Work Text:
You didn't know what to expect, when you were caught by Serena.
You were just a timid little Eevee who had dreams of dancing on the grand stage. But being afraid of your own shadow made that more-or-less impossible, even if you could strut your way towards an audience in the first place. But, one fateful day changed that. One kind young woman gave you a glimpse into a world of possibilities: a world of dazzling performances.
Serena was very kind. She was creative, and understood your passion for dancing; weaving spectacular shows of flames and darkness whipping together to create a halo for her footwork. She was patient; no matter how many times you ran away in fright, she extended another fig leaf to you, to get past your admittedly irrational fears. She became a safe space for you.
Clemont was diligent, and bright. He put together patchworks of metal, nuts and bolts to perform oddly specific tasks, and scientific wonders. Unfortunately, they tended to explode and scare the bejeezus out of you, but he meant well. He also desperately needed to work on his cardio.
His Chespin is obnoxious, but likes you a lot. When you first met him, his behavior frightened you. After you grew a spine, you tragically found him too oafish and juvenile for your tastes. But, he ultimately meant well, so you no longer run from him. A team takes all kinds.
His Bunnelby was another safe space, due to his calm demeanor. He's your friend.
Bonnie was excitable, but exceptionally good at brushing your tail.
Ash was… interesting.
Everyone in your group seemed to look to him for guidance and confidence. It wasn't something you paid a lot of mind, at first; when you were afraid of your own shadow, you tended to push your surroundings away. It was a bit of a selfish mentality in hindsight, really. Nothing was real beyond the tiny scope of your comfort zone. None of it occurred to you, beyond what you had to contend with.
You were immature too, really, when you thought about it.
Ash was the opposite of you, from what you could tell, at the time. He was confident, steadfast. Happy to put himself front and center, no matter the challenge or danger. He was strong; his Pikachu stood tall against the shadows cast by that strange, pesky criminal trio and their army of powerful Pokémon. His Greninja would magically transform before everyone's very eyes.
It made Ash a bit of an enigma; a distant figure that you generally felt secure around, but not much else. At the time, you were too shy to really get to know him. What would he want with a skittish little Eevee? He was a battler. You were a performer. You lived in different worlds.
Your view of him began to change, though, one milestone at a time.
After you, Braixen, Pancham, and Serena had secured your second Princess Key, you had your eyes on a third. But, Serena fell ill with a fever, days before the Showcase. All seemed lost, until Ash showed up with that band of criminal fits — Why did he seem so casually friendly with their enemies, anyway? — with a promise and a plan. Ash was going to take Serena's place.
It was a ludicrous plan; Bonnie seemed to think so, and even Clemont had his doubts. But once again, everyone cast logic aside to put their faith in a loud young man, half a foot shorter than Serena, with two left feet, who'd never attempted a Showcase in his life.
One admittedly convincing disguise and some platform boots later, Ash looked like Serena. One voice-modifying collar later, built by the group's resident engineer, and he sounded like Serena.
Coordinating yourself and your teammates was a breeze; he seemed to have a wealth of experience, or at least knowledge, pertaining to making a flashy display.
But, Ash couldn't dance like Serena. So, he had to be taught. A lot of that came down to you guiding him with every little step; every movement meant to express joy and confidence on stage. It wasn't particularly easy; actually rather frustrating, when you walked on four legs and he on two. Braixen and Pancham did the bulk of the work, really. But no matter how many times he tripped over himself and embarrassed himself, he kept trying.
You could admire that, at least. If you'd gone through half of those failures, you might've died of embarrassment and crawled under a rock forever. Maybe you gave up too easily.
Speaking of giving up, you all came very close to doing so, once the competition began. During the Theme Performance, Clemont's Make-a-Hero-Sound-Like-an-Angel Mark II — why was there a Mark I? — did as all of his inventions do; it exploded. Luckily, Ash made it through the round without arousing much suspicion, and retreated to the closest powder room to regroup.
But, they had a problem. Ash could no longer sound like Serena. The Free Performance was up next, at least, but how was he supposed to coordinate their moves? How could he give commands? It seemed like a bust. You, Pancham, and Braixen were ready to quietly retreat, slip away, and have Serena apologize and make up an excuse for her absence, another day.
But, Ash had another idea in mind.
"Never give up until the end!"
He pledged that they could complete this performance. Even without words, they could trust each other, and come out the other side, working in perfect sync! We were his friends. He believed in each of us to carry out what Serena had taught them, without needing guidance.
That, perhaps, was when you started believing in him, too. That was when you heard his voice, echo in your mind… or, in your heart? Whatever that sound was, it wasn't hitting your eardrums.
You'd formed a connection.
He waved it off as some odd superpower he boasted; claiming he was an Aura Guardian. Okay. So the guy that was subbing in for your trainer was some kind of mythical superhero. Sure. Why not? You were beginning to accept the oddities of day to day life with Serena and company.
It was interesting. It was novel. It was fun.
You didn't win the Showcase, and Ash did get caught by Palermo, but she let him off with a gentle warning. Even without a key gained, you all enjoyed the experience, together.
Oh! But, the next milestone!
That was at Pierre's dance party. Now, you would be remiss not to recount Serena, here. She passed up a chance to be dance partners with who you now know to be her crush, Ash, to partner with Clemont instead, for your personal comfort to be accompanied by Bunnelby.
Serena was a wonderful trainer; always putting you and yours first, even before her own happiness. Even if you didn't recognize this at the time, she was still your partner.
Your partner who chose you for a double battle against Miette and a strange lavender-haired man, while you and Serena accompanied Ash and Peeks. Now, as you've recounted, you were not a battler. Despite your elegant footsteps, you were getting thrashed. It was actually rather humiliating. Peeks was battling on behalf of both of you, and managing it rather handily.
That made Ash's maxim to never give up a bit hollow. There was nothing to surrender; Ash and Peeks could clean up for you. More than anything, your helplessness was humiliating. You needed to have the slack picked up for you, and the entire dance party could see it.
But, Serena was there for you. She told you that she wanted to be your strength.
That motivated you to evolve from a timid, flighty Eevee into a larger, stronger, more elegant, and bolder Sylveon. You won that battle handily alongside Peeks, and you were proud. You and Serena had solidified your bond into something greater, and it made you greater, too.
Now, what did any of this have to do with Ash, exactly?
Well, that came moments after the battle. While Serena delivered her praises, and the crowd clapped and cheered, Ash made his approach. As he crouched to run a hand through the fine fur atop your head, he uttered just a few words that continued to rattle around in your head like Clemont's Wakey-Wakey-Little-Sister-Alarm-Clock, complete with the complimentary 'boom':
"You really looked amazing out there, you know?"
That was the precipice over which Ash went from being intriguing to absolutely dashing. Handsome, heart-stopping, and gallant. His smile made you fan yourself with your ribbons as if you'd stumbled into Kalos's fabled sweltering drylands, and needed to cool off.
Now, was it shallow — silly, even — to fall head-over heels over such an ordinary, straightforward compliment? Was it vain of you? One could argue that and you'd probably lose the debate. But, there was a better and more flattering explanation:
That praise was just the magnifying glass that brought your attention to swelling admiration and musings that you'd been nursing for a couple of months. You'd been teetering on that precipice for a bit; Ash had just stood over the edge, holding his arms out, and given you the confidence to jump; an assurance that you would land right in his arms, safe and secure; happily ever after.
Unfortunately, you fell right through, and laid flat like a pancake; pitiful, like a puddle from last night's downpour that everyone cautiously stepped around to avoid soaking their socks.
It just wasn't to be. Not when your trainer was absolutely, positively, head-over-heels in love with the object of your affections. You'd made note of that earlier, hadn't you? Of Serena's feelings?
Well, that pitifully myopic scope of yours had bitten you in the tail; Serena had been crazy for Ash as long as she'd known him, and you'd been the last one to realize it. Braixen and Pancham looked at you funny when you asked, and even Peeks spared a pitying glance.
It'd all come to light, maybe just over a week ago, when Ash had fallen ill from training in the cold, and stumbling into a river. It was nothing a day's rest couldn't take care of, right?
Of course, life could never be that simple. Of course, some eccentric rock-and-roll fanatic boasting facepaint and a headbanging Pikachu had sought out Ash Ketchum specifically. Of course, Serena couldn't have delivered the bad news that Ash was sick like a sensible person.
No, she had to barge into Ash's tent, steal his clothes, adopt his outfit for herself, and pretend she was Ash, down to the very speech quirk and mannerism. She'd memorized his flicks of his wrist, fist pumps, Kanto dialect; even the way he adjusted his cap.
She even screamed like a lunatic when Bonnie and Clemont threatened to blow her cover.
Now, you liked Ash. You fancied him. You could picture the two of you under the moonlight.
Serena was absolutely fucking bonkers for Ash.
You couldn't, in good conscience, try to sweep him up from under the trainer who helped you make your dreams come true. It wasn't even an option. This meant more to her than it did to you, and you considered her your best friend, anyhow. You decided to sit this crush out, and wait for the heart-thumping sentiments to fade into a durable, easygoing, platonic friendship.
Now, would this little winding fairy tale end here, on a selfless whimper? Of course not.
Once more, everything was upended with the arrival of an old friend of Ash's. Or rather, his girlfriend — Dawn Tsumura. A peppy, rowdy, clumsy young woman with a country twang. A well-known Pokémon Idol and Coordinator, apparently, with an eye for fashion and all things Pokémon. By all means, she sounded like someone that you would like on paper.
Unfortunately, you could see the pain in Serena's glassy eyes, as she pitiably tried to keep herself present in conversations between Dawn and Ash. You could see her knuckles whiten, under the table, from where you sat. Which, naturally, led you to one conclusion:
You hated everything Dawn Tsumura was, aimed to be, and professed to be. Her clumsy ways? She was a careless klutz. Her fashion? Abominable, outdated, droll. Her oblivious candor? An insensitive, uncouth wrecking ball of a human being. She was, pardon your Kalosian, on your shitlist, for being synonymous with the acute pain that she brought to your lovely trainer.
In hindsight, this was awfully immature of you. Embarrassing, even. But the stirring of making you jealous and Serena heartbroken was a sickly concoction. Hearing that Bonnie harbored the same sentiment made you think about your grudge-keeping being on par with a seven-year-old.
Luckily, it all barely lasted a day.
While you were in your Poké Ball, quietly listening in, Serena spilled her guts to Dawn, and then to Ash. Ash did the same, and as it turned out, they all harbored feelings for one another.
And thus, the creaking, rotted, outdated gates of monogamy burst open, never to be used again; discarded and left behind for better pastures. You were there for the date; they performed, laughed, flirted, sang, gorged, stumbled and fell. They all had a wonderful time.
Dawn had been revised in your mind. She was charmingly clumsy, a bit too daft for her own good, but ultimately well-meaning and sweet. She held Serena's heart tenderly as she did Ash's, and now, you understood why Ash fell for her in the first place. It didn't sting anymore.
Oh, and you were pretty unfair on her fashion sense: business chic was decidedly in.
Dawn provided raw id and impulse where Ash and Serena might stumble. Serena provided thoughtfulness and a gentle hand where theirs were too calloused and rough. Ash provided a proper magnet and balance between them both, conducting a rhythm that soothed the soul.
They were happy, and you were happy.
…But, you could also be happier.
Those gates of monogamy you described? They were definitively left behind. In fact, your trainer and her Braixen had carried an unspoken bond longer than you'd been on the team. They'd been brittle as twigs as long as they've stood in the way of speaking your truth.
So, what was one more transgressor on a pact that didn't really mean anything?
The morning after Ash, Dawn, and Serena's date, you made your move. No prior planning, or elaborate speeches in mind; going with your gut was the way Serena did things. The way Ash did things, and seemingly Dawn, too. If it worked for them, then it would work for you.
Breakfast was winding down, and everyone had more-or-less gotten ready for the day. You got the sense that if you didn't act soon, Clemont would start putting away the kitchenware, and you'd have to wait until lunch. So, you went ahead and trotted away from the other Pokémon.
Ash sat at the table, making eyes with Serena and Dawn and chattering about something. One of your prehensile ribbons reached out to tug on his sleeve, garnering his attention.
"Excuse me, Ash? Could I just… borrow you from the girls, for a minute?" You laid on the saccharine charm, luring him with your wide, baby blue eyes. "I promise it won't be long."
Ash looked somewhat perplexed; none the wiser. All the same, his usual toothy smile was there; bestill your heart. "Uh, sure! Not a problem. Hey gang, I'll be right back!" He waved, stepping away from the table. "So, watcha need, Mab? Working on a new move, or something?"
"A move…?" You hummed, looking off to nowhere in particular. "You could say that!" There had to be a conspiratorial glimmer in your eye; you could see it in his curious and scrutinizing gaze. "Come, now! Somewhere with a bit of privacy, perhaps?" You pointed towards a nearby grotto with a ribbon, then tangled it around his wrist, and started to lead him there, yourself.
"H-hey! Alright, hah. Someone's pushy, today." Ash chuckled, keeping pace with you.
You looked over your shoulder, smiled sweetly at him, and turned forward again. A short distance away, you found a comfy and suitable spot behind the bushes, and released Ash's wrist to sit up, forepaws folded politely in front of you, and haunches planted.
The poor wonderboy eyed you with suspicion, still, but all the same, sat down in front of you with his legs crossed and his palms planted on his knee. "Alright, Mab. You've got my attention, what's up?" His eyes widened as he racked his pretty little head for answers. "D'you have any questions about me and the girls? Because I'm sure this might be confusing-"
"Ash," you interrupted, saving him his breath. Despite your sweaty paws; despite your heart thumping like a Double Kick, you pressed on, extending one of your colorful ribbons to rest on his shoulder. "I don't have any questions. Instead, I would like to make… a proposition."
"A propo-huh?" The young man's face went through a series of contortions, as he went through confusion, then denial, then bewilderment. You batted your eyelashes, driving the point home.
"...Oh, huh." Ash's smile was a charming cross between amusement, flattery, and exasperation. "I've gone and reeled in another one, haven't I?" His awkward, boyish laughter was like honey.
Your smile widened. "Another one, indeed."