"And the winner of the Hoenn's Grand Festival is…"
Serena held her breath, staring at her two friends on stage, not sure who to cheer for.
"May, from Petalburg City!"
"YES!" May shrieked.
The crowd exploded, yelling and screaming and waving glowsticks around, cheering for Hoenn's new Top Coordinator.
"Well done, May!" Serena shouted from the stands. "You did great too, Dawn!"
Serena knew that both of them couldn't hear her, but they could sense her support all the same. The two contestants smiled and waved to the crowd among the streamers and ribbons flying everywhere.
"And now, to present the Ribbon Cup!"
The spotlights panned away from the two competitors, towards a table covered with a silk tablecloth.
Upon it, a golden trophy with two ribbons trailing down either end, forming handles. Serena rubbed the blue ribbon Ash gave her subconsciously, as she watched May walk up to the podium, tears streaming down her face. May reached out reverently, before glancing back towards Dawn, who nodded encouragingly. May set her face, then turned back to the cup and grabbed it, lifting it towards a cheering audience.
"Please welcome Hoenn's new Top Coordinator… May!"
The audience cheered even louder than before, some fans even waving signs with May's name on it. Out of the corner of her eye, Serena could see some of Dawn's fans sitting down, disappointed and dejected, and although Serena felt slightly bad for them, she knew that they'd have their time of celebration when Dawn won Sinnoh's competition.
"Thank you all so much!" May shouted to the crowd.
"That was a great competition, May. Thank you," Dawn smiled.
"It was my pleasure!" May replied happily. "After all this time, I still can't believe that I'm, well…"
"You're a Top Coordinator now!" Dawn exclaimed.
"I still feel kind of guilty that we were the last two competitors…" May admitted. "I didn't really want to take it away from you."
"Don't worry about it May, this is your region! You should be the one taking the competition. After all, I'm going for Top Coordinator in Sinnoh. This was great practice, and I couldn't ask for a better training session. How about you, Serena?"
"I really have learned a lot from Pokemon Contests," Serena admitted. "Although I'm still not comfortable with the whole battling-to-earn-points system, I've learned a lot how moves can combine together to look really pretty."
"You're going back to Kalos now, right?" May asked, her voice tinged with sadness. Serena nodded softly.
"The Showcases are starting soon, and I'd better get back as soon as I can before I miss the deadline. It was absolutely amazing meeting the both of you, and I'm happy we got to spend some time together."
"No kidding," Dawn agreed. "This past year has been one of my favorites. These memories will stay with us forever."
"Hey, why don't we go to the airport together? We can see you off, Serena," May offered. "It's the least we can do."
"Sure, I'd like that," Serena smiled. "I'd like that a lot."
"Well, we're here," Dawn said. The large building with huge glass panes loomed before them, with flights being announced inside.
"Let's go, then," May said. As the three girls walked into the airport, Serena couldn't help but feel a tinge of sadness, as she was leaving her three friends behind. The parting was different from Ash's, as Ash had somewhere to go as well, so neither of them were leaving each other behind. But with May and Dawn, they'd keep traveling together even when Serena left.
"One for Kalos, please," Serena requested. The receptionist nodded, and slid over a ticket.
"This one leaves in fifteen minutes, so you'd better be quick. If you'd like, there's another one that leaves in two hours. Would you prefer that one?"
"Yes, please," Serena requested. Not only did she want to spend a bit more time with her friends, she doubted she could run all the way across the airport in fifteen minutes. She passed the ticket back, and received a different one in return.
"Gate Four. Enjoy your flight!"
"Thank you!"
Serena walked with her friends towards Gate Four, which was, as expected, on the other side of the airport. When they got there, there was still an hour and a half to spare.
"I don't know about you guys, but I'm kinda hungry." May admitted.
"Same." Dawn said.
"Hey, why not over there?" Serena asked, pointing to a small restaurant a few paces away. "We can eat there together before my flight leaves."
"Sure, let's go."
As the three friends made their way to the restaurant, they were greeted warmly by a tan-skinned man with green hair, with a Lickitung for a partner.
"Greetings, you three! Would you like to come in and try some Alolan cuisine?"
"Alolan?" Serena asked, tilting her head. "What's that?"
"You've never heard of the Alola region?!" The man asked, mouth falling open. "You guys are missing out on a lot. Come in, come in! You'll get a taste of Alola's fine traditions tonight. The name's Ulu, by the way."
"Thank you so much," Dawn said gratefully.
"My pleasure!" Ulu said happily. He sat the three girls down at a table and handed them a menu. "Here's the menu. Please, peruse them at your leisure."
"Yeah, sure!" May said. "Give us ten or so minutes, and we'll be ready."
"I'll be waiting!" Ulu called back. "Just call out to me!"
"So, the Alola region, huh?" Dawn asked. "Sounds pretty interesting."
"It does," Serena agreed. "Judging by the food, it seems to be a tropical place with many berries. I'm interested to try it."
"Me too!" Dawn said.
The three friends scoured the menu, picking and choosing out what they wanted to eat. After about ten minutes had passed, they called Ulu back to the table.
"What can I get for you three?" Ulu asked happily, pulling out a notepad.
"All of us will get a glass of Pineapp juice and some Traditional Fried Rice," May requested. Ulu nodded, and went back into the kitchen. Within the next few minutes, he was back, and served them their food.
"Please enjoy!" Ulu told the trio.
"Judging by the tropical berries, I'm assuming that Alola is a tropical place?" Serena asked. Ulu nodded, confirming.
"That's right! The Alola region consists of four islands. Melemele Island is the largest, followed by Akala Island, then Ula'Ula Island, and last but not least, Poni Island."
"Wow," Serena said. "Sounds like a place my friend would like to visit. He loves adventuring, after all."
Dawn elbowed Serena with a sly smile, and Serena blushed. Ulu tilted his head questioningly, before shaking his head dismissively.
"Anyways, that's all you should really know about an overview of Alola. But for now, enjoy your food. It is getting late, after all."
"Thank you," May said gratefully. The trio began to eat in silence.
"What an adventure this past year was, huh?" Dawn asked. Serena nodded mutely.
"Meeting you guys, learning and training for Contests… it certainly was an experience," Serena smiled. "Thank you both so very much."
"You should really be thanking Ash as much as us," May smiled. "Even though he's not here, he brought us all together, in a way."
"That's right," Dawn sighed. "It's really great to have met him. He's an inspiration, a fierce battler, and eye candy for Serena."
Serena flushed a deep red, and nearly shouted.
"Wh- what's that supposed to mean, Dawn?"
"You know what I mean," Dawn said with a sly smirk. "Whenever we talk about Ash, you're always sitting there, a blush on your face, smiling softly and staring off into space…"
"Th- That doesn't mean he's- He's not- not-" Serena stammered, blushing even harder.
"Oh, I know you've imagined him without his shirt at least once," May drawled. "Both of us know."
"I- I didn't! I would never!" She had, admittedly, once, but she wasn't about to tell Dawn and May that.
"Mm hmm…" Dawn and May chorused, very clearly believing her. Serena was spared from further embarrassment when an announcement on the loudspeaker cut through the air.
"Would the passengers for Flight Fennekin 2045, headed for the Kalos region, please begin boarding the plane."
Serena breathed deeply and sighed, the other two girls mirroring her.
"I guess this is goodbye," Dawn said forlornly. "It was great traveling with you."
"Same here," May agreed. Before Serena could protest, the other two girls pulled her into a giant group hug.
"Don't get yourself killed in Kalos, alright? Call the Petalburg City Gym when you get to Kalos, just to let us know you're safe."
"Alright, I will." Serena agreed.
The girls separated, and Dawn brushed away a tear that threatened to fall. They all met each other's gaze one last time, another unspoken promise of permanent friendship passing between them. Then, Serena turned away to board the airplane. The walk away from them was painful, but Serena still found it within herself to keep walking down the hallway to the plane.
Serena found her seat in the plane, and turned to the window, where she saw Dawn and May waving at her. She waved back, smiling. As the plane took off, Serena kept her eyes trained on the airport, and the two distant figures, growing smaller and smaller, and hoping that she'd be able to see them again soon.
She soon turned her thoughts toward her destination, and the Performance that she'd put on, and how much she wanted a certain raven-haired Pokemon Trainer to be cheering her on from the stands.
With that happy thought, she drifted off into unconsciousness, preparing for the time zone difference from Hoenn to Kalos.
"Ash, you only need to pack the essentials, you know," Kukui said bemusedly, seeing the scattered items and knick knacks on the ground. "You don't really need to pack all of this."
"Yeah, but I wanted to bring some stuff from Alola," Ash replied. "I have some friends in Kalos that I'd like to give these to."
"Alright," Professor Kukui conceded. "Just be ready in fifteen minutes, alright?"
"Alright, will do," Ash replied. "Thanks, Professor."
"No problem. I'll explain the flight plan in the classroom. I'll see you there."
"Alright!"
Ash looked back down to his items, and smiled with his choices. He'd gotten a little ribbon for Bonnie, he'd be showing his Z-Crystals to Clemont for studying, and for Sawyer, there was nothing else to be had except an excellent battle.
That left Serena, with the most important item in his hand.
He'd found it when adventuring around the mountains of Akala Island, a little pink gem sticking out of the rock. Picking it up, he'd realized that it was a Fairy-type Z-Crystal. Ash didn't have any Pokemon that could use a Fairy type Z-Move, and immediately thought of Serena. The pink gem glittered brightly in the sunlight, just as Serena's performances would sparkle and amaze him.
He knew that it was highly unlikely that he would run into her there, as she was probably still in Hoenn, but it would still be nice to hold on to it until he saw her again.
Sticking it into his pocket, he got his backpack with his clothes and pokeballs, and Rotom followed him from behind.
"Ready to go, Rotom?" Ash asked. Rotom nodded eagerly.
"I've never been to the Kalos region, and this could very well mean brand new data! Let's go, Ash!"
"Alright!"
Ash came into the classroom, greeting all of his friends there. Kukui nodded happily, and raised his hand for attention.
"Alright. So, I know for many of you, this will be a new experience. There aren't any flights from Alola directly to the Kalos region, so we'll need to make a connecting flight, which is in Kanto. We'll fly to Kanto first, spend the night at the Pokemon Center, and then catch a flight to the Kalos region, where we'll study the different Kalos Pokemon, and maybe even watch the Pokemon League and Master Class!"
Ash raised his eyebrows, intrigued. He could pick up his old Kalos outfit, and his Gym Badges. This could very well be his chance to win the League…
"Ash! Did you hear the question?" Kukui asked, smiling. Ash shook his head quickly, apologizing.
"Sorry, I guess I got a bit too excited. What was the question?"
"You're from Kanto, correct?"
"That's right!"
"Alright, so you'll guide us towards the Pokemon Center there. Does that sound alright?"
"Sure thing, Professor!"
Kukui nodded happily, then gestured with his arm. "Now, class, let's make like a Quick Attack to the airport! We'll be in the plane before you know it."
"Alright!" The class cheered.
"Wow, this place is huge," Kiawe said in awe.
"No kidding," Mallow agreed.
"Let's go in. Our flight leaves pretty soon, I wouldn't want to miss that!" Professor Kukui said.
"Alright, let's go! Those Water types won't explore themselves!" Lana said excitedly.
"Yeah!"
As the class ran through the airport to get to their destination, Ash sighed happily, remembering his adventures in the Kalos region. It was probably his favorite one, throughout all of the regions.
"Alright class, here we are!" Professor Kukui smiled, gesturing to the gate. "Seems like we're just on time."
"Would Flight Rowlet 722 please begin to board the plane."
The group walked towards the gate, while Professor Kukui presented the group's tickets. The flight attendant smiled and waved them in with a cheerful "Enjoy your flight!"
The group got seated in the plane, each finding their own seats in rows of three. Kiawe was seated with Lillie and Lana, while Ash sat with Sophocles and Mallow.
Ash settled in and began browsing through the screen in front of him, searching for Serena's latest Contests. The Alola Region didn't cover Contests from Hoenn, so all Ash could really do was watch replays of her Showcases. With a giddy shake, he'd found the past year's Contests. He began scrolling through them, looking for her name.
There it was.
Serena.
He hit the icon to play that video, before a voice froze him in place.
"Hey, who's she?" Mallow asked.
This was going to be a long, long flight.
Hope you enjoyed this new chapter! Was peer pressured to put this out first, hah. I'll update ALATSS next, promise.
Join my discord if you want, it's not really geared towards the Pokemon fandom, but at least you can talk with a friendly community? discord . gg / zFvTHdFzry
