As the lustrous rays of the Kalos moonlight draped down upon the slumbering city, Serena, a young lady with short, honey-blonde hair, fair skin, and a soft complexion, rested her palms in her lap. Sat in a small, white, galvanized iron patio chair of floral design, she gazed up at the night sky in earnest wonder. Before her eyes lied the canvas of a painted sky.

The clouds were numerous, but not overwhelming. The bright full moon drowned out the stars around it and painted the clouds in its path a vibrant white that contrasted the deep navy abroad. A shine contesting even that of the sun.

She must've been sitting there for hours. Static, enthralled by the sky's grandeur, despite the cold winds biting at her neck. She didn't care. She found it inspiring, the way the clouds diverge and sway. The way the light reflected off the sky. And that if you look closely enough, you could start to see all the colors the night truly holds. It's more than just an empty abyss of black and white. Along with the grayscale, monochrome scene that is native to us, there's also various shades of navy, bright blue, and even orange.

She was eventually broken from her trance as she heard the door to the patio click, and swing open. Ash stood at the threshold for a moment before stepping into the cool night air. He looked at her, and she looked back at him.

"You feelin' okay? You've been sitting out here almost two hours doing nothing," Ash finally asked.

She lifted her gaze back to the sky.

"I'm doing something…" she replied, as though she wasn't there.

"And what's that?"

"...Thinking,"

"Well… whatcha thinkin about?"

"...Nothing…"

Ash stood, bewildered.

"Are you… sure you're okay?"

Serena, still keeping her eyes to the sky, pulled up the chair next to her and motioned for him to sit down. He did so, hesitantly, and mirrored Serena. As time continued to fly past them, Ash eventually became impatient.

"I don't get it? What are we supposed to be doing?"

"Absolutely nothing,"

"So we're just… staring at the moon?"

Serena nodded her head slowly.

"For how long?"

She shrugged.

"And...why?"

"Shhhhh, just do what I do,"

Serena closed her eyes, and Ash did the same. She took a deep breath and released it slowly. Ash mimicked. Then, she continued to just stare off into the void. And again, Ash did the same. But he still couldn't understand why. He scratched the back of his head.

"I don't think I'm the kinda person who can do this stuff,"

"That's ridiculous,"

She tore her gaze away from the sky, almost unwillingly, and met Ash's eyes. A subtle stutter in her movements as she did so.

"There's no 'kind of person' who thinks, Ash. Anyone can meditate, focus, and explore themselves," She murmured as if she were speaking to herself as much as she was to Ash.

"It's not even always about thinking," Serena continued, "Sometimes it's nice to just take a moment, slow everything down, relax, and appreciate how beautiful it is at night,"

Both of them remained silent for a moment.

"I'm… not sure what to say," Ash responded, softly

"Don't say anything… just do what I do,"

So, Serena closed her eyes, and Ash did the same. She took a deep breath, and then released it slowly. Ash mimicked. She opened her eyes and continued to just stare off into the void. And again, Ash did the same.

He didn't know what had changed, or what Serena had said to make the sky so different, but Ash was astonished. His eyes widened tenfold, and he let out a gasp. The sky opened up to engulf his entire field of view. The whole thing seemed like a painting. What looked like an empty black sky was now a navy canvas with little white speckles scattered from end to end. And high above their heads was the luster and brilliance of the full moon. He was entranced as well.

Serena looked away from the moon once again and shifted her gaze over to Ash. She smiled a soft, genuine smile, then turned back. She began to speak,

"This journey has been going on for a while now, Ash. And we've been moving and moving and moving faster and faster and faster, without even a moment to breathe. It's unreasonable, and frankly, unhealthy. All four of us, Clemont, Bonnie, you, and I, we need to slow down the pace a little. Take a moment to stop and appreciate what's around us. I don't want this journey to end too soon, I don't want to blink and have it all be over. I want to keep this for a while, don't you? So let's take a break, let's slow down the pace a little."

Ash didn't say anything. He only nodded, his eyes still glued to the night sky. A part of him, his conscious brain, was still confused. He couldn't understand how just looking at the sky could move him to tears. But a different part of him, the subconscious part he'd been repressing for so long, released the baggage he had tied to himself. The tears had nothing to do with him staring at the sky. They had only to do with the emotions he didn't fully realize he was feeling, and he understood that now.

He didn't want this journey to end too quickly either. Over the many losses he'd endured, over the many regions he felt he'd wasted time on, he forgot what it meant to be a Pokemon trainer. He forgot what it meant to be on a journey. His underlying frustration had bubbled to the surface, and it had become a detriment to the most important part all of this, exploring new places with his friends and Pokemon.

Eventually, Ash's gaze dropped to his lap. He counted the wet circles on his jeans. A total of twenty-seven. But he noticed that some of them blended together, so he wasn't quite sure. They continued to drip off his chin to a silent melody. A happy melody. Serena stood, and Ash did the same. She pulled him into a hug, without a word. As Ash's head rested on her shoulder, he brought his arms up as well. It was at that point that his tears stopped, rather abruptly he noticed.

They parted, and together, looked back up to the moon. The night's canvas continuing to command as the backdrop of this revelation of mind. This realization quaking and quivering the ground around them, but comforting and relaxing them at the same time, despite the cold winds that continued to bite at their necks. Time seemed to slow. The sense of anxiety and disconnect from their surroundings dissipated and all that was left was the truth. The unmistakable truth that love exists, that happiness exists, that people exist, that they exist, all under the lustrous rays of the Kalos moonlight. Under the canvas of a painted sky.

~And To Our Own Way~