Chapter 48

After several hours of training with Pikachu, Serena practicing with her Pokemon, and Brock and Holly touring in Viridian City after going out for ice cream, the four of them and Pikachu go back to the Pokemon Center together and have dinner before going to bed. Brock and Holly are having the time of their lives together, still thrilled that Holly has all the badges she needs to compete in the Indigo League.

Meanwhile, Serena is feeling satisfied with all the routines she has practiced with Braixen, Pancham, Sylveon, Poliwag, and Absol. But out of all of them, Ash has been looking distant during dinner and when everyone goes to bed in their room. When Brock asks him if something is the matter, Ash claims he is tired from all the training before he goes under the covers of his bed. Brock, Holly, and Serena are all confused about why he's acting that way, but they decide to let it go as they all go to bed.

Later in the middle of the night, Serena slowly wakes up and quietly gets out of bed to use the bathroom, making sure not to wake up Absol, who is sleeping next to her. After she went, she walks back to her bed to sleep again. But right as she sits down, she glances at the bed next to her to find that Ash and Pikachu are not there. Serena stares at the empty bed in surprise and looks around the room, only to find Brock and Holly asleep in their own beds. She walks around Ash's bed to see if he and Pikachu fell off their bed in their sleep, but they are nowhere to be seen.

Just as she is about to exit the room and see if the raven-haired boy and his partner are anywhere near the halls, she hears the sound of small explosions and Pikachu calling out its name from outside. Serena walks over to the window, and from a distance, she can see Ash and Pikachu half a mile from the Pokemon Center training. The honey blonde girl frowns disapprovingly and decides to walk over there, waking up Absol, who silently follows her in the process.

By the time Serena and Absol make it over to Ash and Pikachu, the raven-haired boy and his partner are using a couple of trees as target practice.

"Pikachu, use Electro Ball on that tree!" Ash shouts.

Pikachu throws an Electro Ball at a tree, and the ball explodes on impact.

"Now use Quick Attack around it!" Ash instructs.

Pikachu runs around the tree multiple times with incredible speed before it rams into it.

"Alright," Ash begins. "Now let's hit it hard with -"

"Ash!" Serena shouts.

Ash and Pikachu stop what they're doing and turn around to see Serena storming toward them like an angry mother ready to discipline her children, followed by Absol. Ash looks at his friend, confused, and turns his body to face her.

"Serena? What are you doing up?" he asks.

"I should ask you the same thing," Serena counters. "It's past 3:00 in the morning, Ash. Why would you -"

But as she is about to ridicule Ash, she stops to get a close look at him. It takes a moment before she realizes that despite Ash's tall posture, and his energetic voice, his face looks exhausted. Serena stares at him in shock before she talks to him more calmly.

"Ash, how long have you been up and training?" She asks, concerned.

Ash looks up at the sky and scoffs.

"I don't know," he answers duly. "Probably a few hours."

"What?! You've been training in the middle of the night for the last few hours?!" Serena shouts. "You need to go to bed right now."

"No, I can't sleep," Ash says. "I gotta keep training."

"No, you can't keep training in this condition," Serena rebukes.

"Yes, I can," Ash counters stubbornly.

"No, you can't," Serena counters. "You need to rest and -"

"I can't rest, alright?!" Ash barks.

Serena takes a step back, surprised by Ash snapping at her abruptly.

"I can't rest until I've won!" Ash shouts angrily. "I have to beat Agatha, or I'm not going anywhere near Indigo Plateau!"

"But why?" Serena protests. "What's so important that you win against Agatha?! I know you want to get stronger, but she's a member of the Elite Four."

"And Timothy defeated the Johto Elite Four and Lance!" Ash points out. "So, what right do I have to say I deserve to compete in the Indigo League again if I can't even do something my rival did?! Even Holly lasted longer than I did against Agatha, and still, she's satisfied with earning a badge even though she lost! I can't be satisfied with some noble defeat, Serena! If I stay satisfied with Agatha saying she would have given me a badge just for trying, I may as well have never rightfully earned my Earth Badge just like I didn't earn a badge the first time in Cerulean City, Celadon City, or Saffron City. Heck, Agatha's words may as well be a repeat of when I battled Brock in Pewter City! I lose twice, and yet I got a badge anyway!"

Serena stares at Ash, realizing what he's saying. She frowns sadly as the raven-haired boy continues.

"What does that make me if I just stay satisfied with just close enough, Serena?!" He asks. "How can I live with just never going all the way, showing how strong my Pokemon and I are?! Should I give up trying to be better and hope for the best again?"

"No!" Serena shouts, running over to Ash and grabbing him by the shirt. "Never! Never, Ash! You shouldn't just be okay with just not being enough! But no matter what you say, that doesn't mean you should keep training even when you or your Pokemon can barely keep going! Look at how tired Pikachu is! It needs to rest! You need to rest!"

"I can't do that, Serena," Ash says softly but seriously. "I can't rest knowing I'm not strong enough yet to defeat Agatha. I can't stop until I am worthy of competing in the league."

With that, he turns around and walks away, forcing Serena to let go of his shirt. The honey-blonde girl watches sadly as Ash goes back to training with Pikachu despite both of them growing weaker. Finally, Serena shuts her eyes and tries to control the frustration growing inside of her until she can't take it anymore.

"Fine!" She yells, catching Ash and Pikachu's attention. "Keep training until you collapse! But don't come crying if your work gets sloppy just because you can't take care of yourself and your Pokemon! Ignore the fact that I'm just trying to help because I -"

Serena's eyes widen, and she holds her tongue before she says another word. Her face turns red all over in embarrassment while Ash, Pikachu, and Absol stare at her.

"Because what?" Ash asks, confused.

"B-b-be...because…" Serena stutters before she angrily shouts. "Because I worry about you, okay?!"

Before Ash has a moment to respond, Serena turns around and runs away. Absol quickly follows after her while Ash still staring at where she was. Serena keeps running until she's behind the Pokemon Center, and she sits down against the wall with a bitter look on her face. She lets out a loud huff and crosses her arms bitterly while Absol sits next to her. The disaster Pokemon looks at her sadly and licks her leg to get her attention. Serena turns to Absol, and her exasperation fades.

"I'm sorry, Absol," she says with a sad smile as she pets her Pokemon on the head. "I guess I let Ash's anger get to me. That stubborn boy just never knows when to quit. I know that's one of the reasons why I care about him, but I don't want to sacrifice his health to do it."

"Absol," Absol says with a nod.

Serena nods back and sighs.

"I better go there and apologize to him," she says. "I don't want to take a long time to make up again."

Absol nods again, and Serena stands up to walk back to where Ash and Pikachu are. But as she's walking, she trips on something and falls down to the ground with a high-pitched yelp. She groans in pain, and Absol runs to her side as she rolls over to see what she tripped on.

"Jiggly!"

A Jigglypuff gives her a bitter pout and walks over to Serena with one hand holding a little microphone and another raised high to punch the honey-blonde girl. Absol steps in front of its mother figure defensively, making Jigglypuff stop walking, but Serena sits up and puts her hand on Absol's head to tell it to hold on. Absol waits patiently while Serena gives the balloon Pokemon a soft, friendly smile.

"I'm so sorry," she says kindly. "I didn't watch where I was going."

"Puff," Jigglypuff huffs in a high-pitched voice, clearly not satisfied with Serena's apology.

Serena frowns again, wanting to do something to make up for the round, pink Pokemon. Then she notices the little microphone Jigglypuff is holding and smiles.

"That's a cute microphone you have there," she compliments. "Do you like to sing?"

Immediately, Jigglypuff's eyes light up, and it nods excitedly.

"I would like to hear a song from you if you'd like," Serena says politely.

"Jiggly! Jiggly!" Jigglypuff squeals, bouncing up and down. Serena chuckles at the Pokemon's enthusiasm and sits down on her knees next to Absol.

"Okay then, sing us a song, please, Jigglypuff," She requests.

"Hey, Serena, where are you?" Ash calls out, with him and Pikachu running to find her and Absol. "Look, I'm sorry about the way I -"

Ash's voice dies in his throat as he and Pikachu find Serena and Absol sitting down on the grass in front of Jigglypuff. Ash and Pikachu's eyes widen, and their pupils shrink in horror as they instantly recognize the balloon Pokemon.

"Serena, what are you doing?!" Ash cries out. "Run away!"

"Pika, Pi!" Pikachu cries out.

Serena and Absol turn their heads to see Ash and Pikachu running towards them.

"Ash?" Serena says, confused.

"Serena, don't let Jigglypuff sing," Ash says, panicking.

Serena frowns disapprovingly and says, "Ash, that's not a nice thing to say."

"No, I'm serious," Ash begs. "You don't want Jigglypuff to sing."

"Honestly, Ash, that's just rude," Serena rebukes before turning to Jigglypuff with a smile. "Go ahead, Jigglypuff. Sing."

"No!" Ash cries out.

Jigglypuff ignores Ash's cries and, with a bright smile on its face, holds its microphone close to its mouth and takes a deep breath.

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

Brock slowly opens his eyes and sits up from his bed with a loud yawn. As he scratches his back, he notices that Ash and Serena's beds on the other side of the room are empty. He shrugs it off, thinking that they probably already left to train or get breakfast together, secretly hoping the latter for his honey blonde friend. He turns to the digital clock on the bed stand next to him to see that it's a few minutes past 11 o'clock.

"Whoa, did I sleep," he mumbles to himself before he turns his head to the bed next to him and smiles. "And so did a certain lady of my life."

Holly is soundly snoring with a little smile on her face, hugging her pillow as she sleeps. Brock decides to tiptoe to her bed and gently caress her cheek.

"Wake up, beautiful. It's morning," he says soothingly.

Holly moans softly and robotically sits up and rubs her eyes before looking at Brock with a tired yet loving smile.

"Hey there, handsome," she says, caressing his cheek back. "What time is it?"

"It's 11:08," Brock answers.

"What?" Holly says, confused as she turns to the clock near her own bed stand, "You waited until past 11 to wake me?"

"I just woke up," Brock replies. "We both overslept. Ash and Serena are already gone."

Holly gives Brock a flirtatious smirk and says, "Good, more time for the two of us."

"My thoughts exactly," Brock says with a cheeky grin. "So, what do you say we head to that brunch restaurant we passed by yesterday?"

"Sounds wonderful," Holly says.

Thus, the two of them change from their pajamas into their normal clothes and exit the Pokemon Center hand in hand. They walk over to a restaurant where already several couples, young and old, are eating together. The sight makes Brock and Holly feel at home as they sit down at a table for two, and a waiter takes their order. After the waiter leaves and briefly comes back with their drinks, the two young adults take a moment before they strike a conversation.

"So, do you feel ready for the Indigo League?" Brock asks.

"I think so," Holly says. "To tell you the truth, I don't know what to expect. My mind is more on what happens after the league than anything else."

Brock blushes and gives Holly a goofy smile.

"I know exactly what you mean," he says before he breaks from his goofy demeanor. "But if you have questions about it, I'd be more than happy to fill you in."

"That would be perfect," Holly says with a smile. "I guess my first thought would be to clarify that you said full battles are not until the last four rounds at the Indigo League."

"Yep. Six on six battles are usually only during the semifinal and final rounds," Brock says with a smile. "But if I remember correctly, it's always three on three battle until after the fifth round in the Indigo League."

"Oh? Does it differ in different regions?" Holly asks.

"Sure does," Brock says. "In fact, in the Johto League preliminaries, you start off with just one Pokemon, and you're battling outside the Indigo Stadium."

"Just one?" Holly says in shock. "Oh, I'd hate to do that. It would be devastating if you came all that way after winning all of your badges just to be disqualified just like that on a one-on-one battle before you even get to battle inside the stadium.

"I hear you," Brock says, smiling. "Anyway, in the Indigo League, you have to pass through four preliminary battles on four unique battlefields, specifically grass, water, ice, and rock, to qualify for battling inside the Indigo Stadium."

"Wow, that sounds like an exciting way to start off the league," Holly comments.

"Exciting but still challenging," Brock says. "I remember how things were tricky for Ash during the preliminaries."

"I bet," Holly says.

Brock opens his mouth to continue, but suddenly, a tan hand rests on his shoulder. He turns his head around and looks in shock at the sight of an older man with dark grey hair with a face very similar to his.

"Dad?!" He exclaims.

"Hiya, Brock," the old man says cheerfully. "Fancy seeing you all the way here in Viridian City."

Holly stares at the two men, confused with what is happening. Then, a woman with mahogany hair pulls Brock's head into a tight hug.

"Oh, son, it feels like it's been ages since we've last seen you!" She squeals joyously before she notices Holly, and her smile brightens. "And who is this pretty young lady?"

Brock frees himself from the woman's embrace, and his face is beet red as he clears his throat.

"Um...Holly, this is my mom and dad, Lola and Flint," he says awkwardly. "Mom, Dad, this is Holly...my soon-to-be girlfriend."

Holly blushes furiously, unprepared to meet her future boyfriend's parents. Flint and Lola's eyes, on the other hand, light up at the word girlfriend.

"Girlfriend?!" Lola shrieks. "This lady is your soon-to-be girlfriend?!"

"Atta boy, son," Flint says, nudging Brock's side. "A looker just like your mother. You're a chip off the old block."

"Mom, Dad, cut it out!" Brock exclaims, embarrassed. "What are you two doing here anyway?"

"Oh, we just recently landed here from Unova," Lola answers. "We just had brunch here before we go back to Pewter City."

"Speaking of which, I hope you left Ludicolo to help Forrest take care of your brothers and sisters," Flint says.

"What?" Holly asks, confused.

"Yes, Dad, I left Ludicolo and Crogunk with Forrest at home," Brock says.

"That's great. I can't wait to see my babies again," Lola says excitedly.

"Me neither. We have so many souvenirs from Unova that I know they will love," Flint says.

"Uh, that's great, Mom and Dad, but if you don't mind, we're kinda starting to have brunch before going to the Indigo League," Brock says.

Brock's attitude takes aback Flint and Lola until they put the pieces together.

"Oh, are some of your friends competing at the Indigo Plateau?" Flint asks.

"Yes, my friends Serena, May, and Dawn are competing at the Grand Festival there," Brock explains.

"And I'm going to be competing at the Indigo League with our friends Ash, Max, Ritchie, and Timothy," Holly says, jumping in. "Brock and I have agreed to become a couple after I complete officially."

"Oh, how exciting," Lola says. "Well, then, we mustn't keep you two waiting. We'll let you two enjoy your brunch together."

"Thanks, Mom," Brock says uncomfortably. "Tell Forrest and the others I said hi."

"Sure thing, son," Flint says. "We better get going anyway. We gotta order a cab back home. See ya, Brock."

With that, Flint and Lola leave the restaurant, much to Brock's relief. Brock and Holly stay silent for a couple of minutes before Brock clears his throat.

"Sorry that you had to meet them like that," he says.

"That's okay," Holly says quietly. "They seem to be pretty eccentric."

"Yeah, they certainly are that," Brock says.

The two of them remain quiet for a couple more minutes, figuring out what else to say while waiting for their food.

"So...when they were talking about someone named Forrest, I assume they meant the gym leader in Pewter City?" Holly asks.

"Yes, he's my brother," Brock answers.

"Thought so," Holly said. "I knew he looked an awful lot like you when I battled him for my Boulder Badge. But what was your dad talking about when he said something about leaving Ludicolo with your brothers and sisters?"

Brock scratches the back of his head and says, "You see, my parents have an act for leaving the house for long periods of time just to travel or to be better Pokemon trainers, and that led to me needing to take care of my brothers and sisters. At one point, they would stay at home and take care of the house while I would travel with Ash and some of our other friends, but even then, there are times I would come home to find out Mom and Dad had spontaneously left the house to go on a vacation leaving Forrest and the rest of my brothers and sisters by themselves."

"That's horrible!" Holly exclaims. "How could they leave their children behind like that?"

"It seems like they have no problem with it as far as my siblings and I are concerned," Brock says. "By now, we're pretty used to it. I've been taking care of my siblings whenever I'm not on a journey, and Forrest has been getting pretty good at being in charge when neither my parents nor I are at home as long as my Ludicolo and Croagunk are there to help him."

"So that's why I haven't seen your Croagunk all this time," Holly says.

"Yeah, it's a mess, to say the least," Brock says sadly. "I just wish my parents would stop leaving all the time and take responsibility for their children."

Holly looks at Brock sadly, understanding how he feels. After a couple more minutes of silence, she smiles and takes Brock's hand, gaining his attention.

"Let's make a deal," she says.

"Huh?" Brock says, confused.

"I don't know how things will go between us once we officially get together, but I know that if we ever take things further in the future, I'll never want to do something like that," Holly explains. "So if we get married and have children, let's promise to never leave them like that. We stay with them until it's time for them to leave the house, and we will stay by each other's side until the very end."

Brock freezes in place for a moment before he smiles brightly and takes both of Holly's hands.

"You had me at the idea of us married with children," he says with his spirits elevated.

Holly giggles at his enthusiasm and says, "So, do you agree?"

"Of course," Brock says without hesitation. "If we ever go that far in our relationship, I'll want to stay by you and our children no matter what."

Holly gives a loving smile and stands up for a moment to give Brock a brief peck on the cheek. Brock looks away bashfully while Holly sits down.

"There now, the deal has been struck, " she declares. "Oh, and by the way, I want to meet your siblings."

It takes a moment before Brock breaks from his shy state and gives the auburn-haired woman another smile.

"Sounds good to me," he says. We can do that between the Grand Festival and the Indigo League since there's a lot of time between the two.

"Perfect," Holly says before she clears her throat and plays with her fingers with a mousy face. "Also, at some point, I would like for us to go back to Sinnoh so that you to meet my parents...formally."

Brock's face turns red again, and he hesitates before giving Holly a timid nod.

"That sounds fair," he says. "That way, at least one of us has met the other's parents under more proper terms."

"I'm glad to hear that you agree," Holly says.

Before long after that, their meals arrive, and they happily eat together, discussing various other things. After they pay the bill, they decide to go back to the Pokemon Center so that Brock can help Holly train for the Indigo League.

"So, have you found out what kind of moves your Beedrill has? I forgot to ask a while back," Brock says.

"Yep, I borrowed Serena's Pokedex a couple of days ago to check. Beedrill knows X-Scissor, Outrage, Poison Jab, and Pin Missile," Holly answers.

"Ah, those are all good moves," Brock says. "Be careful with Outrage, though. It could confuse Beedrill after a while. You don't want to be helpless with your Pokemon confused like that. "

"Good to know," Holly says. "Speaking of Pokemon getting confused, do you think Ash has an idea of what to do with his rematch against Gengar?"

"Hmmm. That's a good question," Brock says, looking away from Holly in thought. "Ash does have a tendency to come up with clever ideas either before a rematch or at the very last second. Then again, some of his victories throughout his journey here in Kanto have been through Serena supporting him. Maybe with him training and her there to guide him, Ash might come up with something that might help him win somehow."

"Or Ash and Serena could be sleeping on the ground in their undies and pajamas, respectively," Holly says.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Brock asks, turning back to Holly.

The auburn-haired woman points to the direction behind the Pokemon Center, and Brock looks to find Ash in his white shirt and boxers and Serena in her pajamas lying on the ground beside Pikachu and Absol. The two adults look at each other for a moment before they run over to the two teenagers and their Pokemon to find that their faces have all been drawn by a black marker. Brock sighs and shakes his head before he gets down on one knee and gently shakes Ash.

"Ash. Ash, wake up," he says.

It takes a moment until Ash groans softly and wakes up. He sits up in a sitting position and rubs his eyes.

"Wha...what happened?" He asks groggily.

"It looks like you, Pikachu, Serena, and Absol ran into Jigglypuff," Brock answers.

"Me...Pikachu...Absol and...Serena," Ash says, recollecting what just happened as he stands up and crawls over to the honey blonde girl's side. "Serena. Serena, wake up."

Serena whimpers before she slowly sits up. She rubs her eyes and looks around curiously.

"Ugh...what happened?" She asks.

"Jigglypuff happened," Ash answers kneeling next to her. "You see, Brock, and I have come across that Jigglypuff many times before. It always carries that microphone wherever it goes, wanting to sing for everyone, not realizing that its singing ability makes everyone fall asleep."

"Fall...asleep?" Serena asks.

"Yep, and whenever people and Pokemon fall asleep it draws on people," Brock says. "Just like it just did to you, Ash, Pikachu, and Absol."

Serena looks at Brock, confused until Holly takes her makeup mirror and gives it to her. The honey blonde girl takes it looks in shock to see that she has a goatee, angry eyes, and big, round glasses drawn all over her face. Pikachu and Absol slowly woke up last, and she turns to them to find swirly eyes drawn on Pikachu and all sorts of shapes drawn on Absol. Finally, she turns to Ash to discover that he has a beard, eyepatch, and tears drawing over his face.

Serena stares at the raven-haired boy and the Pokemon for a few seconds, unsure of how to react. Then suddenly, the edges of her mouth begins to curl up, and she covers her mouth to hide a snicker. The snicker turns into a chuckle, and before anyone knows it, she lets out a loud, high-pitched laugh while holding on to her gut. Ash, Brock, Holly, Pikachu, and Absol stare at her for a moment before Ash suddenly chokes out a chuckle and starts laughing out loud too. Pikachu and Absol look at each other before they also start laughing at how ridiculous the other looks. Brock and Holly, on the other hand, just smile, pleased to see their friends laughing off their misfortune. Eventually, the laughter dies down, and Holly and Brock give Ash and Serena handkerchiefs, and the two of them start wiping the marks off their faces before they wash their Pokemon's faces.

"Hey, Serena," Ash begins, earning Serena's attention. "I'm sorry for the way I acted."

Serena smiles, appreciative of the apology.

"That's okay," she says calmly. "You were sleep-deprived and not in your best state of mind. But you need to worry about your health once in a while, okay?"

"Okay," Ash says before he does a long stretch. "Well, at least Jigglypuff gave us some needed sleep. Right, Pikachu?"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu says energetically.

"That's great, Ash, but why don't you two get back inside and get changed?" Holly suggests.

Ash and Serena look down and realize that they are still in their night garments and bashfully nod. Thus, the two teenagers and their Pokemon follow the two adults back inside the Pokemon Center, where they go inside their room and change back into their normal clothes.

"Well, now that that's settled, how about some breakfast?" Serena suggests.

"You read my mind," Ash says excitedly.

"Actually, it's too late for breakfast," Brock chuckles. "It's a few minutes past noon."

Ash, Serena, Pikachu, and Absol turn to see the digital clocks on the bed stands to see that Brock is right. The teenagers chuckle nervously, realizing how long they've been asleep.

"Okay, how about lunch?" Serena suggests.

"You two can go on ahead," Holly says. "We just had brunch, so we're going to do some training."

"Alright, then I guess we better get some lunch before I do the same," Ash says with a smirk. "Shall we, Serena?"

Serena smiles at the invitation before she and Absol follow Ash and Pikachu out of the room. As the four of them leave the Pokemon Center, Ash stretches his arms again and sighs.

"I gotta admit, I needed that nap even though I could do without falling asleep because of Jigglypuff," he says.

"I agree," Serena says. "I feel silly for not knowing that Jigglypuff's singing can do that."

"Hey, neither did me, Brock, or Misty back when we first met it," Ash says. "Still though, its singing has had its uses before. In fact, when we first met Jigglypuff, we used its singing to get all of Neon Town to sleep because everyone kept staying awake."

"Really? Jigglypuff's singing is that powerful?" Serena asks.

"Well, we put it on a stage so that its singing could be heard all over the city, but otherwise, yes," Ash explains. "But it also proved useful when its singing summoned an ancient giant Jigglypuff that stopped a giant Gengar and Alakazam from rampaging by also singing."

"Wow," Serena says, amazed.

Ash chuckles at Serena's reaction before he starts looking for a place for the two of them and their Pokemon to eat as they walk. Along the way, he notices they are passing by the meatball sub restaurant and stops walking. Serena turns to him, confused until she notices the restaurant and smiles.

"To think it's only been a couple of months since we came here at the beginning of our journey," she says.

"It feels a lot longer than that," Ash says. "But here is where you gave me the idea to have a rematch with all the gyms where I didn't earn a badge by winning a battle against the gym leaders. I don't know how I would have felt truly ready for the Indigo League if you haven't thought of that, Serena."

Serena blushes and bashfully looks away from Ash.

"Oh, I'm sure that's not entirely true," she says humbly. "I'm sure you would have thought of something yourself."

"But nothing as fitting as what you suggested," Ash claims. "I mean, you've always been encouraging me ever since my rematch with Viola at the Santalune City gym."

"But you're also great at coming up with your own creative ideas," Serena points out. "Like how you had Pikachu use Iron Tail on the ground to stop Bunnleby from using Dig or especially when you had Pikachu use Electro Ball on itself to cancel out Viola's Vivillon's Sleep Powder or even -"

But before Serena can continue, she notices Ash staring blankly at nothing. Serena, Pikachu, and Absol look at each other, confused, before the honey-blonde girl waves her hand in front of Ash.

"Ash? Ash, are you okay?" She asks.

"Iron Tail...Electro Ball…" Ash mumbles.

Serena tilts her head, confused, and turns to Pikachu, who just shrugs. Suddenly, she feels both of Ash's hands grab her by the shoulders and force her to turn to him to find him smiling with his face close to her like a maniac.

"Serena, you're a genius!" He exclaims.

Serena blushes furiously both from the sudden praise and from how close her face is to Ash.

"I am?" She asks.

"Yes, I think you just gave me just the ideas I need to defeat Agatha and Gengar," Ash says.

"I did?" Serena asks. "How?"

But before Ash can explain, a loud rumbling sound is heard, and Ash chuckles in embarrassment.

"Maybe I should explain after lunch," he says.

Serena can't help but chuckle cutely at Ash's childish demeanor before she says, "That sounds like a good idea."

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

Ash and Serena find a buffet nearby so they and their Pokemon can have a big lunch to make up for missing breakfast. Once Ash has had more than enough helpings of food, he discusses his ideas to Serena and Pikachu. They both instantly like what he came up with, and Serena gave a suggestion that just excited Ash even more. After they have eaten, Ash finds a place for him and Pikachu to take a couple of hours to practice their new ideas while Serena and Absol watch. Finally, they go back to the Pokemon Center to have Pikachu briefly checked up so that it's in perfect health before they meet up with Brock and Holly again, who just finished training. together, they all go back to the Viridian City gym.

When the four trainers and Pikachu and Absol enter the gym, Agatha is already on the other side of the battlefield, waiting patiently with a smirk.

"You're here a lot later than I thought you would be, Ash," she states. "Did you give yourself some extra training before challenging me again?"

"I did," Ash answers plainly. "Needed to make sure I'm good to go for this battle."

"That is very wise," Agatha says. "No sense in rushing into a battle if you don't feel completely ready."

"I agree," Ash says. "So, you ready for our rematch?"

Agatha nods with her eyes closed and says, "I still fail to see what this will accomplish, but I respect your desire to be stronger with your Pokemon."

"Alright, then, let's not waste any more time," Ash says. "Let's go, Pikachu!"

"Pika, Pika!" Pikachu said as it hops into the field.

"Go, Gengar," Agatha says plainly as she tosses her Pokeball into the air, and her Gengar appears.

"Go, Ash!" Brock cheers.

"Yeah, Ash, do your best!" Holly calls out encouragingly.

"I'm going to do better than my best," Ash says confidently before giving Serena a wink.

The honey-blonde girl smirks and nods at Ash, which confuses Brock and Holly while the raven-haired boy makes his first move.

"Pikachu, use Iron Tail!" He commands.

"Use Double Team, Gengar," Agatha says plainly.

Pikachu charges at Gengar with its tail turned into iron, but the shadow Pokemon makes multiple copies of itself and surrounds Pikachu with its clones.

"Now use Shadow Ball," Agatha says.

"That's still not going to work," Ash says. "Use Thunderbolt on all of them, Pikachu!"

Just like before, Pikachu quickly releases a Thunderbolt, and it hits Gengar and all of its copies.

"Now, use Iron Tail again!" Ash shouts.

Pikachu doesn't hesitate to turn its tail into iron and smacks Gengar in the face with it. Gengar takes a few steps back upon impact, but it doesn't seem to have taken much damage from the combo.

"This looks like a repeat of the last battle," Holly comments.

"I agree," Brock says. "I hope Ash has more up his sleeve."

"I wouldn't worry about it," Serena says with a confident smile. "I think Ash is just waiting for the right moment to show what he has planned."

"Now, Pikachu, use Thunderbolt again!" Ash shouts.

Pikachu releases Thunderbolt, but Gengar just flattens its body and starts phasing through the ground. It starts to phase from right under Pikachu, and Ash smirks, hoping Gengar was going to do that.

"Pikachu, use Iron Tail on the ground right as Gengar is under you!" He shouts.

Pikachu grins and turns its tail into Iron. As Gengar is phasing under Pikachu, the mouse Pokemon flips and slams its tail into the ground. Gengar groans in pain and brings its body to its normal size, but that just allows Pikachu to hit it in the face with Iron Tail again.

Agatha smirks and says, "Impressive. I've never seen Iron Tail used that way."

"Thanks, but we're just getting started," Ash claims. "Pikachu, Electro Ball!"

"Gengar, use Double Team," Agatha says right away with a glare.

As Pikachu is summoning an Electro Ball from its tail, Gengar quickly surrounds it with more copies of itself. Pikachu panics and starts looking for the real only for Ash to call out to his friend.

"Now, Gengar, use Hypnosis," Agatha says.

"Pikachu, it's alright, just stick to the plan!" He shouts. "Throw your Electro Ball into the air quickly!"

Pikachu realizes what Ash is thinking and tosses the ball of electricity high into the air just before Gengar hits it with Hypnosis. The yellow mouse Pokemon starts wobbling back and forth again, confused.

"Now use Dream Eater," Agatha says.

The real Gengar releases a shadow-like version of itself, and it flies straight towards Pikachu. But right as it's about to hit Pikachu, the Electro Ball falls straight back down and hits Pikachu, knocking it out of its unconscious state. The shadow-like version of Gengar passes through Pikachu, but nothing happens.

"The real one is the third one down on your left side," Ash calls out. "Hit it with Electro Ball!"

Pikachu turns to the real Gengar and throws another Electro Ball at it. The ball hits Gengar, who howls in pain while its copies disappear.

"Ah," Agatha says, intrigued. "So, Electro Ball, the first time, was used to have Pikachu hit itself with it, thus waking it up and making Dream Eater completely useless. Clever."

"It's not the first time we used Electro Ball to free Pikachu from a move like that," Ash boasts.

"No, it sure is not," Serena says to herself with a smile.

"Well, now, this battle is becoming more interesting," Agatha admits. "Let's see how you handle things getting a little harder. Gengar, use Double Team followed by Hypnosis again."

"Pikachu, get out of the way with Quick Attack!" Ash commands.

Gengar tries to surround and incapacitate its opponent with Double Team and Hypnosis, respectively, but Pikachu uses its speed to run away before it could be surrounded by copies of Gengar.

"Alright then, use Shadow Ball," Agatha says.

The multiple Gengar turn around and summon Shadow Balls aimed at the mouse Pokemon. Ash thinks for a moment before he gets an idea.

"Pikachu, wait until the Gengar are close to firing and then use Thunderbolt," he instructs.

Pikachu nods and gets down on all fours, waiting patiently for its opponent to attack. Once Gengar and its clones are getting ready to throw their Shadow Balls, Pikachu fires another Thunderbolt, and it hits all of them. The fake Gengar disappear before they can throw their attacks, but the real one gets hit right as it throws its black and purple ball at Pikachu.

"Now knock back that Shadow Ball with Iron Tail!" Ash shouts.

Pikachu grins again as its tail turns into iron, and it jumps and spins to hit the Shadow Ball just as it's about to hit the yellow mouse. Gengar is too distracted from getting hit from the Thunderbolt to realize what is happening before the Shadow Ball hits its face, exploding on impact. The Shadow Pokemon yowls loudly with its ghostly body covered in scratches.

"Hold on, isn't Shadow Ball a ghost type move?" Holly asks, confused. "Shouldn't that hardly hurt Gengar at all?"?"

"Actually, ghost Pokemon are one of the few Pokemon that are weak against their own type," Brock answers. "Add that to how powerful that Shadow Ball probably was since Gengar belongs to a member of the Elite Four, and it's clear that it took some very serious damage."

"Exactly," Serena says with a confident grin. "Just another way of Ash using his opponent's strength against them."

As they are talking, Agatha's confident smirk disappears, realizing how bad of a condition her Pokemon is suddenly in. Gengar turns to her, tormented from having its own move used against itself. The shadow Pokemon appears to be uneasy about whether or not the two of them will triumph over their opponents, suddenly outwitting them despite not being as strong as they are. Agatha glares disapprovingly at Gengar as if the ghost Pokemon used its face to ask a question that the old woman deems foolish in her eye. Gengar hesitates for a moment but ultimately decides to trust its partner and turn back to Pikachu.

"Alright, Pikachu, let's keep it up with Electro Ball!" Ash shouts.

"Gengar, counter it with Shadow Ball, followed by another Shadow Ball," Agatha growls seriously.

The two Pokemon release their respective attacks, and they collide and explode, covering the battlefield in smoke again. Before Ash and Pikachu have a moment to react, another black and purple ball emerges from the smoke and hits Pikachu in the stomach. The poor mouse Pokemon squeal out loud in pain as it is sent flying into the air and slamming into the ground several yards to the left from Ash.

"Pikachu!" Ash shouts worriedly.

Serena, Absol, Holly, and Brock look in dismay as Pikachu struggles to get up. For the first time in a while, the honey-blonde girl puts her hand on her precious ribbon, visibly worried for the boy she cares for. Agatha and Gengar stand still, deciding to patiently wait and see if Pikachu will somehow manage to get up. Ash's hands turn into fists as he gives his dear friend a pleading look.

"Come on, Pikachu, you can do it!" he says. "Don't give in now when we've come so far. Remember what Serena keeps reminding us!"

Serena turns to Ash and smiles slightly while still worried about Pikachu. The mouse Pokemon takes a moment before it clenches its teeth and slowly starts to get up. Agatha watches the entire moment in silence and gives a short nod with her eyes closed at the sight of Pikachu starting to get up.

"I don't know what Serena keeps reminding you Ash, but I think you and Pikachu have been carrying out this stout effort long enough," she says before turning to Gengar. "Gengar, use Hypnosis."

Ash's pupils shrink, realizing Gengar is about to attack before Pikachu can fully get up.

"Pikachu, dodge with Quick Attack now!" he screams.

Pikachu has barely started to stand on all fours before it turns to see illusions of Gengar's red eyes flying towards it. It jumps out of the way just in the nick of time and starts running away from Gengar's line of fire. Gengar grows annoyed and keeps using Hypnosis in an attempt to hit Pikachu again, but the little mouse Pokemon is too fast for its illusions to hit him. Ash grinds his teeth and tries to think of something, knowing that Pikachu will run out of energy if it keeps running at its weak state.

"Pikachu, get close to Gengar and kick the dust on the ground at it with Iron Tail while you're dodging!" he instructs.

Pikachu nods as it keeps on avoiding Hypnosis, and with its incredible speed, runs closer to Gengar. The yellow mouse turns to run past Gengar and with its tail turned into iron, sends the dust on the ground flying towards the shadow Pokemon. The dust hits Gengar's eyes, and it screams as it shuts its eyes and tries to get the dust off its eyes.

"Gengar!" Agatha shouts, concerned for her partner.

"Look at that. Agatha is really concerned," Serena says, smiling. "She knows she can't use Hypnosis and through that Dream Eater without Gengar looking at its opponent."

"That's what I was counting on," Ash says, feeling confident again. "Pikachu, hit it with Iron Tail again!"

Pikachu doesn't hesitate to seize its chance and wack Gengar in the face with Iron Tail again. Agatha grows angry, desperate to stay in control.

"Gengar, use Shadow Ball right where you hear Pikachu!" she instructs.

Gengar takes a moment to try to sense Pikachu's presence with its eyes closed and summons another black and purple ball before throwing it perfectly at Pikachu's direction. But instead of showing concern, Ash merely smirks, already knowing what to do.

"Pikachu, knock that Shadow Ball back with Iron Tail!" he shouts.

Pikachu turns its tail into iron again and swings it like a bat, sending the ghost attack crashing back into Gengar. Agatha's heart sinks, realizing her young opponent used her call against her again while Gengar struggles to stay conscious after being badly hurt by its own attack again.

"Alright, Pikachu, let's wrap this up!" Ash says, grinning. "Hit it with Thunderbolt and give it everything you've got!"

Pikachu squeezes its cheeks again, summoning as much electricity as its body can. With sparks appearing on both its cheeks and its tail, it jumps into the air and unleashes a massive Thunderbolt. The attack instantly hits Gengar, who can do nothing but scream at the top of its lungs as thousands of volts of electricity strike through its body fiercely. With all of the electricity let out, Pikachu lands on the ground on all fours, panting heavily. All eyes are on Gengar, who glares menacingly at Pikachu for a moment before its eyelids grow heavy, and it ultimately falls flat on its back.

"Alright!" Ash cheers.

"Pika, Pi!" Pikachu shouts happily as it runs toward Ash and jumps into his arms.

As the two of them celebrate, Serena sighs and smiles in relief with her hand still on her ribbon. Absol turns to its mother figure and smiles, glad to see she is happy. Brock smiles proudly for his friend while Holly looks at the fallen Gengar, shocked. Agatha also stares at her beloved Pokemon with her mouth slightly hanging open for several seconds before she closes her eyes and mouth, and a small smile enters her face. She walks over to Gengar and kneels in front of it with her cane, and the ghost Pokemon looks at her with a sad look.

"Geng…" it groans ashamedly.

"Don't worry about it, Gengar," Agatha says comfortingly. "You were magnificent. It was a great battle against a cunning opponent. I'm proud of you."

Gengar smiles weakly, feeling better about its defeat before Agatha returns it to its Pokeball. Agatha takes a deep breath before she walks over to Ash and Pikachu, who are still celebrating.

"Congratulations, Ash. You have defeated me," she admits.

Ash and Pikachu stop celebrating and turn to the old woman with friendly smiles.

"Thank you, Agatha," Ash says. "I really appreciate that you gave us the chance to try again."

"Pikachu!" Pikachu agrees.

"You're welcome," Agatha says. "But I must warn you not to let it get to your head. You may have defeated one of my Pokemon, but you didn't defeat my entire team. Even if you win the Indigo League, it may take a very long time before you, and you're Pokemon are strong enough to take on a member of the Elite Four in a full battle. There's no guarantee that you might have the strength or the passion for taking on all of us and defeating Lance, the champion."

"Oh, I'll have the passion alright," Ash states proudly. "And if it takes a while to reach it, that's fine by me because nothing we do is a waste of time. I'll do whatever it takes to make each step to becoming a Pokemon Master."

Agatha chuckles softly at Ash's confidence.

"We shall see," she says. "If that day ever comes, I'll be waiting for you. Until then, I wish you the best of luck at the Indigo League."

"Thanks. My Pokemon and I are going to give it all we've got," Ash says.

"I will expect nothing less," Agatha says.

Thus, the old woman walks the four trainers and Pikachu and Absol out of the building and waves them goodbye as they walk away, heading back to the Pokemon Center. Once they are in a far enough distance from the gym, Ash shakes his fist into the air triumphantly.

"Yes!" He cheers. "Now, I feel ready to compete in the Indigo League again."

"Pikachu!" Pikachu shouts, shaking its fist into the air on Ash's shoulder.

Serena giggles with her mouth closed and smiles at Ash.

"I'm really happy for you, Ash," she says.

"Absol," Absol says.

"Thank you, Serena, but I really owe all of it to you," Ash says. "It's just like I said before. It was your idea for me to go on this journey. I don't want to think about what I would have done without you."

Serena is taken aback by what Ash says before Ash backs up with words with a toothy grin. Serena gives into the moment and smiles back, not minding that her cheeks are turning red. Brock and Holly turn to each other and secretly giggle at the moment between their friends. Eventually, Ash and Serena look away from each other to focus on the road as they walk, and Holly takes a moment to speak.

"Hey, Ash, you better take Agatha's words to heart because I still plan to win the Indigo League no matter what," she says.

"I thought it doesn't matter to you if you win or not," Ash says. "Don't you and Brock become...whatever it is you two become even if you lose?"

"Of course, Brock is my real prize, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't aim for the top as well," Holly says, ignoring Ash's density before turning to Brock. "Besides, a nice trophy for winning a Pokemon League sounds like a very nice thing to bring with me to Pewter City. Wouldn't you agree, handsome?"

"Whatever you say, beautiful," Brock says with a flirty smile.

The two adults giggle while Holly wraps her arm around Brock's arm. Ash stares at them, confused, but decides to drop it before turning to Serena.

"Well, in the meantime, it's time for us to grab our stuff at the Pokemon Center and go to the Indigo Plateau for the Grand Festival," he says with a grin.

Serena turns to Ash and smirks determinedly.

"That's right," she says before facing the road. "Look out, Grand Festival, here I come!"

Meanwhile, Agatha keeps watching the trainers and their Pokemon walk away until they are completely out of sight. As soon as they're gone, she frowns seriously as she walks back inside the gym. Deep down, despite her high hopes for Ash, her mind is disturbed by her conversation with Ritchie. The way the teenager described the former leader of the Viridian City gym sent shivers down the old woman's spine. Though she refused to tell Ritchie who she thinks it might be, she has little doubt in her heart that it's someone cruel.