Serena's Limo continues to drive on the road towards Pallet town as the gang all prepare to finally return home after the long time spent away at the indigo plateau.
Inside the limo: Ash, Serena, Professor Oak, Gary, Pikachu and Delia all sit as they relax inside the luxury vehicle.
Delia in particular is really enjoying such a lavish journey as she comments "I still can't get over how comfy this chair is. These chocolates too are just divine. I could get used to this sort of life you know. The life of luxury."
Serena finds herself smiling at her future mother in law's approval at her limo. Sure the Kalos queen herself doesn't love the lavish lifestyle, but if it makes Delia happy she can certainly put up with it.
She soon smiles at her as she exclaims "I'm glad you like it Delia. Maybe in the future I can hire it out for you on occasion as a treat. After all, It's good to see you looking so relaxed."
Delia smiles at the Kalos queen as she exclaims "Oh that would be lovely dear. I'll have to take it to your next big event. Or maybe out on a day trip to that spar you mentioned."
Serena finds herself giggling a little at Delia's enthusiasm, so glad they can bond over stuff like this. The fact their relationship is as good as it is still means so much to her. It just makes everything so much more comfortable in her relationship and her life. Having your boyfriend's mom love you is certainly a blessing that she thanks Arceus for everyday.
Gary on the other hand doesn't quite see things the same way as he shrugs his shoulders and comments "Well this might be pretty luxurious, but I still would have drove us home faster. We'd be back in Pallet town a lot sooner I'm sure of it. I'd imagine we'll still be stuck in here for another 3 hours or so."
At that exact moment, Mike the Limo driver rolls down the window and turns towards the gang as he exclaims "Ms Yvonne, we'll be arriving in Pallet town within the next 5-10 minutes. Can you please let me know where you would like me to pull over to."
Serena smiles at her personal driver as she replies "Thanks Mike, can you please pull over someplace just outside the town? We want to take our bags back to our place before we go to the lab for the party. It doesn't really feel right to pull up in a limo outside Ash's house though and I know some people might take it the wrong way."
Mike nods in agreement with the Kalos queen as he exclaims "As you wish Ms Yvonne, and Mrs Ketchum I'd be glad to lend my services to you at some point in the future. After all, Ms Yvonne is my number one client so what she says goes."
Delia smiles at the limo driver as she replies "I appreciate that Mike and I'll certainly take you up on it at some point."
The driver pulls up the window as Gary shakes his head and exclaims "Hold up, how's he gotten here so much quicker than me?"
Ash drapes an arm over his girlfriend's shoulder as he explains "Quite simple actually. On the way here you dragged us to various stops and of course we had that incident with fire. Mike has just driven us straight ahead with no need to stop."
Professor Oak nods in agreement as he adds "Plus, he's a more efficient driver than you. I know for a fact you would have taken the long way just so you could drive as fast as possible."
Gary smirks a little as he nonchalantly comments "Well obviously I did. I mean who wouldn't want to drive as fast as they possibly can. I mean what's the point of having such a fast car if you can't use it?"
Everybody rolls their eyes at Gary's logic, understanding that they're clearly not going to get any sort of sense out of him as per usual. When he says something dumb, he usually sticks to it no matter what.
Serena decides to change the subject as she turns towards her boyfriend and questions "So Ash, are you looking forward to the party at the lab?"
Ash smiles at the Kalos queen as he admits "Yeah I certainly am. It's always nice to celebrate these victories with everyone around Pallet town. After all, they're all the same people who used to look out for me and my mom growing up. But I'm especially looking forward to seeing my Pokémon and showing them the trophies. They deserve this celebration just as much as I do. I'm sure they'll all be super excited to see us all too."
Serena smiles at her boyfriend's enthusiasm for this upcoming party. She was a little concerned he'd be nervous when she considers the fact that now everyone there knows about Ash being Red's son.
Although, with how tight nip the community is in Pallet town, it wouldn't surprise the Kalos queen if everyone already knew about that unfortunate fact. After all, Delia and Red used to live in Pallet town together so it would only make sense for them to know. Either way, she hopes that Pallet town is the one place that they'll never be judged on who their fathers are but by who they are. It seems like the type of place where not matter what your past or who your ancestors are, you'll always be judged by who you are and not who they are.
The Kalos queen soon decides to move the conversation along too as she exclaims with a hint of excitement in her voice "I'm looking forward to seeing them all too, and taking pictures of you all for our bedroom wall. If it wasn't for Greninja, Lucario and Goodra not being here we finally could have gotten that wall fully up to date. Still I'm sure we can get some good pictures and I've already made pokepuffs ready for them all as a congratulations. Your Pokémon definitely deserve a treat after all they've done."
Pikachu hears the word pokepuffs and instantly feels his stomach rumble with hunger. He leaps up onto Serena's shoulder and gives her the best cute look he can as he questions "Pi pika pi?"
Serena giggles a little at Pikachu's sudden appearance as she replies "Sorry Pikachu, but you're going to have to wait until the party like everyone else. Don't worry though, I promise your pokepuff will be extra tasty."
Pikachu is a little disappointed that he can't have his pokepuff now, but soon shakes it off as he leaps up onto his own seat while day dreaming about how tasty Serena's pokepuffs are going to be this time.
Mike soon reaches the outskirts of the town and pulls over. He looks back through the window as he informs "This is your stop Ms Yvonne. Have fun at the party everyone."
Everybody proceeds to thank Mike for the lift back to Pallet town. They soon all gather their belongings before they begin to trek back towards the old town, ready to go and celebrate with the locals.
_____________________________
The gang all soon find themselves in the heart of Pallet town as they make their way back to professor Oak's lab. As they pass by they stop at Delia's house so Ash, Serena and the champion's mother can drop off their things. Obviously they say high to Mimey as well who has been doing an outstanding job of watching the house over the last few days. He's the one Pokémon who can basically take care of himself in a human environment without a fuss. Cooking, cleaning etc just are natural to him.
They all soon continue on towards Professor Oak's lab and step through towards the lab grounds. As they do they are hit by a massive wall of noise as a shout of congratulations rings out around the entire lab grounds.
The new Indigo league champion can't help but smile as he looks around to see what this party has in store. All of the town's residents are here with clear happy smiles on their faces, and clear excitement to welcome home their new champion. They've all seen Ash grow up from Delia's overly energetic son to the man he is today. While he may have been the noisiest and probably the biggest trouble maker around here as a kid, they all still couldn't be prouder of him.
All of Ash's Pokémon are also present at the lab, well expect for three omissions. They all stand or fly with smiles on their faces as they let off a congratulatory cheer towards their trainer. Bulbasaur even holds a congratulations sign in front of them with his vines just for effect.
Tables are spread out all over the place for people to sit and talk at, leaving room for the lab grounds to be used for other activities as well. A buffet is spread out around a few tables too, instantly catching Ash's eyes as his stomach rumbles. It is around dinner time now and they skipped lunch so of course he's hungry as he always is.
There's also a little bar as well with many different sorts of alcohol beverages available. Ash and Serena both look at each other and mutually decide that it's probably best not to drink tonight when they consider their celebration night. They drank quite a bit that night so it's good to have a few days off. Of course that won't stop Gary but that never does. He's simply built different.
Finally there's a few speakers spread about the place with music ready to play out of them. The only thing Ash can hope with that is that Serena's album is playing and not one of Gary's terrible playlists. After all her singing is still the best!
The new indigo league champion soon shakes off that thought as he smiles and exclaims "Wow, thanks everyone. This looks amazing. You seriously didn't need to put all that on for me."
One of the neighbours shakes her head as she remarks "Don't be so modest Ash. You deserve this celebration so that's why we've put it on. It's not everyday one of your neighbours becomes a champion of a region. I still remember when you used to climb into my back garden to try and see if you could find any Caterpies in the mud."
Another neighbour smiles before she adds "Or the time he got stuck up in my tree, trying to play with my Meowth. You were only three bless you and we had to call Blue to get you down. I had never seen you so scared."
One final neighbour finishes "How about the time you jumped through a table at the yearly festival because you thought you could fly like a Pidgey if you flapped your arms fast enough."
That last one causes Ash to grow red a little with embarrassment as Serena finds herself giggling away at how cute and stupid her boyfriend used to be as a child. Well he still is cute now to her but in a different sort of way.
Ash sighs in defeat as he admits "I guess you all deserve to get your own back a little for my childhood stupidity. Well, I hope you all enjoy the party and laughing at my expense."
The residents all soon clap as they give Ash some space to go and speak with his pokemon who are still lined up. Ash sees them waiting and takes two of his winner's trophies into his hand with Serena carrying the other one. They soon approach them as Ash smiles and exclaims "Well everyone, looks like we've got a few more trophies to add to the collection. I told you all we'd bring these home and we did. That's all down to your hard work so thank you all for your help!"
All of Ash's Pokémon cheer in approval of their trainer's statement as they all take in the feeling of success coursing through their bodies. Ash always said that their training would pay off one day, and it certainly has now. All that time spent at the lab waiting has paid dividends for them all, the proof being those trophies in front of them.
Soon Pikachu takes the medals he collected at the trophy ceremony and hands them out to all the pokemon who competed in the league. They each stand while looking rather proud of themselves as the medal hang from around their necks.
The only thing that is a little annoying is the fact that only the pokemon who competed have a medal and not every pokemon Ash owns. However, the raven haired trainer is determined to change that in the future and has already requested some more medals from the pokemon league board. Even if they didn't compete in the tournament, they were apart of the preparation and Ash feels as though they all deserve a medal for that alone. After all, winning the tournament started with training and they certainly helped with that. They were apart of the journey to get here, and in his mind they deserve to be rewarded as such.
With the medals and the trophies in place, Serena soon approaches Ash's Pokémon as she exclaims "I'm so proud of all of you for how well you did over the course of the league. You all helped to make Ash's dreams closer to coming true and I can't thank you enough for that. As promised, I've baked you all some special pokepuffs. I promise you that they're delicious."
Serena soon opens the basket full of treats as Ash's Pokémon's mouths all begin to water. This is one of the reasons why they love their secondary trainer, and why they all threaten Ash not to upset her. She treats them with care, feeds them and makes their trainer happy. What more could she do
The Kalos queen proceeds to go around each pokemon and gives them their pokepuff designed pacifically for their needs. Expect for Snorlax of course who Serena has made as many different types of pokepuffs for as she can, knowing he'll love them all no matter what type their meant to be for.
Of course Serena's Pokemon see their trainer giving out pokepuffs to Ash's Pokemon and feel slightly offended that they've not been offered at least one. They soon dash off and surround their trainer while giving her big sorry looks.
Serena giggles a little at her Pokémon's attack and explains "Don't worry, I've made all of you one too."
Serena's Pokemon let off happy cheers as she gives them all a pokepuff each. Soon they all stand munching on their treats while smiling away, feeling content with this small reward for their efforts over the past few days.
As Ash and Serena watch their pokemon eat happily they both can't help but smile. Seeing them happy brings them joy, knowing they owe a lot of their success to them. If it wasn't for their pokemon they'd be nowhere near close to achieving their dreams like they are now.
As they continue to watch, they soon hear the familiar voice of Delia shout out "Ash, Serena! Why don't you and all your Pokémon squeeze in together to get a picture with the trophies? I'd love to add a bunch today to my family photo album!"
Ash and Serena look at each other and shrug, deciding to let Delia have her picture taking fun. The new indigo league champion soon nods as he replies "Sure mom, just let us get set."
The amour couple move towards their pokemon and stand in the middle of them all. They soon wrap an arm around each other and smile as they wait for Delia to take the picture. Their Pokemon soon follow suit with their poses, with Serena's Pokemon looking more photogenic than Ash's to say the least. That is expect for the young Aerodactyl who tries his best to copy Charizard's pose as best he can.
Over the next half hour or so, the party for Ash and Serena essentially becomes a photoshoot. It's by no means a professional one, but it's still fun nonetheless.
After Delia takes one of them all, she goes into full crazy camerawoman mode as she begins to direct traffic. She asks Serena's pokemon to move aside for a second so she can get a picture of all of Ash's pokemon with the amour couple. After she gets one of just the couple by themselves, ready to add that picture to her ever growing larger amour photo album.
After that, Serena takes a step aside for a while so Ash can't get his picture taken with his whole team. Next up is a picture with the whole Johto and Kanto gang of Pokémon considering this was their league.
Delia goes a little crazy with the Pokemon pictures as she continually orders different combinations. First up is just Ash and Pikachu, then Ash and Charizard together. Then she gets one of the whole championship winning team together before then individually making Ash take one with all his Pokémon so no one feels left out.
Ash is a little tired of all the pictures at this point, but obviously continues to go a long with it due to the fact it means so much to his mother. She's also been one of those people who loves to keep photo albums and video recordings of moments in the past, despite how embarrassing some of them are in his eyes. She says one day he'll be glad she kept a hold of those memories despite how embarrassing they may have been.
Soon the pokemon pictures are wrapped up as Delia moves onto making Ash take a picture with all his guests. Ash is pretty much forced to take a picture with everybody from the neighbourhood individually despite how drawn out it all feels.
Of course as part of those residents are Gary and Professor Oak. They both have their pictures taken with Ash much to Delia's delight. Considering the amount of pictures she has of Ash and Gary as kids, she can't wait to put them side by side to compare how much they've changed. One of those emotional old mama moments.
Of course Delia hands the camera to Serena for a second so she can get a photo with her son. She trusts Serena to get a good snapshot of them both, knowing that's she's got a good sense for photos after seeing her instagram account.
Finally for the last photo, Delia gathers all the residents together around the place and puts them into position. The pokemon soon join them too as Delia places a timer on the camera before running to join in the whole group photo with the rest of Pallet town.
With the photos finally done, the party really is able to get underway as everything becomes a bit more spread out. Almost immediately, Ash darts to the buffet to get himself a few plates of food. He's absolutely starving, and he feels like he deserves a treat after that photo shoot. If anything it's just made him more hungry than he already was.
Serena giggles at her boyfriend's love for his food and ultimately decides to leave him to eat in peace. She understands that he's hungry, and she doesn't want to disturb him. She's also a little hungry herself, but doesn't want to find herself tempted by some of the less healthier options that she knows will be on Ash's plate. They've not been eating as healthy over the last few days nor has Serena had the time to do her usual practice and training. In short, she's feeling a little insecure about herself even if it is totally ridiculous.
While Ash continues to eat, Serena makes her way around the lab and thanks all the local community for coming and putting on such a thing for Ash. As always in Pallet town, Serena is welcomed with open arms by all with everyone understanding how important the honey blonde girl is to Ash.
Serena talks with many residents for a while, all sharing fun conversations and making sure to catch up. The best part of these community talks for Serena is how welcome they make her feel, and give her a real want to potentially stay in Pallet town when the time comes for her and Ash to settle down.
The second part of these talks she loves is the ammunition they give her against her boyfriend. The people of Pallet town may be pretty caring, but they certainly aren't the best at keeping secrets. They tell her so many funny and embarrassing stories about Ash's past that can't help but laugh at. Ash being the dumb kid he was is always cute to her, and something she could just imagine him being like. All she hopes is her kids one day take after her a little more and have a bit more of her sensible side. But either way she would love them the same.
She soon moves on from the adults as she of course speaks to a few of the kids that call this town their home. Serena understands that in her role as Kalos queen she is a bit of an inspiration for some so she always likes to make time for the younger generation.
The Kalos queen spends her time talking and playing with the children for a minute in a very natural way that makes the kids have a load of fun. They play games like hide and seek or hopscotch, basically older games that Serena is used to from her childhood.
Lots of the local residents note Serena's natural skills at dealing with young kids and all wonder if they could ever hire her as a babysitter for the night. Delia notices too and holds in a squeal, knowing Serena is going to be the best mom to her grandbabies one day.
After playing with the children, Serena leaves some of her and Ash's Pokémon to entertain them instead as she heads over to sit down with her boyfriend as the party moves into full swing. It isn't long until lights are shining down around the lab grounds as a dance floor opens up.
Serena and Ash relax with each other for a while, talking to any residents or couples that pass by them. The good thing about small towns like Pallet town is that the community is so close that everyone seems to know everyone.
Delia and Professor Oak are doing more of the same as they stand and talk around with the residents. Delia is definitely on the wine tonight, with Ash and Serena keeping a close eye on her just in case she does go overboard in her excitement.
Gary meanwhile is at the bar as usual, not having the same reservations about drinking too much lately like the amour couple does.
Speaking of the amour couple, a song Serena really likes comes on and she simply can't help but want to dance. She soon drags Ash with her, obviously to be her partner in crime as the two head off to the dance floor. Soon the two find themselves dancing together in their usual playful rhythm. Serena absolutely loves to dance and now that she can do it with Ash it's simply one of her favourite activities. There's nothing like smiling and laughing with him while he tries to keep up with her skill. Best part is dancing with him can be so teasing, something that they've both become accustomed to loving.
Speaking of Serena's skill, she soon notices her pokemon all up dancing too, even Aerodactyl trying to copy some of Altaria's moves with mixed results to say the least.
With her pokemon up and about, Serena decides to let Ash off the hook so to speak and focus on putting on an impromptu performance instead. After all, it has been a few weeks since her last performance so why not blow off some of the cobwebs so to speak? The best part being, all of her Pokemon can join in at the lab too so there's no limit to her creativity.
Serena and her Pokemon soon climb onto the practice stage Ash built her on her first day in Pallet town. Every resident soon turns towards the stage with anticipation on their faces, ready to see what the Kalos queen can do live.
Serena and her Pokemon soon get to work once the music changes, beginning with some basic dance choreography before moving on to the more advanced manoeuvres. The dancing continues as combination moves are soon called out by the Kalos queen. Before they know it, beautiful colours and shapes flow through the air and shine in the night sky as the crowd roar in approval of the Kalos queen's greatness.
The performance only continues to get better as time goes on with the crowd only becoming more and more invested. Sure it's not Serena's best performance, but at the end of the days that's not what she's aiming for with this one. She just wants to put on a safe, fun routine that everyone can enjoy. It's a nice workout to dust themselves off for some of the more advanced performances they have planned in the future. The main goal is to entertain the crowd and make sure they don't pick up any injuries.
They manage to do just that as Serena dances into position and throws her hand up in the air as she shouts "Ta Da! And that's it!"
The crowd all instantly roar and applaud the Kalos queen, feeling really blessed to see her perform in person for the first time for a lot of them. There's a reason why she's got the potential to be the greatest Kalos queen of all time, and a performance like that shows off exactly why.
Serena stands on stage, panting a little heavily as she takes in the crowd's reaction. She's definitely missed performing over the last few weeks, even if she definitely wouldn't change her schedule for the world.
Her and her Pokemon soon curtsy and wave to the crowd before they exit the stage and allow the party to get back underway as scheduled.
Serena soon walks back to her table where she finds her boyfriend waiting for her with a cup of water already in his hands to give to her upon her return. He passes the cup towards her as he smiles brightly and exclaims "That was amazing out there beautiful. I've missed watching you perform so much over the last few days."
Serena smiles at her boyfriend's kind words as she takes the cup of water into her hands. She takes a sip before she looks up at her boyfriend and replies "Thanks Ashy. It's been a small break but now I'm definitely going to get back up to speed with training now. After all, I need to put on the best performances I can for some of my rookie class showcase openers. Aria used to put on her best performances to inspire young girls so it's only fair that I do the exact same thing."
Ash nods in agreement with his girlfriend as he remarks "Yeah, we always promise to do our best so that goes for any battle or showcase performance. Although I'm not sure you're as rusty as you said you are. That was a top tier performance if you ask me."
Serena feels her heart dance at her boyfriend's praise of her performance. It's been a little while since it's been him supporting her profession and she's glad that the roles have reversed for a change. She soon hugs his arm as she comments "Thank you handsome, I really appreciate the support."
The amour couple spend the next half hour or so just sat talking while the rest of the party moves around them. In truth, the time spent just relaxing is more important to them both given the rush that has been these last few weeks. They're both sort of all partied out and ready to get back to working towards their ultimate goals, but they were never going to let down everyone here today by not coming. After all, it's nice to see how your achievements positively impact other people.
The sun starts to set soon as a cold breeze begins to blow through the old town. Of course at that point Ash passes his jacket to his girlfriend with her looking a little shaky. Serena takes her boyfriend's jacket reluctantly before cuddling into him with it.
Their quiet time is soon interrupted however as Serena notices a few old school cam corders spread out across a table nearby, with a banner reading "The champion's growth."
She shrugs her shoulders and decides that she wants to go and grab one, with Ash a little distracted watching his mom in the distance.
The Kalos queen quickly grabs one before she returns to her boyfriend. She holds the camera in front of him as she questions "What do you think this is all about?"
Ash shakes his head as he replies "I have no idea babe. But I know that if it's one of the neighbour's cameras it's probably going to be embarrassing for me."
Serena giggles for a second before she further questions "Can we give it a watch together?"
Ash shrugs and nonchalantly replies "Sure, no harm in you seeing the footage I guess. It could be fun even it is embarrassing."
Serena does think about sparing Ash's blushes for a second but in the end her curiosity to see what these videos could be all about get the better of her. After all, nothing could really change her opinion on him now. If it's embarrassing kid footage, she'll just shrug it off as him just being a kid. After all, people change and Ash is definitely not the same kid he once was.
She soon holds the camera in view for them both to see before she presses the play button on cam corder. After a few seconds, blurry but watchable footage appears on the screen as both of them take in the scene. By the looks of things the camera has been set up on the floor as a 14 month year old toddler Ash waddles around in front of it. It's just after his 1st birthday and the toddler is starting to find his adventurous side with him now being able to walk.
His raven hair is still over grown and left free to hang. His Z mark cheeks are chubby and so is whole stature being a toddler. Serena can't help but giggle as she takes in his cute look, only amplified by the Growlithe themed furry onesie Delia seemingly has him dressed in. The combination of cute chubby toddler Ash and his clothes has her heart melting.
Speaking of which, a much younger Delia sits down on the floor next to the boy as she smiles at her son. Both Serena and Ash can't get over how young and flawless she looks, despite the fact she would have been living life as a single mother at this time.
She soon moves a strand of her son's hair as she questions in a tone very much used to speak to a toddler "Ash, are you going to show me some of your speaking? You've been getting very good at it lately."
Toddler Ash stops focusing on the toy in his hand as he turns towards his mother and excitedly replies in a baby voice "Yes!"
Delia giggles at her son's enthusiasm before she moves onto her speaking game. She holds up a Pikachu teddy in her hand before she questions "Who's this Ash?"
Ash smiles as he points his hand towards the Pikachu teddy and replies "Pika!"
Serena instantly feels her heart melt at her boyfriend's baby cuteness while Ash just face palms, not realising it's common for all babies to say only parts of words when learning to talk.
Delia soon holds up a Bulbasaur action figure as she questions "And who's this one."
Ash jumps up and down a little in excitement before he shouts "Bulb Bulb!"
Delia smiles at her son and holds up a Charmander plushie as she exclaims "Very good Ash. Now which is this one."
A more concentrated look sits on the toddle's face as he analyses the teddy. He soon gets it as he excitedly shouts "Char Char!"
Delia smiles again, super proud of her son's talking quite clearly. She soon holds one final Squirtle teddy in the air as she asks "Final one baby. Can you tell me who this one is?"
Toddler Ash instantly points a finger at the teddy as he shouts in a baby tone "Wuirtle!"
Serena giggles at Ash's cute way of saying Squirtle, seeing that her boyfriend struggled to say his S's like a lot of babies do. Teenage Ash slaps himself in the face, wondering why he was so dumb and struggled so much to say that word.
Delia places a bright proud smile onto her face as she picks her son up. She bounces him up and down a little as she praises "Clever boy Ash! That's my little pokemon master!"
Baby Ash smiles at his mother's praise as he laughs while jumping up and down in his mom's arms. The young toddler smiles as he remarks in a broken tone "Love you mama!"
Delia smiles and soon plants a kiss on his forehead before she replies "I love you too Ash."
She soon places him back on the ground for a second and takes the camera, shutting it off and ending the recording.
Upon the video ending, Serena places the camera down and looks at her boyfriend with a bright smile. She soon pinches his cheek a little in a playful way as she exclaims "Aw you were the cutest baby ever! I can't believe you were that cute."
Ash takes in Serena's words and raises an eyebrow as he questions "Were that cute? I thought you said I'm cute now?"
Serena giggles a little as she explains "Baby cute and man cute are two different types of things Ash. That's all you need to understand."
Ash doesn't totally understand Serena's point but supposes that it's just a girl thing as he replies "Whatever you say beautiful. Still I can't get over how dumb I was. I could even say Squirtle properly."
The Kalos queen shakes her head as she explains "Your not stupid Ash, you were just learning to talk and it's common for babies to struggle with certain words or letters. S is usually one a lot of people struggle with. If you knew my name back then you would have probably called me 'Rena' or something along those lines."
Ash isn't sure that he would have ever gotten Serena's name wrong out of respect for her, but does kind of see that Rena cold have been a cute childhood nickname for her. He may even try to use that once or twice moving forward.
However, his interest is instead peaked by the subject of babies talking as he replies "So, will we have to teach our kids how to talk like that one day? I always just thought they knew how to do that from the start."
Serena's heart melts at Ash's innocence when it comes to this subject as she finds herself holding in a giggle. She soon recovers as she falls into his embrace and explains "No Ash, you have to teach a baby how to talk. They ussually naturally pick up a lot of phrases but you have to teach them the basics. Most babies first word is either mama or dada. Then from there they just learn more and more."
Ash scratches the back of his head nervously as he admits "Oh, I didn't know. I guess that's another thing I need to learn how to do when we have kids one day."
Serena's heart beats a little faster as she takes in Ash's words. While she knows he's apprehensive about being a dad one day, he's willing to talk about it and learn which is comforting. With how sweet he is she knows he'll be a great dad if ever given the opportunity to be. Although that's still years away in her head. After all she's still taking the appropriate steps to make sure that doesn't happen too early.
The Kalos queen takes a small content sigh as she falls into Ash's embrace little more and exclaims "You know, looking at that baby video of you is makes me realise how cute our babies will be one day. They're going to be so adorable."
Ash looks down at his girlfriend and can tell that these sort of conversations mean a lot to her, the main reason why he's so okay with them becoming parents one day despite him being so clueless. It clearly makes her happy, and he's willing to go through his personal demons with the subject to make it happen.
He pecks her on the forehead before he admits "They'll be yours so of course they'll be cute like you my angel. But let's not think about that too much. After all, we're not planning that right now are we?"
Serena nods in agreement, knowing what type of commitment that would mean. She would have to stop traveling and it would put a hold on Ash's dream at some point. Him settling down with the demons of not completing what he set out to complete would simply be too much for him to handle and she knows it. Plus, she's too young and at her most popular point of her first year as the Kalos queen.
She soon smiles up at her boyfriend as she replies "Yeah you're right, not until we're ready. You've still got some more leagues to win before then."
The amour couple soon sit in relatively comfortable silence for a few minutes as they take in the conversation they just had, both wondering still what the future holds for them both once they inevitably finish their journey and settle down.
Serena is the one who breaks the silence as a little reminder pops into her mind. She looks up at her boyfriend as she exclaims "Oh by the way Ash, tomorrow night me and you are going out to dinner. It's a business dinner though so I'm going to need you to be focused okay? It's nothing bad though I promise."
Ash raises an eyebrow, a little thrown off by his girlfriend just throwing out this plan to him out of nowhere. Sure he always loves going to dinner with Serena, but this business things seems a little random. Sure he trusts her that she's not going to take him out somewhere that he's going to be uncomfortable, but still it's a little strange.
He gets that point across to his girlfriend as he replies "That's a little out of the blue to be honest Serena. I trust you and all but you've got to admit it's a little odd. So, who's going to be there? Is it Aria or Palermo?"
Serena does want to tell her boyfriend about who's going to be there and what the plan is, but she doesn't want to do it right now in front of everyone at the party. In truth she's not sure she's going to get a good moment to tell him before the dinner, all she can really hope for is that he'll understand what her plan is when he sees it unfold in front of his face.
She looks her boyfriend in the eye before she explains in a complicated tone "I want to tell you what's going on Ash I really do, but I'm afraid that right this second isn't really the right time to do so. I know it's odd and sounds a little secretive but I need you to trust me on this. I know you'll understand the assignment once you see it but for now I need you to keep faith in me. I know what I'm doing, after all I learned from the best."
Ash takes in Serena's statement and can tell this isn't some regular old business meeting. This is clearly a pretty important meeting at least, and he can tell there must be something strange going on here.
Nevertheless, he obviously trusts Serena to do the right thing as he replies "Of course I trust you beautiful. It's just that I want to make sure you're safe that's all. If you think this is the way to do it then I believe you're right. But can you at least give me a few details so I can at least prepare myself?"
Serena is happy with Ash's compromise as she replies "Okay I'll tell you a few things. The people we're meeting are formerly associated with an evil team so I'm going to need you to keep your guard up. Bring a pokemon and a strong one at that. This is going to be more of an information gathering exercise so we can figure out what's going on with some of the shenanigans we've seen around Kanto and beyond."
The indigo league champion puts his game face on for a second, sort of already guessing that this would have something to do with some form of evil organisation. After all it always seems to be. He's not so dense as to not see that this probably has something to do with the new team rocket. After Damion's actions at the plateau and many others before that, it's no secret that the two of them are indeed targets. Getting some information on them to prepare for any future attacks would be perfect. With the likes of Silver still hiding out there, Ash would love nothing more than to get the jump on him this time. After all, he's still not over the fact he tried to attack Serena alone in the forest while he was poisoned. He's still pissed that team rocket ruined Butterfree's home, and took Lapras's school away from her.
The raven haired trainer holds in his anger for now as he turns back towards his girlfriend. He gives her a small smile before he exclaims in a much lighter tone "That sounds pretty standard to me. Is there anything else I should be aware of?"
Serena sees Ash is trying to lighten the mood a little and does appreciate his efforts as she replies in a much lighter tone herself "Yes there is actually. The restaurant we're going to do is nothing fancy. It's a small local restaurant that I've rented out for the night. I don't want there to be any eyes on this meeting so that's why I've chosen somewhere discreet and not so fancy as to not draw attention to us. I suppose that means we don't need to wear anything formal or too dressed up either."
Ash smiles a little as he remarks with a hint of a tease in his voice "I guess that's some positive news. I've worn enough suits for a little while. Still, I wish I could see you dress up all fancy as usual."
Serena giggles a little at Ash's comment as she replies in a flirtatious tone "I think you've seen me all dolled up enough for a little while. That is until I'm back doing showcase openers and my Galar league performance. I have some cute dresses lined up for those, and a few extra ones that are for your eyes only. But that's only if you behave yourself."
Ash feels his cheeks heat up at Serena's statement with him only imagining what type of shenanigans Serena could potentially have in store for him one day. He soon shakes it off as he replies "Then I guess I'll play along for now. I'm sure that you'll look stunning no matter what style of clothing you choose to wear as usual. I personally can't wait to see some of the photos from your photoshoot coming up."
Serena smiles at her boyfriend as they continue to cuddle in. She soon settles in a little more as she exclaims "Thanks Ashy, I'm excited about this project too. I just hope everything works out well with the deal and that the clothes are appropriate for the performers. But I'm sure Aria will have fact checked everything to make sure it's all good to go."
Ash nods in agreement with Serena, really onboard with her current mission to supply free performance outfits at the rookie class showcases.
He soon goes to reply to his girlfriend when the conversation is suddenly interrupted by Gary. The grandson of professor Oak approaches the amour couple with a pint of beer in his hands as he exclaims "There you two are! Man I can't believe the two most popular people at this party, apart from me of course, are sat in the corner mopping around. Seriously Ashy boy, are you going to get up and have a beer with the boys or has Serena got you on a lead like she's taking you for a walk?"
Ash rolls his eyes at Gary's statement as he replies "Actually Gary, it was my idea not to drink in combination with Serena. It's all my choice and I'm saying no because I don't need it every night unlike you. This really has nothing to do with me being whipped or whatever. If I wanted to then I'm allowed of course. It's called not being controlling in your relationship."
Gary shakes his head a little as he casually remarks "I knew you'd bite at that one, you always do."
Serena sighs at Gary's usual antics as she questions "Did you just come over here to cause a scene or do you actually have a reason for being here?"
Gary takes a seat at the table and holds his hands up in a defensive manner as he exclaims "Relax I come in peace. Am I seriously not welcome to sit and relax with my friends? I mean if you guys wanted a private couple moment then sneak into the lab. You could do your thing quick and nobody would notice."
Ash shakes his head at Gary's usual antics as he replies "Relax Gary we're just chilling out here. You're welcome to stay if you're not here to make stupid jokes. So what is it that's up with you?"
Gary takes a sip of his pint before he places it down on the table. He looks across at the couple lightly cuddling as he explains "Okay I'll tell you. Do you remember a week or so ago when you two were blabbering on about finding a place to stay in Galar during the Galar league?"
Serena nods as she replies "Yeah I do, and you mentioned that you could get us somewhere if all goes well. We didn't really think much of it at the time."
Gary smirks a little before he confidently exclaims "Well you need to start thinking more of your boy because guess who came through and got you that house? That's right it's me, Gary motherfucking Oak!"
Serena's eyes widen in surprise as she questions "You really got us the house?"
Ash shakes his head as he adds "I guess you are good for something. So where's this house too anyway? We didn't really pay attention to it before because we thought you were full of it."
Gary takes another sip of his beer before he explains "Its a house not too far from where the Galar league will be being held, just outside of Wyndon. It's a pretty secluded area so you'll have all the privacy you need for preparations too. The place is practically a ranch too so you'll have all the space you need for all your Pokémon. Not to mention the fact that the house is massive. You'll have no trouble finding space for those two kids you were talking about."
Serena smiles at the news, really glad that her and Ash are going to have another house together when they inevitably travel to Galar for the Galar league. Obviously things will be a little different this time with Chloe and Goh under their care essentially, but she still can't wait to see what this house will be like. This place sounds perfect to her, and the type of house she'd even love to settle down in if it was in a different location.
The Kalos queen soon turns her attention to Gary as she replies "Thanks Gary that's great news. My team have been looking everywhere for a house like this to rent and no one could find anything. I'm not sure how you did it but we appreciate it."
Ash is a little more skeptical about his best friend's potential house as he questions "Hold on a minute, how did you find us a house? More importantly, how much is this costing us for rent? I know we could afford it and all but I don't want to be throwing money around that we'll need in the future."
Gary shakes his head a little before he explains with a small smirk on his face "Who would have thought that Ashy boy would be the one sensible enough to think about finances? Well you don't need to worry yourself because this place is free of charge. You remember my parents bought a house a few years back? Well it was this one in Galar I was talking about. They bought it initially just for a place to stay while they did some research on the Galar climate and the type of Pokémon there. Well they've loved the house so much that they spend more time there than they do in Pallet town. That's where I went this Christmas and the place is a beauty. My parents are going on a business trip soon to Sinnoh for a month or so, you know my old man is a higher up in the pokemon league board of directors. It's some sort of trip to inspect the behind the scenes running of Sinnoh's gyms but that's not important. The important thing is that they'll be leaving the house the same day that you're planning on travelling to Galar so you'll have everything to yourself for a few days."
Ash and Serena both take in the news about the house and are pretty satisfied with it. Ash soon makes that point clear as he exclaims "That sounds good to me, and I can't wait to see aunt Green and Blue again. It's been like 5 years since I last seen them. Oh and Daisy too. Man she must have grown a lot by now."
Gary sighs a little as he remarks "She certainly has, and she's still the spoiled little brat of the family. They both treat her like she's still a baby just because she's the youngest."
Serena raises an eyebrow as she questions politely "Pardon me for interrupting, but can someone explain to me who Daisy is?"
Ash smiles at his girlfriend as he explains "Oh sorry beautiful, I forgot that I never told you about her. She's Gary's little sister who lives with his parents. She's probably about 13 now I'd imagine. I haven't seen her in ages so I'm looking forward to seeing how much she's grown up."
Serena is a little surprised to hear Gary has a little sister but isn't too fussed by it. Although it does occur to her that if Gary is a little like Ash's brother, does that make Daisy a bit like a younger sister to him? She can only debate that in her mind until she meets the girl in person.
Instead she places a small smile on her face as she exclaims "Oh I thought Gary was an only child like you. Still I can't wait to meet her and your parents Gary. Everyone knows who Blue and Green are so it'll be an honour to finally get to meet them."
Gary shrugs his shoulders as he replies "I was for a while until mom got baby fever again. There's a 6 year age gap between us so we're not all that close I guess. My parents are nothing special anyway so don't panic yourself about meeting them."
Ash shakes his head in disagreement as he exclaims "Na you two used to be pretty close as kids. The amount of times Gary got dragged up to play Barbies with her is priceless. Plus your parents are awesome and you know it."
Serena giggles a little at Ash's point as she replies "Ah so Gary is a soft big brother. Who would have thought it?"
The son of Blue Oak shakes his head a little as he exclaims "You know you two are so lucky that you're both only children. Little sisters are the worst! Always making me play with her and then whenever she did something stupid it was always me who got the blame."
Ash shakes his head as he replies "Well we may be only children by name but we've had to deal with our fair share of younger sisters during our travels I'd say. Still it's always been pretty fun and gone well for us I'd say."
Serena takes a second to think, knowing that really she isn't an only child. Sure she grew up as one, but she does have two half siblings out there. Sometimes she does wonder where they are or if she'll ever get the opportunity to meet them, but the thought of having any contact with her father again always seems to turn her stomach.
She soon shakes off that thought as she replies "I'd say between Bonnie, Lillie and now Chloe that I've done my fair share of big sister duties as well. I've always enjoyed it but that might just be because everyone says I'm really good at handling younger children."
Gary holds in a joke about Serena being good with kids, not wanting to tease the two of them about parenthood with it still being a very sensitive and private subject between the two of them.
Instead he finishes off his pint of beer and slams in against the table before he exclaims "Well that settles it anyway. I'll let my old man know we'll take the house throughout the entirety of the Galar league. I'll have to send someone to clean my room out for when we arrive and I'll ask them to set you out the master bedroom. You're the couple so I'll let you have the biggest room."
Ash and Serena both take in Gary's statement and raise eyebrows as the new Indigo league champion questions "Hold on a second, since when were you coming to the Galar league with us?"
Gary shakes his head as he explains "Well I thought it was pretty obvious that I was coming too. For starters, there's the fact that it's a new region for us all that is pretty undiscovered. Gramps wants me to do some research and find out more about the Pokémon that inhabit that place. Two, it's my house so I'm kind of free to stay there if I want. Three, the crowds there can be pretty toxic as you know and are going to be rooting against Ash for the most part. They'll be chanting, booing and shouting some pretty mean stuff from what I've experienced. That's not going to stop at just Ash, but potentially those associated with him too. It may only be worse given the recent news too. Imagine only having Serena and two kids in the crowd in that atmosphere. If she loses her head, sorry Serena but I know what your like, then they're only going to be more toxic. That's why you need me to fight back against them and turn the crowd's attention against me. I can take all the hate and dish it out back, leaving you all to focus on the battlefield. Finally there's that other situation with my detective job. You know what I'm talking about. If something goes down, I'm there."
Ash and Serena both take in Gary's points and have to concede that he's right on all of them. The main thing obviously being the crowd and the Chairman Rose problem. Once the abuse starts Serena is bound to lose her head so having Gary to shout back will be ideal. When it comes to the art of being a hooligan, he can match up with the best of them. If a situation does kick off at any point, he's experienced enough to help fight back against evil teams.
The raven haired trainer soon turns towards his best friend as he exclaims "Okay then Gary, I guess you'll be traveling with us a little longer than expected. It's good to have you with us honestly."
Serena nods in agreement as she adds "I'll certainly appreciate the extra help with dealing with the crowd. Plus that probably means I can argue back against Aria and Palermo's security concerns she has for me being there. With Gary's dubious elite 4 status, I can probably talk them out of it."
Gary smirks a little and shrugs his shoulders as he exclaims "Don't mention it, and I'll even add one more thing to the list. I'll make the old man soundproof your room so we're not a detriment to your privacy. You know when you guys are feeling frisky."
Serena blushes a little from the sudden mention of a soundproof room while Ash just rolls his eyes at Gary's usual shenanigans. He soon goes to retort when suddenly, he notices his mother stumbling over towards them with an empty glass in her hands.
She soon sits down at the table in between the amour couple and places them both in an embrace and exclaims in a slightly slurred voice "There's my favourite couple! Have I ever told you how much I love you both!"
Serena finds herself stifling a giggle at Delia's sudden appearance while Ash sighs at his mother's antics. He soon replies in a bit of a harsh tone "Yeah we know mom. I told you not to drink that much."
Delia frowns at her son's statement as she exclaims in an offended tone "I haven't drunk that much! Have I Serena?"
Serena can tell by the slur in Delia's words that she's pretty much out of it. Nevertheless, she defends her future mother in law gently as she replies "I don't think your too drunk no. Maybe just a little tipsy."
Delia takes Serena's statement as a win and points a finger at her son as she shouts "Ha! You see Serena gets it! That's why she's going to be the best daughter in law one day and the best mother of my grandchildren!"
Serena blushes slightly again at the sudden title while Ash takes another sigh. He did say to his mom not to drink too much but in truth he sort of knew this would happen. Delia doesn't drink at all in the house, only when she ends up at gatherings with her friends from the neighbourhood. She's got a pretty low alcohol tolerance which is why she's in the state she is in now. Still he can't exactly be mad at her, after all she is allowed to let loose with that's happened recently. She does deserve some fun. Plus looking at her now she's not that bad. She's not overly drunk but it is time to go home.
He soon shakes off those thoughts as him and Serena both nod in mutual agreement of what needs to happen next. They both wrap an arm around their shoulders as Serena exclaims "Delia, I've got some cute outfits I need your opinion on. Can you come with us to the house for a bit?"
Delia falls for the bait as she replies "Oh of course dear. I love a good fashion show!"
Ash and Serena soon stand up and both begin to take Delia home before she gets overly drunk. At the moment she'll be okay with a sit down and a glass of water, but it's best not to push things.
As they leave, Gary shakes his head a little and mumbles "First Serena and now Delia, what is it with that family and being light weights?"
_______________________________
The amour couple eventually do get Delia back home where they manage to put her to bed after a bit of convincing. Thankfully by the time she does go to bed she is a little more sober, meaning that she shouldn't be too bad come the morning.
In truth it was a good excuse to get them home, considering they both did want to get an early night themselves.
Dealing drunk Delia was certainly funny, and Serena found her pretty supportive with how she'd always make compliments towards her.
Soon the amour couple went to bed themselves to rest up and prepare for a busy week to come.
The next day they wake up pretty early, now right back in the swing of things and on a regular sleep schedule after completely shattering it the night Ash won the title of a three region champion.
The day is spent for the most part getting back into the groove of living in Delia's house in Pallet town. They soon are back in rhythm as they do the usual day time things they always do. They make breakfast, go out to the lab to train before coming home to shower off after two tough training sessions and make lunch. As far as they're concerned, the time for celebration is now over and they need to get back to working towards their passions, hence the battle training for Ash and the performance training for Serena this morning.
After that, Serena does some work on some of her other goals and hobbies. She begins to do some catch up work on one of her design courses, still hoping one day to be able to design some of her own clothes. She soon moves onto her other passion in singing as she begins to write down the lyrics for a few more songs.
As for Ash, he finds himself doing some study work ahead of the Galar league with him looking up some of the potential opponents he could be facing. He's still not 100% familiar with the Pokemon that inhabit Galar, so this sort of research is pretty much pivotal to success moving forward. In between research he finds himself checking up on his mom and helping her nurse a small hangover she's managed to get from her antics last night.
The clock soon strikes 5pm as the two of them both start to get ready for the night to come. Ash still has no idea how serious this business dinner is, but by the sounds of what Serena says it could be a big deal with it involving an evil team and all.
Ash decides to change into a clean outfit but nothing too fancy. He wears a pair of black jeans with a white expensive branded hoodie Serena got him. A pair of white trainers sit on his feet to complete a pretty standard but appropriate look.
Serena does the same and takes the causal approach too. She puts on a pair of light blue denim ripped high waisted jeans that fit really comfortably to her figure. A light pink crop top covers her top half, leaving her midsection exposed. Her jewellery is pretty standard and a pair of flat white expensive trainers sit on her feet.
Overall Ash would say Serena looks stubbing, and she'd say the same about him. But they're certainly not dressed to impress which is perfect for what they're trying to go for.
With their outfits done, the two of them both decide to grab a pokemon each, just in case anything kicks off. Serena's choice is pretty obvious as she grabs her Absol, her strongest pokemon and the one with the most battling experience.
However, Ash finds it a little tougher to decide who to take. Usually against an evil team he'd want to pick Greninja, but he's clearly not an option. Pikachu is out on a well deserved date with Sylveon so he's out of the question. Charizard would be the obvious choice, but he's currently still pretty tired from fighting Lance's Dragonite so needs a little longer to rest. In the end Ash grabs Infernape's pokeball before the two set out towards the restaurant.
The restaurant itself is in Pallet town so is a walkable distance for them. In truth that's probably a good thing, considering using Mike's services would obviously draw a lot of attention to themselves.
They both hold hands and walk through the streets of Pallet town, finding it very homely as usual. This brisk walk is pretty perfect for them both in a lot of ways, giving them time to reflect before heading into what is still being described as a business meeting.
After 10 minutes or so they arrive at the restaurant with Serena leading the way. They soon head inside where the head of the restaurant greets them both, before showing them to their table.
The two soon take their seats as they await their guests. In terms of the restaurant itself, it's a pretty cosy one but nothing too fancy. Although Ash will admit, the smell of food cooking from the kitchen is certainly building up quite the appetite for him.
He soon turns towards his girlfriend as he exclaims "Well, this place is pretty nice, but it's definitely not your usual Kalos queen standard of place like you said. It's like the sort of place my mom would have taken me to as a kid."
Serena shrugs a little as she replies "You forget I grew up poorer than you. This place would have been a luxury to me back in the day. It was actually your mother who told me this place was the sort of place we should visit. Apparently the food here is beautiful."
Ash smiles as he exclaims "Well if the food is good then I'm all in. Also I didn't forget that you grew up poor, I just don't like to mention it. After all it's not really the nicest thing to say."
Serena does appreciate the way Ash put that statement as she replies with a small smile on her face "I guess that makes sense then. Thanks Ash."
The new indigo league champion shakes his head as he exclaims "No problem at all beautiful. So, when are these guests of yours arriving. I'm still a little confused about what's going on and on edge after what you said. I really don't want anything bad to happen to you."
Serena feels her heart warm at Ash's concern for her as she places her hand in his for comfort. She flashes him a reassuring smile as she remarks "Everything is going to be okay I promise you. Think of this as me us interviewing someone okay? The pressure is all on them. They should be arriving in a few minutes."
As if this whole book was scripted, the door to the restaurant springs open as two people and some sort of small Pokémon enter the restaurant. Ash can't really see who they are, with them not looking so familiar to him at this distance.
However, that all soon changes when the trio turn to face him. His eyes widen in shock as he instantly clenches his fists. Serena's guests are the ones who have been tormenting him since the start of his journey. The trio who had a part to play in the darkest moment of his entire life. The original team rocket trio.
Just seeing them makes Ash's blood boil and his body go into protective mode. He has no idea what they've been up to right now but he doesn't really care. He just wants them gone so he knows they can't hurt any of them.
Serena notices the look in her boyfriend's eyes and can tell he's steaming with anger towards the terrible trio. She quickly works to defuse the situation as he places a hand on his and rubs his palm gently, while flashing him a smile that screams "Please just trust me."
Ash takes a breath to calm himself down, knowing he can't jump to conclusions here. Sure the rocket trio have made his life miserable in the past, but they have also helped him at times too. At the end of the day Serena's made a decision here that he needs to trust, and he's definitely got faith in his girlfriend to make the right decisions here.
He soon begins to calm down a little as the team rocket trio reach the table. They all take a seat as an awkward silence fills the air, the tension between the two parties on full display.
Serena sees clearly that there's no one else that's going to speak first apart from her. She lets off a small cough before she begins "Well, it's good to see you guys again I guess."
Meowth nods as he replies "Yeah I guess it is your majesty, thanks for your kind hospitality."
Jessie rolls her eyes a little at the tittle given to Serena as she mumbles "That title should be mine."
Serena overhears Jessie's sass and knows she has the power in this situation. She looks in her direction as she questions "Do you have something you would like to say to the group Jessie?"
Jessie sees that Ash is giving her a cold stare and can already feel the thunderbolt zapping her now. She quickly backtracks on her statement as she shakes her head and exclaims "Oh nothing, just saying how nice it is for you to invite us all here. Times are tough so the food is appreciated."
Ash raises an eyebrow, a little confused as to how team rocket could be struggling financially. After all, every member of the new team rocket seems to be doing pretty well for themselves from what he's seen so far. The question is, why not them as well?"
He's soon snapped out of his thoughts as James takes a deep breath before he remarks "Before we start, I wanted to say congratulations to you Tw- I mean Ash for your victory against Lance. I hate to admit it but we were all actually pretty pleased for you."
Ash doesn't quite buy that sentiment just yet as he exclaims "Yeah I'm sure you were all so happy. Let's get this clear straight away. I need some convincing to trust you guys. Serena, how did you find these losers? More importantly are okay? They didn't hurt you or anything right? Please don't say they hurt you and you've kept this quiet not to worry me. If they have just say the word and I'll make sure they never touch you again."
Serena feels her heart warm for a second at Ash's concern for her before she shakes her head and explains "No don't worry Ash, no one hurt me. You remember back when we had our date at the movie theatre a few weeks back? Well when I was heading to the bathroom I caught these three in the lobby."
Ash interrupts his girlfriend as he exclaims "Oh so they tried to steal someone's Pokemon and you stopped them."
Serena shakes her head as she continues "No Ash it was nothing like that. At first when I saw them I was concerned that they were there to ruin our date, but it turns out they were actually working as ice cream sales people at a place called rocket road. It was a bit of a weird thing to happen but that's what they were doing."
Ash raises an eyebrow as he takes in the story. He soon looks the direction of the team rocket trio as he questions "Why would you guys be working there. Don't you have enough money from the new team rocket? Unless you were there as cover."
Jessie shakes her head as she explains "We were there for honest work and that's it. As we said times are tough. In fact, we don't even work for team rocket anymore."
Ash's eyes widen in shock as he shouts "Wait you guys left team rocket! You must be trying to play us on!? You know team rocket is a lifetime deal!? Nobody leaves unless it's an exile. We all know how that usually ends!"
Serena shakes her head as she explains "I was shocked at first too, but it looks like it is true. You remember that Cassidy girl and that Bill guy? Well they were shouting and blabbering on about how they were traitors. Then there's this most wanted list they showed me. All of the names you'd expect team rocket to be after are on there, with us sitting at the top. But one thing stood out and that's the fact that they're wanted too for treason towards team rocket. I've fact checked everything and I can confirm that everything seems legit. I'm not 100% sure, but that's why we're here. To find out if they have left team rocket or not. To get every piece of information we can out of them for our own safety and the world's. This is what I meant by this is important."
Ash takes in Serena's words and can tell that she's thought long and hard about this. If she's sent this stuff to her legal team and it does check out then there is a good chance that this stuff is true. However, he can't get over the seed of doubt planted in his mind. What if all this is a trap and the new team rocket are just watching in the background, ready to jump on any laps in concentration they may have.
It makes him wonder why Serena wouldn't just take this matter to the police. After all she is the Kalos queen, one phone call and they'd take them in on her word alone. However, thats not in Serena's nature. She's a lover and a forgiver to those who deserve it. The team Rocket trio have done a lot of bad, but they also have done a lot of good too. Well a lot may be a stretch but there certainly is kindness in their hearts somewhere.
Maybe she thinks they can leave this life and spend the rest of their days free should things go the way he hopes they do. That's not to mention the fact that if they have left team rocket and they end up in prison, they'll be easy targets for the new members of team rocket also staying in that prison. Who knows if they'd even make it out alive at that point.
With all that in mind, Ash takes a deep breath to compose himself before he exclaims "Okay, I'm willing to trust you for now. But I'm not letting my guard down until I'm sure you guys are actually telling the truth. You won't mind if one of my Pokémon join us right? He'll just be making sure nothing strange is going on that's all."
Meowth nods as he replies "Go ahead, we've got nothing shady going on so there's no need for us to worry."
Ash soon reaches down into his pocket before he pulls out a pokeball. He soon clicks the button on said pokeball, allowing Infernape to emerge. The fire type starter soon appears as he begins his security shift for the night.
Upon seeing Infernape, a smile coats James's face as he excitedly exclaims "Infernape old chum! How have you been?"
Infernape smiles at the rocket trio and punches a fist in the air and replies "Infernape!"
Ash looks over at the Sinnoh native pokemon as he warns "Infernape, focus more on security and not trying to make friends with the guys we're interviewing. I know you're just trying to be nice and all but we need to stay focused. We can never be too careful when it comes to dealing with team rocket."
Infernape nods in agreement his trainer as he begins to take a quick look around the restaurant to see if he can spot anything untoward that may be a threat later.
Serena soon tries to gain some order back here as she exclaims "Anyway, now that we're all on the same page it's time to begin our questions. We need you to answer honestly or you're going to end up in jail. You need to prove you've left team Rocket and give us all the information we want on what they're planning. If you can, then we'll help you in return. If not then jail it is. I really want to trust you so please don't screw this up."
The team rocket trio all nod in acknowledgment of Serena's point as they all show that they know what's at stake.
However, before they begin Jessie has a proposition as she asks "Before you begin, can we make a request that we're allowed to eat first? We're completely starved from work all day and we could use a bite to eat before being put under the pressure of such questions.
Serena takes in her point and shrugs her shoulders as she replies "That sounds okay to me, but it's also up to Ash too."
The new indigo league champion scratches the back of his head nervously before he exclaims "Well I am hungry myself so I could eat. I guess what I'm saying is that I'm actually agreeing with team rocket on this one."
With that decided, the group wait and talk about more general things for a second as they wait for their food to arrive. In the meantime they talk about some more human things. Serena and Jessie talk about fashion and some new line they both just saw came out the other day. Ash and James talk about some sports tournament that's going on for a minute while Meowth catches up with Infernape.
Soon their food arrives as the waitresses bring it out to them. Serena didn't really want to mess around with everyone choosing their food, considering that this is a bit of weird meeting, so instead she decided to pre order food for everyone to save the hassle.
Two platters of Lebanese style meats sit on the table, all combined together with rice and salad as well as some sauces. A platter is always good to have because no matter what there should be something someone likes on it, hence why Serena chose it.
Her and Ash begin to share one platter, carefully putting food onto each other's plates in a way that you'd expect from a strong loving couple. They both know what each other likes so it's very easy for them both to portion out what the other wants. In fact they spend more time dishing up their partners dinner than their actual own, worrying more about them instead of themselves.
Meanwhile, Jessie and James are like two wild beasts when it comes to sharing their food. They lack any sort of teamwork or decorum, eating straight out the tray in a pretty rude way. They constantly argue over who wants what while hurling insults at each other at will.
Ash and Serena both notice their rush to eat their dinner and certainly take notes. They're both eating like two Pokemon that haven't been fed for weeks! It leads them even more onto believing that they have indeed left team rocket. After all, if they were working for the new team rocket then they'd certainly be well off enough to eat everyday. It does make them feel sorry for them, wondering just how rough they've both had it lately.
The trio of Pokémon all eat in a more peaceful manner, not really having anything to cause problems over. Although, Absol does keep an eye on Meowth and sends him a cold glare, warning him not to mess with her or her food.
Soon they all wrap up with dinner as the waitress takes away their plates. Ash and Serena both thank her for her service while Jessie and James continue to mumble insults at each other in a pretty childish manner.
Ash soon turns towards his girlfriend as he exclaims "I don't know about you beautiful, but I felt like that was delicious."
Serena nods her head in agreement with her boyfriend as she replies "It really was Ash, I'm glad your mom told us about this place. We should definitely keep places like this in mind for the future."
Jessie rolls her eyes as she bluntly remarks "It would have been better if someone hadn't taken the last wing!"
James folds his arms as he replies "You don't need it so I did you a favour."
Meowth shakes his head as he exclaims "Can you two flirt later and focus for once in your life. We're about to be questioned so you two need to concentrate."
Jessie and James mumble a few annoyed words before they conceded to Meowth's point and get ready for the amour couple's questions.
Ash focuses back up, knowing that this is the best chance he's going to get to finding out a bunch more about this new team rocket. He soon decides his first question as he remarks in a serious tone "Let's start this off simple shall we? Who is R, and what's his real identity. More importantly, how did he come about in the first place? Remember what happens if you lie to us."
James decides to answer the first question as he takes a deep breath and explains "It all started soon after the battle in Alola. As a group we had our reservations about the future of team rocket after what the boss did to you guys on top of that castle. We didn't know he was going to go as far as he did and try to take your life. Problem is, team rocket is not something you just walk away from unscathed. We were hoping that they were going to disband, but we got a message saying to meet up at the old base in the Cerulean city game corner for an introduction to a new team rocket."
Meowth soon takes over as he continues "We all met up with this R guy, but we still couldn't tell you who he is. He had a mask on with a hood up and a voice changer, kind of like one of those comic book villains. All we could tell you about him is that this dude is bad news. The boss's son introduced him as R and he said he'd be taking control of team rocket. If you think Giovanni was bad then you're in for a shock. The first thing he did was try to make an example of us all for our failures. He ridiculed us in front of everyone and took everything we own for team rocket as punishment. After all, we were loyal to Giovanni and we had been in charge of the battle at the courtyard. Some of the other things he threatened us with were pretty inhumane. He even said he hated cats and set his Houndoom on me. What type of way to treat a hard working valued employee such as myself is that?"
Jessie finishes off part one of this story as she exclaims "As the meeting went on we grew more and more skeptical of his work and wanted out. His plans, his goals, all of it was just not for us anymore. I guess we grew up and found a conscious. But that wasn't the same for the other rockets or the new rockets introduced. Silver knew which buttons to press, the green dollar sign shaped one. He's got an army bigger than ever as you can imagine, and even stronger too."
Both Ash and Serena take in the story and both find it a little worrying to say the least. The fact that R wants to keep his identity hidden from all his grunts kind of shows he doesn't want anyone to know how he is. Not knowing who the new boss is really does annoy Ash, wanting to get even with him as quickly as possible. He'd rather know exactly who he's fighting rather than guessing who's behind a mask.
Taking away everything from the rocket trio is pretty cold and unfair. They can sort of tell by the tone of their voices that they are being genuine. Their story checks out too considering that the Cerulean city game corner was actually burnt down a few months ago. Ash can only assume that the building was burnt down to cover up any evidence of this meeting taking place.
Serena decides she wants to ask the next question as he remarks "So how did you get out? Like you said it's not easy to get out of team rocket?"
Meowth places a serious look on his face as he explains "We had to be sneaky about it. At the end of the meeting we all knew it was time to leave so we mutually agreed to leave the evil life and start fresh. We started by freeing the pokemon we'd stolen over the years as well as retrieving our own pals from team rocket's storage device. Then we destroyed our Id's, changed our uniforms and got the hell out of there before anyone could recognise us. It was risky for sure but it had to be done. Since then we've been discovered as traitors and been on the run. So far we've managed to avoid detection but it has been a struggle for us."
The amour couple take in the story and are honestly pretty impressed by Team rocket's skill to escape the situation they were in. They also can't help but take some form of solace from the fact they did decide to free all the pokemon they'd stolen throughout the years. Sure it doesn't make up for all the bad deeds they've done, but it's certainly a start.
Serena takes a small sigh before he replies "Well, that's a nice thing for you to do. But we're nowhere near done with this interview yet. We have so many things left that need some sort of answer. So, what's up with Silver? I skipped over it earlier but did you say that Giovanni was his dad?"
Jessie nods as she explains "That's right, although that little brat never wanted anything to do with the boss until he was defeated. He always used to hate him, but now all of a sudden he's in for revenge. That's why his motive is a little unclear to us from his first meeting. He seemed obsessed with you both. Ash because he wanted to prove he was better than him. To who he wants to prove that to is not something he specifically said but I'd assume it's something to do with his dad. As for the twerpette, I have a feeling he has one of this weird crushes on you. The ones where you bully someone because you secretly like them? Or more than likely he just doesn't like you because you are the talk of Vaniville town and not him. He used to be the most famous person from there, until you eclipsed that fame and then some. When people thought of that place they thought of him as the Kalos league finalist. Now, they only think about you as the famous representative of that town."
Serena rolls her eyes a little as she states "More than likely the last of those options. Or at least I hope. If that creep tries anything again then I'm not afraid anymore. We're not in school now. I know how to hold my own."
James raises an eyebrow as he questions "Childhood trauma huh? I guess we're all in the same boat when it comes to that."
Ash shakes his head a little as he exclaims "That's a need to know basis, and all you need to know is that I'm ready to battle Silver any time and any place. If he wants to settle who's better then I'm happy to settle it like men. Problem being he's not a real man. He's a kid with daddy issues and too much anger."
The rocket gang take in Ash's words and sort of so see the logic behind what he says. After all with the recent news, Ash is a little similar in terms of the fact he has his own personal issues. Except he's not really a kid or a man with too much anger. He's balanced, and perfectly willing to fight back against his problems or demons so to speak.
Serena decides to change the subject a little as she questions "So, we know about R and Silver at the top of team rocket. However, there still must be more than them two to watch out for. Who else is at the top of this new team rocket?"
James sighs a little before he explains "All the old admins are no more, cast aside for new stronger grunts. While we've never met him, R does have a rich benefactor that's certainly aiding him. In the first meeting he joined via satellite but with no sort of camera and a distorted voice. By the sounds of it, he's the one who's providing the large majority of the finances for this new operation. Him and R also have some sort of agreement about what they'll do when their plans succeed. His money is being used for better equipment, purchasing of stronger pokemon from the black market and buying stronger grunts. The more money they can pay the stronger the trainer that will want to join team rocket. Silver's also got a relationship with this rich guy and a personal one at that. From the meeting, it sounds like him and his daughter are quite close to one and other, or at least they're told to be. Sounds pretty arranged if you ask me."
Serena and Ash both take in this wealthy benefactor news and both sort of aren't too surprised by it. The equipment and the grunts strength has been noticeably better, and money is something that can buy both of those things. The fact he's another hidden guy is a bit of a problem, but they do have a way of finding out in this case. If they can figure out which girl it is Silver is dating , then they can figure out who her father is from there.
Still, the money side of things does make them wonder just how big the scale of the operation is. Giovanni's rainbow rocket was huge, but this could potentially even eclipse that by some distance.
Ash soon asks that question as he exclaims "Okay, this is your final question but also the longest one. What is the scale of the new team rocket's operation? What is their ultimate goal and what am I up against here? I need to know everything they have planned from as far forward as possible? I hope you know how important this question is. Lives are on the lives here so don't keep anything a secret."
Team rocket understands the importance of the situation, not just for the world but for themselves too. Jessie soon begins as she exclaims "We only went to one meeting so we don't know everything, but we'll tell you what we do know. R is not the same as any other evil team leader. He doesn't want to change the world or commit mass murder. He wants one thing and one thing only. In fact it's the same thing you want. To be known as a pokemon master. Except he's not going to do it by the traditional method like you want to. He wants to take over the world and beat everyone into submission. He wants to force the world to bow to him and officially recognise him as a pokemon master in the most brutal way possible. The trainer's who stand up to him will be dealt with, if that be by submission or by other more brutal means. There's no limit he won't cross to make it happen. He'll kill, hurt loved ones and pokemon all to make that title his own. To have the world bow to him and recognise him as the Pokemon master."
Ash hears R's goal and instantly feels angered by such a thing. Being a Pokemon master isn't about hurting others or by beating them into submission. It isn't about world domination or by cheating your way to the top. It's about working together with your Pokemon to become the strongest. It's about working your way through the ranks with skill and determination. It's about never giving up and battling as hard as you can against all sorts of strong trainers until you're the only one that's left standing. That's what a pokemon master is about.
R's version is a power fantasy and nothing else. It's taking a well respected title that no one person has owned and he's dragging it through the mud. In truth, Ash would expect nothing left from scum like him.
The champion of 3 regions puts a defiant look on his face and shakes his head as he exclaims "Like hell am I ever going to let that happen. If he thinks he can take my dream and turn it into a joke then he's got another thing coming. There's no way I'm letting that happen. He's going to have to go through me first."
Serena nods in agreement with her boyfriend as she adds "Make that he'll need to go through both of us. There's no way I'm letting him take a dream away from you that you've worked so hard towards by force."
James shakes his head a little as he exclaims "Not to sound rude or anything, but I believe that was kind of the plan. There's a reason why you're up the top of the most wanted chart Ash. He sees you as his biggest threat. The Kalos queen is naturally his number two target with how hurting her would hurt you too. Not to mention the wealthy benefactor seemed pretty interested in you too Serena. Something along the lines of how your fame would make him a load of money. He'd loved to exploit that fame if he could, especially with your profile only growing."
Serena rolls her eyes a little before he explains in a tone full of hate "He's not the first and he won't be the last. In fact the last one ended up with a broken nose for his troubles. If he's like that CEO then I know his game. He's going to get what's coming to him one way or the other. I'll make sure of it."
Jessie takes a small sigh as she admits "I heard what happened to you at the master class showcase. I'm sorry you had to go through such a thing. No woman ever should have to deal with such things."
Serena finds herself interested to know how Jessie found out about that, having a few suspicions. Nevertheless she shakes it off as she replies "Thank you, it was pretty distressing but I got over it pretty quick. The occasional nightmare here and there sure but that's it."
Meowth decides to continue on with answering the question as he remarks "As you'd probably expect, with you at the top of the most wanted list a lot of their plans revolve around you two. The incident you guys had at the evolution festival for example. It's no accident either that you've got Buterfree and Lapras back. R knew they were your Pokémon and tracked them down to hurt you. That's why he started hunting Lapras's school and why he released all those foreign bug types into the forest. He was trying to hurt your Pokémon and make you hurt in return. Something to do with blinding you with rage. That building that burnt down too, that was also team rocket's doing. I think with that one he was hoping you'd either die in the flames or be so unwell coming out of them that you'd be unable to participate in the Indigo league. Damian was sent of a similar mission, to get you wound up to the point where you'd do something to get yourself kicked out. It's not just you two they plan on targeting. If they can use any of your friends or family to get to you then they'll do it in a heartbeat. You'd be wise to warn them and tell them to watch their backs too."
Hearing confirmation that R's plans have been revolving around him certainly anger Ash even more. He can take being hunted, but what he can't take is his friends and pokemon being dragged into this mess. Sure having Lapras and Butterfree back now is nice and all, but they were living peaceful lives in the wild before team rocket came to hunt them down. They didn't deserve any of that, being happy where they were at the time.
Trying to target his friends too is something he can't stand for. They're all out there chasing their dreams like they should be. Team Rocket actively keeping an eye on them to see if they can use them to get to him is a scary thought. It almost makes Ash want to find a way to distance himself from a few people, to make sure they don't get hurt. Problem being is that once your on that list your never really going to get off it.
As for Damian, Ash kind of already knew the reasoning behind his appearance so that doesn't bother him as much. He's scum sure, but he's scum that's been dealt with.
What does bother him however is the fire. That was simply too far, showing how merciless the new team rocket can truly be in looking to achieve their goals. People nearly died in that fire, and a little girl would have done if Ash hadn't saved her. 5 minutes more in those flames and both her and him probably wouldn't have made it out of that building alive. That truly shows just how far they are willing go. Human life is just an obstacle.
Ash grits his teeth a little as he shakes his head and exclaims "Then I'm definitely going to kick his ass that's for sure. But for now I guess I need to sit and wait for him to show his face. Do you know anything else about what he's got planned for the future?"
James shrugs his shoulders as he admits "That's all his plans that we were told in that intial meeting. I'm sure there's more we don't know that's gone on behind the scenes but all we can do is speculate on that. The only other thing we can tell you is this. The new team rocket won't be afraid to operate outside of Kanto and Johto. Considering they still have connections outside of their main operating regions thanks to team rainbow rocket, they'll have no problem reaching and using other regions too. What I'm saying is never be surprised when one of their schemes shows up no matter where you are in the world."
Ash and Serena take in James's statement and both sigh at the stress that this new team rocket will bring on. Even when they're outside of Kanto they can't relax. There's always a chance they'll be lurking right around the corner.
Serena soon shakes off that thought as she looks across the table at the team rocket trio. She soon bows her head in thanks as she exclaims "Thank you both so much for your help and for your cooperation with answering our questions. Those answers are hopefully going to go a long way to finding out more about this new team rocket and stopping R. Ultimately, they could save lives.
The rocket trio hear Serena's statement and are honestly pretty happy to hear her say that. It does feel good to actually be good for once, and do something that could help people in the future.
Meowth soon looks back across at the amour couple as he questions "So, does that mean we're off the hook. You're not going to send us to jail now are you? Come on I'm too handsome to go to jail."
Ash and Serena both turn towards each other and make eye contact as they both consider whether or not to call the police now or let team rocket go.
Team rocket did answer their questions without any sort of hesitation just like they asked. From what they can tell they also answered completely honestly too without leaving out any details. What they answered was thorough and they seemed pretty genuine with what they were saying. A quick scan of their demeanour while they were talking could pretty much confirm that they were telling the truth.
However, does telling the truth now really undo years of bad deeds? Does it undo all the crimes? Does it really make up for all the people and pokemon they've hurt?
The answer to that is no, but is prison really the way to go when it comes to a case like this. After all, prison is meant to be a way of rehabilitating people. Would the rocket trio get that sort of treatment there? In fact, do they really need to be rehabilitated?
It's pretty clear at this point that they are on the run from team rocket, and that means that sending them to prison is a practical death sentence. There'll be hundreds of rockets in any prison across the land when you consider how long they've been around and the scale of their operations. For sure someone will hear all about their betrayal and punish them accordingly for it.
What the trio need is a fresh start in a place they will be safe and not so harshly judged. They need to something that will show off their unique qualities and skills. Despite how bad they are at stealing Pikachu, there's no denying that they do have some talent. Even if honestly most of that talent doesn't come from being bad guys.
With all that considered, Ash and Serena lock eyes and quickly communicate their decision through their aura connection.
It takes them only a few seconds to share thoughts and feelings, being on the same wave length almost instantly. They both know exactly what the plan should be for the rocket trio, finding this decision extremely easy to make.
With everything decided, Ash soon smiles at the trio and exclaims "Na, we won't be calling the police. As much bad as you guys have done, and trust me it's a lot, you did decide to quit the evil life and that does take some backbone. I wish you guys just came to us sooner with this information but I can accept why you would be hesitant to do so. That means that you guys are free to go."
James lets a bead of sweat drop down his forehead as he remarks "That's certainly a relief, I was worried you were still going to send us back to that place."
Meowth smiles a little as he exclaims "Freedom sounds a okay to me considering what we've been through. Now we just need to keep our noses clean and stay out of trouble."
Jessie doesn't quite see things the same way as her partners as she shakes her head and comments "That sounds all well and good, but we aren't really free are we? We still have to contend with moving between jobs and running away from the new team rocket. We've still got it nowhere near easy."
Serena hears the rocket trio's problems and does feel a little sorry that they've had to go through such hard ships lately. She soon shakes off her thoughts as she smiles at them and exclaims "We know you guys have had it tough lately with all the stuff you've been through. So, we would like to help you out to try and get team rocket off your back."
Meowth raises an eyebrow in confusion as he questions "How are you going to do that your majesty? No matter how you think about it we're easy targets for them. We have no home, no money and no stable job. We're not the strongest and these two bozos are horrible Pokémon battlers."
James shakes his head and mutters "Harsh, but fair enough."
Jessie rolls her eyes as she exclaims "We don't need pity either, we're too proud for that. We may be down now but we're not going to let it stay that way."
Serena shakes her head a little as she explains "This is not pity, it's kindness and a chance for you guys to get the platform you need to get back on track. You mentioned that you guys have no home right? Well let's fix that first. We can offer you a place to stay, a safe place where the new team rocket aren't going to come looking for you. Pallet town."
James eyes widen in shock as he questions "Wait, are you offering us a house in Pallet town? An actual home to live in?"
Serena nods with a small smile on her face as she exclaims "That's right, you see me and Ash actually bought a small house there a few weeks back. It's not for us to live in at all. It's too small to fit what we'd want in there and it's not a dream home. We just wanted to get on the property ladder so we could rent it out. It was supposed to be a way of making some more money than just having it all sat in savings. But since you need it we'd be willing to let you live there for the first few months until you're back up on your feet. Pallet town is probably the safest please for you to live if we're being honest. The new team rocket will know better than to straight up attack there. Ash's Pokémon, Gary's Pokemon and even Professor Oak's old Pokemon live there. If anyone tried to invade the town there's an army waiting for them. Plus, this is probably the one place in the region where you won't be judged for who you were associated with. One conversation with the neighbours and they'll be understanding. They'll all be willing to let you have a second chance and will show anyone else that doesn't like you where they can go. You'll be safe, protected and part of a community. So, how does that sound."
Meowth smiles at the idea as he exclaims "That sounds purfect to me. Our own house to sleep in. No more nights spent out in a cold tent. Now we'd have a roof over our heads and a warm bed to sleep in."
Jessie rolls her eyes a little as she comments "It sounds fine, but as long as there's more than one bedroom. No chance am I sleeping in the same bed as this blue haired creep."
James shakes his head as he adds "Same here, a Wailord takes up less space than her."
Ash looks a little confused by this sort of bickering, but soon catches on once Serena makes a little heart sign with her hands to give her dense boyfriend a hint.
The new indigo league champion soon smirks a little as he exclaims "There's only one bed there right now, but we can make some changes in the near future for you guys. For now, either sleep together or one of you sleeps on the sofa."
The rocket trio seem okay with that, despite the clear all out war they are going to have for the bed later that Serena is hopeful that Meowth and Wobufett will win.
Jessie soon takes a small sigh as she remarks "It's tough to say but, thank you for giving us a place to stay. It's going to do a lot to help us moving forward. All we need to do now is find some stable work."
Ash smirks a little as nonchalantly comments "Maybe we could help with that as well."
Serena nods as she exclaims "That's right, after all one of you has a special talent that I'm looking for. Isn't that right Jessilee?"
Jessie instantly gasps in shock as she questions "Wait, how did you know about that?"
Serena giggles a little before she explains "Oh come on it was obvious. For starters you knew about the CEO incident and only those close to performing circles know about that. Two, as a performer you were always different backstage. You were like this unknown girl who just appeared out of nowhere and was pretty distant from the rest of us. Three, you cheated at the Coumarine showcase by ripping my dress. If that doesn't scream team rocket then I don't know what does. Four, you used the exact same voice as you do now and it sort of hit me that you two sounded exactly the same. Five, I heard you mumble that my title should be mine at the start of this."
Jessie sighs a little that her secret performance identity is out as she admits "Okay it was me. So, what do you want? Are you trying to gloat about beating me or something?"
Serena shakes her head as she continues "Oh no not at all. In fact I was pretty impressed with your performances throughout the whole showcase run. That match we had at the masterclass could have gone either way if we're being honest. In fact, I kind of thought you should have won but the crowd preferred me because I made them smile. Then remember when me and Shauna performed with you after the Kalos disaster? That was so much fun and we made a great team! I think your amazing at performing and I can tell that you enjoy it as much as I do, which is why on behalf of Aria and Palermo, I'd love to sign you up to a talent agency."
Jessie raises an eyebrow as she questions "What does that mean?"
Serena smiles as she explains "The talent agency is new but is already making waves. You see with how much showcases have grown over the last few years, more and more people want to see the top performers on stage. Problem being, not many of the top performers compete in showcase because they have all the princess keys they need. So instead, we're organising for performers to put on their own shows all over the world. Sometimes there are multiple performers working and sometimes it's just an individual show. Not only are your flights and accommodation paid for, but you're payed a lot better than you would be for any other regular showcase. So, how about it? Do you want to sign?"
Jessie only needs to think about it for a few seconds before she excitedly exclaims "A star like me deserves to be on stage performing for millions. Count me in!"
Serena smiles as she replies "That's the spirit! I'll ask my agent to get in touch soon to sort out all the contract details. I'd also like to offer you a first job. I'm putting together a team of performers to put on performances throughout the Galar league. I've got most of my performers already but I need one more slot filled. So, are you in?"
Jessie nods as she exclaims "I'll dazzle the Galar region with a mixture of beauty and charm. I'm going to steal the show."
With Jessie agreeing to become a full time performer, Ash smiles a little as he casually remarks "That's awesome, but that's only a job for one of you. Luckily, I have an idea for you two as well."
James raises an eyebrow as he questions "You do?"
Ash smiles as he explains "Yep, and this is a much simpler one too. You guys have always been into cooking right? Well why not make some money off of it. I say at the Galar league we start a business together where you guys can make and sell your own food in the stands. I know you've done this sort of stuff before but this time you'll be selling it and running the business yourself. I'll make an investment initially as you get started and take 10% of the profit. Once I've got my investment back, the company is all yours. Hopefully one day you guys can have your own restaurant or something. But for now let's start small and look to build from there."
James and Meowth think about the idea for a second before the feline pokemon replies "That all sounds a okay to me. I can't wait to get started on making some delicious food."
James holds his hand out towards the indigo league champion and exclaims "You've got yourself a deal. Looks like we do have a future after all."
Over the next few minutes, the rocket trio and the amour couple seal the deals they've made as they talk more about potential ideas for both their proposals.
Soon everything is done, with the rocket trio sort of given a probation style deal where every month they'll talk to Ash and Serena to prove they are indeed staying true to themselves and not dabbling in evil anymore.
With all that decided they leave the restaurant as they head towards the rockets new home, ready to start life a fresh.
It may be a weird situation but it's certainly one they all are willing to try.
The new team rocket have turned the old one good, despite all their years of bad.
Sure this may not be the conventional way of doing things, but when has that ever stopped the amour couple before?
It may be a risk but it's one they are willing to take with another threat looming large.
After all as the old saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend!
_____________________________
And cut!
Word count: 19434
Well that's it for another chapter.
It was a pretty information filled one for you with some future plot points revealed and teased all over the place.
The little celebration at the start with some cute amour moments.
The reveal that the amour couple will be staying at Blue's house in Galar and will be meeting him and his wife soon.
Gary staying as a travelling companion.
All the team rocket reveals, including their ultimate goals.
Finally, the future plans for the rocket trio.
Let me know which reveal has you guys the most excited or intrigued for the future as we head nearer towards a return to Galar.
Speaking of a return, in the next chapter, Ash and Serena make a return to the Kalos region with Serena due to do a few rookie class showcase appearances over the next few days.
However first, she's got that photo shoot for AG designs.
What will the outfits there be like?
What will the owner of this place be like?
How will Ash spend his downtime?
What familiar faces await them both as they head back to the region where they first reunited?
Well I guess you'll have to find out in the next one.
So on that note, make sure you vote and comment down below as it's greatly appreciated as always.
Have a nice day and I'll see you guys soon.
Bye bye:)