>>29181100Serena never arrives in Hoenn, though.
Remember the preview of the next episode where you see Ash holding Serena's and Bonnie's hands, jumping off of a huge cliff?
Only Ash survived that fall. Barely. He was in a coma for months, then they sent him to alola to recover, hoping the gentle and warm climate there would help him.
After some weeks he woke up and he's been slowly regenerating ever since. Add another few months and he was "fit" enough again that Kukui, Oak's cousin who Ash is staying with, asked him if he wanted to join his class at school which begins soon. He agrees, but it's obvious the injury and coma took their toll on him and he's regressed a good few years, plus he's a bit wacky now. Forgot a lot of things, too.
Serena and Bonnie however did not survive, their wounds were fatal.
It's the most grim story twist we've had yet in the anime to be honest.
