Ash suddenly opened his eyes and turned to look at her:
"Serena, is your swimsuit new? I've never seen you wear it before."
Serena's heart skipped a beat.
He noticed! He noticed!
"Yes, I bought it at Laverre City..."
Serena whispered, feeling a little hopeful.
"It suits you very well and matches you well."
Ash said with a smile.
Serena was stunned.
Ash complimented her? Noticed her swimsuit? She even said it suited her very well.
Could it be that... you have enlightened yourself?
The next second, Ash continued, "You know, when I traveled with Misty before, she also liked to soak in hot springs, which is very similar to you."
"..."
Serena I felt the anticipation that had just risen shatter into pieces with a snap.
Pikachu holds his forehead in the water.
It just knows...
Misty, May, Zoey, Iris...
Serena suddenly felt a deep sense of crisis. Ash had so many girls in his life, and each of them had unique memories with him.
And what about her?
In his long and wonderful travel career, she was just one of Kalos's companions.
Maybe, it's not the most special one.
Thinking of this, Serena suddenly didn't want to soak anymore and was about to get up.
At this moment, as expected, an accident happened.
"Ah!"
Her calf suddenly twitched, causing severe pain.
It's over, I'm cramping!
She lost her balance and fell forward,
"Serena!"
Ash reacted very quickly and immediately reached out to help.
But the bottom of the pool was too slippery, and Ash himself couldn't stand firmly. The two of them bumped into each other and fell into the water with a splash.
In the confusion, Ash felt his mouth brushed against something Limber.
Those are Serena's lips.
Serena opened his eyes wide and looked at Ash who was very close at hand.
They fell into the pool, with the water only up to their waists. In order to support her, Ash put his hands around her shoulders.
And because of the pain and imbalance, she leaned in his arms.
Time seems to have stood still.
One second, two seconds, three seconds.
With a bang, Serena's face turned red, from her cheeks to her ears, and then to her neck.
Her mind went blank, leaving only one thought:
Ahhh! Ash kissed her!
Ash was also stunned.
He rarely jumped up immediately, but stared blankly at Serena, touching his mouth subconsciously.
It feels weird.
Pikachu emerged from the water and his eyes lit up when he saw this scene.
Oh yo yo, the stupid thing has figured out.
Another few seconds of freezing.
The other aunties in the hot spring pool stopped chatting and looked at the young couple with smiles on their faces, with expressions like "It's great to be young."
Why didn't they get rid of this little boy? Wasn't it just for this moment?
"Yes, sorry!"
Serena finally found the voice Echoed Voice and backed away incoherently, but because his feet were still cramped, his movements were unstable:
"I didn't mean it! Well, it was my foot cramps. I didn't mean that..."
The more she talked, the more confused she became, and she was almost smoking with embarrassment.
Ash finally reacted and blinked. "Oh, it's okay, it doesn't hurt..."
I added silently in my mind: It's still a little soft.
No, no, what is this idea?
Ash shook his head, looked at Serena's red face, and asked, "Which leg of yours is cramped?"
"Left, left foot..."
Serena whispered.
After saying that, Ash immediately switched back from the dazed state. He helped Serena sit down by the pool, asked her to straighten her left leg, and then held her ankle.
"When you have cramps, you have to pull your feet up. This is what Misty taught me before..."
Ash said seriously, his hand movements were very gentle.
He mentioned another girl again.
But this time, Serena did not feel disappointed. Because Ash moved very lightly and his eyes were very focused.
He squatted in front of her and carefully helped her relieve the pain, completely ignoring the unexpected kiss just now.
In other words, he cares.
But he didn't know how to deal with it, so he chose the solution he was best at.
The pain gradually eased.
"Are you feeling better?" Ash raised his head and asked.
"Well... much better." Serena nodded, his voice was small, his face was still red.
"That's good."
Ash let go of his hand and stood up. It was rare that he did not immediately say something offensive, but remained silent for a few seconds before saying:
"Well, it's not good to soak for too long. How about we go back?"
"Okay, okay."
Serena also stood up and wrapped himself in a bath towel.
When leaving the hot spring pool, Serena noticed that Ash touched his mouth again.
That small movement made her heart skip a beat.
On the way out of the hot spring, the atmosphere changed subtly.
Ash was unusually quiet. He supported Serena and walked slowly, glancing at her from time to time.
But every time Serena looked back, he immediately looked away and pretended to be looking at the ice sculpture on the roadside.
Serena lowered his head, his face was still red, but there was a faint smile on the corner of his mouth.
Although the process was awkward, she was quite satisfied with the result.
Regardless of whether it was an accident or not, even if it was an accident, even if Ash might not take it seriously at all, it was still a big step for her.
And Ash's current reaction seems to be a little different.
Pikachu followed at their feet, looking at Ash, then at Serena, with a shocked expression.
As the two of them slowly walked back to Pokémon Center, they didn't notice that there were two figures Gengy following them not far behind.
"Brother, what happened to Ash and Serena? The atmosphere is so strange."
Bonnie asked in a low voice. She was hiding behind Clemont, with only half of her head exposed.
Clemont pushed up his glasses. "According to my observation, there was something very strange between these two people after they came out of the hot spring, and the frequency of eye contact increased."
"In addition, Ash touched his mouth unnaturally six times, and Serena lowered his head and chuckled twelve times."
He was holding an instrument in his hand, with various data displayed on the screen.
Heart rate, distance, frequency of conversations, number of eye contacts...
Romance Observation Recorder Version 3.0.
"So are they in love?" Bonnie's eyes lit up.
Clemont Analytic said, "Based on the current data, it has not reached that level yet."
"But if Serena continues to persist, and Ash continues to maintain this state, the possibility of future development..."
"How much is it!" Bonnie was anxious.
Clemont thought carefully, "I need more data, and I have to continue to observe."
The two of them continued to follow Gengy furtively.
In front, Ash and Serena have already reached the door of Pokémon Center.
Ash stopped at the door, turned around and looked at Serena. Moonlight. His expression was a little unnatural.
"That...Serena."
"Huh?" Serena looked up at him.
"Thank you for accompanying me today." Ash scratched his head, his eyes wandering. "Although I didn't chat with you much, I kept talking about the past..."
Serena was stunned for a moment, then smiled, "It's okay, I like listening to Ash talk, and I also like playing together."
This is the truth.
She likes to listen to Ash talk, like to see the way his eyes shine, and like everything about him.
As long as she is with Ash, she is very happy.
Ash also smiled, "See you tomorrow, have a good rest."
Serena nodded. "Yes. Ash also needs to have a good rest."
The two walked into Pokémon Center.
In the hall, Bonnie and Clemont had come back first and were sitting on the sofa pretending to read magazines.
"Ash, Serena! You are back! Did you have fun?"
Bonnie jumped up and greeted him with enthusiasm.
"It's okay." Ash replied, but his voice was a bit unnatural.
Serena blushed slightly. "Well... it's pretty good."
Bonnie jumped off the sofa and ran to Serena: "Serena, your face is so red! Did you soak in the hot spring for too long?"
"Yes, maybe..."
Serena said vaguely.
Clemont's glasses reflected light. He looked at the two of them and then at the instrument in his hand.
On the screen, Ash's heart rate data had an obvious peak when entering the lobby.
"Interesting..."
Clemont whispered, he was sure that there must be something wrong with these two people!
Serena felt a little embarrassed being stared at by the brother and sister, so she whispered, "I'm going back to my room first, good night."
"Well, I'm going back too."
Seeing Serena leave, Ash also said.
In the hall downstairs, Bonnie was still asking Clemont: "Brother, do they have a chance?"
Clemont looked at the data curve on the instrument and pushed up his glasses:
"According to tonight's data, Ash's emotional arousal index has risen to 15%, which is a huge improvement, while Serena's persistence index has remained above 85%..."
He paused and concluded:
"Based on probability calculation, if Serena continues to persist, and Ash continues to maintain this slow but steady awakening speed, then the possibility of a qualitative change in the relationship between the two in the next six months is..."
"How much is it!"
Bonnie is so anxious that Stomping Tantrum.
"It's 55%."
Clemont reports a precise number:
"Although it is not high, considering the special characteristics of Ash, it is already very good."
Bonnie held his face in his hands. "I really look forward to them being together..."
"What are you in a hurry for?"
Clemont put away the tablet and knocked on his sister's head. "Emotional matters must be allowed to take their course, without Sheer Force's interference."
"It's time for us to go back. We have to watch Xiaoyun and Dawn's gym competition tomorrow."
"Oh..."
Bonnie pouted, but she still followed her brother back obediently. After walking a few steps, she suddenly turned back and whispered, "When will my brother find a girlfriend? He has already discovered Romance Observation Device, but he is still single..."
Clemont staggered. "This, this, I am also very busy doing scientific research, let's talk about it again."
It's late at night, and the lights of Pokémon Center are extinguished one by one.
Serena is in the room, thinking about everything that happened today.
She lay on the bed and touched her lips lightly with her hand.
"Idiot Ash..."
Serena said softly, but the corners of his mouth couldn't help but rise.
Although it was just an accident, she will remember this feeling.
Take your time, don't rush, she has plenty of patience.
Next door room.
Ash was also lying on the bed, with his hands behind his head and staring at the ceiling.
Pikachu has curled up into a ball and fallen asleep, purring slightly.
It's not easy to be in training, be a relationship mentor, and eat ketchup ice cream.
Ash rarely suffers from insomnia.
He turned over and touched his lips, as if the touch of Limber was still there.
This feeling is very strange, the heartbeat will speed up.
It's different from the collision when Pokémon fights, and it's also different from the intimacy when Pikachu rubs his face.
Moreover, Serena's face was so red at that time, as red as a ripe tomato. She looked very... cute?
Ash was startled by the word that popped into his head.
Of course he knew that Serena was cute, everyone said so, and Bonnie often praised Serena for being beautiful and gentle, but he had never thought about it carefully before.
Now that I think about it, Serena is indeed... very special.
She will silently help him pack his luggage, hand him towels and water after training, remember that Pikachu likes ketchup, and take the initiative to invite him to go shopping...
"Serena..."
Ash whispered this name, and a strange and warm emotion surged in his heart.
Outside the window, the night at Snowbelle City is quiet and beautiful.
Tomorrow is another new day.
And some things are quietly sprouting.