I am SO sorry for the delay on this chapter! I had tossed around and discarded a lot of ideas for this chapter, but I eventually reached something I'm proud of. I hope you enjoy!

Ash, Serena, and Pikachu were busy preparing for their inevitable trip into space to destroy the Grand Meteor Delta, unpacking the spacesuits they had received in Mossdeep. As Ash was about to zip his up, Pikachu jumped inside, nestling himself next to his chest.

"I wouldn't leave you here for a second, buddy," Ash chuckled. Securing the spacesuit and putting his helmet on (with Pikachu's ears peeking out from the bottom), he looked at Serena to see that she had finished up her own preparation. He blushed at his now-girlfriend, admiring how it looked on her. She looked even more confident.

"If only we were going to the moon instead," Serena joked. Ash chuckled in response as he walked over to Rayquaza, jumping on his back before extending a hand to Serena. She blushed as she took it, jumping onto the Dragon-type and latching onto Ash from behind.

"You'd think our first thing as a couple would be more…normal, right Serena?"

"With you, it's anything but."

Rayquaza let out a small roar in response to the couple, kicking back its tail before taking flight. If Ash and Serena hadn't had protective spacesuits on, they'd be feeling incredibly strong winds at their back as they took flight across Hoenn, spiraling up into the skies. Serena rested her head on Ash's shoulder, with Ash leaning towards her as she did so.

They spiraled up and up through the skies, eventually breaching the atmosphere and entering deep space. The view was amazing; countless pieces of rock and satellites floated through the air, and even a few extraterrestrial Pokémon! A group of Clefairy danced in the skies, while a horde of Minior floated carelessly. In the distance, Grand Meteor Delta could be seen, edging closer and closer to the planet. Ash tapped Rayquaza's neck, before pointing at the meteorite.

"Rayquaza, that's what we're after. Think you can help us?"

Rayquaza roared as it engulfed itself in rainbow energy, Mega Evolving, before soaring straight for the meteor. Serena clutched onto Ash even more as he held onto Rayquaza for dear life, hoping not to fall off. Rayquaza spun as it soared towards the meteor, jaws opening…

And making impact.

The meteor shattered into hundreds of pieces, scattering all across the reaches of space. Several pieces glowed in bright colors. Ash and Serena ducked close to Rayquaza as the fragments flew past them.

The explosion of the meteor had also caught the attention of those who remained back on the planet. Kyogre and Groudon were even distracted from their battle to witness the green explosion consuming the skies, before turning their attention to each other. Groudon let out a soft roar, which Kyogre reciprocated. Then, the two of them began to back away from each other, towards their homes, as the weather cleared.

The Trainers had witnessed all of this from a small rocky outcropping, and immediately began cheering in excitement. Brendan and May even hugged each other in celebration as Steven and Sawyer looked on proudly.

They had won.

"So what now Mr. Stone?" Sawyer smiled. "Do we just have to check for debris and that's it?"

"Devon will handle cleanup and reconstruction," Steven stated. "All we need to do is pick up Ash and Serena from Sky Pillar."

"It's…it's done…" Ash sighed in relief. Rayquaza now drifted in space, looking around at what it had done. Ash then felt two hands on his shoulders, looking behind himself to see Serena smiling at him. Ash couldn't help but smile back while Pikachu started cheering.

"We…we did it…" Serena muttered. The two of them blushed at each other, with Ash putting his left hand on top of Serena's.

"Raay!"

"Huh?"

Ash and Serena's moment was interrupted by Rayquaza's roar. A large triangular rock hovered in front of them, cracking at the face. A red and blue object emerged from the rock as it grew in size, before lunging straight at Rayquaza.

The Dragon-type went flying through the stars as Ash and Serena held on for dear life, eventually re-entering the atmosphere. Rayquaza and its assailant exchanged blows as they soared through the sky, eventually making impact on a small, triangular island in the middle of the ocean.

When the dust cleared, Ash and Serena found themselves pinned under Rayquaza's body. Ash was the first to squirm his way out, pulling Serena out from underneath shortly after. Taking off their spacesuits, the couple saw the red and blue object floating above the center of the island. It darted about in the air a few times, before a series of tentacles and limbs grew from its body, giving it a more familiar appearance.

"Deox!"

Ash and Serena looked on in awe as Deoxys formed before them, staring them down. It then noticed Rayquaza, threw its arms back, and charged right for it. Ash grabbed Serena as they dived out of the way of the attack, hitting the ground as Rayquaza took the hit. The Sky-High Pokémon quickly lunged back in response as the two titans clashed. Rayquaza opened its jaws and blasted a Dragon Pulse at Deoxys, who took the hit but immediately rebounded with a Psycho Boost, throwing an orb of energy at Rayquaza. Ash and Serena hid behind a rock as the two Pokémon clashed, pulling out their Rotom Phones.

No signal.

"I don't think we can get off the island without Rayquaza," Ash stated. "And if our phones are down, that means we're trapped."

"Great," Serena moped. "We just became a couple and now we're going to be stranded here! Just my luck."

Serena held onto Ash in fear as he returned the embrace, assessing the situation in his head. Pikachu tugged on Ash's arm in worry as he did so, before grabbing one of Ash's Poké Balls from his bag.

"No Pikachu, we can't battle Deoxys," Ash declared. "There's no telling what it could do to us."

"Pikapika!"

Pikachu growled, grabbing a ball and bouncing it on his head. At this point, Ash jumped up in realization, pointing a finger in the air.

"Maybe I need to take a page from Goh's book and catch Ray-"

A Dragon Pulse flew overhead, striking Ash and leaving him covered in soot. He then returned to huddling behind the rock, Serena and Pikachu looking at him attentively.

"What I was TRYING to say was that defeating Deoxys is incredibly dangerous, but catching it is entirely possible," Ash noted. "If Rayquaza can keep it distracted, I might be able to land a lucky throw and nab it in a Poké Ball."

"How can I help, Ash?" Serena questioned. Ash smiled, placing his hand over hers.

"Serena, can you and Pikachu keep Deoxys away from me as I prepare for the throw?" Ash asked. Serena nodded, followed by a cheer from Pikachu. Ash, grinning, grabbed a Poké Ball from his bag, running over to a nearby outcropping of rock, while Serena and Pikachu kept an eye on Deoxys and Rayquaza's fight.

The two Legendary Pokémon were now high in the sky, clashing up-close. Eventually, Rayquaza would lunge at Deoxys with a ferocious Dragon Ascent, pinning it to the ground as dust kicked up into the air. One of Deoxys's tentacles would cause Serena and Pikachu to trip up as Ash looked on in fear, clamping his Poké Ball tight. Once Deoxys broke free from Rayquaza's grasp, Ash made his move and tossed the Poké Ball.

Deoxys was encapsulated by the ball as it fell to the ground, slowly shaking. The shaking sped up a bit as Ash grasped his fist, before the ball shut tight.

Right as it exploded in a flash of blue.

Deoxys emerged from the remains of the shattered Poké Ball, coldly glaring at Ash. Right as it was about to tackle the boy, Rayquaza ambushed it from behind, pinning it to the ground once more. The two lashed against each other as a large hole started to form in the center of the island from their struggle, before Rayquaza was sent flying into the air by a strong Mega Punch. Ash quickly tossed another Poké Ball, but Deoxys batted it away before charging at Ash.

Only to be intercepted by an Iron Tail from Pikachu.

Deoxys was knocked aside as Pikachu stood firmly, electricity jolting from its cheeks. Serena looked at him worriedly, then towards Ash. Ash, nodding, tossed out another Poké Ball, which Pikachu batted along with his tail as it sealed Deoxys inside. As the ball started to shake, Ash clenched his fist before turning towards Pikachu.

"Grab the ball and ground yourself!"

Pikachu nodded as he grabbed the Poké Ball and plunged his tail into the ground. The ball continued to shake as small sparks of energy came out, and Pikachu surged electricity from his cheeks. Ash and Serena watched nervously as the ball continued to shake and Pikachu continued to wince in pain…

Until it clicked shut.

Ash and Serena looked on in awe as Pikachu dislodged itself from the ground and dropped Deoxys's Poké Ball, which had vanished into thin air.

Professor Oak was sitting in his lab, eating his dinner while watching the latest episode of "Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky". Currently, Team PokéPals was fighting against Drowzee after his betrayal had come to light, and Oak was enjoying every minute of it.

"Incoming transfer from Ash Ketchum," a computer buzzed. A Poké Ball rolled onto the deposit tray of Oak's PC as he got up off his chair, paused the episode, and grabbed the ball. Walking outside, he noticed Tracey was feeding Ash's Oshawott a bowl of Pokémon food, sketching his gluttonous devouring of said food.

"Tracey, Ash made a new capture in Hoenn," Oak stated as he walked over. "Any bets on what it is this time?"

"A Bagon?" Tracey questioned. "That was my previous bet. What about you Professor?"

"My money is still on an Eevee," Oak responded. Tracey rolled his eyes in response.

"Professor, you've expected Ash to catch an Eevee for years," Tracey snarked. "Let it go. He's never going to get one."

"We'll see about that Tracey," Oak retorted, throwing the Poké Ball onto the field as a Deoxys emerged from it. Deoxys looked around at its surroundings; this was not the same island. All of Ash's Pokémon huddled around upon seeing the new arrival, and even Snorlax woke up to observe. As for Oak and Tracey, they were flabbergasted by Ash's latest capture, standing with their jaws wide open.

"...I think I need to make a call," Oak declared.

Ash, Serena, and Pikachu sat down, panting, as the dust cleared from the battle to reveal a sunset sky. Rayquaza descended from the sky to see that its adversary was gone, and roared happily in response.

The battle was over.

"We…WE DID IT!" Ash exclaimed, jumping for joy. Pikachu was cheering from where he was standing as well, and Serena ran over to Ash, locking hands with him. Ash grabbed Serena in a tight embrace as he lifted her up and spun around, before locking into a hug once more. Pikachu shed a tear as he wiped his cheek, Rayquaza nodding alongside him.

"Ash…we…I…"

Ash put a finger to Serena's lips, before placing his hands on her shoulders.

"Serena, now that we're no longer...pressed for time by the impending death of our world, there's something I want to do."

"Ash, are you-"

Ash immediately pulled Serena into a deep kiss. She was initially surprised by how forward he was, but soon melted into it as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Pikachu sat on Rayquaza's head as he observed, stretching out his arms as he laid back. For him, it was moreso a case of "why did it take this long".

For Ash and Serena, this moment felt like an eternity to them.

One short flight to Sky Pillar later, Ash and Serena were dropped off by Rayquaza. They immediately hugged the Dragon-type right after as it roared in affection.

"Thank you for helping us Rayquaza," Serena said, petting its scales. "We won't forget you."

"Ray!"

Rayquaza smiled at the duo, before taking flight back into the ozone layer. Ash and Serena looked on in awe as they held hands, smiling as Rayquaza departed.

"So, do you two mind explaining what the heck that was?"

Ash and Serena jumped as they turned around to see Goh, Chloe, Brendan, May, Sawyer, and Steven standing at the opposite end of Sky Pillar, all folding their arms. Ash and Serena sheepishly chuckled, scratching their necks.

"Us befriending the god of the skies and one of Hoenn's three Legendary Pokémon?"

"No, you two holding hands!" May exclaimed. "I've seen you effortlessly befriend Legendary Pokémon Ash, that's nothing new. What I haven't seen is you getting all buddy-buddy with a girl before!"

"I…er…" Ash stuttered as he became a blushing mess, before Serena placed a hand on his shoulder, smiling.

"Perhaps this will convince them of what happened," Serena said as she pecked Ash on the cheek. Immediately, everyone looked on with their mouths gaping wide-open. Chloe was the first to speak up, clapping her hands together with a smug grin.

"Guess my work paid off," Chloe snarked. "Congratulations you two."

"Your work?" May gasped. "I'll have you know that Serena and I chatted for ages about her crush on Ash! I-"

"Easy May," Brendan calmly stated, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You and Chloe both helped them get together."

As the rest of the group chatted, Ash felt a vibration in his pocket. Pulling out his Rotom Phone, he saw an incoming call from Professor Oak. Answering it, Ash was met with video footage of Oak and Tracey huddling behind a tree as Deoxys wrecked havoc on the corral.

"Ash, when did you find the time to capture a Deoxys in Hoenn?!" Oak exclaimed. Ash sheepishly laughed.

"It was inside the meteorite! I had to catch it to stop it!" Ash replied.

"Hold on," Steven added, walking towards Ash. "There was a Deoxys inside the meteorite?"

"Apparently," Serena responded. "It was beating the heck out of Rayquaza and we had to catch it in order to be able to escape safely."

"Ash, Professor, if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to take that Deoxys off your hands," Steven responded. "Deoxys is a notoriously elusive Pokémon, and to be able to study one up-close would be incredibly beneficial."

"Ash, please say yes, my lab's insurance doesn't cover Legendary Pokémon property damage!" Oak screamed. Ash sighed as he looked at Steven.

"I had only really caught it to be able to leave safely," Ash stated. "I guess it's okay to leave it in your custody, but I'd like to be able to visit it again."

"Of course Ash," Steven responded. "You and Serena are in Devon, and Hoenn's, debt. How can we thank you?"

Ash pondered briefly, before his eyes turned towards Serena. Immediately, he looked to Steven with an answer in his head.

"You have a wide collection of Mega Stones, right Steven?" Ash asked. Steven immediately nodded happily.

"I do indeed, plus many spares," Steven stated. "What kind of Mega Stone would you like? A Charizardite? A Heracronite? Perhaps a-"

"Actually, I was thinking a pair of Sceptilite and a Key Stone for Serena," Ash stated. "Our Sceptile are as close as we are, so it's only fitting that we Mega Evolve them together."

"Ah, young love," Steven responded. "Very well, I will see to it that you two receive those."

"Ash, you didn't have to request those for me," Serena stated, blushing softly. Ash simply smiled back at her.

"I want only the best for my girlfriend Serena," Ash responded, smiling. Serena tackled him with a hug as he returned it, the two of them melting into each other's arms. As this was happening, May glanced over at Brendan with a small blush on her face.

"Hey Brendan, should we-"

"Let them have their moment first May."

Later that night, Ash and Serena were at the Mossdeep Space Center's viewing area, watching the Litleonid meteor shower. While the upper floors of the building were still being rebuilt, the publicly-accessible viewing area was still open. Ash and Serena sat down as they looked out at the stars, Serena's head resting on Ash's shoulder. Her Key Stone was attached to the blue ribbon on her hat.

"I wouldn't have asked for anything to change in this journey," Serena declared. "I love you Ash."

"And I love you too Serena," Ash responded. "It's such a shame that I'll have to leave Hoenn so soon. Cerise'll want me and Goh doing more research fellow stuff, plus there's the World Coronation Series. And you'll be heading back to Kalos to do Showcases again, right?"

"Actually, I was meaning to talk to you about this," Serena responded. "Kanto has a contest circuit, right?"

Ash's eyes immediately widened as he looked at Serena, smiling. Was she implying what he thought she was?

"You…you want to come back to Kanto with me?!"

"Ash, we first met in Kanto, remember? Now that we're a couple, I might as well treat my boyfriend's home as a second home, right? Plus you'll want your mom to know what happened."

"Y-yeah," Ash responded, internally dreading that encounter. "Serena, I would love for you to come with me to Kanto. I can even try to convince Cerise to let you join me in research fellow stuff when you're not doing contests! Imagine having our own little mini journey like this one every month!"

"That sounds awesome!" Serena exclaimed. "It'll be just like old times."

"Yeah, it'll be great," Ash responded. "Ash and Serena, the Monarch and the Kalos Queen!"

Serena blushed at Ash's words. He was right: if they accomplished their dreams, they'd be like a king and a queen!

Unbeknownst to Ash and Serena, Goh's Magneton had been holding Goh's Rotom Phone to record Ash and Serena's date from outside the building. In a nearby Pokémon Center, Goh, Chloe, Brendan, and May were observing them from afar, smiling happily.

"Don't you think this is a little creepy?" Brendan questioned. "They won't be happy that we're intruding on their little moment."

"Believe me Brendan, their first date is something they'll be glad was recorded," Chloe responded. "Plus if you speak up about it again I'll record your first date with May."

"Eheheheh," Brendan chuckled, scratching the back of his neck and blushing. May, narrowly staring at him, couldn't help but smile and blush in response.

Things were looking up for everyone.

As you might be able to tell, the next chapter will be the final one. I don't like to pad out stories for longer than they should last, and I think this one has reached a stage where I only need one more chapter.

Don't fret however; there is going to be a sequel set in the same universe! It's still in the very early planning stages, but I hope you look forward to it!

Also, if you ever want to chat with me about this fic or Pokemon as a whole, my Discord is Krex#0843!