"I'm heading home for the weekends." Dawn leaned onto the kitchen counter, watching her roommate packing what's left of his luggage. He folded his clothes neatly into his bag, carefully placing his prized laptop inside a special compartment of his bag. Satisfied with his handiwork, Ash zipped up his bag and placed it near the door for further convince.
"My mom needs my help with sorting the stuff in the storage room." She had called him the night before and asked if he was free for the weekends. Despite her cheery and positive tone, Ash knew that his mother missed him very dearly. So just like any good son who also misses his mom, he agreed to come back home to help her out. It was a last minute request on his mother's part, but he would still grant her wishes nevertheless, he loved her too much to disappoint her.
Her cooking is also something he missed very much.
"Its been a month since you last saw her right?" Has it been a month already? It felt like it was just yesterday that he enrolled into the school and meet Dawn and Misty for the first time. It seemed that time does fly when you're having fun.
"Pretty much, I mean we call quite often." Initially, he thought his mom would stop calling him as the days rolled by. But she was very adamant on keeping tabs on him and asked him about his day and vice versa. While others may find it annoying, Ash simply knew that he was one of the very few people his mother would open up to. So he never told her off or gave her the impression that she was too overbearing for him. The last thing he wants is his mother to stop counting on him for emotional and mental support. Although hearing his mother complaining about her coworkers was very entertaining.
"Have you told her about your injuries?" If his mother knew he took a direct hit from a pokemon, she would probably demand him to stop attending the school immediately. That or she would be filling a lawsuit against the school, neither options seemed great to him.
"Nope, and I want to keep it that way." Dawn frowned, gripping her coffee mug a little tighter before mentioning Ash's recovering injuries. It was a dead topic to Ash, but to the people around him, they always raise the question of his injuries every, single, day.
"But if you're moving stuff around you might-" The Kanto native waved her off dismissively, his eyes scrolling through his phone. He knows his body best, so he would be fine so as long he is not moving any heavy furniture around.
"It's fine, my body is fully recovered. Besides, I can come up with all sorts of excuses if my body does fail me." His lack of muscles and strength would finally come in handy. Although lately, Bea has been quite persistent on asking him to join her daily workout sessions. Personally, he didn't mind the occasional workouts if it weren't for the fact that Bea was adamant on becoming his personal fitness coach. The thought of Bea asking him to lift weights or do bench presses with her was terrifying.
"Alright then." Dawn didn't even bother argue with Ash, she knew that he was tired of people asking about his injuries on the daily. As she munched onto her sandwich that she hastily made for lunch, Ash's phone began to rang. He smiled at the caller's ID and quickly swipe the answer button and placed the phone near his ear.
"Hello? You're here already? Okay I'm coming down." Ending the call with a tap of his thumbs, Ash reached for his bag and double checked his room to ensure he didn't leave anything behind. He didn't pack much for the journey back home as he knew he would back soon, so his PC was still sitting on his study desk in all its glory.
"She's here, see you on Sunday evening. Oh and tell Misty I'm sorry that I can't inform her sooner will ya?" Opening the door with his free hand, Ash waved good bye to Dawn who waved back. It was unfortunate that Misty wasn't here to see him off as she had to attend a club meeting. So he hoped that Misty won't be too mad at him when she returns home, thank goodness they didn't make any plans for the weekend.
"Sure no problem. Bye Ash." Ash closed the apartment door and swiftly entered the lift, his heart beating at the anticipation of seeing his mother face to face again. Had she been eating well? Is her work going smoothly? Did she missed him terribly? All these questions need answering, even though Ash was certain that the answer was yes, yes and yes.
With the lift's automatic door slowly opening, Ash grinned when he saw his mother's car at the pick up point. He briefly greeted the receptionist Soledad on her desk as she wished him a happy weekend, to which he returned back the gesture in kind.
"Hey mom." Ash sat in the front seat, placing his bag between his legs. His mother didn't hesitate to ruffle his hair like a little kid. One month without him was awfully lonely, while the lack of cursing and blaming towards his teammates in the middle of the night was something she appreciates, she still miss the casual conversations they have during dinner or the morning kiss on the cheek he would give her.
"Ash! How have you been?" Ash adjust the air vents of the car and stared at his mother's who eyes were firmly fixated on the road.
"I'm fine mom. Is there much we have to clean up?" Delia shook her head, in actuality she could sort of most of the stuff herself. But she had no idea what items should she throw out since most of the stuff were related to Ash. So she didn't want to accidentally throw away something Ash might inevitably need.
"Just some boxes here and there. I'm not sure what I should throw out since half of the stuff is yours." Ash placed his elbow on top of the car door armrest, watching the blurry row of trees passing by.
"Mostly just stuff from my childhood." Delia sighed, she really wished Ash would hold onto the little things in life and treasure them.
"Precious memories Ash."
"I prefer to save them in my head or in my phone." Raising his phone up, Ash was sure that his gallery had no shortage of pictures of close friends and other more questionable images.
"Somethings are tangible Ash. I went through some of your stuff the other day, I saw a lot of pictures of you attending the summer camp." Summer camp? Ash blinked in a startled manner, as if he's brain just had a complete reboot. Past images of summer camp started to rapidly flash by in his mind, akin to small little memory fragments.
"Damn I forgot about that, it was organized by professor Oak right? Back when we were still in Kanto?" His mother nodded, her eyes still fixated on the road.
"That's right, I never seen you being that excited before. Always coming back home with a smile with your face, the stories you tell me everyday was so adorable and exciting." The young teen frowned, he couldn't even recall a single moment of it. With a memory of a Goldeen, Ash was sure he would be senile when he roll into his 70s.
"Too bad I can't remember most of it." Delia chuckled, speaking in a sing song voice to annoy him.
"That's why we took those pictures Ash." Arceus he hated when his mother is right.
Ash wiped the beads of sweat that formed on his face, throwing away the empty cardboard boxes and broken toys that gathered dust over the years. He gave a little sigh of relief, happy that hours of effort had finally bear fruit. The once stuffy storage room that were filled with junk is now almost vacant, with only the top heavy shelves and rundown cabinets lying on one corner. As he admired his efforts, he gave a loud yelp when an unsuspecting cold object was felt on his arm. He turned around and gave his grinning mother a deadpanned expression, not pleased with the antic she just pulled off. His sour mood soon lifted immediately when his mother handed him the cold can drink that she surprise him with.
"Thanks mom." Delia glanced at the boxes that were on the ground and was thoroughly surprised that one of the boxes had an abundance of photographs of Ash, most of it were taken during his Summer Camp adventures. From the different pokemon he befriended, to the other children he met during the scavenger hunt minigame. It was adorable to browse through each individual photos that seemed to capture the essence and spirit of childhood innocents.
"Look at you, so adorable." Ash groaned as he begrudgingly stood next to his mother, glancing at the pictures and photos of him when he was just 5 years old. His mother went through each individual photos, perhaps thinking of whether she should really throw all these pictures away. Unlike his mother, he wasn't that emotionally attached to pictures and photographs, so they meant nothing to him.
That was until someone familiar caught his eye.
"Hey mom, can you hand me that picture?" Delia handed the photograph in question to her son. Initially she planned to throw the photograph away with the rest of the junk, seeing that her son was indifferent towards it. Now however, her son's curiosity over that particular picture piqued her interest. She analyzed the photo in Ash's hand, and smiled at the adorable moment that was caught on camera.
A young girl similar to Ash's age was sitting next to him on the lush green pasture. The colourful and vibrant flowers that decorate the fields added on to the peaceful and serene atmosphere. It was certainly a scenic view if you were to admire from their perspective. Focusing on the little girl next to her son, Delia noticed she had fair skin and wore a large strawhat that shielded her from the ray of the sun. She had honey blonde hair and brilliant sapphire eyes that showed her innocence and kindness, in addition to her cute little pink sundress, it was hard not to see why her son became so attached to the shy yet undeniable cute girl.
"Oh I remember this girl, Serena right Ash?" She grinned at how cute the photo was before she glanced at her son who wordlessly stared at the picture in pure silence. Concerned over his sudden shift of mood, Delia placed a comforting on his shoulder, gently shaking it to grasp her son's attention.
"Ash are you okay?" The young teen before her nodded, snapping out of his train of thought before holding onto the photo close to him. His usual brown hazel eyes that showed his calm and laidback nature quickly turned into one of conflicted emotions, akin to the rugged sea of the storm.
"Yeah I'm fine mom. It's just- it's hard to believe I forgotten about her." Delia rubbed his shoulder in a comforting manner, she was taken by surprise of how distraught Ash was over a photo. Still, the fact her son had forgotten the girl he was once so attached to was quite worrying.
"You were pretty close with her, I remembered when you brought her back home to introduce her to me. You two were inseparable, never ever leaving each other's sight. It was super adorable." Ash sighed, not being able to conjure up the images of Serena and him together. Was it really her? 10 years of not seeing each other, perhaps he mistaken her for someone else?
"But we did left each other right? For good?" Delia sat next to Ash on a stool, looking over the picture he held dearly.
"Serena only came to Kanto for Professor Oak's Summer camp, so it was inevitable that Serena and her mother Grace had to return back to Kalos. Both of you were crying so much on the day of Serena's departure, I have never seen you that devastated or upset before. It was really heartbreaking to see you bawling your eyes out."
"Y-You think she still remembers me mom? I mean if I don't remember her, there's a high chance she won't remember me as well right?" Part of him wish Serena still remembers him, so the two of can reconnect with each other. But given his airheaded nature that make him forgetful, there is a strong chance Serena still remembers him from her childhood. He didn't know why he wanted Serena to remember him, maybe it was to make up for lost time.
"Well you are quite forgetful, so I do think Serena might recognize you. You still looked the same after all these years, just less cute." The little jab his mother gave him was something he expected but it did annoyed him nonetheless. He sighed and rubbed his shoulders, still wrapping his head around the situation.
"I can't believe I didn't recognize her." Delia blinked, carefully dissecting her son's choice of words. Had Ash met Serena again? His tone of disbelief and realization seemed to indicate so.
"Recognize her? You met Serena?" Ash slowly nodded, causing his mother to gasp in shock.
"She's one of my friends in school actually, I didn't know that it was her- how did it not cross my mind? The hair, the eyes and that smile." That smile! No wonder he was so impressed and fixated on her bright smile the first time he met her after all these years, it was the same smile she gave him all those years back!
"If that's the case, you should take this opportunity and talk to her Ash. Maybe she does remember you but was afraid that you might not recognize her." That could be the case, maybe Serena didn't want to embarrass him in front of so many people if his memories fails him. After all, not remembering someone who once make a positive impact in your life is both embarrassing and disappointing.
"Was I really that close to her mom?" Delia placed her arm around Ash's shoulders, rubbing it gently when her son spoke in such a loss and curious tone.
"Sweetie, you personally told me you would married her when both of you grow older." His face flushed red, did he really said that to her? He paused for a moment when the exact same words echoed in his head. He could recall that he did said that to her at the Kanto International Airport.
"Gosh, I think I do remember some of that- I think I even said that to her before she left Kanto." Delia beamed a smile happy that her son is starting to recollect his memories from his childhood.
"That's right, you promised her that you would come back for her when you're older, and both of you would be together forever." Ash covered his face in his hands, not really wanting to believe he said that to Serena. But hey! It was just a promise he made as a kid, he was probably in the heat of the moment and spoke those words just to comfort her.
"I really said that huh, Arceus I really hope she had forgotten about that promise now." It would be very awkward if she does remember and hold onto that promise of his, though it was silly to think she will actually wait for his return and his hand for marriage.
"There's no harm trying to reconnect with her Ash, even just as friends. But I bet Serena has blossomed into a beautiful girl now huh." Her radiant smile, the sun kissed honey blonde hair that begged his fingers to run through it, the beautiful sapphire eyes and the fantastic well developed body that beckoned his attention. He could really ramble off- snap out of it Ash!
"Very." Delia poked Ash's cheeks seeing his face flushed in deep crimson red, probably thinking of Serena in a different light.
"Perhaps this is you chance to make up loss time with her." He was in a difficult spot, if he wanted to respark the friendship they once share, Ash has to be the one who takes the first step to break the ice, It would be both awkward and cringe worthy to him personally if she doesn't remember him too.
But he was still wiling to give it a shot.
"To be honest, I am at a loss here." Chances are if she does remember him, she would probably be mad at him for not recognizing her after all these years.
"Regardless of what relationship you wish to pursue with her, try to talk to her alright? Who knows? Maybe she wished to rekindle the friendship you two once shared." His mother just have to bring up the promise he gave Serena huh? Before this, Serena was just a nice close friend that he occasionally talk to. They didn't share much in common and the conversations they have were always surface level.
Right now however, Ash felt like he had an affinity with her. The memories of Summer Camp with Serena started to flood his mind. Whether it is running through the lush paddy fields during the evening light, befriending every pokemon they meet or stargazing together at his backyard with their hands clasped together. It was certainly nostalgic and heartwarming to think back the numerous activities they did together.
"I will try mom." Serena was his first genuine friend, and the fact he forgotten her was unacceptable in his book. So Ash made a solemn promise then and there, he would come back for her.
As day turned into night, Ash wasn't particularly in the mood for his usual solo queue sessions. Instead, he browse through the numerous photos of Summer camp in his room. The faint natural light of the moon seeped through his thinly veiled curtains, illuminating his dimly lit room with the soft glow of moonlight. The young teen gingerly flipped through the collages, each individual photo sending him down deeper into memory lane.
"I can't believe I forgot about this! This Poliwag often played with us." The tadpole pokemon was the object of their affection during Summer Camp. The water type pokemon often hopped next to them, as they brought him to the different adventures they embark.
Ash pulled the fluffy blanket of his bed towards his body, wrapping himself in a comfy position. He really hope that little Poliwag is doing well, maybe he's a Poliwhirl now? Or maybe he found a family to raise and nurture? Such thoughts make Ash smiled, hoping that the water type pokemon is having the time of his life.
A sudden phone call made Ash jumped slightly, not expecting someone to call him during the weekends. He gave off an irritated sigh, he was getting comfortable under his warm blanket and now he has to get up and reached for his charging phone. Still, maybe it was an emergency from his friends? Dawn and Misty knew that he was back home with his mom, so they probably won't disturb him. So who else could it be?
"Hello?"
"Hey Ash." The distinct voice of Gary was unmistakable, it was his friend of a rival that he despised. Ash sat upright and held the phone closer to his ear, using his other free hand to readjust the blanket to get comfortable again.
"Gary?" Why is he calling him? It was unlike him to call others at night, unless he's trolling or doing some stupid prank. Though it was unlikely considering Gary was an ass, not childish.
"Yeap, thought I call and check up on you. How are you feeling? The injuries of your are getting better yeah?" Ash couldn't help but to smile, so he was calling to check up on his injuries. Perhaps he was feeling guilty and was worried over his injuries that he indirectly caused.
"Yeah, I'm fully recovered now. Thanks for calling though." Ash ended with a chuckle, but he knew the young Oak didn't just call him to ask about his injuries. When it comes to Gary Oak, there's always an ulterior motive.
"Listen Ash, I never got the chance to say thank you for saving my life. So thanks Ash, I really owe you one." The uncharacteristic humble tone from his cocky rival was such a contrast, Ash swore that Gary was replaced by an imposter. This was unlike him, very out of character indeed.
"You're welcome Gary, how's your injuries?" Gary gave off a sigh, speaking in a bored manner that was a result of his suspension. Arceus, did he missed going back to school and screw around with friends.
"I'm recovered now but I can't come back to school, got suspended." Right, Mr Brawly wrote a letter to the principal and they agreed to suspend him. Even Professor Oak agreed to his grandson's suspension, hoping that he would learn from his lessons.
"I heard about it, bummer." 3 months without Gary Oak in class, can't say he was that disappointed or upset by it.
"I kinda deserved it, things could have been a lot worse." Ash remained silent, the only casualties were him and Gary, and that was 2 too many in his book. He sighed and hugged one of his knee with his free hand, glancing at the night sky through his exposed window that weren't covered by the curtains.
"What were you thinking Gary? I understand Braviary is a cool pokemon to have but still, to break the school rules and risk getting suspended isn't worth it." He didn't mean to nag, but he just had to know. Gary's sudden urge to catch the Braviary came out of no where, it was so weird and concerning.
"You know my grandpa and parents asked me the same exact question and I didn't really give them a good answer. But I will be honest with you Ashy boy." Ash readjust his sitting, waiting in anticipation of Gary's reasoning behind provoking the Braviary.
"The truth is I never even fought the Braviary before catching it."
"How is that possible?" The basic rule of catching a pokemon is to battle it before catching it. It serves two purposes, one which shows your capabilities as a trainer and whether you are worthy of the pokémon's strength. The second is to ensure the pokemon is weakened before being caught so they don't struggle out of the pokeball. To catch a pokemon without battling it first was such a gamble. So how on earth did Gary caught a strong and healthy Braviary without weakening it?
"Ash, I used an enhanced Quick ball." Quick balls are known to be very effective at catching pokemon who are, you guessed it, very quick. But Ash had never heard of an enhanced Quick ball before, so perhaps it was even more effective at catching speedy pokemon. Given that Gary and his family lived next to a lab that does research on pokemon, it was not hard for him to get his hands on something as high tech as an enhanced Quick ball.
"No wonder it was pissed, you didn't properly battle him." For a pokemon as prideful as a Braviary, it would be very insulting to catch it without giving it a proper battle.
"It broke his pokeball so quickly that I didn't even had time to react." Gary's moment of triumph of catching such a powerful aviary soon turned into a moment of despair when it broke out of its pokeball out of pure hatred and spite. It immediate attacked him and would have ended his life have it not for Squirtle's interference.
"But why Gary?" It dumbfounded Ash over Gary's decision, what was he thinking?
"Braviaries only submit themselves to worthy trainers. Just like any other pack pokemon like Mightyena and Arcanine. I don't know I guess, I want to know if I'm worthy." That reasoning may seemed utterly absurd to others, but Ash knew better than to ridicule him. It cemented his thoughts of what Gary was going through internally.
"You are a great trainer Gary, you don't need to validate yourself by catching a difficult pokemon." The faint chuckle from Gary was all he heard.
"Hard not to feel that way when you are the grandson of the renowned researcher Professor Oak and the son of the unstoppable Viridian city gym leader, Blue Oak." This feels like deja vu, Ash remembered he had this exact conversation with Dawn a few weeks back. But given how many people in this prestigious school were the children of famous and successful trainers, celebrities, coordinators, breeder and even performers. It was easy to find students with high expectations from their parents, subsequently giving them the immense pressure to perform well. Gary, just so happens to be one of them.
"You feel like you are living under their shadow."
"Pretty much, always have been you know?" Ash collect his thoughts, trying to form well structured sentences in his head before speaking.
"Then can I convince you that you shouldn't feel that way?" Gary wanted to make fun of Ash's efforts, but given that he was a genuine person, he decided not to for the sake of being nice.
"You can try. My sister has been trying to tell me that it's okay for us to be different. But that's easy for her to say, she's a successful coordinator who's making waves in Hoenn now." Daisy Oak was a remarkably intelligent and beautiful person, and Ash would admit that he once had a crush on her. Her knowledge over pokemon is extremely impressive, so it was surprising to hear that she rejected her grandfather's offer of being his lab assistant. Instead, she chose to chase after her dream of becoming a coordinator, which was worth admiring.
"Your the best battler and strategist in class Gary, even miss Erika say that you scored the highest in class." Referring to the mock exam they had before Gary's incident, Ash was sure that Gary had a perfect score given how much he was bragging about it.
"That's expected of me Ash, I have to perform well. Look Ashy boy, I'm not trying to sound like a whinny bitch and complain about the pressure I have to deal with. I just want to tell you, that after that experience, I promise I won't do something as stupid as that again." Seeing that Gary was fed up with the conversation regarding his family, Ash decided to respect his decision and drop the topic.
"Right, don't drag others into your own problems." Blaming others for your mistake is the most childish thing you could ever do. Years of playing League had taught him that lesson well.
"Exactly, I maybe a dick but even I have standards." He wasn't so sure about that, but he was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.
"Sure." The tone of doubt in Ash's tone made Gary snicker. He sighed and stared at his Squirtle that curled up next to him, watching him sleep with his adorable smile up for display. With the help from his grandfather, the school allowed him to bring Squirtle home back with him, seeing that the water type starter was quite attached to the young Oak.
"Heh, you know I'm jealous of you Ash." The sudden change of topic made Ash blinked in surprise, why is it about him now? It was unlike Gary being this open, especially towards him.
"Me? Why?"
"While I may have a beautiful girlfriend, a rich and influential family, an abundance of friends and looks that are to die for-" Talk about being jealous of others.
"I get it, I get it." Gary chuckled over Ash's dead and annoyed tone.
"Its minuscule, compare to what you have. I mean holy mew look at you, surrounded by girls 24/7 man. I thought I was a ladies man until I saw your group." Ash was well aware of his male classmate's envy over him, talking behind his back over the number of girls who befriended him. At first he was annoyed and even embarrassed over the ratio of girls that often hung out with him, until he decided not to give a damn about what others think. The girls were a great bunch to hang out with, and he won't trade their friendship for anything.
Plus he can rubbed it in their face if they try to provoke him.
"They're just friends Gary." He hoped the careless whispers of others won't affect the girls too much. He didn't want to give them the impression he was trying to date them. He wasn't exactly against dating close friends, but it would definitely affect the dynamic of the group.
"Yeah well, you have a group of pretty friends who are very supportive of you. I mean even Bea sticks with you like Beedrils to honey, that chick is hard to approach." Despite Bea's efforts to be more approachable and open, not many people in class tried to talk to her as they were really intimidated by her. Naturally, Ash would want Bea to befriend more people in class, but he was also perfectly fine to have her stick around.
"Since when did you and Gisselle became a thing anyway." He was very out of touch to whatever is happening in class. He didn't knew Gisselle and Gary were a thing, though given their similarities, it's not hard to see why.
"A few weeks ago, it just a fling though. Nothing serious, she and I would move on eventually." Casual dating huh, Ash can't say it he had done it before.
"Casual dating."
"Mhmm, nothing deep or meaningful." Ash himself never had a girlfriend, but he hoped his first relationship can last at least for a few months. Ideally, he wanted his first girlfriend to be his future wife. He knew it was very cheesy and highly unrealistic, but he could dream right?
"Just have fun while you at it."
"Of course. I won't bother you much longer Ash, thanks for listening to my rambling. Let's keep this between us alright?" He expected that much, but its not like he would go around and tell everyone in class about Gary's insecurities like a dickhead. He highly doubt anyone would believe him anyway.
"Sure, good night."
"Good night Ash, oh and one more thing. I'm sure you know this, but some of the guys in class are really jealous of you, you know being surrounded by the girls they have a crush on. So don't be surprise if they are assholes to you." Ash sighed, Gary just had to remind him of his position in class huh? That being said, many of his classmate did treat him like a genuine friend after they acknowledged his noble efforts to fight back the Braviary to buy time for Gary's escape.
It took a life threating situation to change the perception of his classmates, how wonderful.
"Really? Well that's fantastic." The bitter tone within Ash's voice was undeniable.
"Hey man, you get to live with Misty and Dawn. Any guy would be jealous." Ash's deadpanned expression was obvious to the eye, he stared at the pokemon posters in his room and massaged his temples in an attempt to relief his frustrations.
"How did you know?" Might as well let the entire Sinnoh population know that he was living with two girls at this point.
"Dude, Barry told the whole class." Bastard, he knew he shouldn't have told him. The energetic blonde doesn't know how to keep his mouth shut. Now the entire class think he's some slimy creep. Already anticipating Ash's reactions, Gary decided to end the conversation and call it a night to prevent spilling even more tea.
"Well good night Ash. The next time we meet, I'm gonna kick your ass with Squirtle." Ash grinned, already feeling the competitive side of him taking over his body as he temporarily forget about Barry's betrayal.
"Likewise Gary, you better not get rusty when you return back to school." With that interaction, Ash hung up the phone and placed it on his study desk. He fell face down on his pillows, snuggling into the comfort of his bed as he thought about Barry's inability to keep a secret.
"I knew I shouldn't have told him." With those thoughts plaguing his mind, Ash begrudgingly give in to sleep.
"Hard to believe I'm back." Ash muttered as he unslung his bag and stared around the apartment, seeing no signs of life any where with the exception of the little potted plants by the window. He hastily placed his bag down in his room, feeling relief that his room was untouched since he last left. It was hard to believe the weekend was over so quickly, it seemed like yesterday his mother called him to return home.
With the evening sunlight piercing through his window, Ash decided to text his roommates to let them know that he was back. He scrolled through his WhatsApp, finding the friend group that Misty created between the 3 of them for easier communication.
Ash: Hey I'm back.
Dawn: Hi Ash! We r at the Yakiniku place.
Misty: Join us if u want, we just started. The girls are here too.
Really now? He assumed that Misty meant Korrina, Bea and Serena. Well that's fantastic, he wasn't sure how he can face the honey blonde teen now. A Yakiniku restaurant is not exactly the best place to rekindle childhood memories and have a deep meaningful conversation between old friends. Ash sighed and glanced at the picture that he took back with him from home. Should he really confront Serena? Maybe things are meant to be, its better not to reopen old wounds and empty promises.
He exited the apartment and stuffed his hands within his pocket, feeling the cold wind of the night slowly creeping in. The once scorching evening rays are now gone, replaced by the dark night sky that slowly rolled in. As Ash slowly walked to his destination, his eyes lit up at the sight of the familiar restaurant in the distance, already feeling the bustling and warm atmosphere of the restaurant from a distance.
Entering the restaurant, Ash looked around and frowned when he couldn't spot any of his friends. Did they finished eating and left before he even arrived? He glanced at his phone and noticed that he missed a message from Misty. It seemed that Dawn had booked a room specially for the 5 of them which was odd considering she has never done that before when it was just the 3 of them.
'Probably because there's not enough space.' The authentic Yakiniku experience is to sit behind the smothering grill, sitting shoulder to shoulder with other strangers. But given there was 5 of them, its quite impossible to find enough seats at the front row. He walked towards the back of the restaurant and pushed apart the Kantonese style door curtain that allowed him to enter the private room sections.
"Ash." Hearing Misty shouting for his name, he turned one corner and saw all 5 of the girls sitting together, with one empty spot seemingly reserved for him. At first he was perplexed over the empty seat waiting for him, until he remembered he informed Dawn that he would be back by Sunday evening. So maybe they were expecting him already.
He walked towards the seats and waved at them, with much of his attention being focused on Serena herself who was taking a bite out of her food. He sat down next to Misty and felt his mouth water over the array of dishes that were on the table. From the various cuts of meats that had different marbling and textures, to the fresh seafood that were caught near the coast of Jubilife city and last but not least, the colourful assortment of vegetables that were waiting to be grilled. All and all, Ash felt like he was the most luxurious man alive.
"How's your mom, did you help her sort out the stuff?" Misty spoke as she grilled one of the raw beef with the help of salt and pepper seasoning. She glanced at Ash every now and then, but her attention was mostly focused on her beloved meal.
"Yeah, found a lot of old pictures from my childhood. They brought back many fond memories I have forgotten." Ash spoke quietly, glancing at Serena every now and then. He hoped that by choosing his words carefully, he could see any subtle reaction from her that implied she remembered him from childhood.
"Aww that's nice, but I don't remember much about my childhood as well." Korrina's childhood was mostly spent with her fighting type pokemon and her grandfather. The off time she had by herself was through skating around the park, where she can enjoy the breeze of the wind and the adrenaline of the rush.
"Ugh I don't even want to talk about my childhood, the friends I met were so annoying." Dawn almost cringed at the thoughts of her "friends" calling her Dee Dee just to annoy her, or when one of them would mess up her hair by pulling pranks on her. Kids can be such asshole sometimes.
"How about you Serena? Do you have any precious childhood memories you still hold dear to your heart?" Serena blinked as she held her cup in her hand, glancing at Ash who's question seemed to be directed at her squarely. She gave an unreadable expression before giving off a smile.
"Nah, my childhood for the most part has been normal. Nothing really worth mentioning." Thoroughly disappointed, Ash nodded and toyed with the meat that was grilling in front of him. Perhaps she really forgotten about him, just like he forgotten about her. He was mentally prepared for such an answer from Serena, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt him. He desperately wanted to know if Serena remembers him and the fond memories they once share. Why he was so obsessed was anyone's guess, but perhaps guilt plays a crucial role.
"Oh I see." Oblivious to Ash's sudden drop of mood and spirit, the others continued to share their childhood memories with each other as Ash quietly devour his meal.
"I remember I used to visit the lakes in Cerulean every weekend with my parents and my sisters, good times." The cold and clear waters of the lake was something she sorely missed. The different water types she befriended and the memorable moments she had with her family were something she would never forget.
"That's so nice, I think the fondest memory I had during my childhood was that my grandpa always brought ice cream for me whenever I hurt myself from skating." Bea smiled, glancing at Korrina who was too preoccupied on telling her story. So much so that the meat she placed on the grill was getting more overcooked by the second.
"That's adorable, I remember there's this one time I got caught by my parents trying to steal candy and sweets from the jar. That did not end so well." Bea gave off a embarrassed sigh when the others started to giggle at her mischief and the punishment she received soon after.
"How about you Ash? Any exciting or embarrassing childhood stories you want to tell us?" Ash stared at Dawn, not really expecting to be involve in the conversation. He glanced at Serena and had noticed she hadn't said a single word after his question, to which raise his suspicion and even hope. He placed his chopsticks down and leaned behind his cushion chair, maybe he should be honest about it.
"Well apart from thinking I was a ninja at one point, there's not much stories to tell." The giggles of mockery from the girls made him wish he shut up about it.
"Well, there is one story about my childhood that I can tell." He spoke slowly, watching that the girls was giving him 100% of their attention. It was no doubt that they were curious over his childhood and upbringing, but what he was surprised was how attentive Serena was.
Almost as if she was looking forward to something.
"I kind of forgotten about this person from my childhood until I saw pictures of us hanging out." Ash spoke softly, feeling embarrassed and even guilty that he managed to forget someone who he was once so attached to. He avoided eye contact with the others, focusing squarely on the cold drink in front of him that was half filled.
"Really? Is the person a close friend?" The way Ash spoke made Misty curious, it seemed that Ash was quite attach to the person whoever he was talking about.
"Yeah we were really close. We met each other through a Summer Camp held by Professor Oak, back when we were still in Kanto. I met this girl who clicked with me, we did everything together." The audible gasp of adoration from the girls only execrated his embarrassment.
"Childhood crush?" Korrina was wondering if Ash and the girl were a thing despite their young age.
"Well I don't know about that, I was just a kid back then. I never thought about relationships and stuff. All I knew was that I wanted her to be by my side, that's all." The raw unfiltered voice within Ash was palpable, to the point where the girls were concerned over whether Ash would start to cry or not. It was unlike him to be emotional, he was always reserved and laidback even in heated pokemon battles. So it was rare to this emotional side of Ash.
"What happened to her?" Unbeknownst to Bea, the very girl Ash was talking about was sitting right next to her.
"She had to leave for her home country, she only came to Kanto temporarily for the Summer Camp. My mom told me that I cried a lot when she left. It's a shame that I didn't remember much about her, it was only until yesterday where I went through some of the pictures we took together that it reignited some of the memories we had together. I feel awful for not remembering her." Serena stared at him in an empathetic manner, not saying a single world that would give away her thoughts regarding the situation.
"It's okay Ash, I'm sure the girl still remembers you after all these years." Misty patted Ash's shoulder in a comforting manner, hoping to reassure him that the girl would remember him.
"I don't know Misty, I forgotten about her, so chances are she might have forgotten about me." The aspiring water type master sighed at her roommate's downtrodden mood, wondering what she should say to cheer him up. It was so unlike Ash to be so fixated on something or someone, so perhaps this person made a profound impact in his life.
"Well you do suffer from short term memory lost. I bet you don't remember what we had for dinner last Thursday." Ash's attempt to retort was swiftly halted by his inability to remember.
"That's true, but I don't know Misty. Now that I remember her, I kind of miss her. I want to say thank you to her for making my Summer camp experience a wonderful one. I didn't have much friends growing up, and she was my first genuine friend." Serena bit her lower lip, trying her best to ignore Ash who stared at her with an earnest look. She sighed inwardly, glancing at the boy who she remembered fondly from her childhood. She mull through her thoughts and finally smiled at him in a comforting manner, the same smile that he saw often during their time spent together.
"Ash, I'm sure that girl still remembers you." Ash held his composure, staring at the girl who made provided him friendship and solace when he was alone as a kid. The same girl who taught him what it means to be a friend and to stand by them when they need you the most. The same girl who supported his dreams to travel around the world, albeit with her by his side.
The same girl he vowed to marry when they grew older.
"You think so Serena?" The honey blonde teen nodded. Had they been alone in some place quiet, she would have given him a tight embrace to show how much she missed him. There were so many things she wanted to say to Ash, but given their current position, that could wait for another time.
"I know so." Ash couldn't hold back his grin, feeling relieved that she does remember him. The hidden meaning behind their words were oblivious to the others, but between the two childhood friends, they fully understood the meaning laced behind their words. He stared at the others and made the sudden realization he had made the fun and casual dining experience between friends an awkward one.
"Thanks for listening girls, sorry that I rambled off." Dawn patted his shoulders, giving him an understanding smile. She could tell Ash held his friend in a very high regard and that he felt guilty he had forgotten about her. She did wonder if one day if the two friends would reunite with each other, it would be destiny if it does happen.
"Its fine Ash, its good to get it out of your system. I'm sure the two of you would reunite with each other one day." Ash nodded subtly staring at Serena who looked away from him with her cheeks flushed red.
"Thanks Dawn. Anyway, let's get back to the food, I haven't even started to dig in yet." He clapped his hands, diffusing the emotional mood with his boisterous energy. The meal before looks like it is fit for a king, and he was more than ready to indulge himself in gluttonous glory.
But admittedly, he was mostly staring at Serena throughout the night.
"I'm so full!" Korrina stretched her limbs, sighing in content over her full stomach. She stood next to Serena outside of the Yakiniku restaurant and noticed that she was in a remarkably good mood. The way she smiled to herself and how she caress her own her hair was a great indicator. Out of curiosity, she walked next to her best friend and poked her bare shoulders.
"You're in a good mood." Serena smiled at Korrina and shook her head. She wasn't about to spill the beans yet, this was something special to her.
"Just thinking of something." Now that really got Korrina curious, she leaned in and clasped Serena's shoulders.
"Care to share?" The aspiring performer grinned and shook her head.
"Nope." The cute pout from Korrina made Serena chuckled as she crossed her arms underneath her breast.
"Aww you're no fun." Upon seeing the others exiting the restaurant after paying their bills, Korrina walked next to Bea who was busy typing on her phone. Probably replying an important message to someone.
"Hey Bea, are you ready?" The Galar native raised her head and nodded, with her orange backpack behind her. Ash raised his eyebrows, wondering why he didn't noticed the backpack earlier when they were eating. More importantly, why did she brought it with her?
"Where are you two going?"
"Bea is staying over at my place for now because her parents are in Galar." Her parents had to leave for Galar due to work, so at the moment she was at the care of Korrina and her grandfather. She would have been fine on herself since she was very independent, but Korrina insisted that she stayed with her so she won't be lonely. Besides, if there is any happens to Bea, she can rely on Korrina and her always dependable grandfather.
"Aww that's nice. Are you two walking home by yourself?" Dawn pulled her blue jacket closed to her as the frigid wind of the night blew passed her. She herself wonder if the 6 of them would ever had a sleepover together. She was sure the girls were perfectly fine to have Ash involved considering he's always with them.
"Nah my grandpa is fetching us, how about you Serena?" The pretty blonde raised her phone, implying that she had just text her mother.
"I'm waiting for my mom." Ash glanced at her and frowned, maybe it was the fact he felt closer to Serena. But right now, he didn't like the idea of Serena waiting alone at night for her mother. Jubilife is a safe city there's no doubt about that, but Ash wasn't taking any chances.
"Alone?" Serena smiled at Ash's voice of concern.
"I will be fine."
"I can stay with you- until your mother arrives." Ash internally cringed at how poorly he worded his sentence, get a grip man! Serena had somewhat acknowledged you as her childhood friend, don't screw it up.
"I think that's a good idea, Misty and I can walk home by ourselves since our place is not that far." Dawn spoke as she pointed off to the direction of their apartment. The abundance of street lights and people walking towards that general direction was reassuring. It was the reason why Ash offered his company to Serena because he knew that the journey back home for Dawn and Misty would be relatively safe.
Well one of the reasons anyway.
"Look after her Ash." Misty spoke in a stern voice that made Ash grinned.
"Yes ma'am." Seeing his two roommates waving him off, Bea and Korrina soon disappeared from sight as Gurkinn, Korrina's grandfather arrived and pick the two girls up.
"Bye Serena, bye Ash!" Saying good bye to their friends, the two were finally alone with each other. The vacant streets of the city and the sounds of Kircketot buzzing were all that accompanied them. Silently, Serena walked to one of the bench near the sidewalk and sat down on it, patting the empty seat next to her in the process to which Ash quickly obliged. He glanced at the girl sitting next to him and was taken aback how much she has grown since the last time he saw him.
"I- I'm sorry." Serena turned to Ash and sighed at the guilt-ridden look plastered on her face. She clasped her hands together on her skirt and spoke softly, avoiding eye contact with him.
"There's nothing to apologize for Ash." For him personally, there were a lot of things he should apologize for. Perhaps to others, they may ridicule him for being so worked up over forgetting a close friend, but to Ash, it was as if he committed a heinous crime of the highest order.
"I didn't recognize you, hell I even forgotten about you." It did hurt Serena that Ash didn't recognize her the first time they met, but she also understood that 10 years is a long time. However, the fact Ash said forgotten, was really what makes her disappointed. Still, he looked very remorseful and she wasn't the type of person to beat on a dead Ponyta.
"It's fine Ash, people forget things all the time, it's no big deal." She did forgive him, and right now it seemed petty to held Ash over something so trivial. She glanced at him and sighed at the distance he was creating between them, so she shuffled closer to him and leaned towards him with a small smile on her face.
"Did you meant what you said in the restaurant?" Ash felt his face flushed red, recalling what he had said in the restaurant. To others, it was a heartfelt story about the longingness for a dear friend. To Ash, he felt like a bloody idiot for saying all those words so publicly.
"Every word. You were my best friend and in all honesty, most of my memories came flooding back when I saw the picture of us together." Serena felt her heart raced at those words, not fully believing that this was happening. It seemed like a dream for them to be reunited, but here they are right now, sitting together on a bench while waiting her mom to pick up her up. Not exactly what she imagined for their fateful reunion, but it will do.
"Which one?" Serena thought back to the numerous photos their mothers took of them together. Her mother Grace insisted that she and Ash should take pictures often in order to treasure the memories they shared together. Her persistent on the photos were annoying at first, but when Serena returned back home to Kalos, she finally realized what her mother was trying to do. Some nights when she had nothing to do or wasn't particular up to do anything, she would browse through some of the photos from her childhood. Reminiscing old times.
"The one where we are sitting near the flowers in the grass fields." Her sapphire eyes gleamed, she kicked her legs up in the air for a few seconds as she vividly recall the memory.
"I remember that, we were playing tag with each other because we got bored." The two of them managed to sneak away from main group of Professor's Oak Summer camp, finding their own fun and adventure. The rocky creeks and the different pokemon grazing on the field certainly brought on the feelings of nostalgia.
"Right and our moms came to find us because we were out for so long." They came running for them, covered in sweat and concern. Not only did they leave the group without telling anyone, they also lost track of time.
"Mhmm, that was your idea by the way. I got into so much trouble because of that." The lecture and harsh scolding her mother gave her was there, but ultimately she was relieved that she was unharmed. Though she did commented on her attachment to Ash, which undeniably make young Serena went red with embarrassment.
"Ehehe." Ash rubbed the back of his neck, man did his mom gave him an earful regarding safety and skipping school. Seeing Ash loosening up to her, she leaned towards his shoulders and rested her head on it. Not caring about intimacy or social etiquette when it comes to friends.
"I really missed you Ash. When I saw you walking towards our table in the cafe, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me, that there's no way you are in the same school that I was in. But when Korrina said your name and you started to talk, I knew it was you." Ash wordlessly leaned his head onto Serena's head, enjoying the silky surface of her hair that was nothing short of soft and smooth.
"Why didn't you say anything when you recognize me?" Serena bit her lower lip, how is she going to explain this? There were so many things going on inside her head when she first met Ash after all these years, the joy, the nostalgia, the disappointment, all these emotions all came crashing down on her.
"I was scared. I was afraid you won't remember me and I didn't want to make it awkward for both of us. That's why I pretended that I never knew you, hoping that one day you might remember me." Ash sat upright, leaving his head from the comfort of Serena's body. He hated it, he can imagine being Serena, the joy of seeing your close childhood friend whom you dearly missed quickly turned into despair when they don't recognize or remember you.
"I'm really sorry Serena I-" She shushed him quickly as she leaning back towards him, she glanced up the brilliant stars that decorate the night sky. It certainly brought back memories of Ash and her stargazing together under their comfy sleeping bags, with only their hands clasped together between them as they took turns to call out the different pokemon constellations.
"It's okay, all it matters now is that we're together." Ash nodded, following up Serena's gaze as he stared at the different constellations in the sky.
"Thank you."
"So together forever huh?" Serena's spoke in an amused voice, staring at him in a cheeky manner.
"Uh I meant it as a friend! You know we got separated and uh-!" He hoped that he didn't give her the wrong idea, he meant it as a friend, just a friend! Nothing more, nothing less.
"Just kidding Ash. I'm not going anywhere." Almost on queue, her mother's car drove up in front of her. She glanced at Ash for the briefest of moment before a wide smile plastered on her pretty face, seemingly recognizing him despite not seeing him for a decade.
"Mom? Well I guess I'm going home." Ash chuckled at her previous statement that was quickly refuted by her mother's arrival. Serena took her phone out and the two exchanged phone numbers, which made Ash realized that he never have Serena's phone number before this. The Kalos native nodded upon saving Ash's numbers in her contacts, glancing back at her mother who grinned at her efforts to take Ash's number.
"I guess I see you tomorrow?" Ash nodded as he stood upright, he was ready to walk back home once he was sure Serena entered the car.
"Yeah." Ash spoke while rubbing his shoulders, feeling very conscious over the fact Serena's mother is watching them.
"Good night Ash, it's really good to see you all these years." She watched him stand in pure awkward silence, his reluctant to say anything or trying any friendly gesture were so obvious. It did irritate her slightly at the fact Ash thinks she was still mad at him, which she was not.
"Same here." Deciding to surprise him, Serena leaned in and kissed his cheeks tenderly, feeling the sweet source of warmth emanated from his body. She took the oppurtunity to lean into his ear, whispering in a sensual voice that was hidden beneath her prim and proper stature.
"I still remember that promise you gave me." Ash's brain almost had a mental shut down upon the various stimulations going on within his body. With his cheeks flushed crimson red and his pupils dilating, he pulled back and glanced at Serena who grinned at him in a cheeky manner, seemingly holding on to that promise he gave her before she left Kanto. Unable to conjure up words that would make actual sense, he watched Serena walked towards her mother who seemed to be proud of her bold advances towards him.
Seeing the car going off into the distance, Ash smiled to himself in an accomplished manner. He wasn't sure what's the true intention behind her actions actually meant, but he was willing to let it slide for now. Maybe she was being coy, or maybe she was being serious. Either way, Ash felt indebted to her. Giving off a tired sigh, Ash pulled out his earphone and decided to listen to some tunes on the walk back home, with his mind still preoccupied with the sweet and tender kiss Serena gave him.
