A Journey's Link

Chapter 75 - Confession

Serena opened the door to her room and lazily looked at the empty hallway in front of her. She peeked her head out and looked both ways, seeing that no one was there. Must've been someone messing with me, she told herself, as she stepped into the hallway.

She heard a crinkle on the floor as she took a step, causing her to look down in surprise. Lifting her foot, she saw that a paper was there, wrinkled by her accidental stepping. She reached down and picked it up, noticing that it had writing on it as she unfolded it.

She looked around the hallway once more before retreating into her room with the paper. Shutting the door and flopping back onto the bed, she began reading the words on the paper. Serena. It's Ash, the first line read. Her heart stopped upon seeing that name, so she stopped reading momentarily and took a deep breath.

Hey! It's been a while since we've spoken. Well, since I'm writing this letter anyway. I'm currently in Lumiose City with Clemont and Bonnie, and we're going to see Professor Sycamore tomorrow to unlock potential or something, whatever that means. Serena realized that Ash had probably written this message shortly after he left Anistar City in a rush.

I'm sorry for leaving so abruptly. Really. That confirmed her theory. I usually don't do that kind of thing, but I didn't feel too good by staying there and dealing with all of the shame I was getting from Miette and Chloe. So, I decided to come here and clear my head, I guess. Serena could hear Ash's voice as he wrote this message, imagining his struggle to convey his thoughts.

I'm doing fine, in case you were wondering. I'm not sure you even care, though. At the time, Ash wasn't aware that Serena had any form of feelings toward him, so he assumed she was just mad at him for leaving. All of this talk about this third Zygarde Core causing mayhem is bothering me, so I'm just trying to block it all out and enjoy life while I can.

But I can't without you for some reason. It feels kind of pointless to fight for this world when you're far away. And it's too late to come back now because I've got to prepare for whatever the third Core might do. Serena could feel the tears beginning to form in her eyes as she realized that Ash did care about her even after he had left.

I'm not sure what's going to happen in the next few days, but I have a feeling that I'll see you again. When we visited the Professor today, I was reminded of the first time I had met you, for some odd reason. Or at least, the first time I met you in the Kalos region.

I was fighting against the Santalune City Gym and was losing pretty badly. For some reason, I never noticed you walk in and begin watching me battle, but our conversation after my loss had made me realize this had happened. Of course, I was clueless then as to how my feelings would evolve, but you were a great supporter then.

The reason my visit to Professor Sycamore's lab reminded me of that first meeting was that I noticed that you weren't there. Ash felt that it was odd and weird that nothingness could be so easily noticeable and present, but felt it anyway. It just made me think of you and how much I missed you.

Serena held her breath as she continued reading, finding it so interesting to see what Ash was doing while he was gone. I know I really shouldn't be saying all these things in a small letter, but if you're reading this, it means that I've lost my chance to tell you everything that I've wanted to tell you since we met up again.

I care for you, Serena. I think you are one of the most beautiful, funny, and smart Performers I've met. Serena's breath continued to hold over as she read what Ash was saying. If this letter gets to you at some point, this means I was never able to confess this face to face for whatever reason, but it is my confession.