NOTE: Hey guys! New chapter! Woohoo. Would have been sooner, but I was playing the game.

HAHA I honestly haven't watched the anime yet. I just wanted to see what you guys were thinking. I usually like to wait until quite a few episodes are out until I decide to do so... which won't be for awhile. If Lillie is anything like how she is in the game though, I kind of ship her with Ash... The Ash from Kalos. Not the weird one I'm seeing in Sun&Moon. But Im not sure if his personality is even close to his mature self in Kalos.

Onto some reviews!

skyblu23: Review was somewhat long, but they basically stated they couldn't really see Ash and Serena being shipped in this story because of the lack of interactions between the two, and the lack of information there currently is about his personality and who he is now.

The way I approached it... is basically just how you stated it. I wanted you guys to see that he was nice and that he has a crush on her. And that's basically it. I wanted to keep it kind of aloof, but later on there will be more of explanation as to how he even began to like her, and how he even became less dense, and who he has become. Unfortunately I didn't really plan that until the next story. LMAO. So just like... enjoy the future amourshipping scenes.

UptownFunk: Will Ash get jealous of Alain? It seems that would be the route Ash would go

haha. I guess you could say that. But Alain is also jealous of him. :)

Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! - MANbearPIG01, FantasyLover88, sunshineisdelicious, Daisy Pragnya, Q-A Authoress, DJKitKat12, 2 Guest, aliensinnoh, Nexxus176, gabed1298, DoodleRose, StreetRacer-Sam, PunishedEagle88

Chapter Twelve: Happy Halloween!

A breeze of the cooling autumn air brushed against the honey blonde's nape as she exited the researchers faculty. Everything seemed to be running smoothly for the Halloween event. At least, everything was running smoothly for the researchers. She couldn't say much about the other ones. She had yet to visit them.

Every year, each faculty was to come up with a mini game that related to their program. Because of all the commotion that's been happening with the current student council, they had each program use the game they did the year before. It wasn't that huge of a deal. None of the girls seemed to mind, and all the guys were new to it anyway.

Serena sauntered down the cemented stairs, walking pass a few girls who were dressed up as different ghost type Pokémon. She nodded at the girls, complimenting their choice of costumes before continuing on her destination to the next faculty. As student body president, she and the rest of the council members were not allowed to dress up for Halloween. They all just wore glowing headbands, so they were visible to any student that wanted to ask a few questions. Serena wished she were able to dress up for the occasion. She was a part of the council in some way ever since she attended the school, so she was never given the chance to dress up for the occasion. With her busy schedule though, she probably wouldn't even have the time to find or create her own costume anyways.

"C'mon, Sylveon," said Serena as she reached the bottom of the staircase. "Let's go check on the performers."

Her Sylveon responded with glee before wrapping its ribbons around her wrist. It was a tad bit lonely wandering around the school with no company. At least, with one of her Pokemon by her side, it wasn't such a big deal.

"Hey, Serena!" Serena looked up to see the raven haired Champion running her way with his electric buddy standing atop of his shoulder. Serena smiled, waving him over. It seemed that he also didn't have the time to put a costume together.

She greeted the boy as he came to a stop in front of her, and then nodded at Pikachu before petting its ear. "Are you enjoying the Halloween event?" Serena asked. "We usually add raffles and entertainment in the courtyard, but we didn't have the time to this year."

"I think it's still pretty awesome," he said with a wide smile. "Did you want to check out one of the mini games together?"

"I'd love to Ash, but I can't." She gave him an apologetic look. "It's my turn to patrol the area."

"Oh." He rubbed his head, with a look of disappointment plastered across his face. "Well, I'll join you then. You know, so you don't get bored."

"Pi Pikachu!" Pikachu nodded, agreeing with Ash's choice.

Serena looked down to her Sylveon who didn't seem to mind to have some extra company. "That'd be great, Ash," said Serena. "I'm on my way to check on the performers. It's the closest building nearby."

Ash nodded at her, and the two began their destination to the next building.

"So, what games did you try?" Serena asked as they began crossing a field. She turned her head to look at him, but he immediately looked away.

"Err…" He began, flustered. "I was with all the aspiring trainers."

Figures. Serena thought. The trainers always created a mini game that revolved around battling. If Serena remembered, their mini game involved going through a scary maze while battling a bunch of ghost or dark type trainers.

"I've spent all my time there," he continued. "At first, they loved it. But then they kicked me out for constantly beating everyone…"

Serena burst out into a fit of laughter. "That's just like you, Ash," she said as they began walking up the stairs that led to the performers building.

"I've been working on so many essays, and I haven't gotten the time to go to the battle arena." He pouted. "I was dying for one battle…"

"Or a hundred." Serena teased before coming to an abrupt halt.

She suddenly heard Alain's voice. Followed by Shauna's. She darted her eyes all over the area, until she could see a part of Shauna's pigtail peeking from the right side of the building. Her plan was being set in motion, and she needed to hide from Alain, or else it would all be ruined.

The honey blonde grabbed Ash's hand, dragging him to a nearby bush.

"Serena, what are you do-"

"SHHH," She hushed Ash as Shauna and Alain stopped at the front of the main entrance. Shauna stood in front of him, facing the bushes where Serena and Ash were hiding. Serena let out a small sigh of relief. It was a good thing that Alain wasn't facing her. He would be able to spot her in an instant if he was.

Earlier on, Serena came up with a plan to get the two together. She asked Alain to meet her in front of the performers building, so that they could check out a few of the games together. What he didn't know was that the time she asked him to meet her was the exact same time when her patrol would start. She then would have Shauna meet him instead, claiming that she was on her way to meet Serena since the whole patrol schedule changed, even when it didn't. The only hard part was having Alain agree to search with Shauna for her. Shauna was pretty high on his 'do not like' list. She was probably below Ash, which was his number one.

"So you're telling me she's not here?" Serena could hear Alain say.

"Her patrol schedule changed last minute," Shauna replied, flustered.

Alain shrugged. "I'll just look for her then." He nodded at the brunette before walking away.

Serena peeked her head from behind the bush, instantly garnering Shauna's attention. She looked at Shauna with wide eyes before pointing at Alain.

Shauna shrugged her shoulders, already wanting to give up with trying to befriend the boy. This wasn't the Shauna she knew. The Shauna she knew never gave up that easily.

Serena bent over, picking up a rock from the ground before chucking it right at the Kalos Champion who was getting too far for Serena's liking.

"Oww," Alain scowled, rubbing his shoulder before whipping around to look at Shauna.

As he did, Serena instantly shielded herself away behind the bush. She tugged on Ash's sleeve as she bent her knees, kneeling down to prevent Alain from noticing her.

"What the…" Alain trailed off, rubbing the sore spot on his shoulder. "What was that for?"

"Oh," Shauna chuckled nervously. "Uhm… That wasn't me. I think it was a Pokémon."

Alain raised an eyebrow, not convinced by Shauna's explanation.

"I have to look for Serena too," she said after some time. "Let's just go together. It will be much faster with two set of eyes!"

"I'm fine on my-"

Before he could finish, Shauna began walking towards him, and as she passed him, she turned back and looked at him. "Are you coming?"

Alain shrugged his shoulders. "I guess…"

After the two got quite a few meters away from their hiding spot, Serena exhaled before standing up straight to stretch her legs. She didn't realize that she was holding her breath during the entire conversation.

"What was that about?" Ash asked, confused.

"Sorry," she said as they retreated from their hiding spot. "Shauna and I are friends again."

"Really? I knew you two were going to make up."

"Yeah… but, Shauna and Alain were good friends too. I want them to be close again," she said. It wasn't the entire truth, but it wasn't a lie either.

"That's really nice of you Serena," he said before giving her a small smile.

"Serena!"

The honey blonde noticed a petite figure running her way. She squinted her eyes, trying to make out the face of the girl who was running across the field, away from her friends.

"Oh, Dana!" Serena greeted the girl who was a part of the Coordinators program.

"Can you bring my book bag back to my dorm? We're on our way to the haunted house, and if it's anything like last year… well, I don't want my things getting wet."

Serena giggled. The year before, she was able to experience the terror of the haunted house. It was pretty much run by a bunch of ghost type Pokémon, and near the end, everyone got splashed by a bunch of water types.

"Sure," said Serena. "I'll put it in the lounge."

"Thanks so much!" The petite girl bowed down to her before scurrying off to her friends.

The honey blonde looked up at Ash, and gave him an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, Ash. If you're bored, you can go and try out the other games."

"I don't mind. It gives us a chance to hang out anyways. I don't really get to see you… aside from Professor Sycamore's class."

Serena smiled at him, and they began their walk to the female dorms.

The walk to the dorms was rather quiet. Aside from the sounds of Pikachu and Sylveon playing with one another on their walk there, her and Ash didn't exchange a single word. She really wanted to hear about his adventures in Alola, but she was too tired too ask. She had to admit it was lonely patrolling the events without a partner, but at the same time it gave her a chance to rest. During class, she was always talking to her peers, satisfying their curiosity about being in a Showcase. After that, she was at the council or with Dawn and the others, or training with her Pokémon. When she was finally in her room, ready to sleep, her and Shauna were catching up. There was just never time for herself.

It didn't mean that she didn't like having Ash hang around her though. She liked his company. She just didn't want him to think that she was boring.

She found it a little strange though. The Ash she knew in the past was always one to ramble on about the new Pokémon he found or exciting new things that happened to him. He hasn't told her anything about his life unless she asked about it. Was it because they were no longer close to one another? Or maybe it was because he was older now, and much more mature.

Serena took her gaze from off of the path in front of her, and turned her head slightly to glance at Ash. He looked so deep in thought. He's never looked like that unless he was having a hard time winning a badge. He was already a Champion though. What could be troubling him? It surely couldn't have been his classes. Serena's seen his schoolwork in Professor Sycamore's class. He was surprisingly organized, but in a messy way.

"I'm not sure if this is a good idea."

Both Serena and Ash stopped in their tracks upon hearing a male voice.

"Whose that?" Serena asked in a hushed tone. The voice sounded foreign, yet somewhat familiar.

She didn't expect to hear a male voice coming from near the girl's dorm. It made her sort of anxious. If the girls were already sneaking boys into their own rooms, she was seriously going to have to talk some sense into the girl that was-

"C'mon Gary. We'll vote for you if you let us do this."

"Yeah. C'mon Gary. If you don't, we're gonna vote for that Serena chick."

The honey blonde's eyes widened upon hearing several other male voices. She especially didn't expect one of them to belong to Gary. He sounded so different when he wasn't speaking with such a cocky tone. This was probably the first time where she heard him sound… so… unsure.

"We're just going to set up a few pranks in their dorm, and maybe TP the area." Another voice said.

Pranks? TP? Serena turned her attention to Ash. "Do you know anything about this?"

"Beats me." Ash shrugged his shoulders.

Serena furrowed her eyebrows before clenching her fists tightly. If these guys were going to do something to the girl's dormitories, then they might as well say goodbye to their slot in the school. Headmaster Redwood needed to prove to the school board that adding the boys to the school was not a mistake. This surely was going to mess with his plans.

Serena stomped forwards before walking pass the arched gateway. "If you are interested in such pranks, I advise you to add it to the suggestion box," she said after seeing around a dozen guys standing in front of Gary. Aside from Gary, they were all wearing black, and their faces were plastered with war paint.

"S-Serena? What are you doing here?" Gary asked, stunned to see her.

Serena ignored his question, and looked at the dozen boys who looked disappointed to be caught by the current council president. "Pranks can be fun, and they can be implemented as an activity. As long as it gets approved with a few rules to prevent anyone from getting hurt."

"We can do that?!" One of the boys questioned.

"We can do almost anything. Within reason, of course. Now, I suggest that you all return to the event, and I'll see to it that I talk to Headmaster Redwood about your request."

"Are you serious?" Another one said.

"That's actually pretty awesome. At my old school they would have just said no."

"You know, I think I will vote for her."

"Me too."

Serena exhaled before turning around to watch the flock of boys leave the girl's side of the school. She then looked over to Ash who was staring at her with a surprised look on his face. She stifled a giggle upon seeing his reaction. When they were younger she was much weaker, and was unable to fend for herself. If only he was there to watch her grow up. She was a completely different person now.

"Wow, Serena," Gary mumbled. "Maybe I'm not cut out to be president."

Serena turned her attention back to Gary, still finding it quite weird that he wasn't being his usual narcissistic self.

"What?"

"It was easy to come up with ideas, but facing issues like this… I don't think I can do it," he sighed. "They've been pestering me for days, and I just didn't know how to handle it… The only reason I decided to run for president was to impress you. Try to get your attention. Maybe you'd go on a date with me if you saw how fit I was to be president."

"Your ideas weren't entirely bad," she said. "I thought the food truck was a good idea. Maybe not pizza everyday, but different food is always fun."

A small smile curved upon the brunette's face. "I'll just resign and let you keep your role," he said before placing his hands in his pockets. "Ashy-boy," he called out. "Let's go check out some mini games!"

As happy as she was to hear that Gary would resign, she felt like there could have been a better way to end this whole election fiasco. He went to Headmaster Redwood about the whole thing, and now all his effort was going to go to waste.

"Gary, wait," she said, grabbing onto his sleeve. "I think I have a better idea." She turned around to face him, as Ash walked over to the both of them.

"What?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Co-presidents."

The trio exited Headmaster Redwood's office. Serena stretched her arms above her head, feelings like a huge weight was just lifted from off of her shoulders. She no longer had to worry about keeping her spot as president. She now just had to worry about the terrible ideas that Gary was going to suggest in the future. Oh, that was definitely going to bring the weight back, but as for now she was just happy to have solved the issue.

Upon presenting her idea, Headmaster Redwood immediately took a liking into her suggestion, and stated that it was surely going to help with proving that the addition of boys to the school wasn't a bad idea. He then decided that an election was not going to happen in the spring, and the co-ed council was going to remain this way until the year after.

"This is great!" Gary said. "Now how about we celebrate with that date!" He stretched his arms above his head before resting one around the honey blonde's shoulder.

And for a second she thought she no longer had to deal with his … Garyness. She was wrong.

"Uhm…" Serena grabbed onto his wrist, and took his arm away from her personal space. "Since I saved you tonight, I no longer owe you a date."

"Wh-What? But Dawn lost! You owe me one!" He then looked over to Ash. "Tell her she owes me one!"

"I think I have to agree with Serena," Ash chuckled. "She no longer owes you a date."

"I will hurt you in your sleep tonight Ketchum."

Serena giggled before looking pass the complaining brunette to see Shauna and Alain heading their way. As the two came closer, Serena could see that the two had quite the night. Alain had a few glowing necklaces on him, and was even holding onto a couple prizes. With that, she had to claim that her plan was quite the success.

"Were you hiding from me?" Alain questioned, stomping over to the honey blonde. As he did, he shoved his prizes towards Shauna's chest. "Do you have any idea as to how hard it is to find you!? Do you not know how to answer a phone!?"

Or… maybe her plan didn't go as well as she thought…

Alain grabbed ahold of her wrist before dragging her around the hall to talk to her in private.

"I thought we were supposed to hang out. And here you are with Gary, and him!" He lowered his voice on the word him.

"Will you stop worrying about my relationship with Ash? I told you! I don't like him! He just happened to find me on my patrol," she said, annoyed by the fact that he always had to bring him up like he was some kind of parasitic insect.

"Yeah, or you just ditched me to be with him." He scowled.

"It's not like that," said Serena. "I just…" She decided to come clean. "Shauna and I are friends again and I want you two to be friends again too. So, I set you up to hang out with her tonight…" She admitted, and frowned upon receiving his deathly glares. "If you won't give Ash a chance, can you at least give Shauna a chance?"

"Fine." He sighed. "But if you want the two of us to be friends again, you could at least hangout with us."

"Okay." Serena smiled. "We'll do it on the weekend."

"Wh-what? I didn't mean-"

"Oh look. That's tomorrow!"

Next Chapter Preview: Double Date

"Ash!" she called out, banging on his door. "This is an emergency."

The door flung wide open, and Serena was welcomed to the Alolan Champion who was wearing nothing but boxers, and a toothbrush in his mouth.

"Se-Serena?!" He uttered through his stuffed mouth.

The honey blonde blushed as she stared at his six-pack. She then shook her head and met his eyes. "I need you to be my date!"

NOTE: Okay, so maybe my last preview made it seem like there was going to be alot of amourhsipping this chap. I lied. LMAO. Don't 100% believe in the previews! haha Anywho, I still hoped you enjoyed it. :)

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