It was a summer camp.
Serena was there, too.
Everyone was about the same age.
But in the middle of the forest, Serena—after spotting a certain Pokémon—ended up straying away from the main group.
When she came back to her senses, she was standing there in her big sunhat, looking helplessly around.
She had never been alone in such an environment before, and she was frightened.
Suddenly, the bushes beside her rustled!
Serena jumped in fright, and a tree branch caught her foot, making her stumble and fall to the ground. She scraped the spot just below her knee, and the pain was sharp and unbearable.
"Waaah…! Everyone, where are you?!"
Serena began to cry, and the bushes that had rustled before made another sound, sending a fresh wave of fear through her.
It turned out… it was just a Poliwag.
The little Poliwag hopped out of the bushes, gave Serena a glance, then bounced away.
"Where are you, Poliwag?"
A young boy's voice called out.
Serena's heart leapt—finally, someone was coming!
That boy was none other than Ash.
Even as a kid, Ash loved seeing all kinds of Pokémon. During camp, he had gone off on his own to look for them, not sticking with the rest of the group.
But having grown up playing in forests, Ash knew how to find his way and where to go to get back to camp.
When Ash saw Serena, he hurried over and asked what had happened. After finding out she had injured her leg, he took a handkerchief his mother, Delia, had packed for him, and carefully wrapped it around her wound.
"Ow… I can't… it hurts too much… I can't stand…"
Serena winced in pain, unable to get to her feet.
"Then let me use a magic spell on you!"
Little Ash placed one hand over her injury without touching it, wiggled his fingers mysteriously, and chanted, "Pain, pain, go away! No more hurting, okay?"
"Come on—don't give up until the very end! Here!"
Ash reached out his hand toward her.
Serena looked at this boy, thinking he was the coolest she had ever seen.
She placed her small hand into his, and Ash pulled her up—then, without hesitation, scooped her into a hug…
And just like that, he held her hand the whole way back to the summer camp.
This memory was first told from Serena's perspective.
While she spoke, Clemont and Bonnie both paused their steps.
As Serena reminisced, her eyes never left Ash.
Then, Ash began telling his side of the story.
Back and forth, one sentence from her, one from him, they shared the memory with Clemont and Bonnie.
Serena's turquoise-blue eyes sparkled with joy.
So Ash remembered—he had always remembered.
Of course, now's Ash definitely remembered.
"Woooow! So, Serena, you were always trying to find Ash, right? And now you've finally met again! That's so awesome!"
Bonnie's eyes twinkled like little stars as she looked at Serena.
Serena's cheeks turned pink. She carefully reached into her bag and pulled out a handkerchief she had kept safe for over a decade.
"Here, Ash—finally, I can give this back to you. I never had the chance to say thank you back then… but now I do. Thank you!"
Serena looked at Ash boldly, and when she saw that Ash, after taking the handkerchief, was also looking straight at her, her face flushed even deeper.
"What's the point of thanks between us, Serena? From now on, why don't you travel with us?"
Head-pat!
Ash suddenly dropped his hand onto Serena's head—right over her red hat—ruffling her hair slightly.
Serena froze…
She never expected Ash to suddenly make such an intimate gesture.
Her mind went blank.
Clemont didn't think much of it—though he found the action a bit improper, he didn't really understand the history between them.
Bonnie, on the other hand, thought Serena looked absolutely blissful.
Serena let out a soft "Mm," agreeing.
"Deden?"
Just then, a "deden" sound drew everyone's attention to a tree nearby.
A Dedenne was up there, trying to reach a fruit growing on the branch.
The adorable little Pokémon worked hard, and finally managed to pluck the only fruit from the tree.
But… it was too big! The tiny creature couldn't hold it with its small hands at all…
The fruit slipped and fell—right into Bonnie's hands.
Recognizing them from before, the bold little Dedenne leapt down from the tree.
"Deden! Deden!"
It gazed at the fruit in Bonnie's hands with an adorably pitiful expression.
"Ash, isn't this the same Dedenne we met before? I want to catch it—it's soooo cute!"
Bonnie was utterly charmed by the little electric mouse.
"Here, Dedenne—you want the fruit, right? You can have it, okay? Good boy~"
Bonnie set the fruit down, and Dedenne immediately scampered over, hugging it in both paws and nibbling away.
"Pika!"
Pikachu hopped down from Ash's shoulder and padded over to Dedenne. Their cheek patches faced each other, sending tiny sparks of electricity between them.
"Electric mice communicating is so cute!"
Serena finally snapped out of her blushing daze, her attention now on the scene.
"Bonnie, try touching Dedenne's tail—it'll probably like it. But be gentle."
Ash also found Dedenne irresistibly cute.
Bonnie nodded and carefully reached out to touch its tail. Dedenne flinched at first, but then, feeling the pleasant sensation, let out a happy "Deden, deden!"
"Haha, Dedenne—would you like to come with us? I can groom your fur every day and keep you clean and shiny!"
"Deden!"
Dedenne actually nodded. Clemont sighed and shook his head—there was no stopping his sister.
He took out a Poké Ball and caught Dedenne.
Just like in the original story, Bonnie still ended up with a Dedenne.
Though the timing was different, the outcome hadn't really changed.
"Yay! Thanks, Clemont! Come out, Dedenne—let's be best friends from now on!"
Being a child, Bonnie adored small, cute Pokémon the most.
Having eaten its fill, Dedenne quickly dozed off, and Bonnie gently tucked it into her crossbody bag.
"You did great, Bonnie—you know how to care for Pokémon."
"Hehe, Serena, I can help you take care of Fennekin too—it's so fluffy and cute!"
"Rrrr… Rrrr…"
Suddenly, growling sounds came from behind them!
Several Rhyhorn were charging their way.
The four of them quickly jumped aside.
On the backs of the Rhyhorn… there were people riding them!
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T/N:
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