Chapter 36: Ignition

[A/N] Happy one year anniversary! Kinda hard to believe that it's been that long, actually. Hopefully this chapter will mark the start of more regular chapters again, but then again, I'm not exactly writing solo perspective 2000 words chapters anymore. As always, R&R!

Also, here's a quick PSA for all of you Amourshippers out there. I run what is currently the biggest community for Amourshipping Stories on this site, called Quality Controlled Amour. Now that we're firmly into Gen Seven territory, feel free to check it out if you want to read some of the best Amour fics on the site, and even some older deep cuts I've found digging through the archive. Despite the fact that Amour is one of the most popular and only canon major ships, it still doesn't that big of a presence on the site (Only 1.5k stories out of 90k feature Serena, and less than half have Amour.) Reading and following some of the stories in there is the best way to support the ship and the fandom.

Alain's Perspective – Ninja Village

"Wake up, boy."

Alain groaned as he rose to a sitting position, head aching wildly from where he had hit the floor the night before. "Where am I?"

The room around him seemed more traditional from the mat he was sitting on. Wide windows framed one side and a closed set of double doors blocked his back. In front of him, an old man sat cross legged with his back to him. "I do expect your gratitude right now, of course. If I hadn't stopped her, Yuki would have already killed you to fulfill her blood oath."

That didn't answer my question. Slowly, he felt his panic begin to bubble up inside of him, and he fought to keep it down. "I'm sorry, but I have to go. I need to find Mairin."

The old man hummed lightly. "Now, that won't be possible. Unless you can convince me of your innocence, we will execute you. So, who are you?"

"Who… am I?" Alain whispered. His mind felt so empty, as if it had been wiped entirely clean. The only thing he could latch on to was Mairin. "My name is Alain, and I have to find Mairin."

"Fool." The old man slowly turned around and stared at him. "Where are you from? Who is your employer? What is your purpose?"

Alain shook his head slowly. "I'm sorry, but I can't remember anything. You must have the wrong person."

"That is your defense?" He slowly rose to his feet and grabbed a pokeball off of his belt. "Either you are telling the truth or you are a fool. There is only one way to tell."

Alain flinched back as a Gallade pointed its sword at his throat. "Wait, I haven't done anything! Why are you trying to kill me?"

"Hidden power!"

The room erupted in green light, and Alain watched his hand as the black mark snaked across it. This time, it hurt less than before but still felt like a knife biting into his flesh. He bit back a scream as the old man watched.

"I will give you one more chance before I rip the answer out of you my self. Who are you, who do you work for, and what have you done with Sanpei?"

Sanpei? "Please, I have no idea what the mark is or what you are talking about! What are you going to do to me?"

The old man looked at Gallade and nodded, and Alain instantly blacked out.

When he came to, the old man was standing over him with a frown. Alain looked up at him fuzzily. "What did you just do to me?"

To his surprise, the old man sank into a deep bow. "I am so sorry for all of the inconvenience we have caused you. What you say is the truth; you have no memories of anything incriminating. My name is Hanzo, and I ask for your forgiveness."

Frowning, Alain said, "It's okay, I guess? Did you really just look at my memories?"

Hanzo sighed and nodded. "Yes, and it would seem that someone has carefully removed all of your memories except of the young girl you call Mairin. Unfortunately, I was unable to discover anything else in my search."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

Alain looked down at his ripped and singed clothes, and the singular glove on his hand. "Are you going to make me leave this place? If so, where should I go?"

"I can't let you do that." The old man's eyes softened at Alain's bewildered expression. "I have no basis to kill you, but you still are an important clue to finding Sanpei. We have an extra lodging set up for the extra visitors that occasionally pass through our village. We will allow you to stay there."

"Thank you very much. I still have more questions, though." Alain's head was spinning with more mysteries about himself than he had come in with, and he desperately wanted to solve them.

Hanzo shook his head as he rose to his feet. "Understandable, of course, for someone in your situation. Unfortunately, my duties as village elder must take me away from here. I believe I already know what you will ask first, however. We will do what we can to learn more about Mairin, but we cannot permit you to leave this place to search for her. Follow me."

Alain sighed in relief as he was led out of the room by Hanzo and out into the open air of the village. Situated in the center of a massive crater, dwellings were carved into the massive stone outcroppings that surrounded him. The center was a peaceful grassy area with dotted farms and a river cutting through the center. The elder led him around the edge of the crater to a small cave with a brass door set into the stone. "You will stay here. I will send someone to tend to you shortly."

"Thank you." Alain pushed the door open to see a small room, neatly furnished with a table and chairs, a wardrobe, and a large mat to cover the stone floor. A small bed sat in the corner of the room underneath a small slit that provided a view of the plains outside. Hanzo left him sitting in front of the table with the door open.

At least I'm not dead. Reaching over, he surveyed the items that had been left for him on the table. Two sets of plain white clothing were neatly folded next to the strange bracelet he had been wearing when he had appeared. Really, an appearance was the only way he could find to describe his situation. Why else would he have so few memories?

He could only grimace as he looked down at his clothes. His belt was passable, but the sweatshirt and sweatpants were beyond repair. He was caked in grime, sweat, and blood as well. Looking around, he spotted a simple metal tub in the corner filled with water and a stack of cloths for washing. It was barely bigger than a bucket, but he would be able to use the cloths to clean himself to some extent.

Thirty minutes later, Alain refastened his belt around the simple tunic. His dripping wet clothes hung from a series of simple hooks above the tub. Crouching back down, he picked up the strange bracelet and settled back into the chair. The prismatic colors seemed to shift under the shadowed light as the double helix inside glittered mysteriously. He traced the gemstone with his index finger, feeling the strangest sense of importance associated with it. Shrugging it off, he slipped the bracelet onto his wrist and tightly fastened the clamp.

The only thing left on the table was the red and white sphere. As he picked it up, he felt the same sense of deja vu he had with the bracelet, but stronger. It felt natural in his hand as he nearly unconsciously wound his arm back and tossed the ball into the air. In a flash, a small gray and red Pokemon appeared in the center of the room and looked up at him curiously. "Pawniard?"

Alain smiled as the small Pokemon stumbled across the room and carefully hugged his legs. He knelt down and looked at it. "You're very young, aren't you?" Pawniard nodded, and Alain quickly checked the essentials of his Pokemon. "So you're a she, huh? I haven't got the slightest clue why you were with me, but do you want to be partners?" He held out the ball for the Pokemon to carefully inspect, and she pressed the button and was sucked back inside.

"So it was a Pawniard in that ball."

Alain spun around and flinched back as he saw Yuki leaning in the doorway. "You."

She scowled as she looked him over. "What's it to you? I see they got you out of those horrible edgy clothes. You looked like you had crawled out of the sewers or something."

He blinked. "Don't ninjas wear all black all the time? Plus, I don't remember what those clothes meant or why I liked them."

"Shut up!" Her expression softened slightly as she stepped into the room and let the door swing shut behind her. "Anyways, I didn't want to do this, but Gin and Hanzo both told me that I had to… So… I, uh… Sorry?" She looked away from him with a pout as her bare toe traced a pattern.

Is she serious? Alain laughed incredulously. "You're kidding me, right? You tried to kill me without explaining what you were doing, kicked me and hit me with your stupid sword, and all that I get is sorry? I don't even know what I did wrong!"

"Hey, show some gratitude, asshole! You should be grateful I didn't kill you on the spot!" Yuki shot back and threw her pokeball into the air. "Decidueye, beat some sense into this guy."

The owl archer appeared, took one look at Alain, and pulled the strings on its hoodie tight. Shaking its head, it settled down onto his bed with a very audible sigh.

The purple haired girl glowered at her Pokemon as he struggled to hold back a laugh. She looked like she was about to lash out, but caught herself at the last second and sighed. "Look, I don't know who you are or why you're here, but apparently I'm in charge of you now. My name is Yuki."

"I'm Alain." He held out his hand to shake, but she looked at it before pushing it away.

"Don't make the mistake of thinking I like you. I still think you're responsible for kidnapping Sanpei." She drew back and leaned against the wall, pulling her ponytail over her left shoulder.

Alain watched her as she recalled Decidueye and looked down at the ground. Something had changed in her pose after she had mentioned him. He opened his mouth to ask a question, but his stomach beat him to the punch.

Yuki stared at him for a second before bursting out into laughter. "Poor thing. You must have not eaten in ages. That's so pitiful." She turned to leave the room and looked back over her shoulder. "It's almost lunchtime, anyways. You coming?"

He got up and hurried after her as she led him down through the center of the village to a low house built against the base of the crater. He flinched as every person they passed turned to look at him, fighting to keep his composure. She opened the door and ducked inside, and he hesitantly walked inside past her.

"Hi Mi-" Gin stopped short of the door as he saw Alain. "Wait, you're that pervert from yesterday, not Miss Yuki."

"I'm not a pervert..." Alain muttered as he jumped away from the threshold.

Yuki stormed across and grabbed the young boy by the shirt. "I've told you a thousand times, Gin. My name is YUKI, damn it!" She glanced over at Alain. "This is my stepbrother, the single most insufferable child in this village. Also, don't try to deny your clear perversion."

Alain sweatdropped. Arceus, does she treat everybody like this? "That's ridiculous! You were dragging me across the plain with no explanation or warning whatsoever! I have a right to see what you look like, at the very least!"

She whirled around and fixed a baleful glare at him. "So you think that my breasts are all there is to look at, huh? I ought to take you back to Hanzo and have him kill you for your misogyny, pervert." She gestured behind her airily. "Gin, bring us soup and rice."

Alain stifled a laugh as Gin, who clearly knew that Yuki hadn't bothered to look, stuck his middle finger high into the air. "Right away, Miss Yuki!"

As Yuki calmed down slightly, he relaxed and allowed himself to take in his surroundings. The house seemed to be mostly unadorned, with an odd collection of housewares and other utilities scattered around the room. Two doors in the back seemed to lead to different rooms. Gin brought three place settings to the table, and the three settled down to eat lunch.

"So after I ran through my endurance drills, my stupid instructors tells me..." Alain stared into the murky depths of his miso soup as he contemplated the two people sitting beside him. I wonder how Gin manages to cope with having such an annoying stepsister. Mairin would never be so abrasive or mean to anyone else.

Gin finished his meal and excused himself to resume his guard duty, and Yuki left to use the latrines. Alain, now alone in an unfamiliar home, stretched as he rose from the matted floor and glanced at the two doors he had noticed earlier. Deciding that there was no harm in taking a quick look, he got to his feet and slid the first open. Inside, he saw two simple futons separated by a screen.

The second room was a different story. Alain's jaw dropped as he stepped inside of the bigger room. Every single inch of wall space was covered in beautifully painted landscapes of places he didn't recognize. The floor was covered in the remnants and residue of old art projects. A desk with a computer was covered with pictures and paints. What drew Alain's attention the most, however, was the massive world map that had been pained across an entire wall.

Could this really be the world I live in? I don't recognize it at all. Resisting a sudden urge to cry, he brushed his hand across the wall from black outlined region to region. "Kanto, Alola, Sinnoh, Kalos..." he murmured softly, desperately trying to assign some meaning to any of it.

Mairin was from Kalos.

Pasted to the wall with bits of glue were hundreds of tiny photos and handwritten notes. He saw exotic jungle vistas and towering mountains, alongside human constructions that he hadn't even imagined as possible. He had to squint as he read a note next to a picture labeled "Prism Tower" in Kalos.

"Lumiose City, the City of Lovers! Me + S eat at Cafe Classe on Vernal Ave, then Romantic Trip to top of Prism Tower," he read aloud with a frown. "Who's S?"

Looking over other notes, he quickly found that they all referred to "S." One was about a Dragonspiral Tower in Unova, and yet another on Sootopolis City in Hoenn. Alain staggered away from the wall, overwhelmed by the sheer vastness of the world he knew nothing about. Have I been to any of these places? Have I done any of these things?

A reflection off of a framed photo on Yuki's desk caught his eye, and he picked it up. Yuki, dressed in a light blue dress, laughed as she leaned against a man with his hair in a drawn back mess in a nice suit. Their hands intertwined around matching golden bands as they smiled for the camera. A note in the corner read, "I always told you, you're cuter when you smile. Love, Sanpei."

"You have no right to be in there."

Alain spun around to see Yuki shaking with a cold fury that topped anything he had seen her exhibit before. He quietly set the photo down behind him, and asked, "Who is Sanpei?"

Yuki sagged even as she drew her sword. "He was my fiance. Get out of my studio."

He crossed back over the threshold and back into the unfamiliar world, and she slammed the door shut behind him.

Clemont's Perspective – Summer Camp

Clemont grinned as he pressed the red button on the top of his invention. "Alright! The future is now thanks to science! Presenting the all new Catching-Water-Type-Pokemon-Catching-Rod-Catchinator!"

He held his pose for several seconds, then looked around in confusion. "Serena, is Ash okay? Normally, he would be jumping around if I created a new invention."

The blond haired girl sighed as she let her face tilt up towards the sun. Hat discarded to the side of her beach towel, she was lying on her back and sunbathing. He found to stop himself from blushing; he had never seen her so exposed before. With her shorter hair, she seemed like a completely different person than the one he had come to know in the past months.

Rolling away from him to look at Ash, who was sitting on a driftwood log a way down the beach, Serena shrugged. "He still has to decide how he's going to make up with Froaky. Also…"

Clemont frowned as she reaches up to adjust her sunglasses and brushed her fingers across her lips. "And what?"

She shook her head. "No, it's nothing. Don't you think the name is just a bit repetitive, though."

The lure at the end of the fishing machine bobbed along with the rising tide as he hung his head. "You really think so? I thought that I was getting better."

Serena sweat dropped as he watched her shrug noncommittally. "You should ask Bonnie about names more."

"I should?" She nodded, and his face fell as he sighed, his victorious mood sinking away into his pressing concerns. "And Ash is really…?"

"Mhm," she murmured peacefully, rolling over onto her stomach. Her knees bent as she buried herself in the towel and sighed contentedly. "This sun feels so good…"

Clemont tried to smile as he watched her. She looks so peaceful right now, but… she never told me what really happened last night. Why did she blow up at Erin at breakfast? I would never have said anything like that to Bonnie. His eyes roved over her bad arm, and he sighed. I wish that she would just tell us how she really feels about what happened during the TE Disaster.

Now if only I could come up with a better name for my invention…

He tried to cast around for conversation, but Ash and Serena were both unresponsive. Awkwardly, he paced back and forth in front of his machine, feeling extremely out of place on the beach in his blue and gray jumpsuit. Finally, the rod began to beep excitedly and he jumped at the opportunity to make himself useful. Of course, I'm the only one in our group who cares about getting points for camp right now, so…

Setting the matter aside, he enthusiastically worked a series of controls and levers on his command panel. The long rod snapped straight up, sending a small blue and yellow Pokemon flying into the air. It let go of the lure and hit the beach, indignantly rolling to a halt with a squeal.

Clemont grinned and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Just my luck! Chinchou is an electric type, so I'll catch it!"

The sun glimmered as it reflected off of his glasses, giving them a glowing sheen. The Chinchou's eyes widened, and she cried out happily as she launched herself forwards and grabbed onto his face. He cried out in surprise as he toppled backwards. Touching one bio luminescent light to each of his lenses, she lets a burst of electricity that caused him to yell in pain.

Frazzled, he sat up as the Pokemon jumped away with a… well, he didn't know quite how he was supposed to read it. A burst of laughter made him look back over at Serena. "Hey, what's so funny?"

She snorted and shook her head. "Well, Clemont, you do look a little bit like a Chinchou when your glasses are pushed up like that, so maybe she thought you could be her mate."

Clemont's face turned an unhealthy shade of red as his mouth dropped open. "Wh-wh-what do you mean, I look like a mate?" A mental image of Bonnie on one knee proposing to a Pokemon for him drove him over the edge, and he blacked out.

He came to as something wet and slimy rubbed itself across his face. Screaming, he jumped away from the Pokemon as Serena doubled over in laughter. Despite himself, he grinned even as he exclaimed, "Hey, that's not funny!" She's laughing! I really don't understand her at all right now. After last night, shouldn't she be totally depressed.

Chinchou put her tiny hands on her hips indignantly, and shot a tiny bolt of electricity at Clemont. Remembering that he was trying to catch her, he pulled out a pokeball and threw it. "Alright Bunnelby, use dig!"

The rabbit appeared in midair with an exuberant cry, and shot downwards into the ground at top speed. The Angler Pokemon looked around in confusion before flying into the air as Bunnelby rammed into her from below. Clemont grinned victoriously as he pulled a pokeball out from his pocket and tossed it at her. "Gotcha!" It landed on the sand with a soft thud and shook twice before dinging a successful capture.

Serena smiled as Clemont picked up his new Pokemon and pocketed it. "You know, I think that Chinchou really likes you, although I didn't think that she was your type..." She looked away airily with a barely concealed smirk as he felt his legs begin to clatter together.

"S-S-Serena, no! Don't you go and be like that too! Why are you so weird today?"

Serena's face fell, and she sat back down on her towel as she massaged her bad arm. "Am I really being weird?"

He unconsciously nodded as he let his embarrassment slip away before coming to his senses. "Wait, no, I didn't mean it like that."

The tide rushed over the sand and Staryu, leaving a line of foam behind in its wake. Serena's eyes seemed to hold something immeasurable to him as she stared out at the coastline. "It's okay, Clemont. I know you didn't. Anyways, I don't know why I expected this many changes to not be weird."

Sighing, the blond inventor settled down on the sand next to her, and stared up at the sky above them. "Serena, I know you didn't tell me what really happened last night."

Stoic, her hair blew back in the gentle breeze as sand rolled over the brim of her hat. "I'm sorry. It's just..."

Clemont hung his head as his fingers dug under the corner of her towel. "Why are you apologizing? I'm the one who just ruined our fun day at the beach."

"Not that." He stopped fidgeting, stunned, and she turned to look at him with electrifying blue eyes. "Do you think of me and Erin as sisters?"

"I…"

"Do you?"

He frowned, uncomfortably shifting his jumpsuit against the ground. "I don't know what to think. I mean, you look like it, right? You hair color is the same, your height is the same, your eyes are the same. If you hadn't told us otherwise when we first met, I would have thought you two were identical twins." His brow furrowed in thoughtful contemplation. "Actually, now that I think about it, didn't your mom say you were sisters? Does that have something to do with the way you've been acting?"

She shook her head and pulled several grains of sand out of her hair. Rolling them between her fingers, she said, "Last night, I made a decision that I wasn't going to be the same person who I've been before." Bitterly, she laughed as she flopped down on the towel. "Old habits die hard, I guess. I'm sorry if I scared you, with the screaming and all. I would have done something incredibly stupid if my Pokemon hadn't been there."

"Ash and I are both worried about you, you know. Ever since you were kidnapped by the Syndicate..."

Serena rolled over and picked up her hat. She flipped it over and took the simple golden locket lying underneath before strapping it to her neck. Clasping it with her only hand, she suddenly looked immeasurably sad to him. "You're my best friend, Clemont, but there are some things that I need to figure out for myself. I going to go check on Ash for a bit. Are you okay fishing alone?"

Even when she's down, she cares about other people. He nodded, and Serena unsteadily stood up and picked her way down the beach to the raven haired boy.

Standing alone with his invention, Clemont's thoughts drifted off to his younger sister, still asleep in their cabin, and of his plans to return to Lumiose City.

Can I really do it? Can I really leave the only true friends I've ever had?

Erin's Perspective – Summer Camp

"We need to talk."

Erin uncomfortably shifted the strap of her bathing suit top as she watched for Paul's reaction. The mauve haired boy's eyes sparkled with mirth as he looked at her. "Well, we're talking right now, aren't we?"

Erin sighed as she sat down next to him. "I'm serious. Kirlia won't stop giving me a hard time until I do this."

Kirlia was running around in circles on the beach with Deerling, and Erin could feel her happiness radiating off of her in waves. Druddigon was lying on the beach asleep, while Paul's Pokemon were in a group water fight.

"So what do we need to talk about?"

Erin blushed, incredibly self conscious of how she was dressed. "Well… I-I mean, me, well, us, sort of?"

"Oh," he deadpanned.

Erin raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, oh? Ever since TE, when you, well, you kissed me, and then we did it again, and-"

"Stop." Paul stared at her, sending jitters down her spine as she stopped mid sentence. A light rouge flushed his cheeks, and he reached out to grab her hand. "If that's what this is about, then I suppose we've put this off for long enough. I need you to tell me something."

"Paul, you know that I-"

His eyes flashed, and he shook his head. "Listen to me. It's not that. I need you to tell me if we can trust each other."

Erin felt like she had been punched in the stomach. "You don't… trust me?"

"Do you remember what I told you in Geosenge Town?"

She remembered the empty darkened room, the dusty air, the closed door; of course she remembered her confession. "But I told you everything! About who I really am, about where I come from, about..."

His expression was stony. "Did you know that fifty thousand people would die because of Cerys? Did you know that our only other mutual friend would hate us after her grandfather died? Did you know that Cerys had screwed my life over too? Did you-" His breath caught in his throat, but he kept talking. "Did you know you would make me fall in love with you?"

Erin's eyes glistened as the question hung in the air like a fruit laden branch.

"You… fell in love with me?"

Paul sighed as he leaned further back to stare at the sky. "I wish it were that simple. Back then, I told you that if my whole life was a lie, then there was no reason why I couldn't believe another one."

"So this is all just a lie?" Erin whispered. "Just a meandering daydream without an end or a beginning?"

"We both are living in our lies, Erin. I'm asking you if I can trust you to let yours go."

Shock threatened to overwhelm her before she pulled back. "No."

Paul's face erupt in a world of hurt, and he turned away. "I see."

"You're wrong."

"Huh?"

Erin got to her feet and looked down at Paul. "You know, the longer that I stay here in this world, the less I can remember the one I left behind? This world feels more real to me than anything else. Sometimes I even find myself wondering whether that life I used to lead was a dream. That's the real lie. What's here, the two of us, is real."

Hope rekindled in his eyes, Paul rose to his feet. "Erin Yvonne, can I put my trust in you?"

A wordless nod brought them together, and the world faded around them until they broke apart.

"So are we-"

"Yeah, I think we are."

Erin floated back down to her spot on the rock, and Paul did the same. She rested her head on his shoulder, and he laced his fingers around hers. Together, they enjoyed the beautiful summer day and the joys of their Pokemon below.

Serena's Perspective – Summer Camp

"Ash."

Serena poked his shoulder, and Ash was forced to break his staring contest with a Dwebble who had been sitting down the beach from him. "What's up?" he asked, subdued.

She opened her mouth to respond, then closed it again. Why am I over here? I don't really have a goal, other than to be with him. Fighting off her blush, she shrugged as she plopped down on the beach. "Nothing."

The conversation stalled, so she called Fennekin over and began to brush through her fur. Her Pokemon sighed contentedly as she worked through a series of knots and tangles, digging her paws down into the sand.

"Serena?"

"Yeah, what is it?" she asked as he slid off the side of his rock to sit next to her.

A strange expression that she couldn't quite read flashed across his face. "Well, about what happened last night, when you, when we, well, you know…"

Dignified as always, Serena let out a small noise that was halfway between a squeak and a cry for help. "Huh?

His eyes flashed with distress, and he looked at her as if asking for help. "I- I'm not completely clueless about this sort of things, but… why did you k- I mean, do that to me?"

Her heart instantly felt as if it had been hit by a ton of bricks. "You don't already know?

"I… I thought that we were best friends. You're the closest friend that I've ever had, Serena. I don't know what to think now." Ash sighed as he spun a pokeball on his palm. "Can you tell me, please?"

Serena froze up, staring at the raven haired boy she had grown to love. He wants me to tell him how he feels? This is my chance! But…

She opened her mouth to respond, but no sound came out. No! This isn't happening! I want this! I can't doubt myself, not when I have a chance like this.

"You were too PATHETIC to fight your own battles!" Ash's voice whispered in the back of her mind.

Her bad arm twinged as she stared at him. I don't recognize the person that either of us have become.

"Have you made up with Froaky yet?" The question erupted from her lips before she could stop it, and she immediately opened her mouth to take it back before stopping herself. Before the TE Disaster, she would have never imagined her crush as conditional, but now…

Ash's face darkened, he turned away slightly. "No, I haven't. I don't know what to say anymore."

Serena narrowed her eyes at him. "So you're using me to solve your problems for you? I told you, you need to make up with him!"

"That's not true, I-"

Emotions wildly conflicting inside of her, Serena couldn't hold back her anger any longer. "Ash, that's a lie. You know I-" She halted for a second before starting again. "You don't give up, Ash. On anything. I meant what I said in the forest. I don't know how I feel about you like this."

Ash gaped at her. "Serena… You never raised your voice like this before camp. Is something wrong? Don't you care-"

"Arceus, Ash, of course I care! Can't you see that you're tearing me apart right now?" she yelled back at him, and he visibly flinched back at the palpable agony in her voice. "I'm not the same person that I was, and neither are you. I can't tell you how you feel until I know whether or not you even are the Ash Ketchum I love!"

The empty space between them felt infinitely wide as they stared at each other. Finally, Ash whispered, "Serena, I-"

"No." She took a step backwards, and then another. "I'm trying to hold on right now. Please don't make me push you away."

Turning on her heel, she sprinted away with her head down as Fennekin desperately scampered after her.Ash was left standing alone in her wake.

Ash's Perspective – Summer Camp

Ash panted as he slowed down, stopping slowly as the shore faded away in the distance. For a moment, he simply stared at the endless greenery around him, not fully processing what had just happened.

"Damn it!" He turned and kicked a tree, sending a flock of Fletchling spiraling into the air. Crying out in pain as his foot throbbed, he grabbed Froaky's pokeball and chucked it against a stump. Froaky appeared, disoriented, as he stalked over and picked up the pokeball.

The blue frog looked around, then glared at Ash. "What did you do?"

Ash settled into a position to start running as he channeled his anger into determination. "You want to be properly trained? That starts now. If you want to learn double team, you have to be faster than me."

Froaky gave him a hard look for a moment before nodding and matching Ash's stance, and the two took off as if a gun had been shot.

Elle's Perspective – Summer Camp

"Mairin, are you done in there yet?"

"No!" Mairin yelled back, and Elle sighed as she sank down the door frame.

"What are you even doing in there?"

"I, uh… Well, I tripped over the toilet and into the bathtub, and now I can't get out."

Elle rolled her eyes as she swung the door open to see a sheepish Mairin halfway into a one piece bathing suit sandwiched into the tub. Suppressing a giggle, she reached down and lifted her out. "Why didn't you say so sooner?"

She scratched the back of her head and shrugged. "Well, you see, I'm just a little bit clumsy..." She tried to nonchalantly slide her bathing suit on, but ended up with her elbow stuck in the right strap instead.

"Here, let me help you with that," Elle said with a smile. She helped the red head put the suit on before zipping up the back. "Tada! It's perfect on you!"

Mairin smiled at herself in the mirror as she pulled her green hat down on her head. "Thanks, do you really think so?"

"Of course I do! Now, let's go have fun!"

The two girls left their cabin and made their way down to the beachfront. Elle couldn't help but grin as she watched the ten year old wildly careen around in front of her. Just watching her makes me wish that I had that much energy! I wonder what her journey to get here has been like.

"Professor Sycamore!" Mairin exclaimed as she skidded to a halt at his feet. "Where can I get a fishing rod?"

"Right over there! My assistant Sophie is handing them out. How are Chespie and Bebe today?" Sycamore asked cheerfully.

Mairin twirled as she released her Pokemon. "They're great, aren't they!" Chespie enthusiastically agreed as he jumped into the air then used a vine whip to push himself onto Mairin's shoulder.

"Well, I'm glad that you're feeling better today. Alain would be happy to see you like this too."

Elle frowned as Mairin's face darkened slightly before she bounced away with a "Thanks, professor!" thrown back over her shoulder.

After getting fishing poles together, they walked down the beach towards a shady spot under an overhanging willow tree. Elle smiled at the openness of the world around them. Grabbing her belt, she pressed the buttons on all three of her Pokeballs. "Skitty, Swirlix, and Petlil, come on out!"

Swirlix and Petlil both took one look at the shore and made a beeline for the water. Skitty jumped up as Elle scooped her into her arms instead, and they settled down together on a rock. Elle got her hairbrush out, and Skitty purred in delight as she started to groom the pink kitten.

Mairin hesitated as Chepsie tugged on her hand, and Elle watched as she reached down for the last ball on her belt. Elle frowned as she noticed a strange black glove on the young girl's hand for the first time. Was she wearing that yesterday? Mairin clenched her fist around it slightly before tossing up into the air wordless and letting the Pokemon inside spill out.

Elle gasped as a massive Charizard appeared on the beach with a roar and a blast of fire. Rows of puckered red scars crisscrossed their way across the Pokemon's body, and it looked battle scarred and beaten up. Mairin glanced over at Elle, realized that she was watching, and walked over to her slightly unsteadily.

"That Charizard isn't yours… is he?" Elle asked softly.

Mairin's lip trembled, but she stopped herself from crying. "He is now that Alain is gone."

Skitty bounced off of Elle's lap to rub against the younger girl's legs as Chespie hugged her neck and Elle got up to hug her as well. "Hey, it's okay. Do you want to tell me who Alain is?"

Mairin shook her head into Elle's shoulder, and she sighed as Charizard turned to look out of the rolling ocean behind them. "Can we just enjoy the beach today?"

Elle nodded. "Sorry I asked."

"No, don't be." Mairin smiled as she turned away towards the waves. "Really, I'll tell you some other time. I just miss him right now, that's all."

Elle watched her thoughtfully as she dove under the waves with Chespie not far behind.

[A/N] Two talks about relationships, one of which goes better than the other. Also, Clemont gets some high quality time in the spotlight. I promise that Bonnie will be back up and on her feet soon enough. Mairin and Elle are developing something of a little-big sister relationship. Also, Alain does some stuff too.

Quick look ahead – I'm going to try to keep camp to just 3-4 more chapters, but it might end up being five. After that, two single arc chapters before what will likely be a three chapter Shalour City Gym arc. Beyond there, it's on to Shalour City and the rest of Kalos! Part Two is still on track to be 30-35 chapters, so we're about two fifths of the way through. My hope is to be at Coumarine City by June, but it's clear how my goal last year to be at Summer Camp by summer worked out, so…

Now, to reviews. Thank you to Guilmon and Quagsire for your reviews, and I always appreciate the time you take to give feedback here.

Have a nice day (Guest) – You bring up a couple legitimate concerns here that I want to respond. I would appreciate it if you could leave a signed review next time, though, so I can respond directly.

First, as to the structural issues, I have a couple ideas about what you're referencing here, but could you please specify?

Battles – Yes, the earlier ones are really lackluster, but I think some of the Tournament Extraordinaire Arc were pretty good, especially the AshvGary battle.

Diantha – I have to agree with you here. This is probably the single biggest mistake that I made with this Fanfic. I wanted to arbitrarily create internal conflict with Diantha, give a bad excuse for Malva's challenge, and give Deerling a win (A grass type beating a champion's Talonflame? I cringe so hard every time I reread that scene)

Synchro Evolution – This is canon, so it doesn't feel that original. That being said, the only instances where it powers up the users beyond a mental connection is Mega Evolution or a transformation like Ash-Greninja. That leaves three examples – AlainvCerys, where Charizard was absolutely slaughtered by her Malamar and her SPOILERS REDACTED. ErinvDiantha, which has its aforementioned flaws. Finally, KorrinavRiley, which I presume you haven't read because your review of chapter 25 seemed to feel like you stopped reading.

Anyways, if you see this, thank you for your detailed review, and I always appreciate the criticism.

Always remember that your critiques are just as welcome as positive reviews. Make sure to head over to Quality Controlled Amour, which you can get to through my profile or by sorting the communities page by create date. Thanks, and Pokefan87 signing out.