Only Time Will Tell

 

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Only Time Will Tell

 It was the day I would go back to the Kalos region. I was twenty. I had planned to meet up with Bonnie and Clemont in Lumiose City, but I was honestly hoping to run into someone else. I missed her dearly, and couldn't help thinking about her ever since the way she left me all those years ago. A final thank you that we would both remember for years to come.

Walking into the gym, I saw a gym battle in place. It appeared the challenger was on their last Pokemon. But it wasn't clemont fighting. "Dedenne, finish them off with nuzzle!" Bonnie was very good, and she had improved so much that I doubted Dedenne had lost any gym battles she it had fought. The opposition didn't even had time to counter the attack. The battle finished, and that was when she noticed me. "Ash! Clemont, Clemont, he's here!" Clemont rushed out from a room on the other side of the gym. "Hey, guys!" I said. They were full of elation and had grown considerably over the years. Clemont said he had a surprise for me and led me into the same room he came out of.

Turning on the TV, he was grinning wickedly. "And now," said the announcer, "please welcome our Kalos Queen, Serena!"

My heart skipped a beat. Her blue eyes sparkled as she stepped onto the stage with a Delphox, a Pangoro and a Sylveon. Her dazzling smile seemed to gleam in the light of her spectacular performance. When it was done, I asked Clemont where it was held. He laughed and said, "Why, here in Lumiose City! Do you want to go see her?"

My answer was inevitable and came so quickly that I could tell they both noticed my feelings for her the moment I said yes. But I was strangely terrified of seeing my lifelong friend and crush. Only time would tell if she was the same Serena I loved.

On TV she had seemed so confident, and I thought nothing could scare her or get in her way. But when I saw she saw me she blushed and looked down. "Serena!" I yelled. "Serena!" Her director looked at me with a cross look and snapped, "No autographs! Serena needs to have her own time. Now move!"

Serena began to look angry and soon that anger exploded, but I noticed that she had the ability to make only one person feel uncomfortable when she was angry with them. "No, let Ash and his friends come. Just... go have a tea break or something! Scoot!"

Her entire crew hurried away, leaving just us there. "Oh shoot. There's  an excessive amount of people asking for gym battles. We have to go. Sorry, guys!" Clemont glanced at me apologetically, taking Bonnie's hand and leading her away. I looked at their backs pleadingly, willing for one of them to stay. As they ran out of view, I looked back at Serena. "So, hey-" I was cut off by her arms around me, holding me tightly. Same old Serena. I returned the embrace, and after what seemed an age, we pulled apart, our hands still holding each other's. She started laughing and said, "When Bonnie and Clemont told me you were coming, I didn't believe them at first. But you're here, Ash. You're actually here."

I looked into her eyes and began to lean forwards, and before I knew, she returned the gesture, pressing our lips together. She hugged me around the neck and it was sort of choking me, but I didn't mind. I was finally reunited with the girl who's face I had seen on TV for a while, but had lost track of when I finally went to Alola. Suddenly, she separated us and told me to stay there while she searched around for something in her bag. She pulled out six Poke balls and released all of her Pokemon. I recognised Sylveon, and even though they had evolved, Delphox and Pangoro were still the same Pokemon. She introduced me to Kirlia, Beautifly and Misdreavus. After I let her meet Charizard, who I had taken with me, we decided to take a walk. As the sun began to set, we sat on the same hill that we had first seen Lumiose City from, her head resting on my shoulder. We fell asleep then, not really meaning to. I had my arms around her, and she was leaning into my chest, and we stayed in that position all night.

When we woke up it was different.

We were sitting with our backs on a cave wall. I heard her gasp as she woke up and took in her surroundings too. I wrapped my arms around her just as a group of Sableye came forward and began prodding us out of what I realised was a cage built in a cave. They were smart enough to do that, but not smart enough to take our bags, which sort of confused me. We left our bags and were led out of the cage by the angry mob of wild Pokemon. I realised with a pang of fear that Pikachu was not there with me. Serena noticed too and squeezed my hand in reassurance. As we walked into a central chamber, I saw Pikachu in a cave and called his name. He was awake, and looked very hungry. "Pi... Pika pi!" He was in a cage made of rock, realising with another shocking wave of confusion that they could identify type weaknesses.

"Sa-bleye!" A hoarse, scratchy voice cried out in my mind, bringing me with a sharp and painful jolt back to reality. A Sableye was sitting on a giant shard of crystal. I had a funny thought. 'Hey, it looks just like a mega Sable-' It was in that moment that I realised that not only were they smart enough to build good cells and identify type waknesses, they could also make themselves mega evolve. "Sa-bleye!" Two Sableye came forward and dropped our bags at our feet. The mega Sableye jumped down from its crystal and picked it up, speaking in the Sableye language and gesturing from himself to Pikachu. And then pointing at Serena. And then pointing at me. 

"What is he saying?" Serena asked. "I don't know exactly. But I think he's challenging me to a battle with Pikachu as the prize." My fists clenched with clear rage. "And if I loose, he keeps Pikachu... and you, as a slave." I wouldn't let them have Pikachu. But Serena was something I couldn't bare to loose. What would Pikachu and Serena do, or eat, and most importantly of all... how could I live without Serena? Determination filled me with new confidence, and, reunited with precious Kalos memories, reached for Greninjas pokeball, only to find air where it should be. Serena had more Pokemon than me, and if I wanted to get out of there with her and Pikachu, I would have to use her Pokemon. Serena held out her Sylveon's  poke ball. "That Sableye is too full of itself," she said. "Sylveon is going to beat him. I know it." I nodded. My complete faith was in her. "Okay, Sableye. You asked for a battle, it's a battle you'll get. Come on Sylveon. Use... Fairy wind!" The overconfident Sableye did, as a matter of fact, feint after one turn, forgetting to dodge Sylveons attack. Serena had trained her well. But the Sableye army was having none of it. They rushed towards us and I held on tight to Serena, shielding her from harm. "I love you." It was all I could think to say in that moment. I whispered it in her ear as Sylveon kept up her desperate attempt to save us. It was the thruth, and I hadn't told her before. The Sableye were bombarding us now, and Pikachu's terrified cries filled the cavern, soon overpowered by the voices of the Sableye crawling all over us, trying their hardest to avenge their master.

Only time would tell whether we were getting out of there alive.



Directed towards one of my friends. Hey Max, here's one with a less dark ending. Thanks for inspiring me to write this btw!

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Our Saviour

 Sylveon was wearing out. As Serena wrapped her arms around my neck, the wounded Pokemon began to retreat, running out of will and ability to continue. Serena sobbed, and began to cry. I couldn't help it; I began to as well. I heard her whispering to me, through the sobs that choked her breathing. "Ash, I'm sorry. I c-can't believe th-that we're losing it all, just when it began. I love yo-"

As much as I wanted to hear her finish that sentence, I was shocked, startled, and more than anything relieved at the distraction that came. As the wall collapsed, a stream of light surged through the chamber, and the Sableye were all blinded by the light. Out of the rubble of the stone wall, there stepped a Pokemon. It looked like a green and black dog of some sort, and I heard Serena breathe it's name under her breath. "Zygarde?"

A sudden hope filled me. Zygarde was our old friend, who had travelled with us across Kalos. But then I sensed something in the air. Something that had been missing from my life, that I had missed dearly. It was a link, more powerful than any Pokemon's move. It could have been coming from Zygarde, but I knew it wasn't somehow. 

"Gre!" Standing up, I shook rubble off of my clothing, trying to see against the blinding light. The silhouette of someone I knew all to well was printed on a background of golden light.

"Greninja! You came back!" I realised what the feeling must have been. He wasn't normal Greninja, but Ash Greninja! I didn't know how we still had it in us to form such a bond, but it was something special, that was clear. Serena was just as overjoyed as I was. She seemed full of new hope by our rescuers entrance, letting her other Pokemon out now that she was given the chance. Zygarde pounced on the Sableye, Biting his way through the swarms of blinded Ghost Pokemon. Sylveon returned to her Poke ball, exhausted and certainly willing to take a rest. "Alright, Greninja, help Pikachu out! Use cut to break the bars!"

It had been so long since I had delivered this command, or any command to this Pokemon. But now that I did, it seemed so natural! I rejoiced in that moment, battling fiercely against these strange opponents with the three people closest to me; my love, my partner, and my best friend. I glanced at them all in turn, Serena blushing affectionately when I caught her gaze. 


When we got back, we were bustled around by Bonnie and Clemont, both trying their hardest to make sure that we were alright. After finally deciding that no harm was done to us, they decided to take us out on a walk to get some donuts. It seemed like a great reminder of when we used to do this in cities all over Kalos. Being reunited with Greninja made it all far more special, especially with Bonnie constantly hugging and petting both Zygarde, as one never went without the other. Serena slipped her hand into mine, filling me with a sense of joy. Bonnie and Clemont both looked at us questioningly, and we blushed simultaneously as we realised that they weren't there for that part. We simply glanced at each other, still blushing, and that seemed to get the message through. As we were all laughing at a particularly bad pun that Bonnie told, I bumped into a girl, tripping myself and her up.

"Oh, sorry. I uh, I wasn't watching where I was going and I, uh-"

"That's okay. It was just an accide-"

As she spoke, and as we got a closer look at each other, I realised who she was, and she seemed to remember me too.

"Ash?" Said Misty. "Is that you?"

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Jealousy Is The Only Bad Look On Serena

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Skill and Splendour

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