Serena hadn't slept so well in ages. Her drowsiness slowly took over her body as she lay in bed, feeling peaceful. The bed felt extra comfy that night.

The next morning, she woke up earlier than usual. Serena, after spending a while out on Ash's balcony, retreated to her room for the night. She was currently alone, with Ash only a few rooms away.

Just knowing the boy was within walking range made her heart buzz. Plus, from today onwards, she'd be traveling with him until they decide to stop. Knowing Ash, he would never stop adventuring.

"I've got stuff to pack. Everyone, come out!" Serena exclaimed, unclipping the three pokeballs around her belt.

A Delphox, Pancham, and Sylveon popped out. The three greeted their trainer with excitement. Ever since Serena had become Kalos Queen, these three were extremely lively.

"Don't make too much noise, guys," Serena warned with a finger to her lip. Although the room was soundproof, Serena wasn't a fan of loud noises.

"Help me bake some treats, we're heading out for a while," Serena said to them with a smile. The pokemon seemed confused by her words and voiced their confusion.

"Well," Serena cleared her throat, trying not to blush, "I met Ash again, and we decided to travel to Lumiose City to visit Bonnie and Clemont."

The three pokemon screamed in shock and delight. They remembered Ash well, with all the traveling they did. The teenager's pokemon were also grateful to him for helping Serena with her dream.

Sylveon eagerly wrapped its feeler around Serena's hand. A warmth enveloped the girl.

'Where is he?' Sylveon asked.

Serena, across the years, had learned to communicate with Sylveon this way.

'He's in his hotel room across the hall.' Serena replied. Sylveon jumped a bit.

'I want to see him again.'

Serena giggled. Her pokemon seemed to be as eager as her to see Ash again.

Serena gently released herself from the feeler, "We can meet him after freshening up and baking some poke puffs. Ash was telling me about how delicious they used to be."

She raised a fist into the air with great gusto. "Let's show him just how much they've improved!" Her pokemon responded with their roars.

The teenager had the most fun she'd had in a while with her pokemon as she baked. While the three did help tremendously, they were also the cause of a lot of chaos. Serena didn't mind that, though- As long as she and her pokemon were having fun.

By the time the poke puffs were done, two hours had passed. The sun had risen, and the day had truly begun with a blast. Literally.

The kitchen was a scrapyard of random dough bits scattered across the cabinets, counter, stove, and even on the ceiling. Fruits were cut and splattered everywhere, and the icing packet was destroyed.

Serena couldn't help but laugh at the mess. Pancham and Sylveon had gotten into a fight over what kind of puff to make, and started a food fight. Delphox was caught in the crossfire of dough and icing and exploded in rage from having its fur ruined.

Serena, who also had dough and icing in her hair, focused on cleaning her pokemon up first.

"Pancham and Sylveon, you two should apologize to each other." The teen said with her hands on her hips. The two pokemon huffed and turned away from each other, refusing.

Delphox scolded the two in her way, through an array of shouts. Still, the two pokemon refused to apologize.

Serena felt like she was in a predicament. How would she make them forgive each other? They had taken a small argument too far and caused a mess.

"If it's the mess you're worried about, then it's fine. The cleaners can deal with it." Serena said. Both their expressions softened a bit.

"So it was the mess.." She muttered to herself. The main reason they refused to make up was that neither wanted to take the blame for causing the mess. The reasoning was almost childish.

"Then, I'll take the blame. So get along, you two." Serena smiled. Pancham and Sylveon turned to her simultaneously, frowning.

Pancham pointed towards itself and said something. It seemed to say it would rather take the blame than have her deal with it.

Sylveon began to say something herself, stepping forward. She also wanted to take the blame.

The two began to argue again, but this time over who gets to be blamed. Delphox sighed as Serena laughed.

"I'll go take a quick shower. You three behave, got it?" Serena instructed. Her pokemon nodded, seeming calmer than before. The teenager could trust them to stay behaved.

-

Things were looking good. Serena had food, and water- the things she usually prepared when traveling with Ash and the rest. She got a strong feeling of nostalgia while packing the poke puffs in the old basket she had kept since their adventures. It had collected a lot of dirt over the years, so she made sure to clean it well.

The teen exited her room and walked down the hall, arriving at Ash's hotel room. With little hesitation this time round, she knocked on the door.

A few footsteps rattled on the floor, seeming unsteady. A groggy Ash opened the door.

"Oh. Morning, Serena." He said, running his eyes. Nonetheless, a smile covered his face.

Serena wasn't interested in his face right now, though. Her eyes-which were wide as dinner plates- stared at the boy's torso.

He had fallen asleep shirtless and opened the door without bothering to wear one. His chest and abdomen were an open buffet for Serena to stare at.

Ash wasn't particularly toned. While his chest and shoulders were well-built, and his abdomen was clean of fat, he couldn't necessarily be called 'ripped' or 'jacked'.

Ash never worked out, after all. While he did run around and train often, his body didn't build enough muscle for it to be 'defined'.

For the inexperienced Serena, this was more than enough to get her heart beating sporadically. It was ironic; the charismatic and beautiful Kalos Queen was inexperienced when it came to dealing with the opposite gender.

"A-ash, your shirt!" She yelled, pointing at his torso.

"Huh? Oh, crap!" Ash looked down and saw his body bare for her to see. "My bad!"

He slammed the door, and the gust of wind from it cooled Serena's face a little.

Wow, His body is muscular.

It wasn't. But what could the poor teenager know? Compared to his 12-year-old self, this Ash was much more buff. His shoulders were wider, he'd grown taller, and his entire feel had changed. Puberty had done him well.

She stood in front of his door like an idiot, not moving an inch. Her mind had replayed the eye candy she saw a minute ago. A stupid, dreamy smile plastered her face.

The door opened back up meekly, showing an embarrassed Ash, "Got a shirt on now, you can come in."

Serena gulped. She hesitantly nodded and entered the room. The first thing she saw was a bag full of clothes scattered on the bed, and a startled Pikachu that seemed to have awoken moments ago.

"Pikachu, we slept in again," Ash murmured, looking a bit guilty. The electric mouse jumped on his shoulder. "Pika pi." Ash's expression softened. His buddy was trying to soothe him.

"You're right. Serena, if you don't mind, wait a few minutes. I'll pack a few sleeping bags and other utensils," Ash said, reaching over to his bag.

Serena tilted her head, confused, "Sleeping bags? What for?"

Ash turned to her with a blank expression. "Aren't we going to need them? Or do you want to stay at a hotel?"

This confused the girl even more. "Why would we need to stop at a hotel if we're going on a train?" She asked.

"Huh?"

"Huh?"

The two weren't on the same page.

-

"We should start discussing things properly." Serena sighed. Ash wanted to travel through route 13, traversing through a small mountain, to reach Lumiose City. Serena, while she would love to do so, wasn't confident in her stamina as much as before.

Ever since Ash had left, she never traveled without a vehicle or plane, leaving her performance training to be the only time she ever exercised. While that may be healthy enough for the average teenager, she'd need a lot more than 'average' to travel with Ash.

"For sure. It would have been a nightmare if we weren't properly prepared." Ash laughed, brushing off the thoughts of what could have happened.

The two decided to travel a safer route from beside the mountain, as hiking up and down would prove to be too much for Serena. They'd spent a good hour scheduling out the entire trip to Lumiose city and booked a few hotels early on.

Serena leaned back into the comfy couch she sat on. She had opened the curtains a while back to let some natural light in, and she appreciated her past self for doing so. The room had a nice aesthetic going with it thanks to the sunlight, creating a calming atmosphere.

She glanced over at the boy she had a crush on. Something seemed to be annoying him.

"Is everything alright Ash?" She asked, concerned. The boy, who was glaring at the map Serena had pulled up a few minutes ago, seemed startled by her sudden question.

"No, It's just surprising to me. Back when we first met, we never had to plan so thoroughly like this," He said while scratching his head. Serena couldn't agree more.

"Things certainly have changed in Kalos. Over the past few years, the population has grown a lot, and many places are often packed with people. Nowadays you can't even walk into a restaurant that's located in a city without a reservation." She grumbled. It was a bit of a rant on her end, slyly spewing out the annoying feelings she'd kept to herself over the situation.

"I.. See." Ash croaked, steam rising from his head. His brain had overloaded over a small rant.

"Ah, sorry about that. I forgot you're not good with this kind of stuff." Serena chuckled. Ash disliked the small comment she made.

"What are you talking about? I completely understood," Ash retorted, leaning back into his chair. "Is that right?" Serena asked with a raised eyebrow. The teen was trying his hardest to seem impressive.

"Yep. That's why we should reserve the restaurant." He said, nodding to his statement as if it were correct in any way.

"Reserve the restaurant? The whole thing?" Serena giggled. He hadn't understood a thing.

"Yeah, so we can eat! Otherwise, the population will eat before us." Ash explained. Even though his explanation, the steam coming from his head slowly increased.

Serena couldn't help but burst out laughing at his ridiculous claim. Had he matured in the past five years, or did he regress? She couldn't tell anymore.

"W-was that wrong?" Ash stuttered. His head seemed ready to blow up. Serena stifled her laugh with all her might. "N-no, you couldn't have worded it any better."

Ash had a feeling something was off but nodded nonetheless. For another few minutes, Serena struggled to contain her laughter as Ash attempted to find the cause of her endless giggles.

Then, the two finalized any items they'd need and headed out of the hotel. The receptionist, the man from yesterday, stared at the two of them in bewilderment.

It wasn't unheard of for the Kalos Queen to not hang around guys, but rather stuck around people she's known for a while. The random teen next to her, who he's never seen before, seemed to be in a good relationship with her.

"I hope you both fare well on your travels. Thank you for staying at the Rosemary Hotel."

The two bid the man farewell and headed on out. The day was still chilly, as it was the middle of February, but the warmth of the sun kept the temperature bearable.

Serena snuggled into her jacket. It was one on the expensive side of the price tag, but It helped her keep warm.

Ash was wearing a light sweater with cargo pants, not bothered by the crispy wind blowing past them.

"How are you not cold?" Serena asked in a whiny tone, her teeth on the verge of chattering. Ash turned away from the partly cloudy sky and looked at her with a grin. "I guess I've got a lot of pent-up energy remaining."

Serena silently grumbled. Boys were always warmer than girls, and it showed- especially during the winter. Why did she have to wear three layers of blankets every night while Ash could be fine with just one?

Not to mention, they'd still be passing partially through a mountain, where cold air was always on an updraft. If they were to casually walk through the route, she'd freeze over and die. Serena would have to buy some kind of warming pad.

Why buy one when there's a big, walking, and talking heater traveling with me?

Serena secretly glanced at Ash's hands, which were stuffed in his pockets. They were probably warm. A small blush covered her cheeks.

"Serena? Hello?" Ash cooed, trying to gain her attention. The girl flinched and stepped back, almost slipping.

"Oh, watch your step," Ash said, grabbing her hand quickly. Her fall was broken in a second.

Serena didn't even say thank you, but rather stared at their gripped hands. In the end, she found out that they were, indeed, warm.

When Ash let go of her hands, she was left with a sense of longing in them.

-

Shauna had expected a great day laid ahead of her, but she didn't expect Serena to be part of it.

The brunette spotted the honey-blonde walking around idly in the middle of a bustling market, looking through the array of things on sale in the stands.

"Serena!" Shauna exclaimed, rushing over to the old friend of hers.

The teen turned her head at the mention of her name and saw an old friend rushing at her with a big smile.

"Shauna! How have you been?" Serena greeted her. The two had grown closer across the years they competed to be Kalos Queen.

Oddly, Shauna looked at Serena in shock. "Serena..?"

If Shauna were honest, a deep feeling of concern was left in her heart from the last time she met Serena. A few weeks ago, Shauna visited her honey-blonde-haired friend because she thought the girl was avoiding her.

The brunette Couldn't forget the mechanical look in her eyes. Her exhausted smile, withered movements, and broken spirit. Shauna felt like she found a mangle of broken parts pieced together with a big piece of tape.

All those things weren't visible anymore. Did she get revived? How? When? By who? Questions swirled in her mind, yet no answers would appear.

"What happened, Shauna?" Serena asked, worried. The brunette had a ghostly expression and a pale face.

"It's nothing," Shauna said with a nervous laugh, "I just felt like it's been a while since we met."

"I guess? It's been less than a month." Serena pointed out, growing concerned.

"It feels a lot longer than that," Shauna said, a mysterious glimmer in her eyes. The teen felt there was a lot more meaning behind her words, but decided not to pursue it.

"Anyway, Serena, what are you doing here? It's not often that the Kalos Queen walks around so mindlessly in the open." Shauna inquired.

She wasn't wrong. People passing by watched Serena and Shauna with great interest, recognizing the two as popular people they'd usually see on television. While they didn't actively approach the two, their gazes were visible through the corner of the two performers' eyes.

Before Serena could answer, a familiar voice rang through their ears. "Serena! Come try this sweet thing, it tastes great!" A black-haired boy rushed at them.

Ah.

Everything made sense to Shauna in that singular moment, as though the puzzle pieces had fit themselves in. Ash Ketchum.

He was the cause of almost everything surrounding Serena. It couldn't even be called an exaggeration- ever since Ash had left her life, Serena slowly started to grow weary. The only thing that kept her on her legs was the promise she made with Ash and her pokemon to become Kalos Queen.

Shauna understood how Serena had gotten so much happier now. Ash had come back into her life.

What a cute love story.

"Ash? Oh my god, It's been years!" Shauna yelled, waving her arm like crazy. The boy recognized the brunette and waved back with an exciting look.

"Hey, Shauna!" He said, gulping a sweet he had gotten.

"Ash, How have things been on your end?" She asked. Shauna had heard a bit about his accomplishments across other regions but wanted to hear it from the man himself.

"Things have been great, I managed to battle a lot of strong opponents and get stronger. I'm here in Kalos to challenge the Tournament." He said.

"Oh, The one that's next month?" Shauna inquired. It was a special tournament that other regions wanted a part of, thanks to its popularity.

"Yep. In the meantime, I'm visiting Clemont and Bonnie and maybe try battling everyone again." He said with a grin. "How are Tierno and Trevor?"

"Those two knuckleheads have become great in their way. Trevor is on his way to becoming a professional Pokemon Photographer, and Tierno's a popular dancer around the Kalos Region."

"That's great. I also heard about you becoming a coordinator. Congrats!" He congratulated her.

They continued their small talk until a strong breeze blew over the three.

"Brr. I forgot how cold it's gotten," Shauna shivered. Serena couldn't agree more, already quivering from the cold.

"Then we should get going. Stay well, Shauna." Ash said, waving.

"Bye. Let's meet again sometime." Shauna waved back, but then halted her steps. The two teens turned back to her in confusion.

"One more thing. Can I borrow Serena for a sec?"

-

Shauna pulled the girl over to the side, seeming a lot more serious than her usual self.

"What's wrong Shauna?" Serena asked with worry laced in her voice. She didn't respond at first.

The teen felt there was something important that Shauna wanted to tell her. She fell silent, waiting for a response. The wind blew past them again.

"Serena." The brunette called. Her tone was genuine, yet serious. The honey-blonde went nervously.

"..yeah?"

"Don't lose him again." She warned. The teen could only blink in surprise. "You missed your first chance, so don't miss it again. Make sure you tell him your feelings before it's too late."

Usually, a person would be saying this with a smirk or some sort of tone that implied they were rooting for the other person. But Serena was staring at iron-willed eyes that were more serious than she's ever seen her friend be.

"I don't want to see you like that again," Shauna said with her fist clenched. "I saw just how much you were hurting, yet I didn't do a thing. I felt like I couldn't do anything. You looked so.. Lost." Tears were on the brink of breaking down in Shauna's cheeks.

"Lost, scared, exhausted, and lonely. You were going through so much because he was gone." Serena stared at her friend with her heart aching.

I have such great friends.

Shauna cared so much for her, even though she used to be her rival. The tears she shed were carried onto the brunette's shoulders.

Serena was now on the verge of tears as well, the painful memories coming back to her. "Shauna, I.."

Her friend grasped her hand strongly as if resolving something over it. "So don't lose him this time. Gain back all those years you missed without him."

Shauna gazed at Serena with determination in her eyes. Perhaps that same determination was passed onto the Honey-blonde, causing her to nod resolutely.

"Thank you, Shauna. I needed that." Serena said gratefully. "Consider it as an apology for not helping you back then." She winked.

The two girls hugged and gave their farewells. Serena walked away with Ash in tow but turned around one last time. Shauna turned to her and gave a big thumbs up.

Serena giggled. She was truly grateful to have such a good friend by her side.