The rest of the visit was awkwardly silent. No one wanted to say anything as it hit them that Calem only had one testicle. Eventually, the family decided to leave and quietly said goodbye to Serena, who took the opportunity to go home herself. When she entered her apartment, it was nighttime, and she silently fed Fennekin without looking at her Pokemon before she plopped onto her couch. Serena took a pillow and put it on her face to muffle a scream. She stayed lying down with the pillow on her face until she heard a knock on her door.
"Who is it?" she asked in a weary voice.
"Tierno," Tierno said.
Serena growled in annoyance as she stood up and walked over to her door. Tierno walked inside as soon as she opened the door, upset at the honey blonde woman.
"What gives Serena?" he rebuked. "You stood me up!"
"For what?" Serena asked, pretending to be clueless.
"For our date to the ice capades," Tierno answered. "I had to give the extra ticket to my pop."
Serena rolled her eyes and said, "I never agreed to go on a date with you, Tierno."
"Yes, you did," Tierno said.
"No, I didn't," Serena said.
"You did."
"No, I didn't."
"Did too."
"Did not."
"Did too."
"Did not."
"You absolutely did."
Serena growled again and said, "Look, Tierno, you can't just say that you have a date with a woman without asking her first, and you especially can't tell people you're dating her when you aren't."
"Says you," Tierno said.
Serena opened her mouth to speak again until she heard another knock on her door.
"Who is it?" she asked.
"It's Sonia," Sonia said from the other side of the door.
"Oh, for heaven's sake," Serena muttered under her breath.
"Sonia? Who is Sonia?" Tierno asked.
Serena huffed before she pushed Tierno to her closet. The fat man uttered words of protest as she opened the closet door and shoved him inside.
"Not a word from you," she commanded before she slammed the door shut.
Serena sighed heavily and collected herself before she walked back to the entrance. She opened the door to find Sonia giving her a friendly look as she let herself in.
"Hey. Thought I heard someone else. Do you have company?" She asked.
"Oh, no. It's just...the TV from next door," Serena lied.
"Ah. I see," Sonia said.
Fennekin walked over to Sonia as the peach-haired woman entered the living room. Sonia smiled and knelt down to pet the fox Pokemon behind the ears.
"How are you doing, Fennekin? Did you miss me?" she asked.
"Fennekin," Fennekin said as Sonia scratched it behind the ears.
"Do you want some coffee or tea, Sonia?" Serena asked.
Sonia stood up and said, "Oh, no, thank you. I'm not staying for very long."
"You're not?" Serena asked.
"No, I want to make this brief," Sonia said as she sat down on Serena's couch. "Take a seat."
Serena obeyed the peach-haired woman, and the two of them were silent for a moment before Sonia sighed and put her hand on Serena's leg.
"Serena, there's something you should know," she said. "The night that you were visiting Calem after his accident, I was outside the door. I know everything."
Serena's pupils shrank, and she froze in place, horrified that she had been found out. She turned her head away, unable to look at Sonia while trying to think about what to do. After a moment, she turned her head back to Calem's godmother with an apologetic look.
"I'm sorry," she said. "You have to believe me when I say I didn't mean for this whole thing to happen."
"I know you didn't," Sonia said with a comforting smile.
Serena gave Sonia an appreciative look and said, "Look, you don't have to do anything because I'm gonna tell them everything tomorrow."
"You misunderstand me. I don't want you to tell them anything," Sonia said.
"What?" Serena asked.
"You heard me," Sonia said. "Do you remember last night when you said you'd never do anything to hurt the family?"
Serena nodded.
"Well, since they met you, they figure that they have Calem back," Sonia said. "If you tell them the truth, you'll basically take him away again."
"But I don't know how long I can keep this up," Serena protested.
"You have to," Sonia said. "The Ketchums need you just like you need them."
Serena opened her mouth to protest again, but she stopped for a moment and frowned, unable to discredit Sonia. The peach-haired woman gave her a sad smile, knowing that Serena was stuck in the situation.
"Look, Serena, you're a good person, and I know you'll do the right thing," she said.
"How do you know?" Serena asked.
"Because I believe in you," Sonia said. "And I'm going to help you out any way I can. I promise."
Serena hesitated before she smiled and gave Sonia another thankful look. Sonia smiled back and patted Serena's leg before she stood up and began walking to the door. She was two feet away before she suddenly turned back to Serena.
"Oh, and by the way, how did you know about Calem…?," she asked.
Serena squirmed and said, "Trevor just happened to be coming to visit Calem yesterday and brought it up."
"Ah. Well, that's lucky for the sake of keeping the secret," Sonia said.
"That's not the word I would use," Serena said.
"Heh. No, I suppose not," Sonia said. "Anyway, good night, Serena."
"Good night, Sonia," Serena said.
Sonia turned to Fennekin as she opened the door and said, "See you later, Fennekin."
"Fennekin," Fennekin replied with a smile.
Sonia closed the door behind her, and Serena waited for half a minute before she sighed and laid down on her couch again. She felt relieved that Sonia promised to help her, but it didn't make her any less worried about the situation. She then remembered that Tierno was inside her closet and walked over to let him out, but when she opened the door, she gave a look of disbelief and anger as she found Tierno holding a pair of her underwear.
"What do you think you're doing?!" she barked with her cheeks turning red.
"I was just curious," Tierno said with a nervous smile. "You have nice pink panties."
Serena's anger grew as she snatched her underwear out of Tierno's hand and grabbed his ear. The heavy-set man squealed as she dragged him toward the entrance.
"Hey, let me go!" Tierno screamed. "I'll tell my pop on you!"
"And when I tell him what you did, he'll take my side!" Serena snarled as she opened the door. "Now get out of my apartment before I have Fennekin use Ember on you!"
Serena yanked Tierno's ear one more time, forcing him out of the apartment, but before she could close the door, Tierno put his hand on the door and gave Serena a playful look.
"You know, if you tell me what color underwear you're wearing right now, I'll put a good word for lowering your rent," he said.
By this point, Serena's face was barn red with fury. She turned to Fennekin and screamed, "Give it to him!" The fox Pokemon wasted no time to unleash a blanket of small orange sparks of fire from its mouth. Tierno screamed in terror and moved away to avoid the sparks in the nick of time before he began racing down the stairs.
Serena slammed her door shut with a bang and stormed back to her couch, where she covered her face with a pillow again to let out a scream of rage. She plopped back onto her couch, where she put her pillow on top of her head. Fennekin hopped onto the sofa to lick Serena's hand, and she moved the pillow to give her Pokemon an appreciative smile. The two of them stared at each other in silence until there was a third knock on the door, instantly bringing back Serena's irritation.
"Who is it?" she asked.
"It's Ash," Ash answered.
Serena scoffed as she begrudgingly stood up and walked back to the door. She opened it to reveal Ash with Pikachu on his shoulder again and crossed her arms.
"Hi," she said bluntly. "Do you have any more questions?"
Ash flinched and scratched the back of his head.
"Actually, Pikachu and I wanted to apologize," he said. "We were so quick to not believe you, and we got carried away."
"Pikachu," Pikachu said with its ears hanging low.
Serena's face softened, taken aback by Ash's apology. She stayed silent for a moment before she eased up and let her arms down.
"Well, in your defense, we don't know each other very well, and I'm sure Tierno put me in a bad light," she said.
"True, but in retrospect, I think there was a point where the two of us should have stopped," Ash said. "That, and I think I can speak for everyone when I say we didn't need to know about Calem…"
"Yeah, I think we can all live without that knowledge," Serena said, turning back to face Ash. "In any case, I appreciate your apology, and I accept it."
"Thanks," Ash said.
"Pikachu," Pikachu said with a smile.
The two adults and the mouse Pokemon grew silent, making Serena unsure what to do. She cleared her throat and said, "Well, if there's nothing else you have to say…"
"Actually, we also came to give you an engagement present," Ash said.
Serena became uneasy and said, "Is this part of your apology?"
"No, it's from my mom, actually," Ash replied. "It's furniture. Do you want me to bring it up?"
"Uh, no, I don't think that's a good idea," Serena said. "I think you should, uh, bring it up to Calem's apartment."
"Why? You don't even know what it is," Ash said.
"Um, well, you know, everything looks nicer in Calem's apartment," Serena said. "Besides, I don't exactly have a lot of room for more furniture."
Ash looked past Serena's shoulder to look inside her apartment and said, "Fair enough. Would it be okay if you come with me, though? I'll need your opinion on where to put it."
Serena hesitated, not wanting to leave her apartment. She then thought about what Sonia said about the family feeling like she brought Calem back and considered how taking Delia's present would help.
"Sure," she said. "I'll go get my coat and hat."
"Great," Ash said.
After getting her coat and hat and saying goodbye to Fennekin, Serena, Ash, and Pikachu got inside Ash's furniture truck and drove to Calem's apartment. The three of them were silent, with Serena and Ash not knowing what to say to each other. They glanced at each other and smiled every now and then before Ash went back to focusing on the road. Pikachu hopped onto Serena's lap and gave her a cute look that made her smile.
"You can pet him if you want," Ash said, smiling at Serena.
The honey blonde woman smiled back before she began petting Pikachu. The mouse Pokemon squeaked in delight, making Serena giggle. She turned her eyes to Ash again while still petting Pikachu, and her smile grew.
"Ash may be skeptical, but his heart's in the right place," she thought. "He seems friendly, and he cares a lot about his family. He must really care about his brother if he was so determined to prove I was cheating on Calem. I bet he would be a fun brother-in-law to have around."
Serena quietly giggled as she thought about Ash being her brother-in-law. Eventually, Ash parked next to the sidewalk, stopping a foot away from the red car in front of him. Serena looked at the small gap after she and Pikachu got out of the truck and gave Ash a concerned look.
"I think you parked a little too close," she said.
"I had to. We need the space in the back to unload the furniture," Ash said as he got out from the other side.
Ash walked around the truck to the sidewalk, where he inserted coins in the parking meter. He then gestured to Serena to come to the truck's back with Pikachu following, where he unlocked the door with his keys.
"Ready for your surprise?" he asked.
Serena nodded, and Ash lifted the door up to reveal a blue loveseat strapped to the truck's wall. He helped Serena inside, where she examined the sofa closely.
"Oh, it's cute," she said as she sat down on it. "And it's really comfy too."
"Yup. Mom made sure you got the comfiest sofa in our inventory," Ash said with a toothy grin. "Luckily, there weren't very many to look at, so she made the decision pretty quickly when we got home from the hospital. Right, Pikachu?"
"Pikachu," Pikachu said.
"You know, between the sweaters and stockings your mom had made for Fennekin and me, she seems to really like giving gifts," Serena commented.
"I don't know about that," Ash said. "I think she's taken such a liking to you that she wants to show it as much as possible."
Serena's smile softened a little, and she looked down, saying, "She has been kinda obsessed with me ever since we met."
"Heh. I'll go for that," Ash said. "Now, come on. Let's get this inside. I'll lift it up from the left side, and you take the right."
Serena nodded and stood up as Ash removed the belts. The two of them moved to opposite sides of the couch and carefully lifted it up.
"Okay, here is the tricky part," Ash said. "I'm going to get out of the truck while still holding the sofa up, and you're gonna have to come down behind me. You think you can do that?"
"Uh, I'll try," Serena said nervously.
Ash chuckled, and they rotated the sofa so that Ash's side was pointing at the exit. Pikachu watched beside the wall as Ash stepped out of the truck while still holding the couch up. Serena looked down at the floor, nervously as she carefully climbed down. With Pikachu following behind them, they carried the sofa to the building entrance, where they put the sofa down, and Ash opened both doors, giving Serena room to push the sofa inside.
"Alright, We should be able to just push it all the way to the stairway," Ash said. "Do you need help pushing?"
"No, thanks," Serena said with a confidant grin. "Think I can handle it."
Ash smirked as he watched Serena grunt while slowly pushing the sofa toward the stairway door. Serena could feel her arms and legs aching, having no experience pushing heavy objects, but she ignored the pain, refusing to back down in front of the raven-haired man. As she moved the love seat, an old man with brown glasses dressed as a doorman walked over to Ash.
"Excuse me, mister, what apartment are you heading to?" he asked.
"Apartment 2332," Ash answered.
The old man frowned and said, "I'm sorry, but guests have to be announced."
"Don't worry. I'm with her," Ash said, pointing at Serena, who is still pushing the sofa to the staircase.
"And who is she?" the doorman asked.
Ash looked at the doorman, confused, and asked, "You don't know her?"
"No, I don't," the doorman said. "Although I am new here."
"Ah, that might explain it," Ash said. "She's Calem Ketchum's fiancee."
The doorman looked at Ash, surprised, and asked, "You mean she's the one who saved his life?"
"You heard about that, huh?" Ash asked.
"Oh, yes, sir. They told me about her," the doorman said. "They say she's really something."
"Well, she is that. Right, Pikachu?" Ash said.
"Pikachu," Pikachu said.
The doorman smiled before walking over to Serena. By this time, she was almost at the staircase entrance, and the doorman walked ahead to open the door for Serena.
"Thank you, mister," Serena said.
"Call me Gray, ma'am," the doorman said with a friendly smile. "Always happy to help out the best I can."
Serena smiled back as she pushed the sofa inside the stairway. Ash and Pikachu came in behind her, and Gray closed the door behind them.
"Alright, here comes the fun part," Ash said. "Think you can carry this all the way to the twenty-third floor?"
Serena chuckled nervously and asked, "Now that I think about it, why can't we just take the elevator?"
"There's not enough room for the three of us and the sofa," Ash answered. "Believe me. I've carried furniture in and out of buildings enough times to know."
Serena sighed in defeat and said, "Well, then I guess we have no choice."
Ash smirked as he and Serena lifted the sofa on opposite sides and started climbing up the stairs. Every couple of floors, Serena would ask for a break to rub her aching arms. After over half an hour, the two of them made it to the twenty-third floor and took one more break before lifting the sofa again and carrying it to Calem's apartment with Pikachu still following. Serena unlocked the front door with Calem's keys and opened it while Ash examined the doorframe, scratching the back of his head.
"What's wrong, Ash?" Serena asked.
"The door is pretty narrow," He said. "Getting this in might be difficult."
"Okay, so what do you want to do?" Serena asked.
Ash hummed in thought and said, "Let's try rotating the sofa on its back and then try to get it in."
Serena looked at Ash skeptically before deciding to trust the expert. The two of them lifted their respective sides of the sofa to rotate it so that it was on its back and then began making their way through the door. Unfortunately, they were halfway through the door before the sofa was stuck between the doorframe. Pikachu lowered its ears, concerned while it stood behind Ash.
"Maybe we can angle it a little bit?" he suggested.
"Uh, I think it's wedged," Serena said.
"I see," Ash said, looking down in thought. "Okay, stand back a bit, Serena? I'm gonna try an old trick."
"Oh? What kind of trick?" Serena asked.
"Simple. I'm going to push it really hard," Ash answered.
Serena covered her mouth to hide a snicker and said, "Really? That's all? You're just gonna push it."
"Hey, you laugh now, but when all else fails, this gets the furniture in no problem," Ash claimed.
"Pikachu," Pikachu said with a hesitant look.
"Alright, Mr. Expert. Impress me," Serena said.
"You got it," Ash said with a proud grin.
Serena took a few steps back and leaned against the wall with her arms crossed. Ash got down on one knee and pushed the sofa as hard as he could. Serena watched the raven-haired man smugly, enjoying his moment of humiliation.
"Well? Aren't you going to push it?" she asked.
"Uh, I did," Ash admitted.
Serena giggled as she walked to her side, got down on her knees, and rested her arms on the sofa.
"Would you like some help?" she asked in a singing voice.
Ash lifted his head up to look at Serena and scratched under his nose as he said, "Uh, yeah, that would be great. I push, and you pull."
"Sounds great," Serena said, smiling.
The two of them stood up and grabbed their respective sides one more time.
"Okay, on the count of three," Ash said. "One, two, three!"
Serena pulled with all of her might while Ash pushed with both hands and his shoulder. They kept it up until a part of the doorframe where the sofa was stuck broke, allowing the love seat to go through the door. Ash and Serena were so taken aback by the sofa suddenly moving in that Serena dropped her side of the sofa and moved so far backward that she knocked down a table in the living room. The flower vase on top of the table hit the floor with a crash, letting out dyed blue water into the white carpet. Serena covered her mouth with both hands in shock while Ash and Pikachu entered the apartment.
"Oh, this is a problem," Ash said.
"You think?" Serena asked. "What are we going to do?"
"Do you know if Calem has any stain remover?" Ash asked.
Serena thought about it and said, "I'll go look."
She rushed over to the kitchen and searched the cupboard underneath the sink, but out of all the house cleaning items inside, there was no stain remover. She checked the bathroom and the closet in the hallway, but she couldn't find anything.
"No stain remover," Serena groaned in defeat. "Why does Calem have everything except stain remover?"
Ash furrowed his brow and put his hand on his chin again in thought.
"Pika, Pika, Pi, Pikachu," Pikachu said.
"Yeah, you're right, buddy," Ash said. "Its frubbles would help if it was still a Frogadier."
"If what was still a Frogadier?" Serena asked, confused.
Ash's eyes widened, and he waved his hands, saying, "Nothing. Not important. Don't worry about it."
Serena frowned, unconvinced but decided to drop it, looking back at the broken vase.
"So, what do we do now?" she asked.
Ash scratched the back of his head again, unsure before he looked around the area, and gave Serena a smirk and a shrug.
"I think we should put the sofa right here," he said.
"Here? Ash, this is a goofy place to place a sofa. It's like a couple of feet behind the other sofa. It just doesn't make sense," Serena pointed out.
"I know, but what Calem doesn't know won't hurt him," Ash said. "And hey, worst-case scenario, we could just say that his Meowstic did it. I mean, it's not like Pokemon can talk."
Serena stared at the raven-haired man for a moment before she giggled with her hand covering her mouth.
"Alright then, let's do that," she chortled.
"Okay, I'll go get the broom and dustpan," Ash said.
Ash walked over to the closet and took out the broom and dustpan while Serena threw the flowers away in the kitchen's trash can. By the time she walked back to where the vase fell, Ash was already sweeping the broken remains.
But as he bent down while sweeping, the back of his jacket lifted up, and Serena saw six red and white balls attached to his belt. The honey blonde woman raised her eyebrow and smirked as the suspicion of her crush's brother grew. She quietly walked behind Ash, making sure he and Pikachu didn't notice her before she bent down and snatched one of the balls from Ash's belt.
"Hey, Serena, what are you -?"
Serena ran from Ash with a devious grin, pressed the button at the center of the ball, and it expanded to the size of her hand. Before Ash or Pikachu could do anything, she flung the ball into the air, and it opened with a flash to reveal a Greninja standing in the middle of the living room. With a confused "Greninja," the ninja Pokemon looked at its surroundings, while Ash froze in place. Serena's smirk grew, and she crossed her arms at the raven-haired man and his Pokemon partner.
"So, this is what used to be a Frogadier," Serena said smugly.
"It's not what you think, Serena," Ash said, waving his hands.
"Ash, I'm not an idiot," Serena rebuked. "I saw six Pokeballs on your belt. You're a Pokemon trainer. Admit it."
Ash opened his mouth to protest, but no words came out. He turned to Pikachu and sighed in defeat, saying, "Alright, you got me. I'm a Pokemon trainer."
"Thank you," Serena said. "Now, why were you hiding it?"
Ash scratched under his nose again and said, "Well, it's a secret that I'm keeping from my mom."
"Why?" Serena asked.
"Because I'm pretty much running the family business," Ash answered. "While my mom is the boss, I'm the one who travels all over Kalos buying furniture. She looks to me to take care of things and gets upset when I don't always get everything, not knowing that it's because I'm Pokemon training on the side."
"Really?" Serena asked. "Can I see the rest of your Pokemon?"
Ash hesitated before he shrugged and said, "Might as well."
He took four Pokeballs from his belt and expanded them before throwing them into the air. The balls opened to reveal a Talonflame, Noivern, Hawlucha, and a Goodra. Serena looked at the Pokemon in awe as they all looked very powerful.
"How long have you been training these Pokemon?" she asked.
"A couple of years," Ash answered. "When I'm not training them on the outskirts of town, I'm training them on the road and collecting gym badges. As a matter of fact, the reason I wasn't home for Christmas yesterday was that I stayed in Snowbelle City to get my final gym badge."
"Really? That's great," Serena said happily. "Does anyone else know about this?"
"Just Dawn," Ash answered. "She's been helping me keep this a secret, but she wants me to tell Mom the truth soon, especially since the Kalos League is soon."
Serena's smile faded, and she asked, "Will your mom really be that upset?"
Ash frowned and nodded as he took a seat on one of the stools in front of the counter. Serena sat on the stool next to him. Pikachu hopped on Ash's lap, and he started petting it, while the rest of his Pokemon looked at him with concern.
"The thing is, the company used to be called Ketchum Mother and Sons, but after Calem left to go to law school, it became Ketchum Mother and Son," Ash explained. "If I were to leave just so that I can feely go on Pokemon journeys…"
"It would be just Ketchum Mother," Serena finished.
"Exactly," Ash said. "As proud as Mom is of Calem for graduating law school and making a good name for himself as a lawyer, she's still disappointed that she can't continue to run her business with her two boys. I'm worried about what she'll do if she finds out that I don't want to be part of the family business either."
Serena gave Ash a sympathetic look while the raven-haired man pets his Pokemon partner on the head. She turned her head to look at Greninja, Noivern, Goodra, Talonflame, and Hawlucha. It was clear to Serena that Ash developed such deep bonds with his Pokemon that they felt their trainer's concern for his mother learning the truth while also desiring to participate in the Pokemon league.
"Then Dawn's right. You have to tell her soon," Serena said.
"But, I'm worried about how she's going to react," Ash protested.
"That doesn't matter," Serena said. "The longer you wait to tell the truth, the messier it's going to be when it's revealed. You either tell her before the Pokemon league, or she finds out on her own by watching you compete on the TV."
"Ugh, that sounds worse," Ash said with a shudder.
"Exactly," Serena said. "And besides, you don't have to do it alone. Pikachu and your Pokemon are with you, and I'm sure Dawn would want to help you if you just asked her."
"You think so?" Ash asked.
"If she's willing to support you by helping you keep this a secret for so long, I'm sure of it," Serena said. "Tell the truth before it's too late."
"Something you should have done days ago, you hypocrite," Serena mentally told herself.
Ash was silent as he stared at Pikachu while still petting it. The mouse Pokemon looked at him back, unsure of what its partner was going to say, and the rest of Ash's Pokemon waited patiently. Finally, Ash raised his head and turned to Serena with a smile.
"You're right, Serena," he said. "I'm gonna tell Mom the truth."
All six of his Pokemon simultaneously exclaimed cries of happiness.
"When?" Serena challenged.
Ash took a moment to think about it and said, "Uh, in two weeks."
"Two weeks?" Serena asked.
"Yeah, if I'm gonna tell her with Dawn's help, I'll need her to help me practice what I have to say," Ash explained.
Serena gave a skeptical look and said, "That sounds like a long time to hold it off."
"I know, but I gotta make sure I'm ready," Ash said. "This is the best way to do it. Honest."
Serena furrowed her brow and pointed her finger at the raven-haired man, glaring warningly.
"Promise me that you will tell your mother by then," she commanded. "I'll check with Dawn to make sure you're working on it if I have to, but I want your word that you're going to do it by that deadline."
Ash leaned his upper body away from Serena as though she was about to hit him. He stood still for a moment before he said with a nervous tone, "You have my word."
Serena's suspicious look turned into a cheerful smile, satisfied with his answer.
"Good," she said. "Now, let's finish cleaning up and putting Calem's new sofa under that spot."
"Don't you mean yours and Calem's sofa?" Ash asked.
Serena froze in place, realizing what she said, and replied, "Yes. Sorry. I mean Calem's and my new sofa."
Ash smiled before standing up with Pikachu hopping onto his shoulder and began returning his other Pokemon. Serena mentally kicked herself in the head for the mistake before she watched Ash go back to sweeping the remains of the vase. A small smile entered her face as she silently hoped that Ash would talk to Delia and that he could accomplish his dream.
After Ash and Serena placed the sofa where the case broke, the two of them took the elevator to the ground floor with Pikachu on Ash's shoulder again. However, as soon as they exited the building, Ash was shocked to find a green van parked only a couple of feet away from behind his truck, leaving him with no way to get his vehicle out of its parking spot between the two cars. Ash let out an annoyed grunt while Serena gave him a taunting look.
"I told you not to park so close," she said.
"Yeah, you did," Ash admitted. "Can you check the meter?"
Serena nodded and looked at the parking meter next to the red car, while Ash and Pikachu looked at the meter next to the van.
"The meter says six o'clock, so they can pretty much stay here all night," Serena said.
"Same with the other one," Ash said. "Looks like we're sleeping in the truck tonight, Pikachu."
"Pikachu," Pikachu said with its ears hanging low.
"I guess you will," Serena said. "Well, good night."
Ash and Pikachu looked at Serena in disbelief as she walked past them without a care.
"You're gonna leave us here with the truck?" Ash asked.
"Pretty much," Serena said in a singing voice.
Ash and Pikachu looked at each other again, dumbfounded before the raven-haired man ran over to Serena and stood in front of her.
"Let me walk you home," he said.
"Why?" Serena asked with a smug look.
"For...protection," Ash said.
Serena snorted and said, "I can take care of myself. Besides, it's Lumiose City. Nothing bad happens here."
"That's what I thought too until Calem was almost mugged," Ash pointed out. "Who knows if that guy and his Weavile are still around? Plus, I have a well-trained Pokemon with me, and you don't."
Serena frowned and thought about it for a moment before she accepted that he had a point. She smiled and said, "Very well, Mr. Ketchum. I will allow you to be my escort this evening."
"Much obliged, my lady," Ash said with a bow.
Serena giggled before the two of them walked side by side with Pikachu still riding on Ash's shoulder. The three of them were silent for several minutes until Serena started shivering.
"Are you cold?" Ash asked.
"Freezing," Serena said. "Aren't you?"
"Nah. The jacket is reversible," Ash said. "Besides, this cold is nothing compared to the snowy mountains in Snowbelle City."
"Well, I'm freezing my butt off," Serena said, rubbing her arms.
"Then maybe you should look into getting a new jacket," Ash said.
"No way," Serena said, hugging herself as if to protect the coat. "This is my father's."
"Oh, in that case, he must be freezing more than you are," Ash said.
Serena frowned and looked away sadly as she said, "Actually, he passed away three years ago."
Ash flinched and looked away from her.
"I'm sorry," he said. "Were you really close?"
"He was my whole world," Serena said with a sad smile.
"What was he like?" Ash asked, looking back at Serena.
Serena took a moment to think about it and said. "Well, he was a lot like me: blonde hair, blue eyes, flat chest."
The two adults and Pikachu snickered at her joke before Ash said, "Okay, let me rephrase that. "What do you remember most about him?"
"Oh, that," Serena chortled. "Well, he liked to travel a lot. My mom was a Rhyhorn racer, so he traveled with her to every race she participated in before they had me."
"Cool," Ash said. "I never heard of Rhyhorn racing. Did your mom teach you how to do it?"
"No. She passed when I was very young," Serena said. "I don't know anything about her apart from my dad's stories. He would go on about all the things they did together while traveling or when she won the Lily of the Lake Grand Prix in the Sinnoh region back in 1986."
"Wow, that's awesome," Ash said.
"Yeah, Dad was very proud of her for that," Serena said. "He used to hear a place outside of Kalos on the radio and point to where exactly it was on his globe."
"If you could go anywhere, where would you go?" Ash asked.
"Ugh. I have no idea," Serena groaned. "I just want to go everywhere, or at least go wherever my parents have been. The problem is I can't afford to go anywhere. I do have my passport, though."
"Good. That's very important," Ash said. "I actually have a passport myself."
"Really? Have you ever used it?" Serena asked.
"No, but I have it for when I tell Mom that I want to be a full-time trainer ," Ash said. "After I compete in the Kalos league, I want to travel the world and meet lots of Pokemon."
"Pika, Pika," Pikachu cheerfully said.
Serena finally turned to look at Ash and smiled, staring into his brown eyes.
"You know, when you say it like that, you remind me of him," she said.
"Oh, really?" Ash asked with a toothy grin. "So, you consider me the classy, hardworking type, eh?"
"Yeah, I suppose you're a classy guy... Who just stepped in Pokemon poop," Serena said with a smirk.
Ash looked at her confused before he looked down and saw a brown smudge on his right shoe. He groaned in disgust and scraped the poop onto the sidewalk, making Serena giggle again.
"You're right. That's very classy," she teased.
Ash chuckled nervously and scratched under his nose, while Pikachu snickered at his misfortune. Right as they finished laughing it off, the three of them made the turn on the street to Serena's apartment. However, they stopped before walking into the courtyard as they discovered that the pathway was covered in ice. Ash and Serena gave each other concerned looks before the former cleared her throat.
"Well, I had a good time with you," she said. "You don't have to follow me the rest of the way."
"No way, that ice looks too slippery to walk on alone," Ash said. "Besides, I made it this far as your escort, so I want to make sure you make it all the way to the front door safe and sound."
Serena smiled, appreciative of the kind gesture, and said, "Very well. Escort me to the front door.."
Ash grinned before turning to Pikachu and said, "You better stay here, buddy."
"Pikachu," Pikachu said with a nod before hopping off of Ash's shoulder.
Ash held out his hand to Serena, and she took it before they began slowly walking on the ice. They both took one step at a time, glancing at each other as they tried to stay in balance. Ash and Serena were halfway through the path; however, when Ash's right leg slid to the left, and he started to fall forward. Serena quickly caught him in time with her arms wrapped around his head, which landed on her shoulder, and he had his arms around her back. Serena struggled to hold Ash as her feet started to slip.
"Please, don't take me with you," she said.
"I'll try not to," Ash said.
He regained his footing and slowly lifted himself up. The two adults tried to make another step, only for Serena to slip and spin and for Ash to catch her before she fell down on her back. The two of them laughed while the honey blonde woman kicked her legs into the air as her feet kept slipping from the ice.
"This is ridiculous," Ash said. "You'd think someone would have kept people from needing to walk through the ice before we got here."
"What about you?" Serena asked. "Couldn't you have had your Talonflame melt the ice or your Noivern fly us to the other side?"
"Uh, now that you mention it, those do sound like ideas I could have thought of before we started walking through the ice," Ash admitted bashfully.
"Doofus," Serena said. "Now hold still.
Serena regained her footing and turned around to face Ash. She used his arms to climb up, but when she completely stood back up, her face was so close to Ash that the tip of their noses almost touched. Without realizing it, Ash and Serena stared at each other as though the other was the most exciting thing in the world. Ash pulled Serena closer to him, and she kept a firm grasp on his shoulders. Pikachu tilted its head, wondering why Ash and Serena were gazing at each other.
Eventually, Serena realized what she was doing and snapped out of her gaze. With her ocean blue eyes looking away from him, Ash also snapped out of it, and he helped Serena turn around, facing the entrance. Unfortunately, before Serena could take another step, Ash slipped and fell down, taking Serena, who was still in his arms, with her. Ash landed on the ice, bottom first, and Serena landed right on top of him on her back. The raven-haired man groaned from landing on the hard ice and from Serena's entire body weight on top of him.
"Ash, are you alright?" Serena asked.
"That's it. We're using your idea," Ash grumbled.
He took one of the Pokeballs out of his belt and tossed it into the air. The ball opened to reveal his Talonflame flying above Ash and Serena.
"Talonflame, fly over the path and use your heat to melt the ice," Ash instructed.
Talonflame nodded and dived toward the end of the path where Pikachu was. It turned around and flew over the cement with little sparks of fire coming out from its wings. Serena felt a gust of hot air as the Pokemon flew over her and Ash all the way to the front door. When Serena raised her head, she realized the ice on the cement had almost completely melted.
"Wow. I didn't know Talonflame could melt the ice so quickly," she said.
"Yeah, it's a good thing I learned that a Talonflame's wings give off showers of embers when it flies," Ash said. "Never thought I'd use that information for something outside of a Pokemon battle."
Serena smiled until she realized that she was still lying down on top of Ash, and he still had his arms around her. Her cheeks heated up as she looked back up at the sky and cleared her throat.
"Ash, you can let go of me now," she said.
It took a second before Ash realized he was still hugging Serena and immediately let her go. Serena stood up and helped Ash stand up. He said a quick, "thank you," before he turned around to return Talonflame to its Pokeball. Serena looked away to shake off her blush until she heard Pikachu bursting with laughter, pointing at Ash. She turned to the raven-haired man, and she instantly covered her mouth, trying to contain a fit of laughter.
"Ash, your jeans!" She chortled.
Ash looked at Serena confused, having just attached Talonflame's Pokeball back onto his belt, before he looked at his backside and found a large hole on the right cheek of his pants, revealing his white boxers. His face turned beet red, and he tried to cover it with his hand, but the hole was too big. Serena looked away as her laughter grew louder, while Pikachu rolled on the floor on its back, still laughing.
"I don't suppose you have any jeans I could borrow, Serena?" He asked.
"Are you crazy? If you or any guy could fit into any of my clothes, I would kill myself," Serena replied.
"Fair enough," Ash said. "Well, at least our path is ice-free from here."
"You still don't have to follow me all the way to the door, Ash," Serena said.
"I know, but I want to," Ash said. "Plus, you block the wind, and my right cheek will need all the protection it can get."
Serena snickered and said, "Whatever you say."
The two of them walked the rest of the way to the entrance, with Pikachu deciding to follow behind. Once she was at the front door, Serena smiled and turned to Ash.
"Thank you for escorting me home," she said. "You were devoted to the end, brave sir knight."
Ash smirked and said with a bow, "A knight only does what is necessary for the princess he wants to protect, my lady."
Serena giggled again, amused with his performance, and asked, "Are you going to be okay trying to protect your bottom all the way to your truck?"
"I hope so," Ash said. "I could have my Noivern fly us there, but I hate to think all of the icy wind blowing there while my Pokemon flies so high in the air."
"That might not be the best decision, then," Serena said, snickering. "Anyway, I had a really good time with you."
"Yeah, me too," Ash said. "I'll see you when I see you?"
"Sounds good," Serena said. "Good night."
"Good night," Ash said.
"Good night, Pikachu," Serena said as she opened the front door.
"Pikachu," Pikachu said with a cute smile.
Serena went inside the complex, and after closing the door, took a moment to let out a happy sigh. She walked up the stairs with a beatific smile, while the door to Mr. Walken's apartment opened to reveal Tierno, giving Serena a serious look.
"Alright, Serena, I saw all of that, so make your decision," he said. "It's either him or me."
"Him," Serena said right away.
Tierno flinched, and his confidence disappeared. He stammered for a moment before he tried to sound cool again.
"Y-you don't have to answer right away. Give it some -"
"Him," Serena repeated before she entered her apartment.
As soon as she entered her living room, she found Fennekin napping on the couch. She pet the Pokemon on top of its head, careful not to wake it up before she got on the couch on her knees to look out the window behind it. She rested her arms on the top of the couch and watched Ash and Pikachu walking away. Pikachu was still snickering at Ash's misfortune, and Ash was telling it to stop while still having one hand on the hole on his jeans. Serena covered another set of giggles, careful not to wake up Fennekin as she watched the raven-haired man until he was out of sight. She rested her head on her hand, still staring at where she last saw Ash like a schoolgirl looking at the boy she admired from afar.
Her smile faded as she realized what she was doing and how she was staring at Ash when their faces were so close together.
"Oh, no."