The aroma of baked goods filled the house while a soft melody played from the kitchen.

Pancham flipped over the flour on the counter and shook some sugar into the bowl. He landed with grace before jumping to the mixer and turning it on.

Sylveon's ribbons were wrapped around her trainers arm whilst carefully dancing around her.

Meanwhile, Braixen's tail swished to the beat as she lowered a tray of colored batter into the oven.

Serena's feet lightly tapped in tune to the music as she and her Pokemon worked. After all. These sweets weren't going to make themselves!

"Great work everyone! This party just wouldn't be the same without food and cake!" She smiled sweetly.

"Brai Brai!" Said Braixen

"Pancham!" Said Pancham

"Sylveon!~" Sylveon sing-songed

She glanced up at the clock to take note of the time.

8:16 am. Four hours until the party.

"Alright everyone. Let's get this done!"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Haaaaaaaaappy Birthdaaaaaay tooooo yoooouuuu!" A chorus of voices sang.

Darkness filled the room except for the faint glow of candles on top of a large cake. Once the candles were out, the lights went up to reveal bright smiles and happy faces.

"I'm so happy you all could make it!" Serena clapped her hands together excitedly.

"Of course! As soon as we heard you were back in Kalos we came as fast as we could!" Clemont said.

"Which isn't very fast for you, brother!" Bonnie chimed in from beside Serena, frosting smearing her lips and cheeks.

Serena swiped a napkin from the table and gently wiped the offending frosting clean from her face. Bonnie beamed before stuffing more cake into her maw.

"He did alright for such short notice!" Ash laughed. He reached across the table to grab a pokepuff, then handed it to his yellow partner on his shoulder.

"Pikaa!" Pikachu squeaked, eyes sparkling with delight.

From across the table, the person responsible for everyone's gathering sat quietly, taking in the interactions between friends. Serena's mother, Grace, hid her smile from behind her glass. Her daughter really had grown into her own. Long gone was the insecure, uncertain, little girl she raised; instead a confident, determined young woman had taken her place. Grace set her glass down with a clink to attract the attention of everyone in the room.

"It's very nice to see you all again. Thank you for the birthday wishes. How has everyone's journeys progressed? I hope it's been fun!" She said.

"Well." Clemont started, adjusting his glasses. "I've just been working on more inventions to help around Lumiose City, as well as taking on gym challenges and growing stronger." He nodded with confidence.

"Yeah! And his inventions now only explode most of the time instead of all the time!" Bonnie giggled.

Clemont's confident expression quickly vanished.

"H-hey! I'm still working out the flaws in my own designs!" He cried, flustered.

Everyone laughed lightly at the silly banter the siblings exchanged back and forth. Serena sure had missed her friend's company. Of course she met new people and Pokemon, made friends and a few rivals, but this was her family in a sense.

She wished she could travel with them again, but their dreams were pulling them all in different directions. Speaking of, blue eyes flicked to a dark, warm brown.

"How about you Ash? How is Alola?"

Serena asked.

Ash stopped mid bite into a rather large slice of cake.

"Oh! It's been great! I've already met so many cool Pokemon and made new friends! The islands of Alola are so different!" He set his plate down to use his hands in animated, lively gestures as he spoke of his adventures.

"And get this! They don't have any gym battles!"

"What!?" Came a collection of shocked voices.

"Yeah! You have to go through island trials! Then fight the Kahuna and then you get a stamp claiming you've beaten the trial!" His eyes lit up as he continued on, and Serena just found herself staring into them. They were welcoming and kind, inviting and energetic, soft and handsome.

Realizing she had been staring, her gaze shifted to the table, a very light pink dusting her cheeks.

Grace watched this one sided interaction and smiled. Yes, her daughter was no longer a little girl anymore.

After Serena had recited her tales of her contests and the adventure she had so far, the table of food slowly diminished to just a few scraps. The evening wore on into the night and the comfortable silence shared between everyone broke.

"Well. We've stayed here longer than we should have. We need to get going Bonnie, dad is probably worried sick." Clemont spoke while shouldering his backpack and standing.

Bonnie looked up from brushing Sylveon's fur.

"Aawww.." she whined and slowly stood up. "It feels like we just got here." She slumped.

"Nenene." Dedenne mimicked Bonnie's actions from its pouch.

"We'll see everyone again soon, we just have to go back to help dad set up his workshop."

"But it wasn't my fault that you blew it up in the first place!" Bonnie grumbled.

"R-right! Well. Thanks for inviting us Serena! We hope to see you later!" Clemont smiled.

"No thank you for coming! I'll be sure to stop by Lumiose City before going back to Hoenn." Serena nodded.

"Ash, are you coming with us? I still need you and Pikachu to test out a new invention." He asked while opening the front door.

Ash blinked.

"Oh, uh actually. I asked Professor Oak to send me my Kalos team to the nearest Pokemon Center..which is in Santalune City. So I was hoping I could stay here the night. Is that okay, Serena?"

Caught off guard at the sudden question, Serena stuttered "Hm? Oh, uh..O-"

"Of course, Ash." Grace finished for her.

Serena glanced over at her mother. But the attention went unnoticed as Grace walked up to the group.

"Thanks again for coming everyone, please have a safe trip."

"Alright, well. See you guys sometime soon then!" Clemont said before walking out the door.

"See you later!" Bonnie called as she ran out the door after her brother, shutting it behind her.

Serena swore she saw Bonnie smirk at her before disappearing.

"There's a bathroom upstairs, Ash. You can use it to get ready for bed." Grace smiled warmly at him.

"Right! Thanks a lot!" Ash grabbed his backpack before bolting up the stairs.

Serena watched him go before turning and taking dishes into the kitchen. She started the faucet and was happy for the distraction this gave her from her own mind. Serena definitely didn't mind Ash staying over, but other than her room and her mother's, there was no other place to sleep. The obvious solution to the problem was Ash share Serena's room for the night.

"You like him." A soft voice cut through the silence.

Serena tensed up for just a moment and glanced over her shoulder at her mother.

"I...Yes..I do." Serena smiled to herself. She did. She really did.

"Have you told him?" Grace asked.

Serena's smile faltered.

"I've expressed my feelings for him, yes. Though I left before he ever gave a proper response." Her smile returned at the memory. She had gathered enough courage to finally do what she wanted all through her journey with him. She wondered if he remembered it too..

Of course he had to. Serena made her move, now it was time for Ash to make his. Right?

"Well. I think he's good for you. I'm happy he makes you happy. I'm going to go set up a bed for him in your room. Please don't stay up too late." Grace walked over and kissed her daughter on the cheek.

"Goodnight, Serena." Her mother said affectionately before leaving.

Serena continued to wash the dishes and clean up the room with the help of her Pokemon. Brown boots quietly thudded up the steps and into her room. Ash was lying in a mess of blankets on her floor a few feet away from her bed. His face was illuminated by his pokedex, his thumb scrolling through his pokedex messenger app. Serena mentally noted to tell her mother that just a few blankets and a pillow was not a proper resting space for guests.

Quietly, she retrieved her pajamas from her dresser and went to change.

"Hey." Ash's voice greeted her upon returning.

"Hey, I thought you'd be asleep by now. It's late." She lightly padded over to her own bed and sat down.

"Yeah I know. I just wanted to talk to you for a second." Ash sat up.

Blue eyes grew wide and Serena froze. What would ash want to stay awake for to talk about? Did he think about their last interaction too? Did he have the same feelings as-

His voice cut her out of her thoughts.

"I wanted to say thank you. I know this seems late but, better late than never!" He laughed.

"Our journey together was one of the best adventures I've ever had. It came to me when we were talking about our new journeys. You were always there for me, even when I didn't deserve it. You're really awesome, Serena. I know you'll do well in your contests. You're going to get better and better and become Kalos Queen one day. I know it. I hope to be there when that happens! Your performances are so cool." He smiled genuinely at her, and it took all of her strength to not just tackle him into those blankets and kiss him.

"But anyway..I just wanted to say thanks."

"Pika pika!" Pikachu joined in.

"Haha. Pikachu thanks you too." Ash scratched his Pokemon's head.

Serena's body filled with warmth at those words. Her eyes were fixed on the floor and a blush was fixed on her cheeks. She was suddenly thankful for the darkness that hid her face.

"T-Thank you, Ash.." her voice was soft and smooth. Lying down she took her blankets and covered herself.

"I had a wonderful time with you too. You supported me just as much. I'm positive you will become a Pokemon Master, and I really hope to be by your side when that happens. I know if anyone can do it, it's you. Never give up until it's over, right?" She asked.

Ash raised a fist.

"Yeah! Exactly! I'm gonna be a Pokemon Master." Ash fell back into his blankets and covered himself up before yawning loudly.

"Well..Goodnight Serena." His voice trailed off and he turned on his side.

"Goodnight Ash."

Serena's eyes closed and her dreams found her easily.