Who are your favourite Ash/Serena artists? I'd have to say standreamy and pom_pomta, with a slight preference for the latter. So yes, I know its proportions are sometimes weird and all but... I'm a laywoman and I don't know, there's something about its characters' expressions that makes you think they've stepped out of the anime, especially when Ash smiles while looking at Serena, that side where it senses there's something there and yet can't work out what .
Standreamy also has this side where you can really feel what the characters are feeling and where you can really recognise Ash's or Serena's personality (and then Serena's a class act when she comes to save Ash xp) and it's something I ultimately prefer to the very 'polished' drawings, but where sometimes I feel like they could have come out of any anime (well, that in no way questions their talents, it's just my personal preference).
Bruyères doesn't fear rock gardens
Serena had been resting at Wattson's for a few days, and there wasn't much time left before the competition started. It was time to go, even if she wasn't completely healed. The champion made a thousand arguments for her to stay, but she just waved and promised to be careful. Once on the first floor, Serena took the two-colored capsule from her pocket.
"Charmeleon, you better get back to your pokeball. We have a long way to go, and you're still..."
Ash immediately refused and tiptoed over to the button that would open the door to the mansion. His claw was only a few millimeters from its target, and yet... Serena pressed it instead. He quickly opened the door and stepped out into the street. The trainer tried to follow him, dodging passers-by.
"Why do you refuse? It's for your own good!"
Ash whipped his tail around on the ground. She needed to rest as well, but she didn't stop, she kept going in the direction of her dream. The least he could do was to stay by her side. And I won't change my mind, he decided, and the look in his eyes was enough to understand that no matter what she said, he wasn't going back into the capsule.
The rest of the evening passed in silence. Ash noticed that despite the recent change in size and shape, he was still able to control his body. No doubt because this time his form didn't differ much from the previous one.
Night was beginning to fall and they still hadn't reached their destination. Serena paused and decided it was time to set up camp. She started to rummage through her pack and stopped suddenly.
"I forgot the tent again," she said disappointedly.
We'll sleep under the stars tonight... Ash realized. He walked over to the trees and cut some branches, gathering them into a small pile and spitting out some flames to light the campfire.
"Thank you, Charmeleon," Serena said as she sat down by the fire.
She seemed to be enjoying the warmth of this late evening, and he couldn't help but look at her as the flames danced in the reflection of her blue eyes. I guess... looking at her relaxes me? the shapeshifter wondered. She turned her head in his direction, the shadows moving across her face to the rhythm of the crackling fire, and he was still unable to look away.
"We can try again tomorrow."
He nodded, though he feared he'd get her into trouble again by trying so hard to win.
"Are you nervous?"
Ash didn't answer, preferring to make furrows in the soft ground with his claws.
"Charmeleon, do you know why I compete?"
Why do you? Well... it's the dream you found with your pokemons... or so I think. Seeing the reptile's confused expression, she stroked his head. First he wanted to pull away, but finally he let her go, afraid he might accidentally scratch her. It wasn't so bad after all.
"During my last journey, I learned a lot from the people and pokemons I met. You know, when I first started, I didn't even know what I wanted to do, but... with their encouragement, I eventually found my way."
She looked up at the sky, seemingly remembering all the adventures she'd had, unaware that a certain salamander had been a good part of them.
"They gave me strength, and I thought I could win with it," she continued. "But then I realized that I was only receiving, and I think that's why I lost to Aria."
She stopped suddenly and looked into the brown irises before saying with determination:
"I came to Hoenn so that more people could see our performances and... I'd also like to be able to contribute something to others."
She had whispered these last words, and yet they had echoed with as much force as the rest. Ash remained motionless, lost in the girl's eyes. Serena had a purpose beyond simply participating and becoming the best. She had... a reason to pursue her dream. But what about him? Why did he want to become a Master? He loved pokemons, but what really motivated him to pursue this dream? And what would happen if he succeeded? Maybe... becoming the best was just an excuse to travel and meet pokemons and people. Yes, he was willing to admit that he was more interested in the journey than the goal. There was nothing wrong with that. So... He shook his head. He didn't need to remember the reason for his dream. He wanted to be a Pokemon Master, and he didn't need to justify it.
Serena had looked at the starry sky. She missed her home region, but at least...
"The stars are the same as in Kalos," she murmured wistfully.
Ash, in turn, raised his head to look at the night sky.
"I wonder if Ash looks at the stars right now."
He turned back to her. Serena's cheeks flushed red when she noticed him. She waved her hands vigorously in front of her and explained in a panic:
"It's nothing, I was talking to myself!"
Ash turned away from the fire so as not to make her friend feel any more uncomfortable. Even now, she thought of him, of the Pikachu trainer who was always on the move, of the boy who was always looking for new adventures, new challenges, new friends...
To forget those of the past.
"Charmeleon?"
It suited him.
"What the..."
Pokemon Master.
"Charmeleon!"
The girl's palms against his cheeks. His heart stopped.
"Calm down," she murmured.
The force of his breathing, his scales rubbing against each other.
"Breathe in."
Letting himself be guided, merging his breath with his friend's.
"Breathe out."
With Serena.
"There, all is well."
Too close. Serena was much too close. But the ripple of her fingers against his face prevented him from fleeing. So for a few seconds, he preferred to leave Ash, to leave the human.
Charmeleon could stay.
"Feeling better?"
He nodded softly before pulling himself out of the strange straitjacket that encircled his cheeks.
"Mel," he breathed out an apology.
Serena sighed with relief, reassured that the panic that had suddenly gripped the monster had subsided.
"You're going to be great tomorrow, and I don't want you to doubt that, okay?"
"Char..."
"Say it."
"Meleon?"
"Say it: that you're going to be great, brilliant, incredible, that whatever happens, I'm going to be proud of you, and... And that I wouldn't feel so confident about tomorrow if you weren't here."
A bit long-winded, terribly awkward, and it wasn't really the contest's fault that he'd started... Ash waddled in place, rubbed his arm nervously, grumbled the beginning, paused, focused on the girl, waited for the rest, continued, finished with an incomprehensible growl.
She smiled at him.
Yes, Ash was looking at the stars tonight, admiring them with Serena. She didn't know it, but he couldn't ignore it.
The first rays of dawn began to appear as Ash and Serena arrived in Verdanturf. It was a small town where the lush grass glowed emerald green, swept by a steady, fresh breeze.
"Let's go win our first ribbon," the coordinator announced outside the doors of the contest hall.
A puff of smoke rose from the false-pokemon's nostrils. He touched his friend's leg to encourage her to enter quickly, but Serena bit her lip in pain. Ash stopped, not expecting that reaction. Of course, he knew she was still tired, but she had assured him that her burns and cuts had healed. He tried again, touching the silk tights with his palm. He noticed that Serena's lips tightened and her eyes closed, trying to block out the pain.
"Let's go," she suggested as if nothing had happened.
Ash had no doubt that her friend hadn't been completely honest about her condition. What if her injuries got worse during the dance? Especially since Serena was used to playing cheerleader with Braixen's flaming baton... She's going to hurt herself! he suddenly panicked. He grabbed the girl's red coat and tried to drag her away from the competition area. But Serena resisted, screaming:
"What's wrong with you?"
"I didn't think you'd ever try your hand at contests again," they heard.
Ash dropped the red fabric in surprise and fell backwards. Chaz watched them with a cynical smile on his face. The false pokemon still on his back grunted reflexively, showing all the sympathy he had for their rival.
"What an ill-bred pokemon, you have absolutely no elegance," Chaz despaired. "Let me give you some advice, Daphne."
"Serena," the young girl corrected with a forced smile.
"Never mind, just get rid of this eyesore and find yourself a nice pokemon. Maybe you'll have the chance to beautify my Macherie!"
The former human gritted his teeth as Chaz laughed and walked away. What's his problem?
"Pay no attention to what he says. I'm sure you'll be perfect!"
He couldn't do any worse than the last contest, or so he hoped. And anyway, you need to rest, he reminded himself, I won't let you...
"Serena?!"
It was too late, the girl had already passed the glass door and was waiting for her pokemon. No matter what he said or did, she was determined to participate.
"Let's show Chaz what we're made of," she said.
How could he oppose her under such circumstances? But anyway...
"Be careful," he warned in a whisper.
Little did he know that he would have to repeat that sentence a dozen times before Serena even entered the field. Indeed, the waiting room, always too crowded, was a hotbed of jostling and fighting for the best mirror, and even sitting down was a real challenge. Serena would say she was fine every time she took an unfortunate elbow or knee, but the shapeshifter wasn't fooled.
"Be careful!" Ash snapped, pointing at a trainer who had nearly knocked his friend down.
"Sorry," he said, no longer worried, before disappearing among the others.
"You should save your strength for the fight," the young girl advised, hoping to calm her fire monster a little.
"Meeel," he groaned.
She knelt down beside him and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.
"I'm nervous too. I keep thinking about the last contest and I'm always afraid of failing. But we've been practicing and you've put a lot of effort into this day, so I'm sure everything will go well."
Ash lowered his head, it wasn't a question of succeeding or not, it was just that when he saw the long white bandage that still encircled her neck... And the other coordinators didn't care if she was hurt!
"Mel, charme," he growled, whipping the air behind him... and a few trainer's legs in the process.
Serena grabbed his hand and hurried him to a corner of the room where he could only bounce off the walls.
"Why are you reacting like this?"
"Char!" the pokemon complained, pointing at the girl's clothes.
Serena looked at herself. She still hadn't had time to change because of the crowded cabins.
"They haven't even called the first contestant yet, so there's still time. And I don't want you acting up with the other trainers. You want to prove Chaz right?"
Ash's scales rose at the thought. He shook his head vigorously, making it clear that this was the last thing he wanted. But the others didn't have to...
"Charmeleon," Serena said sternly.
Ash realized that he was growling, his fangs bared. He put his paws in front of his mouth, realizing he'd have a hard time stopping that reflex. She's right, I'm getting too excited. Breathe, calm down, Serena is strong and... A trainer had stepped back, not noticing the girl behind him. Serena fell to the ground with a groan of pain.
"Sorry," he said.
But with his little smile and his friends laughing nearby, it was far from a sincere apology. And Serena gritted her teeth and held her leg, the pain awakening. Ash felt his hands tingling as lightning flashed from the tips of his claws. The boy took a step back when he felt the narrow eyes resting on him, suddenly realizing his mistake.
"Don't get upset, I really didn't do it on purpose," he added in a panic.
"It's nothing," Serena intervened, hugging her pokemon.
The lightning that surrounded the reptile's fists stopped. The young girl breathed a sigh of relief as she felt him calm down against her.
"It's all my fault! I should have been more careful, I'm so sorry, I'm sorry," the trainer apologized. "I know, I know! If you want, my friend will be out of the locker room in no time, so I'll let you have my seat."
"Are you sure?" exclaimed Serena, not noticing her monster's murderous look at the boy.
"Sure!"
Serena had finally entered a cubicle and used the mirror to adjust the last details of her outfit. She hooked in her earrings and checked that none of her hair was sticking up. There was only one last thing to fix: the bandage on her neck. Serena hastily pulled her black collar over it, making sure none of the fabric was visible.
"Mel," the reptile breathed.
Serena looked at Charmeleon's reflection in the mirror. His beautiful scales gave no hint of the state he'd gotten into trying to protect her. Serena brought her gloved hand to her heart. In the mirror, the strong Charmeleon had reverted to a Charmander with torn scales.
"You still haven't explained," she said in a whisper.
"Charme?"
"At that moment, it wasn't just the thought of being buried that frightened you. There was something else, you were thinking about something else, and..."
"Meleon," he cut her off, eyes downcast.
Serena's lips trembled. Maybe he really had relived a traumatic moment from his past.
"Sorry. It's not something you really want to remember."
Barely out of the cabin, the panda pokemon jumped onto the girl's shoulder with a panicked squeal. Serena realized she had just been summoned and hurried to get her two new friends out of their capsules.
"It's too early for you two to be competing. For now, just try and see how it goes."
"Braix!" the fox urged.
"Charmeleon, I'm counting on you to take care of her."
The false-pokemon gave a military salute. Serena still felt uncomfortable leaving them alone, but it wouldn't hurt to give Charmeleon some responsibility.
"No nonsense, okay?" she clarified anyway.
Braixen and Sylveon, annoyed by their trainer's loitering, grabbed her arm and pulled her away with all their might. The young girl had no choice but to follow them at a run. Ash didn't hear her last words, but he was sure it was another piece of advice: 'How to stay alone and take care of two little electric rabbits.'
"Is she going to be okay?" worried Minun.
"I'm not worried about her performance, I just hope she'll be careful," he tensed.
The pokemons managed to find a corner where they could see the screens. Ash couldn't calm down. With every grimace the girl made, he feared she would collapse on stage. And he couldn't have been the only one to think so, judging by the anxious looks on the faces of the other pokemons, ready to catch the trainer at the slightest misstep. But the performance went off without a hitch, and the audience cheered as the coordinator took her final bow.
"So that's a performance," a stunned Minun muttered.
Ash breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, Serena had enough experience when it came to performances to succeed even with a handicap. However, the fake pokemon was not willing to wait any longer in the cramped room. He took advantage of one of the trainers opening the door to slip out into the hallway, followed by the two electric brothers. Ash could hear the little monsters complaining, but he had a bad feeling. And it was confirmed when he found Serena sitting in the middle of the corridor, her hand holding his leg. She did her best to calm her friends down, but she wasn't very convincing.
"What are you doing here?" she exclaimed as she saw the reptile and the rabbits approaching.
"Char!" Ash snapped.
Serena took a deep breath and stood up, leaning on Braixen's shoulder.
"Let's wait for the results of the first round," she decided, ignoring the reptile's protests.
Serena hadn't even bothered to look for a seat and had sat down on the floor. A few beads of sweat formed on her forehead as she tried to find a position that wouldn't hurt her leg. When the results were announced, all she could manage was a small smile before the tension in her calf returned.
"Well done on qualifying, but I think you can stop there," Chaz scoffed when he saw the trainer's poor condition.
The false pokemon was ready to burn the blonde's hair, but Serena stood up before he could do anything and asked as if nothing had happened:
"Isn't Lisia participating?"
Chaz hadn't expected the question. He put his hand in his pocket when he felt the fire monster's gaze on him.
"She told me that you made a promise about that, so she couldn't take part in the contest," he said a little disappointed.
Serena swallowed; now she had no doubt that Lisia was serious when she told him that their next confrontation would take place at the Grand Festival. But Serena couldn't understand why Chaz was here if he knew. She thought he was only interested in fighting the Top Coordinator.
The boy had crossed his arms and was tapping his foot. He seemed to know what she was thinking.
"Ask your question instead of standing in front of me and saying nothing," he snapped.
The girl gasped, feeling that she'd better answer quickly.
"Why did you enter this contest?"
"To win a ribbon, that's obvious."
Dry, brittle, and a slight tone that hinted at how stupid she was, in short, everything Serena loved. Still, she wasn't going to get mad over such a small thing. Ash, on the other hand...
"Charm!"
He glared at the pretentious boy, his flame doubling in volume as Serena prayed to calm him down before Jenny arrested him for murder.
"I don't want to hear you!" Chaz growled.
A cry of disgust, and a grimace as he swung his foot at the reptile's cheek. All in all, Jenny was going to have more work than she'd bargained for.
"What's gotten into you?" Serena exclaimed in horror as she knelt beside her pokemon. Ash was massaging his sore cheek, still stunned by the rich boy's sudden outburst.
"If you'd hold it better, too," Chaz relieved himself, a cloth in hand to remove the few scales clinging to his shoe. "Besides, it's getting it all over it," he grumbled.
"That's enough of that! You're going to apologise to Charmeleon right now and..."
"Me, apologise to that? You're dreaming, poor thing."
"That hasn't done anything to you! But why are you so angry at him in the end?"
Chaz clasped his hand tightly to his pocket, not caring about the creases in it.
"All right," he hissed through his teeth. "You want to know why I'm taking part in this competition when there are obviously no trainers worthy of taking me on. Well, it's to help you. To make you understand that you've got to get rid of this thing. Do I make myself clear?"
Serena stepped back, but Chaz grabbed her wrist, forcing her to look him in the eye.
"Do I make myself clear, Serena?" he repeated.
The blond stepped aside just before the flames reached his face. Ash grunted, his teeth clearly visible. The boy rearranged his hair before saying:
"Don't come back and distract me again."
Serena massaged her sore wrist. She was grateful to her friend for intervening, even if he had almost burned the boy alive with his...
"It was a Flamethrower!" the girl suddenly realized.
Ash couldn't believe it. The guy had pissed him off so much that he'd learned a new attack.
"Braix!" the fox called.
Serena had already been summoned for the first fight. The former human watched her go, doing his best to convince himself that everything would be fine.
"You didn't protest when she asked Braixen to fight the first match," Pancham remarked.
"Serena promised to let me fight in the finals."
"But what if she loses?" Plusle asked.
She won't lose, so I agreed. At least that's what he had thought when she had told him about it at Wattson's house. But the elimination rounds had been enough to exhaust her, so...
"Braixen will win in no time," the panda assured.
Ash shook his head. Pancham was right, it was best to win the fights quickly to make sure Serena didn't wear herself out.
"Pancham, I'm counting on you."
The pokemon put his glasses back on his nose and shook his fist at the reptile.
"You better be good for the finals."
Ash suddenly felt better and pounded his fist against the panda's as a promise. He wasn't the only one who was worried about Serena, the others were too, and that's why they were going to do their best.
The buzzer sounded before the time was up. Braixen gasped, but a toothy grin of victory was on his lips as his opponent's points had already dropped to zero. Serena barely had time to return to the waiting room and catch her breath before she was called for the second round. Ash began to stretch, jumping up and down as he remembered his previous training sessions.
"Do you think you can win?" Minun asked, trying to feign indifference.
Win or lose, that was the question in pokemons battles. But this time...
"Serena thinks I can give something to the others, but... right now I want to give to her!"
The two bunnies stared at Charmeleon. It was a strange statement all in all, especially the tone he had taken. It was as if...
"So you're really in love with her," Braixen said suddenly, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
Ash was speechless; he hadn't expected that remark.
"A pokemon in love with a human! Is that possible?" the two little monsters exclaimed.
"Although it would explain a lot," Plusle added, shaking his head.
Behind them, Braixen laughed lightly, and Sylveon had put her ribbons in front of her face to hide her embarrassment.
"It's... It's not true!" the accused shouted as he regained his voice.
"Human or Pokemon, you're still a fool in this business," the fox continued.
"Human?" repeated Minun. "I think you're taking your joke too far."
"It's not a joke. It's a human being who has been transformed into a pokemon," Braixen insisted.
The two newcomers looked at him with wide eyes, making the shapeshifter feel as if he were the reincarnation of Mew.
"One more thing. Serena doesn't know his true identity, so we're counting on your discretion," Braixen added.
"Why don't you tell her?" Plusle wondered.
"Well, it's to..."
"To spy on Serena when she whispers her words of love to Ash," the vixen chuckled.
"Serena's not in love with me!" he tried to deny it, deliberately forgetting the conversation at May's or the moment at the airport. But Braixen's dark look made him swallow, and she retorted violently:
"You don't have to share her feelings, but you don't have the right to ignore hers! "
The reptile lowered his head and everyone stopped talking. Pancham had just won the battle. It was his turn, and his opponent was the pretentious one, which didn't help his mood.
"What's wrong?" Serena asked immediately.
He looked into her eyes and shook his head, needing to concentrate on the final.
Chaz watched his opponent leave the waiting room. He had to go, too, or risk being the one who was late this time.
"Macho?" his pokemon called.
The blond had no desire to face the salamander. But if he wanted to win his ribbon, he didn't really have a choice. The boy reached into his pocket and checked if the tube was still there. It had been over a year since he'd used it, and he hoped to keep it that way.
"Let's get this over with quickly and then celebrate our victory," Chaz suggested.
"Ma!" Macherie exclaimed.
The two competitors waited. Vivian Meridian decided to pass the time by asking Mr. Contesta, one of the judges, for his opinion on the possible winner.
"I think we're in for a great fight. Chaz's talent is undeniable, but Serena seems determined to win. So it's hard for me to make any predictions," he concluded with an embarrassed look on his face.
The embarrassment was feigned, however. Mr. Contesta and his two colleagues could already predict who the big winner would be. The girl fought back, but she was still far behind the boy.
"Let's try not to mark her too harshly, so as not to demoralize her," Contesta whispered discreetly as he tied back the ribbon hanging from his outfit.
"You're giving her a failing grade already?" criticized nurse Joy.
"If Chaz fights seriously, he won't last a minute," the man admitted.
"That's quite remarkable," Mr. Sukizo agreed.
The nurse and Mr. Contesta exchanged glances. They would never understand the remarks of this little man with his hair cut to the millimeter. The roar of the crowd suddenly doubled, a sign that the trainers were finally making their entrance. Ash felt the ground shake as he stepped onto the field. Ahead of him, Macherie enjoyed her graceful pauses. And Serena? He turned to the girl, who nodded reassuringly.
"Let the fight begin!" the commentator shouted.
The reptile's muscles tensed and his scales bristled. This time he would give Serena the ribbon, and in record time.
"Charmeleon, use Fire Spin."
Flames quickly surrounded his opponent. Macherie looked around, ready to repel the attack. But Ash had already broken through the wall of flames.
"Thunder Punch!"
As in training, the electricity mixed with the flames and struck the fight pokemon head-on. Chaz tensed. Apparently, he couldn't shake his nervousness about the reptile. The boy shook his head to clear it, he needed to calm down.
"Macherie, Round!" said Chaz, spinning around like a ballerina.
"Use Flamethrower on the ground!"
Between the impulse of his legs and the power of his attack, Ash soon rose into the air. The notes merged with the flames and were consumed in an incendiary music. The commentator shouted, fascinated by this ingenious counter.
"But you're vulnerable in that position," Chaz laughed.
The machoke made an amazing leap, his foot glowing, ready to strike the reptile.
"Charmeleon, counter with Slash!"
His claws glowed, and the two attacks collided in an explosion of glitter. The confrontation continued, and Ash felt like the fight was getting easier. He hadn't thought that his recent evolution had advanced him so much.
The judges, for their part, exchanged astonished glances. It was true that the young coordinator and her pokemon were doing well, but not well enough to give Chaz any trouble. And yet, the favorite was confusing himself with his orders, creating jumbled attack sequences that were far from his usual style. Another missed opportunity for Chaz. Mr. Sukizo and his two colleagues waited a few seconds before deducting the boy's points, as if they believed it was all a ploy on the part of the coordinator.
Chaz would have liked that to be the case, content to play with the coach before inflicting a memorable defeat. But the boy felt dizzy. The room was spinning around him and it was hard to stay on his feet. He wiped the sweat from his brow and swallowed his saliva to moisten his dry throat. That strange thing running around the field was a pokemon. He had no reason to doubt it.
"Don't get all high and mighty just because you've managed one or two attacks, your... pokemon is no match for my lovely Macherie," the rich man snapped, his hand on his heart. "Use your Attract!"
No good! Ash panicked, who had seen this attack many times before and knew how irritating it could be.
"Quickly dodge," Serena rushed after understanding the danger.
But Macherie suddenly appeared in front of the fire pokemon and winked at him with a toothy grin, causing hearts to fly out.
"Charmeleon!" the panicked trainer shouted.
Everyone held their breath, including the shapeshifter. Still, he opened his eyes and looked around, feeling no change.
"What... use Attract again," Chaz shouted in panic.
Ash closed his eyes again, convinced that this time he wouldn't escape... Or would he? The former human tilted his head to the side, trying to understand where his immunity came from.
"Is it a female?" the jury's nurse Joy asked.
"No, you're a male, aren't you?" asked Serena, suddenly doubtful.
The fake monster quickly confirmed. The members of the jury looked at each other and said in unison, with a bead of sweat on their temples:
"Insensitive."
Everyone was stunned by the revelation. It's okay, it's not that bad! said Ash, annoyed.
"How can you resist the Attract of my sublime Macherie?" stammered Chaz.
The boy was shaking and breathing heavily, as if he had a violent fever.
"You... little... little..." Chaz articulated in a pasty voice.
Serena was about to retort, but she could tell that something was wrong with her opponent. She glanced at the host, who didn't seem to know what to do either.
"Chaz? Can you continue?" asked Vivian.
He had put his hand in his pocket, his fingers tightly gripping the bottle hidden there.
"A pokemon is a pokemon. A human is a human. I'm a human. Macherie is my pokemon. That's the limit. And you... you..."
Ash stepped back to avoid Macherie's devastating blow.
"Slash!" cried Serena.
Ash knew he had to end this now. His claws lit up, and he aimed them at the pokemon's face. But at the last moment, the enemy blocked the attack between his palms.
"I can't lose," Macherie whispered.
Ash tried to free himself, but the pokemon's grip was too strong. All he had to do was use his flames.
"Charmeleon use..."
Serena couldn't finish her sentence, a groan of pain escaping her as she clutched her leg.
"Mel!" Ash panicked, forgetting about the fight.
"Especially not against you," Macherie thundered.
The two pokemon's skulls collided violently. Ash felt pain, then the world around him began to spin, becoming a blur as his trainer's voice distorted and slowed.
"It's time to stop this fight," he heard the other pokemon say.
Ash felt his body dangling in the air, his paw held by the fighter's imposing hand. He can't lose consciousness, not now. The shapeshifter raised his free arm painfully to grab his opponent's wrist.
"Aren't you going to give up?" Macherie wondered.
Ash could hear the buzzing in his head, he could no longer form coherent thoughts. 'Surrender' was the word he feared most in this world, a word he'd heard many times, but...
"Not while she's looking at me," he said, lifting his head.
His eyes blurred with tears, he felt his grip weaken, and the monster in front of him raised his fist, ready to strike the defenseless monster again. The reptile's muscles tensed, anticipating the shock it was about to receive.
"Stop!" he heard someone yell in the distance.
Ash glanced behind him, Serena running towards him. "Don't come," he pleaded inwardly.
"Maybe it's your affection for your trainerthat's scaring him. So... please don't appear in front of him again."
But Ash didn't listen, too focused on his friend, who would soon be disqualified. Macherie let go and Serena broke her friend's fall just in time.
"Cha..." he groaned.
Under her fingers, the trainer felt a small swelling on the pokemon's forehead. He'd tried so hard, and yet they'd failed again because she'd made a mistake right at the end. Serena hugged her pokemon and whispered to him as she stroked his forehead:
"Your attacks were magnificent."
The pain faded. Ash closed his eyes, lulled by the soft pulsations he felt against him. He didn't think this compliment would be enough to calm him down, but Ash smiled. If he continued to complain, Serena might feel guilty.
"Charme, mel," he said with a wink.
The girl's eyes sparkled as she felt his forgiveness. She nodded with an affectionate smile:
"Yes, we'll keep practicing until we get there."
Vivian never took her eyes off the young coordinator. She had entered the field to prevent Macherie from completing her action. This was clearly a violation of the rules.
"Serena has been disqualified. The winner of the Verdanturf Contest is Chaz! Congratulations!" she hastily announced.
But unlike usual, there were no exclamations of joy, only murmurs of surprise. And then... where was Chaz? Had he left without taking his reward? Vivian looked up at the scoreboard, its chronometer showing zero. Why didn't it change to show the face of the winner?
"Vivian..." nurse Joy coughed.
"Is there... is there a problem?" the host didn't understand.
The judges wore embarrassed expressions as they understood why the lovely Vivian hadn't screamed earlier. The nurse decided to leave her table and whisper in the woman's ear:
"The stopwatch went to zero before Serena took the field. And her score was far superior to Chaz's."
Vivian batted eyelashes, blushing at her mistake. She quickly grabbed her microphone and announced:
"And the winner is Serena! Congratulations!"
Serena looked up, not sure if she had heard right. Joy reached into her pocket and pulled out a potion, which she applied to the monster's head. Ash gasped as he massaged his lump.
"Leon!" he complained.
"You're looking well," the nurse rejoiced.
Serena continued to stare at the woman in amazement. It reminded Joy of the look on new trainers' faces when she showed them her family photos.
"There were only a few seconds left after Macherie's last attack. If Charmeleon had been knocked out, you would have lost."
Serena looked at her pokemon, his tail flapping in the air, clearly indicating that he didn't appreciate the nurse's care.
"He must have really wanted to win, or..." Joy began.
But the trainer had already pounced on her pokemon, giving him a suffocating hug.
"We won! We really won!" she rejoiced, ignoring the reptile's cries of protest.
Joy laughed. Maybe Chaz wasn't in his usual state, but no matter, the rules were clear. For this battle, Serena had undoubtedly brought out the best in her pokemon.
"Or maybe he just wanted to see you smile," Joy finished.
Serena finally let go of her grip. She looked around, seemingly unsure of what to do next. The shapeshifter suddenly grabbed her arm, having seen enough of the competition to know what was happening.
"What are you doing? You have to... Ah!"
The shapeshifter forced the girl to follow him. His gait was wobbly, and that didn't reassure the coordinator, who urged him to rest. He didn't listen and arrived at the center of the field.
"Char!" he called, turning to Mr. Contesta, who was still seated behind his table.
It didn't take the man long to understand. He grabbed a box hidden in his voting table and approached the girl.
"I think Charmeleon wants me to give it to you now," Raoul Contesta remarked.
The young girl looked at the blue ribbon held in place by a gold brooch. But what interested her was that Charmeleon...
"Mel," the pokemon complained, trying not to stagger.
"Your pokemons went to a lot of trouble to get you here. Show them it wasn't for nothing."
"Charm," Ash confirmed.
The trainer carefully picked up the metal piece, which barely fit in her hand and was so light. And yet, Serena could feel its weight as she admired it under the spotlight.
"Ta-dam, I won my first ribbon!"
Lisia had watched the entire competition from the screen of her laptop. She had expected the Kalos native to make great progress in such a short time, but she hadn't expected her to defeat Chaz so quickly. However, from what she could see, the young man was not in his normal state at the time of the confrontation.
Her computer began to ring as a phone icon appeared on the screen with the name 'Chaz' right below it. She waited a few seconds, debating whether or not she wanted to hear her old friend's anger. Finally, she decided to press the button. As she had expected, the blond's pinched face showed that he hadn't taken his recent defeat very well.
"Disqualify her from the competition," he growled.
"I don't have that power," she explained calmly. "Besides, Serena has done nothing to deserve such a punishment."
"So at least make sure she gets rid of... of... Rah! You know what I'm talking about!"
"Does he bother you that much?"
Chaz's shoulders slumped, he noticed a crease in his pants and hurried to smooth it out.
"Chaz," the coordinator called softly.
The boy looked at her, seemingly reluctant to tell her the truth.
"When I look at him, I feel... like I'm plunging into a raging torrent," he breathed, his eyes blank.
Lisia shivered and hurried to reassure herself:
"Your treatment?"
"I took it. I took it today. I couldn't take it anymore after the fight, so I took it... I held out for a year..." he tensed.
"Chaz, I don't want you to fight Serena anymore."
"So you're going to..." he exclaimed hopefully.
"No, I'm not going to stop her from participating. You're the one who's going to avoid the contests she enters."
"But if she ever gets to the Grand Festival, I'll have to face her," Chaz grumbled.
"We'll see about that when the time comes," the Top Coordinator evaded.
The call was finally over. Aly stepped out of his pokeball and rubbed his cottony wings against his trainer's legs. The soft, warm feeling wasn't enough to calm the coordinator. Lisia pulled the brooch from her hair, a pretty colored gem set in it. She didn't linger to look at it, though, and lifted the small stone to reveal a photograph.
Lisia leaned against the back of her chair to admire the picture in peace. She must have been barely seven at the time, just like Chaz, who could be seen covered in mud. Something unimaginable today. And then... she stared at the third child posing in the photo, a little girl in a white dress with arms full of flowers.
"What would you do if you were me?"