Scrambled Eggs

Ash stopped in his tracks, a frown plastered on his face as he looked out over the horizon. The clanking of his supply-filled backpack stopped abruptly, audible to his companions.

Though Bonnie and Clemont continued ahead, mindless of where their companions were and continued down the sloping hillside, Serena stopped. She had seen the yellow blur of Pikachu out of the corner of her eye as he bounded down the path, pausing every so often to regain his footing and not tumble away, but she saw he had just run alongside her legs, stopping abruptly. She watched as Pikachu's ears rose, attentive and twitching as Ash stopped. His beady eyes looked up to Serena and Serena looked down at Pikachu, before they both turned to Ash.

"Is something wrong, Ash?" asked Serena.

Ash said nothing, his eyes fixed on a single point, looking out over the horizon. He didn't look angry, confused or conflicted, just sad and tired. There was a glaze over his normally lively eyes. He slumped slightly, lost in thought.

Folding her arms defensively, Serena started walking back up the hill, gazing down at her boots timidly. She looked to the corner of her eye where she saw Pikachu following, though he kept a careful distance and stayed behind her, trying to see what both her and Ash would do. Serena got as close as she could to Ash, trying to see if she could get his attention without being overt. Then, after a moment, realizing that Ash's eyes were still fixed on a single point on the horizon, she turned her head, stepping up so that she stood alongside him.

Through the sparse trees in the forest, Serena could now see what he was looking at. Across the shimmering lake, along the steep hillside on the opposite side, a set of train tracks snaked along the hillside. A thick plume of white smoke that only a steam engine could make lingered over the lake.

Serena breathed silently, doing her best to stifle her reaction. She momentarily considered speaking up or reaching to touch him, but she stopped herself each time she thought about it. Beside where she stood, she saw that Pikachu was watching both of them, looking from her to Ash and then back to her. She squatted down towards Pikachu, making herself level with him as he stood on his hindlegs.

"I need you to go down to the lake. Go follow Bonnie and Clemont. Look after them and let them know that we'll be down there soon, okay? If we're not there in about twenty minutes, we'll be over that way, and you can bring them to us, okay?" said Serena. She stared intently into Pikachu's bulbous, black eyes as she relayed the instructions.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu chirped, beaming and raising a paw in a pudgy salute before hopping down the hill and running after the distant figures of Clemont and Bonnie.

As Serena's gaze lingered, watching Pikachu disappear into the sparse woods, Serena turned her attention back to Ash, who was seemingly frozen as he stared at the disappearing plume of smoke and the empty train tracks. This time, she reached to him, feeling for his arm and petting it gently. She held him for a moment, leaning in and putting her head on his shoulder, gently sighing as Ash remained frozen, contemplating.

***​

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"Ash, I'm sorry. I... I felt bad for Clemont! He's a sweet guy, and he did lose that battle pretty hard," Serena admitted, rubbing her arm sheepishly. "But I don't feel for him the way I feel for... Boys..."

As Serena's voice trailed off, Ash realized he was hesitating. The stone he held in his hand was poised beside him as he stood on the dock, facing the shimmering lake, ready to be thrown and skipped. A cool gale wandered past them, chilling Ash and making him feel somewhat silly in the pose he was in. Finally, he reared his arm back a bit, and then sent the stone sailing over the lake until it hit with a dull plop. It didn't skip.

Serena's boots rested beside her, her knotted socks sitting in the opening of her boots. Beneath the dock where she sat, the cool lake water soothed her aching legs and feet, long days of hiking washing away in the still water. She held her hands in her lap, folded together, her sitting posture slightly forward and showing signs of creeping discomfort. Everything she looked at in the picturesque valley she looked at with worried eyes, a tired gleam in them. Her wavy, golden locks gently swayed in the breeze. Above, she could feel that her hair was tangled and in disarray without her hat to cover it, but she didn't mind.

"You're really quiet..." she said. She was looking down at Ash's shadow in the water.

Ash took another rock from the pile of soaked, flat and smooth rocks he had beside his backpack. His arm swung back with the rock in his hand and then flung forward, releasing the rock into the glassy water, getting a single skip. With the next rock, he pretended it was a Pokéball. He pretended it was not just any Pokéball, but the Pokéball. Whether or not it was the Pokéball that held Charizard or Pikachu didn't matter. It was the Pokéball that would win the Championship, and he knew it, and he was going to finally make it happen. He threw the rock, and the rock skipped three times.

Ash left his fantasy. All his rocks were gone. Somewhere in the distance, a train whistle could be heard.

A tall, wooden post jutted at the corner of the dock. Slowly, Ash wandered to the post, taking a seat on the flat top, hunched forward to lean against his legs. He took off his hat, holding it in one hand as he combed his fingers through his hair, holding his head in his hand as he stared at the floor.

"I'm sorry Serena, I don't know what I can say... Every time I'm about to say something it sounds so... Stupid. Maybe I just don't know what to think," said Ash. He raised his head slowly, eyes narrow and his hair sticking up in random, disheveled slicks.

Taking a graceful, dignified gulp, Serena stared at the water as she carefully formed the thought on her lips into words. "Are you mad at me?" she asked.

"Why would I be mad at you? Serena, you're amazing! I can't be mad at you."

Serena's brow wrinkled. She looked up to Ash in confusion. "Are you mad at Clemont?" she asked.

Ash thought about this. When he reached a conclusion, he shook his head, continuing to stare at the boards of the dock. "No, not really. He's weird, but he's not bad, I guess."

"But you seemed so disturbed when the train whistle went off! Is there something about last night that truly bugged you? Or are you just being sleepy and weird?"

A beat of silence passed. All around them, nature droned on. The sounds of wild, chirping Fletchling filled the air, fluttering past in black spots across the sky. In the distance, Luvdisc surfaced in small, white splashes of water, before flitting deep beneath the black surface. Tree branches swayed as the rush of winds came in, knocking them about with rustling of nature. Bug-type Pokémon chirped, hummed and–

"The lasagna! You didn't get to eat any lasagna! That must be it!" Serena exclaimed. "Oh Ash, if you were hungry, you could've just let me know. I've got snacks, all sorts of healthy things that I've been saving for this hike. I stocked up in Laverre City, remember?"

Ash shook his head, sighing.

Serena's bright face faltered, turning just as reflective and confused as it was before. She swallowed again, painfully. "Is... Is that not it?"

"I... I didn't want to share..." Ash mumbled.

"W... What? What does that mean?"

"I told you it would sound stupid, didn't I? That's it. I didn't want to share."

"Ash, you couldn't say anything that would sound stupid," said Serena. "Well, I mean, you say dumb things all the time, but not right now you can't, especially if you mean it."

Ash took this to heart. As he listened, hanging his head in thought, he took his baseball cap and popped out the inside of it, putting it back on his head, jamming it down over black tufts of hair. He sat up a little more, folding his hands together in his lap as he thought, staring out over into the patchy forest ahead, thinking deeply.

"I'll make lasagna anytime you like, really! Next town we get to, I'll make you a big platter of lasagna. I'll make you sick of lasagna!"

Ash chuckled. He hopped off the post he was sitting on, getting down onto the floorboards and folding his legs in, sitting beside Serena.

In turn, Serena pulled her soaked legs from the lake. The soles of her feet had turned bright pink in the cool water, and she took a towel from inside her bag and cleaned her legs and feet, folding them beneath her as she sat across from Ash. He was much more engaged now, and Serena could stare up into his eyes and take in everything he said.

"I like lasagna, a lot," said Ash, "but I can share lasagna anytime."

Serena frowned. "I thought you didn't want to share?"

"I wasn't talking about lasagna."

A silence came and stretched on for what felt like eternity. Realization slowly dawned on Serena. She stayed still, her eyes slowly brightening, color returning to her face.

Ash stayed still. The arms he folded in his lap shuffled uncomfortably, and he looked down and watched as his thumbs twiddled where his hands met together. He swallowed uncomfortably and tried to maintain his composure as best he could, keeping it all together in spite of his bold move.

"Then..." Serena began.

Ash looked up, curious as to Serena's words.

"Then I'll make you scrambled eggs!"

Ash stared, incredibly confused, but still listening, as Serena showed she had much more to say.

"I'll make scrambled eggs instead! Real runny ones... And I'll make bacon! Loads of bacon! The thick cut kind too!" Serena looked as though she had been struck with divine inspiration, her arms moving outward with vigor, her hands as though they were reaching out to something divine and shaking with the same excitement as she described it all. Her electric blue eyes seemed animated, darting about, glowing brightly through the hot glow of her cheeks. "And... Toast! Kalosian Toast, of course, with lots and lots of brown sugar and syrup–and I'll make stacks! Stacks and stacks and stacks, because you're a... A big eater... And sausage! And pancakes! And marmalade!" she exclaimed. Her electric blue eyes seemed animated, darting about, glowing brightly through the hot glow of her cheeks. She got to her feet quickly, mindful of the teetering dock as she stood up.

Ash watched the whole display with timid interest from where he sat. "Serena, are you okay?" he asked.

The long stocking socks that Serena wore flopped about as she took the toe end of them and yanked them out, before holding and stretching them to stuff her feet into. She did the other foot as well, practically hopping from one foot to the other as she rapidly put the socks on. Her teal bow had become disheveled from the collar on her shirt, her red vest flying behind her. After getting her boots on and zipping them up, Serena grasped her hat and bag, turning to leave.

"C'mon Ash! We've gotta go!"

Ash wasn't sure what to think. He had shown some emotional part of him and watched as Serena hurriedly got her things together, talking about something completely different. He looked dumbfounded, slowly standing up from where he sat on the dock.

Ahead of Ash, Serena started to hop away, her boots thumping dully on the old boards of the dock as she ran to the muddy, moist shore, heading into the forest. Ash gave himself only seconds to process this, before he took his own backpack and started to run after her when he realized he was about to lose her.

"Serena, wait up!" he shouted, sprinting as fast as he could as Serena took a haphazard path through the woods, one that she made up as she went, confusing him as the seconds ticked by and she took him deeper.

"Ash, come on!"

As Ash cleared a ridge, a thick section of boulders had amassed between sections of tall trees, he could finally see where Serena was. He nearly sent himself flying off the rocks, throwing his hands out in front of him to stop his forward momentum as his sneakers skidded to a halt in the dirt. Down below, Serena was several yards ahead, standing at another level of the forest and about to traverse across another valley, the long body of a long-collapsed tree crossing a creek. She stood on the edge, one boot planted on the log, hidden behind disheveled roots, and another on the ground. She had paused and waited for him, and as Ash began to consider how to get around the boulder he stood on, he too paused.

He took his time, scaling around the rock, shuffling as his feet hit a particularly steep slope that took him to the base of the forest floor near immediately, and he transitioned to a light jog towards where Serena was standing. He reached the edge of the log where Serena was standing moments earlier, and saw that Serena was now atop the log, walking across, seemingly suspended in the air with her arms held out to the side, walking with one foot in front of the other as she crossed.

Though Ash knew this was nowhere in the direction of Bonnie and Clemont, he hopped atop the log anyway, and followed in the same footsteps, one foot after another.

"Serena! Are you okay?"

"I'm great!" Serena shouted, her voice echoing through the woods. "Never been better!"

Ash stopped in his tracks as he found himself teetering to the side, and rediscovered his balance. As soon as he did, he turned his attention from watching the grip his sneakers had on the old log and up to where Serena was.

"Are you sure? Serena!" Ash shouted back, compensating for the distance between himself and Serena. His voice echoed back in perfect replication, the forest completely devoid of anyone but the two of them.

Serena didn't respond. Instead, she hopped up the log triumphantly, the end of the log springing up slightly and releasing some of the tension she had put on it. She waited only momentarily for Ash, taking off her pink hat and allowing her disheveled hair to spring up, holding the brim as she fanned herself.

Ash helped himself along the log, picking up the pace and reaching the end much sooner than he expected. When he got off, he nearly stumbled forward, sliding through a drift of bark and dead leaves. After steadying himself, he turned to Serena, realizing he was out of breath from the sudden, whirlwind tour she had taken him on. His breath came back to him all so suddenly and he felt nauseous.

When he had fully recovered, Ash turned his head up. Serena was waiting for him, calm and collected. She had taken a water bottle from her bag and drained it steadily, beads on the bottle glistening in the muffled sunlight of the forest. Ash looked up incredulously at the out-of-character display of athleticism that Serena was giving. When he looked closer, she could see the color in her cheeks; she seemed more full of life then he had ever seen her. Her eyes were alert in her exhaustion, her smile beaming and more vivid when her lips pulsed with breath. Her hair had become untamed, a golden mess in a wreath that caught the sun above, making her glow like an angel.

"I'm... I'm just so excited... I didn't know what to do," Serena said between gasping breaths. "I... I wanted to run... And I wanted you to follow..."

Ash's cheeks were flushed. Though hunched over, Ash finally straightened his back, hearing it pop satisfyingly as he adjusted. He ran a hand beneath the brim of his hat to find his forehead slick with perspiration. He blinked away the slimy sensation, focusing his attention on Serena through the sudden burst of adrenaline.

"I'm sorry Ash..." she continued. "I don't know what came over me..."

As Ash turned his eyes up to Serena's, he realized she was staring at him. Though her lips didn't show it, he could tell she was smiling deeply.

"What do you want to do now?" asked Ash.

"I... I want to explore some more... Just us..." Serena breathed, her ears softly glowing.

"Are... Are you sure...?" asked Ash. "What about Clemont and Bonnie? What about Pikachu...?"

"It's okay Ash, I think I get what you were saying now... I don't want to share... Just right now I don't want to share at all..."

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Meanwhile, on the shore of the beach where the sand turned white, Bonnie and Clemont stood around Pikachu, standing and watching as Pikachu wagged his stubby arms about, speaking in quick gibberish and trying to describe what Serena had told him. Through frantic, desperate gestures, Pikachu was getting more and more frustrated, trying his best to communicate to the two children. Sweat rolled down his brow as his eyes turned tired, and Pikachu slowly sagged forward, hanging his arms in display.

"Do you think Serena and Ash will come back for us?" asked Clemont, holding to the straps of his backpack as he watched the forest through incredibly wide glasses.

"Nope," Bonnie grumbled. From where she sat in the sand, she threw her arms up, flopping backwards.

"Pika! Ikapikapikapichu!" Pikachu wailed one last time, his ears sagging in dismay.