Ash woke up later than usual the next day. All he remembered from the second he entered his room was hitting the bed and falling asleep. A strange feeling of relief had overtaken his body.
He gently shook his electric mouse, which mumbled random words in its sleep. The teen smiled. Across the years, he'd learned that his little buddy would wake up best the same way he did- through the smell of food.
He went to the small kitchen and grabbed some ingredients. He planned on making a berry-pancake breakfast for himself and his partner.
A honey-blonde girl popped up in his mind. Ash decided to grab an extra egg and added more flour to his bowl, and began mixing.
"Huh, that's weird. The flour box was full when I grabbed it.." He mumbled. Well, it wasn't like it mattered now. He threw the box out carelessly and turned back to the mixing bowl. A huge pile of flour suddenly appeared in the bowl, as if it weren't there earlier.
"Did the recipe need that much flour? Serena probably likes her pancakes extra fluffy- so maybe I should add more." Ash mumbled to himself. Suddenly, a knock was heard in his small room.
He went to open the door. After a few clicks of his locks, the door opened. The girl he was just thinking of had appeared in front of him.
"Morning, sleepy head," Serena said with a giggle. She must have woken up a few minutes ago because her clothes were much more basic and loose-fitting than what she usually wore. A simple gray shirt and pink athletic shorts.
He didn't know why, but her get-go made him nervously gulp. He remembered her sleepwear five years back was similar to this, and he never really felt anything looking at it.
Now, it was different. He was much more conscious of her as a person of the opposite gender. She looked unbelievably cute, with her hair slightly messier and the relaxed atmosphere around her.
"Morning, Serena. What's wrong?" He asked. She hadn't come to his room this early in the morning yesterday. The girl smiled. "I don't know myself, honestly,"
"I just got the sudden urge to."
Ash's heart might have fluttered from the comment if a weird sizzling noise and the metallic smell didn't roll in suddenly. They both sniffed the air with crinkled eyebrows.
"Ash, by chance, what were you doing?" She asked, his eyes full of concern.
"Cooking." He said with a shrug. Serena rushed into the room and found the kitchen quickly. A blood-curdling scream was released seconds later.
"Why's a mixing bowl on the stovetop?? And it's on!?" Serena yelled. Ash rushed back into the room, realizing he had turned on the stove and placed the bowl there by accident. "M-my bad, I forgot to turn it off when I went to get the door!"
"That's not the issue!" Serena yelled back, hurriedly turning off the stove. The knob was burning hot. "Why is there a mixing bowl on the stovetop in the first place?"
"I was going to cook the batter.." He muttered sheepishly. Serena facepalmed. It was relatively early in the morning, but she was already sweating bullets.
"Like I've said before, leave the cooking to me." Serena sighed. Not only was the bowl's bottom deformed now, but there was also a mountain of half-cooked flour in it.
"What am I going to do with him.."
-
In the end, Ash watched Serena cook with her Pokemon. The three were thrilled to finally see Ash again, going up to him and greeting him with vigor.
"Your Braixen evolved," he said in awe. The Delphox smirked in delight, satisfied with Ash's reaction.
The Pokemon was now much bigger. Its cute, teenager-like appearance had matured into a beautiful monster with shiny fur that was its pride and joy.
The rest of Serena's Pokemon were just as Ash remembered them to be. Sylveon was still a cute fairy-type with warm feelers and a refreshing smile, and Pancham was a troublemaker to his core.
"I'm surprised you haven't caught any more Pokemon," Ash commented. Serena shrugged at his remark, unsure herself. "It just didn't feel right if I caught another Pokemon. If I do though, I'll make sure it fits right in with these three." She said with a smile.
Ash watched with great interest as they began to cook up something. Serena had yet to utter a word to any of them, yet they worked in such perfect sync that it seemed like a scripted play. Ash was amazed yet again.
Maybe I should try that with Pikachu.
He glanced at his partner, who was on his shoulder and grinned at him. Pikachu smirked back, seemingly understanding what he was thinking. "Anything we can help with?" Ash asked innocently. Pikachu joined in the fray with his lines, jumbled up in Pokemon language.
"Aw, thank you, Ash," Serena said gratefully, "but I think we're fine. You can set up the plates though."
Ash sighed quietly. Setting up the plates was as boring as ever, no matter when or where he did it.
The teen did as he was requested. Two plates and eight bowls of Pokemon food were set up. "Everyone, come out!" Ash exclaimed, letting his other four Pokemon out of their Pokeballs.
Serena stared at his four Pokemon in awe. If the ceiling were any lower things could have gotten dicey, as two of his Pokemon would crash right through it.
"Oops." Ash muttered, staring up at them and the ceiling, "I forgot how tall they are." They gave small roars of pride after seeing their reactions.
"By the way, Serena, you never introduced yourself to them, right?" Ash asked, just remembering. Serena's mouth opened a bit, realizing their introduction had been delayed as well.
"Ah, you're right. I didn't see any of them back when we traveled, after all." Serena said, moving away from the kitchen after carefully placing the pan down. "My name is Serena. These three are my partners."
The honey-blonde teen pointed at her fairy-type. "This is Sylveon," The Pokemon greeted the four, doing a small twirl, showing off her silky movements. The four greeted her back, a bit amazed.
"This is Pancham," the Panda Pokemon adjusted its glasses and gave a small response, unlike its usual self. It wasn't strange, after all, he had to stare at two Pokemon who towered over him, and another two who were still heads and heels taller than him.
"And this is Delphox." The Pokemon crossed its arms and stared at the four, sizing them up. A certain winged Pokemon stepped forward menacingly, disliking the look In its eyes.
"..Ash?" Serena squeaked like a mouse. The atmosphere turned tense suddenly. Both Pokemon were staring intensely, not breaking eye contact. "Hey, calm down you two."
The winged Pokemon ignored Ash entirely, and let out a low growl. Delphox, who was being strangely aggressive for no apparent reason, barked back something.
"I said stop!" Ash said, much louder than before. The Pokemon looked at its trainer, then glanced back at Delphox. Its eyes rotated between the two until it let out a sharp breath and turned around.
Serena let out a small sigh, glancing at her fire starter. "What got you so riled up, Delphox?" She whispered. Her fire Pokemon walked closer to its trainer and made a small huff, not saying anything. The blonde understood that her Pokemon did not want to talk about it.
Ash, on the other hand, was a bit annoyed. "I'll cut down on your training if you keep this up." He threatened. Serena seemed a bit exasperated at his threat, which somehow seemed to work.
Only Ash and his Pokemon could call that something worrisome.
She giggled a bit at her thoughts and warmly glanced at Ash fully taming the winged Pokemon that had been refusing to listen.
"Sorry about that Serena," Ash grunted, glancing at his Pokemon, "Let's eat."
-
The food was good, just as Ash suspected. He got to watch Serena finish up her pancakes, as Delphox and Sylveon dealt with the sides. Pancham focused on toppings to make it look nice.
Ash could see just how much those Pokemon showcases had rubbed off on Serena and her partners. The pancake was decorated to perfection, and the entire display was something he'd see at an expensive restaurant.
And that wasn't mentioning the special syrup Serena had created a year ago which was just spectacular. Ash hadn't had such a hearty breakfast in a while.
"Serena, these pancakes are out of this world!" Ash cried, joyful tears running down his face as he gobbled up his seconds.
Serena felt her dampened mood grow warmer. "Thanks. I'll make sure to never disappoint!" She exclaimed, raising a fist in the air. The black-haired teen nodded excitedly, "I'll be counting on you for meals from now on. Oh, and let me help from time to time!"
Her heartbeat grew a bit faster. He liked her cooking that much? The happiness flowing through the teen made her feel like making the best food she possibly could for her crush.
"Of course." the teen gave a bright smile to Ash, who grinned back. They both were in a good mood.
A realization suddenly dawned on Ash, "Oh yeah, we should get going again." he said, "The day's already started. We didn't want to be behind schedule."
Serena silently nodded. She was bummed out that there was no time to make some poke puffs but decided she'd deal with it later. There was always next time.
The Pokemon performer left for her room, and the trainer stayed to get changed. Ash had stopped wearing the same clothes all the time, occasionally switching up his trousers or jacket.
Ever since he started traveling with Serena, he had changed his clothes regularly. He applied cologne more often, kept himself tidy, and made sure to look like usual- things he never did back when he was twelve.
There was a small urge in his body to do so. He didn't understand what entirely made him want to change it up, but he knew it was related to the girl he recently met again. The teen thought and thought as he changed his clothes.
Is it because I want to match up with her? She does smell good all the time, and her hands are soft like dough. But why would I worry about things like that?
He shook his head, confused by his thoughts. His heart and his brain weren't on the same page, and it left his conscience in turmoil.
"I need to get it together," Ash said to himself, slapping his face. Pikachu jumped onto his shoulder, concerned. "Pika?" it asked with its head tilted.
"Huh? Oh, my bad Pikachu." the boy said, a bit startled. His Pokemon nudged against his cheek, trying to comfort him. Pikachu thought his trainer was worried about something. The trainer rubbed its tail, grateful. It let out a noise of happiness.
Ash returned his Pokemon to their pokeballs and started to check over his bags. No items were missing.
He exited the room he stayed in, casually walking out. The performer was sitting there, waiting for him to come out.
"Geez Ash, I thought I was the slow one." Serena teased. The boy laughed, "I guess I'm the slow one now."
The girl got up and walked over to him. Ash was about to check in with nurse joy, but Serena stopped him. "Hold on."
She stepped closer to him. Ash watched her with confusion, not understanding what she was doing. Suddenly, her face leaned in and she took a small sniff. The black-haired boy froze.
"As I thought," Serena giggled, backing off. Her silky blonde hair fluttered, and her light pink lips were upturned into an attractive smile. "You've started to use cologne. It smells nice.
Ash's heart pumped at shockingly fast speeds from how close she had gotten moments ago. His face grew red, and his mouth started to sputter words like it was broken. "T-thanks."
Her face was close. Too close. Ash thought he was going to explode as she took a sniff of him, and smiled. Her beautiful azure eyes drew him in like a vortex. "Sometimes I forget you're no longer the naive twelve-year-old I remember," Serena reminisced. She didn't notice her crush's hot red face.
Pikachu made a weird noise, looking at Ash's face. He had never seen his trainer look so awestruck outside of a battle.
The mouse glanced at Serena as though she was a witch that had cast a spell on his friend. Even he was confused about what just happened.
-
Serena was definitely in a good mood today. Her morning with Ash was nice and cozy, brightening her day despite the cloudy sky. She happily skipped across the dirt road, admiring the winter wonderland around her.
I wonder if he's noticed.
Serena still had a few thoughts on her mind. She secretly glanced back at her crush.
Ash walked behind her acting unnaturally timid. He stared at his chest like it was something that wasn't there before. 'It smelled nice,' she said.
He sighed. The trainer didn't like feeling so spaced out, especially when traveling. He sped up and matched Serena's pace. "You don't seem as cold now," he commented.
"Now that you mention it, yeah. I guess breakfast is keeping me warm." she grinned, "Though, I would appreciate warmer clothes. I didn't get the chance to wash my old ones, so I'm stuck with these light ones." She complained.
"Then let's stop by a Pokemon center and get it washed," Ash suggested. Pokemon centers were much more versatile than one may have thought.
Pikachu seemed to be complaining as it made a whining noise. The mouse didn't feel like stopping at a Pokemon center again. "Then let's go shopping! Why not get some new clothes for you too, Ash?" Serena asked with an excited expression.
"Huuh?" Both Ash and Pikachu whined in unison. They had just stopped in a town yesterday and left just a few hours ago, and going shopping would be a time consumer. The Pokemon trainer was still eager to meet his old friends Clemont and Bonnie.
"W-what? No?" The blonde blinked in surprise. She hadn't expected such a strong response. Pikachu turned its head from side to side in haste, as if shaking it faster would do anything.
Ash rubbed his neck, "Sorry Serena. Maybe tomorrow?" He asked with a nervous smile. She pouted, looking a bit bummed out. "..fine. But you owe me something then." Serena retorted.
"Owe you something? Like what?" He asked. She turned her head to the side. "Not saying." Ash tried to playfully get an answer, but Serena was adamant about keeping her mouth shut. In the end, the trainer agreed.
Serena internally did a gut pose. Now she could use this in the future. How exactly? She wasn't sure either. But if the situation called for it, she was ready to strike on her target: Ash Ketchum.
"Anyway, let's get moving. Standing still is time lost!" Ash said bashfully. Serena nodded, starting to walk again. Her belt shook a bit, and Pancham emerged. The three were surprised at his sudden appearance.
"Pancham? What happened?" Serena inquired. The Pokemon blew on the small leaf in its mouth, a bored expression on its face. It hobbled alongside its trainer and her friend.
"I think he's bored," Ash said. Serena glanced at her crush, and then back at Pancham. "Then how about we take a small break here?"
Ash grimaced, contemplating himself. They had been traveling for a while, and he was starting to get hungry. Plus, Pikachu and Pancham could play a bit.
Grumble.
..She's hungry too?
An unexpected rumble came from Serena's stomach. The teenage girl's face flamed up in red. Ash chuckled at her funny expression.
"D-don't laugh, Ash.." She mumbled quietly, covering her stomach. "Didn't you say breakfast was still keeping you warm?" Ash asked while laughing. He felt bad for laughing, but he couldn't help it.
"That was just a guess! Plus, I never said I wasn't hungry.." She groaned, shaking her head with embarrassment. Ash decided to take a break after seeing her cute little expression.
"Alright, let's stop here. Everyone, come out!" Ash let out his Pokemon. The four of them greeted their trainer and his friend in their own way.
There was a wooden table set up nearby, so they cleaned off the snow and decided to set up a pot there to cook. Serena pulled out a gimmick, which Clemont had given her a while back.
It set up a small fire and pot above it. Serena got to work and started to make a small meal out of the ingredients they had. Ash went to gather more wood to burn, and Pikachu played in the snow with Pancham.
Throughout the years, Pikachu often tried to act more mature like Ash. In his eyes, his friend had started to grow up while he remained a child. Pikachu never liked that feeling.
But, when it came down to times like this, he couldn't resist a little snow fun. Who didn't, after all? He used his tiny part and curled up a small snowball, and threw it at Pancham.
The panda was hit right in the face. He returned the attack with a barrage of snowballs. The electric mouse began to quickly weave between the tons of icicle spheres that headed his way, jumping and turning skillfully.
The other Pokemon were watching with interest. Unlike the small Pokemon, these monsters weren't very interested in a snowball game until they saw Pikachu start dodging like it was a battle.
They immediately thought it was a great training tactic for when Ash wasn't around. They did similar training either way, but this version seemed more interesting.
The teams were separated randomly. Two teams, one with two of Ash's Pokemon, and Pancham with Sylveon. The other team was Pikachu and two other Pokemon, along with Delphox.
The battle began as soon as the teams were decided. Delphox immediately gunned for a certain winged pocket monster, who thought of doing the same thing to it. Those two immediately got into a versus match, excluding the rest of them.
The Pokemon traded blows with snowballs like it was war. It began a bit slowly, but it ramped up at astounding rates. Ash's Pokemon jumped around the snowy terrain, almost a flicker. The only sign they hadn't teleported was their foot tracks in the snow.
Serena's Pokemon blocks attacked and made smokescreens with their moves, which usually were used in performances to make a sparkling atmosphere. They dodged as though they were dancing to a melody.
Ash came back with a bunch of sticks in his hands soon after the battle started. He watched in amazement at the heated battle which could melt the snow around them.
Pokemon were zipping around everywhere. He'd see blurs of an arrangement of colors all around the place, and a white snowball accurately catapults towards them.
"Woah. This looks fun!" Ash exclaimed. He quickly placed down the sticks and joined the Pokemon in their battle. Unlike the agile and trained Pokemon, Ash stuck out like a sore thumb with his slightly awkward movements and legwork.
He was pelted immediately. Almost twelve snowballs hit him simultaneously from all sides, knocking him out. He yelled in surprise. The pokemon snickered at him, throwing a few extra snowballs at his hat and knocking it off.
Serena glanced over at the loud yelling. She and Ash's seemed to be duking it out, while the Pokemon trainer miserably sat in a mess of snow. She laughed at his silly appearance.
"Ash, you shouldn't be playing with snow," Serena nagged, getting up with a hand on her hip. "You're seventeen now."
The teen got off the floor and cleaned the snow off himself. He walked up to the honey-blonde without another word. Serena watched him approach with confusion.
With a bashful grin, he grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the big snowball fight. "Who cares how old we are? Let's have some fun!"
"Wah, hold on Ash!" Serena yelped but to no avail. She desperately held onto her hat so it wouldn't fly away.
They stopped right in front of the war of snow. Serena nervously watched, scared to enter the range of snowballs. It felt like she was trying to cross a highway.
While she worried about the snow in front of her, a snowball hit her shoulder from the side. She turned to see Ash making a bunch of snowballs, and getting ready to throw them at her.
Her eyebrow twitched a bit. That goofy Ash decided to pick a fight with the wrong person. A queen doesn't go down without a fight.
Serena backed away quickly. Her footing and balance were absurdly good, so she gained distance fast. Ash was astounded at how far she got in a blink.
"Get ready Serena! I won't hold back!" Ash yelled excitedly. Serena, who was making a few snowballs herself grinned. "Nor will I!"
And thus, the already big snowball fight had just grown bigger. Serena dodged many of Ash's laser shots with elegance, clearly outclassing his clumsy steps and tumbles.
But, Ash had a bit of strategy. Thanks to his ridiculous intuition, he faked out Serena often. The two were evenly matched, despite being better in two different things. It was the perfect matchup.
-
Time flew by. They all were having so much fun they didn't even realize the food had been cooked- ready to be served, and It was getting close to going cold.
Ash and Serena fell next to each other with heavy breaths. Serena thought her legs had turned to jelly from all the running she did.
"That was fun," Ash said between breaths. Serena nodded, unable to verbally respond. Her hands were tingling from the icy cold snow she was playing with for almost two hours.
Ash's hands held hers. This time, even his were cold. She could feel how much rougher they were compared to her, but it didn't bother her at all. She wanted his warmth. The two comfortably sat there, basking in the silence and warmth of each other. They both looked to be on cloud nine.
"This was one of the best days I've ever had," Serena said genuinely. There wasn't one special thing about today other than the fact it was spent with Ash, yet that part just made it even better. She truly loved him.
Her feelings had grown stronger today. If things kept up like this, she didn't know just how long she would be able to hold back.
"I'm glad," Ash said with a smile. He gazed at Serena's face with soft eyes, until he noticed something. "Wait for Serena, your hat," Ash said with wide eyes. Serena smiled happily, her white teeth showing. He finally noticed!
Her hat, which was something she wore every day, had a blue ribbon attached to it. The same one he'd promised over. Ash felt his lip quiver from the emotions building up in him.
He thought the little promise thing he did was a bit cringey, as he'd never done something like that before. While he had made promises before, this one felt different. More special. It was one he'd never forget.
"..what do you think?" She asked. Underneath the setting sun, the honey-blonde adjusted the hat on her head. A small wind blew, letting her hair and the ribbon flutter a bit. Her eyes were almost glowing a bright, calming blue.
"Beautiful," He said. The teen didn't even have to think- the words spilled out like there was no other answer.
The girl blushed. Her hand, which held his, squeezed a bit tighter. The boy's stomach flipped with a new, amazing feeling. He felt like he'd get addicted to it.
He didn't want to stop staring at Serena. His eyes were glued to hers, and she looked back at him. Her eyes wanted to look deeper into his.
It was wordless, almost like second nature. Leaning over, both of their faces closed in. Ash felt her sweet, hot breath blow on his neck. He felt like moving a bit more- even a few inches. Things would be fine then.
Suddenly, Pikachu appeared alongside their Pokemon. They must have been looking for the two because they rushed at the two with relieved faces. They both didn't get the chance to get closer. Their Pokemon crashed into the two, rubbing against them with care. They were worried.
Ash felt like he was snapped out of a trance. "Sorry about that guys. We kind of left you all back there." He said apologetically. They accepted his apology without another word.
Serena calmed down Sylveon and Pancham that cuddled up against her with pets. The two were especially worried for their trainer, who randomly disappeared.
The honey-blonde glanced at Delphox, who looked at the trainers with a shocked expression. Only she seemed to realize what was happening.
Serena turned her gaze back at Ash, who she had almost kissed moments ago. Her thundering heart had yet to calm down. She was inches away- no, mere moments. If they had been left to their accord any longer, they might have dipped into the unexplored seas.
She gripped her soft sweater. The teen wouldn't let this feeling go, never again. She'd sail those seas one day, and that day was soon.
Today's chapter was a little bit delayed, sorry about that. A Chemistry quiz caught me off guard. This one was just fluff, something I've been dying to get into. I loved writing this chapter, and I hope it was just as fun to read.
See you at the next one.