^ Play music later ^

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Identity

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Serena's POV.

It's a day after the lockdown incident. Dawn's back at her house, I can't say the same for Gary. I don't know what Ash and Gary have been doing. I mean, it was 6PM, so if Gary wasn't back to his house on the second day of the sleepover, he'd probably be spending another night.

I swiped though my phone, and realized that Ash sent me a text. I clicked on it, and it said:

Ash: Hey, my mom literally wouldn't stop me from inviting you over last night because Gary mentioned you. 🤦🏻‍♀️ So, want to come over?

Well, that was an easy answer.

Serena: Of course m8 I'll come rn cuz I'm bored XD

Ash: Kk

I brushed my hair one more time, and left my house. Right before I closed the door, I yelled to my mom,

"Be home at 3PM tomorrow!"

Mom was used to me leaving now sense I have 3 friends all around my house. She wasn't too used to it when I started going over to their houses because we used to live in the country. I think she's starting to get the hang of it now, though.

Ash was standing in front of his house.

"Hey, Serena!" Ash smiled.

"Hi! I wasn't expecting another playdate so soon," I chuckled.

"Me either honestly," Ash giggled. "Alright, we can go straight to my bedroom because Mom's asleep. Every other room is basically trashed."

"Okay," I laughed. "Of course it's the bedroom."

"That's kind of awkward, isn't it?" Ash asked.

"Yeah," I chuckled.

Ash opened up the door for me. We then dashed up the stairs to his bedroom.

"We have to talk about the lockdown. We have huge targets on our heads, and Lysandre has been tracking us since day one," Ash announced.

I looked at him questionably. He made Lucario come out of his PokèBall. He held a small, glowing red device.

"It was in the crack of a sidewalk. Lucario sensed it with his aura," Ash explained. "Luckily for you, aura comes naturally. You already know how to do everything with the magic right when you receive it."

"I'm not really worried about the magic, I'm just wondering what we're going to do with Team Flare," I admitted. "They almost killed you."

"They didn't almost kill me, they almost killed you because you were that stupid to shout," Ash replied.

"Whoops," I chuckled. "I'm sorry, he's such a bitch though."

"Agreed, but next time don't put everyone's safety on the line, okay? Imagine Dawn and Gary in that situation, they didn't even know who Lysandre was," Ash sighed. "Whatever, past is the past. There's this spot in the forest that lets you learn how to detect other's auras well. I'm sure you saw that my aura was orange at lunch the other day. It was because I was suspicious of you. I suspected you were already an aura guardian prior."

"Yeah," I nodded. "That makes sense."

"Okay, now come on. It's a little hike to a waterfall, pond area." Ash smiled.

"That sounds beautiful," I replied, following Ash out of his bedroom door.

"It is, but not as beautiful as you." Ash grinned as he made his way down the staircase to the front door.

My cheeks blared red, but soon they settled down when the Kantoian air blew on my face from outside.

"Is that in the forest behind our house?" I asked.

"Yup," Ash replied.

The entrance to the forest was right behind Ash's house. We soon made it to the entrance. There was a dirt path with some steep uphill areas. Ash grabbed my hand, and I quickly held tight to his. We climbed up the hill.

"These trees are pretty," I started. "And the flowers are still in bloom."

"Yeah, it's always beautiful in the springtime, but the late summer will have to do. At least the sun's about to set," Ash replied.

"Yeah." I nodded.

We made it to the pond and waterfall. The waterfall fell into the pond. There were trees with vines connecting the surrounding the area. The sun was making the water glisten with all the colors of the rainbow.

"This was way prettier than I could've ever imagined," I smiled.

Water Pokémon were playing with each other in the area. Zigzagoons and Rattatas were common as well. Hoothoot's just awoke from their sleep, as they were nocturnal.

"It's really beautiful, isn't it?" Ash asked.

He took a deep breath, and let go of my hand.

"Alright, now, to master the power of aura, you have to close your eyes," Ash explained.

"Just close my eyes? That's it?" I asked.

"Yup, it comes naturally, remember?" Ash replied.

"Right," I chuckled.

I closed my eyes, and felt the vibrations of the Pokémon around me. Out of nowhere, I felt the presence of lips on mine.

I opened my eyes in shock and realized that Ash was kissing me. It was all a plot! He just wanted our first kiss to actually be in a beautiful place instead of one of our bedrooms.

I smiled and kissed him back passionately. The sun set behind us, making our bodies glisten with light. I looked into Ash's eyes, they were full of happiness.

How the heck did I get so lucky?

He and I stopped kissing once the sun was finally gone from the sky. All we could see now was stars.

"I love you, Serena Yvonne." Ash smiled.

"I love you too, Ash Ketchum."

We spent the rest of the night stargazing. We were so excited to tell each other how much we actually loved one another. How Ash stood up for me because he loved me, and he paused for those few seconds because he wanted to say 'because I love you'. How I was thinking about him once my dad passed away, etc.

"Hey, I wrote a song earlier, if you want, I can sing it for you," Ash explained.

"I'd love to hear it." I smiled.

OPTIONAL SONG. You don't have to listen.

^ Play music now ^

"I was just an only child of the universe!
And then I found you,
And then I found you.

You are the sun and I am just the planets!
Spinning around you,
Spinning around you.

You were too good to be true,
Gold plated!
But what's inside you?
But what's inside you?

"I know this whole damn city thinks it needs you!
But not as much as I do,
As much as I do, yeah.

"Cause you're the last of a dying breed!
Write our names in the wet concrete!
I wonder if your therapist knows, everything about me!
I'm here in search of your glory.
There's been a million before me.
That ultra-kind of love,
You never walk away from.

"You're just the last of the real ones.
You're just the last of the real ones.
You're just the last of the real ones.
(You're just the last of the real ones.)
You're just the last of the real ones.
(You're just the last of the real ones.)
You're just the last of the real ones.

"I am a collapsing star with tunnel vision!
But only for you,
But only for you.

"My head is stripped, just like a screw that's been tightened too many times!
When I think of you,
When I think of you.

"I will shield you from the waves,
If they find you.
I will protect you,
I will protect you.

"Just tell me, tell me, tell me, I,
I am the only one!
Even if it's not true,
Even if it's not true, yeah.

"Cause you're the last of a dying breed!
Write our names in the wet concrete!
I wonder if your therapist knows, everything about me!
I'm here in search of your glory.
There's been a million before me.
That ultra-kind of love,
You never walk away from.

"You're just the last of the real ones.
You're just the last of the real ones.
You're just the last of the real ones.
(You're just the last of the real ones.)
You're just the last of the real ones.
(You're just the last of the real ones.)
You're just the last of the real ones.

"I'm here at the beginning of the end!
Oh, the end of infinity with you.
I'm here at the beginning of the end...
Oh, the end of infinity with you.

"I'm done with having dreams!
The thing that I believe!
Oh, you drain all the fear from me!
I'm done with having dreams!
The thing that I believe!
You drain the fear from me!

"Cause you're the last of a dying breed!
Write our names in the wet concrete!
I wonder if your therapist knows, everything about me!
I'm here in search of your glory.
There's been a million before me.
That ultra-kind of love,
You never walk away from.

"You're just the last of the real ones.
You're just the last of the real ones.
You're just the last of the real ones.
(You're just the last of the real ones.)
You're just the last of the real ones.
(You're just the last of the real ones.)
You're just the last of the real ones."

"That was really good, Ash." I smiled.

"Thanks." Ash grinned. "We should probably get heading home."

He stood, and then offered his hand to help me up. I quickly took it. He pulled me into a hug, and we shared one more kiss under the stars before we left.

Lucario appeared out of his PokèBall quickly afterwards. Somehow, I could understand what it was saying. Probably because of my aura magic.

"Serena, Ash, bad news. Your neighborhood is going to be bombed by Team Flare."

"What?" I jumped, shocked from the news. "Why does my life always end up having bad news at the end of something good?"

"Because the autho- actually, I'm not allowed to say that. Anyways, you guys can't go to Pallet Town. I won't allow it. Your lives matter more than everyone else's."

"Dawn and Gary! What about them?" I asked.

"Text them something. Tell them to go here immediately. They won't die, it's coming in 20 minutes. I hacked into the tracker device that I'm holding. I should probably take it off because it's also tracking my PokèBall if I take it inside."

"Okay, that's understandable." Ash nodded. "Serena, we have to get as far away from the village as possible starting now."

"Right." I nodded. "Thanks Lucario, you can go back to your PokèBall."

"As you wish, ma'am."

Ash took my hand, and we ran side by side all the way to some other city I didn't know. I made sure to text Dawn and Gary first. I told them to dash to the northern city from Pallet Town, so they should be able to understand.

"That means our moms are going to die too, doesn't it?" I asked.

"I guess so..." Ash said.

He tried to hold back tears, but he couldn't. He started crying over my shoulder, and I comforted him in a hug.

"Ash, we have to get to the Pokèmon Center. We can talk about this once we're in there, okay?" I asked, taking both of his hands and looking at him in the eyes. "I just lost my dad, this hurts for me too, you know. It's all happening way too fast."

"I know. You've been strong, I should too," Ash sighed.

"It's not that you haven't been strong," I argued, looking at him.

He wasn't looking back at me.

"Ash, look at me," I said.

He looked back.

"You couldn't have done anything, and you-"

An explosion sound interrupted my speech to Ash. We could see it from where we were standing. It was so big, they definitely weren't planning on us to know what happened.

I started crying now. Ash and I held onto each other tighter than I've ever hugged someone. Our moms, our family blood... it was all gone.

"Goodbye..." Ash mumbled.