"So you want to be Kalos queen, Serena?" Asked Leon as he crunched down on a breadstick.
We were all crowded around a table at a magnificent all-you-can-eat buffet. The lights were slightly dimmed, shadowing everyone's face a little. Leon had mostly just eaten the breadsticks as he claimed they were 'heaven on earth' and Ash had surprised the new trio with his unusual eating habits.
"Well yes. I love performing. It's what I want to do for the rest of my life. Becoming Kalos queen seems like the perfect place to start." I explained while taking a bite of a delicious fudge cupcake. It melted in my mouth as I suppressed a moan. I could still make it better I thought to myself.
"Mmm...those éclairs were delicious." Elaina leaned back in her chair, showing her finished plate as she began wiping the excess chocolate from around her mouth. Ash nodded then licked his lips eagerly.
"I agree, I could eat them all day." He finished off the last one on his plate.
"You know, there's only one éclair left." Bonnie said in a menacing tone. Her eyes flashed with amusement.
Immediately both Ash and Elaina perked up. They made eye contact from opposite sides of the table. There was a competitive look on both their faces as they stared each other off. Abruptly, Elaina got up from her seat and dashed towards the food. Ash quickly copied and raced after the blond girl.
"Wait. I want that éclair!" I heard my crush's faded yell as both teens sprinted through the restaurant. They were bound to make a scene.
The rest of us exchanged looks before laughing slightly. Bonnie seemed awfully smug and Aron held his head in his hands.
"Elaina is obsessed with deserts. She loves them." Aron explained the reason for his sisters behavior. "She eats like a normal person with normal food but when it comes to deserts...she eats like Ash."
"That shouldn't be a problem. I love to bake, I can make her all types of deserts." I told Aron.
"Then you two will be best friends in no time." Leon took another breadstick as he shared. I smiled to myself.
"What's her favorite desert?" I asked the two boys.
"Anything you put in front of her. As long as it has sugar, it's her favorite."
"Good to know." I giggled.
All of a sudden the duo of food lovers burst back into the room. Ash looked extremely accomplished as he licked pastry cream off his fingers. On the other hand, Elaina was left pouting as she ungracefully slouched back in her chair.
"I think that was the best eclair I've had all day." Ash said just to rub it in.
"I can't believe I loss to Ash Ketchum twice in one day." Elaina moaned as she eyed her empty plate disappointedly. Ash laughed at her but she just glared back.
"I'm full." Bonnie huffed and her brother nodded.
"I should get Bonnie home to sleep." Clemont picked up the little blond girl and cradled her in his arms. Bonnie lashed about, failing her arms around as she protested.
"But Clemont! Serena and Ash aren't going to bed yet. I don't want to go! I'm not even tired." She fussed but as soon as she finished ranting a large yawn escaped her mouth. She fell instantly silent.
"Yes you are." Clemont chuckled "I'm taking you home. Serena and Ash, let yourselves into the house when you want to."
Then the brother and sister walked out of the restaurant as the rest of us stayed quiet. Once they were out of sight, everyone settled into an easy chatter.
"Elaina, I think Ash wants to ask you something." I called to the girl opposite me loud enough for my crush to hear. I saw him stiffen and I had to stifle I laugh. He noticed my amusement and gave me a quick glare before acting as if he wasn't fazed. I knew Elaina wouldn't be tricked by his act though.
"Oh yeah." He said, trying to smile genuinely "I was wondering if maybe, you would be willing, to maybe, like..."
"Spit it out Ash." Elaina raised an eyebrow at the stuttering boy. He looked so cute that I couldn't help but stare as the blood rushed to his cheeks and he tried to brush it off by laughing.
"I was wondering if maybe you could teach me how to use tactics like you." He eventually got out. My blond haired friend burst out laughing.
"Sure Ash. We can start training now if you want?" She recovered from her fit of giggles before smiling at the raven haired boy. It was strange how she eased her way into our lives so fast. It appeared as if she had known Ash for years when it hadn't even been a day.
"N-now?" Ash questioned.
"Sure! Everyone is done eating and my brothers and I are staying at the Pokemon Center. There's a battle arena there we can use." She stood up as everyone agreed.
Slowly we made our way out of the busy restaurant while engrossed in various conversation. I began telling Elaina about some of the boutiques we would visit the next day. I also told her that I was looking for some new attire for my performances.
"Performing sounds so amazing! Maybe one day you can teach me how to preform." She said with stars in her eyes "I would love to see one of your performances on stage."
"Of course you can come to one of my performances. I would be happy to teach you some techniques too. Soon you could participate in a debut yourself." I winked at her. It would be nice to have another rival to push me. You can never have enough people to push your limits. Cause you never know which one might just push you to greatness.
"You're amazing Serena! Thank you. You have done so much for me in the little time I have known you. It's means a lot more to me than you think." She smiled as her eyes glassed over. They began watering.
"Are you okay? Are you going to cry?" I asked concerned.
"What?!" She panicked as she hurriedly rubbed her eyes. "No!"
"What wrong then?"
She sighed. "Everything is just so overwhelming. I've never been so happy in my life." She muttered and as she held back tears. "I promise I'm not going to cry." She croaked as she wiped the water rimming her lash line. "I don't cry. I'm not going to cry." Now she was more talking to herself than me. I laughed at my new friend.
It was then that I realized something. During the time I wasn't sure what it was, but later I decided it was the secret feeling of knowing I had found my life long friend. My stone to lean on. My shoulder to cry on. For some reason I knew she would be by my side for a very long time.
*. *. *. *.
My eye lids dropped as I struggled to keep them focused on the two battling it out on the arena. Leon, Aron and I sat on the porch steps and watched them battle and bicker. Ash and Elaina had been at it for hours.
The sky had been glazed over with black. Only a couple stars showed themselves that night. I wasn't sure what the time was. I just knew it was late. And I was tired. It had been a long day.
I gently rested my head on the stair railing and sleep beckoned me. I hoped they would hurry up and finish. At this point I wasn't sure if I would even make it back to Clemont's house.
A low moan escaped Leon's lips as he tried to get comfortable on the hard wood. Aron sat hunched over with his head held lazily in his hands. For the first hour or so the two young boys made many comedic comments about their sister. There were many times when Elaina got awfully close to throwing a fist at one of them. It was very entertaining to watch.
"Hawlucha,...use...flying...press...on...Eevee..." Ash tried to say but exhaustion laced his words and they barley made sense. He stood at one end of the battle arena, his shoulders slouched and his eyes fluttering open and closed.
Elaina didn't look any better either. Her figure swayed as she tried to obtain her center of balance. Her hair was knotted and it suck to her face in clumps. She was too tiered to pull them away.
"Now...Eevee...dodge...iee" the last thing didn't even sound like a word, just a jumble of faded sounds. Eevee was also exhausted and laid on the floor, reluctant to obey its trainer. "Never mind." She yawned as she approach Ash. Her feet dragged hopelessly through the sand. "I'm too...exhausted to do...anymore. You did...well Ash."
Ash went to meet her in the middle but he began stumbling rather than walking. His skin was reddened with heat and his breathing was shaky. Aron stood up and cracked his back, stretching a little to wake himself up.
"Those two are going to collapse in a minuet. We should catch them when they fall."
I nodded then followed him onto the sand. The stumbling teens didn't even notice as we approached them. They went to fist bump each other but ended up missing completely. Both stumbled forward and I could see Ash was about to fall over.
I quickly stood in the path of his fall and wrapped my arms around his waist as he collided with me. I almost toppled over with the impact but some how managed to regain my balance. The boy allowed himself to sink into me. His eyelids fluttered closed and his body became limp. Ash's skin was hot and it burned my exposed skin as he took heavy breaths. Immediately my cheeks flamed pink and I held onto my crush for dear life.
"Aron, I can't carry Ash all the way to Clemont's house. What do I do?" I asked, my eyes not leaving Ash. His face was so peaceful and at ease when he slept. It somehow made him even hotter.
"Why don't you and Ash sleep here at the Pokemon center with us. I'm sure we can get a room big enough for five. We will let Clemont know in the morning." Aron responded, a small hint of sleepiness in his voice. I carefully propped Ash on my shoulder so I could walk. My right arm coiled around his waist to keep him steady as he leaned on me.
When I looked up I saw Aron holding his older sister like a child. His strong arms cradled her to his chest. I saw him make a goofy smile at her as he watched her sleep with her mouth parted.
We returned Eevee and Hawlucha to their Pokeballs for the collapsed trainers.
"Let's go." Aron muttered as we waddled into the Pokemon center with Leon tracking slowly behind. Nurse joy lead us to our room with a sympathetic face. She kindly opened the door for us then left. I switched on the light with my left hand then made my way over to the closest bed. As much as I enjoyed Ash clinging to me like a life saving device, he was still really heavy and my shoulders were starting to ache.
As gently as I could, I tried to lay Ash down on the bed. But my coordination was not the best. Instead I ended up taking myself with him seeing as he hadn't let go of me yet. Surprisingly, Ash stayed fast asleep as I almost fell on top of him. Luckily I stopped myself from getting in a total awkward situation, but I was still mangled on half the bed with my face hovering mere inches from Ash's.
I gulped and a small panic arose in my chest. My breath hitched in my throat and my heartbeat took flight. I didn't want to move. His soft breath fanned across my cheeks and I could feel the heavy rise and fall of his chest. But soon I remembered my company so I instantly jumped back. Ash's arms untangled from my neck and he lay peacefully.
My eyes flickered to my roommates who were luckily occupied with getting a confused and tiered Elaina into bed. She stirred in her exhaustion and muttered incoherent words. Her voice suddenly raised as she squirmed.
"Where's Serena?...I need....to tell...something..." The rest just got lost at she muttered herself back to sleep. Aron finally let go of her shoulders and let her rest. I wondered what she wanted to tell me. Oh well, I'd ask her in the morning.
I sighed and looked down at my crush. He began to stir in his sleep as he turned onto his side. I was about to leave him alone when fingers snaked around my wrist. I paused to see Ash had grabbed my hand yet he still had his eyes glued shut.
"Good night Serena." I heard him mumble.
"Good night Ash."
*. *. *. *.
I woke up in the morning to a very quiet room. Everything was awfully still. Light flooded in from the two windows and bathed the room in sunlight. My eyelids peeled open and I stretched my arms above my head. When I sat up, I noticed two empty beds.
The twins were still passed out and unmoving. But as I looked closer I noticed the two missing people to be Ash and Elaina. I bit my lip, trying to figure out where they might have went.
At first I thought they could have gone to the kitchen. Ash was probably hungry and Elaina would take any chance she got to scavenge for something sweet. Unfortunately the kitchen was empty when I checked. I puffed out my cheeks as I blew out a breath.
What are they doing?
It suddenly occurred to me what Ash and Elaina might be doing. I had a feeling I knew exactly where they went. Quickly, I checked the battle field outside but still found nothing. With that, I got changed and scribbled a note to the twins telling them where I had gone. Soon I was out the doors and running through the streets of Lumiose City.
When I arrived at Clemont's gym, there were many signs that people were in there. I could hear the faint yelling of commands and the crashes of tinny explosions. My mouth twitched into a smile. Jackpot.
When I walked in I was greeted with the sight of Elaina and Ash engaged in an intense battle. Eevee appeared to have recovered from the night before and Pikachu was happy to get the chance to battle.
"Eevee, use attract multiple times on Pikachu!" The blond girl shouted. Her Pokemon obeyed and made kissy faces, producing hearts everywhere. They clouded the battle arena, sparkling as they made their way towards Pikachu.
"Pikachu, dodge them!" Ash ordered.
"Pika!" The mouse Pokemon exclaimed. Then it pranced around the field, dodging the hearts with ease. Pikachu was swift and quick. It did flips as one by one the hearts began to melt away into nothing. I sat myself down on a seat by the sidelines to get the best view of the battle.
Ash smiled proudly at the magnificence of his Pokemon. Elaina was impressed with Pikachu's speed and power. But as Ash and Pikachu were distracted with the love hearts, Eevee began backing away from the scene.
By the time all Eevee's hearts had dissipated, Ash finally had a clear view of the arena. But when he saw what had happened his mouth hung agape and his eyes widened.
"Where did Eevee go?!" He shouted as he hastily searched for his missing opponent.
"Pika, Pi..." The yellow Pokemon stood on its toes as it scanned the room for any sign of Eevee.
"While you were distracted with Eevee's attract, I had another plan going on. Always watch what your opponent is doing, even when you think you got it covered. One of my favorite strategies is to trick my competition into seeing one thing when they should be seeing another." Elaina said wisely. Ash repeated it to himself before meeting Elaina's eyes. Neither of them appeared to have noticed I was there.
"Okay then, what is your plan?" Ash asked. Elaina smirked.
"Eevee, use swift!" She called. The fox Pokemon jumped over Elaina's head from where it had been hiding behind its trainer's legs. Stars darted towards Pikachu as Eevee soared through the air.
"Pikachu, use electro ball!"
A sphere of lightning was launched at Eevee who didn't have the power to dodge. Both moves collided and sent the Pokemon flying back. Pikachu tumbled a few paces and Eevee skidded off the arena. Both trainers relaxed as their training came to an end.
"That was very good Ash, I like that you thought on your feet. Using tactics in battle is all about being ready for anything. You can plan as many strategies in your head as you want but something will always go wrong. Remember, I'm teaching you a mind set not a physical skill."
"Right, thanks again Elaina"
"No worries."
Pikachu returned to Ash's shoulder and Elaina went to go check on her Pokemon who was shaking the dirt from its white fur.
"Great job today, are you okay?" She purred as she stroked the fox Pokemon.
"Eevee!" It said confidently.
"Good, now you can rest for tomorrow." Elaina returned Eevee to its Pokeball.
"Umm...hello!" I called from my seat. Both Ash and Elaina straightened. Startled expressions arose on their faces. Once they realized it was me they relaxed again.
"Hey Serena!" Elaina greeted me.
"Oh Hi Serena!" Ash called as he walked in my direction. He was stopped short by the sound of his stomach rumbling. It echoed off the walls and caused Elaina and I to giggle.
"Man, I'm hungry. I think I'm going to go get something to eat at the cafe across the street." He chuckled. With that, he excited the gym and stalked across the street, leaving Elaina and I alone.
"How's the training been going?" I asked as she came and sat next to me on the bench.
"It's great. Ash is starting to get a hang of things. He's actually not bad with tactics in the first place. He just needs to consider the mind set of his opponent a little more." She answered.
"Yesterday...when you were about to go to bed, you said there was something you had to tell me." I said, remembering how she spluttered it out as her brothers attempted to get her to bed. Elaina looked deep in thought for a moment as she tried to come to terms with what I was talking about.
"Oh yeah!" She exclaimed as she finally remembered "I was going to tell you something about Ash." This immediately caught my attention.
"What?"
"Well, after we talked yesterday and I promised you I would find out more about Ash's feelings, I started watching him closer. It surprised me what I found." She paused.
"What did you see?"
"Two major things. Number one; he's quite...how do I put this? Dense." She nodded to herself. "Has no awareness of almost anything but Pokemon what so ever."
"I could have told you that one."
"It's like everything that comes out of his mouth has something to do with Pokemon. And don't even get me started on his lack of knowledge about relationships."she huffed. I sighed as a small ache started in my chest.
"Does that mean he has no feelings for me?" I whispered in a low tone.
"No, not at all actually."
I raised eyebrow at Elaina
"Then what does it mean?"
"It means, Ash is an idiot. That's what it means." I burst out laughing at her comment but she ignored my hysterics and carried on ranting. "He's not even an idiot, he just has no idea what it means for young people to be romantically involved with each other. I'm not sure if it's because no one has made that clear to him or if he is just really, really thick."
"So what does that tell you about his feelings?"
"Well...it doesn't tell me anything but just because he doesn't know what a romantic relationship is doesn't mean he can't have one. He could still have feelings, mega feelings even. He probably just doesn't know what they are. And sometimes people need a little push to send them flying." Elaina smiled widely at me. Somehow she brightened my day. "The second thing I wanted to talk about is the most interesting. When I was training with Ash late yesterday, he seemed fine at the beginning. He was wide awake and focused. But as training went on and he became more tired, I noticed that he looked in your direction a lot. Whenever he needed help or was in a tough situation, he would always look at you. I don't even think he realized he was doing it. It might not mean that much, but I know it means he relies on you. He looks to you when he needs help."
This warmed my heart and sent fireworks ablaze inside. She was so helpful. I didn't even understand how she did it but I was extremely glad I met her.
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Thank you so much for reading this far! I'm really excited and motivated because I only published this two days ago and it already has over 100 reads. I know that's not a lot but it makes me happy. Sorry for the long chapters. Hopefully I can shorten them in the future!!