Serena tossed and turned in her bed. She grunted as she was being serenaded by the sound of snoring, coming from the other three girls, in the room. She wished that she could have joined them, in slumber, but she was a wreck of nerves. The day had been a peculiar one.

It had started off well by being able to finally sleep in. Ash had said that he would come and wake her, after his morning training session, for lunch. While she enjoyed the time with him, she could tell that his mind was elsewhere. He was uncharacteristically quiet, for himself, along with Lucario and Pikachu, who mirrored his attitude. Then, there was Gary, Trevor, and Sara. They had stayed closer to her than usual, but this, she figured, had something to do with Ash. He had probably asked for his old friends to keep an eye on her, so she just brushed it off.

She had watched his news conference during the media frenzy, which followed Tobias and Trevor's third place bout. He only gave one sentence and one-word answers, throughout the entire interview. He rarely raises his head to meet the eyesight of the countless reporters that were in the room. She had hoped to see him, as soon as he returned from the interview, which ended around eight that night. She waited in the lobby for a few hours, but he never came. She had spent the last hour tossing and turning, in her bed, trying to sleep.

She looked at the digital clock, which rested on the table, between her and Bonnie's bed. She groaned when she saw that it was already midnight.

Maybe he's in his room right now.She thought, as she gingerly got out of her bed.

She tiptoed through the darkened room, before reaching the door. She grabbed the doorknob and slowly pulled the door open, while being careful not to let in too much light from the hallway, and slipped out.

She walked over to the door, that was across from her. She took a peak down both sides of the hall, to make sure that she was alone, before knocking on the door. She waited for a few moments, before deciding to try again. She knocked louder, before putting her ear up to the door. She keenly listened for any signs of life on the other side. She backed up and sighed, as she came up empty in her search for Ash.

Where could he be? He hasn't come back from the press conference.She smiled, when a thought dawned on her. I'm sure he's there!

Serena quickly opened the door to her room. Without the lights, she managed to find her way to her bag. After a few minutes of rummaging through her belongings, she came across a pair of long socks and a sweatshirt. She threw them on, along with a pair of shoes, and exited out of her room. She quickly made her way through the halls, until she arrived at the elevator. She got in and descended down to the lobby. Once the doors opened, she rushed out and into the crispness of the night.


She found her way into the forest. She ducked past limps and through bushes, while letting the light of the moon, screening above, guide her path. She came out into the same clearing, which Ash and her had encountered each other there, so many times before. Her heart skipped a beat, as she saw him sitting there, in the glow of the moon. The light was dancing off his ebony hair that was freed from his hood.

Ash sat there in silence, before being startled, as he felt a pair of arms wrapped around his waist and a body pressed against his. His shock dispersed into happiness, when he smelled a flowery perfume, lingering behind him. He chuckled, as he felt a cheek rubbed up against his.

"Hey there, stranger." he said softly.

"Stranger? I better be more than just a stranger to you." Serena teased. "I mean; after all, we have kissed before. I don't know what type of girl you think I am. Just going around kissing strangers." She leaned over and kissed his cheek.

"Yeah, whatever." Ash responded.

He quickly turned in Serena's arms and tucked his arms around her. He rotated Serena and twisted his body, so that Serena was now sitting in his lap.

Serena gave a small yelp at the sudden action. She began to chuckle, before playfully hitting Ash in the chest.

"You jerk!" The chuckling performer responded.

The two continued to laugh, before Serena turned sideways and rested her head on Ash's chest, while one of her hands played with the Pokéball, around his neck.

"So, may I ask why you're out here?" she questioned softly.

"Just thinking." Ash responded quietly.

"About what?"

Ash took a deep breath in, before exhaling. Serena noticed the deep breath and took her head off his chest, in order to see his face. She viewed the trainer, who had his mask off, with a worried gaze.

Ash saw the uneasiness, which her eyes were expressing, and averted his gaze, before talking. "About tomorrow, and if I'm ready for the battle. I've been waiting five years for this moment, and now that it's here, . . ." Ash's voice began to trail, before he let out another sigh. "I don't know if I'll be able to finally beat him."

Serena gently place her hand on the side of Ash's face, while her thumb gently ran over his cheekbone.

"You remember the night before the Lumiose Conference Finals?" Serena asked her loved one.

Ash kept his gaze away, as he nodded his head. Serena began to grow frustrated.

"Ash, look at me!" Serena ordered, which Ash responded to her demand by tilting his head, so that their eyes met. "Do you remember that night?"

"Of course I do, Serena. I was a nervous wreck, just like what I am now." Ash said, as he remembered that night.

She smiled and nodded. "It was also the first night that we kissed. I never told you this, but I couldn't sleep that night either."

"You couldn't?" asked Ash, with a confused look on his face.

Serena shook her head. "No, I couldn't."


Serena tossed and turned in her bed, before having felt a cold wind blow against her body. She shivered, under her sheets. She then turned her head and noticed the sliding glass door, which lead to a balcony, was opened, along with Ash's bed being empty, except for a little yellow ball of fur, who was curled up on one of the pillows.

She got up and went to the door. She stuck her head out and noticed Ash, leaning up against a railing, as he was staring out into the night sky. She quietly walked up next to him and leaned on the railing, so she could see his face.

"Hey, you feeling alright?" Serena asked, which seemed to have shaken Ash out of his thoughts.

"Huh? Oh. Hey, Serena." Ash responded, as he turned to the girl that stood next to him. "Yeah, I'm fine.

Serena looked at him with skepticism. "I'm not buying that, for a minute. Tell me, what's wrong?"

Ash sighed, before turning back to the view, that the balcony gave them. "I've never been this close to my goal before. I mean, I've gone far in various conferences before, but not like this. I'm not sure if I'm ready for this."

"But you've worked so hard, Ash," Serena was shocked at what she was hearing. The ever-confident Ash Ketchum was doubting and questioning his own abilities. "I'm sure that you'll win."

Ash shrugged his shoulders. "That's what I always felt, before I lost. I mean, I should have beat Ritchie, but Charizard wouldn't listen to me. Then, Charizard finally does, but I couldn't get past Harrison and his Blaziken. It was the same deal with Tyson and his Meowth. After that, I finally get over the Quarterfinal hump by beating Paul, but only to come face to face against a team of Legendary Pokémon. Finally, I lose in possibly the most embarrassing fashion yet: I lost to Cameron, who came to the battle with only five Pokémon!" He sighed again, as the weight of so many close calls have finally taken their toll on him.

"Ash, you can't let those defeats, from the past, bother you." Serena said. "That was then, and this is now. They don't have anything to do with tomorrow's battle. Sure, you've learned from them, but it won't make a difference, whether you won or lost in those conferences, tomorrow in the Finals."

"How can you be so confident, Serena?" Ash questioned his performer friend.

When she saw Ash turn to her, Serena began to blush. She had always been there for him, while he was in Kalos, but this seemed different somehow.

She gulped, before continuing. "Because . . . Because I'm talking to the most amazing person that I've ever met." she said sheepishly.

She looked up, from the ground, to meet Ash's gaze.He's not stopping me! That's good, right?

She felt confidence, beginning to slowly grow inside of her. "You've always inspired me, ever since we were younger. Then, you came to Kalos, and now, my entire world has changed. You've opened the doors that I never knew existed. If you had told me, last year, that I would be performing, in front of thousands of people, I would have laughed; but because of you, I was able to realize a dream that I didn't even know I had. You've always been there for me, Ash, always encouraging me by telling me to never give up. When you win tomorrow, I'll be there to cheer you on."

They stood in silence for what felt like hours to Serena. She felt the beating of her heart racing, as she waited for Ash to respond. All of a sudden, she stood in shock, as Ash wrapped his arms around her in a warm embrace. She tensed at his touch, but slowly melted into it. She then buried her head into his chest, while wrapping her arms around his back. She soaked in every second of the embrace, while her crush was holding her in his strong arms, his head resting in the crook of her neck, and the texture, of his shirt, on her cheek. They finally let go of the embrace and looked into each other's eyes, Auburn eyes meeting blue eyes.

"Thanks, Serena. That means more to me than you know." Ash said, with a small smile forming on his lips.

Serena tilted her head, as she took in his smile.Well, it isn't his adorable toothy grin, but it's better than nothing. She thought.

"You're welcome." She responded.

Suddenly, an idea came to her mind. She had said so much tonight already and he had hugged her in a way that he had never done before. Should she risk it?This is Ash. I may never have another chance as good as this!

"One more thing!" she exclaimed louder than she wanted to.

"Huh?" Ash responded, as he looked at her, with a confused look on his face.

"I have one more thing to help inspire you tomorrow." Serena stated.

"What's that?" He asked.

"This."

She gently gripped Ash's shirt, before softly pressing her lips against his. She felt her heart burst, inside of her chest. It felt like she had always imagined it would be; electric. She began to feel a tingling sensation that started from her lips, and then suddenly, began racing through the rest of the body, while carrying a warming feeling with it. She parted from the kiss, with a smile on her face, which only grew when she saw it mirrored on Ash's.

"Wow." Serena whispered. She backed away from Ash, before turning and walking into the room.

Suddenly, she felt a grip on her arm and was spun back around. Before she could say anything, she felt his lips against hers and his arms around her waist. Her shock lasted only a moment, before she closed her eyes and wrapped her hands around Ash's neck.

Again, they broke the kiss, but Ash didn't move back. Instead, he whispered, "Best piece of inspiration ever."


"You see, I was feeling nervous about you too, just like how I am today." Serena smiled, while she spoke. "And just like that night, you're letting the past affect the present. So what if you didn't stop Giovanni, five years ago? Tomorrow, it won't matter. All that will matter is what happens when the battle begins."

Ash sat there, pondering what the performer had just said to him. Had he let the last five years really affect him that much? Of course, he had. Why wouldn't those years have put any pressure on him? Still, with Serena in his arms, he began to feel her confidence rubbing off onto him. He grinned his toothy smile that she loved so much.

"What's going through your head now?" she asked, while being hopeful that her words made an impact on her loved one.

"Just wondering if I could get a little 'inspiration' tonight, just like the one that I received, back in Kalos." he said playfully.

"Why didn't you ask that earlier?" Serena teased, before leaning in and placing her lips on Ash's.

Ash felt the warmth radiate from her kiss, as well as the tingling sensation of her hands, while being wrapped around his neck.

All that matters, right now, is tomorrow. The past is the past, and tomorrow, is a brand new day.

He smiled to the kiss, as once again, the Kalos Queen has caused all his anxiety to slip away, into the majestic night sky.


Ash finished the last notes of his song, which he played on his ocarina, before opening his eyes and viewing Pikachu and Lucario. They were ready. Silently, they rose and made their way out of their locker room. They had stepped onto their platform, before hearing a voice behind them. Ash turned to see Serena, standing there, with a smile on her face.

"Why are you here?" he asked, as she approached the masked trainer.

"I felt like a thumb's up wasn't going to be good enough, for today." She slipped off his mask and placed a quick kiss on his lips.

Ash smiled, as they parted from the kiss. "Thanks." he said, "I needed that."

"So did I." Serena responded sheepishly. "Now go out there and do your best, and when you win, I'll be right there, next to the stage, waiting for you."

"I'll see you there." Ash replied.

Ash took one last glance back to Serena, before his platform began to rise and the roars, of the crowd, began to drown out his thoughts.

Beside him, Lucario was growling, while Pikachu sat, atop his shoulder, with sparks flying. Standing across from him, on the battlefield, Giovanni held a Pokéball in his hands, while Persian crouched, as she was mirroring her master's tensed frame.

Ash enlarged a Pokéball, in his hand, with only one thought running through his head.

This ends now!