Chapter Text
Tomorrow.
That was the sole word that rolled around Ash’s head as he and his Pokémon trained on the beach. Serena would really be here tomorrow. He’d come down to the beach to train, to take his mind off of the weird, jumpy feeling that had settled into his stomach after hanging up the call, but it wasn’t really working. Because all he could think about was her.
Almost automatically, he reached into his back pocket and pulled out a now heavily wrinkled magazine. On the cover was Serena, happily smiling after another contest victory. She’d done it. She’d really won the Hoenn contest spectacular. It was amazing, it was so cool, and it made a small pit open in Ash’s stomach every time he thought about it.
Ash wasn’t jealous. At least, he didn’t think so. As a little kid, he’d sort of written off performances and contests. Compared to battling, they were girly and boring, at least to his 5 year old self’s mind.
Ash shook his head and smiled. The kid who woke up late for his very first day as a trainer sure had changed a lot over the years. He’d started out as a bit of an idiot who dragged his only Pokémon by a clothesline into a trainer who’d almost won the Kalos league.
Almost.
He’d almost won. After six years of making unshakable bonds with his friends, saving the world from devastation(hah) and growing as a trainer, he’d almost won.
And that was it, wasn’t it? He’d grown so much. Which was why it hurt so bad.
Ash looked back down at the magazine in his hand. There was his friend, someone he’d just (re)met a little over a year ago.
Someone who’d just started their journey a little over a year ago.
Someone he’d helped to find their dream, that he’d seen grow beside him.
And she had already surpassed him.
When Ash had lost the Kalos league, he’d had no idea what to do. So when his mom had won tickets to Alola, it was a relief. He’d decided to stay in Alola to take a sort of break.
And look how that had turned out. He had wasted time, put his dream to the side, and lazed about.
Ash clenched the magazine tightly. He was so stupid. Here he was playing around on some islands while his friends accomplished their dreams. He was glad that the Alola league was happening, otherwise his whole stay in Alola would be for nothing.
Ash felt a light tug on his leg. “Pika pi?” Pikachu asked, looking up at Ash with an unsure concern. Ash snapped out of his thoughts and turned around his cap.
The Alola league was so close, and he couldn’t afford to waste a single moment. Even now, he was wasting time. He shook his head, clearing his thoughts, before turning to his Pokemon. “Sorry Pikachu. Let’s get back to it.”
~~~
That night, Ash stared hard at the ceiling above his bed, thinking.
Well, mostly cringing. Without training to distract him, his brain was running through a play by play of his poor conversational skills earlier in the day, and Ash couldn’t be more annoyed by it.
"I missed seeing you."
The trainer groaned then pulled a pillow over his face. Now she’d be worrying about him, and that was the last thing he wanted on any of his friend’s minds. He really shouldn’t worry-
"No need to worry! I’m always impressed by you.”
Ash clenched his teeth together and pulled the pillow off his face. He just had to find something else to focus on. Anything else.
…
The ceiling was particularly interesting tonight.
Across the wood there were years worth of cracks, and there was a wet spot that had been hastily and obviously covered with plywood. Who knew if the Professor had actually sealed the roof properly, though. In fact, it might’ve been recently, if the slight woody smell permeating the room was any indication.
It wasn’t the sort of woody smell Ash was used to, though. Not the kind that he liked. It didn’t smell like camping, nor late night adventure, nor talks under the stars.
At that thought, the smell of Kalosian woods reached his nose, and Ash could almost feel the knots in his back from sleeping on the uncomfortable floor of Clemont’s tent. Feeling the memory coming, Ash closed his eyes and was thrust back a year in the past.
~~~
It had been almost an hour.
An hour since they went to bed, and Clemont still hadn’t passed out, at least not fully. It was easy to tell. Every time he fell into a deep sleep, the young engineer’s breathing would slip into an incredibly high pitched snore. A snore that, while annoying at times, Ash was ultimately grateful for. Because it made it easy to sneak out on nights like this.
Ah! And there it was. The high pitch noise in question was now ringing out around the tent.
Ash rolled his back as he sat up. He’d be feeling the root he’d been lying on tomorrow for sure. He slowly crept to the edge of the tent and carefully unzipped the door. Ash kept his eyes trained on his friend as he slowly crept out of the tent, only breathing out a sigh of relief when he successfully pulled the zipper all the way closed. He took in a deep breath, taking in the comforting smell of the woods, then turned around.
Only to be greeted by two massive eyes, staring him down.
“GAH-!” Ash yelped, jumping a good two feet in the air before smacking one hand over his mouth to shut himself up, and one hand over his heart to calm himself. Because of course there wasn’t any giant monster waiting outside the tent to devour him.
It was Serena’s stupid Shellder tent. Stationed right in front of the tent door he’d just walked out of.
Below him he heard a stifled giggle. Ash furrowed his brow and stared down at the honey-blonde, who was peeking out of the Shellder’s mouth that she had so obviously moved closer earlier that night.
Ash opened his mouth to complain, but before he could get a word out Serena put a finger over her lips to shush him and pointed first towards the tent he’d just walked out of, then behind herself.
Clemont and Bonnie.
Ash quickly snapped his head to his tent and searched for any sign of movement. Thankfully, the tent was just as still as when he’d walked out of it, and a high pitched snore could still be faintly heard.
As he kept vigil watch of the tent, Serena slowly exited her sleeping bag, then her tent.She stood still and watched her tent for a second, probably waiting to see if she'd woken Bonnie, before she turned and started slowly padding away from the campsite. Ash followed her lead as she quietly walked out from under the canopy of trees where they’d set up their tents under.
They’d had an unspoken agreement together. If something was bothering one of them, they’d meet up under the stars and talk it out, or just name constellations until they felt better. This particular night, it was after the master class. It was a rough loss to take, and Ash had noticed how down Serena had been earlier in the day. At the moment though, she was still giggling a little at him, which was a far better sight.
Serena walked just a bit farther before stopping at the edge of the forest, where it met an empty, grassy field. After taking one last glance at the tent to be certain that they couldn’t be heard, she started to laugh loudly. “Every time with that tent Ash.” She chuckled, bending over in laughter. " How many times is it going to take before you start expecting it?”
He bristled, then walked over to where she was standing before glaring back at the tent. “Well, you could just take off its eyes…”
Serena gasped, then gave him a shocked look. “How dare you! I could never blind Shelly!”
Ash snorted. “Shelly? You named your tent?”
Serena gave him a fierce pout. “I was six, give me a break.”
“Alright, alright.” Ash said, slowly lowering himself into a sitting position. The sky was so clear that he couldn’t help leaning back and stealing a glance at the stars before looking over to Serena. “So, what’s got you still up? Or are we naming some stars tonight?”
She sighed before taking her spot beside him. Even sitting down, her shoulders still held a stiffness. “No, I want to talk about it. Here.” From her pocket, she produced a business card. “Palermo gave this to me, right before she told me…” She took a deep breath and turned away as her voice began to waver. “Before she told me that I don’t have what it takes.”
“What?!” Ash scoffed. “You know that’s wrong!” He leaned back further and co*cked his head before adding, “And for the record, the cheers were definitely louder for you.”
She snorted before looking back at him. “Maybe that was just you. You’re pretty loud, you know.”
He chuckled, but continued. “No, I’m serious. People were talking afterwards about how you were the crowd favourite, and I couldn’t agree more.”
A faint dusting of pink coloured her cheeks at the praise. “Thank you Ash. But I think she was right. I feel like there’s still something I’m missing, something I just don’t have yet.” The same sad look she’d had the rest of the day passed over her face, and Ash wished so bad that he could just find the right words to make a loss better.
But really, he didn’t have to.
Because before he could think of anything, Serena started talking again. “Well, someone kind of smart once told me before that I shouldn’t give up until it’s over, so I’m going to keep doing that.”
Instead of the dreary look that previously covered her eyes, hope now shone through them.
“Maybe I'll head to another region, or wait until next year to gather the princess keys again. But no matter what, I’ll keep trying until I’m certain my dream’s over.” She clenched her fist to accentuate her point, before turning to look at him. Ash swore that every star in the night sky was reflected in her eyes.
“For now, can I keep travelling with you?” She asked, in a much more timid voice than her previous declaration.
They held eye contact for a second before Ash smiled. “Absolutely” He said, not bothering to mention that he already assumed she’d be sticking around for the rest of his Kalos journey. After that speech, how could he say anything except yes?
Serena smiled in return, then leaned over onto Ash’s shoulder.
“So, I'm kind of smart?” Ash said, elbowing Serena’s lightly in the side.
She smiled brightly, then leaned into his shoulder a little more. “Yeah, only sometimes. Most of the time, you’re pretty dense.”
Ash guffawed, Serena laughed, and she plunged her face into his shoulder to keep herself quiet.
A few minutes later, after they’d both sobered up, Serena took a second to look up at Ash’s face, then they both turned to stare at the stars. A few seconds later, her face broke into a small smile.
“Thanks for coming out tonight Ash.” Serena whispered. The night was so quiet that it was the only thing he heard. “I’m already feeling better.”
