The Ketchum Family - An Amourshipping Story

by RazorKeyboard

This is the story of what happens after Ash wins the Masters Eight Tournament. (Amourshipping Fanfic) What will happen when Ash and Serena reunite? Where will their journeys take them? I don't have any profanity or overly dark elements in my story. Things will get steadily steamier between Ash and Serena as things progress. All main characters are 18 years or older.

6. Mastering an Aura of Terror

Winter had arrived in Pallet Town much like it did every year. Due to its close proximity to the ocean, Pallet Town typically enjoyed very mild winter weather, with only a few weeks of near freezing temperatures. The first two thirds of the season followed this trend. However, in the closing weeks of the winter weather, a bitterly cold storm descended from the north and blanketed the town with a layer of snow. Most activity in the town ground to a halt, as they simply weren't used to snowfall.

The children in the town loved the arrival of the snow. Some of the younger ones had never seen snow before, and they happily romped around outside; playing with their friends and building all manner of snow structures.

The adults were less happy. Quite of few of the houses in Pallet Town were not designed for extremely cold weather, and several families had to scramble to heat their homes or move in with neighbors who were better equipped.

The Ketchum household was one of the homes which struggled to keep warm. Delia normally heated the house with a pair of small electric radiators. When the cold snap hit however, the heating was completely insufficient. Despite them bundling up with multiple blankets and heavy pajamas, Delia and Serena had woken up in the middle of the night shivering from the cold.

That morning, when Serena relayed the news to Ash, he'd quickly swung into action and sent a Magcargo home with Serena. The lava Pokémon had soon heated their house back up, and they'd been fine since then. Ash also helped out a few other families around the town by sending fire Pokémon to heat their homes.

Ash's reputation within Pallet Town, while already excellent, rose even higher with this new action. He was becoming something of a legend amongst the neighbors. It made Ash somewhat embarrassed when random people walking down the street called out to him with words of thanks.

---

Four days into the cold snap, Serena awoke like she always did. She spent a few minutes combing her hair and washing her face. During the winter, she'd allowed her hair to grow out and currently her honey colored locks reached down to her shoulders. She wasn't sure if she'd keep her hair this long, but right now, with the weather as cold as it was, she was glad to have a little extra covering on her head and neck.

Once she was done with her morning routine, she put on a thick black sweater, heavy black leggings, and then donned her red winter coat and pair of black snow pants. She also had a pink snow cap, which she pulled down to her ears, and a pair of red gloves.

Fully prepared for the cold, she put on her brown snow boots, bid Delia and Magcargo goodbye and started the trek to the reserve.

As Serena crunched through the snow, she listened to the different sounds which swept over the winter landscape. Normally, there was a low hum of life and activity in Pallet Town. Now, with a blanket of snow covering everything, there was mostly silence, occasionally interrupted by an echoing voice or the whistle of the wind. Serena wasn't a huge fan of the cold or the silence. She preferred the warmth of the sun and the sound of wind blowing through trees and grassy fields. She was glad that Pallet Town had mild temperatures for most of the year and she would be happy when spring arrived.

Serena reached the long stairway leading up to the reserve. She climbed the stairs carefully, making sure not to slip on the small amounts of ice. When she reached the top, she was surprised to find a few Pokémon randomly milling about outside. Most of the reserve's Pokémon had hunkered down in their respective areas during the cold snap.

In fact, during the past few days, Serena had only seen a few Pokémon roaming the grounds. Right now, as she walked toward the main building, Serena could see around a half dozen flying types, a few fairy types and a rock type. Curiously, all of them appeared to be somewhat subdued. Almost as if they were sad or worried.

Serena felt a bit of uneasiness creep into her mind, but she continued on to the main building. She reached the front door and stomped her feet, knocking most of the snow from her boots. She then opened the door and called out. "Hey, Ash! I'm here!"

She heard no response, so she wiped her boots on the mat and walked into the dining room. She and Ash had managed to scrounge up some better furniture during the past year, and the table-set no longer looked like it had come from a dump. They'd even managed to put together a simple living room, featuring a couch, reclining chair, and a coffee table. It wasn't much, but they were proud of it.

Serena glanced around and didn't see any sign of Ash or his usual morning activities. Ash would typically get up and do a few chores before coming inside and waiting for Serena. When she arrived, she typically cooked them a simple breakfast and they talked about what they need to do for the day.

As she stood thinking, Serena thought she heard some noise from outside of the main building. She walked toward the back door, opened it and stepped outside. What she saw caused her to gasp and come to a halt. She looked on in surprise and shock, her mouth partially agape.

There were about thirty of the reserve's Pokémon standing around in the snow. Most of them were looking toward what remained of the supply shed. The small structure was missing two walls and its roof. Some of the supplies were scattered on the snow surrounding the ruin. Bags were ripped open and wooden debris was lying about everywhere. Serena spotted Ash standing amongst the debris. He was pawing through the wreckage, trying to determine what was salvageable.

Serena started slowly walking through the snow toward the shed. Ash saw her out of the corner of his eye and turned to look at her.

"Hey Serena," he greeted her; his tone somber.

"Hi Ash," Serena replied; her tone one of disbelief. "What happened….."

Ash brushed his gloved hands together, knocking snow and debris from them. He then took a few steps so he was closer to Serena. "A wild Pokémon flew in during the night. It broke into the shed and ate a bunch of the food."

"Oh no!" Serena said softly, feeling terrible. She clasped her hands together over her heart.

Ash made a grim expression and continued. "It woke me up and a lot of the Pokémon. I got out here as soon as I could, but it took off and was gone."

Serena made a sad sound and looked around at the mess. "Any idea what it was?"

Ash shook his head. "It was too dark for me to really see it. I just know it was pretty big." He turned and pointed toward a forest east of Pallet Town. "It flew off in that direction."

Serena looked toward the forest. She hadn't spent much time outside of Pallet Town during her time in Kanto. She wasn't familiar with what was inside the forest.

"Is everyone okay?" Serena asked, concern tingeing her voice.

Ash nodded. "Yeah, all the Pokémon are fine. This thing was just after the food."

Serena breathed a sigh of relief. Even though they'd lost the shed, at least no one had been hurt. "So, what are you going to do?"

Ash considered for a moment, glancing at the Pokémon and then toward the forest. "I think I'll make sure everything's taken care of here, and then go looking for that Pokémon."

Serena felt a small spike of concern inside of her. "Oh, you want to go after it?"

Ash nodded. "Yeah. If it thinks it can get food by coming here, it'll be back. It might destroy something else, or hurt some of the Pokémon."

Serena didn't like the idea of Ash chasing after some big wild Pokémon, but she couldn't find fault in his reasoning. "So, what will you do if you find it?" she asked softly.

Ash gave a small smile. "Well, hopefully I can reason with it. Maybe tell it to go somewhere else." Ash's expression then became more serious and he pulled a pair of empty Pokéballs from his pocket. "If not, I'll have to catch it. I can't have it roaming free if it's going to keep coming here." He looked Serena straight in the eye. "Would you like to come along?" he asked, sounding eager to have her at his side.

Serena felt her throat tighten. The last thing she wanted to do was go traipsing through a forest she didn't know looking for a potentially dangerous Pokémon, who had already destroyed a building on the reserve. However, she couldn't let Ash go on his own. What if the Pokémon attacked him and he got hurt or worse!

"Sure," Serena managed.

Ash smiled. "Great, let's get things taken care of here and then we can get going."

---

It took Ash and Serena roughly an hour to get the Pokémon on the reserve settled. Once that was done, Ash brought Lucario and Gengar into their Pokéballs, and along with Pikachu, prepared to set out into the forest. Serena, feeling extremely apprehensive, brought along all her Pokémon. Inside, she hoped their search would end in failure and they wouldn't find whatever destroyed the shed. She knew it was a terrible attitude to have, but she couldn't shake a feeling of dread that clawed at her heart.

With it not yet noon, the two trainers set off in the direction the mystery Pokémon had fled the night before. They traveled several miles before Ash finally saw the first sign they were on the right track. He located an empty and torn bag of Pokémon food, lying in the snow. There weren't any tracks he could see, so they continued on.

As they moved further into the forest, Serena became more and more nervous. Her overactive imagination kept envisioning some massive beast pouncing on them from the trees or descending from the sky. At one point, a branch on a tree a short distance from them broke, making a sharp crack, followed by a loud whump of snow hitting the ground. Serena jumped in fright and gasped loudly, nearly screaming in terror.

Ash and Serena exchanged looks after that. Serena was embarrassed and admitted to being a bit scared of the situation. Ash gave her some reassuring words and they continued onward. Within a short while though, Serena was starting to feel frightened again. Ash took notice, pulled her close and put an arm around her shoulder. Serena was a little surprised by the action, but was immensely grateful. She felt most of her fears melt away and started thinking less about the wild Pokémon they were chasing and more about how being close to Ash made her feel.

As they kept walking, Ash first found another empty bag of Pokémon food, and then a chunk of the shed's roof. He guessed they were getting close to wherever the Pokémon was living. They started watching their surroundings more carefully, wary of stumbling onto the wild monster.

It was Ash who first spotted the small cave. They'd traveled far enough into the forest that they'd encountered a small rocky tree-covered cliff face. There were a few recesses in the rocks, and it looked like one of them had been used by the wild Pokémon as a shelter. There were several torn bags of Pokémon food nearby, and some debris from the shed. Serena felt some of her fear return, but it soon faded as the Pokémon didn't seem to be nearby.

Ash walked around the area surrounding the cave. The snow was greatly disturbed here and Ash searched it for any clues of what sort of Pokémon they were dealing with. After a few minutes of scanning the ground, he shook his head.

"I don't see any tracks," he said, sounding puzzled. "It's like whatever it is just drags itself along the ground."

Pikachu sniffed the area, but looked downcast. It seemed he couldn't come up with an answer either.

"What do you want to do?" Serena asked.

Ash thought for a moment. "Well, if it's still staying here, it should come back at some point. If we wait, maybe it'll return."

Serena wasn't crazy about the idea, but she agreed. Ash searched and found a good hiding place amongst some brush in a place downwind of the cave. He and Serena sat down in the brush with Pikachu and started to wait.

Time passed and the sun slowly moved across the sky. Serena guessed that they'd been waiting for about two hours. Despite all her winter clothing, she was beginning to feel a bit cold. She started to shiver a bit and tucked her hands underneath her armpits, trying to warm up some part of herself.

Ash again took notice of her situation and invited her to scoot next to him. Serena gladly did so, and nestled up against Ash so they were side-by-side. It was virtually impossible for them to share body heat due to the cold and their many layers of clothing and coats. Nonetheless, after a few minutes, Serena felt much warmer sitting next to Ash.

She thought it ironic that what had started out as a potentially dangerous expedition had turned into something that was borderline romantic. She glanced to her left at Ash. His face was only a few inches from hers. She felt herself blush a bit, and for a moment, she gave herself over to her feelings. She leaned her head to the left and let her cheek rest against the side of Ash's face. She immediately felt a sharp pang of discomfort as a hundred or more tiny spines poked into her cheek.

"OW!" Serena said reflexively. She flinched her head away from Ash, surprised by the sensation. Both of them turned their heads toward each other. Both had a look of puzzlement on their face.

Serena focused her gaze on Ash's cheek. She thought she could see a bunch of tiny hairs scattered across his skin. She quickly pulled the glove off her left hand and reached up toward his cheek.

Ash looked at her hand with curiosity but didn't move as Serena gently brushed the back of her fingers upward, against the tiny hairs.

"Ash… are you….. growing a beard?" Serena said, forming the words very slowly.

Ash suddenly looked self-conscious. He reached up and touched his face. "Oh, yeah….. I guess so," he said sheepishly.

Serena stared at Ash, her mouth partially agape. "When…. did this start?" she said still processing what she was observing.

Ash continued to look embarrassed. "I think a few weeks ago." He gave an attempt at a smile. "I guess I'm gonna have to shave," he said with a lighthearted laugh.

Serena made a happy sound and smiled at Ash. She knew there were a lot of implications of Ash growing a beard, but right now, she just knew it made her feel excited and fascinated.

They spent a few minutes in awkward silence exchanging glances and expressions. They'd almost completely forgotten about the real reason they were in the forest when Pikachu's ears suddenly perked up and the electric Pokémon quietly called out a warning.

Ash and Serena first appeared puzzled and then understood Pikachu's meaning. They both looked around, surveying their surroundings as best they could from inside the bush.

From above the forest, there was the sound of rushing air, and they saw the dark form of something pass quickly overhead. They couldn't clearly see what the Pokémon was due to the amount of foliage blocking their view. It seemed fairly big and was colored black and dark blue.

The Pokémon temporarily disappeared out of sight and then flew by a short distance away. As this happened, Serena felt her heart begin to pound within her chest. Fear started to gnaw at the edges of her mind and her breathing became more rapid. She didn't know what this Pokémon was, but she desperately hoped it wouldn't hurt any of them.

The Pokémon passed over two more times and then swooped down to land at the small cave. As it descended, it knocked a bunch of snow down from the trees and kicked up a huge whirling cloud of white powder as it flapped its wings. It took several seconds for the cloud of snow to settle, and when they could finally make out what the Pokémon was; Ash gritted his teeth and Serena clamped a hand over her mouth to keep from crying out in dismay.

Serena didn't have Ash's massive knowledge of the world's Pokémon, but she was familiar with this one. A Hydreigon! One of the most brutal and aggressive Pokémon on the planet.

The monster was extremely distinctive. It featured three long-necked heads growing out of a large bulbous body. The central head contained the brain of the creature, while the other heads to either side were merely additional mouths; possessing black markings similar to eyes, but no individual intelligence or vision. The heads and underside of the body were colored a dark blue. A pair of fuchsia stripes ran along the underside of the body; originating from each side of the base of the central neck and wrapping underneath the body to where they merged into a large tail. The creature also possessed six small, black, ribbon-like wings, which sprouted out of its back. The back and necks of the Hydreigon were covered in a thick, black fur. A muscular tail sprouted out of the backside of the creature, the underside of which also featured a fuchsia stripe. Finishing off its terrifying appearance, the creature possessed a pair of thick legs, which lacked any sort of heel or foot, just a trio of small digits.

As scary as the Hydreigon appeared, the reality was even worse. Serena had learned about the creature at a young age when she'd done a school report about dragon Pokémon. In her research, she'd learned that Hydreigon attacked almost anything on sight, and didn't hesitate to destroy and consume whatever it perceived as a foe. Entire villages in Unova had been wiped out by the beast, and it was often featured as a villain in cheap, Pokémon disaster movies.

'And this thing came to Pallet Town last night!' Serena's mind wailed. 'This thing came to the Pokémon reserve last night!'

Beside her, Ash sighed. "How did one of those find its way here?" he said quietly. Hydreigon were not native to Kanto, and the Pokémon, by all rights, shouldn't have been there at all.

Serena was starting to feel sick. Her stomach was in knots, she was beginning to sweat and her breathing was becoming quick and ragged. Her mind flashed back to images of the giant rock in Kalos and the huge tree-like growths which had laid waste to Lumiose City. She shook her head, trying to banish the terrifying memories.

'Keep it together Serena! You can't fall apart now!' She thought.

Ash straightened his hat and looked at Pikachu. "Ready buddy?" he whispered.

Pikachu nodded and gave an affirming cry.

"Ready Serena?" Ash asked, glancing over at her.

Serena swallowed hard and managed a shaky reply. "Y-yeah, a-all ready."

The Hydreigon currently had its back to them. It had dropped something off at the entrance of the cave and it was rapidly eating it. Its three heads quickly darted forward and backward as it consumed the food.

Ash stood up and moved out of the bush.

Serena, her legs shaking, and stomach churning, stood as well. She tentatively stepped up beside Ash.

Ash suddenly called out. "HYDREIGON! I WANT TO TALK WITH YOU!"

Serena jumped and gasped in horror.

The Hydreigon immediately turned on them. It made a squealing sound, its center head darting left then right as it assessed what it was facing. It then made a quick roar, flapped all six of its wings and began rapidly gliding toward them.

"ASH!" Serena screamed in utter dismay.

Ash looked a little surprised at the intensity of Serena's words. "I had to try and talk with it," he said quietly.

Both of them turned to look at the oncoming three-headed dragon. Ash took action first. "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" he commanded.

Pikachu reacted and jumped into the air. The electric mouse cried out and charged a bolt of electricity. He unleashed it a moment later, sending the glowing yellow lance arcing into the Hydreigon.

The beast took the hit, flinched slightly, and roared in fury. It dove for Pikachu, snapping its heads aggressively.

"Dodge it!" Ash screamed.

Pikachu leapt into the air a moment before the Hydreigon collided with the earth. Two of its heads bit into the ground where Pikachu had been a second earlier. The third head suddenly lashed out toward Ash, but he jumped backward, out of reach.

Serena rapidly backpedaled away from the Hydreigon. Her heart nearly burst as she watched the creature snap at Ash. She fumbled in her pocket for Sylveon's Pokéball. She knew the Hydreigon was a dark/dragon type, so Sylveon's fairy attacks would be devastating against it. After what felt like an eternity, she pulled the red/white sphere free and enlarged it.

"Sylveon! GO!" she screamed, throwing the Pokéball.

Her Pokéball snapped open and white light flew forward onto the snow, dissipating to reveal Pancham.

Serena gasped in dismay as she realized she'd grabbed the wrong Pokéball. "Oh no!" She exclaimed, and immediately started trying to retrieve Sylveon's Pokéball. In her rush, she forgot about the ball she'd just thrown. As a result, Pancham's returning Pokéball smacked into her face, causing her to cry out in surprise and pain.

Serena reached down and grabbed Pancham's Pokéball. She was about to recall her Pokémon, when she saw Ash and Pikachu battling with the Hydreigon; or rather, trying to stay away from the Hydreigon.

The three-headed monster was snapping rapidly at Pikachu with its two side heads, while the center one was launching Dragon Pulse attacks. Pikachu was frantically jumping and dodging. In between the Hydreigon's attacks, Pikachu struck with Iron Tail and launched Electroweb attacks. For a few seconds, Serena could only stand with her mouth agape as she watched Pikachu repeatedly dodge death by mere inches. She finally realized she had to do something.

She looked toward Pancham. She knew the correct move was to order him to use either Ice Punch or Arm Thrust. However, as she thought about how those attacks would play out, she kept seeing Pancham being gobbled up in a single bite the moment he got close to the Hydreigon. She couldn't order those attacks. Dark Pulse was useless, so there was only one option.

"Use Stone Edge!" Serena shouted, pointing at the Hydreigon.

Pancham pounded the ground, and a large column of shining, blue rock began springing out of the ground, traveling toward the rampaging dragon. A final pillar of rock burst up underneath the Hydreigon, slamming into its belly. The monster roared and chewed apart the rock in barely a second. It then glared at Pancham and unleashed a Dragon Pulse at him.

"PANCHAM! DODGE!" Serena yelled.

The tiny panda jumped out of the way, tumbled across the snow, and ended up in a standing position.

Its attention now drawn, the Hydreigon coiled up, unleashed an earsplitting screech and then sprang forward, charging toward Pancham; its mouths snapping hungrily.

"NOO!" Serena screamed, pointing the Pokéball at Pancham and recalling him.

With Pancham having disappeared, the Hydreigon skidded to a stop and looked toward the next visible target; Serena. The preteen girl felt completely frozen in place as she stared back at the beast. The Hydreigon huffed and turned its body toward her, preparing to attack. As it did so, Serena heard Ash cry out and a powerful bolt of electricity shot across the battlefield and slammed into the dragon.

The Hydreigon roared in anger and wheeled around to face Pikachu.

It took Serena a moment to unfreeze. When she did, she gasped for breath, stowed Pancham's Pokéball and retrieved Sylveon's. She doubled-checked to make sure it was the correct one, then tossed it forward.

"Sylveon," Serena shrieked, her voice breaking from how terrified she was.

To her relief, Sylveon materialized on the snow in front of her. Serena looked toward the rampaging Hydreigon. The beast was currently trying to get at Pikachu. Ash had changed tactics and Pikachu was launching Electroweb attacks at the dragon's three heads. Because of its blind rage and insatiable hunger, the monstrous Pokémon wasn't so concerned about dodging attacks. As such, after a few exchanges, Pikachu managed to enwrap each head within an electric web.

Not hesitating, Ash threw a Pokéball at the Hydreigon. Serena felt a brief burst of elation as she watched the empty Pokéball strike the body of the large creature and engulf it in a red capture field. The Hydreigon gave one final roar and then was taken inside the Pokéball.

Serena's relief was short-lived. Before the Pokéball could even fall to the ground, the Hydreigon burst out of it with such force that the device was shattered into several pieces.

Ash was dismayed, and Serena was horrified.

The Hydreigon landed back on the snow, snorting loudly and shaking its central head in an effort to regain its bearings. Before Ash could even react, the Hydreigon spotted Sylveon and quickly turned to face her. Having identified the fairy Pokémon as a genuine threat to itself, the beast unleashed a roar that shook the forest. It lowered its heads, spread its wings, and with a bounding leap from its legs, took to the air and charged toward Sylveon. The monster rapidly beats its wings, surging faster and faster as it skimmed just above the snow.

Serena stood just behind Sylveon, watching all this unfold. She saw the Hydreigon barreling toward them like a runaway locomotive. She felt like curling into a ball, but she managed to stay upright. She knew Sylveon could stop the oncoming dragon. Either of her fairy attacks, Fairy Wind or Moonblast would devastate the Hydreigon. Serena took a shuddering breath and called out the command.

"Sylveon! FAIRYBLAST!"

Sylveon looked surprised and confused. She glanced back at Serena, not knowing what to do.

Serena felt mortified. "No! Uh! That's not it!" she whimpered. She looked at Sylveon and then at the oncoming Hydreigon. In her mind's eye, she saw the monster snap up Sylveon in one bite and then come for her.

Serena simply froze up as fear overwhelmed every one of her senses. Unable to move; unable to speak; she could only watch as her doom sped toward her.

Disturbed by what she was seeing, Sylveon glanced at the quickly closing Hydreigon and then back at Serena. The Pokémon realized that no command was going to be given, and so she cried out and frantically began spinning up a Fairy Wind attack; desperate to protect her trainer.

Sylveon was too late though. There was not enough time for her to properly form the attack before the dragon would impact her.

A moment before the Hydreigon's central head bit down on Sylveon, a flash of white light came streaking across the battlefield, toward the beast. As the light reached the Hydreigon, it resolved itself into Lucario. The Aura Pokemon was already rotated into a flying kick and slammed feet-first into the central neck of the Hydreigon, knocking it away from Sylveon and Serena.

The Hydreigon screamed as it crashed onto its side. The impact threw up a large cloud of snow, partially concealing the Pokémon. The three-headed dragon tried to regain its footing, but Lucario was on it immediately, unleashing a furious barrage of Bullet Punches. The Hydreigon began thrashing frantically, kicking up a huge cloud of powered snow which concealed the two clashing Pokémon from view.

"Serena!" Ash called out desperately.

The sound of Ash's voice snapped Serena out of her trance-like state. She gasped in a breath and turned to look at him.

"A-ash!" she cried out weakly. Tears beginning to stream down her face.

Ash finished running through the snow and reached Serena's side. He looked extremely concerned and firmly grasped hold of her shoulder. Serena was so out of her mind with fear that she just stood still; trembling and sniffling back tears.

Keeping a hold of Serena, Ash turned toward the whirling snow cloud where Lucario and the Hydreigon were battling. He stepped so he was shielding Serena from the sight.

There was the sound of a large impact from within the cloud and Lucario flew upward out of the cloud. The aura Pokémon performed a backflip in midair and landed on the ground in a fighting pose. The snow cloud began to settle allowing Ash to once again see the Hydreigon. The monster's strength looked to be flagging. It had noticeable abrasions and was moving slower than before.

Ash looked at Serena and then at Sylveon. "Sylveon use Moonblast," Ash said, pointing at the Hydreigon.

Sylveon eagerly complied. She trusted Ash almost as much as Serena and wanted to inflict some payback on the monster that had nearly harmed her trainer. The fairy Pokémon forcefully cried out, charged a pink sphere of energy and launched it at the dragon.

The Moonblast slammed into the Hydreigon's body, causing an explosion and knocking it to the ground. The beast emitted a distressed cry and struggled to rise to its feet. The dragon suddenly spread its black wings, and Ash realized that it was preparing to flee. He quickly pulled his second and last Pokéball from his pocket, reared back and hurled it at the monster.

The Pokéball flew through the air and impacted the Hydreigon a moment before it could take to the air. The Pokémon screamed in defiance and was taken inside the Pokéball.

A sudden silence descended on the forest as the Pokéball fell to the snow. Ash, Lucario, Sylveon and Pikachu all watched the wiggling red/white ball as the light on it repeatedly flashed. Seconds passed, and the Pokéball kept shaking. A moment later, the light went out and Ash began to smile. Then, the Pokéball abruptly jumped and snapped open. A huge burst of light flew up into the air, resolving into the Hydreigon. The beast howled, flapped its wings, and within a second, flew above the tree tops and away from the two trainers and their Pokémon.

Ash sighed in defeat as a distant roar from the Hydreigon echoed throughout the forest. He looked down at the churned-up snow, then glanced at their Pokémon. Pikachu, Lucario and Sylveon all looked disheartened at what had happened.

Ash then felt Serena's shoulders heaving and heard her faintly whimpering. Sylveon made a concerned sound and Ash turned to face Serena. Her eyes were squeezed shut and her face was scrunched up as she was making an effort not to sob openly.

Ash's heart immediately went out to her. He took hold of both her shoulders and spoke to her in a gentle and reassuring tone. "Serena, it's okay. That Hydreigon is gone. You're safe now."

Serena barely responded. She didn't open her eyes or say anything.

Ash watched her for a few seconds and then pulled her into a hug.

Serena immediately buried her face into Ash's neck and started to cry. Ash's coat muffled most of the sound, but the soft wails still made everyone feel terrible. Sylveon stepped up and wrapped a ribbon around Serena's arm. The Pokémon immediately made a sad sounding cry and looked visibly distraught as she experienced her trainer's distress.

After several minutes, Serena's breathing became more steady and she stopped crying. She took several deep breaths and slowly lifted her head from Ash's shoulder. She opened her eyes and looked at Ash.

Ash stared back at her, sending her a small, reassuring smile and continuing to hold on to her. "Ready to head back home?" he said softly.

Serena nodded and made a small affirming noise.

Ash moved so he still had one arm around Serena. He then started retracing their steps through the forest, bringing Serena right along with him.

Their pace was much slower than when they'd first entered the forest. Ash was in no hurry. He was mainly concerned about Serena. She'd quit crying but hadn't yet said anything. When they were about halfway back to Pallet Town, Serena finally spoke.

"I'm sorry Ash," she said; her voice heavy with regret and sorrow.

Ash looked over at her. "For what?" he replied, not understanding.

Serena took a ragged breath. "I let that thing get away."

Ash hesitated a moment. "That wasn't your fault Serena. I tried to catch it. It just broke loose."

Serena shook her head and her eyes started to tear up again. "But if I hadn't just stood there-" her voice cracked and she gasped, on the verge of crying again.

Ash pulled her close to him. "It's okay," he said. "Everyone's okay. Things like that happen."

Serena wasn't encouraged, but she had nothing else to say. She continued on, walking in silence with Ash.

It was nearly night when they finally made it back to the reserve. Ash and Serena were both chilled from the long walk in the cold. Ash quickly retrieved a blanket for Serena and sat her down at the dining room table. He wrapped the blanket around her so only her arms and head were visible. He then started making some of Serena's favorite tea.

After a few minutes, he brought the steaming mug of tea to Serena. She accepted it and started sipping it in large gulps. Ash wrapped himself up in a blanket and sat down at the table. He wasn't sure what to say, so he just sat there, lending what support he could to Serena.

Minutes passed and Serena quietly consumed the tea. When the mug was empty, Serena set it on the table, leaned back in her chair and sighed. She took a few breaths and then began to speak. Her voice sounded tired.

"One day when I was in Sootopolis city, I listened to one of the elders giving a lesson about the history of Hoenn."

Ash immediately sat up in his chair so he could listen to Serena.

"He told all about how the continents and oceans had been shaped by Groudon and Kyogre. How Rayquaza kept both of them in check. He talked about a huge battle that had ensued between them that had almost laid waste to all of Hoenn."

Ash nodded. He'd been present when Team Magma and Team Aqua had foolishly awakened the legendary Pokémon. There'd been a lot of devastation.

Serena paused a moment and then continued; her voice now tighter with emotion. "When I heard all that, I thought of Team Flare and Zygarde, and everything that happened in Kalos." Serena shivered suddenly. "That's when it all finally hit me Ash." She looked at him, her eyes wide with fear. "We almost lost everything."

Ash looked on; watching intently, but not speaking.

Serena made a sweeping gesture with her right arm. As she spoke, her voice became more and more emotional. "You, Clemont, Bonnie… all our Pokémon… everyone we love…. the whole world! All almost wiped out because of one madman and an out of control Pokémon." She took a few gasping breaths and looked down at her empty mug. When she spoke again, her voice was now very small. "Ever since then, whenever I've encountered a really powerful wild Pokémon, I just freeze up. I can't think. I'm just so afraid something terrible will happen."

Ash's mouth partially fell open. He'd never seen Serena like this. She looked terrified and broken. "Yeah, but everything in Kalos worked out," he said tentatively. "And we were able to deal with that Hydreigon."

Serena shook her head. "That thing would have eaten you if it'd gotten the chance," she said, her voice wavering.

Ash furrowed his brow and thought. "But Serena, I've seen you compete against plenty of strong Pokémon. That's never stopped you."

"Pokémon battles aren't the same thing Ash. You don't have to worry about a trainer's Pokémon suddenly going on a rampage."

Ash felt a little sad. Seeing Serena so frightened was a new experience. She was always so positive and upbeat. "Is there anything I can do to help?" he said, desperately hoping that there was.

Serena sighed and rested her elbows on the table. "I don't think so Ash. I'm just so scared." She turned her gaze toward him. "I'm not brave like you."

Upon hearing this, Ash frowned. He leaned forward out of his chair and shrugged off the blanket. He stepped up to Serena and laid a hand on her shoulder. "I don't think that's true Serena," he said, his tone emanating kindness. "I've seen you be brave plenty of times. I know you're strong."

Serena reached up and took hold of Ash's hand. She squeezed it tight, immensely appreciating Ash's words. "I don't know Ash. I just-" her voice trailed off.

Ash smiled at her. "I believe in you Serena. I know you can be brave."

Serena's eyes started to tear up again, only this time, they were tears of happiness. "Thank you Ash," she said sincerely.

Ash looked a little bashful, but he didn't blush. He glanced at the empty mug. "Would you like some more tea?" he asked simply.

Serena laughed softly as tears ran down her cheeks. She wiped at her face, "yes Ash, I would love some more tea."

Ash smiled and returned to the kitchen to begin fixing some more of the warm drink.

---

It took a few days for things to return to normal at the reserve. Each morning, when Serena arrived, she was afraid she would find that the Hydreigon had returned and destroyed something else. This never happened however, and after a week passed without issue, Serena started to relax, and her emotions returned to normal.

The cold snap ended, the snow melted, and the weather began to warm. Once the temperature had risen enough for them to easily work outside, Ash tore down what was left of the old shed and made preparations to build a new one. Ash began acquiring the needed materials and was soon ready to rebuild the structure.

Ash wasn't a carpenter however, so there were a few interesting mistakes as he learned the how to build a proper structure. His first attempt at a wall nearly collapsed as he didn't brace it properly. He also learned the hard way the importance of the rule 'measure twice, cut once.' Despite the failures, the structure slowly came together. By the time the frame was finished, Ash had learned a lot, and Serena was extremely proud of him.

For the next step, Ash decided to do a bit of research. He bought a book on carpentry and started learning how to put together a proper roof. It turned out to be easier than he'd feared. Ash gathered the needed supplies, stapled down a layer of tar paper and then requested Serena assist him by handing him up sections of shingles for him to nail down.

Serena was happy to assist. They'd been working together on-and-off for the entire day, and she was never one to turn down a chance to help Ash.

Once Ash nailed down the first row of shingles, and checked to make sure he hadn't messed anything up, things started to move quickly. Serena handed him up shingles and nails and Ash hammered them down. The two of them had kept a running conversation going all day while they worked, so it wasn't a surprise when Ash spoke up after Serena handed him some supplies.

"So, have you thought about starting up on contests again?" Ash asked, as he maneuvered around on top of the roof.

Serena paused for a moment to think. The subject of her contests hadn't come up for a while. She'd done a few small performances here and there, and practiced new sequences with her Pokémon, but she hadn't thought about serious competition for almost a year.

"Not really," she replied, as Ash started driving down nails. "We've been pretty busy here with everything."

Ash leaned over the side and Serena handed him another section. "Well, I was just wondering because the new contest season for Kanto is going to be starting up soon," Ash said.

Serena considered this. Ash was correct; the Kanto contests were going to be starting up in a few weeks. This would be the ideal time for her to start competing again. Things on the reserve had slowed down enough that it was conceivably possible for Ash to run things by himself while she traveled around Kanto.

Serena toyed with the thought of striking out on another contest adventure. Six months ago, she wouldn't have hesitated to pack up and start on the contest circuit. Now however, things were different. The last few weeks she'd started to feel like she and Ash were growing significantly closer. She'd noticed a definite change in Ash's behavior toward her. He was no longer as shy or embarrassed and he seemed to be arranging their work so they could spend more time together. This roofing task was a good example. Ash could have easily done it himself. He didn't need her handing him shingles, yet here she was, working alongside him.

"I don't know Ash," Serena said, sounding conflicted. "We've still got a lot of work here." She hesitated for a moment and then added, "why do you ask?"

Now it was Ash's turn to hesitate. He looked at a loss for words and took a moment to put together a reply. "I just wanted to know if you were thinking of going out and doing contests," he said, a little concern creeping into his voice.

Serena handed Ash another set of shingles. "Not right now. It just doesn't feel like the right time."

"Really," Ash replied; his tone brightening ever so slightly.

Serena was puzzled. She couldn't help but notice that Ash sounded like he was pleased by her answer. She thought it odd. Ash had always been the biggest proponent of her pursuing contests again. A change in his attitude was very surprising.

"Yeah," Serena answered. She thought carefully about her next words. "Would you like it if I held off on contests for a while?"

Ash's eyes suddenly widened and he looked guilty. "Uh, no, no! I- I mean, if you want to go for your contests I'm all behind you." He spoke quickly and sounded disjointed.

Now Serena was even more puzzled. She folded her arms and looked at Ash. He was clearly holding something back. "Ash, what are you wanting me to do?" She asked directly.

Ash opened his mouth and then closed it. He looked at Serena and then spoke. "I want you to do whatever you want Serena."

Serena frowned. That wasn't an answer, it was an evasion. "Ash, please be honest," she said softly.

Ash looked down at the roof. He almost appeared pained as he came up with a response. "I really want you to pursue your dreams Serena," he said, his voice sounding small. He didn't look up as he spoke. "If you want to start up on contests again, I want you to go for it."

Serena kept staring at Ash. She knew there had to be more to his thoughts. Ash finally glanced up at her and she softened her expression to encourage the young man to open up.

Ash pursed his lips and then continued. "But, if you want to just stay here….. and keep working on the reserve… I'm okay with that too."

Serena blinked several times and felt her arms slide down to her sides. 'Did he just say what I think he said?!' she thought. Ash hadn't spoken directly, but Serena was almost sure he had just asked her to stay with him at the reserve.

Serena considered several different responses, but ultimately decided to just play it cool. "Well, I don't think I'll be doing any big contests this year. I'll probably just perform in a few exhibitions and shows like I've been doing."

Ash nodded and tried to keep a straight face, but Serena could tell by the brightness in his eyes that he was pleased by her decision. "Okay, well, I look forward to your next performance," Ash said.

'What is going on with him?' Serena thought. She wasn't quite sure what to make of the changes to Ash's behavior, or why he wasn't as enthusiastic about her contests, but she was really enjoying how much more personable he was being.

Ash and Serena finished the work on the shed's roof and completed the last few chores for the reserve. By then it was late afternoon, and the two of them headed inside to cook dinner like they usually did. Ash again offered to assist Serena with preparing the meal. Serena smiled when he did so. It was just another example of him wanting to be around her and help out. Soon the kitchen was busy as Serena worked on putting together another excellent meal.

Serena stayed near the stovetop, spicing and mixing the different components of the meal in their respective pans. Ash meanwhile, fetched Serena ingredients and cookware as she needed it. They'd settled into this sort of teamwork for fixing the meals, and both of them enjoyed cooking together.

The meal was almost complete and Serena glanced to her left at Ash who was leaning against a nearby cabinet, watching her. She saw his gaze flit upwards to her face a moment after she made eye contact with him. "Hey Ash, could you get the plates and the serving spoon," Serena said.

Ash nodded. "Sure, no problem," he replied. He quickly began gathering the requested items.

Serena turned her attention back to the stovetop, but her thoughts lingered on what she'd just seen with Ash. She was sure that before he'd looked up at her, Ash had been staring at her torso. Over the past few days she'd occasionally noticed a similar behavior from him. She hadn't thought anything of it before, but now, in light of the way Ash had behaved while they'd been working on the shed, Serena suddenly had a massive epiphany.

She'd known things were changing for Ash as far back as winter when she'd first realized he was growing facial hair. But it was only now, with him hinting that he wanted her to stay at the reserve; and his gaze wandering to places other than her face, that it all finally came together for her. 'He's finally noticed me!' Serena thought.

Serena felt a strange tingle run up her spine and giddiness supplanted all her other emotions. It took a major effort on her part to limit her outward expression to a simple smile. She took a deep breath to calm herself and slowly let it out through her mouth. She glanced over at Ash, smiled at him and let out a small giggle. Ash smiled back, and Serena returned her attention to the stovetop.

She thought for a moment and reached into her pocket for a hair tie. She grasped behind her head and gathered her hair into a ponytail. Earlier in the year, Ash had mentioned that he liked it when she wore her hair pulled back, so Serena saw no reason why she shouldn't do just that. It was sort of a throwback to the way she'd worn her hair when she'd first traveled with Ash. She had nowhere near as much hair as back then, but she thought it worked fine.

She again glanced over at Ash and they exchanged smiles. As she saw the look in Ash's eyes, Serena decided that there was no chance at all that she would be leaving the reserve to compete in contests this year. There was way too much work for her to do here.

---

It took a few more days for Ash and Serena to finish building the shed. The small structure was soon waterproofed, painted and refilled with supplies. Serena was extremely proud of the job Ash had done and they had a silly little celebration with their Pokémon to commemorate the event. They all had a fun time and their Pokémon spent a lot of time playing and joking around.

After the party, Ash and Serena were cleaning up and Serena at one point felt like Ash wanted to tell her something. He hesitated several times and they shared a few awkward stares. He ultimately never said anything about what he thought of her, and Serena was okay with that.

She related to Ash. When she'd first started traveling with him in Kalos, she'd been so uncomfortable and scared of making a bad impression. It had taken her a long time to get used to her feelings and gain confidence. She was more than happy to wait and be an encouragement to Ash while he figured things out. She was really glad that she'd mastered her own feelings and didn't have all the fear, doubt and confusion Ash was likely experiencing. She viewed herself as a solid emotional anchor Ash could depend on in their relationship.

A few weeks passed and spring fully arrived. The trees bloomed and thousands of flower petals blew in the wind. A bunch of the Pokémon all frolicked outside, glad that the extremely cold weather was over. Things on the reserve had never been better and Serena felt like something wonderful was just on the horizon.

That night, Serena suddenly woke in the middle of the night. She glanced at the clock and saw it was just an hour after midnight. She was surprised that she felt fully awake and not tired at all with it being so early an hour. She glanced out the window at the faint outline of the reserve. There was no moon tonight, so the countryside was only illuminated by the stars. It was way too early for her to get up, and Serena wanted to go back to sleep, however, some sixth sense told her not to. She kept glancing at the hill where the reserve was, thinking of Ash sound asleep and how everything seemed to be falling into place in her life.

She then saw a small flash of light originate on the top of the hill. Serena leaned closer to the window, not sure if she'd imagined the light or not. A moment later there were a couple of small explosions in midair, immediately followed by a beam of light lancing out of the air toward the ground.

Serena gasped in horror. Adrenaline surged through her body and she leapt out of bed. She tossed aside her pajamas and threw on her clothes faster than she ever had. She pulled on her shoes and ran out of her room, thundering down the stairs, heedless of how much noise she made. She reached the living room where Delphox, Pancham and Sylveon were all stirring, having been awakened by Serena's frantic actions. Serena grabbed their Pokéballs, which were sitting on an end table, and pointed them at her friends.

"All of you, return!" she shouted. A moment later the still groggy Pokémon were all whisked away into their Pokéballs.

Serena shoved the Pokéballs into her pockets while she dashed for the front entrance. She threw open the door, ran out on to the street and started sprinting as fast as she could toward the reserve. She looked up toward the hill and could see an orange glow in the air being reflected by what looked like smoke. Serena choked down a cry of distress and kept running.

She covered the distance to the reserve in record time. She was breathing hard when she reached the stairs leading up the hill. She took them three at a time and then started running around to the back of the main building.

"ASH!" she cried out; feeling fear and concern clawing at her insides. She rounded the corner of the main building and took in the sight.

The first thing which drew her gaze was the aviary nearest the supply shed. Half of the stilts supporting it had collapsed, and the structure was dangerously sagging toward the ground. Additionally, the building was partially ablaze. Several of the reserve's water Pokémon were launching water onto the conflagration.

As Serena scanned the situation she saw that the supply shed had been completely destroyed. There was only wreckage and scattered supplies where the building had once been. There were also dozens of flying Pokémon lying on the ground a short distance from the aviary. Some of them had obvious signs of injury and she saw Bulbasaur and a few other Pokémon attending to the injured flyers. Several of the reserve's Pokémon were helping to carry away the injured birds.

Serena finally caught sight of Ash and she gasped in relief as she saw he was okay. He was standing near the burning aviary, looking up towards it. Serena ran toward Ash; desperately want to be near him.

As she approached Ash, she saw Infernape climb out of one of the windows of the burning aviary.

"IS EVERYONE OUT!?" Ash shouted toward Infernape.

Infernape nodded and gave a thumbs-up. The Pokémon then jumped down to the ground and ran to Ash.

Serena paused a few steps away from Ash. She saw him looking at the injured flying Pokémon, with an angry expression on his face. Heracross flew in, grabbed a pair of injured Pokémon and flew off.

Ash looked at Infernape and Sirfetch'd. "You two, make sure all the flying Pokémon get to the caves and keep them safe!"

The two Pokémon nodded. Sirfetch'd took flight while Infernape grabbed a Pokémon and started heading toward the caves.

Serena finally stepped forward. "ASH!" she shouted, "what happened!?"

Ash was surprised to see her and concern immediately spread across his face. "Serena! You came here?!"

Behind him, a part of the burning aviary collapsed with a splintering crash.

Serena nodded, "Yes. I saw the fighting." She made a fearful whine and then continued; her voice extremely tense. "Was it the Hydreigon?!"

Ash stared at Serena for a moment, assessing her. "Yeah, it was," he replied.

Serena felt a strange mix of emotions. She'd suspected that the attack was the Hydreigon returning and part of her was relieved that's all it was. On the other hand, the Hydreigon was a terrifying opponent, and she felt fear trying to claw its way inside her heart and mind.

'Ash is here, he can take care of it,' she thought to herself, trying to reassure her fraying nerves.

Ash turned toward the destroyed supply shed. "It showed up and tore into the shed." He looked toward the aviary. "After that, it tried to get at the Pokémon in the aviary. That's when I got out here and we attacked it."

Serena took several steadying breaths. "Do you think it's gone?" she said.

Ash turned back toward her. He looked grim. "I don't think so. It didn't look like it was running away."

Serena's right hand started to shake involuntarily. She quickly clinched a fist to stop it. 'Ash is here, he can take care of it,' she repeated, in her mind.

Heracross arrived again and he flew off with another pair of flying Pokémon. Serena glanced around at her surroundings. She could see Charizard, Dragonite, Sceptile and Lucario all standing watch at the edge of the light from the burning aviary. Some distance away, she could see more of Ash's Pokémon.

Abruptly, there was a rushing sound of something big flying through the air above them. Serena, Ash and most of the Pokémon looked skyward. The smoke was obscuring some of the sky and it was too dark to see beyond a short distance.

Serena felt her throat tightening. She swallowed hard and pulled her Pokéballs from her pockets. "Were you able to hit it Ash?" she asked; desperately hoping that Ash had managed to inflict some damage on the beast.

"Maybe once," Ash replied, his focus now on the sky.

There was another rushing sound as something passed overhead.

'Ash is here, he can take care of it.' Serena sent out her Pokémon. She looked at Delphox, Pancham and Sylveon. "A-all ready?" she asked, her voice trembling.

Her Pokémon all shouted they were prepared; however, they also all looked at her with concern.

Ash took another look at Serena. "Hey," he called, getting her attention. "Serena, are you okay?"

Serena knew she wasn't okay. She was completely terrified. Her mind kept flashing back to their earlier encounter with the Hydreigon and how she and Sylveon had nearly been flattened. She couldn't let her fear control her though. She had to be strong. Just like Ash.

"I-I'm okay," she replied in a small voice.

Ash continued watching her. "You could go inside and stay safe," he gently offered. "I can handle this."

Serena wanted to run away and hide, but she couldn't let herself do that. She had to overcome her fear. She had to fight.

"I need to do this Ash," she breathed. "It's just one Hydreigon. We've done this before."

Ash looked pained and slowly turned his head toward the sky. Above them, they continued to hear the whooshing sound of something flying above.

"Serena," Ash said without pretense.

Serena looked over at him. "Hmmm," she responded.

Ash hesitated a moment. "I think there's more than one," he said, some concern creeping into his voice.

Serena felt her heart begin to beat faster and her breathing become shallower. 'Ash is here, he can take care of it! Ash is here, he can take care of it!' She felt a tear run down the side of her cheek. She blinked her eyes to keep them clear and looked toward the sky; watching for any sign of movement.

"Ash," Serena said, her voice wavering. "What are we going to do with them?"

Ash reached into his jacket pocket and retrieved a few Ultra Balls. Serena had seen this black and yellow version of the Pokéball on a few occasions, but never in action.

"Professor Oak left a few of these here in case of an emergency. This time, I'm gonna catch them for sure."

Ash stowed the Ultra Balls back in his pocket and continued scanning the sky. Occasionally, they would hear the sound of something flying overhead, but none of the Hydreigon appeared.

"I can't see anything Ash!" Serena said, her voice cracking from fear.

Ash shifted on his feet, looking in all directions. "Just be ready. They're looking for a weakness."

A few more moments passed and an early silence suddenly descended on the hillside. The only sounds were the crackling of the burning aviary and a few soft grunts from Ash and Serena's Pokémon.

For Serena, her ragged breathing suddenly seemed very loud and she could hear her heart beating inside her chest. She knew something terrible was about happen.

The relative silence was broken by the sound of wings cutting through the air. A moment later, a Hydreigon burst out of the smoke cloud, diving straight for Dragonite.

"LOOK OUT!" Ash screamed.

There was no time for Dragonite to move. Instead it began to charge Dragon Claw, preparing to meet the assault head-on. Dragonite swung its attack into one of the Hydreigon's heads, however the other two viciously bit down on Ash's Pokémon. The Hydreigon continued straight ahead, plowing its huge body straight into Dragonite, sending both Pokémon crashing and tumbling across the earth.

Serena cried out in panic, "QUICK! ATTACK IT!" she screamed, pointing at the staggered Hydreigon.

Serena's Pokémon briefly looked confused as Serena hadn't specified a command. They immediately thought for themselves, and launched their moves. Delphox used Mystical Fire, Sylveon Fairy Wind and Pancham Dark Pulse.

Before all the moves could be fully utilized, a Hyper Beam suddenly cut through the air and raked the ground in the midst of Serena's Pokémon. Serena was thrown on to her backside from the force of the attack, while her Pokémon were flung in multiple directions.

Serena moaned in pain and surprise. She looked up and could faintly see the shape of a second Hydreigon, slowing gliding in from her right.

Ash spotted it too. "THERE!" he shouted, pointing at the new arrival.

Charizard and Lucario reacted first, firing Flamethrower and Aura Sphere respectively. The flying dragon roared and flew backwards, disappearing into the darkness.

The first Hydreigon regained its feet and briefly exchanged blows with Dragonite. It then spread its wings and flew away into the darkness.

Ash quickly rushed to Serena's side. He grabbed hold of her arm and pulled her to her feet.

"Are you okay," he said, sounding concerned.

Serena didn't hear him. She was frantically looking for her Pokémon. "DELPHOX!? PANCHAM!?" she shouted.

All three of her Pokémon replied, and scampered back to her side.

Serena gasped in relief and struggled to hold back sobs.

Ash scanned the dark sky. He could hear a few roars from the Hydreigon lurking out of sight.

"This isn't going to work," he said grimly. "We can't fight them if we can't see them."

Ash thought hard and came up with an idea. He pointed at the partially collapsed aviary. "Quick! Charizard, use Flamethrower, full power!"

Charizard bellowed and unleashed a massive wave of fire, engulfing the ruined wooden structure. Even from some distance away, Ash could feel a wave of heat wash off of the now blazing structure. The aviary was now fully ablaze. More importantly though, the huge fire illuminated the entire area. Ash looked upward and could see the light from the fire reflecting off of four hovering Hydreigon.

The three-headed dragons seemed to sense they'd been spotted. All four dove toward the ground; angling toward different targets.

"OH NO!" Serena screamed.

Ash had prepared for something like this. "Now Noivern, attack!"

Ash's Noivern, which had been hiding on the roof of the main building, suddenly took to the air and unleashed a Boomburst attack at all four of the Hydreigon. The dragons were taken by surprise and staggered. A moment later Staraptor and Talonflame came streaking in, slamming into two of the Hydreigon with Brave Bird.

The Hydreigon broke formation and flew in different directions. The one which had been hit by Staraptor spiraled down into the ground. A second one started launching attacks at Noivern. The one Talonflame struck, lashed back at the bird, and the two began to tussle and battle in midair. The final one flew back into the sky, gaining additional altitude.

Serena frantically looked around the chaotic scene. She saw the Hydreigon fall from the sky and slam into the ground some distance from her.

"Th-there! Th-that one!" she stammered, pointing a shaking finger at the downed beast. "Sylveon, use Moonblast!"

Sylveon responded and fired a sphere of energy at the Hydreigon. The attack hit home and Serena emitted a high-pitched screech of triumph. "AGAIN! AGAIN!"

The Hydreigon roared and gave a huge flap of its wings. It pushed itself into the air a moment before the second Moonblast attack struck the ground where it had just been.

"NOO!" Serena wailed. "SYLVEON KEEP FIRING!"

Sylveon charged a third Moonblast and launched it at the retreating Hydreigon. The flying beast juked and managed to avoid it.

"KEEP GOING SYLVEON!" Serena urged.

With some effort, Sylveon charged and fired a fourth Moonblast. This one too, went wide of the target.

"COME ON SYLVEON!"

Sylveon gasped for breath, its energy drained from unleashing so many powerful attacks so quickly. Nonetheless, the fairy Pokémon gritted it teeth, cried out and fired another Moonblast. The Hydreigon was too far away though, and the attack harmlessly flew off into the night sky.

Serena watched as the Hydreigon vanished into the large smoke cloud billowing overhead. "Oh no! Nooo!" she cried. Her legs trembled and she nearly fell to her knees.

Ash had been watching Serena while she attempted to battle the Hydreigon. He glanced at the ongoing battle. There was a brief respite as the Hydreigon had retreated after Noivern's surprise attack. He quickly moved to Serena's side.

"Hey, Serena," he said gently.

Serena turned toward him. Her eyes were wide with terror. She was gasping for breath and visibly shaking. She emitted a small, frightened sound instead of speaking to him.

Ash felt terrible for her. He reached out and put a hand on her shoulder. "Let's go inside."

Serena looked conflicted. She glanced at Ash and the battlefield. She swallowed and spoke in small voice "But…." her lips trembled and her eyes started to fill with tears.

Ash gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze and smiled at her compassionately. "Come on," he said softly.

Serena's head and shoulders slumped in defeat, and she began to softly cry. Ash started to lead her toward the back door of the main building. As he did, he called out for Lucario to join them. Delphox, Pancham and Sylveon all trailed behind them.

Ash led Serena inside. He sat her down at the dining room table and laid an arm across her back. Serena was trying not to cry. Tears were running down her nose and dripping onto the table.

"I'm sorry Ash….." she managed to choke out.

Ash gave her a one-armed hug. "Don't be sorry," he said gently. "You just stay safe. I'll take care of this."

Serena nodded and wiped at her face. She glanced at her Pokémon and took a breath. "I want all of you to listen to Ash and do whatever he says, okay."

Ash looked a little surprised. Serena's Pokémon looked sad.

"Serena…" Ash replied.

"You'll need them," Serena said, her tone not leaving room for disagreement.

Ash stared at her for a moment and then nodded. He looked toward Lucario. "Lucario, I want you to stay here and keep her safe."

Serena looked dismayed. "Ash, you need Lucario out there with you!"

Ash took a step toward the door. He saw Lucario hesitate, torn between wanting to battle alongside Ash and his order to protect Serena. "Lucario, stay here!" Ash said firmly.

Lucario immediately came to attention, gave a sharp nod and a cry of acknowledgement.

Ash glanced at Serena's Pokémon. "Come on, let's go," he said. With that, Ash dashed out the back door, leaving Serena alone with Lucario.

Serena wasn't sure how much time passed. It could have been a minute or ten minutes. After that time, she heard a muffled explosion outside. The Hydreigon had returned and the battle resumed. Serena looked at the walls and ceiling of the building as the battle raged outside. She could see flashes of light through the windows, and the building would occasionally shake from the explosions. She could hear debris sometimes clinking off the sides of the structure and the muffled roars of Pokémon.

She desperately wanted to be out there helping Ash, but she simply couldn't find any courage. Fear was tying her down in every way. She was scared enough just sitting at the table. She knew the second she stepped outside she would freeze up or faint. She just sat at the table, feeling worse than useless.

After a while, she looked at Lucario. "You really ought to be out there Lucario," she said quietly.

The aura Pokémon looked at her then stoically grunted and maintained its vigil.

Serena sighed. "You're one of Ash's strongest Pokémon. I'm sure he could use you."

Lucario didn't respond.

Serena leaned back in her chair, resting her hands in her lap. "Of course, that's probably why he has you in here watching over me," she continued.

Lucario glanced over at her and gave a barely perceptible nod of agreement.

Another minute went by. The battle outside continued to rage. Serena tried to rally some courage, but couldn't. Every time she thought of going outside, she imagined something horrible happening. It sapped all the strength from her legs and arms, making her feel weak and helpless.

Serena started to cry again. Lucario saw this and took a few steps so it was within arm's reach of her. Serena gasped for breath and tried to stop the tears from flowing.

"I wish I was more like Ash," she blubbered. "He isn't afraid of anything."

Upon hearing this, Lucario looked a little taken aback. It stared at Serena intently.

Serena sniffed back tears and looked at up Lucario. "Oh Lucario; won't you go out there and help Ash?"

Lucario just stared back at Serena, saying nothing.

Serena held up her right hand and gently placed in on the side of Lucario's head. "I'm sure I'll be fine here. Just go."

As Serena touched Lucario, the Pokémon's eyes widened slightly. Lucario spoke softly and Serena felt like there was a hushed voice in the back of her mind. She looked at Lucario with curiosity and the Pokémon suddenly raised its right paw and placed it on the side of Serena's head.

Without warning, Serena's vision suddenly dissolved and was replaced by a completely different view; as if she'd been transported to another world. She gasped in surprise and quickly looked around. As her sight resolved itself, she realized that she was still sitting exactly where she'd been before, and that she was merely perceiving everything differently.

All of the environment surrounding her was colored different shades of extremely dark blue. She could see the outline of the table and other furniture, but all of these objects seemed to be shadowed and unimportant.

Serena then looked at Lucario and breathed in deeply as she felt a sense of wonder. Lucario's body appeared to be mostly transparent. She could still clearly see its outline and features, but there was no flesh or fur. Instead, Serena perceived a brightly shining blue glow with multiple other colors flickering inside it. The light was radiating out from the center of Lucario's body.

Serena remembered several conversations she'd shared with Ash where he'd described the bond he shared with Lucario and how Lucario had the ability to sense auras.

"Lucario," Serena said; her voice full of wonder. "Is this your aura vision?"

Lucario gave a reply, and at the same time Serena felt the word 'Yes,' form in her mind.

Serena breathed in sharply. She'd heard Lucario speak as it always did. However, in her mind, she'd clearly understood what the Pokémon had meant.

"Did you just speak to me?" Serena whispered.

A small smiled formed on Lucario's face and the Pokemon grunted a reply. The word 'Yes,' formed in her mind again.

"How are you doing this?"

'I barely did anything.'

Serena wasn't sure what to make of Lucario's reply, but it didn't matter to her. She was feeling a sense of calm and amazement, which was a welcome change from the churning fear which had been crushing her down.

Serena spent a moment just taking in the new sights. "This is amazing," she said softly. As she looked around the dully colored interior of the building she could sense that there was something outside; something beyond the walls of the structure.

With a moment's effort, Serena discovered that she could look through the walls and see outside in a similar way that one could focus their eyes on something close to them or far away. She shifted her gaze outside and suddenly took in a chaotic and colorful panorama.

She could see the entire battle taking place outside. It seemed that her perception of time had changed as well, because everything outside was moving in slow motion. Serena looked at all the different Pokémon; each of them glowing brightly. She could see Dragonite, Charizard and Sceptile, colored a bright blue. She saw the Hydreigon, glowing a menacing red. She spotted Pikachu and her Pokémon sticking close to Ash. And she saw Ash himself, shining brightly as he battled. Serena sighed as she stared at Ash. She wished she could be fearless like him.

As she continued to focus on Ash, she suddenly began to recognize what the different colors flickering in the aura represented. She wasn't sure how she understood these things, but as she watched Ash, she started to perceive what he was feeling and thinking. She could see how determined Ash was to protect the reserve; how much he cared for all of his Pokémon; how he wanted to keep Serena safe.

Serena felt a little tinge of warmth as she saw some of Ash's feelings for her. Before she could see more, she pushed aside that part of Ash's aura. As much as she wanted to know what he thought, she respected his privacy too much to intrude.

She continued looking at her best friend and was suddenly surprised to see that Ash was also afraid. The realization made Serena pause. Ash always charged ahead, not slowing down; not hesitating. He never seemed to be afraid or scared. The fear wasn't at the forefront of his mind, but it was definitely inside of him.

She could see Ash was afraid of the Pokémon on the reserve getting hurt; of his Pokémon getting hurt or worse battling the Hydreigon. He was afraid of failing the responsibility Professor Oak had entrusted to him. He was also afraid that Serena could be hurt in the battle.

Serena was amazed that Ash felt almost all the same fears which she did, yet it didn't stop him. After another moment of observation, she realized why. Ash loved all his Pokémon far more than any fear could overwhelm. He was absolutely determined to do whatever he could to protect everyone and everything he loved.

'That's how he does it,' Serena thought. She looked at Ash's Pokémon and saw something similar. All of them were afraid as well. They feared losing in battle; of failing Ash. Some of them were afraid for their lives at facing so ruthless a foe as the Hydreigon. Despite their fear, all of them drew strength from the things they loved. That's what allowed them to overcome their fear.

Serena turned to look at Lucario. She immediately saw how conflicted the Pokémon was. Lucario desperately wanted to be outside in the battle, but it was absolutely committed to following Ash's command. She saw how Lucario was afraid that Ash could be hurt with it not there. She also saw just how much Lucario loved Ash. It wasn't a love like what Serena felt for Ash, but rather, a love akin to what a child feels for its parent.

"That's why you're so strong when you're battling with Ash," Serena said. "Your love gives you strength."

Lucario didn't comment on what it felt for Ash. However it did reply and Serena again felt words form in her mind. 'You can be strong too.'

Serena felt puzzled. It took a moment but she turned her gaze inward so she could see herself. She saw all the fear which had overwhelmed her, swirling around inside her. She feared that something could happen to Ash; that something could happen to her Pokémon. She was so afraid of losing those she that she cared about that it drove all other thoughts out of her mind.

Serena pushed past the ocean of fear surging within her and reached for several small embers of love which were nestled close to her heart. She knew them well. Her love for Pokémon contests. Her love of making other people smile. Her love of the reserve and its Pokémon. Her love for her Pokémon, and most importantly, her love for Ash.

Serena focused hard on the things she loved. Immediately, the small embers erupted into a blazing fire. The flames radiated outward from her core, pushing the fear away. She felt her courage begin to return and doubt give way to confidence and determination. She took several deep breaths, basking in this newfound surge of strength.

She heard Lucario give a cry of approval which needed no translation. Serena looked at Ash's Pokémon and smiled.

"Let's go help Ash," she said; her voice no longer wavering.

Lucario eagerly nodded.

They each let go of the other. Serena's vision reverted back to normal, and it took her a moment to get her bearings. Once she was steady on her feet, she and Lucario dashed for the back door; ready to join the battle outside. Serena flung open the door and the two of them stepped outside into a warzone.

The entire field behind the main building was a chaotic mess. What was left of the aviary was a blazing inferno, casting a flickering yellow/orange light across the entire area. Whole swaths of earth had been torn up, and there were numerous char marks from attacks. A thin veil of ash was falling from the sky, a result of the burning aviary. The air was filled with the roars, howls and cries of Hydreigon and Ash's Pokémon.

Serena could see Charizard and Sceptile clashing with one of the Hydreigon near the ruined shed. Some distance away, to the right, Noivern, Pikachu and Talonflame were battling another of the beasts.

Dragonite was standing near Ash. It was down on one knee and looked to be exhausted and injured. Sylveon, Pancham and Delphox were all standing around Ash in a protective circle. Serena smiled upon seeing this. Her Pokémon knew better than anyone her true feelings for Ash and she guessed they were making sure nothing happened to him.

A ways to her left, Serena saw a third Hydreigon skirmishing with Dracovish and several of Ash's smaller Pokémon.

"What should we do?" Serena said, unsure how they should proceed in such a complicated situation.

'Attack the unoccupied one,' she heard in her mind.

Serena jumped at the unexpected response. Some aspect of the aura merge must have lingered, allowing her to still understand Lucario. She glanced at Lucario and saw the Pokémon looking to their left. She followed its gaze and spotted the fourth Hydreigon. This beast was slowly circling overhead, looking for a vulnerable target.

"Right!" Serena said, understanding what Lucario meant. If the Hydreigon was left alone, it would pounce on one of Ash's Pokémon when they were at their weakest. "Lucario, let's go!"

Serena took several steps toward the Hydreigon. Her fear threatened to resurface at the thought of confronting the beast, but she focused on how much she loved everyone here. 'I will do everything I can to protect them!' She shouted internally. Her fear receded, and Serena continued forward.

Lucario dashed ahead, covering the distance in a few seconds. Serena hesitated to issue a command. Lucario wasn't her Pokémon and she didn't know which attack would be correct for the situation.

'Aura Sphere,' she heard through their connection.

Serena nodded. She trusted Lucario's judgment. "Lucario, use Aura Sphere!"

Lucario charged a blue sphere of energy and fired it at the circling Hydreigon. The attack caught the monster by surprise and it staggered in midair.

Serena's contest experience had taught her to look for unorthodox approaches to battling. She knew the Hydreigon would be aggressive and ferociously attack Lucario…..

Serena focused on the faint connection she shared with Lucario. Instead of speaking words aloud, she thought them internally. 'Lucario, can you lure the Hydreigon in with Double Team?' As she formed these thoughts, she also painted a picture of what she envisioned Lucario doing.

'Easily!' Ash's Pokémon replied. Serena could feel just how much Lucario enjoyed battling and how confident it was in its abilities.

Without Serena saying a word, Lucario deployed a single Double Team copy and stealthily dashed underneath the Hydreigon as it turned to face what had attacked it. The Hydreigon saw the copy, and as predicted, dove straight for it.

'Bullet Punch,' Serena thought.

Lucario leapt into the air and descended on top of the Hydreigon a moment after it charged through the false image and crashed into the ground. The aura Pokémon hammered the back of the beast with a furious assault. The Hydreigon roared and thrashed. Lucario jumped clear and the monster took to the sky again, moving much slower than it had previously.

'Aura Sphere, one more time,' Serena thought. As she sent the thought, she found her arms instinctively mimicking the motion Lucario made as it charged and fired the sphere of blue energy.

The attack slammed into the retreating Hydreigon, giving Serena and Lucario a sense of satisfaction. A moment later she felt Lucario forcefully direct a thought to her.

'This target next!' she heard.

For a moment, Serena was puzzled. She could feel her connection with Lucario getting stronger and she felt her gaze inexorably drawn toward the battle between Noivern, Pikachu, Talonflame and their Hydreigon. As Serena looked toward the clash, she could faintly see an aura glow surrounding the Pokémon. She could also see the target Lucario had mentioned.

The Hydreigon here was flagging badly. It was exhausted and on the verge of collapse. Unfortunately, so were all of Ash's Pokémon. Pikachu was hobbled from an injury to his leg. Talonflame was exhausted and Noivern was badly damaged. Serena was amazed she could sense all of this through the aura vision.

'Go! Quick!'

Lucario responded and charged into the battle. Ash had moved closer to this fight and was about to order Sylveon to attack the Hydreigon. Lucario beat him to it though. The aura Pokémon charged an Aura Sphere and threw it at the central head of the monster.

Serena could see Ash's look of surprise upon Lucario entering the fight and acting seemingly without command.

The Hydreigon took the attack, but refused to go down. It roared in defiance and unleashed a Hyper Voice attack which sent everyone staggering.

Serena cried out in pain and covered her ears. Even though she was some distance from the fight, it was like she was experiencing the same pain Lucario was.

Fortunately, Ash thought quickly, as he always did. He ordered Pikachu to launch an Electroweb. A moment later, the electric net wrapped around the central head of the Hydreigon, silencing the beast. Ash immediately told Sylveon and Delphox to launch attacks.

'We'll help too,' Serena thought. 'Bullet Punch!'

Lucario charged in as the other attacks struck home. It delivered a powerful barrage of strikes to the belly of the monster. Remarkably, the creature still remained standing.

As this happened, Serena saw a brief flash of red light in the aura vision. She turned to the Hydreigon which had been fighting with Dracovish and saw the beast had reached a new level of fury. The dragon burned with a hot red rage at seeing its partner in peril.

'They're a mating couple,' Serena realized, suddenly understanding the reason for the Pokemon's outrage.

The raging Hydreigon threw aside Dracovish like it was a toy. The beast took to the air and started charging straight for Ash. Serena felt a spike of fear, but before she could even react, Dragonite soared upward and slammed head-on into the Hydreigon. Both dragons roared and began brutally exchanging blows at close range.

Serena turned her attention back to the battle with Ash. Damaged as it was, Noivern swooped in with a Dragon Claw attack. The blow finally sent the Hydreigon toppling over. It crashed down and Ash promptly threw an Ultra Ball at it. The Pokémon was sucked inside the ball and all of them watched anxiously at the device wiggled and flashed. Then, the light went out. The Hydreigon had been caught.

'Yes! One down,' Serena thought, feeling triumphant.

A moment later, Serena saw a flash of yellow in the aura vision. She instinctively knew where to look and turned her gaze up to where Dragonite was clashing with the Hydreigon. Things seemed to move in slow motion for her as she took in the sight. She saw that Dragonite had just received a devastating blow from the Hydreigon. Ash's Pokémon plummeted out of the sky and crashed hard into the earth. Dragonite was badly injured and barely clinging to consciousness. The Hydreigon quickly landed near the beleaguered dragon and loomed over it. It began charging a Hyper Beam attack; preparing to deliver a coup de grâce to its helpless opponent.

'NO!' Serena and Lucario screamed at the same time.

Lucario surged across the field, moving faster than it ever had. Serena poured all her effort into lending the Pokémon whatever aid she could. As she urged Lucario to move faster she began to feel her vision change slightly. In her mind's eye, she could see through Lucario's eyes; see and feel what the Pokémon was doing. She could feel the total effort Lucario was giving to reach its friend Dragonite.

Lucario leapt into the air and began charging an Aura Sphere. Just as the Hydreigon unleashed its Hyper Beam, Lucario landed forcefully just in front of Dragonite, interposing itself between the three-headed monster and Ash's Pokémon. Lucario used the Aura Sphere as a shield to block the incoming Hyper Beam.

Serena could see everything unfolding from Lucario's perspective. The Hydreigon was an insatiable fount of rage and hunger. It continued firing the Hyper Beam, trying to overpower the new arrival. Lucario held fast, but even its strength had limits. Serena could feel the Aura Sphere starting to weaken and Lucario struggling to remain standing against the onslaught.

'Hold on Lucario! Just hold on!' Serena communicated with as much energy as she could. She realized that she was holding her arms up in the same position as Lucario was. It was like she was keeping the Aura Sphere aloft as well.

Despite putting all its strength into the effort, Lucario fell to one knee and was on the verge of collapse. As it did, Serena felt herself fall to a knee as well. The Hydreigon sensed its opponent was weakening and redoubled its effort; throwing everything it had into the Hyper Beam.

'NO!' Serena cried out. 'We have to stay strong! We have to protect Dragonite!'

Serena poured her strength into Lucario. It felt like she was holding on to the Aura Sphere along with Lucario. Both of them were giving everything they could to hold off the attack. Two hearts united with the singular purpose of protecting Dragonite.

Serena suddenly felt the connection between her and Lucario begin to change. She also felt Lucario begin to get stronger; much much stronger.

---

Ash saw Dragonite go down. His Pokémon had been badly hurt earlier in the battle and Ash had tried to keep it out of the fighting as much as possible. However, when the Hydreigon had started to come after him, Dragonite had intervened without hesitation; refusing to allow anything to happen to Ash. The Hydreigon had simply been too much for it though. The selfless dragon was now lying prone on the ground, unmoving.

Ash felt a sickening knot twist inside him as he saw the Hydreigon continued to close on Dragonite. He realized the beast intended to end his friend. Ash barely had time to glance around. None of his Pokémon were close enough to help. Noivern was too depleted to move quickly; Talonflame was barely staying aloft. The only chance was Pikachu, but Ash knew he was slowed by an injured leg. He had to try though.

"PIKACHU QUICK ATTACK!" Ash screamed.

Pikachu dashed forward, doing its best to accelerate. It was badly hampered by its injured leg however, and part way to the Hydreigon, Pikachu tripped and started tumbling across the ground.

"No!" Ash cried out in dismay, watching helplessly as the Hydreigon charged a Hyper Beam.

Suddenly, Lucario streaked across the battlefield, moving with a speed Ash had never seen. His Pokémon jumped and landed between the Hydreigon and Dragonite, blocking the Hyper Beam with an Aura Sphere. The Hydreigon's attack was too much for Lucario. He saw his Pokémon stagger and then fall to one knee under the force of the attack. At that moment, Ash heard Serena cry out in effort.

Ash had seen Serena emerge from the main building earlier, but hadn't been able to go to her yet. She'd seemed to be in better condition than before, so he'd focused on the battle. Now, she was down on one knee and holding her arms up in a mirror of Lucario's stance. Her face was all tensed up as she appeared to be exerting immense effort. She also seemed to be talking to herself.

As he looked on, Lucario steadied itself and regained its footing. Serena mirrored the change, and rose to her feet as well. Lucario suddenly began to emit a brilliant golden glow and its shape started to change.

Ash gasped as he realized what was happening. "How can that be?!" he said in a disbelieving voice.

Lucario became taller and bulkier as it Mega Evolved. The golden aura dispersed and Lucario stood strong, holding the Hyper Beam at bay with the Aura Sphere. The Aura Sphere suddenly grew larger and more powerful as Lucario tapped into its now massive reserve of strength. The Hydreigon cried out in dismay a moment before Lucario hurled the sphere at the creature's head. The Aura Sphere plowed through the Hyper Beam and slammed into the central head, sending the three-headed dragon flying backwards.

Ash finally got a good look at Mega Lucario and noticed there was a difference in its coloration. Its normally tan fur was now red and there were gold stripes running the length of its head tails.

Ash again looked at Serena and how her movements were mirroring Lucario's. "Can it be?" he wondered aloud.

---

Serena gasped for breath as she adjusted to a completely new view of the world. She was still seeing through Lucario's eyes but their connection was now much stronger. To her, it felt like she and Lucario were a single entity, both moving together in synch with one another.

The Hydreigon was flat on its back in front of them and trying to flip itself over. 'Don't let it get up,' Serena thought.

Lucario moved immediately. Serena could sense its thought as it unleashed a Bullet Punch attack. She heard how Lucario carefully targeted each punch so it struck with maximum damage. The Hydreigon flailed, but couldn't retaliate.

Serena sensed Ash approaching the Hydreigon. He threw an Ultra Ball at the Pokémon and began the capture process. Serena knew the Hydreigon would be caught. It was too weak to escape. While the ball was still wiggling, Lucario turned its attention to the Hydreigon they'd ambushed earlier. The beast had landed and was moving to attack Dracovish.

'Back for more,' Lucario thought.

Lucario dashed forward and hurled an Aura Sphere to get the dragon's attention. The attack slammed into the left side of the beast, and it turned to face them. It quickly fired a Dragon Pulse straight at Lucario.

'Spin turn,' Serena thought instinctively; tapping into her knowledge of dance moves. Lucario immediately performed the move and spun out of the way of the attack.

Lucario quickly closed with the Hydreigon and began punching its body. The monster roared and started snapping at the aura Pokémon with its mouths.

Serena saw the attacks coming and used her years of gymnastics training to twist and juke out of the way. Lucario moved with grace and poise, easily dodging the hungry mouths. Each time a head missed, Lucario struck it with a Bullet Punch. After taking repeated strikes, the Hydreigon became enraged and reared back to wash the entire area with a Dragon Pulse.

'Backflip away from it!'

Lucario did just that, and quickly sprang out of range as the Hydreigon scorched the area around itself with a Dragon Pulse.

'Charge toward it and slide underneath,' Serena thought.

Lucario followed Serena's instruction and dashed straight at the Hydreigon. Just before it reached the beast, it dropped to the ground and slid feet-first along the ground. The Hydreigon tried to attack, but missed. Lucario continued sliding under the belly of the dragon and unleashed a barrage of Bullet Punches along the entire length of the creature's midsection. The Hydreigon howled in pain and was vulnerable now that its foe was behind it.

Lucario kept sliding under the tail of the monster and prepared to rise to its feet.

'Jump up, pirouette and use Aura Sphere!'

Lucario followed Serena's thoughts and jumped into the air. Serena easily spun in mid jump as she had done in so many performances. As this happened, Lucario charged an Aura Sphere in each hand and used the spinning motion to hurl the energy spheres harder than usual. It sent one sphere into the back of each of the Hydreigon's legs. The monster collapsed to the ground, crippled by the impacts.

As Lucario started to fall back to earth, Serena scanned the battlefield. Charizard and Sceptile had their Hydreigon in a headlock, and the dragon was about exhausted. Ash was preparing to throw an Ultra Ball at the Hydreigon Lucario had just dispatched. Everything seemed to finally be under control.

Lucario landed and stood ready to act if either of the Hydreigon broke loose. Neither did however, and soon the monster which Charizard and Sceptile had been wrestling with was safely captured inside an Ultra Ball. Serena and Lucario breathed a sigh of relief. Everyone was finally safe.

Serena could feel the bond with Lucario already beginning to fade. She wondered aloud how it was that they'd been able to achieve so strong a bond in so little time. As Lucario reverted back to its standard form, Serena felt from the Pokémon that their bond had been a result of her intense desire to act and her desperation to be free from fear. Although Lucario hadn't said it, Serena realized another factor was that both of them cared deeply for Ash and that had united them in purpose.

The aura vision faded from Serena's sight and she realized that if she ever wanted to achieve such a bond again, it would take a supreme amount of training and effort on her part. She smiled, sent Lucario a final mental 'thank you' and she was once again just herself, seeing through her own eyes, standing a few steps away from the main building.

Serena took a breath and started to shift her feet. Then, a huge wave of exhaustion crashed over her. She felt like all the strength had been sapped from her body. She fell, first to her knees and then to her haunches. She would have fallen face-first into the ground, but she managed to get her arms in front of her to support her. That simple motion took all of her effort and her arms trembled mightily just trying to support her weight. Even breathing was a chore for her. She took several ragged breaths, hoping that she wouldn't pass out.

Lucario was quickly at her side. The Pokémon spoke to her, but Serena had no idea what it said.

"I think I'm okay," Serena replied, with a weak voice. "I just feel tired."

Lucario looked relieved.

"Serena!" Ash called to her. He came running up and stopped just a couple paces from her. He looked concerned upon seeing the state she was in. "Are you okay?"

Serena nodded. "Yes, I think I'm okay." She smiled at Ash and made a happy sound. She was so glad she'd been able to overcome her fear and help him.

Ash looked dumfounded. He glanced at Lucario and back at Serena. "Did you Mega Evolve Lucario?" he asked slowly.

Serena nodded. "Yeah, I think so," she said, unable to keep a grin off her face.

Ash looked even more amazed. "But how?!"

Serena hadn't had much time to think about it, but there was one memory which stood out in her mind.

"I think it was like how you Mega Evolved Greninja. It felt like what you described back then."

Ash still looked stunned. "But, how in the world did you manage that?!"

She looked at Lucario and the Pokémon gave a subtle smile. Serena then turned back toward Ash. "I think it happened because we both really wanted to battle,"

Ash scratched his head. "That's all it took," he said; immensely perplexed. It had taken him a lot of battles and endless training to achieve that sort of bond with Greninja.

Serena took another breath. She was starting to feel a tiny amount of her strength return. She felt so much jubilation that she was practically laughing. "Well, no, I think the main thing that brought us together was we both love you, Ash!"

As soon as the words left Serena's lips she, Lucario and Ash all froze.

Serena had told Ash many times how she cared for him and liked him, but she'd always stopped short of using the word 'love' to describe her feelings. She hadn't wanted to scare Ash off or make him uncomfortable.

Lucario was distressed because although the Pokémon felt strongly toward Ash, it was too proud and stoic to ever admit to such feelings. Fortunately for Lucario, Ash had only heard Serena express her feelings for him.

Ash stared at Serena for a moment and then relaxed. The barest hint of a smile pulled at the corners of his mouth.

Ash looked around the devastated battlefield before turning back to Serena. "Ready to head inside," he said, sounding relieved that the fighting was over.

Serena nodded. She was more than ready for this to be over. Ash reached out a hand to help pull her up, however, Serena's legs refused to work. She was still so drained of energy that her body simply couldn't stand up.

Serena looked embarrassed and laughed at her situation. She and Ash spent a moment staring at each other, trying to figure out what to do. Finally, Ash took action.

"Here, let me do this," Ash said, pulling Serena's legs out from underneath her. With care, Ash maneuvered Serena around so he could hold her under her knees and back. Serena gave a token protest, saying that she would be okay in a minute, but within a few seconds, Ash lifted her up, cradling her in his arms. He gave a small smile, pleased at the situation. Serena smiled back at him.

As Ash started carrying her inside, Serena wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled herself close to him. She rested her head against the right side of his face and-

"OW!" Serena exclaimed as she felt Ash's stubble poke into her cheek.

She and Ash shared a look and chuckled.

Once they were inside, Ash placed Serena into the reclining chair they had in the living room. He then went and retrieved a bottle of juice for her from the fridge.

It wasn't until Serena had the juice in her hand that she realized how parched she felt. She put the bottle to her lips and guzzled the entire thing in one go. As soon as she finished it she started coughing and gasping for air. She felt a little embarrassed to be in so weak a state.

Ash looked at her carefully. "Are you feeling okay?" he asked.

Serena nodded. "Yes, thanks," she replied.

There was the sound of something crashing outside. Ash figured it was some wreckage finally collapsing. He started to head for the door but Serena spoke up.

"Hey, Ash," she began.

Ash stopped and looked at her.

"Um," Serena looked apprehensive and her voice was hesitant. "Outside, I told you that I love you."

Ash didn't respond, so Serena continued.

"I was just wondering… what do you think of that?"

Ash pursed his lips and slowly formed an answer. "Honestly, Serena… I pretty much figured that out a while ago."

Serena felt both relieved and a bit silly. She started to lightheartedly chuckle to herself. "I guess I haven't made it that much of a secret have I?" she said with a smile.

Ash smiled and laughed once to himself. "No, not really."

The two of them stared at each other for a long moment.

Something else crashed outside and Ash glanced toward the door.

"I should probably-" he began slowly.

Serena nodded and bid him farewell. Ash headed out the backdoor and Serena finally relaxed. She felt more at peace than she had in years. She'd conquered her fears, she'd battled overwhelming odds, and she'd finally shared her true feelings with Ash. Serena smiled and leaned back into the cushy chair. She closed her eyes, wanting to rest a bit before she started helping Ash put things back together.

She instantly fell into a deep deep sleep. Her exhausted body desperate to recuperate after the ordeal it had been through.

About half an hour later, Ash returned to the main building. He saw Serena fast asleep and smiled; happy to see her resting after everything that had happened. He retrieved a blanket and gently laid it over her, covering her up to her neck. He spent a moment just watching her slowly breathe. As he did, he noticed a stray lock of hair hanging down over her face. He reached up a hand to brush it back into place, but stopped with his finger hovering just above her forehead.

He didn't want to disturb Serena, and he also felt very hesitant to do anything to her while she was asleep. He lowered his hand, spent another moment watching her and then headed back outside to continue putting things right again.

---

The devastation from the Hydreigon was relatively limited. The supply shed and one aviary had been completely destroyed. Beyond that, the main building had taken some superficial damage and some fencing had been crushed, but that was most of the destruction. It would take some work to rebuild the structures, but Ash believed he could get it done.

A more immediate problem was what they were going to do with the captured Hydreigon. They certainly couldn't release them, so Ash decided the only sensible option was to send them to someone who could take care of them. He immediately thought of Iris and contacted her. The Unova champion was ecstatic at the prospect of taking the Pokémon into her care. And so, Ash reconnected the old Pokéball transport system still in place in the main building and sent the Hydreigon to his friend.

Serena was very glad when the beasts were finally gone. Now they could turn their full attention to the rebuilding effort. Ash felt a bit annoyed that he had to rebuild the shed for a second time. This time, the process went much more smoothly and quickly. Ash had learned a lot since the first attempt. This new shed was much sturdier and better structured than the previous one had been.

As the construction of the supply shed went on, an elderly man, one day, paid Ash a visit. The old man was a neighbor of the reserve and had heard of Ash's work restoring the ferry service and fighting off the Hydreigon aside from some of his other exploits. He was extremely impressed at how Ash was carrying on after Professor Oak had left. The old man explained that his wife had died several years earlier and all of his family now lived in Sinnoh and Unova. He'd decided to move out of Pallet Town to be closer to his family. He owned a large amount of property bordering the reserve and rather than sell the land, he'd decided to donate it to Ash. In total the property nearly doubled the size of the Pokémon reserve.

Ash was completely floored by the gift and thanked the man profusely. That night, while Ash and Serena sat at the dinner table, Serena couldn't help but look at Ash with admiration for all he was doing.

After completing the shed, Ash turned his attention to rebuilding the destroyed aviary. He knew before he started that this project was going to be much harder. He spent a fair amount of time reading up on engineering and studying how the other aviaries were built. After a few days of prep work, he started on the construction.

Things went easier than he expect. The experience he'd gained from building the two sheds, in addition what he'd read, minimized the number of mistakes he made. By the time he was finishing the frame of the new aviary, he was feeling fairly confident in his new skills as a carpenter.

As Ash started to work on the exterior of the aviary, summer arrived early. The days quickly became extremely hot. He and Serena found themselves working under the heat of the sun, often sweating profusely. Ash wanted to get the final construction finished before the weather got any warmer. Thus, they often found themselves working into the evening, past the point where they were exhausted.

---

Ash took hold of the long board as the end of it poked through the hole in the aviary's floor. He pulled the length of it up into the structure and carried it to a stack of similar sized boards piled to one side of the structure. These boards would be used to assemble the rafters and finished the last bit of interior structure. After that, he would just need to put on the roof and siding in order to finish the main construction.

Ash set the board down on the pile and let out a gasping breath while resting his hands on his knees. He took a moment to breath, and as he did so, sweat dripped off his nose and forehead onto the boards piled at his feet. He walked back over to the hole in the floor and saw that Serena had already lifted another board into position for him to grab.

"How many more of these to go?" Ash wheezed as he started pulling up the latest board.

There was a pause and then Serena answered. "About two dozen," she said back from below.

Ash glanced down through the hole at Serena. She had her hair pulled back into a ponytail and she was looking up at him.

"You still think this is a piece of cake?" Serena said with a wry smile.

Ash groaned, rolled his eyes and gave a slight shake of the head at Serena's quip. At the start of the day, he'd said to Serena that he thought they could get the prep work finished, and all the materials for the rafters up into the aviary by the end of the day. When Serena had voiced doubts about this, he'd responded that it'd be a 'piece of cake.' He was now regretting having giving her that ammunition.

Serena had started to become something of a prankster over the last few weeks; constantly making jokes and playfully teasing him. It was honestly starting to get on his nerves. He couldn't get mad of her of course, but he was wondering when it would stop.

Below him, Serena pushed another board up into the opening. She too was sweating in the heat, but not nearly to the extent that Ash was. As the minutes passed, she kept feeding Ash more boards and eventually they raised the final one up into the aviary.

Ash descended the ladder and leaned against it once he reached the ground. He took several deep breaths, glad that the task was nearly over.

Serena came sauntering up and stood a step away from Ash. "You know Ash," she said softly with a tough of flirtation in her voice. "You are so hot!"

The comment caused Ash to look up at her and raise an eyebrow. "Really?"

Serena nodded. "Yeah." she continued, her tone suddenly switching back to normal. "I mean look at you. You're all red and sweaty. You've got to be feeling miserable."

Ash snorted a laugh even though he didn't find the joke at his expense particularly funny. He grabbed his thermos and completely drained the last of the water inside it. He then grabbed a box of fasteners and lugged it up into the aviary. Ash hauled a few more boxes of supplies up the ladder and the task was finally complete.

Serena waited for Ash as he descended the ladder for the final time. He looked completely exhausted. He was dripping with sweat and his gait was sluggish.

"I'm glad that's done with," Ash mumbled. He glanced toward the main building where Totodile, Pikachu and Pancham were all lounging in the shade. Pikachu was wearing a pair of sunglasses. All three of them were enjoying taking it easy during the hot day.

"I don't suppose you'd like to pitch in?" Ash asked with a little bit of sarcasm.

Pancham shook his head. Pikachu gave a relaxed sounding cry and offered Ash a thumbs-up, indicating he was okay with things staying as they were. Only Totodile trotted forward, looking a little lost for how he could help out.

Serena looked down at Totodile as the Pokémon walked up beside her feet. The small gator croaked at Ash and pointed with its arm.

Ash waved off Totodile. "No, no. I'm fine. You don't need to do that."

Serena sent a curious look toward Ash. "What's Totodile saying?" she asked.

Ash gave a small laugh. "He wants to cool me off with Water Gun"

Upon hearing this, Serena reacted with an open-mouthed smile. "Aww, that's so nice," she said, bending down to pet Totodile. "I agree; Ash looks like he could use some cooling off."

Totodile looked back and forth between Ash and Serena.

Ash appeared apprehensive. "Don't worry Totodile. I'm okay," he said in a reassuring tone.

Serena stood back up and gave Totodile a little nudge with her toe. "Don't be shy. I'm sure Ash would appreciate it. See, he's so hot, he's dripping sweat."

Ash gave a tense smile and pointed toward the door. "I'm gonna go inside now and cool off. I'm fine."

With a silly grin on her face, Serena gave Totodile another, more forceful, nudge with her toe. "Go on," she said.

Totodile again looked back and forth between the two trainers, conflicted on who it should listen to. Finally the Pokémon gave an indifferent rasp and fired a Water Gun at Ash.

Ash looked dismayed and threw his hands up to shield himself a moment before he was engulfed by the stream of water. After a couple seconds, Totodile stopped firing. The small gator then shrugged and trotted back to where Pikachu and Pancham were now laughing uproariously.

Ash, now completely soaked from head to toe, sighed and sent an annoyed glare at Serena. He started pulling off his sopping wet black t-shirt.

Serena chuckled to herself at the sight. "Oops," she said, clearly amused. "Totodile might have overdone it a little."

Ash yanked the drenched shirt over his head and silently nodded along with Serena's comment.

Serena chewed on her lip for a moment as she stared at the now shirtless Ash. She then spoke again in an amused tone. "Well, on the bright side, you're not dripping sweat anymore."

Ash rolled his eyes, wadded the t-shirt into a ball and tossed it at Serena's head.

Serena laughed and caught it in midair a moment before it slapped into her face. The fabric was so thoroughly soaked that a bunch of water droplets sprayed over her face, but she didn't care.

Ash quickly walked into the main building. Serena unfurled the t-shirt and chased after Ash.

"Hey Ash, wait up!"

She stepped through the backdoor and followed Ash into the laundry room. She found him looking at the different shelves and drawers, trying to find clothes.

"Do you feel cooler now?" Serena asked, barely keeping a big grin off her face.

Ash shook his head. "So this is how you act when you love someone, huh?" he said; his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Serena just giggled in response and watched Ash moving about. She started absentmindedly gnawing on the knuckle of her right index finger as she eyed Ash's physique. With all the physical labor Ash had been doing, he'd started to become more athletic and muscular. Right now, as Serena stared at his glistening pectorals and biceps, she felt a fluttering sensation in her stomach. She couldn't resist having some more fun at Ash's expense.

"So Ash, now that you're the biggest land owner in Pallet Town, what are you going to do?" As she spoke, she reached out with her right hand and playfully poked Ash in the shoulder.

Ash flinched as she poked him. He glanced up at her, but didn't answer.

Serena grinned and poked Ash again as she continued speaking. "Maybe you should run for mayor. I'm sure everyone would vote for you."

Ash looked puzzled as he continued searching for clothes. "Why don't you run for mayor? You're the one who's always talking to everyone."

Serena giggled, "well, I'm not the world's greatest Pokémon trainer."

"Uh huh," Ash replied, sounding distracted. He glanced around the laundry room and then looked at Serena. "Serena, did you do something with my clothes again?" he asked, sounding annoyed.

Upon hearing this, Serena had to hold back a laugh. A few days ago, she'd waited around until Ash had started taking a shower and then hidden all of his clothes throughout the main building. She'd then left for home and had no idea what had happened afterward. When she'd arrived the next day however, judging by the unamused look Ash had sent her and Pikachu's constant sniggering, she'd guessed that some shenanigans had definitely occurred.

"No, I didn't touch them at all," Serena said; making it sound like she was covering something up.

Ash sighed and pulled open another drawer. "I need a shirt," he said to himself.

Serena grinned and tossed the t-shirt she was holding onto Ash's back. "Here!" she said playfully.

Ash flinched as the wet shirt landed on him. He pulled it off his back and tossed it into the dirty clothes hamper.

Serena waited a moment and then poked Ash again as she spoke. "Maybe you could open up a tourist attraction and show off all the Pokémon?"

Ash glanced up at Serena. He looked annoyed but also mildly amused by her constant pestering. "You're in quite the mood today," he said.

"Mmmm-hmmm," she hummed. "I'm sure tons of people would turn up to see you put on a show," she said, poking Ash yet again

Ash pulled open another drawer and sighed in relief as he found a stash of shirts.

Serena went to poke him again, but Ash brushed her hand aside this time. In response, Serena giggled and instead poked Ash with her left hand.

"Could you stop!" Ash said, clearly annoyed.

Serena chuckled and hesitated. She could tell Ash was at his limit of her antics, however, she didn't feel any desire to stop. She wanted to push Ash and see what happened.

Serena waited until Ash took his attention off of her and then poked him again in the shoulder. Ash gave a small cry of surprise and turned around on Serena. Serena immediately giggled and went to poke him again. Ash deflected the attempt and Serena quickly followed up with her other hand; this time poking Ash in his right pectoral.

Ash, trying hard to keep any expression of enjoyment off his face, grabbed hold of one of Serena's hands as she tried to poke him again. Their small clash quickly turned into a shoving matching as Serena tried to break her hand free and Ash worked to keep Serena from poking him anymore. During the struggle, Serena couldn't stop laughing and giggling. Eventually, Serena, trying to get the better of Ash, slipped her free hand past his guard and managed to tickle him in his armpit. Ash yelped at the move and immediately grabbed hold of both of Serena's wrists.

Serena tried to break free, but Ash was vastly stronger than her. He pushed her backward a few steps and pinned her against a wall. Serena was still laughing.

Ash looked at her, incredulous at her behavior. "Are you done yet?!" he said.

Serena gasped for breath, trying to bring her laughter under control. She was loving every second of this exchange. She struggled for a moment to break free but Ash was way too strong. He had total control of her.

'He could do absolutely anything he wanted to me,' she thought, as she stared at her bare-chested best friend.

That singular thought took root in Serena's mind and swiftly morphed from an idle joke in to something much more sensual and intense. She abruptly found herself envisioning Ash acting toward her in ways he never had. As these new images raced through her mind, she felt her skin start to feel hot and sweat begin to bead on her sides and neck. She suddenly desired for Ash to be very close to her; to be romantic toward her. Her heart was now beating rapidly and an intense yearning sensation she'd never felt before manifested inside of her. Her mind became foggy and it was hard for her to focus on anything other than how she wanted, no, needed Ash.

The new sensations were so intense for Serena that they left her feeling completely disoriented and slightly frightened of what was happening to her. She became very quiet and subdued. Ash let go of her wrists and looked at her with a puzzled and mildly concerned expression.

Serena only knew that she needed to get out of the room and figure out what was happening. She didn't want Ash following her, so she thought of a witty quip to exculpate herself from the situation. She turned away from Ash and started walking.

"Hey Ash, you should put on a shirt before you catch cold," she said, sounding dizzy.

Ash looked at her and frowned. "Catch cold? It's like a million degrees outside."

Serena groaned internally. Ash was correct, that hadn't been a very good quip. She didn't care though. She had to get out of there and she quickly made for the doorway. She misjudged her path however, and her shoulder slammed into the doorframe. She staggered, nearly fell over but managed to continue on.

Serena passed by several empty rooms. She didn't have any destination in mind. She just needed to get away. She finally pulled open the door of an empty closet and shut herself inside the pitch-black room. She leaned her back against the door and started taking long, slow breaths.

She didn't understand why her feelings had changed so suddenly. She'd always felt attracted to Ash, but this was something else entirely. Her emotions before had been warm and sweet; full of kindness and affection. These new feelings were hot, visceral and intense. Her mind felt like it was full of fuzz and she struggled to calm herself.

A few minutes passed without interruption. Serena was glad Ash wasn't looking for her. She felt some of the feelings begin to subside. Her mind cleared slightly and she tried to think. It only took a moment for her to remember a series of conversations her mom had with her a long time ago. The things her mom had told her hadn't made much sense, and at the time, she'd wondered if maybe none of it applied to her. Now, however, she finally understood the meaning of what her mom had said and what was going on with her right now.

'Oh no!' she thought, as a strong sense of dismay rolled over her. 'This just got a lot more complicated!'