I've gotten a few questions about Serena's extracurricular activities. She has slept with quite a few partners (total number not disclosed), but a few will be brought up as the story moves along. Enjoy!

IV

Serena

"There's always time to back out," Palermo pleaded, tugging at Serena's left shoulder ever so gently. "Trust me, you don't want to do this."

"C'mon. Live a little," retorted the Kalos native, shrugging off the gesture. "Besides, I've got it in the bag."

"No. No, you really don't."

"Trainers to their positions!" Dawn yelled, gesturing to two marked boxes at opposing ends of a pitch. Situated within a small park, its simple dirt bedding was hidden under an array of white lines, all connecting to create a battlefield of relatively standard size.

Serena licked her lips, feeling good about her chances. Her belly was full of top-notch food and her heart was pounding with the prospect of a good fight. And even better - Dawn had volunteered to referee the match. What could go wrong?

It was a gorgeous day, something that Serena was thankful for as she made her way to her assigned position, Josh doing the same. His suit billowed in concert with the bright white of her clothes, the both of them stark contrasts against the glittering light of the famed Anistar Sundial. The structure was clearly visible in the distance, making for an astounding backdrop. Fletchlings and Pidgeys flew from up on high, their wings beating against the gentle breeze blowing through the air. The sun was beginning to sink against the horizon, setting the stage for what was to come.

"Beautiful evening, eh?" asked Josh, pacing the perimeter of his box. He dug in the heels of his bools with relative trepidation, scanning for any possible passerby.

"It'd be even more beautiful if we used one of the freely available public arenas in the city," Serena fired back, still annoyed at the man for dragging the whole group all the way out here.

"What's the matter, Kalos Queen? Chicken?"

"Oh, you so did not go there."

"I'm there already."

She had known Josh for less than two hours, yet he delighted in annoying her as much as he possibly could. First, he came up with the terrible idea of making them fight on the outskirts of Anistar City as far away as possible from civilization. Secondly, he kept pestering her with her coveted moniker of Kalos Queen. And third, he just... wouldn't... say anything helpful. Damn him. Damn him to hell. Even Palermo was more useful despite the fact that she was content to spectate the match on a nearby park bench.

Dawn cleared her throat from a marked circle near the middle of the sidelines, situating herself in the proper refereeing spot. "This will be a three on three battle between Serena Gabena of Vaniville Town and Josh of... er, where are you from?"

"Sophian Island, Oblivia," he muttered, his wandering eyes finally satisfied that no wayward travelers would stumble upon this gathering. He steeled himself, locking a gaze upon Serena's figure.

Damn, she thought. Oblivia was a long way from Kalos. It must have taken the man considerable time to get here. Well... assuming he came straight from there at all. Who knew?

Continuing her spiel of the rules, Dawn moved on. "Both trainers may substitute Pokemon at any time. All items sanctioned under Battling Resolution Eighty-Four are allowed; any illegal usage will result in a forfeiture of the match. Remember, no unnecessary destruction of the battlefield, no slandering of your opponent, and no assaults on said opponent... Still can't believe I have to say that. Serena, are you ready?"

"Hell yeah."

"Josh, are you ready?"

"... I guess."

Serena lowered herself to one knee, placing down her purse and reaching for one of the red-and-white capsules nestled within. She had the perfect Pokemon in mind to start the battle with; going easy would not be tolerated given the magnitude of what was about to occur. The Kalos native was under no illusions that the man she was facing was not a novice, but she was confident in her ability as a battler. Years of performances and challenge matches had refined her techniques regardless of how unconventional they tended to be. Most Gym Leaders would flee in fear from the sheer reputation her team had developed over time.

"Excellent!" chirruped Dawn. "Serena, you issued the challenge. Per the rules, you get to go first - you may throw when ready."

Palermo indulged in a smattering of applause as she attempted to cheer on both sides, though Serena detected a hint of fear in her enthusiasm. The question was this - was the president scared for her or Josh? Her prior interactions with the man earlier this evening did little to reassure the Kalos native that her boss was on her side.

Serena grasped a hand around the Pokeball she had in mind, its cool surface a soothing balm to the heat of her palms. The sensation ignited her inner passion, setting it ablaze with determination to fight this guy and get some answers.

"Alright, here goes nothing. Bring it on."

Josh held up a hand. "Wait."

Serena straightened her figure and brushed off the dirt around her knees. "What?"

"Back at the diner... you told me that you thought battling was a language. I concur, or else I wouldn't have agreed to this particular activity. In light of our complementary views... how would you feel about entering into a friendly wager?"

"What wager?" she asked, squaring up into a prime throwing position.

"Think of it a little like Twenty Questions. You've piqued my curiosity and I yours. If I knock out one of your Pokemon, you have to answer a question. If you take out one of mine, I answer one of yours. So on and so on until the end of the match. You can try to scrounge up whatever information you can get your hands on while I get to find out more about you. Deal?"

"Fine. Why not? I don't think you'll be able to dig anything good out of me. Just saying, you won't have much to go on if you do."

"Try me."

To hell with it. The last few months had been a blur for Serena, so this was a welcome respite. It had been a very long time since she had a real fight and the prospect of one could practically be tasted in the air. There was something alluring... something exciting about taking a blind leap of faith. She would be hesitant to tell a stranger her secrets in nearly any other situation, but this was no ordinary stranger. And... if Ash was able to muster the strength to share things openly, then so could she. Barb and Wayne from therapy would be thrilled to hear about this bold new step towards working out her feelings!

Serena exhaled, deciding on her course of action. She thumbed the release button on the capsule in her possession. "I'll hold you to it, then. Let's roll."

Grinning, Josh bowed his head in agreement. "I'm glad you came around. You're doing me a favor, actually. By all means..."

"Pangoro, show me what you can do!" Serena barked in response, tossing out a red-and-white Pokeball and releasing her beloved partner from his seclusion.

"GOR!" bellowed the Pokemon, landing onto the battlefield with a distinct crunch. Three hundred pounds of pure muscle rippled from his figure, but that served little to faze Serena's opponent.

Josh seemed bored at what laid before him, both hands tucked firmly in his suit pockets. He seemed to contemplate the nature of his response, finally coming to a decision after several moments had been spent dawdling. Without uttering so much as a word, he too fished out a standard-issue Pokeball, sending it flying towards the battlefield with a topspin from the v of his fingers. A ray of white light zigzagged in the air, setting the entire park alight against the evening sky. It curved and spun and twisted and contorted until it hit the dirt, morphing into a rather unusual creature. The rarity of the Pokemon surprised Serena, but it was offset by her pure disappointment at how plain the choice was. With a man of Josh's presumed talents, he had decided to send out this. A rocky cesspool of magma. A... a...

A Magcargo.

"Maggggggg," croaked the Lava Pokemon, rising from the dirt with the usual sluggishness associated with the species.

Serena could not mask her reaction to the man's choice, given that he willingly chose to send out a Pokemon weak to her Pangoro. Not only was the typing at a disadvantage, but so was the speed disparity between the two of them. A poor matchup at best.

"I see your observational skills are less than presumed," Josh said coolly, snapping a set of fingers. His demeanor changed so quickly into utter seriousness that it was legitimately frightening. He was in battle mode now, no doubt.

Palermo whistled in surprise. "You're dead."

Serena smiled sweetly at her boss. "Oh, I'm sorry. Would you like to battle for me?"

"On second thought, I'm fine. Best of luck, my dear."

"Thanks."

"GORO!" howled Serena's Pokemon, clearly agitated at being ignored for so long. He stamped his feet to the ground, causing several lampposts around the park to shake under the vibrations.

"Oh, sorry," she apologized, allowing her partner's habitual characteristics to fill her heart with pride. She cracked her knuckles with fired-up enthusiasm, slipping into the fighting spirit she shared with Pangoro. "You ready for this, buddy?"

"Pan. Pan... GA!" he responded, grinning as mischievously as he did back in the days of when he was still a Pancham. The image warmed Serena's heart - even though he was now pretty terrifying to others, he would always be the cute little baby Pancham she picked up all those years ago.

Serena blinked away the memory, taking the chance to peer at Josh and Magcargo. The both of them had stone-cold poker faces etched across their gazes, only offset by the low rumbling of whatever was brewing inside the Lava Pokemon. Two thoughts immediately came to Serena in light of her initial assessment. First, maybe she was being a little too overconfident in her expectations of this match. Many a powerful trainer had fallen before her, but this was different. And second, she had heard the rumors of Magcargo's inner temperature being well over eighteen thousand degrees Fahrenheit. She scoffed at the thought, dismissing it as impossible. A temperature of that kind of intensity would not only melt the planet but render it to oblivion. There had to be a better explanation.

Serena flicked her head towards Dawn, rotating the cuffs of her shoulders as she did so. The bluenette snapped out of her apparent daze at the unfolding situation, taking the gesture as a cue to kick off the battle.

"Begin!"

As soon as she uttered the word, Dawn took a firm step backward, clearly not wanting to be caught in the crossfire of combat. Serena didn't particularly blame her - she had no doubts about attacks being confined within the battlefield, but the park wasn't exactly a large one.

"Your move," Josh challenged, lowering a hand in notice of Serena's newfound skepticism.

She growled, mentally crafting a note to make her posture seem less obvious next time. "You heard him, Pangoro. Now, Arm Thrust with an oomph!"

The Daunting Pokemon bellowed, swaggering towards the waiting Magcargo with a set of glowing fists. Despite his lethargic speed, he closed the distance within the battlefield in the span of no more than a few seconds, delivering an uppercut in synch with Serena's heartbeat.

Boom. Bam. Boom. Bam. Boom. Bam.

Thrust after thrust of Pangoro's arms landed on the Lava Pokemon, all meeting their target. It was easy. Too easy. Both Josh and Magcargo were silent, seemingly unfazed by the constant barrage of supereffective hits raining down from above. Even the size was a joke, what with Pangoro being at least three times larger. The punishment continued with no signs of being let up - Serena was confident her partner could keep it up for as long as he needed to, but the duration of those Arm Thursts added to her growing unease with the situation.

Josh craned his neck, initiating a brief second of eye contact between him and his Pokemon. Not a single word was uttered, yet Magcargo seemed to understand what its trainer was asking. Such a gesture of unspoken communication should be difficult at best, yet...

FWWWWWOOOOOMMMMM!

Blazing heat erupted from the center of Magcargo's body, slamming into Pangoro's chest at point-blank range before the Daunting Pokemon even had a moment to react. Serena grimaced in tune with her partner as she recoiled in horror of what had happened as he was sent flying across to her side of the field. The sight of a three hundred pound hulk being sent hurtling like catapult ammunition would have been kind of funny if it hadn't been done so violently. Pangoro hit the ground with a sickening thud, kicking up a cloud of smoke upon impact.

"Holy shit," Dawn blurted, clearly just as rattled as Serena was. Palermo tsk-tsked in disapproval with a look that signaled an expectation of what was going to happen.

Smoke continued to spew over Serena's portion of the field, causing her to rub her eyes repeatedly in an attempt to keep them clear. The intensity of the blast had turned most of the dirt into volcanic soot, which was extraordinarily odd into itself. She could barely see anything in the midst of the chaos, but she cried out in concern for her Pokemon.

"Pangoro! Pangoro, are you okay?"

She got her answer soon enough. The smoke faded away in short order, suctioning towards Magcargo's waiting body like a vacuum. Vapors wafted in the air as the Pokemon absorbed all the fumes in its vicinity. Every last droplet and atom of haze entered its shell, disappearing as quickly as they had come. As the darkening sky cleared from the resulting explosion of lava, it lifted its veil to reveal a defeated Pangoro on the ground, his eyes rolled up in a classic fainting display.

"The fuck?" gaped Serena, taking a step back in fear. Not only had that Magcargo tanked repeated supereffective hits with not even a scratch, it one hit KOed her Pokemon instantly. And to top it off, that fucker had suctioned away harmful pollutants with the potency of a Muk on a garbage pile.

"Caaagggaaa," Magcargo groaned, snorting out some white smoke in equal parts satisfaction and happiness with its work. It looked so smug while doing it, too.

"Pangoro is unable to battle. The winner is Magcargo," Dawn declared, gesturing towards the aforementioned Pokemon. "Battlers, prepare for the second round. And, uh... feel free to do your thing. I'm here whenever y'all are ready."

Josh upturned his nose in approval. "First things first. Serena, you're a busy gal - I get that, but let's not kid ourselves here. I know when people are desperately trying to avoid confronting their demons. So, thus begs the question... what are you distracting yourself from?"

"Uh, excuse me? I think the first question needs to be how the fuck did you do that?" retorted Serena, frantically rushing to Pangoro's side. She nursed the Pokemon, reminding herself to stop by the nearest Pokemon Center once all this was over.

"Ah ah," scolded the man, clicking his tongue. "I asked first. What's up with your little distracting binge?"

"None of your business," Serena growled, recalling Pangoro to his Pokeball and making the trek back to her assigned box.

"You promised. I suppose you like to break promises too?"

"Damn you. Fine. I... I prefer to take my mind off of certain things. It's better that way."

"Someone hurt you?"

"Sorry," she hissed, swapping out Pangoro's Pokeball with another from her purse. "That's another question. You'll have to score again if you want me to spill."

"Very well. So be it."

Serena wasn't in the mood to answer Josh's followup either. Her body seethed with equal parts rage and desperation as she struggled to process the torrent of emotions pouring through her mind. Her gut feelings from earlier had proven her correct - this was no ordinary match nor was the person she was facing ordinary in any way. And she swore without a doubt that Magcargo had a shit-eating grin splayed across its face. Maybe it was just the magma sludging around as it moved, but there was definitely a spark of contempt there.

A spark she intended to make into a very punchable target.

"Sylveon, battle dance!" yelled Serena, releasing her next Pokemon onto the field. While it was true that her team was more comfortable with performing, she had every confidence in their capability to throw down if needed.

"Vyi! Va!" the Intertwining Pokemon chirruped, landing on all four paws with the usual grace associated with Fairy types. The female looked at Serena, clearly confused at the chance of pace.

"We're in a pretty rough fight, Sylvie," admitted the Kalos native, "but I need you to pull through for me. You ready to do this?"

"Va! Va!"

"I knew I could count on you. Let's do our best, 'kay?"

"Va!"

That settles it. The gloves are off now. Time to hurt this fucker back, Serena thought.

Josh made no change, opting to stick with Magcargo. Serena bit her lip, deciding to shake up the game plan. Long-range attacks would have to play a major role in her ploy to continue the battle on the offense. Yes, virtually all of Sylveon's moves were long-range anyway, but Serena wanted to be mindful and keep her Pokemon well away from whatever was brewing inside that sludge of lava. Pangoro's brutal shellacking still rang within her soul, begging for a small shred of revenge.

"Well?" Josh asked, tracing the red-trimmed linings of his suit, "I'm waiting."

"Oh, right," Dawn muttered. She was quite invested in the back-and-forth between Serena and Josh, something that embarrassed the former to no end. Airing dirty laundry in front of her friends was hardly her idea of a productive evening. Palermo didn't seem too bothered by it, though.

"Challengers, begin!" finished the bluenette, taking another cautious step backward.

"Sylvie, go! Double Team and follow with Swift!" Serena ordered, implementing her strategy with haste.

"Vieeeeeee!" cried the Pokemon, launching into battle at Serena's command. Sylveon's eyes glinted as she immediately began the process of copying herself, dozens upon dozens of illusions appearing across the battlefield. Josh and Magcargo seemed unfazed, both doing absolutely nothing. Their shared nonchalance pissed off Serena to no end. Were they even taking this battle seriously?

Sylveon's illusions flickered for a moment as the Eeveelution shared in Serena's concerns - she knew her partner was thinking the same thing. Shouting out reassurances, she motioned for Sylveon to continue with the second phase of the attack.

"SYL-VA!" Sylveon bellowed, conjuring up hundreds of golden stars around her copied forms. They shone with the strength of countless battles, all spinning and floating in the evening sky against the backdrop of the Anistar Sundial. In a Showcase, the move combination would garner considerable applause. In a battle, the move combination would strike fear in the hearts of those who had never encountered such a sight. And in this particular fight... the move combination did nothing. Magcargo remained in place, expectantly awaiting the attack.

Streams upon streams of golden stars began flying from the army of Sylveons, nearly blinding not only Serena but the Pidgeys roosting in a few nearby trees. Dawn and Palermo could attest to the amplitude of the brightness, both shielding their faces as the stars flew with the vigor of shurikens. The full brunt of the attack rained down in a matter of seconds, hailing Magcargo's waiting form with the fury of a Mamoswine-induced hailstorm. Resultingly, a cloud of smoke spewed up in a manner similar to Pangoro's, but this time, it belonged to none other than the accursed sludge of lava who was currently taking an attack that had brought down Altarias and Goodras alike.

Serena hollered in joy as Sylveon's illusions disappeared, both of them sharing in the joy of landing an incredibly powerful hit. That Swift attack was no slouch and was much stronger than others, something that many of Serena's prior opponents could attest to. Even Slyveon wholeheartedly agreed, the Pokemon trotting around in one of her little dances - once a performer, always a performer.

"Ha! Now I get to ask a question," Serena chortled, allowing her Pokemon to continue her celebration - Arceus be damned, they had both earned the right to do so. "So, let's start with what I asked you in the diner. Who are you? And don't beat around the bush with me."

Josh's steely gaze was barely visible through the din of the smoke, but it pierced at Serena all the same. His arms were crossed, though he made no motion to reply.

"..."

"Hey, I thought you were a stickler for promises? Who's laughing now?"

"Uh, Serena..." Dawn gulped, raising her voice just loud enough for her to hear. "I don't think he's going to need to answer that."

Puzzled, she turned to reply. "Why?"

"Well... take a look."

The smoke on the field faded just like last time, absorbing back into and revealing a completely intact Magcargo. True to form from the prior fight with Pangoro, not a single scratch rested on the Pokemon's body. It reveled in the haze, seemingly fueled by each and every little bit it could suck back into its body. What was more was that the shell on its back was glowing a soft shade of white. It was a move; Serena was sure of that. She was unfamiliar with which one, however.

"Shell Smash!" cried Dawn, signaling her familiarity with the move.

"Laaaaaaaaaaaa," Magcargo rumbled, shaking its body slowly. Josh made no move or uttered even so much a command, seemingly content with letting his Pokemon do whatever it wanted.

In the corners of her eyes, Serena noticed Palermo hiding her face in her hands. It seemed that the president was resigned to her protege's fate, a sentiment that she too was beginning to share. In a matter of minutes, anger had melted to happiness to despair in the path of Magcargo's wrath.

Serena's knees trembled as Slyveon broke off her happy dance, the Pokemon also noticing Magcargo's behavior. For the first time, the Kalos native realized just how truly and utterly fucked she was. She had assumed that Magcargo was something like a glass cannon, able to fire off powerful moves before being undone with a stream of counterattacks. That assumption had been proven false, and now Sylveon was in considerable danger as a result.

A chill shot up Serena's spine as Josh and Magcargo tilted their heads in synchronization. She gulped, firing off another order to Sylveon. "Back off! Jump and use Fairy Wind before-"

BBOOOWAAASSHHHHH!

Serena didn't even get a chance to finish her command. Sylveon's body buckled as Magcargo rammed into the Fairy-type at a ridiculous speed. It far outsped even Ash's Greninja, which she thought to be nigh impossible. If the Pokemon hadn't currently been resting at Professor Oak's ranch, Serena would've dragged him all the way out here to see for himself.

Sylveon crashed to the ground without so much a fuss or resistance, passing out just as she touched the dirt. Magcargo sped away, flashing back to Josh's side of the field so quickly that Serena swore he was teleporting instead of moving as any normal Pokemon should. How the hell did Shell Smash boost his speed by that much?

"Hm," Josh hummed, hiding a cough behind an enclosed fist. "Well done, my friend."

"Cargooooooooo."

Satisfied with his partner's answer, he turned his attention back to Serena. "Alas, one more bites the dust. I do believe it's time for another question."

"How... how... but... how?" she stammered, recalling Slyveon back to her Pokeball, albeit with quivering hands. The fire in her heart was doused with a baleful wave of reality.

Palermo's loud silence reverberated from the sidelines, finishing Serena's sentence for her. What else was there to say? What could possibly be asked to fully come to grasp with the kind of brutality exercised by Magcargo? No battle ever fought had anything on this. Anything. There were strong Pokemon, yes. Brutal trainers, yes. But nothing so... laser-focused on a singular goal by both trainer and Pokemon.

Serena sighed, reeling back at the utter savagery of which her beloved was crushed. It was at the crux of this moment that she knew the battle was lost. She had underestimated Magcargo the first time and overestimated her own Pokemon the second. Both had cost her dearly. She brought Sylveon's Pokeball up to her lips, whispering words of reassurance before exchanging it for the final capsule in her purse - that of her starter and most trusted partner, Delphox.

"So... My question," pressed Josh. "You've got it all. Friends. A career. Life. Yet there's more to you than meets the eye. Sounds like someone hurt you. Am I correct?"

Serena couldn't help but snort. "That's exactly what I told myself this morning - life and career stuff, y'know. It's how I deal with my... my loss."

"Ah, a loss. I know the feeling, unfortunately. You must be very brave, going on like this."

"Maggggggg," chimed in the dream-killer, rumbling in agreement.

Serena hesitated. It felt wrong somehow to spill the beans. Like she was betraying Ash's memory in some way. Yet... something told her to keep going, and it wasn't just because that Magcargo was looking at her all weird. Josh's sympathetic gaze nudged at her to continue.

"I knew a guy," she sighed, lowering her arms to her sides, Delphox's Pokeball still firmly in her possession. "He was the best friend I ever had. I think I loved him. Then he... then he decided to leave."

"Oh? I've run into quite a few people. Who was he?"

"That's another question," she muttered weakly.

"I think you and I both know you want to answer this."

Serena worked up the courage to press onwards. "Ash. Ash Ketchum was his name."

Dawn looked on in solitary from her place in the referee box, surprised that Serena would open up so willingly about this. Her face then twisted into a touch of melancholy at a mention of Ash. She was pretty close to him too, so the disappearance hit her hard as well. Palermo hummed in acceptance, having heard the story many times over. It was a strange sight, all of them holding a degree of mourning for a man long considered to be dead.

It was Josh's reaction that Serena was interested in the most. There was a ghost of familiarity scrawled across his face... or the beginnings of one, at least. Maybe it was a hallucination, or perhaps the sunset was playing tricks on her eyes.

"I'm... sorry to hear that," Josh apologized. "It's tough to lose a loved one. Even tougher when you know it's too late to do anything about it. Shall we continue?"

Serena huffed. "Do we need to keep going?"

"Do you want to?"

"... No."

She wasn't kidding about it either. Any inkling of vigor she had about finishing a battle was taken away the moment she realized the full extent of what that Magcargo could do. Serena recalled seeing grainy footage of a battle some idiot had with Champion Cynthia of the Sinnoh region once. What was his name? Pa... Paul something. He tried a similar stunt against the champion but lost badly. Yet, this wasn't anything like what Paul had faced. This was worse. Cynthia had thrashed him, but it took at least some effort on the part of her Garchomp. Josh and Magcargo hadn't even tried.

What happened next was something Serena didn't expect.

"Return, my friend," Josh called, raising Magcargo's Pokeball and summoning him back to his resting place. He had listened to her plea.

"Thank you," whispered Serena, dropping to her knees and clutching Delphox's capsule even more tightly. It wasn't the first time she had lost or forfeit, no. It wasn't even conceding that crushed her. It was the brutality of which her team had been eviscerated and the release of her personal demons. It sobered her soul.

Dawn took in the scope of the situation, deciding to wrap up here and now. "The winner is Josh of Sophian Island, Oblivia due to match forfeiture by Serena Gabena. The results will be added to worldwide rankings per the official rules; I'll need your IDs for that."

"No. Don't bother," interjected Josh, pocketing his parter's Pokeball. "It's not worth it. Thanks for refereeing the battle for us. You're free to go."

"Oh, thank Arceus," Dawn sighed, running over to Serena and enveloping her into a tight hug. "I was so worried about you. How are you holding up?"

"You know, the usual. Yay, depression."

"Hey, you and I are in this together. You made a big step today opening up - I'm proud."

Serena couldn't help but smile, leaning into the embrace whilst admiring how quickly Dawn had switched from professionalism to personal concern. Her friend had matured considerably over the last few years, especially without Ash in the picture. Nonetheless, the Kalos native appreciated the attempt to remain focused on enforcing the rules for the duration of the match. And Palermo... where was she? A quick glance at a park railing showed that the president was now taking a call on her personal cellphone, something that Serena was grateful for. She needed to be reassured by her friend right now, not by her boss.

But reassurances wouldn't bring Ash Ketchum back to her. Over the course of the battle, she had to slowly work her way back into the reality of Ash's disappearance, no thanks to Josh's constant prodding. He had managed to wrest some things out of her, yet the frightening reality was that he was likely not done. And even worse? Serena almost wanted him to do more. So much needed to be said.

The air was quiet, then offset by the crunch of boots over soil. Josh crouched down, placing a hand on the small of Serena's back. "I think we should talk some more. I've got a feeling that one more question isn't going to cut it."

"... Yeah."

~ Chapter End ~

Author notes: The final chapter with Serena is next, then we switch to a new PoV. Rest assured - y'all will get your Ash fix soon enough. :)