Chapter 4: An Unexpected Visitor – Serena! A Journey Promised Together!
Knock knock~
"Hello? Is anyone here?"
"The door's unlocked. Come right in!"
With Professor Oak's shout, the door to the research lab gently opened.
Ash instinctively turned his head—
Standing there was a girl with long ash-blonde hair.
She wore a black sleeveless top, a red mini-skirt, black sneakers, and black thigh-high socks.
On her head rested a pink hat.
Underneath that hat was a face like spring cherry blossoms—soft, youthful beauty with a fresh elegance.
Her fair skin had a faint rosy blush, and her blue sapphire-like eyes were filled with curiosity as she took in the surroundings.
The moment she saw Ash, her eyes lit up with joy.
"Hello! Long time no see, Ash!"
"And—wow! You're that Pichu from before, right? You've evolved into Pikachu now!"
Ash: "…"
Who is this girl?
Honestly, the moment he saw her, Ash's heart skipped a beat.
She was… stunning!
But Ash seriously couldn't recall ever meeting such a pretty girl.
"Pika~~"
Pikachu, however, cheerfully greeted her like an old friend.
Ash looked at his shoulder companion, dumbfounded.
Wait a minute… you know her too? Who even is she?
Hold on…
That face… kind of rings a bell…
"You're… Serena, right?" Ash asked hesitantly.
Serena nodded furiously like a pecking chick.
"That's right! I thought you'd forgotten me!"
"Haha… o-of course not! How could I forget?"
(In reality, he almost did…)
Their first meeting was when they were both six years old, during summer camp.
At that time, he already had Pichu, who hadn't yet evolved into Pikachu.
He and Pichu had stumbled across a lost Serena, and escorted her safely back to camp.
From then on, Serena often came to find them to play.
Unlike the other kids who would ooh and aah at every Pokémon they saw, Ash was calm and knowledgeable.
In fact, he taught Serena a lot of Pokémon information himself.
After that, Serena's interest in Pokémon grew rapidly.
She promised that if she ever became a Trainer, she would seek Ash out and travel with him.
Back then, Ash had casually agreed.
After all, she was from Kalos, and he was in Kanto—
Two regions practically on opposite ends of the world.
Meeting again in the future felt almost impossible.
Who would have thought… the day Serena set off on her journey, she actually flew straight to Kanto?!
Professor Sycamore had contacted Professor Oak earlier—
It turns out it was because of Serena.
Oak had seized the opportunity to ask if Sycamore had any spare starters available.
And now, Ash finally understood how Froakie had been sent to him early—it was all because of this butterfly effect!
A single childhood encounter…
Had actually caused Serena to start her journey years ahead of schedule.
"You've gotten even more beautiful, Serena!"
To ease the awkwardness, Ash threw out a compliment.
Serena's face immediately turned bright red as she shyly lowered her head.
Since he did promise her back then, Ash had no reason to refuse her request to travel together.
Besides, having a gorgeous girl by his side… was a treat for the eyes!
Honestly, people in this world really matured quickly.
Serena was only ten but looked more like she was fourteen or fifteen.
Her outfit wasn't overly provocative,
But she had all the curves in the right places…
Even if she turned out to be a bit of a tagalong, traveling with such a beautiful companion was still a pleasant experience.
---
"Take care, Ash!!"
"I will! Wait for my good news!"
Ash packed up and, with Serena by his side, waved goodbye to the townsfolk outside Professor Oak's lab.
Among the crowd was his mother, Delia, who had come to see them off.
When Delia noticed the pretty girl beside her son, she couldn't hide her satisfaction.
Still, a mother's reminder was inevitable.
"Stay safe, Ash! Mommy doesn't mind if you get a girlfriend—just don't bring back a big chubby grandson! You're only ten!"
Ash: "…Seriously, Mom?!"
Did you hear yourself just now?
You know I'm ten!
Serena's whole face turned red like a tomato.
Too lazy to explain, Ash simply grabbed Serena's soft little hand—
And thus, the two officially set off on the road to becoming Pokémon Masters!
---
"Fennekin! Use Ember!"
"That's it—now finish them with Tackle!!"
On a grassy field just outside Pallet Town, Serena commanded her Fennekin to swiftly defeat two Spearow.
A rookie Trainer defeating two opponents in a row—
Ash almost thought he was hallucinating.
Wait…
Wasn't she supposed to be the tagalong?
Why does she look like a battle-hardened Trainer?
Her commands were crisp and decisive.
Ash would believe it if someone told him she'd been traveling for years!
Seeing Ash's stunned expression, Serena playfully stuck out her tongue:
"Hehe, I'm awesome, right Ash?"
"All thanks to you~"
"Back at summer camp, you taught me so much about Pokémon."
"When I got home, I developed a serious interest in battling.
Before I even set out on this journey, I practiced countless times with my mom's Pokémon!"
Ash: "…"
So you went from aspiring Performer… to full-on Battler now?
That one childhood encounter not only prompted her to begin her journey early—
It also completely shifted her focus from shows to battles.
Wow… what a butterfly effect.
The butterfly effect from that childhood encounter didn't just make Serena start her journey early—it also ignited a deep passion for Pokémon battles!
So this is what a butterfly effect looks like… huh!
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