A/N: This is a bit of a different story. I'll admit that I actually got this idea from a dream that I had (it was totally not Pokemon-related but I thought that it was a good idea for an amourshipping piece). Let me know what you think of it .

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon nor any of its characters.

Update: Decided to make this a two-shot piece. First chapter is mostly the same (just some minor edits) and is in Ash's POV. The second is in Serena's. Please let me know what you think. Hope you enjoy .

A Chance Meeting: Part 1

Ash's POV:

The thing with holidays is that it can be an extremely refreshing and invigorating time. For any trainer, after a long stretch of sweat and hard work, some downtime would seem very inviting, almost necessary even to prevent overworking one's Pokemon. It's a time for self-reflection, rest, and relaxation. A time when there's nothing too urgent to worry about, allowing one to enjoy the little things that would have seemed trivial before.

And that is where we find Ash Ketchum one day, walking down the path with his ever-present companion Pikachu. How different it feels to not be on the road, Ash mused. All his young life up to the age of ten had been filled with excitement and anticipation for becoming a Pokemon trainer. And when he finally reached that pivotal age, he found his journeys to have exceeded his wildest dreams. But now, after so long of constantly being on the move and reaching for his goals, Ash had decided to a break, to spend some time with his mother and all the pokemon he had left behind in Professor Oak's lab.

Pallet Town had not changed in the slightest when he had been away, nor had its people much. The Pride of Pallet he was now known as. It was a very different feeling to be held in such high regard by the people he had grown up around. While it was true that he had never taken the gold in any of the leagues he entered so far, unbeknownst to the aspiring Pokemon master, his reputation as a Trainer in every aspect that it entailed had left behind many admirers and had earned him the respect of all who had gotten to known him. And respect was much harder to earn than any trophy.

All his pokemon were thrilled to see him again. After a couple days of catching up and playing with his faithful friends, Ash had once again, as a true battler should, been filled with the desire to train. And all his pokemon were more than pumped to show off the new moves they had picked up while he was away. When he was not with his mother or training, Ash helped around the lab with Tracey and Professor Oak, who had become extremely interested in the recent phenomenon of mega evolution that had developed over in the Kalos region.

Ash also found out that while he had been away, his mother had found no difficulty in keeping herself busy. Along with the household duties she attended to every day, it had appeared that she had also taking upon showcasing her cooking projects in a variety of community events and cafes that had opened in neighboring towns and Viridian City.

And it was on such a day when his mother was away that Ash volunteered to do the weekly grocery shopping. It was a chance for him to get out a bit around town. The store that his mother liked to shop at was in the next town, but the walk wasn't overly long. To a seasoned traveler like himself, a leisurely walk to the supermarket seemed almost surreal. Unlike his journeys, there was no hurry nor any sense of urgency in these walks and Ash found the trips (while the task itself may seem like a chore to other people) surprisingly refreshing. The mild weather Kanto afforded blended very pleasantly with the peaceful scenery that Ash's hometown offered. All in all, Pallet was a quiet town and change came slowly, if it came at all. Events in the world outside seemed so distant when he was at home.

As Ash entered the grocery store, he reached into his pocket took out the list that his mother had left for him that morning and scanned it over.

"Let's see. Hmm, how about vegetables first Pikachu?"

"Pika!" Ash smiled and the two made their way over to the produce section. It was noon on a Monday and so Ash wasn't surprised that the store only had a few customers moving about. There was only one other person at the vegetable section, a girl around his age wearing a pink felt hat.

"Never seen her around before," Ash thought absentmindedly. They passed each other in the aisle and went about their separate tasks, just another passerby at the store.

A week later, Ash found himself once again in a familiar situation, strolling down the aisles pushing a cart and Pikachu, as always, perched on his shoulder.

"Let's see," Ash looked at his list, "How about we try out that new type of Pokemon food for electric-types?"

"Pika!" Pikachu never turned down a chance to try new food, a characteristic that his trainer undoubtedly shared.

Bam!

He jerked forward in surprise sending Pikachu flying off his shoulder as Ash collided painfully into the handle of his cart as he realized that he had accidentally crashed his cart into someone else's. A can of food plopped onto his foot and rolled onto the floor as several more items fell from the shelves as he reached trying to steady himself.

"Oh I'm so sorry." He looked up at the soft voice and saw standing in front of him the same girl he had seen shopping a week before, her face staring worriedly at him as she knelt down to pick up the fallen cans. "Are you alright? I wasn't paying attention, I'm so sorry." Her startling blue eyes seemed endless as Ash felt himself being almost drawn into them. He opened his mouth to respond but found himself, uncharacteristically, lost for words before Pikachu headbutted him lightly and snapped him out of his reverie. He realized that he had been staring and felt a tinge of embarrassment.

"Oh no no. It's my fault. I wasn't watching either. There's no need to worry, right Pikachu?" Ash grinned sheepishly and give her a thumbs-up as Pikachu leapt back onto his shoulder once again. He bent down to help pick up the cans and together, they put them back in their rightful places.

The girl smiled at him shyly once again, causing his heart to positively dance with joy, and with a last apology, pushed her cart down the aisle. Ash stood there for a moment staring at her retreating back.

"Pika?" Ash shook his head a bit to clear his thoughts. "What's gotten into me?".

"I'm just fine buddy. Come on, let's get going," Ash said as they went over to the snack section, where the subsequent selections of food took over both their attentions.

And so it became a weekly routine for Ash and Pikachu. Every Monday of the week, they would take the grocery list and walk over to the nearby town, enjoying the weather and just the overall peacefulness of each other's company. It's weird how refreshing such a normally mundane task can seem. After so much excitement in his journeys, the seemingly insignificant task of grocery shopping felt so relaxing. And Ash was more than willing to help his mother out with the household chores.

Every Monday, they would go. And every Monday, Ash would see the girl in the pink hat. Sometimes, they bumped into each other, smiling as they went about their separate ways. Other times, he would just see her in the distance, going about her own shopping. They never really talked much besides the occasional apology should they bump into each other. But overall, aside from the that initial meeting, Ash didn't let his mind wander much to the girl except for the times he saw her, although he did find himself looking forward to going shopping every Monday more than usual.

It was a strange feeling. Everyone's felt it at some point or another during their lives. You're at some event or you're just walking down the street and you see a passerby and you just get this feeling that it would be so cool to get to know him or her, even if that person is a stranger. She seems like a very cool person to get to know, Ash thought absentmindedly. But again, it was fleeting. They never saw each other except at the grocery store. But it would be nice indeed.

One day, Ash walked into the store with Pikachu once again and he saw Mrs. Hall at the register, an extremely energetic elderly woman who was a friend of his mother's.

"Hi Mrs. Hall. How are you doing?" Ash greeted as he walked in and approached her.

"Well, well, well. Ash and Pikachu!" Mrs. Hall exclaimed, her whole face lighting up. "It's been too long!" And before Ash knew it, he was tackled in a bear hug.

"How has my Pokemon Master been?" she asked as she let him go.

"It's been good," Ash breathed out, checking to see if his ribs were intact. They stood there for a while, catching up and Mrs. Hall went off to tell him all the latest town gossip that she was so fond of talking about.

"Hey Mrs. Hall," Ash suddenly got an inspiration. "You know almost every person who comes here right?" She nodded and raised an eyebrow at him questioningly.

"Well I wanted to ask if you knew this one girl." He described the girl he had seen every week and when he was finished, Mrs. Hall had a huge grin on her face.

"So you're asking about a specific girl eh?" she started to chuckle and said fondly. "The day Ash Ketchum comes to ask me after a girl."

Ash felt a flush of embarrassment and scratched the back of his head. "No, no, no. I'm just wondering who she is. That's all," Ash protested a bit weakly. He really didn't know why he had asked so suddenly but it was just a feeling he had. He didn't know her. Heck, he had barely spoken to her so his intention on asking after her wasn't what the reason Mrs. Hall was probably thinking. It was just…a feeling. Some inexplicable feeling.

"Don't worry Ash. I'll take care of everything." And like that, she was off in a flash, making her way down the aisles.

"Wait! What? Mrs. Hall!" Ash stuttered out. Take care of what? He and Pikachu looked at each other, confused. Ash started to go after her and then just slumped his shoulders and sighed. What had he gotten himself into this time. He looked at Pikachu and they both shrugged. Things always worked themselves out in the end. He just hoped Mrs. Hall wouldn't do something embarrassing or get the girl to think he was some kind of creep. And if she did, well…there were other grocery stores around so he wouldn't have to show his face.

And so they went about their regular shopping and he was just about to go check out when Pikachu gave an exclamation.

"What's up buddy?" Ash turned his head to what Pikachu had been pointing at and he saw the girl with the pink hat running towards him. He felt a flash of panic and wondered if he shouldn't attempt to hide himself. But then she stopped in front of him, panting slightly, her pink hat slightly lopsided as she looked up at him.

"Hi."

"Hey."

They stood there looking at each other. Ash didn't know what to say. Did Mrs. Hall tell her something? Then, to his great surprise, she gave him a dazzling smile and said with a grin, "Did you really think it was a coincidence we kept bumping into each other?" And with a wink, she grabbed her bags and walked out the store.

Ash stared at her speechless and dumbfounded. Did that mean…? No, it couldn't have. Right?

"Pika Pikachu." Pikachu swiftly zapped Ash once and Ash quickly shook his head to clear his thoughts.

"You're right. Thanks Pikachu." And just like that, he ran out the store after her.

He saw her loading her bags into her car and she was already getting into the driver's seat when he ran up to her car waving frantically. She rolled down the window and now it was he who stopped in front of her panting slightly.

He grinned at her. "Would you like to get ice cream with me sometime?"

She beamed and smiled happily back. "That took you long enough. Tomorrow at noon?"

"You can count on it." Ash's grin got wider. Somehow, he felt like he could take on the entire world right now. They said goodbye and she was just about to drive off, when a thought suddenly made Ash turn back around.

"Wait!"

The girl turned to look at him, one eyebrow raised questioningly.

Ash smiled a bit sheepishly. "I never got your name. I'm Ash from Pallet Town."

She gave him another smile, one that Ash thought he could get more than used to. "I'm Serena."