"Ash, hurry, hurry! Come taste the special Bread I made for you!"
"Coming!"
"Pika!"
"Fro-fro!"
"Melo~~"
"Vine-vine!"
"Ash, you're so lucky—Serena made that special Bread just for you! Clemont and I didn't get any."
"Big brother, you're too much. I keep saying this—you need a dependable big sister-in-law to take care of you so you won't be so careless all the time. Hee-hee!"
It was a brand-new morning.
Ash and his three companions were at the lakeside, preparing breakfast.
They had just finished washing up after waking. Serena, however, had gotten up earlier to prepare her "Special Bread" for Ash.
It was literally called Special Bread—just a type of bread with that name, nothing else implied.
…Of course, Clemont and Bonnie still used it as an excuse to tease Serena and Ash.
Ash had a thick enough skin not to mind in the slightest.
Serena, however, would blush bright red every single time—yet still kept making that same bread for him every morning without fail.
Servine, Pignite, Meloetta, Fletchling, Froakie, Pikachu, Chespin, Fennekin, Dedenne, Bunnelby—all of them were gathered, eating breakfast together.
Once breakfast was over, Ash and Clemont, the two gentlemen, took charge of washing the dishes, while Serena and Bonnie packed up the tents.
Ash hadn't yet told them about his system space.
Nor had he ever brought them inside.
He was waiting for the right moment.
--------
At that moment, a girl appeared near the lake.
She had long pink hair and eyes full of curiosity as she looked toward Ash and Clemont washing dishes by the water.
"Pika pi!"
Pikachu, having finished its food, hopped onto Ash's shoulder.
The girl's gaze then shifted to the Pokémon still enjoying their meal nearby.
"…Got it. You'll be the one," she murmured to herself.
Before long, she approached them.
"Hi there!"
Hearing the greeting, Ash, Clemont, Serena, and Bonnie all turned to face her.
"My name's Penelope. Since fate brought us together like this, how about a Pokémon battle?"
"Sure—wait!"
Ash almost agreed instinctively, but then the name Penelope set off an alarm in his mind.
Thinking hard for a moment, he remembered— Penelope, challenging him to a battle… wasn't this the first iconic Kalos moment in the original storyline?
In that story, Penelope invited Ash to battle, and if she won, Ash had to agree to go on a "date" with her. But in reality…
It wasn't a romantic date at all.
Penelope was actually a teacher at a Pokémon Kindergarten.
Her so-called "date" was simply an arrangement to bring the challenger to the kindergarten so the kids could meet more Pokémon, learn about them, and get closer to them.
She was simply going to great lengths for the sake of the children.
Relieved, Ash suddenly thought—
Well, this could be a good chance to see how Serena reacts.
After all, one day she'd eventually learn that he wouldn't have only one girlfriend…
Might as well test the waters now.
So, he nodded and agreed.
As expected, the moment Penelope released her Pokémon, she added a playful condition: if she won, Ash had to go on a date with her.
"What? A date? With Ash?"
The word date instantly triggered Serena—her blue eyes widened as she stared at Ash, nervous that he might lose.
Ash deliberately nodded, pulling out Froakie's Poké Ball with a mischievous smirk in his heart.
Froakie, I'm risking it for you—this is your little 'benefit' for the day. You'd better appreciate it.
The battle began— Penelope sent out her elegant Sylveon.
Ash responded with Froakie.
Just like in the original plot, Sylveon used Fairy Wind and Attract.
Froakie stood no chance.
When Sylveon followed up with Draining Kiss, it moved right up to Froakie and planted a firm kiss on its cheek.
Ash didn't even wait for Froakie to faint—he recalled the dazed frog back into its Poké Ball immediately.
"Heh, nice little bonus, huh?"
The Poké Ball wobbled slightly, almost as if Froakie was responding.
Penelope then revealed her true reason for challenging him—that she wanted him to visit the kindergarten so the children could meet more Pokémon.
Serena finally relaxed, letting out a quiet sigh of relief.
Ash stepped up behind her without her noticing, and leaned close to whisper in her ear:
"What were you thinking? If I ever go on a date, it'd be with you—why would I date someone else?"
"A-ah?! You scared me, Ash! Don't do that!"
Serena spun away, cheeks crimson, avoiding his gaze.
Ash gave a wry smile. If she reacts this much now, how's she going to handle it when she finds out about Misty, May, Dawn, Anabel, Elesa, Cynthia…?
Yeah… this was going to be tricky.
One step at a time.
-----
The rest of the morning and afternoon was spent at the Pokémon kindergarten.
The kids were overjoyed to meet so many Pokémon.
By the time Ash and the others left, it was already evening.
After dinner, they set out once more toward Cyllage City.
An hour into the forest, night had fallen.
RUMBLE!
Suddenly, thunder roared—followed by a torrential downpour.
"Ugh, seriously? Why the sudden heavy rain?"
"Heh, no worries! Time for the Clemont Engine! I've got just the—"
"Let's move. In this kind of thunderstorm, tinkering with your gadgets in the forest is a perfect way to get struck by lightning."
"…"
Pushing forward through the rain, they stumbled upon a massive abandoned mansion deep in the forest.
It looked old—very old.
Just as they reached the front, the door… creaked open on its own, without a soul in sight.
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T/N:
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