No POV

"What?"

"You heard me. Hit me" Ash told Serena. He grabbed her hands and put on them boxing gloves. "Thank you for them Korrina"

"Just make sure they are in one piece for me and Bonnie" Korrina replied. After Serena requested Ash to train her, Bonnie asked for the same, so Korrina took her on it.

Now they were nearby a small waterfall surrounded by thick forest, Korrina and Bonnie watching Ash with Serena while Clemont worked on one of his invetions.

"Ok Serena, I will tell you the first rule you must remember whenever you plan to punch someone. When you clench your fist, never, EVER, put your thumb inside. You could break your thumb with first strike." Serena clenched her fists inside gloves.  She tried to concentrate, but Ash's torso with no clothes made it hard. "Of course, the gloves won't let you do it that much, it is something you need to know. Most people hurt themselves when they throw punch. Now, hit me."

Serena looked at her hands, uncertain. "Ash, I don-"

"You won't Serena." Ash interrupted her and beckon for her to attack. Serena was still hesitant, but finaly took a deep breath and strike for Ash's chest. She expected for him to catch her blow, but when she hit his chest, she was ready to apologise "Harder." Serena looked up at him, but he didn't change his expression.

Serena threw another punch, faster, but it again did nothing with Ash. "Come on Serena, show him not to underestimate you!" Bonnie yelled.

"Use your body more Serena and let out your breath with the punch." Ash said, showing her the way he was saying it. "Spread your legs more. You will loose balance and power of your punch."
"Now. Harder Serena." Ash  said again, making Serena to look again at him. She mimicked his moves, throwing punch.

When she landed her punch, she felt this time that she did something to Ash compare to other punches. She was about to say sorry, but Ash was like he read her mind. "Whenever you throw punch Serena, you should know that you are not sorry for it Serena. You asked me to train you, you decided to do it. So don't apologise. Or will you apologise to another person that will attack you? Because that person won't feel bad. Then why should you? If you show hesitation, they will use it against you. Now don't feel bad for me making you punch me and THROW ANOTHER."

"Don't you think Ash is harsh on Serena?" Bonnie whispered to Korrina, as they watched.

Korrina was silent before answering. "Maybe. I don't know how Ash was trained, but I wasn't trained this way. I won't talk to Ash's training unless it gets extreme." She then looked at Bonnie. "You don't have to worry about me being harsh on you. I will teach you my way." She finished with smile.

"Harder!" Ash said, as Serena continued in punching his torso, with each one making her sweat. But she did what Ash told her and threw a punch.

Past

"Harder!" Hrist yelled as she had big blocks on her hand as Ash threw punch into it and in other a knife. Whenever he would throw too weak, she would cut his biceps. "Whenever you throw that weak punch, that gives your enemy a chance to return a hit. So make sure your attack are not weak."

"Yes." Ash answered, throwing another. They didn't have even week before their planned attack. Hrist made sure that he could be used as a bait for them to get away if everything went wrong.

"Hey." Hrist and Ash froze their training as by some miracle Alex stood between them. Ash almost his punch that would land on Alex instead of Hrist if it weren't for his quick reaction.

"What the fuck Alex?! Just becuase I am capable of stopping when I do it with Jack doesn't mean he is." Hrist yelled at Alex who just smiled.

"Hey, Jack trusts him. So do I." Alex said,  which made Hrist rais her eyebrow.

"What do you mean by that?" Hrist's question made Jack, who was sitting in the corner of the room, freeze.

"He told him about Mistress." Hrist looked at Jack, but he wasn't there anymore.

"JACK!" she yelled and ran out of the room. Ash looked at all of that confused.

"Alex?" Ash spoke after a moment as Alex sat on a boxes.

"Hmmm?" Alex said as he seemed to decipher Ash.

"You know that he only told me she is your boss and had something to do with Hrist's backstory right?" Ash said, trying to confirm what he remembered.

"Yeah, but Hrist can't stand anything that is mentioned about Mistress. Well specificaly, mentioned to person that is not member of our organisation." Alex said as matter of fact.

"So there more of you?" Ash felt like all these questions would stop Alex from talking. But he was wrong.

"Of course not. There are many of us. We are just a small trio that lost the fourth member because he was a snitching bastard." Alex said, his words laced with anger.

"So that is why you needed a new member..." Ash said to himself. "I don't see you that many times... I think I haven't seen you angry since we met."

"Wouldn't you be angry if someone threatened your family?" this surprised Ash. He knew Hrist and Alex were close, but not this much.

"Then why are you telling me? How do you know I am not a person that would betray you?"

Present

"Serena."  Serena opened her eyes, tired. She looked at Ash's torso, that was covered in red and one was even purple. But when she looked up, he was like nothing happened to him. "You good?" 

"I am fine. Are you?" she asked, fighting herself not to touch him. And she didn't know if it was to make sure he is fine or because of the abs.

"Absolutely. Now, that you know how to throw punch. Let's see if you can hit your target." Ash said and Serena looked at him confused. "I want you now try to hit me in face." 

Serena's eyes widened. "No way!" she said with no hesitation.

"Don't worry. I said try. I will dodge." Ash said and taunt her with his hand. "Now go."

Serena thought for a moment, but if he said, he would block then she would trust him. She threw a punch, but it made it harder because of Ash's height. When she was close to hitting Ash, Ash stood aside. Serena turned back at him and threw another one, but he dodged again. But this time, he tripped her leg which made her fall.

Bonnie was ready to stand up and run at Ash screaming, but Korrina stopped her. She pointed at Serena, who was standing back up with no visible injure or hurt to her feelings. 

Serena wiped away the dirt and ran at Ash again. "Good. You must never give up too soon. Stand up and fight again. But..." Ash said, dodging again and tripping her leg again. "You need to be prepared on counter attack if you try to land yours. Otherwise it leaves you completely open." 

Serena stood back up, thinking. If she did the same thing, he would do the same again. Then she remembered Ash's fight in the ring. His opponent was also higher then him, but he still landed blow on his head. So she stood closer to Ash and threw another punch. But instead of using her whole body, she stood on both her legs properly. Ash dodged to left which gave her chance to use her left arm to throw another one. This time, she was met with something instead of air. Her eyes widened for a moment, but then she noticed it wasn't Ash's face.

"Good." Ash said behind, looking over his reached out arm. "Again."

Past

"I don't and do at the same time." Alex said with grin. "You are trying to be a complicated person, but at the same time you are very easy to read." This left Ash stunned for a moment before Alex continued. "And I need someone to look after them."

"What do you mean?" Ash's question made Alex shyaway.

"You won't laugh at me right?" Ash shook his head and waited for him to continue. "I want to become pokemon trainer." Alex looked at Ash and was surprised how stunned he was. "Hey! Say something!"

Ash shook his head and finally answered. "I think that's a great idea."

Alex's eyes started to shine with excitement. "You think? Even Mistress allowed me, saying all I have to do is complete this job and I can go and just complete some of her tasks she would have."

Ash had to hold his laugh for moment. Alex was acting like adult all the time that it was fine to see him act as a kid of his age. "Then we better do it. Because I am sure you can do it."

Before they could say more, Hrist entered the room, dragging Jack behind with black eye. "So we are back. Now can we please focus on our plan?"

As they were silent for a moment, Ash finally broke it. "I wish to join your organisation.

Present

Serena sat on the wood on which Bonnie and Korrina sat before and watched them how Korrina and Bonnie trained. Ash gave her a bottle of water, which she gladly accepted. She was covered in few scratches.

"Was I too harsh?" Ash said and Serena looked at him.

"No, not really. I was surprised, but I got used to it." Ash nodded, holding his arm absitently.

"The way I was trained, it isn't the way I wanted to train you. But then I remembered the time that man had you tied up and knife close to you, I knew I couldn't be too soft." Ash said, his arm clenching only thinking about it. 

"No, I am happy you did your best. And I want to know more, but I would like to know more moves to self-defense. It is good to know how to punch, but if somebody grabs me, I would like to know how to get out of that grip." Serena said with giggle and Ash nervously scratched his neck.

"Yeah. That is good idea. I have one thing that I could teach you, but it would be only in the worst case scenario. Because it hurts pretty much. And with the punches, I will teach you just to keep your stamina and composure with your punches. Because..." Ash stood up and walked toward the waterfall. Girls stopped training and looked at him as to what he was planning.

Ash closed his eyes and took deep breath while facing the waterfall. And then threw a punch into a waterfall and withdrew back without disturbing the water or splashing it. Korrina's jaw dropped as she slided right to Ash.

"You can do that!" Korrina said, inspecting his arm. "I wasn't still able to do that."

"Yeah, I was learning it a few years ago with my pokemon. At the time, I was nowhere close enough do that. Now after my trainings, I am capable." he said, grinning at everyone.