The box of pastries hit him in the chest, the cardboard cracking as it crashed to earth. Danishes and croissants, carefully handmade in a nearby bakery, spilled from the ruined box onto the gray cobblestone sidewalk.
A woman walking her Furfrou stopped and stared at the unfolding drama. The noise coming from this side of the street cut through the lazy Lumiose City afternoon like a hot knife through butter. People watched the two teenagers eagerly, like spectators at a Pokemon tournament match.
The boy smoothed out the wrinkles in his blue windbreaker and put his hands to his hips. "Don't be like this, please!" he cried out, the begging tone obvious in his voice. The red cap that sat on his head was slightly askew, giving him a ruffled look.
The girl wiped at her eyes furiously, before giving the boy a look that would have melted a Regice. "I'm the problem now, I suppose? The nerve… If only you listened to yourself before you opened that mouth, for once." Her outfit reflected a colorful personality: a bright red vest, hat, and black stockings framed the face of a girl with short, honey-colored hair. If she was smiling, she would have looked quite beautiful.
But she wasn't smiling. Now her soft lips were set in a sharp, hard line, her lovely eyes clouded with anger. "All I wanted today," she said, "was some time alone with my boyfriend, to help alleviate his stress." She shook her head in scorn. "Even you must have been able to see that!"
"No, instead you bring your problems to the table, like always, and you find a way to spoil a beautiful day."
The boy clenched his fist. Any chances of him apologizing were gone. "Just because your life is all rainbows, and flowers, and happiness – doesn't mean mine is. You live in this insulated little world, with your contests and showcases and ribbons and dresses, and you never seem to understand that I'm angry, that I'm tired and sick of everything."
The paper coffee cup dropped from her hand, spilling its contents all over her leggings. There were tears in her eyes and she was visibly shaking. "Five years of dating, Ash, and that's what I meant to you? All you thought I was? A peppy, clingy little girl from Kalos, who wouldn't leave you alone because she liked you?"
"I traveled with you because the way you lived inspired me. You were carefree, brave, strong, and you never let anyone put you down. You never let your friends down, and you fought to achieve your goals, no matter what stood in your way."
"I admired you. I loved you. But now, I feel nothing." Serena turned on her heel and disappeared down the street.
Ash Ketchum stared at the pink box and its spilled contents, blinking away tears and breathing raggedly. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned. It was the baker. He had not seen what had happened, but on the way to his lunch break, he saw Ash and the spilled pastries in the middle of the sidewalk.
"Sir, you dropped these? Come, the bakery has plenty more. I'll get you another box, on the house."
Ash shook his head. Scooping up the fallen pastries with both hands, he tossed them in a nearby trashcan. "It's fine, sir. There's no need to go through such troubles for a few croissants." His eyes darkened. "I wasn't in the mood for eating them, anyway."