Settling Down

by amourshipping

He's finally done it. The boy all the way from little old Pallet Town is now officially a Pokemon Master. Ash Ketchum lifts the trophy high with a certain honey-blonde girl by his side, who returned to him and has been there the whole way with him towards his final victory. But what's next for them? Is this goodbye again? Or is this the start of something truly beautiful?

6. 2B A Queen

Serena's eyes shot open at 5am sharp, as her alarm beeped loudly. She wasted no time at all and smacked it off. Then she was up and out of bed within seconds. It had been a very long time since Serena felt this motivated about something. Her journey with Ash was mostly just her tagging along and supporting him. But now it was her turn. The roles were reversed. She went through her usual morning routine and got herself ready for what was sure to be an important day.

Some time later, Serena emerged from her room with everything packed and ready. They weren't due to leave for another hour or so, but Serena wanted to make sure everything was prepared in advance. Then as she placed her travel bag down by the door, she wondered where Ash was. She made her way over to his room and knocked on the door. No answer. He hadn't forgotten had he, wondered Serena? Surely not. He knew how much this meant to her. She knocked again and silence followed once more. Serena frowned.

'We agreed to be up early…' mumbled Serena to herself.

Then she decided to slowly open the door, a little reluctantly. She didn't want to intrude, but time was ticking and Ash needed to be ready to go. She only opened it a little though and just poked her head in. But there was nothing to see. Ash was gone.

'Huh? Where is he?'

Serena opened the door fully and put her hands on her hips. Then Serena heard something out the window. She opened it and looked outside to the back garden. And there sure as day was the man himself. Ash was already up and doing stretches with Pikachu. He was facing away from her and hadn't seen her yet. Serena chuckled to herself.

'Of course. The early bird gets the worm, right,' she whispered to herself.

Serena decided to stay and watch the show for a bit, as she rested her arm on the windowsill. Serena had been in this position many times before. Watching Ash from afar carry out his morning routine when he wasn't looking. It was one of her favourite times of the day when she was travelling with him last. Plus it was a great excuse to drool over how fit he was without being caught. And Ash was always too focused to notice her. Serena kept a watchful eye on him and almost forgot what she was meant to be doing today. Ash was just too damn distracting. But the drool fest ended abruptly, when Ash unexpectedly turned around and spotted her while doing a backwards arm stretch.

'Oh! Rena! Didn't see you there! Morning!'

Serena's eyes widened in shock. She never normally got caught. It was as if Ash knew she was staring this time. She got startled and her arm slipped from the window, causing her to nearly fall backwards. Thankfully, she kept her balance and quickly composed herself. Serena felt rather embarrassed and though it was quite dark, Ash could see a flush of bright red appearing on her cheeks. All in front of her crush, no less.

'Uh, you okay?'

'Yeah! My arm just slipped, that's all!' Serena laughed it off awkwardly and leant back on her arm and grinned at him. 'Real smooth, Serena,' she said in her head.

'Huh, well as long as you're alright... But hey! What are you doing in my room?'

'Oh! Yeah! Sorry! I just wondered where you were, so I knocked on your door and came in. I hope you don't mind.'

'Oh, right. No worries. You've found me now! Come join me and Pikachu outside! We gotta get in shape for our journey! We've been too out of touch lately!'

Ash started doing squats and beckoning her to come. Serena nodded enthusiastically and rushed out to join them and let out her Pokemon to join in too. It was quite chilly, but the workout would warm Serena up in no time. And Ash was right. Serena really was out of touch and struggled to keep up with Ash. Going on a journey required a lot of physical fitness, especially with Ash as Clemont had painfully learnt in the past. After a brutal reality check on the state of her fitness, the sun began to rise in the brightest of yellows and oranges. Ash and Serena both took a pause for the cause to watch it.

'Well there it is, Rena! The start of another beautiful day. And the start of you becoming Kanto Queen. Time to go I think.'

'Yeah, I think so too.'

Serena's eyes glistened as she watched the rest of the sunrise and made a vow to herself that she was going to give it her very best, just as Ash had done. Serena was ready but there was one last thing left.

'Let's say goodbye to your mum first though. I want to thank her for everything.'

'Sure. She should be up by now.'

They both made their way back in the house and bumped into a half-asleep Delia in her dressing gown.

'Oh, hey you two. You're not off already are you?' yawned Delia.

'Yeah, sorry mum. You know me! Gotta go as early as possible!'

Delia gave them a solemn smile. You could tell she was sad they were going.

'Well, it's been a pleasure having you here, Serena. You'll always be welcome back anytime.'

'Thank you, Delia. And thank you for being so kind to me and looking after me these past few days. I'll definitely come back one day.'

'Aw, glad to hear it! And it really was my pleasure!'

'Right, well we gotta go mum. Please tell Professor Oak that we really appreciate the job offer, but we've got unfinished business to attend to first.'

'Okay I'll pass on the message. But my god am I going to miss you again, Ashy!'

Delia hugged her son tight, not knowing when she would see him next, but she was very used to this by now.

'I'm gonna miss you too, mum. Don't worry. Mr Mime'll be back from his holiday soon, so you won't be alone for long. Take care.'

'Yeah, that's true. I've missed Mimey… but yes you take care too!'

'I will. Bye, mum.'

Delia hugged him one last time and then embraced Serena in a loving hug too. And with that, Ash and Serena said a final goodbye and left Pallet Town behind. For now anyway…

Ash wanted to show Serena the exact route he took on his first journey and guided her through Viridian Forest first. He told her all about the story of the Spearow attack and how he had to rush Pikachu to the Pokemon Center, which they were heading over towards now for some rest-bite. Serena was always fascinated about learning about Ash's past and was surprised to hear all the difficulties he faced. By the time they met in Kalos, Ash was already quite a well established trainer and had bundles of confidence. But his Kanto stories definitely showed an unknown vulnerable side to him Serena had hardly ever seen. He always liked to pretend he was sure of himself back then, but it was all just bravado. And he admitted it himself to Serena.

As they walked in the Pokemon Center, Ash immediately spotted a Showcase poster and pointed at it very excitedly, trying to get Serena's attention. Serena laughed at his puppy dog routine and thanked him for alerting her to it. She rushed over to read it. In big bold letters, it said the first ever Kanto Showcase would be held in Pewter City and underneath it, in smaller fine print was the date it was being held…

'NEXT WEEK!' screamed Serena, catching the attention of everyone else at the Center. Nurse Joy and Chansey looked over and made sure she was alright. 'Sorry! Yes, I'm fine! I just need to start practising! Like right now!'

'Well, it's a good thing we left when we did. Otherwise you could have missed it!' said Ash.

'Yeah, but a week to prepare is still not enough time!'

'I know. But you're still gonna enter, right? You can't miss it!'

'Of course I am! I just need to get everyone on a serious training plan. ASAP!'

'Well, I can definitely help there!' Serena calmed down and took a breather.

'Thanks, Ash. Not just for that. But for everything. Don't know if I could have done this without you, to be honest.'

'Oh, come on. You don't need me. You're an amazing trainer and performer in your own right, Rena. I'm just here to return the favour and cheer you on!'

'Well, I still appreciate it anyway. You're the best, Ash.'

Serena hugged him, but what she really wanted to say was that she really did need him. In more ways than one.

'Hey, what are best friends for?'

'Yeah, best friends…'

They decided to stay the rest of the night at the Pokemon Center and made plans to travel to Pewter to train for the week. Ash thought they should pay Brock a surprise visit too and Serena was happy to agree. Brock was one of the few of Ash's friend's she met at the party that actually made an effort to talk to her. But first they needed to rest their aching bodies. Before bed, Serena was true to her word and called her mum and made sure she got back home safely. Grace was over the moon that Serena had begun her journey in such a timely manner. She reminded her how proud she was of her and wished her luck on her future endeavors. Serena ended the call on that note and headed to her room, feeling the happiest she had been for a long time. She was always happy to be with Ash on their previous journey, but there was always something missing then. As she went to sleep, she felt more whole and started to get that determination back that was missing for so long. But of course determination wasn't enough. The real hard work began tomorrow.

Ash and Serena woke up bright and early again and began the day with another work-out routine. Everybody was sluggish again though and still needed to get back into the groove of things. After taking a break and getting some breakfast, Serena put her Pokemon through some dance training, trying to get them back up to speed. Ash and Pikachu watched on, providing support from the sidelines. Once Serena was happy they'd trained enough, they all set off to Pewter City. There was to be no slacking for anyone at all. Not even Pancham who was moaning about being tired. If Serena was going to do this, she had to be 100% dedicated. She didn't want to drag Ash all around Kanto for nothing. And the first test was less than a week away. There was no time to waste.

They made it to Pewter by nightfall, with the odd pit stop and break for food. They would have got there sooner however, had Ash not been stopped for autographs and challenged by a few trainers who recognised him and wanted to see if they could beat a champion. Ash won every match of course and was exhilarated to get back into battling. He'd taken a few of his old Kanto Pokemon with him as a way of trying to bond with them again. It was all rather nostalgic for Ash as they approached Pewter City, just as he had done when he first met Brock all those years ago.

It was getting dark now, but it wasn't too late. So they thought they would go and see Brock. Ash led the way, obviously knowing where he lived. They knocked on the door and were met by Brock's mum who told them he was at the gym. So they set off a little further to the rock type gym and saw it was open, so walked straight through. Brock was in the middle of a heated gym battle as they approached. Ash and Serena waved and quickly ran to the stands to watch. Brock was surprised to see them, but didn't lose any concentration and remained professional. The challenger was a tough one, but Brock soon got the upper hand and ended the match with a rock tomb from Onix. Ash clapped and cheered and told Serena about how his match with Brock went and how they met. The trainer left with a glum look on his face and vowed to return and win the badge next time. That was Ash once upon a time ago. Yes, he had won the badge, but he didn't technically beat Brock, which Brock liked to frequently remind him about. Brock returned Onix to his Pokeball and walked over to them.

'Well, hello you two! This is a nice surprise! Nice to see you again, Serena.'

Brock nodded at her respectfully and Serena returned the pleasantries.

'Well, I did say I was gonna come visit sometime!' said Ash.

'Yeah! But I wasn't expecting it to be this soon! How you doing bro?'

'I'm good, thanks.' They hugged it out. 'I didn't know you were still doing gym battles by the way?'

'Oh, yeah. About that. Most of my time is spent at the Pokemon Center looking after sick Pokemon with Nurse Joy and I did give up the gym for a while. But I missed it. So every now and then when I get free time, I come back here for a few battles.'

'Ah. I get you, man. I was missing the battling too. Had a few on the way here actually. Felt good to get back into it!'

'Oh, I bet! So, what are you two doing here then?'

'Well, we've decided to go on another journey! Serena wants to enter the Pokemon Showcases starting up here and become Kanto Queen.'

'I see…'

Brock was very intrigued by this and was starting to wonder if there was any particular reason why Ash and Serena were on another journey together. Alone. Brock had travelled with him multiple times, but this was different. He thought it was unusual for Ash to grow attached to someone and stay with them this long. There had to be a reason why these two were so close... He didn't have much time to ponder it now though.

'I heard about the Showcases! Pewter City won the bid to host the inaugural Pokemon Showcase event in Kanto some time ago now…'

'Oh, really! Do you know anything else about it, Brock?' asked Serena, almost getting up out of her seat. Brock tapped his chin.

'Well, no. They're not really my thing, but I know a friend of mine who just got a job as a stylist there! He was actually telling me about it last week.'

'Oh, right! Well, if you could get any information on it from him, that would be a big help! I've only got a week to prepare for it and I'm kind of bricking it!' Serena laughed nervously.

'Okay... Well, I'll tell you what! I've got a week off now. So I'll tag along with you guys if you want? And I'll take you to see my friend in person!'

'Oh, that would be great, Brock! Thank you so much!'

'No problem! Always happy to help any friend of Ash's. It will be nice to travel with you again for a bit too, Ash! I really miss the old days!'

'Aw, me too man!'

Brock was happy to help, but in truth he was just very curious about Serena and in typical older brother fashion, he wanted to see what exactly was going on between Ash and Serena.

'Alright, well you can come and stay round mine for tonight! And then we'll head to see him tomorrow. And you can meet my fiance too! She's making a roast dinner tonight! Sound good?'

'Yeah! We'd absolutely love to. Thank you,' said Serena.

Ash was already drooling at the mere mention of the words roast dinner and nodded like an excited puppy.

It was settled. They stayed the night round Brock's and met his fiance, Olivia. The next day proved to be crucial to Serena's journey. After gathering a bit of intel on how Showcases would work in Kanto and learning that Pierre himself would be coming from Kalos to host them, Serena was left feeling much more at ease with it. The next week was an intense boot camp for Serena and her Pokemon, until it was the night before and she could do no more. Everyone was sitting around Brock's kitchen table, eating macaroons Serena made for dessert and discussing what Serena had planned for her big return to the stage. Serena felt confident (perhaps a little too confident) but at least she wasn't panicking anymore. Her experience definitely gave her a hefty advantage over most though, but only time would tell how well the performance would actually go…

Before Serena knew it, the all important day had finally arrived and she now found herself in the dressing room, applying finishing touches to herself. She put her game face on and checked her hair was as perfect as could be in the mirror. And then in the reflection of her mirror, she caught a glimpse of a familiar dress, which she was sure she recognised belonged to… She felt a tap on her shoulder. Serena turned around and gasped.

'Hey, Serena! Bet you're surprised to see me here!'

'Oh my god! Shauna! What are you doing here?' Serena immediately got up to hug her.

'I haven't seen you since… since…'

'Kalos!' finished Shauna.

'Yes! Oh, my! Has it really been that long? I'm so sorry I didn't stay in touch!'

'It's okay, Serena. I watched all your performances in Hoenn and saw you with Ash on TV when he won the league, so I know you've been busy.'

'Yeah, my life's been a bit manic since I left Kalos…'

'I can tell! But it's so great to see you again. You look absolutely amazing! And I'm happy you're back competing again. I was a little worried when I didn't see you in any Showcases after Hoenn.'

'Well, that's 'cause Ash invited me on a journey… but I'm back now!'

'Oh, I see! I bet you couldn't say no to that!' Shauna winked at Serena.

'Wh-what do you mean?' asked Serena, wide-eyed.

'Oh, come on! All alone with Ash, all to yourself?'

Shauna nudged Serena with her elbow and smirked. She had figured out Serena's crush on Ash a long time ago and Serena really couldn't deny it to one of her closest friends who knew her too well.

'I mean, it was nice, yeah. I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it…'

'Hmm, well I hope it was worth it. Did you finally tell him then?' Shauna asked excitedly. Serena knew exactly what she was talking about, so there was no need to clarify.

'What? No, not yet…' Shauna shook her head and laughed.

'Seriously, Serena? You've been helplessly in love with that boy for the good part of 6 years now! And you STILL haven't told him how you feel?' Serena sighed.

'It's not that simple, Shauna… Okay. I admit it. I love him. But I still have no idea how he feels about me. And I don't want to ruin what we have now.'

'And what exactly do you have now?'

'We're best friends. Our journey together really brought us closer together. But since Ash invited me back here to his home, there's been moments…' Shauna raised an eyebrow and prompted Serena for more. 'Just moments... Moments where I thought he might kiss me or something…' Shauna bit her tongue and squealed delightedly.

'Wow! That's some progress at least! Right?'

'Hmm, kinda. It could be something, but then it could be nothing. I mean I did kiss him when we left Kalos, but he's not said anything about it since, so…'

'Wait, what?! You never told me that!' Shauna's mouth was wide open in shock. Serena laughed nervously and rubbed the back of her neck.

'Yeah… It was just a yolo thing in all honesty! I was leaving, so I thought what the hell!'

'And how did he react at the time?' Shauna was so engrossed and didn't want Serena to leave out a single detail.

'Oh, you know. He was understandably shocked. But he did smile at me after, so I guess he didn't completely hate it. I just wish he would talk about it, or better yet just be open about how he feels. Cause I don't know how many more "nearly" moments I can take.'

Serena took a breath and stifled a laugh. But she looked quite frustrated.

'Oh, babe. You've really got it bad, huh?' Serena could only nod in defeat. 'You just gotta tell him one day, you just gotta. 6 years is enough.'

Shauna put a comforting hand on Serena's shoulder and then the intercom sounded into the room.

'Attention, performers. The Inaugural Kanto Pokemon Showcase in Pewter City is about to begin in 10 minutes. Could trainers Sami, Shauna and Miette please make their way to the stage.'

Serena and Shauna gasped and craned their necks around the room, upon hearing a very familiar name in the announcement. They heard a light chuckle from behind them, as an elegant blue-haired woman got up from her seat and swivelled her frilly dress around to face them.

'Well, well, well. If it isn't Serena and Shauna. Did you miss me?'

'Miette!' They both responded in surprise. Miette chuckled again, but more sarcastically this time.

'Well, surely you didn't think I'd miss out on this! It's a great opportunity to claim what's rightfully mine and take the title of Kanto Queen.' She walked over to them and held her hand out for them to shake it. 'But it seems there might be another old competition to reignite here, Serena.' She shook Serena's hand harder than Shauna's.

'What do you mean?' asked Serena, slightly weary of her old "friend."

'Well, I heard everything. And I'm assuming Ash is here with you, right?'

'Y-yes… But what's that got to do with anything? What are you talking abo-'

'Oh, you know. I saw him win the league too and I have to say, he's still hot as fuck. Maybe even hotter now he's a champion.' Miette leaned closer to Serena and whispered the next words in her ear. 'So I'm still very much interested. If you don't hurry up, I might just get him first.'

Miette stepped back slowly and loved seeing Serena getting worked up. She always enjoyed teasing her about Ash. When she first started doing it back in Kalos, it was just a bit of fun. But as time went on, she was actually genuinely interested in Ash. It would appear that if Serena wanted both Ash and the Kalos Queen title, she would have to fight for it and she had rivals in more than one sense.

'Miette!' fumed Serena. Miette laughed.

'Oh, it's too easy to wind you up. I missed this. But anyway, I must go now ladies. Got a Princess Key to win, you know. Best of luck you two. You're gonna need it.'

She winked and strutted out of the room with flair. On her way out, Ash came running towards her.

'Oh. Hi, Ash! Long time no see, handsome,' she elongated.

She brushed her hand on his chest and smirked back at Serena, who was absolutely positively seething and ready to blow a fuse.

'Um. Hi, Miette,' said Ash, looking extremely awkward.

'Ugh. Try not to let her get to you, Serena. See you out there later,' said Shauna, as she made her way over to the stage too. Serena tried to compose herself and calm down.

'Okay. Good luck, Shauna!' she smiled sweetly, going from 100 to 0 in 2 seconds flat. Ash walked in and looked a little concerned.

'Hey, Rena. You okay? You look a little tense.'

'Oh, yeah, yeah! Just getting those first day back nerves. That's all!'

'That's understandable. I'd be the same in your position. I know I never seemed it, but I was always nervous as hell every time I challenged a gym! The excitement of it just masked it.' Serena smiled at him, feeling more at ease now.

'Really? I never would have guessed!' Ash smiled back.

'Well, nerves or no nerves - you're going to absolutely smash it out there! I just know it! Me, Pikachu, Brock, Tierno and Trevor will be cheering you on from the crowd. You've got this, Rena.'

'Oh, Tierno and Trevor are here too?'

'Uh, yeah. They're here to support Shauna and they wanted to challenge a few gyms here too. And you just know I had to give them a few tips on how to beat 'em.' Ash scratched his nose and looked chuffed with himself.

'Haha, of course you did.'

'Yeah, it feels good being back here as a champion. And I think I'm gonna really enjoy this journey with you, Rena.'

Serena's face was no longer red with rage now, but pink with endearment, as she blushed and had no control of what her cheeks were doing.

'Me too, Ash. Thank you for being here for me.'

'Of course I am! You'd do the same and you have.'

Ash cupped Serena's face in his hands and moved closer to her. Serena could only watch and pray as she hoped for something special. And then she saw his lips getting closer to her.

'Oh my god. Is this it?' screamed Serena in her head.

Ash pushed his lips out further and further… but they were heading the wrong way! Ash kissed Serena on her forehead and gave her another one of his trademark grins. Then he ran off shouting:

'Good luck!'

Serena threw her head back and groaned in despair. The other girls in the room looked at her as if she was mad, but Serena didn't care. She really couldn't stop expressing her frustrations when it came to Ash. She was losing count of all the times this was happening now. Her lips were literally right there and ready for Ash. She was practically begging for it at this point. If she could, she'd put a massive sign up in front of him, with a big arrow saying "My lips are this way! Kiss me now!" But Ash was just either too dumb to read the metaphorical signs or he really did just see Serena as a friend… Serena hardly ever swore, but she just had to let out a few choice French words again under her breath. Once she had got it all out, she tried to resume getting ready for her much anticipated return to the spotlight.

Some time later, Shauna and Miette returned looking triumphant. It would not be long for Serena's turn now. When her name was finally called, she took a deep breath and confidently strided out. Ash's visit had definitely given her a much needed boost. Serena waited behind the stage and looked just as fired up as Ash would be before a gym battle.

'And now! Let's welcome a trainer I know quite well, who you may know too, who has competed in both Kalos and Hoenn and was runner-up to the last Hoenn Queen… Give it up for Trainer Serena!' bellowed Pierre into the microphone.

Everyone cheered, but no one louder than Ash, who was going absolutely insane in the crowd. Serena could spot him a mile off and waved at him in appreciation for his cheerleading efforts.

To no surprise to anyone, Serena breezed through the preliminary stage and worked her way through the latter stages, until the Showcase was coming to an end and Serena found herself in the final. The only problem was, her opponent was none other than Miette. They both faced each other from opposite sides of the room. They were essentially always friends (albeit having a strange relationship because of their mutual interest in Ash) but this was becoming personal for Serena now. Especially after she flirted with her man so annoyingly earlier. The cheek of it. It was time to have it out.

It was a hotly contested battle and was only decided with their very last Pokemon. Sylveon had put up a resolute defence, but was looking worn out, as was Miette's last Pokemon. It all just came down to which one had more nerve. But Serena was out of ideas at this point and glanced over at Ash briefly, almost asking for guidance. Ash gave her thumbs up and shouted out words of encouragement, which gave Serena the strength to continue. But Serena's momentary lapse in concentration to confide in Ash, proved costly. Miette pounced and launched a final critical attack. Serena tried to react fast and instructed Sylveon to counter attack, but it was ill-timed. The final blow hit Sylveon before she could react and she ultimately collapsed on the stage floor.

'And the winner is… Miette!' announced Pierre.

Serena could only watch as time slowed down and the cheering of the crowd dissolved into feedback noise. She rushed over to Sylveon and held her in her arms.

'I'm so sorry, Sylveon. That was my fault. I got distracted for a moment there. Please forgive me.'

Sylveon stuck out one of its feelers and brushed it against Serena's face. She couldn't actually say it, but that was her way of saying "I forgive you." Serena hugged her tight and then returned her to her Pokeball. Then she got up and acted with nothing but decorum. She held her hand out for Miette.

'Good match. Congratulations.'

'Yeah, good match. Thanks.'

They both shook hands with respect. Everyone cheered again as Miette was awarded with the Princesses Key.

'Once again… Your winner of the very first Kanto Pokemon Showcase… Miette!' repeated Pierre, just to rub it in more for Serena.

Thankfully, Serena was able to shake it off pretty quickly. Coming second after spending so much time away from it, was still something to be proud of. For now anyway. Serena, Miette and Shauna went back to the dressing room to get changed and then walked into the entrance lobby. They were met by the boys who clapped for them. They all congratulated Miette and gave Serena and Shauna their condolences.

'Well, I guess I'll see you around, Serena. The next Showcase is in Cerulean City... Hope to see you there,' said Miette.

'Yeah, I'll be there! And don't expect me to make it so easy for you next time!' Miette chuckled.

'Hmmm. We'll see.'

Miette couldn't just leave it there though. She got up close to her again, ready to whisper something else to stir her up once more.

'And maybe next time, I'll do what you never could and just straight up ask Ash out.' She smirked and waved goodbye to everyone.

'Oh, Miette!' screamed Serena in annoyance. Miette always knew exactly what to say to rile her up.

'Until next time, Ashy cakes. Looking good by the way.' She blew him a kiss and promptly left.

'Ashy cakes?' asked Brock, raising an eyebrow. Ash shook his head.

'Don't ask, mate.'

Brock found this all rather funny and noticed how worked up Serena was getting. Perhaps his earlier theories were correct, he thought. Serena could have easily rushed over there and slapped her, but it wasn't in her nature and she needed to learn how to not let Miette get to her so easily. So instead, she counted to 10 in her head and defused the internal bomb about to go off.

'Weeeeelll, you're looking good too, Serena, might I say,' said Tierno, shooting his shot with her once again. He had always had a thing for her.

Ash shot a piercing look at him and furrowed his eyebrows, but he didn't even realise he was doing it and quickly changed his expression. He just didn't like it one bit, but he didn't really know why.

'Um. Yeah. Thank you, Tierno. Nice to see you again.'

'You're welcome, sweetheart. Sorry about the match… But I know you'll bounce back. You're amazing.'

Tierno went to hug her, but she completely dodged him and headed straight over to Ash instead. She grabbed his hand and rested her head against his shoulder. Ash was a little surprised, but figured she probably needed him most right now, so rubbed her back in support. They all began to walk outside, as Brock came over to Tierno and put an arm round him.

'Oh, mate! You're wasting your time there with Serena! Trust me!'

'Huh, what do you mean?'

'Oh, come on! Can't you see it? She's only got eyes for one man, my friend. And it's not you!'

'Oh. You think so?' asked Tierno disappointedly. He looked ahead at Ash and Serena holding hands and then seemed to get it.

'Yeah, sorry mate. But take it from someone that's used to the sting of love. You'll find your girl eventually.'

'Er, yeah. Thanks, I guess.'

'And hopefully Ash will see what's right in front of him… if he ever gets his head out of the clouds,' whispered Brock to himself.

Ash, Serena and Brock said goodbye to the rest of the gang and headed back to Brock's house, where Olivia had already made them all dinner. Not a word was said on the way back though. Serena was tight-lipped and Ash didn't know what to say, but kept a strong hold on Serena's hand the whole way back. That seemed to be enough for her for now.

Everyone ate their dinner in silence. Serena was still in no mood to talk and everyone else didn't know the right thing to say. Even Ash, who was usually quite happy to chow down his food, wasn't quite his usual perky self and ate it slowly. He glanced over at Serena a few times, who wasn't necessarily sad or angry, but seemed to be in very deep thought. If Ash could, he'd pay a million Pokedollars for her thoughts. She played around with her mac and cheese, twirling some cheese around her fork and then she put her knife and fork down on the plate.

'Thanks, Olivia. That was really nice,' said Serena, as she got up.

Everyone looked at her plate and saw at least half of it had been left uneaten. Ash was tempted to ask her if he could have the rest of it, but didn't want to be insensitive to how Serena was feeling right now.

'Er, you're welcome,' replied Olivia.

'I'm gonna have an early night. Night, guys.' Everyone said goodnight to her. Ash watched her go with a glum face.

'Hey, man. Go after her,' said Brock, nudging Ash.

Ash nodded without hesitation and almost couldn't believe he was leaving his food behind, but some things were more important. He treaded carefully over to Serena's room and knocked quietly on her door.

'Hey, Rena? You Okay?'

Serena was already wrapped up in bed and had just started crying and was about to drown out the pain with some music. She was surprised Ash had come to see if she was okay and panicked a little. The commotion caused her to fumble about, as she dropped her phone and earphones. Serena cursed under her breath and picked them back up.

'Oh, yeah yeah! I'm fine!' she shouted back.

'You sure? It's just you left half your dinner…'

'Oh, did I? I guess I'm just not that hungry! You can have the rest of it! I know you wouldn't want it to go to waste.'

'Oh, okay. Thanks. As long as you're sure you're alright?'

'Yes, everything's just fine!'

'Okay…' Ash was about to say goodnight and walk away, but he wasn't entirely satisfied.

'Can-Can I come in?'

Serena's eyes widened in panic at the mere thought of Ash coming in and seeing her so vulnerable. Her tears had already smudged her makeup and she was too much of an emotional mess right now to see him. She thought fast.

'Um, sorry. I'm kind of already all tucked up in bed and pretty tired! But I promise I'll be up bright and early and back to my usual self tomorrow! Looking forward to our morning workout!' she said, trying to sound cheery.

She hoped that was enough to keep Ash away. She normally wanted him as close as possible, but she needed time to herself to reflect and heal.

'Oh, right. Well see you tomorrow morning then…'

'Yeah! See you then!'

'But, Serena…'

'Yeah?' Serena's heart pounded hearing him say her full name again.

'I just want you to know, I'm proud of you. Today might not have gone as you planned, but you were just rusty. That's all. And this was just the first day. There's plenty more to come and you'll be back to your best in no time. Trust me!'

Serena started to sob quietly and sniffled, but this time it wasn't in total sadness. The sound of Ash's voice always provided sunshine on a cloudy day for Serena.

'Thank you, Ash. I really appreciate that.'

She blew her nose into a tissue. Ash knew exactly how she was feeling and hated that she had to go through this pain, but he was content knowing that he'd done all he could for now. He remembered again how he needed time to himself after losing to Wulfric. He pressed his forehead against the door and listened to her quiet sniffles and wanted nothing more than to be in there comforting her. But the best thing he could do for her now was give her space.

'No problem. I-I-' Ash's vocal chords faltered a little, but he cleared his throat, because he really wanted to get these next few words out. 'I care about you lots.'

There was a long pause as neither knew what to say next. Then Ash abruptly said goodnight.

'N-night, Ash.'

Ash moved away from the door and reluctantly walked back to the kitchen, with a quick look back before he stepped in.

'I care about you more than you can possibly imagine,' said Serena to herself.

She sighed and dropped her used tissues to the floor. She could put them in the bin later when she had the energy. All she could do right now was put her earphones in and press play. Music and contemplation was what she needed to mend her fragility. It was set on shuffle, as the first random song entered her brain and took her away from the world.

Oh my, oh my, oh my

Oh my, oh my, oh my

Oh my, oh my, oh my, oh my

It ain't my fault you keep turnin' me on

It ain't my fault you got, got me so gone

It ain't my fault I'm not leavin' alone

It ain't my fault you keep turnin' me on

Serena pouted and considered skipping it to a sad song. Her finger hovered on the skip button, but she changed her mind and thought the song playing was actually strangely apt for what happened today and how crazy her feelings were at the moment. So the song continued;

No, I-I-I-I can't be responsible

If I-I-I-I get you in trouble now

See, you're-'re-'re-'re too irresistible

Yeah, that's for sure

So, if I put your hands where my eyes can't see

Then you're the one who's got a hold on me

No, I-I-I-I can't be responsible, responsible

It ain't my fault (nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, nope)

It ain't my fault (nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, nope)

It ain't my fault

It ain't my fault you came here lookin' like that

You just made me trip, fall, and land on your lap

Certain bad boy smooth

Body hotter than the sun

I don't mean to be rude, but I'd look so damn good on ya

Essentially, her failure today came down to one thing and one thing only. Distraction. She let her feelings get the better of her. Even if it was just for a split second. Miette hadn't helped either with her teasing, but that was no excuse at all. She would have to control her feelings and emotions if she ever hoped to succeed. It was time to get serious. With nothing or nobody getting in the way of that. Not even Ash. No matter how hard that would be… Serena's quest to become Kanto Queen was truly just beginning.