"Have you heard about the party later tonight? There's a sweet get-together going on, and Miette is hosting it all at the place she's staying."
"Oh really?" asked Serena, seeming distracted. "Is that where she ran off to? To go prepare?"
Down at Serena's feet, just past the park bench she sat on, Pancham was doing laps on the cobble road, running out to the far side by the grass and then sprinting back quickly, skidding to a halt just short of her boots. He made other, bodybuilder-esque poses and stretches, squatting on his short legs and flexing his arms, stretching from an extended stay inside the Pokeball.
Serena still held his Pokeball in her hand, resting over her knee, not having moved since she had released Pancham. She had been hypnotized by Pancham's energy, watching him run and jump in the final minutes of sunlight before the evening came. As she sat on the edge of the bench, hunched over and watching Pancham's stretches, she had grown tired, somewhat daydream-y, seeming to continually mull-over the questions from the day.
"I really think you should go. I mean, I know parties aren't your thing, but it's more of a casual get-together. Just something to take your mind off tonight, you know?"
Serena looked up over her shoulder, looking to the source of the voice speaking to her. It was Tierno, looking genuinely worried, standing just behind the bench and looking down.
The two of them looked over, seeing Shauna chatting with Trevor, telling him everything that had happened. Beside the simple two story cottage that housed the place with the milkshakes, a small pond had been made in a valley between the cottage and the forest that the road followed the edge of. Among the rocks and quaint decorations that lined the small pond, a pair of small sneakers and socks were stacked against a rock, with Shauna's bright pink sandals just beside them. Shauna and Trevor sat side-by-side, dangling their legs into the placid, motionless water, looking relaxed and seeming to enjoy themselves.
"I appreciate the invite," said Serena. She sighed gently, looking wistful. "I still need to think of some way to answer Shauna's question, among a few others."
Though Serena had looked away, Tierno continued to watch Serena, his look of concern growing for him.
"Serena, it's okay to just say 'you haven't'. Shauna got her answer," said Tierno. "Seriously, I'm worried for you. You should really think of doing something to clear your head."
Serena sighed, shaking her head. "I guess that's not all I'm thinking of... Earlier today I was thinking of closing my blog down just because I couldn't answer any questions right... Now I want to close it because my answers hurt people's feelings, like Shauna's."
Tierno looked shocked. He walked around the bench, eyeing the spot beside Serena and sitting himself down, catching Serena's attention when he did. He looked her in the eyes, seeing the mixed bag of emotions she held.
"You're taking this way too seriously," said Tierno.
"You... You really think so?"
"Yeah, I do. I think you're trying to answer all these questions with your head, not your gut."
Serena blinked, pausing for a moment.
"Shauna told me a little bit, but it sounds like Miette was mad at you because you tried to answer the question by writing something like a friggin' novel—a novel that didn't even sound like you. Shauna was just trying to get you to answer the question honestly," said Tierno.
"But... I did answer the question honestly...?" asked Serena, looking up at Tierno, looking more confused than ever.
"You exposed something about yourself that no one was really supposed to see," said Tierno. "It hurt Shauna, and it hurt you."
"I... Okay..." Serena swallowed. She shuffled on the bench uncomfortably. "I guess I just don't understand what I'm supposed to do."
Tierno smiled. "You don't have to understand why, you just have to do. You can't think your way through something you're supposed to feel," he said. "It's like dancing!"
Serena couldn't help but chuckle. She shook her head, looking away in disbelief. She rubbed the sleep from her eye, doing her best not to laugh, even when she could hear in his tone and excitement he wasn't kidding.
"Tierno, everything is like dancing with you."
"No, I'm serious!" said Tierno. "You can know how to dance—you can memorize moves, watch other people dance and memorize what they do—but a real dancer can feel the rhythm, they groove. The head has nothing to do with it. In fact, thinking about it makes it worse. Pokemon? They're way better dancers than people because they don't think about what they're doing as much as people do, they just do."
This gave Serena some pause. She thought about it, silently contemplating as she watched Pancham down below, practicing punches in the street, pumping his tiny stumpy arms and making low grunting noises. Her mind flashed to moments from Showcases, where Pancham was dancing and stumbling through, but still incredibly happy. She remembered moments where she was happy, watching him dance and perform moves with Braixen and Sylveon.
"I think I get it," Serena smiled.
"Good," said Tierno. "Now, relax. Take a load off. Enjoy the company of your friends."
Looking over again at where Shauna and Trevor were by the lake, Shauna seemed much happier now. She was laughing, kicking her legs through the water as she listened to stories from Trevor, flipping through stacks of photo prints he had pulled from his backpack.
"I think I can do that now. Tierno, thank you."