Hour 1

I stretched widely and let the pleasurable feeling roll down my back. I felt refreshed as a nice feeling warmed me from the inside. The celebratory diner I had planed for this evening seemed very appealing that the moment. The clock on the bedside table of my hotel room told me it was time to head to the lobby and wait for the others.

My hotel room was small with only one bed. It was strange not staying with Bonnie anymore. Considering that Elaina and her brothers were already staying in a room together, I got one all to myself. The tranquility was very relaxing.

Once I had put my boots on, I was ready to head into town. My performance was finally behind me. Now, I knew my place. I knew where I stood in the world of performing. Right behind Aria. She was my next challenge. But it would be a little while before I got to face her on stage again.

When I walked down the hallways, a smile appeared on my face. A night out with my friends was exactly the thing I needed. As I rounded the corner to the elevators, a certain head of jet hair came into view. The boy had a small Pikachu resting on his shoulders, as usual. Ash stood casually with his hands in his pockets as he awaited the arrival of an elevator.

"Hey Ash!" I greeted as I parked myself next to him.

"Oh hey Serena! It's really nice of you to suggest a celebratory dinner. And a good thing too, I'm starved." Ash replied as he rubbed his stomach. I let out a small giggle.

"Pika, Pikachu." The yellow mouse agreed.

"You're always starved, Ash." I smiled playfully at him.

"That's true." He chuckled. The elevators dinged and one of the pairs of gold doors opened. The hotel was very exquisite with many gold accents and modern architecture. I admired the delicate detail and elegant artwork through every inch of it.

Elaina's favorite part was the elevators for sure. She was fascinated by them. I believe she quoted, "it's a small box that moves up and down like magic! I've read about them in books but thought they were only a thing of the future!" My friend was much impressed.

Ash and I entered the elevator and the doors quickly closed shut. An awkward silence fell upon us as the gentle vibration of our decent started. I chewed the inside of my lip as I searched my brain for something to say.

And that's when it happened.

A sharp jerk. The vibrations stopped. I was lifted off the ground briefly then slammed back down. My body shook. The elevator shook. My vision blurred. My brain swam. My legs buckled.

And then everything stopped.

All was quiet and still as both Ash and I assessed our situation. Weakly, I got back up and brushed myself off. My heart was still pounding in my chest from the shock and I had to balance myself on the elevator walls. Panic started to well up inside me.

"What was that?" Ash asked as he rubbed his head.

"That was the sound of the elevator breaking down. We're trapped." I responded, fear shaking my voice. It was obvious, everything stood still and the slow rumble of the machines where gone.

"No, it can't have broken down. We can't be trapped." Ash muttered as he held his head in his hands.

"I don't know what other way to put it, Ash. The elevator isn't moving." I said and my voice began to raise. I had to clam myself down before I let all of my frustration out on Ash. He didn't deserve it.

"Why now? I'm so hungry I could eat a bus." He pouted, looking sympathetically down at his stomach.

"I was really looking forward to dinner as well." I sighed, averting my gaze hopelessly to the ground. But soon my attention was caught by the sudden crashing sounds. I looked up to find Ash pounding his fists against the elevator doors.

"Come on!" He growled in frustration. "Someone has to hear us."

Ash continued like this for the next five minuets. I watched him slam his knuckles onto the metal repeatedly without showing any signs of stopping. All I could do was stare blankly at him. Pikachu looked at me with alram, unsure of his trainers out burst. I wasn't sure what was best to do in this situation either. Soon I was worried that he would injure himself. Then it got to the point where I thought it would do more harm than good.

"Ash!" I shrieked. He immediately stopped at the sound of my horrified voice. The boy hung his head low and slowly turned to me. His face was tiered and red from exhaustion. "You're gonna hurt yourself and I have no supplies to fix you. Now think wisely. We won't be stuck in here forever, someone will come and find us. We just need to be patient."

"You're right Serena. I shouldn't be so reckless. There's nothing much we can do but wait." He looked defeated as he slumped into a corner. Pikachu nuzzled into its trainers lap and let out a soft coo. I allowed myself to slide down the wall until my legs tucked beneath me.

"Don't worry, someone will come for us. Soon Elaina and her brothers will realize we're missing." I reassured my crush. He nodded.

We sat in silence for a minuet, no one really sure what was an appropriate topic of conversation. I chewed the inside of my lip, desperate to break the ice. But luckily I didn't have to.

"How long do you think it will take for them to come get us." Ash huffed.

"Not too long. Maybe around an hour."

"Do you have your cell? I left mine in the hotel room." The raven haired boy ran his fingers through his hair.

"No, I didn't think we would need it." I bit my lip. How wrong I was about that.

"Maybe Pikachu could use iron tail to get us out of here! That could work." He suggested, his eyes lighting up. The small, yellow mouse perked up as well, readying into a battle stance.

"Ash, we are probably in between floors. Plus, do you want to be responsible for the damage done to the elevator?" I raised an eyebrow at him. Ash had a tendency to rush into things without really thinking about the consequences first.

"You're right. Maybe that's not such a good idea."

We sat in silence for an unmeasurable moment. Both of us were entranced with our own thoughts. Ash, was probably still trying to figure a way out. I, on to other hand, decided our best bet was to wait for rescue so instead my mind began to wonder to other things.

"What if, since we are trapped in here, Elaina gets in another fight? What are we going to do?" I whispered, worry lacing my words.

"Serena, you need to worry less about that. Elaina can take care of herself perfectly fine." Ash tried to reassure me. But now that I was thinking about it, it was all I could think about. She was so good at attracting an argument. You could place a million dollar bet that the one time I was trapped in an elevator she would get into a fight.

"But what if Bella pushes her over the edge tonight, and she does something stupid. Do you know how much trouble she could get in if she actually hits Bella?! I'm not even sure how I could get her out of that kind of trouble..." I began in a panic. Maybe it was my fear of being trapped in and elevator shining through into other problems, I wasn't sure.

"I'm sure it won't get to that point. But even if it does, Leon and Aron will be there to help her. They are her brothers after all."

Ash stood up and walked over to my side of the small box. He sat down beside me, our shoulders grazing each other. He could tell I was traumatized. So his words became soft and alluring as he placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Elaina's going to be fine. And we are going to be fine." I nodded as I looked into his stunning auburn eyes. They were eyes I could never forget. They shined with so much passion and emotion. I nodded weakly, my eyes never leaving his.

"T-thank you, Ash."

Hour 2:

It has been around an hour since the elevator first broke down. We had mostly sat in silence but every once in a while we broke into various conversation. Nothing far too interesting. I had began to relax. Ash could tell, and I saw him calm down as well.

"How much longer do you think it will take for someone to come and rescue us?" Ash muttered, turning his head slightly to me.

"I honestly don't know anymore. They must have realized we're missing by now." I replied as I rested my head back on the wall. Ash's eyes scanned over me. I felt like crippling under his gaze but managed to keep my composure.

"I can't just sit here and wait any longer. I'm going to find a way out." He stated determinedly. Ash got on his feet and Pikachu padded onto his shoulder.

"Pika Pi!" The Pokemon declared, the same determination as its trainer.

"Not this again." I groaned. "Ash, I thought I told you that using Pikachu's iron tail will have serious consequences."

"I didn't mean using Pikachu's iron tail. I'm going to find another way out." He said as he scanned the small box. He placed a finger on his chin and became deep in thought.

"Tell me when you have any ideas." I came to the conclusion that it was best to let Ash do his thing. "I will decide wether it's worth a try."

After a minuet, Ash's eyes lit up. He turned to me with a goofy smile spread across his face. I raised an eyebrow at him and awaited his next crazy idea.

"Why don't we climb out of the hatch?!" He announced enthusiastically.

"The hatch?" I questioned.

"You know, the one they always climb out of in movies." He explained.

"Does this elevator even have a hatch?"

I looked up at the roof. All the tiles seemed exactly the same to me, none appeared to be a hatch. That was unfortunate.

"There! Look, a hinge!" Ash pointed towards the ceiling. Now that I looked closer, I saw a small sliver of metal between two tiles. "That must be the hatch."

"But how are we going to get up there?" I wondered out loud. Neither of us were particularly tall, especially not tall enough to reach the ceiling. Ash pondered for a minuet as he paced back and forth. I watched him as he calculated a plan of action.

"How about you climb on my shoulders?" He concluded. I gulped.

"Climb...on your shoulders?" I whispered unsurely. My cheeks began to burn crimson as Ash nodded. Oh arceus, I thought I was going to pass out. "Ummm...alright."

I got off the floor and slowly made my way to my crush. He had a smile on his face, unaware of the emotional hysterics he was putting me through.

Just be calm Serena, it's only his shoulders. I thought to myself in a desperate attempt to calm my heart rate.

Ash bent down so I could get on. I eyed him cautiously, one misstep and I could place us in a very awkward situation.

"Whenever you're ready Serena." He said in a soothing voice. I nodded.

Carefully, I put my hands on his shoulders. After one last deep breath, I swung myself onto his back. With a small tug, I was seated gently on my crush's shoulders. It felt like my heart was about to burst out of my chest and my cheeks became a darker red.

Ash straightened, allowing me to fall into better balance. I steadied myself by placing my hands on his head. My fingers intertwined through his soft hair. It was something I had wanted to do for so long, but I never thought it would happen like this.

Now that I was in the air, I began to relax a little bit. A giggle escaped my lips as Ash swayed back and forth, trying to regain his balance. This just caused me to dig my fingers deeper into the jungle of his hair.

"Ash! Stop moving!" I managed between laughs. The grin across my face was so huge now, it could wrap around the earth.

"I'm trying." He said breathless, placing a sturdy foot firmly on the ground. Suddenly, the swaying stopped. "Okay, see if you can open that hatch." He called. I nodded then reached for the ceiling

I found the tile in which the hinge was connected to. My fingers traced the cracks until I hit a weak spot. At first, I pushed gently but no avail. Then stronger, yet still, nothing budged. I pounded my fists against the tile with all the force I could summon. The blows sent vibrations through the elevator. Nothing was opening.

"It's not working Ash!" I cried "the tile won't budge."

"Try harder."

"I'm trying as hard as I can, it's not working."

Ash sighed. I felt the heavy drop of his chest from my seat on his shoulders.

"Alright, I guess we just have to wait for rescue." He said defeated. The raven haired boy gently allowed me to slide off his shoulders. I was both saddened and joyful that the ride was over. My heart rate began to return to normal as we both took our seats in our previous spots.

And then the silence dragged on again.

Hour 3:

The dry taste in my mouth became the worst part of being trapped in an elevator. My mind kept wondering to the image of water. It was so appealing at the moment.

"I'm thirsty." I moaned as I tried to rid the dry taste in my mouth.

"Me too. Someone has to find us soon." Ash answered. He looked at me again, an unreadable emotion on his face. I tried to act as if I didn't notice. His eyes narrowed into slits as he studied me further. I bit my lip, it was becoming hard to act rational. "Who is 'him'?" Ash asked out of the blue.

This surprised me. I jumped a little from shock. I knew exactly who he was referring to and it made my cheeks flush pink. The man I was yet to confess my love to. He was sitting right next to me, unaware.

"I told you two days ago that I wasn't ready to share. What makes you think I am now?" I replied, trying to think of a way to lead the conversation in another direction. Preferably one that didn't circle around my crush on Ash.

"I don't know." Ash huffed, running his fingers through his hair. "It's just been bothering me, that's all."

My eyebrows knotted at this. Ash is bothered me liking some one? Well, thats a first.

"What do you mean? How is it bothering you?" I asked, my curiosity peaking.

"I'm not even sure myself. Its stupid. You're not ready to tell me and I should accept that. We can forget about it, Serena." He brushed me off. Ash looked away from me, staring off at the adjacent wall. I frowned, not satisfied with his reply. All my thoughts of thirst had vanished as Ash intrigued me with his unusual statement.

I felt the sudden urge to tell him everything. To confess. To spill my guts. We were alone with no interruptions, after all. It was another perfect moment. If I was going to do anything, I had to do it now.

"O-okay." I stuttered.

Because I was to much of a scaredy cat to ever confess my feelings for Ash.

Hour 4:

A soft yawn escaped my teeth frame. Soon my my mouth became numb to the thought of water. It was no longer a problem. The biggest issue was becoming my droopy eyelids and exhausted mental state.

My tiredness clouded any ration thoughts, unfortunately. To say I wasn't thinking straight would be an understatement. I was out of my mind. At least, thats what I had concluded after reflecting on what I did next.

"I'm tired." I whispered in a daze. I blinked a few times, but with each flutter, I felt it harder to reopen them again. Ash yawned.

"Me too. Man, I really need a nap." He mumbled and I could only just make out his sentence.

"A nap sounds good." Was the last thing I said. Then, in my un-functional state of mind, I lay my head in Ash's lap and fell right asleep.

At the time, it didn't bother me at all. The thoughts of sleep consumed me. And Ash's warm body heat lulled me right to sleep.

Oh, I was so very stupid.

Hour 5:

I'm not exactly sure what pulled me out of my slumber. Most likely the soft tugging on my hair. Fingers caressed through my golden locks in rhythmical strokes. It was certainly pleasurable. A small hum escaped my lips as I nuzzled my head further into someone's...lap?

Then everything came rushing back to me.

My eyes flashed open in alarm. I'm so stupid, so very, very stupid. I scanned the now extremely familiar interior walls of the elevator. Slowly, I turned my head and found myself staring up at Ash. His face was peaceful and his eyes closed while a small smile graced his lips.

He was asleep.

I sighed in relief. Though he was soundly in slumber, his fingers still petted my hair gently. It made my cheeks burn bright pink. For a minuet, I just lay and observed the boy I fell in love with. His hair was mussed and tousled, sticking out in every which way; but I loved it. His skin was the suns masterpiece, the caramel color utterly flawless.

Then my vision became blurred and my head began swimming. I recognized the dry taste of my mouth. Hours had gone by since I last had water. The effects of dehydration were starting to take its toll. A painful head ache arose and I clutched my hair, as if trying to dull the pain. My hand grasped Ash's while I cringed as the aching increased.

Ash woke up with a start at my tight grip. At first he was confused but soon realized my pain-twisted face. A tortured groan squeezed through my teeth frame. Generally, I didn't get head aches, but lack of water often made them appear.

"Serena?!" Ash cried, the drowsy look slipping off him. "Are you okay?"

"My head...hurts." I managed to string a sentence together. Not a particularly detailed one though.

"I don't know what to do that can help." He panicked. Ash looked hopelessly upon me. The good thing about my head aches were that they didn't last very long and ceased after a few minutes.

"That's okay Ash, there is probably nothing you can do to help me." I sighed, knowing we had access to no medical equipment in there. The situation was pretty hopeless.

"I can't just sit here and watch. That wouldn't be a good friend." My crush said frantically. I managed a struggled laugh through the pain.

"You're already a great friend, Ash. There's nothing you can do now. And I know it's a feeling you hate, but sometimes there are things beyond our control." That was a lesson Ash Ketchum was still yet to learn. Some things are just not within our power.

Suddenly, I felt a palm encase the side of my face. Ash gently traced patterns on my skin and stroked my hair every once in a while. His fingers placed a soothing feeling on every spot that hurt. I let out a pleasurable sigh.

"Is that better?" Ash asked, obviously satisfied with my change of mood.

"Your fingers are nice and cold." I whispered just loud enough for him to hear.

"Try to go back to sleep, okay. You need to rest." He said with concern in his voice. I simply nodded.

Within a few minuets, the pain had almost dulled completely and sleep beckoned me again. I answered to its calling and drifted away into unconsciousness.

Hour 6:

The second time I awoke was due to an awful clanging sound. It was metal against metal, creating a harsh noise. In my exhaustion, I covered my ears but dare not open my eyes. My head began spinning again as the banging got louder. But almost as soon as it started, it stopped.

I immediately relaxed and tried to look for sleep again. Sleep was such a blissful place with no worries. And this god awful noise was ruining my tranquil experience. The next things I heard were foot steps followed by muffled voices. The small room became filled to the brim with noise. Very displeasing to me at the time.

"Ash! Serena!" I heard a familiar voice call my name. I tried to look for my friend but my eyes were glued shut. A wave of happiness washed over me at the confirmation of her presence.

"Serena? Are you alright?" Came another female voice. This one I didn't recognize as well. I barely opened one eye, just enough to get a brief image of the unidentifiable person. Light temporarily blinded me but soon I could see a head of teal curls leaning towards me.

"Officer Jenny?" I questioned in a weak voice.

"Yes, Serena. We are here to get you out of here. I'm sorry it took so long, we had some difficulties finding you, but all can be explained in the morning." She informed me. I merely nodded. It was the only thing I had the energy to do.

"Alright, Aron you can take Serena while Elaina and I try to carry Ash. Be gentle, they are both extremely dehydrated and very tiered. Leon, I would like you take Pikachu to Ash's room and call Nurse joy. Tell her to meet us here as soon as possible. We need to get water into their systems quickly." The officer instructed to my friends. There was a chorus of agreements.

The last thing I remember was being swiftly lifted off my feet. Aron cradled me effortlessly in his strong arms. The blanket of warmth Ash had given me had been pulled away, but I was to tiered to complain. Instead, I gave in and allowed myself to fall dead asleep once again.

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I'm not sure why I like this chapter so much. Probably because it has so many cute amourshipping moments. Anyways, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!!!