The next morning, Ash was sitting on his bed in the Pokémon Center, trying in vain to tame his unruly hair with a brush. After struggling for a couple minutes, he conceded and set the brush aside, just as Serena walked into the room, dressed up for the day, minus her hat.

"Morning, Ash!" she proclaimed cheerfully.

"Morning, Serena." He gave her a smile as he slipped his own cap on. "What are you up to today? Going to practice with Iris for your showcase tomorrow?"

She shook her head. "No, not today. We've already practiced a lot, and at this point we've got it down cold. We're going to take today off, so we're not too stressed out during the performance."

"Makes sense…" Ash's eyes were drawn to Serena's hands, which were grasping something like a magazine as she held them behind her back. "So, what's the plan, then?"

She grinned and leaned forward, placing herself on eye level with him. "I found something the two of us could do together." She produced the magazine from behind her back, holding it out for him to read. "Ta-da!"

He leaned in for a closer look, eyes scanning the words and images on the page. "The Ambrette Town Aquarium?" Pikachu scampered over from his resting place on Ash's pillow, taking a look for himself.

"They're on their annual tour of Kalos," Serena explained. "They take all their Pokémon and bring them from city to city. They're going to be in Lumiose City today." She lowered the magazine. "What do you think?"

He nodded as his eyes met hers, grinning. "Sounds like fun! Let's do it!"

"Great!" She beamed as she stood up straight again. "We can get going after we eat breakfast." Her eyes stayed fixed on his for a moment, before they moved to Pikachu, who was looking up at her with a forlorn expression.

She grinned at him. "You can come too, Pikachu." His face lit up, and she giggled as he cheered excitedly. She turned back to her bunk to grab her hat, as Pikachu hopped onto his trainer's shoulder, and moments later the three were walking down to breakfast.

Their four traveling companions were gathering to eat when Ash and Serena arrived in the cafeteria. Brock gave them a wave when he spotted them, motioning for them to come closer. "Hey there! What are you guys doing today? Going to hang out with Clemont and Bonnie some more?"

Ash shook his head. "They're both busy today, so they can't come by."

"Clemont's doing something at the university, and Bonnie had some emergency sitting request from one of her regulars," Serena elaborated. "I guess they pay her really well."

"So you get the day to yourselves?" Madison wondered. "That'll be nice."

Ash nodded back. "What about all of you? Any plans?"

Iris smiled. "There's this traveling aquarium that's going to be downtown today. We were all going to check it out."

"Oh, really…" Serena put on the best forced smile she could. "We were thinking of doing the same thing." Ash was able to pick up on the strain in her voice, as her date plans quickly slipped away.

"Hey, that's perfect!" Brock spoke up as he swallowed his food, not noticing Serena's disappointment. "We should all go there together once we're done eating." Ash and Serena nodded, turning and walking together to the food counter.

"Well, it'll still be a fun time," he offered, grabbing a tray and handing it to her.

She nodded, accepting the tray. "You're right. Let's just make the most of it." The two of them filled their trays with food before heading back to the table with their friends.


An hour and a half later, the six-some were walking along the closed-off streets of downtown Lumiose City, stopping frequently to admire the massive tanks filled with fish Pokémon from all over the world. The aquarium took up an enormous amount of space, occupying more than eight city blocks, with thousands of people walking the streets to admire the new visitors. After thoroughly admiring the fish Pokémon of the Kalos and Sinnoh regions, Ash and his friends found themselves at a metaphorical and literal crossroads, coming to a stop in an intersection as they figured out where to go.

"Alright, what would everyone like to see next?" Serena asked, playing the role of hostess.

"I was sort of hoping to see the Hoenn exhibit," Shannon spoke up. "There's a lot of interesting water Pokémon from that region." Iris nodded in agreement, wanting to go wherever her companion went.

"I'm interested in seeing some of the deep-sea creatures," Brock added. "You don't get a chance to see those often."

"I heard they have a pair of Milotic here!" Madison exclaimed energetically. "I've always wanted to see one! I hear they're beautiful!"

"Huh…" Ash rubbed his chin for a moment. "It might take us a while to see all of that. Maybe we should all split up? I kind of wanted to see the Alola exhibit, myself."

Brock nodded. "Sounds good to me. We could all meet up here later, when we're done. How does that sound to everyone?" The others quickly agreed, offering quick goodbyes before turning away. Ash and Serena watched as their friends separated and departed.

Serena turned toward Ash with a smirk. "So did you really want to see the Alola exhibit, or did you just want everyone else to leave?"

He grinned back at her. "Maybe I wanted you to see it with me."

She failed to suppress a giggle, covering her mouth with her hand, pleasantly surprised to see him overcoming the shyness from their first date. "Well then, lead the way." She followed him as he walked down a cross street, pleased that he had managed to get them the alone time they were hoping for.

It took them a couple of minutes to find the Alola exhibit, following the signposts that had been temporarily planted at the intersections. As soon as they arrived, Serena's eyes were drawn to a waist-high tank filled with colorful pink, blue and yellow fish Pokémon.

"Wow, what's this?" She walked quickly up to the edge of the tank, peering through the water at the multicolored creatures as they milled about. "They're so colorful! It's almost like they're wearing makeup."

"Oh yeah! They're, uh… Bruxish, I think?" Ash spotted an information placard, walking over and scanning it quickly. "Yeah, Bruxish. Water and Psychic-type. They scare other Pokémon away by… grinding their teeth, it says." Pikachu kept his eyes on the fish, recognizing them from his previous journeys.

"Just look at them," she continued, eyes studying one of the nearby Bruxish closely. "They're beautiful, but they're just… wild. I've never seen anything like it. They're almost otherworldly."

"That's what Alola is like." He stood beside her, watching the Pokémon lazily drift through the water. "It's like traveling to another world, where everything is different from what you know. It's one of my favorite places."

"It sounds incredible," she replied. "I'd love to go there sometime and see it for myself."

"Yeah…" Ash glanced over at her, seeing the wide smile on her face as her eyes followed the flamboyant Pokémon. He would love to take her to Alola someday, he thought to himself. He wanted to show her the sights, to see more of her wondrous gaze as they explored the islands together.

He turned his attention back toward the tank, his eyebrows raising. "Whoa, look at this!" He pointed down at the edge of the tank.

"Hm?" She looked over, following his gaze. "What is it?" She leaned in closer, not seeing whatever it was he was pointing at. As her face approached the water, Ash dipped two fingers into the tank and flicked them in her direction, lightly misting her face with water.

"Ah! Hey!" She failed to suppress a laugh as she shielded herself with her arm, immediately standing up.

Ash grinned mischievously. "Sorry, I couldn't resist."

"That's not funny, Ash!" she shot back, trying to force an angry expression onto her face.

"Then why are you smiling?"

She quickly turned away, knowing she couldn't hide her amusement. "Come on, you. Let's go look at something else."

Ash chuckled and followed after her, keeping his eyes on her as she looked around at the other Pokémon. His eyes drifted down her arm, toward her hand, and he quickly stepped closer to make his move. He reached out and let his fingers slide down her open palm, before intertwining with hers and clasping her hand. He felt her hand squeeze his back, watching as her smile grew wider, shining out of her face like a sunbeam. They walked hand-in-hand down the street, both of them looking around at the sights that surrounded them, able to weakly feel each other's heartbeat through their touch.

Ash's attention was soon diverted, as he watched an older couple reaching into a small bag, tossing pellets into a tank. "Hey, look at that! I think people are feeding the fish!"

"Really?" Serena followed his gaze, and the two of them walked over to the edge of the tank. She looked inside to see a large school of blue-and-white fish, swimming together in a large swarm, some of them moving up to the surface to snatch up the pellets being offered to them. "What are these?"

"They're Wishiwashi!" he answered cheerfully. "These little guys are all over Alola." Serena leaned in for a closer look.

"Oh, look at them! They look like they're about to cry!" she exclaimed, her heart immediately aching for the pitiable creatures. "We need to get some food for them!"

Ash chuckled, taking a look around and spying a stand selling fish food. He let go of Serena's hand, resolving to reclaim it later, and rushed over to purchase a small paper bag filled with pellets. He turned and walked back, his eyes on Serena and not on the ground in front of him. As he walked up to the tank, his foot slipped on a piece of paper in the road, and as he stumbled the bag of food fell out of his hand and onto the street, pellets spilling everywhere.

"Aw, man…" He sighed, deflated, eyes fixed on the ground as pellets rolled about. "So much for that." Serena lowered her hand from her mouth, biting her lip.

"You can have mine," a male voice spoke from Ash's other side.

Ash stood up straight, turning gratefully toward the voice. "Oh, thanks a…" As his eyes found the face of the generous stranger, he recoiled in shock, as did Pikachu on his shoulder. "Gah! What are you doing here?!" He could hear Serena gasp behind him, as she recognized the trainer that had defeated Brock in Cyllage City.

Darius blinked in surprise, not expecting such a harsh reaction. "I'm… feeding the fish…?"

"That's…" Ash started to say that wasn't what he meant, but upon reflection, he realized he didn't know what he meant by it in the first place, and he looked down. "Never mind."

The older boy cocked his head. "So, do you want the fish food, or…"

"No way." Ash turned back to face the tank, his voice bitter. "I don't need anything from some… wannabe Paul." He blurted out the first words that came to his mind, aware of how ridiculous they sounded.

"Paul?" Darius raised an eyebrow. "Am I supposed to know who that is?"

"He was one of the biggest jerks I ever met," Ash explained, relishing the opportunity to vent about an old rival. "He was always mean to his Pokémon. He didn't care if they hurt themselves in battle. He would kick any Pokémon he caught to the curb if he didn't think they were strong enough."

"What? That's ridiculous," Darius responded. "Any Pokémon can become a strong fighter if it's raised correctly. Whoever this Paul is, he doesn't sound like a very good trainer." Ash grumbled without responding, not wanting to agree with this trainer about anything. Darius watched him for a moment before continuing.

"So clearly you don't like me," he spoke, his voice calm. "Did I do something to hurt you, or offend you?"

"Not just him," Serena answered, trying to keep anger out of her voice. "All of us were upset after the way you mistreated your Pokémon in Cyllage City."

"Mistreated?!" he responded, incredulous and indignant. "I take great care of all my Pokémon. They're well trained, well fed, and well rested, every single one. But I yell at one of them one time, and now I'm some sort of abuser?"

"You would never treat your friends like that!" she shot back, her voice raising. "You wouldn't treat family like that! You shouldn't treat your Pokémon like that, either!"

Darius was unfazed. "I'm supposed to be their trainer, not their friend."

"Every trainer should be friends with their Pokémon!" Ash interjected. "That's the most important thing you need to be! When your Pokémon love you and trust you, they'll fight harder for you!"

The older boy folded his arms. "And how well is that approach working for you?" Ash hesitated for a moment, thinking about his years of failure, but Serena quickly intervened on his behalf.

"It's working great!" she insisted. "He's won three Pokémon League championships already. Two of them were back-to-back!"

His eyebrows raised involuntarily. "Not bad," he admitted. "When you've won five of them in a row, then get back to me."

"Five?!" Ash was stupefied at this absurd demand. "Are you nuts? How many have you won?"

"None, yet," Darius answered. "This is my first time challenging a Pokémon League. And it'll be my first championship, too."

"You think it's going to be that easy? If you want to win the Kalos League, you'll have to go through me first."

"Fine by me." Darius's eyes narrowed. "No offense, but after seeing your battle in Cyllage City, you're not going to be much of a problem."

"What did you say?!" Ash was seething as he stepped up to Darius, glaring up into his eyes, his fists clenched and his heart pounding in his ears. "Why don't you and me…"

His voice trailed off suddenly, as his mind somehow managed to return to him. His clouded mind started clearing itself, as he heard the sound of Wishiwashi splashing around next to him, and he smelled the simulated ocean breeze in the air, the world reappearing around him. He was enraged and insulted, ready to defend his honor in an impromptu battle in the street, but some part of him managed to grab onto him, holding him back. This was not the time, or the place. This was supposed to be a day of fun with Serena and Pikachu, and he couldn't let Darius ruin it by getting to him.

"Well?" Darius prompted.

"Nothing." Ash looked away. "Just forget it."

"Come on, Ash." Serena stepped forward and grasped his hand in hers. "Let's look at the exhibits somewhere else. It's gotten chilly around here." She gave Darius a lingering glare as she turned and walked off, leading Ash away by the hand. He watched them go for a moment before turning back to the tank beside him, calmly tossing food pellets into the water.


Hours later, Brock was standing in the center of an intersection, hands in his pockets as he rocked back and forth, glancing around at the fish he could see in all directions. The streets were much clearer than they were earlier in the day, as guests gradually left the aquarium and moved on to find dinner for themselves. After several minutes, he grinned and waved as he spotted Iris, Shannon and Madison walking in his direction.

"Hey, girls. How did you like the aquarium?"

"It was great!" Madison answered. "I've never seen this many fish Pokémon before!"

Shannon nodded in agreement. "Me neither. We saw some Pokémon unlike anything I've ever seen before. It makes me want to go out and travel more."

Brock removed his hands from his pockets as he walked toward them. "Did any of you see Ash and Serena? Are they close by?"

"No, but Serena answered on the group text, so they should be here soon," Madison answered.

"They might just be taking their time coming back," Shannon added with a grin. "Maybe they're out being all lovey-dovey somewhere."

"Those two? In public, in broad daylight?" Iris responded bluntly. "No way. They're way too antsy for that. If they even managed to hold hands, I'll be impressed."

"Yeah, I guess-"

Brock was interrupted by the piercing, frantic sound of a honking horn. Everyone jumped and turned toward the noise, watching as a large semi truck barreled down the street, directly into the path of the Unova exhibit.

"What the…?!" Brock exclaimed. "What is that driver doing?!" Everyone watched as the truck started swerving back and forth, trying to lose speed before it started crashing into the tanks. Bystanders shrieked and ran preemptively out of the way, crowding the sidewalks, as they watched the inevitable destruction come to pass.

Unable to stop in time, the truck swerved once more to try and navigate between the tanks. The gambit failed, and the sound of shattering glass filled the air as the side of a large Alomomola tank was taken clean off. The truck swerved a second time, making a hard turn as it tried to come to a stop, but the truck's momentum was too powerful, and it tilted and fell onto its side, with a loud crashing sound that made everyone nearby wince and cover their ears. The truck continued sliding sideways along the ground, smashing into several more tanks before finally coming to a stop, with shattered glass and thousands of gallons of water left in its wake.

As soon as the truck came to a stop, Iris and Brock were off and running, instinctively rushing forward to help; Shannon and Madison followed close behind. They could hear the sound of a police siren as they approached the truck, and soon they spotted Officer Jenny pulling up to the vehicle on her motorcycle, with a blue-and-yellow Manectric sitting in her sidecar. She immediately leaped off and started climbing the underside of the overturned vehicle, making her way to the door, which she wrenched open just as Brock and Iris reached the truck cab.

"Are you alright?" She stood up on the side of the cab, looking inside, seeing the male driver sitting dazed in his seat, clearly banged up. She carefully climbed into the truck and dropped down, unbuckling the driver from his seatbelt.

"Brakes… not working…" the driver managed, holding his head, woozy. "Couldn't stop…"

"You can fill us in later. Right now, we need to get you to a hospital." She grasped the driver's hand, starting to pull him to his feet.

"Get him up here! We'll pull him out!" Jenny looked up at the sound of a male voice above her, seeing Brock and Iris looking down into the cab, expressions of grave concern etched onto their faces.

"Thanks, you two!" She kneeled down to give the driver a boost, and with a bit of teamwork and struggling, Jenny, Brock and Iris managed to get the injured driver out of the truck, and the officer climbed out herself as the driver sat on the edge, holding his head.

"Tried to stop the truck…" he muttered, looking physically and emotionally traumatized. "Might have made it worse…"

"Just rest, alright?" Jenny advised. "We'll get you to a hospital and you'll be just fine."

Iris and Brock watched the driver for a moment before turning back to the carnage he had wrought. The water from the tanks had spilled out along the street, spreading out over hundreds of meters and bringing the Pokémon along with it. The fish Pokémon flopped helplessly in the road, gasping for air, trying in vain to push themselves into a body of water that no longer existed. Dozens of bystanders crowded the sidewalks, gawking at the sudden disaster, talking with each other and taking pictures.

"Look at all this…" Iris sounded despondent as she surveyed the destruction. "This is horrible… how is anyone going to-" She abruptly stopped as Brock reached into the backpack he had brought with him, producing a doctor's coat with a grand flourish. He donned it with incredible speed, in a motion that he had clearly practiced many times, and as he stepped up to the edge of the truck, he began to bellow in his loudest voice to the crowd below.

"Alright, everyone, listen up!" Everyone in earshot quickly stopped talking and looked up toward him, his authoritative voice drawing their attention. "We need to take all of these Pokémon and put them into the undamaged tanks, right away! We're going to need everyone's help with this!" His eyes immediately scanned the road, assessing the Pokémon that needed to be re-homed, as well as the tanks that still remained. "Freshwater with freshwater, saltwater with saltwater! Grab the Tympole and put them with the Ducklett, and bring the Alomomola to the Frillish tank! Anyone who can lift a heavy load, gather around the Tirtouga and take them to the Jellicent tank, one at a time! If you find any wounded or injured Pokémon, bring them to me right away!"

Everyone in the street immediately began following his directions, persuaded by his commanding tone and his doctor's coat. Iris watched them scatter, running up to the closest Pokémon they could find and lifting them carefully in their arms, before turning and looking for the appropriate destination tank. She glanced back at Brock, thoroughly impressed, as he turned his attention toward Officer Jenny.

"Officer, does the Pokémon Center have ambulances on the way?"

"They will in a minute, when I call this in." She looked back at him, eyebrow cocked, somewhat suspicious. "Are you an actual Pokémon doctor, or do you just like ordering around crowds of people?"

"I'm a doctor in training. I just finished a residency with Professor Sycamore." He reached into his coat pocket, pulling out a piece of paper and unfolding it. "I'll be applying for my final certification soon." He handed the paper over to Jenny, who scanned it quickly before handing it back, satisfied.

"Alright, then. I'm leaving this situation in your hands for now. I need to get this driver to the hospital. Don't make any rash decisions, alright?" He nodded in response, as she hopped down to the ground, and the trio of Brock, Iris and Jenny helped get the driver down onto the street.

"Brock!" His attention was diverted by shouting from close by, and he looked over to see Ash and Serena standing nearby, looking worried. "Tell us what we should do to help!"

"Look for any Pokémon that have been hurt!" Brock commanded, climbing down onto level ground, as Iris hopped down next to him. Everyone else quickly spread out, joining the others in assisting the scattered Pokémon, as one citizen brought him an injured Tympole to inspect.

Ten minutes later, the organized chaos had grown much more organized and far less chaotic. Almost all of the Pokémon had been placed in new tanks, breathing easily once again, with only a few stragglers still being relocated. Brock had treated a half-dozen Pokémon for minor scrapes and cuts, and turned away a dozen other unharmed ones that had been brought to him by well-meaning helpers. Three other Pokémon had been transported by ambulance to the closest Pokémon Center.

Fifty yards away, Ash and Iris were straining to lift a large Tirtouga over the edge of the Jellicent tank, along with three others. With one final heave, they managed to toss it in, lifting their arms in a futile attempt to shield themselves from the resulting splash. Ash turned and leaned against the tank, his arms and back sore, as he scanned the streets once more. The concrete was still drenched in water and covered in broken glass, but the road had been almost completely cleared of Pokémon. A relieved smile spread across his face. Somehow, with everyone working together, they had managed to save every single Pokémon from this unexpected disaster.

As he watched the citizens of Lumiose City carrying Pokémon around to their appropriate tanks, his eyes shot open wide as he spotted a familiar black-haired trainer running through the street. Darius had a panicked look on his face as he attempted to keep hold of a clearly distressed Alomomola. Ash pushed himself away from the tank and ran toward the older boy, gasping when he saw that the pink fish Pokémon had a large, jagged piece of glass sticking out of its abdomen.

"Darius!" he called out, attracting the older boy's attention.

"Ash!" Darius replied, clearly struggling to hold on. "Help me out! This Alomomola's about to slip out of my hands!"

Ash immediately reached out and grasped one of the Pokémon's side fins with one hand, and its back fin with the other, setting aside his anger toward the other trainer without a second thought. Darius exhaled and took a moment to regain his grip, and the pair shuffled their way over to Brock, who winced as he saw the state of the Alomomola, as it wriggled about, clearly in serious pain.

"Oh, that's really bad…" He walked around them in a circle, looking for other injuries, relieved when he was unable to find any. "Lay it down on its good side. I'm going to remove the glass and apply a waterproof patch. Can one of you calm it down so I can get to work?"

The two trainers lay the Pokémon down, as Brock rifled through the supplies the Pokémon Center had brought him. Ash immediately kneeled down next to the Alomomola, having no intention of letting the harsh and cruel Darius spend any more time around it than necessary.

"You're going to be just fine," Ash spoke quietly, trying his best to soothe the gasping and flailing Pokémon. "Brock's going to take care of you, and you'll be better before you know it." He ran his hand along the Pokémon's body, then its fins, trying to get the Pokémon to relax. No matter what he tried, however, the Alomomola refused to quiet down, panicked and terrified. As he racked his brain for ideas, he felt a hand roughly grab his shirt collar and yank him away, Pikachu tumbling off his shoulder.

"Step aside," Darius commanded. "You obviously don't know what you're doing." Before Ash could gather the wherewithal to respond, the older trainer threw out a Poké Ball, summoning a blue, bipedal Pokémon with large black fins on its head and tail.

"Swampert, use Water Gun on Alomomola, as lightly as you can." His Pokémon responded immediately, spitting out a weak stream of water that landed on the injured fish Pokémon, covering its body. He kneeled next to it and rubbed his hands on Alomomola's lower torso, in what looked like a deliberate and practiced motion. "Just breathe… you'll be fine, just breathe, slow and steady…"

Ash watched in surprise as the Pokémon stopped flopping around, closing its eyes and breathing slowly, just as Darius commanded. It was still clearly in pain, but it looked calmer, assuaged by the trainer's gentle touch and voice. Ash was so stunned by what he felt was an uncharacteristic display of compassion that he didn't even think to get up, until Brock ordered him to come closer.

"Come here and put your hands on either side of the glass shard. Hold the Pokémon down carefully while I remove it." Brock looked toward the older boy. "Darius, keep doing what you're doing." Ash sat up and shuffled over, obeying Brock's command and holding the Pokémon down, as Pikachu watched carefully by his side. The doctor-in-training applied a pair of latex gloves before reaching out and starting to slowly remove the glass, and Ash had to fight to keep the Pokémon in place, wincing as it squealed in pain. After several seconds, the shard was successfully removed, and Brock worked quickly to apply a temporary patch, spraying it with a Super Potion.

He wiped his forehead with his arm once the work was done, as Ash stood up and took a step back. "Good, great. This one's going to be just fine, after a trip to the Pokémon Center." He glanced toward his two temporary assistants. "Thanks for helping, both of you."

Darius nodded. "It's a lucky break for everyone that you were here. I had no idea you were a Pokémon Doctor, too."

"Well, a doctor in training," Brock admitted with a smile. "I originally wanted to be a Pokémon Breeder, but-"

Darius's face lit up. "A breeder? Really?!" Brock faltered, taken aback by this reaction, as the other trainer scooted closer, still on his knees. "Actually, do you mind if I ask you a few questions? I've been thinking about making my own food, and I've been looking for tips…"

Brock looked back toward Darius, briefly stunned by the excited expression on the boy's face, as well as the pen and notebook that had somehow materialized in his hands. "Uh… sure, no problem…" He stood up, and Darius followed. "What I usually do is…"

Ash continued to watch in abject confusion as Brock gave the best advice he could, while Darius scribbled down notes furiously, looking as if he was attending a college lecture and meeting a celebrity at the same time. He didn't look back as the four girls walked up behind him, equally confused.

"Did I miss something?" Iris's voice asked. "When did this guy get here? What is he doing?"

"I don't know," Ash admitted. "He helped us treat the Alomomola, then all of a sudden he went gaga over Brock." The group watched Brock and Darius converse, trying to reconcile this bright-eyed and curious boy with the jerk they encountered in Cyllage City.

"Thanks so much," Darius spoke as his discussion concluded, tucking his notebook into his pocket. "This will be really helpful, I think."

"Sure thing," Brock answered, adjusting his doctor's coat. "Hopefully that works out for you. Thanks for your help today."

Darius nodded, bidding Brock goodbye before turning to walk away. He only made it a few feet before Ash's voice stopped him.

"What is your deal?!" Ash blurted out, exasperated.

Darius turned around, eyebrows raising. "What are you talking about?"

"Why are you like this?" Ash continued, speaking in a pure stream of consciousness. "How can you be yelling and insulting your Jolteon, and then you're so nice and kind to this Alomomola? Why do you treat other Pokémon better than your own? I don't understand you at all!"

"I'm heartbroken," Darius responded, bitter and sarcastic. "Are you done?"

Ash glared at him for a moment, not answering, not sure if he wanted to continue going off on the older boy or to just turn and leave. Darius eventually rolled his eyes and thrust his hands into his pockets, turning and walking off, as everyone else watched. Ash could feel Serena's hand coming to rest on his shoulder, trying to calm him down.

"Well, that was… unexpected…" Shannon muttered. "Maybe this guy isn't the huge jerk we thought he was?"

"No way," Ash answered sternly. "Anyone who's mean to any Pokémon is bad news, end of story." He heard several grunts of agreement from behind him, as his Pikachu climbed up his body to his usual perch.

"Well, anyway," Brock jumped in, changing the subject. "I'm going to need to stick around here for a little while. I need to talk with Nurse Joy about everything that's happened today. You guys probably don't want to stick around for that."

"I guess not," Iris replied. "We all should probably get back to the Pokémon Center and get some dinner. It's getting late." Serena nodded in agreement, disappointed that her day was coming to a bittersweet end like this. As she started walking away, however, Ash's voice caused her to pause.

"Actually, Serena and I were talking about staying out a while longer," he jumped in, looking toward her as she turned around. "Are you still up for that?"

Her face lit up, and a wide smile spread across her face. "Of course! I'd love to." Her smile spread infectiously to him as well, as the two kept their eyes on each other. One thing he had learned about Serena over the past few months was that she was the perfect cure for whatever was upsetting him at any given time.

"Alright! Have fun, you two!" Madison smiled as well, as she started walking back to the Pokémon Center with Iris and Shannon. "We'll see you guys later!" Ash and Serena waved at them as they left, before bidding Brock farewell and turning away, heading back into Lumiose City as they discussed what to do next.


Later that night, the two teenagers were standing at a window side by side, looking out at the lights of Lumiose City from hundreds of feet in the air. The two of them, along with Pikachu, had been let into Prism Tower by an eager Bonnie, and they were taking in the breathtaking view from the very top.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Serena spoke softly. "I've never seen Lumiose City like this before. It's amazing."

"Yeah…" Ash replied with a polite nod, his voice a bit distant.

Serena glanced over at him, picking up on his tone of voice. "Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing's wrong. Why?"

"You sound distracted." She frowned. "You aren't still thinking about that jerk Darius, are you?"

Ash shook his head. "No, I'm not."

"Well, you're thinking about something."

He smirked. "I'm never thinking about anything."

She laughed, rolling her eyes. "You're ridiculous, Ash." She continued gazing out the window, until another sight caught her attention. "Oh, come look at this! Look at all the people down there!"

Ash grinned and walked over to see what she was looking at, bringing his attention fully back to her. His mind had been focused on other things for a few minutes, but he hadn't been thinking about Darius, or the aquarium. He had finally decided how he was going to ask her the question he had been thinking about ever since their date in Cyllage City. It was going to happen in Gloire City, once the Master Class was completed and she had been crowned. As her Kalos Queen journey came to an end, he would present her with a bouquet of one dozen red roses, and ask her to begin an entirely new journey with him. It was undeniably cheesy, but it would be romantic, and he knew she would appreciate that. He needed to butter her up as much as he could, making it as appealing as possible to say yes, because he knew for certain now that he didn't want to continue traveling without her.

The two of them continued looking out at the City of Light, enjoying the moment, both of them hoping for many more nights like this to come.