Shout out to AyameChi, of DeviantART, for the artwork above.

"Come on, Serena! We don't have a lot of time!" Ash stated as he grabbed Serena's hand and ran down a corridor.

She looked back and could see the fire beginning to engulf the room that they were just in. Screams could be heard throughout the building, as the structure was beginning to collapse. They turned a corner but were cut off by a section, of the burning roof, that had already collapsed. They continue down the corridor until they came to a flight of stairs.

Serena hesitated as she noticed parts, of the staircase, crumbling in front of them.

"Serena, we have to hurry!"

She looked up and saw Ash's eyes. She held her breath, for a moment, before collecting herself. He led her down the stairs, where they reached the ground floor.

"The lobby should be this way. If we're lucky, the others have already left with Mewtwo freed."Ash said to her.

They continued to run before an explosion, to their right, caused them to fly into the adjacent wall. Ash was the closest one to the wall, protecting Serena from banging into it with full force. She could feel his warm embrace, as they stayed on the ground for a second. His hands moved to her waist, as she felt him lifting her up into a standing position.

"Serena, look at me. Are you ok?" she looked to her protector as she saw the worried look in his eyes.

She was still in shock from the explosion but nodded her head before he again grabbed her hand and continued their journey through the collapsing building.

They turned another corner and came to a glass door. Ash tried to push the glass door open but to no avail.

"Pikachu, use Iron Tail on the door!" he said turning to the electric mouse Pokémon, who had been following them the entire time.

Pikachu's tail began to glow, and with one mighty swing, it shattered the glass door. They ran through the door and found themselves back in the lobby of the crumbling laboratory.

"Ash! Serena! Over here!" they turned and saw Trevor motioning them to an exit that was across the lobby. "Quickly, we don't have much time! Everyone else is out of the building, we have to go now!"

Without wasting a moment, the trio ran across the lobby and to the door. They ran through the door and out into the darkness, of the night, with the only illumination coming from the burning building behind them.

"I got the files off of Giovanni's computer, Trevor," Ash said as he pulled a flash drive from his pocket and handed it to his friend. "You said everyone else got out safely. Does that include Mewtwo?"

"No Ash, we couldn't get through the electric shield Giovanni had put up before the explosions started taking place," Trevor was about to continue; when suddenly, a shriek of pain came thundering out of the burning building.

"That must be Mewtwo!" Ash shouted as he turned to head back in.

Before he could enter the building, he felt arms tighten around his stomach.

"Please Ash, don't go back in there! I beg you!" it was Serena. Ash could feel the tears cascading down the performer's face as she buried her head into his back.

Ash turned around in her arms and lifted her chin, so he could see her eyes. "Serena," he began, "I love you, and I promise that I'll always protect you. I will return."

She looked into his auburn eyes, before they shut, as he leaned towards her and placed a kiss on her lips. She felt the warmth emanate from his body, as his arms moved around to her waist. She put her hands around his neck and deepened the kiss. For a moment, the horrors around them vanished. It was perfect, but perfection can only last so long.

Ash was the first to separate from the kiss. He looked into her eyes and she looked into his.

"I'm sorry," Ash said quietly, before pushing her back into Trevor, and quickly, getting a Pokéball from his belt.

He ran into the door and released his Charizard. "Charizard use Dragon Tail on the door!"

With that command, the doorway, into the building, collapsed, to prevent Serena from following him.

The movement was so quick that when she realized what just happened, it was too late.

"No! Ash!" she screamed, as she tried to run to the rubble that used to be the entrance, but Trevor held her back.

"Come on, Serena! Ash will be fine! We have to go now!" he said, as they began to run away from the fiery inferno.

She screamed as she watched the building behind them. She was hoping and praying that Ash would come out of there, unharmed. She watched as a massive explosion shrouded the entire building, and then, everything went white.

---

Serena woke up screaming. Her eyes quickly moved about taking in her surroundings. She was shaking; her body began to go into shock. She could feel her heartbeat quicken, as tears began to flow down her face. Serena threw off the covers of her bed and darted to the door, in the pitch dark. She frantically searched for the doorknob before finding it and pulling the door open.

Serena rushed out of the room and took off down the hallway. The tears, from her eyes, never ceasing, but now, is being joined by cries coming from her voice. She ran down the hallway until she came to the stairs. She descended quickly, made her way into the lobby, and out the front entrance of the hotel.

---

Serena took a moment to frantically look around her, as she stepped out of the building, before seeing the forest nearby. She dashed to the darkened tree line and kept running until she hit it, while never turning around to look back at the lights of the hotel or Saffron City.

All Serena wanted, right now, was to just escape from everything. She wanted to escape the friends that reminded her of Ash, every time they met. She wanted to escape the loneliness of her life, as Kalos Queen. She wanted to remove herself from everything and return to that time, to that day, to that kiss, so she could stop her loved one from sacrificing himself by charging into that burning building.

She ran deeper and deeper into the forest until she tripped on the roots, of one of the many trees, and fell to the ground. She stayed on the ground, her head buried in the grass, beneath her, as the tears continued to flow. She cried and cried.

The memories of that event have haunted Serena, in her dreams, for months afterward. Never had they felt like that nightmare tonight had. That nightmare had felt so real as if she was reliving the memory all over again. She thought she had escaped it. After so many sessions of therapy, Serena thought she had finally gotten past it, but she knew it was a lie. A horrible lie. A façade that she put up for those around her. Deep down inside, she knew she was still broken, still weak. She wanted nothing more than to hold him, one more time. She had finally won his heart. They were going to spend the rest of their lives together until cruel fate had to pull that dream apart.

Her tears began to diminish and her breathing returned to normal. It was then that she began to hear music being played somewhere, in the woods. She turned to where it was coming from. Suddenly, Serena recognized the tune. It was the same one that she had heard the previous morning. She slowly picked herself up and stared in the direction of that beautiful song. Serena was captured by its melody. Eventually, the song stopped.

---

She walked deeper into the forest until she came into a clearing. The moon shines through, splashing the clearing with its light, while also revealing a dark figure, sitting under a tree. Serena could make out the outlines of an ocarina, in his grasp, but she couldn't see his face. He raised his hand to something around his neck and pulled it up farther, onto his face, covering everything below the bridge of his nose.

"Please, can you play that song again?" she asked the figure hesitantly.

The figure slowly glimpsed over to her from his spot, in the shadow of the tree, as if he had known she was there the entire time.

"Did it make you happy?" the man asked.

"Yes, it did. Please, will you play it again?" Serena requested.

"Alright. Stay where you are and I'll play it again for you." The figure responded to Serena's request.

Before she could ask why, she saw him remove the mask, from his face, and lift the ocarina to his mouth. He started playing the melody again. The musical notes, of the song, look as if they were a dance from the ocarina while carrying themselves into the night sky, enhancing the ears of any living creature that happen to hear their voice. Serena stood there breathless. A small smile crossed her lips, as she slowly lowered herself to the ground and sat down on the grass.

She watched the man play the ocarina. She closed her eyes and could feel peace flowing into her, warming every limb of her body. She opened her eyes, as the music ended. Serena saw the man put the mask back onto his face before he spoke.

"Did that bring you pleasure?" the man asked Serena.

"Yes, it did. Thank you," she responded quietly.

The man nodded and returned his gaze to the moon above. She followed his gaze and viewed the night sky.

She sat there, for a moment, before asking the figure. "Who are you?"

Serena saw him stand up and walk out of the shadow. When she saw that it was Aaron Tajiri, she gasped. She then smiled as she looks at his auburn eyes.

Oh my god, they really are beautiful. Serena thought as she caught herself staring at him.

"You're Serena, correct?" she nodded. "What are you doing way out here? Shouldn't you be in bed right now?"

"Well, I could ask you the same question, Aaron. After all, you should be the one that's tired, after that battle with Iris today," she responded.

Ash stood there, for a moment, as he thinks about what to say. He wanted nothing more than to lose the disguise, in front of Serena, but he knew he couldn't do that right now.

"I just came out here to relax and clear my head," was the response that he felt was best for this situation.

Serena nodded in understanding, and for a while, they stood in silence before Aaron said, "You never told me what were you doing out here, Serena."

She hesitated about telling a stranger her troubles, but there was something about him that made her feel like she was at home, in his presence. "I had a nightmare. I didn't know what to do, so I just ran and ended up way out here," she said turning and gesturing to the area that surrounded them.

"I'm sorry to hear that. What was it about?" Ash asked with a concerned tone in his voice.

"It was a memory of a tragedy that happened years back," Serena answered slowly as her vision shifted from Ash to the ground in front of her.

Inside, Ash's heart broke. He was so close to her. He could just tell her the truth, but then, the images of Giovanni snuck into his thoughts and he just stood there again.

"Well, it's late and you must be getting a little cold," Ash said taking in the appearance of Serena, standing in front of him, in her pajamas. "How about I take you back to the hotel?"

"I would like that," Serena said as her cheeks began to turn a soft red.

"Alright then, we'll go in style," Ash said as he threw a Pokéball in the air, revealing a majestic bird.

Serena gasped at the sight. The Pokémon was rather large with brown plumage covering its back and tan feathers covering its underbelly. Orange feathers made its tail, while orange and yellow feathers came from its brow. The Pokémon let out a powerful cry as it landed by its trainer and lowered its body.

Ash hopped on and offered a hand to Serena. She walked over and was about to take his hand, but paused. She was about to rethink the offer but didn't have enough time, before Ash had grabbed her hand and tugged her onto the flying Pokémon. She sat right behind.

"Hold on tight!" he yelled as Pidgeot immediately took off.

Serena let out a little yelp before putting both arms around Ash's waist and held on tightly. She buried her head into his back, as she was afraid to look down. Serena began to notice that the flight slowed down to a gentle, comfortable speed. She opened her eyes and took in the sights below her. The city sparkled and the forest looked pure and peaceful.

Serena laughed and rested her head back on Ash's back. Ash, meanwhile, felt like his heart was soaring right along with Pidgeot. He hadn't been this happy in a long time. He was glad that she was behind him, so she couldn't see him blush. He turned his head, just enough, to see her face. His heart skipped a beat, as he saw the peaceful look in her blue eyes. He turned around to see the hotel in front of them and commanded Pidgeot to descend. Once Pidgeot had let them off, he returned his loyal bird to its Pokéball.

He turned to Serena, who gave him a hug. He didn't waste any time returning it. The embrace only lasted for a quick moment; but for Ash, it lasted forever.

"Thank you, Aaron, for everything," Serena said once the embraced had ended.

Inside, Ash flinched at the sound of his alias being used by the girl, who he loves, but he just simply nodded.

"You're welcome." He said before walking her up the stairs and to her room, which was across the hall from his. They said their goodbyes and each entered their own room.

---

Once Ash entered, he let out a big sigh and moved to the bed. He removes his mask, while also revealing a smile that stretched from ear to ear. Lucario was still awake and noticed this.

"You seem to be in better spirits, Master," he commented.

"Oh Lucario, if you only knew," Ash responded before falling asleep.

A smile made its way onto Lucario's face. He had seen everything by using aura. Lucario could sense that for once, his trainer was truly experiencing peace and happiness again.

---

Across the hall, Serena found herself smiling and staring out the window, looking at the stars.

It must be Ash! It just has to be him! No one hugs like that! She smiled and felt herself slowly falling into a deep sleep once again.