Shout out to KurumiErika, of DeviantART, for her artwork above.

Serena raced through the atrium, as she heard the sound of the referee, calling for the fifteen-minute intermission. I don't have a lot of time.

She ducked and dodged through the crowd before she found the stairs that led to the corridors below. She dashed down the stairs and was about to round the corner, which would take her to Ash's locker room.

When suddenly, an arm appeared in front of her. Serena looked up to the security guard, who was blocking her route.

"Can I help you?" he said as he tilted his head forward and looked at her from the top of his glasses.

"Yes please!" Serena panicked. "I-I need to see Aaron!"

"Sorry, ma'am. I cannot let you do that," he said while he maintained his position, in front of the girl. "No one is allowed to see the tournament participants, while they are competing."

"But I-" Serena was interrupted as she heard a voice, behind her, speak up.

"Chuck, let her pass." Serena turned to see the green haired Gym Leader of Saffron City. "Don't you recognize the Kalos Queen? Let her do as she pleases."

"Uh . . . yes. Yes, of course, Sabrina. You may pass," the guard cleared the way for Serena to get through.

Serena took off but turned to wave back at Sabrina. "Thank you, Sabrina," she said before turning back and frantically searching for Ash's door.

She didn't slow down until she found her destination. She took a deep breath before exhaling. She raised her hand up in a closed fist and knocked on the door. She heard a mumble, from the inside, and took it as permission to enter. She slowly opened the door, to see Ash looking at her. The expression, on his face, went from anxiety to shock. Lucario and Pikachu also looked on Serena, with their mouths ajar.

"Se-Serena?"

---

All of a sudden, Ash felt a jolt of electricity, circling through his body. He groaned as he looked to Pikachu, who glared at him.

"Pika pika cha. Pikachu pika pi! Pikachu Pikapi, pi chu pi!" Pikachu shouted in frustration.

"But, it's Serena!" Ash responded. "She wouldn't forgive me, what makes you sure the others will?"

"Pikachu pipi," Pikachu responded quickly.

"But Gary knew the whole time," Ash answered. "He knew and he never gave up. As for Trevor, he discovered the truth, and yet, he came to accept why I must do this. Hell, he even trusted us with his biggest secret about his wife and child. The way that Serena made it out, the rest of them would have given up and lost hope. Look at what happened to her. She had hope, but she still got mad!"

"But you can't just stop fighting," Lucario answered. "If she does love you, then she'll come back and look past that."

Ash looked at the ground. His mind went over what his two companions had said. A sad smile went across his face.

"Thanks, guys. That helped a lot."

He then heard a knock at his door. The small smile turned into anxiety.

No! Not yet! It can't be time to resume the battle already! He mumbled a few words that he hoped would buy him a few more seconds for him, to regain his thoughts.

He turned to see the door opened and revealed the last person that he would have expected. His heart skipped a beat, as adrenaline began to pump and his mind began to race.

"Se-Serena?" he managed to get out.

"Hey, Ash," Serena said sweetly.

She entered and shut the door behind her. She turned back to Ash, to see him get up slowly from his bench. A look of shock was still gracing his eyes.

The two young adults stood and looked deep into each other's eyes. Neither knew what to do. Each had a whirlwind of emotions, flowing through their heads, which froze them in place.

Finally, Serena broke the stagnation when she rushed to Ash. She threw her arms, under his armpits, and around his back, bringing him into a hug. She buried her head into his chest, while not caring about the dirt that was still on his jacket, from the early battles.

Ash again froze, before responding the hug. He enveloped Serena in a bear hug and felt her hair on his cheeks, as he smelled the flowery perfume that he remembered from years ago. They held each other in their arms, before breaking the hug and taking a step back. They made eye contact and each let out a soft chuckle.

"Serena . . . What are you doing down here?" Ash asked as he looked yearningly to the brown haired performer before him.

"Well, someone needed a pep talk," she said teasingly. "You looked like an amateur out there." She tilted her head and gave Ash a wink.

Ash chuckled nervously. He reached his hand, behind his head, and scratched the back of his neck. "Yeah. Well, what can I say? My mind was elsewhere," Ash answered as he put his hand back to his side.

His eyes turned more serious and he began to speak more heartfelt.

"Serena, I'm so sorry. When I made that decision, I thought I was doing the right thing. All I wanted, was to protect you. That's all I have ever wanted to do. You have to believe me. I would never intentionally hurt you."

Serena shook her head, while Ash was speaking. "Stop Ash. Just stop. You aren't the one that needs to be apologizing," she looked at her beloved. A few tears began to form in her eyes. "I wanted you back so badly that I didn't look at it from your point of view. I just... wanted you back, and when I saw you, hugged you and all; well, my mind just went. I didn't think about anything, except what I wanted. When I saw you down there battling today, I was even more heartbroken because I finally realized that you still loved me, more than I could have ever imagined and that I had inflicted so much pain upon you. I saw you hurting and it showed me the damage that I had caused, while also telling me that you truly missed me and just wanted to protect me. Just like you always did, back in Kalos."

"I missed you, Serena, so much." Ash smiled at the young woman before him.

Serena laughed nervously. "Yeah, I know. Last night, I talked to Gary. After I slapped him once or twice," they both laughed at her actions, "he started to talk some sense into me. He said that you saw me become Kalos Queen, is that right?"

Ash nodded slowly. "That's correct. I had to take over the local Pokémon Center's TV, just to watch it. I wouldn't have missed it for the world. I am so proud of you, Serena."

"I know, you are, Ash, and the next time the Master Class comes along, I want you in the front row. I lost you once, Ash, and I'm not going to let that happen again."

"I don't want to lose you either, Serena," Ash said as he took the girl back into another hug. He whispered in her ear. "While I was on Shamouti Island, and whenever I felt lonely and tired, I would always think of you. My only goal was to get back to you and the others. You're the reason I trained relentlessly, and without that motivation, I wouldn't be here today."

The couple broke apart as they heard a knock on the door, calling for Ash to return to his platform. Ash made his way to the door, before feeling a hand on his arm. He looked back to Serena, who had a serious expression on her face, and a blue handkerchief, in her other hand.

"Before you go, I want you to have this," she said, handing the handkerchief to him. "It was the handkerchief that you gave me, all those years ago. When you supposedly died, it was the only thing that gave me comfort. It pushed me forward while knowing that you were always with me. I don't need it anymore, because you're here now and alive. I want you to take this, and hopefully, it will give you strength. I want it to remind you that I love you, Ash Ketchum."

Ash looked at the blue cloth. He felt its soft touch in his fingers. It gave him a warm sensation that raced throughout his body. "Serena, I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything, Ash," Serena said. "Just go out there and wipe that smug look off of Paul and Giovanni's faces. Just win."

"I will," Ash said as he felt his confidence beginning to come back to him, with renewed force.

"Oh, and one more thing," Serena said. Ash looked at her with confusion.

Serena gently brought her hand up to his mask and slowly slid it down to his neck. She then stood up on her toes and gently placed her lips on Ash's. Electricity was coursing through both of their bodies. Ash felt his fire of determination being reignited within him, as Serena felt a sense of true happiness finally springing from her heart and filling the rest of her. They parted and both had a gleam, in their eyes, and broad smiles on their lips.

"That was for a little extra luck. Now get out there and show them what you're made of."

"It will be my pleasure," Ash said as he, Lucario and Pikachu made their way to their platform.

They stepped on and turned back to Serena, who was holding one hand to her chest, as the other waved to them. He gave a thumbs up and slid the mask back on to his face.

Pikachu hopped on his shoulder, sparks flying. Lucario clenched and unclenched his fist as he let out a low growl. They were ready for their comeback. The trio had their fire back now. They were ready to show the world just what they could do and give Paul the battle that he so demanded.

"Lucario, are you ready?" Ash said in a commanding tone.

"Do you even have to ask?"

"Let's do this!" Ash said as their platform began to rise.