"Yes. I realized it quite early, but Shauna values the bond between sisters, so she has never revealed her feelings, much less intended to compete with me~"
"Of course, even if she did compete with me, it wouldn't matter. I wouldn't do anything about it. Ash is an outstanding person, and I neither can nor have the right to stop other girls from liking him. If Ash can accept me, then I can accept them too."
Serena was remarkably open-minded and tolerant about it, displaying the generosity and composure of a proper first girlfriend.
"That's true."
Clarissa and Misty both nodded.
"Also, you said that Jeanette Fisher from Crimson City secretly likes Ash too? I always thought she was rather proud and cold toward him."
Clarissa looked somewhat incredulous.
"You wouldn't know that unless you were there. Jeanette Fisher has a very proud personality. But precisely because she's so proud, after Ash defeated her during the opening challenge and then repeatedly outperformed her during the various Summer Camp evaluations, she suffered one setback after another."
"For someone as proud as her, those repeated defeats actually left an incredibly deep impression of Ash in her arrogant, self-important heart."
"Later, when Goh and Chloe left the Summer Camp one after another, our little group was short on members for team activities. Jeanette Fisher took the initiative to join us, and it was obvious that even that proud girl had already been completely won over by Ash."
"After joining our little group, Jeanette Fisher also received quite a lot of guidance and help from Ash. One moment he was giving her a 'hard lesson,' and the next he was giving her a 'sweet reward.'"
"She went from being his competitor to becoming his friend and companion in an incredibly short time. Don't be fooled by how cold she still appears toward Ash on the surface. That's just a disguise. In reality, the ice surrounding her heart has already melted into a warm spring."
"Jeanette Fisher is also pursuing the professional Trainer path. If she encounters Ash again during their future travels, who knows? Maybe the two of them will end up creating some sparks."
It had to be said that girls were often much more mature than boys when it came to matters of love. Serena, who had still been timid and shy half a year ago, had now become confident, cheerful, articulate, and remarkably perceptive when it came to relationships.
"Sigh~ ×2."
Hearing Serena's words, Clarissa and Misty both sighed helplessly.
"By the way, Serena, you just mentioned Shauna and Jeanette Fisher. What about Green and Chloe, the two girls from our little group during the Summer Camp? Do either of them have feelings for Ash?" Misty asked curiously.
"Green and Chloe don't."
"Although Green is Ash's childhood friend, she's also Gary's childhood friend. I once heard Green say that when she was little, she was bullied by some of the other children in town, and Gary happened to appear in time and rescued her."
"From that moment on, Gary left a deep imprint in Green's heart."
"As for Chloe, she's simply too innocent. During the Summer Camp, she was also timid and shy, much like I used to be. But unlike me, she didn't have Ash there to guide her in a positive direction. Instead, she was constantly manipulated by her childhood friend Goh, who has a twisted personality and poor character."
"Chloe only had eyes for Goh, her childhood friend. But toward the end of the Summer Camp, Goh broke her heart. She cut ties with him and left the camp. Her father, Professor Cerise, also seemed to have told her not to associate with Goh anymore."
"I don't know whether Chloe still has feelings for Goh in her heart. But at least until the moment she left the Summer Camp, I never noticed any romantic feelings toward Ash from her. What happens in the future, I have no idea."
"After all, Ash is just too outstanding…"
Serena spoke with both pride and helplessness.
"But it's still the same principle. Ash is an exceptional person, so it's perfectly normal for many girls to secretly admire and like him. I have no right to stop other girls from liking Ash, and I can't stop Ash from developing feelings for other girls either."
"As long as Ash has me in his heart—no matter when, as long as there is a place for me in his heart, that's enough for me."
Serena spoke with the generosity and understanding of someone who had already accepted the complicated nature of their relationship.
"Mhm. Although there's still a little bit of unwillingness in my heart, I suppose this is the only way. And honestly, it's probably the best solution."
Clarissa and Misty nodded, finally letting go of the lingering knots in their hearts.
After the three girls spent the evening talking openly about their feelings and relationships, the slight distance that had remained between them when they had first met completely disappeared.
By the end of the night, they had become as close as sisters who had grown up together—as though they had been best friends since childhood.
"…"
"…"
"…"
Three women together could create an endless conversation, and three girls were no different. Especially when all three of them loved the same person, their unusual relationship created an incredibly strong bond between them.
After discussing how each of them had met Ash, gradually come to know him, and eventually fallen in love with him, the three girls became even closer.
And once they had opened that door, there seemed to be no end to what they could talk about.
Clothes, handbags, manicures, desserts, fashion, skincare…
The conversation continued late into the night.
Meanwhile, because they had to attend the knightly spirit promotional tour hosted by Elite Four member Wikstrom the following morning, Ash and the other three boys at Lumiose Gym chatted for a while before going to bed early.
…
The night passed peacefully.
The next morning arrived.
However, Ash didn't go back to the small park near the hotel where he had encountered Alain the previous day. Instead, he simply stayed at the training grounds provided by Lumiose Gym.
Lumiose Gym had been established atop Prism Tower, the iconic landmark in the center of Lumiose City. In other words, the entire Prism Tower could essentially be considered part of Lumiose Gym.
However, Clemont, the Gym Leader of Lumiose Gym, hadn't turned the enormous space inside Prism Tower into a commercial business.
Apart from the living quarters, Gym battle field, and training and fitness areas, almost all of the remaining space was dedicated to his scientific research.
If it had been Ash, he would probably have transformed all that unused space into high-end restaurants, shopping centers, tourist attractions, or perhaps entertainment battles similar to the City Arena.
But for Clemont, using those spaces for invention experiments was also an extremely effective use of the enormous building.
After an hour of morning training, Ash finished breakfast, and it was already nearly eight o'clock.
He didn't continue training his Pokémon.
The knightly spirit promotional tour hosted by Elite Four member Wikstrom would officially begin at 9:00 a.m.
As the Lumiose Gym Leader and the host of the event in Lumiose City, Clemont needed to arrive at the City Stadium early to help with preparations, as well as handle reception and coordination work with Wikstrom.
Ash and the others also needed to head to the northern bus station to pick up Serena, Clarissa, Misty, Shauna, and Bonnie.