A Champions Beginning

Ash's Surprise Plan!

After his encounter with Cross, Ash trained non-stop for several weeks, only taking breaks to eat and sleep along with watching Bonnie win her Gym Battle in Violet City. It was a habit that was beginning to worry his friends, there were points where he seemed angry at himself for losing.

"Ash," Bonnie spoke up one evening as they all ate dinner, "are you feeling okay?"

Ash looked up from his food slowly, and when he met everyone worried eyes all they saw was anger, "I'm fine."

With those two words, he stood back up and left, his pokemon following him. As the raven haired trainer walked away from their campsite, he reached for the Keystone in his pocket before speaking, 

"Charizard." he looked to his pokemon, "You ready?"

Charizard looked at its trainer with worry in its eyes, Ash wasn't acting right and not only did his friends notice but the pokemon had as well. Charizard slowly shook its head, moving towards its trainer as a voice followed behind them, 

"Ash!" it was Clemont, "Wait up!"

"Huh?" Ash looked up at his friend, "What?"

"You're not acting right." Clemont gestured back to the camp and the pokemon understood, slowly they all left the trainers alone as Serena joined the pair, followed by Bonnie.

"He's right Ash," Serena spoke, "You've been off ever since you battled Cross."

"Pi." Pikachu ran up to them as well, licking its trainers cheek.

"We wanna help you." Bonnie told him, "You're our friend."

Ash glanced behind him and saw a log, taking a seat on it he spoke up to his friends, "Really, I'm fi-"

"You're not." Serena pressed, sitting beside him and placing her hand on his in a comforting manner, "Ash, if anyone would know it's us. We know when you're happy, sad, or angry. It's what friends do."

"Ash," Clemont spoke this time as he sat beside Ash as well, "you said it yourself. You'll beat Cross next time."

"Will I?" Ash asked, eyes narrowed but then they softened, "I had a rival like that before..."

"Who?" Bonnie asked, sitting herself down on Clemonts knee.

"Paul."

"You mean the guy that we met in Sinnoh?" Serena asked him.

Ash nodded, "When we first met, he was a lot like Cross is. He would call me and my pokemon pathetic and he even abandoned pokemon he didn't think were strong enough. Then when I beat him in the Sinnoh League after losing to him so many times, he realized he was wrong and changed."

Everyone was silent, then Bonnie spoke again, "Then just do the same with Cross. Kick his a-"

"Bonnie!" Clemont scolded the choice of words preparing to leave her mouth, "Language!"

"Whoops..."

Ash laughed a little at his friends, "I guess you're right."

The night went on, and Ash began to feel better as it did. Towards the end of the night, after Clemont and Bonnie went to sleep, Ash and Serena sat together.

"I missed this..." Serena told him quietly.

"Huh?"

"We did this a lot before Cross," she told him, "It was like our little thing."

"Sorry..." Ash apologized, only to feel a hand on his cheek, gently turning his head.

"Don't apologize..." Serena's voice was like a whisper as she gazed into Ash's eyes.