He was sure, if he squinted past the strong yellows and oranges in the sky, he could make out her gray fedora on the far-off port. It was funny; if his eyes weren't deceiving him, then she hadn't moved an inch from where she'd stood, either. Even if they definitely wouldn't be able to hear each other, anymore.

Maybe he'd look, just a little bit longer. The cool ocean breeze felt nice on his skin, anyway. So did the railing of the ship under his arms. The seas looked awfully colorful, at twilight.

All good enough excuses to act as if their meeting wasn't over.

"Pikapi…?" Pikachu stood on the railing beside his trainer. He tilted his head, wearing a look of concern. His partner always had a habit of reading him like a book.

Ash smiled, shaking his head. "It's fine, Buddy. Just… getting the most out of the moment." He couldn't see Serena anymore, but he could make out green lights framing the pier.

"Ash…?" He heard Chloe's voice, and looked over his shoulder. She'd just come out of the cabin, and she had a frown fixed on her features. The one she wore when she was about to point something out that either he or Goh had missed. "You're going to miss dinner if you stay out here much longer."

There it was.

"I'll just ask Goh to get some extra for me." Ash shrugged.

"You're going to have to contact him if you want that," she pointed out.

"...Right," Ash laughed, "thanks." He pulled out his Rotomphone, sending a text to Goh to ask him to wrap up any leftovers he could grab from the small mess hall on the boat. With that over and done with, he slid the device back into his jacket pocket.

"Are you alright, Ash…? It's not like you to be this absent about dinner."

"I'm fine," Ash assured. "...Chloe, could I ask you something?"

"I suppose so."

Going into that question, Ash hadn't actually prepared another. Impulsive as he always was; he was simply guided by a gut feeling. The feeling that he'd missed out, a little. "What was Serena like?"

"What was…? Ash, are you feeling okay? You've known Serena a lot longer than I have." Chloe leaned on the railing beside him, frowning.

"Well, sure," Ash said. "I'm just curious how much she's changed. I barely got to see her."

"That does make sense," Chloe agreed. "Serena… She was just very confident, and sure of herself. She admitted there was a time where she felt just like me, and had no idea what her dream was. But for her, it just seemed so far away."

"Yeah." Ash smiled to himself. "I remember those days. She was lost. But then she made herself a great Performer! I'm sure you'll find your path too, Chloe. If you're ever hesitating…"

"'Then, get yourself moving! Even if you fail, you'll still be left with something. Nothing you ever do is pointless.'" Chloe finished, giggling to herself. It sounded as if she were in on an inside joke. In a way, she was.

Ash stared at her, blinking, as the words soaked in. "She really remembered that, huh…?" Something about that was making his heart pitter-patter. Like it'd just used Quick Attack.

"It was something Serena told me," Chloe explained. "I should've known it was something you'd say."

Ash laughed to himself, looking back towards the sea. "You were in a Contest Spectacular, today. Serena said she was entering them… Was that where you met 'er? She competed, too?"

"I met her before it," Chloe explained, "but yes! She entered. Her and her Pokémon were just… incredible. I was trembling on stage, and she had it down to an art. I felt like everyone in the Contest Hall had to have been smiling during her performance!"

"Yeah… that's the kind of effect her performances have," Ash said fondly. "She was always working hard, back then, when we were in Kalos, and her performances only got more and more impressive! You could just tell that she and her Pokémon were having a blast. But they really popped when she found her calling. She said she wanted to give others strength and make them smile. I'm… really glad that she's still having that impact, and moving forward."

The trainer leaned his cheek into his palm. His chocolate hues shimmered, despite the shade cast by his cap. "If anyone's fit to be Kalos Queen, it's her."

Perhaps it was the silence left hanging in the air, once he was done rambling, but Ash felt slightly odd, aftwards. It only just clicked for him that Chloe had gone quite a bit without saying anything. He frowned, looking back at her. "Hey, is something the matter?"

Chloe's emerald hues were wide, but seemingly unfocused. As if the maroon-haired girl had zoned out completely. Hearing him, she shook it off. "N-no! It's just rare that I hear you talk like this. I didn't want to interrupt you."

Ash idly scratched his cheek, suddenly feeling self-conscious. "Hear me talk like what?"

"I-it's just…!" Chloe's face filled with red, to the point that it was still noticeable under the colorful glow cast by the coming sunset. "...Never mind. It's not important."

"Aw, c'mon." Ash pouted. "Seriously, what is it?"

Chloe sighed, relenting. "You just sound very fond of her. Frankly, the two of you remind me of one of those romantic fairy tales I've read. Like two people in love, split apart by their fates until they meet again. But, I was getting a little carried away," she laughed, shaking her head. "There's no way you'd be in that kind of situation."

Ash paused for a moment, swallowing her words. "Actually," he replied, "you're right."

Chloe squeaked, at a pitch and volume he'd never heard out of her before. "W-what!?"

"E-vuii!?" Eevee squeaked, still sitting in Chloe's arms. Though, it was likely she was just imitating her trainer, rather than paying attention to what Ash had said.

"Well, hold on. It's at least kind of true," Ash corrected himself. "When we split up last, Serena said something to me. She said that I was her goal. Part of me knew that meant that she wanted to be the kind of person I was… but then, she went on to say something else. She said 'the next time you see me, I'll be a much more charming woman.'"

"You can't be serious…!" Chloe squeaked, hugging Eevee closer to her chest. "That's… a full-blown confession of love!"

"That's not all," Ash continued. "She… she asked me for one last thing. She ran back up the escalator, and…" Suddenly, he felt the need to exhale heavily. Like the rapid pace of his heart and the tightness of his chest were suffocating him. Every time he'd attempted to talk about this — which really, he could count on one hand — he felt paralyzed, somehow.

"...and she kissed me." His index finger pointed meekly towards his lips.

"YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS!?"

"EE-BUIIII!?"

"Hey! Hey! What's going on, over there!?" Goh stumbled up the stairway leading to the main deck, nearly tripping over himself. He'd even lost his grip on a tied up bag, which Grookey luckily caught on the end of his stick. "Thank you, Grookey…" He sighed, scrambling over to Ash and Chloe. "What's wrong? Is everything okay!?"

"Well apparently," Chloe deadpanned, pointing a finger at Ash, "Ash has been kissed before."

"W-what!?" Goh choked out, his face filling with red. Brows furrowing, and his voice cracked as he pointed a trembling finger at Chloe. "D-did you kiss him!?"

"What are you, crazy!?" Chloe puffed out her cheek at the accusation. "It was Serena."

"Serena!? Like, the girl we just met, a few minutes ago? She," he gestured both hands to his friend incredulously, "kissed him!?"

The back-and-forth shouting match was starting to get on Ash's nerves. His face had fixed in a sour sulk, and his shoulders slumped. "Is it really that unbelievable!?"

"Yes!" Both Goh and Chloe shouted in unison.

Ash hung his head, but only choked out a sound of annoyance in return. He felt Pikachu pat his shoulder in consolation.

Goh frowned, only catching on in the aftermath that he'd hurt his friend's feelings. "W-what I mean is… How come you never told me this before!?"

Ash righted himself, shrugging his shoulders. "Well, you didn't ask."

"That… is a very fair point," Goh conceded.

"You guys!" Chloe whined, seeming distressed. "You're both still missing the matter at hand. Ash didn't kiss her back, just now! Imagine how she's feeling!"

"Hold on!" Goh countered. "We don't even know if Ash likes her back!"

Chloe scoffed, mimicked by Eevee. "You just don't understand these matters."

"Honestly…?" Ash broke his silence. "I thought about it. But, there was so little time, and…" He laughed in a decidedly self-deprecating manner. "...I think Serena's so much braver than I am."

"Now that, I find hard to believe," Goh replied. "You do all sorts of dangerous things all the time! You're incredibly brave! Crazy, even!"

"This is different," Chloe huffed, shooting her childhood friend an unimpressed look. "You don't get it."

"And, you do!?"

"It is different," Ash agreed. "When I'm fighting some Pokémon, or jumping into danger when someone needs help… It's just a reflex. It's the only thing to do. I don't even think about it. Kissing someone is just… so totally out of my ballpark. I kind of wanted to, since she'd kissed me, last time." He felt his cheeks heat up at the admission, again. "But I got cold feet."

"Well, you've got to tell her!" Goh insisted. "You should call her! Chloe, did you get her number?"

Chloe frowned, shaking her head. "Sadly, I never thought to…"

Goh groaned, slapping a hand to his forehead.

"Nah. It's fine." Ash shook his head. "I don't need it. As much as I'd really like to spill all that now… I get why Serena said all that to me, that day, at the airport. She wanted to come back someone she was proud of, when I saw her again. Someone I'd be impressed by.

That's how I feel, too. When we were leaving, just now, I wanted to tell her the same thing. I told her I'd be the strongest trainer… And the next time we see each other, I will be. I'll beat Leon. Then, I can go back to her as my best self, when she's Kalos Queen, too. Then… well, who knows?"

"Maybe the Ash who's World Monarch would have the strength to kiss her?" Goh teased.

Ash laughed. "Something like that."

"Jeez…" Chloe heaved a heavy sigh. "Honestly, I'm a little overwhelmed…" She said that, but the girl still wore a smile on her face. "You're always full of surprises, Ash."

Ash grinned. "I like to think the whole world is full of surprises, waiting to be seen."

"Nothing you could ever do is pointless, right?" Chloe cheekily replied.

Ash humed an affirmative, and looked out to the horizon, again. The green lights were long gone, now. Dark blues coated the skies, and only gentle waves could be seen on the horizon. "Pikachu…?"

"Pikapi?" Pikachu asked, looking over from his seat on the railing.

"I'm gonna have to ask you to lend me strength, again. So we can reach our goals… And so I can be a person that I'm really proud to be. You think you can do that?"

"Piiikachu." Pikachu cut a smirk at him, dismissing that it even needed to be asked. Though, Ash didn't like the devious dip in his brow that followed. "Pi-pika? Pikachu ka?"

"H-hey!" Ash pouted. Although the word-by-word was lost on him, he got the message. Pikachu had asked if this was all for Serena, now. "Don't you start teasing me, too… And, no." Collecting himself, Ash smiled, turning his eyes to the heavens. Endless stars blanketed the night sky, far away from any artificial lights. Endless possibilities, and endless reasons to push forward…

He felt the sudden urge to raise his hand towards that infinity, and close it in a grasp.

"She is one of my many reasons to get there, though."