Guardian Solaris

Review Replies: Katara, thanks very much. But even I got to say it gets confusing when you consider if he backstabbed him, or if he did what he had to, throughout the chapter you see Simons loyalty to the organisation and you wonder if he wouldn't have done the same to Robert :S.

Complete hollow, cheers =D I was hoping that my humour would have some positive views, seeing as it is one of my weaker points in my stories. I might do some more later on, but Drews father I have to say is a real big fish and the way that Drew is tied in with this brings me onto:

Tim, Well it is a guilty pleasure of Advanceshippers to make him squeal a bit, but I find that you only get happy ending (by making him a lot more friendly) or epic fail endings(in which he is a lot bigger - - - ) for Drew, I want to try something that doesn't mess up his character much, and give a proper ending, not too weird, just one that people can say that was well deserved and not too crazy, like him suddenly being best friends with Ash or suddenly raping May as Advancesipping authors seem to have him do a lot of.

Anyway, this chapter is more about character interaction and how they deal with things, focusing on one particular character, I hope you enjoy.

----

Chapter 29- Recollection

Back with our favourite heroes things were looking fine, as they walked down the road, with Ash carried on top of Kabutops, with the golden afternoon sun high in the sky and a light blue sky was marked by fluffy careless clouds all around. Although the mood of the group wasn't as well as that of the weather. They had moved away from Lavender, to the west crossing grassy plains without a sign of civilisation for miles. Ash was unconscious, waking up for a minute or two before dropping off again.

Kabutops grunted under the weight of his trainer, things were not really going well for the shellfish Pokémon. They had been walking for days, DAYS, or was it a couple of hours?

Either way he was not built for heavy lifting, no. He was a highly trained warrior whose strength lied within his speed and precision strikes. Not in carrying a trainer who has had too many donuts for breakfast lunch and dinner, with a diet strawberry flavoured glass of melted butter on the side. The worst bit was that the other fleshy humans did absolutely nothing. Just walk like zombies, no smile, and no you've done a good job Kabutops, or are you alright?

Just walking like zombies, and then there's that little zombie Cubone, it looked... just WRONG. Looking at him with his little eyes, and that little bone stick; didn't his mom teach him not to stare at a highly trained warrior whose strength lies within his speed and kick-ass strikes. There were several moments where Kabutops wondered if he should solve an age old mystery and find out what Cubones hide under their skulls.

How long had Kabutops spent outside of its Pokèball. By God it needed a rest, no wonder it was going crazy.

'I am a disciplined weapon of precision and donuts... I mean accuracy... accuracy' He repeated in his mind as to not let apparently severe insomnia grip him.

"Butops." He muttered, as Pikachu turned his head to the shellfish Pokémon.

'Did I just shout that out? Wow, Fourteen days out of the ball... or was it fourteen hours. Wow... that Messes you up, no wonder Pikachu is so freaky all the time.' His train of thought got slightly de-railed, 'what are those coloured lights, and why do my legs feel like donuts all of a sudden?' The Pokémon shook his head, but found that the oh so wise trainer on his back just had managed to stop any movement he would have been able to make. So Kabutops took his mind to the only other thing he could think about, 'I am a highly trained warrior whose strength lies in my speed and precision donuts, my knees do not get weak. They do not- I just- donuts?' and the Pokémon collapsed onto the ground, the trainer on his back following him down to the ground, as Ash landed on top his burdensome Pokémon crushing his exoskeleton.

"Bu Tops!" he managed to let out, as Pikachu and the others looked at him with mild amusement. Something different from the mixture of gloominess, and the slight insomnia that must have been getting at them as well.

"I think, we should let someone else carry Ash." Max pointed out, as he walked up to Ash and took the Shellfish Pokémon's Pokéball, calling it back inside.

'Why did he shout out Accuracy and Do-nuts?' Pikachu wondered as Serena called out her Ninetails, and the group shifted Ash onto the fire types back. 'Now I remember why I don't stay in a ball. Makes you loopy.'

----

Serena was exhausted, exhausted beyond belief, just like the rest of the group. When May finally asked to take a break everyone said yes, and at the foot of a hill the entire group, including Ninetails collapsed onto the soft green grass and gave out a sigh. Exhausted could not describe the step by step walk without sleep from riding on A'Drith to lavender forest, the forest, then the volcano, then more walking. Soon they would be ready for a marathon.

Serena fell onto the ground, her head looking up to the kind sky, and the careless clouds that floated on above. She hadn't expected for that which had happened to actually happen. Who would have thought that Lavender was on a volcanic fault line, apart from Max; or did he just make it up to find some sort of reason for things. Ash did that once or twice; just make things up because he didn't know what else to do. He'd always look like he was thinking about something, than she would ask. He would reply with a fake story and hide his thoughts, eventually she found out that he was not that smart and in reality his head was completely empty inside. The day she realised that not all boys were as smart as her dad.

"Max" came Mays travel weary voice, as Serena tilted her head to the side, bringing into view the other three who sat onto the grass, with Pikachu and Ninetails in the distance.

"Yeah May?" he replied with a tiredness in his voice, slowly moving his head into her direction. Serena looked into his eyes, almost as tired as she was. His face sweaty from the long walk, the area under his eyes darkening form the missed night of sleep.

"Do you." She paused, and moved her hands to wipe her face, "Really think that it was a." She sighed, taking time to collect her thoughts, "Natural volcano?"

"Natural?" Max asked, a spark of intrigue coming inside of him, "ALL Volcanoes are Natural." He stated, causing Serena to cringe at his tone, a bit too loud for her mind to handle at this moment of stress.

"Forget I asked." May sighed, knowing that this was not the best thing to do when she was too tired to ask and Max was in one of his moods.

"No what do you mean?" He asked truly intrigued, as May let out a sigh, "I want to know." He persisted, his hands pushing down onto the grass as he straightened his back and puffed out his chest as if he was going to get into a fight. It was apparent that May had hit a soft spot, and that soft spot was Max's intelligence.

"Max." May sighed, her voice firm, but trembling slightly as she looked her little brother in the eyes.

"What?" Max said, oblivious to his sister's frustration from a simple question gone wrong.

"Just, don't ask alright. "She sighed wearily, breaking her gaze on her brother. "Just, don't ask." She blinked, and laid her back onto the lush grass looking up to the sky, hoping the tiredness would just drift away. Max's reply shut off by this simple act, as he grunted and looked away, seeming as if he was in deep thought. But if Serena knew one thing about boys, it would be that he was just as likely to be wondering whether Dawn dreamt of going down on Ash. Whatever going down meant.

But someone had to make some sort of camp. Judging from the attitudes of the group and the state of Ash, this was going to be a lengthy break. They needed sleep.

----

The group had made a camp by four o'clock, the bright afternoon sun beginning to stretch their shadows, as Max took care of the Pokémon and May took care of the food on the camp fire. There were no tents out, just sleeping bags arrayed around the fire seeing as it was a bright sunny day making it unlikely to rain later on, and the knowledge that they may need a quick getaway from monsters.

Serena sat down as the image of Ash unconscious upon a blanket took the brunt of her thoughts. For a span of time that had seemed to spin away, she just looked at the boy, seeing that for once, he wasn't there to save her from falling. So she would have to help him. She had set up the camp and after helping Ninetails carry the trainer to a proper resting place, she knew how Kabutops had managed to collapse.

He was a mess, his hair was grey, covered in thick Ash that had mixed with sweat to form a sticky paste that clung to his hair, as well as the rest of him; the irony was not lost on her. His clothes were completely worn, several scratches at different places, and some larger wounds that had now sealed up, but the blood had shown very clearly on his clothes, making them stick to his body some parts of his clothes were charred, as was his hair. He had never looked worse. Serena summarised that the only reason she had made it was because she was a part of a group, and because Ash probably had to face something bigger.

She looked to the side, after hearing something move around a bit, only to find the Cubone sitting peaceful besides her, its head looking directly at her.

"Hello" she said, with a start, "How long have you been there?" but Cubone didn't answer her, choosing to look at her with a great amount of scrutiny.

"Weelll" she spoke with thought, as Cubone continued to remain silent,"Can you hear a word I'm saying?" but still nothing. She stood up, and Cubone followed. She sat down once more and Cubone followed her down to the ground.

"Right." She sighed, knowing that she was stuck with this strange Pokémon. Although perhaps some conversation could be bought out of it. "Ash bought you, didn't he?" but after receiving no answer the young girl chose to carry on, "so I'm guessing he found you in Lavender, and seeing that he's out you need to stick with someone, and that's why you're sitting here?" but she still received no reply.

"You know, first time I saw Ash he was out of things. Not as bad as now, but still pretty bad." Serena sighed, "He tried to be kind to me, but I always just" She paused, "I always looked away and blamed him for things, because I, I don't know. I guess I was afraid of change."

Begin Flashback

"Mum." A younger Serena said, in a hall way, speaking to a woman much taller than her. The woman's white hair flowing down behind her shoulders like that of her daughter, she had a pale complexion and bright blue eyes, a pale blue shirt and long white skirt. The only part of her that wasn't bright and light was a strap of red and gold cloth wrapped around her head like a headband, the ends coming down with her hair.

"Yes ?" her mother replied, looking at her daughter, "What is it?"

"How long is the boy going to stay?" Serena asked, nervously although her mother reassured her by holding her hand tightly.

"Why do you want him gone." She asked in return calmly, kneeling slightly so that she was level with her daughter.

"Because, he just sleeps there, can't he go to a hospital?" the young girl moaned.

"Now, that's not a good reason." Her mother said knowing full well that this was how it had to be done. But stopped when she noticed the sullen look upon her daughter's face, "If things get really bad, we'll send him somewhere to go, alright. But be nice alright? I still remember what happened when your auntie came." She commented as Serena smiled at a mention of the past, a time when there was a long term intruder that she could play tricks on.

"So" her mother repeated, "You'll stop any of that?" and Serena gave a nod. Smiling brightly her mum ruffled her daughter's hair knowing that this deal had been sorted out.

----

Serena slowly opened the door into what was once the living room. Hoping, no wishing that somehow, maybe there was the possibility that, "Hello Serena." He was asleep.

"Hi" she replied meekly, feeling the weight of an uninvited guest come upon her shoulders. The only thought that ran through her mind would be to get what she came here for and to get out as soon as possible. This strange depressing boy was just the thing that she needed. The young girl took strides as long as her small legs had allowed her to get across the living room, making no attempt to show any consideration to the guest that had been here for the full length of two days as he healed his damaged leg. His Pikachu sleeping by his side.

She reached a desk on the opposite side of the room and grabbed a Pokéball that lay on top of it, holding it tightly in her hands, as if it was a long lost treasure. She fumbled with the catch hoping that she would be able to hurry this up quickly and get it over with. Reaching it she jumped slightly as the red light of the ball erupted out of the ball and formed into a Wartortle that let out a sigh of relief to be let back out into the physical world. Serena sighed with relief as she bent down to look at Wartortle eye to eye, "You alright?" she asked, to which the Pokémon gave a slow nod, knowing that it would have to be stuck in for a while. "That's great!" Serena said, knowing that she could get out of Ash's recovery and get on with her own life, as she held up the Pokéball in front of her Pokémon.

"So you have a Wartortle" Ash's voice cut in as Serena cringed slightly wondering way he had to just talk, when he could have done what she needed to do on her own.

"Yes." She said, not looking at the picture of a trainer laying on the sofa of their small house, a leg perched up on a cushion higher than the other to heal its injury. Who was he! She seemed to scream in her mind, but quickly pushing that thought down in remembrance of her talk with her mum. "This is Wartortle." She said as the water type took in the sight of the new person with some interest.

"You've been taking care of it?" Ash asked, slowly bringing himself in a sort of sitting position.

Of course she was taking care of her Pokémon, how dare this teenager say things like that, she was good to her Pokémon "Yes, me and Wartortle. Are best friends."

"Wartortle," Ash said, speaking to the Pokémon, "Come here." The Pokémon obeyed and walked over to the injured trainer, hesitation in every step it took. When it reached Ash who was in an unusual sitting position as to not aggravate his injury, it flinched as the trainer took a hand forward and rubbed the top of its head. His eyes looking at the Pokémon, analysing every part of its body including the very light colouration of its shell.

"What ?" Serena wondered, looking at what this teenager was doing with her Pokémon, not realising that she had just said that out loud.

"Hey, ur..." he said forgetting the next word.

"Serena, my name's Serena." She sighed, hearing from her friend just how big stupid Pokémon trainers would not be all that bright.

"Serena." He said, not pausing at his mistake in forgetting her name, "are you planning to become a Pokémon trainer?" he asked with a heavy voice, looking at the young girl as if he would see every aspect of her future.

In response to his question she gave off a little laugh, silencing it immediately, and then saying with a slight smirk, "No, I'm not ever going to train, I'm going to be a co-ordinator like Alice."

"Alice?"

"My friend, she told me all about going on a journey, her big sister's a Pokémon breeder, and..." Serena stopped, realising that she had just made an elementary mistake of talking to the teenager for too long.

"Still, if you want to be a co-ordinator, you have to let Wartortle have some time to play, and have fun." He stated without any sympathy in his own voice, not realising what he had just said, and the person that he had just said it too.

"Of course we have fun!" Serena growled, in reply angrily. This boy was going too far, and had no idea at all about what he was getting into. "It's my Wartortle!"

"Is Wartortle your first Pokémon?" he asked with a calm voice, knowing he would get an angry response.

"OF COURSE, I'm Eight!" she roared, like a Typhlosion fighting for her children. Although Wartortle gave a hopeful look towards the new human, feeling that he was having her desires put across.

"Then." He said with a pause, waiting one second, two seconds, three seconds. She would have to calm down if she would be successful in her career, being headstrong could only get you so far. It took a while for him to learn that "Serena, you would have to let Wartortle stay out of its ball for longer than when you feed it and battle with it, sometimes, if a Pokémon that's used to being active and must remain active-" Ash was cut off by Serena as she pressed the catch on her Pokéball, calling back Wartortle. Not making eye contact with the confused trainer she just ran out of the room, slamming the door with a bang.

Then Ash was once more left in the room alone, and he collapsed back onto the makeshift bed. "Just trying to help."

End Flashback

Serena had begun to walk quite a distance to the nearest tree in order to find some kind of firewood to ensure it would keep going in the dark night, just as she had managed to shake off the Cubone, and hopefully it would make friends with some other Pokémon. It was about five in the afternoon and the sun was showing some signs of getting ready to sleep. She heard someone call in the distance, turning around to see Dawn running across the grass to reach her.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Serena said directly without any tact.

"I'm here to help." Dawn said, "There aren't many trees around here and you're going to need help getting fire wood." She explained.

"No I don't." She replied plainly once more. She could easily carry a bunch of twigs, it wasn't that hard.

"Well, still." Dawn paused, "Wouldn't you like the company." Serena was not going to let this go.

"If I wanted company, I would have asked Wartortle come."

"Well" Dawn gave out a sigh, "I'm here, and I can't go back really."

"Well, why not, you're all grown up aren't you?"

"Well, I'm staying here anyway." Dawn said with absolution, not going to let someone that small get on top of her.

"Why?" She asked again. Dawn was just speechless, what could she say to this persistent person who would just not let go.

"Why not?"

"Why?" Serena replied once more, only to be hit back by Dawn.

"Why not?"

"Why?"

"Why not? Now come on lets go." Dawn said, walking to a small outcrop of trees against the grassy plains. Serena was just left confused as to how Dawn had just walked away from her. Wondering how she had just lost that argument to get Dawn to spill the truth. It always worked on Ash, but then again Ash was a boy, and Dawn was a girl.

Serena ran to catch up with the blue haired co-ordinator, slowing down when she came by her side, but before Serena could ask a question Dawn spoke out, "Serena, how are you holding up?" she asked, not in a tone of someone who had been a rather childish argument, but in a voice of concern.

"Fine, a bit sleepy. But fine." Serena said, wondering what had caused the sudden concern from the older girl.

"Are you sure?" Dawn asked once more.

"Yeah, why are you worrying about me?" Serena asked.

"Because what happened was strange, and scary, and we're all trying to deal with it, I'm just making sure that you're fine with things." Dawn looked at the young girl in the eyes, "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine," she assured Dawn, "besides I've been through worse."

"Really?" Dawn inquired.

"Yeah, this is nothing much. Still why are you worried?" she asked, wondering why this girl that she barely knew had suddenly become her psychiatrist.

"Well, we're friends aren't we?"

"Friends." Serena took a second to register the thought, "we barely talk, we've known each other for less than a week, and that makes us friends?"

"Why not? Besides, if you know Ash and are that close to him, and so do I. Why can't we be friends." Dawn said, hoping that she could get Serena to become a lot more open when talking.

"We could be friends, if the only reason you wanted to talk with me wasn't so that you could get closer to Ash, by using me." Serena stated dryly, "After all that is what you're trying to do isn't it. Use me to let Ash see you as something more, even though it was your fault that you haven't been with him for ages now." Dawn was stopped dead in her tracks, "I'm going to get some firewood, I hope you're big enough to walk back on your own." And with that Serena made her way away from the co-ordinator. If she would be a strong trainer one day, she would have to take the hard path, and not lie about things, just so that Dawn could get closer to Ash.

The amount of people that thought she was weaker just because she was small, the amount of People that ignored her and looked at the champion, with the only person pulling her up and make her feel important being Ash. He would be the one to help her train, and take her to new places to see things that she wouldn't see before. Centuries old Ninetails that could create illusions with their minds, Dragonites as tall as mountains that lived in the ocean, castles in the sky and temples in the sea. The end of time, the beginning of space and a burger so bad it could actually make you sick. She had seen things others could not imagine, made choices others would not, and that made her taller than anyone else knew. She would not be used.

Then she realised, from all that Dawn had said, the way she tried to get through her. She realised that although boys were far from perfect, so were girls.

----

The sun was beginning to set, leaving a pallet of colours in the sky, the sign of a peaceful day's end. A day that was needed to recollect thoughts. That was what the group had done, and now they sat around the campfire, at distant ends, eating slowly the pieces of food that they had. Serena slowly scanned all the others, the sunlight illuminating their faces in a light orange glow, making their features all the more definable. If anything they didn't look all that bad, a few scrapes here and there, but in the end of the day they were just a bit dirty, the Pokémon, with the exceptions of Kabutops and A'Drith were all behind their respective trainers, already asleep form all the battling that they had done previously, their light snores, providing the atmosphere of rest. Cubone, without a trainer or friends in the group was much further away, sleeping on its own.

"The stars begin to blink and peep, as the sun falls into its hazy sleep. Everything becomes deep dark; the vanishing sun had made its mark." Serena whispered, the rhyme she had heard said by her teacher as night drifted into existence. Before she had left to go on her journey away from home she had heard this rhyme along with many others, now it was just one trinket of what she had once had, sometimes she would think about what life used to be like, wonder what her parents would think about her. Nothing big, just a fleeting fancy, and over time the things she thought and the pain along with it had numbed, replaced by fear of life on the little adventures that she had on her journey with Ash.

Max was the first one to make it into his sleeping bag, and May followed. Neither one of them making a sound, as they drifted off into a much needed sleep. The night air, not too cold, and the wind silent, providing the perfect atmosphere for the two siblings. Only Dawn and Serena were left awake.

They looked at each other, wondering what the other would do. If they should speak and let someone be hurt, or to stay silent and have it tear them apart inside. But neither of them acted on anything, just looking at each other from either side of the fire. The image of the other skewed and distorted by the small flame.

Serena was taken away by something pounding lightly on her leg. She turned seeing Cubone looking at her expectantly, "Hi" Serena said quietly, moving her arm to try and pet Cubone on the top of its head, but finding that the bone would not really give Cubone much satisfaction from the action. "What is it, I thought you were sleeping?" she asked, but received no answer apart from the Pokémon looking expectantly at her.

The Cubone then sat down besides Serena and looked into the fire, as the young girl wondered what the Pokémon was getting up to, if it was getting up to anything. But the sound of another girl took her attention as she said, "Looks like Cubone likes you."

"Yeah." Serena replied, not knowing what else to really say to Dawn.

"You were wrong." Dawn said, getting straight to the point, as Serena looked inquisitively at what the co-ordinator had to say next. "It was both our faults for getting away from each other. Just wanted to clear that up."

"What do you mean?" Serena asked with a shred of curiosity glistening in her eyes, not knowing much of the back story between the two.

"Well it's complicated" Dawn said.

"It's never complicated." Serena said, as Dawn looked at the younger girl, with a small smile upon her face. Reminiscing of when she used to be like that, not really understanding.

"Serena, it's never simple." Dawn said, knowing that just like she used to, this young girl would not take anything sitting down.

"Who told you that?" Serena said with some fire coming into her previously emotionless voice.

"Ash." Dawn said, as Serena withdrew slightly, feeling as if, she had possibly been a little bit forward when talking to Dawn.

"Why do you like him?" Serena asked.

"I just do." Dawn stated as if she had repeated these words in her head over and over, "It's everything about him." She sighed, looking straight into the fire, trying to find the right words as she thought about how to describe her thoughts. Remembering how they used to talk and talk and talk, every step of the way, how they helped each other get better and better until Ash became the champion of Sinnoh. Then it all ended.

Dawns smile vanished as the correct words came straight to her, "I would like to see him smile." Dawn paused, "I'm sorry if I made you angry Serena. But I've seen it when he talks to you, and he hasn't smiled for anyone but you." Dawn said, not knowing what else to do, it had only been a few days since she had met Ash again, even after that things had not been as well as it could have been. A sneaky kiss would only get you so far.

"Dawn." Serena said, moving her arm to Dawns, "Hey, look he'll smile. Eventually, well he might lighten up around you one day. There's no need to worry, he just got that attitude off of me." She said with the ghost of a smile. Dawn stopped in her tracks wondering if she had just heard what she heard.

"What did you just say?" she asked.

"No need to worry, he just acts like that cause he sees me do it sometimes and-" she was cut off once more as Dawn hugged Serena with a big smile. Smiling as small traces of tears came to her face, rocking the stunned girl back and forth in the hug.

Serena just pushed Dawn back, after getting over her initial shock, as Dawn let go of the younger girl automatically a faint smile coming across her face alongside traces of drowsiness. "What was that all about?" Serena asked.

"Who told you that, not to worry?" Dawn asked, feeling warm inside for the first time in a while, not a buzz of excitement or an explosion of happiness like when she first saw the one she thought she was meant to be with, but a smaller fire, like the one in front of her that may be small, but would keep her warmer that she would be otherwise.

"I can't remember." Serena said, "I think Ash said it." She stopped, looking back to the times that Ash had said the weird phrase, to try and get her to smile when things looked uncertain, "Yeah, he said that a friend told him, and it." She stopped when she saw the smile on Dawns face, "What?"

"He said that a friend told him that." She stated, knowing that it wouldn't take that long for the young girl to figure things out.

"No, no" she repeated in disbelief, "But, really?" she asked, looking towards Dawn who gave a gentle nod in return. "Wow."

Dawn fell back, laying her back onto the grass, looking up to the stars that now filled the sky above them, just happy that there was some sign that she wasn't forgotten by everyone around her, that what she said mattered. "And the funny thing is, whenever he used to say it, I hated it. I'd get really annoyed when he'd copy my things. Funny how things turn out." She smiled, wondering what Serena would think of all this.

"You know what Dawn?" Serena asked.

"What?"

"Ash always said that he had a friend who used to take care of herself so much that she would go crazy if she didn't look in her mirror every five minutes, even if he was joking." She said, as the fire inside Dawn grew a little bit warmer, "But I know that girl isn't you, you smell awful." Serena commented with a smile, as Dawn giggled.

"I'm not the only one." She said, knowing that this was Serena trying to build a bridge between the two. Perhaps, they would become good friends, perhaps.

Begin Flashback

Serena found herself in the same hallway, speaking with her mum, "what is it now?" the elder woman asked gently, but a trace of exasperation lined her tone of voice, as Serena contemplated on telling her what she had to ask.

"Mum." She paused, looking up at her towering figure, "you know that boy."

"Yes." The elder woman sighed, "Haven't we talked about this already?"

"I know, but I had to say something." Serena mumbled, shamefully in front of her mother who looked exhausted by many things, in comparison to when they had spoken yesterday, almost as if there was something big that was taking her attention. So the whiter haired girl didn't really want to disturb her at all, but this was big. She had to tell someone.

"Mum, can we do something about him?" Serena couldn't hold it back, she had to say it.

"Serena, you know he can't walk too far, and we are going to take care of him." She assured her daughter, knowing that Serena would have to open up to Ash sooner or later.

"But mum, he STINKS. He's been there for ages and he SMELLS." She stopped for breath, as he mother stood there with an expression of shock at the way her daughter shouted, then burst out laughing.

"Don't worry." She managed to let out, between her dimming laughter, as Serena had a face plastered with irritation at how she could possibly think that a stinky boy in the living room was anything to laugh at.

Slowly Serena's mum began to slow down her laughter, in note of how irritated her daughter had become. "Mum, do all boys smell?" She asked sending her mother into another round of laughter. But this time Serena just smiled thinking that they all probably do smell like that, and that was the reason her mum was laughing. Although her dad was a boy, but he was her dad and that was different.

Eventually when the laughter subsided, the woman took a good look towards her daughter, seeing that she was still unsure about their guest, "Serena, do you want to ask me something else?" she said, knowing that Serena couldn't be shy around everyone, and she would have to be prompted to ask the question, it was a little thing that she could do for her little girl to get her to grow up.

For a moment Serena paused, wondering what way to put this to her mum, something that they had already talked about, and yet not let out, even though she knew that she could say anything and they would make sure no one would stop her from saying what she had to. In the end the direct route looked the most appealing to the young girl"Mum, why is he different. You and dad never bring strangers inside like that." She said, waiting for what the reply would be.

"Serena, do you remember Delia?"

"Yes." Serena nodded, remembering the woman who would come and talk with her, good friends of her parents. One of the friendliest adults she had ever met, usually they were grumpy and would miss the most obvious things, or did she get that from the T.V.?

"Do you remember her talking about her son?"

"The one who went out to be a Pokémon trainer." She asked, recalling the fondness at how she would talk about her son, of course her friends had told her all about trainers and they were right, of course.

"Ash is her son." The elder woman confirmed. "He doesn't know that we were friends with his mum, but as friends we will help him." She said in a soothing voice, levelling any anxieties that her daughter may have harboured, knowing that she would keep them hidden otherwise or circle around things, maybe one day Serena would be more direct, but she knew that she would not be there when that happened.

"Alright." Serena said, accepting what her parents had decreed. But her mother knew better.

"Is there anything else you want to ask? You know you can say what you need to."

"Where is his mum? If he's hurt." She said, asking the innocent question.

"She's passed away." The woman said with a shaken voice, not wanting to go back to bad memories. Or to expose her daughter to a world that she would be better away from.

"Oh." Serena said, taking some time for the information to sink in. "Why didn't we go to her funeral?" was the first question to pop up in the head of the young child, wondering why, if they were so close. Why they didn't get to say goodbye.

"Because." She thought, wondering what phrase, what series of words would provide the correct answer. Saying what needed to be said without saying what had to be kept quiet. "Because, if we looked back, we wouldn't be able to move forward."

"Huh?" Serena wondered, as her mother smiled in response to her daughter's confusion.

"Now." She asked her daughter "Is there anything else you have to get off your chest?"

Serena sighed, for a second a trouble had crossed her mind once more but she had put it away, "Mum, he really dose stink, can you do anything about it?" she said as her mum smiled.

"We'll see what we can do about it, but you know about smelly boys?" she said gently. Bringing a smile to Serena's face.

End Flashback

"Why'd you hate him?" Dawn asked, curiously. As Serena looked towards the elder girl, thinking of what to say, to say too much or too little. She didn't seem to mind what she had been told before, if anything what the white haired girl said to Dawn seemed to have left no mark at all, yet Serena couldn't shake the feeling that there was something else to this.

"Ask me when I'm older." She said with a smile.

"Huh?" Dawn replied with confusion, causing Serena to smile, her smirk visible only through the flame that burned in front of them, close to running out of fuel to keep burning. "What do you mean?" Dawn asked the younger girl, wondering why she had become guarded all of a sudden.

"When I'm older, ask me." She repeated, as Dawn shrugged her words off, sure to ask her one day in the future.

"So what are you going to be?" Dawn asked. "A co-ordinator? Your Pokémon would do really good in contests you know." She complimented, although Serena had already chosen another path.

"Actually I want to be a Pokémon Breeder or a trainer." She admitted.

"Really?" Dawn replied, "because you would make a really good co-ordinator."

"I'm just not interested; Trainers and Co-ordinators hate each other, if that's what it's like. I don't want to be a part of it." She said to the elder girl, who took a moment to think about what she had said.

"It's not that bad." Dawn countered.

"It is, wouldn't you be annoyed if, when you were travelling with Ash he became a co-ordinator?" Serena posed the question, knowing about all the gossip that happened when Ash did enter contests as a dare. She was still adamant on everything that had been told to her, the words of people that she hadn't seen for ages were still etched into her mind, so Ash went to prove her wrong.

"But he did do the Grand festival." Dawn said.

"And weren't you a bit annoyed that a trainer could win it?" Serena asked, "I heard all the co-ordinators talk about him, and out of everything they said, all they wanted to know was if he was a trainer or not." and by winning the Grand festival, Serena hadn't decided that trainers were better, if anything the way some of them treated their Pokémon made her think if either one was better than the other.

Pokémon training was steeped in tradition, and grandeur. The winners would be filled in with respect and be immortalised as champions, and defenders of tradition that had been passed on from generation after generation. But the life of a trainer was a hard one; every step would be filled with its own struggles, every challenge made a scar. It was so hard a road to take that the weak would be left in isolation to fend for themselves; terrible things would happen to young boys who found themselves in the wilderness, and no one went running to help them. It was like Stone, always there and standing tall. But ultimately it was as hard as that stone, hard and cold and soulless.

Co-ordinating was fast, exciting, very turn filled with glitz and glamour. When you won it would be like your dreams turning into reality, everything that you could ever imagine. Everyone would know your name; your face would be on every magazine, action figures and dolls of you, kids hanging your posters on their walls. But for all that, it was fleeting. Within a year you would be forgotten for the next star co-ordinator and you would find yourself shunned out of it all. It was like a Fire, burning bright, and full of passion. But ultimately it would have the same fate of fire and burn out, in the end you will be left in the cold, training your Pokémon in isolation. In search for the next challenge, another log to fuel the fire.

On the opposite side of Serena Cubone, who had been left unnoticed threw a couple of sticks to the dying flame that kept them warm to keep it burning for a little while longer.

Breeders put heart into what they did; they devoted everything to taking care of Pokémon, and their lives were a good one. But nothing more than that, there wouldn't be the respect that trainers would achieve, or the fire of devotion that Co-ordinators would receive. In the end breeders were like a pool of Water, nurturing and bringing life to things. Necessary yet amazingly dull and mundane.

"I guess, they all have their good and bad bits. Good and bad people are in each one. You just choose the one that's best for you." Dawn evaluated, saying what she already knew from years of co-ordinating experience, and from all the people she had met in her travels.

Serena took a look at the girl that lay down upon the grass and said in a clear voice, "That's what Ash says." Wondering if the little association she made between the two had made Dawn giddy again, she sighed when the reply was somewhat more suppressed.

"Thanks, I think."

"You know" Serena stated, wondering at how she had moved on so far from when she had first left everything she knew, "we're really going to need a bath soon." She popped the question from seemingly nowhere.

Dawn gave a short laugh, "there's nothing like one" she said recalling all the times she was unable to reach a proper Pokémon centre, and unable to fix up her hair. It could drive any one crazy just thinking about days in the wilderness. "And to think that Ash would rather get to the next gym." She said wearily, giving out a sigh as fond memories seemed to come back to her.

"I'm not letting you give him a bath." Serena interrupted Dawns thoughts, "I know you would like to see what he's like down south but there are youngsters here." She pointed to herself, as Dawn looked shocked at the younger girl.

"Do you even know what that means?" Dawn asked, wondering how Serena would learn all these things she would say. When Dawn was ten, she wouldn't dream of saying any of that.

"Not really." Serena admitted, "But people like it when I say it."

"I don't think they would. Who told you those things? It can't be Ash?"

"No, it's not Ash. Of Course." Serena stated the obvious in a slightly outraged tone that Dawn would even think that, and how he was the first one to bring on her blame, even if they were close. "I hear other people say it." She admitted in a quieter tone of voice.

"But still, I don't think that you should say things like that out loud." Dawn said, knowing the values of some tact, a trait that the young girl had yet to learn. But Serena had already made up her mind.

"I don't care; I can say what I want. No one can stop me." And the possibility of a close friendship between the two slowly went away.

Begin Flashback

Serena hid behind the door to the kitchen where her parents were deep in conversation, she kept her breathing down, kneeling down, in case they turned the corner and may see her head.

It was already late in the night and she was supposed to be asleep, but she wasn't and then she had to listen. She had never heard them talk like this. To other people maybe, but not to each other.

"We can't let this happen." Her father said his voice growling, knowing that he had to say something. His question remained unanswered for a few seconds, Serena's heart was gripped in fear, the way he spoke made him sound like one of those Houndoom in the wild, readying for the kill.

"We have to let it happen." Came her mother's sullen reply. Her voice showed the great distress that came into her heart. "There is nothing else we can do." She said in resignation of her fate.

"But we HAVE to do something." He growled.

"There is no fighting it, and the more we do. The worse it becomes."

"But why do we have to have the boy here?" he asked, with scrutiny. Serena then came to the realisation that he did not like Ash either, why would he want some teenager sleeping. He was right.

"Look" her mother tried to reason, but why would she not want what he wanted?

"He's just a boy." He snarled, with ferocity at the very thought of the boy "he can't take care of her."

"We can't take care of her either." She tried to reason with a more level voice, the very thought of their inability to take care of someone tearing her up inside.

"We HAVE to do something." He sighed, knowing that there really wasn't any denying things, "If he hadn't come, we would have done things differently."

"It would have been worse, he's a good boy."

"He's got enough problems of his own, with Delia." He said, with a round of silence ensuing as they remembered their old friend. "Why'd they take her life?"

"Because, she's a good friend, and would have been hard to stop, with her out of the way." she choked on her words.

"We should never have joined them, why did she have to?"

"Someone had to support Ash, because she loved him she had to give something up, it's not every day that a single mother can fund a boy to become a Pokémon trainer, keep him healthy and have a house of her own in the countryside." Serena's mother said, knowing full well, "he's not at his best right now, but if Delia's anything to go by, I'm sure things won't turn out that bad." Then silence, which was slowly pierced by a light sob. Who was crying?

"Come on, she'll be alright." Her mother said soothingly. That would mean that the one who was crying was.

"I don't want to lose her." He wept quietly, "Why don't we run, get away from them."

"They will find us, and there won't be anyone to keep her save. You can't get away from the darkness." She said grimly. There was no other way to put it.

Suddenly Serena shuddered, her parents voices becoming more distant as she saw Ash looking at her from down the corridor, the limp of his leg evident. He walked quietly over to her, trying his best to not make any sounds and alert her parents.

He slowly reached his arm out to Serena, as she took it and lifted herself upright. Still as silent as could be, he held her hand lightly and led her slowly to the stairs, trying his best to hide his injured leg as the two slowly walked away from her parent's conversation.

Once they were out of ear shot Ash let go of her and said, "You should get to bed." In response Serena just looked towards the boy who had caused so much distress for her parents, wondering why won't he go away? She ran upstairs to her room, as the trainer sighed. "Strange girl."

End Flashback

They woke up the next day, the night having little effect upon the group as Serena had seen, she sighed as everyone went to returning their Pokémon into their Pokéballs, the group still a little shaken. Their tiredness had worn off but other than that, things didn't look all that bright. Suddenly Serena found that Cubone was standing by her side once more.

"Where are you going to go?" she wondered out loud, shocked when she received a reply.

"You can always catch him." Dawn suggested, picking up her back pack, and placing it on, as Serena became slightly unsure about the Pokémon in question. "I don't know?" she wondered looking at Cubones indifferent face.

"He likes you. I'm sure you'll make a good team." She said trying to encourage the young girl. But likes wasn't the best word that Serena would have used to describe the face she was looking at.

"well..." she thought for a second.

"I think you should do it." A familiar voice came from the distance, the group turned to see Ash stretching as he had finally woken up, although for some reason he stood with a slight limp on his leg. He walked over to the young girl, straightening his leg to rid himself of the limp and even tough Serena knew he felt pain she decided that he deserved it. Like before he decided to use the same remedy for a lightly injured leg, to try and walk it off. Boys, even she knew you can't walk off a leg injury.

He passed Serena a Pokéball, as the young girl looked to the Cubone for a second contemplating if she should or should not capture the Pokémon. She threw the ball capturing the Pokémon without any resistance. She had just captured a new Pokémon but only one thought passed through her mind as she glanced towards Ash who had a light smile of pride upon his face. "You Stink!" she said, holding her nose and walking a few paces away.

"Huh? " Ash smelt the air, "It's not that bad. I'd say it smells more of a light summer breeze with a hint of lemon grass."

"You smell of..."

"Of what?" he asked.

"Of Ash!"

"I know, that's my name." He said with a clueless expression upon his face as if to say, no duh.

"No, of fiery ash." She retorted.

"Fiery ash." He repeated, but Serena was having none of it, she called out her Wartortle as the Pokémon wondered why it was out so soon since being recalled.

"Water gun" she said pointing over to the trainer and in an instant Ash was facing a nice shower, and in a couple of seconds he was clean for the most part. Wartortle didn't even charge him for it.

"That's better." She sighed, looking towards a dripping Ash with a smile, "Now you smell of water, but it's better than smelling like Ash- Ashes."

"Gah." Ash grunted, shaking off the water that had stuck to him as everyone else began to laugh, which caught Serena's attention.

"Now it's your turn! Wartortle." She called and the rest of the group had their own shower courtesy of the little blue Pokémon. Soon enough none of them melt like Ash. To the delight of Serena, although they looked a little bit wet.

"So" Ash said, "Where are we going to?"

"I have no idea." May admitted "We just walked."

"Well this place dose look familiar." Ash pondered, bringing some hope into the group. Suddenly his memory came back to him as he remembered, "Serena."

"Yeah, I know." She confirmed, "We're not far." The others looked on clueless about what the two were talking about.

"So you know somewhere we can stay?" Max asked, overlooking the sensitive issue the others had hinted towards.

"Yeah." Serena said in a voice that wasn't charismatic as to where they were going.

"Are you going to show the way?"

"Max." May warned but was silenced.

"No it's alright, it's not that far, it'll be fine." She said trying to convince herself, "besides I can meet up with some old friends." the white haired girl said placing on a fake smile upon her face that seemed to fool the others.

"So then, let's get going." Max ordered the march forward. Hopeful that they would dry off soon.

Begin Flashback

"No no, take me back, I have to help them." Serena begged as Ash dragged her away from saving her parents, "You're supposed to be a trainer, why don't you get some guts!"

"I made a promise; I'm going to keep it."

"By letting them..." the young girl said, choking the last word as if it was something that wouldn't ever happen, not to her parents. "I hate you!" She screamed, "It's all your fault!"

"I promised them, for everything they've done, if I don't listen to them now." He told her in a level voice as the roar of fire slowly grew and grew in the distance.

"I want to go back." She sobbed, "I have to." And in her tears she fell out of consciousness. The words of her hate still piercing through Ash's heart.

"I'm just trying to help." He murmured, as the roar grew louder, the sirens of fire engines coming closer and tears coming out of his eyes. Noticing them we wiped his eyes with his arm.

"Pika?" his partner asked, rushing besides him as his shoulder spot was taken away.

"We keep going on." Ash said as his loyal friend nodded, similar sorrow evident in his eyes. Ash took a deep breath, and with a new companion, if that was an adequate title for her. He marched on.

----

F.Y.I.

- Am I overdoing the co-ordinator vs. Trainer thing?

- I made a rhyme, I just need one for Mr Mime =D

- I'm a bit jittery about how I handled the conversations here, I didn't want it to sound too much like a girl-girl conversation as Serena has been with Ash for a while and has been influenced by him in some ways. Hopefully I've started to pad out Dawns character a bit more here and make her a lot more real.

- I also tried to get the 'tired and exhausted' vibe across by the angry outbursts, the guilt, and the lack of really active speech there until they got deep into conversation. Tell me if anything is working, or if I screwed it up.

- It may look like it's too focused on Pearlshipping but remember, this is just the beginning.

(Exit line is currently out on loan)...