Adventure's Past

Chapter 26 - Spying

Small Author's Note: If Goh's name is in bold, then it means that Mewtwo is in control, rather than it being Goh. I didn't want to specify that Goh was not the one speaking when it is Mewtwo every time, so this should clear things up a bit.

Enjoy!

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Goh had suddenly appeared in front of Ash and Clemont's eyes, right in the front steps to the Pokemon Center. Of course, a lot of hugging and smiling ensued shortly after, until Clemont mentioned something. "We should probably tell the girls that we found you!" He exclaimed happily. Goh, who was secretly Mewtwo, nodded and urged the boys to come inside to the building.

After a few minutes of sitting by the campfire, Bonnie, Chloe, and Serena all burst in with a smile on their face. "We can't believe you found him already!" Bonnie exclaimed, running over to hug Goh. They hadn't interacted much before the Cell War, but Goh was one of Bonnie's major battling buddies since Ash had been gone.

Serena and Chloe walked over, standing behind Ash and Clemont, who were sitting on wooden framed couches near the fire. "It's good to see you again," Serena said courteously, with Goh nodding in return. They hadn't truly spoken since she and Chloe began performing together, but there was a lot to talk about.

Chloe stared at Goh, feeling uneasy. She didn't want to stay silent, given their tense last encounter, but she had no idea what to say. "Goh, can I speak with you for a moment outside?" She asked, wanting to be away from the judging eyes of everyone around her. Goh looked towards everyone else for approval; they shrugged their shoulders and urged Chloe and Goh to go outside on their own.

"You think they're gonna get back together?" Clemont asked Ash and Bonnie once the two estranged individuals had made their way to the front porch. "Wait, get back together?" Serena suddenly whispered incredulously; she had been lost in thought about Ash, but this tidbit of information had caused her ears to perk up.

"Oh yeah, we never told you," Clemont said, smiling with embarrassment. Ash chuckled and looked at Serena. "Apparently, those two began dating after you left to go with Palermo," he explained. Serena raised an eyebrow; not the reaction the others were expecting. "Are you sure they were dating?"

"Yes, she even said so herself," Bonnie responded in confusion. "Why?" Serena just shook her head and stared at Chloe and Goh out the window. "It doesn't make sense. I mean, why does she want to get in a relationship if she wants to be Kalos Queen?" She asked quietly. Ash tilted his head in confusion.

"You can't be with someone if you're Kalos Queen?" He asked curiously. "I didn't know that was a requirement." Serena shook her head and turned around towards the group. "It's not. I just think that if someone wants to achieve their goal, they need to dedicate all of their time and effort into doing so."

She sat down and crossed her arms. "They shouldn't be wasting their time with stuff that's just temporary." Clemont and Bonnie both looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders, finding Serena's words interesting. Ash, however, found her words to be completely wrong and raised an eyebrow.

"What if being with someone that supports your dreams helps you? What if they don't get in your way?" He asked, challenging her words. "Doesn't that make it worth it?" Serena sighed and shook her head. "I guess, but I think that your goal should be more important than being with other people."

Ash frowned and stared into the fire, realizing that Palermo's strict regimental training mindset was still instilled into Serena's mind. Hopefully, she'll come to her senses, he told himself as he pet Pikachu on his lap. Because right now, she believes that Performances are far more important than any of us.