It was pitch black, the sun had sunk below the horizon, and the moon sat proudly in the black sky, illuminating the night. The reverse world was void of sound as most Pokemon were asleep, except for the nocturnal types. Who stealthily waited for any prey to unluckily trespass into their territory. Aside from a lone Pidgeot effortlessly slicing through the sky at incredible speed.

The flying type Pokemon then gracefully landed in a large grassy clearing, where the God Pokémon laid resting in the middle of the field.

"Arceus. You need to wake up," Pidgeotsquawked in its native tongue.

Immediately, red-eyes snapped opened from the resting Pokemon. "What is it," Arceus muttered calmly.

"Lucario has requested your presence at the Vidirian Forest portal." The God Pokemon let out a huff as it slowly got to its feet. "It's an urgent matter," Pidgeot quickly added.

The red eyes of Arceus snapped to the bird, "Do you know what it is?"

She shook her head. "I don't know. I saw him looking into the Vidiran forest crystal before he ordered me to find you," she exclaimed.

Levitating into the air, he prompted, "Let's go. Take me to him." Immediately, the two took to the skies and flew at tremendous speeds to the aura Pokemon.

As they finally reached the crystal and spotted Lucario, Arceus boomed, "What is it Lucario? Why are you even up this late?"

The Aura Pokemon quickly turned to the mighty Pokemon landing before him. "Thank you, Pidgeot. That would be all," Lucario ordered. Pidegot nimbly left after she let out an almighty squawk. Lucario locked onto Arceus and suggested seriously, "You need to look through this portal."

When Arceus heard this, he immediately walked up to the shiny crystal and looked. It's red eyes widen as though the crystal lens, there were dozens of people dressed in Red, bringing boxes into what looks to be a makeshift building. The building was black and had a sizeable satellite spinning on its roof. Cars and lights were seen stationed around where the portal would form if summoned upon by Giratina. Tents were also set up further back near the tree line. Arceus then saw some grunts with strange devices in the hands, waving them close to the ground and occasionally marking and collecting certain pieces into plastic bags.

Arceus turned back to Lucario and asked, "How long have they been here?"

"I felt a strange chill as I walked past here, so I checked the crystal and saw them constructing the building." Arceus nodded. "That was about... 3 hours ago. But they could have been there longer," Lucario finished explaining.

Hearing this, Arceus looked back through the crystal, its eyes immediately snapped to two new figures walking into view, both of them wearing black suits. The older man had a black bald cut, while the younger one had orange lion's mane surrounding his face. Arceus focused on the older man; his face stuck out like a shiny pokemon in the wild.

"Lucario, you need to come look at this," Arceus suggested.

Hearing this, Lucario stepped forward and peered into the crystal, his ruby red eyes dilated when it went up on the old man.

"Does he look familiar to you?" Arceus posed, as Lucario's paws clench into a fist. His body began pumping anger around his system.

"Its Giovanni. No question about it," he exclaimed with an air of venom behind his voice. "But I do not know who the orange-haired man is. Never seen him."

"This is not good. It seems that our latest moves have been detected. Don't let anyone use the portal into Viridian forest. It's no longer safe," Arceus calculated.

The Aura Pokemon agreed with Arceus. A lingering thought suddenly jumped into the forefront of his mind. "What about Ash?" Lucario announced. Arceus face turned into a frown.

The God Pokemon began to weigh the risk of the raven head coming. Arceus knew that Ash would never betray them. But since he was so close to Giovanni, it could create a serious breach. What if Giovanni gets suspicious at his stepson? What if he starts to track his son's movements. If he did it with Red, then he can do the same with Ash. But they couldn't stop Ash from receiving Aura training. He has the blood of Sir Aaron, along with the abundance of determination within him. He may become the best aura user because of it. Pokemon can't afford to lose that.

"Where is Pikachu?" Arceus inquired.

"He went out yesterday evening as per our orders to watch over Ash. He was going to tell Ash about his Aura session tomorrow," Lucario answered.

Uncharacteristically, the horse-like Pokemon let out a soft groan, annoyed at the situation painting in front of them. Lucario eyed the God Pokemon with a shot of amusement; it was rare to see Arceus visibly annoyed at anything. Even the annoyance of Baby Pokemon couldn't rattle the stoic God. After seconds of continued silence, Arceus broke, "This is not good."

***

"pika...CHUUUU!" a yellow mouse bellowed. Electricity protruding from his red sacks and struck the defenceless raven head, waking the slumbering boy in an instant.

Awakened by the volts surging through his body, the boy fell off his bed and slammed onto his wooden-floored bedroom. A groan escaped his lips as soot-covered his body from head to toe. Twitching slightly, he felt the weight of Pikachu step of his head as the mouse boomed, "Come on, sleepyhead, you have to wake up." Anger filled Ash's body as he violently grabbed Pikachu and roared, "WHAT THE HELL PIKACHU! What was that for?"

Trying to escape the raven head's tight grasp, Pikachu shot back, "put me down now. Before I shock you again."

Ash waited for a moment; a large frown planted across his face. Seeing Ash's reluctance to release Pikachu, sparks suddenly started to fly out of the electric type, making Ash 'willingly' let go of the yellow rat.

"What are you even doing here? And where is Mew?" He muttered angrily.

Pikachu eyes turned into murderous slits. "Mew! You care about Mew more than me? I'm severely hurt. We are meant to be partners!" The mouse pouted. In response, Ash countered the glare with a small smirk, illustrating the zero effect he had on Ash.

Seeing how his glare was not being useful, Pikachu gave in, "Sheesh ok. We need to talk about your aura training."

Ash's face lit up like a Christmas tree. "Another lesson!? Please tell me its another session! I've been practising aura ever since he taught me them," as he jumped around like an eager kid on Christmas day.

Pikachu sweatdropped at his friend's actions. What a change in mood? The pokemon thought. "Yes. Lucario wants you to come in today for another session. Are you free?" Pikachu proposed.

The raven head's eyes sparkled as bright as the morning sun. "Yes, after school," he gleefully answered, a broad grin on his face.

Shooting a thumbs up, Pikachu cooly replied, "Great. Lucario will be waiting."

"Do you know what Lucario will be teaching me?" The raven head quizzed curiously.

In response, Pikachu shot Ash a blank look. "You think I, Pikachu, will know what Lucario will be teaching?" Ash gave the Pokemon a confused look, his eyebrow-raising. "I barely even know what aura is. Plus the way he speaks, it's so serious and formal, you know. It's somewhat intimidating.

"Sheesh," Ash mumbled under his breath, Pikachu's ears twitch in curiosity. "You're scared of Lucario?"

The yellow Pokemon eyes widen and immediately scolded himself for the slip of his small tongue. The mouse then straightened, "Scared? You wish," he shot defensively. Hearing the defensiveness in his voice Ash sent an amused smile at the electric type. Almost challenging Pikachu to try to wiggle himself out of the hole he dug. "Fine maybe a little," he muttered, giving in to the intense stare from Ash Ketchum.

"Ash! You should come down. Breakfast is ready," Delia's motherly voice suddenly cut in.

At the shout of food, Ash immediately got to his feet and bolted out the door. "Sweet. Coming mum!" He yelled in reply, leaving his Pokemon friend behind who stared blanky to where Ash just was.

Shaking his head, Pikachu thought, does he ever not think of food?

"Ash! Why are you covered in soot!" Delia's scream interrupted the thoughts of Pikachu. "Have a shower first before you eat. It took me a whole day to clean up the house. I don't want you dirtying up the furniture."

Ash pouted, "But mum the food will get"

"No! Shower now," She authoritatively commanded, stamping her dominance over her son.

Pikachu let out a snicker as he saw Ash stomp into the bathroom, muttering annoyed curses under his breath. Suddenly, Pikachu' stomach let out a loud grumble for food as he smelt the delicious aroma of Delia's cooking. Maybe the food doesn't sound that bad. I'm sure Ash wouldn't mind if I had a little nibble.

***

Come on, can't this lesson end already, Ash thought impatiently as he sluggishly sat through another boring math lesson. They had a relief teacher for the period, but she didn't get any instructions on what to teach the class, so she kindly let them do whatever they wanted as long as they were quiet.

So as other students looked at their phones or chattered away with their groups of friends, Ash just sat there, as silent as a mouse. Usually, he would probably go on his switch or phone, but today, all he wanted was the school day to finish so that he could see Pokemon again. That and cause he was starving. His breakfast just mysteriously vanished, so Ash had didn't get to eat his delicious breakfast, which left the active boy dying for most of the day.

As time seemed to slowly past, Ash blankly stared out of the window, reflecting on the hectic week. It was amazing in how such a short time, so much has changed. It was only days ago that he had no friends, a battered body and the thought of Pokemon not existing. Now, not only does he have an abundance of Pokemon friends, but he seems to be getting some human friends back.

'If you ever need help. Or a place to get away from everything. Don't be afraid to talk to me.' That statement yesterday constantly rang around his muddle mind like an annoying bug. Ash analysed the message over and over again, like a detective scanning over his evidence for a complexed crime.

Suddenly, the electronic bell rang out around the school, which was when Ash realised that everyone else was packed up and about to leave. As the rest of the class bustled their way into the hectic hallway, Ash began hastily packing up. After waving goodbye to the stand-in teacher, he was the last student out of the class. By the time he was out, the hallway was quiet with most of the students heading home.

As he slowly shuffled towards the exit of Pallet High, he heard the occasional snickers from students who waited around the premise. But he didn't let the off-hand comments damage the excitement bubbling inside of him. Thoe there was also a pang of anxiousness on the side. He knew that there was nothing to worry about going to the reverse world, but he was more worried about the aura technique he would be learning. What was Lucario going to teach him? Some new, amazingly awesome aura move that makes him look amazing? Would he even be able to understand it?

When he reached the exit of the main building, he felt a cold chill run through his spine. Confused like a psyduck, he looked around to see what triggered his aura. When he found nothing but silent hallways around him, he closed his eyes and let his blue aura seek out any other signatures in the area.

When his aura scattered the area, he felt two lone signatures come into his 'view.' A dark blue and a pink aura appeared on the floor above him. The pink aura felt oddly familiar to him like he had seen it before. As he focused on the unknown blue blip, he felt a cold chill snake through his spine; the same one before. Hastily, Ash thought back to Lucario's teachings from days ago. An intimidating cold chill. It was as cold as being stuck inside a blizzard at one of the poles naked.

Someone with bad intentions? Ash summarised, remembering how Lucario taught him to use his feelings, rather than sight to analyse a person's aura. He then turned his focus to the pink aura next to the dark blue one. Connecting with it, he immediately felt his muscles tighten and lock into place. His body froze on the spot.

Ash's eyes snapped wide as he let his aura settle, his breath was shallow as he took a couple of seconds to regain his composure. After he regained control of his body, he looked up to where the supposed pair, his mind tried to think of all the possible situations that it could be. A teacher scolding a student? Must be a terrifying teacher.

Someone bullying someone? That's an option. It could be something worst; a sudden voice entered his trail of thoughts.

Thinking of this, Ash reluctantly took a deep breath; he had to check it just in case. He was sure Lucario wouldn't mind being a little late. Abruptly, he backed away from the exit of the school and quickly walked towards the nearest steps. Let's hope it's nothing serious, Ash prayed.

"Thank you for the help, Serena. Have a nice day," Cilian spoke, waving goodbye to the honey-haired student who had just helped the hospitality teacher bring extra folders to his desk.

The honey head then let out a breath as she began to walk in the opposite direction of the green-haired teacher. She quickly took a pitstop in a bathroom to clean her self up. That's when she saw a joyful grin subconsciously planted on her face. It was because of last night.

Their dinner was as simple as doing easy plus and minus equations, nothing fancy about it. But that's not to say their the dinner was terrible in any way. It was great, in fact, maybe even perfect in Serena's perspective. Why? Well, the food was terrific, according to Ash. And because she could spend quality time with Ash and it wasn't awkward. For most of the time, at least. Their mums decided to tease them about their relationship every time they saw an opportunity. She lost count the number of times; her face turned into a strawberry. It was that embarrassing. But Serena also noticed Ash blush a couple of times during the night.

Having enough of staring at her grin, she quickly washed her hands and left the bathroom. The second she walked out, a hand latched onto her wrist and yanked her around the corner. Serena let out a yelp as her back slammed into the pale wall. Looking up at the culprit, she saw a male with raven hair, similar to Ash. But it wasn't him.

"C-Calem?" Serena stuttered, fear constricting her voice like a snake wrapping around its prey.

A smirk gradually grew on Calem's cold face, sending a stab of fear down Serena's body as she felt her breath hitch. He wasn't meant to be back till tomorrow. What is he doing here?

"Hello, Serena," Calem calmly greeted. The voice only frightened Serena even more. Cautiously, she tried to slip away from Calem's presence, but the boy continued to stick close to Serena. Suddenly, as Serena tried to escape, a hand pinned her to the wall, immobilising her movement. When she slammed into the wall, her body froze as if they were in ice. She wanted to scream, but the cold glare made the air disappear from her lungs along with the hand that quickly appeared at her throat.

As Calem deviously slithered closer to Serena, tracing a lone finger up and down her cheek, his grey eyes locked onto Serena's frightened face. "You look beautiful," He purred possessively while his eyes roamed across her shaking body. A whimper of fear escaped the lips of Serena as the gap between the lips grew smaller and smaller.

As she felt the gap between the two close, Serena's body instinctively tried to fight back, her palm striking Calem in the face. Calem let out an angry huff as he tried to pry Serena's hand off his face using his own hands. It was a valiant effort, but in the end, Calem immense strength advantage got the better of Serena as she felt her hands slammed into the wall above her, pinned by Calem's hand. She tried to struggle but to no avail. Her struggles soon slowed and turned into fear as the immense feeling of doom dawned on her.

Seeing the fear fill Serena's watering eyes, Calem let out a maniacal grin and slowly moves his face closer to Serena. "Please don't," She pleaded with a scared tone, her head dipping towards the floor.

The frightened honey head then felt a hand caress her chin, lifting her head until her watering eyes met Calem's face. Her eyes sealed shut, bracing for the pain.

"It doesn't have to be this way, Serena," He exclaimed. Her blue eyes immediately squeezed opened and locked on to Calem, staring through the windows of his soul as she desperately fought in his tight grip. What she saw surprised her. Calem's face wasn't devious or deceptive; it was regretful?

His face tugged into a frown as his eyes illustrated the conflict growing inside of him. It was like his mind had a civil war with itself, one side wanting to stop, the other wanting more. Suddenly, the hand pinning her arms loosened, and his body began to shake.

Did he not want to do this?

"Then what do you want? You don't pin a girl to a wall just to talk," she pried bitterly, her fight slowing as she spoke.

Suddenly, a foxy laugh left the lips of Calem, bringing a violent tsunami of fear within the defenceless girl. It was all an act, using the terrible art of false hope to lure Serena in to cover his devious facade. When she thought Calem was regretting his actions, it was only used to pull the wool over her eyes—loosening her tight defences just enough so that enough Calem could slither through without a response.

"Be my girlfriend again," he announced authoritatively, his eyes quickly filling with lust as he placed a finger on Serena's pink lips. "Say yes, and everything will stop." A tear escaped the moist eyes of Serena as Calem hand caressed her cheek. She tried to move her head away, but it as quickly pinned by the glaring hand of Calem, making Serena whimper at the forceful action.

What did she do to deserve this?

Her mind tried to think of ways she could escape this perilling situation. She was a damsel in need of a saviour, but no one was going to come. Ash would usually be her knight in shining armour like he did in Vidiran Forest. But she abandoned him, left her loyal knight in her dust. Perhaps she had this coming. Maybe it was karma cruelly paying her deeds from years ago. Her horrible decision was finally catching up and punishing her. After all, every action had an opposite and equal reaction, even if it isn't physics. Decisions matter. Actions matter. And she chose wrong. Very wrong. It was like stuffing up an easy question on a test; she knew deep down what she should have done. But she didn't. And now she would regret it.

O how hindsight is a beautiful thing. It's like an unhelpful friend that always catches you unaware. Stringing up your regrets and hanging out your past to dry, no matter how hard you try.

As Serena felt Calem's unclean lips approach her's, her mind can't help but wander to Ash how she could have been in his warm, loving and protective arms—playing with his soft raven hair as she had rested on his shoulder. It would have been like a dream. Her mind then froze.

Dream?

Was that all there is to it? Was there no way to save their relationship? No. There was still a chance.

The dinner yesterday, how they laughed with each other, and how he would blush whenever their parents made from of them. They were signs that their bond was not destroyed. It's hard to see, but there is still a chance. If Ash ever saw an opportunity, he would grasp it with both hands. So why couldn't she?

Suddenly, a fire of determination sparked inside Serena; it quickly spread across her who body and into her muscles like a violent wildfire. Her eyes snapped open; the tear-stained face turned serious as the same powerful fire appeared floating around her sea-blue eyes. She was not about to be a lamb put to the slaughterhouse. If she were going to go down, it would be when she had given everything, when she had no energy left to use. Its what Ash would do, Never give up. Or else the haunting friend of hindsight will rear its ugly head and crash down like a tsunami. She was not about to let that happen again.

Serena then took in a deep breath. After composing herself, her fiery eyes then locked onto her raven head opponent. Her mighty assault began.

She felt a powerful surge of energy as her arms broke free of Calem's grasp over her hands. With her hands-free, she begins to push away the advancing face of Calem, shocking as his eyes snapped wide. Her legs started violently, kicking his exposed shins, drawing winces of pain from the raven head. But the boy fought through the pain and tightened the hand around Serena's throat. Making the girl let out a hiss as her hands instinctively try to remove the obstruction in her airways. Her face grimaced with the lack of air, and her legs uncoordinatedly kicked at nothing but air.

Seeing her assault halt for the moment, Calem relieved the pressure around her throat so she could breathe. But before she could recover, he slammed her into the wall, just hard enough to daze her temporarily, but not enough for severe damage to occur.

Hearing a whimper escape the girl's mouth, Calem let out a wild grin. "Serena. I will have my way, no matter what. It's over," he harshly muttered.

Serena's eyes turned into razor-sharp slits. Over? Since when does he dictate when it's over? He doesn't. She does. It's not up to Calem to finish this; it's her. All those years ago, she should have been the one to dig her heels and stay with Ash. Instead, she gave up. She went against Ash's motto and gave into Calem's power and let him dictate the story. She allowed herself to become a puppet, and Calem was her puppet master.

She wasn't going to let it happen again.

"Never give up till it's over," She mumbled. Calem caught a whiff of the mumbles and rose an eyebrow. He opened his mouth the mount a retort but then-

Bang! Before Calem could bark the reply, her foot slammed into the part where boys never want to be hit. Immediately, Calem let go of Serena and doubled over, grabbing at his aching body part as if they had been shot. The kick was filled with venom and vigour fanned by Ash famous motto.

Being released from his clutches, she let out a sigh of relief and scampered away from the boy whimpering in pain. Glaring at Calem as she continued to take deep breaths to calm her erratic heart rate.

While aching with pain, Calem managed to spit, "It was Ash, wasn't it. That loser and his stupid line."

Serena's hand balled angrily into a fist. These insults have been going on for years, and she stood idle to them. She was too afraid to stand up for Ash when he needed someone. But she was no longer going to be that scared little girl anymore.

"Ash is not a loser!" She hissed angrily, her eyes narrowing into slits. The bitter tone stunned Calem as he managed to limber onto one knee. Still visibly affected by her monstrous kick seconds ago. "He never was a loser. You just painted him to be one. You are jealous that he is 100 times better than you ever were. While still being funny, cheerful, cute, handsome, and most of all, someone you could depend on."

"If he is all those things to you, then why did you leave!" Calem interrupted. A wide smile grew on his face as he saw Serena's body froze. She went from being a furious force of nature to a deer stuck in headlights as quick as a pokemon using extreme speed.

Silence echoed around her head as her brain short-circuited. Too frazzled to think of anything remotely coherent. Ash was like a double-edged sword for her. He was a source for her strength. But, he was also a gaping weakness to her, like a piercing wound from a sharp sword. The only difference is that this wound didn't heal. It was a scarring reminder of her regret that had been haunting her every single day for years.

Calem then continued, "You hurt Ash. Your betrayal cut deeper than any sword could." A shiver ran up the spine of Serena, his words cutting her heart like a knife and extinguishing any fight left in her. "It would be an understatement for me to say I hate him. But at least I showed my hatred towards him. While you? When he needed you the most, you dipped and went to greener pastures. You are at fault as much as I am. The only difference is I know where I stand with him, you have no clue. My guess, he is just talking to you just because of the stupid project and just acting nice for a good grade. But Deep down, he hates you. Even more than me."

"T-T-that's not true," She stuttered unconvincingly. Her eye squeezing shot to stop tears from escaping her eyes.

"Is it Serena? Cause if the same thing happened to me, I wouldn't want to talk to you ever again. What about if Ash did that to you. Left you for Miette or some other girl you dislike. Would you want to talk to him?"

Calem was right. She wouldn't want to talk to Ash. Just the thought of Ash leaving her for Miette made her heart scream with anger and crack with sadness. She wouldn't know what to think or do if it happened.

So then why did she leave Ash?

That questioned bugged Serena for years, like an annoying fly that couldn't be killed. Was it cause she was scared? Serena would argue that. But no. It was cause Serena was a coward who abandoned her friend for a title. What kind of person are you if you prefer keeping your position on a social ladder instead of supporting your best friend? A selfish one. She knew this. And she hated it.

The wounds she inflicted may be too deep to heal. Too strong for the scars to fade. Maybe, when the project is done, they will no longer talk. They may never rekindle the relationship they once had. And by the end of her life, this may become her biggest, regret.

Serena felt her face dip dejectedly at the thought; her eyes stayed shut. Suddenly, Serena felt a cold breath on her face. Immediately, her eyes snapped open, and she saw the cold raven head standing menacingly in front of her. His fist cocked behind him, ready to launch on the prone girl. "Exactly. So why should he want to talk to you?" He spat. Blinded by the anger coursing through his veins, he let his fist loose.

As she saw Calem's fist barreling towards her, she shut her eyes, and her hands slithered up to protect her face, bracing for the impending pain upon her.

But it never came.

Cautiously, she squeezed open an eye, and saw Calem's fist inches from her face, stopped by another hand around Calem's wrist.

It was Ash.

Serena felt her eyes widen at the sight of the raven head coming to her rescue. Visions of the events in Vidiran forest flashed her in her mind like a photo album. When she needed help, Ash came. All the doubts Calem managed to insert into Serena's mind immediately withered into dust. It was not too late for her to recover their once tight bond. But there was work to be done.

"I think you need to stop now Calem," Ash interrupted, sending daggers at Calem before shoving him to the ground.

"Ash!" Serena yelled, drawing the attention of the raven head as she ran to his side. His chocolate brown eyes, darted across Serena's body, checking for any injuries. To his relief, there wasn't.

"Ash Ketchum," Calem spat as if speaking his name was a curse.

"Calem. I don't want this getting worst. Walk away. That's all you have to do. Don't do things you will regret," Ash tried to persuade.

After Ash said this, silence echoed down the hallway. Silence filled that are as the tension exponentially rose to new heights. Suddenly, Calem's eyes began to blink rapidly as his legs and arms shook like jelly. He then started letting out grunts as he used the wall to keep himself upright.

"Calem?" Ash asked with an air of caution.

There was no response, just grunts from the shaking raven head. It was as if Calem had locked himself from the outside world; no words or actions could penetrate his outer skin.

As there was zero response, Ash closed his eyes and rereleased his aura. He quickly found Serena's pink aura but as his aura danced to find Calem'sThe determined raven head was met with fluctuating multicoloured aura. The colour black and white appeared as both colours fought for dominance of Calem's aura.

Ash felt his breath hitch as he saw the battle flare on; it was the first time he saw aura act like this. Lucario certainly didn't say anything about colour changing auras. Tentatively, he connected with the fluctuating ball of colours, bracing for any pain that may come his way. His body immediately felt like it was split in half, the two side wrestling for control. It was light versus darkness.

Ash immediately repulsed the feeling and disengaged from the aura.

What the hell was that? Ash thought as the war in front of him raged on.

Suddenly, the light of the aura was violently snuffed out, and all went quiet as the dark aura menacingly bubbled away before a piercing scream made Ash snap open his eyes.

"It's too late for me," he heard Calem mutter under his breath, his body still violently shaking. The erratic student then grabbed his wrist, staring daggers into it as if they had been stabbed. His wrist began to turn white with the pressure on his skin.

But then, all his shaking stopped, and his hand went limply to his side as his head dipped down.

"Calem?" Ash asked again, this time with concern. There was more to Calem then what meets the eye Ash realised. He needs help, and Ash's pure heart wasn't going to let him suffer.

After Ash called out to him, Calem's eyes snapped onto the raven head. Seeing the stare, Ash felt his breath hitch and a gasp come from Serena behind him. Not an inch of light could be seen, only the firey cover of darkness. It reminded Ash of Giovanni's glare he would receive at home. Cold, dark and deceptive.

"Finally standing up for yourself. We will see if you still have that fight after I'm done with you," Calem venomously spat. His tone ready to kill, but Ash wasn't phased, more curious and confused if anything.

So once again, he closed his eyes and searched for Calem's dark aura. The aura user quickly found the said aura. Only this time, it had changed form again. It was layered in blackness, but there was a faint glow of dark blue in the centre of it, Calem's usual aura colour. It was like the colour black was a parasite and the dark blue was its host, seizing control of Calem's body and leaving him unable to do anything.

But what was the parasite? How did it form in Calem's body in the first place? Ash could not answer these questioned.

Suddenly, he heard a voice scream, "Ash look out!" Before a red fist appeared in his aura vision. Using Lucario's teachings, he instinctively ducked underneath the fist and blindly threw a punch at the black aura. Feeling the meaty skin of Calem meet his fist, he opened his eyes and saw Calem withering on the ground, grabbing at his nose.

The dazed boy eventually managed to solider on to his feet, blood pouring out of his nose. He stumbled around as he tried to find his balance. Ash stood there intently, prepared for any counter-attack Calem might pull. But in the end, Calem stumbled away, muttering curses under his breath.

Seeing the boy stumble out of his view, Ash let out a sigh of relief. It was finally over. He then turned to Serena, who had a look of disbelief written all over her face.

"Ash. How the hell did you dodge that punch with your eyes closed?" The shocked girl managed to question.

Hearing himself, Ash immediately started kicking himself for using his newfound abilities too recklessly. He is doing a bloody great job a keeping aura a secret, isn't he? It hasn't even been a week, and people were already getting suspicious. He needs to be more careful now, especially if Serena is around.

"It was all luck," Ash replied his eyes averted away from the dumbfounded honey head.

"If that's luck, then you should go buy a lottery ticket," Serena muttered under her breath. Her mind begged her to ask more about it. But, thanks to the shaky relationship they were currently in, she reluctantly kept her mouth shut.

Feeling the intent stare drop from his project partner, Ash mentally breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed his tense muscles.

Suddenly, as he turned to look at Serena, he felt arms wrap around his body and a face dive into his chest, almost making him topple over. His body immediately stiffened as he saw Serena wrapped around him like a Koala on a tree. The amora of Serena's hair made the air rush out of his lungs in a flash. The raven head felt his face violently flare-up, and his heart goes a million miles an hour. He was certain Serena could feel his beating heart.

"Thank you for saving me again," Serena mumbled into his chest, hiding her flustered face from the world. She felt tears balling in her eyes. The feeling of being safe and unharmed overtook her body. Before the warmth of Ash's body brought her back down to reality. She felt so calm in Ash's chest as if nothing could harm her. His smell stimulated Serena's senses like an addiction that she lost touch with over her life. This is what she missed, the warm, protecting and caring nature of Ash.

As he felt Serena bury into his chest, Ash wanted to say No problem. He longed to wrap his arms around her body and never let go. The feeling was that good to him. It was like his body was excited to rediscover this foreign warmth from a hug. Of course, he hugged his mum all the time, but that's his mum. Right here was his former best friend.

Ash's eyes went wide. Former not current best friend. As much as he enjoyed having this warm bubbly feeling inside of him, he was not about to let his guard down. A similar situation happened before when he saved her in the forest during their childhood. Back then, his naive younger self thought it was a sign to be friends forever, maybe even more. Before she cruelly snapped his heart into two, as well as his other 'friends'. So why should he think things would be different? She could quickly leave him again in a flash. And he didn't know if his body could retake the heartache.

Abruptly, Ash cleared his throat, making Serena come out of her happy daze and stare at his face. Putting on a stoic face, Ash tonelessly exclaimed, "Serena. Can you please let go of me."

As she heard the void of emotion in his voice, a shiver went down her body.

She shouldn't have done that.

Immediately, she unwrapped her hands around Ash and scampered back. Her body longed with his warmth again like an unhealthy addiction, but she hastily shoved the feeling away.

"Sorry," she mumbled with a hint of sadness amid her voice.

Seeing the frown tug onto Serena's face, Ash realised he was a bit too harsh. She was just being thankful for saving her from a sticky situation. It wasn't anything significant, just a token of appreciation, Ash concluded. But the blushes that were on both these faces say otherwise.

"We should tell a teacher," Serena exclaimed after she removed the aching feeling of rejection from her mind.

Ash's eyes went wide at the suggestion. Any other time he would immediately agree. But this situation was unique. It was like finding a shiny Pokemon out of normal Pokemon. There was something more to Calem he just had to find out. And he needed Calem here at school to find out. "No, don't," Ash ordered quickly.

A frown formed on Serena's face as her mind grew angry at the raven head. Did he not just see what Calem was about to do? Why is he defending a person who helped make his life a living hell? She questioned.

Aren't you one of these people as well?

She quickly shook the thought out of her mind and locked the voice into the darkest corner of her mind. This isn't about how she treated Ash in the past; it's about why Ash is defending that devil named Calem.

Serena then placed her hips, which made Ash straightened in response. "Why Ash," she questioned, trying to hold back any anger as her eyes narrowed.

Seeing the intense gaze, Ash sighed and shook his head. "Serena," he calmly, debated. "You saw it. Something wasn't right with him."

The honey head, uncharacteristically, grew angrier at the raven head. Of course, it wasn't right; he tried to attack her! "Yeah, he was going to-"

"Serena," Ash snapped suddenly, silencing the girl before she could scold him. His tone was angry as if it was out for blood. And if Ash had a tone like that, it was either he was serious about the topic, or he was furious at yeah. So Serena reluctantly decided to listen to his reasoning about the scum named Calem.

With the lack of a response, Ash took a breathe continued, "You saw it, Serena, how he shook on the spot. How his legs became jelly? I t was like his body was fighting."

Serena nodded; she intrigued growing exponentially after each word.

"You heard it too. It's too late for me. His voice was so broken. And then boom, it was as cold as ice. It was like he was a completely different person."

He was right. She saw how at times Calem would be different. At the time she chalked it up to him just being a devious slime, but as she reflected on it, she realised he wasn't. Calem had plenty of time to do the worst things to her, but he didn't. It was like there was an invisible barrier between him and her. As if there was a small part of him that begged him to stop what he was doing.

Ash then placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Serena. I know it's hard for you just to do nothing and forget about that idiot. But, you have to trust me. Please."

Determination. The fire of determination was all Serena's saw when she looked into his chocolate brown eyes. The windows to a person's soul. "Ok. I trust you."

Knowing that Ash would not stop bugging her about this, she finally gave in. "Fine. I won't tell a teacher," Serena answered.

A calming smile arose on Ash's face as he heard Serena's answer. "Thank you."

"Only cause I knew you wouldn't stop until I gave in," the honey head teased, winking at Ash. Who let out a snort of disbelief at the accusation.

The amused Raven head then caught the girl rubbing the back of her neck, her hand lightly caressing her skin.

"Are you hurt? Do you need to-"

"No no," she spoke abruptly, growing flustered at Ash's kindness. "I-I'm fine; it's just a little sore." Her cheeks turned a shade redder as she finished.

Happy that she wasn't hurt he replied, "Good. I don't want you getting hurt," mumbling the last part.

Unknown to him, Serena heard it, and her blushed flared violently. It was only a sentence Serena calm down, a part of her sane mind tried to calm her.

As Serena tried to wrestle control of her body back, Ash noticed strange yellowtail from around the corner. It was Pikachu, and he was made. Electric sparks flew from his red cheeks, sending a volt of dread down his spine.

He was late for his training session.

But this dread soon disappeared as his stomach roared for food. He also stole my breakfast—that bastard, Ash thought as he sent a mean look at the Pokemon, who quickly sprinted away, snickering under his breath.

With Pikachu gone and waiting for him, Ash then turned back to Serena exclaiming, "Since everything has bee resolved. I'm going to go. You should go as well. Your mum might get worried."

"Wait, do you want to do something?" She suddenly exclaimed frantically The second after she released those words, she wanted to take them back. It was a huge slip of a tongue, one made in haste. Why did she say that? She immediately screamed at herself, wanting to strangle her stupid mind to death.

"I'm sorry, Serena. But I don't feel comfortable hanging out together yet. At least not with a reason like a project," Ash replied calmly.

Even thoe she knew the answer to her question, she couldn't stop the wave of disappointment from washing over her. "Sorry," she muttered, her face dipping into a frown once again.

"Don't be. I should be the one saying that. Maybe next time I will accept your offer," Ash replied, before hurriedly leaving the scene, leaving Serena alone in the deathly silent hallway of Pallet High. Unphased by the deafening silence, her frown slowly turned into a smile, "Yeah. Next time."

***

The sound of grass and dried leaves crunched under Ash's feet as he entered the dense undergrowth that is Vidiran forest. The pleasant and fresh aroma of blooming flowers and wildlife-filled his nostrils.

As he got closer to the clearing of the portal, a yellow rat-who was peaking into a bush- caught his eye. A sneering grin grew on his face when he saw the obvious Pikachu in front of him. But before he could have a go at PImachu for stealing his food, a thought struck him, why was he looking through a bush.

"Pikachu. What are you doing looking into a bush?" Ash called out.

The Pokemon's face immediately snapped to the voice, his face filled with dread. When he saw it was only Ash, Pikachu breathed a sigh of relief. Before turning back to the bush, he put a finger over his mouth, signalling the raven head to be quiet.

Ash scoffed at the action as a tick formed on his forehead. "Don't shhh me. It was you who stole my food-"

"Shut up about your food and get down," Pikachu interrupted angrily, sparks flying out of his cheeks.

Wincing as he saw the electricity, the raven head wisely obeyed and immediately dropped to the ground. He didn't want to end up on the wrong end of his electricity again, especially after what happened in the morning.

Pikachu then pointed a paw and announced, "Look, What the hell is this?"

As Ash peered through the branches of the bush, he saw high-end cameras and lights set up around the clearing, with a small building off to the side.

"Did you know about this?" Ash questioned quietly.

In response, Ash got a shake of the head from the mouse. "I think its best if I hide in the trees" Ash nodded his head. "Stay safe."

"Nice to know you care," Ash teased.

Pikachu snorted in response, before vanishing into the trees.

When the Pokemon left, Ash got onto his knees and peered over the bush. Now, in the middle of the clearing, the boy saw people in lab coats who analysed the ground with strange handheld devices that made occasional beeping noises. Other grunts in red stood in guard around the scientist as they examine the Earth beneath them. Ash noted the weird-looking F on their uniforms.

Who are these people?

"Hey. What are you doing here, kid?" The raven head immediately stiffened as he heard the voice piece his thoughts. Tentatively, he turned around and saw a buff grunt, stomping over to him with a scowl covering his face.

Ash gulped at the man's physique; the 'grunt' was twice his size! And you wouldn't call Ash as someone with a stick figure. Frozen like ice, Ash could only stare as the muscled man stomped towards him. He knew he was in deep trouble. "Um."

***

Thank you for reading the chapter. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, leave a vote if you did.

In other news, my book has just recently gone past 7000 reads. Thank you all for this milestone.

Also, my book is officially one year old! (Just over a week ago...) I was planning to release this chapter a week earlier to celebrate the day, but Wattpad's saving issues had other ideas. So I'm sorry for the delay.

Over the next month, I'm about to have the final weeks of my uni semester. Meaning a bunch test and assignments due, so ill have to focus on them. I'll still be active if anyone wants to ask any question. But the chapter might come later than usual. So if you are wondering about the next chapter, don't be afraid to message me and hopefully, I won't take too long to reply.

Again, thank you for reading, and I hope everyone is safe. See you in the next chapter.