It was a strange feeling, finishing a competition and not going straight home. He'd exhausted other regions, finally winning a league championship and even managing to make it to the World Coronation Series. He fell short in the latter, and while it wasn't the result he'd hoped for, making it as far as he did was completely different from the leagues he'd competed it. This actually placed him among the best trainers in the world and though it surprised him to admit, he felt…satisfied.
Normally his prize would be headed straight for a shelf in his room back in Kanto, but it just didn't have the pull. He couldn't say he'd outgrown it exactly, but maybe it was the ritual. He was a full-grown adult now, so immediately 'reporting in' with his mom didn't feel necessary. Truth be told it was never necessary, but where before he always felt a compulsion, now there was…he couldn't figure out exactly what.
Ash sat in the airport for what felt like days staring at screens. Hundreds of flights, region after region, Alola. Hoenn. Kalos. Sinnoh. The longer he scanned though, he eventually noticed that his eyes always came back to one in particular. Kalos. That struck a chord. He'd find Bonnie and Clemont. There were loads of others, but the idea of seeking out Greninja for a possible reunion – however brief – was also hugely appealing. It was just a shame Serena was still in Hoenn.
He shook his head. She was chasing her dream. She'd met May and chastised him for not telling her that he knew a contest veteran, but it had been awhile now. Pokevision featured some wins, but that was about it. It had taken him years to accomplish what she nearly did her first go around as a performer so it was only natural her dedication would absorb her – not that he was any better.
Ash wandered to the ticket counter. "One for Kalos please."
The last two years had been kind of Lumiose City. Repairs were virtually complete and Prism Tower seemed to shine brighter than ever in the summer sun. After enjoying a light lunch nearby, Ash decided to head inside the Lumiose Gym, which Clemont had apparently taken up residence in after their group parted ways. Unlike his first visit, Clembot didn't give him any trouble and before he knew it his old friend emerged, obviously ready for a challenger.
Instead, his eyes went wide behind his glasses. "Ash?!"
"Hey Clemont! It's good to see you again!"
"You too! What a surprise!"
"You and Clembot both look as good as ever."
"That's nice of you to say," Clemont demurred. "Unfortunately, a lot of the inventions I've been working on have…well you know how things go," he added, gesturing to his tracksuit. There were obvious oil stains, some burn marks, and of course, simple dirt which most likely came from a combination of gym battles and dust.
"Hey, I bet you're working on some really cool stuff. This place seems to have more energy than the last time – well the last time before everything anyway." Ash scratched the back of his head.
"Would you like something to eat?" Clemont asked. "I'm happy to take a break. It would be my pleasure."
"Don't worry about it, Clemont. I ate before I came actually."
"You did? Alone? Where?"
Ash laughed. "I can actually travel on my own you know."
Pikachu emitted a skeptical noise.
"Fine. I do need you, Pikachu."
Clemont laughed himself. "It looks like the two of you haven't changed much. What brings you back though? Are you going to compete in the league again?"
"Not this time. I don't really know what I want to do exactly. I just didn't want to go back to Kanto yet and well…Kalos felt like the right place to be."
"Hmm…interesting timing…"
"What?"
"Oh…nothing!"
"No. What was that about timing?"
"Just the timing belt on an invention of mine. I was talking to myself."
"Okay," Ash said, drawing out the word. "Any chance Bonnie is around? I'd love to catch up with both of you!"
"Bonnie? Oh. She just set off on her own journey actually. I don't think she knows what she really wants to do yet, but she and Dedenne are trying to figure that out for themselves."
"Bonnie's traveling alone?!"
"The last time we talked she said she was with a few people. She didn't say who, but I try not to contact her too often. I'm sure she doesn't want her big brother bothering her all the time."
"Well I hope she found as great a group as we had."
"I hope so too. I'm just nervous about whether there's someone to sort of watch over them."
Ash laughed. "That'd be tough, chaperoning someone like Bonnie…"
"Well, I don't know if they've met up, but obviously we all know some people who I think would still be out there trying to reach their own goals."
As summer faded into fall, Ash found himself on the road to Coumarine City. Without Bonnie's location (or anyone else's) Ash wound up taking a far more aimless tour of sorts. Spending time with Korrina outside a competitive environment again had been great and without badges to earn, more time at the Battle Chateau proved to be great experience both for making friends and keeping his skills sharp. Still, he was searching for something more than battles. He didn't exactly understand where the feeling was coming from, but he wasn't going to be able to settle until it stopped – if he could stop it or himself – at all.
"Hello, Ash…"
He turned around to find an all-too-familiar blue-haired girl. "Hey, Miette! It's good to see you."
"I'm glad to see you too. I suppose it was only natural that we'd find each other again. After all, what better place than Kalos for a champion to come back to?"
"Yeah. I don't know. Something just kind of drew me here."
"I know what you mean," she said, looking out at the sunset. "It really is a perfect place to spend this time of year in. And I love seeing it this time of day."
"It does look beautiful," Ash remarked.
Ash could feel her enter his personal space.
"Mmhmm. I could just spend forever looking at it. Especially in the right company." She reached down into her basket and produced a pokepuff. "I always keep one of these around in case I need to help an electric type," Miette said, a smile teasing the corner of her mouth.
Pikachu was delighted as the girl offered him the treat and Miette looked quite pleased with herself.
"I have plenty for people too, you know."
Ash took the pokepuff on offer and gobbled it down. After a few moments he couldn't help himself. "Incredible! That might the best I've ever tasted!"
"Really? The best ever?"
"Hmm…" His mind traveled back to his old friend and travel companion. "…now that you mention it…it's really hard to compare them."
"I see… Are you going into the city?"
"I'm going for sure. I need to figure out my next move and this seems like a relaxing place to start."
"Well, I happen to be going into town myself. Maybe we should travel together… I promise after a good dinner I can prove that my pokepuffs are the best."
Ash clenched his fist. "Alright, Miette. Let's go!"
Traveling with Miette was certainly an…experience. Ash found her actual story fascinating, though admittedly the way she'd plied him with all of her sweets probably helped. Modeling her dress as part of informing him she was there to compete in the Coumarine Showcase was certainly…direct. Naturally she'd extracted a promise that he'd attend the next day. She seemed on the verge of asking something else, but this time restrained herself from saying whatever it was she was thinking.
Ash ambled about the city. It was different, being here alone. Though he'd spent most of his time in downtown-proper alone, he'd started out with Serena. Looking back on it, he realized he wasn't the most attentive companion. He had agreed to come with her and then wound up ignoring her most of the time. Still, there were places they'd sort of shared. Where he'd found the giant stuffie. Where he'd showed her the ridiculous hat. As he passed by he noticed the shops she'd probably been interested in. He should've stopped for her like she did for him.
He ignored the vendors who came at him as he kept walking, before he suddenly stopped, staring out at the giant tree in the distance. The Pledging Tree. Between the lights, the ladders, and the crowded train, he couldn't believe he hadn't noticed. The festival had to be tonight! On the eve of the showcase again. This time when he scurried around for gifts he took a bit more personalized approach than a sack of food.
Several hours later the sun had set and he made his way up to tree slowly, trailing after a surprisingly enthusiastic Miette. It was always clear that the blue-haired girl had a strong connection with her Slurpuff, but the two of them walked quickly and excitedly, arriving just ahead of Ash and Pikachu to hear Ramos deliver the annual speech.
"So…" Miette whispered "…did you get me anything?"
Ash turned and looked at her. "Huh?"
"No? That's okay. I got you something," she said, offering him a pink, cube-shaped box that she'd tied up with shiny silver ribbon. She looked down and away, twisting the tip of her shoes into the ground. How uncharacteristic.
He carefully opened the box to find a large pokepuff, decorated with a careful scattering of sparkles around a small spring in the center. The tree. Ash took a bite and felt his senses explode. This was…
"WOW! It's so amazing!" He wasted no time in wolfing the rest of it down.
"What do you think? Is it the best you've ever had?"
Ash wrestled with the answer. It was even better than the other one, but there was something missing.
"Of course it is. It's so good you're speechless." Miette was back to her usual self, this time wearing a wide smile though a smirk did tug at one corner of her mouth. "We should go back to the Pokemon Center," she commented. "It's getting late."
"It's only–" she grabbed his hand and dragged him back toward town with Pikachu and Slurpuff once again in their wake.
Ash woke up to sunlight pouring through the window. 10:42. He'd very much slept in. Miette had slipped a note under his door, cutesy script letting him know she'd gone to get ready and couldn't wait to see him after the showcase. He spent the next few hours bleeding time until the showcase, slowly dressing and packing up before enjoying a full meal at the cafeteria downstairs. Between Miette, the food, and the festival, this trip to Coumarine City was really something.
He had to walk through the city again to reach the building where the showcase was being held – the same one he'd visited with Bonnie, Clemont, and Serena. Winning or not, Serena had to be doing well in Hoenn. Then she'd be back to challenge Aria and –
"Ash?"
He turned around to find a small blonde girl who had grown quite a bit since the last time they met. "Bonnie? You're…"
She huffed. "If you tell me how big I've gotten–"
Ash laughed. "Well…how's your journey going?"
"It's going pretty well so far! I'll have to show you my pokemon after the showcase."
"How many have you caught?"
"Plenty," a cheery voice interrupted. "She's all about the electric types. It was totally unexpected."
"I told you to stop that!"
A tanned girl doused in ribbons rounded the corner. "Shauna? Aren't you competing in the showcase too?"
"Of course I am! I just don't like to get to the venue too early – I just sit around and there's too much to obsess over before my performance."
"That's the opposite of Serena."
The two girls exchanged glances. "Serena, huh?"
"Yeah. It's kind of weird catching up with everyone but her. And going to a showcase she's not competing in." Ash sighed.
Shauna opened her mouth before Bonnie elbowed the older girl hard. Shauna winced. "Yeah. Competing without her again is going to be different that's for sure."
Ash reset his smile. "So Bonnie? Where are all the people you're traveling with?"
"I'm right here obviously," said Shauna, "and I don't know where Lee is."
"Shauna you're–"
"Actually traveling with people full time? I know! It's been really great…even if I do miss Trevor and Tierno sometimes. Sometimes…" she finished with a laugh.
The three friends moved their reunion to a nearby restaurant. Ash was disappointed at the absence of Alolan cuisine from the menu. He could practically taste it – an Alolan plate with Mallow's pineapp juice. His missed the scent of fresh malasadas in the air. His eyes opened when the waiter cleared his throat.
"To drink, sir?"
"Oh. Water. Sorry."
They all laughed before trading tales about the last couple of years, the girls being fascinated by the idea of ultrabeasts – though they tried to skew the conversation toward the beaches and lush forests more strongly after that. Ash was thoroughly obsessed with Bonnie's electric pokemon and Shauna simply sighed and let the pair go crazy over it. After some light debate about the best new moves to teach Helioptile, Bonnie excused herself to the restroom.
"So," asked Ash, "where are they holding the showcase this year?"
"Same place as always…"
When Ash settled down inside the venue, he realized just how different the experience was going to be alone. Bonnie had apparently purchased her tickets in advance and so he was left sitting alone among a horde of strangers, most of whom were here with daughters or groups of female friends. In addition to being awkward, the event was proving surprisingly dull during the first round. There had been no sign of Shauna or Miette and without anyone to talk to, only the lighting and announcements were keeping his attention.
Then he noticed her.
Standing in the center of the next group of three was a girl with honey blonde hair that hung just past her shoulders. This time her dress was sleeveless and the large bow that used to rest at the center had been replaced by something smaller, a smaller ribbon with something gold affixed to the center. The dress itself was still pink but this time, the pink was softer and without piping and the tight waist was fixed by a different belt – larger, glossy, and royal blue.
It had to be.
When the time came for the freestyle performance, Serena was one of the first to go and the others didn't stand a chance. The combinations between Sylveon and Braixen were more explosive than he remembered and he could see that Pancham had – at least for this showcase – been sidelined in favor of an Azumarill. For her final sequence, Braixen performed Sunny Day, while Sylveon swung Serena around the stage, making it appear as if she had taken flight. Tossing her high into the air, the Fairy Type quickly deployed Dazzling Gleam as Braixen's Fire Blast collided with Azumarill's Bubble Beam. The result was spectacular, her clenched fist clear in the foreground as the moves connected. It was finished off by Sylveon catching her with its feelers again and delivering her – literally – to the front of the stage where she slid to the finish as glittering pink sparks fell around her.
Ash roared his support, shouting her name without a care for how far away he was as he joined in the rousing applause for her majestic performance. She was stunning. Beautiful. Unbeatable.
He waited as patiently as he could manage with his glowcaster and once he heard her inevitably declared the winner, he ditched the plastic stick and ran down to where he knew she'd be.
There he saw her, closer now, as she smiled and laughed, engaging in some playful conversation with Shauna.
"Serena!"
Shauna smiled, giving Serena a knowing look before she quickly walked away to intercept an incoming Miette who looked quite agitated.
"Hi, Ash," Serena said, coming over to him. She was assured, like her performance, and he felt things kicking up inside him that he hadn't since – "I didn't know you were coming back to Kalos."
He still stared. "Yeah. I…you were amazing! I knew you'd win right from the moment you started off your freestyle with that–"
She was closer than she had been in a long time. "I felt pretty good about it. I just didn't know you'd be watching."
He rubbed the back of his head, looking down for a moment as he smiled. "It was lucky really, I was passing–"
"I'm just really glad you're here. I've really missed you."
"Me too. I didn't know if I'd ever see you again."
She laughed beautifully. The way her eyes closed and cheeks got the slightest bit pink. It would be too crude a description to say it rang – danced maybe – like she did through the air.
"I promised, didn't I?"
Ash couldn't stop his face from being painted red by the memory. "Yeah…uhhh–"
"I must have delivered on the other part of my promise too."
"Huh?"
"That I'd be a more attractive girl." She said, eyes alight with amusement.
He felt a heat he didn't recognize rising to his cheeks. "Y-yeah." There was a long pause. "Your dedication – all that training. You and Sylveon…"
"You did a pretty good job teaching me to trust my pokemon. And myself."
"It was incredible."
"Well…I promised Shauna and Bonnie dinner. You should get back to the Pokemon Center and pack up I guess."
"What?"
Serena winked. "Maybe I'll see you at my next showcase."
The girl – confident and resplendent – started walking away as if she meant it. Really? Just see you later? "Serena! Wait!"
She paused and turned around. Ash noticed a strange expression. It was like her face was at war. He didn't understand.
"What is it?"
Ash closed the distance again. "We never did maybe. Not even when you left for Hoenn."
"That's true. What are you trying to say?"
"I don't want you to just…go."
The war was over. The blush he'd always missed rose to the surface and the meaning wasn't lost on him.
"Why not?"
This time, it was his lips that pressed into hers. One hand pressed on her chest, feeling her heartbeat. "This."
He kissed her again, but this time his hand slipped.
She laughed at seeing him drowning in embarrassment. "I hope that's not what you mean."
"No. No!" he panicked. He gestured between the two of them before rubbing just under his nose like he had so many times before. "Us."
Serena tilted her head, examining him carefully. "You really mean that?"
"Of course I mean it, Serena! You know after I lost again, I didn't know where to go next. I'd been everywhere, fought almost every battle, but I didn't really want to go home. And it was like something brought me here. I mean there were plenty of reasons that made sense, but…I think I was really hoping to find you."
"So," she said, taking him by the hand, "you want to get dinner?"
Ash just nodded, happy for once to follow.
Just before they rounded the corner, Serena stopped. "This is it."
"Yeah."
She moved to steal a kiss.
"PIIIKAAACHUUUUU!"
Their lips barely connected again before they were shocked senseless.
Bonnie and Shauna knew that noise and came upon the two holding onto each other, trying to shake off Pikachu's attack.
"It's about time," said Shauna.
"Yep," Bonnie smirked. "And I guess Pikachu approves too."
A/N: I'm not sure how the vibe carried throughout the story because so much of it doesn't involve Ash thinking about Serena directly, but hopefully you felt his uncertainty worked leading up to more-Serena specific thinking and ultimately involvement.
I also included Miette primarily because I wanted to show that despite her obvious interest (for the purposes of this story we'll ignore the debate over whether she was actually just trolling Serena), Ash doesn't give her a second thought when he sees Serena in all her glory.
Thanks for reading! Hopefully the ending wasn't too lame.