This is Chapter 7, and it's the longest chapter yet, at 4,000+ words. It's not the longest one I've ever written, not by a long shot, but I do plan on making these chapters longer as I go. I have some plans that will likely turn into very long chapters in the future, plans I can't wait to write down.

In other news, it's another primary day today. I'm going to stay up late to watch the results.

I've also accumulated 15 favorites and 22 follows on this story. That is awesome!

Ash was very happy when the car finally pulled into the mansion's driveway. Not only would he now get to see his new friends again, but he would also be able to heal Coyopa. That is, if Debbie was indeed telling the truth about having a healing machine in her house.

I mean, she is a nurse, Ash reminded himself. Why would she lie to me about that?

As soon as he walked inside, he was greeted by Serena. "Hello" she said.

"Hey" Ash replied, rubbing the back of his neck slightly. "What's going on?"

"Not much" the girl replied. "We were just going to have lunch, the four of us. Mom's going to take my younger siblings to the beach".

"You're not going?"

Serena shook her head. "Dawn didn't want to, and, besides, I like spending time here a lot as well. There are a lot of things we could do, like hang out in the Jacuzzi".

"Sweet" Ash replied, thinking about that. "Maybe later, though? Right now, I'm really hungry".

Indeed, his stomach was growling. He'd had a pretty small breakfast, and a busy day thus far. He could definitely do with eating something.

"Chef Blumiere made chicken pot pie for us" she said. "It's currently cooling down, but we can start eating it in a few minutes. And we were just having a game of poker".

"Poker?" Ash asked.

"Well, we don't actually play for money" Serena replied. "I'm pretty sure that the laws of Sinnoh prohibit gambling except at registered casinos. And you have to be twenty-one to enter a casino, unfortunately; that's the law here".

Ash nodded. He went over to the table, where Lucas was dealing cards to himself, Dawn, and an empty seat that Ash presumed was Serena's. Dawn was motioning for the other girl to come on over so that they could continue the game.

He turned to face Debbie, who had been standing behind Ash this whole time.

"What is it?" he asked her, trying not to sound rude.

"You mentioned wanting to heal your Pikachu after the battle from earlier. Well, now is the time to do that. Come and bring your Pokeball over, and we can do it. I'll show you where the healing machine is".

Ash nodded. "Sounds like a plan to me".

He went and grabbed his Pokeball, which he always kept on the bedside table now. It had become second nature to him; this was where Coyopa belonged for as long as he stayed with the Courtland family.

He'd decided to forgive the Pikachu for what he had done earlier, embarrassing the young man. It hadn't been easy, and he had struggled with it for the last several hours. Now, however, he felt as though he had reached a point where he could, in fact, do it.

"Here we go" said Debbie, leading him into a small room in the basement. Ash had mistaken it for a closet last night, but now it was clear to him that it was anything but. There was more to the picture than met the eye.

"This place is pretty awesome" Ash said in response. "Is that the healing machine?"

As he asked that question, he pointed to a fairly large device in one corner of the room. It sure looked like the healing machines he had seen when he'd been at Pokemon centers.

"Indeed it is" Mrs. Courtland replied, eyeing the area. "This is where I've always kept the healing machine. Bring out Coyopa, now, and put him in here".

Ash released Coyopa from his Pokeball. The Pikachu was still unconscious, just as Debbie had said he would be, so he wasn't too surprised by the scene he found before him.

After Debbie opened the door of the machine, the young man placed his Pikachu inside. Coyopa didn't even stir as he did so.

"He'll be right as rain in ten minutes" Debbie said. "Is there anything I can do for you in the meantime?"

"Not really" Ash replied. "I think I'll go upstairs and have lunch with the others. Is that all right with you?"

Mrs. Courtland smiled sweetly, in a motherly fashion, and, for the first time, Ash could imagine her as a motherly figure. Not that I'd want her as my mother, though.

"Yes, it is" she replied. "I'm about to take Sam, Bella, Patrick, and Corinne to the beach. Want to come?"

Ash shook his head. "I think I'll hang out with the other enrollees" he replied.

Debbie nodded, and Ash took that as his cue to leave. He made a mental note to come back in ten minutes to retrieve Coyopa from the healing machine.

Once he was upstairs, he saw that a chicken pot pie had been set on the table, and that Lucas, Dawn, and Serena were all sitting around it, not eating a bite. Ash realized that they must have been waiting for him.

"All right" he said. "I'm here. Let's dig in!"

The food was pretty awesome, Ash decided. He wasn't sure where Chef Blumiere had gotten his cooking skills - probably from some fancy culinary school in Saffron City, Kanto or someplace like that. In any case, he didn't particularly care, because the dude had skills. That was what counted.

"Ash, once we're done with lunch, I want to take you somewhere near here" Serena said eventually, once she had swallowed a bite of chicken.

"In the car?" he asked.

Serena shook her head. "We don't need to drive there. It's only a mile or two away, and it's pretty nice out. I think you'll love the place, too".

Ash smiled. "Sounds nice".

"Are you talking about the lake?" Lucas asked. "I've been there before".

"I am" Serena replied. Turning towards Ash, she said, "There's a lake on the property, surrounded by pretty dense forest. Well, there are other peoples' properties in between, but we own part of area around the lake".

Ash couldn't believe that he hadn't seen the lake before. He'd been too focused on the mountain far away that he hadn't noticed that a small lake was located at the bottom of the hill, just two miles away.

"You're up for a little afternoon stroll, aren't you, Ash?"

The young man nodded. Then, realizing that it must have been around ten minutes, he said, "Please excuse me for a minute. I have to get Coyopa out of the healing machine".

After the other three nodded their approval, Ash went back downstairs. Sure enough, Coyopa had woken up, and he appeared agitated at still being stuck inside the machine.

Ash pressed the button that opened the glass and allowed Coyopa to climb into Ash's arms.

"Do you want to play outside now?" the boy asked the Pikachu.

The yellow mouse-like creature nodded. "Yes, of course!"

"All right".

Ash led Coyopa back upstairs and back to where the others were eating. He opened the door in order to let his Pikachu outside; after that, he sat back down with the other teens.

"So...hot tub later?" Dawn asked. "We left our bathing suits here, so we can do it".

"Sounds like a plan" Serena replied. "But, like I said, wait for a while. We could continue the game of poker first".

"I like that idea" Lucas said.

All three of them looked at Ash, who simply shrugged. "I'm down with whatever you guys want to do" he said.

"First the lake" Serena said. "I really want to show you the property we have there. Then, we can come back and inish the poker game".

"Okay" Dawn replied, sounding rather indifferent to the whole situation, as though she would be happy with anything.

"All right" Serena replied. "Follow me, Ash, once we're done with our lunch".

For the next five minutes, there were a couple of conversations, but there was mostly eating. Everyone else seemed pretty hungry, which wasn't too surprising. However, Ash couldn't help but wonder about a few things.

For one, he now knew that the Courtland family held property on the lake nearby. How much did that property cost, he wondered? And that then led into another question: Just how rich was this family?

I mean, Serena's dad does own the cruise line Royal Alolan. That sure makes a lot of money, I can imagine, he thought.

As soon as they were done with their food, Serena said, "Okay, Ash. Let me show you the way to the lake house".

Okay. So there's an apartment they own in the Coronet Range. That's where they ski at Christmas every year. And then they have a second house on the lake, only two miles away from their main home.

This is kind of ridiculous.

Serena led Ash out of the back door and onto the porch. He hadn't yet seen the house's backyard, at least not very clearly. Now, from the porch, he could tell that the yard was a pretty decent size for a Pikachu as energetic as Coyopa to run around in. He might have been chasing a Butterfree right now, for all Ash knew.

"There's a trail here that goes through the woods" she said. "Normally, we all put on bug repellant, especially to avoid Deerling ticks".

"Deerling ticks?" Ash asked. "Don't those give you Lyme disease or something like that?"

Serena nodded. "It's not fun, trust me on that. In any case, just be careful, check your legs afterwards, and you should probably shower as well. Just to be safe, you know? We don't want anything bad to happen to you while you stay with us".

"That's sweet" the young man replied. "Thanks for looking out for me".

"It's really no problem" Serena said in response. "After all, you are a part of our family, for as long as you stay here".

That's an interesting way of looking at it, Ash thought. But if it informs their ethics in any positive way, I'm not complaining.

The walk to the lake was mostly downhill, down a narrow trail through the forest covered with rocks, roots, and moss.

"You need to be pretty attentive at this part" Serena said at one point. "The rocks and roots can roll your ankle if you're not careful, and trust me, I learned that the hard way one time".

By now, they were about halfway down the trail, a mile from both the mansion and the lake house. If one was injured here, they would have to walk a mile in order to be helped, which was obviously a pretty bad scenario.

After another mile, during which Ash became increasingly aware of just how hot a day it was, Serena led him into a clearing with a house in it.

"We're here" she said, pointing at the house. "This one is ours".

Ash nodded, looking at the building in front of him. It was a simple two-story dwelling, nothing fancy. It stood on the side of a hill, and there was a small, rocky path leading down to a small beach.

"There are paddleboards and kayaks in the basement of this house" Serena said. "Of course, since we're not wearing our bathing suits, I don't think we should use them right now. That, and I promised Dawn and Lucas that we'd be back soon".

"I see" Ash replied.

Looking around, he saw that it was a very pretty area indeed. All around the edge of the lake, there were trees of various types. Some were evergreen, while some were deciduous. Some were tall, and some were shorter.

"What do you think of it?" she asked him, looking into his eyes

"It's beautiful" he replied.

Serena stuck out her hand, presumably for him to take, and Ash decided that he would in fact take it.

It wasn't just because he didn't want to disappoint Serena. It was that he genuinely wanted to take her hand. Something about it felt natural, right.

That doesn't have to mean anything, he told himself. I just wanted to hold her hand, because...I like holding hands, okay?

No, another part of his mind said. You wanted to hold her hand, because you think she is hot. There is a big difference.

At this point, Ash would have been happy to cut open his head and throw his brain into the garbage. It was thinking so many ridiculous thoughts that he just couldn't take it anymore.

"Are you okay, Ash?" Serena asked him. "You seem a little...agitated".

"I'm fine" he replied, although he really wasn't. He just couldn't get rid of the thought that maybe, just maybe, he saw Serena as something more than just a friend.

On the way back to the mansion, Ash was once again in a war with his own mind.

Do I have a crush on her?, he wondered. That just makes no sense...I'm not the romantic type.

Dude, stop worrying about it. Soon, you'll have other things to focus on, like your classes.

That's true, he thought.

Once Ash and Serena reached the back porch of the mansion, they saw that Dawn and Lucas were already there, simply sunbathing. Lucas was wearing a swim shirt and bathing suit, while Dawn was in a bikini.

"Hey" Lucas said, sitting up and looking at Serena and Ash. "What is up?"

"Not much" Serena replied. "It looks like the two of you want to go to the lake. Would I be correct in assuming that?"

"You sure would be" said Dawn. "We were waiting for you guys to come back, so that you guys could put on your bathing suits and all. I didn't want to go to the public beach, so I wondered if you guys wanted to have a different kind of beach day".

We just walked two miles there and two miles back, Ash thought. Now, they're proposing that we walk another two miles there and ANOTHER two miles back.

Sounds good to me!

"Sure" Serena replied. "Let's just get changed first. Then, we can go swimming and all of that good stuff".

"Yes, let's" Lucas said. "I'll be waiting for you out here".

Ash went inside and got his bathing suit on. While he couldn't see Serena (and he was grateful for that, very much so), he could only assume that she was doing the same thing. When they came back out and faced each other, Ash said, "You ready?"

"Yeah. Let's just bring some sunscreen".

"Didn't bring any in my suitcase" Ash said, slapping himself on the forehead. "Man, I wish I would have".

"It's fine" Serena replied. "I have some here".

"Towels?"

"We don't need them. It's a pretty hot, dry day; we'll dry off on the rocks".

It was true; the lake's beach was not a sandy one, but was rather made up of small rocks that hurt one's feet when they were walking on them barefoot. Therefore, they wouldn't get all sandy if they did that.

"All right. Let's meet up with them".

They went outside to find that Dawn and Lucas were still waiting for them. This wasn't surprising, since they had said that they would be.

"I have exciting news, you guys" Serena said, as the four of them were walking down the trail towards the lake house.

"What is it?" Ash asked. He really wanted to know.

"I've gotten us tickets to the Billy Talonflame concert" she replied. "Four of them".

"Shut up!", Dawn exclaimed. "Really?"

"Yep" Serena said smugly. "They cost a pretty penny, but that's okay. Every second of the concert is going to be worth it".

"Where is the concert going to be held?" Ash asked. He wasn't familiar with the whole Pastoria City metropolitan area, so he didn't know of any music venues that the band might be playing at.

"There's Titanium Stadium downtown" Serena replied. "That's where it is. And the tickets were $1,811 each, I believe".

"That's unbelievable" Lucas said, his jaw dropping. "I can't believe it's so much. But thank you".

"It's no problem. That's chump change for us".

There it was again; another casual statement of wealth by one of the Courtlands. Ash just couldn't believe how conceited this family could be in general.

Yes, he did like Serena; perhaps he even loved her, as some of his thoughts were suggesting. But even she wasn't immune from the sense of entitlement that came with having more money than you knew what to do with. Nobody was perfect, and some people were very, very far from it.

"What's your favorite song by them?" Dawn asked Serena. "Mine's Ghost Ship of Cannibal Rattatas".

"I don't know" Serena replied. "I like their cover of 'I Can Do Whatever I'm White'".

"Oh, that song is wonderful" Lucas said. "I could listen to it all day. Especially the part about being in Jubilife City and running red lights - that's the best part".

"I see" Ash replied. He'd never heard that song before, and he wasn't sure that he wanted to.

Once they got to the lake house, Serena showed Ash were the paddleboards and kayaks were, and Ash grabbed one of the paddleboards. Each teen also donned a life jacket.

"I'm assuming that you can swim, Ash" Serena said. "I've already seen Lucas and Dawn in action in the water, and they're pretty strong swimmers, but it's the law that you have to wear a life jacket whenever you're participating in any form of recreation on the water".

Ash nodded before putting his on. In his opinion, it made him look a little bit dorky; it was one of those orange ones that didn't go all the way around one's back.

Why do I care about looking dorky around her or not?, Ash wondered. Am I really so vain?

Yes, you are, a voice in his head replied. And you're in love. You're in love with Serena, or else you wouldn't be thinking this way.

That's not true, he told himself. I'm just a 19-year-old dude, hanging out with his friends. I have a right to desire to not look dorky, don't I?

Just admit it, Ash, and make everything so much easier.

"Serena?" he asked.

She turned towards him. "Yes?"

"I changed my mind about the paddleboard. Can I go in a kayak with you?"

Serena's face lit up. "Of course" she replied. "Let's do it".

There you go, his brain said. You just asked her to go in a kayak with you. That's called making the first move, and you're off to a good start.

They grabbed the yellow double kayak from the basement of the house and carried it out towards the water. Dawn and Lucas had each grabbed paddleboards, and they were also carrying them towards the water.

"This really is a job for two people" Ash said, grunting at the weight of the kayak. He wasn't exactly a weakling, but he was no bodybuilder either.

They placed the kayak in the water and then set off. Almost immediately, Ash felt at peace.

Yes, he was under the stress of having classes start a few days from now, as well as trying to puzzle out whether or not he liked Serena. And then there was the issue of whether Serena liked him back or not.

She does, Ash told himself.

You just admitted it!

Ash smiled, grateful that Serena wasn't looking back at him. Ash had gotten into the back seat of the kayak, since he was heavier than the girl.

Once they were out on the water, a good hundred yards from the edge of the lake (which wasn't a large one, probably only a couple hundred yards wide), Ash was able to get a good view of the rest of the lake. And it was a beautiful one.

All along the edge of the lake, he could see various small homes, most likely summer houses that various families owned. Ash and his parents had never owned one, mainly because they weren't as wealthy as the Courtland family.

Now, though, he knew that he was living a life of luxury, and he had to be grateful for it. Not everybody got opportunities like this, and he had to take full advantage of it.

"Tell me about the Christmas trip to the Coronet Range" Ash requested of Serena. "That sounds pretty awesome to me".

"Well, we always travel by train" the girl replied. "Always in a first-class compartment, or, usually two of them. One for the kids and one for the parents".

"I see. There are up to six people per compartment, right?"

"Yeah" Serena replied. "The first class seats recline, and you get better food if you are in first class. And the train trip there is the least awesome part of it".

Ash had been on vacation with his parents a few times, but he had never travelled first class. Now, it occurred to him, he would get to do that. Every time the family travelled, he would be able to travel in style.

And that's how the rest of your life will be, if you marry this girl, a voice inside his head said.

Oh, shut up.

"Ash, careful on your right".

Ash looked into the water, and he expected to see Lucas or Dawn going by on a paddleboard. Instead, he noticed, they were a good fifty to a hundred yards away, minding their own business on the water.

"What is that?" he asked, looking downwards. He thought he saw a blue Pokemon, with a large head of sorts.

"That's a Tentacruel" Serena replied. "The giant Tentacruel, that is. He's over a hundred years old and twelve feet long, and he's been living in the lake for as long as anyone can remember. Trust me, you do not want to encounter him in there".

Ash shivered. "But is it okay to accidentally touch him with the paddle?"

"No, it's not" Serena said. "If you do, you will get stung and electrocuted. My mother once had to treat a man who got stung".

"What happened to him?" Ash asked, purposely giving the Tentacruel a wide berth.

"Oh, he was fine" the girl replied. "But he was in pain for quite a few weeks. Really, you want to be careful about these things".

"As if there was ever any need to remind me" Ash replied. "I suppose you're right".

"Yeah".

Responses to reviews:

Amourshipper35: Yeah, Ash doesn't like to stand still. Neither do I. I might have ADHD as well as Asperger's, but I've only ever been diagnosed with the latter.

Guest 1: I just liked to use a Fletchling; I thought that it is rather cute, and everyone knows how cute certain Pokemon can be.

Guest 2: They're not based on another family. I created Debbie and Dominick Courtland for my own purposes.

Opc3: Thanks! I can't write any slower than this; I spend three to five hours a day writing sometimes. As for those moments, well...you'll have to see, won't you?