In full moonlight, Corviknight flew through the snowy clouds as Ash struggled to fix a button on his collar.
Grumbling, he asked himself, "Why is this so hard to take off?"
"Having trouble?" Serena laughed, causing Ash to sigh.
"Here I'll help you." Serena said, as she brought her hands to unbutton the collar in one motion.
"That was annoying." Ash complained. "I'm the world's strongest trainer and can't even unbutton my collar." He laughed at himself with Serena joining him.
"I may have to make a few modifications to the cloak to suit you better." Serena suggested.
"That would be great." Ash agreed.
Minutes later he heard Serena yawn. She laid her head on Ash's shoulder. The Monarch looked down. "Feeling tired?" Ash asked in a gentle tone.
Serena didn't even say a word as she only nodded. They've been in the air for a good couple of hours so no wonder why Serena felt tired.
Moments later, Ash made a small gesture by taking off his cloak and putting it over Serena to keep her warm. Ash smiled adoringly when he heard a faint snore soon after. He spent a few minutes in quietness until he heard a faint yell coming from outside the taxi. Ash headed toward the door to put the window down to hear but he remembered it was snowing harshly with high winds. He looked back at Serena and saw his cloak over her.
'She should be fine.' The Monarch thought as pulled down the cold glass window.
"What was that!?" Ash yelled out with his hand hovering over his ear.
The taxi driver looked back at Ash before calling out to him.
"Hey kid, I think it's time to use it!" He started, "This weather is becoming too much to handle."
Ash looked ahead and saw an upcoming snow storm. He could see Corviknight having difficulty staying aloft.
That wasn't good.
Ash stared at the taxi driver and gave a sharp nod. The Corviknight trainer nodded back as he took something out of his flight jacket. He put some king of wrist gauntlet on his right wrist and then took a small capsule with a bright red glow from his other pocket and inserted it into the gauntlet
"Hope this works." The taxi driver whispered to himself, finally adjusting the gauntlet correctly.
It was Ash who was the one who gave him the gauntlet band before they took off.
It was a dynamax band with many modifications with the logo of a lightning bolt, a reference to Clemont.
The modified band was able to absorb any dynamax energy that was manually given to it which made it possible to either dynamax or Gigantamax anywhere for a one-time use. It was thanks to Ash and Leon's battle that Clemont was able to collect enough dynamax particles to put into a small container for use.
Hopefully the experimental technology won't explode.
Ash wanted to use it when they got closer to their destination but he was not going to risk any danger to Serena.
Suddenly a strong wind gust came by with Ash's hat almost flying right off but he was able to hold it on to his head. Ash quickly backed away into the window and closed it shut.
"Feels strange to Gigantatmax in the southern mountains of Kalos." The taxi driver stated as he clenched his fist as red energy emitted around Corviknight.
The raven Pokémon began to grow as its wingspan grew tenfold. The crimson eyes glowed brighter with its armor expanding. The red markings became known on the Pokémon as it roared across the sky. It successfully Gigantamaxed, hundreds of miles away from the region of Galar.
Ash stared out the window in awe. "Clemont I wish I could say this to your face but you're awesome." The young Monarch whispered to himself.
Even with the success of Gigantamaxing, the taxi pod itself was in danger of being crushed by Corviknight's claws. It wasn't secure enough, so the giant Pokémon quickly went down to land on the nearest mountain peak.
Once on the ground, all the snow underneath the enormous Pokémon melted away due to the heat of the energy. Corviknight used its enormous beak to gently push the taxi pod over its back in a delicate way. The taxi driver would then go to the taxi's trunk to take out a set of ropes and a new saddle. He tied the rope to the taxi's landing gear and the bar to Corviknight's horns. He then placed the saddle on Corviknight's front horn.
"All good?" Ash asked with his head poking out the window.
"Secured and ready to get back in the sky!" The taxi driver proclaimed as he strapped himself to the saddle.
Ash gave a thumbs up before closing the window. Once he was situated, he turned around and was stunned that Serena was still sound asleep. He scratched his head in utter bewilderment as he sat down next to Serena.
"The fact you're still asleep after that is impressive." Ash said as he released a deep sigh.
As minutes passed, Ash grew drowsy. His eyes grew heavy as he scooted closer to his girlfriend. He leaned his head on top of Serena, now having his cheek pressed against her hair. He fell asleep not long after.
"Hey we're here!" A voice outside called out.
Ash's eyes opened begrudgingly to see that they had already landed. He glanced at his Cubone watch, reading nine in the morning and then looked at Serena who was still asleep. He started shaking her but she didn't wake up.
"Serena, it's time to wake up." He spoke softly, continuing to shake her awake.
She didn't budge.
"Hmm." Ash hummed before moving his hand to Serena's forehead.
Using his index finger, he poked her head gently, an action he would soon regret. When he made contact, Serena's eyes shot open and her head instinctively launched toward him. Both of their heads slammed against each other causing them to pull apart and grasp their heads in pain.
"OW!" Serena yelled as she tried to recover from the pain.
Ash on the other hand was unfortunate enough to fall backwards with the back of his head hitting the metal floor of the taxi.
Serena gasped, with her hands covering her mouth before immediately going to aid Ash.
"Ash! Are you ok!?" She worriedly said, trying to bring him up to the seat.
Ash simply gave a thumbs up and got back on the seat. Serena looked at Ash's forehead to find any injury and sure enough, there was a noticeable bruise on his temple.
"I'm so sorry!" Serena apologized intently, trying to get something out of her bag.
"It's alright." Ash reassured, rubbing the back of his head. "That really hurt."
"Here." Serena said as she took out some type of ointment and a bandaid. She carefully applied the ointment from her hand to Ash's bruise but the sudden action caused him to flinch in slight pain.
"Sorry." She whispered, feeling guilty.
After a few short moments, Serena was able to put a bandaid patch over the bruise.
"Thank you." Ash spoke softly.
"For what? Hurting you?" Serena said with a hint of agitation.
"No, for helping patch me up." Ash answered before reaching for Serena's hand only for her to pull away.
Serena looked away, not knowing what to say as she felt terrible for hurting Ash but then she felt pressure on her forehead.
It was the same ointment she used on Ash earlier but this time it was Ash who delicately applied the medication to her own bruise.
"You were so worried about me that you forgot to take care of yourself huh?" Ash chuckled, lifting the mood a bit.
Once Ash finished with the ointment, he took out a clean bandage from Serena's bag, and carefully covered her bruise. Then he did the most unexpected thing ever, he gave her a kiss on her forehead.
"That's a good luck charm! Pain, pain, go away!" He sang with his arms in the air.
Serena blinked, suddenly remembering those words from all those years ago when they first met. Unfortunately, she couldn't respond because the door opened.
"Hey- uh…" The taxi driver started, not knowing what exactly he had walked into. "We're here." He coughed before leaving the two alone.
Both Ash and Serena laughed about the whole ordeal. Ash stood up with his hand reaching for Serena with her taking it.
"Sorry for hurting you like that." Serena apologized again. "It's just that my mom's Fletching would hit my forehead every morning, so I guess it was just instinct."
"Ah, lesson learned." Ash spoke.
"Yeah, I'm surprised you managed to recover so quickly." Serena commented.
"Nah, that was practically nothing compared to what I've been through, considering I almost died a few times." He laughed nonchalantly before getting an elbow to the shoulder.
"You can be so stupid sometimes." Serena giggled.
"Isn't that one of things you like about me though?" Ash quipped.
Serena crossed her arms and gave him a semi-serious look. In return, Ash gave her a cheeky grin causing her to roll her eyes in exasperation.
"Stop it." Serena said, trying not to smile.
"Stop what?" Ash pushed.
She sighed. "Never mind."
A few minutes passed with the couple catching up with the taxi driver who was currently feeding his Corviknight. They were on a mountain cliff and below seemed to be a bamboo forest filled with mostly bug-type Pokémon.
"Oh that's a Bisharp!" Ash pointed out. "I'm gonna go catch one!"
As Ash started to run, he was quickly yanked from his collar by a hand.
"Ash." Serena spoke first.
"Yeah?" Ash sweatdropped.
"Where are we?" She questioned, letting go of his collar.
"O-Oh right…" Ash spoke as he looked around and turned to Serena.
"Welcome to the Paldea Region!" He hollered out with his arms outstretched.
Serena's eyes widened before looking at the landscape. She looked at the view of the neighboring region and it was beautiful. It had a variety of habitats as she could see the snowy mountains from here. The Kalos Queen took a step and looked below.
"Wow." Is all she could say.
"That reminds me." Ash said out of nowhere. "Hey Pikachu, where are ya buddy!"
Then all of a sudden, the mouse Pokémon hopped out of a nearby bush and scurried to Ash's shoulder.
"Hey buddy." Ash said as he scratched the side of Pikachu's ear.
"Where did Pikachu come from?" Serena questioned with much confusion.
"Oh! Remember how I said that Pikachu and some of my other Pokémon were doing something important?" He reminded her.
"Huh…" Serena stared at Pikachu who then jumped on her shoulder. Pikachu nuzzled his cheek against Serena as a way to say hi.
"You really are as sneaky as a mouse." She whispered.
"Pika!" The mouse Pokémon chirped as it jumped behind Serena.
"Come on, let's follow him." Ash suggested. They began to follow a path down the mountain but first they thanked the taxi driver and stated they would be back later, with Ash giving a generous tip as well.
As the mouse Pokémon hopped across broken down trees, they finally arrived at an open field with thick trees surrounding it, making an enclosed sitting. The most interesting part is that there was a nearby cave opening. Ash, Serena, and Pikachu strolled into the cave. The deeper they went the more Serena noticed that this cave seemed to be made into a home or secret hideout of some kind. It had lanterns and had furniture like a couch. There were many tunnels within the cave that seemed that a human or Pokémon could traverse through.
What happened next is something that confirmed that suspicion. Though it did make Serena scream out of pure shock. She saw a Pokémon with soulless red eyes with a large pinkish nose, hanging upside down less than three feet away from her face. She backed away, only to accidentally trip on a rock. She began to fall but thankfully Ash caught her from behind in the nick of time.
"Don't worry Serena he won't hurt ya." He reassured her before looking at the Ghost Pokémon. The Rage monkey Pokémon jumped out of the ceiling tunnel and walked toward Ash, taking his cap.
"Feeling nostalgic, Annihilape?" He laughed.
"Ape…" The Pokémon groaned.
"Pika Pika." Pikachu said to Annihilape.
"Annihila." The ghost-fighting type responded in a ghostly voice.
Serena coughed, giving Ash a confused look. Ash blinked before helping Serena back to her feet.
"Annihilape, this is Serena." Ash introduced. "She's very special to me."
Annihilape stared at Serena with its eyes almost as he was studying her. The ghost Pokémon then nodded before disappearing into a nearby tunnel. Pikachu quickly followed the ghost down a dark tunnel.
"What was that about?" Serena asked.
"Oh he was just making sure you didn't pose a threat, he's like the guardian of this place."
"Oh ok." Serena responded, "So what exactly is this place because it just screams Ash Ketchum." She chuckled, feeling the stone of the cave's walls.
"Oh about that, I believe this was an abandoned base from a group called Team Star I believe, so I made it into a place where I could relax and train with my Pokémon away from the public eye." He answered thoughtfully as they traveled to an open cavern with lanterns and a few tables.There were a few posters on the walls and the open area looked like a huge makeshift living room, complete with a TV and everything.
"That sounds really nice actually, it feels cozy here." Serena complimented.
"Right? Although I did have help making this place." Ash agreed.
"Who helped you?" Serena queried.
"A group of students from Uva Academy."
"What were they like?" Serena asked with curiosity building.
"Well one had a passion for battling, another who liked cooking, and one who was really good at tech." Ash stopped for a moment but continued on.
"And two other students who have great potential in many ways."
"They sound fun, wish I could have met them." Serena said thoughtfully.
"Here I have some pictures!" Ash said as he took out his Rotom phone and sat on a nearby cushion seat with Serena sitting next to him.
Ash began to scroll through his photos dating back a few years to find some pictures of the Uva Academy students.
"This one is Florian and Nemona. Those two had an act of battling one another for hours on end…although I'm not sure what kind of relationship those two have as of late," He said as he showed Serena a photo of them riding a Dudunsparce.
"I have yet to catch a Dunsparce." Ash sighed amusingly. "Anyways, here's one with Juliana, Arven, and Penny!"
They spent a good while looking at old photos and memories started to come back.
"Oh I remember this day!" Serena pointed to a photo.
"Oh yeah…when my mother invited most of my friends to Pallet town to celebrate my victory in the World Coronation series." He smiled faintly. "If I remember correctly, I believe Alexa's sister Viola took this picture of all of us."
"She had taken good pictures." Serena praised.
"You got that right." Ash agreed.
Serena smiled. "I remember meeting all of your other friends like Brock and Misty. Those two were such a joy to talk with."
"Yeah it was really nice to have everyone there." Ash stated. "Although it did get awkward with the dancing part of the party." He grimaced.
"When your mother purposely tried to put me and you together for a slow dance?" Serena teased.
"Yeah." He confessed. "Sorry it didn't go well…I was a terrible dancer."
"No, don't blame yourself. I was the one to ask, remember?" Serena responded with a hint of embarrassment.
"Oh yeah, it was after I was done battling Paul haha." Ash laughed.
Serena was left wondering for a moment. She always wanted to dance with Ash but some outside force always got in the way like during their Kalos travels or at the party. She remembered how she asked Ash to dance..She pondered more about the past until her train of memory lane was cut loose.
"Hey Serena?" Ash started.
"Yes?"
"Would you uh…care to dance?" He asked with slight hesitation.
"I'd love to." Serena smiled as she took his hand.
Ash carefully put his hand around her hip and clasped her hand. One of Serena's hands was holding onto his shoulder. They swayed around with Ash occasionally tripping over himself but it was a high improvement from the last time.
It was quiet and it was peaceful.
The only thing they needed was…
Music.
As if on cue, he saw Pikachu and Annihilape sitting across the cavern with a music stereo, no clue where they got that but he had a good idea.
What they played was the upbeat music genre known as Jazz.
'Interesting choice…' Ash thought to himself as the music started to get louder.
Come, Step, Step and turn!
Invite your Partner…
Serena's eyes widened with her lips curving upward, "This is one of my favorite songs!" Serena beamed as she tapped her foot to the beat.
If you get cold feet, you'll lose your balance,
Hey, even more! Even more! Sweep me off my feet
Serena took Ash's hands and began to swing back and forth. Ash grinned seeing her happy and energetic. Her smile was infectious and Ash couldn't help but smile with her as they danced.
They kept on dancing in more of a wild rhythm to match the music with Serena suddenly letting go of Ash's hands.
The honey-blonde started to do a small jog backwards with her hair flaring up and down with each step back. Ash was impressed by how much energy she had in store, but she was an experienced performer and a coordinator so he shouldn't be surprised.
She began to even sing the lyrics of the song and when she did, Ash stopped dancing.
He never heard her sing before and he was already caught in a trance.
'She sounds beautiful…' Ash thought but quickly shook his head to get back in the swing.
They danced what felt like hours of exercise but eventually slowed down when the music started to echo down. They both took a breath for air, trying to recompose themselves.
Serena was the first to speak. "That was really fun." She blushed, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear.
"I couldn't agree more." Ash agreed, giving her a wide smile. "I didn't know you could sing like that!" He added.
Upon hearing that, Serena's pupils shrunk and she grabbed her hair strands to cover her face. Her face was flushed and caused Ash to back-track his words.
"Oh sorry…did I say something wrong?" Ash worriedly asked.
"No it's just I usually sing alone, it's kinda embarrassing when someone else can hear it." She confessed.
"Oh sorry but if it makes you feel better, I think your singing is amazing." He admitted which caused Serena to blush a bit more.
"…and do you think you will make songs for the future?" He asked lastly, he was curious since she was an idol and all.
"T-Thank you." Serena stuttered. "Um.."
Serena would reach for her bag to grab some kind of CD case. She presented the case to Ash and spoke quietly.
"This is my personal recording of a song I came up with a long time ago to calm myself, a-and since you like my singing…"
She paused for a second.
"...I'm letting you listen to it but at a later time." She finished.
As she was about to put the CD case back in her bag, a golden ring appeared above Serena with a mitten-like hand yanking the CD from her.
"Eh?" Is all what Serena could say at the situation.
Suddenly a ring portal formed in front of her with a very familiar face erupting from it.
"Were you surprised?" The mythical Pokémon cheerfully asked.
Serena couldn't find any words as she was trying to understand what just transpired. She had so many questions like where did Hoopa come from? Or is Hoopa Ash's Pokémon now?
"Hoopa!" Ash called out. "What did I say about taking other people's belongings?" Ash crossed his arms.
Hoopa scratched its head, trying to look like it was remembering. "Oh!" It shouted and turned to the stunned girl in the room. "Hoopa sorry for stealing!"
"Um…it's alright, but can I have it back please?" Serena finally said something.
Hoopa blinked before smiling widely. "Oh, Hoopa gave it to Pikan!" Pointing to Pikachu who had the CD out in the open.
"Pika Pika." The electric type smugly said.
Pikachu and Annihilape readied the CD into stereo and pressed play.
The music started and Ash heard the singing voice of his girlfriend once more, only it was more calm and tranquil. Serena covered her eyes with her hands. She was too embarrassed to look but then felt something grab her wrists. It was Ash's hands, pulling them down from her face. She knew her face was red but couldn't help but stare at Ash's soft auburn eyes.
He gave her a smile, somehow calming her. She felt her confidence returned as Serena's arms subconsciously hugged around Ash's neck with Ash grabbing her waist. They commenced a slow dance, listening to the serene music, enjoying the moment they had together.
Hoopa, Pikachu, and Annihilape watched in silence, giving their trainer and his partner a moment to dance without disturbance. The trainers danced and began listening to the lyrics.
I've been searching and searching
Near and far
Searching and searching
And there you are
Our wishes share a star…
Ash istened to the lyrics very carefully as he started to put the puzzles together.
'This song feels like it's about…' he thought deeply.
I choose you
I choose you
What else can I do?
We're just too good together to part
What we've shared from the start
Feels like one beating heart
Serena had her own thoughts about the song, she poured her heart and soul into it. To have someone special hear it for the first time made her feel something, it wasn't fear nor embarrassment but relief.
Feels like one beating heart
I choose you
I choose you
…
They kept hugging each other tightly as they were afraid to let go. In the past few years, they couldn't be together or even see each other as they would've liked. They had two completely different dreams to conquer, they both faced obstacles in their own way but in the end, the goals were the same. To be the greatest of their respective goals.
…
One who wanted to be the top of the hierarchy, to be a queen while the other wanted to become the strongest, to succeed as a Monarch.
Both are still thriving to be the very best. A dream to make others smile with joy and one to become a true Pokémon Master.
Now they were closer than ever before as they danced with one another. They were happy and at peace with each other.
…
Serena slowly pulled away from Ash's shoulder before taking her hands to each side of his face. She gently rubbed her fingers over his thunderbolt marks before drawing closer to his face. She had to stand on her heels to reach his face but she didn't mind. Ash was taken aback a little but let Serena continue as he trusted her. They locked eyes, cerulean meeting auburn before closing, and both leaned closer and closer until…
…their lips finally met.
It wasn't perfect but it was good enough for them.
The song had already ended and the only noise they could hear in the background was just a blur to them.
Ash's Pokémon, especially Pikachu, cheered for their trainer.
"Ashkan got his wish without a ring!" Hoopa announced in a surprise tone.
"Pikachu!" The electric type squeaked in happiness!
"Ape!" The ghost-fighting type raged its arms in celebration.
The couple pulled apart with Ash having a dopey smile with Serena giggling at his reaction. Their eyes sparkled in amazement as that was their first kiss in years.
"Wow" Ash laughed softly.
"Wow indeed." Serena said, lightly blushing.
There was silence between the two but then out of nowhere all of Serena's Pokémon jumped out of their Pokéballs.
"Pangoro!" The daunting Pokémon launched onto the ground, making it shake and hugged the two lovebirds in a tight hug.
"Can't breathe Pangoro!" Ash choked out.
Pangoro quickly loosened the hug but instead spun the couple around one time.
"Sylve.." the fairy type exclaimed using one of its ribbons to wrap around Serena's arm. Sylveon felt high emotions radiating off her trainer, a positive aura that was bright and happy. "Sylveon!" The Pokémon called out in a prideful tone.
Delphox and Absol nodded gently with Mr. Rime doing a tap dance. Her smallest Pokémon on her team, Alcremie strolled to hug Serena's leg. All of Serena's Pokémon were in a great mood as they sensed what had just happened.
Ash's remaining Pokémon also came out of their Pokéballs. Hawlucha and Melmetal gave praise in gestures. Pikachu jumped on Pangoro's head to overlook the Monarch and the Queen. Annihilape clapped boldly as Hoopa was twirling around in glee.
Eventually all of the Pokémon embraced in a group hug at the end and afterwards, they wandered around to explore the cave. Pikachu and Hoopa were the only ones that stayed as Annihilape phased through the ground with a thumbs up in the air.
Serena looked at Ash and gave him a quick peck. "Was this part of your plan to get me to kiss you?" She jokingly asked.
"Well the plan was basically made on the go, and a lot of improvising." He said before looking at his Pokémon "Couldn't have done it without the help of my Pokémon."
Pikachu and Hoopa gave a fun salute in response.
"There is something I would want you to explain though." Serena spoke.
"Sure! What is it?" Ash responded.
"Well for starters…how were you able to plan all of this in a short amount of time? And how and when did you catch Hoopa!?" Serena asked a multitude of questions.
Ash raised his hands in defense as he knew he had a lot of explaining to do.
"Well…it started when-"
"Is that you Ash?" A voice interrupting from a tunnel. It came from a younger boy with brown eyes wearing a brimmed hat. There was also someone behind him, specifically a girl with a green hair streak.
"Well if it isn't the World Champion himself." The ponytail girl spoke out loud with her hand on her hip.
Ash blinked before giving them a friendly wave.
"Hi Florian and Nemona!"
Author's note
The names of the music that was mention in this chapter:
"Lead Your Partner." - Sing a Bit of Harmony (There are Dub Sub versions)
"I Choose You" -End credits song from Pokémon Movie 20.
Hi yes I'm still updating this story and if you want to catch up on more updates, give a follow on my twitter: @Rotoscare. Votes and comments keep me motivated to write this story out so I appreciate it if you all do leave a comment or vote. :)