Gotta Catch That One

Chapter 42: Training Begins

It was a few days after Ash had left and Serena was continuing to train hard with her Pokemon. She was doing her best to understand them the way Palermo and Sycamore wanted her to, but it was beginning to frustrate her. She didn't know what she could do differently. She didn't even know if she was supposed to change much in her actual performances. Regardless, she was still doing the work. She had nothing to do in the meantime. It was better to use her time to practice.

Serena was currently having a break with her Pokemon by the river. She had wondered if Greninja would show up at some point, but he hadn't. She supposed he felt it was better to stay out of the way. It wasn't like he knew they'd been watching when Ash had asked him to watch over them.

The thought of Ash and what he'd asked Greninja, made Serena smile to herself. He really did care about her. He even seemed hopeful that he could come back to her. It was a little alarming to see his old friend Dawn with him, and it had made Serena a little jealous, but seeing Ash talking to Greninja, made Serena realize that she was the only one he saw that way. Much like he was the only one she saw that way.

Serena looked at Delphox. She knew that her partner Pokemon was hoping to see Greninja, but she was clearly pleased, just knowing that Greninja was going to be there if anything happened. Sylveon also seemed a little reassured, after seeing Pikachu.

After a few minutes of relaxed silence, Serena was about to start practising with her Pokemon again, but she was interrupted by a happy squeal of excitement. Serena turned and smiled, seeing Bonnie running up to her, Clemont and Mairin behind her. This was the first time Serena had seen them all since watching Ash leave, and she hadn't mentioned it. She was hoping they'd let her know on their own, but she suspected that Ash probably told them not to.

"Serena!" Bonnie yelled. She ran up to Serena and hugged her. "We've been looking all over for you. Clemont wanted to take a break from the gym, so we decided to go for a walk. We all wanted to find you."

"Well it's nice to see you, Bonnie." Serena said, smiling. She looked at her Pokemon. "Do you three want to join them?" Her Pokemon all nodded. Serena then looked at Clemont and Mairin who had finally caught up to Bonnie. She could barely control a laugh at seeing Clemont panting. Clearly his gym battles hadn't been helping him get in shape. "Hi, you two." Serena greeted.

"Hi Serena." Clemont said, gasping. "I'd like to just get out of the city for a bit. I've been getting challengers non stop lately. A lot of people are trying to rush to get their gym badges so they can train for the Kalos League."

Serena was a little hesitant about leaving the city, considering what had happened with Mauve, but she decided that if she was with the others, she'd probably be ok. "Sure, that sounds like a good idea." She agreed.

In a few minutes, the four of them were approaching the spot where Serena had been attacked by Mauve. As uneasy as she felt being at the spot, it was probably the best place for them to all relax. The tree provided some good shade and the noise of rushing water in the river was quite peaceful.

They sat quietly for a few minutes, and no one said anything. Clemont was fiddling with an invention, Mairin was staring at her Pokedex in an attempt to figure out moves Chespie could learn, Bonnie was humming to Squishy and Serena was brushing Sylveon's fur.

Finally, the quiet started to bother Serena. She was irritated that it was becoming clear that none of them would say anything about Ash, so she decided to nudge them to it. "So...anything you guys want to tell me?" She asked.

"No." They all said, a little too quickly.

"I was by the river near Prism Tower a few nights ago." Serena said. "I saw something pretty interesting."