A/N: I decided to expand upon my original story a bit and take things from Serena's POV. The first part is almost the same as what I had originally (with some slight editing). Hope you enjoy and please review and tell me how it is .

A Chance Meeting: Part 2

Serena's POV

"What a lousy vacation,"

Serena thought grouchily as she made her way down the stairs and into the kitchen, promptly slumping into a stool facing the kitchen countertop and gave an enormous yawn. Her mother Grace was already up and about fixing breakfast, with her Fletchling perched on her shoulder, and she looked up as her daughter came into the room.

"Morning Serena. I've got your breakfast ready."

Serena gave another big yawn as she replied, "Thanks Mom." She placed her head in the palm of her hands and closed her eyes moodily. It would be another long day of Rhyhorn training, filled with bruises, aches, and failure. It wasn't that she hated Rhyhorn racing. She loved all her mother's Rhyhorn and she loved watching her mother race. But it wasn't something she wanted to do herself. Her mother had a fierce passion for the sport but Serena just couldn't match that. She sighed again and looked out the window. At least it would be another beautiful day of the summer…not that she could enjoy it.

Her mother had been invited along with several other professional racers to hold a series of showcase races in the Kanto region. Grace had decided to take advantage of this opportunity to both showcase and take a small vacation away from Kalos. She had thus rented a spacious house to stay at just on the outskirts of Pallet Town for her and Serena to spend the summer. The vast pastures and farmland that surrounded Pallet was both a perfect training spot and a good environment for the Rhyhorn. Serena had been overjoyed when her mother had announced one evening that they would be spending a large portion of the upcoming summer in the Kanto region. It was an opportunity to meet new people and experience a new region. It was also an opportunity to get away from Rhyhorn training, or so she had thought until her mother had insisted that training continue at least somewhat during their vacation. Yes, her mother was passionate alright.

Grace slowly sipped at her morning coffee and looked at the sleepy form of her daughter and smiled slightly to herself. Perhaps it was time she sprang her surprise.

"So, I've got several races planned for today and throughout the week," she said and paused before continuing, "so perhaps it would be a good idea to postpone Rhyhorn training for a bit of time while I prepare." At that, her daughter shot up, all traces of sleepiness gone as Serena stared up at the amused look on her mother's face.

"Really?!" Serena jumped up and cheered as Grace chuckled and rolled her eyes a bit at her daughter's antics.

"Yes, this is a vacation after all. Go on and enjoy yourself a bit. I think you've deserved a little break." Grace had barely finished before she found herself tackled in a massive hug.

"Oh thank you thank you," Serena squealed before she finally released her. Grace smiled and put her cup down.

"I do have some chores for you though," Grace continued as Serena groaned slightly, "I want your room tidied up a bit and I have a list of groceries for you to get. It's a good chance for you to see the town a bit, maybe meet some new people." Serena grudgingly nodded but then perked up almost immediately. Going around town would certainly be much more interesting than training. The two women finished their breakfast and as Grace left with a parting kiss, they went about to start their separate days.

Serena hummed slightly as she slowly drove down the quiet road towards the town grocery store. In many ways, Pallet Town was a lot like Vaniville Town, with its quaint atmosphere and friendly people. She hadn't had much time to fully explore the area, as she spent a lot of her day Rhyhorn training and found herself too exhausted to do much else. The few people she had encountered so far were friendly enough, though there wasn't too many people her age around. The tournament at the Indigo Plateau would be happening soon, she remembered, and no doubt many trainers were abroad, training and collecting the last of their badges. When she got here, she noticed the flyers everywhere and it was almost all the people of Kanto could talk about.

Serena felt a tiny twinge of envy as she watched commercials of the battling trainers. They were filled with so much passion and the joy (and disappointment) was almost tangible in every trainer she saw. Even the everyday residents who weren't battling seemed to follow the League with a fervor. She didn't really know what she was passionate about or what she wanted to do with her life. Just anything but Rhyhorn racing.

She drove into the parking lot of grocery store and made her way inside. It was Monday morning and so she wasn't surprised to see the store mostly empty as she worked through her mother's list of items. The only person she could see was a boy about her age with a Pikachu perched on top of his shoulder poring through the vegetable section. She watched as the boy scratched under his Pikachu's chin as they laughed about something and felt something tug at her insides. As they passed each other, Serena saw that he was tanned and looked very fit. She could tell that he was someone who had travelled and been through much. His raven-colored hair seemed just barely contained under the cap that he wore and Serena felt herself smiling again. "Perhaps grocery shopping isn't too bad after all."

The days passed and Serena found herself increasingly enjoying Pallet Town. Vacation had turned out to be awesome after all, especially coupled with the wonderful absence of any Rhyhorn racing. She would explore the nearby woods, enjoy a nice swim in the little creeks, or read a good book far out in the fields where the blue sky seemed to stretch out endlessly. Sometimes, her mother would take her out to her racing events and Serena found herself enjoying the vibrant atmosphere of Viridian City.

Every Monday, she would make her way to the grocery store and every single time she would feel the familiar rush of excitement that meant the boy with the Pikachu was also there. There were very few people her age around and so she felt drawn to the boy, though she was much too shy to approach him. She did observe though, as she went about her shopping, some of the small things he did. He seemed to be perpetually cheerful and had an almost boyish attitude as he picked out food with his Pikachu, who seemed extremely fond of his trainer.

One Monday, as she pushed her cart and turned into an aisle deep in thought, she felt a sudden impact and snapped out of her reverie in surprise as she crashed into someone, who turned out to be the boy with the Pikachu.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," she sputtered out, her face turning red with embarrassment, as she hurriedly went over to see if he was ok. Several cans of food fell from the shelves as she mentally berated herself. The boy looked up at her and Serena felt a rush of Butterfrees in her stomach as they stared at each other.

"Are you alright," she implored worriedly, "I wasn't paying attention, I'm so sorry." She just had to go and make a fool of herself in front of this boy. She bent down to pick up the fallen cans and the boy followed suit.

"Oh no no. It's my fault. I wasn't watching either." She looked up shyly at the sound of his voice as he gave her a sheepish grin that made her insides melt, "There's no need to worry, right Pikachu?" He gave her a thumbs-up as his Pikachu jumped back onto his shoulder.

"Come on! Say something!" She mentally willed herself but she found herself lost for words and only managed a shy smile back before they went on their separate ways again. She rounded the corner before she slumped against the wall and sighed at her cowardice. She didn't exactly envision her first meeting with him to go out this way. True, he was a just a boy who was just a total stranger. But again, she felt herself drawn to him. "He's certainly not bad on the eyes either," she thought before she snapped herself out of her confused daze and went back to her list of items.

There never was an opportunity to talk to him after that initial meeting. Serena would see him with his Pikachu every Monday and they would smile to each other if they passed one another. Sometimes, she even dared to bump into him again, but aside from apologizing, she just could never find the courage to start a conversation with him...not that she even knew what to say or trust herself not to make a complete fool of herself again. And so she just continued to observe him from a distance the little things. How he interacted with his Pikachu, the kindness that he showed to those around him, and how she came to crave seeing his smile or grin, a feeling of euphoria that was compounded a million times when it was directed at her.

During her trips to the grocery store, she became good friends with one of the women who worked there, Mrs. Hall. She was an elderly lady who seemed to have an endless stream of talk that she was more than eager to share with Serena. She had helped Serena several times during her first few trips to the store when she was struggling to find items that she had never seen in Kalos before. She had developed a good friendship with the elderly cashier and was always willing to spend a few minutes to talk with her before she went home.

It was during one of those conversations when she had tentatively broached the subject of the boy with his Pikachu. Mrs. Hall had the biggest grin on her face and Serena had to beg her not to tell him or do anything about it. But it was from her that Serena found out that his name was Ash Ketchum and that he was something of a local celebrity around Pallet Town. She learned that he wanted to become the world's greatest Pokemon Master and had placed very high in the very first Indigo Plateau tournament he attended, as well as truly impressive results in his many subsequent showings. From the way Mrs. Hall talked of him, Serena could hear the tone of respect and pride that seemed to be mirrored by almost all who interacted with him.

It made her admiration for him grow, not because of how great a battler he was, but because of how the people seem to regard him and the kind-heartedness that she could just catch a glimpse of from the very few times she spoke with him.

One day, Serena was browsing through the dairy section when suddenly, she saw Mrs. Hall hurriedly making her way to her with a huge grin on her face.

"Do you know what just happened?" the elderly cashier asked gleefully, looking as if she could barely contain her excitement.

Serena tilted her head to one side and peered at Mrs. Hall with a look of confusion on her face.

"Well," Mrs. Hall said with a bit of relish, "the word on the street is that there's a certain handsome teenage boy who has been asking about you." She paused dramatically and couldn't help but smile wider at the look of bewilderment that had spread on Serena's face, who had leaned in almost subconsciously, before continuing, "This certain boy has a Pikachu."

Serena felt a sudden rush of realization as she grasped the meaning of her friend's statement. Could it really be? She looked at her friend with a look of hopeful delight as Mrs. Hall nodded towards the front of the store.

"If you hurry, you might still catch him," Mrs. Hall said with a bright gleam in her eye as she patted the dumbstruck girl slightly on the shoulder before merrily going about her way again. With a rather uncharacteristic split second decision, Serena grabbed her bags and, with a shout of thanks towards her elderly friend, she ran down the aisles towards the cash registers, determined this time to overcome her cowardice and talk to Ash.

She saw him in line to check out and as she approached, the Pikachu on his shoulder noticed her and cried out. She stopped in front of him panting, before looking up into his warm chocolate-brown eyes.

"Hi."

"Hey."

They stood there looking at each other for a moment. Serena felt her courage start to slip. Her heart was pounding so loud she was sure that even he could hear it. She gathered her wits and before the nerve left her, gave him a huge smile and said a bit teasingly, "Did you really think it was a coincidence we kept bumping into each other?" She saw his eyes widen in surprise and his Pikachu started grinning at her. She couldn't help but smile wider at the dumbfounded pair and grabbed her bags to leave, adrenaline coursing through her.

"Well," she though nervously as she headed out of the store into the parking lot, not daring to look back at the Ash's reaction, "That wasn't quite as bad as I expected. Would he take up the hint?" She packed her bags into the trunk of her car and peered out hopefully at the store entrance.

"He's not coming. Maybe he wasn't interested." She felt a rush of disappointment as she rested head on the driving wheel and stared miserably at her lap. A sudden platter of feet made her look up and she saw him running towards her car, waving frantically. Her heart leapt with excitement as she quickly rolled down the window and grinned hopefully at the panting boy in front of her. He looked up at her and gave her a brilliant smile before asking a bit hesitantly, "Would you like to get ice cream with me?"

She almost squealed out loud with excitement but caught herself as she beamed at him and responded a bit teasingly, "That took you long enough. Tomorrow at noon?"

Ash's grin widened as he said, "You can count on it." She could see his genuine happiness and found herself wishing that that it was already tomorrow. They said goodbye and she was about to drive off when he suddenly called at her again.

She turned towards him again and looked at him questioningly. Ash smiled a bit sheepishly, one hand scratching the back of his head. She couldn't help but notice how cute he was when he did that, and a little endearing. Almost everything he did was a little endearing to her and she loved it.

"I never got your name. I'm Ash from Pallet Town."

She chuckled a bit and grinned blushingly back. How could she have forgotten to introduce herself. "I'm Serena."

"Serena," Ash said as if almost savoring the name. They waved at each other once more and went on their separate ways. Serena hummed happily to herself as she drove on home. The day somehow seemed brighter and she felt like a balloon inside so much was her joy.

"What a wonderful vacation."