Home. When she was younger she associated home with the small house she shared with her mother and Rhyhorn—to freshly baked cookies and mom's warm hugs.

Now, with at least a year of travelling under her belt, she associates home to her friends and her Pokémon—to exciting gym battles, dazzling performances, long days of walking through the wilderness, and late night conversations surrounded in the scent of fresh, blooming roses.

And with a blink of an eye their journey had reached its end. Each of them had different goals in life and it just wouldn't be beneficial for them to all stay together.

Ash was planning to return to Kanto for a bit before heading out to yet another region, Clemont was planning to stay in Lumiose and resume his role as gym leader, of course Bonnie would stay with her brother until she was old enough to travel, and Serena had her eyes on the Hoenn region.

They'd all agree on staying in touch with one another. Even if their lives take on diverging paths they promised to maintain their friendship.

And if they do end up losing each other, they'll always carry the memories and lessons they shared with one another.

Serena knew this was a healthy step in all of their lives, it was impossible to stay together forever. But why did it still hurt so much? Why couldn't she spend her last night in Kalos feeling hopeful and excited for the future? Why did it feel like she was about to lose everything?

She groaned and checked the digital clock for what felt like the 100th time. The numbers 2:00 glared back at her in bold red.

'So much for a good night's rest.' She thought bitterly.

As if hearing her internal grievances, the soothing smell of fresh roses invited itself into her shared bedroom with Bonnie to comfort her. Like a siren's song she could help but answer its alluring call.

She threw the covers off and tip-toed as quietly as she could out of her friend's bedroom. She let out a sigh of relief when she successfully escaped the dark space without alerting Bonnie—she honestly wouldn't know what she'd say if Bonnie asked where she was going.

The kitchen lights at the end of the dark hall acted almost as a guide in the dark house. When she entered the small kitchen she was not at all surprised to see Clemont already enjoying a cup of tea at the small dining table. What she was surprised by was the second cup of tea waiting for her across from him.

"I had a feeling I'd be seeing you tonight." He said before she could even sit down.

"Aww were you waiting for me to join you? That's so sweet." She smirked.

"I figured if you didn't show up I'd have a second cup all to myself." He shot back with a mischievous grin of his own.

"Whatever. I'm flattered you thought of me so late into the night." She plopped into the seat across from him, giggling at his fiery blush. "After all this time I thought you'd be used to my jokes by now."

"I-I'm not good with this kind of stuff." His glasses fogged up with steam as he took an unusually long gulp of tea.

"And I wouldn't have you any other way." She winked before sipping her own drink. She grinned triumphantly when she heard him choke in response.

She was glad to see him up tonight. It would've felt strange to leave without having one last cup of tea with him. The last time they had time to sit down for a cup was the night before Ash's battle with Alain. After that they spent most of their time and energy repairing the damage done to the city.

'I'm not going to be able to do this anymore.' The reality of their situation hit her like a train

The soothing aroma of roses, which normally eased her nerves, suddenly amplified the emptiness she'd been feeling all night long.

"Are you excited to leave for Hoenn tomorrow?" He asked.

"I don't know." She murmured honestly.

Clemont furrowed his brows in worry," having second thoughts?"

"It's complicated."

"I think we have some time before you need to head out." He smiled gently.

'There's not enough time if you ask me.' She thought glumly.

"I don't know. I guess I'm just feeling kind of sad that we all have to say goodbye." She sighed. "It still feels like we started our journey yesterday and now it's all over."

"It's not like we won't ever see each other again."

"I know, but it isn't the same." She stared dejectedly at her tea. "What if we end up drifting apart?"

Even without looking up she knew he was troubled with the exact same thought, the awkward silence was enough of a clue.

She knew it was all part of growing up. People changed as they pursued different goals, she considered herself lucky to be able to regain her friendship with Ash after so many years apart. But now that everyone was splitting off to their own path it felt inevitable that their relationships would change.

"If I'm being honest I'm concerned about that as well." When he finally responded his voice was quiet, somber. "You guys are the closest friends I've had in a long time. You know how I am with people…"

"I think you've gained a lot of confidence since we first met. I'm sure you'll meet some great people one day."

"T-thanks." He bowed his head sheepishly. "But I'd still like to stay in contact with you guys. This is something I don't want to lose."

"Same." She swallowed the lump at the back of her throat. "Promise me you'll call at least once a week?"

"Should I call you at the dead of night to relive these secret meetings?" He offered with an unusual burst of confidence.

It wasn't often that Clemont's teasing caused her to blush, but tonight was certainly one of those moments. She'd never admit it out loud, but he could be really charming when he wanted to be.

"I think time zones would make it difficult to fully recreate them." She couldn't quite meet his eyes when she responded.

'Damn, when did it get so warm in here?' She thought, pulling at the collar of her shirt.

"True, but it's not the time of day that makes these meetings um...special."

If it weren't for the pit in her stomach she would've laughed at him blushing at his own comment. So much for his burst of confidence.

"B-but in all seriousness I'd be happy to call you every week." He added a bit too quickly. "I'd love to hear about all the new Pokémon you'll encounter on your journey."

"Fine, but you better tell me about your latest inventions. I don't care if they all blow up, I still want to see what that brilliant mind came up with."

"I-I think 'brilliant' is a bit of a stretch, b-but thanks. I'll try not to disappoint."

'He could never disappoint.' She thought. While his inventions always ended up in smokes, she knew he put all his effort into his projects and that's what she admired about him the most.

She was really going to miss seeing his machines blow up around her.

"It's going to be so strange from now on." She sighed. "I'm so used to having everyone by my side it's all going to be so...quiet now."

"Yeah, and I was just getting used to falling asleep to Ash's snores."

Ash. Her heart ached at the mere thought of saying goodbye to him. Despite everything they've been through, she never had the courage to tell him her true feelings.

She always reasoned that it wasn't the right time or that they were just too busy. Unbeknownst to her, she'd spent so much time waiting for the perfect moment to confess that she neglected to acknowledge the temporary nature of their group. Now it was time to say goodbye and she never found the right moment to tell him.

She wondered if she'd ever get the chance to tell him now that their time together was up, there was no promise that she'd ever get to travel with him again. She wondered if it was even worth it at this point when they were going to be separated in different regions.

Knowing him, he was going to make some amazing new friends in his next adventure. Would she be able to stay in his heart? Did she even have a place in his heart?

"You're going to miss him a lot." Clemont's comment made her cheeks warm almost instantly.

"How come my crush is so obvious to everyone except him?" She buried her face in her hands.

"That's Ash for you. He's oblivious to everything except Pokémon." He laughed. "What are you going to do?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know, about your crush. Are you going to tell him?"

She chewed on her nails. On one hand she knew it'd relieve the dreaded "what if's" that'd haunt her if she never confessed, but on the other hand she wouldn't want to leave with a broken heart if he rejected her heart. That's not even mentioning the chance for her ruining their friendship because of it.

"I don't know. I don't want to make things awkward before we leave."

"But you also don't want to leave without knowing, right?" He guessed correctly.

"I thought you said you weren't good with feelings." She teased him weakly.

"You're the exception." He responded more softly than she'd ever heard him speak before. For a moment she felt her heart skip a beat.

"I think you should tell him." He added in a more casual tone. "The look on your face tells me you want to."

"M-maybe, but I'm scared of ruining our friendship."

"What if something more comes out of it?"

"I-I don't know, Clemont." She played with a strand of her short hair. "This is Ash we're talking about. I-I don't even know if he's interested in a relationship."

He took a sudden interest in his cup. "Whatever happens, you two are friends. I don't think you'll ruin anything if you tell him. Have a little more faith in him."

His shoulders tensed as he shyly looked up to meet her gaze. It was subtle, Serena would've easily missed it if she weren't so close to him, but for the briefest second he looked at her like she just slapped him in the face.

Before she could question his sudden change in demeanour he responded," If you don't you'll just end up regretting it in the future. I-I just want you to be happy, Serena."

She felt sick to her stomach at the thought of actually telling Ash tomorrow, but he was right. She'd never be able to live this down if she never took the risk.

And who was she to turn down the biggest romantic cliche in the book—confessing her feelings right before she had to part with her crush?

"Why do you always have to be right?" She finally caved to her resolve.

"I'm the genius in this dynamic, aren't I?" He grinned cheekily.

"True, but I'm usually the one who deals with the emotional stuff."

"I guess I've been spending too much time with you."

"If only Bonnie could hear you now. I don't think she'd have to worry about finding you a wife." They both shared a laugh.

"I hope she doesn't end up proposing to every girl trainer who comes in to challenge me. That'll make things really awkward."

"I hope she does! It'll give me endless blackmail material." She beamed. She made a mental note to keep in close contact with Bonnie.

"Besides, maybe it'll be a good way for you to meet a potential girlfriend." She added slyly.

"Please don't tell me you're going to find a wife for me as well."

"Relax, I'll leave that job to your sister. I'll just be the one egging her on."

"Girls." He muttered, taking another large gulp from his tea.

"But seriously, when you do get a girlfriend you have to tell me first."

"W-who says I'll be getting a girlfriend a-anytime soon?"

"Maybe not now, but some time in the future you'll meet someone who you'll want to pursue. When that time comes you better keep me up to date!"

His face was redder than she'd ever seen before, much to her amusement. He played nervously with his fingers and muttered something under his breath.

"What was that?" She leaned closer to him. He almost jumped back in response.

"I-I just said f-fine!"

Satisfied with his answer she took a sip from her tea—she wasn't expecting the cold liquid to touch her lips. She wondered just how much time had passed between the two of them—how much time was remaining before they needed to part ways.

"Want me to get you a fresh batch?" He offered.

"That'd be perfect, thank you." She slid her cup over to him.

She idly watched him refill their drinks. He was a bit taller now, carrying himself with more confidence than at the start of the journey. She was proud to be able to see him progress so far during their time together—whether alone or in the company of the others.

She was really going to miss spending time with him.

It still surprised her that they were so distant during the first week of travelling together, now she could barely imagine her journey without his presence.

Sure, he wasn't as loud and energetic as Ash, and he couldn't keep up with her girl talk like Bonnie, but he was always there when she needed him the most. Whether it was through freshly cooked meals or general Pokémon knowledge, he was the one that made sure everyone was healthy and happy. Of course she could also count on him for a cup of Roserade Tea whenever she needed someone to talk to or if she just wanted to spend some time with him.

Out of everyone on their team, he's undoubtedly the most reliable and responsible out of all of them.

'He's going to make a great husband one day.' She couldn't help but think.

As if he could read her mind, he looked at her at that very moment. She quickly looked down at her hands, her heart practically pounding out of her chest.

'Arceus, what's wrong with me tonight?'

"Are you heading off to bed soon or should we pull off an all-nighter?" He asked, sliding her now steaming cup towards her.

"I wouldn't mind if we stayed up till dawn. I don't think I'm ready for tomorrow yet."

"Then I'd be happy to keep you company."

They gently tapped their cups together before drinking.

"What should we do to pass the time? I doubt we can sit here and drink all night." She asked once they both had their fill of tea.

"If we were staying at the tower I would've offered to take you outside for a bit." He glanced out the dark kitchen window with a particular spark in his eyes. "The city looks completely different at night."

"I don't mind staying in for the night. Your place is really cozy."

"It's not the same as being out there." He turned his eyes back on her. "I want to make your last night in Kalos special. You probably won't be back for a long time."

"Nothing is keeping us from staying in all night. We could sneak out for a late night stroll and no one would know."

"I-I guess, but it wouldn't be safe to travel around without our Pokémon. I don't want to wake them up so late."

"You have a point." She huffed with annoyance. Although she really did like the idea of doing something special.

If this was her last night in Kalos she might as well make it something memorable.

"Hey, do you remember that dance event we attended a while back?" She asked after a short pause.

"Umm...was that the one with the fancy dress code?"

"Yeah! I was wondering if you'd like to refresh your dance lessons with me."

"D-dance lessons? B-but I barely did any dancing that time."

"Exactly! That's why we need to prepare you for future dancing events!"

"T-there's going to be more?!"

"Dunno, but since you're friends with a performer there's a good chance we'll be invited to go to another one at some point." She shrugged. "So what do you say?"

"W-what about Ash? Don't you want to d-dance with him?"

"Well, y-yes, but there's no guarantee he'll always be my dance partner. Besides, I don't mind taking my best friend as my partner."

"W-when you put it that way I don't see why not…"

"Perfect!" She practically jumped out of her seat. "We can practice here, there's just enough space for us to move around."

He took one final gulp from his cup before getting up to his feet to join her.

"Do you remember what position we're supposed to be in?" She asked.

"Y-yeah." He hesitated for a moment before placing one hand on her shoulder and using the other one to grab her hand.

At least this time he was willing to hold her. The last time they danced together his hands were awkwardly hovering over her.

"Relax, I'll go through the steps slowly so you don't have to worry about tripping." She gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "Okay from the top. One. Two. Three…"

Much like their first dance together, his movements were choppy and stiff—at least for the first few minutes. Maybe it was because he was now used to having her invade his personal space, or maybe it was because no one else was watching them, but she found their steps grew more and more fluid as time went on.

So she pushed him to move a little bit faster. When she felt he was comfortable enough with the basic steps, she carefully introduced additional variations to their sequence.

The aroma of fresh roses followed their every move, like something out of a fairy tale. If she closed her eyes she could almost pretend she was dancing in a ballroom filled with roses.

"See? You're a natural at this." She said at one point during their endless sequence.

"That's only because I have a good teacher." He looked up from their feet to meet her eyes. "When did you learn how to do this? I've never seen you incorporate ballroom dances into your performances before."

"My mom taught me. I wanted to be a princess when I was little and everyone knows princesses need to be able to dance with their Prince Charming."

"I would wake up Prince Charming for you but I think he's practically dead to the world at this hour of the night."

She laughed. Even if Ash was awake she doubted he'd want to learn how to dance with her," that's fine. I don't mind dancing with the smartest guy in Lumiose city."

"Well I'm honoured to be able to dance with the prettiest girl in Lumiose." He shot back smoothly, though a familiar blush still kissed his cheeks.

Once again she found her heart racing at his words. Her flirty comebacks were definitely starting to rub off on him.

"Sometimes I wonder why Bonnie is so worried about you not finding a wife. You seem like you'd hold yourself up quite fine."

"D-do we really have to bring up my love life?" He groaned.

"How can I not talk about love when we have such a romantic setting?" She gestured dramatically to their small dance floor. "But seriously, are you interested in anyone?"

"N-no." The deep blush on his cheeks said otherwise.

"You're a terrible liar."

"N-no I'm n-not!"

"Do I know her?"

"I-I'm not going to answer your questions."

"Where did you two meet?"

"Nope! Can't hear you!"

If she wasn't enjoying their dance so much she would've punched him on the shoulder. Still, at least she confirmed he was harbouring a crush on someone. The least she could do as a friend was to help him out.

"Fine, you can keep your crush a secret, but as your friend I think you should try to do something to sweep her off her feet."

"W-what?" He seemed genuinely taken aback at her willingness to stop the interrogation.

She rolled her eyes and pressed on, "You know, do something to show you care about her! It could be as small as giving her a gift or something grand like a date."

"B-but I'm not interested—"

"And even if you're not sure about confessing, a gift can still show her that you care as a friend! They say the best couples consist of best friends, right?"

He didn't respond but judging by the calculating look in his eyes she knew her words got through to him.

She grinned triumphantly, at least she could leave Kalos knowing Clemont would potentially get a girlfriend soon.

"Hey, why don't we shake things up a bit?" She slowed their dance to a stop. "Do you feel confident enough to lead?"

He visibly relaxed at the new subject matter," only if you think I'm ready."

"In that case sweep me off my feet, Prince Charming." She laughed as he nearly fell over at her response.

Despite his earlier hiccup, Serena was impressed with how well he was able to lead the dance. Though he took them through the sequence at a much slower pace, she was happy to see he wasn't moving with the same level of tension as he did earlier.

At some point in the night their slow, rhythmic movement made the heaviness return to her eyes. With every step she found it increasingly more difficult to keep her head from bobbing and her eyes from closing.

Every fiber of her body was begging her to go back to bed, but she didn't want to. She wanted to hold onto this moment in time for as long as she could.

"You should head to bed." He whispered to her.

"No. I don't want to face tomorrow yet." She mumbled sleepily.

"Technically it is tomorrow."

"It's not tomorrow until the sun rises." She argued weakly.

It's not tomorrow until she has to say goodbye to her beloved friends.

"Fine. Fine. I suppose I can stay with you until then."

"Good." Without thinking she rested her head against his shoulder.

She was surprised when he didn't pull away from her. While he tensed a bit from the initial contact, he relaxed just as quickly and readjusted his hands to pull her closer to him.

Perhaps it was because of her fatigue, but she found herself relishing his warmth. She closed her eyes and buried her face into his chest. He smelled like roses—like home.

"I don't want to say goodbye." She whimpered.

"I know."

"I'll miss you."

"Me too." She felt his arms tighten around her.

She returned his embrace, holding onto him like her life depended on it, and cherished every precious second she had left with him.

Neither of them noticed the curious little girl that'd been eavesdropping on their entire conversation.

The next morning, after her heart pounding kiss with Ash and departure from Kalos, Serena found her late night meeting finally taking a toll on her as she struggled to keep her eyes open.

Deciding to take a power nap, she made herself comfortable in her seat and hugged her bag close to her chest when she felt something unusual inside. She frowned, feeling the strange, rectangular object through her bag's fabric.

She didn't remember her makeup kit feeling so...bulky.

"What in the world?"

She opened her bag and dug around until she found the offending object, her heart fluttering with delight when she pulled the box out for closure inspection.

In her hands was a brand new container of Roserade Tea.