The first week back has gone by quite quickly.  Ash and Calem have decided to have the battle on Monday of the second week. The news spread like wildfire around KIT. The last encounter was certainly a heated one... and the spectators couldn't get enough. Everybody at the KIT knew about the battle... including Miette. She was just getting ready for Monday.

Ash had been training vigorously. He has already chosen his best six... the same six he used during his very first battle at KIT. He knew that he couldn't afford to lose this battle... or any battle really. Serena has been helping his while boosting his morale and providing his with confidence throughout training. Ash has been appreciating Serena a lot more lately. She has been having a different effect on him... her presence calms his mind, helping him make great decisions during training and battles.

We skip to Saturday, 1 day left before Ash's battle. Ash and Serena are returning to their dorms as Ash has finished his training for the day. We join them as Ash and Serena are standing in front of Serena's door.

No one's POV

"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow Ash. What time are you starting tomorrow?" asks Serena as she fiddles with her keys trying to find the right one for her door.

"Actually Serena, I-I was wondering if we could go s-somewhere tomorrow." replied Ash nervously.

This caught Serena slightly off-guard.

"H-huh? Aren't you training tomorrow? You have a battle on Monday!" replied Serena.

"Nah, I never train the day before a battle. I let my Pokemon rest so that they can be ready physically. I also lets me have some rest too. That way, I can be relaxed for the battle. You know, it just gives the whole team time to be ready." replies Ash.

"And besides, I feel relaxed around you. It will definitely help me during battle." continued Ash.

Serena was astonished by Ash's words. 'He feels relaxed around me? Why?' asked Serena to herself.

Serena had been silent for quite a while and Ash started taking this as a bad sign so he spoke up again.

"I'm sorry Serena. That was quite selfish of me. I'll understand if you want to stay her and b-" he started, however, was immediately cut off by Serena.

"WHAT!? You've been helping me endlessly, this is the least I can do for you. Of course we can go somewhere tomorrow. Where do you want to go though?" asked Serena with a slight blush.

Ash thought for a moment. He replied as soon as he thought of a suitable location.

"How about Coumarine city? The last time I was in Kalos, I didn't get to look around the city properly." replied Ash excitedly.

"Sure, that sounds great!" replied Serena with a smile.

"Alright, see you tomorrow Serena. I'll come knock at your door tomorrow and then we can head out." replied Ash with a grin.

"Alright, good night Ash!" said Serena as she waved at him while slowly shutting her door.

"Good night Serena!" replied Ash as he smiled at her.

As soon as the door closed. Ash turned around and walked up the stairs to him room, with a grin plastered on his face.

~Time skip to Sunday~

It was 11am. Serena and Ash started walking to the nearest Train Station. Serena has had to put on a relatively large straw-hat and sunglasses to disguise herself. As the current Kalos Queen, she did attract quite a lot of attention. Ash, however, was still relatively unknown outside of Alola.

Soon, the two reached the Train Station. As they sat in the train, they started to gain more and more altitude. Coumarine happened to lie on high grounds. It would often snow heavily during winter and it could get bitterly cold, however, right now, it was Spring, almost Summer. The cold meant that there were a lot of Cherry Blossoms growing around the city.

Serena was staring out at the scenery in awe. It was just a field of pink with tall glass skyscrapers sticking out of them. Ash just smiled at the sight.

Soon they reached Coumarine and Serena hopped out of the train all giddy with excitement.

"Where do you want to go first Ash?" asked Serena with slight impatience evident in her voice.

"I don't know. I'm not familiar with this place so... do you want to just walk around for a while?" asked Ash.

Serena agreed and they decided to walk around the city.

As they walked around, both Ash and Serena got flashbacks to their shopping trip to Lumiose all those months ago. Eventually, they made it to the centre of the city. It was full of large shops just like in Lumiose.

"Ash, can we please go there?" asked Serena as she tugged at Ash's sleeve with one hand while pointing to a store with another. She also gave him puppy dog eyes just to convince him a little more.

Ash sighed and then giggled at Serena's actions.

"Sure, let's go!" said Ash with a bright smile.

Serena immediately grabbed hold of Ash's had and dragged him through the crowd of people with a huge grin on her face. Initially, Ash blushed, however, it soon faded and turned into a smile.

Serena made Ash sit down in front of the changing rooms as she tried out different dresses and outfits and she asked for Ash's opinions on them. To no one's surprise, Ash liked all of them. To both Ash and Serena, it was almost a deja-vu of their trip to Lumiose.

Eventually, after about 2-3 hours, Serena was satisfied, they decided to walk out of the city-centre.

"So, what do you want to do now?" asked Serena.

Ash was about to reply, however, his stomach beat him to it as it decided to growl loudly.

Ash scratched the back of his head in embarrassment while Serena giggled.

"Alright, lets go find some place to eat." said Serena as they started walking on an uphill path.

As soon as they reached the top, they noticed a small cafe. It seemed really nice, however, it was really empty. They decided to enter and inside, they noticed that the walls had large glass panels as windows and below, you could see Coumarine City with a lake by the edge of it.

The view took Ash's and Serena's breath away. It almost looked surreal. The lush canopies of the Cherry Blossom trees hid the ground floor. The buildings extruded out of the canopies. The city ended with a harbour and past that, spread a sea that extended past the horizon. On the other side laid hills and mountains that stretched into the distance as far as the eye could see.

Inside the cafe, it was relatively normal. It looked relatively modern. The tiled floors were completely while and the furniture seemed to be made out of oak wood. The air smelled really clean and the slow musing playing in the background soothed the two teenagers.

Ash and Serena decided to take a seat near the windows and waited for a waiter to approach them. Eventually, a waitress who looked to be in her early twenties approached them.

"Good evening! What can I do for this lovely young couple today?" asked the waitress while giving them a bright smile.

Serena's eyes immediately widened and she blushed a deep shade of red. Ash on the other hand tried to reply.

"C-c-couple?" squeaked Ash.

The waitress quietly laughed at their reactions and then started talking again.

"Mr Ash Ketchum, the Champion of Alola and Miss Serena Yvonne, the Kalos Queen. Who would have thought?" said the waitress while giggling to herself.

Even Ash started blushing again. It was surprising to both Ash and Serena that the waitress managed to recognise them, however, they had bigger 'issues' right now.

"You guys do make a nice couple though." she kept pestering them.

"Think about it while you share this Creme Brulee. It's on the house. I'll be back in a moment!" she finished as she winked at the two and started walking away giggling to herself.

Ash and Serena now had huge blushes on their faces and both were left at a loss for words. Serena's mouth was slightly open as she tried to comprehend what the waitress just did while Ash just sat there staring at towards the door the waitress just walked through.

Eventually, they simultaneously shifted their gaze to the small cup of Kalosian dessert in front of them. It was laid slap-bang in the middle of the table with two tiny tea spoons on either side. Both of them looked up at the same time and their eyes met. It was awkward to say the least. However, Ash suddenly smirked. He remembered what Serena did to him when they got back to their dorms at KIT... and he wanted payback.

"So Serena, come on. Let's share this." he said while smiling at her.

This caught Serena completely off guard. She jumped back so far that she damn near fell of her chair.

"W-what?" asked Serena while a face that could be mistaken for a Tomatoberry.

"You don't want to share it with me?" asked Ash, forcing a hurt expression.

"NO, no, I-I do!" replied Serena as she tried not to hurt Ash.

"Oh, so you do want to share it with me?" asked Ash with raised eyebrows.

"W-wha- no, I do- yes, no... AHHH!" replied a frustrated Serena as she picked up one of the spoons, shoved it into the dessert, scooped a sizable chunk out and placed it in her mouth.

"WAIT! No Serena, don't!" said Ash, however it was too late. The spoon was already in her mouth. Immediately, however, she gasped and threw the spoon away and spat the Creme Brulee out.

"What were you expecting you dummy? There's steam coming out of it. It's piping hot!" said Ash as he handed her a glass of water.

Serena gladly took the glass of water and drank about a quarter of it.

"Sorry!" she replied while laughing nervously.

"It did taste amazing though... until it burnt my tongue that is." said Serena with stars in her eyes.

Ash chuckled.

"Give it a minute or two. It should cool down by then." replied Ash.

Soon, the dessert was cold enough or them to eat. Serena took the spoon on the table and started eating. She noticed that Ash wasn't eating so she decided to ask him.

"Ash, what's wrong? Why aren't you eating?" she asked.

"I-I won't mind if we share..." she continued shyly with a blush evident on her face.

"I would love to, but you stole my spoon." he replied while laughing slightly.

Serena started feeling completely embarrassed.

"S-Sorry!" replied Serena as she placed the spoon back.

"No problem!" replied Ash as he smirked at Serena and picked the spoon up and started eating some with it.

"Eeehhh?" squeaked Serena as she watched Ash.

'Isn't this indirect kissing?' asked Serena to herself as she blushed furiously.

However, it all died down as she noticed that Ash was planning on finished the whole cup. She liked the taste of it even though it was the first time she had ever tasted it. She wanted more... and that's exactly what she set out for again. She yanked the spoon off Ash's hand as she glared at him and started eating.

Curiously enough, Ash started blushing now. He didn't even notice that Serena had finished it all.

Seconds later, the door flew open and the same waitress came back out. She was puzzled by a relatively clean spoon that was on the floor about 4 tables away from Ash's and Serena's. She than walked up to the table to see that there was no Creme Brulee left and only one, slightly stained, spoon was on the table. Realisation dawned upon her.

"I asked you to share the dessert, not the spoon!" she smirked.

Ash and Serena froze again. This waitress was giving them a hard time.

"So... did I manage to create a new couple here?" she asked, still smirking.

"Wh-what?!" asked Ash and Serena simultaneously.

The waitress just sighed.

"You two are hopeless." she replied with a slight chuckle.

"Anyway, what do you guys want to order?" she asked.

Ash and Serena had lunch at the small cafe and set out for a walk. From the moment Ash laid his eyes on that lake at the corner of the city, he has been wanting to go there. He didn't tell Serena anything about it. He just made sure that they were walking towards the lake.

They reached the lake after about 1 hour of walking. While walking, Ash and Serena always enjoyed talking to each other. Be it about their past or their future. What they hope to achieve, they goals and dreams. What they plan on doing after graduating from KIT, etc.

As the two arrived at the lake, their breaths were taken away once again. The water was clear blue and the shores had lush, green grass. Trees were scattered all over the shores, all of then being Cherry Blossoms. It didn't look like any other type of trees grew in Coumarine. The Cherry Blossom petals floated serenely on the surface. There was a gentle spring breeze blowing as it carried even more petals. Both Ash and Serena stared at the scenery in awe.

Soon, they snapped out of it and started taking a stroll along the shore of the lake. Serena was asking Ash if he had any strategies for tomorrow. Ash's reply has always been the same. His strategy was to believe in his Pokemon. Serena giggled at Ash's unique sense of optimism.

As they kept walking, Ash spotted a sign. His eyes immediately lit up at what was written on it.

"Serena, let's go over there!" said Ash as he started jogging a little.

"Huh? Wait up Ash." she yelled as she jogged after him.

Moments later, Ash arrived at a small hut. The sign was attached right next to it. Serena was right behind him.

"Why did we come here?" asked Serena as she looked around and only saw the hut as she missed the sign.

"Serena, do you want to go on a boat ride?" asked Ash.

Serena's eyes lit up just like Ash's did a minute ago. She nodded vigorously as she kept an ear-to-ear grin on her face.

Alright then, let's go. Said Ash as he went into the hut to rent a boat. First, Ash got on the boat and then, he helped Serena onto it. She sat opposite Ash, facing him. Ash then started paddling. It was relaxing to say the least. It was quiet and empty. It was just Ash and Serena on that lake right now. It was quite a large lake and the old man in the hut said something about an island in the middle of the lake.

Soon, Ash and Serena started talking again. They had short random meaningless conversations... but that's what they enjoyed at times. You know, things like "I wonder what the first person to ever milk a Miltank was thinking..." or "How can a Rhydon surf when it is weak against water?". It kept them busy while keeping them interested.

Eventually, the conversation died down. The sun had started lower down in the sky and it already had an orange hue. Ash stared at Serena as she stared towards her side, into the distance. The setting sun was hidden by the tall trees around the shores, however, it was still quite bright. Bright enough for Ash to see Serena's face. The gentle breeze was still carrying the Cherry Blossom petals through the air. The petals blew past Ash and Serena as Ash couldn't help but gasp at how beautiful Serena looked during that almost perfect setting.

Eventually, the two made it to the centre of the lake, where there was an island. That, however, wasn't what got Ash excited. What did get him excited, though, was the fact that there was a restaurant on it... and he could smell the beautiful aromas of whatever they were serving inside.

"I guess it is time for dinner now." said Serena as she looked at Ash who was almost drooling. She couldn't help but giggle.

They entered and got a window seat with the view of the lake. It was around 6pm by the time they started dinner. It was quite early, however, they still had a long journey back to KIT after this, so they decided to go with it.

Soon, they finished dinner. They decided to take the boat back. Again, Ash got on it first and started to help Serena in, however, the boat suddenly jerked and twisted a little as Serena set one foot in the boat. This caused Serena to lose her footing on the foot inside the boat. The foot outside rolled at the ankle. Serena suddenly yelled in pain.

Ash immediately jumped out of the boat.

"Serena, are you OK?" asked Ash.

"My ankle hurts..." she managed to say.

Ash inspected the ankle as saw that it was starting to swell up a little.

"Pidgeot, come on out." he said as he threw the Pokeball in the air.

"Pidgeoooo." cooed the flying type as it noticed Ash and Serena.

"Serena, I'll quickly go inside the restaurant and get some ice. Pidgeot, keep Serena company. I'll be back in no time." said Ash as he ran.

Serena smiled at Ash's gesture.

Less than a minute later, Ash returned with some ice in a mug. He took a handkerchief out of his pocket and placed some ice cubes in it. He than wrapped the ice filled handkerchief around Serena's ankle.

The scene jerked something in Serena's mind, however, she couldn't pinpoint what exactly. It felt really familiar to her... but she just couldn't figure out why. She then stared at Ash tying a knot with his handkerchief. He then stood up and extended a hand towards her.

"There, this should stop the swelling for now. Come on."he said, encouraging her to take his hand.

Serena did so and Ash pulled her up gently, making sure not to put too much pressure on her ankle. Serena gave out a small yelp as he picked her up and put her on Pidgeot. Ash then climbed on top of Pidgeot and sat behind Serena. He then held onto Pidgeot's mane with his hands on either side of Serena.

"Serena, the swelling should go down by tomorrow and the pain should be gone in a couple of days." he said while smiling brightly at her. Serena, however, couldn't see his smile as she was sitting in front of him. The feel of his breath against her neck, however, made her shudder with ecstasy. She couldn't help but smile.

"Alright Pidgeot, lets go." said Ash.

Pidgeot took off on a relatively long flight. They had to stop once to let Pidgeot rest. Eventually, they got back to the KIT. Ash got off first and held a hand out for Serena. Serena held onto his hand as he gently lifted her off of Pidgeot and placed her on the ground, however, Serena immediately yelped in pain.

"So, that ankle is still sore?" asked Ash.

"Yeah, I think so." replied Serena with a frown.

"Hey, don't worry." said Ash with a grin.

"Pidgeot, thank you buddy. You deserve a nice long rest!" said Ash as he stroked Pidgeot's beak.

"Yeah, thank you again Pidgeot. You're the best!" said Serena while smiling at Pidgeot.

"Pidgeot!" exclaimed the bird Pokemon, happy because of Serena's complement.

Ash and Serena giggled at the Pokemon's reaction. Ash then returned Pidgeot and slightly crouched down in front of Serena.

"W-What are you doing?" asked a slightly confused Serena.

"You can't walk on level ground. What makes you think you can walk up those stairs?" asked Ash.

Serena blushed as she understood what Ash was hinting at. She was very happy that Ash offered though.

"We have elevators right there." said Serena. She regretted doing that and was mentally kicking herself for it.

"Then I guess I'll carry you to the elevators." replied Ash with a sheepish grin.

Serena blushed slightly but then giggled. She climbed on Ash's back and Ash gave her a piggyback ride to the elevators. Once they reached Serena's floor, he gave her a piggy back ride to her door. Ash then held out a hand.

"What?" asked Serena, slightly confused by Ash's gesture.

"Your room key. I don't want you to put any pressure on that ankle of yours." replied Ash.

Serena's heart was melting at her caring Ash was being right now. It made her feel oh so special. She smiled and handed him the key.

Ash opened the door and turned the light on. Ash was about to go further in, however, Serena stopped him.

"Ash, you can drop me off right here. I need to use the bathroom anyways." she exclaimed.

Ash was a bit hesitant and reluctant at first, however, he gave in. He understood and set Serena down.

"Now, be careful. Do what you have to do and then go straight to bed, alright?" asked Ash.

Serena giggled and the replied.

"Alright, alright."

Ash sighed and was about to leave, but then he remembered something. He remembered what he bought back in Lumiose... and he had a gut feeling that this was the right time to give it to her.

"Wait, Serena?" asked Ash nervously.

"Yeah, what is it?"

"I want you to have this." said Ash as he bought out a a shallow yellow square box with a red ribbon tied around it.

Serena's eyes widened at the sight. She didn't know what it was... but it was a gift from Ash, and that's what mattered the most. Her eyes glistened at the sight of it.

"Thank you Ash... but, why?" asked Serena.

"Well, take this as my thank you for everything you have done for me so far... especially today. Thanks to you, I know I can win tomorrow!" replied Ash. It was clear that he was very nervous at that moment.

"T-thank you, Ash! I'll take good care of it." she replied as she took the box from him.

She then opened it. As soon as she did so, her eyes immediately lit up. Inside, lied a beautiful blue ribbon made out of Leavanny Silk.

"This is such a pretty ribbon Ash!" she exclaimed happily.

Ash just chuckled and turned around to leave.

"Alright then, goodnight Serena. I'll see you tomorrow." said Ash as he started heading out of the room.

As soon as Ash was out of the room, Serena quickly jumped onto the opportunity.

"Ash, wait." she said as she hopped to the door.

Serena thought back to the day she had with Ash today. It was magical. The moments she had with Ash has always been special to her, however, today, it felt extra special. She enjoyed every single moment with him. Even now, he carried her all the way here. He showed concern for her and even gave her a gift. Serena just couldn't hold back her feeling anymore. She got glossy eyed thinking about the day she had with Ash. To her, it was undoubtedly one of the best days of her life. One she definitely would never forget.

"Huh, what is it?" asked Ash as he turned around.

Serena gathered up all her courage and mustered up every bit of her feelings towards Ash and grabbed his collar. She pulled his collars towards her so his face was level his hers and then, with one final mental cheer, pushing all her doubts away, she planted her lips against his making sure to convey every bit of her feelings towards him in that kiss.

Ash was completely surprised by Serena's actions. It was unexpected to say the least. He enjoyed his day with her... but he didn't expect this at all. However, it felt right. To him, the kiss did hold meaning. It wasn't blank... there was a message there. It held passion... and love. Ash lost himself in the kiss. He closed his eyes and kissed back. He gave it everything he has been holding back for the past 10 years or so. The feelings he had been holding back for the honey-blonde who was kissing him right now.

As soon as Ash kissed back, Serena's eyes flew open. She wasn't expecting that. In fact, she wasn't sure what she was expecting... she didn't care now though. All that mattered was that Ash was kissing her back. Serena couldn't help but smile through the kiss.

After a while, they both needed air and broke the kiss. Serena blushed furiously but smiled back at Ash's dumbstruck face.

"Thank you." she squeaked as she quickly shut the door.

She then turned around and jumped on her bed and squealed. Nothing mattered to her anymore, not the pain in her leg, not the homeworks she has to complete... nothing. She managed to build up enough courage and confidence to tell Ash how she feels... now all that was left was for Ash to decipher her message.

Ash's dumbstruck expression quickly changed into one that expressed nothing more than sheer joy. The girl he had been seeking for the past 10 years just kissed him... showing him that she, most likely, returned the feelings he had for her.

With a goofy smile, he walked into him room. Pikachu was already fast asleep and his food bowl was empty. There was an empty ketchup bottle beside the food bowl. Ash smiled at the sight. He didn't want to ever wash his mouth... but he had to brush his teeth. He did so and slept... that last think he thought about before dozing off was that kiss...

End of Chapter 18.

https://youtu.be/5ajhIK-RL_U

I sort of wanted to do something with Phineas and Ferb... and that's what I sort of did in this chapter. I used to love watching this show when I was little. Now that I think about it, Phineas and Isabella's relationship/friendship is a lot like Ash and Serena's.

I'm really sorry about not uploading more frequently. I'm trying to upload as frequently as possible!

I hope you enjoyed the amour in this chapter.

Next chapter is the day of the battle. The next two days will be... rough for Ash and Serena. That's all I'm saying right now.

Thank you so much for reading. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter.

I'll see you in the next chapter!