Chapter Five – Balanced on the Biggest Wave
The next morning, Serena woke up to a scene similar to the day before. The loft was the same as always, everything in its proper place. Cutiefly perched on the railing above her cot, chirping as she stirred. The only difference was that Ash wasn't leaning over her. Nobody was.
Groggy, Serena rubbed her sleepy eyes. To her displeasure, her head throbbed as the morning sunshine assaulted her senses. Squinting, she saw Lillie's head peering over the edge of the loft, halfway down the ladder, Nebby cradled under one arm.
For a split second, Serena's heart lurched. A memory came to her of Ash disappearing over the edge of the gorge, Nebby clutched against his chest. Serena gasped, and she bolted upright.
"Oh!" said Lillie. "I sincerely hope I didn't wake you!"
Serena blinked. The adrenaline from her moment of fear faded. Her mind caught up to her eyes.
"You didn't," she said.
"Oh, good," said Lillie.
Their exchange was paused while Serena stretched her arms and yawned.
"Morning," she said.
"Yes, good morning," said Lillie. "I tried my best not to be noisy while I dressed this morning. I am relieved to hear I did not disturb you."
What would have been an awkward silence was instead punctuated by the sounds of Nebby struggling to escape Lillie's grip. Lillie attempted to hush Nebby, then looked at Serena again. She appeared apologetic.
"Don't worry about it," said Serena. She eyed the sofa bed. The pillow was fluffed and the blanket was folded in precisely the same way as the previous day. The journal on the desk was in the same spot as always despite Lillie writing in it late into the night. "Honestly, if you weren't here right now, I wouldn't have known you were ever here at all."
"That's quite a relief," said Lillie. "I was concerned my presence might be an inconvenience to you. I intend to do my best to be an adequate host."
Serena stared at Lillie.
"You live here, don't you?" she asked.
"Yes, technically."
"Then if anything, I'm the one who's an inconvenience to you!"
With her free hand, Lillie pulled on the railing and climbed the last few steps back into the loft. She stood by the foot of Serena's cot with Nebby wrapped up in her arms. She shook her head.
"Oh, no," she said. "You received an invitation from the professor to stay here. I have actually been, um... imposing on the professor for the last three months."
Lillie bit her lip and looked away. Serena narrowed her eyes.
Imposing? That was what she was doing. She doubted that Lillie would agree, though.
Cutiefly took off from the railing and landed on Lillie's shoulder. Nebby writhed beneath Lillie's arms.
"Nebby, please," said Lillie.
Nebby squeaked in protest, then flailed even harder. Lillie's lips went tight, pulled to one side in frustration.
"Oh, fine!" she said. She set Nebby down on the floor at her feet. Nebby's plaintive cries were replaced by a cheer, and it puffed its way toward Serena, beaming up at her.
Lillie humphed and crossed her arms. Serena suppressed a giggle. She waved at Nebby. Playfully, she stuck her tongue out of the corner of her mouth. Nebby made a sound that approximated a laugh.
"So cute," said Serena.
From atop Lillie's shoulder, Cutiefly's eyes snapped to meet Serena's.
"So troublesome..." said Lillie. She folded her hands together, then met Serena's eyes. "Truly, I owe a debt of gratitude to both you and Ash. I cannot thank you two enough for what you did for Nebby and me yesterday."
Serena tilted her head.
"Ash and me?" she said.
"Yes, both of you."
"I didn't do anything, though. It was all him."
"Not as I see it."
"Ash was the one who went out on the bridge. He rescued Nebby, not me."
"You both came running to my aid, though, and you both escorted me back to town."
Serena opened her mouth, but she hesitated to speak. She hadn't done anything other than be there as a witness. She hadn't helped. If anything, she had been resentful of the ordeal. Ash falling off a cliff was not her idea of a fun hike.
"I... didn't do anything," she said, shaking her head.
"I am grateful to you both nonetheless," said Lillie. She avoided eye contact. Her folded fingers tightened.
Before Serena could say another word, Lillie straightened her posture. She spoke again with her head held high.
"Yes, I am appreciative to both of you. On a related note, I am certain you will be relieved to know that today should not prove to be nearly as dangerous."
"Oh? What's happening today?"
"The professor is out of town for the weekend, but he left me with instructions."
"Instructions?"
"Yes. He said, Hey there, Lillie. Do me a solid and give our awesome new trainer friends a big welcome with a tour of Hau'oli City. Woo."
A few hours later, Serena and Ash followed Lillie through the streets of Hau'oli City. Lillie held a well-worn map, the folding kind made of cheap paper that could be found in the lobby of any hotel or tourist trap. Every few seconds, her bag shook. They were going nowhere fast.
Serena squirmed with impatience. Her tablet was right there in her own bag. The navigator app would have them on the right track in seconds. Despite all the aimless meandering and walking in circles, she shushed Ash when he began to suggest that she take over the navigation. She had a feeling that it would be for the best if they let Lillie take her time. It was obvious how seriously she was taking the job. She was simply excruciatingly bad at it.
The longer Lillie's directional challenges continued, the more sense it made that her expedition to Iki Town required multiple days. It was doubtful that she could have found her way out of her own hat. Eventually, with some gentle suggestion that perhaps they should walk in the direction of the water, they found their way to the beach.
They descended a flight of concrete steps to the sand. The beach was packed. Hundreds of people and Pokémon were out enjoying the sun and the waves. Umbrellas, blankets, and chairs dotted the landscape as far as the eye could see.
While Serena and Ash both removed their shoes, Lillie refused to budge from the bottom step.
"I'm not sure I've dressed appropriately for the occasion," she said.
Serena was reminded of the first encounter with Korrina she and Clemont had in Monego City. Korrina dragged them to the beach despite none of them having swimwear. The drama of that day not included, it had been well worth all the sand she later had to rinse off her feet.
"Neither are we, but that's not going to stop us," said Serena.
She tucked her shoes and socks into her bag and stepped out onto the sand. It was pleasantly warm. She wondered if she should give Lillie another push to join them. Lillie looked deeply uncomfortable. Was it worth trying?
Maybe, but another thought occurred to her. It would be an opportunity to get some alone time with Ash.
As always, Ash remained clueless.
"You sure you don't wanna come with us?" he asked Lillie.
Lillie shook her head and gave him a nervous laugh.
"No, I really would prefer to stay here. Feel free to take your time! I don't mind."
Lillie's tone was not at all convincing. Ash looked at Pikachu on his shoulder.
"Buddy, why don't you stay here and keep Lillie company while we're gone?" he said. "It looks like she has her hands full with Nebby!"
Lillie's bag shook again. Nebby's face was visible through an open gap in the zipper. Lillie hurried to pull the zipper shut again and steadied the bag beneath her arm.
"That's quite alright," said Lillie. "I'll manage on my own. I know Nebby can behave for a while. Can't you?"
Lillie gave her bag a plaintive glance. It shook yet again. She sighed. Ash laughed.
"I think you better stay, Pikachu," he said.
Pikachu hopped down from Ash's shoulder. He landed on the step next to Lillie and gave Ash a salute.
Then, Serena took Ash by the hand and led him away. Before they could take more than three steps, Lillie interrupted them.
"Be careful!" she called after them. "Watch where you step! Pyukumuku can really hurt!"
Serena had no idea what a Pyukumuku was supposed to be, and she was not sure she wanted to know. The name sounded nasty enough.
She tugged on Ash's hand, and he followed. They weaved their way through the forest of umbrellas and sunbathers, headed toward the water. Serena took large strides, dragging Ash along behind her. He ran to catch up with her.
"You're in a hurry!" he said. "What's up?"
"I need to talk to you."
Ash frowned.
"Again?" he said.
"Yes, again," said Serena, doing her best not to sigh in exasperation.
"Is this like yesterday at the festival?"
"Kind of. There's… a lot I need to tell you about. There's been a lot on my mind."
"Oh man," said Ash. He adjusted his cap with his spare hand.
"I know you don't like this, but it's important," said Serena. "Please just stick with me for a few minutes."
Ash nodded. He looked like he was preparing himself to go into battle.
"I will," he said. "I promise."
He still did not sound thrilled. Serena thought for a moment. An idea came to her. The corner of her mouth turned upward. It was a clever one.
"Think of it as training," she said. "You're practicing talking about serious stuff. Every time, you get a little bit better."
"Ha! I never thought of it that way. I don't think you want this to be like a battle, though."
The sand between Serena's toes reminded her all too well of their battle on the beach.
"No, I don't," she said. "I think we've done more than enough battling."
They approached the water. The gentle surf was only a few feet away. The sand beneath their feet transitioned from dry to damp. They stopped.
"So, what's up?" said Ash.
Serena hesitated.
"I don't know where to start," she said. "There's so much I didn't get a chance to tell you back in Pallet Town. After yesterday, I don't know if I can wait anymore."
"Why not?"
Serena stared at him, lips parted. A fire rose in her throat.
"You almost died!"
Ash scratched his cheek.
"Oh, yeah," he said. "Kinda."
"Did you forget or something?"
"No, I remember."
"Doesn't that bother you at all?"
"That I remember?"
"That you almost died."
"Oh. Uh, not that much."
"How? It bothers me. It bothers me a lot!"
"I dunno. I haven't thought about it much."
"I know you felt me when I held you, after that... deity thing saved you," said Serena. "I shook for like fifteen minutes after that. I woke up thinking about that this morning. I thought you were gone! I saw you falling to your death in my dreams!"
Ash rubbed the back of his neck. His expression was tight.
"I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to scare you."
Serena took a deep breath. This wasn't what she meant to talk about at all. The words kept coming. She couldn't stop.
"I know you didn't," said Serena. "I know that helping people is your thing, but I need you to think about what you're doing before you put yourself in danger like that! The first time I saw you in years was on TV, throwing yourself off of the tallest building in Kalos! Now, we're together, and the same thing almost happens! I don't know what I would do if you hurt yourself, or worse. Please don't let me find out. Please don't do that to me, Ash. I can't lose you!"
Ash went still. He stared at his feet. The silence between them was interrupted from all around by the sounds of people and Pokémon having fun in the sun.
While she waited for Ash to say something, all Serena felt was uncomfortably hot.
"I'm really sorry," Ash said after what felt like minutes. "I didn't think."
Serena grimaced.
"Honestly, I'm sorry, too," she said. "I didn't mean to drag you out here to scold you. It just… kind of came out."
"You didn't do anything wrong," said Ash.
"Oh, yes, I did," she said with a scoff.
Ash gave her a confused glance.
"If you say so, I guess," he said. "Beats me what you mean, though."
"I... haven't told you about it," said Serena.
She released Ash's hand and rubbed her temples with both hands. Ash lifted up his hat and ran a hand through his hair.
Serena tried to think of how to phrase everything. Did her mother kick her out, or did they merely have a falling out? Had she tricked Palermo, or had she gotten lucky by asking an innocent question? He she extorted Aria, or had she simply asked for help? Had she blackmailed her? Was what she did considered some sort of crime? How could she even begin to explain?
Serena mimicked Ash and lifted her own hat, running her hand through her hair. Ash glanced at her.
"I..."
She trailed off. She looked Ash in the eye and shook her head over and over.
"I'm in so over my head," she said. "I have no idea what I'm doing."
Ash gave her an awkward smile.
"Me too," he said. "At least we have no idea together, right?"
"I'm... not so sure that's a good thing."
"Oh."
"This is all so much, so fast," said Serena. She reached for Ash's hand with both of hers and took hold of it. "On the hill outside Pallet Town at sunset... do you have any idea how far I was willing to go?"
Ash bit down on both of his lips. He did not look away. He did not say a word.
The memories flooded Serena's mind. It was only a few days ago. Were it not for their absurd travel schedule, it would have been the only thing she had thought about since then. She knew her face was well on its way to turning red. She took another deep breath before she spoke.
"Too far," she said. "I don't know how, and I don't even want to, really, but we have to slow down, somehow. I know things are weird for us, but we haven't even been on a real date yet! We haven't even said, you know..."
Ash raised an eyebrow.
"Huh?"
"The L-word," said Serena.
"Oh. Yeah."
Ash looked away, out to sea. In the silence, Serena held onto his hand. She wanted him to be the one to break the silence. She knew it would never happen.
"Ash?"
He looked at her again. She pleaded with him with her eyes.
"Will you go on a date with me?" she asked.
Ash watched her for a moment, his eyes measuring her. His tight lips loosened. He nodded.
"Yeah," he said.
His voice was quiet, but his eyes told Serena everything she needed to know. She saw something beyond fear in them. She saw hope. She saw trust.
She kissed him.
The kiss was interrupted by the roaring of a rush of water. Serena opened her eyes as she felt a shallow wave wash over her feet. Both she and Ash laughed.
She put her hands on her hips and pouted.
"Way to go, ocean," she grumbled. "Thanks for ruining the moment."
Ash did not acknowledge her remark, though. Instead, Serena saw him focus on something beneath the retreating wave.
Serena narrowed her eyes. There was something lurking in the shallow surf. Whatever it was, it was not very large. Though the water obscured it, there seemed to be a number of pink spots covering it.
Just as Serena thought she had figured out the shape of the thing, the wave receded. A very strange Pokémon lay in the sand, right before her feet. It was indeed not very large. Its body was slick with slime. It was mostly black, but the pink spots were not spots at all. They were spikes. Two beady eyes looked up at Serena and blinked.
Ash put his hands on his knees and leaned over the strange Pokémon.
"Hey there!" he said.
When the Pokémon replied, it did not speak, but rather made some unintelligible squelching sounds. Serena's stomach churned.
"Ew…" she groaned.
The Pokémon blinked its beady little eyes again. It puffed itself up as though it were offended.
And then, it made a revolting retching noise. It shuddered, then seemed to turn itself inside out.
A moment later, something warm, wet, and lumpy plopped onto Serena's feet. She shrieked, toppled over backward, and scrambled away on her backside, unable to look away. She covered her mouth with one hand while clutching the other to her stomach.
The Pokémon had regurgitated some kind of slimy, white sac onto her feet. She was not certain she would ever feel clean again.
A few minutes later, once Serena no longer felt like her own stomach was going to turn inside out, she and Ash discovered that there were public hoses available near the entrance to the beach. They were intended for rinsing off sand. There was sand stuck to her feet, among other things, but Serena hoped to rinse off the smell more than anything. It smelled like some awful combination of stale seawater and rot.
Ash held the hose while Serena held her feet beneath the stream of water, scrubbing and scrubbing. She stopped when Pikachu came running up to them. Through an animated exchange, Ash discerned that Nebby had escaped. Thus began a wild chase.
Lillie was near tears when Serena found her. She swore she had watched to make sure Nebby did not unzip the bag from inside. One minute, Nebby was inside the bag. The next, it was on top of the nearest umbrella. The combined efforts of both Ash and Serena's Pokémon were required to comb the beach for Nebby and corner it. When Ash apprehended Nebby and returned it to Lillie, Lillie turned red in the face. She thanked Ash profusely and then gave Nebby a long-winded lecture about patience. Serena was certain Lillie's words went in one ear and out the other, if Nebby even had ears.
Afterward, everyone was eager to cool down. Together, they headed to a nearby shop that sold some kind of confection called malasadas. They smelled delicious, but Serena never found out for herself how they tasted. Instead, her appetite went missing when Ash told Lillie about their encounter with the odd Pokémon in the surf. Lillie identified the Pokémon as Pyukumuku. Her description of its typical self-defense behavior made Serena shudder. At least the name was appropriate.
When they left the malasada shop, they returned to the lab, but not without getting lost along the way. By the time they arrived, it was evening. Cutiefly zoomed around them in circles when they entered, perching on top of Lillie's hat for a moment, then joining Nebby on the floor when Lillie opened her thrashing bag.
Ash, stuffed from their visit to the malasada shop, went into the living room. Right as he was about to sit down on the sofa, Lillie ran to him and told him to stop. She said that no one was to touch the sofa under any circumstances whatsoever. So, bewildered, Ash grabbed the pillow from his cot in the guest bedroom and laid down on the floor in front of the TV instead. Serena did the same and joined him there.
When Ash couldn't decide on what to watch, Serena took the remote from him. She landed on a channel that was showing an old movie in black-and-white, a film about two old lovers who met again after many years in a far-flung place. Ash complained that it was boring and that it was going to put him to sleep, but Serena ignored him. She wanted to watch. And so, she laid there holding Ash's hand while he drifted off to sleep.
Lillie claimed she had a great deal of work to do around the lab, and she busied herself elsewhere. Every so often, Serena caught a glimpse out of the corner of her eye of Lillie looking in her direction. She wasn't sure what Lillie was looking at. Perhaps it was the TV. Perhaps it was her and Ash.
That night, Lillie sat at her desk and wrote in her journal late into the night. Serena had no idea when Lillie went to bed, drifting off to sleep long before the scratching of pen on paper ceased.
The next morning, once again, the room was exactly the same. The blanket and pillow on the sofa bed were crisply folded and perfectly fluffed. The journal was in the same spot atop the desk.
Serena sat up and yawned. Out of nowhere, Cutiefly came flying up from the level below. Serena smiled as Cutiefly hovered in the air in front of her, dewy eyes beaming with excitement.
"Good morning!" said Serena. Out of instinct alone, she reached toward Cutiefly with her hand. She stopped halfway. She intended to pet Cutiefly, but it occurred to her that Cutiefly was so small that she might knock her out of the air if she did. So, she hesitated.
In her moment of hesitation, she noticed the Pokémon bed which sat ignored on the floor. She knew now that it was intended for Nebby, but it went unused every night. Nebby slept cuddled up in the sofa bed with Lillie. Serena had a suspicion that Nebby had taken the place of the well-loved Clefairy doll which sat alone atop the dresser.
Her momentary reverie was interrupted when Cutiefly landed on her finger, her hand still extended in hesitation. Serena's eyes shot open in surprise.
"Oh!"
Cutiefly tilted her head and chirped at Serena. Serena blinked, speechless. Cutiefly's weight was like a feather, almost imperceptible. Cautious, Serena reached her other hand up toward Cutiefly. With a single finger, she gave Cutiefly a delicate stroke down the back. Cutiefly trilled at the touch.
The down which covered Cutiefly was softer than velvet. However, some kind of yellow dust covered Serena's finger when she pulled it away. Serena frowned as she examined it. It looked like pollen. Not wanting to be rude, she made a discreet attempt to wipe it off on her pajama shorts. She could only imagine the case of hay fever she would get if she inhaled any of it.
She stood, Cutiefly still perched on her finger. She frowned again as she examined her side of the loft. It was a disaster compared to Lillie's side. Her bag sat half-spilled on the floor beneath her cot. She hadn't attempted to make her bed even once since arriving.
"Do you want to help me make the bed?" she asked Cutiefly.
Cutiefly chirped and took off. The answer was yes, but all Cutiefly was able to do was get caught beneath the sheets. The result was so much pollen on the sheets that Serena had to pull them all off, shake them clean while holding her breath, and start again. Even with Cutiefly observing from the railing, Serena's best effort yielded a lumpy-looking bed.
Defeated, she shrugged it off, changed clothes, and descended the ladder. Cutiefly followed her, but then went zooming away when Lillie came up the stairs from the basement.
"Oh, good morning," said Lillie. Cutiefly hovered beside her.
"Good morning," Serena replied.
There was a moment of uncertain silence. Serena wasn't sure what, if anything, she should say. Did she dare ask if Lillie had slept well? She knew Lillie was up late, and she also knew that Lillie was conscious of disturbing her. Would Lillie take the question as meaning her writing had kept her awake? Serena didn't want to risk asking, but what else could she say? Could she mention what just happened with Cutiefly? She had her doubts that Lillie would be pleased. She wasn't sure, but even though Lillie did not appear to be a trainer, Cutiefly appeared to her Pokémon.
But then, Serena looked through the window, and she saw Ash outside with his Pokémon. Lillie followed her eyes.
"Ash was up early this morning," said Lillie.
"He usually is," said Serena. "When we were on the road together, he always got up at first light to train."
"Is that so?" said Lillie. "I would not have pictured him to be a morning person."
"He's an anytime person as long as Pokémon are involved," said Serena.
Lillie folded her hands.
"Well, I can picture that," she said.
Serena watched for a few moments. Ash was working with Rowlet, having him attempt to shoot down Greninja's Water Shuriken using Leafage. What was surprising, though, was that Pikachu was not involved in the training exercise. Instead, Pikachu was with Nebby, playing in the sand by the shore.
"He was kind enough to offer to look after Nebby for me this morning," said Lillie.
"He did?" said Serena.
"Yes, and I appreciate it immensely. I have so much to do today. Looking after Nebby is a full-time job on its own, as you can imagine."
"What do you have to do?"
"Chores," said Lillie. "At least, I suppose that's what you would call them. Maybe maintenance is a better word."
"Maintenance?"
"The holes in the walls won't fix themselves, unfortunately."
Serena narrowed her eyes.
"Professor Kukui is having you fix the holes?"
"Not exactly," said Lillie. "I'm taking it upon myself. He won't do it himself. He doesn't seem to mind them, but..."
Lillie paused. She looked around the lab and sighed.
"Really, he's so good at making them that I'm not sure he even notices them," she said.
"Making them?" said Serena.
Lillie nodded.
"Yes. The professor never stops researching moves, not even inside the lab itself."
"He has Pokémon use their moves inside the lab?"
"Yes. In fact, he often has them use their moves on him."
Serena's face was blank as she stared at Lillie.
"Is he insane?" she asked.
Lillie poked the tips of her forefingers together. She smiled in an unnatural way that showed far too many teeth.
"I... have not ruled out that possibility," she said.
Serena looked out the window again. While she watched Ash, she scrunched up her face in thought.
"I'm going to go talk to Ash," she said.
"Oh, yes, go right ahead," said Lillie. "Don't stay here on my behalf. I have lots to do."
"Exactly," said Serena. "There's no reason you should have to do it all by yourself."
Lillie's mouth opened, but no sound came out.
"I'm going to talk to Ash about us helping you," said Serena.
Lillie held up her hands in refusal.
"I- I can't possibly ask such a thing of you!"
"You're not asking," said Serena. "I'm volunteering."
Lillie pressed her palms against her forehead. Cutiefly landed on her shoulder.
"I shouldn't have mentioned anything. Please, forget I said it. I will be able to manage today on my own. There is no need for you and Ash to become involved. You're guests! I'm supposed to be hosting you! The upkeep of the lab is my responsibility."
Serena shook her head.
"I'm helping you," she said. "The only question is whether or not Ash is going to help, too."
Lillie clutched her hands against her collarbone, fingers curled shut.
"Serena, I-"
Lillie cut herself off. Her mouth remained open. Her eyes were filled with worry, but behind that, Serena sensed something more.
"I'm going to help you," she said. "That's what friends do."
Serena wasn't sure, but she thought she caught a glimpse of tears forming in Lillie's eyes as she turned toward the door. Cutiefly zipped past her out the open door, and Serena stepped outside, shutting the door behind her.
It took little convincing to get Ash to agree to help. Serena let all of her Pokémon out of their balls on the beach. She left them, plus Cutiefly, with instructions to make sure Nebby did not wander off. She returned inside with Ash a few minutes later. Lillie was astonished.
Flustered, Lillie struggled to decide what to do first. After several minutes of deliberation, she settled on feeding the various Pokémon that resided in the lab. Rockruff was with Professor Kukui, but there were far more Pokémon present than Serena realized. The aquarium was home to a Corsola and three Luvdisc. Ash fed them by sprinkling food into the top of the tank from atop a ladder while Serena held it steady and Lillie fretted below. There was a Snubbull which had done nothing but sleep since they arrived. When Serena placed the food dish in front of its bed, it opened one eye and roused from slumber long enough to eat, then fell asleep again. There was a Murkrow which lurked in the rafters, and a Poliwhirl which spent all its time in the basement working out with Professor Kukui's exercise equipment.
There was one more Pokémon present in the lab, somewhere. Lillie refused to mention it by name, but she left a food dish beside the sofa in the living room. She insisted that the Pokémon was very shy and would find the food on its own. She issued another stern warning not to sit on the sofa. Serena and Ash could do nothing but exchange a shrug.
When the feeding frenzy was over, Lillie seemed to dread what was next. She led them to a shed behind the lab, from which they retrieved a variety of supplies. It took several return trips to carry them all inside. They stacked everything in a corner - boards, saws, nails, hammers, and every kind of tool under the sun. There was even a full sheet of drywall which required all three of them to carry it, plus assistance from Greninja to open the door.
Once they had everything inside, Lillie wiped her brow with her hand and sighed.
"I can't believe you're actually willing to help me with this," she said.
"Hey, no worries!" said Ash. "How hard can it be?"
"Very," said Lillie, frowning. "I... didn't do a very good job with this the last few times I tried."
Serena's mind wandered to the various boards nailed onto the exterior walls of the lab like bandages. Things suddenly made much more sense.
Lillie chose which hole to patch first, one near the front door which she considered particularly egregious. Ash was quick to pick up a saw and begin cutting a board, but Lillie stopped him and attempted to explain the process. The idea was to expand the holes so they formed rectangular shapes, then cut patches to cover them. Ash appeared to have no idea what she meant, so Lillie volunteered to do the measuring, and when she struggled with too many things in her hands at once, Serena volunteered to draw the lines for her.
The process was slow. Ash was impatient by the time he got to cut something. Widening the hole without further damaging the wall took time. So did sizing the patch. The first hole alone took an hour. Serena could see at least six more from where she stood. In the interest of time, Lillie proceeded to the next hole to begin the measurements.
It was then that Serena made the pleasant discovery that she and Ash worked faster without Lillie's supervision. She understood Lillie's directions well enough to handle the layout on her own, and she knew how to rein in Ash's enthusiasm for going overboard with tools well enough to prevent him from injuring either himself or the building. And so, in relative peace, they continued through the afternoon.
Serena began to sweat. It was hard, dusty work. There was a thin coating of sawdust all over the floor around the areas they had patched. She wiped her forehead with the back of her hand and sat down with her back against the wall while Ash continued to work. After a moment, he paused in the middle of a cut and looked at her.
"Tired already?" he asked.
"It's been hours," said Serena.
"Really?"
"Yes."
Serena pointed to the clock which was visible from the kitchen.
"Oh. Huh," said Ash. "I had no idea."
The whole time, he never let go of the saw which was still in the middle of a cut in the wall. He had a hammer sticking out of his back pocket, and a screwdriver through one of the belt loops of his pants.
"You're having too much fun," said Serena.
"Am not!" said Ash. "There's no such thing."
She looked at him for a moment, taking in the sight of him. It was a treat to see him like this, so caught up in something so physical. It made him look rugged, trading in some of his boyish charm for something more manly. He almost looked domestic, like he had a job. Serena's mind wandered toward the future.
She knew what she thought was ridiculous. They were both dirty, both sweaty, but he had never looked so dreamy. For a while, she looked at him. Just watching, nothing more.
Ash did not seem to understand.
"What's up?" he said.
"Nothing," said Serena. "Nothing at all."
"Huh?"
"Just... thinking," she said. She picked up her hand from the floor and found her palm covered with sawdust, a handprint left behind.
Wistfully, she touched the carpet of sawdust with her finger. She began to draw. Ash let go of the saw. It stuck in the wall. He turned his head to look.
"Whatcha drawing?" he said.
"Oh, you'll see," said Serena. She picked her finger up, cleaned it off, and completed the other half of the shape.
"A heart?" said Ash.
"Mhmm!" said Serena, closing the tip of the heart with a final stroke. "And there's one more thing. Actually, two more..."
She grinned as she drew two letters inside the heart, one on each side.
S and A.
Ash's eyes narrowed, but then they widened again with recognition.
"Hey, that's us!" he said.
Serena's heart jumped. It was true that the letters stood for the two of them, but they held another meaning, courtesy of a certain someone who took to signing her signature as a single letter.
For a moment longer than she intended, her gaze lingered on the heart. The fleeting memory passed, and she looked up at Ash and smiled.
"It is us," she said. She reached up to his face with one hand. She poked a finger against the tip of his nose, leaving a smudge of sawdust behind. Ash laughed.
"Hey!" he said, rubbing his nose clean with the back of his arm.
Serena did not lower her hand. Instead, when Ash finished cleaning himself, she placed her fingers on his cheek. It was so much easier to ignore the feeling of Aria being right over her shoulder when her entire mind was occupied with Ash. And yet, she still felt a curiosity about the window beside them, as though Aria would be right outside on a nonexistent bench if she looked.
The next thing Serena knew, her eyes were closed. She craned her neck up to meet Ash. Their lips connected. Everything else vanished. Serena knew she didn't move much, but somehow she ended up beside Ash. He must have joined her on the floor. She leaned into him, hands on his shoulders, kissing him deeper. Nothing else was real.
But then there were footsteps.
"Oh- oh, goodness! I-"
Serena tore herself away from Ash, and her eyes flew open. Across the room, at the top of the staircase, Lillie shielded her eyes.
"I- I'm so sorry!" Lillie stammered. She inched backward, descending one step. "I came to check on you because I hadn't heard any noise in a while, and I- I-"
Lillie said no more. She ran back down the stairs.
Two hours later, the repair job was finished. The embarrassment had not worn off, and Lillie had not emerged from the basement.
As much as Serena wanted to talk to Lillie, she supposed it was for the best. For the second time in as many days, she wasn't sure she would ever be clean again. She had never needed a shower so urgently in her life. She was filthy from head to toe, sawdust stuck to her skin from sweat. It was even under her fingernails. Careful to touch as little as possible, she climbed up to the loft, grabbed her pajamas, and went back down to the bathroom.
Once she was inside, she locked the door behind her. She looked at herself in the mirror. She was a disaster. She had never looked less attractive. Even days spent working in rain and mud back on the Rhyhorn ranch at home were nothing compared to this. There was an alarming amount of sawdust in her hair. When she removed her shirt, it peeled off, completely adhered to her body from sweat.
She made no attempt to wait for the water in the shower to warm up. Even ice cold, it felt like heaven. The longer she lingered, the more she felt herself coming back down to reality. At one point, she had thought it would be fun to clean off with Ash after they were done. Now, she was relieved he wasn't here, instead going for a swim with his Pokémon.
She was disgusted. She couldn't keep her hands off of him, let alone her mind. She knew the very first thing she needed to do when she left the bathroom was find Lillie and apologize. There was no other sensible course of action. Lillie had been mortified, and for good reason. Slacking off on the job was one thing. Making out on the job was another.
But when Serena left the bathroom, apologizing was not the first thing she did, because her clothes were in dire need of a wash. It was not the second thing she did, either, because when she left the laundry room, she found Cutiefly tapping on the window, begging to be let inside. Serena obliged and opened the window a few inches. Cutiefly slipped through the gap, chirped as she zipped around Serena's head several times, and disappeared into the basement below.
Serena watched Cutiefly vanish, then closed the window. Her hair still wet from the shower, she tied it back. Cautious, she tiptoed down the stairs to the basement. It was cool down below, and much darker. The water in the aquarium cast an ethereal blue light over everything, ripples in the water causing the light to dance on the walls. The entire far side was occupied by a bookcase that spanned from floor to ceiling.
In front of it, Lillie was seated on the floor with her nose buried in a book. Nebby slept next to her, curled up against her leg.
To Serena's surprise, Cutiefly had not joined Lillie. Instead, she was perched on one of the many monitors towering over what must have been Professor Kukui's desk. Serena wasn't sure if Lillie had failed to hear her come down the stairs, or if she was ignoring her on purpose. She decided to err on the side of caution. Startling Lillie would not make things better.
From across the room, Serena spoke.
"Lillie?"
Lillie abruptly looked up. Serena had her answer. Lillie had indeed been lost in her book.
"Oh! Um, hello."
Nebby opened its eyes, blinking to shake the sleep from them. It stretched, letting out a high-pitched yawn.
Serena knew from Lillie's short, stiff greeting that this was going to be awkward.
Nebby wandered toward Serena. Serena saw Lillie open her mouth to tell Nebby to stop, but Serena brought Lillie to a halt before a word was said. She walked toward Lillie, and Nebby followed her.
Serena stood before Lillie. Lillie folded her book shut, placing it down in her lap. She looked up at Serena, and Serena stared back in silence. Silence, except for Nebby's babbling as it circled around Serena's feet, happy as can be.
Both Serena and Lillie opened their mouths to speak. Serena barely formed a word before Lille interrupted her.
"I-"
"I'm sorry for intruding on you," said Lillie.
More silence. It took Serena some time to speak again.
"May I sit down?" she asked.
Lillie looked surprised to be asked.
"Yes."
Without taking another step, Serena sat down, right on the spot, right in front of Lillie. She took care not to squish Nebby.
"I mean it," said Lillie, avoiding eye contact. "I really am sorry. I should not have pried."
Serena hesitated. She wanted to ask several questions, but she knew none of them were the right thing to say.
"I actually came down here to apologize to you," she said.
Lillie looked at her again.
"You did?"
"Yes," said Serena.
"But… why?"
"I actually wanted to ask you the same thing."
Serena paused. She saw the reticence in Lillie's face.
"About why you apologized to me just now," Serena clarified.
"Because I intruded!" said Lillie. "It was inappropriate of me to do so!"
"It was inappropriate of us to... do thatwhile we were supposed to be helping you," said Serena. "You did nothing wrong. We did."
Serena bit the inside of her lip. She knew that wasn't entirely true. She continued.
"Actually, I'm the one who did something wrong," she said. "I started it. Ash just followed my lead."
"You started it?"
Serena ran a hand over her wet hair.
"Yes, I did," she said. "I shouldn't have. It was really dumb of me. I don't know what I was thinking. I really wasn't thinking, I guess. I should have thought about what I was doing."
"I… thought it was usually the guys who started things like that," said Lillie.
Serena's face scrunched up in confusion.
"You thought Ash started that?" she said.
Lillie looked sheepish.
"Well... yes," she said.
"Really?"
Lillie broke eye contact.
"I didn't think it was that ridiculous of an idea," she said. "I simply assumed. It sounds like I made a poor assumption, though."
Serena didn't know where to start.
"Ash wouldn't do something like that," said Serena. "He… doesn't really understand romance very well. I kind of have to lead the way in our relationship."
Serena felt her own words linger in the air. Somehow, she had never put the thought to words before, but hearing the words aloud was like a bucket of water to the face.
She was the one leading the way.
"That must be hard," said Lillie.
Yes. Yes, it was.
"It's… not how I wanted things to go," said Serena. "Honestly, I'm lucky to be with him at all. Getting to this point was like fighting a war."
Serena shifted her eyes aside, busying them with examining the bookcase for a few moments. She really had fought a war to get here. Miette had, more or less, declared it as such. It was more than luck for her to be here with Ash. It was nothing short of miraculous.
"He's worth it, though," said Serena. "I never gave up on him, and I never will."
Lillie stared at her hands, folded in her lap.
"To be honest, I'm envious of you," she said.
Serena's eyes narrowed.
"You're so good at standing up for yourself," said Lillie. "I wish I was."
Serena had never heard a less accurate statement about herself.
"I… have a lot of room for improvement," she said.
"I think I have nothing but room for improvement," said Lillie.
Things were quiet for a moment until Cutiefly swooped in from atop the monitor and came buzzing up to them. She hovered in the air between them. Both Serena and Lillie stared while Cutiefly chittered and chirped, her eyes shifting back and forth between the two of them.
And then, Cutiefly landed on top of Serena's head. Both Serena and Lillie's eyes shifted upward. Lillie's mouth hung open.
Serena sat as still as a statue. She was confused about many things, but most of all why her heart was beating so hard. From atop her head, Cutiefly whistled a short, cheerful tune.
Lillie blinked several times, as though trying to shake the disbelief from her eyes. Serena met Lillie's eyes. The two of them stared at each other. Serena became aware of how long it had been since she had last drawn breath. Ending their impromptu staring contest, she closed her eyes and exhaled, her shoulders slumping as she did.
When she inhaled again, she straightened back up and opened her eyes. Lillie continued to watch Cutiefly atop her head. Once again, Serena and Lillie's eyes met.
"Maybe," said Serena, "we can improve together."
Lillie's lips parted. It looked like she was going to speak, but then she closed her mouth and bowed her head. She forced her lips into a sad smile. She took a deep breath.
"I would like that very much."
The remainder of the day passed in peace. They ordered a pizza for dinner, a strange Alolan variety that was served with pineapple on top. Serena was revolted by the idea of it, but to her surprise, it was much better than she expected. Ash did not even notice the unusual topping, inhaling half of the pizza before running back outside.
Serena spent the evening lounging on the front porch, watching Ash train with Pikachu, Greninja, and Rowlet. Serena sat in one of the deck chairs, and Lillie sat in the other, reading. Sylveon played with Nebby in the sand, and Cutiefly hummed around them.
To Serena's surprise, Braixen was not content to watch Greninja as usual, and instead took it upon herself to help Pancham burn off some excess energy. She sparred with him until he tired out. Serena suspected it may have been only to keep him from interfering in Ash's training session. When Pancham went to rest underneath a palm tree, Braixen continued to practice her moves on her own, lighting up the evening sky with jets of fire.
Every so often, Serena got the sense that it had been a while since Lillie turned a page. When she glanced at Lillie out of the corner of her eye, she saw her peering over the top of her book.
Lillie took notice. Their eyes met. Lillie hurried to bury her nose in her book again.
"They're amazing, aren't they?" said Serena.
Lillie peered over the top of her book again. She paused, then closed the book, placing it down in her lap.
"I've never seen anything like it," she said. "Usually, I can't stand to watch this sort of thing."
Serena remembered Ash's battle against Hau and Lillie's objections to it.
"I keep expecting someone to get hurt, but they've been going like this for hours," said Lillie.
"This is pretty normal for Ash," said Serena. "When we were traveling in Kalos, he trained like this every day."
"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised," said Lillie. "He commands his Pokémon so well."
Neither one of them spoke for a while. They watched as Rowlet released a carpet of leaves with Leafage, and Greninja shot down every single leaf with Water Shuriken before they hit the ground. Then, Pikachu did the same with a combination of attacks.
Things continued this way for a while until the relative peace was pierced by an echoing Woo! in the distance.
Lillie looked to the horizon, squinting.
"It seems the professor is back earlier than expected," she said.
Serena attempted to follow Lillie's gaze. She narrowed her eyes, scanning the distant waters, shimmering pink and orange in the sunset. At first, she saw nothing.
But then, she saw a torrent of water being kicked up, the wake of something moving at a tremendous speed. It was moving right toward them.
Lillie stood up, set her book down on her chair, smoothed down her dress, and descended the front steps, heading toward the shore. Serena also stood, but she still was not sure what she saw. It drew closer and closer.
And then, it became clear. It was Professor Kukui, riding a Sharpedo.
Another Woo! echoed all around. This time, it got the attention of Ash and his Pokémon. Their training session came to a halt. Serena hurried down the front steps and caught up with Lillie, walking with her to the shore.
Not long after they stopped to wait, Ash joined them. And then, Professor Kukui arrived.
Sharpedo came to an abrupt stop in the shallows, unable to get any closer to shore. The change of momentum nearly sent Professor Kukui flying off the front. He braced himself against the handlebars attached to Sharpedo's back.
Serena shielded her eyes, as did the others. A shower of water kicked up all around, splashing to the ground, wetting both them and the sand.
Professor Kukui hopped off Sharpedo and waded toward shore. Somehow, despite the circumstances, he was dressed the same as ever. His lab coat was drenched. His shirt was nonexistent.
"Alola, strangers!" he said, waving to them as he stepped onto dry ground.
Serena was preoccupied with wiping all the seawater off her face.
Professor Kukui pointed at Ash.
"Those were some stylin' moves, cousin!" he said. "I saw 'em on my way in. Made me wanna get here even faster, so I had Sharpedo come in at full speed. Sorry about the splash!"
Lillie gave Professor Kukui a doleful look as she wrung water out of one of her braids.
"I'm surprised to see you back so soon, professor," she said.
"Yeah, I decided to come back a bit early," said Kukui. "I was all worked up thinking about the kinds of moves I'd be able to see from Ash and his team when I got back, so I sped back as fast as I could!"
"You came back to see my team's moves?" said Ash.
"Yeah, but that's not all!" said Kukui. "I picked up something on Akala Island that I think you'll be able to put to good use, but there's one other thing you'll need first. Hey, Lillie, did Hala stop by while I was away?"
Lillie wrung out her other braid. She shook her head.
"No," she said. "We didn't have any visitors."
"Not unless you count a pizza delivery guy!" said Ash.
"Nah, only Hala would be able to deliver what I'm lookin' for," said Kukui.
"What is it?" said Ash.
"A Z-ring!"
"A what?"
"Haha, I bet you've never heard of Z-moves before, yeah?"
Ash shook his head. So did Serena.
"No," said Ash. "Z-moves?"
"They're an ancient technique practiced here in Alola!" said Kukui. "By uniting the spirits of both trainer and Pokémon, and performing a series of poses, a regular move can be upgraded into a super-powered Z-move!"
Serena thought it sounded like fiction, but Lillie nodded along like it was common knowledge, and Ash lived to do the impossible.
Professor Kukui pulled a shiny object out of his pocket. He held it out for Ash to see, displaying it between his thumb and forefinger.
"There are two things a trainer and Pokémon need to perform a Z-move," he said. "This is one of them. A Z-crystal! This is a water-type Z-crystal, Waterium Z!"
He handed the crystal to Ash. Ash took it, and he held it in the palm of his hand. Greninja peered over his shoulder, examining it. Serena leaned in to take a closer look.
The crystal was cut in a diamond shape, like an elongated, squashed pyramid, flat on one side. It was a deep shade of azure. Inside it was a symbol etched in black, shaped like a drop of water.
"That crystal is all yours, Ash," said Kukui.
"Really?"
"You bet! There's one more thing you need, though. You won't be able to do anything with that crystal until Hala brings you the Z-ring he's crafting for you. That's what he's doing with that sparkling stone you got from Tapu Koko!"
Ash looked like he had no idea what to say. Neither did Serena. The whole idea sounded like Mega Evolution. She thought that was a myth, too, until she saw it with her own eyes. And then, Ash and Greninja surpassed it.
Professor Kukui continued.
"Normally, Z-rings are only given to trainers who take on the island challenge, but when Hala found out you received that stone from the guardian deity itself, he decided to make an exception!"
Ash gripped the crystal in his hand.
"Wow," he said. "Thanks! But, what's the deal with these Z-moves? You said they were super-strong, right?"
"Oh yeah! The strongest!"
Lillie spoke up.
"They are upgraded moves, essentially," she said. "The substantial increase in power is achieved only when Pokémon and trainer are united as one in spirit. It takes a rare trainer to be able to use the technique to its full potential."
"That sounds a lot like Mega Evolution, but for moves instead of Pokémon," said Ash.
"That's the idea," said Kukui. "That's a big part of why I was so excited to have you help with my research, because I heard that you and Greninja can achieve Mega Evolution without using a Mega Stone."
Lillie looked alarmed.
"That's supposed to be a myth!" she said.
"If the stories about Ash and Greninja are true, then that myth is busted!" said Kukui.
The corner of Serena's mouth turned upward into a smile. She felt a surge of pride.
"It's true," she said.
Lillie continued to look like she couldn't believe it. Her eyes shifted to Ash.
Ash smirked. He turned his hat around.
"Serena's telling the truth," he said. "Watch and see! Greninja?"
Greninja nodded, then leaped into the air, flipping over backward and landing in a ready stance some distance away. Ash joined Greninja and stood next to him.
"Ready?" he said.
Serena wasn't sure to whom Ash's question was addressed. It didn't matter. A moment later, Ash and Greninja bowed their heads in unison. An aura encircled them both. A veil of water wrapped around Greninja.
When it all faded, Greninja stood before them in an altered form, their shared transformation complete.
"Oh yeah!" said Kukui. "That's what I'm talkin' about!"
"Unbelievable…" said Lillie.
Serena looked at Lillie. Her face was frozen with awe, her eyes as wide as she had ever seen them.
"Show 'em what we've got, Greninja!" said Ash. "Pikachu, Electro Ball!"
Pikachu jumped into the air. A ball of lightning condensed on the end of his tail. He flung it at Greninja.
One moment, Greninja was on the ground next to Ash. The next, he towered high above in the air. He removed the giant shuriken from his back. It glowed a bright, vivid blue against the orange light of sunset. He threw it at the oncoming Electro Ball.
The shuriken cleaved the Electro Ball in half. The halves of the ball fizzled and crackled away to nothingness in midair. The shuriken struck the ground, embedding itself in the sand.
A few seconds later, Greninja landed beside the shuriken. He removed it from the ground and reattached it to his back. A deep gash remained in the sand.
"Now that's power!" said Kukui. "I can't wait to see more of those moves in action!"
Lillie looked concerned.
"Not on yourself, I hope," she said. "That's your last good lab coat…"
"That's not all we can do!" said Ash.
"Oh yeah!" said Kukui. "I'm sure that was only the tip of the iceberg, wasn't it?"
Ash rubbed his finger underneath his nose. He looked very pleased with himself.
"You know, we can do something that's a lot like what those Z-moves sound like."
Serena's eyes widened. If Ash meant what she thought, he had lost his mind.
"Yeah?" said Professor Kukui. "Show us what you've got!"
Serena doubted Ash needed encouragement, but it was crystal clear from his face that he intended to do it. He didn't seem the least bit concerned. Serena understood why. She had no doubt he would be fine. She was far less certain about everyone else.
Then again, he had done this twice to great success. He knew what he was doing, didn't he?
She could not stay silent.
"Ash! Are you sure about this?" she said.
"No doubt!" he said. "Greninja, you know what to do."
Greninja leaped into the air again, this time landing in the surf. His back was to the horizon. Water lapped around his knees, advancing and retreating with the rolling waves. Ash walked toward the water. Serena backed away.
"Now this I gotta see!" said Professor Kukui.
Unless Ash had somehow figured out how to control this move since the last time he used it, they were all in grave danger. There was no wall of Light Screens to hide behind, nor an arena to contain it. Serena's voice rose in her throat again.
"Ash, please! Be careful!"
"No worries!" said Ash.
It wasn't what Serena meant to say at all, but it was what came out. She continued to back away. Lillie looked at her.
"Is something wrong?" said Lillie.
"Yes," said Serena.
Ash sat down in the sand, his back also facing toward the waves. Pikachu called to Ash. His voice was also full of concern. Serena knew she was not alone, after all. Braixen and Pancham were backed away. Sylveon tried to convince Nebby to move away from Greninja and Ash instead of toward them. She resorted to restraining Nebby with her feelers.
A swell in the water grew as it approached the shore.
"My body is ready!" said Professor Kukui. "Woo!"
Serena turned and broke into a full sprint.
"Run!"
A few seconds later, she saw Pikachu come up alongside her, catching up and then streaking past. She heard a roar of water. She looked over her shoulder.
Greninja rose atop a towering wave, blocking out the sun on the horizon and casting everything in shadow. Ash sat with his eyes closed, still as a statue. Professor Kukui cheered, his arms outstretched. Lillie struggled to run, her shoes tripping her as they filled with sand.
Lillie fell. Then, she screamed.
"Nebby, no!"
Nebby had broken free of Sylveon's grasp. Sylveon hesitated, torn between trying to grab Nebby again or running for her life.
Instead, she did neither. She froze.
Serena stopped. She had no way of retrieving Sylveon. Sylveon was too far away for her to go back and grab. Her Poké Balls were all inside the lab. She did the only thing she could.
"Sylveon, Protect!"
Sylveon looked back at Serena. Her eyes were filled with fear. A moment later, she bowed her head, shut her eyes, and wrapped herself in a shield of protective light.
"Nebby, come back!"
Lillie tried to scramble to her feet. She pulled one of her shoes out of the ground. Sand poured from it.
The wave crested. Ash was devoured by the wall of water.
"Nebby!"
Nebby turned around, drawn to the sound of Lillie's voice. For a moment, Serena was certain she was about to witness a tragedy.
And then, something amazing happened.
Nebby glowed. Serena felt it. She felt warmth all around her. It came from all directions, all at once. Light radiated out from Nebby, all the stars inside it glowing brighter and brighter until she was forced to look away.
When she looked away, Serena did not see an island. She saw stars. Galaxies. Clouds of dust adrift in the cosmos. The roar of water vanished, replaced by absolute silence, perfect and total, more silent than anything she had ever imagined. The warmth surrounding her was replaced by the total absence of it. There was no heat. There was no air. There was nothing.
Just as Serena became desperate for breath, she found herself somewhere else entirely. She stood on top of the roof of the lab, but the lab was not on the beach anymore. She doubted it was in Alola. She doubted it was even on Earth. Her lungs flooded with the heaviest, stalest air she had ever tasted. Inky blackness surrounded her, illuminated only by the faint glow of multicolored objects in the fathomless distance.
A shrill, horrid wail pierced the silence. A chill went down Serena's spine. She gasped.
Pale blue light emanated from below. The baleful cry echoed again. Serena shivered. A luminous, otherworldly figure rose in the air before her, beautiful and hideous at the same time. The folds of its shimmering body hung like a drape, a veil over a missing head.
Serena's pupils dilated. The tiny hairs all over her body stood on end. She was unable to look away, her gaze fixed on where the creature's head was supposed to be. Her eyes slid out of focus. There was nothing upon which to focus. Instead of a face, there was nothing but an empty cavity.
The creature drifted toward her. She sank to her knees. She felt faint. Her eyes rolled upward, toward the back of her head. She collapsed. The creature drew closer. It screeched. Then, everything changed.
There was light. The sound of rushing water. Salty air. Serena blinked. She was still on the roof of the lab, but the lab was in Alola again, right back where it started. A giant wave receded from the beach, retreating to the ocean whence it came.
She was not alone. Cutiefly and Rowlet fluttered down to the rooftop. Braixen, Sylveon, Pancham, and Pikachu all huddled together nearby. Lillie stood at a far corner of the roof, looking bemused. Professor Kukui stood at another. In the center of the roof, Nebby lay collapsed on its back, unconscious.
Professor Kukui scratched his head. He turned and faced the sea.
"Huh," he said. "Well how about that."
"Nebby!"
Lillie ran to Nebby and scooped it up in her arms, smothering it in a hug.
Pikachu's ears hung low as he gazed at the sea. Neither Ash nor Greninja was anywhere to be found. Serena was certain both she and Pikachu knew exactly where they were, but until the water receded, there was no way to be sure.
Sylveon rubbed up against Serena's leg, shivering. Serena knelt down and smoothed her hand down Sylveon's back. Braixen and Pancham joined Pikachu, waiting for the water to recede. Rowlet and Cutiefly took flight and hovered above, trying to get a better view.
The water continued to recede. When the wave dissipated, Ash and Greninja were both where Serena thought they would be. Even though she had seen it several times now, she still did not understand it. Somehow, Ash refused to move. He remained seated in the same spot, undisturbed. Greninja stood in a meditative stance, some distance ahead of him.
With Nebby passed out in her arms, Lillie came up next to Serena.
"How are they still there?" she asked.
"I wish I knew," said Serena.
"All I know is that was a move like none I've ever seen!" said Kukui. He had a huge grin on his face. He laughed. No one else did.
Everything became quiet again. All around, dozens of disturbed water Pokémon washed up on the beach made their way back to sea. Staryu and Starmie rolled like wheels. Magikarp flopped. A pair of Golduck took it upon themselves to help several deflated Tentacool back into the water.
The sun sank beneath the horizon. Ash sighed, and both he and Greninja let their shoulders go slack. Their transformation faded.
Ash opened his eyes. He looked around.
"Guys?" he said. He raised his voice. "Hey, where is everyone?"
Serena rolled her eyes. At least he was fine.
"Up here!" she called back to him, waving.
Ash rose to his feet. Water dripped from all his clothes. He was soaking wet.
"How did you all get up there?" he said.
"Nebby did it, I think," said Serena.
"Nebby?" said Ash. "How?"
Professor Kukui laughed.
"Cousin, I think a better question is how we're going to get down from here!" he said.
Ash held a hand behind his head. He grinned like a fool.
The answer, it turned out, was that Greninja had to carry everyone down individually. A few minutes later, with everyone on the ground again, Serena grabbed Ash by the wrist and pulled him aside, out of sight from anyone else. She glared at him. He grinned back at her.
For an instant, she considered slapping him in the face. An instant later, she hated herself for ever entertaining the thought. She tightly folded her arms.
"You nearly killed us all!" she said. "What were you thinking?"
Ash's expression sank.
"I, uh, wasn't really, I guess."
"You don't say!"
Ash hung his head.
"Yeah, that was dumb," he said.
"Why would you do that?" said Serena.
"I thought it would be okay. It was fine the other times I did it."
"Maybe you didn't realize it because you had your eyes closed the whole time, but the only reason you didn't destroy half of Monego City was that the trainers on the beach protected the city with a wall of barrier moves!"
"Oh. I, uh, didn't know."
"You-"
Serena stopped herself. She pressed her fingers to her forehead, clenching her eyes shut. When she looked at him again, she shook her head.
"You idiot. You total, complete idiot. There are people and Pokémon here who love you, Ash! We're not all weirdly indestructible like you are! We can't do what you just did. You're lucky we're not all dead!"
Ash stared at his feet.
"I see what you mean," he said.
"Do you?" said Serena. "Do you really? Do you love us enough to think before you act, just for once?"
Ash didn't answer.
"Do you love me?" said Serena.
Immediately, Serena knew she had asked the wrong question. Her heart felt like she had stabbed herself in the chest.
Ash pursed his lips.
"No, don't answer that," said Serena. She backed away a step, shaking her head. She waved her hands as if telling him to stop. "I shouldn't have asked that. This isn't the time."
She continued to back away.
"Where are you going?" said Ash.
"I- I'll be fine," said Serena. "I just need some time to myself, that's all."
"Serena?"
She continued backing away.
"Not now," she said. "We can talk later, I promise."
"Sere-"
Ash was silenced by a loud, wet squelching sound. He cringed. Serena stopped in her tracks.
There was something hard beneath one of her shoes, and something warm and slimy on top of the other.
She looked down. There was a beached Pyukumuku trodden under one of her feet. Its guts were spilled across the other. It glared up at her.
Serena's shoulders slumped. Her stomach churned. She took a deep breath, clenched her fists, turned her head up toward the sky, and shouted.
"Augh!"