FOOTPRINTS
A Pokémon fanfiction by PowerZone
Author's Note: This is my take on their final meeting before Ash would return to Pallet Town for the next segment of his adventure. I should advise that fluffiness is immensely involved since the Pokémon world needed a little more fluff. Of course, Amourshipping is heavily involved here. Just a little disclaimer: Ash and Serena here are sixteen or seventeen years old while Clemont is probably almost twenty. I had to bend the ages a bit to conform to the shipping. I don't like the idea of ten-year olds kissing up. *okay, you shouldn't have read that*
Please don't flame me too much as this is my first story for the said shipping. Constructive criticisms are most welcome.
One last thing, if you feel that heart-melting mood while reading the story, you can listen to any one (or all) of the following songs to give a little background music:
- "Here Tonight" by Hale
- "That's Why (You Go Away)" by Michael Learns to Rock
- "Remember Me This Way" by Jordan Hill
As for the title "Footprints" and why it's titled like this, I'll just say for now that there's a deep and personal meaning behind it. If you're interested to find out how, you can PM me.
Go read on and enjoy.
Story trivia: 5000 WORDS!
The return back to Lumiose City was not memorable but the quiet and tranquil moment allowed them to process things and think of options on what they would do for the next few days. A plane ticket was given to Ash, courtesy of Professor Sycamore, to return to Pallet Town in three days. For the first day since their return, the energetic professor told them of recent events in the city, none of them were causes for concern. The second day since the return, Ash dedicated it to Pokémon battling mainly against Serena, who was still having trouble buffing up her new Pokémon roster. Clemont and Bonnie returned to the gym to check on the new things since they left the gym. Clemont and Ash had a one-on-one battle later that day involving two electric Pokémon: Clemont's Heliolisk against Ash's Pikachu. The former lost in endearing fashion but Pikachu was very worn out from the intense electrical battle.
The third day since their return was also the day before Ash would leave for Pallet Town. They held a party in Professor Sycamore's laboratory and invited Diantha, who was lurking in a nearby café, to the celebration. She arrived and said to Ash that they would have a full six-on-six battle soon enough when the opportunity presented. This made him incredibly pumped that he jogged around the laboratory four times before he tripped on his unaware Boldore trying to lounge on the dirt.
Early that evening when the party was over, Ash sat down on the concrete steps at the side of the makeshift battlefield. He was slightly disturbed to be leaving so soon back to his home and start a brand new adventure – but the disturbance was always expected. He felt as if there were things he wanted to settle, which he usually did at the last moment, considering that they would be making their dramatic exits in a most fashionable way.
And then it hit him – fashionable. He did not want to tell it to her directly, so he passed the message to Professor Sycamore. That time, Serena was resting on the visitor's lounge napping from the excitement of the congratulatory party.
The walk to Prism Tower, the most magnificent spot located at the heart of the city, seemed heavier than the first time Ash trekked – and back that time it was to save a Garchomp from threatening to destroy half of the city without even trying. He counted his steps down the avenues, past the cafés, and on bridges over calm canals, but he lost his count when he arrived at the foot of the tower.
Clemont and Bonnie were in the gym, working on some sort of machinery they would use in their gym battle. Bonnie continued working, probably tinkering with some piece of metal, while Clemon noticed Ash's presence and approached him.
"Leaving tomorrow, huh…" Clemont started.
Ash nodded. "Things will get exciting from here."
"For you anyway," he said. "As for me, I'm back here tinkering with machines and awaiting challengers who I wished would give me an electrifying battle."
Ash laughed. He liked his determination, his fighting spirit showed indomitably when he risked it all to save his sister from numerous death-defying situations during their journey. Ash was fond of Clemont's attitude and spirit that it made him sometimes jealous of the gym leader. He had to check on his rashness and impulsivity once in a while.
"But then again," Clemont continued, "traveling with you did give me the time of my life!"
"Nice to hear that! Thanks!"
Bonnie leaped backward as a shower of electric sparks appeared from the back of the machine.
Clemont swiftly rushed to her aid. "Not again," he groaned as he summoned the Aipom arms from the back of his backpack and let it did the repair. "After all this time, I had hoped you would be a little more careful with these kinds of things," he told her sternly.
"Sorry," she said sheepishly while keeping a good distance from the haywire machine. Clemont dealt with the malfunction and had the machine fixed in little time.
Ash was reminded of another brother-and-sister duo who accompanied him during the journey in another region. He was also fond of the way Clemont looked after his sister the same way that sister looked after his brother during that journey a long time ago. How could he forget those memories?
"You really remind me of someone, the way you look after your sister," Ash told Clemont.
"That Pokémon coordinator from the Hoenn region you told me a few times," Clemont recalled. "Yeah, what about her?"
"Not much really, the two of you are really similar when it comes to looking after siblings."
Clemont stroked his chin. "Which reminds me, Ash… Do you have a sibling?"
Ash looked down. He had never known if he had a sibling. He was always used to being the only child and always entertained how worried his mother would be when she would be lonely without her son. Years had passed and Ash already was used to the responsibilities of being the only son – one of them being to take care of himself and to take care of his Pokémon and his friends even more.
"I guess I'm an only child," he told Clemont honestly and without embarrassment.
Ash would never feel that exact feeling he had in accompanying his younger sister in the journey.
"Pikachu's not with you today, huh…" Clemont said to him, steering away from what could've been an awkward emotional twist.
"I told him to stay in the lab for a while," he answered. "Pikachu knows when I should have my strictly-alone moments. He respects that."
Clemont nodded. "I figured." He flashed a somewhat malicious grin. "So… you're going to tell her, right?"
Ash flinched slightly. "It's… none of your business, really."
"Come on," he led him. "After all, what are friends really for without saying goodbye?"
Clemont was right. If friends were really there to say goodbye, Ash would need the most of every opportunity to express and unload everything he felt and everything he bore. "The truth is… I like Serena, and not just as a friend. I think you already know what I mean. She's my childhood friend and having traveled with you and her throughout the region somehow strengthened those bonds we had as kids."
"I see… Very well, I'll arrange the lookout platform for the two of you… just for three hours max. Make good use of the time."
Ash was amazed by his generosity. "Thanks a lot, Clemont!"
"My pleasure," he answered as he took a bow, his Aipom mechanical arm pressed to his chest to complete the pose. "Consider this as a small and inadequate gift for the time we spent together around the region."
As Ash was about to start moving out from the battlefield, Clemon called him.
"What is it?"
His two Aipom mechanical hands displayed two thumbs up while the gym leader folded his arms. "Go get her," he said smartly, giving his friend the needed motivation to complete the objective.
After thanking him profusely, Ash stepped out of the gym and returned to the laboratory where his Pikachu was playing around with some of its master's other Pokémon caught and trained in the region. Inside the building, Professor Sycamore was still busy at work but he prepared some cookies for snacks. It was already afternoon and things would simmer down before the night would tranquilize the place from the hustle and bustle from the day.
"I might be off for a little while this evening," he told the professor and explained his destination.
"All right, but you should come back early if you don't want to miss the flight," Professor Sycamore told Ash before he continued his research on the newly discovered Mega-Evolution stone found in the city sewers.
Serena was still fast asleep, the lack of sleep for a few days sapping the energy from her during the celebratory party. She looked peaceful as if nothing was going to happen or as if she was dreaming of walking down the catwalk as a fashion superstar.
Ash left a note on her arm so that she would see it when she would wake up. The note simply said to meet him in Prism Tower on that specified time of the night. It also told her to ask Clemont for details.
He looked at her, sleeping on the couch on the recreation room. For a moment, he was tempted to sneak a peck on the cheek but he shoved it off, thinking that Serena might have been awake all this time. While her eyes weren't open even for a little bit, he watched her breathe softly. How often did Ash admire her for her vivacity and her optimism, but he never thought that the admiration would creep up to his system, catching him unsuspectingly when his sight would trail down from her peaceful face, to her arms, to her legs. Ash was physically in love with her and he wasn't afraid to keep it to himself. Telling it to her would be another matter and would never be told.
"See you later," he whispered then he left the room.
Night had fallen and Ash had to sleep early not to miss his flight. But when the excitement of the prospect of a new journey loomed in his head, Ash could not do anything to prevail over the mood. He went over to the Prism Tower and was confirmed that the lookout platform was ready for them.
Though it was not his first time on the lookout platform atop Prism Tower, Ash always found the view of the whole city exhilarating. The feeling of being a few hundred feet up in the air while overlooking a wave of bright lights and shimmering décor invited excitement. There was a good reason he chose the place to meet with her. He wanted to do this without Pikachu just for a little change of heart. The place was safely accessible only by elevator and one would need special permission from the gym leader to access the lookout platform. For a few hours in the night, the platform would be exclusively his and hers.
The elevator opened again some ten minutes later since he arrived. Ash stood at the edge of the platform and leaned on the tall railing. When he heard the elevator, he turned around.
Serena wasn't dressed in her usual adventure outfit. It seemed to Ash that she also wanted a little bit of change, to get into something more serious than just play around with Pokémon and wander lost in some forest. She was dressed in a pale white blouse that stretched to her knees and comfortable sandals that made her overall look like a young princess. Ash wanted to ask why she would wear such attire against the cool breeze that would hyperbolically freeze her to numbness. He let the inquiries go.
"Hi," she greeted, the energetic self was replaced with the sweet personality that Ash found somehow unique.
"You look… beautiful," he told her. And it was not because of her dress or her looks. It was because of the combined effect of her presence and the environment, making her like a damsel-in-distress who wandered under the open sky probably looking for her knight in shining armor.
"Thanks," she accepted the compliment. "I'm kinda excited… and nervous about this."
"Me too," he said. "I just… wanted to talk to you one last time."
"Is this how you also did with your other companions?"
Ash looked away for a moment. "Usually, we would be at a train station or a pier or some intersection at a road to give our goodbyes." He spoke softly, controlling his normal voice that projected excitement. Ash wanted to be soft for once, to try to be sweet, and to be sincere in the things that would be exchanged between them. "Pikachu was always with me during those times. And since he's not… well, I guess this is a unique way of saying goodbye."
"So it would seem," she said. Ash could detect that sadness coming from her gentle voice.
The two of them leaned on the railings of the lookout platform as they marveled at the view of the city. They could see the rooftop of Professor Sycamore's laboratory. The avenues, boulevards, and other roads sprawled around the city with such geometric precision that they made Ash wonder how the people who built the city could be very precise. Other than the shimmering lights and the modern buildings, the trees scattered around the city brought a friendlier feel to the busy urban setting.
While they watched the shimmering lights, the two of them talked about everything that happened in their journey. They chatted and talked away like there would be no tomorrow – which was true because Ash would leave the Kalos region the next day to return home. So they spread their happiness and their joys and mourned their losses and regrets at those opportunities presented to them but slipped away in the blink of an eye. They talked about almost everything, including the rare moments that were shared when the two of them were alone, especially that one night when they couldn't sleep and they walked a dirt path near the camp. They returned to their camp just as the first wave of blue appeared to the east, but sleep was still out of the question.
They also talked about Clemont and Bonnie. Serena was also an only child, she had revealed. The two of them talked what it would feel like to have a younger or older sister or brother whom they could look after or look up. They sighed when they knew that they could never fully understand that experience that Clemont had while keeping Bonnie away from danger.
And then the taboo of discussions: relationships. They were quite too young – probably sixteen or seventeen years old. They admitted that they had crushes on some people in their journey – but they would never admit that they had a crush on each other. Ash often wondered why Clemont was quite oblivious to these kinds of affairs when Bonnie was doing everything she could so that her big brother would be happily married, have a wonderful family, and spend his time being an active gym leader and a responsible father in the future. Serena blushed almost throughout the talk about relationships but she would let Ash see it.
The tower pealed loudly, making the two of them jump. The tower would peal four times everyday: one during four in the morning as a wake-up call, one during eleven in the morning for lunch, one during six in the evening for calling it a day for those who had work, and one at nine in the evening to tell the people to get a good night's rest.
"You still have a plane to catch tomorrow," Serena reminded him.
"Yeah," he said as he looked at her. "But I don't want to sleep yet." Perhaps this was the time. "Um, Serena… I want to tell you something… before I go."
She stood up and placed her hands in front of her, showing keen interest in what he had to say.
"Truth is… after I got the eighth badge, I kinda… sort of, developed feelings for you," he said to her awkwardly and Serena found this somewhat cute. "I really don't know how to explain it but… sometimes when I get fed up knowing that the League was still a few months away, I would think of you."
"Really?"
Ash did not want to talk, wanting to save himself from further embarrassment in the level that he already experienced. Yet a part of him told him to push further and then told him that some good things would come out. He would never know until he tried. What was the point of the meeting if he would not tell it to her, he said to himself. That kept him going.
"I know that I was often too focused with my dream, but I said to myself that I was also a growing young man," he answered. "I didn't want to say it because there were other priorities…"
They fell silent as they looked sincerely into each other's eyes for the first time in a long time. She smiled first. He grinned back.
"Say it already," she told him, almost pleading him to let it out.
He threw his hands. "Fine… I like you… a lot. I hope I'm happy."
Serena giggled. "It makes me happy too. You've… really matured," she complimented, changing the subject.
"Somehow, I don't want to mature fully yet," he answered, going along with the abrupt situation they were headed. "I just wanna go someplace else and explore a new region, meet new Pokémon, encounter amazing adventures, and…" Ash sighed and frowned when he realized that he would have to look for that new horizon in his next steps to be a Pokémon master. "… I guess I'll have to do those without you."
Serena eased on, gazing at the horizon beyond Lumiose City. Night had fallen and the lights shimmering from Prism Tower wouldn't give them a good view of the stars. "I guess," she said because she really had nothing else to say.
Ash reached into his pocket and pulled out a necklace locket. He bought the necklace using his earnings from landing in the semi-final spot in the Pokémon League. "I… have something for you," he said to her. "I hope this is a nice parting gift."
She gasped as she received the necklace and tenderly held it in her hands. She opened the locket and examined its contents, to which her smile brightened up and her eyes glowed with vitality. "It's… beautiful," she exclaimed with no exaggeration. Serena looked at the picture once more for a few seconds before she closed it and held the necklace like a lifeline.
Ash nodded. From the final meeting spewed some moment of happiness, but he would have to face the reality that they wouldn't be there forever. "The moment I go down the elevator is the moment we say goodbye," he said, his voice cracking a little under the weight of some level of sadness. This sadness was caused by the uncertainty that she received his admission. Serena did not express her response. Maybe he would never get to hear her side of the story.
She sighed. "I know." Perhaps the weight of some level of sadness pressured her more than it did him. "So… I guess this is it, then."
Ash admitted that the Kalos region adventure for him was one of the most strenuous and most stressful adventures yet. He felt downhearted that he would leave the region and not come back to it for a long time. "This is it," he said.
To be honest, neither of them wanted to move from where they stood on the lookout platform of the tower. However, time would continue ceaselessly, prompting the two of them to take action and move on with their priorities.
Ash moved first as he walked away from the lookout's edge and moved past her. He tried to put on a brave and confident face most of the time with his final meeting with Serena. When he whisked past, all that confidence whittled away like a cluster of Hoppip caught in a breeze. His head hung low but he wouldn't stop his feet from going where they needed to go. The excitement of looking forward to another region and the disheartening of leaving her clashed as conflicts in his mind. He had to go – but he also wanted to stay. Ultimately, the creed of being a Pokémon master reigned over what brittle emotions he had, and Ash had to move forward, to look forward for tomorrow when he would lift his feet from the Kalos region.
"Ash…?"
He stopped in his tracks, his thoughts interrupted momentarily when Serena called his name once more. Ash turned around slowly and witnessed a sight he would never forget, the sight that would sum up every experience in the Kalos region.
Serena stood there, her hands clasped on her chest, her hair swaying smoothly with the gentle breeze, her smile radiating without compare. When she blinked and looked at him straight in the eye, she did it in a manner as if she didn't want him to go. Reality had to settle so she simply said, "Thank you."
Ash smiled back and nodded as he raised a thumbs-up.
She looked down for a moment, probably thinking what to say next. Just as Ash was caught in his whirlwind of emotions a few moments ago, Serena also found her lost and tossed around a hurricane of emotions of her own. Finding no words to calm her nerves, she moved forward until she reached him, the distance between the two of them closing in as they looked at each other, examining the traces of their companionship and goodness in each other's faces.
Serena wanted to explain, to admit her feelings that he was more than just matured. She wanted to say it to his face because she wouldn't get another chance. Her hands became tense as she clutched them closer to her chest.
"What is it," he asked her kindly. "You seem nervous to see me go, huh?"
That did it. The magic he poured forth from his words gave the break she needed. Swiftly, Serena flung her arms around him and pressed her body, aching to touch him and just let her heart connect with his. At the same time, the split second reaction became visible as she let the tears flow down and her chest contract and expand with the sounds of her soft sobs.
"Truth is, I don't want you to go!"
Ash gasped softly. Was this true? He wanted to absorb it but his mind was going on overdrive. "Serena…"
"I liked you too for a very long time," she admitted, not ready to calm down. "And… I wanted to find those times to talk to you about how I felt – but you were so preoccupied with the adventure that I never had a chance!" She said all of this even through her sobs – and even Ash understood.
"S-Serena," he said her name again, still unable to concoct a response from what she said.
She let go of him and looked at him again despite the tears that built up in her eyes. "I don't know if it's just me… but I was really afraid that if I admitted everything, it would ruin our friendship." She sobbed once more before she continued spewing words about friendship and feelings and emotions and continued rambling on with her mixed emotions on how she felt towards him.
But all that confusion inside her ceased when Ash pressed a finger to her mouth and leaned in while he whispered, "Don't say anything. Just… don't." He lowered his hand then leaned his head even closer as he shut his eyes from reality and just let his reflexes guide him. Eventually, the moment arrived at a desperate manner when they felt their lips press, their hearts connect, and their bodies with their arms around each other locked that they never wanted to let go.
Serena was still in a state of shock when she felt him let loose everything he had. Even her reflexes could not process correctly that she was late to realize that her arms were around him again. Now that she became accustomed to the truth, she shut her eyes and let the warmth from his lips pour through her and course every nerve of her body where she would keep the memory in a chamber of her heart forever. Serena would forever recall this defining moment of her life when she would be saddened from mishaps in her priorities.
The cool breeze swayed around them as the seconds drew by seemingly like hours. After an eternity of thought-processing, their heads parted but their arms and bodies would not.
He looked at her, she looked at him. They smiled as the light from the full moon cut through them like a ray of hope.
"I don't need an explanation," he said to her. "I know you like me by the way you tried to make your moves on the last part of our journey. I also know because I contacted a long-time friend who happens to be an expert in these things. But still…" he scratched his head, becoming slightly embarrassed by the situation but still keeping an arm around her, "… I'm really happy you finally got to say it."
"Ash," Serena smiled, half-whimpering.
He embraced her once more. "I'm really sorry that our separation is needed," he told her. "I know you'll do fine. You're a strong woman."
"I'll miss you," she said to him, unable to respond properly to his assurances.
"I'll miss you too," he said to her. "You take care now, okay?"
"I will," she said as she touched his cheek, making him feel the touch he would not forget soon.
Priorities caught up with them, reality even faster, and the two of them let go simultaneously. Ash turned around once more and began the steps away from her.
She watched him go one final time and knew that he would not come back. No matter how many regions they would trek in their life, they would be far apart – a distance that knew no limits that would let her trace the times they were close during the journey.
Serena counted his steps before Ash made it to the elevator. He pressed a button and turned around to see her one final time. She wanted to experience that insatiable feeling she had moments ago all over again. She wanted to wake up from the fantasy of a journey to end up him leaving her when she still had so much to say.
The elevator opened after the beep and Ash stepped inside. He waved at her and smiled – a sad smile reflected in his heart, magnified greatly in hers as the elevator doors closed and the elevator descended the tower. She would never see him again.
The next morning, Serena woke up and dashed to the airport hopefully to catch him one more time before he left. However, she was a notch too late when she watched the airplane take off and soar overheard her, the sonic boom deafening but not making her cringe one bit. The airplane soared higher and higher until it reached the horizon beyond the city where it headed to the direction of the magnificent golden orb whisking away the velvet nightly veil.
She waved a hand as if he would wave back, and when the airplane disappeared she lowered her hand and it found the necklace locket in her pants pocket. Serena took it out and opened it once more – an adorable miniscule picture of the two of them as children playing around in her home, the picture containing the first memory that they were together since back then – something that she would also cherish it as their last. She smiled tenderly and placed it back in her pocket before walking the steps through Lumiose City, waking up for another ordinary and exciting day ahead.
***END***
Final note from the author: If there were some mistakes with regard to conformity to the series in the anime, please point them out and help me with the necessary changes.
I hope the ending didn't grip you too much. I'm quite a sucker for these kinds of stories. I didn't like using the three words to express the total commitment, but I liked it better that the two of them wouldn't end up together and they would leave things at that. Don't worry though, I support Amourshipping and I'm planning to write a few more fanfics involving Ash and Serena.
Thanks for reading!
PowerZone