Chapter 17 – Love will find a way

SERENA'S POV

Serena was sitting on her hotel's bed waiting for May and Dawn to phone their family, Lance told them to go back and get prepared while Lorelei was setting up the helicopter which was taking them to the Pluma Island. Serena thought about phone her mother, but somehow she gave up on the idea. She was now focusing on bringing Ash back, and for the first time she wasn't thinking about bringing him back to her, actually now she wanted to bring him back to Pikachu.
Due to his conditions he would not follow them to Pluma Island, Pikachu was going to remain under Nurse Joy's treatment. But only the three girls knew how he wanted to help them bringing his master back.
Serena was lost on his thoughts that she almost didn't hear the phone ringing

"What?" she asked scared "Oh, it was just the phone"

Serena picked the phone up

"Miss Serena?" she heard the voice saying
"Yes, that's she" Serena answered
"This is the hotel's receptionist. We have a video phone call to you downstairs" said the receptionist
"Great. It must be my mother" Serena thought "Just because I didn't want to talk with her now"

Serena was leaving the room when ran into May at the elevator's door

"Hey Serena" May said "Where are you going?"
"To attend a phone call" she answered
"Oh… Your mother found you?" she said smiling
"Looks like it" she answered not smiling "Have you talked with your parents already?"
"Yes. I have just come back from Business Center" she said "They are pretty fine with the idea of their daughter risking her life fighting a bunch of bad guys for the man she loves"

Serena looked seriously to her and said nothing

"Sorry… That was a joke of my mother" May said "I shouldn't have brought it up"
"It's okay, it's not you…It's me" she said "I am a little nervous"
"Don't worry" May said "Go talk to your mother. You will feel better'

Serena nodded to May and entered the elevator. She then went to the lobby at the business center where all videos phones were and took line 2 which was her call. To her surprise It wasn't her mother, but someone she never thought about expecting a phone call at that moment

"Clemont?" asked Serena
"Hello Serena" Clemont said "How have you been?"

Horrible, she wanted to say but her manners didn't allow her

"I am… fine" she lied "And you?"
"I am fine too" he answered "I just called you because I saw on TV that the Tournament was cancelled. What happened?"
"Well… It is complicated" she said "It is so many things that it would take me hours to catch you up"
"Well… I have plenty of free time" he said
"I know" she answered "But unfortunately I do not. I am sorry"

Serena was about to hang up the phone but Clemont insisted on talking with her

"Wait Serena don't hang up" he said "Do you remember the last time we saw each other?"
"Clemont stop it" she said "Nothing changed"
"Why Serena?" he asked "Why do you insist on waiting for him? He left and never came back. He doesn't love you the way I do"

If he only knew that Ash never really "left", if he knew everything that was happening….

"This was never my reason Clemont. I just… don't feel this way for you" Serena said "I love you as my friend, maybe a brother… But I am not in love with you. I never was, please try to understand"
"I do understand Serena" Clemont said "I… just don't agree with that"
"Try to Clemont. We haven't talked for the past two years because of that" Serena said "I want us to be friends again. I miss you and Bonnie"
"She misses you too" Clemont said
"So, can we be friends again?" Serena asked "I will probably need a shoulder very soon depending on how my current "adventure" finishes"
"Of course we can be friends Serena" Clemont said "I will always be there for you"
"Thank you Clemont" Serena said
"You know… from all the girls my sister tried to set me with… you are the only one who I secretly wished to accept her request" Clemont said blushing

Serena said nothing at first, just smiled, but then…

"Someday you won't be needing her to set you up" Serena said "Someday you will truly fall in love and will be loved back"
"And this girl will not be you" Clemont said
"This girl will not be me Clemont" Serena said "She will be better than me"

It was Clemont's turn to not say a word and just smile

"Thank you for your sincerity" Clemont said "I hope you find what you are looking for. See you"

Clemont hang up not waiting Serena to say goodbye. He was still hurt by Serena's rejection, but there was nothing she could do. She has always loved Ash. Even though she had never confessed her love to him, she never felt rejected by him either. However, very soon she could start to know how it was like if Ash didn't choose her over May or Dawn. But even that was still a little far to come, Serena was right of one thing:

"I will fight for you Ash" Serena said to herself "I want us to be together"

MAY'S POV

(Fifteen minutes early Serena's POV)

"…and that's what happened" said May who was at the phone with her parents
"This look like dangerous May" said Norman "I don't think you should go"
"Dad please…" May started to talk but was interrupted
"…Let me finish May" he said "I don't think you should go… but I know you are going anyway so… good luck"
"Thanks dad" she answered smiling "Please don't tell Max about it. He is still too naïve to understand why I am doing this"
"Don't worry said Norman I won't" he said "To be honest I am your father and I don't know either"
"Norman" said Caroline next to him "We already talked about that. She is risking her life fighting a bunch of bad guys for the man she loves"
"Was that supposed to be a joke?" asked Norman "Or you say this just to irritate me?"

May started to watch her parents fight over the phone and to be truly she didn't need that right now

"I am going to hang up" she said but none of them were listening to her anymore "See you guys. I love you"

May hang up the phone but still remained on the chair, like she was waiting something to happen. And it did

"I love you" said a voice from behind her "I once enjoyed you saying this to me"

May turned around and saw he ex-boyfriend

"Drew?" What are you doing here?" May asked

Drew entered the business center and started to looks around to see if they were alone, and they were

"Do you remember what I said to you when we last met?" he asked ignoring May's question
"You said that we could not be friends since I was in love with…" May decided not to say his name
"Come on May" Drew said "You can say Ketchum's name"

May said nothing, just looked away

"But you were right" Drew said "I did say that. And I regret it"
"What?" May asked
"I can't forget you May" Drew said taking her hand "I love you and I want you back"
"Drew… I…" May said
"I know this whole Ketchum thing is just a phase" Drew said
"What did you say?" May asked angrily "Just a phase? You think my feelings are just a phase?"
"Yes. I think so" Drew replied "I came all the way from Hoenn to here to find you. Doesn't that prove my love for you?"
"What? No" said May letting go of Drew hands "I just can't believe you. How dare you play with my feelings like that?"
"Hey! You were the one who played with my feelings first" Drew said
"No I did not" May said "I was honest to you because I didn't want to hurt you"
"Really? Because it didn't seem like that" Drew replied "Come on May forget that loser and come back to me"
"You… you make me sick" May said "You will never be like him. You will never give me what I need"
"Wow, and he will give you what you need?" Drew asked
"Of course Drew don't you see?" May asked "Don't you know me at all?"
"What? What do you mean" he asked
"Look at me Drew" May said "I wear shorts and a bandana. I am rude and I talk loud. I have a strong personality and I am very stubborn. I was raised by a Gym leader who taught me to be tough. Drew, I am not a girly-girl"
"What's the point May?" Drew asked
"The point is that I need someone who is more man than me" May said
"What are you trying to say?" Drew asked
"I am saying that when we were together I always felt like I was the man of the relationship" May said
"You are kind of offending me now May" Drew said
"You see Drew that's the point" she said "I need someone who makes me feel a little more woman, not because this is law, but because I want to feel a little more woman"
"I have always made you feel like a woman" Drew said
"Did you? Did you?" May asked "How many times you lost your contests and started crying to me? And in the end I always ended up comforting you? And on the other hand when I lost my contests you just left me around. I lost count of how many times that happened"
"Well… I didn't know that I made you feel this way" Drew said
"But you did Drew. Many times" May said "That's why we are not made for each other. Ash on the other hand… he always took care of me, he took me under his wing and taught me everything about Pokémon world and life. And when he came to me saying he was leaving… I felt my world fall apart… because he would no longer be there for me. If there is something I surrender Drew, it is not having realized before how much I love him, and how much he is important to me"

Drew remained in silence just looking around not knowing what to say

"I think it was a mistake coming here" Drew said "I will come back to Hoenn"
"Do that" May said "Please"
"Maybe when you come back we could meet and try to be friends" Drew said
"No Drew" May said "We can no longer be friends, nor colleagues or buddies. From this day on we will be rivals and that's all. No more, no less"

Irony is something powerful and Drew had just tasted it

"Goodbye Drew" said May turning around and leaving business center back to her room

May took the elevator back to the room, and as the elevator went up, she could only think of one thing:

"I will fight for you Ash" May said to herself "I want us to be together"

DAWN'S POV

Dawn was at the restaurant drinking some juice, she had already talked to her mother by her Pokégear but decided not to give many details about what was happening. Although she was there physically sit, her mind was far away, traveling to the past to the day she, Ash and Brock finished their journey through Sinnoh and split up

"I should have never let him go" she thought "I should have gone with him back to Kanto"

Maybe if she had gone with him, he would never have left to train with Lance and maybe who knows… they could be together… dating

"I was so luck May has never said nothing to him" she thought "But I made the same mistake and did not say it either

Dawn never tasted love before. Ash was the first man she ever had a crush and then fell in love with. And she never regreted it. When she was traveling through Johto, she met again with Lyra and remembered that she couldn't stop saying about how many guys she had already dated

FLASHBACK

"You know Dane, you should come with me to this party tonight" Lyra said "There will be hundreds of boys and you might find your special one"

Dawn blushed really hard, there wouldn't be a bad idea but…

"I am sorry Lyra" Dawn said "I think I will pass"
"What?" Lyra said "Why Dane?"

Dawn looked away trying to hide her blush because she started thinking about…

"Ash Ketchum" said Lyra "I knew it"
"What?" Dawn said getting ever redder than before
"You are in love with Ash" Lyra said "I've always known, you never fooled me"

Dawn still tried to say something but she knew it was impossible to hide from Lyra

"It seems you caught me Lyra" said Dawn still blushing "I am in love with Ash"
"And you were already when we me in Sinnoh right" She asked
"Back then it was only a crush" Dawn said "But now I have no doubts that what I feel for him is love"
"Oh! This is so romantic" Lyra said "But… then why did you leave him?"
"You see; I have been asking this very same question to myself every day" Dawn said
"Why don't you go back to him?" Lyra asked
"He is already travelling with a girl and I kind of get embarrassed about just coming along out of the blue"
"Are you going to let this girl win his heart?" Lyra said
"I don't think she is in love with him" Dawn said "Her name is Iris and I think she has a crush on the other boy who is travelling with him"
"But be fast Dane" Lyra said "A man like Ash don't stay single forever. Soon there will be other girls interested on him"

END OF FLASHBACK

"Damn you Lyra" said Dawn "I hate when you are right"

Lyra was right, Dawn now has two other rivals, May and Serena and truly It wasn't clear if Ash had any feelings for any of them and that included Dawn as well

"Why it is not the appositive?" Dawn said "Why isn't Ash in love with me and doing all I am doing to be with me?"
"Who said he is not doing?" said a voice from behind her

Dawn looked behind and saw the expert Scientist in Pokémon…

"Professor Oak?" Dawn said "What are you doing here?"
"I came for a drink" said Professor Oak showing her his glass with something that smelled like Scotch "I am sorry but I couldn't help listening to what you said"

Dawn got a little red but soon get back to normal when she realized what Professor Oak said

"What do you mean by Ash' trying to be with me?" Dawn asked
"Dawn… I know Ash for a long time. Along with his mother I practically raised him" Professor Oak said "And I must say that I actually never saw him interested in anything but Pokémon"
"That's so like him" she said trying to smile
"On the other hand, when he left to Sinnoh, I remember every time he called me, he always had something to say about you"
"About me?" Dawn asked "Like what?"
"Regular things like "my friend Dawn won her first battle today" or "Did you know Dawn caught a Pokémon today?", stuff like that" said Professor Oak
"Am I supposed to be happy with that?" Dawn asked
"Of course Dawn" said Professor Oak "I don't know when exactly Ash started developing feelings for girls. But I am pretty sure he started because of you"

Dawn blushed hard, Ash started liking girls because of her? That was huge

"So he likes me?" Dawn asked
"That I can't say Dawn" Professor Oak said "Many things happened after that… but I am pretty sure he had once found you very attractive"

Dawn smiled and out her hands on her heart, it was fast beating

"My dear Ash" said Dawn "I love you so much"
"I see true love in your eyes Dawn" said Professor Oak "It is something rare nowadays, so do not lose it"
"I will never lose my feelings for him" Dawn said "I love him. And you know what?"
"What?" Professor Oak asked
"I make now a promise to him" Dawn said "I will fight for you Ash. I want us to be together"

BACK TO NORMAL POV

Dawn entered the hotel room to see if May and Serena were already ready to leave. Lance should be there any minute with the helicopter and they all were setting off to Pluma Island

"Hey girls" said Dawn "Are you ready?"
"Yes" said May "We are just waiting Lance to call us"
"Have you seen him downstairs?" asked Serena
"No" Dawn answered "Only Professor Oak, but he is not coming with us"

They all stayed in silence for a moment. After what they all realized by themselves, it was kind of weird to be together with their "rivals". But until they had rescued Ash they couldn't think about being rivals. They were allies.

"Girls" said May "I was thinking about our "mission""
"Yes?" asked Dawn
"Let's say we are succeeded, and bring Ash back to us" May said "What are we doing next?"

Dawn and Serena looked at each other not knowing what to say

"Well…" Serena started "First we let him rest and see Pikachu. Then we can think about it"
"Serena's right May" said Dawn "It is not good to think about this now"
"I know" said May "I just want to say that… although we have our own objectives and even we know they are the same, I love you two and I want us to be friends forever"

Dawn and Serena smiled and hugged May who returned the hug making their friendship stronger than never

"Thank you girls" said May

And so they remained until they hear the door being knocked

"Come in" said Serena

The door opened revealing Lance behind it

"Dawn, Serena, May" Lance said "We are ready to go"

The girls took their backpacks, Pokéballs and anything else they found necessary for that mission

"We are ready too Lance" said Dawn
"Good" Lance answered "But first I must say something. I am no obligating you to do this…"
"We know Lance" said Serena "We are doing this because we want to"
"We all have the same objective" said May
"And we are ready to fight for it" finished Dawn
"And what objective would that be?" Lance asked already knowing the answer

"Bring Ash Back" said the three girls together

"Then, let's not waste more time" Lance finished showing the way with his hand "Today, we either bring Ash back or die trying"

Lance saw the girl's will on their eyes and realized that he had made the right choice. This fight would be won by love itself and nothing else