That took quite a bit longer than I had wanted, but I have an update now. Enjoy.

Serena gripped tightly onto Ash's hand as he led them through the tall grass. Her mind was only partially in the present. Part of it was in the past, years ago, when Ash held her hand as he walked her back to camp.

"Don't give up 'til it's over, 'kay?"

She could still hear his youthful voice encouraging her.

She was pulled back into the present when Ash stopped running through the grass. The two of them had stopped in a place where the grass had been burned down into a small clearing. "Whoa, this place was on fire?"

"Pyroar is a Fire-Type Pokémon," Ash said. "They probably just burned the grass here so they could lay down easier."

"So I guess we shouldn't worry about a huge fire spreading," Serena said. She let out a sigh of relief and adjusted the pink felt hat on her head. She looked around. "Ash, I don't think Bonnie and Clemont ran this way."

Ash looked around, holding onto the brim of his head. "Aw, man, you're right. I guess we got separated."

Serena's hands clenched her hat tighter, pulling it over her eyes. "Ash, this place is dangerous with all the wild Pyroar around. Do you think they'll be okay?"

Ash stepped over to her and tipped her hat up. He gave her a reassuring smile. "I'm sure Clemont and Bonnie are okay. They have their Pokémon to bail 'em out of trouble if they get chased, and I know Clemont'll keep it together on the way to the Pokémon Center."

Serena smiled back. "You're right. Let's just head toward the Pokémon Center I saw on the map. Clemont has a map of his own, so I'm sure we can meet up when we reach it!"

Ash gave her a toothy grin. "That's the spirit. 'Don't give up 'til it's over', right?"

"Right!" Serena let go of her hat. "Let's get going. We don't want to keep them waiting."

Serena took a few quick steps ahead and turned around. She gave Ash a smile to let him know that she'd be okay.

Ash smiled back, but then he noticed something.

The bushes behind Serena were shaking.

His smile turned into desperate expression. He lunged forward and tackled Serena to the ground. Pikachu fell off his shoulder as Ash leapt, the boy placing his hands on the girl's shoulders and taking her down into the burnt grass. Just as he tackled Serena to the ground, a Pyroar jumped out of the grass. She sailed right over Ash and Serena, heading right for Pikachu. Pikachu rolled across the burned grass, out of the way as Pyroar slid across the ground.

Serena felt her face heat up as Ash laid on top of her. He looked over his shoulder. "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu's cheeks sparked and he launched a bolt of electricity at the Pyroar. The large Fire-and-Normal type leapt out of the way, the electricity dissipating into the air.

Ash got up and stood behind Pikachu. "Pyroar, we don't want to fight you! Please, just leave us alone!"

The Pyroar roared at Ash and Pikachu. Pikachu glowed a little as the roar shook him.

Ash gritted his teeth. "Pyroar musta used an attack that lowered Pikachu's attack power." Something caught his eye in the sky. He smirked, an idea forming in his head. "Pikachu, jump in the air and use Iron Tail!"

"Pika!" Pikachu followed his trainer's command, leaping into the air above Pyroar. His tail began to glow and he began to spin, swinging the tail towards Pyroar. The Royal Pokémon jumped out of the way.

"Now Fletchling! Use Steel Wing!"

Serena looked up, and saw Ash's Fletchling, which hadn't caught up with them yet, diving at Pyroar with glowing wings. Pyroar looked up at the diving Robin Pokémon, but she couldn't move fast enough as Fletchling's wings collided with her back, knocking her to the ground. The small Flying-Type hovered in front of Ash, flapping his wings. "Fletchlingling!"

Pyroar got up and stared at Ash and his Pokémon. She growled and then darted off into the tall grass.

Ash let out a sigh of relief. "Return, Fletchling," he said, holding up Fletchling's Poké Ball. A ray of light shot out and hit Fletchling, reconverting him into energy and drawing him back inside the Poké Ball. Putting Fletchling's Poké Ball back on his belt, he turned and offered a hand to Serena, who was still lying on the ground. "Are you alright, Serena?"

Serena's head was still spinning from the quick turn of events. First she was smiling, then she was on the ground, and then Ash was battling another Pyroar. She took his hand and pulled herself to her feet. "I'm alright. Thank you, Ash."

"Don't mention it," he said, smiling. He pulled her to her feet.

Serena blushed. Ash pulled her into a hug. Her mind flashed back to that warm summer day.

He took a step back. "There ya go," he said, giving her a big toothy grin.

She blinked. Suddenly she was a little girl again, and they were surrounded by tall trees and shadows.

"We should get going," he said. "C'mon." He looked down to Pikachu. "You, too, buddy." Pikachu nodded and hopped onto his shoulder.

Serena giggled. He was still holding her hand. "Ash, you've never changed, have you?"

Ash blinked, pulling his hand back. "What do you mean?"

"This is just like when we were kids. You saved me then, too."

Ash laughed. "It's nothing Serena, really. Don't worry about."

As he turned around and began walking through the tall grass, Serena smiled inwardly and put her hand to her chest before following him into the brush.

"How much longer, big brother?" Bonnie asked, tapping her food impatiently.

Clemont strained, tightening another nut on the machine. He wiped his forehead. "It's almost done, Bonnie. But it'd be easier if we could just wake Dedenne up."

Bonnie stomped her feet. "Don't you think I would have done that if it were possible?"

Dedenne yawned and rolled over in his pouch again.

Clemont was putting in some last minute touches on a new machine. He sighed inwardly. Not really a new machine as much as a repaired one. The radar dish was still dented from when the Pikachu Chasing Machine originally crashed and exploded in their encounter with the evil Malamar. The good looking Pikachu exterior was completely lost, leaving it looking mostly like a gray box on wheels but the tracking function should still work if…

Clemont finished tightening the wheel. "There. That should do it."

Bonnie was beside herself with excitement. "Does this mean we can find Pikachu?" she asked, hopping up and down.

He smiled, standing up. He pushed his glasses up his nose with one finger, causing them to glint in the afternoon sun. "The future is now, thanks to science! With the Fully Automated Pikachu Chasing Machine Mark II, we'll be able to track Pikachu down, and surely Ash and Serena are with him!"

"Well, what're you waiting for, big bro?" Bonnie ran up to him. "Let's go!"

He nodded. "Clemontic Gear, On!"

Just before he could press the button, a stream of fire shot from the tall grass hit the machine, causing it to explode, covering Clemont and Bonnie with a cloud of soot. The young girl coughed. "Usually your machine turns on before it explodes…"

Clemont stood up and looked at where the flamethrower came from. Two Pyroar, both female, stepped into the clearing, growling angrily at the young inventor. "Bonnie, we need to run!"

He grabbed Bonnie's hand and the two of them ran off in the opposite direction of the Pyroar back into the tall grass. After a few moments, the two siblings came across the path they had been following with Ash and Serena earlier, and began to run along it. The two Pyroar that had attacked them in the clearing were still chasing behind them. Clemont remembered Ash making a dust cloud. But I don't have a Pokémon that stirs up clouds. He had a flash of inspiration. But I do have-!

"Bunnelby, use Dig to put a bunch of holes in the path behind us!"

Clemont threw out Bunnelby's Poké Ball, and the Digging Pokémon appeared in a flash. He twirled around and spun into the ground. Bunnelby popped up almost immediately, diving back into the ground. The Normal-Type did it over and over, following behind Clemont and Bonnie as they ran.

The Pyroar were confused at first, but then they gave chase. A few steps in, however, and their feet began falling into the holes Bunnelby had been digging up. The two Pyroar began tripping and falling on the ground and over each other. Clemont and Bonnie run down the path, taking a turn around a bend.

Bunnelby tunnels up behind them, hopping into the air. Clemont stops and recalls Bunnelby. "Great work, Bunnelby." He smiles at the Poké Ball, which shakes in response. The inventor turns to his sister. "I don't know if I'll be able to actually get an invention together as long as the Pyroar are out here chasing us."

Bonnie sighed. "That's no good. How'll we get back together with Ash and Serena?"

"The Pokémon Center that Serena mentioned is our best," Clemont said, putting Bunnelby's Poké Ball away. "We'll head there and wait for them. At least when we get there, I can make a device to track them and not be interrupted."

The two blonde siblings continued down the path together.

The afternoon had quickly become evening, and the tall grass began casting long shadows. Somehow, Ash and Serena had avoided the Pyroar for the rest of the day. "Maybe they got tired of chasing us because every time, they ended up with a bigger fight than they wanted?" Serena supposed.

"Maybe," Ash said with a shrug. "I just hope Clemont and Bonnie are doin' alright."

Serena gave him a reassuring smile. "I'm sure they're okay. Clemont's smart enough to come up with something to help them. I mean…" she sighed to herself, but forced a smile, "his inventions always work so well…"

Ash brightened up. "You're right, Serena! Man, science is amazing!"

She didn't have the heart to tell him the truth.

They continued walking, but as the sun dipped lower and lower over the horizon, they began to slow their steps. They found a clearing in the tall grass that looked like the burned grass had regrown a while ago. Ash stopped in his tracks. "I guess we should stop for the night. There's no point in walking when we can't see what's ahead of us."

"I guess we should set up camp, then?" Serena offered. "I'll start dinner."

Ash rubbed the back of his head. "I guess I'll look for water."

Serena found some dried grass and set a few rocks around it. She let Fennekin out of her Poké Ball, and the Fire-Type lit the kindling for her trainer. Serena opened her belongings. Clemont usually carried most of their gear in his heavy backpack, including the collapsible table and the fold-out chairs. With Clemont and Bonnie missing, though, they would have to make do with what they had. In her backpack, she had, among other things, her sewing kit, a couple of plates, one frying pan, a few pieces of cutlery, and Bonnie's tent. She remembered talking with the younger girl about Bonnie carrying her own tent, but Bonnie's bag wasn't big enough, so Serena had volunteered. At least that part's a stroke of luck, so I won't be sleeping out in the open. Still, with no chairs or table, they'd be sitting on the ground, holding their plates in their laps. The thought wasn't appealing to Serena, but it'd only be tonight. Surely they'd meet up with Clemont and Bonnie tomorrow.

Serena didn't realize until this moment how much she missed the blonde siblings. She sighed, taking out her frying pan and a few ingredients. She was going to try and make fried noodles for Ash and herself. She'd also have to make sure the Pokémon got fed, but she was sure Ash would volunteer himself as soon as he got back.

As if on cue, Ash returned to the clearing, carrying two buckets. Behind him, Pikachu carried a bucket on his own, and following behind the two of them was Froakie with a fourth. "Hey, we found a water hole just a little ways from here. There weren't any Pyroar nearby, but there was a flock of Fletchling drinking from it, so it should be fine."

Serena couldn't help but smile. "Maybe I should boil it, just to be safe."

Serena made a noodle stir-fry, a change of pace from the spaghetti that they found themselves eating often. She emptied the frying pan into two bowls, both held by Ash at the time. The two of them clicked their plastic cups together, filled with water, as they looked out over the Pokémon.

Ash had fed them while Serena finished cooking. Pikachu sat with Fletchling and the two ate and discussed the wild day they had, while Froakie and Fennekin chitchatted seemingly aimlessly by themselves. Pikachu shot them a glance but shrugged. Froakie wasn't usually that talkative, but whatever. At least he was socializing. He returned to his conversation with Fletchling.

Serena sat on the ground, next to Ash and the fire. She took a fork full of noodles and placed them into her mouth as Ash popped some in his mouth and just slurped them up. Serena swallowed her food and choked down a laugh. He could be so childish at times, but that was part of his charm, she supposed. Ash quickly shoveled the food into his mouth, slurping the noodles the entire way, oblivious to the world around him.

"That was great! Thanks, Serena!"

She giggled. "Don't mention it." She ate more of her noodles. "By the way, you've got some on your face." She made a motion to his cheeks.

Ash rubbed his face, getting the sauce and stray noodles on his hands before licking his fingers clean. "Always clean your plate! It's good manners, after all." He looked over to the Pokémon. Pikachu had just finished his Pokémon Food, and Fletchling was almost finished. Froakie and Fennekin still had most of their food left. "Make sure you clean your plates, guys!" The Pokémon responded in a chorus, their cries all mixing together.

Watching him interact with the Pokémon always put a smile on Serena's face. No matter how goofy he was about Clemont's inventions or how dense he was about certain subjects, Ash always expressed himself clearly to his Pokémon, and any other Pokémon he met. Ash kneeled down and rubbed his buddy's head, to which Pikachu responded by letting out a contented "Chaa".

Serena took a few steps over herself and sat near Fennekin and Froakie. "And what are you two talking about, hmm? Everyone else is done eating."

Fennekin averted her eyes, but Serena recognized that look, if only because she had had the same look on her face before. The girl looked to Froakie, who also averted his eyes, but a clear blush was on his face. "Froa Kie."

Serena whispered into Fennekin's ear. "Good luck, Fennekin! At least Froakie seems to get how you feel."

Fennekin's sneezed out a few embers in response. "Fe-Fennekin!"

Serena gave her Pokémon a wink, but then heard Ash yawn. "Man, I'm getting sleepy."

"Pikachu."

Serena thought about sleeping under the stars, out in the open, and she shuddered for a moment. Then she remembered what she saw in her pack earlier. "Oh, wait," she said, stopping herself. "I actually have Bonnie's tent, so I don't have to worry about sleeping outside."

Ash turned to her. "Really? That sounds great! C'mon, let's set it up!"

"That didn't take long," Ash said, wiping a little sweat off of his brow. "Now let's get some sleep."

Ash began crawling into the pink tent, sleeping bag under his arm and Pikachu on his shoulder when Serena began to protest. "W-Wait! Ash, what are you doing?"

He blinked and looked back at her. "I'm just going to sleep. What's up?"

"Pika?"

Serena's face flushed. "You can't sleep in there!"

He looked back at the tent. "It's a bit girly, yeah, but it's still a tent. I can sleep in this."

Serena's blush intensified. "That's not what I mean! If you sleep in there, where will I sleep?"

Ash's face continued to have a blank, slightly confused expression. "You'll sleep in here. I mean, you don't wanna sleep outside, right?"

Serena's entire face had turned red by this point, and she fell over backwards. "A-A-Ash and m-m-me, sleeping together?" she muttered to herself. What would her mother say? What would Bonnie say?

"Serena, you okay?" Ash sat at the entrance to the tent.

Serena quickly sat up and laughed off his concern, though her face was still as red as Pikachu's cheeks. "No! It's fine!" She followed that up with quite possibly the most nervous fake laughter she had ever had in her entire life.

Ash smiled back. "Well, then that's that." He started to turn around again to go into the tent.

"W-Wait!" Serena called, halting him again. "Don't you think you should change into your sleeping clothes outside the tent, and let me change inside?"

Ash thought for a moment, then nodded. "That makes sense. You better get in the tent and change then."

She nodded. "R-Right!"

Taking her sleeping back and her change of clothes into the tent, she quickly zipped it shut. Changing out of her dress into the clothes she slept in quickly, she crawled back into her sleeping bag and curled up. She closed her eyes and waited nervously. In her mind, she quickly worked through every possible scenario in her head. She would be welcoming and friendly, but not too friendly, lest he get the wrong idea. They were friends right now, after all. If he wanted to rest his head on her lap while he slept, that wasn't too far over the line. Maybe asking to hold her while they slept would be a bit much.

If he asked to zip their sleeping bags together? She would just die on the spot, pure and simple.

Ash unzipped the tent and crawled inside, holding his sleeping bag under his arm and Pikachu on his shoulder. He unfurled it almost diagonally in the tent, the head of his bag away from Serena's, but the feet of their bags almost touching. Serena's eyes followed Ash as he unzipped the sleeping bag and slipped inside before zipping it back up. Her eyes went back down to their feet. If she wiggled her toes just a little, they would come in contact.

Except not really. Because there would be two layers of sleeping bag between them. But she had never been this close before.

Ash yawned. "G'night Pikachu," he said, looking down at his partner as the Pokémon hopped onto his stomach and curled up. He turned his head to Serena. "G'night, Serena." Then he yawned again, closed his eyes, and promptly fell asleep.

Serena just watched him for a little while, his breathing lifting Pikachu up every so often, his messy hair poking out from all directions except where his hat would sit. The two of them had been through a lot today, in a day that seemed pretty uneventful at first. She closed her eyes and replayed the moment he saved her from the Pyroar in her mind.

"Good night, Ash," she whispered into the night. "Sweet dreams."

Clemont stared at the top of his tent. He was lying, wide awake.

The rest of their day had been uneventful since he and Bonnie had escaped the Pyroar.

Yes. Bonnie.

He didn't realize how loudly she snored. And she was snoring loudly next to him, inside his tent.

"I need to invent some noise-cancelling headphones…"