"Some hearts never move on. They just learn to smile through the cracks."
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Three Years Ago – Lumiose City
Serena stood at the edge of the crowd, half-hidden beneath the brim of her hat.
She had told herself she wouldn't cry. Told herself this day would be just another page in someone else's fairytale.
But it wasn't.
It was his fairytale.
And she was not the girl he chose.
Ash Ketchum stood at the altar, older, scarred, radiant with a kind of strength that had taken years to forge. Beside him, in white and gold, stood the woman he'd given his forever to—Cynthia.
The champion.
The warrior.
The one who understood him in ways Serena never could.
Serena didn't hate her.
That would have made it easier.
No. She respected Cynthia. That made it worse. Because watching someone perfect for Ash take the place she once dreamed of—it shattered something deep inside.
---
Later That Night – Alone with the Stars
She didn't go to the reception. Couldn't bear to fake a smile, not while her heart bled with every cheer.
She wandered the empty streets of Lumiose, where she and Ash had once danced as teenagers, chasing dreams and kisses under electric skies.
Back then, she thought love was enough. That effort and kindness and loyalty would win. That waiting would be rewarded.
But fairytales lie.
Love, she learned, doesn't always mean forever. Sometimes, it's just goodbye with grace.
And she had been graceful. Until now.
---
One Year Later – Hoenn
She left Kalos. Threw herself into training, battling, traveling. Anything to forget. She rebranded her image. Grew fiercer. Stronger. Colder.
She stopped chasing dreams.
She started chasing purpose.
But then one day, in a coastal temple buried beneath the waves, something called to her. A shattered orb. A flicker of golden electricity. A whisper in the dark.
And when she touched it—she heard him.
Pikachu.
Ash's Pikachu.
Dead in the world's eyes.
Burned in the flames of betrayal and war.
But not gone.
Not entirely.
> "Pi…ka…"
A soul trapped in limbo. Caught between worlds. Abandoned not by Ash, but by the cost of battle.
Serena fell to her knees, tears washing over the stone.
> "I never forgot you."
> "You didn't deserve to die."
> "He needs you back."
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Present Day – The Revival
It wasn't easy. Ancient rituals. Forbidden aura. Serena sacrificed fragments of her own essence—memories, joy, her dancing legs.
But finally…
A spark.
A cry.
A pulse of golden lightning—
And Pikachu opened his eyes.
He was different now. Older. Etched by the shadowlands. But alive. Loyal. And burning with the same purpose she now held:
Find Ash.
Bring him back.
Make him whole again.
---
Closing Scene – The Mountains Near Sinnoh
Serena knelt before Pikachu, now perched on her shoulder once more, just like old times.
She looked at the photo in her hand—Ash, Cynthia, and a child.
Her fingers curled around the image.
> "You have a family now, Ash. A legacy. I'm not coming to take that away."
> "But I am coming."
> "Not for love.
Not for the past.
But because the world still needs you."
She stood, the wind catching her coat.
> "And I need to see you one last time… before I let go for good."
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– The Girl Who Waited
"Some promises aren't broken. They're just delayed until the world is ready to feel them again."
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