Notes:

Everyone in this fic is 18+

This fic WILL contain lemons and bad language, so M

This fic is just for fun so don't take it too seriously

If you somehow realise this looks a lot like another fic, with the same concept, it's because that fic is mine on my other account, this is another attempt at it since that one went badly :D

DISCLAIMER: I obviously don't own Pokemon or any of the characters!

Chapter 1

Serena had no idea May's family was so wealthy until she laid eyes upon their estate. It wasn't their home, for it was too far from her dad's gym to be practical, but a place they owned and rented out and were now letting May stay in while it was empty. Serena had accepted straight away when May had invited her to stay with her. She wouldn't want her friend to get lonely after all, and what could be better than staying in a mansion with her best friend for a month with no cares in the world? She was already taking a year off from travelling, so no harm would be done, and she felt she could use some time to relax.

So, she'd come, and May was already there, already settled in as May's new car sat on the gravel drive. A taxi had dropped her off finally- the drive had seemed miles long and winded through endless trees. It could have been a hotel, she thought as she reached for the giant iron knocker on the main door. May was at the door at once, and flung her arms around Serena, almost pulling her clumsily over the step.

"Hey!" She greeted, pulling away. "You're earlier than expected."

It wasn't a question. May seemed genuinely pleased that she had arrived early. She shrugged. "I was excited."

May stepped back, allowing Serena to take in the enormity of the hallway, with its great chandelier and titanic double staircase with black, gothic rails. Her jaw hung open jokingly and May reached to shut it, laughing and winking. "I'm excited too. I can't believe he's letting me stay here."

"You're hardly a slob so he knows you'll keep it clean," Serena said as she dragged her two cases inside. One case hadn't been enough to fit all of her outfits in. She had no idea what they might get up to, so had packed for every occasion and had always enjoyed dressing up, even if it was only May with her. May scoffed at her cases and pushed the door shut carefully behind her. Everything seemed so old but in pristine condition. Still, Serena couldn't help but feel a little spooked by the atmosphere of the place, and the room was kind of cold and eerie.

"This place is super old." May placed her hands on her hips and surveyed the room, which was impressively decorated but had far too many creepy paintings for her liking. "I bet it's haunted or something."

"Ugh. Don't say that or I won't sleep." Serena looked to what she assumed was the living room based on the lavish sofas and giant ornate fireplace. Everything looked too expensive to touch, let alone sit on or live amongst. May nodded in that direction, heading towards it, and Serena almost argued that she didn't want to leave her bags lying around but decided she could just get them later.

"Soooo… Listen, I was meaning to tell you…" May trailed off, clasping her hands behind her back. She sounded nervous, but Serena couldn't see her face. Serena knew that tone: May had been up to something.

"Go on…" She coaxed, suddenly uneasy.

"I kinda invited a few other people." Serena could sense her cringe as she said it, no doubt preparing for the barrage of abuse Serena would give her for not telling her, but she was already too exhausted from the trip to argue, so she sighed instead. She should have known that May wouldn't be able to keep it lowkey, not when she had a whole mansion to herself, but had hoped for it nonetheless. May knew she didn't really enjoy being around strangers, but had always wanted her to meet her friends. May was Serena's best friend, but she didn't have many others besides Clemont and Bonnie.

"Who did you invite?" She threw herself down on the sofa, suddenly too tired to care how expensive it was. May didn't object, and didn't sit either, just hovered, smiling as though she hadn't just annoyed her best friend.

"Just my friends. You'll love them Serena, I promise."

"I just wish you hadn't backed me into a corner, that's all," Serena argued, rubbing her temples. She had to admit, she hadn't been the most fun to be around, especially when May had first met her, but she was getting better. Whoever's May's friend were she knew they'd be nice. May was a great judge of character.

"I know, and I'm sorry, but you never would have agreed otherwise." May sat down beside her, giving her puppy-dog-eyes she couldn't be mad at. "C'mon, just give it a chance."

"Fine," she sighed, leaning her head on May's shoulder casually. "But if they suck I'm gonna hate you."

May laughed and Serena felt her body shake. "They don't suck! This'll be good for you."

Maybe it would be, Serena supposed. She and May had met two years ago, when Serena had travelled to Hoenn for the first time in search of answers she needed in her life. She had been lost, and had been about to ask May, the first person she'd spotted, for directions when a fan had run up to May and asked for an autograph. It caught Serena off guard. She had no idea who May was, and as soon as May signed the autograph she turned to face Serena, who now felt extremely awkward.

"Hey, you too?" May had asked casually. Not big headed, but aware that she was somewhat of a celebrity. Serena's mouth dried up as she tried to find a way out of the situation.

"No, uh-" She had swallowed hard. "I was actually just going to ask for directions."

May had laughed and apologised for looking like a dick, then showed her the way to go, walking with her. Serena was embarrassed to learn that she was walking with the 'Princess of Hoenn', the most popular and famous coordinator from the region. She almost felt as if she didn't deserve to be in her presence, but May was humble, and made her feel so at ease that they had quickly become friends, and had been inseparable ever since, even if Serena had been a little gloomy at the best of times. They travelled Hoenn together, and then Unova, and were both taking a break now. Serena had barely been home a month when May had invited her here, though.

Prior to that, Serena's story was a little complicated. May knew that too. Serena had spent far too long dodging questions about why she wouldn't consider talking to any boys even though she garnered plenty of attention from them all the time. Questions about why she sometimes went quieter, and sadder, for long periods of time.

May had already dragged blankets downstairs for her. Serena smiled, dragging one up over her lap and crossing her legs. May laughed, no doubt at how comfortable she was making herself already, even in this mansion that cost more than she'd ever see in her life, probably. Serena wanted to talk, about literally anything, to ease the anxiety she was feeling over meeting May's friends, but May was wandering off, muttering about making some tea for them. Serena had met one of May's friends before, Drew, and then continued to run into him for the duration of their time together. Drew was probably following May, and May seemed to know it but didn't mind. It was a strange dynamic where Drew pretended not to give a shit about her, then watch her vigilantly as soon as her back was turned. He was probably in love with her, Serena thought.

May returned with the tea but had barely been sat for five minutes before the doorbell rang. Serena hadn't even noticed the doorbell, and had just assumed there wasn't one since the house was old. Feeling slightly embarrassed, she also silently scolded herself for worrying about literally anything and everything, and focused hard on sitting still, lest she give away her crippling nerves to May, who patted her on the knee before going to greet her friends.

She heard May greeting the new guest, and was slightly relieved to hear that it was a girl. Her voice was deep for a girl, but still soothing, she decided as she listened to them excitedly embrace each other. Then they made to join her, and she wanted to sink into the sofa and disappear for the rest of the month.

"Serena, this is Misty." Serena turned to look back over at them. Misty was taller than May by a couple inches, and dressed typically tomboy-ish. Her freckled face was almost too perfect, and her bright ginger hair was the most vibrant she'd ever seen. Misty smiled. She didn't seem to feel awkward or shy at all.

"I was worried about being the first one here, but looks like you beat me to it." She stuck her hand out for Serena to shake. Taken aback slightly, it took her a couple of seconds to respond. "I'm Misty. May's told me lots about you."

"I wasn't aware May was talking about me at all," Serena dug at May, giving her a quick, pointed glance.

"Of course. You two seem like you're joined at the hip." Misty laughed, and Serena felt the tension slide away. "May, I know you said we should leave our Pokémon at your mom's Pokémon Spa, and I did, but…" She trailed off, and May raised an eyebrow at her. She grabbed a Pokéball from her belt. Serena laughed from the sofa, grabbing both their attentions as she reached into the small bag she always kept on her and picked out the Pokéball that she just couldn't leave behind either.

"Sorry." She grinned at May, but May was laughing too.

"Guess we all brought somebody. I couldn't leave Blaziken behind. Somebody for protection against the ghosts and all."

"Who did you bring?" Misty asked Serena. Serena tossed the Pokéball to release Braixen. Misty watched in awe as the fire fox stretched and yawned, hardly bothered by her surroundings. "A Braixen? Nice."

"What about you?"

"Just Psyduck." Misty sighed in defeat and released the little yellow duck, who simply placed his hands on his head and tilted it in utter confusion. "I tried leaving him but he got upset and clung to my leg…" Serena laughed and leaned to face the little Pokémon. Braixen looked too.

"Hi!" Serena said. Psyduck faced her but its expression didn't change. Serena laughed nervously, and Braixen chuckled quietly, reaching to pat Psyduck on the head gently. Her paw was barely on its head when it jumped, screaming and running in circles around the sofa, nearly knocking Braixen off her feet and sending her whirling.

"Psyduck!" Misty shouted, grabbing it as it ran by her. Its gormless look came back almost instantly and she sighed heavily. May was almost on the floor laughing. At least she wasn't angry.

Putting Psyduck down, Misty asked the question Serena had wanted to ask since May had revealed other people were coming. "So, who else is coming?"

"Everyone," May answered, and it brought Serena's nervousness right back. How many people was 'everyone'? Misty waved her hand for May to elaborate. "Don't worry, Gary's coming."

That comment seemed to irk Misty, as Serena noticed she tensed up a little, bristling with anger or something of the like. "I don't care if Gary comes."

May scoffed. "We're not kids anymore, Mist. You can stop pretending you don't like him."

"I'm not pretending." She seemed genuinely tired of hearing about whoever Gary was. She completely forgot about the question she'd asked in the first place.

The doorbell rang again, saving Misty from May's relentless jabbing. She ran off to answer it, and Misty rolled her eyes, slumping down on the sofa beside Serena.

"I don't like Gary, by the way," she said defensively, in a way that would make anyone think the exact opposite. Serena raised her eyebrows, nodding slightly sarcastically.

"Noted."

Misty smirked back. There was a number of voices floating in from the hallway. Too many for her to pick just one out, but then she heard Drew. Drew she could deal with. Drew she could converse with no matter how awkward she felt around the others. She never thought she'd be so pleased to have him around. She risked a glance over, and saw him first. He had a bottle of alcohol she couldn't identify in his hand. Of course. He was probably planning to ply May with it, then convince her that he was somewhat date-able, or at least kissable.

Behind him was another girl wearing a small black dress. Her hair was a deep royal blue. She was gorgeous. Serena wondered why they all had to be so attractive. As if she wasn't intimidated enough. There was another guy too, and his face was like stone, like if he smiled it would probably crack.

"That's Paul and Dawn," Misty said from beside her as they both watched May greet them and tell them to leave their bags in the hall. "Dawn is sweet, but Paul can be a little hard to deal with. He's kinda... " She trailed off, unable to find a word to accurately describe what Paul was. Serena could pretty much guess what she meant. They were approaching them now, and Dawn was practically jumping with excitement, like a kid at Christmas.

"Hey Misty!" She greeted Misty. Misty smiled back up at her. "And hey Serena! So good to finally meet you." Dawn didn't reach for Serena's hand, but instead bent down and wrapped her arms around her shoulders for a hug. Over Dawn's shoulder, Serena watched May grin sheepishly. Drew had already taken up his place by her side. His eyebrows promptly raised in their direction, and Dawn realised he'd probably just seen right up her skirt and blushed immensely, muttering some form of apology under her breath. Bubbly and somewhat clumsy then, Serena noted.

"Nice to meet you too, Dawn." Dawn seemed impressed that Serena already knew her name, not realising that Misty had literally just told her it. Paul nodded in her direction.

"Hey." Simple as that. She muttered it back, smiling sheepishly. He looked away again. Damn, he's cold.

It didn't seem tense at all, much to Serena's surprise. Everyone settled in immediately. Drew had disappeared to make more tea, but the others were talking amongst themselves, and Serena found herself joining in more than she expected. Everything was going smooth until Dawn curiously turned to Misty.

"Hey, when does Ash arrive?"

Serena felt her heart sink into the pit of her stomach so quickly she almost gagged. Ash. Surely it couldn't be the same Ash. May would have mentioned him before if she was friends with someone called Ash, right? Did she hear Dawn right, or was she imagining his name right now? Misty shrugged.

"You know what he's like."

"Who?" Serena asked sweetly, trying to hide the fact that she was starting to sweat, and her heart was pounding so heavily it made her shake.

"Ash," May answered for her. "He's great. Ash was the person I travelled with when I started travelling for the first time."

Serena tried to reply, but her words caught in her throat and she coughed. May tilted her head in confusion, but Serena composed herself as best she could. "You never mentioned him before."

May rubbed the back of her head and looked away, almost as if she was embarrassed. "Well, I just never thought to bring it up."

It suddenly felt as though the walls were closing in around her. She wanted the ground to open up and swallow her whole. If it was the same Ash… No, it couldn't be. There had to be hundreds of guys with the same name. She couldn't let herself think it was the same Ash. She could ask some questions to figure it out, but that would only arouse suspicion, and if it was the same Ash… She couldn't let May find out. Her mind was whirring, mostly trying to figure out an excuse to go home already.

"You okay?" Misty asked from beside her. The others had gone back to talking, but Serena had been staring ahead blankly. She nodded and smiled which satisfied Misty. It was growing harder to hide the fact that she was panicking like mad. She stood quickly, and realised she was dizzy far too late as she almost fell back onto Misty's lap.

"Sorry!" She exclaimed. "I'm just going to the bathroom. Um… Where is it?"

"Depends which one you want." May laughed. Serena didn't even have the energy to pretend to laugh. Somewhat concerned, May explained that there was a small bathroom by the kitchen, which was near the living room. She could see the door from where she stood. She rushed off and closed the door quickly behind her, bending over the sink. She was sure she was going to throw up.

She was barely in there a minute when she heard the doorbell ring in the hall for a third time. This time, the sound kept ringing in her head and brought extreme dread. Was that him? No, it's a different Ash, stop being crazy.

She heard laughing in the living room, but it was too loud for her to recognise a voice. Surely she would recognise his voice? No, it couldn't be him. She took a deep breath, steadying herself, trying to steel herself. Her heart was still hammering against her chest. Still, she couldn't hide in here for much longer. Reaching to run the tap, she splashed the freezing cold water onto her face, then dried it off. Get it together.

Sucking in a breath, she opened the door and stepped out again, looking across to the living room.

He looked right back at her. Ash. It was the same Ash. A sound escaped her, and she clasped her hand over her mouth. Luckily, only he was looking, and she dropped it before anyone else looked.

Dawn looked first. "Serena!" She called. "Come meet Ash and Brock."

Serena was going to pass out. Her legs had turned to jelly beneath her and her whole head was spinning and screaming. Fighting to contain her panic, she walked towards the living room, ready to reach out and grab something if she collapsed.

You need to own this. She told herself. You can't let him see this is bothering you.

Ash seemed as scared as she was, only she was better at hiding it. She strolled in and smiled at Brock. "Hey, I'm Serena." Then she glanced at Ash. He had looked away. She prayed that no one would notice how heavily her chest was rising and falling.

Wondering how the universe could possibly put her in this situation, Serena sighed and threw herself back down beside Misty, who was looking at her kinda funny. She ignored it. May was very, very excited for Ash to be there. It made Serena feel sick. She couldn't believe she was watching him with her best friend. She could barely accept that this was actually happening and wasn't a nightmare. It was just too weird and awful. Would Ash tell May that he knew her already? Would May then be angry at Serena for hiding it from her? Would it ruin May's friendship with Ash? She hated Ash, but she loved May unconditionally and would do anything to protect her.

"You okay?" Misty asked, tapping her shoulder. Serena jumped a little. Misty was still looking strangely at her. She couldn't blame her. She nodded again, hoping to brush away Misty's concern. When she looked back at the group, Brock was looking right back at her, and she knew. He knew. He knew who she was. She had no problem with Brock- maybe if she could catch him alone, she could get him to explain to her. It was more likely than Ash approaching her, and she wasn't even sure if she wanted him to. An explanation was more likely to hurt her, and was there even an explanation at all?

"I'm gonna go call someone, let them know I'm okay, May." Serena said and stood. May turned from Ash for the first time since he arrived.

"Who're you calling? Your mom?"

"No, Clemont." She looked to Ash to see if he'd react. He wouldn't look back at her, but she caught his brief grimace. She wasn't going to make this vacation easy for him.

May nodded and she left the room. She walked out into the gardens, knowing that Ash would listen if she stood in the hall. She walked a little way down the mile-long drive, past cars that she assumed belonged to the rest of the group. Once she was satisfied that no one would be able to hear her, she pulled out her phone and called him. He answered almost right away.

"Hey Serena, what's up?" He asked. He knew she wouldn't call him to let him know she got there safely, and probably assumed she'd be having too much fun exploring the place with May to call him, so the concern was already there.

"Clemont, I don't know what to do," she collapsed, leaning back against a tree. "Something really bad has happened."

"What is it?" He asked quickly. "What is it?"

"Ash is here."

Clemont was silent for a few seconds, and each one felt like a lifetime. She said his name, and he cleared his throat. "Um, yeah, okay. Um… You mean like Ash, right?"

"Yeah," she sighed. She choked back tears because she would have to go back inside and face them eventually, and they couldn't see she had been crying, especially not him.

"How?" He was confused. She was still wondering the same thing.

"Apparently May knows him, and really well too. He's the first person she ever travelled with years and years ago. I mean, what the fuck, right? How is this happening to me? What do I do, Clemont?"

"Alright, calm down Serena. Do you want me to come?" She loved Clemont for being so caring. Even though they barely saw each other anymore, she still called him all the time to check how he was doing. Aside from May, he was her best friend. Would it be alright to invite him? There was plenty of room…

"Would you?" She said before she could talk herself out of it. "Clemont, that would be amazing. I just… I can't be alone here in this situation. I can't tell May because it'll ruin this whole thing, and I know she's been looking forward to it so much. There's this other guy here, Brock, who seems like he knows who I am but I'm not sure, and-"

"Serena, it's okay. I'm packing my stuff now, all right? Once I get there maybe we can figure this out with him. There must be a good reason why."

Clemont had always defended Ash when she couldn't. Even though he had cut them both off out of the blue, and pretended they'd never existed, Clemont always saw the best in him, and never hated him for it. She wished she could say the same about herself. For the first year she had thought about him constantly, and fell into a deep depression about it. May knew, and although Serena never gave a name, she knew what had happened too. May had sworn she would kill whoever did it to her, and while she didn't mean it literally, well…

"Alright, I'll try to stay calm until you get here. Hurry though, okay?" She tried not to sound too desperate but it didn't work.

"Of course. See you soon."

Once the call was over, Serena felt alone in the world again. She didn't want to go inside, but she couldn't be caught out here alone. She kept the phone up to her ear as though she was still calling in case anyone looked and slid down until she was sat. She was only just starting to get over it, and here he was again.

"Serena?"

She jumped, dropping her phone and revealing she wasn't calling anyone. She scrambled to pick it up, but Misty had already caught her.

"Pretending to be on the phone, huh? Are we that bad?" Misty asked. She stuck her hands in her short pockets. Serena had probably never been so embarrassed.

"No, of course not, uh…" She panicked, but there was no way of explaining her way out of this.

"I'm kidding, relax." Misty laughed, then sat down beside her. Serena just blinked at her. Misty didn't seem fazed at all. "I could tell something was bothering you."

Serena kept her mouth shut. The urge to tell someone about her situation was strong, if only to get it off her chest and not have this secret so heavy on her shoulders. She didn't know Misty at all, and yet somehow felt trusting of her. "Yeah. I can't say, though."

"I get it." Misty leaned her head on the wall and looked up at the sky, which was quickly clouding over. It was going to rain. "You don't have to tell me."

Serena's bottom lip was shaking with the effort of holding back her tears. God, she was going to cry. She was going to cry, no matter how hard she tried. The lump in her throat was almost choking her.

"Hey," Misty said, turning to her now. "You really don't seem okay…"

The tears started flowing. She couldn't hold it back, and now the sobs were racking her whole body, and she shoved her face into her hands, embarrassed and sad and lonely. Misty didn't make a move to touch her, and didn't say anything either. She was grateful for it. She simply let her cry for a minute, loud and violently. When she started to calm down and could see through the tears finally, she saw Misty turn to her. She felt sorry for Serena, that was clear, but she was also confused. And concerned.

"I-" Serena started, wiping the tears away with her arm. Her face was undoubtedly red and puffy. "I-"

Misty stood and offered her hand. "Come on," she said. "Let's get out of here for a bit."

Serena blindly followed Misty to her car, sniffing and wiping tears away still, the occasional sob slipping through. She was an embarrassing mess. Misty opened and closed her door for her as though she were incapable, and she stopped crying, if only so Misty would stop feeling so sorry for her. Neither said anything. Misty started the car, and her music blasted out of her speakers. She turned it down a little, but left it going. It was a female singer, and an angry rock song. The sort of song she would have expected Misty to listen to just from looking at her. Misty drove down the long drive and out the open iron gates at the end. The property was surrounded by woods for miles, but Misty seemed to know where she was going, and turned off down a small, windy road. It led to a small lake, which Misty pulled up in front of. Serena didn't know how she found it, but it was beautiful.

"Get out or stay in the car?" She asked.

"Let's get out," Serena said, no longer crying. They hopped out of the car and sat together beside the lake, neither saying anything for a while. Serena was sorting through the questions in her head, and was eternally grateful to Misty for getting her away from there. She wondered how Misty understood so well what she needed when she barely knew her.

"Thank you for getting me away from there. What are we gonna say when we get back?"

"That we went exploring." Misty grinned. Serena liked her instantly. She wanted to tell her so badly, but the consequences…

"Do you know Ash?" She finally asked. Misty was confused.

"Ash?" She said, but Serena didn't bite. She wouldn't reveal why she asked yet. "Um, yeah. I met Ash when he first started as a trainer. His only Pokémon was Pikachu. Huh, speaking of, I wonder where Pikachu is…" She trailed off. Serena had been too bothered by Ash to notice Pikachu was missing. "Anyway, he wrecked my bike, so of course I had to follow him until he bought me a new one…"

"And how long was that?"

Misty blushed. "A couple of years."

So Misty was very close to Ash too. Go figure. "You travelled Kanto together?"

"Yeah, we- Wait." Misty stopped, and Serena knew she had fucked up. Her heart seized in her chest. "How did you know it was Kanto?"

"Just a guess," Serena tried unconvincingly. Misty narrowed her eyes. "Oh, fuck it. I know him." And it was out there finally.

"You know Ash?"

"Yeah." Serena sighed. "Honestly, I'm surprised none of you know me. I guess he just never spoke about me."

"Who are you?" Misty asked, not angrily, but with some suspicion in her tone.

"He told you he travelled Kalos?" Misty nodded. "Did he say who with?"

"He never said names, and we only talked a couple of times while he was there. I just know it was three people, two girls and a guy."

"I'm one of the girls."

Misty looked bewildered by the news. Then just confused as hell. "Then… Why does it seem like you've never met?"

"Once Ash left Kalos, he cut me off. He stopped answering my calls. He didn't respond to any of us. He disappeared. I even called his mom, and she told me he was home, but he wouldn't come to the phone. He ignored me." Serena turned away. She wouldn't cry again, because now she was just angry. "It broke my heart. I was sad, and no fun to be around. I tried to forget about him. I was so close, but now he's here, and it's so strange and I don't know how to act or what to do."

Misty, absolutely flabbergasted, said nothing for a few seconds. "I'm so sorry, Serena. I never thought… I can't imagine Ash doing something like that."

"I didn't think he could either." She had told Misty her biggest secret, and somehow knew that Misty wouldn't tell a soul unless she gave her permission. There was one more secret, though. One she'd only told May, but without the name. "I was in love with him."

"With Ash?"

She nodded. Misty didn't seem so surprised at that, just curious. "I really loved him. More than anyone, ever. From the moment we met again."

"Do you still love him?" Misty asked. She wasn't trying to be nosy. She genuinely seemed concerned, and it relieved Serena immensely. She had worried Misty would react badly, and she couldn't blame her for wanting to ask questions.

"I don't know. You would think I wouldn't after what he's done… But I don't know. We kissed before we parted ways, and…" Misty's jaw had dropped at the mention of the kiss. "He kissed me back. I thought that meant we'd see each other again soon. I didn't realise I'd be waiting over two years."

"Do you want me to talk to him? Maybe I can get answers from him for you."

"It's okay. Actually, could you not tell anybody? I really don't want to ruin his friendship with May… May knows that someone did this to me, but she doesn't know it's Ash, and if she finds out… this might really blow up. I just need time to figure it all out. It's been a long time so maybe we can sort it out, somehow."

"Of course." Misty nodded. Even though they'd only just met, Serena felt a strange connection to Misty, and now that she knew her secret, she felt a little less alone.