Rain pattered against the roof as wind howled among the treetops. Students and teacher huddled near the center of the classroom, trying to stay clear of the elements raging outside.

"Well, even Melemele can deal with foul weather sometimes," Professor Kukui told the class with a sheepish laugh, rubbing the back of his head self-consciously. "Our field trip will have to wait until tomorrow, eh?"

Disappointment weighed heavily in the air, perhaps even more smothering than the humidity from the storm.

A brief knock rapped on the door. "How about a fun assignment to chase away the bad weather blues?" Without waiting for anyone to let him in, Samson Oak entered the room. Smiling wildly, the tanned older man continued, "We wouldn't be much of a school if we didn't teach some writing and math-querain!" He lifted his hands to the sides of his face, imitating the wings of the blue bug Pokémon Masquerain.

Kukui chuckled politely at the principal's pun. Although the class was far less amused by the wordplay, they seemed rather intrigued by the prospect of a "fun" assignment. A thin, pale hand shot up in the air. "Will Pokémon be involved in this assignment?" Lillie spoke softly but clearly, her tone level. Relief overtook her delicate features when the principal shook his head.

"Have no fear, young lady. What I want is for everyone to think of an amazing memory. Think of an experience that struck you. Whether it was time with family, meeting your partner Pokémon, or an intense battle… anything you want!" He grinned widely as the students stared at him eagerly, awaiting further explanation. "Then pick a word for every letter of the alphabet that describes your experience! Every letter! For example, I could describe a battle with Kukui using Alola, Battle, Crabrawler, and so on until I get to Z!" He turned to pick up a piece of chalk and began scrawling on the blackboard. "I'll be flexible with X. I can't wait to see what experiences you share-odactyl!" Flapping his wings like an Aerodactyl, he began to circle the room, peeking over at the students as they grabbed paper and writing utensils.

"An amazing experience, huh?" Ash tapped his chin thoughtfully with a slightly chewed up pencil. "We've been through a lot, haven't we, Pikachu?" His partner's cheeks sparked as he nodded rapidly in agreement. How were they supposed to narrow down the list to only one memory? "No matter what I pick, it will be some awesome memory, so for A I'll put 'awesome'!" The Kanto boy began to write excitedly, but he stopped in his tracks as a large shadow suddenly appeared and loomed over him.

"That's a little too general for this assignment," Principal Oak chided gently. "You can think of something better! You're a smart fello-tad!" With his hands on his head in the shape of a leaf dish, he waddled away.

Ash furrowed his brow as he erased his first word, pouting slightly. He wasn't that clever, nor was he a Lotad, but he could probably think of something if he dug deep. What words began with A? Alola began with A, but the principal used that in his example. Apple? Alakazam? Airplane?

His eyes lit up and a hint of red spread across his cheeks as the word 'airplane' came to mind. With airplane, he couldn't help but think of 'airport', which brought a particularly powerful, vivid memory to mind. Inspiration coursing through his brain and in his veins, he began to scribble furiously.

A is for Airport. Where the experience took place.

B is for Blue. The color of her eyes and the ribbon she displayed proudly on her chest.

C is for Creative. Every one of her performances amazed him, presenting new talents and combinations each time.

D is for Dancer. She even tried to teach him some of her moves!

E is for Escalator. Running up a down escalator was no small feat; that moment served as testimony to her dedication.

His hands were moving so rapidly that some of his classmates had begun to notice. Mallow cast him a concerned glance, while Kiawe's narrowed eyes suggested annoyance. Nobody else was writing at a remotely similar speed as Ash. Were they stumped? Countless words came to mind when describing Serena; he had never found any school assignment as easy as this one. Half of these words he didn't even realize he knew in the first place.

F is for Fennekin. Her starter was now a Braixen, but Ash still thought of her whenever he saw the fire fox. Plus, how could anyone forget that Fennekin costume she wore for her Pokevision?

G is for Gold. The color of her hair.

H is for Hoenn. She had continued her journey on her own and would certainly continue her growth.

His hands moved even faster. Without taking time to process each decision or deliberate his choices, he just wrote the first words that popped in his mind. He did a better job of thinking with his heart than his head, anyway.

I is for Intelligent

J is for Joyful

K is for-

Heat rose in his face again, but he continued writing diligently. No other word belonged in this position.

Kiss.

He erased it and wrote Kalos instead.

L is for Lumiose

M is for Memory

N is for Nurturing

O is for Optimistic

P is for Poke Puffs

Q is for Queen

R is for Rhyhorn Racing

"Nice alliteration!" Professor Kukui commented from behind Ash's shoulder. "Hey, do they get extra points for alliteration? No?" He shrugged. "Ah well. I tried. Keep up the good work anyway!"

S is for Showcase

T is for Travel

U is for Unique

V is for Vaniville

W is for Warm

X is for eXpressive

Y is for Youthful

Z is for Zygarde. Ash had a feeling that he, as well as the rest of his Kalosian friends, would meet the legendary Pokémon again, whether in its fullest, most majestic form, or as their familiar, friendly Squishy. They would all meet again.

He would meet Serena again, and when he did, he would find a way to thank her for the many new memories and experiences, too.