Destiny Rebirth

When Titans Collide!

Serena felt tears, welling up in her eyes, as she watched Ash carry the unconscious Lucario out from the middle of the battlefield. Inside, her heart was aching; a sense of dread, building up, began to create panic in her already emotional state.

She gasped, as she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see Gary softly smiling at her.

"Hey. Don't worry," the young professor began. "This is Ash we're talking about. He's got this."

Serena could only muster a nod before she turned her eyes back to the battlefield. Oh, how she wished that she had the confidence that Gary and the others seemed to have. With a shaky hand, she wiped the lone tear that made its way down her soft cheek.

She looked through the room and could see the tension on their faces, the nervous twitches from May, while playing with her hair, or Max fumbling with his Pokédex, were undoubtedly noticeable.

Serena turned and silently gasped again. Behind the rest, leaning against the back wall of the suite were Cynthia and Lance. Lance, the man who had been tense throughout the whole tournament, seemed at peace and Cynthia had a smile that adorned her beautiful features.

The sight caused Serena to relax a bit and finally breathe. Her eyes returned to the battlefield, like a bolt of lightning collided with a beam of red, causing a massive explosion.

---

Pikachu released the massive attack with every bit energy that he had in his body. The sparks, from his cheeks, created a dazzling bolt that streaked across the battlefield. Not to be outdone, Persian released the fierce rock type attack. The attacks hit in the middle of the battlefield. The attacks created an explosion that ripped through the air in an orange upheaval. The explosions caused Ash and Giovanni to go skidding backward, but neither stopped their attacks.

"Pikachu, use Volt Tackle!" Ash pressed on the assault.

Pikachu responded by lifting himself off the ground, from his own skid, and bursting across the field with everything he has got.

Giovanni saw this and growled. His competition wasn't pulling any punches.

"Earthquake!" he commanded.

Persian slammed its tail down, onto the ground, and created shockwaves to tear into the ground. Pikachu felt his feet begin to slip. In a desperate attempt to land his attack, he lurched forward, throwing his body at his target. He was met with a glowing white tail that slammed him into the ground.

Pikachu snarled, as he looked up at his opponent. Above him, with a paw on his back, was a grinning Persian. The electric mouse looked up with widening eyes, as the gem on its forehead began to glow red. He reacted quickly, upon command, and created a ball of electricity at the end of its tail. It swung its tail, colliding the ball into the gut of the classy cat, sending it flying. The red beam blasted into the ground near Pikachu, causing it to go flying into the air and landing across the stadium floor.

---

Come on, Pikachu! Get up! Please, get up! Serena pleaded, with her hands clasped in front of her, as her body began to shake with anxieties.

The thought of Ash losing and going away again, made her begin to silently cry. The nightmares began to play through her mind, which she had pushed back by sheer willpower.

---

She stood there, dressed in black, tears staining her face. She stood there, chilled to the bone, but she didn't care. She stood there and stared, stared through the tombstone, past the pain, and into the distance, while hoping beyond hope that his figure would appear.