-Coumarine City-

Ash stared out across the sea. The dark blue was illuminated by the stars above creating a beautiful scene for him to enjoy. Latias was lying in the grass with her head in his lap and Serena was off to the side training with Delphox. A cold sea breeze blew in, carrying with it the unique fragrance of the ocean. The young champion closed his eyes and let the smell take him back to his days as a child in Pallet town where he would spend hours at the town's beach. It also reminded him of his time spent in Alto Mare with Latios and Latias as well as Bianca and Lorenzo. He smiled at the memories and opened his eyes to find Serena walking over and dropping down beside him.

"What's up?" he asked leaning back a little.

Serena shrugged her shoulders and brought her knees up and wrapped her arms around them.

"Just thought I'd take a break. It'd be a shame to pass up this kind of view." She replied.

"What kind of move are you trying to teach her?" Ash asked curiously.

"Mystical Fire."

"Never heard of it."

Serena nodded.

"That's not surprising. Mystical fire is kind of a signature move that can only be learned by Delphox."

"Only Delphox?"

Serena looked up in thought.

"Well, I have heard rumors of a certain Ghost-type Pokémon being able to learn it, but I've never been able to confirm that."

Ash looked over at Delphox. Purple flames were coming out of the branch it uses as a wand, but it appeared to be having trouble controlling it. After a few seconds the flame disappeared. Delphox was breathing a little heavily which didn't go unnoticed by Serena.

"Delphox, take a break. We'll pick back up on it tomorrow." She said returning the large fox to her Pokéball.

Serena sighed as she tucked the Pokéball back into place.

"Sounds like you've been trying for a while to learn it." Ash stated.

"A few weeks now. It was a mistake not teaching it to her earlier. It would have been easier for her to pick up on.

She stretched her arms and fell back onto the grass.

"Was there ever a time when you didn't know what to do anymore?"

"Not really. I had my goal set in stone when I was still 10 years old. After I finished that, I took a break from being a trainer and just stayed home for a while. Then I went back to Alto Mare and had a fateful reunion with this beautiful woman." He replied lightly stroking Latias' hair.

"What happened after you got together with her?"

"I went back to Pallet town and decided to settle down."

"Aren't you a bit young to retire?" she asked humorously.

"Arceus thought so apparently." Ash sighed.

Serena giggled at his remark. She looked back up at the stars and closed her eyes.

"I've been through a lot here in Kalos. I can't say I hate this place, but it's a stretch to say I love it."

Ash looked at her with a slightly confused expression.

"Why not? Kalos seems like a lovely place to live. I certainly wouldn't mind staying."

Serena shook her head.

"I love Kalos, it's just some of the experiences I've had here have been a little bitter sweet. Do you remember what we talked about a couple nights ago? About everyone who helped stop Lysandre?"

Ash nodded.

"Of course, you said your friend Calem led the charge against him, right?"

This time Serena nodded.

"I fell in love with him shortly afterwards, but he left Kalos." She stated rather bluntly.

Ash took a few seconds to construct a response.

"Where'd he go?"

"The Orre region. He said he wanted to study what kind of effects a bond has with Pokemon. He heard about a phenomena dubbed "Shadow Pokémon" occurred over there some time ago and set off without even as much as a warning."

They sat in silence for a few minutes, letting the sea breeze wash over them.

"How about now?" Ash asked staring into the sea.

Serena shrugged.

"I'm not sure what to think now. I don't think he plans on coming back anytime soon and other feelings are messing everything up. I think I need to get away from Kalos. If I stay here any longer, I'll never be able to leave."

"You could try for the Indigo Plateau."

Serena laughed rather loudly.

"That's not a bad idea. It all depends on whether or not I'd be fighting you or Lance."

"I don't think the League would mind if I took Lance's spot for one fight."

Serena sat up and stuck her hand out.

"It's a deal then. After everything is done over here, I'll go to the Kanto region and take on the Gym League challenge. Once I reach the Indigo Plateau, I expect to see you waiting for me."

Ash accepted the hand with a firm grip.

"I won't go easy on you."

"It wouldn't be a real fight if you did."

The two trainers began laughing just as another breeze blew in. This time the chill got to them, making each of them shiver a little.

"I guess it's about time we head back to the hotel, huh?" Ash asked.

"Probably a good idea. Don't want any of us to capture a cold." Serena replied standing up and brushing her skirt off.

Ash slowly and carefully picked Latias up and carried her back to the hotel. It wasn't long before they were all in their respective rooms. Ash tucked in Latias, who for whatever reason transformed back into her Eon form. Ash smiled at her sleeping figure and gave her light kiss on the forehead before tucking himself into bed.