Brave to Dare

A/N: Geez, how long has it been since I updated this story? Actually, don't answer that. I don't wanna know, otherwise I'll just be beating myself up about it.

This chapter is a bit shorter than usual, since this is just focused on a pretty critical part of the story. And with this quarantine thing happening, maybe updates on any of my stories might be more frequent. But no promises, since I learned the hard way that they're not easy to keep.

Now, let's get on with Chapter 14! Roll it!

Chapter 14

Friends Now Divided

Before Iris could dive deeper into her heartbreak, Axew suddenly got her and Ash's attention. He pointed downwards from his spot near the window. Both of them went over to it and looked out.

Serena's car was parked in front of Prism Tower. She exited the car, with a basket of food draped over her arm.

"Serena's coming." Iris said, and then turned over to Ash. "You gotta leave. Now."

Ash nodded, and then looked back out the window. "Can't go through the window, though." He said. "Someone could see me."

Iris nodded in agreement, and then took his arm, pulling him towards the door and opening it. "Head up towards the roof." She suggested. "No one will see you from that high up."

Ash nodded again, and then beckoned Pikachu and Espurr towards him. They obeyed him, though Espurr was a little hesitant to leave Dawn. But she and Pikachu eventually jumped onto Ash's shoulders; Pikachu on the left and Espurr on the right.

"Be careful." He said to Iris. "Please promise me that you would look after her." He glanced back over at Dawn, her Piplup resting next to her.

Iris ignored the sharp prick in her heart when she saw the deep concern in Ash's usually warm brown eyes. "I promise." She said.

Ash smiled gratefully at her. Then, he took off down the hall towards the stairs up towards the top of the tower. Once he was out of her sight, Iris closed the door. She then carefully threw a thick drape over Dawn and Piplup's sleeping forms. Axew and Emolga sat on top of the crates they're hiding behind, while Excadrill took a spot next to them, hiding the possible view of Dawn's feet.

Iris pretended to fiddle around with a piece of wood just as there was a knock on the door. She almost dropped the wood, and managed to regain her grip on it as she opened it to reveal Serena, smiling a little too brightly at her.

"Serena." Iris said, trying to sound surprised but not nervous. "I wasn't expecting you."

"I wanted to surprise you." Serena said. "The whole city seems to be on high alert for that fugitive, and I wanted to still have some sense of normalcy."

"I see." Iris said, and cautiously, she let her in.

Serena held up the basket. "I brought some extra treats." She removed the blanket covering the food to reveal perfectly made Poké Puffs of pink, green and orange for her Pokémon, along with a bunch of purple grapes for Iris.

Iris gave her a tiny smile and then turned towards her Pokémon. They looked a bit hesitant to have some of the sweets since they now know that Serena had gone off the deep end, but a slightly harsher look from their Trainer got them to have some, pretending that everything was fine between Iris and Serena.

"Thanks, Serena." Iris said, taking the grapes. As she plopped one by one into her mouth, Serena looked around the room. She was looking around for anything that was out of place; something that could prove her suspicions.

"What's wrong?" Iris asked her after she swallowed her fifth grape.

"Is there something…off about this room?" Serena asked curiously.

Iris lightly gulped, but still played it cool. She hoped that she didn't notice the drape over the crates where Dawn and her Piplup were hidden.

"What do you mean?" She questioned, trying to sound confused.

Serena then spotted something on the table where Iris kept her wood carvings. It was a new carving. She walked over to the table and picked it. "Isn't this a new one?" She asked.

Iris felt her heart nearly stop. It was the wooden figure of Ash, the paint dry and the boy smiling sunnily and confidently with his Pikachu perched on his shoulder.

Serena inspected it with a careful eye. "It's remarkably well done." She said. "It looks a lot like…that Ash Ketchum boy."

Out of the corner of her eye, Serena saw Iris go deathly pale, her eyes wide with horror. That just about proved her suspicion as she placed the wooden figurine back on the table.

"I knew it." She said softly before her temper rose up sharply, her icy blue eyes fiery yet lifeless. "You helped him escape!"

Then, she roughly shoved Iris onto the floor, making her drop the grapes all over the floor. Her Pokémon went over to help her, but the Unovan girl raised her palm out towards them, making them stay where they were and they hid in a corner of the room, much to their dismay.

"And now, thanks to you, all of Lumiose City is being torn apart!" Serena accused, as if her madness was Iris's fault.

The Dragon type Trainer narrowed her eyes at her ex-friend. "He was kind to me." She said. "He showed more bravery and compassion towards me than you ever did! It's like you're ashamed of me! He isn't!"

Serena marched over to her and slapped her firmly across the face, then roughly grabbed her by the front of her tunic shirt. "Don't you dare talk about him like that!" She shouted at her. "Only I am worthy of saying such things about him! You are worth nothing!"

The harsh words stung Iris, and her heart was fractured. She knew that Serena had gone mad, ever since she heard of what she had done to Dawn, and what she did to try and draw Ash out of hiding. But she never thought that she was this obsessed with Ash. She may think that she is in love with him, but that wasn't love. It was pure, disgusting lust.

Iris felt real love, from the warmth that she would feel whenever Ash smiled at her to the pleasant heat of his partially gloved hand when he had held hers. And she also saw real love, from the way that Ash and Dawn had looked at each other earlier. It was like their faces were practically glowing; their eyes shimmering like stars and their smiles soft yet radiant. Iris knew that Ash would never look at her like that, but at least she knew what love felt like; even if it was just friendship from him.

She kept her eyes narrowed at Serena, who was breathing heavily from her rant as she released her grip on her shirt. The mad glint in her eyes almost sent chills down Iris's spine. She had never seen her this mad before. She was clearly crazy.

Then, Serena managed to calm herself and get composed again. "But what do you know about men?" She asked. "You've never had any interest in a guy before, nor did a guy ever have an interest in you."

Iris slightly narrowed her eyes at her, not liking her little insult. But then, she widened them when Serena picked up the wooden figurine of Ash with one hand and with the other hand, she held a Poké Ball. She opened the capsule to have her Braixen out again.

"But don't worry." Serena said to her as Braixen reluctantly pulled out her stick, a little fireball at the tip of it. "I'm pretty sure a guy won't come in between us and our friendship."

She then held the wooden figure over the flame, letting it catch fire, the wood slowly smoldering away. Before the flame could lick at her fingers, Serena dropped the figurine as it continued to burn. Iris felt her heart crumble even more.

"At least he won't cause any more trouble." Serena said.

"What do you mean?" Iris asked her, almost afraid of her answer.

"I know where he's hiding out." Serena answered her, recalling her Braixen, who was looking at Iris with guilty eyes, back to her Poké Ball. "At dawn, I'm bringing the entire police force to him. And this time, he'll have nowhere to run."

With that ominous note, Serena looked over at the basket that still had a few Poké Puffs in it. She knocked it over with her boot, letting the pastries spill everywhere. She didn't even bother to pick it up as she opened the door and then slammed it shut.

Iris finally felt like she lost her balance and she leaned onto the table and gripped to support herself. She couldn't look at the burning wooden figure of Ash. Serena's claim echoed through her head. She wasn't even sure what else she could do. If she knew where he was, and that she would lead the entire police force to him, then Ash would soon be arrested. And it would be her fault for not doing anything. But what can she do? The way that Serena was glaring at her earlier, she had truly lost her mind. She couldn't oppose her again if she valued her life.

But what about Ash's life? She couldn't bear the thought of him sitting in a jail cell when he did nothing wrong, and he would be a caged bird, longing to be free once again. What mattered more to Iris? Her crumbling friendship with Serena, which was all she had ever known? Or her true friendship with Ash, even though he would never return her feelings when he was in love with someone else?


A/N: Short? Yes. Sweet? Not exactly.

Well, at least I finished it. In the next chapter, Iris makes a decision that will change her already odd life as she knows it. And I think you guys know what choice she'll make.

Until then, I'll see y'all! Please leave a review about what you think. And stay healthy, and at home.

Got to fly! ;)