Here it is, the fourteenth chapter in my latest Hearts Universe side story 'Problems of the Heart' released when I wanted it to be released within the Hearts timeline give or take. As expected and promised this is the shortest gap between two chapters in this series in terms of uploading it (Angie II and III is the closest between chapters in terms of universe timing as those occurred on the same day) and is the final intro chapter for an Ash girl and Sabrina that I have planned, all others are second and/or third chapters for the girls who have yet to finish their healing with Sabrina. For those wondering, this chapter, like the last one, takes place after the Snowbelle arc and right before the Master Class arc so between Parts CLXVII and CLXVIII and is set the morning after May II. Anyway, that is all I have for this note and as there were no questions or guest reviews to respond to please time to sit back and get ready for the fourteenth Problem of the Heart.
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon.
Serena I
Serena walked nervously down the corridor on the top floor of the Gloire City Pokémon Center as she made her way to the room at the end. In the room, waiting for Serena, was a woman she'd never met but who she'd heard a lot of good things about from May, Misty, and Dawn though her reason for seeing the woman was tied to the first two girls not the last one. That was because the woman was Sabrina, the Saffron City Gym leader out in Kanto and someone who'd helped out several girl like Serena and had offered to extend that help to Serena as well.
That part Serena still didn't fully understand. She'd heard a lot about Sabrina and her past, her issues that she was apparently very open about, and how she used her own recovery to help others overcome their own problems with things like substance abuse, but she still wasn't sure how it pertained to Serena's situation regarding her unrequited crush on Ash other than that Ash was somehow tied to Sabrina's own recovery in some way. She would get her answers soon, however, as she raised her fist to knock on the door.
"Come in." A feminine voice with a distinct Kanto accent to it said, after a year with Ash Serena knew that accent well, the moment Serena knocked on it. "It's unlocked."
Serena hesitated a little before she reached for the doorknob, turned it and walked into the small single room. All it had was a bed, with a cute Espurr snoozing in the middle of it, a desk with a computer terminal on it, and a chair that was occupied by who Serena had to assume was Sabrina. There was also a Haunter floating above her that vanished almost as soon as Serena stepped into the room and a Kadabra that seemed to be dozing in a corner.
"One moment, I just have to finish something up." Sabrina said and Serena saw that she was doing paperwork of all things. "Dad sent some reports last night that apparently need my review and approval before they can be submitted. Gym business never ends even when I'm not there."
"Right." Serena said unsure what else to say as she looked over the woman in the chair while standing by the now closed door.
Seated as she was, Serena couldn't get a gage on Sabrina's height, but she did note that the woman had long, dark green hair that fell in a glossy sheet down her back as Sabrina hadn't styled it today. In terms of fashion, the woman wore what looked like a sleeveless, off red, dress with a high collar that came down to her upper thighs with a slit to the waist for ease of movement in the left side at least, black tights, a black girdle style belt with a few notable pouches on it, and black sleeves that came to her elbows. A glance down revealed that she also wore green ankle boots.
"There, don't know why dad had to ask for my review seeing as he as the same authority as I do as the backup leader but whatever, it is still my gym so I guess I should have final say on things." Sabrina said putting her pen down, and then pushing out her chair out and rising to turn to Serena. "Sorry for that, I'm heading once we're done and I've had time to quell my mind, so I wanted to get that done first. You must be Serena; I watched the Wallace Cup, so I recognize you from that. Congratulations on winning it by the way, that was an impressive showing you had to claim the first Dawn Ribbon. As you know, I'm Sabrina, the Saffron City Gym Leader but here in Kalos just call me Sabi."
"Sabi?" Serena asked at the reference she knew she'd heard before as Sabrina, who Serena now noted was a fair bit taller than her, held out her hand to Serena.
"A shortening of my name that I took as a nomme de guerre of sorts when I came to Kalos several years ago." Sabrina said as Serena took her hand to shake it for a moment. "I didn't want to be recognized when I came her to begin my recovery from my addiction to my own power, so I changed my style to what you see now, though I usual slick my hair into a different look which I haven't had time to do today yet, dyed my hair black and altered my name. Since then, this has kinda become my traveling identity and have grown to like it, though I don't dye my hair anymore."
"Oh ok." Serena said recalling that it had been when they met Olympia at the Anistar Sundial that she'd heard of Sabi and made the connection to Sabrina as she let go of Sabrina's hand. "I, um, still don't understand all that stuff by the way. It's not exactly something I've encountered in my time."
"Take a seat, please." Sabrina said gesturing to the chair as she moved to the bed, making sure not to disturb her Espurr. "I can explain if you'd like but to avoid repeating what do you know about me so that I know what gaps in your understanding to fill."
"Not much." Serena admitted as she took a seat and Sabrina studied the girl for the first time. "Just that you've helped people like May and Misty deal with issues in their life both pertaining to their heartbreak over losing Ash to Dawn and other things. May was really happy yesterday actually, more so than I'd seen since before we ran into her ex and his puppet so I know you helped her deal with that at last which I am grateful for as May needed it. I also know that you're a gym leader in Kanto with some past regarding Ash, and that you are a recovering addict who's addiction was to her own power. I know Olympia and her powers so I know people can have them though I don't understand them."
Sabrina took a moment to process what Serena had said as she looked over the younger girl, the last of the Ash girls she expected to help out. She had to in order to figure out what Serena did and didn't know about her and she used that time to look over the Kalos native.
She was certainly a cute girl with a classic Kalos charm to her what with her short yet feminine cut honey blonde hair under a simple light red hat with a black band, sleeveless pink dress with a white collar and blue ribbon at her throat, red vest thing, black stockings to her upper thighs, and brown boots. It was a look that really suited her, and Sabrina could really see why she was considered a one of the best performers in Kalos, the girl had a style and air to her that tugged ever so slightly at the heart. With a little more experience, especially if it was outside of Kalos, Serena really could become Kalos Queen one day.
"That's a bit of an oversimplification but you know the general gist of why I ended up in Kalos half a decade ago and at least you understand psychic powers on some level thanks to knowing Olympia." Sabrina said after a moment. "So, I'll use her as a base. As you know she had two powers, telekinesis and foresight."
"Yeah I've seen both in use." Serena said. "She recently gave a prediction that involved Ash and his at the time Frogadier now Greninja that has already begun to come true in many ways. There is still the final aspect of it I believe but everything else has fallen into place so far."
"Really, I must ask her about it when I next see her seeing as her predictions tend to be more accurate than not despite the ever-changing nature of the future." Sabrina said idly. "Anyway, yes she has two powers, one of the few with more than one, but I have three and in that regard I'm alone in the world."
"I have heard that you are considered to be the strongest psychic in the world." Serena said. "Which I'll admit is hard to believe given how powerful Olympia is."
"As far as I know I am and that is kinda where my issues began." Sabrina said with a sigh. "Unlike people like Olympia or my father whose powers manifested when they were old enough to mentally prepare and developed over time, my first two, telekinesis and telepathy, manifested when I was still a child and way too young to comprehend them and that's not getting into how strong they were when they manifested. Still, I knew that they made me different, made me powerful, and I quickly became obsessed with perfecting them, with getting even stronger and I did so by using them at all times. It got to the point where I needed to use my powers in a way and became reliant on them."
"That doesn't sound good." Serena said. "I know that Olympia can't control her foresight as it comes when it wants so to speak but her telekinesis is under control."
"That is why I sought her out, her control of telekinesis is the best and after me she's the strongest with it." Sabrina said with a smile. "But that was after I'd become enthralled by my powers. My childhood and teen years are a blur to me, I can't really recall them other than as a third party watching as I strayed farther down the path of darkness and addiction that turned me into a monster for a bit. In the end I'd given over to my powers entirely by the time my third power, transmutation, manifested and my mind kinda snapped."
"Snapped?" Serena asked. "That doesn't sound good."
"Split in two is more accurate but snapped works as well." Sabrina said. "I guess it was the little bit left of me that had sanity, that wasn't the cold, cruel, calculating woman I'd become, that rebelled, and turned my childhood doll into a real person of sorts where the innocent, fractured, part of my mind, the little girl my obsession with power had effectively killed, could inhabit and she just wanted to play for all eternity."
"Um, that sounds really creepy." Serena said with a shudder. "Like, horror movie level of creepy."
"Oh, it was, just ask Ash or Misty and they'll vouch for how disturbing my doll was." Sabrina said glancing over to her bag where said doll was but decided it was best not to bring it out for Serena to see and continued her explanation. "My other mind, the one under my power's control, gave in and tried to transmute people into dolls to achieve that goal. I did it to my own mother, to Misty and Brock, and almost to Ash but he escaped. That was thanks to my father who was strong enough to resist me though he couldn't best me and then thanks to Ash I got a chance at a real life again."
"Somehow Ash being involved doesn't surprise me." Serena said with a smile. "He's kinda amazing like that. No matter what, he always helps people."
"I can see how you fell for him, but I agree, he has an innate ability to him to make people better though I think he has no idea what he's doing in the process." Sabrina said noticing the deep feelings flicker in Serena's eyes as she spoke. "In my case it was his dedication to beating me that led to the events where I was, well, shocked sober in a way and used that lifeline to remain clean ever since."
"How so?" Serena asked eager to hear another story of how amazing Ash had been in the past as it seemed like there was an endless supply of such stories. "He was a rookie when you first met, right?"
"Yup, a typical 10-year-old fresh faced trainer with 3 badges at the time." Sabrina said. "He came to challenge me and faced my Abra with his Pikachu in a one-on-one battle, the rules I had at the time, but Abra evolved and Kadabra beat Pikachu. The Kadabra whose dozing in the corned actually."
"That one?" Serena asked surprised as she glanced at it.
"Yup, he was my first Pokémon, and we forged a telepathic bond thanks to my power that was not healthy." Sabrina said with a sigh. "After I beat Ash, I was going to turn him and his friends into dolls to play with forever, the whole split personality I had at the time after all, but dad got them to safety and told them to go to Lavender Town to catch a ghost type as ghost types are strong against psychic types. Back then few in Kanto understood dark types while the known Kanto bug type attacks weren't too strong so the best type against me was ghost."
"That does sound like something Ash would do." Serena said. "Go and get a new Pokémon to win after a defeat but that wasn't when he got his Gengar, right?"
"No, though I was the one who sent him to Lavender Town the second time which led to him getting that Gengar as I'd heard strange reports from the town and figured he could investigate it and solve it because, well, that's just what Ash does." Sabrina said. "The first time, from what I've heard, Ash and Pikachu almost died and ended up playing with the ghost types there, a Ghastly, Haunter, and Gengar that was not the same as the one that he ended up catching but returned to his body in time. It was when Misty realized her own crush on him I believe, and Ash didn't catch any of them."
"Again, that is typical Ash down to the near-death experience, he had one of those recently as well, though I certainly know how those three can be playful Pokémon." Serena said. "I had an adventure with them last year here in Kalos that ended rather freakily."
"Ghost types are often misunderstood which is a shame though I do dislike facing them as they are strong against my type and when paired with a dark type, well those are the greatest bane to psychic specialists and why Kadabra now knows Dazzling Gleam." Serena said. "It was why Ash wanted one back then, to face me, but failed to catch any. However, the Haunter there took a liking to him and decided to join him as a wild Pokémon, so Ash was going to use it but, well, Haunter is a playful thing who doesn't battle and refused to so Ash lost again. That was the time that I managed to turn Misty and Brock into dolls, but Ash escaped, tried again, and this time Haunter, um, pranked me and I laughed."
"Come again?" Serena asked.
"Haunter, he's a playful one and he likes to make people laugh." Sabrina said with a smile. "He must have seen that I needed it so when Ash faced me the third time, second with Haunter around, he didn't battle but did appear by me and began making faces, even licking his own eyes off somehow, to get me to laugh. It wasn't until he produced a bomb from inside him and blew it up in my face, and no I don't know how he got it by the way, that I laughed."
"You mean the doll, right?" Serena asked.
"Not the doll." Sabrina said shaking her head. "I laughed as in my own voice and physical body was laughing while covered in soot, and it caused Kadabra to laugh. That, that was what sobered me up, reminded me that I am human, that I can laugh and be normal, and broke the control my powers had on me."
"Oh." Serena said. "So, what happened next?"
"A brief moment of complete clarity and normalcy." Sabrina said smiling at the memory. "My doll returned to normal, I restored my mother, Brock, and Misty as well, and thanked Ash by awarding him the Marsh Badge given to trainers who beat the Saffron Gym while Haunter stayed with me as a wild Pokémon to make sure I didn't relapse. A week after my battle with Ash I realized I needed help to avoid relapsing into what I had been before I met him, so I took a medical leave of absence and began my recovery by coming to Kalos to seek out Olympia."
"Huh, I'd say that is crazy but, well, I know Ash so it's totally believable that it happened." Serena said. "And I saw the Haunter, is that…"
Before Serena could finish the Haunter in question appeared right before her making himself visible again and licked her entire face with his long tongue in a Lick attack. Serena instantly shivered in shock and revulsion at it as Sabrina let out a laugh at the sight.
"Yes, that is the same Haunter that Ash accidentally brought me." Sabrina said still laughing as Haunter floated back to hover over her shoulder and she rubbed him under the chin affectionately while Serena took out a tissue to wipe her face. "He's been with me ever since, he was key during the times I almost relapsed while in Kalos, but wouldn't let me catch him for 3 years, not until I returned to Saffron and resumed my duties as gym leader after a year with Anabel out in western Kanto. Sorry for that, he's still a prankster and likes to make me laugh every day so that I can remember how I got clean. He's been a great help all these years."
"No, no worries, it was just a shock that's all." Serena said recovering as best she could. "So that is your tale then?"
"Pretty much." Sabrina said with a shrug. "I came to Kalos for help, met Alain who became my first friend, almost relapsed but managed to get control thanks to Haunter after destroying the entrance of the Anistar Gym, and began to learn under Olympia. She was the only one in Kalos who knew my true identity at the time and helped me get my telekinesis under control while also identifying that I had been addicted to my own power."
"She did?" Serena asked. "How?"
"Olympia has been around for a long time; she knows a thing or two and saw the similarities between how I acted when my powers had control of me and how an addict acts." Sabrina said. "She was the one who sent me to a Narcotics Anonymous meeting as she figured it would help me in a way she couldn't, and she was right as I really began to understand my issues on a deeper level thanks to those meetings. Since then, I have worked hard since then to overcome my addition. It took 2 years to get stable here but after an incident at the Anistar Showcase I needed to go elsewhere for my telepathy control."
"Incident?" Serena asked.
"My telepathy is, well, broken." Sabrina said. "I basically had it always on and active for so many years that when I got clean, well, I couldn't actually turn it off as I no longer had control over it because, well, I never properly learned to use it. These days it's just a low-level buzz, surface level thoughts that kinda mix to incoherent noise in my head at all times unless it is intense which is how I found Miette by accident, but back then it was worse."
"It was?" Serena asked.
"Yeah, I was basically hearing everyone's surface level thoughts pretty clearly, but I could at least manage around it." Sabrina said. "However, when I went to the Anistar Showcase as Olympia's guest my weak control failed and all the excited thoughts slammed into my mind like a tidal wave. I ended up having a seizure in her private box but thanks to her, Haunter, and Kadabra I was taken to safety before anything worse could happen."
"That sounds awful." Serena said her eyes wide. "I can't imagine what that must have been like."
"It wasn't pleasant, and it made me realize that I can't be around large crowds, so no attending large events in person." Sabrina said with a sigh. "I needed help with it so I went to see Anabel in Cremini Town where she lives at my dad's recommendation when I left Kalos as I was as recovered here as I could be."
"That makes sense, you came here for telekinetic help and got it." Serena said understanding a bit more. "Did you tell anyone else who you really were before you left?"
"I told Alain and Professor Sycamore the truth a few days before I returned to Kanto but that was it." Sabrina said. "They deserved to know the truth and I wanted to remained in contact with Alain and Olympia, so he at least had to know the truth. He accepted it and maintained contact through the intervening years, but he also understood that I had to go back to Kanto for the last bit of help that I needed."
"With Anabel." Serena said. "I've heard of her, she's like me in a way as she's one of Dawn's rivals but I don't know much about her."
"Anabel falling for Ash and being a rival of Dawn's in that regard is just a big coincidence that the universe loves to throw our way." Sabrina said. "I actually met Anabel before she met Ash though I didn't tell her who he was, and I didn't learn of her own feelings for him until last year. As for Anabel herself, she's an empath which means she can commune with Pokémon on an emotional level. She's not a telepath but she understands the nature of the power so helped me get the last bit of control over our year together. Now I can even suppress it to the point of no noise for a bit, which I'm doing now, but it always causes a bit of a backlash that I have to rest to deal with."
"I, I'm sorry to hear that." Serena said unsure how to respond to what she'd just learned. "You've done so well it seems but to have that still…"
"It's fine, I don't mind it these days." Sabrina said with a small smile. "It's basically a reminder to me that I fucked my life up back when I fell into addiction that I have to live with as a result. It's a health repercussion I deal with because of my past mistakes but a way to always know that I'm better now, that I am moving forward and can now help others who are dealing with their own problems like you."
"I'm not an addict though." Serena pointed out. "Though that does bring me to my big question, why are you helping people like me? People like Misty and May? We aren't exactly the kind of people who have similar pasts to you."
"True, though Misty did need other help that I was able to help her realize, and I did provide support for May yesterday as you know, but I am helping you lot for other reasons that are as much to do with my own need to do so as it is in helping you lot." Sabrina said. "In a way it is my attempt to repay a debt I cannot ever truly repay, a way for myself to continue my own atonement and redemption for my past by helping the one who helped me the most in some small way."
"You mean Ash?" Serena asked. "He is the only common denominator between us."
"Yeah I mean Ash." Serena said with a nod. "He was the one who saved me when I was at my worst because he gave me my life back through Haunter, but, well, Ash doesn't need any form of help that I might be able to provide. However, as you know well, Ash has a strange way of getting girls to fall for him yet not realize because he's denser than most rocks."
"You can say that again." Serena said in agreement. "Ash's density when it comes to romance is legendary."
"It clearly is and yet he got past it for Dawn." Sabrina said. "I know how, it's because of that Iris girl who somehow was a companion that didn't fall for him, but it is still impressive that he managed to get past it at all even with help."
"Yeah we still don't get anything about Iris." Serena admitted. "I've met her and she's certainly an odd girl."
"I am intrigued by her, that is for sure, though the one time we were in the same place I didn't talk to her for other reasons, mainly Brock and Lucy causing a scene by arriving and announcing their engagement but that's another story." Sabrina said. "Still, Iris succeeded and helped Dawn win. Initially I wouldn't have gotten involved but then I was challenged to a full battle by Ash for his practice last year as he got ready for the Indigo League again, which I instantly accepted of course, and I got the chance to thank him. In the process I learned of Anabel's crush on him, which was a surprise for sure as I had always gotten a more asexual vibe from Anabel until then."
"I hope to meet her one day so that I can understand another one of us, same with that Angie girl I've heard about." Serena said. "But go on, how is all this related?"
"It wasn't at first but then Ash showed up with a girlfriend from Sinnoh so after he'd won Anabel's heart." Sabrina said. "And I knew that the fates would cause Dawn and her to meet, especially after Dawn told me of her meeting with Misty, but I left it to the fates because they clearly had a plan for that meeting."
"Personally, I am not a big fan of the fates." Serena grumbled. "They've not been on my side these days."
"They are fickle and annoying; I agree with you there." Sabrina said. "But they helped me out by showing me this path because they caused me and Misty to cross paths thanks to a mental health talk I gave in Cerulean that had her reach out to me and confess about her own issues regarding her love for Ash and losing him and how her other problems were starting to control her in ways she was realizing weren't good. With two known girls already, I decided to help them, and I knew of a third in Angie thanks to Dawn, I met Dawn before her talk with May, so she didn't know of May's feelings yet, and, well I saw the Indigo final on TV, that's where I learned of May's feelings."
"And you decided to help us out." Serena said understanding a bit more now.
"Correct, I wanted to make sure that you were all ok and not about to let that love turn to hate and poison you." Sabrina said. "I also saw the Kanto Grand Festival final; I saw that Kenny boy's attitude and knew it at once. So many in my support groups I either run or go to meetings for have dealt with that kind of issue due to the fine line between love and hate, I couldn't let those who's hearts had been broken by Ash without him realizing it go down that path. Ash wouldn't want that for you lot and I saw how Misty was close to it so I got involved to help as best I could. Honestly, most of you didn't really need it."
"Really?" Serena asked. "How so?"
"Misty was the only one who had other issues but her love for Ash is pure, like really pure, and while her jealousy clouded her mind her love kept her centered so that she never fell to darkness, but it was causing issues between her and Dawn." Sabrina said. "So, with the right nudge from me she made up with Dawn, and I got to make my own amends to Misty in the process for wronging her back before I got sober, and now she's really close with Dawn."
"They certainly have a strange but good relationship from what I've seen." Serena said recalling the dynamic she noted between the girls. "She's the only one who can really banter with Dawn about this it seems."
"Such is Misty's nature from what I gathered, it's good to see that she and Dawn are getting along well these days." Sabrina said. "After her, the others were more just giving you lot a voice to speak freely to a neutral third party with no romantic interest in Ash so as to get those feelings off your chest, embrace them openly for once, and then come to your own conclusions. I've fully helped Misty, Anabel, and Angie at this point, I've met Miette once but she's already really solid, and spoken to May twice though as you know the second time was more about her other problem. I was the one who gave her the decompression advice for your year here and she told me of your crush on Ash, so I wanted to help you as well."
"That actually has helped a lot the few times we've done that, especially after Pierre's party where Ash and Dawn were really cute when they danced together even if it hurt to watch though the changing partners dance helped mitigate that a bit." Serena said. "And I'm not surprised with Miette, she's one of my closest friends and toughest rivals so I know her well. That confidence of hers, her ability to really know herself and what she wants, it will keep her centered. Hell, I'm not even surprised you've run into her, she has a habit of popping up where she's least expected."
"I know that Miette won't be needing a follow up for a bit, but we've already planned that, so I'm not worried about her." Sabrina said. "Now, though, it is your turn Serena. You know my story; you know why I want to help you lot so let me help you. I've helped 5 others; you're the 6th and I believe final one I expect though there may be a 7th who could be too close to the edge for me to help but I don't even know where she is at the moment so I can't do much there."
"I've heard good things about you from the others, they all vouch for you, and I know you helped May where she needed it the most, she's really determined now and it's inspiring me to step up just like winning the Wallace Cup did." Serena said. "So, I knew that I'd at least hear you out and see what you wanted from me. Hearing you tale and how Ash helped you, well I fell for him for a reason, has helped assure me that you'll be at least the advice I need so sure, I'll accept your help."
"Thank you, I will do my best Serena." Sabrina said with a smile.
"That said I don't know where to start." Serena admitted. "I am different from the others in a way."
"How so?" Sabrina asked. "I know each of you are different in your own ways, an impressive cross section of girls Ash has accidentally wooed, but how about we start with why you're different and go from there."
"That is a good place to start I guess." Serena said with a nod. "I'm different because while, like Miette, I never had a chance as I properly encountered Ash after he and Dawn started dating, I am also probably the first who developed feelings for him even if it was just a little girl first crush before I fully understood what that kind of thing was."
"Ok that is different." Sabrina said a little startled by that, she recalled that May had once said that Serena's crush was the oldest and that seemed to be true, so Sabrina decided to get to the root of it right away. "Then let's go all the way back to the beginning where those seeds were first planted. When did you first meet Ash, what did he do to win your heart, and how did that shape the future feelings when you matured? That should give me a good picture and we can go from there."
"When I first met Ash, that was a long time ago." Serena said thinking back on it. "I may be the second newest to the group that has faced and lost to Dawn with only Miette more recent that I know of, but I met Ash first, must have been at least a decade ago or so, I think I was around 7 or 8 at the time. Back then my mother decided to send me to a Pokémon camp in Kanto run by Professor Oak. I didn't want to go but, well, I had no say in the matter, so I was sent there though I don't think I told anyone I was from Kalos, certainly I didn't tell Ash that I was. While there I got lost in some forest or woods and was startled by a Poliwag and hurt my knee. As any young girl would be, I wasn't in a great state at the time."
"When I was 8 I was already abusing my power and attacking my parents when they tried to help me, so I think getting lost in the woods is perfectly normal and understandable." Sabrina said. "Kinda wish I had a time like that but oh well, go on."
"Right." Serena said deciding it best not to ask about Sabrina's childhood at all as it was clearly not a normal or good one it seemed. "Anyway, Ash showed up looking for the same Poliwag because he liked Pokémon and saw me and my injury. He helped me, bandaged my knee in a handkerchief of his and told me that it was a good luck charm that would make the pain go away."
"Ah the innocence of a child." Sabrina said with a note of wistfulness in her voice at what she'd killed with her abuse so long ago. "And that is just so Ash as well, clearly he's always been like that."
"It really was." Serena said. "But my knee still hurt so he told me not to give up until it's over, words that have stuck with me ever since, and helped me back to the summer camp. The rest of the summer is a blur, but I kept the handkerchief, still have it in fact, and the memory of the kind boy who'd saved me."
"Ah so that was the incident so to speak, much more wholesome and innocent than some of the others I've heard of." Sabrina said. "Mainly because they usually involve Ash either almost or apparently actually dying in the process, or at least willing to die with someone that caused that girl to fall for him."
"I've heard May's at least, the Sea Temple where she really accepted her feelings for him though she knew she liked him before that apparently." Serena said. "Not the others though you did mention Misty's earlier and none of that surprises me. Out of curiosity, what was Dawn's moment? Do you know?"
"Dawn's involves some battle between two Pokémon deities the rank below Arceus himself called Dialga and Palkia, along with some involvement from a Darkrai I believe, and almost falling off a massive tower in Sinnoh." Sabrina said. "So, as you can tell there was an element of near death to it and that wasn't the only one I know of. Another of the girls to fall for Ash involves her almost falling into the world of the dead with Ash saving her and not letting go as he would rather they fall together rather than just her, which also happened in Sinnoh. Miette and Anabel's are more just Ash being Ash though."
"Come again?" Serena asked blinking. "That was how Dawn fell for Ash?"
"I see she hasn't told you the story yet." Sabrina said with a grin. "It's more how the seed of her feelings was planted than anything else, took her until her friend Lyra suggested they date to make her realize that she had fallen for him but ask Dawn sometime about her adventures in a place called Alamos Town and her experiences with the deities of Sinnoh. They're quite wild but then again she's one of only a few in the world who's ever met Arceus."
"May and I had some adventures with a few of the Kalos legendaries last year." Serena said. "You know, Hoopa, Volcanion, Diancie, and Zygarde, but May's told me of her other experiences with Ash and meeting various Hoenn and Kanto legendary Pokémon in her time with Ash. I've heard that Dawn's at least met Arceus and the others from the Sinnoh pantheon in a few instances, she has mentioned Dialga and Palkia in the past, along with a few Johto ones I believe, so I know of her past experiences somewhat just not the details other than one involved time travel for some reason. Didn't realize that that was tied to Dawn's own feelings though."
"It's a good story for her to tell you some time but for now please continue yours." Sabrina said shifting back to the topic at hand. "You met Ash way back when and that planted the seed. No doubt that seed was always with you over the intervening years."
"Yeah it was, I just couldn't get him out of my mind." Serena admitted. "Odd, I know, but I wanted to see him again and see what he'd become because he just had this reassuring presence even back then, so I wanted to make sure he was still like that. However, I was here in Kalos with my mother training to be a Rhyhorn racer because that's what she did, but it wasn't what I wanted to be in the long run. I wanted to travel, to see my region and basically find my own path. My mom is, well, she's been a tomboy all her life in a lot of ways while I was always a girly girl. It's actually what Dawn and I have bonded over most as she's a lot like me in that regard."
"I can see that; Dawn knows her femininity well and loves to express it and I can tell you are the same." Sabrina said. "Not that May or Misty or even I can't, we just do so in other less conforming ways most of the time."
"Of course, I know everyone is different in their own way and it was the difference between me and my mother that motivated me to leave home and go on my own journey." Serena said. "And I finally did though it was much later than planned because I was 17 when I finally left. No real reason, I was just a bit of a late bloomer I guess."
"It happens to all of us." Sabrina said with a shrug. "I may have started my time as a Pokémon trainer at the standard Kanto age of 10 with my Abra but I never left Saffron for my own journey until I was 18 though I had other reasons for that as you know."
"Yes and it is certainly an impressive and inspirational one at that." Serena said. "For my journey I just wanted to see the world, find my own path, and have fun. It was a bit like May's own journey though she didn't like Pokémon while I did, I even knew which Pokémon I wanted from the start."
"Fennekin." Sabrina said surprising Serena and chuckling. "I have spent time in this region, I know the starter Pokémon well and I saw your Delphox in the semifinals of the Wallace Cup, magnificent creature by the way as is your adorable Meowstic, so I knew that your starter had to have been a Fennekin. That was my first catch in Kalos by the way, I found him when he's been abandoned by his trainer and felt a connection to him, so I nursed him back to health and then he let me catch him. I didn't even know that Delphox added a psychic type at the end, so it was a bit of a branch out for me at the time."
"That doesn't actually surprise me." Serena said. "But yeah, I really wanted a Fennekin and the one I got was female, a rarity, which really added to it for me. Still, even with Fennekin I didn't know what I wanted to do so I just wandered around Lumiose City trying to come up with a plan for my journey when I ran into the first Contest display by the four Top Coordinators who'd come to promote it. I'd heard that Kalos was adding them, so I was curious and checked it out. There I saw May do an appeal with her Glaceon before battling Yuma in a Contest battle with her Blaziken that she lost but it looked graceful so when it was over I approached her, she appeared to be the same age, for information on Contests."
"So that's how you met May." Sabrina said. "And through her learned more of Ash."
"Yup and pretty quickly as May and I bonded right away given our similar ages and pasts in terms of reasons for becoming Pokémon trainers." Serena said. "I told her that while I wasn't sold on Contests they did look fun, and May suggested I travel with her as she promoted them so that I could find myself on the road. I was skeptical and then May told me of how she first traveled her home region of Hoenn with Ash, Brock and her little brother Max and how it was great and helped her find her own path as a coordinator and taught her to love Pokémon and that sold me. She seemed to be a bit in pain over the mention of Ash but brushed it off as something she'd explain another time."
"She came to Kalos right after learning that Dawn had won, she was coming here anyway but had hoped it would be with Ash so that she could eventually confess but, well, you know." Sabrina said. "So, no doubt she was still feeling it as that wound was still fresh back then."
"In time I learned that and learned of Ash more as May opened up, she may be in pain, but she still had a huge crush on him and that he meant a lot to her, I could tell, as could Bonnie but Clemont was clueless." Serena said. "Oh, yeah, a day or two after meeting May we met Bonnie and Clemont, helped them out with Clemont's issues with Clembot at the Lumiose Gym, and then they joined us as Clemont still wanted to travel before fully taking over his duties as a gym leader and Bonnie just wanted to join us for the fun of it. May saw them as a bit of a reverse of her and Max so it was all good right from the start."
"Seems like you had a great year." Sabrina said. "I have heard of your exploits, I know you were the one who faced Aria in the Master Class, that is very impressive."
"Yeah, thanks to May's advice and some words from a new friend called Shauna at Professor Sycamore's summer camp that we ended up at I found my calling as a performer." Serena said smiling at Sabrina's praise. "It was perfect for me and while I had my setback in my first loss when I crashed out of the Theme Round in the Coumarine Showcase, I didn't give up but reinvented myself with a fresh slate so to speak."
"How so?" Sabrina asked though she recalled that May had told her the day before what Serena had done but she wanted to hear it from the girl herself as a way to understand her more.
"I cut my hair short, changed my style, and swore I'd never let that happen again, that I'd win next time." Serena said. "By then I already had rivals in Shauna and Miette, though I had yet to face the latter in a Showcase as our rivalry began due to a Poke Puff baking contest, and would get more like Nini over the year while traveling with May, Clemont, and Bonnie, having great adventures and what not, and really growing in the process. Of course, so too did my understanding of Ash."
"Well, you were with May so that makes sense." Sabrina said. "I take it she eventually showed you a picture of him and you realized who he was."
"Yeah, right before she went back to Hoenn for the Wallace Cup in her hometown." Serena said with a nod. "And even though it had been like 9 years I still recognized him at once. When May said he was from Pallet Town in Kanto that confirmed it and I shared my story with her. That got May to really open up and deepened our friendship, but she did tell me that I shouldn't let a crush develop, that Ash had a girlfriend, and it was the girl he'd traveled with after May, a girl called Dawn from Sinnoh who May would see in the Wallace Cup."
"Good advice but this is Ash, logic doesn't exactly work when he's involved it seems." Sabrina said.
"So true." Serena said. "We watched her in the Wallace Cup and supported her from Lumiose but saw her lose to Dawn in the finals, which was hard, but May didn't mind. She came back refreshed and better than ever actually."
"She got her closure in Hoenn." Sabrina said. "Dawn deduced her feelings, confronted her civilly and then they had that final that was more than a final. After that May got to confess to Ash for her own closure while Dawn and Misty finally repaired their own relationship so no wonder that she was better."
"She told me all that happened there." Serena said with a nod. "And it was really nice, but I'd heard her stories of Ash and knowing he was the same still, well, the seed sprouted so it was already potentially too late for me and then May invited me to Kanto as her plus one for the Grand Festival, including a ticket to the Grand Reception with her, and as it was a chance to see Ash again I accepted at once much to some friendly teasing from Bonnie. That and I'd just lost to Aria in the Master Class and after turning down Palermo's offer to be personally trained as she saw my potential, I was going to try my hand at Contests on the Kalos inaugural circuit with May as my instructor so seeing a Grand Festival was big."
"So that is where you first met Dawn and saw Ash again only now he was much more grown up." Sabrina said understanding more now. "And I can see how trying Contests would help with your performing, there are some similarities between the two that dabbling in one while being a professional in the other would be beneficial. The style you Kalos girls had in the Wallace Cup was clearly different."
"I grew a lot in the Wallace Cup, more than I expected but for some reason things began to click when I faced Tierno, and I played off them through the end." Serena said. "So, it wasn't just my surprise win but also how I began to understand the battles more and how they help my performing because my performing helps them if that makes sense."
"Not really but I am a pure battler who tends to meet her foes head on in combat so I'm not the best to understand it." Sabrina said with a chuckle. "But if it works for you then go for it. As for the Grand Reception, that must have been something else."
"It was." Serena said with a small smile. "As soon as I saw Ash my heart began to race, though he didn't remember me at first until I reminded him of the camp, and he remembered my sun hat which was at least something. Still, it was nice to see him even if it was painful to know that I was falling for him, especially after he defended Dawn from Kenny, well we all did but that was to be expected, and I couldn't help my crush from solidifying by the end of Grand Festival. I didn't stay for the Indigo Conference, I had to return home to help with the cleanup of Kalos after the incident and get a Rhyhorn from my mother to be my 4th Pokémon per Kalos Contest rules. She had one that was perfect for me."
"The Rhydon that won the Wallace Cup for you, so that's where it came from." Sabrina said understanding. "Certainly, wouldn't be a Pokémon I'd associate with you but learning of your mother's career it all make sense now."
"Yeah my Rhydon never wanted to be a racer, he wanted to battle even as a Rhyhorn, so mom gave him to me to be my 4th Pokémon though I caught a Scatterbug shortly after that." Serena said. "After that I was just going to wait for May to return to Kalos as she was to judge on the circuit that year and mentor me though Clemont was going to be in the gym so it would just be me, her and Bonnie as she had just turned 10 so was starting her own Pokémon journey. At least that's what I was expecting."
"Except Dawn chose to come to Kalos as the 5th judge after she won the Kanto Grand Festival and with her came Ash." Sabrina said. "A decision she made because Kalos follows the same formula as the other regions but Alola which has no gyms, and Galar which has some strange cup thing at the end rather than an actual Conference, so it was the best choice given Ash's own passion. If Ash won the Indigo Conference then he'd just get to see a new region and if he lost in Kanto then he'd challenge the gyms of Kalos and go for the victory here in a new region like he'd done many times before."
"Exactly and when May told me that, and that her brother Max would also be joining us, well my heart raced again." Serena said. "I knew I was crushing on Ash by this point and, well, now he'd be traveling with me but so would Dawn, so I was a nervous mess at the thought. Still, I felt I could manage it with May there as she had more experience dealing with this, so I was ready for them. We even met them at the airport where Pikachu shocked all the girls thanks to Bonnie."
"That is his habit, May and Dawn have told me of their experiences." Sabrina said. "So, it was your turn in when Ash first set foot in Kalos though I guess he was upping his number by getting all of you."
"Yeah, a painful honor." Serena said. "But we welcomed them, and it was all good, but I knew that there was a slight coolness between me and Dawn, by that point she could easily identify a rival I guess. May confronted me about it on a day out in Lumiose City when Ash and Dawn had a date day where she chose her new outfit and Max and Bonnie went their own way, found a new friend, and decided to travel with him instead which given our numbers made sense. That day May prepared me for the inevitable and mentioned the whole space plan you brought up and recommended I speak with you though I don't think she named you at the time, I learned that later."
"May mentioned that I should talk to you during our first chat back in Kanto, so it all worked out." Sabrina said. "And she prepared you for the inevitable which was nice of her. When did that happen?"
"Early on, the day after Ash's first gym battle and victory in Kalos in Santalune City." Serena said. "Dawn and I had chatted earlier in the city but until then we'd never had a proper one-on-one chat. After the battle Dawn and I went out for the day while Ash prepared for his battle with Clemont, and we had lunch where she confronted me about my feelings. It was a civil chat, she already knew that I liked Ash and wouldn't hold it against me so long as I was respectful, which of course I was, and we agreed to a battle. By that point it was a tradition, and Dawn showed off her trophies from Misty and Anabel, so I accepted. The fact that I had a Sylveon, and she and Espeon made it even better."
"That Ability Symbol Dawn won from Anabel, that is arguably her greatest victory." Sabrina said. "On paper she should never have won it, Anabel's battle skills are significantly better than Dawn's and that's not factoring in Anabel's empathy ability which allows her to give orders without verbalizing them, but Dawn showed that the right line up, the right moves, the right order and rules, and the right mistakes in training can pay off. That and producing a Spiritomb against a psychic specialist but no one sees a Spiritomb coming."
"Dawn explained it and as I actually had a similar loss in a training battle to Bonnie a few months back due to move disadvantages and typing resistances I now understand how it can happen though I've met her Spiritomb, the only Pokémon I'd ever use against it is Sylveon." Serena said. "And as I've bested both Jessilina and Ash in Contest finals, two trainers better than me on paper, I know it can be done which is motivation enough to beat Brianna if I can."
"Tactics and planning are as key as skill when it comes to battle." Sabrina said. "But an Espeon v. a Sylveon, that is more skill than anything else."
"It was and as I needed Contest Battle practice we had it under Contest rules that May officiated." Serena said. "I lost but Dawn didn't hold back which was honorable of her, and I did alright in the end even if it was a Battle Off loss. It was kinda closure in a way, a venting if you will to face Dawn and lose to her like May and the others had. Still hard as over the year I've seen Ash in his truest sense and fallen even harder for him to the point that I'm sure I love him, but I never had a chance and I have to accept that."
"Unfortunately for you that is the case but at least it does mean you never blew a chance like most of the others did." Sabrina said. "There's no way around it, fate fucked you and Miette the hardest by having you fall for Ash after he and Dawn started dating. It's not your fault though, the heart wants what the heart wants, and I know how Ash can be, and I've heard from May the stories of the year like that battle with Kenny and saw his exploits in the Wallace Cup, especially his victory over Brianna, if you already liked him then a year traveling with him would only deepen it."
"It's what I've had to come to terms with and why the times away help a bit even if I like being around Ash and Dawn." Serena said sadly. "But as you pointed out, the silver lining is that I never lost my shot like Misty and May did but still, that doesn't make it hurt any less."
"It wouldn't." Sabrina agreed. "But you clearly know the position and are in a good place despite it. From here on out it is what you do with that knowledge that will help you going forward. I can tell you're not at risk of going down a dark path and being open about it helps but the rest is on you."
"Thanks, talking has helped, more than I expected actually." Serena admitted. "Though I'm not sure what to do next, that is where I could use some advice."
"My best advice is to let the rest of the year play out, try your hardest with your own goals, crush that bitch Brianna, and support your friends in their endeavors and then decide what to do." Sabrina said. "You have 3 ribbons, so you are eligible for the wildcard from what I've heard which means you're probably going to be in the Grand Festival even if you have to go through that additional qualification hurdle. For now, focus on that and then decide."
"I will." Serena said getting what Sabrina was telling her. "Now is the Master Class and I'll support Dawn in it until the end, she has earned her way here and I can't wait to see how far she goes in it. Then we're heading to get at least one Mega Stone for her, but after that I want to hit at least one Contest. I'd ideally like 5 ribbons to avoid the wildcard event so I need to go for one more to at least see which path to take. We are planning on hitting the Contest in Aquacorde Town in a few weeks' time as that is near where the Mega Stone and my own home of Vaniville Town, just north in fact, so my mother can see me there and I'll use that to decide."
"A smart idea." Sabrina said thinking. "And if I may, I'd like to see you after that when you know your path for the end of this year as I can then advise you on next year better. May and Miette are in good places right now but with you I want another talk here before I leave. I'm not leaving until right before the Lumiose Conference so I'll be around and I'm heading back that way after Anistar where I'm heading in a few hours once I recover from my suppression backlash so I can see you in or around Aquacorde after the Contest. I have to see Alain before I leave anyway, and he should be in that area so it should work."
"I'd like that." Serena admitted, this talk had helped a lot and she wouldn't be opposed to another one after her next Contest when she had an idea what she was going to do regarding the Grand Festival but not what she had planned for after it. "I think it will be for the best."
"All of you are different and with your own future not as clear as some of the others right now this will work." Sabrina said. "I do tailor these chats to you lot after the initial meeting and our chat today has told me that this is what we should do for your next one."
"Hopefully but you did just mention something of interest." Serena said with a grin as she shifted the conversation slightly. "What's this about seeing Alain? I know him a little from last year and May mentioned you knew him from before when she told me of your chat though nothing more than that, is there something there?"
"No comment." Sabrina said not looking at Serena as her cheeks flared scarlet.
"You can't fool me." Serena said. "I know all the signs having gone through them myself."
"True but it's not as clear as you think." Sabrina said with a sigh. "Yes, I like Alain like that, and he likes me in return, he was who I sought out when I returned to Kalos before I made my way here to speak with May while running into Miette by chance along the way, and we had a needed chat where I confessed and understood he felt the same way but we both have problems to sort out. I am sure you are aware of his if you know of that incident."
"Yeah I know what happened." Serena said. "And how Alain is doing his best to atone for his own mistakes in the past."
"And I have my own deep problems but one thing that has come from helping all of you out is that I am finally addressing something I've been too afraid to deal with for a long time, my own heart." Sabrina said. "I was in denial for a while, I'll admit, but that was also due to my own fears that I have to get over if I am to fully deal with my feelings for Alain and be able to explore them with him one day."
"Fears?" Serena asked confused. "I don't understand."
"Of intimacy." Sabrina explained. "Not so much the getting close part, that I don't mind, but more the physical part of being with someone you have romantic feelings for, that is what scares me."
"Wait, you're, um…" Serena began her eyes wide.
"A virgin?" Sabrina asked and Serena nodded. "Yup, actually I've never had my first kiss yet either but when you spend your teen years addicted to you own power and in a psychic split personality haze and then take the next 3 years to get clean before starting a rigid regiment to stay so, things like romance aren't that important in your life. Still, the main reason that I'm hesitant is that sex is one of the four great addictions I've encountered over the years in the various groups and meetings I've been in. It's up there with alcohol, drugs, and gambling and, well, as a recovering addict albeit an odd one given my addiction, I fear that my personality may be addictive so I'm cautious of anything that can be addictive."
"I'm sorry, I don't really get that." Serena admitted.
"A lot of addicts tend to have more than one addiction unfortunately." Sabrina explained. "And I don't want that because I barely recovered from my own addiction and will always bear the burdens of being an addict so I can't let that happen again. It's why I don't drink, go to places like Celadon where there's gambling, avoid any legal narcotics, and avoided sex. I know that with the right person who understands my issues I should be fine, but I need to find my own peace, complete this journey I am on and then I can try a relationship with Alain. He has his own journey to finish as well, which he'll do and then we can try. We're meeting before I leave for a battle to see how things are and then plan from there."
"I see, I think." Serena said. "Well, I wish you luck in all that."
"And I you in your endeavors, I'll be watching the Grand Festival so do you best and beat that little brat." Sabrina said with a grin. "She deserves a good humbling on the greatest stage for Contests in Kalos after all."
"I plan on it." Serena said knowing exactly what Sabrina was referring to. "But first we have the Master Class, and I should make sure Dawn is ready."
"I'll be supporting her, I've got the app already ready so I can vote for Dawn after her rounds, but yes I should get packing as, I am heading to Anistar soon as I can as it's getting too crowded for my liking." Sabrina said standing and holding out her hand to Serena again. "It was nice to finally meet you Serena and I hope this helped. Next time we'll have a better picture of where to go and what you should do."
"Thank you for listening and helping as well as sharing your own past with me, it has all been helpful." Serena said standing as well and taking Sabrina's hand. "I promise I will have a better picture of what I want for the future when we next meet. This has been useful, Sabi, I look forward to seeing you again soon."
Sabrina just nodded as Serena let go of her hand, turned and left the room. She had to go and help Dawn prepare for the Master Class, but this talk had been as useful as May had promised it would be as it had helped calm Serena's heart. There was pain there still, but she could manage it and understood what was to come. Next time she and Sabrina met she'd know what she needed to do to complete her own healing.
For her part Sabrina just smiled as Serena left before turning to make sure she had everything packed and ready to go. She'd have Nurse Joy fax the papers to her father when she checked out and then it was on to Anistar to see Olympia again. Her time in Kalos had certainly been interesting and it wasn't over yet, Sabrina was looking forward to what the rest of her time her would bring her as she returned her Pokémon to their Poke Balls and finished her preparations to head out to her next destination.
Well, there it is, the final of the Ash girls to see Sabrina has had her first meeting and it was a good, standard one for her to get a baseline, allow Serena to understand what is going in, and set up the next one Serena will have before Sabrina leaves Kalos. I know that there is still Macy kicking around somewhere in the world (I know where she is in the Hearts universe world but of course I won't say) and don't worry I have plans for her in the main series even if she's been absent for a very long time but of all the Ash girls she was always the hardest to fit into Problems both with my plans for her and Sabrina's own plans. I've been able to work things thanks to other future plans for the 5 planned Problems chapters that take place during Hearts 5 but none work with Macy, so I guess she's on her own unless I somehow manage to figure things out for her. As for the rest of Winning, there are still two Problems chapters set to come out before the end of the current main story in the Hearts series, both of which have been set up and hinted at already, so plenty to look forward to before Winning draws to a close. That is all I have for this chapter however so I will leave it off here. As always, given the content all I will do is ask that if you want to read more that you favorite or follow it and let me know what you think of it in your reviews or PMs to me. Until next time.
Stringdog