Author's Note: This is my take on the World Coronation competition. It happens just after the Kalo XYZ series, no Alola Region, however we will see some of the Alolan Pokemon. As well as some Galarian Pokemon. Ash will be traveling all over the place to rise in ranks instead of earning Gym Badges this time, and we'll see a few returning characters.

The pairing will be Amourshiping (I don't understand why the Journeys anime hasn't used her, yet when they brought back Iris of all characters!), so Serena will be back, and how! Chapters will start out as T-rating for silly Fluff (I think that's the right term), and rise in rank to M-rated eventually, or at least OT-rating (Older Teen) for some good old fashioned gags.

Ash will also be using the Apricorn Balls exclusively. The G.S. Ball in this story is the Apricorn version of the Master Ball.

Summary: Instead of heading home to Kanto after the Kalos League, Ash decides to follow a certain girl to Hoenn. Reunited, and together, these two will go on an adventure that will bring Ash straight to his dream of being a Pokemon Master once and for all. All he has to do is win the biggest competition of his entire life, and defeat the world's only undefeated League Champion in the world...and everyone ranked beneath him, including other Regional Champions. But the rise to glory isn't as easy as it sounds, as every trainer is gunning for Ash himself!

1: The Start Of A New Journey

Ash stood there, the feeling and taste of Serena's lips against his own as fresh as a spring shower. He was vaguely aware that Clemont and Bonnie were talking to him, or nudging him in Bonnie's case, but his head was filled with a roaring that he didn't know the source off. Then he realized that it was his own heart beating louder than a drum.

"Pi-ka-CHUUUUU!" The jolt he needed came from his oldest companion in the form of a semi-powerful Thunderbolt that zapped him out of his kiss-induced stupor.

"AAAAAHHHH!" Ash fell flat on his face as the lightning stopped, before he snapped back up, "Thanks, Pikachu!" He then hurled himself down the escalator, jumping up and sliding down the railing like a skateboarder in pursuit.

"ASH!" Clemont hollered after him.

"Hurry up!" Bonnie yelled, knowing exactly what he was up to, "Her flight leaves in just five minutes!"

"Pi pika pi!" Pikachu was hot on his trainer's heels as he chased him down and bounced up to his shoulder. Ash was scanning the crowd in hopes of spotting her before he spotted the reception desk, and slid to a halt.

"E-Excuse me!" He almost shouted in his hurry.

Startled by the suddenness of his appearance, the receptionist yelped, "Yes?!"

"Are there anymore seats available for the flight to Hoenn leaving today?"

"Oh," the woman said, "Er, let me see here..." she began typing on her computer, and Ash grew ever impatient, "Yes, it looks like their are plenty - "

"Ticket for one person, please!" Ash shouted.

A minute later, the ticket was bought and paid for, and Ash was racing of toward the gate.

Meanwhile, a certain girl was settling into her seat on the flight, her eyes locked on the window, looking down at the airport. [I can't believe I did that,] she sighed, her cheeks aflame with embarrassment. Embarrassment, and elation. [I can't believe I did that!] She squealed internally. She could see the stunned look on Ash's face even now, and burned it into her memories. It was not something that she was soon to forget. [Even though I'll probably never see him again.]

"Excuse me, Miss," said a familiar voice, "Is this seat taken?"

"Pika?"

Serena whipped around so fast that she made herself dizzy, "A-ASH!?"

There stood a winded-looking Ash Ketchum, with his Pikachu on his shoulder as always, giving her the cheesiest grin she'd ever seen. "Hey there."

"Hey yourself," she muttered in shock as the boy took the seat next to her, "Ash, what are you doing here?!"

Ash sighed as he sat down, and fanned himself with his hat, "What? Are you angry?"

"No!" She said hastily raising her hands in defense, "Of course not! I-I-I mean, weren't you going home?"

Ash leaned back in his seat, "Well, you see," he smirked at her, "There's this girl I know, and she happens to be heading to Hoenn," Serena's blush returned full force, "And since I've traveled through Hoenn before, I thought I'd tag along and show her around...that is, if she doesn't mind putting up with my ugly face a little bit longer."

Serena giggled at the joke, "I can honestly tell you that she won't mind a bit," she said, before turning hr gaze down, "But Ash...what about your journey? Don't you want to be a Pokemon Master?"

Ash smiled at her and reached over with his right hand and took hold of her left, "Some things," he laced his fingers through hers as her blush turned neon, "Are way more important."

"Pipika!" Pikachu said, and jumped on Serena's left shoulder, nuzzling his cheek against hers affectionately.

The girl couldn't help but giggle as the little Mouse hopped down into her lap where he curled up into a ball and apparently fell asleep. "Ash," she looked at him, her smile beaming, "I don't know what to say."

"Welcome to my world," Ash said, "I'm the king of not knowing what to say." He boasted then winked, "I don't suppose you be interested in being my queen?"

Ash grinned as the neon blush on the girl's face turned absolutely volcanic, and decided right there and then that making her do so was going to be one many things he would enjoy doing with her from that point on.

ガラル

Galar Region - Wyndon Stadium Chairman's Office

"So, are we all in agreement with this new tournament?" Asked a tall, tall, handsomely dressed man as he looked around the room at the gathered trainers. "Will we proceed?"

"We will," said the tallest of the group, an equally tanned young man wearing a cape with patches sewn onto it, "This will be the League to end all Leagues."

"I agree with Leon," said the Kanto/Johto Champion, Lance the Dragon Master, "It'll give us all a chance to see who is best among us."

Next to him was a tall, thin man dressed in flowing white, "Indeed, it will be truly marvelous." He smiled, "But there seems to be a problem."

"What do you mean, Wallace?" Asked the man's predecessor, Steven Stone.

Next to him was the Champion of the Sinnoh Region, Cynthia, "He means we're one Champion short," she said with a cheerful smile, "Though I doubt he knows it's been made official. The Orange League is still considered a minor League even if it's an officially sanctioned League these days."

"Hahaha, if you're talking about who I think you are, then this is going to be one hell of a tournament!" Alder roared happily, "I can't wait!"

"Well, does anyone know where he is?" Asked Diantha, "He was last in my region, but he has since moved on."

Lance grinned at the woman, "Don't you worry, I've had my eyes on that trainer for a while, and I know just how to find him."

Chairman Tudor Rose smiled at the assembled Champions, "Then it is settled," he said, "In one month's time, the World Coronation Tournament will begin!"

ガラル

Hoenn Region -Several Days Later - Rustboro City

Serena was beaming as she spun her heel to take in the sights of the new region's city. "This place it amazing!"

Ash chuckled as he followed along behind her, "It's nice, but you know, it's not as amazing as Lumiose City when I first arrived."

She giggled and grabbed his arm in hers, "True, but this place has its own charm." She smiled, "It feels old, and comforting, just right for a city like this."

"Well, I guess it does," he smiled as the neared the Pokemon Center, "So, I never asked, but do you want to watch a Pokemon Contest, or enter one?"

Serena thought for a moment, "Well, since I've never actually seen one, then maybe I should just watch one first and see what they're like before I enter one." She said, "I know you told me once that there were two types of rounds I had to compete in."

"Yup, the Appeal round, and the Battle round," Ash told her, "The Appeal round deals with showing of the beauty of the Pokemon performing, and using their moves to make them looked even better."

Serena looked at him slight awe, "You seem to know a lot," she said, "Have you competed in one before?"

Ash nodded, "A couple of them," he smiled at her, "When I first traveled through Hoenn, I was helping someone get through the Contest Halls," he said, "At first, she was a horrible Pokemon trainer. But she took to Contest Battles like a Ducklett to water."

"She?" Serena puffed out her cheeks in annoyance.

Ash held up a hand in his defense, "It's not what you think." He said quickly, "Her name was May, and she was a fair bit younger than I was, plus I didn't even notice girls back then - !"

"You didn't seem to notice girls at all until a few days ago, either," Serena pouted as she let go of his arm and crossed hers across her chest.

Ash was beginning to panic, "Seriously! You're the first girl I've - !"

Serena suddenly turned to him and stuck her tongue put playfully, "Beh, just kidding!"

Ash drooped, "Aw, come on, don't do that to me!"

The zipper on his bag suddenly popped open and Pikachu stuck his head out with a big yawn. "Cha?"

Serena giggled at him before skipping forward to pluck Pikachu out of the backpack. "Awe, did we wake you up, Pikachu?" She smiled as she petted the sleepy Pokemon, "I'm sorry."

"Pika," Pikachu cooed, and snuggled against her.

Ash chuckled, "He's not usually this lazy." He said whilst reaching over to scratch his partner behind his ears, "Maybe it's jet lag?"

"Naw, he's just bored with nothing to do," she said, looking at the taller boy, "You haven't battled in a while, not since Kalos."

Ash smiled at the thought, "Well, since you just want to watch your first Contest, what if I enter it and show you what I can do?"

Serena beamed at him, "You'd do that?"

"Of course," Ash smiled at her, "It's been a while, but I never forget how to use a battling style."

She giggled as she passed Pikachu back to him, "Well, then I'd love to see you in a Contest battle, Ash," she said, but then frowned, "But where do we need to go to enter one?"

Before Ash could answer, he felt a huge slap on his back that nearly sent him sprawling. "What the - ?!"

"Ash Ketchum, you little runt!" Laughed a friendly voice, "It's good to see you again!"

Ash, recognizing the voice, grinned and turned around, "Kurt!"

Kurt the Poke Ball smith had barely changed since he had seen him in Johto so long ago, save for the fact that he had less hair on his head. "The one and only, my boy!" He laughed.

"What are you doing in Hoenn?" Ash asked, "I thought that you stuck close to Azalea Town?"

Kurt chuckled, "I'm visiting my son and granddaughter," he smiled, "They moved here not that long ago, and I wanted to make sure that they've settled alright." He said, and took notice of the young girl standing close to the young man, "And who might this lovely young lady be?" He smiled as the girl blushed slightly, "Don't tell me that you finally got yourself a girlfriend?"

Ash smiled, and reached over to grasp her hand, "She's not just my girlfriend," he said, and Serena blushed heavier as she knew what he was going to say, "She's my queen."

Kurt laughed heartily as the girl practically swooned, "Well, that's something I never thought I'd hear coming out of that mouth of yours given how dense you can be!" He laughed as Ash groaned in embarrassment. "Well, this is quite something, you two should come with me and stay the night. Mazie would love to see you again after so long."

Ash saw no reason to disagree.

It was just a little later that Ash and Serena were treated to a home cooked meal, and the young girl found out just what Ash had done to earn Kurt's friendship for so long. "Poor Slowpoke's tail took ages to grow back, but at least we got him back in the end." Kurt chuckled.

His son, Dirk, was much like his father, a Poke Ball Smith, however, things didn't seem to be going well for the family of smiths. "I don't understand why no one would want your custom Poke Balls," Serena said as Mazie showed her their family's collection. "These are all so beautiful!" She gushed as she admired what Kurt called a Love Ball.

"Yeah, but Dad and Grandpa always say that people are impatient, and it takes a while to make an Apricorn into a Poke Ball," said the now ten year old Mazie. "So people always go for the stuff that Silph Co. puts out. They're all just cheat imitations of Grandpa and Dad's work, though." She pointed out a gold Poke Ball sitting on the shelf, "Like this one, it's my Dad's best Poke Ball; he calls it the G.S. Ball. It's just like the Master Ball everyone's after these days."

"That's right," Dirk said as he entered the showroom, "It's more comfortable for the Pokemon, too, since our Poke Balls have a natural element to them because of the Apricorn used to make them, but Silph Co. uses all synthetic components, which makes it hard to capture some Pokemon. The Master Ball is even known to cause pain to a Pokemon that it's used on during a capture because of the feature makes the Master Ball a guaranteed success."

Serena frowned as she looked at the G.S. Ball, "But if people knew that they were causing their Pokemon pain, wouldn't they want your Poke Balls instead?"

Dirk chuckled, "They might if they believed it." He said and placed his hand on his daughter's head, "But big companies like Silph Co. have enough influence and money to throw around, and make sure that anything bad said about them goes away without so much as a hassle."

"Dad was gonna set up shop here," Mazie sighed, "But all the money we had went into this house here instead of a plantation we could raise Apricorns on." She frowned, "So Dad has to work instead of doing what we've always wanted."

Ash came into the room then with Pikachu at his heels and looked at the impressive collection, "So...how many Poke Balls do you have in storage?"

"Honestly?" Dirk said, shrugging, "Thousands. I even managed to make a fair few of these G.S. Balls."

Ash thought for a moment before taking out his Pokedex, "How much for all that you have?"

Dirk and Mazie looked at him, "Huh?"

Ash just grinned at them, and accessed his trainer's account before showing them the numbers, "Will this be enough?"

The father and daughter duo looked at the Dex, and their eyes goggled out, "HUUUUUH!?"

"How does a person get that much money?!" Mazie demanded.

Serena felt her jaw drop, "Ash...yo-you're rich?!"

"Nah," Ash smirked, "I just never used the money I earned from any of my battles." He said, "Including my League battles."

Dirk shook himself, "Er, young man, even if - "

"Dad, shut it!" Mazie hushed him before she turned to Ash, "You could buy all our Poke Balls, and still have enough left over for a pretty good stash."

Dirk still felt a little hesitant, "Are you sure about this, Ash? I'd hate to put you out like this?"

"You won't be," Ash said, "I liked the Apricorn Balls that Kurt made for me in Johto, and yours seem just as good. Plus if the Poke Balls I normally use cause harm to my Pokemon, then I'd rather use the ones you guys make." He smiled, "And, if I use them, then others will see them, ask where I got the, and come here to get them."

"Pika!" Pikachu agreed.

Mazie had happy little tears coming to her eyes, "With that money, we could start our plantation!"

"Now hold on, Mazie!" Dirk said worriedly.

It was then that a laughing Kurt came in, "Just take it, Son," he said, "Ash is a good boy, and he's stubborn to boot, so it's best to just agree and go along with him."

Ash then held out his hand, and Dirk smiled and reached out to give it a firm shake, "Well, Ash, I'd say that you have yourself a deal."

ガラル

The Next Morning - Route 116 to Rustboro Tunnel

As the young couple plus Pokemon traveled toward Verdanturf, Pikachu was back to his normal, perky self, and Serena giggled as she admired the new Poke Ball in her hand, "I can't believe you did something so incredibly sweet," she said to her boyfriend, "You really helped them out, Ash!"

Ash shrugged, "Of course I did," he said, holding up a Fast Ball, "Besides I meant everything that I said yesterday. These Poke Balls are gonna be a real craze soon."

Serena smiled as she looked around in the grass near the road they were on, "We need to catch some Pokemon with them first, sweetie," she said, scanning the fields and trees.

Pikachu's ears twitched as a small rustling of grass caught his attention. "Pika?" He hopped forward to investigate, his nose twitching.

Ash watched him for a moment and looked ahead of him, "I think you might get your chance," he told his girlfriend with a smile as his partner's cheeks sparked. A moment later out popped a little yellow-green Pokemon with a little blue leaf bib.

"Bu-budew!" Cooed the little Pokemon.

Serena squealed at the little Pokemon's cuteness, "Awe, how adorable!" She smiled at the little Grass-type, "But don't you want to catch it?"

Ash shook his head, "Naw, you only have three Pokemon," he told her, "And Budew an evolve into Roselia, and Roserade. Perfect for contest battles."

Serena smiled at his thoughtfulness as Pikachu was trying to keep the little Pokemon from running off while they decided what to do about it. She then took out Pancham's Poke Ball, "Well, then, since you're being so sweet, I just have to catch it. Pancham, let's go!" She released her little Fighting-type. Pikachu saw him and jumped out of the way to let the battle start.

"Pancham, use Arm Thrust!" Serena commanded, and Pancham went on the offensive. The Budew yelped as the attack hit, and was thrown back to the ground. Ash was surprised at how easily it went down, and figured it must have been a very young Pokemon. That, or Pancham had gotten very strong in his time with Serena.

Serena picked out the Poke Ball she wanted to use, "Okay, let's try this Level Ball!" She picked out a black and yellow Poke Ball with a red "V" on the top. She threw the ball and Budew was taken inside. The ball didn't even shake before a PING sounded off signalling a capture. "We caught it!" Serena said, hugging Ash happily.

"Nice work," Ash congratulated her.

Serena smiled and went to return Pancham and retrieve her new Pokemon, "This is a pretty decent start to a new journey, isn't it?" She asked, looking down at the ball happily, "I mean, whenever you traveled to a new region, you left everything behind except for Pikachu, just like a brand new life."

Ash nodded, "Thinking back on it now, I feel like I've neglected the ones I've already caught," he said with a frown, making her look at him strangely, "During my time in Kanto, the Orange Archipelago, and Johto, I used a lot of the first Pokemon I ever caught, as well as the new ones. I switched out whenever I needed them for a battle, but since coming to Hoenn, and all the other regions after that, I've just left the Pokemon I caught be..hind...AW NO!"

Serena yelped at his sudden outburst, "Ash, what's wrong!"

"Pi pika pika?!"

Ash scrabbled his hands through his hair, scrunching up his hat in the process, "How could I do something so stupid?!"

"Ash, calm down!" Serena cried as she tried to soothe him, "Tell me what happened?"

Ash looked at her in shame, "I used to have a Pidgeot," he told her, "She was the second Pokemon I'd ever caught, and before I left for the Orange Archipelago, I left in the Viridian Forest to protect a flock of Pidgey and Pidgeotto from a flock of Spearow and a nasty Fearow." He looked down at the ground, sighing, "I promised that I'd come back for her, but I'd forgotten all about her!"

"Chuuu." Pikachu's ears drooped in a shame all their own; he had forgotten, too, or else he would have reminded his trainer long ago.

Ash sat himself on the ground, "Some trainer I am, huh?" He grunted, "What kind'a Pokemon Master am I supposed to be if I neglect my own Pokemon like this?"

Serena crouched down and placed her hand on his back to begin rubbing soothing circles, "Ash, it's not your fault...I'm sure they'll all understand..." she said, thinking about how she could cheer him up, "As for Pidgeot...let's go get her!"

Ash's head snapped up, "What?!"

"Well, why not?" Serena asked, "My Contests aren't going anywhere, and I'm not even sure I was going to participate anyway!" She was trying to sound convincing, but Ash knew a fib when he heard one.

"Serena, you came to Hoenn because of the Contests," he reminded her, "And I'm not gonna be the reason you don't participate."

"And I'm not going to stand here and watch you beat yourself up over this," Serena said soothingly, "I know you want to support me with the Contests and help me get better, but I also want to support you, so there's no use having one or the other." She said, "Kanto isn't that far off, so we can be back here in no time at all, right?"

Ash gave the girl a half a smile as Pikachu agreed with her, "What did I do to deserve someone like you?" Ash wondered out loud.

Serena just giggled, "Well, you are pretty amazing yourself, Ash, and I won't have you say anything otherwise." She smiled and pulled him to his feet, "Now, come on, we've got a Pidgeot to go see!"

Pikachu smiled happily as his trainer began to cheer up, only for his ears to catch the sound of wind whipping by something incredibly fast. "Pi?" He looked up and saw a large yellow shape flying down toward them at top speed. "Pi pika pi!" He yelped as the two humans looked up.

"Is that a Dragonite?" Ash wondered as the large shape slowed and circled over head. It then spiraled down slowly so that it wouldn't kick any wind against the two humans and landed with a heavy thump. Over its shoulder was a messenger bag. "I know you, you're one of Lance's Dragonite!" Ash exclaimed as the Dragon-type pulled out a letter and handed to him. It then took off in a gust of wind, buffering the pair, and Pikachu.

"Kya!" Serena grabbed the hem of her skirt to keep it from being flipped up by the wind, "A little warning would've been nice!"

Ash coughed as he shielded his face against the wind and dust kicked up by the Dragonite's departure. "Ack! Jeez! And I thought Charizard's greetings were bad!" He groaned as he rubbed his eyes and looked down at the letter. "Huh, strange that Lance would send his Dragonite to deliver something like this."

Serena was busily dusting herself off, "Well," she coughed out a small puff of dust while Pikachu was licking his fur clean, "If that really was Champion Lance's Dragonite, then that must be important."

Ash opened the letter and found a hologram disc inside. He pressed the activate button, and Lance's image popped up, "Hello, Ash," Lance greeted them, "Hopefully my Dragonite found you without much trouble, but knowing you, trouble does seem to follow," Serena giggled at the angry pout on her boyfriend's face. "But enough with the pleasantries. If you've received this, then you need to drop everything and head to Pallet Town on the double," Ash and Serena looked at each other in concern, "I know you'll be chomping at the proverbial bit to get onto the next region and enter a new League, but that's not going to happen. Concerning that, I'll tell that all League associated activities such as the Pokemon League Tournaments, Contests, and even the Showcases have been cancelled."

"What?!" Serena wilted, and hit her knees, "Oh, no!"

"Not to worry," Lance's hologram continued, "That doesn't mean you won't get to compete, but you still need to get to Pallet Town, and once you're there, speak to Professor Oak; he'll explain everything that's about to happen, and what your role is going to be." The hologram said, "That's all for now, so until we meet, try to stay out of trouble. See ya soon, Ash." The hologram shut down, leaving two very confused humans, and one Pokemon.

Serena sighed dejectedly, "So much for my Contests..."

Ash frowned at the disc, "All the other Leagues and competitions canceled?" He said, "This has gotta be something big if they're all shut down."

Pikachu sparked his cheeks in excitement; he had a feeling something good was about to happen

ガラル

Author's Note: Well here it is in all it's New Story glory. Ya'll wanna see how this turns out, then ya know what to do!

Adios Amigos!