Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon, I simply borrow it!
AN: This is my first ever Pokemon fic, and I'm so excited to write it. I haven't seen the entire anime, but I've played every game and seen most of it, so I hope I do well with the characters. At first glance, you might see a much more mature Ash, because I have him aged around 24 years old, but I am hoping to preserve as much of his dense, hot headedness as possible throughout this story, which is probably silly but I'm hoping it develops well. Cheers!
Chapter 1
The alarm cut through the crisp air like a freshly sharpened knife, protesting it's time synchronized with the dim glow of the digital numbers that read out 4 in the morning. Though the curtains had been drawn on the large sliding window, it had been left ajar the night before, letting the cool air from the nearby ocean of Lilycove City blow in and rustle them. The room was dim, and the blaring alarm threatened to continue endlessly until a hand pulled itself from its prison under the flattened pillow where it had spent the night and slammed down the snooze button.
Ash Ketchum moaned through a tight, sleepy throat, rolling onto his back and flinging his right arm over his eyes. Not a single part of him wanted to get up and out of his too warm bed in his too comfortable position, but he knew he had short minutes left before his alarm protested that choice. Knowing all too well it would come sooner rather than later, he felt his breathing slow and steady, drowsing lazily and counting in his head the seconds that would go by before –
BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.
Five minutes, over. The clock read 4:05 now and Ash groaned in disgust, dramatically slamming his fist that had been draped over his closed eyes down to his sides where he narrowly missed a small Pokemon that had been snoring softly, oblivious to his trainer's internal debate.
"Sorry, Pikachu." Ash muttered softly to his partner, releasing his angry fist and flattening it against the soft fur between the long ears of his long-time partner. The Pokemon's fur was soft but had the slightest bit of static that ran up Ash's arm gently, reaching his face and warming it from the inside out. He smiled crookedly and opened his eyes to the dark, tiny room. "Alright, time to get up."
Detangling his 24 year old body out of the warm bed, he swung his legs out and braced himself against the cold floor that greeted him. The calendar hanging on the door of the tiny Lilycove waterfront apartment had an X through yesterday's date, October 5th. With the weather getting colder the mornings were becoming increasingly difficult for Ash, but he had work to do. Groggily, Ash pulled on his dark work pants that were both warm and water proof, and a tight thermal shirt that would go on underneath his jacket. He walked out of his bedroom with eyes half closed, leaving his stretching Pikachu to fend for itself.
Just outside the bedroom was a small sitting room with a single couch and coffee table littered with papers that were begging to be signed and organized, but Ash walked straight to the small kitchen. He took a bowl from the drying rack near the sink and poured the remains of the cereal box that was left on the counter the night before. Opening the fridge, he saw there was just about what you could call a mouthful of milk left in an expired carton. Shrugging, he dumped it in and prayed he wouldn't be sorry about it later. Setting out a bowl of Poke-chow for his partner, he sat down on the couch and brought the cereal to his mouth, chewing lazily.
These mornings had become the norm for Ash. After losing the Kalos league years ago, in a fit of anguish and self-pity, Ash decided he needed a change. He decided to leave Kalos and head back to Hoenn where he had taken a particular liking to Lilycove City. Professor Rowan, the professor who studied habitats and migration patterns of Pokemon, just so happened to need assistance in the city. There was a particular group of Wailmer that spent a certain amount of time in the shallows of Lilycove's water, playing, growing and eating together before migrating back to an unknown location. Although a usually peaceful Pokemon, this group had been very cooperative and it interested Professor Rowan very much. For years, Ash had been tasked with recording their behaviors, which unfortunately began with feeding time at dawn. So, Ash took what little belongings he had, begged a noodle shop by the water to let him live in the space above the shop and started his life watching Wailmer for the Professor.
It's not that he didn't enjoy his work; he was very lucky the professor was able to pay him well, and that work began so early that he had a majority of the sunshine to himself. Because of this, in his spare times after the Wailmer settled for the afternoon before evening preparations, Ash was able to train – hard. He kept few Pokemon with him, occasionally calling up those that lived with Professor Oak to develop all of their skills, but gave them his full attention. His Pikachu was always with him, and had become a pint sized power house. His Greninja's ability to tune into Ash's mental wavelengths were nearly perfect and the two had never felt more connected or powerful. His Noivern was fierce and loyal, radiating a powerful presence. Finally, Ash had called back on his Charizard, asking if he would stay in Lilycove with Ash and train hard with his other partners. Charizard, who was too proud to admit he had missed being with his trainer, agreed, and had transformed into an unrecognizable force. Ash smiled in the dark room, thinking about how far he had come with his training and the bond he shared with his Pokemon.
Nevertheless, he still had one thing that tugged at him daily about leaving Kalos – his traveling companions. His eyes flitted automatically, as it did every morning, to a picture sitting pristinely on his coffee table; free of dust and well kept, the pictured showed a photo of the four of them. Clement with his hand around his glasses, his other arm thrown around his younger sister Bonnie, who had to be almost 15 by now. His eyes traveled across the picture to a golden haired petite girl who was shyly putting her hand on his own shoulder, looking at the camera with blue, shimmering eyes. Ash's stomach lurched, as it did every time he thought of her. Serena.
She had been the hardest to leave. Although he tried not to, it was too vivid of a memory. Tearing himself away from her sweet embrace, feeling the cold wet spot soaking through the shoulder of his jacket where Serena's tears had fell freely, mixing with her slurred pleas for him to stay, not to leave her. His vision had blurred before he firmly detached himself from her, staring at the ground and whispering so quietly, "goodbye, Serena." He wished he had been able to look into her eyes one more time before he flung himself away and ran recklessly, losing himself in a crowd.
Ash shook this memory, setting down his now empty bowl and tossing aside papers to find his submerged and nearly dead tablet. He fingered lightly over the screen, wincing as the light hit his eyes, but opened the chat application he used to mostly keep in touch with his mom, who missed him terribly. He scrolled past his mom's envelope, the last message one from her that previewed, "have you been washing your underwear?" and opened up the only other envelope on the application, a conversation with Serena. They had kept in touch, but for Ash, words were only so much now. He re-read the last message from her, a simple, "goodnight, Ash," and smiled. Ash longed to see her, and as the sun crept up over the waters of Lilycove, he was reminded of his duties but the small part of him that forever belonged to her wondered if she longed to see him too.
In Courmarine City of the Kalos region, the same sun had begun to rise, reflecting off of the docked boats and sails that flapped gently in the morning breeze. The docks were emptying now, preparing for the chilly onset of autumn when even the warm waters of Kalos became icy enough to deter average sailors. The first shops were beginning to open their doors for morning tea and coffee, including a small, golden haired 23 year old woman walking quietly down the docks with a tall and well-groomed Delphox.
Serena made her way towards her Pokemon grooming shop with a small, sleepy smile on her face being warmed on one side by the early sunshine. She looked up at her proud Delphox, who sensed her glance and gazed back happily, relishing in its favorite alone time with its trainer. Serena's hair had grown since That Day as she remembered it, and was almost back to the length that she had worn it for years. Her black leggings hugged her legs while her long sleeved white fleece sweater fit loosely over her shoulders, a red scarf warming her neck.
Shortly after That Day, Serena fought her way back from a sunken hollow that made her chest ache with longing. While her love for performing had never died, she felt like a small piece of her couldn't bring itself to competing anymore. So, she listened to this small piece of her heart that seemed desperately overpowering and thought deeply about what part of performing she was most passionate about: making her partners look and feel their best. She packed her bags, moved into a small bungalow on the ocean of Courmarine City and became a Pokemon grooming apprentice. Serena quickly surpassed her master Juliette's skills, and they had soon become partners. Serena was content with being at the shop first.
As she unlocked the doors of the ocean front shop, she ran through the list of appointments she had today. Grooming was not necessarily all making Pokemon look good, although that was still a significant part of her job. Many groomers, the good ones she had learned, also acted as non-emergency medical personnel, ensuring that Pokemon not only looked good but were healthy and well cared for. Some of her clients came to their shop simply for check-ups passing through the tourist heavy town. Serena could do some medical procedures on her own, but for most, if she identified an issue, she sent them straight down the block to Nurse Joy at the Pokemon Center.
Serena drew the curtains on the flawless windows which she flung open to the breeze, leaning her hip against the white windowsill. Her loving Delphox observed the calm waters with her, drinking in the peacefulness of the moment, oblivious to Serena's racing mind. Her thoughts were now with her pink tablet, shoved into a small pocket of her grooming bag, fully charged. Since That Day, they had kept in touch. She should be angry at him for leaving her like he did, and a small part of her was. However, as the sun splashed beautiful shades of orange and red over her blue eyes, the part of her that she felt forever belonged to him missed him more than words. Words that were no longer enough. She longed to see him, and as she sighed heavily and pulled back her long, honey colored hair, that same part wondered if he longed to see her too.