Here is is, the long awaited last chapter of "What Happens". This chapter is, by FAR, the biggest thing I've ever written.
A MASSIVE thank you to indysrini, who beta-read this for me and helped me write some parts.
Enjoy, s'il-vous-plaît.
Ash made sure Serena had not been harmed by that nasty fall, by looking up and down her body repeatedly, asking if she was okay. Something Ash would do if one of his friends got hurt.
Then Ash went out of character and hugged Serena. He held her so hard she had to ask him to let her go.
May and Max looked at each other, with a quizzical on their faces. Knowing Ash like they did, they knew Ash wasn't the kind of guy who would bear hug people. That is, until he couldn't help it.
"Ah, love's a beautiful thing." May concluded, crossing her arms.
"Love? Come on…" Max retorted as he walked away.
"Really? What would Vivi Winstrate think if she saw you now…" May replied, teasing her brother.
Max froze. He didn't want to be reminded of the young girl who broke his heart.
"Well, so much for the entrance." Ash commented, to which Serena, who was now free of Ash's embrace, laughed. Seeing her laugh, made him smile. "How did you survive?" Ash questioned, curious.
"That girl saved me. Her Venusaur used Vine Whip to catch me and bring me here." Serena reported.
Ash looked at the girl Serena mentioned. She looked like one of his friends, but he wasn't sure until she spoke.
"Hello, Ash. Or should I say 'Champion'?"
"May, how are you?" Ash walked over to the coordinator, indicating Serena to do the same. "You saved Serena? Thank you!"
"Oh, it's nothing, don't worry." May smiled. "You got yourself a keeper, Ash."
"Keeper? No, she's a performer." Ash replied, innocently.
"Guys, it's not like we're on a schedule or anything," Max interrupted, "but I'm sure Ash would like to visit his Pokémon and his mom…"
"And you're already tired, aren't you?" May questioned the child.
"I'm not tired, I just have less energy than before. It's normal." Max retorted.
"Max is right, we can talk while we walk. Besides, Brock is already there and is waiting for us." Ash reported.
As the group started to walk towards Pallet Town, it came to Ash's attention that he hadn't properly introduced Serena to his friends. He did so, pointing out that she's his special friend, something to which May raised an eyebrow, because she didn't think Ash could have that in him. She commented that with Serena who smiled at the girl's words. Serena pointed out that she had met up with May's mother on the plane to Kanto, and that she had said the same thing, to which May simply laughed.
As for Ash and Max, they talked about Pokémon battles, what else? Max told Ash he got all the badges in Hoenn, defeating even his own father, but then lost in the League. Ash noted that Max was still sad about it, so he told him that, when he turned 10 and gotten his Pokémon Trainer license, he overslept, and could not get the Pokémon he originally wanted. But that because of that, he got to meet Pikachu, and that he should never give up, because the destination isn't what's important, the journey is, and that nothing he ever did was a waste.
While Ash and Max talked, May placed her thumbs and index fingers in the form on a rectangle, and placed it over her eye. She then proceeded to start talking about something called "May's Expedition" and that today's episode was special, because she was featuring Ash Ketchum's girlfriend, a rare specimen, never before seen in the wild… Serena just sweat dropped.
While the pairs talked down the road, they did not understand that they were very close to Pallet Town, and all that separated the group from the peaceful town, was a simple run downhill.
Ash looked at the houses and thought how much things had stayed the same, and yet changed in so many ways.
The group decided to head into Professor Oak's lab to visit Ash's Pokémon, but were unable to do so, because the lab was closed. Wait, Prof. Oak's lab, closed? That just couldn't be. Well, if Professor Oak couldn't be found at his lab, he would certainly be at Ash's house. For some odd reason, he'd always be there.
Ash opened the front door of his house, and called out to his mom, but there was no reply. Where could she have gone? Not even Mimie was there, and there must be a very strong reason for Mimie to disappear like that.
"Wait, Ash, Brock had already come here, hasn't he?" Serena asked.
"Yeah, why?" Ash questioned back.
"Where's your Charizard?" She replied.
"That's right, he has my Charizard." Ash realized. "Not to worry, we can find out where they are." He said as he exited the door to the outside. He grabbed a Pokéball and threw it in the air, opening it to reveal Noivern.
"Noivern, can you do me a favor? Can you locate a large group of people and Pokémon somewhere in Pallet Town, please?" The Champion asked his friend.
Noivern flew upwards and used Supersonic to find out where there was a large gathering of people, and sure enough, to the southeast of Pallet Town, there were a large number of moving objects which reflected Noivern's soundwaves. The Bat Pokémon returned to its trainer to inform him of its findings.
"My suspicions have been confirmed. My mom's throwing me a party."
"Maybe we should just wait here, Ash…" Serena pondered.
"Yeah, maybe we should…"
As the group went inside Ash's house to wait, they heard the sound of flapping wings overhead. They looked up, curiosity taking over them, not knowing who was it that made that sound.
"Hey guys!" Brock said as he landed Ash's Charizard.
"Brock!" The group exclaimed almost simultaneously.
"The party's not here. It's at Prof. Oak's lab. I suggest you get there. Your Snorlax is getting hungry."
Ash and the group was about to leave Ash's house for Professor Oak's lab, when Pikachu felt electricity in its cheeks. Ash and Serena knew very well what was causing that, the communication between Pikachu and Bonnie's Dedenne. Ash then informed the siblings that there would be two more guests, which should be arriving soon.
May, Max and Brock didn't know who was it that could possibly be that would be joining them, but the answer to that question didn't wait long to let itself be known. Two people could be seen in the distance moving towards them relatively fast, with a third one lagging behind them.
"Ash," Serena informed, "don't you mean three guests?"
"No, it's just Clemont and Bonnie." Ash reminded her.
"Then who's the third person?" That phrase by Serena made everyone look at the people arriving.
Ash and Serena identified the incoming guests, but Brock, May and Max didn't know who the two girls were, walking fast side by side, one clearly older than the other, being followed by a boy, hunching forwards due to his backpack.
The two girls stopped running as they approached Ash and Serena.
"Hello, Mr. Champion and his Queen!" Korrina greeted Ash and Serena.
"Korrina, what are you doing here?" Ash questioned.
"Bonnie here invited me, I hope you don't mind."
"Wait… for… me…" Clemont yelled between breaths.
"Hurry up, Clemont! You're too slow!" Bonnie yelled back at her brother.
Ash introduced the new guests to Brock, May and Max, who got along with Bonnie right away due to Dedenne. Clemont pulled out his canteen, wishing to drink a bit of water, but it was empty, because Bonnie was the last to drink and didn't let him know it was empty. Noticing the sad look on Lemonboy's face and the empty canteen in his hand, Korrina pulled out hers from her backpack and offered it to the Lumiose Gym Leader, who took it with a smile.
"I think some introductions are in order." Ash realized. He then introduced the Lumiose siblings to Brock, May and Max. Then introduced May and Max, the Petalburg siblings, to Bonnie, Clemont and Korrina. Max took no time to approach Bonnie, wanting to play with Dedenne, who rested on her pouch. Then, Ash introduced Korrina, who's the Gym leader of Shalour City. After a little back and forth about more than half of them being related or being Gym Leaders themselves, Ash asked Korrina what she was doing here.
"Ask Bonnie. She's the one who invited me."
Hearing this, the young girl looked at Ash and Korrina, and simply stated, "Work in progress".
As they made their way to Professor Oak's lab, Ash recounted the story of meeting Clemont and Bonnie. They soon arrived at the gate to Prof. Oak's lab, but this time, it was unlocked. They walked the cemented path that led to the lab itself, Clemont almost falling down, if it wasn't for Korrina holding him steady.
"Guys, I think my mom has got all the people here in Pallet to yell 'Surprise' when I arrive up there." Ash warned. "If you think it can help, act surprised."
While Ash said this, Brock told Ash's Charizard to be ready, as if something was about to happen.
The moment Ash set foot on Professor Oak's lab, Charizard let out a roar, startling his trainer and most of his companions. This roar was followed by a command, by a voice Ash knew too well.
"Umbreon, use Psychic to lift them up!" Every one of Ash's companions levitated above him, about 1 meter above him.
Thinking this as an attack of some sort, Ash readied his Greninja's Pokéball and was about to open it, until he felt the ground shake. 'Why is the ground shaking', Ash thought, until he turned around and saw the impending attack he was about to suffer.
All of his 30 Tauros responded to Charizard's signal and decided that stampeding their trainer was the best way to show him they missed him.
Seeing Ash getting pummeled to a pulp by his own Tauros was too much for Serena to watch, so she closed her eyes. And she kept them closed until she heard Ash laugh.
"You guys need to stop surprising me like this."
"Ash, are you okay?" Serena questioned, undoubtedly worried. Although she was the one who asked, May, Max, Clemont, Korrina and Bonnie were feeling the same thing.
"No need to worry, Serena. These guys have been doing this since I caught them." Ash reassured the Kalos Queen. "Remember the Rhyhorn race you prepared me for? Remember how the Rhyhorn were so playful with you? These guys are the same way. And Gary, tell Umbreon to put them down, please."
Gary complied and Ash's companions floated down towards the ground.
After being released from Umbreon's Psychic, the group gathered with Ash to greet Gary. Ash shook the researcher's hand, and invited his companions to introduce themselves to Gary. First May and Max, then Korrina, then Clemont and Bonnie, then Serena. After recognizing Serena, Gary informed her that he recognized her from somewhere, to which Serena informed him that it was from the Summer Camp in Pallet, all those years ago.
With introductions out of the way, Ash asks about his other friends, namely Dawn and Misty. Brock informs that Misty is there, along with Tracey, and Gary states that Dawn should be arriving soon, as he sent his Fearow to collect her from Twinleaf Town, in Sinnoh. Ash asked May where Drew was, and her response was simply brilliant.
"I don't know, but I wish that life leads him on the best path to everything he wants. And I also wish that path is completely covered in those little blocks kids use to play."
That speech led everyone to silence.
"I… don't even know how to respond to that…" Brock said.
"Finally, I can say this after all those years: I never liked him." Max stated, and Ash nodded in agreement. "Always giving you roses apologizing for crap he did."
"What do you mean?" Serena questioned.
"We are both Pokémon Coordinators, and we participated in Pokémon Contests. He started saying I was no good at it, and putting me down. But then he'd give me roses, and I start to feel some affection for the guy. Then, in Johto, we started to go on dates. A few days later, Soledad, another coordinator, tells me that she's been dating Drew as well. At the same time. So we teamed up to get him. He wanted both of us, now he's got none." May revealed
After hearing May's story, Ash decided that moving away from conversation topic to be the best course of action and started walking, but not before informing the group of his destination.
"Guys, why don't you get settled while I go and visit my Pokémon? I'm sure they're eager to see me. Bonnie, Max, do you want to come and play with my Pokémon?"
"Yeah, let's go!" Max cheered.
"Ash, do you mind if I come along?" Serena questioned.
"Not at all!" The Kalos Champion replied
Ash grabbed all of his Pokéballs and opened them, allowing his Pokémon to breathe the cool and gentle air of Pallet Town. Ash gathered all of his Pokémon and introduced his Kalos team to them. Max was amazed at the Ninja Pokémon, and Greninja seemed to like the attention it was getting. All of them then chose to go play with their new friends, except for one, one Ash had not seen in a long time. Bayleef.
Ash saw Bayleef standing there, looking at him, and called out to it. The Pokémon ran all the way to Ash and tackled him to the ground, which worried Serena slightly, but only until she saw Ash actively trying to avoid being licked in the face by the Leaf Pokémon.
After Bayleef stopped, Serena tried to help Ash get up, only to be greeted with a Razor Leaf, making a cut in her arm.
"Bayleef! What's gotten into you?" Ash questioned the Pokémon, his voice angry at Bayleef's actions. Bayleef only looked at Ash and the girl, that girl who came out of nowhere and was now all over Ash. The Champion was checking the Queen's arm, where she was clutching, to see if there was any injury. Bayleef's Razor Leaf, true to its name, had made a cut on Serena's left arm. The wound had a bit of blood, but nothing too substantial that required urgent medical attention. Ash grabbed a handkerchief from his pocket and tied it around Serena's arm. Only when the job was done did Ash notice what handkerchief he used. It had been the very same one he used when they met. Ash said, "'Pain, pain, go away', remember?", with a smile, which made Serena smile. Which made him smile, creating a loop. It was only broken when Ash heard a voice.
"Whoa, what happened here?" "Are you alright?"
The voices the couple heard were of a boy and a girl, respectively.
"Ash, what happened here?" The girl's voice questioned.
"Bayleef happened. She tackled me to the ground, licked me, and when Serena tried to help me up, she goes ahead and launches a Razor Leaf at her." Ash explained.
"That's what happened? Oh, you poor thing." Misty approached Bayleef and started petting it. "She was just threatened by… Serena, was it?" Serena nodded, confirming her name.
"Think about it, Ash. What do you know about Bayleef?" The boy asked Ash.
"That's right, she has a crush on me…"
"Exactly. That's all it was. Imagine you liked a girl and… Oh, right, I'm talking to Ash…" The boy said, and Misty laughed.
"Ha ha, very funny, Tracey." Ash approached Bayleef. "I'm sorry I yelled at you, Bayleef. But you can't expect me to be okay with you hurting people like that…"
"Bay…"
"I know you didn't mean it, so go apologize to Serena." Ash told the Leaf Pokémon.
Bayleef slowly approached Serena, and gave out a small cry of apology.
"It's okay, Bayleef. I know you didn't mean it." Serena stated. "I understand the situation you're in, don't worry."
Bayleef looked at Serena and smiled, then started shaking the leaves around its neck. They created a scent that was sort of spicy scent, that Bayleef sent at Serena with the help of the leaf at the top of its head serving as a propeller. Serena didn't enjoy the scent at first, but started feeling energized and the pain in her arm, where the cut was, started diminishing.
"Wow, that's high praise, coming from Bayleef…" Tracey stated.
"What is?" Ash asked.
"Bayleef made a cut in Serena's arm, so it apologized by healing the cut." Tracey explained.
"You know what I think happened?" Misty interjected, heading towards Tracey. "Pokémon are more in tune with the energy around them than humans are. Maybe it picked up on something we can't…"
"Are you saying what I think you're saying?" Tracey smiled and Misty nodded. "Are you sure? It's Ash we're talking about." Tracey continued. "I am, trust me."
"What's going on here?" Serena questioned.
"Bayleef attacked you because of one simple fact: it's jealous of you."
"But why would it be jealous of me?" Serena questioned him.
"You tell us. Is there something Bayleef should be jealous about?" Misty replied with a question of her own, seemingly knowing the answer already.
"Serena, I want you to meet some of my other Pokémon." Ash suggested.
"Go with him, Serena. We can handle Bayleef." Misty assured the performer.
"Hey, why don't you guys ask Sceptile to hang out with Bayleef?" Ash suggested. "They're both Grass-types, maybe they can hang out."
"Good idea, Ash, we'll get on that." Tracey approved.
As Ash and Serena walked around Professor Oak's lab, Ash told Serena the story of how he met Misty and Tracey. He told her that Misty fished him out of the river the very first day of his journey, and he stole her bike to bring Pikachu to the Pokémon Center after a vicious attack by a group of Spearow. After that, she followed him around to get him to pay for her bike, which Pikachu destroyed in a massive Thunder attack. About Tracey, it was different, while travelling in the Orange Islands, Ash mentioned he knew Prof. Oak, and that was enough for Tracey to tag along with Ash and Misty.
While showing Serena some of his Pokémon, Ash was interrupted by Gary and Dawn, who had just arrived. Ash introduced Serena to Dawn and decided to look for Max and Bonnie.
Max was showing Bonnie some of his Pokémon, which included a Gallade, who evolved from a Ralts he befriended while travelling with Ash, a Swellow, a Sceptile, to name a few. When Max sees Ash, he requests a Pokémon battle, the one Ash promised when they parted ways. Ash agrees, but is stopped by Gary, who notifies them the party is ready.
Ash and the gang, comprised of Serena, May, Max, Bonnie, Clemont, Brock, Dawn and Gary, stepped into the Professor Oak's lab building, where they knew a party was being held. They just didn't expect it was going to go like this.
"CONGRATULATIONS, ASH!" A scream, multiplied by tons of voices was heard, the human voices barely noticeable due to the massive happy cries of Pokémon after seeing their trainer.
Ash and the gang could identify quite some people at the party, such as Professor Oak, who was hosting the party, Ash's mom, Misty, Tracy, and Gary. There were other people at the party, but they were mostly comprised of Pallet Town residents.
After the initial shock had worn off, Ash found himself surrounded by his friends, who took turns congratulating him on winning the Kalos League, by using statements such as "I knew you'd win eventually!", "I'm so happy for you, Ash!", "Ash-y boy won a league championship? Something's wrong with the world...". Serena stood back, not sure how to interact with all these new people.
Gary, who was around Ash congratulating the trainer, decided to ask something that was remarkably Brock-y: "How were the girls in Kalos?" Ash's brain doesn't even get enough time to process that and he looks towards Serena... Gary noticed this and made sure to comment on his action, with a knowing smile, adding a playful elbow nudge to Ash, along with the words "You dawg..."
As Serena watched Ash getting incessantly interrogated, she noticed an older woman approach her and turned to her to talk.
"Hello, Serena!" The woman told the girl. "It's so nice to meet you."
"Hello, Mrs. Ketchum, nice to meet you as well."
"Did my Ash treat you well?" Delia questioned.
"He did." Serena answered. "He always treated me very kindly, he is a true gentleman."
While Delia listened to Serena's words, she couldn't help but stare at the young girl beside her. For some odd reason, her face was familiar...
"Mrs. Ketchum? Is something wrong?" Serena inquired, worried.
"No, nothing, it's just that I think that I know you from somewhere…" Delia commented. "It's the weirdest thing."
Serena smiled. "That's because we have met before. From the same place I met Ash. Pallet Town Summer Camp."
Delia's eyes widened at the realization.
"You're the young girl Ash brought in!" Delia exclaimed, causing people around them to look at her, and Serena to nod. "I always thought my Ash would find you again… You know, that day, when we got home, as I was putting Ash to bed…"
From within the sea of people bombarding Ash with questions, he managed to hear his mom's excited sentence. "Oh, crap…" Ash whispered. "Guys, guys, let me through, please."
"… he told me 'Mom, someday, I'm gonna find that pretty girl from today'…"
Ash was just about to escape the ocean of people and meet Serena, who looked at him with wonder in her eyes. The trainer from Kanto still managed to surprise her…
"and now Ash has found his little girlfriend…" Delia finished her Wailord of a sentence. Which had unforeseen consequences, namely a drink being spat.
"GIRLFRIEND?" A voice, belonging to Dawn, commented.
If until then the party had had no issues, it would be the turning point, as every person and Pokémon there were startled by the sound of Dawn's scream…
"Did I hear correctly? Ash has a girlfriend?" Dawn left the group of people who kept asking Ash questions, in order to get some perspective about what she heard.
At this moment, Ash's mind had a fork on the road: either approach the girls and face the music, or slide back into the ocean of people, and stay very still, and hope the situation would resolve itself. He decided to do the right thing, and approached Serena.
"It seems so, Dawn..." May decided to intervene, placing her fingers in the shape of a screen in front of her, preparing for another episode of "May's Expeditions".
Dawn approached Serena and looked at the new girl from every possible angle, always looking like she could kill anyone with just the look in her eyes. After sweeping her gaze over every visible inch of Serena's body, Dawn's expression changed to one of... happiness?
"He has good taste; I give him that..."
It was at this moment that May decided to intervene.
"Dawn, were there any doubts?" As soon as those words left May's lips, the coordinators started laughing wholeheartedly. Serena didn't understand the reason for the laughter, and it showed in her face, where a rather upset look was starting to form.
Dawn noticed this, and tried to calm down the performer. Mays's hands also dropped.
"I'm sorry, Serena, it's just that... we have travelled with Ash before." Dawn stated. "And when you spend so much time with someone, you develop a sense of companionship. And once in a while, there were people who mistook that companionship for... something else."
"What do you mean, 'something else'?" Serena was really upset by then, so May did her best to defuse her. And failed, hard.
"Once in a while, we encountered trainers who seemed to think that everything is love, the romantic kind. Me and Ash had that trouble once with a couple of trainers who thought that the fact that we were fighting with each other at the time, meant we were 'destined' to be together. Boy, were they wrong..."
"I remember that," Ash spoke. "They had a double battle with us, which we lost."
"I always thought of Ash as the older brother I never had." Dawn stated. "And I know that to him, I was like a younger sister, and people still shipped us."
Gary approached the group where Ash and Serena were, and placed his arm around Ash's neck.
"I'm sorry, ladies, but I have to steal Ash here for a moment. Is it okay with you?"
"Sure, go ahead, just bring him back in one piece." Serena smiled.
As soon as Gary and Ash were out of her field of view, Serena spoke.
"There's this girl called Miette, who keeps saying that if I don't make a move on Ash, she will." Serena worried.
"Oh, you don't need to worry about this Miette girl..." May placed her hand on the performer's shoulder. "From what I've seen, you got this covered."
"Hm?" Dawn questioned, clearly interested in the knowledge the other coordinator had to share. "You saw things?"
"Oh, I have. And it's gooooood." Neither of the girls were fans of gossip talk, but May thought it would be funny if the conversation took a turn to that direction. "When I ran into Serena, she had just fallen out of Ash's Pidgeot, so I told Venusaur to grab her with Vine Whip. When it brings her to safety, she starts crying, out of shock, because she never told her friend that she loves him. A strong wind shows up, and Ash appears, on top of Pidgeot. But then, our friend Serena here, decides to hug Ash, and he hugs back."
"Whoa," Dawn stated, amazed. "Are you sure it was Ash?"
"As sure as I am standing here." May replied.
Dawn thought about the information she had just received from the Princess of Hoenn. May didn't have any reason to lie to her, but the thought of Ash having romantic intentions towards anyone seemed strange. Actually, the thought of Ash having romantic intentions at all proved too farfetched to seem real.
"I don't know, May, we both travelled with Ash, and we know him very well, and I'm sure Misty would confirm this, but Ash having romantic feelings towards a girl is as likely as Team Rocket ever stopping trying to get Ash's Pikachu…" Dawn concluded.
"I know how unlikely it is, and I know how farfetched it seems, but I know what I saw." May replied, and turned to Serena. "But maybe, our girl Serena here can tell us something Ash did to her."
Serena seemed to be without choice, as the girls seemed to be really interested in Ash's romantic side. She didn't really want to give the girls details on her relationship with Ash, so she told them a story.
"Once we arrived in Kanto, we met the Gym Leader of Petalburg…"
"You met my dad? I mean, I know you told me you met my mom, but…" May complained, but after a look from Dawn and Serena, apologized. "Sorry, go on."
"As I was saying, we met your parents, May, and Ash asked me how would I like to get to Pallet, the fast way or the scenic way. Both ways included walking. Now, this was at 4 AM, we were dead tired, and I couldn't take another step, so Ash asks the guard on the building in front of the airport in Saffron City to let us in, we arrive at the top floor, we go to the roof, and I see the most beautiful sunrise I've ever seen…"
"The Silph Co. building? Yeah, the view from there is quite astounding." May agrees.
"You've been there?" Dawn questioned the Hoenn coordinator.
"Yeah, once. Go on." May dismissed Dawn's question and motioned Serena to go on.
"Right… So, I tell him how pretty the sunrise is, and he says that he's seen more beautiful things. Then he stands by my side and holds my hand."
"Wow, that proves it. Miracles do happen from time to time." Dawn stated, amazed.
"Everyone," Misty stated while slightly banging her fork against her glass to create a sound that was loud enough for people to hear. "Tracey and I would like to announce something."
Everyone in the room looked expectantly at the Pokémon watcher and the Cerulean Gym Leader. What could it possibly be? No one would have guessed what would come next.
Misty dropped her left arm to the side of her body, an action mirrored by Tracey, followed by them holding each other's hands.
"We have been best friends for a while now, and we have been meeting in secret for some time." Misty revealed.
At this point in time, almost everyone knew what was going to be said. The key work in that sentence being "almost".
"Misty and I are dating."
The room erupted in joy. The event that led to that gathering had been completely eclipsed by the revelation that had occurred. Everyone was just overjoyed at the revelation, save for one person.
"That's great! Why are you holding hands?" Ash questioned.
"Ash, don't you know why they are holding hands?" Serena asked the champion.
"No, I have no idea." Ash replied.
Serena knew what she had to do. She told Ash to follow her and exited the lab.
Ash stood outside with Serena, facing her, not sure what the point of this exercise.
"Ash, look at me." Serena commanded and Ash complied.
"May told me you encountered a couple who thought you and May were in love, right?" The Kalos Queen questioned.
"Yes, but you know that we weren't." Ash defended himself.
"That's not the point here." Serena retorted. "Think back to that couple. They were holding hands, weren't they?"
Ash closed his eyes, and travelled within his memories to the place and time he met Oscar and Andi.
"Yeah, they couldn't let go of each other." Ash confirmed.
"Now think back to when we were watching the sunrise back in Saffron City. You couldn't let go of my hand then, could you?" Serena smiled.
"I could, I just didn't want to." Ash commented, holding his left hand with his right one, thinking back at that moment. "Your hand felt so nice."
"Yes, my hand." Serena explained. "Let me give you the short version: When a man and a woman like each other very much…"
"Wait, I know that story…" Ash continued, until he was interrupted by Serena.
"NO! It's not that!" The Kalos Queen, red as a Tamato Berry, exclaimed. "When a man and a woman like each other, they want to be with them, and holding their hand is a way for them to do that."
"Oh!" Ash understood, before taking hold of Serena's hand. "You mean like this?"
"Yes, like that." Serena blushed slightly. "Since you understand why Misty and Tracey hold hands, why don't we go back inside?"
"Let's go then." Ash told Serena, still holding her hand.
Once they were inside, the majority of the guests were congratulating Misty and Tracey, when Serena noticed that Ash was still holding her hand. It felt nice, and she didn't exactly want him to stop, but she wanted to give him the choice anyway.
"Ash, you can let go of my hand now."
"Why would I? I like you and I want to be with you. So, by your own logic, I should hold your hand." Ash retorted, turning the logic Serena just used on him back to her.
Serena just went with it. She was more than happy to hold Ash's hand, ever since she could remember.
The party was going very smoothly, with everyone enjoying themselves. Bonnie and Max were playing with Ash's Pokémon; Ash himself was eating, while May just shook her head, thinking some things never change; Dawn, Misty and Tracey were happily chatting, while Brock, Clemont and Gary did the same.
Serena was enjoying a glass of Oran Berry juice when Korrina approached her, with a thoughtful look on her face.
"Serena, can I talk to you?" Korrina questioned.
"Sure, what's up?" Serena replied.
"I need to have a girl talk with you…"
"A girl talk? What's it about?" Serena inquired.
"About Lemon-boy over there." Korrina revealed, but after seeing the confused look on Serena's face, she clarified. "Clemont."
"What about Clemont?" The Queen asked once again.
"Yesterday, we met in Lumiose City, started talking, one thing led to another, and he asked me out." Korrina confided on Serena.
"That's great, Korrina!" Serena exclaimed. "I'm so happy for you!"
"I don't know what to do…" Korrina revealed.
"Oh, don't worry, you have a small guardian angel looking out for you", Serena smiled, "and she's really interested in making sure you keep her brother."
"You think Bonnie set us up?" The Gym Leader wondered.
"You don't?"
"I didn't want to think it was possible…"
"Think about it, she saying that you being here is a 'work in progress', she didn't ask any of the girls here to keep Clemont…" Serena observed. "But I don't think it's that bad. If you think there might be something there, go for it."
"Maybe it won't be so bad…" Korrina thought out loud. "Maybe we hit it off, and I admit, I have thought about Clemont in that regard."
Suddenly, the chatting voices of the guests were interrupted by a ringing noise. The videophone Prof. Oak had set up on the wall, below the clock indicated that there was a message incoming.
Tracey answered it, and after hearing the message, called out to Ash, stating it was a message from Cilan and Iris. Hearing the names of his Unovan friends, Ash got up from the table, and headed to the phone, where Cilan and Iris were. Cilan had returned to his Gym for some time while Iris was on a short vacation from Clair's Dragon training. They had heard about his win in the Kalos League, and wanted to be there at his party, but due to lack of transportation, they couldn't. They then said their goodbyes and hang up the phone.
The phone call made Ash smile, recalling his old friends. It was a shame they had to part ways, but their journey together was ending.
"My, today has been a day full of revelations, has it not?" Professor Oak observed "First Team Rocket has been dissolved, then Tracey and Misty reveal that they're dating… I think today can handle one more, don't you?"
"What do you have in mind, gramps? Is it that thing you talked about?" Gary questioned.
"Yes, it is. Do you want to be a part of it?" The professor replied with a question of his own.
Gary put on a thoughtful look. "I don't know, I need to check my schedule."
"Professor, are you, by any chance, referring to Project Nyoromo?" Tracey inquired.
"Yes, Tracey, I am. But, as much as I like the name, Project Nyoromo was always a temporary name." Prof. Oak confessed. "The project's real name is something at least 4 people here are aware, those being me, Delia, Ash and Serena."
"Huh? We know this project of yours?" Serena questioned.
"Yes. You, in particular, wouldn't be here if you didn't know it. But you know it as Pokémon Summer Camp."
At the sound of those magic words, the thought of how she first met Ash popped into Serena's head.
"What about Pokémon Summer Camp, Professor?" Ash queried.
"Ash, Serena, I have a request to make the two of you. Summer's just around the corner, and despite the demographics here in Pallet are kind of descending, I had a brainwave. I want to reopen Pokémon Summer Camp, and I want you two there as camp counselors."
Ash and Serena's eyes open wide at the new information. Ash is just about to talk, but stops himself.
He turns to Serena. "You wanna do this?" Ash asks softly.
"Why do you ask?" Serena questions.
"It's where we met. It'd be amazing if we could return there and teach kids who are like we once were."
Serena thinks for a second, and says "Okay, I'll do it."
"You can count on us, Professor!" Ash reports, excited.
The rest of the party happened without incidents. Professor Oak shared the details of the Summer Camp with the future councelors, Ash, Serena, Clemont, who was forced to volunteer after Bonnie insisted on taking part on the Summer Camp, Korrina, who stayed behind because of Clemont, Gary, Tracey and Misty.
Since Pallet was a small town, there was no Pokémon Center or a hotel. Delia suggested that she would shelter Serena during the Summer Camp. The rest of the participants, except for Tracey and Gary, who had a residence in Pallet, had to go to the Pokémon Center in Viridian, and stay there during the event.
Everyone said their goodbyes and wished each other the best of luck.
Delia had decided that she'd let Serena stay over that night, but seeing as Professor Oak just announced the new Summer Camp, codenamed Project Nyoromo, she thought 'Well, I could let her stay here during the Summer Camp.'
Ash asked his mom if Serena could sleep in his room, to which Delia raised an eyebrow, and demanded a reason for his request. Ash replied that they, along with Clemont and Bonnie, had slept in the same room hundreds of times, and that it would not be that big of a deal. In response to that, Delia told him that she could get an extra bed to his room the day after, but right now would be too much work, and they were already tired. Ash informed his mom that she could use her sleeping bag or, if she wanted, he'd give her the bed, and he'd sleep on the floor. Seeing no harm in that, and knowing her son was stubborn as a Bastiodon's head, Delia allowed the young trainers to share Ash's room.
After a while, during dinner, Ash was telling his mom all about the adventures he had in Kalos, and all the friends he had made, when Delia turned to Serena and asked what she did in Kalos. The Kalos Queen told Delia that she was a Pokémon performer. Serena explained that she competed in events, known as Pokémon Showcases, which mainly showed the way a Trainer used her Pokémon's moves to create a spectacle, although other themes were used as well.
Ash interjected that she was really good at it too, which caused Serena to blush twofold, because Ash was complimenting her, and because she was very modest and didn't want to mention that. Ash reiterated the idea of Serena being good at Showcases by mentioning that she had won the grand prize of the Showcase circuit, being called the Kalos Queen.
This got Delia thinking. Then she smiled at her thought. Revealing it to the young trainers, she mentioned that due to their titles in their respective competitions, Serena and Ash were "the Queen and her Champion".
Ash thought it was cool, while Serena blushed at the thought of Ash being her Champion.
Ash could not sleep. He was always able to get some sleep before any big battles in his life, but today proved to be the exception. He had his mind set on being the counselor the Summer Camp Professor Oak was organizing, and he wanted to be the very best he could be.
And he was not alone in his insomnia.
Serena had heard him toss and turn in his bed, and called out his name.
"Ash, are you awake?"
"Huh? Serena, did I wake you?" Ash questioned.
"No," Serena turned to the left, facing Ash, "I can't sleep."
"Me neither." Ash revealed. "I don't even know what time it is…"
"Me neither." Serena said with a chuckle, realizing she had unwillingly mimicked Ash.
For a while, they said nothing. They just laid there, Ash in his bed and Serena in her sleeping bag, The only sound they could hear was the second hand ticking away in the alarm clock Ash had broken the night before he set off on his journey. The deafening silence is something neither of them were enjoying at the moment.
"Serena," Ash spoke, "there has been something on my mind for quite some time…"
"What is it, Ash?" Serena questioned.
Ash raised himself from the bed and sat on it, his whole body turning to the girl. "Remember back at the Champion's Hall, when you used Sweet Kiss on me?"
How could Serena forget? It had been her first kiss, and his too, but it had no emotional charge, not at first, at least.
Serena raised herself from her sleeping bag as well, ending up in a seated position, mirroring Ash.
"Oh… that… that wasn't a Sweet Kiss. That was just me, giving you a kiss on the cheek, but you turned your head to the right." Serena explained. "I didn't want to kiss you like that, it just kinda… happened."
Neither of them had talked to each other about the kiss they had. Nobody knew it happened, either, except for Clemont, Bonnie and Alexa.
"It was kinda nice…" Ash confessed, thinking back to the time where he shared his first kiss with Serena. "Is that something couples usually do?"
"Yes, among other things." Serena told Ash. "There are lots of things a couple can do together."
"What other things are there?" Ash's curiosity was obvious.
"Well," Serena thought, "they can go on dates, do stuff together, show support for each other…" she explained.
"Hmm," Ash wondered, "if what you say is true, then we are almost a couple…"
"W-What?!" Serena exclaimed, surprised.
"Think about it. We show support for each other, we do stuff together, all that's left is for us to go on dates." Ash counted with the help of his fingers.
Serena chuckled. "There's a bit more to it than that, actually."
"There is?" Ash questioned.
"Yes, for us to be a couple, we'd have to be in love." Serena explained, a slight blush creeping up on her face.
"Ah…" Ash nodded slowly, acknowledging that he forgot something. "And how do I do that?"
"Nobody can tell you if you're in love, Ash. You just know." Serena smiled at the trainer, while she got up and sat next to him on his bed. Feeling the next question from him would be 'And how do I know?", Serena took his hand into hers and explained, as best she could, what was it like to be in love.
"When you see the person you're in love with, your heart starts beating faster, and when you look them in the eyes, it's like it's about to burst right out of your chest..."
Ash looked down at his chest, as if recalling a sensation. "Sometimes, I get a tingling sensation here, in my chest. Is that what you meant?"
Serena nodded and continued. "Also, there's this feeling you have towards them. You want to make it your personal mission to protect them from harm."
Ash thought about this. "Oh, you mean like I do to you?" Serena looked at him with a quizzical look. "Yeah, I want to protect you all the time. And most of the time, I don't even think about it."
Serena smiled. "There are more things that tell you if you're in love, but one thing is, you look at them and you love everything about that person, even their faults."
Ash listened to Serena, but couldn't bring himself to reply. He was mesmerized with the sight before him. To his right, the moonlight managed to get in through the glass window, and it hit Serena's hair in a way that seemed almost magical.
"I really wish you could see yourself as I see you right now." Ash commented, and after Serena inquired further, Ash explained, stating that "it's like your hair is being bathed in the moonlight, it's incredibly pretty."
"There's one more thing. Remember back in Pewter, when Brock interrupted us?" Serena questioned, and Ash nodded. "For some odd reason, I kept looking at your lips. And I wanted to kiss them. How weird is that?"
"Not weird at all, Ash, trust me." Serena told him. "Do you still want to kiss my lips when you look at them?" Ash looked at her and nodded. "Then do it. If you don't know how to, don't worry, just let it take over you."
Ash was unsure on how to do what Serena requested of him, so he thought back to the only time he felt like that, Pewter Pokémon Center. He replayed the events in his mind, up until Brock interrupted them, and imagined Brock never called them.
He felt the same urge to kiss Serena's lips with his own, a feeling so alien to him, but he trusted Serena and if she said it was okay, then it was okay.
Their lips were close enough that he can feel her breath, something he liked, to his own amazement.
When their lips made contact, Ash was not sure if he was doing things right, but it felt right for him, and that's what he went with.
Serena was on cloud nine. This was the culmination of all the time she had travelled with Ash. She was enjoying the first kiss she had with Ash, completely given on purpose, with intention, feeling and spur of the moment. And although it lasted only for a couple of seconds, Ash had finally began to understand what it was that Serena had been talking about.
"That… thing that just happened, did I do it?" Ash questioned.
"Yes, you were great. Who would have thought that you were such a good kisser?" Serena smiled.
"I think it was just beginner's luck." Ash concluded. "If you're okay with it, I think we can try it again, tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?" Serena questioned.
"It doesn't have to be tomorrow, if you have things already planned, I just don't want to wait until we do this again." Ash explained, smiling.
"You know, Ash, maybe we should get some sleep, or at least try to." Serena said softly as she got up and headed to her sleeping bag. "If we don't, we'll be sleepy all day. Besides, you don't wouldn't want to learn all about this in just one sitting."
"Yeah, you're right…" Ash nodded. He slid under the covers, turned to Serena, and said "Good night, Serena."
"Good night, Ash." Serena smiled at the trainer.
"I'll try to dream about you." Ash revealed, something Serena never expected. Maybe the kissing exercise they had done just a few minutes ago triggered something in Ash. Well, whatever it was, Serena would be there to help Ash understand it.
Ah, our boy Ash seems to be starting to understand Serena's feelings... Heh...
So, Project Nyoromo... For those of you wondering, Nyoromo is the Japanese name for... Poliwag.
Maybe, in another universe, I keep writing this, adding chapter after chapter, gathering more and more fans to finally take over the world. Maybe, in another universe, I just write more of this because I want to give you more of it.
But in this universe, I have one more chapter planned. It's called: "What Happens - Chapter 7: TYTBR - Title Yet To Be Revealed!". Seriously, now, I have an epilogue for this, it's being worked on.