NOTE: Hey guys! So here's the next chapter :)
Now, I just want to point something out. I feel like some of you are still confused and think that this story is directly associated with what's been happening in the anime. I just want to point out again that this is an AU and LOOSELY FOLLOWS THE EVENTS OF THE ANIME. The only thing I will take from the anime is the fact that Serena travelled with Ash, Bonnie, and Clemont, and well, Alain defeated Ash in the League. That is basically it. The memories they had with one another in the past is not the same as the anime. Some things are, but most of it isn't.
Also, whatever happened in Alola (what's happening in the anime right now) doesn't correspond with what happened to Ash when he was in Alola. In this story, when he was in Alola he matured and developed an understanding about love. Now, idk about you, but that wouldn't happen in the anime. haha. And as for his team (that I made in the story), well I just googled Alolan Pokemon and chose the first six that I saw. LMAO. So...
There was actually a lot of good questions asked about the last chapter so... lets get to it!
UptownFunk & gabed1298:Both of you asked about things pertaining to Ash's adventure in Alola, asking if he dated Mallow or Lillie, and if there will be more description about Ash's adventures in Alola.
I will not answer if he dated someone because that would be a spoiler. haha, and as for Ash's adventure, there won't be much about it. As for now, Ash's character is sort of a mystery, and what he did/learned there remains a mystery. I have planned that there will be a few explanations for certain things when he was there, however there won't an in depth description of his journey. But at one point, you will be introduced to a few of his companions from Alola. :)
StreetRacer-Sam: ...by any chance there will be moments between Ash and Alain too? About their complicated terms due to Serena? Also, if Shauna manages to get Alain for her will it help Ash ease up in the situation, i.e., Alain not getting jealous of Ash or mad at the fact that Ash and Serena are spending more time together than him and her?
I cannot say much or else I will spoil things, but these are all very good questions to ask. There will be an interaction between Ash and Alain, and that is all I can say.
There were a few other questions about when the next kiss would be or if Ash/jealous would get more jealous, but all I can say is stay tune and read!
Thanks to everyone else who left a review since last - 2 Guest, aliensinnoh, gurkaran23, FantasyLover88, Roger0326, Sol, skyblu23, DeretAmourShipping, Q-A Authoress, Daisy Pragnya, DJKitKat12.
Long Author's note, but onto the chapter!
Chapter Fifteen: Degraded
"Serena."
The dazed teen kept her eyes focused on the eraser attached to the tip of her pencil. Her eyes bounced at the sight of the synthetic rubber rebounding from her desk, causing the sharp lead to hit the wooden surface. She continued to wiggle her fingers ever so slightly, continuing on with the pointless task, somewhat amused by the momentum looking like a seesaw.
She tilted her head, sneaking a glance at the boy who caused her a few days of sleepless nights. He was busily looking down at the assignment they were asked to complete the week before. This was the first time she absolutely dreaded sitting next to him. Before that question, she fell into a regular routine, greeting him with a good morning before ensuing with conversations about their other classes and teachers.
"Earth to Serena."
It was different today though. His question was still fresh in her mind, sending her emotions skyrocketing all over the place.
"If I never left, do you think it would have been you and me… instead of you and Alain?"
Her mind pondered over that question a million times since it was asked. What could it mean? What was he implying? Serena thought that maybe Ash was jealous over her friendship with Alain, but her inner gut was feeling something else. He was no longer dense. He seemed to have gotten a pretty good understanding of love. Could he, perhaps…
"Serena!"
The honey blonde felt herself shake violently, causing her pencil to drop from between her fingers. She looked to the source, a hand that was gripping onto her shoulder. From there, she looked up to see May with an irritated look on her face.
"Took you long enough," said May. "Were you overtraining again?"
"Wh-What?" Serena answered, weakly. She closed her eyes, causing a few tears to shed. She was so focused on looking at her pencil tapping against her desk; she forgot to take a moment to blink every now and then.
"You were, weren't you?" May grabbed onto the stool by the window and took a seat beside the honey blonde. She then leaned in close, inspecting Serena's face. "You're paler than usual and you have eye bags. That's definitely a sign that you've been overtraining."
Serena sighed as she wiped the few tears that flowing down her face. There was always a time during the school year where she looked like a mourning ghost with unfinished business. Usually it happened when she was over working herself and her Pokémon. This time it was entirely different though.
Serena jumped, hearing a chair squeak as it scraped against the floor. She looked to her right noticing Ash with a worried look on his face. Upon meeting eye contact, his mouth slightly parted as if he had something to say. He didn't say anything though. Instead, he looked back down, going over the questions for what looked to be the seventh time.
"So," May leaned forward in her seat, bringing her mouth close to Serena's ear. "Was Shauna able to reconcile with Alain?"
"You better not tell her anything!" Dawn sounded behind them.
Typically, Dawn would be the one to ask about all the juicy information first. Sadly, the bluenette was scrambling to finish the last few questions on the assignment before the sound of the bell.
"Yo! Heads up!"
Serena turned her attention away from May, hearing a faint, winding sound. She looked up, seeing Gary holding onto a fancy, high tech camera. Serena stared at him dumbfounded, but then was immediately blinded by a bright flash and a loud, piercing beep.
"What are you doing?!" May questioned, annoyed.
Serena blinked several times, an imprint of every object in the room appearing in her head every time she closed her eyes. She looked straight ahead at Gary, a few black blotches floating around her as her eyes tried to readjust to the current lighting of the room.
"Gary!" Dawn snapped. "We were supposed to meet yesterday to finish our assignment!"
"Yeah… uhh… about that." Gary lifted the camera that was hanging around his neck. "I was thinking about how I was going to stand out amongst everyone else in the student council, and on my way to meet you, I came up with the idea to become the camera man!" He nodded his head, looking rather proud about his conclusion.
"But we didn't finish the assignment!" Dawn raised her voice, throwing a paper ball in his direction.
"Relax, Blue," Gary teased. Blue has become Dawn's nickname from Gary over the course of the semester. He found it rather amusing because whenever he called out 'Hey Blue!' everyone thought he was referring to Blue, an infamous trainer from Kanto. Dawn in return would receive angry glares from those who thought that she was really Blue. Serena had no idea as to how the nickname started, and when she asked Dawn about it, Dawn refused to tell her about how it happened. If she had to guess though, it obviously had something to do with her hair.
Gary let go of his camera, letting it swing back and forth on the strap hanging around his neck. He walked over to Dawn, grabbing a few stapled sheets from his handbag. "Here," he said. "We're partners. While you copy my work, I'll take pictures of Serena… and May and Ash." He grinned widely before handing Dawn his assignment.
Dawn scowled, ready to give Gary a handful. Instead, she bit her bottom lip and frantically began to copy Gary's finished work.
"My mind is still dizzy from the first picture," May whined. "Why don't you take group pictures after school or something?"
"Then it won't be candid," Gary stated. "Those are the best kind of pictures. I also bet that a lot of these candid photos will make it into the yearbook." He lifted his camera once more, ready to take another picture.
Serena raised her hand, bringing it up to cover her eyes. She was still seeing blotches of black everywhere, and she didn't want a new set coming in.
"Gary," Professor Sycamore sounded with a stern voice after the second bell has rung. Serena pulled her hand away from her face to see Professor Sycamore entering the classroom with his briefcase and mug of coffee. She looked back to Dawn whose writing pace began to increase. "Put that camera away and return to your seat."
The professor placed his mug and briefcase on his desk before returning to the podium while Gary maneuvered his way around to take his assigned seat next to Dawn. May then stood up from the stool, pushed it back towards the window, and took her seat next to Arnold.
Serena sat up, anticipating the beginning of todays lecture. As usual, Professor Sycamore was mentally making a note of who was missing from today's class. As he did, Serena slightly turned her head to the right, looking over at Ash who was doing what everyone else was doing – staring straight ahead at the Professor.
Her mind began to ponder over his words again, and as she continued to stare at him, her heart skipped a beat for a mere moment. The feeling in her chest was something she hasn't felt in a long while, and it took her by surprise. Serena raised her hand to her chest, the pace of her heart quickening by the second. She shook her head before jerking her vision away from Ash as an attempt to get her body to return to its normal state.
"Okay," Professor Sycamore said, clasping his hands together. "Before I collect your assignments, I have important news for all of you. As you all know, the end of the semester is nearing, so that means that you will be receiving your final assignment worth thirty percent of your final grade."
A few groans were heard amongst the classroom.
Out of all her classes, Professor Sycamore's class was probably the one that had the most homework. It was a beginner's class so it wasn't hard, but it surely took valuable time from Serena's prep for the Showcases.
"Oh relax." Professor Sycamore hushed the room with a simple wave of his hand. "It's nothing hard. For the whole semester, we've been talking about Pokémon and what kind of habitats they live in. We've talked a bit about evolution and how a habitat can play a role in the assets of a Pokémon as well. There isn't a wide variety of habitats surrounding this school, so for your assignment, I would like you and your partner to set off to a different area to observe Pokémon in a different habitat and compare it to the Pokémon you see around our school. What is similar about how they live? What measures do they take in order to survive?" Professor Sycamore walked over to his briefcase, pulling out a stack of sheets. He began to walk around the classroom, further explaining the requirements of the assignment. "With the long weekend coming up, I suggest that you all take a short trip somewhere around Kalos to find an interesting habitat to talk about. You can go to the beach and observe water Pokémon while tanning in the sun." He tried to make the assignment sound much more exciting by telling the students that it could be like a mini vacation. "I'll give you a few minutes to discuss your location with your partners," he said before looking straight ahead at Dawn. "And a few more minutes for you to finish your assignment."
With that, Serena could hear a gasp escape from Dawn's mouth, followed by a bunch of scribbles. Serena slightly giggled. She was amused by Professor Sycamore's ability to tell if a student was late or didn't finish their assignment. He wasn't that strict though, so it made him look pretty cool.
"So," said Ash. "Where would you like to go?"
Serena jumped, startled by Ash's voice. Her heart began to rapidly beat again, but she ignored it by opening up her binder to take a look at her calendar. If she remembered correctly, there was a Showcase happening in Snowbelle City during the long weekend. Snowbelle City was known for its snowy climate, so it was a perfect place to examine different Pokémon. While completing that, she would be able to earn her second princess key.
"How about Snowbelle City?" she asked, her finger pressed on the date that the showcase was taking place.
"That's perfect!" Dawn exclaimed.
Serena looked up, suddenly seeing May and Dawn peering over her shoulders. She looked from one side to the other to see a wide grin plastered on both of their faces. She could tell that the two were far more interested in having a fun long weekend together rather than actually completing the assignment itself.
"We can go snowboarding and skiing," said May. "I think I still have that discount coupon for that lodge…"
Dawn leaned down to whisper into the honey blonde's ear. "And… we can bring Alain and Shauna closer together. By the way, you still have to fill May and I on what happened over the weekend." Serena gulped. She did not want that weekend to be ever be mentioned. Because of it, Ash's question was the only thing she could remember.
"Why don't you ask Shauna during lunch?" Serena tried. "It's better coming from her."
"You're right!" Dawn gasped. "Hopefully she actually has time to sit with us… As Kalos Queen she always has some duty to fulfill and always does it during lunch."
"I'll bring my camera, and take lots of pictures of Dawn falling down the slopes!" Gary interrupted, causing Dawn to stomp over to him and pinch his arm.
"I guess that decides it then…" said Ash. "I guess the six of us are going to Snowbelle City." He sounded somewhat disappointed.
Does he want some alone time with me? Serena shook her head at the thought. She couldn't think about such things revolving around Ash. She didn't have the time to.
Plus, she spent years shaking him from her mind.
One question could not break her!
"Thank you so much," Serena said before bowing down to Palermo. She grabbed onto her blazer, and headed towards the door with a cup of orange juice in her hand.
After class she went straight to Palermo's office to inform her of her registration to the Snowbelle City Showcase. She surely hoped that this gave May and Dawn enough time to talk to Shauna about her day with Alain. She did not want to sit there and listen to them talk about it. It was only going to remind her about Ash's question.
"And Serena," Palermo called out, causing the honey blonde to turn around. "The weather is quite chilly in Snowbelle City. Bring an extra coat. You don't want to get sick before the showcase."
Serena smiled before giving her mentor a nod. Ever since the whole Amelia incident, Palermo's been leaning a bit towards her nice side. Serena thought that Palermo might have felt a bit guilty about what happened with Amelia. Especially now that she was no longer attending the academy.
Palermo was usually always so strict and rarely ever expressed her care towards her students. Her strict side towards Amelia might have been one of the many triggers that caused her to sabotage Serena's first Showcase. Palermo really wanted to change Amelia's ways, but was unable to do so because Amelia's father dragged her out of the academy. Serena preferred it this way, but she truly did wish Amelia the best.
"Don't worry," said Serena as she exited Palermo's office.
"SERENA!"
Serena jumped in surprise as Gary startled her with his loud, obnoxious voice. The brunette appeared out of nowhere, lunging at her with his camera in his grip causing Serena to toss the orange out of her hands.
"GARY!" she screamed aloud with her heart thumping through her chest. She yelped, feeling her cold cup of juice hit her chest, seeping through the fabric and finding its way to her skin. The sudden outburst caused Miss Anderson to look over the counter at the two.
"Serena, are you all right?" Miss Anderson asked, standing from her seat to grab a few napkins from the counter.
"Oh, I'm so sorry," Gary apologized. "I just wanted to get a good candid photo of you." He grabbed the napkins from Miss Anderson and told her to return back to her work. Gary then walked over to Serena and began blotting the orange stains that were overtaking her school blouse.
Serena scowled, grabbing the napkins from his grip. He was getting a little too close to her bust for her liking. "It's fine, Gary," she said, exiting the room before Palermo was able to witness the ruckus happening outside her office. She pressed the napkins against the large stain on her chest and began scurrying out of the performers building.
"I really didn't mean to scare you," Gary tried again, following close behind her. "I'll make it up to you. I'll by you a new blouse!" he said in between breaths as they reached the female dormitories.
He sounded genuinely sorry, and Serena knew that his intentions weren't all that bad. He was just trying his best as co-president of the student council. She absolutely admired that, but his little crush on her was always preventing him from differentiating the good ideas from the bad ones.
"Look, its fine. It was an accident," said Serena as she marched up a plight of stairs to her room. "I'll see you later, and we can discuss you buying me a new blouse then!" She unlocked the door, entered the room and shut the door behind her.
"I'm really sorry!" Gary called out once more.
Serena sighed, hearing his footsteps trudge off in the distance. She threw her blazer on her bed before walking over to Shauna's vanity to inspect the damage that's been done to her school blouse. The entirety of her chest was covered in the orange fluid with a few drips overtaking the rest of her shirt. There were also a few pieces of pulp clinging to the fabric, but it wasn't that big of a deal. Serena just knew that she was going to have to clean the shirt right away or else the juice would remain a stain on her shirt.
The honey blonde walked over to her drawer, pulling out a new school blouse. She began to unbutton her soiled one, and once she took it off, she noticed that her bra was pretty damp too. The juice was starting to dry now, and she could feel the wired part of her bra sticking to the skin of her under boob. Serena sighed again before glancing over at the clock on the nightstand located between her and Shauna's bed. She had fifteen minutes until the end of lunch. That surely gave her enough time to clean up and head off to her afternoon classes.
Serena tied her hair up into a messy bun before reaching over to unclasp her bra. Once she took off her bra, she reached for the towel on the hook by the door.
"Serena. This is actually funny, I think I'm going to have to take picture of the stain on your-"
The door opened in front of her, and the familiar whirr of the camera sounded through her ears. A bright flash then blinded her, and her eyes widened as the brunette's eyes came into contact with hers, his jaw dropping in the process.
Serena quickly grabbed ahold of the towel by the hook, and wrapped her upper body around it.
"I-I.. wow…"
"GET OUT!" she screamed from the top of her lungs. "GET OUT!" She began to smack the boy on his head. She was so shocked; she didn't know how to handle the situation. As she continued with smacking his head, her towel loosened up around her body, and fell to the ground below her.
"I-I-… right!" He muttered with a bright red face, clearly staring at her now exposed skin.
Serena looked down before snatching the towel and rewrapping it around her body. "GET OUT!" she screamed once more, causing the brunette to leave the room.
She screamed from the top of her lungs, trying to process the events that just happened. This couldn't be happening to her. Gary just saw her half naked and got a picture of it too.
Next Chapter Preview: An Unwanted Arrangement
Gary placed his camera on the table with the lens facing him.
The honey blonde stared at the black screen before a picture of her topless appeared on the screen. Her cheeks flushed a bright shade of red as she lunged forward to grab the device from his hands.
"Not so fast," he said with a smirk on his face while tucking his camera into his book bag. "I'll delete the picture and even give you the SD card if you do me one little favor."
"What?" she scowled with crossed arms.
"You have to be my girlfriend until the end of the semester. I think that gives me enough time to get you to fall in love with me." He smirked, before meeting the honey blonde's eyes.
NOTE: I am again pointing out that this story LOOSELY FOLLOWS THE ANIME. VERY LOOSELY FOLLOWS. Just trying to get my point across...
:D Anywho, I know the main love problems lie between Ash, Serena, and Alain, but well, if you've been reading, Gary has a crush on her too, so he needs his moments every now and then... despite them being a terrible thing for Serena. haha
This brings us to the end of the chapter though, so I hope you enjoyed it and look forward to the next one~
Reviews, PMs, likes, and follows are always appreciated!