Hey, guys! I'm back again with another chapter! I hope this comes out not too long after the last chapter, seeing as I'm attempting to post a lot more frequently. But, either way, you'll be reading this at some point. Anyway, let's get to the chapter!


Ash stirred, his eyes slowly adjusting to the light as Serena shook him awake. "What's up?" Ash asked her, looking at the clock, seeing that it was only 6 AM. "We don't have to get up yet, do we?"

"No, Ash," Serena replied. "Sycamore told us to be out there for eight, remember? He told us yesterday when we were travelling here."

"Oh, yeah. But why are we up now?" Ash questioned her, slightly curious and intrigued.

"I-I j-just w-want to talk to you a bit," Serena stammered, clearly scrambling for an answer to give.

"How come?"

"I like talking to you."

"Why?"

"What do you mean 'why,' Ashton Ketchum?" Serena asked him, taken aback by the question. "You're my best friend! Why wouldn't I like talking to you?"

Ash looked at her in shock. "I'm your best friend!?" Ash exclaimed, almost unable to process what Serena had just said.

"Yes, of course," Serena replied, trying her best not to start giggling at Ash's reaction.

"W-Well... You're my best friend too."

Serena blushed yet smiled at the same time, wondering what she should do. Eventually, she made up her mind and rested her head on Ash's chest again. "I like doing this."

Ash chuckled. "Me too."

Serena closed her eyes for a few moments before slipping back into unconsciousness, causing Ash to shake his head lightly. She wanted to wake up early to talk, but she ended up falling asleep again!

Ash decided to close his eyes too before he too slipped into unconsciousness.


One hour later, Serena started to stir, opening her eyes slowly and looking over at the clock, which read 7 AM. She looked at Ash, seeing that he was still asleep. It wouldn't be long until he would wake up too, seeing as Serena only did because of the sunlight bursting through the window.

Serena slid off Ash unwillingly, getting out of bed and grabbing her clothes before heading into the bathroom for a shower, coming back out ten minutes later to find that everyone was awake now.

"Good morning, Serena!" Clemont exclaimed as soon as she entered the room.

"Morning!" Serena replied, heading over to her bed, noticing that Bonnie was eyeing her up curiously.

Serena grabbed her bag, pulled out a hairbrush and started to brush her hair, conscious of Bonnie glancing at her. Then, Bonnie piped up. "Serena, can you come outside for a minute?"

"Sure," Serena replied, quickly finishing and placing her brush back in her bag before heading outside with Bonnie. "So, what is it?" Serena asked her after Bonnie closed the door.

"I know what's going on with you and Ash," Bonnie said slyly, nudging her in the side as Serena grew a slight blush.

"W-What do you mean?" Serena exclaimed, stammering slightly due to the embarrassment.

"You're in a relationship!" Bonnie said in a hushed whisper, making sure that only Serena could hear her.

"No!" Serena's blush got worse, her entire face a bright red. "Y-You've got it all w-wrong! W-We're j-just friends!"

"Are you sure?" Bonnie asked her, persistent on the matter.

"Yes! Nothing more, nothing less," Serena told Bonnie, her voice cracking slightly at the end. She would only admit the truth to herself. No-one else.


"So, what did Bonnie want earlier?" Ash asked Serena, who grew a slight blush at the question. They were heading out of the cabin to go to the announcements. Clemont and Bonnie had gone on ahead, despite there still being five minutes before the announcements would even start.

"N-Nothing important. She just wanted to know if we are da-" Serena cut herself off, knowing that it might not be a good idea telling Ash. Who knows what he could do! He could tease her about it for the rest of the camp!

"If we are what?" Ash asked her, intrigued.

"Doing anything in Kalos after the camp is over," Serena exclaimed quickly, using the first thing that came to her head. "But I told her that I don't know what either of us is doing."

"Well, I might actually travel around the region. I have travelled around Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh and Unova before, and Kalos was next on my list. Afterall, I have always wanted to see you again," Ash told her, causing Serena's blush to get worse.

"R-Really?" She asked him, unsure if he was just joking or not.

"Yes. I wouldn't lie to you. You know that, Serena."

Without realising what she was doing, Serena lunged forwards and pulled Ash into a tight embrace, unwilling to let go for any reason. "I don't want to leave you, anyway."

"W-What do you mean?" Ash stammered, shocked by Serena's sudden action.

"I mean that I'm going to travel with you. I don't care what you say. I'm coming too."

Ash smiled, wrapping his arms around Serena for a few moments, feeling an incredible difference as Serena loosened her grip, letting Ash breath normally again.

"So... Are you going to let go? We have to leave, now!" Ash informed Serena, who nodded before solemnly letting go, clearly unwilling to do so.

"Y-Yeah, let's go," Serena murmured, slightly shocked at her own movements, not knowing why she had decided to do that.

"Oh, by the way," Ash started, catching Serena's attention. "I'm going to have to go back to Kanto for a month or so, but I will be back in Kalos after that."

Serena nodded, understanding that Ash would most likely want a while to relax before going on another journey. Afterall, he had lost the Unova league recently. It wouldn't be healthy to immediately plunge into another journey.

"Makes sense," Serena said as the two of them left the cabin, closing the door behind them before walking over to the announcement area, noticing that Sycamore was just setting everything up. They had chosen a perfect time to leave!

"So!" Sycamore exclaimed as soon as he was done. "Welcome to the first official day of the camp!"

The crowd cheered as a response, half of the noise only being half-hearted due to the early hours and possible lack of sleep.

"We're now going to have a few minutes before we start our first activity, being archery, while my assistants and I get everything prepared," Sycamore told everyone, who dispersed, most of them heading towards the cafeteria to grab a coffee.

"So, archery, eh?" Ash muttered, gaining Clemont's attention.

"Have you tried it before?"

"Yes, but I was horrific. I dropped an arrow, and it nearly went through my foot!"

Bonnie burst out laughing hearing that, imagining Ash walking around with a three-inch hole in his shoes.

Serena looked over at Bonnie, raising an eyebrow at the young girl. Having heard what Ash and Clemont were talking about, Serena became slightly confused as to why Bonnie was laughing. Surely she wasn't laughing at that, right?

"Alright, we're ready!" Sycamore's voice boomed over the area, scaring half of the people and causing the other half to laugh at the scared ones.

Sycamore walked over to the area, everyone following behind him. Only one thought echoed through Ash's head: Don't stab yourself with an arrow by accident.


So, we're done! Another chapter! Anyway, leave a review with anything you want in it, as I will approve. Yes, even 'hate.' It's merely constructive criticism, so I'll be happy to hear about what I need to improve. BYE!