Love in the Time of Tenacity

Chapter 11: A Settling

With that battle over, we're calming the story down for a couple chapters, but hold on to your hats, because it won't last long! Chapter 11 time, yeah!

Chapter 11

A Settling

"Hey! That hurts!" Ash recoiled from the antiseptic being placed on his chest wound, but Serena was having none of it. She snapped her arm out with speed and snatched Ash's body, pulling him closer to her so he wouldn't move away. Then she pressed the cloth to his chest gently, just as Brock had instructed her to, before he'd left the room to tend to some Pokémon.

"Stop squirming around so much, and it wouldn't," Serena told him quietly, but with a biting edge that told him not to mess with her. He frowned, but allowed her to do as needed, even if Serena was having a slightly hard time thinking clearly with her boyfriend's bare chest mere inches from her face. Still, she was able to push that from her head in order to treat him as effectively as she could. "You have a broken bone; it's a wonder that Bébé's Aromatherapy and Chansey have brought you as far as they have."

"I'd attribute it to Ash's incredible healing powers," Clemont laughed out from a corner of the room. Ash grinned at that, but soon grimaced from the slight pain. Serena drew back, considering her work done for the moment, until their doctor friend could return. Ash seemed grateful for that, not enjoying the stinging sensation, and he proceeded to lean back with a sigh as Pikachu patted his arm kindly.

Feeling done with all that, Serena threw her cloth to the side and seated herself upon the bed that Ash was in during his patch-up. It was hard to believe that it had only been a few hours since their battle at the Altar of the Sunne. Really, it was hard to believe it had been little over twenty-four hours since they'd first come to the Aether Paradise after a month apart...or, she had come to the Aether Paradise. Either way, it felt nice to be gathered with all of her friends and boyfriend again, especially the latter.

"So...it's been a month for all of us," Clemont finally laughed out, scooting forward in his chair to approach the edge of the bed. Pikachu, seemingly tired from the day's events, curled himself up into a ball and fell asleep for a second.

"It sure has. Sorry we didn't have the time to catch up earlier and all," Ash apologized, reaching up to rub his hand through his hair. Serena yawned a little. She had caught a small snooze on the way back from the altar, as short as it had been, and was feeling more rested than when she'd almost passed out on the altar itself. As a result, there'd been almost no time to catch up with pretty much anyone that had dropped into the battle. Most of that came down to logistics, it seemed, given that Team Skull stopped the fight on Plumeria's orders, and from there it became a mess of orders and commands that led to further confusion in all of the moving and dealings. She had tried to excuse herself from it all, especially upon finding out that, like usual, Ash had been pushing himself with his bruises and a broken rib that was only healing thanks to Brock's expertise.

However, she couldn't be too mad at him. Ash had returned safely, and that meant more to her than much else, really. More than that, he seemed refreshed and renewed. It was different than back in Kalos, with Snowbelle City; he seemed matured now, rather than simply bouncing back, like he was striding forward with great purpose in every step. She couldn't help but suddenly lean over, placing her head on his shoulder with relief, thinking, My Pokémon Master...

"You look like you've gotten way stronger, Clemont!" Ash remarked, making Serena smile a little. To that, Clemont looked almost a little embarrassed at the praise. "Serena mentioned that you were super important when it came to planning the attack."

"Shame it didn't work," Clemont lamented a little, but from the expression on his face, he wasn't beating himself up about it. Serena breathed in. Despite failing in their initial objective, the room felt so light to her, as though all the darkness they'd held on to for the last few months was gone. Ash held clarity, Clemont held confidence, and she held this newfound belief in her direction. Now, all they had to do was focus on the impending battle ahead.