"ALRIGHT!!!"

The table shook as Barry pounded on it repeatedly. A big grin was plastered on his face. I lifted my lunch tray off of the table, to keep any of my soup from spilling or sandwich from falling. Serena, sitting next to me, did the same.

"Barry calm down," Dawn exclaimed, piking up her boxed lunch. She seemed to be smiling as she said it though and struggling not to laugh.

Barry quickly turned to Dawn before exclaiming "How can I calm down!? We're all gonna get to hang out later today! Finally!!!"

"Just like the old days," Kenny added before taking a bite of his PB&J.

May nodded excitedly, causing the hair hanging out of her bandana to fly up and down wildly. "It really has been a while since we've all been together! Outside of school I mean."

Mostly everyone at the table nodded or murmured in agreement.

"I believe the last time was last summer," Clemont stated very matter-of-factly. "We all went to the park, correct?"

"Yeah," Gary said simply.

I looked over at him to find him deep in thought, staring at the table. He didn't really seem sad. Maybe mildly upset, but mostly thoughtful. I was tempted to ask him what was up, but as soon as I opened my mouth to speak, Barry had gone back to shouting and flailing like an excited 4 year old.

I mutter under my breath "Geez how old is this kid?"

Apparently Serena heard me, or just found Barry's flailing funny, since I could hear her next to me, chuckling to herself.

I could hear Barry's shouting very clearly and distinctly even above the din of the lunch room. I wasn't sure if I was impressed or annoyed. I just attempted to tune out the noise and return my tray to the table to go back to eating.

Eventually the group was able to get Barry to calm down some what. Instead of shouting and flailing they had now managed to get him to sit down and just bounce up and down like a hyper child, grinning from ear to ear.

I return to my soup and start taking the time to think through all that has happened lately.

My best friend is injured in a Pokemon Center.

My closest friend from child hood is currently sitting next to me.

I've made her brother my enemy

And now I'm going to my first party...possibly.

The idea of going to a party where I barely new the people there felt really odd. And anxiety inducing. My brain automatically ran to all the ways that would and could go wrong causing me to forget I was even still in a large noisy crowded lunchroom. All I could feel was the cold of my mind as my heart beat faster and faster and faster and faster and-

A sharp toothed grin appeared before my eyes leaving me more confused than ever.

The sharp teeth glistened as they spoke. "We meet again"

The smile moved back so I could see the figure it belonged to. Though the figure seemed to be some black liquidy substance trying to stay together in the form of a person, looking almost as though they were melting before my very eyes.

The air around me felt cold and heavy and silent. Only muffled noises could be heard, but they were too muffled to make out what they were. Machines? People? Probably people. They sounded like people. What were they saying?

"You've learned to disassociate finally," the figure grinned but the grin quickly dissappeared. "Or maybe it was just another fluke. Knowing you it probably was."

"Disa- what?" I was completely lost

The figures grin slowly returned "Well aren't you an ignorant little boy!" They chuckled.

I frowned. "Don't call me that-"

"Why shouldn't I? Isn't it true?" he interrupted. "You can't understand what's happening to your own body right now. Doesn't that make you rather ignorant? This body you've been given to live in for 15 whole years. And you can't seem to work it right" he spat the last two sentences bitterly.

"I..."

"You don't deserve any of what you've been given. I always knew I was the better half. At least I can manage a simple ability!"

The figure angrily brought his hand (or a hand looking feature) up before swinging it down furiously. As he did, a blinding light rushed back into my eyes momentarily blinding me and I heard a few voices calling my name.

"Ash!"

Dawn's voice registered first and she sounded rather worried. Which made me immediately wonder what I'd done.

I could hear Gary too and feel someone shaking my shoulder with so much intensity I assumed almost instantly it was him.

Despite Serena having a naturally more quiet personality and voice I could hear her shouting very clearly for me to get up.

Get up?

I slowly opened my eyes and raised my head a bit, which was hit with immediate pain. My hand flew up to my pounding skull as I gritted my teeth. This led to my friends saying my name again in a more worried tone.

Gary had stopped shaking me but I still felt his hand on my shoulder. I felt Dawn was on my right and Serena was still sitting on my left and it took me a second to also realize she had at some point grabbed my hand to hold it.

I focused on breathing till the pain started easing away. When it was slightly more bearable I opened my eyes.

Dawn gasped smiling and was the first one to go in for a hug.

Even though I should've expected that, especially from her, I still blinked a bit in surprise when she did. I chuckled and hugged back after recovering from shock.

"Geez you had us worried Ash," Gary said. He hadn't moved his hand from my shoulder. As if he were worried that at any moment I might slip away again and he needed to be ready.

Serena silently nodded in agreement with Gary.

I let go Dawn and asked "What exactly happened?"

"You looked like you were having some kind of panic attack," Dawn said.

I blinked since panic attacks weren't exactly a common thing for me. At least as far as I could remember they weren't.

"Well...ok then," I replied simply.

I stood up slowly so my head didn't hit me with unexpected pain again and got ready to head out.

"O-ok then? That's all you have to say? Ok then?!"

Serena seemed confused and shocked by my actions however Dawn and Gary were sharing a 'Here we go again look'.

I shrug at Serena. "What am I supposed to say? It's happened now so now we gotta move on"

Serena opened her mouth to say something but Dawn beat her to it.

"Don't argue. He won't care," Dawn chuckled. "Ash won't freak out about much when it comes to things like this. At least when it comes to things like this happening to him." She sighed.

I turn to see Gary nodding in agreement and taking his hand off my shoulder finally.

I shrug and smirk.

And Serena just looks at the three of us looking as confused as ever. I can't help but chuckle.

"Alright, how much class have we missed?" I ask, curious how long they sat here with me.

"About 30 minutes almost" Dawn said.

"Guess we better get to the last part of class then." I threw the trash on my tray away but pocketed the sandwich and apple I'd had on it for later. Luckily no one really questioned this. I'd had a big appetite for most of my life so the idea of me saving food for later wasn't that odd I hoped. "Also...thanks for waiting for me guys. I appreciate it"

"'Course man," Gary said, his smirk finally returning.

"That's what family's for!" Dawn said cheerily.

Serena just smiled sweetly but said all she needed to say with that one look.

I grinned as a kind of happiness I hadn't felt in a while over took me. I pulled all of them into a group hug, acting impulsively, but none of them seemed that surprised. They knew me. The real me.

~~~

Serena and I raced down the steps of the school after getting our things from out lockers. Ever since lunch I'd been in a pretty fantastic mood. I slid down the stair railing laughing before hopping off with ease. Serena just went down the stairs normally, chuckling at my actions.

Most students were bustling around, getting to clubs or practices for sports or drama or just to meet up with friends to chat. A gust of cold autumn air breezed past some of us making the hairs on our skin stand up. Beautiful leaves of different colors were falling from the trees nearby. Golds, reds, oranges and browns, filled the trees and dotted the ground. The sky was clear blue and bright and the sun could actually be seen today. It was a beautiful day to say the least.

I stopped and just took a deep breath of the fresh air. I smiled happily as Serena caught up to me catching her breath.

"Do you have to go so fast?" She said in between breaths and giggles.

"But going fast is fun!" I argued.

She let out some mixture of a sigh and a chuckle. "Not if I can't keep up"

I smiled at her and shrug.

Once she'd caught her breath she straightened up and crossed her arms like she was about to scold me.

I put my hands in my pockets. "Awww don't be like that"

Serena huffed and I couldn't help but chuckle.

My mind wandered back to the party happening later that day. I already knew Dawn would be there. She was such a bubbly extroverted person, so there was no doubt about that. She might even bring some of her pokemon with her. This made me think of Dawn's Piplup, a long time friend of Pikachu and I.

Memories of spending time with the two of them and Brock flooded back rushing through my mind like a rushing river. I hadn't realized how much I had loved and missed those times until that moment. We had done so much, met so many people, and grown so close. It might've been the best part of my quest for that broken dream of becoming a Pokemon Master.

That didn't mean I didn't want to keep trying to be a Pokemon Master. Somewhere deep down I probably did. But after mom's disappearance and Pikachu's...accident...it all seemed more unnatainable than it ever had. For the first time in a long time my spark of hope had been reduced to a dying, if not already dead, flame. And for the first time in a long time, I wasn't desperately trying to keep it going. It was slowly dying while I ignored it to focus on other things in life.

Serena snapped her fingers a few times in front if my face to bring me back to reality.

"Are you alright?" she asked. "You zoned out"

I quickly nodded. "I'm fine! Just thinking about things"

She opened her mouth to ask what I had been thinking about but before she could I interrupted with my own qusstion.

"Are you going to Barry's party?"

Serena blinked, seemingly not expecting the question. "I'm not sure..."

I didn't expect it, but her uncertainty made my heart sink a little. "It might be fun"

She looks at me "Are you going?"

I was silent for a second before responding, "I'm...thinking about it"

"I thought you liked that sort of thing. Being the life of the party. What's stopping you?"

I couldn't help but feel my heartbeat quicken with that question. And it filled me with confusion.

It's a simple question. So why do I feel nervous all of a sudden?

Why do I feel tongue tied?

"Ah you know, just the fact that I don't really know many people who will be there that well." I smiled while my mind was running a hundred miles a minute trying to understand the weird unpredictability of my emotions.

"But I thought you always loved meeting new people?"

Faster. It got faster.

"I do! Sometimes... I just-" I was having a hard time explaining and the more I tried to put my thoughts into words the more tongue tied and confused I felt.

"I guess I just don't want to go alone and hoped you'd go with me," I blurted out.

Serena blinked and slowly her cheeks became a soft shade of pink. I wasn't sure why. Was she sick? Maybe dragging her to that party wouldn't be such a good idea then

"Serena? Are you feelin-"

"I'D LIKE TO GO WITH YOU"

I blinked in surprise at her sudden outburst. Especially since Serena was usually so quiet. Several people turned to stare at the two of us. Serena's face steadily got pinker.

"I-I'd like to go t-to Barry's party with you," she repeated in a hushed voice.

I blinked and slowly smiled. Spending the evening with Serena was agood time waiting to happen. I felt myself getting more excited for that event later that day

"Sweet!" I took her hand in mine and placed my free hand on her forehead "But are you feeling okay? You seem kinda warm"

Her face seemed to heat up more after that which made me more concerned.

"Maybe going isn't such a good idea-"

"N-no I'm fine! We can still go!"

"Are you sure?"

She nodded. And I decided I wouldn't stop her. But if she looked too sick at that party I was firmly set on marching her right back home and into bed.

Serena looked over my shoulder and quickly pulled her hand from mine. "I-I need to go."

She began walking past and called over her shoulder with a smile that rounded out her slightly pink face, "I'll see you tonight!"

I followed her path with my eyes and saw Clemont staring at the two of us from the school entrance. I waved a bit but the second I tried to acknowledge him he turned away from me.

I sighed. That would be a problem if Clemont was even coming to the party tonight. I've already made enemies in the school. But going to a party after dark with few rules restrictions and adults made that fact slightly more concerning.

But

A night with my old friends Gary and Dawn

And Serena

This could be the best or worst night of the year.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

*screeches in inactive*

I'M SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG TO GET OUT!

I have no good excuse. I'm hoping to be a little more active in the future cause I miss writing and miss y'all!

I was originally gonna add more to this part but 2000 words is probably a bit much considering what else I was gonna add.

Thanks to the people who have stick around and who are being patient with my inconsistency =w=

Alright Question of the Day

Y'all watch Steven Universe? Or have seen Gravity Falls? If so what do you think about the Steven working in Gravity Falls bandwagon?

I'm thinking about writing a new fanfic based on this idea cause it's one I absolutely love but I'm not sure.

At any rate thanks for sticking around! See y'all next read!