlfriend's mood really well these days, and knows exactly when she needs cheering up.
He decides to break the tension a little as he shrugs his shoulders and replies "Well these days I do. But, I didn't 3 years ago when we traveled around Kalos. Back then, I had no idea what you were thinking did I?"
Serena giggles a little at her boyfriend's statement as she replies "Yeah that's true. Back then I could be thinking about going left and you'd go right."
Ash beams a bright smile as Serena's cute giggle fills his ears. Arceus he loves that laugh, just as much as he loves pretty much everything else Serena does.
With the air a little clearer, Ash raises an eyebrow and questions "So, do you want to talk about what's bothering you? I promise you that I'll listen."
Serena smiles a little at Ash's final statement, he really is a good listener and does take time to let Serena vent her frustration when she needs to. She takes up Ash's offer as she proceeds to tell him all about her issues with mega evolving Absol, and how everything ended up in a massive fight last night. She tells her boyfriend all about her regrets, and how she feels responsible for all her pokemon getting hurt.
Ash takes a second to process Serena's explanation before a small reassuring smile comes onto his face. He takes a small breath before he exclaims in a soft tone "I see, well it's nothing to be embarrassed about. I know that lots of Pokémon struggle to control mega evolution at first, even one's who have a strong bond with their trainer. I don't want you to beat yourself up over it okay? I'm sure your Pokémon don't blame you, in fact I know they don't. I know you will figure it out eventually because you don't give up right!?"
Serena smiles a little Ash's positive attitude and his belief in her. She places a determined look on her face as she replies "Your right Ash, I don't give up. If I gave up then I would be breaking our rule. I just need to find away to control it that's all. I'm sure there must be a way."
Ash feels his heart warm at the smile on Serena's face. He places his hands on his hips as he suggests "Well, the best thing for that would surely be practice. Lots and lots of practice. I think the more times you use mega evolution, the easier it'll be to control."
Serena places a conflicted look on her face as she replies "Well yeah, maybe you're right. But if Absol does lose control again, then my Pokémon will get hurt. Maybe I should just wait until your back, then at least your Pokémon can stop Absol easily with their battling experience. I just can't see them get hurt again because of me Ash."
Ash places a small frown on his face as he hears Serena's point. He knows what Serena means, if Absol does lose control then there is sure to be another fight. That's one thing Serena can't stand for, she is such a kind hearted soul and she hates to see her pokemon hurt. However if she does avoid the problem, surely there'll always be a rift between Serena and Absol?
He takes a small sigh before he exclaims in a soft tone "Serena, it's good that you're worried about you pokemon and I totally respect that. But if you want Absol to mega evolve at the showcase, then this can't wait until we're back in Kanto. Plus I know what it's like, while this is hanging over you I know you and Absol won't be in sync. I think we need to find a way."
Serena takes in her boyfriend's statement and knows he's truly right. Even this morning it was evident. Absol ate her breakfast alone, away from the rest of the group. If she leaves this alone for too long, then there'll always be tension between them all.
She takes a deep sigh as she whispers "If only there was another way. If only I had an example of what I need to do to achieve mega evolution with Absol."
Serena takes a second to think as she casts her mind back to anytime during her journey she saw a trainer and Pokémon struggle to master a form.
The first time she something similar was Korrina and her Lucario. When they were struggling to control mega evolution, they managed to make a breakthrough while training with Mabel. Unfortunately for Serena, she can't really up and leave Alola to go to Kalos at the moment while she still has commitments here.
The other one, was how Ash and Greninja struggled to master the bond phenomenon. They struggled to master that form but they managed to master it by... Well actually, she doesn't know why.
Maybe that's the answer she's looking for. If Ash and Greninja solved their problem that way then maybe Serena and Absol can do the same?
They both have an aura connection right?
So why not?
Serena places a bright smile on her face and snaps her fingers as she exclaims "That's it! That's what I need to know!"
Ash places a confused look on his face as tilts his head and questions "What is it you need to know beautiful?"
Serena places an expectant look on her face as she asks "Ash, how did you and Greninja master the bond phenomenon?"
Ash scratches his head nervously as he questions "Um, didn't I tell you?"
Serena shakes her head and informs her boyfriend "No, don't you remember? You were too busy apologising after our argument to tell me what actually happened in forest."
Ash remembers back to the day he and Greninja mastered the bond phenomenon as a guilty smile coats his face. He takes a small nervous laugh as he comments "Oh yeah our argument. You scared me that day, and your snowball throwing skills were on point. Come to think of it, you looked so cute when we met up again, especially with that smile you gave me."
Serena sighs a little at her boyfriend's words. She's glad he can see the funny side of it but she really can't. She shakes her head a little as she replies in downed tone "I was also scared that you were going to die in a snowstorm, and that you were never going to speak to me again because of what I said. If it wasn't for Pikachu, then I might have left you in that snowstorm and never came looking for you. Then we couldn't find you and I was on the verge of tears in that cave. I basically told everyone that I loved you, except a little more subtle than that."
Ash scratches his head nervously as takes in Serena's point of view of that day. Having an argument with your crush is certainly not something she deserved, yet she was still the one who tried to find him during the storm. He really did have an angel in his presence the whole time. One was too dense to see.
He takes a nervous laugh before he replies "I'm sorry Serena. I must have caused you so much stress. In hindsight, I was a bit of a d**k that day."
Serena feels the need to vent her frustration about that day as she screams through aura "A BIT!? YOU LITERALLY SHOUTED AT ME FOR TRYING TO HELP YOU. ALL I WANTED WAS FOR YOU TO TELL ME WHAT WAS WRONG AND YOU TOLD ME THAT I HAD NO IDEA WHAT YOU WERE GOING THROUGH!! WELL YOU HAD KNOW IDEA I HAD A CRUSH ON YOU BECAUSE YOU WERE SO DAM DENSE!!!"
Ash sweat drops and gulps in fear as Serena finishes her rant. To be fair, he definitely deserved a telling off for his past actions and Serena needed to get that off her chest. He's not going to argue back on this one, because he is the one definitely who was in the wrong.
Serena takes a small sigh as she lets her rage drift away, flipping the switch back to happy Serena as she places a bright smile on her face.
She shakes her head a little as she questions "Anyway, that's all water under the bridge now and we don't ever need to talk about it again. So, how did you perfect the bond phenomenon?"
Ash places a bright smile on his face as he begins "Well, it all started just after you left. Like I told you, what you said really made me think. I wasn't acting like myself to say the least, and I wanted to change that. However before I could really do anything, the snow came in. Anyway to skip over the little details, I ended hiding in a snowy cave with some wild forest Pokémon as we all took shelter from the storm. It was at that moment that I realised what the real Ash was. It made me think of a similar situation I was in back when I was a kid. It made me realise that my biggest strength is my love for Pokémon. The funny thing being is, you actually put me in that same situation back when I was a kid."
Serena places a confused look on her face as she questions "Me? But how could I do that?"
Ash remembers back and explains "Long story short, I was sad one day at home and I was really bored in Pallet town. So me being the type of child I was, I just decided to run off. The plan was, I was going to find you in Viridian city so we could play together. It was only a few weeks after summer camp so I knew you were still living there. It turns out however, I didn't know where I was going and got myself lost in the forest as the rain began to hammer down. I took shelter in some trees when some wild Pokémon showed up, all stuck out in the rain. I invited them in with me so we could all be warm and dry together. The next day, I woke up with all the pokemon cuddled up around me."
Serena smiles as she hears Ash's story. As much as she wants to get mad with his 8 year old self for being so stupid, she really can't. Instead, she can't help but feel her heart warm at the fact that Ash thought he could walk all the way to Viridian city just to see her.
She places her hands on her ribbon as she replies in a soft loving tone "You really did miss me didn't you?"
Ash nods in agreement with his girlfriend as he exclaims "Of course I did princess, nearly as much as I am missing you now. Anyway, back to the story. So I'm sitting there, reminiscing about what makes me who I am as a trainer, when I hear these wild Spewpa cry out. They were stuck, slowly freezing on top of a tree branch as the snow only picked up. Naturally, I couldn't just let them freeze to death. So I did the only thing I could do. I got out of the cave and climbed up the tree to save them. One by one, I lowered the Spewpa to the floor until I came to the last one. He was a little bit more hesitant then the others and wasn't as trusting in me. I could tell they were really scared and I needed to show them a smile. So I nudged forward slightly and convinced him to come with me by reassuring him that everything was okay. I took him into my arms and breathed a sigh of relief. This was who I was. Someone who showed care towards pokemon and did what ever I could to help them. However as I moved away, the branch snapped. I fell straight from the tree with Spewpa in my arms, right off the edge of a cliff. Before I could even think, a sticky tongue latched onto me to stop me from falling. That's when Greninja showed up and saved me from certain death as he grabbed me with his tongue and trapped me in his grasp. I have no idea how he found me, but I guess it was just fate."
Serena feels herself tearing up a little at Ash's story. If things would have gone slightly different, then he would fell from the cliff and she would never have found him. She tries to blink away her tears as she mutters in a low voice "Thank goodness for Greninja. If it wasn't for him then I don't even want to think about what would have happened."
Ash feels his heart sink at Serena's sad face. He places a small frown on his face as he replies "I'm sorry Serena. Please don't cry. I can't hug you if you do."
Serena blinks away her tears as she concedes to Ash's point. She places reassuring smile on her face as she replies "Please don't apologise for that Ash. Your were being a hero like you always are. That's the Ash I love. The real Ash I was talking about. Anyway, back on subject before I start to cry again. Is that it? He saved your life and then you could master the form?"
Ash smiles at his girlfriend's forgiving nature before he continues "Well that's not quite everything. You see, Greninja caught us and brought us both back towards the ground. Naturally I was happy Greninja saved us so I gave him praise. But as he lowered us, a strong blizzard blew Spewpa right out of my hands and he fell down the cliff. He was falling with no hopes of escape. He needed someone to save him. I couldn't let that Pokémon fall. That's when it happened. Me and Greninja both wanted to save Spewpa, and we knew the only way was to do it together. Suddenly I could understand everything Greninja wanted, and he could understand everything I wanted. Our hearts and minds were clear with each other. Without even trying, our aura's began to synch up together. All I had to say was that I want to save it. Then without command, Greninja jumped off the cliff as if it was me doing it myself and grabbed Spewpa. As they went into free fall, I gave commands through Greninja's eyes to move left, right and slow down. It was all thanks to our bond and our shared desire to protect others that we managed to save Spewpa. After that we both made up and I thanked him. We shook hands in the cave and made a promise to each other. The rest, well you seen that in the Pokémon centre the next day and in the gym battle. Since that moment, we've been in synch ever since."
Serena takes in her boyfriend's point and plays the scenario out in her mind. So it was Ash and Greninja's shared desire to save Spewpa that made them synch up like that? Well by the sounds of things it definitely had an impact on proceedings.
She gets that point across as she smiles and exclaims in a tone for of admiration "That's such a big thing for both of you, keeping others safe and being the hero. That's always been the thing that you and Greninja do without thought. I remember back when we first traveled Kalos and we were separated by those Pangoro's at lunch. Even back then, Frogadier was so determined to keep us all safe. In fact he pretty much acted as my personal bodyguard, to make sure I was safe. It's no suprise that that's what finally bonded you two."
Ash smiles a little as he hears about Greninja's protective antics back when he was a Frogadier. Come to think of it, the first time he ever saw Greninja as a Froakie was when he lunged in front of that electroball for Pikachu. Just like Ash, one of the many things they have in common is their need to protect others.
Ash shakes off his thoughts and nods in agreement with his girlfriend as he replies "Yeah I guess your right, and since then that bond has only gotten stronger and stronger."
Serena places a more eager look on her face as she exclaims with a hint of excitement in her voice "Maybe that's what me and Absol need. Something that we both really want to do in an intense situation. Maybe we need to be in synch to to control mega evolution."
Ash takes in his girlfriend's point and definitely sees that there is an element of truth to it. While she doesn't need to synch up with Absol as such, she does need to be on the same wavelength as her.
The raven haired trainer shrugs his shoulders as he replies "Everyone's different princess. But I know this you, and Absol will figure it out together and anything you need I'll be there to support you through it. No matter what it takes, I promise you that your going to mega evolve with Absol!"
Serena beams a smile at her boyfriend's willingness to help and shouts in a loving tone "Thank you babe! I love you so much!"
Ash chuckles a little at Serena's reaction as he replies "I love you to baby."
Suddenly, Serena is snapped out of her thoughts as she hears a horn go off to signal the end of her boat journey.
She take a small sigh as she hears the horn, she wishes she could speak to her boyfriend for a bit longer but that seems to be out of the question. She places an apologetic smile on her face as she remarks "Well, looks like it's my stop. I'll speak to you soon Ashy."
Ash smiles at his girlfriend and replies "Stay safe Serena, and say Hi to everyone on Akala island for me."
Serena nods and exclaims in a loving tone "I will Ash. I love you and goodbye!"
Ash chuckles a little at Serena's goodbye message as he replies "I love you too Serena. Take care my angel."
They disconnect their aura as they soon find themselves returning back to their own senses. Ash takes a second to breath before he opens his eyes. He smirks a little while looking down at the lake as he whispers "Mega evolution huh, my girl just keeps on getting stronger and even more amazing. She really is special."
He takes a second to look at the water type Pokémon before he turns around and walks away. He smiles down at the floor as he thinks to himself "I know just what she needs, a battle against a strong opponent. I promised her I would help her right? Well I guess it's time to demonstrate that."
Ash contemplates his plans as he joins back with Hop to see his battle about to wrap up. Ash returns, completely unnoticed as he watches Hop say goodbye to their opponents before they continue to make their way through the wild area.
__________________________________
Ash and Hop arrive in Motorstoke city, the night before the battle against Kabu. After healing up their pokemon and having dinner at the Pokémon centre, Ash and Hop decide to take an early night in preparation for tomorrow.
They check into separate rooms before they both do their nightly routines and go to bed.
Ash lays with his eyes closed, while Pikachu and Riolu sleep at the edge of the bed. Ash decides to keep Riolu out of his pokeball in order for him to get as much human interaction as possible, given he has only just hatched.
A few hours go by as Ash sleeps peacefully, catching up on some well earned rest.
However, that is all soon to change as a voice rings out in his head.
"Gren!"
As if it was completely planned, Ash opens his eyes with no shock or worry present on his face. Instead, a small smirk grows as she he whispers "So, your ready Greninja?"
Greninja nods in agreement as he replies "Ninja!"
Ash smirks a little in excitement as he sits up on his bed. He looks at the two sleeping Pokémon on the edge of the bed and whispers "Well then in that case, I'll be two minutes."
Ash gets out of his bed and changes clothes into his regular attire before he quietly exits the room, hoping not to wake Pikachu or Riolu up in the process.
However as he closes the door, the sound manages to wake up the young pokemon. Riolu raises an eyebrow in confusion as he hears his trainer's footsteps outside the room. In the end, curiosity gets the better of him as he decides to follow his trainer.
Ash makes his way through the Pokémon centre as quietly as possible and heads straight to the outdoor battlefield. Ash stands on one side of the battlefield and takes a deep breath. He closes his eyes and begins to focus his aura as he prepares to connect with Greninja.
However as he does, he hears a small confused cry from behind him squeak "Rio?"
Ash hears the cry and turns around to investigate. He soon spots his newest capture stood behind him with a bewildered look on his face. Ash smiles a little at the small fighting type Pokémon as he exclaims "Oh hey Riolu. I'm sorry that I woke you, I was just heading out for something. Your welcome to stay if you want."
Riolu nods and walks to the edge of the battlefield, intrigued as to what Ash is trying to do.
Ash turns attention back to the task in hand as he closes his eyes shut. He refocuses his aura as he connects himself back to his trusted water type Pokémon. He smiles a little as he exclaims through their connection "Thanks for helping with this Greninja. So, are you ready."
Greninja sits in a tree in a thick Alolan forest as he nods his head yes.
Ash says smiles a little as he commands "Okay then Greninja, let's go find them!"
Greninja nods as he takes off a like a blue bolt of lightning, zipping through the trees as he does.
Meanwhile, Riolu watches with a stunned look as he takes in the sight in front of him. Ash releases a thick blue aura that travels for miles on end, only to be met with another blue aura that travels back towards Ash's. The second blue aura is one that makes the young pokemon gasp in shock. It's just as pure as Ash's blue, and just as strong as Ash's too. The aura he possesses is stronger than any pokemon he's ever seen.
As he continues to scan around the blue aura, he notices another two aura's close by. They both glow a bright pink and are completely pure. In fact one of them is the purest pink you will ever see, a sign of ultimate kindness.
Riolu's intrigue only increases as he decides to try and keep up with what his trainer is doing. He stands next to Ash and closes his eyes shut, releasing his own aura to follow Ash's, in an attempt to see what he's doing.
Ash sees a stream of aura following his own and opens one eye to see Riolu concentrating extremely hard. He smiles a little at the young pokemon as he remarks "So, you can use aura too huh. I guess I should of known, you are the aura Pokémon after all."
Riolu nods while at the limit of his concentration to try and keep up his trainer.
Ash smiles a little more as he exclaims "Well Riolu, if you want to join in then go ahead. If you can keep up then I guess you can use your aura to sense what's going on. If you can then your about to meet Greninja, my strongest Pokémon. Your also going to meet the most special person in the world, my girlfriend Serena."
Riolu let's off and excited "Lio," as he continues to follow the stream of aura. Meanwhile Greninja makes it towards the outskirts of the forest to see exactly what he's looking for.
_________________________________
Serena walks down the usual beach in Melemele island after spending the day with Mallow and Kiawe in Akala island. She soon reaches her and Ash's spot on the beach and takes a seat on the sand. She stares off into the sea with a conflicted look on her face.
She takes a Pokéball out of her purse and throws it up and down as she contemplates her thoughts. Eventually, she clicks the button on the front of the pokeball as a red light shines out from it. A few seconds later, Absol emerges from her pokeball. She looks up at her trainer for half a second before she hangs her head in shame.
Absol feels a wave of hurt go through her body as fear over takes her. She's ashamed at what she did and doesn't quite know if Serena can forgive her. If she was to released right here then she would have no complaints.
Serena doesn't even attempt to make eye contact as she just stares off into the distance. She takes a small sigh before she questions in a mundane tone "Absol, tell me. What do you think?"
Absol looks up at her trainer with a confused expression as she questions "Sol?"
Serena continues to look straight out at the ocean as she exclaims "Well it's just, I'm not sure I can do it Absol. I'm not sure if I can get you to mega evolve. I'm just, not sure I can do this."
Absol shakes her head a little at Serena's negative statement as she states "Sol, Absol."
Serena takes a small sigh as she continues "Please don't say that Absol. It's not your fault and I don't think any less of you for it. It's just, I'm not sure if I know how to get you to mega evolve Absol. I'm not sure if I'm strong enough to control it. The solution is not so clear and I'm scared of what will happen. I really don't want to see you or the rest of my Pokémon hurt because of me."
Absol looks at the ground and nods with acceptance. While she will always have some regret at not being able to achieve mega evolution, she accepts her trainer's reasoning and feels blessed to have her kindness.
However at that moment, Serena turns her head towards Absol as a small glint shines in her eyes. She places a determined look on her face as she exclaims "And that's why I'm not going to give up!"
Absol blinks a few times as she tries to understand exactly what Serena is saying.
Serena smiles brightly at her aura wielding pokemon and continues in an enthusiastic tone "It's just like Ash always says, anything that's worth it is always hard work and to achieve success you may need to take a few knocks along the way. Well that is exactly what we're going to do. Absol, I promise you. I won't give up and I will make sure that we achieve mega evolution together. I know it's not going to be easy. But no matter what, we won't give up until the very end!"
Absol places a stunned look on her face as she takes in Serena's statement. After a few seconds, she beams a bright smile as she shouts "Sol, sol, Absol!"
Serena smiles back at her and replies "Thanks Absol, I believe in you too."
The two give each other a determined nod as they make a promise there and then, no matter how long it takes they will achieve mega evolution together.
However, their moment is suddenly interrupted as they both feel a wind blow against their backs.
Suddenly, a blue flash zips in and out of the trees nearby, almost as fast as sound itself. They both see it at the same time as a figure with a bright blue aura zips all around them.
Absol takes action as she rises up to her feet, closing her eyes as she tries to sense this figures movement patterns.
Serena stands up and places a serious look on her face as she states "I can sense it too Absol. Stop them in their tracks."
Absol nods as she focuses in on her target. She takes a deep breath before she exhales a dark purple hexagonal beam towards a nearby tree.
As the dark pulse nears, the figure jumps up out of the tree. He dodges the dark pulse with ease as he leaps down onto the beach, naturally landing with a cool flip.
Serena gasps a little as she instantly recognises the figure. She shakes her head in disbelief as she questions "Greninja, why are you here?"
Greninja stares directly at the honey blonde performer as a serious look coats his face. He points a finger at her with one hand as he croaks "Gren."
Serena eyes widen as she gets a grasp on what Greninja wants. She takes a step back as she further questions in worried tone "You really want to battle us?"
Greninja nods his head in conformation as he gestures with his hand for Absol to bring it on.
Serena places a small frown on her face as she nervously exclaims "Greninja, I don't want to battle you. It doesn't feel right. Absol would get extremely hurt if we did, I'm a performer not a battler. Your way too strong for us."
"Don't tell tell me your going to give up now. I thought you were more than just the performer. Or was that just fighting talk you were using during the fight against team rainbow rocket. Don't tell me the Kalos queen is going to surrender."
Serena gasps in shock as she hears her boyfriend's voice slightly taunt her. She feels his familiar warmth as well which makes her not rise to his taunt just yet. She feels her aura connect to his as she questions "Ash, it's past midnight in Galar. What are you doing awake!?"
Ash chuckles a little in Galar as he uses his aura connection to speak to both Serena and Greninja. While it's not something he's done often, it is surprisingly easy to keep up two connections at once. He places a small smirk on his face as he replies "Well, you and Absol needed help mega evolving so that's what me and Greninja are here for. How could I sleep when my queen needed help."
While Serena appreciates that Ash's trying to help her, and loves his little queen comment, she can't help but feel concerned that he is up so late. It must be like 4 am in Galar, so him staying up like this really isn't good for his health. She gets that exact point across as she scolds "Ashton Aaron Ketchum you need to go to bed! You have a battle tomorrow and I will never forgive myself if you get sick from this!"
Ash internally chuckles at Serena's sudden outburst. While he would usually be scared of her rage, he knew this one was coming. So far his plan is working perfectly. He is pushing all of the right buttons to get Serena fired up.
A smug smile coats his face as he exclaims "I'm glad you remembered. I'll tell you what, we'll make this quick. If you and Absol can land a hit on Greninja, then I'll go to bed, deal?"
Serena feels her competitive side take over as she hears her boyfriend's challenge. She takes a frustrated sigh before she snaps "Fine! But only one hit."
Ash smirks a little as Serena takes on his challenge. He places a competitive look on his own face as he remarks "Okay then, Greninja you ready?"
Greninja hears his trainer's voice through aura and nods in confirmation.
Serena looks down at her dark type Pokémon and exclaims "Let's show them who's the boss in this relationship Absol!"
Absol nods as she and Greninja stand on opposite sides of a makeshift battlefield.
Serena makes the first move as she extends her hand forward and shouts "It's time for you to go back to bed Ash! Absol use play rough!" Absol takes off towards her opponent with her limbs glowing a bright shade of white.
Greninja stands there with his arms folded as he waits for Absol, not fazed at all by the incoming attack.
In Galar, Ash simply grins and nods as Greninja nods back to his trainer.
Greninja keeps his arms folded as he waits for Absol to near. Once she's mere inches away from striking, Greninja moves like a blue flash, appearing to the left of Absol with no sign that he actually moved as he stands with his arms folded.
Absol looks to her left with wide eyes full of astonishment as she wonders how a Pokémon could possibly move that quickly.
Serena gasps in shock as she questions in a panicked tone "When did Greninja learn teleport?"
Ash grins a little at Serena's question,while feeling proud of his water type ace. He shakes his head and explains "That wasn't teleport Serena, that's just how fast Greninja is now. Your going to have to do a lot better than that if you want to land a hit princess."
Serena begins to feel even more frustrated at her boyfriend's antics. He's acting way to cocky today, and she really wants to bring him down a peg. She shakes her head frantically as she shouts "Fine! Then we'll use dark pulse!" Absol takes a deep breath before she fires off a dark purple hexagonal beam towards Greninja.
Ash smirks a little as he nonchalantly remarks "Greninja, you know what to do."Greninja nods in agreement with his trainer before moving to the side, easily dodging the attack.
Serena places an even more determined look on her face as she shouts "Again Absol, keep it up!"Absol takes a deep breath before she exhales another dark purple hexagonal beam towards her opponent.
Ash is completely unfazed as he shakes his head and remark's casually "That's not going to work my angel. Greninja keep dodging."
Greninja nods as he zips around the battlefield at the speed of light, dodging every single dark pulse Absol fires off with ease. It is clear that one of these pokemon has been trained for performing, while the other is one of the strongest pokemon in the world.
After 10+ misses, Absol stops her attack as she takes a step back and begins to pant a little heavily from constantly pushing the attack. Meanwhile, Greninja stands on the other side of the battlefield, looking completely fresh as if he hadn't just constantly dodged 10+ continuous attacks.
Serena frowns at the situation as she feels her anger growing at the fact that she can't land an attack on Greninja. She turns that frustration straight on her boyfriend as she shouts through aura "Ash! Did you come to battle or are you just here to prove something we already know! Yes Greninja is fast we know! Congratulations on proving nothing! Oh the Alola champion is stronger than a performer! What do you want a medal?!"
Ash grins a little as he hears the anger in Serena's voice. While he hates to make her this angry, it's exactly what she needs to get over this. He'll take her anger now for the bubbly look on her face when this is all over. He continues his plan as he shrugs his shoulders and comments "Well Serena, we'll attack when you give me reason to. Right now I'm just happy to dodge."
Serena puff her cheeks a little as she pouts "Fine! Absol use iron tail!" Absol nods as she turns her tail into pure metal before charging towards Greninja.
Ash decides the move on to phase two of his plan as he commands "Use double team." Greninja nods as dozens of clones appear around him just Absol reaches the ninja frog pokemon. Absol wings her tail forward and slams into one of the clones, fazing straight through it.
Serena decides to keep up the pressure as she shouts "Destroy them all with flamethrower!" Absol takes a deep before be unleashes a powerful beam of orange flames. She slightly spins as she does, sending the flames swirling through the air. The flames soon slam straight towards Greninja and his clones. As they do, the flames faze through the first wave of clones and slam into the ground, causing a ton of sand to kick up.
Serena sees the flames slam into multiple Greninja's as a sense of achievement flows through her body. She places a smug smile on her face as she exclaims in a taunting voice "Alright! Surely we hit it this time! You know know what that means Ashy, that means your off to bed handsome."
Ash let's off a small chuckle before he replies with a smirk on his face "Unfortunately not Sere berry. Greninja use night slash now!"
Suddenly, Greninja leaps out of the cloud of sand with no signs of any damage present. He forms a purple blade in his hands before he slashes forward towards Absol. He smacks the dark type Pokémon with his blade, causing Absol to let off a loud cry of pain as she flies back through the air before landing in front of her trainer with a thud.
Serena gasps in shock at the sudden attack as she cries out in worry "Absol no!" Absol let's off a small groan of pain as she tries to get back up to her feet.
Meanwhile, Ash pumps a fist in success as he shouts "Great job Greninja, it looks like we've still got it!"
Serena looks down at her hurt pokemon and begins to feel her confidence wavering. She looks down at the sand as she thinks to herself. "we can't do this can we? How could be so weak as to not even land a hit? Greninja is just way to fast for us, even in its regular form. I don't even want to think about what would happen if they were using Ash-Greninja. But even still, those two are way to in sync for us to read what they are going to do next."
Ash senses Serena's negative thoughts and knows he needs to fire her up again. The best way to do that is to make her angry, something he usually tries to avoid but needs must.
He places a smug smile on his face as he taunts through aura "Hey Serena, I thought you and Absol were stronger than this. Don't tell me your giving up after one night slash. That wouldn't be a very good Kalos queen now would it? I guess I really am the more successful one out of the two of us."
Oh he did not just say that.
He knows how competitive Serena is and she hates losing to Ash. She always wants to be on a level playing field with him, and she hates losing in any of their little games.
Serena feels her determination increase as she looks over at Greninja with fire in her eyes, knowing full well Ash will definitely be looking through his eyes right now. She places a serious look on her face as she exclaims "No, we don't give up until is over! Isn't right Absol!"
Absol responds to her trainer's call as she drags herself back to her feet despite the clear pain she's in from the last attack.
Ash smiles a little as hears Serena's statement and whispers to himself "That's my girl."
Serena and Absol both start to share their aura together, as a pink aura flows between the two, connecting them in someway.
Serena looks down at her pokemon and exclaims "I really want to make Ash go to bed, and show him that we are good enough. I don't won't to lose to them. The only way we can compete with them is if we do this together."
Absol can sense Serena's emotions as the aura flowing between them increases. She can see how much Serena wants to prove her boyfriend wrong, and how much she wants to be beat him. Absol feels that same determination come over her as she exclaims "Sol, Absol!"
Serena grins a little as she hears Absol's statement. No fear shines through her body as she pumps a fist and replies "Your right Absol, let's do this!"
Ash smiles a little as he says to himself in a proud tone "Here we go."
Serena takes a deep breath to compose herself as she decides to go for it. She puts her hand on her ribbon and shouts in a determined tone "Let's show them the power of our bond! With the beauty and elegance of royalty. Go beyond your limits Absol! Mega evolve!"
A bright light shines out from Serena's ribbon as she clenches it tighter. Soon, the lights flows through the air and connects with the mega stone on Absol's neck. The dark type Pokémon becomes surrounded by a bright light, and a swirl of pink aura as her body begins to grow and change.
As the swirling pink aura increases, Serena and Absol feel themselves becoming even closer. Their feeling and thoughts begin to become clearer as their understanding of one and other increases.
After a few seconds, their vision blacks out at the same time. An image in their mind of a pink flower drifting through the air appears. The pink flower floats through the air before it hits a flowerbed, sinking into the ground as it does.
At that very moment, an image of Serena and Absol's faces appear in their minds before the two images merge together.
At that moment, the glow around Absol disappears as the mega evolution symbol flashes up in front of her. Absol let's off a loud roar as she stands in her mega evolved shiny form.
As she roars, a strong pink aura flows off Absol and smacks straight into Greninja who stands their with his arms folded, completely unfazed.
Ash looks through Greninja's eyes as he sees the pink aura flowing from Serena and Absol. The pink aura is much more aggressive than usual, and looks to be flowing between the two of them at an equal pace.
If he had to guess, then he'd say that their aura is definitely connected right now. In fact, he'd say that's what making it possible for them to control mega evolution. In fact, it probably is a little stronger of a boost than mega evolution because of that aura connection.
Right now, he guesses Serena is feeling a fraction of what he feels when he activates the bond phenomenon. While this is more of an aura bond, just stronger in their connection thanks to mega evolution, it certainly is impressive.
The Alola champion lets a small smirk drift on to his face as he questions "So, the battle starts now right?"
Serena smirks a little as she feels immense power running through her body. She places a small smirk on her face as she exclaims "That's right my love. Me and Absol are going to win this!"
Absol nods her head in agreement with her trainer and shouts "Absol!"
Ash smiles a little at his girlfriend's new found confidence. He places a competitive look on his face as he exclaims "Well, this time we'll take the first move. Greninja use water shuriken!"
Greninja nods as he bends his knees before leaping up into the air. He slaps his hands against his thighs, forming 3 blue shurikens in his hand before throwing them towards her opponent.
Serena shakes her head a little as she shouts "Absol use dark pulse!" Absol roars as she fires off another dark purple hexagonal beam. The two attacks clash together and cancel each other out, causing a small explosion.
Serena reacts first as she commands "Absol, use play rough!" Absol nods her head as she pounces through the smoke with her limbs glowing a bright white.
Ash sees the attack coming from a mile away and remarks casually "Greninja dodge it." Greninja watches the incoming attack before he zips out the way, completely avoiding Absol's incoming strike.
Serena places a determined look on his face, undeterred by her failed attempt to land a hit on Greninja. She focuses her aura directly at her boyfriend as she shouts "Keep running Ash, we're going to get you! Absol keep attacking with play rough!"
Ash smirks a little at Serena's determination. His plan has worked a treat. Serena and Absol are completely in sync. They are determined to get one over on him and shut him up for good. Now that his plan is complete, it's time to see how much fun him and Greninja can have with Serena. He lets off a small chuckle before he causally replies "Well then, we'll just keep dodging."
Absol springs towards Greninja with repeated play roughs as her limbs glow with a bright white aura. Greninja sees the attacks coming and repeatedly dodges. However the ninja frog Pokémon must admit, he's actually having to slightly try now due to mega Absol's increased speed.
Ash notices this too and decides that he needs to push Absol back a little. He pumps a fist in the air as he commands "Now use aerial ace!" Greninja nods before he takes off towards Absol with his limbs coated in a bright white glow. Absol is instantly caught off guard as Greninja delivers a kick to her midsection, before following up with an uppercut that sends Absol flying through the air before crashing to the ground in front of her trainer.
Serena gasps in worry as she calls out "Are you okay Absol?" Absol grimaces in pain a little before she drags herself to her feet. She turns back towards her trainer and gives her a small nod to show she's still okay, despite the large number of marks and bruises coating her body.
Serena takes a breath as she tries to come up a plan. She places her head down towards the ground as she thinks to herself "Attacking head on isn't going to work, the only way to hit it is..... that's it!"
Serena places a small smirk on her face as she shouts "Use flamethrower on the battlefield!" Absol puts her faith in her trainer as she takes a deep breath before firing off flamethrowers all over the battlefield. Very quickly, the flames spread all over the battlefield as Greninja finds himself trapped by flames from all sides.
Ash grins a little at Serena's plan as he comments to her through aura "So your trying to restrict our movements huh. That's a very clever trick princess. But let me show you how to counter it. Greninja use water shuriken on the ground."
Greninja nods and leaps up into the air as he slaps his hands against his thighs. He forms 3 water shurikens in his hand before he throws them straight on to the ground. The water shurikens slam into the flames and instantly extinguish them, causing thick smoke to appear all over the battlefield. The smoke soon spreads, restricting both trainer's views.
Serena smirks a little as she focuses her aura in on Absol and whispers "Now."
Suddenly, Absol and Serena both close their eyes as they begin to use aura to sense their surroundings. As they scan the area, they easily spot Greninja's bright blue aura as he moves around the battlefield, before crossing his arms and standing still as he awaits his next instructions.
Serena grins a little as she locks in on Greninja's exact location. She focuses her aura purely on Absol as she exclaims through their connection "We can do this Absol, we can do this together. When the smoke clears we pounce got it."
Absol nods her head and replies through her connection with her trainer "Understood Serena."
As the smoke starts to clear, Ash focuses his aura towards Greninja as he exclaims "Once the smoke clears, we finish this."
Greninja nods in agreement with his trainer as he replies "Just say the word."
The smoke starts to dissipate as Ash pumps his fist and shouts "Okay Greninja use...."
"NOW!"
Suddenly Serena cuts off Ash's thoughts as she lets off a loud shout.
At that moment, a dark purple hexagonal beam slams straight through the remaining smoke and heads straight towards Greninja. Ash and his water type Pokémon are caught completely unaware, with them both already moving in preparation for their next attack. The beam moves through the air and smacks Greninja in the stomach, causing him to flip back through the air and land on his feet.
While there is barley a mark showing on Greninja's body, and that attack did very little to no damage at all.
There is no denying it. Absol's dark pulse definitely connected, meaning by Ash's rules he's lost their little game.
Serena beans a bright smile at her victory as she shouts "We did Absol! We managed to hit Greninja!"
Absol places a bright smile on her face as she shouts "Sol, Absol!"
She reverts back to her regular form before rushing back to Serena for a hug. Serena laughs a little as her and Absol lock themselves in a tight embrace.
Ash and Greninja sweat drop a little at Serena's morale victory as they scratch the back of their heads in perfect sync. Ash let's off a small chuckle before he awkwardly remarks "Well, it looks like they got us Greninja."
Greninja swallows his pride a little as a small smile coats his face. At the end of the day, he set out to help Serena and Absol achieve mega evolution, not win a battle.
As quickly as the ninja frog Pokémon appeared, he disappears as he leaps off into the trees.
Ash smiles a little as he exclaims through aura "Thanks for your help Greninja."
Greninja nods while leaping from tree to tree as he replies "Don't mention it, like you said they needed something to overcome and it's always nice to get a workout at night."
Ash beams a brighter smile, while this wasn't the battle he wanted with Greninja, it was certainly a nice warm up. He takes a small breath before he exclaims "I agree Greninja, I'll see you soon okay?"
Greninja nods while cutting off his communication with his trainer as he leaps off to do the night shift.
Meanwhile, Ash refocuses his aura towards his girlfriend in order to communicate with her again. He lets a small smile drift onto his face as he comments "Well Serena, it looks likes you won our little game. I'll go to bed just like you wanted. Good night baby."
Ash goes to cut off his communication to go back to bed when Serena suddenly shouts "Hold on Ash!"
Ash keeps his aura connected as he raises an eyebrow and questions "What is it beautiful?"
Serena places an accusing smile on her face as she questions "You did all this on purpose didn't you? You acted so arrogant to fire me and Absol up. You wanted us to do that so we had a situation that allowed us to come together like that."
Ash scratches the back of his head nervously and admits "I may have had a small feeling that a battle like that would have solved your issues. I know how you work and your ultra competitive. So I made a plan to get you mad at me and want to prove me wrong. Thankfully it all worked out."
Serena's smile grows even brighter as her face lights up with joy. She places a loving expression on her face as she exclaims "I love you so much Ash! I wish I could kiss your face off right now!"
Ash chuckles a little at Serena's reaction before he replies "Me too princess. But as fun as this is, you were right about me needing some sleep."
Serena gasps a little as she suddenly realises what the time must be in the Galar region. She places a worried look on her face and exclaims in a concerned tone "You're right! You could become unwell if you're not getting enough sleep."
Ash places a small reassuring smile on his face as he replies "It's me we're on about babe. I'll be fine."
Serena sighs a little at Ash's lack of care for himself sometimes. She shakes it off as she smiles and exclaims "I know but I just worry about you. Good luck tomorrow Ashy, I'll be rooting for you."
Ash smiles at his girlfriend's constant support of him as he replies "Thanks Serena, stay safe my angel."
The two cut their communication there as they both return to their own vision. Upon coming to his own senses, Ash turns to his left to see a wiped out Riolu. The young pokemon has used up a lot of aura and is completely stunned at what he just witnessed.
Ash leans down and scoops up the baby Pokémon in his arms. He places a small smile on his face as he whispers "So, pretty cool huh?"
Riolu nods with wide eyes of astonishment as he let's off a weak "Rio."
Ash chuckles a little at the young Pokémon's reaction before he exclaims with a reassuring smile on his face "Don't worry Riolu, I promise you that you'll get stronger. One day, you'll get to meet Greninja and Serena too, I promise."
Riolu smiles a little as he squeaks "Lio."
Ash smiles at his young pokemon and comments "Well, Serena won't be happy if we don't get some sleep. Let's head back to bed. We've got a big battle tomorrow."
Ash takes Riolu and heads back to the Pokémon centre to get some rest for tomorrow's battle.
Meanwhile in Alola, Serena and Absol walk along the beach discussing what just happened. Serena turns to Absol and exclaims in a tone full of admiration "You know Absol, Ash really does so much for us. That's why we're going to be there when he needs us most too. We'll be there to support him when he needs us. Plus with mega evolution, we'll be there to help him whenever he needs us to in dangerous situations. I think now that we're connected a little more, you realise hits how much I love him right?"
Absol nods in agreement with her trainer as the two head back to the professor's house to get some rest, feeling pretty wiped out after using up so much aura.
While it may have been tough, they managed to achieve mega evolution.
While they may have needed Ash's help to do so, that juts makes this achievement even more special.
Serena could not be happier with the result, and she is super proud of everyone involved.
Proud of herself.
Proud of Absol.
Proud of all her pokemon
Proud of Ash.
Proud of them all.
Proud of their whole little family.
_________________________________
And cut.
Word count 22340
Well that is it for this chapter.
So what did you think?
I mean a lot happened in this chapter.
Two new captures for Ash.
Chloe and Goh winning the competition.
Miette's apology.
Brionne's evolution
And of course, mega evolution.
Serena and Absol mega evolving is something that I've been working on for a long time.
I know some people probably thought they were going to use the bond phenomenon, but this is like a hybrid of the two.
Kind of like Ash and Lucario in the anime but with a little more of the symptoms of the bond phenomenon involved.
Obviously things will become even clearer as time moves on.
Anyway in the next chapter.
Ash takes on his 2nd preseason battle as he faces off with Kabu.
How will Ash cope against the fire type gym leader with his new captures?
Well I'm guess you need to find out in the next chapter.
So, remember to vote and comment below.
We're so close to 1K votes that I can practically taste it.
Have a nice day and I'll speak to you all soon.