Chapter Text
When someone loves you, it's pretty obvious, isn't it?
Well, you must suspect that something is going on when, as if by chance, that person always suggests being with you when it's time to split into teams, or always shouts your name first when there's danger, or – again, what a strange coincidence – always walks beside you to chat about this and that.
And yet, there was one person, one single person in the entire Pokémon world who didn't notice all these obvious signs. A record, you might say, especially since there was such a lot of competition.
Because yes, Ash could boast of always being the last to understand these kinds of things. A title unanimously given to him by all his travelling companions and even by his mother, except that... He was useless at it, wasn't he? Very, very, veeeeeeery useless, to the point that they sometimes called him a hopeless case. So now, explain to him why, despite his interstellar uselessness, recognised by all, he had understood. And above all, explain to him how it was possible (in this universe created by Arceus, governed by the laws of order and logic protecting them all from the chaos of Giratina) that he understood what he was feeling before Serena did?
No answers? Very well, if that was the case, then he could see only one solution: to drown himself in the forty centimetres of water that made up the source of the Goodra marsh. Unfortunately, his plans were not to everyone's liking, especially Clemont, who, without the slightest consideration, pulled his arm to bring him back to the surface.
"Ash, honestly, I don't find this funny.”
It was rare to see Clemont get angry. Even when he had left them after his defeat against Wulfric and (it had to be admitted) risked his life in the blizzard, the scientist hadn't held it against him that much – probably because he was more relieved to see him again than anything else. Then... technically, Serena hadn't come there to throw snowballs at him. It was simply that he had managed to make her angry with his stories about ‘she didn't know anything about how he felt’ or that it was ‘his problem’. And believe him, even if Serena herself no longer seemed to hold it against him, he still felt just as guilty and bitterly regretted every word he had said.
Honestly, he would have preferred not to have to argue with her to understand... You see, he had shouted when she left, just to ‘find himself’ and ‘get his thoughts in order’. It had worked perfectly, perhaps even a little too well, because by the end of the day (and night), not content with mastering the synergy, he had to... find her again, the smile she had given him, the softness in her voice when she had wished him ‘welcome back’, and the feeling of returning to the place where he had always wanted to be, all of that...
“AAAAAH!!!”
So, there were smarter things to do than scream, especially when, because of that, Clemont slipped and fell into the water while Pikachu launched his favourite Thunderbolt attack. Perhaps it was a relief for Ash, but unfortunately, once the initial shock had passed, his brain did him the favour of bringing back everything that had been driving him half-mad lately. That is to say: going shopping with Serena in Lumiose (including clothes shops, how could she not understand when he agreed to go to clothes shops!), telling her that she would always have his eternal support, challenging her to a battle because you always understood how the other person felt when you battled, all so that... So, the fact that they were about to separate was painful, but somehow he could have endured it if at least...
“What's wrong with you?” moaned Clemont, who was just coming to his senses.
Ah! It was true that from the outside, Clemont had only seen Ash trying to drown himself, Ash screaming, Ash despairing that the Thunderbolt attack hadn't been enough to put him in a coma. Yes, he was going to have to find an explanation, and a good one, because he couldn't see himself answering ‘Serena’ even though, in recent weeks, he hadn't been able to forget her for even a second (it had been building since the Winding Woods: still tolerable during the league, then finally completely overwhelming him since she announced she was leaving for Hoenn).
"It's just that... I'm hungry?”
Clemont raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms, completely unconvinced, and for good reason: if Ash had really been so hungry that he lost his mind, his stomach would have already made itself known. In short, not only had he just blown his excuse, but he was also telling the gym leader that things were serious enough for him to lie. This was something Clemont would not let pass until he told him the truth, and neither would Pikachu, judging by the way he pricked up his ears.
“Could it have something to do with Serena?” Clemont finally asked.
Ash's eyes widened. Clemont understood? How? How could he understand and not the person most concerned? The Kanto trainer swallowed, checking around him to see if Serena had finally decided to come back after finishing her flower crown workshop with Bonnie and Florges – Florges wanted to make a gift for Goodra to congratulate him on his battles in the Kalos League. Fortunately, Serena was nowhere to be seen, so he could shout quietly:
“How do you know that!?”
Clemont chuckled, holding his glasses as if he were preparing to present a new invention.
"Nothing escapes me, my dear Ash.”
"Is it that noticeable?”
“I'd say it's obvious.”
“Then why doesn't she understand?”
“Well... She's busy preparing for her departure, and she didn't get a chance to hear you shouting like an Exploud while taking a Thunderbolt attack as a bonus.”
“Pika,” apologised the Pokémon, scratching the back of his head.
"You don't want to lose your ration of kibble, do you?"
“Kachu.”
Clemont smiled amusedly. In any case, the Pokémon must have suspected that he wouldn't go to such extremes, especially since his Luxray's attacks were much more powerful than that, even if he wouldn't say so as not to upset his friends.
“Ash, I think you need to talk to her,” Clemont continued.
“W-What?” Ash blushed violently. “How am I supposed to do that?”
“Um... You go see her and tell her...”
“I love you?”
“Huh?”
“What?”
“Pika? Piiiiiiii!”
Ash backed away as if the water had suddenly become boiling hot and fell backwards. He stared at Clemont for several long minutes, who was now as red as he was, as if it was indeed the scientist he had just made his declaration to (by Arceus, he had really done it).
“You... You said nothing escaped you!” cried poor Ash, pointing at his friend.
“I thought you were sad or worried that Serena was leaving! How was I supposed to guess that?!”
“Because it's obvious!”
They stared at each other for a few seconds. Ash didn't know whether to be glad that Serena wasn't the last to understand or to despair at having so foolishly let the Meowth out of the bag to his friend (and at the same time made it official that Serena would be the last to know how he felt about her).
Clemont took off his glasses and meticulously wiped the fog that had formed on them, as if it were the only thing he could think of to break their spell.
“Do you think I should talk to her about it?” Ash swallowed.
Clemont jumped, nearly knocking his glasses off.
“Honestly?”
“Yes.”
“A logical answer?”
“Yes!”
“Backed up by all the knowledge science has given us?”
“YES!”
“...”
“Yes?”
“I have no idea.”
Ash heard Pikachu fall backwards, and he would have done the same if he hadn't already been up to his elbows in water. Really, science wasn't that incredible.
“But you're the one who said that's what I should do!”
“Yes, about you maybe wanting to go with her to Hoenn or you talking about it and then asking me for a machine that would allow you to stay in touch, but not... You know I'm the last person to understand this kind of thing!”
“You? Of course not, everyone knows it's me...”
“Me!”
“No, me!”
“Pika!”
Silence.
“Okay... definitely Serena,” sighed the Kanto trainer.
Ash had curled up into a ball and was watching his reflection in the ripples of the water. The worst part was that he thought (or at least hoped) that Serena felt much the same way he did. You see, everything he had noticed suddenly made more sense in terms of the Kalosian's sometimes strange behaviour. Especially since she blushed much more obviously than he did when he thought about it...
But he had no idea how to make a declaration, and it was sad to say, but he couldn't see himself making the first move, whereas Serena was much more experienced than him in that area, which would prevent him from making mistakes and ruining everything between them. Clearly, if Serena could understand that he felt the same way she did and dared to tell him (he didn't know exactly how it would happen, but he had no doubt that with Serena it would be a hundred times less ridiculous and stupid than if he did it), he would just have to say yes and everything would be settled.
Except that, even though Serena must have understood his feelings long before he did, she didn't understand what he was feeling. Logically, she should have understood before he did. It wasn't that hard to understand that someone loved you before they realised it themselves, was it?
“Kachu.”
“I know, no need to point it out. But I don't see how I could explain it to Serena without it being... you know.”
Clemont was at a loss as to how to respond to his friend's distress. Obviously, he wasn't going to give advice on a subject he knew nothing about, to the point that it was his little sister who...
“That's it!” exclaimed Clemont.
“Huh?” Ash sat up straight.
"Well, I don't really have any direct advice to give you, but there are plenty of other people who know a lot more about this than I do.”
“I... I don't really want everyone to know,”blushed the boy.
"Yes, I understand, but you just need someone to help you make things obvious.”
"It's obvious.”
“I can't judge Ash, really,” Clemont reminded him.” Even though I thought Serena was a little better than me at that.”
“I thought so too.”
“You see, we need help. Because while I have no doubt that we can do great things when it comes to Pokémons or saving a gym from a crazy robot I designed, this thing is beyond us.”
Ash looked down, and Clemont had to admit that he had never seen the trainer so focused and serious, even when facing the Megalith that had nearly destroyed half the region.
"But who am I asking this of?”
Ash had just asked a fateful question. And although he was tempted to suggest his little sister, his big brother instinct told him that she would just kneel down in front of Serena and ask for her hand in marriage on Ash's behalf... Clemont wasn't prepared to subject his friend to such humiliation.
“We'd need someone who knows her well.”
“Her mother?”
“I don't think that's a good idea, Ash.”
“Pika,” confirmed the electric mouse.
The boy sat cross-legged again, arms crossed and eyes closed. He could ask Miette, Nini or Shauna, but even though they were good friends, he didn't think they knew her well enough for this kind of mission. Yes, they were rivals and friends, but considering the time they had spent together, Ash could boast of being far above them. Well, Clemont was out of the picture, he had a bad feeling about Bonnie, and having Pikachu as the best option wasn't exactly appealing either. In short, no one was able to know exactly what the young girl was thinking or what would make her understand for sure. Yes, absolutely no one, except...
“Serena!”
“Where?!” Clemont panicked.
“No, what I mean is: it's Serena.”
“I'm going to need more context.”
“I'll ask Serena how she can tell when someone likes someone else.”
“Um... OK, now I'm going to need the whole thesis that goes with it.”
“Do you remember Quilladin? When she said he loved Eevee... that means she can see it perfectly, and it's entirely possible that I'm not doing things right, so... I'll ask her what's obvious to her, I'll do it, and then she'll definitely understand.”
“Ah, yes, maybe...”
“Right, Pikachu?”
He didn't wait for the Pokémon's answer and hurried to put his clothes back on over his swimsuit. You could almost swear hear him humming, so happy and confident was the boy in his idea. The rest happened very quickly, a ‘see you at Keanan's’ and he was gone (either he wanted Pikachu to finish enjoying the water source in peace, or he had literally forgotten about him, no one would ever know). Clemont and Pikachu continued to stare towards the cave exit, still unsure of what had just happened, before finally turning to each other.
"This is going to be a disaster, right?”
“Pi. Ka.”