Always Forever

The Last Straw

"Ash, come on..." Serena said, trying to catch up to the raven haired boy. "Can we talk, please?" Ash didn't say anything, and kept on walking as fast as he could out into the woods. "You're being too harsh with yourself, come on!" Ash turned around at that, which caught the eyes of the people around. "Am I being too harsh on myself...? Serena, this is the second time that I've lost due to incompetence on my part!" Serena crossed her eyebrows in frustration. "Maybe it's because you're trying to fix the problem by being radical instead of rational?" Ash sighed. "You don't understand! This is exactly how my previous journeys always ended, I can't and won't let that happen again." 

Serena groaned in anger. "Fuck your previous journeys, Ash!" She said, stomping her foot down on the snow. "You've changed, you're a different man now and you should be proud of that, instead of being scared of the mistakes that you've made in the past!" Ash widened his eyes in frustration at that one. He didn't dare say a word, just looking at Serena angrily. Serena realized she was out of pocket with that curse and the words she said, but she couldn't help herself. He was being childish all over these two losses and was bringing everyone else down. "Don't you realize how much everyone's worried about you?" She grabbed her head in frustration, almost as if she had a headache. "Don't you realize how much I've been worrying about your mental health?! I'm a human, Ash." She stood upright, pointing to herself. "I have my limits too."

"Well then, you guys won't have to anymore...!" Ash said. "Goodbye." He said in a much calmer but still angry tone, as he ventured off into the woods, all alone. Serena could only watch in disbelief and frustration, the crowd that had slowly begun to gather disappearing after a few seconds. "Hah... For god's sake... We went too far." She said to herself, only now realizing what she and Ash had done. She wanted to go after him, but her pride got the better of her and she sighed. "He'll come back anyways, he has to." So, she turned around and made her way back to the Pokemon Centre, to have a talk with Bonnie and Clemont. 

---

"Serena! Did you talk with him?" Bonnie asked, hugging the girl. "You seem mad..." Serena looked down at the young girl, trying to be calm but as soon as she opened her mouth, all the emotion in her voice made it apparent what had happened. "That goofball thinks everything is his own fault, and that he'll make the same mistakes he has made in the past... He's being childish, he's being selfish and I was being harsh, I wasn't composed enough to talk him out of going in the woods, and it all bubbled over to a fight..." 

Clemont, who had a cup of tea in his hands, offered it to the young blonde. "Ash... Just what the hell has gotten into you?"

---

Ash ran, trying to run away from the feeling of guilt he felt from screaming at Serena. The voice of the young performer repeated the same things over and over in his head, about how he made everyone else worry about him, how childish he was... As if anyone would understand. Ho-Oh, all those years ago, entrusted his kidself with such a mission, it'd drive anyone crazy. Ash even resisted pretty decent when he thought about it, being seventeen years old now, opposed to his ten year old self when he first got the feather. He shouted out, increasing his pace further and further until everything around him became a blur to his eyes. The cold snow didn't help it either, making his eyes water too. He ran and ran, until his legs were on fire from the pain, basically begging him to stop. He couldn't, he wouldn't but just as he was about to keep on going, a small hole in the snow caused him to stumble, making him fall down a few meters, next to a log where he almost even hit his head if it hadn't been for his jacket's hoodie. "AAARGH...!" He shouted out, both in pain and in anger. "Fuck you, Ho-Oh! Fuck you, the Kalos Leauge! Fuck you, Team Flare!"