It was another ordinary morning in Kalos and our XYZ gang had camped in a small open near the river where the water was flowing lazily. The morning was warm and the sun was already shining and there was a particularly loud rumble around the camp table.
Ash woke up and slowly got up to sit down. He stretched out his arms and stared around.
There were none in the tent but him. Clemont had apparently woke earlier. It didn't surprise Ash, though, as Clemont usually always woke up before him. But what surprised him a little was that Pikachu was gone too.
Ash quickly got up and put on his clothes. He tried to smooth out his black, fluffy hair, to no avail, and then decided to go eat breakfast.
He stepped out of the tent, but instead of breakfast he was greeted with a happy exclamation that exclaimed, "Happy birthday!" He blinked his eyes in confusion and watched the sight unfolding in front of him.
Clemont, Bonnie, Serena, and all the Pokemon had arranged a surprise party for him. Clemont had prepared a special meal and Serena and Bonnie, with the help of Pokemon, had decorated the campground pretty.
Ash looked at this in surprise and asked, "How did you know?"
"I started a few days wonder when you have a birthday and decided to call certain people. When I heard they would be in a few days, I got the idea to have a surprise party. Clemont and Bonnie and the Pokemon helped as soon as they heard and ta-dah! I hope you like it," Serena explained with a smile and Ash listened in surprise.
Then a wide smile spread across his face and he exclaimed, "Of course I do! This is awesome! Thank you guys, you're the best!"
Then Pikachu, who had been standing on the ground, jumped on Ash's shoulder in his usual place and exclaimed happily, "Pika pikachu!" Ash smiled at it and scratched it from behind his ear.
"Thank you, buddy," he said and Pikachu smiled happily. Then Ash turned to others and said, "It smells good here. I'm hungry. Shall we start eating?"
Laughing, they all moved to the camp table and attacked the meal prepared by Clemont.
****
"That was good! Thank you, Clemont!" Ash sighed contentedly and held his stomach, which was full of food. Clemont smiled and said: "You're welcome. I'm glad you liked it. I made it just for a birthday party."
Ash nodded and then Bonnie exclaimed, "Birthdays are nothing without gifts!" Then she handed something to Ash from behind her back and said happily, "Happy birthday! I draw these myself!"
She handed Ash the two drawings and Ash accepted them with a smile. He looked at them and a wide smile spread across his face.
One of the drawings featured him and his Pokemon. Bonnie had drawn Pikachu on Ash's shoulder and Greninja in its Ash-Greninja form. Of course, Hawlucha, Noivern and Talonflame were also in the picture.
"Wow, Bonnie! This is awesome!" he exclaimed and Bonnie grinned. "Look at that another one," she said and Ash nodded.
The second drawing featured Ash and the picture also included Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie herself. Bonnie had also drawn some Pokemon to accompany them, such as Pikachu and Greninja and Serena's Braixen, Clemont's Bunnelby, and her Dedenne.
Ash also noticed that Bonnie had drawn Serena and him holding each other's hands and he wondered in amazement, "Uh... Bonnie? Why are I and Serena holding each other's hands in this second picture?"
"Whaat?!" exclaimed Serena and felt her cheeks flush. Bonnie, on the other hand, just grinned mischievously and said, "Oh, I think it fits."
"Oh. Okay," Ash said, a little confused and Bonnie winked eye to Serena. Serena blushed more, and to divert attention elsewhere, she announced loudly, "I have something for you too!"
She took out her brown basket and handed it to Ash. "Ta-dah! I baked them just for you. Your favorite taste. I hope you like them."
Ash took the basket in his hands and opened it. It was full of macarons made by Serena and Ash exclaimed, "Wow, Serena! Thank you! You're awesome!" He put one macaron in his mouth and smiled broadly.
When Serena blushed at Ash's praise, Chespin appeared at the scene and tried to take one (or more) macarons from the basket. However, Clemont noticed it and said firmly, "No, Chespin. They're for Ash, not for you."
Chespin looked disappointed and said sadly, "Ches.." Ash noticed it and said slowly, "Actually, it's not nice if only I get these." He put the basket in the middle of the table and said, "That's it! Now everyone can taste them! Also you, Chespin!"
Chespin's expression brightened and it immediately took three macarons in his hands. It put them in his mouth, swallowed almost whole, and looked satisfied.
They laughed at it and then Clemont said with a little apologetically, "I don't really have anything for you. This meal was my gift for you. I hope it doesn't matter."
"It's okay, Clemont," Ash said. "That meal was awesome, and I don't need anything else," He smiled at Clemont and Clemont looked relieved.
****
For the rest of the day, they laughed, played different games, and otherwise just had fun. They didn't move anywhere else that day and it suited everyone very well.
As the sun began to set on the horizon and the evening darkened, going to camp began to calm down. Soon, when it was almost pitch black outside, Bonnie started yawning and she and Clemont went to sleep.
Serena soon announced that she was also going to sleep and soon Ash found out he was out with the two Pikachu.
He stared at the glowing full moon and twinkling stars in the sky and thought about the day that had passed. He smiled. This was guaranteed to be one of the best birthday of his life!
He thought about the gifts he had received and hoped Serena would make her macarons again soon. They had been awesome, but worn out unnecessarily quickly. Serena is an awesome baker, he thought and found himself thinking of a girl with honey blonde hair.
Ash couldn't really explain it, but whenever he was close to Serena, he felt a fuzzy feeling in his chest and stomach. As if a swarm of Butterfree had flown there. Ash didn't know where the feeling was coming from or why he was experiencing it just near Serena, but for some reason, he liked that feeling.
"Pikapi?" asked Pikachu and Ash turned his head towards his friend. "You can go, I'll stay here for a while," he said and Pikachu nodded. Then it jumped down from the chair and went to sleep.
Ash closed his eyes and let the night breeze cool his face. Suddenly he heard behind him how someone whispered his name and he turned his head.
He saw Serena standing by her and Bonnie's tent in her nightwear. She walked over to Ash and Ash asked, "Serena? Shouldn't you have been sleeping?"
"I didn't get any sleep and I thought you were still here," Serena explained and sat down next to Ash. Ash smelled strawberries and some other sweet scent as Serena sat next to him and said, "Yeah. I wanted to gather some of my thoughts outside before I go to bed."
Serena giggled and Ash asked, "What?" He couldn't help but think that Serena's giggle sounded pretty nice.
"I didn't think you wanted to do something like gathering your thoughts," Serena explained and Ash grinned.
"Well, apparently I do that too," he said with a smile and Serena nodded with a smile as well. Then a calm silence descended between them, broken only by the occasional sounds of nocturnal Pokemon from the nearby forest.
They sat side by side on the bench and Serena suddenly became very aware of how close they were sitting. She noticed their hands almost touching each other and she took a deep breath. Then she said, "Ash?" and Ash hummed in response.
"I have another gift for you," Serena said and Ash turned his head towards her. "What is it?" he asked with interest and Serena said, "Close your eyes."
"What?" Ash said confused, but Serena just said, "Trust me. Just close your eyes now."
Ash stared at her for a moment, but then closed his auburn eyes. "And then don't peek," Serena said and Ash nodded. Then Serena gathered all her courage and pressed her lips gently to Ash's lips.
Ash felt some soft touch on his lips and he felt a strange heat spread to his cheeks. Her eyes burst open and he saw how Serena pull away from him.
Serena's eyes had been closed and she opened them now. She smiled slightly and then stood up, her cheeks red.
"Happy birthday, Ash," she said quietly and then headed for her tent, screaming in joy internally and leaving Ash to wonder what had just happened.