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They say a watched pot never boils. Serena tried to adhere to that; she really did. It didn't count if you were browsing horoscopes on your handheld tablet and occasionally stealing glances at the digital clock on the stovetop, right?
"Ten minutes and thirty-two seconds…" She sighed. How long could she just parse the same article with her own projections for the year? It'd said that seemingly innocuous events would lead to a grand, sweeping change for her. That was an interesting one; a possible prophecy that made her heart race just a little. But it offered no details, except that she should "go for broke."
Lo and behold, here she was. In the generously available kitchen inside the local Pokémon Center, at about quarter to eleven at night. Watching her most recent batch of Poké Puffs bake in the oven, on the eve following the Poké Puff Contest she'd just competed in, on a bitter whim.
A spark that had, for just a moment, motivated her to action. A feeling she hadn't felt in a long, long time, to the point where it was almost foreign to her. She'd just assumed the empty routine she'd been following was a fate she was prescribed to. Be woken by Fletchling. Breakfast, Rhyhorn Racing. Occasionally break the pattern for shopping or handheld games. Repeat.
Droll musings almost lured her into a sleeplike state, before a voice startled her to high heavens.
"Serena…?"
"Ah!" She jumped up from the seat she'd taken, nearly knocking the foldable chair she'd sat in over. It rattled in a few clumsy turns like her beating heart, before settling. She exhaled, turning to find the source of her fright.
Ash was standing in the doorway to the kitchen, sleepily rubbing at his eye. Wearing his simple white tank top with the red stripe, and pajama shorts. His hair was messy, but that was normal. "What're you doing up so late…?" His nose crinkled, and he sniffed at the air. "Something smells really sweet!" Suddenly, he didn't look so tired anymore.
"...Ash," she huffed, frowning. "You scared the daylights out of me. I could say the same for you. We have a full day of traveling ahead of us, you know." Says the one who is presently wide awake.
"I just got up for some water," he answered, grabbing a glass from the cabinet before filling it with the beverage he'd come in for. "'Sides. You're wide awake, too."
Busted. She blushed, looking off. "I'm baking some Poké Puffs for the road," she answered curtly.
Ash seemed to almost choke on the water he was downing, thumping his chest before putting the glass down heavy-handedly on the counter. "Can I have some?" He asked giddily. "I didn't get my fill today…"
"Huh!" Serena huffed bitterly, turning away with her arms folded, all of the sudden. "Were Miette's not enough for you?"
She hadn't forgotten his rush to eat her pastries, despite her rude remarks to Serena. By the way Ash flinched, she could tell that he hadn't, either. She felt only a little guilty, but held her ground.
Ash finished drinking his glass to calm the coughing he'd just done, wiping his mouth with the back of his wrist. "You have a petty side to you, don't you?"
Serena squeaked. Her face filled with red; not a note of romance, this time, but sheer panic and embarrassment. 'I didn't just go and give Ash a bad impression of me, did I…!? Sure, she could be petty. Just a tad judgmental. But was that her reputation, now!? "D-doesn't everyone!?" She countered. With a moment's reconsideration, though, she quieted, her voice just above a meek whisper. "...Then again, I don't suppose you have one."
To her total bewilderment, Ash laughed.
"Huh?" She asked, looking up to him, wide-eyed, for clarification.
"That's not exactly true," he said, smiling. He looked almost amused.
"I've… never seen that from you, is all! I didn't think…!" She stammered out, short of a full sentence. What did she think, really? What did she know? She still had a lot to learn about Ash, despite her memories of him lingering in the back of her mind for years. He wasn't her memories.
"Sometimes, it's just the nature of rivalries," Ash explained. "That's why I didn't bother with Miette's teasing or anything."
"I think that was more because you were hungry," she dryly accused with narrowed eyes.
This gave Ash a Deerling-in-headlights look; easing into a half-smile that told the blonde that he'd definitely been caught, and he knew it. "Maybe you're half-right."
"Maybe… Miette and I were rivals today," Serena mused. Dropping the Poké Puff feud. "I've never even considered having one."
"Really?" Ash asked, looking over from where he was washing his glass in the sink. "The way you two acted, you'd think you've had the act down for years!"
Serena blinked. "You think so?"
Ash nodded. "Miette was trying to get your goat from the start."
"It was… so irritating!" Serena huffed, bunching up her fists. She felt the burning frustration from yesterday boiling up, again. "Calling my Poké Puffs so-so…! Labeling every bit of knowledge I had as something to take for granted… and, and…!" She froze, stopping herself.
The burning in her cheeks came with the petrifying reminder of what Miette had spent the remainder of their rivalry bothering her with. 'Brides-to-be, swiping him up first…! I can't mention those here!'
"...Yeah," Ash agreed with an awkward laugh. He seemed to smooth over her unfinished sentence entirely, to Serena's great relief. "That's how a lot of rivals are. They try to push your buttons so that you become strong enough to be a challenge… Or sometimes, they're just huge jerks."
Curiosity won her over. Serena blinked. "You make it sound like you've had a lot of rivals."
"Sure have!" Ash confirmed, smiling giddily. "Do you remember Gary Oak? Y'know, back at the Summer Camp."
"Gary Oak…" Serena repeated, holding her index finger to her lips in thought. "...Unfortunately," she said sourly. "I remember him dismissing you and being rather full of himself, after you led me back to camp."
It was a detail she'd long forgotten; perhaps in her bias. But it came back with the name. Ash had called out to the other child; spiky auburn hair, and a nasally voice. He'd said he was going to ask where the camp's head was, to console her in her stress. Ash hadn't even gotten his words out, before he got shut down. "What do you want, loser? Shouldn't you be chasing Pokémon in the woods!?"
"Yeahhh… That didn't stop anytime soon," Ash deadpanned. "When we became trainers, we were rivals. He'd flaunt and boast, every single time I ran into him." He laughed, shaking his head. "It got on my nerves so badly. I wanted nothing but to just beat him."
Serena leaned forward in her excitement, leaning her hands on the table. "And then you showed him who he was messing with, right?"
Ash visibly deflated in his posture before her eyes, giving a self-deprecating smile. "Let's not get carried away, here…"
"...Oh." Serena bit her lip, instantly feeling guilty for dragging up that memory.
"Serena?" He asked. "Did I say something funny? It's not like I have a spotless record in Kalos either, y'know."
"That… may be true!" She hurriedly agreed. "But you've always bounced back, stronger and sharper than before! I just… find it hard to imagine you having that much trouble."
"I didn't get that way overnight," he answered. Scooting to sit atop the countertop in the center of the room. His eyes turned towards the ceiling. "Wanting to be a Pokémon Master, and really feeling the drive to do it are two different things."
"I… don't understand," Serena said.
"People like Gary, and many other rivals… They made me want to improve myself. They made my Pokémon stubborn to win, too. Hell, they challenged everything I thought I knew about Pokémon!" From Serena's perspective, he looked contemplative at that moment. Just a sliver, perhaps, of glumness in his eyes before he tightened a fist. Seemingly chasing it away.
"With that on the line, I knew I couldn't afford to lose. So, me and my Pokémon would work hard, to find the answers that'd help us climb that wall."
"Climbing that wall… You mean the kind that Grant told us about!" Serena exclaimed.
"A lot like that!" Ash agreed excitedly. "Honestly, his and Viola's rivalry is a great example of what I mean."
"Alexa said that Viola was really frustrated about her loss," Serena mulled.
"Ahaha," Ash laughed, looking off. He seemed nostalgic. "Yeah, it's like that, sometimes."
Serena frowned, hesitating. She was tempted to prod further; to ask if he ever got discouraged in those times. Felt insecure, or doubted himself. But, that would mean exposing her own feelings of that kind. Finding the voice for it was difficult.
The 'ding!' of the oven's timer meant that, for now, Serena wouldn't. She was up on her feet quickly, happy to take the distraction. Oven mitts were back on her hands, and she carefully withdrew the molded pan from the heat, and set it on the counter. Multi-colored, hot and fresh molded pastries sat in each groove; a dozen had been baked, this time. There was no point in going all-out on supplies on an experimental batch. She carefully sat the tray on the countertop.
"Alright!" Ash rushed over, already reaching for the pan. "I'm starving." He frowned, as his hand was lightly swatted away. "Hey!"
"They're still hot!" She scolded.
"Oh… right." Ash smiled guiltily. "Guess you saved me a burn, heh."
Serena shook her head at his haste. "Besides, I still have to put the toppings on. I'm… practicing," she admitted. "To get better at making Poké Puffs."
"That so…?" Leaning back against the counter, Ash smirked. Serena felt a quick jolt of her heart when that determined look flashed in his eyes. "Then I'll be your rival!"
"Huh!?" Serena squealed out in confusion.
"...For tonight," he finished, with a bashful laugh.
"What're you talking about, Ash…?"
"Well, think about what we just talked about," he said. "If you have a rival, you have something to strive to be better than! So maybe competing against me will spark your better instincts!"
"My… better instincts…?" Serena echoed. She doesn't quite understand what he meant by that, but it's hard not to appreciate Ash trying to help her. A smile pulled at her lips. "You're on, Ash!"
"Awesome!" Ash cheered. "Then, let's get to it!"
"Right! Now, let's both wash our hands," Serena coached. "And I'll set each of us up!"
Serena took charge to arrange their little competition accordingly. The treats were split evenly between two baking sheets; each holding six. Alongside them, Ash and Serena each had a bowl of berries and toppings. With each, squeezers full of whipped cream and frosting.
"This'll be just like the contest," Serena narrated. "Whoever makes the most impressive Poké Puffs wins! Though…" She frowned, cupping her chin. "I wonder how we'll judge the winner."
"Ah, we'll just figure that out when we get there!" Ash dismissed.
Serena couldn't help but smile at his usual gung-ho attitude. "Right! One… two… three… Go!"
"Alright," Ash said with such hot-blooded gravel to it. "Time to go all-out!"
Serena heard him say it, but she was doing her best to focus on her own plate, as it were. Her first Poké Puff with an artful swirl of whipped cream, topped by a layer of pink, Pecha Berry frosting. Her hand lingered for one of the twigs for Fennekin, but hesitated. 'I'd already used that trick, today… That can't be my only trick.' Despite her concerns about creativity, her insecurity showed. She topped the Puff with three slices of Pecha Berry, conservatively.
It looked neat and technically right, but as Serena left that one behind, she couldn't help but feel like it was beyond basic. Especially when she 'cheated,' and her eyes drifted over to… Ash's monstrosity.
"C'mon… stop falling off, already!" He muttered, nudging a candy dot stubbornly onto a drooping whirl of whipped cream. The first Poké Puff was pretty much smothered in whipped cream to the point where the frosting that clung to its swirl looked incomplete in comparison. Berry slices and candy pieces crowded the entire design, with maybe just the slightest sign of artful coordination. Serena wonders where he learned that much, but she can see the enthusiasm in his work.
'Unconventional… But I should expect that. I can't afford to lose!' Serena frowned. Brows furrowing in determination. Ash's Puff had an identity. An enthusiasm and combination of everything that might work; it reflected his personality. What could she create that reflected her…?
What was she? Who was she, to begin with?
The second had a bit more attention to detail placed in it. A spicy, red Poké Puff would be topped with… Spicy frosting? No. She'd go for a sweeter, cream cheese topping, decorating the center of the pastry. Whipped cream, rather than a layer below, drew a thin pattern around the cake's top. It was a little sloppy; this was a practice run after all, but it made her smile. It felt authentic. Though, something was still missing…
"Aha!" She grinned, picking a cinnamon gum drop out of the basket, and placing one in the center. Still fairly simplistic, but it looked coordinated! There was just… something missing. She squinted, then decided on sprinkling a dash of fine, gold sugar sprinkles about. It was a success!
She'd found her groove, maybe. Apprehension clung to her like muck to her racer uniform, from the million times she'd fallen off Rhyhorn. But she shook her hips a bit to an imaginary beat, shaking it off just a little, as she moved on to the next. She wasn't free, but it was a start.
The next was a sour one. A green pastry, frosted with sweet Pecha frosting; no cream. Black sprinkles decorated the frosting, giving the sweet and sour treat a watermelon pattern; not unlike the sweet and sour candies that often came from Unovan industries.
"Shoot… I'm running low, here!" Ash hissed, looking down at his creations with a frown. Serena couldn't help but look over again; he'd overloaded the first three Poké Puffs with just about any confectionary topping Serena had packed, but that left his bowl empty, with three more to go.
'That's the flaw in his excitable, straightforward approach… I can still win this!' Serena smiled to herself.
Would sour and spicy work…? It wasn't a combination Serena had tried before, but she was too tempted to make a Fennekin-themed Poké Puff to not experiment. A yellow, sour Puff, made from Nomel, was topped with yellow Nomel frosting, and a crescent of whipped cream to resemble the bottom half of the fox's face. Four cinnamon gumdrops indicated eyes and ears.
A blue, dry Poké Puff was decorated with whipped cream to resemble Froakie's bubbles, and yellow gumdrops for his eyes.
A final, chocolate Poké Puff was her final duty. Seeing her opportunity to be a completionist, Serena grinned. Bitter, green frosting made a helmet resembling Chespin's, after a thin layer of redundant chocolate frosting made for a base. Black sprinkles were strategically placed for his eyes, creating a last puff with a mint chocolate taste!
"Ta-da~!" Serena exclaimed, gesturing to her half - at least before slapping her hands over her mouth. It was probably eleven, by now! She couldn't be so loud…!
Ash seemed to agree, raising a finger to shush her. When no Joy came to scold them, both breathed a sigh of relief. His eyes turned to compare their efforts, as did Serena's.
There was little Ash could have done to salvage the second half of the competition; he'd simply covered the last three in whipped cream to hide and compensate for his error. An unfortunate case of over and under decorating, all in one batch. Serena, on the other hand…
"Serena… Check yours out!" Ash marveled, leaning over to her side. "You kept 'em going strong the whole match… Actually, yours only got better! These look just like the three Kalos starters!"
"They… they did." Serena stared at her handiwork, blinking. "What happened…?"
"See?" Ash pointed out. "You were trying to outdo me, so you found room to improve and worked harder! It worked!"
"It did…!" Serena cheered, quietly, hopping in place out of excitement.
"Mine, though… I rushed right in."
"Like you do with battles?" Serena pointed out.
"Mhm," Ash nodded.
"With battles, getting momentum seems important," Serena reasoned. "But baking is more like a marathon. You need to pay attention to each individual Poké Puff, and make sure that you're prepared to make each one." Stopping herself, mid-instruction, she blinked. "...I'm learning." A smile pulled at her lips, her sky blue eyes glimmering with a sense of satisfaction. "Thank you… I don't know how I can thank you, Ash." She bowed her head. "Though, I wonder what we'll do with the underdone ones…"
"...Can that be my payment?" He laughed, though Serena could tell that he wasn't quite joking.
Serena giggled, and winked at him. "Those can be the consequence of your mistake; the rest will be for everyone else who waited properly."
"Thash fair," Ash conceded, talking around far too much whipped cream. He seemed to realize he was talking with his mouth full, stopping to finish what he was eating. "Sorry," he apologized.
A bead of sweat rolled down the young woman's forehead. An amused, somewhat forced smile forming. "Oh, Ash…"
"Honestly, I'm starting to feel like I…" A loud yawn interrupted him. He blinked his now-droopy eyes, finishing his sentence. "...I need to crash."
"Well, it's no wonder. You just ate a bunch, late at night!" Serena scolded.
Ash walked over to the sink, leaning over to splash water, soap, and water again on his messy face. "Do you want help cleaning up in here?"
Serena smiled, shaking her head. "You should go to bed before the sugar rush catches up with you, and you're up all night. Just throw out your baking sheet on the way out, and I'll handle the rest."
"Heh, yeah. I guess you're right." Ash stepped on the stepper lid to the kitchen's trash can and bundled up the wax paper he'd used, tossing it into the bin with ease. "Well, this was fun. Goodnight, Serena!" He waved a hand, before disappearing into the hallway.
"Goodnight, Ash." With the trainer disappearing, so did the noise and energy that he seemed to tail him wherever he went. She could hear herself breathe again. She could hear her steps, as she approached the fridge to slide the remaining Poké Puffs into the fridge. Its low hum was her only company, before that too, was locked behind a closed door.
"The motivation he feels…" She counted to herself, cleaning the countertop with a wet paper towel. "I had a taste of it, for just a second." Would she ever know what it would be like, for that to last? A goal she felt compelled to work at, like she had, tonight?
'...Honestly, I envy him.' She admitted, if only to herself. Maybe, if they continued on this journey though, she would learn more from him. And then, there was Miette… The rude, competitive, nosy young woman who had shoved her way into Serena's psyche, so suddenly.
Serena smiled to herself. This adventure was only getting more interesting.