So as I said in the previous A/N, this chapter will be kind of a filler chapter. But this will also be quite an important chapter in showing our main characters' feelings and emotions.
Without further ado, here is the 5th chapter of this story! Enjoy!
The next day, everyone decided to explore Gloire City on their own before heading for Ash's 8th gym battle in Snowbelle City. So, once everyone had their breakfast, Ash decided to take a little stroll around the city to clear his thoughts. He left his pokemon to Bonnie, who was ecstatic, then left the Pokemon Centre, hands in his pockets.
~~~~~
With Serena
Serena, after eating her breakfast, walked back to her room in the Pokemon Centre to pack up all her Master Class costumes and props. As she was packing, she couldn't help but think of the rollercoaster ride of a journey she has had, and smiled. Now that she won the Kalos Queen title, she could relax and reflect on the endless preparations leading up to her Master Class performance.
~~
She first thought of the very start of her journey, staying at her home in Vaniville Town, forced by her mother to do Rhyhorn racing training. She hated it there and was constantly waiting for an opportunity to get out of the house for once. That was until she watched the news that day, and recognised Ash. Afterwards, she joined Ash on his journey, but mainly just to be with him, and she had no clear goal of what she wanted to do.
However, as her journey went on, she slowly started to realise what she wanted to achieve, something that she actually was willing to do. And that was all because of Ash. He was the one who managed to see what she was generally happy and interested at, and helped her to realise her true dream
Over the course of the journey, she worked her heart out with her pokemon, to achieve her dream as quickly as possible. With her friends' constant support and cheers, she was fully motivated to be the best that she could be. But it is only with the number of talks and words of encouragement that Ash gave her over the past few months, could she do so well and win it all in the Master Class. She remembered the heartwarming speech she made specifically to mainly thank him, and she chuckled.
~~
This was when it clicked in her head. Ash. The main reason she could do so well in her showcase performances was because of Ash. All the unwavering support and encouragement he had given to her had been so important in the progress she made. She thought out loud, "I admire and love him that much, do I? *sigh* Hopefully he feels the same way."
"There's a high chance he does feel that way."
Serena was startled, and immediately turned to the source of the voice. Standing at the doorway, Clemont had his arms crossed and a smile plastered on his face. She calmed down knowing it's him, and asked, "Oh, hi Clemont. What are you doing here?" "Well I just wanted to know what you were doing. And sorry if I seem like I'm eavesdropping, but I feel like Ash knows more than we all think he does." Clemont replied.
Serena sighed, head lowered and hands on her knees. Clemont walked up to her and sat beside her. "You know, Ash has been acting strangely these past few days, and I'm sure you have noticed it too. What do you think?" Clemont asked.
Serena heaved a sigh, and held the blue ribbon on her dress, and answered, "Yes I have noticed his weird behaviour lately too. And I don't want to jump to any conclusions, but I seriously hope the reason for his actions are for that particular reason. All these years of holding this crush towards him, hopefully I can get achieve something out of it." Serena replied, and continued talking non-stop, "I just love his personality so much, I can't not love him. That determination and confidence that he always has, plus the bond he shares with everyone around him. These are just some of the things I admire about him, and will continue to do so for a long time. I can't stop thinking about him, and I always long for the time when I can finally be with him, because I...I love him." By the time she finished, she was lightly blushing and tears were forming in her eyes.
Clemont was surprised by the response he got. He said, "I was expecting a simple answer to my question, but you really went all out."
Serena then realised what she had said a few seconds ago, and she hid her face behind her hands as her face became the reddest it could be, out of embarrassment.
"Look Serena, it's good that you could share all of this with me. Now you just have to find time to tell him, and you have to do it quickly. Before you know it, our journey has ended. So yeah, you may have to hurry it up a bit." Clemont said, a bit sternly. Serena thought about it and nodded, replying, "Yeah, okay. I'll do it soon enough. Thanks for everything Clemont."
"Nah, it's no biggie. That's what good friends are for."
~~~~~
With Ash
Ash left the Pokemon Centre almost immediately after leaving his pokemon with Bonnie. He had only kept Greninja with him, just in case anything happened to him on the way.
Ash had a lot on his mind recently, and he just wanted some alone time to reflect upon everything. Pikachu picked up on this, and decided to follow him to walk around the city, worried about his trainer's current state.
Ash had his hands in his pocket, head lowered, thinking about his journey so far. All these years, he had travelled through so many regions and met so many friends. But none of those journeys could compare to everything he has seen and experienced so far in Kalos.
He thought about all his pokemon. They had been putting in 110% of their effort in all their battles, and they had stuck with him through thick and thin, and Ash was glad of that. He always thought of his pokemon as another group of good friends. To be honest, without them by his side (plus his constant eagerness to explore new regions), he would have stopped travelling and stayed at home a long time ago.
Next, he thought about his travelling companions and good friends, specifically the Lumiose siblings. Ash remembered when his travelling companions consisted of a brother and a sister, but something about these two friends just made his journey so much more fun. All their little arguments and fooling around almost every day made Ash enjoy his journey in Kalos so much more interesting. Just thinking about them made Ash lightly chuckle.
Finally, his mind shifted to Serena, and his mind was flooded with every single experience he's had with her. From the moment she joined him in his journey, to the speech she made after her win at the Master Class, he thought of it all. Then, he remembered those few times when he had that warm and fuzzy feeling every time he was around her. He could have sworn he felt those feelings before, but didn't know from where. Now that he was alone, he could finally figure out that feeling that he had all this time.
As he was thinking, Pikachu jumped onto his shoulder. "Are you okay Ash?" Pikachu said, a bit sadly. He had a genuine look of concern on his face, worried about his trainer's, and long-term good friend's, change of behaviour. Pikachu had gotten used to Ash's happy-go-lucky nature, and was surprised to see him in such deep thought about something.
Ash was a bit startled by his sudden appearance, but immediately calmed down and replied, "Oh, hey Pikachu. Sorry for making you worry about me. I was just thinking about some... stuff." He could generally understand what Pikachu was saying, at least in simple terms, thanks to how long they had known each other.
Pikachu was quick to ask again, "Stuff about a certain someone?" Ash's eyes widened, and he said, "Well you figured that out quickly. Yeah, stuff about Serena specifically." Pikachu smirked, "You still don't know, do you?" Ash sighed, and answered, "Well, sorry if I sound like a total idiot right now, but yes. I'm still confused about this feeling I'm having, and I hope to find out today." Pikachu only sighed, and continued looking at the Gloire City landscape.
Suddenly, a thought popped into Ash's mind, "Hang on, I might be able to find out what this feeling is sooner than I thought. He took out his pokedex, thinking about how he always sees people giving roses to another person, and had a hunch that that was exactly what he was looking for. "Pokedex, what do roses symbolise usually?"
*beep* *beep* "Here's what I found. Roses, especially red ones, are usually associated with the feeling of lo-". However, before his pokedex could finish, there was a large explosion behind him, followed by a claw grabbing Pikachu and pulling him away. Ash mentally cursed the sudden stop, and then turned back to see the cause. Suddenly, a too-familiar trio of laughs could be heard, and Ash groaned as he awaited the dreaded words that followed.
"Prepare for trouble, seeing you all alone!"
"And make it double, as we make ourselves known!"
"To protect the world from devastation!"
"To unite all people within our nation!"
"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"
"To extend our reach to the stars above!"
"Jessie!"
"And it's James"
"Team Rocket blasts off with the speed of light!"
"Surrender now, or prepare for a one-on-one fight!"
"Meowth, that's right!"
"Wobbuffet!"
Ash looked up to see the all-familiar Team Rocket trio snickering, as Pikachu tried in vain to squirm out the claw's grip. Ash asked, "Really guys? Aren't you guys tired of all this by now, especially with that pathetic motto of yours?"
Both Jessie and James grew furious, "Oh you will pay for saying that, you little twerp!"
"Inkay, come out!" "Gourgeist, time for you to shine!"
"Greninja, come on out! Use Water Shuriken"
The Ninja Pokemon appeared, and wasted no time forming a bunch of Shurikens in his webbed hands. He then fired them straight at Inkay and Gourgeist. Both pokemon got hit but held their ground.
"Inkay, use Psybeam" "Gourgeist, Shadow Ball!"
Both pokemon fired off their attacks, but Ash was fast to counter.
"Dodge and use Night Slash!"
Greninja stealthily dodged Inkay's Psybeam, and a dark sword formed in his hand. He cut the Shadow Ball cleanly in half, before dashing towards Inkay, hitting him dead on. Inkay landed in James' arms, swirls in his eyes.
Jessie gritted her teeth, then proceeded to shout, "Gourgeist, Seed Bomb!"
Gourgeist then shot out multiple seeds at frightening speeds towards Greninja, but Greninja had no trouble dodging them all.
"Time to finish this off with Night Slash!"
Greninja then formed another dark sword in his hand and hit Gourgeist, sending her flying towards the Team Rocket trio. The pact was so strong that Meowth lost his grip on the claw. Pikachu was finally free and the trio looked worryingly as to what would happen next.
"Pikachu, Thunderbolt, let's go!"
Finally, as familiar as it always was, the impact from Pikachu's Thunderbolt sent the Team Rocket group flying into the sky.
"We're blasting off again!" "Wobbuffet!" was all that could be heard before they disappeared.
"When do they ever learn?" Ash muttered. He returned Greninja and Pikachu jumped back onto his shoulder. Then, he walked back to the Pokemon centre, trying desperately to figure out what his Pokedex was trying to say before they got interrupted. After a while, Ash figured that he wouldn't be able to find out what the feeling really is. He sighed, and quickened his pace back to the Pokemon centre.
~~~~~
By the time Ash reached the Pokemon centre, the gang had already prepared for lunch. As they sat around the table, Ash couldn't help but notice the unusual silence from the group. He looked over at the two Lumiose siblings. Both of them were eating happily and peacefully, and they seemed like nothing had happened while he was gone. However, he looked at Serena, who was lost in deep thought, barely touching her food at all. There was a slight frown on her face, which concerned Ash. He made a mental note to talk about it with her later on, and continued eating.
Serena, on the other hand, kept on thinking about the conversation she had with Clemont earlier on, about how she had to hurry up if she wanted to be with Ash. She loved him, that was obvious enough. But she was scared that although he had been showing multiple signs, Ash could have yet to realise anything about her feelings. She was scared that if she did tell him, she would get rejected right there on the spot. She needed to assure herself that that situation would not happen, but she didn't know how to do it.
"Serena?"
Serena was soon broken out of her trance, and she looked at Ash, who had a worried look on her face. "Are you okay?" Ash added. Serena nodded and started eating. Clemont smiled in sympathy, he couldn't blame Serena's situation now, considering his talk with her that morning. The rest of the time, the gang ate peacefully with little chatter.
~~~~~
Nighttime came quickly, and Serena, like always for some reason, had trouble falling sleep again. She couldn't stop reminding herself of what Clemont had said to her. Seeing that she wouldn't be sleeping anytime soon, she sighed in defeat and walked out of the Pokemon Centre, sitting on the steps leading to the pathway. She took a deep breath of the cool night's air, and sat there for a while.
"You know, I can get used to accompanying you every night for whatever reason."
Serena turned around to see Ash standing not too far from her, one hand on his waist and another hand scratching his head. Ash then took a seat beside Serena and asked, "What's bothering you this time?" Serena knew exactly what she was worried about, but with Ash there, she went with another minor thing that's been on her mind recently.
*sigh* "I guess it's just... Now that I won the title of Kalos Queen, which I am very happy about, I am not so sure about what I should do next. I want to continue to improve my performance skills here in Kalos and in other regions, but I also want to continue journeying with you. I am sort of in a dilemma. That's it." Serena explained.
Ash heard the tone of her voice, and had a hunch that this wasn't the main thing that she was worried about. However, he felt that it was something she wouldn't want to talk about at that moment, and decided not to pry. "Well, all I can say is, follow what your heart desires. No one can stop you from doing what you want to do. As long as it is within your reach and capabilities, just do it. You will never know what you can do or achieve unless you go for it and try." Ash then lowered his cap to cover the light blush on his cheeks, "Of course, I would love for you to stay and continue journeying with me."
Serena looked up at the night sky, and sighed. Ash was right. She just needed to follow what she wanted to do. After a little while of thinking, she looked over to Ash and replied, "Thanks Ash, that really helped." Ash then gave his trademark toothy grin, and both of them started to admire the beautiful scenery that the Pokemon Centre overlooked.
Then, out of nowhere, Serena faced Ash with a look of genuine concern, and asked, "Ash, do you think I deserve to be Kalos Queen, especially with me being new to performing?"
Ash was surprised by this question, as he never thought Serena would think this way in the first place. He turned towards Serena with a slightly stern look, and answered, "Why would you think that? Out of everyone that I have seen on that Master Class stage, you are the most deserving person of that Kalos Queen. You have worked harder on your routines than everyone else, because you believed in yourself, because you believed that you could achieve your goal."
Ash sighed as his face lightened up a little, and continued, "Serena, you're just doubting yourself, thinking about this kind of stuff. You really shouldn't be, because you yourself know that you have the ability to accomplish many great things, and you know we will all be rooting for you and supporting you every step of the way." Serena was starting to tear up as he finished, and she buried her face in Ash's chest as she let it all out.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..."
"It's fine, don't be."
"Ash, can we stay like this for a while?"
Ash just nodded, and both sat together, enjoying each other's presence beside him/her. At one point, Serena's head involuntarily leaned on Ash's shoulder. This startled Ash a bit, but he soon gave into the moment, also moving his hand to stroke Serena's silky smooth hair. The two teens stayed in this position for another couple of minutes, until Ash could hear light snoring to his side. He looked over to see a peaceful Serena sleeping on his shoulder. He muttered to himself, "Looks like someone can finally get a good night's sleep."
He then carried Serena bridal-style towards the Pokemon Centre and to her room. Ash laid her down and brushed away the hair on her face, and said a light "Good night" before going back to his room to sleep. Little did Ash know, Serena was still awake and experienced the whole thing, and her face was close to exploding at Ash's actions.
~~~~~
The next morning, Serena still couldn't believe that THE Ash Ketchum, being the dense boy he is, acted that way towards her last night. However, she decided to brush away the thought and joined the others outside the Pokemon Centre, who were waiting patiently for her to arrive.
"Now it's off to Snowbelle City for my last gym battle! Kalos League, here we come!" Ash shouted, punching his fist in the air. Pikachu also mimicked his actions. The gang giggled at his enthusiasm, but also excited and was rooting for him. With that, they left Gloire City, and advanced towards Snowbelle City.
Well, that was one hell of a chapter, but it was so fun to write! I also had to introduce Team Rocket at some point, but I don't think they will appear again in this story though. Finally, the battle chapter will be next, so stay tuned for that!
Until then, see y'all in the next chapter! Peace ✌️