Fanfiction For A Competition Of Dreams

I've got the whole story, which is a total of 14 chapters as of now, on my account on Fanfiction.net, so go there if you wanna read more! Tell me if you want it posted here as well!
"PALLET TOWN, I’M BACK!” Ash hollered as soon as the gang stepped off the plane, attracting many rather startled and confused looks. “Ash, it wouldn’t kill you to be a little quieter!” Clemont hissed, embarrassed at the many stares that they were receiving, some withering, some disgruntled, some just plain surprised. “Yeah, sorry,” Ash said, rubbing the back of his head, looking embarrassed. “Now, let’s go home! You’ve gotta meet my mom!”.

Serena let out a gasp as they crested the hill. Pallet Town was a beautiful patchwork of fields and houses and green, green grass. Surprisingly enough, the entire town was festooned with decorations. It was lovely. Ash was already sprinting down the path and yelling for them to hurry. “Where does he get all that energy from?” Clemont muttered before running down the path after him. Serena smiled. “You’re not gonna beat me!” she shouted before tearing down the hill, Bonnie following her. She laughed out loud. It was good to see Ash’s home.

Ash was beyond happy to be home. Pikachu was as well. He could feel it quivering with excitement. Then, just about twenty feet away, he saw Mr. Mime sweeping the backyard. He sped up, and decided to ignore the others’ cries for him to slow down. “Mr. Mime!” he called as he neared the front porch. “MIIIME!” it yelled before tackling the young, rather handsome trainer with a hug that nearly threw him to the ground. “Good to see you, Mr. Mime!” Ash laughed out as soon as he could breathe. “Welcome back, honey!” a feminine voice said. A huge grin crossed Ashs’ face as he looked at his mother, standing on the doorstep to welcome him.

Serena took one look at Delia and figured out where Ash got his charisma from. Delia’s easy smile, alabaster skin, kind eyes and shiny brown hair made her an extremely likeable and rather pretty person. “You must be Ash’s friends! Come on in; I’ve cooked a tasty meal!” “YES! I’ll wash my hands, promise!” Ash said before haring into the house before his mother could even open her mouth. Delia sighed, before looking at her son’s best friends. “Thank you so much for keeping my son in line, though I don’t know how you did it!” she said, laughing. “Ash looked after us pretty well. He really is a true leader,” he said, his admiration for Ash clear in his voice “Yeah!” Bonnie said, grinning enthusiastically. Delia smiled proudly. “He is, isn’t he?” she said.

After eating Delia’s delicious food, Serena felt like a very satisfied bag of cement. Delia cooked well enough to rival Clemont’s best meal, maybe beat it. All of the Pokémon resembled round balls of various sizes with arms and legs, Chespin close to completely spherical. “Mom, your cooking’s the best,” Ash said, rubbing his full tummy. Serena laughed inwardly. He was so cute. She blushed almost immediately. Why did he have to be so cute?

“Ash, you came just in time!” Delia commented. “The Legend Competition’s being held this year!” “WHAT!” Ash yelled, sitting bolt upright, all lethargy from the food forgotten. He looked ecstatic. “Yes,” Delia said, and, observing the other’s confused expressions, began to explain.

“The Legend Competition is probably the second biggest competition in Kanto, the Indigo League coming in first. Trainers from all over the world compete! It’s only held once every five years, which is why it’s so special. It’s different from other tournaments, because unlike other tournaments, it involves both coordinating and battling, and it has both double battles as well as singles. Trainers themselves are tested in many other ways. Only trainers who are at the top of their class can enter, so a Performer must have 3 keys, a Coordinator must have five ribbons, and a Trainer eight badges, and so on. Ash has been dying to enter ever since he was a child, but the last one was held a only a month away from his tenth birthday. So now’s your chance!” she finished, grinning.

Ash looked like he was about to explode with excitement. “We’ve gotta enter! Right, guys?” Ash asked, looking at his Pokémon, who looked just as excited as he was. Delia, on the other hand, looked mortified. “Ash, quiet! We have guests!” she said, looking up at the stairs. It was too late. Footsteps sounded, and four very familiar girls raced down, looking overjoyed to meet their old friend.

“Dawn! May! Misty! Iris!” Ash shouted, jumping up and running over to greet his old friends. “Long time no see!” Dawn said before high-fiving Ash. “You had to wake us up, didn’t you?” Iris chided, but her smile told them a different story. Serena’s heart sank. She had recognized Dawn, May, Misty and Iris by Ash’s descriptions of them, but he had completely forgotten to mention that all four girls were very pretty. Very, very pretty, and with good personalities as well. What chance did she stand when Ash already had such good friends? Suddenly, Dawn looked past Ash and spotted her. “Hi! You’re Serena, right? Delia told us about you!” she said as she ran over and sat down next to her. “Y-yes, I am! And you’re Dawn, right?” she shot back, smiling. The bluenette smiled back. Her free, easy manners made Serena feel comfortable at once.

“By the way, Ash, Dawn, May, Iris and I are competing as well,” Misty informed the raven-haired trainer. “Get ready to lose!” Ash retorted. There was an air of friendly rivalry about, but it was interrupted by an all too familiar voice.

“Dawn, May, Misty, Iris, you’re all keepers! Please take care of my brother!” Bonnie said, as she dropped down onto a knee and extended her hand invitingly. The ‘keepers’ looked confused, while an absolutely mortified Clemont used his Aipom Arm to pick the little troublemaker up. “Bonnie, I’ve told you not to do that a million times!” Clemont yelled, his face as red as a Tomatoberry. “But someone’s gotta take care of you!” Bonnie retorted. The siblings continued to bicker until Delia announced that it was time for everyone to go to sleep.

Dawn, May, Misty and Iris exchanged secretive smiles before going to sleep. It was as plain as the day that Serena had a huge crush on Ash, and everyone had agreed that Ash would never come across a more perfect girl. They would rope Brock, Gary and the others in when they arrived tomorrow.

Operation Bring Ash and Serena Together was officially on.