Ash wiped the condensation away from the window of the van and looked out to see Snowbelle City. Serena's mom had offered to drive the group there, since she was doing some business in Snowbelle City anyways, for her Rhyhorn racing school. Ash didn't know why a cold place like Snowbelle City would be interested in that, but it didn't stop him from gratefully accepting the offer. The sooner he could get to his gym battle, the sooner he could distract himself from what had happened with Greninja.
The first thing Ash noticed about Snowbelle City, was...well...the snow. It was everywhere, all over the trees and all over the houses. He didn't understand how these people could live in conditions like this, but he supposed they probably understood it better than him.
Ash felt a hand take hold of his and he turned to see Serena looking at him, concern in her eyes. "You're gonna be great. Just like you always are." She said.
"Thanks." Ash answered. He narrowed his eyes, remembering something. "Hey, aren't you meeting that woman, Palermo, here?" He asked.
Serena looked away and out her own window. "Yeah...I called her last night and told her I'd meet her before your gym battle." Ash could hear the nervousness in his girlfriend's voice. She took a deep breath and then turned back to him. "It can't be anything bad. It's weird that she wants to meet me, but I don't think I've done anything wrong." It sounded more like Serena was trying to convince herself it was going to be ok.
Ash gave her a reassuring smile. "Of course it's something good. She was impressed with you at the showcase. I don't care if she said you lacked independence or whatever it was. I could tell she thought you were awesome. Maybe she just knows a way that you can get better."
Serena nodded. "Yeah...maybe. I guess we'll find out soon."
They stayed silent the rest of the way and then Grace dropped them off at the Pokemon Centre. She told them she'd meet them at the gym before Ash's battle. Everyone had been pretty surprised when she had shown an interest in seeing the battle, but Ash was happy with it. He liked having a big crowd to cheer him on.
As soon as they got to the Pokemon Centre, they gave their Pokemon to Nurse Joy for a quick check up. Bonnie and Mairin ran outside immediately to play in the snow, while Clemont waited at a chair nearby, working on one of his inventions. Ash went straight to the phone.
"Who are you calling?" Serena asked, following him.
"Professor Oak. I've gotta get Talonflame." Ash said, sitting down and leaving room on the seat for Serena, who sat down as well.
"I thought you had to transfer a Pokemon to do that." She said, looking confused. Ash looked down sadly. Serena clearly knew she'd made a mistake and Ash heard the regret in her voice when she spoke next. "Oh...I'm sorry. That was dumb."
"Don't worry about it." Ash said quickly. He felt guilty about the hint of anger in his voice, but he decided not to dwell on it and called Professor Oak.
The phone rang a couple of times and then Oak answered, appearing on screen. Ash was happy to see Talonflame already by Oak's side and also a couple of his other Pokemon. Staraptor, Swellow and Unfezant were also there. "Hello you two." Oak greeted happily. "As you can see, Talonflame is already set to go." He looked at the other bird Pokemon. "And these three all wanted to say goodbye to him. They've enjoyed their flying races."
Ash smiled. "That's great." He looked at his flying Pokemon. "How are all of you doing? Training hard?" They all shouted out happily. Each of them looked ecstatic to see their trainer again. Ash then glanced at Serena. "Oh and this is Serena. She's my...girlfriend." Even though it had been a few weeks, it was still awkward to introduce her like that. He then pointed to each of his Pokemon and introduced Serena to each of them. "That's Unfezant, she's from Unova. That's Staraptor, from Sinnoh. And that's Swellow, from Hoenn."
Serena smiled, looking very interested in seeing some of Ash's old Pokemon. "It's nice to meet you all. I've heard about how intense your flying races get. I hope I get to see one when you guys come to train for the Kalos League."
Ash suddenly pumped his fists in excitement. "That sounds like an awesome idea. Wow, we can have a huge race with Pidgeot, Talonflame and you three."
Oak smiled. "Well don't get ahead of yourself, Ash. You still need to win that eighth badge." He pulled out Talonflame's pokeball and waited for the fire-bird to say goodbye to the others before recalling him to his pokeball. "Alright, do you know who you're sending back?" Oak asked.
Ash felt a lump in his throat. He forgot he'd have to explain what had happened to Professor Oak. However, Serena decided to interrupt for him. "Actually, Professor, Ash only has five Pokemon with him. Greninja...um...he's doing some special training on his own."
It wasn't the best lie in the world, but luckily Oak had been distracted in that moment by something landing on his head. It was a golden owl-like Pokemon. Ash smiled immediately, seeing it, Partly because he was relieved Oak was distracted and also because he was happy to see another one of his old Pokemon. "Noctowl! How's it going?" Noctowl hooted happily and tilted his head. Ash again introduced Serena. "Noctowl is from the Johto region. And yeah, he's a different colour from most Noctowls."
Serena looked fascinated by Noctowl. "Wow, he's so beautiful. It's great to meet you Noctowl." Noctowl nodded and tilted its head with another happy hoot.
Oak sighed and then gently lifted Noctowl off of his head and placed him on his desk next to the other bird Pokemon. "Anyways," he said, "I suppose I'd better send Talonflame." He placed Talonflame's pokeball on a tray next to him. Ash scanned his Pokedex and then Oak clicked a few buttons. There was a flash and then the pokeball appeared on a tray next to Ash.
"Great. He's here, Professor." Ash said, holding up the pokeball.
"Very well." Oak said. "Well good luck Ash. I hope to be hearing from you soon. Then, you can start training with all of these very eager Pokemon of yours."
Ash laughed. "Yeah, I can't wait."
XXXXX
When the call finished, Serena looked at Ash and was happy to see him looking a little more upbeat. It seemed like Noctowl landing on Professor Oak's head and seeing his other bird Pokemon had been just enough to lift Ash's spirits. Noctowl's arrival had definitely been perfect timing and had saved them from Serena's awkward lie.
"So now you're all set, right?" Serena asked.
Ash nodded. "Yeah. Let's get going as soon as Nurse Joy is done." He got up quickly and ran over to wait by the front desk.
Serena sighed in exasperation. She liked Ash's energy, but sometimes she preferred it if he would just sit still for a moment. At least he's not dwelling on Greninja. She thought. She got up and went over to stand with him.
After a few more minutes of waiting, Nurse Joy came out with everyone's Pokemon and sent them on their way. Serena was happy to know that Pancham was now fully recovered. It had been heartbreaking to see him stuck in the Pokemon Centre in Vaniville Town.
Serena, Ash and Clemont collected the Pokemon and then went outside to find Bonnie and Mairin playing in the snow. Once they managed to get the two of them to stop, they made their way over to the gym. When they stopped in front of it, Serena somehow felt colder.
It was a large building with a gold exterior and a light blue roof. It had two massive doors and large windows to the sides. Serena would have considered it a beautiful piece of architecture, if the cold air coming from it wasn't making her teeth chatter wildly.
"Why is it so cold?" Bonnie whined.
Clemont tapped his glasses, apparently thinking hard about the question. "It could be that all of the ice type Pokemon in this gym, make the climate much colder." He looked at Ash with a shiver. "Why couldn't you have brought your Charizard? I'm sure he would have been able to warm things up."
Ash laughed. "Don't worry, Clemont. I've got a plan to heat things up here."
Serena continued looking at the building and then her eyes locked onto something. She could see the doors opening and then out of them, came a woman with short, grey hair. It was Palermo. Immediately, Palermo saw Serena and started walking towards her. Somehow, it didn't surprise Serena that the cold weather didn't seem to affect Palermo at all.
When Palermo reached the group of young trainers, she nodded to them. "Hello everyone. Enjoying Snowbelle City?" The nervous replies showed that everyone knew how Serena felt about this meeting. Palermo looked at Ash. "I heard about your victory over Malva. Quite impressive."
Ash blinked, looking shocked that Palermo was addressing him. "Um...well...thanks I guess." He then squinted and looked at Serena before returning his gaze back to Palermo. "You know, Serena actually fought Malva too. She and Sylveon."
Serena was shocked to see Palermo look at her with...admiration. "Really, Serena?" She asked. Serena nodded. "Interesting."
Ash looked at Palermo and then at Serena. "Um...we'll meet you inside I guess. We'll let you two talk."
Serena kind of wanted Ash to stay, but knew it was probably better to talk to Palermo alone. "Ok, I'll see you in there. Don't start the battle without me."
Ash nodded, smiling. "Of course not. I need my number one fan." With that, he and the others went up the steps to the gym and entered, leaving Serena outside, alone with Palermo.
Palermo was looking at where the others had just gone. "You're relationship with him has changed, hasn't it?" She asked. There was disappointment in her voice.
Serena blushed. "What do you mean?" She obviously knew, but for some reason she felt like she should play dumb. Palermo wasn't impressed, though, and gave her a dark look. "Yes, it's...different. We're...um..." Serena was having a hard time finding the right words.
Palermo sighed and waved her hand to dismiss the topic. "Never mind that right now. Do you have any ideas as to why I asked to meet you here?" She asked. This time, her voice wasn't so harsh. It was a bit kinder.
Serena shrugged. "I was just hoping it wasn't because of anything bad I did." Her honesty surprised her.
Palermo smiled. "Not quite. I am here because of why you lost, but I don't think it is a negative. I've seen many great performers lack independence in the beginning of their careers. Aria would be one of them."
Serena opened her mouth in surprise. "Really? Aria had the same problem as me?"
Palermo nodded. "Yes, but of the great performers I've mentioned, she is the only one to have achieved the title of Kalos Queen."
This answer didn't exactly fill Serena with confidence. Palermo had made it sound like she was going to tell her something good, but this made it seem like something bad. "So, why would I be any different from those other performers?"
"They were too set in their ways. Remember when I told you how I saw you on the dock that day in Coumarine City? Before that, I had thought nothing of you. I had seen you look weak in your debut performance. However, I saw you cast aside your old self. Not to say you haven't kept some of your old personality. I don't think anyone can completely change like that. But, you definitely showed that you would stop at nothing to achieve your dream of becoming Kalos Queen." The older woman stopped and looked at Serena. She had clearly been thinking about this for awhile.
Serena hesitated before answering. She didn't know what to say. She had never really thought about how much that day had changed her. Obviously, she knew that she had kind of reset herself after losing the Coumarine showcase, but it had never really registered how much she had changed on that day. "So what are you saying?" She finally decided to ask. "Why would any of that make you want to meet me in Snowbelle City?"
Palermo smiled. "I see something special in you, Serena. Something I've only ever seen in Aria. You have what it takes to become one of the greatest Kalos Queens in the history of the Kalos region. You have the talent, the determination and the willingness to learn."
Serena sensed there was something that Palermo wasn't telling her. Something seemed to be making her hesitate. "Why would you wait to tell me that here?"
Palermo's face grew serious. Serena noticed the older woman looked a little impressed with her insistence on getting an answer. "I wanted to give you time, first of all. A tough loss like that at the showcase requires time to recover. It doesn't matter who you are." She paused for a few moments. "I wanted to make you an offer. I know you'll need time to consider, but I'm willing to wait."
Serena bit her lip nervously. She didn't like the way Palermo was dancing around her point. "What's your offer?" She finally asked.
Palermo took a deep breath. "I'd like to train you. I know it's a difficult choice for you, but understand that your relationship with Ash may not last forever. Training with me will allow you to become something that can set you up for life. Know that a relationship like the one you have with that boy is something that often doesn't last."
Suddenly, the cold air around Serena seemed to fill her heart. She felt like her brain had frozen. She felt pure anger at Palermo. How dare she say something like that. She and Ash would be together forever. Just like she had told him after Greninja left. She couldn't accept an offer that would jeopardize that. "No way." She immediately answered. "Never."
Palermo sighed. "I thought that would be your first answer. Don't worry, I'm not one to accept first answers, because I know that emotions get in the way of them. Just listen to what I have to say." She paused and made sure Serena was looking at her. "What happens when Ash is finished with the Kalos League?"
"He's...he's...I don't know." Serena clenched her jaw, hating that she didn't have an answer. Especially when Palermo gave her a knowing look.
"The answer isn't that he's going to stay here with you?" Palermo asked.
Serena pursed her lips. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Palermo sighed again. "Like I said, these relationships at your age don't often last. I can see you two care for each other quite a lot, but you need to understand that when Ash has nothing else to do in Kalos, he will be driven to move on. With different dreams, you two must remain apart."
Serena felt her heart beating rapidly. She wanted to lash out at Palermo. What she was saying was painful to hear. It was painful...because it made sense. Serena suddenly felt weak and her legs started to give way underneath her. Palermo was quick and caught her and held her up until she could stand again. "It's not fair." Serena said. "How do you know that's going to happen?" She could feel tears forming in her eyes and her vision was getting foggy because of it.
Palermo gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "I know it's not fair. It's not fair to either of you. I'm sure Ash would like to stay with you, but I know you wouldn't want to hold him back from his dream. And likewise, he won't want to hold you back from yours. Because you care for each other, is why you need to go your separate ways."
Serena looked up at Palermo. The older woman was surprisingly looking at her with sympathy. Serena had come to think of this woman as somewhat cruel and heartless, but she realized that it was somewhat of an act. Palermo actually was quite kind. Serena took a deep breath and then rubbed her eyes. "What do I do, then? I...I can't leave him now."
Palermo nodded. "Continue your journey with him now. However, when the time comes, you must leave him. When the Kalos League is over, your journey with Ash, your romantic relationship with Ash, must end."
XXXXX
As soon as Ash and his friends left Serena outside and entered the gym, they were greeted by a big man with white hair and a white moustache that hung down to the bottom of his neck. He had a blue coat, but it was tied around him like a cape.
"Hello." The man said. He had a deep voice that immediately made everyone pay attention to him. His serious, grey eyes made his smile seem somewhat fake. "You must be Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town." He said, looking at Ash.
Ash exchanged a confused glance with his friends and then looked back at the man. "Um...yeah I am. How do you know that?"
The man smirked. Smiling didn't really suit him though, with his dominating presence. Ash felt he'd actually be more comfortable if the man was glaring at him. "I'm Wulfric, the gym leader. I've been expecting your challenge ever since I heard of your victory over Malva. Quite impressive." He looked at Pikachu on Ash's shoulder. Ash felt Pikachu tense up at the look. "This must be the little Pikachu that beat Malva's Houndoom." He then looked back at Ash. "Is it true that you are now training Houndoom?"
Ash nodded. "Yeah. Malva abandoned him so I asked him if he wanted to join me and he did." He narrowed his eyes and smiled, his battling spirit overcoming the initial nervousness. "And he's as strong as ever."
Wulfric smiled back and this time it seemed more genuine and his more intimidating presence seemed to be replaced by a more relaxed one. "I look forward to battling him. But just so you know, I plan for fire types at this gym. A lot of trainers come here expecting their fire type Pokemon to get them an easy badge, but that is rarely the case. Few trainers win at this gym. That is something I am quite proud of."
This knowledge only made Ash more excited. "Well, few trainers beat Malva and I did that. I guess your next."
"I like your spirit, Mr. Ketchum." Wulfric said. He turned and walked towards a door that Ash assumed lead to the battlefield. "I noticed you had another friend with you outside. I assume you want her to join you. I'll be waiting in here. Come in when you're ready." He then opened the door and walked through.
Ash turned to his friends and pumped his fist confidently. "I can tell he's really strong. This is gonna be awesome."
Bonnie jumped up excitedly. "I can't wait!" She shouted. She opened up her bag and looked at Dedenne and Squishy. "Squishy, you've never seen a gym battle before. Are you excited?" Squishy looked up at her and then at Ash. He murmured what sounded like an excited squeal. Bonnie jumped up and giggled excitedly. "Yay!"
Mairin looked excited too. "I've never seen a gym battle before, either. What's it like?" She asked, looking at Ash.
"You'll just have to see for yourself." Ash said.
Clemont looked like he was thinking carefully. "You're going to have to be careful, Ash. Obviously it's a smart idea to use fire types like Talonflame and Houndoom, but Wulfric made it sound like he's got a strategy to handle that. And not to mention, I thought he'd be a little more worried about you having Houndoom. It seems like he was expecting it. He must have a strategy planned."
Ash waved his hand in dismissal. "Nothing to worry about. No matter what he's got planned, I can handle it. Gre – I mean uh...Houndoom can handle him." Everyone seemed to wince when Ash almost said Greninja. He shook his head and looked out the window to see Serena and Palermo still talking. "I think I'll go and see if they're almost done. Why don't you two go to the stands?" They all nodded and started walking away and through a door next to the one that Wulfric had gone through.
Once his friends had gone, Ash started to open the door. It was unexpectedly hard to open, because just then, a bunch of snow was blown against the door and seemed to jam it. It only opened a crack. Ash tried to open the door further, but could tell it wouldn't bush unless he closed it again and then pushed it harder with some momentum. He was about to close it up again, but then he realized he could hear Serena and Palermo talking.
Ash didn't want to eavesdrop, but just as he was again about to close the door, he heard Palermo mention his name. Obviously, once he heard his name, he was definitely not going to stop listening. He had to hear what this woman was saying about him. What he heard made his stomach lurch.
"...Ash would like to stay with you, but I know you wouldn't want to hold him back from his dream. And likewise, he won't want to hold you back from yours. Because you care for each other, is why you need to go your separate ways." Ash's eyes widened. What was she saying? Go their separate ways?
Suddenly, he heard Serena's voice and strained to hear her reply. "...I do, then? ...can't leave him now."
Again, Palermo answered, and what she said made Ash feel worse than he'd ever felt before. She said something about Serena continuing her journey with Ash for now, but then she finished with the worst part. "...when the time comes, you must leave him. When the Kalos League is over, your journey with Ash, your romantic relationship with Ash, must end."
A gust of wind caused the door to slam shut in Ash's face and he could no longer hear what the two were saying. He walked away from the door and sat in a chair that was near the entrance to the battlefield. He felt emptiness inside him. First Greninja left...and now this. Serena was planning on leaving him. She was planning on breaking her promise. No matter what happens, we'll always be together.
"So much for that." Ash growled out loud.
The front door opened and Serena walked in. She shivered and then looked around and locked her eyes on Ash. She walked over to him and gave him a weak smile. "Hey, ready for your battle?" She asked.
Ash narrowed his eyes. He could barely control the shake in his voice. "What were you two talking about?"
Serena took a step back. Ash could tell she had a feeling he knew. "Nothing important." She lied quickly.
Ash glared at the ground. "She travelled all the way to Snowbelle City to talk to you about something that wasn't important? Seems kind of strange to me."
Serena shuffled her feet, looking nervous. "Well...um...I just mean it was nothing that you need to worry about. It's just Kalos Queen stuff."
"Kalos Queen stuff, huh?" Ash spat out. He decided he wasn't going to hide it anymore. "Does Kalos Queen stuff mean you're gonna leave somewhere?"
Serena's eyes widened and she stared at Ash in shock. "What? How did you...were you eavesdropping on us?"
Ash glared at her. "So you're not denying it?"
Serena's eye twitched. Ash couldn't tell if it was from irritation or nervousness. "That doesn't matter. You shouldn't have been eavesdropping."
"How could I not? You were talking about me. Talking about how you're gonna leave."
"I...Ash..." Serena had clearly now given up on trying to fight back. She took a step forward, reaching out her hand. "It's not like that."
Ash waved her away and got up. "Leave me alone. I've got a gym battle to get to."
As he turned away and went to the doors to the battlefield something grabbed him from behind. He turned around angrily, expecting Serena had done it, but his eyes widened seeing Grace's face. "Hold it." She said quickly. "Are you two fighting?"
Ash was a little freaked out by how she had seemed to appear out of nowhere. He glanced at Serena and saw her looking just as surprised and also quite embarrassed. He looked at Grace again. "No." He lied.
Grace sighed. "I can see that you are. Don't lie to me."
Ash looked back at Serena, ignoring what Grace had said. "Maybe it would be better if you didn't watch."
Serena gaped at him. "What? Why?"
Ash looked down. "If you're leaving anyways, why wait? It's ok. I don't blame you. I'm sorry I got mad. It's better this way."
Grace looked at them both in confusion. She obviously didn't know what was going on. "What is Ash talking about?" She asked her daughter.
Serena took a deep breath. "Palermo, the woman that talked to me at the showcase, met me here just now. She gave me an offer to train with her." Ash's eyes widened, not knowing that this was the reason.
Grace smiled. "What's wrong with that? That sounds great."
Serena nodded slowly and then looked at Ash. He could see the guilt in her eyes. "Well...she said that Ash and I would need to go our separate ways after he was done with the Kalos League."
Grace looked at both of them, realization in her eyes. "Oh...oh I see." She nodded. "Well are you accepting the offer?"
Ash watched Serena, instantly feeling guilty. He hadn't even thought about it. Maybe she hadn't actually decided to leave him. And even if she did, it was so she could achieve her dream. "Serena...I didn't know that was what it was about." He shook his head. "I'm so sorry."
Serena smiled at him. "No...I'm sorry. I..."
"You shouldn't be. I eavesdropped on you. I didn't even let you explain." He sighed. "If you've got an offer like that to train, I think you should take it. I want you to be happy."
Grace took a step back and Ash glanced nervously at her, having forgotten for a moment she was there. She smiled. "Um...I think I'll go sit with the others. I'll let you two talk." She turned and walked through the door to the stands.
Ash turned back to Serena and saw her looking at him, deep in thought. "I don't know what to do." She said. "I want to stay with you." Ash felt excitement course through him hearing that, but then she continued. "But...I also really want to be Kalos Queen."
Ash didn't know how to answer that. He wanted both those things as well. He wanted to stay with Serena, but he also wanted her to achieve her dream. He just didn't know until now that it seemed like that had now become an either/or choice. "I can't make that decision for you." He said.
Serena nodded. "I know, but you can at least let me stay with you for now, right?" She took a nervous step towards him. "Palermo said I can at least stay with you until the end of the Kalos League."
Ash didn't know how he felt about that. If she was going to leave him anyways, why would he want to just torture himself by keeping her with him all this time. However, seeing her look at him with her sad and pleading eyes, he couldn't say no. He smiled. "Yeah...yeah I guess you can.
Serena smiled and ran forwards and hugged him. "I love you." She said. Ash just held her in the hug, not answering. He was happy that she was happy, at least for now. However, he knew that at some point the decision to stay together for the time being was only going to make things more painful. As much as they would enjoy being with each other until the end of the Kalos League, the pain of their separation, may only end up being worse by that time.