Chaser and the Sea Spirit's Den

Chaser and the Weakness of Doubt

The retreat from the skies above the ever-increasingly sized whirlpool was made in relative quiet. Goh focused on directing Flygon and Dragonite as they flew back away from Team Rocket's airship towards Lunargent Town, landing the balloon as close to the Pokémon Center as he could manage.

During the entire time, Serena held onto Ash's hat, handed to her by Dragonite. Goh noticed something changed in the performer's bearing, and it seemed to be reflected in Dragonite as well.

It was a sense of sorrow. One that Goh could sense inside himself as well.

The only one who didn't seem to be outwardly expressing sadness was Chloe, but to Goh this was just her way of helping himself and Serena stay stable. And given how shaky his hands felt, he was thankful for Chloe being there as a sobering presence.

The basket landed roughly on the cobblestone pavement, and Goh helped Serena and Chloe out before exiting himself.

Dragonite stood looking sadly at Ash's hat in her paws before turning towards Goh and the others. He couldn't meet the dragon's eyes, so he looked away and recalled Flygon back into her ball.

Serena, instead, took initiative. She placed her hands on Dragonite's large paws and looked into the Dragon-type's eyes with a gentle smile.

"I'm worried, too, Dragonite. But I know Ash is alright. He's not the kind of person to get stopped that easily."

Dragonite looked up at Serena, and the two of them seemed to share something unspoken before Dragonite slowly nodded, leaving the hat to Serena, who cautiously took it.

"Thank you Dragonite," she said, her smile never faltering. "Let's have Nurse Joy take a look at you, okay?"

The dragon nodded and Serena began guiding her towards the doors of the Pokémon Center.

Chloe stepped up beside Goh. She hesitated for a moment before speaking. "...are you alright?"

Her words shocked him into realization, and he wiped the tears from his eyes. "I... I'll be fine. I have to be."

Chloe reached her hand up, as though to flick him in the forehead before she stopped herself. Instead, she sent her hand to his, giving it a comforting squeeze in contrast to the sharp flick he was about to receive.

"You don't have to be anything," she said. "We'll make this work. We'll save the Pokémon."

"What about Ash?"

Her emerald eyes dimmed, looking away. "Ash... is fine. You've seen him survive worse, right? He's definitely... he's absolutely fine, okay?"

It wasn't difficult for Goh to understand that she was saying these things for his benefit, since watching his good friend disappear between the waves had shocked him so greatly. But he wasn't going to attack her for her kindness, so he just nodded in agreement.

"You're probably right," he said, not truly believing her words.

"Let's get in with Serena and start planning our counterattack," Chloe said. "With those three goons out of the way, all that's left is Matori herself, right?"

"I'm not so sure..." he said, his mind already piecing parts of the situation together.

Chloe's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"I'll explain inside," he said. "Let's get Serena in on this, too."

Chloe nodded firmly, as though she was trying to instill confidence in him before finally letting go of his hand.

He almost laughed at how cold his palm felt without hers there as a cold wind blew past the two of them. He turned and the two of them entered the Pokémon Center.