Hi everyone!! SK here.
It's been a little while since I last updated... I apologize. I think I said this earlier, but regular updates won't be resumed until June. This will be the last update for May, unless I'm granted more time to write.
So many assignments... you gotta hate school sometimes >^<
But anyway, let's start the chapter. This chapter feels really lazily written... but I wanted to get something out. Just try to enjoy it, k?
Ash
"It's a promise."
The last words that I'd shared with Serena rung in my ears as I walked out of the forest. She had returned me back to normal, and then she'd flown off to who knows where... but I'm not thinking about that. All I am thinking about is Serena.
I've found her.
I've finally found her.
The quest is finished.
...or is it?
Truth is, I don't really know if the quest is finished or not. My quest was to find Serena, and then to be with her forever. That would've been no problem... if she was still human. I'm still processing the fact that fairies exist in the first place, and now I might be going and becoming one? I have no idea how one exactly becomes a fairy- is there some gift you have to possess? Do you get chosen randomly? Do you have to be a trainer? Be a certain age? Have Pokemon on you? And then there's that thing Serena was saying about "Elementals". Like I said, I have no clue.
But Serena said that if I go and live with her and the other fairies, I can't go back... that means leaving my mother forever. Dad's gone, and I'm all she has left. I know it would hurt her beyond what I can feel. I would have to leave the Professor, the person who has acted as my father figure for all these years... he's helped me so much, and now I'm considering leaving him forever.
And then there's Clemont. My wonderful friend who agreed to do this quest with me, leaving his home, his dad. He lost his sister on my quest, only because they came. And just yesterday, I promised that I wouldn't leave him alone. I promised him that I wouldn't leave him and die, and now I'm going and doing just that. He's so broken, and he needs someone... I... I can't just leave him, can I?
And what about my dream? My dream to become a Pokemon Master? I certainly can't do that if I leave... then again, I've already wasted so many years already, and I've probably made it ten times harder for myself.
But at the same time, I haven't been the same without Serena. She helped me with my gym battles, she helped me discover myself, and she taught me what it meant to love someone. She's amazing, talented, and I love her so, so much, and now that I know she's out there, waiting for me, I know I will never be okay again if I leave her and never come back. I could see it in her eyes, and from the way she reacted when I hugged her; she didn't want me to go either. These long years have been hard for me, but I know they must've been hard for her too, and she's depending on me. Even if she doesn't love me back, she's depending on me, and I know in a heartbeat I'd do anything for her.
Either choice I make, I lose something...
I sigh, tugging on my hat. "Better get back home for now," I murmur to myself, my thoughts churning as I trudge toward my house. I soon see the back door in front of me and I open it slowly. I kick off my shoes and head up to my bedroom. When I get there, I close the door and promptly flopped down on my bed.
"Pika-pi?" comes Pikachu's voice, and I turn to see my buddy standing in the other side of the room, playing with one of my old Pokemon toys.
Even if I can't understand him, I have to talk to someone about this, I think. I gaze at Pikachu, and let out a small smile. "Hey Buddy, can you keep a secret?" I ask him.
Pikachu nods, looking curious. He then hops up onto the bed with me and I stroke his back, which causes him to let out a happy noise.
"I... when I went into the forest today, something interesting happened to me," I begin.
My partner tips his head to the side, as if asking "What?"
"Well, I saw Serena," I start, my smile widening a bit when I see the shocked look on Pikachu's face. "She's a fairy now. We talked, and I asked if I could come be with her," I add.
Pikachu, letting out a happy yip, runs over to me and jumps up on my lap. I scratch him between his ears, smiling at him as he continues to make happy noises. Pikachu then turns his head to me, apparently waiting for me to continue.
"The only problem is, I won't be able to come back if I go," I say sorrowfully. "And I if I want to go, I have to leave tomorrow."
My buddy's expression instantly becomes sad, and I realize that he thinks that he is going to be left behind.
"W-Wait! She said I have to bring a Pokemon with me, so I choose you! I might want to bring Greninja too, just to be prepared... but you're definitely coming with me, there's no doubt about that," I assert, trying to reassure him. It seems to have worked, because he begins to calm down again.
"I don't wanna leave Clemont, Mom, or the Professor," I confess. "But I also know I'll never be the same if I know that I had a chance to be with Serena and I didn't take it."
Instead of saying anything, Pikachu comes up close to my face and nuzzles my cheek. I continue to nuzzle the Electric-type, appreciating the comfort he's giving me at the moment. I look around my room, gazing at all the Pokemon dolls, Pokeballs, Pokemon posters... everything I'd gathered throughout the years to prepare for my journey towards becoming a Pokemon Master.
I think back to the last couple years, where nothing mattered except finding Serena, and making sure that she was okay.
I think about now, how all I can think about is Serena.
I think about now, how my dream is beginning to lose meaning.
I think about now, how I am willing to lose everything for the person I love.
And that's when I know.
My mind is already made up.
I'm leaving.
"I'm leaving," I whisper to Pikachu. "I have to. I know this is something I have to do."
Even if it means giving up my dream.
Even if it means giving up my family.
Even if it means giving up my only friend that I have left.
I need Serena. She completes me.
I... I love her.
"I have to pack," I say hurriedly, waiting for Pikachu to scurry on my shoulder before I stand up. "Serena said I can only bring one or too things- I guess that means I whatever I can fit in my trusty backpack," I say, walking over to a corner to pick it up.
First I walk over to my dresser, and pick up a book that sat on top. I stuff it into my backpack without even looking at it; it's my photo-album. My mom had given it to me right before I'd started my Pokemon journey, and it contained many, many pictures. I'd added to it after I'd completed each region- it's like a biography of my life. It's really important to me, and if I was never gonna come back, I want it to have at least some form of remembering my past. I also run downstairs to grab a bottle of ketchup for Pikachu, then run back up and pack it away. If Pikachu's coming with me, I want him to have a little something too.
This is all I'm bringing. Serena wanted me to pack light, and that's what I'm doing- but there's still something I have to do first.
I walk over to my desk, and pull out a paper and pen, and begin to write.
Dear Clemont, Mom, Professor, and others that knew me...
Yeah. Like I said, pretty uneventful chapter- but I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless. Next chapter's sure to be exciting, that's for sure!
Until then, stay tuned :D