"Fenne… Fenne~~"
"Pan, pan, pan!"
Fennekin and Pancham looked at Serena with deep worry.
The two adorable little Pokémon knew very well how much effort their Trainer had poured into preparing for this competition, how much hope she had pinned on it.
Serena hugged her two Pokémon tightly, tears still streaking down her face.
"Even though… Ash is so amazing, I… I couldn't even pass the very first stage…"
"I know, Fennekin, Pancham…"
Serena suddenly made a decision. From her handbag, she pulled out a small box—inside was a pair of scissors.
Facing the vast ocean, memories in her mind began to rewind like an old film reel.
She decided to cut off her long hair—to change her feelings, and start anew with a fresh determination!
Snip! The sharp sound of scissors cutting rang out.
Just then, behind her, came Ash's singing voice.
Dragon, Ghost,
Ground, Flying,
Poison, Bug, Water,
Electric, Rock, Grass, Dark,
Ice, Normal,
Fire, Fighting,
Steel, Psychic,
Fairy…
Come now, let's start our adventure,
Until we reach the end of light.
Wipe away the tears that fall from the sky,
Come now, take courage and step forward,
Defeat the person you were yesterday.
Every encounter is a treasure,
Exciting, exciting, exciting…
"...Ash…"
Hearing Ash's voice, Serena finally realized what he had meant earlier when he said he had a gift for her.
Had he really… written her a song? Just to encourage her?
Snip, snip, snip…
Serena's hands did not stop moving.
And Ash's song did not stop either:
The immense power of dreams
When it fills your heart,
Surely, without a doubt,
Someone will call your name.
The green forest laughs in the wind,
Yellow flowers bloom brightly,
A dream that one day is sure to come true!
…
Yes. This is my goal, my dream. And one day, I will achieve it. I, along with Fennekin and Pancham, must all work even harder!
Thank you, Ash… thank you, thank you…
Serena had a thousand things to say, but at last, she couldn't hold back anymore.
Her hair was only half cut, tears sparkling like jewels fell from her eyes.
Serena threw herself into Ash's arms.
"I'm sorry… I'm sorry… Am I really this useless?"
"The very first day of my journey, because I overslept, I couldn't even get a starter Pokémon…"
Ash didn't answer her question. Instead, he began telling her about his own rocky beginnings.
"At Professor Oak's lab, the only Pokémon left was a Pikachu that refused to listen to me…"
"In the forest, Pikachu and I were attacked by a whole flock of Spearow…"
"Then I caught my very first Pokémon…"
"My encounter with Charmander…"
"Butterfree…"
Listening to Ash recount all of this, Serena's emotions slowly began to settle down.
Her hair hadn't been completely cut, so Ash took the scissors from her and carefully finished trimming it himself.
Serena hadn't thought much about it when she cut the first piece herself, but now that it was done, she felt nervous. What if Ash didn't like it?
But she saw no dislike, no disappointment on his face—only warmth. That calmed her heart.
"Ash…" Serena suddenly said.
"What is it?"
"I think… I want to grow my long hair back again. For you."
"Alright. I'll be waiting."
Ash gently rubbed Serena's head with a fond smile.
What Serena didn't know was that nearby, in a car parked by the port road, Ms. Palermo—the special guest of the Coumarine City Pokémon Showcase—had witnessed the whole scene.
She smiled softly, recognizing this performer who had made a mistake on stage.
With a wave of her hand, she instructed her driver to continue driving.
When Ash brought Serena back to the Pokémon Center, Clemont and Bonnie were shocked to see Serena's short hair.
But both of them understood why she did it.
Especially Clemont. He realized that Ash's next Gym challenge would be at his very own Lumiose Gym.
Seeing Serena's situation now, Clemont thought it best for him and his sister to step aside for the time being.
He respected Ash deeply, and he believed Ash would be able to take good care of Serena.
So Clemont decided to return to Lumiose City with Bonnie ahead of time, in order to prepare himself for Ash's challenge by getting stronger through special training.
Although Bonnie was reluctant, she was sensible and knew this was a special situation. So she agreed to go back with her brother.
When they brought this decision up, Ash naturally agreed, and Serena had no objections either.
And so, for the first time since their journey across Kalos had begun, the four of them parted ways.
But surely, their reunion was not far off!
Now, Ash and Serena embarked on a journey of their own—just the two of them.
Leaving Coumarine City behind, they decided to take a shortcut across a barren wasteland.
In the middle of this wasteland lay an oasis, inhabited by many Spoink—and ruled over by one domineering Grumpig.
It so happened that Ash was training his Goomy, teaching it how to battle without fear.
He told it, "As long as you believe, you can do it too."
Encouraged by Ash, Serena, and the other Pokémon, Goomy bravely faced the overbearing Grumpig—
—and won!
Not only did it gain battle experience, it also evolved!
That's right, Goomy evolved into Sliggoo.
Ash wasn't surprised. After all, he already knew this Goomy would become the fastest-evolving Pokémon he'd ever caught in Kalos.
Serena, meanwhile, savored every moment of traveling alone with Ash.
That day, the two of them arrived in a city to buy supplies.
Ash's system space had now been upgraded to include a livable house.
Bedsheets, quilts, and all the necessities were ready to be arranged.
While Ash went shopping for supplies, Serena took Fennekin and Pancham to a park, practicing her Showcase routines while waiting for him.
But something was wrong.
During practice, Fennekin and Pancham kept getting in each other's way—Fennekin's flames singeing Pancham, or Pancham's steps stumbling onto Fennekin.
Their conflict escalated until the two Pokémon began arguing loudly.
"You can't go on like this!"
A lively, stylish-looking girl suddenly spoke up to Serena.
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