Chapter 6

AN: Hi all! Welcome back to chapter 6. Thank you for all of your support as I had the week from hell last week with work, being sick and other things. It means a lot that you all stuck by me and for some reason continue to like this story even though its causing me a lot of writing grief. From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much. I love you all. A word about updating: I've decided this story might benefit from only one update a week, but I will desperately try for two. I will most likely update right before Thanksgiving next week and then the following week after so I can have some time to enjoy my family, and also play Sun and Moon, which I hope you all get to do! Please continue being the best readers/reviewers/subscribers ever because y'all make my day and it truly means a lot to me. As always, cheers to you!

Serena

Just as soon as her vision tunneled quickly into blackness around her, Serena felt herself welcoming a rush of consciousness. The ground under her back felt unsteady, like the normally firm Earth had morphed into ocean waves, rocking her gently. Through her hazy thoughts Serena recognized the feeling as dizziness and she struggled to open her eyes for several moments, knowing if she did so the world would surely spin in circles around her. Instead, she focused on the warm air that caressed her cheeks and made them burn pleasantly, her breathing methodically slow and steady.

It then occurred to Serena that there was absolutely no reason that the sun should be shining on her face, and startled, she forced her eyes open. Blinking rapidly, Serena brought a hand to shield her vision from the intense sunlight, a pit forming in her stomach. With her free hand, she pushed herself up, leaning heavily on her forearm. The ground below her was soft and forgiving, springy with soil and what Serena noticed were bright yellow flowers, bunched thickly together.

"What?" Serena whispered to herself, removing her hand from near her face to reach out and pluck a flower out of the ground. She held it gently between her fingers, inspecting it close to her face. A soft breeze blew then, lifting her hair and tossing stray strands in front of her eyes. Serena let her fingers relax and the flower flew out from between them; she turned her face towards it and watched its tumultuous path on the wind as it spun and danced away.

Slowly her surroundings came into focus, plunging her vision into a sheet of green that was such a stark contrast from the dimly lit cave she was just in seconds ago that it startled her. She was in a wide open field, the grass a long and lush green, with sparse trees providing rare bits of shade that Serena's sweating forehead longed for. She sat completely up, her feet straight out in front of her, looking at the spots of pink, yellow and other brightly colored flowers bunched together creating polka dot like spots on the rolling hills that crested around her. Serena finished pushing herself to a standing position, brushing off her clothes as she did so, noting that she was in the same outfit she had thrown on haphazardly after falling into the river and being pulled out by Ash.

"Ash…" Serena allowed herself to say, his name tingling on her lips. It was not lost to her that the last thing she remembered was the petulant tones of Bonnie giving her uncharacteristic attitude and the three terrifyingly imposing Malamar. In the back of Serena's mind, something had itched at her consciousness, warning her that she had seen this type of behavior before and in fact been a victim of their control herself. Serena struggled intensely to bring the memories of those times to the forefront of her thoughts but whenever she got close, an impenetrable internal wall shot up and prevented her from doing so.

Frustrated and confused, Serena continued to scan her surroundings, pushing aside the panic she felt rise in her that whined for Ash; there was no use fretting over him when she was clearly somewhere very far away.

"But where am I?" Serena allowed herself to whisper, her voice coming out louder than she expected. Not only was her voice quite cutting compared to the peacefulness of her surroundings, but almost immediately Serena noticed it had taken on an ethereal quality that for an instant soothed her. Just then out of the corner of her eye, something tall and strikingly dark caught her attention and her eyes snapped to the spot. Serena was very much surprised by the site of a modest video camera sitting atop the three legs of an unfolded tripod, waiting patiently to be used. Serena furrowed her brow and looked to her right and left, as though expecting someone to jump out and surprise her at any moment, to tell her that this was all one big joke. No one approached her, however, and she hesitantly tiptoed over to the camera.

Reaching the camera and tripod, Serena stuck out a hand out for it, her fingers hovering over the equipment as though making contact with it would break the serene moment. Serena could practically taste the memories it brought back, down to the very last Pokepuff…

"Oh!" Serena gasped lightly, bringing a hand to her chest, the other cupping her mouth. Her eyes shimmered as realization hit her like a freight train and she snapped her gaze to her surroundings once more. She shuffled her feet to behind the camera and relaxed her palms to form an L-shape with both pointer fingers and thumbs. Serena brought them together straight out in front of her to form a rectangle that she looked through, like a camera, and her cheeks flushed. "This is the field we shot the Pokevision videos in!"

Unable to control it, a smile lit her face gently and she sighed pleasantly, remembering the several mishaps that occurred during the course of that day. The flour covered Pikachu particularly made her chuckle and she dropped her arms back to her sides, giggling. Every day since she had left on her journey to reunite with Ash, meeting Fennekin and the others had brought adventure and excitement with no moment passing by as dull. Even the moments spent carefully brushing Fennekin's fur until it shone gave her great joy, but the thought of Fennekin brought the smile down from her face.

"Why am I here?" Serena whispered to herself, moving her eyes across the field, searching for a way out. The last thing she had remembered was her lungs filling with air, Ash's name tumbling out over her lips as the Malamar surrounded her and her world went black. It felt both like second and an eternity had passed, and Serena's brow furrowed with anxiety. "I need to get back! I need to get Fennekin back!"

And Ash, I need to get back to you, too.

Serena began to run forward and back, left and right, looking for any indication that she could escape from this field, to get back to the cave. Every instinct deep within her was screaming that she was safe there; her legs felt heavy and useless, like they were sinking into the ground with every step she took. Her body was begging her to lie back down in the thick flower bed she had woken up in. Farther down however, something else was pulling her through the haze that threatened to subdue her and she held onto the feeling with every ounce she could.

The blinding sun and eerily clear, blue sky was proving to be a difficult obstacle however and Serena could feel herself giving up before she had really started. In her heart, she knew there was something surreal about this space, and that leaving it was not something entirely in her control. She slowed to a halt and sunk to the ground, defeated, resting her forehead on her knees that she had drawn in to her chest. Her eyes closed and images flitted through her mind that seemed to cut out, like a bad radio signal. Serena squeezed her eyes shut, clenching her fists that wrapped around her shins, willing herself to break through the fog when suddenly a shockingly familiar voice caused her face to snap forward.

"It's a little bit tight for the two of us, but it'll do."

Serena's eyes were wide and unblinking as she stared straight ahead at the source of the voice that commanded all of her attention. They were strikingly similar in stature but their choice of fashion could not have been more different. This young woman had donned tan pants with too many zippers and pockets to count, a belt cinching them tightly around her slender waist, while a black, skin tight tank top fitted over her upper body. Her fists rested on both sides of the girl's hips where Serena noticed a bright yellow bracelet with a single black marking that she couldn't make out from her distance but knew on instinct it represented something big. Finally, the honey blonde hair that cascaded down her back was tied into a neat braid that reached well past her waist, flung over one shoulder. A red hat shaded her face, but Serena knew those blue eyes that hid underneath the shadow it cast over her anywhere: because they were her own.

"You're…" Serena breathed, her heart catching in her throat. She felt frozen in her seated position, unable to stand but wanting to be closer to her all the same. It resulted in Serena leaping to a very odd crouched position, one leg attempting to stand while the other knee rested on heavily on the ground.

"You can call me Trina." The girl who shared Serena's every feature said, walking towards Serena. She sat in front of her, cross-legged, and began playing absentmindedly with the end of her braid, a smile on her face. It was as if it was completely normal for her to be sitting across an almost identical version of herself. "It's what I go by in my world. And you can probably relax; I think we're going to be here for a while."

Serena felt herself plop backwards, landing in a huff on her backside. She wanted to reach out and touch this other girl, to see how real she was. If it wasn't for seeing another identical twin of herself through a portal in the cave hours ago, she would be having a significantly harder time digesting the sudden appearance of Trina. Unsure of what to say, and perhaps even more confused than before, Serena remained silent, her mouth hanging slightly open.

"Okay," Trina sighed, dropping the end of her braid and tossing it back over her shoulder. "I can see this might be a bit of a shock for you."

"How did you…?" Serena began, pointing up at the sky as though Trina might have fallen right out of it. Serena took the time to notice once more how her voice seemed to back bounce at her, like a microphone with bad feedback, but without the high pitched scream.

"Let's cut to the chase, you're unconscious." Trina reached out to Serena and grabbed both of her hands in her own. Serena gasped, feeling immediately how rough and calloused they were, but at the same time like silk. "This is all happening inside your head, but don't doubt for one second that I am not real, because I am very much so and we've worked hard to reach you."

Serena's eyes widened, staring back into Trina's and seeing the desperation in them, recognizing the look she had held on her own face many times before. It made sense to her then, the ghostly consistency of her voice, the sluggishness she felt while running, looking for an exit that would never come. Of course she was unconscious, dreaming, Serena accepted this as fact almost instantly; but why would her brain put them here?

"We don't know why you're here," Trina said out loud, as if reading Serena's mind, looking back at the camera that Serena knew was only feet behind her. "We've both walked these grounds, but this place holds different memories for you and me…"

Trina finished, her eyes looking faraway for a moment and Serena allowed her a moment's respite before gently clearing her throat.

"I'm sorry but I have to ask again. How did you get here? Into my… brain?" Serena asked, hesitant to use the words.

Trina's eyes met hers again and Serena looked into them, realizing they were missing something that she couldn't quite put her finger on. "I'm you, and you're me. We just exist on different physical planes, but that doesn't mean that in our unconsciousness we can't be joined."

Serena tilted her head, blinking. "Are you unconscious too? Like me?"

Trina moved her head back and forth between her shoulders, her eyes skyward, as though deep in thought. She responded kindly, a smile lighting her face for the first time. "Yes and no. I suppose you could call both of our states a deep sleep, although one is more welcomed than the other. You were forced into this while I did this to myself on my own." Trina finished proudly, before the grin slid off her face and morphed into an embarrassed smirk. "Well, Gardevoir did."

Serena was getting fewer answers than she wanted from Trina and huffed back. "Gardevoir? I don't understand; please tell me what's going on!"

Trina dropped Serena's hands and put them out in front of her, an act of surrender. "Alright, alright, hold your Rhyhorns! I thought we could have some girl time, you know, Serena to Serena for just a minute. Talk about our hair, do our nails. It's not every day you get to hang out with yourself you know."

Serena rolled her eyes at this, crossing her arms. "If I wasn't just forced into, what was it you called it, a deep sleep against my will then maybe any other day I could talk about hair and nails!"

Trina sighed, her finger bent back against her chin in thought. She looked at Serena and let out a resigned sigh. "Okay, you're right. Let me back track and explain."

Serena echoed her sigh and settled in, focusing as much as she could through the haze of her unconscious brain. "Thank you!"

"I'm you, Serena. From another world. I gather the whole infinite universe thing doesn't need an explanation, does it?" Trina asked quickly, quirking an eyebrow. Serena shook her head no. "As we thought, but nonetheless that saves me a lot of time because we don't have much of it.

"Our world is nothing like yours, Serena. It used to be. In fact, I started off my journey the same as you, by picking Fennekin and going after Ash. I had every intention of my story playing out much like yours is so far, and I'm hoping at the end of this, it can be…"

"What happened?" Serena prompted her to continue. "Why is it so different where you come from?"

"There was an evil organization that has long since disbanded, but not before poisoning the rightful balance of Kalos and the other regions. Team Legendary. They vowed to control all of the strongest Pokemon throughout the regions, to monopolize their power for their own profit… I bet you can guess who put a stop to all of that." Trina finished, her cheeks red.

Serena knew immediately who it would be and smiled herself. "Ash."

"Bingo." Trina said, nodding fiercely as she continued. "Ash and the rest of us, including the Champion of the Kalos region, Diantha, managed to shut them down before we thought they had risen to full power, but what we didn't know was the damage had already been done, that the seed had been planted. The thousands of Pokemon under their control, who had been abused and mistreated, rightfully became distrustful of all trainers and people. They spread dissent and disobedience to even well trained Pokemon."

"Pokemon stopped listening to their trainers? To people?" Serena gasped, trying to imagine a world in which Pokemon and humans could not live in harmony or trust, or to form unbreakable bonds that brought out the highest form of power for both trainer and Pokemon. It was difficult and the darkness of a place like that frightened her.

"Yes," Trina continued sadly, once more grasping Serena's hands in her own. "Even wild Pokemon's behavior has been entirely shifted. It's a dangerous world filled with uncertainty, and we are on the brink of total loss. Ash, myself, Diantha, Clemont, Bonnie and a small group of trainers have been trying desperately to control the situation, to help the Pokemon remember who they were before Team Legendary, but fear is a powerful emotion, Serena. They are untouchable so wrapped up in it."

Serena breathed slowly, sadness clutching at her heart and squeezing it uncomfortably tight. "I'm so sorry… But, what does this have to do with me? I know it's a terrible situation, but I don't exactly… live in your world…" Serena said uncomfortably, feeling guilty almost immediately after speaking.

"Please don't feel that way; it is not your fault that our world is in such a state of disarray." Trina responded with encouragement, squeezing Serena's hand. "I'm here because after a complicated and extensive surveillance effort, we've been able to figure out how to make contact with other worlds, with the other versions of ourselves, through dreams and proximity to Reflection Cave.

"Unfortunately the push back against the fearful Pokemon has become almost an underground movement, an association which can lead to some pretty terrible things I won't go into." Trina flinched so slightly, but Serena, being one in the same, noticed and squeezed her palms. Trina looked down at them and smiled back. "Thanks.

"Anyway, we made our headquarters the Cave, deep into it, in this really lovely place that I think you've already seen. There are crystals lining each side of the walls, like a hallway of mirrors, which we both know now are portals."

Serena nodded and gasped, responding excitedly. "That's the last place I remember! Before…"

"Before the Malamar knocked you out, right?" Trina finished expectantly.

"Yes…" Serena proceeded cautiously, her brows furrowed. "Do I need to ask how you know?"

Trina laughed as she replied. "You're a fast learner but I shouldn't be surprised. You are me! The energy in our headquarters between dimensions is intense, and we've discovered a bit of a loophole in communicating between them, although so far it only works between versions of ourselves. Instead of looking into those crystal mirrors and wishing to see the other world, we can reach each other through our dreams through being near the energy of these portals."

"That seems complicated…" Serena said with some confusion, tilting her head. "How'd you figure that one out?"

Trina laughed and smiled crookedly at Serena. "I'm sure you believe it was our Clemont who happened to intercept the dream of another Clemont who had passed through the cave in a different world. He said he ended up in a nightmare about never having the right bolt to complete his latest invention, or something like that. Needless to say, the coincidence happened to the right person, because he figured it out, and here we are.

"That goes back to what I was saying about our surveillance effort… These Malamar that knocked you out are just plain evil creatures; not only have they figured out how to utilize the portals and the power of this cave, but they thrive off of chaos and destruction and seek to build a world much like the one we are on the very edge of becoming."

Serena nodded once more. "We've run into them before this one time… Well, just one but it looks like he's gained a couple of friends. He was building some type of weapon, but destroyed it before we could figure out what it was for."

"I don't know what that weapon could be either, or what exactly its power was, but we do know that they have a plan in our world to bring your Ash into ours and knock our Ash down a pedestal. My Ash is sort of… a champion of some sorts, of hope…" Trina's eyes shimmered as she spoke about her Ash, and Serena felt herself blushing thinking about her own. "People are very close to giving in and letting up the fight to restore balance, trust and love between us and Pokemon again, but seeing Ash fighting non-stop keeps them going. If he were to stop, if he were to give up on us, there would be nothing left for them to look up to. Kalos would crumble, and it would only get worse from there."

Serena's mouth hung open slightly and she shook her head quickly to clear her foggy yet horrified brain. "My Ash would never agree to something like that! Why would these Malamar think he would go so willingly with them?"

"Just before this, when you met the three Malamar, you looked in a crystal. Fatefully, whether you believe in that or not, so did I, and just for a few moments, when your fingers touched the surface, I saw you and I knew we had to act fast. I had Diantha's Gardevoir put me into a deep sleep, much like yours, and took a chance and here we are. We've finally found you.

My best guess at this moment, if you're not being hypnotized yourself, they've got you. And once they have you, Ash will be like molten glass in their hands. Moldable and easy to manipulate."

Serena blushed furiously and for the first time, looked away from Trina, pulling her hands away to cover her bright red cheeks. "What do you mean? Why would having me have any type of hold over Ash?"

Trina gave Serena an aggravated look, her eyes rolling instantly. "Don't play dumb with me, Serena. I am you. Ash has a thing for us, and if I'm not mistaken, we've got a little thing for Ash, too."

Serena's cheeks puffed angrily. "So what?! That doesn't mean anything!"

"If there's anything more powerful in this world than hate, it's devotion and love. Don't freak out, I'm not saying the 'L word' about any of us, but I am saying there's a lot of dedication, loyalty to you, and all out determination. This is Ash we're talking about."

Serena let the air out from inside her cheeks, admitting defeat. A strange guilty feeling washed over her, and her eyes watered. "I don't want anything worse to happen to your world because I wasn't strong enough to fight them off."

"Don't say that," Trina insisted, her voice firm. "Listen, I can feel myself fading and we don't have much time left. You can help us, and you will. When you wake up, when you see Ash, try your hardest to warn him or remind him of who he is, that you are with him until the very end. If he clashes with our Ash, with any ill intent, that's it, game over."

Serena looked back at Trina, who looked so desperate and scared for the first time since they had met. "I…"

"You're strong Serena, We're both strong. We can't travel at Ash's side for so long and not be strong; it just doesn't work that way. These evil Pokemon will try to throw everything at you that they can, and I can't guarantee it won't be painful or frightening for you. They will manipulate Ash in any way they can, but I know you can get through to him. Don't let him go down this path." Trina spoke urgently, but Serena noticed the edges of her face begin to blur, as though she was becoming out of focus.

Serena nodded, biting down hard on her tongue to keep her lower lip from quivering. Silently she gave her answer, hoping that Trina would understand that she wanted to say she was strong but couldn't in the moment.

"Serena –!" Trina began, but never finished.

Suddenly, Serena felt like someone had grabbed her tightly around her waist and yanked upwards, like an uncontrollable elevator, and she felt her back crash into hard and unforgiving cold ground, her body recoiling in the loss of sunlight. For a moment, she wanted to lie still and wonder if everything was all just a vivid dream, that the ground beneath her was simply the surface of her tent. Within seconds she knew it was not, that this cave and being held hostage was a very harsh reality, but one she accepted with strength, bolstered by Trina's encouragement and willingness to help.

"Ash!" Serena yelled to him, knowing he was there, fighting through the quivering in her lip. She bit down on it, putting on the bravest expression she could muster, attempting to convey an overt sense of strength that she longed to pass to him.

His eyes met hers, and she almost softened at his desperate expression, one that had a new light after Trina's blunt words about her feelings towards him. We're going to be okay, Serena thought, feeling exhausted but fighting to restore her energy.

"Serena!" He yelled back to her, and Serena watched his body tremble with anticipation. She longed so much to reach to him, but knew she couldn't, and simply sat and waited.

Clemont began speaking at that moment, saying to Ash everything that had already been confirmed to her by Trina. It was then that the seriousness of the situation settled heavily, threatening to overwhelm her. Serena held strong, letting the words bounce off of her as best as she could as she waited, contemplating the best time to reach out to Ash, to tell him she was okay, to not do what they asked of him. The sight of Trina's despairing face clutched at her when suddenly she heard Clemont's voice ring out crystal clear and her face snapped towards his.

"Well, you asked."

And in an instant, Serena felt as though her body was resting on a red hot bed of coals, burning and once more the cave flickered out of her vision only to be replaced by dark and terrible images. Ash was struggling to get up from the ground as his own Pikachu stood over him, red cheeks crackling with malice. It lasted seconds before it switched to her own mother, crouched fearfully against a wall as the shadow of an uncontrollable Rhyhorn towering over her, pawing at the ground. It switched once more to Clemont clutching Bonnie as he squared off with his own Heliolisk who had fanned out its frilled collar, decisively threatening them.

Just as soon as Serena felt she had had enough, when she wanted to cry out to stop, it did, and there was Ash's face again. It was desperate as ever and he looked as though he would jump out of his own skin to get to her. In the moment, Serena felt as though that would be okay if he did somehow get to her, and wrap her in his arms and together they could leave this cold and eerily lit cave. It was fleeting however, as Trina's words came back to her, and Serena caught sight of her own hypnotized Fennekin, who she wanted to hold just as much as Ash. If she was going to help, like Trina had said, it was now or never.

"Ash! Don't do it, don't do what they want! Don't give up until the end!" Serena yelled out to him, begging him to hear the determination in her voice. She had used his own words against him in hopes it would be enough. She gulped quietly and hoped as he responded.

"Why don't you give them the same choices as me?! They don't need to be a part of this any more than I do!" Ash yelled back, and Serena almost winced at how loudly his voice echoed off the walls of the cave.

Ash, I've already made my choice. I am in this.

Suddenly, movement surrounded her as Clemont waved his hand and the three Malamar appeared directly in front of her, blocking her view of Ash. Serena felt her body begin to quiver and clenched her muscles, attempting to control her nerves when she realized it was by no fault of her own that she was beginning to feel like she was vibrating. A blue aura appeared around her and the others that she could see, mainly the Malamar, and she gasped.

"They don't matter to me." Clemont said matter of factly. "We will illuminate a path for you, and when you are ready, you will come. We'll be waiting."

With a snap, Serena felt the familiar sensation of being pulled upwards and struggled to fight it with every part of her. Feeling helpless, her lungs filled with air and she forced his name out from behind petrified lips in one last fraught call.

"Ash!"

So how did you guys feel about this chapter? I wanted to have this scene with Serena because A: I think the background needed some more explanation and B: I knew Serena would know this was happening at the same time Ash was finding out, but I wanted to do it in this very cool way that I thought came across pretty decently. I hope you like it! I know its more dialogue but I'm hoping it's building up the story nicely.

I'm still working on Love in the Time of Tribulations by Epicocity, so I will go ahead and recommend it but you definitely need to read the first two first!

Cheers to you!