Ash casually observed the newly-evolved Raboot with interest. The Pokémon on the other hand, was giving off an aloof air. He asked, "So, what moves have you taught Raboot?"

Goh frowned, "Well… He knows Quick Attack and Double Kick, and he recently learned Ember. He did that on his own, though."

Ash sighed, "Listen buddy… I know that you're just interested in catching Pokémon and not battling them. But there will eventually come a time when a Pokémon won't let you simply catch it. It will make you battle for it. For that, your own Pokémon need to get stronger."

Goh made a face, but Ash had put his foot down and dragged him away. From there, Ash, Goh, Horace and Kiawe all trained hard. By the time they were done, Bayleef evolved into Meganium and learned Frenzy Plant. The new-born Riolu had to be prevented from battling, right off the bat. Ash wanted it to get used to being around him and his Pokémon for a while.

Meanwhile, Buizel evolved into Floatzel and learned Whirlpool. Ash's Grookey also evolved into Thwackey and learned Knock Off. Horace's Chikorita also evolved into a Bayleef. Even Raboot learned Blaze Kick. As the days passed, more of Goh's and Horace's Pokémon learned new moves. Horace's Venomoth learned Stun Spore, Goh's new Grimer learned Poison Gas and his Dewgong learned Ice Beam.

One day, Ash and company were training as usual, when Clemont came running over. He hollered, "Guys! I got a letter from Korrina! Turns out, the new World Coronation Series season has started. She's invited us to Shalour City to watch her first match!"

Ash pumped a fist, "Alright! That's going to be awesome! Let's go!"

Everyone was soon packed and ready to go. Ash checked his own roster, which consisted of Pikachu, Quilava, Blaze Tauros, Absol and Oshawott. Once they landed, the large group decided to explore Shalour City for a while. Having been there before, Ash, Clemont, Bonnie and Serena became the impromptu tour guides. Along the way, Goh caught several Pokémon, including a Binacle and a Fletchling and Horace caught a Flabébé and a Scatterbug.

Ash even enjoyed a few random battles with passing trainers. His Pikachu made short work of a Clawitzer. His other Pokémon also led him to three straight wins. Just then, a young tan-skinned girl with grey eyes and hair, intercepted them. She was dressed as a martial artist and pointed a finger at him, "You there! Are you competing in the Pokémon World Coronation Series?"

Ash was a bit taken aback by her forwardness, "Uh… Sorry, not this year."

That didn't deter her, "Very well! I shall consider this a practice battle, Trainer!"

They moved to a battlefield and got ready. She introduced herself as Bea and called out, "This will be a one on one battle. Once a Pokémon has made an appearance on the field, you cannot change your mind at the last minute!"

Ash grabbed a Pokeball, "Alright! Qui-"

Suddenly, another one of his Pokeballs popped open and Oshawott emerged on the field. The Sea Otter Pokémon patted his scalchop with a confident smirk on his face, "Osha!"

An unfazed Bea then sent out a large octopus-like Pokémon. Oshawott took one look at the bigger Pokémon and sweat dropped as the colour drained from his entire body. He looked around and spotted Pikachu, and tried to drag him into the arena.

Bea yelled out, "Oshawott cannot tag out! You may not have wanted to field him but it's too late now!"

An annoyed Pikachu glared at Oshawott, who chuckled sheepishly. The electric mouse swung his tail and bonked his teammate on the head and began yelling at him. Off to the side, Meowth helpfully translated, "You arrogant little moron! How many times have we told you not to pull stunts like this! You can't just go in all overconfident and then chicken out at the last minute. Now you made your bed and you lie in it. But I'm warning you, if Ash gets his butt kicked, you're going solo against all of us as punishment when we're back in Kanto."

Oshawott gulped as Pikachu scampered back to Ash's shoulder and glared again. As for Ash, he fished out his Rotom Phone, "Grapploct, the Jiu-Jitsu Pokémon. A Fighting-Type. Grapploct's entire body is made up of overlapping muscles. It's tentacles have terrifying power for squeezing attacks."

Ash then called out, "Okay, Oshawott! Aquajet!"

Oshawott surrounded himself with water and rocketed towards Grapploct. Bea struck a fighting pose and ordered, "Detect!"

Sure enough, Grapploct dodged all the attacks and then Bea ordered a Close Combat. Before Ash could react, Oshawott got smacked around. Then, she ordered Liquidation, and the massacre grew worse. Finally, the two separated, and Oshawott looked like he had gone through the ringer. Ash clenched a fist, "Oshawott! Are you okay buddy? Use Focus Energy!"

Oshawott boosted his accuracy and then Ash ordered a Razor Shell. For a small Pokémon, Oshawott was quite speedy and managed to land a hit. However, the advantage didn't last long because Grapploct took advantage of the close quarters to pounce. Somehow, Oshawott dodged and Ash followed it up by ordering a Hydro Pump.

Grapploct got pushed back slightly, before using its tentacles to shield itself. The Galarian Pokémon then pounced again and managed to catch Oshawott. Bea ordered, "Octolock!"

On cue, all tentacles wrapped around Oshawott and began squeezing tight. Ash grit his teeth as Oshawott began crying out in pain. At the side, all of his friends were getting increasingly nervous. Ash's eyes darted around, looking for a way out, and then he hollered, "Oshawott! Use your legs to push up off the ground!"

Bea jerked back, a little surprised, and Oshawott obeyed his commands. Both Pokémon were sent a few feet in the air, and as they came down, Oshawott twisted, so that Grapploct hit the ground first. The impact was enough to let go of his captive. Bea recovered quickly and ordered Liquidation, followed by another Octolock.

By this time, Oshawott was exhausted, thus at the mercy of Grapploct. As the Jiu-Jitsu Pokémon continued squeezing, Bea decided to throw Ash a bone, "I'd advise you to surrender while you can. Or I will force you to surrender!"

At that point, as much as it pained him to do so, Ash decided to cut his losses. He raised a hand, "I-I-I… I forfeit."

She nodded firmly and Grapploct let go. By then, Oshawott had fainted and Ash returned his Pokémon. He stood and approached Bea, "Good match. And good luck for the tournament."

All the while, the front of his cap cast a shadow over his eyes. He turned around and trudged away from the battlefield. Serena made to follow him, but Dawn held her back, "Don't… Just let him be. He wants to be alone for some time, so let's just give him some space. Ash will probably re-join us later."

Bea approached them, "Am I missing something? I know that sometimes I came come off as cold during my battles. I'm working on that, right now."

Brock shook his head, "It's nothing personal. Bea, was it? Ash hasn't been in a good place for a while. He came close to winning a Pokémon League twice, getting in two finals in a row, and lost narrowly. I guess the losses are just getting to him."

Back with Ash, he took a stroll around the city, just wandering aimlessly. As he walked, he replayed the battle multiple times in his head. He didn't blame Oshawott for the loss, one bit. He knew that Oshawott was always a little overconfident, and he should have worked on it with the Unovan starter. Back in Unova, those antics were amusing at best. So, like an idiot, he just let Oshawott keep doing it, and now it has cost him.

He stopped in front of a bakery window display, not that he noticed, as he was still analysing Oshawott's battle. Ash stayed like that for a while, just staring at the display case, suddenly a cheerful voice startled him, "You should try the croissants! They're to die for! Though I'm a little partial towards Poképuffs."

He whirled around to see a pretty redheaded girl smiling at him. She was wearing a white sleeveless blouse and black trousers held up by a belt. The girl also wore black-framed glasses over a pair of red eyes, and she completed the look with a small hat on her head.

Ash moved away, "Oh, I'm sorry, was I in the way?"

She shook her head, still smiling, and then noticed his depressed expression. Her smile turned into a frown, "Uh oh… That's a sad face. I don't like sad faces. Is everything okay?"

She guided him to a nearby bench and they sat down. He spoke up, "I-It's nothing. I just lost a Pokémon battle, that's all. Nothing to worry yourself-"

He was interrupted when she suddenly lunged forward and wrapped him in a hug. Despite the fact that the girl was practically a stranger, the hug felt oddly comforting. She murmured, "Sorry, I'm not usually this forward, but you looked like you could use one."

Then Ash got a good look at her face and his jaw dropped, "Whoa! Wait… You're… You're…"

He glanced around, but they were relatively alone, but he whispered, "You're Aria, right? The Kalos Queen?"

She shot him a wry smile, "Well… It's former queen, now. Your friend Serena took the title a year later, and a few months ago, a friend of hers, Shauna, took the title, and she's the current Kalos Queen."

Aria winked at him, "It's okay to talk normally. We won't get mobbed. I know I'm famous, but people respect my personal space. By the way, sorry for approaching you out of the blue, but I like making people smile. So if I see someone sad, I kind of make it my personal mission to cheer them up. I remember you, by the way. Ash Ketchum, right? My feet really don't like you."

Ash chuckled sheepishly, "Sorry if I stepped on your toes too much while we danced."

She laughed, "I'm just kidding. You were fine. So anyway, where were we? Oh yes, I like cheering people up, so when I saw you all sad, I couldn't resist."

He sighed, "Yeah, well… I was having a practice battle with this really strong trainer. I had a plan in place, but it got derailed by one of my more enthusiastic Pokémon wanting a shot. Unfortunately, I couldn't switch out, and got soundly thrashed."

Before he could continue, she hugged him again, this time harder. Aria murmured, "Do you want to talk about it, or do you just want some comfort?"

He relaxed in her embrace, "This-this is nice."

They stayed like that for nearly two minutes before she finally let go. Then a thought struck her and she turned to rummage in her purse. She babbled, "Oh, right! I almost forgot. I have something for you."

She fished out a Pokeball and he looked at her with a little confusion. Ash asked, "You want to trade? I mean… I only have Tauros up for trade, and no offence, they don't look like Pokémon that you would normally use."

She waved him off, "None taken. Actually, this isn't a trade."

Aria pressed the button and a familiar Pokémon popped out. Ash's eyes widened, "Greninja! Wow! Good to see you, buddy!"

Both human and Pokémon embraced briefly. Aria took that opportunity to explain, "It's a funny story actually. A couple of weeks ago, I was just taking a walk in Lumiose City. Next thing I know, some huge red glowing vine popped out from underground and headed towards me."

She snorted and pet Greninja, "I probably would have gone splat if this guy hadn't jumped in and been my knight in shining armour. I recognised him immediately as one of your Pokémon because I think I saw him with you, once. Was just wondering what on earth he was doing here in Kalos. Then this Pokémon called Zygarde came over and spoke to me, telepathically. Imagine my surprise! He said something along the lines of that vine being the last one."

Aria made a face, "To be honest, the whole 'tentacle out of the ground' sounded like something out of a bad hentai movie."

She stopped and blushed, "Sorry… I didn't mean to sound so crass. I'm supposed to be better than that. Anyway, Greninja saved me and destroyed the vine. Then Zygarde asked me to take care of him and to return him to you, if we ever met."

Ash smiled and returned Greninja to his Pokeball. He gazed at it wistfully, "Welcome home, buddy."

Then he turned to the redhead, "Hey, thanks for getting me out of my funk. I was actually supposed to meet with my friends. We're going to cheer for our friend Korrina, the Shalour City Gym leader. She's participating in the Pokémon World Coronation Series. I'm not doing it this year because I wanted to take a sabbatical. Do you want to come with us?"

Aria shot him a beautiful smile, "I would love to!"

Ash eventually re-joined his friends, and it was worth it seeing Serena's gobsmacked face when she saw him with Aria, of all people. Introductions were quickly made and they all headed inside the stadium. Once inside, they saw Korrina skating to her mark. The blonde girl spotted them and waved frantically. Meanwhile, her Lucario waved, but a little more dignified.

As Korrina's first match began, Dawn turned to Ash, "Are you okay, Ash? I mean-"

He glanced at Aria, who was talking to Serena, and he smiled, "I'm alright, Dawn. While I was busy moping, I bumped into Aria and she gave me a bit of a pep talk."

Dawn slyly asked, "Is that all? Was it just a pep talk"

Ash rolled his eyes, "Get your head out of the gutter, Dawn. It was just a pep talk."

They focused on Korrina's matches, and the Shalour City Gym Leader looked to be in fine form. She was practically breezing through the competition. The group also noticed that Bea was in the tournament, and was projected to meet Korrina in the final

Speaking of the final, there was a short half an hour break, where everyone was allowed to head out and stretch their legs. Ash and company, along with their new companion Aria were walking, when they heard a voice hollering out. Sure enough, Korrina was skating towards them, "Yoo-hoo! Hi Ash! It's been forever!"

Ash grinned, "Sure has! You remember Serena, Clemont and Bonnie, right? These are my friends from my visits to other regions. This is Brock, Misty, May, Max, Dawn, Cilan, Kiawe, Sophocles, Mallow, Lana, Lillie, Gladion, Goh, Horace, Chloe and Risa. These two are James and Jessie. And I'm sure Aria over here, needs no introduction."

Korrina cheerfully greeted, "Nice to meet you guys. So Ash, what's new with you?"

He replied, "Caught a bunch of Pokémon and I recently got a Riolu."

Her eyes sparkled, "Really! Can I see him! Can I? Can I?"

Ash sent out his Riolu and Korrina sent out her Lucario. The girl knelt and rubbed behind the Pokémon's ear. She earnestly said, "You stick with Ash and he'll make you super strong!"

Ash clapped her on the shoulder, "So, you're in the final, eh? Good luck! I had a practice battle with Bea, your opponent. She's going to be tough!"

Korrina nodded, "Got it! Lucario and I have been training as hard we have been. To keep winning and move up the rankings."

Brock checked his watch, "I think we should get back to the stadium. Korrina's match starts in 10 minutes."

The girl cheerfully waved and skated back, with Lucario running alongside her. As they settled back in their seats, Risa asked, "So, who do you think is going to win?"

Ash frowned in thought, "I'm hoping that Korrina does, but Bea's going to be difficult. I have a feeling that this will be a close battle."

Sure enough, the battle was fierce between the two opponents. It was a two-on-two battle, where Bea's Hawlucha and Korrina's Mienfoo took each other out in a double knockout. Then it was Lucario against Grapploct. This was a tense encounter, with neither side giving any quarter, until Grapploct fired a Liquidation and Octolock in quick succession, the same combo that knocked out Ash's Oshawott.

When they met up with Korrina afterwards, she wasn't too torn up about it. Instead, they found Korrina and Bea hanging out, gorging on pastries and ice cream. As it turned out, the two were out on a date. Bea apologised to Ash, but he waved her off, insisting that he just needed to train harder.

The group stuck around Shalour for a couple more days, and then it was time to return to Kanto. Aria had nothing better to do, so she decided to tag along. On the plane back, Ash found himself sitting between Serena and Aria, and Serena was snuggling into his side. Aria smirked, "It was about time you two got together."

Ash chuckled, "Actually, I'm in a relationship with her, Misty, May, Dawn, Lillie, Lana, Mallow, Chloe, Risa and another friend of ours, Iris. You're not weirded out by this, are you?"

The redhead actually snorted, "Honey, this is Kalos. Romance is kind of our thing. Multi-relationships are more common here because everyone is so open on the concept of love."

She leaned over, "I'll let you in on a little secret. Ever since we had our little dance, I kind of started to have a thing for you. Is there room in your little collective for one more girl?"

Ash and Serena shared a look and grinned before turning back to her, "Welcome to the mad house!"