Two days have passed since the new trio of Ash, Brock and Serena left Pewter city to make their way towards Cerulean City. So far the journey has been a comfortable one, not really causing the trio too many issues along the way thus far.
Currently, it's early in the morning as the dawn of a new day shines down upon them. The trio are all up and awake, dressed in their usual gear for the day ahead to come.
They are all currently sat around the usual breakfast table with their breakfast laid out in front of them. They are joined by their respective Pokémon too, as they proceed to scoff down their breakfast.
As usual, Ash eats the quickest as he scoffs down his eggs and bacon in impressive fashion. As he does, a bright smile coats his face as he exclaims with a mouth full of food "This is great! Thank you both!"
Serena sighs a little at a her boyfriend's lack of decorum as she replies in a tone mixed with happiness and authority "I'm glad you like it Ash, but please don't talk with your mouth full. Also, slow down before you choke again please."
Ash scratches his head nervously at his girlfriend's usual warning at his lack of table manners. To be fair to the young champion, he has got better at eating his meals in a more relaxed manner. But, there are still times where he simply can not help himself and turns into a little pig.
He carefully swallows down a portion of his eggs before he clears his throat. He looks up at his girlfriend with a sheepish smile as he apologises "I'm sorry Serena, I didn't realise I was eating like that. I was just so excited to try you and Brock's food that I lost myself for a second."
Serena giggles a little at the apologetic look on his face as she replies "There's no need to apologise Ash, I'm glad you like what we cooked and that your excited. That's what I'm here for, to make sure you don't choke by getting a little too overexcited."
Ash nods in satisfaction of Serena's words, feeling blessed to have her to keep his inner child in check when she needs to.
Brock watches the couple interact, sort of getting used to the way Serena can give Ash these little warnings these last few days. There always warnings made from love, and always just what Ash needs to hear to stop himself doing something stupid.
Overall, his impression so far is that their relationship is completely healthy. They both clearly love each other and do lots of little things to take care of each other. They are constantly doing what ever they can to make the other smile. Ash seems happier than he ever has during their travels, and a lot of that has to do with the honey blonde performer. In summary, she's the best thing that has ever happened to him.
The pokemon doctor decides to move the conversation along as he smiles and exclaims "Well I hate to brag, but I think we did an amazing job in the kitchen. You know I usually cook for a party this big on my own, but it was a lot easier with two cooks to share the load."
Serena smiles back and replies with joy in her tone "I agree Brock, having you here really helps with cooking duties. Id say we'd make quite the team in the kitchen."
Ash takes another bite of his breakfast and remarks in his usual slightly jokey tone "Well, my stomach certainly agrees. Two of my three favourite chefs cooking together is like finding a master ball. I could get used to this."
The three at the table share a loud burst of laughter, all sort of getting used to their dynamic as a group over the last few days.
Brock traveling with the amour couple hasn't really lead to many awkward moments. He hasn't really got in the way at all when they need their alone time and he has helped out a lot around camp. Helping with the basics of cooking and cleaning is always a blessing. It just leaves even more time for Ash and Serena to spend together, helping each other out with things like training or just relaxing while Brock does some of the chores around the place. It's been a healthy group so far, and all three hope that it can continue.
Their laughter is soon cut short by and overly happy "Pika Pika!!!"
The trio look to their left to see the baby sat in her high chair, excitedly scoffing down her breakfast that Brock specifically made for her this morning to help with her growth and development.
Her smile only grows wider as she takes a bottle of ketchup off her side and pours more over her pokemon food, leaving it covered in her favourite sauce.
Sylveon smiles at her child's enjoyment as she takes another bottle and pours ketchup over her mate's food, causing the original Pikachu to let off a happy squeal as well in appreciation of Sylveon's thoughtfulness. With the ketchup family having heir special treat mixed in with their food, they are completely overjoyed.
Serena giggle as she watches her cute baby Pokémon continue to eat in a mucky way, getting ketchup all over herself. She shakes her head and exclaims with a small smile on her face "She's certainly enjoying your nutritious baby mix Brock. I'm really glad we put that bib on her too because she's getting ketchup everywhere. Maybe I should give her a bath after, I don't her to smell too bad."
Brock smiles a little as he watches the baby and remarks "It's no problem. I'm really glad she enjoys that specific blend. Honestly speaking, she's really healthy and strong for her age. Although, I'm not convinced that much ketchup is good for her."
Ash let's off a small sigh as he replies in a resigned tone "Well there's no taking it off her. She's too much like her dad. But hey, he uses a bottle a day and he's grown up to be pretty strong I'd say. Maybe ketchup is good for a Pikachu?"
Brock shrugs his shoulders as he remarks "Well maybe your right. I still find it odd that Pikachu has an adopted daughter. But it's pretty wholesome some to see and honestly intriguing. They are quite a trio, and probably the most human pokemon trio I've met in terms of how they raise a child."
Ash smiles a little as he admits "Yeah they are, it's not everyday you see a pokemon in a high chair with a bib on. But that's how they chose to raise her and we all bought into that. That's why me and Serena treat her how we do."
Brock seems to be onboard with the way the amour couple are choosing to treat the baby, giving off a small smile as he remarks "Well it's certainly not a bad thing. It's just not how wild Pokémon raise their kids but that's to be expected. Sylveon and Pikachu are well trained so it doesn't surprise me. They've been with you guys along time so it's only natural they'd pick up human tendencies."
Serena smiles a little, while admitting to herself in her head that she's a huge culprit as to why baby Pikachu is 'babyed' so much. She is her first and only baby Pokémon so she originally treated her like she would a human baby and now it's sort of stuck.
The Kalos queen lets off a small giggle to herself before she exclaims in a happy tone "Well as long as she's healthy that's the main thing. Anyway, where are we going today?"
Ash smiles a little as he explains "We've got a pretty long walk down the next route, but it should lead us straight towards Cerulean city. The path ahead should be pretty straightforward to be honest. Only really bug type Pokémon occupy that route and their mostly peaceful. It should be another stress free relaxing day."
Serena takes in her boyfriend's point and certainly hopes that's the case. She could certainly do with a nice easy day, not having to spend time battling evil and instead just relaxing as they trek together through the forest with her hand grasping Ash's tightly the whole time.
She soon shakes off her little hopeful fantasy as she questions with clear happiness in her tone "Well in that case, we should probably get moving soon if the walk is going to be so long. Perhaps we could even reach Cerulean city by nightfall if we make good time? A nice warm shower and a comfy bed to sleep in sounds quite appealing."
Ash nods in agreement with his girlfriend, alre8ady imagining cuddling up with her in the comfort of a hotel room as he replies in an upbeat tone "That sounds good to me. What about you Brock?"
Brock nods in agreement and replies "Sure, as long as we leave soon then there's a chance we can make it."
Ash pumps a fist in excitement for the journey ahead today as he exclaims "Well what are we waiting for then, let's get going!"
Brock and Serena nod in agreement as the trio begin to pack up their things. They soon find themselves with everything packed away as they they get back on the road towards Cerulean city!
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An hour or so later, the trio continue on down the route as they edge ever closer to Cerulean city. Ash and Serena walk hand in hand as usual while Pikachu sits comfortably on his trainer's shoulder.
The three of them find themselves conversing in their usual manner with Brock being the story teller. He snickers a little before he finishes "And that's how Ash fluked his 2nd Kanto gym badge."
Serena places a small frown her face as she comments in a downed town "You know I really am starting to hate team rocket more and more everyday. I can't believe they would just interrupt your gym battle like that."
Ash nods and replies "Yeah I understand that feeling, it seems to be a bit of a common theme with my failed gym battles. The fact that their still out there somewhere bothers me to be honest."
Brock places a frown on his face as he comments "I'm still in shock that they have a new leader after Giovanni. Do you guys have any idea who it could be?"
Ash shrugs his shoulders and replies in a slightly downed tone "I have no idea. Well actually there is one person I suspect. The only logical candidate I have is Silver."
Serena feels herself shiver with fear as the PTSD of her childhood bully shoots through her body. Just that name alone makes her feel scared, as his face stains into the back of her mind and haunts her inner demons.
The Kalos queen's teeth chatter a little as she questions in a concerned tone "What makes you say that Ash?"
Ash turns towards his girlfriend and notices the distressed look on her face. He places a small smile on his own face in and attempt to reassure her as he admits "Well a few days ago while you were in the shower, I got a call from Alain. As you know, the police have been investigating the incident at the Kalos queen ball for a while now and they've final produced the report. The report confirmed that the device he was trying to throw at you was a team rocket capture device. While that may be a coincidence, it certainly doesn't rule him out as a candidate. While him being a leader of something like this is something I think is too big for him, it could be the case and we can't rule it out."
Serena takes in her boyfriend's words and feels her whole body fill with dread. Her worry and anxiety increases tenfold as she takes in the situation. Her childhood bully being part of an organisation that is actively trying to hunt her and her boyfriend down is disturbing to say the least.
She gets that point across to her boyfriend as she tightly hugs his arm for safety and exclaims "I hope it's anyone but him. He creeps me out Ash and I always feel like he's going to try and do something to me. I just feel vulnerable when he's around."
Ash takes in his girlfriend's concerned look and feels his heart break at her sad gaze. Someone like Serena doesn't deserve such trauma from her childhood encounters. While she has gone through a lot and had many traumatic experiences, Silver has seem to stick as a constant fear for her. He must have been a really mean childhood bully, and now that he's older who knows what the escalation will be?
Ash takes in his girlfriend a little closer into his arms for comfort as he whispers sweetly "Hey, there's no need to be so scared of him anymore. I'm here and I'm not going to let him hurt you. Your stronger now than you've ever been and you have pokemon to help defend you. You've grown since you were a kid Serena, your a queen for a reason. Don't let that fear of him make you into that scared girl again. Be the confident you that smiles and makes everyone's day brighter."
Serena takes in Ash's words and finds herself becoming a little more reassured by such sweet whispers. What he says is right, Serena isn't that same kid anymore and is a lot stronger. Sometimes, you need to hear it from someone else's mouth to give you that confidence in yourself. While Serena's PTSD is real, she knows she can fight through it.
She soon becomes a little less worried about their situation as she smiles up at her boyfriend and replies "Thanks Ashy! That was just what I needed to hear. I promise you I'll be strong and face my fears head on."
Ash beams a proud smile down at the Kalos queen, really proud of how strong she is in front of such trauma. In truth she's stronger than he'll ever be, and he feels honoured to call her his girlfriend.
In response, Ash leans down towards Serena and gently pecks her on her strawberry tasting lips. He soon leans back up with a proud smile on his face as he exclaims "Now that's my girl!"
Serena bubbles a little with loving giggles as she hears Ash refer to her as 'his girl.' While some people my take that as a bit of an over possessive comment, Serena really doesn't mind it. After all, she is his one and only girl now and forever. Likewise, she knows he'll be the only boy she'll ever share love like this with. The only boy/girl she hopes they'll ever have this sort of relationship with, is their future sons/daughters.
Brock watches the couple interact, pretty impressed by Ash's ability to cheer Serena up like that. Maybe he needs to ask his friend advice on how to talk to girls? Or maybe Ash doesn't actually know and is just naturally a perfect fit for the current Kalos queen.
The Pewter city gym leader decides to jump in the conversation as he exclaims "Well anyway, I just hope team rocket are dealt with permanently one day. Jessie and James were just minor inconveniences but this new branch seem a little more cunning. We had no idea they even existed until you told us about it. In fact, not even Lance was in the know."
Ash nods in agreement and replies "I couldn't agree more. I hope I get some one on one time with this new leader one day. So I can show him what happens when he comes for my family."
Serena's mind seems to flash at Ash's words, already imagining the future where Ash faces off with this new leader. Hopefully she won't have to do something as drastic as what happened with Giovanni.
The trio continue to walk down the path as they find themselves moving on from their conversation about team rocket, instead focusing in on the more light hearted adventures they've all experienced.
That joy continues for a little while as they continue on their path. Until they suddenly hear a loud sound that snaps them out of their thoughts.
A loud explosion fills their eyes, as well as weak cry from a disturbed pokemon. The three of them instantly focuses in on the sound as Serena shouts "You all heard that noise too right!?"
Ash nods and replies with a serious look on his face "Yeah, it sounded like an explosion. A big one at that."
Brock places a concerned look on his face and adds "There was definitely a weak cry I heard too. That must be a pokemon and they could be hurt."
Ash looks at his two traveling companions with a serious look on his face as he exclaims with clear intent behind his words "Then in that case, we should go help."
Brock and Serena nod in agreement with the Alola champion, showing a clear message for him to go quick and find out what's going on. Ash nods as he sprints off in the direction of the explosion as fast as possible.
Serena and Brock soon take off after him but at a slower pace. Serena can usually just about keep up with her boyfriend in a sprint, but with her ankle being as hurt as it is she still can't run as fast as she usually can. Pikachu decides to stay back with the pair and let his trainer go on ahead, knowing Ash would want him to make sure nothing happens to Serena.
Ash continues to sprint on ahead at full pace until he bursts his way through a gap in a set of trees, leading to a clearing in the forest next to the route.
The raven haired trainer quickly inspects the area and gets a shock at what he sees. The sight is a pretty disturbing one as he sees two Pokémon eggs, cracked completely in half with no sign of any baby Pokémon.
Ash's heart instantly falls in dismay, praying to Arceus that the pokemon in these eggs actually hatched and weren't the victim of a potential attack. The cruelty of the wild pokemon one can be a harsh reality, he's just hoping this scene isn't a reminder of that.
He soon gets his answer as he hears a pained cry ring out from a few hundred yards away. Ash doesn't hesitate to get moving as he sprints as fast as he can, knowing that there is a potential baby Pokémon in trouble.
The Alola champion soon bursts straight through into another clearing and spots exactly what the problem is here.
Two baby Caterpies, one pink one blue, lay on the ground in a bad condition as marks coat their small fragile bodies. Standing before them is an unusual sight for the Kanto region, as a fully evolved Scolipede stalks it's target while looking to take over this territory.
Ash has a quick thought as to why a Unovan pokemon might be wild here in Kanto, but soon shakes that off as he sees what's about to happen next. Scolipede raises his massive tail in the air as it glows with a thick shade of purple poison. The centipede Pokémon cries out as he slams his poison tail towards the two hurt baby Caterpies with them both having no way to defend themselves.
Ash doesn't hesitate to step in as he screams "Get away from them!"
He makes the reckless, but ultimately correct decision as he takes off towards the poison type Pokémon. He watches the attack coming and knows he has no time to send out of his own Pokémon to defend Caterpie.
Knowing that fact, Ash does what he needs to do to protect the babies as he leaps forward, throwing his body in harms way. The poison tail attack continues to slam towards the two twins until Ash's body becomes a shield. The poison type attack continues on and slams straight into the raven haired trainer, causing him to cry out in pain as he slams back through the air before smacking into a nearby tree.
Ash lays on the ground while looking a little purple in the face, clearing with some form of poisoning inflicted on him from that last move. He feels his body shutting down from the poisoning as he desperately presses a button on one of his pokeballs attached to his belt in response.
The pokeball pops open as Lucario emerges. The aura pokemon looks around with a confused look on his face until he spots his trainer on the ground. He gasps in shock as he shouts "Master your hurt!"
Ash let's off a groan of pain as he mutters while barley conscious "Help....Caterpie."
Lucario follows his trainer's instructions as he looks at the culprit of his injuries. He glares at Scolipede, feeling a venomous rage infect his body. The aura pokemon proceeds to deal with the situation as he cups his hands together while forming a blue ball of aura. He takes said ball and throws it towards Scolipede. The ball smacks the wild bug type in the face, causing him to cry out in pain as he skids back along the ground.
Suddenly, Pikachu leaps onto the scene as he sparks his cheeks with electricity while shouting "PIKKKAAAAAACCHUUUUUUU!!!" The electric mouse fires off a power thunderbolt, slamming straight into Scolipede as the bug type Pokémon cries out in pain. Eventually the electricity surging through his body becomes too much as the bug type Pokémon collapses to the ground with swirls in his eyes.
At that moment, Serena and Brock make their way on to the scene at the same time just behind Pikachu. Serena instantly spots her boyfriend flat on his back as her heart stings worry. Her face instantly falls completely pale as her thoughts drift towards the worst. She clasps a hand straight over her mouth and mutters with emotion spiralling in her tone "Arceus please no."
The Kalos queen instantly takes off towards her boyfriend with a scared look on her face while Brock sprints towards the baby Pokémon, knowing Serena can help deal with Ash at least at first.
Serena practically slides into position as she kneels down next to Ash. She sees the extent of his injuries as she instantly notices the purple shade on his face. She cups her hands against his cheeks to force him to look up into her concerned eyes as she screams in peril. "Please say something! Ash please say something! Please please please be okay!"
The Alola champion lets off another sick groan of pain as he mutters weakly "Poison."
Serena's face only grows with concern as she hears her boyfriend's been inflicted with some form of poisoning. While usually not fatal, they can be extremely painful and leave nasty side effects.
The Kalos queen looks to examine her boyfriend further as she moves her hands to the top of his head. Upon feeling his forehead, Serena gasps in shock and shouts "Your burning up! You already have a fever!"
Ash seems to confirm Serena'a point as he mindlessly mutters "Hot."
The Kalos feels her boyfriend's high temperature and hears his statement. Knowing that he's referring to his temperature and not her, she instantly reacts to cool him down. She slips his usual cap off his head and begins to unzip his jacket. She strips him of his jacket and t shirt gently, leaving him shirtless in an attempt to cool him down.
However as Serena removes his shirt, she gasps in shock and worry at what she sees. Right in the middle of Ash's chest, she finds a poison purple bulge of sludge, slowly bubbling on Ash's chest.
The root of Ash's poisoning becomes clear at the sight where the poison tail landed. As she watches the poison, Serena finds herself becoming increasingly concerned and scared as she watches it spread even further up his chest, slowly heading towards his heart.
Serena by no means is a medical expert, but she knows that poisoning near the heart is a no go. Her mind instantly races with fear and panic etches onto her face as she wonders what she can do to stop the poison spreading.
The Kalos queen thinks harder and harder for a solution but seems to come up blank. Her breathing starts to quicken as she feels her heart beat faster and faster. Tears of worry sit in her eyes as her whole life flashes before her.
Serena wants to scream for help but she can't even catch her breath to scream. She begins to pant uncontrollably as she clutches her chest in pain. Her head spins as she feels completely sick, feeling like she could vomit at any second at the sight in front of her. Right now she's full on having a panic attack as panic of losing Ash to the poisoning stabs at her heart.
"Serena, use your aura. You can stop it with your aura."
Suddenly, an angelic calming voice rings around Serena's head as it guides her on the steps to take.
The Kalos queen instantly gasps in shock and holds her breath, finding her mind mix with clarity and confusion in a weird combination.
Serena decides to follow her inner voices advice, knowing that it's never let her down thus far. She holds her hands out towards her boyfriend's bare chest and closes her eyes, focusing all her thoughts towards his safety.
She practically prays for the poisoning to stop as she continues to hold her hands out. Her mind clears as all her thoughts drift towards happy thoughts of her and Ash. All their loving encounters, their sensual dates and their biggest successes together. Happy thoughts that she uses to keep her mind completely clear.
As images of sweet kisses fill her mind, Serena's aura begins to respond. An invisible powerful pink flowing aura shines out from her hands, traveling like the wind through the air towards her intended target.
The pink aura hits the everlasting spreading poisoning and begins to swirl around it. Suddenly, the aura slams straight into the poisoning, lessening the severity of it and causing it to stop spreading in one foul swoop.
Serena takes a second to breathe as the voice in her head praises "Good girl Serena. I knew you could do it."
Serena smiles at this praise, almost feeling addicted to the sweet voice inside her head. She soon stops focusing and opens her eyes to take in the fruits of her work.
While Ash is still clearly poisoned, the purple on his chest has shrunk in half and is no longer spreading. While Serena's aura wasn't able to heal Ash completely, it may have possibly saved his life. If that poisoning reached his heart and started pumping around his bloodstream, things may have got worse.
The Kalos queen takes a massive sigh of relief as she feels her chest loosen and the fear leave her body. For a few seconds there she really was having a panic attack. She thought she was going to lose her whole future. In an instant her biggest love taken away.
That panic soon turns back into confusion as she looks down at her hands. She shakes her head a little as she thinks to herself "How did I even do that?"
She soon finds her attention being taken away from that mystery as she sees Ash's eyes flutter open. She instantly dives towards him, locking him in a tight embrace as she whispers with emotion clear in her voice "Your okay. Ash your okay. Thank Arceus your okay, I...I thought I was going to lose you."
Ash finds himself unable to move thanks to his poisoning, but comforted nonetheless the less by Serena's warm embrace. He places a small smile on his face as he weakly whispers "Thanks to you I'm alright. How, did you even do that? The aura."
Serena smiles even brighter at her boyfriend's question as she explains "I have no idea. I just needed a way to stop the poisoning and that is what came to mind. But we can talk about that later. I need to know how you feel?"
Ash groans a little as he replies "A little better I guess. Okay not too much better. I feel hot, sick and dizzy. I feel like I'm going delusional."
Serena feels Ash's forehead and confirms that he's definitely still got a high temperature. Despite her aura healing doing a great job, Ash is still in a bad way and needs further medial help.
Ash's previous comment about going delusional only comes even more to the fold as he whispers " We can still win this battle. Charizard, use flamethrower."
Serena finds her heart melting at her boyfriend's current state as she decides that they need to make curing this poisoning a priority. She can't bare seeing him like this for much longer.
She turns her head towards Brock, watching him gently finish putting a few plasters on the two baby Caterpies heads. She decides to get his attention as she shouts "Brock I need your help!"
The Pewter city gym leader hears the call and instantly makes his way towards Serena with the two Caterpies following. He kneels down next to her as he begins to examine Ash's injuries while Serena explains "I've stopped the poisoning on his chest spreading to his heart but he's not in a good way. We need medicine for the poisoning."
Brock nods in agreement with Serena's statement, while also a little baffled as to how she managed to stop poison from spreading so fast. He shakes off that thought for now as he exclaims in a serious tone "I should be able to mix up something that can cure the poisoning. Problem is, I don't have enough pecha berries to complete the mix."
Serena takes in Brock's words and infers that the mission is that they need to find pecha berries. She decides to take the initiative as she takes her Rotom phone out of her pocket and searches up the nearest place to find pecha berries. According to the nav, she should be able to find a few trees known for their pecha berries about 30 minutes south from their location.
Serena gets that point across as she explains "There's a tree around half hour from here that should have what we need. All we need is to do is go and get it. I'll go as fast as possible to get the berries. I'm trusting you to stay here and look after Ash until I'm back. If anything happens to him then I'm holding you responsible."
Brock gulps a little at Serena's warning, while also really admiring her commitment to getting Ash healthy. You definitely can't question her devotion towards her man, even if Brock is a little terrified of her.
He soon shakes off his thoughts as he nods and replies "You can count on me."
Serena gives Brock a small grateful smile before she turns her attention back to the task in hand. While in thought, she turns her head towards the two baby Caterpies as she watches them shake a little in fear from their previous traumatic experience.
While Serena's main focus is still on getting her boyfriend better, she can't help but feel some form of sadness as to how these poor babies lives have started.
She decides to try and help them out too as she takes a pokeball out of her bag. She clicks the button on the front as she releases her trusted Sylveon. She gives her a sorry look as she explains "Sylveon, can you and Pikachu help out the Caterpie? You two are parents after all so can you please help them until we find out what's going on? Look after them and show them some love because they need it after what happened."
Sylveon nods, not really seeing a major down side to Serena's plan. She slowly approaches the two babies with a motherly smile as she begins to show the two some form of comfort.
With that dealt with for now, the Kalos queen turns towards Ash's aura pokemon and orders "Your with me Lucario, I might need the back up."
Lucario nods and replies politely"Of course Madame, I'll assist you where I can."
With Lucario on her side, Serena finds herself ready to go and fetch those pecha berries. However as she tries to stand up, she feels Ash's hand graze against her cheek as he mutters in delusion "Don't leave me Serena. I need you. You promised we'd be together forever."
Serena feels her heart ache at Ash's situation. He really didn't deserve this for the crime of saving a baby's life. She can't bring herself to leave him on that sad note, as she runs a hand across his face and whispers sweetly "I'm not leaving you Ashy, I'm going to get some things to make you feel better. I'd never leave you Ash and I never will."
Ash chuckles a little in delusion as he replies "Yeah that's right. One day we're gonna get married and have children together. Their going to so awesome and we'll raise them right. When we do have kids, can I teach them how to battle?"
A small blush coats the Kalos queen's cheeks as she takes in Ash's loving statement formed from the delusion brought on by the poisoning. What he said was really cute, even if he is out of his mind. She takes a small breath as she leans down, kissing him gently on the lips. She sits back up a little as she lovingly sighs and exclaims "Of course you can. You can teach them how to battle and I'll teach them how to perform if they want. Why don't you think about that future until I get back?"
Ash nods in agreement subtly, as he closes his eyes to dream about his future family with the Kalos queen.
Serena does her absolute best not to join him in day dreaming as she focuses on the task in hand. She stands up from Ash's side quickly before turning towards Lucario.
The two share a determined nod as they take off, sprinting off in the direction of pecha berries as they go out on their quest to heal Ash.
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20 minutes later, Serena and Lucario walk side by side as they head deeper into the forest towards the location of their desired pecha berries.
As they walk, Lucario look towards the Kalos queen and questions "Mistress, may I ask you a question?"
Serena nods, still focused on the task ahead as she answers "Of course you can Lucario."
Lucario takes a small nervous breath before he questions "Your aura, it looked to be spiking out of control when you were healing master. What was that and what did you do?"
Serena places a confused look on her face as she honestly replies "I still don't know how I did it. I just needed to find a way to heal Ash and a voice in my head told me that's the best thing I could do."
Lucario raises an eyebrow and exclaims in a shocked voice "You heard a voice tell you what to do? That seems a bit odd Madame."
Serena nods in agreement with Ash's Pokémon and explains "I've heard it a few times, when I've been in trouble or needed advice. Only you and Ash know about it. Let's keep it that way for now."
Lucario nods, happy the keep Serena's secret. The mystery behind her and Ash's aura are of great interest to him, and it's something he'd love to find out more about.
The two of them continue on their walk towards the pecha berries, until something catches their attention. In the distance faintly, they both hear a few loud and obnoxious voices echoing through the air.
Serena raises an eyebrow and questions "Do you hear that up ahead Lucario?"
Lucario nods and replies "Yes mistress, it's coming from the direction we need to go in. Should we investigate?"
Serena takes a small frustrated sigh, of course there would be voices in the direction they need to go in. This couldn't have just been a simple snatch and grab. No things have to be difficult don't they.
She lets that frustration go for now as she decides that they should do the right thing. She places a determined look on her face as she exclaims "Let's go sneak over there and see what's going on."
Lucario nods in agreement as he follows his secondary trainer's lead. The two of them head in the direction of voices, slowly sneaking through some massive bushes. They soon find themselves at the end of the bushes as they pop their heads out to examine a clearing. As they do however, their eyes both completely widen in shock.
Dozens of rocket grunts with their traditional black uniforms occupy the place, setting up what could be described as some sort of camp. Tents and equipment are practically thrown up everywhere as they make this place in the forest their home. Cages lay all around on the ground, locking away plenty of local bug pokemon that call this route home.
Serena lets off a small gasp of shock as she whispers "Team Rocket, here of all places? What are they doing?"
Lucario scans around as he fixates on the trapped bug pokemon. His eyes instantly flow with rage as he begins to growl in anger at team rocket for taking such actions against peaceful wild pokemon.
Serena places a hand on the aura pokemon's shoulder and whispers sweetly "Calm down Lucario, we need to stay quiet until we figure out a plan."
Lucario feels himself calm at Serena's touch as he takes a deep breath to compose himself.
The two of them stay hidden as they hear one of the team rocket grunt's phone ring. He answers the phone and holds it up to his ear as he exclaims "Hey R."
Serena instantly raises an eyebrow as she hears the name and thinks to herself "Who is R?"
The conversation continues on as the grunt replies in a panicked tone "Oh sorry boss, I forgot you don't like that name."
"Yes the plans going smoothly, we released the foreign bug types yesterday and they've already taken their effect on the habitat here."
"Yeah that's right, the local bugs are clearly out and the stronger bugs are taking over. I'm pretty sure that soon, no trainer's will be coming through this area. It's a perfect spot for one of those secret bases."
"Pokemon? Yeah we've caught a few whole bunch that are worth a pretty price. Some of the colouring on these Butterfree's are really rare."
"The girl? No sign of her."
"Ketchum, not since Ecruteak city."
"You know boss, you really do want him more than Giovanni did. But we still don't understand why."
"Shoot sorry, I won't press you any further."
"Affirmative sir, take care."
The grunt hangs up the phone and shouts out to the rest of the grunts "Okay, boss wants us all moving out in 5. B team, you guys will stay here and watch over camp until we're back!"
The rest of the grunts nod in agreement with the statement as they prepare to move out of camp on whatever their next scheme is.
Meanwhile, Serena's mind begins to race as she takes in every detail from that previous phone call.
First of all, the name R. The grunt referred to him as boss so that gives her a pretty good reason to suspect he must be the new boss. However, the name R itself doesn't really seem like an actual name. In fact, that sounds more like a code name for someone else. Someone who wants to hide their identity.
With that still being a mystery, she focuses on something she can answer. It seems as though team rocket's plan here is to mess with this habitat by releasing powerful foreign bug types into the wilderness. That would explain why a Scolipede was attacking those Caterpie earlier. Ultimately, their trying to force Pokémon out of their home and make this area a dangerous place for trainers to visit. Therefore, they would have a secluded area that they can set up a base in where they would be hidden from the authorities.
Then there's the final bit. She already knew her and Ash were targets for team rocket. Ash ultimately stopped team rainbow rocket so it's no surprise he'd be a target. By association, she'd be a target too, using her to get to him.
What worries her more is that this new boss seems to want Ash more than Giovanni did. That man was sick and twisted, so she can only imagine what this new boss is like.
The Kalos queen soon has her thoughts interrupted as Lucario points and whispers "Madame, look over there."
Serena looks in the direction of Lucario's point and sees exactly what she's been looking for. A massive Pecha berry tree with all the berries she needs to cure Ash. The only problem is, the tree is conveniently on the other side of team rocket's camp.
Serena takes another frustrated sigh before she quickly clears her mind. She begins to devise a plan in her head as she thinks about her options. In truth, she kind of wishes she had a sneaky pokemon like Greninja with her, who could take out all the grunts in seconds and make this so easy.
The Kalos queen decides to shake off that thought and works with what she's got. She turns to Lucario with a determined look on her face and whispers "Okay I have a plan. I need you to sneak to that Pecha berry tree and get what we need to heal up Ash. Take my berry pouch with you and fill it up to the brim. Meanwhile, I'll sneak through the camp and free the wild pokemon. We can't let them capture them like this and sell them them on the black market. We'll move out in 5 when the B team are left alone. Got it?"
Lucario takes in Serena's plan and nods in agreement as he praises "Great plan mistress, I promise you I won't let you down."
Serena gives Lucario a small thankful nod, trusting in him to get the berries she needs to make Ash all better while she frees the poor captured pokemon.
After 5 minutes of waiting, the main team rocket squad move out of the camp, leaving just the B team behind. It's at that moment that Serena and Lucario give each other a small nod before they make their move.
Lucario instantly surround himself in a faint while aura, doing the best impression of his sensei as he can as he begins to zip around the camp. The aura pokemon moves in and out of guards on his way to the Pecha berry tree.
Meanwhile, Serena takes things slow and steady as she carefully sneaks her way around the grunts. She stays low, using the cover of tables and logs to get herself closer to her objective.
After 5 minutes or so of sneaking, she finds her closing in on the first cage of captured Pokémon. She stealthily moves closer to the cage, until she finds herself right next to it with only one grunt between her and the Pokémon inside.
In the past, this grunt would have caused major problems for the Kalos queen. However, since the incident at the Kalos showcase where the CEO attacked her, and various kidnapping attempts in the past, Serena made the decision that with her fame and the target she has on her back that she would take some self defence classes.
While Ash has been there to help save her in the past, she knows she can't always rely on him for that and it's simply not fair to put that kind of pressure on him. She's taken to the few sessions she's done like a natural black belt, and she has more than enough skill to stealthy incapacitate a grunt.
Serena takes a deep breath and musters up her courage before she makes her move. She sneaks up behind the guard before she kicks him in the back of his knee. The grunt falls down onto one knee as Serena acts quickly. She places an arm around the grunt's throat and her hands over his mouth to stop him screaming. She squeezes as hard as she can for a few seconds before the grunt goes a little blue in the face and his body goes limp as he falls into unconsciousness.
The Kalos queen releases her grip and takes a deep breath of air to compose herself. She hates the fact that she had to do something like that, but she knows it was the right thing to do.
Serena shakes off her thoughts as she proceeds onwards towards the cage. She sneaks around to the front and peeks inside the cage, only to feel her heart melt a little at what she sees captured.
Two Butterfree's sit in the cage, one with a yellow scarf and another with a strange unique pink pattern. But it's what's behind them that really makes Serena's heart sting. Two young Caterpie's probably no less than a year old, both cuddled up next to their mother while looking scared and malnourished from a lack of care while in captivity.
The male Butterfree with the yellow scarf glares at Serena as he spots her, putting on a defensive stance in an attempt to protect his family from further harm.
Serena gives the Butterfree a small smile as she whispers in a reassuring tone "It's okay Butterfree, I promise I won't hurt you or your children. I'm just here to free you all. I'm not part of team rocket."
The male Butterfree's expression seems to soften a little, having no problem putting faith in humans by the looks of things that aren't associated with the evil team. Serena uses that expression as a sign of approval as she carefully pick locks the cage. The cage swings open after a few seconds, allowing the bug type Pokémon to all escape.
The pink Butterfree instantly puts a smile on her face as she puts her two children on her wings before flying up into the air. She instantly looks at Serena with an appreciative smile and gives her a small thank you nod.
Serena smiles back at what she can only describe as the beautiful pink Butterfree as she whispers "You don't have to thank me pink Butterfree, I'm just glad you and your kids are safe."
Upon hearing that, pink Butterfree's face drops into a frown as her eyes water with tears. It doesn't take long for Serena to realise that pink Butterfree may have more kids than just these two. In fact, with her unique colouring her kids may have inherited that unique gene too.
Serena puts two and two together as she whispers with hope in her voice "Were you expecting twins by any chance?"
Butterfree nods her head frantically as she prays for some good news from this seemingly random girl.
Serena smiles brightly and whispers with clear joy in her tone "Then your in luck pink Butterfree, your babies are okay. Me and my group heard a cry in the forest and we found them being attacked my a Scolipede right after they just hatched. My boyfriend stopped them getting hurt too bad but ended up with a bad case of poisoning in the process. I came out here looking for berries and by coincidence, I found you. Their a little shaken up but my Pokémon doctor friend has nursed them back to health. I have a Sylveon who is also a mother and she is babysitting them both until I get back. Their both healthy and are two beautiful babies. They have your colouring gene too. One blue one pink."
Pink Butterfree hears the news that her two new borns are okay and feels her whole body breath a sigh of relief. While she's a little disappointed in herself for not being there to watch them hatch, she's certainly not going to let that spoil her mood.
She looks at the young honey blonde girl in front of her with a thankful expression. She lets off a quiet cheer of delight as she flaps her wings, showering Serena in a pink dust.
The Kalos queen giggles a little at the unique thank you message and whispers "Please don't thank me Butterfree. Please go and find your children. They need their mother and father."
The male Butterfree takes in Serena's words and can't help but feel blessed that they managed to run into a human with such kindness. Just like when he was a Caterpie and ran into his own kind human who helped raised him. He wishes he still had that human around when things went pear shaped with team rocket.
Thankfully things seem to be going back in the right direction, and Butterfree feels the need to show his appreciation for that.
The bug type Pokémon takes off and flies up into the air, getting above the remaining grunts in the area. He begins to flap his wings rapidly, sending a green dust all around them as he uses sleep powder. That green dust hits the grunts and forces them to become drowsy, before ultimately putting them into a deep sleep.
With the grunts down, Serena has no need to be as stealthy as she was. She places a bright smile on her face and exclaims in a grateful tone "Thank you Butterfree! That really is a great help!"
Butterfree smiles at this girl's praise, seeing the similarities in terms of her attitude towards pokemon as his former trainer.
The Butter family all place smiles on their face in appreciation, before the two parents fly off with their kids on their backs in search of their new borns.
Serena watches the family leave with a smile on her face and can't help but feel somewhat proud of herself. If it wasn't for her bravery, then the family of Butterfree's may never of had the opportunity to find their new borns again.
While the circumstances that lead to this have caused her a lot of distress, it's definitely been worth it in the end.
Serena shakes off those thoughts for now as she begins to refocus on the task in hand. She makes her way around the camp freely with no need to sneak around with the grunts asleep. She frees the rest of the captured bug type Pokémon, allowing them to fly freely into the wilderness.
With that task done, Serena makes her way over to the pecha berry tree to check up on Lucario's progress. She raises an eyebrow as she looks up into the trees and questions "How are we looking Lucario?"
Lucario pops his head out of the tree and replies "Nearly there mistress, I just need a few more minutes to get all the berries we need."
Serena nods with a small smile and exclaims "Good job Lucario, and thank you for all your hard work. Those berries will be exactly what we need to heal...."
"Nice to see some things never change. Your still so odd scummy, talking to yourself like you should be in some sort of mental asylum."
Serena hears the voice behind her and instantly finds herself shivering in complete and utter fear. She feels her legs crumble underneath her as the PTSD from her childhood hits home.
She slowly turns around, spotting a familiar evil grin as her lip quivers. The honey blonde girl's teeth chatter as she mumbles "S....s.....sil........Silver."
Silver gives the Kalos queen a knowing smirk as he casually remarks "You look so scared scummy, so scared like the little girl you still are inside. You may look good on the outside, but I know what you really are."
Serena finds her mind flashing with trauma, the moment at the Kalos queen ball still sticks with her and haunts her deep down. Silver grabbing her by the throat like that and putting his hand over her mouth as he dragged her off through the crowd legitimately scared her. If it wasn't for Alain, she doesn't even want to know what he was going to do to her.
She finds herself being overcome by fear as Silver takes a step towards her. The childhood bully reaches the Kalos queen and moves a hand across her cheek in a disturbing manner as Serena's eyes well with tears of distress. He chuckles a little as he whispers "It's a shame that you love Ash so much, a real shame. But, at least I can use you to get closer to that a**hole. If I take you, he will follow me right into my trap. Hurting his little princess will only hurt him. Punishing you will only punish him too. We're going to have fun scummy, unless you tell me where Ash is right now."
Serena hears that Silver wants to use her to get to Ash and feels her defensive instincts kick in. She still has no idea why Silver has such a vendetta at this point, but she honestly doesn't care.
While she may be scared of him, Ash is right in what he said this morning. She needs to remember that she's stronger now then she was as a kid and isn't that same girl. She's a Kalos queen for a reason, because she's brave and confident. She promised Ash she'd face her fears head on and be strong. While she'll always have that fear from her childhood, she'll never let it consume her.
With her mind set in the right place, Serena completely shakes off her fear as she makes her move. She stops shaking as she puts a massive frown on her face. The Kalos queen grabs Silver's wrist and twists it, causing it to sprain from the aggressive twist.
Silver cries out in pain as Serena raises her right hand into the air. She slaps her childhood bully clean across the cheek, causing him to stumble back while leaving a massive hand print on his face.
The red head trainer growls in agony as he screams "You f***ing b**ch!"
Serena finds herself almost smirking at Silver's pain. She's not going to lie, it felt dam good to finally slap him in the face after all this time. She only wishes she did it a long time ago.
The Kalos Queen shakes off those thoughts as she glares at the team rocket member and exclaims in a defensive tone "First things first, stay the hell away from my face you creep. Second thing, stay away from Ash if you know what's good for you! If he ever gets you one on one then you'll regret it. He's twice the trainer you are and 100 times the man! He's also not so desperate as to threaten a woman, unlike the low life you are!"
Silver glares back at Serena and replies with clear venom in his tone "Be quiet scummy! I don't care what you think! I'm better than Ash! I'm better and I'll prove it! Unlike him, I don't need my woman to fight my battles for me."
Serena lets off a small snicker and rolls her eyes as she remarks "Your woman? This isn't April Fools Day Silver. You wouldn't be able to get a girl if she fell into your lap. Don't worry though, I'll tell Ash to give you some tips."
Silver growls at the mention of Ash being better at something than him again, that clearly being his trigger. His eyes narrow on the girl as he snaps "Where is he!?"
Serena shrugs her shoulders and keeps up the mind games as she remarks "You know I thought I was obsessed with him, but you might be more obsessed than even I am. Are you sure you don't have a crush on him? If you do, then I'm sorry to say he doesn't roll that way. Also more importantly, he's taken."
Silver's vein practically pops out of his head as his rage reaches a breaking point. He glares even more at the honey blonde girl as he screams "WHERE!!"
Serena smirks internally, enjoying being the one with the insults for a change. While this back and forth may seem pointless to some, she's doing a perfect job at stalling time for Lucario to get the pecha berries they need.
The Kalos queen decides to indulge Silver a little as she responds "You know, all you have to do is ask nicely. Ash is in the forest somewhere, recovering after you decided to unleash those bug pokemon into the wild and ruin the natural ecosystem. He's got a bad case of poisoning, otherwise he'd come and kick your a** himself right here right now."
Silver hears that Ash is somewhere in the forest and finds himself becoming somewhat captivated by Serena's words. He decides to press her further for answers as he questions "Where in the forest is he?"
Serena smirks a little more and replies "As if I'd tell you. Although maybe we can exchange information. Tell me who your boss is and I'll tell you where Ash is. Although I'll warn you, there's no way you'd be able to do anything if you did find him. His Pikachu would cook you alive."
Silver glares at the honey blonde girl as he takes a pokeball off his belt. He looks her in the eye with venom as he remarks "One last chance to tell me or I'll torture it out of you."
Serena shows no sign of fear as she takes a pokeball out of her skirt pocket. She holds it out in front of her and casually replies "Bring it on."
The two of them throw their pokeballs in unison as they both land on the makeshift battlefield. On Serena's side stands her shiny Absol, glaring at her opponent with fire in her eyes. On Silver's side, a strong looking Weavile stands while grinning at his fellow dark type.
Silver sees the shiny Absol and smirks a little as he exclaims with evil intent "A shiny Absol huh? She'd look perfect in the ranks of team rocket I would say."
Hearing that Silver wants to capture Absol just makes the dark type Pokémon even more fired up to battle. Almost instantly, her and Serena's pink aura begins to flow between each other. Their aura connection establishes as their aura harmoniously flows between one and other.
With their aura already in sync thanks to a shared desire to get rid of Silver, Absol exclaims through said aura "Let's go full power from the start. No need to hold back against scum like this."
Serena smirks a little as she replies "I couldn't agree more Absol."
The Kalos queen places a more serious look on her face as she places her hand near her blue ribbon. She takes a small breath before she shouts "With the elegance of royalty and with the blessing of the Kalos queen's before! Strength and beauty combined! Absol, mega evolve!"
Serena clasps her hand straight over her blue ribbon, causing the keystone inside to activate. Suddenly, mega evolution energy shines out from the blue ribbon near her heart and flows straight towards the mega stone on Absol's neck. The dark type Pokémon begins to cry out as the mega evolution energy spreads all over her body. Absol's body begins to grow and change as the glow only increases by the second.
As Absol continues to glow, her and Serena's minds both blackout. Suddenly, a pink flower flutters through the air before landing on a pink flower bed below. The flowers all blow away and are quickly replaced by a silhouette of both Serena and Absol's faces. The two faces form and merge into one as both of their minds begin to work in unison.
Suddenly, the glow around Absol dissipates as she lets off a loud roar. A mega evolution symbol flashes up in front of her as she completes her transformation into mega Absol.
Serena and Absol stand in a confident and powerful stance as Serena exclaims "We're not afraid of you Silver!"
The boy from Kanto shakes his head as he replies with venom in his tone "You should be. I'm going to hurt you Serena, hurt you in more ways than you could imagine. You'll watch me take over this world and hold your boyfriend's battered body in triumph."
Serena hears the threat towards her boyfriend and doesn't decide to hang around any longer as she shouts "Absol use dark pulse!" Absol nods as she takes a deep breath before firing off a dark purple hexagonal beam towards her opponent.
Silver shakes his head as he casually commands "You use your dark pulse!" Weavile takes a deep breath before firing off a dark purple hexagonal beam of his own. The two attacks collide in the middle and clash for a few seconds, before cancelling each other out with a small explosion.
Silver decides to go on the offensive as he commands "Use night slash!" Weavile nods as he forms a dark purple glowing blade in his hands before dashing towards mega Absol at high speeds.
Serena keeps a determined expression on her faces as she shouts "Use play rough!" Absol lets off a small roar as she charges in towards her opponent while letting her limbs glow with a bright white aura. The two Pokémon soon come together as they both try desperately to land some sort of big hit on one and other. They clash limb on blade together over and over again, trying to break through the other's defence. Eventually, Absol uses her size to her advantage as she pushes Weavile back before smacking him in the face with a big kick.
The ice type Pokémon stumbles back a little while letting off a groan of frustration. He doesn't stay down for long though as he instantly rushes back towards Absol. He raises his dark purple blade in the air before slashing it straight across Absol's cheek. The dark type mega Pokémon lets off a cry of pain as she skids back towards her trainer.
As Weavile connects with Absol, Serena feels a stinging pain run across her cheek. She lets off a small gasp of pain as she clutches her throbbing cheek.
Silver notices Serena's reaction to her pokemon taking damage and feels an evil smirk rise up onto his own face. He lets off a small chuckle as he remarks "Just like Ash and that stupid frog, you feel pain when your Pokémon takes damage. I'm going to enjoy this even more than I thought I would."
Serena grits her teeth a little as she thinks to herself "That Weavile is super strong if one night slash made me feel so hurt. I'm only feeling a fraction of what Absol feels so she must have been really hurt by that. As much as I hate Silver, he's a Pokémon league winner for a reason and his Pokémon are strong. I need to stay focused if I have any chance of holding him off. The odds aren't in my favour but I'm sure as hell going to try. I don't give up until the very end."
The Kalos queen puts a determined look on her face as she shouts with clear hatred in her voice "So you enjoy hurting women too!? You really are sick Silver. No matter what, we will stop you!"
Silver frowns slightly at Serena's accusation and replies in a venomous tone "You need to learn when to shut up."
Serena ignores the threat and goes straight back on the offensive as she commands "Absol use iron tail!" Absol feels determination run through her veins, only matched by her trainer. The mighty mega Pokémon leaps up into the air while turning her tail into pure steel before slamming it down towards her opponent.
Silver shakes his head and shouts "Use triple axel!" Weavile grins as he leaps up into the air while extending a foot that coats itself in ice. The two attacks clash head on and push against one and other with neither willing to give way. However, as they do Weavile grins a little more as his other leg begins to glow with an icy white aura. He slams his other foot straight against the face of Absol, causing her to fall backwards. On the way down, Weavile completes the triple as he slams his other foot into the dark type mega, slamming her straight into the ground.
Serena lets off an almighty cry of pain as she finds herself sinking into the ground while clutching her previously broken ribs. Absol lays down on the ground in front of her with marks and bruises coating her body.
Silver sees Serena on the ground in pain and cackles manically, taking pleasure out of her struggle. He crouches on down to her level and remarks with an evil grin "Oh Scummy, all you had to do was be a good girl and listen. Now look at you, all lost and afraid like the little girl you are."
Serena grits her teeth in pain, wanting to retort with some sort of comeback but unable to due to the discomfort.
Silver laughs even more at Serena's struggle as he exclaims in an overly casual tone "Weavile, finish them off with low kick." The dark type weasel nods as he rushes towards his opponent with an outstretched leg that glows with a bright white aura, ready to end this battle.
Serena continues to struggle on the ground as she sees the attack coming towards Absol. She sees the stronger Pokémon approaching her and instantly feels her body freeze in fear.
Feeling like a caged animal seems to trigger something in Absol as her eyes flash open. The pink aura that casually surrounds her begins to increase tenfold, causing aura to swirl around her out of control.
Suddenly, Serena's aura reacts as it shoots towards Absol, forming a pink vortex around her. The two of them begin to feel an increase in strength as they both find themselves slowly rising up to their feet. Their thoughts and feelings begin to intertwine even more, as they find themselves becoming even closer.
As they both rise to their feet, the invisible aura continues to flow around the two. Serena's natural instincts take over as she glares at her opponents and screams "Stronger and stronger! Let'Z Goooooooo!!!!!"
"ABBBSSSSOOOOLLLLLLLL!!!!!"
Suddenly the pink aura surrounding Absol seems to sink into her body as her eyes glow a bright shade of pink. The pink aura shines throughout her body as she finds herself feeling strength like no other. The pink aura soon transfers into her limbs as they glow a bright shade of pink. She lets off a loud roar as she charges forward, pouncing towards Weavile. She rushes forward and slams her newly powered up play rough straight into Weavile. She delivers a few quick super effective strikes before slamming her opponent in the face with a huge kick. Weavile cries out in pain as he flies back through the air before smacking straight into a nearby tree with quite the thud.
Weavile lays flat against the tree for a few seconds before he slumps down to the ground with swirls in his eyes, knocked out in a flash by a powerful surge of defensive aura.
Almost instantly, Serena and Absol both collapse to the ground as their aura levels run dangerously low. In an attempt to restore them, their minds naturally separate completely as Absol reverts back into her regular form.
Silver's eyes widen in shock as he shakes his head in disbelief and mutters "What in Giritina's name was that."
Serena pants heavily while sitting on the ground as she replies through deep breaths "Never, underestimate...... me...... again. Ash isn't the only one....... With tricks..... up his sleeve."
Silver glares at Serena as he feels his pride sting. He just lost to a performer because she had some out of this world aura experience. Well that experience definitely isn't going to happen twice. This battle is only just beginning.
He smirks a little as he casually and evilly responds "Your such an idiot. A naive little girl. You think you've won just because you beat Weavile? He's not even in my strongest 6. This next one on the other hand will show you no mercy."
Serena pants heavily while her mind goes into panic. She can't lie to herself, she's in no condition to battle again. She used every last bit of strength she had to get Absol to do that aura boosted play rough. Now, she's got no energy left to fight with.
*WHISTLE!
Suddenly, a loud whistle rings out from behind Silver that attracts his attention. The redhead trainer scowls a little as he turns his head around to spot Ash's Lucario stood behind him with a pecha berry basket in hand.
Serena notices the aura pokemon stood there and questions with a small breath "What are you doing Lucario?"
The aura pokemon smirks before he shouts "Now everyone!"
Suddenly, the bushes around the camp move as a bunch of local forest bug types step out from the greenery. They quickly surround Silver with pissed off looks on their faces towards the man who's ruined their eco system.
The red head trainer gulps a little as he questions "What do you all think your doing?"
The bug type Pokémon don't give him a response verbally, they instead show him what their here to do. They all charge up their attacks while glaring at the team rocket admin.
Silver shakes a little in fear as he mutters "Ah s***."
The bug type Pokémon finish up charging their attacks before they all fire them off in unison. The attacks slam towards the evil admin, before slamming straight into him. The attacks send him flying up into the air, blasting off again in true team rocket fashion.
As Silver flies off, the bug type Pokémon let off grunts of annoyance before heading back off into the forest.
Lucario makes his way over towards Serena and gives her a hand up while questioning "Are you okay Madame?"
Serena takes a second to breath before she takes Lucario's hand, allowing him to drag her up to her feet. She gives the aura pokemon a thankful smile as she replies "Yeah I'm okay, thanks for your help Lucario."
Lucario nods as he smiles a little at Serena's praise and exclaims "No problem Madame. I saw that the opponent was strong and thought you could use the help. Are you feeling okay? Your aura levels are lower than usual."
Serena take a second to catch her breath, still feeling exhausted from the amount of aura she used with Absol during the battle. She soon shakes it off as she smiles reassuringly and explains "I'll be fine Lucario. Me and Absol got desperate and synced our aura closer than ever. It was a little weird and she was glowing pink for a second. That's why our aura is so low."
Lucario's eyes widen a little in shock as he replies with a voice full of astonishment "A connection like that is rare. I only wish I could have seen it."
Serena smiles at the young aura pokemon and exclaims "Well maybe one day you will."
The Kalos queen moves away from that conversation as she makes her way towards her exhausted Absol. She places a hand on her head and gently pets her as she sweetly compliments "You were amazing Absol, now return."
She returns Absol to her pokeball before she places it back into her pocket. She turns her head back towards Lucario and orders "We should get going, Ash needs these pecha berries"
Lucario nods in agreement with the Kalos queen and politely replies "Of course Madame."
With that, the two of the take their leave from the team rocket camp as they make their way back towards Ash and Brock's location.
________________________________
Back with Ash and Brock, the later continues to watch over the former as Ash mumbles in delusion "Brock, what ever happened to professor Ivy?"
The good Pokémon doctor scratches his head nervously and replies "We don't talk about that okay."
Meanwhile, Sylveon and Pikachu continue on their duties of looking after the Caterpie twins. Sylveon is currently cradling the pink one in her ribbon feelers as she sleeps soundly, while Pikachu plays with the blue one.
Silence fills the air until suddenly, a familiar voice shouts "We're back!"
Serena and Lucario rush into the clearing as Brock takes a sigh of relief and exclaims "I was starting to get worried, you guys were gone for a heck of a long time."
Serena quickly rushes towards her boyfriend as she explains in brief "We ran into some complications, but we got there in the end. I'll explain later but right now, we need to get this cure made for Ash."
Brock nods in agreement, sensing Serena's worry over Ash's condition. He takes the berries off Lucario's hands before he places them into a bowl to mix together to create a cure.
Serena looks over her boyfriend and places the back of her hand over his forehead as she questions "Ash I'm back. How are you feeling?"
Ash groans a little as he mumbles "I feel sick, but better your here."
Serena feels her heart pain at Ash's condition, but also dance at his cute words despite his sickness. She leans down and gives him a peck on the lips, as if that is supposed to help heal him, as she whispers "Just hold on a minute Ash, Brock is making your cure as we speak. Just keep thinking happy thoughts okay?"
Delusional sick Ash seems to like that idea of thinking happy thoughts, as he mumbles in delusion "Serena, we should go out on a date soon. I want you to wear a cute outfit and have a nice night out together."
Serena feels her cheeks light up slightly at Ash's words as she replies "I promise it'll be a cute one, but only if you promise to take all this cure for me."
Ash nods subtly, with his poisoned mind dreaming of his next night out with Serena wearing a cute outfit as they share a romantic dinner.
At that moment, Brock finishes mixing up the cure and approaches the amour couple. He kneels down next to the two and hands the cure towards Serena as he exclaims "Here, it's probably better if you feed him it than me."
Serena nods in agreement, knowing she'll have a better chance at getting Ash to eat than Brock will. She takes the bowl and spoon, scooping up a bite as she exclaims "Okay Ash, open wide so I can feed you."
Ash snickers a little before he remarks casually "You sound like a mom."
The poor Kalos queen's cheeks light up even more as she replies "Ash remember your promise, no eating this then no cute outfit."
This seems to convince the delusional Alola champion as he opens his mouth wide. Serena takes a small sigh of relief before she begins to spoon feed her boyfriend the pecha berry mix.
After a few minutes, Serena feeds Ash the last bite as she places the bowl back on the floor. She looks her boyfriend in the eyes with hope as she questions "Ash, do you feel any better?"
Ash take a second to stir before the colour on his face completely changes. The poisoning on his chest fades as a small smile coats his face. He begins to sit up a little as he replies in a groggy tone "Yeah I'm much better already. I still feel tired and stuff but I'm not feeling dizzy or anything. Thank you both."
Serena take a massive sigh of relief, clutching her hand against her blue ribbon as she exclaims "Oh thank Arceus your okay. You are more than welcome."
Brock nods in agreement and adds in a proud tone "Yeah there's no need to apologise, your actions saved those Caterpie's lives. While it was stressful for me and especially poor Serena, it was the right thing to do."
Ash smiles a little at both their words, feeling blessed that he has such great friends and family to take care of him. He lets off a small chuckle before he exclaims "Thanks for being here for me. But can we rest here a little while longer? I don't feel ready to move yet."
Serena places a reassuring smile on her face and doesn't hesitate to reply "Whatever you want Ash."
Brock nods and adds "The pecha berries can take up to an hour to fully heal poisoning. It'll be a good idea to rest here for a while."
Ash gives the two of them a thankful nod as Serena moves a little closer to him. She sits next to him, wrapping her arms around his torso while refusing to let her grip loosen. She pushes his head down towards her chest, flipping the script and giving him a pillow to rest his head on.
Ash purrs a little at the softness of Serena's comfy chest region, resting his head against her softness as he mumbles "Thanks beautiful."
Serena smiles at Ash's actions, not caring exactly where he's resting his head as she kisses him on the head and whispers "You make yourself as comfy as possible, I don't mind."
Brock watches on with a jealous frown on his face as he thinks to himself "Some guys just get all the luck."
The three of them continue to relax as Serena keeps Ash in the warmest of loving embraces. However, their peace is soon interrupted as a cry rings out "Free."
Suddenly, the two Butterfree's from earlier fly in from above with the two Caterpie's on their back. They both quickly scan the area, until the pink one finds exactly what she's looking for.
Her face lights up with a bright smile as she frantically flaps her wings while letting off a soothing cry. All of a sudden, the Caterpie twins hear the cry and both stop what their doing before rushing towards their mother. Pink Butterfree flies straight towards her two new borns and locks them in an embrace as her heart breaths a sigh of relief.
The male Butterfree with a yellow scarf soon flies down and joins his family, introducing himself to his new babies while also introducing his older kids.
Serena smiles at the warm sight of the family reunion, feeling even more proud of herself for freeing the parents and Ash for saving the two twins. She looks up at the family with a warm expression as she exclaims "It's so nice to see you all happy together. I told you they were healthy and safe."
Pink Butterfree turns towards Serena with a thankful smile, owing this reunion to the kind honey blonde performer.
Meanwhile, Ash watches the family and feels his eyes widen in shock. He looks up from the comfort of Serena's embrace and questions "Serena, I need you to be honest with me. Is there two Butterfree's in front of me. One has a yellow scarf and the other is pink. Am I still delusional or am I seeing this right?"
Serena raises an eyebrow in confusion as she replies "Yeah there is babe, but why does that matter?"
The male Butterfree hears the discussion and turns towards the amour couple. Suddenly, his eyes widen in shock at the sight he sees.
While he is much older and mature, the eyes give it all away. The young man sat in front of him is the same boy who raised him.
Their eye contact lasts for a second longer before the realisation of the situation hits them both at the same time. They both let off small laughs before they both instantly rush towards each other.
Ash continues to laugh as Butterfree lands on his shoulder. His smile brightens as he exclaims in a joyful tone "How have you been Butterfree? Man it's been so long!"
Butterfree smiles brightly while gesturing towards his family, showing off his achievements to Ash.
The raven haired trainer smiles as he continues "I didn't even realise they were your babies when I saved them this morning. That's such a weird coincidence. Congratulations buddy, I'm proud of you."
Butterfree let's off a happy cry at his former trainer's praise, while also thanking him for saving his babies from potential disaster.
Serena watches Ash and Butterfree interact as she places a puzzled look on her face and exclaims "I'm confused, what is going on here?"
Brock places a bright smile on his face and exclaims "That's Ash's Butterfree, the first Pokémon he ever captured."
Serena hears that fact and places a bright smile on her face as she replies "I forgot Ash once had a Butterfree. Now I'm even more happy that we managed to save the whole family."
Ash and Butterfree continue to interact as they share a bright smile. Ash looks down at Butterfree's family, feeling really proud of his bug type pokemon and happy he made the decision he did that faithful day.
He turns his head back towards Butterfree and exclaims "Well, you've already introduced me to your family. Now, how about I introduce you to some of mine."
Butterfree nods in agreement as he continues to sit on Ash's shoulder.
The Alola champion first points a hand towards Brock and remarks "I'm sure you remember Brock right."
Butterfree nods excitedly as he flies over towards the rock type gym leader before landing on his shoulder. Brock places a happy smile on his face as he greets "It's good to see you again Butterfree. Your looking in pretty good condition old friend".
Butterfree smiles at the pokemon doctor's compliment before flying back onto Ash's shoulder to move on with the introductions.
Ash walks over next to his first Pokémon and exclaims "Obviously you still remember Pikachu, and that there is his girlfriend Sylveon. They have their own child together too, but she's asleep in her pokeball at the moment."
Pikachu let's off an excited cry as him and Butterfree begin to interact with each other and catch up on lost time. At the same time, Pink Butterfree flies over towards Sylveon as she thanks the fairy type Pokémon for taking care of her new borns. Sylveon tells her that it was no problem and praises how cute the two kids are.
Ash smiles as the two couples interact before he finally introduces "Last but most certainly not least. This is my girlfriend Serena. She's an awesome Pokémon performer and a great person in general."
The two Butterfree smile at Serena, while Ash's wonders just how his dense head trainer got a girl like Serena to love him.
Serena smiles back at the couple and exclaims in a happy tone "We met in the forest while I was getting those Pecha berries for you. But I'll tell you that story later on. I want to hear more about you and Butterfree."
Ash nods in agreement, while being intrigued to find out more about what happened with Serena in the forest. Knowing she wouldn't hide anything important from him, he decides to tell his story first before letting Serena tell her's after.
Everyone sort of gathers round as they sit in a circle to tell stories and reminisce. Ash places a nostalgic smile on his face as he begins "Well, as I told you before Butterfree was the first Pokémon I ever caught when he was just a Caterpie. He soon became a valuable and loyal member of my team, helping me through so many tough situations during my early days as a trainer. But one day when we were on our journey, we found a bunch of Butterfree that were meeting in the air. You see, it was Butterfree mating season and they were all finding their partners to go across the ocean with to raise their own families. When we saw that, Misty told me that if my Butterfree ever wanted to have babies, then I should let him find a partner. So being a responsible trainer, that's exactly what I did."
Ash takes a pause as he lets Brock continue "We took a hot air balloon into the sky as we watched Butterfree here try to find his mate. It was taking a while and it wasn't really going too well, until he laid eyes on pink Butterfree here."
Serena interrupts the story as she places her hands on her heart and exclaims "Love at first sight, that's so beautiful."
Ash scratches his head a little nervously as he explains "Well love from one side at least. You see, my Butterfree was shut down by pink Butterfree initially and he was heart broken to say the least. Seeing him so down made me determined to make pink Butterfree like him. So we dressed him up in that scarf and tried to show her how awesome he was. However, even that wasn't enough."
Serena hears that portion of the story and finds herself becoming sad. She can only thank Arceus that she's never experienced the pain of rejection. If she had, we'll she'd never know what to do with herself.
She shakes off that thought as she further questions "What happened next?"
Ash smiles as he explains "Well, team rocket showed up and captured all the Butterfree in a net attached to a chopper. That is except for my Butterfree. He showed how awesome he is by attacking team rocket's chopper head on. While things didn't quite work out at that point, he didn't give up. Together, we tracked down team rocket and broke into where they were keeping the Butterfree. My Butterfree showed his strength and determination as he freed the rest from captivity. Seeing his bravery and his determination to keep her safe won over pink Butterfree. She was a blushing mess and she finally accepted him as her mate by doing their special dance."
Serena smiles at the happy ending to their love story as she exclaims "Having someone save you definitely pulls at the heart strings. I fell for you the moment you saved me in summer camp so I can kind of relate. Of course these days, your good looks and muscles help too. You attract me in more obvious ways."
Ash let's off a small chuckle at his girlfriend's observations and replies "Thanks beautiful."
Brock buts in as he adds "But that's not really the whole story, is it Ash."
The raven haired boy takes a small sigh before he admits "Okay, I cried a little when I let Butterfree go to start his family with pink Butterfree. But can you really blame me? I was 10 years old and he was my first capture, not to mention the first Pokémon I ever had to release. It was tough but it was the right thing to do. It's especially worth it now when I see the beautiful family Butterfree has."
Butterfree smiles brightly at his trainer's words, feeling really pleased still that he gave him such an opportunity to go and live with his mate.
Serena takes in the end part of the story and places a small smile on her face as she comments in a more positive tone "Well, I think it was a really brave and a mature thing for you to do. At 10 years old you were brave enough to say goodbye and do the right thing for your Pokémon. That's such a special trait you have Ash. I'm proud of 10 year old you."
Ash chuckles a little at the last part before he turns to his girlfriend with a grateful smile and replies "Thanks Serena."
Brock decides to move the conversation along as he exclaims "Ash grew up a lot that day that's for sure. He definitely did the right thing and showed his class as a young pokemon trainer. But now that you know that story, what happened out in the forest."
Serena decides to hold up her end of the bargain as she begins "Well, me and Lucario were in the forest when we heard some voices nearby as we were approaching the Pecha berry tree location. Naturally, we checked out what was going on and soon found out why that Scolipede was in the forest earlier. Team rocket had set up camp there and had a load of local bug pokemon trapped in cages."
Ash hears the name and snarls a little as he mumbles "Team Rocket, I really should have known."
Brock takes in the information and infers "By that information, I'm assuming team rocket released the foreign bug pokemon into the forest to drive trainers away and to remove the more passive bugs. They wanted a location for a base that was secluded in the forest with threatening bugs guarding it. That sure would have scared off Misty."
Serena nods and continues "That pretty much sums it up. One of the grunt's confirmed as much when he was on the phone to the boss. Unfortunately I couldn't catch a name, but I did catch what sounds like a code name. They called him 'R.' It doesn't really sound like anything we can use to identify them to me but at least it's a start."
Ash takes in the name and thinks about it for a second before he exclaims "I have no idea who that could be, but at least it's something. I'll do some digging and see what the police records say."
Serena nods in agreement with her boyfriend before she continues "After he got off the phone, Lucario noticed that the pecha berry tree we were looking for was on the other side of the camp. So we made a plan. I'd sneak through the camp to free the bug type Pokémon while he went to get the pecha berries. Once everything was ready, we both set out on our respective tasks. I managed to sneak my way to the first crate where I found Butterfree and his family. They looked at me a little hostile at first but once I freed them we sort of made up. I soon put two and two together, telling pink Butterfree where her children were. She thanked me while your Butterfree used sleep powder to put the other grunts to sleep. With that, I thanked them as they flew away to safety."
Ash takes in the story and finds himself becoming angry at team rocket for putting his Butterfree and his family into a cage. He takes a second to blow that angry away as he takes a deep breath and exclaims "Thanks for saving them Serena. I can only assume team rocket must have gotten Butterfree to comply by going after his kids."
Serena smiles a little at her boyfriend as she replies "No need to thank me Ash. I was just doing what was right."
Brock raises an eyebrow as he questions "So that's it? Butterfree put the grunts to sleep and you grabbed the pecha berries."
Serena shakes her head and explains in a slightly more down tone "Not quite, things only got more completed. While Lucario was collecting the berries, Silver showed up."
Ash instantly cuts off his girlfriend as he questions in a panicked tone "Silver!? Did he hurt you at all?"
Serena smiles at her boyfriend's concern for her and replies in a proud tone "He tried too, but I didn't let him this time. I stood up to him and played him at his own game. I was scared that whole time but I followed your advice exactly like you told me. I stayed positive and put on a brave face. I'm not going to let him intimidate me ever again."
Ash hears about Serena's brave actions in front of her childhood bully and can't help but beam with pride at just how well she's done. She fought her fears and won, that naturally makes him very proud of her.
He shows off just how proud as he leans over and plants a wet kiss on her cheek. He pulls away with a bright smile on his face as he shouts "That's my girl!"
Serena blushes a bright rosey red at her boyfriend's actions as she giggles. She soon catches her emotions as she finishes "Thank Ashy, anyway to finish this story off. We ended up battling and it was extremely tough. It took everything me and Absol had but we managed to take down his Weavile. He was about to send in his next Pokémon, when Lucario and the forest bugs came to the rescue. They sent him blasting off and saved me when things looked bleak. Afterwards, we ran back here as quick as we could to get you your medicine Ash."
Ash takes in the whole story and quickly processes his point of view of events. While his hatred for team rocket is only growing, at least Serena was there to stop them. Next time he hopes she'll have back up, but he's proud of her nonetheless for what she did.
He makes that exact point as he exclaims "Thank goodness you found them really. Even if I hate the thought of you taking on Team Rocket alone, I'm glad you did and managed to take the camp down. I don't even want to know what they were going to use this place for long term. You probably solved a big problem before it could escalate. You're a hero Serena."
Serena finds herself blushing even more at Ash's words. She doesn't see herself as the hero, that's Ash's job. She's just a girl who doesn't know when to give up.
She shakes her head a little in dismissal as she replies "Oh come on Ash that's a little too far. This is nothing compared to the things you've done for people. I'm no hero, not like you."
Brock smiles at little as he exclaims in a positive manner "You don't need to be so modest Serena, you probably saved lives today with your bravery."
Ash nods and continues "That's right, the queen was the brave one on the battlefield today. You should be proud of yourself Serena. I know I'm proud of you my angel."
Serena feels her blush deepening by the second from all these compliments. She takes a small sigh before she finally admits "It did feel good to be the one on the front lines for a change. Thank you both for your kind words."
Ash and Brock both smile at Serena, both allowing her to bask in her moment. They give her all the time she needs to be the centre of attention before she changes the subject and continues "Still, there's nothing we can really do now about all the foreign wild pokemon. This area is going to get a lot more dangerous for families like Buterfree's."
The two Butterfree's take small sad sighs, them both knowing that team rocket's actions have left their home in a compromised state.
Ash notices their reactions and exclaims "Oh yeah, I suppose your home isn't exactly the best place to raise a family anymore with all the strong bug types."
Both Butterfree nod in agreement while cursing out team rocket for ruining the place they've called home and have chosen to raise their offspring.
Brock raises an eyebrow and further questions "Any idea where you guys are going to go next?"
Ash's Butterfree takes a small sigh as he shakes his head in dismay, not having any idea where he's going to take his family next.
Pink Butterfree thinks about it as well, knowing how hard it's been to find a perfect place to settle down. At this point, finding another place to live while carrying around her 4 children is going to tough and dangerous.
However, today has taught her one thing when she looks over at the ketchup family. You don't need to be a wild Pokémon to raise a family. Maybe the safest place for her and her family, is with a trainer or at a pokemon lab with a much larger family.
Pink Butterfree makes the executive decision right there and then, already knowing her husband will approve. She flies straight over towards Serena with a smile on her face as she gestures towards her bag.
The Kalos queen raises an eyebrow in confusion as she questions "What's the matter pink Butterfree, are you hungry or something?"
Pink Butterfree shakes her head frantically as she gestures once again towards Serena's bag.
Brock watches the pink Butterfree's actions and uses his experience as a Pokémon doctor to be able to deduce what's exactly wrong with a Pokémon. A small smile coats his face as he exclaims "I think pink Butterfree is asking you to capture her Serena."
Everybody gasps in shock as Ash's Butterfree's eyes go completely wide. His trainer himself shakes his head in disbelief as he questions "Wait, are you serious Brock!?"
Brock nods and smiles a little as he explains "Of course I'm serious, let me explain why. Pink Butterfree and your Butterfree have 4 kids now and surviving in an environment like this will be tough. They could look for a new home, but traveling with 4 kids is no easy feat. I think what pink Butterfree wants, is guaranteed safety for her family and she'd get that with you. Whether that be on the road, or back at Professor Oak's lab. They'd never need to worry about where their next meal is coming from or whatever predators could be around the corner if they are with you. What I'm trying to say is, Butterfree wants to merge your family into her own family."
The amour couple take in the request and certainly would have no problems with such an arrangement. It'll be difficult to constantly have spaces free in their party of 6 for both Butterfree and their children so travelling all together wouldn't be a common occurrence. However, they could all still live together in the lab with no problems, living their happy life together as they deserve. Then when there occasions when Ash or Serena needs to call upon one of them, the rest of them would be safe at the lab and the kids would be protected by their many aunts and uncles. It really would be a perfect solution if their being honest, and Ash would be ecstatic to battle with Butterfree again.
All that's left is to confirm that everyone is happy as Serena kneels down to pink Butterfree's height and questions "Is that what you want pink Butterfree."
The unique Butterfree nods her head yes, accepting the life of being a trained pokemon with the Kalos queen as her trainer.
Ash sees that confirmation and knows he's only got one more member to confirm with. He kneels down next his first ever capture and questions with a small smile on his face "So how about it Butterfree, do you want to raise your family back at Professor Oak's lab? I promise you'll be safe there and our other pokemon will make you feel welcome. We can even travel together from time to time if you want. So, what do you say?"
Butterfree hears Ash's words and feels his eyes welling up with tears, tears of joy that is. The answer is so simple. He'll get a safe place to raise his family and the chance to be Ash's Pokémon again. There is literally no drawback.
The bug type Pokémon looks his trainer in the eyes and gives him a nod while smiling a bright joyous smile.
Ash gets the exact answer he was looking for as he pumps his fist in the air and shouts excitedly "Glad to have you back Butterfree."
Butterfree let's off a happy cry while doing a little happy dance in the air.
Serena smiles warmly at her boyfriend reuniting with his Butterfree, loving these moments of reunion he's having lately with his older pokemon.
She shakes her thoughts away from him for a second as she focuses on her own new Pokémon. She reaches into her bag and takes out an empty pokeball. She holds it out in front of her and exclaims with care in her voice "I'm really glad that you chose me to be your trainer Butterfree. I promise that I'll take care of you and your babies. They'll all have a safe home at the lab and they'll be cared for everyday. Once your settled in, maybe I can show you what me and my pokemon like to do? You see, I'm a pokemon performer and we perform in front of big crowds all over the world. Maybe one day, you can try Pokémon performing too?"
Pink Butterfree hears Serena's idea and is certainly onboard. While her main reason for allowing Serena to capture her is to protect her family, if she was single and on her own then the Kalos queen would certainly be the type of trainer she'd gravitate towards. She nods her head in confirmation as another bright smile coats her face.
Serena takes all the confirmation she needs as she takes her pokeball and taps it against Pink Butterfree. The pink bug type emerges itself into her new pokeball before shaking a few times. A few seconds later the pokeball dings, allowing herself to be caught.
Serena looks down at her newly captured pokeball and whispers "Welcome to the team."
The pokeball shakes a little in her hands, giving her a small thank you.
With that, Serena and Ash proceed to capture the children, taking two each. Once that's done, Ash searches in his back pack and finds another pokeball. He kneels down next to Butterfree and smiles as he exclaims "It's the same pokeball I first caught you in. I kept it just in case."
Butterfree smiles at the sentimental value of the pokeball as he taps his stubby hand against it. He soon emerges into his old pokeball, allowing himself to be caught.
Ash holds the pokeball up and smiles before placing it on his belt. He turns towards the rest of the group and exclaims "Well then, I guess we better get moving. We need to get to Cerulean city and send these guys over towards their new family."
Serena and Brock both nod in agreement as Serena replies "Yeah, we need to make up for lost time."
Everybody proceeds to pack up their things before they get back moving through the forest as they head back out on their way towards Cerulean city.
As they walk, Ash and Serena can't help but share a smile and subtle giggle as to how this day has gone.
While Ash getting poisoned and team rocket showing up wasn't exactly part of their plans, they are used to having their plans disrupted by now.
The important thing is, their actions have helped save countless lives in the forest and put a stop to team Rocket's plans.
Now, they have a new family added to their ranks with two new team members that will prove valuable for them in the future.
While today wasn't straight forward, they are both so glad it happened.
While the tough times are always difficult to overcome, they are always stronger coming through it together.
How will Ash overcome his next challenge of taking on Misty?
When will team rocket strike again?
What is the deal with this mysterious 'R' figure?"
Find out soon as the journey continues!
_________________________________
And cut!
Word count 17699
Well that's it for another chapter.
So, how did you guys enjoy this one?
Plenty of different things to speculate about.
Serena taking on Silver and overcoming some of her childhood trauma.
Plenty of uses of aura for you aura lovers.
The more hints towards this new team rocket's motive.
And of course, the return of Butterfree and the introduction of his family.
I think we all have a soft spot for Butterfree considering he was the first Pokémon ever captured.
While he was never the strongest ever, he was really cool and certainly iconic.
I hope I did him and his new family justice and expect to see some more from them in the future, and some Butterfree action on the battlefield.
Anyway in the next chapter.
The gang make it to Cerulean city as Ash prepares to take on Misty and her water type team.
How will Ash fare against the 4th sensational sister?
What surprise does he have for Serena afterwards?
What will the future hold for the Cerulean city gym leader?
Well I'll guess you'll have to find out.
So on that note, make sure you vote and comment down below if you enjoy and I'd love to hear your thoughts as always.
Have a nice day and I'll speak to you guys soon.
Bye!