Rigorous Relationships

A Maritime Meeting

[Rustboro City, roughly two weeks after Devon corp incident]

Serena walked wearily through the hospital hallway. She was thoroughly exhausted after another day of training for the Rustboro City contest, and was looking forward to seeing how Ash was doing. As she trudged through the hallway to his room she stopped in front of his door and sighed in exasperation at the silence behind it.

Opening the door she saw Aura sitting on Ash's bed with a book in her hands. Aura barely glanced up from her book as Serena walked past her and into the rooms private bathroom. Aura continued reading as Serena started up a shower, and waited patiently for the questions she knew were coming.

"Snuck out again?" Serena asked from her shower.

"Yup."

"Do you know where they are?"

"The lake on the south side of town."

"How long?"

"About five hours."

"His friend there?"

"He left you a card telling you what they were having for dinner." Aura said as she glanced at a handmade card on Ash's nightstand.

Aura heard the water tamper down until it was no more than a dying drip and got up from her spot. She then walked over to a table, where a fresh pair of Serena's clothing were waiting, and carried the clothes to the door. After a towel swathed Serena grabbed her clothes Aura returned to her book and waited for Serena to remerge.

"He also sent a text to Dena telling her when and where to meet them." Aura said as she absent mindedly flipped through her book.

"That's odd, they haven't invited us to their excursions before. I wonder why they did this time?" Serena said as she walked out in a slim pair of blue jeans, gladiator sandals, and a simple cherry colored T-shirt with a Poké Ball pattern at the hem.

"No clue. They invited me and Diana too, but we have one of the hotels battlefields reserved for training and can't make it." Aura said before looking up from her book with a mischievous look. "So I guess it's just going to be you, Ash, Dena, and Cal tonight."

Serena smiled curiously at Aura. "What's with that look?" She asked.

"Oh nothing." Aura said as she covered her face with her book. "I just hope you four have a good time."

"I'm not going there to have a good time," Serena said as she walked to the door, "I'm going there to bring Ash back before he undoes all the healing his body has done."

Aura shrugged, "Alright, but it wouldn't hurt you to have a little fun before tomorrow's contest."

"I'll keep that in mind," Serena said as she walked away.

Aura smiled and shook his head at the door Serena had just left through. "Oh Serena, sometimes you can be as dense as him," Aura whispered to herself.

Serena walked along the street lamp lit streets of Rustboro City, enjoying the darkening evening sky and the peaceful feeling of the city beginning to pack it up for the night. She took a deep breath and absorbed the tranquility of the warm evening air.

Soon Serena had walked past the calm of a city heading off to sleep, and into the embrace off nature. Unlike the city, which dwindled as night approached, nature was always bustling with activity and tonight was no exception. Walking towards the lake, Serena spotted dozens of Pokémon waking up in nearby trees. Some looked at her curiously, others simply wandered off towards the woods in search of food, and others still headed towards the lake to watch what, for the past two weeks, had become an almost regular show for them.