The Ketchum Family

Butting Heads and Breaking Hearts: Part 1

This chapter takes place roughly a month after the previous one. Ash and Serena are experiencing some changes in their lives and things are getting tense. What will happen to their relationship when hormones, romance and desire begin to surface?! Very soon, a misunderstanding will completely spiral out of control. Drama will ensue! Will their friendship be strong enough to overcome it?!

Even though this story is broken up into multiple parts, it is still fairly long. I welcome all comments. Please leave one if you have a thought.

Additionally, for anyone asking, Ash and Serena are considered to be adults, even though they are only now experiencing the onset of teenagehood. Their Pokémon journeys held off puberty for them while they aged.

The transition to summer occurred far earlier than was usual in Pallet Town. The days became extremely hot; the sun at, times unbearable; and night only brought a little relief. Despite the warm weather, work continued at the Pokémon reserve. Exciting changes were under way all over the property.

The new land Ash had been gifted was already being put to work. New fencing had to be installed, obstacles cleared and shelters for the Pokémon constructed. It was a lot of work, but Ash and Serena were enthused at seeing all the progress and the huge potential for the future.

In addition to all the changes at the reserve, there were also changes going on with Ash and Serena. Each of them had grown several inches and Ash was now slightly taller than Serena. Furthermore, each of them had started noticing some subtle, and other not so subtle, differences in themselves. They'd been taught and prepared by their mothers about these changes, but years had passed while they'd journeyed, appointed times had come and gone and nothing had ever happened to them. They'd started to think that perhaps they were destined to be eternally young, but now, for whatever reason, these changes were finally occurring inside them. Both of them knew what was happening, however, that didn't make it any less awkward.

Serena found that her admiration and attraction to Ash had morphed into intense passion and desire, sometimes bordering on outright lust. When she was around Ash, she would quite often find herself flushing red and struggling with her thoughts and emotions. Along with the emotional changes, Serena had also experienced some physical changes. Her form was noticeable more feminine in several ways and she'd been forced to make a few adjustments to her wardrobe.

Ash, meanwhile, discovered one day that he found Serena incredibly charming and beautiful. He often found himself eyeing the new curves of her body and wanting to be close to her. He was extremely conflicted about these new feelings. On one hand, he held Serena in extremely high regard and didn't want to reduce her or their friendship to some base emotional impulse. On the other hand, on more than one occasion Serena had caught him looking at her and he could tell from her reaction that she welcomed his gaze. Thus, Ash found himself trying to find a balance of enjoying Serena's beauty whilst not objectifying her.

Initially, each of them had been distressed by the emotional and physical changes; however they'd since grown to appreciate them. It didn't make things between them any less awkward however. In their hearts, they were still two kids, and it was taking them time to figure out how to deal with their new feelings and impulses.

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A bright glowing sunrise announced the beginning of another scorching day in Pallet Town. The temperature was already sweltering before the countryside was fully lit. Almost everyone stayed inside. Most of the non-fire Pokémon on the reserve hunkered underground, or in shelters. Anyone who spent an extended amount of time outside in the sun would be reduced to an exhausted, sweaty mess.