Lost in their Past

Chapter 49:- 'Just Friends'

Serena and Gary had barely escaped the Den with Ash. By the time they go out, Dawn and Calem had already reached the pickup point.

"Come on!" Gary urged, "we have to get there fast."

"Yeah, genius I know!"

In fact, she knew it better than Gary. Ash's head was rested on Serena's shoulders. Her heart pumped blood faster when Ash's breath shallowed. He needed medical attention and he needed it now.

Luckily for them, the pickup point was located above the roof of the museum, the three of them took the staff elevator upstairs where they found Dawn and Calem, ready to leave.

"Let's go!" Dawn motioned them in the jet.

Ash's condition hadn't improved when they landed on the southern control center, the good news was, it hadn't worsened. He was immediately taken into surgery and no matter how hard Serena or Gary protested, they weren't allowed in. They sat outside, nervously waiting for the news on Ash.

"He'll be alright," Gary consoled Serena.

"Of course he'll be," she said firmly, "he has to be."

Gary smiled, "The son of a bitch has been through worst."

"Yeah, he has." Serena gave it some more thought, "My God, he literally has been through worst!"

They spent several hours sharing the tales of Ash's bravery or in Serena's term his 'stupidity'. Gary had a considerable amount of stories from his childhood and adulthood. He told her of their childish rivalry, their heated Indigo league battle, the broken Pokeball, and Gary's colorful insults. Serena, in turn, told him of their adventures in Kalos with Diance, Yvettle, Zygarde, and Hoopa. She told him of the incident at the top of the Prism tower when Ash jumped off the roof to catch his pokemon. She told him of Miette and how she'd asked him to be his date to the dance and how dense he used to be.

"He always got the girls," Gary sighed, "I was better looking but they always went after him.''

Serena knew what Gary was talking about, after all, she'd been one of those girls.

I guess I still am, she thought.

"It's been hours," Gary got up impatiently, "do you think...?"

Serena knew what Gary's silence meant, she violently shook her head, "Ash isn't dead! He can't be... not while the son of a bitch still owes me a dance."

The two of them stayed there for another hour or so, but no one came out.

Serena had dozed off on Gary's shoulder, and he, on her's when Joanne came through. She violently woke Gary up, who almost fell off the chair along with Serena.

"I've been calling on the two of you for hours!" she screamed, "where were you?"

"We're waiting on news about Ash, he's still in surgery,'' Serena said.

Joanne frowned, "Ash is in recovery, he has been in recovery for almost a day now."

"What?!" the two of them shrieked at the same time, "why did no one tell us?"