Serena woke up the next morning, smiling. Ash kissed her last night. "Meowstic! He kissed me!" Serena whispered excitedly to her Pokémon, hugging him. She was just cuddling the blue Pokémon when there was a knock on her door. Confused, Serena got up and opened the door. The person standing there made her heart race.
"Ash, good morning. You're up early." Ash looked up and down at this beautiful girl standing in front of him and his mouth dried. Her hair was hanging around her body in curtains, and her tank top had ridden up slightly, so her toned stomach was exposed. She was also wearing really short sleeping shorts, which made Ash swallow hard. Pikachu bumped his face jokingly, which caused Ash to glare at the tiny Pokémon.
"Morning beautiful." He managed. "Uh, can I come in?" Serena nodded and stepped back, giving him room.
"What's up?" Serena asked. Ash looked at her, and he definitely looked worried about something. "Ash, you're not acting like yourself."
"I—" Ash scratched his head. "Serena,"
"What is it?"
"Look, I can't break up with Dawn, at least not until the Master Class, she's wanted this for so long, and we're supposed to be going to all the different places so she can get three Princess Keys, and I still care about her as a friend, but I'm totally committed to you, I promise, but if I broke up with her she'd be crushed, so can it wait until the Master Class?" Serena blinked, not understanding a thing Ash said.
"Ash, you're rambling. What did you just say?" Ash sighed and clenched his fists.
"Look, I really hate having to ask you this, especially after how badly I've hurt you, but can we keep our relationship in the dark for now? I love you, I truly do, but I can't break up with Dawn until after the Master Class, whether she wins or not. If I did, it'd crush her to pieces, and she wouldn't even try. She needs to get her three Princess Keys and compete in the Master Class, otherwise she'd never try anything ever again. That girl loves me, and I can't love her the way she's hoping I do, because I'm in love with you—I think I always was—but she's one of my best friends, and I can't hurt her like that. It would just be a repeat of what happened with you, and I don't know if I could handle the knowledge that I destroyed yet another person I was close to. And I can't handle the knowledge that, unlike with you, I wouldn't care at all if I hurt her, because I have you." Serena's mouth dropped open.
"So, let me get this straight. You're going to be cheating on Dawn with me, for however long it takes to get her to the Master Class, and I have to watch you be with her in public, when I only get you in private." Serena's eyes narrowed angrily. "Are you fucking serious right now Ash Ketchum?" Ash winced. "I'm supposed to be okay with this?"
"Serena," Ash started. Serena was pissed at Ash, and pissed at how her body trembled when he said her name like that. "You are absolutely not supposed to be okay with this, but I am serious. Look, Dawn is one of my best friends, and I'm asking you, no, begging you, to understand. Dawn is a really great girl, and she's extremely talented. If I were to come in and rip her apart, it would ruin not just the performer, but the person inside. As he friend I can't let that happen. I knew that when I agreed to go on the first date with her that it would be a bad idea, and probably end really messy."
"So why did you agree?" Ash closed his eyes, turning his face away from the seething girl before him.
"Because I thought I could be happy with her. And it's not fair to her at all that whenever I was with her, I was picturing you." Serena's breath caught in her throat. "And maybe if we hadn't come back here, I could've been happy for a time, but eventually it would explode." Ash opened his eyes and stared fiercely into Serena's blue ones. "When I left Kalos, I left my heart here too. It was battered and broken, tethered to yours."
"Yeah, but you left. You're the one who ripped my heart to shreds." Serena said flatly. Her arms were crossed over her chest, and she was pissed.
"After I pushed you away and said those things to you, and you ran off crying, I realized that my heart and your heart are the same, so by shattering yours, I had shattered mine. But it was too late for me to tell you, you were gone." Serena's eyes immediately watered.
"I hate what you did to me, and what you're asking me to do now, but there's one thing I can't hate, and it's standing in front of me. I'd rather have a piece of your heart, than none at all."
"Serena, you have my entire heart, I just can't publicly give it to you yet. I have no feelings for Dawn other than platonic ones, seeing you again assured me of that."
"Uh huh." Serena muttered. She was still pissed, but she'd kill for Ash if he asked her to. That's really really unhealthy, but she couldn't help it. Serena was convinced that she and Ash were cut from the same star. Ash brushed her bangs off her face and pulled her chin up with one finger. He leaned closer, looking deep into her eyes.
"I love you and only you Serena Yvonne." With that he kissed her softly, pulling away after a few seconds. "And I promise that this is the first and last time that I will ever ask you to do something for me that will hurt you. After the Master Class, we'll be together, properly. I promise with all of my heart." And he sealed that promise with a kiss.
"I still don't like this." Serena muttered. "But I believe you." Ash smiled at her, and pulled her into a hug, burying his face in her honey blonde hair. She smelt like vanilla and strawberries, and it sent Ash's heart racing. Serena sighed and buried her face in his chest, allowing a single tear to escape.
~
"Hey, Dawn are you okay?" Gary walked over to the dark haired Coordinator who was sitting out in the garden stroking her Glaceon.
"I don't know." Dawn muttered. Gary sat down next to her and waited for her to speak. "I feel like I'm losing him." She said suddenly, her voice wobbling. Gary's mouth popped open. Dawn had started crying quietly, a wet track down her cheeks. Gary put a hand on her shoulder.
"Hey, everything will be okay. I'm sure he's just preoccupied with the Kalos League okay? And he's worrying about how to get you to the Showcases you need to get to in order to get your Princess Keys. Don't worry about losing him Dawn, he really cares for you a lot."
"But he doesn't love me." Dawn muttered. Gary sighed.
"I can't answer that question, only he can. But give him a chance Dawn, he's gone through a lot. Everyone he's ever loved has been taken from him, and he's never met his father."
"But you're still here, and his mom is too."
"He lives in constant fear of something happening to his mom when he's not there to stop it. And as for me, he's always worrying that I'll disappear too, like Brock, Misty, May, Max, Iris, Cilan, Tracey, and, until very recently, Clemont, Bonnie, and Serena."
"He never lost me." Dawn muttered.
"He did though. When you guys were traveling together? After the Sinnoh League, he left and didn't see you for ages. He's very cautious about what he says and how he acts around people because of that constant fear he has."
"You can read him like a book." Dawn muttered. Gary shrugged.
"We've known each other since we were in diapers. If I couldn't tell what he was thinking, what's the point of being his friend?"
"I guess." Dawn looked up and smiled, then pecked Gary on the cheek. "Thank you Gary." She stood up and walked back inside, ready to rejoin the others. Gary brought his hand to his cheek and let it rest there as he stared after her. He hated himself for lying like that. He knew exactly what was happening. Dawn was losing him. In fact, she never really had him.
~~
"Dawn! Baby come here!" Ash called. Serena rolled her eyes, sinking back into the couch cushions where she was sitting next to him.
"What's up?" Dawn asked, smiling.
"I hope you've been practicing your Showcase performance, because there's actually one in Lumiose in two days." Ash said, and Dawn's smile grew.
"Really? That's so cool!" Dawn exclaimed. "Uh,
I need to work on my performance, see you at dinner?" Ash nodded and watched her go, sighing. Ash, Dawn, Gary, and Delia had decided to move out of the hotel and into the lab for the time being, taking Professor Sycamore up on his offer.
"She's excited." Serena said, smiling as Ash sat down next to her again. He smiled.
"Yeah she is." Serena sighed, not knowing what to say next. This was really awkward. They were together, but they weren't together. "Hey, wanna go see Lumiose? I haven't really seen it since I've been back." Ash asked. Serena sighed and nodded.
"Let's do it." Ash smiled, then stood up, offering Serena his hand. She smiled back and took it, and they walked out the door. Serena was relieved Ash never let go after he helped her up, and thought that maybe it could work.
They wandered Lumiose for hours, looking at shops and signing autographs. After a few awkward minutes in the beginning, they had struck up a conversation, moving from topic to topic as effortlessly as they used to. It almost seemed like normal, and, the best part, according to Serena, was that he never let go of her hand.
"What are you gonna do about the Kalos League?" Serena asked Ash. They were sitting in a little hole in the wall cafe they wandered into. It was cute, and Serena fell in love with it at once.
"I'm not sure. I need a sixth Pokémon, and I'm not sure what to do. I'm not sure if I should send for one of my Pokémon from Professor Oak, or just go out and catch a new one, like I caught Meowstic." Ash was scratching Pikachu as he told her this, causing the little yellow mouse to smile with happiness.
"What about Goodra?" Serena asked, joining Ash in scratching Pikachu. Ash looked up and shrugged.
"I don't know Serena, Goodra probably forgot about me already. And I don't even know if it would want to battle with me again." Serena stopped scratching Pikachu and laid her hand across Ash's instead.
"Ash, Goodra remembers you, I don't doubt it. And I'm sure it would love to battle with you again." Ash sighed, looking down at the table.
"How can you be so sure?" Ash asked. Serena smiled, moving her hand up to touch Ash's face across the table. He smiled and leaned into her hand, closing his eyes.
"Because you are a wonderful person, an amazing trainer, and a great friend. Ash, all your Pokémon love you, even my Pokémon do. Everyone here in Kalos was drawn to you, people and Pokémon alike. That's why you did so well, people believed in you, and your Pokémon did too. A bond like that is hard to forget." Serena muttered. Ash opened his chocolate eyes, smiling sweetly at the blonde girl in front of him. "Also, right after the Hoenn Pokémon Contests, when I thought I had seen you, I came back here to Kalos. Clemont, Bonnie, and I went to go see Goodra. Keanen told us that every night Goodra looks up at the stars and cries for hours. Goodra really misses you. When we got there, Goodra was looking everywhere for you, we saw it. When it couldn't find you, it looked up to the sky and cried."
"Oh wow, I-I had no idea." Ash whispered. "But I thought Goodra loved taking care of all its friends."
"Goodra does. But it loves you too." Serena muttered. Ash smiled and reached a hand up, brushing a lock of honey blonde hair behind Serena's ear.
"How did I end up with someone as amazing as you?" Ash asked, smiling. Serena blushed bright red, causing Ash to chuckle. "You're beautiful when you blush." Of course that just made Serena blush harder, causing Ash to chuckle again and lean closer, giving her a sweet kiss.
"Pika!" Pikachu snapped, annoyed. Ash pulled away and laughed. Serena looked at him, smiling.
"I think we're ignoring Pikachu." She chuckled. Ash chuckled too, nodding.
"Sorry buddy." He went back to scratching Pikachu. Pikachu smiled. "You're spoiled, you know that?" Pikachu squeaked happily and Ash rolled his eyes. Serena smiled at Ash, but she was a little sad that they have to wait until they're alone to be like a couple. But he promised just until after the Master Class, then he'd tell Dawn and they could be together all the time.
~~
Back at the lab, Dawn was training hard. She had decided to use Glaceon and Ambipom, and they were running through a few things. "Ambipom, use Swift! Glaceon, use Ice Beam to freeze it!" Her Pokémon obeyed, and soon the golden stars of Ambipom's Swift attack were encapsulated by the icy blue of Glaceon's Ice Beam.
"Now, Ambipom use Focus Punch to destroy them!" Ambipom's tails lit up white and he punched all the stars, bursting them into sparks that drifted down gracefully around the three of them.
"Wow, that was pretty amazing." Gary said, smiling and leaning against the wall. Dawn turned around and smiled, breathing hard.
"Thanks Gary." She said. "But it's the Pokémon who did the work."
"Right, of course. And they were great." Glaceon and Ambipom cheered, then raced away. "So what's up?"
"Nothing, just training for the Showcase. As you can see." Dawn smiled. "Do you think my performance will win?"
"Definitely. It's beautiful, the audience would be stupid not to vote for you." Gary said, smiling. "Hey, where's Ash?" Dawn shrugged.
"Probably out exploring Lumiose. He hasn't really had the chance to since he's been back." Dawn answered. "And it's a beautiful city, it would be stupid of him if he didn't."
"Yeah, it is really nice. But I prefer the suburbs you know? Pallet Town, Maiden's Peak, Wisteria Town, places like that." Gary replied.
"I really like the suburbs too." Dawn said, smiling. "It's not as crowded and loud." Gary laughed, nodding his head.
"Definitely." He said. "Have you ever seen any of those places? When you visited Kanto of course, besides Pallet Town." Dawn shook her head.
"They're great. And Maiden's Peak is actually really pretty. It's right on the water, and there's this haunting legend surrounding one of their statues." Gary said, smiling again. Glaceon and Ambipom came running over, ready to go again.
"Well, maybe you could tell me about it later at dinner. And maybe someday I'll visit." Dawn said, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear.
"And when you do, I'll be your tour guide." Gary smiled. "Maybe I'll take you to all the little towns in Kanto, and you could find your favorite, you know, if you want."
"That's sounds really fun. Thank you in advance," Dawn giggled. "Because I might just have to take you up on that offer." She gave him a sweet smile, which Gary returned.
"Well, I'm looking forward to it." Gary smiled again and started walking away. "Keep working hard on that routine, and you'll sail all the way through to Kalos Queen." Dawn smiled after him, but was a little confused. Was Gary flirting with her just then?
~
"So, what are you planning on doing for Clemont and Korrina's wedding?" Serena asked. Her and Ash were just wandering down South Boulevard, looking at all the shops. Pikachu was sniffing around by their feet, occasionally stopping to say hi to other Pokémon.
"They're getting married?!" Ash exclaimed. Serena stared at him, confused. "When did that happen?" Serena was still really confused, she thought he knew. Oh, wait. No one actually told him. That caused Serena to burst out laughing.
"Oh my gosh, I can't believe we forgot to tell you!" She exclaimed, cracking up. Ash started laughing too. Really, truly laughing.
"I guess with everything going on, you all kinda forgot about it." Ash said, laughing still. "But still! When did that happen?"
"Oh maybe a few months before you got back. He finally worked up the guts to ask her, after Bonnie kept pestering him about it. She's the one who kinda got the engagement ball rolling." Serena paused. "Come to think of it, she's the one who got the dating ball rolling too." Ash smiled, happy for his friend.
"Well, it looks like Bonnie finally found someone to take care of her brother." Ash said, cracking a grin. Serena giggled, flashing back to all the times Bonnie had asked whatever random girl they came across to take care of her brother. Serena glanced at the ever present hat on Ash's head, and in a mischievous fit, she grabbed it and put it on her own head. "Hey!" Ash protested weakly. Serena giggled and winked, then started running.
"Serena!" He called, laughing. He chased her down the boulevard, Pikachu frantically running after them. "Serena!" He called again. She looked back and giggled.
"Come get me Ash!" She teased, laughing again and running. She decided to head for the park, turning right.
"Come on Serena!" Ash laughed again, and sped up. They were in the park now, and he was going to get his hat back. He slowly started gaining on her.
Serena glanced back, laughing. She saw Ash's smiling face and bright eyes only a few paces behind her. He smirked and launched himself at her, tackling her to the ground. The grass was soft, so no one was hurt at all. Serena smiled up at him, he was laughing. Like really laughing. She hadn't seen him like this in forever. He was laughing so hard that he collapsed on top of her, and his head was in the crook of her neck as he shook with mirth. Serena suddenly realized the compromising position they were in and blushed bright red. Ash stopped laughing as he slowly realized their position, but he didn't move. Serena's face was getting redder by the minute. Here she was, underneath Ash with one of his legs between hers, and she couldn't move. Ash smirked.
"You are a pain." He muttered, smirking. "But I can be a pain too." He blew softly on her neck, raising ducklettskin on her entire body. Pikachu had his face between his paws, covering his eyes.
"Ash, there's other people here." Serena muttered. Ash smirked and kissed her jaw softly.
"Actually, we're entirely alone." He kissed her lips passionately, and Serena melted. Once he pulled away though, he sat up. "Don't worry Serena. I was just teasing you a little." Serena rolled her eyes. She was still wearing his hat.
"You know, you wearing that hat reminds me of when I was sick. You looked pretty cute then, but now I think you look better in that hat then I do." Ash smiled. "Now, you're not just cute, you're beautiful." Serena blushed. Ash smiled and stood up. "Come on, we probably should get back to the lab." Serena nodded and allowed him to pull her up. "You too Pikachu. Come here." Pikachu started squeaking angrily. "Oh hush, nothing happened."
"Pi Pikachu!" He shouted, but settled on Ash's bare head. Ash rolled his eyes and they made their way back to the lab.
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I'm not too sure about this chapter, but here you guys go! Comment and vote please! Let me know what you think!