Pokemon: Remnants of a Forgotten past

Chapter 3: I'm back, Pallet Town

Aight another episode today. I'm on a roll. This is probably going to be an episode you will all like, so let's not waste any time in jumping right into the action. It's short but certainly eventful.

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In the airplane

Ash P.O.V.

"We're on our way back to Pallet Town. You missed it too, didn't you Pikachu?" I asked my buddy sitting on my shoulder.
Pikachu nodded agreeing with me.
"And then we're onto Kalos," I continued. "Who knows how many awesome pokemon I will meet there. Something tells me it's going to be the best of them all. I know I keep saying this, but it's just a gut feeling you know. And I know from experience to trust my gut feelings."
"(Yes. I feel it too. But remember not to oversleep and miss your flight like you did for Unova.)"
"Can we not talk about that?" I requested, that being one of the seemingly endless embarassing things I have done on my journeys.

"Now, what did Iris mean when we were about to leave. What is it about the region of love that got her so excited. It's not like I have someone I love, do I Pikachu?"
Pikachu face-palmed.
"What is it now?" I asked.
"(Your dense shell would not get that anyway)" Pikachu told me.
"Huh. Alright. Speaking of Pallet Town. I wonder if Serena will be there. I miss them a lot." I said.
"(Some things never change.)" Pikachu murmured to himself.
"What was that Pikachu?"
"(Nothing and yeah I miss them too)"

"Why do I keep thinking of Serena again and again?" I thought to myself. "Maybe because I haven't seen her for so long, I guess."
Ash was interrupted in his thoughts by the flight attendant.
"Passengers of flight SM-173. We are about to land in Viridian City. Please fasten your seatbelts."
"We're back in Kanto...the place where it all started." I thought. "Wake up Pikachu. We're here. We're back"

2 hours here.
"We are here, Pikachu! We are back in Pallet Town." It was 11 PM here in Pallet Town. The night sky was bright and beautiful. I ran up to my house and saw the lights still on. "Mum must still be awake. Come on Pikachu, let's go in!" 
I went inside to find my mum waiting on her chair.
"Mum!"
"Oh, sweetie. So glad to have you back." my mum said, taking me in for a hug and landing a kiss on my forehead. 
"Hi, mum. Can't b-breathe."
"Oh, sorry." My mum loosened the hug and let me breathe.

"Unova was awesome. I am so happy you let me travel. I got all 8 badges, but I did not win the league. I know you were all hoping for me to win. I must have disappointed you so much" I told her.
"Ash, I saw your battles in the Unova league. And after seeing them, I could not be more proud of you."
"Huh?"
"The way your pokemon listened to you and executed their attacks, it's amazing. I could tell you had done an amazing job of training them and I could also see that they would do anything for you. What I will say is, I could not be more proud of my son." my mum told me.

After that speech, I felt in the seventh heaven of delight. My mum was proud of me.
"Your mum isn't the only one who is proud of you, you know."
I looked at the direction of the voice. I saw a girl with blue eyes, equally blue hair, hidden by a white beanie. She had on a black dress with pink accents, ending in a pink miniskirt.
"Dawn!" I exclaimed, seeing my old friend from Sinnoh. "What are you doing here?"

Dawn P.O.V.
I smiled at seeing my old Kantonian friend after so long.
"There was a contest in Viridian City yesterday, and since I was so near pallet town, I decided to go and give your mum a visit. And knowing your mum, she made me stay on. She never told me YOU were coming." I said.
"Wow, but why did you say you were proud of me." Ash asked me.
"I saw the Unova League finals in your TV today. It was rebroadcasted around the world today. You got to the finals of the Unova League. I lost in the Quarter finals of the last grand Festival."

"Wait, it was broadcasting today!" Ash exclaimed, wondering how he missed such a big thing. "I guess I was too busy battling Alder I-"
"Wait, who were you battling?" I asked, thinking I misheard about Ash battling the Unova Champion. 
"Alder, the champion of Unova. He challenged me to a 3 vs 3 battle. I lost 3-1 though. Pikachu came close to beating his Volcarona but we lost."

There was a silence at this extraordinary statement. Nobody had expected Ash to not only beat a champion-level pokemon but also to weaken his ace.
"Ash, did I hear you saying that you almost beat 2 pokemon of a champion." my mum enquired.
"Uhh...yes."
"And one of the pokemon was on the same level as Cynthia's Garchomp." I asked, equally mazed
"Yeah"
"What are we to do with you, Ash?" I asked.
"Huh?" Ash asked, confused
"Well, I guess Ash is very hungry after his flight and exciting day. And its almost 11 PM. Dawn why don't you get some sleep in the guest room."
"Alright, Mrs. Kechum." I answered.
"Cilan's cooking was delicious, but mum's cooking is just something else." I heard Ash say.

The next day at 7 AM
Ash was sleeping when suddenly
"PIPLUP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
A blue water penguin pokemon crashed into his window
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Ash shouted in fear.
"WHAT ON EARTH IS GOING ON!" Ash exclaimed seeing Piplup stuck on his window, only to see Togekiss come and pick him down.
"Oh, Ash. Sorry if I woke you up." I saw Ash exclaim at the sight of Piplup crashing into his window.

"It's alright, bt what are you doing this early," Ash asked.
"I was practising for the Kanto Grand Festival," I replied. "Remember me telling you about losing to someone in the Hoenn Grand Festival. Well, the girl I lost to was just something else. She used such a strategy. I am trying to see if I can replicate that. The girl I lost to was so totally amazing"
"Anyway I can help?" Ash asked me.
"Yeah"
"In a second"

"What about this girl?" Ash asked me.
"Well, for one," I began. "She won the Grand Festival and would have become the Top Co-Ordinator of Hoenn if she beat Wallace. She wasn't that old. About your age. But the thing is, she almost beat Wallace.
I could see Ash was amazed at what I said.
"Wow, she almost beat Wallace?"

"Not in the battle round. She got wiped by Wallace there. But in the top co-ordinator title defence, there is an appeal round which determines how many points you will start with in the final round. And let me tell you this, she actually beat Wallace there." I said. "And that's not all. You know how she beat me. It was by using an advanced version of our very own counter-shield!"
"A counter-shield!"

"Yes, you heard that right," I remarked. "A counter-shield. I used it earlier in the round with Piplup. But later, she used her Milotic for the same thing with her Altaria right in the middle. Then Altaria followed up with a Dazzling Gleam which struck the water in the counter-shield right at us. It was a deadly combo especially as Dazzling Gleam made it look beautiful."
"Wow, I can't wait to meet her."

"I had a talk with her after the battle. She was very nice. She had honey-blonde hair and twinkling blue eyes. All in all, it was a nice talk."
"(Honey-blonde hair, blue eyes. That sounds like Serena. I'll ask Dawn about it.)" Ash thought to himself.

"So was her hair upto waist-length?" Ash asked, much to my surprise.
"No, they were short. Why did you ask?"
"Oh, it's nothing. Please continue." Ash told me.

"Well, through the entire encounter, I can't help but wonder who she reminded me of. Then I realised, it was you," I told Ash.
"Me?" he asked in surprise. 
"Yes, the entire time, from her personality to her battle style, I couldn't help but feel how similar yet different you two are," I said. "Your battle style is thinking of crazy out-of-the-box strategies right? Well, hers is completely different. She literally observes the crazy strategies you think of and turn them against you."

"Wow, she must be an amazing girl," Ash said. "I wonder if I can meet her one day. What was her name again?"
"Oh, how silly of me." I said. "I forgot to tell you her name. Well, her name was Serena."

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