Author's Note: It's been the question that's been floating around in our heads: Serena knew Ash when they were kids, so did she also know Gary? I decided to explore the idea a little and ended up with this. Also, Serena is adorable—I think I may actually be warming up to Amourshipping. xD

Disclaimer: I'm still hoping for the day when I have my chance at owning the Pokémon franchise; that day doesn't seem to be close.

One-sided Amourshipping and some implied Palletshipping; friendship or romance? That's for you to decide.

Ohmigosh! I have fanart for this: from the talented CyphonRose! That makes me way too happy. xD

Confessions

xxx

She felt more nervous than she had been that first day together. Her heart was fluttering like an anxious Beautifly within her chest and her hands were clammier than a Wooper's fins.

Bonnie and Clemont were finally asleep and Ash was still too full of excited nerves about the upcoming gym match to get to sleep so early. This was her chance to speak up; to confess.

Smoothing down her dark-blonde hair, Serena admired her reflection in the full-length mirror. She was done up as prettily as her nightgown would allow, and she had to admit she was looking good. Her hair was silky smooth from the recent shower she'd taken—thank Arceus they'd stopped by the Pokémon Centre for the night!—her pink nightgown (which could just about pass for a summer dress) was the perfect shade to compliment her skin tone, and she smelled pleasantly of pink apricorn blossoms.

There was nothing over done; casual but still pretty. Nothing demanding in her appearance: perfect.

"Okay Serena," she whispered to her reflection, "you know what to do; just act casual but not too friendly. I'm trying to tell Ash that I like him, I'm not trying to seduce him." Her cheeks immediately flushed pink at the thought, her skin matching her attire. "Gosh, you had to think that, didn't you? I'm just hoping he's alright with this, nothing more. I am not expecting him to sweep me off my feet, say all those wonderful things, and k-kiss me … "

She abruptly closed her eyes. "Stop that; you're telling Ash how you feel about him before you lose the chance forever. If he's not okay with that, then … I suppose we'll both have to deal with that. Alright, that's enough pep-talk; it's now or never. Just take this one step at a time."

Sighing shakily, she opened her eyes, managing a confident smile at her reflection. She could do this; it was all about staying calm and not being to forward. To give Ash the comfort and space he needed to give his honest response, to reassure him that she wouldn't be too cut up if he rejected her.

It was all about choice, and she intended to give him his.

"Okay, I'm ready to do this. Time to be completely honest with him."

Her hair swayed as she spun swiftly on her heel, gathering the much needed confidence to leave the suite bathroom and venture out of the building into the warm summer night. The air was warm and the breeze was light, but she still felt a shiver race up her spine as she walked outside.

"Whatever happens tonight, please don't say it goes horribly bad. Even if he says no, I'll be fine as long as he remains my friend. That's all I ask for."

Serena had barely finished her mental plea when she came to a halt, her blue eyes spying the form of her travelling companion and childhood friend. He was sat on a rock by the river, his beautiful brown eyes glazed in thought—oh how she loved the chocolate-brown shade of his irises; just one of the features about him she adored the most.

She smoothed out any creases in her nightgown and steeling her nerves, she stepped forward, keeping an even pace. Her heart was pounding wildly again, as though pushing her forward and magnetizing her towards Ash. He must have been deeply immersed in his thoughts to not hear her approaching or look up when she stopped to stand beside him.

"Hello, Ash," she greeted, feeling shockingly meek. She willed herself not to duck her head and blush when he looked up at her, blinking his eyes as he emerged from the depths of his thoughts.

"Serena; hey," he responded warmly, unknowingly giving her that tantalizing smile. His gaze flickered briefly over her attire. "Going for a walk in your pajamas, huh?"

Did he think it was strange? Maybe she should have worn her day clothes, just to be on the safe side—no! She wasn't going to let this set her back. She gave him the most confident smile she could manage. "Oh yeah, I couldn't get to sleep so I thought I'd go for a little walk to tire myself out," spun the half-truth smoothly; she wasn't tired and she had intended to go for a little walk to find him, so it wasn't technically a lie. "It's a lovely evening so I came outside. You don't mind, do you?"

"Don't be so obvious, Serena; just talk how you normally would – just like any other day."

Ash kept on smiling at her. "Why would it bother me? Unless it was cold outside then yeah, it would bother me."

"Oh, well fortunately we don't have that problem, do we?" Oh Arceus, she was laughing and it sounded so fake—even worse, Ash was noticing!

"Are you sure you're feeling okay?" His brow creased in concern. "Maybe you're more tired than you think."

"No, no. I'm fine."

"If you're sure … " He didn't sound reassured.

"Course I am!" she blurted out, then quickly lowered her voice. "I don't look sick, do I?"

"No way."

She could almost hear a clock ticking away in her head, counting down each second as the minutes drizzled by.

"This is it; now or never, Serena. Or, well not never but now is as good chance as any, right? Who knows when you're going to get this chance again? Just take it now before you dig yourself deeper."

It was all about presentation and easing into the conversation: start off with a comfortable subject then be subtle as you steer the conversation towards the confession.

"If I'm comfortable then he should have no reason not to be."

Serena inhaled slowly and deeply, her eyes flickering to Ash and scanning his face for any reaction—none; he didn't think she was being weird as far as visible reactions went. So far so good. "You know, I was thinking about the day we met; about when you bandaged up my knee with your handkerchief." She let her eyes dart away from Ash as he turned his head to look at her, keeping her posture relaxed. "I'd promised myself I would begin my journey so that I could return it to you, but I never expected to meet you again so soon. There goes my motivation, huh?"

She giggled impishly; lifting her hand to cover her lips in what she hoped was a cute, feminine gesture. "But it's strange; returning that handkerchief to you was my motivation to begin my journey but now I have another reason to keep on travelling. We have only been together for a short time but I already feel like I can achieve so much. And I have you to thank for that."

She held back a genuine laugh at the mild surprise that graced Ash's features. "Oh, wow … I never would have thought I had that much of an impact on you. Now I feel really guilty for forgetting about you … " He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Don't worry; now you have the chance to apologize, just like I have the chance to thank you properly. You're forgiven, by the way."

The sheepish look relocated to his smile, but he no longer appeared to hold that tinge of guilt.

"Okay so, this is going well. Nice normal conversation; he knows you don't hold it against him for forgetting about you – people forget a thousand things every day, after all!"

Next step was to keep the conversation about the two of them. Continuing with childhood memories could be a good idea.

"I should ask about him; what his life was life between then and now … "

She tried to keep herself from frowning as she thought back on that summer. Aside from meeting Ash, her memories of the Pokémon Summer Camp were fuzzy, to say the least. She remembered …

… come to think of it, she didn't remember all that much.

"There must be something!"

Ash had bandaged her knee and comforted her with an upbeat "pain, pain, go away!" that, as it would turn out, did help quite a bit. Then he had helped her up and they'd walked back to the main camp ground together, where …

Serena closed her eyes, willing the mental scene to fall back into place: they'd walked back, and then what happened?

"Ashy, did you get lost again?"

Wait a minute—she did recognize that voice … if only she could recall the face that went with it …

They had been walking back to the main camp ground; Ash had been making casual talk … then there was that voice … and that boy!

Yes, she could see it now: the boy with the green eyes and spiky hair; the one who gave Ash that nickname he disliked so much. Then again, she couldn't recall Ash ever making the effort to cease use of that nickname.

Gradually, Serena slipped back into vivid nostalgia; memories that had hidden away in the shadows of her mind were cast into a spotlight only the Luminose Gym could rival. Everything came swimming back to her; those cozy nights spent near the campfire, the days she could barely keep up with Ash as that green-eyed boy coaxed him away from her – at the time she'd felt very much like she were invading on something private just being near the two when they were together. Ash had always greeted her with a smile, whereas the other boy … he was never outright rude but there was always the wavering hint in her mind that indicated he would rather she was not around so much.

That boy … she couldn't remember any specifics other than his basic physical appearance and tolerance for her lingering around them—was that another of Ash's impulsive friendships, or was it one that had existed before and lasted afterwards?

She looked up at Ash, who hadn't spoken or even moved much since the end of their brief discussion. It couldn't hurt to mention that boy, could it? If it led further from what she hoped to say, at least her curiosity would be sated. "Hey, do you remember that boy you introduced me to that summer? I don't remember his name but he had really nice green eyes."

If she wasn't one-hundred percent certain Pikachu was fast asleep on the second floor of the Pokémon Centre, she would have believed Ash had just been dealt a mild shock from his companion. Previously slumped over slightly, his muscles seemed to seize up as he suddenly sat up straight and his gaze snapped back to meet hers, his brown eyes tinged with surprise and underlined with confusion. "And spiky hair?"

Well, he knew what she was talking about, at least. "That's the one! He was Professor Oak's grandson, right?" She thought that was true; she did recall that the grandson of Professor Oak was attending the summer camp, but—

"Yeah; Gary Oak," Ash said, a strange little smile playing on his lips. "Wow, I can't believe you remember him. That was so long ago."

"I remembered you, didn't I?" she quipped with a coy smile.

"That you did."

"That was a fun summer, I learned so much and I met some great friends. Even if Gary and I weren't that close he was still nice; a bit arrogant if I had to admit, but wouldn't every kid be if their grandfather was the great Professor Oak?"

Ash laughed a little. "Yeah he was arrogant, alright. He grew out of it though, and we sorta became friends again."

Her own smile slipped. "Again?" Had something happened to drive them apart?

The hesitance that flashed over his features was so brief, Serena wasn't sure if it had just been her eyes playing tricks on her. "Yeah, again," Ash admitted quietly, leaning back on his hands and staring out at the lake. "For a few years we weren't really on speaking terms unless it meant we were arguing."

"That's awful." She bit down on her tongue the moment she spoke. Honestly, she sounded so tactless; regardless of how sincere she felt. His tone of voice … it didn't sound like they'd just 'drifted apart'; it sounded a lot more like he regretted whatever had happened. Naturally, her curiosity got the better of her: "What happened between you two?" she asked quietly—subconsciously giving him the option to not respond by pretending he hadn't heard?

If Ash had caught on to the way out, he didn't take it. "We just … fell apart. It's not really my place to say but he went through some stuff and decided our friendship was over."

Suddenly aware that she was staring, Serena redirected her line of sight to her lap. She idly picked at the loose threading on the hem of her nightgown. "Poor Gary," she murmured, "and poor you. You guys were so close, I wouldn't have thought being on different planets would have been enough to put a stop to your friendship."

"I didn't either."

Whether or not he would notice, Serena took a chance and looked back at him, her eyes concealed by her hair. "Well … at least he grew out of it and realized you're a true friend," she offered.

"Yeah, after I beat him."

She raised an eyebrow, feeling her amusement tugging at the corners of her lips. "You beat him?"

There was no way she was imagining the subtle smile mirrored on Ash's lips. "In the Silver Conference; it was a close call, but I got the win. Not the whole tournament—I lost the next match—but while I was kinda bummed about that, I was happy that I finally beat him."

"That's unfortunate. About losing the tournament, I mean. It's great that you were satisfied."

"We talked for a while before that, actually. We decided we were friends after all."

"I'm happy for you. It sounds like he really meant a lot to you."

"He does. He was my first friend and my longest one; just before you."

This time she really couldn't keep the smile from her lips, especially when he was giving her such a beautiful smile of his own. "You considered me your friend for all this time?"

"Of course I did; friends mean everything to me."

"Thank you, Ash. I know we're pulling threads since technically you forgot I existed, but it means a lot."

"Oh, he looks so cute when he blushes," her inner voice cooed as colour rushed to fill Ash's cheek.

"Yeah, well," he murmured sheepishly, "at least I remember now, huh?"

"That you do," she beamed, and leaned ever-so-slightly closer to him, "that you do … "

He was so close; she could feel his body warm, practically taste him in the air …

"Oh gosh, Serena—creep-o-meter skyrocketing," she chastised herself mentally, "if he could hear what you were thinking .. "

She could already feel the burn in her cheeks and quickly turned her head in the opposite direction, silently praying he wouldn't notice her discomfort. "So, do you think Gary would remember me?" she asked; the question being the first on her mind. She breathed a sigh of relief when Ash answered immediately.

"He might if he saw you, like I did. Who knows; you'd have to ask him yourself."

"I'd like to meet him again," she admitted in a small voice. "For old time's sake."

"Maybe you will. Someday … "

"How is Gary nowadays? Is he still training somewhere?"

"Nah, after the Silver Conference he decided to become a Researcher. He was in Sinnoh the last time I saw him, I think he's still there."

"A Researcher; is that sort of like what his grandfather does?"

"Yeah but he doesn't spend a lot of time in the lab. He gets out there and still battles sometimes, but not that much anymore. That's really bad 'cause he's a really good trainer." He paused. "Just don't tell him I told you that."

She smiled. "I promise. But only if you give me the whole story."

"We spoke again properly a while later; it was near the beginning of our journeys and we both ended up fishing in a stream a little outside of Pallet Town. Well, I was there first and Gary appeared a while later after I almost caught a Magikarp."

"Almost?" For the life in her, she couldn't keep the teasing smile from forming on her lips. "You understand how notoriously easy they are to catch?"

"It had a pretty mean Flail attack!" he protested amidst her laughter.

"I'm sorry," she giggled, "please continue."

"You're not gonna laugh again, are you?"

"No way! I promise." For emphasis, she pressed her lips together, forcing her face to relax.

"Don't make him mad, don't blow this."

Ash studied her face for a long while before he was satisfied she intended to keep her word. "He laughed about it, too, and we starting arguing until we both got a bite on the fishing lines. Except it wasn't a pokémon; it was a pokéball. We fought over it and ended up breaking it. I got one half and he got the other."

Two halves of the same poké ball? That was so … cute in a way. In more than one way. Like the old fairytales where the medallion was broken in half, and the two owners of each half were reunited years later, recognizing one another by their own trinkets.

"I wonder .. "

"Do you still have it?" she inquired. "Your half of the poké ball?"

Surprise mingled with curiosity in brown eyes. "Yeah, I always have it with me," he confirmed, a slight frown touching his features as he reached into his jacket pocket. A moment later he withdrew a small drawstring pouch. "Right in here."

He carefully opened up the pouch, then tilted it to allow the broken, white part of the capsule to tumble out and land on his open palm, holding it out for Serena to see.

She gingerly picked it up between her index finger and thumb; the once pristine white surface had dulled to a light grey, and the curved edges were encrusted with rust from years of neglect in salty water. "You kept this for all this time," she mused, allowing it to rest upon her open palm. "Did Gary keep his half?"

"He had it when we spoke at the Silver Conference, but I don't know if he still does … he said he'd keep it on him but who knows?"

She stared at the trinket in her hand for a long while, drinking in every detail of the tattered yet sentimental image. "I think he does," she said finally, holding it out for Ash to take back. "He kept it while the two of you were rivals so why wouldn't he keep it now you're friends?"

He shrugged. "I don't think Gary is the sentimental type; not really."

Serena barely kept herself from frowning. "He is definitely cut up about this … I don't remember Gary as well as Ash knows him, but I don't see their friendship just falling apart beyond repair, whatever the reasons may be."

"Well he must be a little if he kept half a pokéball with him for so long," she offered optimistically. "If he didn't want it then why didn't he just throw it out?"

For a few moments, Ash seemed to consider his answer. "Because … he works in weird ways. It's like I said; we were real close for a long time but … some things don't last. I wouldn't blame him for moving on."

"Then why are you so sad about the thought?"

Serena looked down at his closed hand that held the broken poké ball half, slowly tilting her head in thought. "You two were really good friends, huh?"

"Best friends when we were really young," Ash agreed, somewhat spaced out. "We did a lot together."

"Like what?"

"Kid stuff. But it was special, y'know?" She cocked her head to the side, urging him to elaborate. "Because those are my memories, my childhood. Like how everyone holds their life in high regard. It's always special for those people, so my memories are special to me."

"Does that include me?" she dared herself to ask. Her heart lifted when Ash smiled at her.

"Of course it does!" he said, as though she'd asked if a Thunderstone made Pikachu evolve. "I care about all my friends, even if I never thought I'd see them again."

"Yeah, I used to wonder if I would ever see you again and if you would remember me if we did, and if you were different than you were back then," she admitted. "But I never guessed we'd be travelling together—talk about fate, huh?" She giggled nervously, letting her hair fall over her face to conceal her blush.

Peeking through the dark blonde strands, she felt relief fill her as Ash continued to smile. "I guess it is," he mused. "I never thought I'd travel this far; I always lived in the now – get the badges, train for the League, then end up moving on to the next region and repeating the journey."

"That must be so nice; to just keep going and meeting new people and pokémon, not knowing or caring when it's going to end. I envy you, Ash."

"You can still have that; I'm just a few years ahead."

She felt a pang of sadness seep into her smile. "I don't think you understood what I meant, Ash … "

"I'd like to go back to Kanto one day," she said as casually as she could, peering back at the rising moon. "I have good memories from there and who doesn't love nostalgia? Who knows, I might run into Gary and get an answer about whether he remembers me or not. And you could find out if he still has his half of the pokéball."

"I could … but Gary isn't like that. He's a lot different than he was back then, it'd be weird to ask him about that; he'd probably think I was an idiot. More than he usually does."

"Don't say that; people change but friendship remains. Just look at us! Worst comes to worst then you can get to know each other all over again; a clean slate."

"Can you do that if you've been through so much with someone?"

"It's worth a try, isn't it? Do you want to pass up the opportunity for something great just because you're scared of how they might react? Because that doesn't sound like the Ash Ketchum I know."

"I … well, I … " He cut himself off, shaking his head with a sad smile. "It's not like this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to make him not hate me. C'mon, it could be worse. We're still friends, even if we don't see each other all the time. Or speak to each other … "

Serena looked back at Ash, whose brown eyes were downcast and focused on the water. His smile had slipped from his expression, his lips in a subtle line; an unconscious frown. She was never an expert at reading emotions, but some were far too blatant to be missed.

Words spilled from her lips before she could attempt to hold them back: "Then why not call him? Or send him a postcard; just to say hi."

When Ash stared back at her, his brown eyes were tinged with bewilderment. "Are you kidding? Call Gary? W-what would I even say to him? He'll be busy, anyway."

"You don't know that," she insisted. "Even if he is then you won't know until you try; he might be happy to be reassured that you care enough to check in on him now and then. You said it yourself; friends mean everything to you, so why don't you let them know that—starting with Gary."

For the longest moment the only response she had coaxed from him was the same bewildered stare. Then slowly, he turned away to refocus his gaze upon the lake's clear surface. "I … I guess I could," he murmured; hesitance radiated from his entire posture. "I just—I don't know what I would say."

"'Hello' is usually a good place to start," she teased half-heartedly, nudging his shoulder. "Maybe you could follow up with 'how's it going?' or 'hope you're doing well'."

He smirked a little. "Maybe."

"What harm could it do? It might be all you need to become closer and restore the friendship you guys had."

"You really think I should?"

"I know you should: show Gary that you care about him and that you're thinking about him to this day."

Ash looked away, his eyes hidden beneath the rim of his cap. His fist clenched around his half of the pokéball, his entire arm trembling slightly. "I guess I could," he whispered just loud enough for her to hear, "he did send me a postcard a while back and I never sent a response … I could finally return the favour."

Unease peeled away from Serena entirely and a smile broke through her cautious exterior. "So there's more than one reason."

"Come on, Ash. You don't have to be so unsure about this – he's your friend and you clearly want him back, so let him know that!"

"You could say that," he hesitantly admitted, as though he were physically forcing himself to form those words.

Serena felt disappointment well up inside her and could have deflated like a Jigglypuff who had been denied the chance to sing. "Ash," she murmured, feeling oddly dejected.

"Just admit it, would you? This is exactly how you lose someone … " She paused, her joints suddenly rigid. "This … is exactly how I felt … years ago when I realized I liked you, Ash. As more than just a friend." Her heart picked up in tempo. "And you don't look much different from how I did, when it hit me that my chances of finding you, of telling you were zero-to-nothing … "

"Oh, Ash … "

"Huh?"

She broke out from her inner musings, quickly aware that she had spoken aloud and feeling her cheeks warm up because of it. "Oh, um … I meant—" She pressed her lips together, inhaling deeply through her nose.

"This is no time for beating around the bush, Serena. Just be blunt so there's no chance he won't know exactly what you mean."

"I meant that you shouldn't waste this chance, or even postpone it. Act now that you have the chance."

The confusion that spilled from his face was the response she received.

"Ash, let me honest with you." She shifted, turning so that she could stare him straight in the eyes. "Before we met again, I was often mad at myself for not being able to get into contact with you. That summer at Camp was really special to me; you gave me the confidence I needed to really believe that I could do this, and it felt awful not to be able to thank you for it. To not be able to … " She swallowed heavily, compressing the urge to look away from him. "To tell you how I felt about you; how good a friend I considered you. And it hurt—if I'd been able to speak to you just once, I would have told you. I was lucky enough to be able to meet you again when you came here, but what about you? Who says you will have that chance with Gary? You postpone contacting him until it's too late to salvage what you both once had. Who says someone else won't enter his life and take your rightful place in his heart?"

But the time she'd finished her plea, Serena barely kept herself from gulping down air like a Skitty who couldn't swim. But if she had she doubted Ash would have cared … or noticed. He was staring at her, his expression unchanging until he finally broke eye contact with her. His own eyes didn't return to the lake, but gazed up at the sky.

The tension that grasped Serena was thick enough for a Sneasel's claws to slash through; her anxiety matched that of waiting for a shiny pokémon to appear.

Finally, Ash drew in a slow, deep breath. "You waited that long to tell me?"

"Ash, please don't … this is about you, not me."

But she nodded, even so.

" … wow," was all he said in response.

"Ash … "

"Are you willing to lose him?" she asked quietly. "To admit that he doesn't mean that much to you; that you won't even try to rekindle the bond you had?"

"That's not it!" She was taken aback at how forceful his words were. "It's not me admitting me doesn't mean anything to me, it's—it's complicated, okay?"

"What's complicated?" she demanded, the last of her patience grinding to dust. "I don't know what happened between you and Gary, but I do know that you care about him, and if that summer was any indication, then he's crazy about you! Feelings like that don't just vanish!"

For a moment, Ash could only stare at her in surprise, before gathering his wits and replying with: "And how would you know that?"

Her heart stuttered.

"What makes you think that there's anything between me and Gary that can be salvaged? Face it, Serena … he doesn't want my friendship. Nothing more than we have now."

"How do you know that?" she pressed. "Ash, if I'd passed up the chance to have you as a friend, then I'd never have forgiven myself. Being your friend … it's enough."

Her heart felt as though it were beating once each second, never relenting in tempo. The echoing thump of each beat drummed through her head and she mentally counted each one—anything to focus on to keep her from flinching beneath Ash's stare. Eventually, she reached a full sixty.

"Show him, Ash. Through a letter, a call, or a visit … just show him you care."

" … and if he rejects it?"

"Then you can't say you didn't try? As though you would accept that, Ash."

"Then fight for him, but always make sure he has his own choice; it's about what both of you want."

Maybe it wasn't the answer Ash had expected, or even wanted, but he was certainly considering it. His brown eyes dimmed as he lost sight of reality for a few fleeting moment.

"Come on, Ash – just say you'll consider it before shooting it down."

"I … I'll sleep on it," he finally relented.

Those words of confirmation … as though the Jigglypuff had received an even greater opportunity, Serena felt her heart swell. She quickly bit down on her cheeks to keep back her smile; one of undiluted joy at that one quietly spoken promise. "You really mean that." It wasn't a question.

Any uncertainty lingering on his face seamlessly melted away. "It'd be nice to know how he's doing."

Her attempts to hold back her smile failed miserably. "That's a yes." She'd have said it out loud but subtle signs of nervousness on Ash's face kept her lips firmly pressed together. "That definitely wouldn't help his confidence in the matter – remember what you promised about digging yourself deeper."

Blue eyes studied the distant pair of brown, no longer glazed over but sharper; a flash of determination piercing through the nerves.

"I think he needs some time alone. Whereas I … well, it's gonna be a big day tomorrow." She allowed her yawn to make itself known. "Well, I'm beat. This night stroll certainly did what I hoped it would." She stood up as she spoke. "I'll see you in the morning then, yeah?"

This time, Ash didn't look up. "Yeah."

As she turned and walked away, her head was swimming and she felt as though the breeze could effortlessly carry her away as though she were a Hoppip. Had she really done that? Gone against what she'd ordered herself to in order to convince Ash to be with someone else?

"Huh, maybe this is what Mom said about needing to grow up." She frowned slightly. "But doesn't this mean I'm ignoring my own advice? That whole speech I gave to Ash about taking the chance while you have it … I had mine and I gave it up to push Ash towards someone else. Am I going to regret this someday?"

As though struck by an invisible Ice Beam, her legs suddenly become rigid.

"I told him that being his friend was enough, and I do mean that … but can I live with not telling him? There might be a chance in the future that he'll know, but it's just as likely not to happen … can I live with being hypocritical and not telling him?"

"Hey, Serena?" She halted her inner debate and looked over her shoulder to find that Ash was smiling back at her. "Thanks. I, uh … you give good pep talks," he said, ducking his head a little and running a hand through his hair.

She didn't need to fake the smile she gave him in return. "From one friend to another," she said, and turned back towards the Pokémon Centre.

"Yes," she told herself, her smile lingering, "I can live with that."

xxx

Author's Note: I've read far too many Palletshipping fics where one of the main girls (though usually Misty) believes it's true love between her and Ash, and when she finds out he loves Gary she spontaneously morphs into a Yandere and has to be dragged away hissing and spitting in a marvelous show of OOC. So as either friendship or romance, I wanted to write a fic where the girl gracefully backs down without the overwhelming urge to cause a scene and embarrass herself.

So, you like? Hate? Though it was "meh"? Please let me know~ :D