The Ketchum Family

Spinning, Shining, Crystal!

Ash and Serena are finally enjoying the fruits of their relationship. Romance is at an all-time high. However, a phone call from Lisia interrupts their paradise. What will happen when Serena travels to Hoenn to help her friend? What surprises await her? I hope you like this story-telling chapter.

This chapter takes place a couple weeks after the previous one.

Content warning! There's nudity and some edgy language in this chapter.

Under the Alolan sun, Mallow, Lana, and Lillie all stood on the end of a long dock, surfboards in hand and determined looks on their faces. Their hair billowed in the constant wind and their striking, bikini-clad bodies glowed in the afternoon sun. Lillie looked down at the water and instantly frowned and sighed.

"Why exactly are we doing this?" she groaned.

Lana proudly held up her surfboard. "It's the dragon boarding craze. You've got to try it out."

"Yeah, I-it's loads of fun," Mallow stammered.

Below the dock, Dragapult hovered above the water, three tethers attached to its midsection.

Lillie appeared dubious. "Have either of you done this before?" she asked skeptically.

"Of course!" Lana chirped confidently.

"Y-Yeah!" Mallow said, her voice trembling.

Lillie looked down again, still uncertain.

"Oh, come on," Lana chided. "You've done way crazier things on Ultra Guardians missions."

A small smile pulled at Lillie's lips. "You're not wrong about that," she said wryly.

"Just think of it as a challenge," Lana pressed.

"Y-Yeah, like y-you're chasing an Ultra Beast o-or something," Mallow said fearfully, her knees shaking.

A look of determination formed on Lillie's face. "Okay!" she said fiercely. With that, she tossed her surfboard down into the water, and then jumped after it. Up on the dock, Mallow swallowed and Lana grabbed her phone from her handbag, which she'd set aside.

"Is he there?" she asked in a hushed voice.

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A short distance down the beach, Mimo glanced to the side and smirked. "Yep," she said into her phone.

Next to the yellow-haired teen, Ilima sat on a towel, admiring the various Pokémon milling about the beach.

"This really is a beautiful day," he said in his typical, soft-spoken voice.

"Yep, sure is!" Mimo said exuberantly. "It's the perfect day to watch the ocean Pokémon." Mimo looked back. "Isn't that right, Sonia?"

Sonia had just finished unfurling a towel of her own and struggled to lower herself to one knee. The red-haired woman wore a turquoise bikini, and her bulging belly gleamed in the warm sun.

"The weather is certainly nice," she said in a strained voice. She plopped down on her butt and let out a huff. She took a few gasping breaths and rubbed her pregnant belly. Ilima looked back at Sonia and spoke in a polite tone.

"How much longer, Sonia?"

Sonia awkwardly extended her legs, trying to get comfortable. "They say two weeks," she said, chuckling ironically. "But I don't see how, 'cause this guy is getting huge!" she grunted.

Lana's voice came from Mimo's phone. "We're ready!"

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