"Well, they went well as expected today," Ash told Trevor, Pikachu, and Lucario as they exited the stadium.

"Yeah. Harrison was a tough opponent; but thankfully, my Empoleon put up a good fight and defeated his powerful Blaziken." Trevor stated as he faced Harrison in his match today and won. "My quarterfinals opponent will be Ritchie."

"Yeah" Ash responded. "You against Ritchie will be an interesting quarterfinal match-up tomorrow; but other than that, the other three battles won't be much of a contest."

"Don't get cocky, man," Trevor stated in a bit serious tone. "You're up against Paul tomorrow. He's one tough cookie to beat. Even though you defeated him during the Sinnoh League, he has gotten stronger since the last time you two faced each other."

"No need to worry, Trevor. You just win your match tomorrow, and I'll win mine." Ash responded. "If we win both our matches tomorrow, we'll be facing each other in the semifinals."

"That's right," Trevor replied with a smile. "Gregor and I have been dying to face you and Lucario, for quite some time now."

"I hope so. It'll be a very interesting battle." Ash said with a smile on his face.

Ash, along with his faithful Pokémon, and Trevor walked toward the hotel, which was shining, in the already darkened sky, outside of Saffron City.

"Remind me again, how did you lose to Ritchie back in the Indigo Conference, Master?" Lucario questioned with a smile on his face.

"Pika pi, pika, pika cha. Chu Pikachu, Pikachu pika pi Pikapi," Pikachu answered for Ash, from his shoulder.

"How does Charizard feel about being technically beaten in a battle by a Pikachu?" Lucario asked with a smirk on its face. "I mean, that overgrown lizard has so much pride you would think it would be embarrassed by that."

"Why don't you ask him yourself?" Ash asked as he expanded Charizard's Pokéball in one of his hands.

"I rather not," Lucario answered with a nervous chuckle.

Ash, Trevor, and Pikachu all laughed at their friend's comments and expression, as they entered the hotel lobby.

---

"May, I don't know how I feel about this plan," Dawn said with a nervous look on her face.

She was scanning the lobby of the hotel searching for Aaron, who was expected to be coming into the hotel at any moment after the last match of the Round of 16 ended a few minutes prior.

"And you think that I'm feeling any better about it?" May questioned back.

She, too, had a nervous look on her face, as she held a faded blue handkerchief, in one of her hands.

"I mean, it's really manipulative, but if Serena thinks it'll work, then we should trust her."

"Yeah, but I think this is overdoing it. I mean, Aaron might flip out on us." Dawn whispered.

"Don't remind me," May muttered under his breath. "Oh, man. Here he comes!"

She saw the figure of the trainer, with his Pikachu and Lucario, along with Trevor, walking past a window of the lobby.

"You know what to do, right Dawn?"

Dawn nodded her head tentatively, as she saw their target walk through the door. "Yeah, let's just get this over with."

"It's showtime, I guess," May said nervously, not knowing the outcome of their little performance.

---

When the group of four entered, they noticed two girls in, what seemed like, a heated conversation. Ash noticed it was May and Dawn. He gave a weak smile, under his mask, as he headed towards the two girls.

"Hey, you two. What seems to be the trouble?" Ash asked as he got the two girls' attention.

His eyes fell to a familiar piece of cloth that May held in her right hand. He felt his body tense at what the conversation might be about.

"Oh. Hey, Aaron," Dawn said casually, turning to the newest member of the conversation. "I'm just talking with May about what we should do next."

"What do you mean by 'next'?" Ash asked as he felt a pain in his stomach.

Trevor immediately noticed the piece of blue cloth in May's hand. Soon, his face expressed a serious and angry look.

"What have you two done this time?" Trevor asked the two giggling coordinators.

"Well, you see, Serena has been carrying this ridiculous thing around, for nearly five years," May said while flipping the piece of cloth around. "It was given to her by her ex-boyfriend. We kept on telling her that she needs to move on, and well this time, the conversation got a little heated."

"Why is that?" Ash could feel his blood begin to boil.

"She started sobbing about how he was the only one for her and blah, blah, blah," Dawn mocked. "So we took this away from her, saying it was trash and all of that. She needed to grow up. She went through a hissy fit and ran off into the woods. If you ask me, it was only a matter of time before she needed a wake-up call."

"Why would you do that?" Ash yelled as he felt his control on his emotions quickly vanishes.

"Because he's never coming back!" May snapped back. "Plus, this silly little thing is keeping her from hunks, like you!" She winked at Ash with a playful smile on her face.

Trevor did a face-palm as he was really annoyed and frustrated with the girls' hurtful actions towards Serena.

"You're wrong about that," Ash said cautiously.

"Kind of hard to bring back someone from the dead," Dawn said with a chuckle. "Plus, I don't think the time spent, six feet under, would be nice to his face. Yikes! He could make Frankenstein look like a hottie!"

Both girls laughed at the comment, even though they wanted to throw up on the inside from what they were saying. They wouldn't have said those things about Ash at all; however, it was necessary to get a reaction out of Aaron, so that he could immediately rush over to Serena and comfort her. Just like that, Aaron reacted to their horrible faked laughter.

"Give me that!"

Ash grabbed the blue handkerchief from the May's hand, before turning to his two Pokémon.

"You two, stay here with them!" He glared at the two girls. "Make sure they don't follow me."

"And where exactly are you going?" May asked in a huff while putting her hands, on her hips.

"I'm going to find Serena and fix the mess that you two idiots made!" Ash said while turning to the door. "Try to keep your mouths shut, before you get yourselves in trouble!"

Ash burst through the hotel doors and dashed to the tree line of the woods.

Inside the hotel, May and Dawn let out a sigh of relief, before collapsing to their knees. They both held an exhausted look, as they saw Ash run through the doors of the lobby.

"Finally! I don't know how much longer I could have gone," Dawn said exhausted, from the act the two had just put on.

"I agree with you, Dawn," May said with a hopeful look in her eyes. "But hopefully, Serena can find a good guy in Aaron. She deserves someone special, after all, she's been through and why are you two smiling?"

Both coordinators turned to the two Pokémon, who were entrusted to keep watch on them. Pikachu and Lucario both had smiles that stretched from ear to ear, as they simply looked at each other. Their trainer would finally be reunited with the girl of his dreams, once again.

As for Trevor, he had a worried expression across his face, as he watches his masked friend leave the lobby. He's hoping that Ash doesn't do something stupid that might worsen the situation.

Ash, I hope you know what you're doing.

---

Ash ran through the woods, as he made his way to the only place, he could only think of, which she would have gone to. He was praying and hoping to find her, in the clearing, where they had met, on the night of the opening ceremony. He turned around a tree and came into the clearing, which has been drenched with the light of the moon that shines above.

In the middle of the clearing, he could see the huddled form of a sobbing girl. Her weak cries could be heard from his position, near the tree line. He walked a little closer but stepped on a twig, which alerted the girl of his arrival. Her head jolted upwards to see who it was. When she saw it was him, he noticed a sparkle in her eyes, behind the tears. He continued to walk toward her.

"I think this belongs to you," he offered the faded blue handkerchief to the crying Serena.

She sniffled a bit, before taking the piece of cloth from him. She was looking at it fondly, before stuffing it into the pocket of her skirt. "Th-thanks," she stuttered. "I appreciate it. It means a lot to me."

"You know those two were acting like jerks, right?"

Serena gave a sad smile, while she chuckled softly. "But they're right, you know."

"What do you mean?" Ash asked. He felt his heart slowly beginning to break, as he watched the mess that Serena was in, all because of him.

"I've been waiting for so long," Serena said as she turned away from the masked trainer. "I have been waiting for years, for him to return. I saw the explosion. Remember that nightmare I told you about, a few nights back?"

"Yeah. I do," Ash answered softly.

"Well, it wasn't just a friend that died then," Serena spoke timidly. "He was the only boy that ever made me feel special. He inspired me to follow my dreams, further than I ever thought I could. I mean, I wouldn't be here without him," she said as she gestured to the area that they were in. "I owe him everything, and when he died, it was hard, for me, to move on. I still haven't. I still wait for him to return. I'm so sorry that I have to tell you this, Aaron. You're a great person, but I will always wait for him, even though that's the only thing I'll ever do, for the rest of my life."

Ash felt a surge of confidence overtake him. He didn't want to do this until after the tournament, but he just couldn't watch the love of his life keep on suffering emotionally. He took a deep breath before speaking.

"What if you didn't have to wait anymore?"

Serena took a quick gasp, before turning to Ash. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," Ash said as he bent his head forward. He slowly took off his hood, to reveal his jet black hair. "What if he didn't want you to wait anymore, either?"

And then, he took off the mask that covered his face and down to his neck, as he lifted his head up while revealing his face to Serena.

"See? Now, you don't have to wait anymore."

All the hurt that Serena had felt, for the past five years, have suddenly vanished. Her face lit up into a smile. She quickly got to her feet and rushed to the love of her life, as she tackled him to the ground.

"I knew it was you!" she yelled hysterically. "I just knew it was you! The way you battled, the look in your eyes, the way you talked! No one could ever come close to copying you!"

She began to cry again, as she wrapped her arms around the young man, who she was lying on top of. She buried her head into his chest, as she felt his arms encase her in a hug that she hadn't felt in a very long time. Her body took it in, as if it was a drug it craved, but had gone so long without. She felt the warmth, from the trainer, entrap her. For the first time, in five years, she was truly happy.

"I missed you so much, Serena," Ash said through happy laughs. He had missed her hugs, and to him, this was five years in the making. However, he knew that there was still unfinished business to take care of.

"I missed you too, Ash," Serena chuckled as she got off of him and helped Ash up from the ground. "I have been so miserable, in these last five years, without you but now you're back! Things can go back to normal! Everyone will be so excited to see yo-"

"That can't happen yet."

Serena's expression went from joy to despair, in a matter of seconds. She gave a nervous chuckle. "Wh-What do you mean? They will want to know that you're alive! They have been hurting for five years!"

"I can't tell them yet because I have some unfinished business to take care of first. Giovanni is still alive. He's competing in this tournament, so I have to beat him," Ash said as he put a hand on Serena's shoulder, only to be shrugged off.

"After all this time, you're still chasing that monstrous, selfish bastard?" Serena asked with a hurtful tone in her voice.

"Yes. I am." Ash sternly stated.

"After everything he has put you through," Serena again began to feel tears make their way down her soft cheeks. "After five years of living who knows where you're still trying to bring him down? Tell Lance and the G-Men! It's their job, not yours!"

"It is my job!" Ash's eyes moved down. He couldn't watch her cry again, not the tears of pain he saw. "They couldn't stop him, the first time, and if they start looking around, it will only spook him and he'll be gone. If I can beat him in the finals, with all his Pokémon knocked out; then maybe, the G-Men can corner him, in the stadium, before he can escape. I need to do this, Serena."

"You need to do this?" Serena shouted as she backed away from Ash. "You need to do this?! What about us?! What about May, Dawn, Max, Brock, Misty, Trevor, and the others? They've been missing you for five years! What about me?! Huh?! How do you think I feel about all of this?!"

Ash's eyes slowly moved back up to meet her gaze. "Serena, I don't expect you to understand."

"You're right about that," she chuckled nervously. "I don't understand, Ash! You're isolating yourself from all the people who care about you. From those who loved you the most, like me!"

"I can't put you in harm's way again!" Ash said as his confidence is beginning to falter.

He was now speaking nervously. He didn't imagine the conversation going downhill as it has now.

"When we were in that burning building and Giovanni had you imprisoned, I was a wreck. I promised myself that I wouldn't let that happen again. If I stayed away from you and the others, I thought, maybe, you'd be safe. Giovanni would think I was dead, and then, he would leave you alone. I made a decision and I had stuck with it."

Serena rushed to the boy and embraced him, just as her emotions took over her. She released herself and started beating on his chest.

"This isn't fair! It isn't fair! After five years of so much pain, you're right here! You're right in front of me, and yet, things can't be the same because you made a choice!" Her strikes had turned into trembling as she continued. "You never once asked us what we thought, what we wanted! I would have followed you to the top of Mt. Silver or down, to the gates of hell, just so I could be with you! We all would have! Yet, you made the choice for us! All of us! It isn't fair!"

Ash's heart was gone by this point. Whatever was left, it was crushed as he looked at the trembling performer before him. He tried to bring her into a hug, only to be pushed away.

"No, Ash!" she spat. "I can't look at you, right now! Do what you have to do, but right now, you'll have to do it without me! I can't look at you right now! Just, leave me alone!"

With those words, Serena sprinted away from the clearing, leaving a shell-shocked Ash in her wake.

Ash looked on until the shock wore off. He realized what just happened and took off after her. He was desperate to not lose her again. The thought of living without her, for another five years, let alone the rest of his life, is giving Ash more anxiety than what he is dealing with now.

---

All of Ash's friends were standing in the lobby, with Pikachu and Lucario, as they heard the doors of the lobby open while revealing a crying Serena.

"Serena!" Dawn shouted as she ran toward the young woman. "How did things . . . ," her voice trailed off, as she noticed the condition her friend was in.

Trevor, witnessing Serena's reaction unfold, with a worried expression on his face. Oh no. Ash...Serena...Why?

Dawn glared at Ash, who now was wearing his mask and hood as he entered. "What the hell did you do to her?!"

"Serena, please!" Ash pleaded.

"No, just leave me alone!" Serena exclaimed as she ran to the stairs.
The group stood in shock, before turning to Ash, who had a look of utter defeat in his eyes.

"What did you do to her?" Misty questioned furiously. "She has been through so much heartbreak, and you, just have to come along and make things even worse?! You son of a-"

Misty was stopped when she noticed firm hands on her shoulders. She looked to see Gary and Trevor, looking calmly, between the group and Ash. They both knew what had happened because they were the only ones that knew the truth. Gary and Trevor looked at Ash, noticing tears flowing down from his eyes.

"Not so fast there, Misty." Gary began. "I believe Aaron didn't have the intention to hurt Serena. Is that correct?" He received a slow nod in response.

Gary gave a weak smile before he continued. "I think it's best if we all remain calm and try to be reasonable here. Sometimes, things happen. Emotions get in the way and people get hurt, even when no malevolent intent was there in the first place. Now, I think I'll go up and talk to Serena, for a bit. Alright?"

"What? Why you?" May asked with confusion in her voice.

"First of all, out of everyone here, me and Trevor are the only ones, who are emotionally stable and," he looked at Ash before continuing, "I think I know what to say to help her. Trevor, you should take Aaron out for a walk, to help him clear his head." Gary made his way to Trevor, who nodded in agreement, before making way to Ash.

He placed a hand on Ash's shoulder and gave a small smile. "You have a big match tomorrow, which you need to win, and frankly, I would hate to see you lose. Now, come on and let's get some fresh air."

Ash slowly nodded. He turned and made his way out the lobby doors with Trevor following him. Ash begins wandering aimlessly through Silph Village, along with Pikachu and Lucario at his side.

Gary sighed, before turning to the rest of the group. "I will be back down shortly. Stay here and don't worry about either of them. They'll be fine." Gary left the group and made his way to the elevator.

When the elevator came to the floor, where the girls were staying on, he exited. He found their room, without a problem, and was about to knock, when he heard crying on the other end. He took a deep breath in, preparing himself for the emotional wreck that he was about to be put through, and knocked on the door.

He heard a mumbled sound, from inside, before he spoke up. "Serena, it's Gary Oak. We need to talk."