It only took one more day for Ash and his friends to arrive in Laverre City, after their brief pit stop at the Growlithe ranch. After stopping for a much-needed lunch, the traveling trainers wandered through downtown for twenty minutes, looking fruitlessly for their destination; once Serena replaced Ash as the navigator, however, they were able to find the recording studio within five minutes. Upon stepping inside, Serena immediately recognized the orange-haired teenage boy who was waiting for him, as both their faces lit up.
"Hey, Serena! Hey, Ash!" he called out. "Long time no see!"
"Trevor!" she exclaimed happily, running up to him. "I didn't expect to see you here! Are you traveling with Shauna?"
"Yeah, I am!" Trevor nodded as the others gathered behind Serena. "Tierno, too! We've been helping her to manage her rising stardom. It's more work than it seems."
"Really?" Ash raised one eyebrow. "I didn't realize she was such a big star. I haven't seen that much of her around."
"She's starting to get up there, just like Serena is. This music video is definitely going to change things, though." Trevor tilted his head toward a hallway leading further inside. "She's waiting for Serena in the studio. Come on!"
The group followed Trevor deeper into the studio, as he and Serena took a minute to catch up. Everyone else looked around curiously, peeking through the various windows as they passed by. Several of them had been inside recording studios before, whether for making a movie or recording a radio drama, but they had never been in one this fancy. Most of the rooms were unoccupied but filled with veery expensive-looking equipment, and the occupied ones were taken up by clearly talented singers or dancers, being managed by small groups of people wearing suits or holding clipboards. Clearly, this recording studio was a big deal. Ash and Madison, being familiar with Aria and her fame, were not as surprised as Iris or Brock.
Trevor eventually led them to a room near the back, which was lined with plenty of equipment with buttons, knobs, sliders and more. One of the walls was one enormous window, looking into a room painted entirely in chroma key green, with video cameras gathered on one side. Serena barely noticed, however, as her attention was drawn by a pigtailed brunette on the far end of the room, accompanied by a tall and stocky boy whom Ash and Serena quickly recognized.
"Serena! You finally made it!" Shauna called out, walking toward her fellow performer. The boy by her side raced forward, moving past Shauna and reaching out to clasp Serena's hand in his.
"It's great to see you again, Serena! It's been too long!" he exclaimed, eyes locked on hers. "You're looking great, as always!"
"Hi, Tierno! It's good to see you, too!" Serena replied, brushing off his flirtatious comments with a polite, chaste smile. She withdrew her hand from his as soon as she could. "Shauna said you'll be helping us make this music video?"
"Of course I will! I did all the choreography for it!" He gestured to himself with his thumb. "I'll be watching to make sure you hit all your moves just right."
"Oh! Well, that makes sense," she responded. "You always were a skilled dancer. I'm sure with your help, this is going to be a great video!" She watched Tierno's chest swell with pride at this.
"Is Aria here yet? I don't see her…" Madison took a look around, as if there was a celebrity hiding in one of the corners somewhere that she hadn't spotted. Aria was another one of her idols, a sentiment shared by many Kalos performers, including Serena.
Shauna shook her head. "She called and said she'll be running late." A grin spread easily and naturally across her face. "Which is fine, because we need to get ourselves ready. We've got to look perfect for filming!" She reaches out and grasped Serena's wrist, starting to lead her out the door. "I've got the perfect outfit for you!"
Serena laughed, following behind as Shauna picked up the pace. "I'm coming, I'm coming!" The two girls departed and made their way to a nearby dressing room, leaving Ash to catch up with Tierno and Trevor, while Iris, Brock and Madison occupied themselves by looking around the control room.
"…so now I've got five badges, thanks to Clemont," Ash recapped. "Only three more to go before I get another chance at the Kalos League. I won't be losing this time."
"You better not!" Tierno added. "You should have won the first time around, if you ask me. You and Greninja taking on that Mega Charizard was something else!"
"What are you going to do after the Kalos League?" Trevor chimed in. "What's the next thing you need to do in order to become a Pokémon Master?"
"Well… I'm not sure, really." Ash thought to himself for a second. "There's so much that goes into becoming a Pokémon Master. I've just been taking things one step at a time."
"I can understand that," Tierno replied. "I'm still trying to figure out what I'm going to do with my dancing. I've just been traveling with Shauna while I try to make plans for my big break."
"Me, too." Trevor gestured toward the camera that hung perpetually around his neck from a strap. "I've been able to get some really great Pokémon pictures here and there and sell them, but I still haven't made a name for myself. So when I'm not out trying to get shots, I'm taking pictures of Shauna for her social media."
"And he's great at it!" Ash turned to see Shauna walking back in through the door, wearing a familiar pink dress with a black bow on the front, paired with a short white jacket. "Ever since he started taking pictures for me, my follower count has skyrocketed! He's the best!" She wrapped her arms around Trevor from the side, squeezing him tightly, while he tried to squirm out of her grasp.
Ash studied Shauna's outfit for a second, the dress tugging at various threads in his mind. Before he could complete the connection, however, his attention was drawn back to the door, where Serena was walking in. He immediately recognized the red dress she had changed into, which featured a red ribbon over her chest, and a dual-layered red-and-pink skirt. The outfit was completed with a pair of white gloves, a black choker, and a headband made of blue pearls and a pink bow.
"Hey, that's… your old performing outfit, isn't it?"
"That's right!" Serena beamed, delighted that Ash had remembered. "Well, not the exact same one. It's been sized up, obviously."
"We're all going to be in the outfits we wore when we first started performing," Shauna explained, letting go of Trevor and gesturing to her own dress; this allowed Ash to finally realize where he recognized it from. "Aria's doing the same. It goes with the message of the song, about remembering where you came from." She walked over to a bag that was set in the corner of the room, pulling out a case and placing it on a chair. Opening it up, she revealed a mirror on the inside of the lid, with a large number of makeup peripherals inside.
"That's a great idea!" Madison exclaimed excitedly, as Shauna took out a blush brush. "I remember watching you guys perform in these in the Master Class, years ago!" Serena walked over as well, grabbing some mascara and starting to touch up her eyelashes.
Shauna grinned wide as she applied blush to her cheeks. "I can't wait for this video to come out. Three of the most gorgeous girls in Kalos all on screen together, playing on TVs all over the region. We're going to be beating the boys off with a stick."
Serena snickered, trying to hold still as she finished off one eyelash. "Shauna…!" she protested weakly.
"What?"
"Come on, you know…" Her eyes quickly flicked toward Ash, who looked away from her gaze, slightly embarrassed.
Shauna smirked evilly. "You worried he's going to get all jealous?" she teased, her voice lowering a bit. "You think he's going to be worried about all the attention you're going to get?"
"It's fine," Ash insisted, able to hear her perfectly well, still looking away. "I don't mind."
"You sure about that?" Shauna turned her gaze on him, in a playful mood. "You're not going to be bothered by all the teenage boys in Kalos watching her dance around on screen and crushing on her?"
"Shauna!" Serena shot back, a bit more harshly this time, though she was still grinning. "Cut it out!"
Ash shrugged. "I mean, it's not like Serena cares about girls looking at me. Why should I care about boys looking at her?"
Serena froze, the mascara brush halfway through her left eyelash, only having heard the first thing he had said. "What?"
"Well, I mean, you know," was his noncommittal and slightly bashful reply.
"Hm." Serena continued applying her makeup, her mind immediately flashing back to watching Miette flirting with Ash at the Brackish Town showcase, and her attitude coming along for the ride. "You get a lot of attention from other girls, Ash? Got some notches on your belt I don't know about?"
She immediately regretted her words as soon as she said them. She had tried to play it off as not a big deal, wanting to be chill and relaxed about it, but there was a bitterness in her voice that had been impossible to hide. Aiming for "cool and aloof", she had instead landed at "grizzled prosecutor", and everyone had noticed. She could feel all the eyes in the room on her.
"Serena, you're not jealous, are you?" Iris asked, surprised.
"N-no! Of course not!" Serena insisted, fooling nobody, as she felt her heart drop. This conversation was going down in flames, and she needed an escape route. Fortunately, one showed up right at that time.
"Sorry I'm late!" an older female voice spoke from the door. "Looks like I'm the last one here. Sorry about that."
Serena whirled around, her skirt flaring out as she did so, eyes lighting up as she saw a young woman with red eyes and long red hair, which was tied up into a ponytail. She was wearing a relaxed and casual outfit, which was very different from the white-and-blue dress that she had previously worn on stage. Serena rushed over to her, excited both to see this woman again, and to abandon the conversation.
"Aria!" she exclaimed. "It's great to see you again! Do you remember me?"
"Of course I remember you, Serena!" Aria laughed. "How could I forget the girl who gave me such a challenge at the Master Class? Especially after you've been appearing on TV all over Kalos."
Serena flushed pink, beaming. She and Aria had been on friendly terms ever since her first journey, but her inner fangirl was still squealing over her idol holding her in high esteem. "How have you been? Have things changed a lot since… well…"
"Since I gave up the crown to Vanity?" Aria replied, and Serena nodded in response. "I've been great! Honestly, not a lot changed after I stopped being Kalos Queen. I'm still doing music, obviously, and making appearances at showcases and whatnot. I'm actually going to have my first part in a movie, after talking with Diantha a few months ago."
"Wow! That's incredible!" Serena was grinning ear to ear, the previous topic completely forgotten. Aria grinned back, before her gaze turned toward the youngest girl in the room. Madison had slowly been inching closer, desperately wanting to meet her idol but far too nervous to initiate a conversation on her own. Aria smiled warmly and took a step toward her.
"Well, hello there. You look familiar to me, too. Didn't you win a Princess Key not too long ago?"
Madison had to suppress a gasp. "Ye… yes… in Brackish Town…" She bowed her head deeply. "I'm Madison. It's an honor to meet you, Miss Aria."
The older woman giggled. "Just 'Aria' is fine." She leaned down and rested her hands on her knees, bringing herself closer to eye level. "I saw your winning performance, and I was really impressed. Anyone who can beat Serena in a showcase must be talented. You've got a bright future ahead of you." Madison's face shone the color of a traffic light, as she squeaked out her thanks.
Serena waited for Aria to stand fully before speaking up again. "Thank you so much for inviting me to this, Aria. Dancing in one of your music videos is going to be really big for my performing career."
"One of my music videos?" An amused smirk spread across Aria's face. "So Shauna hasn't told you everything, has she?"
Serena blinked, confused. "What do you mean?" She turned back toward Shauna for some sort of clue as to what Aria meant. Shauna was holding her clenched fists to her chest, looking like she was about to burst from the pressure of the secret she held.
"I kind of hid the truth a little bit," she admitted, her face practically glowing. "This isn't Aria's music video… it's mine!"
"What?!" Serena's eyes shot open as wide as they could. "It's yours?!"
"Yes!" Shauna was vibrating with excitement. "This will be my debut single! I'm going to be a pop star!"
"Oh my gosh!" Serena raced over and grasped her friend in a tight hug. "Shauna, that's incredible! I'm so proud of you! Why didn't you say anything before?"
"I wanted it to be a surprise!" Shauna answered, hugging Serena back. "I wanted to see the look on your face when I told you!"
Serena laughed. "So that's why you wouldn't let me listen to the song beforehand!" She took a step back, resting her hands on Shauna's shoulders. "We need to make this video the best one there's ever been!" Shauna nodded eagerly, in full agreement.
"I had better go get myself ready, then," Aria spoke up, moving back toward the door. "I'll see you guys back here in a couple minutes." She turned and left to go get dressed up in her own outfit, as Serena and Shauna crowded around the makeup case once again. Trevor pulled out a computer and started settings things up, while Tierno stepped outside to call over the engineers and cameramen, letting them know that they would be ready to film soon. Ash and his friends stood around awkwardly, watching the flurry of activity and waiting for the show to get on the road.
Nearly an hour later, the spectators were seated in the control room, watching intently as the three performers danced their way through their ninth take of the shoot. All of them had their metaphorical fingers crossed, hoping that this take would finally be the one to succeed. Those hopes were dashed as Tierno's voice cut through the room, carried by a set of speakers.
"Shauna, you missed your cue. You're supposed to spin there."
"Ugh, not again…!" Shauna clenched and unclenched her fist, taking a deep breath and letting it out, as the song playing over the speakers abruptly stopped. This was the third take that had been ruined by Shauna making a mistake of some kind; Serena had ruined another three, and Aria had inexplicably ruined one, though Iris and Brock suspected it was on purpose to take the pressure off the other two girls. They had made it through the whole routine twice already, but everyone had agreed that those takes were missing the energy of a showcase performance. If they went through too many more takes, the performers would need to go and reapply their makeup for a third time, as they would start sweating it off after too many attempts.
Ash's face turned to a frown as the girls got back to their places, Serena pulling out a pocket mirror to check her hair. It wasn't hard to tell that she was starting to get frustrated; at this point, everyone was. He had hoped to see the same spirit that she always exhibited in her showcases, but for some reason it wasn't showing itself. Maybe it was the change in setting.
"Serena seems really stiff," Iris spoke quietly, on the same wavelength as Ash. "You think she's nervous about this? That's kind of a surprise. It's not like it's a live performance where you only get one shot."
"She does seem kind of nervous to me, too," Madison agreed, her voice low, as if she was saying something blasphemous.
"It's not just her," Brock observed. "Shauna, too. Aria's the only one in there who looks like she's in her element… which makes sense."
Ash nodded in agreement, keeping quiet, resting his chin on his closed fists. He kept his eyes on Serena as she got back into place, plastering a smile onto her face. He could tell by now when she was smiling genuinely or when she was forcing it, and this was the latter case, without a doubt. This video needed her true smile, with all of the light and energy it brought, if it was going to be a success, and that wasn't going to happen if Serena didn't loosen up. He sat and thought in silence for a long minute, wondering how he might be able to help, before an idea suddenly came to him.
"Hey, Pikachu." He glanced down at his lap where his Pokémon was seated. "I've got an idea, but I need your help." Pikachu looked up at him with a curious expression, wondering what he had in mind.
Inside the green screen room, the tenth take had begun. Shauna stood out in front, lip-syncing the words to her song, as Aria and Serena danced a simple but flashy routine behind her. Aria was cool as a cucumber, having made many music videos before, but Serena was unable to match her confidence. The recording studio was a very different beast from the performance stage; it felt more sterile, more manufactured, more lifeless. She was having a lot of trouble getting into the groove as she often did, which made her feel as though she was letting Shauna down. The thought of her friend's musical debut being sullied by her own poor performance was a gutting one.
As she leaped and spun behind Shauna, trading places with Aria, she let her eyes glance outside the room at the people watching. Her eyes passed over Brock, Iris and Madison, but as she looked over Ash, her brain came to a screeching halt. His body was leaning forward in his chair as it had been, elbows resting on his thighs, but his head and neck had been inexplicably replaced with Pikachu's. The adorable Pokémon's head was sticking out of the top hole of his shirt, as if he had been transformed by some bizarre experiment, with Ash's hat resting loosely on the smaller head. The strange Ash/Pikachu hybrid showed no indication that anything was wrong, a look of intense concentration on the Pokémon's face, as Pikachu's chin rested comfortably on Ash's fists.
Serena sputtered into uncontrollable laughter, covering her mouth with her hand as she collapsed to one knee. "What…?! What…?!" As she tried and failed to get a sentence out, Shauna and Aria stopped dancing as well, looking out to see what was so funny; once they laid eyes on Ashachu, they began to laugh as well. The other spectators soon joined in, having held their poker faces until this moment, and the sounds of laughter filled the studio, finally cutting the tension.
"Come on, Ash!" Trevor chastised, trying to be stern. "This is taking long enough as it is!" Ash's grinning face popped out of his shirt, chuckling, showing no remorse for his antics. Pikachu continued to sit on top of his head, as the video director tried to get everyone to quiet down.
It took a couple of minutes for the dancers to get ready for the eleventh take, but once they did, the difference was like night and day. All three of them had a new spring in their step as they danced and sung, jumping higher, spinning faster, looking more limber. Ash's eyes continued to follow Serena, whose false smile had been replaced with a genuine one that lit up the room around her. Shauna and Aria were smiling brighter now, as well, though he never bothered to look their way and see. The twelfth take was the final one.
Once filming had finally wrapped, all three performers turned to each other and shared a group hug, relieved and tired; they let go quickly, each of them feeling sweaty and gross after dancing for nearly an hour. They filed out of the green screen room and into the control room, where their friends stood and rushed over to greet them. Madison was the first to reach them.
"That was great! All of you were amazing!" she offered breathlessly.
"Thanks, Madison," Serena answered, walking slowly, every part of her feeling tuckered out. "I'm glad that we finally managed to get a good take. That was taking way too long."
"You seemed really nervous out there," Iris spoke up. "That was surprising to see."
She nodded. "Yeah, I was. I didn't think I would be. A recording studio really is different from a showcase stage."
"Huh." Ash cocked his head. "I would have thought a stage would make you a lot more nervous. There's so many more people in the crowd watching you."
"That's the best part, though." Serena smiled. "Crowds are great. I can feed off of their energy, and it makes my performances better. I've always performed better in front of lots of people." She brushed some stray hairs out of her face. "A video camera is totally different. I can't get energized the same way."
"I know exactly what you mean," Aria chimed in from behind her. "There's nothing better than hearing a crowd cheering for you. That's a great attitude for a future queen to have." She stepped forward, brushing past the other two before turning around to face everyone. "I think we all need to celebrate after that. How about we all get some dinner after we get cleaned up? I know a great place downtown where I can get us a table."
"That sounds amazing!" Madison answered for the rest of the group, not about to miss out on time with a former Kalos Queen. "Thank you so much, Aria!" The others all nodded or voiced their agreement, and Aria quickly grabbed her phone to make reservations, as the rest of them traveled back to the Pokémon Center, where Serena and Shauna would each get a much-needed shower.
Later that night, the travelers were resting in their beds after a delicious and expensive meal, generously paid for by Aria. Shauna, Tierno and Trevor had their own room in the Pokémon Center, while Ash and his traveling companions occupied another. Ash was lying in his bed, full and happy after eating his fill of food, which was at least twice the amount of food anyone else had eaten that night. He was thinking of just falling asleep right there, in his clothes, when he heard Serena's voice calling out to him.
"Hey, Ash?" He opened his eyes and looked toward the door, where Serena's head was peeking out. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"
Ash sat up, a bit hesitant, his brain working overtime to try and decipher her tone. "Uh, sure?"
Serena gave him a reassuring smile. "You're not in trouble, Ash."
"She's lying," Iris chimed in from her bunk. "You're totally in trouble."
Serena rolled her eyes. "Go to bed, Iris." Iris snickered as Ash rolled out of bed, standing up and following Serena out the door. She led him down the hallway of the Pokémon Center, eventually leading them into the TV room.
Ash closed the door behind them before turning back to her, seeing a bit of a worried expression on her face. "What is it?"
"I give, Ash," Serena relented. "Which other girls have you been with before?"
"Huh? That's what this is about?" His eyes ran over her face, which clearly reflected humility and a bit of embarrassment. He felt a wave of guilt wash over him. "I didn't actually make you jealous, did I?"
"No." She shook her head, before pausing. "Well… maybe a little. But that's not why I'm asking. I just don't want us to feel like we should be keeping things from each other. I want to know more about you, Ash." She looked back into his eyes earnestly. "I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours."
"Yours? So you've been with other guys before?" As Serena nodded, he felt a twinge of jealousy of his own, which took him by surprise. His mind immediately pictured her on a date with some faceless boy, holding his hand, kissing him, and the thought made his heart quicken unexpectedly. As he saw the naked vulnerability in her eyes, though, his stress melted away, and he forced his negative emotions down.
"Alright, sure." He saw her relax at his answer, which immediately made him feel better. "So who have you been with before? When was it?"
"There was only one. It was when I was traveling in Galar, when I was thirteen," Serena began. "There was a boy named Jeremiah. He was a Pokémon Trainer, like you… though not as good as you, obviously."
"Jeremiah…" He chewed on this for a moment, his curiosity spiking, and his mind immediately wanted to know how he measured up. "What did you like about him?"
"He was cute, mostly," she answered. "Especially his accent. He had that great northern Galarian accent, you know?"
Ash nodded, trying his best to grin. "Yeah, I know. My friend Gloria had an accent like that."
She smiled back at him, thankful that he was being understanding. "I went out with him for about a month. He was fine, but… he ended up being kind of boring. And he didn't have any real ambition. I knew I could do better, so I broke it off."
"Alright…" Ash grinned a bit, genuinely this time. "I hope I'm faring better than he did."
Serena grinned. "You're how I knew I could do better, Ash." She giggled as she saw his face turn red, before turning the conversation back on him. "So how about you? What's your history like?"
"Well… there's not much," Ash admitted. "I can't say I was ever 'with' anyone else. You're the only girl I've been on a real date with, or kissed." He paused for a moment, as his brain unearthed a previously forgotten memory. "Although…"
"Although…?" she prompted, intrigued.
"Well, there was this one girl…" He rubbed the back of his head. "I don't think I really liked her, but she definitely liked me."
"Really?" Her eyes lit up. "Do tell."
He nodded. "It was after I won the Hoenn League, right before I turned fourteen. Dawn and I traveled back to Sinnoh for a bit, and went to Professor Rowan's summer camp, where we'd both been before. There was a girl there…"
On the final day of Prof. Rowan's summer camp, the main yard was filled with children and teenagers alike, all of them saying their goodbyes to each other, or making plans to reconnect in the near future. Many summer camp attendees had their parents there, standing at the outer edge of the yard, waiting to collect their children and return home.
A thirteen-year-old Ash was standing near the far end of the schoolyard, eyes scanning the crowd for someone to appear. By his side was a girl his age with long blue hair, a black-and-pink dress, and a white beanie cap. She was a couple of inches shorter than Ash, a fact that irritated her to no end, and she was insistent that a growth spurt was right around the corner.
"What's taking Angie so long?" she wondered aloud, eyes running over the crowd of children for the umpteenth time. "Her parents have been here for like twenty minutes. She can't still be packing her bag, can she?"
"I don't know…" Ash frowned, his sixth sense telling him that something was amiss. "I'm going to go look for her. I'll be back soon, alright?"
"That's fine. It's not like we've got anywhere to be," the girl replied. Ash nodded before stepping away and walking back into the building, making a beeline for the first place he wanted to check. Making his way to the dormitories, he peeked his head into the room where he had been staying with his friends, spotting an androgynous-looking green-haired girl sitting on one of the lower bunks, hugging her knees to her chest.
"Angie!" he exclaimed, a bit surprised to have found her so quickly. "Dawn and I are…" He trailed off as he got a better look at her face, where a despondent expression was framed by tears. "Wait, what's wrong?"
"Sorry I'm taking so long," Angie croaked out, her voice cracking. "It's just… I'm not going to see you guys anymore…"
"Oh…" He stepped inside, sitting on the bunk across from her. "I mean, I'm gonna miss you too, Angie. Both of us will. But there'll be more summer camps after this." He put on an encouraging smile. "I know I'm gonna try my best to-"
Angie shook her head, tears still falling. "No, there won't. My parents are selling the Pokémon day care. We're all moving to Unova."
Ash's stared in shock, as the gravity of the situation suddenly slammed into him like a ton of bricks. "You're… you're leaving Sinnoh?"
She nodded, holding herself more tightly, not wanting to start openly sobbing again. "I've never been to Unova. I don't know anyone there, or anything. I'm going to be leaving my whole life behind. All my friends, all my favorite places…"
"Angie…" Ash tried to think of something to say to make her feel better, but he had never been very good with words. Anything he could think of sounded trite and meaningless in his head, and this friend deserved better. He opened and closed his mouth several times, not sure what to say or do, as he rested his hand on his torso. His fingers brushed against something that he had in his pocket, something he had forgotten about, and at once an idea flashed through his mind.
He hopped off of the bunk and stood up, causing Angie to look up in surprise. "Do you still have that carving you made?"
"Huh?" She blinked for a moment before she remembered what he was talking about. "Yeah… why?" She turned and reached into her bag, pulling out a small block of wood that had been carefully whittled into the shape of a Shinx. This was the result of one of the camp's several activities; Ash and Dawn had their own carvings as well.
"Let's trade," Ash explained. "You give me yours, and I'll give you mine." He reached into his vest pocket, pulling out a wooden Pikachu carving, which was far more crude than Angie's Shinx carving. Ash's attempt at whittling had been an unmitigated disaster, and he was only able to approximate the rough shape of his Pikachu; Dawn had stepped in to help refine the Pokémon's features, but his Pikachu still looked somewhat like it had been attacked by a lawnmower.
"What for?" she asked, even as she stood up and offered her Shinx to him. He accepted it, taking it gently out of her hand, replacing it with his Pikachu.
"It's something to remember each other by," he elaborated. "I'm going to carry this with me everywhere I go. And every time I see it, or feel it, I'll remember that you're out there in Unova, and I'll be thinking of you and wishing you the best."
Her eyes widened. "You'll be thinking of me…?" she muttered, her heart swelling.
"Uh huh." Ash nodded, smiling now. "And whenever you see that wooden Pikachu, you'll remember that there's someone out there in the world who believes in you, and knows that you're going to be just fine." The words didn't come out quite as eloquently as he wanted, but he hoped that they had the impact he needed them to have.
"Ash…" Angie's voice was quivering as she clutched the ramshackle Pikachu carving to her chest, as if it were a priceless treasure. She could feel tears pooling in her eyes again, and she reached up to wipe them away with her sleeve.
"You're going to be alright, Angie. It always hurts saying goodbye, but I know you. I know how strong you are."
"Thanks…" She lowered her arm and looked back into his eyes, feeling an overwhelming sense of gratitude that was starting to push away her sadness. Ash's smile grew as he looked back at her, pleased that he had been able to get through to her. He waited for her to say something, to tell him that she was alright, that she was ready to grab her bag and say goodbye. Instead, she took a step forward, closed her eyes, and kissed him on the lips.
Ash's eyes shot open as wide as they could, his heart stopping. He didn't think to kiss her back, though right now he couldn't have even if he tried. He had suddenly forgotten how to do anything, to move, to talk, to breathe. He continued to stand there, frozen, as she pulled away from him, tears still streaming down her cheeks.
"Goodbye, Ash." With those words, she turned and grabbed her bag in one fluid motion, then raced down the hallway to the front entrance. Ash continued to stand in place, reaching up and touching his fingers to his lips, his mind running at a million miles an hour. This was an intensely familiar situation, he realized, almost identical to the only other time he had been kissed. Suddenly, he had a much better understanding of why she was so sad to say goodbye to him… and as she had dashed off, leaving him behind, he hadn't said a word.
Outside the main entrance, Angie finally emerged, wiping more of her tears on her sleeve as she spotted her parents and ran over to them. Her folks rushed over to her, seeing how upset she was, each one of them resting a hand on her shoulder.
"Sweetie, what's the matter?" her mother asked.
"Can we just leave, please?" Angie pleaded, not wanting to stay here any longer, now that she had finally worked up the strength to leave.
"…Yes, of course," her father answered, keeping his hand on her shoulder as they turned to leave. Angie kept her head down, trying not to sniffle, as the trio started walking away. Her parents kept quiet as they left, giving her a bit of time before pouring on more sympathy.
"Angie!" She looked up and quickly turned around at the sound of her name being called, seeing Ash standing at the edge of the camp grounds, waving emphatically at her. "You're going to have a great time in Unova! I'll never forget you, I promise!"
Angie's heart felt like it was going to burst out of her chest. As she saw the enormous smile on her face, she finally felt one creeping across her own. She waved back at him, then at Dawn, as she ran up to Ash's side. When she finally turned and left, she could feel her heartache starting to subside. She knew she would never forget him, either, for as long as she lived.
Serena's eyes were sparkling as Ash finished his story. "You are just the sweetest boy I've ever met, Ash. You're incredible." Her jealousy had been completely placated by Ash's touching tale, as she felt her attraction to him grow even stronger.
"Heh, thanks…" Ash worked to keep his eyes on hers, even though his instinct was to look away bashfully.
"So that's it? This Angie girl was the only one?"
"Yeah, pretty much," he confirmed. "She was the only other girl to kiss me. Well, aside from little pecks on the cheek, from people like Mallow, or… Dawn."
Serena's grin grew wider. "I knew it," she declared triumphantly, noticing how his voice grew quieter as he said the last name. "I knew there was something between you and Dawn."
"No, there's not!" he insisted. "We never… well…" He rubbed the back of his head, groaning a bit. "It's complicated, alright?"
"Complicated, huh?" Serena only grew more amused from this admission, as any potential concern was washed away by intense curiosity and intrigue.
"Look, nothing happened," he asserted. "Dawn and I are just good friends. And she's with someone else now, anyway."
Her mischievous grin softened. "I believe you, Ash. I'm not surprised that other girls would be interested in you. You're a rare catch."
"I guess… but yeah. You're still the only girl I ever kissed." He looked down a bit. "And I didn't even do it very well…"
"Don't worry about that, Ash," Serena reassured him. "I'm sure you'll get better at it."
"I hope so…" He looked back at her, a grin spreading across his face. "You know, I remember you saying something about giving me another chance to practice…"
Her smile widened, her heart rate picking up a bit as she watched him lean in. "Hm… I did say something like that, didn't I?" She leaned in as well, feeling particularly affectionate toward him right at this moment. As their faces drew closer, their eyes slowly began to close, and soon their lips met.
Ash could feel his heart leaping as it had before, but he recovered far more quickly as he began to kiss her slowly. He still moved on instinct, but he felt more in control, his mind fully present as he followed her lead. He opened his eyes again as he felt her pull back, able to see the flush in her cheeks, and feel the same in his own.
"How was that?" he ventured to ask.
"Hm… better," she granted him. "But there's still room for improvement. You need more confidence, Ash. I know you have plenty of it to go around."
He raised an eyebrow. "Confidence, huh?" He smirked and leaned in again, daring to go for another, but she stopped him with a single finger against his lips.
"Maybe some other time," she said teasingly. "It's too late for lessons. We need to get to bed." She grinned at him as she turned toward the door, opening it and stepping out into the hallway. He sighed, shrugging, and followed her out, not upset. Any kiss from Serena was enough to make his day. He followed her down the hallway until she turned to enter the bathroom, needing to wash her face; he continued on to their bedroom, ignoring the probing stares from Iris.
Minutes later, Serena emerged with a clean face, ready to get some shut-eye. As she passed by Shauna's room, she paused, able to see a stream of colorful light from inside the dark room. Stepping closer and peeking inside, she saw Shauna sitting on the edge of her bed, watching Trevor's laptop screen intently.
"Shauna?" The girl turned around as she heard her name called, seeing Serena standing in the doorway.
Shauna smiled back at her. "Hey. I was just watching the finished video again."
Serena grinned. "How many times have you watched it so far?"
"I don't know. Probably a dozen, at least." Serena grinned and stepped inside, taking a seat next to Shauna and looking down at the screen, seeing herself dancing with Aria while Shauna sang her song. The green room they had performed in had been replaced with a CGI background, and they were now dancing in an ethereal pink space, filled with hearts and computer-rendered Pokémon and other things.
"This is really it," Shauna uttered quietly, almost reverently. "This is what I've been working toward for so long. In a few days, my life is going to change forever."
"It sure is," Serena agreed. "Are you nervous?"
"I'm terrified," Shauna admitted. "But there's no turning back now. I'm not letting this chance slip away."
Serena smiled wide, wrapping one arm around her friend's shoulders, holding her close. "You deserve it. You've been working so hard. You're going to be a huge star, I know it."
"I hope so…" Shauna turned back to look at Serena's face, which was bathed in the pink and yellow light of the laptop screen. "Thank you for being a part of this. Thanks for… everything, really. I never would have gotten this far without all of your encouragement."
"Of course, Shauna. What are friends for?"
Shauna grinned wide, the faint noise of the laptop coming to a stop as the video ended. She looked back toward the screen and immediately started the video over again, and she and Serena watched it together in silence.
