We see our friends, Ash, Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie making their way towards the Shalour City Gym so that Ash can get his third badge.

"I wonder how much longer it will be before we get to the gym," Ash chirps out as his stomach grumbles.

"Don't worry, Ash. It looks like the city and gym are just a short hop away once we get out of this forest," replied Clemont.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's run there!"

Ash quickly darted along the forest path and was soon beyond the vision of our hero's sight!

"Ash, wait for us," roared Clemont as he took to Ash's trail.

"And for me too, you dummy," replied Bonnie.

As the family duo took after Ash, Serenity stopped in her walking pace.

"You all go on ahead! I'll be with you all in a short moment," Serena voiced out. However, she knew it was very unlikely that any of them had heard her voice.

"They have too much energy, it's like they're all small children," Serena muttered as she looked into the horizon.

"I might not be able to catch up to them any time soon, so I might as well use this as an opportunity to stop and rest," Serena quickly thought to herself.

She went off the dirt path and into the dense wooding to find a place to rest. She discovered a small, public camp site. Log seats scattered the enclave of space surrounded by the thousands of trees. The rest area itself was maintained fairly well as it provided a stove, concrete pegs to set up tents and even an area to kindle a fire. To imagine such an expansive, public camping area in such a short distance from the city was a troubling thought. However, Serena was not about to look a gift Ponyta in the mouth.

Serena took a seat on a log in caution of the rough edges, but the seat was as soft as a granite counter top. As Serena sat, back straightened and head up, in the chair, she started to hear someone approaching from the woods.

"Is that you Ash? I can't believe you just ran off like that!"

There was no response and the tensions started to rise with the volume of the foot steps.

"Clemont? Bonnie? Is that you? Why won't any of you say anything?"

The shadow was absent of any reply and Serena started to become conscious of the situation at hand. After a moment, she began to hear the shadow's breathing and she felt its frustration and intimidating atmosphere as her dominion began to be pierced.

"Whoever you are, stay back! My friends are near by and they won't let you hurt me."

The shadow finally emerged from the brush and its identity was now cleared. Serenity's hope floated away and a sense of fear attracted to her like two Magnemites.

TO BE CONTINUED