Here we are: a new story. For those who are new, I've written two stories for the Pokémon universe in the past, with OCs of mine. However, this is my first story when it comes to dealing with established characters, and I won't screw it up. This story is a prequel to my previous two, but shouldn't be a big deal to read on its own.
With that in mind, let's delve in.
Song of the Chapter: Canalave City (Diamond & Pearl)
"Hey Ash!" exclaimed Serena as she descended on the escalator. "There's just one thing."
As Serena ran up the descending escalator, Ash was puzzled. What did she forget to say? Clemont and Bonnie were also confused, but kept watching.
Then, it happened.
Serena kissed Ash right on the lips as the escalator took her down. Blushing immensely, she smiled at the dumbfounded Ash as Clemont and Bonnie had massive eyes-open reactions/
"Thank you!" exclaimed Serena as she neared the end of the escalator. Ash, clearly in shock, brushed it off and cheered at Serena alongside Clemont and Bonnie. Their journey through Kalos together had been incredible, and this was an interesting ending to it.
Later on, Ash and Pikachu found themselves boarding their flight back to Kanto. However, as they boarded, a flight attendant looked at them in surprise.
"Ash Ketchum, correct?" asked the flight attendant.
"Yeah," replied Ash.
"We've actually upgraded your ticket to first class," replied the attendant. "Professor Sycamore did it as thanks for your help with the Team Flare incident."
"Wow, thanks," replied Ash as he walked through the aisles of the plane. Some people looked at him in awe, while others had no idea who he was. Ash sat down in his seat, with Pikachu jumping onto his shoulder.
"Pikachu, Kalos was great," uttered Ash. "Once we get back to Pallet Town, I think we deserve a break from adventure."
"Pika!" exclaimed the ever-optimistic Pikachu.
Midway into the flight, Ash found himself looking out the window, reminiscing about his journey in Kalos. His first meeting with Froakie. Discovering Goodra's homeland. Clemont's ridiculous inventions. The Kalos League.
Serena.
Upon thinking about Serena, Ash's mind raced towards one thing: the kiss. Ash finally understood what was going on. The reason for Serena wanting to find him. The fact that they rarely argued. Her support for Ash in his gym battles and the Kalos League. Her dislike of Miette.
It all clicked into place.
Ash, too, had some repressed feelings for her during the journey. It actually started early on, when he noticed Serena's Fennekin outfit and found her to look cute. While Ash had never really thought about romance, Serena had certainly caught his eye. He would keep these in mind, but would try and keep them locked away, for he was scared of rejection and wanted to focus on winning the Kalos League. Yet, the kiss had proved that rejection would never have happened. If anything, the opposite would've happened.
But it was too late.
Ash rested his head onto his tray table, crying slightly. Pikachu, clearly confused, tried to comfort him.
"Pikachu, I should've said something," Ash cried out. "Anything."
It was ironic. Ash had the confidence to jump off of buildings to save Pokémon, yet he was too shy to tell a girl that he liked her. The repressed feelings had taken their toll on Ash's mind.
"Pikapi!" exclaimed Pikachu, as if he was trying to make a point.
"You're right Pikachu," replied Ash. "I shouldn't let this get to me."
Several months later, Serena found herself in the busy streets of Mauville City, looking for the Contest Hall. As she sat at the side to look for a map, a girl approached her.
"Looking for the Contest Hall?" asked the girl.
"Yeah," replied Serena. "How could you tell?"
"The Contest Pass you have there," replied the girl. "Come with me, I'll show you where it is."
As the two of them walked through the streets, Serena saw a lot of interesting Trainers alongside Pokémon she had never seen before. To her, travelling felt incredible.
"Say, I didn't catch your name," uttered Serena. "I'm Serena. I'm a Pokémon Performer from Kalos that wants to learn new techniques from Contests."
"Nice to meet you Serena," replied the girl. "My name's May."
This is just a prologue chapter. Chapter 1 will be a year later, focusing on Serena's motivation to go to Alola. Anyways, see you next time! Make sure to check out my Tumblr (Tigertot15) and my subreddit on Reddit (/r/tigertotsfanfiction)!