DISCLAIMER: I don't own Pokémon, in any shape or form.

Whether you consider that off-screen act on XYZ-140 is a kiss or not (I mean, it is), this one-shot is one such sweet scenario for you Amourshippers to read.

So, there's this gorgeously illustrated doujin (manga fanfiction?) made by Sungyeah, titled "XYZ: Road to Master". Split in several chapters, in which the Japanese, untranslated version can be found on Pixiv.

I made a loose adaptation of the first couple of pages in it. Read and review!

DEFINITIVE VERSION UPDATE

Runner-up of the Lumiose Conference, Ash Ketchum, just stood there. Frozen, bewildered, shocked, any words that matches the meaning of the mentioned in everyone's dictionary. Almost like a Pokémon in frozen state or paralysis, physical wise, but his heart ... his overall emotions is now far more than just a paralysis.

A wave of indescribable emotions washed over his heart. It felt oddly ... good. It opened a whole new world and discoveries that he has yet to explore, after that one sacred act. His blood-pumping organ now works almost twice as fast, seemingly demanding itself to break free from his ribcage. A tinge of pink om both sides of his cheeks began to appear, in addition to that a tickling sensation made it's way to be received by his brain.

Suddenly the world around him felt empty. Ash's mind playing tricks on himself, to grasp the context of that act in every possible way. Not a Pikachu who grasped his furiously shocked face with his two paws. Not Clemont who was more flustered than anything, moreso than everyday Bonnie's proposing-to-a-random-girl ritual, his glasses turned blistering white, essentially shadowing his huge, bulged eyes. Even the tiny matchmaker herself, Bonnie, has a red smeared face woth mouth hanging open, almost like a ninety degrees clockwise D, in a nutshell, almost a smile.

A pair of chocolate brown eyes was fixed to another pair of sapphire blue. Below that is an unmistakable blush, very different than the ones that occurs on almost everyday basis without him noticing. Below that is a small smile. A small smile, indeed, but somehow, he knows that it contains a myriad of different emotions, not limited to happiness. In a weird way ... from her, Ash felt celebration, nervousness, relief, fear, anticipation, and much more.

As he noticed that her presence, the very own girl with both of her hands clasped behind her back, began to ... shrink. In a literal sense she distanced herself from him slowly, more and more, with the descending escalator being the culprit. Getting smaller. Farther. Being the boy Ash is, he knew he had to do something. Anything, really. What to say, what to ask, what to do.

But he didn't.

This snapped the lemon haired little girl out of her trance, she felt anger. Rising directly to the raven haired trainer, she was ready to insert him some sense and to scold him for turning into a statue when he should've acted. Her brother just looked at her, not being able to say anything or even command the Aipom Arm to stop her from doing something embarrassing, because he knew ... the way Bonnie held a serious gaze, a pure determination to help. Not a teasing kind of gaze, not an invisible giggle that she usually emanates.

"She already made it clear to you! Why didn't you respond?"

Absolutely confused, Ash was having a hard time to mouth out an answer, at first. But as Serena is continuing to be carried downwards, he ends up with a dissatisfying answer that shouldn't be said, but it came out, as long as he did answer.

"B-But ... Lo-Love ... that kind of thing, I-I'm not good at that stuff ..."

Right now, Bonnie is the only one who can set everything right, for the better. A chosen one. Not even Arceus has more important role than her trying to make him realize his feelings ... feelings that she believed from the day one the quartet journeyed together, he has it. The one that personally invite her to tag along, not on behalf of everyone, but himself. Coupled with a small but significant blush, him scratching his right cheek whilst looking away slightly. That was proof enough.

"... Okay, listen. Try closing your eyes."

"Imagine this. A new Pokémon. A new badge. A tasty food discovery. An amazing scenery. Anything that's good."

"You want to show those to a person. To share it personally, to someone."

"Who would the first person comes to mind?"

At this point, the soon to-be trainer is already wiser than most people her age, at certain aspect. She made her instructions simple enough for an action guy like Ash, yet concluding it with force and a clear objective. Even Clemont was impressed. That being said, the boy in question did exactly what she said, without question. He's running out of time. Serena, already turned her back on him, is facing the direction to the soon departing plane.

His silent obedience turned out to be the best decision he has ever made, not even five seconds went on, he realized. He found the answer. Other people he held dearly as friends, save for his mother or the professor who were a family, he doesn't even bother with their images to appear after ... a certain honey-blonde performer.

From that point on, for the first time, he couldn't handle a separation. Even though it's only a temporary separation. Only with this girl, he couldn't bear to see her leave him. He stood strong when Misty departed back to her water-type Gym, when May headed to Johto for more contest, when Dawn had to split for the sake of her Buneary, when Iris decided to train personally for her dragon-type mastery. But not Serena. He crumbles. He is weakened.

In the end, she had to go. It's her decision. But not before he did what he had to do. Don't give up 'till the end, like what he always told himself and everyone around him. Ash turned his focus on Bonnie for a second, nodded furiously at her. He could tell she was satisfied, seeing her big smile. It's time to act ... to reciprocate.

"HEEEY! SERENA!"

The now saddened girl who was about to leave her lifelong companions, felt a jolt of surprise and anticipation rose within her, hearing the raspy voice full of energy and gentleness. She turned her body around, directing her gaze at the boy she had kissed. Admittedly it was a last minute decision, and before he broke out of his stupor she repeatedly told herself that it was a correct decision, one that could benefit later on.

The distant, far away day for them to reunite, in whatever region they visited. The day both of them already achieved their dreams. But, Bonnie apparently decided that the time is now. At the airport, everything will be made clear.

'My Arceus, please.'

Muttering her prayer so softly that not even a fully cautioned person within a meter radius could hear it. While cupping his mouth with both hands armoured with fingerless gloves, he shouted.

"I understand!"

"Serena, hear me out! I'll be the Pokémon Master! And you'll be the Kalos Queen!"

"When that time comes, please take care of me! As my bride!"

The world is at loss for words. The siblings behind the one shouted that inexplicable, crazy, out of the box confession, are now looking at him, dumbfounded. When several seconds passed on though, that immediately changed to an admiration, in Clemont's case, and amazement, in Bonnie's case. Ash noticed both of their expressions. His heart fell at an instant, fearing that what he did is foolish. Fearing that what he realized is not quite correct. Fearing that what he had assumed how to do this is wrong.

"Is-Is that wrong? Bonnie d-d-did that all the time, right? When love is involved?"

It's not always been the case, though. There's this person who progressed from a rock-type Gym Leader to a Pokémon Doctor, who did almost the same as Bonnie, except it's for himself. Limiting his target to all Nurse Joy(s) and Officer Jenny(s), everyday, he gave a heartfelt cheesy speeches that were never been on point with the meaning. Ash was never one to play with words, so he concluded that the word he arranged is the most fitting for his own declaration soon after.

As a person who relied on instinct rather than mindful or logical thinking, consequences could go either way. The best kind, or the worst kind. One time he saved many lives, human or Pokémon. One time he would only get a lecture from anyone witnessing his recklessness. But in this case, it's still vague. In the end, Ash had done it. He's flat out proposing. Not because of a pure intention of proposing. He took those actions face value, misinformed with how confession works.

What he did believe, though, is that him shouting and asking her to marry him is genuine, that he was trying to tell her that he felt the same for her. When the aspiring inventor noticed that not a single embarassment expression take place on the raven-haired trainer's face and posture, he couldn't believe it.

"Wha? No, it's ... not like that ... wow ... Ash, you-"

Clemont couldn't finish. Bonnie didn't even speak. The clueless boy couldn't deduce if that means good or bad. Now he only has one final option. One that will undoubtedly express with emotion first, before words. He looked to the soon to-be Kalos Queen, frozen in place. Now it's reversed. Ash had dropped the bomb with a proposal, just like Serena did with her lips.

The moment she went red, very red, like a literal tomato splashed across her face, gave it all away. A tear, two tears, and then more tears flowed down. She surpressed the urge to just scream in absolute joy right now to him. That freaking kiss was a life changer.

"Yes! I will wait for you!"

ONESHOT END

Much appreciation to Sungyeah who made such an amazing work! This madlad also made an ongoing Pearlshipping doujin series (still untranslated, sadly), and a Digimon Adventure one. Check him out on Pixiv!

My other story is "The Pride of Pallet Town", which I put it on hold for the sake of this one-shot. Can you please read that too? Review it also!