That moment when you realize it's almost XY's (not yet XY&Z's, phew!) 10th birthday.

I have to admit that when the first episode came out, I turned off the anime after 5 minutes... because of Serena. Yes, I couldn't stand her voice (in the French version) and her behavior irritated me, so I quickly gave up on the season and only started watching XY&Z again when I saw excerpts on youtube.

That's where I think the anime did a great job: from a character I basically hated, the story developed her so well that I came to appreciate her and even count her among my favorite characters. Of course, the romance piqued my interest, I won't lie about that, but I don't think it was enough to make me like the character. Serena is a protagonist who doesn't really belong in the Pokémon world (like Chloe), but who gradually manages to find her place, take on responsibilities, and eventually break away from Ash.

The heliotrope hidden beneath the ashes

It's cold. Serena opened her eyes, the stars in the sky more numerous than when she had left. She could hear Pancham snoring, a crackling sound reminiscent of an electric meter tripping. That's Plusle having a nightmare. She sat up in her sleeping bag and waited a while for her eyes to adjust to the darkness. Obviously she'd made a mistake, it was Minun who was emitting some electric sprays. And when she saw the panda's hair completely disheveled, she suspected that she'd have to deal with another argument as soon as morning came.

It's really cold, the young girl thought again. She looked around for a small flame in the night, but nothing, the dragon wasn't here. At first she feared that he had run away, but strangely enough she was convinced that he hadn't. And the sudden light she noticed in the distance gave her a good clue as to where her friend might be. Gently, she left her sleeping bag without waking her pokemons. What's he doing at this hour? she sighed, rubbing her arms to keep warm.

She felt her way through the fields in the dark, kicking up a few gray ashes as she went. There were only a few stunted trees and low-growing plants. Every now and then she came across a house and wondered what the people living here could possibly live on.

She came to a group of trees that were not much healthier than the previous ones. Their bare branches clung to her pajamas, perhaps to keep her from getting any closer to the strange sounds she was hearing. But she didn't back down, walking on until she found a small light that illuminated the darkness.

The coordinator didn't immediately show her face, hiding behind the dusty trunk to find out what her friend was up to so late in the day. The answer was not long in coming as he used one of his attacks to pulverize an unfortunate tree.

The girl began to cough at the cloud of dust that had suddenly entered the atmosphere. When she raised her head, the reptile was on her level, seemingly asking her what she was doing here.

"You couldn't sleep," she realized.

He didn't look away, but he didn't answer either. It was as if he did not want to admit that she was right.

"Are you worried about the contest?"

"Chari..."

There was that, but Ash couldn't say it was the only reason he hadn't gone back to sleep. A gentle hand came to rest on his neck. He lowered his head, allowing her to continue caressing him. It was pleasant to feel her fingers against his face, warming the hand that was a little too cold for his taste with his scales.

"If you train all night, you won't be in shape for the contest tomorrow."

The flame pokemon turned away from her in refusal. Realizing that she wouldn't be able to change his mind so easily, Serena went back to camp and returned with a blanket, which she quickly wrapped around the dragon's shoulders. She moved aside and sat down on the grass, soiled by what the volcano was spewing.

"I have no choice but to stay here until you've calmed down," she explained to the questioning look of her pokemon.

Ash had no doubt that she was serious. He turned away, pretending not to care, and raised his fist... before finally dropping it with a sigh. He dragged his feet as he made his way to his friend, too afraid that she'd catch a cold if she waited for him all night. However, he had every intention of getting even. Instead of giving her back her blanket, he took her in his arms, hugged her to his chest, and wrapped his wings around her.

Just as Serena was about to ask him what he was doing, the wind shifted and brought ash from the volcano. They fell like snowflakes, the moonlight reflecting off their surfaces and making them glow. The young girl watched the spectacle without saying a word, the heat soothing her. You've always acted to protect me. It was perhaps the first time she'd seen it that way. The first time she admitted that he hadn't fought because he liked it or to avoid memories of a painful past, but that he had fought for her because... You wanted to stay with me.

Route 113, robbed of its last stars by the ash cloud, shivered in the volcanic winter. Serena was not afraid of this cold, desolate landscape. Reassured, protected between the wings, she closed her eyes and... You're so warm.

Ash contemplated the strange sight of his friend sleeping next to him. Friend? He'd been sensing for some time that it wasn't that simple. Latias Airline. H71 Latias Airline, that's the plane she took, he remembered. Why was that important? He often forgot things, but this time he'd discovered a talent for remembering useless details. Maybe it was because this time there was no TV, no pokemons, no gyms to distract him. Just Serena, whose breath slid across his scales, carrying the memories of that airport goodbye.

The hum of the escalators served as a soundtrack to all the silent advertisements scrolling across the screens. The usual weight on his shoulders was gone as he watched her. Without walking or even moving, she moved away, carried by the effortlessly gliding steps.

"Hey Ash! There is just one more thing."

She had turned with that strange glow in her eyes. Determination and courage at the same time, merging into resolution. She was going back up, back to him, turning her back on her dream. The worst decision of all.

A fraction of an inch, a single second separated them. He had to move away to protect her, to protect himself. That way there would be no regrets, no pain, just two friends pursuing their respective dreams. Then his foot stepped back and his body forgot to follow.

He had stayed.

The nightmare on his lips was so sweet. What if it were true? It forced his heart to dance, commanding him to hold her. What if I really did look like my father? He stirred up feelings he'd promised himself he wouldn't have. What if I robbed her of her dream?

Barely blinking, the silvery waves carried her away from him. She would continue her dream without waiting for him, while he would continue his without disturbing her.

He had smiled.

At what point had everything gone wrong? He, who should have been thinking only of returning to his real body, had finally decided to follow her and become her pokemon. Of course, it wouldn't last long, just enough for her to regain her self-confidence. But now, the danger posed by Team Aqua and Team Magma prevented him from leaving. He had to at least make sure she was safe, and then... then... His shoulders slumped.

"I don't know."

The young trainer nestled against him a little more. Contrary to what he had believed in Kalos, Serena was not that strong. She was often unsure of her decisions, didn't always understand him, and had a nasty habit of upsetting him with completely stupid actions. She had made him suffer so much... And yet I continue to travel with you.

He came closer, knowing that in the near future, once he was free of the mask, he would leave her to fulfill his dream, just as his father had done. He would move on so that his mother would no longer have to wait for him. That was who he was, what he had decided to become, and Serena wouldn't change anything. However...

I could believe it.

"Braix."

No, Mom, it's too early for rhyhorn training. Especially since her bed was particularly comfortable and the fresh air she felt on her face didn't make her want to leave the warm blankets.

Braixen sighed and beckoned the two electric rabbits to gently wake the trainer. Minun accepted the order under Pancham's worried gaze.

"Miiii," the pokemon hissed as the blue fur on his paw puffed up.

Pancham was the first to realize what his friend was up to, but it was already too late... Unless a mighty wing pushed poor little Minun away just in time.

"Minu! Nun!" the monster groaned as he came to his senses.

The others breathed a sigh of relief that their trainer had been spared an electrifying awakening. The vixen made a mental note never to ask the negative pokemon to play alarm clock again. But then they still had the problem of Serena not waking up, and a certain shapeshifter defending her with his wings despite his deep sleep.

"What should we do?" Sylveon asked.

The vixen crossed her arms and thought before coming up with a brilliant idea. The fake pokemon had preferred to fall asleep sitting up, so his head hung limply down while everything else in his body remained tensed to avoid falling.

"Love is beautiful," she cooed suddenly.

"I don't think it's enough..." began Sylveon, before she noticed that the dragon raised his head.

The air had suddenly warmed and all his scales turned red as he realized the position he had fallen asleep in. He quickly retracted his wings without letting go of his friend completely.

"She was cold and..." he defended himself.

"Now would you please wake her up," the vixen cut him off. "Otherwise we're really going to be late for the contest. "

It had completely slipped his mind. He touched the girl's arm with a claw and called her by her name, even though from the outside it sounded like a mixture of the syllables "Char" and "Zard".

"I'm awake," Serena grumbled with a big yawn. But when she saw the worried faces of all her friends and the pale sun that had been shining in the sky for a while, the girl's memories quickly came back. "The contest!" she yelled, running toward the camp.

Serena rolled up her sleeping bag and combed her hair. It seemed obvious to her team that they wouldn't be eating breakfast this morning. The trainer pulled her clothes out of her bag and, not having time to find a hidden corner, called out:

"Charizard, your wings!"

The fake pokemon didn't understand, but complied. He wrapped his large wings around his trainer so that only he could see what was hidden inside. Much to his dismay, the young girl was in the process of removing her pajamas in front of him. Ash blushed and stammered before finally pulling himself together and raising his head to the sky. Was she so panicked that she had forgotten what had happened at Mrs Roc?

"A problem?" Plusle asked.

Aside from his trainer changing between his wings and his rising temperature? Serena now not only had her own cabin, but also a real built-in heating service.

"No problem," he grinned.

Suddenly he felt pressure on his wings, forcing him to quickly step aside.

"Sorry!" he panicked, thinking he had made a mistake.

But his friend was fully clothed, her hand still in the air after touching the membrane.

"You didn't respond when I called you, so..."

Ash breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn't nice to play with his heart so early in the morning.

Golden plains competing with wildflowers, fertile lands nourished by ashes without being smothered by their excess. If asked to describe Fallarbor Town, many Hoenners would describe it as an isolated village in the shadow of Mount Chimney. But that fantasy of ten or thirty years ago no longer quite matched the hodgepodge of buildings peeking through the trees.

But Serena had no time to complain about the lack of picturesqueness in this so-called village. All she cared about was getting to the contest on time. But to do that, she had to find the place where the event was being held. Of course, she could consult her navi-map for help, but that would mean dropping her dragon with at least one hand, an absolutely impossible task when one was already struggling to hold on to a flying mount with both arms. As for trying to find the building with her eyes... the coordinator didn't think it was wise to look down when you were afraid of heights.

"Charizard, do you remember the previous competition buildings? Try to find something similar."

Ash would go even faster if he could remember. A little effort, he had come here with May, so... Nothing to do! All the cities and showrooms he'd visited were jumbled in his head. But maybe if he took a little more altitude...

The coordinator stifled a frightened groan as she realized they were gaining altitude. Don't look down, concentrate on your pokemon's breathing and... Why was he still climbing? They were already high enough!

"Why don't we stop and look at the map?"

The shapeshifter sensed that if he stopped now, he wouldn't be able to take off again. The proof was in the steam coming out of his wide open mouth and the pain in his back muscles. And to make matters worse, he felt that Serena was heavier than when they'd left this morning. Suddenly, he felt his friend's arms completely around his neck. Oh, this was not good! She'd done this to him several times on the way here, so he knew she was panicking. And when she panicked, a little strangulation session often followed.

"I'm coming down! I'm coming down, Serena, so calm down!"

Now he was the one who panicked. But when the girl was on adrenaline, she had the strength of a machamp. The four arms of a machamp!

The arms still hadn't applied their pressure, and Ash held his breath, wondering if he would escape this time. His heart pounded as his trainer's breath tickled his neck. She had chosen a new technique to calm herself down: lying almost on top of the dragon and burying her face in the rough neck. Let's just say it had the advantage of allowing him to stay in the air without throwing him off balance too much, but on the other hand it felt like his heart had forgotten how to beat.

The contest hall! Where's the contest hall? Serena, you're tickling me... Contest hall, contest hall, contest hall! At the peak of his concentration, Ash wasted no time in locating the famous building. Once he landed in front of the entrance, all Serena had to do was descend, and the false pokemon had even lowered himself until his belly touched the ground to make the task easier. Only the young girl didn't seem to notice, and continued to cling to him, shivering.

"Char, charicha," he tried.

It wasn't a complete success. But it wouldn't take the coordinator hours to realize they'd landed. Don't tell him that! Because his heart was about to give out!

He stirred a little, his arms too short to touch her feet, and the movement of his wings made her tense. He slowly turned his neck to avoid her reflexively tightening her arms until he could see her.

"Flying with me scares you that much?"

He grazed her cheek with the tip of his muzzle. It wasn't nice to tremble so much, to breathe so fast, to close her eyes so tightly when... He was there. He would catch her. He wouldn't let her fall.

Blue. The beautiful blue of those eyes, both lost and ashamed. So close, he could make out the nuances of the iris, the luminous reflections that lived near the pupils. Those eyes... how could he ignore them again?

"Registration!" she remembered with a cry.

She rushed into the building without checking if the dragon was following her. Just as well, he needed some fresh air and time to regain full awareness of where he was.

As he waited for her, he remembered the aching muscles, his exhausted lungs, his wings so hot he could have used them as a hotplate. Fatigue, no surprise after all the way he'd just come, carrying the trainer on his back. Just as there was nothing strange about his heart beating so hard after such an effort... He touched his fingertips to his chest, the movements that had caused him so much pain echoing through the wall. Blame it on the effort, blame it on the fatigue and... maybe a little bit on Serena.

When the trainer appeared, the former human sensed that things had not gone according to plan. Her pale skin, the way she avoided his gaze as she approached him. Had they really arrived too late? After the sprint he'd made...

"Ch-Char?" he asked worriedly.

Serena swallowed. She could see the smoke coming from the edge of the dragon's lips, and she didn't know how he would react to the news.

"We're not late," she assured him with a strained smile.

"Chari," the former human breathed in relief.

"We're actually a little early," she added, trying to remain as natural as possible.

"Zard?" asked the suddenly suspicious fake pokemon.

He didn't have to look at her like that! Well, maybe she should have taken the time to double-check the date instead of blindly trusting Wattson.

"So you see, I'm sure you're going to laugh, but... It turns out... I assure you, it's really silly."

"Char?"

Serena shuffled her fingers, carefully avoiding the shapeshifter's gaze. She had to tell him, and then... She preferred not to imagine what would happen next.

"That means the contest doesn't start until tomorrow," she admitted, "and so do the entries."

"Zard!?"

She lowered her head, knowing full well that she'd gotten him halfway across Route 113 in record time, only to tell him he'd rushed for nothing.

"Think of it as a chance to tie up loose ends."

Serena didn't put much heart into her excuse, and for good reason: her pokemon knew full well that those famous details could be worked out in town as well as on the road.

"Not to mention, it would give nurse Joy more time to make sure everything's okay."

A little better, but she didn't like the way the dragon approached. He kept his head down, his long neck a barrier that prevented her from backing up in a straight line. She made an arc, trying to get around him, but soon found herself pinned against a bench.

"And..."

She collapsed onto the bench and looked behind her, telling herself that the backrest wasn't that high and that going over it was still a good option.

"I can cook you something fresh!"

She hadn't expected that excuse to work, but her pokemon calmed down immediately.

"Chari," he said contentedly.

Now that she thought about it, he hadn't growled. And was a Charizard that didn't growl really an angry Charizard?

"You were acting?"

"Cha? Zarrrr."

He wasn't very good at pretending to be innocent, especially when his stomach started rumbling. Anyway, it wasn't as if Serena could take back what she'd said, even if he had shamefully deceived her.

"I didn't think you were capable of lying to me," she pouted.

Ash tensed. If she knew... Well, it wasn't really a lie, just a slight omission of who he really was.

"Is there something you want to tell me?"

"Cha? Ri! Chariza zard!" he panicked.

"If you say so..."

She reached for her tablet to see the shortest route to the center, but her pokemon was already beckoning her up. He must have spotted the distinctive red roof while searching for the contest hall from the sky.

"Nothing against you, but I'd rather walk."

"Chari?"

"I think I've had enough flying for today," she admitted with a nervous laugh.

If the trainer was initially pleased to see her monster regain his appetite, she was soon disheartened by the realization that hunger was making him unbearable. As she began to cook, the reptile circled around her, throwing his head over her shoulder and tickling her neck with his hot breath.

To think she'd have to channel that ball of energy tomorrow. It was bad enough that she wasn't sure if he knew the difference between a contest and a gym match, but if he got as excited as he was right now, things would quickly get out of hand.

"You can lick the spoon after I'm done mixing."

What if he took offense at her trying to restrain him and got out of hand? As Flannery had said, Charizards liked to rage against powerful opponents, a mentality that didn't sit well with the grace and beauty expected of this contest. Oh, that's enough! Charizard knows exactly what a tournament is. If he didn't like it, he wouldn't have followed me...

Serena stopped her repetitive task long enough to stretch her shoulder a bit. It was Mrs. Roc who had first pointed this out to her, and Serena was beginning to think she was right. Was her pokemon the type to do things he didn't like just because she asked him to? A bit... A bit like he wanted to please her, even if it meant putting his own desires aside. Serena made a move that was a little too forceful, and since the dragon's snout wasn't far away, he got a nice squirt of sticky paste.

"Sorry, Charizard!" she cried, trying to wipe the stains away with her apron.

But the fake pokemon was quicker and cleaned himself up with a good flick of his tongue.

"Chari," he said with a big smile.

Serena often thought he looked like Ash, and when she saw him smiling like that... She'd have to try to check on the boy. But after what she'd done at the airport, she didn't dare be the first to call. And why hadn't he tried to contact her himself? Was he embarrassed too? Or maybe he didn't share her feelings and didn't want to hurt her, or... She felt two rough hands on hers. Serena didn't immediately understand why he had stopped her, until she noticed that a good part of the preparation had ended up on her apron.

"Char?" the pokemon asked, concern in his voice.

Or maybe he's just too busy catching new pokemons, she resigned herself with a sigh.

The fake Pokémon's flame faded as he stepped back. Why did he feel like that annoyed sigh was meant for him? He hadn't burned anything, hadn't spilled anything, so why should she... How could I be so lame?

She had asked him to step aside, but he hadn't listened. He'd obstructed her, slowed her down, without thinking for a moment that instead of wasting her time in the kitchen with her stupid dragon, the trainer could already be rehearsing her routines for the contest.

"Chaaaar."

"I know you're hungry, but that's no reason to complain."

What? No! No! He just wanted to apologize! Although, when he thought about it, it sounded more like a threatening growl... If only he were an adorable, cute pichu, the kind of pokemon who could make amends by simply... Oh! True, that technique usually worked well, and maybe if he used it...

The last thing Serena expected from her big reptile was to see him bend his head and gently rub his cheek against hers. It was a sign of affection she was used to seeing between Pikachu and his trainer, so it was surprising to discover that charizards did the same.

"Are you trying to cheer me up?" she teased.

Ash stopped. What he'd just done was probably normal for a pokemon, but for a human... His breath caught as he imagined himself doing the same thing with his real face, his real skin against her skin.

"Char! Chari, Charicha, zarrrrrd!"

A gentle smile lit up the trainer's face. Sooner or later, she'd get in touch with Ash again, but for now, she had to take care of her dragon. That energetic pokemon she'd be teaming up with tomorrow, that strange Charizard who was always there to cheer her on.

I'd like to understand you better. She moved her hand closer, taking advantage of the dragon's weakness, lost in thought, to touch the wings. So soft and warm.

"Zar!" Ash cried in surprise.

So surprised, in fact, that as he wriggled free, his tail hit the bowl, sending it flying over his trainer's head. The paste dripped down his friend's hair and onto her clothes as the shapeshifter apologized. This time he was sure he wouldn't get away with it. But Serena just laughed under the dragon's astonished gaze.

"I promise I'll get there one day," she warned him.

Note : It was a quiet enough chapter to let you breathe a bit and show some cute interactions between our two protagonists.

I tried to make an Ash who tries to go more towards Serena, but it's always the problem to make him natural in this kind of interaction ^^'.