As the wind howled across the city with glistening lights shining down on the frozen pavements. Ash and Serena were hand in hand as each step brought them closer to their destination. The snowflakes began to flow harsher with each passing moment. There was a sudden chill that ran up Serena which caused her to shiver. Thankfully, Ash noticed this and swiftly took off his old cloak to put over Serena's shaking shoulders.
"Here Serena." The Alola champion spoke softly as he gently draped his ragged cloak around her.
Serena pulled the cloak closer to her body by tugging the edges with her gloved hands. She took a breath and exhaled, releasing a cold breath. She stared back at Ash and smiled.
"T-Thank you Ash." She shivered.
"No problem." He nodded.
They continued to walk along until Ash's Rotom phone started beeping. He searched for it in his pockets before answering.
"Hello?" Ash started.
It was Goh.
"Hey Ash, so me and Chloe might be a little late to dinner with you guys haha.." Goh nervously said from the phone.
Ash's expression turns into one of surprise.
"Huh why?" Ash curiously stated.
"Well about that um….we are- Hey! Chloe!" Goh was interrupted mid call.
Ash looked even more confused as he heard some struggle in the background. He glanced at Serena and gave a weak chuckle. Serena was just as confused or more about the whole situation.
"Um Goh…you good? He asked until a new voice popped up on the phone.
"Hey Ash it's Chloe, we are going to be a bit late because of the upcoming storm." She said nonchalantly.
"O-Oh that's fine!" Ash quickly exclaimed.
"But don't worry, we'll still be coming on the double date." Chloe finished before handing back the phone to her boyfriend.
"You could've just asked for the phone." Goh grumbled on the phone.
"As I was saying, we will be a bit late but are still planning to see you guys." Goh finished.
"Oh ok, stay safe you two!" Ash chirped.
"We will! Have fun you two!"
"Alright bye." Ash smiled.
"Bye!" Goh and Chloe said in unison.
With that strange phone call done and over with, Ash put away his Rotom phone and held out his gloved hand.
"Let's keep going." He awkwardly said.
"Yeah let's go." Serena giggled as she grabbed his hand.
After a few minutes they reached their destination. They were surprised to see a large crowd at the main entrance. The crowd seemed to be made up of the media press, cameras and everything. When Serena and Ash came into full view, people started to run up to them pushing cameras and microphones up to their faces. They started asking a barrage of questions making the couple very uncomfortable to the point they started walking backwards.
"Ash Ketchum, in what way do you see Serena as?"
"Is it true that you, Ash Ketchum, are dating the Kalos Queen?" One reporter asked eagerly.
"Uh…" Ash looked at Serena as if he was seeking permission to say they are. Before she could say or do anything, a random reporter shoved her so they could speak with Ash up close.
"Do you think the Kalos Queen is only going out with you for your fame?"
That question brought up a nerve on Ash but he remained calm but Serena on the other hand was losing patience as her eyebrows furrowed in slight anger. Could you blame her? She waited for years to have this. She was going on a date with Ash tonight and nothing will stop her from doing so. She pulled out one of her Pokéballs to call out one of her Pokémon to help safely disperse the crowd only to stop when she heard a loud screech. The crowd looked frightened as they looked for the origin of the sound.
"Hey look up!" A random newsletter man yelled out. Many looked up into the night sky with their faces turned from being confused into shocked faces as they began to run away. As they were running a loud slam hit the ground causing the ice on the ground to shatter leaving ice shards in the air for a short moment. The crash was also powerful enough that a small shockwave was made that caused many to fall and trip.
After a few seconds, one cameraman was on his knees and slowly moved his head up to only see the shining red eyes of a Corviknight staring right at him.
"Corvi…" the armored raven rasped out.
The cameraman gulped before backing away. Once the crowd was at a good enough distance from the large Pokémon they stood in silence before seeing a man on top of the Corviknight jump off a saddle.
"Hey folks! Now I may be intruding in your intrusion of this young couple's business but I must say you gotta respect their privacy." The taxi man smirked, crossing his arms over his chest. The crowd were expectedly unhappy with the whole ordeal with the bird Pokémon almost crashing down on them.
"But it's our job to get the details!"
"Yeah!"
"Who are you to tell us what to do?"
The taxi driver inhaled before speaking in his defense.
"Well for one thing, it's kinda strange that many of you are pushing too much for some information about some teenager's love life haha, and plus I doubt many of you have a Pokémon to battle this bird aye?" He said as he knocked on Corviknight's wings.
Both Ash and Serena stood in awe seeing the whole situation go down. The crowd stared angrily at the man but it was quickly put out as soon as Corviknight screeched with its steel armored wings flared in an intimidating manner. Guilt set in the large group as time passed. Much of the crowd bowed as they started apologizing to the young couple.
"Forgive us." One camera group said.
"Yeah we're sorry." Crew members added.
"You'll make sure to call for an interview next time." One lady reporter spoke kindly.
With that they all ran into their vans and drove off leaving them alone. The taxi driver turned around to face Ash and Serena.
"Hey sorry for coming in hot like that."
"Oh no no, you actually did a big favor for the both of us." Ash quickly waved his hand.
"Yes, you were a big help back there." Serena clasped her hands together.
"Glad we helped out, isn't that right buddy?" The taxi man said as he nudged his elbow against Corviknight.
"Corvi!" The steel type chirped with pride.
"Anyway, I must get ready for later tonight as part of our deal." The man said as he climbed back up the saddle. "Have fun you two!" He winked at the couple before his departure.
"Thank you!" Ash and Serena waved happily. Serena turned to Ash
"Hey Ash?"
"Yeah?"
"What exactly do you have planned for that would need him?" She curiously asked.
"Now that is a surprise for later!" Ash winked.
With the ruckus done and over with, they started to finally approach the restaurant.
The couple walked through the highly decorated doors of the Grand Lumiose Restaurant to meet with the receptionist by the front desk. Once the receptionist caught the two coming up to her, she couldn't help but squeal.
"You are truly here! The Monarch and the Kalos Queen!" She exclaimed loudly causing Ash and Serena to cringe. They hoped they could just get their table without other people coming up to them.
"Yes we are here and ask if you could turn it down a bit…please?" Serena pleaded as she didn't want this night to be interrupted again.
The receptionist blinked before she shook her head and lined up her glasses.
"Right…my apologies, Ash Ketchum with a table for four correct at the Champion suite?" She asked in a sudden professional manner.
"Yes, but the other two will be arriving late."
"Would it be the ones with the names of Chloe and Goh I presume?"
"Yes."
"Good to know, I'll have them escorted to the same room as you are once they arrive." She smiled.
"Thank you." Ash nodded.
"Now may the two of you come with me please." The receptionist gestured to the elevator behind her.
Ash and Serena followed her into the elevator but couldn't help but be impressed by the gold frame with red carpeting within. There were silk gold lining shaped like the antlers of Xerneas on the roof with Yveltal's wings in a Y formation on the bottom with Zygarde's tail-like wings surrounding the walls like it's embracing the onlookers. The Aurio Trio were truly unique in their own right.
The elevator came to a stop and opened its doors to reveal a luxurious room with a reasonable size table surrounded with chefs and waiters. They were all in red and black uniforms with towels neatly folded on their arms. The one big thing that they noticed is that they all looked similar to the Clembot's design. They all looked at the couple and bowed.
"Welcome." They all said at once which Serena found a bit creepy.
"Science is so amazing.." Ash whispered.
The receptionist cleared her throat before speaking. "These are your personal chefs and waiters for tonight to ensure you have an elegant time here, if you desire any help just give me a call at the phone connected to the wall behind you." She said before walking toward the elevator.
"Have a wonderful time here!" She grinned before disappearing in the elevator.
Ash and Serena sheepishly smiled at one another. After a minute or so, Ash kindly asked the chefs to make some food based on what was popular here and asked the waiters for privacy. The robots all nodded and strolled away in an organized manner.
The Monarch and the Kalos Queen both sat on the opposite sides of the table before looking directly into each other's eyes. The lighting was right on point with Ash's eyes that made Serena nervously smile. If she could describe it she would say that the warm light added to Ash's auburn eyes even further. The light reflected a beautiful ray of gold in his irises but the hue can be reminiscent of the color of chocolate, which was one of Serena's favorite treats. Ever since she left for Hoenn, she was always reminded of Ash's eyes whenever she walks into a store with chocolates. Both are sweet in their own way, yet both of them brought happiness in her life.
"Hey Serena?" Ash said, waving his hand from side to side to get Serena's attention.
"W-What…oh sorry I guess I spaced out on you didn't I?" Serena flushed, putting her hands on her lap.
"That's ok, so…while we wait for Goh and Chloe to show up, you wanna talk?"
"Sure but before we do, I brought a gift for you, it's handmade and I hope you like it." Serena spoke as she grabbed something from her satchel. She held it for a moment before presenting the gift for her date.
"Ta-da!" She happily cheered.
Ash stared at the carefully wrapped gift in her hands before gently taking it. It was weighted like and felt like some sort of fabric beneath the wrapping paper. He took off the red bow and then the gold wrapping paper. His eyes glistened with excitement when he saw was inside.
"A new uniform!" Ash exclaimed as he stood up at the mirror to see it himself.He tightened the hat around his head and looked at all of the details. It was mostly red but had gold and black shine strikes on the side of the hat with a Pokéball symbol stitched to the center. The cloak was very similar to the colors of the cape from the previous Monarch and it looked amazing. After a minute or so, Serena rose from her chair to stand beside Ash.
"So..what do you think?" She curiously said as she clasped her hands together behind her back.
"This is so awesome Serena!" He gushed. He was so happy that he grabbed Serena by her waist with both of his arms and started spinning her around in the air.
"Ash put me down!" Serena laughed.
"Whyy?" He whined.
"Cause I don't want you to fall," Serena giggled.
"No I won't I-" Ash was cut off the second he realized his foot got tangled up with his other, causing both of them to fall to the ground.
Thankfully, Ash cushioned Serena's fall as she fell on top of him but soon they both realized what position they got themselves into. Their foreheads were touching with both of their legs awkwardly tangled, yeah maybe this wasn't a good idea after all Ash thought.
"Um…sorry Serena, I guess I'm still a bit of a klutz." He awkwardly laughed.
"I-It's ok." Serena blushed as she quickly got off of him. She dusted off her clothing a bit before dusting off Ash's new hat that landed on the floor near them. Serena gave Ash back the hat before sitting next to him on the ground.
"Thanks Serena…sorry for making us fall." He chuckled, scratching the back of his head. Ash put his new hat back on and turned his face to Serena.
"It's fine." She breathed trying to calm her blood flow from her face. "But in all things considered, I'm relieved you liked the gift that much."
"How could I not like the gift that you made for me?" He questioned.
Serena stared into his eyes before sighing. "I was just so nervous that you wouldn't care for it because you probably receive gifts from your fans all the time you know?"
Ash deeply thought for a moment before taking Serena's hand and spoke.
"I will say this Serena, I do enjoy the gifts that my fans send me but if there is one thing that separates you from the rest is that it is made by you."
Serena continued to listen in silence.
"You are very special to me, we met during our childhood and we would eventually meet up again in Kalos, now that may be a big coincidence to many but I believe it was made to be." He smiled brightly causing Serena to blush.
"A-Ash?" She whispered but was interrupted by Ash.
"Wait, I'm not done yet, and even though we separated after our journey in Kalos, we met again in Hoenn, it may have been short lived but we still were able to tell our goals to one another!" Ash took a breather before continuing his rant. "Something is pulling us together, you've always supported me throughout the years even when I couldn't see it and for that I'm eternally grateful to you." He finished.
Serena was in shock but then she made a sudden impulse on tackling him to the ground giving him a bone crushing hug.
"Serena, did I say something that made you upset?" Ash worriedly asked as he returned the hug.
"No! You didn't say anything wrong, I...just let me have this moment please." She sniffed while nuzzling her head against Ash's new cloak. She was probably crying but she didn't care, she was both happy and relieved. Serena wiped her small tears away but then saw how close she was to Ash's face. She decided to be bold as she gently put her palms on Ash's face and drew their heads closer. Ash's eyes widened at her intent but slowly his eyes began to close as he relaxed into it. With every passing second, their lips inched closer and closer until it was the smallest gap that could possibly be between them. One miniscule move forward will have them receive their second kiss on the lips, their first kiss with them in a blossoming relationship.
It was going to be perfect, no escalator or boat to pull them away from each other, nothing could ruin this moment.
And they were so wrong…
They both jumped as they heard the elevator door beeped and opened, revealing Goh and Chloe. The two of them saw Ash and Serena on the ground embracing each other and they just walked right into it.
"Very bold of you Ash, very bold." Goh stated as he nodded with his hand under his chin.
"Serena, I am so sorry." Chloe apologizes for ruining the perfect moment.
To be continued…