Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon. If I did Miette would come back and/or we'd see more recurring characters. One of the strengths of Diamond & Pearl and, to a lesser extent, Black & White, was the number and depth of the recurring characters. Hopefully Summer Camp isn't the last we'll see of the "Rival Trio."
Some of the plot elements from this chapter are taken from the anime episode A Battle By Any Other Name
Anxiety in a man's heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad." - Proverbs 12:25
During the walk back to Cyllage City Bonnie, Clemont, and Brock enjoyed a nice chat that ranged across a variety of Pokémon-related topics. Ash however had no such luck. Serena and Miette both decided to engage him in conversation simultaneously. What's more, each of girls talked directly to him and barely acknowledged the other. Instead, they lavished Ash with praise, fished for compliments, and tried to get him to express some sort of preference for one of them over the other.
This conversational tug-of-war put Ash in a difficult spot. All the praise made him embarrassed. And, while as a nice guy Ash had no problem giving genuine compliments, after a few minutes of talking with the girls Ash ran out of sincere ones, especially to Miette, whom he barely knew. The entire situation was as taxing as it was uncomfortable. Looking down at Pikachu, Ash sighed and hoped that they would get to Pokémon Center soon.
Unfortunately for Ash, it took over an hour before the group finally arrived at their destination. By this time Ash was feeling quite flustered and couldn't wait to break free of his two female companions. The girls were little better, frustrated both at one another and at Ash; his progressively unoriginal compliments and his refusal to clearly favor one of them over the other had begun to grate on both of them. Their mood was in stark contrast to the rest of the gang, who were still in a jovial mood; their talk had been quite engaging and keeping well behind the feuding girls and the hapless Mankey in the middle certainly hadn't hurt.
As they walked up the Pokémon Center, Ash paused at the threshold and turned to Miette. "Hey, I never did ask…where exactly are you headed? I mean, we're staying at the Pokémon Center and I just assumed…"
"Yeah, I'm staying here too. Most hotels don't allow you to keep your Pokémon out of their Pokeballs and I couldn't bear having Slurpuff cooped up all the time."
"Yeah, Pikachu hates being in his Pokeball as well."
"Uh guys," Brock coughed, catching their attention, "I don't know about you, but I'm kind of hungry."
Realizing they were holding up the others, Ash and Miette chuckled nervously and then started forward, causing the automatic doors of the Pokémon Center to slide open with a whoosh. The two walked in side by side, with Serena and the others following behind. As the group strode into the lobby, Ash abruptly halted and turned around to face everyone.
"Guys, you go on and eat without me," he said. "I want to get some training done. See everyone later!" With a quick wave, Ash turned and dashed off in the direction of the Pokémon Center's rear exit, relieved to finally be able to make his escape even if it meant going hungry. Pikachu, ever loyal, followed in his trainer's wake.
As the young Pokémon trainer beat a hasty retreat, Brock could not help but chuckle. He'd never seen a force powerful enough to override Ash's desire for food. While he'd only caught snippets of Ash and the girls' conversation on the way back, Brock had heard enough to understand exactly why Ash needed to get away from Serena and Miette. He only hoped that, with Ash gone, things wouldn't get any worse.
Clearing his throat, Brock turned to their new acquaintance. "You're more than welcome to join us Miette." Although this caused Serena, and to Brock's surprise, Bonnie to stare daggers at him, he ignored this, fixing his gaze on the blunette. He knew he was taking a risk here, but these two girls clearly had a lot in common…if only they could be made to see this it would be better for everyone, especially them. Besides, Miette had been of great help fighting Team Rocket; to blow her off now would be quite rude.
"Sure, I'd be happy to," she replied sweetly. Although she didn't look forward to being around Serena, Ash's other friends seemed nice enough and getting on their good side certainly wouldn't hurt.
"Great," he responded, pointedly ignoring Serena and Bonnie's miffed expressions.
As they headed into the cafeteria, Brock pulled Clemont aside for a quick word. Although the girls noticed this they said nothing, proceeding towards the buffet. The two boys caught up to the group a few moments later and started to pick out some food. Brock immediately engaged Miette in a conversation about baking, eager to discuss the differing benefits of Poké Puffs and Poffins. As they piled food on their plates, Brock proceeded to drag a reluctant Serena into the conversation as well. Although there was a bit of sniping, Brock was more clever than Ash at handling it, keeping the conversation focused on the topic of baking while deftly preventing it from turning into a debate on the merits of various methods or approaches; he knew from experience that discussions between experts could quickly turn ugly even without the catalyst of personal animosity.
After a few minutes of conversation, the girls were so engrossed that Brock had to jar their attention back to more practical concerns. "Hey, looks like Clemont and Bonnie have found us a table. Why don't we go sit down before our food starts to get cold."
Embarrassed by their inattentiveness and surprised that they were actually having a (somewhat) enjoyable conversation with one another, Miette and Serena merely nodded in response. As they walked over Brock quickened his pace and took the seat across from Bonnie and next to Clemont. As Clemont was sitting at the head of the table, this meant that there were only two seats left, both across from one another. Brock quickly motioned for Serena to take the seat next to him. With a start both girls realized that they'd been maneuvered into a position where they couldn't help but talk with one another. Smiling as if this was entirely unplanned, Brock picked up the conversation right where they'd left it off. Mentally shrugging, the two girls took their seats and continued their talk with Brock.
After a few minutes of conversation that was halfway between stilted and genuinely friendly, Brock decided to take another risk.
"So are you guys nervous about tomorrow? Those Berrybaker kids sure looked like tough competition."
At this both girls stopped chewing and looked at one another, expressions unreadable. Of course both of them were nervous…but neither one of them wanted to show weakness in front of the other.
Brock quickly realized the impasse…and just as quickly hit upon a solution. "There's no shame in admitting being nervous. Back in my Gym Leader days I always used to get nervous before a challenge. And of course you should have seen Ash the night before the Indigo Plateau Conference started or right before he faced his Sinnoh rival Paul in the Lily of the Valley Conference. He was excited of course, but nervous too."
After hearing this, Serena decided to take the plunge. "Yeah, I guess I can say the same," she chuckled nervously. "I mean, it's the first baking contest I've ever been in. It's hard to say where the excitement ends and the nervousness begins."
"Well, you'd think with all my experience I wouldn't be nervous at all, but actually I am," Miette admitted. "Doesn't mean I won't win it tomorrow though."
"Nope," said Serena confidently, "because I'm going to win it."
Instead of another angry stare-off, as might have been expected, the two girls just smiled tentatively. The rest of the group gave a mental sigh of relief. Perhaps good (or at least decent) food had, along with Brock's manipulations, worked a change in the tenor of the girls' relationship. Regardless of the cause, the decrease in tension was quite welcome to everyone.
Time passed and stomachs became full. Ash however had still yet to make an appearance. When Bonnie commented on this, both Miette and Serena were quick to volunteer to bring Ash some food. Brock could feel the tension spiking again and had to move quickly to defuse it.
"That's a good idea you two. We all know how much Ash loves to eat, so it's a good thing both of you are willing to help out. Honestly after everything today I'd be surprised if two plates filled with food were enough for him."
The two looked at one another and nodded calmly. Neither one of them wanted to get into a fight over this. Whether this reluctance was due to the failure of their previous efforts to get Ash to take a side or due to their recent rapprochement neither of them could truly say. Both of them got up and, after taking care their own plates, each grabbed a fresh one and headed back toward the buffet.
Serena instantly began gathering a number of different foods while Miette stood still, at a loss as to what to do. She honestly had no idea what Ash liked, but she was a bit hesitant to ask Serena. After a few moments, the desire to actually get something Ash would want won out. Swallowing her pride, she cleared her throat. "Serena, what exactly should I get? I mean, there are a lot of choices and I don't know exactly what Ash likes to eat."
If Serena had been a vindictive girl, she might have used her rival's admission to make a snide comment or even intentionally give bad advice. However, instead of doing either, she decided to extend grace instead. "Sure. He's not too picky honestly but I'd be happy to help."
Working together, the girls managed between the two of them to put together a decent repast. After settling up with the cafeteria's cashier, the two made their way to the Pokémon Center's rear training field. As they walked through the door and out on the field, they both paused for a moment to watch the aspiring Pokémon Master at work.
"Froakie, Water Pulse again!"
Ash's Froakie sent another Water Pulse hurtling across the field straight at Pikachu.
"Okay Pikachu you know what to do."
"Pika!" The Electric Mouse Pokémon stood motionless as a blue orb of water came hurtling at it. At the last possible instant, Pikachu turned sideways and brought its tail, which had turned silver, to bear, dispersing the attack.
After sighing in relief, both girls resumed their walk towards the trainer from Pallet.
"Ash," Serena called, "we brought you something to eat."
Serena's voice yanked Ash out of his intense focus on training. Turning, he did a double take when he realized that by "we" Serena had meant both herself and Miette. Ash's nerves flared up; this is exactly what he had come out here to avoid. Pasting on a smile, he said, "Thanks, but you didn't have to do this."
"We wanted to," Serena replied.
"Yeah," interjected Miette, "after everything you've been through today you must be starving."
"There's a picnic table over there," Serena said, pointing. "Why don't you take a break. I'm sure your Pokémon could use one as well."
"Okay," he said reluctantly. It's not that he didn't want to eat…he was starving actually. He just wasn't sure if he was ready to face everything again. Practicing had calmed him down, but now he could feel the tension building again. Recalling Froakie, Ash turned and shuffled toward the picnic table, Miette and Serena following behind. As he sat down the two girls placed their plates before him.
"Oh," said Serena, a flash of realization crossing her face, "I almost forgot." Removing her backpack, she quickly unzipped it and pulled out a bottle of ketchup. At the sight of the red bottle Pikachu's ears perked up. Uncapping it, she bent down and handed it to the Electric Mouse. "For you Pikachu."
Realizing that the two might go away if he started eating in front of them (after all, it would be a bit awkward to sit and watch someone else eat) Ash mumbled a quick thanks and began to dig in. He had no such luck. Instead of leaving him, the two girls took seats, Serena next to Ash and Miette straight across from him.
After a few moments of dead air, Miette broke the silence. "So do you like it?"
Ash nodded his head, not even bothering to stop.
"Great! Serena actually helped me pick out the food. I honestly had no idea what you like."
At this Ash actually paused between bites. "Really?"
They both nodded.
Ash didn't know how to respond. He couldn't decide which was more surprising, that they actually worked together on something or that they were voluntarily admitting it.
"Well, uh, I really appreciate it." Deciding to press on, he continued. "I know having a rival isn't always easy, I've had a few during my journeys and they weren't always friendly. But I learned a lot from 'em, especially the friendly ones. You can too!"
Miette and Serena glanced at one another. Ash spoke as if their rivalry were only about baking. If that were the case, his encouragement would make a lot of sense. But there was more to it than that. Neither was sure that they could ever be friends as long as Ash's heart was on the line. But that didn't mean that they couldn't make an attempt to be nice to one another.
"I guess that makes sense Ash," responded Serena.
Miette nodded. "We certainly can try harder."
Ash smiled broadly. "Great you two! Believe me, this is the way to go." Not knowing what else to say, he gave them an encouraging smile and returned to his meal. As Ash continued devouring his food, his two female companions watched, unsure what else to say. While the tension between them had cooled somewhat, Ash was still a point of contention…but obviously not one they could do or say anything about with him sitting right there.
To the girls it may have looked like that Ash was completely engrossed in his food, but in reality he was entirely focused on the fact that Miette and Serena were both sitting in close proximity to him and neither seemed to be inclined to leave. Finding a way to deal with everything was complicated enough with them both staring straight at him. Swallowing, he decided to see if he could give them a prod in the right direction.
"I, uh, feel kinda embarrassed just having both of you watch me eat. I'm sure you've got better things to do, like prepare for the contest."
The two girls turned and glanced from Ash to one another. It was true that they both could stand to get in a bit of practice. But neither wanted to speak up first and take the risk that doing this would give the other an opportunity to have Ash's undivided attention.
"That's true Ash," started Serena, "but you see, the thing is…uh…I want to relax a bit before getting started. I know, you're going to keep training after you finish right?"
Ash nodded, not liking where she was going with this.
"Well, if you don't mind, I'd like to watch for a bit."
"Me too," chimed Miette. "I think I could learn a lot from watching an experienced battler like you," she continued, shooting him a brilliant smile.
On the outside Ash gave a calm nod and a smile, telling the girls that he'd be happy to have them watch. On the inside though he was anything but calm. "How am I going to focus with those two watching?" he wondered. Somehow the prospect of Serena and Miette watching this informal training session sent his heart racing more than any of his League Championship matches ever had. After thinking about it for a few moments, he realized he shouldn't be that surprised. At the start of his journey, it had been overconfidence that had kept him from feeling too nervous when battling. Over time that overconfidence had been gradually replaced with the coolness under pressure that came from experience. When it came to romance though…well, right now his nerves made his inexperience painfully clear.
All too quickly Ash finished the meal the girls had brought him. Looking down at his empty plates, with a start Ash realized he was facing two unfortunate firsts: wanting more food for a reason other than hunger and, even worse, finding himself wishing he could doing anything but train his Pokémon. If he'd been of the literary bent such a bizarre situation would have prompted Ash to wonder if he'd somehow stumbled through the looking glass. As he was not thus inclined the young trainer from Pallet merely acknowledged the strange state of events with a quiet unease that he hoped neither of his female companions could detect. Sighing, he got up, brushed off his clothes, and headed back the battlefield, Pikachu following behind. The girls rose as well, taking positions on the sidelines.
"Alright Pikachu, let's help Fletchling improve its Speed. Sound good?"
Pikachu replied in affirmation. He had definitely picked up on his trainer's uneasy attitude, but was at a loss as to understand what was driving it. The best he could figure was that it had something to do with the two girls, but even this didn't seem quite right. Ash had trained and competed in front of groups small and large before. Why his trainer should be nervous in this particular case made no sense to him. He would just have to hope that Ash would forget all about whatever it was when they actually started training.
"Froakie, Fletchling, I choose you!" Ash tossed his Pokeballs and his two Kalos Pokémon emerged. "Okay, Fletchling, we're going to work on raising your Speed. Pikachu and Froakie are going to send a whole lot of attacks your way. I want you to dodge them all."
Froakie and Pikachu took up parallel positions on the side of the battlefield closest to Ash, as if they were gearing up for a double battle. Fletchling faced them from the other side of the battlefield, hovering in midair as it waited for the excitement to begin.
"Alright guys, attack!"
Both Ash's Pokémon hesitated, looking at each other questioningly. While Ash trusted his Pokémon, he always directed their attacks by calling them out. Realizing his stupid mistake, Ash chuckled nervously. "I mean, Pikachu, send some Electro Balls. Froakie, use Water Pulse…I mean fling your frubbles! Fletchling, just stay out of the way."
Over the next few minutes things didn't get much better. While the type of training they were doing didn't actually require Ash to call out a lot of attacks, his Pokémon were able to pick up on his nervousness nevertheless. While they kept up a steady stream of attacks, Pikachu and Froakie were both having a hard time being accurate. More than once Miette and Serena shrunk back from the battlefield, narrowly avoiding getting hit. Fletchling was having trouble as well. Its movements were jerky and random; furthermore, the inaccuracy of Pikachu and Froakie's attacks made them hard to predict, resulting in the Flying type getting hit repeatedly.
After a particularly wild Electro Ball collided with him five minutes in, Ash decided he had to call it quits even though they usually spent at least 15 minutes on this particular drill. Returning Fletchling to have a spot of rest, Ash turned to his remaining Pokémon and began the next drill. Unfortunately things didn't go any better with this one. Whether battling or training, usually he had no problem completely focusing on his Pokémon. Today however he couldn't keep his mind off the two girls watching him and what he was going to do about them. Of course, deep down he knew what he couldn't hesitate to act for much longer. After another particularly egregious mistake, a voice from the sidelines caught his attention.
"Everything okay Ash," Miette asked, some concern evident in her voice.
"Yeah Ash, is everything fine? You seemed a bit off your game."
Turning to the two girls, he plastered a smile on his face. "Of course," he replied with as much bravado as he could muster. After a moment he let out a sigh and let the mask drop. "Actually, maybe you're right Serena. Between the contest, Team Rocket, and the training we were doing before I ate, I guess my Pokémon and I are tired."
Miette nodded. "Makes sense Ash. Why don't you call it quits for now."
Ash nodded. "Yeah, sounds like a good idea." Turning, he thanked his Pokémon for their hard work and returned Froakie to its Pokeball.
Serena was a bit skeptical of Ash's explanation; he had experienced busier days than this and Team Rocket showing up was nothing new. Still, she decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. Everyone did have off days after all.
The three trainers trotted off the battlefield and back into the Pokémon Center. The two girls paused in the hallway, causing Ash to stop as well.
"Uh, who's going to get to use the kitchen," ventured Serena. The Pokémon Center had only one and they both needed to prepare for tomorrow's contest. While preparation was partly a mental exercise, practical experimentation also played a role.
The comment hung in the air for a moment. Neither Miette nor Serena had a ready answer to this question…at least not one that would win them any points with Ash.
"Why don't you guys share," suggested Ash. "I mean, the kitchen is big enough for two and it's not like you'll steal each other's recipes, right?"
The two girls looked from Ash to one another, not sure what to say. Certainly there wasn't anything wrong with Ash's logic…but it still felt weird.
After a moment of awkward silence Miette took the initiative. Turning back to Ash and smiling, she said, "Sure Ash, sounds like a great idea. Unless you don't agree Serena?"
Miette's words and the tone with which they were conveyed didn't leave Serena an option, at least not if she wanted to stay in Ash's good graces. Besides, maybe it wouldn't be too bad. Smiling back, she responded, "Sounds fine to me. See you later Ash!" With that she gave Ash an enthusiastic wave.
"Bye Ash," Miette chimed in, giving Ash a wave as well. The two girls turned and headed toward the kitchen. Breathing what he hoped was a silent sigh of relief, Ash adjusted his hat and began walking in the other direction. Now that the girls were gone part of him wanted to head back outside to train, but he knew that that was not an option; no doubt he'd face the hurt and wrath of both girls if they caught him out there after telling them he was calling it quits. Instead he continued to make his way to the lobby, hoping he would find the others there. In this he was not disappointed.
Upon walking into the lobby Ash quickly spotted Bonnie and Brock chatting animatedly as they lounged in a pair of chairs. When Brock caught sight of Ash he waved him over. After he explained where the girls had gone off to and learned that Clemont was off tinkering with another invention, Brock resumed giving Bonnie tips on grooming Pokémon. It was a conversation Ash was happy to join, and before long thoughts of Serena and Miette were far from his mind.
It was late in the evening and Ash was in the bathroom getting ready for bed. In addition to the usual routine of changing and brushing his teeth, he'd had one more task he'd decided to perform: washing the blood out of "the" handkerchief. Usually he'd do all his laundry at once, but when Miette had handed it back to him before she turned in Ash had decided that he needed to take care of this immediately. It's not that the handkerchief was that dirty; Miette's cut hadn't been all that deep. But still, something had driven him to want to take care of this as soon as possible.
As his hands were busy with their task Ash's thoughts couldn't help but return to the romantic dilemma facing him. Although Miette was definitely cute, Ash wasn't interested. For one he'd never really liked short hair; more importantly she was too quick to put others down. Having been the butt of Gary's jibes for years, anyone with a mean streak really turned him off. It was part of the reason the first few days and weeks traveling with Misty were so hard; it took him a while to realize that she was actually a very caring person and there was no real malice behind the bluster. While deciding he was not interested in Miette in "that way" was relatively simple, he still had no idea what to do, if anything.
Serena however was much more complicated. Certainly she was very pretty, with her long blonde hair, brilliant blue eyes, clear complexion, and winning smile. She had a sunny and cheerful disposition that matched his own. While she was still getting used to the more difficult and distasteful aspects of a journey, he admired her willingness to stick with it and her to progressively push herself further and further out of her comfort zone. But was this any different from how he regarded Dawn or May or Iris or Misty? He had been going back and forth on the issue all day. This was frustrating as well; he was used to being able to make choices and take decisive action quickly.
Mentally he returned to what sparked this initial debate: Brock bringing up the possibility of Serena's interest in Clemont. At that moment he'd felt hurt, jealous even; he couldn't recall feelings like those before. This seemed to be good evidence that his feelings for Serena might be something different. He also thought back to the afternoon and how concerned he felt when Serena had stumbled across him and Miette in the woods. His first reaction had been worry and panic; he'd wanted to distance himself from Miette and make sure that Serena didn't get the wrong impression. Finally, there was the nervous racing of his heart that had been his constant companion since realizing that Serena liked him, nervousness he knew could only be partly due to the novelty and awkwardness of the situation. There was only one conclusion, and, staring at himself in the mirror, he struggled to give voice to it. Finally, he managed to get it out.
"I guess I really do love her."
Saying it aloud, Ash felt a surge of gladness spring up in his heart. Although his nervousness was still there, it was somewhat lessened. His course of action was clear; he would have to tell her. This was, of course, easier said than done, but he knew that, given enough preparation, he'd be able to rise to the challenge. But that would have to wait for another day.
Wringing out the handkerchief and then hanging it to dry, Ash then washed his own face. When done he turned and, after switching off the lights, opened the bathroom door and walked back into the main room. The lights were out and Bonnie and Clemont were already snug in their beds. The only visible light was coming from the screen of Serena's electronic guidebook, which cast a pale glow on her face as she lay on top of her bed. Evidently she was waiting for her turn in the bathroom.
The sound of the door opening caught Serena's attention and she looked straight up at Ash. Seeing her face, he felt his face flush at the memory of what he'd said to himself a few moments before and all that it would entail. He was thankful that the darkness prevented her from seeing the red that must surely be coloring his face.
"All yours," he whispered, fearing that if he dared say more she might be able to pick up something in his voice.
Serena got up and, using her guidebook to illuminate the way, walked toward the bathroom. "Thanks! Good night Ash."
"Night," he called over his shoulder softly as he made his way to his own bed, where Pikachu already lay curled up. As he positioned himself under his covers, Ash sincerely hoped that he'd actually be able to get some sleep that night. Fortunately for Ash the physical and mental exhaustion of the day worked in his favor. Before long Ash was snoozing comfortably with visions of Pokémon battles dancing in his head.
Poor Ash! But at least he's finally cut through his denseness and come to the heart of the matter. I'll admit Ash has come a long way in just a few days. While the progress is necessary for the story, I also think it can make sense; we often have moments like this where everything just falls into place. After what was somewhat of a "filler" chapter last week hopefully this makes you eager to come back, especially since next chapter promises to be quite eventful.
Ash's nervousness is, I grant you, something we don't usually see overtly. In the anime he's admitted to nervousness before battling before…but what strikes me more is Ash's stilted and awkward performance when he is shooting his first scene for Luke's Pokémon Knight movie in Nimbasa Town. In that situation he got over the nerves of dealing with a new situation quickly, but I've got to believe that in a situation like this, he'd be more worried and wouldn't get over it quite so easily. And, as the anime shows, Pokémon are influenced a lot by the mood and personality of their trainers, thus resulting in the poor performance Ash's partners showcased here.
As I mentioned before, Serena and Miette's rapprochement in the anime seems a bit rushed to me, so I've filled in some back story to lead up to it. Their relationship has the potential for a number of interesting relational dynamics and I hope the anime explores it a bit more; having someone that fits into both the friendly and unfriendly rival camp would be an interesting counterpoint to the usual dynamic.