Serena had needed a vacation. Of course she had responsibilities as the reigning Queen of Kalos, but after hearing about the rumors that Ash Ketchum, the boy she had loved (and still did, if she was being honest with herself), her heart just couldn't bear another performance. She had contacted her manager that very morning. Palermo hadn't been happy. And it wasn't as if Serena didn't understand why. She was the most famous performer in the world aside from Aria, former Queen of Kalos and close friend. She was expected to be the best of the best, and that took dedication and practice, as well as creativity and charm. That said, the season didn't start for another two months, and as she had told her manager, Serena wasn't going to be able to come up with anything if she couldn't focus. So when Palermo had asked Serena where she wanted to go, Serena didn't even hesitate before answering 'Kanto'. Of course Palermo had wanted to know why. And Serena's answer of 'the beach' didn't stop the inquisition even a bit. There were other beaches, such as those found on the island nation of Alola, she had argued. But Serena had insisted, and after hours of intense questioning, Palermo had relented and booked her a flight. A day later, Serena had landed in Vermilion city, renting a car and heading straight to Celadon city. Ok, that was a lie. The first thing Serena had done was visit Pallet town. She had wanted to pay her respects for a long, long time, but something had always come up. Even so, Palermo had worried over every stop Serena made, so the honey blonde couldn't just tell her that she was going to make an unscheduled stop in the smallest town in Kanto.

While paying her respects to Ash's mother, Delilah, Serena had run into Professor Oak. Serena had explained that she was a friend of Ash's, and the two of them had spoken for a few hours, reminiscing about the Wayward Champion. Then, Serena had driven to Celadon for some shopping. Of course, the selections at the superstore in Celadon couldn't quite match the those available at the greatest boutiques in Kalos, but that was neither here nor there. Serena delighted in shopping for new clothes, spending hours in the store. She needed Pangoro's help carrying all the bags to the car when she left, promising him all the macarons he wanted. Even though she enjoyed the time spent shopping greatly, a sense of sadness pervaded her thoughts as she left. So, she had immediately headed for Cerulean City, hoping that some time at the beach might calm her frayed nerves.

The drive lasted hours, giving her plenty of time to think, which wasn't a good thing. Because of course she would linger on the subject of her crush. She had tried many times to dispel the thoughts of Ash, but at this point she just let them run their course. And run their course they would. The entire drive, all seven hours, were spent thinking about Ash. About his smile, his dazzling eyes, his stubborn yet endearing attitude. No matter what she tried, or how much, Serena couldn't keep her thoughts off thought about how he had left, about the last time she had seen him. She smiled as she reminisced about their journeys through the Kalos region, frowned when she thought about how hard he had pushed himself in the world championship, and cried when she thought about the murder of his mother. She had hoped that traveling to Kanto might help, but she quickly realized that they had only gotten worse since leaving Celadon. As soon as she got to Cerulean City Serena checked in with the travel agency. They directed her to the beach house that she was to stay at for the next week or so, and she was relieved at the lack of attention she received. Here she was just Serena, a girl from the Kalos region here to enjoy some time in the sun. So she and her pokemon had headed straight for the beach, first stopping to drop her bags off at the beach house to drop her bags off. Exhausted from the walk from Cerulean, Serena had plopped onto the comfy couch in front of the television, flipping through channels until she found one that would tell her what to expect in terms of weather for the next few days. The last thing she wanted was for rain to spoil her beach vacation.

Tired from her trip and still dealing with the time zone difference, Serena soon found herself drifting off. She had wanted to jump right in to the water, but she supposed that a quick nap wouldn't hurt. And she couldn't have been more wrong.