XY
"Steel Wing!"
"Rock Tomb!"
A pair of cries rang through the air, rapturous and impassioned, sparking a flurry of movement across the battlefield. For the Gym Leader and their challenger alike, each call carried more than just their commands, but their battling spirits as well—
Spirits that made Serena's heart beat like a drum.
She watched Ash's Fletchling dive, her wings pulsing bright silver as a torrent of rocks flew her way. It was a dangerous maneuver, too dangerous even— But Fletchling was just too fast!
"Fletch!"
Serena gasped, leaning forward as Fletchling strafed to the side, dodging the storm and slamming into her opponent in the process. She launched Tyrunt back before retreating to the safety of the air. It was a solid hit, but she and Ash would need a lot more than that to defeat Grant's ace.
Over on the sidelines, the rest of the party watched along with bated breaths, their excitement abuzz from the battle on display. The fervor from Bonnie and Clemont was running high, but Serena's excitement was off the charts. She could barely register them as she leaned forward.
Her hands gripped the metal railing with a nervous sort of feeling, one she couldn't parse as being from thrill or dread. She wasn't even sure why the battle was making her feel that way. Perhaps Ash's anticipation had rubbed off on her at some point. After all, why else would she be grinning from the sidelines, just like he was?
Her heart raced while the battle turned.
"Steel Wing, one more time!" Ash ordered, Fletchling following his command without delay. If the strategy wasn't broke, why fix it? Yet, the repeat he was hoping for would not come to pass.
"Sorry, Ash, I'm not going to let you use the skies so freely anymore!" Grant declared, throwing his arms out as Tyrunt just barely dodged the hit. "This has officially become a no-fly zone! Tyrunt, use Dragon Tail, into the air!"
Before Ash could respond, Tyrunt leapt into the sky, coming up to Fletchling's level in an instant. With a vicious roar, their tail grew alight with a layer of green scales.
"Get out of there! Fletchling!" Ash commanded, only just barely too late. Tyrunt slammed their glowing tail down onto the shocked Fletchling, sending her rocketing into the ground below. When the smoke cleared, she was knocked out, earning Tyrunt the win this round.
"Unfortunate, but not unexpected," Clemont commented, pulling Serena from her focus. As Ash was spending a moment exchanging his Pokémon, she turned and asked why. Clemont shook his head. "Ash's Fletchling is incredible, speed-wise especially, but this was a poor matchup from the face of it. Flying-Types like Fletchling are weak to Rock-Types."
"Then why did Ash use her?" Serena muttered to herself, turning back to the battle as the final round began— Pikachu versus Tyrunt. For Ash, it was do or die.
For Serena, it was a shot of excitement she only got in moments like these.
The battle began simply enough, with Pikachu and Tyrunt exchanging blows in close, rough-and-tumble combat. Pikachu would sweep for the legs with an Iron Tail, which Tyrunt would dodge with a jump. Tyrunt would rocket forward for a devastating Crunch, only for Pikachu to leap off his face to juke the strike. In rapid-fire succession, the two moved to gain the first solid hit, only to just barely miss and then be forced to dodge.
"Get back, Tyrunt, we can't keep this up!" Blinking first in the battle of attrition, Grant ordered his Pokémon back. Tyrunt was panting after their exchange of blows with Pikachu, and the same could not be said for Ash's partner— He was grinning with delight.
Maneuverability was Pikachu's game. Tyrunt couldn't hope to match it in the long run.
"You too, Pikachu! Let's light 'em up with Thunderbolt!" Ash commanded.
"Rock Tomb, Tyrunt!"
Serena's eyes flew across the field as the battle took its sudden turn. One moment it was up-close-and-personal, the next, it was a game of range and firing power. Torrents of stone and plumes of lightning fired back and forth in quick succession while Serena was still catching up.
It was almost dizzying to Serena, how quickly things turned—
—If it wasn't for how fast her heart was beating in the excitement of it all.
"Send 'em back with Iron Tail, Pikachu!" At Ash's command, Pikachu leapt into the air, slamming back one of Tyrunt's boulders with twice the speed it was sent with. That alone would be impressive enough, if it wasn't for the half dozen other ones he sent flying back by the time he hit the ground.
"Now, Rock Tomb!" Identifying a moment to strike, Grant ordered his Tyrunt to send another wave of rocks at Pikachu, right as he landed. It was an opportune move— Pikachu needed a moment to recover after his impressive feat.
"Pika!"
"Pikachu!" Ash cried as his partner was hit dead on, seemingly too fast to avoid being knocked off the field. At the last moment, however, Pikachu dug his tail into the ground and drove the boulder to a dead stop. Jumping onto the fired stone, Pikachu rejoined the battle with only a minor number of scrapes. "Good job, buddy. We're still in this!"
"I have to congratulate you for holding on this long, Ash. You and your Pokémon have a bond that can beat the best of strategies!" Grant snapped his fingers before he took a step forward, signaling Tyrunt to pull back as his trainer spoke. "But it's time to push where your defenses are lacking— With raw firepower!"
"We'll see about that!" Ash called, his smile growing into a wild grin. "Get ready, Pikachu!"
"Then let's end this— Tyrunt, use Draco Meteor!" Grant's command echoed across the gym, silencing even the proudest of shouts that had stood up till then. The attack's name carried a power of its own, one that left the challengers frozen and the onlookers reeling.
"Draco Meteor!?" Clemont exclaimed, flying back a few paces in shock.
"What? What is it!" Serena's eyes were glued to the battlefield, as Grant's Tyrunt dipped their head down and charged something, a plume of energy growing at their maw. Whatever it was, it kept back even the ever-intrepid Ash and Pikachu, who watched on with caution. "Clemont?!"
Serena would get her answer in the next moment, as the ball of stored energy grew too strong for Tyrunt to hold onto any longer. Whipping their head into the air, Tyrunt fired, sending a blast of energy straight up at blinding speeds. It nearly exited the building before reaching the peak of its rise.
Then, it burst.
The shockwave hit first, sending Serena and the others nearly flying back from the sheer wind force. From there, the proverbial meteors descended. It was stunning, the whole air above them was suddenly flooded by a stream of crashing fireballs, burning red and white as they streamed down onto the battlefield. It looked like it could end an entire city, not some mere battle. What could Ash and Pikachu hope to do against this?!
As Serena looked back to them, she saw that hope, burning bright in their eyes.
"Pikachu! Let's show 'em how far we've come!" Ash roared with an ecstatic grin, sending his partner off with a fiery start. "We'll call this one, Draco Meteor Climb!"
Rocketing forward, Pikachu leapt onto the lowest falling fireball, using his resilient Iron Tail to bounce on the burning stone. That lightning-fast maneuver wasn't the end of it though, far from it, as he repeated the act, flying towards the next meteor in quick succession. Then again, and again! With each swing of his tail, Pikachu ascended through the tower of crashing projectiles, building height faster than anyone could track.
Anyone, but Serena, whose total concentration kept her glued to the whole thing.
For one moment, it was like it was going in slow motion, the sight of Pikachu climbing higher and higher, his feet never touching a single stone on the way up. In the next moment, it went faster than anything Serena had ever seen. Pikachu was down low and in a blink of an eye, he was at the top. He was like a bolt of lightning, crossing an impossibly long distance, yet the path he took was clear as day.
What came next came even clearer.
"Bring it down on them, Pikachu!" Ash commanded, throwing his fist down. "Iron Tail!"
"Tyrunt, Rock Tomb!" Grant called out in time. "Knock them out of the sky!"
It was too late, the next move was too fast to track. With the height Pikachu had gained, he crashed downwards with stunning speed, a bright Iron Tail heralding his descent.
"Chuuu-Pi-Ka!" Pikachu's cry was like the boom of thunder and he struck like the oncoming storm. In an instant, he landed a blow right onto Tyrunt's head.
The battle had reached its conclusion.
Serena slumped against the railing, her knees hitting the ground as she released all the tension she'd been holding onto up till then. Reaching for her chest, she felt her heart beat at an insane pace, far faster than she had even realized. Was it always like this? Did this happen to her when Ash battled Viola? Why did it feel like she had been the one battling, not Pikachu?
"Oh, my gosh," she muttered, looking up at the clearing plume of dust. The battle had yet to be called, but it was a formality at this point. She knew who won— As if there was any other possibility.
"That was amazing!" Bonnie cheered, Dedenne squeaking out loudly in agreement. Her brother gave a hearty chuckle as he rejoined her side.
"It sure was! What Ash just did was astonishing!" Clemont said, readjusting his glasses as the dust began to clear. "The way he just used Grant's Draco Meteor to his advantage— You can tell he's had experience with that move before!"
"Draco Meteor… You recognized it," Serena commented, rising to her feet after a moment, feeling her legs wobble. "Ah jeeze, don't tell me I'm always going to get jelly legs after these things."
"Yes! Draco Meteor, it's one of the most powerful Dragon-Type moves known to science!" Clemont explained, excitement in his eyes mirroring itself in Serena's.
"And Ash just—" Serena made a motion with her hand, mimicking Pikachu going up the tower of falling meteors. "Those two, are amazing."
Serena stood at attention as the debris finally cleared, adrenaline pumping through her veins one last time. The battle was about to be called, and her assured assumption had now come to pass.
Tyrunt lied on the ground, unconscious, before a standing Pikachu.
"Tyrunt is unable to battle!" The match's scorekeeper called, finally speaking up again. "Ash Ketchum is the winner!"
"Congratulations, Ash!" Clemont was the first to shout out, followed quickly by his sister.
"You guys were amazing!" Serena added then. The trio rushed onto the battlefield while Ash and Grant met in the middle to talk.
"Excellent work, Ash!" Grant's voice was proud and booming, as he approached the pleased Ash with his arms out wide. "You and your team's spectacular work have overcome the wall that is the Cyllage City Gym!"
Grant's applause went on and on, giving Serena a moment to calm her racing heart. Between the breath-taking conclusion to their battle and the sprint over, it felt like she had run a marathon today. The adrenaline alone was still working its way out of her. If this was how she felt just watching Ash, she could only imagine how he was feeling through the whole thing.
Glancing over to him, Serena smiled, finding the pleased, albeit tired, expression she was expecting from the boy. He and his team had been practicing for this match for so long now. He earned this.
"For your performance today, this is yours," Grant said, handing over an item that made Ash's eyes gleam. "The Cliff Badge."
"Thank you!" Receiving his prize finally, Ash leapt with excitement, turning to Pikachu and smiling. "It was all thanks to the team and you, Pikachu!"
"Pika!"
Turning and raising the badge into the air, Ash shouted out.
"We got— The Cliff Badge!" With that mighty cry, the team's business in the Cyllage City Gym was done.
Serena paused then, as she looked at Ash and his celebratory ritual. She saw his smile and half-lidded eyes, and a thought rested in her mind for a moment, before it slipped away. It was there, but then it was gone.
Ash looked happy, but not that happy.
XY
"Hey, Ash. Could I ask you a question?" Serena's voice was low and quiet, so as to not wake the members of the group who had already retired for the night. Bonnie and Clemont were asleep in their tent, and Pikachu had dozed off there in Ash's lap.
It'd been a few hours since the group left Cyllage City, and now they were on their way to the next gym, at Serena's recommendation: Shalour City.
"Sure!" Ash replied, a bit too loud for Serena's comfort. Then again, Pikachu didn't seem to stir. Perhaps she should've guessed Ash knew what would wake up his partner.
"Earlier today, in your battle against Grant, you sent out Fletchling," Serena began, her eyes wandering from the smoldering campfire the two were sitting by. "But Clemont said that was a really bad idea, since Fletchling is a Flying-Type. So why did you do it?"
Serena had never been one to question Ash's logic in battling before. She wasn't even a novice. She was less than that— A total layperson. Yet the question had been gnawing at the back of her mind for hours now, for reasons she didn't fully understand. So she asked.
Ash's smile dropped slightly, though it didn't fully disappear. Looking down, he gave Pikachu a good scratch behind the ear, earning a quiet purr from his sleeping partner.
"I already knew Pikachu could've beaten almost anyone Grant sent out," he explained, turning back to her and recounting his logic. "But, I wanted Fletchling to get a chance to stretch her wings, to battle when she's at a disadvantage."
"Which, didn't turn out too great," Serena said, completing the thought.
"Nope, heh." Ash had a chuckle, which petered off after a moment. "Man, I was almost hoping Grant had something else after Tyrunt went down."
"Huh? Why would you hope for that?" Now Serena's confusion was aimed at an even bigger question.
"I beat Grant, but I needed three Pokémon for his two," he explained, scratching his cheek. "It almost felt like I only beat him with a handicap."
"That's not true though!" Now it was Serena who spoke loudly, surprising Ash with her sudden fervor. Realizing her mistake, she quieted down. "I'm sure you could've beaten Tyrunt with just Pikachu. You had him on the ropes the entire time."
"Yeah, I guess you're right," he admitted, a certain cockiness returning to his eyes for a moment. Try as he might, Ash was never not proud of the work he'd done. Yet, after a moment, that cockiness disappeared. "Still…"
"Still what?"
"Eventually, I'm going to be battling in the Pokémon League, and I'll need a team of six," he explained, his mind lost in thought. "If I don't want to lose this time, I can't rely on Pikachu for everything."
Serena processed what Ash said for a moment, watching as he ran his fingers through Pikachu's fur as he slept.
"You earned that Cliff Badge," she began, the thought half-formed in her mind, yet still so certain. "And when you're done challenging gyms, you and your Pokémon are going to be amazing. If you can do what you did with Pikachu, I just know you can do it with anyone."
Ash smiled at Serena's words of assurance, as he looked to her with a familiar fire in his eyes. That fire sent her heart racing.
"Serena, thank you."