Soulbonded

by Noukon

After Satoshi is mistaken for a wanted criminal and is forced to spend the night away from his friends, Serena and Pikachu find support in each other, and a bond is formed. Maybe in the literal sense, they both realize, when the next morning Serena is somehow able to understand word by word everything Pikachu says.

5. The Calm After The Storm

Beep. Beep. Beep.

The only sound he could hear.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

When he opened his eyes, he had to squint right away, adjusting to the lighting. The white ceiling looked back at him, almost as if welcoming him back into the world of the conscious.

Satoshi felt his hair with his hand, quickly noticing he wasn't wearing his hat. Lowering his gaze, he discovered he wasn't even wearing his normal clothes. He recognized what he had on to be a hospital gown.

He was in a hospital?

He looked around. The blinds over the window didn't allow him to see outside. To his right, he could see a machine like the ones he usually saw while checking on Pokémon in Pokémon Centers. It was meant to track his vitals, he remembered.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

His heart was beating, so that meant he was fine, right?

He slowly sat on his bed and sighed. Why did everything feel so fuzzy?

Suddenly, the door to his room was opened. At first he was confused as he didn't see anyone holding the doorknob, but when he lowered his gaze, his heart somersaulted.

A yellow mouse with big black eyes was staring at him from the floor.

Less than three seconds passed before Pikachu smiled and jumped toward him.

''Pika–pi!''

''Pikachu!''

Pikachu hugged him and then nuzzled him on the cheek. He seemed as relieved as Satoshi felt, or maybe even more. His trainer hugged him back and grinned brilliantly at him.

''I'm so glad to see you, buddy,'' Satoshi said, settling Pikachu back on his bended knees.

''Pika pikachu,'' his best friend said. ''Pika pika pi?''

''Of course I'm okay, Pikachu, you don't need to worry. How 'bout you?''

Pikachu almost rolled his eyes at how easily Satoshi dismissed his own condition even when he was the one who had just woken up in a hospital. He nodded at his trainer instead. ''I'm fine. The rest of the team is too, just like Clemont and Eureka.''

''I'm glad to hear it!'' Satoshi said. They fell silent.

Just then, Satoshi felt like there was something really, really wrong, like something was missing.

Something…

Someone.

Everything clicked in an instant.

He remembered everything.

Going to look for Serena in town and only finding a lock of her hair.

Running until his lungs throbbed and his heart burned to the warehouse.

Seeing her lying on the ground, looking up at him so softly, as though she might break at any second.

'Satoshi,' was the last thing he had heard her say.

And the last time he had seen her before everything had gone dark, her eyes had been covered by Pancham's sunglasses. But he knew she had already been unconscious by that time. She had been unconscious for a while.

Pikachu quietly saw the way Satoshi's face began to change with his train of thought and he recognized exactly when Satoshi had the realization. Pikachu knew what was coming.

''Serena?'' Satoshi asked, question apparently simple, but both of them knew it was everything but that. It was just one name, yet it was the main thing that determined how Satoshi was going to feel. His entire spirit depended on Pikachu's answer.

Pikachu averted his gaze. ''About that…''

Satoshi did not like that tone. He didn't like it one bit. What was that about?!

His heartbeat on the monitor sped up as he raised his voice.

''Pikachu!'' He shifted on the bed, getting restless, almost making Pikachu fall by accident. ''How is Serena? Is she okay? It's not the time to be mysterious, you know?!''

Pikachu held Satoshi's shoulders with surprising strength. ''Satoshi, calm down,'' he said, frowning, demeanor very close to scolding. ''You need to calm down. You're still healing from your injuries, and even if you didn't tell me, I know your body must be hurting. Just settle down and listen to me, okay?''

Satoshi didn't want to settle down, but he knew when Pikachu was serious about something. If he didn't obey, Pikachu wouldn't tell him anything.

He took a deep breath and quickly released it. ''I'm calm. Super calm. Can you tell me about her now? Please, Pikachu.''

Pikachu stopped holding his shoulders to leave some space between them. He nodded. ''Serena's okay. I'm sorry if my wording worried you, I admit it wasn't the best. I didn't exactly rehearse for this—but she is okay. She's sleeping in the adjacent room right now, recovering—''

''Serena's right here? She's still sleeping?! I gotta see her!'' Satoshi made a motion to stand up but was interrupted by Pikachu's paw slapping on his arm.

''Don't you even think to get up from this bed. As I just said, you're still recovering, Satoshi. If you try anything, you'll only make your condition worse for absolutely no reason. You know I'm right.''

Satoshi didn't answer. He was completely disheveled, wearing only his hospital gown. His auburn eyes were opened wide, frantic, and his eyebrows were furrowed. He looked at Pikachu like he was pleading. It took everything from Pikachu's will not to just let Satoshi get up and check on Serena himself. But he had to be the rational one here, for everyone's sake, so he couldn't let that happen.

Satoshi passed a hand through his hair and idly held a good chunk of it between his fingers, a sign of his uneasiness.

Pikachu sighed, knowing Satoshi deserved to know the details. ''Clemont was right,'' he said, looking at Satoshi in the eye. ''She had a concussion. A big one.'' Satoshi gulped; he felt like there was a huge lump in his throat that made everything hurt from that mere action. The eye contact continued as the air in the room got heavier. ''She was taken into ER just like you and they were able to help her before there was any permanent brain damage, though.'' Pikachu smiled, bittersweet. It was then that Satoshi noticed the bags under his eyes. ''I'm telling you that she's okay, Satoshi. She's a fighter, you know her. And she'll get better.''

Satoshi felt slightly better after Pikachu's words, but it was a rather empty feeling. ''I just don't like how she's still sleeping. I woke up pretty fast, and she usually follows soon after me. Actually, most of the time she wakes up before I do. I'm a heavier sleeper than her.''

Pikachu's expression became troubled. ''Oh, Satoshi. You didn't really wake up as fast as you think.'' At Satoshi's questioning silence, Pikachu shrugged. ''You've been sleeping for two days.''

Beep. Beep. Beep.

''Two days?!''

''Mhmm. This is the third day of your stay here.''

''And Serena still hasn't…''

Pikachu shook his head. ''But the doctors said it isn't necessarily a bad sign. People that suffer concussions need a lot of rest. I mean, you did wake up fast considering your condition, but that doesn't really surprise me. Humans aren't supposed to receive as many hits and attacks as Pokémon do, but since when have you been like other humans?''

Satoshi smiled back for the first time in a while. ''That's true.''

Right then, though, Pikachu frowned. ''I've been in Serena's room as much as I've been in yours, seeing her sleep, hoping to see her wake up every time her heart monitor beeped.'' He sighed. ''I've been trying not to blame myself for everything that happened. But I'm just so sure I could've done better, you know? Serena got hurt because I wasn't strong enou—''

''Hey, I'll stop you right there,'' Satoshi interrupted. ''It's my time to talk here. Pikachu, you are not going to blame yourself for anything that happened that day. You did your absolute best to protect Serena, no matter what happened. I know you did because I know you. And you know what? You were with her the whole time, and thanks to you, things went a lot better than they could've gone, right?''

Pikachu nodded slowly, eyes shining. Satoshi petted his partner's head before sighing and lying back on the bed. ''I also know that blaming ourselves won't solve anything.'' Pikachu nodded again, but then Satoshi continued. ''Even when I could've stopped it from happening in the first place.''

''Satoshi…''

''If I had gone to look for you guys earlier, if I had trusted my gut right away. If I had gone with you guys I could've stopped everything from the beginning—''

''Satoshi!'' Pikachu was by his side. Satoshi's hand was still on the Pokémon's head, caressing it as a matter of habit. ''You just said that we shouldn't blame ourselves. Things happened and mulling things over won't change anything, remember? Serena reminded you of that after you lost to Wulfric. And if I'm not mistaken, she threw snowballs at your face to snap you out of it, too.''

There was silence, only Satoshi's monitor playing the monotone sounds of his heartbeats in the background.

Then there was laughter.

''Why did you remember such a specific detail?'' Satoshi said between laughs.

''I don't know! At the moment you told me, I thought it was hilarious. I still think it is!''

''So what? You gonna throw snowballs at me too so I stop overthinking things?''

''Maybe I will, if you keep being so stubborn!''

''Ah— Wait, my body hurts if I laugh too much. You're right, I should let myself heal.''

They smiled at each other. There was a brief moment of silence as they had their own trains of thought.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

''Serena's amazing,'' Satoshi muttered after a while. Pikachu's smiled widened. ''She's so, so amazing…'' Then, Satoshi sighed loudly and looked up at the ceiling. ''I just…'' Pikachu could see his trainer's chest rising and lowering as he continued to chuckle quietly, probably ignoring how the action most likely hurt. Satoshi's eyes were shining with an emotion Pikachu rarely saw on them. Satoshi raised his head to look at him and narrowed his eyes slightly so the tears developing inside couldn't escape. There was a big, shaky grin on his face.

''I just love her so much, Pikachu.''

Satoshi sounded so broken, so vulnerable. Pikachu's own heart almost broke too after he heard his best friend's voice. He caressed the palm of Satoshi's hand with his cheek. ''I know. I know you do.''

''I had always thought that I couldn't love someone more than I loved my Pokémon and the rest of my friends. I just thought it was impossible. But then she came along and I don't know how she did it, but she made me realize there was a different type of love, and she…''

''She moved your world?''

''She moved my whole life. Sometimes I'd just stare at her with confusion because my heart won't stop racing when she's near.'' Satoshi looked down, smile turning soft. ''She's so sweet, Pikachu. She doesn't even know how much. She doesn't know how much she means to me.''

Pikachu let a pause fall between them. When he spoke again, it was with a tilt of his head and a soft look. ''When are you going to tell her that?''

Satoshi stared. ''What do you mean?''

''Satoshi, I don't know if you've noticed, but our lives are kinda hectic. And we won't be in Kalos forever, at least not for now. When you feel this kind of thing, you're supposed to say it. That's called a confession.''

Satoshi hummed. ''How do you know so much about this?''

Pikachu shrugged. ''I've been hanging with Serena and Eureka lately, remember? Even before the whole 'Serena can understand me' situation. The topic is always bound to happen, you know?''

His trainer raised an eyebrow, almost looking suspicious. ''Serena and Eureka talk about that kind of thing that often?''

Pikachu realized his slip and shrugged again, feigning nonchalance. ''They're girls. It's like, their thing. Anyway, you really should consider telling Serena how you feel.''

''Well,'' Satoshi said with a sigh, ''I may once she wakes up.''

Pikachu shook his head. ''We've been through this.''

''I know. I still have the right to be mad at the universe, don't I?''

''Yeah, you do.'' A big smile curved Pikachu's lips. ''Don't worry, 'kay? You'll talk with Pika–cha very soon. It's a promise.''

Satoshi chuckled again, finally feeling lighter. ''You better keep that promise, buddy.''

---

Not so soon after, Clemont and Eureka arrived at Satoshi's room. They had been walking around the city to buy something for Satoshi, judging by the 'Get Well Soon' balloon Eureka let go of the second she saw Satoshi was awake.

''Satoshiii!''

She basically tackled him into a bone-crushing hug, and Satoshi let out an embarrassingly high whine. Clemont was next to them in a second, prying Eureka's arms away from Satoshi.

''Eureka, don't hold him so tightly! You're hurting him!''

''A—am I?'' she said, quickly letting go and looking up at Satoshi with guilty eyes.

Satoshi smiled at her fondly, his grimace disappearing as the pain subsided. ''Don't worry, Eureka, I'm fine. You can hug me if you want, just… not so strongly, 'kay?''

''Are you sure?'' Eureka's arms were shaking, as if she was doing her best to stay still for his sake, even if she really wanted to hug him now that she finally could. She was such a kind girl.

''Come 'ere,'' Satoshi said, raising his own arms. Eureka didn't think it twice before she went to hug him again, this time more mindful of his injuries. She giggled with happiness.

''You're finally up, sleepyhead!'' she said. ''Eureka was worried sick about you, you know?''

''Ne–ne!'' Dedenne said, getting out of Eureka's bag and hugging Satoshi's leg with its chubby arms. Squishy got out too, landing on the bed next to Pikachu and seemingly greeting Satoshi with chirps.

''Fortunately, I'm alive and kicking,'' Satoshi answered before looking at Clemont. The young inventor was watching their exchange with a smile. He seemed like he hadn't been this calm in a long time. Of course, Satoshi thought, having two of your closest friends unconscious can't be a good experience for anyone.

''I'm glad to see you're well, Satoshi,'' Clemont said after they locked eyes.

''I can say the same about you,'' Satoshi said. Eureka backed off from the hug to look at her older brother.

''You can hug Satoshi too if you want to, Clemont.''

Clemont's cheeks turned a light shade of pink. ''Th—that wouldn't be ideal right now, Eureka. Do I need to remind you once again of his injuries?''

Satoshi chuckled. ''I don't know, man. I think I would feel better after a hug from our favorite Gym Leader. What do you think, Pikachu?''

''Pika pika,'' the Pokémon answered, amused.

''Clemont,'' Eureka cooed. 'It'd be a total shame if you didn't help the patient recover!''

Clemont sighed. ''You won't stop until I do it, will you?''

''Nope,'' said Eureka.

''Absolutely not,'' said Satoshi. ''Come on, my arms are getting tired here!''

Clemont smiled and shared a hug with Satoshi, Eureka cheering all the while as if this were a very important event. Satoshi laughed, and his laughter was contagious enough to make Clemont laugh too. When they finally broke the hug, Clemont adjusted his glasses.

''So tell me, how long have you been awake?''

Satoshi and Pikachu shared a look. ''For about an hour, probably?''

''Has a nurse checked on you yet?''

''Not really. You guys and Pikachu are the only ones who've come in here.''

Clemont shook his head. ''You need to be checked immediately. I'll go look for a nurse—''

''Clemooont,'' Eureka complained, holding his wrist prisoner and so impeding him to go. ''One of them will come here soon enough. Let's enjoy the rest of our visiting hours with Satoshi!''

''Eureka's right. I'm feeling just fine, I assure you!'' Satoshi said.

Clemont seemed reluctant. However, after seeing Satoshi, Eureka and Pikachu giving him puppy eyes, he had to resign himself. ''You guys. I'm supposed to be the responsible one here, remember?''

''Responsibility is boring, big bro. Spending time with friends is better!''

''Pika pika!''

Clemont smiled. He didn't know why he had been expecting something else from his group.

Well, there was still something missing. A sweet, gentle tone that usually worked as a voice of reason and convinced Satoshi and Eureka of things Clemont wasn't able to. Soft laughter, blue eyes, peach cheeks.

Everyone seemed to think of this at the same time. Eureka's head hung low.

''I wish Serena would wake up again too. And this time, when we're actually here to say hi.''

Satoshi sighed. ''You're right— Wait.'' He looked between the siblings. ''What do you mean again?'' His gaze fastened on Pikachu, who rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

''I may have omitted a small detail.''

''You what?''

Clemont cleared his throat. ''Let me explain.''

And so he did.

As it turned out, both Satoshi and Serena had woken up a couple of times since arriving at the hospital. However, they had both been too exhausted or simply too sleepy to interact with anyone properly before falling back into sleep. It had been mostly a half–awake half–asleep phase. That's why Pikachu hadn't mentioned it.

The second time Satoshi had woken up, Clemont had been in his room and had even tried to talk to him to no avail. Satoshi was very surprised by this as he didn't remember it at all. Clemont told him it was okay and it was just part of the recovering process as the brain adapted to its regular functions while the person was awake.

The two times Serena had woken up had been different. None of them had been in her room at either moment, and even if they had been, the interaction would've probably been one-sided anyway. They only knew about this because the doctor had notified Clemont of the developments.

Even then, the mere fact that Serena had woken up twice filled Satoshi with calm joy. At least she's responding. We just gotta wait until she's finally completely conscious like I am.

The joy didn't stop him from sending a glare at Pikachu. ''Still, you should've mentioned it.''

Pikachu apologized for the fourth time in a row. ''I'm sorry! I don't know much about medical stuff so I didn't know if I could count that as being awake. I preferred to let Clemont explain it to you. Still, Pika–cha is okay, that's the bottom line of all this, and that's what I've been telling you.''

''Pikachu.''

''Don't 'Pikachu' me! I've been stressed out these last three days, okay?''

Clemont watched their bickering with curiosity. Satoshi's connection with his Pokémon would never cease to impress him. That thought reminded him of something.

''Satoshi, by the way,'' he said, stopping the bickering and gaining everyone's attention. He picked several Poké Balls from his pockets, clicking the buttons to make them grow to their regular size. ''I bet you'd like to see how the rest of the team is doing, wouldn't you?''

''Oh, absolutely! Let 'em out!''

Clemont released everyone, including his and Serena's Pokémon. Greninja, Hawlucha, Talonflame, Noivern, Bunnelby, Luxray, Chespin, Braixen, Pancham, Sylveon.

Satoshi's hospital room was suddenly very full.

''Hi, guys!'' Satoshi greeted. The Pokémon all expressed their glee for seeing him awake in their own way. Greninja held his fist out for Satoshi and they shared a fist bump. Hawlucha watched with content as Noivern hugged Satoshi. Talonflame then huddled with its trainer and stayed by his side, sending comfortable warmth through his body.

''They were the first ones to recover, which could sound ironic,'' Clemont said. ''They've all been waiting for you and Serena to wake up.''

Satoshi nodded and his gaze landed on Serena's Pokémon next to his bed. Greninja was giving Braixen an encouraging look, Chespin was rubbing Pancham's back with a reassuring smile and Bunnelby remained close to Sylveon, saying kind words to her. All of them looked happy to see Satoshi was awake, but they still couldn't hide their worry over their own trainer. Satoshi could understand that very well.

''She'll wake up soon, you guys,'' he said, surprising Serena's Pokémon. They looked at him with hope. ''I can feel it. You'll go back to playing and practicing your performances with her very soon.''

''Braix.''

''Cham–cham.''

''Sylvee.''

Satoshi and Clemont smiled at the Pokémon.

Eureka's gaze fell to the floor. ''Everything is easier with Pokémon,'' she said. Everyone looked at her with curiosity. ''Even when it's about feeling better. Whenever we go to a Pokémon Center, you just need to give your Poké Balls to Nurse Joy and she'll be back with them soon after. The next time everyone's out of their Poké Balls, they all look happy and healthy again, everyone's ready to play again. But humans are so complicated.'' Her eyes observed the machine next to Satoshi's bed. ''What are all of these wires even doing? Why can't Satoshi and Serena heal as fast as our Pokémon friends do?''

Clemont sat down on the bed and softly slid his hand over Eureka's head. He realized this was the first time Eureka had been to an actual hospital. ''You're right; with Pokémon, things are quite different. You see, the Poké Ball technology allows Pokémon to be converted into energy while they're inside. This energy is easily manipulated inside the healing machines in a Pokémon Center, so Pokémon can heal up faster than us. Humans can't be transformed into energy like Pokémon can.''

''But why?'' Eureka asked.

''Pokémon are mysterious creatures,'' Satoshi said kindly. ''One could almost say they're magical. They understand things that we still can't. And yet, they're still our closest friends and they're loyal to us.'' He patted Pikachu's head, eliciting a content Pika from the mouse. ''In reality, Pokémon aren't always treated in healing machines. Or how else do you think this guy heals after every battle?''

Eureka's eyes widened. ''Oh, that's right! How do they treat Pikachu?''

''Chu pikachu!''

''You'd be surprised at how similar the process outside of the Poké Ball is to ours. Aside from berries and sprays, they also use weird machines with a lot of wires and the Pokémon takes a bit longer to heal. Greninja also had to recover this way, remember?''

Eureka nodded, fascinated by the new knowledge she had. ''I'd forgotten. I guess I just don't like seeing anyone getting hurt, and my mind just… poof, got rid of the memory.''

''That happens sometimes,'' Clemont said. ''No one likes remembering sad things. But they're still important.'' As Clemont's tone changed, everyone's attention fell on him. ''Our experiences help us improve. Nothing we do is pointless. That's something Satoshi taught me.'' Clemont glanced at Satoshi and smiled. Satoshi smiled back. Clemont looked back to his younger sister. ''What happened at the warehouse wasn't pretty for anyone, but it made all of us grow.''

Now Clemont's eyes addressed the Pokémon in the room. ''I'm proud of every single one of you. You all fought with everything you had, even if you had to come up with your own strategies in the spur of the moment. We wouldn't have won if it hadn't been for all of you. Squishy, Dedenne, I didn't say this before, but I'm very grateful to you too for protecting Eureka and helping her stop the criminal when he tried to escape.''

Satoshi's heart skipped a beat. With how wild his thoughts had gotten right after waking up, he had totally forgotten about the man responsible for all of this.

''Clemont,'' he began, ''what exactly happened with…'' He clenched his fists, upset just by having to pronounce the pseudonym. He decided not to, mostly for the sake of Serena's Pokémon. ''…with you–know–who?''

Clemont knew who he was referring to right away. His face darkened. ''He was captured thanks to Eureka, Squishy and Dedenne.'' That's when Eureka realized who they were talking about. She inched closer to her brother and held onto his forearm. ''Officer Jenny and her team came into the warehouse not so long after you fainted, Satoshi. She took him to one of their cars and he's currently in the police station. Officer Jenny told me he'll soon be transferred to the biggest prison in the region, made for the most dangerous criminals.''

So he's still here.

Satoshi noticed Serena's Pokémon tensing up while his own Pokémon looked upset and ready to battle in case anything happened. Clemont's Pokémon reacted similarly to his.

''Hey,'' he told the Pokémon, ''don't worry about him. He doesn't have his Pokémon with him and the police officers are keeping him in place. He won't be able to hurt anyone anymore, 'kay?''

Some Pokémon nodded slowly. Eureka frowned. ''Such a horrible person,'' she whispered angrily. Clemont held her closer to him to calm her down. ''What he did to Serena is unforgivable.''

''We'll let the police take care of him, Eureka,'' Clemont reassured her. ''As Satoshi said, he won't hurt us or anyone else anymore.''

''I hope you're right, big bro,'' Eureka said softly, resting her cheek on Clemont's chest with a troubled look.

Satoshi shared a look with Pikachu. He was about to say something when the door to his room opened, revealing a nurse. She seemed surprised, both because the patient was up and because of the amount of Pokémon that surrounded him. She then smiled kindly at him.

''I see you're up. My name is Sara. I'll run a quick check on you, okay? Just let me—'' Sara went back to the hallway and talked to another nurse. She said something about a doctor, and Satoshi guessed she was asking the other nurse to call for his doctor. Sara was back in his room some seconds later, closing the door.

The nurses in this hospital didn't exactly look like Nurse Joys, but they still shared a trait with them: they all looked exactly the same. Their hair was blue and tied in a fluffy ponytail that fell to their waist. Their clothing was the most similar aspect they had to Nurse Joys, the main difference was the blue color that replaced the usual pink and matched with their hair. Another difference was that, well, there was more than one nurse in this hospital, opposite to how each Pokémon Center usually has only one Nurse Joy, and all of them seemed to have their own names instead of going by the same name.

Sara went over to a counter near the door and picked up a clipboard, eyes skimming over the information written on the first page. She nodded to herself before putting the clipboard back on the counter and walking over to Satoshi's bed. Clemont, Eureka and the nearby Pokémon moved to give space to the nurse as she stopped by Satoshi's side. She then pulled a penlight from seemingly out of nowhere, most likely her pocket. Satoshi wasn't sure, he was still feeling fuzzy.

Sara smiled again, reassuringly.

''Hello, Satoshi. This little flashlight is to check your eyes, okay? Let your head lie on your pillow and relax. As I said, this will be quick.'' Satoshi nodded. He immediately wanted to close his eyes when Sara turned on the penlight and shone the light directly in his right eye. His eye didn't close though, because she had made sure to keep it open with her other hand before. He guessed she was checking his pupils, though he was not sure why. Sara hummed lowly before releasing his right eye and doing the same procedure with his left eye. She nodded after she was done with that.

''Now, are you able to sit up, please? Your friends can help you with it.''

Talonflame, Pikachu and Clemont aided Satoshi to sit even when they knew he didn't need the extra hands. He still appreciated it, smiling at them gratefully. By Sara's request, Satoshi moved to the side of the bed and let his legs hang out, as though he was about to stand up. He couldn't help but gulp when he saw Sara pulling out a small hammer.

''This won't hurt,'' Sara reassured him once again. ''This is to test your reflexes and make sure everything's in order.''

''Oh, I've seen this test on TV before!'' Eureka said. ''It looks kinda fun.''

Satoshi wouldn't exactly describe it as 'fun' right now, as he was at the receiving end of it, but he did find it interesting. Having good reflexes was important for everyone, after all, both for humans and Pokémon.

He looked down as Sara held the small hammer close to his right knee. She tapped just below the kneecap, which immediately made his leg react by reflex and kick the air in front of it, the tap sending a weird sensation through the rest of the leg at the same time. The kick had been completely involuntary. Satoshi gaped a little at this. Eureka wasn't entirely wrong, this was kinda fun. Sara tapped twice more on his right knee before she repeated the procedure on the left leg. Every time, his lower leg would react with a kick before he could even blink. For the last one, he even closed his eyes and the result was the same. Once Sara was done, she stood up straight and smiled at him.

''Your reflexes are quite sharp, Satoshi,'' she said. ''Your nervous system is working properly, which is great news.''

Satoshi was excited by this. He thanked the nurse before he turned to Eureka, realizing she looked confused.

''Why is his system nervous? Is it feeling uneasy because Satoshi got hurt?''

Everyone else laughed at Eureka's innocence while Clemont shook his head as if he had already explained this to her before. ''It's not that kind of nervousness, Eureka,'' he said.

Sara gestured for Eureka to sit on the bed next to Satoshi, looking amused. As Eureka sat down, Sara gave her a brief explanation. At the end of it, Eureka seemed intrigued.

''So it's called the nervous system because of the 'nerves' our bodies have?'' she asked. Clemont and Sara nodded while Satoshi limited himself to look. He wasn't the most knowledgeable about these things either, but it was still quite entertaining to get an explanation. ''And everything we do is thanks to our brain?''

Clemont nodded again. ''The brain is an incredibly crucial organ in our body. Everything you're doing right now is thanks to your brain. Every time you blink, breathe, talk, think, and much more.''

''But aren't all organs crucial?''

''They are, of course. But, if we had to classify them, the brain would come up on top.''

''And what's second?''

''The heart,'' Sara said. ''It's the most important organ of the circulatory system, which is responsible for delivering blood through all your body.''

Eureka seemed to perk up at this. ''Is it true that your heart beats faster when you're in love?''

Both Sara and Clemont seemed to be taken aback. Sara glanced at Clemont with a raised eyebrow, looking amused, at the same time Clemont looked embarrassed.

''Eureka…'' he complained.

Eureka pouted. ''What? I'm just curious! I won't ask Sara to keep you. Unless…'' Her eyes lit up as she looked from Clemont to Sara. ''Unless you want me to?''

''No!'' Clemont shook his head so fast Satoshi was worried he might break his neck. The blond sent Sara an apologetic look. ''I—I'm sorry, she's always like this.''

Sara chuckled. ''Don't worry about it. Answering your question, Eureka, it does. The heart is quite an interesting organ. It beats faster when you're under intense physical activity, such as exercise, or when you're experimenting a state of adrenaline. However, sometimes you just need to have a look at a special person's eyes for your heart to beat so fast you may think it wants to escape your chest!''

Eureka looked delighted by this information. She even looked a bit amused, which Satoshi found weird. ''So that's what she always feels,'' Eureka muttered with a big smile. Before Satoshi could ask what that was about, she whipped her face toward him, now smirking. ''Hey, Satoshi, doesn't your heart want to escape your chest when you look at Sere—''

''Eureka!'' Clemont suddenly said, looking alarmed. The siblings then began to bicker, Clemont trying to stop Eureka from saying what she had meant to say, while Eureka kept saying that 'it was about time someone addressed the topic'. Sara just stood there, watching the banter, as she didn't really know how to react. Satoshi's eyes widened and he shared a look with Pikachu. That little traitor actually smirked at him.

''This is great,'' Pikachu said. ''Even Eureka has noticed. I think you've become quite obvious about it lately, haven't you?''

Satoshi narrowed his eyes. ''I'm literally in the hospital, are you actually going to start that again?''

''You know that won't work with me.'' Pikachu put the back of his paw on his forehead and touched his chest with his other paw, sighing dramatically. ''Oh, poor Satoshi, sitting on his hospital bed as his best friend Pikachu attacks him with The Truth.''

''Sometimes I wish I couldn't understand you.''

''Be careful with what you wish, or have you already forgotten what happened last time one of us made a wish?''

''I doubt Jirachi would grant us another one this very century.''

''It just might, who knows? I mean, who even understands Legendary Pokémon, anyway?''

''Touché.''

When Satoshi broke eye contact with Pikachu, he noticed Sara was looking at him with wide eyes. She pointed at Pikachu. ''Are you… Did you just have a whole conversation with your Pikachu?''

Eureka seemed to hear that, as she stopped bickering with her brother. She smiled at the nurse. ''He does it all the time! He and Pikachu understand each other completely, you know? They're the best of friends, like me and Dedenne!''

''Ne–ne!''

''Fascinating,'' Sara murmured. Satoshi and Pikachu rubbed the back of their heads sheepishly at the same time. ''They even mirror each other.''

''That's just how they are,'' Clemont said with a laugh.

''I'm sorry I'm late,'' a new voice joined in. Everyone turned to the door to find a man with graying blue hair and a white coat stepping in the room. The man smiled at everyone before his gaze landed on Satoshi. ''My name is Hatobito, your doctor.''

After Doctor Hatobito arrived, everyone introduced themselves. Sara told the doctor about the results of her quick checkup and then he began to ask Satoshi some questions about what had happened, most likely to test how his memory was doing. Satoshi was able to answer most of them, having trouble with some blurry memories here and there that corresponded with the moments after Greninja had been hit by strong attacks, as Satoshi had been able to feel everything too thanks to their connection. Fortunately, Clemont was there to explain the situation more clearly when Satoshi wasn't able to.

Satoshi's bond with Greninja seemed to fascinate the doctor. Hatobito said that Officer Jenny had informed Professor Sycamore about what had happened in the warehouse not so soon after everything was over, and that Professor Sycamore had reached out to Hatobito to explain what he knew about Satoshi–Greninja. This was to ensure that Hatobito knew exactly what he would be working with while taking care of Satoshi's health. Satoshi listened to all of this with surprise. He had begun to ask himself how Officer Jenny would know to contact Professor Sycamore when Hatobito answered the question for him, as though reading his mind.

''All of this was made possible thanks to your friend Clemont here,'' he said.

Satoshi's eyes were on Clemont the next second, looking at him in awe. Clemont looked embarrassed, noticing the gratefulness in Satoshi's gaze. ''It's the least I could've done. I'm not qualified to help you as a doctor would, but at least I could make sure they treated your injuries correctly, considering they're quite different from standard injuries.''

''You're amazing, Clemont!'' Satoshi said anyway.

''Pika!'' Pikachu said, which Satoshi translated as Pikachu thanking Clemont as well.

Clemont shook his head. ''As I said, I did what I could. Eureka was amazing too,'' he said, surprising his little sister with the sudden praise. ''She called the police from a public phone soon after I sent her out of the warehouse. Thanks to her, they were quickly able to transport all the injured to the appropriate facilities, including you and Serena.''

Eureka imitated Clemont as she shook her head as well, probably about to attribute their success to someone else. Doctor Hatobito talked before she could, though. ''All of you did very well. Of course, you should have called the police and waited for them to arrive before going inside the warehouse, but even then you were able to hold a battle against quite strong opponents, according to what Officer Jenny told me.''

Clemont expressed his approval, saying that they hadn't even thought of the police at the moment because of how tense the situation had been.

Satoshi noticed Pikachu looked low-key unimpressed. The mouse muttered, ''I'm glad you guys didn't wait for the police. They kinda have a talent to arrive after the most important things happen.''

Some Pokémon around quietly agreed. Satoshi was about to scold Pikachu for his words, but couldn't find it in himself to do it. He didn't regret a thing about what he had done, after all. Since he had realized that Serena and Pikachu's safety was on the line, he had immediately felt that he had to take matters into his own hands. They had arrived right after Serena had been directly injured, and he didn't want to think what would've happened if they hadn't come to her aid right at that moment. He didn't voice his thoughts to anyone though, simply watching and participating in the conversation when he felt it was right.

Sara and Hatobito left some minutes later, letting Satoshi know he could call a nurse with a button near his bed in case he needed anything before exiting the room. Eureka attempted to press the button soon after, curious to see if a nurse would come fast if she did, but was stopped by Clemont just in time. He scolded her, telling her that the button should only be used when truly needed as nurses had a busy and important job to do all around the hospital. Eureka pouted through her brother's whole speech, though Satoshi could tell she understood why it was necessary.

The rest of the day went by, the siblings and Pokémon keeping Satoshi company. Pikachu would go out of the room to visit Serena's from time to time, checking on her as if he were her nurse. Serena's Pokémon would also take turns to see her when Pikachu did so. Pikachu's concern for her always made Satoshi smile. He hadn't noticed how deep of a bond his best friend had formed with… well, his other best friend. And he suspected it wasn't only because Serena had become able to have flawless conversations with him; they had begun to grow close before that.

As Satoshi thought of that, he realized he wasn't entirely sure of where he and Serena stood. He thought of her as his best friend too, and he'd begun to do so not so long after he'd invited her to his journey through Kalos. This fact about himself had surprised Satoshi. Clemont was very close to him too, even Eureka was, but he always felt like he was closer to Serena, somehow.

It had stopped surprising him once he had realized exactly what his feelings were. It hadn't been an easy process, of course, as this had been entirely new to him. It still was. But Pikachu had been right about something; girls liked to talk about feelings quite a lot, and some of those conversations were bound to leave him thinking and discovering things about himself.

Serena just so happened to be what people would call a very feminine girl. All of his other female friends were feminine too, at least to an extent, but Serena's personality shone in that aspect more than the others. And that, which had also been surprising at first, has never really disturbed Satoshi in any way. He even found her sometimes high-pitched voice and her love for fashion to be quite… charming. That still hadn't been what had brought Satoshi so close to her, though.

It had been Serena as a whole.

The way she carried herself, her kindness and sweetness. The way she always looked out for him and supported him in everything he did, even if she thought it was wild or nonsensical, just because she could see how much he believed in it. She always believed in him. Serena had been insecure at first, still was sometimes, and yet she still did her best for herself and for the people she held dear. He found pride in the fact that he was one of the reasons she had grown more confident as they journeyed together.

He could admit he also liked her ability to bake the best Poké Puffs and macarons. No, he had no words to describe her cooking. What she baked felt like a blessing from the sky… maybe that was a good enough definition. Nah, that's still too weak of a description.

Satoshi was beginning to ponder how he could properly describe Serena's cooking when a bell rang outside of his room. Everyone stopped what they were doing to hear the voice of a nurse as she seemingly began to announce something.

''Visiting hours are over. We kindly ask all of our visitors to say their goodbyes and leave the hospital. You may come back tomorrow at 11 am. Have a good night, everyone.''

Eureka was the first one to voice her disappointment. ''Already?''

''We've been here all day, Eureka,'' Clemont said, looking a bit disappointed himself. He pointed at Satoshi with a quick nod. ''Satoshi's still recovering and he needs some quiet time like the rest of the patients. You heard the nurse, we'll come back tomorrow after breakfast.''

Eureka reluctantly agreed. As Clemont recalled all the Pokémon (most of them quite sleepy since it was already 8 pm), Eureka moved toward Satoshi in the bed and gave him a light hug. Satoshi hugged her back and whispered to her ear. ''Remember what we talked about, 'kay?''

The blonde nodded enthusiastically and whispered back. ''Okay!''

Soon after, the only visible Pokémon were Pikachu and Squishy, as Dedenne was hidden in Eureka's bag, already snoring. The siblings bid goodbye to Satoshi, promising to visit tomorrow, and headed out.

Clemont had warned him that the hospital rules didn't allow for any Pokémon to stay with their trainer after visiting hours, something about patients needing quiet time again. But, to no one's surprise, Pikachu had refused to leave the hospital with the siblings, saying that he was going to stay the night there even if it was in the bathroom. Satoshi wasn't going to let him stay in a place where he would be uncomfortable though, and Pikachu knew that.

As the siblings left, Satoshi turned to find Pikachu at the edge of the bed, looking toward the door. Satoshi was curious as to why Pikachu wasn't right by his side, until he realized that the Pokémon was, more than looking toward the door, keeping his eyes on the wall that separated Satoshi's room from Serena's. Satoshi didn't need to think about it too long to understand what it meant.

Some minutes later, Sara came in the room, probably checking if all the visitors had left. When her eyes landed on Pikachu, she knew that wasn't the case. She moved to the counter and read Satoshi's file that was held by the clipboard, to his surprise. She had already done that earlier that day, why would she need to do it again?

''Hi, Satoshi,'' she said, turning to him with a kind smile. ''Hi, Pikachu. I'm sorry, but your Pokémon can't stay in your room. The hospital rules don't allow it. We have a special place for Pokémon where your friend can stay, though. I can guide him there, and he can come back tomorrow at the same time visitors are allowed to.''

''Hi, Sara,'' Satoshi responded. ''I'm sorry if this is inconvenient, but can I have a glass of water before I go to sleep?

The nurse blinked at him after he addressed her as 'Sara', and then she smiled a bit sheepishly. ''I'm not Sara, I'm a different nurse. I get why you'd confuse us, though,'' she said with a small laugh. ''And it's not inconvenient at all! I'll bring you the glass in a sec. Please say goodbye to your Pikachu in the meantime so he can come with me after I'm back.''

The nurse went out of the room to get the glass of water. The request in itself wasn't too weird. Before Sara and Hatobito had left his room, they had removed the IV that had impeded him from dehydrating while he was unconscious and he was now allowed to drink water directly from the glasses delivered to him (which his throat was immediately thankful for). Even then, the request had still been sudden, and Pikachu noticed right away.

The electric mouse looked back at him suspiciously, knowing Satoshi was plotting something. At the same time, Satoshi was sure he had won the lottery. He had thought it might be harder to convince Sara of letting Pikachu stay with Serena tonight, as Sara already knew how close he was to Pikachu and would be more willing to let Pikachu stay with him, if he could even convince her at all. With a nurse that didn't know them, though? That was different.

''Satoshi,'' he heard his best friend say, ''what are you thinking about?''

Satoshi simply smiled at him with determination. ''You want to keep Serena company, don't you?'' Pikachu looked taken aback at first, but nodded soon after. They understood each other without needing words, after all. ''I'll try my best so you can stay with her. Just go with the flow, okay?''

''The flow?'' Pikachu was confused, but couldn't ask anything else as the nurse came back to the room.

''Here you go,'' she said as she handed Satoshi a glass with lukewarm water.

''Thanks! Are you…'' Satoshi paused awkwardly. ''Are you the nurse from…''

The nurse smiled at him knowingly. ''Earlier? Yes,'' she laughed. ''I realize I didn't tell you my name. I'm Hope. You can talk to me or any other nurse if you need anything, we're here to help you.'' She turned to look at Pikachu. ''Have you guys said your goodbyes? Because it's time to go.''

Satoshi cleared his throat to get Hope's attention, also getting Pikachu's. ''Actually, this is not my Pikachu.''

Pikachu's eyes widened inevitably when he heard those words. Now he was totally lost. What kind of flow was Satoshi expecting him to follow? He did his best to feign innocence when Hope looked from him to Satoshi.

''He's not?'' Hope asked with curiosity. ''You must be pretty close if he's not your Pokémon and he wants to stay with you all night.''

Satoshi shook his head slowly. His eyes went toward the same wall Pikachu was looking at earlier; the wall that divided his room from Serena's. ''The truth is that this Pikachu is my friend's Pokémon. Have you visited the room next to this one? There's a girl with honey-blonde hair resting there.''

Hope's expression became empathetic with recognition. ''Oh, the patient that suffered a concussion. I went inside to check on her today. Her name is Serena, correct?''

Satoshi nodded. ''This is her Pikachu. Just like us, he's very concerned about her, and he hasn't been able to be there the few times she's woken up, because she usually does it at night. Serena is Pikachu's best friend and these last couple days have been very hard on him. I think he blames himself, you know?''

''Oh, you poor thing,'' Hope said, and Satoshi knew he was getting to her. Pikachu didn't seem confused anymore, letting his real worry show on his face. ''I assure you it's not your fault. She's getting better. I…'' she paused for a moment, unsure if she should continue, before she shook her head and smiled reassuringly at Pikachu. ''I think she might even wake up tomorrow, this time with more strength to stay awake for longer. I know she's made big progress with the little I've seen of her case.''

Pikachu cheered up at that, while Satoshi decided to finish his plan. ''Then let him be there for her,'' he said. Hope looked unsure again, but she wasn't able to take her gaze off Pikachu. Satoshi smirked internally as he saw the mouse was giving her his best pleading look, a warm brown shade reflecting off his dark eyes as they shone with emotion, the rest of his face shifting into a sad expression. ''He's a very docile Pokémon, and I can assure you he won't disturb her. It's the last thing he'd do, really. The thing he wants the most is to be there with his best friend and be by her side to greet her when she wakes up. I know it's against the rules, but maybe you could make an exception? I think Serena's recovery might even speed up if she has Pikachu giving her strength.''

The next seconds felt like hours as everyone stayed silent, Hope thinking about it, Pikachu staring at her with his pleading eyes and Satoshi doing his own pleading look as well.

Finally, Hope sighed. She turned at Satoshi. ''I can't promise anything, but I'll ask her doctor if it's possible. I believe you guys share the same doctor.''

''Doctor Hatobito?''

She smiled. ''Yes, that's him. I think he's still around. I'll go look for him and tell you what he decides. Again, please don't get your hopes up,'' she said, which Satoshi found a bit ironic, ''I can't promise he'd be willing to make the exception. I'll be back, okay?''

Satoshi and Pikachu nodded readily, and they saw her get out of the room. They sighed in relief.

''I hope she doesn't run into Sara,'' Pikachu said.

''Even if she doesn't, Hatobito still knows that you're my Pokémon. We just need to hope this whole situation warms his heart enough to let you stay.''

Pikachu snickered. ''Hope. Heart.''

Satoshi joined him in his amusement. ''You noticed it too, didn't you?''

''The names of these people are so cheesy.''

''Yes, but I think they suit them. They've been very helpful to all of us. Mainly to…''

Pikachu nodded. ''There's always a nurse checking on her when I go to her room, even now that her situation is more stable.'' Pikachu then raised an invisible eyebrow at him. ''By the way, that 'flow' of yours surprised me. Lying much?''

Satoshi shrugged, not regretting one second of what he had done. ''It's not a complete lie. Maybe you and Serena aren't best friends as you and I are, but you're still very close. I mean, I did all of this because I noticed you wanted to spend the night with her.''

''I can't really deny that,'' Pikachu said. ''I knew I had my best shot at staying tonight when I saw you were awake. I had to stay back at the Pokémon Center with Clemont, Eureka and the rest of the Pokémon the last two nights and that made me miss out on the times Serena gained consciousness.''

''Well, that changes tonight. You'll be with her for the both of us, you can have my word.''

Pikachu agreed.

Doctor Hatobito visited the room some minutes later, Hope walking behind him. He watched Satoshi and Pikachu with a knowing look—he knew they had technically lied to Hope. Even then, their nervousness dissipated when the doctor smiled at them.

''You can sleep on the chair next to her bed,'' he told Pikachu.

Hope had to kindly shush them when they celebrated a little too loudly.

---

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Everything was so white.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Everything was too bright.

Serena covered her eyes with the bedsheets. Ah, that's better.

She became bored once she realized she didn't know what to think about. Her mind was taking a vacation, it seemed, because she couldn't for the life of her figure out what. What was 'what'? Exactly.

She figured it would help if she knew where she was, first of all. Reluctantly uncovering her eyes back to the unforgiving lights outside of the bedsheets, she waited until her eyes adjusted to look around. Everything was still white. The color that stood out among the sea of white was the light blue of the clothes she was wearing. She didn't remember buying these clothes. She placed a hand over her chest, already missing her regular outfit. Not having the ribbon he gave her on her clothes always made her feel void.

As her mind settled on him, still not entirely sure of who she was referring to, she was finally able to have a 'reset' and she began to see things more clearly. The first thing she noticed was that her head was threatening to have a headache at any second, the uncomfortable feeling of throbbing already present. She already regretted being aware of things. Deciding not to move her head too much lest the headache gets worse, she continued to look around the room.

Her suspicions were confirmed as true when her gaze landed on the heart monitor by her side. Then the clothes she was wearing and the room she was in made sense. She was in a hospital.

She began to rack her mind to understand how she had gotten there when her headache threatened her once again, so she decided to take it easy for her brain's sake. It was so annoying. Why was she here? Why did she feel weak?

She groaned lowly and automatically regretted it. Her throat was so dry. She was too flustered to be fearful of somehow dying from dehydration, though. She was too flustered to do anything in general. She closed her eyes and sighed.

She realized her groan must have been heard when she felt something landing on her bed. Her eyes stayed close as the shape moved closer toward her. It stopped some inches shy of her head and she felt it was staring at her.

When she opened her eyes back up, she was greeted by dark shining eyes in a very yellow face. She also saw two particularly red cheeks.

''Pika–cha,'' he said, almost like he couldn't believe it.

Serena looked at him for some seconds, mind registering what this was about. And then, her eyes widened.

''Pikachu,'' she said. She smiled for the first time since she'd woken up, finally having a reason to. ''Is that really you?''

Pikachu laughed wholeheartedly before nuzzling her face softly. She let him do it, concentrating all her efforts into her arm to raise it and place her hand on Pikachu's head.

''Pika pikachu pi,'' Pikachu said. Serena frowned with confusion. Was Pikachu tricking her by purposefully speaking in Pika-Pika?

So why was it that she understood perfectly what he said anyway?

Meh, maybe her mind was still too slow to take notice of anything.

''I'm fine,'' she said, half-lying. She didn't feel like dying, but she wasn't all dandy either. She still had it in her to smile reassuringly at Pikachu, though.

Pikachu's eyes began to shine even more than before. ''Pika–cha pi pika…''

Serena's smile…

Serena caressed the fur on Pikachu's head. ''Yes, my smile,'' she said fondly. ''I guess you missed seeing it?''

Pikachu nodded, leaning on her touch. He seemed so happy and yet he was restraining himself from speaking too loudly or touching her too much as to not inconvenience her. Serena could say she was grateful for it.

''And I can see you still understand me,'' Pikachu said. Serena still heard it as a bunch of pika's for some reason, but she could somehow feel what Pikachu was saying. She still didn't think too much of it.

''Of course I can. You can't escape from our bond.''

His smile widened. ''I wouldn't have it any other way.''

Serena retrieved her hand from Pikachu's head and let it rest on the bed, sighing. She felt… She didn't even know how she felt. Some part of her mind told her there were things she was supposed to be thinking about, but she had no clue what. All she knew right now is that she was somehow in a hospital and that Pikachu was with her, and she was happy with that knowledge for now.

Pikachu stayed by her side. He would ask her if she was okay every few minutes, to which she would answer with the truth, realizing that lying wouldn't really make anything better. The headache was still there, she was thirsty, her body felt stiff, she wanted to move but at the same time didn't, among other things. Pikachu listened attentively and made sure to reassure her every time. Then he began to talk about random things that came into his head to distract her. She didn't listen to everything, her mind just shutting down sometimes, but she knew Pikachu was keeping the topics light so it didn't really matter if she didn't pay attention.

At one point, someone came through the door. He said he was a doctor and Pikachu seemed to know him. He asked her a couple of questions about how she felt and seemed to read something on a clipboard. Serena frowned in his general direction, feeling he wanted to ask more but was holding back. Maybe so she wouldn't strain too much?

''Well, Serena, you have made a lot of progress since you're here,'' he said. ''You're quite the strong girl, let me tell you.''

Serena scoffed. ''Strong. Yeah, right. I can't even move from this bed and I'm dying of thirst, doc.''

Pikachu looked at her with wide eyes, surprised by her blunt response to the doctor's words. The doctor chuckled upon seeing the look on Pikachu's face and smiled at him. ''Don't worry, Pikachu, it's not her intention to be rude. Irritability is a common symptom of people that have suffered a concussion. She might think the world is against her for some time, but she'll be back to normal soon.''

''How wouldn't the world be against me? My head's going to blow up.''

Pikachu chuckled this time, finally understanding her behavior. He looked at the doctor questioningly and mimed himself drinking from a glass of water. The doctor nodded.

''She's not dehydrated thanks to the IV, but since her throat hasn't been in contact with water in some time, she feels like she hasn't drunk in ages. Pikachu, could you help her sit up? That way she can drink more comfortably.'' Pikachu nodded quickly and began to help a complaining Serena sit up against the headboard. ''I'll make sure to help you with that headache too, okay, Serena?''

''I bet you will.'' Upon seeing Pikachu's disapproving expression, she corrected herself. ''Sorry. Yes, I'd really like that. Thank you, doctor.''

Doctor Hatobito smiled, understanding of his patient. He walked toward the door of the room and opened it, going outside and into the hallway. Some minutes later, he came back with a glass of water and a pill.

Serena accepted the items, swallowing the pill and drinking the water. Pikachu was surprised as she downed the whole glass in record time, sighing in relief once she was done. Not even Satoshi had drunk so fast the first time he had asked for a glass.

After that, the doctor asked her a couple more questions and left the room to take care of other patients. Pikachu rubbed her arm with his paw to help her relax. ''Hey, you okay? You want to lie back down?''

Serena didn't say anything, but her expression was a very clear yes. Pikachu helped her as best as he could till she was back on her pillow.

She maintained eye contact with him for a while, seemingly thinking about something. When she smiled, it was wider and more genuine than before.

''Thank you for staying here with me and tolerating me, Pikachu,'' she said softly. Pikachu quickly shook his head.

''You don't need to thank me. You're important to me, Serena, you know that. I'll be with you every step of the way. You'll be back with our friends soon, I promise.'' He suddenly perked up. ''Oh, speaking of that. Clemont and Eureka won't be able to visit in another hour, but I think Satoshi has permission to get out of his bed and walk around. Do you wanna see him? I can go look for him, his room is right next to this one!''

Serena nodded absentmindedly, getting comfortable on the bed. The pill seemed to have lessened her pain.

''I'll go get him. He'll be so happy to see you!''

''Mhmm,'' Serena hummed, closing her eyes and relaxing.

Pikachu rushed out of her room and into Satoshi's.

''Satoshi, wake up.''

Satoshi groaned and shifted on the bed.

''Satoshi!''

His trainer shushed him, frowning with his eyes still closed. ''Now I get why they don't let Pokémon stay with their trainers.''

''Sara was here just now. She said you were allowed to walk around the hospital!''

''That's great news. I'll do that in a bit,'' Satoshi said, words slurring and clearly ready to continue sleeping.

Pikachu scowled at him, seriously considering if he should wake him up with a Thunderbolt. He knew Serena wouldn't be happy about that, though, so he kept trying with words.

''If you don't get up now, you won't be able to talk to Serena.''

''Mmm.''

''She's awake right now, you know?''

''Mhmm, great,'' Satoshi continued to mumble. ''Serena's awake. That's coo…''

Pikachu almost had to use Iron Tail on the bed to stay put when Satoshi sat up at the speed of light.

''She's a— Whoa, okay.'' Satoshi's body didn't take kindly to his sudden action and he began to feel very dizzy. ''Holy Muk, okay, oof, Shinxs.''

Pikachu looked at him, unimpressed, his arms crossed and his eyebrow raised. ''Are you done?''

''Y–yeah, I think,'' Satoshi answered. He then began to comb his hair with his fingers, which might be the wildest thing Pikachu had seen in a long time.

''Uh, Satoshi?''

''I know, I know, I'll get up. I just need to…'' he trailed off, now cleaning his hospital gown of… Pikachu wasn't exactly sure what. He also passed his fingers around his face, clearing the sleepy dust under his eyes and also combing his eyebrows.

Now Pikachu was officially losing it. He couldn't help it as he burst out laughing.

''Are you… are you getting ready to see Serena? I gotta say, you're rocking that hospital look! She'll love it!''

Satoshi frowned, but the pink on his cheeks betrayed how flustered he was. ''Shut up and get ready. We're heading over there.''

''You sure you don't want me to call over Sara to give you a mint?''

''I'm leaving you behind.''

''Okay, okay, let's go, Romeo!''

---

Satoshi looked down at Pikachu as he placed his hand on the doorknob to Serena's room. Pikachu looked back at him and nodded supportively before speaking. ''A little warning before we go. She might accidentally insult you while we're there, but that's just a symptom, so don't worry 'bout that.''

''What.''

That didn't exactly clear any of Satoshi's doubts, but he decided to just brush it off. He filled his lungs with air and released it. Slowly and quietly, he opened the door and stepped into the room.

Serena's room wasn't too different from his. It was actually identical, except for the clipboard on the counter that had Serena's case instead of his… and for the girl lying on the bed, of course. Pikachu ran up to the bed and climbed it while Satoshi took another breath, his eyes landing on a very interesting spot on the ground. ''Hey, Serena!'' A bubble of nervousness surrounded him and he brushed under his nose sheepishly. ''How are you doing?''

The answer was silence, except for the heart monitor connected to her.

''Um… buddy,'' Pikachu said, looking at him apologetically, ''I think she fell asleep again.''

The bubble popped right then.

Satoshi gaped as he took an actual look at her. Her eyes were closed and she didn't seem to hear anything they were saying.

Feeling a bit disappointed, he walked toward the bed and sat down in a chair, moving it closer.

His disappointment quickly disappeared, though, when he saw her expression up close.

She looked so… peaceful. Her lips were curled up lazily in a content smile. Pikachu had told him that her skin had looked a bit pale the last time he had visited, and Satoshi was glad to see that the color was coming back to her face.

Only when Pikachu coughed knowingly did Satoshi realize his hand was already holding Serena's.

Serena.

Pikachu usually liked to tease him by saying he loved Serena, and he hadn't ever denied it. But he hadn't been as sure of it as he was now.

He had grown to like her. He had grown to love everything about her, even the smallest things. Until, finally, he had grown to love her.

But the feeling hadn't been complete until he had seen her in the warehouse that day.

When he had seen her, he had realized just how delicate living beings were. How easily they could just… let go. How easily they could stop answering your calls, no matter how desperate said calls were.

At that moment, everything had become too real. What he felt for her wasn't a child's game anymore. It wasn't a matter of being flustered when she was around, or liking her cooking, or cheering for her to the top of his lungs when she performed.

What he felt for her went deeper than that. It was all about her happiness… but also her sadness. It was her sweetness, and it was her anger. He realized that, before the day at the warehouse, there hadn't been a moment that elicited as strong emotions for him as the moment they had shared in the Winding Woods, when he had raised his voice and had snapped at her.

Most people would've backed down or said they hated him. Maybe both. Serena had all the right to do so. But she hadn't done that. She had snapped back at him. She had told him to his face how he was being a jerk, but not with a direct insult. She had said he wasn't the Satoshi she knew.

Ever since that day, he always thought back to that moment in the forest, when he had fallen after the last snowball and had heard her footsteps grow quieter as she had run away. Ever since then, he vowed to be better. For himself and for his friends. But, more than anything, he wanted to show Serena that he would always be the Satoshi she knew. Because nothing had broken him more than seeing the hurt in Serena's eyes, her tears flying in the cold air, the wrinkles contorting her usually soft face.

Nothing had hurt more than that until the day at the warehouse, anyway.

He stroked her hand with his thumb, drawing small circles on her skin.

Pikachu was right.

Serena deserved to know how loved she was.

Even if she didn't feel the same way.

---

Satoshi was discharged from the hospital later that day after Doctor Hatobito and Sara performed some last exams on him. They said that, at the rate she was recovering, Serena might be able to be discharged soon as well. To say Satoshi was ecstatic about that would be an understatement.

He surprised everyone when he said he wasn't going to train right after they were back in the Pokémon Center.

''You guys can train by yourselves if you wish to,'' he encouraged his Pokémon. ''I'll just rest over here for a while.''

Pikachu talked to them and dissipated the rest of their doubts as the best friend he was, and soon all of them were having a session of what Satoshi liked to call 'chill training', Pikachu replacing Satoshi's usual role as he guided them. Clemont made a beeline for a table next to the training area and began to work on something, which intrigued Satoshi. Before he could ask the blond what he was working on, Eureka stood next to him, wanting his attention.

''Mm? What is it, Eureka?''

''Satoshi,'' she said, and Satoshi quickly noticed her tone was that of a secret agent of sorts. She looked deadly serious. He smiled when he realized where this was going. ''I did what you asked of me. And what's more, subject Big Brother doesn't suspect a thing.''

Satoshi chuckled. ''I didn't say Clemont couldn't know about it, Eureka.''

Eureka's seriousness disappeared as she giggled. ''I know, but it's still fun to have a top-secret mission. And don't worry, aside from me, only Agents Orange and Green know about it.'' The two aforementioned 'agents' peaked from her bag, Dedenne saluting and Squishy shaking its head (it was clearly amused though). Satoshi waved at them amicably. ''So, do you wanna go and see it?'' Eureka asked, almost running in place with excitement.

''Whoa, you already found something like it? I asked you to look for a shop, and I wasn't sure this town would have exactly what I need…''

''Silly Satoshi,'' Eureka said, waving him off like she was an expert on the topic. ''Remember we're in a city now! You haven't seen it because you've only been in the hospital and now here. This city's not as big as Lumiose, but there's lots of shops around!''

So Eureka had found it, huh? Luck was finally on Satoshi's side, it seemed.

He nodded. ''All right, guide me to where you found it!''

''What are the magic words?''

Satoshi blinked. ''Um, please?''

Eureka shook her head. ''We need to use our code names!''

''Ah. Agent Yellow, was it?''

''That's right! Let's go, Agent Blue!''

Clemont looked up as they headed for the door. ''Eh? Eureka? Satoshi? Where are you guys going?''

''My bro's always so nosy,'' Eureka muttered, gaining a chuckle from Satoshi, before her voice rose to a normal tone. ''We're going around to see the city, that's all.''

Clemont was uneasy with letting his sister go, which Satoshi understood. ''Don't worry, Clemont, I promise we'll be back soon.'' He nodded at Clemont earnestly, as to say 'I won't let anything happen to her.' The inventor nodded back soon after, knowing he could trust Satoshi. He still looked a bit confused as he glanced at Pikachu. Satoshi knew what he was thinking. ''Pikachu's staying here. He told me he wanted to guide today's training,'' he explained.

''Pika!'' Pikachu agreed.

It wasn't a lie. Pikachu was keen on training after missing almost four days in a row, and after he had learned about Satoshi's little plan, he had asked to guide the training session for that day. He smiled knowingly at Satoshi as the raven-haired and Eureka exited the Pokémon Center.

---

As Satoshi put it on and looked at himself in the mirror, he felt silly and giddy at the same time. It was exactly what he wanted, though. He looked down at Eureka. ''What do you think?''

Eureka was (barely) trying to contain her giggles. ''It looks so cute! And it makes you look funny. It's the first time I see a boy with a straw hat.''

Satoshi grinned, adjusting the hat on his messy hair as he looked back at his reflection. ''I bet it'll be Serena's first time seeing it too.''

---

The next time Serena woke up, Satoshi was already in her room.

Hatobito had warned him of the same thing Pikachu had talked about the day before. She may be a little irritable and not know exactly what's happening. Satoshi thought it was a bit amusing right after he heard it.

Fortunately for him, Pikachu wasn't there at the moment. He was once again guiding his Pokémon's training for the second day in a row. Pikachu could as well become a certified trainer if he actually wanted to. He had Satoshi's battling style engraved as his own, after all. It was fortunate because at least now Satoshi could truly enjoy some alone time with Serena without having Pikachu tease the life out of him for it.

He was sitting in the chair next to her bed, reading a magazine about Mega Evolution, when he heard a sleepy groan. He turned around with wide eyes and saw Serena stirring awake. Closing the magazine and putting it aside, he inched closer to her in the chair.

He wasn't wearing the straw hat. This wasn't the time for it, not yet.

Serena stretched on the bed and yawned, already looking more energetic than what Pikachu had told him she had been last time. He thought he might cry when her eyelids opened and he was able to see those blue eyes again. Said eyes skimmed through the room, looking half-bored, until they landed on Satoshi.

She blinked, slowly. Satoshi wasn't sure if he was supposed to start a conversation or not. He decided he should, or else she might just go back to sleep.

''Hey,'' he said, and he had to clear his throat when he noticed how emotional it had sounded. He really needed to get ahold of himself. Serena continued to look at him, expression neutral.

''Hey,'' she said back. ''Water?''

Satoshi was prepared for this. ''Right here. Do you need help sitting up?''

Serena nodded. His grip was firm to make sure she didn't slip, yet gentle so it wouldn't force her to move too quickly. He handed her the glass he had fetched for her earlier in case she woke up. She drank slowly, a contrast of how she had downed the glass the previous day. Once she was done, she thanked him and lowered back down on the bed with his help.

''Do you have a headache?'' he asked.

''Not really,'' she replied. ''Just… fuzzy.''

Satoshi could understand that. ''I was the same after I woke up, but I had it easier. I…'' He looked down at her hand resting on the sheets. ''I wish I could take the pain away from you.'' His heart skipped a beat when her hand slid on the bed and landed on top of his.

''Hey, don't be so hard on yourself,'' she said. When he looked back at her, she was frowning at nothing in particular, like she was trying to comprehend something. ''You know, I feel like there's something important I'm supposed to be noticing. I've been feeling that way since yesterday.'' She locked eyes with him. ''Do you know what that may be?''

Satoshi didn't want to make fun of her, but it was getting too hard. She was so deep in her own world that she still hadn't realized one of her closest friends was right there with her. He grinned widely, barely keeping the amusement out of his voice. ''No, I have no idea. I'm just a random guy who came to visit you in the hospital.''

Serena's frown deepened as she focused on his face. ''It's something about that, actually. Why do I feel even fuzzier when I look at you?''

That was interesting. ''In a good way?'' he couldn't help but ask.

''I think so. I feel like… there's something about you…'' Suddenly, she stopped squinting and her grip on his hand tightened. ''Wait.''

Her eyes were like saucers as she looked at Satoshi, somehow growing wider every time she blinked. It was now that she was realizing what and her brain was starting to function like it was supposed to. She looked even more mortified after she registered they were holding hands. Her expression had changed so wildly Satoshi couldn't stop his laughter anymore.

''Satoshi!''

''Yep, that's me.''

''What th— Why didn't you say anything sooner?!''

''I was waiting for you to find out for yourself! You're a smart girl, you know?''

''But my brain doesn't know that right now!''

''You looked at me for a solid five minutes. I was starting to worry you'd forgotten about me, I'm not gonna lie.''

''Ugh, Satoshi, you… you!''

''Yes, I'm pretty sure Satoshi is still my name—''

He quickly shut up when he felt Serena's arms around him and Serena's hair tickling his nose. Where… Where did all of that strength come from?

Not like he was complaining.

''You dork,'' Serena said softly, and Satoshi realized the girl he was in love with was hugging him and he still wasn't returning the hug and why wasn't he doing that?!

His arms moved almost as fast as his leg reflex as he surrounded her waist, pulling her closer. He sniffed into her hair… but it smelled like hospital instead of flowers. What?

''Why does your hair smell like hospital?'' he blurted. When Serena stiffed, he registered what he had said and had the sudden urge to throw himself off Prism Tower for a second time. Just why. Way to ruin it, buddy.

''Um… I guess it does because I've been in a hospital for the past… Wait.'' She broke the hug to look at him, to Satoshi's sheer disappointment. ''How long have I been here?''

''Well… Promise me you won't worry if I say five days—''

''Five days?!''

''Serena!''

''I didn't promise anything! What do you mean five days?!''

Satoshi proceeded to explain what had happened to a shocked Serena who unfortunately still smelled like hospital. No, wait, he wasn't about to have a meltdown over that, thank you very much.

''And so… yeah,'' he finished. ''You don't remember waking up to Pikachu in your room?''

Serena put a hand to her chin, thinking about it. She looked so cute— He also wasn't about to get distracted by Serena's mere presence, thanks, brain.

Or maybe he was…

No!

''I do remember, but it's a very vague memory,'' Serena said, snapping Satoshi out of his inner fight with himself. ''There was something about the way Pikachu spoke…'' she muttered before dismissing it with a shake of her head. ''Well, I guess that explains why I'm feeling so weird. My brain keeps punishing me when I try to do too much, but it's getting better now.'' She raised an eyebrow. ''And I guess that also explains why… What was it you said? Why my hair smells like hospital?''

Satoshi chuckled awkwardly. ''Did I really say that? Haha, so weird. Guess our brains don't feel like working lately.''

''I'm starting to think your bond with Greninja is killing your brain cells one by one,'' Serena said jokingly. Satoshi thanked the heavens she was back in a state of mind good enough to be able to joke.

''Well, if that's the price I gotta pay to become stronger, then I'll say bye to all my brain cells!''

Serena laughed. It was the most beautiful sound he had heard in days, as well as the most beautiful sight. She stopped laughing after some seconds and her cheeks turned pink. She was the definition of adorable. ''Um, Satoshi,'' she said, almost a whisper. She sounded shy. ''Why are you looking at me like that?''

Uh.

He was staring, wasn't he?

''How like? Uh, I mean, like how?''

Serena was amused by his sudden nervousness. ''That smile you had. And… There was a shine to your eyes…'' She began to giggle when Satoshi's expression became panicked. ''You're acting so weird, Satoshi!''

''I am?'' He grinned, promptly relaxing. He had no reason to be panicking in front of Serena. She was able to understand him more than most people. He was surprised she hadn't caught on to his feelings for her yet. Well, he thought, she'll know soon enough.

''Yes, you are,'' Serena answered. She raised her hand to his face and flicked him on the forehead.

''Ow! What was that for?'' It hadn't really hurt, but it still had taken him by surprise.

She smiled, averting her gaze. ''Nothing, just… I'm so happy to be back. Even if I've been unconscious most of the time these last few days… I missed being close to you.''

Satoshi gazed at her in awe. The corners of his mouth curled up without his permission as giddying warmth spread on his cheeks. ''Yeah… I missed it too.''

There were many things Satoshi didn't know about life, and he didn't mind. He wouldn't mind as long as he held onto the things he did know. This was one of those things that he knew wouldn't change.

Nothing would ever make him stop loving this girl and everything she represented.

---

Serena was discharged two days later. The doctor said that her recovery had sped up quite spectacularly after her first true interaction in the hospital with Satoshi. The raven-haired pretended he didn't get what the doctor meant, but in reality all of his remaining brain cells were having a party internally.

A party just like the one they were throwing Serena the second she stepped inside the Pokémon Center next to Satoshi, fresh from the hospital and wearing her usual outfit.

''Welcome back, Serena!'' Clemont and Eureka exclaimed, standing in front of the door. All of the Pokémon around them exclaimed something at the same time, most likely saying the same thing. Serena gasped at the scene in front of her, absentmindedly noticing Satoshi's grin from the corner of her eye.

The Pokémon Center was decorated with pennants, streamers and balloons. The pennants that stood out the most were right in front of her. Each had a letter or a symbol, and it read, ''We missed you!''

Her Pokémon were already throwing themselves at her and she laughed as she held them. Everyone had gotten the opportunity to see her awake at the hospital after Satoshi had, but it was still very exciting for all of them to finally go back to what they considered normal, spending time together in a public place. Eureka hugged her soon after her Pokémon stepped back, her laughter sounding as happy as she looked.

''You're here!'' the little girl said, looking up at her with shining eyes and a toothy grin.

''I'm here,'' Serena echoed. When she pulled away from the hug and turned at Clemont, she was surprised to see him walking toward her. After he stopped in front of her, he seemed to be fidgeting, not knowing what to do with his arms. Or, Serena realized, he does know what he wants to do. He just doesn't know how to ask for it.

Serena smiled brightly at Clemont before she closed the remaining distance and hugged him. Clemont voiced his nervousness right after with a surprised little gasp, not having expected Serena to do that. He was quick to recover, though, hugging her back.

''I'm glad to be back too,'' she said as they pulled away with big, friendly smiles.

Clemont nodded. ''Our group isn't the same without you.''

Satoshi's sudden chuckle was the only warning Serena had before a yellow shape jumped into her arms.

''Whoa!'' she said as she struggled to keep her balance. Once she was steady, she beamed back at Pikachu. ''I don't even know why your jump surprised me. We're basically best friends at this point, aren't we?''

''Pika pikachu!''

We totally are!

Her eyes widened. She held Pikachu in her arms and inspected him, getting curious glances from him and everyone else around her.

''Serena?'' Satoshi asked. ''What's wrong?''

She brought Pikachu closer to her and whispered, ''Say 'Ball'.''

Pikachu looked properly confused when she brought him back to a normal distance. ''Please,'' she said, making him understand she was serious about this.

The Pokémon decided to comply. ''Pika.''

Ball.

She had gotten the meaning right away.

Satoshi raised an eyebrow, not surprisingly understanding Pikachu as well. ''What does a ball have to do with anything? Oh, do you want your Poké Balls back, Serena?''

Clemont took notice of that. ''I put them inside your bag. It's right there on the couch, I can look for it if you want.''

Serena shook her head. ''You don't have to.''

She continued to stare at Pikachu.

''Now say my name.''

The mouse, comprehending she was trying to prove something, complied once again. ''Pika–cha.''

Serena was beginning to understand. If Pikachu replied to the next word in the way she thought he would…

''Say Satoshi.''

Pikachu nodded. ''Pika–pi.''

''There's no way!'' she exclaimed suddenly, lifting Pikachu higher in her arms and feeling her heart beat faster.

Everyone was starting to feel confused. Satoshi was more concerned than anything. ''Serena? What is it?''

Serena grinned at him. ''I understand Pikachu!''

Pikachu tilted his head with a curious look as he seemed to be pondering something.

''Well, yeah,'' Satoshi said, confused, ''that's been happening for some time now, right?''

''No, no, you don't get it. Clemont!'' she said, turning to the inventor. ''Do you remember how I described the way Pikachu's words sounded to me?''

Clemont was a bit startled after he was put on the spot, but adjusted his glasses with an acknowledging hum soon after. ''Yes. You told me you heard Pikachu speaking in our language and you could even see his mouth moving accordingly to the words, even when everyone else heard him and saw him speaking in his own language. We agreed it was uncanny, but after we thought it might be Jirachi's doing, we realized it was probably a situation with special magic involved.''

Serena nodded eagerly. At the same time, Pikachu gasped. He looked up at her with wide eyes. Serena could tell he understood now.

''Pikachu pi…''

So you're saying…

Serena nodded again.

''You're saying you can translate what I say like Satoshi does!''

''Yes!''

They turned at Satoshi at the same time to see him looking perplexed. ''Wait, really?! Wouldn't that mean the wish is over?''

''I think it is,'' Serena said, almost trembling, ''but now I… I can somehow still get him!''

Clemont and Eureka had been watching the whole exchange with utter bafflement, not being able to understand a thing, until the older sibling gasped in realization. Eureka looked at him impatiently.

''Bro! What is it, what is it?''

''Serena's a natural Pokémon Translator now!''

''Really?! Wait, why is it different from before?''

''She gets Pikachu's emotions now,'' Satoshi said, getting everyone's attention. ''Now it's not merely the result of a wish come true, and it's not her understanding his words. She has bonded with him to the point of…'' He smiled at Serena with pride. She mirrored him, eyes shining. ''…understanding him as a whole.''

Pikachu grinned at the two humans.

''Pika pikapi pikachu pi,'' he murmured.

And I don't think that only applies to me.

After marveling over her connection with Pikachu and marveling even more when she found out she could also understand her own Pokémon to an almost perfect extent, Serena was reminded there was a whole party waiting for her. Some trainers would go in and out of the Pokémon Center as the day progressed, and all of them would be promptly surprised upon seeing the cheery decorations that were arranged all around. It was a truly well-made job.

''Wait, it was all you, Clemont?'' Serena asked with awe. The inventor at the other side of the table blushed sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head.

''It was,'' he agreed.

''You should've seen it!'' Eureka said next to him. ''My bro finished working on his invention, what was its name… Oh, the Sparkles Sparkler!—''

''Eureka, it's called The Party–Decorations–Generator…''

''That's boring, bro — And anyway, when he activated it, it shot banners and balloons and confetti everywhere! And it didn't even explode! It was incredible!''

''I can sense you don't have much trust in my inventions, Eureka…''

Serena giggled. ''Thanks a lot, Clemont! This place looks amazing.''

Clemont stopped low-key glaring at his little sister to smile at Serena. ''Don't mention it! And, if I must add, that's not the only thing I prepared for today.'' His smile became wider as he adjusted his glasses, light reflecting off the lens, and chuckled in that way everyone knew preluded the presentation of a new invention.

''I present to you… our very own Clemontic Pagers!'' He plunged his hand into one of his pockets and took out four small round devices, each of a different color that matched Satoshi, Serena, Eureka and Clemont respectively. Everyone gazed at the devices in wonder as Clemont began to explain. ''As I'm sure, no one here wants a repeat of what happened, and this is the solution I thought of. These devices have their own GPS, which means that anyone who possesses one of these can track where the others are. Of course, in order to access the system a special password is needed, just to be sure. But, more importantly…'' He took the cyan Pager, which would most likely belong to him, and pointed to a small red switch it had on the side. ''This switch right here, if activated, will ring an alarm in all the other devices. It can be used in an emergency to notify the rest that something's wrong so they can all come to help. What do you guys think?''

Serena took the pink device in her hands, shifting in her seat so Pikachu could see it better. They exchanged an excited glance. ''Oh, Clemont, this is perfect! This can do wonders if we get separated ever again and…''

She trailed off when she looked up to see Satoshi giving Clemont a side hug. He had been sitting next to Serena less than one second ago, so his speed was shocking to both her and Pikachu.

''Technology is incredible!'' Satoshi said, grinning widely at his friend. ''Clemont, I really owe you one!''

Clemont seemed to be struggling a bit in Satoshi's hold because of how firm it was. ''A–As I said before, don't mention it! It's the least I can do to help us be prepared…''

''Yeah. Thank you,'' Satoshi said softly, perplexing Clemont. Satoshi almost looked more grateful than Serena herself was.

He really feels strongly about this.

Serena felt warm inside, just thinking about how much Satoshi must have worried about her. She knew everyone had, as all of them were friends and cared about each other's safety, but there was something about the way Satoshi was looking at her lately…

The festivity continued. Once again, they had the Pokémon Center practically to themselves when the evening approached. As luck had it, this city had more than one Pokémon Center, and people usually went to a different one that was closer to the entrance of the city. Nurse Joy let them enjoy themselves, happy to see so much cheerfulness in her workplace.

Everyone was doing their own thing in different groups. Chespin and Pancham were having another one of their banters, Bunnelby having to stay close to them in case it got out of paw. Braixen and Sylveon stayed close to Serena even after she told them it was okay for them to join the others. They had told her that they felt more than fine by her side. Serena couldn't believe how lucky she was to have them.

She was currently listening to Clemont as he excitedly rambled on about his Party Decorations Generator and the adjustments he had made to make it work so flawlessly. He seemed so proud of his invention she just couldn't interrupt him, so she simply nodded along every now and then even if she didn't understand most of his scientific jargon. Once she had gotten to know Clemont as they traveled together, she had realized just how passionate and entertaining he could actually be.

Serena glanced around now and then to see how the others were doing. One time, her eyes set on Eureka. The little girl was busy drawing in some sheets of paper that Nurse Joy had given her along with some crayons. Suddenly, Satoshi appeared by Eureka's side and they had a brief conversation Serena couldn't hear. After Eureka nodded at something he said, Satoshi seemed to thank her and went back to keep Pikachu and the rest of his Pokémon company. Serena couldn't see what Eureka was drawing at the moment, but she could tell the girl was pretty intent on her creation, more so than before. It even seemed like she had started a brand new drawing after her conversation with Satoshi. Serena wondered what it could be.

''—So I asked myself, 'What would Poketa Tesla do?' And that's when I realized I was doing the whole equation in the opposite way! Can you believe it?''

Serena blinked at Clemont's expectant expression before nodding. ''Um, yeah! Silly you, Clemont. But, um, at least you got it right at last?''

''Yes, exactly! So I began from scratch and—''

Clemont's voice became a background sound again as Serena glanced back at the rest. Eureka continued to draw, and Serena gathered she was using the color blue more than any other. When she looked at Satoshi though, that was when her curiosity reached very high levels.

Satoshi was having a conversation with his Pokémon. He looked… nervous. What could Satoshi possibly be nervous about? They all seemed to be cheering him on about something, as though giving him courage. Some of his Pokémon would glance at her from time to time, while Satoshi was pointedly not doing it. Pikachu specifically seemed very talkative the whole time.

---

The evening dragged on. The groups changed as different conversations found a beginning and an end.

(Serena didn't notice when Eureka gave Satoshi the drawing she had been working on. She also didn't notice him taking some of the pennants and other decorations with him.)

At one given time, Serena quickly excused herself to go to the restroom. When she returned, she was confused when she didn't see Satoshi anywhere. He had been at the table right next to Pikachu just now. Pikachu was still there, looking at her almost knowingly, but Satoshi was nowhere to be seen.

She approached the table with the yellow mouse.

''Pikachu, do you know where Satoshi went?''

Pikachu nodded. When he lifted his paw, she noticed he was holding a folded piece of paper. He was offering it to her. Curious, Serena took the paper and unfolded it.

Meet me outside

—Satoshi

Serena's eyes widened. She looked at Pikachu, questioning him with her gaze. Pikachu remained suspiciously silent as he continued to smile at her. He twitched his ears toward the door that led to the back of the Pokémon Center. Serena didn't know what to think. The only thing she knew was that she was starting to get a bit nervous.

She glanced at the siblings. They seemed distracted as Clemont talked about the Clemontic Pagers to Eureka and the other Pokémon. He was also taking his Pokémon Language Translator out of his backpack, seemingly by Eureka's request. When Serena looked back at Pikachu, the mouse finally spoke.

''Chupi pika pi,'' he told her.

Keep your heart open, okay?

Serena didn't understand what he meant, but nodded all the same. Guessing Pikachu wasn't going to say anything else, she walked toward the rear of the Pokémon Center, fiddling with the little note Satoshi had left for her.

She gasped when she was finally outside. A path made by pennants and confetti, illuminated by the white streetlights, led the way… continuing even after it had reached the beginning of the forest. A soft breeze tickled her. She took another look at the note before slowly taking off.

Okay, maybe she wasn't just a bit nervous.

Once she reached the forest, she continued to follow the small flags. As she walked away from the streetlights, now the moonlight was what shone through the tree leaves and lit up the path ahead of her. There was something oddly familiar about this. Years ago, she would've never entered a forest by herself like this. Now, after meeting again with Satoshi, and after everything she had gone through… she didn't mind it one bit. She knew he would be at the end of that path, waiting for her, after all. At least she guessed he would be.

Not so long after she began to walk through the forest, she was startled when she noticed something next to the path. It was a sheet of paper connected to a long stick, almost like a handmade wooden sign. The paper seemed to have some kind of Pokémon…

Serena gasped upon realizing what it was.

It was a drawing of a Poliwag. She could recognize those black swirls over the white tummy and the pink lips over the round blue shape so characteristic of the Pokémon. There was no doubt about that. And, judging by the way some of the coloring went past the limit of the lines and just the drawing style in general, she knew it had to be Eureka's work.

Satoshi had asked Eureka to draw a Poliwag for this. Whatever this was.

Satoshi had…

A… Poliwag.

It reminded her of…

Could this be…?

Now even more determined than before, she continued to walk deeper into the forest. Some seconds later she found something even more astonishing.

A light and dark blue handkerchief with a Poké Ball knitted in one of its corners lay on top of another sheet of paper. Serena quickly kneeled to take it in her hands. Feeling the fabric, she was sure of it. This was their handkerchief. The handkerchief that had started everything and that she had returned to him after he'd come to Kalos.

The sheet of paper it had been lying on had something written on it.

Feel better, feel better right away!

Serena lifted a hand to cover her mouth as a younger Satoshi's voice infiltrated her mind, representing one of her most cherished memories.

It had been during camp. Right after that, he had held his hand out to her and said…

Don't give up till the end, okay?

Serena stood up, putting the small note in her pocket and holding the handkerchief in her hands. She had to get to the end of this path. Whatever this was about, she had to find out.

She knew she was walking faster with every second that went by, but she couldn't bring herself to slow down. Finally, she came to a stop when she reached a clearing. She placed a hand to the blue ribbon on her chest, softly fiddling with it as she looked around. She found him soon after.

Satoshi was sitting on the other side of the clearing. His left leg was folded under him while the right one was propped up, as though he wanted to purposely let the moonlight shine on that knee. When he looked up to meet her gaze, she noticed he was wearing a straw hat.

A straw hat with a pink ribbon, just like the one she had worn back at Professor Oak's Summer Camp.

Everything was silent as she slowly began to walk toward him, almost like in a trance, handkerchief between her fingers. It felt like a hazy dream.

''Satoshi…'' She stopped a meter shy of him. ''What… What's all this?''

Satoshi smiled at her, fingers awkwardly adjusting the straw hat over his messy hair.

''Hey,'' he greeted. ''I, uh… I hurt my leg.'' He glanced at his propped-up knee as though that was the part of his leg he had hurt. ''And I can't get up.''

Time was a concept Serena couldn't grasp anymore. She felt like they stayed there, looking at each other for hours, even if just a few seconds had passed before she understood what Satoshi was trying to say.

He looked from her to the handkerchief in her hands, a wordless request in his eyes.

Serena didn't make a sound as she slowly kneeled in front of him. When she held the handkerchief closer to his knee, his smile widened.

''D–Don't worry…'' she began. She knew the words she was supposed to say by heart. The words he had said. Satoshi had a twinkle in his eye that urged her to continue. ''S–see this?'' she said, lifting the handkerchief so he could see it. She was surprised to see she wasn't trembling, even with all the metaphorical Vivillon currently fluttering in her stomach. ''This will make it better.''

She gulped, and then, she scooted closer to him. She enveloped his knee with the handkerchief, tying the knot and securing it almost like it was second nature.

That… that was it, right? There was no way they were going to enact the whole thing…

Satoshi tried to stand up now that his knee was bandaged. ''Ow,'' he said after he didn't succeed, sitting back on the grass.

He was clearly pretending, which meant…

He shrugged at her bewildered expression. ''I can't stand up. I guess I'll just stay here and give up…''

She didn't think it twice before she stood up and held her hand out to him.

''Don't give up till the end, o–okay?''

Satoshi's grin was impossible to miss when he took her hand and rose to his feet.

Before Serena could say anything, his arms were surrounding her. ''I knew you remembered the whole thing!'' he said, an almost childish joy pouring out of his voice.

Serena felt immeasurably blissful when she hugged him back. ''What do you mean you knew?'' she said, shaking her head with a fond smile as he laughed. ''You're the one who forgot!''

''I didn't forget a thing!''

''Mm, right.''

''Really! I just didn't recognize you as the girl with the straw hat at first.'' He moved back to look her in the face. ''I couldn't ever forget about you, now could I?''

Serena thought she might be in heaven. She didn't understand why Satoshi had arranged all of this, but she wasn't going to complain one bit.

Moments like these just served to remind her of how much she loved him and provided yet another reason why she did.

She giggled when she took a better look at him. ''That straw hat fits you perfectly.''

''You think so? Eureka thought I looked funny.''

''Oh, you absolutely look funny!''

''Eh? I thought you were on my side!''

''I am, I am,'' she laughed. They stayed like that, just smiling at each other like the two frisky teenagers they were. After a while, the quiet sounds of the forest reminded her of the hour. She thought of Clemont, Eureka and the rest waiting for them. ''So, um…'' She looked down at their hands. A sudden boost of confidence momentarily took control of her body as she reached for his hand and locked her fingers around it. She might as well complete their little enactment, right? She looked back up at a wide-eyed Satoshi. ''I guess it's time for me to guide you back to the campsite?''

''The… uh?''

''Let's go, silly,'' she said, actually guiding him forward. This had been a lot of fun, but they really needed to get moving by now if they wanted to get some sleep. ''It's getting late.''

Satoshi let her guide him for a couple of seconds before his brain seemed to realize what was happening. He suddenly stopped in his tracks and remained steady, making Serena unable to continue moving. She looked back at him with surprise.

''Satoshi? Is something wrong?''

What was happening in front of Serena's eyes was something she wasn't able to explain. Satoshi was a mixture of restless, flustered and nervous. He let out a heavy sigh before shaking his head.

''No, everything's fine,'' he said. ''It's just that… Well, I did all of this for a reason, and I still haven't explained why. It's something I need to tell you now. So, uh, if you could stay with me for a couple minutes…''

She had never seen him look so hesitant. Her mind provided the memories of some minutes earlier when he was talking with his Pokémon and they were encouraging him about something.

If this was something he wanted to tell her while they were all alone, it needed to be important.

Her traitorous heart was starting to perform quite impressive acrobatics by now. Stop that, she scolded herself, it's obviously not about… that.

She nodded. ''Of course I'll stay with you. You can tell me anything, I'm here for you no matter what.''

Her answer somehow didn't help him with his nerves. It actually seemed to make it worse. ''I knew you'd say that,'' he whispered. ''Of course you would, you're always so…''

He let another sigh go. He took his straw hat and fanned himself with it. Now Serena was really starting to worry.

''Satoshi, what is it? I've never seen you so agitated like this.''

Satoshi seemed to watch her for a while before he nodded, now looking less nervous and more resolute. ''Yeah, okay, you're right. Overthinking will only make it harder. Right, here we go.''

After placing the straw hat back on his head, he smiled down at their hands. Serena's face started to heat up when he actually slid his hand on hers and intertwined their fingers. Eh?!

He set his mouth in a thin line as he took one last big breath. When he let it go, he began to speak. ''Serena, there's something I've been meaning to tell you since I woke up in the hospital. I suck at explaining these kinds of things so I'll just say whatever comes to my mind, I hope you can get the gist of it. I mean, of course you will because you can read me like a book most of the time. That's something that would probably scare me if you were anyone else but you're you and that automatically makes it easier, I think? Wait, that probably doesn't make any sense, I'll start again.

''So, Serena, I want to start off by saying that everything Pikachu told you was true. Well, most of it. Maybe? I wonder what he even told you. Maybe that's not the best way of wording it…''

''What… What Pikachu told me?'' Serena said, not wanting to interrupt… whatever this was, but feeling too curious about that specific sentence. Satoshi nodded, finally looking like he knew what he was going to say.

''You see, Pikachu has a habit of teasing me to death. And the day your wish came true and you began to understand him, he said some things here and there about, um, stuff I told him about you? I don't know if you remember. It's okay if you don't. Actually, you know what, it's totally better if you don't.''

''Wait…''

I was just talking to Serena about that time you told me she was beautiful.

You also murmured you like how she looks with short hair a lot, remember?

I remember one time Satoshi told me he felt weird when he saw you in your Fennekin outfit. If you want my opinion, he felt weird in a 'gotta catch Serena' kind of way.

You know, Satoshi said something interesting about you the day you wore his clothes—

There was no way she would forget about those sentences.

Soon after hearing them, she had decided to dismiss them because she didn't want to get her hopes up. She had thought it was indeed Pikachu just messing with them. But now that she thought about it, it didn't make sense. Pikachu could say those things to mess with her, but why would things like that bother Satoshi? He was so oblivious about anything that involved deep romantic feelings that he would normally just shrug it off.

Or maybe he… wasn't as oblivious as she had thought?

''I… I do remember,'' she said in a tiny voice. Satoshi looked panicked for a split second before he nodded.

''Yeah, okay. I get why you do. You don't hear things like those every day. Or maybe you do? You're quite popular in the world of Showcases and considering how you're the most attractive Performer out there, it just makes perfect sense.''

''I'm w–what?''

''Anyway, I digress. What am I even saying anymore? Ah, yeah. Pikachu was right in what he said. I do think all of those things about you. But after what we've been through with The Kecleon… Sorry, maybe you don't want me to mention him?''

''I–It's okay…''

''Good, just checking. So, after all of that, I realized how all of those comments are still too much on the surface of what I truly feel. Do you get what I mean?''

She shook her head. Even with how confusing the whole conversation was, she found comfort in the way he traced circles on her hand with his thumb. It kept her grounded, somehow.

Satoshi continued after he rearranged his thoughts. ''Okay, let's look at it like this. I think you're beautiful. Or whatever word you prefer. The word itself isn't really important. To me, it means that seeing you smile makes me very happy. I don't know, it's so weird, sometimes I think you have some kind of spell going on, y'know? Sometimes I'm feeling a bit down, and when I see you, poof, I just know I'll be fine. You make me believe everything will be fine. But that's still just the surface.

''Serena, you're so much more to me. You're warmth and comfort. You're pink and glitter. And something very weird happens when you're around me.'' He took her free hand and gently placed it on his chest. She was shocked to see his heartbeat was as fast as hers. ''My heart beats so fast I sometimes think I'm in the middle of a battle. But what would I be battling, you may be wondering? I used to wonder the same thing. After thinking about it for a long time, I finally realized I've been battling my own feelings, Serena.''

Serena stared. She had tried to stay in denial after he had started to talk but now she wasn't sure of anything anymore. She could feel her legs trembling and her blood running cold.

This was not a confession, right?

''You know, I think seeing you at the warehouse was the last straw. I felt so angry. I felt like I had failed you. I still think I do sometimes. I think I could do so much more for you. And after I woke up in the hospital, it all became clear to me. It was all… too real.'' His eyes were shining now. ''You were there, and suddenly you weren't. And I realized how my life would never be the same if you weren't in it.''

Satoshi was not confessing to her right now.

''I realized I wanted to do my best and beyond that if that meant I could see you by my side for the rest of my days. And I thought I was being so selfish the first time I noticed I was feeling like that.''

Was he?

''And the truth is that I'm the most selfish person when it comes to you. Sometimes I feel like the world doesn't deserve your smile, and then I start to wonder why I would deserve it in the first place. I still don't have the answer.''

Was he?

''Serena.''

This wasn't happening.

''I think I've rambled more than enough, so I'll just go to the point.''

This had to be a dream. She dreamed about this exact situation every other night, why would tonight be any different?

Why would the universe confirm she did have a bond with Satoshi?

Why… Why was Satoshi smiling at her like that? Just like he did at the hospital?

Why were his eyes twinkling in the exact same way they had twinkled lately every time he looked at her?

''I'm in love with you, Serena.''

She was pretty sure her heart beat to the rhythm of his voice as he said those words.

''Y–you,'' she breathed, barely finding her voice at all, ''you what?''

Satoshi's deep blush was making the distinctive z-shaped marks on his cheeks glow. He gave Serena's hand a soft squeeze.

''I–I'm in love with you,'' he repeated, voice sounding a little shakier. ''I know this is sudden and if you don't feel the same way, it's perfectly fine, but I had to tell you, because you deserved to know. I believe those are the right words to describe how I'm feeling. People usually say them when they feel strongly about a person, and I know I feel very strongly about you, so—''

He trailed off and froze when Serena's hands rose to his cheeks, holding them gently. He hadn't even realized she had let go of his hand. She took a hold of his face and gazed at him intently, wordlessly. Her blue eyes shined brilliantly as they reflected the moonlight, looking like a tranquil river made of stars. Pink spread across her cheeks and some of it colored the tip of her nose.

''The moon…'' she whispered. ''The moon is so, so beautiful, isn't it?''

Satoshi knew this meant something very important, but he couldn't quite grasp what it was.

''Is… Is this a good reaction? I still don't know what's happening.''

When Serena smiled, it wasn't only with her lips. Her eyes narrowed a little as they seemed to be searching for something in Satoshi's own eyes. She shook her head fondly after some seconds.

He really means it, she thought. He means every word he said.

Our bond goes beyond everything.

''You… you dork.'' She leaned forward until the tips of their noses touched. Satoshi's nose tickled her. ''Your nose is pointier than mine,'' Serena said as she giggled giddily. Satoshi grinned so wide he knew his cheeks would start hurting soon.

''It is?''

''Mhmm.''

When Serena closed her eyes, Satoshi did too. They spent some minutes there, unmoving, just feeling each other's breath against their skin. Satoshi used that moment to gently slide his hands through the length of her arms, not wanting her to move away.

He didn't know she planned to do the exact opposite.

''Hey, Satoshi.''

''Mmm?''

''Did you know this is called an Eskimo kiss?''

''Really?''

''Mhmm.''

''That's funny, this is so close to an actual—''

Satoshi shut up.

This was the first time he had been shut up with a kiss.

(He quickly knew he didn't want this to be the only time.)

The second he felt a pressure on his lips, his eyes inevitably opened in surprise. Serena seemed to notice this somehow, briefly humming into the kiss to make him close his eyes again. He complied.

Her hands moved across his cheeks. One of them rested on the crook of his neck while the other slid to the back of his head and began to play with his dark messy hair.

Serena's hands weren't the only ones that became restless. Satoshi blindly took off his straw hat and let it fall to the ground after he felt it was obstructing their movements. It was apparently the right move, he realized, as Serena deepened the kiss right after. Still not knowing what to do with his hands, he surrounded her waist and pulled her even closer.

Serena moved slowly but meticulously, like a flame igniting with content passion. The quality of her patience was more evident now than ever before, as he knew his own movements were probably clumsy. But she felt so soft, all of her. Not so soon after, he began to follow her rhythm almost like it was second nature, like they were meant to find each other like this.

The feelings he was experimenting were somehow far wilder than what he usually felt when he and Greninja bonded to form Satoshi–Greninja.

He realized this was a different type of bonding.

He liked this type of bonding quite a lot.

When they broke from the kiss to breathe, they locked eyes again.

''Hey, Serena?''

''Yes?''

''Does this mean you love me too? I'm still a bit confused.''

''Eh?''

Serena looked so incredulous he felt concerned.

She shook her head in disbelief. ''I don't know whether to kiss you again or go back to the Pokémon Center right this instant.''

Satoshi perked up. ''The first option is always the best!''

Serena's face contorted as she tried to hold her laughter. Satoshi was trying to do the same. However, he wasn't as strong.

When he let out a loud snort, neither was able to hold it in anymore.

They laughed so hard they hugged their stomachs when they began to hurt.

Once the laughter died off (around thirty solid seconds later), they were both breathing heavily, recovering.

''So,'' Satoshi began, ''you will choose the first option, right?''

Serena was already surrounding his neck with her arms, pulling his face closer. ''Come here, you oblivious soon-to-be Kalos Champion.''

''Oh, I like the sound of that. ''Wait, what do you mean 'oblivious'?''

''Exactly.''

Satoshi smiled fondly at her. ''I love you.''

Serena looked quite taken aback and the red in her face could rival the color of Talonflame's wings. That intrigued Satoshi.

''Why are you surprised? I told you the same thing earlier.''

''I–I…'' she shifted in place, biting her lower lip. ''I'm still not used to hearing it, it's all.''

''Oh? Well, if that's the case, I'll make sure you hear it very often. I'll start now—''

''W–wait…''

''I love you, Serena.''

''Satoshi…!'' she whined. Those words coming from Satoshi's voice were too intimate and pure for her to handle. She felt like she was going to dissolve. Satoshi didn't seem about to stop, though.

''I love you with my whole heart. No, no, this one's better: I love you with the intensity I feel when I battle a very strong opponent! No, better! I love you like Pikachu loves a good bottle of ketchup!''

She giggled, caressing his shoulder softly. ''No, I don't think anyone can match how much Pikachu loves ketchup.''

Satoshi smirked. ''I think I can. Is that a challenge I hear?''

''Satoshi, not everything in life is about challenges, you know?''

''It is if you think about it hard enough!''

''That doesn't make any sense—''

Suddenly, the sounds of their conversation were drowned by a noise coming from their pockets. They exchanged perplexed looks before they felt into their respective pockets. They took out their Clemontic Pagers at the same time and read the notification on the screen.

Pager Yellow activated the Emergency Switch.

They looked at each other with wide eyes.

''Eureka?!''

Satoshi took hold of the abandoned straw hat lying on the ground and rushed with Serena all the way back to the Pokémon Center.

---

The pair all but stormed into the building.

''Clemont, Eureka! Are you guys okay?'' Serena asked once she was inside. Satoshi stopped right next to her, barely managing to hold the straw hat before it fell off his head.

''Where's the fire?!'' he asked.

Instead of whatever unlucky situation they were expecting to find, they merely saw the two siblings and their Pokémon exactly where they had left them.

The pair exchanged a confused glance before looking back at the siblings.

Clemont shook his head before sending Eureka a disappointed look. Eureka smiled sheepishly.

''I might have accidentally turned on the alert on the phone thingies?''

Satoshi and Serena sighed in relief now that they knew nothing bad happened.

''Eureka, for the last time, they're called Clemontic Pagers,'' Clemont said. ''And yes, you did activate it even when I explicitly told you not to.''

She pouted. ''I was just curious! And it also worked to bring them back, didn't it?'' Eureka seemed to remember something after saying that and turned at the pair with an inquisitive look. ''Where were you guys anyway? Satoshi disappeared after I gave him my drawing.''

Clemont was also interested in knowing where they were. ''That's true. Serena also disappeared after she said she was going to the restroom.'' Satoshi and Serena glanced at each other subtly, not exactly knowing how they should explain the current situation to the siblings. Not even they were sure of what the situation was. Clemont adjusted his glasses as he squinted at Satoshi. ''Why are you wearing a straw hat, Satoshi?'' The blond's gaze then lowered to Satoshi's legs. ''And why do you have a handkerchief tied to your knee? Did you get hurt?''

When Eureka's eyes widened in some kind of realization, Satoshi instinctively gulped. Serena was too busy holding back her laughter at the mention of how out-of-context Satoshi's appearance must look like to Clemont.

Eureka's eyes shone mischievously as her eyes jumped from one of them to the other. ''What were you guys doing all alone?''

''Yeah,'' a certain electric mouse said. Satoshi and Serena were startled by his voice, not having noticed him standing right in front of them. ''Do tell, you guys. What were you doing? I see Serena here is a little more disheveled than usual.''

While Satoshi's face began to burn, Serena raised an eyebrow at Pikachu, standing defiantly. ''You don't have teasing power over us when we're the only ones who can understand you.''

Pikachu smirked back. ''I can just ask Clemont to use his Pokémon Language Translator. I have so much information about what I know must be happening here,'' he said as he raised his paws and joined them by the palms with a clap, as if each paw was one of their faces. ''So, did you guys kiss?''

''Pikachu! I'll recall you in your Poké Ball right now if you keep at it!'' Satoshi exclaimed, making Pikachu gasp with indignation. The siblings watched with amused puzzlement while Serena couldn't stop her laughter anymore. Satoshi was so red.

''You wouldn't dare,'' Pikachu said.

''Just try me, buddy,'' Satoshi countered.

''You asked for it,'' Pikachu said as electricity began to sparkle on his cheeks.

Serena stepped between them, still laughing. ''Guys, no! We should never resort to violence!''

Pikachu continued frowning for a moment before he simply stopped releasing electricity. ''All right.''

Satoshi gasped. He placed his hands on Serena's shoulders and peeked over one of them, as if he was using her as a shield, and glared at Pikachu. ''When you set your mind on electrocuting me, you never stop, but Serena tells you not to once and you suddenly decide that peace is an option?!''

Pikachu shrugged. ''I can't shock Serena. It's not a possibility.''

''Awww,'' Serena cooed. Satoshi was still not having any of it.

''I'm glad you like Serena that much, but what kinda favoritism is that? I thought we were friends!''

''At least Serena understands my love for ketchup!''

''Actually, I never said I did…''

''What makes you think I don't get it?! Hey, don't you even try that, Serena's still my shield.''

''If I end up getting shocked by a Thunderbolt I swear both of you will pay for it.''

Clemont had sneakily taken out his Pokémon Language Translator and turned it on to try to understand all sides of the conversation. He and Eureka were mesmerized when the sentences it translated for Pikachu actually seemed to match with Satoshi and Serena's responses.

''Bro, the PokéTranslator works!'' she whispered excitedly.

''Eureka, it's called the… Actually, that isn't such a bad name, I may register it as that when I get the patent,'' he whispered back. ''And it is working! This is amazing!''

The best friends were still focused on their bickering, having forgotten the siblings and the rest of the Pokémon were there. Satoshi was still holding Serena by the shoulders and standing behind her, and Eureka found curious how she didn't seem to be panicking by Satoshi's proximity as she usually did.

''All of these years traveling together mean nothing to you?'' Satoshi continued, pretending to be hurt by Pikachu's alleged indifference.

''Of course they do! But you still need a shock now and then to keep you on your feet, you know?''

''Ah, so now that's your excuse?''

''You don't seem to complain when Braixen burns you with literal Flamethrowers during her performing practices.''

''Braix braix,'' Braixen muttered. Don't get me into this. They either didn't hear her or straight up ignored her.

''That's because I know she doesn't mean it, it's just by accident!''

''It's also because she's Serena's Pokémon, isn't it?''

''Come on, you know I like all Pokémon equally. Just because I love Serena doesn't mean I also like her Pokémon mor…'' Satoshi trailed off after he realized what he had said.

Everything was suddenly so silent.

Clemont and Eureka hadn't needed a translator to hear Satoshi's words, straight from his mouth.

If Serena was looking calm before, now she was as red as a Cheri Berry. She hid her face in her open palms and whined quietly, still not accustomed to hearing Satoshi say things like that so casually in a conversation. Satoshi slowly sank and hid himself as much as he could behind Serena, also murmuring onto the back of her neck about how he was too bad at keeping secrets.

Exactly three seconds passed before Eureka exploded.

''WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!''

Greninja actually groaned loudly before doing a fist pump. ''Ninja.'' Finally.

Braixen's eyes glimmered as she joined her paws together in delight. Pancham nodded, seemingly content with Satoshi finally acknowledging he reciprocated his trainer's feelings. Sylveon formed the shape of a heart with her feelers as she smiled.

Luxray purred and Bunnelby voiced his agreement. Chespin was crying with bliss on the ground. Pikachu grinned widely, knowing by Serena's reaction that Satoshi had confessed to her before and the answer had been positive. The rest of Satoshi's Pokémon also seemed relieved and happy that their trainer had gotten his biggest victory yet.

''Lucha,'' Hawlucha said sagely, making the rest nod in agreement.

Clemont's face was blank during the first five seconds as his brain rebooted and added this new information to his system. After it was done, the blond gasped and looked at his two friends (he was only able to see Satoshi's straw hat as the boy was still dying of embarrassment for his slip behind Serena). Clemont was so surprised he didn't even complain when Eureka began to shake him back and forth in her excitement. Her wide eyes were still set on Satoshi and Serena.

''DID SATOSHI JUST SAY HE LOVES SERENA? I NEVER THOUGHT THIS WAY WOULD COME — CLEMONT, SAY THIS ISN'T A DREAM.''

''I'm pretty positive all of us are awake, yes.''

''Oh Arceus I can't wait for the wedding!''

Satoshi finally peeked from Serena's shoulder. ''The what now?''

Serena wished she were anywhere but here. ''EUREKA!''

''This is the best day ever!''

Clemont sighed, smiling. ''I'm just glad we're the only ones in this Pokémon Center right now. First with the party and now with all the noise everyone's making…''

''Clemont, you gotta join us! SatoSere doesn't become real every day, you know?!''

''Sato…Sere?'' Clemont seemed to get what she meant by that, but was still confused.

Serena was concerned she would end up overheating at this rate. ''You know what, I'm going to bed. See you tomorrow, everyone.''

She ignored Eureka's protests and bid goodbye to an amused Clemont before quickly recalling her smiling Pokémon and dashing to her room.

She sat on her bed and sighed, relaxing now that she was finally alone. Little time passed before she squealed giddily, still not believing what had happened that day. It had been so much more perfect than any dream she had ever had, she couldn't even begin to explain it. It made what had happened with The Kecleon worth it, in a way. Satoshi seriously knew exactly how to cheer her up no matter what, didn't he?

Her eyes widened. Satoshi. She had gone up to her room without even saying goodnight to him!

''Ohhh,'' she whined, lying back on the bed. ''I'm such a bad girlfrieeend.'' A pause. ''Wait.''

She swiftly sat up. Am I his girlfriend now? We still haven't established that! Or, well, anything at all!

She rattled when there was a knock on her door. She frowned at it. Now it wasn't the time for Eureka to come and distract her again.

''Not now, Eureka, I'm going to sleep.''

''Do I really knock like Eureka?'' Satoshi's muffled voice said from the other side of the door, sounding amused.

Serena blushed as a reflex, but couldn't help the smile forming on her face. ''Well, I guess not.''

A beat passed before Satoshi spoke again. ''Hey, um, can I come in for a second? It'll be quick, I'm going to sleep soon too.''

Serena nodded before scolding herself mentally. Satoshi can't see you nodding, you genius.

''Y–yeah,'' she replied, and then silently cleared her throat to avoid stuttering again.

Satoshi waited a couple more seconds before opening the door and peeking into the room. They smiled at each other as he closed the door and she invited him to sit next to her on the bed.

Once he was by her side, she raised an eyebrow and smirked. ''Don't tell me we'll have to sleep in the same room again. I mean, this bed is bigger than the last one because we're in a city now, but sleeping with you is dangerous, someone could end up falling on the floor.''

Satoshi chortled at that, smirking back. ''With 'someone' you mean me, don't you? And no, I have my own room this time. Pikachu's probably making himself comfortable in my bed right now. It'll be nearly impossible for me to move him once I go back. I'm already dreading it.''

''You've been sharing with that little yellow menace for years, I believe you can take it.'' She laughed when Satoshi shrugged melodramatically. ''So, what did you want to talk about?''

Satoshi scratched his cheek, looking shy. ''Well, I guess I just wanted to say goodnight to you.''

His fond smile only made Serena feel more regretful. ''Oh, Satoshi, I'm so sorry I didn't say it to you outside. I just rushed here without saying anything. I'm the worst.''

He shook his head lightly. ''It's okay, I get it. I also escaped Eureka as soon as I physically could. She can be frightening.''

Serena could agree with that. ''I feel bad for Clemont now, he probably won't get any sleep tonight with Eureka gushing about us.''

Satoshi nodded. ''It's great she's so happy about us, though.''

They smiled at each other once again before averting their gazes.

The question lingered in the air.

What are we, exactly?

No matter how scared Serena was, she recognized she had to take the initiative. She knew Satoshi had already done a lot for their relationship and all of the changes that had happened that day were mostly thanks to him. He did what she had thought he might never do. Not because she had thought he might never love her back, but because she had thought he might never realize he did. But he had realized, and he had acted on it. He had reached and poured his heart out to her. Whatever obliviousness he'd had was gone… almost entirely, at least. He was still the same enthusiastic, optimistic boy with a passion for Pokémon Battles she had known from the start, and she was grateful for that. That meant, however, that he probably didn't even realize they had to 'make it official'.

So Serena would be there to guide him. She was glad she didn't need to do all the work, though. In the end, they would work together to whatever it was the future had in store for them, and they would overcome everything on their way.

''I trust you, Satoshi,'' she said without thinking, though she didn't regret it one bit. Satoshi was surprised by her sudden words, but could sense she was going to continue. ''I've trusted you ever since we first met, and I will continue to trust you as we grow into better people. And what you said in the forest makes me think that… you also want us to grow into better people… together, right?''

Satoshi held her hands and nodded cheerfully. ''Of course! I want you to be with me every step of the way, and I'll be with you the whole time too.''

Serena bit her lower lip as she tried to contain her smile. ''Yes,'' she said with a nod. ''So, um, we're best friends, right?''

''Totally!''

''But there might be a problem here.''

Satoshi was confused. ''What kind of problem?''

''Best friends usually don't…'' She knew she was full-on blushing again just by the thought of what she had to say, but then again, she had to say it. ''They don't kiss each other like we did in the forest. And they don't hold each other tightly like we did, and… If they say 'I love you', they don't mean it in the way you did.''

He was even more puzzled. His confusion grew into concern soon after. ''So you're saying we aren't best friends?''

Serena shook her head with a smile. ''We are. We will always be. The thing is that we aren't just best friends. There's a deeper, different feeling there.''

Satoshi's eyebrows rose as he seemed to understand what she was getting at. ''You mean that me saying that I love you changed everything?'' She nodded, flushing. ''I think I get it. It has to do with this selfishness that I feel toward you, doesn't it? I feel like I want to be closer to you than any other friend you have and I want you to be closer to me than any other of my friends.''

Serena needed to give this boy some points. He was actually getting it. ''Y–yeah, that's exactly it! You see, when two people love each other as more than friends, they start dating.'' Satoshi nodded, indicating he was following. ''And when two people are dating, other people refer to them as boyfriend and girlfriend.''

Satoshi blinked. And then he did it again. When Serena was starting to worry that she had finally lost him in her explanation, his face lit up. ''Ohhh, so that's what people mean with those words. I always heard them during my travels but I never really understood what was so interesting about a friend who's a girl and why people needed a new word for it. Why say 'girlfriend' if 'friend' already existed, y'know?''

''Your love for Pokémon Battles really made you so clueless,'' Serena said with amusement. Satoshi was one of the smartest people when it came to Pokémon Battles and even Pokémon in general, but outside of that field, he could sometimes be like a child.

A child doesn't kiss the way he does, though, her mind provided all of a sudden, making her squeal with mortification.

Luckily, Satoshi was too distracted thinking about the new meaning the romantic terms now had to him to notice Serena sounding like a boiling kettle. She was barely starting to recover when he smiled widely at her.

''So, we're boyfriend and girlfriend, right? Is that how it works?''

Serena stared, trying to look at him in the eye, not allowing her gaze to go any lower (namely, to his lips). ''Y–yes. You're a quick learner, haha.'' He learned to kiss you just as fast.

Damn it, mind!

Satoshi beamed at her. ''You're my girlfriend, then! That sounds great. It has a nice ring to it, if I might say so myself.''

Serena finally calmed down to smile back at the adorable boy in front of her, and whispered the words she had never thought would become a fact, ''And you're my boyfriend… Satoshi.''

It feels so natural to say that, she thought.

And then she yawned loudly.

Satoshi stared at her with surprise. Her cheeks went back to their almost permanent red color (if the past few days were anything to go by). ''I'm so sorry, Satoshi! This isn't boring at all, this is actually the most exciting thing I've experienced in a long time.''

Satoshi chuckled. ''We gotta stop going to sleep so late. And yes, this is very exciting!'' He stood up from the bed and stretched. ''Welp, I guess it's time for me to let you sleep peacefully. Have a goodnight, Serena.''

Serena grabbed his wrist before he could walk too far from her bed. Before he could ask what was happening, she pulled him back down and kissed him on the lips. When she moved back, she was pleased to see his flustered, blushing face.

''Goodnight, my future Pokémon Master.''

He blushed even harder at her words, so much she began to laugh. ''Are you okay?''

Satoshi took some seconds to nod. Serena was too distracted laughing to realize he was going to take his revenge right there.

Suddenly, he lowered down to meet her lips, shutting her up immediately. He kissed her ardently for five whole seconds, during which she remained in utter shock, before he pulled back.

''Goodnight, my future Kalos Queen.''

He beamed at her once more before he opened the door and went out of the room.

Serena remained still, staring at the place Satoshi had been.

She slowly raised her hands to her lips… before she launched herself on her pillow and screamed her lungs out.

---

The following day

The police station of Akitare city seemed like a nice place, at least for anyone who wasn't behind bars inside said station.

They arrived and entered, heading straight for the main office. There, an Officer Jenny greeted them on sight.

''I'm glad to see all of you are doing okay,'' she said with a kind smile. She was the same Officer Jenny who had attempted to arrest Satoshi at the beginning and who had later intervened in the warehouse and contacted Professor Sycamore by Clemont's request. The group could say they were well acquainted with her.

''We're glad to see you too,'' Satoshi said. On his shoulder, Pikachu waved hello to Jenny. ''So, he's still here, isn't he?'' Satoshi asked, straight to business. No one needed him to specify whom he was talking about.

Jenny nodded solemnly. ''My coworkers and I have been arranging the paperwork these last few days, and today he'll finally be taken to the biggest jail in the Pokyo prefecture. You all can rest assured that he won't be able to cause harm anymore.''

''Thank you for your hard work,'' Clemont said, bowing. Eureka did the same, following her older brother's example. Jenny shook her head.

''You did all the hard work. You did everything in your power to save your friends, and that is telling of how close you are.''

''Even then,'' Serena said, ''I'd like to thank you for making sure I was safe, and also for going the extra mile to ensure Satoshi's well-being.''

Satoshi took her hand in his and they gave each other a meaningful look. He then turned back at Jenny. ''May we give him a quick visit before he's gone?''

Jenny looked like she had been expecting that question. ''You may. A police officer will watch the whole time, so you don't need to worry. He's harmless.''

They nodded. ''Thanks again, Officer Jenny.''

''It's my job, isn't it? My coworker here will guide you.''

They stopped once they were in front of the door that led to the prison cells. Officer Jenny's coworker nodded at them before going back to his spot in front of the main office.

''Is this the same police station you were taken to?'' Serena asked, breaking the silence.

''Ironically enough, it is,'' Satoshi replied. ''I personally didn't need any guidance to get to this room, as I've been here before. He probably spent his nights in the same cell I spent mine when I was here.''

''You two are nothing alike, though,'' Serena said. They were still holding hands. She gave his hand a soft squeeze and smiled at him. His face softened upon seeing her and he squeezed back. They turned at the siblings, who were also smiling at the interaction. Serena addressed the younger sibling. ''So you're sure you'll wait out here with Clemont, Eureka?''

Eureka nodded earnestly. ''I already told that meanie everything I needed to when Squishy, Dedenne and I stopped him.''

Clemont placed a hand on his sister's shoulder, expression full of pride. ''And I'm sure you were amazing, Eureka.''

''Well, if you will stay here,'' Serena said, ''will you take care of my straw hat for me?'' She took the straw hat Satoshi had bought for their moment in the forest and had subsequently given to her with her free hand, offering it to Eureka. The blonde girl nodded excitedly, taking the hat and putting it on her head.

''Of course!'' She looked up at her brother. ''How do I look, Clemont?''

Clemont chuckled. ''You probably look a lot like Serena did when she was your age.''

Eureka beamed at that. Dedenne and Squishy also voiced their agreement from her bag, complimenting the way she looked with the straw hat on.

Satoshi and Serena watched her fondly before looking back at each other.

''Are you sure you want to do this?'' Satoshi asked.

''I know I'm safe if you're with me,'' Serena answered, lacing their fingers together. ''And this is the closure we need. I'm sure you want to say more things to him than I do,'' she added with a grin.

Satoshi couldn't exactly deny that.

''Pika,'' Pikachu said from Satoshi's shoulder before he hopped to the floor and looked at them with determination. Let's go.

After a final nod, Satoshi opened the door and they stepped into the cell room. As the police station wasn't big, there were only about a dozen small cells. A police officer was standing next to the door, a Manectric sitting beside him. He acknowledged the pair as they made their way toward one of the middle cells. Satoshi's expression let Serena know it was indeed the same cell he had spent the night inside of as they approached.

The Kecleon was right there, wearing a provisional uniform that preluded the prison uniform he would wear in Pokyo. Serena was confused about his completely different appearance before she realized she had never seen him outside of his disguise while he impersonated Satoshi.

The real Kecleon had beige blond hair and blue eyes with a tint of orange around the pupils. Serena had to admit the guy wasn't exactly bad-looking at first sight; however, he completely lacked the warmth that would make any person appear approachable and kind. He lacked the bubbling warmth and gentleness that were so abundant in Satoshi's soul. The self-tanner he'd had on to imitate Satoshi's natural tan had been removed and his natural skin was almost as pale as his hair.

They hadn't remembered to ask Officer Jenny what The Kecleon's real name was. They didn't want to know, anyway.

He was sitting with his back against the wall and had been looking into the void until they stopped in front of his cell. He looked bored when his eyes set on them. He somehow looked even more bored when he recognized them. They all stared in silence for some minutes until The Kecleon sighed.

''Say it already and get this over with.''

Pikachu climbed on Serena's shoulder and they shared a look before they turned to Satoshi. The raven-haired was slightly frowning at The Kecleon, and Serena knew he was doing his best not to let his frown turn into a full-on glare. Letting what he did get to them and develop emotions like hate would only lower them to the guy's level, after all.

''We aren't here to tell you to screw yourself,'' Serena said, breaking the silence and surprising Satoshi and Pikachu. The Kecleon continued to look at her impassively. ''What would that do for us, right? We're just here to see you before you go,'' she simply added.

''Why? Are we best buddies now or something?'' The Kecleon scoffed. Serena felt Satoshi's grip on her hand tightened.

''You'd only be able to get near her over my dead bod—''

''Hey, Satoshi, let's not do that, okay?'' she interrupted softly. Satoshi sighed and nodded, knowing that they had already talked about what they were going to do.

When Serena turned back at The Kecleon, she was surprised to see the ghost of a smile on his face, as though Serena having to calm Satoshi down was amusing to him. She shook that thought off her mind and addressed the man.

''No, we're certainly not friends, that's right. And I'll admit Satoshi and I aren't total angels either. I guess showing up here is our bitter way of saying, hey, we're still here, alive and kicking. No matter what you did to us, we're still here, and we're moving on with our lives. But I guess you already knew that, didn't you?''

Pikachu snickered from her shoulder. ''He should've thought twice before messing with the ultimate Kalos gang,'' he said. ''We're kinda used to be on the move because of the members of a certain evil organization following us around so I guess you could say we're veterans.''

Serena chuckled, happy to see Satoshi was also amused by Pikachu's words. The Kecleon was looking at them like they were insane for laughing at a Pokémon's (normally) indiscernible speech. Of course he wouldn't get it; he didn't have what it took to form such a strong bond with any of his Pokémon. They had been there only to serve his commands and wishes, and not to have a true relationship based on respect and equality.

''Great,'' The Kecleon commented, rolling his eyes. ''This is my punishment for meddling with the loony kids.''

Serena shook her head and sighed. She knew The Kecleon wouldn't care less about what they would say to him, but she had still wanted to tell him. They had won, and they had the right to announce their victory by themselves, didn't they?

''Well, that was all I had to say. Enjoy your life in prison,'' she said, turning to leave. She was still holding hands with Satoshi, and that was exactly what stopped her when she couldn't move forward and noticed he wasn't moving from his spot.

''I'm not over yet,'' Satoshi said. Serena and Pikachu exchanged a look as Serena walked back to him.

The Kecleon raised an eyebrow at him, but didn't seem as bored as before. Serena realized that even he, a confirmed despicable person, could acknowledge Satoshi's strength in battle, a strength that was enough to match and then defeat him. ''Spit it out, kid, I don't have all day,'' the blond said.

''Oh, I'm pretty sure you'll have all the time in the world in your new home,'' Satoshi said. Serena was surprised to see he was smiling, as if whatever he was about to say was pleasing to him. ''Remember what you said the first time you tried to 'negotiate' with me?'' he asked the criminal in the cell in front of him.

The Kecleon looked between disinterested and just plain confused. Serena could share that last feeling, as she had no idea what he was referring to with that. She didn't remember most of the words anyone said that day anyway, her concussion had taken away all of her capability to stay focused. Pikachu frowned slightly as he tried to remember.

''No,'' The Kecleon simply said.

Satoshi seemed to expect that answer, and continued like the question had been rhetorical from the start. ''You said you'd give me back my girlfriend if I gave you Pikachu.''

Serena's eyebrows rose high. ''Eh?'' She absolutely did not remember that.

''Oh yeah he actually did,'' Pikachu said, growing amused. ''Satoshi was so mad. To this day I'm still not sure if he fought just to save you or also to protect your honor.''

Serena gaped at Pikachu. She hadn't planned on blushing in front of The Kecleon, of all people, during this visit. Her heart skipped a beat when Satoshi smirked at her.

''As I told Serena last night, I didn't know what the word meant at the time. I just knew I didn't want him or his Pokémon anywhere near you.'' He turned at The Kecleon. ''It's funny, really. Now I get what it means, and I can say that Serena was not my girlfriend at the time of your little business proposal. But if even you could see what this is,'' he said as he raised their intertwined hands to let The Kecleon see, surprising Serena, ''then I really was clueless for too long.'' Satoshi grinned at Serena as he lifted the hands a little more so they reached his lips. He kept his warm eyes on her as he gently deposited a kiss on the back of her hand. ''But I'm happy we pushed through. Maybe my girlfriend and I should thank you for that, Kecleon.''

Serena gazed back at Satoshi as her heart melted. Satoshi wasn't one to brag, but of course he would feel victorious enough to do it in this situation. She was still astonished at the fact he had decided to brag about her loving him back, though. Just a week ago, she wouldn't have thought he would do something like that. Life truly has a gift for surprising you.

Pikachu was visibly brimming with joy as he looked at the two teenagers. ''You guys didn't tell me you had made it official! I'll gladly be your best man, Satoshi.''

Satoshi tilted his head with confusion. ''You're already my best man?''

As Pikachu stared in disbelief at Satoshi's obliviousness, Serena giggled. Wedding terms were probably even more foreign to him than the whole dating concept had been.

''Okay, now I'm genuinely being tortured right now,'' The Kecleon said, making everyone turn at him quizzically. His eyes looked even more devoid of life than before. ''This is the sappiest thing I've ever seen, and I've spied hundreds of people in all my time as a criminal. I will call the guard over if you move one inch closer to each other. I know my rights.''

Satoshi, Serena and Pikachu blinked at him.

Satoshi was very quick to smirk.

''So,'' he began as he started to lean his face closer to Serena's, ''what would you do if we kissed?''

''Guard,'' The Kecleon said frantically, raising his voice for the first time, ''why are y'all taking so damn long with the transfer? I want out of here right now.''

The gang laughed wholeheartedly as Satoshi puckered up his lips and threatened to kiss Serena in from of a very disgusted criminal. The guard was watching the exchange from his spot next to the door, not really knowing how to act in that situation.

Serena didn't know how they got there, but she ended up laughing right next to Satoshi as their cheeks touched. She could feel the smiling muscles on Satoshi's face moving as he vibrated with his own laughter.

''Okay, I'll take pity on you,'' Satoshi said, backing off from Serena slightly. ''I'll only kiss her on the nose,'' he added before swiftly pressing his lips on the tip of her nose. Serena quickly answered in kind, kissing him on his slightly pointier nose. They beamed at each other.

''You call that pity? That's even more disgusting. Guard.''

''Pika pikachu pi.''

Satoshi smirked at The Kecleon. ''Pikachu asks if a Thunderbolt from him would be less painful than watching us.''

The Kecleon actually nodded at that. ''You know what, it most likely is.''

Serena took Pikachu in her arms. ''Don't you even think about it, young mouse.''

Pikachu pouted. ''Oww. But I've been wanting to do that since we met him.''

Satoshi shrugged. ''Sorry, buddy. Serena doesn't approve of our methods.''

''That figures. You could continue torturing him with a kiss on the forehead, though.''

''A kiss on the forehead, you said?'' Satoshi commented casually, causing The Kecleon to glare at him again. ''We could work with that.''

''Don't you even dare.''

Serena shook her head. ''No matter how much of a bond we have, I'll never understand men.''

---

They were still laughing when they walked out of the cell room. Their laughter came back with full force after they saw what the Lumiose siblings were up to.

Clemont and Eureka were struggling as Eureka tried to make her brother try on the straw hat. Clemont was standing tall, not allowing his little sister to reach his head.

''Eureka, I've told you a million times, I don't want to wear it!''

''Come on! I bet you'll look cute! Satoshi and Serena wore it, you're the only one left!''

After Satoshi released a brief, amused cough, the siblings turned at the sound and realized their friends were back from the cell room. Clemont smiled at them when he noticed they looked positive even after their visit to The Kecleon.

''Hey, guys. I take it we're ready to go, then—''

Clemont stopped talking when he felt something landing on his head. He looked up and became horrified when he realized Eureka had managed to climb on a nearby shelf and had used his distraction as her opportunity to lay the hat on his hair.

''Gotcha!'' the mischievous blonde said before she began to cackle. ''I told you you'd look cute!''

Clemont blushed deep red and went stiff when Satoshi, Serena and Pikachu joined Eureka in her laughter.

''That's quite a charming look you have, Mr. Clemont!'' Serena said.

Clemont lowered the brim of the hat to cover his face. ''Can we go now? ''

Satoshi winked. ''Of course! Anything Mr. Clemont desires.''

---

Clemont (for once) led the way as they bid goodbye to Officer Jenny and stepped out of the police station.

''Now that that's out of the way,'' Pikachu said, still in Serena's arms, ''can I get a bottle of ketch—''

''No,'' Satoshi replied. ''Wait 'til we reach the next city.''

''Oh, okay. I guess that you wouldn't mind me telling Serena stories about our nightly conversations in the meantime, would you?''

Nightly conversations? Serena wondered mentally.

Satoshi tensed, but tried to appear nonchalant as they kept walking. ''Nah. I don't mind at all.''

Pikachu shrugged before he looked up at Serena. ''Hey, come to think of it, have you continued to use your shampoo since you came out of the hospital? The one with the flowery scent?''

Serena was confused. ''My shampoo? Um, yeah, I guess?''

''No wonder Satoshi can't stay away from you. He adores it when you smell like flowers, I have no idea why.''

When they both turned at Satoshi, they found him frozen on the spot. Serena blushed deeper and Pikachu's smirk widened when they noticed he was particularly close to nuzzling her hair. He slowly moved his face away, pretending he hadn't just been caught in the act.

''Come to think of it,'' Serena said, ''the first time we talked in the hospital, Satoshi was sad because I didn't 'smell like flowers'.''

Clemont and Eureka had been walking in front of them and had only been able to hear Satoshi and Serena's part of the conversation, but that was enough for Eureka to grin teasingly at Satoshi.

''Really smooth,'' she said, prompting Pikachu to burst out laughing. Clemont was about to tell her not to tease Satoshi when he noticed how red the raven-haired was getting.

I'll take this as my revenge, Clemont thought with a casual shrug. Satoshi noticed Clemont's lack of support for his current situation and pouted at him.

''Clemont! You're the only one I have left! Even my supposed best friend has abandoned me!''

''I'm sorry, my ears have decided to stop functioning all of a sudden, I can't hear what you're saying.''

''Clemont!''

Pikachu perked up. ''Oh, Serena, I haven't told you about the actual conversations Satoshi and I have at night. So, you know how Satoshi usually acts funny when he gets sick? Well, there was this time he got a cold and he said he really enjoyed how you moved in your performance dresses—''

''Okay, that's it. All of you are officially out of my journey. Now it's just Serena and me traveling. I'm out.''

''Oww, even after everything we've lived together?''

''I bet you'll enjoy your wild life in Kalos. You could even join that guy that likes making movies with the hundred Pikachu he has. Let's go, Serena.''

Serena giggled. ''Coming.''

Pikachu climbed on Serena's shoulder and looked at Satoshi defiantly. ''What if I decide she's going to be my trainer now? That would be her decision, not yours.''

''I'm sure Serena will choose me over you, won't you, Serena?''

''You guys are the worse. Don't make me choose between you!''

''Come on! I have boyfriend privileges, right?''

''I…'' Serena's cheeks turned pink and Pikachu sighed, knowing Satoshi had won the match.

''Wait, did you just say boyfriend?!'' Eureka exclaimed, jumping around. ''When did you guys make it official?!''

''That's what I've been saying!'' Pikachu said, joining her in her little celebration dance. Dedenne did too as he got out of her bag. Squishy watched them, not knowing if he should also join them in their antics or just stay as a voice of reason to make sure they wouldn't go overboard.

Serena shrugged at Clemont's curious expression with amusement. She then felt Satoshi's hand squeezing hers and looked at him. ''Ready to continue our journey together, Queen?''

She smiled back, nodding. ''I'll go where you go, Pokémon Master.''