Chapter 3: Serena and the First Meeting with the Ninja Frog!

Serena (Sha Lina/Sermei)

She puts away Ladiyas and comes to Serena's side,

Ash's gaze falls on the girl,

Today's Sermei is clearly well‑dressed,

A pink dome hat with a black ribbon tied on top of her head,

Her tea‑colored long hair cascades like a waterfall, her Fair Skin little face bears a thin layer of light makeup, her beautiful eyes shine like gems, her features are delicate and petite, her shallow pink red lips are luscious and tempting, evoking imagination.

Add a black vest that accentuates her figure, a striking red skirt hem, over‑knee black stockings, the stark black‑red contrast undeniably catches the eye,

Not to mention the meticulously designed pure white absolute zone between the red skirt and the over‑knee black stockings.

The whole ensemble gives the girl youthful vigor while still retaining feminine charm.

A burst of youthful aura rushes at you!

While Ash examines Serena, Serena also looks at him,

A blue adventure suit, a signature red cap, a yellow Pikachu on his shoulder, his gaze confident and sharp, 185 cm tall, with streamlined muscular lines,

He stands as if he were the scorching sun hanging in the sky, radiating light and heat, making people unable to resist approaching.

"Ash!"

Even though she had decided before arriving that she would give Ash, whom she hadn't seen for years, a direct hug,

when she actually sees him, the girl blushes, her body becomes extremely stiff, unable to move at all.

"A hug... I... can't... do it!"

Seeing the girl's embarrassment, Ash can't help but smile, proactively opening his arms to gently embrace the nervous girl before him,

"We finally meet again, Serena!"

Ash proactively hugged me, and he said he missed me...

Crouched in Ash's warm embrace, Serena's face turned completely red, her body grew even more rigid.

After the hug,

The girl, her face flushed, reached out, took the Pikachu on Ash's shoulder, and, as the field guide says, scratched Pikachu's tail to ease the awkwardness.

"Finally met the living Pikachu!"

"Pika Pi~"

The ticklish spot was scratched, and Pikachu, unaware that it had become a tool mouse, showed a very contented squinting relaxation.

"Where are we going next?" Serena asked,

Ash, no longer teasing the girl, recalled that Professor Oak had already arranged a greeting with the local professor, and said seriously, "Let's go to the Bulatenuo Research Institute."

"I know that place; actually I'm going there to receive my starter partner, I'll take you there."

The boy, the girl, and a Pikachu strolled down a boulevard filled with Kalos‑style architecture,

Along the way, lacking Serena's loud shout of his name when they first met, plus Ash wearing a baseball cap and Pikachu being held by Serena, no passerby recognized Ash's identity.

However, because of the earlier incident,

the two stood relatively far apart, making it look unlike partners walking together.

It even resembled strangers walking parallel.

This quiet, slightly awkward state continued until the two passed the iridescent crystal tower in the center of Miaré City,

After that, two small tails appeared behind them,

namely Clemont, the Miaré Gym Leader with golden hair, a lightning‑shaped tuft on his head, glasses, a blue jumpsuit, and a massive white backpack,

and the fellow‑pilot fanatic, the little girl Yurie, also with golden hair.

The quartet from the original world line cleverly met ahead of schedule.

Finally, unable to endure the silent following, Yurie spoke up,

"Ge Ge silently followed the whole way, is it because you liked that beautiful sister in the red dress? If you're..."

While speaking, Yurie took it upon herself to sprint to Serena's front, blocked Sermei's path, knelt on one knee, and, like a little adult, reached out toward Serena.

"Beautiful big sister, please be sure to accept my Ge Ge!"

Sermei: "?"

Ash: "..."

As a genius awakened with Waveguide Power, and also diligent in cultivation,

Ash early sensed, through Waveguide Power, that someone was following, but he didn't expect the followers to be Clemont and Yurie, these two 'acquaintances'.

From behind, Clemont sprinted, shouting anxiously,

"Shut up, Yurie!"

A mechanical arm extended from his large white backpack, grabbed Yurie by the collar, and lifted her entirely,

but it was ultimately too late,

The feeling of social death hit his heart, and Clemont was utterly defeated.

"Sorry, both of you, my sister caused you trouble; I apologize on her behalf."

It wasn't a big misunderstanding to begin with, and since Ash already knew them, the confusion was easily cleared.

"I'm Clemont, this is my sister Yurie, we are about to set off on a trip."

After a brief self‑introduction, Clemont further explained why he had followed.

"Just now it felt familiar, but I didn't expect it to be you, Mr. Ash; it's such an honor."

Yurie, hearing that, couldn't help but show disappointment, and, like a little adult, lectured,

"What? I thought Ge Ge had awakened, but it turns out Ge Ge followed not because it liked this beautiful big sister!"

"Yu! Li! Jia!!!"

All because that idiot little sister caused my social death, and now she's still here, oblivious to the world, and doesn't even take me into account.

Clemont was furious!

Relying on his understanding of his brother's personality,

Realizing the matter was unfavorable, Yurie quickly pulled her neck in, the little adult said, "Alright, alright, you idiot pigeon, can't I stop mentioning you?"

The brother‑friendly, sister‑modest interaction made Ash and Serena exchange a smile,

From the way the siblings interacted, a warm feeling was sensed.

Rolling his eyes at his own drama‑queen sister, Clemont straightened up, curiously looked at Ash, "I thought Mr. Ash would succeed Mr. Lord Dragon Crossing as the crowned Capital Champion."

Hearing that, Ash briefly glanced at Serena beside him, then turned his head to look at a frog‑shaped waveguide hiding behind cover.

That was also a companion that had followed him all the way,

If nothing went wrong, it should be the fated Croak Bubble Frog!

He immediately said sincerely,

"I have a reason I must come to Carlos. Also, just call me Ash."

The reason I must come to Carlos…

Why say something so cheesy in front of others, almost like a confession? So shy!

Serena covered her pretty face with both hands, a bit unwilling to bear the gaze of Ash, Clemont and Yurie,

Clemont, who had already regarded the two as a pair in his Mind, didn't find the remark abrupt,

All he could think of was the fortune of meeting a legend like Ash, and naturally wanting to have a battle.

"Ash, let's have a battle. I just captured a spirit that would be perfect for your debut battle upon first arriving in Carlos."

Being able to say that, Clemont clearly had some knowledge of Ash,

He knew that whenever Ash reached a new place, he would start capturing from scratch, challenge gyms, and only during the tournament stage would he occasionally summon his former spirit partners to show their faces.

However, the timing of his challenge was indeed not ideal,

Serena showed a troubled expression, "But Ash hasn't obtained Carlos Location's initial partner yet…"

"I see," though slightly disappointed, Clemont quickly readjusted his mindset, "Then we'll wait until Ash gets his initial partner before talking about it."

"No, perhaps we can do it now. Want to fight side by side with me? Croak Bubble Frog!"

What the three didn't expect was that Ash actually said those words,

At the same time, a swath of blue energy that had enveloped Ash's body quickly contracted back into him.

The ever‑silent Ash suddenly glanced back, his eyes quietly shifting toward a two‑story balcony by the roadside behind him,

There, a Croak Bubble Frog that had followed him for a long time—entirely blue, with a pair of large eyes whose pupils formed a straight line, and foam wrapped around its neck—stood.