Ash and Serena’s Life/Backstory of Figment's Chocolate Factory Closing

*(Outside the candy store, a boy, a girl, and an Electric-type mouse-like Pokemon were seeing the whole fun scene from outside the window and are feeling sad upon seeing the children enjoy all of the candy in there until they left after the children paid for the candy they ate. The boy is a 14 year old boy with short black spiky hair, brown eyes, and wearing a red baseball hat with a white bill and rectangular symbol on the front and a blue rim around the bill, a blue and white striped short-sleeved shirt, a white Poketech watch on his left wrist, an umber brown pair of capris with red rims, and blue and white slip-on shoes. He is Ash Ketchum. The girl with him is the same age as Ash with short chin-length honey blonde hair, blue eyes, and wearing a hot pink hat with a black band, a black tanktop underneath a light pink sleeveless mini-skirt dress with a white Peter Pan collar, a blue neck ribbon, a red long sleeveless overshirt-like vest, black leg socks, and brown cowgirl boots. She is Serena, Ash’s live-in girlfriend who, along with her mother, Grace, is living with Ash’s family due to their old house being burnt to the ground from an accidental fire a year ago. And the Electric-type mouse-like Pokemon with them is a short rodent Pokemon with yellow fur, long and pointed ears with black tips, brown eyes, and two red circles on his cheeks that stores electricity, brown stripes on his back and his tail, shaped like a lightning bolt. He is Pikachu, Ash’s service pet and partner. After watching this sadly, they walked away to go to the newsstand where a man worked at, for Ash and Serena are both working as a paperboy and papergirl to provide for their families. The man at the newsstand is a tan-skinned man with short dark gray hair, sideburns, and goatee, dark brown eyes, and wearing green goggles with clear plastic lenses, a white baseball cap with a rainbow print and a yellow ball print in the center, a white long-sleeved lab coat with the sleeves rolled up, black skintight, shin-length leggings, gray swimming trunks with a green waistline and a white drawstring tied in a bow at the front, and green Mary Jane-esque beach shoes with white soles. He is Professor Kukui, Ash and Serena’s boss and good friend. As they approached Kukui, their sadness turned to calm happiness, deciding to stay on the bright side)*

Ash: Hi, Professor Kukui.

Serena: Good morning.

Pikachu: (Happily) Pikachu!

*(Kukui noticed them and smiled softly)*

Kukui: Ah, good morning, Ash, Serena, and Pikachu. You’re late.

Serena: Sorry.

Kukui: It’s okay.

Ash: Got today’s papers and remembered that it’s payday?

Kukui: Sure do.

*(He hands a bag full of today’s papers to Ash and Serena and then hands some paid money to Ash and Serena, who happily accepted)*

Kukui: Here you are.

Ash and Serena: Thanks.

Pikachu: (Happily) Pika.

Kukui: Say “Hello” to your grandpa, Professor Samuel Oak.

Ash: Okay.

Serena: We will.

Ash and Serena: Bye!

Pikachu: (Happily bidding "Goodbye") Pikachu!

Kukui: Bye.

*(Then with that, Ash, Pikachu, and Serena ran across town and did their morning paper delivery routine. As nighttime began to come, their paper routes completed, Ash, Pikachu, and Serena headed for their home when they came upon a pair of closed iron gates, both with W logos on them. They stopped and peeked at the gates to see a huge factory, seemingly empty, despite some sweet-smelling smoke calmly flowing out of its chimneystacks. After the neon sign that read “Wonka” lit up slowly, Ash, Pikachu, and Serena smelled the sweet scent coming from the chimneys and smiled softly)*

Serena: Smells delicious.

Ash: I wish we could see it on the inside.

Pikachu: (Agreeing) Pika.

*(Then they heard a man speak up to them. They turned and saw, to their calm discomfort, an old tinker standing there with his portable tinkering stall, speaking to them)*

Tinker: Up the airy mountain, down the rushing glen, we dare not go a-hunting, for fear of little men.

*(Creeped out calmly, Ash, Serena, and Pikachu backed away a bit as the tinker started to finish his speech)*

Tinker: You see, nobody ever goes in.

*(He prepares to leave with his stall)*

Tinker: And nobody ever comes out.

*(Then with that, he left. Ash, Pikachu, and Serena shook away their discomfort and ran to the direction of their house. At the said house, two women and a creature are working on dinner while an old man, an old woman, an old male ape, and an old female ape are laying in bed, dressed in pajamas. The first woman has long mahogany hip-length hair tied in a ponytail, amber eyes, and wearing a mint blue hair tie, a light yellow tanktop underneath a pink short-sleeved sweater that fastens with a single fuchsia button at the neck, a periwinkle skirt, and white slip-on shoes. She is Delia Ketchum, Ash’s mother. The last woman has short dark gray hair, blue eyes, and wearing a gold yellow hair clip, a navy blue short-sleeved shirt, blue denim capris, brown sandals, and a mint green long-sleeved jacket tied around her waist. She is Grace, Serena’s mother. The creature is a Psychic/Fairy type mime-like Pokemon with a round, white body with a magenta spot in the middle, light pink arms and legs connected to his body by magenta spheres, small white coverings on his knees, magenta pads on the tips of his white fingers, and dark blue feet with upward curls at the tips. Blue growths resembling clown hair extend from the sides of his pale pink head, and there are magenta circles on his cheeks, and an inward curved jaw, resembling the mouth of a wooden dummy. He is Mr. Mime, the Ketchums’ butler, referred as “Mimey” by everyone. The old man is a kind-looking old man with short gray hair, brown eyes, and wearing a white long-sleeved nightshirt, white pajama pants, and red slippers. He is Professor Samuel Oak, Ash’s grandfather. The old woman is a kind-looking, but mysterious, old woman with short light green hair tied in pigtails in the back, green eyes, and wearing a white long-sleeved nightgown, white pajama pants, and light brown slippers. She is Towa, Ash’s grandmother. The old male ape is an elderly male ape with peach skin, brown fur, gray eyes, white beard and eyebrows, and wearing spectacles, a white long-sleeved nightshirt, and white pajama pants and sometimes carried a brown walking stick. He is Cranky Kong, Ash’s other grandfather. And the old female ape is an elderly female ghost-like ape with light gray skin, gray fur, a white ghostly body, dark gray eyes, and wearing spectacles and a white long-sleeved nightgown and a frilly cloth cap with a gray ribbon tied in the back. She is Wrinkly Kong, Ash’s other grandmother. As Delia and Grace just finished making dinner, they were talking with the old people in the bed as Cranky slept and Towa knitted a doily made of yarn)*

Towa: Ash, Pikachu, and Serena are late.

Oak: Well, they work too hard for children and a Pokemon. They need some time to play.

Grace: But there’s not enough hours in the day for that.

Delia: With the four of you bedridden for the past year, it’s a lot a work to keep our families going on.

Mr. Mime: (Agreeing) Mime.

Wrinkly: (Looking at the sleeping Cranky) Indeed.

Towa: If only his father, Ignitus, were alive instead of dying a year ago from cancer.

Delia: (Sighs sadly) Yeah….

Grace: And if only Serena and I hadn’t lost our home to an accidental fire that same year as well….

Wrinkly: It’ll be alright, Grace, dear.

Oak: Wrinkly’s right. What matters is that you and Serena have a home with us like any good friends would.

Grace: (Agreeing, to Oak) And at least we have each other. *(To Delia)* Right, Delia.

Delia: Of course.

*(Oak, Towa, and Wrinkly nodded in agreement. A year ago, since the economy hit hard on the Ketchums, Ignitus passing away from cancer, and Serena and Grace losing their old home to an accidental house fire, they got broke, and they are now struggling to keep themselves going, looking on the bright side of life, despite all of that. Anyway, after Delia said that, Oak spoke up)*

Oak: Well, as soon as I get my strength back, I’m gonna help out.

Delia: Dad, it’s been a year since you said you’re gonna get out of bed to help.

Grace: We’ve yet to see set foot out of it.

Mr. Mime: (Nods in agreement, points at Oak’s feet) Mime, mime, mime.

*(Oak, realizing they’re right, felt ashamed, as he accepted a bowl of cabbage water soup Delia and Grace made for him and everyone else for dinner)*

Oak: I guess if the floor wasn’t so cold.

*(Then Ash, Pikachu, and Serena came in, greeting them happily)*

Ash and Serena: Hi, everybody!

Pikachu: (Happily) Pikachu!

*(Noticing the three, Grace, Mr. Mime, and the Ketchums got happy, glad to see them home again, that Oak and Wrinkly even shook Cranky awake)*

Wrinkly: Wake up!

Oak: Ash, Pikachu, and Serena are home!

Cranky: (Bolting awake in confusion at first) Wha? *(Sees them and got happy)* Oh, hey kids!

Serena: Hey, Mom!

*(As Serena and Grace happily hugged, Ash and Pikachu greeted Delia and Mr. Mime first, and then Ash’s grandparents)*

Ash: Hi, Mom, Mimey, Grandpa Cranky Kong, Grandma Wrinkly Kong, Grandma Towa, and Grandpa Oak.

*(After the hellos are done, Ash, Serena, and Pikachu noticed Oak’s bowl and gave awkward looks)*

Ash: Uh, is this your supper, Grandpa?

Oak: Well, it’s all of ours, as well.

Serena: I’m tired of cabbage water soup!

Ash: It’s not enough!

Cranky and Towa: (Surprised) Ash!

Wrinkly: It’s all we have, dears.

Oak: What do you mean “It’s not enough?”

Mr. Mime: (Confused) Mime?

*(Ash then pulled out of his backpack two loaves of bread)*

Ash: How about these?

Delia: Where did you get those?

Cranky: What difference does it make?

Oak: What’s important is that he, Pikachu, and Serena got them.

Serena: Well, just to let you know, we got our first payday this month.

Ash: And we were able to earn some change after paying for the loaves of bread.

*(He shows some more change from his pants pocket. Hearing that explanation, Grace, Mr. Mime, and the Ketchums smiled proudly in realization)*

Grace: (Realizing) So we can have a good dinner.

Mr. Mime: (Happily) Mime!

Delia: (Happily) That’s wonderful, children. Looks like we will be having a real banquet after all.

*(Ash then hands some change to Delia)*

Ash: Mom, I’m giving you some change. You keep it.

Delia: (Gratefully) Aw, thank you.

*(Ash then turned to Oak with the remaining change)*

Ash: And as for the rest, I’m gonna pay for your tobacco from now on.

Oak: You don’t need to, Ash. I’m giving it up.

Delia: He has a point, Ash. It’s recently discovered that smoking is bad for you.

*(Realizing, Ash understood)*

Ash: (To Delia) I had no idea. *(To Oak)* On second thought, save it for something else that’s good instead.

Oak: I will.

Delia: And Ash? If it’s okay with you, I can help pay for something else for him.

Ash: (Nods) Sure.

Oak: Thanks.

*(Oak accepts the remaining change from Ash. Later at bedtime, everyone is asleep, all except Ash, Pikachu, Serena, and Oak, that is, for they are quietly talking with each other about today’s events. And Ash and Serena are now dressed in pajamas. Ash is now wearing a light green short-sleeved pajama jacket with a yellow neck rim and buttons and light green pajama shorts. And Serena is now wearing a fuchsia long-sleeved silk pajama jacket with buttons and pockets and fuchsia long silk pajama pants)*

Serena: (Whispering) After we finished our paper routes, we were in front of Figment’s factory.

Ash: (Whispering) And after we smelled that delicious smoke in the air, we noticed a strange man standing behind us, looking at the factory as well.

Serena: (Whispering) And he was some kind of tinker.

Ash: (Whispering) Just before he left, he said “Nobody ever goes in, and nobody ever comes out.”

Pikachu: (Whispering in agreement) Pika.

Oak: (Whispering) And he was right, guys. Not since the tragic day when Figment Wonka locked it.

Serena: (Whispering) But why did he lock it?

Ash: (Whispering) The factory looked like it was operating today.

Oak: (Whispering) Well, it’s because seven years ago, all of the other chocolate makers were sending in spies, dressed as workers, to steal Figment’s secret recipes. Especially Jugsworth. He was the worst. Then finally, upon discovering this, Figment shouted “I shall be ruined! Close the factory!” And he did. He locked the gates to his factory, and vanished completely. But then, three years later, the most amazing thing happened; The factory started working again, full blast. And more delicious candies made by Figment were coming out more than ever before. But the gates stayed locked, so that no one, not even Jugsworth, could steal those recipes. Then, just two months ago, Jugsworth disappeared from the face of the Earth, and his company even vanished as well. And nobody has known where he is lately ever since, except for the fact that their candies have been coming out lately besides Figment’s.

*(Ash, Pikachu, and Serena understood the mysterious story)*

Serena: (Whispering) Thank you, for telling us why the factory was closed off, despite it still being run on the inside.

Oak: (Whispering) You’re welcome.

Ash: (Whispering) And one question, Grandpa.

Oak: (Whispering) What’s that, Ash?

Ash: (Whispering) Who could be working for Figment at the factory, despite it being locked?

Oak: (Whispering) Maybe thousands of workers must be helping him.

Serena: (Whispering) But who are those workers?

Ash: (Whispering) And why don’t they come out?

Oak: (Whispering) That is the biggest mystery of them all.

Ash: (Whispering in realization) So, basically, nobody knows.

Serena: (Whispering in agreement) Because of a risk of sneaky people like Jugsworth sneaking into the factory if the gates were open.

Pikachu: (Whispering in agreement) Pikachu.

Oak: (Whispering) Exactly.

*(Then they got ready to go to bed)*

Oak: (Whispering) And I guess we might never know about those mysteries.

Ash and Serena: (Whispering) Yeah.

Oak, Ash, and Serena: (Whispering) Anyway, good night.

*(Then with that, they went to bed)*

***Coming up: While at school, Ash, Pikachu, and Serena learn of a worldwide good announcement involving Figment Wonka that’ll lead to a worldwide search contest for five Golden Tickets in Wonka Bars. Then soon, the first winner will be revealed to be a certain greedy gluttoned boy from Dusselheim, Germany.***