1. Ash's Story (Part 7: Kalos)

Chapter 82: Winding Woods

The cold night outside Snowbelle did not bite as hard as the thoughts inside my head. I walked without looking back, leaving the Pokémon Center lights behind me until the buildings thinned and the road slipped into trees. Route 20 waited ahead, twisting through the Winding Woods like it wanted to swallow anyone who entered with a confused heart. I knew Serena, Pikachu, and the others were worried. I knew Greninja was still resting after the Sawyer battle. I also knew I should turn around.

I kept walking anyway through the dark.

Losing to Sawyer was not the real problem. I had lost battles before, and every loss had taught me something. The problem was the nightmare that kept returning whenever Greninja looked away from me. I remembered the stories of Greninja leaving Trainers who could not match his heart. I remembered the transformation vanishing when I needed it. I remembered staring at my own hand during the battle instead of seeing Greninja right in front of me. That was the part that hurt.

If I could not understand the power, I was afraid I would lose more than a battle.

"Ash, there you are!" Serena called.

Serena's voice reached me through the trees, and I turned to see her hurrying over the snow. Her face was red from the cold, and her eyes held the same worry I had been trying to escape. "Serena," I said, looking away. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have left everyone like that."

"Ash, if something is bothering you, you can talk to me," Serena said. "I'll listen. Anytime you want. Seriously, anytime, anywhere."

I clenched my hands inside my gloves. She meant every word, and that only made it harder. "I know."

Serena stepped closer, careful and gentle. "I know how you feel. I've been there. Remember when I really messed up at the Showcase, and I thought I had ruined everything?"

"You don't have a clue how I feel!" I shouted before I could stop myself.

The words hit the air between us harder than any attack. Serena's face changed, and I hated myself for causing it even before the anger finished burning in my chest.

"Then tell me about it!" Serena shouted back. "Don't just disappear and make everyone guess!"

"It's none of your business!" I yelled. "Leave me alone!"

The snowball struck my head before I even saw her throw it.

I blinked, stunned, as broken snow slid down my hair. Serena was breathing hard, with tears shining at the corners of her eyes. She grabbed another handful of snow and packed it together with shaking fingers.

"The Ash I know is full of energy," she said, throwing the second snowball at my chest. "He's a leader. He always tries his best. He's always positive, and he never gives up."

"Serena, stop!" I said, raising my arms.

She threw another snowball, and this one burst across my shoulder. "He hangs in there until the very end. You're not acting like the Ash I know."

I stumbled back as the next one hit my jacket. My anger was gone now, replaced by shame that felt colder than the snow under my boots.

"Stop," Serena cried, and her voice finally broke. "Give me back the real Ash!"

My heel caught on a root, and I fell backward into the snow. Serena stood over me for one second, tears running freely now.

"Because you sure aren't him."

Then she turned and ran back through the trees.

I stayed where I had fallen, staring at the dark branches above me. The wind moved through them with a hollow sound, and every word she had thrown at me landed again. "The real Ash," I muttered.