bonus chapter V.
the night that
felt right
post epilogues
SERENA.

─── ⋆⋅🩹⋅⋆ ───

I thought it would be a peaceful day. Waking up to headlines speaking of an endangered species now being preserved in the Johto National Park, Rumi and Brionne proudly showing off their colouring sheets, and the aroma of lavender chai by Miette.

Everything was going too good to be true.

That's why my phone beeped with a message I dreaded. From him.

"Anything wrong?"

I looked up from glaring at the screen to a perplexed Ash, his bangs falling over his eyes as he looked down. I shook my head, following which he plopped down on the tatami beside me.

"You know you're a terrible liar?"

I sighed, dropping to his shoulder. His comforting vanilla felt distant within the dilemma of my mind. Should I tell him or not?

"I... You remember Trip?" My eyes traced up his jawline to gauge the souring expression now taking over his face. He nodded, reaching up to brush my hair away from his line of sight.

"Can't forget."

"Yup."

"What about him?"

Too late to step back, Serena. Spill.

"He... keeps sending messages. I try to ignore them, but he stoops low, threatens of ruining Dawn's image before her strict mother. Y'know Dawn. She's a rule-breaker. She wasn't allowed to date anybody back then..."

"Oh."

Silence.

A heartbeat.

"What does he want now?"

I didn't answer. Just held my phone up for him to read. The minute I straightened back, he was back on his feet, placing the device on the tepoy with a calmness that was barely contained.

"Get a blindfold, Serena," he muttered through gritted teeth. "We're going hunting."

It was in the evening when the streetlights flickered to life and a cast shadow stopped before me. Trip. His smile was as ugly as ever as he advanced.

"So you decided to ditch your boyfriend?"

My eyes narrowed. "Get to the point, Trip. I haven't got all the time."

"Still the same feisty one, eh? Okay. Here's my demand. Meet me here. Tomorrow. Nine in the evening. Let's go somewhere qu-"

A rush of air cut his words short. He managed to block the first time, but the second had him stumbling behind. Ash's fist connected with his jaw, the sound of something breaking filling whatever Trip was about to say.

I gasped.

The blond scrambled up, glaring. "You brought your boy-"

Slam!

Ash didn't wait for more. The calm and collected boy I had known, the one who lurked in the shadows of the library, was gone, replaced by this version of him - stripped bare with fury.

"ASH!" I screamed in horror when Trip landed a cheap shot to Ash's chest. The scuffle continued, both the boys now engaged in a death battle. I tried to step between them, but was narrowly pulled back by a pair of hands when Trip aimed a kick.

Another gasp somewhere behind. Maybe the owner of the hands. I barely registered two figures rushing past me - policemen on patrol duty.

The officers wrenched the two apart. Nevertheless, Ash tried lunging again. The officer holding me shot me an enquiring glance.

"He-he was harassing me!" I supplied, trying not to scan the cuts that Ash now wore. "Trip! That's why - why Ash-"

"Calm down, Miss." A woman rounded me, offering a bottle from her bag - the same pair of hands that had saved me from a hit. I refused the offering and turned to the officers.

"He's been stalking me and harassing me and my best friend! I have the messages-!"

"She's lying!" Trip cut in. "She and her boyfriend jumped on me from now-"

"Shut the hell up!" Ash growled, earning a reprimand from the officer supporting him.

"Actually, sirs," the woman interrupted. "Satoshi isn't the kind to jump into throwing hands. I have trusted him to take care of my seven-year-old son, and I have known him for years."

"We're aware," said the first officer. "We're aware of Satoshi and his care house. We'll deal with this." The man turned to me. "Mind giving us your and your best friend's contact info for further investigation?"

When the woman nodded with a soft smile, I gave in. The minute the police officers learned that one of the victims was Sinnoh Community's event coordinator's - Johanna - daughter, Trip was cuffed and taken away, his proclamation about Ash being a serial killer fading into the evening light.

Ash slumped to a park bench nearby, still bleeding. His lip was split, and red was beginning to spot through his clean white shirt. "You okay?" he rasped, eyes scanning me down.

"Me? Okay? Ash, you're bleeding, for heaven's sake!" I fell to my knees before him, eyes burning. I didn't realise the quiet tears that betrayed until he reached out with a small smile.

"I'm fine."

"Y-you're not!"

"Are you?"

"Not until you promise not to get into skirmish for me!"

A low chuckle escaped him. "No promises." Then, he sent the woman a grateful look. "Thank you for everything, Missus Shirogane."

"You take care of my love, Satoshi," she said, ruffling his hair affectionately. "The least I could do for making my Luca smile after his brother's death is this."

- xoxo -

It was back in Ash's room when I broke.

The bandages were now a little clean. His lip was swelling out a little, but he hid the grimace with a weak smile when I set ice on them. "You're an idiot. An idiot, Satoshi."

"This wasn't the thank-you I was expecting."

My heart gave a thud. Our eyes met, then everything turned blurry. I fisted my hands on the helm of his shirt, rage and guilt burning my blood. "You get into a street fight because I - because -"

His arms were around my neck at once. Weak, but holding me against his stomach. "Hey, you're okay. He didn't do anything. He'll never."

For some reason, his warmth - the vanilla and the reassuring voice I loved - did nothing to cool the dread running within my veins. "I don't know what I would have done if you were jailed or..."

"I'm still here."

A heartbeat.

A chuckle.

A cricket somewhere beyond.

"I know I like to run sometimes, but I mean this, Serena. I'll not abandon you ever."

Time slowed. Eventually, I pulled back to caress his wounded cheek. The lump in my throat tried holding the words back, but I didn't let it win. "You're making me fall harder for you."

He grinned. "Oh, well." Leaning down until our noses nuzzled, he whispered, "You make me fall every time you look at me with those eyes. This is fair."

I smiled - soft, involuntary. We didn't kiss, not when his lip was still bleeding, but somehow everything felt right for once under the stars that night.

─── ⋆⋅🩹⋅⋆ ───

I just wanted to show a mutual support relationship between the two because we've always seen Raven/Satoshi being supported by Serena and less of the other way around (unless you count the friends part). I blame that mostly on the fact that Raven never steps out of the library, and even when he does, it's with Serena alone (sometimes accompanied by Missus Relia).

Next up, history repeats itself as another Mister Compliment shows up.

Thank you for reading!

Miyoko x