Love-struck

"Umm…ar-are you okay?"

"Huh? Y-yeah…why…why wouldn't I be?"

"…are you sure, Serena?"

"Fine…fine…how are you today?"

"…what?"

"Are you fine, too? Because I feel great! Life is okay, too! And you are looking great today, Clemont! Did I tell you you're looking great, today?"

"…Serena…you're scaring me…"

Clemont gave his disguised friend a worried look, as he looked at her. Serena had her head upon the table, smiling and blushing, ignoring everything around her and talking nonsense.

Ever since she and Ash returned from the gardens, Serena had been acting rather strange. Ash, for his part, was also blushing, but he at least behaved normally; well as normal as he could get since he thought he was a girl at the moment. He would also send Serena small looks, make a small smile and turn before Clemont could catch him staring (unfortunately, the young inventor did notice but did not say anything about it).

At first, Clemont had assumed that that maid's Kirlia had hypnotized Serena, but upon closer inspection he noticed that her eyes were normal as far as he could see. She was more cheerful, smiling a lot and staring at Ash and then just blushing and smiling some more.

Was Clemont missing something? Had something happened between the two? Had…Ash—Clemont almost turned pale at the thought—had Ash taken advantage of her in his hypnotized state? Clemont shook his head, groaning mentally as he glanced at the ropes that held him to the chair and then back at the smiling and blushing Serena.

This…this is great…we are making such great progress, Serena, he thought as he sighed. Whatever happened between the two is going to stay between the two…Ash is not talking and Serena…well…she's not in the right mind to help me no—huh? Clemont stared straight ahead, as he spotted Allie and her maid walking towards them, with a Kirlia following close behind. Ash also noticed them and waved.

"Princess Allie!" he cried, smiling. "Where have you been?"

"Oh, just…checking on a few things," the princess told him, giving the blushing Serena a strange look. "…uh…hello, Lord Xavier…"

"Hiya!" Serena told her, smiling with a small wave. She glanced at the maid and her Kirlia and waved at them too. "Hello! Hello! How is everyone this evening? I hope great! Because I am! Isn't the weather fine, too? " Allie and the maid gave each other looks at what the girl said, before looking back at Ash.

"He's fine…he's just a little excited," the cross-dressing boy told them, blushing slightly. They turned to face Clemont, who by now, was leaning against the table with a hand settled upon his cheek.

"…I don't even…" he began, and Allie just nodded.

"Hello! World! How are you?" Serena asked a group of people nearby, who all gave her weird looks. Ash and the others sweat drop as she continued to speak nonsense here and there, watching as groups of strangers stared at her in wonder.

"Umm…Xavier, dear," Ash began, watching as Serena waved at a nearby table. "Why don't you take a small break from greeting people? Princess Allie is here."

"Okeydokey!" Serena cried, smiling before looking at Allie, who continued to give her a look. "How are you?" the girl asked her excitedly. "Fine? Because I feel great! Doesn't anyone else feel great?"

"Ah…I'm fine, Lord Xavier…" Allie began, giving her a nervous look. "Umm…can I borrow my dear Clemont for a couple of seconds?"

"Sure! Sure!" Serena cried, getting up from her chair and grabbed Ash's hand. The cross-dressing boy managed to keep up with the excited girl, waving goodbye at Clemont and Allie, as he followed Serena. The princess's maid glance their way as they disappeared towards the upper halfway, Serena talking and waving at everyone across her path. She turned to face Clemont once they were both gone as Allie asked,

"Is she…intoxicated?"

"…hopefully not…" Clemont responded, eyeing her suspiciously. "You didn't have anything to do with this, did you Allie?"

"Ah! Darling! How can you say such a thing!?" Allie asked, making a face. "I didn't do anything to that harlot if that's what you are wondering," she explained. "I…I just wanted to make a…a deal with her…"

"A deal?" Clemont asked. "Why would you want one now?"

"I sincerely doubt that your friends will give up so easily, if we were to keep you here," the maid told him when Allie didn't respond right away. "I suggested that the princess talk to the young lass…and make the compromise…if you were to stay until the dance, I would return the boy to his normal self."

"…for the dance?" Clemont asked, looking at Allie, who just nodded.

"See, sir…this is Lord Parfum's birthday and the princess really doesn't want to ruin the day for him…and I hardly think either one of you kids would want to ruin the party as well…"

"Well…I don't think that—" The maid raised a hand to stop him from going on.

"I don't think that was your friends' intention either…considering all the trouble they went through…and are going through now, apparently…now…this is just a small favor the princess asks…just as long as you can stay all evening with her at least until the dance…"

"And what happens after that?" Clemont asked, frowning. "She can't keep me here forever, either."

"Well…" the maid began, looking at Allie. The princess looked to the side but said nothing.

"My friends are not going to give up so easily, Allie…you know that," the young inventor told her. He turned to face the maid. "Seeing as Serena is busy…being uh…crazy, I agree to your little deal…but, you have to tell your father the truth after all this ends, Allie."

"You can't ask me that!" Allie cried, looking horrified. "My father will be—"

"You either tell him or I do it!" Clemont told her. "This is not a game anymore, Allie! Ash thinks he's a girl and Serena is floating in the clouds for some reason, and I'm tied to a chair!"

"But Clemont—"

"Look, I'm sorry about what happened before with my robot exploding on you, but if you wanted to punish someone you should have punished me, neither Ash nor Serena. And in order to make things right now, you need to explain things to your father."

"…but…"

"I believe that is fair…princess," the maid interrupted, nodding. "Master Clemont is willing to compromise with you, princess…but his friends won't give up if he were to be a permanent resident of the palace…and your father will find out eventually and what good would that do?"

"…well…"

"We can be friends if you want Allie…but not like this," Clemont told her, shaking his head. "Getting your father upset will do anyone no good, will it?"

Allie was silent for a while, looking away from both Clemont and her maid. They heard her sigh. "…Matilda…untie Clemont would you?" She didn't noticed as her maid gave her a small smile, and nodded towards her Kirlia.

"Right away, princess…"

"Xavier! Slow down, please!" Ash cried, as Serena pulled her up the stairs towards the nearby hall.

For some reason, I'm starting to regret giving him that kiss…but he's so adorable when he's out of his mind! he thought, as Serena continued to drag him around, finally stopping and turning to face him. She was smiling and blushing like always. "Well, that was so—" Ash was interrupted by Serena meeting his lips with hers. She kissed him, holding unto him tightly, while the cross-dressing boy, shocked at first, hugged her back. They stood like that, ignoring everything around them as Ash removed himself from Serena's lips. "…oh…whoa…Xavier if you wanted another kiss you should have just said so…" Serena just smiled back, blushing and ignoring everything around them.

"I wanted to return the favor!" she told him, with a grin.

"Did you now…?" Ash asked her, looking surprised—something told him that something was wrong with his friend…no, fiancé yes that was it!—as Serena turned to look at a group of maids that were staring nearby and waved.

(This was wrong…Ash should have said—no, why would he? This was normal behavior for people who were in love, wasn't it? But…if it really was love…why did it feel so…so wrong? He liked her—no he liked Xavier but they were the same, weren't they?)

Ash began to shake his head as the confusing thoughts filled his head; was this right? No, it wasn't! It wasn't at all so…no wait, yes it was he was just imagining things he was—

"Look out!"

Ash barely reacted as Serena pushed him down, hearing her yell in pain as her ponytail came off. More screams followed, as a few people ran past the fallen couple and pushed everyone else out of their way.

"Xa—no, Serena!"

Serena's expression of pain looked back at him, as behind her a pair of floating swords looked back.

"Wha—what the…"

Schink! Schink!

And finally, Ash snaps out of dreamland! Of course, you might have noticed his confusion a few chapters back when he questioned were he had left his Pikachu...and now, he's out and Serena is down (for now anyway). How was that for the after effects of a kiss, eh? Poor girl, but don't worry, she's fine...hopefully.

And Clemont finally mans up and tells it how it should be, eh? I was thinking about how to solve this mess with Allie and I decided that Clemont was the best man to do it...seeing as both his friends were not in their right state of mind at the moment.

We will reach the end soon, folks! Next chapter we deal with a few ghosts and maybe next, the end. Thanks to all that have left reviews and favorite/followed this story! See ya next update!

(For those wondering, Fennekin is back in Serena's Poke Ball; didnt show it last chapter but I thought it will be a waste, really)