Together To The Top

Chapter 6: What now?

Narrator: In the wake of Ash's finals and Project Mew, Professor Cerise decided to send the two boys to Wyndon City for one last mission and Chloe joined them.

Things went awry as Ash's self-doubts started to get to him and while trying to regain his focus, Ash encountered a strangely familiar-looking person.

Oh my Arceus!

That has to be her!

She probably disguised herself like I did , Ash thought

He tapped Pikachu and pointed toward the moving person.

Pikachu recognized what Ash meant pretty quickly, and as he and Ash looked at each other, they both started running forward.

Their second spent looking at each other proved to be a fatal mistake as the person had now gone inside the market between the crowd.

"Man, we'll have to look for them in the market now." Ash said while Pikachu made a disappointed face, as Serena had always been nice to him, added with the fact that maybe she could help cheer Ash up.

Ash noticed Pikachu's face and said "Don't worry Pikachu, I'm sure that they couldn't have gotten too far away, so we'll find them in no time."

We will find them, right? Ash thought

He and Pikachu began running at full speed towards the market, and when they got to the entrance Pikachu leaped on Ash's shoulder, and Ash hurriedly moved through the crowds, making his way through by slightly moving people around.

"Sorry."

"Excuse me, please."

"Pika Pikachu." were some of the things the two of them said as apologies for the reckless nature of their behavior, as they sped through the crowds, pushing people or bumping into them to move them out of their path.

Where could she be at? Ash thought

However, even as Ash moved everywhere around the crowd and looked through the outside of stores, he couldn't find the honey blonde trainer or her Pokémon anywhere.

"Pikachu, do you think that they're gone?" Ash asked and Pikachu shrugged in response.

"Maybe it wasn't her?

Or maybe she had to leave somewhere?" Ash asked himself almost as if coping.

Pikachu touched his trainer's cheek using his paw, and Ash said "Sorry, it's just I really wanted to see Serena again."

The two spotted a nearby bench and sat on it, and Ash began to get lost in thoughts again.

I screwed up so bad with Serena, she literally kissed me and all I could do was smile a little. She probably found someone else and yet I'm here helplessly lost, thinking of her every day. Kukui didn't mention love being this complicated.

I should probably just head back to training and stop bothering with this. But why should I go back to training if Leon is clearly on another level?

AAAAAAAAAAAH!

I... I... I don't know what to do at all!

Maybe I should just head back to the Pokémon Center and wait for Chloe and Goh, maybe they can help me with this.

But how could they if they have never been through something like this?

Ash began to tear up again and this time, holding back tears, he took the glasses off his disguise, tossed them back into his backpack, and began running back from where they were in the market to wherever he would end up, hopefully somewhere in where he wouldn't need to think about anything, no battles, no finals, and no complicated love stuff.