Serena was up early the next morning, she had made sure Ash was tucked in bed tightly. Without thinking she gave him a peck on the forehead, and stared at the sleeping teen.

"I want to know what happened to you" Serena said. She sighed and got out of his bed and got into her usual attire. She brushed her teeth and went out of his room, and descended down the stairs.

She could hear the sounds of silent moans and shuffling down stairs. She peeked into the living room and saw something no one would ever want to see. Let just say something a kid would not want to see parents doing.

Serena backed away and headed into the kitchen. She set down a bowl and poured milk into it followed by cereal. She was soon joined by Delia, Serena looked away in embarrassment.

"Hey Serena! Have a nice sleep?" Delia said as she sat in front of the honey blonde haired girl.

"Yep!" Serena replied.

"Nothing inappropriate?" Delia said chuckling.

"Of course not!" Serena said a bit flustered.

"Only joking!" Delia replied.

"It's okay, but I have a question but um it may sound a little weird..." Serena said a bit hesitantly.

"Go on" Delia spoke.

"Why has Ash changed so drastically over one summer?" Serena asked.

"Well... I've been asking myself the same question. He goes somewhere every summer, but normally returns happy and cheerful. But last summer he went but returned well before his normal return date. So i went to look for him and found him sitting on the edge of Prism tower. He didn't look me in the eye, nor has he since, to anyone. He's isolating himself from everyone, and of course that was the same summer Leaf went back home" Delia explained.

"Was he always like this at home? Isolated?" Serena asked.

"Yes, he never enjoys our company, that's what I feel anyway. Always angry at Home but whenever Leaf was around he would be a normal happy child. He loved her to bits, looked up to her. But she had to go and he's returned to his shell. I've tried to talk to him but he's not budging" Delia said sadly.

"Wow, where does this Leaf girl live?" Serena asked.

"If your saying we should visit her, Ash refuses. He says she's not there anymore but that's it" Delia said.

"I mean lately he seems normal to me like the Ash I knew since childhood" Serena said.

"Serena, I think you can open him up. From what I've observed so far you can read him like a book and he enjoys your company a lot." Delia said.

"You think so?" Serena said blushing.

"Of course, he's never asked a girl to stay at her house. Not even Leaf... when she had to go back he did not complain, but from last night he did not want to you to go" Delia said eyeing the teen.

"I mean I do admire your son a lot, his courage and perseverance is the best I've seen! It inspires me to do stuff like performing too!" Serena said dreamily.

"Match made in heaven" Delia mumbled.

"Sorry?" Serena asked.

"Oh nothing! But please make him come out of his shell, I want to see my son happy again" Delia said.

"I will try my best!" Serena said and held her hand near the blue ribbon. She then got up and headed to Ash's room and saw him staring at a pokeball. As Serena got close, Ash hurriedly hid the ball away and turned to her.

"Oh hey... Serena" he said giving a small chuckle.

"Hey Ash, What you got there?" Serena said indicating towards the hand behind his back.

"Oh nothing, it's just Um a ball..." Ash said nervously.

Serena grabbed his arm and pulled it forwards. She recognised the Pokeball from the television. It belonged to a trainer named Aaron who had a Greninja and conquered all regions.

"How do you have this pokeball? It belongs to Aaron!" Serena said.

"Well, you see Aaron is me.." Ash looked towards the ground.

"WHAT!?" Serena shouted.

"Yeah but please don't tell anyone! Not yet at least. It's the only place where I can be, well I guess you could say free" Ash said and continued to stare down, his expressions becoming sadder.

"No problems, Ashy, I'll keep it safe but I can't believe your that trainer. Your so strong, and gotta say handsome" Serena instantly covered her mouth and blushed heavily.

"Thanks, I guess" Ash said scratching his head.

"Anyway, where is the Greninja? I don't see him around the house and he's not in your pokeball. And you used him in the battle against drew" Serena said.

"I don't know" was the reply. It was said coldly and darkly.

"What do you mean?" Serena asked

"I don't want to talk about the past, please. It will be the last thing I do" Ash said and dropped the ball on the floor.

"Okay, Sorry Ash I didn't mean to push you in answering!" Serena said and gave him a surprising hug.

"Also you didn't answer my question from last night" Serena said breaking the hug.

"And that was?" Ash replied.

"Who is the girl?"

"I'd rather not say, plus I don't think she will like me" Ash said and looked away.

"Why's that?"

"I've stayed away from her. I distanced myself from her. I forgot about her... until now but I don't know it's complicated. I just don't want her to have me interfere in her fairly good life" Ash said, he looked at Serena, deeply in the eyes.

"Oh... I mean come on Ash, if that were me I would have forgiven you! It's not your fault you distanced yourself, I mean you shouldn't have done it but you must have reasons. But advice in love you stick together in tough times." Serena said.

"I guess your right... but what can I do?" Ash said helplessly.

"What I am trying to say Ash is that YOU are not alone in the goddamn world. You have a family and you have your friends" Serena said.

"Moms tried to find out where I've been going hasn't she. I knew it! I fucking knew it" Ash said and slammed his fists on the table.

"Ash, is something wrong?" Serena asked.

"Serena this time, I'm asking for your concern, and your well being. Please go home, I can wheel my own chair I think. But most importantly go home I cannot drag you into this!" Ash said sounding desperate.

"Remember Ash, sometimes in Lov- I mean friendship you stick together! So I am sticking together. I've made myself a promise of not to lose you again like I did before!" Serena said forcefully at Ash.

"I can't lose you too Serena, I lost Leaf, I lost my dad, I lost my Greninja, and I almost lost you last year" Ash said.

"No Ash you won't lose me! I promise but I want to be with you in this tough time. You need the care and l-love" Serena said blushing.

"I've lost so much... if I lose one more I'm finished Serena... finished" Ash said.

"Stop thinking your alone! I'm with you! Gary's with you! Your friends are with you. Give me the confident Ash from childhood! Please" Serena said looking at Ash. He seemed to be taking time to process the whole situation.

Ash stared at her for a while, it was a hard decision, he did not want to lose her but he wanted her close. Then he'll have to protect her at any cost!

"Okay fine, but what about your parents and Tierno? It would be weird coz your family know your dating Tierno" Ash said.

"Yeah but I'm taking care of you and I will dump Tierno, you've made me realise something. Anyway they won't mind. They're mainly out of town nowadays" Serena said.

"You just can't crush Tierno like that, he will lose so much confidence!" Ash said and he did not know why he was defending the bloke.

"If I am still with Tierno who will look after you? Clearly after all these years no one has bothered to notice you, so you need someone's proper care" Serena said sternly.

"Well there's always Gary" Ash said but he knew that was the most stupidest thing he's ever said.

"No way am I leaving you in Gary's care!" Serena said.

"Fine, you win! But from now on, Whatever I tell you, you cannot speak about in public to anyone but me or my friends" Ash said.

"Okay..." Serena said.

"You mustn't tell my mom, that is really essential or my step dad. You must forget about them" Ash said. This caused Serena to look at Ash in confusion.

"But Ash Why are you isolating yourself from them?" Serena asked.

"Well now I am about to tell you my past and this will tell you everything you need to know" Ash said.

"Every year I've been on a journey to different regions, to catch new Pokémon and gain experience and challenge the league. However last year things changed, drastically. I was going to set out to a new region called Alola, but I found out they had no league. However they also have a school, which I considered joining" Ash paused for a breath.

"So you were planning to leave?" Serena said, sounding a bit sad.

"I was but not there, no way. I went for a couple of days but something felt odd. So me and Lillie we both went around school, because it felt odd on the day. Unfortunately we came across a place. A place where... sorry but I can't say it. It's to much for me to handle" Ash said and his knees buckled.

"Oh, Ash don't take the stress, you don't have to tell me. Just get on your wheelchair and I'll feed you your breakfast" Serena said.

"No Serena, I've told you this much so I might as well get it over with" Ash said.

"Okay but stay seated, and take as much time as you want, I'll make an excuse for school" Serena said.

"Ok... Lillie, a good friend, had disappeared the next day. She would normally walk with me in the mornings and and evenings but she hadn't come for a few weeks. So I decided to go back to school and check out the 'place'. And what do you know. I overheard people talking that Lillie had been taken into that weird dimension thingy and that the gateway had moved to a different location, right here in Kalos. So I came back as soon as possible and Sawyer went missing as well. And this where my parents come in... I remember seeing my step dad working for those men who made that shithole. He was the one that put me through hell last year, and he made me lose everything." Ash was almost in tears.

Serena couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy once again about how Ash felt about this Lillie girl.

"It's fine Ash I'm sure Lillie is still looking over you" Serena said in a comforting tone.

"Yeah She was a good and loyal friend, but I lost Leaf as well and I lost my real father. Yes my real father. In that fucking shit hole." Ash got out of his wheelchair in anger.

"Ash please no anger! It's fine, you won't lose me okay! I will not leave your side I promise" Serena said and hugged the young trainer.

"Please Don't" Ash almost whimpered out.

"I won't, now tell me why you ignore your family" Serena asked.

"I told you my step dad was one of those men who made that place and cost lives. And he's been trying to get information out of me of the place and how it is inside, and all my other secrets between me and my Greninja. My moms in it. She talks all lovely to my friends hoping they will spill and judging by this, you've been targeted. That's why I told you too leave, but I've changed my mind." Ash said

"Ok so I'm staying here?"

"No your leaving still" Ash said.

"But I though you said.." Serena was perplexed.

"So am I, What I'm trying to propose is to stay at your house instead" Ash said.

"Oh... yeah I wouldn't mind that but I'll have to ask my parents first" Serena said.

"Okay brilliant!" Ash said.

"Now let's get you dressed and let's go school!"