Our Alternate Ending | | A Pokemon Adventure

Chapter 31- Cours d'Amour

"That's a lot of weaknesses. Love doesn't exactly seem like much of a good thing to me right now." I pointed out and Elaina shook her head vigorously with disagreement.

"Not at all, Ash. What you have to understand is that love comes with many consequences, but overall, it's still a very good thing. Love is what sticks all our limbs together, it's why you and I are sitting here now. How we can draw a smile to our face. The consequences of love are little things we learn to look past, for these things mean nothing when compared to the total gift. You'll understand someday, Ash. Love is the best thing a person could possibly have." She glowed with a grin as the wisdom poured from her mouth like a waterfall of knowledge that she couldn't contain, for she didn't have the capacity to really know such things.

"But I do understand! I love and care for my friends so much." I countered, wondering why she possibly thought I hadn't experienced love, I was a well loved person.

"Of course you love your friends! Just like you love your mother and your Pokemon. And you understand that love. Some might go as far as to say you're a master at it, not that I personally would. But you asked me to teach you about Erros, a different kind of love to that of your friends. And that kind of love, you don't understand at all." The golden blonde argued.

"Then explain how this type of love can have so many weaknesses? Why is it any different?" I asked with concern. In my opinion, there was nothing wrong about having close friends, but this kind of love had consequences that didn't sound very appealing.

"Now, this is starting to invade the personal territory that I don't have very much experience with. So I'll try another approach. Tell me Ash, is there anyone in you life that makes you feel strong by just their single presence? Would you be obliged to push yourself further if they were there with you? Is there anyone in your life who has given you the strength you need to accomplish your goal? Cause that's real love." Elaina resorted in a soft tone.

At the mention, by the lullaby of those very words, my mind raced to Serena, without a split second to think. It was a second nature reaction that left the image of her dazzling cerulean eyes filling my mind. I remembered the first day she came to me in Kalos, her pearly smile brighting each fiber of her face and the gawky way her expressions held each cheek.

She was the one that helped me win that gym battle, it was the reason I invited her to journey with us. And she never failed to inspire every tactic I performed there after. She always said she wanted to battle like me, but she was the inventor. Her support on the sidelines of every struggle pulled me out of whatever abyss I was hiding in.

She gave me strength. She didn't even realize it and I never confronted her as much as I should. Didn't make it less true.

"Feel obliged to push yourself further when they're with you...makes you stronger..." Elaina mumbled under her breath, but the words half whisked away by the wind still caught my ears.

"What did you say?" I asked, intrigued by her sudden conversation with herself. As I spoke, she jumped, staring back at me in alarm, as if she had forgotten I was there.

"N-nothing. S-sorry...I-I've got to go." She stammered before abruptly standing upright. She immediately began to walk away and I stared in some sort of temporary shock. But Elaina paused after a few paces and glanced at me over her shoulder. "We need to go to  Lumious park tonight."

I continued to stare at her in confusion as the strange assemble left her mouth.

"What do you mean? Why do we need to go to Lumious park?" I questioned, scanning the golden blonde for more signs of her weird behavior. But the teacher is as good at reading as she is hiding.

"I mean, I want to battle you at Lumious park tonight." Elaina said as she composed herself and pulled a forced smile onto the edges of her lips. There was a pause before I answered as a result of me trying to decipher her reasonings.

"Of course. But I hope you're ready for another beating." I teased with a smirk that I hoped would bring back the normal Elaina. She tried to smile back, but it quickly faltered and I noticed the normal competitive spark that illuminated her eyes at the mention of battles was not there.

"Right...I-I mean, yeah right! Think again Ketchum." Her voice was the same sarcastic and shallow tone she normally used with me, but there was something lacking. "Anyways, see ya later! Ash." And with that she waved a halfhearted goodbye. I didn't bother to return the gesture, just watched her figure disappear into the crowded flow of city goers. Until that blue ribbon in her hair that Serena stressed over just blurred into the other colors of the streets.

That was...odd.

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Pinky promise next chapter will be the date chapter!!! Just thought this was a cute little update...and I'm ready for the buses.