It was half-past midnight when Serena got a call from Dr. Proctor, telling her to come to the hospital right away. Worried that something serious had happened, Serena left her apartment with her coat and hat still on and rushed to the hospital as fast as she could. When she entered the building, she found Delia pacing in front of the elevator. The auburn-haired woman looked as if she was struggling to keep herself from screaming in joy. Delia noticed Serena from the corner of her eye, and her face lit up. 
“Serena, you made it!” she exclaimed. 
“Yeah, I did,” Serena said, walking over to Delia. “What’s going on? Did something happen?”
“The best thing happened!” Delia shouted. “Calem woke up!”   
Serena froze like a statue. Her eyes shrunk until they were little dots, and her stomach dropped. She opened her mouth to speak, but all she could utter were incoherent words. Delia giggled at her reaction, thinking Serena was so struggling to express her joy over the news.
“I can’t believe it myself,” Delia said. “Just one week, and he’s awake. It’s a miracle.”
“Y-y-yeah, what a miracle,” Serena said, having found her voice. “Does everyone know?”
“Yes, everyone is waiting for you,” Delia answered. “We’re all going to visit him as a family.”
“Oh...great,” Serena said with a forced grin. “I can’t wait.”
“Neither can I,” Delia said. “Now, come on. Let’s go.”
Delia grabbed Serena’s hand and dragged her to the elevator. The honey blonde woman resisted the urge to panic, not knowing what to do. She imagined Calem saying that he doesn’t know her, and within an instant, the family would hate her and tell her to get out within a blink of an eye. But above all else, she was worried about what Ash would do when he found out. She was still heartbroken over what Ash said to her, but she didn’t want him to find out she lied. She would have liked to make up with him in the future and maybe try to get closer to him, but it looked as though her hopes were just minutes away from being crushed. 
The elevator door opened, letting Delia and Serena into the ICU. Serena’s worry grew as she saw Grandpa Ramos, Mimey, Sonia, Dawn, and Piplup outside Calem’s room. Dawn was the first to notice Serena and Delia walking over to them, and she ran over to give the honey blonde woman a hug. 
“Serena, you made it!” she shouted. 
“Uh, yeah, I came as soon as Dr. Proctor called me,” Serena said.
“That’s great to hear. Now we can all go in together,” Grandpa Ramos said.
“Yes, let’s go,” Delia said.
“Mr. Mine,” Mimey said. 
“Piplup,” Piplup said. 
With Delia still holding Serena’s hand, everyone went inside Calem’s room. Dr. Proctor was standing next to Calem, who was sleeping soundly on his bed. Serena’s fear grew, and she turned to Sonia with a plea for help. The peach-haired woman gave her a frown, not knowing what to do, which instantly discouraged Serena. With everyone standing in front of the bed, Dr. Proctor shook Calem’s shoulder, waking him up.
“Calem, your family is here,” He said.
Calem opened his eyes and lifted his head. The first thing he saw was Delia giving him a heartfelt smile. He then turned his head to see Mimey, Dawn, Piplup, and Sonia smiling at him. His gaze then turned to Serena, who forced a smile on her face, acting as if nothing was wrong. Calem’s gaze then turned to Grandpa Ramos, giving Serena a hint of hope until the light black-haired man instantly turned back to her. She mentally whimpered as Calem gave her a puzzled look.
“Who are you?” he asked.
All eyes turned to Serena, making her heart sink again. Her fake smile disappeared, and she turned to the family, feeling highly strung. She bit her lip and mentally prepared herself for everyone apart from Sonia to put everything together. Delia looked back and forth between Calem and Serena before her eyes widened, and she stared at the wall in a state of shock. 
“Oh my gosh,” she said. “He’s got amnesia.” 
At that moment, Calem passed out. Grandpa Ramos, Mimey, Dawn, and Piplup looked at Delia, surprised, instantly thinking she was right. Serena looked at Delia dumbfounded and turned to Sonia, relieved that the worse didn’t happen. Dr. Proctor, on the other hand, looked at Calem befuddled as if he said random words.
“Doctor, is it true?” Grandpa Ramos asked. “Does this mean Calem has amnesia?”
Dr. Proctor gave the old man a skeptical look before he put his hand on his chin in thought. 
“Well, he seemed to recognize all of you except Serena,” he said. “It’s too soon to say, but he might have lacunar amnesia.”
“Lacunar amnesia? What does that mean?” Dawn asked.
“Lacunar amnesia is a condition in which memory loss is localized and patchy, limited to isolated events,” Dr. Proctor explained. 
“So, you’re suggesting Calem as selective amnesia?” Delia asked. 
“Basically,” Dr. Proctor answered. 
Delia put her hand on her mouth and looked at Calem worryingly as though he was back in a coma. Mimey rubbed her back for support. Dawn and Piplup looked at each other with the bluenette holding her Pokemon tight, struggling to believe what they heard, while Grandpa Ramos looked down at the floor, downcast. 
Serena looked at the family with her heart filled with guilt. It looked to her that the lie was going too far, with the family thinking Calem had amnesia. She considered telling the truth now to discredit the belief before it got any worse. Sonia would disapprove of the idea, but to Serena, she may as well have fulfilled her role to act as if the family got Calem back before he woke up from his coma. She still didn’t want to end things with the family or Ash, but at least this way, they would be happy that nothing was wrong with his brother's brain. After debating with herself, Serena decided that it was time to end everything once and for all.
“Actually, everyone, there’s something that you should know,” she said.
Everyone turned to her again, curious about what Serena had to say. She shut her eyes, grabbed the ends of her coat, and took a deep breath before she started her confession.
“The truth is I was never -?
“Pregnant? We know,” Grandpa Ramos interrupted.
Serena looked at Grandpa Ramos, confused, and asked, “What?”
“Ash told us when we called him to come here,” Grandpa Ramos said. “I think it’s great that you and Calem haven’t done anything yet.”
“Agreed. As much as I'd love to be a grandmother, I'm glad that you two haven't done anything out of wedlock,” Delia said. 
Serena looked at Delia, surprised, not knowing how to respond. At that moment, she forgot about telling the truth, and her mind went to thinking about Ash. She looked away from Delia to hide a small smile.
"Ash, there you are," Dawn said.
Serena's heart skipped a beat, and she turned around to see Ash entering the room with Pikachu on his shoulder. As soon as he noticed Serena, however, he immediately looked away to say hi to his family. Serena felt a pain in her heart as it became clear that he didn't want to talk to her. 
"Hi, everyone," Ash said as he hugged his mother while Pikachu jumped onto the bed. "Did I miss anything?"
"You sure did," Dawn said. "Calem's got selective amnesia."
Ash and Pikachu turned to the blunette woman, confused, and the former asked, "What are you talking about?"
"He forgot about Serena," Grandpa Ramos said. "He recognized all of us except her."
Ash looked at Serena, who gave him a nervous smile. 
"You're kidding," he said before turning to Dr. Proctor. "Is that a real thing?"
"Yes, it is," the doctor confirmed. 
Dawn then gasped and said, "Wait a minute, Ash, you and Pikachu weren't here. Maybe he forgot about either or both of you too."
"Pika!" Pikachu shouted worryingly. 
Serena's unease grew, and she turned to Sonia, who gave her a shrug as if to say, "play along." Just then, everyone heard Calem groan, and they turned to him to see him wake up again. He adjusted his eyes and turned to his mother again, who walked over to his side and began patting his head with a motherly smile.
"Hi, Cay-Cay," she said. "How are you feeling?"
"Okay, I guess," Calem said, unsure. "Having a hard time believing I've been in a coma since Christmas Eve."
"I'll bet," Delia said.
"Heya, champ," Ash greeted with a smirk. "Remember Pikachu and me?"
"Of course, I remember you two, Ashy-Boy," Calem answered, smirking back.
"Pikachu," Pikachu sighed in relief. 
"You know I hate that name," Ash said before turning to Serena. "Do you remember her, though?"
Calem looked at Serena, who forced another smile on her face. The man with light black hair looked at her blankly for a few seconds before he turned back to Ash.
"Should I?" He asked.
"Look more closely, my boy," Grandpa Ramos said.
Calem turned back to Serena and looked at her as though he were studying a painting. Serena blushed as it hit her that the guy she was crushing on was looking at her intently. After several more seconds, Calem squirmed and turned to his mother.
"She looks familiar, I guess," he said.
Delia's smile grew, and she said, "I think it's coming back to him already."
"Coming back to me? What's coming back to me?" Calem asked. "What's going on?"
"You have selective amnesia, sweetheart," Delia answered. 
"I do?" Calem asked in shock.
"Yeah, you forgot that you're engaged," Dawn said.
"I'm engaged? To who?" Calem asked. 
"To Serena," Grandpa Ramos answered. 
"Who's Serena?" Calem asked. 
Grandpa Ramos frowned and said, "He doesn't remember."
Calem looked at his grandfather in a state of panic. Dr. Proctor cleared his throat and said, "Okay, I think Calem's had enough excitement for one night. I'll have Joy get him some Jell-O, and then let him sleep."
"Jell-o? Do I like Jell-O?" Calem asked. 
"Are you kidding? You were addicted to the stuff when we were kids," Ash said with a toothy grin. 
"Oh, boy, do I remember that," Dawn said.
"Pikachu," Pikachu said with a nod.
"Piplup," Piplup chirped. 
"Okay, we better head home then," Sonia said. 
"Hang in there, Calem," Grandpa Ramos said.
"We'll see you in the morning, Cay-Cay," Delia said before kissing Calem's forehead.
"Okay, Mom," Calem said with a smile before he frowned and looked away, muttering, "It is 'Mom,' right?"
The family and Serena exited the room with Pikachu hopping back on Ash's shoulder and walked over to the elevator. After pressing the down button, Delia turned to Serena and asked, "Would you like a ride home, sweetie? Ash could drive you there if you want."
Ash instantly became uncomfortable and said, "I don't think Serena wants a ride home, Mom." 
Seeing this has her chance to show that she's not upset anymore, Serena spoke up, saying, "No, that's all right. I would appreciate a ride from you, Ash."
Ash turned to Serena, surprised, and she smiled at him to assure him that it was okay. The raven-haired man eased up and smiled back.
"Alright, then I'll be happy to do that," he said.
"Great," Serena said. "But first, I'd like to speak to Sonia alone for a moment of its alright."
Knowing what was on her mind, Sonia smiled and said, "Absolutely."
"Perfect. We'll be right back," Serena said.
Serena took Sonia's hand and led the older woman to the other side of the floor, where the family could not see them. She looked back to make sure before she dropped her happy demeanor and turned to Sonia.
"Sonia, what are we going to do?" she whined. "I don't want them trying to make Calem remember something that never happened."
"Don't worry, Serena. I'm going to take care of everything," Sonia said calmly.
"How?" Serena asked. 
"I'm going to tell them everything," Sonia answered.
"Really?" Serena asked with hope in her voice. "Are you sure you want to do that?" 
"Absolutely," Sonia said with a reassuring smile. "I'm too close of a friend for them to be angry at forever. I'll explain how this was all a misunderstanding and that I told you not to say anything. They'll understand why you did everything you did, and forgive you, no problem."
"You promise that they'll forgive me?" Serena asked. 
"Cross my heart and hope to die," Sonia replied while crossing herself with one hand and holding up the other. 
Serena sighed in relief and walked over to hug Sonia. The peach-haired woman smiled and pet Serena's head while hugging her back. The two of them held the hug for a couple of minutes before Sonia cleared her throat.
"Anyway, you better get home. I assume you have work in the morning again," she said. 
"Yeah, you're right," Serena said. 
Serena walked back to where the family was waiting for her and Sonia cheerfully. Sonia smirked at the honey blonde woman as she followed behind, secretly glad that Serena didn't notice her crossing her fingers behind her back.

************************************************************************************************

After saying goodbye to everyone, Ash, Serena, and Pikachu got on the moving van, and Ash began driving toward Serena's apartment complex. The three of them were silent, with both adults struggling to think of what to say to the other. Just like before, they would glance at each other when they thought the other wasn't looking. Pikachu, who was sitting between them, looked back and forth between them in confusion, having no knowledge about their last conversation. 
Ash drove to the sidewalk next to the complex and set the truck on park. Serena bit her lip and decided to speak her mind. 
"Listen, Ash, I want to say that you've been really great over the past several days," she said.
"Great?" Ash asked. "You mean when I accused you of lying to everyone or having a relationship with Tierno? Or perhaps when I said you were pregnant in front of your friends just a couple of hours ago or so?"
Serena covered her mouth to hide a snicker.
"I guess you have been a little productive," she said.
"Yeah, I'd say so," Ash said, looking away from her, ashamed. 
Serena played with her fingers, trying to figure out what she was going to say next until she remembered Sonia promising to tell the family the truth, and began to wonder how Ash would react. She wanted to believe that everyone, including Ash, would forgive her, and she could still see him, but deep down, she was still scared that he wouldn't want to talk to her again. Ultimately, Serena decided that if there was any time to say something to him that might soften the blow, now was the time.
"Ash, starting tomorrow - or rather in the morning, things are going to be very different," she said. "But no matter what happens, I want you to know that you've become…"
Serena stopped herself before she finished the sentence. Ash turned to look at her again, waiting for what she was going to say. The raven-haired man and his Pokemon partner watched in anticipation as Serena fought the urge to tell the honest truth. Serena's hands turned into fists before she said the best thing she could think of.
"You've become a very good friend."
Serena mentally kicked herself on the head. Ash felt a pinch in his heart while forcing himself to smile. Pikachu smiled warmly at Serena, clueless about how Ash and Serena were feeling. Serena sighed through her nose and opened the door to get out. 
“Well, good night,” she said. “Good night to you too, Pikachu.”
“Pikachu,” Pikachu said. 
“Wait, Serena,” Ash said.
Serena turned to Ash with a hint of hope in her eyes. The raven-haired man hesitated and said, “I didn’t mean what I said about you and Calem. I think you two are going to make a terrific couple, and I’m glad that you’re not going to be alone anymore.”
Serena resisted the urge to show her disappointment and smiled appreciatively at Ash.
“Thank you,” she said.
“You’re welcome,” Ash said. “Also, I’ve decided that I’m going to tell my mom that I want to become a full-time Pokemon trainer in the morning.”
“Really? But it hasn’t been two weeks,” Serena said.
“I know, but I thought about what you said earlier, and I decided I shouldn’t wait,” Ash said. “The next time we see each other, Mom will either hate me or accept that I no longer want to be a part of the family business and that I’m going to compete in the Kalos League.”
Serena smiled and said, “Okay, I’ll hold you to that. I want to know exactly how it went, so don’t disappoint me.”
“I won’t. That’s a promise,” Ash said with a toothy grin. 
Serena nodded and turned to Pikachu.
“Make sure Ash talks to his mom. Okay, Pikachu?”
“Pikachu!” Pikachu replied. 
Serena giggled at Pikachu’s enthusiasm. She turned back to Ash and said, “Well, good night,” before she finally got out of the truck.
“Good night, Serena,” Ash said. 
With that, Ash set the truck on drive and drove away. Serena watched until the truck was out of sight before she began walking toward the front entrance, ready to go to bed. However, her smile turned into a frown as she walked for not having the courage to tell Ash what she wanted to say. 
“Maybe there’s hope yet,” she thought. “After all, when Sonia tells everyone that Calem and I are not engaged, I won’t have to pretend that we’re an item. If I’m really lucky, Ash won’t hate me for deceiving him, and that could be my chance to tell him.”

*************************************************************************************

 A few hours later, it was eight o'clock on New Year's Day morning, and Delia was at home sitting in the dining room. She was sipping a hot cup of coffee while reading the newspaper with a serene smile on her face. As she was reading through the obituaries, she heard the door to the front door open, and she looked up from her paper with a curious look.
“Ash? Is that you, sweetie?” she called out.
“And Dawn, Pikachu, and Piplup,” she heard Dawn say.
The auburn-haired woman smiled as she heard her son and daughter walk over to the dining room with their Pokemon. Ash was holding a box of doughnuts while Dawn was carrying a tray of cappuccinos and some napkins. 
“Doughnuts? What’s the occasion?” Delia asked.
“Well, it’s the new year, so we thought we’d all have something sweet for breakfast,” Ash said. “Plus, it seemed like a nice way to celebrate that Calem’s awake too.”
“Aw, aren’t you two sweet?” Delia said. “I have such loving, caring children.”
“Well, the past several days have been the kind of time where the two of Serena and us have to be so caring,” Dawn said as she and Ash sat on opposite sides of the table, and Piplup and Pikachu hopped on top of it.
“That’s true. It comes to show how life can be very trying, but at the same time, you have to be thankful for all of the good stuff,” Delia said. “You work hard, try to provide for the family, raise your children to the best of your ability, and then for one minute, everything is good. Everyone is well, Calem’s amnesia aside, everyone is happy, and in that one minute, you have peace.”
Ash resisted the urge to flinch at his mother’s words. He turned to Dawn, who flicked her hand, palm down, as a way of saying, “Get going!” The raven-haired man sighed and turned to Pikachu, who gave him an encouraging smile before he turned back to Delia.
“Mom, this isn’t that minute,” he said.
“What do you mean?” Delia asked.
Ash took a moment to think of how best to respond, and asked, “Do you remember when Pikachu and I would have Pokemon battles with some of the kids in school?”
Delia rolled her eyes and said, “Are you kidding me? When the principal told me that you were Pokemon battling for lunch money, I hit the roof. It drove me crazy how you were wasting time on Pokemon battles when you should have been focusing on your studies.”
“Yeah, well, this kid who was wasting so much time on battling has been putting it into good use,” Ash said. “Over the past couple of years, I’ve been catching some Pokemon and training them. I have a full team that consists of Pikachu, a Greninja, a Talonflame, Noivern, Hawlucha, and a Goodra. I’ve used some of my business trips to win gym battles all over Kalos, and I recently earned enough badges to compete in the Kalos League next month.”
Delia looked at Ash bewildered and said, “Goodness, you’ve developed quite a hobby, haven’t you?”
“It’s...not a hobby, Mom,” Ash said. "It's something I want to do full-time."
Delia's face fell, and she asked, "Wait a second. Are you saying you don't want to be in the family business anymore?"
"No, I don't," Ash said.
"You've been thinking about this for a couple of years?" Delia asked.
"Actually, I've been thinking about this a lot longer than that," Ash confessed. "As in before Pikachu and I were Pokemon battling in school."
Delia stared at her son, flabbergasted. She turned to Pikachu, who gave her a nod, and then to Dawn, who was looking at her brother proudly.
“And you knew about this, Dawn?” Delia asked.
Dawn froze in place, realizing she had been found out before turning to her mother with a nervous grin.
"Y-yeah, I did," she said.
Again, Delia stared at her daughter in shock for a moment before she looked away to contemplate what she heard. Ash, Pikachu, Dawn, and Piplup looked at each other, wondering what Delia was going to do. After half a minute, Delia scoffed and shook her head before turning to Ash with a smile.
"Well, why didn't you say so sooner?" She asked. "I could have sold it to your Aunt Rebecca for twice it's value. I would have retired by now and be on a cruise with Mimey."
Ash looked at his mother, befuddled and asked, "Wait. So, you're not angry?"
"Angry? Don't be silly," Delia said with a smile. "On second thought, you're already silly. You're a Pokemon trainer."
Ash stood still for a moment before he turned to Pikachu, Dawn, and Piplup. The edge of his lips curled up, and he burst into a fit of laughter. His sister and the Pokemon took a moment before they began laughing too, letting out their relief. Delia kept her smile as she watched the four of them laugh until they were out of breath. 
"So, the Kalos League, huh?" She asked. "You think you're ready for that?"
"I am now," Ash said with a smile. "And, I've been training my Pokemon in my spare time, so we should be prepared to crush the competition, no problem."
"Well, since I'll have to run the business by myself, you'll have even more time to train," Delia said. "So, I better see you make it very far into the tournament, young man. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Mom," Ash answered.
"Good," Delia said. "And now that we have that out of the way let's eat some doughnuts."
"Sounds good to me. I'm starving," Dawn said. 
"Pikachu!" Pikachu agreed. 
"Piplup!" Piplup chirped. 
Ash gave everyone a toothy grin and opened the box of donuts. Dawn handed everyone a napkin to use as a plate and passed a cappuccino to Ash. After Ash gave everyone a couple of donuts, the five of them began eating happily without a care in the world. As he munched on a long john, Ash felt as if the world had gotten brighter now that he and his mom were on the same page at last.