When a life fades away

Azelf watched the girl exit his cavern and smiled: "Of course, she can't be the strongest trainer, but she put up quite the fight. In some of her moves, she reminded me of Ash…Also that fire in her eyes"

The Legendary Pokémon was impressed. From the soul of the girl, he had managed to see how willpower was leading her to her goal. This was all Azelf wanted from her. She was strong but not like a Legendary Pokémon.

However, the Lake Trio's trials weren't about strength, or at least, not that kind of strength. They were about the soul's strength. And Serena had passed it.

..............................................

Ash was glad the Diamond Clan's members had offered him a place to sleep that night. He and Pikachu were tired, and some sleep could help.

They were now watching the sky outside, the moon lighting the darkness around Lake Valor.

"Pikaaaa!" whispered the tiny mouse Pokémon, enjoying his partner's caressing.

He was sitting on Ash's lap, being pet by him while enjoying the peace outside.

"The only thing that could make this night better would be some Bourbon. What do you say, Pikachu?" chuckled Ash.

"Pika, pikapi, Pikapika Kakachu!" said Pikachu between waves of laughter.

"Yeah! Chloe isn't that tolerant of alcohol! I still remember when she tripped and bumped into the professor's contraptions after she had drunk some beer!"

"Pikapikapika!" The duo laughed hard, reminiscing about events from their past journey and friends.

"Let's hope they are all fine. We saw Serena and Dawn… Damn, we should have spoken with them more" groaned the auburn-eyed trainer.

"Pikapika, Pikapi?" "Uhm, a walk? I'm kinda tired of walking but I guess that seeing the Lake and the Pokémon in the middle of the night is enough to drag me out of my bed" proclaimed Ash, holding his bicep and grinning. Pikachu got up and jumped on Ash's chest hugging him before heading to his spot on his shoulder.

With that, Ash and Pikachu exited the tent and headed to the Lake.

Gladly it was near the Diamond Settlement, so near that Ash could see it from there but it would be a long time before arriving there. So, in the end, it was Wyrdeer to have a pleasant trip with the duo watching the lake approach.

When there, Ash and Pikachu were amazed by the wonders they were witnessing.

That night the moon was full, bigger than usual, and accompanied by so many stars. The entire Milky Way was visible tonight, even with a so bright moon. It was magical.

The lake's water was so clear that it seemed like a mirror. Soft waves were crisping the surface and moving the moon's reflection in the water.

All around the basin, conifer trees were letting their branches move with the gentle breeze. The Combees were dancing around a Vespiqueen, the honey they produce, glistening in the wood like gems. Flocks of Murkrow and Honchkrow were landing on top of some trees, looking around for prey. A Staraptor was plunging into the water, surfacing with Barboach in his beak. In the distance, Kricketune's singing echoed in the air.

In the water, a Milotic and a Whiscash looked like they were dancing, jumping from the surface, and diving again, only for all other small Water-type Pokémon to watch and cheer the duo.

It was the festival of nature, freedom, and harmony.

Ash and Pikachu came closer to the shore and saw a light. No one, other than them, seemed to acknowledge the event. With that, a small pink tent appeared and a girl with soft honey blonde locks of hair appeared too. She was sitting on a lodge, a Sylveon, a Delphox, and a Ludicolo making her company. She was watching the lake, her face held by her hands; her gaze lost in nature.

She had a pink dress with a red sleeveless jacket, a blue ribbon held on her chest.

Suddenly, from the lake, Milotic jumped again, higher than ever, her scales shining in the moon reflection.

The girl witnessed the scene. Her beautiful blue eyes shined as well at such a display.

She whispered: "Those two are in love. Aren't they?"

Ash smiled. Pikachu did the same. They approached the girl and her Pokémon.

Ash touched her shoulder, feeling her skin. The girl suddenly froze and turned around.

His eyes met hers, hers widening.

"I think they really are," Ash exclaimed with a toothy smile.

Her heart skipped a beat.

................................................

Serena had decided to camp outside that night. It was said that that night there would be a full moon as well as the Milky Way visible in the sky.

Although Serena couldn't believe it was possible, she was a bit tired and preferred to camp outside than actually do the walk toward the other side of the river and go to the Pokémon Center nearby.

She had witnessed the night falling, the moon rising and the Milky way appearing in the sky and was amazed, her gaze dreamingly absorbed. Her Pokémon were relaxing as well. Then she saw a Milotic and a Whiscash dancing in the water. A little image in the back of her mind popped up: her wish to dance with Ash all those years ago.

She sighed: "That's such a rare event. And no one is with me…"

Suddenly, a light engulfed her, not that anyone had noticed it. He didn't notice the change.

She saw the Milotic jumping again and whispered softly: "Those two are in love. Aren't they?"

Suddenly she felt a warm touch on her shoulder that sent chills down her spine. It was a pleasant feeling, but she was ultimately startled by the sudden interaction.

She turned around, met those auburn eyes. Her eyes widened in reaction. Her entire body was vibrating. He spoke. His voice. Her heart skipped a beat.

................................................

Dawn was sleeping in her room in Twinleaf Town. She was directed to Lake verity but since it was late, she had taken a deviation to pay a visit to her mom.

Of course, Johanna was surprised to see her but was ultimately glad to have her home for the night.

They had dinner together and the younger girl told her mother everything about their mission.

Now, Dawn was in her room, or better, outside, on the balcony. Her gaze was lost into the sky, Piplup on the railing next to her. She sighed: "If only was I more determined back then, in Sinnoh…I should have listened to Lyra."

"Pip?" asked naively Piplup.

Dawn turned to face her blue penguin partner and smiled tenderly: "It's nothing. Let's just get some sleep. Tomorrow it's going to be a long day!"

"Pi,Piplup!" the proud Pokémon replied.

.................................................

Goh hated the snow. And it was reciprocal since the Crown Tundra days when he went on researching about the mysterious Regieleki and Regidrago to find Regigigas. It was all part of his "Project Mew" trials and so he did all of that and was an awesome adventure. But it was too cold. Too much snow for a boy grown in a city with the sea.

He was walking through Route 217, having left behind him Mount Coronet. He had explored the cave and found a Bronzor which had gladly caught and now was accompanied by Cinderace. Even if he had decided to fly all the way up to his destination, he didn't take into account the snowstorms that usually hit the northern part of Sinnoh in that season. So Flygon wasn't able to go on and in the end, Goh was obliged to traverse a long, exhausting route full of snow. And he hated it.

Cinderace was listening to his friend's complaints and whining, sometimes offering him words of consolation. It was Inteleon, however, who was doing the most important part, leading them through the snowstorm since visibility was restricted to a meter or so.

Eventually, they reached a refugee in the middle of the wood and spent there the night.

Goh was planning everything, getting to know something more about Uxie. He was the Knowledge Pokémon so Goh thought he could use some more study about him. The stories about this Pokémon were crazy. It was said that he was able to cancel the memory of people meeting his gaze and his soul could live outside his body. Goh was legitimately sweating at this point but in the end, he remembered why he was doing all of this in the first place.

"For Ash" he thought before resuming his research. He was planning his team for the battle. Of course, the first four were already there: Cinderace, Inteleon, Grookey, and Flygon. The last spots were still missing but he ultimately decided to twist the cards, bringing with him that loveable couple of bugs that was Heracross and Pinsir.

Goh closed his PC and stretched his arms: "I'm ready" he proclaimed, Grookey cheering with his twig in his hands.

................................................

If every one of Ash's companions had been told that Team Rocket would spend entire weeks in a library, all in order to find the guy whose Pikachu was their number one enemy, no one would have believed it.

"Ah shit, why can't we find anything on this Aura phenomenon?"

"Dat's strange. In da Twoip's Lucario can feel him, why can't we find a way to track him down?"

"We should have asked Science Twerp or Catch Twerp. Now we don't have anything to follow" whined James.

"Nah, we aren't done yet" proclaimed Jessie, "We should search for these Legendary Pokémon that can control time and space"

They grinned mischievously. "And once da twerp is back, we can snatch that Pikachu and da Legends themselves!".

"And Team Rocket will never blast off again!" shouted Jessie.

"YEAAAAH!" they cheered out loud, before being shut again by the librarian.

.................................................

Akari was doing her errands, Piplup and Pikachu following her all around the main road. People were looking at her with suspicious gazes and fear. She was aware of this but didn't care. She was ready for another day of training with Greninja who, by now, was feeling better and less fatigued. She was making good signs of progress but was a bit anxious about Ash. The last letter he had sent her was three days old and since then, she hasn't received anything more. Of course, she couldn't be mad at him again because he was probably occupied with the mission, but she would have liked a little more consideration from him. After all… well, anything. She and Ash were only colleagues. Well, sort of… Maybe friends…

She was overthinking for nothing again. Since she came to Hisui, hoping for a better life, she had strived for having friends but was not the case. Team Galactic people came from different places, and it was difficult to get along well. Now they were making progress, held together by the desire for peace. But, for people who aimed for peace, they were way too diffident and close-minded. In a way, Akari justified them. From the stories she had been told, a lot of them came from hard experiences, such as destructions or massacres. Even Kamado had a hard time, seeing his village burnt by Gyarados and his wife dying in his arms.

But her problem was that, even if she came from similar situations, she felt different. She wanted to trust that newcomer, came from nowhere in a moment of crisis for Hisui. Every day someone would try to tell her to not trust Ash, to let him alone by himself because he could be responsible for that big hole in the sky. He went along with Pokémon, something unacceptable for Hisuian people. There were only a few Pokémon in the village, mostly for farms, like Miltank, Mareep, and some Wooloo. Other than that, anything.

And they weren't so well treated, enslaved, killed for making food, suffering everything was possible to suffer in life.

And she knew that the day Ash discovered it, it would be hard to keep him there or to be forgiven.

Her problem however was that she felt good with that boy. He trusted her, trusted everyone, even too much. He was easy to speak with and emanated a veil of deep knowledge behind his easygoing attitude. He was caring and full of love for the world. He was unique. But there was no doubt that one day, the villagers would try to get rid of him. He was too new, too different. It was only a matter of time. Even if some people had taken a liking to him, there was no way that he could be accepted by everyone. And this scared her. What would she do in that situation? Would she stand with Ash? Or not? She didn't want to let her only friend down but what if he was killed? What if he had to leave the village? Would she really leave everything behind only to follow him? And at which cost?

Deep in her thoughts like she was, she didn't notice that she had finally in front of the Galaxy Hall.

She took a deep breath, forgetting her inner debate: "What do you say guys? Are you ready to get some more training? Ash and Pikachu will be proud of us!" she proclaimed, pumping her fists, her Pokémon jumping in joy and determination.

................................................…

Goh had just greeted his two Pokémon when he set off for the Lake. The weather was better than the day before and in no time, he was finally near Lake Acuity.

The environment looked incredible. Snow was all over everything. The water was clean and crystalline, with a shade of grey. The sun was still covered with clouds.

The boy carefully watched the Lake and found a small island in the middle of it with a giant boulder on it. He knew what to do so Flygon took him to the small piece of land when he suddenly felt vibrations from the boulder and an entrance appeared.

Goh looked at the lake once more before turning his head and readying himself for the upcoming confrontation:

"Well, looks like we are here," he said, releasing Cinderace, Heracross, and Pinsir; Grookey still hanging onto his shoulder.

They entered the cave which was a cramped grotto with stalactites on the ceiling. Water had dug ways on the flooring.

Goh felt his heart calming down to an unknown power. Air got thicker making his breath deeper and lower in rhythm.

The Pokémon felt the same sensations.

The boy closed his eyes: "He's coming" he said, half whispering. From the ceiling, stalactites broke and fell toward Goh who had still his eyes shut. Cinderace leaped forward and double kicked the rocks, then Goh's eyes shot open:" Heracross, Mega Horn straight forward; Pinsir, Rock Tomb behind me! Cinderace, Pyro ball to my right! Grookey, Branch Poke to my left!"

All the attacks collided against waves of psychic energy causing explosions.

When the dust was settled, a distorted image appeared in front of Goh, materializing the Knowledge Pokémon Uxie. The boy tilted his head a bit not to stare the creature directly in the eyes.

"You are a man of knowledge" the Guardian said.

Goh felt his blood pumping again, appealed by the success of his research. He felt ready, he felt the power of all his Pokémon and all the trust Ash had always given him. He wasn't an afraid of new things guy anymore. He was on his way to reaching his goal. And he wouldn't be stopped. So, he smirked: "You haven't seen anything yet!" he proclaimed, raising his fist.

................................................….

"Ash…is it really you?" asked a trembling Serena. Her mind was overwhelmed.

In front of her stood Ash, wearing what looked like an "old style" Jacket, black boots, a red scarf, and a soft hat. With him, Pikachu.

Ash stood there, then nodded. Serena didn't know what she was doing when her feet made her stand up and hug him so tightly that he felt difficult breathing.

But he hugged her immediately back, resting his head on her shoulder while her face was sunken in his chest.

A similar scene happened between Pikachu and Sylveon who wrapped his feelers around Pikachu.

Delphox watched the heartwarming reunion, holding back her tears when Pikachu finally broke free from Sylveon's clutch and said to her that Greninja was with them. Delphox was happy to know that the Ninja frog was with them and safe.

Ash was only enjoying the embrace smelling Serena's fresh hair's perfume when suddenly he felt his jacket wet. He looked down to see Serena crying so he broke the hug and put his hands on her shoulders.

Serena raised her head to meet Ash's auburn eyes and said: "I was so scared you had died. Why are you here? What's going on?!" she asked rapidly.

Ash smiled softly and pointed to the trunk Serena had been sat before seeing Ash and the two sat down, the Pokémon joining them around the fire.

"So, in all honesty, I'm not back. I think this is the same thing which had happened back in Jubilife" stated Ash, not taking his gaze off her eyes. "See, I'm in the past Sinnoh Region"

Serena's eyes widened. They were on the right path to finding Ash after all.

"But why are you here now?"

"That's Arceus. It was him to send me here to avoid some strange events, but I still don't know anything about it. But he told me that sometimes I can establish a connection with my friends. I think this is a stronger version of it."

Serena nodded. It was a lot of stuff to elaborate but that could wait. Ash was there and she couldn't know when this miracle would fade away, leaving her alone again.

"We are looking for a way to bring you back!" she exclaimed.

Ash looked surprised: "So you didn't think I was dead?"

Serena smiled a bit: "We saw you; don't you remember?"

Of course, Ash remembered that, but he had thought until now that it was impossible for them to actually know that it was him.

But he was glad that Serena was still out there searching for him.

Serena's eyes were shining like Ash had never seen, even after the Escalator. Ash felt something in his stomach but didn't pay attention to it. His eyes were instead drawn to the face of Serena, now lighted by the fire. Her smile was growing wider, and this made Ash's smile larger.

"I'm so happy to see you again" she said, breaking that intimate and comforting silence.

If there weren't so many things to say, they would have spent the whole night in that blissful game of gazes.

"You have no idea how happy I am either!" Ash was grinning like mad, and Serena noticed his trademark toothy grin, the auburn eyes, the Z marks under his eyes, and his messy raven hair. It was the same Ash who had encouraged her to start her own journey after rescuing her in the forest all those years ago. She felt her heartbeat faster and Ash noticed he was feeling the same for the first time.

Serena looked incredible in Ash's eyes. She had grown quite a bit since the last time they met. Her figure emanated more self-confidence and, in a way, even more strength. It looked like she had really kept her promise to better herself and Ash was really glad.

"So, what have you been up to lately?" he asked, snapping out of his trance to make things less awkward.

Serena started to recall all the travels she had in Hoenn, how she met two talented coordinators, the fact she had participated in some Gym battles, everything in general. She didn't want to spend all the time talking about herself.

"Well, all those adventures sure have helped you. You look awesome, like someone who has matured a lot and experienced a lot of new things"

The sort of compliment stunned poor Serena who felt her cheeks heating up. Something never changes.

Ash was about to ask her if she was feeling ill, but then he recognized the sign. He was still that dense goofball he had always been, but Serena was an exception for him. She had kissed him and even an idiot like him could understand what this meant.

So, he smiled at her and put a gentle hand on her cheeks, surprising her again, and kissed her other cheek. Serena was one breath away from passing out from shock.

"Wh…what was that for, Ash?" she asked, a bit of anxiety in her voice. After all, maybe, this was for their goodbye last time, and she didn't know if she was ready to face this right now.

Ash scratched his nose: "Oh well, that's for today. I had a fight against an enraged Pokémon and your exhibitions saved me."

Now Serena was overwhelmed again: "What, enraged Pokémon?! Are you wounded? How did it work out? What are you doing there?"

Ash wanted to stop her, he let his instinct take action and put a finger on her mouth, whispering:" Not now. I have one thing to ask you before we are separated again. Would you listen to me?"

The closeness caused chills throughout Serena's body, but she held her breath and nodded.

Ash let go of Serena's cheek and she felt coldness now that Ash wasn't there anymore. She raised her eyes and saw Ash extending a hand for her: "I know we didn't get the chance to do that all those years ago, but now that you saved me with your moves, would you like to dance with me and teach me more?"

Serena's eyes widened in shock:" Here? With no music?"

"Yes, we will have our own rhythm!" he said, grinning. Serena put a hand on her ribbon, smiled softly, felt her heartbeat speed up again, and took Ash's hand. They came closer, Ash's left hand around her waist.

Their hearts were so close, they could feel the rhythm of their own heartbeats. Eyes in eyes, blue in auburn. They could also feel their breath. They started to move, Serena leading Ash. The moonlight shining on them, illuminating the scene. Pikachu and Sylveon were watching this with intertwined paws and happy eyes. Ash was lost completely; Serena was in her world. At that moment, it was only the two of them, enjoying themselves, having fun. Serena tried some moves, like a turn, Ash followed, they were moving faster and then they calmed down, came closer again, slowing down the pace even more. Their eyes locked again, and they stopped dancing.

There had to be some kind of magnetism happening there because their faces were moving closer, their lips only a few centimeters apart. Now they could feel every sensation the other was feeling, close as they were. Ash pulled her closer to him. Their lips were meeting.

And then anything. In a moment Ash and Pikachu were left alone on the shore and Serena returned back to her campsite.

Ash recovered quickly and said to Pikachu: "Well, that turned out well!"

Pikachu snickered and started to make fun of his trainer again, mimicking kiss faces. Ash hid his eyes in shame under his cap: "Ah ah ah. Funny Pikachu! Next time I will send you and Sylveon to a motel, so you can have all the fun you want"

Pikachu shrieked, stopping his march, and zapped Ash with a Thunderbolt. Ash then recognized the death glare his partner was giving him and broke into a run, with Pikachu following him.

"I'M SORRY!" Ash shouted, "PIKA, PIKACHU, PIKAPI!" Pikachu menaced.

It looked like an argument, but they were only having fun. What an incredible night.

Serena was broken to be back… Why in the world Arceus had interrupted them at that moment?

She raised her eyes to the moon, Sylveon coming to her and sitting on her lap. She smiled:

"I love you, Ash" she said, watching the same stars she had seen with Ash, so many years apart.