Prologue
Cerise dorms
“Ash, Chloe’s school ended and you're still not over her!” Goh yelled at him
Chloe snickered
“I remember him talking about how she had a sylveon.”
Ash covered his face with his hands
“Goh, I’m gonna tell you one thing, I might go to a therapist soon”
Prof Cerise knocked on the door
Ash went to open it
Professor Cerise handed him an envelope with a note from his mother
“Your mom came and delivered this for you.”
Ash took it
Then the professor closed the door
“Ooo what is it!”
Ash sat down on lower bunk bed
“It’s signed by…”
He took a breath
“Serena…”
Goh’s smile faded
Chloe blinked
“Ash, she really sent you a letter?”
Ash blinked at the note
“But the notes from my mom?”
The note read
Ash, I got this letter from the mail, it’s from Serena, Of course I haven’t opened it, but I’m sure it’s something important
Ash stared at the letter for way too long, he even was a bit red and nervous
“I w-wonder what’s i-inside”
He finally gathered his courage and opened the letter
Dear Ash,
How are you? It’s been very long since, we’ve met and I wanna talk, here’s my number
[Dear fic reader insert number here], I lov
Love,
Serena
Goh stared at the letter
“What is that crossed out word?”
Chloe tried to make it out
“It says I lav?”
Ash finally cracked it
“It says ‘I lov…’”
Goh looked at him
Ash looked back
“Oh my Arceus”
Goh was in denial
“Bro, no way, maybe your mom’s trying to mess with you.”
Ash stared at the handwriting
“Nope I recognise that handwriting when I see it.”
Chloe stopped being silent
“But she was almost about to write it”
Ash laughed
“She really forgot what happened at the airport.”
Goh looked at him
“What airport?”
Ash slipped
“Nevermind”
Goh sighed
“There’s probably something I gotta ask Clemont about”
Ash chuckled
“You gonna fly to Lumiose for that?”
Goh pointed to Clemont’s number saved on his phone
“I have my rotom phone for a reason”
Ash stared
*FUCK!*
Goh started texting
Pikachu was on the bed
“Pikapichu”
(You should stop him before he finds out)
Ash took Pikachu’s advice and lunged at him
“Oh no you don’t”
But completely missed
“And I got the reply”
Ash begged him to not read it
“No, no, no PLEASE don’t read that!”
Goh started reading
“ Let’s see ‘The airport? I remember Serena kissing Ash at the Lumiose airport’ What...”
Goh turned pale
Ash facepalmed
“I told you”
Goh looked at him
“Yea man, now I see why you talk about her all the time.”
Ash looked deep at the floor
Goh looked at him sympathetically
Ash stared hard at floor
*What am I supposed to do now? I mean I have her number but…*
Ash sighed
“Goh, what should I do? I don’t know, I’m clueless man!”
Goh looked back at the number
“Call her, Ash, Call her”
Ash hesitated
“Rotom phone”
The little device shot out of his pocket, floating in front of him
“Ro-To!”
He brought the letter closer
“Rotom phone, save the number given on the piece of paper”
The Rotom Phone scanned the letter to get number and opened the save contact dialogue screen
“Please fill out information”
First name: Serena
Last name: ♥️
Goh looked over his shoulder
“Really?”
Ash looked back at the heart emoji
“Really”
Then he pressed save
Goh looked at Chloe
“You gonna say something?”
Chloe looked back
“What should I even say? I know that Ash is… Nevermind”
Ash looks at the saved contact, then he can feel his cheeks flare up
*Should I call her?*
Goh sat beside him
“Ash, just call her.”
He took a breath
“If you don’t”
Ash finally realized
“I’ll regret not calling her for the rest of my life.”
He looked at the Rotom-Phone
“Call Serena”
The Rotom Phone dinged
“Calling Serena”
The dial started ringing
The dial ringed once, twice, thrice
But then she finally picked up the phone
“Hello?”
“Hi Serena, It’s me Ash!”
Serena hesitated to respond
“Ash? You got my letter?”
“Yes I did”
“How are you!”
“I’m… fine”
“Well… Congratulations on becoming Alola’s first champion.”
Ash blushed a bit
“T-thanks th-that is a lot coming from you.”
Serena giggled
“I can’t believe you're saying that!”
She continued
“Anyways, I’m in Kanto right now!”
Ash processed it
“Kanto?”
“Yea, I’m in Vermillion City, I came here to apply for the 4th research fellow position at Cerise Laboratories.”
Ash was frozen
“Wait… But I’m a research fellow at Cerise Laboratories.”
Serena deadpanned
“What?”
“Y-y t-th”
Ash sighed
The poor guy was stuck
“Ash? Are you okay?”
“Yea I’m just…”
Serena was taken aback
*Wait… Does he… Silly me, that's impossible, right?*
Ash internally exploding and whispered to Goh
“What do I do”
Goh whispered back
“Talk to her!”
“Well, you wanna meet before you apply for the position?”
“Yeah, that would be nice”
“Should I bring my friends along?”
“Of course there’s no problem in that!”
“Pikachu!”
(I’ve been silent for too long)
“Oh hey Pikachu!”
*Pikachu, She doesn't know what you mean, but I sure do ya rascal!*
“Pikachu?”
(Are you having some girl problems Ash?)
Ash looked at him with rage
*I’m gonna get revenge on you one day*
“Where are you gonna meet us though?”
“Probably, Macarons-Delight cafe”
“That place? I remember eating there when I came from Kalos after… Nevermind”
“Yeah, I remember eating there when I came to Kanto for Professor Oak’s summer camp”
*Maybe Mom was right about him*
“Well I’ll be there soon!”
“Bye for now, Ash!”
Serena hang up
Ash sighed
“How was that one of the most difficult conversations I’ve had with her!”
Chloe smiled
“If you’re gonna be this awkward just talking to her on the phone, just imagine the cafe.”
Goh patted him on the back
"At least you got through the call”
Ash was exploding mentally
“How am I even gonna live here if she’s gonna work here! And I can’t move away… that would make it look like I hate her!”
Goh smirked
“I mean it would be a tad bit better after you confessed.”
Ash swung back in words
“But how am I supposed to do that!”
Chloe laughed it off
“Save your dilemma for the Cafe”
Ash looked in the mirror
“I need to change”
Goh was confused
“There’s nothing wrong with that outfit, though?”
Ash looked back at him
“Yeah, but shorts with a vest, she would be laughing at me”
Then went into his wardrobe
[5 minutes later]
Ash came out wearing a black shirt and full pants while keeping his vest
“How do I look?”
Chloe looked at him up and down
“Wow, that’s improvement”
Goh sighed
“Let’s go, she’s probably waiting”
[Macarons-Delight Cafe]
Serena was sitting on a chair already
Ash waved his hand towards Serena
“Serena!”
Serena waved back
“Ash!”
Ash sat beside Serena
*Well at least he can sit beside her*
While Goh and Chloe sat together
“Serena, these are Goh and Chloe, my friends”
Chloe waved her hand, while Goh did awkwardly
Ash was blushing, the kind you could see when you looked for it
“Wanna eat something? I’m starving!”
Serena laughed
“Of course you would be!”
They looked at the menu for a bit
Ash called over the waiter
“One Chocolate macaron with some soda”
Serena gave her order
“Same as his”
Chloe glanced at the menu for another time
“A candy macaron would be great”
Goh was still deciding
“I’ll have… a strawberry macaron”
The waiter took their orders and went away
“How have your contests been?”
“Well, they’re on for the Masters Eight right now, and I assume you’re trying to get in there”
Ash smiled
“Am I really that predictable?”
Serena chuckled
“Yes”
Then a memory hit both of them at the same time, a memory very long ago, at a certain airport
And they both froze
Ash’s ears red went red
Serena’s cheeks were flushed
Both couldn’t say anything
Goh stepped in
“I would like to say this is awkward.”
Ash tried very hard not laugh
Chloe shook her head
Serena tried to hold her laugh
The waiter quietly put the macarons down and left
*I owe you, Goh*
Ash thought as he grabbed his soda and macaron
Everyone else took their order
Ash took a bite
*Not as good as Serena’s macarons*
“How are they Serena?”
Serena took another bite
“They're alright”
*How am I supposed to go through this situation, without blurting out ‘I love you’*
“How’s your training been going for the past few days?”
*DON’T SAY IT*
“It’s been great”
*Why does Ash look like he’s gonna combust?*
Ash spoke too fast
“I… what did I wanna say again?”
*THAT WAS CLOSE ASH,
DO NOT SAY IT!
YOU ARE EATING MACARON
NO ONE IN HISTORY HAS CONFESSED IN A MACARON CAFE ASH*
Serena was looking at Ash, internally confused
*Why is he like this now? Mom was very right*
Goh was internally sighing
*How does bro make it so obvious but not say it! Just say it, no one cares that you're in a damn macaron cafe, this would actually make it famous, because the Alolan champion confessed his love here!*
Ash took a sip of his soda
*GOOD, NOBODY KNOWS EXCEPT CHLOE AND GOH*
Then he took a look at Serena
*SHE KNOWS
SHE KNOWS
SHE KNOWS*
While Serena is sipping her soda like it’s a normal tuesday
*How much do these guys pay on gardening? That garden looks cleaner then my backyard*
Goh is looking at Ash
*This is phenomenal
I’ve discovered Ash’s biggest fear besides his mom
A girl who he likes, sipping soda
Interesting*
Chloe was frantically looking at everyone
*Am I the only normal person here?*
Ash took his final bite
*DON’T SAY IT
YOU ARE IN A MACARON CAFE
IF LEON FINDS OUT YOU ARE COOKED
OH NO, WHAT IF LUMIAN FINDS OUT, HE’S NOT EVEN 16*
Goh was looking at Ash
*Why do I feel I got to take him to the Pokecenter?*
“I would like to break the very awkward silence”
*THANK YOU GOH*
Ash burst into laughter
Chloe facepalmed
*Really?*
Serena was admiring Ash’s face
*He looks so cute when he laughs*
Ash sat up
“Let’s go somewhere”
Goh stood up too
“Yeah let’s go”
“Sure!”
“Anything other than the silence here.”
Ash and Serena started walking
While Chloe and Goh were whispering things behind them
Then Serena took Ash’s hand by accident
Ash went red
Serena looked at him
*OH MY ARCEUS WHY IS HE REDDER THAN A TAMATO BERRY, MOM I WILL NEVER DOUBT YOU AGAIN!*
*OH MY ARCEUS WHY DID SHE GRAB MY HAND
I REMEMBER HER GOING RED WHEN I TOOK HERS
AND NOW SHE TOOK MINE AND I’M SO RED
OH MY ARCEUS SHE KNOWS, GOH KNOWS, CHLOE KNOWS, THE WAITER MIGHT KNOW*
Goh whispered to Chloe
“Look at that, Ash is never gonna recover”
Chloe chuckled
“I expected you to say she used attract on him”
*WHY DOES SHE LOOK SO CUTE RIGHT NOW! WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY, I CANNOT RESIST LONGER!*
*He’s adorable, but a bit weird than usual*
Ash stopped
*I hope I can take my mind off of whatever I’m doing with this*
“Hey Serena look at that dress”
“It looks cute”
“Yeah”
*Since when did he notice dresses, wait since when did he call them cute? I REMEMBER THIS MAN BEING MORE OBLIVOUS TO LOVE THAN ANYTHING, maybe the airport changed him.*
Goh was holding his laughter in the back and was still whispering
“I can’t believe he called a dress cute.”
“I don’t know, he’s acting too weird for normal Ash”
“Too weird? More like too much panic in his head, you know how much he talked about her”
They reached the Vermillion Pier
Observing the sunset
Ash calmed down a bit
*Ash, no one is going to find out, stay calm, try small talk*
“The sunset looks beautiful right?”
*Not as beautiful as Serena*
“Yeah, it looks nice”
Chloe was whispering just 10 steps beside them
“He looks calm?”
“He finally took a breather, I was afraid I had to take him to Nurse Joy”
“Goh, come here let’s all take a photo!”
*He’s normal, I need to give some ways to stay calm soon*
Ash took out his Rotom Phone and angled it
“Raticate!”
Everyone smiled and Ash took the picture
*This is a nice photo*
Serena smiled looking at the photo
*It feels good to be with Ash again*
Goh was looking at Ash looking for any panic in his noggin
*Thank Arceus he is alright*
“Well, I should head to the Lab for the interview”
Ash almost forgot she was going to apply for the research fellow position there
“Good luck!”
*OH NO
IT IS NOT WRAPS ASH, IT’S JUST HER APPLYING TO THE PLACE YOU WORK
THERE IS NO NEED TO PANIC
THERE ARE A MILLION REASONS TO PANIC*
Goh gave her a thumbs-up
“Hope you have a great time!”
Then looked at Ash, panicking
*He needs therapy*
“Let’s head back too, Goh”
“Yeah, Ash”
*He is probably trying calm down*
*1, 2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9
THIS ISN’T WORKING GOH!*
“Bye, Serena!”
“Bye, Ash!”
[Back at the Dorm]
“Ash that was bad”
Ash was confused
“What?”
“You were blushing, panicking, stammering, turning into tamato berry over handholding. Need I say more?”
“It wasn’t that bad”
Chloe looked at him
“She definitely knows, but there is no problem in that!”
Ash took a deep breath
“This is normal, nothing is wrong here”
*EVERYTHING IS WRONG!
Ash took out his Rotom phone and sat on his bunkbed
And searched up
*What to do when your crush knows when you have a crush on her*
Option 1: Confess directly
*Possible, but *internal sigh* I’ll think about it*
Ash went red
*This is the nuclear option, but I’ll take it. But how will I? Like she did in the airport, or with words, there are so many possibilities!*
“Goh, I’ve decided”
“Decided what?”
“I wanna confess”
“...Wait- really?”
“There is no better option, Chloe”
“You could try to act normal”
“What did you think I was trying to do at the cafe?”
“Oh”
“There are so many options and I do not know which one to choose.”
“There is the kiss, the talk, the… There’s only two Ash”
“I can’t decide”
“Spin a wheel”
Ash finally decided
“I’ll just tell her, and I hope it doesn’t make a disaster”
[10 minutes later]
Serena opens the door
“I got the job”
“G-great Serena!”
Ash paused for a moment, his heart was pounding and Goh could practically hear it
“Serena, I wanna tell you something”
“What?”
“I-I love you”
Serena turned red
“I d-do, too”
*OH MY ARCEUS, HE SAID IT, MOM, WHAT DO I EVEN THINK!*
*HOLY, SHE SAID IT BACK, THIS IS THE MOST I’VE BEEN NERVOUS*
Ash looked around the room
*WHY IS EVERYONE RED, THIS IS COOKED*
*I need some sleep*
*No way he did it, why do I feel proud?*
*What do I do now, I confessed but what now?*
*He said it, Now what?*
Chloe was tired
“If you’re wondering what to do, sleep”
*I forgot that exists*
“Good night”
*How did he say it so normally!
How does someone go from ‘I love you’ to ‘good night’ in 1 minute!*
“Wait, Serena don’t you need unpack your luggage?”
“Oh… yeah”
*I told them to sleep and this is what they do?*
*I need to talk to Mom about this, this day has been crazy*
[10 minutes later]
Everyone went to sleep, peacefully
Authors note: Hello, it is me, Kingvoid! I had SO much fun writing this, the build-up, Ash panicking every second for weird reasons, Serena saying she would never doubt her mother, everything I wrote was just making me… I don’t even know, Overall this was a blast, I hope you readers like whats to come!
