A.N.: You expected special type of name for this chapter? Sorry, but I couldn't think of anything and I think this is best that is not CRINGE. Hope you enjoy :D

Also a big time jump, but yet again, I would probably just copy the episodes

"So what is this called?" Ash asked as they all arrived into Coumarine city, which was wildly live. Many people were out with shopping bags and walked around, decorating and mainly the gigantic on top of a hill in which Ash had his gym battle with Ramos, which he won. Ramos told them it would be good to make sure to come and they were only waiting for Serena's first showcase in pokemon center.

"Well the name is not somehow original. Just a COUMARINE CITY FESTIVAL!" Bonnie waved her hands to make it more cool, but she also laughed.

"Yup, the festival to increase friendship and bond with pokemon. It is something like Christmas in July." Serena laughed, but paused as she thought about something.

"So how about we try to go buy something for our pokemon?" Clemont suggested and Bonnie nodded. 

"Yeah and I could stay here, you know, get to know all pokemon and you know, you can get them all surprise." Bonnie said with excitement and everyone looked at each other with agreement. And after a while, sending out all pokemon. Ash's Pikachu, Frogadier, Hawlucha, Lucario, Fletchinder and Goomy. Serena let out Fennekin, Ralts and newly caught Pancham and Clemont let out Bunnelby, Chespin and Luxio.

As everyone was starting to leave and let Bonnie take care of all pokemon, Ash pulled from pocket one pokeball. "Catch Bonnie!" Bonnie looked at him surprised as he walked out to Serena and Clemont only to see flying pokeball almost hitting her in face.

Bonnie caught the pokeball and looked it with confuse, but before she could ask, Ash was already gone. She threw the pokeball to reveal small pokemon looking like teddy bear, which eyes shined when it saw younger sibling. "Teddiursa!"¨

"So I am gonna see what I can do, see you later guys!" Clemont said as he walked away with thoughts about what to do. Serena smiled as she looked to Ash.

"So do you know what to get your pokemon?" Ash asked as he was looking down to Serena and she reacted by nodding.

"I think so, not sure if I am gonna find it and I will have to get into the center. What about you?" 

"Me? I am gonna tag along with you." this made Serena surprised as they didn't have any free alone time to talk. Ashe smiled and nodded.

"So how about we take a monorail?"

Past

"Do you want to help out again Ash?" Cilan asked as they were standing over a camp fire. As always, he had combed hair with a few strands up symmetrically infront and his green eyes to the fire. He wore his normal clothing, which was black shirt with two yellow buttons and a white long-sleeved shirt underneath and all it ended black trousers and brown lacing shoes. Ash smiled as another way to help his friend. Ash was about to cut vegetables, but Cilan shook his head and took the knife. "I want you spice it up this time." Ash looked at him not sure.

"Not a good idea Cilan. After all, last time it got a little bit more sweet that soup."  Iris said as she walked up to them. Unlike Cilan, she wasn't dressed formally as Cilan. She wore long and very thick hair which were let loose and top of her head into two buns tied with yellow rubber bands. Her loosened cream-colored top with pink ended sleeves and around her waist pink skirt, tied in bow on left front side. Under this, she wore white leggings that were colored yellow at the ends, and pink and white shoes with yellow straps. Her brown eyes looked at the current situation with amusement.

"I did not notice it was sugar, I thought it was starch." Ash said defending himself as he remembered all their faces upon tasting it. "It can happen."

"Oh yeah, it can to clumsy people, old people or kids, just like you so it fits." Ash rolled his eyes over her comment, but agreed.

"She has a point, I am just gonna screw up another lunch Cilan, do we really want to risk it?" Ash asked doubtfully, but Cilan waved with his hand.

"We are never gonna find out and one time you have to try it and more importantly, you have to believe in yourself. If you believe you are gonna fail with this, you will." Cilan smiled and pushed Ash toward the crockpot.

"I will try Cilan, but I don't promise anything." Ash said as he looked on spices and other ingredients to make sauce a real sauce and not just a water with potatoes and other things.

Presence

"So what did you won?" Serena asked as both of them sat on the train. During their monorail entrance, Ash became the millionth visitor and got a small wrapped gift.

Ash opened the box to reveal blue ribbon, it was the kind that would torn by just small pull or wouldn't absorb any fluids. "It is a ribbon. Look nice." Ash said as let Serena look, who widened her eyes.

"This is a really good ribbon." Serena said and Ash closed the box. 

"Yeah it is, maybe this is the type they use for Ribbons from pokemon contests." Ash said, as he remembered and reached into his jacket to pull out half of the ribbon. "Yup, they are from familiar material."

Serena looked at Ash surprise by having the half ribbon from his battle with May. "You have it with you all the time?"

"Yup, it is my lucky charm I would say." Serena bit her lip with fighting to ask or not, but it didn't matter, because Ash noticed her face. "What?"

Serena looked up at Ash and asked what she wanted to know. "Even on Mt. Silver?"

Ash has frozen from Serena talking about he hasn't told them. "How do you know about it?"

"I overheard it." Serena remembered how it slipped out Dawn. "What is it?"

Ash looked at her with wide eyes, but it was about to say her or others, after all, he wrote about it with his friend. "To answer first question, yes I did have it there..." Ash paused as he looked around, monorail was far from to next station and after he saw Serena's eyes determined for a new piece of information about Ash. "Mt. Silver is area in Johto. It is more wild one where people don't stay for longer times, but some people find it perfect there to train. Many wild pokemon, nature that change many times and winters which are very wild there."

"And what about you? You were there too to train?" Serena asked as she knew the answer, but needed to ask anyway.

"Yeah I did with some of my pokemon." Ash said and he only could see what Serena was about to say. "I took those I have for crisis like team Rocket or other problems. I trained them there and my body. After my adventure in Unova, I realised something I should have when I started mine journey there?" Serena looked at him confused. 

"What do you mean? I know your father was champion already in his 10, but you never said you wanted to and you ended up in a good places." Ash laughed sarcastically.

"I wish. After Sinnoh league, I decided to take a little pause. You know, I thought I got to best in last years, I was in top 4. So I wanted to have a little break from four years, traveling around all different regions. BUT that was big mistake. After that, I got cocky, I forgot the most basic informations about pokemon and I lost to people, I would win by-" Ash snapped as he demonstrated his words. "All I did was to embarrass myself, my friend, my pokemon and my father's name with the thing I never believed would happen. I ended up in top 8."

Serena narrowed her eyebrows. "That is not that bad."

Ash had held back his own laughs at her comment. "Yeah, if that guy, who I knew by the way, didn't forget to bring six pokemon. So even I had advantage with six pokemon and yet I failed." Serena stayed for a moment quiet after how Ash talked. He wanted to make himself and others believe this. "After that, I decided I did not want to be weak, I did not want mine pokemon to be weak. I did not want to wait for another evil organisation to appear to show me how powerless I was against them. So I trained, me and my pokemon and now? To not let my pokemon down that they trained a whole year with me on Mt. Silver, I have them with me, train with me, help me with problems or evil guys who wants to hurt me, pokemon or people that I care about like you."

Serena's cheek flushed with a new red and covered it her hair. After a moment, she looked up at Ash, who seemed not mind her sudden silence and watched far away. "And do you think they are happy Ash?"

This question caught him off guard. "What do you mean?"

Serena looked back up at him with new courage. "Do you think, your other pokemon are happy? I mean, sure they are happy when you want them in your party like Bayleef, it was so happy to see you, everytime I saw some of your pokemon, they were happy to be out to see you, but I always could see their gloom when it came to their times before we last saw them. I bet they are  not happy you think of them as a rescue fuse. You need to take them again as pokemon you like as others. They love you as you love them and you must show it to them. By what you do now, you won't. Or that is what I think. You don't even know what to get your pokemon. Tell me if I am wrong." Serena looked up to Ash to see him impressed and this time laughed for real.

"You know, you tell me I help you out with some problems and others, but I think without you, I wouldn't realise this. I don't know what I would do without you." Ash grinned at her, which made blush again, but smiled as well.

"Well I just say what I know about you and see how your pokemon react as well. You want to help others, they want too. You want to put others over yourself if it comes to it, they too. You eat for three other people, they eat as well." Serena giggled and Ash's face lit up.

"And you gave me idea for an gift for mine pokemon. Do you think simple gift is enough?" Ash asked as he stood up.

"Hm? Yeah I think simple gift are best, if your pokemon will like them and know that you thought about the gift." Serena noticed how they almost arrived to station, which was one before hers.

"Nice, that means it is same for people as well." Ash grinned and before Serena could ask, he was gone.

Past

As Ash looked down on the crockpot, Cilan walked to him. "What is the problem Ash?" 

Ash turned to him after breaking from his thougts.  "Oh just what add." 

"Hmm, I am pretty sure it has nothing do with next planned delicacy. I think it has something to do with your silence crisis." Ash looked back up at him. "Your face is lit up with all emotions except enjoyment and fun. You look like Mr. Mime but with no smile."

"You know it is hard for me not think about." Ash said as he placed down the spices. "Iris is right, I am just like a kid, can't do anything right and it is not just now, it is also- argh why do I bother myself and you with this?" 

"You know Iris is just joking. She likes you like I do."

"Of course, but I am not. But that is not the point." Ash said as he closed his eyes. After a few seconds, he felt hand on his shoulder and looked at Cilan.

"Sometimes we need to talk about what burden us and sometimes we need someone to talk to about it. It doesn't make you strange or weak, it is what makes human and others. That is what pokemon need too sometimes and you see it in them, what you don't see is, that the way you talk to pokemon... well almost. They way you talk to pokemon, you can with people. You just need to find the right way. I did Ash and it made me what I am now."

"Connoisseur that see everything in me that I even can't see?" Ash asked and both of them chuckled.

"I am just seeing the best in people, pokemon and things. Like you Ash and you should as well see the good in things, you need to see the taste of the world." Cilan grinned and both of them continued. "Just to say Ash, I do believe the strongest we can get is not with our body, but our spirit and you are strong with your spirit and by meeting Dawn last time, I think you make others strong."

Presence

"Have you seen Ash or Bonnie? I thought we told them we would meet up here before sunset." Clemont and Serena both stood with many people, placing gifts under the giant lit up tree. Serena shrugged, after Ash's fast exit from monorail, she haven't see him or heard of him. All pokemon were already here

Serena was about to say, when she noticed Ash coming out from forest with big bag. "I think we found Ash." and when she was about to call him, she noticed Bonnie carrying basket

"Hey guys, sorry for waiting, but found someone on the way." Bonnie said and behind her poked out white beret with blue hair.

"Happy to see you again!" Dawn said as she held a big box behind her.

"Dawn!" Clemont, Serena and Ash, as he noticed her when both of his friends yelled, greeted her. Bonnie placed the basket to others and smiled as she stood next to others. She eyed the box behind Dawn and put to others.

"So do you have everything?" Ash asked as he shook the dirt from his hands. Dawn raised her eyebrow at Ash, but he shrugged. He was about to ask her, when a slight tap on microphone silenced crowd, it was Ramos with big smile on his face.

"I am very pleased to see many people here today and I believe people and pokemon couldn't ask for anything more. This day is one of many example how this world works between people and pokemon. How I heard many times, people and pokemon are more like than we realise, this festival show it. Now, ENJOY!"

From now on, everyone started to hand out many gifts, Ash's pokemon ate berries Ash's found and added to them some juice so they wouldn't be like normal he gives them. Serena got her pokemon some new items, that were for next showcase or to just show of. Bonnie baked for all pokemon pokepuffs, with Dawn's help, and Clemont made small machine, which on contact with pokemon's body would fill them with relaxing feelings. Dawn in the meantime told them she would join the upcoming showcase.

As Serena happily watched her pokemon, she noticed how everybody was watching her and she noticed, how next to them were two boxes"And what are these?" Serena asked and Ash chuckled.

"You know you are kinda hypocrite. You blame Ash for not telling you about his birthday, but somebody has birthday, right Serena?" Dawn spoke like to make Serena feel bad, but she just made fun and after Serena's eyes lit up with sparkles, she knew she took her words the right way.

"You-why-how?" Serena stuttered as she realised what it was.

"Well if this box from your mother wouldn't say it was your birthday-" Bonnie nudged Ash's hip. "He did." honey-blond hair girl's eye flicked to Ash, who had big smile and ran his finger under his nose.

"You did same for me during camp, I did it too, but with more surprise." Ash grinned and Serena smiled even more.

"Thank you very much guys!" she said as she jumped at them to hug them all. And after this, everything went with a lot energy. Serena opened her box to reveal nice dress with pink top and with sleeves and deep red and black lines on the ends. The other was big strawberry cake, which Dawn and Bonnie chose on the way. Clemont gave her personally made upgryde, which would made her tablet catch signal almost everywhere.

Serena sat on the grass and watched happily how others had fun with pokemon, when Ash silently snuck to her and poke her, making her almost yelp. "Having fun?" Serena turned to him and nodded.

"Thanks Ash, I didn't know how to say to you guys I have a birthdays and none of you asked." Serena said with big smile.

"Well nobody asked because I knew from camp you had today birthday." Ash said as he looked up to see Tree and sky.

Serena looked at Ash surprise. "How?"

Ash slightly blushed, but shook it off. "I may have called your mother. I must say, she was very interested in my sudden call." Ash chuckled and looked at Serena. "But you know, for your birthday I would do anything." and Ash pulled out from his other side two boxes. One Serena recognise, it was the one Ash won, that ribbon.

"Ash I can't take you prize. You got it."

"Yeah, but it could be you who got it or any other person that would walk before me and I think you will have a better way to use it. After all, I saw how you looked at it in monorail. Thought I wouldn't give it to you?" Serena blushed at his words and opened the box see that ribbon and smiled. After that, she opened the other box to reveal knitted bracelet in red with blue gem on one side.

"Wow it is beautifull." Serena said as she took out the bracelet and put on her right hand. She looked at Ash and noticed he added something new to himself. The white shining stone she saw in camp. "Your father's key stone, I haven't seen it since camp."

"Yeah well, I thought that I should start to wear it, I am sure dad would want it and if you are gonna wear this bracelet, I thought we could be two who starts to wear something gifted." Ash made his toothy grin and Serena smiled back.

"Thanks Ash. This is a great birthday." Serena said and slowly placed her head one Ash's shoulder and watched the sky, that lit up with fireworks. Ash smiled as well and looked up and felt how these past days were so calm.

Past

Iris, Cilan and Ash sat at the table, looking down on the sauce. It had all types of vegetables in it, but it couldn't stop Ash from worries. Cilan decided to break it and took the first spoon and his face changed into smile.

"See? Told you you could do it." Cilan said and Iris took as well and looked surprised, but continued and Ash joined them.

"I have to say, you did good today Ash." Iris said and continued eating. Ash smiled and continued, they were awesome combo for traveling. Iris would motivate him in her own way that would work with a few words from Cilan.

"Thanks Cilan." Ash whispered and Cilan smiled.

"Just do what I told you. Even if you failed, I see the good things about some of it and see good in you." Cilan said and Ash nodded.