Chapter Text
Serena was ready to admit that she didn’t know a lot of things.
In her defense, of course, she was barely 6, and she wasn’t one to ask too many questions. She didn’t know why the stars disappeared during the day, or why the ocean would move in and out from the beach. She didn’t understand why her mother brought her to see the Rhyhorn every morning, or how her mom managed to stay on a Rhyhorn’s back for more than a minute before falling to the ground. She didn’t get why all the kids back at home always talked about getting a starter pokémon from Professor Sycamore all the way in Lumiose City, and she didn’t quite know why it was always so hard to try and join their conversation.
She didn’t know why her mom thought it would be a good idea to visit Kanto this summer, and she had no clue why her mom signed her up for this camp.
Serena did know, however, that she was not enjoying it.
Kanto was warmer and more humid than where she lived in Kalos, and she felt like the sun was sticking to her skin, even with the hat shielding her lighter complexion and the layers of sunscreen her mom slathered on. Pokémon she had never seen before were in every direction, and while Serena didn’t feel unsafe - the Professor was always right there - she was always two steps behind everyone else, mentally and physically. Viridian Forest was thick and sprawling, and many of the other kids had grown up on its doorstep. Meanwhile, Serena was trying not to squeal every time a Rattata ran past her feet.
It was a little embarrassing. It was also frighteningly lonely.
She really stood out like a sore thumb, many kids having tan skin and dark hair signature to the region, and her Kalosian fashion looked frilly and light in comparison to the hiking clothes and worn sneakers. If she did try to talk, her accent and clunky pronunciation made it hard for any communication to be understood, and she really didn’t have much to add. It was just like school all over again, except back in Vaniville Town, Serena always knew how to get back home.
Now, Serena had let her mind wander a bit too long, and when she looked up from her feet again, the road had split, and the others on the hike were nowhere to be seen. She bit her cheek and thought to maybe retrace her steps back to the farm, but a minute later she was turned around again, the path utterly vanishing into thick grass and leafy bushes.
Her bottom lip wavered. She didn’t know what to do, she didn’t know where to go. She hated feeling so lost and helpless. A rustle behind her made her jump a foot in the air, and a pokémon unfamiliar to her leaped past her, causing Serena to yelp as she stumbled and fell to her knees, hitting a tree root hard. Was the Pokémon dangerous or upset at her? Would it attack if she tried to leave? Tears sprang to her eyes, but the sob caught in her throat as the bush shook again. Were more going to come for her now that she was hurt? She should get up and run, or do something, but Serena couldn’t help but feel like all her energy had been stolen from the past few days. It was easier to close her eyes and curl up and wait for whatever it was to go away.
“Hey… are you alright?”
Serena peaked one eye open. Peering from under the brim of her hat, she looked up into the eyes of a boy no older than she was. His hand brushed back messy black hair to get a good look at her in return, before smiling.
“I’m Ash! Who are you?”
The dark hair, tan skin, slight accent. He was from Kanto, no doubt about it. Serena wouldn’t be lost at all! She tried to speak, but her voice was failing her and tears were still sliding down her cheeks. What was wrong with her? Her mom wouldn’t be scared. The other kids would be just fine.
She was just… so tired of trying. He probably was already finding her strange, just like the other kids. Serena didn’t blame him as he frowned and dropped his hand that was raised in greeting.
“What's wrong?” he asked, and the genuine concern made Serena force herself to at least start talking.
“I… I hurt my leg,” she managed, trying to enunciate through her accent, but this ‘Ash’ smiled like there was no problem in the world. Did he always smile like that? Where did he find the energy?
“Don’t worry,” he reassured, dropping to his knees. He pulled out a light blue handkerchief with pokeballs embroidered on the corners and brandished it proudly. “See this? This will make it better.”
Serena was frozen as he took her leg and gently tied a secure bandage around the scrape. His eyebrows furrowed as he worked, looking completely unfazed by the unfamiliar forest sounds around them and dirt getting on his clothes. Was every Kanto kid like this? She was sure that Calem back home would be distraught if his jacket got muddy.
“All done,” he beamed, but Serena wasn’t polite enough to stop the gasp of pain that left her mouth as she bent her leg towards her. Ash was undeterred.
“Now, watch this.” He waved his hands over her knee like a wizard performing a spell. It was a little silly, and if Serena wasn’t so confused at the moment, she might’ve smiled. “Feel better, feel better right away!” Ash chanted with a flourish.
Serena paused and tried to put her weight on it, but winced.
“Ow, it still hurts,” she whimpered, still a little too shaken to care about sparing the boy’s feelings. “I can’t stand up!”
To her surprise, Ash didn’t seem put off by this at all. Instead, he stood and smiled again, caramel brown eyes gleaming as dappled sunlight broke through the treetops.
“Don’t give up until it’s over, okay?” He reached out a hand, calloused and scraped with dirt under the nails. “Come on.”
Serena hesitated, like she always did, but Ash didn’t wait for her answer. He took her hand into his own and pulled her up, letting her lean heavily on him as she stumbled forward over her weak leg.
And with that, Serena got the answer to her question; no, not every Kanto kid was like this. Because no one else had offered her a hand when she needed it, no other kid went out of their way to talk to her, Arceus, she wasn’t sure the last time she was given a genuine smile from one of her peers. Ash definitely wasn’t like any kid here at camp. She wondered if he was like any kind of kid in the world. He was so… different.
Maybe Serena needed a little different. Maybe that’s why her mom sent her here.
Ash leaned back and laughed. “There you go!”
Serena blinked. The words were caught in her throat again, but all the tears from before were gone. A pressure that was sitting on her chest since her mom dropped her off at camp was starting to lift.
“I think we should get back to the campsite,” Ash gestured, voice soft. “Come on!”
Serena was still limping over small steps and her head still hurt from shed tears, but Ash never let go of her hand as he led her through the forest and back to camp. All the way, he pointed out different native Kanto pokémon to her (“- and that one over there is an Oddish, they’re sweet but easily scared.”) and was thrilled to learn that she had a Rhyhorn back at home (“-your mom RIDES it? That’s so cool, you have to teach me sometime!”). Serena struggled to keep up with his enthusiasm, but he didn’t seem to mind, and by the time they reconnected with the group, she was telling Ash a story about a nest of baby Fletchling outside her window, and he stayed invested despite her language slips and references to her home region that he was sure to not understand.
Professor Oak was beside himself to find out that two of his campers had been missing, but when asked if Serena was alright, the smile that came wasn’t forced at all. She tipped her face up to the sun, not letting her grin get lost behind the floppy brim of her hat. She looked at Ash, and the sun was nothing in comparison as he smiled right back.
Serena was ready to admit that perhaps, just maybe, she was wrong earlier.
In fact, Serena was expecting to enjoy camp very much.