Ash gazed upon the ruins of the battlefield, the aftermath of the intense battle of Bea's Clobbopus and Gary's Squirtle certainly left their mark. The initial stalling strategy Gary is prone to use was quickly disrupted by Clobbopus's powerful Brick Break ability, its small but muscle packed tentacles managed to strike Squirtle who was withdrawing into its shell, forcing it Gary to augment his strategy at the last minute. Between the close range combat and the failure to utilize Squirtle's Torrent at the last crucial second, Bea managed to secure a clutch victory from the Pallet Town native.
It made Ash happy at how in depth and methodical Bea's thought process was when attacking her opponents, she truly didn't underestimate the strength of her opponent and fully utilize their weakness and vital points to her advantage. That being said, he was not looking forward to the battle with the Galar native. He had fought the majority of his classmates and won most of them, as he expected. He won 22 matches out of the 30, and he still have 3 more matches to go.
"Paul, Conway and Bea." Ash jotted down the notes of his upcoming battle, he knew that Paul was difficult to defeat given that his Elekid is statically and mechanically stronger than his Pikachu. Conway had his elusive yet terrifying Duskull, making him a tricky and difficult opponent to go up against. His ability to inflict status inflictions such as Will-O-Wisp, Confuse Ray and Mean Look makes him a nightmare to go against, especially with his Pikachu who relies on speed and agility to dodge attacks.
"Bea." The battle with the Galar Native would be an extremely close one, it all boils down to his ability to maintain distance with Clobbopus and strike him from afar with long range electric attacks. Ash had already loss to Korrina's Riolu due to the powerful and unexpected Counter attack that cleaved through his Electro Ball strategy, a move that was no doubt inspired from his battle with her grandfather. He was initially salty of his defeat but an unexpected hug from Korrina did wonders to cheer him up. Besides, imitation is the greatest form of flattery. So Ash came to accept his lost and that Korrina outplayed him with his own attack.
As for the battle with his long time rival Gary, it was an interesting case to say the least.
"Well Ash it seems that we find ourselves here again." The raven haired teen stared at his long time rival and friend, feeling anxious at the thought of losing him again. He had high confidence that he could beat Gary and his supposed foolproof strategy, yet that confidence fell short upon witnessing his Squirtle absolutely decimating all its opponents. Hell, it even won against Paul and Trip, two of the best battler in class, at least to Ash's personal knowledge.
However, his diminishing self-confidence soon was boosted back up when he saw he's close friends cheering for him. Misty, Bea and Korrina all gave their usual dazzling smiles that perk him back up. Although, he secretly relishes these special moments between the girls, he knew one day he would have to face the music regarding their relationship with him, though that matter could wait for another day.
Now is time to kick Gary's ass.
"This time the result of the battle would be different." His adorable yet potent electric starter stood in all fours, not intimidated by the fact his opponent has a higher KD ratio than him. After their last battle with each other, Pikachu was determined to not fail Ash. He would utilized every fibre of his body and every inch of his electrical powers to ensure the Kanto water type faints from this battle.
"The 3 month hiatus had taught me much Ashy boy, Squirtle and I will crush you." Clearly the last 3 months did not teach him humility. His overconfidence would play well into Ash's hands, all he need to do was to make Gary think he has the upper hand and turn the tides of battle at the very last second to throw him off.
"I will believe it when I see it." Brawly glanced at his two students with great interest, he was surprised by the fact Ash and Gary shared a fierce rivalry with each other, but given they were once close friends who fallen out with each other, it was to be expected. With his watch striking 2 PM, the teacher from Hoenn decided to start the battle.
"The battle between Ash Ketchum and Gary Oak would now commence, trainers please stand at your respective corners." As the two trainers left for their own corners, Gary knelt down on his Squirtle and whispered to his ear, in hopes of not giving away his fear of losing to Ash.
"Beware of his Double Team Squirtle, Ash has grown crafty over the months." Ash's reliance on pure power and speed to dominate his opponent has shrink less and less. Now much like his peers, he utilize deception and the environment of the battle to his advantage. Normally it won't worry the Oak prodigy, but considering Ash had defeated most of his classmates with the same strategy over and over again, that means he had more unexpected tricks up his sleeves that was specifically meant for him.
"Begin!" With the thundering roar from his teacher, Ash decided to go on the offensive and engage first. Typically, going first on a pokemon battle means you are giving away your plan of attack to your opponent. Certain moves indicates you are setting up for a strategy such as Stat Raising, Status Infliction or Toxic Stalling just to name a few. So drawing the first move in a battle is risky, but the rewards is certainly worth it if you can pull the entire strategy off before your opponent could finish theirs.
"Pikachu Agility." Pikachu enhanced his speed with his innate electrical abilities, sharpening his reflexes and his body coordination. With the shimmering glow of white surrounding him, Pikachu felt the effects of adrenaline surging through his entire body.
"Withdraw into Rain Dance." Ash was not surprised when Gary decided to do the entire strategy again, if it ain't broke don't fix it right? Especially when it works so well against all of his classmates. This time Gary decided to use Rain Dance instead, which was peculiar because he would normally set that up later. As Ash mulled over his plan of attack, the heavens opened and a heavy downpour follow shortly. The indoor gym of their school had a retractable roof that was design specifically for pokemon battles, so while the rest of the students all huddle up for shelter. Ash and Gary weren't spared from the elements.
"Agility." The two pokemon were pretty much just giving each other the oppurtunity to setup their own buffs and strategy. Not a single attacking move has been called, which meant the two are even in terms of stamina and vitality.
"Same strategy over and over again." Misty eyed her roommate's battle with his long time rival, she had lost to Gary due to same type disadvantage and the fact she couldn't damage him with Water Type moves. Her Psyduck's psychic capabilities proved to be potent but alas, she wasn't able to break through his Rain Dance and Withdraw strategy. Hopefully, Ash has what it takes to defeat him.
"I'm sure Ash thought of a strategy, but he seemed to be just building up speed with Agility." Korrina patted Misty's shoulders and rubbed her owb bare arms soon after when she felt the water droplets from the rain splash onto her arms. Her Riolu snuggled nicely on her lap, he was tired after all the battles he has to go through. At the very least he beat his friend and rival Pikachu, now he can rub that to his face every time they battle each other.
'Electro Ball combo? Didn't Ash said he wanted to end the battle before Gary can get a full Rain dance setup?' Bea pondered on Ash's potential strategy against Gary. He stated that he wanted to end the match as soon as possible since Gary's Squirtle would grow in strength as the battle continues, but right now he is matching Gary's stalling strategy with his own.
"Agility again." Seeing his starter has reached his limits with his innate speed, Ash decided he put set his plan in motion. He ignored the frigid effects of the cold rain onto his soaked clothes and concentrated on the battle, as well as Gary's facial expression.
"Withdraw again." Squirtle's shell glowed blue before a veil of water covered it. It seemed that Gary had taught his Squirtle yet another form of defence. At the moment, it is an impenetrable fortress that could heal over time thanks to its ability Rain Dish. In addition, with its Water type power boosted by Rain Dance, Ash could see why most of his classmates failed to defeat Gary. If you do not one hit KO his Squirtle, he would just heal back.
"Double Team into Quick Attack." The art of deception, if you can't beat them, confuse them. With his Pikachu creating multiple clones on the battlefield, they all started to run around in circles in blazing speed. The blurry yellow streaks danced around the fields, pressuring Gary to make a move to calm his starter's anxiety. After all, seeing 12 Pikachus running around the battlefield with every intention of electrocuting you is horrifying.
"Rapid Pulse." Spinning its shell rapidly, Squirtle began to launch globes of concentred water around his surroundings, the high pressure waters effectively knocked most of the Pikachu's clones out, though the real Pikachu remains to be unseen.
"Jump into Electro Ball." The remnant of the Pikachu clones leaped into the air, with a bright glowing ball of pure electrical energy charging at the tip of their tails. As the powerful bright spheres of light hover in the air, Gary knew he needed to end the battle quickly to ensure the very Rain Dance he set up would not doom him.
"Torrent and Full power Water Pulse!" Surrounded in an aura that was coloured in the deep shade of navy blue, his starter fire off a large blast of pressurize water that pierce through the heavens. Such impact and power of the force shook the whole gym, but Ash was seemingly unfazed by the attack. After all, you can launch the most deadly attack in the world, but if it miss-
"They were all fakes?" Gary couldn't believe his eyes, his Squirtle put everything into that massive attack. If he destroyed all the clones then, where's the real one?
"Spark him!" The cackling sound of wild sparks seemed to taunt Gary, to his horror he found the real Pikachu charging towards his exhausted starter in full speed, bathing himself in pure electrical discharge that was enhanced by the rain and its own accelerated speed.
"Squirtle! Protect now." Ash grinned, he had specifically saved this move just for stallers like Gary.
"Feint into Spark." Pikachu effortlessly broke through the protective barrier of Squirtle, landing it's electrified body onto Squirtle. With it's defence shattered and its vitality spent, Pikachu unleashed its high volts of pure electrical energy onto the water type. With a wail of utter defeat by his Squirtle, Gary cursed when his starter fell to the floor unconscious with swirls on its eyes.
"Gary's Squirtle is unable to battle, Ash Ketchum wins." Ash grinned and ran towards his starter, hugging him tightly despite the discomfort of having his clothes sticking to his skin. Pikachu squirmed lightly before nuzzling his trainer's cheeks, ecstatic that they finally managed to knock Squirtle out.
"How? I thought I wiped out all the clones and the real one." Gary recalled his starter, meeting Ash in the middle of the battlefield. His fabulous hair is all soaked and now his clothes are soggy as well, he won't have mind this if he had won the battle, but now it seemed that his appearance and win streak is now ruined.
"You were so fixated on all the clones in the air, you failed to notice the real one that snuck pass you." Gary was too preoccupied with the all the fake Pikachu gathering their Electro Ball attacks in the air, that the real one managed to stay grounded.
"You could have use Feint on the start to ruin my strategy, why didn't you?" Feint works wonder on all forms of barriers and defences, so it was appalling that Ash didn't intercept his strategy and instead allowed him to do the full setup.
"Wanted to give you false confidence and hope." The look on Gary's face was priceless, Ash would treasure this moment dearly. Once the rain settled, a dry Brawly walked towards his soaking students grinned at how displeased they look. Trainers have to endure whatever strategy they setup with, so if you are using Hail or Sandstorm, you bet you are facing the harsh weather alongside with your pokemon. The only exception is when the environment is too dangerous, though moves like those are exceptionally rare.
"Dry yourself and rest up your pokemon. Your next battle would be at 2:30. Gary you would be battling against Goh. Ash you will be battling Paul next." Ash nodded, glancing at Paul who observed his battle with Gary in his stoic and calm manner. Their two eyes met before the purple haired teen gave a small smirk.
"Been looking forward to this Ash." Paul Shinji, the power obsessed trainer who values strength over everything. A remarkably intelligent and bright individual, Ash knew that the cold and callous teen would be an incredible hard matchup for him. His Elekid match his ambitions to dominate and obliterate others, you can say the two were a compatible match. Up to this point, Ash had never battled Paul. Which was odd considering Ash was certain he fought everyone in class, the most notable battles were with Sabrina, Giselle, Candice, Sawyer, Goh and Anabel. He has lost to them either due to type disadvantage or outplaying him with a gimmick or strategy.
"The battle between Ash Ketchum and Paul Shinji will now commence, trainers ready yourselves." Brawly was anticipating this battle between Ash and Paul for ages, the two had never officially fought each other despite their different ideals and beliefs. He was certain the two would lock horns with each other over their differences, but yet he has never seen the two interact with each other. So it would be interesting to see how the battle would play out.
"Begin!"
"Swift." Elekid began to fire a barrage of star shaped projectiles towards his Pikachu, homing into his speedy electric type starter. Seeing the homing attack closing in, Ash decided to match power for power.
"Thunder Shock the stars." The bright yellow lightning pierced through the projectile, almost hitting Elekid who nimbly dodged the attack by side stepping. Not surprise by the sheer power of Pikachu's attacks, Paul decided to take a different approach.
"Leer." Ash anticipated this, Paul seemed to keen on fighting him in close quarters by utilizing Elekid's physical prowess. If he can't get his Pikachu to distant himself from the Electric Pokemon, chances are he loses this matchup hard. With a gleam of its eyes, Pikachu winced under the mercy of the Leer attack, lowering his vitality in the process.
"Agility." In an attempt to create distance with the pokemon, Ash could only rely on creating space and pressuring Elekid from afar with Pikachu's attacks. It won't hurt him much since Elekid basically feeds off electric attacks, but it was his best shot at winning.
"Quick Attack." Matching the speed of his opponent, Paul calmly analyzed the situation and see what Ash would do. To his surprise, his starter seemed to can't catchup to Pikachu despite its enhanced speed. Perhaps he underestimate how powerful Agility is.
"Low Kick." Elekid used it excessive speed to perform slide tackle onto his starter, to which Ash had a perfect answer to.
"Pikachu Double Team." There it is, the annoying Double Team Strategy that Ash often used to confuse and annoy others.
"Quick Attack to destroy the clones." Leaping from the different clones, Elekid's fist glowed white as it pummeled the various Pikachu clones.
"Agility to hit and run." The real Pikachu managed to snuck a cheeky attack onto Elekid, knocking him to the floor from behind. It's clones started to disappear simultaneously, leaving the real one standing behind of him .
"Get in close and Low Kick." Ash narrowed his eyes, Paul was very keen on striking him down using physical moves.
"Spark." He decided to match him with an electric attack despite Elekid's resistance towards the attack. The two attacks collided and Elekid managed to be electrocuted by high voltage attack, though as expected, it didn't hurt it as much as Ash liked.
'He's not using electric attacks, he's aware of Pikachu's Lightning Rod. This battle is difficult for both of us.' Perhaps this battle is even after all, Elekid's electric attacks would boost Pikachu's power as well. Although truth to be told, he has never tapped into Pikachu's innate ability as he lacked the concentration and training to utilize Lightning Rod. It didn't help that the girls didn't own a electric pokemon who can enable Pikachu's Lightning Rod ability. And no, he would not ask Paul to be his sparring partner.
"Screech." The horrid shriek from Elekid threw everyone off, stunning Pikachu and his owner in the process. Seeing the moment of vulnerability from Ash, Paul decided to end the attack to prevent his Elekid from being worn out by the long drawn out battle.
"End it with Karate Chop!" Ash managed to calm and collect himself at the last second, shouting out a command at the very last second as his ears were still ringing from the loud shriek.
"Disengage with Agility." Pikachu's body glowed yellow before it perform a clutch back dash and landed in all fours. With the optimal amount of distance created, Ash decided to roll the dice and bank on his luck.
"Full power Thunder Shock." Pikachu placed his paws on his cheeks and started to unleash a large bolt of lighting that sliced through the air as it aimed for Elekid's body. Seeing the sheer power of the attack, Paul decided to gamble his starter's love for thunder and lightning to his advantage.
"Quick Attack and embrace it." To Ash's horror, Elekid met the powerful attack head on as it arms began to rotate rapidly, absorbing most of the attack as it charged towards Pikachu. With his starter's energy spent from the large excessive attack, Ash knew it was game over.
"Finish it with Karate Chop." With its defences severely lowered by Leer and Screech, Elekid managed to secure a powerful blow onto Pikachu, instantly knocking him out with one fell swoop. The sudden impact of the force caused the electric mouse to skid across the battlefield, returning Pikachu to Ash as it skidded towards him.
Ash sighed at his defeat but he did chuckle when he saw the swirls in Pikachu's eyes as it looked dazed, he did look derpy.
"Looks like your lack of type coverage doomed you." Paul spoke bluntly, giving his exhausted starter a pat on its head. He approached Ash in the middle of the battlefield, waiting for him to do the same for their mandatory handshake after battle.
"It seem so." Ash carried his Pikachu with one of his arms as he extended his other hand to shake Paul's hand who oddly offered his hand first.
"I suggest that your Pikachu should learn more physical moves. You have two fighting type trainers who can teach your Pikachu that." It was perplexing why Paul was giving him tips and pointers considering he never see eye to eye with him. Normally Paul would just wordlessly shake his opponent end and just walk off.
'I guess I did save his life.' The Braviary accident might have something to do with his somewhat friendly behaviour towards him.
"Thanks Paul." The normally stoic trainer gave a small nod before shaking his hand, leaving the battlefield with his Elekid walking next to him. Ash cradled his Pikachu in his arms and headed towards the infirmary after receiving Brawly's approval, he handed his starter to Nurse Joy who had her Audino with her. Once he was sure his starters was in good hands, Ash headed back towards the sidelines of the gym and was pleased to find his friends waiting for him.
"You did great Ash." He wasn't sad about his loss as he kinda expected it, but he won't complain when Misty, Korrina and Bea comforted him by giving him a small hug each. Though he did internally screamed in pure agony when his classmates stared at them with wide eyes, particularly the boys. They were uh, not happy.
He gave a rubbed their back gently, to signal them they should let him go given they were in public, to which they did so.
"Well I kinda knew I can't beat him, Elekid feeds off electric attacks, so a full power Thunder Shock didn't knock it out." It was pretty stupid of him to use an electric attack against an Elekid, but he didn't had a choice. Quick Attack could only do so much and Slam was well, Pikachu hasn't master that move yet. Maybe Tail Whip could have done some damage, even if its minor.
"We can teach your Pikachu a few Fighting type moves." Brick Break and Double Kick are the few fighting type moves Pikachu can learn, how he never taught Pikachu those two moves when he has Korrina and Bea tutoring him was certainly a mystery. Though he boiled it down that he never had to learn fighting type moves because his Electro Ball combo could easily sweep most of his opposition off. Paul was just the exception.
"Thanks girls." Misty scrolled through her phone for the Ash's next matchup, she and the others has finished their own exams since they were placed in different groups. She whistle in surprise when she saw the name of Ash's next opponent, this would be interesting.
"Your next battle is with Conway." The mere mention of his name drove shivers down the girls' spines, to which our ever observant Ash Ketchum noticed. He frowned lightly at the fact he had to battle him, not because he was afraid of losing to his elusive Duskull but because he fears his own emotions and anger would cloud his better judgement during battle. The thought of Conway stalking on girls while they are walking alone was terrifying, to Ash however, it boils his blood with anger. It didn't help that most of the girls Conway stalk was also his own friends.
"Dawn would be watching." Ash blinked staring at Misty who grinned at him. Why is she grinning? More importantly, why is he being nervous over the fact Dawn is watching him battle? She seen him battle a thousands of times, this time can't be any different right? Its just Dawn Ash, calm down.
"What? Shouldn't she be in her cheerleading club?"
"Dawn would only attend the club for a brief moment, she really wants to see you trash Conway." The implication and subtle meaning behind Misty's sentence was vague but Ash knew that him asserting dominance to Conway is of great importance to Dawn. It is to show that he is the alpha male, that Dawn is under his protection and to send a message to Conway that Dawn does not belong to him.
That or Dawn just want to see him destroy her stalker and shattering his confidence.
"Does Conway still bothers Dawn?" Korrina sighed and crossed her arms, she guessed that Dawn never told Ash of Conway's constant pestering. She could understand why though, given that Dawn has been through the harrowing experience in Eterna, she must have seen what Ash is capable of when her life is on the line. Perhaps the last thing Dawn wants is Ash getting expelled for her sake.
"She never told you? Conway always stays behind during her cheerleading sessions just to watch her, he even ask her out on a occasion even though she keep declining." The firm grip of his fists was visibly to the eye, Misty, Bea and Dawn glanced at each other, the sudden change of aura and mood from Ash was palpable. He seemed angry, pissed and maybe possessive? They couldn't say for sure, but Ash seemed to be seething in anger over Dawn's stalker.
"He's tough to beat though. He even defeated Bea too." Bea groaned, she can't believe she lost to him. Will-O-Wisp doomed her Clobbopus from the start and the constant Shadow Sneak assault just shuts her ability to gap close down.
"Clobbopus is a fighting type, so naturally he can't do much against a Ghost type. Frankly speaking I wish I can swipe his hand away when he wanted shake my hand. Freaking creep." The cocky smile and the lecherous gaze, if Bea could punch his smug face and get away with it, she would have done it in a heartbeat.
Misty shook her roommate's shoulders gently, surprised by how serious he was taking this. Was this the reason why Dawn never told Ash? The two had certainly grown much closer after the Eterna incident, so much so that Misty was certain that the two were-
"I will deal with him accordingly." The calm and collected tone from Ash was worrying, he sound like he could go on a murder spree and have no regrets. The girls wasn't too surprised by his protective nature over Dawn, though it was certainly justified given their close relationship with each other.
While waiting for Pikachu to be fully healed, the girls decided to stay behind to watch the Ash's battle while most of their classmates had left for their respective clubs. Amidst their conversation, Dawn came into the gym while still wearing her cheerleader clothing which uh, was certainly alluring to Ash's eyes. The blunette waved to her friends and sat next to him, giving Ash her brilliant bright smile in the process.
"Glad that I make it in time." As Ash was about to say something about Conway's pestering, when Mr Brawly used the megaphone to demand his presence.
"This battle Conway Kohei and Ash Ketchum would begin in 5 minutes, trainers please ready yourself." With a reluctant sigh, Ash hasten his footsteps and went towards the infirmary, only to find 12 Pikachu staring at him. He sighed at his starter's mischievous nature, though it seemed that Nurse Joy didn't mind his silly antics.
"Thanks Joyce, Pikachu we are up against Conway, you know that creep? Let's give our best and teach him a lesson." His starter converged into one and nodded at his trainer, it jumped onto his shoulders and waved good bye to the kind nurses who treated his wounds. After exchanging pleasantries with Nurse Joy and receiving a hair tousle from her, Ash and Pikachu left for the battlefield.
He glanced at the sidelines and felt sweat start to form on his forehead, not because it was the pressure to perform well and impress Dawn, but because she was cheering for him while wearing her cheerleading outfit. His own personal cheerleader so to speak, which drove his wild fantasies to the extreme.
'Get it together Ash, you're the creep now.' He cooled his head and stood at his side of the battlefield, narrowing his gaze upon his opponent who finally made his way towards his side of the field with his ominous Duskull floating next to him. Seeing that they have time before the actual battle starts, Conway decided to converse with Ash.
"So you're the boy who hangs out with Dawn and her friends." The tone of envy and displeasure was obvious to Ash's ears, he crossed his arms and set his steely gaze onto him.
"And you're the boy who stalks Dawn and her friends." The startled reaction from him was certainly amusing, almost as if he didn't expect Ash to be so forefront and direct about it. It was quite a known fact he was a creep of a stalker among the female students, though the school faculty has not done anything since it was unverified rumours and they lacked the evidence of his actions.
"I would not do such thing! How dare you accuse me of-" He sounded like the typical white knight you will meet online.
"Save your excuses for later Conway, we can settle this outside of school grounds." The cold and venomous tone of Ash's voice would give Seviper a run for its money. Which was quite unfortunate because Dawn and the rest of the girls were watching their spat from the distance, which made the blunette worry over what Ash would do to Conway. As much as she hates him, she didn't want Ash to go overboard with his actions.
"Uh is everything alright? Ash?" Brawly spoke awkwardly, he glanced the two students and was worried that they would start a fight, which was ludicrous because Ash was always a nice student who always helped others. To see him this riled up and angry was certainly unheard off.
"Brawly just start the match." The male teacher nodded slowly, it seemed that Ash has decided to thrown all pleasantries out the window and was itching for a fight. He glanced at his other student Conway and frowned, could it be that the rumours surrounding him be true? Was this why Ash was this angry?
"Okay then. Uh, you all can begin once I blow the whistle." Brawly sat back down on his chair and reluctantly blew his whistle, boy did Conway looked terrified despite his facade of confidence.
"Pikachu Thunder Wave." If Conway likes to play the Status Infliction game, Ash would be more than happy to match him. Duskull's endurance and speed are notoriously low, so Ash knew if he can trap into a corner or render his ability to disappear useless, Ash would win the battle. That being said, Duskull can handle Special Attacks relatively well, so one solid Thunder Shock won't be able to knock it out.
"Confuse Ray." Its eyes glowed red as a dazzling ray of red and purple light flashed repeatedly, confusing his Pikachu by affecting his cognitive abilities.
"Pikachu calm yourself, remember Riolu's teachings." His starter started to walk clumsily, hallucinating various objects and pokemon. However, flashes of Riolu's mediation techniques appeared in his mind and Pikachu started to calm himself down, remembering the feeling of tranquility and peace he felt during his quaint mediation with the Aura pokemon. The sound of the Starlings, Ash and Korrina laughing as they skate about and the sound of the wind tussling the leaves of surrounding trees-
"Will-O-Wisp." Not giving Pikachu the chance to recover from the attack, Duskull unleashed an ominous orb of spirit fire to Pikachu to which Ash had a perfect counter to repel the attack.
"Light Screen." Pikachu's eyes glowed blue and bended the molecules in the air to form an electrified barrier, dispelling his confusion and blocking the fatal Will-O-Wisp attack. Korrina and her Riolu started to clap and cheer, which caused the rest of her friends and classmates to stare at her blankly, wondering why were they so excited. Her starter and her halted their excited cheers before blushing in red, not realizing they were getting away with their excitement.
"Wait your Pikachu knows-" It seemed that he managed to catch Conway off guard with his newly learnt move, Ash had noticed from past battles that while Conway is a brilliant tactician and strategist, he's inability to adapt to situations and improvise on the spot seemed to be his main weakness.
"Thunder Shock" Using Conway's shock to his advantage, Pikachu's Light Screen subsided and he launched a wicked bolt of lighting towards Duskull.
"Brace it Duskull!" Ash narrowed his eyes, what the hell is he thinking?
"Payback!" Ash muttered a curse word when Duskull's body started to glow orange as it was being electrocuted by Pikachu's lightning attacks. It soon cackled evilly and disappeared into nothingness, which made Ash realized that fighting a ghost type is a freaking nightmare.
"Double Team." Pikachu spitted himself into 12 clones, each of them running around the battlefield in a spiralling pattern to further confuse everyone. Misty however squealed at the sight of 12 adorable Pikachu running around, which made the other girls wondering what the hell is wrong with her.
"Foresight to find the real one." The Requiem pokemon reappeared and the orange aura that surrounded him had started to fade away, it seemed that his Payback attack is wearing off. The ghost type's eyes glowed purple as it narrowed it gaze down to the real Pikachu, which it quickly locked onto. It homed in onto his Pikachu in quick blazing speed, which utterly surprised Ash.
"Thunder Shock!" Pikachu unleashed a torrent of electrical discharge onto the Duskull which seemed to stop his attack half way. It confused Ash at first before he realized the hilarious broken ability known as Thunder Wave kicked in.
"Duskull use Pursuit quick!" Seeing his starter taking the electrical attack in full force and the fact he didn't land Payback to make his sacrifice worth it, Conway was panicking his commands. His ghost type pokemon decided to give it his all and charged towards Pikachu, ignoring the numbing feeling inside its hollow body.
"Converge and Electro Ball." Because Conway didn't destroy his copies, all the fake Pikachu started to jump in the air and formed Electro Ball, similar to how they fought Gary's Squirtle. They immediately hurl the small of lightning orb gathered at the tip of their tail towards Duskull before the real Pikachu sent his own Electro Ball to the distracted pokemon, knocking it out immediately.
"Conway's Duskull is unable to battle, Ash Ketchum and his Pikachu wins." Brawly shouted the results, staring at his two students that are forced to shake each other's hands. Ash patted Pikachu's head and allowed him mount his shoulders as usual before walking towards the middle of the field, his firm and serious expression on the face alarming Conway immediately. Reluctantly, he recalled his Duskull and walked towards Ash, extending his shaking hand towards the Kanto native.
"Bother Dawn or any of the girls again, and I will be stalking you instead." He spoke lowly, not wanting anyone else to listen into their conversation which perked Dawn's interest over what Ash is saying. She gave out a cheer when her roommate managed to beat Conway, but that joy was swiftly replaced by sense of weariness when Ash started to walked towards Conway with a stoic expression painted on his face.
"I would never-" Ash's steely gaze silence Conway, who seemed to understood Ash's intentions. He cursed inwardly and nodded, not wanting to mess with the normally kind and laidback trainer who does not invite trouble. He went all out on him, and Conway knew Ash had the balls and the will to walk the talk considering he fought a Braviary face to face.
"Good, glad that we have a mutual understanding." Satisfied with instilling fear onto Dawn's supposed stalker, Ash watched him scurry off to the infirmary before Pikachu patted his head. Good grief why is he so edgy and angry? He sighed and rubbed his starter's head, he can't let his emotions control him like this, this was a first for him. Probably because he never had a friend he cared so much for before, Dawn was important to him.
More important than he care to admit.
The Pallet Town native walked towards his friends and smiled when he saw Dawn running towards him, the giddy smile on her face was an indication that she was impressed by the results of the battle. In the corner of his eyes, he spotted Serena who seemed to be done with her performer class. It seemed that she also witness his glorious battle with Conway.
"Ash! You did great! You really surprised me with Light Screen, didn't know Pikachu know that!" The electric mouse gave a cute smile when Dawn pinched his cheeks, causing Ash to smile in amusement. He glanced towards Korrina's Riolu and patted his head, almost touching Korrina's chest due to the fact she was holding him in her arms. Admittedly, the Kalos blonde blushed at the close proximity though she didn't complain, not one bit.
"It's thanks to Korrina's Riolu." The roller skating enthusiast beamed a prideful smile, relinquishing the praise that seemed to secure Ash's battle over Conway. The boy named after a burning residue chuckled at Korrina's expression before staring at Dawn, frowning slightly over Dawn's situation.
"Conway won't bother you again Dawn, I make sure of it." The blunette blinked when Ash approached her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. She stared down at her sneakers, not willing to look him in the eye.
"Who told you that?" The roommate from Kanto sighed and placed his hand on her head, patting them softly as he leaned in closer to her. Such affection was not uncommon between the two in private, but given they were in public with their friends eyeing them, Dawn wasn't exactly fond over her current situation.
"Don't keep secrets from me alright? If anything or anyone is bothering you, please let me know. If its within my capabilities then I will help you. Same goes to all of you, we're friends, there's no need to keep your worries and troubles to yourself." The confident and stern tone made the girls nod wordless, surprised by the authoritative yet kind voice that came from Ash's mouth. In retrospect, Ash has always been reserved with how much he cares for others, often displaying his care and affection through actions rather than words. So for him to say these heartwarming words out loud to all of them was special in their own way.
"T-Thanks Ash, I just don't want to bother you with my own problems." The innocent and undeniably adorable tone from Dawn really made Ash wish he could hug her right now and stroke her hair reassuringly, just like the time in Eterna. He settled with a lean of his forehead against hers, displaying his warm hazel brown eyes that showed his compassion and kindness that was hidden behind his laidback attitude.
"Your problems essentially become mine considering I'm living with you. If you're in a bad mood, I'm in for a bad time too." He ended up in a chuckle to dispel the solemn and emotional mood, but Dawn knew Ash was using the "I am your roommate" as an excuse to help her. If she had to be honest, she was scared that if she told Ash about Conway's constant pestering, he might view her as a nuisance, a girl that he has to constantly protect. She had already relied on him too much, anymore request from him and Dawn will feel she was using him for her own personal benefit. What if he decides that she was a burden to him? She couldn't afford to lose their friendship after all the experience and bonding they have with each other.
Between the tense atmosphere, Brawly rubbed the back of his neck as he didn't want to ruin the mood between his students. He sighed and walked towards them with his electronic tablet in his hand.
"Uh Ash? Bea? Your next match would be coming up soon, both of you would be battling each other." The Galar native nodded and glanced at Ash who finally let go of Dawn, seemingly embarrassed that his teacher caught them. He gave his teacher a curt nod before looking at her with a small smile on his face.
"Don't hold back Ash." She spoke in her usual confident tone, grinning when Ash flipped his hair in a flamboyant and exaggerated manner.
"I never do." She responded that by flicking his forehead with her index finger gently.
"Congratulations Bea, you got first place." Ash sat next to our beloved Galar native on the stairwell that lead to their entrance of the school, the evening sun has just started to make its grand appearance, with the bright blue skies now dimming into a light shade of yellow. The silence from his friend worried Ash as he poked her shoulders, surprised at the fact the warm sunlight was reflected in her gray eyes. It seemed that she was preoccupied with her thoughts, but that only give Ash a chance to admire her beauty.
"What's wrong? Aren't you happy that you got first in our exam? You won the most matches in our class." Their inevitable final showdown between the two ended in Bea's victory. She outsmarted him by using Feint against Pikachu's Light Screen attack, breaking his defences and landing an assault of attacks onto his pokemon. Ending the battle rather quickly which was rather anticlimactic to Ash, where was the epic showdown between friends?
Bea glanced at Ash and smiled, wrapping her knees with arms as she stared at the quiet streets of Jubilife city.
"I am happy but, my parents aren't here to see it." The Kanto native wordless nodded, right he couldn't have forgotten the issue with her parents. No doubt that their negligence and unwillingness to come back to see her must have wounded her deeply. Beneath the tough tomboyish look, Ash knew full well Bea was quite sensitive to how people treat her.
"Oh, I'm sure they would be happy with the results when they return." He played the fool card and pretend to not know about her situation with the parents until she brings the conversation up. It's better not to say something that might piss her off.
"Ash? I want to tell you something." Hmm on second thought, perhaps she was ready to bring the conversation up with him. He sighed inwardly, man was he not ready for this conversation. All he wanted to tell her was that her parents are assholes and they don't deserve her, but the more social competent side of him begged him not to say that.
"Go on." He spoke in a reassuring tone, rubbing her shoulders softly. He came to realized that physical affection seemed calm Bea down, whether is it exclusive to him alone or anyone in general was a mystery. Gathering her confidence, she leaned her head towards Ash's shoulders, not caring if members of the public catch them in the act.
"My parents and I, we had an argument. They are- sorry, it's hard to explain." He rubbed her shoulders soothingly, sighing at the fact that it was really about her parents. He decided to forgo the veil of ignorance and tackle the situation head on.
"It's alright, I know already know." Bea sat upright and stared at him incredulously, was Ash psychic? Of all the people in this world, Ash seemed to understand her the most so she wasn't too surprise if he knew about the private conversation with her parents.
"Y-You do?" Ash nodded cautiously, he had to be careful with what he say here. Not the first time he has been in this situation, so he garnered enough past experience to handle delicate subject like these.
"Gurkinn told me actually." Bea nodded, she gave a wry smile before giving a sigh.
"So he does know, go figure." She wasn't too surprised, her parents probably told Gurkinn that they won't be coming back and Gurkinn asked for the reason.
"It's not your fault alright? No parents in the world should abandon their child over an argument." Bea nodded, she needed to hear that. She wanted people to tell her that what her parents is doing is wrong, but given that the harsh punishment she has endure when growing up, she thought she grew immune to her parent's methods of punishment.
"I always wanted to make them proud, that's why I always train hard. I want their approval, to make them happy that they have a daughter like me." Arceus this was hard to listen, Ash didn't know what he could say to her. His own mother has always express how proud she was to have him, so he grew under a loving and caring mother who shower him with affection and praise. Bea's upbringing was drastically different from his own, so what on earth could he say to her?
"Bea listen, you are an amazing person. You're parents shouldn't be the one who dictates your career and life. You have your own path you want to follow and you should go for it. I know that you love your parents Bea but, maybe its time you sit down with them and discuss about your future. What you want to do." Bea glanced at Ash, what she wants to do? Her father would never approve of it. "You are a talented trainer, don't let it go to waste." that is what he will say.
"I love battling people, the challenge, the glory and the adrenaline, everything that comes with it. But I want to do it my way, I don't want to be a heartless monster who only thinks about winning, I want to have fun and make friends with the people I lost or won against. You taught me a lesson of what it means to be a trainer. I want to guide others to achieve their potential and encourage them to do their best, to never give up in the face of adversity."
"Ash I want to be Gym Leader, not some World Champion. But a gym leader who can help young budding trainers grow and nurture them to be just and kind. That's my dream, and it always have been. But my parents always said that I am made to be a champion, to become Galar's unbeatable champion."
"Becoming a gym leader that guides young trainers to reach their full potential is a noble act. I will be more than happy to support your decision. I'm sure your parents would understand your ambitions too if you sat down with them and explain your passion of becoming a gym leader to them." Explain to them? Bea shook her head as she leaned onto Ash's shoulders. They have spent years to drill her to become the unbeatable champion of Galar, to throw all years of investment and time onto her just to chase after her own dreams seemed to be unfathomable to them. They would definitely disprove of her decision and look at her in disgust and disappointment.
"Ash, I don't think my parents even want to see me anymore." Ash narrowed his eyes, why? Why does someone as kind and noble as Bea have such horrid parents? He didn't expect them to support her dream without resistance, but at the very least, you will listen to your own child and let them prove their dedication to their craft to them right?
"After this."
"Huh? Bea stared at Ash's serious gaze, his brown hazel eyes that reflected much of the orange sunlight. Which oddly enough, it made her crave chocolate ice cream. She gave a yelp when Ash clasped her hands, staring at her with the firm and affirmative look that sooth her worries.
"After when our exam results have been finalized, let's go see your parents." Her face flushed red, why does it sound like he's proposing to her! She took deep breaths before she scolded herself over her own intrusive thoughts.
"W-Wait what?" Ash smiled at her reaction and the flushed cheeks, good Arceus did she look adorable when flustered.
"They have to return back to Sinnoh sooner or later, when that day comes, bring me with you to see your parents. I'm sure you father would like to have a word with me." So this is what its about, Ash was feeling guilty for her parent's negligence towards her. She sighed and held his hands softly, fully aware they looked like a couple in the eyes of others.
"Ash I don't think you should-"
"I will persuade him, if not with words, then with force. To show him that you can be a powerful trainer without the need to sacrifice emotions or compassion. We can make him understand that being a pokemon trainer isn't just about winning, its about improving ourselves for the betterment of others." Bea averted her gaze, why does he look so cool now? She never thought of Ash as cool before, more of cute but now he looked so dazzling and charming. The choice of using his deeper tone also didn't help much to convince her to think otherwise either.
"I- why? Why are you so insistent on helping me?" Ash blinked at the conflicted emotions laced behind her eyes, she seemed to shocked that he was willing to help her out. He paused and pondered that question himself, why was he so keen on help Bea?
"I don't want you to be sad, I want you to love your life happily. To be proud of who you are, there's no need for you to be chained to the pressure and wild ambition of your parents. Simply put, I guess I just want all of us to hangout with each other with no strings attached. That's kind of selfish of me aright?" He rubbed the back of his neck, the sheepish smile painted on his face showed his embarrassment. He was surprised when Bea entwined her fingers with his, pulling them close to her chest. Her brilliant pearl coloured eyes that showed her usual determination and confidence now was something unreadable and indescribable, yet it was nothing short of beautiful.
"Selfish? You're the least selfish person I know Ash. Meeting you and the others has been the best thing that has ever happened to me. I get to have fun and be myself you know? I really craved for friends like that when I was in Galar, now I have them. The best of friends who would support me." He let her leaned into him, which wasn't good considering he could feel the effects of an attractive female pinning onto his body. Horny thoughts asides, he thought about Bea's words and smiled at how grateful and sincere she was with her words. He supposed that it was fate that they all met each other, after all, they were an odd group of friends who have different interests and dreams.
"What happened to day cannot be shared with the others, you hear?" The tomboyish tone came back in full force, and so was her loud and confident demeanour. The Kanto native felt her leave his body as she crossed her arms in a seemingly defensive manner, which made her all the more adorable since she was pouting.
"Yes ma'am."
"Good. I'm hungry now so, let's go to the cafe. My treat." She was certainly quick to change her mood and drop the topic. He averted his gaze just slight when she stood in front of him, giving him a clear view of her curves.
"Eh are you sure? You've been paying for my dinners and snacks-" Bea cut him off, already making her way towards the cafe of their interest.
"Shut up, I'm in a good mood. This would be the last time anyway." Ash sighed before he broke into a smile, Bea was certainly shy around her emotions. It was cute in his own way, but the fact she trust him so much by opening her own familial troubles and aspiration was flattering. It felt like an honour that he was able to have this deep bond with her. With that being said.
Ash knew that this wouldn't be the last time Bea treating him to desserts.
"Sorry I'm late." Ash sat across her, with a small embarrassed smile on his face. He was sweating due to the fact he ran all the way here. He calmed his breathing when he saw a cup of Galarian tea in front of him, it seemed that she has preemptively order food and drinks for him already.
"No worries. I heard that Bea got the highest score in the exam." She leaned in with her hands placed on her cheeks, eyeing him with a small smile on her face.
"Yeap she did." The smile or pride hung on his face, proud that Bea has achieved number 1 after all the training and effort.
"You look good in that." The unexpected compliment made him flushed red, he rubbed the back of his neck when he heard the familiar and dare he say adorable giggle from her. He steeled his nerves down, internally chanting various sentences to calm down.
'Why am I so nervous? I hung out with the girls alone before, why is being alone with Serena so different?' He stared at the honey blonde who was sipping on her drink, replying a message in the meantime. The Kanto native concluded that because Serena and him never hangout privately before, it seemed out of place for them to be alone. They always were in a group whenever they interacted with each other, so being alone with his pretty childhood friend was definitely unnerving.
"So uh, why did you invite me for dinner?" Ash spoke absentmindedly when the waiter place his food in front of him, it seemed that Serena ordered grilled butter dory fish with a hint of lemon juice sprinkle on top of it.
"We never had a chance to properly catch up. You're always busy with the girls." She spoke lowly, seemingly trying to imply something.
"Sorry, these past few weeks has been hectic." The constant sparring sessions with Bea and Korrina, as well as his own studies. He didn't have much free time outside of school, sparring and studying.
"I know, I know the exams right? Bea and Korrina needs their sparring partner at all times." The two had improved much, hell they even beat him in battle now. Looks like his role as their sparring partner would come to an end since they outgrown and outskilled him. Funny, he should be happy that they are better than him but now he feels sad that they no longer needs him.
"They are better than me now, I don't think they need this sparring partner for much longer." Ash chuckled as he cut a small piece of the fish. The honey blonde smiled and placed her utensils down, crossing her arms at Ash's words.
"They need you, trust me." Ash caught onto to the hidden meaning behind her words before placing his own utensils down. He knew something was up when she invited him to have dinner with her, at first he thought it was to catch up on old times, but now it seemed that she has an ulterior motive behind the meeting.
"Serena you- what's going on? What are you implying?" The honey blonde teen seemed to hit the nail on this one, she sighed and placed her napkin on the table, avoiding her gaze with the boy whom she had a crush on for the longest time. She summoned her courage and took a deep breath, gathering her composure and steeling her nerves.
"How do you feel around us Ash? The girls." Ash almost wanted to jump out of the nearby window, to think Serena would ask this question so directly to him. He would have played the fool card and pretend be dense and an idiot, but he knew that sooner or later has to confront this issue head on, it was a matter on time. He gave a long exaggerated sigh and rubbed the back of his neck, thinking of what he could possibly say to her. How did he feel around the girls?
"I-I feel happy. I can be myself without needing to change my personality. I'm comfortable being around all of you, I can joke around and be honest with all of you. You girls, make my life more interesting, more fun and free." Serena nodded, seeing the sincerity from his voice. She expected that much, the Ash she knew has always been honest and kind. She was glad that he didn't felt pressured to augment or change his personality just to fit in with the group.
"I see." Ash observed Serena's response, she seemed to be satisfied with his response. It made him wonder if Serena secretly planned for this meet up, perhaps it was a conversation she always wanted to have with him, but they never had the oppurtunity to discuss. The Pallet Town native calmed his nerves by drinking the Galarian Breakfast tea, feeling the warmth and aroma of the fragrant tea soothing his anxiety.
"And you?" Serena glanced at Ash, surprised at the fact he was willing to continue their discussion given that she just asked him something very personal. She was honestly prepared for Ash to give her the cold shoulder, it took her weeks to gather the courage to ask him about this delicate topic.
"How do you feel when you're around the girls?" Serena leaned behind her sofa, eyeing the view of the towering skyscapes of Jubilife city through the window.
"At first I was overwhelmed with the amount of people in the group but over time I grew to like all of them. They have such different personalities yet they are so fun to hang round with. I'm glad to be around them." The small adorable smile on Serena's face was certainly precious, the raven haired teen nodded and glanced at the view Serena was enjoying, watching the different shades of orange and yellow decorating the evening skies.
"That's good, as long as everyone is happy." Serena stared at Ash, watching the evening sunlight bathing his muscular tone body that he gained from the numerous gym sessions with Bea. She admired his brown hazel eyes and the unruly jet black hair that she grew to like ever since from childhood. His bright red jacket fitted him like a glove, a sense of maturity and coolness that was nothing short of handsome.
"Is that why?" Ash turned to Serena, prying his eyes away from her large bust that begged his attention. He focused on his sapphire eyes that showed her kindness and bubbly personality, except this time, her eyes seemed hurt, which alarmed his greatly.
"What do you mean?" Serena leaned forward and grasp his hand, pulling it towards the middle and firmly holding it in place. He watched her struggle to get her words out, but he was willing to give her time, they have all the time in the world right now.
"What do you see us as Ash?" Ash felt his brain mentally shut down as he can hear the Windows XP shutdown sound in his head. Fortunately for the numbskull, his brain rebooted quickly and processed Serena's sentence. He rubbed his face with his hands, the slightly exaggerated actions made Serena worry that she might had broke him.
"You're asking me a really difficult question Serena." The sentimental and solemn tone from Ash made Serena panicked, he wasn't even looking at her anymore. She waved her hands in the air, gripping his hand to her as she gently rubbed them with her own.
"You don't have to answer! I just want to know. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pressure you." Ash smiled in amusement when he saw the spitting image of Korrina saying the exact same thing during their first skating session with each other, which inevitable resulted in revealing his injuries and him falling down like a bumbling idiot. As for Serena's difficult question, he didn't held it against her for asking him something so personal and complicated.
Because he knew she likes him as well.
"To be honest, I don't know. All of you are great friends but anything more than that might just cut the thread loose you know? I don't want the dynamic of the group to change." It was the same reason why he didn't want to date his roommates Dawn and Misty or at the very least, develop feelings for them. It would just make the other person awkward and he certainly didn't want to ruin their friendship they managed to form with each other. Ash knew full well if he dated one of the girls in the group, they would either be infighting or the group would slowly dissolve. It's better to maintain a platonic relationship with everyone and just stay as friends.
"You don't want others to get hurt right?" Ash held the handle of his cup, feeling the warmth of the tea through the porcelain tea cup.
"Pretty much. I never thought that I would end up in this situation you know? But gradually, I started to realize that I might need to confront this sooner or later." He should had stop this long ago, he should have maintained a strict distance with the girls and avoided any form of misunderstandings. Instead, he subconsciously hug them, tease them and openly invite them to flirt with him. At first, it was to fuel his own ego as the only guy in the group, but overtime he realized that these girls started to hangout with him more and more, till the point where he realized that they wanted his attention and time solely just for to spend time with him.
Dawn and Misty especially had the oppurtunity to curl up with him during cold rainy nights. Their excuses were borderline pathetic and predictable, but he welcomed their advances nevertheless. The scent of their shampoo and the soft and supple warmth their skin provided when they leaned to him was addicting, hell he craved for it. The tight cheerleader outfit and the swimsuit they often wore around him made him very conscious of his roommates incredible curves and slender body. It was almost unfair that they such a potent effect on him.
Korrina often held his hands and his waist whenever they go skating with each other. Often playing the mentor card, she would find some excuse to hold on to him while they skate together to ensure he doesn't injure himself, even though he got the basics of roller skating down to the letter. Arceus forbid their ice cream eating session with each other after skating, she would usually lick his ice cream in a provocative manner just to have a taste of it, even if she had tasted that flavour hundreds of time. It was just straight up teasing and flirting on her part, although calling her Korri probably didn't help to dissuade her advances towards him.
Bea was well the most reserved amongst the girls but that didn't mean she didn't openly flirt him with him. Gym sessions has became weird, she would help him to practice bench press and position her breast directly above his face. Sometimes if he was unlucky enough, Bea would pull her shirt up to wipe the sweat off, showing her tone abs and sport bra to him in the process. Occasionally, during dinner, she would scooch up to him and scroll through her social media on her phone without alerting him. These cues and signs are subtle but Ash noticed that she was beginning to be more bold and bold with her advances, to the point where Ash could say it was teasing. Arceus those tan lines.
Why does he have a thing for tan lines?
All and all, Ash understood his position is both lucky and unfortunate because ultimately, he had to made a choice. Being an indecisive person himself, Ash was pretty bad at choosing life choices. He often go with whatever life and fate throws at him, which explains why he's lack of competitive and assertive nature. It was through external influences that he was forced to react to the various situation life throws at him, which made him for more confident and outgoing. That however, didn't change his indecisive nature.
"If you have to choose-"
"I can't." His firm and unyielding voice made Serena bit her lower lip, her initial jealous mood swiftly turned into one of sympathy. She stood up and sat next to him, scooching closer next to him as she leaned her head onto her shoulders. Why is she doing this? Was she competing for his affection with her friends? Such intimacy would have normally made Ash blushed and be nervous, but right now, he seemed confused more than anything.
"Serena you-" He felt her arms wrapped around his left arm, whether she did it deliberately or not, he could feel her breast pushed against his arm. Unfortunately for Ash adolescent brain, his hormones doesn't know when to calm down even in emotional and heavy conversation such as these.
"Sooner or later, the girls will approach you. Dawn is being very honest with herself Ash, she's not even trying to hide her feelings anymore. Bea and Korrina are just using skating and gym as an excuse to get close with you, and I'm sure Misty flirts with to you from time to time." Ash attempted to retort but stopped when he realized that everything Serena said was true. He sighed and found comfort onto Serena's body, he leaned his head against her head and stared the the half empty plate of his food.
If he had to absolutely honest, Dawn was the one where he felt the most affinity for. Maybe it was because she was the most open and affectionate among the girls, but seeing her half naked body submerged in the onsen and having her magical hands massaging his sore body when he was injured certain brought on the feelings of intense stimulation to him.
Yeah he was turned on by Dawn.
But more than physical attractiveness, it was also her bubbly spirit that really get him going. She was a hard worker and train her coordination skills whenever she can while at the same time, she would occasionally play League with him, though being a Talon one trick himself, it was hard to compete the midlane with Dawn who only wanted to spam Katarina and Akali.
She was willing to share much of her past with him, opening up her fears and insecurities during late nights when Misty is fast asleep. It was these special moments he shared with her that made Ash question was he in love with the blunette despite the fierce promise to himself.
His train of thought was broken by Serena nuzzling the crook of his neck. He sighed as he focus on the girl next to him, she seemed to be happy and in content over the fact she gets to savour his warm embrace like this. Part of him wondered how long did Serena waited to do this, she seemed to be enjoying hugging his arm with her breasts pushed against it.
"I know that we don't hangout that often and you might think I'm lying, but I'm very fond of you Ash Ketchum. Ever since we were kids, I have crush on you. I guess you could say that my crush has become something more hehe." Ash held Serena's arm to him, how did she felt when she realized that the other girls also liked him? Serena arguably liked him for the longest time, how was this fair to her now that he have to make a choice between 4 others girls? Almost as if she sense his conflicting thoughts, Serena spoke softly.
"Ash I'm not trying to pressure you to make a choice but, personally, I really want an answer so that I can move on. I don't want to get my hopes up." The distraught in her voice was heartbreaking, he held her shoulders firmly and stared at her firmly.
"Serena, don't do this to yourself. There's other boys in the performance class who are way handsome and talented than me right? What do you girls even see in me anyway?" He was dumbfounded that the girls often hung out with him because initially, he did persuade the girls to hang out with the other students, to make more friends and extend their social circle. But to his surprise, all of them only stuck to their original friend group, so they managed to compress their free time and spend it with him.
Not that he was complaining.
"I don't speak for everyone, but personally I see what you don't see in yourself Ash, you're nice and selfless, always placing the needs of others before yourself. You strive to help others and make them happy. You're always one to own up to your own mistakes, acknowledging them and ensuring you apologize for it. Look I can go on Ash, but this isn't necessary about me. You should ask them yourself." The conflicted look on Ash's face didn't help sooth Serena's anxiety, it was unfair to ask Ash these questions given he had never dated before. But she knew that if she doesn't bring this conversation to him, everyone would inevitably get hurt when they graduate.
"Ash?" He stroke her hair softly, finally showing a hint of emotion that wasn't conflicted or confused.
"Give me time, give me time to sort out my feelings first." Serena nodded and felt Ash's soft lips pressed onto her forehead, she closed her eyes in pure bliss and happiness over the unexpected tender kiss. Her bright sapphire blue eyes gazed at Ash, she could tell he was conflicted and confused but there also a hint of determination, the determination to clear his head and to sort out his feelings with the girls he called friends. She felt ecstatic when he brushed her fingers on her bare shoulder, feeling the sensation of pleasure and warmth.
"Let me walk you home." His voice was deep and soothing, melting her beating heart and reddening her beautiful pale face. The two exited the restaurant once they finish paying, with Ash grasping Serena's hand to him as they walked in silence underneath the blanket of bright stars.
