Hi, everyone! Hope you've all been excited for this part! Sorry to keep you waiting, but at least you're back! (Well at least I think you are if you're reading this)
Let's begin-
Also, if you need a quick reminder on what happened last chapter (cause I know it's been a while) Serena got really upset so she ran into the forest and met up with the Umbreon, and the Umbreon got her and she screamed.... that's about it.
Anyways, on with-
This chapter will be long.
JUST START THE STORY ALREADY!
Ash
"Pikachu, let's go!" he said without any hesitation. His yellow partner leaped towards him, and Ash hopped on his back, facing the forest.
"Wait, A-Ash, shouldn't I-" Clemont began hesitantly, but Ash interrupted him.
"No, it should be me," he protested. "After all, the Umbreon already got me, so I'm basically safe. I mean, I don't know if it got Serena, but if you went and all three of us-"
"No, you're right," Clemont sighed. "But wait, before you go, take some stuff with you. Just in case she or her Pokemon are hurt or something."
Without waiting for Ash's response, he ran off. Ash waited for about a minute, and soon he saw his blonde-haired friend carrying a small bag in his hands. He gave it to Ash, then gestured for him to leave. "Go!" he said, turning away. "Serena needs you."
Serena.
"Y-Yeah, thanks, Clemont," Ash said, then Pikachu quickly raced off in the direction the scream came from. Thanks to Pikachu's amazingly fast speed, they were able to reach Serena in no time. "Serena?" he called as he and Pikachu emerged through some bushes. "Serena-"
He gasped at the scene in front of him.
Serena's Sylveon, battered and bruised, trying painfully to stand up, Espeon helping her.
Footprints scattered everywhere.
Scorch marks on the trees (the ones that remained standing).
And Serena...
Instantly, Ash leaped off of his partner, and started running down the slight slope there was. "Serena! Where are you!? Answer me, please?"
Please.
Answer me, Serena, I'm counting on you.
A small cough sounded from the distance.
Sure enough, as Ash turned, he saw her, Serena, blearily trying to stand up. His heart ached for his friend. "Serena," he said gratefully, and ran towards her. "Serena, I'm here."
"A-A-Ash," she stuttered, still coughing a little. "W-What happened-" she looked at him, and to his surprise, she smiled. "You're normal again!"
Ash's heart broke. I don't want to tell her...
"That's great, how did it..." she trailed off when she noticed the three Pokemon standing not far away. Pikachu was feeding Sylveon a berry from the bag Clemont had given them, and Espeon was nibbling on one herself. Of course, Ash was used to the sight of the gigantic-looking Pokemon now, but Serena wasn't. He looked at his friend, and he saw she had started paling.
"Th-That's not n-normal," she stuttered, looking down at herself, shivering a little. She looked at Ash. "I got shrunk too, right?"
Unable to do anything else, he nodded, still not speaking. Why did this happen to Serena? She did nothing to deserve this... she's sweet, kind, funny... one of the best friends I have.
Friends. The word was starting to sound funny when he thought it.
Meanwhile, Serena had turned away, clutching her arms to her chest. At first, Ash thought she was just processing the situation that had been thrown in front of her. But then he heard it. Sorrow poured out as silver droplets raining down her face, heard as a heart-wrenching plea.
In other words, Serena was crying.
Ash had never once seen Serena cry. Sure, there were times when she got really worried and a few tears gathered in her eyes, but they had never fallen. They'd stayed put until her beautiful, gorgeous smile came back.
This though... this was torture.
"No, Serena, don't cry," he said, stepping towards her. He spun her around and wrapped his arms around her, trying to comfort her, and it surprised him when she hugged back, throwing her arms around him like he was the last life boat on a sinking ship. While her cheeks were red from crying, his cheeks were turning red for a different reason.
"Serena..." he hugged her fiercely, tightly, squeezing her so she would know that her was there. She continued to cry, until in a couple minutes the tears were drained, and she was still hugging him. "Serena, look-"
"I'm sorry," she said, trying to pull away, but Ash wasn't having it. "You shouldn't have seen that."
Ash looked at her sternly. "Serena, don't you ever say that to me. You're allowed to feel sad sometimes too, you know." he could've sworn there was a slight blush on her cheeks, but he couldn't tell because of all the tears.
"Serena, look at me." she did warily, a surprised expression on her face. "Listen-"
"No, you listen," she told him, pushing him away. "I h-have to t-tell you... Clemont told m-me. He said there's almost no chance for you- now us- to get better. We're stuck like th-this."
"Did you say almost?" Ash asked, and Serena nodded.
"There's still a chance then," he told her, and she shook her head.
"That's what I told Clemont you'd say," she explained. "I was stupid enough to believe that." she looked down, and hit herself in the arm. "Stupid!"
"Serena, STOP!" Ash yelled, catching everyone's (including the Pokemon's) attention. He grabbed Serena's shoulders. "What you told Clemont... I'm telling you that same think right now. Sure, the chances are small. Sure it's probably true that we won't be returning to normal. We might not achieve our dreams. But we can hope. We can always dream new dreams, and we still have each other. Nothing we ever do is a waste of time, right?" he told her, flashing a sad smile. "Because even though we might not have faith now... we should never give up-"
"Not until the very end," Serena finished, smiling a little herself. "Ash... you're always there when I need you."
Ash smiled. "I need you too." he realized that was the wrong thing to say as Serena instantly turned ten shades of red. "I-I mean th-that, uh... you're always there when I need you too."
Serena smiled to herself. "Y-Yeah, I guess," she said awkwardly. She leaned back towards Ash. "I'm tired... can I sleep now...?" she asked drowsily. He looked up; the snow was still coming down, and the moon shone through the clouds. It must have been late. Serena was tired, and from the way she started shivering, he knew that she must be freezing as well.
He picked her up in bridal style, and carried her to Sylveon (who was feeling much better by now), who gently accepted Serena with her feelers, then Ash, and placed them on her back. By now, Serena was asleep, sitting behind him, and Ash smiled at her.
Good night, Serena. Sleep well.
..........................................................................................................
Later...
It was nearing midnight and they were still travelling back to the camp. By now, the blizzard had picked up it's pace, and they could barely see two inches in front of them. Espeon, Sylveon, and Pikachu all stuck close together, not wanting to get separated. As far as Ash knew, Serena was still asleep, and he didn't want to wake her by constantly checking on her. He knew that the storm could have woken her, or maybe the steps that were taken by the Pokemon. But she slept soundly, even after that large gust of wind, and after that dull thud which sounded louder than all the other steps for some reason.
I should check on her now... I haven't done it since the wind. I didn't even check after the thud. I'll just-
He turned around and gasped.
Serena was no longer there.
Suddenly he remembered the thud... that didn't sound like one of the steps...
No....
She'll die!
I can't lose her!
"STOP!" he shouted, then looked in the direction they came from.
"SERENA!"
That's all for now! Again, sorry for the long wait, everyone. I am trying to work out an update schedule that would fit in both of my books, so hopefully that will mean more frequent updates. Well, I hope you enjoyed the chapter!
Now for our Pokemon Question of the Day...
Favourite Pokemon from Team Rocket? (can be from any generation)
Hmm... I think their Kalos Pokemon! What about you? Comment below!
Now... that's definitely it! Have an awesome day/night!
Stay tuned ;)