Ash's POV:

I'm pretty sure Cyrus was dead, as I heard a weak groan and one final thud, and I checked once again to satisfy my curiosity. Without another second to waste, I recalled Decidueye and Scrafty who were busy fighting for the bigger piece of Pokemon food, and left on top of Charizard.

After a short half an hour journey on his back, I reached my home, or "Caveman's shack", as Serena called it and I saw Talonflame still standing with my letter.

"What are you doing, Talonflame?", I asked him and he thrust the letter into my chest and flapped his wings angrily motioning me to read the letter soon and I decided to do so.

Dear Ash,

Is it possible for you to write a reply to my letter within the week you receive it? When you send a reply to letter I had sent nearly a month ago, I get really confused and sometimes, the message REALLY goes out of context.

Back to the point, how have you been, Ash? I hear that Colress has been checking on Team Galactic every now and then, just to ensure that you get caught. If you haven't heard, Colress' daughters were killed in one of your ambushes, so he'll come out with his best guns blazing. PLEASE, do not do anything stupid, or as you'd like to call, "go by my intuition". I'm pretty sure that by the time you receive this letter, you'll have gained a lead on Cyrus or possibly even "befriended" him. I do not wish to interfere in your path, but I just want you to be safe.

To the most important point, I'm pregnant, Ash. Just like I told you, I ended up getting pregnant, 2 months to be exact. Mom was in fact ecstatic about it as I will be the 8th consecutive person in the Yvonne family to become pregnant as a teen, a feat I'm not so proud to have achieved. The consolation fact is that I'm the oldest Yvonne girl to follow the "tradition" being 18, well nearly 19. Palermo however, was highly disappointed in me and I've come back home, all the way back to Vaniville Town. She said that I've destroyed my career which I fail to believe so. Dawn began to freak out when I told the others the news as, well, you know, Dawn and Gary haven't exactly been the neatest couple to be around.

I've decided to keep the child, Ash....whether you like it or not. If killing and battling are your strengths, it's your gift...and curse. But I will not stain my hands with the blood of an innocent. If you'd want to call off our relationship due to this, fine. I can stand on my own legs. Please let me know of your decision as early as possible, as if...it isn't what I expect it to be, it would help me cope up with the pain comparatively easier.

Hopefully not for the last time, I love you Ash.

Yours lovingly,
Serena

P.S. If you are still willing to be with me, let me remind you of your promise, Ash. You have 7 months remaining...

The second I finished reading the letter, I just buried my face in my hands unable to comprehend the fact that I was SUCH a horrible boyfriend and an even worse human being.

I immediately penned a letter stating that I was nowhere NEAR letting her go, and I respected her decision. She was one of the few souls which had bound me to sanity and I'm not letting go of arguably the most important person in my life...as of now. decision of hers proved that she was a braver person than I am, and braver than I'll possibly ever be.

I tried the letter to Talonflame's foot and sent him off to Vaniville Town, and asked him to meet me at Nimbasa City in the Unova region. He screeched his name happily realising that he had to fly a comparatively shorter distance from the small town in Kalos. After he flew away, I left for Unova on Garchomp's back trying to remember the way Colress would try to avoid my traps and go on with his schemes of " Pokemon liberation ".

"Fly faster, and I'll give you extra dessert, bud", I told him petting his neck, and I wish I hadn't said so, as he began to fly faster than a jet making it nearly impossible for me to grab hold of his fur. Garchomp meanwhile was fantasizing his a-la-carte dessert as I felt him drooling.

At the same time, I was worried upon seeing a small group of robot looking Beedrills following me.

Serena's POV:

Mom had barred me from leaving my ROOM, to make things worse and writing a letter like that to Ash gave me the biggest punishment I could ever receive - guilt. Guilt, whether I had sown the seed of him leaving me, or what if he felt that I wanted to leave him?

Apart from my mood swings, this anxiety made things worse. The worst thing which happened was that Fletchling evolved into Fletchinder. His Peck was FAR harder and it seemed like he was drilling a hole into my brain each time he "woke" me up.

Out of the blue, I heard a noisy flapping sound, and when I turned to see, I saw Talonflame arriving with small flames hugging his perfectly shaped wings. What caught my eyes more, was that he was carrying a letter in his beak. When he came close, I opened the window and let him in. He immediately rubbed his cheek with mine and placed a letter on top of my desk.

After petting him for a few minutes, I told mom about his arrival, and she took him downstairs and this resulted in another headache for mom due to the possible 1 hour non-stop Pokespeech of Fletchinder and Talonflame. I head my heart in my mouth even before I began to read the letter worrying if I had gone too extreme in my previous one and opened it.

Dear Serena,

I'm sorry if I had EVER made you feel so uncomfortable, Sere. If you want to keep the child, it's your wish, and I'll stand by your side, I promise.

When I read your letter, I realised that in the blind rage of revenge, I'm losing you, and I DO NOT wish to do so. Killing may be my curse, but I can say proudly that I have many people who care for me. A heartless killing machine cannot say the same.

I don't believe you've destroyed your career, Sere. Palermo said it from her point of view. It's just her belief. There is also a general belief that first year performers cannot come so close to defeating the Kalos Queen. I know an insanely beautiful girl who did that. Who is to say that she can't pull off another miracle?

Thanks for the headstart about Colress. As you'd know, I don't have a really good communication system here. Don't you worry about it Serena, I've got it covered. I'll stay safe and don't you pull that usual 3-days-older-than-you excuse to give me a lecture. Compared to nearly 19 years of existence, 72 hours is a negligible amount.

Most importantly, it won't be the last time that you'll be telling me that you love me. Even in my worst nightmare, I haven't imagined us separating, and I have no interest in making it a reality. Please don't regret being so frank in your letter, Sere. Don't you dare deny it, I know you FAR too well to do so.

DEFINITELY not for the last time, I love you, Serena Yvonne.

Yours lovingly,
Ash

P.S. I haven't forgotten my promise, Serena. I'll be back with you in 7 months as promised.

Reading his letter brought a huge grin on my face and I just hugged it close to my chest, and thought about the 3-days excuse. Being 3 days older than Ash, I used to call in favours, or get the bigger hand during debates. All these memories kept me warm during  the days I missed him most, and I failed to notice Fletchinder yelling at me when I was deep in my reverie, causing him to attack my head....again. When I screamed, mom came up and yelled at the two of us for making so much noise. I mean, he ATTACKED me when I'm PREGNANT and she wasn't bothered?

The worst thing is that mom and I have these WIERD spats once in a while.

"Are you even listening to me, Serena?", she asked me placing her hands on her hips glaring daggers at me and I gave her an equally hard glare.

"Your bird, attacked me AGAIN and you're least bothered about me?", I accused and she rolled her eyes.

"Come on, it doesn't hurt that much! You're just exaggerating it", she told me nonchalantly and I huffed in return.

"Oh, don't go on mumbling about inconsiderate mother's, dearie! I did the same when I was your age, well around your age, I guess", she told me pondering.

"Face it! You're in the exact same position I was", she told me smirking and ruffled my hair playfully.

"Not EXACTLY, mum! At least I know the guy who knocked me up, and I wasn't in some local bar when that happened", I told her winking and she collapsed.

"Point taken", she told me pouting signalling that she accepted defeat...for now, and this resulted in a new era of mocking each other. We were so engrossed in insulting each other playfully that we didn't even bother to see that Talonflame had left.
What kind of a dysfunctional family am I living in, and what kind of family WILL I live in?

To be continued....