Going for Glory ;; An Amourshipping Fanfiction

Chapter 19 - Confiding In Friends

Ash stood still at the door until it opened and Serena gave him a blank stare. Her face immediately went red, wondering if he had heard their conversation. Ash acted as natural as possible, standing and waiting for Serena to respond.

"Erm...Serena?" Ash asked, waving his hand at the frozen Serena. 

"Wh-Wha-?" Serena jumped up and then her face regained its natural colour. She decided to act as natural as possible too. "Sorry, I was just spaced out for a moment, huh?"

"You was like a statue" Ash chuckled, before stepping around her. "I am going to head out guys, bye!"

"Bye Ash!" everyone said in unison, as Ash opened the door and walked off, Pikachu sitting on his shoulder, deep in thought.

"I know what your thinking Pikachu, this has never happened before..." Ash sighed, thinking back to what he overhead just a few moments ago. He had never heard that someone liked him more than a friend. It came as a shock, but deep down, Ash felt some kind of joy. Like a flame had died in his heart years ago, but it was now reigniting, warming up his body. He couldn't shake off the lingering feeling, so he decided to try and ignore it, using his thoughts to drown out his emotions. 

"Pika.." Pikachu too sighed, agreeing with Ash. They had been together since day one and Pikachu had only really seen Brock show his affection, although he was a complete creep about it and seemed very desperate, to Pikachu at least. 

"Tomorrow, I think I should talk to someone about this" Ash said to himself, Pikachu still deep in thought and ignoring Ash. There was a tense silence as the moon slowly began to rise beyond the horizon, the sky becoming a dark orange colour as the sun dropped from the sky, letting the darkness take over from the dark sphere in the sky. 

Birds chirping greeted Ash as he stretched up out of his bed, the mattress creaking as he stood up. Ash rubbed his bed head and yawned into his palm, before dragging himself across the room and downstairs. Pikachu continued to sleep peacefully at the end of Ash's bed and downstairs Ash could hear his Mom.

"Oh, good morning Ash. I am going to assume you are heading out early to train?" she asked as soon as Ash ambled lazily through the kitchen. 

"Not today" Ash replied while yawning once more. "I have some things I need to do first"

"Oh, like what?" his Mom pressed for details, like most parents. 

Ash tapped his nose with his index finger, indicating it was secret.

"Oooh, Ash has a secret?" his Mom gave a creepy smile, which made Ash uncomfortable. 

"You're expression tells me you are going to find out no matter what" Ash sighed, before grabbing a piece of toast and walking out of the kitchen. He then headed back upstairs, where Pikachu was waiting, as he was now awake.

"Pika!" Pikachu jumped onto Ash's shoulder. Ash took a piece of his toast and handed it to Pikachu, who began nibbling at it like a mouse. 

"Good morning Pikachu, you ready to head out?" Ash asked, as he set Pikachu back onto his bed and started to get changed.

"Pika Pi, Pikachu!" Pikachu was energetic and ready to go, which was very different compared to Ash, who was still dragging himself around like he was being forced into going out.

Ash fitted his cap onto his head and tied his shoelaces. Pikachu jumped onto his shoulder once more and Ash slowly petted Pikachu's tail.

"Kaaaa" Pikachu enjoyed this and had a big smile on his face.

"Let's get going!" Ash said, suddenly becoming energetic and zooming down his stairs. "See you later Mom!" he then called from the door.

"Have a nice day!" his Mom called back from the kitchen, before hearing the door shut. 

Ash rushed off down the path and instantly saw Gary leaving the lab.

"Gary!" Ash called, making him stop and turn. 

"Oh, morning Ash" Gary greeted with him a little smile. "You're up early, which is unusual"

"Well I am kinda glad I walked into you, I want to ask you something" Ash gestured to walk on and they slowly walked through the forest, towards Viridian City. 

"So, what is?" Gary asked Ash, who was waiting for Gary to talk. 

"Have you..." Ash searched for the words and sighed slightly. "Have you ever had some crush on you? Like, you know..."

"Ash, I had a group of cheerleaders, remember?" Gary said plainly "I had fans, but not people who like LIKED me, no. Why, is there someone that likes you, hmm Ash?"

"Well...Yes" Ash admitted, closing his eyes briefly. He took a deep breath and then began to explain how he overhead Miette and Serena. Gary listened in with intrigue, taking in all of the information.

"So it seems like Serena has been feeling this way this whole time, huh?" Gary commented once Ash finished. "You know, I think I have seen Miette looking your way a lot, maybe this is a love triangle!"

"You sound way too excited" Ash sweatdropped. 

"Pika..." Pikachu agreed, watching Gary rub his chin in thought.

"No, but being serious. How do you feel?" Gary asked the important question, but Ash couldn't muster up a response. He didn't know how he felt anymore. There was a moment of silence. "I don't have all day..." Gary continued impatiently.

Ash looked left and then right, up and then down. He didn't really know what to say, thoughts flooding through his head. 

"Christmas already?" Gary said showing his patience had gone, but Ash continued to stare into space. "Birdbrain, give me a god damn answer!" Gary shouted right in Ash's ear, causing him to jump.

"I haven't ever thought of Serena as a girlfriend, or potential one anyway. We are very good friends, just like I am with everyone" Ash finally decided, but he said it like he had only spent a moment thinking.

"Took your damn time" Gary huffed and then thought for a moment. "Hmm...Well then, I guess you can do whatever you want" 

"Wait" Ash put his hand on Gary's shoulder before he could walk off. "I need a serious reply"

"I was being serious" Gary shrugged off Ash's grip and turned around. "I don't even know why you are asking for advice because it is your heart and brain that decides these things. Just choose which one you think you should follow and you will find the answers yourself. Now, goodbye" Gary walked off, not allowing Ash to reply. 

Ash stared into space again, while Pikachu stared at Ash, with a long face that said 'You are hopeless'.

"Pika?" Pikachu asked Ash, trying to get his attention.

"Oh, sorry Pikachu..." Ash trailed off, back into his thoughts. "My heart or my brain..." He murmured to himself, looking up at the morning sky. 

"Piiiikkaaaaa" Pikachu moaned, getting restless. He started running in circles around Ash, who continued to stand still and think. 

"I've got it!" Ash clicked his fingers, a big smile on his face. Pikachu looked at his trainer, wondering what he had decided. "Let's go and train!"

Ash had already started running off, leaving Pikachu staring into space. Ash had completely avoided the question, or so Pikachu thought. Ash had gone to his brain, which was telling him to make sure they trained hard for the next round. The second thing on his mind was what he was going to do in terms of the situation with Serena. He had decided.

He was going to confront Serena, but tell her it wasn't going to work. That's how Ash felt at this moment. Despite all of the lingering emotions, he just couldn't think of any reasons or feel that connection that was needed. If he decided to say yes, Ash felt like it would just be fake and that would just hurt Serena in the long run, so he was aiming to do the littlest amount of damage, only a minimal amount to not affect anything else, such as the tournament. Ash had decided. He wasn't sure if it was the right decision because his heart told him to just say yes because Serena was the only one for him.