Was going to go upload yesterday but I decided to rewrite this chapter last minute. Apologies for the delay.

TLDR; of the episode this chapter was based on (I didn't include the whole context in the chapter and I figured some people may be confused or forgot the minor details):

Serena loses when she goes against Aria (basically the champion of performers). She sprains her wrist during this time but pushes herself to compete regardless. Afterwards she's given an offer to be personally mentored by Palermo and the chapter picks up from there.

It was ironic. After finally realizing what she needed to do in order to beat Aria and achieve her dream, Serena felt completely directionless.

Throughout the night she was stuck analyzing all the potential ways she could improve her performance by herself, while also weighing Palermo's offer to personally mentor her. She was stuck at a crossroad without the slightest clue on what she should do.

That's why she found herself at the cafeteria area of the Pokémon Center in the middle of the night, hiding away at one of the dimly lit booths. If it weren't for the light drizzle she would've happily taken her sulking to one of the benches outside.

She wasn't completely alone, though. Sylveon, who was always hyper aware of her moods, refused to leave her side since her performance. Even when she snuck out of bed at the dead of night, Sylveon happily followed her out. Now she found her beloved Pokémon snoozing on her lap, her ribbon-like feelers wrapped gently around her uninjured hand.

Even with Sylveon's calming effect it was difficult not to dwell on the next steps of her performance career.

If she chose to take up Palermo's offer she'd inevitably have to leave her friends—she'd have to leave Ash, but in return she'd get specialized training to further advance her skill set.

If she chose to turn down Palermo's offer she could extend her stay with her friends and progress at a pace she wanted, but there was no guarantee she'd ever have an opportunity like this again.

She sighed and rubbed her temple in frustration. She wasn't sure if she should be grateful about Palermo's generousity or not.

Her raging thoughts quieted to a dull hum when the smell of roses snaked into her booth, she almost wanted to laugh at his perfect timing. Even Sylveon perked her head up at the new scent.

"Funny seeing you here." She greeted as Clemont took a seat across from her. Sylveon sniffed the cup curiously before laying her head back on Serena's lap.

"I had a feeling I'd run into you tonight." Clemont handed his steaming rose-scented cup over to her.

She thanked him and took a generous gulp from the cup. Her body seemed to relax instantly at the familiar taste.

"Couldn't sleep?" He asked.

"No, I've been busy thinking about my future as a performer—at least until now." She passed the cup back over to him.

"Ah. Sorry for interrupting you."

"It's fine, I was getting tired of thinking about it anyways." With a mischievous grin she added," besides, it's not everyday I get interrupted with the smell of roses. It's rather romantic if you think about it."

As expected he blushed from her joke. "I-I don't even have a good comeback f-for that."

She laughed. Serena always got the upperhand when they engaged in their witty banter, especially when she added a flirty twist to her words, he made it way too easy.

While Serena made it clear she'd be happy to stop if he ever felt too uncomfortable with her sense of humour, he never truly complained about it. In fact, he'd sometimes respond in a similar fashion. Sometimes being the key word.

Serena didn't normally talk to Clemont like this when she was with the others. Knowing his personality she knew it wouldn't be fair to put him on the spot like that—especially not when his sister was dead set on finding the perfect wife for him. But if they were alone it was fair game.

She wasn't sure when their quiet little dynamic changed into something so...comfortable. Outside of their occasional late night rendezvous, they kept a polite acquaintanceship with each other when they were with the others. Serena didn't mind. She knew their friendship went deeper than that and she was fine with keeping a familiar facade. She suspected it made him more comfortable when he didn't have to worry about his sister getting the wrong impression about their dynamic.

And so they both silently agreed to keep up their familiar song and dance during the day.

But when they were alone at night that acquaintanceship transformed into a deep, comfortable friendship. There was no nosy sister to scrutinize their every move, no exciting battles and training sessions to interrupt them—there was only the two of them.

In the veil of night, with nothing but a rose-scented cup between them, it felt safe to reveal parts of themselves that they normally kept hidden from the others.

From his willingness to take up a parental role after the passing of his mother, to her dream of one day providing for her mother, nothing was ever off the table. So she really wasn't surprised when he tried to assess her emotional state tonight.

"Poke Dollar for your thoughts?" He slid his cup back over to her.

"It's just been a very long day." She took another large gulp from the drink.

"Are you alright?"

"About losing? Yeah." She told him honestly. "Can't say the same about everything else."

"Everything else?"

She slid the cup back over to him and explained Palermo's offer to her.

"Ah. It seems like you're in a bit of a rough spot." He noted once she was finished speaking. "So what do you plan on doing?"

"I don't know." She groaned. "I know this is a really good opportunity for me, but I also don't want to leave everyone yet. What do you think I should do?"

"I-I don't think I should be the one to make a decision this big for you."

"But you're my best friend! Who else am I supposed to turn to for unprofessional advice?"

That earned her an amused smile from him," fine, but promise me you won't make your final decision just based on what my opinion is."

"Yeah, yeah, let's get on with the advice already." She waved him off jokingly.

He chuckled a bit before his expression fell into a more serious look," if we're looking at this logically, Palermo's offer is a one in a lifetime opportunity. It'd give you the chance to hone your skills like never before and significantly increase your chances of winning against Aria next time."

"But that'd mean having to leave the group…" she frowned.

"Yes, but it's not like we won't ever be able to talk to each other again. Even if it's only through video calls we can all still maintain a healthy friendship with you. If we look at it that way it's a fair trade off."

She knew he had a point—a really good point in fact, but it didn't make her feel any better. It didn't feel right to leave the group when Ash stuck with her to the very end of her performances, she should at least return the favour by seeing him through to the end of his goal.

Then there was also her friendship with Clemont and Bonnie. As much as she liked spending time with Ash, she enjoyed being with them as well. Bonnie was the little sister she never knew she wanted, and Clemont was one of her most trusted friends. She really didn't want to say goodbye to them so soon.

While Clemont did have a point about maintaining those friendships through video calls it just wasn't the same. She couldn't share precious experiences with her friends through video calls alone, and she certainly wouldn't be able to meet him at the dead of night for tea.

She couldn't suppress the spark of anger she felt towards Clemont at how casually he could tell her the benefits of leaving the group.

Didn't he like spending time with her as much as she did with him? Didn't these late night meetings matter to him?

"O-of course my personal opinion on the matter is a bit different." He added after an awkward pause.

"What do you mean?" She tried to keep her voice neutral.

"Well...personally I'd hate to see you go." He looked down at his cup. "I-it wouldn't be the same travelling without you."

Her brief moment of anger towards him dissipated as fast as it had appeared. She should've expected him to push his own feelings aside when he was looking at a problem from a logical lens.

"Aww, that's so sweet of you to say!"

"I-I-it wouldn't just be m-me!" He desperately tried to maintain his serious expression when a deep red coloured his face. "B-Bonnie would be sad to see you go and I'm sure Ash would really miss travelling with you."

"Do you really think he'll miss me?" She asked.

While she was much closer friends with Ash than when they first reunited, Serena still wondered just how much her absence would affect him. He was always so focused on his goal of winning the league that it was hard to imagine his heart would have room for her.

"Of course he will." He assured her firmly. "He'd be crazy not to miss an amazing friend like y-you."

She found herself laughing as he blushed at his own comment.

"Please, tell me more about how amazing of a friend I am." She joked, unknowingly resting her chin in her bad hand. She winced almost instantly when she put her weight on it.

"Does it still hurt?" He eyed her hand worryingly.

"I think I reapplied the bandage wrong, but other than that I'll live." She gingerly rubbed her sore wrist. At this rate she was going to accidentally injure herself again before she could properly heal.

"Here, let me." He gently took her hand into his and began unwrapping her messy handiwork. "Tell me if it hurts, alright?"

"Okay." She braced herself for a sharp pain to shoot you her arm, but it never came.

His touch was gentle but also firm enough to reapply the bandages more effectively. She watched him work with keen interest. It always amazed her that despite being the same age as she was, he knew how to do so many things.

"So are you gonna tell me about your secret career as a doctor at point?" She said the break the silence.

"I'm not smart enough to be a doctor. You give me way too much credit." He answered without taking his eyes off her wrist.

"Says the genius who makes new inventions for fun."

"I specialize in physics, not biology. I'm flattered you think so highly of my abilities, though." He spared a glance at her. "I will say having Bonnie as a younger sister helped me to learn basic first aid, though."

"She was that much of a troublemaker growing up?"

"Are you kidding me? She was an absolute nightmare when she was a toddler, and that was before she decided to propose to every girl we met." He chuckled fondly at the memories. "Mom used to say she was going to grow up into a great trainer one day. Now with Ash as a role model I don't see anything stopping her from doing so."

"Give yourself some credit as well. She grew up with an amazing older brother to look up to."

"M-maybe, but I can't ever replace her. She was an amazing trainer..." He said as he finished wrapping her wrist up.

"And no one can ever replace you, Clemont." She opted to grab his hand and give it a reassuring squeeze. She loosened her grip when she felt him tense at her touch, but he never pulled away.

"I-I can say the same thing about you." He tentatively wrapped his fingers around hers. "I know you don't exactly have an easy decision to make regarding Palermo's offer, but I want you to choose whatever option makes you happy. Even if it means you have to leave us I promise no one can ever replace you. You'll always be our friend, Serena."

If it weren't for the table in between them Serena would've pulled him into a hug.

It was funny when she really thought about it. Clemont, who was notorious for being the socially awkward one in their team, was the one who always knew what to say when she was upset. Not even Ash, who could make her feel like she was standing on top of the world, had a way with words like he did.

And to think she never would've learned about this side to him if she never met him for tea so many nights ago. It made her wonder what else she could learn about him through several more cups.

She was pulled from her thoughts when she felt Sylveon's ribbon wrap itself around the two of them. Clemont yelped in surprise and tried to pull back, but Sylveon tightened her hold on the both of them, locking their hands together.

"What's wrong, Sylveon?" Serena peered down at her Pokémon with worry. She'd never tried to hold someone hostage like this before.

Sylveon ignored her and continued to study Clemont with a curious expression.

"Sorry, I don't know what's gotten into her." She patted her pockets for Sylveon's pokeball and cursed when she remembered leaving it in her bag.

"I-it's alright." He couldn't quite meet her eyes anymore. "Um...your wrist isn't hurting from t-this, right?"

"No, it's fine."

She idly studied their locked hands. She lost track of how many times she's read of a similar situation in past romance novels, now she found herself in the exact same position but without a glamorous romantic setting. The books really made these moments feel so much more exciting.

She couldn't hold back a smirk as a brilliant idea popped in her head.

'If we're going to be stuck here like this I might as well have some fun with it.'

She leaned in ever so slightly towards him and whispered," being trapped together in a Sylveon's ribbon, now that's a romantic cliche I never thought I'd find myself in."

It was only once he realized the situation they were in that he looked at her like she grew a second head.

"S-Serena! T-there's o-other people around!" He frantically gestured to the few trainers occupying some of the other booths. They seemed more interested in finishing their late night snack than looking at their predicament.

"Forget about them. Just keep your eyes on me." She winked. His face grew was practically as red as a Cheri Berry at this point.

"P-please don't tell me you're secretly recording this as some sick joke."

"No worries, I wouldn't dare record our secret alone time together."

She couldn't hold back her laughter when he spluttered out a series of incoherent words in response.

It was at that moment Sylveon's ears perked up and her blue eyes lit up with excitement. She released the two of them from her hold, Clemont practically ripped his hand out of Serena's the instant he was free. If it was anyone else Serena would've been offended by the reaction.

"Syl! Sylveon!" Her Pokémon leapt off her lap and opted to climb onto Clemont's instead, wrapping her ribbons around his arms like she'd normally do with Serena.

That was enough to snap Serena back to reality.

"Wow, I've never seen Sylveon so affectionate with another trainer before." She looked at her Pokémon in awe. "I wonder if this tea has something to do with it." She eyed the half-filled cup curiously.

"I-I doubt it. There's no evidence that shows it has any effect on Pokémon." He awkwardly scratched her partner's head. "It is odd. Sylveons usually only act like this around their own trainer. It's a way for them to keep their partner calm and to read their emo—" he cut himself short—his face seemed to drain of colour.

"Read their what?" Serena asked.

"N-nothing! I-I don't remember! F-fairy types aren't exactly my speciality haha!"

Serena wanted to interrogate him further, but seeing how content her Pokémon was and how uncomfortable Clemont was acting she decided to be merciful tonight. It was the least she could do after he gave her something to think about regarding her decision.

"In any case, thank you for the advice." She saw him visibly relax when she decided to change the subject. "It's given me some new perspective to think about."

"I'm glad I could help, even if it's just a little." He pushed the cup back to her, his face still a bit red from her teasing. "I'll leave you to it for tonight. Do you want me to make you a fresh batch before I head to bed?"

"I-if you don't mind." She sheepishly accepted the cup. "Sorry for always making you do this for me."

"No worries, I'm always happy to share a cup with you."

Sylveon, much to her surprise, followed him to the kitchen. If she wasn't so concerned with the direction of her performance career she would've been more curious about her partner's sudden interest in Clemont.

When they returned again Clemont not only gave her a full cup of tea, but he also provided her with a thermos filled with enough tea to last the night.

"Whatever you decide to do I'll have your back." He had said before leaving—this time Sylveon decided to return to her lap.

Despite having all the calming tea she could ever ask for, it felt strangely ineffective without him there to enjoy it with her.

She pushed her strange feelings about Clemont's absence aside and focused on the question at hand. The scent of roses kept her anxiety at bay for the rest of the evening.

The next night, when she snuck out of bed to join him for another secret cup of tea, he asked her about her decision to stay with them.

"There's a ton of time in the future for me to learn and improve my performance, but I won't always get the chance to learn about my friends the way I do now." She had simply responded.

"I'm glad you stayed." He passed the rose-scented cup over to her.

"Me too."