Welcome back everyone. Last time, the first round came to a close as everyone moved on. Well, everyone except the team of Trevor and Shauna who had a less than pleasant experience at the tournament thanks to Qawi. After making sure they were alright, everyone split up to go and so their own things.

Ch 6: A Resolution for Victory

"Hold on!" Serena yelled out as she tried to chase after them. Running out into the street like them, Serena quickly caught sight of Pikachu. Following the Electric-Type, who was conveniently sitting atop Ash's head, Serena made her way down various streets and alleyways before finally losing sight of the two trainers.

Folding her arms over her chest, Serena let a pout form on her face before realizing she left Astrid behind at the hospital. Retracing her path, Serena continued to be in a bad move over the stunt Miette just pulled.

Finally letting her anger out, Serena sat down on a nearby bench as she flailed her arms around her head, nearly knocking her hat off her head as she ruffled her hair.

"Ahhh!" She let out before calming herself down by controlling her breathing. Once more crossing her arms, Serena sighed. "Miette knew what she was doing the entire time. First at the dance party and now here. It isn't fair!"

Serena was quickly snapped out of her venting when she heard what sounded like a muffled laughter. Looking around the area, Serena noticed that there was no one else here and quickly reached for Braixen's Poké Ball.

"Whoa, take it easy. It's just me, Astrid's voice could be heard by Serena as the older blonde walked out from her spot. Looking at Serena's ruffled hair, Astrid struggled to hold back her laughter.

"Sorry, it's just... You have it bad for Ash. Don't you?"

Sighing, Serena scooted over on her bench and motioned for Astrid to sit down. Now joined by her partner, Serena rested her arms on her knees before leaning her head in them. Looking out at the fountain that was in the center of the square they were located in, Serena watched as water sprayed from the Milotic topper.

"It's a long story..."

"We have time," Astrid replied as she tossed a ball over to two kids playing in the streets.

"Well you see..." Serena started to say as she told her story.

Serena explained everything to Astrid as the elder girl listened on with interest. Serena explained about her first meeting with Ash, how the boy practically came to her rescue while she was scared and hurt. How he helped her walk all the way back to camp, not even worrying about what he was doing at the time but instead wanting to help her.

She then transitioned over to how she then saw him again on the news jumping off of Prism Tower. How that news feed reminded her of the boy she had a slight crush on and finding out from Professor Sycamore fueled it only more. She said how she started a journey just to find him and when she did she was beyond excited to hear him ask her to travel with himself and his friends.

Serena then explained how over their journey through Kalos so far she could feel her crush slowly developing into more than just that. From the time he vanished from this world at the Reflection Cave to the moment he gave her the blue ribbon she always wore as a present. She had made sure it would be included in her outfit in some form. Shaking her head, Serena let a light chuckle escape as she thought about all the times Ash had grown excited from seeing a new Pokémon or the prospect of a battle. And how his determination could never be beat by anyone.

Finally, Serena mentioned how the few months of their journey was where she finally came to realization about her feelings for her childhood crush. She didn't know the exact point in time, but somewhere between the time they had left Coumarine City and arrived in Laverre City she knew that what she felt was no longer a crush or just an attraction but was instead love. She loved being just around him due to positivity. The fact that he never gave up had filled her with her own determination when it had come to Showcases. His smile which could make even the saddest person smile alongside him. Not to mention just his overall personality made every day traveling with him the greatest of her life.

Serena then decided to mention how Miette also felt the same way for Ash, how much in the sense that Serena did was up to debate but she knew that the blue haired Performer did have something for the trainer as well. She explained how Miette declared it a competition to see who would win Ash over first and how when they were invited to a dance party for Performers, Miette had the chance to take Ash as her date. She explained how that entire time she wished she could have gone with him, but for her Eevee's sake she went with Clemont so she would be comfortable.

The conversation continued on for what felt like forever to Serena. But every time she looked over at Astrid, the blonde was listening intently. It appeared that she had the full intention of listening to the whole story. Finally reaching the last few days of her journey, Serena finished her explanation with how her and Miette are both trying to get some alone time with Ash while in Dubayy City in hopes of ending their competition as Miette coined it.

Seeing that the story was over, Astrid sat back against the bench and let out a small laugh. She then looked over at Serena and saw what looked to be a confused look, no doubt from hearing Astrid laugh from the story. Smiling at the younger girl, Astrid stood up from the bench and looked at Serena.

"I find it cute," Astrid explained while the confused expression stayed on Serena's face. "The fact you've had this crush on him since you were both young kids. I think you two would look good together as well."

"Thank you, but I don't think he'll ever notice me," Serena replied as she clasped her hands together. "I've been sending so many hints his way, but he never sees them. And now that Miette is around him all the time she'll try something."

"Well you won't win with that attitude," Astrid snapped at her as she placed her hands on her hips. Serena was now looking up at her and noticed the serious expression on Astrid's face. "If you really care for him the way you said, you wouldn't be giving up so fast. Boys are dense and dumb when it comes to things like this. You need to just chip away at his denseness until it just shatters all around him."

"And how am I going to do that?"

"Act like yourself, but be a little more assertive. Do something to catch his attention. Do anything! You're in Dubayy City, you're bound to find something to do with him!" Astrid explained as placed her hands on Serena's shoulders. "The matches don't start until the afternoon tomorrow; you'll have the entire day to spend with him so make it count. But for now I'm going to help you out."

"What do you mean by that?" Serena asked as she was pulled up from the bench by Astrid and brought down the street. "Where are you taking me!?"

"You'll see," Astrid playfully teased as she dragged the honey blonde Performer behind her. This was going to be a pleasant surprise for the young girl.

"Okay, Blastoise, use Hydro Pump on those boulders!" Tierno called out to his Water-Type. They had won their first round match rather easily thanks to the help of Ariana, but right now it didn't matter. They had to get even stronger than they currently were and the duo had gone to the outside of the town and into the desert to practice during the night.

"Blastoise!" The Shellfish Pokémon cried out in agreement as water shot out from the two large cannons on his back. The streams crashed hard into the rocks, but outside of a few cracks it did little to damage them.

"Let's try it again," Tierno muttered through grit teeth. He was starting to grow frustrated at the failures that they were encountering. "We'll keep doing it until we're strong enough to get revenge for Shauna and Trevor. That Qawi will regret ever messing with them," he continued on while shaking a fist in front of his face.

Little did the duo know that they had a little guest watching them. Off in the desert was Qawi who had come out here to meditate to prepare for his next match. But upon hearing a loud noise, he decided to check it out only to be disappointed in the fact that it was nothing more than a weakling trying to grow strong.

Watching him however, Qawi noticed how neither Blastoise or the trainer wavered in their quest for strength. Qawi had to give it to them, perhaps they weren't weak after all. But, no matter how much they trained, they would be no match for him anyways.

"Those fools," he muttered in disappointment before turning away. "To believe they can become strong enough to challenge me. How ridiculous. Thanks to the power bestowed upon me by Zebidi I'll never lose. I promised myself from the day he took me in that I would never be a weakling again. And I plan on keeping that promise."

Qawi walked along the streets of Dubayy City some months ago as he staggered through the rain. The young man had just been fired for the third time this month and things weren't looking too good for him. He had already been late on this month's rent and his food was running low as well. Qawi had thought about many different ways of trying to earn money but they had all ended in failure.

At first he had tried selling items on the streets to passing tourists, but after some time one of the merchants called the city police on him. They had told the police he had been selling items with a shop permit, thus not having to pay any form of taxes to the city. That plan had him spending over a month in jail.

His next plan had been to provide tours of the city and its historical landmarks. But, just like the last one, the tour companies called up and complained as well. This time, Qawi had ran away from the location before the arrival of the police.

Finally, his last plan had been entering Dubayy City's underground Pokémon League. He viewed himself as pretty powerful as a trainer. Him and Pyroar were a force to be reckoned with in the neighborhood they lived on, so why not give the underground circuit a chance. Qawi had learned the hard way that the circuit wasn't for everyone. In his very first battle, Pyroar had been destroyed and beaten badly. When asked why they would do this to him, the management had said that the weak don't belong here. That the weak should have their dreams crushed so to avoid being constantly hurt by their failures.

Now outside of his apartment, Qawi sat on his front steps and placed his face into his hands as he softly cried away all the pain he was going through. "Why can't I be strong!? I want to prove them all wrong! I want to show that I'm a great trainer!"

"What would you be willing to surrender?" A raspy voice asked. Looking around, Qawi noticed that there was no one outside at all. "I'm not in your general vicinity, boy."

"Then where are you?" Qawi asked fearfully. He had no idea who this person was or what he had planned for him.

"I'll ask again," the voice said sounding agitated with Qawi. Coughing so to clear his throat, the voice continued on. "What would you be willing to sacrifice?"

Sitting there, Qawi thought about everything that had been going wrong for him. If he had this power, then he would be able to join the underground circuit and pay his bills on time. Smirking, the young man stood up as he pumped his fists. "I'll sacrifice anything! Just give me this strength you speak of!"

"Alright then," the voice said before a splitting headache took over Qawi's head. Clasping it with both his hands, Qawi tried to suppress the pain as best he could, but it was to no avail. The pain was only increasing and he wondered what he had signed up for.

"Relax, boy, the transformation is nearly complete."

"W-Wh-What's happening!?" Qawi cried out as he noticed his body turning pale in color. He also managed to notice an increase in muscle mass, but his attention soon turned to a burning sensation on his left palm. A large 'Z' covered his palm as the burning sensation left.

"Nothing too bad, All I did was brand you with my seal," the voice said as the wind picked up, kicking sand all around. Once it died down, an elderly looking man stood before Qawi. He looked short in stature and wasn't anything too intimidating when you looked at him. He was bald on top of his head, but had a rather large moustache and beard combo that covered most of his face. He was dressed in what looked to be some sort of ancient robes based on the fact Qawi had never seen them in any of the shops he worked at.

"That is the seal of Zebidi the great wizard and he is I," Zebidi explained as he touched the 'Z' on Qawi's hand. "With this seal, you'll be able to fill your Pokémon with energy from my spells, increasing everything about them. And the more you battle, the more the seal increases in strength thus giving a larger boost."

Qawi was amazed, the very thing he wanted was just given to him. He was now strong, no more struggling on the streets to try and make end's meat. "Thank you. You're a great man!" He cried out before realizing something. There were still people who were like him before now.

"And with this power, I'm going to make the weaks' lives better. By using my strength to crush their dreams, they'll learn to not try anymore as it'll end in failure. They won't have to live in a world where they're constantly dreading the thought of failure!"

"But there's a catch," the wizard muttered as he twirled his moustache between his fingers. Qawi looked away from the seal for a minute to see the man grinning. "You see, hundreds of years ago, I created a being of unimaginable strength to help bring peace and prosperity to the world. It was a beautiful day when he was unleashed on this world, but others misunderstood what it was for and attacked him before sealing him away. Now, I've spent centuries trying to open the seal but am unable to."

"Looking into the spell that confined my creature, I learned that to open it I required a lot of energy."

"Energy?"

"Yes, but it can only be from a Pokémon battle," the wizard continued as he realized just how stupid this guy was. "So, you're going to enter an upcoming tournament and collect energy from the strongest trainers there. And once my creature is free, we'll bring a brighter future to this world."

"I must win for master Zebidi. Without his creature we cannot save this world from its horrors," Qawi muttered as he looked at the 'Z' on his hand. It was now glowing red due to his emotions just as Zebidi had told him how it would also react upon his emotions.

"And once the world is saved, then I can continue on my own duty to help the weak by getting rid of them," he finished before vanishing in a sandstorm, unaware that he had been watched.

"So, he is cursed with the seal of Zebidi," Tamal said as they watched the young man disappear.

"It appears so," Zinnia replied as she got out from her hiding spot. The duo had tracked Qawi in hopes of finding proof that he was truly one of Zebidi's minions. "Our assumptions were correct with him. And with the seal he'll only become stronger the longer he's in the tournament."

"What should we do, master?"

"Nothing," she responded as the duo turned back towards the city. She had no reason to stay out in the desert any longer and it was best to leave before Zebidi caught sight of them. "We know that Zebidi is here and that's good enough for now. We do not need to tip him off to our enrollment in the tournament. For now, we must wait until Qawi makes his move."

"Yes master," Tamal replied as the duo walked back towards the city in silence. "If Zebidi plans to release that monster onto the world, then we are all doomed."

"This is place serves great food!" Ash cried out before placing his bowl back down. By the shock on Miette's face, Ash couldn't tell what she was surprised about. "Huh, what's the matter?"

"Nothing..." Miette muttered as she looked at all the food Ash had eaten. Where did he put all of it since the boy appeared to be in top physical condition. "It's just... I knew you enjoyed food, but I never thought you ate this much."

"Yeah, when there's something good I just can't stop eating it. Right, Pikachu?"

"Pika!" The Mouse Pokémon cried out in agreement as he nibbled away at the food in front of him. He knew first hand just how much Ash could eat after traveling with him for six regions.

Miette laughed at his response before smiling at the boy. "So, what do you think will happen tomorrow? The tournament is moving on and sooner or later we'll have to face the others."

"When that time comes we'll give it everything we have and then a little more!" Ash cried out as he stood up and caused the whole restaurant to look in their direction. "We're going to make it to the championship and then we're going to win the whole thing!"

"Can you take it easy, you're making everyone stare!" Miette cried out, slightly embarrassed from the looks of the fellow customers.

Noticing the stares directed towards him, Ash sheepishly rubbed the back of his head as he chuckled nervously. Sitting back down, Ash continued to chuckle a little as Miette composed herself. "Sorry, I just got so excited for the tournament that I forgot where we were."

"It's fine," Miette replied while sighing. She never knew how much of a handful Ash could be at times. "Just, what do you plan on doing if we face Qawi?"

Miette realized she probably shouldn't have asked that question because as soon as those words left her mouth, Ash's entire demeanor changed. Gone was his happier self and replaced by an angrier looking boy. One that Miette never thought Ash could look like this.

"If we face him then we'll just beat him," Ash said confidently as his face relaxed for a more neutral expression. "He won't get away with treating the others like that. I'll show him that the weak can be strong."

"You really are a great person," Miette replied as she leaned her head against her open palm. "Anyone would be ecstatic to have you as their partner."

"Huh?"

"Don't worry about it," Miette replied as she sat back up while smiling at her partner.

"Take a look at this, Sawyer," Clemont said as he replayed the video to Sawyer. After Bonnie had finished swimming, Clemont had gone off to the Resort's video room to review today's matches when something had caught his attention.

Something in Qawi's match had been glowing a bright red, but due to the action happening on the field. Needing to get a second opinion to make sure he wasn't seeing things, Clemont went in search for the only person he knew was also at the Resort. Finding Sawyer, Clemont brought him down to the video room to show him.

Sawyer watched the replay and immediately saw the same light as Clemont. Pausing the video, Sawyer tried to zoom in as much as he could without distorting the image quality.

"It looks to be some kind of light eradicating from his hand."

"I noticed it as well, but was unsure if my eyes were seeing it correctly. I wonder if it had anything to do with the match?" Clemont asked as they continuously replayed the scene while zoomed in.

"I wonder if in some way it effected his Pokémon in a way that it was stronger?" Sawyer said before pausing the video real fast. Clicking over towards Tamal, the young trainer circled an area that glowed the same color.

"Look, the other guy is the same way. But it's coming from his leg this time."

"We should probably keep an eye on this during their next match. See if that same glow appears at all. Perhaps it could be some sort of enhancement for their Pokémon," Clemont thought as he saved the file onto a flash drive before placing it into his pocket. "But for now I think we should worry about our own match."

"Yeah. I was wondering what we should do for the battle," Sawyer responded as they both left the room and headed towards the indoor training room.

"Astrid, where are we going?" Serena asked as she was being pulled along. It had felt like forever since Astrid had dragged her across the city.

Turning her head to face the honey blonde Performer, Astrid just winked before facing forward again. "It's a surprise. You'll see once we get there." She then picked up the pace before Serena could question her.

Looking around, Serena looked at the area of the city they were in while running after Astrid. The buildings were all neat and organized while also all of the same cut stone. They appeared to all be stores based on the fact that tourists were entering and exiting all of them with bags in hand.

It appeared that amidst their running, Astrid had dragged Serena all the way to the shopping district as the famous Dubayy Mall was now all around them. Various vendors were scattered around the outside portion as they sold all sorts of things from clothes to items for Pokémon. Serena had even seen someone selling Magikarp to people on the street.

But these smaller vendors weren't the reason why Astrid dragged her here. Turning around, the older trainer finally spoke. "We're here! I said I was going to help you so we'll start here."

"At the Dubayy Mall?" Serena asked as she looked around. There were quite a few interesting stores to look at, but how was this helping. "What's here that'll help me?"

"It's only the biggest mall in all of Kalos. We're going to find something to help get Ash's attention."

"I'm not going to dress all skimpy!" Serena yelled as her face turned red from looking at a few of the dresses they had in the windows and on display as they entered the mall. If Ash had thought the streets were crowded, he should have seen the mall. Serena could barely move as she forced her way through the entrance. But once inside, there was much more space to move about as Serena looked at all of the stores and vendors that lined the inside. It was an outdoor mall with the exception of the roof over the vendors, but what caught her attention was the lighting.

The low lighting matched perfectly with the beige color of the ceiling and the tiles that lined the floor. Being caught up in everything, Serena almost walked right into a now stationary Astrid. The trainer appeared to be looking over a map as the sound of merchants trying to sell their items could be heard in the background.

"Don't worry about that," Astrid replied as she finally answered Serena's earlier statement. All she had to do was now find that store from before. "Now where is it..."

"Where's what?"

"A store I heard of," Astrid responded as her finger landed on the name of a store. Serena tried to read the name, but Astrid gave her no time to as she dragged the Performer away. "I heard that it has clothes from all over the world. Maybe we can find something that's from Kanto."

"What's wrong with what I'm wearing now?" Serena asked, somewhat hurt by the thought that Astrid was hinting at her clothes weren't good enough.

"Nothing, but maybe something else will get a reaction," she explained while reaching the store. "Poké Alam. A place where you can find clothes from anywhere."

"Wait, who says I'm trying to get a reaction!?" Serena said while flustered. She got that Astrid wanted to help, but doing it in a way that could leave Serena dressed in an uncomfortable clothing wasn't what she wanted.

"You said you wanted to see him react to your hints. So maybe changing up your outfit for a little will help," Astrid offered as she pushed Serena into the building. "Besides, it won't hurt to try."

Serena tried to fight back, but between the crowd and Astrid pushing her there was no way she was getting out of this. Once inside, Serena noticed all the different kinds of outfits, and just as Astrid had said some weren't from Kalos.

Now interested in seeing what she could find, Serena wandered around the shop as she picked at the different items of clothing on the racks.

"Alright, Pikachu, use Thunderbolt on those targets!" Ash cried out as his best friend jumped from his shoulder. It was now later at night as Ash decided to get some last minute training in the night before the next round.

"Pika... Chuuuuuu!" The Electric-Type cried out as electricity flowed throughout his cheeks before launching from them. Flying across the practice field, Pikachu's Thunderbolt crashed into the moving targets and completely destroyed them.

Looking at the remains of the target, Ash noticed that there wasn't much left of it, just some ashes as the rest was now missing.

"Your Thunderbolt is getting really strong, Pikachu," Ash praised the Mouse Pokémon while scratching behind his ear. "We're looking pretty good for our Gym battle on Snowbelle City. And then it's the Kalos League."

"Pika!" Pikachu cried out in agreement. Their journey in Kalos was coming to a close, and all they needed was one final Gym Badge to qualify for the Kalos League. "Pika. Pikachu, chu."

"I feel the same, buddy," Ash replied as the duo sat down on one of the benches located at the practice field. "This has been an amazing journey. The friends we've made along with how hard our team has worked has made it so great. I'm really going to miss Kalos when it's time to leave."

"Pi..." Pikachu replied as his ears drooped. He didn't want to think about leaving at all if he could help it.

"I know, but it'll be happening eventually. We're going to accept the fact our time in Kalos and with Serena and the others is limited," he said before sighing. Looking down at his best friend, they both knew how it would be when they left.

"It's going to be a sad day when we have to leave. I just hope Serena and the others will be alright."

"You must really care for her?" Ash jumped at the sound and turned to see Astrid standing there. "I just came out to the Resort's practice field to get some training in. But you were out here." Astrid then made her way over to the bench and sat next to Ash.

"You know, you two are really lucky."

"How so?" Ash asked as he looked at Astrid. He was just a normal trainer in his eyes who had met many Pokémon.

"You and Serena have each other," Astrid explained with a light smile. "She told me all about your journey together and the way she talked about you, you would think you weren't real. She thinks very highly of you."

"She does?" Ash asked, a hint of joy hidden behind his surprise. He couldn't explain it, but he was extremely happy that Serena thought about him like that. "Well, she's really the remarkable one. She found her calling in life and has been pursuing her dreams together with her Pokémon."

"Despite the setbacks she's hit, Serena has bounced back stronger than ever. It's amazing how she is so caring to her Pokémon and everyone else. Plus, she never backs down from a challenge despite how hard it is. If anyone is the remarkable, it's her."

"Sounds like you admire her quite a lot as well," Astrid replied as she decided to help Serena out even more. "The way you two talk about each other, I'd think you liked her."

"Of course I do!" Ash replied happily, unaware of what she was implying. "We're great friends. She's always there cheering for me, making sure that I'm alright. She even bakes delicious desserts for everyone."

Sighing, Astrid shook her head in disappointment. "Not like that. I meant in a way like... More than friends," she said, making sure to use the correct words.

"More than friends?" Ash muttered back as he looked down at Pikachu. He wasn't exactly sure what Astrid meant by that. "Well, you could say we're great friends."

Astrid wanted to face palm at Ash's response. When Serena had said he was dense, she didn't think it was this bad. "Well, I wasn't talking about being friends. It seems like you two are closer than that. The way you both admire the other and are always there for the other when they need help."

Ash thought about what the older girl was saying. That really did fit the description for them. Serena was always there for him, especially during his Gym Battles when he could hear her cheering the loudest. A small smile then crossed over his face as all the thoughts from his journey in Kalos came to him.

"I guess you're right. We really are like that," he replied before leaning backwards with his arms behind his head. "I wish there was something I could do to show her that I appreciate everything she's done."

A smirk crossed Astrid's face, but only Pikachu managed to catch it in time. Her plan had worked after all and now Ash was starting to think. "Well, why don't you take her around the city? It does have some amazing scenery. She'd probably like that."

"You think so?" Ash asked with a sound of hope in his voice. Now that he realized Serena had done so much for him, he really wanted to do something special for her. "I want her to really have a good time."

"Trust me, she'll enjoy it. Just remember, Ash, she's a special girl so don't take her for granted," Astrid replied as she got up and started to walk away. "Oh, one more thing, just don't do anything too crazy," she joked before vanishing from Ash's sight.

"What'd she mean by that, Pikachu?" Ash asked as he looked down at his best friend. However, he couldn't help but subconsciously blush from the feeling that it would be something Brock would do.

"Pi..." Pikachu muttered while shaking his head. Just when it seemed like Ash was starting to learn, he still appeared clueless.

Standing up in a rush, Ash caught Pikachu by surprise, sending the Electric-Type falling from his lap. "I might not get what Astrid was meaning there, but I do know that I need to do something special for Serena. It's the least I can do for her! Especially after all the help she's given us throughout this journey!" He cried out, excitement filling him to his surprise. It was a different excited though, not like when he was in a battle but more like a nervous excitement.

Rushing back into the Resort, Ash had one thought on his mind and it was to find Serena. Running through the hallways, Ash looked into each of the different rooms to see if Serena was in any of them. One by one, he crossed each room off of the list as she wasn't in any of them. Then, once he was about to start his search again, he heard it. The familiar voice that this time caused his heart to jump for a moment. He couldn't understand why, but his palms were now sweaty as he peered through the doorway. Sitting in what appeared to be a grooming room, Serena was giving her Pokémon all a good cleaning.

"You did great today, Braixen," Serena said as she ran her personal brush across the Fire-Type's tail. "Hopefully Ash was impressed by us today. I really want to do good in front of him."

Ash listened to her words as he replayed them in his mind. "She wants to impress me? She doesn't need to, she's already amazing," he told himself, unaware of his word choice to describe her.

Looking back at Serena, Ash noticed that she was starting to stand up now. A clear sign that she was finished grooming her Pokémon. "It's now or never..." Ash said slowly. He didn't know what was making him wait. Just a few minutes ago he was running through the Resort looking for her. Now, he couldn't bring himself to enter the room. Taking a deep breath, Ash pushed any nervousness he was feeling away as he forced himself into the room.

"Hey, Serena," he started out with as he slowly walked into the room. Serena saw him and quickly smiled in his direction, causing his heartbeat to speed up.

"Ash, what brings you to the grooming room? You're not one to do something like this," she asked before looking down at Pikachu. "Do you want to be cleaned, Pikachu?"

"Pika!" He replied happily before leaping onto her lap. The Electric-Type then cried out softly as Serena ran her brush nice and slowly through his fur.

"You like that?" Serena asked nicely as she ran the brush through the same spot, getting the same happy cry.

Ash just watched Serena as a slight smile crossed his face. She was always so nice to everyone, but even though she was always like this he couldn't understand why he felt nervous or why his heart was jumping at the sight of her smiling.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Ash remembered why he had come looking for her. Sitting down next to Serena, Ash watched as she finished running the brush through Pikachu's fur. "Well, there's actually another reason besides that," he explained nervously while scratching his cheek.

"You see, I was just thinking about how much you've done for everyone during our journey together," he started out with before forgetting what he had planned. Deciding to just wing it, Ash continued on. "And, well, I realized I never properly thanked you for any of it."

"Ash, you didn't need to thank me for it," Serena replied as she began stroking Pikachu with her hand now. "I did everything because I wanted to. I'm just glad that we got to travel together."

"But I want to!" He cried back as the urgency in his voice surprised Serena. She had never heard Ash speak with that tone before, it was different than what his urgency in a Gym Battle. This one also had the sound of fear in it. "Just, you've come so far on your journey. You've grown as a person and a trainer, you're aiming to become Kalos Queen all while helping us. And so I really want to thank you. So…" he started to say before pausing. He could feel the sweat return to his hands and discreetly wiped them on his pants.

"So... So, I was wondering if you wanted to go see the city with me in two days. I was looking at the schedule for the tournament and after the Top 16 there's going to be a day off for the teams to rest up. Just you and me, no one else. We'll just go and see some of the sights before our matches."

Serena didn't respond. She didn't know if she had heard him right, but she could have sworn he just asked if she wanted to go sightseeing with him. Grasping the blue ribbon, Serena sighed a breath of relief.

Noticing how she hadn't responded, Ash feared the worst and hung his head a little. "Of course, if you don't want to, then that's alright as well."

"I'd love to go," she quickly responded before he changed his mind. Looking at him, she noticed both shock and joy on his face. Smiling, she tried her best to not laugh from happiness. "It'll be a lot of fun. I can't wait."

"Great!" Ash happily cried out as he jumped up from his seat. A wave of joy had washed over him as soon as Serena had agreed to go. "We can go in the morning. That way we'll have all day to search through the city."

"Perfect, I can't wait." She replied while her smile only continued to grow. Watching as Ash walked away, Serena laid down on the sofa she had been sitting on as she gripped her ribbon.

"Ash just asked me to go with him," she muttered before being unable to contain herself anymore. Letting out her joy, laughter and cries of joy filled the room as she sat back up. It might not have been called a date, but it would be just the two of them alone. No Miette or anyone else to ruin anything for her.

Her Pokémon were also excited for her, especially Braixen who she had told plenty of times just how she was feeling. Congratulating their trainer, the three Pokémon crowded around her before they just sat there together.

"This week is only getting better each day," she thought to herself as they stood up so that Serena could head back to her room. It had been a long day and she was exhausted.

Walking through the hallways of the Resort, Serena happily hummed away as thoughts of her time alone with Ash tomorrow filled her head. Nothing could ruin the moment for her.

"What's got you so happy?" Miette asked, her voice snapping Serena from her fantasy world. Looking at the blue haired Performer, Serena noticed that she was looking at her with a confused look. "I thought you'd be upset after I went with Ash to dinner alone."

"That was a cheap trick," Serena replied back with a slight glare. "You pulled him along like that on purpose."

"Maybe you should have kept up with us."

"Well, I've got something you don't," Serena replied with a smirk towards her rival. Seeing the interest on Miette's face, Serena knew she was going to enjoy this. "I've got a date with Ash."

"You're lying!" Miette shot back as she got in Serena's face.

"Am not! He just asked me himself!" She argued as the Performer got in Miette's face as well.

Deciding to believe Serena, Miette took a step back as she placed her hands behind her back before moving them in front of her body. With a sly smirk, Miette pulled Serena in real close. "Don't waste this opportunity because I'll be making my move real soon."

"Don't worry about that. I'm sure we'll have a great time," Serena replied with her own smirk. She wasn't letting Miette ruin her time with Ash. "I'll be sure to tell you all about it."

Serena then continued on down the hall, her Pokémon right behind her as they went right for the elevator. Now away from Miette, feat began to sit in.

"What if something goes wrong?" Serena asked nervously as the elevator climbed to her floor. "What if I say something wrong or bore Ash?"

"Brai! Braixen, brai!" The Fox Pokémon cried out as she snapped at Serena. She had been perfectly fine up until a minute ago and there was no way she was going to let Serena allow Miette to ruin this on her.

"You're right, Braixen. Thanks," she replied while smiling at the Fire-Type. Serena knew that Miette was hoping to mess with her and there was no way she was going to let that happen.

"This week is going to be so great!" Serena happily cried out while opening the door to her room. Looking in, Bonnie was already fast asleep while Clemont was working on something. It seemed different than his other inventions and she soon realized he was watching match highlights from earlier and decided to not interrupt him. Ash however still wasn't back yet, probably doing some last minute training Serena thought. She then got changed and into bed real quietly, making sure to not disturb Clemont. Falling fast asleep, all Serena could think about was her date with Ash.

Laying up on the roof of the building were Ash and Pikachu. As Serena had thought, the duo were originally training, but had taken a break to rest. Now just staring up at the stars, Ash couldn't get Serena out of his head. Even while training, the thought of what was coming later this week had been at the front of his thoughts.

"Pikachu, can I ask you something?"

"Pikapi?" Pikachu asked, caught off guard by the sudden question. He wondered what exactly Ash could have to ask.

Sitting up now, Ash faced his best friend. "It's about Serena," he said with a confused expression. Sighing, Ash decided to let everything out.

"This has only been bothering me for a short time. After thinking about what Astrid said, I realized how much Serena does for us. And well, I really like it. I like the thought of her always around us and everything she does. But, I don't understand why and it's driving me crazy."

"When we were just talking, I was nervous around her. That's never happened for me. I'm just confused over all of this. It's like... I'm excited but also nervous at the same time. I just wish I knew what is happening to me. You know what I mean?"

"Pi... Pikapi," Pikachu responded as he understood exactly. Ash had taken quite the liking to Serena and now had a crush on her, or was in love, Pikachu wasn't sure. However, he was excited at the fact Ash was finally realizing that there was something there between the two of them.

"But, whatever is going on... I like how it feels when she's standing right next to me. Or whenever she smiles. Just those little things make me feel all warm inside," Ash explained as Pikachu jumped on Ash's shoulder and let out a yawn. "Yeah, we should probably go get some sleep. Thanks for listening to me ramble on."

The duo walked into the elevator to send them to their floor, but for the entire trip those same feelings wouldn't leave Ash alone. But, little did Ash know that what he was feeling would grow as the week advanced.

So, a different chapter, but just a little insight on the title. It is meant to explain everyone's motivation. Ash wants to show Qawi what it means to really be strong, Tierno wants to win because of what happened to his friends, Qawi's past explains why he wants to win, and Serena wants to beat Miette for Ash.

Thank you to everyone who read the chapter and supports this story. Please leave a review letting me know what you liked and how I can improve the story.