A/N: Yess, you guys guessed right! (MysteryG13 & Amethyst The Purple Dragon) This chapter is inspired by The Last Airbender. It is one of my fave shows! I hope you guys have checked out The Legend of Korra too! haha
TO: pcc6289: Thank you so much! I'm a silent reader too. It's great to see that you liked it so much to leave a comment. :)
Thank you once again to everyone else who reviewed the chapter (NerdyAnimeOtakuGeek, Tenzalucard123, DrafteeDragon, Guest, doc boy, Sonic, UltimateCCC, FantasyLover88) Y'all are wonderful and I hope you have a great week!
Summary: Bonnie comes across a tourist attraction when reading a brochure – The Lover's Cave; according to legend the cave was made by two lovers who met up in the cave every night because of their families who did not support their relationship. The lovers have created an endless amount of tunnels making it hard for anyone to find their secret hideout – a beautiful hot springs. It is said that only true lovers will be able to find it.
EP 08: The Lover's Cave: A Blooming Romance
Once upon a time, in what is now known as Laverre City, there lived a young and beautiful woman named Lin. She was the youngest daughter to the wealthiest and most powerful family in all of Northern Kalos. One fateful day when she was visiting the newly built hot springs she met a young and dashing servant named Lay, who made her heart skip a beat the second she laid her eyes on him.
Serena finished reading the short introduction to The Tale of Two Lovers, "That's it?" She asked with disappointment, flipping the brochure over as she tried to find the next part to the story, "Does Lay fall in love with her too?"
"It's interesting isn't it?!" Bonnie pointed out before grabbing the brochure from Serena's lap. She ran over to her brother, waving the piece of paper in front of his face.
"Bonnie!" Clemont groaned, trying to properly referee the battle that was going on between Ash and Cilan. Clemont heard Ash command his Talonflame to use Steel Wing before hearing Cilan tell his Crustle to dodge, "Bonnie! I'm trying to watch the battle!" He said angrily before hearing an explosion, followed by one of the pokemon being slammed hard onto the ground.
"Ash and Talonflame win!" Bonnie was quick to say before once again waving the brochure in front of her brother's face, "Will you please look at it now!?"
"You're not giving me a choice are you?" He snatched the piece of paper from his sister's grip.
Cilan and Ash walked over to the siblings, interested in what Bonnie's been going on about for the last fifteen minutes.
"What is it?" Cilan asked as Serena was the last to join them.
"It's a cave..." Clemont said after reading the title of the brochure – The Lover's Cave, "There apparently seems to be some kind of myth revolving around two lovers who built the tunnels..." His eyes began to scan the words on the paper, "… According to legend, there's a secret hot springs somewhere in the cave, but no one's been able to find it for decades."
"That does sound interesting." Cilan said before looking down to Bonnie, "I'm guessing that you want to try and find the hot springs?"
"Yes please!" Bonnie stretched her arms above her head, "We've been doing the same thing everyday! It's time for some adventure!"
"I want to hear more about the love story." Serena agreed, "I can just go with Bonnie if you want to continue with the training."
"I don't mind going! I'd love to go!" Ash was quick to say.
Clemont shrugged his shoulders before turning to look at his sister, "Well I guess it's settled. Let's go."
Serena looked up from her handheld device to see the entrance of the cave surrounded by tourists and families taking pictures all around it, "We're here!" She announced before tucking her handheld device back into her backpack, "I'm going to check out that booth and see if there's anything we need to know before going in."
"Okay." Bonnie replied with a big smile plastered on her face, "Big brother!" She began tugging on his sleeve, "Take a picture of me in front of the entrance with Cilan!"
Ash watched as Bonnie started dragging the two boys to the entrance. He chuckled before turning his head to look at Serena who was on her way to the information booth, "Serena!" He called out, "I'll join you!" He blushed before sprinting to the honey blonde haired girl who was already halfway there.
"Good morning you two!" A man with a name tag marked Jacob greeted the two friends, "Are you two lovebirds here to explore the cave today?"
"What?!" Ash and Serena said in unison, both flustered, "We-We're not lovebirds... We're just friends! Our other friends are over there taking pictures!"
"Pikachu..." Pikachu blinked, amazed by Ash and Serena's ability to say the exact same thing in complete sync.
The man laughed, "I'm only teasing you. You two came to me as a pair... This attraction is very popular among couples."
"Oh... haha" Serena let out a small laugh before taking a couple of maps that were lying near the edge of the table, "Is there anything we should know before entering the cave?"
Jacob cleared his throat, "It's very easy to get lost, so make sure to always take a look at the maps. If you do get lost, press the button on this device." He said handing Serena a small square shaped piece of equipment with a red button in the middle, "If this light here blinks green, that means our rescue squad has gotten the signal, and will be on their way... But please only use it if it's an emergency." He finished off, starting to remember the times a bunch of hooligans would press it just for fun.
"Don't worry." Ash grabbed the device from Serena's hand, "We're pretty responsible..."
"In that case I should be holding onto it." Serena giggled, taking the device from Ash's grasp, "You tend to lose things quite easily..."
Ash hesitated. She was right, that same morning he seemed to have misplaced his hat, but Serena remembered that he stuffed it in his bag the night before. "I can't argue with you there..." He scoffed before returning his attention to Jacob, "Has anyone ever found the hot springs?"
Jacob rubbed his head, "I don't know how such an old story remained popular over the years... To be honest, I'm not even sure if any of it is real. The tunnels were made so... intricately... No pokemon could have created such a labyrinth... The hot springs is another story... There's not much proof about its existence."
"In that case, I'm more determined than ever to find it!" Ash said, holding his fist up in the air.
"Pi Pikachu!"
"Good luck to you and your friends then!" Jacob called out as he watched Serena and Ash turning their backs away from him, eager to start their hunt, "And if you're interested in knowing more about the pair, make sure to read the writings on the walls!"
"We will!" Serena called out, waving to the man, "Thank you!"
"The twerps are going into the cave." James pointed out, looking through his binoculars, "Should we follow them?"
"No I think we should try something else..." Jessie replied, distracted by the area located above the cave.
Beside the cave was a steep trail that continued upwards into what looked like Hydreigon territory. Jessie's face lit up with yet another idea as she continued to watch a herd of Hydreigon crowd around a much larger group of Zweilous' and Deino's.
"I think I know what you're up too..." Meowth replied with a sly grin spread across its face. It already knew what today's devious plan entailed.
Smitten by Lay's warm-hearted personality, and drawn by his knowledge of the world around him, Lin went to the hot springs every day during her spare time to hear more about Lay's life and the many things he has encountered. On the other hand, Lay patiently awaited for Lin to return everyday as his usual customer. He found that Lin was nothing like the other wealthy women around him. The other women only took interest when it was time for him to fetch their robes, or when they wanted to hear about any kind of gossip. Lin was nothing of the sorts. She was a kind, attentive woman who truly took interest in his life in the lower class. She didn't treat him as someone who was beneath him. She saw him as a human being who was her equal which made him want to see her more.
"You really like romantic things don't you Serena?" Ash asked, standing next to the honey blonde haired girl who was busily reading the next part to the story that was carved into the walls of the cave.
Bonnie was busily getting Cilan to take pictures of Clemont in the cave for future purposes of showing them to any possible future wife. All you could hear in the background were the two siblings bickering with Cilan laughing beside them.
Serena turned her attention to look at Ash, "My mom read a lot of fairytales to me that involved a lot of love stories between a prince and a princess. I guess romance just grew on me." She replied shyly.
"Then we should find you the next part of the story..." Ash smiled at her, before taking a look at the map, "The next part isn't too far of a walk..." He tucked the map into his pocket before lending a hand out to Serena.
Serena blushed, staring at the boy in front of her. What's gotten in Ash? Usually he would be the one to explore the cave on his own, leaving all of us to try and catch up to him... She placed her hand on his palm as Ash began to lead her down another tunnel, "Cmon you guys!" He called out to the trio, "I think there's better lighting down this tunnel!"
"That would be great! We'll get as many pictures as we can!" Bonnie jumped up in joy.
"Nenene~!"
Clemont groaned, "Ash! Don't encourage her!"
Lin and Lay both knew the consequences of getting into a romantic relationship with someone who was not apart of their class. The two were so deeply in love though, that they decided to see one another in private. When no one was looking, the two would meet up in the supply closet for a short filled hour of romance. This continued on for awhile, but it didn't end well as the pair eventually got caught.
Devastated, Lin was no longer allowed to return to the hot springs and had a few guards now ordered to follow her wherever she roamed. Lay on the other hand suffered much worse consequences. His family disowned him, he lost his job, and was thrown out of the city.
One day, after a few months, Lin was running out into the forest, tired from the lack of privacy from her guards. She came across an Espurr who looked lost. She tried her best to talk to the psychic pokemon, but it only seemed interested in walking away from her. She followed it until she reached a cave to see another Espurr standing beside the man that she loved. Lin cried, sad to see that Lay was living in the forest, but happy to see that he was doing exceptionally well. The two talked for as long as they could, rekindling their love and devising a plan to make it work.
Once a week, Lin would take a stroll around the woods with her guards, claiming that it was an activity she enjoyed doing with her new pokemon - Espurr. In reality, Lin would search for the small notes that Lay carefully hid around the forest. The two exchanged love letters for awhile, until Lin could no longer take the pain of being away from the man that she loved. She decided to run away from home, and live her life with Lay in the forest. She did exactly that, and the two created their home in the cave, along with their two Espurr's – creating a secret hot springs, so no one would be able to find them.
No one is sure if the two lover's spent their entire life in the cave or if the two Espurr's are still roaming the tunnels. Still, the story of Lin and Lay still remain strong.
"I told you this was a bad idea!" Meowth said, taking cover behind a boulder.
"You were the first to agree!" Jessie spat out, pushing Meowth to the side, caring for her own safety first.
"Let's just get out of here!" James said, scared for his life.
The Hydreigon roared, sending a beam of Dragon Pulse straight at the boulder that Team Rocket was using as a shield. An explosion followed shortly after, causing Team Rocket to blast off into the sky.
"We haven't even fought the twerps yet!" James complained, tired of their failures.
"Look on the bright side," Meowth began, "At least it isn't Pikachu's Thunderbolt."
"We're blasting off again!" The trio yelled out in unison.
"Wobbuffet!"
"I guess we reached the end of the tunnels." Ash said noticing that there were no longer any paths available for them to take.
Serena took a step forward, squinting her eyes. She was trying to find any other notes about the story. She felt like it ended with so little information.
Crrrrrr Errrr Graaaaaaa
"What's that noise!?" Clemont began darting his head from left to right, terrified by the eerie sounds. He took a step behind Cilan, intending on using him as a shield.
The walls around them began to shake, with a few small pieces of the earth above them falling onto the floor beneath them.
"Maybe we should get out of here..." Clemont continued, feeling uneasy.
"Yeah..." Serena sighed, "It is almost time for dinner. If there's anymore time afterwards we cou-"
"Serena look out!" Ash called out as he lunged towards the honey blonde haired girl.
"Wha-" Serena's eyes widened as Ash grabbed ahold of her, the sudden weight bore into her shoulders causing the two to topple onto the dirt.
"Ash...?" Serena quietly uttered his name from underneath her breath.
Ash was busily trying to listen to any kind of noise that would entail another sign of the cave's unsteady structure. He looked down to notice that he was on top of Serena in a sloppy push-up position.
"I'm so sorry!" He said out loud before pushing himself upwards. The sudden closeness to Serena made him flustered, and he fell to the ground, landing on his butt.
Serena stood up, lending her hand out to Ash, "It's okay..." She replied shyly.
"Are you two alright?!" Cilan called out from behind the pile of rubble that separated Ash and Serena from the rest of the group.
"Pika Pika?" Pikachu called out in worry. It was on Ash's shoulder the entire time, but somehow ended up on the side where Cilan, Clemont, and Bonnie were.
"We're fine!" Ash called out.
"Why don't you press the button on that thingy that man gave you?!" Bonnie suggested from behind the rubble.
"I-" Serena began feeling her pockets. The device was no longer there. She scanned the area around her to see that the device was lying on the ground, broken into pieces, "It's broken! It must have fell out of my pocket when I fell..."
"We'll go get help then!"
"I can just use my pokemon to move this pile of rocks." Ash suggested, reaching for a pokeball from his belt.
"If you move the rocks, the cave might collapse." Clemont called out, "We'll go back and find the rescue team. They'll know what to do."
"Alright..."
"Pika Pika!"
"All we can do is wait then..." Serena said, taking a seat on one of the giant rocks that fell close to the wall. She could no longer hear the footsteps of her friends.
Ash gulped, taking a seat next to Serena. They were in a pretty bad situation, but the only thing on his mind now was the fact that he was alone with Serena.
"Excuse me sir!" Cilan called out to Jacob, the man who was standing at the information booth, "What's going on?!" He asked, covering his ears.
The cries of a Hydreigon were being heard somewhere off in the distance.
"It's one of the Hydreigon!" Jacob pointed out to the territory that belonged to the Pokemon and it's other devolved forms, "They are usually quiet and friendly, but one of them just started to go berserk! We have a rescue team up there trying to get ahold of the situation."
"Well you're going to need a rescue team in the cave too!" Bonnie stomped her foot on the ground, "Our friends are trapped at the end of the cave because of some fallen rocks!"
"Oh dear... That's not good." The man shook his head in disbelief, "I'll send in another squad."
"I'll join them so I can show them where our friends are trapped." Cilan offered his assistance.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu was determined to go back in with Cilan to make sure that its trainer and Serena were going to be okay.
"That would be great... Try to get anyone out of the cave. It might be unsafe to be in there for now." Jacob said as watched a Dragon Pulse shoot up into the sky.
"My sister and I can offer our assistance with the team that's trying to help the Hydreigon." Clemont suggested.
"I don't think that's a very good idea... You're just a couple kids, you might get hurt."
"We've been on a journey for awhile now, we know a thing or two."
"I suppose you can help. The faster the better. We don't want to be losing any customers because of this."
"Don't worry."
The trio went their separate ways, ready to complete their tasks.
What should I say to her? Should I ask her about her day? Maybe what she likes? If she's okay... Ash turned his head to look at the girl who seemed to be inspecting the cave for any signs of another cave in. It used to be so easy... I could talk to her all the time before, why is it so hard for me now?
"Ash...?" Serena was the first to finally break the silence, "Are you okay?"
"Yes!" Ash's replied in a high pitch tone.
"Are you sure?" Serena turned her head to look at the raven haired boy, "Even during times like these, you're always talking about training and what you want to accomplish... Is everything alright?"
"Everything's fine. What makes you think that something is wrong?"
"Because lately, you seem kind of different."
"Different how?"
"You seem a little fidgety, and less focused... is there something on your mind that you want to tell me?" She asked, "Are you having troubles with your training? Did you and Pikachu have a disagreement?"
"Serena..." He stopped the girl from bombarding him with questions, "I assure you I'm fine." He placed his hand on top of hers.
Serena blushed, feeling the material from Ash's glove rub against the back of her hand, "Well... if something is wrong, you know you can always talk to me about it."
Ash looked down, staring at the small space between his shoes, "Why do you care about me so much?"
"Because..." She could feel the warmth emanate throughout her body, "You're important to me, and I want to make sure that you're in great condition when you enter the league."
"Thanks Serena..." He replied in a calm and soothing voice, gently squeezing her hand, "I'll always cheer you on for your future showcases."
"I sure hope you do..." Serena's mind began to race. She has never made much of a move on Ash, but lately, he's been making her feel like she should go for it. She took a deep breath before motioning her arms towards the raven haired boy, pulling him into a hug.
Ash flinched at first, but was quick to relax. He returned her embrace, wrapping her tightly around his arms. He's hugged her a few times, but this time it felt different... it felt more meaningful.
"Where's that light coming from?" Serena asked, noticing a bright pink color flashing on the walls around them.
"Over there..." Ash said, ending the hug. He pointed towards the wall ahead of them.
The pair walked over to the light, holding their arms up to their eyes to protect their vision from getting blinded from the brightness. As they got closer to the wall, the lightness dimmed, revealing a small handwritten note carved upon the rocky surface.
"What does it say?" Ash asked, squinting his eyes to make out the handwriting.
"With true love's kiss, you may enter the hot springs."
"What's that supposed to mean? True love's kiss?"
"I think if anyone were to try finding the hot springs, they would have to share a..." Serena paused. The word kiss was making her feel nervous.
"Share a what?"
"...A kiss with the person they love." It's not like the note was some kind of riddle. It was very much direct, how could Ash not understand that.
Share a kiss with Serena? Ash thought to himself. He's been having so many dreams of kissing her lately, but he always woke up before the kiss even happened, "Do you want to give it a try?" He slowly eased into the question.
"Wha-What!?" Serena jumped, raising her hand up to her chest to fiddle with the blue ribbon on her dress.
"We might get the chance to see the hot springs!" Ash replied. He definitely wanted to find the hot springs, but he wanted to kiss Serena even more.
"But... it says with your true love Ash." She lowered her voice on true love. Ash meant a lot to her, and she could see him as the love of her life, but to her Ash only ever had pokemon on his mind. To her, love isn't something in Ash's dictionary.
Ash bit his lip. He started to contemplate whether or not he should confess his feelings to Serena. Is it too early? What if she rejects me and then we're stuck here together... It's not the right time..., "Well... It's worth a shot isn't it? Don't you want to see the hot springs too?"
"Of course I do."
Ash stared at the girl in front of him. He could sense that she was nervous. After all, she did tell him that her first kiss meant everything to her, "I know you want your first kiss to be special Serena." He admitted, "I just think you and I are great friends and... maybe sharing your first kiss with me won't be so bad." He continued to stare at the girl who was now twirling a small part of her hair around her finger, "We were supposed to kiss during the play we did back in Lumiose City... Just imagine this kiss as the one we were meant to do during Twilight Princess."
After a long time of intently staring at the ground, Serena looked up meeting Ash's eyes. "I-I guess we could give it a try..." Serena replied, her body starting to feel tense. She held her breath, her ears being drowned by the sounds of her heartbeat.
Ash placed his hands on Serena's shoulders. In his dreams, kissing Serena seemed to easy, but now that he was actually going to do it, he realized that it was so hard. I've been through much harder things... I can do this... He leaned in, closing his eyes. He continued until Serena's scent evaded his nose. He leaned in closer until he could feel Serena's lips pressed up against his. Her lips were soft and supple, just like how he imagined it would be. It was just like his dreams, except it was real.
"I guess it's not working..." She chuckled nervously after the short kiss has ended.
"It was worth a shot wasn't it?" He replied, wanting to kiss her again. How did his constant thoughts about food and training suddenly turn into eating with Serena, training with Serena, doing everything with Serena.
Creee Errrrr!
The two turned their heads to see a part of the wall shift out of place before sliding to the side – creating another tunnel. They could see a slight green light emanating from the end.
"It worked..." Ash whispered, amazed, "Let's go check it out!" He grabbed ahold of Serena's hand before leading the two of them through the newly created tunnel.
"Dreeeeeei!" The roars of the Hydreigon have gotten much louder the second Bonnie and Clemont reached the top of the hill.
The two siblings stopped to see a rescue team trying to calm the Hydreigon who was destroying the forest around it with it's Dragon Pulse. A separate group was trying their best to keep the rest of the herd calm. The last thing they wanted was for the whole herd to go berserk with their powers.
"What's going on?" Clemont ran up to one of the workers who was sorting through his knapsack, trying to find the right tool to end the poor pokemon's cry.
"There's a sharp object stuck in the Hydreigon's foot, and it's causing it a lot of pain. We're trying to calm the poor thing down, but it won't listen to us." He replied in a calmly manner.
"Perhaps my sister and I could be of some assistance?" Clemont offered before turning to his left to see that Bonnie was no longer standing next to him, "Bo-Bonnie!?" He exclaimed in worry, "Where did you run off too?!" He frantically turned his head from left to right in search of his little sister, "Bonnie what do you think you're doing!?" He called out after noticing her getting a little too close to the Hydreigon.
"This Hydreigon needs help!" She called out to her brother, "I think I know how to calm it down."
"You're going to get hurt!" He yelled out, terrified for his sister's life.
"How could you let her get so close?!" Clemont heard one of the men.
"She's so tiny, I barely noticed!" Another man shot back.
Clemont sighed. Why couldn't she just let one of his inventions handle the situation? He began running towards his sister, readying his aipom arm to grab her the second it was in reaching distance, "BONNIE!" Clemont exclaimed from the top of his lungs after seeing his little sister jump onto the back of the Hydreigon, "YOU'RE GOING TO GET HURT!" He started to run faster; faster than he ever has in his entire life.
Suddenly, he came to a quick halt. The attacks were no longer shooting from the dragon pokemon's mouths. Instead, it remained still as Bonnie continued to caress two of it's neck. Clemont's eyes widened, recognizing the words that were coming out of his little sister's mouth. She was singing the song she created for Squishy or well Zygarde, back then when it was still travelling with them. With a few minor changes to the words, the Hydreigon seemed to be enjoying the soothing sounds coming from Bonnie's mouth.
"Quickly!" A ranger came rushing pass Clemont, with a pair of tweezers.
Clemont continued to watch as his little sister began to sing the song for the second time. A few of the rescuers gathered around the pokemon, carefully removing the sharp object from it's foot.
"Success!" The man yelled out, as another one of the rescuers sprayed a potion onto it's foot.
A smile curved upon Clemont's face as he watched Bonnie jump off of the Hydreigon before running in his direction, "Big brother!" She yelled out, "It's all good now!"
"Don't ever do that again!" Clemont said in a low tone. He was happy to see that his sister was growing up to be quite a great caretaker of pokemon, but he was also incredibly angry because she was his sister, and he didn't enjoy watching her put her life in danger.
"I'm sorry..." She apologized, a look of sorrow on her face, "I saw whatever it was in it's foot, and I just had to do something about it. I'm sorry if it worried you big brother."
"Just... Let me help you next time..." He replied, falling to the ground. Watching her on the Hydreigon made his heart beat so much, it felt like it was going to fall out. That... and the fact that he probably ran faster than the others ever had. If only they were there to see it.
"Woooow..." Serena gaped, staring at the steam emitting from the round embodiment of water.
Situated at the edge of the newly found area was a decent sized hot spring with stones placed all around it. On the other side was a small waterfall that had water slowly trickling down the walls to a pool of water below it. At the middle of the area was a small, quaint house that had the sun rays beaming at it through the small hole located at the top of the cave.
A few pokemon peeked their heads from behind the few stone sculptures that were nicely placed around the area.
"Do you think they lived here?" Serena asked, staring at one of the stone sculptures that was carved into a woman and a man sharing a hug.
"Yes..." Two voices sounded through their minds, "Lin and Lay did live here."
"Huh?" Serena took a step back to see a few stones levitate from the ground. The stones started to glow an emerald color.
"Whose that?!" Ash asked, taking a step closer to Serena ready to protect her if he had to.
"No one has been able to find this secret place for years..." A male and female Meowstic came from the quaint house, levitating towards the two friends.
"Are you the Espurr's from the story...?" Serena asked, assuming that the Meowstic's were using their psychic abilities to communicate with the two.
"Indeed. Our owner's last wishes were for us to protect this place and make it a suitable habitat for pokemon to live in."
Ash stared at the two Meowstic's, amazed by their ability to maintain a place for such a long time, "What do you mean no one's been able to find this place in years? This a huge attraction for couples and the story says that lovers can find it."
"We use our psychic powers to keep humans from finding this place, but we do give them a chance to enter it by allowing those with a strong bond to come and see it. There may be a lot of couples, but that doesn't mean that they are true lovers. You two seem have the bond that the others do not, otherwise you wouldn't have been able to find this place."
Serena and Ash turned their heads to look at one another, but the second their eyes met they were quick to look away.
Ash and I have a strong bond? Serena thought to herself. She glanced up to look at Ash who was chewing on his lip, and rubbing his arm in discomfort. Maybe I like him so much that it got both of us in here. That has to be it. Serena looked up at the two Meowstic that were hovering above them, "What happened to Lin and Lay?"
"After residing in the hot springs for so long, the two felt like they wanted to explore the world instead of living the rest of their lives in a cave. With the help of the pokemon around them, they were able to travel to another region. We gave them a fragment of the stones floating around the area to keep in contact with them and they told us of the many adventures that they had traveling the world."
"That's wonderful."
A Whismur walked over to Ash, offering him one if its berries, "It seems the pokemon here feel comfortable with your presence." The Meowstic noted after noticing the pokemon who were starting to take interest in them, "You have a few minutes as we can sense your friend and another group looking for you two. We ask of you two, to not tell others that you found this place."
Serena and Ash nodded their heads before playing with the pokemon around them. They admired the statues, and even gotten a good look at the wooden cabin that the couple built. If they had the time they would have taken a dip in the hot spring, but unfortunately their small adventure had to come to an end.
"Are you two okay?!" Bonnie was relieved to see her two friends walk out the entrance. She ran up to the pair, trying her best to pull the two into a hug, "We were so worried!"
"Pikachu!" Pikachu pouted. It was worried for its friends the entire time they were stuck in the cave.
"They're giving out free food as a thanks for everyone's cooperation." Clemont said pointing to the information booth that had Jacob handing out a few bags of food.
"I am hungry..." Ash said, rubbing his belly. "We didn't get to eat much."
"You guys must have been bored..." Cilan said, "What did you guys do?"
Serena's face turned bright red, thinking about the kiss that happened just a few hours earlier, "Uhh... We just talked about our dreams..."
"Yeah!" Ash agreed, sharing the same emotions as Serena.
"Really...?" Bonnie questioned, "Why are you guys acting so fidgety?"
"We're not!" The two shouted in unison, "Let's go get some food!"
Pikachu once again blinked, impressed by their synchronization.
Serena sat at the edge of a cliff petting a few Deino's that Bonnie befriended during the time they were stuck in the cave. She glanced over at Ash who was grabbing a bunch of leftovers that no one else wanted to have.
Could Ash like me? A smile curved upon her face as she watched Ash share his food with his pokemon. Should I ask him? The Meowstic said only true lovers could have found the hot springs... Maybe I should confess my feelings to him...
"Pancham Pan?" Pancham nudged Serena to eat the rest of her food.
"Oh... right. Thank you Pancham." She smiled at her pokemon before, taking a bite out of her sandwich.
Maybe we're just good friends, and it's nothing... Ash can't have feelings for me. He doesn't have the time too.
Next Chapter Summary:
Trainer Serena!: After watching a few reruns of the Pokemon Performers Competition, Serena is determined to start with improving her skills as a Performer; this time wanting to take a different approach. She asks to join Ash with his special training routine, hoping that his kind of training will help her improve in some areas to become a better Performer. The two venture off into the forest outside of Laverre City, but are stopped short by a thunderstorm. The two take refuge in a cabin as Serena is frightened by lightning.
