Amourshipping : One Day Off

Chapter 15

The group walked on in silence. About a week after Serena's showcase performance, they had been traveling, and they were talking, laughing, and Ash and Serena would be holding each other's hands, one of them occasionally snuggling up close to the other, and commenting on how much they loved the other. It usually ended up in Bonnie making an embarrassing remark, but they still stayed close, never wanting to let the other one go.

Now, however, Ash walked behind the group, hands in his pockets, looking towards the ground. He hadn't said much. But it was perfectly understandable. No one held it against him. Recently, he had left Goodra back in its homelands, to be with its friends. Ash had made that choice alone, and while he knew he had done the right thing, it still depressed him. Goodra hadn't been around for very long, but he thought the two of them would make it to the Kalos league together. They had a bond. And it felt like it was gone.

Serena had never seen Ash spill tears before then. She had been sad to see Goodra go too, and she had cried as well, but to her, the sight of Ash spilling tears was not only depressing, but bizarre. He hadn't broken down crying, but it sure had been a first for him. She had hugged him tightly, trying to comfort him.

Now, he followed the group, keeping three or four paces back. The group had decided it was best to give him some space for a while. But Serena was worried about him. She had never seen him like this before. She was used to her energetic, happy-go-lucky, battle obsessed, dense boyfriend, walking next to her, with the group, talking about how excited he was to get to where ever it was they were going, and battling the gym leader there, with a smile on his face and a gleam in his brown eyes. She had grown used to his hands gently gripped around hers, his bare hands, as per Serena's request that he take his gloves off, intertwine their fingers, and never let go. He made her feel safe. The one thing she hadn't gotten used to, and was convinced she never would, was his now occasional habit of laying his head on her shoulder. It had been a little tricky for him to pull off, as he was a few centimeters smaller than she was, but he had managed it now. Every time he would say something like, "You look super pretty, Serena." Or, her personal favorite, a simple, "I love you, Serena." She had also made a habit of it, but Ash never seemed to mind. Now, she didn't have any of that. She couldn't even see his eyes, blocked by the cap her wore. The journey seemed a lot less fun without him, there was an emptiness in the group, that no one could quite fill like Ash could. She didn't blame him for being depressed... She just missed her happy go lucky boyfriend.

Even Pikachu left Ash be. Serena carried Pikachu in her arms, so he wouldn't get tired of walking. Ash not wanting to talk to anyone, not even Pikachu was a worrying sight to behold.

"Pika pi..." Pikachu muttered something to himself in Poké speak, while glancing back at his trainer. Serena noticed this, and forced on a smile.

"I'm sure he'll be fine. He just needs some time, I think." She told the worried electric type. Pikachu looked at her, nodded, and slowly looked forward again.

"I hope so." Clemont commented. "I've never seen him like this. It's... Unsettling, to say the least.

Bonnie silently nodded in agreement, deciding it best not to comment on the situation.

"I'm fine, guys. Really." Ash had looked up, and had forced a weak smile on his face. His words were weak, barely even audible.

Serena smiled kindly at him. A smile that showed sympathy and encouragement at the same time. "It's fine. None of us blame you, you know. We're just worried."

Ash let out a small sigh. "Sorry... I'll... I don't know, I'll try to be more... Myself?"

"You shouldn't force yourself to act in a manner that doesn't reflect you yourself." Clemont said. "It's unhealthy. Not to mention, obvious with you."