Rodney leaned against the side wall with one hand a made a cross with his legs. Turning his attention away from his dad (Clemont) he looked over at Cocoa and shot her double-barrelled fingers. Moving closer to her, he stared into her eyes.

"You free Friday night?" he asked.

Cocoa was trying not to laugh. He seemed like a nice guy but she was a little too young to date. Saying yes seemed to be her only option though.

"Yeah, sure"

By now, a small group had gathered around. Bonnie walked up to her older brother and whispered into his ear.

"Why is Rodney here?" Bonnie asked.

"I have no idea" Clemont replied.

"Woah, woah, woah, Clemont, you have a wife?" Ash asked him.

"He does, I finally found him one" Bonnie peeped.

"Does he like her or did you force him?"

"He likes her"

"Good enough"

"Anyway pops. Mom wants you to take care of me for a while so I can meet your friends" Rodney said to his dad. "And while I'm here, I'm goanna take my time to get to know this girl" He said moving closer to Cocoa.

Serena was confused a bit. Rodney and Cocoa? And how is Rodney Clemont's son. He is almost exactly the opposite and he is not afraid to flirt with girls. This was getting crazy.

"Cocoa, why don't you show Rodney your Pokémon in the backyard" Serena said.

"Pokémon ehh" Rodney said and he reached in his pocket to take out two Pokeballs. "Minun, Plusle, C'mon out"

Two small Pokemon came out that looked a bit similar to rabbits. One of them was blue with minus signs and the other was red with plus signs. They looked so adorable; it was hard to believe that they were Rodney's Pokémon. Cocoa bent down to the two of them and carefully petted their heads. They started to jump up and down energetically and then they ran over to the backyard. Grinning mischievously, they started to jump on Skiddo who was sleeping. Skiddo's eyes suddenly popped open and he shook the two off. Cocoa and Rodney walked out to the backyard and just leaned against the apple tree. Cocoa climbed up the tree quietly and threw an apple down at Rodney.

"Do you like fruit?" she asked.

Rodney looked up to see the girl sitting in the tree smiling down at him. He took of his shades and had a confused look on his face.

"You like climbing trees"

"Well, I love being close to nature and the view is great from up here"

"Wow, you even look like a tree"

She giggled and tried to stop by biting into an apple. It made her stop but suddenly she wobbled and fell down. Right into Rodney's arms.

Serena watched from inside the house. Everything seemed to be going well so far. She went into the living room with a cup of warm tea and sat down on a white couch decorated with golden designs. Fennekin jumped on to her trainer's lap and snuggled in. As Serena petted Fennekin, Ash walked into the room and sat beside her. For a moment, it was awkward; they had nothing to say to each other. Ash, as quiet as he could, placed his hand on Serena's. She turned to him but he had already faced the other way. Ash took a deep breath.

"Nice place you got here" he said.

"Thanks. So, what's been going on in your life so far?"

"Well, ever since I've retired from training and battling, I don't have much in my life"

"How about your family?"

"My parents passed away. It's just me and Pikachu"

The way Ash said that had a hint of sadness.

"So I'm guessing you're not married"

"Uh-huh"

"Well, you could always stay with me. There's plenty of room here"

"Really?"

"Yeah, we are friends after all"

"Thanks Serena, I really owe you one"

"It's not a problem"

"No really, thank you"

Caught off guard, Ash hugged Serena who blushed. Something about this moment brought back more memories. She use to always blush around him and get nervous. Now the feeling was coming back to her once again. When Ash pulled away, she flopped back down on the couch. Ash walked back to find Pikachu to tell him the good news. Serena still held on to that moment. Like the past, her heart was racing, her palms were sweaty, and her cheeks were flushed. Smiling, she took out the picture she got from Prof. Oak's summer camp. The picture showed her leaning close to Ash. Did she still have feelings for him? Lost in her thoughts, she didn't see Cocoa watching her.

"Is that you and Ash?"

"Yeah, we use to go to summer camp together"

"If you like him so much, why don't you tell him?"

"It was the past and I'm already married"

"But I don't have a dad and no matter how long it's been, the feelings you have for someone will always remain in your heart, no matter how deeply buried it is"

Serena was amazed by how her daughter knew this.

"Where did you hear that from?"

"I heard it from you. That's what you taught me"

Flashback

It's been five years since the journey ended. Serena watched her daughter play dress up with Skiddo. Today was her fifth birthday and Serena wanted to give her the best gift ever.

Cocoa: Mom, can we have cake now?

Serena: Why don't we bring the cake outside so you can give Skiddo Some?

Cocoa: Ok

Carefully, Serena lifted the cake to the backyard and placed it down on a wooden table. Skiddo walked around Cocoa and eventually lay down near her feet.

Cocoa: Mom, he likes me

Serena: Of course he does, now make a wish

She closed her eyes and blew out the candles.

Serena: What did you wish for?

Cocoa: I wished I could see dad again. I really loved him. Now that he's gone, I guess it's over

Serena: Listen, I'm going to tell you something. Dad may be gone but no matter how long it's been, the feelings you have for someone will always remain in your heart, no matter how deeply buried it is

Cocoa: Thanks mom. I love you

Serena: I love you too

Flashback over.

"I did tell you that didn't I" Serena said.

"Umm…Can Rodney stay for the night?" Cocoa begged.

"As long as it's ok with Clemont, It's ok with me"

"Thanks mom"

As soon as Cocoa left the room, Serena picked the picture back up.

"If I really do still like him, I should tell him" Serena said to herself and with that being said, she dozed off for a while.