Introduction:
In the bustling city of Lumiose, people were walking left and right, trying to get to their destination. A group had started to gather at the viewing glass of a store selling TV's. On the screen was the latest episode of 'Pokemon Ranger' playing.
Suddenly, the screen cut out and turned to the intro for breaking news. Murmurs started among the crowd about why there suddenly was an interruption in the normal shedule of the program.
"Excuse us for interrupting the show, but we have just received breaking news concerning the Kalos Master Class Finals." The reporter of Kalos-national news started. "We have received reports of a terrorist-attack on the building where the Finals were being held!"
People went from quiet murmurs to shocked gasps and audible disbelieve. The Master Class was know all through Kalos for it's beautiful spectacle.
The screen suddenly turned to footage of a big building on fire, people rushing all around it. Even more gasps rounded through the ever-growing crowd.
"The building were the finals were being held, located in the normally quiet town of Vaniville Town, has been devastated by a series of explosions throughout the attack. Right now nothing is clear, as the police has only just started to arrive on the scene. Ambulances from all hospitals and clinics from the area are on their way right now to give help to those who need it most. Both people and pokemon have been hurt by the massive explosions, fire still raging through the building. Wait, I can just see that the firefighters have arrived on the scene!"
The scene was outright terrible. You could see that the damage to the building had left almost nothing properly standing. People were being evacuated from the fire, all water-type pokemon attempting to put out the blazing tower.
The reported started explaining the situation, but to everyone it was clear: This was the worst attack ever since the Kalos Crisis two years ago.
"The police has yet to capture the terrorists, but clues have already been found. Hang on, I have just received good news, people! Queen Aria has not been badly hurt in the attack, mostly thanks to her pokemon!"
People slacked a breath of relieve, glad to hear that their all-famous Kalos-Queen was still alive. But then, bad news hit for many fans, specifically a certain woman at home.
"I have just been told that the performer who at the time of the attack was on stage, has been rescued from a pile of rubble. She's right now being brought to the nearest hospital, but hopes are that she'll survive. She was found being protected by her pokemon, who had all come to her aid."
A tear rolled down the cheek of the woman who was staring at the scene, showing a girl covered under dust and blood being carried away by a Machamp. Her outfit was torn, a single blue ribbon just showing through it all, seeming almost untouched by the rubble. Her legs were almost completely dark-red of blood.
A few hours later, hopeful news came to the worried fans.
"People, I have been reported that the performer who had been found under a great pile of rubble is no longer in life-threatening condition! She's still in a critical condition, but she'll live to see another day!"
People cheered for the good work of the doctors of the hospital who had saved their second-famous star. But, to no one's knowledge, the chances they'll see her ever on a stage again, had become very slim.
But, she knew one thing:
She'll never give up.
The airplane soared through the sky, Pidgeot, Pidgeotto and Wingull flying near the massive white object. Inside, a raven-haired boy was soundly sleeping, a Pikachu napping in the chair next to him.
Ash Ketchum had gone through yet another great adventure in the Alola region, and was now heading home. Soon, his plane would arrive in Kanto, where he would stay. That is, until he finds himself yet another great adventure.
He had spend two great years on the collection of islands. He had made great friends, human and pokemon. And he had faced yet another breath-thrilling adventure, having saved the island from being overrun by creatures called Ultra-beasts.
But now, all our hero wanted to do was take a fine, long nap.
And that nap lasted about a few minutes until the plane landed on solid ground, shaking everyone around a bit.
"W-wha-?" Ash spoke, half asleep. He looked around and noticed the changed scenery outside of his window.
"Oh, looks like we arrived, Pikachu." Pikachu's ears perked up, the mouse-pokemon somehow having slept through the shaking. He opened his eyes, rubbing the sleep out of them before looking outside of the plane-window with eagerness.
"We're home, Pikachu."
"Pika!"
He couldn't get of the airplaner quicker.
Ash was walking on the path leading to Pallet Town, Pikachu happily perched on his shoulder, taking a good look around. Nothing had really changed in the six years that he has been traveling, the occasional person moving in or out, but not much.
Ash reached the top of a hill, finally having Pallet Town in his sight. The place wasn't much, a few houses here and there, a small central market and of course Professor Oak's ranch on one of the many hills scattered around.
Ash noticed his house down the hill, a small trail coming from the old chimney. He couldn't help but have his mind go back to the many great memories from all those times he came home. His latest was from his journey through the Kalos region.
That specific region had never left his mind, though. Sure, he did think about all the other places he's been, but this one held something dear to him.
His inventor friend and gym-leader Clemont. His little sister Bonnie, Greninja, with who he held a deep and uniqie bond. Goodra, who would still be busy protecting the wetlands, Hawlucha, Noivern, and Talonflame, who were right now at Oak's ranch, being examined by the professor.
Ash chuckled to himself a bit, but then his mind changed to a certain girl who hadn't left his mind a single moment.
Serena.
It was already a lot clearer to him, the day they first met in Professor Oak's summer-camp. That time he always saw her as 'the girl with the straw hat', but now he knew her name.
She had become an amazing pokemon performer, something that truly fascinated Ash, besides battling. He saw every one of her performances, and always voted for her. She had become very confidant over the year she had traveled with him, and had undergone both physical and mental change. The biggest part though was the reason she started her journey: to meet him. At first when they met he didn't really remember her, blame his bad memory for that, but over time he had really got to like her.
And not just like as a friend.
It only became evident after her little act on the day he left for Kanto and she had left for Hoenn. At the escalator she had suddenly turned around and done the one thing Ash would have never thought himself to do with a girl, let alone a girl do with him.
She kissed him.
After that he started to think. And not just a little bit, but very hard! He had started to go over the entire journey he had shared with her and he started to see all the signs. The times she blushed, how she seemed to pull her confidence from him, her resolve to help him. She was the one who helped him realize his mistake during his little depression when having faced the Snowbelle Gym and lost badly. She had always cheered for him. He even started to understand the squabbles between her and her female rivals, especially Miette.
And he noticed his own changes. He acted more nicely to her, she was able to convince him of things more. He always went to her for directions, she made the best desserts and also meals now. He started to think about her with words like 'beautiful', 'cute' or 'stunning'. He never payed attention to that! He started having strange fantasies about him and Serena, together.
A recent thing was his sudden interest in understanding romance. In Alola he had dared himself a few times to ask Lillie if she could borrow him one of her romance-novels. To say the least, he never read so much about or started paying attention to the 'little details'. At the end of his journey in Alola he started catching himself giving glances to the girls on spots that were, let's just say not normally his point of attention. He blushed at the idea of cross-dressing now, something he had dared a few times on his other journeys. He started paying attention to things, and one day he actually had 'The Talk' with Professor Kukui. Embarrassing wasn't enough to describe how he felt afterwards.
He had fallen in love with Serena, and he actually felt fine with this knowledge now.
But did she love him?
He shouldn't be doubting this, after all they kissed! But he couldn't help but have the feeling like that it was a goodbye-kiss. What if she had moved on? What if she had found someone in Hoenn? Suddenly his mind was flooded with thoughts he normally would never have.
He shook his head. 'Don't start with that!'
Pikachu had noticed the deep thoughts of his trainer, but decided against asking what he was thinking about, and just focused on making sure his trainer didn't get lost on his way home.
Delia was in the middle of cooking for the return of her son when she turned the TV on, the channel immediately turning to the breaking news in Kalos. The report was already going on for a few hours, and she had completely forgotten about the food, engrossed in the terrible occurrence in Kalos.
So engrossed she didn't even notice a certain boy walking in the house, calling out to her.
The scene on the TV changed to the reporter, and this time the voice did reach her.
"Mom!"
Delia almost shot up from her spot, startled by the shout. She turned around and noticed who had called her.
"Oh, Ash! You're home!"
"Mhm!" Ash smirked, feeling pretty proud of himself. His attention suddenly turned to the news on the TV. "What's going on?"
Delia turned to face the TV again, and as on cue the reported gava a quick recap.
"For those just tuning in, it's now 4 hours since the terrorist attack on the Master Class Finals in Vaniville Town. By this time, many of the spectators and performers have been rescued, but sadly we have to inform that some people did not make it. Some spectators, a few performers and people of the backstage crew did not make it in time to escape the collaps of the structure or the blazing fire from the explosions. The police has yet to find the terrorists, but clues seem to give the impression that they had been planning this for months."
Ash his eyes had widened, his mouth hanging open a bit. Pikachu had jumped from his shoulder and looked at his trainer with a worried look. Only one thing was on his mind right now.
Serena.
'Can't be! She's in Hoenn, training for her next contest, right?' Ash thought, trying to calm himself. His mother had noticed her son's change in composure and mood, and she could tell something was off with him. She couldn't place what, though.
Then, causing the two-and-a-half to jump of surprise, the phone rang. Delia was about to answer it but Ash had gotten there first.
He was both surprised and worried to hear this specific voice on the other side.
"Hello, is this the Ketchum household?"
Ash stood shocked for a moment before the reporter talking in the background reminded him what was going on at the moment.
"Grace?"
"Ash?"
Grace, Serena's mother, had called. Why, he did not know for sure, but he was about to find out.
"What's going on? I'm seeing what has happened in Vaniville town. Are you alright?" Ash started, trying to get an answer. A moment lasted until he got a response.
"Ash, I'm fine don't worry. I was watching the show from my TV, not really wanting to go inside with such a crowd. But, Serena came back from Hoenn about half a year ago. She started competing in the Master Class again after a few weeks of rest. She had made it to the finals..."
Ash could feel his heartbeat rising, his breaths getting deeper. His mind was starting to come with the worst scenario's.
"She's in the hospital. She's going to be fine."
Ash left a breath he hadn't realized he was keeping. 'Thank Arceus.' He completely missed the way Grace sounded nervous when saying that.
"Ash, I want you to come over to Kalos. Just to be there for her, okay? Normally I'd try and handle this myself, but... You and her are very close, and I'm sure she could use the extra support when recovering." Grace explained, a sign of worry in her voice. Ash took a moment to think about her question before deciding.
"I'll try to be there with the next best flight."
"Thanks you, Ash! You have no idea how happy she'll be."
'I actually could right now.' He thought, but quickly put that aside and focused on the task ahead. He gave his hopes for Serena's well-being and that of Grace before ending the call. He looked around to find his mother looking at her with a sad, but also happy look. She was sad to see her son leave so soon, but she understood why: He had to be there for a friend.
"Let's see when the next flight for Kalos is, Pikachu!"
"Pika, pi!" Pikachu agreed, getting back on his usual spot before the two turned to go to their room. They needed to check the next flight, and stock up on some stuff.
The terminal was busy. Very busy. Ash looked around at the screen showing the flights, his flight not yet arriving.
He breathed, feeling a stinging sensation in his chest. His heart was aching, and he knew just why.
'Serena.'
He grabbed a cell-phone from his pocket. Yes, Ash Ketchum had finally started finding the use in a cellphone. He checked an online number-list and found the number for the Lumiose gym. He dialed the number and waited a few seconds before someone picked up.
It was Clemont. The two greeted each other and Clemont yelled somewhere. Quickly, Ash could hear a loud squeal before footsteps going down stairs. After a few moments he heard Bonnie calling him, obviously having grabbed the phone from her brother. He had a nice greeting with the energetic girl before Clemont succeeded in getting his phone back.
And then Ash dropped in with the subject of Serena.
The mood fell like a brick. He could hear small sobs coming from Bonnie. Clemont seemed hesitant to tell him something, but then a female voice announced that the flight to Kalos had arrived and would be leaving soon.
"See ya soon." Ash finished, hoping to end the call on a good note.
"Yeah." Was all Clemont could mutter before he ended the call. Ash his mood had been ruined by now.
He picked Pikachu away from a hot dog-stand staring at the ketchup-bottle before going to his gate.
His flight left about half an hour later, departing from the docking-gate. The massive thing took of from the ground, the landing gear retracting. Ash looked outside the window, taking in the shrinking view of Kanto.
"Hard to believe we only had arrived her yesterday, isn't it?" Ash spoke up. Pikachu only nodded, still in awe with the way airplanes could fly like that. Ash sat down in his chair, a small sigh escaping him.
"Sometimes, I wonder why I always end up like this." He muttered to himself. Pikachu didn't hear him, leaning from the chair to see when the lady with the ketchup-packets would arrive. Ash chuckled at his best friend's love for ketchup.
'Now I think about it, my family name is very alike, isn't it?' Ash his thoughts wandered around, trying to keep himself busy with something else then Serena.
The flight was long, and after a little while Ash fell asleep in the comfortable chairs, his partner napping on his lap. The two were shaken awake by the plane landing. This time though, Ash was quickly wide awake, his attention on getting of the plane and in Lumiose City as quickly as possible. Pikachu had to chase after the raven-haired trainer before he left without him.
Ash had taken a bus to the hospital where Grace told him Serena was at. He watched outside to see a few restaurants flash by. His stomach growled on cue, not having eaten anything for the past few hours.
'Can't wait to eat some of Serena's desserts.' He thought to himself, his focus on when the bus would arrive at the hospital.
The hospital was called the Lumiose Grand Hospital. And 'grand' it is. He saw a picture from it on the internet, and it looked big enough to house all of Pallet town and more! He had read about it in one of the articles about the people that had been brought away to many hospitals and clinics. The attack had happened yesterday, but the aftermath was still in full flow, the small clinics were full to the brim, having to transfer patients to the bigger hospitals. By now the death-toll was at 52 people and 12 pokemon.
'52 people have already died thanks to that attack. And 12 pokemon to top it of! If I could get my hands on those terrorists..!' Ash thoughts wandered, his fist clenching a bit.
"Pika?" Pikachu asked, worried at the change in his trainers demeanor. It isn't every day you can see Ash Ketchum when angry.
"I'm fine, Pikachu. Just... Worried, that's all."
Pikachu accepted his trainers response, seeing that he wasn't going to bend so well right now.
Finally, the bus arrived at the hospital. Ash quickly went to the entrance and was surprised to see Grace waiting at the entrance. The young woman caught eye of Ash and waved him over.
"Ash, it's good to see you again. I was hoping in better times, though." Grace said, her voice sad and her mood sounding very foul and tired. She had bags under her eyes and her hair seemed very unkempt. Ash could tell that the condition of Serena had taken a toll on her mother.
"Yeah, me too." Ash answered softly, rubbing the back of his head. He hated to come to hospitals, it reminded him to much of the one time Pikachu was so close to having died. Still, he was here to see Serena, and he wasn't going to let anything get his mood down even more.
The two walked inside and Grace went to the desk. She quickly got permission for her and Ash to see Serena before heading down the hallway. She was in room 304 right now, on the third floor. They took the elevator and exited on the third floor, Serena's room almost right behind the corner.
They stopped at the door. Ash took a deep breath and was about to enter the room when the door opened. He knocked into the doctor, who was just leaving.
"Ouch... Sorry, sir." Ash said, rubbing the front of his head. Grace had to hold herself from a small giggle at the raven-haired boy's clumsiness.
"It's nothing. I'm used to bumping into people. Always seem to have my timing wrong when leaving a room. Are you here to see miss Yvonne?" The doctor explained. He looked up to see Grace with a kind but also somewhat forced smile. "Ah, Grace Yvonne! Good to see you as well. I was hoping to have a talk with you."
"Sure, doctor." Grace answered, casting a look to Ash. She left the boy to himself, following the doctor as he started talking in all kinds of medical jargon, leaving the door on a creak. Ash peered inside, but he couldn't see anything so he took the daring step inside the room.
'And now pray she isn't mad at me for not calling in the past two years!'
Author's note:
Well, that's the first chapter to this new fanfiction. Hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it. And, fair warning, but Serena is not going to have it easy. Can any of you guess what she's 'lost'?
Either way, see ya next time!
