Ash wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve and put his hand over his eyes, shading them from the sun so he could look around. 

"Pika.." Pikachu was exhausted, although he didn't get the full force of the training.

"I am sorry for working you so hard" Ash apologized, scooping Pikachu up and smiling at him.

"Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed, pretty much-saying apology accepted. He then proceeded to jump onto Ash's shoulder and look around.

"Now, let's go and sort out our second thing for the day" Ash was talking about Serena, but he had no clue where she was. "Where should we go, Pikachu?"

"Pika..." Pikachu also had no clue, so they both stood still for a moment before a voice was heard. It was kind of muffled at first, but then Ash could make out a girl shouting his name across the field. As soon as he turned, he could recognize the pink boots and blue hair from anywhere. 

"Piplup!" Piplup shouted in excitement.

"Wow Ash, I haven't seen you alone in ages. You usual have a friend by your side" Dawn caught her breath after running over and Ash kept a smile on his face.

"Have you seen Serena?" Ash instantly asked, making Dawn jump in surprise. She knew how Serena felt, it was written on her face. She wondered if he knew.

"Why are you asking?" Dawn tried to find out if Ash would slip out the answer.

"I need to see her, I overheard something yesterday and I wanted to talk to her about it" Ash explained, but Dawn didn't hear anything about Serena liking him, so she decided to be as blunt as possible.

"Do you need to ask her about the fact that she likes you?" Dawn winked at the surprised Ash, who barely nodded. "I thought as much"

"H-how do you know?!" Ash exclaimed in complete surprise.

"Oh, we all know by now really, besides the guys. It is always written on her face when you talk, or when she looks at you" Dawn explained. Ash had never felt so stupid. How have I never noticed... He questioned to himself.

"Pika..." Pikachu replied as if he was reading Ash's mind.

"Anyway, I don't know where she is. She is usually speaking to Clemont or Miette, mainly because they are from Kalos too and Clemont's adorable little sister, Bonnie likes to talk to her a lot" Dawn span around Ash like she was dancing, Piplup spinning around on her shoulder, imitating her moves. 

"Ok, thanks. I'll see you later" Ash shouted, waving and then running through the field. Pikachu was getting tired on Ash's shoulder, so he too started to run beside his partner.

"See ya!" Dawn shouted in reply.

"Piplup!" Piplup shouted as well, watching Ash run off.

"I wonder what he is going to say..." Dawn murmured to herself, before walking off.

Meanwhile, Clemont was busy with his sister, Bonnie, in Viridian City. They were walking down the street, after just getting ingredients for their lunch, when Clemont heard rapid footsteps behind him.

"Clemont!" Ash shouted, skidding to a halt just in front of him.

"What's the rush, Ash?" Bonnie asked while Ash caught his breath.

"Yeah Ash, what's wrong?" Clemont added as Ash took a deep breath.

"I need to find Serena and talk to her because I overheard her saying something last night and I need to make sure I heard it correctly but also tell her something," Ash said, without pausing or taking a breath. Clemont blinked twice at Ash.

"Can you repeat that?" Clemont murmured stupidly.

"He said he needs to find Serena and talk to her" Bonnie gave Clemont the short version. "Sometimes I think you need to open your ears brother," She remarked smartly. 

"Well, the last time I saw her was in our lodge, about five minutes ago. She was with Miette" Clemont ignored his sister and answered Ash.

"Ok, thanks a lot, Clemont!" Ash said, before pivoting on his heel and rushing off down the pavement. 

"Maybe I should make an invention for this situation..." Clemont murmured, but Bonnie heard him.

"I wouldn't," she said bluntly, her face dropping. 

Ash continued to run and run until his legs felt tired. His body told him to stop but his mind carried him forward, telling him to keep on running to find Serena as soon as possible. He just wanted to get it over with and talk to her and the fact that he was running around for hours on end wasn't helping, it was making him impatient. Ash the back of Serena as he turned onto the Lodge's path. He took a moment to catch his breath while Miette saw Ash and grinned.

"Guess I will leave you guys to it then" she teased before she sauntered away. Serena turned around, confused as to why Miette had said that, but once she saw Ash she froze up and stared at him.

"I have...been...looking in so many places" Ash was still catching his breath and he panted in between words.

"For me?" Serena asked, stepping forward to talk to Ash, who nodded. "What do you want?"

Ash took a deep breath and then let out a sigh. "I overheard you and Miette last night"

If there was such a thing as blushing too hard, Serena was inventing it. Her red face looked around in a panic as if she was trying to find the words to say in reply because she was too surprised and panicking to even react.

"Y-you...did?" Serena spoke quietly, almost as if she was regretting continuing the conversation.

"I talk a walk or two and talked to some people and I realized something. I was blind, Serena. For all of that time, I spent with you, Clemont and Bonnie without even realizing how you felt, I apologize. I never knew someone liked me like you do. I never knew someone loved me. I have met and traveled with many people, who are all here now. But not one has ever shown this kind of affection. Even now, just as I am speaking, you are turning red, Serena"

"Wha-What?! I am not!" Serena tried to deny it, but it was blatantly obvious.

"Don't try and hide it, it is too obvious. Dawn and the others saw it instantly, didn't they? I guess I must just be an idiot then. But, I didn't come here just to admit that I knew how you felt. I want to tell you how I feel" Ash straightened up for a moment, an expression that showed full seriousness settling on his face.

Serena gasped for a moment, her heart beating at a million miles a millisecond, pounding against her chest like a bass drum. She waited for the continuation.

"To be honest, it's kind of complicated" Ash admitted, scratching the back of his head.

"Pika..." Pikachu warned Ash, electricity surging around his body threateningly.

"Ok, ok! I am sorry!" Ash straightened up and looked Serena dead in the eye. He wasn't fooling around. "The truth is, I don't feel the same way. Maybe it is because I wasn't aware of this situation and haven't gotten used to it, I don't know. There are some lingering feelings that suggest I feel the same way, but I just can't get my head around them just yet. Maybe it just wouldn't work yet, you know? And also, I wouldn't want to affect our amazing friendship or our chances at the tournament. It wouldn't be fair on our Pokemon, who have been working so hard to produce results with and for us-"

"It's okay Ash" Serena didn't really seem fazed by it. "I am okay with that. You are a great friend and even if I do want to be more than that, I can't force it upon you, as creepy as that sounds. AND, you said there are lingering feelings, so you know what? If that is as good as it gets, for now, I am happy" she stepped up and lightly kissed Ash on the cheek, before turning to walk off.

"Serena?" Ash asked, with a half smile, half frown. 

"Yes?" Serena turned around, her hand wrapping around the cold doorknob. 

"Thanks for understanding" Ash gave her a small wave before walking off. Serena watched Ash with a smile and then opened the door. She felt upset but wasn't willing to show it. She was happy too, so that made up for the little bit of sadness she felt right now. The current situation to her implied that Ash was never going to feel the same way, but Serena felt like her heart was made of steel and nothing was going to break it.