Chapter 13

It is late at night, and Brock and Ludicolo have just finished making dinner for Ash, Serena, Forest, and the rest of Brock and Forest's siblings. The twelve humans eat happily at the dining table while Rhyperior, Pikachu, Ludicolo, Servine, and the rest of Ash, Brock, and Serena's Pokemon (apart from Steelix) eat on the floor with their bowls of Pokemon food. Everyone laughs and eats together while in deep conversation. Ash and Brock tell Serena's stories about some of their past adventures from the Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh regions while Serena eventually joins Ash in telling Brock and his siblings stories about their adventures in Kalos.

"So when you bonded with Greninja, you would feel his pain whenever it got hit by an attack?" Brock asks.

"Yeah, and sometimes I would suddenly be out of sync with Greninja and completely lose consciousness," Ash explains. "It took a lot of training to master the Bond Phenomenon so it wouldn't happen again."

"I can attest to that," Serena says, trying to hide a giggle. "I remember Ash trying to go on a run through the forest with Greninja to try to be as fast and agile only to fall behind."

"Yeah, I could never match Greninja's speed," Ash says, scratching his nose.

"Interesting," Brock says intrigued. "I wonder if other Pokemon and trainers can do something like that."

"You never know," Ash says. "I never even heard of Mega Evolution until we started traveling through the Kalos region. Who knows what else is possible when people and Pokemon battle together."

"I know what you mean," Brock says. "It was only recently discovered that some Pokemon here in Kanto can mega evolve. I found my keystone and Steelix's Steelixite when I was traveling to one of the places I go to, to study being a doctor. I've also heard that Misty and some of the other gym leaders here in Kanto also have Pokemon that can mega evolve."

"Misty has a Pokemon that can Mega Evolve? I want to see that when I battle her again," Ash says excitedly.

Serena feels another slight pain in her heart from Ash mentioning Misty. She quickly brushes it off, but not before Brock notices her reaction. Serena stands up, seeing that everyone has finished eating and walks over to the kitchen. Brock wonders why she left for a moment before Serena comes back with her basket.

"Hey everyone, I made dessert," she announces, catching everyone's attention. "I got macaroons for all you kids and Brock, Forrest, Ash, and me, and I have special Pokepuffs for the Pokemon."

Brock and Forrest's siblings cheer excitedly, and they all run over to Serena, wanting a macaroon. The honey blonde girl laughs at their enthusiasm, and she hands each child a macaroon before finally giving some to Ash, Brock, and Forrest.

"Wow, this is good," Forrest says, amazed.

"Yeah, it's delicious," Brock says, impressed. "But what are Pokepuffs?"

"They're pastries that are made just for Pokemon," Ash answers for Serena.

"Right, and some of them are made for specific Pokemon," Serena says as she starts handing the Pokepuffs to the Pokemon. "Like this one here is great for water and grass type Pokemon. Would you like to try, Ludicolo?"

"Ludi," Ludicolo says with a nod as it takes the Pokepuff and munches on it for a few seconds before stars appear in its eyes.

"Ludicolo!" It shouts happily.

"Can I try one?" Brock asks.

"Sure," Serena says.

Brock takes a spare Pokepuff from Serena's basket and takes a bite. He chews thoughtfully for a few seconds before he smiles at Serena.

"Wow, this is pretty good, too," he says.

"That's Serena for you," Ash says proudly as he takes one of the other spare Pokepuffs and takes a large bite. "When it comes to pastries, she's the best."

Serena stops herself from ridiculing Ash for taking the Pokepuff and turns her head away to hide her blush.

"Come on, Ash, you're exaggerating," she says bashfully.

"No way. You are really good," Ash encourages. "And let's not forget how great of a performer you are too."

"Yeah, I've been meaning to ask, what is Pokemon performing like?" Forrest asks.

"I've wanted to know that too," One of Brock and Forrest's sisters, Cindy says, overhearing the conversation.

"Us too," Tommy and Timmy say simultaneously.

"We all do," the rest of the younger kids say.

Serena smiles and says, "Well, if you'd like, I can show you with my Pokemon. Would you like that?"

"Yes!" The kids shout excitedly.

"Alright, then why don't we go outside and I can show you our latest performance," Serena says before turning to Brock. "Is that alright with you?"

"Sure, go right ahead," Brock says.

"Alright. Braixen, Pancham, Sylveon, Poliwag, let's go," Serena says.

Her Pokemon nod and quickly finish their Pokepuffs before following Serena to the backyard with Ash, Brock, Forrest, their younger siblings, and all of the Pokemon following behind. Serena gestures to her audience to sit down on the grass, and they silently obey before she and her Pokemon take positions. Serena takes a deep breath before she starts tapping her feet rhythmically, which results in her, Braixen, Pancham, Sylveon, and Poliwag to start dancing. Everyone but Ash wonders where this is going before Serena turns to Pancham.

"Pancham, use Stone Edge," she says.

Pancham nods and slams its fists into the ground, causing several large, blue spikes to emerge from the ground. Then Braixen jumps high in the air and starts bouncing on them. The fox Pokemon destroys each spike she hops off with her fiery stick, causing them to turn into shiny blue pieces of dust. Everyone looks at the spectacle in awe as Serena continues.

"Now, Pancham, use Dark Pulse and Sylveon, use Swift."

Pancham creates a ball of black and purple circles in each hand and combines them before it fires them into the air. On the other side, Sylveon shoots several stars, and the two attacks collide and explode into a large, dark purple and yellow firework. Ash, Brock, Forrest, and their Pokemon watch with amazement while the younger kids cheer happily.

"And now for our newest member," Serena announces before turning to Poliwag. "Jump and use Bubble in the air."

Poliwag nods and jumps up before it shoots a series of bubbles into the air.

"Now use Double Slap," Serena says.

Poliwag jumps into the air again and starts popping the bubbles with its legs. The attack causes the bubbles to turn into sparkling dust, slowly falling into the air, wowing everyone as Poliwag lands in front of Serena. Together, the two of them and Braixen, Pancham, and Sylveon make their final pose.

"And finished," Serena says.

The younger kids cheer and jump up and down excitedly. Ash, Brock, and Forrest applaud in amazement while their Pokemon let out calls of cheer.

"That was spectacular," Forrest praises.

"Yeah, that was quite a show," Brock compliments.

"Of course. Serena wasn't the runner up at the Master Class for nothing," Ash says proudly.

Serena smiles at their praise while the kids run over to crowd around her and her Pokemon.

"Serena, that was so pretty," Cindy praises.

"Awww, thank you, Cindy," Serena says sweetly.

"Where did you learn to do that?" Tommy asks.

"It's something where you have to be creative and work hard with your Pokemon," Serena answers.

"When I grow up, I wanna become a performer just like you, Serena," Suzie says.

Serena's eyes widen, and she turns to the little girl, shocked by her words. Susie merely responds with a cute smile to show her sincerity. Serena continues to stare at the little girl for a moment before she smiles warmly, touched by Suzie's words.

"Thank you, Suzie," she says sweetly. "I hope you become a wonderful performer."

Suzie giggles happily while the other children contribute to give their own praise. Ash, Brock, Forrest, Pikachu, and Ludicolo continue to watch as Serena starts answering questions about herself and her Pokemon. But as they do, Brock turns to Ash and sees him watch Serena with a hearty smile. His mind goes back to the way Serena was supporting Ash during the battle, and he pieces together that something is officially up between them.

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After everyone finishes praising Serena, Brock and Forrest declare that it's time for bed. The younger children groan before they reluctantly obey, and Ash and Serena then proceed to their guest room. But before they go upstairs, Brock walks over to Serena and places his hand on her shoulder.

"Serena, can I talk to you for a second?" He asks.

Serena turns to him surprised and politely says, "Sure. I'll be right up, Ash."

"Okay, Serena," Ash says before he walks up the stairs.

Brock waits until Ash is far enough until he turns to Serena with a serious look.

"So, you like Ash, huh?" He asks bluntly.

Serena's pupils shrink, and she takes a step back, shocked by Brock's bluntness.

"H-have I been that obvious?" She asks.

"Obvious enough," Brock says in a matter-of-factly tone. "I've seen some of our other friends who are girls cheer for Ash when he's battling, but I've never seen any of them do it so charismatically. Plus, it's a little hard not to notice how bashful you act whenever he compliments you."

Serena sighs defeated, making Brock chuckle.

"Yeah, you got it bad," he says with a smirk. "How long have you felt this way?"

Serena hesitates for a moment before she says, "About as long as I can remember. He helped me when I was lost in the woods back when we both went to Professor Oak's summer camp years ago. I never saw him again after I moved to Kalos until I saw him on TV after he helped save a Garchomp."

"Yeah, that sounds like Ash alright," Brock says, making both of them chuckle lightly.

"That's when I decided to go on a journey so I can see him again," Serena continues. "After he won his first Kalos gym badge, he invited me to come with him and our other friends, Clemont and Bonnie. I was so shocked that he would offer that to me, but at the same time, I knew deep down that I couldn't refuse his offer. Ever since then, my feelings for him have been growing stronger, the more we got to know each other and helped each other with our goals. When he asked if he could come with me on my journey so that we can support each other again, I was happy to say yes."

"Wait a minute, so he invited you to come along with him?" Brock says, surprised.

"Yeah. Why do you ask?" she asks.

Brock hesitates before he answers, "It's just that I don't think he's ever invited someone to come with him on any of his journeys."

"Really?" Serena asks, shocked.

"Yeah," Brock answers. "Granted, I wasn't there when he went on a journey through the Unova region, but as far as I can remember, our previous companions always invited themselves to join him or ask if they could join him like I did.

Serena blinks, surprised with this information, and she looks away, blushing bashfully. Brock smirks and says, "Sooooooooo, does he have any idea?"

Serena winces, and her bashful face turns into a frown. Brock frowns back and crosses his arms.

"I see. So, he is still pretty dense, huh?"

Serena nods robotically. Brock looks at the honey blonde girl with a look of pity.

"Part of why I agreed to go to Kanto with him was just to have a little more time with him," she admits. "I don't think he's going to figure it out by the time this journey is over, but I still hope that he will one day understand how I feel and maybe realize that he feels the same for me. He's so kind and supportive to everyone he meets, and it just warms my heart to be by his side where he can be there for me, and I can support him in return."

Brock scratches his chin in thought, concerned with how the girl feels about his close friend. He knows better than anyone how Ash can be dense with the concept of love in the romantic sense, but at the same time, he finds it peculiar how Ash has viewed Serena so fondly in the short time that he has known her. After a moment, he sighs and smiles at Serena.

"Then why don't I help you?" He asks.

Serena looks at him confused before Brock continues.

"I know only too well what it's like to offer your heart to someone only to never have them fully returned. I've looked for the person I want to spend the rest of my life with for years with no results. But, even though I've only known you for a short time, Serena, it seems clear to me that you really care for Ash, and in some way, he cares about you a lot too even if he doesn't mean it that way. So, it seems to me that you need someone to help you with this predicament. I could coach both you and Ash with your dreams in the Indigo League and with your Pokemon contests and, while at it, help you potentially achieve what you hope to gain from going on another journey with Ash."

Serena stares at Brock, taken aback.

"You want to help me?" She asks.

"Sure, why not?" Brock says with a smirk. "The way I see it, my buddy has a chance to gain something really special that I've wanted all my life. I see no reason why I should let it just pass up because he's still so dense. Besides, who better to help you than one of his oldest friends, right?"

Serena continues to stare at Brock for a moment before she smiles at him warmly.

"Thank you, Brock. I really appreciate it," she says kindly. "But what about your family? And how are you going to explain to Ash why you want to join us?"

"Ah, don't worry about my family. Forrest knows how to hold the fort by heart while also handling the gym. Besides, Ludicolo and some of my other Pokemon will still be here, and they know how to handle my brothers and sisters no problem," Brock says before grinning. "As for what to tell Ash, he won't need much convincing."

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"You want to travel with us?"

It's the next morning, and Ash, Brock, Serena, Pikachu, Forest, Ludicolo, and the younger kids are all together at the dining table eating breakfast. Ash is looking at Brock, surprised after he just offered to come with him, Pikachu, and Serena.

"Yeah, I think it would be good for me to go on another journey through Kanto with you," Brock answers. "I don't have a lot of field experience in being a Pokemon doctor, so I'm willing to bet that another journey would be good for me. Besides, I can be there to support both you and Serena in your battles and contests. Is it okay if I go with you?"

Ash looks at Brock, surprised for a moment before he smiles.

"Of course, you can come with us," he says before turning to Serena. "Is that alright with you?"

"Absolutely," Serena answers cheerfully. "Plus, I think having an excellent cook like Brock would be great for traveling long distances."

Ash's eyes widen, and he smiles excitedly.

"I didn't even think of that. Good point, Serena," he says.

Serena giggles at his reaction and turns to Brock, who secretly nods at her, and she winks back.

"Then it's settled," Brock says before turning to Forrest. "Forrest, that means you're in charge again. Make sure that everyone is taken care of."

"You can count on me, Brock," Forrest replies with a salute. "You won't find anything out of the ordinary when you get back just like last time."

"That's what I'm counting on," Brock says in approval before quickly finishing the rest or his breakfast. "I guess I better get packed then. We have a long journey ahead of us to the Grand Festival and the Indigo League."

"Right," Ash says.

Brock leaves the dining room to put away his dishes and then goes upstairs to his room to pack his things. He then goes to the house pantry and gathers his cooking supplies and some food. By the time he is done, Ash, Serena, Pikachu, Ludicolo, Forrest, and the rest of his younger siblings have finished their breakfast. Ash and Serena go upstairs to their guest rooms to get their things while Brock grabs the Pokeballs for Steelix, Geodude, Crobat, Chansey, Marshtomp, and Sudowoodo. He considers making Croagunk the sixth member of his party, but decides against it out of hope of not feeling its Poison Jab if he meets a girl he likes along the way. He walks over to the kitchen, where Ludicolo has already started washing dishes and pats it in the back.

"I'm counting on you to be here for Forrest again, buddy," he says. "Make sure everyone brushes their teeth, goes to bed on time, and doesn't get into fights."

"Ludicolo," Ludicolo says understandably.

"You just worry about yourself, Brock," Forrest says as he walks over to his oldest brother. "You better not be searching so hard for Ms. Right again."

"Aw, come on, Forrest," Brock whines.

"Hey, we all know how you can be around women," Forrest says in a matter-of-factly tone. "You're never going to find her that way if she's even out there at all."

"She's out there, Forrest," Brock says confidently. "I don't know where she is or why I haven't found her, but there's a perfect woman out for me who can make me happy like how Mom makes Dad happy. I know it."

Forrest shakes his head and puts his hand on Brock's shoulder.

"Just try to control your enthusiasm," he says. "At least try not to fall in love with every Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy, you see."

Brock sighs and gives his brother a sincere look.

"Alright, Forrest. I will try," he says.

Forrest nods satisfied just in time for Ash, Serena, and Pikachu to come down the stairs.

"We're all ready to go, Brock," Ash says.

Brock nods before he puts on his large backpack and follows them to the front porch, where his younger siblings are waiting. He gives each of his brothers and sisters a goodbye hug before he turns to Ash, Serena, and Pikachu.

"Right, what are we waiting for? Let's go to Cerulean City," he says.

"Right. On to my rematch at the Cerulean City gym," Ash says.

"And my first Pokemon contest," Serena adds.

And with that, the three trainers and Pikachu exit the house and begin the next stop on their journey, waving goodbye to Ludicolo, Forrest, and the younger children as they leave. As the four of them exit the borders of Pewter City, Brock glances, and Ash and Serena, and secretly hopes he can successfully help the honey blonde girl win the heart of his friend.

"You are a lucky guy, and you don't even know it, Ash," he thinks in his mind before turning his head to face the road ahead. "And I hope I'm not too far from finding what Serena is looking for either."