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"The starting point of all achievement is desire."
Game Over
Chapter Six - Formation & Frustration -
By the time Brock had finished, everybody else at the table was completely in awe. The experiences that Ash, Misty, and Brock had gone through were downright incredible. Not even in their wildest dreams would the Kalosian trio have been able to manifest something that seemed to be plucked straight out of a story book.
"Wow," Bonnie breathed, eyes twinkling with excitement and wonder.
"It is quite amazing," Clemont agreed.
Serena didn't speak a word. Not because she was blown away by Brock's tales, no. She didn't find him hard to believe in the slightest, albeit the fact that she had to admit the stories were impressive. No wonder Ash had been so eager to go off with Brock all of the time. No wonder he had been so willing to drop everything just to rescue Misty, even though they had nothing to go on.
No wonder he'd gotten so angry when she persisted to question his actions.
The three had a connection that she never would, a bond that was both impossible for her to break nor come between. It didn't matter that she had technically known Ash for longer than anybody else. A bond like that was unbreakable. Irreplaceable. Serena stood no chance at ever developing something like that with Ash, and the realization came crashing down painfully.
Her grip on the napkin unknowingly tightened.
"Yeah. It really was," Brock said quietly, still smiling at the nostalgia and cherished memories. "They would argue more than I had ever seen two people do, which is saying a lot. I live withnine younger brothers and sisters; you'd think it would be impossible to discover someone who could bicker any more than they could."
"But even so, Misty always believed in Ash no matter what, right?" Bonnie asked eagerly, leaning over the table in anticipation. "She'd push him to do his best?"
Serena felt nauseous. Great, now even Bonnie was finding their relationship adorable.
Brock nodded. "That's right. Their arguments were always just a way for them to release their emotions. Misty and Ash really do care for one another, it's just a little difficult to see."
Clemont bopped his head slowly. "I think Ash quitting his life goal to come find her proves that point. It sounds like true friendship."
Friendship.
How Serena wished it was that simple. To her, it sounded like a whole lot more than just friendship.
She didn't know how much more of this she could handle. It was childish, she was well aware of that. But even so, she couldn't help but react at the uneasiness that flowed through her at their words. Did Ash really have feelings for this girl? Did she feel the same way for him in return? Was she overreacting, making a mountain out of a molehill due to the fact that her interpretation of their words made it seem like something more? Or was it because she was still desperately struggling to deny it?
It was suddenly extremely stuffy in the room, and Serena was beginning to find that breathing required much more effort than it really should. Since when was something such as air so complicated to keep track of? The atmosphere felt muggy and humid, and hot flushes were constantly racing through her body. No sound made was registered in her mind but their voices, their conversation riddled with Ash and Misty and all of the amazing times that they'd spent together.
Adventures. Memories. Feelings.
Ones that she would never be able to compete with.
"So what happened?" Bonnie inquired, eager to hear how two people so close could have drifted so far apart.
Brock's face immediately fell as the undesired memory was brought up. His grin faded, a solemn expression appearing in its place. He could remember everything about that day. It instantly replayed in his mind, spinning the vivid image of the three parting ways clear as crystal. That had been the beginning of the end. Ash had seen Misty only three times after that; One planned, one a coincidence, one a surprise from her. After that, the two had completely lost contact. If only things had gone differently...
Perhaps if they had, Misty wouldn't be in this mess.
"It was about three years after we'd begun travelling together. I had to leave at one point, but by then I had returned. Misty never left, not once. Not even when she was given the opportunity to further her own dream. We were at the Viridian Pokemon Centre when the phone call came through," Brock explained, so wrapped up in his own memories that he didn't even react to Nurse Joy being mentioned, "it was from her sisters. They had won some cruise that would last for a year and needed Misty back at the Gym to take care of everything. She didn't have a choice."
Bonnie frowned. "Why couldn't she just go back to travelling once her sisters came back?"
"Misty's sisters... Well, let's just say that they're not the most reliable people. There was no way that she could leave the Gym in their hands. Besides, she had an obligation," Brock told her. "They saw each other a couple of times after that, which is how Misty came to meet May, but that was it."
Duty really was a fickle thing, after all.
Clemont nodded, understanding how Misty would have felt due to being a Gym Leader himself. He adjusted his glasses before speaking, "Why didn't they just keep in touch?"
At this, Brock managed a small laugh, earning confused looks from the siblings. "Those two are the most stubborn pair I have ever met. Ash has his reasons, and being the one to contact him would put Misty's pride in peril. That's the reason we organised this surprise in the first place."
Serena frowned. Pride? Misty let something as pitiful as pride get in her way? This was unbelievable. Ash was giving up everything for a girl who had never even called for the chance of getting a wounded ego. In what reality was that reasonable? She wasn't sure why Ash had never been the one to initiate anything, but Brock claimed that he had his reasons. Surely it must have been more than the sake of his pride, right?
It didn't seem like a risk worth taking. Not in her eyes, anyway.
Clemont and Bonnie opened their mouths to say something, only to be cut off by Brock, "Anyway, it's getting late. I'm sure you'll hear plenty more about Misty soon enough. Until then we should all turn in for the night. Mew knows how long it'll be until we'll have the opportunity to get a decent sleep."
Serena instantly snapped her head up, nodding at his notion. "I'm going outside to get some air. Bonnie, I'll meet you back in our room later."
"But, Serena-" Bonnie started, but stopped as the screeching of Serena's chair broke through her words.
They watched her retreating figure with worry for a few moments, only now picking up on the fact that she had barely said a word throughout the entire conversation. None of them noticed the napkin, once firm and crisp, now crumpled and thrown carelessly into her leftover food. Finally, Clemont sighed and stood up, fully intending on following after Serena until an arm was put in front of him. Looking over at Brock in confusion, fully ready to protest and question the strange action until Brock shook his head.
"I'll go," Brock announced, not giving Clemont the chance to argue.
"Serena."
She whipped around in surprise at the sound of her name, the emotion only doubling at who was standing there. "Brock..." Serena trailed off, unable to hide her surprise. "What are you doing out here?"
He gave her a small smile. "Just thought I'd check up on you. Is something wrong?"
Serena's face drooped slightly at remembering the reason she'd come outside in the first place. She turned back around to face the railing, eyes once more training on the sea.
"No, nothing," she replied quietly, hoping that he would take the excuse and leave. Fate, however, wasn't on her side.
Brock sighed, knowing that he'd need to try a different tactic. If she wasn't going to open up willingly, he would push her to do so. "Do you mind if I join you, then?"
Serena turned back around instantly, hair swooshing around as she did so. The words spilled out before she had the chance to think about them, "Why?"
He allowed another smile to grace his lips. Walking over to the railing, Brock leaned against it and took a deep breath. He didn't look at her, but she kept her confused gaze fixated on him.
"The ocean is very calming. Wouldn't you say so?" Brock eventually said.
Serena hesitantly faced the railing once more, but didn't break eye contact with the side of his face. What was he doing? When she didn't answer, he shifted his head enough to glance at her.
"I'm not stupid, Serena."
She gulped, lifting a shaky hand forwards to clutch onto the railing like it was a lifeline. Serena knew that he wasn't stupid. She also knew that out of all of her current travelling companions, Brock would also be the most likely to understand the predicament she was currently in. But with those positives also came the negatives, such as the fact that Brock was also Ash's close friend. He was Misty's close friend. How could she possibly disclose the secret kept guarded to her heart to somebody she'd just met? How could she possibly let out something that would no doubt come back to-
"You like him." The bluntness of his tone almost sent her toppling over.
He wasn't stupid, and she knew that. She just never expected him to be so forward.
Serena's cheeks instantly coloured, mouth dropping open and eyes widening with both terror and shock. The hand grasping the railing tightened instinctively, somehow seeming like it could save her. She almost choked on the very air as she struggled to regulate breathing, defence mechanism kicking in to deny, deny, deny.
"I... You, but- N-no! I m-mean I d-don't..." Serena stuttered, desperately struggling to gain control of her emotions and form a coherent thought let alone sentence. "A-Ash is just a f-friend!"
Yet again, Brock smiled. This time, though, there was a lingering sadness in his eyes. "I never said anything about Ash, Serena."
She froze, instantly realizing her mistake. Serena began to turn pale, her increasing blush contrasting greatly against the sheer white the rest of her face was now heading towards. She opened her mouth to speak, to protest, to deny, to anything, but found her throat to be dry and any words refusing to come out.
To her- ever growing -surprise, Brock's smile only widened, and understanding flittered across his features. "You have nothing to worry about. I won't say anything.
Serena swallowed thickly. Finally, she managed to get something out, "W-why?"
"It's not my place to interfere. I may be one of Ash's oldest friends, but what right does that give me to get involved with his love life? Or yours, for that matter," Brock asked back, directing his gaze back to the ocean. "Besides, what you choose to do with your feelings is up to you, not me."
She gave a small nod, still frozen in place. How could she have reacted so... so obvious?
"How did you know?" Serena whispered. It was extremely quiet, but he heard it anyway.
He chuckled. "When you've been around as many hormone-riddled teenagers as I have, you learn to pick up on more than a few things.
Serena didn't say anything, inwardly berating herself for acting so stupid. Yet, for some reason, she felt as though she could trust Brock. Call it silly, but she really did believe him when he said that he wouldn't get involved. This only caused her confusion to rise, however, now that she was able to think somewhat clearly.
"Did you come out here just to tell me that?" she questioned.
Brock shook his head. "No, that was just a means of getting you to admit it." She narrowed her eyes, and he gave her an apologetic expression. "I'm not going to use it against you, please don't think ill of my intentions. Although I do have an ulterior motive."
She didn't blink, raising an eyebrow at him curiously. "And that would be?"
"It's nothing bad, so please don't take this as some sort of bribe. I want to become closer with the three of you," Brock explained, holding back a laugh at her increasing confusion. "Almost all of Ash's travelling companions have been acquainted with me at some point or another. As Ash's adoptive older brother, I view his close friends as a sort of family."
Serena was shocked, to say the least. And guilty. She felt extremely guilty. This man, the one whom merely hours ago she had been jealous and suspicious of, wanted to go out of his way to make them feel comfortable. It wasn't something that he had to do, and it wasn't out of duty to Ash, either. Maybe it was his words, maybe it was the fact that he now knew her deepest secret, or maybe she was just so sick of holding it in and right now she just had to let it out or she would simply burst and-
"You can talk to me, Serena. I know that we haven't known each other for very long, and this has been a shaky start, but I'll listen if you want somebody to lean on," Brock continued, "holding in feelings for an extended period of time takes it's toll, you know, and I promise that anything said will stay strictly between us.
"Why are you doing this?" Serena questioned back, still feeling as though she was being spun in circles. Her emotions were currently spinning out of control, flying all over the place and on a roller-coaster all at once.
He only smiled. "Because Ash is my friend, and you mean a lot to him. I'd really like to become friends with the three of you, as well.
"And how am I supposed to know that you won't use my feelings against me?" she demanded, suddenly drawing back on defence.
"You don't. But if I did want something from you, I'd have already asked it. It's not my place to spill somebody else's secrets. I just want to help," Brock told her sincerely. "I already know that it's about Ash, so-"
"It's not about Ash," Serena cut him off. He raised his eyebrows in protest before she quickly continued, "I mean, it sort of is. Well, in a way it has everything to do with him."
"I'm afraid I don't follow," Brock replied.
She sighed, her grip on the railing loosening slightly. "Well, it's sort of about him. But not really, at the same time. It's not so much to do with Ash as... Misty."
"Ah." He continued to stare at her, but there was no surprised tone in his voice, and nothing that gave any indication that this piece of information came off as strange to him written on his face. Serena felt another flush race through her body. Perhaps she really should learn to be a little more discreet about her feelings...
Maybe she'd also been a tad too forward with her opinions.
"You're worried about her place in Ash's life," Brock stated bluntly.
All she could do was nod. There was no point in hiding anything; Brock had already unearthed her most closely kept secret. They'd come this far, Serena reasoned, so why bother denying it? Of course, that didn't mean that she was comfortable in any way discussing the matter, but Brock was the only person to even seem to care. Even though she'd only known him for a short period of time, it felt nice to allow the weight to be lifted.
"They were pretty close," Serena said.
"They've been friends for a long time," he told her. "Anyone would be."
At that, Serena felt another piece of her shatter. Ash and herself had been friends first. She'd known him long before any of these people, long before Misty had even known his name. And yet she still couldn't say that Ash cared about her as much as he did for Misty, or any of those outside the Kalos trio, for that matter. Why was it that even though she was the one who befriended him, cared for him, gained feelings for him, that she was never the one he had given a second thought about?
She winced. "Ash and I were friends years before Misty ever was," Serena told him quietly. "She left him, and so did I. But he never remembered me the way he remembers her."
"Serena-"
"If Ash hadn't of come to Kalos, he wouldn't have even known who I was," she remarked bitterly.
Brock remained silent for a few moments. "That doesn't mean that Ash doesn't care about you."
"It's not the same thing, though, and you know it," Serena said. "He likes her, doesn't he?"
"I don't know," Brock answered honestly. In all fairness, he wasn't lying. Ash's actions spoke for themselves, but Brock had never received an outright confession from the boy. "Ash isn't exactly the easiest person to depict love to. If he does, then I have no doubt that even he doesn't understand his feelings properly."
This time, Serena was the one who did not speak a word.
"Serena, Ash will always care about you. He'll always be your friend no matter what, just remember that... even if he is unable to return your feelings," he said.
"It just seems so unfair," Serena whispered. "This... situation is so different to what it would be if I was in Misty's place. If he'd never seen me in person again, and then saw that I was the one to be held hostage by Team Rocket on the news, he wouldn't have remembered," she muttered. "And even if he did, he wouldn't have bothered trying to rescue me. Ash would never have gone to the lengths he is now."
"Maybe so," Brock began slowly, carefully, "but if you were in Misty's place right now, Ash would also do whatever he could to help you."
Serena managed a bitter laugh. "He'd also be incredibly relieved that it was me and not her." He opened his mouth to deny this statement, but she cut him off, "and he wouldn't react the way he is now."
"Ash-"
"I won't give up on him, though," she announced, staring Brock dead in the eye.
For once, Brock was unable to hide his surprise. He'd certainly not been expecting that. Judging from the look in Serena's eyes, it was a reaction she'd expected. Brock didn't break their eye contact as he watched her unblinkingly, waiting for more words to be spoken. None were, however, and it seemed as though Serena had no intention to back up her statement. There was a fierce determination in her eyes, and he wasn't going to attempt talking her out of it.
It wasn't his place, after all, and it was better to just let it all unfold on its own.
If this was Serena's decision, then he would accept it and involve himself no further. Brock held no further motive than to be a vessel and a shoulder to lean on.
"We should probably go back inside," he finally spoke. "The others will be getting worried, and it's late."
Serena nodded, and with that, a new understanding was formed between them.
Unbeknownst to the two unsuspecting figures below, Clemont and Bonnie stood above the deck on the next level's platform. They'd seen the whole exchange, listened to every word with unbroken focus. Both were more than a little surprised at how easily Serena had managed to let the words flow, and yet not fazed by her confession at the same time.
What bothered Clemont the most, though, was that she'd found Brock the suitable one to speak those feelings to. In her position, he admitted, he probably would have done the same thing. That didn't make it sting any less, though. Didn't she trust them? Didn't she trust him? Why Brock, who they'd barely known for more than a few days?
He knew that Serena liked Ash. He had known for a long time, and if Serena wasn't already aware of the fact herself then he definitely would have been the first to notice. He always noticed. It honestly wasn't surprising that Brock had been able to pick up on it as quick as he did; Ash was just an idiot, plain and simple. But that only made it worse. All of these thoughts swirled around in Clemont's head, and he barely registered Bonnie tugging at his sleeve until the snapping of her fingers in his face caught his attention.
"Earth to Clemont, wake up!" she yelled, a frown forming on her previously passive features.
Clemont shook his head slightly, attempting to remove the jumbled thoughts from his mind. "Sorry, Bonnie. I was just thinking."
Her expression turned solemn once more as Bonnie looked down to where Brock and Serena were only moments ago. "It's sad, isn't it? Poor Serena..."
He only nodded.
"Do you think there's anything that we can do?" Bonnie asked hopefully.
Clemont sighed. "I think it's better that we stay out of this." Her face fell. "It is Serena's decision, after all. From what we've seen thus far, Ash really cares for and holds deep feelings for this Misty. Feelings that deep are rooted in place and aren't able to be removed. Even if there was something that we could do, we don't have any right to meddle."
The guilt at how reassuring his words sounded to himself made no hesitation to show itself, and Clemont was glad that Bonnie was both to young and occupied to really look any deeper.
"But what about Serena's feelings?" Bonnie demanded. "They matter, too!"
"Of course Serena's feelings matter, Bonnie. I never said they didn't. But we can't change anything, and neither can she. Ultimately, it's up to Ash," Clemont pointed out, and once again Bonnie frowned.
"I know," she said quietly, shuffling a foot against the deck. "I just don't like seeing her so upset."
'I don't either,' Clemont thought, but said nothing.
"What do you think is going to happen?" Bonnie asked, and he managed a small smile.
"I don't know, Bonnie, I really don't," he admitted. "But no matter what Serena says, she's unpredictable. Emotions can be uncontrollable, and I'm worried that it's only a matter of time before she snaps."
Leaf sighed for the umpteenth time, tossing yet another useless report aside. Biting her lip, she picked up the closest cream-coloured folder and began to flit through it. She'd been at this for hours and thus far hadn't made any progress, so the growing frustration of achieving nothing was slowly beginning to get on her nerves. The silence enveloping her was welcoming, though; no distractions were needed. Gary had been in to check on her once or twice, but exited rather quickly when Leaf had made it clear that she didn't need him to break her focus. The cup of coffee he'd left for her had long since gone stone cold.
Just as she flipped the page, the door gave a resounding creak and light filled the room. Leaf furrowed her brows, not bothering to look up as she quipped, "Gary, I thought I told you that I needed to be alone. This is important."
Footsteps echoed throughout the room, and Leaf gritted her teeth. Honestly, he could be so stubborn sometimes. Almost as stubborn as her, she'd admit, which was probably her fault in some aspect. But he was definitely hard-headed.
"Gary," she said, her tone authoritative and warning.
"Wrong Oak, Leaf."
Leaf's eyes widened as she spun around, the folder falling to the floor without a second thought. "Professor! I-"
The old man merely chuckled, waving a hand at her dismissively. "There's no need to apologize, Leaf." She visibly relaxed. "I just wanted to see how you were doing."
Leaf allowed a small smile. The Professor, aside from Gary, was probably her second most closest companion. He had raised her, after all, and she trusted him with her life. But then she remembered the reason for her currently being in the room in the first place, and the smile disappeared.
"As good as one can be in this situation, I suppose," Leaf replied, clasping her hands together in front of her.
Professor Oak nodded, all too understanding. "It must be hard on you, given the... circumstances."
She held back a wince. Leaf had no desire to steer the conversation in that particular direction.
"I'm dealing with it," she answered. "Thank you for your concern, Professor, but I really must be getting back to my research."
His eyes flickered down to where the manilla folder was resting at her feet. He frowned slightly, and Leaf unconsciously lifted a foot to shift the folder closer to her. She knew that the Professor wouldn't approve of her actions, despite being aware of exactly why she was doing it.
"Leaf," he began sternly, setting his gaze back on her, "We both know that the research you're doing is far from what this facility is for. This isn't healthy. I know that you want to do all you can, but believe me when I say that it isn't in your best interest to make yourself a part of this."
She was the one to frown, this time. "I am a part of this. There isn't an option, Professor."
"No, Leaf, you're not. You aren't Misty," he said gently.
"I swore that I would do all I could to protect her, and no-"
"And I made a promise to protect you. Right now, you are protecting her right now by staying out of it," Professor Oak cut in, earning a confused look from her. "What do you think will happen if they find out, Leaf?"
Leaf remained silent, absorbing the information.
"I know how much this must mean to you," he continued softly, "how much she means to you. But please, for all of our sakes, stay out of this. Don't involve yourself. This is already complicated enough."
"We have now arrived in Viridian City. All passengers please make their way to the main platform with their luggage. All belongings left behind will be thrown away and any items found will be donated to Pokemon Centres. We depart in exactly two hours for Kalos."
Ash tapped his foot impatiently, Pikachu in his usual position of his shoulder as they both waited for their friends to gather their belongings and get down to the deck. Anticipation coursed through Ash's body at the thought of being so close and yet so far at the same time. Even thoughts of tasting his mother's cooking had not made a single appearance. He'd been standing in the same spot for the past twenty minutes, and now that the announcement had finally been made, he wanted nothing more than to get going already.
After what seemed like an eternity, Ash spotted Brock within the swarm of countless others crowding around the exit.
"Brock, over here!" Ash yelled out at the top of his lungs, earning the attention of several others around him.
Brock looked around at the mention of his name, colour flooding to his cheeks at the glares being sent his way. Ash could be so embarrassing at times... He ambled his way over to the younger boy, who looked about ready to fly off the boat at any moments notice.
"Finally!" Ash cried, flailing his arms around and startling a now very distressed Pikachu. "We've been waiting forever. Where are the others?" he added upon noticing the absence of his other three companions.
The older male shrugged, looking back over his shoulder for any sign of the aforementioned people. "I'm not sure. Serena said something about a 'Clembot', whatever that is."
Ash groaned, running a hand through his hair in annoyance. If Clembot had made another... appearance, then he'd probably be waiting a lot longer than preferable. It was already a two day journey from here to Pallet town, and he wished to waste no more time than necessary, especially seeing as it was already well past lunch time. At this rate, they wouldn't arrive for another whole day.
In Ash's eyes, that was unacceptable.
"So who's there, anyway?" Ash questioned after several more moments of loathing.
Brock stopped his watch for the others to look back at him, tapping his chin whilst trying to remember what Gary had told him. "Well, Misty's sisters have already left, so probably just Gary and Tracy. Professor Oak, obviously, but I doubt he'll involve himself too much. Oh, May and Drew as well."
Ash nodded, feeling at least a little more content. The less people there, the better. With the addition of his Kalos friends, despite his appreciation of their willingness to help, it was going to complicate matters. It'd be easier if there was an even amount of people, but that couldn't be helped. He only hoped that by now they had managed to find a lead.
A loud shout brought his attention back to the present, and the two boys gazed up with raised eyebrows to see Serena, Clemont and Bonnie pushing their way through the crowd.
"Sorry! Pardon me, coming throu- ouch! Clemont, that was my toe!"
"Sorry, Serena," Clemont apologized, looking rather dishevelled. His glasses were crooked and his skin seemed to be etched with scorch marks. Ash held back a sigh; Definitely Clembot.
Bonnie eyed her surroundings, breaking into a grin as she caught sight of the people she'd been looking for. "There they are!" she cried.
Clemont and Serena followed the direction her finger was pointed in, both breathing sighs of relief. The trio continued their struggle through the flow of passengers, repeatedly shouting out 'sorry' and 'excuse me' to those that were unfortunate enough to get caught up in their path. Upon reaching Ash and Brock, all three hunched over, out of breath.
"About time," Ash muttered, Pikachu nodding in agreement.
"Sorry," Serena said for what must have been at least the twentieth time that hour. "We had a minor setback with Clembot, and-"
"Yeah, yeah, I got that much," Ash cut her off, casting a glare at Clemont. "Now come on! We've already wasted enough time here, gotta get moving if we wanna' make it to Pallet Town."
Serena tilted her head. "We're not staying here for a bit?"
He looked at her like she'd just sprouted another head. "Stay here? What gave you that ridiculous idea? We have things to do and places to be. There's no room on the agenda for pit stops."
"Ash," she began, placing both hands on her hips, "we've just arrived in Kanto after a long boat journey from Kalos. I know you're in a hurry to reach the lab, but slow down. We need to rest first. Besides, I wanted to take a look around Viridian before we set off."
Ash stared at her in disbelief. "Rest? You've had the entire boat ride to do that! Anyway, we don't have time to hang around."
Clemont stepped forward, hoping to avoid another argument. "Serena's right, Ash. We need to take it easy. It won't hurt to spend a little time here. Bonnie, Serena, and myself have never been to Kanto before, and we were all hoping to explore a little."
"This is not a vacation," Ash spat.
"Do you think that it's possible to save this conversation for when we get off the boat?" Brock interjected, motioning to the annoyed stares being sent their way by the boat crew. "But I also agree with them. It wouldn't do any harm to rest for a while.
"There isn't enough time to go gallivanting around town!" Ash snapped, and the four continued to look at him with blank expressions.
"Pikapi..."
"Fine, whatever." Ash grabbed his bag, turning away from them and looking back over his shoulder to say, "Do what you want. I don't care, but I have a job to do. You can either stay here and catch up later or come now, but I'm not staying here any longer."
With that, he marched over to the now empty exit and disappeared. He picked up his own bag, and three glanced up at him. Sending apologizing glances their way, he began to follow Ash. They remained still and silent for a few moments longer, before Bonnie knelt down to pick up her own belongings. Clemont sighed, motioning for Serena to do the same, and started for the exit.
They were here for a reason, after all...
If they'd thought Ash was being unreasonable back on the ship, then he was being downright impossible now.
After choosing to go with Ash instead of walk around Viridian, much to Serena's chagrin, he had continued to march them relentlessly through the forest without a word. Generally, Ash was hopeless with directions. But at this point the remainder of the group were having a rather difficult time keeping up him. Brock had constantly sworn to himself that there was no possible way Ash could have remembered the route back so easily, and must have studied a map or something for hours to go this fast.
Thus far, they'd been forced to hike without even so much as a small stop. Lunch foregone, Ash traipsed through the seemingly endless trees at a much faster pace than any of them were used to. By this point, all of them were hungry, exhausted, and needless to say quite testy. However, nobody said anything for the fear of Ash exploding. With nerves one meagre touch away from breaking point, even Brock had decided to just keep his mouth shut for the time being.
He'd already offered to make lunch earlier, which had only earned him a scathing look from Ash that extinguished the hope in everyone else's eyes. However, seeing the way Bonnie, a member much younger than themselves dragging her feet and struggling to keep her head up, Serena decided that she'd had enough.
"Okay, this is getting ridiculous. We need a break," she stated firmly, tired eyes daring Ash to challenge her. She knew that he'd probably end up snapping again, but it was a risk she'd have to take.
Ash spun around on his heels, almost sending Pikachu flying off of his shoulder. The glare he sent her could almost rival aferaligatr, but she didn't back down. "Serena, we've been through this. No breaks."
"Ash, you're being totally unreasonable!" she cried, motioning to where Bonnie and Clemont were heavily panting. "Take a look around you. Clemont is having trouble, I'm almost on the verge of collapsing, and Bonnie is about to pass out. Even Brock is struggling."
Ash glanced around at each of his friends, a look of guilt flashing across his face for the briefest of moments before his features hardened once more, and he repeated, "No breaks."
Pikachu squeaked out something incomprehensible to the rest of them, waving his little paw around with a frown on his face.
"I agree with Serena, Ash," Clemont managed in a small voice, not looking him directly in the eye. "Bonnie can't go any further, and the rest of us won't be able to walk much longer, either."
"What is this, a mutiny?" Ash muttered.
"They're right," Brock spoke up, crossing his arms. "We know that you're in a rush to get to Pallet Town, but what you ask isn't possible. Going on without a single stop isn't beneficial." Ash opened his mouth to protest, but Brock cut him off once more, "you won't be able to help Misty if you're sleep deprived and starved, Ash. You're not going to be of any if you're half dead."
Ash's eyes flashed dangerously, but his defensive stance dropped. Pikachu grinned and hopped down from his shoulder, happily squealing at the thought of finally getting to taste his precious ketchup. Brock let out a small sigh, relieved that there wasn't going to be any further argument on the matter. The other three seemed to get the message, too, because nobody spoke a word about it.
Serena and Clemont began setting up the tents whilst Brock to put dinner on. Bonnie chose a small stump to sit on and catch her breath back, Pikachu entertaining her for the time being. Ash, on the other hand, set himself down grumpily and started sorting through his possessions. None of them dared to ask him to do anything more.
"I really would have liked to shop around for a bit in Viridian," Serena remarked as she pitched her tent.
"Perhaps next time," Clemont said back, unzipping his own tent and throwing himself into it gratefully.
"Hopefully," she said. "I'm sure that there would have been some great stores to browse for outfits. I could really do with some new accessories for my videos."
Ash narrowed his eyes at her words, emotions once more getting the best of him. How could she possibly think about shopping at a time like this? His fist unconsciously tightened around his sleeping bag. Misty was missing, held captive by a notorious criminal organisation, and they currently had no idea what their next move was going to be. Shopping and sightseeing were the last things anybody should be thinking about.
"Just because your friend is in a little trouble..."
"...think about something else for a change."
"...wanted to take a look around Viridian..."
"...new accessories for my videos."
He snapped.
"Shopping? My best friend is in a life or death situation, and all you can think about is yourself!" Ash yelled, flying to his feet.
Everyone snapped their heads up at the harshness of his voice, Serena's eyes going wide.
"It was just a statement, Ash," Brock put in, defending her. "She didn't mean anything by it."
"Well she can keep her statements to herself," Ash muttered darkly.
Brock frowned, and from inside the tent Clemont held his breath. Things were not turning out the way they had hoped.
"I understand that you want to move on, but you need to stop taking your temper out on us," Brock told Ash sternly. He'd kept quiet at first, not wanting to worsen the situation, but clearly that particular tactic wasn't working out.
"We came here for a reason, Brock, and that wasn't to tour and break off from that reason at every chance we get," Ash seethed.
"Be that as it may, driving ourselves to exhaustion isn't the best thing right now, either. Keep your temper under control," Brock said back, crossing his arms.
Ash glared at him, and for a moment Bonnie thought that the boy was going to finally lose it. To her relief, after several seconds of staring each other down, Ash let up and turned his attention back to his backpack. He tightened his grip on the sleeping bag once more, yanking it out.
"Whatever. I'm going to sleep, don't bother waking me up for dinner," Ash told him at last.
He set his quarters up and tucked himself in, ignoring the stares being sent his way. Surprisingly, he went to sleep almost immediately. Once the sound of soft snores were heard, Brock made his way over to Serena. The girl was currently sitting by Clemont's tent, head down and absent-mindedly playing with dirt while Clemont whispered things to cheer her up.
"Serena..." Brock trailed off, seeing the hurt look in her eyes. He sighed, and Clemont looked up at him desperately. "Ash didn't mean it, you know that. He's just worried about Misty."
Clemont frowned. "That doesn't give him the right to target her."
"I know," Brock said, running a hand through his hair. "He's at his nerves end, we all are. Just give him a little space and wait until morning. I'm sure he'll come around."
Sure enough, true to Brock's predication, Ash had calmed down and cleared his head enough to realize his mistake.
Serena avoided him unless necessary, their only interaction being when she silently picked up their dishes from breakfast. Ash's gaze followed her guiltily the entire time, knowing that his actions the previous day had been the thing to hurt her so badly. He couldn't stand to see any of his friends in pain, least of all in pain because of him.
He knew that he'd have to apologize eventually. The only problem was that apologizing meant he'd have to actually face her. That and Clemont's furious glare automatically seemed to sense whenever he was near the girl.
"Hey, Serena," Ash began nervously, seeing Clemont already having noticed him.
She looked up from her actions, surprise flickering across her features before a more solemn one set in. He winced at this, knowing full well that it was his fault that she was feeling that way. Serena seemed to shrink back slightly and tightened her grip on the tent poles.
"Hi, Ash," she finally responded, the emptiness of her tone causing another pang of guilt to flow through him.
"I... I just wanted to say sorry," Ash said, choosing to look over at the tree line, all the while knowing that Clemont's gaze was following him the entire time.
Serena's eyes widened, having expecting him to say something eventually but definitely nowhere near before their group had reached Pallet Town. Was she hearing him correctly? "Can you please repeat that? I don't think I heard you right," she asked, confusion now filling her eyes.
Ash sighed, rubbing his neck sheepishly. He looked directly at her this time as he spoke, "I said that I was sorry. I acted like a real jerk yesterday, and you didn't deserve that. I didn't mean anything that I said. So I'm sorry."
...She must have been dreaming.
Serena stared at him for what seemed like forever, unaware of the three sets of eyes trained on the pair curiously. Ash began switching his weight from one foot the other impatiently, his ego already having been bruised from admitting his fault. Her not saying anything was just making it all the more worse.
"I get it if you're still mad, but I just wanted to let you know that I really am sorry," he continued, embarrassment adding to the blow once he realized that everyone was now watching him, "and guess what? Once we rescue Misty and everything goes back to normal, I'll take you back to Viridian personally."
His lopsided grin shattered Serena's resolve all at once, any feelings of dejection immediately flying out the window. How could she possibly stay mad at him? The full weight of his words hit her suddenly, and her cheeks flooded with colour. Personally? Ash Ketchum was going to bring her back to Viridian just to make her happy?
"Do you... Do you mean that, Ash?" Serena finally managed out, hope filling both her heart and voice.
Relief seemed to pass through him and he visibly relaxed, the hand nervously running through his hair now dropping to his side and a beam now brightening up the whole area. "Of course! Clemont and Bonnie wanted to stay, too, so I'm sure they'd love going back as well."
And just like that, the hope shattered as quickly as it had formed.
As Serena looked into his warm, chocolate brown eyes, her heart gave a painful, resounding pang. There was nothing present there other than that of innocence and friendship. She should have known that she had only been kidding herself. Ash Ketchum didn't even understand the concept of love. How on earth, when there was so much more at stake here than a simple crush, was he supposed to ever understand her feelings?
To be continued...
Oh, and I know that the Kalos trio aren't in character. I also don't particularly care. They're more there for plot benefits and added show. A little drama, anyone? So, I'm twisting them to fit in with this story. It works. That's all that matters.
Don't forget to review what you thought! If you have any questions, feel free to PM me.
~Aureillia
