A/N: Hey, readers! Welcome to my first fanfic. I've never really written anything like this before and I'm still trying to find my style, but I am enjoying writing it so far and I hope you guys enjoy it, too! A couple things before we start though. For the first several chapters the fic could stand as K+ or maybe T, but there's a 90% chance that it will bump up to M as it progresses (read: slight lemon), so be prepared for that. I don't have a set update schedule since my own life schedule is a little crazy, but I will do my best to update at least once a week. This chapter is a little short, but they will get longer.
Aaaand that's all. Hope you guys like it!
Seventeen year old Ash Ketchum idly stared at the clouds from his window seat, the weightless puffs of vapor seemingly inviting him to sleep within their comfy folds as they lazily drifted by. He couldn't sleep now however. So much had happened in so little time that his brain hadn't the time to process even the smallest fraction of it so far.
The aspiring Pokemon Master started his journey through Kalos a little over a year ago. He met great new friends in Bonnie and Clemont, formed strong bonds with new Pokemon, and even rediscovered someone from his past. Serena. Together they along with their friends worked hard and pursued their dreams. In the end Serena accomplished her dream and Ash was one step closer to his. She had become Kalos Queen and he, winner of the Lumiose Conference.
If that wasn't enough excitement, an evil organization, self dubbed Team Flare unveiled their master plan to destroy the world and recreate it in their image shortly after the Conference. What followed was a two month long engagement between the people of Kalos and Team Flare's seemingly infinite resources and power. Thankfully the mythical Pokemon Zygarde came to help in the last moments of the fighting and put an end to Team Flare. Zygarde. Squishy. That cute little green thing that Bonnie was carting around in her bag was actually a Mythical with unprecedented power. Who knew? Ash sure didn't.
No doubt it had been a wild ride and now, not one week after it had all ended, Ash was on a plane back to Kanto. Honestly though? His thoughts weren't even focused on the Conference he had won after seven years of training and traveling, nor was it on the life threatening battles afterwards. No. His mind was transfixed on that kiss. That damned kiss in the airport. He couldn't stop thinking about it. He didn't want to stop thinking about it.
Flashback, hours ago.
Ash, Pikachu, Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie reluctantly stepped into the airport terminal. No one was ready for this goodbye. They had all become best friends in their time together in Kalos, but they all had their own paths in life and their journeys lead them in different directions.
With encouragement from former Kalos Queen, Palermo, Serena managed to convince the Kalos Performer's Association to let her travel to Hoenn. While there, she was planning to explore the idea of bringing Pokemon Showcases to the region and to try her hand at coordinating since it seemed similar to Showcases. Considering Serena's steep ascent into the Kalos crown and being only seventeen years old, Palermo had told her that she had little to teach her and suggested that she explore what else the world of Pokemon had to offer.
Clemont and Bonnie, now eighteen and fourteen respectively, were planning on turning the Lumiose City Gym into a tag gym with two leaders. The young blonde had proven herself to excel at battling during the Kalos Crisis and her dad convinced her that she would do quite well as a gym leader. At least until she got bored of course. She was always a determined and free spirit that went wherever her fancies took her. Clemont himself was glad for the idea since only having half of the gym leader responsibilities would allow him to spend more time on his inventions.
Ash himself was gearing up to challenge the Kalos Elite Four and eventually, Diantha herself. Although he was no slouch, he knew that they were all extremely powerful trainers and he needed to go back to Kanto to train with all of his Pokemon. Besides, if he were to finally realize his dream the victory would belong to all of them and they needed to be by his side when it finally happened.
The Lumiose City Airport was quite huge. The entrance they had just walked through was actually on the third floor and there were five more floors above and below their own. Ash hadn't seen this part of it on his arrival but he didn't really care much for the sight since he knew what was coming soon.
The group silently trudged to a nearby display to see where the two departures would have to go. As the words on the screen became legible to him Ash let out a disappointed sigh. Serena had to go down a floor for her flight to Hoenn while he had to go up.
The honey blonde in question gave him a half reassuring smile, but it wasn't working. Ash hated goodbyes. They made their way to the escalator still silent and stopped at the landing.
"Well I guess this is me," the seventeen year old girl broke the silence while turning around to her friends.
"I guess so. Please call us, okay?!" Bonnie pleaded as she stepped in to hug the taller girl's waist.
"You know I will! Every week!" She replied reciprocating the hug. She was sure that she was squeezing the girl so hard that she was cutting off her air, but Bonnie didn't seem to mind. "Clemont, take care of her or you'll be hearing from me!"
"Hey that's my line," he said with a smile, moving in to join the embrace.
"And maybe let her try to find you a wife." She added in with a wink.
"Okay I'm not sure about that."
"I'm going to miss you guys."
"But we'll see each other again!" Bonnie chimed back in.
"Pika Pika!" Squeaked a little electric mouse as he came from seemingly nowhere and scurried up Clemont's back to nuzzle the three goodbye. The mood had sufficiently lightened and they found themselves giggling and laughing with the yellow mouse.
Ash had been watching the warm exchange between friends and cracked a smile himself. He was going to miss them, but they were always going to be a part of his life.
As the three humans and one Pokemon broke their embrace Ash just looked at Serena expectantly, arms outstretched ready to receive a hug.
"Oh the Lumiose Conference Champ thinks he's special enough to get his own hug, huh?" The honey blonde teased.
"It just looked a little crowded is all," he said with a knowing smirk. Serena had started becoming the touchy feely type as they neared the end of their travels together. Especially when it came to him. Not that he minded it.
Serena just sighed and moved closer to give Ash his hug. "Goodbye, Ash. Thank you for inviting me to come with you on your Kalos journey," she said as she wrapped her arms around his back and squeezed him. She then promptly pulled her arms away and with a quick spin got on the escalator.
Bonnie and Clemont simply eyed the scene confusedly. They both knew how Serena felt about Ash and that goodbye certainly lacked the big confession or streaming tears that they were expecting.
Ash was taken slightly aback by the terse hug, but quickly shrugged it off and simply waved goodbye, Clemont and Bonnie joined him, still confused by what they just witnessed. Or didn't witness.
Serena, who was waving back while looking over her shoulder suddenly spoke up about a third of the way down, "Oh! I forgot something." She quickly did a one-eighty and briskly ran up the escalator.
Ash watched curiously as the performer scrambled up the opposite direction of where the steps were moving. As she hit the landing she quickly lunged at him. Wrapping her slender hands around his neck, she pulled him down and crashed her lips into his. Ash didn't know what hit him.
With her lips still pressed against him, his mind was running rampant trying to figure out just what the hell was going on. With his brain completely on the fritz his body took over and did the only thing it could do in this situation, his jaw dropped from shock.
Realizing her opening, literally, she went for broke and swiftly slipped her tongue into his mouth, exploring every inch as if it were the new region she was supposed to be going to at the moment. A tingling sensation had overtaken her body and she knew she was as red as a tamato berry and she felt like she would soon overheat, but she didn't care. She'd dreamed of this moment ever since she saw the stupid boy in front of her save Professor Sycamore's Garchomp on top of Prism Tower.
Several seconds later she finally broke the kiss. Still blushing furiously, she stepped backwards onto the escalator with her hands behind her back, slowly leaving an equally flushed Clemont, Bonnie, and Pikachu who had bore witness to her reckless stunt. Ash himself was still standing there, mouth agape and eyes unblinking. Was that a good thing or a bad thing?
A few tense seconds later she let out a sigh as Ash's brain seemed to start working again and he was waving to her, a small smile on his face. This prompted Clemont and Bonnie to snap out of it as well and begin their own final farewells. Clemont was waving furiously, probably still a little flustered by what he saw, while Bonnie was grinning from ear to ear flashing her a thumbs up from behind Ash. The little electric type next to her was still out of it however, having witnessed his supremely dense trainer's first kiss and boy was it a steamy one.
"Bye guys! Remember to stay in touch!" Serena yelled as she disappeared into a mass of people.
"Ugh," Ash groaned as he leaned his head forward into his hands. 'I was an idiot,' he thought. 'She kissed me. She actually kissed me and all I did was stand there like a dunce. I can't believe she likes me as more than a friend. That's what the kiss meant, right? Right? Ugh, I wish I didn't space out every time Brock went on about girls. He sure could talk a lot about them though. Maybe I should give him a call and ask him about it. Maybe I should call her. No, I wouldn't know what to say. I'd just make it more awkward than it already is. Does she really like me? Probably not anymore after that horrible kiss, I didn't even move a single inch. Do I even like her? I mean I guess I did enjoy th-'
"Pikapi?" The concerned tone of his ever present best friend broke Ash out of his reverie. The small Pokemon was curled up in the seat next to him, head slightly lifted up as if he had just woken up. The grinding sound of the gears in Ash's head probably woke him.
"I'm alright, buddy. Just have a lot to think about."
Knowing what his trainer was thinking about but not having the slightest clue about human mating, Pikachu just slowly nodded and laid his head back to rest with a soft "Pi."
"Ladies and Gentlemen we will be beginning our descent to Viridian City Airport please fasten your seatbelts, we will be arriving shortly and as always, thank you for flying Pidgeot Airways." Came the Captain's voice from the intercom.
Having momentarily forgotten about his recent mental struggle, Ash excitedly turned to Pikachu, a new light in his eyes. "Are you ready to see home again Pikachu?" He said as the plane banked and made its way down towards the airport.