A person's values are shaped from childhood.
In the original timeline, Serena never really liked Pokémon battles.
She barely showed interest in Pokémon at all, which delayed her own journey as a trainer.
(If we're being honest, the anime never made sense about that timeline either.
Ash traveled through entire regions, yet somehow still remained ten years old!)
But now, things were completely different.
Because of Ash's influence, Serena had begun her journey early — and not only that, she had developed a strong interest in battling.
The butterfly effect had rewritten her entire destiny.
This time, she wasn't just a traveler.
She was traveling with Ash.
And quietly, a new set of ideals was taking root in her heart values she was learning from him without even realizing it.
After chatting late into the evening, the two finally decided to rest.
Serena had packed a lot for the trip, but somehow, she hadn't brought a tent.
Her original plan was to use a sleeping bag outside or spend the night at a nearby inn.
But since Ash already had a tent, it made more sense to share.
Besides, the wild was full of mosquitoes.
Ash immediately offered to sleep outside while letting her take the tent.
"There's no way I'm making a girl sleep outdoors," he insisted.
Serena shook her head firmly. "It's your tent, Ash. I'm not letting you sleep out in the rain."
And that was that.
So the two of them shared the tent with separate sleeping bags, of course.
Still, it took Serena quite a bit of courage to agree.
Even with the space between them, her heart was pounding.
Ash lay back and let out a tired sigh.
"Serena, you've really got the makings of a good wife and mother, you know?" he said sleepily.
"Whoever marries you someday is going to be really lucky."
Then, as if nothing had happened, he promptly fell asleep.
Serena lay awake for a long time, staring at the top of the tent, her face burning red.
Only after an hour of tossing and turning did she finally fall asleep smiling without even realizing it.
The next morning, they acted as if nothing had happened.
After folding up the tent and sleeping bags, they made a quick breakfast and set out again.
Still, Serena couldn't bring herself to get too close to Ash as they walked.
Even though they chatted normally, her mind kept drifting back to what he'd said the night before.
The guy had just dropped a line like that and gone straight to sleep.
Did he even realize what he'd done to her heart?
If anyone overheard, they'd probably think it was a confession.
By noon, they finally reached Viridian City.
Serena had mostly regained her composure by then, her usual cheer returning.
Ash noticed the change but didn't mention it.
It wasn't that he was dense he just didn't overthink things like that.
They were ten, after all.
Even if they looked older and acted more mature, they were still kids.
"Ten-year-olds don't need to worry about love," Ash muttered under his breath.
Then, after a pause, added, "Well… unless you're Gary. That guy probably has five girlfriends by now."
He sighed. "I hope his body can handle it."
Their first stop was the Pokémon Center.
Nurse Joy greeted them with her usual warmth, and Ash handed over Pikachu and Froakie for a quick checkup.
Pikachu was fine — he hadn't done much fighting the last couple of days.
There was no point letting him waste effort on weak wild Pokémon; the experience gain wasn't even worth it.
Lately, Pikachu had been wearing a set of custom weighted bands Ash had designed himself, focusing on resistance and balance training.
It wasn't tiring for a quasi-Elite like him, but performance and precision training under weight that was a real challenge.
Froakie, on the other hand, had been fighting nonstop since they left Pallet Town.
His stamina and recovery were strong thanks to Ash's cooking and training entries, but the Pokémon Center's healing tech was still essential.
Thanks to the center's latest medical systems mixtures of healing sprays, nanogel tech, and restoration pods even heavily injured Pokémon could be saved as long as they were breathing.
Within a day of travel and constant battles, Froakie had already reached Novice Intermediate level.
That kind of progress was unbelievable.
But it was also the power of Ash's layered training effects at work.
After recovering his Pokémon, Ash contacted Professor Oak and his mother.
He updated Oak about his encounter with Ho-Oh and even sent him the photo he'd taken.
Though it was only a side view, it was enough to make the professor nearly drop his Pokégear in excitement.
"Ash, do you realize this is the first legitimate image evidence of Ho-Oh in decades?" Oak exclaimed.
He promised to submit it to the League Research Bureau and nominate Ash for a scientific achievement award.
Ash just laughed. "You can have the credit, Professor. I'm just happy I got to see it."
Delia, on the other hand, was thrilled simply to see her son safe and smiling.
She ended the call with her usual advice "Eat well, sleep well, and don't break too many hearts!"
Later, Ash and Serena explored Viridian City together.
Compared to Pallet Town, it felt like another world.
High-rise buildings, glowing advertisements, and bustling shops filled every street.
Ash used the chance to buy supplies potions, food, camping gear, and a few new Poké Balls.
Whenever Serena's eyes lingered on something, he'd quietly buy it for her too: a bottle of perfume, a few hair ties, even a new ribbon.
"Come on, it's nothing expensive," he said casually when she tried to refuse. "Just take it."
Serena blushed but accepted. Deep down, she was grateful — and a little flustered.
Between his cooking, planning, and kindness, Ash really did seem too perfect sometimes.
Money wasn't an issue for him anyway.
Ever since becoming Professor Oak's research assistant, he'd earned generous compensation for helping with multiple League-backed studies.
As long as he didn't splurge on rare items, he had more than enough to live comfortably.
After finishing their shopping, the two arrived at the Viridian Gym, the closest one to Pallet Town — and one of the strongest in all of Kanto.
Its leader was Giovanni, the so-called Earth Gym Leader.
Rumors said his true strength rivaled that of the Four Elites.
Some even whispered that he once trained Pokémon capable of matching Champions.
Naturally, rookie trainers almost never challenged him.
To most, it was suicide.
Ash, however, wasn't most trainers.
He wanted to see just how far he and Pikachu could go — to test their current strength.
But when they reached the gym, a uniformed attendant stopped them at the gate.
"Sorry," the guard said with a polite bow. "The Gym Leader isn't in today."
Ash frowned slightly. "Not in, huh?"
The man nodded. "He's away on League business. We expect him to return within a few days."
Ash looked up at the massive doors of the Viridian Gym the place where Giovanni, future head of Team Rocket, was said to stand.
He didn't know it yet, but this visit was only the beginning of something much bigger.
(End of Chapter 9)