Amour in Galar form

21. Thoughts, feelings and little more thoughts

A few days after leaving Pokemon Center, the group was on their way to Stow-on-Side again. The gray of the weather had receded and instead of the gray cloud mass they were now passing under the beautiful sunshine and it cheered up the mood of the travelers very much.

Although the mood of the travelers had picked up, the group was still strangely quiet. Actually, the only one in the group who said anything as they walked was Melissa and she, too, just because she was talking endlessly long calls to some guy waiting for her at Stow-on-Side. Ash, Serena, and Gou, on the other hand, were silent and sunk into their own thoughts.

Serena couldn't help but think that this was the second time she and Ash had been close to kissing during this journey. The first time had been there in the disgusting forest then and it had been interrupted by Riolu at the time. What if they had made it to the end this time? What would have followed? Would she and Ash be together now?

But, Serena went back to her recent thoughts, they had really been very close to kissing. And if she wasn't wrong, recently the initiative had been taken by Ash.

Serena frowned slightly. So did that mean Ash also had some feelings for her? And if there was, at least he hadn't figured them out. Otherwise, something would certainly have already happened. Though, Ash was definitely the densest person on earth, so it didn't surprise Serena much.

Serena glanced at Ash, who was walking behind her, and this flashed to her his familiar, toothy smile. Serena smiled back and then turned her gaze back forward. She felt the heat in her cheeks again, which had become very familiar to her as she traveled with Ash. Sometimes she wished she would blush less easily, then at least she couldn't be teased so much.

However, a recent act had made her think about another thing as well. Shouldn't she have been bolder on this journey? That's what she had decided at the beginning. So now would be a good time to put that decision into practice.

Serena made sure Melissa and Gou, who were going ahead, were not looking in her direction at that very moment. To her relief, she found that they did not. Gou had started arguing something with Scorbunny and Melissa was talking very focused on her phone. Good, Serena thought. They don't look, so now I can act.

She gradually slowed her pace, at which point she eventually walked at the same pace as Ash. However, this had not yet noticed Serena as he stared straight in front of him and seemed to think of something very focused. Pikachu, sitting on his shoulder, was instead, as it knowingly grinned at Serena and Serena raised her finger to her lips so he could be quiet. Pikachu nodded silently and stayed to watch the play he definitely wanted to see.

Serena breathed and made sure once again that Gou or Melissa certainly didn't look in her direction. They didn't, so Serena breathed a sigh of relief. Then she glanced once more time at Ash and then grabbed this by his hand.

                             ****
Ash was in his thoughts. What had happened between him and Lucario in the battle between him and Melissa had been on his mind for the last two days. It did not leave him alone and he wondered why it had happened to him.

Why had he suddenly shouted at Lucario so? He had never shouted at his Pokemon in that way in the match, at least not by calling them weak to offend them. It made Ash wonder about the possibility that he might be turning into something like Team Rocket's leader Giovanni, and at least the thought didn't make him pick up.

However, Ash's thoughts on the subject were interrupted, when Serena happened to glance at him, and switched to dealing with this honey-blonde-haired girl. He flashed to Serena a wide smile and it made Serena smile as well. And for some reason it caused that peculiar feeling in Ash's stomach that he always had close to Serena.