Destiny Rebirth

The Night Before

Serena ran up the stairs, while tears kept coming down from her eyes. They were soon accompanied by sobs, as she continued her trek. She started up the stairs at a sprint. She couldn't feel her legs, but all her mind was telling her to do, was to run. Run and escape the nightmare that had just occurred. Escape the feeling of abandonment that she had just experienced.

Her loved one, the only man for her, had just said he couldn't come back. After five years of waiting for him, she finally sees him again, but he still wouldn't return to her. She felt lonelier, more exiled than ever before. He was right there. She hugged him and felt his warm embrace before everything seemed to disappear and the pain returns.

She ran until she reached her floor and took off to her room's door. She stuffed her hand into the pocket of her skirt and fumbled around until she found her card key. She pulled it out, but it fell from her still shaking hands. She gasped when the card hit the floor, before quickly retrieving it. She slid key through the electronic lock and waited for the click, which would let her in. When she heard it, she whipped the door open and dashed in.

She went straight for her bed and dove onto it. Her cries grew louder. She laid on her stomach, for a bit, before grabbing a pillow and turning onto her side. She held the pillow against her chest, as she curled around it, trying to find some kind of comfort and support.

She felt a bulge from her pocket. She lifted her hips, so she could snake her hand into her pocket. She brought the light blue handkerchief, that she so adored out. She eyed it for a second, as the tears and sobs were slowing down, before a knocking, on the door, startled her.

"Serena, it's Gary Oak. We need to talk." she heard what Gary said from behind her door.

She stopped the waterworks. She twisted, so her feet dangled off the bed. She let the pillow hit the floor, as she propped herself up, with her two hands on the bed. She sniffled, as she began to think through her options. I don't want to talk about this; but if anyone is going to know Ash, it would be Gary.

She gingerly lowered herself, to the floor, and scooted over to the door. She slowly opened it and squinted, as the light of the hallway hit her. "Come on in," she mumbled before crossing her arms and slowly returning to her bed.

Gary gave her a comforting smile, as he entered the room. He closed the door behind him and flipped on the lights. He was now able to see Serena more clearly. She was not herself. The normally well dressed and groomed performer had now looked like a big mess. Her hat was crunched and tilted to the side, revealing messy hair. Her clothes were wrinkled and her eyes were red and puffy, from all the crying. He sat on the bed, opposite her, so that the two were facing each other.

Gary sighed while thinking about his words carefully. "I know what you're going through, Sere-"

"No, you don't!" Serena screamed as she threw Ash's handkerchief at Gary. "You've never had to ask why someone, so important to you, would just simply abandon you, without saying a word. You don't know how it feels to have your heart ripped out of your chest by the person, who you hold closest to it!" She put her head, within her hands, as she began to cry again.

Gary looked on with a sad expression. Nice choice of words there, Oak.

He again sighed, before he turned his head to the ground. "Actually, I do know that feeling. Five years ago, I felt abandoned by someone, who I viewed more like family than a rival."

"Wh-what?" Serena whispered as her head rose from her hands. "Y-You mean Ash?"

Gary didn't raise his head but simply nodded. "Yeah, five years ago, when his Pokémon was stolen, there was. . . . a videotape that revealed that it was Ash who had stolen-" Gary felt his head jerked to the side. The numbness was felt on his cheeks, while the echoes, of a slap, still vibrated throughout the room.

"You bastard!" anger was now coursing through the once crying Serena. "You mean, for all these years, through all this heartache, you knew the fucking truth?!"

Gary turned back and looked his friend, in the eye, before nodding again. "Yeah. . . . I did."

Again, he felt his head jerked, as he felt another slap come across his cheek. He began to taste a little blood.

"Well, I agree with the first slap," he said, as he wiped a tiny bit of blood from his bottom lip. "But was the second one really necessary?"

"Yes, it was!" Serena said furiously. "You deserve way more than that, you son of a bitch! How could you not told us that Ash was still alive?"

Gary began to feel his own emotions, starting to come undone. "Because he had a damn good reason!" he shouted back. "Giovanni is still alive! And that bastard has to be stopped!"

"But then why did he have to do it alone? Huh?" Serena questioned. "Answer me that! He doesn't have to do this on his own!"

"Yes, he does!" Gary noticed the glare that the statement earned him. He sighed again. "He couldn't put you or those, he cared about, in danger again. You didn't see him after Giovanni captured you, I did! What I saw wasn't the same Ash. He looked tired, lifeless and defeated. He doesn't want to do that again, not unless he absolutely has to!"

"But he didn't have to stay out of our lives. He could have taken an alias."

Gary chuckled. "Yeah, because someone suddenly appearing and being as close to everyone, as Ash was, wouldn't be suspicious or anything." Gary waved his hands in the air to further the idea that the concept would be ridiculous.

"Oh. . . ," Serena's features began to soften, but quickly reverted back to frustration. "But what if someone, he knew, would have died? Huh? How would he have known? I mean, he didn't even get to see May or Dawn win a Grand Festival," her eyes went to the ground as she began to whisper. "He didn't even see me be crowned Kalos Queen."

Gary began to shake his head. "You couldn't be more wrong, Serena."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"He kept tabs on all of us, while he was away. He saw everything from Max's first conference appearance, to some of my lectures, Trevor becoming a Pokémon Ranger, and he definitely saw you become Kalos Queen. He called it one of his proudest moments. He was proud that he could say that he loved a girl that amazing."

"H-He did?" Gary nodded, in response to Serena's question.

"He's been away for five years. He wants to come back." Gary spoke more solemnly now. "He needs us to be there for him. He can't do it without you, Serena. If he thinks that you won't forgive him, then he will think the others would do the same. After not seeing them for so long, it could break him."

"I-I don't know if I can talk to him, yet," Serena spoke slowly. "It still hurts a lot, Gary."

Gary smiled as he got up from his seated position and grabbed the handkerchief, which was lying on the ground. "I know it is tough, trust me," he handed the blue piece of fabric to Serena, "but right now, he needs us more than we ever needed him. Please, just think about." Gary walked to the door and opened it. He turned around. "He misses you, Serena. More than anyone else." With those last words, he exited the hotel room and made his way back to the lobby.

Serena stared at the handkerchief, in her hand, while thoughts raced through her head. What am I going to do?

---

Her tears began to cease, as the battle below started up once again. She was praying, inside, that her lover would find his fighting spirit once again. Please win, Ash. I can't lose you again.