Within the blink of an eye, the Serena and Ash jumped off the ground. Once standing upright, they dusted off their clothes before awkwardly looking at Goh and Chloe who were still bewildered. They noticed Goh and Chloe were dressed up nicely, nothing too fancy but something a little formal. One big notice is that Goh had a small ponytail, it seemed he grew his hair out.
Chloe was the first to speak as she cleared her throat. "So...how are you guys?" The question seemed to lessen the strange situation.
"We're doing ok...sorry that you saw that...it was an accident." Ash smiled before glancing at Serena. The honey blonde looked at Chloe "Yeah I tripped and I sorta just fell on him by accident." She awkwardly said as she pushed back a strand of hair behind her ear.
Chloe smiled, "It's alright." she said, but she had a small doubt about it being an accident. Goh on the other hand just waved his hand happily. "It's nice to see you, Ash!" He greeted Ash wholeheartedly before glancing at Serena. "So you must be Serena I presume?" Goh asked.
"Yes I'm Serena, and it's finally nice to meet you again...well officially at least" She smiled sweetly.
"Again?" Goh blinked as he was confused before it hit him. "Oh! That's right, we technically saw each other but the boat had other plans." He exclaimed as he snapped his fingers.
Serena nodded "Indeed." She said kindly.
"Well, it's finally nice to meet you officially!" Goh finished.
There was a comfortable silence before Chloe opened her mouth to speak. "So is it true that you're both dating each other?" She questioned with hope as her hands clasped together.
Ash sighed and he crossed his arms in amusement before nodding slightly. "Yes Chloe, I've already told you, haven't I?"
"I know but I just wanted to make sure of it by having Serena telling me herself." Chloe stated as she shifted her glance at Serena.
"I am." Serena confirmed as she grabbed Ash's hand.
Chloe's eyes went a bit wide in surprise as she never really thought Ash would go for anything romantic. She was even more surprised that the raven-haired boy she knew was with Serena, who in her eyes, was like a mentor and role model. An Idol of Hoenn and the Kalos Queen got together with the Alola Champion and World Monarch. Now that was something Chloe thought was an amazing feat, they were like a power couple even.
Either way, Chloe was happy for Ash but couldn't stop wondering how the honey blonde fell for him. She'll probably figure it out later, but right now it's a time to relax and have fun with her boyfriend as well as her friends.
As they all sat down on their red cushion seats waiting for the Clembot-like waiters to come to serve them, they decided to catch up. Goh and Chloe sat next to each other facing Ash and Serena on the opposite side of the table.
As they kept waiting, drinks and a bread basket were placed on the table. They all talked about the good memories and their own experiences for about half an hour so. There were some funny stories, and some not so much.
"Remember when you and Goh missed the contest live?" Chloe started, looking at Ash as she played with her fork.
"I know I'm sorry, but I already told you I was being held up by Lisa's uncle." Ash remembered and glanced at Goh.
"Mhm, Wallace wouldn't let us pass unless he battled Ash." Goh said as he began to take a sip of his drink. "Besides, I never thought you had the courage to perform in front of- ow!" Goh's sentence was halted when Chloe suddenly pinched his cheek. "Never underestimate me." Chloe spoke in an innocent voice.
"C-Chloe!" Goh stuttered in pain as he tried to pull away but his girlfriend had an iron grip.
"Apologize." She pinched harder.
"Fine!...I'm sorry!"
With that, Chloe let go and chuckled lightly before moving her head toward Goh to plant a kiss on his cheek sweetly as if nothing had happened. Goh could only grumble as he rubbed his cheek. "Why do your nails have to be so sharp?" Goh whined.
The couple on the opposite side of the table just stared and said absolutely nothing about the situation. Thankfully, before they had any thought of what to say, the Clembot-like waiters burst through the double doors with capped trays. The waiters circled elegantly around the table before bending over and placing down the food. Once placed upon the guests, the tray lids were opened to reveal luxurious food.
"Enjoy." The bots bowed in unifying way.
Ash and Goh drooled as soon as their eyes landed on the steaming food. They all looked at the waiters and thanked them before eating. Plates filled with meats and vegetables mixed in as well. There was also curry, and cakes for dessert!
Serena was given soup and she took one spoonful and her face immediately turned into pure joy. The hot broth of the soup was indeed delicious. "This is delightful." She said as she took another spoonful. Ash was busy finishing off a piece of meat on his plate when Serena tapped his shoulder.
"Hm?" He hummed while chewing the last bit.
"Ash, you have to try this!" Serena said softly before scooting closer to him. She held up a spoonful of her soup close to Ash as if she was feeding him. "Would you like some?" Serena asked politely.
The ambered-eyed trainer blinked and swallowed his food.
Ash nodded "Sure!" He answered.
He opened his mouth and he could already smell the warm soup from the approaching spoon. Once the spoon was in his mouth, he could feel his taste buds dancing around. He gulped and could feel a satisfying warmth in his chest.
"That soup tastes delicious." Ash confirmed.
"I agree." Serena agreed wholeheartedly as she began to share her bowl with Ash.
After an hour or so, the group got the bill and which Ash paid for as he was the one who treated them. As they began to walk out of the restaurant, and once the others were a bit ahead, Ash looked at the roof and gave his signal to Corviknight. The silhouette of the raven started to soar to the clouds without being noticed by Serena, Chloe, and Goh.
"Hey, Ash you coming?" Goh yelled out, waving his hand. The group noticed Ash didn't directly follow suit so they waited for him to catch up.
"Yup!" Ash yelled out and ran toward them. Once there, he held up his arm for Serena to lock on to and in which she gladly took it. They walked toward more populated areas, meaning paparazzi and thankfully Chloe brought some small fashion like sunglasses and scarves to help disguise them or at least draw less attention.
Ash's next part of the date was shopping because he knew Serena enjoyed shopping. The group walked side by side as their footsteps hit the snow-covered concrete toward the Grand mall. They kept chatting to one another as they saw people decorating buildings with festive decorations with the help of their Pokémon.
The unity of people and Pokémon was surely a good sight to see.
Once they got close enough to the mall's entrance, Serena looked back over her shoulder to take in the beauty of the cold atmosphere. It's been a while since she went out just for fun. Being busy with the press was sometimes a strain, she loved performing but the more popular she grew, the more it felt a bit overwhelming. She loved what she did, making all those smiles around her made it all worth it.
She was deep in thought that she didn't realize Ash tapping her shoulder.
"Hey, Serena?" The raven-haired boy started.
The honey blonde blinked "Yes?"
"Do you wanna head in?" He asked her.
"Oh sorry I was just thinking." Serena chuckled before grabbing Ash's gloved hand and began heading toward the revolving doorway to the mall.
Once inside, both Chloe and Serena wanted to find the fashion shopping district of the mall and they dragged their respective partners with them. Being excited to try out some new clothes and having their boyfriends give their opinions, the girls were in for a fun time.
As they strolled around a bit they notice that the mall had beautiful architecture with marvelous walls with paintings of legendary Pokémon across the world such as the one portraying Rayquaza, Groudon and Kyogre.
Even the flooring was stunning as the marble tiles were patterned with black and white, sprinkled with glistening gold and silver.
The walls had murals depicting the ancient history of the wars between Galar and Kalos with one of them having a knight wielding a sword and shield. It was indeed a magnificent sight to see.
They kept traversing around the mall, and finally found the fashion district. Ash was following Serena the entire time without one complaint. Goh on the other hand was a little bit, Chloe was fast when it came to looking around. The Vermilion couple kept moving ahead of the other couple and overall were just having a good time until Chloe accidentally bumped into someone who was turning around the corner.
"Oh, are you ok?" A voice asked gently as they reached a hand out to help Chloe up.
"Yup I'm alright.." She confirmed as she grabbed the gloved hand that hoisted her up back on her feet. The person who helped her was a girl with long brown hair with fringes within a kerchief. She had blue eyes and was wearing an orange and black coat.
"Heh sorry about that." The girl rubbed the back of her head.
"May!" A familiar voice called out behind.
Chloe blinked and began to think. 'Was that...Dawn?'
Her guess was proven correct as she saw the navy blue-haired girl approach from behind the person who helped her up. She was wearing her usual hat but also wearing a white and light pink coat for the snowy weather.
"May, what did I tell you about running off?" Dawn exclaimed.
May looked at Dawn before speaking. "Hey, I know my way around here, besides I like exploring when I shop around."
Dawn just shook her head lightly before glancing at Chloe.
"Chloe!" Dawn gasped excitedly. "How are you?"
"I'm doing good," Chloe said, still not believing the coincidence of meeting here.
"That's great, oh and sorry about my friend May-" Dawn started until Chloe waved her hand around.
"No no no, it was my fault...I should have watched where I was going." Chloe awkwardly laughed.
Goh came into view a few seconds later and looked at Chloe. "Pumpkin please don't run off, because I don't want to get lost here." He huffed.
"Pumpkin?" Dawn questioned with her eyebrow raised in amusement while looking at Chloe.
Chloe felt a Shockwave go through her whole nervous system. 'I can't believe I forgot to tell Dawn..' she thought in slight humiliation.
"W-Well you see me and Goh started dating a few weeks ago." Chloe spoke in a shy manner.
Dawn just smiled thoughtfully, "Well I wish you the best in your relationship for the future." She started as she looked at Goh. "How did you guys get together anyway?" She questioned with curiosity.
Goh tilted his head like he was thinking heavily. "Well, actually it's a funny story as she-"
"May, Dawn!" An enthusiastic call came from the approaching Monarch himself. Serena was holding his hand as she quickly walked to their friends. They stopped a few feet away before greeting them.
"Hey, Dawn and May!" Ash greeted them.
"Hey, Ash!" May waved her hand. "How are you?" She asked.
"I'm doing great." He grinned bashfully before turning to see Dawn.
"You?"
"Oh I'm doing great and I can see Serena is having a great time as well." Dawn said as her eyes seemed to be focused on their locked hands.
Serena nodded. "I am." She said simply before she planted a kiss on Ash's cheek. "And he is the big reason for that."
Dawn and May couldn't help but awe when they saw that. They both knew Serena had a crush on Ash ever since they were a bit younger. May and Dawn would remember all the times Serena said Ash's name during their contest training sessions. Though as the years went by, Serena mentioned Ash in a scarce amount but they knew her admiration was still there.
The experienced coordinators would eventually like an explanation of how Serena got together with Ash but for now, it was time for some shopping!
They went left and right within the vast aisles of clothing, the fashion district was so big that there were escalators needed to go to the upper levels. The girls were successful in picking out a few dresses and coats to try out but...they seem to lose the two boys in the process.
How convenient.
"It seems we lost them while trying to find clothes huh?" Dawn stated.
May nodded in agreement. "We must've gotten a bit excited exploring here that we didn't even notice."
"I guess it's time to find them." Serena suggested as she began walking back with others following right behind her. They walked down a long aisle with no one to be seen. The path apparently led to a hallway with a Pokémon battlefield in the center with some sort of glass dome infrastructure for the ceiling. They seemed to be lost but the place was also empty and that gave the girls the opportunity to have some girl talk with Serena.
"So...how is Lisa?" May started.
Serena smiled, "She's doing well, still doing idol contests as usual." She replied.
Chloe stared at Serena before asking another question. "Hey, Serena?"
"Yes?"
"So I was just wondering and I mean no offense whatsoever...but what made you fall for Ash?" Chloe asked in a slight hesitation.
The question caused Serena to stop in her tracks making Chloe a bit worried she may have hit a sensitive topic. The Kalos Queen did not answer right away but instead walked toward the glass of the dome. Serena looked outside, seeing the snowflakes gently melting upon impact and she looked back at the maroon-haired girl with a gentle smile.
"Oh, where to begin." Serena said as she shook her head.
May, Dawn, and Chloe all sat on the floor crisscrossed to listen to Serena with their full attention.
"When I was a bit younger I was just a girl who slept in till late only to be woken up by a Fletchling pecking on my forehead." Serena said as she pointed to her head
"That must've hurt." May commented.
"Oh, it did." Serena answered, causing all of them to laugh.
Serena continued.
"At the beginning, I had no clue on what exactly I wanted to do and I was just stuck." She took a quick pause. "My mother wanted me to become a Rhyhorn racer, but I didn't want to follow through with that plan and I didn't even have my own yet either."
Chloe then spoke quietly "I know that feeling of being lost or not knowing what I wanted to do for my future." Serena acknowledged her with a nod before continuing to speak softly.
"I eventually came up with my idea of becoming a trainer here in Kalos but looking back at it, I think I was just finding an excuse to get out of Rhyhorn racing." Serena sighed.
"Hey, I'm guilty of that too." May started as she raised her hand. "I only became a trainer so I could just travel at first." May finished.
"Yeah but because of that, you learned about the contests, which led you to find your passion." Serena pointed out as May smiled in response.
The honey-blonde teen took a small breath as she opened her mouth to speak.
"It was Ash that ignited the flame, I think it started the moment when he invited me to travel with him, and during my journey, I eventually found out what I wanted to do," she paused to breathe.
"I wanted to become a performer but it wasn't always easy, as I lost my first performance." She said as she looked down, as she began to remember the terrible feeling she felt back then.
Dawn stared at Serena before adding to the conversation "I lost my first contest...I was upset to the point I called my mother but she didn't want me to rely on her but to rely on my friends and Pokémon."
Serena looked up at Dawn before speaking. "Your mother gave you excellent advice."
"She sure did." Dawn agreed.
Serena took off her hat to brush her short hair back as the blue ribbon waved with it. She continued on her story.
"I eventually got back up and I have to give my thanks to my friends and Pokémon as they supported me every step of the way."
She sighs as her cheeks slightly get pink. "As for my feelings for Ash...he always supported me and helped me during my low points." The Kalos Queen said which caused the girls to lean and get closer to hear her better.
"He was charming in his own way, always so bold when it came to helping his friends and Pokémon, and because of his invitation I was able to find something that I wanted to do, a dream to become Kalos Queen." She revealed.
May and Dawn could only grin as they knew Ash had such influence on people. Chloe also gave a warm smile as she too remembered the influence he had on her and Goh.
Serena continued. "He was like a leader, a person you could look up to, and is someone I continue to strive to be like because I want to help others as he did with me." She stopped for a moment to recollect her thoughts.
Chloe sat there in awe as she never really thought Serena viewed Ash that way, it was wonderful but she wondered...what took so long for them to be together? So she decided to ask away.
"How long did it take for you two to become a couple?" Chloe questioned Serena.
Serena seemed to stump at the question before answering. "Well as you all know...a journey must come to an end...and you see...before I went to Hoenn, I may have given Ash a unique farewell..." the honey-blonde trailed off.
May quirked a brow. "What do you mean?" The coordinator asked.
"I may have given him a kiss goodbye..." Serena whispered with her shoulders slouched forward.
It was pure quiet until...it was not.
"AND YOU NEVER TOLD US!?" Both Dawn and May yelled in unison. After years of befriending and training with Serena for contests, she never once told them about the kiss.
"I know I know, I'm sorry I didn't tell you." Serena defended as she got up from sitting. She walked toward the glass and she put her hand against it, she could feel the cold coming through. The snow outside seemed to slow down quite a bit as she observed.
"I told him he was my goal, and in context, I guess I wanted to be like him, someone that could teach others along their journey...he is selfless, strong, cheerful and just the most amazing person I have ever known." Serena smiled confidentially.
Dawn smiled, "You really like him that bad huh?...I'm surprised you haven't even mentioned about his looks?"
Serena took a glimpse at Dawn "I can't take away the fact that he was also cute." Serena giggled softly.
Chloe laughed slightly, "Hearing Ash and the word cute in the same sentence was probably the last thing I would ever hear."
This caused all the girls to snicker but stopped when they heard Serena sighing heavily.
"When I went on my journey in Hoenn, I grew and matured as time went on." She became quiet for a moment but kept on telling more.
"I even switched up my clothing style and felt like I didn't need to wear the blue ribbon all the time..." she said as he untied the blue ribbon from her hair and stared at it.
"At the time I didn't need to show my heart out for him as I was my own individual, one who was growing stronger every day..."
Serena halted her words as she began to think on what to say next.
"...and to be honest, I put my feelings away so I could focus more on my own dream but..." Serena said as she clasped the ribbon in her hand until May pitched in.
"Your feelings for him kept coming back but your goal was in conflict with them right?"
Serena smirked as she pointed her index finger up, "As some might say, my mind may have forgotten, but my heart would always remember and that was proven to be true when I saw him again, the feelings that laid dormant deep within me just ignited like a wild fire, it felt...nice." She smiled happily.
"When he told me he was competing in the World Coronation Series, I couldn't help but feel a sense of rivalry between me and him. If he was going to be the strongest of his own accord then I wanted to be the strongest in my respective goal!" She finished.
May, Chloe, and Dawn stared at Serena in awe, it looked like she really needed that. She was poised and confident throughout telling her whole story. She was truly a mature person in her own right and-
"Ooh, why did I say that out loud!? How would Ash react if he heard me say all of that!?...I can't believe I said all of that!" Serena blushed heavily as she covered her face.
All of the other girls sweatdropped.
Classic Serena.
Then footsteps were heard belonging to no other than the boys they lost earlier. Goh was walking forward to Chloe as Ash just stood there leaning on the entryway. As Serena was babbling in her own world she didn't even realize Ash was slowly walking toward her. Once in close proximity, Ash grabbed Serena's hands gently to see her red face. Ash's eyes met hers, he leaned in closer before whispering.
"Did you mean all of that?" He asked in a hushed tone.
"Y-You mean you heard that!?" Serena stuttered as she was so embarrassed.
"Yup...me and Goh saw you all come here and by the time we saw you again you were sitting and talking with the others so we decided to wait." He smiled sheepishly as he began to hug her.
Serena just nodded in defeat. Ash grinned ear to ear.
What he said next caused Serena to short circuit.
"Would you mind if I kissed you now instead of waiting after the date?" Ash asked out of the blue.
The sentence caused Ash's former traveling companions to gasp as they never expected their friend to ask something like that. Serena could only stare in awe.
"So?" Ash asked again.
She began to think heavily until an idea crossed her mind. This was an opportunity to let Ash know how much she grew over the years. There was a field here and had her Pokémon within her coat, this was the perfect time.
The Kalos Queen got out of Ash's hold and in one swift movement, she stole his hat and placed it on her head.
"Ash Ketchum, I challenge you to a battle and If you win I'll give you your long awaited reward!" She winked at him with much enthusiasm as she walked toward the opposite end of the field.
She held up the blue ribbon in one hand and took a Pokéball out of her inner coat pocket. She threw the Pokéball onto the field to reveal an Absol.
Before Ash could accept the challenge, he saw Serena walk to her Absol and tied the blue ribbon to the back left leg of the dark-type Pokémon.
"This is not just any Pokémon battle, if you manage to take the blue ribbon to yourself, you win but I must warn you that my Pokémon are full of surprises." Serena confidentially announced before releasing her two other Pokémon on the field. Delphox, Pangoro, and Absol were ready to battle.
"A unique battle huh? This will be fun, I accept your challenge!" Ash proclaimed as he rolled his sleeves up and released two Pokémon on the field. They were Hawlucha and Melmetal.
"Hawcha!" The fighting type Pokémon puffed its chest out in a prideful way.
"I swapped my Pokémon before we went out, besides I believe these guys needed some exercise." Ash announced as he stretched.
"Where is Pikachu anyway?" May asked in confusion as he and Ash were practically inseparable.
"Oh, he's doing something important along with some of my other Pokémon, which will be revealed to Serena later." He mysteriously said.
May and Dawn sat down on the sidelines. While Chloe leaned her head on Goh's shoulder to watch the battle.
"You ready Serena because I'm not holding back." Ash said as he tightened his gloves.
"I wouldn't have any other way, I grew stronger since the last time we battled so let the performance begin!" Serena revealed suddenly.
'Calling a battle a Performance...almost something like Diantha would say...did she help train her?' Ash thought but wanted to confirm it by seeing Serena's strategy in their battle.
"Alright Hawlucha use High Jump Kick!" Ash commanded, thus officially beginning the match.
To be continued in Chapter 12: Ash Vs. Serena.
_
Author's note: Pretty long chapter than the usual huh? It's been a couple chapters since May and Dawn appeared so I decided to bring them back into the story. I watched the episodes with the XY gang returning and wow did those episodes made me emotional with nostalgia. I loved the development Serena received!