Chapter 7

AN: This story is so fun to write, and it has gotten so much support that I'm caving – I'm writing another chapter after this which will most likely be the last, but could be the second to last. We'll see! Anyway, thank you to EVERYONE who has taken the time to stop by my writings and read and favorite and review and make me feel just so special. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Heavy, heavy fluffy stuff in this chapter, I hope you guys enjoy!

Ash was frozen for a very brief moment where he allowed himself to think about the tear filled goodbye he had had with Wailmer barely forty-eight hours before this exact moment. He had never expected to see him again, or that he would end up in Coumarine City, drenched in the middle of near hurricane conditions, with Serena barely five feet from him, crouched in the sand and soaked to the bone.

"Serena! This is the Wailmer that Pikachu and I really got along with!" Ash said, grabbing the rope that was tangled around its body and pulling hard towards his body. It was futile and the rope showed no signs of tearing.

Serena nodded, Delphox standing concernedly above her, attempting to shield her trainer from the storm by throwing her arms over Serena's head. "We need to get the rope off before we do anything about moving him!"

"Right!" Ash reached for his pockets automatically. "Greninja I choose - !"

In the middle of his launching motion, Ash stopped himself short, falling face first into the sand in embarrassment. "The rest of my Pokemon are inside…" His face burning, Ash quickly returned to his feet and began pulling the rope taught, as far away from Wailmer's body as the length would permit.

"Don't worry, Wailmer, I've got an idea. Pikachu! Use Iron Tail on this part of the rope!" Ash yelled to his partner, who was busy with moving his paws over Wailmer's face, calming the distressed whale Pokemon. "Be very careful not to hit Wailmer!"

"Pika!" Pikachu sprung back from close by Wailmer's face and put a determined look on his own before launching himself into the air. Gathering as much energy as he could muster, Pikachu's tail began to glow a blinding white. He reached full power and brought his body down, his tail connecting with the rope in a clean, precise cut. Ash wrenched away the large chunk that came apart in his hands and threw it to the ground.

"Great job buddy!" A bolt of lightning hit the water close to them again, causing Serena to jump from her vigil by Wailmer's injured side. Ash's face snapped to hers, the two making fierce eye contact. "Serena, look at me, it's okay. We're here together, you can do this."

Serena furrowed her brow, nodding to Ash with determination before looking up at Delphox. "Alright Delphox, let's help get this rope off of Wailmer!"

"Delphox!" Delphox yelled with equal determination as Serena, moving quickly to Wailmer's side, grabbing fistfuls of rope in its paws.

Ash ran to the other side of Wailmer to join Serena and Delphox, who were struggling to find the easiest way to remove the twisted fibers. He allowed himself another look at Serena when he got there, inhaling the rich vanilla and green tea scent that wafted off of her now that her hair was wet and plastered to her face. Ash was intoxicated, almost frozen, lost in the look that she wore on her face; it was equal parts beauty and ferocity and it moved Ash deeply to his core.

"Serena..." He began, about to reach for her when she brought her hand to his chin and geared his face back towards the distressed Wailmer, a worried Pikachu sitting on top of him, anxiously trying to sooth his friend.

"Ash! Not now!" Serena exclaimed, exasperated. She could hardly believe her luck; she had spent months trying to make dense, hotheaded Ash see her how she longed for him to, holding onto her feelings for years after they separated and now he was trying to tell her what she had longed to hear most in the middle of an impressive thunderstorm during a rescue mission. Serena huffed, not surprised in the slightest.

Ash felt the heat rise to his cheeks as he turned and grabbed a piece of tangled rope, bracing himself. "Right… okay, on three, ready? One, two, three!"

The three of them, Serena, Delphox and Ash, pulled together and with a great effort, the rope came sliding off of Wailmer's body to land in a heap at their feet, wet and useless. Wailmer expressed his immediate thanks with a loud cry and by pushing air through his blowhole, which frightened Delphox a few steps back. Ash knew they were not nearly out of the woods yet.

Serena brought her hands back to the wound she had located near his fin and felt for the extent of the damage. Her unique training as a groomer fit to heal and control minor injuries on Pokemon who came to the shop allowed her to recognize that this was not a very concerning wound. "Ash, I think this wound is superficial, probably just a result from the struggle with the rope! I'm almost sure that if we got Wailmer back into the water safely, he would be okay!"

Ash opened his mouth to respond to her when suddenly more cries filled the skies, mingling with the torrent of rain that was unrelenting. Both he and Serena followed the sound with their eyes towards the white-capped and choppy seas where they could just make out around ten different dark shapes bobbing in the waves, looking on at them with expressions of fear that Ash could make out from his place on the beach. "It's the other Wailmer!"

Ash knelt close to Wailmer's face again, bringing his hand back between Wailmer's eyes. "Wailmer, can you hear your friends out there? They're waiting for you, and we're going to get you back there, just hold on!"

This time, it was Serena's turn to be awed by Ash's attributes. As she watched him bring himself down to Wailmer's level, she felt her heart leap and beat faster, fluttering against her chest. Watching him battle hours ago with passionate toughness that was put together like poetry and seeing him now, sunk into the wet sand and dripping with cold rain soothing the helpless Wailmer was the reason she had let herself fall for him. He could be a fierce competitor, protector and relentless in his loyalty but within seconds turn himself into a gentle and patient person filled with unbreakable kindness and innocence. To Serena, Ash's ability to be all of these things for her was what made him, well, Ash. As she allowed her mind to drift, her eyes watched his strong muscles, rippling beneath his shoulders as he pushed himself from the ground, reaching for her arm.

His voice broke her reverie. "Serena! Did you hear me?!"

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she blushed and admitted she hadn't. "I'm sorry, I couldn't over the wind!" Serena let the lie slip through her teeth innocently.

"I said, do you think Delphox can use Psychic on Wailmer to lift him back to the water? I think he's too heavy for us to push back!" Ash yelled back, loudly and close to her ear. She shivered lightly as his breath hit her ear.

Serena nodded, indicating she had understood and turned towards Delphox who stood behind her, glaring up at the skies like the rain it was releasing was personally offending her. "Delphox, did you hear Ash? Use Psychic on Wailmer and see if you can move him back to the water!"

"Phox!" Delphox nodded and brandished her twig-like wand once again, grateful for something to distract her from the rain and the fact that her fur was going to need a good, long brushing. She raised her wand with elegance and a blue aura appeared around Wailmer.

"Come on, Delphox! You can do it!" Ash yelled, punching his fist into the air with Pikachu on his shoulder, cheering just as loudly. "Pika Pikachu!"

Slowly, with a cry, Wailmer was lifted into the air, leaving a crater of hard and matted sand where he had struggled. With great concentration, Delphox focused on inching Wailmer closer and closer to the tide that was rushing to meet the shore, with Serena, Ash and Pikachu encouraging her loudly beyond the sounds of the storm. Wailmer cried a long and pitiful cry, desperately trying to reach his friends who were waiting in the water for him to return.

"Keep going, Delphox! You're doing so awesome!"

"Great job Delphox! He's almost there!"

"Pikachu!"

Finally, with one last heave, Delphox was able to hover Wailmer over the shallows of the rushing tide before dropping him with a splash into the water. Wailmer cried out, flapping his fins wildly to right himself in the waves that once more threatened to push him back to shore before two more Wailmer, one on each side, appeared and pushed him against the crashing waves. With their help, Wailmer was able to swim past the breakers with his two companions, who were singing to him, their cries uniting with one another's in perfect harmony, carrying over the violence of the storm.

Ash rushed into the tide, the water sliding past his ankles and soaking his pant bottoms. Ash ignored this and, with a large grin, raised his hand high into the air with one more farewell, Wailmer sending out a final cry of thanks as he disappeared once more into the water, Pikachu on his shoulder. "Goodbye again, Wailmer 394! Be careful out there!"

Pikachu brought himself on top of Ash's head and waved as well, yelling as loudly as he could. "Piiiiiika!"

Serena knelt next to Delphox, who had dropped to her knees from the effort she expelled moving Wailmer the meaningful distance from the shore back to swimmable waters. Serena placed her hand over Delphox's paw in thanks, thunder rolling in the distance, signaling another lightning bolt. "Delphox, you did such an amazing job. Thank you so much."

Delphox looked up at her, grinning through her panting, looking very pleased despite the fact that her fur was now beyond just a quick brushing. "Del…phox…"

Serena straightened and turned back towards Ash, watching his back as his feet were washed in heavy, damp sand that was brought in from the rushing tide. His hair was as flat to his head as she had ever seen it, and she was sure hers didn't look any better, self-consciously running her fingers through it. As she did so, he turned back to her, his smile reaching far into his eyes, his mouth open in laughter as Pikachu bounded from his head towards Delphox. Serena took a few steps back as Pikachu reached Delphox and jumped into her arms where the two friends embraced happily, Pikachu running up Delphox's arms to stand on her shoulder as she lifted herself from her knees.

Ash watched as Serena looked on at Pikachu and Delphox happily celebrating with one another. From the few feet away from her where he was standing, he could see each individual drop of rain that fell onto her hair and rolled off, which made her skin glisten. Ash allowed his eyes to travel from her hair, darkened by the rain, down to her bare feet, now ankle deep in the sand. She suddenly turned to him, her eyes shining with something he couldn't quite make out – it was deep and fervent, and Ash could practically feel the energy that was invisible but nonetheless strong between them. He thought about all of the times he should have told her how much more she had become to him, when he let his thoughts stay silent and repressed until it built into something that caused so much pain. All the years he had spent away from her, brooding and miserable, before a wandering group of Wailmer, this Wailmer, brought them back together. Suddenly, Ash knew, drenched and cold, that there was no room left for more time.

At the same time he felt his feet begin to carry himself towards her, attempting to keep himself upright as the waves crashed around his ankles, he saw her sprint through the sand, closing the distance between them. Within seconds, for the second time that day, Serena collided with him hard enough to nearly knock him over but he held strong and brought his arms tight around her, pressing his face into her shoulder.

Serena could feel the tension rolling off of him in waves, the release washing over her enough that she felt her legs almost go limp as he held her, her hands gripping his shoulders inhaling the salty sweetness from his soaked shirt. She couldn't help but keep a smile off of her face, wanting to say so much to him, but instead stayed silent before he pulled away from her, moving his hands to gently hold her cheeks. She was blinking furiously, the rain tumultuous and blinding, but his face was close enough to hers that it was clear, their noses touching.

"Serena, I am so sorry. I don't think any words can express how sorry I really am. I should have told you so many times. That night at the ball, the day you saved me from myself in the Winding Woods; that snowball knocked so much more sense into me that day than you even know." His breath came out in a huff as he laughed, Serena sure his mind was replaying moments that she shared with him. "I've been traveling for years, with so many different people, seeing so many different beautiful places, meeting incredible Pokemon and doing amazing things. But you came back into my life and you… you were always… different. I couldn't place it then; I was, and still am, pretty dense."

Serena swallowed the large lump that had formed in her throat, feeling tears starting to form in the corners of her eyes and mingle with the water that was already there. "Oh Ash tell me something I don't know already!"

Ash could feel the corners of him mouth straining with how big his smile stretched across his face. "I guess I'm really not good at this kind of thing am I?"

Serena shook her head, one hand snaking up his back to grip the hair that was closest to the nape of his neck. "You never have been, but I'm going to need you to get on with this because we are definitely still in the middle of a thunderstorm right now."

Ash took a moment to look up, the rain falling into his eyes and causing him to flinch in surprise before looking back at Serena, his hands still cupping her face. "There I go, distracted again."

He took one deep breath before continuing, looking back at her meaningfully. "I've had so many years, sitting at Lilycove, thinking about why I was so upset to lose the Kalos League, why I took this ending harder than the rest. It was you, Serena. I can't pinpoint the exact moment when it happened, or whether it was fast or slow, but somewhere along the way, I fell in love with you, Serena."

Serena could feel her heart leap, the tears spilling down her cheeks now, a far-away bolt of lightning illuminating the thick grey clouds that hung overhead. She had waited so long for those words to wash over her; all of the passion that had been lost to her when he left her that day came rushing back the moment she saw him. All of the anger she held back when he had left her so uncharacteristically dissipated into warmth and shared joy as she looked back at him, sliding her hands down once more to rest on top of his shoulders.

"I have been waiting, so long for you to say that, Ash." Serena whispered, bringing their faces dangerously close together. "I love you, too."

Ash smiled crookedly, and breathed out a sigh of relief. He tilted his head and slowly brought his lips close to hers, pausing just before, timidly asking for her permission. "Can I please kiss you?"

Serena couldn't keep herself from releasing a nervous giggle, nodding feverishly. "Please do before I freeze to death."

He brushed his thumb along her lips before suddenly his lips were on hers, and he could feel the softness and warmth of them as they turned up in a smile. It was pouring and thunder rolled over the water like a loose cannon, but Ash was sure he had never felt more on fire in his life as he did in that moment. They were a perfect match, each giving in to the other in the right moments, while giving back equally as well.

Serena finally broke them apart, her hands resting on Ash's chest, feeling his one hand still cupping her face while the other had slid down to rest at the small of her back. She could see the same flush on his face that she felt on hers and laughed before looking down at their feet, which were hidden by the rushing water. "As much as I'd love to do this more, it is still storming and we are most definitely still in the middle of it."

"Pikapi!"

"Delphox!"

Ash and Serena both whipped their heads in the direction of their partner's voices to find them halfway back to Serena's home, waving them both on, with Pikachu balancing on top of Delphox's shoulers. Affording each other a quick look, they broke apart, gripping each other's hands before sprinting back up towards the beach and covering the distance quickly.

Serena reached the sliding glass door to her back patio first, slipping for a moment with her wet hands on the handle before wrenching it open, Delphox and Pikachu sliding in first, with Ash bringing up the rear. Almost immediately, Pikachu jumped off of Delphox and landed on floor, shaking its fur out vigorously, while Delphox shielded herself from the droplets that were flying like bullets off of Pikachu.

"Pikachu! Stop that right now!" Ash exclaimed, walking over and picking Pikachu up off of the floor to stop him from shaking any further. "Have I taught you no manners?"

Serena and Delphox exchanged a look, thinking back on all of the times that Ash and Pikachu had inhaled their food in front of her without a thought. Serena walked straight through to her bathroom where she fished four fluffy towels out from the closet, throwing two at Ash and laughing as they hit him square in the face and bounced off into his arms that were still holding Pikachu.

"Nice catch," Serena smirked, handing one politely to Delphox. Delphox gladly accepted and went to work on fluffing her fur, hoping it would shine again before the nights end. Serena took hers and walked into her bedroom, turning back at the sight of Ash knelt to the ground, rubbing a disgruntled Pikachu down with a towel. Serena saw Pikachu's cheeks crackling from the static being generated from Ash's vigorous work.

Serena carefully went through her drawers, pulling out a dry sweatshirt and leggings in the now almost pitch darkness of her room, the power still out and the only light from the candles that barely reached into her bedroom. She allowed herself to move slowly and deliberately, her lips still tingling from Ash's kiss. It had been almost what she had expected back when she woke up wishing he would kiss her every morning – only with their few years of growing older something she wasn't expecting was etched into the unrestrained passion and softness that she had felt. Serena felt an unmistakable air of maturity, the way he had leaned slowly into her, his breath mingling cautiously with hers before he whispered and asked if he could kiss her. It was comforting and sweet beyond words that he respected her and held her in such high regard that he went above and beyond making sure he did everything right.

Serena finished dressing and began to make work on tousling her soaked hair, shaking it back to life when she was suddenly overwhelmed with exhaustion, the events of the day catching up to her. It was then that she realized she had absolutely no idea what time it was, and for once, instead of watching the hours drag by day after day, she had no care for that. As she smiled, being the most relaxed she has been in a while, a soft knock on the door startled her as Ash gently pushed the door open, hesitating to wait for her answer.

"Come in, Ash." Serena whispered, her stomach dropping instinctively. She could make out his shape in shadows, just illuminated by the circle of candles on the coffee table behind him, changed into a pair of dry sweatpants and to her embarrassment, no shirt. Her face flushing she looked away, dropping the towel in a laundry basket by her closet before turning back to him as he stood in her door frame.

Ash could feel his eyes adjusting to the darkness of Serena's room as he stared at her, following the wet curls of her hair, pulled to one side as they tumbled over her shoulder, creating a damp spot on her sweatshirt. He could hardly keep himself away as he closed the distance between them again, pausing for just a moment as he reached for her, when she walked herself into his arms once more, giving Ash the confidence he needed, sighing with contentment.

"I'm not dreaming, right?" Serena whispered into the darkness, not sure if she was talking to Ash or to herself.

Ash ever so lightly kissed the top of her head, squeezing her tight to his body. She felt warm and inviting, making him drowsy. "If you are, then please don't wake me up."

Serena giggled and pulled back, tilting her chin upward at him before attempting to stifle a yawn which Ash immediately caught on to. He had to contain one of his own before his response, which began with a laugh. "I better let you get some rest. It's been… a day."

Serena smiled, taking his hand in hers as though they had been doing this for years. "You can say that again." She gave his fingers a squeeze before letting them go, her hand trailing towards him as she walked backwards toward her bed, her eyelids growing heavy.

Ash remained rooted in his spot, watching with a pang as she let the distance between them grow. Ash was certain that he could spend hours feeling the warmth of her body next to his, their only company silence. He began walking back towards the door of her bedroom before she cleared her throat gently, a signal that he took to get his attention. "Yeah, Serena?"

Serena bit her bottom lip, leaning heavily against her bed, wanting nothing more than to fall into it and be under the layers of blankets, but already feeling lonely without Ash. "You could… you could stay in here… with me…" Serena managed to sputter out, her eyes first catching on his face before looking away in embarrassment towards the slightly open bedroom door where she suddenly was just able to make out the dim faces of two nosy Pokemon watching them with unbridled anticipation.

"Delphox!" Serena yelled, her face flushing as she stood upright, pointing straight out in front of her.

Ash jumped at her sudden outburst but followed her finger where he saw Pikachu, eagerly watching the scene unfold from the top of Delphox's head. "Pikachu! Go to your own bed!"

"Pikapi! Pikapi Pikachu! Chu chu chuuuuu!" Pikachu was laughing, racing away from the cracked door, while Delphox was doubled over in silent laughter, following out of sight, admitting defeat.

Ash looked back towards Serena, her face in her hands but shielding a small smile. "I don't think I'm the only one that wants you to… stay."

Ash dropped his shoulders and crossed the room towards her, closing the distance and reaching out a hand to put her chin in his hands, lifting her face to his. She let him easily and closed her eyes as he bent lightly to her, touching their lips once more briefly. "Can I stay?"

Serena smiled up at him, once again touched by the innocence he displayed. Whether that was from not being quite sure what to do, or being genuinely concerned for her feelings Serena wasn't sure but she had a strong inkling it had to do with both. Instead of an answer, she pulled gently away from him and walked lightly to the side of the bed, flipping back the covers in one motion and climbing into it, leaving space for Ash to lay next to her, looking up at him in the darkness.

Ash swallowed hard, taking a breath before making his way to the empty side, climbing into it and sinking in deeper than he expected. He pulled the covers up to nearly his chin, turning his head so that him and Serena were facing each other, the silence between them broken only by the storm that continued to announce its presence outside.

Serena broke this with a whisper. "I can't pinpoint the exact moment either."

Ash raised an eyebrow quizzically, shuffling closer to her to hear her voice which came out breathlessly. "The exact moment?"

Serena moved herself closer to him as well, being careful they weren't touching but close enough that she could feel the heat radiating from his body. Her eyelids were heavy, but she responded, determined. "That I knew I was in love with you."

Ash breathed deeply, letting the exhaustion and content roll over him, coupled with the tension that had built up in him for years leaving his body in waves. "Me neither, Serena; I think my moment got lost between the seconds, minutes, hours, days... I tried running for so long but…" Ash stifled a yawn before he finished his thought. "There's only so long I can stay in one place before my wanderlust brings me anywhere, in this case, back to you. I'm so glad it did."

Serena felt herself slipping into unconsciousness as Ash reached under the blankets and found her hand, holding it tightly. She was nearly asleep, in the strange but wonderful limbo in between slumber and awareness, when she heard him whisper to her; she was sure Ash thought she had already been taken by sleep.

"Will you come with me, Serena?"

Serena felt her brain pushing her back towards consciousness, to ask him what he meant, where he was going, but her exhausted body kept her still, keeping her silent. What? Come with you?

Ash remained silent, his breathing deep and steady, and in her half-awake state, she let her mind wander as she slipped finally into sleep, wondering as she did so where exactly he was going.

Definitely need one more chapter now, huh?! I promise to update soon! For now, cheers to you!