The gang spent the day playing with the Skiddo and Grace's Fletchling and Rhyhorn. Bonnie and Max were especially enjoying it, racing the Skiddo around the track. "Serena, look at me go!" Bonnie cheered. "May, I'm so fast!" Max yelled.

Clemont cooked dinner for everyone, ignoring Grace attempting to insist to do it herself. "I like cooking, I want to cook," he said with a small smile.

After dinner everyone went to bed for an early night, exhausted from the excitement of the day. Serena's room was thankfully large enough to host everyone, so long as they squeezed up. Ash and Serena shared Serena's bed, Max and Bonnie were top-and-tailed on a blow-up mattress and Clemont and May were in separate sleeping bags next to their little siblings. They'd moved Serena's Pokéball-patterned table to the corner of the room to create a little space for them.

Their Pokémon were all sleeping peacefully in their Pokéballs, save for Pikachu, who was sleeping on the end of Serena's bed with his Trainer, Dedenne and Squishy, who were in Bonnie's bag on the wall, Chespin, who had popped out of his Pokéball so he could rest with his Trainer and Apple, who Bonnie had insisted on cuddling up to while she slept (she couldn't do it with Dedenne in case he gave her an electric shock and Squishy refused). Thankfully Apple didn't mind.

Once everyone was asleep, a figure started creeping around the room, careful to avoid the sleeping children underfoot. They pulled a Pokéball from their pocket and quietly released their Abra, who hovered silently.

The Abra's Trainer looked at the Pokéballs of the Trainers that were asleep, which had all been set on the counter. They'd watched the boy carefully. They knew exactly which one was the one they needed.

They picked the Pokéball up and pocketed it, then looked to the bed. Ash and Serena were lying next to each other, Serena's hand laying gently over Ash's while his free hand was over Pikachu's tail. He couldn't help but smile at how that Pikachu seemed to be more noticeable to him than the girl he was sleeping (literally, not anything bad) with.

Now was the tricky part. They carefully removed Serena from Ash, making sure not to wake either of them up. It took a while, including mini heart attacks whenever one of them stirred in their sleep, but eventually Serena was free.

Without wasting another moment, they picked Serena up, silently thanking Arceus that she was light as they weren't very strong. "Use Teleport," they whispered to their Abra, who took the three of them away.

~•~

Ash knew something was wrong the moment he woke up. How did he know? Because he was up before anyone else. Sure, he expected to be awake before May, before the Pokémon, before Serena, but this was different. He was up early.

Ash Ketchum never woke up early.

He sat up, noticing Serena was gone from the bed. Guess I'm not the first one up after all, he thought to himself. The others were all still asleep, he could hear Clemont and Bonnie's matching light snores, Max tossing and turning to get the early morning sunlight away from his face and May's quite loud rumbling snores.

"Pi Ka?" Pikachu murmured sleepily, sitting up. "It's still early, Pikachu," Ash whispered to his first Pokémon. "Keep quiet. I'm going to find Serena."

Pikachu hopped onto Ash's shoulder, deciding to come along as usual. As Ash passed the counter, he realised one of the Pokéballs was missing. Serena must've taken Braixen with her, he guessed, picking up what he thought were his own Pokéballs as he headed out.

He looked all over the house for Serena, but couldn't find her. Eventually he went outside, assuming she'd either gone out to practice a routine or she'd stopped off somewhere to run some errands or whatever girls woke up this early for. He figured he might as well start training, anyway.

"Morning, Rhyhorn!" Ash greeted Grace's most famous Pokémon, who roared lazily in reply before going back to sleep, wondering what the strange human was doing up so early.

Ash reached the dirt area where Serena used to practice Rhyhorn racing when under the instruction of Grace. Had it really been three years now? It only felt like it was yesterday that he first saw her on a Rhyhorn, feeling pride and admiration that his old childhood crush was so talented. Of course, she'd been bucked off five seconds later, but he decided not to dwell on that thought.

When Serena had left the camp back in the Kanto region all those years ago, she'd taken his knowledge of love with her and left him a dense little boy. He'd not recognised the gestures and flirting from other girls as with Serena he'd never had to recognise them, he just knew exactly how she felt.

He ended up trying to repress his memories of her, but when he arrived in Kalos and she reminded him, his ability to love slowly but surely returned. He didn't recognise any signs, but he started to understand a little better how she was feeling and what he felt for her. He spent so much time trying to work out how he felt that he didn't realise Serena felt the same way until that kiss at the airport.

That kiss had shattered his dense barrier around the real word that described what he was feeling; love. He'd remembered what it was like to love and everything Serena had always made him feel.

Ash was still smiling at the memories as he tossed out his Pokéballs, watching as Pikachu joined the only other Pokémon on his team.

Braixen.

Wait...

Braixen?

"Xen?" Braixen looked around in confusion for her Trainer. "Sorry, Braixen," Ash rubbed the back of his neck. "I thought I picked up Greninja's Pokéball. I thought you were with Serena, do you know where she is?"

"Xen," Braixen shook her head. "Let's go find Greninja, then," Ash proposed. "He can help us look for Serena!"