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"Hold on! I'll find out for myself instead. I'll just let it be a surprise," Ash said to Tierno, with Pikachu hopping next to him in agreement.
As the duo continued to discuss Tierno's loss at the Anistar Gym, Serena, Clemont, Bonnie and Shauna giggled at the enthusiasm that Ash displayed. The six of them sat at a table in the break room of the Pokemon Center, all taking a breather now that they had arrived in Anistar City. Ash was fired up as always over learning what he could for his next gym battle.
Serena in particular enjoyed watching Ash's excitement over his next gym battle. Seeing him continue to be so energetic and optimistic about the Kalos region and his upcoming battles kept her motivated over her own journey as well. Moments like these were just a further reminder as to how rewarding the 'never give up until it's over' attitude truly could be.
As Serena and Shauna aimed to continue their conversation over their upcoming Anistar Showcase, Shauna put her head in her hands, as a clever thought came to her mind.
"That Ash is always so upbeat! That's why you like him, right?" Shauna beamed towards Serena.
Hearing those words threw Serena into a panic. She could feel her face flush as she registered the words that her fellow performer had asked. Somehow, someway, she hoped to avoid all eye contact with Ash.
"Ahh! Like him? Uh, it is true that his positive mental attitude is something I admire a bit..." Serena fumbled over her words, trying to find any way to redirect the conversation to any other topic.
"Huh? Wait, what was that?" Ash chimed in.
Serena then turned towards Ash. Was her secret finally exposed?
"Mmph! It wasn't important!" Serena screamed.
"Uh, okay?" Ash questioned.
"Oh boy," Serena said, while Shauna sighed in relief.
If she could have it her way, Serena would have screamed at Shauna for making such a sightless and carefree joke with Ash right in front of them. At the same time, however, she would have asked out Ash a long time ago if it truly was her way. So, she found peace with not having Ash press her over the matter any further. As long as her feelings were hidden for the time being - until she mustered up the courage to do something about them, anyways - she found no need to complain.
"Eevee!" Her Eevee screamed, jumping onto her lap as Chespin was up to no good yet again.
For now, it was time to focus on helping Eevee to get ready for the performance. Her feelings for Ash and her anger towards Shauna would have to wait.
"Yo, that was a fun battle, Ash!" Tierno said, as he shook Ash's hand.
"Yeah, great job! We'll both be ready to take on the Kalos League in no time!" Ash said.
"Pi-Pikachu!" Pikachu chirped as he sat perched on Ash's shoulder. His good mood came partially from thinking about the upcoming gym battle, while also having the satisfaction of beating Tierno's Blastoise in their battle.
While the two of them thanked each other, Bonnie sprinted over towards them, with Clemont trudging behind her.
"But the tag battle was way more fun!" Bonnie said, referring to Ash and Tierno battling against Serena and Shauna prior to their own battle. "It was so much more exciting!"
"Yeah, um..." Ash scratched his cheek, unsure of how to exactly respond to her. "Tag battles have more action, so that makes sense!"
"Well, I'm gonna go grab dinner in town, I'll see you guys later!" Tierno cheered.
As Tierno dashed off, it left just Ash, Clemont and Bonnie together on the practice field. An awkward silence developed over the three of them, with Ash being the only one to recognize it.
"Clemont, Bonnie, I'll be back in a few minutes, okay?" Ash said.
Before they could respond, Ash jogged into the Pokemon Center, with Pikachu giving his trainer a confused look that went unnoticed. As soon as Ash saw what he was looking for, he started to feel a sense of relief.
"Serena!" Ash called out to her. He waved his hand in the air.
"Ash?" Serena replied back. She was sitting on a bench in the corner of the Pokemon Center, brushing a sleepy Eevee who repeatedly yawned.
Ash sat next to Serena on the bench. Pikachu jumped over to Serena's shoulder, while Ash beamed towards Eevee.
"How did your battle with Tierno go?" Serena asked.
"It was great! We won, and we learned a lot, too!" Ash said. "Hey Serena, now that I think about it, I meant to ask you something earlier."
Serena's shoulders tensed up. Ash, wanting to ask her something in such a serious manner? That was very unlike him.
Before she could even respond, Ash began his question.
"What were you and Shauna talking about earlier?"
The room suddenly felt very cold to Serena. Even Eevee gave an inquisitive look towards her trainer. Pikachu jumped back onto Ash's shoulder, giving Serena a blank look.
"We were... talking about a lot of things earlier, actually," Serena said under her breath.
"Don't worry, I'm not trying to be nosy, it's just... I heard something that seemed odd," Ash said, rubbing his finger under his nose.
Serena wished she could debrief with Braixen at that moment. What should she do next? How could she deflect such a strange comment from Ash?
"Oh, are you talking about how Shauna and I were planning which showcases we hope to do next? That was just some brainstorming we were doing for fun," Serena replied.
Pikachu gave Serena a look of disappointment, something that she could not believe she was seeing. How could Pikachu be disappointed over something silly like this? She looked down to Eevee to find that she was fast asleep.
If only Serena could have been fast asleep at that moment.
"Look, if you're not comfortable talking about this, that's okay. I just... okay, I was just wondering - what does a positive mental attitude mean?" Ash asked.
"...That's a good question. I was wanting to ask Shauna that, too," Serena said.
Yet another disapproving look from Pikachu. Serena wanted to wither away after seeing that look.
"Serena. You said it. I just thought it was kind of an interesting thing to say, that's all. I'm not mad or anything like that," Ash said.
Serena took a deep breath. Pausing for five seconds allowed her to see how odd she was acting.
Ash was not being rude. Ash was not asking anything wrong.
Ash was not even accusing her of having a crush on him.
And yet, she was acting like she was guilty for some reason.
Pikachu was certainly not helping the matter, though.
"The truth is, I really admire your perspective on everything, Ash. You never give up no matter what. You always work so hard for every battle and goal that you have. You are always willing to support me, and Clemont and Bonnie, too. I think it's a really healthy mindset to have, and it really inspires me," Serena said.
Finally, Pikachu gave his trademark smile. Ash also grinned upon hearing Serena's response.
"I really appreciate that, Serena. So many people that I know have a negative attitude about everything. And honestly... I was like that in the past, too. But over time, I realized that being positive always leads to having a better chance of finding success. Even if Pikachu and I lose, we can at least say that we gave it our all. Right, buddy?"
"Pikachu!" Pikachu cheered.
Serena nodded in response. Eevee nodded, too, even in her sleep.
"Well, I'm going to my room for a bit. I'll be back soon for dinner," Ash said.
"Sounds good!" Serena said.
As Ash and Pikachu departed down the hallway and entered their room, Ash crashed back-first on to his bed. He was surprisingly exhausted after a long day of traveling and training.
Yet, he felt happy to have an answer about what Serena and Shauna were talking about earlier during their break. For some odd reason, it had been bugging him the whole day.
"Never give up until it's over, right Pikachu?" Ash said, turning his head towards Pikachu.
"Pika pi!"
"You know, I'm glad we talked to Serena. I could've sworn that Shauna said something about Serena liking me... but that's just crazy, right? No way that could be the case. Serena's too focused on becoming the Kalos Queen. Man, she really is the best..."
Pikachu jumped off the bed while Ash trailed off. Once Pikachu ran into the bathroom, as far away from Ash as possible, he burst into a laughter that lasted a long, long time.