Hello everyone and welcome to the third chapter of this fic, I hope you enjoy it. This is a shorter chapter but only because the next chapter is going to extremely more longer, at least I think anyway!

Next chapter will be out one week from today on Sunday so once again, be ready!

Ash looked straight at the honey blonde haired, young women who now had a name, Serena.

"Serena huh, so how did you know my name before my Elite Four battles anyway?" Ash's interest was definitely peaked upon meeting her, he searched his past memories but still, found nothing that resembled her.

"I guess I can't really blame you for not remembering something back when we were just kids," Serena spoke light heartedly about the whole thing. "We went to Professor Oak's Pokemon Summer Camp together."

Ash hadn't thought about that camp in years, hearing it again after so long almost blew him off his feet, "Wow you weren't kidding, you really have known me way longer than I thought, talk about a blast from the past. Now I kind of feel awful not remembering you when you clearly have remembered me so well."

Serena's face instantly took on a deep red color as she waved her hands in reassurement, "No no don't feel bad! If anything I'm the weird one for even remembering you from so long ago."

Ash couldn't help but laugh at her humility and how, sort of odd she seemed. He opened his mouth to respond, but as he did his stomach let out the most primal, hungriest cry it had ever let out. His eyes widened in embarrassment while Serena had to cover her mouth, not trying to make her laughter seem to obvious.

"Just a little hungry huh?" Serena prodded, giving the boy she had been looking for a hard time.

"I mean I guess I could eat," Ash said in between laughter. He looked off into the distance and could see the hotel on the horizon, all of his friends waiting for him. But so much was weighing on his mind, the ever present fear of failure, and these new, unexplained feelings he had for May that he himself couldn't understand. Was he really ready to face all of that right now?

"Hey Serena, I know this is going to sound a bit odd, but do you want to go grab a bite to eat with me?"

Serena's heart started to beat faster and faster as she was almost sure that she had heard him incorrectly, "You want me to go and have dinner with you?" She reiterated, wanting to be sure.

Ash laughed and gave her a genuine smile, "Of course, you can tell me more about Oak's camp and maybe it'll jog some memories. If you'd like to anyway."

"Yes definitely!" Serena responded with no hesitation, she wasn't about to let him slip through her fingers, coming all the way from Kalos just to see him.

"Perfect! Just a fair warning, but I have a, let's say bigger than average appetite."

Serena brushed it off, "Oh please Ash, I'm sure it can't be that bad."

After dinner

"Wow, it really is that bad." Serena's eyes widened in shock, looking at the aftermath of Ash stuffing his face with bowl after bowl of food.

"Nah that wasn't too bad, I guess I wasn't all that hungry," Ash replied as they paid the bill, exited the restaurant, and began walking through a park.

"The appetite on this guy," Serena thought to herself as they walked side by side. "You were eating so much I didn't even get the chance to expand on the camp."

"Oh yeah," Ash responded with an embarrassed smile, "sorry, I guess I just been having a lot on my mind lately it sort of slipped my mind."

"And a lot on your plate," Serena playfully retorted, "I can imagine though, I mean your battle with Cynthia is only a few days away."

Serena noticed Ash's body instantly stiffen up upon uttering the Sinnoh champion's name, "Yeah, I really can't wait," Ash said with as much vigor as he could muster up, but he couldn't even fool Serena with that, let alone himself.

"You don't sound all that happy about it," Serena noted, curious now. "I know even back then at the camp you'd go around telling everyone you'd be a pokemon master, have your dreams changed since then?" Serena looked intently at Ash, looking for a response, before realizing she may have gone a bit too far with her questions.

"I'm sorry! I shouldn't be trying to get so deep into your emotions, I mean for all intents and purposes, I'm basically a stranger to you."

Hearing the sincerity in her voice helped calm down Ash, releasing the tension from his body, "don't be silly, I may not completely remember you, but I can tell you're someone I wish I did. Did I really make it that obvious though, how hollow my words are?"

Serena let out a sigh of relief upon hearing she hadn't overstepped her boundaries, "I wouldn't call them hallow, I know you want to become a Pokemon Master, that much about you I know hasn't changed. But there's this sadness in your voice, and I'd like to know why and maybe even help, if you're willing to tell me."

Ash paused for a moment, debating whether to continue or not before finally biting the bullet, "There's sadness in my voice yeah, but what has been eating me up, more than anything I've ever encountered before, is fear."

"Fear," Serena whispered to herself, trying to comprehend it all as he continued.

"I've faced death in its eyes, fought against countless criminal organizations with complete confidence, but right now Serena, I'm afraid. Afraid that I've gotten this far, only to come up short like I did back in Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn. If I don't beat Cynthia in a few days, then I have to start right from the start where it all began once again. That fall from the highest high, to the lowest low, is what scares me more than anything else. Even saying it out loud now right now just seems ridiculous and childish believe me I know."

Ash had stopped his walking and stood still, looking up to the sky and staring up at the stars, "the worst part is, I can't tell any of my closest friends about any of this. I can't let them see me like this when they've always relied on me as their foundation."

Serena searched for something, anything to say, but this was all hitting her so suddenly. She expected her first time talking to him being a lot more light hearted, rather than seeing him in such dire straits. That being said though, she knew he needed someone to hear him out, and that's what she would do.

"But you can tell me, since you hardly know me, right?" Serena asked, getting a nod of approval from Ash. "You're not being ridiculous, not even close. I can't say I know exactly what you're going through, but isn't it the journey that makes the ending that much more satisfying? Even if you lose here, there's a whole world out there left for you to explore. Unova, Alola, Kalos, there's so many new experiences and adventures out there that Ash Ketchum hasn't even begun to understand."

"Being champion has always been your dream I know, but does success taste better than the amazing experiences I'm sure you've gone through, or the friends you've made?"

Ash hesitated, "I have made some incredible friends during my journey's."

"And I'm sure they'd go to the ends of the earth just to fight for you, don't you think?"

Ash broke his stare with the stars and looked at Serena, her words hitting Ash like a brick. "I've been going crazy over nothing haven't I?"

Serena's face lit up as she saw Ash's wide smile, that face reminding her of the Ash she knew as a kid, "Maybe not over nothing, but there's so much more to being a pokemon trainer than just winning championships, at least from my perspective."

"To think, if I had somehow become champion in the Kanto League, I would have never met some of my closest friends. If I become champion of the Sinnoh League, how many potential close friends am I trading that in for?" Ash wondered, looking directly at Serena.

The duo finally continued walking as the spirits were raised high, "thank you Serena, I'd be lying if I said that fear wasn't still, just ever so slightly there, but I feel so much better now."

"Mhm," Serena hummed with a slight blush across her cheeks, "and if you ever decide to travel through Kalos, you can count on me to join you in on your adventures."

"Kalos huh? Well then, I'd be honored to have you as my traveling partner," Serena cheered in joy internally, the young man she had a crush on was everything she imagined him to be and so much more.

"So what brought you all the way to Sinnoh anyway? I know Kalos is long ways away."

Serena stammered and stuttered, realizing how crazy it might sound if she told him she came all this way just to meet him, "Ah well you see, I mean the real reason is-"

Ring ring ring ring ring ring phone call phone call

Ash's ringing phone had saved Serena in that moment, apologizing for the interruption as he picked up the phone.

"Hey May, what's up?"

"May," Serena heard that name and figured it was one of Ash's close friends he had mentioned. What were his friends like she wondered, were they as nice as Ash, even nicer? Not possible, Serena thought.

"…"

"Yeah sorry, I probably should've told you guys I wasn't coming back for dinner. But I met this really sweet girl I knew from when I was a kid, her name is Serena!"

"Oh god," Serena said, feeling embarrassed and hoping Ash's friends didn't hate her for borrowing him during dinner.

"…"

"Yeah she's really great, but I'm heading back to the hotel right now don't worry, I'll see you guys soon!"

Click

Putting his phone Ash adjusted himself and turned back to the young woman, "sorry about that Serena, actually have to head back to my hotel now, they're kind of all waiting for me."

"Oh that's totally fine don't worry, I'll let you get back to your friends," Serena awkwardly laughed as she started walking away, "I guess I'll see you in Kalos maybe!"

"Wait where are you going?" Ash laughed as he caught back up to her, "I really want you to meet my friends, we may have just met, since we were kids of course, but I feel a real connection towards you."

"A…connection," Serena repeated, feeling her heart starting to beat faster.

"Yeah! Let's exchange phone numbers and I'll arrange something tomorrow where you can meet them. Worst case scenario we just end up grabbing some lunch together, just you and me."

Serena quickly fumbled her phone out of her pocket and exchanged numbers with Ash, sweating profusely the whole time.

"Perfect! I'll see you tomorrow, okay Serena?"

"Sounds like a plan!" She replied as the two went their separate ways.

Serena felt as though she was walking on air because of how amazing her time spent with Ash was. Got to know him a little better, helped him work through his problems, and got his number, all in a days work for the young honey haired woman. As she was walking back to her hotel room though, her hand brushed up against her pocket reminding her of something.

"I forgot to give him back his handkerchief!"

All was right in the world of Ash Ketchum, he finally felt like his usual self. Unfortunately for him, he'd soon come to realize that tomorrow, would be the last day he was ever Ash Ketchum.

So that was the third chapter of The Disgraced Champion, albeit short. Next one is gonna be a long one since we getting betrayed my boys.

Next chapter will be out Sunday!

Don't forget to review! Really curious to know what you all think, good and bad.