The Ketchum Family

Slicing Through the Competition: Part 2

This picks up immediately after the end of the previous chapter.

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Serena spent some time just staring up at the ceiling, slowing coming to grips with the fact that she and Ash had nearly become intimate. Their feelings had completely overwhelmed them. If it hadn't been for Pikachu's interruption, she had no doubt they would have kept going until they'd completed the tasks that nature had hardwired into them.

Serena let out a long, slow sigh as her thoughts turned to herself. Her hand drifted down to below her stomach, to the part of her which, just a short while ago, had been throbbing in want of Ash; the part of her which could create new life and likely would have done just that if they hadn't stopped. The gravity of what she'd just barely avoided weighed heavily on her.

As she thought about the night's events, memories from her life in Vaniville Town resurfaced. Serena remembered a girl from Vaniville Town who was several years older than her. She hadn't known her well but she did remember what had happened to her. The girl had started dating a boy and the two of them had become really close. Serena remembered how, for a few months, she'd always seen the two of them together in one way or another. Serena had only been 9 at the time and hadn't known what was going on, but it wasn't long afterward that the girl suddenly disappeared from Vaniville Town.

Because they weren't really friends, Serena hadn't thought anything of the disappearance. A few months later, though, she'd gone with her mom on an excursion to Aquacorde Town to do some shopping. While she was there, she'd spotted the girl walking through the town and had been surprised to see her with a big belly, looking just like the moms in Vaniville town did before they had a baby.

Serena had asked her mom about it and Grace, looking extremely uncomfortable and uncertain, had tried to evade any sort of explanation. Because of Serena's persistent nature, she'd pressed her mother on the issue and when they'd gotten back home, Grace had sat Serena down and discussed the facts of life with her.

Grace had explained to Serena how just one misstep could forever change a young woman's life. Serena had been surprised by the information and she'd resolved to never let that sort of thing happen to her.

Before now, Serena had felt confident in her ability to control herself and her relationship with Ash. With the events of that night, she felt humbled and a little scared. She'd come so close to being just like the girl she'd seen in Aquacorde Town.

Ultimately, though, she and Ash hadn't taken that fateful step. They'd been gifted another chance and they needed to make sure they didn't repeat the mistake.

Serena stayed awake for a while, contemplating her future, until her body finally warmed up, and her eyelids grew heavy. After mumbling a prayer of thanks, she drifted off to sleep.

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The next day began very differently for Ash. He didn't get up early, he didn't perform any chores. He merely got out of bed, went downstairs and sat at the kitchen table, waiting for Serena to arrive. They needed to talk.

The previous night, after Serena had left, Ash had sat on the couch for a long time, thinking about what had happened and how he'd conducted himself. The entire night had been a rollercoaster of emotions for him. First, Serena had nearly been killed and Ash had been scared to death over the prospect of losing her. Then, he'd thought hard about his feelings and realized that he truly loved Serena. After confessing his feelings to her, they'd embraced each other and things had gotten out of hand so quickly that Ash still wasn't entirely sure what had happened. After Pikachu's interruption and Serena's departure, Ash had felt guilty and dismayed over how he'd conducted himself.