This chapter was pre-written already just in case you were wondering why it was so fast!

I also used one concept from one of my favorite comics/tv shows in this chapter. Post in the reviews section if you wanna guess which one!

"Man...tonight was great! Wouldn't you say buddy?" Ash asked Pikachu, he sounded far happier than how he sounded while they were in school.

"Pika! Pikachu!"

"I wanted to give Infernape and Sceptile a chance with their new abilities! Get over it!"

"Pikachu! Pikapi! Pika!"

"It's completely fair! You had your fair share of battles during the quarterfinals and semi-finals!"

"Pika! Pikac- Pika?" Pikachu's ears twitched slightly.

"What's wrong buddy?"

Pikachu didn't answer but just hopped off Ash's shoulder and started running towards the shopping district.

"Pikachu! Will you tell me what's wr-"

"HELP!" a female voice yelled.

"That sounded like Serena!"

"Pika!" Pikachu agreed, leading his Trainer further down until they arrived at a dark alley.

Ash walked into the alley with Pikachu until he saw it. A lavender hoodie was tossed into the air, followed by a pink tank top.

Ash managed to catch both the articles of clothing in his hand and that's when he realized it. These were Serena's clothes! The raven-haired Trainer looked at his partner and saw that his cheeks were crackling with electricity, so he decided to look up and what he saw shocked him.

A man stood behind an unconscious Serena sniffing her neck before pulling her shorts halfway down her legs. Serena was only wearing her white bra, underwear, and shorts (which were around her knees).

"Pikachu, Iron Tail!"

The assaulted didn't notice the boy early enough until his face was met with a strong blow by a metallic object. The man was sent back, crashing into a bunch of trash cans while Ash was able to catch Serena and run out of the alley.

"Come back here you little motherfucker!" yelled the attempted rapist.

Ash quickly set down Serena against a glass door, pulled her shorts back up, and covered her chest with her tank top and hoodie.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Ash turned around and was shocked; the man had lunged forward and slashed Ash's left arm with a rusty knife.

"Ah!"

"Pikapi!"

"STAY BACK PIKACHU!" Ash roared.

Pikachu listened and jumped between Ash and Serena, making sure that the girl was protected.

"Who are you?!" Ash demanded.

"You don't remember me? I'm so hurt..." the assaulted mocked.

"No shit, you're wearing a ski mask. How the hell do you expect me to know who you are?"

"Oh...I guess all of you are complete morons after all!" The man quickly took off his mask and took a step forward to show his face.

"Nate?! What the hell?!"

"You actually think I'm Nate?! You don't find anything suspicious? Like how I suddenly got close to Serena? How it happened not long after my trip to Kalos? How I was absent for an entire week?" Nate questioned over and over.

"What does that have to do with anything?!"

"The Nate you know is dead. He was visiting Lumiose High, don't really care why, but when I found out that he was from the same school as you, I knew I finally had a chance. So I got him killed then got a surgeon to take his face and stop it from rotting before implanting it on mine. Guess I don't really need this then..." 'Nate' started peeling his face off, slowly but carefully until his true face was revealed.

"Calem...you sick son of a bitch..." Ash cursed.

"Nice to see you finally recognize me!" Calem said with a malicious vibe.

"Why? You didn't have to kill anyone!" Ash yelled, his eyes turning light blue for a moment.

"Why?! You and your shithead friend humiliated me five years ago! I didn't even get to fuck that chick! I was going to rape her too but no, she was running out when I was outside her window! Do you know how hard it was to look for that bitch?!"

"Why you...why now...you had so many chances, why did you plan on doing it today..." Bright blue energy started to build up around Ash's entire body.

"It's your birthday isn't it? Guess you can call this your birthday gift!" Calem charged forward with his knife raised, prepared to kill Ash.

Calem tried to stab Ash in the eye but the raven-haired boy just tilted his head slightly, avoiding a hit but it caused the knife to leave a large gash on his cheek.

The pain and surprise made Ash lose his footing and fall down.

"What's this? Get up! I want to hear you scream and beg for your life!" Calem started kicking and stepping on Ash's stomach.

The rough cement caused Ash some extra pain by causing a few more scratches on his back.

"If you aren't going to scream, I guess it's time to end this!" Calem stood over Ash and prepared to stab the Trainer.

"You're going to pay for doing all this.." Ash grabbed the hand that was holding the knife and gave it a twist, and by the sound it made, Calem's hand was clearly dislocated.

"AH! SON OF A BITCH!" Calem dropped his knife and clutched his dislocated hand with his other hand.

Ash used this as an opening to deliver a strong punch to Calem's stomach and get on his feet.

"Why you..." Calem fought back by delivering another punch, which Ash quickly dodged and returned the gesture with a strong kick.

Calem fell onto his back, trying to endure the pain until something grabbed him by his hair.

"Huh?" Was all the Kalos native could say before his head was smashed into a nearby glass door.

Calem began to scream frantically, shards of glass piercing his skull and his right eye.

"You can't hurt anyone anymore!" Ash quickly grabbed the rusty knife and held it up to Calem's throat.

The raven-haired boy started breathing extremely heavily while Pikachu watched on. There was only one other time he's seen Ash like this and that was a memory he'd rather forget.

Ash applied a little pressure on the blade, causing some bleeding on Calem's skin without really hurting him too much.

His mind was racing as he remembered everything this guy has done.

He remembered everything clearly...how he caressed her legs, stripped her down, knocked her out, humiliated her, and attempted to rape her. All these scenarios began playing through Ash's mind and finally the raven-haired boy let out a deafening shout of pure anger and frustration that was followed up by Calem's horrified scream.

Ash dropped the blade but his other hand still clenching Calem's hair.

"It's over..." Ash put his back against a wall and slid down as his blue aura started to die down, catching a glimpse of the mask that was Nate's face.

"Rest in peace Nate...I'm sorry this happened to you..."

"Pikapi..." Pikachu scurried to his Trainer to make sure he was alright.

"I'm fine buddy. Looks like we were able to save Serena just in time too..." Ash breathed out a sigh of relief, finally calming down from the traumatic experience, until he heard a police siren.

"Shit..." the Trainer grumbled.

"What's going on here?! I've been receiving reports and complaints from the residents here!" Officer Jenny demanded.

"Hi Officer Jenny," Ash replied.

"Ash?! What happened?!" The woman ran to the exhausted Trainer.

"This guy tried to rape Serena and stab me but I overpowered him..."

"So...is he...dead?"

"No...I used the back of his knife and delivered a blow to the back of his head...by the way...don't throw that mask there," Ash pointed towards Nate's old face.

"Why?"

"It's hard to explain...but he told me he killed one of our schoolmates and turned his face into a mask..."

This news shocked Officer Jenny but she nodded nonetheless.

"Do you need some help?" the police officer asked.

"Don't worry about me...I'll take Serena home...just please get him away from Serena..."

"Alright, will do, but both of you will be questioned at the police station soon," Officer Jenny informed.

"No problem...but could you cover this up? I don't want everyone bugging Serena and asking her what happened...please...don't even tell Jenny anything about this,"

"Don't worry...I don't plan to...I know my daughter can be a bit of a blabbermouth." This statement earned a slight chuckle from Ash.

Officer Jenny went over to Calem and handcuffed him, then taking out her Pokegear to call for backup and investigators.

"You two might want to leave now or you'll draw too much attention," the police officer advised.

"Alright. Thanks again Officer Jenny."

"No problem, just doing my job. You be careful now."

Ash nodded and picked up Serena bridal-style.

"C'mon Pikachu, hop on."

"Pika!"

"Uh...what happened...?" Serena moaned out.

The girl sat upright and felt something fall down, feeling a rush of cold air touch her skin.

"Huh?" Serena looked down and realized that she was only wearing her bra, while her tank top and hoodie fell on her lap.

"Pikapi!" a Pikachu yelled from the foot of the bed she was on.

'Pikachu? Then that means...' Serena's train of thought came to a crashing halt when she saw someone come in.

"What's up buddy?" Ash said, walking in shirtless with a bloody and torn blue hoodie held up in front of him.

"Guess I'm gonna need some new clothes..." mumbled the boy.

"Pika!"

"Huh?" Ash turned around and was looking at Serena, fully awake, with a face that would put a Tamato Berry to shame.

Serena didn't respond but just kept staring at Ash's upper body; the Trainer, on the other hand, quickly caught sight of Serena's barely clothed breast and quickly brought a hand up to cover his eyes.

It was at that moment Serena realized the reason for his actions and pulled the blanket up to cover herself.

"I'll be outside...um...just let me know if you already put your clothes on...c'mon Pikachu..." Ash tried to exit the room but walked into the wall instead, falling flat on his back.

Serena tried to stifle a giggle. It may be an awkward situation but Ash is still Ash.

"Ugh...Pikachu, could you lead me to the door?"

"Pika..." Pikachu grabbed his Trainer's pants and slowly dragged him out.

"Okay, you can come in now," Serena said.

"Sorry about that..." Ash apologized as he came in and sat on the bed.

"Yeah...so could you tell me exactly what happened? And what happened to you?!" Serena's tone changed from one of curiosity to worry once she spotted the cuts on Ash's arm and face.

"Oh...well, it's a long story...you don't remember anything?"

"I can't really remember much...all I recall is running along the shopping district then everything just went black."

"I was coming back from Dawn's house when Pikachu heard something and lead me to the shopping district. Then I heard you scream for help so I followed it and saw a guy taking off your clothes, luckily he didn't go that far yet and he was only able to take off your hoodie and shirt...I told Pikachu to use Iron Tail and used that moment to get you out of there but I knew I couldn't get away from that guy fast enough since I was also carrying you so I put you down, covered your upper body with your clothes, and turned around to fight him. The guy...he was Nate..."

"That can't be! Nate went home! I saw-"

"No you didn't! He wasn't even Nate! I don't know how to explain this but the Nate we met way back is dead! Remember when he suddenly started talking to us? It wasn't him! It was Calem! Calem said he took the face from Nate's body and had it turned into some sort of realistic mask! I was able to knock him out a few minutes before Officer Jenny arrived. Both of us will be questioned about this soon but I asked Officer Jenny to keep this case a secret."

"So all this time...it was Calem..." Serena looked down and her eyes began to water at the thought of what almost happened.

"Our parents don't know. My mom was already sleeping by the time we came back, and I went to your house and told your mom that you're staying over for our final project, so this is just between us and the police," Ash assured the girl.

Serena nodded at this information. If she didn't black out, she wasn't planning on letting anyone know what happened. After a few tears dropped from her eyes, she quickly wiped them away when she recalled the cuts Ash had on his arm and cheek.

"So these cuts were from the fight?!" Serena hastily leaned forward and examined Ash's cuts, gently caressing them to make sure she didn't hurt him.

"Let's get these cuts treated. Do you have a first aid kit?"

"Yeah, it's in the bathroom, but I don't know what to use on these cuts honestly so I was planning on asking Brock for some advice tomorrow."

"Don't worry, I took a first aid class last semester so I know what to use," Serena said, going in the bathroom and coming back out with a white box.

Serena opened the box and took out some medicine and told Ash to turn sideways but that's when she saw it.

"Ash! You have a ton of scratches on your back! Turn around!"

"Huh? What are you ta-AH!" Ash screamed out form the sudden pain.

"Relax, this is gonna stop you from getting an infection..."

Serena continued to apply the alcohol and medicine, all the while blowing lightly on Ash's back before applying some bandages.

"There. Now let's see that cut on your arm..."

Ash brought his arm up and Serena began treating it the same way she treated Ash's back and finished up with another bandage.

"Thanks Sere-"

"Not so fast. You still have that cut on your cheek.."

Ash nodded and leaned a bit forward for Serena to apply the alcohol and medicine; however, after applying it, she realized that they were out of bandages.

"Crud...I used up all the bandages for your back..." Serena said out loud.

"Don't worry about it," Ash reassured her.

"Alright...let me put this away then." Serena grabbed the box and walked back to the bathroom, coming out shortly after.

"I'm pretty sure you're hungry, you've been knocked out for three hours. I can make something for us to eat," Ash offered while he put on a new shirt.

"No...please don't...the last time you cooked, you set the entire oven on fire...I don't even know how that's possible!" Serena giggled.

"I can't argue with that. I'll order some pizza then...any requests?"

"Chocolate coated strawberries!"

"How can I not see that coming..." laughed Ash as he walked downstairs to order the pizza.

Meanwhile, Serena took a good look at Ash's room. It had been two years since she's been in his room so she walked over to his desk and took a good look at everything; all his trophies, medals, badges, and certificates were lined up neatly on a long shelf while his desk was adorned with photos he's had with friends. There was one of him and Gary, a picture of their whole group back when they were just ten, there was one of him and Dawn, one of him and Brock, and finally was one of her.

Serena took the picture frame in her hands and smiled. It was the day she was accepted and hired for a modeling agency and the same day Ash was hired as a backup Frontier Brain. They took a photo together to celebrate. Serena was wearing a black long-sleeve blouse with red ribbons along the sleeves, a red skirt with a white diamond pattern, black leggings, red heels, and a red hat; she also had her hair curled for the occasion. Ash on the other hand wore a traditional Aura Guardian outfit, due to the rules that each Frontier Brain may choose his/her own theme.

A blush crept on Serena's face when she remembered that day once again. It was also the first time Ash outwardly expressed that he thought she was attractive. He wasn't able to take his eyes off of her; it was almost like Brock had possessed Ash.

'Those were the days...' Serena thought.

Putting the picture frame down, she walked downstairs, wondering why Ash was taking so long.

"Ash? Are you okay? It's been twenty minutes."

"Yeah, just give me a minute!"

Serena followed the voice and it lead her to the kitchen where she saw Ash finish melting a bowl of chocolate dip.

"What's all this?" Serena asked.

"You said you wanted some chocolate coated strawberries, right? I made some," Ash replied, taking a plate of frozen strawberries from the fridge just as the doorbell rang.

"Right on time." Ash set the tray on the table and prepared to answer the door when Serena beat him to it.

"You've done enough. Pizza's my treat, k?"

"Sure. I'll take these up to my room," Ash said.

"I'll be there in a sec."

After paying the pizza delivery guy, Serena walked back up to Ash's room and placed the pizza next to the strawberries and chocolate. She also noticed that there were also two cups on the floor.

"Got us a bottle of soda. It's apple, your favorite."

"Thanks," Serena said in gratitude. She couldn't have imagined Ash still remembered something she told him when they were still little kids.

He poured both of them a glass then opened the pizza box and taking a slice with Serena copying his actions a moment after.

They began to talk about small things. Like catching up on what's been going on in each other's lives; this went on for quite a while even after they finished their food. However, the small talk finally stopped when Serena suddenly said something Ash wasn't expecting.

"Ash...I'm sorry for all this.."

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"I..I missed your birthday party...I ignored you for the past three months for someone I just met recently...worst of all, you got hurt because I actually let him get close..."

Serena was shocked when Ash suddenly enveloped her in a warm hug.

"Don't worry about that. You're safe and nothing happened to you and that's what's important."

"But how could you just let it all go so easily?"

"You're my best friend Serena. Even if we've grown apart a little bit, nothing's changed. And to be honest, I forgot my own birthday too." Ash ended his statement with a slight chuckle.

"You idiot..." Serena whispered in a happy tone as she reciprocated the hug.

"Ash?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm really tired..."

"Then go to sleep. I'll be on the couch if you need me," Ash said.

"No...could you...sleep...next to...me...tonight?" Serena asked with a bright red face.

"Why?" Ash asked back with an equally red face.

"I'd just...feel...safer..if you're next to me...please?"

"Are you sure you're okay with that? I mean, won't you feel uncomfortable about that?"

"I'm completely fine with it," Serena assured him with a cute smile.

"Oh..uh...okay...just, um...give me a minute to change into something cleaner," Ash said, clearly referring to his jeans.

"No problem..." Serena said shyly.

Not a moment sooner, Ash came out wearing a pair of blue shorts and a white t-shirt.

"So um...I just have to sleep next to you?"

"Yeah..."

The two teens were acting extremely timid; while Serena wasn't lying about feeling safer and with the fact that it also keeps her mind off of what happened, part of her can't help but feel ashamed of taking advantage of Ash like this...almost.

Ash walked to the door and locked it then closed the lights, leaving the moon as the only source of light in the room.

Serena lied down on the bed first and faced the opposite direction of Ash, unable to make eye contact or even see his face due to all the awkwardness.

Ash followed her lead and walked to the bed and covered Serena with the blanket, before getting under the covers himself. He lied down behind her, facing the same direction and almost planned to sleep already until he saw Serena shiver a bit.

Without giving it much thought, Ash closed the gap between them and wrapped his arms around her delicate waist, placing his chin on her shoulder. Unfortunately for him, Serena was still awake so he would have some explaining to do if she ever brought this topic up.

But that was something he could worry about next time. The boy shut his eyes and drifted off to sleep but not before saying one last thing.

"Good night Serena..."

Serena just smiled and let out a happy sigh before retiring for the night as well.

To be continued...

There you go guys! Tell me what you think! Favorite, Follow, and Review please! Thanks to all those who reviewed last chapter! Guess that means I'm not too rusty in writing.

HINT: Serena's outfit described in this chapter is one of the ones she wore on her shopping spree in the Diancie movie.

UNRELATED NEWS: WHO'S EXCITED FOR NEXT YEAR'S POKEMON: XY&Z?! A NOIBAT CENTERED EPISODE AND THE DANCE EPISODE THAT'S GOT ME SO HYPED!