"Ash!" Serena jumped forward and grabbed Ash in a huge hug. "I'm so glad you're ok." She held him tightly for a few moments and then pulled back and smiled at him.

Ash looked back with a happy but tired expression. His eyes widened and he quickly scanned the room. His eyes locked onto Greninja and he leaped out of bed to run to his Pokemon, ignoring everyone telling him to take it easy. "Greninja?" He shouted. "Are you alright?"

Greninja had been helped up by Bonnie and Clemont and he looked at Ash. Serena could see the relief and happiness in the Pokemon's expression. "Greninja." Greninja said happily and he hugged Ash.

Pikachu ran over and hopped onto Ash's shoulder and nuzzled his face. "Hey, buddy. Good to see you too." Ash said happily.

Serena walked over to Ash and knelt next to him. "Ash, you should probably get back into bed." She said, voice full of concern.

Ash looked at her, eyes full of energy. "No way!" He said. "I've been out for...how long?"

Clemont answered. "You passed out yesterday after the battle so I'd say about twenty-seven hours."

Ash raised his eyebrows. "That's a long enough sleep for me." He looked at Aria and held out his hand, still holding the stone. "Here, Aria. Thank you for letting me use that."

Aria took it, smiling. She glanced at Serena and then looked back at Ash. "I'm glad I was able to help. And anyways..." She said with a smirk, "...I like seeing you two together." She nodded her head towards Serena.

Serena's eyes widened and her face grew hot. Her heart was racing. Why did they have to tease her so much? She whipped her head towards Ash when he started speaking. He looked a little nervous. Serena knew it wasn't smart to expect it, but she thought for a moment that Ash was going to say something romantic. Instead, he said, "I'm hungry. Can we get something to eat?"

Everyone in the room, even Tierno and Clement, sighed in exasperation. Serena had to smile though. This did mean they had the regular Ash back. "Yeah, let's go eat."

As everyone started to get ready, Greninja walked over to Professor Sycamore and handed him the Greninjanite. Professor Sycamore's eyes widened. "No, Greninja, you can keep this. It might come in handy." Greninja shook his head and then Professor Sycamore smiled, realization coming to his face. "You don't think you need it anymore?"

Greninja nodded and Ash came over, now dressed in his normal clothes and no longer looking like a hospital patient. "Greninja and I can handle anything now." He said. "I think we're starting to understand more about our bond." He looked at Greninja, who nodded back. Serena saw Greninja glance at Delphox next to her, while Ash quickly looked at her. He looked back at Sycamore. "We've started to figure out our strength and how to combine it. I don't think a mega evolution stone will really do anything for us." He paused. "He and I are the mega stones."

Sycamore smiled. "I guess you're right." He took the Greninjanite. "It's truly remarkable what you two have done." He looked at Pikachu on Ash's shoulder. "And obviously you and Pikachu have a bond just as unbreakable. I wouldn't be surprised if he could do the same as Greninja, if he was a Raichu."

Pikachu looked nervous, but smiled when Ash said. "Nah, Pikachu doesn't need to evolve. He's happy the way he is. Right buddy?"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu said.

Serena smiled as Ash and Pikachu looked happily at each other. She loved how Ash refused to do anything his Pokemon didn't want to. It showed how much he cared for them.

"Well, Serena," Shauna whispered in her ear, "it looks like Ash is well enough for the dance."

Serena turned to her, blushing. "What?" She asked, pretending to be ignorant.

Aria answered from Serena's other side. "Come on Serena. We all heard Ash saying your name. It's not like he was saying anyone else's." She nudged her. "We'll get you some alone time."

Shauna nodded. "Yeah. Maybe a dinner for two would be nice for you."

Serena's heart was racing and she could feel her stomach clench with nerves. She closed her eyes briefly, hoping the two of them would disappear. When she opened them, she was looking at Ash. "You guys ready to go?" He asked.

"Um..." Serena said. "I..."

Aria spoke up. "Well...Ash?" She asked. Ash looked at her. "I unfortunately have an appointment. Kalos Queen stuff. I had reservations at a nice restaurant near the theatre. Sadly I can't go."

"Oh." He said. "Um...sorry about that." He looked around. "Are you saying we can all go?"

Aria shook her head. "Unfortunately it's only for two. Maybe you and Serena can go. I might be able to get everyone else here a reservation somewhere else."

Ash smiled. "Oh...well we can go with everyone else." Serena's stomach dropped. Why did he have to do this? One minute he would make it seem like he was head over heels, but the other he would be as oblivious as possible.

Aria sighed. "I don't want the reservations to go to waste. Please go with Serena." She gave Serena a quick nudge.

"Um..." Serena squeaked. "Ash...I..." She gulped nervously. "I'd like to go. Would you...please come with me?"

Ash looked confused. He looked at everyone else in the room. They were all shuffling their feet nervously and staring at the ground, pretending not to be listening. All of them except Bonnie. She ran over, grabbed Ash and Serena's hands and pulled them over to the door. Pikachu jumped off of Ash's shoulder and onto Bonnie's. "Go, you two!" She yelled. "We'll see you at the dance."

Serena stared at the door as Bonnie closed it behind them. She looked at Ash who was also staring at the door. "Did I just get kicked out of my own hospital room?" He asked.

Serena laughed lightly. "Yeah, I guess so."

Ash looked at her. Serena didn't know what to say, so she just waited. "Um..." Ash said. "Well do you wanna go and eat then?"

Serena was surprised for a brief moment and then she smiled and nodded. "It's a date." She ran off, leaving Ash behind.

"Where are you going?" Ash called after her.

"I have to get ready!" She called back happily. "Meet me outside the theatre before dinner."

Ash stared as Serena ran off. Does that mean I have to...dress up? Ash asked himself. He looked up at his shoulder, but remembered Pikachu was staying with Bonnie. Alright then. He left and walked down the hallway, went downstairs and left the hospital.

When Ash walked out of the hospital, he squinted his eyes to adjust to the bright sun. He knew it was probably going to start to set soon so he thought he should get moving. Then he was tackled.

Ash had been tackled by Hawlucha, Noivern, Talonflame and Pidgeot. They were all ecstatic to see him ok. They all wrapped their wings around him in one big giant hug. Ash laughed. "Hey guys! Yeah I'm ok. It's good to see you, too." He stood up. "Look, everyone. I'm glad to see you all again, but...I've kind of promised Serena I'd go and have dinner with her and then I think we're going to the dance together. That ok with you guys?"

Ash got the feeling his Pokemon were trying to stop from laughing. They all nodded and made noises of acceptance, but they seemed overly serious about the whole thing. Ash glanced at Pidgeot. He felt he'd be able to read the Kanto Pokemon, but Pidgeot knew better than to look directly back at Ash.

Ash decided to forget about it and waved goodbye to his Pokemon, telling them to make sure to go to the dance. He was walking back to the Pokemon centre when he realized he didn't really have anything to wear. He hated what he had from the last dance. Not to mention, he thought Serena wouldn't be a fan of him wearing an outfit he'd worn to a dance with Miette. He stood in the middle of the walkway, thinking.

"Ash?" Ash turned around. His jaw dropped. "Wow, it is you."

It was Brock. "Brock!" Ash said happily. "What are you doing in Kalos?" He went over to his old friend and shook his hand.

Brock smiled. "I'm here doing some research on using Wigglytuff as a Pokemon assistant. We're comparing strategies that we use in Kanto, with Chansey, against the strategies used here, with Wigglytuff.

"Awesome." Ash said. "So everything is going well with being a Pokemon doctor?"

Brock nodded. "Yeah. It's been great. I've learned a lot." He frowned and looked at the ocean. "I do miss our travelling days though. It was a lot of fun."

"It sure was." Ash agreed.

"So," Brock said, "I guess you're in Kalos to challenge the gyms and make it to the Kalos League?"

"Yeah." Ash said. He pulled out his badge case and showed it to Brock. "I just need one more." He said proudly.

Brock smiled. "That's great." He then looked at Ash confused. "But there's no gym here is there?"

"No." Ash said. "We're here, because my friend, Serena was competing for the Masterclass showcase to become Kalos Queen."

Brock nodded. "Oh cool. I've heard of that. So you've met some new friends then?" He looked around. "I guess Pikachu is with them?"

"Yup." Ash said. "That's where Pikachu is. We're all meeting at the theatre later for a dance. It's the closing ceremony for the showcase."

Brock got a mischievous smile on his face. "A dance? Ash Ketchum at a dance?"

Ash laughed nervously and scratched his head. "Uh...yeah. I'm actually meeting Serena for dinner before then, but I've gotta find something to wear."

Brock laughed. "You're going on a date?"

Ash gave a nervous smile. "Uh...well...I wouldn't call it that..."

Brock leaned forward. "Ash, you never put off gym battles for anything, but you did it to come her for this Kalos Queen girl, Serena must be pretty special to you."

Ash thought for a moment. He didn't really understand this stuff, but he was able to see that what Serena had done for him and what he'd done for her was different from his relationships with other girls. He looked at Brock. "Yeah...she is."

Brock smiled and put his hand on Ash's shoulder. "Great. Now I'm gonna help you find a perfect suit."

And Brock did just that. He pulled Ash along to a store near the beach where suits were almost spilling out the door. Ash was completely overwhelmed as Brock pulled down suit after suit and held them up to Ash, always having a face of disappointment when he held them up.

"What's wrong with that one?" Ash asked, when Brock looked completely devastated by the latest suit.

Brock ignored him, completely lost in his quest to find Ash the perfect suit. "No...too dark...too light...too big...too small...too me...oh..."

Ash looked up excitedly. "You found something?"

Brock turned around happily, holding up a suit in front of him. "This is perfect for me, don't you think?" He asked, smiling.

Ash gave an exasperated sight. "Um...sorry, but isn't it me who needs it?"

Brock looked surprised for a second and then smiled. "Right. Sorry." He turned around and continued to rummage through the suits. Ash waited patiently, watching Brock sort through them. He was grateful that Brock was helping him, but he was starting to get the feeling that his friend wasn't going to be able to find anything. But then, Brock yelled excitedly. "Ash, this is perfect!"

Ash looked at the suit. He had to agree, it was kind of his style. It was light blue, like the jacket he always wore. It had dark grey pants, similar to the ones he had on now, but of course, dressier. And the tie that went with it was red, like his hat. "Wow...that's really...me." Ash said, smiling.

They bought the suit and walked back towards the Pokemon centre together. Brock was heading there anyways, for his research, and of course, Ash was going to his room to get changed. Brock began asking questions about Ash's travels.

"So, Ash, what kind of Pokemon have you caught?" Brock asked excitedly.

Ash was happy to answer. "Well, my first Pokemon here was a Froakie. He's now a Greninja. Next, I caught Fletchling, who is now a Talonflame. I got a Hawlucha. I also had a Goodra for a while, but..." He took a deep breath, remembering his friend. "He's helping to protect his friends in the wild. I also got a Noibat from an egg and he evolved into Noivern." Ash stopped and then realized he'd forgotten one more thing. "And you'll never guess my other Pokemon."

Brock looked confused. "What?"

"Pidgeot came back!" Ash exclaimed. "He flew all the way from Kanto."

Brock's eyes widened. "Wow, that's incredible. I guess his flock is ok without him now?"

Ash nodded. "He's made them strong and brave."

They arrived at the Pokemon centre and walked into the lobby. Ash knew it was going to happen as soon as he saw Nurse Joy. He felt a blast of air as Brock whipped forward towards the startled nurse.

"Oh wow Nurse Joy!" He said, kneeling in front of her. "You're more beautiful than I expected. I can't wait to work with you."

Ash sighed and walked over. He pulled Brock up so that he was standing again. "Uh...hi Nurse Joy." Ash said. "This is Brock. He's...uh...working with you for a bit?" Brock was nodding mindlessly at Ash's words.

"Oh...right." Nurse Joy said, nervously laughing. She looked at Brock. "From Pewter City in Kanto, right?" Brock nodded. "Good." She said smiling. "I can show you around if you'd like." She turned towards a hallway and walked away, expecting Brock to follow.

Brock quickly turned to Ash. "Alright Ash, good luck with your date and your dance. We'll catch up later ok?" He ran off after Nurse Joy before Ash could answer.

Ash sighed. Well, he hasn't changed too much at least. He thought to himself. Ash headed up to the room, hoping Serena wasn't there. He kind of wanted to surprise her with his suit at dinner. He entered the room and noticed it was empty. He quickly go changed and then looked at himself in the mirror. He liked what he saw. It kind of looked like his regular clothes in a way, but it was definitely more...professional.

He looked at the clock and realized he should hurry to meet Serena. He ran out, feeling excited. He might not have fully understood what he was doing, but he knew it felt right. He knew that spending time with Serena was all he wanted to do at the moment.

Serena waited outside the theatre, nervous about the coming evening. She was happy and excited, of course, but she still couldn't shake the nerves that she felt every time she was with Ash. At times she felt like it was clear that he felt the same way, but then at other times he would act like it was the craziest idea in the world when someone pointed out how close they were. She sighed. All she wanted was to have the same moment they had on stage when they were alone. Obviously before he passed out.

"Serena!" She turned around and was stunned, but completely ecstatic to see Ash in an amazing suit. It looked like his normal clothes, but it was a much cleaner and more professional look. He stopped in front of her and looked at her. "Wow, you look great."

Serena blushed. She'd spent quite a bit of time getting ready. She'd gone back to the changing rooms at the theatre to put an outfit together. She was tempted to wear the same dress as she had in the fashion show, but decided she shouldn't over do it. She was in a light pink dress. It was sleeveless and the skirt was down to the bottom of her knees. She also had white gloves and white stockings on, along with red dress shoes. She'd also carefully brushed her hair and had tied the ribbon from Ash into a bow in the front. The same makeup she'd used for the showcase was also applied. Light blue eye shadow, eyeliner and a hint of pink blush on her cheeks. "Thanks, Ash." She said with a shy smile. "You look good too."

Ash laughed and did a little spin to show his whole suit. "Thanks. This is thanks to an old friend." Serena looked at Ash with a confused expression. "I'll tell you at dinner." He said, and he held out his arm and Serena put hers through it, smiling. "Let's go." Ash said happily.

They walked together towards the theatre. Serena noticed a few people look at them with recognition. I guess they remember us from the showcase, she realized. They looked around and noticed the restaurant that was right next to the theatre, that Aria had mentioned. Their jaws dropped.

"That's where we're eating?" Ash asked, eyes wide.

Serena was completely stunned. Aria must have spent a fortune for a reservation here. It was small place, but it was extraordinarily beautiful. There was a lineup of people out front. Serena could see inside and noticed the walls were decorated with various pictures of Pokemon showcases and different Kalos Queens. The lighting was soft and she could just see a piano player in the middle of the room. "It's beautiful." She said, eyes shining.

Ash nodded. "Yeah..." He looked at her with a nervous smile. "Just like you."

Serena blushed but smiled back. She was about to say something when someone called their names. "Ash and Serena!" It was a man from the restaurant and he was waving to them. They walked over to him. "Lady Aria said you were to be seated in the best seats in the house and to have our chef make you the best meal he's capable of." The man winked. "And that is quite the meal." He smiled and led them to their seats. They were right in front of the piano player and on the other side was a fire place. They were perfectly placed to see the ocean on one side and the mountains on the other.

"This is amazing." Serena said happily.

"Yeah." Ash agreed. When the man who had led them to their seats left, Ash looked at Serena. "I'm glad it's just the two of us."

Serena blinked at him. "Really?"

He reached across the table and held her hand. "Of course. No one else I'd rather be with right now."

Serena felt like crying, but only because of happiness. She managed to control herself though. "Not even Pikachu?"

Ash smiled. "This is different."

Serena stared at him. Did he really mean that their relationship was different from his and Pikachu's? There was only one thing that could mean. She had to ask. "How is it different?"

Ash took a deep breath, but continued to smile. "I don't know how to explain it. Pikachu and I are best friends. Obviously. But...I feel differently about...us."

Serena blushed. "I feel the same way. I've felt that way for a long time."

Ash looked surprised. "What do you mean?"

Serena looked down nervously. She was starting to think she had misunderstood what he had said. "I...never mind." She said finally.

Ash squeezed her hand. It was gentle, but firm. "Tell me."

Serena bit her lip nervously. She closed her eyes and just listened to the piano music. She took a deep breath and opened her eyes and looked at Ash. He was smiling encouragingly at her. "Ever since the summer camp." She said. "When you helped me."

Ash furrowed his eyebrows and squinted. "That wasn't anything special...was it?"

Serena continued to look at him. "Ash...I never wanted to go to that camp. It was so far from home and I didn't have any friends there. I was just a little girl. When you helped me in the forest, I felt safe and comfortable for the first time."

Ash looked shocked. "I didn't realize what I did meant so much to you." He said.

Serena smiled. "That's part of what makes you such a great person, Ash. When you help someone, you don't do it for gratitude, you do it because you want to."

Ash blushed and looked out the window. It struck Serena that he was avoiding eye contact with her. She waited patiently as he thought. Then he finally turned back and looked at her smiling. "You know...I did remember you."

Serena looked confused, but then thought about the day she had finally caught up to Ash and had tried to remind him about the summer camp. "Why did you say you didn't?"

Ash shrugged, looking guilty. "No idea. I just didn't know why you had come to find me." He looked at her with a smirk. "It wasn't really the Rhyhorn racing that made you leave, right?"

Serena laughed nervously and shook her head. "I left for you. I had to find you." She pulled out the handkerchief. "And not just to give this back to you." She handed it to him.

He held it in his hand and looked at it. "I don't know why," he said, "but this thing means a lot to me."

Serena nodded. "Yeah. It's like you said. It brought us together."

Ash was about to say something, but just then, the waiter brought their food. Serena smiled, amused, when she saw Ash look at it. He looked like a little kid in candy store. The waiter placed their meals in front of them and said, "Bon appetit," and left them to enjoy their food.

"This is awesome!" Ash exclaimed, grabbing his knife and fork and digging in.

Serena laughed. "Yeah...but try not to eat too quickly. You did only just get out of the hospital." She warned.

"That's why I need to eat more." He said. "I haven't eaten since yesterday, before our battle." He did slow down, though, which Serena was relieved to see.

Serena didn't bother trying to talk to Ash as they ate, wanting him to enjoy his food, so they ate in relative silence. However, Ash did pause a few times to smile happily at Serena. She noticed she was watching him. She didn't eat as much as Ash and let him finish her plate off, an offer he gratefully accepted.

When they finished eating, Ash sat back and rubbed his stomach. "One of the best meals I've ever had."

Serena looked confused. "Not the best?" She asked.

Ash laughed. "Well, my friend Brock is an awesome cook. And don't forget, Clemont makes some really good food too." He opened his mouth like he realized he'd forgotten something. "Oh yeah!" He said. "I wanted to tell you about how I got my suit." So Ash explained to Serena how he'd run into his old friend Brock and how they'd gone together to look for a suit. He then explained how he and Brock met and how long they travelled together. "Brock travelled with me through Kanto, Johto, Hoennand Sinnoh." He finished.

Serena smiled. "Wow, so I guess you two are really good friends then?"

"Yeah." Ash said. "Brock's helped me through a lot of tough times."

Serena thought for a moment. She kind of didn't want to ask, but she did anyways. "Who else have you travelled with?" She asked quietly.

Ash thought for a moment. "Well..." He started. "Misty travelled with me through Kanto, the Orange Islands and Johto. She's a gym leader in Cerulean City in Kanto. Tracey also travelled with me through the Orange Islands. May travelled with me through Hoenn and then again in Kanto when I did the Frontier challenge. She's a coordinator and competed in contests. Her little brother, Max, also travelled with us. Dawn was with me in Sinnoh. She's also a coordinator. And Iris and Cilan travelled with me in Unova. Iris wants to be a dragon Pokemon trainer and Cilan is a Pokemon connoisseur."

Serena tried to smile, but could barely do it.He's travelled with a lot of girls, she thought. She looked at Ash and realized he was looking at her concerned. She realized she should say something. "Um...sounds like you've met a lot of...nice people."

Ash looked at her suspiciously. "Something wrong?"

"No..." Serena said quietly.

Ash didn't say anything. He looked like he wanted to, but Serena could tell he didn't know what to say. She felt bad, but couldn't stop the jealous feeling she had. Then the waiter came back and this time he had their desserts. Chocolate cake. She saw Ash eye the cake with wide eyes.

They ate their cake in silence. Serena was feeling really awkward. She hated herself for even bringing up the subject of Ash's past travelling companions. She knew he'd travelled with other girls before, but she didn't realize he'd done so much with them. When they finished, she just stared outside, watching the ocean.

"Serena?" Ash asked, startling her. She turned to him and realized he was looking at her with concern. "You can tell me what's on your mind."

She shook her head and gave him a fake smile. "It's nothing." This time her smile was more convincing and her voice a little more confident. Ash appeared to believe her.

They finished up at the restaurant and left, happily thanking the chef personally before leaving. As they walked out, Serena looked at a big clock that was outside the theatre and realized they still had some time before they needed to be at the dance.

Ash had looked too. "So, what do you want to do?"

Serena looked at him. She didn't know what to say. She felt bad for kind of ruining the end of their meal by being so quiet and sulky. She just shrugged.

Ash narrowed his eyes and then he grabbed her hand and started to pull her along behind him. "Come on. I've got an idea."

Ash could tell Serena was feeling down about something, but he didn't know what about. What he did know, was that he was going to make her feel better.

"Where are we going?" Serena asked, as Ash pulled her along behind him.

"The beach." Ash said. He looked back at her. "It's gonna be pretty empty with so many people getting ready for the dance. I was thinking we could finish our walk from a couple of days ago."

Serena smiled. "Really?" She asked.

"Of course." Ash said. "And hopefully no interruptions this time."

When they got to the beach, they both just stopped and watched the waves for a couple of minutes. The sun was low in the sky, creating a beautiful effect on the ocean. Ash looked at Serena as she watched it. Her eyes were shining and she had a huge smile on her face.

"Amazing." Serena said.

"Yeah." Ash agreed. And then he did something that surprised himself as much as it surprised Serena. He put his arm around her waist like she had made him do on their first walk. He pulled her close to him and then held her hand that was now around his waist, with his free hand. She put her head on his shoulder, just as she had done before. Ash didn't know what he was doing, but he bent his head down, keeping it resting over hers. "This is nice." He said.

"Yeah." Serena agreed. Ash couldn't see her face, but knew she was smiling. "I think we should just stay like this." She suggested. "We can just watch the sunset."

"Fine with me." Ash said happily.

"I'm sorry." Serena said, after a few moments of silence.

"You don't need to be." Ash said.

"I ruined the rest of our dinner." She said with a sad voice.

Ash hugged her tighter. "Nothing was ruined." He said. "Being with you was all I needed."

Serena took a deep breath. Ash could feel her tensing up. "Ash..." She turned and manoeuvred out of their semi hug position. She faced him and grabbed both of his hands, as if they were already about to dance. "Do you know how I feel about you?" She asked. "I know we talked about it at the restaurant, but do you really know?"

Ash nodded. He thought he didn't know, but he realized that he was keeping himself blind to it. It was all in front of him the entire time. In a way, he'd known for a while. He smiled. He knew he felt the same way. He'd never known something to be so clear to him. Not even his dream of becoming a Pokemon master. He had never thought he'd say the next words he said, but he meant them more than anything. "I love you too, Serena."