"Hey, wait a minute," you're probably saying. "I thought you weren't going to write anything for a while because of finals!" And you're right, but I wrote this a while ago and today is a special occasion. "But what's the occasion?" Well, today's my birthday, and as a present to myself, I wanted to post this cute little oneshot for all of you. Please excuse and OOC-ness, I just needed to get this down the way I imagined it.
There were few things that drove Serena insane.
One was her mom's forced rhyhorn racing lessons.
Another was Miette.
And the third?
Ash's hair.
Over the last few months, she had seen it grow wildly out of control. Most days, he didn't even comb it, he just put his hat on over the mess!
She needed to do something about it.
That's what led her to drag him away from his training.
"Hey! What's this about?" He exclaimed when she grabbed his arm. Pikachu and Hawlucha, who were staging a mock battle, looked over for a second before resuming. She pulled him a few yards away from where he was training, eyes searching for something that could act as a chair.
A tree stump caught her eye. Yes, that would work nicely! She led him over, pointing to it. "Sit. I'll be right back." She felt his eyes on her back as she jogged over to her bag.
"Do I want to know what's going on over there?" Clemont asked from behind his latest invention. Bonnie looked over as well, from where she was brushing Fennekin's tail. Pancham sat nearby, an inquisitive look on his face.
She rifled through her bag a moment before holding up a smaller bag in triumph. "Just fixing something, that's all."
Bonnie giggled. "Don't have too much fun over there!" Serena whipped around so the younger girl wouldn't catch her blushing. The bag safely in her hand, she made her way back over to Ash.
"So. . . are you gonna tell me what's going on?" He asked, eying her bag curiously.
"I'm giving you a haircut." She opened the bag, taking out a comb and a small spray bottle filled with water.
He gave her a confused look. "But my hair's fine the way it is!" At this point, all of his pokémon had abandoned their training and were coming closer to watch. A lock of hair fell in his eyes. He brushed it away passively with the back of his hand.
"See! You need a haircut," she argued. "What if hair fell into your eyes in the middle of a battle, and you couldn't see what was happening?" She paused. "Look, I won't even change your style, okay? Just a trim," she promised with a smile.
Ash thought for a moment. "I guess you're right," he relented, taking off his hat and handing it to Pikachu. "Come to think of it, Mom was saying the same thing last time we talked."
"Glad we're in agreement, then. Now stay still," she ordered, beginning to wet his hair with the spray bottle. He flinched away from it.
"That's cold!" He protested under her glare. His pokémon laughed, Pikachu the loudest.
A small glare from her shut them up. "Really?" She asked him, though it was really more of a statement.
Ash grinned sheepishly. "Sorry," he apologized, returning to his original position. She continued spraying until his hair was damp enough.
She switched to the comb, humming lightly under her breath. Of course, she encountered a myriad of knots. "Jeez, Ash, when was the last time you combed your hair?" She asked, picking her way through a particularly rough one.
"Um. . ."
She stopped combing for a moment. "You know what? I don't want to know."
"Good, because I don't remember," he commented, wincing when the comb caught another knot. "D'ya have to pull so hard, though?"
"Maybe I wouldn't have to if you combed your hair every once in a while!" She retorted, moving on to part his hair.
He started fidgeting a little. "Are you almost done?"
"For God's sake, I haven't even started trimming your hair! Just stay still please, okay?" Serena was already getting tired of his complaining. As much as she loved him, this was getting to be a bit ridiculous. She took a breath. "I know you want to train, but the more you move, the longer it's going to take. Got it?"
He hummed in response, keeping still. "Don't you need to practice for your next showcase, too?"
"Yes, but this is worth it. If your hair got any messier, I swear a fletchling would make a nest in it!" She wet his hair a bit more, looking over to the scissors. "Can one of you please hand me the scissors?" She asked his pokémon. Pikachu immediately sprang forward, giving her the small scissors. "Thank you!"
"I thought you were on my side here, buddy," Ash groaned.
"Pi chu pikapi Pikachu chu pi," he said in response, a smirk also on his face.
Ash sighed. "And there's another vote for a trim," he mumbled.
Serena caught a lock of his hair in the comb. "I don't blame him." She trimmed the ends of his hair, making sure to brush off any that fell on either one of them. "Seriously though, when was the last time you had your hair cut?"
"Maybe. . . About a year ago?"
"Are you kidding me? No wonder it's gotten so out of control," she commented, moving on to the next section.
He crossed his arms, growing even more impatient. "Are you almost done? It's been forever since you started."
She snipped off more of his split ends. "It's only been ten minutes. I think training can wait a couple more. I'm almost done."
"How'd you get so good at this, anyways?" It took her a moment to consider.
"Well, when I was little, I used to focus on certain little hobbies to see what I might want to do when I was older. Being a hairstylist was one of them." She snipped the last bits of hair, setting down the scissors and reaching for a small towel. "I'm just going to towel-dry and comb your hair once more, okay?"
Ash's posture relaxed. "Alright." He glanced over at his pokémon. "Why don't you all go back to training? I'll be right over." They all nodded, sprinting off.
Serena moved the towel roughly over Ash's head, careful not to rub too hard. Soon she discarded it, dragging the comb through it into his normal style.
She stepped in front of him. "Done! Let me see. . ." She lifted his chin gently with the tips of her fingers, examining her work. "Looks good!" She pronounced with a satisfied smile.
"So I'm free to go now?" He asked, already standing. At her nod, he took off towards his pokémon. "Thanks Serena!" He called over his shoulder.
X-X-X
The next morning, his hair was even messier, knots actually visible, even with his hat on. How it got that way, Serena had no idea. She did know one thing, however:
"ASH KETCHUM, YOUR HAIR IS IMPOSSIBLE!"
And now I retreat back into my corner until finals are actually over. For those of you taking finals, I wish you luck!