Chapter 34

After a few days of traveling, Ash, Pikachu, Serena, and Brock make their way to Neon City. It is almost noon, so the neon lights that the city is famous for are turned off until night time. Despite that, Serena is amazed at the size of the city and the various stores and other buildings decorated in all kinds of colorful lights.

"Wow, this place must look amazing at night," she comments as the group walks.

"Yeah, it's part of why this place is called the city that never sleeps," Brock says. "Anyway, let's hope the Pokemon Center here isn't far away. I could do with a shower and sleeping on a nice warm bed again."

"I hear that," Serena says.

The three trainers and Pikachu continue walking down the street when suddenly, several men start running past them hastily. Ash, Serena, Pikachu, and Brock look at the people running ahead of them in confusion as they look like they are in a hurry for something exciting.

"Excuse me, but what is going on?" Ash says, catching the attention of one of them running.

"What, are you new here or something?" The man asks rudely. "There's a trainer who's battling against Abigail."

Ash, Pikachu, Serena, and Brock look at the man even more confused. The man looks at them, dumbfounded and scoffs.

"Abigail is the most beautiful and powerful Pokemon trainer and coordinator in Neon City," he explains. "She has ten badges and is guaranteed to win this city's first Pokemon contest."

"Wow, she's both beautiful and a powerful trainer? Sounds like my kind of lady," Brock says in a giddy tone.

"Brock, behave yourself," Serena says firmly before turning back to the man. "But how can she have ten badges? I thought you only need eight to compete in the Pokemon League."

"Yeah, but some regions like Kanto and Unova have more than eight gyms, Serena," Ash explains. "I know Gary won ten badges when we were both competing on the Indigo League before the unknown leader of the Viridian City gym mysteriously defeated him."

"Who cares about this, Gary punk?" The man ridicules. "Some overconfident lady from Sinnoh thinks she can take on Abigail, and the two of them are about to face each other at the battlefield next to the Pokemon Center."

Before Ash, Serena or Brock can ask another question, another man whose running turns to the first man and asks, "Hey, are you coming or not, Saul?"

"I'm coming, I'm coming," the man named Saul answers. "I wouldn't miss seeing Abigail battling for the world."

The two men run ahead with the rest of the crowd leaving Ash, Pikachu, and Serena taken aback while Brock still has a dopey look on his face.

"Well… that was strange," Serena says.

"Yeah, but at the same time, I wanna check it out," Ash says. "A big battle with a strong trainer sounds exciting.

"Pikachu," Pikachu says, agreeing.

"And hearing that she's so beautiful only proves further that we need to check out this battle!" Brock squeaks.

"Brock, knock it off already," Serena ridicules in a motherly before she sighs. "Then again, I'm a little curious too, and we are heading to the Pokemon Center anyway, so we might as well."

"Alright!" Ash and Brock shout simultaneously before they start running towards the crowd with Pikachu still on Ash's shoulder.

"Guys, wait for me!" Serena calls out as she runs after them while holding on to her hat.

The trainers run until they make their way to the Pokemon Center, where a huge crowd of men are crowding over the battlefield next to the building. Ash, Pikachu, Serena, and Brock struggle to squeeze through the crowd until they get close enough that they can see the battlefield. Standing tall and proud on one side of the arena is a beautiful woman with long, shiny brown hair and wearing a long white dress with a black belt and wearing black high-heeled boots. The men in the crowd gaze at her with hearts in their eyes while she gives a confident smirk.

"My dear fans, I am flattered that you would come see me battle today," she says in a boastful tone. "But I fear you have wasted your time for this will hardly count as a battle at all. This silly lady who thinks she can take me will be crying in shame within one minute of battling."

The crowd cheers excitedly while Ash, Pikachu, and Serena look at each other disapprovingly.

"Well, someone's a little overconfident," Ash remarks.

"Yeah, no kidding," Serena agrees.

"I can't believe she's here," Brock says in an awe-stricken tone.

Serena sighs and says, "Brock, honestly, can you try to not think about a woman's looks for one minute? You really shouldn't pursue someone like Abigail."

"I'm not talking about her," Brock says seriously. "I'm talking about the person she's battling against."

Serena looks at Brock, confused until she turns her head to see the person he is actually staring at. Standing on the other side of the battlefield is another woman with auburn hair who is glaring at Abigail angrily.

"Hey, isn't that Holly?" Ash asks.

"Holly as in the woman who left without saying goodbye to be a better partner for you?" Serena asks, turning back to Brock.

"Yeah, that's her," Brock confirms. "I can't believe she's here all the way in Kanto."

"I wouldn't be so sure about beating me so easily," Holly growls at Abigail. "I already have five badges, and I haven't been in Kanto for very long."

Abigail snorts out a laugh as she takes out a Pokeball from her belt.

"You say that like it's something to be proud of compared to all ten of my beautiful badges," she says mockingly as she tosses the Pokeball. "Nidoqueen, let's show her."

Her Pokeball opens to reveal a large Nidoqueen roaring loudly to display its eagerness to battle.

"Wow, that Nidoqueen looks really powerful," Serena comments.

"Yeah, I wonder what Holly is going to use against it," Ash says.

"Pika," Pikachu says, nodding.

"So do I," Brock says with his eyes still fixed on Holly.

"Toxicroak, let's go!" Holly shouts as she throws a Pokeball and a Toxicroak comes out.

"Wow, I don't remember Holly having a Toxicroak," Ash says, surprised. "I guess she caught it sometime after we last saw her.

Abigail laughs loudly in a condescending way.

"Seriously? You picked a poison type Pokemon?" She ridicules. "If you had any knowledge about typing, you'd know that Nidoqueen is a poison and ground type and poison Pokemon like Toxicroak are weak against ground types."

The crowd laughs with Abigail, which makes Holly's cheeks burn up in frustration.

"Maybe so, but I trust my Toxicroak," she declares. "We've been through so much together since I caught it when it was just a Croagunk. I promised myself I would be a better partner for a guy I like who has a Croagunk, and that means taking down high and mighty trainers like you."

Abigail and her fans laugh even louder while Ash, Pikachu, Serena, and especially Brock stare at Holly, surprised.

"Wait a minute, you have a Croagunk at home with your siblings," Serena points out to Brock.

"Yeah, I think it's pretty clear that she's talking about you," Ash says, smiling at his older friend.

"Pikachu," Pikachu says, also smiling.

Brock keeps his eyes fixed on Holly with his mouth agape and his tan cheeks turning red. The determination he sees in Holly's blue eyes makes the fact that she still wants to improve for him hits the young man harder. His dumbfounded face melts away into a thrilled grin.

"Yeah, go, Holly!" He shouts out sporadically. "You can win this!"

Everyone turns to him, and Holly's eyes shrink while she lets out a high-pitched yelp.

"Brock?!" she shrieks her cheeks turning pink.

Abigail notices the way Holly is looking at Brock and laughs tauntingly again.

"So, the guy you like is here too?" She mocks. "Good. That's just going to make this even more fun. Nidoqueen, use Scratch."

Abigail's Nidoqueen extends its claws and charges at Toxicroak. Holly doesn't realize that her opponent is attacking until Nidoqueen is getting ready to swipe at her Pokemon.

"Toxicroak, dodge quick!" She cries out.

Unfortunately, Nidoqueen successfully scratches at its opponent before Toxicroak can move. The toxic mouth Pokemon takes a few steps back and holds on to its side where Nidoqueen scratched it.

"Hey, that's not fair, she wasn't even ready!" Serena shouts angrily.

"If she wasn't paying attention, then that's her own fault," Abigail says uncaringly. "Now, use Body Slam!"

"Toxicroak, use Sucker Punch!" Holly cries out.

Toxicroak ignores the pain it's in and charges at Nidoqueen. The drill Pokemon is taken aback for a moment, giving Toxicroak the chance to hit it hard in the stomach.

"Yes, now use Poison Jab!" Holly says with her confidence rising.

The large claw on Toxicroak's hand glows purple, and it jabs at its opponent. Unfortunately, the attack only gives Nidoqueen a little scratch much to Holly and Toxicroak's shock.

"You little ditz, I told you poison attacks will do hardly a thing to my Nidoqueen," Abigail says with a grin. "Nidoqueen, Supersonic!"

Nidoqueen takes a deep breath and lets out odd sound waves from its mouth. The sound waves hit Toxicroak, and the Poison-type Pokemon starts looking at the sky aimlessly in confusion.

"Toxicroak, snap out of it!" Holly pleads.

"Finish it with Earthquake," Abigail says with a cruel grin.

Nidoqueen stomps on the ground, and the ground shakes under Toxicroak's feet. The attack sends it flying into the air and crashing onto the ground in front of Holly's feet with swirly eyes. Holly looks at her poor Pokemon devastated while the crowd cheers for Abigail, with the exception of Ash, Pikachu, Serena, and Brock. Abigail keeps her condescending grin as she returns Nidoqueen to its Pokeball and scoffs at Holly.

"Well, that was barely worth the time taking Nidoqueen out of its Pokeball," she says. "I guess it's a good thing you're not competing in the contest tomorrow cause there would be no point in trying to take my first contest ribbon away from me."

The crowd cheers, chanting Abigail's name while she blows kisses at her fans.

"See you later, gentlemen," she says while she walks away. "Hope to see you all watching me at the contest."

"Don't worry, Abigail, I've already secured a seat on the first row!" one ecstatic man calls out.

"I wouldn't miss your contest debut for the world, Abigail!" Another man shouts, holding out a rose.

The other men make similar claims as Abigail keeps walking until she is out of sight. Finally, the crowd disperses until Ash, Pikachu, Serena, Brock, Holly, and her unconscious Toxicroak are left. Silence fills the area with Holly staring at her Pokemon crushed while Brock slowly walks over to her with a sad look.

"Holly, are you okay?" He asks.

But instead of an answer, Holly silently returns Toxicroak to its Pokeball and walks toward the Pokemon Center, passing Brock, Ash, Pikachu, and Serena without looking at any of them.

"Holly?" Brock says again as he races inside the building with Ash, Pikachu, and Serena following him.

The four of them catch up with Holly just in time to see her give Toxicroak's Pokeball to the Nurse Joy at the front desk.

"Please take care of my Toxicroak, Nurse Joy," she says calmly.

"Don't worry. Your Toxicroak is in good hands," Nurse Joy says with a kind smile as she takes the Pokeball and exits from the back door.

"Thank you," Holly says quietly.

The hall is silent with Holly still standing in front of the front desk. Brock walks over to her slowly, unsure of what to say.

"Holly?" He asks again.

But instead of responding, Holly walks away from him, heading to the Pokemon Center's cafeteria. Brock runs over to her and grabs her by the hand.

"Holly, what's wrong? Tell me," he begs.

Holly stays silent.

"Are you upset to see me?" He asks. "Did you never want to see me again? Is that it?"

Finally, Holly turns to Brock with a shocked look on her face as if he said the most unbelievable thing in the world.

"Never see you again? What are you talking about?" she berates. "I've wanted to see you again ever since I left to do more training."

Brock looks at her surprised while Ash, Pikachu, and Serena listen from a few feet away, equally shocked.

"It's just I wanted to see you again when I finally accomplished my goal," Holly continues with a frown. "I want to be a better tag partner for you, and I've been working very hard to achieve that goal with my Pokemon. I didn't want you to see me still not as skilled or as strong as you are - least of all, to see me fail so miserably in a battle like that again."

"Oh, hey now, Holly, don't act like that," Brock says with a kind smile. "You don't need to do all of that to be my partner."

"But I should be," Holly protests. "After all, we got disqualified in the semifinals because Paul's Torterra took down my Farfetch'd so quickly with that Hyper Beam."

"That was hardly your fault," Brock says kindly. "Paul was a really strong opponent. Ash was his partner, and he barely managed to defeat Paul at the Sinnoh League. I don't blame you at all for us losing, so don't beat yourself up over it."

Holly looks at Brock, surprised.

"R-really?" She asks.

"Really," Brock says sincerely. "I never said you had to be a really strong trainer to be my battling partner. I like you for you just like you like me for me."

Holly keeps her surprised face for a moment before she smiles widely. But then her smile falters, and she looks away from Brock with a disapproving frown.

"I want to believe you really like me," she says. "But I remember how you acted toward the Nurse Joy at the competition while you were still making moves on me. And she's not the only one you've acted that way towards besides me, is she?"

Brock winces at her words and scratches the back of his head nervously.

"Well, you see...I ju -... It's really…" he stutters before he hangs his head in shame. "Yes, it's true. I have a terrible habit of chasing after other women."

Holly looks at Brock hurt and turns her head sadly. Brock lifts up his head and puts his hands together as if he's praying to the woman he likes.

"But I have been thinking about you a lot since then," Brock protests. "I've been wanting to see you again and wishing you didn't leave without saying goodbye."

Holly keeps her frown and turns her whole body away from Brock, making his heart sink.

"I wish I can trust you on that, Brock. I really do," she says.

Brock hangs his head again, and Serena takes this moment to step in.

"Excuse me, if I may?" she requests.

Holly and Brock turn to Serena, and the former asks, "Who are you?"

"My name is Serena, and I'm traveling with Brock," the honey blonde girl answers. "I admit that I've only known him for the past couple of months, but I can testify that he's telling the truth when he says he's been thinking about you."

"Really?" Holly asks.

"Mmmm-hmmm," Serena says, nodding with a smile. "When we were in Saffron City, we were talking about his...habit of chasing women, and it was clear that out of the few women who ever liked him back, you stood out the most. He was talking about how you were already a good partner just the way you are, and he wishes he could have stopped you from leaving."

At this, Holly smiles warmly at Serena, who walks over to stand next to Brock.

"I know he has a problem when it comes to other women, but I know he's trying to improve," Serena says honestly. "I've even been taking upon myself to try to calm him down every time he tries to make a move on someone. So since you have been working hard to do better for him, please believe that he's trying to do better too."

Holly's eyes turn back to Brock, who gives her a sincere smile. She walks a step closer to him and is about to speak when Nurse Joy enters the room with an uneasy look on her face

"Excuse me, ma'am?" Nurse Joy says. "I'm afraid there's been a problem with Toxicroak."

"What? What kind of problem?" Holly asks worriedly.

"You see, I have just discovered that I have run out of the medicine I need to heal its wounds, and it's starting to get a fever," Nurse Joy says sadly. "I'd get some new medicine, but it needs a specific antibiotic that I need to give it right away."

Holly, Serena, Brock, Ash, and Pikachu gasp at the same time.

"But what is going to happen to Toxicroak if it doesn't have this antibiotic?" Holly asks fearfully.

Suddenly, Brock's face turns serious, and he takes out his backpack and sorts through his equipment inside.

"Nurse Joy, is this the antibiotic you need?" He asks, taking out a white bottle.

Nurse Joy looks at him surprised and says, "Why yes, it is. But how did you know?"

"I'm a doctor-in-training, so I carry medicine like this with me wherever I go," Brock answers, shocking Nurse Joy and amazing Holly as he takes out another bottle. "If it's okay, I'd like to help you treat Toxicroak."

Holly looks at Brock, surprised while Nurse Joy stares at him for a moment before she nods.

"Yes, of course," she says. "Any help would be appreciated."

"Nurse Joy, would it be alright if I watch you two take care of my Toxicroak?" Holly asks pleadingly.

"Yes, but you'll have to watch outside in the hall," Nurse Joy answers.

Holly nods in understanding before Nurse Joy gestures Brock to follow her to the back door with Holly, Serena, Ash, and Pikachu following behind. Brock and Nurse Joy enter the emergency room and begin working on treating Toxicroak, who is lying down unconscious on a work table while the others watch through a large window outside in the hall. Brock takes out the medication and helps Nurse Joy give them to Toxicroak before he starts working on the bruises that are all over the toxic mouth Pokemon's body.

The entire time the nurse and the doctor-in-training work, Holly stares at Brock intently. She puts her hands together and places them close to her heart as she watches Brock tend to her precious Pokemon with care. Her mind begins to remember when she was still competing at the Hearthome City Tag Team Battle Tournament, and Brock was treating a Chimchar that belonged to Paul. The poor Pokemon was so overworked from some very harsh training that it could barely move, so Brock treated Chimchar at Hearthome City's Pokemon Center. The auburn-haired woman remembers being so impressed with how Brock knew how to take care of the wounded Fire-type Pokemon, and a small smile enters her face before turning to Ash and Serena.

"Tell me, has Brock always been a doctor-in-training?" she asks.

Ash turns to Holly and smiles before he answers, "No, actually. For as long as I've known him, he wanted to be a great Pokemon breeder. It wasn't until we were on a ferry heading to Twinleaf Town after I competed in the Sinnoh League that he decided to become a doctor instead after he treated a group of small Pokemon that were poisoned."

"Wow," Holly says before she frowns. "In retrospect, I guess I didn't ask him a whole lot about his dreams and passions when we were in Hearthome City. I always wished I could have asked him more about himself before I left."

Serena gives Holly a kind smile and says, "It's not too late to do that. You're both here now, right?"

Holly looks at the honey blonde girl hesitantly. She considers the possibility of traveling with Brock and worries he might not be open to the idea despite everything he said before. But the more she thinks about it, the more she smiles at the idea.

After a few minutes, Brock and Nurse Joy exit the room, making Holly nervous about what they have to say about her Pokemon until she sees Brock smile.

"Toxicroak is going to be just fine," he says in a reassuring tone. "It's just going to need to rest until around tomorrow afternoon to sleep through the fever."

Holly smiles happily and without thinking, pulls Brock into a tight hug, snuggling her head on his shoulder.

"Oh, thank you, Brock," she says joyfully.

Brock's tan face turns red from the auburn-haired woman hugging him before he smiles and hugs her back.

"I have to say, for someone who is only a doctor-in-training, Brock is very talented," Nurse Joy says, smiling at Holly. "You've got a good man by your side, ma'am."

Holly looks at Nurse Joy in shock with her cheeks turning red for a moment before she smiles and nods while still resting her head on Brock's shoulder.

Ash, Pikachu, and Serena both smile at the moment their friends are having. Suddenly, Serena's eyes widen, and she turns to Ash with her cheeks turning pink. Her mind is imagining herself holding Ash tightly, resting her head on his shoulder, and feeling his arms around her affectionately. The thought of having a moment like that with the boy of her dreams makes her face grow warm, and she covers it with her hat to hide a goofy smile. Ash and Pikachu keep watching the moment between Brock and Holly, completely unaware of what Serena is doing despite standing right next to her.

Finally, the two young adults break their embrace and look at each other, smiling. Their cheeks are still red, but neither of them notice because they are lost in each other's eyes. After a moment, Holly looks away from Brock for a moment and musters up the courage to speak her mind.

"Brock?" She says, pausing for a moment before she lets out her feelings. "I want to go with you on your journey."

Brock looks at her surprised before he gives her a silly, excited look.

"Really?" He asks.

"Yes," Holly answers. "I want to stay by your side from now on. I've missed you so much, and I don't want to be apart from you ever again. I still want to be a better partner for you, but now I realize I should be doing that with you instead of away from you."

"That's great!" Brock says gleefully. "But don't you still want to compete in the Indigo League?"

"I do, and that's why I want us to wait," Holly answers.

"What do you mean?" Brock asks, confused.

Holly looks away from Brock for a moment, thinking about what to say before she faces him with a small smile.

"I believe you when you say that you like me for me, but...I still want to compete in the Indigo League," she says. "I want to go as far as I can before I can really put all of my hard training behind me. So I want to keep collecting badges until I qualify for the Pokemon league and learn more about you while we travel. Once I've given everything I got in the Indigo League, then I can be ready for us to be together. Would you be willing to wait until then?"

Brock stares at Holly for a few seconds before he grins and takes both of Holly's hands.

"I've waited a long time to see you again, but as long as we can travel together all the way to Indigo Plateau, I can wait a little longer," he says.

Holly smiles brightly and pulls Brock into another hug. The two of them hold each other with their eyes closed for a moment before Holly's eyes snap open, and she breaks the hug to face Brock with a worried look on her face.

"Wait a minute, would I be interfering with your own plans by asking that we travel to get my last badges?" she asks. "I only need three more badges in Fuchsia City, Cinnabar Island, and Viridian City, but I don't want to go right away if it interferes with your journey with Ash and Serena."

Ash scratches his chin in thought and says, "Well, I was planning to revisit the Viridian City gym anyway. Maybe there's a way we can go back to Fuchsia City and then to Cinnabar Island while Serena is competing in her contests."

Serena snaps out of her daydream and turns to Ash before she quickly takes out her tablet and searches through it.

"Well, what do you know?" She says, smiling. "There actually is a contest happening right at Cinnabar Island in two weeks. If we head back to Fuchsia City right after my contest tomorrow and if you can win your badge there right away, Holly, we can catch a ferry that will take us there just in time for the contest, and you can challenge the gym leader in Cinnabar Island."

"Really?" Holly asks, surprised. "Are you sure it's no problem? I don't want to impose on you."

"Hey, don't worry about it. I see no reason to help you and Brock," Ash says with a toothy grin.

"Pikachu," Pikachu says cheerfully.

Serena nods in agreement before she walks over to Holly.

"Ash is right," she whispers into Holly's ear. "And besides, I know what it's like to want to stay beside the guy you like."

Holly looks at the honey blonde girl confused until Serena breaks away, so she's standing next to Ash and Pikachu again. The auburn-haired woman looks at the two teenagers before she puts the pieces together in her mind and gives Serena a wink of understanding. Serena blushes at the gesture while Ash look at the two of them, confused until he decides to drop it and smile at Holly.

"Well, that settles it. Holly, welcome to the group," he says.

"Thank you, Ash," Holly says kindly before turning to face Serena again. "Speaking of which, is it alright that I ask you a favor, Serena?"

Serena looks at Holly, surprised for a second until she smiles and says, "Sure, go ahead."

"If you have to face Abigail during your contest tomorrow, please take her down for me," Holly pleads.

Serena hesitates and says, "I'll do my best. I have been training my Absol with how to do Pokemon battle for the last few days, but I'm not even sure that Abigail will use her Nidoqueen for the battle round."

"She will use it on the battle round," Holly confirms. "She's so confident that she will win that she has openly told her fans many times that she will use her Dewgong for the appeal stage and her Nidoqueen for the battle stage. That's why I challenged her to a battle with Toxicroak. I was so irritated by how pompous she is that I wanted to put her in her place. Sadly, you saw how that went, but maybe you can take her down for me."

Serena frowns and scratches her chin in thought.

"I don't know. I have already used a performance battle as payback once before, and I don't really want to do it again," she says honestly. "Although, I may still have to face Abigail and her Nidoqueen at some point and I'll need to think of a strategy since they do look pretty strong. "

Suddenly, the honey blonde girl gasps and smiles excitedly before turning to Ash.

"Ash, I'm going to need your help," she says.

"Huh? What for?" Ash asks as he and Pikachu look at Serena, confused.

"I'm going to do some special training with Absol tonight," Serena announces in a matter-of-factly tone. "And I'm going to need help from you and Boldore to do it."

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For the remainder of the night, Ash and Serena did some practice training with Absol and Boldore while Brock and Holly decide to stay inside the Pokemon Center and talk to each other while never leaving each other's gaze. The more she spent time with Brock, the happier Holly felt to finally see him again and grew excited to travel with him and his friends. By the time the group was going to bed for the night, Serena and Absol were worn out from their special training with Ash and Boldore and were quick to head to bed so they can wake up fully refreshed in the morning for their contest. Ash was smiling the entire time that he was battling with Serena as he admired her determination to prepare for what awaits her.

The next day, Serena and Absol wake up feeling perfectly energized. The two of them walk to Neon City's Pokemon contest hall excitedly while Ash, Pikachu, Brock, and Holly follow behind with Brock and Holly, glancing at each other as they walk. The group enter the hall just in time for Serena to sign up and head to the backstage with the other coordinators while the others find seats in the auditorium. Ash, Pikachu, Brock, and Holly look around in their seats, surprised to see so many men filling the hall with excited looks on their faces.

"Wow, I've never seen so many guys appear for a Pokemon contest," Ash comments. "Are they all here for Abigail?"

"Most likely," Holly grumbles with her arms crossed. "I can even see some of them brought roses and banners to support that snobby brat. It's pathetic."

"Well, at least you have one man who will always be rooting for you," Brock says with a dopey smile.

Holly turns to Brock and gives him a sweet look.

"Fine by me. I only want one," she says, making Brock blush and giggle like a little boy. "And you're going to be rooting for Serena no matter what, right, Ash?"

"You bet," Ash stares proudly. "I always cheer for Serena with everything I've got."

"Pikachu!" Pikachu shouts, sharing Ash's cheering spirit.

"Oh, so you really care for Serena, huh?" Holly says with a teasing smirk.

"You bet. Serena's my friend, and I'll support her with everything I've got," Ash answers, ignorant of the way Holly is looking at him.

The auburn-haired woman blinks in confusion and turns to Brock, who gives her an uneasy smile.

"He's a little ignorant of certain...ideas," he says. "Serena and I are hoping to break him out of it."

"Oh, I see," Holly says with a frown. "Poor Serena."

"You can say that again, my dear," Brock says as he takes Holly's hand, and she smiles before squeezing his hand back.

"Poor Serena? What are you talking about?" Ash asks absent-mindedly. "She's going to be just fine. Our special training is going to win her fourth ribbon for sure."

Brock and Holly chuckle nervously at Ash's density before Lilian gets on stage and starts the contest. The show begins with Lilian introducing the judges and introducing the first person performing in the appeal round. The first several coordinators give modest performances with their Pokemon that the judges like, but most of the crowd didn't applaud for any of them because they only want to cheer for Abigail. Eventually, it is Abigail's turn, and the crowd roars with thunderous applause before she takes out her Pokeball.

"Dewgong, dear, it's showtime," she says as she tosses the ball into the with a flick of her wrist, and it open to reveal a cheerful Dewgong.

"Dewgong, use Aqua Jet just like we practiced," Abigail says with a wave of her hand.

Dewgong briefly becomes surrounded in blue energy before it shoots itself into the air like a rocket. The sea lion Pokemon flies into the air, doing flips and turns as it soars above the audience. All the men in the audience cheer while waving banners and bouquets of roses. Holly rolls her eyes and quietly grumbles bitterly until Brock takes her hand again and give her a supporting smile that makes her feel better.

"Now use Ice Beam on the ground," Abigail commands with her eyes closed.

Dewgong safely lands back on the stage, and a light blue ball forms in front of Dewgong's mouth. Dewgong fires a white beam onto the ground, and it creates a large heart-shaped statue of ice. The men in the audience cheer excitedly, raising their banners as high as they can while Abigail merely smiles with her eyes still closed, not looking at what her Pokemon created.

"And now for the final touch," Abigail says. "Aurora Beam."

Dewgong summons a multicolored beam with the horn on its head and fires towards it at the ice statue. The beam causes the ice to glow in many colors before it breaks into a million shiny pieces of ice. Abigail and Dewgong make a final pose, and the audience roars with ear-piercing cheers. Even the judges are so impressed that they join in with the applause while Abigail takes an over-the-top bow and blows kisses at the audience before exiting the stage. Holly's bitter frown returns as she watches all the men in the audience keep cheering even though Abigail is well out of their sight.

"Ugh, I can't stand these guys building up her ego!" She growls.

"Don't worry. Serena will take her down just like you asked her to," Ash says reassuringly.

"Maybe, but it won't be easy," Brock says seriously. "I hate to say it, but that was a really good performance. At this rate, I'm starting to wonder if Serena will be able to best her during the battle stage."

Holly turns to Brock with a worried look while Ash keeps his confident smirk.

"Serena will pull through," he says. "She's very strong, and she won't give up until the end."

The remainder of the appeal stage continues with many more coordinators giving their performances. Unfortunately, many of the performances come out as lackluster, with some of them messing up their routing with their Pokemon. Ash, Pikachu, Holly, and Brock look at each other with concerned looks as it is clear that many of the coordinators have lost their confidence after Abigail gave her stunning, well-received performance. Even the ones who did well on their performance look disheartened when the only people who applaud for them are Ash, Pikachu, Brock, Holly, and a few other people. Finally, Lilian announces Serena as the final contestant, and the honey blonde girl faces the audience with a bright smile as she throws her Pokeball into the air.

"Braixen, come on out!" She shouts.

The ball opens, and Braixen comes out dressed in its pink performance outfit.

"I didn't know you can decorate your Pokemon for a contest," Holly says.

"You usually don't, but I guess Braixen wanted to be wearing its outfit for the appeal stage," Ash says. "It does like to dress up like Serena."

"That makes sense," Brock says, nodding.

"Alright, Braixen, start spinning your stick into the air and use Flamethrower!" Serena commands.

Braixen nods before it points it stick into the air and starts rapidly spinning it in circles while fire shoots out from the top. The gesture creates a whirlpool of fire which wows the judges and some of the audience members.

"Now, use Hidden Power multiple times!" Serena orders.

Braixen summon several blue orbs from its stick, and the orbs get sucked into the fiery whirlpool and begin spinning around it.

"Now release and use your biggest Fire Blast!" Serena shouts with her hands in the air.

Braixen stops using Flamethrower and fires a giant 大-shaped blast of fire into the air that collides with the whirlpool and the blue orbs. The impact creates an explosion of fire and blue sparkles that make the judges gasp in shock while Serena and Braixen make their final pose.

"Ta-da! All done!" Serena says with a bright smile.

The auditorium becomes silent, which makes Serena uneasy. She begins to worry that Abigail has the audience so wrapped around her fingers that no one will applaud for her and Braixen. Just then, she hears loud clapping and turns to see Ash standing up and cheering.

"Yeah, great performance, Serena!" He cheers.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu shouts.

Brock and Holly turn to each other and nod before standing up and clapping too.

"Great job, Serena!" Brock shouts.

"Way to go!" Holly calls out.

Serena and Braixen smile and give their friends a bow before finally exiting the stage. As Serena walks away, she glances at Ash and gives him a fond look with her hand on her blue ribbon.

After she leaves, everyone in the audience waits patiently for a few minutes while the judges make their decisions. Once their choices are made, Lilian steps into the stage and says, "Alright, here are the people who will be competing in the next round!"

Everyone looks up at the big screen above the stage where twenty-four pictures appear, including pictures of Abigail and Serena. Ash, Pikachu, Brock, and Holly cheer for Serena while the rest of the audience cheers even louder for Abigail.

"Alright, we will now choose at random who will go against who at the battle round!" Lilian declares.

The screen turns blank for a few seconds until a tournament bracket appears. The groups look in shock to see Abigail and Serena's pictures appearing on the first bracket.

"Whoa, Serena and Abigail are facing each other on the first round," Ash says surprised.

"Good, that means she can take down that brat sooner," Holly says with a grin.

"Easy, Holly," Brock says calmly. "You said yourself that facing Abigail and her Nidoqueen won't be easy."

"I wouldn't worry about it," Ash says, smiling. "I believe all the training she and Absol did with Boldore and I will work out fine."

The crowd cheers loudly again as Abigail enters from one side of the battlefield while Serena comes from the other side.

"Let's start the battle with Serena against Abigail!" Lilian says, smiling.

Abigail gives Serena a condescending smirk while the two of them take out their Pokeballs.

"You're friends with that woman Holly, aren't you?" She says in a mocking tone.

"Yes, I am," Serena replies firmly.

"Well, I hope you are better prepared than she is," Abigail says as she tosses her Pokeball into the air. "Nidoqueen, let's go!"

"Absol, come on out!" Serena shouts.

The Pokeballs open to reveal Absol and Nidoqueen. Abigail sneers in amusement as she looks at her opponent's Pokemon.

"That little thing going against my Nidoqueen? This will be quick," she claims.

"Battle begin!" Lilian shouts through her microphone, and the clock starts counting down.

"Nidoqueen, let's make this easy with Supersonic," Abigail says uncaringly.

Serena frowns at her opponent and shouts, "Absol, dodge, and use Feint followed by Scratch!"

The Nidoqueen fires its attacks, and the see-through sound waves miss Absol as it moves away and runs around its opponent. The disaster Pokemon makes its way behind Nidoqueen and strikes it with its horn. Abigail's Pokemon grunts in pain before Absol starts scratching its back repeatedly, and the judges take away some of her points.

"What? How dare they take away my points!" Abigail says angrily. "Nidoqueen, use Scratch!"

"Absol, you use Scratch too!" Serena calls out.

Nidoqueen turns to Absol with its claws extended, and both Pokemon swipe at each other only for their claws to collide, leading to the two Pokemon pushing against each other with their claws locked. After a moment of struggling, they back away from each other, deciding that neither of them are going to overpower the other with their attack.

"Wow, I'm surprised Absol was able to stand its ground against Nidoqueen," Brock says, surprised. "Does this have something to do with your training, Ash?"

"Sure does," Ash says, smiling. "Serena kept in mind that both Pokemon knew Scratch, so she asked me to have Boldore use Rock Smash so that Absol can wrestle with it while using Scratch until it was able to stand its ground despite Boldore's superior strength."

"What a clever idea," Holly says, smiling.

"Yup, and that's not all she has up her sleeve," Ash says with a toothy grin.

"Nidoqueen, crush that thing with Body Slam!" Abigail shouts.

Nidoqueen charges at Absol, but Serena smirks, anticipating the move.

"Absol, wait until Nidoqueen is close enough and use Double Team!" she instructs.

Absol nods and waits until Nidoqueen is a couple of seconds away from crushing it with its body before it makes dozens of clones of itself. Nidoqueen's eyes widen, and it trips on its feet, causing it to fall down on its face. It stands up only to stare in shock with no idea which Absol is the real one. The judges are impressed with how the honey blonde girl had her Pokemon use Double Team to dodge again and took away more of Abigail's points.

"Nidoqueen, knock them out with Earthquake!" Abigail orders.

"Absol, dodge using Feint!" Serena calls out.

Nidoqueen nods and slams its foot onto the ground, causing the ground to shake and make all of the images of Absol disappear. Abigail and Nidoqueen look around until Absol appears right behind Nidoqueen and rams right into it, causing the drill Pokemon to fall down again.

"Nicely done, Serena!" Ash calls out.

"Huh? Is that another thing you worked on with Absol last night?" Holly asks.

"Yep, she wanted me to teach her how to use Double Team to sneak on your opponent like I used to do a lot with my Greninja," Ash says with a toothy grin. "Absol had fun working on that one."

Abigail's face turns red with anger as the judges take away more of her points.

"Hit that thing with Scratch!" She shrieks.

"Use Double Team again!" Serena commands.

Absol makes more clones of itself, and Nidoqueen stops itself from attacking, confused again over which Absol is real.

"Just scratch all of them until you get the real one!" Abigail shouts frustrated.

Nidoqueen growls and starts scratching at all of the fake Absol. Abigail keeps her eyes on her Pokemon's progress until she notices a particular Absol acting different from the rest.

"There! The real one is right behind you!" She yells, pointing at the real Absol.

Serena's eyes widen as she realizes that Absol is spotted and shouts, "Absol, counter with Scratch!"

Absol's extends its claws, and they glow white again just in time to deflect Nidoqueen's claws. The drill Pokemon raises its arm to swipe again, and Absol moves back to avoid the attack again.

"Now's your chance. Hit it!" Serena shouts.

Absol raises its hand to attack, but suddenly, the glow on its claws changes from white to purple before it swings at Nidoqueen and lands a successful hit.

"Huh? What was that?" Serena asks in confusion while the judges took even more of her opponent's points.

"Did it learn a new move?" Holly asks.

"Yeah, that was Night Slash," Brock says with a smile. "Looks like Absol practiced its Scratch attack so much with Boldere that it lead to learning a new move."

"Really? Awesome!" Ash says excitedly.

"Pika!" Pikachu squeals joyously.

Abigail's point bar shrinks more, and the brunette woman grows irritated.

"That does it," she growls. "Nidoqueen, use Earthquake!"

"Use Feint again, followed by Night Slash!" Serena says.

Absol charges toward Nidoqueen and gets behind it before the drill Pokemon slams its foot into the ground, causing the floor in front of it to shake. It then rams into it again before it scratches it with Night Slash again. Abigail grinds her teeth childishly as she loses more points.

"Use Scratch!" She barked

"Ding!"

Serena and Abigail look at each other in confusion before they look up to see that the timer reached 0.

"Looks like time's up, and Serena has all of her points while Abigail lost more than half of hers!" Lillian announces. "So, Serena will be moving on to the next round!"

"What?!" Abigail shrieks. "How is that possible?!"

Serena smiles and says, "Alright! Way to go, Absol!"

"Sol!" Absol cries out cheerfully, happy to be praised by its motherly figure.

"No!" Abigail screams. "I can't lose! This was to be my debut as a coordinator! I'm not done!"

"Yes, you are!" Nurse joy calls out from her judging seat. "The battle ended with Serena having more points than you! You are disqualified!"

Abigail looks at Nurse Joy in shock. She turns to the audience, where her fans are looking at her devastated. She grinds her teeth again as she returns Nidoqueen back in its Pokeball and storms out of the stage like a little child throwing a tantrum while Ash, Pikachu, Brock, and Holly cheer for Serena until she also leaves.

"Yeah, now that's what I call humiliation!" Holly exclaims. "That oughta teach her for being so prideful."

"No kidding," Ash says. "And Absol learned Night Slash, which is awesome!"

"Pikachu," Pikachu says with a nod.

As the battle stage continues, most of the audience leaves because they were disappointed that Abigail lost. Serena and Absol defeat their opponents with ease, taking advantage that the disaster Pokemon learned Night Slash as they battled. Finally, she makes it to the final round against a red-haired girl named Amelia and her Ponyta. Amelia manages to take off half of Serena's points with her creative use of Ember, Fire Spin, and Double Kick, but Serena gets the upper hand once she figures out Absol can cut through most of Ponyta's attacks in creative ways with Night Slash. Finally, the clock on the screen let out a loud "ding!" and Amelia's point bar is found to be lower than Serena's by just a little.

"And the winner of this year's Neon City Pokemon contest is Serena!" Lilian announces.

Ash, Pikachu, Brock, Holly, and what's left of the crowd cheers for Serena, and the honey blonde girls sighs in relief while her opponent walks over to her.

"Thanks for a good battle, Serena," Amelia says with a smile.

Serena nods while petting Absol.

"Yeah, same to you, Amelia," she says.

Amelia nods back and says, "I also want to say thank you for taking down Abigail like that."

Serena looks at the red-haired girl confused until Amelia explains, "You see, I also live here in Neon City, and this is my debut as a coordinator as well. I've been worried that I would do poorly just because Abigail is stronger and more popular, but when I saw your Absol take down her Nidoqueen like that, I felt better knowing that she wasn't as great as she was built up to be. So I don't mind that I lost on my debut because, in the end, I gave it my all, and I made it farther than Abigail and lost to someone as good as you."

Serena looks at Amelia, surprised for a moment before she smiles and says, "Then I'm glad I was able to help you. Just remember to trust in your Pokemon and face everything with a smile. That's what I do."

Amelia nods again and says, "Okay, I'll do that. Thanks, Serena."

The two girls shake hands just in time for Lilian to walk over to Serena.

"Congratulations, Serena," she says, presenting the honey blonde girl with the Neon City contest ribbon. "Just one more to go, and you'll get to compete in the Grand Festival."

"Thank you, Lilian," Serena says before presenting her fourth ribbon to what's left of the audience.

********************************************************

After the contest ends, Serena meets up with Ash, Pikachu, Brock, and Holly, and together, they walked back to the Pokemon Center, where Nurse Joy is already back just in time to give Holly back Toxicroak's Pokeball. Holly thanks Nurse Joy and takes Toxicroak out of its ball and gives her Pokemon a big hug.

"Oh, Toxicroak, I'm so glad you're feeling better," she says, cheerfully.

"Croak," Toxicroak replies with a smile.

Holy then turns to Brock and says, "Thank you so much for taking care of Toxicroak, Brock."

Brock smiles excitedly and takes both of Holly's hands before he says, "It is my pleasure, dear Holly. I promise to treat your Pokemon whenever they require medical assistance as we finally travel together. May fate never dare drive us apart ever ag - AUGH!"

Brock falls down on the floor, revealing Toxicroak to be standing behind him with its claw turned purple. Holly gives her Pokemon a disappointed pout and says, "Toxicroak, don't use Poison Jab on Brock. I want him to flirt with me."

But Toxicroak merely chuckles in response, and Holly sighs and returns the poison type Pokemon back into its ball before kneeling down next to Brock.

"Are you alright?" She asks.

"Ugh, and here I thought I'd be free of being hit by Poison Jab by leaving my Croagunk at home," Brock groans.

Holly gives Brock a small smile before she wraps his arm around her head and lifts Brock up.

"Come on, Brock, let's get going to the Fuchsia City gym together," she says.

Brock manages to smile despite the pain still flowing in his body and says, "Together," while Holly carries him out of the Pokemon Center. Serena smiles fondly at the way the two adults are already enjoying their time together while Ash puts on his backpack.

"Well, we better follow them so we can get to the Fuchsia City gym and then to Cinnabar Island on time," he says. "It would be awesome if you win your final ribbon at Cinnabar Island so we could go straight to Viridian City for my rematch against Agatha and Holly's final badge."

"Pikachu," Pikachu says while hopping on Ash's shoulder.

"Yeah, it would," Serena says, nodding.

Ash nods back and starts walking toward the front doors while Serena frowns and rubs her arm. She mentally debates with herself until she makes up her mind and turns to Ash.

"Hey, Ash?"

The raven-haired boy stops walking and turns to Serena, saying, "Yeah, Serena?"

"Thank you for cheering for me out there," Serena says.

Ash looks at Serena, confused before he chuckles and says, "Don't worry about it, Serena. I told you I'm here to support you, and I meant it. Besides, Brock and Holly were cheering for you too."

"I know," Serena says. "I just want you to know how much it means to me. I may not have seen countless people happy with my performance back there like I wanted, but I really appreciate that at least you are there to cheer for me."

Serena backs up her words with a sweet smile while her blue eyes gaze deeply into Ash's brown ones. Ash stared back, confused for a moment before he gives her a toothy grin with his eyes closed.

"Of course. Anytime," he says. "Now, let's get going before Brock and Holly wonder where we are."

"Pika," Pikachu says, agreeing while it holds back onto Ash's shoulder.

Serena nods and follows Ash out of the Pokemon Center. As they catch up with Brock and Holly, Serena glances at Ash with a fond look.

"I hope we can cheer each other on forever," she thinks in her mind.